|
Post by Konuju on Feb 15, 2023 15:33:15 GMT -8
IC: Ryan Sanders/Ellen Burks - Port, Hau’oli City Ryan couldn’t help but feel relief at the sight of land once more. The waters around them had returned to the beautiful blue of a tropical postcard — almost as unnatural as the sickly red of the waters around Poni Island.
Leaving the joint army of Rocket, Liberty, and Aether to fight off the Missing Zero Instances had been a tough call. Even though everyone in the group knew their mission was not on the front lines, the emotions surrounding their retreat ranged from solemn silence to disgruntled revulsion.
Nevertheless, all nine of them had made their way back to Seafolk Village, where the ferry that had brought them there took them back to Melemele Island. Ellen quickly cried herself to sleep, snuggled down in the lower deck with Symbio, who seemed to share her exhaustion. Ryan recalled her profuse apologies to the soldiers moving toward the front lines while their group retrated in the opposite direction. For as much as Ellen had grown recently, she was still just a kid. All of them were. And the emotional strain of this war and the Rocket-Liberty War before it had an effect of everyone here, whether or not they admitted it.
The group that had fought Tapu Fini looked exhausted, even the boisterous Evan Tierra. Sonja looked like she was hiding her frustration at having to retreat. Colleen looked like she was about to be sick — although that could easily have been her motion sickness on the choppy waves. Ryan and Ray were both a little shaken up from Togie’s fall.
And that wasn’t even getting into how their Pokémon were feeling. Many had fainted over the course of the day’s battles, but those that were still conscious looked equal parts frustrated about the situation and worried about their trainers.
If feels like we already went through so much just to recruit one of the Tapu, Ryan thought to himself. And there’s supposed to be three more out there.
As the ferry pulled into the port, the rhythmic shouts of a military commander drowned out the cacophony of tourists and merchants that had filled the streets on their first trip through the city. Sure enough a platoon of Liberty soldiers was marching up and down a small spit of beach carrying large guns. Every few minutes the commander would order the soldiers to halt, take aim, and then resume marching.
It had been a common enough sight on Four Island, but the Liberty soldiers looked severely out of place amidst the tropical paradise. In fact, many tourists were quite loud in their annoyance at the military drills, blissfully oblivious to the situation just a few islands over. Others, perhaps more in touch with the news, watched the soldiers with grim concern.
Ryan caught Colleen scanning the faces (and probably auras) of the soldiers as they marched. He recalled her mentioning that her little sister Zoe had finally joined the official ranks of Team Liberty and had been stationed in Hau’oli. Ryan carefully looked at the soldiers nearest to them, but with their matching uniforms and tactical gear it was hard to pick any one individual out of the crowd. “Any sign of her?” he asked.
Colleen shook her head. “Liberty brought a lot of troops here, she’s probably just training somewhere else in the city.” She put on a smile and jogged a bit to catch up with the rest of the group, but Ryan had the feeling she was more worried than she let on.
It was a quick hike through the main streets of Hau’oli to the outskirts where Vertrag lay hidden in the base of Ten Carat Hill. As the group descended in the now-familiar elevator, the exhaustion of the day suddenly hit Ryan.
“We should check in with Ford and Hayes,” he told the others. “But I vote we wait until tomorrow before going out on the next mission. We could all use some rest.”
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Feb 24, 2023 20:59:41 GMT -8
IC - Ethan Worth (Tox)/Skye Hall (Torch) - Ruins of Conflict, Melemele Island:
The shaking in the temple had reached a fever pitch. Ethan looked up at the growing clouds of dust set loose by the vibrations. "Everyone, brace yourselves!"
Several things occurred at once. A shell of rainbow light erupted around Tox's form as he closed in on Feraligatr. At the same time, a plume of electrified dust and smoke erupted from the odd statue above them, billowing out and covering the entirety of the temple in a thick cloud that forced all present to cover their eyes and mouths. Ethan and Corey had nowhere to hide from it, but Skye managed to pull Lucia behind the fallen pillar.
When the dust had cleared enough to see again, an impressive sight lay before them. Tox had come to a stop in midair, his body angular and hardened like armor. The spikes on his arms had elongated into sleek lances, and his legs had also transformed to match. More importantly, however, was the figure between Tox and Feraligatr. It was an odd creature with a small black body and thin arms that wore thick shells in two halves that resembled a rooster's head. A plume of feathers stood out from its head in an impressive mohawk, and the bottom half of its body ended in orange projections not unlike feathers. Electricity bristled in the air around Tapu Koko, and he seemed to press back against Tox's two arm stingers with impressive ease as the two floated in an airborne lock.
Mighty warriors! Tapu Koko's voice echoed around them. I see your battles for what they are--a challenge of strength! And I accept. He pulled back his free arm and threw it forward in a punch, knocking Tox back through the air.
"Tapu Koko!" Ethan grinned. "Now that's what we've been waiting for! You ready, Tox?" The Beedrill clanged his stingers together before shifting into a fighting stance. "Then let's do this!"
Tapu Koko let out a war cry as he moved rapidly in place, hyping himself up. Then PROVE! YOUR! WORTH! In a flash the Guardian Spirit moved, leaving a line of electricity in his wake as he shot between Tox and Feraligatr with a lightning-fast Wild Charge attack.
Tox: Mega Evolve > Self Tapu Koko: Wild Charge > Tox, Feraligatr
|
|
alku
Technician
Posts: 63
|
Post by alku on Mar 2, 2023 17:12:44 GMT -8
IC: Evan Tierra
Evan looked incredibly drained. He wanted nothing more than to lay in a bed with Jenny and sleep the evening away. But he also had to talk with Palkia about what had happened with Tapu Fini, among many more things.
"Yeah, we should at least check in with them before we hit the hay." Evan said, smiling wearily.
|
|
|
Post by Magical Girl Mimi on Mar 2, 2023 17:21:48 GMT -8
-==IC: Corey Bouchard (Feraligatr)/Lucia Zyther - Ruins of Conflict, Melemele Island==-
"What was th--" Lucia's question was cut off as immediately as it was answered as Tapu Koko issued/answered the challenge that Corey and Ethan had been working toward this entire time. She was stunned by how the Guardian Spirit looked, but kept her silence as Tapu Koko immediately leapt into battle with her two companions. Feraligatr tried to dodge out of the way of the Wild Charge, but the speed of the opposing Electric-type was too quick to avoid, and she got sent flying across the room. Feraligatr struggled to her feet as Corey watched with a grimace on their face.
"Feraligatr, come on, we can do this!" Corey pointed toward Tapu Koko as they clenched their fist. "Try to close the distance and strike out with Crunch!" With a nod, Feraligatr shot forward, using the enhanced abilities granted from Dragon Dance to try and get close enough to bite down on Tapu Koko before there could be more damage taken.
OOC: Feraligatr: Crunch > Tapu Koko
|
|
|
Post by minun4 on Mar 2, 2023 23:30:46 GMT -8
IC: James Arthur - VIP Cell Block
This was suboptimal. Optimal was a fairy-tale, but still it wasn’t great. Neglecting his own feelings on the matter, Officer Ross wouldn’t be a satisfying answer to the rest of Team Liberty. At least with James one could make up a motive. The man targeted by Greed killed for his own ambition. Simple, black-and-white and self-contained. But Officer Ross, what was his motivation? Leaving the murder an open question was the last thing James wanted. But the reality was Officer Ross would have to be the scapegoat for now.
“What will you do if we catch the rats?” James asked Ladon. “If everything I told you before is true and you can prove it, that is.”
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Mar 4, 2023 17:18:31 GMT -8
IC - Executive Danielle Ladon - Executive Suites, The Alamo:
"Ideally, that would be up to Blackskull to decide. My loyalty and deference is to him first and foremost," Ladon said. Her expression was soft as she said it, but that expression quickly hardened as she continued. "Failing that . . . Either the rats go or we all do." She gave James and Amanda a steely look as they passed by the security desk and came to a stop in front of the elevators. "I won't pretend that I don't have my own biases or opinions about Team Liberty's operations. But someone working in the best interests of others needs to know how to put those biases aside. Ross's likely accomplices have made it clear time and time again that their own ambitions take priority over those broader interests. I think you two know that just as well as I do. It's a game that has gone on far too long and it cannot continue if we hope to survive this war against Missing Zero."
A light ding signaled the arrival of the elevator. Ladon let some of the tension go from her body with a deep breath. "I'd appreciate if you excuse the lack of professionalism just then," she said. "I'm going to stick around a bit and check in on block repairs. Is there anything else I can help you out with before I send you on your way?"
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Mar 4, 2023 17:53:40 GMT -8
IC - Ethan Worth (Tox)/Skye Hall (Torch) - Guardian Spirit Tapu Koko - Ruins of Conflict, Melemele Island:
Tapu Koko's Wild Charge left a streak of electricity in his wake as he slammed first into Feraligatr and then into Tox, knocking both back. As the Tapu came to a skidding halt back toward the center of the arena, he turned just in time to see the Water-Type bearing down on him with fangs gleaming. Tapu Koko threw an arm up to defend himself, the half-rooster shell providing heavy resistance to the attack as Feraligtr clamped down.
"Quick, Tox!" Ethan called. "Poison Jab!"
The Guardian Spirit looked past Feraligatr as he heard Ethan's command, eyes scanning for his second opponent. A glimpse of gold caught his eye and he lifted his other arm, shield buckling slightly against the force of Tox's impact. Caught on both sides now, Tapu Koko clenched his fists and rolled, disorienting and dislodging his two opponents. He turned on the spot and flew at Tox, throwing a rapid series of punches forward. The larger Bug-Type Pokémon moved back with the punches, managing to just keep out of the way as he looked for an opening in the Guardian Spirit's form. The effort was mostly futile--Tapu Koko moved with a swiftness virtually unparalleled by anything Tox had seen before.
So it was time for a new plan.
The Beedrill rolled aside and away from Tapu Koko, letting the Guardian Spirit punch into empty air. In that brief opening, Tox opened his mouth and spit forward a flurry of sticky webs that entangled the Tapu's form, tangling him in strings that hampered his movements...
Tapu Koko > barrel roll, punchy punches Tox > String Shot
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Mar 4, 2023 18:15:44 GMT -8
IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Gavin Braner/Esen Windred/Levi Alaric/Sam Moreno/Will Moreno - Vertrag:
The ride down the elevator to Vertrag was uneventful. With everyone as exhausted as they were from the adventure above ground, there seemed to be little interest in small talk. That was okay with Kyle and Sonja, at least--there was a lot to digest and not a lot of time to do it.
Arriving in the main room of their base presented a much different atmosphere. Gavin and Esen had returned from whatever they had been doing. Esen was seated at the countertop and was eating a bowl of ramen. Gavin lay across a couch, absentmindedly tossing a Poké Ball into the air and catching it over and over. Meanwhile Levi and Will sat across from each other on the floor, a coffee table between them and a game of battleship half completed; presently Will was staring at his screen, contemplating his next move. Sam was working on a crossword puzzle, though she seemed more bored with it than anything.
All in all, it felt more homely here than expected.
"Mr. Kyle!" Levi leaped to his feet, an excited smile across his face. "You're back!"
"We're back," Kyle said. "And with some good news--we got Tapu Fini back in action!" He felt his stomach rumbling. With an awkward laugh, he rubbed the back of his head. "But I think we can get to that in a bit--I don't think any of us have eaten since this morning."
"There's more--" Esen stammered for a moment as several eyes turned to her. She gestured to the kitchen. "There's, uh, more noodles. The Jirachi's taken up food prep."
"That's good news, too." Kyle said. Once he had gotten his own bowl he sat next to Esen. The two shared a brief, but awkward smile at each other. "So . . . How did your outing with Gavin go?"
Esen nearly choked on her food. "It went fine," Gavin called from behind him, an edge of implied threat to his tone.
Kyle looked at him, and then at Esen. She made a gesture as if to say 'tell you later.' "Oookay," he said. "Glad to hear it, I think." He looked at Levi and Will. "How's everything been here?"
A chorus of responses sounded at the same time from Levi, Will, and Sam that seemed to equal out to "Boring."
"All things considered that might be a good thing," Sonja said with a sigh. She looked at Esen. "Do you know where Ford and my sister are?"
"Command Center," Esen said, gesturing to the door. "Haven't seen much of them."
"Alright, thanks," Sonja said. "I'm going to go update them. You two . . ." A slight, playful smirk crossed her face as she glanced back at Kyle and Esen. "Have a good dinner."
|
|
|
Post by Magical Girl Mimi on Mar 6, 2023 16:35:11 GMT -8
-==IC: Corey Bouchard(Feraligatr)/Lucia Zyther - Ruins of Conflict, Melemele Island==-
"Don't let up!" Corey called out as their Feraligatr's attack was blocked by Tapu Koko's tough shell. "Use Metal Claw to try and strike out in return!" Feraligatr gave a growl of acknowledgement in response, then she rushed back toward the Guardian Spirit as it was covered in the webs that Tox spat out. It made things both easier and harder for Feraligatr, as she had to angle her attacks in such a way that they didn't immediately free her foe, but nevertheless she tried her best.
While this was happening, Lucia took her eyes off the combat for a moment to look over to Skye. "Um, do you think that we should get involved in this?"
OOC: Feraligatr: Metal Claw > Tapu Koko
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Mar 6, 2023 19:20:44 GMT -8
IC - Ethan Worth (Tox)/Skye Hall (Torch) - Guardian Spirit Tapu Koko - Ruins of Conflict, Melemele Island:
Tapu Koko yelled in pain as the Metal Claw slashed into him, using the force of the hit to push himself back. With another shout, Tapu Koko flared his electrical aura, shredding the strings that slowed him down. He rushed forward again toward Feraligatr. His fist flew forward in an electrifying Thunder Punch toward the Water-Type, aiming to repay his attacker in kind.
The Guardian Spirit's attack met unexpected resistance as Tox sprang up between them. The transformed Beedrill caught the punch against one stinger, which glistened with a metallic, Hardened sheen. As this turn of events registered to Tapu Koko, Tox pushed forward, taking a page from the Legendary Pokémon's book as he attacked with a rapid series of Poison Jabs. Tox watched for Tapu Koko's movements as he dodged around the attacks; finally, the Beedrill threw a fake-out, shifting from Poison Jab into Pin Missile mid-hit. The attack landed, throwing Tapu Koko off-balance and allowing Tox to slice into his side with a Poison Jab before getting knocked aside with a retaliatory Discharge.
Tapu Koko pressed a hand against the poisoned wound, an impressed gleam in his eye. Most impressive, the Tapu said. Tell me, challengers: What drives your desire for battle?
"Uhh . . ." Skye looked between Ethan, Corey, and Tapu Koko. "I won't stop you from joining in, but I don't know if I can keep up, personally."
|
|
|
Post by minun4 on Mar 6, 2023 20:14:17 GMT -8
IC: James Arthur - Executive Suites, The Alamo
Ladon’s answer was sufficient, in James’s estimation. At least James knew where Ladon stood. There was one final question that James had on his mind. Even cleared of wrongdoing, James doubted that Blackskull wanted to see him anytime soon. But in the eventuality that Team Liberty leadership tore itself apart, he needed to know. “Just one last question. How is Blackskull holding up?”
|
|
|
Post by Magical Girl Mimi on Mar 6, 2023 23:04:59 GMT -8
-==IC: Corey Bouchard(Feraligatr)/Lucia Zyther - Ruins of Conflict, Melemele Island==-
"We want to fight for the world. For everyone's safety, and for the ability for everyone to continue to strive to grow stronger without the threat of their lives ending." Corey answered as they watched their Feraligatr get sent flying by a mistimed follow-up attack that instead met the retaliation of the Discharge. With a small nod to their partner Pokémon, Corey recalled the tired Feraligatr and stepped forward. "We want to request your assistance in this, that you might help out with our battle against the giant red blob in the--" Corey let out a small cough with a wince. "Apologies, I haven't spoken this much in a while. Anyway, point is, will you help us fight the threat that's moving in on these islands as we speak?"
Lucia glanced back to Skye after giving a small nod. "That's what I was thinking too... I may be strong, but they're in a whole other league right now compared to most of my Pokémon. Maybe later we should like, do some training of our own." Lucia gave a rueful smile, but then looked back to the battle. "At least we can be there as support, right?"
|
|
|
Post by Konuju on Mar 8, 2023 12:15:49 GMT -8
IC: Ryan Sanders/Ellen Burks – Vertrag "Food sounds good," Ellen said, heading for the kitchen with a yawn. "Didn't know Jirachi could make noodles . . . were they conjured up out of thin air with a wish?"
Ryan glanced around the room for a second, then ran to catch up with Sonja. "Mind if I join you?" he asked. "I'm interested in what Ford has to say about this phase of the operation."
IC: Z-Warrior Zoe Llyan/Beast/Tracer/Drifter – Mount Lanakila The mountainside quickly proved to be steeper than it looked. It took every bit of concentration and focus to keep from tumbling down the slopes. It was only when they reached a more level patch with a denser cluster of trees that Drifter approached Zoe, prompting Stitch to blow a raspberry at her. Drifter ignored the rude gesture.
"So . . . Collie's your sister?"
Zoe paused. "How'd you know that?" Seeing Zoe's surprise, Stitch's expression changed from annoyance to curiosity.
"Lucky guess." A sly grin played on Drifter's face. "You said that name when you first woke up. Unless you're on a first name basis with your mom, I figured it had to be your sister. You really look up to her, don't you?"
Zoe pursed her lips. "I once thought she could do no wrong. Those were the silly dreams of a child. She betrayed me, you know. Kept me from living up to my true potential. That's when you guys came along. You taught me that I don't have to be put in a box and follow some stupid rules. That's what Collie did – she followed orders just like everyone told her to and became Miss Goody Two-Shoes . . . Team Liberty's perfect, obedient little soldier. And now she's just like them, bossing people around and so full of her perfect little self!"
Drifter raised an eyebrow at the mention of Team Liberty, but quickly looked away. "Sounds a lot like my sister. She was too perfect . . . it's great when you're a little kid, having this prodigy, this legend in the making for a sister. She plays with you, spends all this time with you, and you think you're the luckiest girl in the world."
"Sounds like my childhood," Zoe agreed.
"But then you grow up," Drifter said bitterly. "And you realize you can never be good enough. That no matter what you do, you'll always be in your big sister's shadow."
Zoe looked up at Drifter. "Is there anything you can do about it?"
"Sadly, no, aside from swallowing your emotions and not showing anyone how much it bothers you." Drifter wore a sad smile. "Once people set an expectation in their minds, it's hard to get rid of. And you can't speak up about it, because how dare you say such horrible things about your perfect sister. Things got way too toxic with my family, until I just up and left one day. I needed a breath of fresh air. That's when I found Snake and the rest of our Team Skull crew. We make our own family, and we make our own future. I made a new name for myself – Drifter. And you're doing the same. With us, you're not Collie's kid sister anymore. You're Z-Warrior of the Team Skull crew! And we're proud to have you among our ranks, Z."
Drifter stopped in surprise as Zoe wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. "Thanks for being such a good big sister to me, Drifter," she said. "And thanks for accepting me into Team Skull. I feel like I truly belong here with you guys. Just . . . not on this Arceus-forsaken mountain."
"Oy, break up the love fest, you two!" Beast cried. "There's something up ahead!"
The group carefully made their way toward where Beast had indicated, then immediately regretted their decision to get closer. Stitch let out a squeak and cowered behind Zoe's legs. The pale trees were stained red, as was the mound of snow lying in the midst of the trees.
Drifter quickly moved to shield Zoe's eyes, but not before she realized that it wasn't a mound of snow at all. In an instant her vision was obscured by Drifter's shirt. But the horrible image had already been seared into her mind's eye, that of a slain Beartic, chest ripped open and hollowed out. Bloody ribs protruded from the corpse at odd angles.
She was Z-Warrior now. She was supposed to be able to handle this kind of stuff. But in that moment she was transported back to the bloody aftermath of the battle at Lumiose. Without warning her body started shaking, and she clung to Drifter as tears poured unbidden from her eyes.
"It's okay, Z," Drifter said in hushed tones. "It's okay . . ."
"It's not okay," Beast said, looking around. "Beartic are some of the most powerful Pokémon on this mountain. What monster could rip one to shreds like that? And is it still near here? I don't know about you guys, but I don't wanna be next on the menu."
Tracer swore loudly. "I know what did this." He backed up fearfully. "That freaking grim reaper that almost killed me last night!"
Beast laughed. "What, the one that was guarding the pūlo’ulo’u you so casually took?"
"Th-that's it!" Zoe could hear the fear in Tracer's voice as Drifter's arms tightened around her. "The pūlo’ulo’u! They must have kept the grim reaper in check. Bound it in place. But with the sticks gone . . ."
"This 'grim reaper' or whatever it is, is free to roam the mountain," Drifter whispered. "And it looks like it's on the hunt."
|
|
|
Post by minun4 on Mar 10, 2023 10:53:13 GMT -8
IC: Lohe Mahina the Elder - Lake of the Moone.
As the elder Lohe applied Antidote to where the Nihilego had struck Mu with poison, he considered the situation at hand. They had captured an Ultra Beast with no witnesses to their abilities that needed a memory lapse. If it wasn’t for the missing Cosmog, it would have been a mission well done. The missing Cosmog overshadowed everything else.
If not for the rest of their kind, then certainly for Kauhi. Their knife was drawn. Lohe didn’t turn from his work. The shadows' general use as a deterrent involved being able to suddenly terminate a Lohe who stepped out of line. As long as Kauhi was out of their shadows, Lohe had the advantage. Particularly, the nine-foot tall Golurk standing between Kauhi and Lohe was a good reason not to try anything. Yet, anyway. The sun was still setting.
“This was our only chance,” Kauhi said, their hands shaking with impotent rage. “A chance to achieve what our ancestors started.”
“A chance you screwed up,” Lohe replied, continuing to not even look at Kauhi.
That got Kauhi to flinch. “I’m not taking the fall for this. It was his job to get it, above any other. I only helped because he told me to,” Kauhi pointing at the younger Lohe. “
“They haven’t found out yet. If you don’t tell them, they don’t need to know what they’re missing until we’ve fixed this,” Lohe said.
“And go down for deceiving them?” Kauhi laughed bitterly. “No, I’m telling them right now. They’ll deal with both of you.”
Frankenstein took a heavy step forward cracking the sacred ground, his eyes glaring at Kahui. “No, you won’t,” Lohe said with icy venom.
“Do I have a say in this?” Both Lohe’s and Kauhi’s eyes shot down to the younger Lohe. His eyes weren’t open, but he had woken up from hearing the conversation.
“Stay down,” the elder Lohe said. “Let me handle this.”
The younger Lohe immediately sat up. “Get rid of us, and you’ll never get that Cosmog. More likely, they’ll get themselves killed. If not by them trying to retake Po Town, then by that one Instance we didn’t get.” He turned towards Kauhi. “Give us one more chance. I have an idea.”
“Your last idea didn’t work out so well,” Kauhi replied, glaring at the younger Lohe. “And your last talk with those children didn’t go well either.”
“What they want is the power to take back their home. We can offer that, at least the illusion of it,” the younger Lohe said.
The elder Lohe caught onto what the younger was suggesting. He wasn’t a fan, but he produced the Beast Ball to confirm. “You’re suggesting that we use the Nihilego as a bargaining chip.”
“Worth a shot. What’s a Nihilego compared to a Cosmog, right?” the younger Lohe said. “If they don’t take the deal, we still have the Nihilego to barter for our skins.”
The elder Lohe was silent. Kauhi was pacing. Objectively, the younger Lohe was correct. If they could trade Nihilego for Cosmog, that would be perfect. But the idea of risking what they had for what they had failed to get was weighing on them. At last they came to a halt and took a deep breath.
“Fine, we do it your way. But if this fails, I will kill you,” Kauhi said.
“Yeah, sure, ” Lohe said. “Wouldn’t have it -any- other way,” he said with a sarcastic tone so grating it could make a fine parmesan powder.
The younger Lohe extended a hand to his elder. The elder was silent but slowly extended the Beast Ball toward Lohe.
“Oh wait,” the younger Lohe said, causing the elder Lohe to stop. “You caught it, you should name it first.”
The elder Lohe took a look at the Beast Ball and thought about it. When he eventually came to a conclusion, he tapped the Beast Ball to reveal the Nihilego inside.
“Your name will be: Medusa.”
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Mar 12, 2023 16:36:34 GMT -8
IC - Executive Danielle Ladon - Executive Suites, The Alamo:
"As far as I know he hasn't started consulting his reflection for advice," Ladon said. "So he's mostly fine, all things considered. Spreading the management load across R.A.L.L.Y. has helped significantly since he was thrust into taking over for Goldhawk's duties."
IC - Ethan Worth (Tox)/Skye Hall (Torch) - Guardian Spirit Tapu Koko - Ruins of Conflict, Melemele Island:
Skye frowned as she looked back to the battlefield. "I guess support is better than nothing. I just wish there was more that I could do."
For a moment, Tapu Koko sized up Corey. Then the Guardian Spirit's eyes drifted over to Ethan and Tox. And you?
"Me? Hm . . ." Ethan pointed at himself. He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, there's all of what Corey said. But, on top of that, I'd say I fight to grow stronger so we can eventually kick those Instances' asses and send Missing Zero back to Hell." He grinned, holding up his ID. "And uh, I am Worth, by the way. Got all the proof you need right here."
He didn't even flinch as Tapu Koko zapped into position right in front of him, sending a gust of air forward that only ruffled Ethan's coat and hair. Tapu Koko leaned forward, reading. Ethan . . . Worth . . . . . . Tapu Koko's eyes shifted from the card to Ethan's face, back and forth between the two for a moment. Then he straightened up again, pointing at Ethan. You. You're funny. And you're also an idiot. He then pointed to Corey. You've got spirit, and integrity. And you both are pure in intentions. Tapu Koko crossed his arms, closing his eyes. For a moment, he simply floated there. Then, Very well! An electrical aura erupted around him. I, Tapu Koko, have wallowed in fear far enough! If you humans seek to challenge the blight upon our land, then so, too, must I!
"Great!" Skye called. "So you'll join the fight!"
Soon, spectator, Tapu Koko said. I must rest for now to ensure I am full strength. But come tomorrow morning, I go to the front lines. He turned to look at the temple's exit. I sense one of my kin has entered the fray already. Yet the others remain hidden. He looked to the group. Tapu Lele and Tapu Bulu. Seek them out and reignite their fighting spirit just as you have done for me. Together, our powers shall provide a match never-before-seen against this Missing Zero!
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Mar 14, 2023 21:31:32 GMT -8
IC - Kyle Eston/Gavin Braner/Esen Windred/Levi Alaric/Sam Moreno/Will Moreno - Vertrag:
Esen shrugged. "I just asked if we had ramen and a pot full of it appeared. 'Bon appétit,' it said. If I had to guess, you could probably ask for any type of food."
IC - Sonja Baron/John Ford/Madison Hayes - Vertrag:
"Sure," Sonja said as she and Ryan approached the door to the Command Center. "Curious to see if they've got any updates of their own."
She pressed the door control panel, prompting the entryway to open. As she and Ryan stepped through, they were greeted by the sight of Ford and Hayes diligently working at the same computer interfaces that they had been at before the party had set out to Aether. One might have been forgiven for thinking that the two had not taken a single break from their work in that time. Sonja glanced at Ryan as they entered, clearing her throat to announce their presence.
"Miss Baron," Ford said, hardly diverting his attention away from his screen. "Mr. Sanders. Glad to see you are back and well."
"Happy to have made it back in one piece," Sonja said. "And happy to report that Tapu Fini has joined the war effort."
"Good, good . . ." Ford said absentmindedly, as if he were being updated on the weather.
Sonja raised an eyebrow, looking between Ford and Hayes. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't expecting a bigger response," she said. "Although I guess I should've expected that you two already knew what happened on Poni Island."
Ford pushed his computer stand aside. "Apologies; your group did well," he said. "I'm simply concerned about the rate of progress, in light of current obstructions."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means we have more work to do," Hayes said, sounding more cross than usual. "We've just received confirmation that Tapu Koko has also been recruited. That means we still have two Guardian Deities to find, as well as the other Legendary Pokémon of Alola--on top of investigating the Missing Zero presence in the region."
|
|
|
Post by Konuju on Mar 15, 2023 5:53:47 GMT -8
IC: Ellen Burks - Common Area, Vertrag Ellen looked thoughtfully at the pot of ramen as she pondered Esen’s words.
“Um, Vertrag?” she said, addressing the ceiling. “Ramen is good and all, and I really appreciate your feeding us. But if it’s not too much trouble, could you make a Village Sandwich? It’s a specialty of my hometown, Village Bridge.”
The spectral Jirachi briefly faded into view to nod its approval. “One Village Sandwich, coming right up.”
The next instant the sandwich appeared on the kitchen counter, perfectly toasted. Ellen thanked the Jirachi and took her sandwich over to the common area, sitting next to the coffee table where Levi and Will had resumed their game of battleship.
“How’s it going, you two?” she asked lightly. In particular she glanced at Levi — she knew the Eighth Child had been traumatized worse than she had. If Ellen found it slightly uncomfortable to be back in Ford’s base of operations, where McKinley had been pulling the strings the whole time, she was sure Levi had similar feelings. She offered him a smile. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Sorry we didn’t get much time to talk before I left on the Tapu Fini mission.”
IC: Ryan Sanders - Command Center, Vertrag “That’s great that Tapu Koko’s been recruited!” Ryan said. “That means we’re halfway there.” Ford and Hayes did not seem to share in his enthusiasm.
Ryan glanced at one of the screens showing a map of Alola, including Missing Zero’s presence and the locations of the remaining Guardian Deities. Tapu Bulu’s temple seemed to be on the opposite side of its island from where Missing Zero had landed. However, the red mark on Akala Island appeared to be dangerously close to Tapu Lele’s temple.
“We only needed half our group to recruit Tapu Fini, while the other half defended the temple from Instances,” Ryan said. “If we’re that pressed for time, we could try splitting up into two smaller groups, although it looks like we might face some trouble on Akala.” He motioned to the map. “Tapu Fini also gave us a token of her commitment, which should make it easier to recruit the other Tapus . . . although unless Tapu Koko did the same, we only have one token, so we can’t show it to both remaining Tapus if we split up . . .”
Ryan suddenly felt the intensity of three pairs of eyes on him and realized he’d started rambling.
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Just thinking out loud. How do you think we should proceed?”
|
|
|
Post by minun4 on Mar 15, 2023 22:37:54 GMT -8
IC: James Arthur - Executive Suites, The Alamo
“That is good to hear,” James said. Hopefully Blackskull was not a lost cause. “Well, please. Do not allow me to distract you from your duties.” With that, the two Executives went their separate ways. Amanda and James kept talking on the way towards James’s office, with James pressing her on details that he’d missed in captivity. They stopped outside James’s office. James looked at his door, and began to feel a nagging sensation in the back of his head. The possibility that his office was rigged to explode the moment he stepped inside was minuscule, but non-zero. Marginally more likely his office had been bugged, or his devices had been compromised. To be absolutely certain, he would need Percival to sweep the office before he set foot inside. He’d then need to take apart all his devices and either rebuild or replace them. Which was an issue, because he was months behind on his work. He pondered what to do a moment before turning towards Amanda. “If you are willing, Ms. Zarth, I could use a favor.” Is there any reason you’re doing this outside? Celebi said, looking at the various junk on the table before James. “The weather is wonderful,” James said, as he twisted a screw back into place. Celebi wasn’t convinced. He had ordered various devices and parts via Team Plasma channels, and then had them delivered through time to the moment after the orders had been confirmed. He’d had months robbed from him, he intended to rob some back. The downside being that Ms. Zarth would need to contact him in person until they reached the true delivery date. Celebi watched James as he worked on the phone. The disassembled remains of his old phone were next to him, as well as various parts of the new phone that he had replaced. Only once the hardware was satisfactory, could he begin working on the software and the process of transferring from the old phone to the new. She wasn’t exactly interested in the mechanics of human technology, but stole glimpses of James smiling from time to time. He was like a kid on Christmas morning. So what was so urgent you needed time travel? she asked when she couldn’t take the boredom any longer. James didn’t look up. “John Ford and Madison Hayes escaped. I would like to know ‘where to’ before I figure out my next move.” I could help you know, Celebi said. You might not know where he escaped to but you do know when, she said, bringing forward just a little of the energy she used for a time window to punctuate her point. James thought about the idea but shook his head. “I would rather other people not remember you can do that. Lest I get some inconvenient request that would be hard to deny.” He gestured towards the cell block. “Especially not in regards to there.” Ah, Celebi said, getting the general idea of what James wanted to avoid. “If my idea fails, we will try your idea,” James said as the phone started up. Do you have an idea of where they ran off to? Celebi asked. “Not ‘to where’, but maybe ‘to whom’” James said, as he began inputting into the phone. “They were not the only ones attacked that day. And presumably the others who were attacked could figure out that he was attacked.” James read and reread the message he had written. Even though he had taken every precaution, he still would not risk asking outright. He simply wrote a message asking for a report and sent it to Sonja Baron.
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Mar 18, 2023 13:34:51 GMT -8
IC - Kyle Eston/Gavin Braner/Esen Windred/Levi Alaric/Sam Moreno/Will Moreno - Vertrag:
"It's going," Will said. "H2." Levi's annoyed sigh gave him all the answer he needed. He looked at Ellen. "It's pretty much been this for the past few hours."
"Yeah, cuz Will's cheating . . . With his brain . . ." Levi rubbed his chin. "A5."
"Miss. And I'm not cheating," Will said. "You've won before."
Levi held a hand up in front of Will's face. "Yeah, once!"
"Still a win," Will said, pushing Levi's hand away with his own. "H3. Which I think means I win." He leaned back in his seat. "You know, it'd probably help if you stopped grouping your ships together."
"But that's how Sam says she wins!" Levi said. "And she's older!" Off to the side, Sam buried her face deeper in what she was reading, pretending to ignore the argument.
"Yeah . . ." Will said. He started resetting his board, glancing at Ellen. "Aaanyway . . . How's the stuff outside going?"
Across the room, the doors opened again as Ethan, Lucia, Corey, and Skye returned. The four seemed to be in good spirits, talking amongst themselves as they arrived and quickly peaking in volume in surprise as they saw the rest of the team had returned. As they exchanged pleasantries and updates, Skye and Ethan headed toward the Command Center.
IC - Sonja Baron/John Ford/Madison Hayes - Vertrag:
"No, no--don't apologize, Ryan," Sonja said, looking pointedly at Hayes. "How should we proceed, Hayes? Since we're clearly not working at the right pace for you."
"Do not take that attitude with me," Hayes snapped back. "I'm not the one who wasted time engaging with Missing Zero."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Sonja said, her words dripping with sarcasm. "I didn't realize I was the one who started this. And you know as well as I do that we had good reason to fight it, considering we didn't know when or if we were going to get reinforcements."
"It was an unnecessary risk, Sonja--"
"Enough, both of you," Ford said, his usual cool demeanor giving way to the force of authority that had allowed him to rein in the many facets of Hojohsin. "This isn't getting us anywhere."
Though the two continued to glare at each other for a moment, Sonja and Hayes eventually broke their eye contact. The Second Child returned her attention to her computer, her frustration hanging thick in the air around her. With a sigh, Sonja crossed her arms and looked at Ford. He flicked his wrist, and a holographic projection of Alola materialized around them. Blinking dots marked a number of locations on the maps of each island.
"Let's take a moment to recalibrate and collect ourselves," Ford said. "Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, and Team Instinct. We have so many avenues for allies and yet have only managed to secure three--"
Sonja groaned. "Get to the point, please."
Ford held up a hand. "We have a handful of solid leads for allies right now--Tapu Bulu, Tapu Lele, Team Mystic, and Team Valor," he said. "And on top of those we need to gather intel about what exactly we're up against in regard to Missing Zero's guiding forces on this island. I have no reason to doubt the coalition's belief that there is a Sin stationed in each of the major regions, where these mysterious 'lights' manifested, and I have a strong suspicion that defeating them will give us a clue toward defeating their master. Lucky for us, there seems to be some sort of fanatic group spreading the 'message' of Missing Zero in Heahea City."
He pointed to several of the marked areas on the map. "With fifteen active units and five leads to follow, it seems fitting to split our forces into five groups of three. One group heads to Akala Island, to secure Tapu Lele in the Ruins of Life. One group heads to Ula'ula Island to secure Tapu Bulu in the Ruins of Abundance. Another group heads to Heahea City, to gather what intel we can on the Missing Zero cultists spreading their gospel there--preferably without engagement. Team Valor is also situated there; this group can work on seeking them out as well. One more group returns to Poni Island to make contact with Team Mystic; from the radio intel we've gathered, it seems they've retreated to a place called Resolution Cave."
"That's only four groups," Sonja said. "What's the fifth one doing?"
"The fifth group remains here on Melemele Island," Ford said. "Though it's a weak lead, the team that headed into the Ruins of Conflict did receive notice that some trainers on Melemele might have a lead on a Solgaleo and Lunala that previously protected the island. We need to find out more if we can."
"You don't think shrinking the groups down to that small of a size poses a risk?"
"Of course it does," Ford said. "However, smaller groups are quicker to maneuver, not to mention they allow us to spread over more ground. Missing Zero's strength lies in its capacity for reach; we must emulate it."
|
|
alku
Technician
Posts: 63
|
Post by alku on Mar 18, 2023 14:12:26 GMT -8
IC: Evan Tierra
Sighing, Evan had followed Ryan and Sonja into the Command Center, witnessed some more hella annoying sibling drama from her and "La Bruja" and was about to take a step out, when Ford had mentioned his plan. "So, if you need an out for Bulu, Jenny and I have you covered." Evan said, smiling tiredly. "While we were in Alola during the loss of power, we saved Bulu's life, so it may be easier to send us both to talk to it. How do you feel about that?"
|
|
|
Post by Konuju on Mar 20, 2023 16:56:32 GMT -8
IC: Ellen Burks - Common Area, Vertrag Once she welcomed Ethan and the others back, Ellen turned her attention back to Will and Levi. “I’d say it’s going pretty well. Our group managed to recruit Tapu Fini, and it sounds like the other groups were successful in their missions as well.”
She glanced over at Esen, who still refused to elaborate, then nodded towards Lucia and Corey, who had briefly described their recruitment of Tapu Koko. But Ellen let her smile falter when she remembered the battle on Poni Breaker Coast.
“Missing Zero’s still out there, though. We had to abandon some of the front-line soldiers to come back here.” She let out a long sigh. “I mean, I’m sure they know how to handle themselves, and I know our missions are important . . . I just wish we could help everyone, you know?”
Ellen glanced at the game boards and noted that while Levi had ultimately lost, he’d still managed to sink some of Will’s ships. Ellen’s smile briefly returned, but with a more somber tone.
“It’s kind of like Battleship. In a perfect game, you wouldn’t lose any ships, or even get hit. But sometimes you need to lose a few ships to win the game. Only . . . in real life these aren’t plastic ships but people, each with their own lives and stories. I just hope we win before we lose any more ships.”
Ellen took another bite of her sandwich. “Sorry to bring down the mood,” she said. “It’s just been on my mind since we left Poni Island. Those Guardian Deities, though — the Tapus — they’re kind of like Will’s mind powers. They give us the advantage. That’s why it’s so important that we find the others.”
Before it’s too late, she silently added as she returned to her sandwich. As much as she hated to admit it, the War against Missing Zero was more like a game of chess than a game of Battleship. Different pieces held different values, and sacrifices had to be made. She just hoped those sacrifices wouldn’t be forgotten or in vain. They’d already lost so much . . . the walls of Vertrag served as a constant reminder that Pierce and Adams were gone. How much more could they afford to lose?
IC: Ryan Sanders - Command Center, Vertrag Ryan was taken aback by the sudden argument between Sonja and Hayes. It was a harrowing reminder that Vorhut did not share the same commanding structure as Team Liberty. While their smaller, more casual operation allowed them to act without Liberty’s protocols or red tape, it also opened the door for infighting like he’d just witnessed. Ford was acting as defacto leader simply because he was the most knowledgeable about their enemy, but his previous mistakes left his judgement open to criticism. Hayes was loyal to him, but he doubted anyone else in their ragtag group would follow Ford unquestionably.
Still, it was Ford who managed to put a stop to the argument, and despite his risky push for smaller teams, Ryan had to admit that time was not on their side.
Evan chose that moment to speak up about his history with Tapu Bulu, filling Ryan with more hope. “Sounds like Tapu Bulu shouldn’t be that hard to convince,” he said with a nod. “And with Tapu Fini’s token, Tapu Lele shouldn’t give us too much trouble, either.”
Ryan paused as he considered the other options. Personally, Alola’s various gangs didn’t interest him as much as the Legendary Pokémon. “I wouldn’t mind looking into that lead on Solgaleo and Lunala,” he offered. He glanced between Evan and Sonja. Both were very capable trainers, but he couldn’t help but wonder if these smaller groups were really the best choice. Was the greater risk of getting overwhelmed by Missing Zero worth the chance to recruit allies faster?
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Mar 22, 2023 21:06:18 GMT -8
IC - Kyle Eston/Gavin Braner/Esen Windred/Levi Alaric/Sam Moreno/Will Moreno - Vertrag:
The room fell silent for a long moment as Ellen returned to her meal. Her words held a lot of truth to them, although the degree to which they were comforting or troubling certainly varied by person. After a while, Will stretched back, resting his hands behind his head.
"Well, as introspective as that is," he said. "I'm not using telepathy to win--ow!" Sam had thrown her book at his head. He rubbed the spot where it hit. "I'm just saying."
"Whatever, cheater," Sam said. She pushed herself to her feet and then started to pull Will to his. "Come on--bedtime. Gotta let that cheating brain and broken leg sleep."
Ignoring his grumblings, she led him away to the dorm hall. Once they were off, Levi looked at Ellen, concern etched clear into his face. "So there are people stuck out there fighting . . ." His expression softened, the corners of his mouth turning into a slight, dejected frown. Despite this there was a thoughtful light in his eye as he looked around at the older members of the group. "There are so many people out there in trouble and not enough people to help them . . ." He looked at Ellen again, falling silent for a moment. "You're really brave. You went out to help the others even though you're the same age as me. It's cool."
IC - Sonja Baron/Ethan Worth/Skye Hall/John Ford/Madison Hayes - Vertrag:
"Heya fellas," Ethan said as he entered the room, Skye following close behind. "Did someone mention the four Tapus?"
"We were indeed discussing them just now, Mr. Worth," Ford said. He nodded to Evan. "Mr. Tierra has expressed some familiarity with Tapu Bulu. I think any advantage we may be able to utilize in connecting with the remaining Guardian Spirits is one we should take."
"Well, count me in!" Ethan said. He smirked, pointing to himself with his thumb. "Tapu Bulu's part Grass-Type, right? Who better to broker an alliance with it than yours truly?"
Skye sighed. "I guess you did play a big part in getting Tapu Koko on board . . ."
"That's one of our five groups, then." Ford looked around at Hayes, Sonja, and Ryan. "I recommend you confer with the others and sort out the remaining assignments amongst yourselves. If you're set on investigating Solgaleo and Lunala, it's likely there are others who would be just as interested."
On instinct Skye started to say something, but caught herself and remained quiet. Though Ethan seemed oblivious to it, there was an obvious air of tension in the room and she wasn't about to draw attention to herself with the two prime culprits shooting glares at each other.
For his part, Ethan seemed more than content to break the silence. "Alright, well, chatting with everyone suits me fine," he said, starting toward the door before coming to a stop. "One more thing, actually--head's up, Ice Queen." Hayes looked at him in surprise as the Rocket trainer unclipped a line of Poké Balls from his coat, tossing them to her. She held the containers up to observe them, brow furrowed in confusion. "I've been taking care of Adams's Pokémon since we lost her. Cool lot, but something tells me they'd appreciate being with you and Ford more." Ethan gave a little salute. "Anyway, I'm off to the kitchen."
Hayes did not say anything as he left, but her demeanor seemed to soften somewhat as she held Adams's team close. The sight elicited a sigh from Sonja, who held her wrist up to check the time. To her surprise, there was a new message waiting for her attention. She clicked it open. "A status report request from Executive James Arthur?" she muttered. "Why? I've talked to the guy like twice."
"A curious choice, indeed," Ford said. Sonja looked up at him. "Perhaps one made with intention."
"So should I respond? Last I heard he was under investigation."
"That was the case, as far as I'm aware," Ford said. "On the other hand, he did assist in protecting Hayes and myself, and did not attempt to stop us from leaving." He rubbed his chin. "Perhaps a vague response, just for security. Report that you're investigating activity on Melemele Island. Give no mention of us or the others. We will see how this contact develops from there."
"If you say so," Sonja said. She moved to a computer terminal and activated it, plugging her Pokétch into it and glanced at Ryan. "Guess I've got homework to do. Go figure out where everyone wants to go. You can leave Mystic out as an option." She threw a look at Hayes and Ford. "I'll take care of that one. I don't want anyone else to have to worry about going back to an island under siege."
|
|
|
Post by Konuju on Mar 24, 2023 6:18:08 GMT -8
IC: Ryan Sanders/Ellen Burks - Vertrag Ryan gave Sonja a questioning look. After arguing against the idea of smaller groups, was she really planning to go solo?
But Sonja had already turned her attention to the computer terminal, busily typing away at her report to Executive Arthur. With a sigh, Ryan turned and headed back to the common area.
Sam and Will were gone, but Lucia and Corey had returned. Multiple conversations had broken out as the various members of Vorhut caught up on each other’s missions or just made small talk. The smell of ramen and other wished up dishes permeated the room.
Ryan couldn’t help but smile. As serious as things were back in the Command Center, seeing everyone mingling gave him a sense of comfort. Members from Teams Liberty and Rocket and even civilians had all come together, forming new friendships and strengthening old ones. He briefly glanced over at Levi and Ellen, deep in their own discussion.
“I just really wanted to help people, you know?” Ellen was saying. “I think it was that conversation with Madison in Castelia that really changed my perspective. Sure, there’s been plenty of scary moments, but it helped to be traveling with a group of heroes who always had my back when things got tough. I wanted to be like them. And, well, I guess I am now.” A reddish tint formed on her cheeks. “I mean, I’m not saying I’m one of the best, but I do my best. And that’s what counts. No one can save everyone . . . but everyone can save someone.”
Ryan cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “I know we all just got back from our various missions, but Ford has some more objectives for us. Evan and Ethan have already volunteered to recruit Tapu Bulu with Jenny. Two groups will go to Akala Island: one to recruit Tapu Lele at the Ruins of Life, the other to seek the aid of Team Valor as well as investigate reports of a strange cult that is . . . worshiping Missing Zero. And the last group will stay here on Melemele Island with me. We’ll be looking into a lead on a Solgaleo and Lunala that have protected the island in the past. Lucia and Corey, I believe you heard about that lead on your last mission.” As Sonja had requested, he didn’t mention Team Mystic on Poni Island. “You’re all free to pick your own teams. I think the plan is for us all to leave in the morning.”
Ellen’s hand shot up.
“. . . Yes, Ellen?” Ryan suddenly felt like a school teacher.
“I’m sorry, did you say people are worshiping Missing Zero?” Ryan nodded. Ellen couldn’t hide the disgust on her face. “That thing is so alien. Tapu Fini questioned if it was even alive — it’s more like a mockery of life. If people are actually worshiping such a thing, I’d like to talk some sense into them.”
OOC: Jam with Minun.
IC: Bully/Trigger/Snake/Lohe Mahina - Ula’ula Meadow, Ula’ula Island “Gentlemen and germs,” Snake declared with a grandiose flourish. “I am proud to present . . . your dinner!”
Bully and Trigger wrinkled their noses as Snake handed them bowls of some strange smelling stew.
“Yo . . . you sure this stuff’s edible?” Trigger spooned a bit of the stuff and watched it plop back into the bowl. It looked more like a cross between Goomy goo and Grimer sludge.
“There’s a reason Beast was always our cook,” Bully grumbled.
Snake gave them both a look of mock offense. “I’m shocked! You dare to judge my masterful creation before you’ve even tried it? Why, in the city this would be the priciest dish on the menu of the finest restaurant!”
“If that were the case you’d have more than scraps to cook with,” Trigger muttered. “Why don’t you try your own concoction before getting on us for judging, oh great chef.”
Snake gulped down a big spoonful and immediately started gagging. “Oh, that’s disgusting!” he cried, dropping his pompous act.
“I don’t suppose we have anything else for breakfast in the morning?” Bully asked.
“Alas, we’ll to leave at the crack of dawn for Malie City,” Snake said, regaining his composure. “Our first stop will be that old bakery by the garden. You know the one.”
"In that case," the voice of Lohe rang out from behind Snake. "I'd like to talk to you, tonight." The soft glow of the campfire only partly illuminated Lohe from where he came out of the trees, its weak light only lightly irritating Lohe's skin.
Trigger swore at Lohe’s sudden appearance. “Yo, we never said we were gonna steal from that bakery! You can’t arrest us for that, you have no proof!”
“What do you want, fed man?” Snake spat. “Here to tell us to stay away from Malie City, too?”
Lohe rolled his eyes just slightly at the reaction. Mainly the first one, he hadn't intended to imply he thought they were, at least before Trigger opened his mouth. "Actually, I'm here to talk about what just occurred at the Lake of the Moone."
“What, you mean that big brawl between Ultra Beasts and Big Jelly?” Bully let out a sharp laugh. “We were barely a footnote in that fight. Our are you talking about that Z-Move Drifter used? Last I checked it wasn’t illegal to use Z-Moves. She got that crystal from her sister. It wasn’t stolen or anything.”
Snake narrowed his eyes at Lohe. “Do you know where our friends disappeared to? They were teleported away in the commotion and we’ve lost communication with them.”
Shame, Lohe thought. He removed his backpack and sat it down. "I don't know where they went. But I do know what teleported them. And I know its bad news for them."
Snake nodded in understanding. “It was a Cosmog, wasn’t it?” He glanced around, as if expecting one of Lohe’s cohorts to be hiding in the woods, before continuing in a low voice. “I know you feds have your ways of tracking people. Any chance you could track a Pokémon?”
“Yo!” Trigger cried. “You tryin’ to make a deal with the feds?”
Snake gave him a hard look. “I don’t trust him any more than you do, but this may be our best shot at getting our friends back. Unless you have some idea where a Cosmog might want to hang out.”
If Lohe could track Cosmog, he wouldn't be here right now. "If it were any Pokémon other than Cosmog, we could do it." Maybe. They used Team Skull to look for Pokémon because of their curse. Didn't mean he had to mention that to the Skull members in front of him. "Problem is, Cosmog lives in Ultra Space. Kinda hard to chase it there." Lohe sat down next to his backpack. "Of course, if it took your friends there, there's no guarantee they'd ever return. So let's not dwell too much on that."
“Well, a great big help you’ve been,” Bully muttered.
Snake folded his arms over his chest as he stared Lohe down. “Thanks for the doom and gloom speech. Now, if you’ve got nothing else to discuss, I’ll kindly ask you to leave. We’ve got an early morning tomorrow, and some of us need our beauty sleep.”
Lohe sighed. "Monsters have always chased after Cosmog you know." Lohe counted himself among those. "They probably haven't stopped hunting for it too." Lohe reclined onto his backpack, and shut his eyes. "Those monsters today I mean. Not the Ultra Beast, those other ones? The ones you ran from. There's a lot more of them in Po Town, you know. What's was your plan if I hadn't stopped you, anyway?"
“Z-Warrior was our plan,” Trigger declared. “She beat us all, six-to-one, yo! But of course, that was before that freaky Cosmo thing took her away.”
“I guess we’ll just have to find them before those monsters do,” Bully said, glaring at Lohe. “Which means we need our sleep. So if you’re done bothering us, scram, fed boy.”
"That's not as a high a bar as you think it is." Alright, it was time to make the pitch. Lohe reached a hand into his pocket. "I have something that could pretty easily triple that level of firepower if you're still determined to take back Po Town."
Snake eyed him with suspicion. “And what might that be?”
Lohe pulled the Beast Ball out of his pocket and casually tossed it over his head. The ball smacked into the ground with a thud releasing the Nihilego inside. The Nihilego announced its presence by letting out a high pitch screech. "That."
The three Skull members all yelled and backed away at the sight of the Ultra Beast. Trigger wasted no time sending out his Alolan Golem in defense. “Back, you foul creature!” he cried as sparks flew from his Golem’s back.
But the Nihilego simply floated there, regarding the trio with little more than idle curiosity.
“So,” Snake said, taking a wary step forward. “You’ve captured the Ultra Beast. Does that mean you’re offering to help us take back Po Town in Z’s place?”
Lohe's eyes opened at imagining what Po Town looked like. "Right now, I'm offering a trade. My Nihilego and help looking for your friends, in exchange for Cosmog. We have the resources to protect Cosmog from those hunting it. You guys need a powerhouse." He pointed at the Nihilego with his staff. "And trust me, this thing is a powerhouse," he said with a confidence that could be born from being on the business end of its power. "This thing was tearing apart those other monsters. And once it gets going, it only gets stronger." He laid back down. He really did not want to go back to Po Town, but keeping hope up was his best chance to get to Cosmog. "As for Po Town, I've been there. I know where the monsters are coming from. And how to get past them." He sighed. He really opened his mouth right then didn't he. "If you take the deal, I'll help you get in there."
“Give us a moment,” Snake said. The three Skull members huddled together to discuss the offer in loud whispers. Even without his enhanced hearing, Lohe was sure he wouldn’t have had any trouble listening in on them.
“I don’t like it,” Trigger said. “Teaming up with the feds is like, against Team Skull code or something. Not to mention, that Ultra Beast tried to kill us earlier. Who’s to say it’ll even listen to us?”
“It’s a temporary alliance,” Snake countered. “Seems pretty favorable to us. We get our friends back, an Ultra Beast, and a chance to take back our home. And all it costs us is the little creep that stole our friends away in the first place.”
“And our pride,” Trigger muttered.
Lohe could practically hear Snake roll his eyes. “Look, if the Ultra Beast really proves that troublesome, we’ll just sell it. A Pokémon as rare as that would fetch a hefty price on the black market. What do you think, Bully?”
“I think we’re selling ourselves short. Fed boy over there is offering us a ton for one little Cosmog. That means he’s desperate.”
“Or it’s a trap,” Trigger argued in a harsh whisper. “Who’s to say he’s not just biding his time so he can arrest us all at once?”
“Hence the beauty of my plan,” Bully said slyly. “If he’s that desperate to work with us, he’ll be open to negotiations.”
“What are you suggesting?” Snake asked.
“Fed boy’s got power. I’m not talking about that Ultra Beast. I mean authority. He has the power to wipe our criminal records clean. Our lives will be set!”
“Bully, you’re a genius. Trigger, are you in agreement?”
There was a moment of hesitation. “Fine. I’m in. But don’t either of you let your guard down. I wouldn’t put it past this guy to betray us.”
Snake broke from the group and walked back to where Lohe lay. “Alright, buddy. We’ve got some conditions for you. We want you to clear our criminal records. All seven of us. And we ask that you look past any . . . below board behavior we engage in during this little alliance of ours. We ain’t sticking to our best behavior for your sake. And lastly,” he jabbed a thumb toward the Nihilego. “I want you to teach us how to use Little Jelly over here effectively. I know traded Pokémon can be hard to control, and I’m sure that counts for Ultra Beasts as well. We don’t want a Pokémon that won’t listen.” Snake gave him a toothy grin. “If you can agree to all that, you’ve got yourself a deal.”
The entire time that they had been 'whispering' Lohe had been weighing the merits of working with them. He was being taken for all he's worth, and yet it still wasn't equal to what a Cosmog was worth to his family. "A pardon could be arranged after making the trade. Something that big would outweigh a lot of petty crime. Actually succeed at knocking the monsters out of Po Town? I'll get any politician you want to kiss your feet and roll out the red carpet." Lohe could probably swing even that. As humiliating (and funny) as it would be for Kalākaua to kiss the feet of criminals, for a Cosmog, even he would probably do it. "As for the blatant dereliction of duty, I've been known to sleep on the job. But if you get caught doing something stupid, I'm not bailing you out. If you become more trouble than your worth, I'll find my own way."
“Sounds like a deal.” Snake extended a hand for Lohe to shake.
Lohe took the hand and gave it a good shake.
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Apr 2, 2023 18:59:16 GMT -8
IC - Kyle Eston/Gavin Braner/Esen Windred/Levi Alaric/Ethan Worth/Skye Hall - Vertrag:
Though he did not say much aside from a soft "Hm . . ," Levi listened intently to Ellen. He rubbed his chin, as if thinking carefully about something, but did not reply before Ryan stepped out and addressed the room. While he listened and considered what was being said, his eyes drifted to the two Poké Balls on the floor beside him. Their occupants were not present, as they were currently resting in his room, so he would have to speak with them about his thoughts later. For now, Levi began quietly putting away the board game in front of him.
With three missions up for grabs, it was essentially a round robin for everyone present to select what they wished to tackle. The answers did not come immediately, as the room instead filled with quiet discussions amongst the different groups throughout.
"Ryan, question," Skye piped up, raising a finger. "You said you were sticking around here?" He nodded. She gave a thumbs up and tapped Gavin on the shoulder. "Hey. So my brother's lab is Hau'oli City; if you're still down we could stick around and stop by while we check on these Solgaleo and Lunala leads."
"Oh . . ." Gavin seemed surprised at the suggestion, but he quickly hid it and nodded. "Uh, sure. That would work." He glanced around her at Ryan, and then raised a skeptical eyebrow at Skye as he lowered his voice. "Sure you want to team up with the Liberty guy, though? Always thought he seemed a little high-strung . . ."
"It'll be fine," Skye replied, shaking her head. "Besides, you're one to talk." She looked back at Ryan, raising a hand again. "Hi, me again. Gavin and I will come with you, Ryan--we have something to do in Hau'oli first, but I think it might help with our Legendary Pokémon hunt, too."
Esen looked between Kyle and Ellen. Voice low, she nudged him. "Is Ellen usually the first one to volunteer for dangerous missions?"
"I don't know if I'd saw she's always the first, but she's definitely seen her fair share of them," Kyle replied. He frowned, noticing her expression. "What?"
"A little nonchalant about a kid wanting to deal with a literal cult, don't you think?"
"Hey, if you want to try to talk her out of it, then good luck," he said. "Not sure it's going to be much use; she's pretty stubborn."
Esen sighed. "Well, in that case, the least I can do is volunteer to keep an eye on her," she said. "You wanna come with?"
Now it was Kyle's turn to look uncomfortable. "I would," he said. "But it took like five of us to fight Tapu Fini and get her to listen to us. Jenny, Evan, and Ethan might have Tapu Bulu covered, but Tapu Lele is completely unspoken for, so . . ." He shrugged. "I'm thinking it might be better to have at least one person who can Mega Evolve go and look for her. By my count pretty much everyone else who can do it is accounted for elsewhere."
"Then I guess we're going separate ways again," Esen said with a slight smile. "Maybe one of these days we'll be able to have another misadventure."
Kyle scoffed. "Hopefully one with fewer drugs and less torture," he said, averting his gaze. After a moment, he looked back at her. "But, I would like that."
Esen smiled, patting him on the shoulder before raising her hand. "Put me down for taking down a cult, too," she called. "And Kyle here wants to go look with Tapu Lele." As Ryan wrote this information down, Esen looked at Kyle again. "I'm going to go get ready. I'll . . . see you later."
Kyle watched as she headed away, disappearing through the door to the dorms. With a shake of his head he pulled his eyes away, rubbing the fatigue out of them and returned his attention to the bowl of food in front of him. Between the pounding in his chest and the lifting feeling in his stomach, he wasn't feeling particularly hungry anymore.
"Vertrag," he said, just quiet enough to remain under the din of the room. "Could I get something to drink?"
Anything in particular?
"Something alcoholic that doesn't taste like alcohol," Kyle said. "Just . . . need something to settle some nerves."
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Apr 9, 2023 20:19:21 GMT -8
IC - Sonja Baron/Madison Hayes - Vertrag:
"And sent." With a final press of a button, Sonja's report to James Arthur was off. As agreed she had left details of their exact location vague, but she had seen no issue informing the Executive of their successful recruitments of Tapu Fini and Tapu Koko--as well as Team Instinct, for whatever that was worth. Helpful enough to if he decided to make his way to Alola to join their cause, vague enough to avoid any unwanted obstruction if not.
She turned away from the computer to join the others in the main room, only to find Hayes standing in front of her. Her older sister's arms were crossed, and she was watching Sonja carefully. For her part, Sonja gave her only the slightest look of annoyance before trying to move past her. Hayes held out a hand, stopping her.
"I heard what you said to Sanders," Hayes said. "Going back to that island alone is a stupid idea and you know it."
"It might be stupid," Sonja said. "It also reduces the number of people at risk. Isn't that what you and Ford were saying?"
"That's not--" Hayes closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and pressing her hands together. When she had collected her thoughts, she looked squarely at her sister. "Sonja, I am asking you to listen to what I have to say. Please." There was a pause before Sonja stepped back, crossing her arms. "You and I have not seen eye to eye on a lot of things. I understand why and I know that there's not a lot I can say or do to convince you that I am sincerely trying to look out for you, whether you want me to or not. You are well within your right to disagree with separating everyone further, but trying to spite me by taking on a mission alone is not the way to do that."
"That's not--"
"Why, then?"
"I . . ." Sonja's voice failed her. Truth be told she had wanted to tackle this Team Mystic business for that reason, but saying it out loud . . . Well, she couldn't exactly disagree with Hayes on this one. It would be one thing if they were in Unova or somewhere else where Sonja was more familiar; it was another to try to tackle a mission on an unfamiliar island that they had personally confirmed was under attack by Missing Zero.
When Sonja failed to respond, Hayes shook her head. "You know I'm right," she said. "I don't need to read your mind to tell. So unless you want to risk getting eaten, you're going with a partner."
"Well, that's too bad," Sonja said. "Because I already told Ryan to leave that mission off the table."
"You're right, that would be a problem," Hayes said. She held up a Poké Ball. "So I'm going to go with you."
"What?" Sonja did a double-take, looking between her sister and the Poké Ball in her hand. "No--Ford said we can't risk that--"
"That was before I had Pokémon to defend myself with," Hayes said. "Now that I've got Adams's, I refuse to stay back any longer. And I already told you, that island is too big of a risk--you'll need a quick getaway option if that creature spreads across it any faster."
Now it was Sonja's turn to sigh. "Fine," she said. "If you're that concerned, I guess I can't stop you." She moved past Hayes. "If Ford says anything, I'm blaming you."
|
|
|
Post by Magical Girl Mimi on Apr 14, 2023 16:58:38 GMT -8
-==IC: Chloe Hikari/Ray Hakuda/Lucia Zyther/Colleen Llyan/Jenny Hakuda - Vertrag==-
Up until now, everyone except Chloe and Jenny had more or less been mingling or keeping quiet. Jenny had been off by herself while Evan was out of the room, and Chloe sat in silence as she watched her friend quietly with a concerned look on her face. Ever since the fight against Tapu Fini, there had been an odd air about Jenny, despite the woman having reassured everyone that things were okay. The others seemed in various states of trying to take their minds off of what had happened in the field, or trying to process the death and destruction that Missing Zero spread everywhere, but Jenny looked more... confused than anything else. Chloe was tempted to head over, when Ryan showed up with the mentions of different groups and missions to distract everyone.
"I'm gonna join with Kyle." Ray said after he thought for a moment. "I missed out on helping out with Fini, and the other group has quite a few people, so why not? Besides, it'll be just like old times!" Ray grinned as he gave a thumbs up to Kyle. Lucia looked over with a skeptical look, as she thought she recalled a similar speech not that long ago. With a sigh, she raised her hand too.
"I'll head with you two as well; I didn't pull my weight last fight, and I wanna make up for that. This time, I want to do my best to help out everyone. Is that alright?" Lucia asked as she looked around the room - there weren't any complaints, though Chloe seemed to have a sudden focus on her Poké Gear.
"I don't see a problem with this. Kyle, any objections?" Ray asked as he tried to remember what Lucia's team was even like, but blanked outside of recalling something about having some healing Pokémon on her.
Chloe looked up from her Poké Gear, cleared her throat. "So Valor is on Akala right? Count me in, then; I have something that I've gotta do there too; just got a request for some assistance with something, though there wasn't really any explanation about what." She grinned as she spared a small glance over to Jenny before she made sure to not seem worried about anything. Colleen raised a hand for a moment but then frowned as she looked around the room and thought about how things were split. It seemed like most of the groups had already been accounted for, and she wasn't certain if she wanted to exactly involve herself in the frontlines again after how the last battle had gone. Plus, something made her worried about how Zoe had been nowhere to be found.
"I'll stay back here, I guess," Colleen said after a few moments as she looked around uneasily. "You said that we were staying on Melemele? That sounds okay to me then. I'll just help out with that."
-==IC: Corey Bouchard - Vertrag==-
While everyone talked, Corey had chosen a secluded spot closer to where the command room was located - they had wanted to follow Ethan to be more involved, but had hesitated at the last minute and simply chose a spot nearby. When Ethan and the others returned, they gave a small nod to everyone who showed up, though something bothered them about what Ryan said. The idea was smart - the group had quite a bit of success with the last mission, but this resulted in a very awkward split from what they could tell. There already were four people in one group from Corey's count in the Melemele group, and Corey hadn't even spoken up yet. Plus, there were some thing unaccounted for... it was about then when Sonja walked out. As she was about to walk by, Corey spoke.
"So, which group are you headed with?" They asked as they glanced over in Sonja's direction from their position on the wall. "Seems like most of the groups have been decided, though it feels like we're one person off from an even split, huh?"
|
|
|
Post by Magical Girl Mimi on Apr 15, 2023 3:56:18 GMT -8
-==IC: Olivia Seaton - Heahea Beach, Akala==-
Olivia let out a sigh as she fished out another potion from her bag. "Ya sure are a little feisty furball, aren't you?" She crossed her arms as she looked down at the yellow ball of spiky fur sleeping nearby. "Why'd ya even decide this was the best choice anyway? Weren't your home on Ula'Ula?" She sighed again as she sunk to the sand, grimacing as she leaned up against a rock and let her Toxicroak out to keep watch. "Not like ya wanna respond to me anyway..." Olivia mumbled as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
|
|
alku
Technician
Posts: 63
|
Post by alku on Apr 15, 2023 5:09:52 GMT -8
IC: As the Vorhut group chattered away with their plots and plans, a small shape began to take form outside of the training grounds housed in Vertrag. The shape made a run for one of the rooms, hoping to find it's main target. It had so much to do, but so little time. It had to find Evan Tierra before it was time. IC: Evan Tierra Evan grimaced. He may have been tired after the events, plus the meeting with Ford and La Bruja, but he had to work off some of the doubts in his mind. He had been doing so with Gnip, wrestling the Mach Pokémon Tapu Fini had told him that he hadn't died, yet he knew that he, in fact, did die. But he had no reason to not believe the Guardian Deity. As he continued to wrestle with his thoughts, Evan failed to notice a figure walk into the area. "So I found you in time, Evan Tierra. Good to see you." Evan broke his stance against Gnip at the mention of his name, and looked for the source of the voice, which was made quite apparent. Before the man, stood a young brown-haired boy, wearing muddy boots, black form-fitting pants, a long sleeved garb with a hood, with colours reminiscent of Palkia. Completing this boy's look was a large, wide-brimmed white hat, with a band of two gold rectangles bordering a large green stone. "Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?" Evan exclaimed. "Really. Even if I am using an image of one of my more devout followers in the past, surely you would have recognized me based on the Pressure I exude, hm?" The boy said, shaking his head disapprovingly. A light went on in Evan's head. "Palkia? But why aren't you talking inside my head, as usual?" "I have a matter that is relevant to discuss with you, and it requires a more personal touch." The boy said as he walked towards Evan. "What do you mean?" Evan asked, curiously. And then... The boy hugged Evan tightly, and started sobbing. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that we lied to you." "Wha? What do you mean?" "You never died." The boy said, partially breaking his embrace. "The world needed you, so Dialga, being as they are, simply turned back time to the point before Zekrom fatally hurt you, but took great pains to ensure the scars stayed. You never lost any of your future time." "But why couldn't you just tell me?" "Well, you try telling someone like yourself that a literal deity rewound your 'self'. Lying was far easier, but weighed more on us. We may be 'Gods' to you humans, but as one particularly vile megalomaniac once said, we are also still Pokémon. We still have feelings and qualms about what we do, and believe me, that lie was painful for us to keep up."
|
|
|
Post by Parugi on Apr 17, 2023 17:00:33 GMT -8
IC - Kyle Eston/Gavin Braner/Esen Windred/Levi Alaric/Ethan Worth/Skye Hall/Sonja Baron - Vertrag:
At the same time that Ray called over to him, Kyle had downed the entire small glass in front of him. Immediate regret did not begin to describe his feeling, particularly as he started to answer on reflex and some of the drink found its way into his airpipe. As he coughed from the drink, he managed to give Ray a weak thumbs-up in response to his question.
"That's the spirit!" Ethan said, leaning against the counter and slapping the younger trainer on the back. This did not help, but Ethan did not seem to notice. "Sounds like the plan's all set, so rest up and relax, everyone--we've got work to do tomorrow!" He grinned, holding his own drink up in a one-person cheer.
Sonja had intended to skirt around the edge of the room when Corey addressed her. She made an unsteady stop and then transitioned into what was clearly a very intentional lean against the wall beside them, which she had definitely meant to do from the start. "Ah, yeah, yep, seems a little uneven, doesn't it," she said. The look on Corey's face indicated that her nonchalance was less than believable. She sighed and lowered her voice. "Alright, fine--I'm going on a separate mission back to Poni Island. One of the gangs that the others found out about is hiding out there. I was trying to avoid anyone else having to go back there since Missing Zero's made landfall there and thought it'd be cleaner with fewer people."
|
|
|
Post by minun4 on Apr 21, 2023 12:27:03 GMT -8
IC: James Arthur - Four Island
“Alola?” James said as he opened the message. Hello? Celebi replied. James ignored the joke as he continued reading the message. “They recruited the Guardian Deities of Melemele and Poni Islands.”
There was a list of names in the message. Most of which he was vaguely familiar with. Some more than others. But ultimately, nothing in the message hinted at Ford’s whereabouts.
Think that’s a failure then? Celebi said, gathering the message’s contents from James’s face.
“Give me one more question before we write this off.” He thought for a minute about how to word what he wanted to say without sounding accusatory. He typed a new question out. This time asking if she had been attacked by a Shadow-Type Power Suit. He wanted to know where she was on the day of Ford’s escape without actually asking that. “They seemed to be targeting Ford and his ‘Children’. Have you been in Alola long?”
|
|