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 Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 2:36 pm
Luka sighed with relief. Those stones were important. He just knew it. So, the fact that they were safe was the best possible news at a time like this. But, now they should stop talking and go and get that skull back. "Are we gonna go after the others?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 4:12 pm
[Sorry bout the lame post, company's over and what not, just wanted to throw something up so i dont get left behind.]
"Roller blade boy?" he questioned as he Ran to catch up to Salieri. "Thats not my name, its Takamaru" he corrected her.
"But anyway, you think Gorm took the skull or handed it off to a grunt to deliver it?" he continued. there path becoming harder to traverse at full speed. From there he released Spike fom his heavy ball.
"Ne ne, Spike. i need you too search for Grom, the big guy who looks different from the ones dressed in blue, can you do that?" He asked the Drilbur who gave him a irridiculous look saying like [who do you think i am? Or course i can!].
After this was done a twige of discomfort setteled in his stomach, he had just sent off one half of his Defensive force, leaving him with only Iron Hide to battle with. 'I gotta catch some more pokemon..'
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 5:37 pm
((No problem, dude))
"That isn't something you need to concern yourself with," it was a man's voice calling from the thick network of branches that created Pinwheel Forest's canopy. In a second he dropped and landed in front of the two trainers.
He wasn't wearing the standard Plasma uniform of plate and chain-mail, nor was he ginger. Instead he wore a white shirt with the Plasma insignia printed on the front as well as camouflage combat pants and boots. His hair was dark and gelled back, a fine layer of stubble crossing his jaw, brow heavy and eyes sharp.
"My name's Boaz, but I suppose you needn't worry about that, either." He called upon his pokémon with a swift lift of his hand; a small hologram appeared at his feet, growing larger and more vivid until it finally formed fully and became real. A Porygon2.
"Look'a this: finest damn piece of kit mankind ever made, adaptable, fast, powerful. Man's best friend won't slobber on your crotch. Say 'hello', Null."
Null the Porygon2 complied, dispensing with a hollow, robotic calling of its model type and at the same time littering the forest path with bolts and arcs of electricity that blew up leaves and scorched tree bark. Ashes fluttered down in front of the pokémon and Boaz smiled.
"Null means 'nothing', which is exactly what you're gonna be if you take one more step forward. Now play nice, kids, this isn't worth losing your life over. Turn around. Go home."
--
"She's not going anywhere," Shery answered in Lenora's place. "What's wrong with you, can't you see she can barely stand up?"
Shery finished applying a bandage, the final sharp tug being a little too forceful. Lenora winced and then sighed.
"I wish I could, Luka... but she's right," she took out Watchog's pokéball and looked it over slowly. "My pokémon are hurt as well. I put their pokéballs into stasis to keep them-- keep them from deteriorating."
Her arm dropped down as if it weighed a tonne but she kept her grip on the ball. "Won't be able to unlock until they're given the all-clear at the Center."
"It's safer to stay here," Shery said to Luka, "You don't want to go getting yourself killed over principle. These people aren't normal; they don't have the kind of morals we have."
"I agree," said Elizabeth. She was sitting over at the base of the stairs, her back against one of the statues. She was looking out toward the city, waiting for the police to arrive. "It's dangerous. Pretty soon either the Government or Interpol will intervene. It's just not worth the risk. Someone else will do it for you."
She looked back to the other three. "But they're not here right now. Luka, if you really want to chase them, you have to understand the risks. If you're not ready, you could get hurt."
The woman forced a flash of a smile, flickered eyes to the floor and turned away again. It was a feeling long forgotten: to be waiting in relative safety while loved ones were risking their lives. Worse now, now that she could see the battlefield with her own eyes, now that those bonds were so much stronger. She didn't know what she'd do if she ever lost them.
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 5:55 pm
The leg came, powerful and fast, but Scraggy was no fool. He spun himself out of the way of the kick, having positioned his legs to dodge the moment he'd landed from his headbutt. The Jump Kick came, missing him by a head as Scraggy avoided it.
His spin came full circle as he came to face the leg, acting before he could allow it to snap out of the way. With Hitmonlee in the air, his mobility relied entirely on twisting motions or extensions of his legs in order to regain a semblance of footing on the ground.
A move that attacked a target that was completely open, Chip Away, as used to (attempt to) assault Hitmonlee's leg as many times as Scraggy could before he'd be forced to dodge, or Hitmonlee managed to escape.
Leonarda, meanwhile, stood some distance away. Anxious, afraid for her Pokemon. She didn't want him to get injured, but she was under orders and the kids themselves had Pokemon. She wasn't a fighter herself, either. She was covered in armor, to protect her, to bridge the gap between herself and others. Still, that wouldn't matter at the moment, with the current distance.
All she could do was stand and watch.
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:11 pm
With a crackle, Hitmonlee split into two full-sized versions of himself as Scraggy made to attack. It was a Double Team technique, limited to the single clone, using the extra power to propel Hitmonlee backwards, frozen in position.
He landed as Scraggy went for his image clone, scraping the forest floor, still sliding backwards slightly.
With this happening, Wayne spotted Leonarda, Plasma, off to the side and yelled, "Is that your pokémon?! What the hell is wrong with you?! Call it off! Now!"
But Hitmonlee had no intention of letting Wayne's negotiations hurt his battling. This time when he shot forward, he kept his legs behind him and a great surge of air pressure (that made the nearby Challenge Rock begin to crack) followed him.
It was a Vacuum Wave attack, not especially damaging but capable of interfering with the precise movements of an opponent's techniques. He intended to use his leg strength to crash into his opponent shoulder-first and send it flying.
The lift from his Vacuum Wave would definitely help Scraggy attain height.
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 7:47 pm
The corner of Salieri's mouth turned into a frown at Takamaru's question. He had a good point. If Gorm had the skull, the only person he'd have to trust with it would be himself. And he could definitely trust in his own strength. But that was too easy. Having an underling carry it would be a good way to keep people guessing as to who the carrier was.
"Not sure, but if we're going by process of elimination then we better hurry up-"
In came some Plasma grunt dropping out of the trees like a ninja.
Holy s**t a ninja!
Salieri stopped on a dime, positioning herself into a combat stance instantly. But as she got a full view of Boaz's manner of dress and his talkative personality, she stood at ease. It didn't look like she'd have to be fighting a ninja. The Battle Girl sighed in relief. False alarm there.
Null launched his attack, but neither Salieri nor her pokemon flinched while they simply continued to analyze Boaz. As the ashes fluttered down on the path, Wukong stood with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed at Boaz. He didn't have the skull either. In an annoyed huff, he blew a few ashes away from his face.
Salieri understood there situation now. Each of the grunts was just trying to slow them down. That weird pink mist had been a distraction too. Even by standing here they were wasting time playing these games.
"Bozo, is it?" Salieri opened up her hand down at her side near Wukong. The Monferno's flaming tail began to rise up towards it like a charmed snake. She smiled lightly, brimming with confidence as she ran her other hand over her raven black hair. "I usually do a whole big intro thing myself, so I appreciate your theatrics. But you don't have what we're looking for, so I'll have to treat you to it some other time. You might learn something."
In a beat, the fire on Wukong's tail flickered out and Salieri tightly coiled her grip around it. The wind blew, and both of them were gone with only the sound of the pavement cracking from the fire monkey's step leaving a trace of their presence.
One beat later, Wukong reappeared a couple of feet behind Boaz out of Mach Speed. Salieri, who had been pulled along through the air by the sheer force of the movement, managed to touch upon the ground with her partner and break out into a run.
The Battle Girl clutched her ears, which rang with pressure. It pounded her brain, giving her an irritating headache. Which was just something she had to ignore if she wanted to keep going. Ugh, I thought that would work out a lot better than it did. Looks like Mach Speed isn't really for me.
"We can't stop now, that skull's not saving itself!" she shouted back to Takamaru, who she had left behind. They didn't have the time to deliberate their actions right now. He knew the risks when he came into the forest. And if he couldn't follow, then he could cover her escape.
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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:04 am
Everything was happening so fast. First and foremost, an extinguisher exploded in her face but this only aided to the fit of coughs that tore at her throat and caused her to release Eunmi and fall to her buckled knees. Her hands caught herself, barely and her eyes stung, teary and painful to keep open.
Then came the heal bell and everything seemed to disperse. Then all that other stuff happened. Henrietta climbed to her feet again, in time to turn toward Sal and catch her shinai. A moment before she'd caught it, she would have said no. Would have turned down intentionally throwing herself into battle against Team Plasma. The last time she'd fought them, she'd been beaten, harshly. She'd almost died as the dream yard had collapsed, almost lost one of her Pokemon. It was an unbearable thought.
Then she caught it. What Salieri referred to her as soul. Everyone else was pumped up, people that were even with her as trainers, people she had beaten, people that had beaten her. They were all ready to charge and all she could say was, "h-hum..."
It was with one last glance back toward Luka, who was talking with Lenora, that she started off after them. She wasn't an Olympic runner, didn't have roller blades to make up for her speed. She'd recalled her Pokemon and was moving, fast as she could. Sprinting after Team Plasma, but lagging behind the others more trained for speed.
The result was, she wouldn't get the chance to catch up until Wayne was attacked. She passed by his battle as it had started and her teeth caught her bottom lip. She didn't have any words of advice she could speak for him, not while putting her all into running. She could only look in the direction of his battle, and then ahead.
The pause had given her a chance to catch up. There was something she could say as she slowed her pace, basically, "w-wait up, Sal!"
Whether or not she heard it didn't matter, they moved on to the next battle. The second grunt appeared and Salieri simply dodged on by him. This time around, Henrietta thanked her laggyness as she curved around the 'battlefield' of the new grunt, moving in a wide arc to remain unnoticed and to attempt to catch up.
***
Salieri's escape wouldn't get her far. Far enough away that things wouldn't break down into a double battle without some effort, but not far enough that she'd be nearing the end of the forest, or something like that.
The bolt of Thunder Bolt was a flash from the distance, aimed at Wukong and Salieri. If one squinted, they could make out the Watchog at a distance, arms crossed and eyes focused.
But that wasn't the true assault. Bill, who had been hiding behind a closer tree, aimed to tackle Salieri the moment she attempted to dodge out of the way, the moment she sacrificed her footing in order to avoid the attack.
***
Scraggy appeared to not notice Hitmonlee. Appeared to attack the clone anyways. Appeared to have no aid from his trainer who bit her lip so hard watching she tasted blood.
Then Hitmonlee was rocketing forward and Scraggy's body lifted up. Not by Hitmonlee's attack, but a last second move. Faint Attack.
He was up and above the Pokemon, striking down toward Hitmolee's head. The unobservantness was a trick of the move, draw the enemy in, and then strike them when they're least likely, or unable to dodge.
"You call off yours, first!" Leonarda shouted to Wayne.
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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:38 am
Luka looked to and fro between the adults. Every inch of his being was screaming at him not to go. To stay safe. To live. But one nugget of his brain hardened. This was his hometown that Team Plasma had attacked. They weren't going to get away with it that easily. His eyes grew brighter as the rage enveloped him and he snapped. He took one last look at the adults and said, "I'm sorry" before running off after the others.
Like Henrietta, Luka wasn't an Olympic runner, nor did he run a lot in any case. Life was far too short to just run everywhere. You had to take in the sights around you, make the most of them. But, the fury that was coursing through him was immense. All of his carefully sealed turbulent emotions were breaking out of their confines. It may not have seemed like much to most people, after all, it WAS only a skull of a dead Pokémon. But, the bastards had invaded what Luka thought of as his second home. They had destroyed most of the artifcats in the building. He felt breached. It was something that he couldn't physically bear to feel. So, he would make them pay.
His feet pounded against the road, kicking up the dust around him as he made his way into the forest. Living on both sides of the forest had given Luka a decent knowledge of its layout. He knew some of the short cuts you could take to shrink your journey length. So, as he caught up to Wayne he swerved into the trees and started to take the short cut, that, if he was fast enough, would put him in front of Salieri.
The bastards would pay. They would pay big-time.
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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 7:11 am
Yeah, Avan was that slow. Even Luka who was way behind caught up to Salieri, for the most part, and sped past him. Are these people even human? He wondered as he continued his run. He wasn't like, out of shape or anything, he was just a slow runner, and beside that, hated running. Avan, like most of them, would swerve around the current battles taking place and continued after whoever he was chasing to take back the skull.
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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 7:41 am
As the light flashed in the distance ahead of Wukong, he reacted immediately. The monkey lifted up his head and unleashed a beam of heat from his mouth. The modified Heat Wave attack collided with the electricity midway and they exploded together, causing small waves of heat and arcs of electricity to tickle the trees and swerve through the air.
Wukong didn't know why it mattered that a Watchog was the one to launch the technique, but Salieri came to the conclusion that Bill had to be around his pokemon somewhere. When the grunt came out of the trees, Salieri was expecting him by then.
The Battle Girl deftly jumped up and vaulted over Bill's side as the tackle came in, using one hand to support her passing over the ex soldier and skidding back to the ground behind him. She looked at his person. No dragon skull.
"Damn, I was really hoping that you had it, too!" Salieri groaned, sounding more disappointed than annoyed. Unlike with Boaz, she had stopped completely. She had a feeling that unless someone else was coming along to help, she wouldn't get past Bill without a fight. If she, TK or Wayne didn't win, then Plasma would get away.
"This tactic is getting old fast. Can you just save us both some time and tap out?" Sal huffed, putting a hand on her hip and waving her other carelessly in the air. "My friend Emi beat you in that tournament, so I know you're a chump. If I leave you here as a bloody mess, it'd be a little embarrassing don't you think?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:50 am
"This is why ya never let a b***h catch ya," Bill said as he turned his head to look at Wukong. "Always talkin' like they can win." He turned back toward Salieri then. "I got no interest in fightin' a girl, specially not one I already beat the crap outta. Run along." He made a motion to shoo her.
Watchog, meanwhile, was closing the distance, he'd fire another thunder attack off, and another. Basically, he was attempting to make sure Wukong wouldn't have time to target Bill.
Henrietta, by this time, had caught up. Out of breath, she'd arrive at Salieri's battle and stop. There wasn't anyone ahead of her now.
"S-sal!" she called. Everyone so far had been targeted, save those that had not caught up to her personally, or so she assumed.
She noted that Bill didn't have the skull either, but Salieri seemed to be stuck fighting him, as she hadn't already moved on.
Her expression shifted as she bundled up her courage and determination and, taking just a second to wet her lips and throat, she started off again. "Be careful!" she called out to Salieri as she hurried ahead.
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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 10:29 am
The shortcut had worked, for the most part anyway. As Luka thundered further into the woods he saw Salieri begin her battle with that guy from the tournament, Bill, wasn't it? From were Luka was, he could see a slight change to his stance. He seemed bigger, sturdier somehow. It was... weird.
Still, the guy didn't have the skull, that much was obvious. So, he would have to keep running. Clearly, Team Plasma were heading for Castelia. It was the only place that the forest linked to. So, his next thought was to cut them off. He swerved through into the next short cut and hoped that he wouldn't get held up by some stupid grunt.
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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 11:59 am
To hear Henrietta tell her to be careful was enough to make Salieri snort in amusement. What a twist. But she chuckled and just gave Henrietta a thumbs up over her shoulder as the kendo girl passed by. "Yeah yeah, stay out of trouble."
Soon after, Luka emerged from the forest as well. With two more people going after the skull, Salieri knew that it was her job to fight Bill now. Like Wayne and Takamaru before her, now she had to cover Henrietta and Luka's escape.
Wukong's fists became covered in red sparks of electricity. He spun on his heel, delivering two crimson Thunderpunch backhands to the Thunderbolts in succession. The electrical blasts were flung into the thick trees, and Wukong could hear two of them topple in the distance.
Topper was getting closer now. If he didn't stop the attacks, there was a chance that they could hit Salieri. The Monferno grit his teeth as his body became covered in a red, translucent aura. Work Up increased his strength in both the physical and mental sense. Now he just waited for another attack to come his way as the Watchog got closer.
Salieri couldn't help but burst out in conceited laughter at Bill's statement. "You know that the whole tournament was on TV, right?" Salieri told Bill casually while stretching her arms over her head. "You got your a** beat to a pulp by a random teenage girl on national TV. I bet I could find it on Youtube if I wanted to watch it again."
The thought of seeing it happen again made her chuckle some more. For all the talk he was giving her, she just couldn't help but think of him as a joke now that Emi had beaten him. The fact that he still had his pride only made it funnier to Salieri.
"Anyway, I'm not interested in fighting you either. See, I know I'm better than Eunmi, and she beat you. Which means you're less than worthless to me." She tapped the side of her head with her finger mockingly. "It's called the transitive property. I doubt they taught you that in wife beating school."
Wukong looked back to Salieri with an annoyed look in his eyes. He grunted and spun his finger in the air, telling her to wrap it up. "So if you really want me to go, then I'll be continuing on through this forest to do things aren't a total waste of my time." She bit her bottom lip and gave Bill wide, puppy dog eyes. "But I don't want you to get scared in this big, dark forest by yourself. You might get beaten up by a girl again."
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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:27 pm
Bozo? That doesn't even make any sense. Bo-a** would've worked better-- oh wait, there she goes. Well, she's dead.
"Unfortunate," Boaz said as Salieri broke past him, "really," he followed her with a thumb over his shoulder, "she's run off to get killed." He pointed towards Takamaru, "and signed your death warrant."
Null raced forward, gathering power and releasing it off in a high speed burst towards TK - a Psyshock attack, which manifested as an explosive firework of pink energy, which would tear into its target like a shotgun blast.
TK would have to move quick if he didn't want to be riddled with holes.
--
Scraggy was mistaken if he thought he could catch Hitmonlee out like that. Faint Attack causes its user to vanish and reappear behind or to the side of the opponent in order to attack; whether it was due to a sudden burst of speed or through teleportation, Scraggy wouldn't be able to attack fast enough to catch the speeding fight type.
As he'd jumped to use the technique, he'd be subject to slowing down and stopping before being able to descend upon his target. This was an accommodating time window.
Hitmonlee planted his foot on the ground, stopping instantly and turning back, ready to continue his assault. His free foot kicked up, not a straight kick, not something so easily readable - he made use of his flexibility, striking like a whip at blinding speed. Technically this was a Rolling Kick.
Always from behind, he thought, Nothing if not consistent.
Luckily, the air pressure effects of Vacuum Wave were still surrounding Hitmonlee, limiting Scraggy's movements towards the fight type at its epicenter - if he wanted to drop down, he'd more likely be held in place, an easy target to kick in the face. Faint Attack, if Scraggy was still trying to use it, wouldn't be much of a match when it'd be striking Hitmonlee's diamond-hard foot.
In the meantime, Wayne's face dropped at Leonarda's suggestion. She'd attacked first - what a dumb thing to say. Ugh... looks like he'd just have to end it quick.
Pokédex, Pokédex... ah... okay, so Scraggy's pants can be used to block damage... weird, but whatever. This battle might be more problematic than anticipated. Guess it was bound to be when it started after neath-death by boulder crushing.
--
The forest grew increasingly dark as Henrietta jogged breathlessly, further and further. She'd soon be met with a hard sight in the dim light; silhouetted curves, steel, cloth. And a single blade in hand, its tip digging into the soft forest floor, angled threateningly.
"Trainer," the female Plasma member spat, "I take no pride in this."
She brought her blade up, aiming it at the tired girl's face, "Turn back or you'll force my hand. The Dragon Skull isn't worth your life."
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Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 1:01 pm
Watchog's eyes glazed over suddenly, blank before they returned to normal. The use of self hypnotism to copy statistical boosts, Psych Up.
Bill was watching Salieri as she went off, taking any shot she could at him. His head would then snap to the right, causing it to crack on the opposite side. He'd repeat this, but using the other direction. Then he said, "come on then, anywhere you want, I'll let you get in one free hit. Yer that good, right? Win in one hit 'n crap."
Watchog was still moving forward, eyes set on Wukong, ready to copy anything else he might use for his advantage.
***
With the extension of the leg like a whip, it would be impossible for Hitmonlee to instantly retract his kick. In other words, it was an opening. Scraggy, being not a one foot tall creature, would have the arm reach to meet the spring leg, even as the foot crashed into him.
He knew his body would likely be thrown by the force of it, thus, he would grab the spring. Not being a straight kick had been Hitmonlee's mistake, now he had an attachment. Furthermore, the kick would strike into the plastic skin under the arm as Scraggy twisted himself for this motion prior to impact. Theoretically, this would at the very least, save him from internal injuries.
It would only last a moment, when Hitmonlee managed to stop his own leg, Scraggy would likely be thrown away. Still, open as it was, Scraggy gripped the spring of the leg and struck with his other hand, curving the arm to crash into Hitmonlee's foot.
Hitmonlee, when kicking, gained a diamond hard sole. Luckily, this coating of defensive and offensive power was not for the entire foot. The springs, while an easy target, would only making extending painful. With this strike, if it landed, it would make every step Hitmonlee made agonizing, assuming he could even use the foot after taking double his own offensive power.
The move Scraggy used was, of course, Counter.
***
Henrietta stopped when she was confronted by her opponent. Sure, she was tired, and sore from exercising earlier, but she wasn't so out of shape she didn't feel confident in herself. This was a different Henrietta than the one who had a tree fallen on her before she was thrown into a battle. Also she fell like, a story or so.
This was also a different person than the one she had fought. Her opponent had used the hardness of his steel armor to cause a bigger impact. This one had a sword. A real sword.
Henrietta gulped. It was true, she hadn't signed up for this sort of craziness. She drew her shinai and took her stance, both hands gripping it. A swift motion had occurred at the same time that her left hand rose to the handle, a tap at her belt, and she released Frate.
There was a sort of intimidation in the air. Even if the opponent offered to let her go, if she turned her back there was a chance she would still be attacked. Furthermore, everyone else was headed this way. If they ran passed, this woman would attack them. Kill them. Henrietta knew this, Takamaru, Avan, Kijin, Ryan and Luka. Not a single one of them looked like fighters. Effectively, they all looked like young teenagers, scrawny still, with some semblance of muscle. To be honest, Henrietta probably looked even more frail, but she had her shinai.
She had her soul.
She could feel the fear induced adrenaline begin to make its way through her. If anyone but Robby came, she thought, they would die instantly. That was the fear she had, a fear for others.
"P-please, s-stand down," Henrietta spoke up, trying to pitch her voice across the way to the woman.
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