Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Parugi]

IC - All - All:

 

The crystal structure pulsated with energy. Goldhawk and his team steadied themselves, waiting for whatever was about to happen. They did not expect the wave of light, the sheer wall of white energy that erupted outward from the structure's center and washed over them before continuing on. Goldhawk lowered his arms from his eyes, looking around at his fellows for the damage.

 

There was none to be found.

 

Indeed, those who felt the changes--who knew the immediate effects--were those in situations simultaneously less serious yet more active. The light washed across Two Island, and then out across the sea. It engulfed the rest of the Sevii Islands, and beyond them, crossing Kanto, Johto, Sinjoh, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, the islands of Alola--spreading across every nation and every part of wilderness throughout the world, enveloping all.

 

Everywhere, Pokémon battles fell to a sudden and abrupt halt.

 

 

IC - John Ford/James Pierce/Madison Hayes/Quincy Adams/Tyler McKinley/Skye Hall/Sonja Baron/Levi Alaric/Nine/Mewthree

Kyle Eston/Esen Windred/Bounty/Jackson Sang/Ethan Worth - The Chamber of Clarity:

 

Of all the things that should have happened, perhaps the most shocking was the fact that virtually nothing had happened.

 

As the light died down, this fact became rapidly obvious with each attempt to attack. Icy energy sputtered and died in Lucan's two mouths. Try as she might, Celebi could not manage to create her draining tendrils. Gogoat and Tauros's attacks fell short before they could fully strike, and they fell to the ground, confused, as Bastiodon tried and failed to muster the strength to retaliate. Arcanine's Flamethrower dissipated mid-course. Togie slowed in midair. Neither Jayron nor Lucario could summon an Aura Sphere. 

 

The only sound that rang out in the stunned silence that followed was the burst from Xander's pistol, which struck Ford square in the shoulder. He cried out in pain, falling forward onto his hands and knees. The shadowy form of Nine slid off of him like slime, coalescing back into the Darkrai's body. He, too, appeared stunned, freed from whatever control have been forced over him. As they regained their senses, they looked at each other, horror present in both pairs of their eyes.

 

All the while, the crystal ceiling above the Ford, Nine, and the Mewtwo statue shimmered and rippled.

 

Then, something did happen.

 

"Here--we--go!" McKinley laughed, clapping his hands at the spectacle.

 

Kyle raised his head. He was still dazed, but he was alive. The sounds and sights around him melded together into a horrific cacophony. Someone screamed nearby. He saw Sonja backing away from the raised platform, her widened eyes set on something up. Kyle looked up.

 

Part of him wished he hadn't.

 

A symbol had appeared, this one pulsing and pulling away from the ceiling, descending. It was three-dimensional, constructed of energy. Seven spikes, like strings on a dream-catcher, emerged with it, then dropped down as if they were men and women hung by nooses. Each bore a different color, all set in rainbow order, and as Kyle and the others watched, each accompanied a different symbol that mirrored its color. These symbols shattered--first the red, then the green, followed by yellow, dark blue, orange, purple, and finally light blue.

 

Something red, thick and shimmering as mercury yet bright as blood, appeared within the shapes of its center, dripping down onto the raised platform. Ford scrambled out of the way, and Nine along with him. The Mewtwo statue fell back, transforming into the unconscious, fully-alive form of an actual Mewtwo; it landed on the ground in front of Ellen and Ryan, the second card fluttering to the ground next to it. The drops of goo grew and grew, swarming together and growing bigger and bigger, until they had formed a column from floor to ceiling that proceeded to expand outward.

 

At last, the light of the symbol faded, and a massive blob occupied the space where once Ford had stood. It undulated irregularly, and seemed to glow in random spots both inside and out, but ultimately, it did not--perhaps could not--move elsewhere.

 

McKinley raised his hands, smiling broadly. "We've done it . . ." he cooed, slowly breaking out into an elated cackle. "We've finally done it! At last, after so much waiting and starving and dying--we're home, finally home!"

Edited December 10, 2016 by Parugi

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Everything had happened way too fast for Evan to process, but the last event, made even him look on in terror, as pokemon attacks dissipated one after another. He caught sight of the unsettling symbol from above, and most terrifying of all, was the red mass where Ford once was. It writhed and undulated in such a way that made the young man's mind reel in terror. Whatever this thing was, it radiated a very "wrong" vibe to the Plasma Agent, as well as McKinley saying that "We" were finally home. As this was happening, Feral was bounding around in terror in Jenny's mind, clearly very, very hysterical with fear at what was unfolding.

As for Gnip, her thoughts on the matter, may as well have been the same as her master's. She had seen quite a few fearsome sights in her life, but never one that seemed so outright terrifying. It seemed to oppress her mind with fear, as she gazed warily at the mass and McKlownley, not sure what was to happen.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe/Ray/Jenny/Colette==-

 

Chloe, Ray, Jenny, Colette... they all were lost for words. Ray trembled for a moment, and with his teeth clenched to stop them from clattering together, fumbled for his Pokeballs. He recalled Orihime quickly, and then sent out Zangetsu quickly, not trusting this situation at all.

 

"Zangetsu, get them out of here!" He yelled out, as he glanced over and saw where Kyle and Ryan had landed. The orange haired man had to hope that Zangetsu could help out here, as he ran to the others. As he approached a pre-occupied Ryan, however, the other man gave him a look that told him to keep going. Ray ran past, and moved toward where Kyle was, even as he glanced at where Levi and Sonja were. "Kyle, you alright? If you can move, I think we need to get out of here, fast..."

 

Jenny's eyes trained on the giant blob. She tried her best to ignore the panicking Feral, but she was having a hard time stopping herself from outright panicking as well. She pushed herself to her feet, and looked to her left, as she saw Zangetsu attempt to lead Evan away from the sides of the wall; back toward the stairway back up.

 

Colette felt frozen in place. She felt like her knees had turned to jelly as she trembled in fear of everything that was happening. First she could feel that none of her aura powers worked at all, and.... then this thing. She was too scared to even make a sound.

 

Chloe first stared at the symbol, as she numbly recalled Luke. He wouldn't be able to be used here. Then she stared at the... thing that dropped down after. She was scared; more scared than she had been before. But that blob had shocked her into acting. She grabbed two balls from her purse. She recalled Cyndy first, knowing that there was no way that she could attempt to attack like this, and then threw the Pokeball containing Ren toward where Hayes, Colette, and distantly Sonja were. She knew they had to move. Had to get out of here. But even she couldn't find the words to actually vocalize that plan.

 

-==IC: Ryan Hikari==-

 

Ryan blinked to refocus his eyes after the light died down. That didn't feel like the oddest part of the day, but... He cautiously looked toward the entrance, hoping that things were going well for Gavin in the meantime.

 

"What could that have been...?" The black haired man wondered out loud, as he glanced toward the entrance of the structure. "Xana, you have any ideas?" Ryan waited for a few moments as only silence occurred. "... Hey, Xana, I'm talking to you." Still silence. With a puzzled frown, the trainer sent out the Xatu in question. However, she was simply making motions as if panicking, squawking out as if trying to say something, though she couldn't.

 

"Xana, use your words..." Ryan said with a frown, but then paused as the Xatu frantically shook her head. "... What do you mean? Can't you just use your psychic abilities?" Again a shake of the head, which was starting to creep the man out. "Did something hit you too hard during the battle? Come on, let's get you to one of the medics..." Xana was recalled to her Pokeball, yet Ryan couldn't help but feel that something was very not right...

 

-==IC: Alistair==-

 

Alistair was woken by the sounds of commotion, following an odd light. With a yawn, the man got out of bed, and sleepily walked outside. He glanced around as people dashed around in a panic, as if trying to prepare extra stock for something.

 

"Everyone get to shelter! Nothing good could have come from that light!" A man cried out, as he passed by the confused Alistair.

 

"It was a sign of the end times, I know it!" An old woman wailed as Alistair walked by.

 

"We must prepare. If that was an attack from one of the nations, regions, or that Liberty scum, we'll be ready." A young man stated as he began to clean out a shelter of sorts, perhaps to hide in.

 

Alistair finally stopped in front of a woman his age, who grimly looked at him. "What is going on? Why is everyone in such a panic?" The trainer looked back as the floating village continued to scramble around with enough noise to wake the entire region. However, as he looked back, he noticed the woman's lip tremble a bit.

 

"Oh, it's a disaster! After that cursed light engulfed the village, the village's annual Fishing Battle was interrupted. You know, the one where the people who might eventually be our chief go around and fish out something to battle with?" The woman looked at Alistair as if he had heard about that, and the man simply nodded, despite not having a clue what she was talking about. "Now, everyone is worried for many reasons, as it can't be completed! And this means there won't be enough people for the Chieftain Tournament in a couple years..."

 

Alistair felt rather out of place with all these mentions, and had to wonder why it was such a convoluted process to elect someone to lead the village. However, that didn't explain some things. "That's all well and fine, but... why can't it just be started back up? Why would light interrupting things cause such a panic?"

 

The woman looked at Alistair as if his head was screwed on wrong. "Why... haven't you heard? Any and all Pokemon moves just don't work anymore. We can't have any battles at all. That is another reason people are worried."

 

-==IC: Taylor==-

 

Taylor opened her eyes, as she looked out over the sea again. What had began as an attempt to watch the sunrise, turned into the girl needing to protect her eyes from a sudden light that was most -definitely- not the sunrise. When the light died down, she glanced around with a puzzled look, wondering just what had caused the light. When she didn't see anything that could have possibly caused the light, she focused on the sunrise once again. However, she couldn't shake her curiosity on what had just happened...

 

-==IC: Gerald==-

 

In the far reaches of Unova, a certain prisoner stirred, a grumpy look on his face. Moments earlier, a odd light had washed over his face. It was made even more strange by the fact that there were no windows in this cell. Gerald sat up with a confused look on his face. Could it be a breakout? Why would they choose him? Did they know of his glorious plans? But yet... when he looked around, there was no-one there. The prisoner pushed himself to his feet, and made his way to the padded door, a frown on his face. He waited for what seemed like an eternity, and faintly heard a set of footsteps down the hall. Then he heard what he assumed was one guard talking to another...

 

"... y, did you see that light?"

"Of course I did, who could miss it?"

 

"Well... the guards at the front were having a practice battle when it happened. To hone their skills, you know."

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Well... apparently, shortly after the light passed through... nothing works anymore. None of their attacks work or anything."
 

"What?! You have to be pulling my leg! How am I supposed to believe that?!"

 

"Look, it's true!"

Gerald heard the opening of a Pokeball, as his brow furrowed. How could that be true? What could even cause that sort of thing?

 

"Charmander, use Ember!"

 

...

 

"You and your Pokemon are both in on this."

 

"Then try it yourself!"

 

Another Pokeball opened.

 

"Pika, use Thunderbolt on that Chamander!"

...

 

"Pikachu...? Use Thunderbolt!"

Gerald faintly heard the squeaking of a Pikachu, as if it were denying being able to do that.

 

"Wh-what...? How could this be?!"

"I don't know. But that light is trouble, I'm telling you!"

 

Shortly after, two sets of footsteps ran away from the direction of Gerald's cell. The prisoner slid down the wall next to the door, a stunned expression on his face. How could this be, indeed? What sort of thing could that light be, to affect things like that?

 

...

 

And how could Gerald take advantage of this...? The prisoner smiled an evil and toothy grin. It was time to plan...

 

-==IC: Zac Blazer/Vermilion Crew==-

 

"Alright! Good job, Z-Pup!" A while after the fight with the Vermilion Company, Zac Blazer leaned against his crutches, commanding his Growithe against Payton's Rockruff in an early morning fight. The two seemed to be in higher spirits than when things had happened before. The Growlithe clashed against the Rockruff, electricity threatening to take down the rocky pup... if the rocks didn't take down Z-Pup first. Vivian watched the fight on a nearby bench, glad that her sister had bounced back from everything so well.

 

"Now, Rockruff, use-" Payton began to call out, when an odd wave of light washed over the battlefield, forcing battlers and spectators alike to shield their eyes. When the light passed, they tentatively looked around in confusion. Nothing seemed to have... happened. But none could figure out what caused the odd light to appear.

 

"Now's your chance, Z-Pup, Wild Charge again!" Zac chuckled, as he tried to take advantage of the situation to land a hit. However, to his surprise, and Payton's as well, no electricity surrounded the Growlithe this time. Confused, the Growlithe tried again and again, but nothing. Zac's face turned a bit grim, as he tried to figure out what just happened, as even Payton's Rockruff could not seem to use any moves...

 

 

Anna stirred in bed as she slowly opened her eyes. In her dreams, she thought a brilliant light had overtaken all of her surroundings, like she were enveloped by it. As the young woman sat up, she slowly blinked with a yawn, and smiled. She slid herself to the side of her bed, and grabbed her crutches. The woman frowned in curiosity at how dark the house was still, as she walked to the kitchen to get something to eat. She thought over the marvelous light she recalled from her dream, and hummed happily, as she opened the fridge.

 

As Anna squinted against the light, she again felt it strange that it was so dark. Unable to hold back her curiosity, she looked up at the clock and noticed that it was still early morning. Puzzled, she quickly assembled her breakfast and ate it quickly, and then wandered around the house. She called out for her new Gardevoir friend, wondering if she might have an idea of what to do now that the woman was up. However, despite all her calls, she received no answer.

 

Confused as to what was going on, Anna more frantically searched for her friend, pushing herself faster and faster to check the rooms. As she was exiting one room, however, she tripped over a piece of the rug that had bunched up, and landed on her stomach rather roughly. With a groan, the woman began to push herself to her feet, but felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up to see a Gardevoir who looked very worried.

 

"Thank you... I was searching for you, actually..." Anna smiled gratefully, but still seemed confused. "Why didn't you answer me?" As if in response, the Gardevoir let out a soft groan as if trying to say something in her own language. Her face turned sad even as Anna watched, and the Gardevoir shook her head. "Wait... can you not speak...?" The Gardevoir shook her head.

 

 

 

OOC: The following, and the previous Shannon/Lucia post, is set back in time before Lucia even encounters the Slowpoke.

 

-==IC: Lucia/Shannon(Jam)==-

 

Lucia kept her gaze trained on Shannon as the two walked toward the bench. "I'm not angry, and I know you aren't doing this to take advantage of us. But why would you fake this? What do you mean, you don't know what else to do?"

 

Shannon breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her betrayal of trust hadn't ruined one of the few friendships she had. She was silent for a moment, struggling, as if she couldn't bring herself to admit anything more than she already had. She looked up at the healer. "Your father... you don't feel any remorse for him, do you? He deserved what he got, and it's not wrong for you to be happy that he'll live out the rest of his days rotting in a cell. Yet your brother... Ryan's done terrible things too, hasn't he? Maybe not on par with your father, but still bad. Yet it would be wrong to wish the same punishment on him. So where do you draw the line? At what point do you stop giving second chances?"

 

Lucia stayed quiet for a moment. "I won't pretend to know what my brother's done; he's been vague about it. I didn't even know he was my brother or existed until a month ago at most. It's definitely an odd situation though." The girl went quiet for a few minutes, as if she had finished speaking. However, she looked over with a conflicted look of her own on her face.

"I don't know when second chances should be stopped, but I'd judge it based on... who they are, maybe? Whether they are good at heart; genuinely, and not just those people who act it just so they can get something from you. It's not... exactly an easy line to draw, though. It's more of a jagged one, and some things just... make it hard to lean one way or another." The redhead bit her lip, as she looked away, choosing to focus on the sky. Even she had to admit that she wasn't positive on what was best about anything.

 

Shannon sighed. "My parents... I don't even know what to think. They're war criminals. Maybe not to the extent of your father, but they've still done terrible things. They should pay for what they've done... but they're still my parents. They... they care about me, but I don't think they'd ever apologize for what they've done unless they thought it'd win me over. I don't know whether I should love them or hate them. Part of me wishes I could just treat them like the scum of the earth, but the more I push them away, the more I feel like a terrible daughter. Th-that's why I've been exaggerating my injuries... I've been trying to avoid them, and avoid whatever they have planned for when I've fully recovered. Our house is in ruins, th-they'd probably make me live with them at Team Liberty's headquarters... and I can't stand the thought of that, but I don't know if I could live with myself if I just completely disowned them... I... I don't know what to do..." Tears had welled up in her eyes, and now the girl that had supported her physically was forced to support her emotionally as Shannon cried into her shoulder.

 

To say that Lucia had not been expecting this, would be to make the understatement of the year. The girl seemed rather awkward about what happened, and tentatively wrapped an arm around Shannon's back. The healer, for all that she had trained for, was not prepared for a situation quite like this... maybe if it were Jamie in this position, but not anyone else, really.

"Um... there there...?" Lucia attempted to pat Shannon's back, but ended up putting a little more force than she intended into the first pat, wincing herself as that had probably rattled the poor girl a little bit more. But even still, the redhead had no real idea of what exactly to say at that moment. Shannon brought up good points, but yet... was it really so clear-cut?

 

Shannon hiccupped as Lucia hit her back. She sniffled and pulled away, wiping her tears on her already sweaty sleeve. "Wh-what would you do...?" she asked tentatively. "I tried to avoid my parents, but I ended up lying to you and Ms. Stacy... Am I doing the right thing, or am I just being stubborn?"

 

Lucia apologetically looked at Shannon when she pulled away, but scratched her head for a moment. "Honestly... hiding away just leads to more issues down the road. Trust me on that, I know..." The girl bit her lip as she looked away, recalling what had happened with Gerald in this very city. "I think that you should probably at least talk to them." She paused for a moment. "... or at least your father. He seems nice."

 

Shannon mulled over Lucia's words. "Y-yes... I suppose talking might help..." Before she could say anything further there was a small rap on the window behind them. Shannon turned around and felt the color drain from her face.

It was her parents.

[Konuju]

OOC: Shannon IC is set back in time, before Lucia encounters her Slowpoke.

 

IC: Shannon Willows/Theodore Willows/Ava Willows - Trilan Gardens

"So sorry to interrupt." Shannon's mother opened the door and stepped out into the gardens. "It looked like you girls were having a nice conversation."

 

Shannon bit her lip, wondering if her parents had seen her crying into Lucia's shoulder. She cast a glance at the healer, who gave her an encouraging nod. "Um... hi." Shannon did her best to put on a pleasant smile. "What brings you out he-" Her mouth dropped open as her father squeezed through the door carrying a sizeable gift box tied with a bow.

 

Mr. Willows was a rather slim man, but the box he carried seemed at risk of losing its giftwrap in the doorframe. After several tedious seconds both her father and his present made it through the door unharmed. He panted as he set the box down at Shannon's feet and grinned sheepishly. "Surprise."

 

It was a long moment before Shannon could find any words. "What is this?"

 

"A get well gift." Her mother smiled. "We thought it might cheer you up."

 

"I picked it out myself," her father said with a hint of pride in his voice.

 

Shannon frowned. "Really, you shouldn't have," she muttered. The box was bigger than any present she had ever received on her birthday or Christmas; it was so over-the-top that there had to be an ulterior motive behind it. She was almost worried to find out what was inside. The box itself was intimidating enough by its size. Under the pressure of her parents' anxious faces, Shannon started to unwrap the giant gift.

 

The moment she lifted the lid, a ball of fluff jumped out at her. Shannon yelped in surprise and stumbled back. In her arms sat an Eevee grinning up at her joyously. Someone had even affixed a bow to one of its ears.

 

If she had been troubled before, now Shannon was completely at a loss. So many mixed emotions surged through her. She was furious that her parents would go to such lengths to win her affection, as if a simple Eevee could wipe their bloodied slate clean. But as the Eevee stared up at her with its big brown eyes, she realized that no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't hate her gift. But she could still hate the intent, for it was so obviously a strategic move. For what felt like an eternity she stood rooted to the ground, staring back at the Eevee.

 

 

She looked back at her parents. "Thanks," she mumbled as she walked past them to the door. "But this doesn't change anything." Before anyone had a chance to respond, Shannon had walked back inside, Eevee in tow. She did not stop until she reached her hospital room, closed the door, and locked it. Then she threw herself onto the bed and cried.

 

 

 

IC: Madison/Luke - Helicopter

"You're fidgeting again."

 

Madison gave him a pointed look. "How long has it been?"

 

Luke made a show of looking at an imaginary watch. "Oh, it's only half past lovesick o'clock."

 

Madison reddened as she clenched a fist. Ever since Dack, Ethan, and Gavin had left, he had been making jokes of a similar caliber at her expense. "Stop it. I'm serious."

 

"So am I." Luke's smug look surprisingly melted away into one of genuine understanding. "Look, he's my friend, too. I know it sucks to just wait like this, and you've probably got a million things to say to him. But you know Dack can handle himself out there. He'll get back when he gets back. You'll only give yourself an aneurysm if you keep worrying like that."

 

"How can I not worry? We can handle ourselves, too. We never should've agreed to-"

 

The interior of the helicopter lit up as a wave of energy passed through. Madison shrieked and jumped to her feet, causing Luke to flinch and bang his elbow against his seat. But the two were otherwise unharmed.

 

"What in the world was that?" Luke grimaced as he rubbed his elbow, then cursed as Madison raced for the door. "Madison, what do you think you're doing?"

 

The skier stopped at the door to the chopper and looked back at Luke with a fire in her eyes. "Something's happened. I don't know what that blast was, but it can't be anything good. You remember what Dack said: we're his backup."

 

The girl would have jumped had Luke not grabbed her by the arm and held her back. "You don't get it, do you? Dack didn't leave us here for backup. He left us here for our own safety. You saw how worried Ethan and Gavin were about this Ford guy. They're beyond our help. You'll just have to trust that Dack will make it out alright."

 

Madison wrenched her arm free and hopped to the ground before Luke could stop her. "If I wanted to sit on the sidelines, I would've gone back to Snowpoint." Gripping Anzu's Pokéball in her hand, the skier ran into the underbrush.

 

Luke raced after her. "Dack is so gonna kill me for this."

 

 

 

IC: Ryan/Dack/Ellen/Paul/Jayron/Dahlia - The Chamber of Clarity

The shot rang out and Ryan threw Ellen to the ground, shielding her as best he could. He couldn't see what was going on, and he tried not to think of the implications of hearing a body hit the ground. A scream pierced his ears. He chanced a glance over his shoulder.

 

At first he thought the dripping red mass was blood. But it was too thick, and there was way too much of it. The Mewtwo that had previously been a statue -- or had it taken the place of the statue? -- fell to the ground beside him. Had Mewtwo been shot? No, he had already decided that red goo couldn't be blood. And it wasn't coming from Mewtwo. He looked up. A part of him wished it was blood, for that much blood would surely herald the death of whatever creature had just been summoned. But as he stared transfixed at the ceiling he remembered Ford's words. They were in an egg.

 

This wasn't a death.

 

It was a birth.

 

The sound of padded paws made Ryan tear his eyes away from the ceiling. Terry had finally made his way around the pedestal and stood at Ellen's side. Ellen. Ryan cursed himself for being so careless. He had tried to cover her eyes, to keep her from seeing the nightmare that was unfolding behind them. But when he had looked up, so had she. Terry tried to comfort her, but she was far beyond the point of terror.

 

With what strength she had, she tried to squirm out of Ryan's grasp, to put as much distance between herself and the red ooze. Ryan tried to hold her back, but a knee to his stomach knocked the wind out of him. Once free, Ellen wasted no time in scrambling to the back of the chamber. It was only when her back was pressed against the wall that she realized the truth: there was no escaping this.

 

Ryan reeled from Ellen's sudden attack, but amidst the terror and pain he realized what Ellen had already seen. The goo was expanding, and they were much too close for comfort. Ryan glanced at the unconscious form of Mewtwo. Beside it lay a card, one of the two Ford had intended to use. Ryan didn't know its purpose, but if Ford had been trying to stop this thing, he knew he couldn't let that card fall into the wrong hands. He shoved the card into his pocket before gripping Mewtwo under the arms and attempting to half-drag, half-carry the psychic Pokémon to relative safety.

 

 

 

"Bastiodon, fall back!" Dack grit his teeth as his eyes darted between McKinley and the giant red blob. Bastiodon had been freaking out, trying to summon her strength before Tauros and Gogoat recovered. Upon hearing her master's orders, the Shield Pokémon retreated, realizing Ford's Pokémon were no longer a threat. Dack tried his best to remain calm, but it was clear that things were getting way out of hand. He glanced at Ethan, inwardly grateful the Rocket agent had thought to leave Madison and Luke behind. "This is the thing Ford was trying to stop, right?" He looked at the growing goo and shuddered.

 

 

 

It was a nightmare come to life. The jester-monster that was McKinley, the extradimensional globular goo, and worst of all, although Paul was only a few hundred feet from his daughter, he might as well have been light-years away. He could only cry out her name in vain. A scream reached his ears in response. Paul quickly glanced around the chamber. The rest of Ford's agents were just as afraid as everyone else. Even the Darkrai, the literal Nightmare Pokémon, was afraid. Ford's Pokémon appeared to have stopped fighting. Should they suddenly decide to start again, Paul would be dead. But he had already made his decision. He darted into the fray, racing around the left side of the chamber, towards Pierce. He ran along the wall, giving McKinley and the blobbing thing as wide a berth as he could. He had to reach his daughter before it was too late.

 

 

 

Nothing. Not only could Jayron not form an Aura Sphere, he couldn't sense any aura, period. His mental link with Lucario that had been so strong just moments ago seemed to have vanished. Lucario was not the type to just flat out ignore him, especially in the middle of such a desperate situation. At the sight of other Pokémon failing to execute moves, Jayron suddenly realized what was going on. He tried once more to sense an aura. Any aura. He got nothing. He had grown so accustomed to seeing the auras around him that the sudden nothingness disoriented him. It was as if he had just gone deaf or blind; he had lost one of his senses. Keeping a wary eye on the gelatinous blob, Jayron ran toward Lucario, stumbling slightly in his disorientation. The Lucario barked plaintively. "I know," Jayron said. Although he did not understand his partner's words, he could at least gather their meaning. "The same thing happened to me." He glanced at Xander and Sylph, choosing for the moment to ignore the Kalosian's gun. "I assume your telepathy's broken too?"

 

 

 

"No..." Dahlia's eyes widened as the goo started to drip from the ceiling. "No! We can't let him win! Giratina, lend me your power once more!" The girl screamed as she tried to tap into her Reverse abilities. There was no whirlwind of energy. No glowing eyes. Not even an inkling of power. "Giratina!" she yelled again. "Heed my cry!" She stood as motionless as she was powerless. "What... what is going on?!"

 

Asriel had his own problems to worry about. His premonition of disasters tended to set him on edge. Now it was the lack of a premonition that had him tense. With everything going on, his 'disaster sensor' for want of a better term should have been ringing off the charts. Instead he felt nothing. Something was very, very wrong. The Absol barked at Dahlia to stop her futile attempts at summoning her powers. She clearly wasn't getting anywhere. And with the other Pokémon's abilities in a similar state, it looked like the only option they had might be to retreat.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia(Caught up time)==-

 

Lucia sighed as she held in her hand the Pokeball that contained the Slowpoke she had caught moments before. She thought back to how after Shannon had left, the healer had just decided to leave the parents alone. Lucia frowned, as she wondered why Shannon had just run off like that; didn't she know that wouldn't help anything at all? With a sigh, she began to make her way back to the mansion.

 

After the trek back was finished, the redhead decided that it might be worth it to check on the hospitalized girl. Lucia felt a little guilty for everything earlier, and wondered if she might have pushed too hard. When she got to the room, however, the girl tried the door, and discovered that it was locked. With a slight frown, since the nurse's station was out of the question, she quietly knocked on the door, trying to get the attention of only Shannon.

[Konuju]

IC: Shannon Willows - Hospital Room
Shannon sat at the head of her bed, hugging her legs as her chin rested on her knees. On the other side of the bed, the Eevee playfully rolled itself up in the bedsheets. It squealed in delight, then yipped questioningly when its paws became hopelessly tangled. A smile tugged on the corners of Shannon's mouth. "What am I going to do with you?" The Eevee paused in its struggles for a moment to gaze at the girl. Its innocent cry elicited a chuckle out of Shannon. "You're incorrigible, you know that?" She reached over to help the little fox when a knock sounded at the door.

 

A scowl crossed Shannon's face, as she figured either the nurse was here to take away her Eevee, or her parents were waiting for her to admit that she actually enjoyed her present. But when she looked at the door, she was surprised to see Lucia peering through the small window. Leaving the poor Eevee to untangle itself, Shannon bounded from the bed to unlock the door.

 

"I know you're going to say it," she sighed as she let the healer in and locked the door behind her. "I should have handled things better with my parents. I should have talked to them then and there, and just spilled my heart out to them. Well, I didn't. I panicked. You don't have to rub it in."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize and Sylph

 

As he fired, Xander was the most surprised by the noise in the sudden silence, the emptiness of combat. Watching Ford get hit and fall, the Darkrai separate from him . . . it seemed like a dream. As he lowered the gun, he frowned. His mind felt quiet in a way it hadn't in years.

 

Panic started to settle in as he stepped away from the red sludge pouring onto the floor. Whatever had just happened, it had apparently affected everyone, as even Ford's pokémon weren't attacking anymore. He glanced at the gun in his hand and nodded grimly at Jayron's question. "Yeah, it is."

 

But, he had to test something. It wasn't smart -- in fact, Sylph would probably call him stupid for thinking of it -- but he had to see. It wasn't like he would accidentally hit anyone, with McKinley standing up on the pedestal and towering over everyone. He brought the gun up and tried to unload the remaining thirteen bullets in the clip, squeezing the trigger as fast as he could.

 

IC: Jared Winters

 

He may as well have been struck blind. The auras around him just suddenly vanished after the pulse of light shot from the structure. He grabbed Anubis' ball frantically and released the Lucario. Injured, barely conscious, but alive, Anubis looked at him quizzically. The Lucario growled, low in his throat, and Jared nodded.

 

Jared turned to the others who had come up from inside and scowled. "Something bad just happened." He didn't feel extremely comfortable with these people; he didn't know them, they didn't know him, and Mercury had done his best to antagonize one of them. Still, it had to be said. "Not sure what, but something extremely bad."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

"I won't rub it in then." Lucia said, as she walked over to the bed and sat down. She focused on the Eevee for a moment and helped untangle it from its struggles, before she glanced back over at Shannon. "But... panicking or not, do you think this will actually help anything? I feel like you're just continually on the brink of breaking down like earlier because of this situation... so wouldn't it be better to just act?"

[Konuju]

IC: Shannon

Shannon bit her tongue and slid down the door to sit in front of it, hugging her legs like before. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just... it's been a rough day." She watched as the Eevee thanked its rescuer by nuzzling against Lucia. "I mean, look at that Eevee; it's adorable. How could I not love it? My parents used its cuteness against me. I don't need another Pokémon, I'm perfectly happy with Selena and Sousa. They only got that Eevee for me because they knew I'd fall in love with it, and thereby be indebted to them. It's a Catch-22."

 

Upon hearing the irritation in Shannon's voice, the Eevee stopped playing with Lucia and gave a plaintive yip. Grabbing the bedsheet in its mouth, it leapt from the bed and tried to scamper toward Shannon, only to re-tangle itself in the process. Once again a wry, conflicted smile broke out on Shannon's face as she moved to help the small fox.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia glanced over with a small frown, and sighed. "I can see the issue... but..." The healer sighed for a brief moment as she seemed a little uncertain too. "What if you're only seeing the possibility of bad things? I just..." She bit her lip for a moment, as she watched the Eevee get into mischief. Lucia wondered if Shannon was being a bit too stubborn about the possibility that her parents either weren't as bad as she thought, or had changed... but, she also knew that pushing Shannon probably wouldn't be a good idea.

[Parugi]

IC - John Ford/James Pierce/Madison Hayes/Quincy Adams/Tyler McKinley/Skye Hall/Sonja Baron/Levi Alaric/Nine/Mewthree

Kyle Eston/Esen Windred/Bounty/Jackson Sang/Ethan Worth - The Chamber of Clarity:

 

Ethan only nodded in response to Dack, silently watching the situation unfold. He recalled Céris and looked around at the others. Bounty had finally managed to rise, clutching to the rapidly-weakening Ford as the latter began to recall his team one by one. Other flashes of light around the room signaled retreats by the rest of Ethan's team. Many of the Children seemed too paralyzed by shock or fear to move.

 

For the first time in a long time, Ethan had no idea what to do.

 

"Ethan!" Sang's voice snapped the Rocket Elite back to reality. The Freelancer held up Walker's Poké Ball and called the Grovyle back. Sang looked between Ethan and the others. "It's a toss--we need to get out of here before that thing really wakes up."

 

Dread filled Ethan's heart and stomach at the reminder. He peered more closely at the gelatinous, alien presence; already, something--many somethings--seemed to be stirring inside of it. His eyes widened, and he whistled. "Everyone, get back to the surface--NOW!"

 

 

A series of sudden, loud bangs rang out, and McKinley felt tiny little stingers strike his back. He turned, spotted a flash, and felt another sting as a bullet penetrated his body. The clown smirked. If Xander's guns were hurting the treacherous Fourth Child, they were doing very limited amounts of damage.

 

McKinley turned back to the blob. "Of course, we have ourselves a starting meal," he said. "Why wait to eat?"

 

At his word, several more sigils appeared, these ones on the blob's surface. All were of the same shape--like two eights crossing each other in a plus pattern--but bore different colors from one another. Some were light; others darker blue. From their centers, creatures began to emerge. The dark blue gave birth to long, serpentine beasts with golden head crests, some of which gave way to red hair-like tentacles like the mane of a lion. From the lighter-colored ones emerged monstrous snowman-like creatures with sharp teeth and claws of ice. As the creatures fully emerged, the sigils shrunk, so that they were just wide enough to surround the umbilical-like cords connecting each creature to the blob.

 

The creatures began to spread out, advancing in several different directions.

 

 

"I'm okay, really," Kyle said. He was bleeding from a wound on his head and stumbled slightly as he stood up, but he was conscious and managed to gain his footing. He gazed around the chamber at the others. "What did we get ourselves into, Ray . . .?"

 

A nearby scream snapped him out of his daze. It was Levi. The Eighth Child had stumbled backward in fear, falling over as one of the serpents descended toward him. Kyle's eyes widened. Without a word to Ray, he took off, jumping forward just in time to push Levi out of the way of the serpent's tail. He and the boy rolled to a stop several feet away, both bruised yet both alive. Kyle panted, staring at the creature. As if feeling his animosity, Jaeda appeared from behind Kyle, slamming into it and closing her jaws tightly around its neck before throwing it away. Though it did not die, and in fact managed to turn upright moments later, the Charizard had bought them valuable time.

 

With a pained nod to Ray, Kyle hooked his arms around Levi's midsection, hoisting him up and retreating toward the exit, Jaeda in tow. As they passed, he reached out, grabbing Sonja's hand and pulling her enough to bring her back to reality. She looked at Ray as they both followed after Kyle.

 

 

"Three!" Adams had run in the opposite direction from the exit, in search instead for Mewtwo. Seeing Ryan struggling with the Psychic-Type's body, she ran to his side, helping pull the Mewtwo toward Ellen. When they reached the wall, she pressed her ear to her chest, giving a sigh of relief a moment later. "He's alive . . ." She looked at Ryan. "The card--the second card, did you see where it went when he fell over?"

 

 

Everything had gone wrong, just as feared. Esen wasn't sure what to do anymore. Instead of waiting around for an order, she ran forward, Krow behind her. Even if they couldn't attack, there was no reason not to try to help.

 

A serpent was closing in on Skye. Esen whistled, pointing, and Krow flew forward, digging his sharp talons into its flesh. This distracted it enough for Esen to run forward, helping Skye up. "Let's get out of here, fast."

 

 

Bounty clung to Ford's shoulder, watching the chaos spreading out behind them. As one of the Ice-Type snowmen approached, raising its claws to swing at Ford and the Shadow Admin, Nine appeared, his own claws wrapping around the snowman's wrists and pushing back against it. Bounty shook Ford. The Shadowed Man had become so preoccupied with returning his Pokémon that he had stopped paying attention to anything else, instead only staring into the distance between searching for Poké Balls.

 

"Ford," Bounty said.

 

"I'm sorry, Persian . . ." Ford muttered, patting the Normal-Type's head before returning it to its container. "I failed after all . . ."

 

"Ford!" Bounty repeated. The Shadowed Man looked at him. "What do we do now?"

 

Ford shook his head. "I'm sorry. It's over for us. Better to accept it now than to fight against it."

 

"You said you could reverse what you just did," Bounty said. "Either make good on your word or tell me how to do it!" Nine grunted behind them. Bounty watched as he pushed to the side, throwing the snowman off of the stairwell to the platform, and then jumped back as what looked like a red hand pulled away from the blob and reached for him. The Shadow Admin looked back to Ford, who had fallen silent. "Don't you have any idea how to fix this?"

 

For a moment, Ford did not answer. He glanced down at Bounty's cane, a glint of familiarity in her eyes. "War."

 

"What?"

 

Ford pointed at his own cane. "Famine." He pointed back at Bounty's. "War. Famine is inaction, the slow death--devastation over time. We need War."

 

Bounty paused, remembering the tidbits of information that Victoire had fed him about their family history in her search. "War and the second card? A second wind?" Ford nodded. Bounty stood. "Alright." He looked at Nine. "Get him and the others out of here." The Darkrai nodded, moving toward Ford and helping him to his feet. Ilios's hand pressed hard on the wound in Ford's shoulder, trying to stem the blood loss. Meanwhile, Bounty looked at the blob, and then began to move around it, in the last direction he had seen the Mewtwo statue . . .

Edited December 12, 2016 by Parugi

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra's Terror

Evan had noted, that Ray's Zangoose was trying to guide him out of the room, even as the chaos had begun to unfold with serpents and snowmen running amok. What made him truly scared, was just how unnatural these things were. At Ethan's whistle and command, the young man was about to evacuate himself, when he realized, that Gnip was still out of her poke ball, then his eyes turned to Jenny. "Gnip, get Jenny out of here!" the Agent said, panic filling his voice. "We have to get out!"

As Gnip grew alarmed at the chain of events, she heard her master, who had never sounded this scared, command her to fetch her co-master. The Mach pokemon rushed towards the red-haired girl, lowering her head so that Jenny, by choice or not, was on her back. Roaring, she turned tail and ran as fast she could. The Land Shark saw her master exiting the room, and made for the exit herself, taking care not to engage any of the newcomers.

Even, if it meant surviving, The Hero of Space, yet again, did not feel like a Hero, especially when he wished he could help the others at all..... He quickened his pace as Gnip drew close, hoping the others would also manage to get away from that monstrosity....

Edited December 13, 2016 by Hades

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe/Colette/Jenny/Ray==-

 

Jenny seemed surprised for a moment as the Garchomp sped over to her and scooped the girl onto her back. The trainer blinked as Gnip turned and ran toward the exit, and nodded as she glanced back, unnerved at those weird... things that the blob had summoned. "They look like Pokemon, but they aren't..." Jenny mumbled at Evan, as she tried to piece together what was even going on here. What she was certain of, however, was that they were bad news. Never had running away looked like a better idea.

 

Colette managed to tear her gaze away from the giant blob of doom, as a Luxray appeared in what seemed to her to be a flash. She blinked at the Pokemon for a moment as it gave a small growl toward her, and numbly nodded. She felt so out of her element, and barely remembered to return her Clawitzer to her Pokeball before they started moving. She glanced over to her left with what seemed to be broken as the Luxray ran back toward the stairs. The electric-type barely dodged around the creatures as he stopped for enough time to quickly let out a sharp, yet inquisitive, roar to Hayes. It was as if he were telling Hayes, or perhaps asking her, to get on his back too.

 

Chloe subconsciously began to back up toward to exit while trying to keep an eye on the situation. She wanted to make sure that people got out, especially Ren, but... she also knew that she had to get out of there too. She found it a bit humourous that her powers that she oft kept locked down were unavailable right when they needed them the most, but knew that it was not something to worry about right now. They had to get out.

 

As the trio and Levi ran, Ray decided that it was a fairly good time to at least respond to Kyle. "We got ourselves into a big mess. I think we might be able to explain after we get out, but... yeah, that's what we need to focus on right now, getting out." The Separatist hoped that would be as easy done as it was to say it, but tried to simply focus on running.

Edited December 11, 2016 by Destined Blade

[Konuju]

IC: Shannon

The girl scooped up the Eevee and looked at Lucia with a sad smile. "Is this what disillusionment does to you? Make you only see the worst in people? I'd never call myself a cynic . . . but I guess I kind of am." Shannon closed her eyes. "I mean . . . it's like I'm automatically biased against my parents. Like, if it had been Ryan who had given me the Eevee instead, and he'd done it in the exact same over-the-top, saccharine way, then I probably would've k-" She stopped abruptly and looked away. "I mean, I . . . I wouldn't mind it as much. Coming from him."

 

The Eevee yipped again and licked her hand, prompting her to hug the fox Pokémon close.

 

 

 

IC: Ryan/Dack/Ellen/Paul/Jayron/Dahlia - The Chamber of Clarity

"Y-yeah, I've got it right here." Shocked by the Third Child's urgency, Ryan fished the card out of his pocket and showed it to Adams. "What's it do? Can it stop that . . . thing?" He glanced back at the gelatinous mass and did a double take as serpents and snowmen emerged from the oozing core. "And while we're at it, what the h*** actually is that thing?"

 

Paul was only a few paces behind Adams. The moment he reached Ellen he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Ellen! I've got you! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Tears were streaming down his face as he pushed his daughter's matted hair out of her eyes, keeping one arm tightly around her. He had already lost her twice; he would not lose her a third time.

 

Bombarded by a hundred questions, the young girl could only curl her arms loosely around her father. Her eyes were focused over his shoulder, at the monsters emerging from the red mass. "This is all wrong . . ." she murmured. "We've failed . . ."

 

"Ellen!" Paul said urgently. "Snap out of it!"

 

The girl didn't seem to hear him. "It's all over . . ."

 

 

 

Dahlia screamed again as she strained herself for some ounce of power. She had to tap into something. Reverse the process. Send that abomination back to wherever it came from. It was all useless. The gardener fell to her knees, panting heavily. When she cried out yet again, it was a cry of frustration and anger. She pounded the ground with her fists until she drew blood. "Why can't I do anything?!"

 

Up until now, Asriel had been fighting to keep the serpents and snowmen at bay, hacking and slashing with both scythe and claws. Upon hearing Dahlia break down, the Absol knelt at her side with an urgent growl. Dahlia blinked. It was several moments before she realized the Absol wanted her to get on his back. She obliged, fumbling through her bag for her Pokéballs to recall Dracos, Coco, and Nutmeg. Asriel stood up, and was about to head out when a serpent swooped down from above.

 

With a whoosh of wind, a large bird grabbed the serpent and dragged it away. "Good work, Swellow!" Dack, who had recalled Bastiodon in favor of Swellow (no doubt inspired by Esen's acts of heroism) waved at Dahlia and motioned for her to make for the exit.

 

Dahlia hated this. She was supposed to be the hero, she was supposed to be saving people. But she couldn't control her own powers, and now she couldn't even tap into them. Why did she have to be so useless? It was Alistair all over again; she was the one the others had to rescue, the one they had to protect. Giratina had made her an Envoy, but in this moment it felt like nothing had changed.

 

 

 

Jayron flinched at the sound of the gun firing. He reached out to grab Xander's wrists, but in his moment of hesitation the Kalosian had finished unloading the gun. "What do you think you're doing?" Jayron cried. He jabbed a finger at the red goo that had come from the ceiling. "If anything, fire at that!" Before he had a chance to do anything else, snowmen and serpents emerged from the goo. "Run," the executive said through gritted teeth. "Now."

 

He had no idea how many of those things there were. He couldn't sense any auras whatsoever. That combined with the telepathic silence troubled Jayron. He wished he could stay and fight, but he was in too much of a shock. He and Lucario ran side by side, beckoning for Xander and Sylph to follow.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

He had unloaded the full clip into McKinley without doing much of anything. He fumbled to reload the gun with one hand, but managed it. He looked up just as Jayron told him to run.

 

Seeing the monsters appearning, he didn't need to be told twice. Urging Sylph ahead of him, he started running towards the door. He had determined that the gun, at the very least, worked, so that was something. Was it just attacks that used up special energy, the reserves that he himself had? It made sense, since he could see Dahlia's Absol slashing with claws and blade before taking Dahlia on his back and running.

 

He stopped to fire a gun at some of the snakes and snowmen that were a bit too close for comfort, then continued moving. Where were Paul and Ellen? Ryan, Evan, Jenny? He cursed as he saw each of them. Evan and Jenny, at least, had made it to the exit. Paul, Ellen, and Ryan, though, were on the other side of the chamber, away from everyone.

 

Xander turned and started running around the edge of the room -- he would not go near that sludge if he could help it -- to try and make his way to them. At the very least, he had to tell Paul that his gun still worked. The two of them could help Sanders and Ellen and the guy from the third chamber to leave.

 

He glanced over his shoulder. Sylph had made it to the exit before realizing he'd stopped following. They locked eyes for a second, then he turned and continued running, shooting at another serpent to try and keep it at bay.

 

Xander's ammo: 13 bullets in current clip, 2 extra clips in reserve

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: James/Jamie/Richard/Celebi

 

Welp, I'm out of here, Hades, said pulling on Richard's leg. He did -not- sign up for this. Neither did Richard for that matter. Deserting seemed to sound really nice about now. Unless those things spread all over and there was nowhere left to run.

 

The bard wordlessly took his instrument from his Sableye and placed it back in its case. This... wasn't something that could be made into a song. He went with the group, following behind the others that had left.

 

 

James stood to one side to let people pass. He wasn't going to leave while Jamie was still in there. Pulling out his revolver, he aimed at towards the blob. The Executive didn't know which target his ammo would be best used on, so he held off from firing. He needed to save his ammo until he -had- to fire.

 

"Lancelot retrieve Jamie," he ordered, causing the Scizor to run into the room. "Galahad..." there wasn't much the Togekiss could accomplish in this situation, "exit the room. Take Agravain with you."

 

Galahad nodded and scooped up the small bug. The bug, seemingly still unable to grasp the gravity of the situation, protested but was unable to do much about it.

 

Lucan wasn't shaking. The Vanilluxe was too scared even to shiver in fear. He was frozen. He knew what this was, he had seen all of this before. Before it was just the idea of it, but now the reality had arrived. And worst of all, he couldn't fight. The one thing that allowed him to be brave was gone. He had grown so much since the day he saw a master of ice die and still he could do nothing.

 

A sentiment shared by his master.

 

Their shared reaction forced Pelleas to lift both of them up to take them away. A snowman drew near and tried to claw the Heracross but was forced out of the way by Lancelot's weight as he threw himself into the monstrosity. Heracross didn't have time to thank his former companion but simply kept moving, with Lancelot turning to follow.

 

 

Celebi looked towards Ilios, seeing him back to his senses relieved her. There was much she wanted to ask him, but right then was not the time. Without her power, she was more or less a sitting duck, even Lancelot was better suited to the situation, as much as she hated to admit that. She headed towards James, as quick as she could.

Edited December 11, 2016 by Valorous Angel Minun4

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia chose not to comment on the interrupted comment. "Well... I guess I can see that. It's not like I don't know what you mean, but..." The healer sighed, as she leaned her head up to glance at the ceiling. "I just wonder if you're not giving your parents a fair shake. Maybe at least your dad? I don't know." She bit her lip, as she shook her head. "Anyway, um, sorry about earlier with the accidental hitting your back and all... um... would you like me to like, help you or something...?"

 

Lucia rubbed her head as she reached down to send out one of her healing Pokemon. In the process, however, she accidentally brushed the release mechanism for her new Slowpoke, and the lazy Pokemon appeared and slowly looked up at the two of them in confusion.

[Konuju]

IC: Shannon

Shannon raised an eyebrow at Lucia. "Um... no offense or anything, but how's a Slowpoke supposed to help?" The Eevee on the other hand didn't seem to mind the inclusion of the dopey-eyed Pokémon and hopped down from Shannon's arms to greet their new companion. With the Eevee occupied, Shannon sat down at the edge of the bed. "Maybe you're right... a-as a kid, my parents meant the world to me. How much of that was real, how much just the wistful idolatry and imaginings of a child, I don't really know. I-I'd like to think that I could give them a chance, it's just... after so many years of shutting them out, I don't know if I can." She looked over at Lucia. "I don't know if you could help with that, but... well, at least you're giving me someone to talk to. Like a diary, only you can actually give me advice." She chuckled, and looked over at the Eevee trying to get the attention of the Slowpoke.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia was about to mumble an apology for the accidental summoning of the Slowpoke when Shannon began to explain what she meant. "I get what you mean." The girl nodded, as she sent out her Audino to try and fix both mistakes. "I don't know how I could help either, but... maybe talking to one of your parents one-on-one will help. Maybe I could even help talk, as long as you don't run off again..." She gave a small smile to show it was all in fun, and was about to give a command for her Audino to emit a pulse of healing energy at the emotional girl, when a burst of light flashed through the room.

 

Shocked, Lucia scrambled to her feet and looked around, knowing there was no possible way that could have been from outside. She gave a puzzled look at Shannon once the light passed, and then ran to the door to unlock it. She poked her head into the hallway, but seemed even more confused as there was no indication that the odd light had come from there. The redhead cautiously walked back into the room and closed the door again, as she warily looked over at Shannon, wondering if she had just seen things.

 

"You... saw that, right?" Lucia asked uncertainly, but shook her head in confusion. "Maybe I've just been up too late. Audinaga, let's quickly help Shannon out, then let's all get some sleep... maybe that'll help our mood too." She chuckled slightly, but then paused mid-laugh, as the Audino seemed to attempt to send a wave of healing energy at Shannon... but nothing happened. Puzzled, the Audino kept trying; but still nothing. Alarmed at what this might mean, the healer looked at the other girl, wondering what in the world was going on.

[Konuju]

IC: Shannon

"O-oh, it's okay, my back doesn't hurt too much or anything..." Shannon stammered when she saw how worried Lucia was getting. "Maybe Audinaga's just tired too. I bet we all are. I'll be fine. Really." The girl smiled, and beckoned for the Eevee to join her as she laid back down. Confused as to why the Slowpoke hadn't seemed to even acknowledge her presence, the Eevee turned back toward Shannon and allowed the girl to scoop it up her arms. "The lights in here have been known to flicker from time to time," Shannon mumbled through a yawn as she rested her head against her pillow. "Especially if you stare at them long enough. I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's probably nothing."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

The healer frowned for a moment, as the Slowpoke finally turned its head to look at where the Eevee had been. "Maybe..." She still seemed a bit uncomfortable, however, and shook her head again. Lucia decided against arguing further, but something about that light hadn't seemed like a mere flicker, and lasted an uncomfortably long time too. And this oddity with Audinaga... "Get some good sleep, and let's not hold back tomorrow."

 

As Lucia closed the door to Shannon's room, she found herself lost in thought. The entirety of the events of the day had simply seemed like they happened in a dream, but she knew they were real. She also knew she wasn't seeing things, but still... The girl was startled, however, as she was jolted out of her thoughts by an older woman. "... Mom?"

[Parugi]

IC - John Ford/James Pierce/Madison Hayes/Quincy Adams/Tyler McKinley/Skye Hall/Sonja Baron/Levi Alaric/Nine/Mewthree

Kyle Eston/Esen Windred/Bounty/Jackson Sang/Ethan Worth - The Chamber of Clarity:

 

"Partly rhetorical, Ray . . ." Kyle muttered, collapsing to his knees in the tunnel. Levi fell out of his arms, stumbling and falling against the wall, looking between Kyle and the chamber--which, though they could see it, had gone frighteningly quiet with the tunnel's magic.

 

As Kyle fumbled around with his pockets in search of his inhaler, a voice called out from further ahead: "Levi!"

 

"Mom!" Levi ran forward to meet Eileen and Elijah. They had ignored the fleeing crowd in favor of finding their son. Now Eileen pulled him tightly against her, panting and fighting back tears. "You came . . . I'm so sorry . . ."

 

"Levi . . ." Sleight stared at Levi for a moment, until he noticed the commotion behind him. He looked at Ray and Kyle. "What happened?"

 

"We can . . . explain . . . later . . ." Kyle gasped. He clutched his inhaler tightly in a shaking hand, finally managing to bring it to his mouth. He took several deep, slow puffs, gradually culling the seizing sensations that had enveloped his lungs. He sighed, doubling over, and looked at Jaeda. "Mind . . . giving me a hand, girl . . .?" The Charizard nodded, bending down and allowing him onto her back. Kyle looked at the others as she passed, leaning against Jaeda's neck and closing his eyes.

 

 

 

The feeling of fur against her hand snapped Hayes out of her trance. She looked down at Ren, and seeing the urgency in his eyes, nodded at the Luxray. She climbed on his back.

 

This isn't over. She stared at McKinley. Not yet.

 

They took off toward the exit.

 

 

 

"It's . . ." Adams paused. Being capable of describing something was certainly not the same as having the words to do so; and as the Contract had held them silent for so long . . . She genuinely had no words. "We don't really know," she said at last. "All we know is that it's something that has destroyed a lot of dimensions before ours. Call it the Eater, the Destroyer, whatever floats your boat." She pointed at the card. "That, on the other hand, we do know. If we can get it to Ford, then it can reverse the power shortage that just happened--maybe not immediately given that our circle is ruined, but at this point, anything is better than nothing."

 

She turned as several growls sounded nearby. Adams rose to her feet, facing down the snowmen and serpents that had turned their attention towards her, Ryan, Ellen, and Paul. She pulled Mewthree's Master Ball from her belt, recalling the Psychic-Type into it, and then tossed her Poké Ball bandoleer to Ryan. She pulled a pistol from a holster toward the back of her belt and clicked the safety off.

 

"They have weak points," Adams said, taking aim at one of the serpent's umbilical cord. Her voice shook, but her hands were steady. "I'll cover you. Go."

 

She fired the first bullet.

 

 

 

"Where do you think you're going?"

 

Nine and Ford paused, turning. McKinley had followed them, his grin as wide as ever. The Darkrai narrowed his eyes, but made no move to attack, lest he set off the monstrous clown. McKinley took several steps forward, pausing a short distance away from the pair.

 

"Where, where, where, indeed . . ." He chuckled. "Don't you know that this is all for you, Johnny-boy? Surely you don't want to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity--the chance to be our first meal on this newfangled Earth? Seems only fitting, don't you think?"

 

Ford raised a hand. "Fourth . . . Tyler . . ."

 

McKinley laughed. "Oh, please," he said. "At least call me by one of my real names." He raised his hands, counting on fingers hidden by overly-long sleeves. "What was it--Seth? Seth Gacheru. That's the name you found me under, right?" McKinley laughed again. "How time flies!" He threw a hand forward, its mouth opening in preparation to unleash another, massive gust of wind.

 

"McKinley, stop!"

 

The wind within McKinley's sleeve died as he clamped that set of jaws shut again. He turned, giggling. Pierce had positioned himself on the other side of the clown, gun raised and trained on the former Fourth Child. Beads of sweat ran down his face, but his hands and breathing were steady nonetheless. He leveled the pistol with McKinley's face.

 

"Looky, looky," McKinley cooed. "First Child's grown a backbone and stepped out of his shadows. What a twist!"

 

"Paris," Ford said. His voice nearly broke from fear. "Don't--it's not you he's after."

 

Pierce's face remained set in stone. He did not even glance at Ford or Nine as he spoke. "Mr. Garnet," Pierce said. "I have dedicated my life to helping you up to now. I am not about to stop." He squeezed the grip of the pistol even tighter. "Mr. McKinley, on the other hand . . . I apologize for not recognizing his treachery earlier." Pierce ignored McKinley's renewed cackling at this. He finally glanced down at Ford. "Lane . . . If you'd be so kind . . . Tell my brother--"

 

"Boooring." McKinley opened his jaws, unleashing the Whirlwind stored within. It slammed into Pierce, catching the First Child utterly by surprise and launching him backward. His fingers instinctively closed around the trigger, sending a bullet futilely into the crystal ceiling. As he neared the core, the red ooze expanded around him like fingers. As if in slow motion, he saw them close upon him, blacking out his vision.

 

McKinley's smiling mask was the last face Paris Ebner ever saw.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Dack/Ellen/Paul - The Chamber of Clarity

Ryan caught the bandoleer but did not fully comprehend Adams' words until the gunshot sounded. He flinched. "But wait, what about you?" Perhaps it was because Adams was the only one of Ford's older Children he didn't have a particular grudge against -- Hayes had stood in his way in Castelia and Fortree, Pierce had spread propaganda all over Hoenn, and McKinley was, well, McKinley -- but the moment Ryan realized the Third Child was intent on sacrificing herself for their sake, he didn't want to leave without her.

 

It was not his call to make. Togie had finally managed to maneuver around the umbilical creatures sans Extremespeed and landed by his trainer with a disgruntled squawk. Ryan looked from Adams to Togie to Paul, unsure what to do.

 

"You heard her, Ryan." Paul picked up Ellen and began the long and harrowing journey to the other side of the chamber. "We have to get out of here."

 

With a curse, Ryan slipped the card back into his pocket, slung the bandoleer over his shoulder, and grabbed one of his own Ultra Balls. Entei materialized in front of Paul and Ellen. The Legendary Beast instantly went into a defensive stance and opened his mouth. Ryan had seen that pose enough to know Entei was trying to shoot a Flamethrower at their assailants. But thanks to Ford's magic the Legendary was unable to produce even an Ember. He roared in frustration and looked ready to leap at the nearest snowman when Ryan ran in front of him.

 

"Entei, calm down! Don't worry about these things, our goal is getting out of here alive!" Ryan looked over at Paul and Ellen. "You two take Entei. I don't know if he can still run as fast as he used to, but it'll at least be faster than walking." Stripped of his telepathy, the Legendary Beast could only growl and roll his eyes at the mention of his running speed. Nevertheless, he stopped trying to attack the monstrous creatures and knelt down to let Paul climb on his back.

 

"What about you?" the blacksmith asked. "This is no time to play the hero; staying back here is suicide!"

 

"I'll be right behind you," Ryan assured him. "Now go!" Entei took off running, weaving his way around the serpents and snowmen. True to his word, Ryan stepped onto Togie's back. Then he turned around and extended a hand to the Third Child. "Adams!" he cried. "If you don't want to die here, I suggest you get on!"

 

 

 

Dack's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the former President of Hoenn getting absorbed -- eaten -- by the pillar of ooze. That was a telltale sign that it was time to leave. But the chamber still held a few stragglers. Those in the far back seemed to be making their escape via Entei (where was that during the battle?) and Togekiss. Ford and his Darkrai remained near the center of the chamber. The Honchkrow girl was already helping out Skye. Two girls on a Luxray passed Dack on their way out. Confident that no one needed his help, Dack was about to secure his own escape. Then he caught sight of some idiot running in the other direction, toward the back of the chamber.

 

"Hey!" Dack called out to the gun-wielding man. "What do you think you're doing? The exit's that way!"

 

 

 

IC: Jayron/Dahlia - Tunnel

Jayron paused to catch his breath at the start of the tunnel. The eerie silence echoed the silence in his own head, and for a moment he feared he had lost his sense of hearing in addition to his sense of aura. Between ragged breaths he glanced back to check on Xander and Sylph. He paled when he only saw one of them. "Where's Xander?" he asked before remembering the Gardevoir couldn't easily answer him. The executive shook his head. The last thing they needed was to be separated. "He's got to be right behind us, right? Should be catching up any minute."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe sighed in relief as Ren sped off past her, intrigued at the fact that he had picked up another passenger too. However, she knew this was no time to stop and stare, and quickly ran after the Luxray as fast as she could. She had to trust that everyone else could get out okay... she had to. She just also had to hope that her trust could override these things that had changed everything.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

He ignored the person shouting, presumably at him, and continued around the edge of the room. Paul and Ellen he had seen on Entei, and Sanders had gotten on one of the Togekiss, but was waiting for the Third Child to get on as well. Xander, unfortunately, was almost there before seeing this. Going back would have been pointless, so he pressed on.

 

He skidded to a halt beside the Togekiss, his gun pointed down and away, but ready to be raised and fired at any monstrosities that grew to close. "Sanders, everything alright?" Dumb question. "You guys fly on ahead, I'll cover your rear." Dumb plan. "Guns still work, and I've got ammo to spare, so don't argue." Dumb dumb dumb.

 

If he lived, Sylph would kill him.

 

IC: Sylph

 

"That idiot," she replied, "is playing the hero again!" She scowled. "I can't even rescue him this time, either, he'll have to get himself out with only Ryan and the others back there -- oh, here comes Paul and Ellen, so it's just three over there now, excellent." She turned, seething. "I don't suppose you have something to cover their escape? No, or you would have used it by now, surely."

 

If Xander lived, she would kill him.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Guinevere - Celadon

 

When the red flash struck, Guinevere had regained enough of her Psychic power, that she needed no other crutch to hold herself up. Then the flash hit and her legs collapsed without any of her power to support her. Thankfully her father's protectiveness came in handy right then as the Grimer who had been assigned to guard her caught her and broke her fall.

 

Not that that was much better. Getting embraced by a Grimer, even one who raised you and you love dearly, generally required a bath or several afterward.

 

She got set aside by the Grimer, so that he could fetch her actual crutches. After she managed to get up, with some help, she decided to go look for Lucia. She needed to figure out what was going on.

 

IC: James/Jamie

 

James swallowed as he saw Pierce being swallowed. He had no love lost for him, but it was still a pointless waste of life. Thankfully, Jamie and the others arrived at the entrance to the room relatively unscathed. Jamie and Lucan had regained enough of their bearings that Pelleas was able to regain his arms and allow them to move on their own. Unfortunately there were still a number of people in the room. This included Ford who still held the most knowledge about the situation. The Executive weighed the cost of leaving versus the risk of staying when Celebi flew over. She cast one look towards Ilios that made James sigh.

 

"If they do not hurry up, I am leaving," James muttered as he thrust his briefcase into Pelleas's now free arms. He needed both arms to be free. "Keep moving, stay with the others."

 

After Celebi, Jamie and her Pokemon had left, James and Lancelot took opposite sides of the entrance. Both were ready to run if they needed to cut their losses, but until that time came, James held the revolver to shoot at any of the creatures who neared Ford or themselves.

[Parugi]

IC - John Ford/Quincy Adams/Tyler McKinley/Nine/Bounty - The Chamber of Clarity:

 

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Adams asked Xander. The Ice- and Water-Types had closed in, forming a rapidly tightening circle around them. The Third Child took aim and fired; her bullet cut through one of the umbilical cords, causing the serpent it had been attached to to shriek, curling up and falling still. She took aim again, looking for more openings in their wall. "I already said to go--this is our fault, I'm not going to let--"

 

A veil of water erupted around one of the serpents, before it shot forward. Adams pushed Xander to the side and fell back herself to avoid the Aqua Jet. It smashed into the wall, sending crystal shards in every direction. After taking a moment to recover, Adams slammed the heel of her boot down on its cord, firing a round at it.

 

"GO!"

 

There was a desperation in Adams's voice that had never been there before, perhaps brought on by the various Ice Beams being charged around them.

 

 

 

"Power through, Aggron!" Bounty yelled. The Iron Armor Pokémon was trying, but it was quickly getting tired out--both from the physical pressure from its enemies, and from the attacks that were beginning to hit it from every side. It was sheer determination to protect Bounty that allowed it to keep pressing on, desperate to help its master find the key that would end this.

 

Bounty searched amongst the many moving bodies, beads of sweat running down his face. "Where are you?" he muttered. "Where is that card . . .?"

 

The Shadow Admin growled. He ran to catch up with Aggron, climbing on the Steel-Type's back as quickly as he could. He swung his cane in an arc, mimicking Ford's movements in the vain hope that he could somehow will the card to come to him.

 

 

 

"PARIS!"

 

The scream of horror, pain, and loss--music in the ears of the clown. McKinley swooned, drinking it in, envisioning the First Child and his interaction with the core--the disintegration, the strings untying line by line, pulling apart in the red, red void, all to be reordered, retooled, remade into an ideal of what it once was . . . The clown licked his lips.

 

"Where were we?"

 

The clown turned. His smirk faded as he saw Ford and Nine vanishing into the tunnel. Had he really zoned out that long? McKinley smiled at James and Lancelot, before turning elsewhere. No matter--another leader would do just as well . . .

 

McKinley tromped after Bounty.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Parugi

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Dack - The Chamber of Clarity

Dack scowled. If that gun-wielding guy chose to ignore all logic and reason while running straight into the face of danger, that was his problem, not Dack's. The Rocket agent was about to turn and make his own way into the tunnel when he caught sight of McKinley making his way toward Bounty. A curse escaped his lips. Separatist or not, Bounty had still been Dack's leader under Team Rocket's Sinnoh Branch. It would be more or less treason not to at least attempt to save him.

 

He whistled sharply. Swellow soared through the air toward the giant clown, flying as silently as he could while maneuvering around the snowmen and serpents. When he approached, the bird Pokémon opened his talons and made to grab at McKinley's jester hat. Swellow and Dack both knew they had no hope of actually defeating McKinley, but all they had to do was buy Bounty some time. His breath shaking, Dack pulled out Swellow's Pokéball and aimed it at the bird. Should McKinley prove too merciless, Dack was prepared to return his Pokémon and hightail it out of there.

 

 

 

Ryan's stomach lurched as Togie spiraled out of the way of an Ice Beam. The Liberty agent nearly tumbled to the floor but managed to hang on to his Togekiss. "Dangit, Xander," he murmured. Had there not been a swarm of countless creatures standing between them and the exit, Togie might have been able to carry all three of them. Given the current obstacle course of doom, he couldn't manage more than two passengers, and Ryan knew it. Given the choice between a Ford Agent who clearly knew what she was doing and a bumbling Kalosian too heroic to admit he was in over his head, Ryan made the only decision he could.

 

He reached out to grab Xander forcefully by the wrist, and strained every muscle in his body to haul the Kalosian aboard. "Togie, now!"

 

Before Xander could protest, Togie beat his wings and flew towards the largest gap he could find within the narrowing ring of attackers. It was all Ryan could do to keep a firm grip on both Togie and Xander while desperately hoping the latter didn't struggle too much. He did not want to think about what might happen if Xander threw Togie off balance.

 

 

IC: Ellen/Paul/Jayron/Dahlia - Tunnel

Jayron wasn't sure what shocked him more: Sylph's violent outburst, or the conveniently-forgotten fact that she could talk. Why had he never thought to teach Lucario how to do that? The executive remained speechless as first Colette arrived, then Paul and Ellen. At last he found his voice. "Given the current circumstances, I don't think there's much I could do." He sighed and looked at the Pokéballs on his belt. "Scythe's the only one that could maybe catch up to him, but it's not like she could carry him back or anything." He rested a hand on the Weavile's capsule, in silent grief over the loss of his telepathic connection to his Pokémon.

 

After a few moments he looked over at Colette. His fellow aura wielder appeared shell-shocked, which came as no surprise given the sudden loss of her abilities. Jayron imagined his face likely wore a similar look. Excusing himself from Sylph's company for the moment, he made his way over to where the girl sat atop a Luxray. "Hey," he said. "You alright?"

 

 

 

Movement in the tunnel was considerably slower, given the bottleneck caused by the large number of occupants. Some waited anxiously for stragglers to escape the chamber, others joined in the somber procession towards the surface. Asriel was among those trudging along, with Dahlia atop his back. Lingering near the tunnel entrance would do nothing to help those still trying to escape the chamber; if anything it would make escape that much harder should those things decide they wanted a change of scenery. All the Absol was concerned with was getting himself and Dahlia as far away from them as possible.

Edited December 14, 2016 by Konuju

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

"What are you- Hey!" Pain made Xander's vision waver as Ryan grabbed the wrist of his broken arm and he was dragged off the ground and towards the exit once more. "Sanders, you-- Put me down!" Okay, so maybe he'd been a bit rash. He wouldn't have run over if he'd known that Adams had a gun and knew it worked, probably. Maybe.

 

Okay, he still might have, because he wouldn't have been able to stand there and cover them from a distance. "We can't just leave her behind," he said, even though that was exactly what they were doing. Defeated, he let himself be carried along, feeling the pain shooting through the arm he was hanging by. He couldn't exactly get up onto Togie's back without crashing them all into the mass of creatures below.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Xander's words cut him. Ryan hated the idea of leaving Adams -- of leaving anyone -- behind, but there was no way around it. He merely grit his teeth and kept silent as they flew. There would be plenty of time to respond to Xander later, once they were both free from impending doom. Right now all of Ryan's energy was devoted to not dropping Xander and not falling off Togie; a task much easier said than done, for the Togekiss was weaving his way around the creatures like a madman.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Dialga, Master of Time


To say Dialga was furious would be an understatement. In the Temporal pokemon's mind, as it floated along in it's world of time, roiled a mixture of anger, confusion, and frustration at what it was observing. Before it's eyes, that abomination was joyfully wreaking havoc, especially since his prey could do nothing but run. Whatever happened in that world, had sapped the Dragon-type's ability to do anything about it. It wished it could do something, especially for the one it chose to fight for it: Jamie Arthur. Nothing hurt Dialga more, than to see her so scared and unable to do anything about it. If the time did come, however, when it could do something about the Rocket Agent's situation......

It would do so, in spades.


IC: Giratina, Master of the Reverse

Giratina stirred and slithered angrily around in it's quiet and warped world. Never, since the interference of that foolish man long ago, had the Renegade pokemon felt such ire at a situation. It wasn't enough that a twisted joke of a monstrosity had been parading about as a human, but that the ghostly pokemon, could do nothing about anything at the moment. It couldn't isolate the creature. it couldn't warn those present about what could happen. Worst of all, it couldn't do a thing to help Dahlia, the one it had chosen to fight for it. The sight of her, helpless as she looked, tore at Giratina's heart. It swore, that if things managed to revert to before, it would make sure it paid the gardener back for all she had done.

She deserved that, and so much more.

IC: Palkia, Master of Space

In a dimension of pure Space, Palkia had observed what had transpired, and growled. This beast, had dared to set foot on this world. It had done all this, without the Spatial pokemon knowing. Nothing could be done, as the human known as John Ford, cruelly manipulated, had sealed off even it's power to intervene when needed most. It had witnessed the collective fear and panic as those who would stand against it all, as that intruder showed them how woefully outmatched they were. None stung the dragon type more, than to see it's hero, Evan Tierra, who had finally managed to reforge himself, get broken so cruelly by terror. It made a vow, that if things did change for the better, it would ensure that trainer would come back swinging.

No matter how scared he was.

[MELON LORD]

IC

 

The ground had rumbled, waking people and bringing them from their homes while the sky was still predawn grey. There had been no major earthquakes (and, in fact, few tremors at all) in more than ten years, so something this big was worrisome. What those tired and frightened people saw upon exiting their houses was even more worrisome.

 

The rubble to the north of town had shifted, rocks (well, more rocks) falling to the ground around the perimeter of the ruins where there had once been a laboratory. They'd talked for years about excavating the lab and giving the people inside proper burial; for one reason or another, they'd never actually gotten around to it, and people eventually settled on the idea of a mass grave and memorial of that day. But now that it had been moved naturally, they would need to make sure it didn't lead to something more severe. A sinkhole could spell disaster for this tiny town.

 

After much fuss and debate, they called for a Pokémon League Official to come investigate the rubble.

 

They got two.

 

Calem and Serena studied the site carefully, knowing that one miscalculation could bring the whole thing down. Calem's Chesnaught stood behind his trainer, ready to do some heavy lifting. As the man was opening his mouth to speak, there was another event. A burst of light that spread from somewhere far-away, that washed through people and pokémon alike. The two trainers frowned in confusion, locking eyes for a moment.

 

It was Calem who asked, despite knowing the answer he would receive. "What was that?"

 

Serena shrugged. "Not sure. Pretty, though." That got a chuckle from her companion. "Anyways, you should probably start with Hammer Arm on the larger rocks at the top, break them down into manageable chunks."

 

Calem nodded. "Sounds good. Ches?" He turned to the grass type, who shook his head. "No? Got a better idea, then? Vinewhip to move the rocks away?"

 

Again, the creature shook its head, emitting a low growl. Calem frowned. "Don't tell me . . ." He bit his lip in thought. "Wood Hammer? Needle Arm?"

 

Chesnaught just stared at him. "Well, guess we know what that light did."

 

He looked at the suddenly-intimidating pile of stones.

 

"This is gonna suck."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: James/Lancelot

 

James was impatient. Understandably so, The snowman who tried to attack Pelleas earlier had made its way close to the entrance and a snake was closing in, and James swore he saw more monstrosities exit the blob. As it was Lancelot was holding his current opponent off for now, but the snowman's Ice Beams were starting to freeze his claws. James fired a shot from his revolver at the snowman, seemingly stunning it while Lancelot followed by bashing his partially frozen claw on the snowman, causing it to retreat for a moment.

 

The situation wasn't helped by what appeared to James to be people faffing about in there when they were out of time. Most relevant to himself was Bounty. The Shadow Admin appeared to be searching the area and not actively trying to escape the area.

 

"Bounty, get moving!" James shouted to his technical ally, forgetting protocol due to stress in the moment. "Whatever you are looking for, it is not over there!"

 

The Executive saw the Rocket Agent throw out his Swellow to pester McKinley. Narrowing, James took aim at McKinley. Depending on how long the Swellow fared, he would have to engage the monster as well in order to buy time for the Shadow Admin to escape.

[Parugi]

IC - Quincy Adams/Tyler McKinley/Bounty - The Chamber of Clarity:

 

"Get your claws off of me, you bird!"

 

McKinley shook his head and shoulders in an attempt to throw off the Swellow. When that did not work, the clown clacked his hand-jaws open and closed rapidly, before his sleeves, like snakes, reared up and snapped at the Flying-Type.

 

 

 

They were off.

 

Adams watched them go. She couldn't put to words the thoughts going through her head. She wasn't even sure that she really felt anything as she watched the pair go. Relief, surely? Perhaps so, perhaps not even that. She knew they were gone--they would be safe. They could make it out, in spite of McKinley. He would not stop them.

 

A beam of light caught her attention, and she raised a hand to cover her face as a wave of cold air whirled around her, brought on by the eruption of an ice spike off to her side. Adams looked upon the drones advancing toward her. She hated the look in their eyes, the mechanical movements of their bodies--that dull, lifeless mimicry of the lifeforms this creature had stolen in order to create its puppets. It had been bad enough, imagining the horrors that it had wrought upon so many other worlds. To see it in action . . . To see it eat so many of her comrades' and their Pokémon . . .

 

Adams aimed the pistol, taking careful aim. Pop. A slab of flesh sheared away. Pop. An explosion of gooey snow from the head of one drone. Pop. Pop. Pop. More and more carnage, more and more damage, less and less impact. The horde advanced, hungry eyes and mouths and claws glistening in unnatural light.

 

The Third Child stepped backward. Her shoulder touched the ice wall behind her. Pause. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and turning the weapon upward, toward herself.

 

She pulled the trigger.

 

 

 

The gunshots had stopped. 

 

Bounty fell still, looking toward the back corner, where a wall of ice blocked his view of what was happening. Whoever was back there . . . Bounty closed his eyes. He needed to find that card, before any more lives were lost to this--

 

"Bounty, get moving!" The shout prompted Bounty to open his eyes and look back toward the exit. Arthur . . . "Whatever you are looking for, it is not over there!" At the same time, Aggron's knees buckled from the continuous damage being inflicted on it.

 

###### it . . . Bounty gritted his teeth. With the crowd of drones turning their focus back to him, the Shadow Admin knew that Arthur had a point. Much as they needed the card, there was no way that he could get it at this rate--not alone. He sent out Skarmory. The Steel-Type circled around, picking up Bounty; as he took to the air, the Shadow Admin recalled Aggron. Something flew by them--a Togekiss carrying two of the original group.

 

Bounty followed after them, back toward the entrance.

Edited December 18, 2016 by Parugi

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan nodded at Jenny's words. "They were too 'wrong' to be pokemon." the Plasma agent replied, trying to hide the fear in his voice. Even as wrong as Sombra was at the Sinjoh Ruins, with the power of the Ancients, the young man had remained brave. Whatever those things were, they terrified him to his core. McKlownley's reaction to the blob appearing earlier, had only added to just how scared he really was. What could they do to fight this thing, if possible? How could they fight against this thing? Was it even possible, things as they were now?

 

IC: Feral Tierra

As Jenny was being carried by Gnip, Feral was roiling around in terror, trying to deal with what occurred in that chamber. Despite his nature of creation, he himself was not immune to the terror that overcame him. Those creatures, that blob, that abominable clown-thing. All of it scared Feral. Then he saw how frantically his better half was running, through Jenny's eyes. He could tell that Evan was scared out of his wits, so he attempted to reach out to his mind.......

Only to find there was nothing to reach for. Rather, he couldn't reach out at all. Whatever bridge there was faciliated by being sealed within Jenny, it was gone.

"I can't reach him?" The shadow of Evan's self thought, panicking a little more. He wished he could reach out to him, if only to try and help him keep it together. He had waned Evan to suffer in the past, but this was something else entirely.........


IC: Maya Tierra, Eterna City

Maya had been out in her garden again, her Bellossom in tow. She had been taking care of the plants in her garden, while Alexander was away at his workplace. Her Bellossom was using Grassy Terrain to keep the grass maintained to a healthy degree. The gardener was whistling cheerfully, savoring the quiet of her work. So when a flash of white energy washed over her and her partner pokemon, she was caught off guard. Upon seeing it seemed to have not afffected her and her pokemon, she was about to continue her work, when her friend's leaves started to ring frantically as she looked rather upset. The Flower Pokemon did the gesture for Grassy Terrain....and nothing happened.

"Use Leaf Blade."

Nothing.

"Use Sunny Day."

Not a ray to be seen.

Something told Maya, as she cradled her pokemon in her arms, that something was not right. Nodding, the woman walked back into the house, making sure to call about her husband first.....

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

Xander tried to help, but he couldn't get himself in a position to cover Adams without possibly shooting her. He could only watch as she was overwhelmed, as she finally brought the gun up towards herself . . .

 

He  closed his eyes as the final gunshot sounded. Togie set down at the exit a second later, and Xander wrenched his arm free from Ryan's grip. He wanted to yell, to scream, to hit something.

 

Now wasn't the time. There was still a single person in the chamber, dangerously close to McKinley, but at least he was on his way back. Xander brought his gun up, ready to hold off any creatures that came their way. His left arm was throbbing from the rough treatment, but he brought it up to steady his aim.

 

"Sanders, get into that tunnel, make sure nobody's blocking the exit. We don't want to bottleneck, and we'll be literally right behind you." His voice had no panic, no anger, no hint of any of the negative emotions he felt right now. Certainly, none of those emotions directed at Ryan.

 

IC: Sylph

 

She saw them set down, saw Xander's brief look of agony before he took up a position at the side of the entrance, across from James. She wanted to reach out to him, but nothing she could say or do would help the situation right now. She turned to start walking up the tunnel. Logically, she should have started this trip as soon as she was out of the chamber, but she wouldn't have been able to live with not knowing what happened in there.

 

She closed her eyes and sighed.

[Konuju]

IC: Dack - The Chamber of Clarity

Swellow squawked as he flapped above McKinley. He was able to fly out of reach, but the monster clown still managed to nip a few tail feathers. Dack cursed as his shaking hands made recalling his Pokémon that much more difficult. He was eventually able to get Swellow back in his Pokéball, much to both their relief. Luckily, the distraction had been successful, for Bounty was currently on his way out of the chamber. Dack followed suit, turning tail and racing away from McKinley and those drone-like creatures.

 

IC: Ryan - Tunnel

Ryan slid off Togie's back and panted. He looked past Xander at the wall of ice where Adams had once stood. He didn't know what had happened, but he had a bad feeling she might not be coming out of there. And now Xander insisted on staying behind yet again... Ryan wanted to drag the stubborn Kalosian along, but he was too tired, too flustered, too panicked to argue.

 

"You'd better not go getting yourself killed after I just dragged you out of there," he muttered before recalling Togie and racing up the tunnel. Entei quickly appeared at his side, with Paul and Ellen still astride. Ryan leaned on the Legendary Beast for support as he tried not to think about Adams' fate, or Xanders' tempting of fate. All that mattered was getting to the surface. All he could do was just keep walking until he either escaped or collapsed from exhaustion. One foot in front of the other...

[MELON LORD]

IC

 

The Gallade chopped wood quickly, despite the lack of proper moves. He had done the maneuvers enough times to know: two crossing cuts, wedge in the center, slam down. It was just slightly more difficult and annoying without Psycho Cut, or any of his other blade-related moves.

 

He kept working though; everyone was doing their part for everyone else. His master was in the garden pulling weeds and picking the vegetables that were big enough. The Talonflame was on the roof, watching for visitors -- or intruders -- and Arcanine was out hunting. Gallade wished him luck with that, since Extreme Speed didn't work, either.

 

The master hadn't seemed worried by this change. He had merely said that they would keep doing their thing without any special abilities to aid them, almost like normal people had done in the days before pokémon had been tamed.

 

The Gallade broke through another log and looked at the pile he'd made. That would be enough for the week, it was still summer so they only used the fire to cook. At the same time, the master had told him that if he wanted to start preparing for fall and winter, or if he just wanted to take out his frustration . . .

 

He put another log on the stump.

[Parugi]

IC - Bounty - The Chamber of Clarity:

 

Bounty slid off of Skarmory's back as the Armor Bird Pokémon crossed into the tunnel. He looked around at the remainder of their group--James Arthur, who along with Lancelot had just entered the tunnel; Dack Majors; Xander; and Ryan Sanders, who had just began to make his way down the tunnel.

 

"I can't leave until I get the other card that Ford was preparing," Bounty called. "Did any of you see where it went!?"

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan - Tunnel
One foot in front of the other.
 
Gunshots echoed in his mind.
 
Step by step. Slowly but surely, he would escape that from which there was no escape. At least for the moment. Never mind the fact that it couldn't last.
 
Terrified screams. His mind's eye saw Adams gripped in the long slender bodies of those mindless serpents, engulfed in the freezing mass of snowmen. Devoured. He tried to tell himself her fate couldn't possibly as bad as his imagination suggested, but he had a terrible feeling it was even worse. The taste of bile rose in his mouth and he had to pause to avoid spilling his breakfast all over the smooth rock.
 
The voice seemed to come from far off.
 
Something about a card.
 
His hand reached down to feel the firm rectangular shape in his pocket. His mind felt like it was running at a Shellos' pace, trudging through the bile that so threatened to escape from his mouth. Yes . . . Adams had told him about the card. The only thing that could undo what had been done. He needed to get it to . . . to Ford. Why did Bounty want it . . . ?
 
Almost subconsciously, Ryan turned around. Ignoring Entei's disgruntled growl, he hobbled back toward the Separatist Shadow Admin. His hand had grabbed the card and held it out toward Bounty. "Th-this card." He was shocked at how much his voice shook. "A-adams . . . sh-she said . . ."
 
He looked away to avoid both Bounty's eyes and Xander's. Saying it out loud made it real. He had abandoned Adams. He had left her to die. Guilt and shame bore down on him, and he could not continue his explanation. He shook the card aloft, prompting Bounty to take it. If this card was as powerful as Adams claimed, it needed to be in the hands of someone who knew what they were doing.
 
It was, he realized, their only hope.