Silvermoon
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Mythstar
Posts: 412
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Kasey Lilacina
OOC Username: spibe
Arena Points: 43
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Post by Silvermoon on Jul 15, 2023 11:22:37 GMT 9
FreeformZONE C
They weren't quick enough-
Silvermoon took Saint 's hand, tight, feet on the edge of the elevator, right when everything crumbled, earth vanishing beneath them. They couldn't even yell, air caught in their throat-
And then something grabbed them, sharp, tearing through the glider they'd pulled out, pain lancing through Silvermoon's body. It hurt, worse than what they'd faced against the runerigus- and that was before they were twisted, and thrown, landing in a weak pile on one of the wings, just barely soft enough to keep Silvermoon from getting hurt worse.
They groaned, and it was only another flash of lightning and snarl of thunder that pushed them up to their feet. "What-" Silvermoon gasped- crushing their eevee tight to their chest as the little thing was spotted again- And then Silvermoon whirled again. "Saint!" They ran over, helping him get up as best they could. "C- C'mon, we-"There was another flash, this time not white, but pink-
And in the distance they could see Tuesday , emerging beautifully on the back of a flowering stag.
A hero, out of some storybook.
I want that, for me.
But the moment passed, shouting and crying-out starting again, and Silvermoon returned their attention to Saint.
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): 257/5141 |
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Jinx
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The Tempest
Player Character
Posts: 152
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Sheila Michaels
OOC Username: Haberdasher
Arena Points: 20
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Post by Jinx on Jul 15, 2023 12:05:53 GMT 9
Mechanical (Easy)ZONE B
Jinx. Do you think what we're doing is right? Everything we learned at this point was a lose-lose situation. I want Zapdos to keep living. I don't know if I can trust Ash's words any longer. I don't know if there are any alternatives to us becoming villains to stop this Corruption or whatever. I needed a concrete answer because I don't know what to do next.
The question was posed: what did Jinx think about this whole situation?
And. Well. The truth was, Jinx had been trying to avoid thinking about it this whole time. She didnât come to UNOVR to think.
But she couldnât avoid a direct question like that, especially from the guy sheâd shot the shit with when waiting for her egg to hatch, the guy who had sacrificed his Cryogonal (before her own had emerged from their egg) to save her Pokemon from the worst of Zapdosâ wrath, the guy who she might just be starting to think of as a friend.
So. Now she actually had to think about this whole storyline, huh?
Jinx started taking in the chaos of her surroundings again, bit by bit, replaying the dialogue and cutscenes that she had tried to tune out earlier in her mind.
The Giant Shrine did seem like it was the key to getting rid of this whole Corruption business⌠but it was connected to Zapdos, and doing whatever anti-Corruption magic it could do back on the ground would kill him in the process. And Zapdos hadnât asked for this fight. And Zapdos didnât want to die. (And who could blame him?)
That was a tricky oneâŚ
As Jinx thought it over, something happened to a bunch of the players around her in the blink of an eye. Even with her back to paying attention to things for once, she couldnât really say what, exactly, had occurred, but a bunch of players suddenly changed outfits, and the same few players started yelling something about someone named Articuno, who apparently was Zapdosâ brother, and was in favor of the whole dying to stop the Corruption business?
It didnât really make sense, though. Jinx certainly hadnât seen anything about this Articuno before. Jinx didnât have a clue who this Articuno even was, except presumably another big strong bird thing. And whatever those players had heard from Articuno, or seen along the way doing whatever it was that had transformed their outfits so, Jinx wasnât a part of it, and had only proof that an event of some kind had occurred and left her behind.
If Articuno had a message, well, Jinx wasnât the messenger, or even a passing witness. Jinx was in a different scene entirely, so to speak. All she could do was trust that the players who were talking about Articuno knew what they were talking about, and that they really had gotten a message from that brother of Zapdos, and that they werenât just entirely making up the whole thing for shits and giggles.
âŚthis must be what Professor Ash felt like, huh? Someone had spoken, presumably, but she couldnât hear them, no matter what she did. All she could do was trust in the truth of their message, and in the honesty of their messengers.
Which, apparently, was that Articuno was tired of hiding and ready to die in the fight against the Corruption. And given that Moltres was still in the middle of attacking Zapdos, it (he?) clearly felt the same way.
Two out of three were ready and willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Did that mean they outweighed Zapdosâ opinion on the matter? Did simple numbers mean that Zapdos had to die when he didnât want to, because everybody else said he should?
Jinx was reminded of her fatherâs old joke about politics being like three wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinnerâŚ
Was that what this was, though? Politics?
No, that wasnât right. Politics might be able to rile people up the same way, sure, but it wouldnât lead to all these passionate cries about love and life and friendship.
(Politics definitely wasnât what had brought those guys from one guy flipping off the other to the two outright kissing in the middle of a battlefield, though you know what, good for them. At least they were enjoying themselves.)
No, this was bigger than that. This was... somebody had broken out that old Star Trek quote about the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few or the one, and that felt right. Even if Zapdos was "alive" in some fashion, even if this was the only world he knew... his death would be worth it to open an un-Corrupted world up to everybody else living there, player or otherwise.
Right?
Before she decided, Jinx figured she'd give one of the prompts a whirl and ask her Pokemon for their advice. This was their world, too, the only one that they knew, and their input could be invaluable here.
Though. Uh. That prompt had probably been designed for players who hadn't instinctively turned Pokemon speech off and then never touched that setting again...
"What do you think about all this, you two? Skipper?"
The Marshtomp was clearly feeling the hits that he had taken over the previous cycles, and was having trouble even staying on his feet. There was no way he was making it through to the next cycle like this; frankly, Jinx was surprised that he had made it this far. But though he was ailing, the Marshtomp didn't hesitate to launch a new volley of rocks at Zapdos, and even managed to smile while he was doing it, though the smile was really closer to a grimace.
"And, uh... Cryogonal? Little buddy? I need a name for you, huh..."
The newborn Pokemon looked around for a moment, their wide eyes taking in the scene around them... before glaring at Zapdos and chucking sharp shards of ice his way.
Even without Pokemon speech enabled, Jinx was pretty sure that counted as an answer, and with that, she felt confident enough to message Morpheus back her response.
It's a toughie, but I think we're on the right path here. Sometimes not everyone can win in life, you know? And even the other NPCs seem to agree that Zapdos is wrong on this one. It's time for us all to move on. Literally, heh.
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -41/5141 |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2023 17:52:00 GMT 9
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/1114138222038106173/1129698069999525939/kallisto16~jpg FreeformZONE C >>> ZONE B
<Trainer, I'm not one to complain, but this is a really bad place to be for a fire type like me!>
As Big Bird descended, the lightning had turned into rain--tons of it, a torrential downpour could hold on candle. He had sent Ballista to guide Aegis to where the other Pokemon were disrupting the attack, but even if he had signed himself up in the least painful difficulty, it was clear that his Pokemon was getting weakened by the storm alone. He immediately withdrew the fire rat back into his Poke Ball before checking on his starter, who also looked much worse for wear. âAegis! You alright?â
<Tingly, but hanging in there.> the penguin replied, shaking his body for another wind, but it wasn't like that was going to shake off the rain. <This fight is crazy, huh, Master?>
âYou can say that again...â
âNever accuse me of not caring.â
Well it was too late for that, Kallisto thought, as he watched things fall apart right before his eyes. His eyes widened at Professor Ash's next words though -- her defense -- it included cleansing the corruption. So this was definitely related after all, but here was the thing: she didn't say that she was sure about it working, she just said there was no other choice. Was that the limitation of the NPCs? No, apparently it had worked before, though Kallisto couldn't say that Beta Island was in great shape even after the corruption was cleansed (for the corruption to be there at all was new information to him too, but it explained the devastation that was left there. Sort of. He still couldn't understand why it looked like a giant code monster chewed it up and spat it out. What was there didn't look like a feature). How odd though that the players were referred to as phenomena, as if their programming decided to omit a very telling detail of them not being from this world.
And then the clincher: Big Bird confirmed it, at the cost of its life. Find another way.
So was there really none? Couldn't they just sit and talk this out rather than battle each other to the death? Ugh, but that was a silly wish, there was nothing that could stop this; what mattered now was that how it was going to end, and where Kallisto stood.
The sound of metal cracking and groaning suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts - the platform that they had stood on not long ago didn't stand a chance against the onslaught and broke down. To his alarm, there were still players that were not able to escape, but Big Bird actually moved in to save them. There was suddenly a number of falling players from the sky, but Kallisto wasn't able to help them land with how fast things were moving (also, it meant risking his flying contraption, as the impact could kill them both).
ding!
A notification at a time like this?! It looked like the other players were actually also bringing up their UI, some frantically typing messages to each other, perhaps asking what they should do. Ensuring that he was as steady as he could be on a flying, jagged legendary bird, he told Aegis to stick close as he checked who had messaged him.
Hey. I just wanted to ask you something? What do you think of all this? There's so much happening that I can barely think. I hope things just go well at the end of this. Please let me know if you need help Kal. I'll come running.
He had suppress a laugh. Come running? Here? Even up to now, she was still being herself. He hadn't actually been able to properly talk to her throughout this whole thing, but he knew that she was there - he would spot her and look for her to see if she was still alright. For her to message something about this meant that she was definitely not in the Platform and probably on Zapdos. Maybe on the other wing?
âAegis, we're moving to the other side to meet up with a friend.â
The penguin looked surprised. <You mean her?>
Kallisto nodded once. âI'll carry you, let's--â
A thunderous roar echoed. Fiery spirits, somehow still maintaining their form despite the rain, ran into Big Bird. And then after that, in the fogginess of the storm, there were...bubbles? Almost dream-like, illusionary, floating only to certain people before bursting into beautiful, blinding color. When Kallisto managed to regain his sight, he realized that his ears were no longer being assaulted. It was like he had fallen asleep. Alarmed, he tried to look for his partner Pokemon, but he was nowhere to be found. What the hell was happening..?
A haze had brought him to a place he had never seen before, and he also realized that what he wore was different. It reminded him of what Alexander wore, but somehow he found more comfort in these princely clothes, as if they were really made for him. He could tell that there were other people around, but the mist made it hard to discern who they were. A dream, they must be in a dream, and Kallisto would only realize in retrospect that he wasn't wrong.
Frankly, he had no idea who Articuno was. He mentioned "sister", though, were they the spirits that he saw earlier, coming from the aid that the Professor sought out? He also mentioned Zapdos, which was the actual name of Big Bird, if he recalled right. So, there were three birds (such as how they were three shrines), and they were all related...
They were to deliver a message, huh? He wasn't sure how that would help, exactly, but perhaps this was the tide turner they were looking for. After all, if Big Bird wouldn't listen to neither the players nor the professor, what of his brother? Nowhere is safe. Not even dreams. The words stuck to his mind like the heavy tar of the corruption that held him down. It seemed like there was only fighting it head on.
And that started with Big Bird.
They were unceremoniously tossed back into the rain, and for some reason they still kept their clothes. He heard Aegis shout, asking what happened (and what was he wearing? Did he want to go back to how he used to look? No, it was a side effect of the dream they just had, honest). âAegis, before we go hurling into potential death, I just want to ask--â
<Huh? I thought we didn't have time for this! Shouldn't we be going to your friend?>
âW-well, I mean, I was gonna ask about, you know, where you stood in this whole thing. Are you actually okay with fighting Zapdos? Even if we're really not sure what's going to happen once the shrine comes down?â
The penguin scrunched up his face, <Master, I'm glad you're trying to be more caring and all, but you have really poor timing! Also, I trust you! Whatever you think is best, I'll follow you!>
Man, even if he had already evolved and his voice had changed slightly, he still sounded like the little penguin he first met. He thought that his eyes might've been watering, but it might've been the rain, surely just the rain. âSorry, yes, I just wanted to make sure.â with that, he grabbed his Pokemon and let his contraption bring him to the skies, straight into the downpour. He flew towards Big Bird, who was still fighting off the spirits that clawed him.
âZapdos! I have a message from your brother! He said that you are who we were always waiting for. I don't want to put any other words in there because I wouldn't know exactly what he means, but if you ask me, if we cannot end the fight we started, we can at least try to end it more peacefully! At least it could be a first step to work together to fight the corruption without taking your life, without taking anyone's life!â
He knew that he was being too optimistic, but it was worth a try. He hoped that the backing of the other bird was enough. Once he delivered the message, he moved to the other side of the wing, hoping to find odile in the scattered sea of players.
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -156/5141 |
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Laguna
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World Traveler
Mythstar
Posts: 514
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Abigaelle Gauthier
OOC Username: Magnere
Arena Points: 0
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Post by Laguna on Jul 15, 2023 20:06:37 GMT 9
Mechanical (Hard)ZONE B
Laguna can't help but frown as she listens to Ash talk. Just who was accusing her of not caring? Her eyes would whip around the field as if she could somehow judge people on look alone and figure it all out.
Ash put everything she had into this, her own personal finances to fund this mission, confident that it was the only possible outcome.
And yet, look what she had been given in return. Fighting, anger, misunderstandings. Even as the massive elevator begins to crumble and Zapdos surprisingly rescues those that fall. Even as Zapdos dares them to find another way and refuses to sacrifice himself to cleanse but a small part of the world, he rescues people.
And Laguna's heart just slowly broke as she tried to figure out what to do. Her energetic twirling and dancing paused, before just speaking and responding to Ash.
"... He wants you to find another way. The shrines use their power, their life energy. They'll be a fragment of themselves if anything, when it's done. He's scared, Ash. And yet... he's still rescuing people from falling." Laguna frowns to herself deeply, as she looked at Bergmite in her arms, a confused and saddening look on its own face too.
After a deafening moment of internal silence, she listened to orioncayge shouting in the distance, hearing Bergamot Gristleborg ramble about the evilest action to take, she genuinely didn't know what to do. "Glacia..."
"Mama?" Glacia suddenly spoke, looking up at her as she read the question before it was even asked. They spoke confidently, despite the sorrow in their expression. "I sacrificed myself before I knew you could bring me back, back on Beta Island. I was ready to die."
"You were just hatched..." Laguna cradled them close all of a sudden, fighting the urge to tear up. "So young, and innocent."
"And I gave up my everything then. And then I did it again for Moltres. And I always will. But it was so scary the first time... I know his fear. It's my fear."
"But I'd still do it, I overcame my fear. Even if you couldn't rescue me, I'd do it. If the power I hold helps everyone, then it's selfish of me to keep it. No matter how small."
Was it wrong of her, to hold the morals of a legendary Pokemon, against a Bergmite's? How many times has she sacrificed, and how many times will she have to keep doing so? Glacia had grown so wise beyond her years, in no time at all. Pokemon matured so rapidly, it was almost a shock.
Steeling her expression, Laguna slowly nodded as she spoke to Ash again. "Professor, I'm with you. All the way. I trust you. I don't pretend to know where this will lead, but I trust you to lead us there. No matter what happens, I-"
Bergamot Gristleborg's Glaceon suddenly asked her what to do, cutting off her conversation. And yet, perhaps it was for the best. A sorrowful smile formed on her face as she put the flying surfboard into a hovering position. "Focus on the shrine, bring it down. Zapdos is just as scared as we are, but standing around helps nobody, not even Zapdos."
Laguna placed her Bergmite down gently on the board, speaking with a soft tone. "Show Zapdos what you got, lil' gal."
With a serious nod, Glacia stayed close to protect and Guard her trainer as huge chunks of ice began to rain down upon the shrine from above, an Avalanche formed from the water vapor in the sky, frozen swiftly.
With a twirl of her wand once more, Laguna began to dance. The violin music grew somber as she spun, but no less effective as the frozen winds acted at her beck and call. A cooling breeze washed over the Glaceon, soothing the strain its own attacks placed upon it, and strengthened it once more.
The cool winds spread out around her, once again bolstering Glacia's strength and hardening their ice spikes, and yet blew further. Jinx's Marshtomp had been on the brink of fainting as the soothing chill healed them up. And their Cryogonal's Ice Shards grew more powerful in strength, aided by the buffs Laguna spread.
In the end, Laguna could only hope that it was enough.
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -291/5141 (-40 from the buff to Cryogonal already added.) |
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Big Bee
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 686
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Bryan Nautilus
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 49
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Post by Big Bee on Jul 15, 2023 21:12:52 GMT 9
Mechanical (Easy)ZONE B
With the phantom weight of Jam still heavy in his arms, Big Bee opened his rain-splattered UI. He'd just received a message from orioncayge.
Do you think what we're doing is right? Is there even a right answer here? Honestly I can't seem to find it, and honestly I think we're too far gone to have a chance at making this right. I'm going to do what I think it best for this world, game or not I don't give a fuck. Like we said earlier at Joes, this place is so real we can't tell it apart from being told. I'll fight for it just like I'd fight for Southside, and sometimes you need to do some fucked up shit to protect those you love.
He messaged back fast to make sure that Orion wasn't about to do something rash. Uh. Wasn't about to do something dangerous. Uh. He messaged back for moral support. This world is as real as any other world. Mine. Yours. Theirs. A life is a life, man. You do what you have to do to protect those that matter to you.
Big Bee sent out Blastoise, and together with Blaziken the trio stood firm as rain splattered against their stony hides.
Blaziken smacked her fists together with a heavy CLUNK. "So. Are we taking down this shrine?"
"No!" Bee said firmly. "Zapdos hasn't done anything wrong! And even if he had, activating the shrine will kill him."
"So?"
"What do you mean 'so'? I'm not killing a legendary creature!" Big Bee shouted. He was struck by Deja vu. The sense that they'd had a snippet of this argument before. A different time. A different place. In the Bedrock Shrine, when little Jam has been nothing but an egg cradled in his arms.
The conversation had ended with Taka going on a months long journey to look for Kyogre in the ocean. He'd returned empty handed. No Kyogre. The legendary was gone.
"So you'd kill a normal Pokemon?"
"That's not what I said! I'm not going to kill anyone!"
"Well if you don't cleanse the corruption in Mistra then all the corrupted Pokemon there are as good as dead. Are you fine with that? Is that what you want?" Her stony cuffs flared with orange light, her fury bleeding into flame.
"Of course not! I don't want anyone to get hurt. I just want..."
"What?"
"I just want people to have a good time," he concluded, lamely. "I want people to have the most fun."
"And watching Pokemon slowly turn to black sludge is your idea of a good time?"
"No! Pokemon are people too. I want everyone to enjoy themselves."
"Well it doesn't feel like it. It feels like you just don't want blood on your hands. And not just that, but you'd rather avoid a single drop of blood on your hands, even if that drop means saving thousands of lives by clearing a whole area of corruption."
"No life is worth ANY number of others!" Big Bee snapped back. "You can't qualify existence, and the only way to justify a sacrifice is if the person OR POKEMON sacrificing does so willingly! You can't value one life above another!"
"I clucking can and do. If people considered my life worth that of a thousand unnamed and unknown Pokemon it would be an honor."
"Well Zapdos doesn't. Remember what he said? I will not die to expand humanityâs horizons! I will not sacrifice myself to slice away one segment of a many-legged parasite! That sounds pretty definitive to me!"
Blaziken nodded, as if swayed by these words. "So it's only fine if a Pokemon consents to the sacrifice?"
"Yes..." Big Bee said warily.
"Great," Orange said, and she kicked off the wing, bolting towards the edge in a flurry of sparks and rock dust.
"Hey! Orange come back!" he shouted, running after her through the sluice of rainwater.
She sprinted towards the shrine-side of the wing legs pumping in a burning display of athleticism. "I CONSENT TO THIS SACRIFICE!" she shouted back, and leapt from the wing.
BLAZIKEN USED SACRIFICE
She hurtled through the air, transforming into a blazing, screeching bolt of power that collided with the Giant Shrine. She burst into a spray of pixels that burned like ignited jet fuel, melting away at the surface of the steel building clutched in Zapdos' talons. The flames roared with all of Blaziken's fury, all her power and passion. Her fire merged with the swarm of flaming spirits that were already attacking the shrine. Another spirit summoned in defense of others.
"ORANGE!" Bee shouted down into the boiling orange rainclouds. Big Bee's UI blinked, telling him that Orange had fainted. He was dumbstruck. Orange was the second Pokemon gone in as many moments. The second to disobey him and give their life to protect other Pokemon.
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -527/5141 |
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Aero
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Hard Mode Survivor
Mythstar
Posts: 282
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Alyce Ellery
OOC Username: Spinner
Arena Points: 38
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Post by Aero on Jul 15, 2023 22:40:32 GMT 9
Mechanical (Hard)ZONE B
As soon she witnessed her Snom come back to life thanks to Big Bee's Groudon selflessly sacrificing its life for another, Aero's anger faded as she sheathed her swords and hugged her Bug/Ice-type worm. "Crystal, you're back!" She cried while smiling with tears. "I promise not to let you out in dangerous battles without warning ever again!" She turned to Big Bee next. "Thank you! I'll never forget you and your Groudon for saving my Snom!"
But her elation was cut short when she learned a few things. That Zapdos would die if the power of the shrine is used and Ash would attack him despite everyone's pleas not to. There was no way she would let Zapdos die. But if she didn't, then what would happen to the raid? What would happen if they lose? What would happen if they couldn't recover the shrine on time?
Aero was at a loss. She turned to Big Bee and asked, "Do we really need to do this? I don't want to hurt Zapdos and I don't want bad things to happen to UNOVR itself." She then turned to her Snom next. "What do you think, Crystal? Is hurting a legendary Pokemon enough to save UNOVR?"
Her ice worm cried in confusion. She honestly needed to turn on Pokemon speech for her own, but she knew what he was trying to say. "I know, Crystal. I won't let the prince die for the shrine and neither will anyone else! Return!"
As soon she returned her Snom back to his Poke Ball, Aero turned her eyes to the Zapdos next. If she was playing the game more strategically, she would switch herself out for her Orthworm or Onix to deal big damage with their supereffective Rock-type moves. But again, she didn't want to hurt him. If she wanted to finish this raid, then she would end it her own way.
"Zapdos!" She shouted as she took out another Poke Ball. "We hate to see you die, but we also don't want to see UNOVR die as well! We don't want to see both of them happen and like everyone said, we don't have to fight it out to decide everyone's lives! Even the guy in the pink suit said so! Pacmon!"
Aero uses Escape
She tossed the ball to release her Orthworm as he cried happily with his arms out. "We're not hurting your home and we're not letting anyone else hurt it for the sake of research or whatever! But we don't know what will happen next if we stand here and do nothing!"
Aero screamed as electricity came out from her body and entered her Orthworm.
Aero uses Boon of Surging on Orthworm
"I don't want to stand here and stop fighting because of these complicated mumbo-jumbos! Our lives will decide if you want to continue fighting or not! So come at me, Princey! Give me your best shot! Pacmon, Smack Down!"
Her Orthworm cried and quickly shoot out a large rock from his mouth to the Zapdos right in front of them.
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -662/5141 |
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Sarah Lee
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Soldier, Poet, King
The Creed
Posts: 483
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Barack Orama
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 35
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Post by Sarah Lee on Jul 15, 2023 23:35:58 GMT 9
Mechanical (Hard)ZONE B
Sarah looked across the sopping battlefield, eyes shielded against the rainstorm. Thigh-high water washed along Zapdos' wing, dragging her down towards the end, but it was hundreds of feet away. She could stand her ground.
"Is this what we're going? Just attacking the natives again? Picking who dies and who lives based on which we think is worth more to us?" she shouted into the storm. Rainwater slapped against her mouth, making her spit and splutter, but failing to remove the sour taste of what was happening.
They were driving Zapdos down. Down to his inevitable death at the hands of the Professor.
Was history doomed to repeat itself again?
"This is just the history of America, isn't it?" Sarah asked, spitting out rainwater and wiping away her sopping fringe. "If only they'd talked to the natives-"
But she could talk to the natives. She had them right here!
Sarah sent out Charizard, who was very unhappy to be called out during the wettest part of the raid, and Duraludon, who seemed pleased that the lightning was over.
"Freedom! What do you think I should do?"
Duraludon's voice was like the rumble of a shuttle in low orbit. "Freedom live here many years. No see Zapdos. Hear old stories but never see. Freedom live in grass, happy. Strong. Then Freedom meet Sarah! Travel together. Battle together. Make new family with you and other Pokemon. Freedom trust Sarah. Zapdos not important."
She set a hand on his metal hide. It was cool beneath the rain. "Thanks Freedom. I haven't been able to travel in a long time. Until I came her, I mean. I like being here with you. I want to see more of this world."
"But is it wrong to fight Zapdos? To force him to sacrifice himself for our gain? Do you want to fight him?"
Metal squealed as Duraludon shrugged. "Freedom no want to fight Zapdos, but trust Sarah."
"But the Surge Steppes are your home! What is something happens to them?"
Duraludon looked between Sarah and Charizard. "Steppes old home. New home now."
She hugged him, and turned to Charizard, who was sheltering his tail with one wing and glaring around him at the storm, as if he could cow the very rains.
"And you, Ron?"
"We are heroes!" Charizard hissed. "People look to us for what is right!"
"That's what I'm doing now. You're from Beta Island, do you think we ruined it by activating the shrines?"
Rain fell heavily and Charizard snorted and shook his head in a vain attempt to dry his face. "Beta Island was fine, but we've never even been back. If we find a new area will we return to the Steppes? Who cares what happens to it?"
She frowned. That wasn't the right way to treat this world. Not any part of it. "I care! Heroes don't leave destruction in their wake!"
"Then the choice is easy. What's more destructive? Losing Zapdos or leaving a whole region corrupted?"
Sarah opened and closed her mouth. He was right. "That's a good point."
"I know," he said, snorting against the rainwater.
"How about we get out of this rain," Sarah said, a grin building on her face. She pulled herself up straight and looked towards the center of Zapdos' back. "Bring us down, Charizard!"
He huffed out a gout of flame like a thermal lance, chuckling deeply as his body stretched and grew. "I thought you'd never ask." Billowing wings of flame burst from Ron's shoulders as he stomped towards the peak of Zapdos' back: The spot where B met C. With each step he grew taller, weightier, more engulfed by the glowing red clouds of energy that gave him his phenomenal size.
Charizard used Gigantamax!
His presence ruptured the rain, forcing back the deluge in clouds of crimson steam. Sarah felt Zapdos dip beneath his weight, and he hadn't even started his attack yet.
"Charizard!" she roared into the steam. "Use Inferno!"
But the move that came from Charizard's mouth wasn't Inferno. And it wasn't aimed at Zapdos.
Charizard used G-Max Wildfire!
Charizard raised his head to the skies and breathed a gout of flame upwards into the storm, tearing through the clouds above them and burning a hole in search of sunlight. He wasn't a fire-breathing lizard. He wasn't even a dragon. He was a rocket engine, pouring every ounce of fuel and strength into a concentrated stream of propulsion meant to drive Zapdos downwards.
The legendary lurched underneath Sarah, and she grabbed onto Freedom. The rain that fell on her was scalding hot, enough to burn her exposed skin. The ground shuddered and shook beneath her feet, and as the beacon of flame roared into the sky they descended.
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -1784/5141 |
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h0lyn3v1l
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Thunderstruck
Player Character
Posts: 45
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Jacob Harrison
OOC Username: GreySquid
Arena Points: 10
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Post by h0lyn3v1l on Jul 16, 2023 0:30:13 GMT 9
Mechanical (Easy)ZONE B
H0LYN3V1L went still, it was like the lights were on, but no one was home. Capsakid stopped his sniffling and poked at him with no response. Fletchling landed back next to the two and pecked uselessly at H0LYN3V1Lâs leg. <Did he die?>
<Maybe heâs just really into what Ash is saying?> Capsakid shot Fletchling a look. <Yeah, no thatâs not likely. H0LYN3V1L? Buddy? You doing okay there?>
There was a brief flicker in H0LYN3V1Lâs form before he finally started to move again and smiled down at Capsakid. âAww hewwo wittle pwant! And a bird! Hewwo birdy!â He said before crouching down and patting Fletchling on the head to everyoneâs confusion.
<UhâŚH0LYN3V1L?>
âWoahhhh are we on a bird? Thatâs neat one time back a long time ago me and Jakey fwew, but dat was on an an an airopwane. Not on a bird! Are we on a twip somewhere?â
Capsakid and Fletchling stared at each other.
âHewwo mister big bird! Hey! You wook wike Big Bird! Are you fwiends wif Big Bird?â H0LYN3V1L asked while patting Zapdosâ wing. âItâs very nice of of of you to fwy us mister big bird!â H0LYN3V1L turned back to Fletchling. âAre you gonna get dis big? Momma says that Iâm gonna get big someday but but but Jakey says dat Iâm gonna be shorter dan him for forever!â
Fletchling was trying really really hard to not have a breakdown. Why did Snivy get to be the knocked out one for this? H0LYN3V1L was his trainer first, this should be a Snivy problem! <Uhhh, no? Iâll get uh, bigger? But not this big?>
H0LYN3V1Lâs face scrunched up in disappointment. âOh. Dats okay, sometimes you just gotta be smaw. Wike wittle pwant!â H0LYN3V1L hugged Capsakid closer, much to his displeasure.
<Right. Yeah. Uh, H0LYN3V1L, remember the uh, fight, happening right now?>
âA fight? Momma says dat if someone is fighting I need to go get a grown up and Jakey says that I need to just run away. Are we gonna run away, what do you wanna do?â
<No! Weâre gonna set it on fire!> Capsakid screeched, hoping that personality switched H0LYN3V1L will let him set something on fire.
âOh Iâm too wittle for fire. Jakey says itâs not safe and we gotta stay safe. What do you wanna do wittle birdy?â
Fletchling looked around to see if anyone else was freaking out because she was definitely freaking out. <Uh, I mean, like, thatâs a big moral question that I don't think I'm capable of processing right now? I think H0LYN3V1L would want to stay and fight. You know, be a big hero?>
âOh! Jakey is a hero, he says so! I wanna do the the same as Jakey!â
<Jakey would let me set something on fire!>
<Shush, if this âJakeyâ is normal H0LYN3V1L, no he wouldnât! Well, he probably would if he was mad enough, but not right now!>
H0LYN3V1L seemed to tune out his two pokemon, going back to patting Zapdosâ feathers and quietly singing under his breath â...get to da pwace to be aww dat we can beâŚâ
<Besides, youâre just support. Your fire wonât do anything. I canât believe I said that, Iâm starting to sound like H0LYN3V1L. Ugh. Okay, hey H0LYN3V1L, buddy?> Fletchling gently pecked at H0LYN3V1Lâs leg to get his attention.
âOh hewwo again wittle birdy!â
<Right, hi, okay so H0LYN3V1L, why donât we just do what we did last time. Remember that?>
âWast time?â
<Okay, you want to be a big hero right? So all you have to do is tell me to use Ember and tell Capsakid to use Sunny Day and heal me again, okay? Can you do that?>
<I should get to set something on fireâŚ> Capsakid grumbled.
H0LYN3V1L scrunched up his face again and put a finger to his chin. âUmmm, yeah! I can do it! I can be a hero wike Jakey! Use use use um. What was it?â
<Start with Sunny Day.>
âRight. Yeah, okay, wittle pwant use Sunny Day. And and and wittle birdy use Ember? Did I do it right?â
<You did great, champ.>
Capsakid sighed, <Yeah, great for someone who isnât even setting something on fire.> Capsakid jumped out of H0LYN3V1Lâs arms and gave Fletchling a warm pat, a brief beam of sun cutting through the storm around them.
Fletchling took off again and Capsakid watched her intently to at least catch a glimpse of some fire. Neither noticed H0LYN3V1L freeze again.
âNoooo! Momma said itâs my turn to pway! Jakeyyy stop!â H0LYN3V1L flickered again before standing up and looking around.
âWhat happened? What did you do? I swear, Katie, if you messed upâŚNo, I donât care, Mom doesnât get to say itâs your turn when Iâm in the middle of a raid and this game is too hard for you! What do you mean. Shit, what did you do? âŚWait, no! Iâm sorry Katie! Donât go tattling to Mom!â H0LYN3V1L was waving his arms around wildly, talking to no one that Capsakid could see.
H0LYN3V1L groaned and stomped his foot on the ground. âShit. Okay, gotta move fast, Fletchling useâŚWhereâs Fletchling?â
Capsakid pointed towards where Fletchling dove off of Zapdos again. <You already told us what to do.>
âUghhhh what did she do? Shit okay, whatever, Iâll figure out what I missed later, we just gotta get this raid over with before Mom gets home and grounds me again.â
<I donât know what that means, but you know what would make things go faster?>
âDude. Youâre not setting Zapdos on fire. You donât even know any fire moves.â
<Why are you stifling me?!>
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -1889/5141 |
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Lucky Guy
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Soldier, Poet, King
Player Character
Posts: 359
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Lucky Guy
OOC Username: AleDog#9110
Arena Points: 30
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Post by Lucky Guy on Jul 16, 2023 0:40:21 GMT 9
Mechanical (Hard)ZONE C
It took a good few moments of roiling chaos, screamed words and tumbling to realize belatedly that he was miraculously not at a sudden end in his dream. He'd been quickly and violently flung by... who? He had no idea. He couldn't see who did it with his vision as it was now. Nothing was as Seer's sight was built to handle-in this world, everything that Lucky could see was registered as 'hostile Pokemon'. Unable to give rational orders, he knew the most sensible course of action that he had left to give. He tossed out his next Pokemon-his third Support, by the count-and gave his orders.
"You guys... Help the others see this through. I'm counting on you two."
He was sure that Serket had no issues with his job anymore. If they were where Lucky thought they were, he would have no troubles using Ice Fang as a direct attacking move anymore. Meanwhile, his newly sent Cofagrigus was...
Was he rummaging through Lucky's pockets?
"Oi. Are you taking my potions?!"
Lucky would be having a talk with him later, at a time where the situation wasn't so serious a confrontation as it was. Ammit was probably putting them to good use anyway, and what better time to use his items than during a boss battle?
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -2136/5141 |
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Yggy Br00ks
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Pikachu Fan
Round 2
Posts: 406
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Kenneth Garfield
OOC Username: M00K
Arena Points: 68
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Post by Yggy Br00ks on Jul 16, 2023 0:57:17 GMT 9
Mechanical (Easy)ZONE B
Her stomach churned. Too much information. Iâm gonna puke.
Kyogre was dead.
The specter that had haunted Kennyâs dreams for over a year wasnât still out there somewhere, biding its time or living in freedom or whatever. It was gone. Theyâd killed it. Had it known what was going to happen? Had they liberated it from dissolving in the Recycle Bin just to die another death?
It doesnât make sense.
âItâs not fair,â she muttered. âI wanted more time.â
As they were transported back from the Dream World, Yggy landed on Zapdosâs wing. Water flowed past her in an endless tide, pouring off the gigantic bird like diverging rivers.
All things come to an end. That is the way of the world.
âŚWhat did that mean?
âIâm not delivering that stupid message! Itâs messed up! You canât just repeat the same line over and over to make it sound wise!â Where was this Buddha stuff coming from? Was Articuno trying to be like Yoda now? âSure, most things eventually come to an end, but why should that be now? The birds are our friends! Killing them doesnât make any sense!â
Yggy took a deep breath and yelled.
âThis whole thing is messed! Up!â
âThe whole point of sacrifice is it has to be something you choose! You canât choose it for other people! Thatâs not sacrifice, itâs just murder!â
She kept yelling, because if there was one thing UNOVR was teaching her, it was that you had to yell all your opinions like an anime protagonist if you wanted to get heard. âKindness and selflessness are stuff you have to want to give, thatâs what makes them special. Zapdos doesnât want to, so you canât make him! I donât care what form his death takes or whatever, like if he just turns back into an egg for a million years, or falls apart into DNA we can re-grow mini-Zapdoses from, he doesnât want to!â
The tomboy planted her feet, striking her best âcatcherâ pose for stability against the deluge. âMy mom told me if you ask someone out and they say no, you have to respect their answer, even if you really, really want them to say yes. And thatâs just about dating! Thatâs not even about dying. Jeez!â
Meanwhile, the loooong cat bridge which had miraculously maintained up until this point crackled and smoked, then suddenly contracted. Kikat the Meowth, back at normal cat size, sat back in Zone B and arched her back in distaste as the rain poured down over her. <Wet, wet! Nasty feeling!> she hissed, shaking her paws.
<Burrow down, maybe you can find a dry patch!> said Junkrat, looking up towards where Sarah Leeâs giant Charizard was jet-rocketing Zapdos and the shrine downwards. <Actually, never mind, we might be out of the cloud soon!>
But was a fire-type really okay in this kind of weather?
âJunkrat stop, weâre not the heroes! Everyoneâs just making up stuff to make themselves feel better! Come back!â
<Nobody thinks we're heroes, weâre just Pokemon trying to do our jobs!> snapped Junkrat, beating her wings mightily in an attempt to shield Charizard from the pouring rain. She was like a moth compared to him. <Zapdos is going to drown all of us if we donât get him out of this cloud!>
âZapdos could be our friend! He could help us! We havenât even tried!â
<Everyone is trying! Weâre on a time crunch! If we had another week to think maybe we could come up with a new plan, but we donât, Yggy! He has about five minutes before we dunk him into the ground!>
âMe and Manish and Cleo set the Prince free because we felt bad for him! I didnât know you guys were gonna kill him!â Yggy yelled louder, cupping her hands around her mouth, projecting her voice so other trainers could hear her. âI saved the Prince and now youâre gonna kill him! What was the point of all that, then? He waited a jillion years or whatever for us to save him and now youâre just gonna kill him! What was the point? Kyogreâs already dead! Canât we stop now?â
The words poured out like rain. Speaking of rain, Kitkat had just found a warm hidey hole in Zapdos's feathers to sleep. <Still, I wish to BITE,> said Kitkat, eying a prime patch of skin. She took an electrified chomp and bounced off, static crackling through her little teeth. <Yeowch!>
Yggy kept going. âEveryone keeps blah blah blah about Corruption, but how many people have actually seen it? Itâs just some Big Bad part of the game, who cares? Donât go into Mistra or talk to stupid Bunya then! We can still have fun without it!â
As Kitkat continued trying to take potentially the Last Bite anyone would ever take of Zapdos and Junkrat rode the rocket launcher Charizard all the way down below the cloud cover, Yggy spoke to Zapdos himself.
âZapdos, you donât owe me just because I helped you! Itâs okay, you can just shake everyone off and fly away already! We wonât be hurt, weâll just black out for a little while when we hit the ground. I used to do it all the time back in Beta.â Sheâd see Seta again, but Yggy was willing to sit through an awkward conversation with the Gatekeeper. She tried again. âGo on! Just fly away! C'mon, or theyâll kill you!â
Sheâd save him again. Even if it was scary, even if she didnât know what would happen, Yggy would always save the Prince. She thought most people would. People werenât killers. People cared about each other.
But when something didnât have a human face anymore, people changed.
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -2243/5141 |
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Rose Garden
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Player Character
Posts: 180
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Roseanne Woods
OOC Username: Magnere
Arena Points: 95
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Post by Rose Garden on Jul 16, 2023 17:02:32 GMT 9
#s://i~imgur~com/9lIQGP4~png FreeformZONE D
Hearing Cygnus's response over the radio had Rose freeze up instantly and stiffen. She made him mad.
She did something wrong and made him mad.
Her first instinct was to do absolutely nothing as if she was waiting for something else. And it was only then that she finally looked up and around, hearing all the violence, anger, and fear in everyone's tone. She had been so distracted...
The rain waters washed down over her and her craft, and it shuddered in the air, slowly flying off course. And yet, Rose did not stir.
"Hey," Her Sprigatito poked her with a paw, trying to get her attention again. "What are you doing? Focus! We're in the air!"
"Right, right, umm-" Her hands were still full of Zygarde's egg as she attempted to push the joysticks up with the back of her hands and keep the craft going, despite the rainwater pouring into the small saucer. But even still, her hands shake as she cradles the egg close, and it's obvious something is not exactly right. "I'm okay, I'm okay."
"You're clearly not. Rose-" The cat paused, an idea slowly dawning on them. "Just, fly away. It's too dangerous for you here. It's not safe."
"But-"
"But, nothing. When Ash gave me to you, it became my duty to protect you. I swore to keep you safe, no matter what. And I can't do that if you don't listen to me. You're going to get hurt, and I can't let that happen. Leave, we can do nothing when you're like this. "
The tower cracks, the elevator broken, people flying, plucked out of the air by the big bird. But before Rose can really respond back to her starter Pokemon, bubbles suddenly begin forming around the craft. The reflections of a castle dominate her vision and just like that, she vanishes without a trace.
"Rose?!" Sprigatito suddenly shouts, left alone in the craft, even as it flies at a mostly straight path. Did they scare away her trainer? What happened?
Did they make a mistake?
---
Rose's eyes had shut tight when the saucer vanished from beneath her, but even she couldn't remain locked up and afraid as the weightless feeling shocked her even more.
Her legs kicked out and about in the air, twirling in place, only just noticing that her legs were apparently very colorful and cute all of a sudden. Her eyes drifted across the floating space, in silent awe. It was like a snapshot of her dreams. A beautiful princess, an old wise king, and adorable bubbles everywhere.
Seeing that other players were also floating brought her back to reality. She genuinely didn't know what to think, having no idea what the Dream World was, or even that Articuno had taken the form of a king. And yet, she listened with a quiet attentiveness like when she was in school.
She was so eager to learn, to absorb everything she could with the wide-eyed curiosity of someone who had such a love for life and everything in it.
He was trapped, and he was done playing pretend.
Rose was intelligent enough to know that she wasn't the smartest girl, that she didn't truly understand the full plot of the game, but it seemed so serious all of a sudden.
Was it really so sudden, or had she just never noticed it before?
The bubbles returned, and she vanished from the Dream World just as she entered. Without a word.
---
"Oh god, Rose, I'm sorry, please don't just vanish again, I-" Sprigatito begged as her trainer returned in a flash of bubbles, only to suddenly pause. "... What are you wearing? Why are you covered in cats?"
It was only then that Rose really looked at herself, seeing the adorable shirt, the frilly skirt, but most of all, the cat ears atop her head. "Gasp!" Rose finally responded, reaching up to feel at them, before suddenly giggling endlessly.
"I met a princess in a dream! And now I'm the prettiest cat girl princess of them all!" Rose shouted with an incredibly wide smile, "Just like-" Before she could even finish, Auntie Tuesday spoke to her, and the little girl just beamed, hoping they'd notice her ears, and enjoy it just as much as she did.
The question caught her off guard, however, and she paused for a bit. She wanted to help, she loved helping... She didn't want anyone to be sad, angry, or mad. Not again. Despite her wide smile fading somewhat, she nodded. But instead of just waiting for Auntie to return, Rose steeled her resolve. With a firm tug and a yank, she finally ripped one of her hands off the egg and gripped the joystick of the saucer. A little HP bar appeared on her skin, showing that she hurt herself by doing that, but Rose couldn't care less.
"I'm coming too! We got a message to tell!"
"... That's my girl." The Sprigatito spoke. They had no idea what had happened between when they vanished and returned, but something had sparked joy inside them again, and that was all that mattered. Something had encouraged her to act, to keep going, and if putting on a cat outfit made her confident, then so be it.
The saucer puttered along, chugging as its steampunk engine struggled against the brutal rain, but she kept going, attempting her best to fly the device, relying solely on instincts granted by Cygnus's weird green laser light. When Tuesday called out to Zapdos, Rose fiddled with the radio system on the saucer, attempting to fix it after the electrical damage, and now presumably water damage. But sure enough, after hitting it a few times, it roared to life with static. She picked up the receiver, speaking through the small speakers to amplify her voice over the rushing rains.
"Zapdos!" She spoke, mimicking her role model with the first shout. "Articuno told us lots. He said he was stuck and seemed really sad. But he said that you and him played pretend with kings and princes. But- I think, it's time to stop playing pretend."
Ironic, coming from her. Not that she was aware of the irony, even if she knew what that word meant.
"But now, you can be true heroes! Please, don't be mad. We all just want to help this world... As much as the land hurts, it's the best world I know!"
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -2243/5141 |
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orioncayge
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 770
Trainer Class: 
Arena Points: 20
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Post by orioncayge on Jul 16, 2023 19:30:11 GMT 9
Mechanical (Hard)ZONE D"Hey Boss?" Pythia asked, the wind whipping through her fine fur as they fell through the clouds.
"Yeah P?" Orion would ask, staring upwards at the titanic foe above them, also falling lower and lower.
"What's uh..." The fox paused, her eyes flitting upwards and downwards between the earth below and the Legendary above. "What's the play here?"
"Whatcha mean?" The words trailed out of Orion's lips like a trail of steam, his mouth still sizzling from where the massive moon laser had just erupted from minutes before. Strange how a ghost move did that, it kinda had a bit of a kick to it like a...ghost pepper? Oh clever move developers, clever indeed.
"We're falling."
"Yup."
"What's the plan?"
"Plan?"
"Master!"
A grin spread through Orion, drunk on the euphoria of release. Spreading his arms out wide, he simply let himself plummet through the air as the fight came back down to them. Everyone was doing their best with the hands they'd been dealt, and while they were struggling with their hearts, for a moment he truly felt that just about everyone up there was feeling this game as real. While it hurt, and it would hurt for a long time, everyone up there would be all the stronger for it. It would change them, change how they saw this world as hopefully more than a game, pokemon as more than pixels, and their decisions as more than just mechanics.
Or maybe the Adrenaline was talking.
All he could do was grin ear to ear as his eyes beamed with the light of his burning passion. All of these hearts alight with passion beating in sync, all of them thinking about what was right. They all wanted the best thing, and while they were in conflict about the solution, they all had the same goal. Best of all, with their descent he was more than willing to bet those Duraldon were about to snare the shrine.
"OH BY THE WAY!" He would call up to Zapdos. "MY NAME IS ORION CAYGE!"
"A little late for introductions isn't it?" Pythia asked, looking annoyed as she glanced to her trainer.
"AND I THINK WE'VE HAMMERED ALL WE CAN INTO THAT THICK SKULL OF YOURS! EVERYONE HAS SAID THEIR PIECE, YOU'VE HEARD FROM YOUR SIBLINGS, AND HONESTLY!" He would gesture to the rapidly approaching ground. "TIME'S TICKING! WHATAYA SAY? ARE WE GONNA LAND PEACEFULLY? OR ARE WE GONNA HAVE ONE LAST ALL OUT BRAWL!"
"You sound just like the boys right now." Pythia would interject facepalming. "I suppose they got it from somewhere."
"COMON!" Orion would shout, his eyes tearing up in the wind. Yeah, the wind, defo. "IF THIS IS TRULY IT! LETS GO OUT WITH A BANG! LET THE THUNDER OF OUR BLOWS ECHO THROUGH TIME AND SPACE FOREVER! THE HISTORY OF THIS WORLD WILL REMEMBER US FOREVER!"
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -2243/5141 |
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Domino
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G.A.Y.
Round 2
Posts: 314
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Hilda Faust
OOC Username: Stells
Arena Points: 40
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Post by Domino on Jul 17, 2023 12:42:13 GMT 9
Mechanical (Easy)ZONE B
She had decided to leave it up to them; to divorce herself from the choice, go along with whatever the majority preferred, and aid them in whatever way she could. She had decided to be an spectator, because truth be told, being an spectator was easier. Much easier than carrying the heavy weight of this choice. Much easier than looking back to this moment in the future and thinking: 'Should I have chosen differently?'.
Her decision is rendered moot within the span of five minutes.
Listen, I know we haven't like ever actually talked or anything, but we're in the same guild and I thought that maybe you could help me out here. I'm just trying to figure out what to do here. Any thoughts you could spare? If you even see this message before the raid is over. If not all good!
odile. A player she hasn't met, but one that asks for her opinion because they're guildmates. Solidarity and friendship are at the core of the spirit of Round 2, and isn't that exactly the point? This is a choice they should all make together. Whatever happens, they will be responsible. They will all carry the weight of the consequences. They will all be affected. When looking back, it won't be about the individual actions of each one, but about the larger choice made by everyone present.
Leaving it up to everyone else is selfish.
With a heavy sigh, Domino blows out a thin trail of smoke, flicking ashes off a cigarette and onto the dark feathers of the gargantuan Zapdos. She nods for her Charizard to go aid those around her, and with a singlehanded gesture, she summons a flickering keyboard onto a concerningly colourful User Interface.
hey hey đ honestly? I'm not much for philosophy and all that, but if you really want my two cents... RL can be pretty fucked up. throughout history people have made messed up choices time and again for the sake of the 'greater good'. idk about you, but I don't wanna be like that. isn't UNOVR our chance to do better? create a better world? do we want this to be the kind of world where someone has to die so others can live? idk something WAY worse may happen if we don't deal with the corruption here and now, but we're not sure of what, so that's a 'maybe', and is any life really worth taking 'cause of a 'maybe'?
It's probably not the answer odile wants to hear, but it's the answer Domino gives. Virtual as it may be, this world is as real as the one beyond their WorldScreens, and the thought of all these people being responsible for Zapdos' demiseâ... No, the thought of herself being responsible for Zapdos' demise is painful. Is this what the game wants from her? This pain? Is this part of the enjoyment in this immersive experience?
Burdened with a thousand questions, Domino smokes her cigarette, wondering if she will ever find the correct answer.
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Saint
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Weekend Warrior
Round 2
Posts: 386
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Angelo Alvarez
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 10
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Post by Saint on Jul 17, 2023 18:31:32 GMT 9
FreeformZONE C
It only seemed to get worse. Sound barrages them from all sides, the panic of fellow players, the Professorâs stand, Zapdosâ rasping screams. And then the ground gave out from beneath them.
Saint tries to grab tighter onto Silvermoon, unable to even scream as the spiderweb of hard light shatters under their feet, the shards ripping through fabric and skin as they shoot against the howling winds as a wall of daggers. The force of the air alone seems to fold them like paper.
Saint squeezes his eyes. If this is the end, he doesnât want to look.
But they donât perish under the force of their cataclysmic fall. Something slams hard against Saintâa titanic claw. It rips him from the air, punching the wind out of him, and he finds himself tumbling uncontrollably, before landing in a pile of rough, bristling plumage.
Saint groans, eyes shut, heart thudding in his ears. A faint honk by his side brings reliefâit means Gumball hadnât been sent flying in the chaos. The Popplio frets now, slap slap slapping his battered trainer in an attempt to wake him. This is not the time for a nap!
He hears Silvermoonâs voice in the darkness. Footsteps. Something is pulling him off the ground, pulling him out of a stupor. Tired gold eyes open to see his friend, at awe of how quickly theyâve recovered, and their kindness, for coming back to him.
He only wishes he could give back.
Coughing, in disbelief at how much pain heâs inâhadnât he set his threshold to reduced? He had made sure of thatâSaint struggles back to awareness. Theyâre on Zapdosâ wing. They survived, because he had saved them.
In Zone C, there is a small group accompanying them. A noteworthy few appear in strange, fanciful costumes, declaring messages to Zapdos from his brother, Articuno. Another family member turned against him. Another voice calling for his death.
âSilvermoon, weâve- weâve made a mistake,â Saint stammers. âWe shouldnât have convinced Moltres. We shouldâveâ talked about it first, orââ Itâs nonsense. When they were whisked away, they hadnât known. Even now, thereâs still so much they just donât know.
âThe professor! PrâProfessor Ash, please,â he tries the intercoms, unaware of how theyâve been flooded with messages from players and cats. âPlease, if you can hear thisâ itâs not too late! You can still put a stop to this! You can still save Zapdos!â
Heâs watching a deluge of teams charge after Zapdos, their attacks set after him or the shrine keeping him alive, trying to wrench life from his claws.
âSTOP THE MAGNETS! Tell everyone to stand down! Justââ
His hand clutches tightly onto Silvermoon, face twisting in anguish as he realizes itâs too late.
âPlease stop.â
GOAL (ALTITUDE 2): -2243/5141 |
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System Admin
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Administrator
Posts: 1,474
Player Name: System
OOC Username: M00K
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Post by System Admin on Jul 18, 2023 21:59:55 GMT 9
Flaming spirits lash Zapdos again and again as he is forced down in a roar of flame and fury. His body tears the clouds beneath him like wet cotton.
"It would be so easy for you if I just gave in, wouldn't it?"
Zapdos is unmoved. You have delivered a pretty death sentence in a painstakingly-wrapped package, but it is his choice whether to accept.
"What a weight off your conscience! What a relief! 'Ah, because Moltres and Articuno say it's fine, I'll follow suit!' You think my life is a majority vote? You think infants fainting from the stress of battle hold a flicker to MY sacrifice?"
Streams of condensation whip past the players and through the blur of clouds and wind they see the Duraludon Cannons for the first time.
Sleek blocks of skyscraper steel stab into the sky from below like a mile-high spike trap. Fifty angular heads jut from a pool of crimson Dynamax energy so wide and thick that it blots out the ground and dyes the underside of a the clouds a sickly red.
The Duraludon are in formation. A block of silver monoliths, identical in form and function. Their jaws click open, like a firing squad turning off their safety, and as one they track the falling bird. Held in each of their jagged sets of teeth is a massive modified cannon, a magnetic battery that will tear Zapdos from the sky with undeniable force.
"Moltres burns her life because death itself brings her joy, if she can but die in battle. Articuno gives his that he might have worth again, trapped and powerless as he is in the realm of Dreams."
Zapdos carries on, blind to the danger as he fights for his right to live on.
"I get no joy from conflictâ I fight only to live. And my life has valueâ far beyond that of a weapon. I have worth! I have value! I am worth the weight of my own life! How dare you ask me question that?"
He arches his neck, feathers bristling as he utters his final declaration. Alive, or dead. No matter how heartfelt, any compromise that includes the latter is no compromise at all.
"Your 'inspiration' is just another set of claws in my back. Try to take my life. Try to sap my fighting spirit. But I will not yield."
Just then, a voice cuts in, speaking to you directly from your User Interface.Not for you, anyway. Ash has sacrificed something today, and she knows in her heart itâs the right thing to do.
Maybe you shouldnât be the Professor.
One way or another, Ash knows thereâs no coming back from this mistake. But that does not mean walking away from those who need her. Not when it matters most.
âWe will not ask our most powerful allies to take their own lives for the safety of our operation. Humanity has weathered the proximity of the Corruption until nowâ weâll double our borders, block off Mistra for now.â She knows very well she may not be the one in charge anymore after this mission fails, but she hopes her successor will be true to her promise. âThe Corruption readings in the Area have been stableâ I do not believe it will cross over anytime soon, especially if Zapdos is willing to guard the Northern Steppes.â That was a gamble, but perhaps they could work something out. âIf Zapdos will agree to a compromise, I will meet with him on the ground and proceed with interpreters.â
They had a chance to change things. Her mind was already spinning, going over all the new possibilities. New tactics. New questions. New ways Pokemonâ speaking, sapient Pokemonâ could enable her research. In some ways, the world was brighter than ever before.
âProfessor, Iâm afraid itâs too late for that.â
Ash stiffens. âWhat do you mean?â
A sound is growing outside. A rising whine of magnetic power. Cygnus has to shout over it. âI said, itâs too late! You canât un-beam a beam. To cancel them out Iâd need some sort of inverse-polarity-unmagnetizing beam. I canât just pull these things out of thin air, you know, they require time and testing!â
âCygnus, seriously?â
âWeâve got fifty full-power Mega Duraludon seconds away from a full magnetic Discharge! If we try to return them to their Pokeballs now, all that Dynamax energy will cascade outwards and level this whole area!â
Ashâs voice bursts back into your ears, hard-edged and grim. âTrainers, heads up. The cannons have not been deactivated. Repeat, they are still online. Iâll need you to take them out manually, or theyâll force Zapdos to the ground and force-trigger the Shrine Activation sequence.â
There is a pause, then the voice returns.
âTrainers, I have trusted in your skill, ability, and judgment since we first landed in Asper. For what may be the last time, I must ask you to trust mine.â  THUNDERFALL: CYCLE 5As you from crimes would pardon'd be, Let your indulgence set me free The cannon battery explodes in a barrage of light and grating sound. Beams of harsh silver light slash upwards, tearing past Zapdos like long, radiant bullets and punching into the rainclouds above.
"Enough of this!"
Zapdos slams his wings against the air, throwing up slick, glassy shields of reflective light. The first shots bounce off the shield, but Zapdos doesn't stick around to test his strength against the firing squad. Before the second volley can begin he's off, cutting through the skies like a scimitar, his wings whirling in great slashing, hopping waves. He rides the currents up, buoyed by the roasted air from the cannon battery. At the peak of his climb he pulls in his wings and dives, plunging like a lightning bolt before snapping back to a level flight. The trainers on his back are thrown around, their Pokemon battered by turbulence, gravity, and lasers that get too close.
Zapdos banks, reluctantly showing his broad side to the cannons as he puts up more reflective screens. The air is filled with slices of Psychic energy, hanging in space like sheets of glass frozen in time.
This isn't war for Zapdos, this is survival.
A frantic, furious bid for survival in the face of his own premeditated destruction.
"You three who returned my wings, I ask you what you would have me use them for." He snarls over his shoulder to Verai, Kazuki and Aero. "You asked what I wanted. I cried for you to leave. I would fly you to a distant land, across distant seas, carry you on my back to the corners of the world, if you would leave me be."
Beams of steely light burn through the air, ricocheting off the Light Screens and shattering some of them in bursts of shattered light.
But Zapdos can only evade for so long.
Finally a beam strikes the Shrine. Upon contact with the metal the Giant Shrine sticks in the air, now caught in the middle of a titanic tug of war.
"Humans, I am not your weapon, I am not your friend, but neither am I your enemy," Zapdos rasps, struggling against the impossible weight. He is borne down, inch by inch, foot by foot. "I would aid you as no others can, of my free will. I would fight with all my strength alongside you, as I have against you. Do not be so foolish as to kill what you cannot control, as your violent kind have always done!"
The manacles at his ankles strain, iron bindings drawn down towards the deadly light. Always the prisoner, even when his chains were broken.
Will you set him free at last?
"Aid me now. Reverse what you have wrought."
Time slows.
Zapdos, struggling to pull the Giant Shrine away from the beams that ensnare it like spiderwebs of light. Ash, shouting over the speakers. The roars of Duraludon. The whine of charging lasers. It all fades, replaced by the calm rush of wind in your ears.
Music fades in, alongside a visual popup that hovers before your eyes like a double-sided leaflet. Two images. One choice.
Ten breaths pass, deep and slow, before time resumesâ and the world calls for your answer.
 |  | [tangent= CLEANSE MISTRA IMMEDIATELYATTACK ZAPDOS/THE GIANT SHRINE- The Legendary Birds will be destroyed and the three Asper Shrines will be permanently depleted.
- Area 2: Mistra will open for play, entirely cleansed of Corruption and with new wild Pokemon.
- Trainer Subclass: Parasite and Corruption Effects from Bunya's Lab will no longer be obtainable.
- Professor Ash will resign her position on moral grounds, replaced by Dr. Bunya
- "Safety and known variables take priority over all else. Zapdos's individual consent to use his power is not necessary. He is only one voice, and the majority rules."
] CLEANSE MISTRA IMMEDIATELY[/tangent] | [tangent= FIND ANOTHER WAYDESTROY THE DURALUDON CANNONS- Zapdos will be spared and will fly players across the Western Sea to the mysterious Area 3: Ostellia, where answers may be found.
- Players will unlock Zapdos DNA.
- Area 2: Mistra will remain a dangerous Corruption Zone for now. Players may continue researching Corruption, for good or for ill.
- Professor Ash will be dismissed from her position on grounds of failure, replaced by Dr. Bunya.
- "We do not have enough information to justify condemning our most powerful allies to an early grave. Mistra is a passive threat for now. There may still be another way."
] FIND ANOTHER WAY[/tangent] |
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