[ti]spawn[/ti][C/Alicia][Spawn] Is This Post-Apocalyptic Tokyo?

Fifteen minutes tops was right. Those RUNNING SHOES sure let her run fast. It still wasn't as fast as a Pokémon could gallop, but it was impressive for a player to be able to run so fast on their own accord. Yes, it was tiring, but riding was also tiring. It just stretched and stressed a different set of muscles.

Combat Log> Stakataka readies Rock Blast.

By the time she got there, an Invasive Specimen had already skittered its way toward Josh. Disguised as part of a small, abandoned building, it was easy for the... thing... to jump them from behind. A barrage of five ROCK BLASTS flung Josh out of the saddle, repeated flashing making his head heavier. And it wasn't just because of the CRITICAL HITS to the now-downed Granmarg. Photosensitivity or no, it was just harsh on the eyes to look at. He would need to adjust some settings after escaping.

"Run! Go!" Josh urged, grateful he had his pair of RUNNING SHOES to flee the Stakataka with. It was so strange to be fleeing on foot after being so reliant on his Pokémon for fast travel.

Combat Log> Escaping...
Combat Log> You successfully escaped.

"No idea," Josh added. He had only played the base Generation 7 games himself, and none of their postgame, where these species came from. Its multiple eyes were nothing short of terrifying. He was used to bugs' compound eyes, but not hundreds of simple eyes, the Stakataka truly having omnidirectional vision. "But I want nothing to do with it," he said as he clicked open Saber's Poké Ball. "More levels can't get here fast enough so I can actually have a backup mount." More levels would also help with survivability, but that was the point.

"I'm hoping that was just a freak accident. If everything here's this powerful, then we don't stand a chance," he concluded. While the creatures were few and far between, each one was dangerous. Very dangerous. "We'll have to gauge it by the--"

Combat Log> Naganadel readies Fell Stinger.

"JOSH, LOOK OUT!" Saber yelled, diving in front of him to protect his trainer from the swooping Naganadel's FELL STINGER. With a high-pitched, unnatural-sounding squeal, the Manectric was downed in a single hit. Fully-orchestral boss music played as a meter appeared in the top right corner of Josh's UI:

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Combat Log> Naganadel's Attack maximized!
Combat Log> Saber has fallen.

"Boss?!" Josh gasped. "Is this even escapable?" Before he could say any more, a large prompt obscured his vision, and could not be dismissed until he answered it.

Information> All members of the active party have fallen. Please replace the fallen party members with one or more reserve members.

BOSS |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"On it!" Josh replied, running to the edge of the combat zone as he hurled Ulysses' Poké Ball toward the Naganadel as a distraction.

Combat Log> Ulysses readies Icy Wind.
Combat Log> Naganadel readies Fell Stinger.

An ICY WIND blew from the Seel's horn, Josh's Pokémon promptly lowering it in the Naganadel's direction. While the Ultra Beast's speed was hampered by the arctic chill, its dragon-like wings continued to beat at the pace of an insect. It outmaneuvered Josh's mostly stationary ally, its rear FELL STINGER piercing straight through the layer of blubber like it was butter. The attack had inflicted so much damage that the damage numerals overlaid on top of the Seel were of a larger font size than Josh was used to. The damage was enough to KO him several times over.

Combat Log> Naganadel's agility reduced!
Combat Log> Naganadel's attack limit reached.
Combat Log> Ulysses has fallen.

Not wanting to see any more, he stepped outside the combat zone line, a bar on top of the screen slowly filling up. "Seems possible to escape if you can stay far away from it!" Josh called out, Alicia distracting the Naganadel enough for him to be able to flee. "Hold down the fort while I head to a Shrine and back!" he cried, beating feet. This was why he needed a backup mount...

Josh was running himself, and his mount, ragged as they galloped across the sands of Ostellia at full speed. Learning the timing of exactly when the horse's Sprint meter filled, he slammed his knees into Granmarg's sides again. In any other situation, the Mudadale would have protested. This was an emergency, though; every second counted.

Were Alicia Westfield to see their return, she might have been able to see speed trails surrounding mount and rider, the cavalry coming to her rescue. As soon as he re-entered the combat zone, the BOSS lifebar reappeared at the top of his UI, along with a change of music.

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Information> Combat mode activated.

Combat Log> Raiden readies Spark.
Combat Log> Naganadel readies Venoshock.

As Josh hurled Raiden's Poké Ball toward the Ultra Beast, his eyes glanced at both the enemy and ally health gauges. "You... you're something else. You're a Super Player, aren't you?" he asked Alicia. It was a reference that may have gone over her head if she wasn't a retro enthusiast. "Maybe you should be protecting me with your anime protagonist powers," he half-joked as the Blitzle tromped toward the flying Ultra Beast with a SPARK attack intended not to inflict harm, but to overload the Naganadel and make its movements even more sluggish than they already were.

Raising its long stinger, the Ultra Beast pumped a surge of venom toward Tikani and Raiden both. It was a good thing that they had avoided being poisoned so far; such a VENOSHOCK could have proven to be an instant knock-out blow otherwise!

BOSS ||||||
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Though they were all made before Josh was even born, there was something charming about pre-2000 video games. They were technological marvels, too; it was unreal how an expansive, 20 to 30 hour role-playing game could fit in a single megabyte. There would be time to reflect on that later, though; the bright flash from Alicia Westfield 's CRITICAL HIT was a sign that the battle was slowly turning around.

Combat Log> Naganadel readies Enrage.

The overlaid "CHARGE TIME 0" in front of the Ultra Beast's model made Josh's heart skip a beat or two. Their foe's attacks would come at them much faster, what with them no longer having any cooldown whatsoever. That deadly stinger would come at the duo rapid-fire. Though it lacked speed, it made up for the loss with sheer ferocity.

Combat Log> Naganadel readies Fell Stinger.
Combat Log> Granmarg readies Hi Horsepower.

Gulping, the rider withdrew Raiden, slid off Granmarg, and commanded his steed to do battle with the Naganadel. "You better be right, Alicia. Because if this doesn't work, we're probably party wiping. For real this time." The Mudsdale leaped toward the poison-type in dramatic fashion, the HI HORSEPOWER of his hooves meeting his foe's FELL STINGER simultaneously.

BOSS ||||||||||||||||||||||||

Josh got the bad news, too: with Giyun's life bar shrinking to what looked like nothing. He didn't expect either of them to last too much longer after the AIR SLASH ravaged their entire party - Granmarg included. With how rapidly the Naganadel was attacking, the Mudsdale had been struck down. After his model faded from the field of battle, a pop-up stopped the action cold.

Information> All members of the active party have fallen. Please replace the fallen party members with one or more reserve members.

There would be no time to throw in a healer. With the Naganadel on its last bar, Josh had to make a push now. The risk, of course, would be Ulysses surviving the rapid-fire stings he would almost certainly have to endure to get a single ICY WIND off.

Combat Log> Naganadel readies Fell Stinger.
Combat Log> Ulysses readies Icy Wind.

The stings came fast as a volley of jabs from a seasoned martial artist, the damage numbers cascading so quickly that they overlapped one another. Ulysses' lifebar emptied at a sickening rate. He barely managed to get the attack off before another sting would have downed him. This better be the finishing blow. Otherwise, they might be whisked back to Thunderfall Shrine empty-handed...