The Battle for Caldera

[bravenewmods]

The time for action is at hand, and the players have been set in place. Those who choose to make an attempt at diplomacy head off at the appointed time to meet with Valeria, the clerk and representative of the general who leads the Gigas army. Those who wish to take more direct action against Gigas leave with General Ironbrand to put their plans into motion. In the meantime, the refugees continue to stream into Union, while supplies are gathered and flow the other way.

The outcome of this war may very well depend on the combined results of these four efforts…

((This log will be a catch-all for all four efforts of the attempt to save Caldera. There will be four different parts of this post: Diplomacy, Aggression, Refugees, and Supplies. The first two should be well established, but the Refugees portion will encompass bringing those in Caldera who require help to Union and giving them medical aid and care, while the Supplies portion will encompass people in Union setting up shelters and gathering resources to send back to Caldera, as well as other miscellaneous tasks that may be of help. Gathering resources may entail leaving Union to explore out in other areas. You all signed up for groups, so please try to maintain these groups when posting, particularly to the Diplomacy and Aggression sections. The other two may be more free-form.

Mods will be responding at least once every 24 hours to keep the logs moving.

EDIT 5/31: Please try to group up if possible! We'll generally try to wait for threads to have 2-3 people before we jump in. Threads with 3+ may attract the attention of something a little more... interesting.))

Comments

[realmenknitplushies]

Hey. [He smiles around at them. Honestly, he's the last person who could ever fault a name like that.]

Yeah, I ain't got anyone that big, and ... my Pidgey's been kinda awkward around me lately. But looks like you guys have things covered...

[paradiseshrinemaiden]

[Yes, Reimu is an excellent dodger, and her skill set is also pretty good for taking on multiple opponents at once anyway.

She moves quickly to dodge the air slashes and counter attacks with a spread out wave of ofuda and multiple yin yang orbs aimed at the pideots.

On the ground Hiroki sets up a yawn of his own to take out more of their opponents on the ground, while Ami casts Light Screen on her teammates and allies to strengthen their defenses and Ruukoto lets loose a Swift Attack.]

[moemoetentacles]

It's totally a thief! Get it!

[Squid Girl's first response, as usual, is to shoot two tentacles out toward the offending Lotad, trying to capture and reel it back in.]

[footprints_on_your_face]

There's... a lot more people down there than I thought there'd be.

[Chie frowns down at the crowd.]

We'll have to be really careful. If we get caught, it'll be bad.

[globetrotting]

[ Those are some very odd words. She looks at him, thinking she knows what he means when it settles in, then focuses back on in front of them. ]

You're doing a very good job of that right now.

[makeitquick]

[ And Melaka's, once she confirms it is a thief is to break out at a sprint to try to tackle the thing and thereby pin it. ]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka passes over the TM and begins slowly herding the others (especially Usagi and Hotaru) towards the exit, shielding them with her body as she looks around for the source of the sound. Her head has snapped up and stayed up since that growling came.

Still, the fact that Waltz either can't or won't Teleport gets a smirk. ] Stamina give out before the big finish?

[actsmagnificent]

[ ....and there goes World Shaking, right into the caravan. You break it, you bought it, buddy: whatever they salvage, you're carting back to Caldera.

Haruka will make no excuses. She was busy noticing Michiru's peril, then being impressed (not that she'll show it) with Cubchoo. Good girl. Now fall back. You too, Murkrow - but keep an eye on those cells in case the retreat is a feint.

This isn't the greatest place to be standing, however, since Cerberus has decided to make Haruka's former target his own. She wanders over to the Captain, retrieves his sword and his Poké Balls, then makes her way to Michiru's side. If either of the soldiers seems to still be putting up a fight, she'll knock them over the head with that sword, but you ladies seem to have this pretty well taken care of.

She stoops to retrieve the PokéBalls from the soldier Michiru'd flattened against the ground, too, and turns to Michiru. Nice scarf. ] You okay?

[incousinswithyou]

[she'd send Gardevoir back, but the Pokemon is notoriously stubborn when it comes to the safety of her Trainer.

Haruka gets a smirk right back.] She might surprise you yet.

[ladies, this is so not the time. Honestly, look at Gardevoir rolling her eyes.]

[bejustorbedead]

He smiled at the woman, giving a polite nod of the head.

"It's no trouble at all, we are here to help everyone that we can." And he can't imply ignore anyone in distress.

[bravenewmods]

[The lava erupts and a strangely colored Pokemon bursts out of it, landing lightly on its feet and blocking the path. It is growling menacingly, the fur on its back raised and flames gathering around its body.]

Jumping in with permission from the other players!

[niepokonany]

[Part of Feliks wanted to go and give the representative from Gigas a piece of his mind, but that's probably why it's better that he didn't join the diplomatic force. A piece of his mind is probably not what the situation needs, and also he's unsure that he could stand being in a room with Rory AND Hans for any length of time without being suffocated by their smarm. Which is why he found himself looking for ways to use his gods-given gifts to mess with people (you know, for the greater good), and why he ended up tagging along with Jade and Sync.]

[Their talk of strategy was a little boring, and he'd started to feel his attention wander, but he perks up at the hint of a little action.]

Gods, about time!

[Reckless, him? Why, never! He summons his Exeggcute to his side.]

Hey--don't those guys look stressed out? Like they could totally use a nap!

[Taking the hint, Oberek gives Jade's Pokémon a little help with some Sleep Powder, just in case they resist the other attempts. When all three of them seem to have done what damage they'll do, Feliks summons up a field of mist that, aside from glimmering prettily in the moonlight, will offer a bit of protection--and hopefully make them a little harder to see properly, if anyone's still awake after all that.]

[threemoms]

[ Hotaru takes a step back in surprise as the lava erupts and a yellow Pokémon blocks the path. Also because if any of that lava splashed on her she'd probably die.

She's a Shifter, so she can talk to them, right? ]

H-Hey. We come in peace? [ This wasn't going to work, was it?

Meanwhile, her Litwick, which was a lot closer to the Arcanine, just pipes in with a completely-unfazed "Hi!"

Yes. Thank you, Celosia. That was a very useful addition to the conversation. ]

[a_gentle_boy]

Oh!

[Lucas seems surprised for a moment before he smiles at the three Pokemon. He dips his head a little.]

Thank you for helping us... I... I'll try to find something nice in the Flower Grove for all of you to have, too.

[bravenewmods]

[Lotad calmly continues to hop away as quickly as it can, bouncing over the two tentacles. It was just a little water, sheesh, chill out guys.

Melaka will grab it momentarily before it spits water in her face and uses the lubrication to squirm away.]

[bravenewmods]

Well, they have a few options, anyway.

They can talk to the Union people closer to the warp back home to see if anyone's matched that description. They can try and find some native Pokemon to see if they know anything about red and orange birds running around the city. They can try to use a Pokemon to track her down by scent, given that they now possess her lunchbox.

Or they can just eat the lunch it's cool.

The woman will pause for a moment before responding.

"We've... never even heard of you before. It's like a miracle from out of nowhere..."

[bravenewmods]

((24 hours, sorry! Moving on.))

[Whisper might have wanted to use Reflect, given that most of the soldiers seemed to be packing physical attacks. As the Stoutland finish identifying all of the ghosts floating around, they'll leap forward and bare their teeth, biting down with a Crunch! Dokuro and Whisper will be targeted, as will Foxfire - though she manages to blow her Stoutland back to crash into a group of soldiers.

In the air, Talonflame's ice is enough to keep the Pidgeots at bay, though they'll continue to try and strike by sending tearing gusts of wind towards Apollo and Talonflame. Gust continues to tickle, though one soldier is annoyed enough that the Pidgeot will swoop around to rake at the Drifloon in some strange attempt to deflate it. Tropius and Bellsprout should probably seek landing as quickly as they can, though Whirlwind will keep their attackers from closing in for the moment.

Reimu may be great at dodging, but her opponents aren't too shabby, either. Long years of fighting in the air cavalry have taught them how to duck and weave, and her ofuda and yin yang orbs are returned with continuous Air Slashes, attacks on each side only occasionally striking.

Finally, the Earth Power kicks in - and while the ground crackles unpleasantly and the soldiers yelp in surprise, it probably doesn't help Garen or any of the other Pokemon on their side, either.

In the meantime, nobody is really paying too much attention to a crackle -- or two crackles -- of electricity whizzing through the air. If they spot Rotom or Doyle, they assume it to be a stray Thunder Wave and duck, feeling pleased with themselves when they aren't paralyzed.

The siege engine is close. ...Now all they have to do is get past the soldiers manning it.]

[bravenewmods]

[Well, that's just about that.

Mitsuru's soldier is still conscious and laughs scornfully as Haruka attempts to steal his Pokemon wow rude.]

...Signal fire's out, ladies.

The whole army knows you're here.

You got... ten minutes...

[Up in the air, the Reuniclus will casually continue casting Light Screen and Reflect on themselves in case the three psychos down there decided to destroy everything or something along those lines.]

[bravenewmods]

[ The Gurdurr is hit with the confusion and stops in its place. However, the rest of the group proceeds forward, readying to strike whoever is closest with they're variety of weapons while the Raichu steps forward to send out some electric shocks.

And once the Gurdurr shakes off its confusion it'll join the rest of them in the formation as to not to break it. ]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[It's not perfect, but it's enough of an opening for Apollo to fish out a Persim Berry and cure Talonflame's confusion. While Talonflame engages in some high-speed aerial dodging, maneuvering, and tossing out an Ember at an opportune moment, Apollo tightens his grip and uses his Child of the Verdant Forest ability to heal Talonflame a bit.

Tropius and Bellsprout will indeed be seeking a landing/hiding spot due to the former's injuries. Assuming that they aren't chased, they can be assumed to be out of the battle until further notice.

Shiftry cringes inwardly when his Earth Power goes off closer to his allies than he'd planned, but joins Hippowdon in pulling back and looking for another place to attack from before someone decides to come check where those cracks came from.]

[inthenameofthemoon]

[ If it weren't for the fact that they were on a small rock island in the middle of a lava pit inside of a mountain, Usagi might have been in awe at the pokemon that's standing there.

There's a bit of lava that lands at her feet, causing the rock to sizzle and in proper reaction, Usagi practically stumbles backwards to avoid it. For once, Usagi doesn't end up falling flat on her butt or on her face and has a good footing on keeping herself upright! ]

Safe!

[ Good job, Usagi. That's not what you should be worried about. ]

... Hey big guy! .. Um.. sorry if we woke you up? If you let us pass we'll let you get back to your nap!

[ No, that's probably not going to help either. But, at least she's trying. ]

misread some stuff earlier, did not mean to imply we were killing people |D

[timeywimeyorb]

[It would seem that the soldiers are not quite dead, which Setsuna has to admit is a bit of a relief. She didn't need Cerberus being so violent on humans especially. She was going to have a serious discussion later about excessive force.

She sends a thought to all three of her present pokemon. Cerberus chuffs and trots back to her, Lethe and Hecate do the same.]

We need to wrap up and go. If he's right we don't have long.

[actsmagnificent]

Idiot! Get out of the way!

[ ....It just had to jump over them, didn't it. It just had to leave Haruka at the back of the procession, and with that Pokémon up here, there isn't much room to maneuver around.

She does her best, however, trying to edge herself forward around everybody else. Sewaddle peeks up over her shoulder to see what all the fuss is about, takes one look at Arcanine, and promptly disappears again. From the way she can feel his weight rolling around behind her she suspects he's fainted.

Her hero.

She reaches for the sword she'd, um. Appropriated earlier today. Murkrow, for his part, circles the guard Pokémon, sizing up the foe. This isn't a very good matchup for him...he might serve, as best, as an annoying decoy. ] We'll hold it off. Both of you, get ready to run.

[ Now all that remains is seeing whether the kids will listen. ]

yaay for "fainting"

[incousinswithyou]

[Haruka gets a nod and...great. If there was a way to get her even more annoyed, that was it. This whole debacle hardly seems worth the effort.

Leveraging herself to her feet, Michiru frowns and. Let's just assume someone or somemon helped her get most of the gunk off.] Bass.

[a rumble, and the giant sea serpent is sliding on over to the group.]

Caravan and road, then?

[somnambulatory]

[Dokuro and Whisper take their hits pretty hard. Fortunately, Dokuro is one of Jinxie's better trained Pokemon, and is quick to hit the Stoutland that was attacking it with a Disable. Hopefully that will slow it down a bit while they continue to buy some time. Whisper, on the other hand, is pretty bulky and has several healing options available, so it employs a Pain Split to return some of that nasty damage to the Stoutland that crunched down on it.

Now that Foxfire has roared its direct opponent out of the way, it follows up with a Flame Burst to attack a small group of enemies at once, attempting to center the blast on the one Whisper just used Pain Split on. They're outnumbered terribly, but with any luck she might be able to drop this one. And the Pidgeot on Waff gets what it wants, in a sense - the Drifblim looks like it's deflating, but it's actually a powerful Spit Up attack using the air it sucked in earlier.

And all the while, Sparky is getting closer and closer to those siege engines. At this point, since the soldiers are expecting Thunder Waves anyway, it starts laying a few of those down to make its path easier.]

(ooc: I'm at an anime convention for the weekend, so you guys can go ahead and finish this thread without me. Jinxie's plan of battle is pretty clear by this point, and she'll be warping her other Pokemon back as soon as Sparky has control of the siege engine anyway. Good luck, everyone!)