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

[maright]

[Mari smiles gratefully at the newcomer.]

Of course, we can use all the help we can get. Do you have any medical training?

[globalawareness]

Not really. I know first aid, but that's it. But if you need to move any heavy objects or defend yourself and the refugees, then I'm your man.

[vesselofagod]

[Kisara freezes and her eyes widen at the sight as soon as she's moved into the tent. She'd been injured before herself, seen Pokemon hurt from fighting, but nothing like this.]

Terrible... how could anyone do such a thing?

[fistfullofmagic]

[Nothing wrong with bringing along a girl. She'll contribute to the group having fabulous hair.]

[Dhaos smiles at the newcomer.]

Hello Miss Hilda. I believe more helping hands on this mission will be far more of a use than an inconvenience.

[threemoms]

[ Wow. That's a lot of lava.

Hotaru seems to be in awe of this natural volcanic wonder. Her Litwick, Celosia, on the other hand, is just happily basking in the heat. Guess they don't need her light any more though, right?

She glances over at Michiru when she's addressed, though. ] I'm fine. [ At least she's not covered in Absol fur at the moment. ] It's hot in here, but I'll survive. [ Litwick just continues to bask. Lucky fire-type. ]

[threemoms]

[ Hotaru had to admit the others were probably more suited for battle than she was. So she complied with the orders, heading to the back, senses sharp for any signs of enemies from behind. Getting caught in a pincer wouldn't be pretty.

Just because she was staying in the back didn't mean she had to be useless, right? She would be their rear defense. Yeah, that was the ticket. ]

[radiantwingedone]

[ Good point. TEAM FABULOUS HAIR, GO ]

... It really shouldn't be a problem.

[ Did he give that impression? He really didn't mean to. Laulyse scolds him a little for not watching his tone, then apologizes for her human being a bit dense. Drifloon giggles at the 'a bit' part. ]

We can do more with another person, it truly is fine.

[ and he starts down the hall, but turns around after a few steps. ]

As far as I can tell, Caldera is in a desert. Reading and a little bit of common sense indicates that water, and thus things that grow beyond.. cacti, might be in short supply. I thought to gather dry-able foods, perhaps fuel? ... any other ideas?

[bravenewmods]

((Ahh, alright, then! Thanks for clearing that up!))

[bravenewmods]

[There is another faint distortion in the air as Disable causes a sudden mental wrench in the minds of its targets. Trick Room has been disabled, but using it again would be detrimental to the slow Reuniclus, in any case.

If Setsuna has enough time to focus on each of the six Reuniclus in turn, she will find that they are nearly all identical. Anyone can tell that they're Psychic type, but being particular observant, she will note that the very air itself seems to shimmer with their psychic ability. Their highest strength is certainly in their special attack... But then, the wave of water that Michiru used has had barely any effect. Even with the Light Screen, they should be more badly damaged. They must certainly have extraordinarily high defenses as well - HP or Special Defense, one or the other. These Pokemon seem ideal, then, for guard duty.

Most unsettlingly, a brief comparison of their psychic power to Michiru's Gardevoir will show a significant difference in strength. These Pokemon are very highly leveled...

Reuniclus
Level 55
Highest Stats: Special Attack, HP
Attacks:
Trick Room
Reflect
Light Screen
Recover
Focus Blast
Psychic

They're going to have their work cut out here.

The Pokemon circling the caravan join... hands? Pseudopods? There is a low hum in the air.]

Take down the humans!

[Only Lethe is slow enough to move before the Reuniclus, paradoxically. As the hum intensifies, a massive barrage of Psychic power will collect above the six before blasting out in a concentrated force towards Haruka, the one they believe to be the biggest threat with her Dark-type Murkrow out on the field.

Water Pulse, Aqua Tail, and Moonblast all strike one of the Reuniclus, who releases an anguished mental cry. Rock Blast, Air Slash and Night Shade strike the other one with a similar reaction. They'll be too distracted next turn to release such an enormous Psychic blast, but still, they're standing. Or, well, floating.

...Is it really wise to go for the Pokemon, well trained and defensive as they are? Perhaps there is some value to the orders given just now.]

[bravenewmods]

Ah -- !

[Their conversation is interrupted by a sudden crash from a dozen feet behind them. A man lies sprawled on the ground. He had been limping along with the use of a crutch, but from the way his leg is crumpled, it's clear he shouldn't have been doing that.]

Aw, f --

[He cuts himself off.]

Freakin'...

[a_gentle_boy]

[Lucas shakes his head a little.]

The Medical Center is full up and the doctors are treating as many people as they can... We don't have any more supplies to give. Even if everyone starts making more...

[He looks disheartened.]

[withcourage]

[We can pretend Aster has fabulous hair even though he doesn't!

[Aster laughs at the Floette's comment and addresses the pokemon.]

That's okay! Tonitrus thinks much the same of me!

[He moves to follow Duke now, allowing the older researcher to take the lead. He thinks about what else they could gather for a few moments before he speaks again.]

Food's always useful and non-perishable food items would definitely be a boon to those who travel across the desert. We may want to try gathering some firewood or kindling for fire, as well, considering that deserts get rather cold at night. Not everyone has a fire pokemon that can provide warmth, after all, so I think we should consider that.

[inthenameofthemoon]

[ At least everyone else is calm. Usagi would probably be staring in wonder at the large lava pool beneath them... except Pinky has started panicking at the prospect of accidentally falling over the edge and turning into a barbequed Clefairy.

So, where is Pinky now? Scampering quickly so that she's clinging to the back of Usagi's head and using Usagi's hair as a safety belt around her waist. ]

Come on, really?! Get off! You're not going to fall and it's already too hot in here to have you on my head!

CLEFAIRY!

[bravenewmods]

There's no writing on the walls that they can immediately see, but they do notice a small structure located across a narrow land bridge on an island in the middle of the pool.

Well this is the open one, oops

[makeitquick]

[ And Melaka . . . As a guard detail for the supply trains she self-assigned herself. It feels wrong not to be ought in the fight, but she tells herself that this has merit too and she's still hesitant to fight all out on human enemies. Which sees her in this same sort of area as... this person.

Water in a desert? Weird. It's helpful, but it's weird. ]

So they'll all open to marching here?

[moemoetentacles]

Huh? Marching?

[Looking a little confused over here.]

[meguriau]

[ It's Sora the Sylveon and Keeper the Klefki that is accompanying them from Roxas' end. His two highest leveled Pokemon and they aren't even that high. Neither is he. Being dragged out here aside he really wasn't ready for this sort of thing. ]

.... Yeah. Just thinking.

[actsmagnificent]

Krow! Krow!

[ Haruka's Murkrow has definitely noticed this structure; it looks like a good place to perch, so he wheels over to take a rest. Are you people coming? Is there anything shiny here?

Haruka, meanwhile, is looking at that bridge and smirking. Sure, she's probably fine crossing it herself, but given that she'd rather Pinky not add the balance beam to her gymnastics credentials...

She looks over at Michiru with a knowingly cocky expression. Yeah, she's about to ask for a favor. What of it? ] I hate to say it, but we might be better off carpooling.

[thefloorislava]

Great... we're lost.

[Lea suddenly stops, hearing the voices and the steps. He holds a hand out to stop Roxas]

Quiet. I heard something.... Hey, Robin.

[The Zoroark nods and herds the whole group over by a wall, so he can disguise them as part of it. It's not perfect; the wall looks a little lumpy. But it'll do]

[incousinswithyou]

[Haruka gets a sidelong glance, complete with a smirk.] You could just ask for it.

[there's a joke in there somewhere, but...

Warp Band, go! And Michiru summons her Gardevoir, who's glancing around and trying not to look too impressed at all the lava.] Waltz, if you would please...?

[Gardevoir nods and Teleports them all to the center.]

[timeywimeyorb]

[Setsuna looks past their Psychic typing, that much is obvious. Even as she is assessing them she's using her own latent Psychic abilities to touch the minds of both Haruka and Michiru, a technique they had been practicing with on and off for awhile now.]

High stats in Special Attack and either HP or Special Defense. Psychic type, means we could use some Ghosts or other Dark types...or Bugs. Careful, they are high level though.

[And that's about as much as Setsuna can send mentally. She needs to refocus her efforts on the task at hand. First, she brings one more Pokemon to the field, her ever trusty Hecate. The cat immediately lunges at the pokemon with a Fake Out and Setsuna uses that as her cue to attack as well.

She shifts her gaze to the guards and falls back into the shadows again for a Feint Attack, not going for the Pokemon this time but for one of the three heavily armored soldiers.

As she moves away, Cerberus finally joins the fray, following his partner. If they're going to go after the humans then he is going to make damn sure they don't hurt his charge. Any human in his way is going to be getting a good and hard Bite.

Lethe, meanwhile, being the darling help that she is, Yawns loudly at the cells of psychic power. She's either not impressed, tired, or trying to put them to sleep too.]

[makeitquick]

... Well it's a desert. It's hot.

They ain't gonna dry up on you, right?

[ Shimmer's not here for that exact reason.

Well and she's a fish ]

[incousinswithyou]

[oh you did not just...

Gyarados gives a deafening roar, and Bites the same cell as before.

Eyes narrowed, Michiru nods, despite the fact that Setsuna probably can't see her. Her Warp Band glows again, and her Milotic appears on the field. Gyarados takes the front ranks, keeping Milotic in the back. Who immediately starts sparkling using Captivate at one of the cells.

Michiru glances at Gardevoir, and then the two of them Teleport right behind one of the other humans. And that would be a concentrated Water Pulse heading straight for him.]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka owes Lethe, like. A small mountain of Berries. Or a grooming. Something. Thanks to Disable, she gets her speed back just in time to jump out of the way of that attack, though she hits the ground hard, rolls, and barely manages to recover without heading over the cliff. Go figure, she thinks with a wince as she assesses the damage. For once it would have been useful to level the bug...

The others seem to be handling stat changes just fine, so when Haruka climbs back to her feet and assesses the situation she figures remaining aggressive - if as hard to hit as possible - is her piece of this particular puzzle. This tricky a situation requires backup, so she summons her Cubchoo. Good thing they practiced withstanding heat in the hot springs. ] Cover me.

[ Dashing over the cliff, she leaps up to attempt another human-targeted Aerial Ace, this one aimed at the man who'd originally given the orders. It won't go as well with the protection in place (and a knowing target), but hey. She knows it's a sure strike, and that gets her in close quarters to finish the fight....however she has to, if this melee attack doesn't work.

Rhyhorn, meanwhile, is charging down the hill with Cubchoo on his back and his head lowered: that's his Trainer, you jerks! He's going to Stomp on the first human he reaches, and Cubchoo leaps off to use Powder Snow on the cell Haruka's team hit earlier. She's not sure what's going on, but you've been misbehaving!

Murkrow is somewhat less swayed by emotion. He beats Cubchoo to striking their former target, swooping down in Pursuit. ]

[bravenewmods]

The small building appears to be a shrine. It's definitely old, and doesn't appear to have been visited in many years, but it's oddly in good condition - no major wear or tear can be found on it. Within the shrine are the shards of some sort of broken machinery, and nestled within those shards appears to be a small disc. A Technical Machine, by the looks of it. Additionally, there are some scrolls contained within the shrine. They appear to be in old script, but should be decipherable with some study from Union Scholars.