A Baptism by Flames

[bravenewmods]

"It's here."

The feed to the Warp Band flickers on. The image projected is intensely distorted and shaky, showing nothing but the too-close face of a woman. She's running; it's obvious from her breathing and the way she keeps glancing over her shoulder. Though her voice is carefully calm, spitting out words between each breath, she's continuously interrupted by the sound of an enraged bellows from close behind.

"This is Mamir, of the Eastern Gale Tribe. The beast has emerged again, southwest of our tree."

The video flickers terribly as she thrusts the Warp Band behind her - it's incredibly difficult to get a good view: blurred images of an enormous, seemingly grinning face, of swarms of... somethings darting through the skies in a panic, of waves of some liquid rippling out through the plains leaving trails of steam and smoke...

And then, through no planned effort of her own, the running Valkyrie takes a few steps without jostling her arm, and a clear view of the creature is displayed for the world to see. It bellows again and a plume of fire erupts fifty feet into the sky.

"Matriarch! It's advancing quickly! We're keeping it at bay for now, but we have to retreat! Our companions - they refuse to obey commands - they're too afraid to get near. I... I've lost Aerie."

It isn't entirely clear who or what Aerie is, as a shockwave echoes through the plains, sending the Valkyrie tumbling through the ground. The image on the Warp Band distorts wildly before it cuts off into static.

...

Hardly ten seconds later, the feed flickers on again to display the grim countenance of the Matriarch.

"Well. I think it's in everyone's interest to get rid of this thing before it heads say, west towards a certain comfortable volcano, or south to warmer climates, don't you think? My girls could lead it in circles to another destination, but we'll keep it in the plains if you step up to the plate."

((This is the final portion of the event, and the first Legendary Pokemon (openly) encountered within the game. In dimensions, Heatran is about 12 feet in height and 20 in length. Like all Legendary Pokemon in this game, it exudes an aura that induces fear and terror in all opposing humans and Pokemon. This sensation can be mastered by the strong willed, but is difficult to overcome. Also like all Legendary Pokemon, Heatran is incredibly powerful and should be handled with care.

Please remember to sign up here and post in your groups. Each group may individually choose how they approach this situation; in terms of RP, it will be considered that each group runs into Heatran in a separate location on the Plains and confronts it before it moves on to the next group. There are several potential outcomes depending on how the majority of groups respond to this threat.

Thanks and have fun! We'll be responding about once every 24 hours regardless of whether or not the whole group has posted, as per our usual policy. Questions can be asked in the sign-up post.))

Comments

Pamela, Lenna, Lute, and Feliks's group

[niepokonany]

There wasn't much at all that Feliks liked or trusted about this situation.

The Valkyries--he suspected they'd grow on him. They had a taste for mischief and a carefree air that agreed with his own temperament, even if he hadn't met them on the best of terms. This whole thing with the giant Pokémon, though? A hot mess, and that wasn't even an intentional Fire pun. What was it? What did it want? Even just seeing the video of it, he was gripped with a fear unlike any he'd ever known. It seemed utterly alien to him, its size and its fury, and he didn't have the first idea of where to begin.

His family had raised him to love Pokémon, and to respect and fear the gods. But that didn't mean he shouldn't try to protect people and Pokémon, right? He had to start somewhere. He had to try.

Which was why he was out on the plains in spite of himself, hands shifting nervously in Jove's fur -- he was the more unpredictable of the two Rapidashes, so if he was going to lend one out, it made more sense to ride the harder to handle one himself. Still, he tried to play down his fears in front of the friends he'd brought--to put on a brave face and keep smiling, keep joking.

"At least we totally don't have to worry about getting snuck up on!"

You know, with a giant lava-gushing monstrosity.

Lucas, Merrill, and Arado

[a_gentle_boy]

You could say the situation was warming up or maybe that they'd ventured onto uncertain ground.

Regardless, Lucas had latched on to the first group he had seen heading out towards the Plains and the Citadel in search of this new menace. Despite how terrifying this creature was and despite that he was quite certain his yo-yo would bounce useless off of its carapace and instantly disintegrate, whatever this thing was would pose a threat to... well, pretty much the whole world, right?

Nothing like this had ever appeared before...

As they emerge into the heart of the Plains, Lucas silently begins to raise a glowing hand as he layers buff after buff onto himself and his companions. ...Attack Up. Defense Up. Counter. PSI Counter. With each psychic casting, a new shimmering light flares up around them...

"...Can anyone really win in a fight against that thing?"

[toxicrevenger]

Both Pine and Hibiscus had been with her when Pamela first caught a glimpse of that enormous Pokemon. They'd all been sufficiently frightened by the thing that her Glaceon and Rapidash had agreed to put aside their mutual dislike for one another until this was all over. Pamela remembered even being alarmed by the description Matriarch Frea gave, but that didn't do the monstrously large Pokemon justice now that she'd seen what it looked like.

Still, she was going to see this through. She had her friends with her and they all had Pokemon companions. Perhaps they could try to reason with it. And if that failed...well, she didn't relish the prospect of fighting, but if it had to be done, it had to be done. This single Pokemon posed a massive threat to the people of the Citadel and all of their Pokemon. It was demolishing their food supply and damaging the general environment as well.

She couldn't stand by and do nothing.

"If we manage to miss a Pokemon of that size sneaking up on us, we deserve to be snuck up on," Pamela remarked, chuckling. Leave it to Feliks to manage to stay upbeat in the face of overwhelming odds.

[my_father_is_a_tycoon]

Lenna's Pokemon are attuned to her Warp Band and ready to come out at a moment's notice, but for now they're on standby as she holds on tight to Pamela, riding on the back of her Rapidash. Heatran was certainly far larger and scarier than she'd ever been able to imagine, but that was all the more reason to do her best to help.

"I just hope it'll listen... There's got to be a reason it's so angry, and so far away from wherever it normally lives."

She sincerely doubts that all of this happened in a vacuum. And while she's not necessarily saying that it's something the Valkyries did to anger this Pokemon, it's certainly a possibility she's privately entertaining. It could have even been accidental. But whatever is happening here, she's pretty sure this is not a normal state of affairs.

[bleeding_heart]

"Oh! That's a very useful trick. It feels very... safe."

Merrill is her usual distressingly upbeat self about all of this. It comes with having a broken sense of self-preservation. This is the same person who thought nothing of bonding a still-sealed Spiritomb with forbidden blood rituals based entirely on its say-so. So it's not too surprising that she's so calm in the face of certain death here.

"I suppose we'll find out soon, won't we?"

Very soon, from the look and sound of things. What with the plumes of fire erupting everywhere and the unearthly roar that accompanies them. And even though her tone is casual bordering on flippant, there's certainly an edge of determination in Merrill's expression as she readies her staff.

[demon_of_sforzando]

"I think it will. Most Pokemon are reasonable if you give them the chance to be."

Says the guy with what has to be the most unreasonable line up of Pokemon ever. He has managed to convince them to wait on standby though. It just wouldn't be practical any other way given their mode of transportation.

He also thinks that the Valkyries probably angered it in some way. Very likely by accident, since the Matriarch couldn't recall anything specific. But hopefully the misunderstanding can be cleared up. If not.... If not then he does not relish the idea of fighting against something so powerful and terrifying. But let's stay positive for now. Things will work out.

Asemu, Rise, and Alice

[second_destiny]

Asemu was scared, yes, but he was also confident. After all that he had been through in the past six months, he was far stronger now than he had ever been. He also had a long list of Pokémon at his call who were eager to help.

Still, he wasn't quite sure what kind of Pokémon they would be up against. All he knew was that it was a Fire-type, and he came prepared. His Warp Band was lined with his Gyarados and Pokémon with the Flash Fire ability, and he himself had a resistance to it.

At the moment, though, they can't see it yet. Normally he would be up in the air, scouting, but his team currently has a person on it who makes that unnecessary.

"Sense anything yet?"

[wildflight]

"We can do this," Arado says. He takes a step forward. He already shifted; the young man is presently a scyther, with arm blades out and ready for fighting. The wings flutter lightly -- and then he lifts off the ground. The sense of unease is only growing, so he tries to fight it back willfully, and then he glances back at Merrill, then towards Lucas.

He focuses -- and then golden light glows around his insectoid frame -- as he does a quick Focus Energy, to prepare.

"Just gotta give it our all!"

[celebrity_commentator]

Rise is standing perfectly still, eyes closed and focusing her mind on the world around her. Toyo and Orihime, her Staryu, are on guard for when the fiery monster appears.

"There's something out there," she says, shuddering involuntarily - even without seeing it, sensing the opponent was enough to give her the heebie-jeebies. "Whatever it is, it's not a normal Pokémon..."

[bravenewmods]

Even from a distance, the lumbering creature is imposing. Lava seeping from its pores, its tracks leave scorched earth and the charred remains of trees in its wake. The air is hot and dry as they draw closer--oppressively so--however, the thing doesn't seem to notice that it is being approached.

As they do draw closer, an aura of fear hangs menacingly in the air, affecting any that happen to come near it. Its back turned toward them, it appears to be moving in the general direction of Citadel.

[niepokonany]

The heat never bothered him, anyway, but the dryness is pretty brutal--even at a distance, it's like he can feel the water being leeched out of him. And more than that, something awful and unfamiliar grips at his heart, filling him with the sensation that he shouldn't be here, that he should run as far and as fast as he can from the dreadful destructive power in front of his eyes. His Pokémon appear to feel the same; both of his Rapidashes slow down, and Jove gives an incredulous sort of whinny.

...It's going towards people. No, it's no time to stop. Feliks squeezes the Rapidash slightly with his legs, a gentle reprimand.

"Come on, are you like, that scared?" He is. He's shaking. But his mind is made up that he'll do what he can for the people in danger, regardless. "Let's go! We should find a way to distract it..."

Jove prances uncertainly in place for a moment. Feliks seems sure, but look at that thing!

[bravenewmods]

The creature gives a mighty roar as it continues at an even pace. With each footfall, barren ash is left in its wake. At this point, the entire team might as well be insects, it pays them no mind at all as it continues its singleminded journey toward the Citadel.

[a_gentle_boy]

Lucas draws in a sharp breath as it comes into view. His hands are trembling, and there comes a moment when he visibly compares the stick he clutches in his hand towards the size of the monster. What could they do against something like this? What move would even affect this creature? For the first time, he thinks he understands how a global massacre might have come about...

And here they were, three people awkwardly sneaking up on it as if they could hope to affect its path.

He exhales a long breath before a bright light flashes on his Warp Band.

"Wisp..."

A Castform appears and blinks at the creature before them for a few moments before quickly floating around to hide behind Lucas's head.

"Make it rain."

A squeak is the only response, but... it's like watching the world move in fast forward. Clouds swoop in much faster than it should be possible and the first drops of water begin to descend from the sky.

[bleeding_heart]

Merrill, seeing this display, quietly reaches over to activate her own Warp Band. Two of the lights flash briefly, and within moments her Croconaw and Drilbur are standing next to her. They are both appropriately awed by the giant in their midst, but some calming thoughts from their trainer go a long way to help them calm down.

"Get ready."

Her voice is a low whisper, obviously aimed at her Pokemon and companions, but her gaze is squarely fixed on the Heatran as she raises her staff and begins to chant. With any luck, the Sleep spell she's casting will cause the monster to lose its senses for long enough for them all to plan a strategy.

And if not... well, that's why the Drilbur is already digging under the ground as the Croconaw gets ready to take advantage of that rainstorm.

Haruka, Michiru, & Hotaru

[actsmagnificent]

....This can't be real.

Keeping her distance for now, Haruka stares up at the fiery monstrosity and tries not to notice the lump in her throat. They've done it: she'd know that even without the psychic impulse tearing into her head, telling her not to look away. The fear and awe the creature inspires is more than enough to earn it the title she's afraid - her, afraid? But it's true - to voice.

She finds her breath, though, even if it's just to take another awestruck gasp. Right. They have to do something about this, don't they? Even if she doesn't care for the Citadel's denizens....Even if she doesn't want to be used by someone who'd kidnap others and then expect favors in return for their safe release....If this is what they've been searching for, is the true nature of their mission to keep these Pokémon from destroying the world? Humanity's fought too hard for its foothold to have it all undone again!

"This...is a god?" she asks no one in particular; her hands clench and unclench at her sides. Right. This is no time to be giving in to her emotions. They've done it, they've finally done it!

And if this god thinks mankind's due for another mass extinction, she just might have to show it how well they've evolved since the last one.

Cordelia, Robin, Chie and Shyvana

[aerial_ace]

Years of training alongside her father. Time spent with both the Swords of the Savior, as well as the Rangers. The utmost confidence in her own, and her pokemon's, skill in battle. It seemed to mean little to nothing in this moment.

Fear was normal, it was a perfectly logical human reaction. It was when one wasn't afraid in the heat of battle that mistakes were made and lives were lost. Even still, knowing that she was far the most experienced there and that there were certain expectations that came with this, Cordelia faltered, if only for a brief, fleeting moment.

Swanna was restless as the beginnings of a rain shower rolled in, and her steadying the bird's reigns was enough to hide her slightly trembling hands. To untrained eyes, she seemed the perfect soldier, but inside, she wanted to run far, far away.

This was what had brought them to the precipice of extinction? She began to wonder how they managed to pull through--

No, those weren't thoughts she needed to have. A deep breath, steeled resolve; she looked and sounded completely unaffected. "We approach together. Stay close, and rely on each other. It looks slow, and until we learn otherwise, we need to use that to our advantage. Fight only if or when necessary, and be prepared to fall back at a moment's notice.

"Robin, can you tell me anything about it? Anything would be useful. Chie, do you have any ranged attackers? We don't want you getting too close. Shyvana, would you be able to communicate with it over a longer distance? We may need to get its attention, but I don't want to get too close immediately."

[footprints_on_your_face]

"R... right..."

Chie can't even remember the last time she was this worried about going into a fight against a stronger opponent. She'd always looked at it as an opportunity to learn and grow stronger. But this... this was beyond anything she'd ever faced before. Any mistakes here wouldn't just be a chance for growth and learning - they'd likely be fatal. The full weight of that is slowly sinking into her thoughts as she nods at Cordelia, the heat almost too much for her half Ice type body to bear.

"U-um..."

She lifts her hands and slaps the sides of her face to try to break herself out of it, meeting with marginal success. At least enough to talk and give coherent answers, anyway.

"My team's mostly front line fighters. My Hitmonlee is the strongest, but if this thing's made of fire, I've got a Donphan, a Gabite, and a Claydol that can probably hold their own with Ground attacks."

She pauses for a moment to think.

"And a Lumineon. That one can do range with Water type moves, but there's no place for it to swim here."

[incousinswithyou]

Michiru's arms are folded across her torso, and she's practically hugging herself. Her face is smooth, betraying little if any of the screaming impulse to turn tail and run. None of this bodes well for them, and if anything, it only paints in the minutiae left out of her apocalypse dreams.

She exhales quietly. Her dreams are going to get that much worse, huh?

"That will depend on your definition." Yes. Yes it is. Even if it feels like power is the only prerequisite.

Michiru glances at Hotaru, worry finally making it into her eyes.

[threemoms]

Hotaru's body was tense, frozen. Fear was coursing through her body. Normally, when she felt afraid or threatened, she would transform into her Absol form - it felt safer, and more it was easier to conceal her emotions - but the fear had struck so suddenly and so intensely that she couldn't even consider that.

Quietly, she whispered, "I'm scared."

But what were they going to do about that? She glanced over at the two women who took care of her. Haruka and Michiru, both of them, they didn't look afraid, not like she was. She tried to steel her own expression, with little success.

Louder, she said, "I-I can still fight, though." Even if every thought in her head was to run, run far away, she would force herself past those thoughts. They were allies now, right? What would they think if she ran away?

[bravenewmods]

As they quietly whisper among themselves, it seems to pause off in the distance as if it knows what they're speaking of... That is, of course, impossible, but nonetheless, its head swings back and forth as if searching for something.

It must be a trick of the mind brought on by the stress, but it almost seems to lock eyes with the three before it breathes out a tremendous screen of smog that momentarily cloaks it from view. When it's cleared, it is on its way across the Plains once again.

[master_tactician]

...

Robin is silent for a moment.

"Nothing. I can't see anything about it. Everything is undefined, my sight cannot penetrate it."

He seems a bit shaky, to say the least, but he's holding it in reasonably well.

[actsmagnificent]

The creature's influence over Haruka dissipates somewhat along with the fog; its eyes haunt her, but she no longer feels frozen in place. That was...that was it? They finally find it, and then it ignores them and moves on?

"Wait!" she calls, starting as if she means to to take off after the creature. Plan, okay, yes, they need a plan. Which direction along the Plains is the Pokémon headed? If it's aiming itself at the Citadel, they need to try and divert it from that course. "We've searched for you!"

Not that it cares. Why would it? Why would a god care about a few humans? Haruka's spent years hoping to find these Pokémon, hoping she can keep history from repeating itself. She's still sensible enough to stop if somebody calls out to her, but she can't let things end like this. She has to prevent disaster. That's been the real Mission all along.

[incousinswithyou]

Michiru gives Hotaru a light squeeze about the shoulders. She might have said something, but she's too busy reaching out to grab Haruka's arm.

"If we're going to talk to it..." Her Warp Band glows, and her Gardevoir appears. Usually unflappable, Gardevoir stares wide eyed at Heatran, and then shrinks closer to Michiru.

Michiru holds Gardevoir's gaze for a long moment, until the Pokemon gives a shaky nod. There. Now they have Teleport at the ready if Heatran objects with lava or something.

Mission or not, Michiru's priority is to keep them alive. For the most part.

[toxicrevenger]

Pamela's eyes widened, and the oppressive heat and dryness coming off of the Pokemon was enough to make her feel a little short of breath. Or perhaps it was the fact that she'd started hyperventilating a little without realizing it. Fortunately, she was a rational person. She did feel emotion just the same as everyone else, but she was better able to push past it than some. She shut her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath.

"All right. We can do this. Let's see if there's any way we can possibly reason with it... Maybe something was taken from it."

Most Pokemon can be reasoned with. Most, but not all. Pamela only hoped that this one would be one of the reasonable ones.

"We'll try reason first, and if we have to fight, Pine can use an ice attack on it for starters."

Her Glaceon nodded solemnly, although it was clear none of her Pokemon were eager to face the massive Pokemon destroying everything in its path. Only Delphinium the Luxray seemed the least bit eager, but he had the tendency to get aggressive when he felt afraid.

[my_father_is_a_tycoon]

Lenna stares off at the lumbering beast for a moment as it slowly makes its way toward the Valkyries' home.

"Well... I suppose we should try to get its attention first."

You can almost hear the Kricketunes chirping. It's certainly not a job Lenna herself is looking forward to. And she feels bad for what she's about to do, but finds herself looking toward Lute all the same.

"Um... Lute, you can talk to Pokemon, can't you?"