Event - Confrontation with the Enhanced

[bravenewmods]

With the revelation of the presence of the Enhanced, Union was able to quickly mobilize. As the strange conditions continued to worsen, the Trainers of Union once again set out to bring order to the chaos.

This time however, they do not walk entirely alone. A small, dedicated team remains behind in Union, sorting through the dossiers and information that Crystal and Rory have collected. Connected to those in the field via Warp Band network, hopefully they can identify the Enhanced and find a way to calm them before a tragedy occurs.

[OOC: There will be a thread for each active team based on the sign-ups. Any areas that did not have any sign-ups will not be present and will be addressed later. As per our usual standards, moderators and NPC helpers will progress the log at least once every 24 hours. The Union log will work somewhat differently from the battle logs in that the participants will be collecting information concerning the Enhanced; when enough information has been accumulated, they will be asked to tag into the battle threads to provide guidance and support to those out in the field.

Characters participating in the Union log will function as support staff for this event. They will have their own log interacting with Rory and Crystal and as characters in other logs encounter the Enhanced, they can use the observations made to try to find out more about the Enhanced in the field and help the people in the field determine an appropriate situation. Because of this, players in the Union thread may threadjack any ongoing log to relay information as needed.

The outcome of this event will depend very much on player decisions and the ability of the characters to respond to the threats at hand, so we would highly encourage you all to tag as regularly as possible. Thanks!]

Comments

Flower Grove

[bnw_void_npcs]

The flower grove was much changed from its normal state. Rings of mushrooms lined it, pushing out all save the beautiful Gracidea blooms that fought mightily against the incursion. The air was twisted, crackling with an unnatural fey energy. It was almost as if the grove were a different world entirely...

[a_gentle_boy]

"Ah..."

This... was not what he had expected. Lucas had taken the warnings of the researchers to heart - he was not inclined to scream and yell, regardless of the situation, and so he had quietly listened to everything that had been communicated throughout the last few days. There was a good chance they could be helped. And as a healer... he had all the more duty to wish to help.

He had been concerned about the Flower Grove all the week, and so when the call came for the investigation, he was first in line.

"This is terrible. If this is the projection of their powers... they must really be suffering." He shakes his head. "I think it's going to get dangerous - if anyone would feel more comfortable with some defense... I can erect some shields."

He tentatively begins to step forward towards the mushroom rings, a Togetic held in his arms.

Caldera

[bnw_void_npcs]

Arrivals to Caldera were met with a terse greeting. The Rock Legion was at its wits end trying to keep things in order. A lot of the towns steel Earthkin had been conscripted into trying to find the source of the anomoly and quell its power. While this has worked, to an extent, the "person of interest" had been driven underground. On request of Rory, the Steel Battalion hadn't moved to eliminate the threat. Yet. Union's team would have but a few hours before General Ironborn gave the order to eliminate the threat once and for all.

[stop_cannontime]

Jayce arrived with his Mercury Hammer at the ready and his Warp Band filled with his strongest Pokémon. He immediately approached the first authority figure he could find to get a better idea of the situation and to then be permitted to approach the "person of interest" driven underground.

This time, he was all business.

Old City

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

Entering the Old City, the lamps flicker to life, their light dim through centuries of dust and grime. The light casts odd shadows through the streets which, strangely enough, appear to be full of life. Children silently laugh as they run down the cobblestone avenues, chasing each other without a care in the world; men and women carry about their usual business, looking over what might have once been storefronts, but were now piles of ruin and debris.

Their colors muted, upon closer inspection, it does not appear to be a trick of the light--these people were no longer living, and seemed otherwise blissfully unaware of their state. These specters, moving through their daily lives as if they still had them, have yet to notice anything is amiss.

[bladeisme]

[He'd resolved to himself that he would go down after talking to Rory - After learning what was really causing all the ruckus down there, no matter if he was stuck in his pokemon form. Despite his misgivings and outright aversion to the place, he'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't falter. This time, Ichigo would save the Enhanced down here and protect Union - no matter what it took.

But he didn't expect this.

He'd heard about the whispers, the faint almost catches of voices down in the old city. But this...

The shiny Aegislash attempts not to say anything, tries not to show any signs that he's deeply, deeply shaken. But this...all of this...

...it's like...his dream, back then...but without the screaming and death and fighting. It's even reminiscent of a time after that, a time he only remembers with feeling alone.

Were they real, or were they illusion? If they were real...then he may have well have been one of them, not too long ago.

Hitoshi, his shiny gallade, is at his side - and the pokemon notices his trainer's discomfort, but says nothing. This has to be painful for him - but if he will try to work through it, then he won't do the disservice of drawing anyone's attention to it.

After a moment, Ichigo collects himself, and 'speaks']

..they're probably deeper in. Be careful.

[The speech is directly heard in people's heads in Ichigo's voice - his way of speaking when he doesn't have a mouth.]

Mountain

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

The mountain continues to bleed from two gaping holes; the one side exuding slowly flowing magma, and the other a sheet of ice steadfastedly freezing everything in its path. At times, they crossed paths, resulting in enormous jets of steam rising into the air. The atmosphere is somber - the Pokemon have long since fled this region. There does not appear to be any life here, human or Pokemon.

Mountain

[faithfulflame]

Casius snorts as the group of investigators approach, presumably from the ice-side so as not to melt, the big canine's breath coming up in a puff of steam. He didn't like this, not one bit. This was going to be very, very bad. Rei marches alongside him, trudging through the snow, bow hanging within easy reach at her back, and she's intent on her goal. There's something very, very wrong here, and she's careful to keep her psychic presence held in, not wanting to accidentally brush her empathy sense against a potentially insane Enhanced.

Slowing her step, she turned sideways to watch both the group at large and the two holes.

"So, we're here. I suppose the next step is to find the source, but where should we begin?"

The Desert

[bnw_ax_npcs]

Rain pours down in sheets across the once arid landscape, and the low-lying areas are beginning to flood. Lightning flashes overhead, and the air is thick and muggy, adding an oddly cloying sense to the already tense atmosphere. Dried up creekbeds overflow with water, and the forces at work here are threatening to sweep away all the wild plants and Pokemon in a massive deluge...

The Desert

[taudriver]

Takuto was dressed in a large poncho, having come prepared for all this rain. Even still, the storm was intense.

"Is everyone all right!?"

Rolling Plains

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

The once calm grasslands are thick now with bugs and creepy-crawlies of every known species filling the air. Definitely not a place for the entomophobic. Though not initially aggressive towards visitors, several swarms of the more aggressive insects swoop around those who venture into their domain... and in time, they will no doubt begin to openly attack.

The pattern of the swarms across the region is sporadic, but there appears to be a recognizable gradient, with a particular concentration at the southeast end.

[second_destiny]

Asemu led the way into the area, eyes constantly moving. He was on the ground for now -- best to avoid attracting attention until they wanted to. He was keeping an eye out both for aggressive Bug-types and any unusual figures that might approach.

"Anyone notice anything yet?"

Forest Shrine

[bnw_brantron_npcs]

The area around the Forest Shrine, normally bright and serene, has changed deeply over the course of the past week. The area has experienced rampant overgrowth, the trees twisting in on themselves to form a canopy that blocks all but the dimmest of light from the outside. The plants are covered in thorny growths, adding to the area's inhospitable feel.

Forest Shrine

[underwearfortomorrow]

[Yeah, this was definitely bad. Not only was his bad feeling earlier amplified, but knowing the source just sort of made things worse. The Enhanced, they were called. Thinking about their circumstances makes his blood want to boil. He tries to keep calm, though. The situation is way too dire for him to be losing his cool.]

[Ignoring the way frost is left behind in each of his foot steps, Eiji cautiously looks around what used to be the Shrine. Hina and Eclair are both close, watching his back.]

Ruins

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

The Ruins, a strange and perplexing monument in its own right, appears to be in rare form, the air around it shimmering and undulating wildly. It appears different somehow--newer, yet at the same time not--and much taller than it was originally. Reaching toward the clouds, the building hangs ominously overhead, although it is hard to say just what is real and what is illusion. But the doors are open, and they are ever so inviting.

Ruins

[victimlessdetails]

"Well that's something you don't normally see out here," Isabela said, following the semi-real line of the towers with her eyes and squinting.

"Going in the front door feels unnatural, but we may as well check and see what's in there," she pointed out, sauntering toward the door and checking for anything dangerous-looking as she walked.

Ocean

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

Mighty waves crash regularly onto the shore now, resulting in a strangely awe-inspiring sight. Though the weather is unaffected, the very sea itself appears to be engulfed in rage. Whirlpools have formed all along the coast, visible now with the naked eye, and any travelers out into the seas without an incredible amount of navigational skill will find that their boats and Pokemon are quickly tossed back against the coastline.

Those who still insist on venturing to this region may feel a strange hum in the back of their minds.

[outtahere]

The only person with an incredible amount of navigational skill is at the Ruins, so the group's left with Banzu, who's not terrible by any stretch but has less than a year's experience at the whole seafaring thing. That said, he knows the subtleties of operating Pathfinder better than anyone and is keeping both hands on the wheel at all times. The Pokémon he has with him aren't the team he'd normally use for a trip, but considering the circumstances he had to make some adjustments. His Beheeyem has strapped himself to the railing at the bow to psychically relay warnings of whirlpools and other hazards back to the wheelhouse. Normally this would mean that his Smeargle would be resuming engine room duties, but considering the unpredictable situation he needs to be on call to assist the others and possibly Sketch a move if necessary. This leaves the Riolu who's been following Banzu around as the best option for engine room duties, much to Banzu's annoyance. His Carbink is available for defenses, and his Rotom for attacks of various types. Banzu himself has his Thunder Wave handgun and his Steel-type shotgun on him, the former in case paralyzing their target will work, the latter in case nothing does.

Banzu made the suggestion before they departed that the rest of the group might want to tie themselves to the ship with ropes, but he hasn't pressed that issue. He has ensured that the forward deck is clear of all obstructions and nothing will rattle about belowdecks, allowing the best possible environment for fighting and fast movement that the situation allows.

[For more details on the ship, see here.]

Union

[naturaldissension]

As promised, Crystal and Rory have managed to collect some information concerning the escaped Enhanced, setting up a workshop in the University for those who wished to provide aid from a less battle-oriented standpoint. There is an obvious tension between these two - though for the sake of the mission, they will attempt to be carefully polite.

"Thank you for coming. We have here as much information as we could gather concerning the Enhanced - Dr. Verdine is attempting to dig up more files as we speak, but we can work with this for the moment."

[my_father_is_a_tycoon]

[Lenna glances up from one of the video feeds she's watching, turning to Rory and Crystal.]

The group in the Desert has made contact. There's a muscular woman with a large axe. It looks like her body is coated in water.

[radiantwingedone]

"Something breathes poison at..." ... which screen was it, it was hard to tell where it came from with the warping. "the forest shrine."

Ignore the glaring floette in his hair, she's not particularly pleased and Duke isn't really either. But they have the information...

Union

[kickboards]

If there was one thing that Rei had learned in his limited experience as a pokemon trainer, it was that the battlefield wasn't the place where he did his best work. Stepping back and observing or directing was better suited for him-- as an academic, such things were second nature.

His eyes flicked over the monitors before focusing in on the feed from the Ruins. It was a place he had some familiarity with, and he personally knew a few people in that group.

"...That isn't normal," he muttered, half to himself, frowning in concern at the flickering image on screen. There was clearly something strange at work...by the Savior, if only the resolution were clearer!

outside message

[ladyofluminosity]

[ Lux had her Band on standby from the moment they set foot in the Flower Grove. She switches it on as soon as they hear the voice and the mushrooms start activating--anyone watching may even hear a bit of the Enhanced woman speak, chilling though her words may be. Lux's voice was quiet, level, as she tried to keep her calm. ]

The space here is unstable. I'm trying to get a read now; if I had to guess, I'd say we're dealing with either a Psychic or a Fairy type. She's manipulating the space somehow. It feels like the Dream World...

[ The air shimmers for a few seconds as she very obviously casts a shield around herself. ]

We don't want to fight you, we're here to help. Please.

Outside Message

[outtahere]

[A view through the window of Pathfinder's wheelhouse comes through, Banzu's voice accompanying it.]

It's Banzu. She's shown herself. Red hair, control over water, two... [A slight pause and camera-wobble.] Make that three Pokémon, a Starmie, a Jellicent, and one more I can't see from here. Tell me what'cha got.

outside message

[evokedorpheus]

[Minato's fiddling with his Warp Band and the first thing heard is a grunt of pain as he shifts. He accidentally turned it to video, so some of the twisting specters can be seen.]

I think we're dealing with a Ghost-type here--we're surrounded by specters, this girl's got a Chandelure and a Lucario with her! Any help we could get would be appreciated...!