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

[celebrity_commentator]

The same trick doesn't work twice. Or at least, it shouldn't on a Psychic.

Rise notices the strong presence behind her with just enough time to duck and roll away from his grip - it's not graceful, but like hell she was going to get held up in the field again.

She comes up to a knee looking at the Enhanced, Toyo interposing herself between them.

Everybody hold it! she shouts mentally to the Union group.

And after a second of composing herself, she says, "Call off yours and we'll call off ours. W-we just want to talk."

[second_destiny]

Asemu immediately leaped into the air to avoid a Heracross attack, then turned in Rise's direction when he heard her telepathic shout. Seeing her face-to-face with what looked to be the enemy they were after caused his protectiveness to swell, and he immediately dropped back down to the ground.

"Yeah. Let's negotiate. It'd be nice to avoid fighting."

[realmenknitplushies]

Wait? That's - yeah, pretty obvious that that guy's the one causing the problems.
While Kanji's still holding onto his blade tightly, he gives a curt, sharp nod, eyeing the swarms in case any of them start anything else. As much as he'd be quite happy to see that asshole eating sparks for starting this mess, he's not going to go out of his way to wreck their chance at answers.

"Right," he says, calmly as he can in this situation, biting his tongue. "We just wanna know what's goin' on here." And why, exactly, it had to take the form of raging hordes of bugs. "Is that okay?"

[makeitquick]

Slugger... were you seriously put to sleep? She glances at the Donphan and frowns, and then looks over to her Staraptor and-

No, he's asleep too. And she herself was hit by a Stun Spore, and it's with creaking body motion that she tries to turn her head to see the new arrival, fails, and then resolves to just be the one to try to keep her eyes on the bugs. Not that this is a hard thing to ask, because there simply are so many. So he grits her teeth, willing her healing to kick in a little faster to get her out of this stupid paralysis. Or maybe she should warp in-

No, she can't afford to warp in now.

So she just doesn't say anything, Let them talk for now.

[toxicrevenger]

"We're very sorry if we caused any alarm," said Pamela to the Enhanced who'd revealed himself to them. "We're from the city of Union and we're here on a peacekeeping mission. We'd like to resolve problems without anyone getting hurt."

She took a slow and careful step forward, showing no intent to attack. "My name is Pamela Isley. What's yours?"

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

"I know what you want."

He doesn't seem particularly bothered that his sneak attack on Rise had failed, his eyes flickering back and forth amongst the members of the party.

"You don't want to talk. You want to take away our freedom. You want to drag us back and shut the cage and drug us until we're just mindless puppets. Don't even deny it."

His voice is loud, rising above the hum of the insects surrounding them on all sides with an edge of grandiosity.

"I am not spending my life like a bug in a jar for you to shake and prod and see what happens. Leave this place at once."

[toxicrevenger]

"I think there's been a misunderstanding here," said Pamela calmly and evenly. She annunciated each word, speaking clearly so she could be heard even over the sound of all the collected Bug types.

"The people of Union have no connection to the Gigas Empire. In fact, we're quite against things they've done. When they sought to invade and take over Caldera, we intervened on Caldera's behalf and broke their siege over Caldera. We have no interest in taking you back to the Gigas Empire, or making mindless puppets out of you."

She motioned to the group with her, gesturing to the green of her skin and other not entirely human looking features in the group in particular. "Take a good look at us. Enlightened aren't so different from an Enhanced like yourself. We have elemental typing just like you do."

[celebrity_commentator]

Speaking of which, as she stands up again, Rise is going to try and get a good read on his typing and abilities...aside from the obvious.

"Honestly, I hate Gigas on principle," she says frankly and softtly. "For exactly what they've done to you, and Team Evolution for standing by and helping them. That's why we want to help you."

[realmenknitplushies]

Yeah, Kanji knows he's not going to be the best talker, here. He knows that what he says might end up as shouting at this guy just to try and get it through that thick skull - and if he's going to take 'we want to talk' in that way? Tch.
He smiles at Pamela's remark - after all, he fits right in with the 'not quite human' features she's pointing out - but he's just going to make sure the Pokémon are okay, getting out a couple of healing items to pass around to those who've been hit worst.

[second_destiny]

Asemu nodded. "You saw what we did, right? Or me, with the beams? We're told the people of Gigas can't do stuff like that. But the people from Union have been doing it so long it's no big deal.

"And you also saw us call our Pokémon, right? We don't use Poké Balls. They're banned."

He was trying to argue by example. He wanted to show that the people of Union have lines they will not cross.

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

((24 hours!
NOTE: Hey, guys! Since I don't have any idea where this thread will go right now, I might just need to ramp this up to twice a day! Sorry for any inconvenience; tag if you have a chance, but no pressure!))

The man facing them does not seem any less agitated. He seems to actually flit - darting from one position to another with the speed of a dragonfly, pacing and panting, overcome by his own paranoia.

"Hah! You lie or you don't know and you just speak and that's the same as a lie. You'd let me be. You'd let us be. What's the harm to let us be where we need where we can be? But you're here, so you want us, but you can't keep us."

The Bugs swarm down concernedly now and he idly turns to stroke a Ledyba.

"The Team helps us, but they can't keep us. And you're the same! What are you here for if not to keep us? I won't be kept."

[toxicrevenger]

"We're here to keep the peace," said Pamela. "We don't want to harm you or keep you captive...but your powers are causing a disturbance for all of the Pokemon who call the rolling plains their home. You deserve a peaceful and happy life. So do the inhabitants of this region - Pokemon and human alike."

To punctuate her point about Unionites having more in common with him than with Gigas, she crouched down, planted a seed, and let her powers do their work until a generous berry bush grew and sprouted berries. To show that it was safe, she popped one of the berries in her mouth.

"If Union was the sort of place to keep people with special abilities captive, do you really think they'd continue to let me roam free?"

[realmenknitplushies]

Okay, Kanji's having a hard time even following what the bug-master's saying here. One thing does stand out, though, as he keeps up the healing work -

"No-one wants to be stuck in a box," he says, before handing out another Awakening to a Pokémon that needs it. "We know."

[celebrity_commentator]

Kanji's summary makes Rise smile a bit. She was starting to understand this guy a little, even if her sympathy about boxes was more metaphorical.

"All we want to do is make sure the Pokémon out here are safe," she adds, "We're not going to arrest you or something, your bugs were just getting a little out of hand, and we wanted to ask them to move on."

Meanwhile, Toyo helps Kanji out with a quick Heal Bell. Nothing offensive, just making sure everyone's ready to go.

[second_destiny]

"I'm a Ranger, and a Ranger's duty is to protect both the land and the people." Asemu stood where he was, not having anything else to contribute otherwise. "I don't want nature to come to harm, and I don't want people to come to harm, either. That goes for all.

"We need this land to be safe for travel. And you need a place where you can be free and happy. We just want to find a way where we can both get what we want."

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

"This is where I am happy. Where we are happy."

Above him, the swarm falls ominously silent at the suggestion that they 'move on'. Their attention shifts slightly towards their leader, as if waiting for a command. The Enhanced man continues to flit back and forth with agitated, incredible speed.

"There is a place for us! A place where we will not skulk in the trees or hide in the shadows, where we will go as we please and do as we wish... Do not pretend to understand; do not smile and condescend as if you 'know' what it is to be used and hated and trapped! You disdain me; you speak words you cannot keep; you think you offer hope but you will contain me in your own way..."

In the blink of an eye, he is two inches in front of Asemu, eyes wide and manic.

"How will you keep us free?"

The words are whispered.

...He expects an answer.

[makeitquick]

And finally, finally the paralysis had more or less worn off. Melaka, who had been listening, but straining to pay attention (and, for that matter, straining to not simply want to punch out this guy or the bugs, and once freed, the first thing she does is roll her shoulders, in case there is a fight here. Even if, when she turned to see the weirdo get right up in Asemu's face, she knew they might not win, despite everything.

Was this guy as far gone as Rory said?

Probably not.

So she whistles and - "Back up there little, Mint. So you're happy here, but your pals here have 'nuff to eat out here? Dunno about you, but there ain't usually bugs in this number out here, and I've been here a lot."

[second_destiny]

Well. Um. Yikes. This guy was faster still than Asemu had anticipated. He was caught off-guard, but if he were to try something like that again, Asemu would be ready -- especially since he was no slouch in the speed department himself.

It took Asemu a moment to compose himself enough to talk, though. "...Negotiation. We can negotiate with the people who...kept you. They've listened to us before.

"And yeah. What she said. You and your friends will need supplies. We can work something out. But we both have to be willing to make deals."

[celebrity_commentator]

"We'll work together," Rise said, forcing herself to keep very, very calm in spite of her instincts. "You and your friends get to be free, and we'll protect you. We'll even help your friends eat. All you have to do is work with us a little, okay?"

Don't make any demands, don't raise your voice, just keep calm...Rise does her best to communicate this to everyone else psychically, even if she's tense as a coiled spring herself.

[realmenknitplushies]

This guy is really starting to get on Kanji's nerves. He clenches his fists, trying to resist the urge to plant one of them in the Enhanced's face. They're trying to help, trying to work something out, and all they're getting is his putting his fingers in his ears before they've even had a chance? Gah.

Screw this. He's leaving the talking to the others, from here on. Or he's going to say something they'll all regret, he knows it. He drops back, just here to defend them in case anything else starts.

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

Mental illness and instability is not conducive towards rational behavior, it's true. The man seems like he wants to spit out all sorts of things in a heated response, but merely splutters manically for a few moments instead.

There may be the sense that he has indeed forgotten that indefinite maintenance of his swarm will require some work he has not considered.

A flit of the wings and he is hovering, furiously rubbing his blades together in a nervous twitch while he attends to a Venomoth for no reason in particular.

"Don't... listen to anything they say. They lie. They deceive..."

Another twitch and he is curling a Kricketot's moustache.

"...Leave your food. Then go. ....I will follow."

It seems they will have to trust him on this as he has nothing further to say. The outer edges of the swarm will slowly begin to disperse from this point on.

[second_destiny]

Asemu breathed a deep breath. Now that his personal space was no longer being violated, he felt much more at ease. He would be reporting straight to his father about this matter, and would ask him to see to it that the Council applies some diplomatic pressure on Gigas and Team Evolution to give their Enhanced people better conditions.

[makeitquick]

Leave their food...? But they have to get back. They need at least some to get back. The woman looks at Mint over there with a very flat look, but then tosses one of her packs into the throng of bugs.

"You'd be better off finding somewhere bugs are causing problems, Mint.

She needed a last word. Apparently.

[toxicrevenger]

Pamela set down the food she'd packed, and she left the berry bush she'd freshly grown there in the plains, filled with fresh and ripe berries for the Pokemon to eat. If their agitated Enhanced was instructing them to leave their food but saying that he would follow, then it seemed that at least some of their words were sinking in. He'd at least realized that he didn't have adequate supplies to feed all of the bug Pokemon with him, and seemed to be cautiously accepting that they didn't mean him immediate harm. Baby steps.

She said nothing about the fact that she'd brought more seeds with her. She'd use that to feed everyone later while they were traveling. For now, it was best not to push him too hard. He needed to see some signs that they could be trusted.

"Thank you for speaking with us. We will do what we can to help you." She turned to her Pokemon team first and then to everyone else. "Let's go." Now it was time to see if he'd follow them as he said. He seemed like he'd be able to catch up to them without any problem.

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

Who is this Mint person, god. But Melaka and Pamela won't get any particular answer as the insect man vanishes back into his swarm of bugs with a grunt. He will, of course, watch them go, and if they seem to trust his words, he will honor his own promises.

At least, long enough for someone to pounce on him and give him some sedatives.