bravenewworld | Event - Confrontation with the Enhanced

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Event - Confrontation with the Enhanced

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!]

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That's what they said, but we should still be careful.

[Martin watches the crowd, paying no attention to the strangely colored ghost until he hears the footsteps]

--he's here somewhere. Which way are the steps coming from?

[Ichigo hears the footsteps - and sees the girl walking away from them before she vanishes behind that wall.]

...! Over there...I think they went that way!

[He points with one of his tassels, looking to see if anyone else noticed her and how odd her hair was in comparison to the other ghosts around.]

[Ichigo's pointing brought Matthias' attention to the distinct color of the girl's hair as she ran off...it was hard not to notice it now that he'd seen it.]

I saw her! Careful though...let's not do anything more to scare her off, with any luck we can keep this peaceful. I mean...she hasn't done anything particularly aggressive, right?

[Gordon glances at Rex as he makes a sound, following the pokemon's eyeline. He sees the girl, momentarily taken aback by the apparent age. Admittedly, at his age, most people under 30 are kids to him, but there's kids, and there's kids. He nods to Ichigo.]

Ma'am! Ma'am, we're not here to hurt you.

[He looks at the ghosts, and follows an impulse. Making sure the apparitions can see him, he raises his hands, high enough that he'd have a heck of a time quickly getting to his gun. He raises his voice to carry.]

We just want to talk. My name's Jim. What's yours?

[Of course, for as unaggressive and friendly as he tries to project, he's still heading towards where she ran of to at a brisk walk. He's not running, not chasing, but he's definitely following with purpose.]

[Piper hangs back a bit, content to provide support and if nothing else, be ready to clear the way for a retreat if necessary. However, Voleur floats ahead after the girl, keeping pace with Commissioner Gordon. Piper debates calling after the Drifloon, but stops, not willing to draw more attention to herself.]

Stop pretty lady [Voleur doesn't exactly expect to be understood, but he wants to help]

Edited 2015-02-01 16:02 (UTC)

[Minato (who's been silently following along up until this point) quickens his pace somewhat as well, keeping just a couple of feet behind Gordon with his Zoroark on his heels.]

Please, let us talk to you, miss...? [He doesn't expect that to help, but it's worth a shot, right?]

[ The girl cast a quick look over her shoulder as Voleur spoke, panic flooding her face before she darted away. She looked as if she might have understood what it said.

They see your gun, Gordon. Big mistake. While he isn't outwardly acting aggressively, the fact that he is holding a weapon and being perceived as chasing does two things.

The specters, which had otherwise been ignoring the group, suddenly become acutely aware of their presence. They move as a collective, the immediate front line taking an offensive stance. Those unlucky individuals already in the crowd--Gordon and Voleur in particular--will find themselves facing down with the ghosts, who attempt to use Confuse Ray on them.

The rest of the group will find themselves in an equally precarious situation. Were there this many ghosts before? Stepping out from every shadow, they surround them on all sides. They don't look hostile, but ready to strike if the need arises. ]

L... leave this place, and I'll spare your lives!

[ Her voice was soft, trembling like the flame of a candle. She was scared, obviously so, her threat sounding empty. Her footsteps continued to echo, stopping, then slowing a bit, as if cowering away. ]

[...oops. Martin sheathes his sword for now, though he's ready to grab it at any time.

He hopes, the sudden influx of ghosts is messing with his head and may make him a liability, not an asset. The particularly perceptive may notice that looking at him is almost like looking at a photograph that's been exposed twice, but it's very very faint.

All the same, he calls out]

We don't want to hurt you! We want to help you. But you're endangering the city--please, can we talk?

Edited 2015-02-01 20:53 (UTC)

[Gordon freezes as the specters surround him. Keeping his posture defensive, his hunch appearing to have been right, he tries to dodge and weave the confuse rays, but perfect accuracy is perfect accuracy, and the old man isn't exactly nimble while holding his hands up above his head. He gets caught, and stumbles a bit, almost drunkenly. Rex starts to growl, it's fur standing up on end, making the small pokemon seem much bigger.]

Down, Rex. It's alright.

[His pokemon seem surprised by the order, but don't attack. They do, however, ring around him, pressing back against the somewhat staggering old man, part getting between him and the specters, part holding him up.]

There's no need for anyone to get hurt. You had me dead to rights, but you incapacitated me. It's a good instinct.

[Fumbling a bit with the shoulder holster, he undoes it, picks up his gun, holding it between thumb and forefinger by the handle like a dirty diaper. He holds it up, letting the girl see he's doing so, and, safety on, he drops it and gives it a kick, stumbling into Rex. It skitters along the street, coming to rest too far away for Gordon to simply drop down and pick it up. If he dove for it, he might be able to get to it, but he's a confused, somewhat drunkenly wobbly old man.]

A lot of us are Swords of the Savior. Do you know what that means?

[Matthias halted in his tracks, the absolute fear in this woman's voice making him hitch visibly. Everything those team members had told them about what these poor individuals...everything they'd gone through and even now, this woman wasn't being openly hostile towards them, even going so far as to only use a line of Confuse Rays which he could see go off ahead of him.

He noticed the ghosts surrounding them, but without any hostile intent on their part, he found it easier to steel himself. He took a deep breath and openly placed his staff on the ground before he unbuckled his shield and laid it atop his weapon. His cloak came off next, and then his pack, until he was standing in nothing but his plain clothes with nothing but his thermos and a cup in hand.

He spoke softly, as he was often wont to do, but his words did manage to carry across the general silence of the Old City.]

Miss...I apologize for startling you, but I assure you that we are only here to speak with you. We would very much like to help you in any way we can, if you would give us the chance to. I even brought some food, if you'd like some. It's...tomato basil soup.

[Maybe this was a risky gambit, maybe this was a quick way to get him killed...but this woman deserved as much of a chance as any of them ever had to have a peaceful life. If they could ensure that for her...well, then he'd take these risks. He looked slightly worried when Gordon was hit, but...his superior seemed to be holding his own just fine and he had a good group of friends to help him. Matthias just hoped that things didn't take a turn for the worse here and that they could all talk.]

Edited 2015-02-01 22:57 (UTC)

[Minato looks around at the ghosts, then shifts--a more open stance, with his hands held out, palms up. He wants to look as non-threatening as possible. He sets down his own bag as Toriumi adopts a similar pose.

He doesn't feel the need to say anything--maybe it'd be a better decision to allow Matthias to talk for now.]

[Voleur lets out a little trill of surprise, and then holds very still, only bobbing slightly in the air, trying to making himself look as unthreatening as possible. But he brightens a bit when Matthias mentions food]

You should have the soup! Food is good, I love food!

[Piper buries her face in her palm. Quietly, and mostly muffled by her hand she mutters]

Shut up Vol. Just... shut up.

[The girl's fear...it resonates with Ichigo, more than he can really articulate. Instantly, he wants to help her - and he finds himself moving forward, even though it might be better to stay away for now. At the very least, he's still in shield forme - and this not an obvious threat.]

We don't want to hurt you! Please...believe us.

[Hitoshi nods at Ichigo's side, falling out of his attack stance easily.]

Why not have food with us, miss?

[ Endangering the city? She was--

No, no, that couldn't be right. She wasn't doing anything wrong. She didn't do anything wrong! She just wanted to help them... Help her friends. Sakina understood. She didn't do anything wrong.

Even after things started falling apart around them. Even after they all started to lose control.

No. This wasn't her fault.

This couldn't be her fault.

...This wasn't what she wanted. It wasn't what she wanted at all. She was tired, scared, hungry. She wanted them to have a new life. Away from the pain. That pain. The pain that made her lose control. Her friends, in pain.

No. Stop thinking about it. You have to stay in control, Prisca. Carl, Chanda, please...

The specters were restless, but, for the moment, held in place, at ease. Two lights flashed, then, after a moment, the girl finally stepped out from behind a building. She was small, barely over five foot tall, her clothing dirty and worn. Beside her two were two pokemon, a Chandelure and Lucario. The Chandelure stayed close, while Lucario, his eyes narrowed, stood between the group, the specters and his trainer. ]

Please... I don't want to hurt you... The dead, there are so many, I can't control--

[ The girl stopped. A gun. That was a gun at her feet. Why did they have a gun? The handlers, sometimes they had-- ]

Ah--

[ A tremor, from somewhere deeper in the Old City; they were common, but the timing was less than ideal. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was enough to startle the girl, a look of utter panic crossing her face. ]

Don't touch her!

Leave Miss Prisca alone!

[ Lucario sprung forward, moving toward the closest targets--Gordon and Matthias--with a flurry of punches and kicks. One of you did this, didn't you?! Chandelure's flames pulsed. The one in the back. What were you doing? What was that strange pulsing around your body. You were trying to hurt her master, weren't you?! Flames turning black and lashing out, she threw a Shadow Ball straight at Martin. ]

Carl! Chanda! STOP!

[ The specters surged in her panic. They surrounded the group at all sides, forms changing, multiplying becoming more threatening, more terrifying. ]

Wai--

[Boar ends up taking the Shadow Ball for Martin while Sunflash lunges for the Chandelure, leaving Martin to try and handle the Lucario--

Only the tremors and the panicking girl and the attacking 'mons and the sudden influx of spectres are starting to get to him. The faint double image is more pronounced now, impossible to ignore. Martin's on the ground before he really knows what's going on, yelling in pain before passing out.

There is now a ghostly form of Martin, hooded and cloaked, facepalming over his unconscious body. He tries to grab his sword but of course his hand just goes right through it.

Dammit.]

[When the girl appeared, Ichigo was hoping that maybe that would be it - that she'd come with them, and a fight could be avoided.

...But then, the tremor hit - and everything went to hell. The two pokemon flew out at the group, sure they'd caused their trainer to panic, and Ichigo was thrust into battle. Martin was down before Ichigo could move - but he was a little closer to Gordon and Matthias, and he had an attack that would help-!

It only takes a second before Ichigo rushes into action, sliding his body between the two and the Lucario's attack.]

King's Shield!

[The lucario's blows bounce off his Shield, and also has the effect of blunting the Pokemon's attack.]

Dammit! We didn't attack you - stop!

[Minato grunts as he falls back in surprise, fiddling with his Warp Band to leave a hissed message.

Toriumi helps him as he scrambles up. He figures he should probably call out Nemesis, but... not just yet... not while there's still a chance at salvaging this...]

[Matthias only barely had time to roll cleanly out of the way of the Lucario's assault, though a solid kick did find his ribs, turning his roll into a tumble as he skidded across the hard ground. He clunched his side, his thermos having rolled off in some unknown direction and his eyes on the body...and specter of Martin who was only a few inches from where he'd been tossed.

He stood up though, holding himself as high as his bruised bones would let him and held his palms out towards the Pokemon. He let his shoulders relax, let the tension in my muscles go, and let his voice carry out softly, yet firmly towards the attacking Pokemon.

"Pokemon are straightforward beings. Let your intentions be known plainly and they will respond in kind. If you are not a threat, they will no more treat you as one than they would a leaf or a rock."

Wise words from old Methuselah. It was time to put them to use.]

I will not raise my weapons against you. I will do you and your friends no more harm and on my word as a defender of Union, I hereby swear that no more ill intent will fall upon you. I care not if you continue to strike me, but leave my friends be. If you wish to carry on, then do to me what you will. I will listen to whatever it is you wish to say and provide you with whatever aid I possibly can.

[After all, it was the duty of the Saviors to provide aid to those who had none. Basil seemed to mirror this sentiment, pushing up against Matthias' back to keep him steady despite his injuries. The most important objective here was to ensure his friends got out safely and that this young lady was given a chance to get away from her life of pain and suffering. This was really all he could do, so far from his weapons and equipment anyways...it was all or nothing it seemed.]

[Everything happens all at once. Gordon, seeing the Pokémon coming, leans out of the way on instinct, the effects of the Confuse Ray, he trips over Rex, falling to the ground, a wuff of breath from himself and the pokémon. Then Mac is stepping in, hands up in a boxer's pose, preparing a Fake Out, only to be intercepted by Ichigo's King Shield. Gordon looks groggy for a moment, but then panic snaps him out of his confusion.]

I'm okay! We're okay! Everyone calm down!

[He gets up into a crouch, hands going back up.]

[The initial attack scares Piper and the tremor makes her stumble, only managing to catch herself on Amore's shoulder. But in a way, the sudden chaos clears her mind. She's still scared, but all of this is getting them nowhere. She takes a deep breath, and motions for both Amore and Fierte to stay behind, as she walks forward, trying to ignore the ghosts. She keeps her hands out in front of her, palms out and moves with slow deliberate steps.]

It's okay. It's okay. [Her voice is quiet and calm. Internally she's scared as all get out, but she also really empathizes with this girl, and that helps Piper keep her voice level.]

I think we all startled each other, no? We don't mean to harm you, I promise

[Sure, it's basically what Matthias already said, but sometimes simple words worked better]

[ This was wrong, this was all wrong, she had no control over anything anymore. Her friends. The spirits. Now this.

Seeing Boar take the hit full force, the redhead winced deeply, form shrinking a bit. Crying out when she saw Martin fell and Matthias take a dampened kick from her Lucario, the girl doubled over a bit, still standing but gripping her sides. ]

Carl, Chanda stop hurting them, I can't--

[ It hurts, their pain, she can feel it in every fiber of her being, twisting in her stomach and crowding her head.

She was a monster. She did all this.

It hurts.

If it weren't for her, none of this would have started in the first place.

It hurts.

She wanted to be normal. Just a normal woman.

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts IT HURTS MAKE IT STOP PLEASE.

Grandpa... ]

STOP IT!

[ Screaming out, a surge of Ghost-type energy washed over the area like a wave--harmless, but at the same time powerful beyond belief. The specters stopped, screaming and writhing against it, teeth gnashing and incorporeal bodies trying to force themselves out of their bonds. Both the Lucario and Chandelure stopped in their tracks, looking back.

She sat on her knees, trembling hard, tears streaming down her face. It was all she could do to keep them at bay and, looking up as Piper neared her, she found herself unable to move as well. Her legs didn't seem to want to work, and every muscle in her body felt tight and unresponsive. She was like a caged animal, certain that she had done something wrong, and that she would be beaten for it.

As the other woman got closer, she might notice that the girl wasn't quite a little girl but, rather, a young woman. There were heavy bags under her eyes, and lines where tears were once shed. She tried to shrink away, certain she knew what was going to happen, eyes downcast, wide and fearful.

Lucario and Chandelure quickly swooped in, one at each side, staring Piper down. You would not touch their master. ]

[This is the biggest mess Martin thinks he has ever seen--and he died.

Everything seems to stop for a moment, which is a blessing though Martin can't seem to wake up and return to his body. Boar is down for the count, close-but-not-quite to fainting, and Sunflash has retreated to nose at Martin's body. Hopefully he'll wake up soon.

In the meantime, Martin floats over to join Piper, kneeling in front of the girl. He can't touch her, but she seems to be a Ghost type. Maybe she can hear him.]

We won't hurt you. We don't want to hurt you. We want to help you, I promise.

[Still pretty faint, but Piper's close enough that she might hear him if no one else does.]

[The wave of ghost energy was intense - and being someone so close to the realm of the spirits as it was, it...didn't exactly Hurt, but for a second he felt as if he should stop completely in his tracks.

It was unnerving, but...the feeling soon passed, and in it's wake was...a young woman, looking scared and sure of punishment. Almost instantly, an old, old feeling rose in his chest - The feeling of an older brother wanting to comfort his scared sibling.

Like Piper and Martin, Ichigo floats forward - but stops, considering that he's still in Aegislash form. Would he frighten her, like this? and he certainly couldn't comfort her well when he's a sword and a shield...

The memory of his death is what stuck him in pokemon form, but it's the want to help someone else, to protect them that ultimately cements his place as a shifter. A bright flash of light briefly shines in the area, and then Ichigo's human form is there, still coming closer with every step until he's near both Martin and Piper.]

Hey...Hey, it's alright. It's going to be okay.

[Despite the pokemon at her side, Ichigo reaches out with one of his hair hands, trying to touch her shoulder to at least give her some contact, some reassurance that they were just trying to help, that they cared.

His voice is low, soft, trying to be comforting. Honestly, all he wants to do is rush up and hug her, but that would probably end badly. So, instead, he'd just use his hand and hope for the best.]

They're right - we're not going to hurt you. All of us...we just want to help you. I know that probably sounds strange, but it's the truth. And...I know that you're probably scared. I would be, too.

But...we can't help you unless you let us. So...will you let us?

[Piper lets the wave pass over her - it's an odd feeling, but she tries to put it from her mind to focus on the young woman. She crouches down, to better be on eye level with both the woman and her Pokemon.]

It's okay. [Her voice is still quiet, the tone she uses to calm skittish Pokemon. She addresses her next words to the Lucario and Chandelure.]

We're not going to hurt her, I promise. I swear.

[She looks away from the woman and her pokemon to sweep a glance around at the rest of the their group. Her earlier nervousness is gone, and there is a hardness in her gaze that indicates no one should make her a liar. And then her attention turns back to the girl.]

You've been running for a while now, haven't you? I'm sorry we frightened you, but you really are safe now.

[It took everything Matthias had to remain standing when the wave of energy passed by him, the sheer force of it, while not harmful, was absolutely staggering. Thankfully though, nothing came after it; no more attacks, no ill intent...just a calm, tentative though it was, it was something. With Basil helping him along at a relatively slow gait, Matthias hobbled back towards the young woman and even managed to find his thermos, miraculously unscathed against a rock which Basil picked up and handed to him; he was grateful for that...leaning down right now would have been a bad idea.

It took him about a minute, but he eventually got within arms length of the young woman and stopped. Her Pokemon were making a clear show that they weren't allowed any closer, and he was alright with that. With a great sigh, Matthias sank down and took a seat, motioning Basil towards his pack; the Buneary gave a nod and shot off towards it, coming back a moment later with three cups which he filled with the soup.

It was even still warm enough to have steam rise from it as it hit the cold, Old City air and despite having been tossed around, still smelled rather inviting. Each cup was set down as far from him as he could managed and he gestured to the Lucario of the group slowly before he spoke, both to the Pokemon and to the young woman.]

Indeed, we do apologize for the misunderstanding. Please, here's that soup I promised. Eat, you all look hungry and exhausted; you can tell us your story at your leisure if you so choose but from here on out, no harm will come to you.

[And just for emphasis, to make sure they knew his intentions were pure, he took a sip of his soup straight from thermos and swallowed in plain sight. He didn't want to have come so far for them to assume he was trying to offer poison. That and nothing gets the appetite going quite like getting punted a few feet, the soup was really hitting the spot and the warmth was starting to ebb away the pain in his ribs.

A little at any rate. Still felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to his side though.]

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