Another time, another place...

[bravenewmods]

As you descend into the newly formed tunnels, a strange feeling surrounds you. Driving deeper, a strange green light encircles you, pushing you unconsciously deeper and deeper into the swirling mists. There’s a power here, ancient and unfathomable. And then, light. But when you emerge, things have suddenly changed.

Any vestige of your Enlightened powers are gone. Your clothes are different, your equipment is different, even your Warp Band is gone! Any changes the process may have brought upon your body is also gone, you are now, fully and truly human. In its place, strapped securely to your belt, are a collection of red-and-white balls. You know instinctively what these are. The heretical tools of the lost age. Pokeballs…

[OOC Notes: ALL Enlightened powers, form changes, and other associated abilities will be gone for the duration of this log. Shifters may choose either to enter as a human, retaining their Pokemon team, or as a speech-capable Pokemon, although speaking in front of other humans may cause alarm and suspicion. Any Enhanced equipment is also altered, it is now entirely technological and may appear quite advanced. Unless specified in the intro log, your clothes will likely be reflective of more modern US attire or army combat gear, depending on the situation.

As always, we will be progressing the log at least once every 24 hours to keep things moving. If you have any further questions, please ask here.

When making your first comment in a thread, please list your character's Pokémon team.]

Comments

[incousinswithyou]

She doesn't like the look of that, no. Attacking the Pokemon would probably be the opposite of what they want, however.

"Waltz, Reflect please."

[second_destiny]

"NO!"

Asemu was not the kind of person to stand by idly while his girlfriend was in danger of being crushed by a forty foot-long Pokémon. Immediately he urged Bullet onward and toward Peng, attempting to pull it and its load backwards, out of the way.

[brandnewshoes]

"Couldn't last forever!" Estelle calls back to Chie.

She turns to look at the ones charging. She whistles -- a signal for Adol to come back, but the Flareon will need some time to cross the field. She can't get to the last cannon yet. She glances towards to Lucca. "I don't think I've got anything that can hit the one that's about to fire! Any ideas?"

Dogi, in the meantime, turns towards the soldiers preparing to descend on them. He lowers a shoulder -- and then takes off in a run. The huge Golurk tries to ram into the first of the soldiers coming at them, to buy some time for Morgiana and Chie to do their thing.

"Lurk!"

[flying_chains]

"I don't know if I am."

But with Pangoro on one side and Chie on the other, she felt a warm confidence that more than made up for her sudden lack of strength. She needed them. In time maybe she could be needed by them too, she told herself. She prepared to fight against humans, this time.

"But I won't let you down. Either of you."

[victimlessdetails]

"Hey, I'm not knocking scared little girls. I was one once," she admitted, spurred far more into honesty than normal for her by the events she'd just witnessed.

"Of course, I held onto my knife in that instance, but I'm not a major religious figure for a multitude of reasons. And I wasn't facing a god."

[niepokonany]

Waking up, all things considered, is a bit of a surprise.

Feliks sort of fades in and out of consciousness a few times, lying perfectly still, aware that people are talking but unable to focus on the words at all. Gradually, he comes to a couple of conclusions, one by one:

His body feels warm. His heart is beating. His chest is rising and falling, just a little, so he has to be breathing.

"...Savior, are we alive?"

He sits up, pushing a hand through his hair and looking around in utter, disoriented confusion.

[sparkofgenius]

"Estelle!" Lucca calls back to her friend, scooping Synchrite up. She has a plan. She has a very definite, somewhat insane plan.

"I can't reach it. But you know what? Have your Golurk toss Synchrite at it. He loves technology, specifically messing with it. And the more complicated? The better. Synch? I need you to trust me, and when you're close enough fry the control panel on that gun okay?"

The Magnemite's eye widens as it looks at her, a cheerful beep of comprehension following. He can do that! He can do that really, really well!

[conquerorofwaves]

He watches as the Aggron disintegrate, startled by it's appearance... and without thinking he rushes to it's side, trying to see there's something he could do to stop what's causing it to come apart. The young man wanted to stop it, not hurt it. "Come on! Just hold on...." For what? What can he even do? He looks up at Mewtwo, watching it heal itself. "You - Hey you! Are you going to do something to help him?"

But the approach of the Rockets got him moving on instinct, putting himself between them and the Aggron. "Thunder wave everyone of them that gets in your range!" He calls out to Badr.

[warriormouse]

Martin is being chewed out by his team when Feliks comes to.

"We are. Somehow."

He is a little too stunned to say much else.

[encouragetomorrow]

[The air got cold and Honoka didn't realize she was holding her breath until she exhaled and it puffed a small cloud in front of her. They'd freed Articuno, but now what? It could be that simple-- freeing one bird could have it and Lugia satisfied and they could all be fine apart from the anger of the scientist she'd left back in that tree.]

[Or, for all they knew, they could suddenly be facing the wrath of two angry Gods, trying without their abilities to communicate that they were on their side.]

[She slid off Ariera's back and pat him in thanks, her eyes never leaving the two Gods as she moves back to join Hayato and Right.]

Are you two all right?

[outtahere]

Banzu hasn't said anything since he woke up, not wanting to discuss the theological implications of what just happened, especially not after a lifetime of at best giving lip service to the idea of the Savior being real. Instead he's been rummaging around inside his pack, looking increasingly annoyed, and it's when he starts leafing through his notebook that he finally says something. Specifically, something about the Savior's reproductive anatomy, under his breath. He begins scribbling down notes furiously.

"Either that was an illusion or time travel resets everything but your memories when you get back. Everything I wrote down's gone! Multi! That place where we found the red thing - was that the third or fourth one in?"

His Smeargle snaps out of its stunned state upon being called upon and moves over to Banzu's side to help. Banzu continues to madly write and map, and Multi begins to use the cave wall as an impromptu canvas to sketch out various objects and scenes that will make little to no sense to those observing.

[actsmagnificent]

Haruka, on the other hand, is more concerned about her fellow humans trying something foolish; Rise both can take care of herself and has others concerned about her well-being. She'll be fine without Haruka looking after her. All Haruka can do is buy time.

"Shut up and watch!" she orders them, pointing her sword at the soldiers onboard the Avalugg. Gold's not coming out unless absolutely necessary. She promised Rise five minutes, though, and she'll get Rise five interrupted minutes no matter what half-baked interference she has to run. "She's doing this for you."

[rainsrespite]

"Well, Isabela, the world may just be a better place for that, but then...I still don't know that you don't have a cult of love-drunk sailors on some island somewhere," Yuuna snorted cheerily before diverting her attention to the boys.

"And yeah, we're alive. Something wrong there, Banzu?"

[outtahere]

He doesn't look up from his writing.

"Made a bunch of notes and maps while I was looking around away from you guys. Sketched some interesting stuff, too. Those pages are all blank now. Trying to write down everything I remember. If we can find some ruins like that place we'll know if what just happened was real. Some good tech to look at too if it survived. Didn't get much chance to see the place from the air though so we'd have to find that one building to be sure."

[rainsrespite]

"I can probably sketch you a map. I'm not good at art, but I remember what it looked like from the air," Yuuna answered, stepping closer.

"Give me a pencil and paper, and I'll do what I can. I don't forget details, ever."

[bravenewmods]

Rise perhaps could have phrased that a tad bit less desperately as the Wailord charging her doesn't seem terribly moved by her entreaties. Or, well, maybe it is, but much like a train may find it difficult to skid to a halt within 500 feet, so a stampeding whale's momentum may carry it further than one expects. The other Wailord nearby, however, hear Himiko's message clearly, and they respond with loud bellows that echo even above the din of the flood and the storm.

Lies...!
The only trick a cornered human knows is to plead for mercy.
Yet how long have they turned and scorned our cries?
What we want is a world free from your kind!
Why should we hear your pleas now?

The charging Wailord is close now... so close that it seems inevitable that contact will be made in the next moment if nothing is done.

In the meantime, the soldier stares blankly at Haruka's drawn sword, looking unimpressed.

"Lady, you know we've got guns, right?"

Obviously, though, shooting her would be counterproductive.

[bravenewmods]

[Escape is an excellent idea at this point, but it might not be quite so simple as that. However Articuno feels about being released, it appears to prefer to deal with the immediate threat. Even as it ascends into the sky, some sort of strange aura can be seen gathering around its mouth.

In the next moment, it opens its beak and tosses its head - a beam of blue light strafes rapidly across the field, freezing everything it touches in the blink of an eye, including a half-dozen instant soldier popsicles. The Ice Beam comes perilously close to Hayato, Honoka, Right, and company, but misses by about 10 feet. Before them, a line of icicle stalagmites shoot up from the ground... a beautiful sight, if not a deadly one.

In the meantime, high above, Lugia appears to be retreating slightly from the battlefield, satisfied with the rescue of its servant. Articuno seems fully capable of dealing with the remaining soldiers. As its immense form begins to ascend, a strange melody can be heard across this doomed battlefield, borne in by the winds of the storm....

And even higher yet, two faint shimmering gleams can be seen appearing in the sky - one blazing red, one electrifying yellow.

...It really is time to go, though.]

[bravenewmods]

Mitsuru will be able to reach Skadi, if only just, before the creature of fire and brimstone releases a maelstrom of torn and burning earth. The walls of lava diminish briefly, long enough for them to be able to pass through, if only just, before Groudon's fiery tantrum continues. The destruction presses further into the city.

Piyo's Light Screen keeps the singeing away, and Earthquake and Hidden Power help dislodge a few of the thinner spikes, clearing path. They will need to move fast, however, if they wish to avoid being burned or crushed to death.

[lunchleader]

Yeah, I think we're fine... [No sooner than the words came out of Right's mouth than Articuno proceeded to freeze a good chunk of the field right before them. Seeing those people be frozen solid definitely makes Right's blood run colder than the current air temp, if the horrified look on his face is any indication.] W-W-Wait a minute, Lord Articuno! You're free! There's no need to harm them anymore!

[Right's Pokemon, however, are much more practical in their reaction. The three that are closest to him attempt to tug him away from the raging deities - Vlad via jacket collar, Rick and Yami via the bottom back of his jacket. Soft Steel, still looking pretty hurt, rides up to Right on Kisetsu and helps the others by tugging on one of their human's hands. He's not about to lose his stupid human to a raging God.]

[taudriver]

Yeah, Takuto is definitely getting the message here. Samehk swoops down to grab anyone else who might need a ride out, before taking off as fast as it can fly.

[bravenewmods]

Mewtwo is breathing heavily, its wounds now visibly superficial from its psychic recovery but obviously still quite painful. It does, however, acknowledge Sinbad.

It is our fate, tools created by the hands of man. Incomplete. Unwanted.

Although its face is impassive and unmoving, it seems its expression softens a bit.

You are different. I have not felt this in a long time. Humans from a time and place far removed from here. Union... I think they call it...

Another barrage of Pokeballs flies, and this time, one strikes Mewtwo on the back before it can be destroyed. It holds its wavering form for a few brief moments and unleashes a wave of psychic energy. The last thing the party sees before the world spirals out of control is its body converting into energy and flying into a Pokeball, which snaps shut with a certain finality.

When the world regains balance, the team is once again in the cave they had entered, the new path revealed by the earthquakes. They hear a single last thought echoing within their memories.

I might like to see it someday...

[frozenflame]

Yukiko wastes no time, ushering her friends with her and riding ahead as fast as possible, it's really all she can do. There's no way to fight that thing...and none of her team is good at rockbreaking. She's a detriment, and she knows it.

[incousinswithyou]

Michiru's Gardevoir, used to the routine, automatically follows up with a Light Screen for the party.

Michiru frowns, as her Gardevoir helpfully translates for her.

"Haruka, the Wailord don't believe us."

That's not too surprising, huh? She's got her eye on Rise, though between her Altaria and her Gardevoir, Michiru isn't too worried about the other girl's chances of escape.

Friendship speeches aren't her forte, and unless they are Rise's...

"Perhaps they'll believe a Pokemon." If the Wailord can tell their Pokemon aren't brainwashed, in any case. Michiru's Gardevoir looks thoughtful as she relays the message to Rise's Himiko.

[second_destiny]

"Freedom! Tailwind!"

Immediately, Asemu's Noivern acted. Asemu, his Pokémon, and all of his allies would feel the wind at their backs, increasing their speed.

As for negotiation...well, neither Asemu nor any of his team were psychics. So unless one of the two Gardevoir on the field was broadcasting openly, he'd have no clue what was being said.

"Look, I don't know what's being said, but I know that nothing -- NOTHING -- justifies mass murder!"

[celebrity_commentator]

"If all you want to do is kill humans, I can't stop you!" Rise calls out, completely winging it at this point but refusing to move even at Asemu's prompting. "But if you want freedom, you already have it! We're not a threat to you anymore! Did you really rebel against the people making you fight just to fight more? To kill more?"

She swallows, a mix of nervousness and her mouth starting to fill with the driving rain. "All I'm asking is one...one being to another is for you to let these people live! Please. They can't do anything to you anymore. There's no need to fight."

She blinks back tears, in addition to the rain getting in her eyes. "Please..."