bravenewworld | Exploring the Eastern Calderan ruins!

Shadows...?

[Merrill's eyes go wide as she looks down, feeling the pressure tugging at her ankles.]

Eluvian, help me!

[Despite their differences, the Spiritomb is right on this. Merrill is his meal, damn it. The orbs in his body whirling, he sends a Shadow Sneak attack trailing through Merrill's own shadow and toward whatever is pulling from the other end. That ought to surprise whoever or whatever is behind this.]

[The pull intensifies. Yuuna will find that Dragonite is heavy enough to ground her for the moment, though the pain radiating from her ankles will indicate that whatever's playing tug of war isn't liable to give up so easily, either. In fact, if the game goes on long enough, she might find that she can't even see her ankles anymore as her lower extremities sink into her own shadow.

Sinbad, being so close, would have found himself flying through the threshold were it not for Flygon's timely interference. As it is, he's caught a few centimeters away; Flygon isn't quite as strong as Dragonite, though, and Sinbad will inexorably creep closer to whatever lies beyond the doorway. Isabela is in similar straits with no one having leapt to her aid yet, with the distinct addition that the teeth in her mirror have now parted to reveal an enormous, slimy tongue that reaches out of her mirror to attempt to lick her a few times in the face. This is both disgusting and somewhat paralytic if she lets it happen. Maka, too, is tumbling towards that south door.

Eluvian, however, will find great success with his tactic as Merrill's shadow shrieks in response to the unexpected attack. For a moment, it spasms and contorts angrily (it seems to make some rude gestures, too) before it ejects a something dark and extremely sinister. As the aggressor is revealed, the walkway suddenly seems to plummet to ice-cold temperatures...

Not ready to let things be yet, Gengar somersaults in midair and a sigil of a grim eye flashes briefly in the air, freezing Merrill and her team in place with a Mean Look.]

[Maka, for her credit, has been hanging on even if her much-smaller Pokemon can't hold onto her as well. In the time that the Gengar has taken to be revealed, she's observed that the shadows are all part of one being, and they're just being toyed with by this Ghost.

That, to put it in less polite terms, pisses her off. Psychic abilities can't do much against a Ghost type, but if it wants to Play Rough, she'll give the Pokemon what it wants.]

Ariel! Spark the shadow!

[The Luxio stares at her in confusion at first. Are you nuts?]

I'll be fine, just do it! Jade, Bite it after she hits!

[Oh, boy, we're getting into a fight! Jade looks excited by the prospect, so much so that he almost forgets to hang on before Stella scolds him.]

Ooof!

[He faceplants against the ground as he grips onto the Flygon as Furfur and Valefor grabbed at his shirtsleeves.

A ghost-type?! Is that why he was taken off guard? He thought]

Badr! Thunderwave my shadow! Furfur, throw a few embers at whatever comes out!

[With a sound, the Dratini slithers off the young man, and arches up, lightning crackling from the gem before it fires off]

[HELL this hurts! Yuuna snarls and trusts her Dragonite to hold while reaching for her sword. But it's a Gengar...so that's something. She knows Gengar, thanks to her friendship with Maya and never forgetting things she reads.]

Good idea! Maka! Have your Espurr attack! They're part poison too!

[She likes where Sinbad's going with this.]

Susume! Thunderwave! Stop this Gengar and don't argue! Sabaku, Dragon Breath the one on Merrill!

[The dragons act, a blue-white spark of electricity rippling down Susume's arm, along with Yuuna's whole body and into her shadow to paralyze the target. She herself is protected thanks to that Ground typed armor-vest that Jayce had made for her (and she makes a mental note to thank him!). The Flygon's mouth opens and a beam of light rips from it's throat, aimed squarely at the back of Merrill's attacker.]

[The game's up!

With a cacophony of moans and cackles, the single Gengar that Merrill has uncovered is joined by a veritable horde of friends that had silently cloaked themselves with their spectral powers. The wall that had seemingly appeared behind them dissolves into a swarm of Shuppet, eyes shining red with the illusory power of Confuse Ray, the two rooms flicker alarmingly to reveal dilapidated, crumbling caverns lit by the soul-devouring flame of Chandelure, and on each of their shadows, a nightmarish grin splits wide open before a Gengar bounces out of its concealment, laughing fitfully.

From the ground floor, the family of Honedge solemnly rise up through the gap. They don't seem very sorry about the whole thing.

They're getting into a fight, indeed!

Assorted electric attacks arc towards various Gengars, who take the hits with a shudder, but from behind, the Shuppet flood in to defend their companions. Two can play at the status effect game, and ghosts have never been shy in that department - reciprocal Thunder Waves arc towards Badr, Susume, and Ariel. ...The last will have no effect, of course, but it's the thought that counts.

The Chandelure whirl by, candle-sconces flaring, and scatter tongues of flame idly through the air. The flames drift for a few moments before suddenly stiffening and lashing out at Furfur and Sabaku with Will o' Wisp.

And while everyone dodges and falls victim to statuses, the unparalyzed Gengar will take advantage of any distraction they can get to sneak-attack their respective trainers with Dark Pulse.

...The Honedge just watch.]

((Summary:
Maka's team: Dark Pulse -> Maka, Thunder Wave -> Ariel
Sinbad's team: Thunder Wave -> Badr, Will o' Wisp -> Furfur
Yuuna's team: Thunder Wave -> Susume, Will o' Wisp -> Sabaku
Merrill's team: Dark Pulse -> Merrill
Isabela's team: Dark Pulse -> Isabela))

[Sinbad goes to scramble soon as the Gengar that was dragging him lets go, Badr crying out as he was hit by a counter wave, stiffening like a board before falling onto it's side.

Valefor yips, nudging the Dratini as Fufur snarls when struck by the Will o'Wisp, though he shook it off easily being a firetype - before letting out a mighty roar]

LEAVE US ALONE!

Badr! Hold on! Valefor? Think your bite can hit them?

[Suzume and Sabaku both roar in anger and surprise as the status effects hit them. The paralysis causes Dragonite to seize up a bit, hampering it's ability to let go of Yuuna. It's tail swishes in a circle, the only thing that seems to be mobile and...it manages to pull off an Aqua Tail (thanks to the rng...) aimed squarely at Chandelure. You are making her angry!

Yuuna's other hand finally reaches the hilt of her sword and she grips it...now working her wrist to free itself from Dragonite's grip. The burned Flygon lashes out in a fury with a Dragon Breath at the unstunned Gengar, hoping to zap it into a downed state too.]

Susume! Let go!

Bloody ghosts, natur--grhf!

[Isabela, having dodged the worst of the tongue attack with weirdly practiced agility, just barely avoids getting smacked in the face with the Dark Pulse, going into a backward roll that leaves her cooked, but unflinched.]

Vivillon, stun it. Zoroark, claw its bleeding eyes out. Eugh, I need a towel...

[True to captain's orders, Isabela's Pokémon focus on the big ghost attacking her, Vivillon unleashing a 97.5% accurate Stun Spore, followed by Zoroark dropping her illusion and driving directly at the Gengars more solid bits with a Night Slash, boosted by Isabela's type specialty and Mastery of Battle.]

[Thankfully, Merrill's typing means that even an attack as strong as Dark Pulse tends to roll off her back like water off a Ducklett. It hurts, but not enough to disable her by any means. And since she's actually better equipped to deal with large swarms of ghosts on her own, she sends her Spiritomb to deal with the Gengar hiding in her shadow while she aims for the horde of Shuppet.

Specifically, Eluvian will be launching a Sucker Punch attack to get the jump on the grinning ghost while Merrill slices open her hand, clutches her staff, and sends a Dark-type Wounds of the Past spell hurtling toward the group of Shuppet, her life's essence infusing itself with the dark magic she's gained through her contract with her Spiritomb ally, her tattoos glowing purple as green orbs begin to orbit her body.]

[Not just Ariel, Maka too is able to bear the brunt of the attack without much effect due to her typing. She straightens up and brushes herself off, Pokemon running to her side to form a barrier against any further attack.]

What are you all doing? [She's addressing the ghosts first before attacking.] We're not here to fight anybody or wreck anything!

[But if they have no choice (and being less experienced with battle, Maka will defer to the advice of Yuuna), Stella jumps onto her shoulders where she belongs and the two gear up a Psybeam to fire at the grimoire of Gengar, both of their auras flaring out in blue and eyes glowing as they synchronize.]

[Sorry, Maka! Ghosts need sustenance, too, and life force is the preferred diet of these wild creepy-crawlies. It's sure not easy to get that out here. 'Grimoire' of Gengar is nice, though; they'll refer to themselves that way in the future.

Valefor's Bite can indeed hit them, but Chandelure is more than powerful enough to bear the brunt of the Eevee's attack - a jet of Flamethrower washes over Valefor as it attempts to land that Bite. The Shuppet that had succeeded in toppling Badr, meanwhile, snickers and zooms in, eyes flashing alarming colors as it makes eye contact with the downed Dratini. If Badr fails to break the hold, it will feel a sudden, wrenching feeling throughout its body as a vicious Hex assails it, the spasming of the Paralysis increasing its effects all the more.

Dragonite's Aqua Tail comes from a much stronger Pokemon and slams into Chandelure with a satisfying thud; the second chandelier Pokemon goes spinning straight through a wall and vanishes for the moment. Dragon Breath is slightly less effective as the Gengar Sabaku was aiming for - Maka's - ducks through the floor with easy grace. In the meantime, Yuuna's personal Gengar has broken free of its paralysis this round; popping up in front of her face unexpectedly, it attempts to draw her into its Hypnosis in the blink of an eye.

Isabela's Gengar is quite sad that she hasn't taken to its affections; perhaps another friendly lick would help? Before it can do so, however, the double whammy of the attack sends it reeling; Gengar is not particularly well known for its durability. In response to the overwhelming offense of Zoroark, though, it shudders and unleashes a strange blue aura that shimmers around it diffusing through the air. ...It seems to do absolutely nothing, but perhaps Isabela or someone else will recognize the danger of the Destiny Bond. Team Shuppet is on the case, though, recognizing their compatriot in distress, and one of the tiny Ghosts hisses as it floats up behind Isabela to launch a Disable at Zoroark's Night Slash.

Eluvian's Sucker Punch is regrettably ill-timed, as Gengar rears back and flips backwards through the air, red eyes glowing. An instant later, a pulse of Confuse Ray slams into the Spiritomb, accompanied by a friendly message. 'There's plenty of life here for them all...! Why stick with the humans when you can get instant gratification?' Merrill's enigmatic Dark-type attack takes the swarm of Shuppet by surprise, and while several of them duck and weave away from the attack, a few more are sent spinning through the walls. The remainder consult with each other for a split second before coming to an agreement - a barrage of Spites begin to lash at Merrill in an attempt to drain her power and prevent her from doing... whatever that was again.

While Stella and Maka may be a formidable duo, the Psybeam is probably not as effective against the Gengar as she hopes given their relatively lower level and the only-moderate strength of the attack. Gengar assumes a catcher's stance and steadily takes the brunt of the energy as it strikes - then playfully winds its arms up and tosses back a fastball Shadow Ball aimed at Maka's face.

...The Honedge continue to watch, though they begin to fan out now around the chaos.]

((Summary again:
Flamethrower > Valefor, Hex > Badr
Hypnosis > Yuuna
Destiny Bond > Everyone, Disable > Zoroark
Confuse Ray > Eluvian, Spites > Merrill
Shadow Ball > Maka and/or Stella))

Edited 2015-05-18 02:33 (UTC)

[The hypnosis, something Yuuna herself has trained her mind against, doesn't work exactly as expected. But...in a bid to buy herself an instant of off guard Gengar, Yuuna drops her head and closes her eyes in feigned sleep to wait for an opening.

Which, to the panicking and injured Flygon catching sight of this out of the corner of it's eye? Is enough to send the rather large Dragon into an enraged frenzy! An ear splitting shriek of fury. It explodes into motion, wings thrumming as decides to take matters into it's own claws and clear a path for Dragonite to take Trainer home.

The wall of Honedge? Is getting run straight over as a tidal wave of sand whipped up from god knows where follows in Sabaku's wake, Bulldozing through the largest cluster of them. He's attempting to bury the things and break free towards the first floor.

And...Yuuna? Takes advantage of the distraction to draw her weapon and stab Gengar in the face with her Electric sword, turning the shock mechanism on full before she grabs a paralyze heal from her belt.]

Susume! Shake it off girl! [Spray spray!]

Edited 2015-05-18 02:53 (UTC)

No! My power...

[Merrill certainly won't be pulling that little trick again, the combined assault from the Shuppet draining away the energy she'd poured into her spell. Eluvian's Sucker Punch whiffs entirely, and in moments his single eye is whirling even more madly as he fixes Merrill squarely in his gaze. Evidently he is planning some sort of fiendish Nasty Plot.]

Eluvian, what are you doing?

[As the ghost looms closer, Merrill realizes something is wrong, tapping her Warp Band and dismissing the ghost. In its place, she summons Drippy the Goodra, quickly snapping off a command.]

Drippy, Protect!

[That'll give her some time to readjust her tactics.]

Is that the best you can do? Lock it up. Zoroark, swat down those puppets. They can't lock down all your moves.

[Isabela gives the Gengar a dismissive wave and orders Vivillon to send a super-accurate Confuse Ray its way, hoping it will knock itself out while Zoroark roars and starts trying to knock Shuppets out of the air with Feint Attacks.]

[Valefor cries out as it's burned - and Furfur pushes the Eevee out of the way to take the brunt of the flames, letting out a pained noise before releasing another threatening Roar, while the burned Eevee tried a different tact, peering at the Chandelure with pathetic baby-doll eyes to milk for pity.

Sinbad saw the Shuppet going towards Badr and bolts over to get between the two, swinging at it. The Dratini lets out a cry as it manages to shake off the effect, though the hex still hurt - enough that it cries out, showing it's Dragon Rage]

The Honedge aren't joining in...

Edited 2015-05-19 02:48 (UTC)

[Astute observation. And even as the chaos and pandemonium continue on every side, the Honedge still aren't joining in. Protect shields Merrill from a powerful stroke of Shadow Punch straight to her face; Feint Attack sends a Shuppet sailing over the gap with a mournful cry; Chandelure reappears, wobbling disturbingly from the wall to blast Yuuna with a Flamethrower just a split second too late to prevent her from stabbing Gengar; Roar sends the second Chandelure blasting away to slam into Isabela from all the way across the way...

But all Honedge eyes will fall on Sabaku as it screeches and prepares to plow through them.

There is an almost visible shift in the air as the Flygon rushes forward... Something like a jolt, similar to the sensation accompanying the revelation of the party of ghosts. But barely a half-foot away from the first Honedge, Sabaku will suddenly bounce backwards as if it had slammed into a brick wall. And here, in a blink of an eye, there appears something massive, something that dwarfs all the other Pokemon in the building...

Shield held defensively before it in a King's Shield, Aegislash hovers slowly in place before it rotates towards the combatants. Each and every ghost seems to flinch.

In the next moment, there comes another rain of swords as the Honedge go flying in every direction. A line of Honedge slams into the ground between each wild Pokemon and the human they are facing while Aegislash glowers. Nobody has their Warp Band attuned to this newcomer, but the intended statement is obvious even without translation of emotion.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS]

Edited 2015-05-19 03:49 (UTC)

[Whud! Sabaku flies off and lands in a heap at Dragonite's feet, while the bigger dragon just rolls her eyes.

The flamethrower thankfully is at least resisted by Yuuna a bit, the other half of her Enhanced outfit coming into play. Water and Ground seemed like a good choice, and her body is definitely thanking her for that foresight now! It still burns, singeing what little exposed skin she has, and she's barely biting back a scream, but it's better than being fried. Nothing she can't recover from quickly, at least, with a little bit of treatment that the medic is already going for, because like hell is she going to engage that gigantic Aegislash.

Susume, at least, takes a defensive stance between Yuuna and the Aegislash, silently putting up a Safeguard just in case.]

...Okay, so, the Aegislash is obviously the boss. I guess we should see what he wants?

[Meanwhile she's putting ointment on the exposed bits of her skin to keep it from blistering. Not a bad burn, all things considered, and she makes a mental note to thank Jayce for the outfit when she gets back.]

Edited 2015-05-19 04:05 (UTC)

[Sinbad lets out a quiet sound as he gathers his Pokemon to him, Badr groggily wrapping himself around the youth's shoulders as he gave sympathetic nuzzles to his four-legged pokemon as he slowly looks up at Aegislash, sizing the newcomer up. He gets a sense if he goes hostile, things would go from bad to worst]

I apologize for our intrusion in your realm, we were lead up here by the Honedge and then ambushed by the other spirits. We only sought to defend ourselves when we were attacked.

[He started to explain, keeping his tone respectful, but not grovelling]

[Merrill calls her Goodra back to her side as the Pokemon disperse and the Aegislash emerges, holding out a hand to signal that it's all right to drop the offensive stance. She doesn't want to project anything but calm right now, and bows her head respectfully to their impressive new host.]

We are travelers from a nearby city. We have come here seeking knowledge of the past. All we wish from you is to learn of your home, and what lived here long ago.

[First thought as Maka hunkered down and shielded herself and her Pokemon from the Shady Sphere: "Ouch this really hurts."

Her second thought ran along the lines of: "Rei's going to kill me for getting this messed up."

The third thought comes a little delayed, as it takes a moment to recover and realize the fighting abruptly stopped, but it's something along the lines of: "What the Ho-Oh is even happening right now?"

It appears the Grimoire of Gengar, the Cacophony of Chandelure, and the Horror of Honedge have been brought to some sort of standstill in the wake of one Aegislash of Abnormal Size. She's still shaking from the attack, trying not to pass out right then and there, and Sinbad and Merrill seem to have the talking under control so she won't try to force herself to talk.

However, Jade can be heard not-so-gently crying, slightly muffled by her embrace. This fight isn't fun! Maka got hurt!]

Shhhh, it's fine, Jade, I'll be fine. [As if whispering really helps over his blubbers but she's trying.]

Edited (go to bed mozart you're drunk) 2015-05-19 14:13 (UTC)

[The Aegislash's violet eye seems to narrow as Sinbad and Merrill attempt to explain the situation, its sash arm winding and loosening as one might clench a fist. Those who are Kindred Souls will understand its words; Children of the Verdant Forest will feel its irritation keenly.

Obviously they were attacked. Who walks into a lion's den and doesn't expect to be seized by the predator? The Honedge only did as they were instructed - get rid of intruders. Today, they accomplished this by sending them upwards for the more aggressive lions to consume, but instead, they're destroying the entire place...

This is their home. It is a relic of the past and wayward souls congregate here, drawn to the despair and tragedy that still haunt the grounds. What more do they possibly need to know?]

[Yuuna doesn’t understand the words, but the intent is clear enough. She keeps her mouth shut, all the same, though, figuring it’s best to let the folks that can actually understand the Pokemon do the talking.

However Susume steps forward, adopting a rigid, formal posture. She’s not much of one for fighting where it can be avoided, but she won’t let this go entirely without answer given her general annoyance. You had minions attack and you’re getting upset about a few messes? Clearly you have dumb minions. Folding arms, the Dragonite stares mildly right into the Aegislash’s eye.]

Perhaps then, you should teach your pride of whatever these lion things are better ways to scare away intruders than to foist the task onto more aggressive and destructive ones? Or better yet, let the humans do it and show these Honedge new options. They’re clever and inventive. And they’re here to learn about the mistakes of the past so that they can be avoided. Why not help teach them in turn? Working with the humans is a worthy endeavor.

[Isabela stands up and quietly brushes herself off from where the flying Chandelure had caught her by surprise and knocked her over. She quietly dismisses her Vivillon and gets ready to warp in her own Aegislash if things turn violent.]

We're sorry for the intrusion, your Swordship. We're just looking around to learn some of our human history. We weren't going to take anything. You know, unless you had something you didn't want lying around.

My people tell a story of despair and tragedy that happened to them long ago, when they lost their first ancestral home. I've been looking for the site where that home was located, since that knowledge has long since been forgotten by the elders.

[Merrill sadly bows her head a little deeper to the Aegislash, a gesture of sympathy.]

All I wish is to look, and to learn. I want to know where I came from. What that home was like. What happened there.

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