Gigan Mobilization

[bravenewmods]

After weeks of waiting uneasily in the aftermath of the chaotic infiltration of Gigas to right a terrible wrong, the Council finally decided that it’s time to make a move. It's wasn't a decision that they made lightly, but the events in the distant city has proven a point that they had all seen coming:

The time where they could stay in the safety of Union's walls was no more, not when the Gods themselves were far from the infallible beings that they had believed for generations. It was time for Humans to once again take their stand. Joined by their allies from Caldera, Sanctuary, and the other surrounding cities, the people of Union Alliance gathered their supplies and set out west-- toward Gigas. The distant city had not remained silent either, rumors spreading of mobilization, and the fires of war loom as large as the four imprisoned titans over all the land.

The Gods had saved humanity countless times before. It was time that humanity returned the favor.

[OOC: Event Sign Ups are now open! We encourage all players to participate in this pivotal event. You can pick your teams of five yourselves, or you can request to be placed in a randomized pool that will be determined at the end of the sign up period, on 7/15.

An OOC post will be made explaining the next stage in more detail. Please use this post as a catch-all for your IC needs.]

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[commissionergrump]

[The Blastoise gives a grin and small chuckle, beaming at the praise.]

Dad's a good trainer.

[It's not exactly humble, but it's close.

Meanwhile, above, the fliers watch, observing Volstagg, the pair having already matched one another's speed, making slight adjustments for Volstagg.

Gordon watches the sword fight, checking on his other Pokemon practicing, his partners making for quite the menagerie, then looks to the sky.]

Let's see how fast our new friend can go.

[The Skarmory cries out in challenge and, with a friendly look to the newcomer, begins to shed, metal feathers raining down, drastically reducing it's weight and doubling it's speed. It and the Swellow begin to pile on the speed, keeping the helix shape for now, but moving with an energy that says they might break off for something more dramatic at any moment.]

[lunchleader]

Right gives him a somewhat confident smile as soon as he turns to address Sinbad. "I think I'm holding up alright." Which is a more honest answer than the more confident reassurances that he gave the othe man.

[wise_maiden]

Hmm... it'll be worse for you the closer we get, I imagine.

[So she's going to continue to keep an eye out for her, and that's all there is to that. It helps keep her grounded, anyway. Ouka gets a smile. That pokemon had certainly grown up well, these past few months.]

... Frankly, I'm nervous, but there's not much to be done for that.

[Of course Sophia gets her honesty, though it's not an unusual sentiment. They had already failed once, and there was so much riding on this war effort.] However long the campaign lasts, we just need to keep our wits about us. They probably have even more 'surprises' than we've already seen.

[senpaidol]

"The better prepared everyone is, the safer everyone will be, right?" Rise opines. "It's not every time we have advance warning about this kind of thing..."

[soulofmagus]

Oh, Saber! [Now here's a sight for sore eyes] Yes, I am.

[ There's an unhappy confirmation from the Leafeon at her side, while the noibat peers curiously at Saber, before lifting a small claw to wave at her. ]

War is coming, whether I like it or not. I have no wish to fight..but there must be something I can do to help nonetheless.

[soulofmagus]

I've made provisions to ensure I keep water with me at all times. [She'll not be fainting any time soon, thank you.] Perhaps when we get home, I shall look into a Photosynthesis spell. That might take the edge off things?

[ When. Not if. Even if the war ahead of them terrified her, she had to keep her thoughts in check. Her smile is nervous, sharing that feeling with Raine, and she motions for the other woman to sit with her a bit. The night is cool, and better enjoyed in company, after all.

She rubs at her forehead a moment, before taking another sip of water. ]

They occupied Sanctuary, and kept Caldera under siege for many years.. Yet Union has persevered, for the most part. We can only hope there are no other Gods tucked away in a back pocket somewhere.

[wise_maiden]

That sounds worth looking into. [She nods, shifting to sit down next to her. The spelltalk, they could address in time.]

I truly hope they have no other gods, but their capabilities concern me. And yet ... Union was an unknown for many years, and the Gigans were too busy conquering the lands to the west to even discover them. They're worlds apart when it comes to ideologies. Union hasn't truly faced anything like this in hundreds of years, and yet they do seem to be stronger, don't they? [Of course, they had the support of the other nations behind them to make up for the military numbers, but to be the heart of the effort?] I wonder if that will ever stop seeming so strange.

[Living in Sanctuary and experiencing the occupation would do that. It was only a little over a year when those changes had been made, and everything since then had been a whirlwind.] To realize that we've come to this point from even a year ago is... really something.

[sleepingvalkyrie]

[ The Braviary has speed, though its true ability lies in both strength and stamina. Accordingly, there's a game effort to keep pace once the others shed weight and boost agility, but he seems unconcerned as they steadily outpace him.

That's okay. He can still work with this! If they are going faster, then he makes a point to bank sharply, to add spins to his flight and maintain the formation pattern to the best of his ability.

The Talonflame meanwhile whistles appreciatively. ]

I think they would enjoy seeing our Valkyrie in flight. She would give them something to remember.

[soulofmagus]

I admit, when there's more time, I do want to look more into commonalities between mage gifts and typings. Steel doesn't strike me as..typical. Not in Magi, anyway. Perhaps that might help identify who my family was.

[ Grass and Steel were an unusual combo at the best of times, from what she could ascertain. Certainly not the sort to be found in Caldera! ..It's a small hope, anyway.. ]

..Truly, I am more surprised by the amount of time that things have taken to change. Even in the last six or seven months. Especially after such a long period of isolation...Union remains unique, though not without having weathered strong storms.

..I can only hope that this coming mark left on history will be one worthy of remembrance. [and not because of failure]

[actsmagnificent]

That statement gets a nod: she can't argue with that. Especially not after Kyurem.

Another glance around the training party and then her attention is all Rise's. "D'you have a plan?" she asks: this is, she's vaguely aware, part of Being a Leader. It's strange, balancing how she wants to live her life with what she owes other people. It's odd, owing other people things.

But she doesn't get to choose her methods. And she needs to know what the others are doing so they don't get in each others' ways. "Divide and conquer" wasn't flawed in theory. There were factors affecting the execution that interfered last time.

Not this one, though. As Rise says, for once, they're actually prepared.

[senpaidol]

"Everything's going to be pretty spread out this time, compared to last," she says, opening her eyes and standing up now. "I'm signed on to scout - I figure my abilities are better there than in main combat, and we can respond quickly if one of the big formations needs help."

[ofpromisedvictory]

[She nods.]

It's...interesting to me, nonetheless. Fighting is my role, what I'm good at, and yet I look around and see almost everyone volunteering whether they're a soldier, a guard, or a civilian. It's strange.

[wise_maiden]

Most Magi tend to ignore their natural typings, given the reach of their capabilities. Granted, Steel-typing is not something I've seen show up often myself, so it could be something to go on. So many families were lost...

[And the towers, abandoned, warded, or left as rubble. She wondered if even a year's worth of restoration efforts had done anything to improve that, as much as she was avoiding the city now.]

... Indeed. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, either way. Our focus right now has to be on succeeding, though I don't know what that will cost us.

[actsmagnificent]

That position makes sense. Haruka is waiting to see what they're dealing with before committing to how she's intending to take out the Emperor - if he's even leading his own army instead of continuing to skulk in the shadows. Then again, even if the latter's true, he's still her target.

Which means it'll be good to have someone watching her back. "Keep in touch," she requests, but as she says it, she has a feeling it's unnecessary. Everybody in the Divine Defense Force knows what they're doing.

Except the ones that don't.

[soulofmagus]

Ultimately, Saber, it is all down to choice. If war is to be inevitable.. Then I would rather choose my own place to be and the time to be there, rather than let Gigas decide that for me..

[ Whether she means live or die, or something else entirely, is unclear. She adjusts the box in her arms. ]

And since I am going, the least I can be is useful.

[soulofmagus]

That's true enough. What are the most common typings? [that there was loss brings forth a worried look, before she shakes her head] I'll make note of it, for checking later.

We do. Should we plan for the worst while hoping for the best?

[wise_maiden]

... yes.

[Preparing for the worst while hoping for the best... it sometimes felt impractical to hope when one wanted a clear outlook, but the preparation would balance that out. Success did not perhaps mean, survival, but this was war.]

Let me think... the most common primary types tend to be Psychic, Bug, Dark, and Normal. The next tier tends to run Fire, Fairy, Poison or Grass types... other combinations are considerably rarer. There are... circles... that do keep track of bloodlines, however, or have tried to. You'll just need to know where to make the inquiries.

[There's a slight bit of hesitance in her words, but she hopes that Sophia hasn't noticed.]

[commissionergrump]

[The birds attempt to keep something resembling a formation, the exercise as much about coordination as it is individual performance, and being able to adjust 'on the fly.']

Valkyrie?

[sleepingvalkyrie]

Yes! She comes from the Citadel-Tree. She has wings, too.

[ Said with much pride. His flock-leader/trainer is clearly well thought of. But he can see his wingmate is matching his performance with Gordon's group, and it's not fair to leave all the showing off to Volstagg. With a cheery nod and musical whistle, Firesong pulls away and streaks over in a trail of cinders to rejoin the party.

The Braviary may be slower but he is not, and he's quick to join the knotwork of flight patterns overhead.

(Still observing high above, Wagner the Salamence grumbles to himself. Nope, still not impressed.) ]

[commissionergrump]

[The Blastoise tilts their head slightly to one side as he mentally translates. Raised by humans in Union, the way some pokemon from outside refer to things can be a bit confusing for him. He still doesn't fully understand the Durant sometimes.

Gordon observes the flight for a little while, but, without targets and obstacles, the exercise is... lacking.]

Sparky, Lucas!

[The Swellow looks to the newcomers.]

Get ready

[A Rotom emerges from where he was hiding as the tangle of birds swoops down. It fires off a Thunderbolt, directly at the birds as they break formation and scatter. While the Thunderbolt is still on it's way, a Pikachu appears, using the Rhydon as a ramp to leap into the air on an interception course, the electric attack redirecting, striking the Pikachu on the tail as it flips through the air. It lands, striking it's tail on the ground, harmlessly discharging the excess energy.]

[senpaidol]

"I will. And you be careful," Rise admonishes. "I don't want to be the one comforting Michiru if you get in too far over your head."

[actsmagnificent]

Haruka just laughs. When is she ever not careful? It's Union as a whole that has the carelessness problem. Honestly.

"Looking good here," she summarizes, and begins walking away. Maybe it's to take her leave, maybe it's to watch Rise's group practice some more. Honestly, even she hasn't decided.

This is not carelessness, incidentally. It's flexibility.

[sleepingvalkyrie]

[ The two self-invited guests to the training party give the Swellow quizzical looks. But it's not long before the reason for the warning is made clear, and both scatter away from the blast of energy - one takes the high road, while the other flies low, burning brightly as fire flickers along his wings.

Cirling around, Volstagg laughs, a hearty noise from a Braviary. ]

Ahhh, good! More challenges, eh? I like how your Person thinks.

[soulofmagus]

[ The bottle is rolled between her hands, expression thoughtful, before one last sip is followed by the lid being reapplied. ]

Tiers, you say. Waver has mentioned something of a caste system when it comes to power and learning. Do the typings affect that at all? Or is it only the extent of knowledge and power that matters? [she doesn't miss the hesitation, but she doesn't - yet - call Raine on it. Just tilts her head a little more quizzically. ]

[wise_maiden]

No, they don't affect it at all. It's the bloodlines and abilities that are taken foremost into consideration. [It always was an uncomfortable subject, as much as she kept her voice as calm as possible for it.]

The oldest families tend to have the access to the most 'knowledge', which in turn gives them the most influence and power over others. The more a family has branched out, the more different types start to appear among them, though who can say what influences that aspect the most among enlightened? A full-fledged mage can wield any type of spell to their advantage with the right amount of studying. That is the pride of Sanctuary.