ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

What.

Lake: <What?!>

Cinder: <WHAT?!>

Um...What do we do?!

Cinder: <I DUNNO! But if we don't hurry up, we are all going to be a pile of ashes!>

-It's getting very hot. Mainly because just being close to a huge pit of fire is enough to raise the temperature to dangerously high levels.-

Cinder: <Seriously! Any ideas at all would be good right now!>

Lake: <...I think I know what to do.>

You do?

Lake: -Nods.- <I'm not sure if it's going to work though.>

Cinder: <Oh yes, that's just what we need to hear right now!>

Lake: <Just be quiet for once and get close to me. Luke, you too.>

-Me and Cinder quickly do as we're told. Lake then takes a deep breath, then blows a Bubble Shield for us.-

Lake: <There...>

Oh! Good thinking.

Cinder: <...That's. Your. IDEA?! BUBBLES CAN'T PROTECT YOU FROM ANYTHING, YOU IDIOT!!!>

Lake: <My ones can. At least, I hope so.>

Looks like we're about to find out...

edited 6th Aug '11 4:23:38 PM by Luke924

Do you know any codes or something for a emergency exit?

-With Tracer's mons-

Garchomp: <I think there's a hub somewhere around here, but I don't know for sure. This place has changed so much.>

-To Garchomp-

<Aloysius: "Do you remember where it was? At least the hub that you're familiar with?">

Just inside Pinwheel

-Stella comes in with some leaves-

.+Stella+: +I don't understand how this is going to help her...

^Cuddlekins^: ^Just trust me Stella!^

-Cuddlekins pads Sol's wounds with the leaves. Stella sighs.-

.+Stella+: +Our friends are dead... Our master is unconscious... Napoleon is going to doom us all... What else could go wrong?

^Cuddlekins^: ^Everything can go wrong Stella...^

Hallway

Basket: <Didn't see any Nidos around... of course, at the time I was panicking and not focusing on my surroundings.>

-A large sign around the corner reads NIDOTOXIN PRODUCTION ==> -

<...well.>

Tagg / Tangent's Track

To PEFeDOS, exiting is an emergency.

-Drake recieves his purchase and takes the three objects outside. The shopkeeper looks at the small gold object Drake used for payment, assumes it's worth more than the cost of the purchase and puts it in a small box under the till-

Is it me, or has this arc been moving insanely fast?

-Smirks-

Well, let's give her a real emergency then Tangent.

Audilith: <Well Garchomp?>

Garchomp: -Sniffs the air <I think it's right around this corner.>

-Helen is running some small local deliveries-

Anything moves insanly fast compared to the GC Arc

-Six minutes ago-

— Well... in this timeline, the Pokéfutures operation carried out differently... in particular at the end... perhaps that's why things have changed now.

Maekrite — <That's the way!> — goes on that direction, growling and honing his claws — <EVOLVE DAMN IT EVOLVE!!!!> — disappears behind corner.

-I turn to Basket and pet her head-

— Thanks, Basket. Listen, I'll take two more fruits, right? — I extract them carefully, thinking of uses for them. — Lead to the other freed Tropii to the outside of this chamber. Just in case... We will return Tangent to you!

-I run away following Maekrite-

-Six minutes later, ie.: "now"-

-Thanks to one of the two Tropii explosive fruits, Maekrite and I make our way into a laboratory where we find what for Maekrite will be a forever haunting image. It looks like countless rows of cages, screeches of pain and helplessness coming from then that I wish, truly, that I wasn't capable of understanding. While I don't bother counting, I know that there are, in the least, 674 cages in this place.-

Maekrite — <...No!> — tries to look away.

"Who is this?"

"No, please, no more pain!"

"Mom! Mom!"

-Wires entering and tubes leaving, sucking away drippings of a precious purple liquid... the contents being led to a large central milking machine that hangs from the ceiling, at the other side of the platform we're standing at-

— This... they've dared to do this...

Maekrite (growls loudly) — <That thing... it's hurt hundreds of my kin...!>

-Several ears pick up and some Nidos try to look up from their cages-

"Who is this?"

"There is a human too..."

"I see a horn!"

"One of us!"

"Help us!"

-Maekrite attempts to charge towards the central hub in anger, but I call him-

— Maekrite! We can't risk them while they're in the cages! Help me find some release button!

-Maekrite grudginly agrees, and drop to examine some of the cages and panels-

"It's the Colony's human!"

"A Nidoran! He's very big!"

"Why? Why did you do this to us...?"

"...Look! Is he wearing the colors of...?"

-Maekrite tries to explain to some of the others what has happened and how we came to fight here-

-Finally, I find a lock that opens all the cages, but it requires a physical key. Using the Hidden Needle, I try to force it into the open position and then...-

CLING!!!

-The cages are opened, and Maekrite releases a couple of Nidos to help him release the others-

I'd just like to request that A doesn't get her memories back for a while, guys. I kinda want to have fun with this.

I'd have personally welcomed if this particular week moved just a bit slower though. Too much Darker and Edgier invasion, and having to rush plots and scenes means I can't build enough emotional momentum for the characters, among other things...

edited 7th Aug '11 3:59:07 PM by SilentReverence

- The Resistance is still doing their various jobs, including helping the Pinwheel forest Pokémon -

- Artemis hears from the Zoroark guards that a message has arrived for her and Scolipede, and asks Mira to escort the messenger to them -

- DS' Sinnoh team continues their search -

- DS is taking a short break from her search, thinking to herself about various things -

Luke / Lake / Cinder's Track

-the platform passes through the flames and rises again, in the maintainance halls of the testing facility-

Wha-what are you doing stop tha- ZZRCH!

-in a sudden and forced pleasant tone-

We-we are pleased that you made it through the final test where we pretended we were going to murder you. Please remain on the platform and assume the Party Escort Submission Position, and an associate will arrive shortly to escort you to your party.

Tangent / Tagg's Track

Hmm... well, let's peek around this room, then...

Cinder: -Opens his eyes, having closed them as they were about to be dunked in the fire.- <We're...Not dead?>

No. We're fine. If a little bit sweaty. Phew.

Lake: <And you said bubbles couldn't protect you from anything...>

Cinder: <Well, not normally. What do we do now? Because I'm not listening to a word that mad computer says again after what she just did to us!>

We need to find Silent and Maekrite. Then we'll try and rescue the Pokémon.

Cinder: <And after that?>

Lake: <We escape. Any objections?>

Cinder: <...No. None here.>

-In the testing facility-

-Shaun and Vesta are standing by the blue portals-

"Are you two ready?"

<Shaun & Vesta: "We are, let's do thi-">

<Buster: "Vesta? Tracer? Is that you?">

<Pascal: "Oh! We found you, man!">

<Nathan: "Are you all alright?">

<Iron Marrow: "WHAT?!">

-Buster pokes his head out of the portal cast by Iron Marrow's gun-

<Iron Marrow: "This thing can also summon FIENDS?!">

<Guy: "Oh great, she's here too...">

"Guys? What are you doin-"

-Is hit by a horrified realization-

"Everyone, get out of that portal! NOW!"

-Buster, Guy, Leana, Nathan, Pascal, and Zoe pile out of the portal just as a burst of gunfire shreds the turret on the other side, with bullets continuing up to the roof-

-Startled-

<Zoe: "What was that?!">

<Nathan: "W-We just got shot at!">

<Pascal: "HEY! NOT COOL, DUDE!">

<Guy: "Learn how to aim better, loser!">

<Buster: "What's going on?!">

"It's a long story, but we've got three turrets in the other room that are keeping us from being able to leave this horrid room... We've been trying to use wormholes to sneak up on them."

<Shaun: "But how are we supposed to pick them all off?!">

<Pascal: "... I think that I've got a way, man...">

-Goes back into blue portal-

<Vesta: "PASCAL!">

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

-Pascal uses Hydro Pump from within the space tunnel, toppling the turret that shot at the group over-

-The sound of a turret entering sleep mode can be heard-

<Nathan: "... What's that noise?">

<Iron Marrow: "... The weasel survived?">

-Poking head out of blue portal-

<Pascal: "You just needed a little more range, dude!">

____________________

-With Garchomp-

<Nadia: "... So this is the main hub...">

<Vlad: "... It looks so... Different...">

-Starts looking around for any backdoor exits-

I think there's one right here.

-Points to an ajar panel-

Garchomp: -Looks around- <I think there's some cameras or something around here.>

Victini: -Starts pressing buttons- <One of these has to show us where the others are.>

Hallways

We are all very, very, happy with how much you won. The test is over now. You can come back.

Other hallways

Basket: <Okay... not sure what the facility looks like past this point...>

Another Tropius: <You know this place?!>

Basket: <In another timeline I think? Still figuring this out... I can't say I know how the place is laid out now. We want to get outside...>

Pink Tropius: <What if the orange things we were caught with are out there too?!>

Basket: <Oh! Aerial defenses... right. Change of plans. You stay here, I'll go see what I can do to help Silent and Maekrite...>

-departs-

Another Tropius: <...what came over her?>

-Flies off someplace off screen-

Let's hope I can do something to help....

-Me, Lake and Cinder Manage to break out of the Test Chambers, by the method of Lake breaking through the wall with his brute strength.

Now in the facilities hallways, we're trying to see if we can find Silent and Maekrite.-

Hello! Silent?

Lake: <Maekrite?>

Cinder: <Um...Anyone?>

-As Maekrite releases several Nidos, they call him a particular name from myth I can't exactly remember because I'm busy trying to find how to disable the core hub; suddenly, several alarms ring-

— Damn it... I have to destroy this place!

-I try to destroy the consoles but this doesn't have good enough effect-

— Hey! Maekrite! — point to a rope — Let's climb to the platform!

"Warning. Nidotoxin production has reached dangerously unlethal levels."

-We both make it to the main control platform by roping up-

Maekrite (grows tremendously angry) — <Here, lemme return you something LETHAL!> — focuses his power.

— Maekrite!

-Maekrite focuses power and begins glowing!-

Maekrite — <See those Nidoran, motherfucker? You've awakened their genius!>

"Ooooh!"

"Aaaah!"

"It's him!"

-Maekrite cries to the skies as he glows and changes shape to become Nidorino!Maekrite-

-Not having time to be impressed with his new, old body, Maekrite merely cracks his neck and swings his horn-

— This...! This means you can use your attacks! — produce the last Volatile Citrus bomb and ropes up — Now it's a party!

-I rope up to find a spot to launch it to the giant machine while Maekrite jumps to a console higher up and sprays accurately aimed Poison Stings at its central point. At a higher spot, I activate and launch the Volatile Citrus towards one of the machine's feeders, where it gets stuck thanks to the poison stings-

-As we both return to the platform-

Maekrite — <You wanted Nidorans so much?>

— Now you'll get the cuchi-cuchi treatment!

-Maekrite darts forward and channels the entirely of his elemental powers-

Maekrite — <The Greatest. Attack. Ever!>

-Maekrite roars up and unleashes Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Sludge Bomb, in rotating series of three, hit the giant machine causing high damage and cracking the ceiling and the machine's infrastructure, while I count the time in my head.-

— Go! — Maekrite shoots an Ice Beam — Go! — shoots a Sludge Bomb — Go! — shoots a Thunderbolt...

-When about eight rounds are completed, the grenade explodes, and a giant ball of fire engulfs the place, the smoke reaching us, me kneeling behind Maekrite's new, larger body as he Endures the explosion.-

Maekrite — <Nidorans! Cuteness is volatile!>

edited 7th Aug '11 8:56:52 AM by SilentReverence

-The SHEER AWESOMENESS of Maekrite and Silent's combined attack shakes the entire facility, knocking us off balance.-

Cinder: <What was that?! Is someone blowing stuff up without me?>

Lake: <Sounds like it...>

-In the testing facility-

<Pascal: "I think that should work on the other ones, dude...">

<Shaun: "It's worth a shot...">

<Vesta: "Be careful, Pascal...">

-Peeking down the portal-

<Pascal: "Uh... Let's think... To get on my feet fast, I should be entering... On my back...">

-Lies down and scoots self into the blue portal, which causes him to drop to his feet while exiting the orange portal-

<Pascal: "Here goes, man!">

-Uses Hydro Pump again, which knocks both turrets over-

-The turrets fire a few rounds along the floor and then enter sleep mode-

<Pascal: "AAH!">

<Zoe: "PASCAL!">

<Buster: "Are you alright?">

<Pascal: "I'm good, man... I'm kinda glad I didn't eat anything earlier today though...">

<Guy: "...">

<Nathan: "... Nice to know, Pascal...">

<Pascal: "Yeah dude, it's safe. You can come in...">

-Enters room in front of door-

"... There's got to be a different way out of here... We have no idea how many more rooms there are in this thing..."

<Iron Marrow: "HEY! YOU VILE FIEND! WE'VE FINISHED YOUR TASK, NOW RETURN WHAT'S MINE!">

_________________

-With Tagg's Pokemon-

-Sees a feed of me and Pokemon in the testing facility-

<Kammy: "OH!">

<Vlad: "That's him!">

<Aloysius: "And he's got Vesta, Shaun, that Marowak, and... Wait... Are those the others? How did they get here?!">

<Mike: "Where are they? We can totally bust them out!">

-The facility shakes-

<Nadia: "... What was that?">

edited 6th Aug '11 5:49:50 PM by TracerBullet

Tracer's Track

-alarms blare-

Where did these animals even come from? This violates so many protocols, the number of violations is a violation in itself! What is- another escape attempt. Well. It has been fun, but say hello to the Nidotoxin.

Global Intercom

Everybody say hello to the Nidotoxin...

What- What's going on?!

Tagg / Tangent's Track

-we pry the door open, emerging onto a catwalk... with no nearby chambers or scaffolds to connect to-

Oh... she does know my tricks...

-we feel the explosion rumble the facility-

What was- is that SMOKE coming from that module over there?! -points in the distance-

Hallways

Basket: -reaches the Nidotoxin room- <Wha- OH! Okay, the plan now?>

edited 6th Aug '11 5:51:40 PM by Tangent128