Understood, we wouldn't want to give our strategy away.

I am not used to this type of communication, but I think I understand.

The duo followed Marlon's lead.

Edited by Konkfan7 on Oct 12th 2019 at 6:51:55 AM

Danjor Island Trail

(Moving forward toward the volcano, the vegetation gradually becomes fewer and fewer and the rocks more widespread. Despite this, the path is mostly clear of too much debris, and that portions of it appear to be wet suggests that the group is still on the right path. The large, jagged rocks surrounding everyone seem as though they could be hiding any of Phoebe's clan, so the group is going to have to keep on their toes (metaphorically speaking, in some cases).)

Further up the trail

(Phoebe bristles as she teleports back to the rest of her group, annoyed that Georgés and his group were unable to stop the party from coming, but also not surprised that Georgés turned against her. Well, she won't bother trying to punish him now since still being on this island will be punishment enough for him.)

(Her remaining group is starting to go upwards up the volcano, still a ways ahead of the party and out of their line of vision at the moment.)

(As we go further, I notice that we're close enough to the volcano that I'm actually seeing lava nearby. I shudder. I've never seen lava before in my life but I was always afraid of getting too close to it if I ever saw it in real life. Especially now since I'm basically a fish.)

Rudy! Gomer! (I spin around to see Phoebe behind Gomer and I.) You two take everyone else and wait here for that group who wants to stop me—us. I'll go ahead from here.

(She comes closer to me and glares.) Rudy, this is your LAST chance. If you fail me now, I will declare you a lost cause and leave you behind. If you can use my serum on at least one of them, you will regain that favor from me that you foolishly lost. Do you understand?

(I sigh and nod.)

Good! Now if you excuse me... (Phoebe heads off with a few other Clamperls up the volcano.)

Hey, Rudy, if you mess up again, maybe I can convince Mama Phoebe not to use that other serum on you! (Gomer says.) She'll listen to me...

(I sigh, unsure if that's even the case at this point.) Guess we have to get ready for them when they get here.

(I grimace, still not wanting to use the serum, but I'm beginning to wonder if I even have a choice at this point given what Phoebe will do to do to me if I fail her again.)

(Rather than continue on toward the volcano, Phoebe hides behind a rock with a needle slathered in the other serum in her tiny mouth, waiting to see if "Rudy" follows her directions or not.)

Danjor Island Ravine

Yeeperoo! (Judy says.)

(The defeated Huntails and Gorebyss behind this particular group start to come to and begin following them. They're too tired to keep fighting at this point, so they simply follow along without intent to cause more trouble.)

Edited by kablammin45 on Oct 13th 2019 at 9:14:44 AM

Ravine

And so the Tyrantrum and Excadrill continue forth, but not before sharing brief asides amongst one another.

Considering what we saw before he went across the other side, I think he's figured it out by this point, sir...

Well...what choice do we have? He was bound to figure it out by this point.

What if he takes the revelation to to such an extreme that he beats the hell out of us for it??

We'll just have to be ready for it.

And so the duo continue on, forced to background for now. Meanwhile...

The path, II

We still seem to be on the right side of the fight, and on the right way up. But these rocks...stained with who knows how many years of wear and tear, of the hopes and aspirations of a madwoman and her unwilling slaves, and of untold chaos if a Volcano is to truly erupt. Will they remember us, for this? Because of all the nightmares I could have chosen for myself, this is the one I picked most out of them all. It certainly doesn't help that these rock formations could be hiding any one of the clan. I send around another message to the group, suspicions increasing.

They're around here..somewhere. Watch yourselves. Check all sides of you as we keep moving up. One wrong move and you're turning coat faster than you can say Waterfall.

I feel my hand (still gloved after all this time) beginning to spark and cackle with electricity. Is this a Thunder Punch building up? I'd quite rather not have this happen now, that would basically paint a target on our backs. The sound of electricity can be heard quite a ways away...

Fuck, fuck! Come on.

I try to quell the electricity by using some more psychic energy to stop it from happening.

Even after Stellan feels my messages implanting themselves in his mind he doesn't exactly take the most caution in heeding these warnings, but even when he speaks (to the lackeys, again) he keeps his pitch low. His tone, otherwise, isn't the friendliest, but more sharing my own suspicious tone to all of this.

Okay, we need to be ready if they're hiding out around here. But where are they...? Could you two check around us as we pass each individual formation?

Addie pads her way up the path, keeping Igni and Wreck alongside her at all times, checking her sides in case of getting jabbed when she least expects it. Keeping a Dark Pulse stored up she keeps marching ahead.

Quiet. Too quiet. I know th' two of yeh don't have much but yeh need to be ready to fight again. She ain't goin' down easy.

Edited by Team42Larson on Oct 13th 2019 at 10:45:51 AM

(I keep looking off to the sides as I continue to follow Addie's trail, the dread mounting ever moreso as we climb.)

We have no choice by this point... if we don't fight, we're done for, and to be frank I'm not feeling too good about our chances...

(At this rate, I'm so weak against them that I wouldn't be surprised if they took me as a hostage instead of just getting rid of me, a thought I am most definitely not happy about.)

Rocky Path

(Plenty of places for an ambush. I kept my free hand on one of the vines, preparing to fire an arrow in case of any threat popping out of the rocks.)

(Miller nods to Stellan as he moves to the right of the group.)

Noriaki prowls forward with the group, wings prepared to release Razor Leaves if need be. Hikari stays by his side and mentally goes over the process of the moves in her arsenal, eyeing the sides of the path.

Daniels nods too, scouting around for any signs of trouble.

(It seems -too- quiet, here. Must be a sign of trouble.)

The eerie quiet around cause my muscles to tense, there by producing a thin metal coating. The Iron Defense protect the fleshier parts of my barrowed form, as a honed reaction from many trials.

(It seems that the others feel the same unease.)

I focus my senses on the vicinity of our group looking for the slightest sign of trouble.

Danjor Island Path

(The eerie silence here is giving me the heebie-jeebies. I look over at the others. A lot of them look just as nervous as I feel right now or are prepared for an ambush.)

(I prepare to use a Wing Attack myself, just in case.)

Further up

(...I hear someone coming.) I-Is that someone coming this way? (I ask.)

(Gomer peers over the rock we've been sitting behind. Out of the party's immediate sight) ...I don't see anybody-wait! Yeah! A whole bunch of someones are coming this way!

(I was afraid of that. I was kind of hoping they'd walk past us so I wouldn't have to use Phoebe's dumb serum.) Aw man...

Danjor Island Path

(Once the party rounds a corner, they will be able to see a mass of Clamperls congregated in a large opening on the path. The entrance to a cave going into the mountain sits a ways up above them on an incline.)

SHH! Everyone git quiet! (Polly hisses.)

The path II

Aw fuck me. They're there. Literally right there in front of us. Whatever the point of this congregation of theirs is, the Clamperls are probably doing a damn good job of blocking our way. I slow my forward movement speed enough to quieten it down

Okay, what the hell are they doing?

I dunno, Marly, but whateva the heck dair up to it can only mean one thing...

They're setting us up for something. Everyone, get ready because if they're there then whoever she's sent after us now is hiding just out of sight ready for their signal.

I (willingly, now) let my psychically-driven Thunder Punch spark up and prepare for battle...

The Alolan Golem also prepares for a fight, with the pillars on the top of his head also sparking off. He confides in Miller and Daniels quickly.

I dunno what Ophelius taught you guys but you've gotta get it ready to go....NOW.

Addie is similarly ready to go, dropping her stance into something that'd be much akin to a predator ready to pounce on their prey, whilst lightly growling as she slowly approaches. She looks back at Igni and Wreck.

Get ready, someone's waitin' on us...

Edited by Team42Larson on Oct 15th 2019 at 7:23:34 AM

(Oh, why here, why now...)

I knew it, I knew it, I just absolutely knew it...

(I tense up and try to lower my profile a bit as well. I do not feel like this is a fight we can safely win, and that feeling disturbs and even slightly angers me more than anything else.)

The Path II

I followed the group up the path, sticking close to Addie and Igni as instructed. I notice that the group begins to slow down a bit. Those clam pearl thingies are Clamperls are up ahead. I think they're water type so my Mega Drain should easily take one or two out. I wonder what kinds of other things I can do.

"So are we gonna jump them or wait for them to come to us?"

Noriaki drapes his wings over himself.

"So there they are... I would advise being wary of my next attack, I wouldn't want to accidentally hit any of you."

Hikari gazes with one eye barely visible under her hat's brim. She believes it best to wait and see what tactics this next horde uses to decide on Reflect or Light Screen.

Rocky Path

(Ah shit, here we go again. More clams, more issues. This time led by two others. They might have something else to bring to the table, but I'm not looking to find out. Narrowing my eyes, I set up my arrow directly at the mass of Clamperl. Can't let it loose right away, not until they make the first move.)

(Miller pointed his snout directly at the horde ahead, preparing for a Dragon Pulse. Without his boss, he'll have to think on the fly.)

(That's alot of flippin' Clamperl, though best be wary of an sudden movement.)

My Mawile instincts are screaming: 'This is an ambush.' Judging by the others, they seem to think something similiar. I steel myself for another fight.

Danjor Island

( Oh, wonderful...we've got even more of them waiting for us. At least they're all just Clamperls this time except for the lone Gorebyss. Is that Phoebe? I'd better make sure I'm ready to use one of my strongest moves-)

Hi there!! (A cheerful voice suddenly says. I look up to see a grinning Huntail peering down at us from a rock above our heads.)

(The Clamperls and the Gorebyss almost immediately spin around to face us. Crud, I'm not as prepared as everyone else is yet. I hurriedly build up a Dragon Pulse just as the Clamperls begin rushing in our direction (the Gorebyss strangely doesn't move).)

(A Rock Slide from my mother and a rock thrown by Cortez scatter some of them, but not enough to keep them from rushing us as they get closer.)

(I notice Tyrell brace himself but not moving from where he is standing.)

Edited by kablammin45 on Oct 15th 2019 at 10:58:13 AM

Aw shit, here we go again.

Well, hell. Here we go again. This time it's one Huntail and one Gorebyss against the rest of us...but who's that Gorebyss? Is it Phoebe? No, can't be. I don't think she'd willingly wait for us this further down when she could be at the volcano itself. Whomever they are they aren't moving.

What do you want from us? Let us go and we'll guarantee your safety.

They won't back down, I know, but it's worth a shot. The energy sparking in my arm gets quelled for now as I use a Wide Guard to stop the advance of the Clamperl.

Is...that you, Phoebe? Phoebe, please...I want to talk to you—

Even after this brief plea Stellan knows something might be up here as well. He too figures that she shouldn't be willingly waiting for them here, so then if not, who is? Under any regard he motions to Miller and Daniels...yet again.

Fire, now! If that's Phoebe, clear me a path to get to her!

Addie eases her posture as she leaps forth, using Dark Pulse on a group of Clamperl. As she back pedals she looks back at Igni and Wreck.

I got yeh covered! Just watch yerselves n' use whatever yeh got if they get close!

(Something seems to just... click in my mind. I don't know what, but it feels important.)

...Alright.

(That 'something' turns out to be a Howl, since if they already know we're here and my Embers are largely useless, the best option is to get physical when they do inevitably get close. It's likely not terribly loud, but I feel emboldened because of it regardless.)

If they get close, I'll help keep you safe as well!

(Even if this is a false sense of bravery, born of fear instead of hope, it's better than nothing, and I stand ready for that crucial moment.)

Noriaki gazed out at the enemy horde, namely their leaders.

"Is that Phoebe among your battalion?", the Decidueye asked, "If not, stand aside. Our business is with your leader, and I think we both know that you won't be stopping us."

Noriaki swayed one of his wings to the side, calling forth a mass of leaves that floated in the air around himself.

"We would prefer to not harm any of you", he said, unleashing a barrage of Razor Leaves should the Clamperls start their advance already.

Hikari focused an energy between her claws, though it appeared she herself was still uncertain what her first move should be.

Edited by Konkfan7 on Oct 15th 2019 at 3:18:57 PM

Daniels, hoping to clear that path, goes for a full Thunderbolt if they get close enough.

Dieter gets ready to shoot a Psybeam as needed.

Vs. Phoebe's Raiders II

(I let loose an arrow at the two big fish's direction, hoping to pin either one's shadow down.)

(Miller fired the Dragon Pulse at the incoming clams, hoping to incapacitate at least a few.)

Danjor Island (Volcano Base)

(I finally unleash my own Dragon Pulse. At the same time, Polly uses Flamethrower and there is a sudden blur and collision that knocks a number of the Clamperls back, followed by Shelley reappearing right beside us. What did she just do?First Impression)

(Seeing the situation starting to go south in front of me, something inside of me tells me to take cover until this is all over...of course, I can't do that or else-)

(Ow! What's going on? I can't move...I look over to where an arrow just landed beside me. Is...is it somehow preventing me from moving away from here? What's going on??)

(The Gorebyss frantically hops around in circles around the arrow fired by Grigori, unable to leave due to the Shadow Strike scoring a direct hit on his shadow. Gomer was not hit, however.)

(Meanwhile, the various other attacks sent by the party incapacitate a number of the Clamperls (particularly the super-effective ones), but there are still enough of them to prove to be a challenge. Many begin peppering the party with Water Guns and Bubbles. Cortez and Polly are especially driven back due to their types, but both make a valiant effort to stay in the fight.)

Eat this, ya chowderheads! (Cortez shouts, using Dragon Tail and knocking a few Clamperls backwards despite how beaten he looks at this point.)

Stand down! (Georgés shouts at the Clamperls, but they don't seem to be listening. A bunch of them seem particularly intent on mobbing Georgés since it's already apparent to them between him arriving with the party and not with the clan members who were with him that he's betrayed them all. They begin clambering all over him and knock him to the ground.) OOF! STOP! STOP!! GET AWAY! (Georgés yells as he tries to shove the Clamperls off of himself.)

Incoming! (Gomer says, leaping off of the rock he had been on, clumsily rolling down the incline, and ending up landing in Renata's wheelchair. He looks up at who he landed on and starts to say something, only to sit there with his mouth open with a puzzled expression on his face.) Hey, wait, you l-

(Renata quickly shoves Gomer out of her wheelchair and he rolls across the ground into the other Clamperls.)

The battle

That definitely isn't her. Now that this Gorebyss has been hit by Grigs's Spirit Shackle and spinning around definitely not. How do I know? I mean...she does do magic. She would've used magic to get out of this situation, no? Gotta put a plan together to stop whoever this is, then. The Huntail is another matter, of course.

I hobble over to Delilah, with Marsha following as she responds with her own Water Gun.

Del, we're gonna need a couple of us to figure out what's up with that Gorebyss. I don't think they're Phoebe, but I don't know what their motive is. You in?

Yeahs, I think we need ta figure our what's up dair. Somethin' ain't right with 'em...yo, Nori! Wanna team up with us?

The Huntail being a matter for Stellan, who brakes to a stop when he analyzes this Gorebyss and realizes they lack the features he knows Phoebe to have. He panics briefly, looking to see if Miller and Daniels can help bail him out, before using a Thunderbolt on a group closing in on him. He continues to backedal away from them.

This was a bad idea... Hey! Get me outta here!

Addie steps forward again, firing a Flamethrower into the crowd. She looks back at Igni after doing so.

Did'yeh just use howl? Lemme give yeh a crash course in making use of that!

Yes, good idea! I'd rather not do something dumb, after all...

(Just because I want to make sure I'm making the right choice here, I opt to wait for her instructions before anything else, firing a few Embers at the horde to help slow them a bit. They don't seem to be attacking me much yet due to being, well, not much of a threat, but I do end up having to quickly avoid a beam of bubbles.)

Noriaki opts to release the Razor Leaf barrage at the Clamperls coming too close to the front lines, while Hikari decides to put up a Light Screen to mitigate the damage from their attacks.

The Decidueye squints at the Gorebyss in the distance.

"... They seem a bit too panicked and surprised to be Phoebe, wouldn't you say so?", said Noriaki, glancing aside to Grigori from under his hat's rim. "Of course, it could be a ploy, but worth inspecting..."

The Decidueye also looks at Stellan's backpedaling.

"Hm..."