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victory_road2019-07-21 02:30 am
indigo_events) wrote in victory_road2019-07-21 02:30 am
Camp Alpha: or camp alphaaAAAAAAAAAAAA
Who: Everyone who came to Camp Alph
Where: The Ruins of Alph
When: July 21st
Summary: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA check out the info post over here!
Rating: PG-13
Log:
Night has fallen for the last time over the little sea of tents surrounding the Ruins.
But for the first time since the event started, there’s a considerable lack of people clustered around their campfires. Oh, there’s still a few, but most of the crowd is somewhere else.
Somewhere... spooky.
Somewhere... underground beneath the crumbling stone structures and in a place that maybe was not designed to hold massive crowds of people.
In the middle of the chamber dubbed “the Ho-Oh Chamber”, founding Legend Seeker Jackson stands with a flashlight aimed upwards under his chin for maximum dramatic effect. Beams of other flashlights and lanterns fill the room with tall shadows and in the still, underground air, it honestly is very unnerving down here. Beneath Jackson’s feet is the elaborate circle he’d finished chalking onto the stone just minutes before, the edge of the circle lined with words written in the ancient Unown text.
Along the far walls of the chamber, some of the Rangers have tiredly lined up to keep an eye on things and ensure that nothing is damaged, and to keep the exits clear in case of emergency. Who knows what might happen down here, and the last thing they need is for a bunch of people to get trampled.
Morty and Eusine are in the audience as well, right up front for the best view. Morty is looking just as tired as the Rangers, but this is a little more elaborate than the rest of the rituals that have gone on this weekend and he’s watching intently. Eusine looks a lot more taken in by the drama than his friend, but... well, this isn’t a Suicune chamber, so...
Jackson clears his throat and begins to speak, voice pitched low and grave.
“Welcome, my fellow Seekers... and park rangers, and archaeologists, and gym leaders. And... miscellaneous. TONIGHT, on our final, glorious night, is the big one. The most important ritual of all! Why did we all come down to this particular chamber, you might be asking yourselves? WELL, friends... That would be because of the legend my brothers and I dug up about what's down here. The truth!"
He flourishes his cloak, because of course he's wearing a cloak. What do you mean, it's the middle of July?
"As you can see, there are runes, ancient, MYSTICAL runes carved into the wall behind me... spelling out a phrase that has sent chills-- chills, I say!-- down my spine since I was just a little boy! “WE HUMANS NEED TO WALK WITH THEM. WE LEAVE HERE FOR THE SAKE OF THEM”... very interesting, wouldn’t you say?”
Somewhere in the middle of the crowd, an archaeologist coughs and timidly speaks up, “That’s actually not the most accepted translation of the writings, you see--”
He doesn’t get farther, shushed by several nearby audience members who are watching Jackson with rapt attention.
Jackson doesn’t seem too bothered by the interruption, continuing on with exactly the same amount of campfire story enthusiasm, “And who IS this ‘them’? Why, none other than a mysterious, multitudinal fiend who has slumbered within this chamber for centuries, a conglomeration of souls feared by all who behold it-- an enormous Spiritomb!! As the legend goes, it lived within these ancient ruins before they became ruins, and in a fit of greed, it absorbed all the souls of the people who once called it home! And tonight, we’re going to see if we can’t wake this... this... tomb of spirits up and kick this archeology stuff forward a few decades! So silence, please! SILENCE! We will now... commence with the ceremony.”
This time, the protesting archaeologist simply sighs and mutters something that nobody can really make out. Especially as Jackson steps back out of the circle and several Mediums, accompanied by a Gengar and several Haunters, step forward in his place. Together they begin to chant, lighting the candles that had been set around the edges.
It lasts what feels like forever... The flickering lights and the steady voices, the fluid movements of the mediums, the way it feels like everyone in the chamber and even the stone itself seems to be holding its breath... when it all stops with a loud, synchronized shout as the mediums raise their arms to clap their hands once in the air, making a number of people in the audience jump.
But then there's silence.
There’s no glow, no rising Spiritomb, nothing.
Just silence.
Nobody moves except to shuffle in place. Jackson, looking disappointed, makes a motion as though to step forward and begin speaking again.
And that's when the still air of the chamber stirs, making the candles gutter, as though somehow a breeze had managed to find its way all the way down here.
But it doesn’t feel refreshing at all--it feels... wrong.
Another gust, and this time, the candles around the circle blow out completely. There's still plenty of flashlights and lanterns to see by, but a loud wail disturbs the quiet. A ghost?! ... Oh, no, it's... someone's Sobble, struggling frantically to get out of its trainer's arms as they shush and comfort it.
Not unusual, everyone knows that breed is a total crybaby at this point.
... But then there's more cries, as more Pokemon seemingly start wiggling loose and frantically skittering for the stairwell out of the chamber.
And that's when the ceiling above them rips open.
Not the rock-- the air. A jagged line glowing bright blue, and inside it is a swirling nebula. Those who were there at Resort Gorgeous one year before and witnessed the appearance of the bizarre creatures then would recognize it right away. But whether you've seen it before or not, it sends a jolt right down the spine. It's a thing that shouldn't be there.
And from it, they emerge. Just a few at first, that pull their way out of the portal and into the room, hovering near the rift like confused wasps that have found their way into a building.
And then they start to pour from it like angry wasps whose nest just got punted across the room.
Someone screams, and that sets everything in motion real fast. The chamber fills with shouts that range from astonished to panicked, and the crowd begins to flow towards the tunnel back to the surface. Jackson is shouting for everyone to remain calm and not scare the mysterious beings, the rangers and Morty are trying to make themselves heard to direct people and stop this from turning into a dangerous stampede, and meanwhile more and more of the little paperlike creatures emerge.
They're here, and they're not happy about it.
After what’s probably felt like hours of fighting back against the massive swarm of creatures that have been pouring from the still open portal within the ruins, there’s been little progress on actually stemming the tide zipping out from the ruin’s entrance. Is it that those herded back inside are just coming right back out again? Are they really just continuously coming through the portal? Is the portal still even open? At this point in the fight, it’s impossible to get back inside to find out. The swarm at the entrance is simply too thick to even hope to get past safely.
But with so many kept occupied around the doorway of the ruin, so many being harried and kept out of the sky, the Unown are finally able to keep their entire formation steady. Dozens of individuals of each variety hover close together, forming much larger characters that would be visible from far off. There’s enough bright light coming from the campsite to illuminate them, even against the night sky.
They hold formation as best they can, moving in the air like a school of fish whenever a Kartana is able to fly at them, dodging as a group and reforming the letter almost right away. They got the help they needed-- in the form of FIRE (and the razor-sharp observational skills to notice in the chaos that fiery attacks were more effective than others), clever applications of status effects, and even, in a move as dangerous as it was effective, a Whirlwind unleashed on the swarm within the chamber-- and they’re not about to let that go to waste.
And it doesn’t.
It isn’t long before a chill breeze begins to pick up, one that carries the smell of clean, rushing water with it. Within minutes, it’s become strong enough to whip at the treetops and buffet the small paperlike attackers this way and that. To those who’ve been fighting so hard, it feels refreshing, like they’re being given a second wind.
The source of the wind soon catches up with it, a large form that bounds from the trees and up the ancient structures to the roof of the tallest one. Suicune is clearly visible even in the dark and the confusion, each hair on its body seeming to give off a shining glow of its own, the crystal diamond on its head beaming especially brightly. From his hiding place behind a tree, Eusine sheds a single tear. Suicune lifts its head and howls.
Suicune has joined the fight!
Wasting no more time, the legendary leaps into the fray alongside the battling trainers, working alongside them to force the creatures back towards the ruin. The wind in the sky knocks them off balance and keeps them from scattering high, and icy barriers raised from the ground force the much easier targets backwards in large numbers. Even those that were knocked out or put to sleep are blown along with the rest.
With the help of a legendary Pokemon, the edge is now firmly with the defending campers, and pushing the swarm back into the ruins is only a matter of time.
[OOC Note: CONGRATULATIONS, the win condition was unlocked and then some! Feel free to now include Suicune in threads, or toplevels if you still need/want to make one, from here on. A wrapup/aftermath post will be posted tomorrow afternoon!]
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[But maybe there's no time to ask. Honestly, he's a little sensitive to the whole "awful things climbing out of portals" stuff and he'd just rather fix this in the easiest manner possible. They're really a pain in the ass when he's not the one doing the summoning.]
Aw, hell. I hope you're right.
[He chucks out a pokeball, releasing an Ariados which immediately skitters in its big gangly form around them. It's not the strongest in the room but it's strong enough to help Armin.]
Kell, go defend this fungus!
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[The Shiinotic wastes no time sinking his feet into the ground, sprouting roots that burrow deep and anchor him in place. And then, it's time to draw attention to himself, his cap lighting up in a way that cannot help but draw notice. Hello little paper creatures! Here he is and you know you wanna aim your stuff at him rather than those bland Unown up in the sky. Forget all about them and come down here.
And, it is working! Just... maybe a little too well. ]
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[Kell's no longer jumping spider-shaped, but he does a good job of leaping over to the Shiinotic and putting itself beside of it. Then rears up its front legs to start wearing down the first oncomers.]
Alright, Brother. Now what's the plan?
[He's fishing in his belt for a couple of potions, just in case.]
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[If Drifter was looking for a grand plan, Armin can't offer that. His own plans, few as they were, had been quickly exhausted, so now all he can do is hope that those Unown really have something up their (non-existent) sleeves. All they can do is try and buy them the time they need to do whatever it is they are trying to do.]
Do you have any other pokemon that could help?
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[He throws his pokeball and unleashes his Tentacruel, which blurbles its way up to join its spider friend.]
You think Charge Beam'll be overkill? [He says as he unleashes his Meowstic, Orin, who has kept her dead-eyed stare even as an adult.]
no subject
[Armin might be all about that Water pokemon life, but he's travelled enough to know all the prime spots for finding fire pokemon.]
No, I don't think so. Even my pokemon were struggling and they took on the Elite Four. I think we'll need to throw everything we've got at them.
Does your Tentracruel know Barrier? We could use that to help protect those Unown.
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[The big warble monster moves over so it can cast its barrier a little closer. Orin, in the meantime, continues her dead-eyed stare as she uses Charge Beam on the unfriendly newcomers.]
Sorry, girl. If I had ever'thin' I'd give you a Chaos Reach an' help you out. But I figure you got this.
[He says to encourage her, though genuinely she doesn't actually look like she cares whether or not she's being encouraged. She's fine, thanks.]
You want to get some god dog up in this thread?
Despite having two defenders, ever so often, some of the little creatures still manage to make it past and hit Gus. And ingrain does only so much to recover his HP.]
Gus, drop the spotlight for a bit and use moonlight! Then go back to drawing their attention.
[The Shiinotic's cap stops glowing for a moment and instead, the moon suddenly seems to brighten, bathing Gus in its glow, before it dies away again, and a refreshed Gus launches another spotlight.
Hopefully those Unown are having some success doing... whatever it is that they are doing. They can only keep this all up for so long!]
Hit me with some godpuppy.
[But suddenly Drifter starts picking up on what's happening.]
I can't read 'em but they've made a rune set. Look! Just uh... Keep it up. Keep it up.
[Normally at home that would literally make him vacate the planet, because you don't wanna deal with a giant summons. Here there's not much of a choice. Orin, though, seems to get a second wind, and she charge beams at full blast again. Literally a second wind, as the breeze is picking up, the sky feels a little brighter, and that might be his imagination but it sounds like somethin' big is coming their way. Could just be the din of loud attacks and shouting trainers, but he's willing to wager.]
Somethin's headin' our way. You feel that? They're sure as hell doin' somethin'.
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[Not that Armin can immediately put his finger on it. There is just something about how the breeze seems to pick up and ruffle through everybody's hair. And it isn't just the presence of the breeze, it's more than that. It doesn't feel like your ordinary breeze. There is something about it that tickles at a half-forgotten memory at the back of his mind, like trying to remember the taste of a half-forgotten favourite childhood dessert. It'd be madding if Armin didn't have so much else to focus on.
The pokemon seem to be feeling it too. Gus is, at least. When the wind brushes over him, he tips his cap to look up, a look of serenity on his face despite the chaotic ongoings. An instinct buried deep inside of him tells him that yes, everything will be all right now.
The strange creatures seem to feel it too, though where it brought strength to Orin and serenity to Gus, they seem to be more on edge, zipping through the area more erratically, drawing closer together.
It starts with a howl; a bell-clear, melodious howl that follows the fresh clean breeze which swells to almost a gale as Suicune arrives on the scene, its fur bright in the moonlight, its head thrown back as it howls once more.]
no subject
[All of those fantastical things, though, are pretty horrible. This is whimsical in comparison. It doesn't come with a sense of oncoming dread. Maybe because it's something so basic as their Pokemon not running when at home? People'd be leaving dust trails.]
[Then its there, triumphant, a godlike thing (okay, low-grade god, but a good thing for someone that was pretty worried that pokemon gods were going to be on the horrible side) as it comes into view.]
That is a big ass dog...
[That's also a helpful observation, Drifter. But at least he doesn't linger on it.] Orin! Psybeam for a bit.
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[There is something a bit breathless in Armin's voice. It's just that. He really likes Suicune, all right? Of all the gods Armin has met (poke or otherwise), Suicune is in a very solid first place. A place that has just become even more solid with Suicune coming to their rescue.
With Suicune on the scene, the strange little creatures lose all their interest in Gus. No wonder! Who can concentrate on one shroomy boy (even if he is glowing) when you've got a literal god right in front of you?]
Gus, drop your spotlight for now and get ready to follow Suicune's lead.
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Right. Alright, Tsunami, go do the same. Orin! Hold off and wait. Get that charge beam outa the way and get back here. I'll send ya back out when we see what we need.
[Orin obliges, coming back and floating just above the ground near Drifter's feet. Always watching, as usual.]