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victory_road2021-09-03 12:20 am
indigo_league) wrote in victory_road2021-09-03 12:20 am
Lost temple - part three
Today is the day. After a month of search, exploring, and okay, maybe one or two people nearly getting eaten by giant crabs, all the pieces of the puzzle have finally been collected and it is time to see what lays inside the sanctuary.
The Legendary Seekers, wanting everybody to be able to attend this momentous occasion, don't immediately put the stone slab together. Instead, a notification goes out to everybody -- those who helped solve the riddles, those who explored the temple, and even those that haven't been a part of this at all -- announcing that on September 2nd, the door will be opened and humanity's greatest treasure will be revealed.
***
On September 2nd, the temple is buzzing with excitement, and the Legendary Seekers seem ready to burst into excited tears with each piece of the puzzle they fit into place.
(There is also an older man there filming everything on an old-fashioned video camera. Pay no attention to him.)
Finally, Legendary Seeker Jackson holds aloft the final piece of the puzzle, allowing a hush to fall over the gathered crowd before he very formally places it and completes the puzzle.
Finally, the text that had been hidden for so long becomes fully visible.
The home of the seafaring to rest and recover
From the shifting tides and stormy seas
Joined by its children, a family of drifters
Round and round, spiraling down into the depths
Its nest hidden from view, kept safe by our key
And behind them, with a shudder that reverberates through the whole temple, the large door that has thus far barred entrance to the inner sanctuary slowly starts to slide open, allowing all gathered their first glimpse at what is inside.
The inside of the sanctuary has been entirely made of pale, white stone, and it actually contains very little. No grand treasures or heaps of coins. Instead, the furnishings are minimal (some benches, a small stone pool for water, and jars and pots that must have once contained various plants. The biggest, most eye-catching feature of the sanctuary stands in the middle of it.
Hewn from the same white-pale stone the temple is made from, stands a cradle. Pale branches, as those from a coral, have been woven together to partially cover the cradle with a canopy and inside of it, on a pale pillow sits a pokemon egg.
It's not like any egg you've ever seen before though. All eggs here in Victory Road are the same -- a soft off-white colour with green spots. This egg though is bright blue -- the blue of a bright and calm ocean. The colour is not entirely solid either, but instead constantly shifts ever so faintly, as if it was in fact made of water. A red gem is visible within the blue. The egg occasionally seems to shiver and jump slightly, all signs that whatever might be inside this very strange egg is very close to hatching.
But before anyone can step forward and examine the egg more closely --
"Halt! We'll be taking that."
Suddenly there is a flurry of movement and sound as several black-robed, hooded figures teleport into the sanctuary. Their hoods are drawn deeply over their faces, making it impossible to see who these people are, but the back of their robes are emblazed with a symbol that some might recognise. Each has a pokemon at their side, but in all cases, the eyes of the pokemon are strangely glazed, staring ahead without any emotion.
One of the strange, robed individuals steps forward slightly, raising one hand.
"We claim this egg as a tribute to our Master. Though you are nonbelievers, we have no quarrel with you. However, if you try to stop us, we will unleash our might upon you!"
So, what will you do? Will you step back and allow these strange individuals to claim this egg for their own or will you stand and fight?
The Legendary Seekers, wanting everybody to be able to attend this momentous occasion, don't immediately put the stone slab together. Instead, a notification goes out to everybody -- those who helped solve the riddles, those who explored the temple, and even those that haven't been a part of this at all -- announcing that on September 2nd, the door will be opened and humanity's greatest treasure will be revealed.
On September 2nd, the temple is buzzing with excitement, and the Legendary Seekers seem ready to burst into excited tears with each piece of the puzzle they fit into place.
(There is also an older man there filming everything on an old-fashioned video camera. Pay no attention to him.)
Finally, Legendary Seeker Jackson holds aloft the final piece of the puzzle, allowing a hush to fall over the gathered crowd before he very formally places it and completes the puzzle.
Finally, the text that had been hidden for so long becomes fully visible.
From the shifting tides and stormy seas
Joined by its children, a family of drifters
Round and round, spiraling down into the depths
Its nest hidden from view, kept safe by our key
And behind them, with a shudder that reverberates through the whole temple, the large door that has thus far barred entrance to the inner sanctuary slowly starts to slide open, allowing all gathered their first glimpse at what is inside.
The inside of the sanctuary has been entirely made of pale, white stone, and it actually contains very little. No grand treasures or heaps of coins. Instead, the furnishings are minimal (some benches, a small stone pool for water, and jars and pots that must have once contained various plants. The biggest, most eye-catching feature of the sanctuary stands in the middle of it.
Hewn from the same white-pale stone the temple is made from, stands a cradle. Pale branches, as those from a coral, have been woven together to partially cover the cradle with a canopy and inside of it, on a pale pillow sits a pokemon egg.
It's not like any egg you've ever seen before though. All eggs here in Victory Road are the same -- a soft off-white colour with green spots. This egg though is bright blue -- the blue of a bright and calm ocean. The colour is not entirely solid either, but instead constantly shifts ever so faintly, as if it was in fact made of water. A red gem is visible within the blue. The egg occasionally seems to shiver and jump slightly, all signs that whatever might be inside this very strange egg is very close to hatching.
But before anyone can step forward and examine the egg more closely --
Suddenly there is a flurry of movement and sound as several black-robed, hooded figures teleport into the sanctuary. Their hoods are drawn deeply over their faces, making it impossible to see who these people are, but the back of their robes are emblazed with a symbol that some might recognise. Each has a pokemon at their side, but in all cases, the eyes of the pokemon are strangely glazed, staring ahead without any emotion.
One of the strange, robed individuals steps forward slightly, raising one hand.
"We claim this egg as a tribute to our Master. Though you are nonbelievers, we have no quarrel with you. However, if you try to stop us, we will unleash our might upon you!"
So, what will you do? Will you step back and allow these strange individuals to claim this egg for their own or will you stand and fight?
CULT ACOLYTE
no subject
Team: Zebstrika, Rapidash, Dhelmise (aka Team Murder and Horse)
Strategy:
Look it's probably entirely possible for Geralt to just send out Lettuce (100) and turn the other way as it Does Several Murders, but in the interest of letting some of the rest of his roster get a little exercise, Geralt will also use Vea the Zebstrika (67) against the Azumarill to use thunder wave to paralyze and then finish it off with electric attacks, and Horse the Rapidash (60) against the Durant to take advantage of that sweet sweet x4 weakness to fire. Lettuce the Dhelmise (100) can mop up the Claydol with no particular strategy other than to use Heavy Slam, as it is wont to do. Since Claydol is about half as heavy as Lettuce, Heavy Slam's power is 60 + 50% from Steelworker, and it's just... it's going to pulverize this thing, okay, it's going to turn Claydol into clay dust. You'll need to slap this thing back together and stick it in a kiln once Lettuce is done with it.
Once defeated, Geralt will have Lettuce restrain the cult member for, y'know, later interrogation. And surely nothing can go wrong with that
please don't eat the man, Lettuceguess who hates cults and thinks mercy is for chumps
Team: Amalthea the Galarian Rapidash (lv 100), Datura the Crobat (lv76), Parfait the Mienshao(lv100), Stella (lv 95), Lumi (lv 81), Primrose (lv 92)
Strategy: So. Here's the thing. Jinx has cult trauma? And a whole lot of rage. She's been being good, because she wants to be good for her new leaves- both at home and in this world- and her new friends and family. The moment she processes what's happening- there is a cult, there is an egg or some kind of baby in danger of being raised by the cult- she's furious and she's very glad she came prepared, because you don't open up lost temples without unleashing a few curses and demons. AN APPARENTLY CULTS.
Amalthea steps up with a good old Confuse for the opposing team- and may hope to hit the trainer too- before jumping back again; give steal pinchers nothing when you are a fairy type. Or at least, give way for the other fairy, because Primrose knows and uses Flamethrower on the durant- and should it somehow withstand it, she will happily follow up with Fire Punch. Man, TM's sure are useful, aren't they?
Unfortunately for Azumarill, Datura! Just... Datura. An incredibly loyal crobat with a huge lead in levels that does not flinch? Yeah. From Venoshock to Poison Fang the adorable little bunny is being knocked down hard and fast so that he can bite the acolyte as soon as possible and pull their hood down to obstruct their view, you know, like a good bat.
Sadly, there is a claydol in the way. A pity that, but Lumi is happy to keep it company. What's that, weak to both ghost and ice? Oh Em Gee, no wayyyy! A Will-o-Wisp to keep the claydol burned, and then Lumi, who is not the face of mercy but instead the face of 'fuck you', unleashes a Blizzard, before following up with interchanging Shadow Balls and Ice Beams. If it's still standing, it's not standing awake.
All the while, Jinx and her other pokemon are also circling around to the acolyte themselves, using Amalthea's Protect to keep herself safe from stray attacks. And then she's full on tackling them down to the ground, which is sure to catch them off guard when she looks like a twig but hits like a pillowcase of bricks. With a whole lot of hate and also being used to fighting people bigger than you, anything is possible! Parfait and Stella stand guard, and help apply their weight as needed to keep them down. And while she's there, Jinx is gonna search them for any ids, papers, objects or anything else of note about the cult or otherwise.
no subject
Team: Inda the Tsareena (lvl 100), Kyphon the (Mega) Gyarados (lvl 100), Pwyll the Gallade (lvl 100)
Strategy:
By the time Felix is satisfied that Dimitri isn't about to crush any cultists' wicked skulls, the priests have been pretty much taken care of. He almost doesn't bother battling at that point - none of these acolytes look skilled enough to pose any kind of challenge at all - but Inda wants to jump into the fray and stop the bad guys, and Felix can't say no to her; and besides, whatever these cultists have done to their Pokemon definitely needs to end, immediately.
He's about to send someone out with Inda to watch her back, but Kyphon bursts out of his ball of his own volition because he craves violence, father, and Felix decides, fuck it, he's in no mood to hold back. He even lets Kyphon mega-evolve so he can really throw a tantrum. Pwyll is here to be a voice of reason just in case the other two get a little too riled up.
Against the Durant, Mega-Kyphon has no super-effective moves but absolutely does not care. He just chomps down on that steel ant with Crunch and then, while it's still in his mouth, Hydro Pumps it across the room. If the Durant looks particularly fast, Kyphon will perform a Dragon Dance and make a Scary Face at it until he can catch and cronch it.
Against the Azumarill, Inda takes point, and Kyphon lets her because none of Felix's Pokemon can say no to their beloved fruit sister, either. No need for fancy maneuvers, here, Azumarill is weak to her Grass moves and its Water moves don't concern her in the least. Trop Kick, Power Whip, and Magical Leaf should take the opponent down in no time. If this Azumarill uses Bounce, Kyphon will come in to Twister it out of the air before it can descend upon Inda.
Finally, against the Claydol, Inda and Kyphon team up to take it down with Water moves, Ice moves, and Grass moves, all of which are supereffective against it. If they get too Confused to battle properly, or if the Claydol decides to Self-Destruct or Explode and one of them gets taken out, Pwyll is here to back them up with Night Slash and Fury Cutter, or just to Heal Pulse his teammates if they need it.
Once the cultist's team is down, Felix will hold him at
swordpointDoublade-point until he gives up his Pokemon and anything else important he may possess. Then Felix will punch him to knock him out. Because he's been spoiling for a fight ever since Sylvain left and he needs this catharsis as a distraction from his depression, okay.no subject
Team: Machoke, Electabuzz, Katar (Krookidile), and Bazooka (Clawitzer)
Strategy:
Kirishima sure should have expected Rockets at the very least, but he did not, and so his team mainly consists of the pokemon he's training to go to Lt. Surge, a newbie electric pokemon to help with the training, his loyal starter, and the pokemon he brought back to revisit where he caught them from.
For Durant, Kirishima has no real type advantage reply, so he's just going to brute strength it with his Machoke! Machoke is thankfully resistant to Bug type moves and damages normally with his Fighting type moves, so he'll be using Bulk Up before Seismic Tossing the pokemon that's less than half his own level.
Azumarill definitely has a level advantage over Kirishima's Electabuzz (30), who will certainly go for a Thunder Punch despite any other orders given. If he's lucky, he may be able to get the hit in, and if he's even luckier, will paralyze Azumarill for more. Given Azumarill is particularly aggressive and Electabuzz has a Static ability, it seems more and more probably that Azumarill will win the fight with a paralysis effect on. If/when Electabuzz goes down, Machoke will clean up the fight.
Claydol goes against Katar the Krookidile, who at 42 is a bit underleveled, but should be immune to the wide array of Psychic attacks that make up Claydol's repertoire while taking Ground damage normally. On the other hand, Katar is kind of spoiled for choice. He'll use Torment to further nerf what effective moves can be used against him and then Crunch away. If he takes a hard hit, Foul Play sounds like the next best move. If Katar should go down, Bazooka the Clawitzer's (54) water attacks should be enough to blast into Claydol's remaining weaknesses. Bazooka will start with an Aqua Jet, then Crabhammer. If Claydol is still up at this point, Water Pulse should finish things thanks to the power added from her Mega Launcher ability.
im very sorry, but also, not very sorry,
Team: Mimi-chan the Mimikyu, Kyousuke the Golurk, and Urd the Volcarona!
Strategy: Not so far from everything, Carly Nagisa was in the middle of a video chat to a certain someone in the middle of work training week, to give her own tutoring session.
Then Jolyne messaged a live clip of everyone opening the door to hell breaking loose, and she had two choices. One: get changed, run in, kiss her wife, and look at the damage.
Two: go now, kick ass and....well, run, because kissing her wife would probably break her cover. Maybe.
So she had her Rotom possess her rocket-gear to follow and film ("Okay Narancia! Time for a demo-lesson! Watch carefully and stay off screen! The key is ~IMPROV!~"), and ran on over.
By the time Carly arrives, the Priests have been DESTROYED. The lesser followers and acolytes are kinda having problems.
Carly- rather some Seeming Grunt with completely different colored eyes behind her domino mask, not to mention a bob (thanks for the hair-tie-up, Kushi) under the hat- charges in through the entry before any of the lot can get away.
PREPARE FOR TROUBLE! (and make that double..?) Announcing with her usual scary deep voice villain tone as typical for any Rocket job, that she heard something rare was here, she proclaims that it seems she's late to the party! Were these cultists really trying to muscle in on Team Rocket's usual job? Well they can't have that!
"In fact, I think I like the looks of your own pokemon! NOW-! MIMIKYU!"
Here is where the battle properly begins (success in stealing a cult pokemon may vary! And by vary, I mean I expect it to fail.)
Carly is sending out Rocket-Only-Pokemon, as well as an inherited one she never showed to the public; to the point where she didn't even bring Misty, what with the Salazzle having appeared that one time in a contest. Most notably the inherited Volcarona, Urd, will immediately focus on bringing in the Sunny Day to empower her own ability to blast the enemy Durant with Flamethrower. Given her level, it's going to suck.
It'll suck more for Azumarill and Claydol however; TECHNICALLY if Carly wanted to, she could probably have that hovering Rotom, or hidden Joltik, do something to the former. Instead, Mimikyu spams Wood Hammer against Azumarill between sneaky tricks like Double Team and Astonish, because Mimi-chan is mean. Golurk meanwhile, just slams into that Claydol with no mercy whatsoever; between Shadow Punch, Phantom Force, and Night Shade, it....well it's a bad time.
Which probably makes her escape even odder! Regardless of if Carly manages to snag one of the enemy's pokemon, she loudly declares that this party is TOO CROWDED! She doesn't have time to deal with all of these guys! She's outta here!
(And to that end, if she can't flee the normal, 'Kyousuke Rocket' way, she's using an escape rope to book it to somewhere she can get changed. Jolyne owes her 100 kisses.)
no subject
Team: Flare the Charizard (holding Charizardite-X), Axis the Metagross, Blade the Scizor, Drench the Swampert, Toxin the Scolipede, Jingle the Klefki
Strategy: Riku has a huge level advantage, with six level 100s. A bit excessive? Perhaps. His team also battles without much need for verbal commands, either making their own decisions or following nonverbal cues, which is mostly something to note in terms of how the cultists might respond.
For Durant, that's easy. He'll bring out Flare, have him Mega Evolve, and use some hard-hitting Fire Punches to make short work of the bug. Azumarill? First, he'll have Flare use Will-O-Wisp to drop a sick burn. After that? Meet Toxin the Scolipede. Lots of nasty lil' poison moves to say hello. He also knows Iron Defense to bolster defenses in case of Huge Power.
Claydol gets to tussle with Drench the Swampert, whose hard-hitting water moves should make up for the extra bulk. Blade and Toxin can serve as bug-type backups, with Axis the Metagross mostly being there for extra muscle just in case, and Jingle to disperse statuses, set up screens, and be a general nuisance. Riku doubts he'll need to use his full team, but it never hurts to have a backup.
In general, Riku's team will prioritize a quick take down of these underleveled enemies, but if they start getting tricky with statuses and other strategies, that's when his Klefki will come out and have a little party and the others can return once the enemy has been thoroughly irritated.
CULT ACOLYTES DEFEATED