united_one | [ action ] The Heinous Plot part 3

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[ action ] The Heinous Plot part 3

Miror B. paced along the edge of a campsite tucked away in the trees of Lostlorn Forest. He lacked his usual rhythm, and appeared to be deep in a rather annoying line of thought. A Combusken followed behind him, occasionally stopping to glare off into the woods and raise his claws menacingly whenever a Pidove or other equally harmless woodland creature made a noise. This wasn't helping Miror's mood. He rolled his eyes at the overeager Pokemon and turned randomly back towards the tents, leaving Combusken scrambling to catch up.

Kidnapping Paprika had been a stroke of genius, he thought, grinning a bit as he remembered his increasingly amusing conversations with N. Treating her like a guest rather than a hostage had been laziness. He didn't have to keep her locked up or extend any energy to prevent escapes; all he had to do was lie, which was as easy as breathing, really. The problem was, he realized as he stood tapping his foot impatiently near his tent; the problem was, no one was taking him seriously! N was taking far, far too long to comply, and why shouldn't he? Paprika was doing fine. There was no hurry.

Well, then! Today would be the day. Today he'd make sure everyone knew he was oh-so-serious. Putting his hands on his hips, he smiled deviously and called out: "Paprika! Get over here. Resix, you, too."

((I only realized I wrote this in prose after I finished so I HOPE YOU GUYS DON'T MIND PROSE LOL. This will in all probability be the final part of the Heinous Plot -- aka feel free to jump in any time, N and co.))

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[N flinches slightly at Miror's words, and looks past the man to Darmanitan and Sigilyph. Darmanitan nods, and Sigilyph chimes; they're both alright with being put on the line as Miror says. They won't obey his orders anyway, Sigilyph tells N. Still, his gaze drops to his shoes as he considers the deal. It's not fair.

He looks back up suddenly, his expression caught between anger and worry. He sees Paprika move again, and gives a narrow-eyed stare; Make it quick.] A free hit... But did you not as well? Your Lombres' Fake Out dealt damage to both Sigilyph and Darmanitan. That makes us even.

[Again, he glances over at Hilda uncertainly. Her encouragement gives him some much-needed confidence, but he's still unsure. How strong are Miror's Pokemon? He won't be able to really tell until they battle; by then, it might be too late. He takes a steadying breath.] A regular battle. [None of that rotation or triple battling stuff he saw in his own Unova. He pauses, thinking.] Three one-on-one battles. How about that? Or perhaps you would prefer only one? [That would definitely be faster, but more of a risk.]

[Miror grits his teeth. This is all becoming so much more involved than he'd wanted. Why did nothing ever go the way he planned!? It was hardly fair. He shakes his head at the suggestion of a single match-up -- it was far too risky. He's beginning to see that his enemies are surprisingly resourceful, and that brief glimpse of Zekrom wasn't lost on him.]

Three one-on-one's, then. Doubles are really more my style, you know, but I'll be accommodating. [He flashes a confident grin, enjoying N's discomfort at being set up to battle. It was a small thing, but he has to take what he can get at this point.

Unfortunately, his attention returns to his side of things now that he must choose a Pokemon to use. The first thing he notices is, of course, Paprika's hand halfway down his pocket.] Hey now, none of that! [Miror grabs the errant hand and, now holding both of Paprika's arms, scowls at the inconvenience of it all. Were they trying to trick him just now!? How... rude! He angrily pushes Paprika to the side and nods towards his Claydol.] Claydol, darling, make sure Paprika stays put, would you?

[The Pokemon turns, glowing an ominous purple color as it summons up large shards of pointed stone. It manipulates them into a tight circle around Paprika; a cage made of Stealth Rock. Miror dusts off his hands and turns back to N, rather annoyed.] Well!? Let's battle, then! Or do you have any other clever little plans you'd like to get out of the way first? [He snaps his fingers and his two Lombre move in closer beside him, facing Darmanitan and Sigilyph respectively. Now that he's separated from his human shield he does feel a bit vulnerable.

Miror pulls out a Pokeball and tosses it between him and N. A Pikachu is released, its fur bristling and shooting off sparks.] Your move, Champ.

[So much for that, then. Paprika thinks she's just going to stay put for now and let the people who actually have their shit together do all the cool stuff. Nervously, she eyes the Baltoy, realizing she's pretty much stuck playing Princess Useless McGullible of the Land of Holy Shit how Didn't I See this Coming?.]

Well, uh... Shit.

[Well, shit, indeed. Paprika had been so close too. Hilda eyes her own Ditto - of course she's not going to ask it to Selfdestruct, but, now she knew it could use Stealth Rock too. How that was even useful at all though, she wasn't sure of... She frowns, wishing she had her team to try taking on the afro dude herself.

The way things are looking now, though, maybe N beating Miror straight-up might be their best chance. It's not a bad chance at all, she feels. N isn't going to lose to some kidnapping afro jerk, nope.]

[He winces. So much for that side plan. He gives Paprika his best attempt at a reassuring look... but it probably looks pretty weak.

When the Pikachu is released, he takes a small step backward, as if expecting those sparks to jump out and hit him. But he quickly steels himself, the sight of the Pikachu ultimately giving him some more courage. He can't allow Miror to use any more Pokemon to accomplish his unjust deeds.

N's eyes dart over to Darmanitan, a powerhouse, first. But she's already been attacked once, and is now serving as a guard with Sigilyph. Minun offers himself up with an enthusiastic squeak, but N instead chooses a Pokeball from his belt. When it's tossed forward, it snaps open to reveal an Absol. It stands tall, glowering silently at the Pikachu.

N briefly kneels, ushering Minun off his shoulder. Following N's lead, it scampers off toward Hilda, likely to do what it does best: cheer. N quickly straightens and glances a final time at Hilda, expression unreadable, before turning his focus to the battle.]

No. We are ready.

[Pikachu-- Electric. Static. Paralysis. Few of his Pokemon have non-physical moves, and that puts him at a disadvantage. The attacks he makes will have to count.]
Absol, Swords Dance. [Absol's fur bristles, and the sickle on the side of its head is enveloped in a bright glow. It moves, slinking catlike in a semicircle around the Pikachu and brandishing the scythe-like appendage like a sword.]

((OOC - Haha, to be fair, I totally flipped a coin to see if he'd notice or not.))

[Miror leans back on his heels, smiling to himself. Oh, this was a very annoying situation, to be sure; but now everything seemed to be more under control. In fact, he's itching to turn on some proper battle music, but with the two guards behind him he decides not to press his luck.

Somewhat impressed by N's choice of move, he waves a hand towards Pikachu.] Fuhoho! Double Team, Pikachu; let's show this little hood how it's done!

[Pikachu, down on all fours and tensed up like a coiled snake, immediately loosens and hops to the side, then back. Quick, sporadic dashes in different directions seem to merge its image together, then split it up into hazy after-images. Its illusory doppelgangers set up, Pikachu gives out a squeaky little chuckle, taunting Absol.]

[With not much else to do, Paprika is left to stand in her little cage and watch Miror B and N go at it. Knowing absolutely nothing about how to actually battle, she has to say it looks pretty cool--if she ever gets out of this mess, maybe she should actually learn how to battle herself, since it seems like a more viable alternative to pepper spray when it comes to deterring creeps.]

[Like Paprika, Hilda decides to watch the battle carefully for now, because there's no reason to panic just yet. She picks up the Minun when he scurries close to her, and lets him climb up her arm and perch on her shoulder. Gauging both combatants at first glance, they seem pretty evenly matched: both of them fast and agile. She can't tell the Pikachu doubles apart, and the speed is a little dizzying. She murmurs lightly to her new spectator companion.] So, which one do you think it is? [And receives a spirited but clueless little head-shake.] Yeah, I don't know either.

[She glances at both trainers. How different people always seemed, when they were commanding their Pokemon in battle.]

[Absol's eyes dart from side to side, trying in vain to follow the Pikachu's movements. Growing frustrated, it lowers its head to give a threatening growl.]

Keep calm, friend. Razor Wind! [Absol straightens, and the sickle glows anew. As Absol raises its head, a sudden gust seems to accumulate, twisting in a whirlwind around the Pokemon. N raises a hand to keep hold of the bill of his cap, to ensure the wind doesn't blow it away.

Razor Wind is the only non-physical technique Absol knows, and a risky one at that, requiring time to build the whirlwind. But, N thinks, Absol can withstand a hit when it's still this early in the battle. Perhaps its worth that time, especially if he can manage to get a critical hit in...]

[Pikachu's doubles flicker in the sudden gust of wind. Miror folds his arms in disapproval, having to steady his admittedly top-heavy self against the gale. Already growing impatient, he calls out to Pikachu.] Right, then; Thunderbolt.

[The real Pikachu lowers its head, mirrored with some amount of delay by the steadily hazier doubles. Little bolts of electricity spark from its cheeks as if it were revving up an internal engine, and the static builds up in the air around it, making its fur stand on end, before it takes a deliberate hop back. With a crack of thunder, a jagged bolt of electricity arcs towards Absol.

Miror, meanwhile, considers his options. He feels rather bound to a kind of honor among thieves contract here; battles are simply outside the realm of criminal activity. Even the most hardened criminal tended to honor the sanctity of a Pokemon battle. He is, therefore, reluctant to use it as a distraction to escape. Plus, with four of his Pokemon outside of their balls, it'd take a lot of coordination to just pack up and make a run for it. For now it would seem he is committed to battling it out.]

[Oh, hey, a Pikachu! Paprika likes those things because she actually remembers them from way back when she used to watch the Saturday morning cartoons. She just hopes that not all Pikachus are Ash's Pikachu, because that thing seriously never lost a fight. Like, ever.]

[So that's the one that was real. Hilda flinches a little at the spark of thunder, since it happened so close, and quickly looks at Absol to make sure it's holding up okay. Right about now, Absol's attack should happen - she stares fixedly at it. With the Pokemon's already innate ability to land critical hits, it'll be quite a sight to see the move.]

[The Thunderbolt hits its mark, catching first in the sickle, then enveloping Absol in electricity. It stands its ground, silently bearing the hit. N makes a small sound-- something of an empathic whimper. He's about to ask if the Pokemon is alright, and he receives an answer in form of a zealous roar.

Absol shakes off the sparks of electricity and again brandishes the glowing sickle, this time sending forth the whirlwind in the movement. Each arc of the sickle sends out a blade-like crescent scattering into the whirlwind-- and it's all heading toward the Pikachu and its doubles. The range of the attack is wide-- a bit wider than N predicted, judging by his baffled expression. It tears up grass, cuts at the bark of the nearby trees. No serious damage of course, but still alarming to at least N. He takes a step backward, forced to squint when the gale whips at his hair.]

Edited 2011-12-15 04:17 (UTC)

[The Absol's wide scattering of the Razor Wind is what does it; overconfident in its agility and the confusing nature of its Double Team, Pikachu dodges several of the projectiles before being struck dead-on by one. The moment the crescent strikes Pikachu, its doubles flicker out and it is tossed sharply into the air. Landing rather clumsily, its fur tousled by the assault, it tenaciously turns back to Absol and lets out a few weak, crackling sparks from its cheeks.

Miror silently removes his shades and wipes off the dust kicked up by Absol's attack with his scarf. Replacing them, he turns back to the critically injured Pikachu and lets out a disappointed, thoroughly unimpressed sigh.] Well, go on; Thunderbolt again.

[Steadying itself by spreading its forepaws on the ground, Pikachu's fur bristles once again as it charges up another Thunderbolt. With less energy than before, although not for want of trying, it shoots another bolt at Absol.]

[Figuring this maybe means N's winning, Paprika turns to the Baltoy holding her captive and scrutinizes it for any sign of expression. Since nobody's really paying attention to her, she supposes it's worth a shot to see what the Pokemon thinks about this whole mess.]

So what if you just, like, let me go or something? I mean, Miror B's kinda a dick, y'know.

[The Baltoy makes a string of sounds that come off as mildly unimpressed; Paprika shrugs, nearly nicking her shoulder on one of the rocks.]

Hey, it was worth a shot, okay?

[Hilda should probably have been looking at Paprika, or at Miror's other Pokemon, but at that moment she's completely absorbed in the battle. She has to hold her hat, too, in the middle of the Razor Wind gale. She finds the Minun decides to help her, by holding the bill in place on its other end.

Paprika taking her rightfully owned Pokemon back during the commotion of a battle was one thing, Hilda thought. But doing anything to help free her now was beyond possibility, since it would mean dealing with Claydol... while its trainer was occupied. And that was just, no. So she cheers for now, stomach clenching at the second Thunderbolt hit, and hands balling into fists the instant right after it.]

Just a little more! N, Absol, both of you, hang in there!

Evade! [Absol stays still for a moment, trying to judge the trajectory of the attack, then sidesteps and leaps aside, avoiding what seems to be the brunt of the attack--] Now, Pursuit! [-- but it's not so simple. The attack is unavoidable and seems to rebound after Absol, striking it again. Taken off guard, the Pokemon gives a catlike yowl. Still, the succeeded hit seems to spur it forward with rage; it keeps on with the Pursuit attack, surging forward through the sparks left by the Thunderbolt.

N winces. If this attack doesn't succeed, this round will be over for him. Absol leaps at Pikachu, readying a downward arc of its sickle.]

[Pikachu, surprised by Absol's rage, takes a second too long to react to its attack. The blade hits its side as it attempts to hop out of range, resulting it in being catapulted several feet away. A brief spark flashes as the sickle makes contact, the build-up of Pikachu's Static transferring through the attack with a crackle. It tumbles gracelessly in the grass and begins to pick itself back up before collapsing and lying still.

Miror frowns, his eyes narrowed angrily. Useless thing. If he can't get a hold of a Thunderstone soon he'll have to find some kind of replacement.] Lucky break; you win round one! But I don't think the next two will go quite so well for you, Champ.

[He recalls Pikachu, pausing before he reaches for another Pokeball. Instead, he turns his head to the side to nod abruptly at one of the Lombre standing guard behind him. Surely N was not so enterprising as to take advantage of a decrease in his defenses? By now Miror is fairly sure he's got N pegged. That other girl is a bit of a wildcard, though; clever, with the Ditto and all. Oh well. With Claydol occupied indefinitely, and Combusken nearly fainted from Darmanitan's punch, he only has one Pokemon left that N doesn't know about. Better save it for last.] Lefty, go on and take care of this, darling.

[One of the Lombre quickly shuffles around Miror and makes its way to the center of the clearing, right across from Absol. It raises its claws and grins darkly, eager to start.]

[Not sure if cheering is the right thing to do or not under these circumstances, Paprika settles for waving her pointer fingers around in a microcosm of an actual cheer.]

Uh, yaaaay?

[Poor Paprika. The Minun cheers more enthusiastically than she does, though, waving around sparks of electricity like pompoms and giving Hilda's hair some pretty bad static. Hilda herself fistpumps the air.]

Good! That was an awesome battle.

[Miror looks mad, though - and somehow, quite a bit more dangerous than before. It's no time to relax yet, or grow too complacent... Hilda's worried about Paprika's Pokemon, still in his possession. What if he pulls a fast one and doesn't return them even if N wins? He'd still have enough Pokemon in fighting condition to protect himself. Hmm.]

[N gives a bit of a relieved sigh, and regards the fallen Pikachu with sympathy. Absol looks a bit more happy about its victory, standing upright and proud in response to the cheering. Turning his attention back to his own Pokemon, N smiles.]

You were amazing, Absol! [Absol gives an affirmative sort of bark. A moment later, though, it falters, lowering its head with a painful hiss as the Static's electricity courses around it. N's smile fades, and he retrieves Absol's Pokeball from his belt, quickly returning it.] My apologies, friend... Thank you.

[He looks back up, expression again serious as he looks over the Lombre. A partial Grass type. He considers calling Sigilyph forward, but stops abruptly as the canopy of leaves above him begins to shake. He tilts his head up, watching as a figure drops down from its hiding place and lands before him.

It's... a second Paprika, albeit with a pair of glowing turquoise eyes and a somewhat manic grin.]

You wish to battle next, then? [The Paprika nods, and N sighs lightly, furrowing his brow. It's not the most certain match-up, but if she really wishes to help...] Very well, then. Night Slash! [One hand is brought out to her side, developing a very inhuman, shadowy claw. Sparing no time, she rushes at the Lombre.]

[Miror goes through several stages of being angry about the second Paprika. First of all, he is momentarily panicked that the real Paprika might have escaped somehow, and he has to actually glance over to see if she is still imprisoned by Claydol, which is annoying. Second, he has to try and figure out what the hell is actually going on, which isn't something that he can immediately identify, being unfamiliar with this type of illusion. Is it another Ditto? That... doesn't really make sense... Oh, and where did it come from!? Hiding up in the tree! He certainly hadn't expected that. Were there more Pokemon hiding around? How badly had he misjudged the situation? Suddenly making a run for it doesn't seem like such a bad idea...

But the creepy not-Paprika-Pokemon is carrying out its orders, and Miror reacts quickly.] No, no, no; Lefty, Fake Out!

[The Lombre stands its ground as the strange thing its fighting rushes forward. At the very last second, it slaps its hands together, emitting a sharp wave of energy to stop Zoroark in its tracks. It makes a raspy cackling sound, amused by the attack. Miror grins.] Now, Rain Dance!

[Such a shame, to have no music playing! Still, Lombre starts its dance, bobbing its head and hopping from foot to foot, warily watching Zoroark as the sky begins to darken and the first few raindrops start to fall.]

Holy shit, I didn't know Pokemon could go and turn into a demon-me!

[This is by and large addressed to the Claydol, still regarding her with as dispassionate a look as it can muster without a moving face. As the first drops of rain begin to fall, Paprika somehow manages to get the hood of her sweatshirt up with only minor scratches from the rocks, still watching the battle as she does so. Funny how being in a cage of super-sharp rocks can be so much better than getting grabbed and dragged around by a robot-guy who wants to kill you. The immediate panic of the situation has eased away, and having never really been in actual danger, Paprika figures the best way to recover is simply to bounce back to normal.]

Still, you've gotta admit, that's pretty badass. I mean, I look like I'm from X-Men or something!

[She's pretty sure the Claydol just shook its head in disapproval at her.]

Hey, buddy, d'you wanna at least loosen up these rocks or something? S'kinda cramped in here.

Whoa...

[The Zoroark-Paprika is a familiar sight, but it didn't look quite so unsettling before, outside of battle... when it didn't have the claw for a hand. Having never really followed sports or athletics outside of Pokemon battles, It's surprising to see a human - or a human shape, anyway - move so quickly and brutally. Still, Hilda doesn't get a chance to stare much because, after its sharp Fake Out, Miror's Lombre summons rainfall amazingly fast. She decides to quickly backstep into the trees again, for cover, just as it starts to pour hard.

She loses her balance, though, when she trips on something - something that flutters noisily around her feet, and caws angrily. Looks like she nearly stepped on an unsuspecting Unfezant. She quickly steps away, and grabs onto a branch to steady herself, but the Pokemon is flapping its wings at her, looking quite aggravated. Of all the unfortunate times to encounter a wild Pokemon...]

[As is to be expected, the Fake Out halts the Paprika before she can land a hit, and the illusion is quickly torn away. The undisguised Zoroark falls back, rushing out of the Lombre's range before it can lash out again. But instead of an actual attack, she gets... a bit of rain? She growls lowly, quipping, "Is that all?" N isn't nearly as confident. He tilts his head up, watching worriedly as the sky darkens.]

Stay on guard, Zoroark, that-- [And then he hears the sharp, sudden squawk of an Unfezant. Zoroark takes notice too, mirroring N's startled turn.] Ah-- Hilda! [Normally, he wouldn't react with such worry, but Hilda just arrived; her Pokemon aren't quite strong enough to protect her without getting themselves hurt. His Minun friend makes a move first, leaping from Hilda's shoulder and babbling away at the Unfezant, but the Flying-type doesn't seem to be listening very closely.

Zoroark eyes N, assuring him that she can fight just fine by herself, thank you very much. But N hurriedly calls out an attack anyway:] Night Slash, again! Be quick-- Don't let it get too close! [With that, he rushes to Hilda's side. Zoroark snorts and carries out the command, lashing out with one claw at the Lombre.

Meanwhile, N is quick to place himself between Hilda and the squawking Unfezant, an arm up to protect himself from its wing beats and talons. He speaks quickly but gently:] Hush, friend, everything is alright-- I'm sorry, we didn't mean to startle you.

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pfffft, it's not like Paprika is exactly a skilled pickpocket or anything xD

nahhh, Miror is too fabulous and sharp not to have noticed!

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