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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[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.

[The ruckus with the Unfezant startles Miror, and he curls a lip in annoyance at the fact that he's so on edge. N and Hilda -- he heard N call out her name just then -- seem to be properly distracted, though. If he is going to make a break for it, this is most definitely the moment! But the rain is falling steadily now, and it would be such an awful waste to leave. (Curiously, the rain doesn't seem to affect Miror's afro at all. The amount of hair product he goes through does not bear thinking about.)

Zoroark's Night Slash connects, dramatically ending Lombre's dance. He takes a step back, clutching its wounded arm but wearing an ominous grin. Despite the wound, he seems more energetic than before. Miror pauses another moment to watch N talk to the Unfezant. Maybe he was too worried, after all! The show his enemies are putting on just now is hardly intimidating. Chuckling, he shakes his head and points to the Lombre.] Fantastic, darling; now BubbleBeam!

[Lefty cackles and dashes to the side at an unnatural speed, boosted by the rain. He circles around Zoroark in the blink of an eye and opens his beak, emitting a jet of bubbles at his opponent's back. The attack seems unnaturally strong, also, spiraling through the air with a force bubbles probably shouldn't be able to achieve.

Meanwhile, Claydol peers down lugubriously at the imprisoned Paprika, its arms orbiting lazily around its body. It seems to be slowly processing its prisoner's request. After a moment, the stones shift, scraping against each other as they simultaneously move a few inches outward. As they settle in their new position, Claydol emits a low bong sound, appearing, if possible, mildly amused.]

[It takes Paprika a moment to realize what just happened, but once she catches on, she offers the Claydol a broad smile.]

See? That wasn't so bad, right?

[Claydol moves its arms in something that resembles a shrug, and if it wasn't on orders to blow Paprika up, she might have tried to reach through the rocks and pat it on the head. As for the battle, which had been pretty epic up until the ruckus with the giant pigeon thing, Paprika isn't really sure what to think until she sees Miror B's Pokemon launch its attack. Even she can tell something's up, since it definitely wasn't that strong before.]

N! Hey, look out!

[Hilda barely realizes what's going on until N's in front of her, soothing the offended Pokemon. She was surprised, but also kind of livid - she didn't want a human shield! Especially not when Zoroark needed his attention more.]

Wait a second, N, what are you doing?! I can manage this, the battle's so much more important!

[Hilda can only manage a glance back at the action of the battle, and it's not enough to really make out anything that's going on. Despite her protests, the bird Pokemon does seem to be growing calmer through N's manner and words. Instead of wildly flapping about, now it's venting to this unusually sympathetic human in dramatic hoots, about how it had just been minding its own business when some big old boot decided to thump down next to it, and how unacceptable that was. It kicks up some mud sullenly too, because on top of it all it's raining and it doesn't like that either.

Thanks to N's efforts, though, it's become calm enough that Hilda can squat down next to the both of them, and bribe it with a Berry she'd picked up along the way. But first, in lieu of a thank you, she gives N an urgent look.] What are you still doing here? Go back to Zoroark! [And then she hands the Flying-type her Berry.] Here you go… I promise I'll look where I'm going next time. Take this and share it with your friends, okay?

[The bird Pokemon decides to scoff, ignoring Hilda completely except by swiping the Berry into its beak. It acknowledges N with a polite sort of nod, gives its tail feathers a dignified shake, and turns to leave.

Meanwhile, agitated by the commotion, something peeks out of the trees behind the Unfezant - a curious Plusle. Its little face lights up when it spots the Minun, cheeks giving off sparks in the rain.]

((ooc - Oops, sorry for the novel. I'm thinking Hilda should either keep the Plusle, or give it to Paprika if she wants it! Because it has red and… yeah. I just thought it would be cute to have both Minun and Plusle around weh BUT NOW, BACK TO THE ACTION))

[N seems to ignore Hilda's words, save for giving her sharp look in disapproval at her tone of voice. It'll only agitate the Pokemon more. He listens to the Unfezant's complaints, nodding occasionally, uttering "I know"'s and self-deprecating words. He does keep watch of Zoroark's battle from the corner of his eye, still.]
I'm sorry-- I will make sure the battle ends soon. The rain will stop. [He pauses there, allowing Hilda to offer up the berry, then watching the Unfezant go. Minun gives a sigh of relief and squeaks happily up at Hilda, something along the lines of, "See? Everything's okay now!" The flicker of electricity catches his eye, and he looks up, ears twitching curiously as he sees the Plusle. He's met plenty of Plusle in LostLorn Forest before; maybe this one is a friend!

Paprika's warning reaches N next, and he sees Lombre prepare its attack. He tears his attention back to the battle.] Zoroark, move! [But Lombre's too fast; the BubbleBeam hits hard, sending Zoroark skidding through the mud with a yelp. The situation with the Unfezant under control, N retakes his stance on the field, getting as close to Zoroark as he can without actually encroaching on the battle.] Zoroark! [The fox Pokemon forces herself back onto her feet, giving a weak, stubborn snarl. So that's why N was worried about a little rain...

He's about to admit defeat and return Zoroark to her Pokeball, but she growls in protest. N hesitates, but calls out another command:] Foul Play! [Recovering her balance, Zoroark lashes out again. N knows moves like Foul Play could turn seemingly hopeless battles around in his favor, but he isn't sure it'll work this time. The Lombre is too fast, and Zoroark's taken too much damage...]

[Miror grins broadly, pleased with the proceedings. Nothing like a bit of rain to really pump up the tempo! Why, it's almost like being back in Orre's Colosseums! Well, except without being a double battle. And being surrounded by angry Pokemon is new, too.

Lombre takes the hit, though he attempts to spin away from the attack as if it were a part of his mad dance. The motion causes Zoroark's claws to slide across without gaining much purchase, and the trickery inherent to the move does not seem to affect him much. Still, he's knocked back a few steps and appears angrier for it; his cackling laughter is replaced with a silent focus. He may have the upper hand now, but with the damage from Zoroark's attacks adding up quickly this needs to be over soon. He takes a deep breath and quickly glances at Miror, waiting for the go-ahead. Miror laughs and waves his hand in approval.] Fuhohoho! BubbleBeam again! Lay into that nasty little sneak, darling. [Lombre immediately releases his breath, launching another spiraling BubbleBeam at Zoroark.]

[This... Doesn't look so good. Paprika crosses her arms over her chest and shakes her damp bangs out of her eyes, appraising the battle with a look of clueless (albeit sincere) concern.]

My money's still on N.

[She's still talking to the Claydol, whose response goes right over her head.]

Well, I mean, I kinda have to be rooting for him, y'know? Since your guy's, like, a total douchebag.

((Paprika that icoooonnnnn nooooooo))

[Hilda's still irritated at her accident having caused such a scene. If it ends up costing N the round, she's going to feel awful... She gets up slowly, eyes fixed on the battle and the trainers. Though she isn't paying attention to them, the Plusle seems to have quickly learned from the Minun the gist of the situation - or what it must have appeared like to them, anyway. Bad guy, kidnapping, heroic rescue mission! Or something like that. The two little electic-types cheer wholeheartedly, flailing about like they're begging for a good outcome, as Hilda urgently watches.]

[Apparently the two Electric-types' cheering isn't quite enough this round. The BubbleBeam hits Zoroark dead on, and she is again sent skidding backwards, eventually collapsing at N's feet. N drops to his knees to make sure she hasn't been injured badly, and receives some weak struggling and protesting whines.] Stop that-- stop. It's alright. [Zoroark ceases her attempted thrashing with a dismayed whimper. N offers a reassuring smile.] No, friend, you did very well. [Zoroark seems to sulk before she disappears back into her Pokeball.

Once Zoroark has been returned, N gets to his feet. His clothes are pretty much ruined now, soaked through and covered with mud. Still, it looks like he doesn't even notice. He glances at the now weakened Lombre, then tilts his head at Miror.] I suppose this means we must have a tie-breaker then, hm?

[His eyes move past Miror to Sigilyph and Darmanitan, the latter of which does not look very pleased about the pouring rain. N tilts his head back, staring up at the still darkened sky and blinking back raindrops. How many turns did Rain Dance's effect last? Five. How many turns has it been in effect this battle? Four. He'll just refrain from Fire-type moves for that last turn.]

Well, Darmanitan? I believe your turn has come. [The Fire-type looks up, suddenly energetic again despite the rain. With a quick nod to Sigilyph, she takes off, rushing through the mud and leaping to the spot on the battlefield before N.] I'm sorry about the rain-- [She just raises a hand to give a thumbs up. SHE'S GOT THIS. N smiles.] Good, then.

[Miror applauds rather sarcastically at Zoroark's defeat, finding much amusement in N's disarrayed appearance. He gives a nonchalant shrug at the question of a tie-breaker, although he does peer up at the sky with some amount of worry. The clouds are beginning to break up, and a quick glance at Lombre is enough to tell that there's no way he could last another round. He could send in his second Lombre... but he hasn't had time yet to teach the thing how to properly Rain Dance. And Claydol is busy being blabbered to by Paprika! Damn it!

With an impatient sigh, he gives in to impulse and recalls Lombre, switching out one Pokeball for another with a quick twist of his fingers. Time to release the secret weapon, then, even if the match-up is not exactly ideal. This was a perfect time to test his progress!

Miror tosses the Pokeball to the ground, then takes a quick step back out of range. The Pokeball sits still for an ominous moment before snapping open, its glowing energy rapidly transforming into nearly eleven feet of angry Serperior. She rises up on her coils, serpentine tongue flicking in and out as she sizes up the situation. She seems incredibly agitated. In fact, someone sensitive to the auras of Pokemon, (and such a person may or may not be present), would notice a faint tinge of darkness emanating from her -- she's not completely enveloped by it, but then, Miror hasn't quite figured out the secret to Shadow Pokemon yet. It's been quite the side project, experimenting with this stolen starter.

With the raindrops beginning to fade, Miror knows Darmanitan's full power will return only too quickly. He gestures dramatically towards Serperior.] Serperior! Slam! [With a hiss, the snake arcs her head towards the ground, moving in a wave that sends the end of her tail slicing through the air like a bullwhip towards Darmanitan.]

[Paprika doesn't know too much about Pokemon, but something about this one looks kind of freaky--aside from the part where it's a giant, red-eyed snake.]

Holy crud, why d'you work for this guy again?

[Claydol doesn't answer, and so Paprika wonders if it's just a thing that Pokemon have to deal with, a total luck of the draw as to whether they get a douchebag like Miror B, a moron like her, or a cool guy like N. It kind of makes her stop and think--what if her Pokemon all secretly hate her, even if they'd never be better off with Miror B?]

[Hilda regards the Serperior curiously. It seems kind of different, from the one she's seen up close before - the one that belonged to a childhood friend. Pokemon tend to end up mirroring their trainers sometimes, so she figures maybe it's just because this Serperior belongs to that jerk. She doesn't think much more into it.

She doesn't really care about the rain anymore, and doesn't bother to keep under the trees. The hunt for Miror through Lostlorn Forest had already done a number on her clothes and tidiness anyway (and that's without even counting what N's Growlithe and his doggy kisses). So, eyes on the new set of combatants, Hilda steps closer to N. She doesn't say a word, as to not distract him.

Minun and Plusle scuttle closely behind her feet, one of them consoling the other. In little time they both seem plenty ready to cheer again.]

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