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Post by virusghost18 on May 13, 2013 10:07:03 GMT -8
Chapter 1
A song was playing, sort of sad, sort of glad, but mostly there was just the strumming of a beat up old guitar. Emil stood atop the tallest mountain overlooking the dried up ravine that had once been a wide and tall rushing river of clean water. It was near dusk and the sun could be seen setting, sending shadows dancing through the skeleton trees of what had been a lush forest. The slight breeze that had been with Emil since he left the Northern Frontier was gone now that he had arrived at the barrier. A pale and almost unnoticeable dome of layered energy was encasing the region beyond. Emil touched the barrier gently, his hand resting on the shield, a slight tingling sensation crept up his arm, it had disengaged the shield. His gloves were the only key out unless you had a pokemon that could teleport you out. Emil pulled his MP3 player out of his pocket and flipped it off, the music stopped play through his headphones and he put the device away.
Emil turned on his Xtransceiver, "I'm going in now, probably won't be back for a while. Don't wait up for me, you need your rest."
The person on the other line nodded and in the soft words of "I love you..." summed up all of what they could ever say to each other. The screen went dark and Emil took a step.
He was back in Old Unova.
The badlands, they were basically a huge extension of the original Route 4 that had been a short desert trail between Castelia and Nimbasa. But ever since the calamity the entire region had been swallowed by the fallout. All the plants had shriveled up and died, pokemon had migrated well before the explosion but nobody had paid much attention to that. Little did they know that that would have been the only warning. Millions had died from the explosion, millions more would die, suffer or become incurably sick from the radiation that came all too soon afterward. Emil and Ophelia had been lucky, they had Pokemon at the time that could teleport them away from danger.
A mass evacuation had been ordered and a good majority of the survivors had left when they could, afterward it would be too late for anyone else who would want to leave. Fearing the safety for the rest of the globe a massive dome was placed on top of the problem to prevent it from spreading and effectively cutting it off at the source. Sure air could go freely through, but the barrier acted as a filter, anything with the slightest bit of radiation would not be allowed through. That was why Emil was given the only key in and out.
Emil was happily married to the woman of his dreams, his cousin was safe and a good majority of his peers and friends had made it out in time. But he never did find out what had happened to his brother. Not his brother by blood because he was an only child when his parents had died, no his brother by bond - Bradey. And of course Ariel, she had been Ophelia's maid of honor at the ceremony while Emil had Bradey as his best man. He had heard rumors that they had died in the explosion at Nimbasa but he refused to believe it, he had heard another rumor before that they had been in Opelucid city at the time and were helping with the people who couldn't make it to the first evacuation, but Emil never saw them after the dome had closed off the entire Southern part of the region.
Emil crossed the threshold and stepped into the treeline below. His Xtransceiver had been modified to act as not only a radio and video phone, it was now outfitted to be solar rechargeable, could detect radiation levels and powered the shock gloves he wore. The gloves themselves were nothing special to look at, they were made of a grey tough material similar to leather. Underneath though they could act as a key to open the barrier for himself and anyone who was touching him, they also could double as a electroshock gloves powerful enough to make a Rhydon jump back.
Emil pulled up his headband from his neck and pulled it over his mouth, it could act as a filter for the air when he needed it to. He pulled down his brass goggles over his eyes. Instantly the darkness was illuminated in a vivid green night vision, he clicked the tabs on the sides. The goggles shuffled through heat vision, radiation, zoom... when he was satisfied everything was working fine he switched it to see electrical energy signatures. Off in the distance there was a soft glow, true enough it was coming from where Opelucid city had been before the explosion.
A scout party had reported that they had seen lights over the mountains, beyond which Opelucid city was, a few days back when it had been cloudy late in the evening. Emil previously had been training himself alongside his Pokemon to go back inside and find a way to undo what had been done. Or at least help rescue the last of the people trapped within to get outside the barrier. Emil had been given a wide variety of tools to help him navigate and keep him out of trouble while he was inside, somehow even then Emil still felt unprepared.
Emil took a few steps forward to test his surroundings, his heavy steel toed boots were surprisingly silent, they must have been padded on the soles to reduce noise. There was now just Emil and the wild untamed wastes below. Emil cautiously but hastily made his way down the mountain toward the ravine. Emil stopped just before the deep crevasse that spanned almost a quarter of a mile to the other side, Emil looked around to see if he had been followed. No electrical bodies immediately stood out to Emil so he figured it was safe to send out one of his Pokemon to help him cross. He tossed a Dusk Ball into the air and a cloud of darkness spilled out and the form of a large Magnezone appeared in front of Emil. Emil had been careful to have switched his pokemon all into Dusk Balls before he left for stealth reasons.
"MK-Ultra, I need you to use Magnet Rise and get us across this gap here." Emil explained.
The Magnezone turned and lowered itself for Emil to climb on, Emil did so and his heavy boots seemed to be magnetized in place on MK-Ultra. "Guess these are lined with magnets too." Emil conceded. The Magnezone levitated off the ground and into the air, the two lazily and silently drifted across the gap and arrived on the other side. "Thanks," Emil said in a hushed tone, "-Rest up and be ready for when I need you." The Magnezone returned itself to it's pokeball and Emil took off back into the trees towards the old city.
It was now a cool night that was perfect if only for one thing, the smell. The badlands had the permanent foul smell to it but it changed depending where you were. Sometimes it was filthy smelling like burning trash, other times it smelled like chlorine, or sulfur or blood. It wasn't the radiation or the fallout that occasionally would float in the air or was trapped in the clouds above, no it was what it fell on and touched that started to smell. Emil pulled the filter closer to his mouth as he went on, soon he was within a mile before the city, Emil stopped just before the trees ended and observed.
Opelucid had changed, not for the good and not for the worse, it had changed for survival. A massive wall that had to be at least a few stories high had been build around the city, on its outside it said "New Opelucid" in dark red spray paint. Beyond it Emil could pick up the electrical signature of another energy shield similar to the one that covered the entire region, this one however wasn't as strong and looked to be solar powered, it's field seemed diminished in the night time but not completely gone. Emil also noticed a few dots moving around outside of the wall and barrier. Emil switched his goggles to heat sensors and zoomed in. He could make out the forms of a few pokemon, most of them were average looking, probably owned by the people who lived inside, but a few in particular caught Emil's eye. The just looked familiar, a Hydreigon and a Nidoking. But they both looked pretty beat up and rough around the edges, they would pose a problem to infiltration.
Emil ran silently amongst the shadows like he had practiced with his Ghost and Dark types back in the Northern Frontier, he was swift and careful not to be noticed. As he did a full perimeter sweep of the compound he noticed a large entrance that had a massive and imposing gate. He had also seen a couple of other people wandering around the forest as well but didn't bother with them, Emil just stayed a safe distance away to remain unnoticed. Emil weighed his options, frontal invasion or the diplomatic approach or just sneak in... Emil chose the latter.
Emil dodged and weaved through the tall, sour smelling, dry grass and allowed the wind to make enough noise to cover his own. He timed the approach and pattern that the guard pokemon had. It seemed to be random but in the randomness there were holes that could be easily taken advantage of. After a few close calls Emil arrived at the wall, he looked this way and that to see if anyone or anything was coming, nothing was immediately noticeable and Emil felt a bit rushed. Emil pulled a grappling bolt and it's launcher out of his back pack. It was shaped like a regular spike that was about a foot and a half long and was surprisingly light weight and had a long cord coming out of the back as well. He loaded it and shot it above the wall, it sailed over and landed up high. A small screeching sound was made as it's umbrella mechanism deployed itself so it could better anchor itself.
'~That was kind of loud...' a voice chimed from within Emil's shadow that was on the wall in front of him. A small face detached itself from the shadow and a small Mismagius was smirking in ridicule.
"Shut it Beckon!" Emil hissed quietly. The ghost shrugged and went back into Emil's shadow. Emil pulled on the cord to test the strength to see if it would hold him. When he was satisfied he began to pull himself on the cord and walked vertically up within the shadow the wall. Suddenly a light erupted behind Emil that made him jump, Emil had narrowly dodged an unknown attack from below. Emil hesitated to look down, but when he did he was shocked at what he saw.
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Post by bscomics on May 13, 2013 22:26:08 GMT -8
About thirty feet below Emil stood Thrasher. His Metal Burst attack had missed the intruder barely, causing the Aggron to mentally kick himself.
"Nicccccce going, Thrasher." Came Olympus's hissing voice. The Hydreigon was quick to make the scene as he was the closest to his teammate - and backup was arriving quickly. "Another missed shot like that and you might as well alert the whole wasteland of our location."
"Shut the hell up, Olympus. I don't see why you can't just fly up there and devour the intruder." Thrasher shot back angrily. Olympus quickly got angry at the Aggron's retort.
"You know I can only get about twenty feet off the ground thanks to my tattered wings!" The Hydreigon screeched.
"You both might want to focus on the task at hand before I kick both of your asses." KillDrill threatened as he showed up with several other patrolmen and 'mons.
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Within New Opelucid's walls, the 'Royal Palace' was rather quiet. The king sat on his throne contemplating. He lounged silently, not thinking about anything in particular: the past, the present, even the future. He thought about nothing and everything - it didn't matter to him at this point. His only concerns now were protecting the settlement he helped found and doing everything he can and more to keep the people within its walls safe from the horrors of the badlands.
Beside him sat the queen. She had been just as quiet the whole evening. Her Ninetales sat next to her - sitting obediently, her tails slowly waving about. The excruciating silence was finally broken when the queen herself spoke up.
"The fields are thriving now that Miracle has been able to find a perfect balance in the chemical composition of the soil. We're going to have even better crops when it comes time to harvest them." She spoke. In her youthful days before the incident in Nimbasa City, the queen's voice sounded like how a poet would describe as verbal sunshine - a sweet sound that was akin to a soothing melody - now sounding drained of hope or joy. The king shifted in his seat and glanced at her and nodded slowly.
"I'm... glad to hear that." His husky voice came out. Even larger than he was in his youth, the giant of a man had permanent 5 O'clock shadow and towered over most at six and a half feet tall. He was always accompanied wherever he went by his Arcanine - a faithful hound that had accompanied him on his journeys for over fifteen years. While the news of the improvement in agriculture pleased him, the king was more worried about the bands of criminals and even mutated abominations that occasionally threatened the city's wall.
The ultimate silence of the throne room was broken when a guard came sprinting in.
"My lord and lady, there is an intruder attempting to scale the wall as we speak!" The guard choked out breathlessly. "The patrol units have him surrounded, but based on his stealth ability we can only assume he's extremely dangerous since he managed to get past everyone on patrol and to the wall."
The king immediately stood from his seat, surprised. No intruders had ever even been able to get past his patrol guards, let alone make contact with the wall. He reached for the Heavy Ball on his belt before the queen grabbed his wrist and shook her head.
"Bradey, don't. You can't use him, this close to New Opelucid - he'll tear this place apart." The queen advised, standing from her throne as well. "I'll go to the wall with Delilah and Krunch. If this intruder is as dangerous as the guards are making him out to be then my Dragons will just tear the bastard apart."
"No, Ariel." Bradey disagreed with his wife. "Have the guards apprehend him and bring him before me. I want to see this man for myself before I pass judgement on him." Ariel looked at him like he was insane for a moment before sighing. There wasn't much use in arguing at this point. She pulled her travelling cloak on and covered her face to where only her eyes showed through, as well as bits of her faded blonde hair. As she left the throne room with the guard, Ursula and Buck watched in silence.
"Do you think it was wise to let the queen outside the wall?" Buck asked with concern.
"She'll be fine." Ursula commented. "Delilah won't let any threat within fifty feet of Queen Ariel. After all, she's held her own against the King's demon weapon."
"Don't remind me, Ursula. That clash was never meant to occur in the first place." Bradey muttered as he took a seat back on his throne.
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"Open the gates!" The guard yelled to the men on duty. "Queen Ariel is here to bring the intruder to judgement." Quickly the gates opened wide enough to where him and the Queen could slip through and the gates could shut once again swiftly.
Once outside, Ariel held her face covering closer to her nose. Just the very stench of the wastelands disgusted her. The sulfurous odor was more than enough to nauseate her. Ariel took the Friend Ball from her tiara - each ball containing one of her Pokemon disguised as a gemstone. From the ball erupted her massive Garchomp, Delilah who signaled her presence with a mighty roar.
The queen then took a Dusk Ball from her crown, using it to release her Haxorus, Krunch. Both Dragon's momentarily stared each other down before Ariel snapped her fingers for them to pay attention.
"Listen to me you two." She said authoritatively. "There is a disturbance along the wall with an intruder - possibly dangerous. The king wants us to apprehend him and bring him to the Gym for judgement." Delilah huffed in reluctant compliance whereas Krunch simply nodded slowly.
Further down the wall, the patrolmen and 'mons all shuddered collectively as the sound of Delilah's presence reached them. Olympus grinned wickedly. Thrasher grimaced internally. KillDrill stood his ground. They all could tell the queen was on her way.
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Ariel strode ahead of her guard escort, Delilah and Krunch keeping pace with her perfectly. She could see ahead of her a crowd and on the wall, a single man hanging from a tether. Just the sight of it irritated her. How dare he try and breach the sanctity of everything her and the rest of the founders worked so hard to keep protected. The crowd parted for the queen hastily as Delilah snarled and snapped her jaws at anyone too slow to get out of their way. Ariel and her Dragons stopped below the man, her eyes piercing out from beneath her hood - not in anger, but concern and authority.
"Who are you?" The queen demanded the stranger hanging above her from his line. "As the queen of New Opelucid I demand you tell me before I let my Garchomp devour you." She lied. Ariel was waiting for him to return to the ground so the guards could arrest him and bring him before the king.
"Let me kill him. You can tell that husband of your's he attacked and we were forced to act." Delilah hissed. Ariel jumped when she heard her Garchomp speak. She quickly realized a telepathic Pokemon was around. The queen squinted and noticed a small Mismagius with the intruder.
"No Delilah. We have our orders." Ariel told her Dragon quietly, not breaking eye-contact with the man. The king's Hydreigon, Aggron, and Nidoking all took up defensive positions should the man turn down the queen's generous offer.
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Post by royaba on May 18, 2013 9:21:58 GMT -8
A few moments prior
Suddenly a light erupted behind Emil that made him jump, Emil had narrowly dodged an unknown attack from below. Emil hesitated to look down, but when he did he was shocked at what he saw.
A small distance away, the flash caught the eye of a wandering man in the desert. He reached for a set of binoculars to get a better look.
"What is it, boss?" inquired an azure furred Zangoose.
"Some kid's tryin' t'scale Opelucid's wall," the man chuckled, "Poor sap's gonna get'imself killed."
"Should we help him?"
"Now why on earth would I do that?"
"You can't just help out a fellow outlaw?"
"Most fellow outlaws ain't too nice 'a fellas these days, or have y'fergot? Besides he's totally surrounded, it'd be suicide."
"I thought you liked a challenge?" the zangoose jabbed at the man's pride. ______________________________
"No Delilah. We have our orders." Ariel told her Dragon quietly, not breaking eye-contact with the man. The king's Hydreigon, Aggron, and Nidoking all took up defensive positions should the man turn down the queen's generous offer.
"Bruce, Earthquake now!"
The Garchomp pounded the ground with both claws sending tremors through the ground and knocking several men & monsters off their feet. Ariel turned her head to see the dragon blur past and up the wall to where Emil hung from his line.
"C'mon kid!" the man shouted, grabbing Emil by the arm while Bruce cut through his cable. Before Emil could say anything the dragon pushed off the wall and darted back into the desert at great speed, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.
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Post by virusghost18 on May 18, 2013 11:25:43 GMT -8
It all happened so quickly! First he gets caught, next he gets trapped and then he is rescued just before he can tell Ariel it's him. Emil was furious, glad to see that Ariel was alive and well, but furious.
"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?! I WAS DOING FINE, I KNOW THEM!!!" Emil shouted at the strange guy as they all glided though the air deep into the desert. The rushing air made it difficult for Emil to say anything in a normal voice.
"You've ruined everything!!!" Emil shouted as they landed safely a few miles out of sight of the New Opelucid city walls. "Damnit!!!" Emil cursed, he wanted give this guy a piece of his mind. But Emil remembered why he was here and what his mission was.
"Thank you for the help but it wasn't wanted or needed. I was doing fine; I knew all of those people." Emil calmly explained with a slight edge to his voice. "I am from the outside trying to assess the situation in here. What is your name?" Emil said in as an authoritative voice he could muster.
Meanwhile back at the city...
Beckon watched as Emil sailed into the night, not the first time she had been left on her own and it wouldn't be the last. Beckon floated down gracefully, she looked at the crowd and picked up that Ariel must be someone important.
"I am called Beckon, your grace. I am but a humble Mismagius from the far North where most of Unova has gathered after your calamity. I was found and was accompanying one of the leaders of the "Northern Frontier" outpost that is just beyond your mountains. His name is Emil Rincon, his mission that he assigned himself was to travel here to find his friends and have them join him in his quest to restore Unova.", the Mismagius explained politely and eloquently. After she finished Beckon bowed low and gave a small smirk.
"From what I've heard you would become a queen~" Beckon said almost mockingly and now a lot less formal. She floated this way and that around the queen and the guard Pokémon belonging to her and Bradey. She was sizing them up, seeing if they could handle as big a mission as this. "You look the part, but the badlands haven't been too kind, have they?" Beckon commented sarcastically as she floated close to Ariel to test if she was as afraid of ghosts as Emil had told Beckon once.
Beckon then floated on to the rest of the large Pokémon, "You all look able enough, but you've been stuck here for far too long. I wonder if you would even survive a day out there.~” Beckon teased.
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Post by bscomics on May 18, 2013 12:03:32 GMT -8
The guardsmen and Pokemon were all getting back to their feet after the sudden disturbance. Just as they started moving in, the queen held her hand up and turned to them.
"All of you return to your duties. I'll take care of business here..." Ariel ordered the warriors. She turned to face Beckon to acknowledge the Mismagius. The moment she mentioned Emil, the queen froze in her tracks. "Emil... is alive?" Ariel managed to whisper. Was this hope she was feeling? Ariel had long forgotton what is was like to experience the feelings of hope and happiness. If Emil really was alive, then that could mean Ophelia was as well. And what was this Northern Frontier that she was just now hearing about. Of the rare occasions the queen actually left New Opelucid, the farthest north they could have gone was blocked by a barrier. Beckon's news caused the woman to completely zone out, she didn't even notice that the Pokemon's snide comments had already landed her in hot water - the king's as well as her own Pokemon had already begun lunging at the diminutive ghost - a type she had long ago abandoned her fear of.
"You'll regret making that comment, runt." KillDrill growled as he lunged forward with a Poison Jab - Delilah joining him with a Dragon Rush. Snapping back to reality, Ariel realized Beckon was about to be on the receiving end of a fatal beating.
"STOP!" The queen yelled, back in her authoritative nature. The Pokemon halted and turned to Ariel. "If what you say is true... Beckon was it? You wouldn't have a problem explaining this intrusion to the king then?" Ariel was returning Beckon's sarcastic tone as all five monster Pokemon practically breathed down the small ghost's neck.
Delilah and Olympus circled Beckon almost hungrily.
"She could be lying, my queen." Olympus hissed, one of his secondary heads snapped in the ghost's direction. "Remember that outlaws can never be trusted."
"For once I agree with the king's Hydreigon. Ghost Pokemon can read minds and just happened to pick out the memories of your past." Delilah added, growling.
Ariel stopped for a moment before speaking up. "We'll still have to bring this Mismagius to the Gym. Ursula will be able to determine whether or not she's lying... and if she is, then the king will have to feed her to his demon." Ariel turned on her heel and began heading for the gate, her Dragons in tow. The king's Pokemon motioned for Beckon to go ahead as they followed.
As Queen Ariel walked back through the gates of New Opelucid, her head was swimming. Could her old friends still be alive? If that man really was Emil then why would he lack the common sense to approach the gate peacefully? She was having trouble processing this information. Ariel glanced over her shoulder to see her party following her. How was Bradey going to receive this news?
Out of the corner of her eye, Ariel noticed several men, women, and children watching her procession from their homes. It was well past curfew, but after the commotion at the wall nobody would be sleeping tonight. She had to calm their nerves.
"Nothing to worry about everyone." Ariel called out to her people, trying to muster up a gentle tone. "Just another outlaw trying to get to the wall..."
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Within minutes they were upon the Royal Palace - once the Opelucid City Gym. When the surviving Unova Gym leaders were evacuated from the region, the founders - now the "Royal Court" - of New Opelucid moved in and reconstructed it to suit them as a living space.
Ariel entered the Gym and began striding towards her throne. "You're not going to believe this." She said, locking eye contact with the king. Bradey sat up in his seat to see three of his Pokemon along with Krunch and Delilah escorting a diminutive Mismagius into the chamber. He narrowed his eyes and frowned.
"You've got to be kidding me." Bradey stood from his throne as Ariel took a seat on her's. "This," he gestured a hand at Beckon, "-is what caused all that chaos I heard at the wall?!"
"Not exactly." Ariel answered in a serious tone. "She's what's left of what went down outside the wall." Bradey looked at her confusedly. "She belongs to the intruder, who was taken away by what looked like another Garchomp." The two heard Delilah growl across the throne room. Buck and Ursula looked up and stared at the Ghost-Type.
"So what are we going to do with a Mismagius?" Bradey huffed.
"You're going to want to hear what she told me..." Ariel moved forward in her seat. "She claims to be Emil's Pokemon." The king's eyes widened exponentially at this news. "I brought her here for Ursula to see whether or not she's telling the truth. "If she is, then Emil may very well be alive."
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Post by snazzychipz on May 19, 2013 11:59:10 GMT -8
Far from the commotion that was happening in Opelucid, near what used to be the Desert Resort, lie a small bar. Maybe 3 or 4 people there, tops. It was a quiet little place, the sound of a radio with poor reception and a few clicks and clangs of people setting their glasses down was all that was heard. Two men were sitting at a small table together, enjoying a drink, and the bartender was brewing a drink for a gentlemen at the end of the counter. The tender gave the man his drink then walked back over to the middle of the counter where a girl sat, her head face down in the counter and an empty shot glass in her right hand.
“Care for another glass, miss?” The bartender asked.
The girl didn’t move but just gave a long drawn-out, “Mmmm” instead.
“...I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” he said turning his back to make another drink for her.
The girl was wearing what looked like a navy blue army coat, an off-white tank top, rolled up cargo pants, and no shoes. Her long messy brown hair was put up in a ponytail, but it was still very close to touching the floor. To put it bluntly she looked like a complete mess.
After a few minutes the bartender returned with her drink, “There you go miss.” The girl slowly grabbed for the drink and lifted her head to take a drink, “Thanks...”
The bartender grabbed her empty glass and placed it near the sink behind the counter. He turned on the faucet and began to clean it out. Above this sink was a small mirror and next to that was a few posters. Some being promotion for the bar and other struggling businesses, others being propaganda, and others being wanted posters. The bartender glanced and saw some of the wanted posters. On one of them it read, “WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE: [REDACTED] 20 MILLION REWARD” As well as a low quality photo of the criminal and a poorly drawn sketch, but it was enough to tell who it was. These particular wanted posters riddled the streets in practically every town you’d go through. Afterall it was meant for ‘her’, the one who caused the catastrophe that happened 6 years prior. She was now considered one of the Top 5 criminals in all of the regions combined. The bartender glanced at the poster then into the mirror above the sink to get a look at the girls face as she took a sip of her drink. The connection had been made.
“My, my. I never thought I’d have someone as famous as yourself grace our presence in a little bar like mine.” The bartender said as he placed his hands on the counter right in front of the girl. The girl didn’t budge but just casually continued to sip her drink. She set her drink down in front of him. “Me? Famous? ..I think you’ve got the wrong person.”
The bartender just squinted his eyes at the girl. He then reached into his back pocket and grabbed a pokeball. He placed the ball in front of the girl. “Now, I could be wrong, but I highly doubt you’d be wanting to start any trouble here.” The other men at the bar looked in their direction; tensions were starting to rise. The girl silently placed her glass down and took out some change from her jacket and placed it on the counter. “Thanks for the drinks, I’ll be on my way.” The girl stood up and headed for the door.
The two men who were sitting at the table earlier were now standing in front of the door blocking her path. The bartender and other gentlemen who was sitting at the counter had gotten up and blocked her from behind. “Afraid not little missy. You’ve got a big bounty on your head, and there ain’t no way you’re leavin’ this place without us getting a little reward.” The men by this time had either released a Pokemon or had some kind of weapon ready to attack if she made any moves. The girl just stood in the middle of them. The girl then reached for something in her pocket. The men saw this move and braced for an attack.
Suddenly the girl casually released a small bird Pokemon. The little Natu fluttered up and sat on top of her head. The men stood there in a confused silence as they were expecting something much more. Frustrated with the girl, one of the men ordered an attack from his Pokemon which caused a chain reaction from the rest of them. They all rushed towards the girl ready to bring her down.
“Lyla, Teleport!” The girl yelled just as the men were about to make contact. A flash of bright green light filled the bar and practically blinded the men. And with that the girl was gone. The men were left in the bar, frustrated with themselves for not jumping on her quicker.
Somewhere high in the sky, another bright green flash of light went off. In the middle of this light was the girl and the small bird. They began to plummet back down to earth. “LYLA, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? THE PLACE YOU TELEPORT US IS FOREVER HIGH OFF THE GROUND?! WHAT THE HECK!?! WAHHHH!!!” the girl yelled as she fell down to earth. A city lay beneath them as they fell.
The girl continued to yell as they fell. What looked like a castle was what she was going to land on; whether she’d survive the impact is another story. Right as they were about to hit the castle, a Ditto forced its way out of its Pokeball and transformed itself into a pillow like object. With a large crash they hit the castle. The Ditto managed to take most of the impact but the girl and bird were still hurt in the crash. The girl slowly sat up, “Ahhh...shiiiiit.” she said as she lowered back down. She then passed out from the impact, the Natu and Ditto both maneuvering their way on top of the girl.
A giant wall surrounded this city. They had landed on the roof of a castle-like building and many guards were making their way to see what the cause of the crash on the roof was. Welcome to Opelucid.
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Post by royaba on May 19, 2013 20:09:24 GMT -8
"You ungrateful litt-GAH!" the man shouted, exasperated. He hopped off Bruce's back and approached Emil, only to turn back around to the Zangoose still sitting atop the dragon, "I told ya it was a waste, Duke!"
Duke's ears folded back as he slunk behind the Garchomp's head. The man ran his hands through his hair as he recomposed himself. He calmly turned his attention to Emil, "The name's Dutch, an'yer story don't add up. If yer on such good terms with 'her highness' why the hell were y'sneakin' up the wall like some crook? Riddle me that."
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Post by virusghost18 on May 20, 2013 11:07:15 GMT -8
Emil looked the man over, he was in his late thirties/early forties, short blond hair, wore a gas mask that was currently dangling around his neck and had somewhat of a hick accent. He also smelled like dragon and cat-ferret. Emil readjusted his shoulder pads and his elbow pads that had become disheveled during his unwarranted rescue. Emil sighed, ‘Look Dutch, I appreciate the save but it really wasn’t necessary. I’ve known the queen for a long time; if you come back with me I can explain it all along the way back.”
Emil unclipped his backpack straps that were fixed together at the center of his chest and removed his backpack. After a brief moment Emil pulled out a small shield shaped panel of metal, it was lightweight but sturdy looking. Emil placed it on the ground and stepped onto it, he then sent out a Dusk Ball and one cloud of darkness later a huge Salemence was seen flying just a few feet above the sand. Emil aimed the crossbow he had with him earlier at the wall and fired off a riding bit that could fit inside the Salemence’s mouth so that it could pull Emil while it flew, “Find Draconic and then you can tell him the great news!” Emil whispered to the dragon Pokémon, barely audible above the wind that was beginning to pick up. Emil motioned for the Dutch to follow, within no time both were making their way back to the castle.
Meanwhile back at the castle… Beckon floated this way and that looking all around the throne room as both Bradey and Ariel spoke about her and to her. Beckon halted when asked to prove herself, she gave Bradey, Ariel and all their Pokémon a death glare. “You obviously don’t realize with whom you speak to your majesties…” Beckon hissed, her voice dripping with venom. A purple haze filled the room and a purple glow filled Beckon’s normally yellow eyes. The glow was returned by the eyes of everyone who was looking at her. For a split second she took on a new form, the form of a woman about the same height as Ariel only she had pale skin, dark hair and a long, black, velvety, silk dress that looked like it was made of pure tangible darkness.
The haze lifted as quickly as it had manifested itself and Beckon returned to her original form as a tiny Mismagius, “There, now I am protected. I have placed a curse of destiny upon each of you; you may know it as being the move called 'Destiny Bond'? Attack me and risk being inflicted the same pains as well as afflicting everyone else." Beckon relaxed her tenseness and continued her floating, “I am not normally this way but then again you didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet…” Beckon retorted nonchalantly. “I am here with Emilio Owen Rincon, your friend, your brother, your… well I suppose now he is the savior of all of Unova. He has been tasked with finding a way to restore this debilitated region back to its former glory and splendor.” Beckon quickly glanced this way and that around the room, sweeping through the babbling minds of everyone. She picked the loudest question she heard and answered. “He came here because…”
Back with Emil and Dutch… “…I need to find a way to stop all of this. I found out a couple of days ago that there were signs of life out here, lights over where Opelucid were. I passed through the barrier to investigate, to see if there was anything I could do. I want to fix what happened. But I’ll need help, I had hoped that the rumors from six years ago were true and that Ariel and Bradey were still at Opelucid.” Emil explained to Dutch as they rode across the sand dunes toward the castle walls. They were within a mile of the castle.
In the throne room… As Beckon answered the questions that she read off of the minds of the king and queen she was also busy weaving spells in the air that transformed from floating runes of otherworldly energy to physical objects. Namely two large, ornate, circular mirrors that had almost unnoticeable engravings across the surface and two different sized glass disks that had similar patterns on the surface. They arranged themselves as they floated in the air into a large floating periscope. The top lens looking out a high window to the outside and the bottom lens hovering a few feet off the ground a little ways away from Bradey and Ariel. Beckon floated in front of the screen and smiled coyly as the image behind her cleared inside the screen. The vague image quickly cleared, focused and zoomed in on Emil and Dutch as they raced through the desert and then passed wall and through the city, dust trailing behind them. Emil was riding on a knee board looking object and was being pulled by Shelby. Everyone was fixedly staring at the screen as Emil and Dutch pulled on through till they were too close for the periscope to work properly.
The mirrors and lenses vanished with a flash. A moment later a thud was heard above the room. “I didn’t do that…~” Beckon said as she floated through the throne room towards the door as it opened. Emil and Shelby literally burst through the wide, heavy, wood and steel double doors and came to a sliding halt in front of the king and queen. Emil pulled down his headband that had shielded his face from the sand and lifted off his goggles from his green eyes.
Emil looked older, still youthful, but unquestionably older. His hair was still had the same spiky/ windswept look, his eyes just as intense. His smile though had faded, like he hadn’t been truly happy for a long time. Emil was stronger looking too, not the same thin kid from days past, he had a little definition to him now. Emil’s sideburns were longer and looked like they were on the verge of becoming chops. Emil had grown taller too; it was unusual to see him so differently but still looking the same. Emil glanced at Bradey and Ariel and blinked a few times as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, like trying to make a Zororark illusion go away. Emil then tried to push back a few tears as he wiped a couple away, the dirt from his gloves making them that much more apparent.
“Hey… It’s been a while, Ophelia said to say ‘hi’ for her…”, Emil managed to croak with his voice all chocked up. Emil ran up to Bradey and Ariel for a reuniting hug.
Shelby meanwhile looked around the room as she sniffed the air to find Draconic, he wasn’t in this room. She left the throne room sniffing like a blood hound.
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Post by bscomics on May 20, 2013 20:53:13 GMT -8
The guardsmen positioned atop the palace halted all activity when they noticed what appeared to be a person falling out of the sky. Reacting on impulse the closest few immediately rushed towards where they would land, only to stop when they noticed a shiny pink blob detach itself from the figure - now obviously a woman - and transform itself into a giant pillow. The woman landed with a loud thud that echoed through the night air. After she sat up - apparently not noticing the approaching guards - the woman quickly passed out.
"What should we do with her?" One of the patrolmen asked. He poked at the Ditto who didn't seem to react to him.
"Doesn't she seem familiar to any of you?" Another asked before realization dawned upon all of them. They recognized her as the woman, Remi who was among the Region's top most wanted criminals! "Somebody go get the king! He's going to want to deal with this personally."
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"What do you mean, savior?" Bradey asked tensely mere moments before a Salamence came bursting through the massive twin doors that served as the entrance to the palace. Both the king and queen immediately stood from their thrones as the dust settled. Thrasher, Krunch, Olympus, Delilah, and KillDrill all took up defensive positions in front of the two - Ursula and Buck getting up as well - as a man got off of his method of transportation and slowly began approaching the two. Once he removed his facial coverings, Bradey and Ariel couldn't help but let their jaws drop.
"Oh... my God." Ariel breathed as she signaled for her Dragons to back down; Bradey doing the same. The Pokemon between the king and queen and their visitor slowly backed off, not taking their eyes off the man. The two had trouble catching their breath as their long lost friend, Emil slowly walked towards them. Long lost emotions rushed back to the both of them; hope, attachment, revival, and even love. Ariel was the first to descend the few steps from the elevated thrones to meet Emil in the middle. With tears streaming down her face she was quick to embrace him in a warm hug. "Beckon was telling the truth: you really are alive." She choked out.
Bradey followed much more slowly - still in total disbelief at what his eyes beheld him. Here, plain as the day was long was his best friend - albeit a little rough around the edges. "I can't believe it..." The king managed to lead himself up to Emil and looked him over just to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. "H-how did you find us?!" The volume to Bradey's voice returning.
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While their masters were having their reunion, the king and queen's Pokemon noticed the visitor's Salamence sneak away. Buck approached them in a serious manner.
"Delilah, follow that Salamence. I'm still not convinced entirely about our new visitor - for all we know he could be wearing a Ditto as a facemask." The Arcanine growled. Ursula followed up and shook her head.
"That is Emil, indefinitely. I can sense it, remember?" The Ninetales barked quietly. Delilah began walking towards the wide corridor that Shelby vanished down.
"I don't care if he's Lance, the Dragon Master." The Garchomp hissed as she looked back at the two. "She doesn't need to be wandering off alone. And besides..." Delilah murmured with a wicked grin. "I have a bone to pick with her."
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The reunion was cut short when a few guards entered the throne room hastily. The king stepped forward and held his hand up to stop the men. "It's okay, this man is a guest of our's." Bradey told them.
"This isn't about him, my lord." One of the guards spoke up. "There's something on the roof that you may want to see..."
Bradey briefly looked at Ariel and Emil before shaking his head. "This had to happen now." He growled before following the patrol unit to the palace's rooftop, his scarlet cloak billowing behind him. Ariel took Emil's hand.
"We have so much to talk about." She said gently. The queen could feel years of emotional pain subsiding. "Let's go to the gardens and catch up." Ariel left the throne room, dismissing the remaining Pokemon - except for Ursula who followed her.
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Once the king had reached the rooftops, he could see a group of guards surrounding a pink blob and what he could easily tell was a person on top of it.
"Move." Bradey muttered gruffly at those who weren't paying attention as he walked up. He froze in his tracks when he got a closer look at his newest 'guest'. "REMI!?" He shouted. Quickly his surprise was overtaken with concern and a mild anger.
"Should we take her to the dungeon?" A guard asked. Bradey entertained the thought before he grit his teeth and shook his head.
"Take her to the guest chambers. Have every door, window, and AIR VENT under security and notify when she wakes up. Her and I have a few words to exchange..." Bradey growled before he noticed the unconscious Natu and picked it up gently. "We don't want this teleporting her away before I have a chance to speak with her." The king thought aloud as he walked away, listening as the guards began transporting Remi to one of the comfortable guest rooms inside the palace.
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Ariel brought Emil to the palace gardens - an oasis alive with numerous small trees and tons of colorful flowers. The gentle sound of a makeshift fountain echoed off the stone walls as the queen escorted him to the garden's center. A Meganium could be seen resting beneath a tree, asleep.
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Delilah stalked up behind Emil's Salamence quietly before allowing her presence to be known. "Long time, no see... Shelby." Delilah greeted her fellow Dragon almost wickedly. "How have you been these recent years? I see you've evolved... it's about time." The Garchomp eyed her almost predatiously.
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Post by royaba on May 21, 2013 0:44:06 GMT -8
Dutch felt out of place during the little reunion his new acquaintance was having. The others seemed to just ignore his presence, though he wasn't exactly disappointed. When Bradey left to see to the disturbance on the roof and Emil & Ariel went out to the garden, Dutch was left alone in the room with just a few monsters and guards. He looked around at the guards, they seemed to have been the only ones that were paying any attention to him.
"I'll just... show m'self out," he suggested, shifting toward the door, "Nev'r quite understood why I came along in th'first place."
"Not so fast," one of the guards retorted, brandishing his arms. He stood slightly taller than Dutch, just enough to look down menacingly at him, "You attacked the lady of Opelucid, and you will be answering for that when the lord returns."
"A'course I will," Dutch sighed, slumping his shoulders as the guard took him by the arm.
"Don't try anything stupid."
The guard gripped Dutch's arm firmly as he led him into the hallway just outside the throne room where less damage could be caused should anything happen. It was a good move on the guard's part, the hall was too small for Bruce to maneuver effectively. Any escape attempt would be slow and ill conceived. Dutch reluctantly conceded to the guard, and waited for the return of Opelucid's leadership.
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Post by snazzychipz on May 21, 2013 11:48:19 GMT -8
After some time, Remi finally opened her eyes and woke up. The last thing she remembered was falling to the ground and then nothing, so to wake up in a comfortable bed was quite a surprise. It was a queen-sized bed, fairly large for her. She hadn’t slept in a real bed in such a long time that it felt almost new to her. She sat up in the bed. Her jacket had been taken off revealing that her left forearm was missing. She scootched her way over to the edge of the bed and put both feet on the ground. The carpet beneath her toes was a warm feeling. She stood up and sighed. Using her right arm she felt her way around the room. There was a nightstand on either side of the bed, each with a small flower pot on it, a large dresser in front of a window, and a comfortable feeling chair. Her jacket was draped across the chair. She felt it and put it back on.
“As nice as this place is, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to bail out early...” Remi said to herself feeling around in her pockets for her Pokemon, but to no avail. All three of her Pokemon weren’t in their designated spots in her jacket. Someone had taken them. Remi gave out an annoyed sigh, “Faaaantastic.”
Remi looked around the room some more. There was a double door, two fairly large windows, and a vent on the floor near the bed. She walked up to the door, leaned down and leaned her head up against it. She heard faint breathing. From what she could tell, there were maybe one or two people standing on the other side of these doors; guards probably. She didn’t bother to try and open the door, knowing full well that it was most likely locked and she didn’t want to alert the guards just yet that she had woken up. She walked over to the two windows, jiggled them a little; both locked. She placed her hand on the window; it was cold. As easy as it would be for her to break one of these or pick one of the locks, she didn’t want to risk being caught by one of the many guards below just yet. Remi then walked over to where the small vent was. No way could she fit down that, but there was heat coming out of it. It could be useful if she was really desperate, but at this moment she wasn’t.
“I guess I’m not in that much of a rush to get outta here.” she said to herself sitting back down on the bed. She leaned back and stared at the ceiling, her right arm behind her head. “Whoever brought me here was nice enough to give me this pretty sweet room...so how bad could this go?”
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Post by virusghost18 on Jun 12, 2013 0:16:11 GMT -8
Emil was caught in a mix of emotions; joy, relief, nervousness, excitement. He felt like a large hole that had been literally blasted out of him by the bomb all those years ago was finally beginning to heal over. Emil felt complete. He allowed Ariel to lead him out to the gardens; they were miraculous to look at. He hadn’t seen foliage and life like this since his last visit to White Forest all those years ago. Even in the Northern Frontier it was all pine trees and moss due to the much colder climate. Emil sat next to Ariel on a nearby stone bench, Beckon floated around Ursula. Emil began to tell Ariel about what had happened to Ophelia, Sammi and him. How they had been together in Castelia after his and Ophelia’s honeymoon and had boarded a train to the Gear Station. When they had arrived they stepped out of the train car, exited the train and stepped into the Northern border of Unova on top of a high mountain just in time to see the purple flash and the mushroom cloud that towered over Nimbasa. He told them about how Ophelia had wept for days, how Sammi went into denial and left for Guyana and stayed there for months afterward. Emil told Ariel how he had been selected to help start and govern the new settlement and help establish the refugees and survivors. How he was a symbol of hope and strength to them but he also expressed how torn up he was internally and how he never let the public see that side of him. He needed to be strong for them, without hope what else was there left? He expressed to Ariel how he never gave up on the small hope that both she and Bradey were still alive somewhere. He then told Ariel about how some of the border patrol personnel had seen lights over the mountains near what used to be Opelucid. He confessed that previous to that he had been secretly training himself to be able to take on Pokémon on his own if he needed to in preparation to going inside the old Unova. He held up his gloved hands, “These are the keys to get out here, out of Unova; we can still leave this all behind! You, Bradey, our Pokémon, the rest of the survivors, all of us!” Emil exclaimed, his gloves were not anything special to look at. Ariel would probably think Emil was crazy. All the while Beckon had been mentally transmitting the entire conversation to Bradey across the castle. Mean while, inside a hallway on the far side of the castle… Shelby tried her best to ignore the immaturity of Delilah, "That’s nice dear; I’ve been fine. And yes I have evolved, how good of you to notice. I see that your eyesight has yet to fail you. If you will excuse me I’m looking for Draconic. If you aren’t going to be helpful feel free to leave-" and at this point the large 14 foot tall and 38 feet long Salemence craned her neck down and locked eyes with Delilah. “-And don’t let me detain you.” Shelby said with a voice dripping with malice as she shoved her head up against Delilah’s and used that force to push her against a wall and out of her way. Suddenly Shelby looked up and sniffed she could smell Draconic; he was on the roof far above them. Shelby broke away from Delilah, all but forgetting about her and rushed down the hall towards a wide open window that was allowing the night air to drift in on a breeze. Shelby pushed past a couple of guards that were standing at attention near a double door. Both guards were knocked out by the force in which Shelby bounded past them. She hadn’t felt this happy since her babies were born; she wiggled her large frame out of the window and onto the side of the castle tower’s wall. She dug her claws into the stone and mortar and began to climb up; she had to stop for a minute when she realized her hindquarters were stuck in the window. She pushed her tail against the nearby door that the unconscious guards had been guarding; she managed to get unstuck at the expense of damaging the door and breaking its large and heavy lock. She then climbed silently up the tower and onto the steepled roof; she saw Draconic looking out into the night sky and staring at the large crescent moon just above the horizon. It was rising just above the Undellian coast. “…Darling?” Shelby whispered, her rich voice suddenly choked up by the fact that she was seeing the father of her young once again after so many years. Far off in the Northern Frontier… Ophelia had been drifting off to sleep in Emil and hers bed that was covered with wild animal pelts, there were not so many wild Pokémon up North as there were wild beasts. The bed was comfy and warm; Scarlett, a Kirlia, had been sleeping alongside Ophelia her companion underneath the covers on Emil’s side of the bed. While Klaus was gone running the tasks that Emil would normally be tasked with, Scarlett was in charge of watching after and comforting Ophelia. Scarlett suddenly bolted upright and looked as if she had been forced into a trance, her pink horns glowing with faint psychic energy. Ophelia looked up groggily, “What’s wrong?” Ophelia yawned. ‘…He found them…’ Scarlett telepathically told Ophelia, her telepathy was naturally weak due to how young she was but her voice was still soft as a whisper. “Who found who?” Ophelia inquired as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. ’…Emil found Bradey and Ariel… They yet live!... Scarlett said as a tear of joy fell down her face, but the tear wasn’t because she was overjoyed, which she was, but it was a mirrored tear that had originated from Ophelia. When Scarlett was released from her trance she was embraced by Ophelia, “See? There is always hope…” Ophelia whispered with joy in the gloom of the dark room. The window let the first of the few moon beams fall on the bed that slightly illuminated the room. Back in the garden… Emil continued to tell his story about how he had left the Northern Frontier and traversed through the barrier and over to new Opelucid. “And that is when I was found on the wall. I wasn’t breaking in to cause alarm, I was getting in to better assess the situation here and find out what was going on and who was in charge. That was before I was ‘rescued’ by Dutch, that guy I was with. He seems nice enough, I read his aura. From what I read he has a dark past but I think he would be willing to help if given the right incentive and motivation.” Emil explained. He was usually pretty good at sizing people up, “I knew it was you down there when I was on the wire because I sensed it was you.” Emil said with full confidence. A small smile had crept back to his face, his signature sheepish looking broken smile.
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Post by bscomics on Jun 20, 2013 23:10:37 GMT -8
Bradey walked down an empty corridor on his way back to the throne room so he could continue recounting stories with Emil - eager to hear what he had been doing for all this time. His footsteps echoed almost too loudly off the cracked marble floors at this late hour; Bradey felt as though he would wake up the whole settlement by just walking!
The King felt Remi's Pokeball's clatter gently against his belt - the opposite side of his own. He was able to return Ditti to its ball as well as confiscate a Pokemon that was currently unknown to him. Lyla the Natu however snoozed peacefully atop his head like how she did with Remi years ago when he last saw her.
I just want to talk to her and see why the Regional authorities have been on a headhunt for her... Bradey thought solemnly before he entered the corridor leading into the throne room. He snapped at attention when he saw a guard standing next to the man who entered New Opelucid with Emil. His grizzled features easily made Bradey realize he was probably about half this man's age. Why was this guard detaining him?
"My lord," the guard said as he noticed Bradey approach. "This man is one of the outlanders who was near the wall while the queen was outside. I wanted to wait and see if you had anything to say."
Bradey tried to to sigh too loudly before responding to the guard's actions. "My wife is more than capable of taking care of herself - especially since her Garchomp was with her." He yawned. "Has he committed any crime?" The king turned to Dutch to hear what he had to say.
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Back in the garden, Ariel sat and listened intently to what Emil had to say to her. She hadn't had a meaningful conversation in such a long time - she was more of a figure head to the citizens of New Opelucid and her husband was usually busy during the daytime helping out with public matters or keeping the wall maintained.
"I can't believe you've accomplished so much since what happened in Nimbasa City." The queen said, fascinated. She had heard of the barrier separating the contaminated zone that was Unova from the rest of the world, but never had seen it herself - only the weaker version protecting her city using technology based off the large shield itself. "I haven't been very far beyond the city's walls since we founded this place." Ariel mentioned almost quietly. "The people need me or Bradey around at all times so I've only heard rumors of a shield around the region."
Miracle - Ariel's Meganium - stirred off to the side under a large willow tree. The queen smiled before continuing. "After we got back from the Kanto Region for the Indigo League, Bradey and I decided to pay my family a visit in old Opelucid City. Then..." The queen's face turned solemn. "Just as we were beginning to set out to Nimbasa, the explosion went off." She turned away from Emil. "We saw this big ugly mushroom-cloud only for a few seconds before Bradey's Steelix and Tyranitar shielded the both of us with their bodies... Carbonix didn't survive, but..." Ariel stopped speaking for a good few seconds before she found her voice again. "Titan on the other hand - you remember how he was when you first saw him, right? Angry and battle-savvy? All that training that Bradey did with him, all that obedience that built up practically up and vanished on us. Bradey's Tyranitar has lost almost all comprehension and has become nothing less than an entity for violence." Ariel looked Emil in the face again.
"Titan's earned the nickname in the wastelands as the King's Demon for his merciless nature. The day that he finally went berserk, Titan ended up turning on us and he heavily injured Krunch - my Haxorus. Titan ripped one of his tusks clean off..." Ariel explained. "Krunch was saved by one of the Nurse Joys who stayed behind, but Bradey now keeps his Tyranitar in its ball at all times... But I'm getting off track."
Ariel sat up so she could continue explaining what happened after Nimbasa City was destroyed. "After we managed to wait out the blast, we quickly returned to Opelucid to find the place in chaos. While the radiation hadn't reached us yet, the concussive force of the blast had collapsed several buildings and shut off all electrical power. People were scattered and in the streets - we had to fly on Bradey's Dragonite to get past the crowds."
"When we got back to my family's house, they were already gone - I have no idea if they made it out of Unova or not..." Ariel said. She sighed before going on.
"We stayed as long as we could before we went to the local gym to find it completely abandoned. By now a good portion of the city was evacuated as well. We managed to track down a few remaining gym trainers to help organize those who chose to stay behind. Bradey, myself, and the gym trainers formed a council to help divide the duties among the people as we slowly began rebuilding." Ariel stood and took a few steps forward, petting Ursula. "It took several months for our settlement to begin taking shape and develop a solid infrastructure. Bradey's tireless work earned him the title of king. Over time we began taking in weary travelers allowing New Opelucid to grow, but... Bradey has been concerning me lately." Ariel faced Emil after she stopped stroking her Ninetales' fur. "He's been distant - almost emotionless. He wasn't even able to mourn the loss of his family and Pokemon who were still in Nimbasa City when the bomb went off. I don't know if it's just because he's been preoccupied with presiding over the settlement or something else..."
Ariel's voice trailed off when she heard a soft rumbling near the north tower.
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Delilah shook her head and hissed loudly after Shelby shoved her aside. She watched with pure malice as the Salamence climbed out the nearest window and up the north tower before tailing her.
Atop the tower, Draconic gazed silently at the hazy night sky trying to see the stars through the sickly green haze that replaced the clouds. The north tower served as his nest so that he could observe the whole settlement as well as a few miles beyond the wall. A loud thud behind him caused him to stir. He was actually surprised to see a Salamence whose size rivaled his own climbing into his home. Draconic stood to his full height and extended his magnificent wings as the dragon stared down his visitor - not recognizing it was Shelby. He noticed Delilah's face poke above the side of his nest, causing him to wonder just what was going on. The Garchomp seemed to stay where she was, silently pondering her next move.
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Post by virusghost18 on Jul 1, 2013 13:41:32 GMT -8
Emil, out of habit, clutched his right arm where had had sustained an injury from Titan all those years past when Emil first encountered the Demon. The scar always seemed to burn whenever Titan was near, whenever Emil thought about the Tyranitar or if he was brought up in conversation. Emil winced as he remembered the pain of that day. The bomb had affected everyone, but upon hearing about Ariel’s family Emil gave a small but knowing smile.
“Your parents may be alive,” Emil said. He wasn’t just saying that to give hope, it was true that some people had gathered together and teleported to various towns just beyond the barrier’s reach. Like Undella and Anville, both had been lucky enough to have been outside the barrier, unfortunately it also cut them off to a majority of the rest of the other cities both in and out of the dome.
Emil hugged Ariel as if she would disappear if he didn’t, he then let go and began to pace about the garden. “Maybe a little journey would help? I need to find a way to reverse this disaster. We need to find out how it all happened. The best way to find that out is to go to the source. We need to go to whatever is left of Nimbasa, maybe some of the locals that survived could give us some clues about what they remember.” Emil said aloud as he gathered his thoughts and focused them to a point. Emil then had an epiphany, “I remember hearing from one of the refugees of a star that was on top of the Gear Station. They said it rose to the sky, destroyed the city and shattered into fragments that fell and spread to the horizons…” Emil said as he remembered what an older woman had told him once a couple of years ago, just after the incident.
“Do you remember anything like that?” Emil asked as he turned to face Ariel. “Tell me about what has happened to the people who stayed behind, are there any you think could get us to Nimbasa?”
Elsewhere, atop the Northern Tower
Shelby fawned a little when Draconic stood up; she loved how tall he had always been. She took a moment to look him over. He had grown a bit from last time, she had grown too. He was still as strong looking, still as warm to be around… but something had changed. The blast all those years ago had changed something within him, she could tell. ‘Does he remember me? Does he still remember what we used to be? Should I tell him? What would he think? What would he do? What would happen afterward? Would he still love me like he had all those years ago?’ Shelby thought to herself, she was scared. She saw Delilah glaring at her from just beyond the edge of the nest, ordinarily she would have knocked her off with a good Iron Tail, but she didn’t care right then. She bravely swallowed a lump that had choked her words up and said the things that would show who she was.
Shelby drew close to him, slowly so as not to scare him. She circled him and allowed her scent to surround him, the way dragon soul mates always did. “Do you remember that dragon you carried into the sky on that island far away? Do you remember the dragon that held on so tight? Do you remember the dragon that you urged to evolve and take flight like she was meant to? Remember our magical night together in the dusky twilight?” Shelby asked sweetly, her voice rippled with hesitation and doubt.
“I’m here now.” Shelby said as she looked deep into Draconic’s eyes, she wanted to find the gentle-dragon she knew and loved. Know all she had to do was tell him… but how? She would wait for him to remember her and then tell him.
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Post by royaba on Jul 2, 2013 21:23:13 GMT -8
"No, not little ol'me," Dutch told Bradley with unapologetic sarcasm, "I would never."
"Sir, he attacked the queen outright," the guard interjected, still holding Dutch by the arm.
"To be fair, technically Bruce attacked th'ground" remarked Dutch, trying to pull free of the guard's grip with a swift jerk of his shoulder. The realization suddenly dawned on him that there was a strong possibility that he was about to be let go. Bradley didn't appear overly upset over the intrusion and no one seemed to have recognized him, or at least no one had cared. He quickly changed his tone, "I mean, I nev'r would've done anything to hurt yer queen."
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Post by snazzychipz on Jul 8, 2013 18:16:05 GMT -8
Quick thumping sounds suddenly came from down the hall that was connected to Remi’s current suite. She lifted her head off the bed in confusion as to what it could be. The thumps were quick but sturdy. Whatever it was was big and moving fast. Remi sat up and listened as the thumps got louder and louder and closer to the door. As the thumps reached the door, the two guards outside gave out an “OOF!” and a large gasping sound, almost as if they had the wind completely knocked out of them. The thumping continued on and out of earshot. Everything was quiet now.. Remi sat at the foot of the bed in silence for a few minutes trying to contemplate what just happened outside her door. She quietly stood up and sneaked her way over to the door she had investigated before. She put her head to the door again and listened. There was nothing.
This was her chance to make a move. She jiggled the door handle, but of course it was locked. Remi then reached into her pocket and pulled out a small paperclip and a hairband.
“Ditti’s not the only one who can open locks.” she said to herself as she picked at the lock.
With a small click the door opened. Remi slowly pushed the door open, hoping no one was around to see or hear her. As she continued to open it, the door nudged into something on the ground. Remi squatted down to feel what or who it was. It was one of the guards that had been watching the door. She felt around a bit more and found the other guard just a few feet away. She felt both of their pulses just to be sure. They were both alright, but whatever plowed into them was obviously big and strong if just running into the guards KO’d them.
Remi then dragged both of the guards into the room she had been staying in and heaved them up onto the bed. Can’t have two bodies just laying around in the hallway. That would’ve been just rude of her. And hey, they kept her safe from whatever KO’d them, so might as well give them a comfy bed to lay on while they recover.
Remi quietly closed the door behind her as she was leaving the room. This was her chance to escape, the guards were out of commission and there was no one else around to stop her. But she also couldn’t just leave her Pokemon behind either. She stared down the hallway in the direction the large thumping went.
“Haha...no way I’m going that way.” She said to herself then began to walk down the hallway in the opposite direction, not knowing what, who, or where was in that direction.
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Post by bscomics on Jul 14, 2013 12:53:35 GMT -8
The king narrowed his eyes at the man's sarcastic demeanor. He was just about to make a comment back before Dutch unexpectedly changed his tone of voice. Bradey smirked visibly.
"I'll thank you to watch your tone in my home, drifter." He said, not breaking eye-contact with Dutch. "But seeing as my wife hadn't deemed it fit to mention your Garchomp even coming close to her to me, I can assume it didn't bother her one bit."
Bradey was only somewhat accustomed to dealing with people from the outlands considering nearly all of his time was dedicated to improving New Opelucid - or occasionally passing judgement on outlanders who attempted to break through the wall.
"But since you haven't committed any crime, then I have no reason to hold you here." The king continued. "Since this evening has yielded so many pleasant surprises, I'm going to give you an ultimatum: Since you're now inside the walls of New Opelucid, I'm willing to offer you asylum here - you can live here in safety in a closed community. But if you choose not to accept my offer, then you have to leave my city come daybreak." Bradey's face was placid as he awaited to hear Dutch's answer. He heard a rumbling on the other side of the palace, breaking his icy calm. "What the--"
He could also hear a gentle pair of footsteps far down the corridor that slowly got louder.
__________________________________________________
Ariel took a short breath as she brought herself to back to the day that rocked their world. She stared at the wall across the garden. Ursula trotted up to her master and laid her head on the queen's lap for comfort.
"It all happened so fast I only had time to really take in a bright light and that cloud." Ariel breathed. She couldn't help but wince at the memory of seeing Nimbasa City annihilated before her eyes. "I think the light had a purplish hue to it as well. But besides that description I don't think I have any useful information." Ariel's eyes widened quickly, remembering something else. "Bradey swears he saw something rise into the sky and blow apart just as the explosion happened!"
The queen turned to face Emil. "But do you think we should leave the city? New Opelucid hasn't been without either of us since we help found the settlement... The people here have come to rely on the city's leadership. They're scared of what's out there - too many we've taken in have told us what horrors lie beyond the hills south of what remains of old Opelucid City." Ariel shuddered as a chill ran down her spine.
"You've been gone for entirely too long to understand how much Unova has changed since the incident, Emil." Ursula said, finally inserting herself in the conversation. The Ninetales looked at him and continued. "From what I can read from your thoughts, local governments have told the public that there's no longer any life within the Region. From what you already can tell, they're very wrong. But besides this settlement and the occasional band of outlaws scattered everywhere, there are terrors you couldn't even imagine stalking the wilds." Ursula's tone turned very grim along with her expression. "After the explosion, not everything exposed to the massive radiation died - well not completely..."
"The dead are walking - at least that's what we've been hearing." Ariel spoke up again. "We thought they were just the ramblings of wearied travelers, but more and more people we've been taking in have been telling us the same story: rotted and walking corpses of both people and Pokemon devouring the flesh of the living who aren't able to escape fast enough. Some Pokemon still even able to demonstrate their attacks!"
"And don't get us started on the mutated abominations that occasionally make it within site of the wall."
"The radiation has also mutated other populations of surviving organisms - sometimes strengthening them. The last time we saw a mutant it was a seven-headed Hydreigon and Bradey was forced to call out Titan after it nearly decimated our defenses" Ariel tensed up when she remembered the carnage - men and women who volunteered to help as well as their Pokemon - several slaughtered by a soulless monster. Not even Draconic or Delilah were able to hold their own for a long while. "And that was several weeks ago."
"Occasionally we'll send scouts out. They have yet to see anything that's dead walking around but mutants, both hostile and passive, have been seen on the rise."
The queen stood from her seat on the stone bench. "We'll need to talk with Bradey and see what he thinks. If you really do have a solution that will fix what's happened then he'll definitely want to hear it."
___________________________________________________
Delilah hissed when Shelby cast a glare back at her. She climbed over the side of the tower, waiting to see how Draconic would react to her rival.
The Dragonite tensed up as the Salamence began making its way towards him. He bared his fangs at the intruder and roared lowly. "She died a long time ago - the day everything went to hell" Draconic thundered, flapping his wings resulting in the winds around the tower kicking up. "How dare you even approach me with her memory." Living in the badlands had taken its toll on the Dragonite, resulting in a damaged psyche. The only things he held dear anymore were his master and the memories of what he once had before the bomb went off.
Delilah took this opportunity to step forward. "As much as I'm loving this, I think I'd better say something before you blow down the whole tower." The Garchomp interrupted. "Draconic, since you're always up here on your perch, I thought you should know we have old friends visiting and that she" Delilah nodded in Shelby's direction. "Is telling the truth. She wound up evolving finally."
Draconic blinked slowly as he retracted his wings. The winds began dying down as well. The dragon searched his mind for the memories of a love he thought was once long terminated by tragedy. "Sh...Shelby?"
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Post by virusghost18 on Jul 15, 2013 11:39:26 GMT -8
Emil gave a skeptical and questioning look toward what Ariel had just described. He agreed with Ursula about how the “Pro-Tech’d” corporation had been quick to erect the barrier that sealed off the majority of Old Unova and how they had told everyone that all the living civilians had been evacuated, Emil had had a gut feeling that they weren’t being honest about that from the start. But walking dead? Mutants?
“…This all sounds like it was part of a bad B-rated horror film…” Emil thought to himself aloud, “-then again I can’t say that life hasn’t gone down the crapper after the bombing…” Emil conceded.
Meanwhile on the Northern Tower…
Shelby had gotten a little scared when Draconic grew angry at her, but when Delilah had chimed in Draconic finally recognized her.
She grinned; “Surprise!” was all she could say. She glanced back at Delilah and gave her a wink that summarized the message of ‘Thank you!’ “I didn’t die, and neither did our children!” Shelby said finally. “Just wait till you see them, they…”Shelby began but stopped mid-sentence as she sniffed the air. A slight Southern breeze had kicked up and a faint smell drifted into Shelby’s nose. It smelled of a Seviper… but it smelled rotted… and something else. Pheromones of rage and manic?
Back at the castle garden…
Beckon suddenly chimed up, “…It can’t be!...”
“I know Beckon, this is crazy…” Emil replied absent-mindedly.
“No. You don’t get it… He’s alive… He died years ago, but I sense him drawing near!!!” Beckon said, her face had gone pale with fear. “Something else isn’t right either…” Beckon looked as if she was in a trance.
“What? Who? What?” Emil asked as his attention was grabbed.
Beckon snapped out of her daze and started to float this way and that around the garden in utter panic, “Brace yourselves, doom is upon us! Ready your armies prepare for destruction!!! Gaze to the south and see what the badlands have re-animated!!!” Beckon said in a loud voice.
Emil looked startled at what Beckon had said, “What is going on-?” Emil tried to start.
Beckon focused her power of translation and implanted fragments of her memories into Emil, she did it with such force and speed that only she and Emil saw the memories flash across their minds.
***
It was dark outside, fires burned everywhere. Cries of people and Pokémon alike could be heard in the distance. Emil was in an open field with Beckon right beside him, mutilated bodies of people and Pokémon were laid strewn everywhere. They looked at one another and the memory changed, they had been in a mass grave that had been put aside for the bodies of those slain in an ancient war. They looked again and saw a massive battle just beneath them as they stood on a hill. Suddenly the giant shape of a Pokémon rose from the rabble below it. It lifted its head and roared, the sound from it shook the very earth around it. It was a giant Seviper, at least a quarter of a mile long and it towered over everything that was currently attacking it. With one swipe of its massive tail it cleared an equally massive radius of all the warriors and their Pokémon. Bodies lay in pieces, the stench of blood and poison was piercing the air. Emil held his nose and tried not to gag; it smelt worse than the badlands by at least 40 fold.
The Pokémon reared its head at Emil and Beckon, “YOU!!!” it said towards Emil. “I will get you for thisss!!! Traitor, coward, bitch!!! You promisssed and you lied!!!” The snake’s voice thundered. The Seviper was practically spewing acidic poison on both Emil and Beckon but it seemed to phase through them. It’s glowing, blood red eyes looked like that of a Pokémon that had gotten rabies. Crazed like a murder’s eyes would be.
“I know…” Beckon said in an almost inaudible whisper. “-I was weak-hearted. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry Wander…”
“No. Not yet you aren’t… I’ll get you; I’ll find you no matter how far you run. No matter how long it takesss. Whether in thisss life or in the afterlife or even beyond that!!!” The snake snarled in deep disgust at Beckon before lunging at her, but the memory shifted again and everything went to black.
***
Emil looked around; it was as if he were floating in space as stars danced above and beneath him. But he was standing on a solid surface, transparent and almost unnoticeable if you didn’t look hard enough. Emil turned and saw a small girl. Or young woman. Or an old hag. It was hard to tell as every time he blinked her form shifted into a different age. But she was always wearing a long, velvety, black dress that seemed to merge with the dark, starry skies around her and always had black hair and pale skin. As if she hadn’t been in the sun for many years.
“He kept his promise…” the little girl said.
“Beckon?” Emil inquired.
“I used to be called Becks… I was born to the name Rebecca…” the young woman replied, but it was obvious her mind was elsewhere as she spoke to Emil.
“Where… no, what is this place? What did we just see?” Emil asked more boldly, trying to get Beckon to focus on what he was asking.
“We are sharing memories, I saw from your memories what I needed to know and you saw from mine what you desperately need to know, acknowledge and accept.” Beckon said while looking around as if uninterested in the current conversation, but her words and tone spoke otherwise.
“So that… monster is coming?” Emil asked.
“Yes.”
“What should we do?”
“Fight it, grab its attention and lead it away. Have it wander with us into the badlands. Let it chase us. Maybe we can find a way to get it to stop. All he wants is me to be alone. He will kill you all if given the chance…” Beckon continued.
The space they were in vanished and the garden reappeared, Ariel and Ursula and the rest of the garden appeared to be stuck in place, unmoving, unnoticing. “What did you look for in my memories?” Emil asked as time began to move again. “I was looking for him...” Beckon said just before time caught up with them.
Emil rushed to the southern gallery of the garden where an alcove with a small window that viewed out into the wastes beyond. A small dark dot on the horizon was slowing getting bigger. A faint red glowing could be seen from the center of the dot. Emil then turned to Ariel who was right behind him with a very concerned and worried look on her face.
“We need to do a few things. One, protect the city from that,” Emil said as he pointed to the dot on the horizon. “-Two, we need to lead it away from the city. Three, we can discuss some things on the journey to fixing Unova. And four, we need to head to whatever is left of Nimbasa. Fast!!!” Emil said as he went into survival leadership mode, he hadn’t been like this since when they had started building the Northern Frontier. “I need you to trust me and have faith again, can you do that?” Emil asked as he locked eyes with Ariel and Ursula.
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Post by bscomics on Jul 20, 2013 21:51:34 GMT -8
Ariel put a hand on Emil's shoulder to gain his attention. To her, he seemed to go into overdrive - she was about to go into full-queen mode. She narrowed her eyes as she turned serious.
"Emil, you're going to have to be more clear with me. You don't EVER go from being calm and sympathetic, to suddenly saying I should raise the alarm - especially without my husband here to hear what's happening." Ariel said authoritatively. "When the safety of this settlement is at stake - or in the wasteland in general - you can never afford to be cryptic in your warnings."
Ursula, who was placid calm suddenly began shaking and began to take quick, shallow breaths. The queen froze when she realized this - her hound having always been a very composed Pokemon.
"You may want to listen to Emil and find the king!" The Ninetales managed to choke out. "I may not have seen what Beckon showed him," Ursula pointed her nose at the Mismagius. "But whatever it is, I can guarantee you that this makes everything I've sensed out in the wastes compare to an idle threat. Never in my life have I ever felt something so evil!"
Ariel knelt down to eye-level with her Pokemon. Miracle had woken up and joined them.
"I can't tell if it's undead, mutated, or both! It's a monster of unimaginable power giving off a hatred so lethal nothing mortal could ever be capable of..." Ursula finished as she kept low - her eyes wide and full of fear.
The queen felt her blood run cold as she stood back to her full height, silent. Do not panic. She repeated internally. Ariel's breathing pattern betrayed her as she took in quick, but heavy breaths. Miracle put her head gently on her shoulder for assurance.
"I may not know what Ursula or these nice visitors can sense, but you needn't panic, deary." The Meganium said trying to act encouraging. Ariel clenched her jaw and swallowed hard as she regained her composure. Her eyes narrowed again as she willfully snapped back to attention.
"At the moment, I'd rather not try to visualize or even ask what's coming our way. But if this thing is as terrifying as you all seem to make it out to be, I suggest we not let it get any closer to New Opelucid - we need to lead it away from the city." Ariel said as she turned towards the garden's exit and started walking. As she started walking back to the corridor to the throne room to raise the alarm, she barely glanced back at Emil so she could question him further. "Emil, you seem pretty caught up in getting back to what's left of Nimbasa City. I'd hate to tell you, but even if that place isn't crawling with zombies, mutants, and Arceus knows what else, how do you expect us to get past the heinous levels of radiation that I'm sure is still hanging around?"
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Back on the north tower, Draconic took a small step forward as he folded his wings back. He felt strange at the sight of his long-lost love having not experienced anything but the hardships of the wasteland for so long. The Dragonite was about to say something before he saw Shelby looked distracted - until a rancid stench hit his nose. The foul odor came carried in from the north on the hot winds. Draconic scrunched his face up and coughed before he noticed a deep, almost crimson glow coming up from the horizon. His eyes turned feral as if expecting a dangerous threat.
Delilah could pick up on it too. "Please tell me I'm not the only one smelling that rotting smell?" She said, turning in the direction of the glow. Upon sighting it she narrowed her eyes and snarled. Both the king and queen's dragons could tell whatever it was they were sensing wasn't good.
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Post by snazzychipz on Jul 22, 2013 20:40:31 GMT -8
The small Natu rustled on top of the King’s head. He wasn’t the only one who heard quiet footsteps coming down the hallway. The little Natu recognized the footsteps immediately. Much to Bradey’s surprise, the small little bird quickly lifted up off of his head and buzzed down the hallway towards the approaching footsteps.
“Oh Hey, Lyla~ Where’ve ya been, girl?” Remi said happily as Lyla nestled herself back into her rightful position atop Remi’s head. The little Natu peeped and cooed as Remi talked to her to calm her down. As comfy as Bradey’s head was, nothing beat good ol’ Remi’s head for Lyla.
Remi continued down the hallway with Lyla, “So Lyla, care to lead the way to Ditti and--”. She suddenly stopped. She had entered a bigger chamber and could feel the presence of at least two other people in the room. It was also easy for her to tell the two people were men. There was a pause before Remi decided to do anything. No way had they not noticed her and there was no point in trying to run now. Remi, knowing full well she wasn’t going to leave this place anytime soon decided to approach them. Lyla shivered atop her head as she slowly walked towards the two men, hands in her pockets.
“..Gentlemen~ It’s a pleasure.”
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