[WAR] Role Play: Terminus

[Lord Celebi]

Raidon Makoto
AMS Deathwing Tarmac, Goldenrod Bay
Johto
Affected RPers: @XaiakuX, everyone else tangentially

Giovanni's helicopter deployed several flares to distract the missiles Peter Jennings had fired at it. The heat redirected the missiles to a helicopter next to the Rocket leader. The crime lord released a Swampert into the water below. The water-type Pokemon swam in circles with successively quicker and larger radii until it formed a healthy whirlpool. Just as the dread lord of the Deathwing was getting ready to step off the tarmac, the ship was pulled away from the sandbar. While certainly not big enough to sink Raidon Makoto's ship, it was going to annoy him.

This guy's a real powderkeg, Makoto thought. Giovanni didn't react well to Makoto's taunts, as the dread lord had expected. Now he was shouting at his pilot: "It's time to retaliate! Radio all Team Rocket personnel, and send these boats down to the depths! If these huffed up ingrates want to reach our shores, they'll fucking swim there!" Huffed up? Please, huffing paint is for poor people, Makoto thought, rolling his eyes.

The Rocket troops did as ordered and opened fire on the hull of the Deathwing itself. Makoto didn't understand why they would fire at a ship with a hull constructed with several hundred steel layers with only automatic rifles... until the RPG rounds came in. The Deathwing rocked back and forth from each RPG round. Jennings whipped out his VSS Vintorez sniper rifle and started tagging enemy Rockets in the head before they could deliver their deadly paylod to the Aqua mothership. The few Shadowfall tanks that were able to be deployed before the whirlpool started were seriously tearing up the beach. Few of the troops actually deployed. Instead, they were just choosing to run the Rocket footsoldiers over. Each tank combed the beach for Rocket scum at about fifty miles an hour. Screams and limbs flew from the shore.

While that took care of the naked troops, the Bursted soldiers were a whole separate problem. A platoon of Chimeras deployed from the Deathwing to tango with the Bursted Rockets on the beachhead. Makoto had full faith in his abominations to get the job done.

The whirpool was becoming a problem though. The Deathwing's stern as getting sucked into the whirpool in addition to several of the mines that the crimelord had deployed earlier. Captain Davenport's squad was attempting to disarm said mines, but were caught in the whirlpool. "Captain Davenport, how attached to you to your Pokemon?"

"Not very. They're rentals from Aqua," she replied.

"Send out what you can and order them to activate the mines before they hit the Deathwing. It costs less to buy a new Gyarados than it does a new Deathwing," Makoto replied over the radio.

There was a noticeable silence over the radio for a moment before Davenport replied: "Y-yes sir." A few moments later, the whirlpool gleamed with explosions. The field was cleared of mines and the Deathwing only took one more hit to the portside. The old jalopy would make it through the battle again.

"Navigations Room, full forward. I bet you the Deathwing has more horsepower than this weaksauce whirpool," Makoto ordered. The ship picked up speed and once again lodged itself into the sandbar. The hatches opened again, deploying more Shadowfall tanks full of troops. "Captain Oreskovich, have the All Clowns engage Giovanni's helicopter. I want that shit shot out of the sky."

"Yessir!" Janice Oreskovich replied. The All Clown Squadron of Fun fighters exclusively targeted Giovanni's fighter, sending a fury of bullets and rockets towards it. Makoto himself boarded the Hellcat VTOL fighter and flew over the battle on the beach towards Harper Tower. Once the VTOL was locked in a straightforward flightpath, Makoto jumped out of the ship's hatch and parachuted into the fray that was the Battle of Goldenrod. The Hellcat crashed into Harper Tower. Smoke billowed out of the building's wound.

It's coming down...

[The Nonexistent Tazz]

Yarvick "The Raticate" Xelsez
Team Aqua
Goldenrod City Bay, Johto
Affected Aqua RPers: @Neo Emolga @Lord Celebi
Affected Awesome RPers: @Grassy Aggron @Protobabe @Death's Spook @Velocity @XaiakuX

Yarvick could clearly see the battlefield that was fast becoming Goldenrod city: On the beach, those huge tanks were rolling out all over the Rocket Troops...Literally. As in, they were actually crushing them underneath their treads at impressive speeds. Yarvick didn't know tanks could move that fast, but it seemed like that was top speed. Nevertheless, what wasn't being run over were dealt with by Chimeras, including and especially the Burst Troops. Clearly Janine's work. Some were also using some kind of gun to fire at the helicopters. Anti-Air guns? Yarvick wasn't sure. A few were actually opening up and spewing out troops...Were they Tanks, Mobile Anti-Air, or APC?

It seemed to be all three at once. The things those Skunks could come up with.

Iapetus hurled a Shadow Ball at unfortunate Rockets below, attempting to snipe. The Rockets were a bit occupied with the tanks and the Deathwing, so they wouldn't be dodging the death from above until it was too late. Iapetus was having a hard time aiming, though, considering the speeds Yarvick was flying around at, so the hits were very few.

Above, the air scene was...Interesting. The Deathwing had decided to send in the Clowns, and they were focusing on a single Chopper. They all looked alike, so it was hard to tell, but Yarvick took a guess and figured Giovanni was in that particular helicopter. Poor sap. He was pretty much dead. Yarvick didn't really give Gio much more thought after seeing that. Really, he felt bad for those Helicopter pilots in general. Helis were pathetic against jets, as far as Yarvick could tell, so the All-Clown Squadron of Fun would have a field day against them and probably come out A-OK.

As for the tower, a single helicopter-an Aqua helicopter-was flying straight towards it...Then into it. The pilot parachuted out. It would have been a war crime to nail that parachute, and in any case, the Rockets below were HIGHLY occupied. However, the man who did the parachuting, from what Yarvick's telepathy could gauge, was none other than Raidon Makoto, clearly looking forward to the fight.

Yarvick decided to stay away from the points of contention. Taking rest on a building that hadn't been targeted, cleverly hiding away from the fight, Yarvick was ready to attack the Tower. He'd nail it from the hole in the building the helicopter crashed into to ensure maximum devastation.

...That laughter, bordering on there and bordering on not, picked up again. Dear lord, that thing was a pain in the a** to listen to if that was how it laughed.

"Ugh, Mud is laughing..." Hyperion thought. He was still a bit shaky on it, he could hear.

"I may just be almost-hearing what you are, but I agree. Mud is annoying as hell."

He could almost-hear the laughter pick up in there. Wonderful. It was definite that Hyperion wasn't imagining things at this point. It would definitely be a reason for him to not spam this in the future, if it meant that he'd have to put up with that.

In any case, he was looking forward to blowing up the tower. Hyperion didn't seem too bothered at the prospect: Those below were either the Johto army or TR, the latter of which were basically the literal definition of 'amoral' in most world dictionaries. The building was clearly evacuated at this point, and it was already structurally weakened.

He focused in on his Psychic attack, getting it ready. The instant he unleashed it, if he wasn't already being targeted, he'd be targeted quite hard by the Rockets. Once he felt he had the same level of power he used against the deck of the Water Dog to completely clear it, he flew up to the hole in the building, and unleashed his powerful Psychic on it.

A wave of absolutely devastating blue energy crashed into the hole, destroying any and every pane of glass the tower had through sheer foce, and dealing catastrophic damage. The tower groaned in misery as it started to tilt away from the blow. If that tower wasn't capsizing already, it was now-and definitely away from the Aqua forces, onto the city itself. Or at least half of the tower.

Yarvick did NOT stick around to admire his work, or even if it actually would fall onto the city. He was almost certain that he'd be targeted for the massive destruction he just unleashed, so he flew off, trying to hide behind the buildings that weren't touched by the fight, keeping low.

All the while, mud almost-laughed in his head. It was probably the single most destructive thing he'd ever do in his life, it was absolutely excellent, and it was being ruined by this nigh-existent a**. All he'd needed now was an uppity hero-type to try to attack him for bringing down the completely empty tower. Of course, his four faces would be a detriment to any sneak attacks, so he figured that much would at least be out of the picture.

[XaiakuX]

---
R
---

Giovanni
The Airspace Above Goldenrod Harbor
Affected RPers: @Lord Celebi

Giovanni noticed the jets coming at him, and it was at this point that he knew what must happen in order to survive, as well as deal one last blow to Aqua's assault. He swallowed his defeat with grimace as he retreated down to the cargo area where the mines were held. There he found a shell with the explosive removed. He took refuge in the shell, and left the explosive for the helicopter. It called for an immediate cargo drop, which would ultimately send him hurdling towards the ocean. His shell was mixed in with several cases of ammunition, and rations for long expeditions. So it was certain that Aqua wouldn't target it. At least not in time for him to escape.

The next thing he knew he felt a crushing force over take him which caused him to dislocate his shoulder and give him a mild concussion. Such a fall would kill any normal man, but Giovanni was no normal man. With all the strength he could muster, he pulled a device from his pocket that emitted a blinking white light. This signaled his Swampert to retrieve him. He grasped the amphibious creature's hand, and fled to safety. He would certainly live to fight another day, and to see his revenge on Team Aqua come to fruition.

As for the helicopter, its final order was to kamikaze into one of the jets. So that's what it did. The pilot was a retired air-force pilot who was well experience in dealing with jets. He knew he was going to die, but so was one of these sons of b**ches. He faced the coming onslaught. With missiles he deployed flares, and with the machine guns, he vehicle took several hits, but somehow managed to avoid getting hit himself. As long as he was alive, he'd make sure his death was on his own terms. He started to sway the chopper, building up speed as he approached the jet he had his sights on.

He locked on target and fired a single missile at the enemy jet, the other weapons chambers and systems had malfunctioned due to the heavy artillery fire that the chopper had taken. This was, however, a diversion. Because the swaying that had started previously was now in something of a full on swing, with this, he attempted a move that was going to get him killed either way. On the very last swing he swung it with all he had, and flipped the chopper upside down.

To anyone watching, they'd be in awe of the spectacle of an upside down helicopter. At least before seeing that chopper swing back around and crash side to top into another jet that happened to be firing on him. The impact sending both vehicles and both pilots down to a firey and watery grave.

---

Lance Harper
Goldenrod City Docks
Affected RPers: @The Nonexistent Tazz

Lance watched in horror as his home city became ransacked by violent mutations and angry terrorists. His eyes surveyed everything. This was nothing that he had prepared for. He was ready for a fight, but not for this. He watched as Giovanni's helicopter went down, and suddenly realized that it was all over. His mission, his goals. All went down with that firey explosion. Giovanni was dead. His parents couldn't be avenged properly.

He also saw something that he had never seen before. An odd looking Deoxys. It must have been burst with a human, and since it had come off of an Aqua ship, it must have belonged to them. Lance had sharp eyes and perfect vision. He knew the beast had multiple faces, as he felt himself lock eye with at least one of them. There was no way he could sneak up on the creature. He would have to be smart about this.

He took off down the docks once more, and fled into the city. He watched the Deoxys, and where it went. Somehow, he didn't know if he'd been seen by it, but he was going to make sure to interfere with whatever it was planning. He watched the creature land a building that wasn't all that beaten up from the battle. So Lance ran into the building. The building was actually an apartment complex with shops on the bottom floors. He made his way to the top floor, and was ready to make every attempt to attack him from below.

Then it happened. He watched his huge blast of energy fly towards another building. Then it hit him. That was Harper Industries. There had already been a huge hole in the side of it where a chopper had slammed into it. 'What the f**k?' Lance struggled to keep it together. But he just couldn't handle watching his empire come crashing to the ground. Everything he was going to fight for, everything he was working to rebuild. It was gone. Just like that.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a studded leather bracelet. Those studs were actually the broken down burst stone that his father had given him. And with that, he pulled the bracelet over his wrist, snapped into place, and pulled out a Pokéball. He touched the Burst studs to the red and white sphere, and got sucked inside with the Pokémon that inhabited it. The sight was euphoric, yet completely empty. This was what it was like inside of a Pokéball? It's no wonder the Pokémon enjoy being inside of these things. It's like the device knows what the Pokémon wants to see, what it wants to be a part of, and allows it to live out that fantasy within the ball.

The ball suddenly burst open as a man stood over it, decked out in a light weight red armor, which faded to black around the inner points of the armor, like the under arms and inner thighs. The neck remained black, as well as the waist belt which carred a black and red bo staff. The gauntlets were actually golden with pointed black claws to enhance the effectiveness of hand to hand combat. Finally the helmet took the form of a Scizor's head, but only the top, as the rest gave the appearance of a motorcycle helmet. The visor was yellow like Scizor's eyes, and information such as weaknesses, resistances, and various other stats would appear on this visor to tell Lance what to expect in coming battles or fights.

He remembered the direction in which the blast came from, faced that direction, and blasted through the ceiling of the building so he could stand and meet his foe directly. There it stood, fresh off of its Psychic blast that destroyed everything. It looked to be ready to flee before Lance emerged. It was interesting to see, however. Part man, part Deoxys, but the burst didn't feel normal by any means. Still, through the visor, his enemy could see the hate, the pain of loss, and the desire to kill. There was no hero standing before this Deoxys. Instead it was a warrior, ready to strike his enemy down.

"You.. will pay," he spoke softly, but clearly he wanted his opponent to know his intentions. The entire back half of his body began to emit a purple aura. His body began to blur as it hovered over the hole he had initially created. At the same time, his fists began to glow with a lime colored array. He didn't hesitate any longer. He sped towards his foe with intense agility, as his arms folded to make an X-shape. Such an impact would surely send any foe flying, and with Deoxys being a Psychic type, to be hit by such a powerful Bug attack, it'd be hurting a bit, no matter how powerful it was.

[The Nonexistent Tazz]

Yarvick "The Raticate" Xelsez
Team Aqua
Goldenrod City Rooftops, Johto
Affected Aqua RPers: @Neo Emolga @Lord Celebi
Affected Awesome RPers: @Grassy Aggron @Protobabe @Death's Spook @Velocity
Mainly Affected RPer: @XaiakuX

He could see it from where he was: Giovanni's helicopter, first ditching some cargo for some reason, then going down in a blaze of glory, flying upside-f***ing-down as it crashed into one of the jets as it made a pass. But...The man himself wasn't on there. Yarvick did not sense his Psionics aboard it, only the thoughts of the pilot...

He looked around at the cargo. He didn't see anyone leap below, only a Swampert towing a disarmed mine away. He'd have ignored it as part of the Diving team, or possibly even Raidon's own Swampert...if he wasn't simultaneously searching for a Psionic signal. Yarvick was, though, and the lie of the scene was quickly revealed. Inside the mine...

Giovanni. The head of the Rockets. He escaped, the clever a**. But, he didn't, in a way, as Yarvick noticed his exit strategy, and could kill him.

...Killing Giovanni...That would be brilliant. His attempts at fleeing were spoiled as it stood, that already was a nasty blow to the Rockets. Any attempts at fooling them with a new leader would go out of a window, they'd still know exactly who was in charge. But, putting his head on a pike for the Rockets to see would destroy them utterly.

He was about to execute his impromptu plan when the floor of the building he dared to stand on-funny, he thought he landed in an alleyway-exploded a little, and out came a REALLY angry Scizor burst.

D**mit, it was one of those uppity hero-types, here to spoil his fun!

"You.. will pay."

...OK, maybe not 'uppity.' But it was still pretty stupid, even with that HUGE type advantage. Yarvick was not just stronger than pretty much everything else in existence, but also faster. Much faster than a Scizor was, anyways. Much, much faster. Plus, he could just constrain his movements with a thought. Maybe not totally, but he could throw him around like a ragdoll.

Yarvick didn't have the time to react with an attack, though. The idiot decided to go for the X-Slash almost immediately, an attack that could have possibly done a bit of a number on him. Unfortunately, Yarvick was simply much faster in this form, and though he clearly trained to fight, Yarvick wouldn't find much of an issue if he just kept his distance. He just flew off the building, so much faster than the Scizor burst, too far away. His attack simply never reached him at all.

That was the only attack he'd let him use. Yarvick lit his arm aflame and rushed forward, a mostly red blur, a pair of Normal Forme tentacles coiling into a fist: Fire Punch. Meanwhile, Iapetus jumped off of Yarvick and onto the building, melting into Shadows and becoming mostly intangible. He wouldn't strike immediately, but when the time was right-even if he noticed him, in the heat of battle, you could lose track quickly.

And people said it was stupid to teach the elemental punches to Hyperion when he was an Alakazam. No matter how unlikely, Yarivck's concerns about Hyperion's minimal close-range options was clearly paying off for more than just showy door-punching. Pain, incoming!

It would be so much more fun if that thing wasn't almost-laughing in his head.

[VeloJello]

Lenore Valdis.
Goldenrod City, Johto.
Affected RPers: Let’s face it, basically everyone at this point.
The author wishes to apologize for her novella. She also wishes to be called out if her use of Disable contains bunnying.

Alistair was calm, cool, collected - everything Lenore wasn’t feeling, basically. From head to toe, her whole body felt like it was welling up with electricity. Johto troops were starting to blockade the hospital, trying to force those still on the streets into buildings, where there was at least some semblance of safety and less chance of them being gunned down by their own military. She nodded to Alistair, “I’ll take care of it.” As she reached into her bag for a specific Pokeball, she called on Deborah again. <Alright, first things first - we keep our idiot from killing himself. I need the play-by-play.>

<The Johto ships are burning; the attackers have made landfall,> Deborah reported. Her tone was back to its usual modulation, although Lenore suspected that her calm was forced. <Some of them use firearms, some Pokemon… Others have become hideous mutations, hybrids of humans and multiple different Pokemon. They are being resisted actively by both the Johto military and Team Rocket.>

<Team Rocket?> The question was asked in surprise rather than disbelief. From the last she knew, they’d gone underground completely, but now wasn’t the time to be sorting out the affairs of crime syndicates. She recalled Micah. <Anything else I should know?>

<Definitely,> Deborah replied grimly. <I have identified the source of the psychic signature, as well as the Burst Heart-like energy. There are now not one but two Ancient Burst Hearts in play; one on one of the Rockets’ helicopters, and the other in the hands of the enemy. As for the psychic signature… You will be able to better confirm this than I.> Before Lenore could object, she found a new image in her head - a man with an iridescent gem shimmering in his chest, four faces looking every which way, arms a mix of human hands and twirling blue-and-red tentacles. <You recognize it.> Deborah could clearly sense Lenore’s dread.

“Deoxys.”

The Pokeball in her hand flashed, and before her appeared a grinning Gengar. Not that ‘grinning’ meant much; Hananiah was always smiling about something. It wasn’t always a good thing. <Deoxys, eh?> Hananiah mused. <That’s bad news, innit boss? Good thing you’ve got me around to lend a helping hand. We gonna Burst or what?>

<I’m staying out of this as much as I can,> Deborah said abruptly. Her mistrust for Hananiah couldn’t have been clearer if she had trumpeted it from the rooftops. <I’ll have my eye on you. Good luck.>

“Bursting it is, Hananiah,” Lenore replied calmly. Hananiah’s rivalry with Deborah was an annoying fact of Lenore’s life. The Gengar loved to play tricks on the team, Deborah especially, possibly because it left her more flustered than it did the others. Not to mention that he had a vicious streak a mile wide, which even Lenore as his Trainer sometimes had trouble keeping in hand. But his handiness in a pinch was undeniable. She held out her Burst Heart. “Ready?”

Bursting with Hananiah was always strange. All of Lenore’s other Pokemon were biological, but Hananiah was decidedly not. She felt as if her body was heating, cooling, and utterly disintegrating all at the same time. When it was over, she stood robed in an elegant cloak of deep purple. While she couldn’t see it herself, she knew from past experience that her ponytail had turned deep violet and fluffed out in wicked spikes, and her eyes had turned crimson. Clawed boots and gauntlets wrapped around her wrists and ankles. She flexed her fingers in appreciation. While this form was somewhat difficult to maintain - Gengar, rather than feeding conventionally, leeched off ambient warmth to gain the energy that their constant phasing required - it was strong, mobile, and highly versatile.

To Alistair and Helena, she said, "Well, in case you didn't guess from my cryptic mumbling, someone out there has used an Ancient Burst Heart to Burst with Deoxys and is unleashing a lot of carnage. It's a flagrant abuse of a Legend's power; the crazy b*stard has to be taken down, Deoxys itself removed from servitude I hope to Arceus is unwilling... But I have my obligations." She looked pointedly at Alistair. "I will keep your brother safe. But I ask that, whatever you do, you stay safe, too." With that, she took off at a run, her feet hovering just above the ground.

<A bad situation all round,> Hananiah observed as they rushed toward the Rockets. He sounded less antagonistic than usual, but he quickly switched tracks, <Probably a bit hard on your faith, eh, Lenore?>

The question was troublesome. While Lemore had little faith to speak of - the Legends were meant to be respected, revered even, but not worshipped, even those deeply rooted in the world's creation - but she couldn't help but believe that even the most fierce of them were inherently good, and would never take human life without cause. Deoxys's presence was alarming; the creature, though often regarded with suspicion, was usually harmless to humans, only interfering when its own kind was endangered. She might've prayed to vigilant Ho-Oh, gentle Celebi, or even serene Suicune for guidance, but they weren't there, and even if they had been she doubted that her prayers would’ve been heard above the noise of battle. Lenore and her Pokemon had only each other to rely on.

<We need to shadow travel, Hananiah,> she replied coolly, leaving the question for a day when she wasn't in danger of being shot to death, incinerated, electrocuted, mauled, and so on.

There was no direct reply; maybe Hananiah sensed that he'd pushed her farther than he intended. Instead, he shifted mental gears entirely, pulling in as much heat as he could. The human in Lenore shivered as the air temperature around them plunged. Just as it would continue to plunge as they slipped into the shadows of the teeming brawlers on the coast, eating up energy to keep their body incorporeal, invisible, barely even real.

Deborah, using Lenore's mind as a psychic anchor to pinpoint their location, began to guide them toward Lance. They moved quickly, mostly ignoring the battle; however, by this time Lenore was angry enough to act and Hananiah was thrilled to back her up. They left the Johto military and the Rockets unmolested - the latter group was a collection of unmitigated *ssholery, but they weren't the present threat. Rather, Hananiah seamlessly integrated several stops along their route. Each stop took only ten seconds of so, and was very simple in purpose - catch one of the foreign attackers, particularly the mutant amalgams of human and Pokemon, by the ankles and phase them until they were in concrete up to their knees. The process wouldn't kill or injure them unless they tried pulling their limbs free by sheer force; those sensible enough would soon realize that they could simply break the concrete that entombed them. However, anyone stuck like that would be panicked, immobile, and severely distracted - easy targets for the Rockets. It was grisly work, seeing the terror on the faces, but even grislier was the thought of letting these brutes loose in the streets of Goldenrod.

One of the mutants broke through the line; Hananiah's senses were somewhat limited during shadow travel and they were even worse during Bursting, so the details were difficult to make out. The ankles Lenore took hold of were craggy, rough, and warm; the shape above then dragon-like and glowing gold. As soon as Lenore let go the thing floated back to the surface, then whirled and with brutal claws snatched Lenore out of her hiding place.

What she was looking at was a horror. Its build was like a human's, but bent low beneath the weight of armor plating that shifted like a mix of plate metal and lava. Dragon's wings sprouted from its arched back; its human head wore the helm of an Aggron. Some sort of seam ran along its broad chest, sealed by a gold bar. The creature held Lenore's shirt clenched in one huge, clawed fist, the other already drawing back for a punch.

Hananiah saved them both, phasing out of the grip of the Aggron/Charizard/Golurk/human/freak of nature before Lenore could blink. The punch that would've taken Lenore's head off passed through the air and left the hybrid reeling. Rather than wait for the next attack, Lenore lunged, gripping the abomination by the head and staring into its slitted pupils. "Rest," she commanded, her own eyes aglow with a Hypnosis attack. The hybrid shuddered, then collapsed, a limp, sleeping huddle on the ground.

<Must've phased through the blockade,> Lenore thought at Hananiah. <Wonder how many others ->

An earth-shaking noise broke Lenore’s concentration so badly that she almost came unBursted from Hananiah. The Deoxys-Burster had taken to the air again, this time striking out at Harper Industries’ tower. <Is that what this is about?> She thought. <Dear Arceus, all this destruction for a building? What’s wrong with mother*****ing bombs?>

<Not about the building,> Deborah chimed in tersely. <They’re trying to send a message. One of absolute strength. Right now I am trying to send you a message - specifically, the message that your charge has Bursted with his Scizor and has seen fit to take on the Bursted Deoxys himself.>

<He WHAT!?> Lenore shrilled mentally, so loudly that the Machamp/Sandslash/Toxicroak hybrid directly above her reeled in confusion. Fueled by blind emotion, she tugged the hybrid down so deep that only one of his sets of arms still projected above the concrete. She then took to the air, lifted up by a combination of Hananiah’s telekinesis and lack of density. Within seconds, she was over the coast, and she could see everything clearly - Lance, fully Bursted, flying too far and too fast, claws still glowing with power from some unknown attack. And the Deoxys creature, similar to what a Bursted Deoxys should be but more twisted than Lenore would've imagined, rushing to slam him in the back with a brutal Fire Punch.

<Haha, *****ing idiot's going to get killed before we can even get our first paycheck,> Hananiah's dry, sarcastic chuckle was meaningless. Lenore was already moving. Calling on her Gengar's power, she lifted one clawed hand and summoned all of her strength. The hand and the Deoxys Burster himself flashed in sympathy - a Disable attack. The physical component of the attack probably wouldn't hold someone with that degree of power for very long, but the ensuing immobility should give Lance plenty of time to escape. The mental component would assure no more Fire Punches for a little while longer. Not that that was particularly reassuring; she hadn't the foggiest idea what else this Burster was capable of and didn't want to know.

<Get out of here, Lance!> she snapped, using Hananiah's psychic capabilities to get her point across. <No way for even the two of us combined to beat this. We have to fall back.>

As she spoke, she maneuvered to Lance's side, laying a hand on his shoulder. She might need to hold him back, or phase him out of the way of another attack. To Deborah, she added, <I need you on us like white on rice. You see anything coming our way, you make us move. Got it?>

<Understood,> she replied. <But take caution. I sense that you are being watched by something other than Deoxys.>

Take caution, Lenore thought. If that wasn't the understatement of the century she didn't know what was.

[Lord Celebi]

Norton "Norb" Whitehall
Capitol Building, Evergrande
Hoenn
Affected RPers: @The Nonexistent Tazz, @Velocity, and @XaiakuX

Raidon Makoto had proven himself a faithful servant of Norton Whitehall. Whitehall had to try and hide a smirk as the entire Hoenn Council watched the television set in horror. The headline read "Team Aqua Decimates Goldenrod." Reporters trapsed all around the city, showing destroyed buildings, corpses, and injured children wailing for mothers that weren't there. The "human interest" journalism bored Whitehall--he wanted to see his boys fight. The camera cut to black for a moment and then returned to the newsanchor. The Hoenn newsman with his perfect blonde hair and perfect smile began to report, with tears in his eyes, "We have just received some very disturbing footage from one of our news helicopters. Ladies and gentlemen, no words can express what has just happen."

The television cut to Harper Tower being hit by one of Team Aqua's Hellcat fighters. The familiar form of Raidon Makoto then parachuted out of the Hellcat safely onto a nearby building. Moments later, something that looked like a Deoxys launched a beam of blue energy through the building's wound. Harper Tower immediately came crashing down, filling the streets of Goldenrod with smoke and debris. Screaming was audible in the background. The camera then cut back to the television host who broke down crying. "Harper Tower has been destroyed along with half of Goldenrod. Thousands are dead, hundreds of thousands more left injured, and most of the city homeless. This is, without a doubt, the single most destructive terrorist attack in Maridia's history."

The camera then cut back to the quasi-Deoxys, who was challenged by a Scizor hybrid. The two scuffled in mid-air while the news helicopter camera zoomed in on the fight, hoping to get a good shot. "HNN has identified the Scizor hybrid to be Lance Harper of Harper Industries, valiantly fighting to protect his hometown against the menace. From what we can tell, Team Aqua and Team Rocket are not working together, making this a three-way brawl between Aqua, Rocket, and Harper." With Rocket being involved, my guess is that DyneTech wanted Harper Industries attacked to lure Giovanni out in the open. I've been played. Brilliant, Whitehall thought.

A Gengar Burst came into view of the camera and made contact with the Scizor Burst. Friend of Harper's no doubt, Whitehall thought. From a nearby building, Raidon Makoto, now Burst with his Electivire, leapt down on top of the Gengar Burst. The dread lord of the Deathwing, now sporting a yellow and black armor, attempted to drive his twin blades crackling with electricity into the Gengar Burst.

President Frisby turned to Norb Whitehall, "Norb, this is insane. One moment these bastards attack the charity event you're at, the next they completely sack Goldenrod City. A terrorist organization that big should not have aircraft carriers. Luckily, using some advanced satellite imagery from our Daisi Satellite, we've tracked down their base of operations. It's on a place called Mirage Island. I'd like to ransack it, but as our new Secretary of War, I'll need your approval."

Whitehall was quick to be given Bron Krad's position following his heroic death. The former Secretary of War was hailed as a badass martyr by the Hoenn public for saving Whitehall's wife and killing an Aqua captain with only a dinner knife. Since the names "Krad and Whitehall" were spoken very often by the people of Hoenn within the same breath, it was only natural that Whitehall, the ranking member of Hoenn's Defense Committee, become the new Secretary of War.

Whitehall smiled at Frisby. It was time for him to enact his endgame. "Yes. Schedule an attack for 0600 tomorrow." The pair refocused their attention back to the television as Whitehall texted Miles Kieron, who was still staying at his apartment with the rest of the 08th Assault Team and Reg Lando until Makoto returned. Miles: Toss the Frisby at 0600 tomorrow. Aqua would serve their final purpose to Whitehall while simultaneously being wiped off the face of the Earth by the Hoenn military. There were be no survivors or loose ends to expose Whitehall's less-than-legal rise to the Presidency.

Tomorrow night, Whitehall would be President of Hoenn and Raidon Makoto would be rotting in his grave.

[Neo Emolga]

Noah "Neo" Ashfield
AMS Fairy Dragon, En Route to Hoenn
Affected Team Aqua RPers: @Lord Celebi, @The Nonexistent Tazz
Affected Team Awesome RPers: @XaiakuX, @Velocity, @TheProtobabe, @Death's Spook, @Grassy_Aggron

We managed to get the AMS DeathKnight away from the storm, just barely hanging on by a thread. The ice would be okay for now, but man, we would need to get this thing patched up fast once we got back. Any more damage to that thing and it would have been a goner.

In the meantime, half of Goldenrod City was in flames or in a pile and Harper Tower was totally wrecked, especially after Raidon flew his own Hellcat right into it. It was really time to peel out of here. As much as I'd like to sack the entire city flat, Johto was probably scrambling more ships and crap to intercept us here before we got a chance to pull out. Considering the damage on the Deathwing, now might be a good time. We left more than a flaming sack of shit on Johto's and Harper's doorstep. Definitely couldn't be bummed out about that. It was a mission accomplished here. We nailed the Harper Tower and plenty more at that.

I landed on the AMS Fairy Dragon, which had only taken some trivial damage, but out of the three ships we had brought, it was the most intact. Ravaging Goldenrod City for now was good, but until we got more assets, conquering Johto completely would have to wait another day.

"Let's go people, we've fried this place enough!" I spoke to the others on the radio. "The fire will likely take care of the rest."

A few last buildings were being demolished, but the others got the word and were on their way to head back to either the Fairy Dragon, the newly captured Water Dog, or the Deathwing. Another cannon salvo from the Fairy Dragon had wrecked several more buildings, causing the once pristine office buildings to crumble apart like punched peanut brittle. It would likely take Johto quite a few years, if not decades, to repair this level of destruction. I'm sure that would help them remember us for a nice long time.

Giovanni's Team Rocket pricks were still out for revenge, but as we were pulling out of the combat zone, they tried to pursue us and finish off the damaged ships. But, long and behold, two helicopters pursuing the Fairy Dragon were busted out of the sky. One got hit by a IGLA missile while the other got nailed by a Shadow Ball attack and exploded into fiery little pieces. Oh, yeah, and that Shadow Ball was mine.

The Water Dog and the Deathwing managed to recall most of the Shadowfall tanks and ground forces that had been deployed to wreck havoc on the city. Whatever was still standing would likely need to be torn down anyway due to the structural integrity of the buildings being compromised from the attacks that were going on all over the city. But in the meantime, those two ships had taken quite a bit of damage, and keeping them in the fight would put them at risk, just like the DeathKnight. But in the meantime, Giovanni's toadies were being gunned down by suppressing fire from the other two ships, forcing them to fall back or risk getting blown out of the sky.

There wasn't much time to do a headcount. I was pretty sure that if anyone got intentionally left behind, they'd be able to get back. We pulled out and quickly started heading back to Hoenn to repair the ships and prepare for the next assault. Given how much damn fun this one was, I imagined it wouldn't take long before the next field day arrived.

"Ah, come on, man!" One of my fellow Chimeras complained. "We could have leveled that stinkin' town! Why pull out now!?"

"Ha, look at it this way," I told the Blastoise/Scizor/Dusknoir Chimera, looking at the black, heavily armored warrior turtle. "That place is going to be crawling with looters, pillagers, and scavengers trying to steal, loot, and take whatever's left in just a few minutes from now. That's more of an insult to injury than just flattening the joint."

"Ha, ha, ha!" He laughed. "Damn, didn't think about that. Someone else's tragedy is always someone else's opportunity, isn't it!?"

Story of my life, yes.

---

Janine "Angel" Price
AMS Deathwing, En Route to Hoenn
Affected RPers:
TEAM AQUA: @Lord Celebi, @The Nonexistent Tazz
TEAM AWESOME: @XaiakuX, @Velocity, @TheProtobabe, @Death's Spook, @Grassy_Aggron

Wow... just wow. Half of Goldenrod City was sent back to the stone age while the other half looked like something out of some crazy morbid post-apocalyptic movie. I really felt like taking a picture, and in glittering letters, put "Wish you were here! ~Team Aqua."

And in the meantime, Harper Tower went from being an "is" to a "was!" Well, it was going to take a lot more than crazy glue and a few all-nighters to put that thing back up! I liked Harper Tower like this. Hey, I could lay down and make a snow-angel out of the dust! I could draw a smiley face too! Couldn't do that before! It was better already!

And that was when Noah ordered for the forces to pull out, feeling like we had enough fun. It was like kindergarten all over again, only we didn't have to clean up after playtime! And hey, he sounded different... cuter even! Aww, I hoped he really liked that bunny Chimera form I made for him! I just had to get a look at him before he decided to go with something else!

I got to using the last of my awful Chimera mutagens on the last remaining soldiers that tried to get close to the Deathwing as it packed up the tanks, foot soldiers, and Chimeras. One dude was just speechless as I turned him into a really goofy Miltank/Swalot/Likilicky Chimera. Imagine that, a fat, gooey and slimy cow with a giant tongue! Definitely not a good day, ha ha! He still tried to pursue but tripped and landed flat on his face. Yep, I figured it would take time to get used to that!

Once most of the guys were packed and ready, we headed out, following the AMS Fairy Dragon out of Goldenrod to head back to Hoenn. Some of those idiot guys from Team Rocket tried to pursue the ship, but I figured they were still trying to learn just how much butt Chimeras could kick! One was struck down by one Chimera's Ice Beam while another it it's rotor smashed by a Rock Slide attack sending them flying into the nice, ice-cold water below! And the third got the classic "riddled with bullet holes" treatment. They managed to bail into the water before the chopper exploded into a dazzling array of bright, fiery colors! Sure hope they wanted a drink!

As we sailed further and further, following the AMS Fairy Dragon and sailing alongside the newly captured Water Dog, we just smiled at the smoldering ruins of Goldenrod City. Thick, black smoke was bellowing up from the city while most of the buildings looked like some giant creature got a case of the munchies and took a bite out of them, or they were in a pile scattered all over the place. Hey, you know, this would give them the nice opportunity to start over and make a totally new city! It might encourage them to go for some kind of new theme... something ultra-high tech, rustic, or maybe even go with a fantasy theme! Hey, that would be pretty cool!

Why, this wasn't the end of Goldenrod City! It was us giving them the push to give it a whole new makeover!

I couldn't help but smile and wave goodbye cheerfully as we sailed away, off into the wild, blue yonder! Boy voyage!

[The Nonexistent Tazz]

Yarvick "The Raticate" Xelsez
Team Aqua
Goldenrod City Rooftops, Johto
Affected Aqua RPers: @Neo Emolga @Lord Celebi
Affected Awesome RPers: @Grassy Aggron @Protobabe @Death's Spook @Velocity
Mainly Affected RPers: @XaiakuX @Velocity @Lord Celebi

It had only been TWO attacks! TWO ATTACKS!! The first two attempts at a strike! Yet, clearly luck was in favor of the Scizor Burst already. First, an absolute a** of a Gengar Burst came out of almost literally nowhere JUST to use Disable on him. Try as he might, for a few seconds, he could not move, something that she'd doubtlessly take advantage of.

Except, she didn't. She didn't bother doing so at all. She just flew over to the Scizor Burst and put her hand on his shoulder, probably prepared to phase into the building.

Yarvick had to internally laugh at this display of epic stupidity. Hyperion just got kind of confused, on the other hand. To top it off, Mud the evil voice in his head was REALLY cracking up, no longer 'almost-laughing' but ACTUALLY laughing a noticeable laugh in his head. It was also not the evil, creepy and half-human half-not human laugh that he had just consistently used. It was a laugh that a regular dude used on an idiot, the kind Yarvick would have used on her.

He focused on movement, as much as he could-the paralysis of Disable was a right pain in the a**, but it was all in the mind, and he wanted to move. The girl had done nothing to capitalize on the situation, and before he knew it, within three seconds, he'd broken free.

"...You didn't think this through, did you?" Yarvick shot at the duo. His mental words were acidic, of course.

And then, helicopters were roaring about, clearly here for a news story...They did nothing but annoy Yarvick. He was tempted to swat them into the duo, but Iapetus was on the same building, rendering the idea kind of stupid, so he had to deal with their reporting on how it was a massive catastrophe and their rooting for the homeboy Lance Harper-who was apparently the a** he was fighting. That was interesting.

...And, last but not least, Raidon Makoto. Coming out of nowhere, the backup he didn't ask for but appreciated so, so much. If he was a general, he probably wouldn't have risked Makoto, but he was still pretty happy about the ONE positive turn of events. He leaped down from the building 'behind' Yarvick, aiming for the bodyguard with electric blades of death. To add to this attempt, Iapetus decided that the best way to introduce himself to the fray was to split them up as well-A Shadow Punch straight to the girl's outstretched arm, the one that connected the Scizor Burst to her, the one she planned to use to phase them through the building. She couldn't phase through Shadow Punch.

Now, what was he doing? He vaguely recalled setting his fist on fire for some reason, but he didn't recall how. D**mit, probably another Disable effect...Disable was a really ridiculous move, to paralyze and make a move completely vanish from your head for several seconds.

But, now wasn't the time to remember. It probably was not THAT important. He charged up a Psychic attack instead, well out of range of the Scizor burst-it was a known fact Scizor and Scyther could hover, but not actually fly. It wasn't the kind that would blow up the whole building or cause massive collateral damage, because again, Raidon and Iapetus were onboard. Friendly Fire wasn't, and would never be. Doubly so, charging that powerful attack that he unleashed on the deck of the Water Dog and against the Harper Tower? That took some time. He didn't have time in a fight, and even like this, he'd be at least somewhat pragmatic.

He focused, for but a quarter of a second, building energy to precisely shoot at Lance the Scizor Burst. It was unlikely to kill due to valuing speed over power here and the accursed Steel typing, but if it landed, it would not be an unnoticeable blow.

In the distance, he could see the ships sailing away from Goldenrod, Aqua in retreat. The tower had been blown to hell, it was time to go. All four survived, including the Water Dog...Which meant he had to get this fight over with quickly. If he could get the two away from him, he'd grab Raidon and leave fast. If the duo knocked them too far away, he'd grab Raidon and leave fast. But, they weren't going to knock them away. They were going to keep them close and fight.

[VeloJello]

Lenore Valdis.
Goldenrod City, Johto.
Affected RPers: @Lord Celebi, @The Nonexistent Tazz, @XaikuX; everyone else indirectly.
Seriously, though, kids - don’t play with knives.

<Phase! Lenore, PHASE!>

It was too late. The caustic, powerful psychic voice of the Deoxys Burster too distracting. The attacks too unpredictable. Before she knew what was happening her arm was burning from the impact of some sort of energized physical blow and her body was dropping like a rock. Something heavier than her had slammed onto her back and had no intention of removing itself. While Hananiah, solo or Bursted, could carry his own weight with ease, there was no chance of flight with what felt like a ton of bricks on top of them. The ocean, the ground, the gunfire, loomed closer.

With a burst of telekinetic energy, Lenore rolled herself to face her attacker. The man was big, muscled, fully Bursted with what appeared to be an Electivire - Bursted, and holding high a pair of katanas just bristling with electricity.

<***** off!> That was all Hananiah, voicing annoyance from their shared head. Lenore did not deign to reply; rather, she struck, reaching forward and sending a pulse of psychic energy from each hand. The resulting blast wasn’t intended to be powerful, but it did the handy trick of sending the blades spinning, end-over-end, out of Lenore’s unknown assailant’s hands and above both of their heads. <Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with knives, kid?> Hananiah laughed giddily while Lenore strained to remain calm.

Now that her opponent was disarmed, Lenore might’ve been able to finish him. Hananiah wanted her to. But a strong man Bursted with an Electivire was going to be decidedly tough to kill, very long knives or no, especially while in mid free-fall. Rather than engaging him directly, Lenore had Hananiah phase through him. Electricity crackled through Lenore’s half-resolved form as she passed; then, it was over, and she was floating alone in open air.

The man could probably retrieve his blades from the air, if he tried; Electivire were excellent at manipulating electromagnetism. He might even be able to guide his own safe landing back onto one of the ships. Who knew - maybe he wasn’t even falling fast enough for a direct ocean landing to kill him, if he just allowed himself to fall.

If.

Lenore didn’t look back. The thought of killing him, or leaving him to die, or not knowing what his fate might be or whether he would strike at her again, unsettled her.

<C’mon, you signed on for this,> Hananiah was chipper, but not taunting. <Well, maybe not full on *****ing terrorist warfare, but you were almost definitely going to have to kill somebody sometime. Those people back there we left to die, for instance ->

<Less talking, Hananiah,> Lenore shot back, <more fighting. Distraction will get us both killed, I’m sure we can agree?>

While she argued with the little demon in her head, she was wheeling back toward Lance and the Deoxys Burster, and one more variable - ah, yes, another Gengar. So that’s what the punch had been, why it had sent a cold chill flowing down her arm, why Deborah - who sometimes had trouble predicting the acts of those of a Psychic, Dark, or Ghost-type bent - hadn’t been able to warn her in time. As she approached, she could see the Burster readying another attack, this time some sort of Psychic-type move, most likely Psychic itself. <What’ve you got for me?> she asked Hananiah. Disable wasn’t too likely to work; its effects were probably still active, and as long as they were the Burster would be immune to a fresh application. Useful move in combat with a really stupid drawback.

<Now she wants my help,> Hananiah grumbled to no one. But he sped up his mental pace, getting his point across as fast as he could. <Look, my advice? Let the kid take the hit. His defenses are kick*ss at the moment and he’ll be resistant to that move - it’s a Psychic, I’d lay money on it. It’ll sting the living ***** out of him, but kill him? Nah. Besides, we can’t phase him through an energy-based attack like that, and we’re a lot squishier than he is right now, so we can’t take his bullet. I say play wounded, drop below him - four-face over there doesn’t look like he can’t move his neck up or down worth *****, especially past that ridiculous chest - and slam Deoxys and my dear brother Gengar with an Ominous Wind. Then we shoot a Shadow Ball through the slipstream and up Deoxys’s hideously mutated *ss. There’s even a chance we’ll disrupt him before he can fire off.>

Lenore didn’t like the thought of leaving Lance unprotected and alone against mother*****ing Deoxys, but she had only seconds to act. And while Hananiah’s plan was insane, and pretty likely to go fatally wrong… <D*mn you, you’ve got a point,> she grumbled at him. She slipped low, hovering just over the water and hiding in smoke where she could, her flight path wobbly and erratic but leading directly beneath Deoxys. Shooting upward just a tad, she sent a poisonous, bitter blast of glowing purple wind flying toward the Burster and his Gengar. This is stupid, she thought as she pulled back her arms. Spent my whole life studying Legends and I’m going to get killed by one probably, she mused as black-and-purple energy formed a roiling cloud between her claws. She poured the power on thick; she wanted to do serious damage rather than just pissing the Burster off. ***** both of you Harpers for dragging me into this, she added to herself as an afterthought, then threw the Shadow Ball with all her might, sending it traveling up the path of the Ominous Wind and straight toward what appeared to be the Deoxys Burster’s back.

[XaiakuX]

Lance Harper
Goldenrod City, Johto
Affect RPers: @Velocity and @The Nonexistent Tazz

The Deoxys rolled off the X-Scissor seemingly unharmed, and retaliated with a Fire Punch. How the ***** did Deoxys learn Fire Punch? This wasn't the time to debate, he side stepped as his Agility seemed to be improving the longer he worked the attack. He was getting fast. Faster was better, especially going up against the fastest Pokémon in existence. He flitted back, before noticing that the shoulder pauldron of his armor had come clean off from that Fire Punch. The adrenaline died down a bit, causing him to notice the intense amount of pain that he was actually in. It was searing, hot, and agonizing. At the same time, Lance spoke no words, or expressed any level of despair from his fresh wound. But yes, it really hurt.

"Bastard," Lance finally said before seeing the Deoxys get blasted by a Disable from a Gengar Burster. 'Now's my chance to do some real damage!' he thought, readying his Agility/X-Scissor combination one more time. The speed boost was ready and as he was about to strike, the Gengar Burster came in and asked him to retreat. It turned out to be Lenore, the person his brother hired to 'protect' him. The only thing she's doing at this point was distracting him. When she tried to phase him, he pulled away and let her take a sudden Psychic blast. Lance was too blinded by rage to care. She seemed well enough, having taken a super effective hit.

It looked like another Aqua scumbag had entered the fray. He didn't care. His focus was that Deoxys Burster. He'd make sure it remembered Lance Harper. Because it'd be the last face it ever saw. With his speed at its peak, he zipped around the rooftop. 'Try to keep up, you mind-reading prick.' He started flitting circles around the Deoxys, and everything else on this roof. What was he doing? He was building momentum. He was going to feed this Deoxys Burster every ounce of pain that he was feeling. Lenore decided to take care of the Electivire, which made it easier to focus on his target.

His visor then let him know there was a massive slew of Ghost attacks headed towards the fight. This was it. This is how he'd take down that Ancient Burst. He started zig-zagging around the Deoxys. It may be faster, but was it smarter? Was it able to read his thoughts fast enough. Then he got bold, he was well aware that his Fire Punch was Disabled, so he couldn't use it. He got close to his foe, and started throwing punches at him. He'd circle around abusing the speed boost from Scizor's Agility, and attempt to strike from another angle and did this repeatedly. Not to harm, but to distract. To confuse and disorient the Deoxys Burster. At this point, it was all the man, Lance Harper, using his natural fighting abilities to take on something one might call an 'entity.' All while the Shadow Ball raced towards their location.

Then he got hit, again. Somehow that freakin' clown landed another Psychic attack. His visor didn't warn him, or let him know it was coming. Was it really that sudden? Maybe his focus on one thing had prohibited him from even seeing it. All the moving around he was doing in an attempt to slow down and confuse his opponent, maybe his tactic hadn't even been working. This was such a surprise that it launched Lance off of the roof of the building. As he plummeted towards the ground, he saw the Shadow Ball pass overhead. He looked back at Lenore, who would surely see him falling. He saw the rubble of his tower behind her. He was suddenly overcome with despair, He didn't know if he would ever see that Deoxys Burster, again. But if he did, he'd definitely win. Then he hit the ground and everything went black as the two bursted bodies separated to their original states.