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NOODLES

NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

GYM LEADER

37 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

enivré

POSTED ON Oct 14, 2018 13:02:09 GMT

the air around her is different from what he's used to. it contrasts his yet compliments. it's that difference the intrigues and invites him in. his eyes meet hers and for once, her stare doesn't judge. despite seeing him in a beaten and broken state, she withholds her judgement; for what reason, he's not too sure. but it's a change that he welcomes with open arms. he practically embraces it.

her voice echoes through the emptiness of the gym, bouncing off the scattered rocks that lay atop the battlefield. "then what are you here for?" his tone tries to match hers but there's still slight confusion laced within his words. his eyes trail her as she sits down next to him. her words are mischievous and the smile that accompanies is just the same. it's only polite for him to return it in full.

"a shot?" he chuckles. "i like that. i like a woman that can handle her booze." he's assuming she can.

his movements are slow and groggy but he manages to find the bottle of whisky. he tries his best not to spill it. when he finishes pouring, he doesn't offer her the glass just yet. he holds it in place on the ground as his eyes traverse her figure. he clears his throat because he needs her to understand what he's saying.

"one for your name." he slides the glass over to her along the ground only to pick his up moments after. he raises it slightly. "and one for why you're here tonight." no hesitation as he downs whatever's left in his own glass. the sting is familiar but not distasteful.

"nikolai."

@sveva

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NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

GYM LEADER

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

enivré

POSTED ON Oct 14, 2018 6:04:42 GMT

each blink feels far too heavy but he will not succumb to darkness. he has to remain vigilant through the thick of the harsh, black smoke that fills the room. screams fills the room with panic but he's used to it. he wishes he isn't. but the harsh truth carries when the cries do little to deter him away from his goal. his mission.

a bang! flashes. the bullet whizzes right past him; a part of him wishes it hadn't. the sudden flash of white tells him enough to allow him to retaliate: his own firearm raises and within a second, the trigger is pulled on his own volition. he tells himself that it's not him who pulled it, but that excuse has long lost its validity because he does have a choice.

he chooses incorrectly.

another bang! sets him on top. the others cower and tremble in fear, surrendering to his might. it's the best result he could have hoped for: two bodies. a result greater than that would be if one of the bodies was his own.

...

alcohol does little to combat against the chilly winds of sootpolis, but that's not why he drinks. the moment the clock strikes six, signifying the closure of the gym until the sun rises, he sheds himself of his assigned duties and situates himself in the middle of the empty gym with a glass of liquor in his hand and a lit cigarette in the other.

the skylight allows the moonlight to beautifully cast onto the gym; the sight is ruined by the drunkard in the middle, laying on his back to admire the stars above.

another shot looks to numb but familiarity is a bitch. he coughs after his drag; a puff of smoke forms above him, slowly rising before dissipating into nothing. that's what he wants: to fade away. he controls his blinking: slows it as much as he can.

he wants to forget.

the sliding of the gym doors won't allow him to. requiring too much effort, he shifts off the ground, rising to an upright position to meet the guest. "welcome to the sootopolis gym—" he slurs his words. "as you can probably see, we're closed right now. but try again tomorrow, yeah?"

he moves the glass of liquor for a mouthful and as he drinks, he peers through the subtle darkness at the guest. his eyes widen for a moment before he pushes himself off the ground. "actually, darling, for you i'll make an exception." he approaches her, stumbling slightly. he drops the cigarette somewhere along the way.

"what's your name?"

he forgets that he has a mission tonight.

@sveva

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NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

GYM LEADER

37 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

revêche [ KANTO | INV | FLASHBACK ]

POSTED ON Oct 14, 2018 5:02:16 GMT

it's his remaining shred of humanity that causes him to lose. his finger over the trigger freezes the moment the barrel shifts to her. he can't do it. she's just a kid: young, dumb, and under orders to protect the city. protect her birthright. he can't fault her for that and he definitely can't punish her for that. so he doesn't.

gabite catches one in the shoulder before being swiftly recalled. traces of relief comes from it because the gabite now becomes a non-factor. it becomes something he doesn't have to kill; something that won't haunt him. the dugtrio and sandslash don't grant him that luxury.

the ground shakes once more but this time it's different; desperation makes it different, makes it more deadly. EARTHQUAKE makes the ground crack beneath him. no amount of training can prepare him for this. he loses his balance and falls only to have a chunk of ground shoot upwards, smacking him right in his chest. with the air knocked out of him, he loses his grip over the gun and lets it fall in favor for regaining control.

by the time he snaps his head back up, she's no longer in front of him. he sees her figure off in the distance, running not towards the gym, but away. as the shaking of the ground soon starts coming to a halt, he rises back to his feet but not before reaching for the gun.

he has to make sure she isn't a problem. she can't come back. he raises the firearm and makes sure of it: one bullet to her shoulder seals the deal.

@sveva

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NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

DOMINANCE [flashback pre-raid]

POSTED ON Oct 14, 2018 4:19:07 GMT

persephone amavi, zeke rainey, and 3 more like this

"execute."

STONE EDGES targets the two henchmen beside her, rendering their involvement in the thread useless. he shows himself not because he needs to but because he wants to: the attention is what makes adrenaline course through his body.

"hey, darling."

a wink helps announce his presence. he stands strong beside his nidoking, waiting for her response.

LILLIAN GLASS
thalia black
NIKOLAI PETROV
dahlia goode
@yiannis
@alexander
riley maddox
Silvia Blackmore
@senna
kim cole-essam
Bailey Cooper
persephone amavi
zeke rainey
@arlette
Malcolm Stone
@briar

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NIKOLAI

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TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

revêche [ KANTO | INV | FLASHBACK ]

POSTED ON Oct 14, 2018 4:10:48 GMT

resilience is an admirable trait: the will to never give up, to never surrender even when all the odds are against you. her facade is strong; not many are able to stand toe-to-toe with him and for that sole reason, she has his respect. but respect has no place in war.

nidoking is unable to withstand the sheer power of DRAGON RUSH; a crack from in the shield but he's merely down, not out. he won't go out that easily. nidoqueen is able to hold her own against two; that much hasn't changed since the start of the battle.

seeing her downed partner only enrages her. revenge is a deadly fuel and she intends to let it consume her. the BLIZZARD grows in intensity. sharp ice shards start to form from the lingering SANDSTORM, turning the whole battlefield into a blender.

moments later, spiral falls victim to the YAWN but not before getting a PROTECT off for her master.

the barrel of the gun lowers when he takes a step forward. and another. and another. he approaches her with intensity, ferocity that won't be challenged. the gun doesn't make her cower but he will.

"you don't have to die today." he's pleading. "you won't win this battle."

without warning, he shifts aim to the gabite next to her and fires three times; he knows the dragon's strong enough to avoid it, or survive it, but that's not why he fires.

another step brings them closer.

@sveva

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NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

revêche [ KANTO | INV | FLASHBACK ]

POSTED ON Oct 13, 2018 19:38:27 GMT

and then it comes: the rat.

MEGAHORN meets DUAL CHOP and the intensity is enough to crack the very earth beneath them. vicious is unrelenting and unwilling to compromise because he knows his duty. he must win this battle. anything else would be an embarrassment, and his days of shame are long over.

there's nothing vicious can do to stop the DIG. the sandslash's claws dig into his skin, drawing blood and a fierce cry as nidoking falls to the ground. he's down, but not out yet. his duty is done: his sacrifice paves an opportunity for the real threat to succeed.

nidoking's SUPERPOWER strength is utilized when he turns to grab the sandslash by its quills, bearing through the pain to hold the rat in its place. an ICE BEAM travels across, taking the form of an icicle lance as it looks to impale the sandslash.

the SANDSTORM provides him enough of a distraction to close the distance. out of the shadows of the building, nikolai announces his presence with a single bang! near the ground where she stands. his words are muffled, but his eyes convey his message.

"surrender."

@sveva

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NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

revêche [ KANTO | INV | FLASHBACK ]

POSTED ON Oct 13, 2018 18:59:21 GMT

a wet SANDSTORM is far from the ideal weather choice. thick chunks of sand look to pummel and his mere piece of cloth won't cut it anymore. every hit garners a grunt, a reaction of some kind that he's willing to give because his main concern is cast aside when he hears their voice.

target.

he immediately diverts off to the side, using the buildings as his cover as he starts his careful approach. two more pokeballs line his belt should he need them. but that's not what he goes for. instead, he finds his grasp around a gun, finger flicking the safety off.

vicious flicks whatever remains of dugtrio off his horn and sets his sights on the remaining target. the SANDSTORM does little to stop his rampage. the glow of his MEGAHORN is blocked by the murky red that soaks. a FOCUS ENERGY engulfs his body before he charges ahead, MEGAHORN leading.

the weather worsens when spiral summons a BLIZZARD. freezing temperatures sweep through the near vicinity accompanied by the prior weather conditions. it becomes clear what his main tactic is: flushing them out.

he nears.

@sveva

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NIKOLAI

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TWENTY-FIVE

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

revêche [ KANTO | INV | FLASHBACK ]

POSTED ON Oct 13, 2018 16:51:40 GMT

rough outlines of a figure forms through the thick of the SANDSTORM. if they're visible, then that means he is, too. he wastes no time moving into formation: vicious and spiral lead, marching in flawless synchronization; years of training have prepared them for this. vicious is their vanguard, their shield, nothing gets through him.

the FURY SWIPES bursts from the cloud: a sandslash slashes its claws into the thick skin of the nidos. the pain is evident through the scratch marks but they barely even flinch. pain is a familiarity that they have grown accustomed to; unfortunate, yes, but it immediately sets them apart from the rest.

"target."

one sandslash.

a MAGNITUDE trembles the foundations of where he stands and for a split second, he almost stumbles. it's not he who falls but rather the building next to him. his eyes widen, heart skips, but he doesn't move because of trust.

PROTECT shields him from the falling debris which settles around him. the invisible barrier subsides, leaving him to deal with the dust cloud the impact caused. he coughs but remains resolute in his resolve.

nothing will stop them.

"target."

one dugtrio.

"one each. make it rain."

thunder cracks as lighting whips; dark clouds gather overhead and not a moment later, the SANDSTORM becomes a thick, wet mess as it's overpowered by the summoned RAIN DANCE. with rain now pouring down all around them, it isolates their targets and leaves them ripe for picking.

no orders need to be given.

spiral's EARTH POWER looks to hold dugtrio in place as the land around it lifts up in the air, carrying dugtrio up with it; pressure increases as if it looks to crush but misdirection plays in their favor. spiral's efforts gives vicious sufficient time to ram through it with his MEGAHORN; only he doesn't stop there: he keeps charging through the rain, stopping at nothing before reaching the sandslash poised at the back.

all the while, rocket's lance keeps moving forward.

@sveva

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NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

INFILTRATOR

POSTED ON Oct 12, 2018 4:38:35 GMT

"wrong person, dog." arcanine's scowl doesn't go unnoticed. "bad nose?" it's a taunt but it's justified.

the space center gives him nothing. so, he turns to the other two and watch their interaction. professor brendan ha is an enigma: an unrecognized face is made up for by a cute voice and accent. and his smile. briar exudes professionalism and her arcanine is a perfect partner to her.

he backs her up. "there are a few ways." the thumping in his head doesn't hold him back. "but i'd like to know, too."

all the attention is on professor brendan ha.

FERNANDO SILPH | @briar

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NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

revêche [ KANTO | INV | FLASHBACK ]

POSTED ON Oct 12, 2018 4:24:53 GMT

he's familiar with the layout of the city; extensive research has given him enough to know what lies ahead: the docks and the gym. his efforts are cast on the latter because he has no interest in harming the civilians. that's not what he's here for. he might bear the rocket crest on his chest but he won't execute their ideologies.

he is still human.

more stand in his path. more are overpowered. MEGAHORN and SUPERPOWER obliterate anything and anyone in their path. the SANDSTORM might be affecting him but it only aids his pokemon. the fact that the intensity of it is starting to die down tells him one thing: he's nearing the center.

one more step and he's in the eye of the storm.

. . .

"what?"

vicious taps his foot against the ground; it doesn't need to be spoken, the message is relayed perfectly: there's something in the ground. and there's only one way to deal with the rat.

"EARTHQUAKE."

the ground shakes with terror not to split and crack, but to squeeze out whatever's hiding below. the presence of a retaliating pokemon means that there's a trainer that accompanies it. he wastes no time. "split up."

he'll find them soon.

@sveva

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NOODLES

NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

GYM LEADER

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

revêche [ KANTO | INV | FLASHBACK ]

POSTED ON Oct 12, 2018 3:03:17 GMT

it's the gut-wrenching scream of helpless souls that stop him in his tracks. "stop." vicious and spiral obey as their loyalty never falters. they know their place. they know how much he's lost. so they don't question because he needs their unwavering loyalty.

a girl no older than eight comes rushing out of the smoke, tears flowing, body trembling. she's out in the open but he think she's safe; she has to be, she's just a kid.

the FIRE BLAST proves him wrong.

"no!" his heart stops but his feet drives him forward. he can't stop the flames but spiral can with a PROTECT. the invisible barrier absorbs and parries the brunt of the flames that soon fades away. a scream, more tears, and the girl's off running away.

but she's safe.

it only takes him a second before he's shoving the hotheaded grunt onto the ground. "what the fuck was that? she was a kid." he spits venom and vicious' TOXIC compliments. one look around tells him there's no one around.

this is a kill that won't haunt him.

crack.

. . .

a SANDSTORM engulfs the terrain. he has a piece of cloth wrapped around his face, shielding him from the unrelenting shards and debris that the sandstorm carries. he turns onto a smaller road, diverting off the main path only to be met by league officers.

they don't stand a chance.

EARTHQUAKE makes the ground tremble and shake; tremors echo across as it cracks the ground, but that's not the point. foundations of the buildings left and right of the officers collapse, and soon, the building topples on top of them.

the SANDSTORM grows stronger. he's nearing the source.

@sveva

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NOODLES

NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

INFILTRATOR

POSTED ON Oct 11, 2018 16:38:19 GMT

it's too clean.

the space center: its design is meticulous in nature with nothing out of place, which is uncommon for a public place, let alone one that welcomes tourists. gut feelings aren't reliable, but fuck if nikolai's haven't steered him wrong before. it won't steer him wrong today.

briar's reply falls on deaf ears as the gym leader's interest is cast aside towards more urgent matters. his hand feels the lining of the spheres in his pocket; mentally berating himself that he had only brought two with him.

any other words go ignored as he approaches one of the staff sitting behind the counter. "hey, darling. where are the scientists?" downstairs. he doesn't like it.

"and what are they doing?"

she's unable to respond.

FERNANDO SILPH | @briar

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NOODLES

NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

chatlines

POSTED ON Oct 11, 2018 10:51:41 GMT

Dallas Rhodes, FERNANDO SILPH, and 2 more like this

F

Silvia Blackmore

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NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

INFILTRATOR

POSTED ON Oct 11, 2018 10:42:22 GMT

cheap cologne does what it can to mask the stench of liquor that clings ever so dearly, refusing to succumb to the cocktail of chemicals. mint has more success tackling the issue in his mouth. holding a facade is second nature; years of experience has made this task effortless. what he can't hide is the harsh pulsing that rings in his head.

"they don't."

he speaks from experience. the two with him are underlings, mere cadets assigned to him for unknown reasons. "three of us some a bit overkill, don't you think?" he eyes the other two carefully.

something feels off.

the appearance of the steelix does little to faze him. he doesn't even spare it a glance as he walks into the space center, holding the door open for briar, but not the other.

"pleasure, briar. i'll need you next to me tonight." he doesn't skip a beat; words traveling as smooth as spiral's to shiv. "today." he corrects, but only for formalities.

eyes never stop looking; sizing up the space center. again, something feels off. and that excites him.

FERNANDO SILPH | @briar

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NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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NIKOLAI PETROV

revêche [ KANTO | INV | FLASHBACK ]

POSTED ON Oct 11, 2018 7:39:02 GMT

ACIDIC.

bitterness rallies and drives them forward: he can't stop it anymore; days of prolonging the inevitable wasted. he's at the front because that's where they need him; their lance to charge through those who dare oppose. anyone not on their side is the enemy. anyone not on their side deserves no mercy.

anyone not on their side will die.

vermilion will not be fortunate enough to avoid the wrath of rocket: merciless and unkind, they take everything and leave nothing behind. today, he has to embody that mentality.

for his family.

MERCILESS.

the city burns even before he makes his entrance. the ocean blue that surrounds it does little to help; it almost makes it more tragic, knowing that salvation is within arm's reach. but it's not salvation that comes from the ocean; instead: damnation.

rocket forces surround the city as swiftly as the winds blow and as powerful as the waves crash, looking to leave nothing in its wake except their legacy. league officers are mere stones in a coursing river as they bear witness to the power that took kanto by storm.

"stay close to me. i need you."

vicious and spiral do not tremble in fear for the chaos is all too familiar. it's almost welcomed. today, they take vermilion.

for his family.

@sveva