thalia black Galayne Valois parker jones Aurelie Lefevre

This particular doctor made house calls. Or, in this case, base of operation calls. Getting past the line to encounter her client had been a nightmare in and of herself. Each word was not only second but triple-guessed as the guard rattled through his questionnaire. The Heliolisk at her side, scribbling in his notebook, was obviously unimpressed.


'Talk about a Buckethead.' Alastor flipped the paper up into his trainer’s line of sight. Her cheeks flared a bright rose as she moved to cover it with a shaking hand.


Finally, she was waved inside. Doe green eyes shot suspiciously to the rift's edge as she headed toward her destination. Through its shimmerings, she sometimes caught sight of a cuckoo clock world. There, she would be given three separate Pokemon. All of them were flying types who had suffered injuries during exploration. Aubre’s intention was to pick up the three and take them to her associated rehab center for treatment.


Thankfully, the pick-up happened without incident. The balls were deposited into her satchel as she turned her sights homeward. There, she was rejoined by her Skiploom, a Marshtomp, and a stoic Kabutops. “Thank you guys for waiting. It really was not necessary—but it is appreciated." Which she had just said.


Unfortunately, danger often strikes when you thought yourself safe. That was why so many accidents occurred just a block or two from home. One moment they were heading towards the Corviknight station and the next they were falling through a tear in space-time. With a grunt, Aubre smashed into the cobbles of the forgotten city. Her eyes widened as the Pokemon crowded around her. “Oh, Arceus…” She swallowed. “This is the—we’re—what are we going to—” Aubre took a deep breath. Panicking was not going to get her out of here.


“It’s going to be okay, Aubre.” She cast her eyes around for a glowing exit sign. The Pokemon, a bit more adventurous, looked at a nearby bloom of metal flowers.


The thoughts of escape turned to terror as she noticed the sound of metallic wingbeats. The sky was suddenly blackened as the mechanical Corviknight above them fixed an angry red eye on the ground. It shrieked and its cave was whipped about like a mace as it folded its wings into a dive. Bones of its past victims rolled from the caves as it drew closer.


Normally, Aubre would have pleaded with it for calm but this machine had nothing to plead to. Where its heart was rested a mass of rusted, chipped gears.


“Roman, try and obscure its vision. Please.” A mud shot erupted from between the Kabutop’s scythes, hitting home between the metal behemoth’s eyes. Thick dirt obscured its eyes as the creature shrieked. Suddenly, its claws seemed to double in length.


Returning her Pokemon to their balls—a rare thing—Aubre took off towards a small space between two pillars. The bird, deprived of its sensors, was forced to stab blindly at the air as it landed. The redhead’s heart flew into her throat. For a moment, she debated on just letting the thing carry it off to whatever hell this place had. Some part of her deserved it.


The sound of a human voice gave her some semblance of hope as she turned towards it. She was surprised by her own voice as she shouted at Aurelie. “We cannot stay out in the open. There should be somewhere around here to—” A big red eye pressed into a nearby gap as the automaton shrieked.“--hide.”


You could have tried to fight it, you know? But, no, you just couldn’t go out alone, could you? Let’s drag the disabled woman down with us. What a wonderful idea, Aubre. Oh, that internal voice was not what she needed right now.

Prompt Fulfilled: 13 battle, flee, or become captured by a massive mechanical Corviknight that continually hunts you to cage in the castle.

"Of all the fantastical 'summoned to another world' stories, a kingdom of steel wasn't among them." Galayne grumbled, only half so disappointed that the stories in her favorite books had lied about places like this. Truthfully, she was flabbergasted at the sight, hopeful about the prospects of her own little story; until she remembered. Rather than being summoned she'd just tripped and fallen into this strange realm. Instead of soft grass, cold metal had broken her fall-- and her dignity.

Least they could've done was poured some concrete.

Whomever 'they' were that had build this mechanical kingdom. It was strange though; because she seemed to recognise some of the structures in the distance, as if they were castles if you just bothered to look at them from a certain perspective. Odd, cog-wheeled castles. Maybe she should've taken up some of those mechanic lessons the firefighters had invited her for after all.

Much to her surprise, the path before her seems to hold no obstacles. She did swear having seen a handful of mechanical pokémon earlier, but they, together with the sound betraying their positions, had vanished, which made her exploration that much easier. Camille had settled into her hair again and watched their rear, while Galayne decided on following the path leading away from the spot she'd just appeared at--- unaware that she was walking straight into a group of other people facing an oversized, mechanical Corviknight.

After a moment of perpatual gawking at the mecha-bird, Camille bapped her head and kindly pointed out that she wasn't alone. Something the others promptly added to by shouting at one another; one about running away now the Corviknight was pissed, the other about an arbalest. She could hear them, but her instincts had already forced her to duck and take cover-- not from the giant bird, but from the Blaziken who'd kicked flames at it.

There was panic bubbling in her chest, like the subtle drumming of her heartbeat that was picking up in a most irregular pace. She tried to correct her breathing as it grew more ragged, but she felt it did little no matter how hard she tried. "Shit, why now- it wasn't even close!" she growled softly, looking at the Flabébé on her head. If that Corviknight came her way, they'd be screwed. "K-keep a lookout for the bird, Camille... and for fire." she gasped softly, leaning closer against the broken iron bell functioning as her cover.



tldr;

• Arrives in full view to look at the Corviknight
• Promptly hides when the Blaziken attacks with fire
• [Loading panic attack]
• Flabébé lookout deployed

thalia black , Aubre McKenna-Settentrione , Aurelie Lefevre , parker jones

The arrival of the other women was overshadowed by the streak of fire above her head. As the Blaziken’s leg snapped out, the woman’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks. Her heart pounded in her chest, the world in front of her being replaced with an alley. The Corviknight’s raucous, metallic shriek twisted into her own screams as a younger, bloodier hand slid against the exterior of a dumpster. Move. Just move. One foot forward. Please. The heart in her chest pounded as her fingers grasped desperately at past ghosts.


Already off-kilter in this twisted Wonderland, grounding herself was difficult. It was like trying to save herself from a blizzard by throwing herself into a hurricane. Feel your sleeves. Deep breath. The fabric wasn’t the same as that night. This was knitted and thick. A red beam emerged from her belt as a Helioptile burst into being. Alastor was fully intent on chewing her out for balling him, but one look told him that now wasn’t the time.


His mouth pressed into a thin line as he grabbed his trainer’s hand and squeezed. “Helio?” A shaky gasp rolled through his trainer’s frame as she desperately squeezed back. Her mind cleared just in time to hear Parker’s warning. A sense of calm fills her as the brusque woman takes control—maybe because it’s like listening to Madd. “I think that is for the best.” Which would be why she’d suggested it to begin with.


When Thalia speaks, Aubre at first worries it’s an after-effect of the earlier attack. But Alastor’s grumpy expression and diverted attention prove it wasn’t a hallucination. A metallic grinding erupts as the Tinkaton tears the clock's hand free. Some part of the ginger feels guilty—like she’s watching a grisly nature documentary. “An arbalest?” Her teeth tugged at her bottom lip. “You want to fight it? That seems a little—” A tug on her sleeve drags her eyes down to where the electric type sits with his notebook. On it are two simple words: ‘parabolic charge.’ That might work, even if it wasn’t likely electricity was involved. “--reckless.” Aubre finishes lamely, realizing flight didn’t really suit the situation.


Before she could formulate a proper response, Aubre found herself tripping after Aurelie toward the gazebo. Huffing from exertion, the woman just peered up through the gazebo. It didn’t exactly strike her as all that protective. Still, it was better than gaping at the sky like a moon calf. At the talk of springy wires, the woman turns to the flowerbed where vines stretched across the ground. With a nervous glance to the sky, the ginger-haired woman moved to tug at one of the strands. Alastor joined her, quickly wrapping wire around his hands. “Do you think these would work? I know they are springy, but I’ve never—I don’t really have any experience with—” Her mouth mulled over the next syllables like the first mouthful of a foreign dish. ‘Seige weapons.”


Or, well, normal weapons either. Leon’s gun always scared her. And knives, well, those belonged in the kitchen.


With a yard or two of wire laid out, the electric-type turned to survey their surroundings. His head tilted. A claw moved to jerk at the nearest woman’s sleeves. The hand opposite then pointed at what seemed to be a Flabebe. "Tile."

There's no more fire when she dares peek over the edge of the broken bell, easing her heartbeat into something less of a haywired tango. It sets both her mind and breathing at ease, while her eyes try to peer beyond the open field the giant mechanical Corviknight is ardently watching. She can see the others busy across, trying to construct something she'd seen often in the paintings scattered around her family's mansion; and she's glad to recognise it as a make-shift arbalest.

But the sound resonating from its construction does not only draw her attention. The angered Corviknight too has taken note, and has started circling closer and closer to their current location, seemingly set on getting even for the beating it had gotten earlier. Bad ideas and unfortunate consequences seem to be her due today however. The Kalosian finds herself emerging from the safety of the battered bronze moments before the Corviknight is about to intercept the rest of the group, a Moonblast slamming the avifauna smack in its face.

It screeches again and turns towards her; like metal scraping across metal echoing around them. She swallows, realising her bravado momentarily canceled out her common sense. And now it had resurfaced, it screamed back at her. Galayne remained put, inhaling deeply, and bellowed at the top of her lungs for the others to hear. "If you can fire that thing, now's the time!"


tldr;

• Abandons the cover of the broken bell
• Flabébé uses Moonblast on Mecha-Corviknight
• Is distracting the Corviknight to buy them more time

thalia black , Aubre McKenna-Settentrione , Aurelie Lefevre , parker jones

The wires were wrapped tightly around her arms, reminding the ginger of an angry snake. Every so often, her eyes dropped down to them. In a place like this, it helped to make sure things like this didn’t suddenly spring to ife. After being chased by a giant bird, the last thing she wanted was to be strangled by metal vines. Fortunately, these cords remained inert.


This allowed her to focus on the conversations around her. Though she did not immediately join in. Aubre—even in the face of death—did not like rocking the boat. It just invited discord. Which, she supposed, is why she pretended to be content with a shelter with the integrity of a dry-rotted doily. Fortunately, the woman with the Blaziken. “I think that’s for the best. Whatever time a sturdier place buys us may be the difference between victory and—” Her voice almost murmured the d-word. Not wanting to jinx the crew, Aubre tried her best to change course—though her mind was sure to remind her they’d likely all perish.“...inaccuracy.” Great job, Aubre. What a rousing little pep talk.


Though she noticed the Floette her lizard pointed out, Aubre did not get a chance to ponder it. The terror of the automaton’s shrieks prevented distraction, as did their shifted location. While not completely on board with the plan, the redhead did her best to help with the assembly. Occasionally, big green eyes would lift fretfully to the sky, the sound of ghost gears playing in her head on repeat. This role of pseudo-lookout became hers as the work of the other women left her with little to do. See, this is what feminine strength looks like. You’re just the useless fifth wheel.


The talk of fire made her heart pound with terror.

Then, the Corviknight reappeared. Her heart jumped into her throat as it swooped in. But, before those claws ripped the roof off the bolt hole, a beam of glittering light smashed into the bird. Its clockwork eye turned toward the girl, reminding Aubre of the Floette she saw earlier. The automaton changed course towards the lonely woman behind the bell. Aubre glanced behind her, noting that the weapon wasn’t quite in place yet. What can we do?


Then, it struck her. "Hang on!" Al’s signature move sapped energy from its targets—which might include kinetic energy. The attack might be enough to slow the bird’s descent until the trio behind her could shift things into place. “Alastor.” Aubre was surprised by the confidence in her own voice. “Hit it with a parabolic charge.” An uncertain nod came from her Helioptile as he crawled from the shelter. Please let this work. Arceus, please.


Hia frill extended as he unleashed the draining electric move. Sparks flew from him as he gritted his teeth, the field slowing the clinking of the Corviknight’s gears and delaying its swoop. Even if it wasn’t much, it bought Galayne a few seconds. A blink of an eye that—in battle—could make all the difference.

Al used Parabolic Charge