MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Apr 6, 2023 21:34:15 GMT

You were one of many who got recruited into this mission. One of a thousand grunts, plucked from their gigs and their hustles, and sent into a completely different world. Really, you're not sure why they chose you, of all people, but you won't complain. After all, how often is it that you get to visit a completely different world, utterly alien to the common sense of your own? This is the kind of thing they write critically panned acid rock albums about. This is a premium life experience. You can't ask for better than this.

Or, well, you shouldn't. It's an important distinction, but one that has to be made, because you're asking for better than this. You get to enter into a different dimension, and they immediately stick you into a cramped tunnel through an unassuming wall. No more than five minutes walk in either direction, there's a world of wonder waiting for you, and instead, you're on guard duty.

So, you squat there, in the middle of this passageway, facing the way you were told. The Pokeballs around your waist weigh down upon your belt almost as much as your mask weighs upon your face. One represents an urge, and the other represent a collar. One represents your desire to let loose and run wild, and the other is the burden of secrecy placed upon you. Loathe as you are to admit it, the latter is necessary - Shred Zeppelin can't party on to kingdom come if he's serving twenty-five to life. The former, however, is more a consequence of your surroundings. Guard duty might have been more tolerable if there was more action, more excitement, more blood-pumping and adrenaline, but there isn't anything of the sort. There's nothing going on here. You haven't even seen another Rocket operative for...

...What time even is it?

You stick your hand into your pocket, fishing out the barely-functioning device that is your phone. You tap the on button, and nothing happens. Irritated, you tap it ten more times in quick succession, and yet, it still fails to work. Out of battery? Already? Odd. It had been at 11% last time you checked. Should've been good for another hour or so, but here you are.

"Tch..."

Mumbling a curse, you stick your phone back in your pocket, and instead reach for a pack of cigarettes. You haven't seen a single person for, presumably, hours. You deserve a smoke break.

Navy

close tab

played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

awards

4,011 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @teddie

TRUE LOVE IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE NEXT WORLD -- FOR NEW PEOPLE

POSTED ON Apr 6, 2023 21:56:04 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

Time loses all meaning down in the darkness. You’ve been running since Arceus knows how long. It started with a murder. For once, you are the culprit. You’re running, desperate, through the tunnels. Alone and afraid. Every time you find comfort in another person, you get separated. Lost. Torn from comfort. This place, whatever it is, denies you rest.[break][break]
Your jacket’s torn in four places. Long claw marks leave marks on your body of where Pokemon and trainers have torn you apart. You’re still going. A cruddy first aid kit and memories from a class you took four years ago keep you going. The stitches aren’t the best, but they’ll hold, and you’re not bleeding much. In every defeat, there’s a little slice of victory if you have the right kind of eyes.[break][break]
It’s a bitter victory. You trudge through a maze. Something that would hold the legendary bull Pokemon of a distant land’s myth. This cave’s design is impossible in a way only caves can be. This place was forming still when your ancestors first settled this land. It was warped by the battles that formed this land between Groudon and Kyogre. You are but a trespasser in a domain that will be here when you are long dead.[break][break]
A man stands in your way. Smoking a cigarette. He’s a thug. His fashion sense is good, but he’s still just a thug. Someone who isn’t important enough to be out hunting with the Beasts. Hell, he looks like a guy you wouldn’t mind sharing a drink with, were things a little different.[break][break]
But this is the reality you find yourself crawling through. He’s in your way. Down the passageway, your dragon is rampaging. It might well kill someone else if you don’t catch up to it in time. There’s only one way through.[break][break]
You’ll have to force your way, Champ in the making. Through conflict. That’s how you want to define your life, right? The very best, like your brother wanted?[break][break]
Well, would-be, Top Champion. It’s now or never. The work that you want to define you. Not a detective. You have eschewed every practical Pokemon that would help with your detective practice. The biggest, baddest Pokemon. Trained to perfection. Time to use one.[break][break]
“Sorry, bud. You’re in the way.” There’s a sickening moment. Something churns in your belly. It doesn’t sound too different from what someone might have said to Gabe in the long-ago, when he died in Sootopolis.[break][break]
You find you’re too tired to care.[break][break]
You release a monster from its pokeball. When you found Junior, he was a little Larvitar. Unlike most of his kind, he always smiled. He loved to play pranks. He was a good kid.[break][break]
Standing before you, dwarfing both you and your opposition, is the monster you warped a gentle child into for your own dream.[break][break]
“Hope you’re ready.” A sandstorm is whipped up by its mere presence. Sand filling the cave. You have just long enough to throw on goggles. Junior lunges for the man through the sand.[break][break]
You pray this is over quick. For his sake, and for yours.

[break][break]

+ Shred 10 MP

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

[newclass=.arties]font:11px roboto;--accent:#9efffe;[/newclass]

[newclass=.arties b]color:var(--accent);[/newclass]
[newclass=.arties i]color:var(--accent);[/newclass]
[newclass=.arties a]text-transform:uppercase; font-weight:bold[/newclass]
[newclass=.arties .pokesprite]color:#32a852; background:rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.2); margin-right:10px; margin-top:5px; padding:5px; filter:grayscale(90%); transition:0.5s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.arties .pkspr:hover]background:rgba(0,0,0,0.2); filter:none; transition:0.5s all;[/newclass]
[newclass=.arties .pokeclass]text-align:right; width:520px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.arties .pokeclass img]background:#2b2b2b;border-radius:100px; border:1px solid #solid 1px #232323; border:1px solid #232323; margin-top:-30px; padding-bottom:12px; transition:1.5s; margin-left:8px; box-shadow:2px 2px transparent;[/newclass]
[newclass=.arties .pokeclass img:hover]background:var(--accent); transition:1s all; box-shadow:2px 2px #232323 [/newclass]
[newclass=.arties]position:relative;[/newclass]
[newclass=.arties .credit]font:bold 15px poppins; transform:rotate(90deg); position:absolute; bottom:55px; right:45px; color:rgb(65,65,65); text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #232323, 1px -1px 0 #232323, -1px 1px 0 #232323, 1px 1px 0 #232323;[/newclass]

close tab

played by

Raptor

GOD

He/Him

December 25th

Spikemunth

Northeast

Monster

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'4" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

awards

933 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @shredzeppelin

POSTED ON Apr 7, 2023 0:01:25 GMT

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

You notice it a few seconds after you've lit your cigarette. Footsteps, quick but inconsistent, echoing along right ahead of you. Part of you instinctively knows what that means. Nobody rushes like without a reason, whether it's born of determination or desperation. Either way, you're well aware of what comes next. The corners of your lips curve into a grin as your hand settles near your waist, three fingertips resting on the top of three Pokeballs. The finally time to get things going.

It takes a bit, but sure enough, your opponent finally arrives, and they look they've been through the ringer. Cuts and bruises mark his skin like a document of his trials and tribulations. Evidently, whoever was ahead of you did a good job roughing him up, but not a good enough job to stop him. A smarter man might've cursed the incompetence of his allies, but you? You're ecstatic. After all, if it wasn't for them letting this one slip, you wouldn't get to stretch your legs, would you? Neither of you even need to exchange words. You're both well aware of what has to happen. The only difference is he chooses to waste his words, while you save your breath. After all, you need it to enjoy the smoke in your lungs.

As he reaches for his Pokeball, so too do you tear yours free from its holster, throwing it forward to release the Pokemon inside. It's a sight akin to the quickdraw of an old Western, but really, that is too fanciful an approximation. No, the split second difference between reactions matters little between what will come next.

"Showtime, Toxtricity."

In a flash of eye-searing red, your partner in crime appears from nothing, accompanied by the crackle of lightning and the dripping of toxins. Normally, you'd take a moment to soak it in, but you barely have a second to think before a sandstorm surges forth, brought about by the Pokemon of your foe - Tyranitar, hm? Not a bad choice, not at all. You might've even called it good, if all the dust it kicked up hadn't extinguished your cigarette. Alas, it did, and thus, it'd have to pay the price.

The monster thunders forth, but Toxtricity isn't worried. No, its been in its fair share of scrapes, and it knows its way around the brawl. It might be a big powerful beast, but all that bulk will make it slower than your slim and slender punk. So long as you can abuse that difference to your advantage, then this fight might as well be over already. Case in point:

"Poison Jab!"

As Tyranitar surges forward, so too does Toxtricity. Luckily, not only is your Pokemon faster, but it has longer arms, too. Venom pools around its claw, and as soon as the two get into range of one another, the arm shoots forth, aiming to clock the dinosaur directly in its throat.

Navy

close tab

played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

awards

4,011 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @teddie

TRUE LOVE IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE NEXT WORLD -- FOR NEW PEOPLE

POSTED ON Apr 8, 2023 2:53:05 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

They’re shadows moving through the sandstorm veil. Toxtricity. The guy has style. You’ll give him that. Style in spades.[break][break]
Really, why did you have to meet him like this? You wouldn’t mind if this guy was some rough character you met during the course of an investigation. You could share some spicy insights on human character, open his mind like a can, and depart from one another’s lives in peace.[break][break]
There is no place for such things here on this battlefield. This isn’t about the fate of Hoenn. This isn’t about anything but you and all the pain Rocket has put you through simply by existing. People like this man are culpable. If people would just stop indulging Rocket for a quick buck…[break][break]
You’re not a poet or a romantic. You’re a practical man, and there is a practical problem in front of you. Junior is being attacked by a faster opponent. A slim, slick little lizard. A furious purple haze in the whipping sandstorm winds. You have a small advantage in that you’ve worked with your Pokemon before under these conditions. You can manage.[break][break]
Junior’s built to endure. You trained him to endure. You and your whole menagerie of monsters trained so hard to live up to your little brother’s legacy. He can take the bite. He’s tough.[break][break]
Speed is a trap when your opponent anticipates you.[break][break]
Toxtricity’s claws find inevitable purchase against the beast’s flesh. Perhaps poison takes in his veins. Perhaps not. Pokemon are built different from humans. It will take days upon days to kill him even if he is poisoned. A more pressing issue would be the coma poisoned Pokemon tend to fall into. That’s not something you’ll have to worry about for a while.[break][break]
Especially not here. Not now.[break][break]
“Give him some payback.” You order your beast. Junior’s keen mind knew the order was coming before you even issued forth the words. He moves like the monster he is, striking out with claws and fangs, bringing forth retaliation against the toxic lizard.[break][break]
While, of course, the wind whips against you. You ascertain it probably doesn’t feel very good for your opponent, but it beats you down. The sand antagonizes the edges of your wounds. You cover them up so the stitches don’t come out in the winds and sands.[break][break]
“You’ve got this, Junior.” Your urge your Pokemon on. The sooner you can move on, the better. Every little disruption of Rocket’s a gain.

[break][break]

+ Shred 20 MP

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

close tab

played by

Raptor

GOD

He/Him

December 25th

Spikemunth

Northeast

Monster

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'4" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

awards

933 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @shredzeppelin

POSTED ON Apr 8, 2023 12:51:18 GMT

The strike lands true, but it isn't enough to take it down. Tyranitar is, if nothing else, a hardy Pokemon. Born in the deserts and the mountains, harsh places that mould its inhabitants to be even harsher. One Poison Jab was never going to put this beast down. Hell, five of them probably wouldn't even be enough to put it down. No, this is the kind of apex that's meant to go toe-to-toe with Rhydon and Onix on a daily basis. A little venom wasn't going to slow it down.

Tyranitar thunders forth, and immediately, Toxtricity is sent on the defensive. Fangs and claws seek to make mincemeat of your ace, looking to reduce him to purple ribbons and scatter them to the winds of the sandstorm. Still, the same principle of combat remains - Toxtricity is fast, and Tyranitar is slow. The poison-type manages to duck and weave and dodge, the flurry of savagery earning a series of near-misses, resulting only in cuts and scratches and bruises at worst. Yet, the rock-type is as persistent as it is durable. Like a runaway steam train, its rampage shows no signs of slowing down, even as the seconds begin to add up. If you keep this up, Toxtricity will be out of stamina before Tyranitar even begins to slow down.

The sand isn't helping. Hard to dodge when there's so much detritus lodging itself into eyes and wounds. Oh well, nothing to do but to play dirty.

"Toxtricity, use Boomburst..."

At you command, Toxtricity ducks its head down and lets out loud, loud noise. So loud that it echoes off the cramped walls a dozen times, and echoes off the ear canals a dozen more. It's incredibly potent, incredibly destructive, and incredibly rock and roll. If it had been targeted towards Tyranitar, it might have even left a mark.

But it wasn't targeted at Tyraniar.

"...on the ground."

Yes, all that force of vibration was targeted directly into the floor, focused on the very ground under which Tyranitar stood. Sure enough, the rock would begin to crack and splinter, then it would begin to crumble, and sure enough, it would break apart entirely. You're no mathmetician, but if you were to guess, you'd say it had about a half-second before it fell through the ground and found itself stuck in a ditch, buried up to its arms, completely unable to move.

Though, you're no mathmetician, so what would you know about that?

Navy

close tab

played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

awards

4,011 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @teddie

TRUE LOVE IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE NEXT WORLD -- FOR NEW PEOPLE

POSTED ON Apr 9, 2023 0:19:18 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

It seems the name of the game is going to be mutually assured destruction. You tumble back at the explosive burst of noise. It makes your ears ring more than any mosh pit you’ve ever rocked in your life. Your head’s spinning. Junior’s probably worse off than you are. He’s at the epicenter of the blast. His hardened skin, the natural armor, all the advantages given to him by nature are about to be useless. Sound doesn’t care about armor. It pierces you, down deep, down into your bones.[break][break]
You barely make out three words over the chaos. It’s a miracle you hear them at all. Between the wind, the blast of sound, and your fatigue, there’s a lot in the way. You chalk it up to your training as a detective. Staying calm and observing, even when things get this bad, is part of your job.[break][break]
…well, if you think to remember this little slice of the story when the Dewford Incident is all said and done, that’s what you’ll say. For now, you’re in the present, looking for a way to save your Pokemon. Its own weight and strength are about to be turned against it, and all you can do is watch. Some great strategist you are, huh?[break][break]
“Junior, code 3—” You realize it’s pointless. Your Pokemon can’t hear you. Whatever Junior does next, it will be his own decision. You think again what you thought before. He was once a good boy. An innocent, sweet little Larvitar. Someone whose idea of being malicious was to tie your shoes together in a meeting and then snicker at you about it afterwards.[break][break]
Junior decides to roar as he falls into the earth. Roar, and whip about, and flail. To rage, rage against the dying of the light. Your training has made him strong. He will not go gently, nor easily. He is a primordial creature that has persisted through sheer strength into the modern day. By all rights, Tyranitar as a species should have gone the way of the Kabuto long ago. It is a species that has not developed in centuries.[break][break]
It hasn’t developed because it doesn’t need to develop. The sound of its roar causes the walls to quake. The ground under your feet is shaking. Within the sandstorm, Junior is fighting. Writing. Digging his way out of an impossible situation. Every tremble along the ground sends a rumble through the cavern. You look up and duck just in time to avoid an errant rock falling through the sandstorm.[break][break]
Part of the cave is collapsing. The toxic lizard collapsed the floor, Junior collapsed the roof. He trembles. He shakes. He climbs free. And by the mere act of moving with his full power and screaming with all his might, the earth trembles before its apex predator.

[break][break]

+ Shred 30 MP

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

close tab

played by

Raptor

GOD

He/Him

December 25th

Spikemunth

Northeast

Monster

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'4" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

awards

933 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @shredzeppelin

POSTED ON Apr 27, 2023 21:25:32 GMT

Just as Toxtricity wrecked the floor, Tyranitar wrecked the roof. The entire tunnel is shaking, cracking, breaking apart, sending debris tumbling down. It's small right now - Pebbles and dust, mostly, but it won't stay that way. All it'll take is a few seconds before stones and boulders start coming down on your head, and a few minutes before you're all buried alive.

A race to the bottom, huh? Normally, you'd be more than happy to oblige, but not here and not now. You're going to go down in a blaze of glory, and a cave-in is not glorious. But, you're not going to pump the brakes just yet, are you? No, the two of you are locked in a game of Farfetchd. You're both speeding towards each other at a hundred miles per hour, waiting for the other to lose their nerve and swerve out of the way. As long as you're the last to flinch, you win. That's the way this is going to go.

"Proper big fucker, aren't you... Toxtricity, Swagger!"

With that single command, and your Pokemon immediately switches gears. One moment, it seems fully invested in the battle in front of it, and the next, it doesn't have a care in the world. It stands tall, arms hanging limp by its side, as it takes a few lazy steps towards the killing machine in front of it, the living earthquake currently tearing the tunnel asunder. And, as casually as one might toss crumpled paper into a trash can, it spits directly in Tyranitar's face. It's a masterful display, managing to hit so accurately under the effects of a sandstorm, even if the distance is modest at best. If it had been a Sludge Bomb or a Gunk Shot, it would've hurt like hell. But this attack isn't meant to target the body. No, that harmless blob of saliva is targeted solely at the beast's temper, its ego and its pride.

Maybe you can't beat Tyranitar, but you can sure as hell get Tyranitar to beat itself.

Navy

close tab

played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

awards

4,011 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @teddie

TRUE LOVE IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE NEXT WORLD -- FOR NEW PEOPLE

POSTED ON Apr 27, 2023 22:11:59 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

You don’t back down, but you sure beat a tactical retreat. A warrior doesn’t show his back, right? So you simply don’t turn around. Your back gently presses into a wall. You slump down. Junior, when he was a little Larvitar, was a good boy. There is still goodness in his heart, despite the nature your training has imposed on him. When the toxic lizard does his little trick, he seems more confused than anything.[break][break]
More scared than angry.[break][break]
How convenient that would be for your own peace of mind, to say he is a monster. To say he rampages. He does not do that. He flails about in confusion and fear. When a meteor loomed high in the skies above Hoenn, Junior did not make an appearance. He watched on from his pokeball as people died. As Kohryu died. As the last vestige of Gabriel died thanks to your blistering incompetence. He has grown into his power too soon.[break][break]
Burying this great rock beast in the earth is a mistake – not just your opponent’s, but yours as well. It spells doom for everyone involved. His stone edge hurts him as much as it does everyone else. Rocks fly like something out of a bullet hell game. They soar. They hit. They crash. They go wide. Some hit. It’s a rapid fire barrage. All while he flails. All while the little Larvitar you raised screams in fear.[break][break]
“Get out of here!” You shout to the Rocket. Is that concern in your voice? For him as well as Junior?[break][break]
What a wimp. You can’t even stick to your guns and hate Rocket.

[break][break]

+ Shred

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

close tab

played by

Raptor

GOD

He/Him

December 25th

Spikemunth

Northeast

Monster

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'4" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

awards

933 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @shredzeppelin

POSTED ON Apr 28, 2023 22:48:21 GMT

Well, fuck.

You can't really say you're surprised. Toxtricity might have had the speed advantage, but Tyranitar had every other advantage. When it comes to strength, size, and stamina, your partner is easily outgunned. Hell, even the battlefield itself plays to all of their strengths and your weaknesses. Maybe that makes you an idiot for even trying to take this fight in the first place. No matter how hard you cheated, you were never going to win.

Shocking nobody, the violent burst of Stone Edge catches Toxtricity square in the chin. All of that force, equivelant to getting hit by a speeding truck, is sent directly to its head. Thus, your ace is sent flying backwards, crashing into the crumbling ceiling before tumbling down in a heap, landing right in front of you. Needless to say, he's fainted. You've lost. All you can do is scowl as you return it to its Pokeball, leaving behind only defeat and bad vibes.

But hey, hindsight is 50/50, right? And you miss every shot you don't take, too. Really, this is just a learning experience. Besides, it's not really a loss, right? After all, the Swagger did its job. Tyranitar is still rampaging, and it won't be long before it brings down this entire tunnel. This cna only be a pyhrric victory for your opponent, and a meaningless defeat for you. All you need to do now is scurry away and let your opponent bury himself, blocking off this passageway and making you the true victor of...

...No, actually, fuck that, that's bullshit, and there's no fucking way you're letting it come down to that.

"Fucks sake... Get out here, Salandit."

Sure enough, as you click the button, Salandit comes out of its Pokeball. At first, his little eyes seem grateful, overjoyed at the prospect of finally being called upon to battle. However, any glint of happiness immediately turns to fear as it faces down the bulldozer of a beast currently wreaking havoc. He tries his best to put up a brave face, god bless him, but he's clearly shitting himself. Toxtricity couldn't handle this monster, he must be thinking, so what am I supposed to do?

"Sweet Scent, on the double."

Oh. Given such a safe command doesn't make it any less terrified, but at the very least, Salandit complies. Out from its maw, a nostalgic aroma overflows, and soon fills the collapsing tunnel. It's the sickly saccarine smell, and a soothing one, at that. Even just breathing it in brings to mind better days than this one. Hoping that it'll calm down a raging Tyranitar is a long shot, but hell, it can't hurt to try, can it?

"You better survive this, fucker. If you die before I get my rematch, I'll be fucking fuming."

With that odd combination of fuming insult and eager farewell, you return Salandit to his Pokeball and turn tail, running away on the double. Today didn't count. Too many external factors getting in the way, too many needless circumstances gumming up the works. You can't even call it a worthy fight, let alone a good one. Wet kindling can't feed the fire of your soul.

Next time, though? As your boots hit the ground, the slightest hint of a grin twists onto your face.

That'll be gasoline for the pyre.

Navy

THREAD MP TOTAL:
10 x 5 MP = 50FP for IC Posts.
50 MP for getting Toxtricity knocked out.
100 MP for completing a mission.
150 MP for completing a battle.
50 MP for participation in a battle/mission.
250 MP for tying the battle.
Total - 650 MP

close tab

played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

awards

4,011 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @teddie