DISTRACTION

RIP AND TEAR

As the biting steel of the chains dug into Thomas' wrists, his gaze remained locked onto his captor, his friend, Callan. His teeth clenched in a sneer of defiance that held fast despite the aching strain of the handcuffs. From his locked gaze, he received a set of familiar spheres--Pokeballs, all handed over to a tiny Meltan. Callan's words, tinged with a quiet urgency, rang in the stale air, "Go, good luck buddy."

Sootopolis Prison loomed ahead, its ominous presence casting a long, dark shadow. Its walls echoed the hollow laughter and hushed whispers of forgotten souls deemed too dangerous for the world outside, each one with a story as twisted and grotesque as the next.

Steel-toed boots drove Thomas forward, his unyielding resilience met with an unwelcome greeting from the guards in the form of a bruising punch to his gut. Another swiftly followed, sending him sprawling into the confines of his new cell. The cacophony of jeers and threats from fellow inmates exploded, the air inside the cell-block thick with disdain. "FUCK YOU BENOIT!" the crude symphony howled, a harmony of venom and raw hatred ringing in his ears.

The harsh words of a Rocket grunt, Atticus, rebounded off the walls of the cell, a promise of an agonizing death that hung heavily in the room. The cold steel door slammed shut with a deafening finality, punctuated by the sharp splat of spit on the ground, the grunt's farewell.

Yet, the darkness of the solitary confinement cell was not as absolute as the guards had hoped. A Meltan slipped undetected into the room, its tiny form invisible in the scant moonlight. Methodically, the liquid metal Pokémon began its work, consuming the chains that bound Thomas' wrists, its body unfurling the concealed pokeballs.

Freedom, Thomas reflected as the chains clinked away, was just another four-letter word until you've been confined. The heavy steel door of his cell seemed to taunt him, the lack of windows a stark reminder of his predicament. But this was just the beginning. It was time to get to work.

FOR YOUR NEXT POST

Thomas Benoit

• Break free.
• Let loose.

---

DEADLINE: JUNE 10, 2023 11:59 PM

DISTRACTION

RIP AND TEAR

The space around the spoons shimmered, a sphere of psychic energy rapidly expanding before being released in a destructive explosion. The mighty Focus Blast slammed into the heavy steel, the door buckling under the immense pressure and ripped from its hinges.

The freed door was flung into the prison corridor, the once formidable barrier now reduced to a crude missile. A Rocket Grunt, caught unawares, was knocked off his feet by the airborne door. The forceful collision sent him sprawling as an intrusive alarm pierced the chaos.

Red lights flickered on and off in a dizzying display as the prison's automated defense systems roared to life, "All units, prison break in maximum security, eliminate the prisoner on sight."

In response to the booming command, a sea of Rocket Grunts emerged from the eastern door, their faces masks of stern determination. They were not the elite trainers of the organization, their inexperienced hands clutching stolen Pokemon - a swarm of Poochyenas and Magnemites.

Yet, they advanced with the confidence of numbers, their collective energy forming a wave of hostility.

From their maws and metallic forms, a barrage of Bites and Thundershocks erupted, transforming the space into a battlefield.

The elemental onslaught crackled through the air, the Pokemon's desperation mirrored by their handlers as they sought to contain the chaos, reclaim control and return their high-risk prisoner to his darkened cell.

FOR YOUR NEXT POST

Thomas Benoit

• Defend against the attack on Thomas.
• Disrupt the Rockets enough that they cannot respond to the rescue on the barge.

---

DEADLINE: JUNE 13, 2023 11:59 PM

DISTRACTION

RIP AND TEAR

The aftermath of Thomas's Dazzling Gleam paints a grim picture for the Poochyenas. They crumble under the fairy light, their bodies falling motionless. His Ceruledge delivers justice to the Magnemites. Their steel bodies bear the scars of his heated blades, each cut forcing them back into their Pokeballs.

Amidst the chaos, the cell blocks start to open one by one. The sight of freedom sparks a wave of hope among the prisoners. Any resentment they harbored against Thomas pales in comparison to their yearning for liberation. The prison echoes with the sounds of their growing frenzy. A riot, it seems, is brewing.

Alarms scream. The prison guards switch gears from pacification to extermination. The horrific symphony of battle cries, clashing metal, and screams spreads through the main floors like wildfire.

In the eye of this storm, Thomas stands, momentarily unburdened. Three choices fan out before him. He could throw himself into the boiling pot of the riot, releasing more prisoners into the fray. But, doing so could endanger the innocent residents of Sootopolis. The prisoners were locked away by Team Rocket for a reason, after all.

A shimmer catches his eye – a keycard, discarded by a fallen guard. Two flights of stairs separate him from the elevator, and potential escape. An attractive option, but not without risk.

The third option calls for a more daring approach. He could cut a path through the chaos to the communications tower. It's a chance to leave a taunting message for Team Rocket, turning their own airwaves against them.

FOR YOUR NEXT POST

Thomas Benoit

• Decide on your route, or come up with your own.
• Whichever path you take, ensure that you can cause enough havoc to render the assault of the barge a minor inconvenience.

---

DEADLINE: JUNE 17, 2023 11:59 PM

DISTRACTION

RIP AND TEAR

Thomas' Pokemon fought valiantly, paving a path of destruction through the prison guards and clearing the way to the communications tower. As Thomas arrives and sends his taunting message to Team Rocket, an announcement echoes through the tower - "Initiate Operation Plague."

Suddenly, poison gas begins flooding the top floor and all lower levels of the tower, threatening to take down everyone inside. But then, a voice calls out from the shadows, "Hey!" A pale, gaunt young man with piercings tosses Thomas an antidote. "This poison is unique - you won't cure it without this. Inject it for yourself and your Pokemon."

After Thomas administers the antidote, the man grins. "What's up man? Thanks for getting me out of Maximum Security. I was wondering when the League would show up to bail me out. Name's Garm." He points toward the elevator. "Exit's this way if you'd care to join me."

Garm clearly has an escape plan. With Team Rocket initiating Operation Plague and flooding the tower with poison gas, staying put is not an option. "I'm totally not relying on you and all your Pokemon to keep me alive, promise." Thomas must decide whether to trust this mysterious prisoner who claims to know an escape route, or try to find his own way out of this deadly trap.

FOR YOUR NEXT POST

Thomas Benoit

• Take the antidote
• Escape, with or without 'Garm'.
• If escaping with Garm: Garm will tell you the exit down the chutes to land outside into a nearby waste fill zone.
• If not escaping with Garm: Find a way to escape from the comms tower.

---

DEADLINE: JUNE 20, 2023 11:59 PM

DISTRACTION

RIP AND TEAR

"Aye score, you won't regret it." The black haired youth clicks his tongue twice and points towards the general location with a double guns gesture. "This way." He says, as the two of them slide out the stairs.

"Name's Garm by the way. HBIC. I'd show you my badge but they destroyed it."

Two floors down, the gaunt man seemingly finds an indent in the wall. His fingers trace the creases in the tile, "Ah, found it." With a grunt, he pulls it down, revealing a cement wall underneath, and a chute that seemed to barely fit the size of a human person. "Secret passage, built into the prison before the terrorists took over the city." He says, leaning against the wall with a hand as he tries to show off, before the smell of sewage hits the room and he winces. "We'll definitely need a shower afterwards though."

"I'm going in first, just to show you it's safe. See you on the other side, Thomas." He gives a casual salute, before sliding into the chute.

The chute would be a pitch black ride. It became apparent that this was not just an ordinary chute, but a connecting hole that dug itself directly into one of the main sewer drainage channels in Sootopolis.

Soon, Thomas would find himself not claustrophobically stuck, but covered in a river of filthy water. The drainage channel filed out of the prison, connecting directly into the sea in an underwater canal. Overhead, a railing, and a ladder could be seen, one that "Garm" had already taken. The man was currently hurling into the sea, his clothes stained brown and yellow alongside its faded flecks of red.

Once his stomach settled, he falls himself down against the railing. "Ugh." He comments, before he turns towards Thomas.

"Well... there's that, I suppose. We should probably get out of here before other members come splashing down." Garm groggily gets bakc up on his feet. "Say... what made you decide to bust in in the first place? I think you just hit most wanted on every criminal organization's hitlist after the stunt you pulled."

FOR YOUR NEXT POST

Thomas Benoit

• Leave the sewers with Garm.

---

FINAL POST: JUNE 21, 2023 11:59 PM

DISTRACTION

RIP AND TEAR

"Hell yeah brother." Garm grins as he slings his arm over Thomas's shoulder, in a manner that was too friendly. "Oh my god, I can't wait. I'm finally free, I can finally not smell like shit. I can finally get some tail at the red light district."

Garm snorted before holding his breath.

The familiar zip of teleport warps the both of them to Slateport General, where Garm stumbles, almost running, into the front entrance. "I'VE BEEN STABBED! HELP! AAAAHH!!!!!" He yells, as nurses rush into the fold, clearly a lie. As the staff crowd around Thomas and Garm, he raises a thumbs up towards the former Elite Four. "Hey thanks man, I owe ya one, I'll put in a word to our bosses."

---

Aftermath:

The TV screen lights up in front of Sootopolis, as an HNN camera pans down on Sootopolis, a reporter in a helicopter speaks into a microphone over the whiping sound of the open helicopter door.

"Thanks Jeanne! As you can see, chaos is rampant over Sootopolis City after what seems to be a massive breakout from Sootopolis Prison." The camera pans down towards the prison, now smoking and on fire, the streets are riddled with Pokemon battles between members of Team Rocket, escapees and civilians. As the helicopter flies around, it narrowly misses what seems to be a ZAP CANNON from a Porygon-Z.

"We're too close, pull back! As you can see, whatever has caused the prison break has caused massive chaos over the Sootopolis Prison, another show of incompetence in a land that's run by terrorist. We can only hope those who are imprisoned have found their way out. Back to you Jeanne before we get fried out here!"

The news channel flits back to the news room, Jeanne briefly presses a hand to her microphone and nods. "Thank you so much Jimmy, we have just received some breaking news: eyewitness reports have shown that the perpetrator and instigator of this attack to be ex-Elite Four member Thomas Benoit. It seems that Thomas Benoit has also left a recorded message in the midst of the tower. We have the file with us here, please give us a moment..."

Jeanne pauses for a brief moment, looking towards what seemed to be staff operating in the background. Her microphone is momentarily muted as she mouths the words 'is it ready' to the staff, before her eyes turn back to the newscast. "Thank you for waiting everyone, here's the recording:"

"Rocket, your so-called prison is compromised! Your pathetic guards have failed to contain me, and now are being overrun by the very people you have locked up! Let's hope the scum you send to back them up fare better than the fools you trusted to guard the prisoners! And make it interesting, because I figured breaking into your prison would actually be a challenge!"

The noise is static and in awful quality. Enough that there could have been a case of forgery. Jeanne speaks once again, "That was the recording given to us by an anonymous sender. Though we're still figuring out the details, it does appear to be the case that this recording was present at the location. As to whether it's been faked, that remains to be seen. Until we have more details, I'm Jeanne Alderman, and you've been watching HNN."

[END]

THANK YOU!!!