MARCH UPDATE

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

close tab

played by

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

0 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @Deleted

POSTED ON Oct 11, 2018 20:34:10 GMT

war is no place for a teenager and yet there she stands at the gates of vermillion. the battle that comes cares not for the age of its combatants. how vulnerable or unprepared they may be isn't a consideration -- it hasn't been since this conflict began. it shows in her eyes as she watches the horizon. they aren't the eyes of a child. there is no carelessness or mirth in her stare and her lips are so sternly down-turned that one wouldn't be mistaken for thinking she's never smiled.

they approach and her face tightens. she is the vanguard, has been in fight after fight and repelled their forces fight after fight. she has shed blood and friends and partners to hold the city and she will not stop today. they speak of an unstoppable spear in the enemy forces, but she is the unbreakable shield.

"sand, you know what to do."

she speaks the words in a hush to the hippowdon before her as she lowers goggles over her eyes. the quiet gate on a clear day becomes a raging storm of dust and debris. at first the SANDSTORM is simply about his body, but within moments it's engulfed the entrance. the houses around it. the land ahead of it. the winds are fierce within it and spare no one; she feels bits of it scrape the skin from her face but she doesn't flinch. it is a pain she is familiar to.

. . .

keeping time is a luxury she doesn't have. all she knows is that the fight started at some point and over however long followed she's been battered back. the gate has fallen but the heart of the city still belongs to her and her forces. for every life the enemy has taken she's taken one back, for every pokemon she's lost she's beaten back at least two. she is ragged and bleeding and tired but she does not waver.

invisible in the SANDSTORM, her gabite and dugtrio work their way through the enemy forces around them. with no need to hide her sandslash tears about the shifting sands with almost overwhelming speed. meanwhile hippowdon stays by her side, protecting her from assailants she misses. a blade at her hip ensures that anyone who gets through the both of them will not get to her. she hears the sound of increased combat about her and grips its handle.

"pull in!"

there's no telling where the assault will come from. the storm obscures her vision only slightly more than her opponents'.

NIKOLAI PETROV

close tab

played by

NOODLES

NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

GYM LEADER

37 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

241 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @nikolai

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

close tab

played by

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

0 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @Deleted

POSTED ON Oct 12, 2018 3:24:19 GMT

the ground shakes, but where she is it does not split. either way it's concerning. the sounds of screams echo out a moment after the rumbling ceases and she can feel her breath catch in her chest, and the white-knuckled fists her hands have become grow imperceptibly tighter. the storm is her absolute territory; but anyone outside of it or on its fringes is beyond her and her pokemon. she's set it up strategically. its epicenter is halfway between the docks and the gym, covering a place for civilians to shelter and the thing team rocket has wanted from the very beginning.

it's here in this epicenter that she's forced to wait for whatever's coming. where her pokemon are forced to hover as the fighting grows nearer and nearer. they can't afford losses at this point in the game. at least she's fairly certain they can't. the SANDSTORM she depends on is a double edged sword. she guesses from the sounds around her that things are falling apart and that she and her pokemon may find themselves the last soldiers standing but she can't be certain. and because she can't be certain she can't take risks.

"cover the docks and the gym, go no further."

her orders are terse and direct when she gives them to her party, and they respond instantly. dugtrio retreats away from the cave it once called home to get closer to the docks and gabite falls back to the gym. sandshrew covers the center. between them they make a diagram of death, three almost untraceable pokemon striking down any rockets that fall under their purview. they've practiced this routine countless times, and that's even after replacing her partners that learned it first.

NIKOLAI PETROV

close tab

played by

NOODLES

NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

GYM LEADER

37 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

241 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @nikolai

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

close tab

played by

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

0 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @Deleted

POSTED ON Oct 13, 2018 1:21:05 GMT

most of the rocket lackeys are idiots. they're thugs and petty criminals who don't know the first thing about strategy; and so they charge into any threat with the cocksure confidence of one who's only ever preyed on those weaker than them. it's why the SANDSTORM is so effective. they walk into it as if it were no more dangerous than a SMOKESCREEN, only to be picked off by the unseen threats within. it's this kind of unrestrained foolishness that allowed her to hold the gates as long as she had. it's also why when someone approaches it with care she finds herself somewhat out of her element.

more tremors shake the ground, but this time they're closer. dugtrio is below the ground when they hit, but is able to retreat far enough back that they do little but rattle his brains. he returns to sveva's side, letting her know through his presence that someone's broken into his territory that he can't take alone. she gestures for hippowdon to follow her and begins to rotate slowly towards the docks. a blur passes in the corner of her vision: sandslash following their movements instinctively.

"test the waters. clay, see if you can't disorient them. diggs, shake them up."

they can't just run blindly into them, but they can't devote three pokemon to poking and prodding them either. she needs to quickly figure out how strong they are and deal with them. she stops moving once she can make out their shapes in the sand. three dark shadows, one person, and two pokemon towering beside it.

sandslash and dugtrio do as they were instructed. the ground is kicked up when clay takes off, his speed in the SANDSTORM is unparalleled and he uses it to draw in close. his job is to test them and that's what he does. his claws strike out at nidoqueen and nidoking, FURY SWIPES to see how they react, before attempting to fall back. then comes the shaking. diggs pops his head up and begins applying pressure with a couple of MAGNITUDES back to back.

NY_Rfwyu

notes: magnitude -

SPOILER: Click to show

0-15 = 4
16-30 = 5
31-45 = 6
46-60 = 7
61-75 = 8
76-90 = 9
91-100 = 10

NIKOLAI PETROV

close tab

played by

NOODLES

NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

GYM LEADER

37 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

241 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @nikolai

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

close tab

played by

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

0 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @Deleted

POSTED ON Oct 13, 2018 17:23:49 GMT

the buildings fall and sveva relaxes a little. clay proved their reactions weren't a match for his speed and diggs's attack worked flawlessly as a followup, she's sure that the threat has been dealt with and so she moves to rotate her team back to their previous positions. she doesn't think for a second that there's a soldier on the other side of this conflict capable of the quick thinking necessary to survive what's just happened. she's wrong, of course.

to see her mistake brought to light by literal thunder and lightning is almost humorous. her eyes snap back to the fighting as rain spreads over the battlefield, overpowering her keenest advantage. dugtrio is revealed and sandslash finds his retreat markedly slowed by the change and both are left uncharacteristically vulnerable. the move isn't exactly the stroke of a genius, but she's shocked someone who's had a building dropped on their head is able to keep their wits about them well enough to pull it off.

before she even has a chance to think up a response things are moving forward. while in her mind events seem to slow to a halt the actual space between actions can't be more than a few seconds at most. by the time she opens her mouth to try and respond things have progressed two or three steps. the ground shakes and splits, leaving diggs freely floating in the air. with clay still descending from his hop backwards that leaves both of her pokemon in mid-air. no ability to dodge.

the MEGAHORN strikes, the setup was too clean for it to go any other way. the pain in her chest at the sight is keen but familiar. she rolls over it with gritted teeth and moves to trying to salvage this turn of events.

"curl!"

without the SANDSTORM to cover her position there's no point in being discreet, sveva screams the command across the field and clay picks it up quickly. as the MEGAHORN comes to make him its next victim he rolls into a ball, in the air he turns three times -- each time seeming to brighten.

the DEFENSE CURLS leave him hard as steel by the time the attack hits. it's not enough to cancel the attack, but it is enough to give him the chance to survive it. the sandslash hits the ground clearly hurting but not down, and while he's slower without the sand he's more than fast enough to beat a path back to his trainer almost uncontested.

in the meantime sveva's mind works overtime to try and find a proper response. the rain leaves her mud-caked hair stuck to her face and neck and clouds the goggles on her face. the latter item is ripped from its place; even if the SANDSTORM returns the water has ensured that the lenses would only blind her.

"dune, move in!"

she needs her pokemon close, she sacrifices control of the gym in favor of a better chance to retaliate. a look to the clouds sets her to chewing on the inside of her cheek. fine, if he wants a weather war that's what he'll get.

"stop this rain!"

as the gabite approaches she digs her claws into the ground. dirt is kicked up before being whipped around by a phantom wind. once she's close enough it's joined by the countless grains of hippowdon's SAND STREAM. the SANDSTORM begins to return, but it quite literally battles the heavy rain as it does.

NIKOLAI PETROV

close tab

played by

NOODLES

NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

GYM LEADER

37 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

241 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @nikolai

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

close tab

played by

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

0 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @Deleted

POSTED ON Oct 13, 2018 19:24:45 GMT

the supernatural changes in the weather clash violently with one another. rain falls through the winds of the BLIZZARD and freezes into sharp sleet, which then mixes with the chafing grains of sand in the SANDSTORM. visibility lowers with the temperature and the strategic advantage of any one of the storms is tempered by the power of the others. gabite charges the nidoking, the cloak of her SAND VEIL applying intermittently as she runs through the flurry of ice and snow.

"don't let them advance any further!"

sveva shields her face and shouts over the wind. with only three pokemon left she can't keep giving them ground. dune and clay move in together to try and keep that from happening. the gabite meets the MEGAHORN head on, bringing both her arms down in a brutal DUAL CHOP to try and stop its advance.

the FOCUS ENERGY keeps the attacks from cancelling each other out, but doesn't allow the larger pokemon to win completely. it pushes dune back, but only so far before its momentum becomes manageable.

the ground splits when the two come to a stop; claws peek out from the dirt before sandslash strikes at the opponent's underside -- a DIG meant to take advantage of the nidoking's struggle.

NIKOLAI PETROV

close tab

played by

NOODLES

NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

GYM LEADER

37 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

241 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @nikolai

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

close tab

played by

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

0 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @Deleted

POSTED ON Oct 13, 2018 19:56:31 GMT

things are moving too quickly. opportunity turns to despair in a heartbeat and clay is left motionless on the ground. dune wastes no time in her followup, the hurting nidoking is met with a flurry of slashes -- a mournful DRAGON RUSH. it's possible she has the advantage in the one-on-one, but that's not what this is.

"pull back!"

sveva gives the command and the gabite listens reluctantly, retreating into the sand and cloaking herself in its storm. she's at sveva's side in mere moments, teeth bared and a growl in her throat. the options moving forward have grown increasingly narrow with every defeat. when the stranger fires his gun they shrink yet again.

in the middle of processing her choices he gives her one like an ultimatum. his eyes are serious when he offers it, but so are hers when she stares back at him.

"fuck you."

it's a petulant answer. there's no rhyme or reason to it, just anger. bitterness. the sound of fighting has dulled in the time since she ran into this trainer and she's sure it's because it's coming to a close. complete defeat is almost certainly around the corner but she won't accept it.

"YAWN."

she speaks in a low voice to the hippowdon at her side. he opens his mouth and lets loose an almost musical groan that shakes the sand and snow in the air. it aims to assault the opponents' wills. there's no way to beat them through raw power, but if they can burden their minds even a little bit there's still the potential for escape.

she will not surrender. she does not want to know what will happen if she does.

NIKOLAI PETROV

close tab

played by

NOODLES

NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

GYM LEADER

37 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

241 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @nikolai

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

close tab

played by

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

0 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @Deleted

POSTED ON Oct 14, 2018 4:44:00 GMT

there is comfort in taking out the last of his pokemon, but as he draws close -- pistol drawn -- she can't pretend that it's the advantage it would have been minutes ago. she flexes and relaxes her fists as he makes his case for her surrender. her choices are quickly narrowing down from many to few, and from few to two. with his gun in her face she feels like they're clear. surrender or die.

given her long fight against rocket she can't help but think it's probably die or die more likely. it's not like surrendering ensures she gets to walk away from this, and if she's taken in she doubts she'll be treated hospitably. just the thought sends a thrill down her spine. she decides surrendering isn't an option, but before she can tell him that he points his gun at dune. the piece of shit!

he pulls the trigger and she pulls her pokeball at the same time. the gabite takes a bullet in the shoulder but the moment after vanishes in a flash of red light. the acceptance of her death she was just settling into is washed away by raw anger. childish, borne from what little bit of justice she still holds in her chest. they're up against the wall and he's shooting her pokemon. one of her last pokemon.

"EARTHQUAKE."

she doesn't care if he shoots her, she wants him to regret that move. sand lifts his front feet before dropping them on the ground, hard. the ground tremors and cracks, shockwaves knocking her off her feet but hopefully doing the same to their attacker. it seems like a mutually assured destruction, but she has an advantage. hippowdon is still up, and he takes the back of her shirt in his teeth before throwing her towards the gym. a moment later red light covers him -- the capture light for his pokeball returning him to her even as she flies through the air.

when she hits the ground she rolls and runs. for a moment her mind wanders to the gym, but she can't afford it. if they've lost the battle it'll be taken. instead she runs for the gates, taking as many side streets as she can remember.

NIKOLAI PETROV

close tab

played by

NOODLES

NIKOLAI

HE/HIM

TWENTY-FIVE

CYBER BOY

GYM LEADER

37 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

241 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @nikolai