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Post by Madaraki on Jun 24, 2014 21:39:50 GMT -6
Part 1: A Hero's Epic Journey
(aka; A Kid Has No Business Playing Around A Dangerous Area And Gets Lost.) "Nighttime settled over the Crucible of Fire; darkness laid like a hot blanket over the perilous labyrinth of metal and rock in the summer night. The infrequent calls of Pokemon still awake and about could be heard here and there as they hunted or fought for a late meal. In the otherwise quiet blackness, a form darted among the wreckage. Staying atop the maze walls, the shadow sprinted easily and OUCH!" Her foot caught on a protruding bumper and she went tumbling along the uneven surface before bouncing off a hot dog stand and fell into the maze. "Oof..." She groaned. Sitting up, she shook her head and adjusted her helmet. It was blue, with purple "wing ears" sticking back from the sides, and fangs that protruded down from the rim to make up the frame of a visor that covered everything down to just below her nose, leaving her currently grimacing mouth exposed. Wincing from the pain in her backside, she stood up shakily, looking up at the top of the maze, which of course seemed impossible to ever climb to her four-foot-eleven-inch tall frame. Twirling a black and purple cape -and trying not to tangle it in the pink scarf she wore about her neck-, she struck a pose. "Courageously, Zubatgirl decided not to let the gravity trap of her sworn enemy, Dragonman stop her." She narrated in a small voice that she wished sounded braver. "She decided to play his evil game and set out into the deadly maze!" She took off in a random direction, cape billowing behind her as her rainboots stomped through puddles. "She knew she could find her way and emerge...victorioACK!" Her cape caught on an old umbrella stand and tugged her back onto her rear. The trip and tumble did not go unheard. Crouched atop the stadium at the Crucible's center, a man in body armor stood up at a sound in the distance. They'd been in the Crucible for days now taking readings on the habits of the maze's inhabitants, and they had all come to know and recognize the various sounds made by the dragon types that had not yet been captured. The bumping and crashing from a minute ago had been something else. Tuning his instruments, the man aimed a receiver out into the relative darkness. Patches of fire still lit small portions of the labyrinth, but that stuttering light was not enough to search by at this range. Nudging several switches and turning a knob, he listened. "Undaunted by the trap, Pokewoman charged on to face her destiny!" crackled the voice over the speaker. Seconds later, the man had radioed the report to his boss.
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Post by Madaraki on Jun 26, 2014 18:27:39 GMT -6
Part 2: A Hero Takes A Stand
(aka; A Kid Gets Into Serious Doodoo.) Two people were worried. In a penthouse suite high above the still-bustling streets of Nimbasa, two parents waited for word back from the police about their missing daughter. Crystal was agitated, pacing, and knew full well that half a bottle of something strong and loaded with alcohol would calm her down, but she'd given up drinking when she realized she was pregnant. Vincent was sitting, but hardly calm. His mind was racing with possibilities as to where his daughter could be, and who else he could call about the case. He felt a good cigarette or five would relax him, but he'd given up smoking when he'd found out he was going to be a father. The viewscreen buzzed. Vincent stabbed the "Accept Call" button on the viewscreen first, simply due to being closer. His wife nearly beat him to it even though her pacing had her across the room when the screen buzzed. "Gimme some good news, 'Lina." He said shortly, staring tiredly at the viewscreen. He found it hard to believe, but Relina kept the blue and gold uniform even more pressed and ironed than her father ever had. Well back when you were a rock star and she was one of your fangirls, did either of you think you'd be where you are now? He thought to himself. "Hey, I have a title now. It's Commissioner." Relina said, more from routine than actual anger. "The title's too many syllables. Anything?" He asked. "Nothing yet." She sighed. "I've got officers out looking, but you know your daughter better than I do." "The more people looking for her, the more fun she thinks it is." He muttered, clapping a hand over his face. "I've even got both my Houndoom patrols out tracking her right now." She added. Evidently the exchange had given some time for Crystal to collect herself and rack her brains for an answer. "We could narrow the search." She said thoughtfully. "She's always getting into some sort of trouble, so we can probably assume she'll be somewhere we've repeatedly told her not to go." "We need to tell her not to go to her room more often." The Gengar said uneasily. "That'll be hard though. 'Somewhere we've repeatedly told her not to go' could apply to half of Nimbasa." "Could she be going over to visit Vulcan?" Relina suggested. "That trip takes an entire bus ride, and she'd probably think of it as an adventure." "She won't go near there." Crystal said with a half-smile. "She's thought she was a better fighter than Vulcan since she was five." "Oh crap." He said, sitting upright. "I think I know where she went." Both Crystal and Relina looked at him sharply. He was already across the room and pulling a closet open. Reaching up, he pulled down a locked box. "Somewhere we've told her never to go, where we've never taken her, and where she thinks she can find some sort of big adventure...and probably prove to herself that she's more awesome than Vulcan." Strapping on an armored vest and several other pieces of body armor, he pulled his violet hair back and tied it in a rough ponytail. "She's gone to the Crucible of Fire." "Continuing on her way, Nimbasa's Greatest Hero plunged undaunted in the black heart of the evil Dragonman's lair. The laybrinth taunted her, and the strange sounds of the night that would make any infant scream in terror threatened to plague her soul but she continued bravely onward!" Eventually, she spotted what she was looking for. a dented umbrella pole leaning against a wall comprised of three melted cars. Breaking into a sprint, she charged the narrow beam to the walltop. If she could just get back to the path she'd been on before, the whole thing would become a lot easier. She made it halfway up the pipe before the charred thing snapped and broke under her. Stumbling, she caught herself awkwardly on a bumper which broke under her grip and sent her tumbling roughly back to the ground. The adventure and her quest to defeat the Evil Dragonman was suddenly seeming less fun. Pulling herself up and dusting her cape off, she looked around. She was in the middle of a five-way intersection, and every path looked dark and unpleasant. There was a rising urge in her to start calling for help, but she knew that was what everyone would count on. They'd have to rescue her, and she'd get a talking to, and her dad would probably ground her. Never mind that she'd found out what he used to do when he was younger. One of her adventures last month had involved sneaking off to a nearby hotel to use the game room when there was nobody else there, and the TV in the lobby had been running a documentary on a band called "Gangarene". The only thing weirder than finding out that her parents had been in a rock band had been learning that her mom knew how to play a bass. Without thinking much harder about it, she shot down the path straight ahead. In the relative darkness, every twist and turn began to look the same, and before too long, she realized the fun had pretty much ended before the adventure. She wanted to go home. That was when she rounded another corner and saw the path widen out as it led towards the stadium at the center of the Crucible. She also saw the figure standing in front of the entrance. She didn't know him. He was tall, and looked like he was either bald or wearing a helmet. Either way, he wasn't her father or anyone else she knew. Skidding to a halt, she stopped; one foot planted ahead of the other, knees bent, her entire body ready to spring forward, and her bright pink gloved fists ready to dispense JUSTICE upon the villain. "What are you doing here?" He asked, red eyes blazing in the darkness. His voice was deep and ringing as if he were speaking from inside some vast amphitheater. "The fearless Zubatgirl is here to bring justice down on your head, coward!" She yelled. Hopping forward, she tucked into a roll that brought her upright in yet another elaborate pose. "TASTE MY DARKNESS MISSILE!" Lunging, she brought both hands forward and swung them apart. A burst of dark energy erupted from the air in front of her and crackled towards the shadowy figure. Stepping forward, he seemed to suddenly grow bigger and bulkier in front of her. Reaching out with one hand, he slapped the Dark Pulse aside with contempt. "Aren't you supposed to fall down now?" She asked in a small voice as the towering giant that was surely five times her height advanced menacingly.
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Post by Madaraki on Jun 28, 2014 21:40:10 GMT -6
Part 3: A Hero's Despair
(Aka; a Kid is Just a Kid) When she awoke, he realized she couldn't see. Almost stifling a terrified squeak, she tried to stand up but could barely rise to her knees before she was jerked back to the ground. There was a clinking noise as she moved, and she realized she was chained. Her hands floated free as they usually did, but there were thick iron shackles around her waist and ankles. Her hands went first to the big ring aroud her middle and she tried wriggling out of it. It was clamped too tightly however, and wouldn't budge in either direction. If anything, all she'd accomplished was giving herself a mild brusing from the rough movement of the restraint. She looked at the ankle chains next. Five minutes later and her feet hurt too. And Mom and Dad've been trying to get me to practice ghosting too. She thought miserably. She blinked several times. Her eyes hadn't even adjusted to the darkness. Normally when she was in her own room, after five minutes with the lights out she could see vague outlines of her toys and bookshelves. Wherever she was now, there wasn't any light getting in. Almost absentmindedly, she tapped the floor. Metal. Her curiosity returned as she clinked her way over to one of the walls and tapped it as well. It also made a slight pinging noise. Fumbling about until she found the section of floor where the chains were anchored, she discovered she could just barely stand. Bending her knees, she brought both of her hands together and focused. Though she couldn't see it, she could feel the pulse of energy building in her grasp. Flinging both hands to the side, she fired a Dark Pulse, this one without any bold declaration or use of a fancy-sounding name. There was a shower of sparks as it hit the far wall, but nothing that brought any real visibility to the room. Then she heard a crash and saw a second set of sparks from above her head. Another, similar impact and noise was heard behind her, and as she flung herself to the hard floor and covered her head with her hands, she realized two things. One was that the Pulse was now in a wild ricochet about the cell. The other was that she could feel her hair. Someone had taken her helmet. And then she heard the grunt from nearby as the Dark Pulse, much reduced in strength from its bounding journey throughout the chamber, struck something. "Alright, who did that?"
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Post by Madaraki on Jun 29, 2014 22:15:35 GMT -6
Part 4: A Hero's Guile
(Aka; The Kid is Clueless.) Zubatgirl skidded back away from the voice. "Wh-who's there?" She squeaked. "I warn you, you're dealing with-" "Is that you, A-" "ZUBATGIRL." She said, suddenly worried. Whoever it was knew her name. That was bad. That was several kinds of bad. That was ten pounds of bad in a five pound bag. "Alright, fine. Zubatgirl." The voice sighed with some amusement. "I'll play along for now." She paused. The voice sounded nicer now. Perhaps a fellow prisoner? Briefly, boldness returned to her and she began to formulate an appropriately heroic plan to- "Mind you when we get out of here I'm still going to be having a chat with Vincent about all this." One hundred pounds of bad in a five ounce bag! It was bad enough that the voice knew her name, but worse, she knew her father. "W-wait...who are you?" She asked, a bit more nervously this time. "You know my dad and you apparently know me." "Right." The voice said. "You and you reliance on sight." There was a puffing spark and a small flame lit upon the end of a tail. The faint orange light cast deep shadows about the room. The walls and floor were of course metal, and they were riddled with both dents from the Dark Pule blast and claw marks from...something. Blinking in the sudden blaze, she was surprised at how little light was required to blind her. As she rubbed her eyes, she was grateful her hands hadn't been chained as well. There was another sigh and the tail flame flickered and brightened. "Better?" Her fellow prisoner reached out and clapped a clawed hand over her face. She backed away, making some sort of noise as she bumped over the anchor point for the chains. Her vision cleared and she got a look at the prisoner. She was a woman wearing a chinadress of dark gray with silver trim and golden clasps. her hands and forearms were covered in gleaming red scales that resembled tight-fitting gloves. Similar scales ran down the sides of her legs and spread across her clawed feet. The most striking feature however, wasn't the tail, or the scales, or even the two wings that stretched from her back. It was the patch of ruby scales stretching from her hairline to just above her nose that formed a featureless visor. And for a brief second, Zubatgirl's sense of adventure returned. "THE CONSORT OF MY NEMESIS! DRAGONLADY!" "What?"
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Post by Madaraki on Jul 2, 2014 22:09:07 GMT -6
Part 5: A Hero's Hero
(Aka; A Kid's Dad is Mad) "Like I told you," Alice said, "Cinci never told me anything before he left." She was chained to a chair-like structure that seemed to have been built out of rusted debris and was held together only by virtue of having been bent into a rough shape. In short, Steppenwolf was determined to appear generous by allowing his captives to sit, but determined to make them as uncomfortable as possible. Zubatgirl hadn't helped the situation earlier either. When the two of them had been dragged out of the cell, and brought to the main living quarters at the Stadium's upper levels, she had boldly declared an alliance with "Dragonlady" for the purpose of defeating "The Vile Mega-Gross". The Charggron knew Steppenwolf well; when the Director was defeated years ago, she had fought Steppenwolf herself. She had thought him burned to death, but her assumption had apparently been mistaken. Somehow, the steel-type had survived. Assumed death hadn't improved him. If anything his once-eternally calm demeanor had given way to a simmering temper that always seemed like it was threatening to boil over violently. "Cinci Tocati was the premiere authority on Dragon-type Pokemon before he vanished. Such intellect never fades completely. He passed on his secrets to someone, Miss Furnier, and as the Crucible of Fire's caretaker, you are the logical recipient of the knowledge." "Knowledge...his secrets..." Alice laughed, turning her eyeless face in Steppenwolf's direction. "You want to know what he told me? The Hydreigon alpha eats only adult Snorlax. The Gibles fend for themselves when it comes to eating, but if they eat too much leftover carnival food they get flammable gas. The male and female Dragagle need to be kept in separate aquariums otherwise they breed faster than roaches. The-" *CRACK*"Dragonlady!" Zubatgirl cried, flinching at the sound of Steppenwolf's hand across the woman's face. Alice spat a bit of blood and grinned. "And...the Haxorus is fiercely overprotective of females." There was a growling noise from the hallway just beyond the room and a brilliant beam of light roared into the chamber, shattering the door and catching one of the guards' shoulders and vaporizing his arm in the blast. Steppenwolf's body crackled with an electric surge as he shot into the air and sank his metal fingers into the ceiling and tucked himself up, letting the hyper beam pass cleanly beneath him. As the energy dissipated, he turned the tuck into a flip and crashed to the ground. Before anyone could react, he grabbed the injured guard and pulled his grenade belt free. Tossing the guard aside, he pulled three of the five grenade pins and hurled the belt down the length of the hallway. Disregarding the subsequent blast and spattering noises that followed, he turned back to the captives. "Now...Alice. You are going answer my questions, or I am going to have my men empty bullets into this little girl's legs. Starting with her toes, and working their way up slowly towards her torso. "Where. Is. Project. Ancalagon?" Outside, a solitary figure stood on the stadium's lower rooftop; as the automatic spotlights overhead focused on him, they revealed a man clad mostly in black and purple, wearing a dark gray armored vest of some variety. His purple hair was tied back in a ponytail, and his eyes, concealed though they were behind dark sunglasses, glowed red. His right hand was clenched in a fist at his side, and in his left was a megaphone. Raising it and taking a breath, he addressed the people within the heart of the Crucible. "IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT ONE OF YOU IS HOLDING A YOUNG GIRL HOSTAGE. AS IT SO HAPPENS, THAT YOUNG GIRL IS MY DAUGHTER. AS IT ALSO HAPPENS, IT IS WELL PAST HER BEDTIME. ADDITIONALLY, IT IS PROBABLY PAST MY BEDTIME AS WELL, AND YOU WOULD NOT LIKE ME WHEN I AM SLEEP-DEPRIVED. LET MY DAUGHTER GO AND VACATE THE PREMISES OR I WILL BE FORCED TO WRECK YOUR SHIT." There was a silence broken only by the chirping of crickets and the occasional sounds of the nocturnal Pokemon. "YOU JUST MADE ME USE THE S-WORD IN FRONT OF MY DAUGHTER. NOW I AM FLUSTERED AS WELL. YOU WILL NOT LIKE ME WHEN I AM FL-" An answering hail of bullets tore through the air, ripping the megaphone to shreds and passing harmlessly through Vincent as he sighed. "Well fuck. Negotiations are over. At least I can cut the polite shit now."
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Post by Madaraki on Jul 5, 2014 20:47:27 GMT -6
Part 6: A Hero's Courage
(Aka; Kid Fearlessness = Adult Stupidity) Everyone within heard the demand. The Hydreigons raised their heads and snorted in surprise, a Dragonair twitched and spun towards the source of the booming voice, and the Gibles within the Crucible scurried for cover. Distant city noises were something they were all used to by now, but such a booming voice was new. One of the Charizards that had thus far escaped capture blinked in surprise at the sound, but didn't move. As far as it knew, the mysterious intruders from earlier were still hunting. Vincent had used the megaphone both to make sure his demands reached anyone within the Stadium proper, and for effect. He hadn't screamed or sung all that much in years, but a part of him admitted that it felt good to actually yell again. Pacing for a moment, he considered simply charging the Stadium. He'd encountered a number of guards on his way in -all easily disabled of course- and that had told him shortly that his daughter was most likely held captive. The men out and about had seemed more focused on capturing than killing, and that had told him that this was more than a simple takeover. They were after...something. After five minutes of waiting, a door on the lower rooftop of the Stadium where he stood was opened and a guard stepped out, carefully aiming an assault rifle at him. "Our boss wants to talk." He said, sneering. "You oblige and he'll let the girl g-" Vincent's eyes narrowed to slits. Their red glow intensified and the Gengar's usual grin was inverted into a snarling expression of fury. MEAN LOOKThe guard stopped in his tracks, shivering. After a second a trickle of foaming spit ran from the corner of his mouth and his eyes rolled back. He collapsed in a heap. "Ozzy always did tell me to watch how I used that one..." He muttered, picking up the megaphone again. "ENOUGH WITH THE MOOKS." He bellowed. "THIS ONE'S UNCONSCIOUS. THE NEXT ONE WILL BE POISONED. THE THIRD ONE...I CAN'T SAY IN FRONT OF MY DAUGHTER." This time it was scant seconds before another figure appeared, this time on the higher level rooftop above him. With him were several more armed guards; two of whom were holding a familiar form shackled. Shit, they already captured Yxil... He thought. Another one was marching a smaller form forward. With a mix of frustration and dismay, Vincent recognized the trailing pink scarf and blue cape. Shit. He stepped back to get a better look at their captors and recognized the towering form instantly. "Steppenwolf...of course." "I will make this short, " Vee"." Steppenwolf said, grabbing the would-be hero by the back of her cape and holding her out over the dizzying plunge. "You will surrender and answer my questions, or I will send your daughter plunging to her greatly premature demise." If he hadn't tucked his sense of humor into bed several hours ago, Vincent would have laughed. "Try it," he called, a chilling spike-toothed grin spreading across his face nearly from ear to ear. "You let her go, I ghost up the wall and catch her before she's even fallen ten feet, I put her down safely, and then I unshackle every fire-breather in this place and they melt your steel can like moldy butter." Steppenwolf paused, if only for a moment. Without waiting for further threats, he dragged the girl back onto the rooftop and seized a rifle from the nearest soldier. Pushing her down, he positioned the muzzle against her lower back. "Reconsider, Vincent." He said coldly, his voice ringing. "We both know how...solid she is." "You won't get away with it!" The girl said, sticking her tongue out. She had started to panic, but hearing her father's voice...ringing throughout the Crucible like the tones of Arceus himself had bolstered her spirit considerably. "He's gonna kick your asses from here to Castellia City!"
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Post by Madaraki on Jul 6, 2014 18:58:07 GMT -6
Part 7: Mega Monster Mayhem
(Aka; The Kid Doesn't Know What To Say.) Steppenwolf raised one eyebrow plate and stared at Zubatgirl. One of the guards holding Yxil's chains said "That's really not that-" The Chaggron hybrid moved, kicking out with both legs and sending one of her captors flying over the roof's edge. In the same motion, her tail lashed out and smashed the rifle to pieces in Steppenwolf's hands. Zubatgirl pushed herself up and lunged away and might have jumped from the top of the stadium if her armored captor hadn't grabbed her cape and hauled her back. Undaunted, she screamed down to her father. "C'MON, VEEGETA, BEAT 'EM UP!" "Veege"-what? She's really into this... Vincent thought, shaking his head. She had enjoyed perhaps an excessive amount of anime from a young age, and for the longest time, neither of her parents had exactly discouraged it. After all, watching one of those shows had gotten her into martial arts. She'd tried to emphasize that it involved fighting and various attacks with names, but as far as Vincent or Crystal could tell, every show their daughter watched involved that sort of thing. Eventually she'd talked her father into watching it with her. He'd tried to become interested, but as far as he could tell, 90% of the series appeared to be unrealistically muscular men yelling and tearing their shirts off. He'd lost interest after one of them turned into a giant monkey and got beaten up, but she'd made him watch the part where they fought robots and a bug man. And now there they were; father and daughter in the middle of what was most certainly a life or death situation, he was wearing his usual mix of black purple, plus a bulletproof vest, and she was dressed in what looked to be a superhero costume she'd designed herself. He might as well give everyone a show. Clenching his fists, he focused. Almost immediately the air around him began swirling as the ground beneath his feet cracked. A reddish mist poured up from the fractured pavement and whirled around him as every muscle in his body tensed. He remembered what Oswald had told him. Everyone who didn't use a stone or drugs had a different process. Some could only achieve this state through meditation and calm; others could reach it in a state of duress. And, he thought as his eyes flashed and began to glow, having his only child kidnapped by one of his oldest and most persistent enemies certainly counted. Still, despite the theatrics, there was no way he was going to ye-Oh never mind. He hadn't used his voice that way in years. Not since his wildest concert days. As yellow circles appeared in the center of each eye and his body seemed to crush its way down into the already splintered ground, he threw his head back and screamed. "YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGH!!!!!!" The red mist suddenly flared upward, abandoning its whirling patterns and forming a distinct aura around his entire body. His hair burst from the ponytail he'd pulled it into as it seemed to lengthen another ten inches. Glaring up at the guards, he kicked off from the ground to an area just outside the spotlight's beams and immediately vanished. They wouldn't see him coming until it was too late. Springing back into visibility in front of the first guard, he didn't even bother with any special techniques. He grabbed the rifle out of the startled man's hands and cracked him across the face with it. Even as the rest on the upper rooftop opened fire, he opted for a move he'd been itching to try out on multiple targets in succession; thee increase he'd just taken in power certainly didn't hurt either. In the night, the shadows were already deep, and the spotlights only made the areas they didn't reach seem all the darker. He vanished again into the shadows, racing through them faster than he would have thought possible and reappeared in front of the a second; his crimson aura almost blinded the man and before he could even raise his weapon, the Gengar grabbed his head and slammed his knee into the man's face. Before that guard had hit the ground, three more had been similarly bludgeoned. Steppenwolf was no fool however. He had suspected what was about to happen the second the red mist had begun creeping about Vincent's feet, and had snapped his fingers at the first sign of the transformation. Thick, black smoke pooled about his ankles as no fewer than eight smokestacks on the rooftop began belching an oily dark mist from their tops. One of them slid forward and split down its middle like a macabre luggage case. Before she could move, they slammed shut around Yxil, trapping her inside. Zubatgirl looked first at the fog, then back at the smokestacks. They had broken free of the roof by now and were emitting smoke from both ends. A faint gray aura glowed about their sides and each one bore a single unblinking eye. "Those're..." She started. "Rotom. Dark type. Yes." Her captor said. "Do not think that those who push Pokemon along the path of evolution are so few." He was about to step back into the concealing fog, trusting his psychic senses to alert him of any unwanted attention, when there was a BANG and one of the smokestacks burst apart. A shiny top-like creature buzzed once and flew away into the night in terror as Vincent helped Yxil to her feet. His red and yellow eyes were focused on Steppenwolf and the effort it had taken him to beat roughly a dozen men into unconsciousness barely showed on his face. Raising one hand, he pointed at his daughter. "Mine."
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Post by Madaraki on Jul 9, 2014 20:25:14 GMT -6
Part 8: A Hero's Effort
(Aka; A Kid Does Her Best) For Vincent, everything happened in less than a second. He was pointing at Aura, his only daughter, who was currently dressed in some strange outfit, and then he had used shadow sneak again and was behind Steppenwolf, bringing both hands crashing down on the back of the Metagross-hybrid's head. He knew he normally couldn't hit hard enough to seriously hurt the giant, but with this ramp in power... For Steppenwolf, everything happened in a matter of minutes. Vincent was pointing at his daughter, his purple hair streaming wildly behind him as he fixed a furious red and yellow gaze upon his enemy. His booted feet were crunching into the metal rooftop as a reddish aura surged around him. And then he was gone. The Metagross turned his gaze down first to the lengthening shadow and then to his side where he could see another shadow forming behind him. Finally, seeming to take his time leisurely turning around, he stared in some alarm at the pair of clenched fists less than an inch from his face. Clenched fists engulfed not only in a crimson aura, but a pink-colored energy field. He took a moment longer to study the enraged face frozen above him. "Mega form." He said calmly. "D-dad?" Zubatgirl said nervously. Her father was immobile, hovering above them in a twinkling force field. Fully three-fourths of his body had emerged from its own shadow and was lunging at them. Tugging against Steppenwolf's grip, she tried kicking at him. She was rewarded with a clanging noise and a sore set of toes. There was a shrieking roar from behind them, and an instant later Yxil too was immobilized in mid-charge. Her eyeless features exaggerated her fanged snarl of rage. The young girl shuddered. She'd never seen Yxil look quite so angry before. "A good effort, Gengar." her captor said with a sigh. "You made it a lot closer than you have before, especially considering you don't have the Alakazam at your side." Sparing Yxil nothing more than a glance, he faced his two opponents. "Now then...since the two of you have cost me my men and nobody seems willing to answer my questions...I believe I am done." An instant later and both Vincent and Yxil were sent flying into the night sky, arcing in the direction of Castellia City. And for Zubatgirl, her mind was made up. Dragonlady was gone, her dad was gone...and she uneasily felt that if her mother was going to show up by now, she would have. She couldn't believe only one of her parents would try to rescue her, but... She pushed the thought aside and unlatched her cape. Steppenwolf had been holding her by the blue cowl the entire time, either assuming she wouldn't think to free herself from it, or daring her to try just so he could torture her or whatever villains did. As far as she was concerned, he'd made all his threats. Dropping to the ground, she vanished immediately. As her captor looked down and spun around, she reappeared directly above him. Tucking into a roll, she brought her heel down on his head, intending to at least daze him. Unfortunately, her foot only glanced off the domed armor and she fell awkwardly. Grabbing her tunic this time, he hauled her up. Without thinking, she tried another move. Hypnosis!He merely blinked at her. "Yes, I do believe sleeping is a good idea." He said, and moved in a blur. There was a popping crack as something struck her head from the side. She felt the pieces of her jaw sag and then she was falling; off the roof and into darkness.
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Post by Madaraki on Jul 12, 2014 0:14:41 GMT -6
Part 9: A Hero's (Im)Mortality
(Aka; A Kid Meets A Dragon)
At first, there was darkness. Zubatgirl was aware only that she was lying in the middle of utter blackness. With a gasp, she sat up, putting her hands to her face. Her jaw was...fine. She couldn't place the sensation after Steppenwolf hit her, but it had't felt right. Almost as if it were- Broken? Yes. She blinked. "H-Hello?" Standing, she turned in every direction, trying to find some sense of position and place. She was...standing, she felt, but couldn't tell on what. Tapping one foot, whatever she was on made no sound. She could see herself clearly, but nothing else. A pair of eyes blazed above her; smoldering red slits in the darkness that widened only slightly as they found her. "Hello," it said in a not terribly unkind voice. "Are you...Arceus?" She asked uncertainly. She'd seen pictures and Arceus was always surrounded by stars and bright colors. Whatever this thing was she was with, it had all the majesty but none of the glory. "I?" The shadow rumbled. "I am certainly no god if that is what you ask. I have a creator, and I look over another's creations." She gaped at the sound of the deep voice that seemed to ring all about her. For a second, she forgot her predicament. "Are you Shenron?" "...Who?" "Never mind." She muttered, sitting down and hugging her knees. "I..." She sniffled, looking up at the piercing golden eyes. "Am I dead?" She squeaked, looking about the blackness. There was a low rumbling about her, and she realized that the shadow was laughing. "What is death to our kind anyway?" The creature asked. "Ghosts, wraiths, spirits. Choose your term for them, but all move through this world and the next at once." "That makes it sound like I'm dead though. Like...dead dead." She whispered. The shadow rumbled again, another laugh. "Ghost Pokemon seem so rarely to understand their very nature. They walk and move about as if spirits; passing through ground and buildings as shadows when is their wont. Your father came close to such an understanding in his younger days. What concern had he for the physical? Bullets passed through him, hazards were easily avoided, and the great Vincent Skyler DaFonte was practically immortal. "Now? He has you. His wife is of course as resilient as he; both of them escaping the most perilous of dangers through the walls and floors about them, but you? A Haunter and a Misdreavus both, and still you are solid. You can be hurt easily, and your father is weaker for it." "Hey! You don't get to call my dad weak!" She shouted, standing and pointing a gloved hand...in several directions. She still couldn't figure out where the voice was coming from. "You...you..." She scrunched her face, searching for the most insulting word she could think of. "You weenie!" "...What?" "My dad is not weak!" She yelled. "He can kick anyone's...butt!" "Tell that to the Metagross who sent him flying without effort. Had he not been distracted by your plight, he might have-" "Hang on. if you know about all that, why didn't you help him?" She asked, feeling bolder despite her situation. "You talk like you know everything, but you're just useless!" The eyes widened. For a moment, she wondered if she'd overstepped her bounds, speaking to the whatever-it-was. As it was earlier and as it had been when trying to fight Steppenwolf, she realized she didn't particularly care. "You want my help? You want me to fight your battles for you?" Aura pouted. "You're probably afraid anyway." There was no mistaking the thunderous ringing in the darkness this time. The shadow was clearly laughing. "You are a fast learner. You find yourself a prisoner of conflict and by all rights completely helpless...and you disregard all of it to do what you wish." It laughed. "Faced with death itself you trade safety for the slimmest chance to validate your existence before the world you know! Go back...and show your enemies the staggering spirit of your kind! Go back and put that boldness to use; adapt, evolve!" She stood then on the steps outside the front of the stadium. Blinking, she felt her face. She couldn't quite place it, but her eyes somehow felt slightly narrower, and her sight sharper. She raised one hand, palm outward. Focusing, she sent a Dark pulse flying forth to smash against and through one of the maze walls. The hole it let was larger than she had expected. She blinked her red eyes, looking between the hole, her arms, and the rooftop where she'd fallen from moments before. Round two, metalbrain. She thought grimly, rushing back inside and failing to notice that her purple hair had lost its curl and become several inches longer.
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Post by Madaraki on Jul 17, 2014 22:34:12 GMT -6
Part 10: A Hero's Absence
(Aka; Mommy Is Pissed) Steppenwolf frowned. He had knocked his two opponents away, and sent the girl tumbling off the rooftop...and she was nowhere to be seen. She had vanished almost the instant she fell. It was an unexpected outcome, and they were near the top of his list of things he didn't particularly care for. Turning back to the rooftop hatch, he began making his way back from the edge. He had lost both his men and his prime hostages. He would uncover "Project Ancalagon", and now it was time to resort to the method that so many villains threatened; tearing the place apart piece by piece with his own hands. He had put his foot on the first step when a pulse of dark energy caught him full in the face and knocked him back. He retained his footing, but the blast left even his armored form with a burning sensation. It wasn't the girl. He was weak against dark type attacks and had been readily able to slap her dark pulse aside earlier. This one was... Crystal came at him; not barreling from ahead, but sneaking through the shadows and attacking again from behind. "WHERE?" Another pulse to the back of the head. "IS?" She kicked out this time, tripping him at the knees and sending the giant of a man towering over her crashing down. "MY?" A dark pulse to the side that sent him stumbling. "FAMIL-" She was forced to leap back to avoid the burst of electricity as Steppenwolf fairly blasted himself to his feet, electricity crackling across his armored form. Her eyes flared and twin beams of dazzling light erupted from them. Steppenwolf swung his armored fist, preparing to sweep the blast aside. To his surprise, he felt the beams dent and scrape his steel skin. The damage was minimal, but the scraping impact surprised him. Lowering his arm, he prepared to charge only to find the rooftop in front of him empty. By the time he saw the shadow where she had been stretch past him, he already felt a pulse of energy slam into his back, scorching his armor and forcing him to his knees. Shadow sneak and a dark pulse in succession...clever. he thought. Before he could push himself to his feet, his opponent had vanished again and reappeared; kicking him roughly and sending him tumbling back onto his side. Rolling, he came to a half-crouched position just as she kicked again. "I heard about what happened to you." Steppenwolf said, blocking the kick and stepping back. "I must admit to being surprised. I thought you had no fighting capabilities left to speak of!" Instead of charging again, the Mismagius slid back along the roof. Turning slowly on the spot, she held her arms to the sky and brought them down to her sides; her purple sleeves seeming to lengthen. Above them, the moon vanished behind a thick front of clouds. Turning her face to the night sky, her yellow eyes darkened and took on a strange blue tint. "Fighting as a type and fighting as an art are two very different things." *SPLAT*A raindrop hit the body of a downed guard between them. Crystal's eyes retained their changed color as she dropped to a crouch, raising both hands and letting her sleeves slide back almost to the elbow. They had lengthened to the point of almost touching the rooftop now. *PLINK*Another raindrop hit Steppenwolf's head. Crystal remained standing on air roughly an inch above the metal surface as rain began to fall heavily, ringing off the rooftop and Metagross alike. "My compliments. You have compensated well for your lost abilities." He said. His eyes flashed as he spoke and a pinkish aura began to wrap itself about his entire body. "However you should remember how I fight when pressed. Even when you had acquired both the abilities of Lucario and Mismagius you had no hope against this power." One second he was there, and then he was bringing both fists crashing down towards her head. In that same instant she was through the shadows again just as he moved himself for a shoulder-tackle. He caught himself before skidding and ducked a flurry of dark pulses thrown from four different directions. Crystal moved away from the initial swing and came at him from behind just as he reoriented for the tackle. He caught himself in time to avoid her blinking in and out of the shadows almost as quickly as she could; attacking each time in succession. She used shadow sneak again and attacked from beneath, only to find him above with both fists glowing a deep red. He threw a series of punches that rained a crashing series of shockwaves against the roof where she had been a minute ago. The rain itself hissed and erupted in plumes of steam from the pressure exerted. Spinning into a kick, Crystal aimed for his head as he twirled up in mid-air and sent her dodging again. He brought himself crashing back to the rooftop, fists still glowing and ready to unleash a flurry of meteor mashes. She...was nowhere to be seen. Immediately he realized what was about to happen, and as he began to move himself, she grabbed his legs from beneath and ghosted him into the rooftop up to his waist. "Please." He growled as the roof was suffused with his telekinetic glow and began to peel itself away from his body. "This is child's play." The telekinesis was aided by a crackling pulse of electricity that repelled the metals and pushed him slowly but steadily up and out of the roof. He hadn't been able to get back in time. Even with his Mega form's power, getting all the way back to Nimbasa and the Crucible was unrealistic. He could start, but he'd never make it in time. And so, Vincent had planned. He'd called Crystal from Castellia city and they had agreed on a strategy. His sight had been boosted by the transformation. Supposedly it was supposed to let him see into other dimensions, and he had felt a strange tingle that he didn't think was just his hair spontaneously growing. From his position atop one of the city's outlying skyscrapers, he could see the vague shapes of buildings and structures in Nimbasa. More importantly, he could make out the downpour surrounding the Crucible. Most importantly, he could see a tiny crackling pinprick in the heart of it. He'd asked Crystal to at least set up something that would catch his eye. Whatever that pink and yellow burst of light was, it wasn't anything of hers. Bingo. Knees bent, he held both hands close at his side as his daughter had tried to show him. He smiled. He knew Aura couldn't hear or see him from where she was, but he liked to think she'd get the image in her head when she saw it. Hell, he even had to admit that it was a better name for an attack than "Hyper Beam." He let the energy build until the glow in his hands lit the top of the building like a New Year's fireworks display. Ka...me...ha...me...."I'm not counting on that little trick stopping you." Crystal said, grinning. "I'm just counting on it keeping you in one place for a couple more seconds." Immediately, she shimmered, becoming transparent. Steppenwolf's eyes widened as he turned... " HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~" Screaming for the second time that night, Vincent thrust both hands forward, letting the colossal beam of energy erupt with a thunderous shrieking noise that burst the air around him and crackled towards Nimbasa City. Almost immediately he could feel the power drain hit him. His eyes returned to their normal red color as his tendril hair shortened. He held the beam as the rush of power shook his body and stretched. Steppenwolf turned, spotting the twinkling burst of light in the distance. He was confused only for a second before he began tearing himself free of the metal and concrete wildly, thrashing as the twinkle in the distance grew rapidly. Whirling on Crystal, his arm glowed as he reached out with a telekinetic grasp. She immediately swung a dark pulse into his face and sent him reeling back, one leg still stuck in the roof. He turned back towards Castelia as the beam swelled suddenly and enveloped him.
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Post by Madaraki on Aug 6, 2014 21:55:50 GMT -6
Part 11: A Hero Stands Tall
(aka; Konquering Kid) The dazzling light of the hyper beam blinded Crystal, who threw her hands up to ward off the brilliance. She didn't dare shut her eyes in case Steppenwolf somehow managed to escape the blast and attack. Even immaterial she figured, old habits died hard. Smoke and steam wreathed the area; a combination of the searing blast scorching the long metal rooftop of the arena and the steam set up by the rapid evaporation of rain. Coughing in the ionized reek, Crystal lowered her hands as the light faded; the darkness of the night sky enveloping the Crucible. She could see no sign of Steppenwolf's lightning or his rose-colored telekinetic- "Aura?" She whispered, fear suddenly chilling her. Though it should have been impossible, her daughter stood in the path of the hyper beam, shaking as her body slowly filled in from its transparent state and became solid. Blinking, she barely had time to start turning in her mother's direction before being seized in a tight hug. It was just as well too, as her legs chose that exact moment to give out. Crystal sank to a kneeling position, holding the would-be hero out at arm's length. "You're not hurt? You..." She blinked and grabbed one of the girl's arms, bare and protruding from the now-ripped tunic she was wearing. "You have..." She grabbed a tuft of purple hair. "When did you-?" "I'mreallysorryIsnuckoutandcameherebutitwasfinebecauseYxil'shereandyouthinkCinci'screepybuthe'snothereanymorebutthatbigmetalguywasandItriedtofighthimbutthendadcameandstuffand..." Crystal hugged her again. "We'll work out a punishment after we pick up your dad and get you home." "OhanddidyouseethatblastthingyhedidthatwastotallyakamehamehafromDragonb-" "Shush or you're grounded for two years instead of one." She paused and inhaled enough air to make a Snorlax look even fatter. They were jarred out of the reunion by a ringing crunch. Turning almost slowly, they saw an armored fist the size of a grown man's head gouging at the metal rooftop Sharpened claws tore through the steel surface with rending shrieks as a second fist punched down and something within the smoke began pulling itself up. A third hand followed. Then a fourth. A pair of red eyes blazed in the gray mist. "He's..." Zubatgirl whispered, backing up slightly. She was momentarily disoriented as she fell to the side. Crystal had launched herself the second Steppenwolf began reappearing. Leaping, she vanished into the night and reappeared, a dark pulse -larger than anything the girl had ever produced- slammed into Steppenwolf's back. He lurched forward, out of the mist. His armor was scorched in some places, burned away in others. It had only begun to grow back in chrome-like patches, acquiring a reflective state she had never seen before. In fact, where it was re-growing, it was lined with a golden trim. "HIT HIM!" Crystal shouted, unleashing another pulse that actually blew a chunk of the third arm's plating to shreds. "He may be changing states, but it's his first time; he's unstable!" Needing no second encouragement, Aura charged as her adversary fell. She realized with some fear that he had grown even bigger, perhaps pushing ten feet. Now, even in danger of being crushed beneath him, she swung both her hands up and forward as they crackled with energy. The dark pulse erupted from her fists and slammed upward into the giant's face, splitting the armor and gouging one of his eyes in a burst of ichor. Reeling, he stumbled back. As he tottered out of the smoke, she could see that while one of his legs was normal, the other had split and grown evenly into two limbs; each tipped with a set of blunt claws. There was a blur as Crystal snuck through the shadows again and turned on her heel. Kicking off, she ran up the height of his torso and punched him solidly on the injured side of his head. His two-legs buckled and his remaining leg, already beginning to transform failed to support the weight. As rapidly as they were appearing, the chrome armor pieces shriveled and vanished. The weakened legs re-fused, and his arms wavered before melding together. As he fell, even the dull steel armor shrank and folded back along itself. Steppenwolf hit the roof with a satisfyingly wet thud. " Grounded for only six months?" Zubatgirl whispered.
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