forum "In a World We Must Defend, Our Courage Will Pull Us Through" | Small Group, CLOSED (4/4) STALKERS WELCOME

Started May 04, 2023 by @Vitae_

tune

Kai stares into the eyes of the man that addresses him. "We're here to join the resistance. I doubt anyone would be here for any other reason." He grips the scalchop at his side, taking deep breaths.

Leo studied the people in the room with narrowed eyes. She didn't trust anyone here. Anyone of them could be part of the Paramount. The only reason Leo was here was because her sister had told her to come, and she was brought here. That too. She trusted her sister, but she wasn't sure she trusted these people. The little person that entered the room was even more suspicious. Leo clutched the top of her bag, leaning against the wall.

"If home economics is a topic of interest for you, that can be arranged," Elroy responded, his voice neutral, but cold. His apathetic gaze turned harsh as it hovered over the two recruits who had spoken, and then the one who had not.

Something in his posture shifted, the lazy, exhausted demeanor evaporating and leaving a distinctly threatening presence in its wake.

"Why are you here?" He repeated, giving none of them a chance to respond again before adding, "For safety? To find family or friends?" His gaze found Tree's, seemingly the most spirited of the bunch. "To fight?"

The was a pause as he sized up their reactions. He reached for something at his side, and there was a faint metallic click before a contraption the size of a pebble grew to fit in his hand.

It was a PokeBall, scratched, chipped, and missing some of the trademark red paint on the topside, leaving cold, shiny metal to reflect the green glow from the crystal deposits.

Elroy seemed to contemplate something, staring at the PokeBall with an unreadable expression, before his challenging glare met the three recruits once more. His hand with the PokeBall rose, leaving the contraption suspended over the edge of the chasm.

"You three strike me as the fighting type. If you're here because you want to save Pokemon, then," something dangerous glittered in his eyes, "you can start right now. Save this one. Fight me."

Leo blinked. That was not what she was expecting he was going to say. Maybe this was why her sister brought her here. To save the Pokemon. Well, She thought. That won't be too hard. Leo looked around the room, at the other people, and she stepped forward, slowing reaching her hand out to see how Elroy would react. Whatever he did, she was ready. The other hand that was not reaching out was inside her bag, digging for something she could use.

Tree rolls her eyes.

"I'm here to regain what's mine. To get everyone what's theirs. I'm here to win. I'm here to help. And if that means chopping you up, so be it." she growls. She pulls out the hatchet strapped to her waist underneath her jacket, without any fancy flourishes or tricks. She leaps off to the left, hopping fast and hard in a zigzag pattern as she runs forward at a high speed, bringing the back of the hatchet up and into the man's arm to force it back away from the chasm before open hand striking his chest to force him backwards further.

Elroy remained rooted to where he stood until the last moment possible, eyes glittering with approval at Tree's backward swing and ploy to drive him away from the chasm. Eyes tracking the dull end of the blade, he moved his arm in time to decrease the impact of the blow. The movement carried him a pace or two away from the edge of the rift as intended, but not as much as the following strike which made his shoulders tense at the flare-up of pain.

He swayed, seeming unsteady, before lurching to the side and hitting the ground with one knee. There was no time to make sense of his reaction, as a quick flick of his free hand released the mechanism of the weapon at his side—an extendable staff, which snapped up to hit Tree on the underside of her jaw. Sharp eyes focused on her from behind the bangs sticking to his forehead, and then Elroy rose to his feet with hardly a stumble to betray his earlier act. He spared the briefest of glances for the other trainees, gauging their response time and noting Leo's hesitant advance to himself.

Then the staff dipped in his hand with a familiar weight, and while Tree was still recovering from his first ploy, Elroy switched up his attack by sidestepping and swinging his staff directly towards the back of her knees.

As Elroy retaliates against Tree, Kai runs up, with his scalchops Razor Shell primed. He swings it toward Elroys arm, aiming to knock the Poke Ball out of their hand.

Tree smirks delightedly at the first two strikes working as intended.

What was not expected was the full length quarterstaff that then proceeded to drive itself into her jaw. She feels it pop out of place, and ignores it - she didn't have time to reset a dislocated jaw. Instead, she flips up and over the staff as it hummed towards her knees, lunging forward, into and then beyond the range of the staff, bringing the fist holding the hatchet up and into Elroy's jaw.

Leo watched the fight unfold. She looked through her bag, but couldn't find anything that she wanted to use at the moment. One of her hands, however, was still in the bag. She examined every step and move. As she thought Elroy had his eyes on Tree and Kai, and while Tree was distracting him with her hatchet, Leo ran up to Elroy and threw her bag over him, the straps of the bag tying his arms in place. Leo then attempted to reach for the Pokeball.

As Elroy retaliates against Tree, Kai runs up, with his scalchops Razor Shell primed. He swings it toward Elroys arm, aiming to knock the Poke Ball out of their hand.

(Vitae already said this, but we're not supposed to have our pokémon yet)

As Elroy retaliates against Tree, Kai runs up, with his scalchops Razor Shell primed. He swings it toward Elroys arm, aiming to knock the Poke Ball out of their hand.

(Vitae already said this, but we're not supposed to have our pokémon yet)

(Kai has his Dewotts Razor Shell, but not the Dewott. Its a keepsake, and his personal weapon. Alternatively, he can just have an actual sword if thats not allowed)

As Elroy retaliates against Tree, Kai runs up, with his scalchops Razor Shell primed. He swings it toward Elroys arm, aiming to knock the Poke Ball out of their hand.

(Vitae already said this, but we're not supposed to have our pokémon yet)

(Kai has his Dewotts Razor Shell, but not the Dewott. Its a keepsake, and his personal weapon. Alternatively, he can just have an actual sword if thats not allowed)

(Wait hol' up lol- I though the only pokémon moves humans could use were aura and fighting type moves- isn't razor shell a bug type move?)

As Elroy retaliates against Tree, Kai runs up, with his scalchops Razor Shell primed. He swings it toward Elroys arm, aiming to knock the Poke Ball out of their hand.

(Vitae already said this, but we're not supposed to have our pokémon yet)

(Kai has his Dewotts Razor Shell, but not the Dewott. Its a keepsake, and his personal weapon. Alternatively, he can just have an actual sword if thats not allowed)

(Wait hol' up lol- I though the only pokémon moves humans could use were aura and fighting type moves- isn't razor shell a bug type move?)

(Razor Shell is Water, My thinking is that the move comes from the shell itself, and due to the bond between Kai and his Dewott, he can use Razor Shell via the scalchop. Again, if vitae vetoes that, I can just retcon that he just used a regular sword.)

Elroy snapped his head back to avoid Tree's swing, but the weight of the hatchet in her hand added too much momentum for him to fully dodge. His left foot skidded a few precarious inches as the blow made him stagger, head lolling to the side with his bangs shielding his expression from the others.

He seemed frozen for a half second, and there was a faint, but audible click as he moved his sore jaw. And then there was a whirl of movement, a flash of electric blue eyes as Leo's trap snared his hands.

"You missed my fingers," he growled, a deft movement from his hand sending the staff spinning to smack Leo in the side of the head. The straps untwisted as she was recovering, and he jolted to the side in time to avoid the gush of water from Kai's razor shell. He watched the wave churn into Leo's still outstretched hand before pivoting on his foot and slamming the bottom of his staff into Kai's ankle.

He swung the staff in an arc in front of him, forcing the three recruits to fall back a few paces, and holding the PokeBall in a white-knuckled grip well behind him.

Elroy was standing in front of the chasm again, this time his back facing the unbroken darkness. His breathing was heavier than it was before, with the same raspy quality to it that his voice had carried minutes prior. He hadn't taken a large amount of damage in the scuffle, and yet there was a flash of something wounded in his eyes before he straightened his spine and tilted his chin towards them in defiance.

"If this is all you can do," his voice rang out, condescending and for every reason sounding like something to dread. "You may just fit in here, afterall." And with that unexpected, apparent change of heart, his hand opened over the chasm and the pokeball dropped silently into the abyss.

The fight seemed to drain out of the man who looked more like a boy, posture relaxing as both hands came to hold the staff in front of him like it was a walking stick. His eyes were hard, but no longer lit by the fever of battle.

In spite of it all, the barest hints of a satisfied smile crept over his face.

He imagine he looked crazy. And then, bouncing across the cave walls, the echoes of a rhythmic rush of air swirled around them. It seemed like a heartbeat, getting louder and stronger, until it was apparent the noise was coming from the chasm.

In the same instant, a massive black shadow rose from the emptiness with an ear splitting screech–and a fully grown Corviknight landed on the ledge beside Elroy.

The duel-type pokemon leaned over to nuzzle the trainer affectionately, and Elroy raised a hand to stroke her beak in return.

The trainer peered tiredly over the massive bird's head and said, "Welcome to the rebellion. My name is Elroy Merit, and I will be your mentor during your stay. Any questions?"

Trianna shrieks when the Pokeball is dropped and turns, slowly, to face Elroy.

"How dare-" she starts, before the Korviknight swoops up. She sighs bitterly.

"Yes, just one. Who the fuck do you think you are, tricking us - tricking me - like that?" she snarls.

Kai puts away his weapon, and chuckles. "Well played. Pleasure to meet you Elroy." He bows a little in respect

Elroy's expression did not falter in the slightest at Tree's abrasive words. He faced her calmly, and replied, "I already told you who I am. This excersize was my method of getting to know you three. Your personalities, your motives, your fighting capabilities, and your ability to operate in high stress situations." His eyes flickered over the other two, pausing to nod his head at Kai in acknowledgment.

"This is not daycare. You three are asking to join a rebellion against people who will do far, far more than merely threaten the life of a pokemon." This time, it was Elroy's tone that was bitter, and there was a distant look in his eyes that suggested he knew far too well the cruelty that the Paramount and his people were capable of.

Corviknight gently butted her head against his chest, snapping Elroy away from his thoughts.

"To advance here, you will need the supervision and the backing of one of the senior members of the rebellion," he added. "It is both for your protection, and for ours. We'd be stupid to trust every recruit directed to our doors, afterall." There was a warning in the man's eyes now, but it softened after a moment.

He patted the Corviknight's flank once more, a signal this time, as the pokemon gave a caw and dove back into the darkness of the chasm, reappearing seconds later with a large booth clutched in her claws that thudded against the ground hard enough to send dust clouds billowing up.

"As I said, I will be your mentor throughout your stay. I will be responsible for your training, and the actions that you take will be a direct reflection of me." He let that sink in, eyes flashing at Tree as if he could already foresee the amount of trouble she might try to inflict on him. "Now, this is your last chance to ask questions. It also your last chance to back out. When you're ready, step into the taxi," he explained, gesturing to the booth his Corviknight was currently perched on.