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Post by Tout-Perd on Jul 9, 2007 22:19:38 GMT -5
Zebedee Taylor paced back and forth across the rooftop of Celadon Mall. He hadn't trained Pokemon in years, literally. His party had been confiscated and put into suspended animation by the Pokemon League. They had said it was due to his supposed murder of a child, despite the proof that he was innocent and more than two dozen witnesses backing him. He knew what it really was.
He had attempted to be a whistleblower for the League, protesting plans that he considered unethical or underhanded. They wanted to be rid of him, regardless of his skill as a trainer. And thus, they had arbitrarily given him the boot.
Zebedee realized that his fists were clenched so tightly that he had dug his nails into his palms. Wiping off the blood on the insides of his pockets, he tried to relax a little. Some League officials were all right, and he was even still friends with some of them. However, the people in charge of the finances for the league... They were some of the most cold-hearted, miserly people that you'd ever find. They were the opposite of his companions.
While Max worked hard day in and day out to improve himself and his Pokemon, they sat on inherited power from paid trainers and champion breeding lines. Where Sly was known for his compassion and generousity, the current heads of the Pokemon League organization had literally stopped funding Pokemon Centers on their dime, instead leaving their upkeep to charity dollars. Thinking for a moment, Zebedee produced a fifty, and dropped it in the Chansey-shaped collection jug on the countertop.
It was time that he took action. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a heavily battered, chipped piece of plastic. Where the paint remained it was a shade of spring green, with a metallic hue. He flipped it open, looking at the severely staticky screen and trying to ignore the numerous scratches in it. A few moments later, he pressed a button on it.
"Dear friends and acquaintances of mine, I have decided to undertake a mission to set things right with the Pokemon League. If you decide to accompany me and provide assistance, please meet me at the Saffron Magnet Train Station at 10 P.M., tonight. Sincerely, Zeb."
He had sent the text message to every trainer number he could think of. Some were even people who he had never met, but had obtained their number from a directory service that he was subscribed to. Hopefully, help would be on its way. ------- Zebedee watched the press of bodies rush for the trains as they pulled in at 9:55 PM. He twiddled his thumbs, and waited. If help did show up, they could be much less noticable under the cover of such a crowded location.
He fiddled with his Pokegear, checking for any responses. He almost expected in a way for some of his old allies to turn against him, to try and stop whatever illegal action he was going to undertake. He was ready for them.
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Post by kazkame on Jul 9, 2007 23:00:46 GMT -5
Marcus had decided to visit his mother in Saffron. time had passed and it was time for him to get back to being an Pokemon investigator. just as he left his mother' door his Pokétch stated to ring. It was a message from some guy named zed, zid or something like that. He had made an odd request but Marcus was intrigued by the offer. Taking up his bike he began to ride toward the train station which was about 6 minutes away. Entering the crowded train station he saw the usual tourist and adventurers, but one man struck him as odd.
Walking over to the man, he noticed him fidgeting around with dated technology. " Sorry to interrupt your uhh work, but by any chance are you zid?"
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Post by Q on Jul 10, 2007 12:06:04 GMT -5
OOC: Grafting an ending onto "The Chessmaster and the Rising Star", sorta... hope it works well enough.
BIC: Meanwhile, Max Milen was high above the ground near Fuschia City, courtesy of a certain metallic bird he had long since befriended. Suddenly, the (currenly ex-) Safari Ranger felt a vibration in his pocket. Carefully reaching into his pocket, Max pulled out the old Pokegear he still carried. It was still in good repair, and working properly -- but Max had heard rumblings that the Pokegear service might soon be halted. Maybe I ought to get a Poketch one of these days, he thought as he pressed a button on the Pokegear.
It's from Zebedee? he thought, surprised. There's a name I hadn't expected to hear again any time soon. Let's see... "Dear friends and acquaintances of mine, I have decided to undertake a mission to set things right with the Pokemon League. If you decide to accompany me and provide assistance, please meet me at the Saffron Magnet Train Station at 10 P.M., tonight. Sincerely, Zeb."
Max's thoughts flashed to the last time he had seen Zebedee. A friendly battle in Cherrygrove, though it had been one of the toughest Max had ever fought. Max had earned an early lead, but it had looked like Zebedee was just about to turn that back around. Then, just when Kangaskhan had been in a particularly rough spot, Zebedee had simply -- disppeared, literally. Ever since, Max had always wondered what would have happened if the battle had actually been able to conclude.
Problems with the League... could that be why he disappeared? His mind still racing with questions, Max directed Skarmory towards Saffron. A short flight later, Max was outside Saffron; within minutes, he had made his way to the magnet train station. Peering through the crowds, he searched for his old friend. Finally, Max spotted the ex-Gym Leader, along with a trainer he did not recognize. Carefully making his way through the crowd, Max stepped up to Zebedee.
"Well, well. Long time no see," Max said, jovially. Then, lowering his voice, he continued, "Your message said you had some issues to resolve with the League. Mind going into detail?"
The Pokemon League had kept the whole affair as quiet as they could; all most trainers knew was that the former leader of the Cherrygrove Gym was no longer a Gym Leader. Max had suspected that there was more to it than that, but had never been able to find out what. It didn't take a psychic to see that Zebedee was a shell of his former self -- where Max had known a passionate trainer, he now saw a man whose entire outlook on life had been soured. Making sure Zebedee could see it, but nobody else would, Max pulled out the Cherrygrove Gym badge he had earned so long ago. "Anything I can do..." Max offered.
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Post by AngelicTragedy on Jul 10, 2007 13:53:43 GMT -5
The crowded train station was a horrible sight to Val. He hadn't been in such a populated or cold structure in such a long time that he had nearly forgotten what it was like. The air was stale and harsh with the mass amounts of scents that the people wore and the lack there of in other cases. Val had undertaken a new set of clothing that more properly fit his traveling lifestyle. Bluejeans, a grey t-shirt, black hiking boots, and a brown duster topped off his newly toned body. His had had been growing out for some time and now looked as a brown mop.
Val glanced around looking for Zeb. He had not seen Zeb in many years and he wondered if he would even remember what he looked like. Lost in thought, Val continued through the crowd of people looking for Zeb when a group of screams echoed through the room. Val spun around lightning fast to see Miss floating just above a group of frightened people giggling like she often did. Val motioned for her to follow and remain close until they found Zeb and Miss quietly obeyed. Finally Val spotted Max in the distance and began towards him.
"Zeb, Max, It's about time that I found you guys. I got the message and I want to help. It was the League that dispanded the PRC and I want to get back at them as well. I hope that my help will be accepted." Val said as he leaned against a wall near Zeb.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jul 10, 2007 22:01:12 GMT -5
"The name's Zeb, not Zid. Or at least I hope such. I may have punched it in wrong, whatwith the miniscule keys on the Pokegear."
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jul 11, 2007 0:45:25 GMT -5
OOC: Somebody clicked POST while I was away from the comp. *gets ready to bludgeon sister*
I'll put up the rest of my post soon.
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Post by bulbaboy on Jul 11, 2007 10:45:17 GMT -5
A small fly landed on Zebs shoulder. <Before you decide to swat that fly you should know it’s me.> Sly said. <I’m not necessarily here to talk you out of this. I agree that the corruption in the Pokemon League needs to end. But you at least plan to start this out civilized don’t you?>
OOC- Ack… I had a big long post for this but it sucked…
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jul 19, 2007 21:48:59 GMT -5
"Glad to meet all of you again. Let's go somewhere a little bit more... private." With that, the was a loud whoosh, and the group's settings suddenly changed. Instead of the train station, they had been transported to an abandoned building. There was a scattered bit of dingy tape on the floor in one corner, and the rest of the building indicated a sports arena of some sort.
Zebedee walked over from the wall that they had appeared next to, and sat down behind an incongruous desk. He drummed his fingers on it momentarilly, and then swept a pile of octagon marked stationary off of it.
"Basically, the Pokemon League has suspended my liscense and refuses to grant me a retrial. This means, quite naturally, that they have taken all of my party, and are holding them indefinately. Without a retrial, I can't legally request my party back."
"So, I'm basically planning breaking into their headquarters, stealing my party back, and then disappearing for a while to train in secret. Once that's achieved, I'm gonna go public with this whole thing and try to stage a coup of sorts. Or at least remove a few key individuals from office, and hopefully get some better people in there."
"If you choose to accompany me, you risk retaliation from the League. They may suspend or revoke your liscense, remove any titles or rank you've achieved in League activities... Or even..." Zebedee paused, licking his lips and looking around the group.
"Even take your party away. I understand what I'm asking of you. Your Pokemon are not just pets, toys, or even friends. With the ammount of training and love that you have for eachother, you're almost brothers." Zebedee took his glasses off and began cleaning them.
"I'm asking you to endanger yourselves and your families in order to help me achieve a selfish goal."
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Post by Q on Jul 20, 2007 9:54:11 GMT -5
Max shook his head in disbelief. "Looks like I'm just now getting an idea of the barbarism the League is capable of. You know, those tight-fisted stonehearts cut off funding for the Safari Zone too -- that's why we've been closed for so long. But confiscating someone's party? That's over the line. Way over." It didn't take more than a few seconds for Max to come to a decision. He turned to Zebedee. "I'm in. We do this right, and we may be able to get the Zone restarted in addition to getting you reinstated. Besides, I think you and I owe each other a rematch, considering that we couldn't finish our last one."
"Gonna need some help, Milen?" a voice came from a dark corner of the room. Max recognized it instantly.
"Cal Mazone, you no-good rotten sneak-thief. What the hell are you doing here?"
"Flattery'll get you everywhere, Milen. Believe it or not, I'm here to help."
"You can help us and yourself by giving back my Beedrill and then leaving before I hurt you."
"Ha, ha. You said it yourself -- I'm a sneak-thief. You guys are gonna need that kinda skill to pull off this caper."
"And what do you get out of it?"
"None o' yer beeswax. 'Sides, what choice do you have? You kick me outta here, first thing I'm gonna do is go straight to the authorities, tell 'em what you're doin'. I figure you guys ain't gonna get much accomplished behind bars."
Max again took a deep breath, attempting to keep himself from doing something he'd later regret. "OK, guys, I'll leave it up to you. We let this thief help us, or kick the idiot out and risk exposure?"
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Post by kazkame on Jul 23, 2007 17:03:11 GMT -5
Marcus had to make a decision ether to risk his life for this stranger or just leave. all these scenarios played through his mind like the trailers of a movie. Then it came to him, " I'm with you Zeb, i have something to lose but so much more to gain. " He quickly looked at his necklace, the blue poke ball around his neck, " Vigoroth, it seems we have a good fight on our hands and you'll be my second in command."
He then noticed the man coming toward the group. "umm i think we should leave this discussion to Zeb over there", he said pointing to the organizer of this meeting.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jul 29, 2007 13:04:39 GMT -5
"Well..." Zebedee turned to Cal, and stared into his eyes. His grim expression tightened, and he put his right hand on Cal's shoulder. "I may not be a trainer right now. But that doesn't mean that I couldn't torch you if I so chose to do so." Zebedee nodded towards his left hand, which he had held off to the side, away from Cal. There was a loud whoosh, and a massive sphere of flame surrounded his hand. The heat it threw off was enough to almost make Zebedee wince, but he had to maintain it to keep his bluff up.
"You can come with us. Or try to go to the police. Doesn't matter to me. But either way... If you screw things up for me, there'll be hell to pay. Got it?" Zebedee patted him on the shoulder again, and dismissed the ball of flame. He then turned to the rest of the group.
"The main defense of the Pokemon League's holding area is behind a six-inch thick, reinforced steel door. Behind that, they have an area that is covered by an anti-meta device. This basically means that any supernatural powers or devices are useless in there. Sly and I will be stuck without powers, and all of your Pokemon will not be able to use any special attacks or moves. The area is full of traps and mazes and various other things to stop infiltrators."
"Finally, behind this zone, there's the holding area itself. It almost always has a patrol of elite Azure Champions there, usually more than capable of handling anybody in a battle. There could be as many as half a dozen of them there, each with their own full parties. We'll need to face them, head to head, and defeat them. Afterwards, it's a simple matter of me grabbing my party and warping out." Zebedee realized that he had been pacing, and stopped still. He rubbed at his stubble, and looked from face to face.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Aug 6, 2007 20:12:16 GMT -5
OOC: *hums Mission Impossible theme*
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Post by Q on Aug 7, 2007 10:15:22 GMT -5
OOC: Bulbs, you planning to ever post on this topic again? Same question to DL.
BIC: Cal instinctively backed away from Zebedee, but all the while maintained his "tough guy" stance. "Just you try it, hotshot," he said. "Just don't come running to me when you get caught."
Max looked around the room. The only people he saw were Zebedee, Cal, the new trainer whose name he still had not yet learned, Val, and himself. "Sly?" he asked. "Who's that?"
He considered. "Well, sounds to me like there's six of us, against everything the League can throw at us. We can pretty much count out Zebedee as more than a body for most of this -- sorry, man. Val and I are good, no doubt on that. As for you," Max said, pointing to the one person he did not recognize, "I don't think we've met, but my guess is that you're not exactly the most experienced of trainers. Again, no offense. Cal, I know has a full team, even if they were obtained by less than legal means." Cal smiled at that. "They're probably not nearly as highly trained as my or Val's Pokemon," Max continued, "but if I know this stinker as well as I think I do, they'll hold up in a fight. Just remember, Cal -- if you double-cross us, odds are you won't live to see tomorrow." Cal smirked.
Max sighed. "I hate to admit it, but Cal's right. Frontal assault may not be a viable option here. We're gonna need to find some way to get at least some of those trainers out of our way without battling all of 'em. It's not like there's gonna be time for me to -- that's it!" Max smiled. "We can put the odds a bit more in our favor; good thing I've caught so many Pokemon. Zebedee, I think I can trust you with a team of my Pokemon, just until we get through this. That'll give us 4 full teams of Pokemon. Still a long shot, but now at least it'd be possible to get through those trainers."
Max pulled out his Pokedex, and pressing a few keys, brought up a list of his stored Pokemon. He considered carefully, then put in a flurry of commands to extract a team of six Pokemon for Zebedee's use. "OK, Zebedee, these should do the job," Max said, holding out the Pokeballs he had extracted. "We've got Breloom, Absol, Marowak, Icebabe, Kangaskhan, and Electabuzz. Icebabe's a Jynx, but she'll only take commands if you use the nickname. They're not as powerful as your old party, but here's hoping. I still wish we had a bit more manpower for this, but..."
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Post by bulbaboy on Aug 8, 2007 13:46:50 GMT -5
<I’m Sly> Sly said as the fly on Lees shoulder began to grow exponentially. It flew into the air when it reached cat size but it’s wings melted away. For a second it plummeted towards the ground until four deer like legs emerged from its softening underbelly. The abomination landed gracefully as it continued to grow and change. Its exoskeleton cracked and retracted into the body, revealing soft blue fur on a deer like body. Cracking and snapping echoed through the abandoned building as the exoskeleton reformed into bones underneath the skin.
What had one been a grotesque freak of nature had now begun to take on a semblance of beauty and gracefulness. The creature now had the body of a deer though size wise it was somewhere between a deer and a horse. Short blue fur covered the entire body including the human like torso that rose from where a neck and head would have been on a normal deer. Arms began to protrude from the shoulders that had formed right before the neck; each hand growing seven fingers. Two almond-shaped eyes, green in color, formed right where they would be on a humans face. Instead of a nose the vertical slits opened and the first breath of air was taken in through the newly developed lungs.
The fly like mouth was the only thing left of what Sly had been only moments before hand. It shrank and was covered over by skin and blue fur leaving the area absent of any form of mouth. At the top of his head two long flexible stalks of muscle and cartilage rose up with eyes growing at the ends. They turned this way and that completely independent of the other, allowing Sly to see around him in a 360 degree range of vision. Finally a long whip like tail began to grow from the creature’s backside. It was long enough to reach out several feet in front of the centaur. At the very end of the tail a long scythe made of bone formed – a tuft of thick bushy fur at its base. The blade was thee feet long and razor sharp along the bladed edge.
Sly cracked his neck and popped his knuckles. <The leagues titles and ranks are meaningless to me. I was an Andalite War-Prince before I joined them and I will be an Andalite War-Prince after my ejection form the league.> The Andalite stood tall and proud with his tail-blade held high until he jerked his head and looked over at Cal with his main eyes, <I can see all around me at all times with these stalks so don’t assume I didn’t see you palm that pokeball just now. You can try and ‘capture’ me but it will be futile – I am not a pokemon. Remember,> Sly twitched his tail-blade cause the polished bone to reflect the light rather spectacularly, <I’m watching you.>
<I’ll be fine where pokemon are concerned.> Sly said as he pulled out a pokeball and opened it. Everyone waited for a moment to see what would issue out but nothing was released. Sly looked carefully into the empty ball with one of his stalk-eyes. <I wondered why he was so eager to go into the pokeball. He really can’t stand being in those things. Well then Mew, you’ve had your fun – show yourself!>
There was a loud pop and a momentary flash of light above Sly. Mew floated down and landed on his masters back laughing.
<Very theatrical of you Mew.> Sly said before addressing the Lee. <I don’t assume the league will be holding Minase in the same place their holding the rest of your pokemon. No doubt the league is still arguing over who should get ownership of such a rare discovery.>
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Post by Damien on Aug 9, 2007 4:53:06 GMT -5
OOC: If it's ok with you guys I'll jump in once there is an opening. Sounds like this could be pretty awesome.
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Post by Q on Aug 9, 2007 10:01:34 GMT -5
OOC: No objection from me. Heck, the way this is stacking up so far, we could probably use the help. Well, I can hardly pass up an opportunity like this.
BIC: Max couldn't help it -- his jaw dropped as Sly's transformation unfolded in front of him. Definitely not someone I'd want as an enemy, he thought to himself. Not only does he have possession of a Pokemon few people ever even see, but with a body like that, who really needs Pokemon? "Looks like you're out of your league here, Mazone," he said, enjoying the rare sight of seeing the sneak-thief squirm. "Oh, but I'm forgetting my manners," he said. "An honor to meet you, Sly."
Cal straightened up and cleared his throat. "Whateva. Gotta have a plan, or ain't no way any of us are makin' it outta there. So, let's see. First, we got dat steel door. Ain't no challenge there. Two ways ta do it -- either break it down, no problem wit' da firepower we got, or we pick the lock. I say the latter -- breakin' it down'll prolly set off every alarm in the place, but ain't no lock that can't be picked if you know what you're doin' -- an' I do.
"Next, we got dat maze area. Just a matter of bein' observant -- they'll have something subtle to mark da right route and da traps, just in case one 'o theirs get lost or somethin'. Obviously, notta problem for Sly here. If we could damage dat anti-meta device, so much the betta -- but there's prolly so many safeguards we'd give ourselves away. Nothin' to this part but to do it.
"Those guards, though -- that could be a problem. Accordin' to Zebedee here, there'll be as many 'o dem as of us -- but dey're all high-level trainers. Milen, me, Zeb, and Val all have full teams, and Sly has dat Mew. Don' know about the newbie here, an' I'll leave strategy for this part to Milen."
"You're too kind," said Max, rolling his eyes. "We're not going to be able to form any kind of detailed battle plan before we get there, because we don't know exactly what we're up against. Best we can do is to be prepared, at least as much so as we can be. Well, no point standing around here any longer -- let's do it!"
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Post by bulbaboy on Aug 9, 2007 12:13:46 GMT -5
Sly listened closely as Cal spoke. Despite his already growing dislike for the thief, he did agree that constantly going over the plan would help in the long run.
<My stalk-eyes can see a few more spectrums of light that normal human eyes are incapable of observing. If the league is using any type of special ink to mark the way, or any other subtle markings for that matter, I should be able to notice them. If not I could always hang back at the panel and attempt to hack their systems.> Sly rummaged through the satchel he always carried and produced an odd helmet with no eye holes. Instead it had two holes at the top which looked as though they were meant for his stalk-eyes so that when the helmet was covering his main eyes he would still be able to see with his stalks. Accompanying the helmet were several dangling wires and a pair of metallic gloves. <It’s been awhile since I’ve had the opportunity to hack into a human system. Even longer since I’ve had the chance to sabotage one.> The Andalite was slightly giddy at the prospect of jumping into the Leagues Mainframe.
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Post by AngelicTragedy on Aug 12, 2007 14:51:59 GMT -5
Val had been silent until this point. He had been gaging the groups strengths and weaknesses and how this would all work out. The League was powerful and they all knew it. This was basically a mission of life and death. If they didn't get the job done and get out someone would probably die. The thought seemed horrible to Val, but it was the facts. Nothing could be done about it now except to get in and get the job done.
"I'm not going to sugar coat it guys. I'm worried about this, but it has to be done. Someone has to teach the League a lesson and we're about the most capible group to do it. I guess it's a good thing that I called my mother before coming here tonight. I've enlisted an old friend to help out here and he's a very welcome member to my party. Cruz, come on out buddy."
A flash of red light came from Val's right hand and formed into a tall figure. The pokemon was mostly legs, but it's arms were well toned as well. The whole of the figure was very strong and willing. Red and yellow danced around it's body under it's long white feathered mane. Cruz, Vals prized Blaziken and most powerful pokemon stood like an imposing tower over the group. Cruz crossed his arms and let out a soft rumble as he glanced over the group. Val smiled and patted Cruz on the back.
"It's been a long time since Cruz and I had an adventure together. As for the mission itself, that door is no problem for Cruz. He's more than capible of taking that thing out." Val said calmly as he waited for Zeb to give the orders to move out.
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Post by kazkame on Aug 12, 2007 19:28:38 GMT -5
Marcus sensed that he maybe a little inexperianced compared to theses trainers. Most of them had strong pokemon even stronger than Vigoroth. He had only been a trainer for about 3 years at most but, still he felt like a spec in the room at the moment. "Well guys", he said zipping up his jump suit. "I'm Ready when you are".
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Post by Tout-Perd on Aug 28, 2007 22:52:43 GMT -5
"Okay then..." Zebedee said as Max handed him the Pokeballs. He paused for a moment, mentally assessing them. He was familiar with pretty much the entire party, having either fought them or having observed their use. He especially liked Kangaskhan, remembering the insane battle they had faced. Those were the days. "Thanks, man. This means that I won't be stuck playing the 'badarse normal' to you guys's heroics. I'll be sure to use them to the fullest extent that I can."
"I'm not sure what they've done with Minase. As you said, there could be a lot of bouncing around going on there, and I'm sure they wouldn't just lock it up. Maybe we should make that a priority when we get in there, hacking a League terminal and finding out exactly where it is." Zebedee said, looking his old friend ernestly in the eye...s.
"Val, Marcus, I'm glad to have you two along. You both barely know me, and yet you're willing to risk it all. That's something very commendable. And I'm sure that we're going to need you for the coming battle."
"With that said, I personally believe that we should be go-" Zebedee began to announce with a semifradulent grandeur.
"Going where? Zebedee, what on earth are you doing?" A quiet voice, smooth and strong, piped up from the doorway of the building.
"You know as well as I do that the League banned you from setting foot on gym grounds." Thyra said, walking in from the shadows of the night. "I had been watching television with Natalie when we saw that the security systems for the gym had been tripped. I over as fast as I could... And this is what I found." She closed the door loudly behind her.
"I got a message on my Pokegear earlier today. But I didn't think you were really going to go through with this stupid immaturity. Sure, they took away your party and title, unfairly and without a real trial. Still, now they've got other stuff that they can bring to bear against us. Now, they could jail you if they wanted. If I remember correctly, they exploited the Rocket Clause on Pokemon Trafficking and Battle to make any incidence of you violating their terms a felony." Thyra walked directly up to Zebedee, her beaten jacket rustling loudly.
"You know as well as I do what this really could mean. If you try to take your party back, you'll be a wanted man. To the police, you'll be a more desirable catch than even most murderers. You may never be able to come home again." Thyra licked her lips, pausing, trying to find her words. "I don't want to be missing you anymore." She removed her sunglasses, and looked into his eyes. Small tears were welling up, and she found herself sniffling.
"DON'T YOU ALL GET IT? THIS ISN'T JUST SOME ALTRUISTIC MISSION!" Thyra shouted, her voice ragged. "Listen, Sly, Max, whoever you other three are, the best thing you could do for him is stop him. He can't do this... He can't. He has always served as a liason between powered beings and those without... Do you think that he'd be able to fill that role any more if he gets into trouble with the law?" She stopped, glaring at Zebedee. "All I had for the first twelve years of my life was my family. And they got taken away. For the last three years, I've relied on you and Sly to guide me, to make sure I didn't slip up. Max, you taught me more about training then I thought was even possible to learn. All of you have been close friends of mine the whole time... You held me up even when my world collapsed around me..." Thyra paused, trying to catch her breath. If she didn't, she'd be outright sobbing. "Don't make me lose you too!" She tried once more to catch her breath, and then dissolved into tears. Zebedee tried to step closer to comfort her, but was stopped in midstep by an impenetrable barrier.
"Don't... Please don't." Thyra whimpered, pleading with the group for both her own sake and theirs.
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Post by bulbaboy on Aug 29, 2007 11:27:14 GMT -5
Sly looked around the room. Many of them had been thinking this but their hunger for justice helped to deaden the fear of what would happen in the event of tonight’s successes or failure. Doubt now lingered across the faces of Zeb’s would be allies, brought on by Thyra’s speech.
<It is very possible that we could set off a chain of events with what we do tonight. Whether we succeed or fail tonight a line will be drawn. It will divide those that are loyal to the League and those who are tired of the corruption. This could very well start a civil war here in the Pokemon Isles. Whatever happens if we go through with tonight we have to see this through to the end.> Sly said and then he looked over at Thyra. <There is a way he can protect his identity, that you can all protect your identity.>
Sly thought carefully over what he was about to do. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small blue cube around the size of baseball. All four of his eyes closed and he took in a deep breath through the slits where a nose would have been on a human face; a sign of deep reluctance. <This is the Morphing Cube. This is the greatest achievement of my race. It will completely rewrite your genetic code giving you the ability to absorb another persons dna which will in turn allow you to assume their form. With this you will have two hours of a perfect disguise. But if you don’t demorph before the time limit is up you will be permanently trapped in that form until the day you die. What do you think Lee? Thyra?>
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Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 2, 2007 20:01:43 GMT -5
"I will abstain. I need to be recognized so that-" Zebedee began explaining.
"You can martyr yourself!" Thyra cut him off.
"I could of swore that you were raised with proper etiquette." Zebedee muttered as an aside, and then turned back to the group. "I understand the implications for myself. The rest of you, you could theoretically use morphing to disguise yourselves, and if neccessity dictates, or you'd rather not use the cube, I, or one of our Pokemon, can mask you with illusions. The only area where this is impractical is the maze, and the anti-meta field is too disruptive to electronics for them to have surveillance. You all will be fine if you're simply willing to disguise yourselves a little."
"Zebedee, why do YOU need to be the martyr?" Thyra said, looking him in the eye.
"Somebody does. It makes a potent rallying point for everybody involved. I'll get a lot more support from the masses like this, vigilante style, than if I approach it in court." Zebedee stated, matter of factly.
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Post by Q on Sept 3, 2007 9:32:28 GMT -5
OOC: Anyone else think the "accent" I've been writing for Cal makes him sound like Gambit?
BIC: Max sighed. The issue, which had been far from clear-cut before, was becoming murkier and murkier. Sly had offered an amazing power to those assembled. Sly and Thyra had effectively made the point that, were they to go through with this, the Pokemon world would be harshly divided.
Looking around the room, Max saw Cal nearly running towards Sly; it didn't take a genius to realize what he was up to. Max positioned himself, and stretched out a leg. The self-proclaimed Pokemon thief fell to the ground.
"What gives, Milen?" scoffed Cal, picking himself up.
"You think anyone here is gonna trust a THIEF with that morphing ability?" replied Max, purposefully adopting a self-righteous air. "Besides, try to sneak up on Sly like that, he'd probably do a lot worse than I did." His voice softened. "Plus, it was funny seeing you take a fall like that."
"You're a riot, Milen," Cal replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He did, however, find a place in the room and sit down.
Max took a deep breath. "Look, Zebedee, Thyra does have a point. If we go through with this and it goes any less than perfectly, you're the one most likely to suffer the consequences. You're already a marked man in the League's book, and it's your Pokemon team we're going after. You'll be seen as the mastermind -- heck, you ARE the mastermind -- and the rest of us as accomplices."
Max considered. "The way I see it, there are essentially three options. One is to do nothing. This would leave Zebedee's Pokemon in the League's hands, and Zebedee himself as an ex-trainer with a negative reputation. Obviously, that we're here suggests that nobody here finds this option acceptable, other than maybe Thyra. The advantages, of course, are that this is the option with the lowest risk of further negative consequences.
"The second is to keep trying on official channels and other legal methods. Since this is apparently what got Zebedee into this situation in the first place, he obviously has his doubts about this method working, but maybe with more voices behind him, the League will have no choice but to listen. Val and I, in particular, have a lot of clout behind us. We're both well-known trainers, but there's more to it than that. I am, or at least was, one of the driving forces behind the Safari Zone, and Val was a key player with the PRC. If we speak in a way that the public will hear too, the League will have to listen or else suffer negative publicity. That's one of the worst things that can happen to a business like the League; they depend on their reputation. Of course, the risk here is that the League will try to do to us what it did to Zebedee; paint him, or in this case us, as the bad guy. I have my doubts that it would work as well, but considering who we're up against, I wouldn't place any bets.
"The third is the plan Zebedee proposed; we go in, take Zeb's team back by force, and in so doing go rogue. After this, we then do a variant of the second option -- go public, and attempt to get some changes made. With the people and abilities we have assembled here, I have little doubt that we could pull off the first part of this plan -- that is, getting back Zeb's team. It's the follow-up that worries me. With this option, once we have back Zeb's team, the criminal activities become something that the League can use to discredit us. Zebedee would be the biggest target, with Val and myself most likely also becoming major targets. We might get a lot of mob support this way, but depending on how well the League's able to spin it, even my previously squeaky-clean reputation might not be able to save me. Cal has little to worry about -- he's already a thief, and has no association with the League anyway."
"Speak fer yerself, Milen," Cal muttered.
Max cleared his throat pointedly. "Look, before Thyra came in here, I was pretty dedicated to option number three. I admit, the inherent danger and challenge attracted me at least as much as the idea of helping Zebedee and doing the right thing. I'm still willing to go along with it if we have enough support to have reasonable odds of pulling it off. As a minimum, I'd say we'd need Zeb, Cal, me, Val, and Sly. Thyra, Marcus, having you along would certainly help, too. Thyra, I already know you're a good trainer, especially given the time you spent learning under Zeb."
"Ya need me, Milen? I'm touched."
"Don't flatter yourself too much, Mazone. I still hate your guts, and you still owe me a Beedrill."
"Ya know, ya could always try trading to get it back," Cal replied, his voice and expression smug.
"Even if Beedrill did rightfully belong to you, the only way I'd even consider that option would be if I actually thought you'd hold up your end of the bargain and take decent care of whatever Pokemon I traded you."
"Oh, I'm a thief, so I must not care for my Pokemon, is that it? Ya underestimate me, Milen. Just because I don't take the moral high road on how I get my Pokemon doesn't mean I don't care for 'em once I have 'em. 'Sides, I'm not stupid. We do the trade here, ya got more than enough witnesses to make sure I don't cheat ya."
Max's hand inched towards his belt. "Just give me an excuse, Mazone," he growled. "I'll beat you so far into the ground, you'll pop out in China."
"Touchy, aren't we? If we didn't have this mission still possibly goin', I'd take that challenge. As it is, ya said it yerself -- without me, this mission ain't goin' nowhere."
Max took a deep breath. "I hate to admit it, Mazone, but you're right. But mark my words -- next time we meet, I will defeat you, and I will reclaim my Beedrill."
"Promises, promises, Milen. Now, let's get back to business, huh?"
"Well, at least we know that Cal will go through with this. Maybe not for the best of reasons, but at this point, that doesn't matter. We need the help too much to turn him down. Sly, I take it you'll go through with it under similar conditions to myself -- as long as we can do it, you will. As for the cube, I think you can put it away. I'm tempted to say the least, but I'm not sure I trust myself with that kind of power. Cal definitely can't be trusted, Zeb won't take it, and I don't think Thyra will either."
Max sighed, then continued. "Zeb, if we do go through with this, I'm going in as myself as well, for two reasons. One, many of my Pokemon are readily recognizable anyway -- they'll know it's me by them, if not by my own looks. You having some of them along makes this even more so. Two, I want it made clear that I was involved in this. As I said earlier, people know me. I don't allow myself to bask in my fame, but that doesn't mean I don't know what people think of me. My reputation is that of someone who will not do anything he considers immoral, and who doesn't hesitate to help those who have been wronged. Therefore, when it becomes known that I was involved, and that I didn't try to hide my involvement, the public should reach the conclusion that I thought it was the right thing to do. With luck, they'll agree with me, and that will garner us more support."
Max turned to Zebedee, and lowered his voice. "Look, I really regret not getting involved earlier. The League did you a major wrong, and I consider you a good friend. That Gym Badge I won from you? I have over a dozen others, but this one's the only one I carry around -- the rest, I keep at home unless I actually need them for something. Since I don't often involve myself in the regional tournaments, that's rare. The others were hardly lesser achievements, but this one's especially important because it's from you.
"I really would prefer to go public together first. The League may have been able to ignore it when it was just you, but you're not alone anymore. The more people involved, and especially the more of them that are well-known, the harder it will be for the League to keep doing things the way it has been. If we play our cards right, we could probably shame them into giving back your party, reinstating you, and making the changes that need to be made. If that doesn't work, then we steal back your team and go rogue. I'm hoping it won't come to that, but either way, I'm with you the whole way."
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Post by Q on Sept 18, 2007 14:58:28 GMT -5
OOC: So is that it? Such a promising storyline, and we're just gonna let it sit here before it even gets to really moving? Apologies for the double post, but I'd really like to see this one at least get nearer to a conclusion, preferably actually make it.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 25, 2007 23:51:36 GMT -5
OOC: This is not dead, but I do need to brew up the League thugs for this, so it's on pause until then.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Mar 23, 2008 20:06:03 GMT -5
"I'm going to sit this one out." Thyra said distantly, wiping some tears from her cheeks. "If you all really want to do this so badly, I can't stop you. I'll go back to the house, and try to pull as many strings as I can to get some media coverage lined up for when you appear again." Thyra sighed, and slouched.
"That's great, Thyra." Zebedee said, his voice calm. "You're really going to-"
"Of course. Even if I don't want you to go, if I don't support you, what kind of friend am I?" Thyra said, here voice small and brittle.
"Thanks..." Zebedee said, without much more to say. If nothing else, he had no way of making the situation better for himself or Thyra.
"One thing, though..." Thyra muttered as Zebedee turned away. "Promise me that I won't lose any of you... Please."
"You've got my word." Zebedee said quietly. He stepped away from the group and dropped to one knee, praying silently for the success of the mission. With that, he turned to face the group.
"Brace yourself, girls. This is gonna get rough, fast. Thyra, take care. I'll see you later." Zebedee closed his eyes, the room around them glowing with eerie light for a moment. The next second, they were in what appeared to be a dank basement hallway. A single slightly rusted metal door stood before them, with a set of stairs leading back up to the floor above them. Incongruously, this battered door had an astounding variety of locks, varying from simple combination locks to complex computerized pieces that most likely cost several thousand dollars to install. Zebedee gave a dismissive snort.
"Okay, Cal, Sly, looks like this is you two. Currently, I'm using my powers to hide us from the security cameras and mask our noise, while replicating the standard electronic signal from the door. You two have to undo these locks, as you can tell." Zebedee looked at his Pokégear. "We've got ten minutes before the next telepathic sweep of the area. I hope that's enough for you all."
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