( june event ) who's that pokemon?

[officialnotice]

EVENT: WHO'S THAT POKEMON?

For the residents of Wayward Pines, the 19th is just your typical boring Monday. The sun is shining. The birds are chirping.

Until suddenly, they're not.

That's the first sign. Maybe you don't even notice — you're far too busy with your nine-to-five, or maybe even by poolside, blissfully ignorant to the trouble brewing just out of sight, or to the fact that SPF 15 is basically just water anyway. Or maybe you aren't quite so lucky. You notice the birds have gone silent. You feel the eyes upon you, unseen but still raising goosebumps on the back of your neck.

And then from the woods, that telltale scream.

No, two screams, then three, then five, then more than a dozen. You can't count them, can't figure out which direction they're coming from. It's like they're all around you now. Even above you. Now you spot them on the rooftops — god, they're huge, you can't even fathom how they made it up there unnoticed.

But they're not playing at stealth anymore. One leaps off the roof, a single fluid bound on long thick limbs, and barely lands on the sidewalk for a moment before it lunges at the nearest person — your neighbor mowing his lawn, or maybe the woman carrying that armful of bags out of French's Grocery — long claws slicing through their flesh like a hot knife through butter. Then comes another, and another. Into the streets, the backyards, and the ill-timed pool parties, tearing through every living soul they can find.

By nightfall, the creatures have retreated back into the woods en masse, but anyone foolish enough to wander too far from the safety of their homes runs the risk of being picked off one by one if they're not careful. The 20th and 21st follow a similar pattern; during the day, the Sheriff and a team of volunteers comb through the woods looking for survivors, and during the night, these creatures do much the same.

The morning of the 22nd dawns with the last of the vicious "murder potatoes" (as Linda had hysterically dubbed them on the first day while wielding a butcher's knife with astonishing proficiency) have fallen, and the danger is gone.

For now, anyway. The questions they leave behind, however? Those are here to stay.

MOD NOTES

This is a catch-all for any and all threads pertaining to the Who's That Pokemon event! It covers the battle on the 19th and the lingering danger over the course of the 20th and 21st.

PLEASE INCLUDE IN YOUR TOP-LEVEL SUBJECT LINE: Character Name, date, location, and open or closed, to help keep things a bit more organized.

If you have any questions regarding this event, feel free to ask them here!

Comments

it's perfect!

[alizes]

Nyx!

[She knows screaming out is probably a bad idea, she’s going to attract any invades that may be nearby enough to hear her and she’s in no state to fight against them right now. She’s no stranger to pain, but the cut on her leg is so deep it makes her press her teeth together as she hisses out to try to keep herself from crying out in pain.

She hates having to ask for help, she still has a very strong Amicitia pride. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to refuse help when she very obviously needs it. And she can’t deny the relief she felt at hearing Nyx’s voice. The man is still intrinsically tied to safety in the back of his brain, where she stores her childhood memories.

She will wonder about the fire, later.]

I’m here! Can you hear me?

[sirnyxalot]

[Oh thank the Six, she's still alive. Nyx turns towards her voice, spotting the convenient niche she must have holed up in. Unfortunately he wasn't the only one: the creatures were eyeing him up warily, but he was far enough away to make her hiding place a still enticing target.

Like hell.

Nyx cocks his arm back and whips his kukri in an arc as a beast hunkers down to jump. He warps in an instant, magic shattering like shards of blue glass, and before he's even fully materialized he's casting a battier above them. The creature smashes against the dome with an angry cry and lopes away to presumably find a new victim (or help).

There's relief as he twists, one hand still maintaining the shield, and tries not to feel sick when he sees how much she's bleeding. He knows the bite of their claws, himself. It's not pleasant.]

I guess it would be dumb to ask if you're okay.

[A dash of humour to lighten the situation.]

[alizes]

[Iris has seen magic before. It’d be hard not to, considering who her family is and how close they have always been to the royal family. Her memories are almost entirely back by now, so she’s not exactly shocked by seeing Nyx use it… but that doesn’t make it any less impressive when she gets to see it in action. Nyx looks flawless using it, like it’s an extension of himself. Like it comes naturally to him.

Knowing Nyx is a soldier is one thing, but it finally hits Iris that he’s a Glaive. She swallows another whimper of pain as he approaches- her hiding place is simply her using a hole between the debris of a wall the invaders brought down. There isn’t much space left in there, even with Iris hugging her legs to herself.]

I will be okay. [She says with the same exact expression Gladio gets when he’s made up his mind. It probably looks more impressive on him.]

But I can’t exactly run like this. And they can probably smell the blood.

[sirnyxalot]

Good girl. [A proud, tight grin as he scans the street. He's never been so glad to know an Amicitia, in all honesty. Stubborn and durable, every last one of them. If she says she'll be okay then she will.

Smart, too. She's probably not wrong about their sense of smell. There's enough blood in the air that he can smell it. It might as well be a beacon in the dark to them.]

We can't stay out here, either. They'll break through this spell sooner or later and I won't be able to take them en masse.

[The street seems empty for the moment. They must have all spooked, but whether they're gone or hiding he can't tell. There won't be a better time to move.]

My gym's not far from here. If we can make it there I can wrap your leg. How do you feel about being carried?

[alizes]

[Iris makes a face, but nods at Nyx anyway.]

It’s not like we have many other options, do we? [She’d prefer not to be carried, she’s always prided herself on being independent and not depending on anyone because that’s what her family does. But she also knows better than to be too proud to accept some help when it’s obvious she will end up getting hurt (or worse) if she refuses it. She’s glad it’s Nyx, at least she will feel more comfortable if it’s him than she would be with more people.]

We need to get out of here as soon as we can.

[sirnyxalot]

[Then he hopes she doesn't have as many qualms about being depended on because he'll need her to literally have his back while they're moving. He flips his kukri in hand and holds it out to her hilt first.]

Agreed. I can drop some cover fire [Literally.] but we'll need to move fast if we're going to make it. I don't know what these things are but...they don't move like anything else I've experienced.

You ready?

[alizes]

[Iris blinks in surprise, but takes the weapon without hesitation. She prefers fighting using her fists but that’s obviously not going to work out here. Even if she could walk the invaders would probably just eat her arm if she tried.]

As ready as I’ll ever be.

[She’s been trained relentlessly, she was ready to take over as a shield if something were to happen to Gladio. She comes from a family of shields and she takes pride on it. But that doesn’t mean she enjoys violence of any kind.]

Crouch and I’ll get on your back?

[sirnyxalot]

That's all I can ask.

[He lets the barrier fall and drops to one knee, eyes on the street in case the enemy is watching them.]

We've got about a block to run, but it should be a straight shot.

[alizes]

[As soon as the weapon is in her hand she gets into position. This is going to be a little awkward, but she will take it to get to safety. She’s just enormously glad Nyx is the one that found her, she knows she can trust him to protect her without seeing her as a weak little girl for it. She knows most people would see her hurt and asking for help and would assume the worst, and even though she’s not in Insomnia anymore the idea of tainting her family’s name like that is kind of embarrassing.]

The faster we get there the faster I can clean up my wound. [She keeps herself all but latching onto him as he runs.]

[sirnyxalot]

[There's screaming somewhere in the distance, and Nyx's wound pulls painfully when he stands. The resulting headrush makes him dizzy with adrenaline. He tries to disguise his pause as wariness, but isn't sure how well it works.

Street still momentarily clear, Nyx creeps out of cover and sets off up the road, holding Iris with one arm under her uninjured leg and magic just under his skin in the other hand. He hesitates, arguing with himself, before the press of it turns warm in his veins. It makes him itch, but he cast it once already today with no burn, no glow along his scars telling him it's too much too soon. He can use it.

The next scream is closer and he runs, avoiding debris where he can. He doesn't need to see them to know their escape has been noticed; the awareness crawling up his spine like prey being chased by something much bigger telling him to flee. A suggestion he's all too happy to follow right now.]

[alizes]

[Iris swings the weapon in her hand, getting a feel for it. She really needs to get better at fighting with them. Her brother literally teaches how to fight with swords so she’s got some basic training but she’s really neglected it. She decides she will take care of it when this whole thing comes to pass.

(She has no doubt it will come to pass.)]

They are getting closer. [She all but whispers to him, afraid to call even more attention to themselves. But she gets the feeling the sound of Nyx’s running and the blood on her leg already took care of that.]

How’s your magic?

[sirnyxalot]

Stable.

[It's not even really a lie. He's practiced almost every day since he remembered he could use it and his stamina has always been strong. But this was the first time he's cast Fire since Insomnia fell.]

It's not as effective as I'd like. They're avoiding me where they can but I'm not doing much damage even with lightning.

[And right now the both of them probably look like one big vulnerable target.]

[alizes]

[Iris literally just remembered about the magic, so her memories are still coming back to her slowly and sluggishly like molasses through her brain. But she does remember that they do have some sort of limit, and that they need to cool down. But Nyx wouldn’t put her in danger, so if he says his magic is stable she believes him.]

Can you cast something else?

[She knows she’s asking for a lot, and she won’t push him if he tells her he can’t but it’s true that lighting doesn’t seem to be doing much against them. At least it’s keeping them far away enough that they aren’t able to reach them, but if they keep this up they will get closer.]

Because I’m... not sure how effective the kukri is going to be.