|
|
Post by Harold Commons on Feb 21, 2016 10:18:51 GMT -7
Harold impatiently tapped his expensive Lialtan leather shoe against the ground.
"Where is he?" Harold complained to Stygian.
He turned, staring at the view of the Suvian Bay. It was gorgeous, with crisp blue water and white sandy beaches. Behind him towered the massive volcano, Mt. Suvi.
Harold looked at the Professor next.
"You're sure you can get us to the heart of the volcano?" Harold asked yet again. "You know the consequences if you don't come through for us, Professor Phillips."
His hand glanced the Pokeball containing his Kangaskhan. After the fiasco with Olivia, he wasn't going to tolerate any more deviations from plan.
"That goes double for you," he scowled at the Pokemon hunter Alexander Midas.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dr. Researcher Man on Feb 21, 2016 16:24:00 GMT -7
The Professor shrugged at Harold's question. "Look, my man, volcanoes don't have hearts. They aren't alive."
|
|
|
|
Post by Stygian Poe on Feb 21, 2016 16:47:33 GMT -7
Stygian half turned, a flask with his face on it up to his lips and his hand shaking. Harold had said something. A few somethings. One of them might even have been directed at Stygian. He swallowed some of his name-brand alcohol, now lukewarm from sitting in his pocket, and shrugged a non-committal shrug. The sucker man was late. Stricker. At least, he was pretty sure the man was late. Stygian didn't do so well with time anymore. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he looked toward Mt. Suvi and wondered if he should finish the rest of his booze now before it got too hot to drink inside the volcano.
"Hey. Hey prof. That was a cool thing I did with the Murkrows, yeah?" Excellent lead in, Stygian thought. Now for the real question. "Do you think it'll be too hot in the volcano to finish off my booze? Should I just drink it now?"
Stygian jangled the half-full flask for emphasis, staring intently at the Professor with bloodshot eyes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Stricker on Feb 21, 2016 16:56:15 GMT -7
The group reappeared several meters from the two Elite Four members, just out of sight.
"Mr. Bonham," Stricker spoke first, looking at the trainer intently, "oh how I wish you wouldn't use your real name around these people. You should have followed dear Roxy's lead. They're very dangerous."
Xatu flashed a knowing look at X, while Stricker continued delivering a speech about the need for anonymity around the antagonists.
"Listen, you two, I was hired to help these two yahoos catch a real Heatran."
Stricker chewed on the sucker in his mouth.
"They don't know it's a Heatran in that mountain, and they don't know I have this Master Ball."
Stricker looked over, seeing Crobat dangling from the tree. There he is.
"So please, keep it that way."
Stricker turned and approached the Elite Four members with a smile as he came into view.
"Oh Stygian, I've brought your favorite!" he smiled, pulling a bottle from his jacket, "Rapidash Rum, imported from Cinnabar Island!"
Stricker paused for a moment.
"Oh, yes! Harold, Stygian, I'd like to introduce my associates..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Alexander Midas on Feb 21, 2016 17:29:00 GMT -7
Alexander turned at the sound of a new voice, so refreshing after hearing Stygian's nonsense and Harold's complaining. The man with the sucker at the head of the party had been on the train where he had reunited with Harold, and his Xatu had tried to teleport Alexander and Gengar off the train before Gengar had given his Xatu the proverbial middle finger. Behind him was someone Alexander didn't recognize, and...
X.
Because of course it was. If any of their past encounters were any indication, this little volcano adventure was going to go balls up real quick. He wondered if Harold would recognize the kid from the train debacle that Harold was still so sore about. Alexander smiled inwardly. Only one way to find out.
Alexander's voice started out cheery as he greeted his former associate, but quickly became cold and humorless. "X! It's been so long."
|
|
|
|
Post by Roxy Salvador on Feb 21, 2016 17:30:44 GMT -7
Reunion
Stricker introduced his two companions, but all Roxy could focus on was a familiar face talking to a different man. It had been a year since they last saw each other. They were like brother and sister, Roxy and Guy. The two spents years adventuring together. One day Roxy received a letter that requested her services in exchange for her greatest desire. There was one condition: She had to come alone. That night she left her pseudo-brother without a word, not to speak to him again until very recently. Roxy, lost in thought, failed to introduce herself to Stygian.
Roxy snapped out of it when Stricker introduced her to Stygian and his party, "This is my associate Ro-lauduand-Landra Ghast. She appears to be disoriented from the teleport, excuse her." Guy now stood next to Stygian, a puzzled look on his face. "She is a Pokemon Hunter, Professor. Very good at what he does." Stricker winked at Guy.
The Professor raised an eyebrow, "It's a... it's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Ghast. These are my captors," he gestured to Stygian and Harold, "That guy did a cool thing with birds. But not before he blew up my-" he stopped talking, catching a look from Harold.
She glanced away "It's nice to meet you, too." The two shook hands, an empty Pokeball slipped out of her sleeve into his. Her eyes locked with his. "I hope everything goes well."
|
|
|
|
Post by X on Feb 21, 2016 18:42:49 GMT -7
First Giulia Rossi, now in the same day and in an entirely different place X was meeting Stygian Poe and once again crossing paths with Harold Commons. As more material was thrown on the scales of the man's character, X could not help for his mind to weigh on Stricker. What kind of world did he live in where he kept such company and such schedules. What world had X stepped into? It seemed the answer may be to large to be answered with idle thought. For now, X hoped he and Commons could get past the events of that morning. Then again, X was a nobody who had been following Midas and Torpid. It would be even more convenient if Commons simply didn't know who he was. X steeled himself for the worst and hoped for the best.
Landra, or Roxy, shared an awkward greeting with the professor the Elite Four had seemingly captured. X approached Midas at his greeting. He had appreciated whatever joke the Xatu had been sharing with him, but now that his name had been spoken, X could not be sure what would happen. He only knew that if he were going to pass through this encounter unscathed, he was going to have to ride this current to see where it took him.
"Well, they do say time flies Mr. Midas."
|
|
|
|
Post by Harold Commons on Feb 21, 2016 19:10:35 GMT -7
"You better not pass out before we deal with the legendary," Harold scolded Stygian.
Harold looked at the odd man Sticker's companions for a moment. One looked familiar, but Harold couldn't place him. There were so many trainers nowadays.
"Right, well, now that we're all here, please, Professor Phillips, lead the way."
|
|
|
|
Post by Dr. Researcher Man on Feb 21, 2016 20:49:05 GMT -7
"Alright, so, the only known entrance into the volcano is blocked by a Larvesta nest. We can probably make a new hole somewhere on the mountain, gain access to a lava tube that way. It could take days to find a suitable spot, though."
|
|
|
|
Post by Stygian Poe on Feb 22, 2016 2:16:51 GMT -7
Stygian put his hand on the Professor's shoulder, like a questionably sane man would put his hand on the shoulder of a particularly thick-headed child.
"You know what fixes a Larvesta nest?" He asked, not actually waiting for an answer. "Two Elite Four members, Harold's bitch-monkey, two weird-ass newcomers, and a man with a sucker."
Stygian downed the rest of his flask, threw it at Mt. Suvi, then grabbed the alcohol offered by Mr. Stricker. "So get us into the volcano before I consider feeding you to the Larvesta myself to distract them. I'm not waiting for 'days to find a suitable spot.' I'm a very busy man."
|
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Stricker on Feb 22, 2016 10:27:09 GMT -7
"There's no stopping him," Stricker spoke to his Xatu.
They wandered around the mountain toward a cave layered with white cocoons and silk from the fiery moth Pokemon.
"This looks like a Larvesta nest to me," Stricker commented.
"Well, let's get through it," Harold ordered, much to Stygian's delight.
Stricker sighed.
"Have you ever even seen a Volcarona before?" he asked the two Elite Four.
They ignored him. Harold released his Kangaskhan, ordering the Pokemon to begin burrowing through the nest.
Stricker opened up a Pokedex, rectangle in shape, and definitely not the model given to Lialta region trainers.
"Larvesta, the Torch Pokemon," a woman's voice echoed from the dex. "The base of volcanoes is where they make their homes. They shoot fire from their five horns to repel attacking enemies. They spew fire from their horns and encase themselves in a cocoon of fire when evolving."
"This should go well," Stricker mused.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alexander Midas on Feb 22, 2016 12:20:07 GMT -7
Alexander made brief eye contact with his shadow and raised his eyebrows. His shadow's eyes flashed a brief purple as Gengar returned the amused gesture. Alexander backed slowly away from Harold and Stygian until he was next to X.
"Five bucks says the Kangaskhan wakes up the entire volcano and we all die." He whispered to X. "How'd you get roped into this, anyway? Get tired of playing with Olivia?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Roxy Salvador on Feb 22, 2016 16:30:28 GMT -7
Roxy stood there, waiting for whatever. She wasn't too happy about Stygian's remarks.
Guy commented on the Pokedex entry, "That sounds about right. But uh... please don't be mean to them. They did nothing to you."
|
|
|
|
Post by X on Feb 22, 2016 19:43:57 GMT -7
"Aren't I only supposed to bet against you if I think your outcome is unlikely?" X mused back to Midas in a hushed tone.
It felt good to have someone familiar standing with him on the mountainside. Even if that someone was incredibly dangerous and ruthless in trying to achieve his own objectives. In truth, as long as one's goals were aligned with those of Midas, he made an excellent partner. X felt reasonably assured that Midas didn't wish to be there at that moment any more than he did.
"The guy over there with the sucker recruited me. I don't know who he is, but says his name is Stricker. He's a really good trainer. Plus, in addition to those two, he knows Giulia Rossi. We just came here from her office. I figure that's a thread worth unwinding."
|
|
|
|
Post by Harold Commons on Feb 22, 2016 23:16:42 GMT -7
"This is taking forever," Harold complained.
"Go, Pyroar. Help Kangaskhan through this mess!"
The Elite Four member's Pokemon tore through the Larvesta nest. Something bellowed within.
"I told them," Stricker sighed. Xatu Teleported the Elite Four members back.
Fire erupted from the nest.
|
|
