Willy
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Post by Willy on Apr 19, 2013 11:02:54 GMT -5
Jarek was suddenly very nervous. He began rubbing the back of his head with his upper right arm, and twiddling his thumbs with his lower arms. As far as Jarek could tell, at this point either he told Damon himself, or Vito would beat him to it. And that was the last thing he wanted. "Uhhh... In my last match... I may have... accidentally... sorta... maybe... used Diamond Dash?"
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Post by Digizel on Apr 19, 2013 11:33:18 GMT -5
Damon was glaring at Jarek as he awaited his answer. Just when he was about to exclaim 'WELL!?' in impatience, the hulk finally managed to start spitting it out. However, when he learned just what it was that Jarek had to confess to, he might have preferred to stay out of the know. When he learned it, he could just feel something inside of his head simply...snap.
"You...used...WHAT!?" he shouted furiously. He hoisted one of his blade-arms into the air and pointed it up at the Machamp, a wild fury blazing in his gaze. "That was the ONE THING I told you to save until the very end and to NEVER use otherwise! And you go behind my back while I'm unconscious and you use it out of nowhere!? I had always wondered what would happen if I wasn't there to make every single thought for you, but I NEVER thought that you would actually have the GALL to disobey a direct order while I wasn't there to tell you otherwise!"
Damon jabbed the tip of his blade against the Machamp's body. However, he was thankfully able to control his anger enough not to do so with any real force, so it would just feel like a small prick. "Who the HELL authorized you to use that behind my back!? First Vito loses to that stupid Abra and now I learn that you BLEW the mvoe we were trying to keep hidden this ENTIRE TIME!? Is EVERYTHING destined to go wrong today!?"
Damon finally pulled his arm off of the Machamp and turned his back. "And I don't want to hear ANY of your pathetic excuses, Jarek, got it!? Just...just go back to the tent, Jarek. I'll be there later to discuss your INCOMPETENCE later, got it?"
Marduk flinched as Damon's sudden explosion reached his ears. It was strange, because just a moment ago, he couldn't hear a darn thing anybody over there was saying. But now it seemed like Damon was making absolutely no effort to hide his words...and the sudden volume change rang in Marduk's ears for a moment. However, he was certainly grateful. Now he had a much clearer confirmation that these Pokemon were certainly hiding a lot more about their attendance of this tournament....
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Willy
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Post by Willy on Apr 20, 2013 1:28:13 GMT -5
Jarek was used to getting regular tongue-lashings from Damon, but this time he knew he had really messed up. He didn't even feel Damon's blade, but he did feel a lot of disappointment in himself. There was no questioning Damon at this point. Jarek would have to go back to the tent and wait for Damon to come back and tell him how badly he had screwed up and how Damon was going to have to fix everything once again because of Jarek's incompetence.
As he started to walk away, Vito chimed in, "Well you can't blame him entirely. He had no idea what he was doing." Vito smirked as he stepped in between Damon and Jarek. "That creepy Empoleon put him to sleep right at the beginning of the match. He was out like a light the entire time! There was no way he could have kept that from happening." Vito did his best to force back a smile, but he couldn't help it. This situation was playing in Vito's favor as long as he played his cards right.
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Post by Digizel on Apr 20, 2013 12:37:01 GMT -5
Damon watched, re-crossing his arms once again, as Jarek began to turn around and walk back toward the tent. He was going to comment on how he'd be there in just a short while, but Vito decided to chime in before he could even open his mouth. He rolled his eyes at Vito's words and scowled a bit. "You stay out of this, Vito. You've only barely done better than him today. While I understand that that Empoleon is far too clever for his own good, that is still no excuse for blowing one of the biggest things we were trying to keep secret."
He growled and glared over at Jarek once more. "This single mistake has caused a large part of my strategy to unravel itself, and now I'll have to find a way to work around everyone's knowledge of his once-secret power. If I didn't need his sheer brute power for this tournament, he'd be out on his ear for his incompetence."
How could things have gone awry so quickly? First he had discovered that Marduk was a far more powerful opponent than he had expected...then Jarek used the one powerful move--accident or not--that was required to be kept a secret...and finally, Vito was defeated at a critical junction. This day couldn't have gone any worse for them if they had tried. And now it was probably going to take him all night to work out what to do next....
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Willy
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Post by Willy on Apr 20, 2013 16:49:56 GMT -5
Vito's mood changed suddenly. "Excuse me, mister unconscious-the-whole-time, but even you couldn't have known that Empoleon knew a move like Sing. How about you spend a little less time blaming Jarek and a little more time figuring out what really happened.
"We can't exactly rule out that the Empoleon didn't know exactly what would happen if he put Jarek to sleep. As I've told you, I haven't been able to get a lick of information about him, so he's probably hiding something. Now if you would tell your little Blaziken spy to spend less time tailing me, and more time tailing him, we might make some progress. And yes I know all about that. Don't think for a second you were going to hide that from me this whole time. Remember you hired me for this job for intel, not for my combat prowess, not that that hurts anything, but I prioritized accordingly. My clones were and still are out on the fairgrounds. Had they not been out there, the match might have come out differently, but I wasn't about to waste this opportunity when EVERYONE on the fairgrounds are talking about the competitors.
"I feel the need to emphasize, you've made it abundantly clear you don't trust the people you're working with, so I have no idea why you seem so shocked that something like this happened at a very sensitive time in the operation. I urge you to figure it out, or this whole thing is going to go down the tubes."
As Vito finished, he turned and headed out of the large tent. He wasn't really all that frustrated at the situation. He was more amused than anything. But for the sake of his overall motives, he had to keep Damon on edge.
Jarek had stopped to listen to Vito's rant, but as soon as Vito walked away, he started off again too. He didn't want to be around for whatever Damon had to say next.
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Post by Digizel on Apr 20, 2013 17:24:05 GMT -5
Damon growled in anger at Vito's sudden mood change. But despite his desire to lash back at the Weavile's words, he wasn't able to get a word in as he continued to go off. However, what really caught him by surprise was his revelation that he already knew about Deborah, the Blaziken he had hired to track his movements and to spy on him as well. Of course, despite everything Vito was saying, he did not regret setting Deborah to spy on him. Clearly Vito was a much greater danger to him than he had originally expected if he were able to figure that out so quickly.
Of course, he probably shouldn't have been surprised, as Vito was correct. He had hired Vito purely for his subtlety and intelligence-gathering capabilities...perhaps it should have been obvious that he would discover Deborah's tracking. He doubted that the Blaziken was nearly as skilled as Vito was at sneaking around.
"Of course I don't trust those I'm working with," he growled back as Vito finished and turned to walk away. "Only a fool puts his full trust into somebody in this line of work. Especially not somebody with your particular talents. For all I know, you could be spying on Jarek and myself just as much as anybody." He glared at Vito's retreating back, not caring if he responded or not. However, in his anger, he decided to add something extra, albeit a bit more under his breath. "...Besides, maybe if you could DO the job I hired you for, we would have more information on that Empoleon in the first place,"
However, despite his words, Damon did come to one realization from Vito's words. He probably couldn't REALLY blame Jarek too much for revealing the Diamond Dash move. He had already come to know that the Machamp wasn't quite the brightest Pokemon in the dimension....
Suddenly, there was silence again as the argument between Vito and Damon seemed to have drawn to a close, and everybody had begun to go their separate ways. It appeared that the Zigzagoon managed to get a good ear on the event...or, more importantly, the beginning of that event that Marduk had difficulty making out.
Whatever the case, he was certain that that was information that could be acquired at almost any time. Right now, with the confirmation that three of the most powerful competitors in this entire tournament were now working together, he would need some definite help. After all, he had been thoroughly defeated by Vito alone. There was no way he could defeat Vito, Damon AND the behemoth known as Jarek.
In this entire tournament, Vito had gone virtually undefeated, however. That did not bode well for finding anybody who could take him on, and he couldn't really make out the first part of the conversation. So if they had made a mention of whether or not Vito had been beaten in this round, he wasn't sure. However, after hearing all of that yelling, he felt that he could assume Vito had failed on his part of maintaining his tournament standings.
Once the coast was clear, Marduk stepped out of his hiding place and began to approach the medical tent himself and attempted to make his way inside. His goal was to find the other occupant of the tent...the probably-unconscious Abra, Doug.
Once he had slipped inside, he looked around for any sign of the Abra. Thankfully, it wasn't a big tent, so he didn't have to look very far. Doug was laying atop a cot at the opposite side, and he began to make his way over, hoping he wouldn't get stopped by any member of the staff or medical team. No matter what, he really needed a word with him. And this was going to be his best chance at getting that privately.
Thankfully, however, nobody seemed to care as Marduk approached Doug. He looked down at him, thoughtfully. So, this Abra had somehow managed to defeat even Vito, whom he himself could not. He could definitely make a most advantageous ally.
Without further delay, he reached down and laid a claw down on his shoulder, ignoring the eyes of the medical staff that were thrown his way. He gave the Abra's shoulder a rough shake and muttered, "Hey, you. Get up, I want a few words with you," he muttered, glaring down at him. He needed to make this fast.
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Willy
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Post by Willy on Apr 21, 2013 19:26:32 GMT -5
Doug's head was swimming. His dreams, as always, were fuzzy and all mixed up. He could hear someone calling for him as he tried to will himself awake, not really because of the calling, but because of the green shape he could see. He simultaneously wanted to destroy this green thing and run from it, but he wasn't sure why. There was something else. A sort of rigid shape with vivid orange and purple stripes. Doug tried to figure out what it was, but something about it confused him. He tried to get closer but was interrupted by another zigzag, this time yellow, that hit him in the face, waking him.
"What is so urgent, Jet, that you have to wake me up like thi-..." Doug stopped at that instant, looking up at the intimidating face of none other than the Zangoose who had helped him out of a bad situation earlier. "Oh. You're not Jet. You're... that... uh. I'm sorry, I don't remember your name all that well." Doug's mind was still very hazy. He was having trouble figuring out where he was and remembering why he was there, which was even harder with the intimidating face of a Zangoose standing over him.
The Chansey and two Machop in charge of this smaller tent were standing by, also slightly intimidated. They stood by. At the slightest hint of discomfort from a patient they were authorized to remove anyone from the tent by any means necessary, but they were starting to calm down. It had been an odd day for them. Having to work with the scientists by gathering data and submitting it to them, and then this fiasco with the final match was enough to put them on edge.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Apr 21, 2013 21:08:20 GMT -5
Bob let out a massive exhale as the trio disbanded. All of the yelling and dramatic tension between the three had paralyzed him, even more so than the realization that his position was very dangerous. It felt good to breathe again, but the fact that the three of them were working together still loomed over his head like a boulder perched halfway off of a high cliff. And apparently even the Blaziken worked for them to some extent, so that made nearly half of the tournament corrupt. And it's no fun at all watching a tournament one knows is rigged.
However, all of the drama between them meant that their partnership hung by a thread - with enough careful planning and pushing, Bob figured that he might be able to cause them to self-destruct, or even reveal themselves and get them disqualified. All without getting caught or blamed, if everything went according to plan.
'Oh, who are you kidding, Bob?' he denied himself. 'You're not that kind of person! And if you mess up, you're dead. Without backup, there's no way you could walk away from attempting something like that.'
As if on cue, Bob suddenly heard the voice of another one of the combatants. He couldn't recognize who it was from just the voice, but it definitely wasn't one of the conspirators. Slowly peeking his head out from behind the tent, and realizing the coast was clear, he began to tiptoe his way around it to the entrance. As he did so, he heard the response from the other one in the tent - Doug. He knew that Doug was safe to be around for sure, which meant that the other person probably was as well - in fact, he may have also overheard the same conversation. Bob had no idea there was anyone else around to hear, which meant that he was significantly better at stealth than Bob. It was a longshot, but maybe he could enlist their help.
Bob cautiously poked his head into the tent to get a look. He recognized the Zangoose on sight, one of the other fighters from the tournament that Bob respected, particularly from his match with Haru. He didn't dare approach or speak just yet, but he figured that he wouldn't get murdered just for being there, unlike with the conversation that he had just witnessed.
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Post by Digizel on Apr 21, 2013 21:48:17 GMT -5
Marduk did not lift his gaze from Doug as the Abra began to stir once again. It was clear that the machine had taken its toll on him, but he had far too precious little time to sit around and wait for him to clear his head. Ignoring the initial comment that made it seem as though he had been mistaken for that...admittedly scrawny Buizel that he had seen around with Doug across the tournament grounds, he placed his claws on the edge of the bed, continuing to ignore the continued gazes of the officials.
"My name isn't important," he replied, in his usual slightly-grumbling voice. "What is, is you. You and that little favor you owe me. And judging from your battle against Vito, you are far more valuable and reliable than any other individual at this tournament."
~~~~~
Jet couldn't stand just standing around any longer. He needed to check on Doug. And now that the trio had separated and nobody else seemed to be around, it was as good a time as any. He got down onto his forepaws--a walking position he had never expected to get used to--and began to scurry across the field, ignoring Cassius' order to stay put. However, when he was halfway across, he realized that Marduk, the Zangoose that had managed to defeat both Haru and that Scyther who had beaten Doug, make his way inside.
Just what did that Zangoose plan to do...? Just as he was beginning to ponder that, he watched as Bob snuck around toward the front of the tent himself. Great. This tent was becoming a regular hotspot. He would never be able to get Doug alone to make sure he was alright at this rate....
But regardless, he supposed it couldn't hurt to...be present for whatever was going on in there. After all, if Marduk was going into that tent, it was obvious that it involved Doug. And as far as he was concerned, he should be there unless Doug himself didn't want him to be. As such, he continued on his way toward the tent, slowing his pace as he grew closer until he finally arrived at its entrance, standing near where Bob had his head peeked in.
He stopped, suddenly unsure of his actions. He cast a glance down at Bob, who seemed to think it best to stay out of it and then back at Cassius, who was now apparently glaring at him from across the field. For now, he said nothing, and just stood there, listening in.
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Willy
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Post by Willy on Apr 21, 2013 23:52:15 GMT -5
Doug listened to Marduk, still groggy. "Right... the favor. You got me out of a tight spot there. I guess I do owe you one... I think," he managed. He was still trying to piece together what had just happened. "My battle? Well... if you say so, I'll take your word for it. You'll have to excuse me I'm a little confused at the moment. And I can't seem to get that Scyther out of my head. This whole tournament went downhill as soon as that match started. In any case... I have to wonder what you're asking me for with this talk about my last battle."
Doug could hardly remember what had even happened. His memory of the event seemed to be conflicting itself. He felt absolutely sure Vito had overwhelmed him in that match, but his mind drew a complete blank as to what had actually happened. In fact, there was something in his head telling him he had won. That he had somehow bested Vito. But as for how he would have done it he hadn't the foggiest idea.
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Post by Digizel on Apr 22, 2013 0:14:20 GMT -5
Marduk looked down at Doug and decided to take a couple steps away. Perhaps it would be for the best if he gave the little one some room to breathe. "Well, judging from the argument I had just witnessed outside, I would have assumed that Vito's battle with you did not go so well for him. So I'm not so sure what exactly you are referring to...but it matters not...." He trailed off for a moment to re-collect his thoughts. He needed to figure out how he was going to approach this topic out of the blue like this.
"...In any case, after that display of yours, I have come to confirm my thoughts that you will be a valuable ally. And judging from the fact that the four of them seem to be presently allied together in some way, I need to begin gathering some support of my own. Vito managed to defeat me on his own...so I cannot hope to...." he stopped for the briefest of moments, realizing what he had been about to think about saying. It was far too early to let anything major slip just yet. "...accomplish my goals by myself. Therefore, I shall require your assistance when the time is right."
Jet stood outside, now listening intently to the conversation out of sight of all inside of the tent. He had to admit, he had already worked out enough of that on his own just from the last five minutes' observations. However, he needed to really pay attention here. If this Marduk really needed Doug for something...he felt like he needed to know everything. Even if there were something that Marduk would prefer only Doug to have knowledge of....
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Willy
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Post by Willy on Apr 22, 2013 1:04:10 GMT -5
Doug tried to get everything straight in his head. He pushed his worries about what had happened in his last battle out of his mind. There would be time to worry about that later. "Accomplish your goals? When the time is right? The four of them? It sounds like what you're asking me for far outweighs the deed of letting one of my friends through the door. It sounds like what you're asking for could be dangerous, especially if I don't know what I'm getting into.
"I appreciate what you did. I really do. And I want to pay you back if I can. But I don't think I'm willing to ally myself with you in... some battle stacked against you that quickly. Now I understand that a hospital tent might not be the best place to talk, but if there's a time and place that you'd be willing to let me know what exactly it is that you're asking me to help you with, I'll listen and try to help in any way I can. But I need to know what's going on first. I have too much at this festival that could be put at risk with a move like that," Doug did his best to convey what he meant. He couldn't run blindly into danger like that. Especially with the events that had already happened in this tournament. He knew something was up at this tournament, and he wanted answers.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Apr 22, 2013 1:23:35 GMT -5
Just as Bob had suspected, the Zangoose had overheard and learned the same thing that Bob did, or at least most of it, and that he thought it just as wrong as Bob did. So for a moment, the Zigzagoon figured there was no reason for him not to try and get on his side. Doug's hesitation to join him made Bob reconsider as well though. There were already at least 4 shady characters in this tournament, so how could he know that anyone else was to be trusted? What goals was the Zangoose talking about, exactly? To win the tournament and get a wish like everyone else? What more could there be?
Bob shook his head, knocking all of the questions out of it for long enough to step fully inside the tent and clear his throat. He didn't have all that much to lose, in the end, so why not? "Heya," he greeted, a bit less cheerfully than his usual mood. "My name's Bob, and I also overheard those Pokemon talk. Now I don't know what exactly you want either, but if it breaks up that gang's scheme then I'll be happy to help out. I came here to see some good, clean, pure BATTLING, but a tournament just isn't any fun when half of the contestants are conspiring against the rest! So for what it's worth you have my support! I might not be much on the battlefield, but I take pride in my strategic abilities. I can keep people guessing!" He jumped quickly from side to side for emphasis. "So, what do you say?"
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Post by Digizel on Apr 22, 2013 14:39:05 GMT -5
Marduk listened intently to Doug's response, not taking his eyes off of him as he did. He considered the Abra for a moment. He was certainly an intelligent individual, and his combat skills have more than proven themselves to him. If there was anybody in this entire tournament that he felt that he actually needed in his corner--who wasn't already alligned with Damon and Jarek--it would most certainly be Doug. He also had the least amount of mystery surrounding him, so he was more confident in this than if he had chosen somebody else such as Ansgar....
He needed to convince Doug, no matter what the cost.
Marduk nodded in response to Doug's words. "Of course, I could not expect such a rash decision from a brilliant warrior such as yourself. And you are correct, what I ask of you is far greater than that which I have done for you. However, I trust you can feel how important this is," he added that last bit, completely unaware of how accurate he really was. "If more information is what you desire, then I will give it to you. But as you say, this is far too...open for such discussion. I can-"
Before Marduk could continue, another voice had spoken up from nearby, at the same moment he had started his last sentence. His gaze quickly shifted from Doug to the Zigzagoon he had recalled seeing before. He had figured that the little one was wandering around somewhere, but he didn't believe that he would be sticking around for this long. And to top it all off, yet another individual had decided to step inside from behind Bob. This one was the same Buizel he had been thinking about just a few moments ago.
He certainly wasn't pleased to be interrupted like this. And that showed as his unintentionally menacing gaze glared down at the two newcomers. He took note that his gaze caused the Buizel in the rear to visibly flinch and stop moving, though. If he needed to, that Buizel wouldn't be too difficult to remove, if he proved to be a nuisance.
He listened to the Zangoose and raised a brow at the Tiny Raccoon Pokemon. So, this one wanted to assist as well, then? "I...appreciate the offer," he started, looking down at Bob, though now with a softer gaze. "However, I cannot be certain of your own abilities, and this...operation is far too important to take many risks on leaking information. And if you might turn up being of no use to me anyway, then that is a risk I cannot afford to make."
"B-but I want to do something, too...!" Jet suddenly spoke up from behind Bob. "A-and...and you're asking Doug for help...if...if it's really so important, then I feel like I should be there to help him...! I-I'm not...not very strong, though...b-but I'm really smart and everything too...! I-I'm sure I could-"
But Marduk lifted his claw into the air to silence Jet. "Again, I truly appreciate the offer," he replied. "However, I am an intelligent individual myself, and any more who cannot hold their own in even single combat may be nothing more than dead weight. And because I don't know either of you at all, I have no guarantee that you wouldn't leak any information that I could provide you with."
However, Jet wasn't about to let that slide. He wasn't going to back down from this. He felt confident that he needed to be there if Doug was. "Th-then don't tell me anything...!" he exclaimed, catching even Marduk by surprise. "K-keep me completely in the dark about everything! I-I don't mind...! As long as Doug is okay with it, then I will be too.... A-and that's all I'd need to know...!"
Marduk considered the Buizel for a moment as well. He honestly did not look like much, but he demonstrated a strong bond with his friends. Unfortunately, such a bond usually meant very little in reality. A strong will could perhaps carry him on...but if he was unable to keep up with the rest of the group, he would only serve to hurt himself.
However, there was an individual who had yet had the chance to speak. One who might have known these two better than he did. Marduk turned his attention back over to Doug. "What would your opinion be, Doug?" he asked, hoping that he wasn't pressing things too much. "Assuming you joined me...what would your opinion be on this situation?"
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Willy
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Post by Willy on Apr 22, 2013 15:19:04 GMT -5
Doug was starting to find the tent a bit crowded, though he was relieved his sense wasn't off when he had thought Jet was nearby when he had woken up. Still, his head was starting to clear. "I honestly can't speak for the zigzagoon. I don't really know him. Heck, I don't even recall ever seeing him before." Doug resituated himself, now sitting on the edge of the bed. "But if we're planning on trying to deal with Vito, the only place I can ensure Jet's safety is by my side. That's non-negotiable. And Jet's opinion on these matters is invaluable to me. If I know something, he's going to hear about it one way or another." Doug stood up now, extending his arm toward Marduk, offering a handshake. "I think I know of a place we wouldn't be bothered, where you could fill me in on all of the details so I could make a better decision. It wouldn't take long at all. How about it?"
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Apr 22, 2013 15:38:53 GMT -5
Bob frowned, hearing Marduk slowly reject him. A rebuttal swelled in his head, ready to attempt to argue otherwise, but before he could say anything, he heard a familiar voice behind him, the likes of which brought his mood up significantly. He turned around to greet the Buizel. "Jet! I didn't even notice you there!" he said.
However, hearing Jet and Marduk's exchange brought him back down into the red. Hearing the Zangoose put down Jet's combat ability was starting to anger Bob. "Hey!" he protested. "I'll have you know that Jet is the most competent fighter I know! Second to maybe Haru. And me and him are an inseparable, unstoppable force to be reckoned with. With him at the front lines, and me giving support and instructions from behind, we can give anyone a run for their money! Isn't that right, Jet?"
"In fact, if you're so confident that we can't hold our own in battle, why not put us to the test? You vs me and Jet, right here, right now!" He had completely forgotten about Doug, let alone paying attention to what he had said. It was all about proving himself at this point, and if he could prove Jet's worth as well, it'd be a nice bonus. "And if we win, it goes without saying that we'll both be valuable additions to your team." Bob smirked. "But if you refuse to fight, I will make you regret it every step of the way."
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Post by Digizel on Apr 22, 2013 19:16:46 GMT -5
As Doug began to speak about him being with him at all times, Jet couldn't help but allow a small smile to come to his face. He was still quite a bit disappointed that Doug had stated it to be for his own safety, rather than the fact that he could have been some kind of help...but he was still grateful for the gesture.
Marduk listened to Doug's proposal with interest. If Jet's words hadn't convinced him, then his definitely would have. The two of them clearly had a very powerful bond between the two of them. They clearly meant a lot to each other. If Marduk were a different kind of person, he would have laughed at just how perfect they were together.
Marduk sighed and nodded. He didn't truly enjoy the idea of this Buizel coming along for the ride, but if Doug was so adamant about it, then he would just have to accept it. But just as Doug offered his hand to shake, and probably to Teleport to some unknown location, the Zigzagoon decided to speak up again, causing him to look back at the two other eavesdroppers.
Jet seemed taken aback by Bob's sudden miniature explosion. He had known that Bob enjoyed his little fantasy in which the two of them were the 'bestest of buddies,' but he had no idea that Bob actually held him with such great respect. He was honestly a bit flustered for a moment at Bob's confidence in him--despite the fact that Jet himself had very little to no confidence in his own abilities--and he couldn't utter anything more than a simple "U-uh...." before Bob went on to challenge Marduk.
That, however, was what got Jet to snap out of his mini-trance. "Wh-what...!?" he exclaimed. "P-please, don't wrap me up in all of that...." he muttered, albeit a bit shyly. "I-I don't want to fight this guy...! N-not after the severe thrashing that he gave Haru in that opening round...." Of course, he doubted Bob actually really cared about what he had to say--let alone actually listen to him.
Although that last line made Jet cast Bob an additional glance. He had long-since learned that when Bob decided to make your life miserable...he would never stop.
Marduk looked from the Zigzagoon to the Buizel and back again. Well, this smaller one certainly seemed...full of himself. He also surprisingly seemed full of this Buizel as well. However, the Zigzagoon made one initial comment that he felt the need to reply to. "Heh...with all due respect, young Zigzagoon," he said. "The fact that you put him second to that Lucario is enough for me. While that Haru character is...competent in battle, he does not appear to be able to even reach his full potential, let alone master it. And I have my doubts that he will be standing tall in this competition for much longer. Not when up against powerful opponents such as myself and Vito.
"As to your little...challenge, I'm afraid I must decline. But not for the reasons you think. I'm afraid that competitors in this tournament are not allowed to fight outside of the ring. If they break into a fight, then one or even all of the people involved would be immediately disqualified. And this is something that I cannot allow. Not with what is truly at stake here. Otherwise, I feel it would be a worthwhile endeavor," Marduk finished.
Marduk then turned his attention back to Doug. "Now then," he muttered, reaching out with his claws to grasp firmly onto Doug's hand. "I will take you up on your offer to hear me out. As long as you can guarantee that this place you have in mind is truly as...private as you claim it to be.
"And please, do make it fast. I would rather not get interrupted again."
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Post by Willy on Apr 24, 2013 18:17:05 GMT -5
Doug looked over at the Buizel, "Jet, if you could do me a favor and lead Cassius to the trailer, I'll be along soon. Also, feel free to invite your Zigzagoon friend along. Make sure to put up the murphy bed. It could get crowded tonight. There is much to do and little time." And with that, he and the Zangoose were gone.
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They reappeared on a hill, well outside of the festival grounds and a reasonable distance away from any paths leading in and out of the festival. It was far from being the tallest hill around the grounds, but it was just tall enough that from here, the two could watch as all the lights from various booths and attractions around the festival went out, their owners shutting things down for the night. Most of them, however, would stay open for several hours more. The sun was already down, but the moon provided just enough light to see a nearby log, just large enough to be sat upon.
"This should do it," Doug reported, taking a seat on the log, "This is where Jet and I camped out the night before the festival opened. Completely abandoned now that everyone is inside the festival grounds. At the very least, there's no way Vito could know we're out here, and even if he's somehow patrolling outside of the festival, it would take him awhile to find us here.
"So, what I need to know is, what exactly is it you're trying to accomplish that you need us for?"
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Apr 24, 2013 21:18:15 GMT -5
The fire in Bob's eyes flared up as Marduk described his thoughts on Haru, despite the fact that his words weren't explicitly negative. "Ok, if anyone can reach their full potential, it's Haru," he snapped. "I mean, I may have beat him a few times... or at least I'm pretty sure I did... but that doesn't--"
Bob's words were cut short by Marduk explaining why he couldn't battle. The flames were extinguished. "Oh," he said simply, disappointed. "That actually makes a lot of sense." He looked away for a moment, stewing in his own rage at the situation, and the fact that he couldn't exactly pass it off as "unfair" for any reason.
He looked back suddenly, reignited. "But mark my words, when this tournament is ov--" He stopped, as Marduk and Doug had disappeared while he was looking away. He shook his head. "Argh... this guy..."
He looked back at Jet, realizing that the two of them had been left alone. "Welp. I've got all this pent-up rage now." He spoke with a completely blank face. It looked almost like he was wearing a mask. "I think the only thing that'll cheer me up is a proper battle."
He slowly walked past Jet again, leaving the tent. Night had fallen a little while ago, so this would be the best time to carry out his (questionable) plan. He began scoping the area, making sure to consider every last detail in order to plot an invisible course. One might say his rage was being channeled into his mind and fueling his brain, though it still wasn't doing much for his foresight of possible consequences.
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Post by Digizel on Apr 25, 2013 0:12:25 GMT -5
As Doug gave him a short list of tasks, Jet took his mental notes. He didn't even have time to say that he had them, or even acknowledge what Doug had even said, before he and the Zangoose were gone. Jet instead turned his gaze over to Bob, quickly realizing, with a sudden feeling of dread and mental exhaustion, that the two of them were now alone. Well, perhaps he could simply...slink away before Bob realized this...?
Unfortunately, he had no such luck.
As Bob turned his attention to him, Jet sighed. He had a good idea what was coming next. And, of course, he just had to be exactly right. "W-well, I'm sorry Bob, but I can't now...." he muttered. He was only half-trying to get out of a battle with Bob, the other half being sincere. "I-I need to go do what Doug told me first...." Of course, he had absolutely no confidence that this would put the Zigzagoon at bay. In fact, he was certain that Bob was just going to either insist and force him into fighting right now, or he was going to insist that they battle after he got everything at the trailer all situated.
However, he hoped for the latter. At least that way, it might be possible for him to buy enough time for himself that it would eventually simply be too late to go, and he could just use the excuse of being too tired....
Whatever the case, Jet knew that he would have no choice but to follow Bob for now. And so, that's just what he did. He stepped out of the tent behind the Tiny Raccoon Pokemon and just watched....
~~~~~
Marduk listened in as Doug gave Jet a simple pair of orders, and then the two of them were wisked away. What followed was a very fascinating sensation. He felt as though he had left the ground; as though he were simply free-floating along. At the same time, however, he felt as though he were moving in an unspecified location. To him, it seemed like he was flying through space, with the two of them still in each other's grips. He felt as though if he released Doug's hand, he'd fall into an endless void. It was certainly a thrilling, yet terrifying experience at the same time....
However, it was over just when it had begun. He felt his feet connect with the ground once more, and everything seemed to instantly revert to the way things were before the Teleport. However, they were in a location that he could only vaguely identify by the semi-distant festival grounds. The sensation had only been for a brief, instantaneous moment, yet to him it felt like it was so much more.
"I see," Marduk muttered, crossing his arms and looking around at the moonlit hill. "You're correct; this does make for an ideal location." He turned his gaze away from the hill and down toward the disappearing lights of the festival grounds. "This Teleport mastery of yours is truly quite fascinating, I must admit, I had no idea you could even Teleport to such a great distance away. Though I suppose you didn't bring me out here for me to compliment you."
Marduk turned his attention back to Doug and frowned. It was now time to get right down to business. "...Going into this tournament, I had absolutely no intention of revealing this to anybody. I had considered it best to keep it as low profile as possible. But now that I see just who exactly I'm up against, I know I cannot hope to succeed alone as I'd originally thought.
"As I'm sure you're no doubt aware, Damon and Jarek, the Scyther and Machamp, have been in...well, a partnership of sorts from the beginning. Their goal, obvious enough. To get their hands on the prize of this Festival's tournament, the Wish Stone. I am still unsure of what exactly they desire to gain as a result of this wish of theirs. However, from what I have been informed of, they have nothing but dark intentions. As the Wish Stone is...not exactly something they can just up and steal, I am certain that they are attempting to...rig this tournament as much as possible so that one of them could end up as the winner. The fact that they have decided to join forces with not just Vito Steele, but also that Blaziken, Deborah accounts for this. They presently seem to have supposedly half of the tournament's competitors, two of them the current favorites, in a partnership against the rest.
"While I can see that the Lucario, Roselia, Nidoking, Empoleon and yourself have shown no intentions of joining their ranks--or for that matter, even seem knowledgable about what is going on--they appear to have the group that's most suited to the task at hand. Particularly with Vito, who has shown very strong promise not only in maintaining high standings in this tournament, but also at gathering intelligence for that Scyther to plot with.
"To summarize, what I aim to do here is to protect this Wish Stone from those who would seek to use its power for their own selfish reasons, and from those that would seek to turn its power against the world that created it."
As Marduk finished speaking, he turned his gaze to meet Doug's, a deathly serious glare showing. "I have carefully observed the other competitors of this tournament. The Nidoking and Roselia are far too self-centered...and if I may add, talentless to shift the balance of power. The Empoleon is far too unpredictable. The Lucario seemed promising at first, despite his obviously selfish goals...however, he has since proven himself to be untrustworthy. And his struggles to defeat Deborah and that Nidoking, on top of his failure to even impress me in our first match shows him to be somewhat lacking as well. You, however, have proven that you care for others, and that you are a very reasonable man. On top of this, you have shown much promise in terms of combat as well. This makes you the only competitor who I feel I could wholly trust.
"Now...with all of this information at your disposal, I must ask of you." He uncrossed his arms and held out a claw to Doug, offering a handshake to possibly seal this deal. "Despite the dangers that this path may take you, as well as your Buizel friend...will you ally yourself with me when the proper time comes?"
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