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Post by Digizel on Jun 19, 2014 18:19:27 GMT -5
Haru was barely paying any attention to his surroundings as he continued to wander around the barren wasteland that seemed to be the Flintan Canyon. It wasn't completely lifeless, as there were a few spots of greenery around every now and again, spaced closer toward the edges of the canyon than anything else, but for the most part, it was empty and rocky. That was really all there was to it. But as Haru continued to make his way through the stone terrain, he had his arms crossed, folded against his chest, and wandered relatively aimlessly. "I can't believe this," Haru growled to nobody in particular. If anybody else were around, it would undoubtedly sound like he was simply talking to himself...which he kind of was. "Of course it has to be in the middle of my damn match that the Creator decides to intervene." The more he thought about it, the more angry he got. In fact, now he felt a powerful desire to take it out on...something. So he kicked out, smashing his foot against a nearby rock and sending it flying off down the cliffside of a crevice that was not all that far away. That did very little to improve his mood, however, and he continued to walk on, completely undisturbed.
It had been a few minutes since he had woken in the middle of this uncomfortably hot...middle of nowhere and listened to the seemingly prerecorded message describing the rules of this new version of the Wish Festival Tournament. He looked down at the bracelet-like device that he had found strapped to his wrist while he had been unconscious. The display showed a large number "3" on it, signifying that he had three "points." In order to proceed further into the tournament, he would need to gather ten points by defeating at least seven other participants in battle. That should be simple enough. And he had to admit, having the chance to erase his previous, humiliating defeats and close calls from the history of the tournament had its perks. But that wasn't really what bothered him.
The last thing that he remembered before his mind blanked was his fight with that Zangoose, Marduk, and how determined he had been to beat him after Vito had. The worst part of it all, however, was that the last thing Haru recalled happening was him getting beaten up by the Zangoose's Close Combat. Did that mean that it was the last thing that happened before...well, whatever this was that happened? Not necessarily. But he didn't care. The fact that he had been losing the fight was the last thing he could remember only served to make him even angrier. "And of course it has to happen before I get the chance to turn the fight around." he complained. Seriously. Was nothing ever going to go his way for once?
But then he suddenly stopped. His mind went back to the last time this had happened. It was a very blurry memory from a time he could barely remember...but he recalled something just like this before. He couldn't make out any of the details, but he remembered waking up somewhere new with his Pikachu friend, Jason, by his side back when he was still a Riolu. And he knew that it felt just like this. "...So I guess that was the Creator's doing, after all," he muttered. "Geez...maybe I should step up my search for these stupid Odd Diamonds or whatever and get this guy to leave me alone for once." He and Jason had split up long ago to search for the Odd Diamonds, but he doubted that Jason had had any more luck than he did in even coming close to finding one. That had actually been one of the main reasons he had even started participating in the Wish Festival tournament in the first place. Although, now that he reflected back on his situation, he wondered what the Pikachu was up to now. If he even was still a Pikachu. He wouldn't have put it past him to not let Haru get so far ahead of him and found a Thunder Stone by now.
But in his short trip down memory lane, it finally dawned on him. Flintan Canyon. That's where he was right now. His eyes widened as he realized this and he looked around him once again, as though he only just now realized his surroundings. He knew this place. This was the place where he and Jason had almost been captured by the Dimensional Guard all that time ago...it was here that Haru had first evolved from a Riolu into a Lucario. If he recalled correctly, there had also been an absurd amount of Dimensional Guard trainees seen wandering the canyon as well, meaning that they had probably been up to something. Could there be an Odd Diamond here? It was definitely a place not many Pokémon would dare to visit.
Perhaps the Creator's interference wasn't such a bad thing after all. He looked over toward the heart of the canyon once more. Maybe, while he was participating in the tournament, it wouldn't hurt to have a...closer look around this place for something greater than a stroll down memory lane. And so, he smirked to himself. Maybe he could finally get one up over the Creator. He headed off, heading downward along cliff faces. If there WAS an Odd Diamond here somewhere, it would definitely be at the bottom of thee crevices, not the top. Why bother hiding it if it would be so easily accessed, after all?
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 19, 2014 19:33:17 GMT -5
"Bah... I can't believe the Creator would station me here of all places..."
A lone Floatzel complained quietly to himself as he walked through the hot and dry Flintan Canyon. Being a water-type, he was used to being surrounded by at least a little bit of airborne moisture, but here it was like navigating an oven. He could barely concentrate on his task, which was to seek out any enemies of the Creator and lower their points in an attempt to put them at a disadvantage later. It also didn't help that he had been given no clue as to the whereabouts of the Fairgrounds, so he didn't have much of an advantage over them to begin with.
He impatiently glanced at his forearm in an instinctual gesture to check the time, only to be met with the same number that he had been given from the beginning. 3. 'Yeah yeah, what was I expecting?' he thought as he buried his face in his other paw.
When he removed his paw from his vision, he caught sight of something that brightened his mood a little. Another Pokemon, a Lucario, descending into the canyon in front of him. His first thought was that this was a fellow member of the Dimensional Guard, but he had been specifically warned about another Lucario who was a sworn enemy of his faction, so he couldn't jump to any conclusions. He had to get a closer look, maybe even talk to the fighting-type himself. If it were an ally, they'd probably recognize him instantly. If not, he could easily pass as being unaffiliated with the Guard due to his form.
Taking a deep breath, he caught up to the Lucario. "Hey," he called, walking innocently next to him and holding his paws behind his back, hiding his tournament-issued bracelet from view in case this Pokemon was looking for opponents to beat up. "What'cha doing down here? Official Guard-related business?" he casually asked, playing the role of a civilian, all the while maintaining his guard in case the encounter turned hostile quickly.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 19, 2014 19:48:37 GMT -5
Haru continued stepping downward as often as he could, taking any available paths that led further and deeper into this nearest crevice. However, he quickly sensed something...the presence of another. This was something he had practiced ever since evolving; his passive sensory abilities. Any ol' Lucario could stop and examine their surroundings with their aura capabilities. But he had tried to keep training his own passive aura sense. This, on top of his more sensitive hearing, made sneaking up on him almost completely impossible. So naturally, if another was not actually trying to be stealthy, he would be spotted immediately. And thus was the case with a Floatzel that came strolling down from behind him.
Haru stopped when the Floatzel actually called out to him started toward him. He cast only a sideways glance at the Floatzel. His first thought was that this guy reminded him a lot of that Buizel runt that Doug liked to pal around with. But there was no way such a weak little thing could manage to scrounge up enough experience and strength in order to evolve. Plus, this Floatzel didn't seem to recognize him and didn't seem to know that he wasn't part of the Dimensional Guard. This was definitely somebody he didn't know.
"...That's none of your business," Haru replied, hoping the generic reply to the Floatzel would be enough to convincingly sidestep the issue. He didn't have a problem with pretending he was part of the Guard. It actually made these investigations so much easier. "I don't need to tell you anything. People like you don't need to worry about Dimensional Guard business or what we're doing. I'm busy. So beat it."
Of course, he had no reason to believe that this Floatzel had anything to do with the Dimensional Guard...so he had no idea just who he was dealing with. If he had the opportunity to stop and scan the Floatzel's aura, it would have been a different matter altogether...but he didn't really think it was all that necessary.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 19, 2014 20:26:56 GMT -5
Franz smirked at Haru's reply, continuing along the path at the same pace, following his footing to the step. It was clear that this Lucario did not recognize him, which meant that he was either a very new recruit or he was indeed the rogue Lucario that Franz was after. The Lucario's overabundance of confidence strongly suggested the latter. Either way, he'd have a lot of fun doing what he was about to do. "Heh. Typical response from the Guard. No real concern for the safety or worries of the public." He noted the depth of the canyon, and the particularly rough terrain the two of them were currently traversing. 'Oh yes. This is going to be amazing.'
Franz gathered his strength, slowly gaining on Haru. "But I'm afraid there's something you don't realize..." he built himself up, as he surrounded his tails in a thick coating of water. He jumped down next to the Lucario. "I'm not the public!" he cried as he twisted his body around into a horizontal Aqua Tail attack. If it hit, the rogue had a very good chance of taking a nasty fall right into the center of the canyon, which would give Franz the perfect opportunity to finish him off. Of course, not before offering another smug one-liner that would put Haru in his place as well as bolster his favor with the Creator at the same time, if he was watching.
But that was all yet to come. His attack nearly made him lose his balance on the edge, forcing him to focus on not tumbling into the same fate that he hoped to inflict on his enemy.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 19, 2014 21:17:53 GMT -5
Haru couldn't help but smirk slightly at the Floatzel's reply. It amused him quite a bit that the water-type thought about the Guard just about the same as he did. Or at least, seemed to. "I get that a lot," he remarked simply, but simply could not get the smirk off of his face regardless. He always enjoyed hearing negative views of the Dimensional Guard, no matter how large or slight it was. He paid the Floatzel no mind for the next few moments, not expecting any resistance at all from some member of the general public who had managed to wander down here somehow. It didn't even dawn on him that there was no reason for a Floatzel to be all the way out here on his own....
However, when the Floatzel did not leave but instead started to close the distance between the two, the first red flag was finally raised and his suspicions rose a little bit. What was this stupid weasel up to? Surely he wouldn't try to attack somebody that he thought was a member of the Dimensional Guard, was he? He listened to what the Floatzel had to say next...and that was another red flag. There was definitely something going on here. And he had to be prepared to react to just about anything that could potentially happen. Especially if this Water-type Pokemon decided to turn things on him and attack. He then couldn't help but smirk at that thought. If that was the case, he would quickly regret his decision.
Sure enough, however, the Floatzel had jumped down to the ground beside him, clearly readying for an attack of some kind. And judging from the tail that was surrounded by jets of water, he felt that it became fairly obvious what he was up to. But he had no chance whatsoever to jump back and evade. If he did that, he'd go flying right off the cliff face. So instead, he had to do something a bit more drastic.
Instead of bracing for the impact or readying himself to counter...he simply closed his eyes, almost as though he were embracing the attack instead. In actuality, however, he was embracing his own aura capabilities and used them to sense out his opponent's exact movements. And so, when he finally opened his eyes, they had a soft, green glow to them that only lasted for a moment before fading back into their usual red. With that, his body was able to react practically of its own will. He jumped high into the air, quickly spinning to bounce off of the wall with his feet and land nimbly and safely on the ground a few feet from where Franz was standing. "...And I'm guessing that you know that I'm not a member of the Guard," he replied. He then smirked. "...But that doesn't mean I can't still kick your tail for being stupid enough to attack me."
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Willy
Moderator
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Post by Willy on Jun 19, 2014 22:10:14 GMT -5
Deb sat on a ledge overlooking the path down into the canyon. As soon as she understood the rules to the tournament she figured it was a good place to sit until she could come up with a better plan. With her jumping abilities, climbing even the sheerest of cliffs wasn't a problem. A feat she figured other pokemon would struggle with. If nothing else, she would be safe up here and could size up anyone walking below. Maybe score a point off of someone weak enough.
But what she hadn't expected was the Lucario. She was very familiar with the behavior of members of the dimensional guard, and this Lucario didn't look like one of them. She didn't know many Lucario outside of the DG. In fact, there was only one that she knew of: It had to be Haru. If it wasn't that was even more interesting.
She considered going down and getting caught up with him. Maybe even negotiating teaming up... or at least a non-aggression pact. But then that stupid Floatzel showed up and went on the offensive. Going down there now wasn't a good idea. If that Lucario WAS Haru, he wouldn't take too kindly to her getting involved. It was better if she waited. Besides, there was no way that Lucario would get in a fight and not be able to figure out she was up here. So for now, she just watched.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 19, 2014 22:29:53 GMT -5
As Franz corrected himself, he had to account for the lack of any resistance at all from his attack, costing him a few extra seconds as well as telling him that Haru had completely dodged it. He was slightly disappointed at the fact that his epic maneuver didn't work the way he had wanted it to, but oh well. At least this way, he'd get a bit more excitement out of it. He righted himself, keeping hold of his dignity, and faced Haru confidently.
He chuckled slightly at Haru's taunting. "Pft," he scoffed. "Look at you, thinking you can take me on so easily. Don't think I'm not aware of how you fared in the first tournament." He paused for effect, knowing that a guy like him would be easily riled by the mentioning of his shortcomings. "You only won the battles you did because you lucked out. Really, you should be thanking the Creator for bailing you out of yet another embarrassing match. And now you want to turn right around and challenge me, one of the top members of the Dimensional Guard? Hah! It's a wonder your cockiness hasn't already gotten you killed."
Franz leaned against the cliff face, wearing a triumphant smirk. "So, I'm going to give you one last chance. Surrender one of your points to me, and I will spare you the humiliation of losing it in battle." He said this knowing full well that Haru would not even consider surrender, especially after what Franz just said to him, but it was all part of the plan. He might not have known much about the Lucario himself, but he was well-versed in the art of psychological warfare, especially when they make it so easy for him.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 19, 2014 22:53:30 GMT -5
Haru couldn't help but chuckle a little as the Floatzel fought to correct himself after his attack missed completely. The sight of the newcomer suddenly off-balance and his momentary struggle to regain his footing amused him far more than it probably should have. However, his eyes widened slightly as the Floatzel started to mock his performance in the last tournament. But...how could he possibly know about all of that? He supposed that the Floatzel very well could have been in the crowd during the event, but should he be able to remember it so clearly?
Whatever the case, the mocking only served exactly the purpose that Franz had been hoping for. Haru growled furiously as the Floatzel mocked him and his performance. he clenched his fists, clearly not able to keep his fury bottled within him for long. In fact, the taunting was getting to him so effectively, he almost missed the part about Franz being part of the Dimensional Guard. And a top-ranked member at that? Well whatever the case, he couldn't afford to think about that right now. He watched as the Floatzel nonchalantly leaned against the cliff and smirked at him, clearly thinking he was such a hot shot. He could tell that the weasel Pokemon was underestimating him big time. And he definitely didn't take too kindly to that.
"Grr!" he growled furiously, pointing at the Floatzel again. "I don't know who you are, but if you think I'm about to surrender anything to the likes of you, then you clearly don't know me as well as you think you do!" he then, without even a moment's hesitation, rushed forward. "We'll see just how much luck I need to knock you out cold!" He pulled his fist back, which started getting surrounded in a bright orange aura. He then thrust his fist forward, aiming to deliver a very satisfying Power-up Punch attack into the gut of his new target.
As he rushed forward, however, he became aware of the presence of another person. However, he could not afford any distractions in the middle of his attack if he wanted to actually teach this supposed member of the Guard a lesson, so he tried to pay it no mind for now; he could figure out the source later.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 20, 2014 14:52:15 GMT -5
Franz watched dully as the Lucario charged at him, telegraphing his punching attack several moments ahead of time. 'This is the guy that's been giving the Creator so much trouble?' he found himself thinking. 'This'll be over in a heartbeat.' Focusing on his escape route, he channeled energy through his body to execute an Agility maneuver, allowing him to backflip out of Haru's range with ease. He landed squarely on his feet this time, the move heightening his sense of balance and maneuverability.
Once he had landed, he faked a wide-mouthed yawn to further taunt his opponent, as if to say he could have dodged that in his sleep. He took that moment to briefly consider the battlefield and his best means of counter-attack. Being on a narrow trail on the side of a cliff, there were essentially only 2 dimensions that could be used to avoid attacks - back and forth, and up and down. Franz could very easily use that fact to his advantage. Drawing his chest back, he let loose a big, raging stream of water. A Hydro Pump. He started his aim slightly above Haru, closing off his only means of escape before working the stream downward. This was certain to catch him in the blast one way or another, and probably create a large amount of distance between them from the ferocity of the water.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 20, 2014 16:01:57 GMT -5
Haru's fist struck nothing but air. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as the Floatzel so easily evaded his attack and jumped away, flipping in the air to land on his feet some distance away. "Grrr...." he growled at the Floatzel. "If you're so tough, why don't you try actually fighting instead of running away like a coward!?" He watched as his opponent let out a yawn and he clenched his fists again, readying himself to go again. He was going to teach this stupid weasel a lesson about mocking him if it was the last thing he was going to do! This time, however, he was going to try to bolster his speed as well. If the Floatzel expected another easy dodge this time, then he would be greatly mistaken.
However, he would have to wait to get the opportunity to attack. He watched as his opponent readied himself for an attack and braced himself. He wasn't sure what the Floatzel planned to do exactly, but he had a feeling that he was about to be drenched in a few moments. He crossed his arms and prepared for the attack. But instead...the burst of water spiraled over his head. "Heh...geez, where do you think you're aiming?" he taunted, not even thinking about what Franz could truly be up to. Unfortunately, however, his few moments of good mood were quickly spoiled. The water suddenly came downward. The Hydro Pump attack finally smashed into his body, with him having no escape route to turn to at this point. But this time, since he had lowered his guard to taunt, the Hydro Pump hit him full-force, sending him back.
"GRAH...!" Haru cried out in pain as the Hydro Pump sent him flying backward. He twisted slightly while in the current and he was eventually forced out of it and thrown into the wall of the cliff. He smashed into the wall, causing him to let out another loud grunt of pain before he fell forward and collapsed on the ground. He had to just lay there for a moment, trying to recover from the huge impact. But it wasn't going to be easy...especially not if Franz didn't give him enough of a chance to catch his breath.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 21, 2014 1:32:17 GMT -5
Franz took in everything his opponent was saying, tucking it away for later as he focused on the attack. He'd have his chance to strike back verbally soon enough.
Franz pumped his fist as he watched Haru get blown away by his attack. It always satisfied him to watch a trash talker go down so easily. But he was nowhere near done with him. At that distance, he guessed that Haru might have enough time to prepare for even an Aqua Jet, and he didn't want to give the Lucario a chance to inflict so much as a scratch on him. It was situations like these that made Franz pick up one particular Advanced Move. It took him months to master, due to the unconventional typing, but it was worth every second.
Concentrating deeply, Franz summoned a veil of shadows which swallowed him whole, causing him to vanish. Slipping through the cracks of the physical plane, he emerged inches before the grounded Haru foot-first, stomping down on his back with what was known as a Warp Kick. He shifted most of his weight onto his opponent to keep him pinned down.
"You don't want me to run away?" refuted the Floatzel. "Well, here I am. Up close and personal." He stomped down harder to emphasize his point, then leaned in closer to Haru's ear for an intimidating near-whisper. "What are you going to do about it?"
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Post by Digizel on Jun 21, 2014 9:39:57 GMT -5
Haru groaned lowly as Franz began to concentrate. But, he was finally prepared to get back up again to fight back. He lowered his paws to the ground beside his chest and started pushing himself back up. He managed to get up to his hands and knees before suddenly, he felt something slam powerfully into his back. "AGH!" he cried out loudly in his pain, getting smashed down into the stone ground once again...this time by none other than Franz's foot. On top of that, the spike on his chest forced his body to slightly make an uncomfortable twist to keep itself from getting splintered upon the ground after he had been practically curbstomped.
But if that wasn't bad enough, Haru could feel the Floatzel putting all of his weight down on top of him, clearly trying to keep him pinned down to the ground. And to top everything else off, the Floatzel even began to taunt him again, throwing his own taunts right back down his own throat. He let out another loud, pained cry as he felt his opponent's foot smash down onto his back again, this time even harder, and he laid helplessly underneath the Floatzel's foot. He heard Franz's final taunt, a clear whispered tone near his ear and he clenched is fists against the ground. His face even actually started to turn slightly red in his own humiliation. Not only had his words been turned against him, but he was being held down so easily and by nothing more than one of his opponent's feet.
Haru could barely believe that this was happening. He couldn't lose here.... If it was just about the tournament, he might not care that much about it. But the fact that this Floatzel claimed to be part of the Dimensional Guard was extremely worrying. If he was defeated here, he could be killed or captured and dragged back to their headquarters...and he wasn't sure which one was worse.
"I-I'm...!" Haru growled up in response and in protest to the Floatzel. "Not...going...to...lose...here...!" He put opened his fists and put his palms down on the ground beneath him and pushed. He pushed with all of his strength all at once, hoping against hope that he could at the very least throw Franz off-balance enough for him to pull away and get back to his feet.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 21, 2014 13:12:51 GMT -5
Franz continued to hold firm over Haru, waiting for the perfect moment to release him and finish him off. It was all he could do to keep from breaking his focus and laughing when the Lucario's face took on a subtle shade of red. It got better and better every time he felt it - that feeling of total dominance over another Pokemon. A sensation in which he had indulged ever since his days of training under his old trainer in the human world. It was moments like these that made him enjoy working for the Dimensional Guard. 'I hope the Creator's watching,' he thought with a smirk. 'This is absolute gold!'
He watched as Haru placed his palms firmly on the ground and tensed his muscles, as if to give one massive and desperate push. He waited until the very moment he began to shove his arms into the ground. When he did, Franz quickly stepped off of Haru, letting him push with all his strength against nothing. This was sure to catch him by surprise and leave him wide open for a punishing attack.
Franz drew his arm back, channeling all of his energy into his fist-clenched paw. Making sure to execute the move quickly, before Haru realized what was going on, he slammed his fist straight at his opponent's jaw in a wide uppercut arc, utilizing another one of his advanced moves, Power Paw. Being one of the few fighting-type moves he could potentially learn, he knew it would come in extra handy against other Lucario. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if it finished him off outright, though part of him hoped that it didn't so that he could taunt Haru one final time before seizing one third of his points.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 21, 2014 14:31:57 GMT -5
Haru's eyes went wide as his shove against the ground was met with absolutely no resistance. A split-second before he had pushed, the Floatzel had lifted his foot off of his back, leaving his shove to use much more force than it had needed or expected. His upper body was flung upward and backward. His waist did not have what it took to stop his momentum; that was left up to his knees, which stayed firmly planted on the ground. His legs bent at the knees to keep himself from flying any further back than what his somewhat flexible body would naturally allow.
Haru normally would have been satisfied with this, but there was one major issue that he was going to have to deal with first and foremost. By the time he was up, he could see that the Floatzel was pulling his fist back. He didn't even need his Detect move to see what was coming next. Unfortunately for him however, the Floatzel had managed to gather all of the strength he needed far too quickly for him to react. The next thing he knew, there was a fist smashing directly into the bottom of his jaw. He felt an immense sensation of pain as the super-effective Fighting-type move forced his head back, this time with his body following right behind it. His back was smashed powerfully into the Cliffside and it took everything he had not to slip out of consciousness right then and there.
For a moment, it seemed almost as though Haru had been hit hard enough for him to have had his body embedded and stuck in the stone wall. However, he soon fell from his spot on the wall. He slid down so that his feet touched the ground...but they were too flimsy at the moment to hold him upright and they collapsed on him completely. He fell down onto one knee and would have fallen further if he hadn't instinctively stuck one of his paws down to prop himself up and keep himself balanced. He groaned in pain and was breathing heavily. His vision was relatively unfocused. All he could see were the Floatzel's legs until he finally found it in himself to look up at his opponent's face from below. This was not exactly the best position he could be in at the moment. In fact, from an outside, or even from the Floatzel's perspective...his posture would vaguely resemble a bow of submission, despite that not being his intention at all.
"D...damn...it...all...." he growled at himself
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 21, 2014 22:25:50 GMT -5
Franz cackled like a movie villain as he witnessed the aftermath of his attack, leaving Haru barely able to stay awake, let alone move. At first, it was an overly cheesy and mocking laugh, but when Haru peeled off of the cliff like a cartoon character and fell into a submissive pose, it became genuine. He was tempted to break character and bluntly point out how ridiculously pathetic the Lucario looked right now, compared to Franz, who had hardly broken a sweat. But, perhaps that was his former trainer's influence still managing to poke its head out from his subconscious after all this time.
Franz crossed his arms, coming down from his hilarity high. "You see, Haru..." the Floatzel began, once his laughter had dwindled to the point where he could speak. "You were always meant to be a punching bag. A footstool. Take note of how you naturally fell into such a subservient state. Deep down, you know your place. You're only humiliating yourself more by denying it, so why don't you do yourself a favor and just... stop trying?"
He took a moment to briefly consider his moves one final time for the perfect finisher. It didn't take him long to settle on something. "In fact," he continued, focusing on his tails just as he had done to kick off the battle, "I'm going to make it easier for you." He twisted into a position that would give him maximum torque and make the attack sting further. "Sweet dreams." And with that, he let loose another Aqua Tail... only this time, it would actually connect, and be as satisfying as he expected it to be.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 21, 2014 22:55:39 GMT -5
Haru was helpless. He had fallen; bending his knee to this infuriating foe. And the worst part was that he knew that he was no match for this Floatzel. Even somebody like him had to admit when he was hopelessly outclassed this badly. He hadn't even managed to land one single blow upon his opponent's person...and here he was, uselessly taking the Floatzel's taunts and laughs. He certainly could not argue against him...as he had never been this greatly overpowered before in his entire life. Not even the members of the Dimensional Guard he had done battle with in the past had been so powerful, even comparatively. Not even that Zangoose, Marduk, had left him feeling this hopeless and outmatched.
But what got to Haru the most was not his own weakness...but the sheer power of the Dimensional Guard. He had known that there were far more powerful members than what he and Jason had fought in the past...but never did he imagine strength of this caliber. And while he claimed to be a high rank, he doubted that even this was as strong as the Dimensional Guard could become. Only now did it dawn on him just how powerful his enemies truly were. He could not argue against Franz's words...because that's essentially what had happened; he had been nothing more than the Floatzel's punching bag and his footstool, just as he had said.
As such, Haru said nothing to Franz's taunts and accusations. He simply looked down, toward the ground and Franz's feet, clenching one of his fists against the ground with it visibly shaking. He could not believe this was happening. Soon, however, he was unable to say anything. He saw a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye, and he felt the Floatzel's Aqua Tail slam powerfully up against his body. "AGH!!" he cried out loudly in pain, getting slammed up against the wall yet again. It was then that he slipped out of consciousness, before he even had a chance to feel his body fall from the wall and collapse onto the ground at Franz's feet.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 22, 2014 0:44:11 GMT -5
Franz turned around just in time to see Haru's unconscious body crumple to the ground with an unceremonious dull thud. That sound just about summed up the entire exchange for Franz: simple, predictable, and over with quickly. He had himself a final chuckle before he felt the heat of the canyon become the most urgent matter again. As much as he didn't want Haru knowing about it, the truth of the matter was that using water-type moves in such a dry environment was a quick way for a water-dwelling Pokemon to dehydrate itself, regardless of its power level.
He quickly double-checked his watch and saw that it had indeed gone up one digit, now reading 4. "Yep, I think I've earned this," Franz said aloud, knowing nobody would hear it, as he whipped out a good-sized bottle of berry juice from his standard-issue hammerspace inventory. He sat himself down against the cliff wall next to Haru's body and took a huge, refreshing drink of juice, letting himself relax. He had plenty of time to plan ahead, so he started thinking about what he was going to do with the Lucario. While it was against the rules to move a defeated player's body, his boss had already made it clear to him that he would receive no penalty from bending the rules a little, at least when nobody was around.
But maybe he didn't have to do anything anyway. He figured Haru had an agenda of his own, possibly to chase down the other participants of the old tournament that had bested him or otherwise left him unsatisfied with the outcome. Franz's task was much the same - to find the original players and make sure they had a hard time winning the tournament and getting at the prize. And/or win the tournament himself. So, perhaps he'd stay with Haru for a while, considering he probably wouldn't want to risk fighting the Floatzel again after such a recent and one-sided battle. There was so much potential for messing with the Lucario if he did - stealing his victories, following him to Franz's other targets, and slowly leading him further into madness.
Franz leaned back, contentedly sipping his juice. He was bound to get a promotion after this.
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Willy
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Post by Willy on Jun 22, 2014 1:22:30 GMT -5
Deb jumped down after the kind of shocking conclusion of the battle. She didn't know much about the Floatzel, but she hadn't expected the first thing she saw during this tournament was to find an opponent that Haru couldn't take down. This guy was clearly dangerous. And a water type to boot. She would have to be careful. But she had her own tricks up her sleeve. Besides, this Floatzel JUST took down a strong opponent. How much more strength could he be packing?
She landed herself a good distance behind the Floatzel, and choose her words carefully.
"You know, it's kind of funny. Most people, after being forced into some huge tournament apparently organized by the creator, might think twice before charging at a Lucario. Most people in that situation would see a Lucario and assume they needed to keep their distance. But not you. It's just... so funny.
"It leads me to wonder why someone would do something like that. Maybe you'd be completely willing to bring down the entire force of the Dimensional Guard on you. But no. Not many people want to mess with that. So that means... you know better. You know something anyway. You knooooow... this guy wasn't Dimensional Guard. Probably. I mean, he must not be. He doesn't look trained. His battle style didn't anyway.
"So how did you know that? Before fighting him? Seemingly at a glance? Why weren't you panicked about seeing a Lucario after all that?"
Deb kept herself at the ready to move at a moments notice. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of an attack just yet. At the first sign of danger she would have to run, and hopefully come back for Haru later. The rule against moving knocked out contestants would work in her favor here.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 22, 2014 3:52:59 GMT -5
Upon hearing something drop down behind him, Franz nonchalantly turned his head. He hadn't been expecting to see another Pokemon this soon, but especially seeing that it was a Fire-type, he was not concerned in the slightest. He merely took another large drink of juice, making sure he had plenty of fuel for his water-type moves in case things quickly turned sour...
...which they didn't, at least not right away. This Blaziken seemed more interested in solving him like a puzzle than fighting him. As such, he patiently listened to her state her thoughts out loud, saying nothing to interrupt except a brief "You can say that again!" after explaining how she knew that the Lucario wasn't a member of the Dimensional Guard.
When she finished with her small barrage of questions, Franz was in the middle of taking yet another long gulp of juice, letting the silence draw out before his big reveal. He had no qualms with spoiling the solution of the puzzle. "To answer all of your questions," Franz started, setting the half-empty bottle down, "It's pretty simple. I'm in the Guard. And I don't care if you know that because, judging from the fact that you saw me and him meet, and that you're still here, you saw the whole battle. And if you did, you'd know that you would probably have a rough time taking me down on your own." Satisfied, he picked up his drink.
'Hey, come to think of it,' Franz thought to himself, 'Wasn't one of the battlers from the first tournament a female Blaziken?' He took a sip. 'Hmm. I'd probably recognize the name if I heard it.'
"I'm Franz, by the way," he introduced himself, in the hopes that he'd get the Blaziken to return the favor. "It's a name you'd best remember."
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Willy
Moderator
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Post by Willy on Jun 22, 2014 4:19:33 GMT -5
"You're right. I'm not interested in fighting you, though. And I don't think you seem to be interested in fighting me. But a girl has to come prepared anyway, right?" Deb knew that if this guy landed a single hit she would have a hard time backing out. She needed to make sure she had her distance.
"Believe me, Franz, I'm sure it's a name I won't forget anytime soon." Deb knew DAMN well this guy was trying to bait her into giving her name. While she was pretty sure she had covered up her involvement in any of her heists very well, this was still the Dimensional Guard she was dealing with. Any amount of information she could keep from them might give her the upper hand in getting what she wanted.
"So that leads me to wonder, if you aren't interested in me, what makes this Lucario different? I mean, we're in a tournament. You have every reason to attack me, but you aren't. But I just watched you steamroll this guy. You clearly wanted to give him a beating to remember. Not only that, but you're sticking around after the fact, so what do you want from him? What do you get from this guy that you don't need from me?" Deb had to tread carefully. This guy clearly knew something. About this tournament, about Haru, about the guard itself. This could be a rare opportunity for her to get answers she couldn't get otherwise.
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