Bfroger6

"Right right, let's go." Move to I14, Play for Idei

ALL And with that, the crew boarded the Nexus Drill. Their journey through #08 was perilous but they managed to quell its Core. As such, they were headed back towards #00 to report to Vice President Mason, serving as the substitute for Mr. Shun, who still seems to be busy over at #04. Uno's condition is stable, but both Zeta and Betani seem awfully quiet. Zeta casts one last look at her home before her second ever departure from it. She's helped her new friends save her world, but something was still amiss to the young girl. Betani was probably just jealous though. She sat with her head turned away from everyone else, a slight scowl adorning her face, and grumbled into her chin. Terry climbed aboard joyfully. His demeanor was always so...er...well, he appeared calm as always, but he still had to wipe away a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead as he let out a slight sigh of relief that it all ended well. However, speaking of ending well...Gina was surely not going to be happy to have not been assigned to the group this time as well. He's gonna have to deal with that at home...yeesh... --- Life and death's balance restored. --- > CHAPTER #02 END < Bond with Terrence ranked up. -Assist is now available- Bond with Betani ranked up. -Assist is now available- Bond with Unoppiae ranked up. -??? is now available- -Assist is now available- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile........ #00 SPACE AETHER HQ BUILDING NAT *+ Vice Prez Mason* Music: Vice Prez's Clutches It was ridiculous that Mason had to deal with this manner of idiotic situation twice already with the 'promising new generation' of Cadets that have arrived. Everyone spoke of how great they were and rumors have already begun spreading through the HQ building that they've managed to solve the #08 issue without any trouble at all. However, they were sloppy as all hell. First, that girl, Cathode, she was late to the ceremony. And now this new girl, Nat, was even more late. No, she'd never even shown up at the ceremony to begin with-! After all, the ceremony had been yesterday-! /This manner of behaviour is beyond irresponsible. You'll be kicked out of the Cadets first this in the morning when the administration gets my call-!/ Would've been what he'd have said to her. Yet he...no she... What was even up with this girl? Mason glances down at the file he'd brought with himself. Apparently, this was supposed to be Natalie Dot-Delerue. Yet something was obviously wrong from the get-go. Even a blind fool would've been able to see something was terribly terribly wrong with the girl that showed up. "Err...you are Natalie, correct?" Mason asks quietly, trying to keep his voice composed and calm. "You do realize you're a whole day late for your graduation ceremony, young girl?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------- #04 PORT TOWN DAMIEN *+ Space Aether Employees* Music: Paradise (#04 theme) The weather was beautiful above the Wailuda island, as always. The sun burned hot, but no one had any qualms with it. The sounds of waves crashing lightly against the shore was only overshadowed by the constant countless voices exchanging greetings down the streets. The inhabitants of #04 tended towards tanned skin and hearty manners. They welcomed everyone equally to this little tourist spot which thrived on Magikarp. Yet there was no time to rest for the Cadets. Damien rushes hurriedly down the narrow streets as he receives an urgent call to arrive at the beach. Something had gone wrong. Terribly wrong. But what!? "Oh thank goodness, we need more backup, quick-!" The Space Aether Employees already at the scene rush Damien towards the waterfront. Music: Magikarp's Revenge There...a horde of Magikarp, seemingly furious, had jumped out of the water and began terrorizing the people at the beach. Screams pierce the skies. Panic tears the air. Damien can barely hear his A-Comm beeping as a familiar voice comes echoing through it. A voice he recognizes as that of Ray-the Cadet dispatcher. "04 guys, you have permission to use your Pokemon-!" She says. "Defeat the Magikarp-! Boss is handling the Gyarados further from the beach, driving them away-! I repeat, you need to defeat the Magikarp and rescue the citizens-!" The boss she referred to was none other than Mr. Shun, the head of the Cadet department. Damien knew of him and he'd worked under his command during this mission at #04. Mr. Shun is still within sight of the bearded Cadet, fighting a Gyarados out in the calm seas with his own Gyarados. Things seem to be going well for the Boss, so there's nothing for Damien to worry about there. So Magikarp it was... !!! And then the situation was secured. "Great job, everyone-!" Ray says through the A-Comm. "It was a real help. Thanks." ... Evening soon descended upon #04. It was a hard day at work but it was nothing unusual. However, Damien had heard tell that a VIP had gotten injured at #08 and was being escorted back to her home at #04 to rehabilitate. Would it be worth looking into? He had the location the Drill was going to be arriving at, so might as well, no? ----------------------------------------------------------- AETHER HQ #00 THE #08 CREW *+ Zeta, Terry, Gina and Betani* The Crew arrived back at #00 HQ after the busy day at #08. The blinds were already slowly shutting on the dome over Aether City, basking it in a lulling nightly atmosphere as the street lamps went on. Gina awaited them all as they landed, along with a medical team. As the Drill landed, they grabbed Terry by the arm and pulled him along with Uno towards the medical bay. Terry only had time to wave at the crew before disappearing, but you're sure you saw him let out another sigh of relief as he's taken to the safety away from his wife's rage. "Kalva, where's Kalva???" Gina screams, pushing Betani away as she rushed to greet Kalva. As she finds the boy, she grabs him into a hug and rests her chin on top of his head, perching like a bird would in a nest. "I heard you fought the Core. I was afraid for you." She says with a gentle tone. Meanwhile, Betani makes a face as if she's going to puke, while Zeta claps happily and greets Gina. Gina addresses the greeting with a slight nod of the head. "We're all fine, you old hag." Betani retorts. "Now leave the boy before you end up smothering him to death or something. We should head to the Vice President in order to report anyways. You guys wanna stop somewhere before we go?" [You can stop at these places:] -Jenny's Ice Cream shop- -The Abravators'-

Move to K12, hold

"Okie, okie, let's do this~" Move to G16, attack Cav 8 with Blessed Iron

EMM *+Space Aether Employees* "Errrrrrr...I doubt an Onix would be able to safely climb up here. We'll just lower a rope..." ALL *+Terry, Betani, Zeta, Uno, Space Aether Employees* Terry nods at Kalva with a smile. "Thanks for the info. Neeways...oi, Clare got knocked out." He says, hurrying over to the Clefairy and returning it to the Aether Ball. He lets out a sigh before speaking up again, just in time when the rope was dropped. "We'll need to secure the girl and see if she's suffered any injuries, so stop movin her around." He says at Cathode and Suzie with a big of a frown. "First aid, please, you know that. What you're doing is dangerous without checking on her vitals first. And yup. T'was my Steelix. He's a lazy bastard but he's a great help too. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding a Metal Coat around #05. The Janitors who find 'em there sell them too so there's that. Lots of them get used up for the construction over at #01 though, so the source is dwindling." Waiting for Suzie to lower Uno down, still on her back, not into the water. Putting her into the water would be bad. He takes out his A-Comm and runs it over her to check on everything. "She seems fine but still no Onix acrobatics. We'll have the folks up there help us carry her out..." ... A bit of shenanigans later and everyone is back on the surface, seeing the trees crumbling easily in the Drill's wake. The Employees gather everyone into the vehicle and soon enough, the crew is back at the #08 base, at Zeta's house. "Great job, guys-! We've downloaded the data from your A-Comms and have confirmed the Core has been neutralized. You should board the Drill and get back to #00. Oh, but Emmanuel. Leave the Cores at #08. Bringing them outside the Nexus could collapse it. It's not safe." Ray says through the A-Comm. "Mr. Mason will be awaiting you at HQ, so...err...look forward to that..."

Saber and Nadia Tessa listened intently to what her Master had to say about her plans, and honestly, she was quite surprised and pleased. Nadia was far more calculated than she could've hoped for. Her experience from the last War was bound to come in as a great boon to them. Which only meant Tessa couldn't slack off either. If they were going to be proactive, then she was going to try her best not to miss any details. The city itself mapped itself in front of her eyes as the buildings gave way to streets. Lamp posts served as reminders of the traveled road, passing by at a constant pace as Tessa jumped and rushed between and on top of them. The city was brimming with magic, as expected. Caudoran... She wanted to study her enemies so coming in contact with them was something she hoped she could accomplish right off the bat. If she failed, however, then she'd at least have a better grasp of the city anyways. She was on the winning side for sure. /I see, Master, that you've come prepared. Being paired with such an resourceful Master is bound to reap benefits for the both of us. After all, I am as great as one would expect. A home it is, then. I look forward to seeing it for myself./ Nadia's abilities eluded Tessa. The woman had a sword and the void. Her blade was a void as well, strapped of any value aside from combat. It was scary in many ways, one of which was how well Tessa presumed it represented her Master's personality. Nadia was hiding much from her yet it was somehow fine because she required nothing in return as well. She didn't peek into her parameters, opting to ask directly instead. A unique Master... /I am entering the Commercial District, Master. For now, I've not encountered any enemies, so I shall proceed with my maping. What will you do in the meantime?/

Ranga was fairly relieved when the Doctor and the others dismissed the idea that this was an Angel attack. Truly the very thought of the Angels was enough to send her body quivering in anticipation and fear. Had they gotten close enough to infiltrate their minds she'd be terrified-! She already felt better knowing everyone was affected but Alma's claims put her fully at ease. She happily started eating the breakfast with a big smile on her face. "We need to go get ready already?" The girl exclaimed, quickening her eating pace. When she was done, she went over to the room to change into the required attire but not before approaching the Doctor. "Are normal clothes fine, A-alma?" She blushed slightly, waiting for a reply.

ALL [NOTICE] Ok with Chapter #02 over our ranks have been sort of cut down. From the starting 9 members PiS is now down to 6 with Yash providing the 7th spot as a new addition and a friend of mine probably joining as the 8th. This still leaves space for one person. As such, PiS is looking for a new recruit eager to become a Cadet and discover brave new worlds. Contact me via DM if you desire to involve yourselves further-! We can work on a character concept from there onward. Also, the Combat System has been revamped. I shall be editing the changes into the OoC Combat System section shortly. [EDIT] The changes have been made. "Is it time for vacation already, Uno? Wait, what's a vacation anyways? Sound fun!"

Rosie and Rider "Yer awfully quiet, girl." Rosie remarked as they walked. He'd taken to trying to get any sort of further talk from the girl. Not about her abilities, that is. Even a blind man could see she wasn't gonna talk about that yet, but something else, eh? "What do ya like to do? You said you gotta get accustomed to my mana, so that's gonna be some time, even if just a day. See, I wouldn't wanna have ya get bored on me or something. Of course, you'll have to help me investigate if nothin' else. How're you with, say...hmm, oh I know-! subtlety? Err actually, bad question, considering the cape. See if you can't help me investigate even, what're ya gonna do?" The two of them got to the inn eventually. The young woman with a cowboy hat at the counter reading the newspaper with her feet on said counter, but in very fancy cowboy boots didn't seem to mind Rosie coming in bare-chested and drenched in water, soaking the floor instantly. Red probably soaked the floor as well. The insides themselves were quite what one would expect from some cowboy related hotel thing, with those bison skulls and lots of leather around. The lobby had a nice big brown sofa as well and opened up into a bar further in, since this place was obviously also a thematic cafe bar too. It really looked like an inn from the moment one walked in. "Ya don't mind the young lady, right? She just arrived to visit her uncle, right~?" "It's the hotel's problem only if the police get you." She flipped the newspaper over to the next page, the bubble-gum bursting in the corner of her lips. "Lovely gal, ain'tcha~" "Sure." Rosie's room was upstairs above the tavern of course, like it should be. A nice albeit small single room with a big bed covered with old fashioned and tattered looking sheets. Like something you'd see in a movie. There was a small, like, really small TV over at the cabinet against the wall facing the bed and a door opened op to a small bathroom. As they got in Rosie took his pants off as well and threw all the clothes (hat included) over by the radiator to heat em up and walked towards the bathroom. "I gotta shower so you behave and get acclimated to the room the same way as ya gotta to my mana. There's a TV too. Oh and no worries there're no other guests from what I heard and saw. This place ain't popular but hey I like it." He said, closing the door with a thud. Soon enough and some whistling could be heard from the bathroom, followed by the sprinkling of the shower. ------------------------------------ Saber and Nadia Tessa looked at Nadia with a raised eyebrow. "Well, Master, not to be rude, but a map would be a good place to start so I know where to go. You have it with you, no?" She asked, trying not be sound rude as she did so. In actuality she'd expected Nadia would've produced the map by now on her own and given it over to her instead of just telling her to commit the city to memory. Of course she was gonna commit it to memory, but first she wanted to actually see what it looked like from an aerial view. "Well, nevermind, I'll just find some pamphlet somewhere. Even a city such as this has got to have maps on tourist stands and whatnot. Well then, so long, Master." Tessa jumped from the building. As her feet touched the ground below, she quickly darted in the direction towards the city's center. Or well where she saw the city center was from her vantage point at the warehouse. Nadia told her to keep in touch. /Master, I'll be progressing swiftly. As I observe I shall map as well. You've probably already arranged our base of operations for this war, seeing as this isn't your first war...right? Some leyline place like the warehouse? Please don't tell me it is the warehouse?/

EMM *+ Aether Employeees* As soon as Emmanuel climbs up, he is greeted by a group of Employees mowing the now glowless trees down with the drill to make a direct path over from the main road to the Wishing Well. They'd help Emmanuel get out of the Well before asking him about how the situation down there was. They had ropes and rescue groups ready to pull everyone up as needed-! ---------------------------------------------------- KALVA *+ Terry* Terry nonschalantly waves at Kalva. "My hearing's back. There was a lot of noise out there so I hope ya guys're all right." A noticeable change had occured within the room. The powerful, blinding glow was all but gone, putting Terry under a heavy blanket of darkness. However, he had his A-Comm and used it as a flashlight. "Step to the side of the crack, please. I reckon it'd be safe to attempt to break it now." He says and waits for Kalva to get back the way he came from. "The signal's back on too, eh? Then lemme just..." A few moments, some crunching and splashing, and an exhasperated roar later, and the wall with the crack bursts into a cloud of dust and sparkles. "There there." Terry pats the head of an gigantic iron snake, which lazily lays down on the ground next to him, not minding the overall wetness of the floor and the chamber. It's a Steelix. And it closes its eyes with a deep breath. "Thanks buddy." Terry pats it again and returns it to its Aether Ball. "So what did you guys have to fight against? Don't tell me you managed to beat the core."

[Meanwhile...] #00 HQ Music: Lounging About "A-ah, sorry I'm late everyone-!" Ray practically busted the door to the communications room down. People were already assembled hours ago...but it was nothing new, truly. Ray was known to be late every once in a while. Said once in a while being every day.. She gave everyone an apologetic smile before taking a seat at one of the monitors. Plugging her A-Comm and putting the headphones on, she was ready to work. "Lady Ray, we've received a distress call from #08. They mention cores so it might be important, but it's a kid on the line...sooo..." The nameless Employee makes an awkward face. Ray looks at him with a frown and he redirects the call to her. Satisfied, she nods and focuses on the screen. If it was a kid...then was it those kids? "Yelllo, come in, this is HQ. We've received your signal. What do you mean by casualties? And who's Uno?" She took a moment, locking onto the signal. The ID was indeed from one of the kids. And blimey, the entire Nexus #08 was suddenly readable-! How did all the interference disappear so quickly? "Oh, Emmanuel, right? You're with the newest batch of Cadets. A-are you saying you guys came in contact with the #08 core!? W-what? How? Are you all safe?" #08 CORE CHAMBER Betani interjects, grabbing Emmanuel's A-Comm and pulling it closer to her face. "Hey Ray this is Betani. You should really sent a dispatch crew to our coordinates. We have injured people and we can't get out all like that. You can read our location now if there's signal, no?" "Y-yes-!" The little Ray holgram speaks up flusterdly. "Already done-! Hey Betani I can't read your A-Comm's signal though. What happened?" "It got broken. Core Problems, you know." "Ah...w-wait no I don't know! Like, this is the first contact with a Core since I got my job so...er, yeah I have no idea what you mean! It's also the first contact since you got your job. Ugh,,,alright we'll arrange for a replacement ASAP! And you guys just sit tight, help is on the way. We'll hear your report once you're safe."

There seems to be signal now.

Distracted by Clarence's attack, the enemies fail to record Emm and Nicaea running up towards the Pixie Core. Emmanuel captures the jist of the moment, taking advantage of the situation to deliver a decisive blow to the Pixie Core. Nicaea's Acid /Pixie Core has fainted/ The Acid attack corrodes the Pixie Core and it loses all shine, falling to the ground. The feeling of death starts overcoming all of the present Cadets. Outside in the world, the crystallized tree begin cracking as the Dread Core forms a ghastly form around itself. As it forms, the Tree of Life crumbles. Before the Cadets stands an unknown monstrosity, reminiscent of the desing they saw at the Abravators'. The ??? is the Dread Core, one side of the 8th Aspect and the one you chose. Its aura...it is pure death. If not stopped soon, the- Sableye's Feint Attack crit: 79,8 It's not very effective. /??? takes 70 damage/ Suzie's Rock Tomb miss: 92,3 no miss crit: 76,0 no crit It's super effective-! /??? takes too much damage/ The monster disappears in a pile of rocks, dust and black smoke. The Dread Core falls to the ground as well, with it dispersing the feeling of Death. Music: Core Ciphers CORE PHASE OVER. YOU HAVE OVERCOME THE ASPECT. CONGRATULATIONS Everyone not KO'd earns 100 Exp. Everyone KO'd earns 50 Exp. Everyone earns another 100 Exp for fighting an Aspect. Everyone earns 50 EP. Everyone earns 1 SP. In fact, it feels like a weight has been lifted from the entire world, and not just you. Zeta smiles with relief as she hurries to Clarence's side. Betani appears indifferent though slightly blushing. Perchance out of surprise? Regardless, Uno is still unconcious. Seems like she never did reach the Tree in the end. You'll have to check with her if she considers you've solved her request in the end... [Quest Failed? - Escort Uno to the Tree of Life] [Mission Solved - Defeat the Tree of Life] Everyone earns 100 Exp. Everyone earns 50 EP. Everyone earns the potential of N-Power: Fairy and N-Power: Dark. Take a breather, you all. And don't forget to call for help.

Saber and Nadia Tessa remained quiet as she followed Nadia to the roof, still in her spirit form. She was, in a way, pouting like a young child would, yet in another she was thinkng about what the woman had said to her only moments before. Nadia was harsh but there was more underneath that harshness. Tessa couldn't quite see herself getting used to it during what was surely to be but a short meeting in this fleeting war, and it kind of felt bad even. Especially when she said she trusted her to know her own limits... So she wasn't going to even look at her parameters. Yet there she was all confident in this war, or at least appearing confident. Tessa reappeared with a sigh, standing at the edge of the roof next to Nadia. "If you saw my parameters you would surely think me underwhelming. Even so I am not going to be too finicky about it. My privacy was gone the moment I became your Servant and there's nothing wrong with that, nor anything I can do about it." She observed the city as Nadia explained. "A-and enough of my eyesight. Had you looked at my parameters you would've been aware of the harsh fact that, sadly, my eyesight is nothing out of plain ordinary. By mapping the city do you mean you actually made an actual map, Master, or merely you mapped it in your head? Regardless, it might be best I scouted. I should be able to avoid any big confrontations with the use of my Lumen, but we still have no information on what the other Servants' powers are. If you'll allow, and I'm certain you will, then I shall check the city out tonight." Tessa turned to face Nadia. "And Master. Thank you for trusting in my abilities. As a Saber, I won't let you down, even if you see my blade as a decoration. I shall make it a sign of my existence."

Saber and Nadia The way Nadia responded hardly surprised Tessa, yet it still shook her beyond what she was comfortable with. A chill ran down her body as she suddenly felt exhaustingly helpless in face of this woman. Yet she forced these feelings to condense within a single drop of sweat which quivered on her forehead before she swiftly wiped it off with her sleeve. She felt cold. It was unpleasant. Nadia was unpleasant, yet she spoke the truth and it was the same truth Tessa knew about herself already. "...I have scars too, you know." She looked to the side, the sparkle gone from her earrings. "You don't know me. I'm more than what people think..." And with that, she vanished into Spirit Form, leaving Nadia alone in the warehouse. --- Rosie and Rider Rosie gave Rider a worried look. He tried to make it look as understanding as possible, yet there was a healthy dose of distrust in it too. She was still a Servant even if she looked like a lil' girl. He'd held off from prying too much into her parameters when he saw what and who she was, but suspicious was suspicious. If she couldn't trust him he couldn't trust her either. Yet that was precisely why he had to be the one to make the first move of showing his trust to her and establishing their contracted relationship as a positive one. "Aight I won't force you. Tell me what bothers ya when yer ready. Til then I hope we don't end up dead." He gave a shrug and grinned at her. "Don't worry, I ain't mad, so let's go to the hotel." Rosie led the way out the alley, remembering to pick his shirt up from the road. This was going to be an issue because he wanted to be able to more safely sneak around and try to find the other Masters, but guess he was gonna have to either scratch that plan or just do it with Red staying somewhere at a long distance. "Neeways, Rider, can these people sense me as a Master now that ya said ya won't go spirit form. Guessin' you'll have to keep a distance if I wanna go check some suspicious folks out." He walked back out to the main street. "The hotel's actually more like an inn or something. A tavern? Old west styled. The places here are great, you'll see."

Rosie and Rider "Thank ya. People tend to think it a girls' name so I gotta appreciate when someone appreciates it-!" "Your abilities, eh?" Rosie scratched his chin. Well, he didn't know what exactly she meant, but if she had to get acclimated to his mana, then so be it. He wasn't about to rush into combat straight off either way. To be honest though, he'd summoned a Rider. Would he have preferred any other class? Not really. "Not that I fully get'cha but I'll trust ya. I gain nothin' from rushing it either. 'Neeways, feel any Servants nearby? I'm stayin in a hotel. It's close enough. The streets in this part of town are usually brimmin with people of all nationalities. I find it quite fascinating, so it's a shame the rain shoo'd em all off just on the day it all starts." Rosie gave a short sigh. He seemed genuinely disappointed. "I don't get to freely travel lots lately. Used to work in the police and some time at the airport too. Miss those days." "Tya, but don'tcha worry. Though do say, can ya stay reasonably undetectable by other Servants if you do that Spirit thing? Gotta know just in case. I might go check on suspicious people on my own if ya could." --- Saber and Nadia Tessa scowled at the sight. She couldn't help but look when the woman advised her not to. She regretted not listening. "Truly it is a most unpleasant sight. Like stitches, only somehow you made it look even worse, Master. Hope it doesn't leave a scar." She flicked her hair again at her Master's surpise over the request she'd placed to observe. "I am hardly a regular Saber, Master. I am a tactician at heart, my will that to lead others to our joined victory. Yet do not let this confuse you-I can fight on my own as well. You see, what I see, that I learn, and what I learn, I can put into use at full efficiency immediately. For example, I could predict your move in combat before you make it merely by noticing the certain muscles on your body flexing in a certain order. Or run a calculation within a fraction of a moment to seize the best opportunity to strike through my foe's blind spot. Observation is the key. What I observe, that I shall surely defeat." Her gazing eyes were dead-set on Nadia's as she spoke. And she spoke with a great self-confidence behind her words. One that would let Nadia know just how highly the woman standing before her as her Servant thought of herself, yet there she was submitting to another's will so easily, all because of the Grail. Tessa was, truly, torn. She'd read into Nadia's patterns already, yet there were...irregularities. Unexpected occurences falling outside of expected behavior. What did the woman want from the Grail? What did she need to wield her for? "I can see the best way to interact with you is to be direct. What I desire from the Grail is knowledge-knowledge that I have been prohibited from attaining in my life. Knowledge that could set my worth in stone. I wish to realize how my life could have went had I been born into a different social position. And I wish to learn of which god it was that granted me my power, my light. Possibilities. Patterns I've lost. Simply put, by attaining such knowledge, I wish to throw my life in disarray, so that I may rebuild myself, better. More human. That is all."

BETANI "You idiots-!" She screams at the team members who've lost. "You cannot order your Pokemon just like that. A good Cadet analyses the situation and works together with the rest of their team! You guys are losing because three mindless rocks have better teamwork than you!" "Don't you care if someone gets hurt!?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE TREE OF LIFE ALL *+Uno, Clarence, Shelly, Betani Zeta* CORE PHASE CONTINUES Nicaea charges up. /Nicaea's Atk and SpA go up/ Sableye uses Detect. As Taylor sends Kenshiro out, he commands it to use Flash on the Dread Core. A bright burst of lights emanates through the chamber, focused on the Core. It is covered in the blinding light, yet something peculiar happens. It seems the attack's effect spread over to the Pixie Core and the Tree of Life as well. /Dread Core's, Pixie Core's and Tree of Life's Acc falls/ Zeta turns to the others. "G-guys. I think we can plan a team attack for next turn as Miss Betani says. I'll have Clarence play the bait. He agrees to this idea. When the Cores target him now, you all attack the Tree and break it-!" Clarence nods as well and starts running at the Tree. As he does so, he starts...err...well, it sounds the same as when he's trying to sing, but this time the screaming seems to focus into bursts of energy which collide upon the enemies. Unable to respond in time after the Flash, the enemies are struck. Clarence's Action: Disarming Voice (90 Power) on all enemies Tree of Life crit: 4,5 A critical hit-! Pixie Core crit: 72,4 no crit Dread Core crit: 64,1 no crit, It's super effective-! /Tree of Life takes 90 damage/ /Pixie Core takes 30 damage/ /Dread Core takes 60 damage/ And the dice has been rolled. The Cores focus on Clarence, all turning towards him as he continues running towards them. Pixie Core's Action: Aurora Beam (145 Power) on the water in front of Clarence miss: 74,8 no miss The Pixie Core fires a beam of radiant light upon the water around Clarence, moving in a circular fashion around him in order to freeze his escape routes. Meanwhile, the Dread Core casts its wings once more. Dread Core's Action: Oblivion Wing (160) on Clarence miss: 48,6 no miss Seeing as Clarence has been trapped, he has nowhere to run when the wings collide upon him. He is struck down easily. /Dread Core restores 15 HP/ "Guys, now! They won't be able to guess you're coming and fire their attacks to target you in time-!" Tree of Life whips up a whirlwind... [8th Aspect - Death] /Nicaea loses 9 HP, Kenshiro 8 and Sableye 11/ /Dread Core recovers 14 HP/ [Ingrain takes effect] /Tree of Life recovers 39 HP/ Music: Core Struggles Turn Order: Radovan (Sableye) -> Emm (Nicaea) -> Taylor (Kenshiro) ->Tree of Life ... Clarence (♂), Lv: 15 HP (0/150): #################### ATK: 51 DEF: 60 SP.ATK: 69 SP.DEF: 74 SPE: 36 Nature: Relaxed (+Def/-Spe) Status: / Ability: Friend Guard Moves: Disarming Voice, Pound, Sing, Aromatherapy, Heal Pulse ... Tree of Life (), Lv: 26 HP (???/???): #################### ATK: - DEF: - SPA: - SPD: - SPE: 0 -> 0 Nature: - Status: Def (-1); SpA, SpD, Spe (+2); Acc (75%) Ability: 8th Aspect Moves: Razor Wind (120), Ingrain, --- Pixie Core (), Lv: 26 HP (???/???): #################### ATK: - DEF: - SPA: - SPD: - SPE: 0 -> 0 Nature: - Status: SpA, SpD, Spe (+2); Acc (75%) Ability: 8th Aspect - Life Moves: Geomancy, Aurora Beam (145), --- Dread Core (), Lv: 26 HP (???/???): #################### ATK: - DEF: - SPA: - SPD: - SPE: 0 -> 0 Nature: - Status: SpA, SpD, Spe (+2); Acc (75%) Ability: 8th Aspect - Death Moves: Oblivion Wing (160), Block, --- --- Nicaea 85/94 Atk, SpA (+2) Kenshiro 78/86 Sableye 99/110

Saber and Nadia "Hmph." Her Master provided some very good counter-arguments...and the way she delivered them all so easily, Tessa couldn't stop an uncomfortable blush of defeat from washing over her face. Yet she could already tell how this woman behaved. She analyzed her, her speech, her body language...no doubt about it, her Master was someone direct and powerful. "Truly a pig's blood would have been most awful...ugh the smell I can imagine it already..." The very thought sent chills down her spine. She cocked her hip as she placed a hand on it, eyeing Nadia. Glorified art piece eh. She'd lost her dear sword once and she wasn't gonna stand for someone belittling it, especially someone with such a barren yet most likely effective blade on their hands. "No need to fret, my blade shall strike as true as you desire, piercing our enemies' weak spots with ease. I do not intend to lose this war either." She spoke as she took a single step closer to Nadia, hands behind her back, still looking around and at the floor, cautiously so as to not step on aynthing...unsightly. "What shall be our first move, Master? I would wish to observe our enemies in action as soon as possible."

Saber and Nadia Stepping forward from the light was a figure whose very figure served as an extension of said light, as a gem-embedded over-the-top, bright silver blade dangled from her hip. She wore mostly white, all soft, pastel colors, and her step echoed in the abandoned warehouse. She was a Saber all right, but not the one Nadia might've been hoping for. Tessa came out of the light with a smile, but as the light dimmed, so did her expression darken. She noticed the place she had been summoned in, heard the rain smashing against the tin roof above her and her Master's heads, smelled the stale odour of the candles...all whilst feasting her eyes upon a truly unbeautiful darkness. The girl flicked her short hair to the side with a motion of her hand, diamong earrings flashing momentarily in what little glimpses of light they could catch. Her Master as well. The blade she was holding...it was so...so blank. It wasn't plain, she couldn't put a finger on it, but...it certainly wasn't something she'd want to be seen with in public. Nadia would probably be able to notice how Saber glared intently at the blade in her hand. The blood on it...oh, had she been summoned from this woman's own blood? First mildly interest event of the evening. The girl placed a hand to her chin, furrowing her brow. Her Master appeared to be a somewhat reliable magus even at first glance, yet they... "Master. Excuse me if I'm being rude...I mean, maybe you couldn't get a nicer venue, but...why exactly did you have to summon me inside this...ah...I can't find the right words. Would you call it a...yes, a damp and repulsive dump. And what is that you're holding in your hand? It is bloodied, by your own blood, no? I appreciate the gesture, but I am hardly one to be sullied like this. You should've done better. Even so, I am yours to command. Saber, ready." Rosie and Rider Rosie raised an eyebrow at the girl which stepped from the light. There was so much about her which appeared as such opposing concepts, yet coexisting in a perfect and seemingly natural balance. This young girl, his Servant, was both beautiful and terrifying, serene whilst almost animalistic. She was something else entirely. He'd known Servants were gonna be powerful creatures, yet this was far from any of his expectations. Not power at its most basic, yet power as something otherwordly yet real. Something that was far above this world, but attuned to it as well. A manic materialized desire. He tried not to flinch as she held his hand so softly, yes there was something irresistible in it. Something that made him wince against his will at such a simple gesture. But after a moment of tense silence behind the cover of the rain, Rosie finally grinned widely and his hand grabbed her within a hearty, yet not forceful, handshake. "Nice to meet ya, young girl. My name's Rosie. Pleasure's all mine. I am, after all, grateful ya accepted my invitation to this War-!" He spoke harshly yet clearly and without any negativity. "What did an old-timer like me do to deserve such a polite and lovely lil' Servant, Missy. How should I call you?"

Rosie Shirts are primarily a piece of clothing, yet there is hidden potential in how they can be used. If one were to truly think about it, even a simple rag could be used a multitude of ways. One of those purposes, however, definitely wasn't being good protection from a downpour. A man in flip flops ran down the street in between the closed stalls and shops at what he'd previously established was the best cultural and tourist spot downtown (nothing could, of course, compare to the city borders, the mountain shrine and all that), searching for a quiet place to perform the rite he'd need to establish himself as a participant in this wish-granting festival. Like a shirt, though, the man had two separate purposes to be here and to compete. One was to gain the Grail, yes, but were that to fail, he'd need to resort to contacting, after hopefully cornering, a certain someone he was yet to locate. He only had one simple wish for the Grail, after all, but two options. Either way, one of the good things about this part of the city was that it nearly wholly cleared up during weathers such as this, leaving Rosie with plenty of hidden away alleys and dark placed he could skitter over to do the thing. He found one such isolated alley shortly, located a good enough place where the roof of the building shielded the ground from most of the rain so he could draw the circle, and threw the wet shirt down to the ground, leaving his bare torso to bask in the lack of light. The shirt got too sticky on him, he didn't like it. He shook himself off a bit and ran a hand through his hair, picking his cowboy hat off at the same time, slicking it back in one swoop before putting the hat back on. It was drenched as well, but he was gonna keep it firmly rooted on his head, unlike the shirt. Pulling a bag of blood out of pocket, he began drawing the circle. The blood dilluted on the moist cement, but the thing was gonna be just fineeee. Rosie'd never call himself out on his artistic skills, but as he stood over the circle, he grinned at how good he'd drawn it. Good as in 'not terrible'. Now all what was left was the chant. "Ahem-!" "Blood flows unhindered Stories of greatness intertwine My body is yours Your heart I desire Brandish your soul against my foes Come forth with me unto victory-!" A bright flash of light mingled with the subtle sparkling as a brand appeared on Rosie's right hand-a star within a circle, cut in half by a thin lightning.

Cass observed Darius intently as he played the guitar for him. Hold and Play for Darius

THE TREE OF LIFE ALL *+Uno, Clarence, Shelly, Betani Zeta* CORE PHASE CONTINUES Jet starts gathering energy. Bide (1/2) Ante's Tackle (90 Power) crit: 23,8 no crit /Tree of Life takes 70 damage/ Ante rushes the Tree at Karla's command, dealing considerable damage. Further cracks start appearing on the Tree's trunk where Ante's bashed it. Meanwhile, Quina forms a dome of water around herself and Jet. Zeta nods. "Clarence, let's go! Try Singing!" Clarence nods and focuses on the Pixie Core. Taking a deep breath, the Fairy Pokemon starts singing, as horribly as ever, to the Core, no matter how dumb that sounded. Clarence's Action: Sing on Pixie Core sleep: 96,8 no sleep There seems to be no reaction from the Pixie Core. Zeta gasps. "Oh no, it didn't work!" The Pixie Core focuses on Quina and Jet. Pixie Core's Action: Aurora Beam (145 Power) on the dome around Quina and Jet The Pixie Core fires an iridescent beam in Quina's direction. The cold beam reflects from the water, temporarily blinding the Ralts, and freezing her and Jet into a relatively thick ice dome. They can't see outside and the outside cannot see them. She would not be able to break it with her current psychic powers. Jet is still biding, immovable. Ante would not be able to break the dome either. /Quina and Jet have been trapped/ The Dread Core charges its attack once again, focusing on Quina and Jet as well. As the two of them have been trapped inside the ice dome, the attack hits them both. Dread Core's Action: Oblivion Wing (160) on Quina and Jet FRIEND GUARD TAKES EFFECT /Quina takes 140 - 25% = 105 damage/ It's super effective on Jet-! /Jet takes way too much damage than he can handle even with Friend Guard.../ /The Dread Core recovers 90 HP/ The dark wings turn crimson, smashing into the dome and the two Pokemon with ease. Both Quina and Jet are sent flying, and as they tumble down, neither can move. /Quina and Jet are out of comission/ [Kalva is no longer in rotation] -who will take his place- The whirlwind around the Tree of Life turns into a tempest. Razing winds slice the air, directed at the party. Tree of Life's Razor Wind on Clarence and Ante (160 power) crit on Clarence: 22,2 no crit crit on Ante: 16,7 no crit FRIEND GUARD TAKES EFFECT /Clarence takes 100 damage/ /Ante takes 140 - 25% = 105 damage/ The winds blow so strong they nearly sweep Zeta off her feet. She holds her hands in front of herself to brace for the cuts, but Clarence stands in front of her and jumps, breaking the wind with his own body. Ante is sent flying, unable to continue the battle. [Karla is no longer in rotation] -who will take her place- With Kalva and Karla out of Pokemon, the two have exited combat. Someone needs to switch in in their stead. [Note: whoever switches in can make their move as normal] [8th Aspect - Death] /Clarence loses 15 HP/ /Dread Core recovers 7 HP/ [Ingrain takes effect] /Tree of Life recovers 39 HP/ Kalva does, however, find an Aether Ball in Uno's robes and calls Lampy back safely. Music: Core Struggles Turn Order: Taylor (Jet) -> Kai (Ante) -> Kalva (Quina) -> Zeta (Clarence) ->Tree of Life ... Clarence (♂), Lv: 15 HP (20/150): #################### ATK: 51 DEF: 60 SP.ATK: 69 SP.DEF: 74 SPE: 36 Nature: Relaxed (+Def/-Spe) Status: / Ability: Friend Guard Moves: Disarming Voice, Pound, Sing, Aromatherapy, Heal Pulse ... Tree of Life (), Lv: 26 HP (???/???): #################### ATK: - DEF: - SPA: - SPD: - SPE: 0 -> 0 Nature: - Status: Def (-1); SpA, SpD, Spe (+2) Ability: 8th Aspect Moves: Razor Wind (120), Ingrain, --- Pixie Core (), Lv: 26 HP (???/???): #################### ATK: - DEF: - SPA: - SPD: - SPE: 0 -> 0 Nature: - Status: SpA, SpD, Spe (+2) Ability: 8th Aspect - Life Moves: Geomancy, Aurora Beam (145), --- Dread Core (), Lv: 26 HP (???/???): #################### ATK: - DEF: - SPA: - SPD: - SPE: 0 -> 0 Nature: - Status: SpA, SpD, Spe (+2) Ability: 8th Aspect - Death Moves: Oblivion Wing (160), Block, --- --- [Will Taylor use another Pokemon?] ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Masuttaaaaaa Seibaaaaaaaaaa Kyasutaaaaaaa

"W-whoa!" Ranga yelped in surprise. "That's exactly the same as what I saw!" Could it be that they had the same nightmare? Then did Asuka have the same nightmare too? The young girl turned to the redhead and tilted her head. "Asuka, was your dream similar to that too?" She asked. "B-because if we all had the same dream then it must've been the Angels' doing-!"

"Oh it was really weird. I saw all these Angels in a desert...and we were there too in our EVAs." Ranga explained. "A-and we got to a tree on fire. And a big sea creature almost ate us but then it turned into a blue haired girl! I couldn't hear what she said, though." She looked at Kyou with a worried expression. "I thought maybe the fight with the Angels caused this nightmare."