Pokémon: Aftermath #3a - In the Thin Ice [IC]

[Notus]

Dusk Advanced Base #1 - Eterna City

It has been three days since the fall of Gardenia and the subsequent conquest of Eterna by Team Dusk. Although there was to be expected a comemoration for such a victory, it didn't happen: the dead count was just too high for that, in both sides. Thus the first week of liberation had always the shadow of grief and the sound of people crying in the background.

Team Dusk's work hadn't stopped however... News of the team's victory were spreading throughout Sinnoh, and the operatives passed that time preparing the city's defenses for when challenges from the Church started appearing. The members of the squadrons involved in the battle - Unit Sylveon and the Covert Ops Squad - were given a well deserved time to rest and tend to their pokémon.
And so, three days and nights later, a group of fifteen people found themselves assembled in the very same Gym were the battle against Gardenia took place. The place was still being repaired, but where once was a huge sign in the shape of the Forest Badge now stood the black moon of Team Dusk.

In front of it stood Lucas in his usual outfit, looking with serious eyes to each and every trainer in the room as if studying them. "Welcome all of you. For those who are new, I am Lucas, and I will be the commanding officer in this team - Unit Sylveon, or Unit S for short. You were all called here to discuss your next mission, which will be started as soon as we end here. I hope you are ready.
Now that Eterna is under our control we can't just sit idly here. No doubt the Church will send strong trainers to claim the city back, and we must act before they block us completely. Our next target then lies to the north: Snowpoint City."

When he finished saying this, a loud screech of static was heard echoing in the Gym, followed by a female voice. "Test, test... Is this working? Oh, good. Hi everyone, White speaking here! Sorry for the noise, we're still fixing the sound systems. Anyway, let's go for the mission's details shall we?" They all heard the sound of pages flipping through the speakers. "O-K. Well, it seems that the main road to Snowpoint has already been blocked, so you'll have to take an alternate path through the woods... It is a tough climb, specially at this time of year, but lucky for us we have an agent from the city who knows the way. She's called Fria, and will meet you tonight right out of the town. Once you get to the city itself, the drill will be the same: Defeat the Conclaves and the Gym and the city will be yours. Most of their Acolytes are being employed on the blockade, so it should be easier than Eterna."

Lucas took over from there, serious as ever. "During the walk to Snowpoint try to avoid combat as much as possible. You'll be in a very wild region with Church members ahead and behind you, so the last thing you'll want is to grab their attention. And also..." his eyes narrowed in anger. "Please, refrain from needless butchery. You have no idea how much trouble we are having with the citizens here, parents and relatives from the Acolytes, after the mess we've made in some of the Conclaves. We are the resistence, not a bunch of mindless killers."
He then sighed, and changed his tone to a less harsh one. "We're going out at dusk. I take most of you don't know each other, so work on that, grab your warm clothes and meet me at east exit of town by then." As Lucas walked off, the group still heard White's voice one last time. "Have a good trip everyone! Good luck!"

Mission Info: Presentations (New Players)
-Write about how you've been contacted by Team Dusk (read the Prologue for reference: http://www.pokemonreborn.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5566&page=1)
-Interact and get to know your fellow teammates

[Felicity]

Here I was, thinking they actually wanted me to do something for them, and instead they're simply sending me on a stroll up the mountains? Fucking fantastic

Adam was not amused, though he rarely ever was. He had been approached by a member of Dusk, who promised him battles with the tyrants of the theocracy but that promise seemed to have been hollow. He hadn't even got here in time for the actual battle for Eterna... Fantastic.

Adam looked around the room, sizing up the people he thought might have contributed in the Eterna battle, his eyes unconsciously lingering on the more attractive people present. He sighed, dismissing the people from his mind, he just wanted to get moving, though he waited for someone else to get moving,hesitant to do something daft and look like a damn fool.

[krim]

Standing behind the rest of the group, a man with long black hair and red eyes, with one covered by a patch shivered and thought back to why he was here. It was just another ordinary day, well about as ordinary as it can get in this messed up world, and he and Vis were out to find food in Sunyshore City. As they were about to leave, an acolyte of the Church called out to him. He tried to ignore the man, but he wouldn't shut up, and eventually it ended in a scuffle with Vis escaping and himself being brought in for interrogation. As it turns out, the Church knew who he was and was aware of his past. They wanted something from him, but he couldn't tell what. After a long and harsh interrogation with the Church learning nothing, Nemir (As was his name) telepathically communicated with Vis.
""You ready?"As always." Vis broke into the room using aura sphere and got him out. A few days later, he had received a letter, with some kind of moon symbol on it telling him to meet in Eterna. With nowhere else to go, he went. Back to the present, he looked around the room hoping to see someone familiar. There were none. "Well this will certainly be....interesting" he thought to Vis. "I sense no malice in any of them for us. Plenty of other emotions though....A lot of pain. It makes me a bit sad." Flexing the spikes on his nekode, he waited for someone to say something. (Italics will be used for Nemir's thoughts, and red will be used for Vis'.)

Edited November 29, 2014 by DragonMasterKrim

[Jory]

Jory looked at the ground, shuffling his feet a little bit. Perhaps he and Shredder had gotten a bit carried away, but to liberate an entire city sacrifices had had to be made. And I wouldn't have changed a damn thing, he thought to himself. These people want to throw stones at the few of us who are brave enough to fight against Dawn's tyranny? Then they can rot in hell. He began to scan the room, looking toward Unit Sylveon's newer members. His eyes lingered on one particularly disgruntled looking guy. He doesn't even look like he wants to be here. If he is unsure of his ideals, then he'll never survive the battle for Snowpoint. Especially not after what we saw of Gardenia.

He decided to approach the newcomer. Perhaps a veteran's opinion might change his thoughts on the matter. "Hey, I haven't seen you around here before. You must be new. I'm Jory," he said quickly, extending his hand. "Welcome to Unit S."

[Azeria]

"Well,this is gunna be taxing,at least Nappy won't be hurt because of his Thick Fat."Micheal thought to himself as he looked around the room.There were multiple people in the room including some of the veterans of Team Dusk.He saw 1 of said Veterans Approach another newcomer like him."Might aswell let Nappy out for some air,who could it hurt?"Micheal silently muttered as he threw out the Pokeball holding his dearest friend;Nappy the Snorlax.As soon as he was let out,the giant let out a large yawn that was more akin to a roar.

Edited November 29, 2014 by Can't Type

[Tacos]

Current Time

Carissa stood against the wall of the gym, her left leg bent, her foot resting against the wall. She gently began to twirl her left ponytail, her brown hair glistening from gentle care. Her gaze fell upon Lucas as he began briefing their mission. Grabbing attention was never my forte anyway. I doubt my relevance will even be recognized here. But that's okay. I came to do my job, the job I was asked to do, and bring down this 'Goddess.' I didn't come to kill, so he won't have to worry about that from me. But then again, if it's the only option, I won't refrain. She began to tap the wall with her right hand out of boredom. I'm surprised I even got here safely.

Yesterday, 10:42 P.M.

Carissa's mind fell back to the previous day. The sky was pure black, aside from gray, wispy clouds that seemed to linger awkwardly. The ferry was silent, most of its passengers asleep, or worshipping Dawn in one of the three churches within the boat. Carissa, however, stood near the edge of the boat, on the outer deck. This area wasn't available to the public, but Carissa knew that no one would see or go after her anyway. The wind whistled through her hair, the salt from the sea ruining the softness she had worked so hard on. Everything was quiet, peaceful, something she'd never known in her life. She enjoyed it. The calm was disturbed by a sudden clunkiness against the floor. Like leather weights against wood. Carissa turned to see a very large man. He was your average "most-likely-a-secret-agent" type of guy, black suit, black sunglasses, an earpiece hanging from his right ear.

"May I help you?" Carissa wasn't afraid. If this man got to close, she always had Lila, her trusty Milotic by her side. One Hydro Pump and this man would be over the edge and out of her life.

The man stepped forward. He hurriedly shoved an envelope into Carissa's hand. In a very deep and quick voice, the man spoke. "It is in your best interest to read what lies inside that envelope, Ms. Carissa Petale." The man, in a flash, revealed a Pidgeot and flew away with it, leaving Carissa with a troubled face on the deck. She looked down at the envelope. Perfectly white, not a blemish on it. In gold print, it was addressed to her, Carissa Petale. Carissa used her nail to open the envelope. She pulled out the letter. It was written on white paper and with the same golden writing on the envelope. She was hesitant for a moment, but then her eyes began to absorb the sea of words in front of her. The wind blew the paper around slightly, so the reading was a bit of a chore.

Dear Carissa Petale:

We are pleased to announce that you are invited to join Team Dusk, an organization created solely for the purpose of taking down Dawn and the tyrannic cult she has brought with her. Our surveillance picked up that you were there when an innocent man was beaten to death in the Department Store of Lilycove for refusing to be a follower of the Church of Dawn. Our cameras picked up your horrified and disgusted face, and we've been monitoring you ever since. We've seen you, sitting in your home next to your Milotic, Lila, going on and on about how Dawn deserves a terrible end, and hopefully by the hands of you. Well, now you've been given the chance. We are giving you the opportunity to be a part of our successful squadron, Unit Sylveon, or Unit-S, for short. If you have any interest, make your way to Eterna City, west of Mt. Coronet. Rendezvous inside the Eterna City Gym to begin your mission. We hope to see you there, Carissa Petale.

-Team Dusk

Carissa pushed the letter back into the envelope. She was determined. This was her chance. Dawn was not going to rule this world any longer. Carissa descended back into the boat, finding her room, and slipping under the sheets of the bed, waiting for their arrival in Canalave the next morning.

Current Time

Carissa snapped back into reality when a man named Jory approached someone who Carissa assumed to be a rookie, much like her. Carissa stared at the two of them, trying to pick up pieces of information, but there wasn't much to begin with. She was interrupted when a Snorlax appeared out of nowhere, and the girl sidestepped in order to avoid being crushed by the oaf. She sighed, inhaling quickly, and exhaling slightly slower. She began to speak. "Hello, my name is Carissa Petale, and this..." Carissa released her Milotic. "...is Lila." Carissa was speaking as loud as she possibly could at the moment. However, in comparison to your average person, the volume of her voice currently only barely matched up to that of a normal speaking volume.

[Felicity]

Adam looked at Jorys outstretched hand, before slowly taking it and nodding. "Adam. Thanks, I guess. You a new guy?" Adam questioned, curious about this guy, even if he did abruptly pop over to him.

[SilverJakler]

"Finally... now it's my turn to strike back." Thought a young man in the middle of the crowd. "Mine and Giga's..."

This man's name was Seth, and he'd seen a peck of troubles in his short time on this world. He thought back to how he lived a peaceful life in Unova, with his family and friends, both human and Pokemon. His parents were veteran trainers who decided that he should take after they're legacy... that is if he wanted to. And believe you me, he wanted nothing more than to do just that. So on his 5th birthday, they gave him an egg to take care of. They said to the boy, "If you can take care of this egg until it hatches, then you get to keep whatever comes out of it as your first Pokemon." And he did just that. In a few months time a little Elekid hatched from the egg, and him and Seth have been friends ever since. Seth's parents were so proud of him, and it seemed that he'd carry on his family name with pride...

Until the Era of Dawn began. Before this "Team Dusk" had been formed, many people had foolishly tried to stand up to the so called "Goddess", even though there were stories of what she had wrought in Sinnoh. All of them failed, including his parents. He watched on in horror as Dawn simply flicked them aside with her Arceus, their Pokemon dead, and severely injured. Her Acolytes were about to finish them off, but Dawn was against it. No, that would be too easy, too quick. The re-education facilities were better suited for these heretics. As they were being taken, Seth's father shouted at Seth, telling him to save himself. He tried to run but the Acolytes and their Pokemon soon apprehended him.

Seth was forced to work in a conclave in Castelia as a servant ever since. He'd spent his time waiting and plotting to take his revenge on his oppressors... one day. That day came when some fool decided to challenge the Conclave, she was a wandering trainer who thought she could challenge the system on her own. However, she only succeeded in giving him a much needed diversion to make his escape. He retrieved Gigawatt's Pokeball (now an Electivire) and got the hell out of dodge.

A few months later, he was contacted by a member of Team Dusk, and his eyes instantly lit up. This was his chance, and he'd be damned if he wasn't gonna take it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to the task at hand, he was interested to see the other kinds of people he would team up with on this mission. In the short time he'd been here, he'd gained a lot of respect for Lucas and the other Veterans of this group.

A group that can actually work together to end this nightmare? he thought. I'm definitely gonna fit right in with this outfit.

A large thud and a sleepy sort of roar sounded to his right. One of the other members had sent out his Snorlax.

He could feel a bit of static electricity coming from Gigawatt's Ultra Ball, a sign that he was itching to get out and greet their new teammates.

"Not now Giga, let's hang back for a bit, see what happens..." whispered Seth to the Ultra Ball.

And they did.

Edited November 29, 2014 by SilverJakler

[krim]

Letting out a slight chuckle at the snorlax almost crushing someone, Nemir decided to speak to the quiet girl with the milotic. "Hello, are you new here as well? My name is Nemir, and this is my partner Vis." As he spoke, he removed an almost completely black pokeball from his belt and Vis the Lucario popped out in a flash. "Hello" said Vis telepathically.

Edited November 29, 2014 by DragonMasterKrim

[Tacos]

Carissa was surprised to see that someone had acknowledged her introduction. She looked the boy up and down, looking for any signs of danger, hidden knives, a holstered gun, a rather large bulge coming from any pockets. When she noticed none, she looked the boy in the eyes and spoke. "Pleasure to meet you, Nemir, and you as well, Vis." She gave a small bow, Lila doing the same. Then Lila wrapped her tail around Carissa, shielding her face with the fanned end of her tail. Lila was very protective of Carissa, and while she knew this man wasn't dangerous, she still felt the need to keep Carissa sheltered.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Nope, Jory is one of the guys that fought at Eterna." said Lupus to Adam. He hadn't seen him creep up though it was hard to imagine he so easily could. Lupus was still wearing the detective's trench-coat and fedora from his disguise in Eterna. He must have liked it or something, as he wore it a lot now. He flicked a spent cigarette across the room. "Name's Lupus, I was also there in that battle." he said. He didn't offer his hand to the man, he only pushed his sunglasses back up on the bridge of his nose. "Guess we are the only vets around anymore Jory. I hate having to get to know new people." he said.

[Felicity]

"Feelings mutual. Don't worry, so long as you're competent in battle, we won't have any issue." Adam replied curtly. He looked the guy up and down, he didn't trust this guy, trench coats were never good. Too easy to hide shit in them. "You said you were the only Vets? Were the casualties that bad?" Adam couldn't believe The forces of Eterna had actually taken as big a toll as he had been told prior.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Aye, me and Jory here mostly took down Gardenia ourselves, so you best be worried you can't keep up to us. We had help from a few individuals, but none of them are here anymore from the looks of it." he said. "It is rough out there, then again....if one of our own team didn't blow up an entire conclave building it might not have been such a mess out there."

[Jory]

Jory grimly removed the Premiere Ball from his belt, lightly tossing it up and down in his hand as a pensive look came over his face. "Believe me, for every casualty we suffered the Mareeple in the Conclaves suffered dozens more. One of our own saw to that," he said sadly. "Loss of life is not something to be taken lightly, but in this day and age there's not much of a choice. What was it that Crobatman said in the comics? 'You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.'" He pressed the button on the Premiere Ball and Shredder appeared next to his Trainer in a flash of light, crossing his arms and looking the newcomer up and down before snorting derisively. "I don't think there's such a thing as either anymore." Jory then turned to Lupus. "And yeah, I think we're the only vets left. Although I hear some of the agents here were part of the Covert Ops squad that deactivated those barriers and saved our asses."

The veteran then looked back at Adam. "And don't be so sure about competence as a measure of teamwork. Dawn's the most competent battler out there, but we have plenty of issues with her. What matters most is that everyone here is willing to die to see her dead." His gaze hardened and he looked down at his partner, scratching his head affectionately. "Because sometimes your life is worth less than saving what little you have left to love."

[Chevaleresse]

Sarcus overheard the conversation between two other trainers. If he remembered correctly from the last three days, their names were Lupus and Adam. "You know, there was another team. I might not have fought head-to-head with Gardenia, but I doubt you would have made it through without me. And yeah, I remember those buildings. I nearly refused to join this team after I saw the aftermath of these operations." Absolution padded up behind him quietly, fixing the two and their partners with an analytical gaze.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"None of that was our doing, it was mostly the other teams, and some nutjob I got stuck with, probably more cracked than Dawn that one. Blew up an enitre Conclave. I don't care if we are fighting them, there is no need to bring a building crashing down on their heads. Half of those girls aren't there because they choose to be they are forced to be." He said, a big frown on his face. He was clearly not happy about someone thinking any of that had to do with him. "Hopefully, we don't get anymore of those types. They made this team seem worse than Dawn, and that is saying something."

[DarkLight]

"There's s-so many people n-now..." Miki whispered to her Jolteon by her feet. The shy, Japanese girl had just arrived back into the gym dressed in a dark blue hoodie instead of her grey, hoodied jacket after Lucas' debriefing. Now that Miki knew that they were going to Snowpoint, she wished that she had packed her heavier clothing earlier that she left at her temporary home down south. Considering the chaos that is taking place, however, running back and forth from her base is out of the question for now, so she will have to make due with the blue sweater she has.

Miki took a good look at her surroundings: Judging by the damage, the main team has, literally, tore up the place without much regret. She sighed sadly at the thought of the lives that were lost. 'If only Dawn could see this. But, then again, does she even care?' She then heard Raito gave a happy cry as he trotted over to Sarcus and Absolution. "Ah, w-wait, Raito!" Miki stammered before she caught up with him. "Hi Sarcus and Absolution and... Um... N-Nice to meet y-you t-too..." Miki greeted shyly to the unfamiliar faces. She just wished she could just turn invisible now.

[Felicity]

"Well, end of the day, Dawns going to get overthrown. Be it lying in a pool of her own blood or in a jail cell. Those are the only ways this can end, if I have anything to say about it. Lockhart and I will do our jobs." He nodded at the bird pokemon roosting nearby. The Honchkrow showed no reaction, looking over everybody with his keen eyes. Adam shook his head. "All i'm here for is to fight, not blow shit up." And that's what he would do, even if they were walking into a deathtrap of an ice gym.

Adam nodded at the new people to wander over. These must be the Covert operation people.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Lupus stared at Miki for a second through his glasses, luckily for him they covered his eyes so she couldn't see him doing it. He was dumbfounded for a second...it was almost like seeing a ghost. His younger sister.....it was like she was standing right in front of him again. But it clearly wasn't. Lupus saw his sister die in his very arms. "Who are you?" he said aloud. He meant to think it, but said it right to the girl. It sounded rather cold, puzzled. There was some shaking in his voice, as if he was startled, and frankly Lupus was.

[Azeria]

Seeing as some more people started conversing,Micheal walked over to Group conversing with eachother."Hello,i'm kinda new here.My name's Micheal and this here's my partner Nappy the Snorlax"He said as Nappy lumbered along with him as he walked.

[Felicity]

Bloody hell, there's way too many people here. If this keeps up, we'll all be standing in a circle taking turns at speaking like a Rare Candy Rehab meeting.

"Well, looks like Dramas about to unfold. I'll be taking my leave." the young man unclipped the pokeball from his belt and called Lockhart back, as he started to walk out of the room, maybe to find somewhere to rest before the trip.

[Chevaleresse]

Sarcus gave a small wave to Miki. "Hey." He was more concerned, however, with Lupus's reaction to Miki. The man looked like he had seen a ghost, not a shy Japanese girl.

[Jory]

Jory turned his steely gaze to Sarcus, looking the upstart up and down before snorting and chuckling. He then started laughing, barely able to contain himself anymore. It was all he could do not to take a swing at the guy who'd taken credit for the work of an entire squad of highly skilled individuals. However much he was able to restrain the rest of his body, he couldn't restrain his mouth. "Oh, so you mean to tell me that this girl and her Jolteon did none of the work?" he said loudly, his bubbling anger making him oblivious to Lupus's reaction to MIki. "I really doubt you would have gotten anywhere near that generator without a team to back you up. So take your high and mighty shit somewhere else, because the time for that is long past. This war we're fighting is going to take your idealism and ram it right down your fucking throat if you don't wake up and realize that not everyone is getting out of here alive. I know Odin didn't. But you don't give a shit about her, right? Because she clearly didn't help as much as you did before one of those acolytes you're so hung up on saving had a Vigoroth tear her to bits!" he said, shouting by the end of it.

With that, Jory stopped ranting and took several deep, shuddering breaths before closing his eyes. Shredder looked up at his Trainer, concern evident on the Zangoose's face. The veteran opened his eyes and looked back at Sarcus. "I'm sorry. These past few days have been... troubling, to say the least. But take it from someone who was in the thick of it. This war is hell on Earth, and blaming the people on your side is not the way to go about things. We need to stick together." He then turned to the newcomers. "Sorry you had to hear that. I'm Jory, and this is Shredder, and...." he trailed off, looking up at Lupus. The older veteran seemed genuinely troubled. "Hey, you okay, man?" he asked, putting a hand on the other man's shoulder.

[DarkLight]

"H-Hi... And bye?" Miki greeted the new boy with the Snorlax and the leaving boy with the Honchkrow respectively. Before she could get her bearings, Jory's outburst had made her flinch. Raito had immediately taken his stance, growling softly until he saw the Zangoose's concerned gaze. Miki also noted the Zangoose's expression and nodded quietly as Jory apologized. "It... It's alright. I-I understand, Jory." she finally spoke. "T-This has been h-hard on us too... E-Especially with e-everyone d-dying... I-I'm sure S-Sarcus really doesn't m-mean it that way, though... He and I are on the Covert Ops team..."

"Who are you?"

"M-Me?!" Miki asked, pointing to herself as she faced the guy standing next to Jory and Shredder. It's not that didn't expect the conversation to continue, it's just that the man's startled expression had caught her off guard. Raito still stood in front of her defensively, although he did tilt his head in confusion. "I-I'm M-Miki Shizayuma... I-I came from S-Sunyshore City b-before D-Dawn took over..." she managed to say after she shifted around awkwardly for a few seconds. "A-And this is my longtime partner, Raito..." The said Jolteon gave a polite cry before he went over to check out the Houndoom. After a brief sniff, he sat down in front of him and twitched his ears to signal his acceptance. Since Raito didn't seem bothered by the man and his equally surprised Houndoom, Miki decided to keep the conversation going to avoid the awkwardness. "A-And you are...?"

((Getting ninja'd everywhere!))

[Chevaleresse]

Sarcus had to restrain a flash of anger at Jory's outburst. "Maybe you should let me tell the whole story before you judge. I know it's so terrible to not want wanton slaughter of whoever was in your way to be your legacy. 'Troubling' or not, try not to jump down my goddamn throat because I worded something badly."