Pokémon: Aftermath #3b - Candice and the Battle for Snowpoint [IC]

[Notus]

Gym Squad

The doors to Snowpoint Gym opened ahead of the group, led by Candice. The place was empty and dark but, when the leader hit the light switch, the whole place glistened with the shine of ice. The arena was entirely made of it, a smooth turquoise surface interrupted by big icy rocks scattered in an apparently random way. The room's temparature was also clearly - and surprisingly - lower than in the outside, making the Dusk members feel like they'd just entered some kind of giant fridge.

Candice though, walked inside unfazed, grabbing a pair of ice skates in the way. "Welcome home everybody!" She told them, spinning around over one leg. "So, let's get on with this quickly right? I'm so hyped to see what you guys are capable of..." She stepped over the arena and took an impulse, gracefully sliding to the other side. "If you're ok I'd like to make it Double battles. I'll use 6 pokémon and take on two of you at a time. Once someone is out, the next one enters the battle, got it?" Then she pointed to the bleachers in the sides of the arena. "Non-battlers can take a sit to wait and watch. Soooo, who is first?"

Conclave Squad

The Snowpoint Conclave stood tall before the group. Like the ones in Eterna, this one was a three storie building, the main difference being it's external architecture, clearly thought for the snowy climate of the city. The door was still lose though, and so they needed to think of a way to get in...

((DL, it's up to you from here. Good luck!))

[krim]

{Gym Squad}
Unfazed by the icy environment, Nemir started walking towards the bleachers. "Vis and I will wait, if that's alright with the rest of you."

[Felicity]

{Gym Squad}

Adam stepped up, his anxieties eased when Candice mentioned Double battles. "I'll step up, if anyone wants to join me first." He doubted anyone would, but he may as well be one of the first, to scout out what Candice would do at the very least

[DarkLight]

{Gym Squad}

After much consideration, Miki finally convinced herself to follow the group that was heading for the gym. She examined the ice field, oh how it sparkled against the lights that are hanging overhead. However, this also posed a problem for her Jolteon, since he would not be able to dodge as easily as he could on solid ground. 'This is like that battle with the breeder, only it's more serious this time.' Miki shuffled nervously as the group decided on who to go first. When Adam stepped up to the plate, she glanced at him before she considered his teammate. "Since Adam has a Honchkrow, wouldn't it be wise to have someone who could take electric and ice moves? I could take electricity well enough but with ice..."

{Conclave Squad}

Up above on the third floor of the building, a lone woman with piercing dark, brown eyes was staring out of her window in her office. She was dressed in the ceremonial garb that indicated her status as the Mother of this snow-covered landscape. She remained motionless as her trusty companion, a white and purple, weasel-like Pokemon approached her side. The Pokemon adjusted her long arm fur that drapes over its hands, twitching her whiskers all the while as she watched the scene down below. Both contented themselves to the view, waiting for the group outside to make their move.

[Jory]

Jory looked at the other Conclave group members, sizing up his squad. There was no technical "leader," but as the only veteran of the Battle of Eterna who was present he felt he had an obligation to take on the role of such. He stepped in front and turned around, looking each one in the eye. "We're going to take this Conclave," he began, wanting to start out strong. "But we're going to do it as a team. No matter what, we all need to remember what we're fighting for." He looked wistfully into the distance, then back at the group. "We're fighting for the people we've lost. Our families, our friends, and our comrades. But more importantly, we fight for each other. We fight so that every man, woman, and child can live without fear of Dawn and her tyranny." He then looked meaningfully at Carissa, a smile crossing his face. "We're fighting so that the people we love don't have to worry about what happens to us." His gaze then hardened once more and he looked to the others. "So we're going to make sure that the people of Snowpoint get the things we're fighting for. Make no mistake: Once we get inside, the Acolytes will do everything they can to stop us from reaching the top floor and the Conclave Mother. Use non-lethal force if you can, but at the end of the day it's either us or them. And we have a ways to go before Dawn gets her comeuppance." With that said, he put his hand in the center of the group. "We're not just Team Dusk. We've all made it here one way or another. We're all teammates here no matter what differences we have. We have each others' backs, and I would die for every one of you. So who's with me?" he asked openly.

[Tacos]

Carissa smiled while Jory looked at her during his speech. While he continued, Carissa gazed at the building. Her eyes trailed up the intricate patterns of the building. As her gaze fell upon the top floor, she noticed there was a window. As Jory finished, she quickly stepped forward. "Ok guys, let's figure out our plan quickly. The mother very well could be watching us from the top floor. Do not release your pokemon until we are inside, because she can see what we have from up there! We have two options here. One being that we disperse throughout the floors, some taking the first, some taking the second, and the rest taking on the mother, or the other being that we all move as a group. So which would you prefer?" Carissa cocked her hip again, asserting confidence.

[Rielly987]

{Gym}

"I'll tag with you Adam. Stealth Rocks look like they will be a help in this fight..." Pine released Skarmory out of her pokeball "Ready girl?" He petted the giant avian's beak. "Anyone have any arguments with that? While we will both be weak to electric it's better than lacking a decent set up."

[SilverJakler]

"No objections here. Guess we're sitting this one out... for now." Seth replied tp Pine, taking his seat next to Nemir and Vis on the bleachers. As he sat there, Giga tucked in his Ultra Ball, he couldn't help but wonder if the people who went to the Conclave were doing alright. For now, all he could do was just sit and watch.

[DarkLight]

{Gym crew}

"G-Good luck Adam and Pine..." Miki said softly before she walked over to the bleachers. Although she knows Candice isn't as big of a threat as Gardenia was, the girl was still nervous about the upcoming match. Raito walked by her side, remaining silent all the while. He was twitching his ear, lost in his train of thought as she stared out at the frozen battleground.

{Conclave Crew}

((As clarified by Notus (and for those that forgot like me), you are free to control the acolyte battles. So go all out, if you dare~))

[Commander]

{Conclave Group}

"Next time, cut the long winded speeches. The mother pretty much could've killed you if she wanted to." Drake did not care for this apparent leader. His experience against these scum far exceeded what this guy thought of. He probably could have had a full team by now, but he always stuck to one. Doing so would've caused him to be an open target and pretty much.

"We should have one person take on each floor. Once that person finishes, he can help assist the one on the next floor and so on. This will give us the best chance of escaping should things turn sour on us. Being the most experienced, I'll try finishing the first floor as quickly as possible that way no one is ganged up on for that long." Drake honestly didn't care if they went with his plan or not. He just didn't want to be facing the mother by himself.

((Remember to put up your tags everyone. It makes it much easier to keep up))

[Jory]

{Conclave Group}

Jory glared at Drake, scrutinizing the man. He's clearly been in a fight before, but he has no idea how important it is to work as a team in these buildings. "Instead why don't we pair up and take floors? That way if one of us runs into trouble, they'll have backup there already. These Acolytes aren't going to be pulling any punches, and force of numbers is something we need to consider."

[Chevaleresse]

{Conclave Group}

"Wouldn't it be the best idea to take every floor as a group? Sure, it's not fair, but I highly doubt the acolytes give a damn about fairness, so why should we?" Sarcus tapped his foot as he spoke and thought, his nerves starting to show. "Besides, some people perform better if they can skirt along the edge of a battle, like myself."

[Azeria]

{Conclave Group}

"I think i'll agree with Sarcus with that.The higher we go,there'll probably be more acolytes trying to protect the Mother,if we can just smash through the lower half.....the upper one will probably notice something's wrong and bring in assistance in which scenario we would be heavily outnumbered....heh.....This'll be interesting"Micheal said while getting out a water bottle from his bag."Now....who's pumped to take down some assholes?"He asked.

[Notus]

Gym Squad

Jon didn't say a thing and walked to the bleachers in order to get a seat, lost in thought. For him this whole situation was... Weird, to say the least. He hadn't trusted their own "luck" this whole time, he hadn't trusted the Regice, and if the shock had been a little smaller he might as well have called Kyte to attack Candice back on the main street. Now it seemed he was wrong this whole time, and if that last situation had indeed happened it could have meant a death sentence to the whole group. He had to think a bit before going on this battle, and of course having the other guys scout Candice's pokémon would be good.

In the arena, Candice greeted the two trainers that stepped up with a graceful bow. "Very well then, let's get this started! A word of advice though: I want your complete attention on this. A battle is all about focus, and if you look away for just one moment against Candice, you'll sure gonna lose! Get ready you both!"

Candice pulled two pokéballs from her belt at once, and pressed the buttons on them. In the blink of an eye two pokémon were standing on the arena: an Aurorus, looking down to the trainers from the top of it's long neck, and the very pokémon they'd already met in the ruins: Regice, the legendary ice golem. Candice surely wasn't kidding there.

[Felicity]

Adam looked at the two pokemon, this was going to be scary, but he was sure a well timed superpower would KO that Aurorus. However, he wasn't that stupid, he knew Candice would be expecting an immediate attack, the opportunity was too good for him. "Lockhart, Taiiwind, try and make sure Pines Skarmory isn't hit!" Lockhart flee about, flapping his winds and stirring the air, breaking the windows and bringing in an airflow for the two birds, who could use the winds to their advantage.

[Tacos]

Carissa sighed. "Yes, but if we take each floor in separate groups, we could clear them out sooner. I doubt these acolytes are that strong, since I've seen their strength, or should I say weakness, first hand. The faster we do it, the less time the mother has to react." Carissa turned towards the entrance. "No ifs ands or buts. I'm going in now." Without looking back, Carissa dashed into the building prepared to take on some acolytes.

[Azeria]

"Sigh...i guess we have no choice..one of us has already entered the building and its one for all and all for one!"Michea said before he picked his bag up once more and got his pokeball for his Snorlax."Do come in aswell once your ready"Were his last words before he ran into the building following Carissa's prior movement.

[Jory]

Jory rushed into the building after Carissa, not saying another word to the group as he sprinted into the Conclave.

[Tacos]

Carissa had only barely entered the building when a flying, cold, hard fist slammed into her face. She tumbled backwards gracefully, reducing the possible harm done to her. Lila's pokeball had fallen to the floor in the mean time, and the button was pressed against the ground, releasing her. Carissa nodded at Lila before lunging at the acolyte. She was swinging a punch toward the acolyte who readily put up both hands to block. However, Carissa was merely faking the maneuver and she swept the acolyte onto her back with a swift kick. The acolyte glared at Carissa as she struggled to get up. Meanwhile, Lila was fighting an acolyte and her Noivern. The Noivern carelessly whipped up a giant gust in the room, sending a few chairs flying towards acolytes. Lila was barely even harmed by the attack and calmly shot an ice beam at the Noivern, causing her wings to freeze. When she fell, the ice shattered, sending shards that caused the Noivern to black out. Carissa was almost too careless in watching. Another acolyte snuck up behind her, grabbing her wrist and trying to pull Carissa closer to her in an attempt to grab the other. Carissa was too quick in her reaction however, and used the momentum to her advantage, stepping back and slamming her elbow into the acolytes head before rotating, locking the acolytes arm in an arm bar. From there she kicked the girl back into the other acolyte who was almost fully up. Within seconds, Carissa began running towards the second floor stairs, deciding the others could clean up Floor One.

[DarkLight]

{Conclave}

"So it has begun." The Mother turned away from her position and took a good, long look around her office. It wasn't much, the walls are a light shade of blue to match the surroundings of Snowpoint City. Several bookshelves filled with the teachings of Dawn and the Lord Arceus are directly behind her mahogany desk for easy access, should the Mother need to reteach any rebels that dared to oppose her reign. Directly in front of her is a fireplace that crackles as the burning flame devoured the wood that was place into its mouth. Up above, however, is the Mother's pride and joy: A huge painting of the Goddess with the Lord Arceus that stood protectively behind her. Dawn appeared to have a kind, serene expression; her arms were stretched out wide as if she was inviting her audience to join her. The Mother had paid a hefty sum to have this made, since nobody seems to appreciate the Goddess as much as she did these days, but it was worth it. All of the money in the world could not compare to what Dawn has done for her. 'My Goddess, you have given me the honor to watch over your domain. I will not fail you.' The Mother bowed deeply to the painting.

She then heard her weasel-like Pokemon's questioning voice. "Hmph. It's no use even if we tried to warn them. Those acolytes are just sinners; they will give up without putting much a resistance once they saw that "help" has arrived." She shook her head sadly, unable to comprehend how those girls and the citizens couldn't see Dawn's greatness. "All we could do now is prepare ourselves." With that, the Mother sat down and pulled out a drawer that contains 5 Pokeballs. "May our Goddess grant us strength."

[Azeria]

"Nappy,Freeze all that might get in your way,Blizzard.Use Body Slam on any that get close to you."Micheal said as he was assaulted by an Acolyte.He replied by swiftly kicking said acolyte in the stomach ,Nappy froze the acolyte's Druddigon solid along with a handfull of Ground and Rock Types used by some of the lower ranking acolytes."Guys,i might need back up he-Nappy,blast that Linoone with Gunk Shot!"He shouted abruptly as a Linoone charged at the Large Snorlax using extremespeed and got blasted by a gunk shot to the face.

[M_Cowher]

{Gym Squad}
Thoron knew that he couldn't send in Rusgon still disguised as a human was annoyed that someone had got the better of him and received the upper hand. Rusgon also realizing the inevitability of this also shifted into his normal form. Before Thoron had time to suggest to enter the battle first Adam and Pine Volunteered (as tribute). "Well at least we will get to know what we are up against..." Thoron said and leaned against the wall and took his normal Green cloak out of his bag thankful to be able to dawn his true colors again.

[Jory]

{Conclave Group}

Jory ran in behind Carissa, leaping over his comrade as she was floored by the Acolyte's punch and proceeding farther into the room. He launched a side kick at the first Acolyte to approach him, catching her in the chest and sending her backward into her Scrafty. He threw Shredder's ball at the girl's head, knocking her out cold and releasing his Pokemon in one fluid motion. He ran past her and scooped up the ball as Shredder delivered a Power-Up Punch to the Scrafty while it got up, flooring it once more. Two more Acolytes rushed the pair with a Simipour and a Prinplup. Jory nodded to Shredder and the Zangoose rushed the Pokemon, a white line coming from behind him as he sprang explosively toward them. Jory launched himself at the Acolyte to his left, tackling her to the ground and throwing an elbow into her face. The Acolyte's head hit the floor with a loud crack and she lay still, knocked out of the fight. The second one attempted to kick the veteran off of her comrade, but he was ready for the attack and blocked the kick. He then twisted her ankle, causing her to spin to the ground. He stood up and gave her a swift kick in the head, putting her in the same state as her partner. Then, Jory was knocked to the floor as a stray chair hit him. He looked over and saw the Noivern hitting the ground, then checked on Shredder. The Zangoose had already taken care of the Prinplup with a Crush Claw and was doing the same to the Simipour. Once the Water monkey was down, the pair ran up the stairs behind Carissa to the second floor.

[Commander]

{Conclave Group}

"Idiots," Drake muttered under his breath. "Since our so called 'leader' ran in their without a plan, I guess I'll make due with the situation. Even if we tried running in and reaching them, I doubt there'd be much we could help them with. We will wait ten minutes before the rest of us head in and help pick off whatever remains in the Conclave. This way a majority of us can face the mother at full power. Those Acolytes are not our target and some may even be on our side. The less we battle, the better." Drake then folded his arms waiting to see how his companions would act. Those two might be able to defeat all the Acolytes, but he doubted they'd stand a chance against the mother after all those battles.

[Chevaleresse]

"Sounds alright to me. You know, what if we just went straight for the mother, blitzed her down, and asked for a surrender? Saves lots of time, work, and possibly lives." Sarcus's foot continued to tap, his calm, almost bored tone contrasting his interior.