OCTOBER EVENT PT2

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OCTOBER EVENT PT2

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→ THE BEGINNING

(click to expand - happy early Halloween)

It's on the evening of October 28th when everything quickly descends into madness.

It begins with faint static in the air, gradually becoming louder and louder until it's impossible to ignore, the pattern of cries that was once hidden now audible to everybody as it grows and grows until it culminates in an explosion. The walls of the local bookstore burst outwards, a rampaging Hydreigon within unleashing Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam without any rest in between. Its trainer, an old man, hobbles up to it in a panic in order to ask what's wrong, but the Pokemon knocks him to the ground, ignoring him and continuing to destroy everything in its path while its trainer lies motionless on the ground, blood pouring from his head.

Further down the street, another eruption shakes the city, a group of Galarian Rapidashes slamming themselves against walls and windows until they break through, careening and crashing through buildings with wild abandon. Occupants inside a cafe scream as they attempt to flee, crushed under rubble and trampled by merciless hooves. From the sky, Murkrows and Natus swoop down on residents on the streets, long talons outstretched to claw at any exposed skin and pluck out any staring eyes. All around the city, Pokeballs burst open on their own and the Pokemon rush madly at human and Pokemon alike, disregarding orders or pleads from their trainers and attacking anything within sight in a wild frenzy.

Fires blaze across the city as children wail and adults scream. All the while, the pattern of cries continues...

→ THE RAMPAGE

(click to expand - you're in for a bad time)

Throughout the night, dark, ghost, and psychic-type Pokemon rampage throughout Mango City. Wild Pokemon appear from the outskirts of town and attack anyone and anything on sight, while companion Pokemon force themselves out of their balls and turn upon their trainers. No other types seem to be affected, the other Pokemon just as confused and distraught as the humans as they're forced to run from, defend against, and fight the Pokemon they were once allied with.

While many of the mad Pokemon physically assault those around them, other use innate abilities to wreak havoc. Musharnas emit a dark mist that engulfs entire beings and brings their fears to reality, forcing all those within the fog to face the same delusions. At the same time, Shedinjas steal souls away in their shells and keep them captive in a shared endless nightmare of their worst experiences relived. Similarly, Beheeyems cause those nearby to reexperience their most feared and hated moments, erasing all memory after that moment in order to trap their victims in that vulnerable mindset of the past. Meanwhile, Zoroarks trap their targets within grand illusions that force them to undergo a series of deaths over and over again, causing them excruciating pain and suffering while their physical bodies continue to live. Haunters phase in and out of walls to surprise and lick their victims, sapping years off their life and causing a frigid shivering that won't stop until they wither away, and Gengars loom in the shadows, sapping heat away from its surroundings and causing the small and the weak to slowly freeze to death. Umbreons spray poisonous sweat all over the street, causing people to choke and convulse if they stay too long near the toxic areas, and Cofagriguses drag humans into their coffins and wrap them up as mummies, bound so tightly nobody can hear them scream. No amount of pleading nor bargaining will cause any of them to stop; the only option left is to defeat them in battle, either by killing them or knocking them out.

It'd be kinder to do the latter, but in the heat of the moment, it's difficult to hold back. It's desperate times, after all, as the city streets soon begin to fill with the cold and still bodies of both Pokemon and humans.

→ HELP...?

(click to expand - is anyone even sane enough left to help)

At the outskirts of town bordering the forest, herds of Stantler lead the unaffected and helpless deeper into the forest into an area where the trees are so densely packed that even the shine of the moon can't break through. The only source of light are the small Litwicks that scurry towards the humans, smiling and holding out their little hands. Follow them. They'll keep you safe(?).

Perhaps it's time to abandon the city, where the fires continue to grow and rage throughout the streets, threatening to engulf entire neighborhood blocks. The hospital and Pokemon Center get repurposed to disaster zones as the doctors and nurses struggle to treat their patients while fending off rampaging Pokemon at the same time. Mari's large Steelixes wrap themselves around the buildings to become iron walls keeping the wild Pokemon out, but even their great defense struggles against the never ending attacks.

In the midst of the ongoing disaster, the radio tower remains undamaged and completely abandoned, untouched by the rampaging Pokemon outside. The receptionist has fled long ago, leaving the front doors open but the door to the stairs and the elevator up remaining locked. The tower stands empty and silent, completely free of the static and pattern of cries playing outside, the one place of reprieve from the hell that has descended upon Mango City.

→ MOD NOTES

⬥ Welcome to the Halloween event! Due to the nature of the prompts, please properly warn for any potentially disturbing content in your threads/tags for all players.
⬥ This event is forward dated to the evening and night of the 28th and may last past the 28th if no proper IC measures are taken to stop the rampaging Pokemon. The OOC deadline to solve and fix the disaster will be October 29.
⬥ Please comment to the mod question & investigation thread to report any actions that characters may take to stop the events of the log.
⬥ Have fun! :)

Comments

[scension]

More or less. Those fog Pokemon have a way of getting to you.

[Yeah, there's no way that smile is genuine, but it isn't Sagi's place to pry. They have more pressing concerns while they're stuck in the mist. Sagi would like to be out of here before another of these creatures decides it's fun to pick on him instead, for one.]

We'll have to go out in the open again. I don't think it wants to come to us.

[partymagician]

[ They sure do. Fai isn't going to say anything to that, because he's sure Sagi is aware that he has been gotten. ]

Alright. Are you ready?

[ Fai will go ahead and take out his Marshtomp to get himself a little more prepared. ]

[scension]

[Since Fai seems to think some caution is necessary, Sagi sends both of his own Pokemon back out too. His Snom scuttles up onto his Marshtomp's back, raring to go. His dagger is still in his hand, everything seems to be in order... Yeah, that'll do.] Whenever you are.

[partymagician]

Let's go.

[ They head back out into the chaos, and there's so much going on it's hard to tell if the illusory Fai is out there looking for them.

So, he starts looking for the Musharna instead, since he saw it last time he was trapped in one of their mists. ]

Do you see a Musharna?

[scension]

I see... something.

[He points up. A round shadow is just about visible above, behind a shattered window pane in a damaged building. The shape is about right for a Musharna, but who knows?]

If we can find a way up there...

[Not that Sagi hasn't jumped through windows in his time, but this one looks too jagged for comfort.]

[partymagician]

[ Fai looks up at the building. It would be worth it to at least go see if it's a Musharna. ]

We might just have to climb. I can break the window if we need to.

[scension]

Hmm. [Sagi contemplates the window, looking a lot more pensive than he does under most other circumstances. Too bad Fai is too tall and noodly for him to just offer a boost up with his wings.] But if it is in there, there's no way it wouldn't notice us after that. We should have an attack plan.

[This may be a little rich coming from him after going off half-cocked on Fai's doppelganger, but he thinks it makes sense right now.]

[partymagician]

[ Fai only nods. ]

Right. I think we should have our Pokemon with us as we climb so they'll be ready to attack as soon as possible.

[ But they might need more than that. ]

Do you have any weapons?

[scension]

[Sagi gestures vaguely with the unremarkable curved dagger he's been holding this entire time.] Just this one, but I don't know if going close-range is a good idea. We'd be right up in the fog.

[They're inside the fog regardless. He knows what he means.]

Maybe... you start climbing first. I'll look for a way up on the other side. Then we've got a better chance at cutting off its escape.

[He sounds pretty matter of fact about the whole scenario, because he is.]

[partymagician]

[ Oh. Fai had been so distracted by the illusion he hadn't even registered the dagger.

But Sagi is right—close range wouldn't be the best idea. ]

Alright. I'll go ahead and start climbing.

[ Fai bends down so his Marshtomp can loop her fins around his neck. He turns to Sagi before attempting to climb. ]

I'll see you when we get up there.

[scension]

[Sagi nods.] Be careful, both of you.

[He recalls his own Marshtomp for now, opens his wings and rockets off around the corner, skimming through the air low to the ground instead of running.

The damage to the building's facade gives the climb up to that window a few more grips and footholds than it might have a few hours ago. The room beyond was most likely a storeroom of some sort, but now it's a mess. Crushed boxes and torn books litter the floor. A hole has torn straight through the ceiling by something or other, leaving precariously dangling panels and sputtering wires. The mist filling the air seems even thicker here than outside, and it does seem to be streaming from the round silhouette not far from where Fai climbs in. Its blank, round eyes open wide when it notices it has company.

There is no sign of Sagi... until he and Marshtomp crash through the damaged ceiling feet-first, his wings knocking a panel completely loose on his way down. Apparently this was the most convenient way in from the other side of the building.]

It is here! Get it, Blue! Focus fire!

[Even as they land, Blue the Marshtomp leans forward to spit a Mud Shot across the room at the Musharna. It squeals angrily and ducks right in front of Fai.]

[partymagician]

[ He's climbed a lot of things in the past, so the extra grips thanks to the damage make it much easier for Fai to climb up the side of the building and before long he's up by the window. Fai smashes it to get inside, ignoring the cuts on his hands for now, since he can just deal with them later.

It's a really good thing he did climb inside, because the moment Musharna dodges the Mud Shot, it's headed right towards Fai and he's able to easily get up a shield before it hits him.

Fai's Marshtomp hops off his back to fire her own Mud Shot at the Musharna. ]

[scension]

[The Musharna reels and rocks violently in mid-air from the Mud Shots, its attempt at causing friendly fire thwarted. It's far from defeated, however. Yet more fog billows out from its head, cloaking the room from floor to punctured ceiling. Maybe something else is about to appear...

Sagi is certainly wary of the possibility. He raises his voice, all the better to keep his position from being in doubt.] Keep it off balance! Before it tries anything else!

[His Marshtomp throws out more Mud Shots one after another. Some of them fly a little wide, thudding into the walls and sending a tremble through some of the piled-up boxes.]

[partymagician]

[ The fog is concerning, and Fai is careful to try to avoid it as much as he can for now, so it can't pull on any more of his memories and fears.

Fai's Marshtomp stays in front of him, alternating between Mud Slap and Mud Shot. She better get some good treats after this!! In the meantime, Fai gets out the Swablu he caught the first time he met Sagi and she chirps in recognition. ]

Try to get it to flinch!

[ The Swablu immediately starts to use Astonish. If they can get it to flinch, maybe they can stop the barrage of fog. ]

[scension]

[The little Swablu's efforts are rewarded - the Musharna is momentarily stunned, floating backward from the blow and thunking against a shelf. That impact in turn disrupts rhe stream of fog from the creature's head for a moment, and the outline of something unpleasantly human body-like that was forming against the nearby wall vanishes into thin air.]

Nice! [He didn't catch what that shape near the wall was, but this sure looks like an opening to Sagi.] Now bring it down!

[The Marshtomps' barrage on both sides does look like it's taking their toll on the Musharna, regardless of the mess they're making of the storeroom. It bobs and weaves close to the ground, struggling to stay afloat. Another solid attack might knock it out.]

[partymagician]

[ Fai catches a glimpse of whatever was forming against the wall, briefly wondering what it is before it disappears.

Sagi's words distract him from that momentarily and he nods. ]

Go! [ Marshtomp takes that as a cue to send one final Mud Slap! ]

// gore, death

[scension]

[Either in desperate self-defense or as one final malicious impulse, the Musharna looses a cloud of mist dense enough to blanket the whole room. All of a sudden, Sagi can barely see past the front of his face. The only thing he can see is the shape that rapidly reforms by the wall: it's without a doubt a woman's body this time, crushed and mauled beyond any semblance of life except for the only partly bloodied green of her hair.

But then Fai's Marshtomp delivers one more slap of mud across the Musharna's spout, and it crumples. The fog and the shapes within it rapidly dissolve into nothing, clearing the air of everything except the incessant static from outside.

Sagi looks a little shaken to register their victory right away, still staring at the wall where the body was. It takes him a few seconds and some blinking before he realises the fog is no more.]

I guess that's that. Are you hurt?

[He approaches his Marshtomp to check on him first, but it's meant as a general question.]

[partymagician]

[ Fai was not expecting to see something like that, and he's glad that the illusion disappears the moment the mud hits Musharna. Letting out a small sigh of relief, Fai looks down at Marshtomp to make sure she's fine while Swablu flutters around them.

The fact that Sagi looks shaken doesn't get past him, however, and he nods at Sagi's question. His hand is bleeding, but it's not a big deal. ]

We're alright here.

[ He walks over, Marshtomp and Swablu in tow. ]

Are you?

[scension]

I think it tried to switch targets at the last second. [He manages a small, lopsided smile. It's a little annoying to get caught up in a vision despite already knowing what the deal was with the fog, even just for a moment.] But hey, it went down. Good job!

[The smile fades when he catches sight of Fai's cut hand. Right, the glass from the window. He forgot about that after coming in from the roof instead.]

Oh, your hand... Do we have anything for that? Uh, let me check.

[He takes a playing card out of his pocket, pulls an entire shoulder bag out of the playing card in a whistling flash of light like it's the most natural thing in the world, then props the bag up on the side of a mud-spattered table to rummage through it. He definitely doesn't have actual bandages, but maybe he can improvise something close enough.]

[partymagician]

[ Switching targets, huh... Fai doesn't push any further on that, because he saw how bad it was. He doesn't want to upset Sagi by asking about it.

The shoulder bag coming out of the playing card does surprise him a little, though. That's a new form of magic he hasn't seen before, and he watches Sagi dig through the bag. ]

Ah... don't worry about it. It's alright if you don't have any bandages. I can get it taken care of.

[scension]

[Sagi looks up from the bag, his arm elbow-deep inside.]

You sure? Sometimes blood attracts extra company.

[He still sounds pretty matter of fact about the whole affair. The mangled corpse was unpleasant, but it wasn't real; he doesn't see a need to think about it too hard, or at all.]

It would be out of character for these guys, but so is... everything else they're doing.

[partymagician]

[ He's glad that Sagi has seemed to recover pretty quickly from what he saw.

But he does have a point—the Pokemon are acting unpredictably and it's possible that they will be drawn to blood. ]

...You're right. If you can't find anything in there, I can use some of my clothes to wrap up my hand.

[scension]

[Sagi doesn't answer right away, but after a short while he pulls what looks like a dark purple sleeve out of the bag. A little hacking at it with his dagger, and he has a couple of soft, somewhat ragged-edged, dark purple strips of cloth.]

Will this do?

[He holds them out to Fai with no hesitation. Clothes are replaceable, hands less so.]

[partymagician]

I think so.

[ Fai takes them and starts wrapping his hand. It's a little difficult to do using just his one hand, but it's manageable. ]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[scension]

[He just beams. It's nice to be appreciated sometimes.

With that particular quest complete, he pulls a second blank card from his pocket - the bag goes in one, the dagger in the other, both disappearing in the same flashes of light and high-pitched sound.]

Well, unless your shield works on broken glass, we need another way out...

[They could just try the door, but maybe the window over there is less damaged? It's hard to immediately tell under all the mud splatters, so he walks over to take a look - though he's just slightly hesitant to step through the space where the illusory body was lying.]