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]

[Oof. Betrayed by the good intentions of his own Pokemon... Is this how other people feel about Sagi when his plans to help them go wrong?

He has no time to dwell on that, because with Naminé thrown away from the Musharna's spout, it redoubles its psychic assault. The fog spews out anew, returning in full force, and so does the pain. It feels like his skull is ripping in two, warping, twisting, tapering...

Somehow, he staggers a few steps further without collapsing, turning and throwing his arms wide to put himself between Naminé and the rogue Pokemon. Dense black mist curls around him like a writhing, living creature; if his suspicion is right, the illusion will swallow him soon. He's determined to stay lucid as long as possible, but he's seen the helpless, locked-in states some of the rampage victims were reduced to tonight. For all he knows, something similar might be why Naminé thought it was a good idea to punch the thing.]

Run away! Don't let it latch on...!

[redigere]

No, I'm not leaving you!

[It's just like before. Someone sacrificing themselves for her sake even though she doesn't deserve it. Naminé lets out a ragged gasp as she struggles to sit up and catch her breath. If only a part of Kairi were still with her! That purifying light would surely--

No, she has to do what she can right now, with what power she's capable of. Naminé scrubs at her face, frantically clearing her vision only to find it's obscured by more black mist, barely able to out Sagi's silhouette. It feels like something is trying to tear her new heart in two, crushing her under its weight.

I won't give up! My heart is stronger than this! She steels herself, summons all of the warm, bright memories she can remember from the three dearest people to her, and grabs at Sagi's hand and holds on tight.]

Keep listening to my voice, keep fighting it! [She starts to drag him away from the mist, step by slow step, fighting the tides of the ocean of pitch black crashing around her. Her Rookidee chirps madly, fluttering right ahead of her, leading the way.] Sora, Kairi, Riku, please-- please lend me your courage--!

[scension]

[Sagi has no idea why she isn't retreating or what she's babbling now. Nor does he know exactly what the little Rookidee's anxious noises mean. Still, when he turns his head, he sees its wings flapping in the mist - maybe it can see a better way out of the fog from its vantage point than straight past the Musharna.

He'll risk following it. Anything that might clear this headache. He'd forgotten that if it isn't real, there's no reason he should feel helpless to do anything but bear it.]

Fine! We both run...!

[One moment to recall Marshtomp back to his Pokeball, then he's off. If she still wants to hold his hand, she'll have to sprint. Only some of the dense mist continues to cling to his arms as he flees.]