[BATTLE] DAHLIA VS N

[lou]

ROUND 3
DAHLIA VS. N
BATTLE COMMENCE

[dahlia]

[atrb=valign, top][atrb=width, 500px, btable][atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=cellspacing, 0, true][atrb=cellpadding, 0, true][atrb=style, background: #262626; color: #fefefe; padding: 20px;][STYLE=font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'arial', sans-serif; font-weight: 300; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: justify; padding: 10px 0; border-top: #c7f464 4px solid; border-bottom: #c7f464 4px solid;]The entourage of a Blaziken, Raichu, Togekiss, and Lilligant stand in a stark contrast against the interior of Victory Road. Their trainer has long since given up on stealth - some of the party members are too clumsy from injuries for that to happen anyway. Dahlia holds no pity for herself or any of her team (what is it but another symptom of weakness?), but she does wish that she did not need Bellatrix to be out of her ball at this very moment. The Blaziken tries to hide it, but her fatigue is obvious, starting from her ragged breaths. The young woman would have preferred to give her a good rest, but that is a luxury that they can scarcely afford. Although Dahlia was never particular to the Battle Factory, she is not a stranger to her limits. Limits are what make battles more exciting, and going over the threshold is the foundation of the ideology that she believes in. She pauses in her steps and turns around to face her party. “Guys, you want to be here, right?” (where is this coming from) For that, Timothy glides low and slaps her with his wing. Dahlia pauses for a few seconds before turning back towards the path. “Yeah, I guess you’re right!”. They would never have bonded so well otherwise. She continues walking as she pulls out her Pokegear, fiddling at the buttons until the map function came up. Recent upgrades ensured that she would be able to access a map of the cave layout itself, and she takes full advantage of it. “We’re not too far off from the exit. We might be able to find a station” Dahlia grins. “Haven’t seen Drake in forever!” Well, not that she ever has, but who’s counting? In consideration of her injured Pokemon, she tries not to break out into a run at the thought of a rest stop where she could get a change of clothes. Maybe Lux uniforms weren’t such a bad idea after all. Ralphy uses an Agility and races ahead nevertheless. It seems that her Raichu is more excited than she. [/style]

[atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, background: #262626; color: #fefefe; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0;][STYLE=font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'arial', sans-serif; background: #c7f464; color: #262626; text-transform: uppercase; line-height: .8em; padding: 10px; word-wrap: break-word; width: 110px; margin-bottom: 15px;]nights end so much quicker than the days did,[/style] [STYLE=width: 100px; border: 10px #c7f464 solid; padding: 5px;][/style]

[STYLE=font-size: 9px;]BY RINNE[/style]

[N]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #F1F1F1; width: 350px; border-left: 50px solid #121212, bTable] there's blood on his uniform. some of it's shelby's, from when he tried to move her. but most of it belongs to that woman, natalie, from that one division. he couldn't lift shelby, but natalie fits in his arms almost too well. her corpse lies draped between his arms, twitching with his motions. she's still warm. there's still a bit of blood dripping from the bullet wounds, mostly drainage. pat. pat. pat. his shoes-- his pants-- his white coat, they're all ruined. even the pokeballs on his belt are stained with iron. for the first time in he doesn't remember when, n cries. he's never been one to bawl, or even shed tears (because despite what people may think, n's never understood human emotion, and n's never felt the urge to express emotion in human ways). it's like laughter-- something he sees humans do, but isn't sure how to do it himself. but through the blood stains on his cheeks, lines from tears can be seen. he wipes them away, balancing natalie on his knee for a while, but it just serves to make his face even more dirty. he needs a shower, because he's starting to itch. dust and rust and other such things are clinging to him and he's not quite sure what to do. but then he hears motion from the divide below. quietly, he sets natalie down behind a rock, murmuring, "you'll be safe here." he hesitates for a moment, then kisses her forehead. it's colder than it was when he set out. her face is losing color fast. he steps back, then releases two pokemon. swoop and icy stare at him. swoops gaze remains cynical, though he swears that bird is judging him. icy trembles, not quite sure of what's going on. with an air of self-assurance not seen since he was plasma's king, n gives his orders: "swoop, cut them off with a rock slide. once he's done that, icy, sheer cold. give them no escape." icy remains staring for a moment, but swoop doesn't hold back for a minute. the archeops takes wing, then blasts into the stalctites above. rocks begin falling, hopefully cutting off dahlia from her raichu, maybe even crushing some of them. the dust settles and still icy doesn't move. but n is waiting. the vanilluxe will attack, or n will have his klinklang handle this. it's icy's choice. don't be scared, just calm down now he's gone, won't hurt you anymore

[style=float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px; -webkit-border-radius: 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px; border-radius: 50px; background-image: url('http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p549/littlebigfish/icons/natural/22.png'); height: 90px; width: 90px; border-left: 5px solid #f1f1f1; border-bottom: 5px solid #f1f1f1;] Cut the sky with your paper wings searing through the air your soul sings the dissonance is growing near the harmonies recede in fear you will be mine once again you said i would be yours forever i can bring you happiness i can everything that you wanted i can bring you life again i can build you angel wings, like you wanted wrap around me this rapture entices me never want to open my eyes cold steel against me a body once empty blocked out the sound of your cries tagged dahlia notes archeops used rawk slide credit [/style]

[dahlia]

[atrb=valign, top][atrb=width, 500px, btable][atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=cellspacing, 0, true][atrb=cellpadding, 0, true][atrb=style, background: #262626; color: #fefefe; padding: 20px;] The wail is a shock to Dahlia, she is instantly snapped out of her thoughts and she turns quickly towards the source. As much as she wanted to enjoy her time at Ever Grande, surviving to to play another day took precedence. Still, she makes a real effort to get into the new tempo of her opponent. Dahlia looks up and sees green. Green reminds her of a lot of things. It reminds her of Lum berries and summer chartreuse, of Palmer’s coat and Darach’s Gallade. It reminds her of- Even as Dahlia makes no move towards her opponent, her party understands. As his trainer immerses herself into everything that the battle is - the rhythm, the dynamics, the sounds and the feeling. Others have told them that there is no such thing as a battle that is won on sensuality - evidently, their lack of acknowledgement is why some of the trainers will never climb past her. After spending so much time in the competitive battle circuit, she has already come to terms with the fact that only a select few will understand. “Tim,” Dahlia doesn’t look away from the man above her. “Aura Sphere. Lena, Petal Dance” The Togekiss manages to summon a ball of energy that obliterates the largest of stalactites, saving the Raichu from certain injury. The Lilligant tightens her focus and directs her attack at the smaller chunks of rock that threaten to bury them. The stalactites may be sharp, they sacrifice girth in exchange. Ralphy looks furious at the idea of being buried by a Rock Slide. Dahlia finally directs her attention to the Archeops above and utters: “Ralphy, use Electro Ball”. Raphael is more than willing, firing a blast of electricity. She isn’t entirely sure if the Raichu would outspeed an Archeops, even after an Agility, but they can only try. Either way, nothing feathered would enjoy the attack very much. The only thing that seems to throw her off a bit is the man’s command for Sheer Cold. Dahlia has never been a fan of anything below seventy degrees. After spending several hours in a cave that feels like forty, the command for Sunny Day comes rather quickly. What chance does a chill stand against weather itself? Even when no cold front is forthcoming, Dahlia is grateful for the warmth. “Maybe we’ll get lucky.” She certainly seems to believe that they will.

[atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, background: #262626; color: #fefefe; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0;] nights end so much quicker than the days did,

BY RINNE

[N]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #F1F1F1; width: 350px; border-left: 50px solid #121212, bTable] the terrorist isn't down, and n finds his hands shaking. he needs to get out of here alive, but can't when the rock slide has cut off the bridge and trapped him on this rise. not like he's going to run, not without natalie. he's going to give her a proper burial, one that shelby will never receive. the electricity crackles in the air, nearly taking swoop's wing off. the archeops manages to dodge, but it still stings his wing-feathers and casts him off-course. he crashes into a stalactite, feathers floating to the ground as he and the stalactite fall. swoop, however, catches the air again, getting back on course. the stalactite doesn't. n grinds his teeth. there's a sudden warmth and he doesn't want it around. he'll deal with it, either with water or with ice. but the raichu is more pressing, because with swoop flying the way he is, the archeops won't be able to dodge. "swoop, earth power." the archeops swings his tail, arching downwards and letting out a battle cry. as he flies overhead, the ground beneath him cracks and raises up like geisers, casting dirt and flame and smoke into the air. it's not as destructive as an earthquake, but it's painful enough. up in the air, n glances at icy, who is still staring and shivering. he reaches out for the vanilluxe, who melts away with an acid armor, out of his grasp. n needs a new plan, quickly, because icy is too scared to function. he steps back, reaching for natalie's corpse. he's lost his gun, but natalie still has hers. it's not as nice as the one he stole from miss thalia. it feels wrong in his hand. this gun isn't a brand new piece of machinery. this gun has taken lives, human and pokemon alike. in his puddle of icy goo, the vanilluxe shivers. All systems go, sun hasn't died Deep in my bones, straight from inside

[style=float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px; -webkit-border-radius: 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px; border-radius: 50px; background-image: url('http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p549/littlebigfish/icons/natural/18.png'); height: 90px; width: 90px; border-left: 5px solid #f1f1f1; border-bottom: 5px solid #f1f1f1;] I raise my flags, dye my clothes It's a revolution, I suppose We'll paint it red to fit right in I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus This is it, the apocalypse I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones Enough to make my systems blow Welcome to the new age, to the new age Welcome to the new age, to the new age Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive tagged dahlia notes archeops used earth power, vanilluxe used acid armor credit [/style]

[dahlia]

[atrb=valign, top][atrb=width, 500px, btable][atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=cellspacing, 0, true][atrb=cellpadding, 0, true][atrb=style, background: #262626; color: #fefefe; padding: 20px;] Perhaps it had been her own overconfidence that had lead to their present disadvantage. That’s where the fun is, though. Dahlia would rather her confidence damn or save her, rather than cowardice or hesitancy. How could she claim to be the Arcade Star if she loses in such a manner? She notices N’s panic and the bloodstains, but there are more pressing issues at hand. Very rarely does she get to feel this rush of blood in her ears (too much practice can be a curse, it seems). “Ralphy, Light Scr-” Ralphy is caught off-guard; the Raichu strives to erect his Light Screen, but a blast of earth has already seared him in the stomach. Timothy dives and rescues his teammate by his cord-like tail, away from the hellfire below. Dahlia hopes that he isn’t biting onto it hard enough for the startled Ralphy to release a nasty burst of electricity (at least Togekiss have no canines). Still, Timothy takes that chance. Better to risk electrocution than lose the Raichu to certain death. Fortunately, Ralphy seems lurid enough to know that his enemy is not the one who carries him away from the chunks of soil below. It probably hurts like hell, but it was the best that Timothy could do under the circumstances. He drops the Raichu a couple of feet and swoops underneath him to catch his teammate on his back. With Ralphy properly secured, Timothy soars beyond the sulfur and brimstone, as if there is a paradise to be found in this inferno. Dahlia’s sharp eyes spy a small window of opportunity. They might have missed their triple sevens, but the team can still score a consolation prize. “Triple Clefairy! Hit it!” Timothy gives the Archeops his best sweet smile from above. Who can resist one from a Togekiss? He has abandoned none of his charms by opting to battle under Dahlia. He puts his wings together for the briefest of moments, charging up his Aura Sphere. There is no telling what direction that it will fly until after the concentration of energy is released, after all. The cavern glows a light blue, and Timothy finally fires - at the Vanilluxe. Meanwhile, Lena continues performing her dance of flower blades. Just as Timothy uses the Aura Sphere as a diversion, the Lilligant’s Petal Dance rises upwards, hungrily seeking out the lone Archeops. In the fireworks display of pink and blue, Dahlia scarcely notices N drawing the gun - her focus is elsewhere. Whether being the Frontier’s sole Arcade Star will cost her dearly or not, the Dahlia in the moment can hardly care.

[atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, background: #262626; color: #fefefe; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0;] nights end so much quicker than the days did,

BY RINNE

[N]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #F1F1F1; width: 350px; border-left: 50px solid #121212, bTable] the aura sphere twists in the sky, arcing up and then down, plummeting straight into the ground. a puddle of vanilluxe goo sloshes up and the vanilluxe screams, reforming out of its acidic state. it shivers hatefully, one of its heads slightly misshapen from a rushed reformation. he ignores the ball of warmth in the air, likely making his attack not as useful. he plans on blowing it all away regardless. icy's two mouths open in an angry shriek as he summons wind and ice, the blizzard forcing swoop to change course. the archeops raises up with fly, managing to avoid friendly and unfriendly fire for a while. at the top of the cave, he can see the entire battlefield. n with his gun. dahlia focusing on the battle. the pokemon struggling below. swoop isn't sure he wants to bother diving down again. but shelby is dead, and they will all die, too. but n doesn't believe they'll die. n won't let anyone else die for him. he lets out one pokemon, a leafeon. "cover me if anything bad happens." the leafeon looks up at him disapprovingly, then sticks close, tail and ears flicking almost unnaturally. he readies the gun. it still feels wrong in his hand. he doesn't know how to aim a gun, but he tries, aiming for the trainer. maybe he can convince the pokemon that he's only scared for his life. but he hesitates. he's not sure he can pull the trigger. maybe he needs to call off the attack. maybe this person isn't a threat. maybe this person is just scared as he is. the gun is heavy. he shouldn't drop it. natalie might not have wanted him to lose it. instead he lowers it, hands trembling, stomach churning. he wants to throw up. All systems go, sun hasn't died Deep in my bones, straight from inside

[style=float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px; -webkit-border-radius: 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px; border-radius: 50px; background-image: url('http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p549/littlebigfish/icons/natural/18.png'); height: 90px; width: 90px; border-left: 5px solid #f1f1f1; border-bottom: 5px solid #f1f1f1;] I raise my flags, dye my clothes It's a revolution, I suppose We'll paint it red to fit right in I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus This is it, the apocalypse I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones Enough to make my systems blow Welcome to the new age, to the new age Welcome to the new age, to the new age Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive tagged dahlia notes archeops used fly, vanilluxe used blizzard credit [/style]

[dahlia]

[atrb=valign, top][atrb=width, 500px, btable][atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=cellspacing, 0, true][atrb=cellpadding, 0, true][atrb=style, background: #262626; color: #fefefe; padding: 20px;] Timothy puffs out his breast to shield the teammate on his back, confident in the superior defense that is bestowed to every member of his species. Ralphy’s Light Screen helps nullify most of the clumps of snow that weren’t melted away by the artificial sun. The Togekiss shivers and attempts to shake off the snow that sticks to his feathers, but it could have been a lot worse. Ralphy growls at the Vanilluxe and lets out his Electro Ball at it, willing for it to stay down. The Togekiss is also no stranger to his friend’s frustration. There is no reaching the Archeops at this distance, not without the faster bird striking first. His wings are supporting the weight of two - if it’s an endurance battle, then the Togekiss also has the clear disadvantage. Overturning terrible odds might be what Timothy usually enjoyed, but that applied to the competition arena. Right now, everyone’s wellbeing is at risk, especially that of the Raichu on his back. Perhaps he has finally realized his heart as a Togekiss, rather than a competitive battler, Dahlia thinks. She does not know if this realization came too soon or too late. The stakes for this battle are higher than ever, and Dahlia feels that familiar rush. It’s not a pleasant rush, but it will do. Adrenaline is adrenaline, and she’ll take what she can get. Without it, she knows that the fight is lost. Suddenly, the weariness in her bones set in, and Dahlia hates it. Hates that she can’t get rid of it by will alone. There’s plenty of fight in her still, but that only extends so far. She looks to Lena and sees her frustration at the limited range of her attacks. The Lilligant tries so hard, but in the end, she will not be able to fight the way that Timothy does. Maybe that’s why she has always been so fond of her Arcade. Everyone had an equal chance to show their talents. If the roulette worked against the trainer’s favor, then everyone went down together. Here, there is no equality. There are no rules. There is no game. She hates that this is the de facto state of the world outside the Frontier. As freely as she has tried to live, Dahlia is no bohemian. She chooses not to be. “Give me a Synthesis, just in case” Lena’s body glows with the bountiful sunlight, and all the previous traces of injuries sustained in the last battle disappear. For the first time since the battle has started, she casts a good look at the child upon the rocks. He is certainly a tall fellow, but adults are sculpted, not grown. Dahlia isn’t suitably perturbed by the weapon in his hands - she won’t be until he actually shoots. The unknown has never been something that she has taught herself to fear. In the case that he won’t shoot, Dahlia hardly wants to frighten him into doing so. The boy turns (almost) as green as his hair, and Dahlia makes her split-second decision. She has no desire to participate in this any longer. The Arcade Star came here for a game, not a war. The moment that the confrontation was no longer about playing it was the second that she lost interest in winning it. They are only interested in reaching a station, and drawing out this battle will not bring them any closer to their objective. “Bellatrix” Dahlia’s voice is not as triumphant as it once was. It shouldn’t be. The Blaziken appears at her side in a burst of light. “Make sure that we can leave safely, won’t you?” The Blaziken nods and looks up at the Archeops. There are few attacks that are capable of reaching a bird in flight, and Bella is fortunate enough to know one of them. “Sky Uppercut” The Blaziken takes to the air with its jumping ability, aiming its punch at the Archeops. Timothy is reassured by his partner’s presence. The two have tag teamed since their pre-evolution days, and he knows that Bella has him covered. The Togekiss does not hesitate in throwing an Air Slash at the Leafeon. Their trainer has made it clear long ago that attacking humans (or any display of poor sportsmanship) is unacceptable, but the boy doesn’t know that. Timothy never spares a bluff if he can get away with one. “Hey kid,” Dahlia grins cockily at her opponent, and she's not sure how much is bravado anymore. “Let a lady through, won’t you?”

[atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, background: #262626; color: #fefefe; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0;] nights end so much quicker than the days did,

BY RINNE

[N]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #F1F1F1; width: 350px; border-left: 50px solid #121212, bTable] he opens his mouth to speak but the taste of blood is on his tongue, testing his metal. it fails. he falls to the ground and heaves, shaking heavily and unable to reply. tears sting in his eyes-- too many of his friends have died tonight. the vanilluxe is hit with the electro ball, and a chunk of its goop flies off. the other head blinks for a moment, not quite sure what just went down. it's more painful and difficult for the ice cream cone to reform this time. the slime of the sentient dessert creeps up the cone's smooth surface, coming to rest at the top. the eyes are on backwards. icy will fix himself later. for now he's more focused on his opponent, and frankly, there aren't many moves left in the vanilluxe's repertoir. he would move to hail, but the leafeon beside him barks an order as the air slash hits home. the leafeon fades away. in its place is a glistening zoroark, and she'll use the sunlight to her advantage. the navy vixen leaps forward, maw opening as her flamethrower spreads outward, heat and range intensified by dahlia's sunny day. the heat is enough for icy to lose track of what's happening. the vanilluxe blinks-- once, twice, three times-- and lets out a bewildered, "vaaaaa?" he looks over to n, then screams and huddles back down in his puddle. n shakes, and not even the sounds of his friends fighting can bring him out of his state of mind. he is putting his life in danger. another lux soldier could stop her. another lux soldier could be brave when n cannot. he is small and worthless and perhaps-- perhaps he should have gone back with father. yes, father. on a good day, daddy. daddy knows best, after all-- but a cry from swoop makes his blood run cold and he might throw up again. he glances up and there, up ahead, is swoop getting hit in the gut by a blaziken. the archeops leers down, then trills. and n knows exactly what it means-- "i've had enough of this shit," the archeops growls, and it's almost funny because swoop's been the only one to ever swear out of n's pokemon and it seems fitting now but n doesn't laugh, he can't laugh. he opens his mouth and instead of vomit there's a scream: "swoop!" the archeops rocks forward on his wings, trying to drag the blaziken in his claws and slam the beast down into the earth. beneath him, he opens up a rift with earth power, intending on slamming both himself and the blaziken into the heat and smoke below. even if it kills him, he won't go down alone. n scrambles for his pokeballs, drops swoop's, and instead out comes twister. and n is seeing red, howling, "swoop, stop it! swoop!" the klinklang brrs disapprovingly ("just because shelby's dead doesn't mean you have to be a martyr."). n ignores it, and the archeops goes down and n isn't sure if his friend is going to make it out alive. "shift gear," n barks, his voice strained. the tears are back. his face itches from the tears and the blood. he hates them both, almost as much as he hates himself. n drops the gun and jumps down into the fray below, not caring if his life will be at risk for it. as i sleep i hear them creeping down the hall they're nothing, they're all gone

[style=float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px; -webkit-border-radius: 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px; border-radius: 50px; background-image: url('http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p549/littlebigfish/icons/natural/king.png'); height: 90px; width: 90px; border-left: 5px solid #f1f1f1; border-bottom: 5px solid #f1f1f1;] but it's okay to be afraid when you're staring face to face with time that's gone to waste. a man walks on the clouds after soaring high, looking back down at the mountains reaching for the sky. a woman cries her eyes out just to fill the clouds with grey. as the man falls down to earth, people swear they hear him say, "this place is nowhere after all. this place is nowhere after all." tagged dahlia notes archeops used earth power, zoroark used flamethrower, vanilluxe used acid armor, klinklang used shift gear, n used GDI YOU'RE GONNA BREAK YOUR FUCKING LEG credit [/style]

[dahlia]

[atrb=valign, top][atrb=width, 500px, btable][atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=cellspacing, 0, true][atrb=cellpadding, 0, true][atrb=style, background: #262626; color: #fefefe; padding: 20px;] Pain, failure, and loss are all obstacles that will all come to pass. This much, Dahlia is sure of. She doesn’t quite believe in the permanence of these things, and maybe that’s why so many of her rivals hate her for more than her ability to defeat them soundly. Maybe at one point, the Arcade Star was sympathetic to these fickle things, but everything comes and goes. Today’s happiness becomes tomorrow’s sorrow. Tomorrow’s sorrow becomes the rage of the day after. To assume personal responsibility for another’s troubles is in fact, irresponsible. It’s not that Dahlia doesn’t care when the boy breaks down in response - it’s simply not in her place to save him. (she has been mistaken for a nox woman before this) Timothy’s satisfaction at making the hit is only temporary, but the young woman cannot help but feel a certain kind of thrill when the Zoroark unveils its disguise to attack the Togekiss-Raichu duo. The move is undeniably brilliant, and she certainly didn’t see it coming. The Light Screen manages to hold up fairly well, but the strength that Zoroarks are known for is hardly concentrated in the physical. Timothy falters somewhat in his flight, shuddering in pain. Its beautiful feathers are singed off, which induces his anger. If anything, the Togekiss and the Raichu are similar in their vanity. Timothy is approaching his limits, and both he and Ralphy know it. Something must yield. A good distance away, two martyrs are born. Dahlia has always known Bella for this unfortunate habit of hers, but here in the heart of Ever Grande, she won’t fault her. The Blaziken falls backwards as she is hit by the Archeops, and she is unconscious before she even falls in the heat vent’s embrace. Dahlia is pulled out of her thoughts by her opponent’s screams, and tries to ignore his despair. It is difficult, but she has a job to do. She won’t let Bella’s body be swallowed by stones. Dahlia takes out the Blaziken’s Pokeball and retrieves her, a fair distance away from the smouldering flame. That is when the Arcade Star finally breathes her relief - Pokeballs don’t hold corpses, after all. Timothy dives - as much as he pretends that Ralphy’s weight is not an issue, the physical strain looks far more overpowering. Now that the Archeops is out of the air, the need for aerial combat lessens. Ralphy lets out a cry as he notices the falling human. Neither of them are experts on human anatomy, but no one doubts the danger in anything less than a Rhydon taking a fall from that height. Game or not, the preservation of the trainer’s life is one thing that Dahlia has always honored. It is not a variable that she will gamble with. Not out of ethical nobility, but her own honor as the Arcade Star. “Timothy, catch him.” Ralphy takes his cue to minimize how much space he takes up so that Timothy has a better rate of success. Regardless of how the man will react to being caught by a Togekiss, a Raichu’s Electro Ball ought to be faster than a human’s reaction time. Dahlia can only hope that her opponent doesn’t try anything stupid(er).

[atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, background: #262626; color: #fefefe; padding: 20px 20px 20px 0;] nights end so much quicker than the days did,

BY RINNE

[N]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #F1F1F1; width: 350px; border-left: 50px solid #121212, bTable] standing atop the half-pipe, n encourages the archen to fly. "i'm sure you can, swoop. i'm sure you'll be the best at flying. you have wings." beside the boy sits shelby, a tirtouga that n has dragged up here for encouragement. shelby's front flippers drape over n's legs. his hand is on her shell. "you'll never know until you try, swoop," says the tirtouga. the archen clings to the pole on the side, then peers down. he shakes his head and ruffles his feathers. "i'll never fly. i'm not meant to fly." "but i know you can! you're a bird!" n argues. the archen scoffs and pulls in his neck, the expression on his face dour. "you don't really know anything, do you? you've never been outside this room." and n starts crying, because swoop is right. shelby shoots a water gun at him and the archen falls off the half-pipe. swoop lands hard on his wing and pulls it, and though shelby says, "n! you'll hurt yourself!", n jumps off anyway. they can be broken together. because no matter how mean swoop can be, n loves him. and so he jumps now as he did then. he expects to hit the ground; he expects to feel his leg snap, ad he's prepared for that. anything to get there before swoop does. the heat of the earth power rises and n braces for impact-- and instead he hits feathers. he watches as the archeops plummets into his own attack, screaming in pain. swoop is barely able to get out and alive and n looks down to the togekiss. "take me down! he's hurt!" for all his grumpiness, swoop has always been the wisest friend n has ever known. n cannot live without his direction and influence. the archeops manages to crawl out, standing shakily in front of dahlia. he stares her down, but he cannot attack. the exhaustion is clear. there are cracks in the rock flesh, especially on his chest from where the blaziken hit. he tries to form a focus blast, but the energy dissipates and he stumbles forward, almost falling. n is close now and he clambers down, hitting the ground but not breaking anything. he scrambles over the rift, tripping and tearing a hole in his uniform. there's blood now and it starts to run down his leg as he stands up and runs to the archeops, no longer caring about the danger to himself. "swoop! no!" the archeops has forced himself to stand again. there's blood dripping from the wounds on his body and yet he moves towards dahlia. but n reaches him first, jumping upon the massive bird's back. usually swoop could handle n's weight, but the weakened bird cannot stand properly. he hits the ground, chest-first, and lets out a cry of pain-- n hears it clearly: "fuck!" he throws his arms around the bird's neck, holding him down despite the archeops scrambling. and suddenly n knows the purpose of this desperate struggle. he hugs tighter. "swoop, killing her won't bring shelby back." "you idiot," the bird hisses, tail swishing. "she's going to kill you--" n remembers dahlia. he remembers his pokemon, now up on the cliff, staring down. nadia stands on the edge, then nods. she's keeping things together up there and n trusts her. but dahlia has nothing left but a lilligant and the togekiss that saved him. he turns his face to dahlia. he swallows. "...this is all my fault." he's going to cry again. he hates crying. ghetsis used to mock him for his tears, and so n learned to suppress them. but now he can't hold them back. "everything is all my fault. i-- i just want to go home." he presses his face into the archeops's wing. the archeops sighs and presses his jaw flat against the cave floor. the sound he makes is little more than a chirp, but n hears it: "i love you, n. what we had... i appreciate it." and swoop closes his eyes, waiting for fate to take them both. as i sleep i hear them creeping down the hall they're nothing, they're all gone

[style=float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px; -webkit-border-radius: 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px; border-radius: 50px; background-image: url('http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p549/littlebigfish/icons/natural/king.png'); height: 90px; width: 90px; border-left: 5px solid #f1f1f1; border-bottom: 5px solid #f1f1f1;] but it's okay to be afraid when you're staring face to face with time that's gone to waste. a man walks on the clouds after soaring high, looking back down at the mountains reaching for the sky. a woman cries her eyes out just to fill the clouds with grey. as the man falls down to earth, people swear they hear him say, "this place is nowhere after all. this place is nowhere after all." tagged dahlia notes no attacks used, but archeops is in defeatist mode credit [/style]

[tsun]

VICTOR: N

+ 500 to Lux