Sounds from the Forest [Alpha Event Thread]

[Olive]

The commotion within New Pallet was still heavy with the population fending off the insectoid threat in every way possible. Trainers, Mercenaries and Researchers alike, used their Pokemon to defend the community from the infestation, defeating horde after horde of the spiders, while the non-trainer population used everything from pans to torches to keep their own homes and families safe.

Many of the trainers had been lured into the forest to take on the threat from inside while some stayed in the settlement to protect the town-folk. Suddenly, a flood of the Spinarak swarmed towards the northern side of the hill, towards the Windmill. Reports filed into the Emissary as people saw one of the leading Researchers, Aurisa Ivy, being dragged away by a group of the Spinarak.

~"Attention all trainers. Professor Aurisa Ivy, one of the most prized members of our scientific community has been taken hostage by the Spinarak threat. Professor Oak, Mr. R, and myself believe that these Ferals are taking her to the broodmother, the Alpha who we believe resides in the heart of the forest. There is no question trainers, you must save her. If the Ariados is anywhere near the strength of the Armaldo we faced last year, be ready for a tough battle. We must not waste any more time. Go, capture the Alpha, and bring the Professor back!

-Ambassador Nguyen"~

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ALPHA EVENT RULES:

• Three characters must post before the Alpha Ariados shows up.

• No max character limit.
  

• Characters may still join at any time after the Alpha appears, but they are set at the end of the order afterwards.

• Replies work in order of first post - (Turn 1) Admin, pcA, pcB, pcC, (Turn 2) Admin, pcA, (pcD joins), pcB, pcC, (Turn 3) Admin, pcA, pcB, pcC, pcD, etc

• If you don't respond within 12 hours of your turn, the next character can skip you. (You may still post in that turn if you work it out with the players who haven't yet posted that turn)

• All characters that participate will receive a 20EXP (plus any you receive fighting the Hive), 1 Lolup, and a TM of your choice from the mentors.

[Jason Acheson]

» TAGGED, @tagged
» WORD COUNT, 339
» MUSE, ghost town; adam lambert

New Pallet seemed so empty now, what with most all of the Spinarak gone. Then again, perhaps it was because of the horror that overtook most of the citizens in the town - Professor Ivy had basically been kidnapped by a bunch of spiders, which was strange and a bit frightening all the same. Jason shivered at the thought of something like that happening to him. The young man had actually contemplated staying back in town to help defend it - but that felt wrong, to him. He couldn't stand back while everyone else did all the hard work - besides, it would be less fun just sitting around in New Pallet beating spiders with sticks all day.

The forest seemed so quiet than what he had expected. Or perhaps he was just going deaf? Either way, the silence was getting on his last nerves. He could have sworn that someone was watching him. It didn't help that Berend sat unusually quiet and ever watchful, something unknown to Jason until now.

Although even a little frightened, Jason attempted to act as though he wasn't. There were supposed to be other people helping out, right? So he would run into one eventually, right? And then he wouldn't be the only human there.

"Say, maybe when were done," started Jason in an attempt at breaking the silence, at least for a little while, "when we get back to New Pallet, you think they'll at least pay us big? I mean, the Ambassador said something about that Armaldo a year back. Remember how tough that thing was supposed to be?"

Berend turned his head to his human, and, after a moment, tilted his head in confusion. Jason huffed.

"Yeah, I guess you weren't born then, right?" Jason asked, the question meant to be rhetorical. "Well, it was supposed to be super strong, and the Ambassador said this Alpha might be as strong as it!"

The bird's neck feathers ruffled then, setting back more on his trainer's shoulder. Well, at least Berend still appeared somewhat normal.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Liridon Cedar]

Liridon startled when his X-Gear suddenly blared into life - while it might not have been loud and obnoxious, it was certainly unexpected. He took a moment to pay heed to what the mentors had to say - he'd come to a point which would allow him to do so just a short while before - and he processed the implications as much as he really could at this juncture. A Professor had been taken - he liked Professors - wanted to be one someday! Furthermore, there was an Alpha to encounter! Had he been less affected by the Psychic webbing, he would still have been sorely tempted by that alone, despite his own soreness... The choice was clear, even though his head wasn't. Whipping out his compass to check from which direction he had come, he almost got distracted by the odd rippling effect he could see on its surface, but he soon determined which direction would probably take him towards the heart of the forest by a combination of looking in the opposite direction to that he had come from and the direction with the most webbing visible. Speaking of webbing, his legs each still bore the traces of String Shot, but that was nothing to the sight his head made. His face was clear of the stuff, but there was a lot of faintly glowing webbing on the rest of his head - his ponytail peeked out, but the rest looked as though a weird turban had been emplaced. At least he'd managed to find his specs again, though they'd needed a wipe. Narrowing his dilated eyes as his mouth twisted into a feral grin, he beckoned for Alwyn to join him as he trod determinedly through the slightly-swaying trees and whispering bushes away from the scene of their battle - abandoning his abstract-thought-induced planting of random seeds at the site. “>Oh, I suppose we simply must head towards the hugest, meanest spider of them all, hmm? As if the regular ones hadn't already done enough...<” Alwyn complained sarcastically, his nerves somewhat frayed by all that had already occurred. At least we were able to catch our breath before the next Crazy-Mission-of-Doominess...

Noticing that Alwyn seemed reluctant, Liridon reached into his pack for the Giant Raw Corka – he nearly dropped it in surprise, as it seemed to be trying to escape. Surely, it couldn't be that raw? But no, the wiggling had to be all in his mind – it was too cold to be a living Corka, and he felt sure that someone would have told him if he'd missed the beginning of a zombie uprising, right? Dragging his thoughts away from the shambling dead, he tore a piece off the unusually lurid-seeming food article and offering it to Alwyn. “Would your discontented demeanour be assuaged – conciliated – alleviated by the precipitous proffering of unsolicited but alimentary – nutritious – succulent meatstuffs, my excellent – stalwart diminutive and valued companion – colleague?” He asked as they strode through the crazy-looking foliage, still grinning. What he meant was: Do you accept bribery, my fine little friend? It came out a little weird, but after a moment's thought, Alwyn nodded and accepted the meat, munching it as they progressed. He was still nervous, but at least he knew that his partner's current crazed state hadn't affected the level of care he was shown. “Hiihiihii, excellent!” The Researcher beamed, stuffing the Corka back where it came from. “Ooohh, look! There's another individual of human origin – I wonder whether that indicates our arrival at destination?” Indeed, there was a large brown-haired fellow with a Chatot up ahead, looking kind of impressive. Liridon didn't recognise him, but saw no reason not to say hello. With this in mind, he approached.
--------------------------------------------------------
632 words
Party may or may not contain Spinarak, depending on how my initial event thread goes.
Liridon fed Alwyn a piece of Giant Raw Corka!
Liridon noticed Jason!

[Lilith Bellerose]

LILITH BELLEROSE !!

The tall woman had content herself with the thought that she was officially done with the Spinarak. She had done her duty earlier, finishing off four and capturing four herself. So far the actual selling of the spider pokemon hadn't gone well. She had been shooed out a shop once already when she mentioned selling the swarm pokemon. Eventually, Lilith thought, people would be willing to pay to study the things... Perhaps not right after they had devastated the town of New Pallet.

Lilith had actually packed her bags and was considering heading back onto route one to continue her training when her X-Gear lit up and chimmed urgently. Lilith had half a mind to ignore the plea for help, having finally healed up her own rag tag crew of pokemon. Both Ignis and Vesper had gained some valuable experience during the fight, but they were still feeling the effects of two battles in a row.

Still, the woman couldn't morally ignore the plea for help. She was a mercenary for hire, right? Perhaps after saving the professor she could somehow schmooze her way into some coin? With that thought it mind, Lilith reluctantly threw her pack over her shoulder and headed out. As per usual, she had her Houndour and Noibat loose. The two pokemon took up their standard positions, Ignis by her side and Vesper atop her head. On her belt sat three pokeballs, currently occupied. A rather timid Rhyhorn, a feral Drilbur and a mysterous egg. Three pokemon Lilith didn't think would serve her well as she navigated the busy streets.

Lilith followed the noise of the crowd, quickly finding herself drawn to the center of New Pallet where the temporary base had been set up. People ran back and forth, orders being shouted across tents and grunts running back and forth in a frenzy. The woman watched hesitantly, unsure of who she should ask for directions. It didn't take long for someone to notice her, however.

A rough looking man in a lab coat saw her across the crowd and hurried over. His eyes dropped with exhaustion and from the odor wafting from him, it was clear he hadn't seen a shower in a few days. Lilith did her best to ignore his physical appearance, realizing that perhaps this was a bit more serious than she realized.

"Are you hear about the message from the Ambassador?" The man asked, wasting no time with pleasantries. Lilith nodded, about to ask her own questions when the man turned and pointed in the direction of the forest, "Two others have already headed out, meet up with them."

With that, he was gone. Lilith looked down at Ignis who was almost on top of her feet as he avoided the crowd. "Alright guys, guess we're heading out." Lilith said, hurrying along her canine pokemon with a click of her tongue.

As the trio escaped the crowd and headed once again towards the forest, she saw two figures in the distance. The two seemed to be standing there, as if waiting. Lilith hurried her step and caught up with them. With their backs to her, Lilith decided to it was best to make sure these were the two individuals the harried looking man had mentioned before following them to who-knew-where. "Hey guys." She said, noting with curious interest that Ignis pulled closer to her, closing the small gap he normally allowed between himself and his trainer upon approaching the two men. "Are you also here to find the Professor?" She asked, deciding not to beat around the bush with small talk.

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OOC!
Word Count - 600
Egg Count - 14/75

• Lilith caught up with Jason and Liridon.
• She has somewhat introduced herself.

[Alistair Sharpe]

Alistair was getting himself patched from the encounter with the spinarak. He had quickly come to the very stark realization that it was no longer enough to just send his pokemon out to fight for him. He would have to fight for himself. He suddenly wished he had held on to the shovel. It had proven to be a very useful weapon. He might need it again soon enough, though the threat seemed to have died down. Alistair had mixed feelings about that. On the one hand it was nice to be out of danger, but on the other hand he would not get a chance to learn more about the swarm. Where was the alpha, though? All swarms had a leader. Alistair had read enough about swarms and mutations to know that, even though he lacked practical experience. As if the answer he question, Alistair's x gear began to ring.

The message was concise and simple. The interest for Alistair was two-fold. First and foremost, a keen scientific mind could not easily be lost. Secondly, this was a chance to get a good look at the alpha. Alphas always had the most extreme mutations, and even the swarm pokemon were quite mutated. The chance to observer and examine such a specimen would be invaluable. Alistair turned his head to the man who was tending to his wounds, “I have to leave. Are you almost finished?” he asked, a little coldly. The nurse furrowed his brow in irritation, “It won't take long,” he said, “Though I don't know why I'm bothering if you are just going to come back with more injuries.”

Alistair pushed his glasses up on his face, “I miscalculated,” he said, as though he had made an incorrect assumption about the taste of a plant, not been bitten by a spinarak, “I will be more cautious in the future,” he finished. The nurse rolled his eyes before adhering the last of the bandages, “Have fun,” he said sarcastically.

Alistair stood and turned to his partner, “Shall we?” Clipclop eyed him skeptically. He was quite content to be happy with what they had already accomplished, but his partner stood up and began walking, so the pokemon followed, if hesitantly. Alistair noticed the clip-clop sound of his partner was a little slower than usual, so he turned and said as hopefully as he could muster, “It isn’t as though we will be the only ones there.”

This was a valid point, though Clipclop was not sure how much Alistair cared for either of their safety. On the one hand, his confidence was contagious and nothing was ever gained if nothing was risked. On the other hand, the spinarak they had encountered in the barn had been ruthless and Clipclop was not in a hurry to meet whoever they answered to. He went along, though. Keeping an eye and a nose out for trouble the whole time.

Alistair arrived a bit after the other trainers. Where was the heart of the forest? He didn’t know, but his nature attuned partner did. Other feral pokemon seemed to shrink back, as though sensing that they should just stay out of the way. Perhaps he was wrong about these spinarak’s place on the food chain. Now that they were on the march, the whole forest seemed to bow to their whims.

A clearing up ahead showed him three other trainers who had already arrived. Alistair frowned. There had been no set time to arrive, but still he felt late. Alistair hated feeling late. He began to walk forward but Clipclop tugged on his pants. Alistair looked down, seeing his goggles hanging by a strap.

“Oh, thanks for reminding me!” he said, undoing the simple knot that kept them there and bringing them up to his head. They were still a bit snug, but he hadn’t had time to adjust them yet. Still, they dug into grooves already made when he was in the barn. Alistair adjusted the strap slightly, and the pressure lessened to tolerable. Clipclop was still tugging on his pant. Alistair allowed a rare grin to escape his lips, though it was a small one, “Don’t be concerned, I’m sure that the ambassador would not send us out if we were unable to handle it. Besides, we already have allies,” Clipclop let go at this, sighing and standing dutifully at Alistair’s side.

Alistair strode out in his typical stride, quick and purposeful, “I know I am,” he said in response to tall girl’s inquiry. It had not been directed at him, but it was one that needed answering. Alistair wondered what was making them stand stagnant, “Though I do not see signs of an alpha here, or at least what should be the signs. Aren’t they supposed to be exceptionally large?”

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800 words
Alistair makes himself known to group and inquires about how fast he can get himself into trouble.