Current Rules: Pokémon Tales v0.3.0

Prepare for trouble...

It is October 1960, five years since the Crystal Empire was defeated by the Indigo League in the Oceanic War. Under the Treaty of Viridian, Kanto was placed under military occupation and separated from Johto by the Tohjo Wall. Now, Kanto is recovering from its wartime devastation and developing into an industrial power, but is still plagued by unrest and scarcity. Who knows what lies ahead in these changing times?

Use italics for out-of-character banter. Feel free to add descriptive flair and collaborate in writing the narrative. If you want to use Star Pieces, edit your post to narrate your second chance and roll again.

I will try my best to remain current with the thread, and will provide advance notice if I'm going to be unavailable for more than two days. If you're going to be unable to post, please likewise inform me ahead of time.

October 18, 1960
4:36 pm

You hit the floor as bullets tear up the railing behind you. Electrical sparks and jets of boiling steam burst across the engine room, eliciting shouts and barked orders. Your breathing is ragged, your work clothes torn, and your muscles are burning from the heavy package in your arms.

You're on the I. L. S. Noah, experimental cargo zeppelin of the Indigo League, and you and your brother are wanted men.

You roll into a crouch and make a beeline for the maintenance walkway, keeping to the shadows so your black outfit melts into the chaos. Your brother is right beside you, his face red from exertion and dirty with grime. You guess you don't look so hot yourself. All you have on you is your package, a hold-out knife and the precious Apricorn Ball containing the spirit of your Pokémon -- you're running out of options.

There. You make the jump to the cargo hold, and the docking hatch is just in sight -- swaying open, whistling with the precarious wind of a 300-meter drop. Around it are fire extinguishers, heavy cargo crates, banks of electrical equipment -- and the emergency parachutes, swaying on their racks as the airship lists from port to starboard. Nab the parachutes, drop through the hatch, and you might just live to see another day.

You take a step into the hold, your clothes billowing in the thin wind...

Then the door slams open, dented by some incredible force. A Scizor in navy blue armor storms into the cargo hold, its claws up and ready in a boxer's stance, and it hisses as it scans the room with its beady yellow eyes. You duck just in time to avoid its gaze -- its handler must be right behind it, or even a squad of enforcers. A radio crackles through the doorway, and you can just make it out over the noise of the engines and the wind -- "--the whole ship! This is a code red breach, I repeat, code red! Retrieve the principal cargo at any cost!"

This is the last mile. You have to get out in one piece. You have to.

What do you do?

Noel is beaming with exhilaration as they fumble around on the Noah. Hal often went on missions alone, so any time he could help out was always exciting. It made him feel a bit like Manchamp from the comics at the PokéMart, which he could afford naught but a glance of. Cramped behind a stack of cargo with his brother, he hands him two thumbs up, punctuated with a smile nearly as white as the Raticate commercials. "You can do this!", he would probably say—or whisper, was he not continuously panting.

Hal drops down behind the crates, desperately trying to catch his breath while praying the scizor didn't spot him. Instinctively he reaches for the apricorn ball at his belt, expecting the armoured insect to come crashing round the corner at any moment. As the seconds tick by without incident he works himself up enough to peak around the corner, scanning the room and attempting to put together an escape route for Noel. It wasn't looking particularly good. He wasn't an expert but he was pretty sure that giant bug was faster then the pair of them - a bad position to be in when the best plan he could come up with was 'run for it'.

He moves back behind the crate and is about to let out a heavy sigh when he spots his brother smiling towards him. Get it together Hal! He's relying on you. Working up a smile he throws a 'thumbs up' at Noel before leaning in closer to him. "I need you do something for me okay? There's some parachutes by the hatch. You see 'em? I need you to go grab a pair and put one on. I'm gonna go distract that overgrown bug - give them something to remember us by. Can you do that for me?"

I needed a cheesy superhero name, I'm glad you liked it. And no, I didn't mean tv commercials.

Well, maybe not quite Manchamp, but being his sidekick wasn't so bad either. Noel nodded with vigor, barely avoiding a headbutt. "Sure thing! You go kick its butt, and I'll have our escape secured." He stretches his hand out a bit for a fist bump, as a signal to start.

Garren, when you're ready, roll for your action.

Hal nods reassuringly and returns the fist-bump. Without wasting another moment he jumps up from his hiding spot, whistling loudly towards the scizor before bolting towards the other end of the cargo bay. As he runs he unhooks his apricorn ball, Iroh appearing in a flash of red light a little ways away. "Give 'em something to worry about! Ember!" At his masters command the growlithe unleashes a blast of flame aimed not at the scizor but at the crates between the brothers and their pursuers, hoping to ignite them.

Hal, as you yell the command, Iroh freezes up. He's still stunned by his unfamiliar surroundings, by the thunderous growling of the engine, the wind, the light-headed sensation of being hundreds of meters above ground. He tenses up, looking every which way. He makes eye contact with the Scizor and panics.

And the Scizor is upon you. A shockwave slams into your side, moments before your brain registers it, sending you sprawling into a cargo pallet. A Bullet Punch. The pain comes moments later, a spike of burning numbness that spreads through your shoulder and down your arm. You drop your package with a clang. You're gasping for air. You don't know how bad the injury is, but you doubt your arm will be any use for a while.

Iroh sees you go down. He roars and tackles the Scizor, getting into a furious melee. He's going crazy. The Scizor looks shocked and intimidated by his ferocity, and it hunkers down and tries to avoid the worst of Iroh's assault. You feel an ember of pride at that, but you doubt Iroh can stand up to the Scizor in a fight. You won't be able to win this with a Pokémon battle.

While all this is going on, the Scizor's handler steps into the room. She's a blonde woman in the deep blue fatigues of the Indigo League Special Forces, and she takes in the situation with a deep breath. "Found one!" she yells with a foreign accent. "Tango at my position!" At that, you hear shouts and boots on metal from elsewhere in the airship approaching your position.

Noel, you see all this from your hiding position. No one seems to have noticed you. You can see a deep red stain spreading across Hal's left shoulder.

Hal, you're not feeling so good. You feel tired, so tired. But you have to finish this. You can't leave Iroh. You can't leave Noel.

What do you do?

Still reeling from the scizors brutal attack Hal can do little more then lay there trying to ignore the pain. Somewhere in front of him Iroh continued his assault, an awe-inspiring sight, though not a battle the growlithe could win. Maybe he should surrender - call it quits while he was still ahead and Noel could get away? Noel...

He glances over towards the crate his brother hid behind, saw him peeking around the edge. No. Can't quit. Can't leave him alone. Gritting his teeth Hal pushes himself to his feet, clutching at his useless arm and doing everything in his power to ignore the pain shooting through him. He bends down, grabs the package and clutches it to his side. "Iroh! Get out of there! Scare it away with a Roar!" The command given he begins staggering towards the hatch, trusting his brother to be there with the chutes when he arrives.

One foot. Then the other. Up and over you force yourself. You stand on unsteady feet, ignoring the way your arm sways dead by your side. The package feels so heavy. Everything is a blur.

Chin up. You grit your teeth and start moving. You'll be there.

For Noel. You get a Star Piece.

Noel, what do you do?

What does Noel do? His brother told him to prepare the parachutes for him, so of course that is what he's going to do. His tiny body had already darted out the moment any spectacle started. He doesn't even look back for a moment until he arrives successfully. After all, why would he? He has the best Pokémon trainer in the world backing him up, and a mission of his own to focus on.

Hearing the call for reinforcements, Noel preparedly grabs a hold of Nap's ball, which wiggles with anticipation. It's just like these guys to use strength of numbers instead of having a fair fight. Diverting his head to the sound, he sees Hal crawling on the ground, trailed by blood. The shock stills him for a moment, and he can feel an irrepressible feeling well up inside him.
Why would he cry though? There's no reason to cry. A hero always gets into trouble, but they manage to get out in the end. Yeah, that's how it is. There's no way that Hal is losing right here. Therefore, he still needs someone to prepare the escape.

Convincing/deluding himself that everything is fine, Noel continues his assignment. Are there any obstacles in my way?

Noel, you scurry over to the parachute racks, swaying and flashing madly in the spotlights. They're big, bulky packs built for grown adults to lug -- you try to pull one off the rack, but it's incredibly tough. It comes off the rack and slams to the ground in a cloud of dust. How are you even going to use this thing? You can't carry your package and two parachutes at the same time; you only have the strength to carry two.

Hal, you've reached the hatch. You sink down to a squat, bracing your good arm against the railing for support. Your vision alternately clears and swims. You... you see...

You see Iroh. He's exhausted. He's not going to make it. He relents for just a second, working himself up for a Roar, but the Scizor springs into lightning-fast motion, feints, slams Iroh's head into the sheet metal floor with a single Quick Attack. Iroh crumples and doesn't get up. Iroh is down.

And Scizor is already moving forward, leering at you.

No... not you.

Leering at Noel.

Hal and Noel, what do you do?

Noel's defense fell.

The apricot ball in Noel's hand shivers, he's clamping it so hard it hurts. Standing still, the only command Noel can give is the uneasiness permeating through his palm, which is enough for Nap to force his way out of the ball by own volition. Noel drops the ball as a shock spurts into his fingers, and Nap leaps out in mid air. Sparks crackle through his fur, as Nap makes a small somersault before landing. The electricity reroutes towards the tail, launched as a geyser of lightning towards the Scizor with a swat.

Nap uses Thunder Wave to halt the Scizor, invoking his overprotective nature.


After the brief shock, Noel picks up the ball and hurries to equip one of the parachutes, as instructed to. He attempts to strap it on as snugly as possible, to counteract the overpowering size.

It's a bit difficult to assess whether something qualifies as a Pokémon battle or not, and if type dis/advantage matters as a result. Although I thought this was a Scyther and not Scizor, so it doesn't actually matter.

This is not a Pokémon battle. I'll announce it when it is.

Noel, Nap practically charges out of your Apricorn Ball. He's as tense and scared as you are, and it shows: his wool is crackling with static all over, forming a dangerous halo around him. He's jittery and on edge. The Indigo League handler's eyes widen as she sees the Mareep. She whistles a quick, sharp order and moves to intercept. Nap recoils --

And you feel your hairs stand on end as a whipcrack of electricity sizzles through the air. The Scizor is frozen in its tracks, and keels over as its momentum carries it forward. Then you blink as a thump rolls through the cargo hold, and the electrical equipment shorts out bank by bank. The lights flicker and blow out.

You take advantage of the chaos to ease into one of the parachute packs. It's a snug fit. You grab your package and another parachute, unclip your pack from the railing, and turn to Hal...

When the emergency lights come on, you take in a scene of chaos, filtered through blood-red light. Mareep is bristling with tension and glowing faintly with a blue corona. The consoles and electrical transformers are dim. The Indigo League handler is yelling into her radio, but it's not working. The Thunder Wave shorted out everything electrical in the room.

The Scizor is on the ground, paralyzed and twitching helplessly, each rumble of the ship's engines bringing it clattering closer and closer to Hal. To the open docking hatch.

Hal, the Scizor is at your mercy. It would be easy to take care of it. Just give it one good kick, and you'll send it falling three hundred meters to the world below.

Noel is watching you.

What do you do?

Despite the chaos erupting all around him Hal can't help but smile. He always knew Noel was stronger then he gave him credit for but it never ceased to catch him by surprise just how strong he was becoming. Couple more years he wouldn't even need me. The stabbing pain in his arm brought Hal back to the moment. Retrieving the ball from his belt he withdrew Iroh to safety before glancing down at the helpless scizor. He could end this right now. Just one swift quick would be all it takes...

He moves forward, places a foot on the paralyzed creatures armoured carapace - and proceeds to boot it away from the open hatch. It's was just doing a job, same as him. No one had to die. Turnign from the creature he moves towards Noel, giving a quick smile and going to ruff his hair before realizing his arms stopped working properly. He nods down to the parachute. "Give me a hand with mine would ya? Then we can get out of here."

"Nice kick, you show him!" Noel responds with haste, making a few petite jumps to compensate for his brother's height when putting it on, and nearly falling from his weight imbalance. He is probably a bit rough for comfort on arm, putting some conscious though into trying to avoid it, but also not having had the events entirely sink in. "That's the spirit Nap, make the baddies regret pursuing us! Just a bit longer now."

Are we currently only in a state to retrieve one package, or can Hal carry a second one under his working arm?.

Hal, you throw on the parachute pack, wincing as some of the weight lands on your bad shoulder. Feeling is slowly coming back to your left arm -- you won't be able to use it for heavy lifting, but you can push yourself to hold up an Apricorn Ball or pull a parachute cord with it, no problem. All that's left is to retrieve Iroh and snatch up your package, and you're done here.

Nap keeps firing electrical shocks at the doorway, discouraging the paralyzed Scizor or its handler from coming too close. Reinforcements have arrived -- at least two men that you can see -- but they're getting stuck in the hallway, and Nap's corona is making it impossible for them to enter the cargo hold. Their shouting rings through the doorway:

"I don't know, Sarge! They're kids! What the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Shoot! Chloe, shoot! Just ****ing shoot!"

"Kids--"

The woman bites her lip. She recalls the Scizor, her hands shaking, and points a snub-nosed pistol at you. "Put the package down! I... I'll shoot! I swear!"

What do you do?