BB code can suck it, midterms can burn, final essays suck, studying for finals sucks even more… a lot of stuck just sucks. But here's a new chapter, which (hopefully) doesnt suck. Its a bit slow in places and there are a few sections that could have been thinned out a bit but ultimately it just didn't happen… this chapter and the next one was, simply put, a complete pain in the ass. Enjoy.
Also, massive thanks to [USER=306600]Ziel[/USER] who helped me out with advice and betaing (which I then messed up most likely) and [USER=298335]Darchiasq[/USER] who helped me out with the Forum section.
Taylor Hebert: Pokémon Master
- -Chapter Ten: Aftermath- -
November 15th - 2010
United States, East Coast, Brockton Bay
As it turned out, Dad had panicked. And badly, seeing as probably less than twenty minutes after my call his pickup came barreling down the street much faster than was likely legal. And when he reached our house he locked up the brakes, skidding stop just feet behind the ambulance that the lead moderator had called in for me.
I watched him from my quietly snoring seat as he threw open his door and rushed toward the ambulance. I raised my hand, trying to catch his attention. But, unfortunately; in his haste he must not have seen me so I could only watch in bemusement as scared the crap out of the EMT personnel that had been packing their stuff.
Fortunately, after a few words with the two men who had looked me over he popped back out of the vehicle to see me sitting on Fluffy's still foamed hind-quarters. Intact.
That, of course, didn't stop him from racing over and, after tripping over a melted sprinkler head, hugging the breath out of me.
Gasping, I hurriedly wiggled my arm free from the confines of my blanket as he tightened his constricting embrace and thumped him on the back until he took the hint and loosened up.
"Not - hah - not that I dont appreciate it but you really didn't have to rush back here so fast ya' know," I told him once he'd set me back down on my foam seat and I was able to breathe easy. "Really, did you not listen to the message I left you?"
His brow furrowed, a look of confusion flashing across his face as he knelt down in front of me. He shook his head. "No, Ms. Vickery called me. She just told me that there'd been a fight involving Fluffy and that there was an ambulance. I didn't even know you called."
Sighing, I looked across the street to the one-story Vickery house and drooped my head in frustration before looking back up to him. "I'm fine… well, mostly, aside from a few bad splinters and one or two other things." I swallowed, "The house however-"
"The house doesn't matter Taylor, it's just a building." His eyes softened and his voice lowered to a near whisper, "I'd rather lose it a hundred times over than see you-"
"Pardon me sir, but you wouldn't happen to be Daniel Hebert would you? Ms. Hebert's father?"
Starting at the interruption, a dads face took on a look of frustration and I opened my mouth to say something. But I stopped, holding off as dad looked behind him to see the Lead Moderator. He looked back to me, resigned, before rising to his feet; absently straightening out the collars of his navy sweater and white dress shirt he turned to face the official.
"Yes, that'd be me. What do you want?" He asked tersely, clipped, "If you mind, I was in the middle of trying to figure out what happened here with my daughter."
I rolled my eyes as he slipped into his no nonsense business mode, aka a shark in a clothes, and shifted my blanket so my arms were free. I reached back behind Fluffy, picking up the crutches I'd dropped there; propping them into my armpits and rising to my feet.
...Well, foot to be more precise. Considering my busted one was bound up tight in a bracer boot that one of the moderators had been cool enough to get for me so I hadn't had to go to the hospital.
"It's fine Dad, he just needs to get some official stuff signed."
"-but what about-," Dad turned away from the Lead Moderator just as I got the crutches just right. And he looked down at the boot the boot; which had been hidden behind my blanket . "What- Taylor!" He exclaimed, his face a mess of conflicting expressions before he settled on something between upset and angry. "You said you were fine!"
"Well... I did say mostly." I weakly defended and looked away, not really wanting to look him in the eye.
"I'm sorry Mr. Hebert, but you dont need to worry. Your daughter really is-"
Without looking, Dad held up a finger to the Lead Moderator and continued to give me his best stern fatherly look.
Sighing I flapped a hand toward the Lead Moderator. "Just go with him Dad, it won't be anything more than a few release forms, contact info and stuff. And really, I'm fine," I reiterated. "I'm just gonna go lay out on the couch. I need to get my foot up so just come inside when you're done."
The lead Moderator cleared his throat, "If you would follow me sir, there are a few things I'm going to need you to sign off on as owner of the residence." Nodding to the house, he held his hand toward one of the League transport trucks that had shown up not long after the Moderators had; the other having carted off the Tauros as soon as it had been loaded.
"Can it really not wait?" He turned back to me, concern easily recognizable in his eyes and mouth.
Dad looked hesitantly between me and the Moderator, split between wanting to attend to me and deal with the official. I gave him a reassuring smile, and when he turned back to the moderator again I began hobbling my way to the house. Getting up the steps was a bit tricky, but I managed it. I shouldered open the door hobbled inside.
It was dark, pitch black really, and toggling at the light switches next to the door failed to rectify it. I tried a few more times before I smelled a whiff of burning metal. I sniffed a few times before looking over in consternation at the gaping hole that led to the garage; realizing that the Tauros had likely taken out some wiring when performing its Kool-Aid man impression… which would have tripped the breakers.
Grimacing, I turned toward the living room and, mindful of the shards of wood from the shattered staircase and railing scattered across the floor, made my way living room. And, feeling my way along, I slipped between Dad's cushy ottoman and the couch's arm rest.
Dropping my crutches I fell onto the couch and flopped onto my side. Just laying there felt good, the side of my face squished against the rough texture of the cushions… Just appreciating the fact that I was sitting down before I pulled my feet up onto the cushions and stretched out.
So I laid there a bit; the soreness of my body a warm, almost relaxing, ache that eventually dragged my eyelids closed.
XXXXX
"BANG- BANG- BANG-"
I forced my eyes open, blinking tiredly as I pulled pulled the covers away from my face. And wearily, I looked in the direction I thought the door was; wondering who the hell was hammering on it so loudly. It wasn't like it was locked.
I waited, but when there wasn't a repeat I tucked my head back beneath the oddly thin comforter wrapped about me.
I'd barely snuggled my head into my pillow, a bit confused at its roughness when a piercing screech decapitated whatever chance I had at going back to sleep.
From resting to hammering, my heart pounded away in my chest and I snapped my eyes snapped open in panic as I held tight to my comforter. Then, expecting Belly to start pushing me off, I rolled to the left, away from the edge of the bed. Except, instead of staying in the the comfort of my mattress I felt the padding beneath me cut off. And suddenly I had the wind knocked out from me as I fell hard against the unusually solid floor.
"SCREEEEEEEE."
I curled in in myself, groaning, as my ribs flared in hot pain from their violent and rather sudden re-introduction to hard surfaces. I clenched my eyes tight against the screeching of Belly's alarm as it went off again.
"I'm so going to melt that little shit down for scrap," I muttered bitterly once I had regained my breath. "I swear it to whatever fucking god exists out there."
With a few deft tugs of my sheet I untangled myself and pulled it tight around me, bunching it under my head to give me that extra bit of padding for comfort. I just laid there, still, waiting for Belly's next play and pulling together the vague outline of a plan of vengeance when I felt a series of soft thumps reverberate through the floor.
Footsteps. Putting aside my thoughts of revenge I pulled the oddly textured covers away from my face to see a blurry pair of brown boots next to what I figured to be my feet. Although, for the life of me, I couldn't understand why my one of my feet was bound; not to mention thick, black, and rather squarish shaped.
"Well, well, well. Look who's finally awake. I almost figured you'd sleep right through us working with how out of it you were. I guess I owe your pops a fiver."
I knew that voice… "Kurt?"
"Yeah, it's me," he answered as he came to a stop next to me. Looking up to the source of the voice, I saw a blurry mass of denim blue, and black and red plaid. The mass bent in half and extended a hand toward me. Extricating my own from within my covers I grabbed it and he helped me off the floor and back onto my... bed? Frowning, I ran a hand over the fabric. Though I never remembered my bed having a back to it and quite honestly the texture of the fabric felt more like... the couch.
I extended my black, oddly shaped and fairly heavy foot out to squint at it… "Oh yeah," I mumbled to myself, so that had happened. "So... I guess I fell asleep."
"That you did, Danny said you were out of it by the time he came inside. Hell, you didn't so much as twitch when me and the guys started getting everything set up and we weren't exactly quiet."
He turned away, reaching over to the end table and then his hands were back in the fore; carefully guiding something onto my face. My glasses.
Blinking as my eyes adjusted, I reached a finger behind the lenses and rubbed the sleep-gunk from my eyes. I blinked a few more times until my vision cleared up and I was able to see Kurt clearly. "Thanks."
He squatted down to eye level and smiled. "Your welcome. And welcome back to the land of the living, Battle Princess."
Snorting, I immediately grabbed at my ribs as they twinged. I grimaced, both at the pain and the name. "I really ought to change that sometime and please, no jokes… just… I don't think I can do funny right now. Just... tell me how bad it is, what's the damage?"
His eyes tracked my hand as I rubbed my ribs. He looked me in the eye and I just stared back until he sighed. "Straight to the nitty gritty then eh?"
I nodded and immediately flinched as another screech echoed into the room, making my ears ring.
Kurt sighed before yelling toward the hall for the guys to take ten. He rocked back and forth on his heels, quiet for a long minute. "Well, I can't quite go into specifics since we just got started our prep work. But from we saw, it's not that bad, mostly what would qualify as cosmetic stuff."
Nodding along, I felt a bit of the weight that had quickly gathered on my shoulders lift. But then Kurt dropped the Acme anvil on me. "Unfortunately, it looks like the wall to the garage was load-bearing. So there may be some problems with that."
"And... the power?" I asked hesitantly, already dreading what this whole mess was going to cost. Hopefully, the home insurance would cover most of the costs. But I couldn't just let Dad pay for it, not when it was my carelessness that caused this clusterfuck.
"Ah, well the good thing is we fixed that already. When the wall was taken out some of the wiring went along with it so the breaker got tripped. The problem though, is that a certified electrician is going to need to be called in to check it over when we're done. That's probably gonna be a few bills. At minimum."
I couldn't hold back my groan as he kept going over the damages. In the back of my head I could just hear the cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching of an old cash register ticking off an increasingly higher figure as I guesstimated what each stage of the house repairs was likely to cost. It didn't look good. I mean, it wasn't like I was frugal or anything. After all I'd spent a not insignificant amount on the Little Cloud, but that expenditure had been made with a set goal in mind.
The repairs on the other hand? Well, while it probably wouldn't reach the amount I'd spent thus far on the Cloud, it would still be up there. And it would be by no means cheap.
Absently, I began chewing my lip, trying to remember if there were any outstanding bounties currently out, the one I would be getting for the prick notwithstanding, and who was next in line on the leaderboards. Mancha probably, the stubborn bastard... although maybe not. Considering the recent push by lower-ranked trainers so they could compete… well, that would be one way to refill-
I started, snapping out of my musings as Kurt clapped his hands together and smiled widely. "Luckily enough, however; I know a place that we should be able to get replacements for the house's original stuff on the cheap. I took some pictures before we started and sent them off to the store's owner, now I'm just waiting to hear back from her."
"Huh," I muttered and adjusted my mental tally to exclude some of the more expensive items... like doors. It was probably a bit over-optimistic, but hell, I could use a bit of optimism at the moment. Though I did file away my previous train of thought to look into, depending on how that panned out it could certainly help keep what funds I had in my account from shriveling up; not unlike the flowers Madison tried to occasionally grow in her room.
"Well... that's one piece of good news at least."
"Figured it'd be, and he should have a good supply considering the renovations over the last few years."
I nodded, "Yeah, that's good… uh, one other thing. Dad, did he leave me a message for me or anything?"
Kurt stood and shrugged. "Not really, he asked me to ask you to call when you woke up but that was it."
Looking down I just nodded, a few loose strands of hair hanging down as I sniffed. "I see," I muttered and began looking around for my crutches as a knot in my stomach began to bubble and twist in on itself. A few seconds later and they were in front of me, their metal tubes clicking together as Kurt held them out.
"Hey hey hey, chin up. It's not that he's avoiding you or anything, just some things came up with the Upper Management that he couldn't get out of. Heck, I had to push him in out the door so he would get there on time."
I nodded, mollified that at least Dad wasn't just trying to shut himself off. The knot in my stomach settled a bit, fading into the back of my mind as I pushed myself up and hobbled myself around his chair to stare at the new two by fours stuck into the hole in the wall.
"You said he was called in." I asked absently, cocking my head to the side to watch a burly teen markout cut lines on a length of wood in the garage. "Any idea what for?"
"Hmm," Kurt mused. "Don't really know. Things are being kept pretty hush hush but I can say that it wasn't just him. Lacey got a call and had to come in early as well, I talked to her a little bit ago she said that from the looks of it nearly all the Administration staff were called in."
"Really?" I asked, and hobbled into the entry to look at the gaping hole in the stairs and railing. Hearing a chirp and muffled thump I looked back to see Kurt now leaning against the dividing wall, his phone now in hand; his eyes tracing back and forth across the screen
"Something up?"
Briefly glancing up he shook his head and quickly moving his thumbs across the screen before looking back up. "Maybe, that was the missus. She says one of Dragon's transports just landed one of in the parking lot-" His phone chirped again and he glanced down to look at the screen, "And apparently Armsmaster just unloaded his hover-speeder-bike-thing and rode off into the docks and… the Dragon Lady herself just entered the building... hmm."
Pocketing his phone, he walked past me to look into the garage before coming back. "Well, good things on the horizon; with any hope."
"Yeah, good things." I mumbled, wondering how long she'd be staying though. Or, more accurately, how long the gangs would be keeping their heads down while her giant ass airship was hovering over their heads like the Sword of Damocles.
"And it's Defiant, not Armsmaster."
"Tomato, Tamatoe."
Sighing, I dropped the issue. Arguing a point like that to one of the old guard that seen the rise of the first Wards team was just an effort in futility. So instead I turned my attention to the staircase, grimacing, as I stared through the jagged hole in the wood. to see an opaque plastic storage bin. Which, fortunately, was undamaged. And taking in the rest of the damage done to the staircase it was doubly so when considering the Tauros had torn its way free in the same fashion as it had the garage door.
Unlike the relatively simple tear that had been made in it, however; a chunk of the stairs had been almost literally destroyed. Broken into little more than splinters and kindling that had been swept into a little pile.
And, looking a bit closer, it seemed it had taken out some of the framework supporting the stairs. Hell, it was probably only chance that it hadn't taken out some Mom's old things that were stored in the closet there.
Though seeing them, I had no doubt that they had played at least some part in Dad not staying. Especially considering the indistinct image of a white dress on a box inside it. No, he would have shied away from dealing with those things. No matter how far he had come in moving on.
But not me, the hard knot in my gut reminded me; tightening painfully before I began the increasingly tenuous process of forcing it back down. It wouldn't go away, not really, and I wouldn't move on until this was done.
It wasn't easy, my breath caught in my chest; making it hard to breathe and my eyes burned but I kept a tight hold on it. But… but that still didn't change the fact that this was my fault, my actions had almost destroyed what little we had left of her… no wonder he couldn't stay.
"I guess I really stepped in it, didn't I?"
Kurt patted my shoulder reassuringly. "Well it could have been worse, a lot worse. And you're still in one piece, alive, and that's what really matters." He chuckled, "And honestly, as far as teens destroying part of their house goes, it's not even that bad. Hell, you didn't even destroy any of the china so I've still got you beat in that regard."
Quirking an eyebrow, I turned to look at him. "And what could you have done that makes…" I fumbled my hand at the hole in the wall, "this, look 'not that bad?'"
Kurt nodded his head at the garage, a sly grin spreading across his face. "When I was fourteen I took my dad's very first car out for a spin in the middle of the night. It was an old thing, I'll tell you, but a real gem; a 1948 GMC pickup. He bought the thing when he turned sixteen and had had it ever since then, always kept it in the garage at night, did regular tune-ups on it himself, buffed it once a month… So, naturally, when I was pulling into the garage to park, I forgot to shift it into neutral. I drove the thing straight through the back of the garage and into the kitchen."
I blinked, "...Oh."
"Yup, that pretty much sums it up. And the best part of the whole thing was the look on my Old Man's face as I was coming through the wall. Turns out, he and Mom had heard me take the truck out and were waiting for me in the kitchen. When the truck stalled and the dust settled…" He slowly shook his head. "Let me tell you, once he'd pulled me out through the window and seen that I was ok, he whooped me good. Pretty sure I didn't sit down for two weeks after that."
Cracking a smile, I let out a little laugh. It was almost like something out of a tv show. "So what happened after that, did he sell it and get a replacement or something?"
Kurt blinked and turned looked to me for a moment, the oddest expression on his face, as if he had heard the stupidest thing in the world. He shook his head, snapping himself out of his daze, "Oh god no, he made me work my ass off until it was fixed. It went back to sitting in the garage after that until I married Lacey. At that point he gave it to me so I could appreciate what a 'quality vehicle' it was."
"...Huh, and what did that have to do with breaking the china again?"
"The china? …Oh, yeah. Well, Mom had this real gaudy china set that Dad'd bought her that she just loved. I kinda thought they were ugly as sin and mostly tried to ignore the things but meh." He shrugged. "Unfortunately, she hung the damn things up near the top of the wall that led to the garage."
Thinking on the few memories I had of Nana Hebert there was nothing I could say but, "Oh."
Kurt let out a low laugh. "Yeah, those were great times I'll tell you. If my Old Man had been upset about his truck, then Mom was a boiling pot." He was silent for a moment, looking at the hole in the wall with a thousand yard stare before he shook himself out of it and jerked his head toward the stairs.
"So anyway, you gonna go up to your room or stay down here? Can't say it'll do too much good with the racket we'll be making, but it'll be better than nothing."
I eyed the hole in the stairs. I had been planning on going up to try and go back to sleep, but seeing the condition it was in… "Would it even be safe?" I looked to Kurt and jerked my head to the stairs, "To go up, I mean. I'm not going to fall through am I?"
Humming, he waggled his hand. "You shouldn't, me and the guys checked it when we first got here and it should hold up no problem. There's some damage to the framing though, that we're probably going to have to open up the wall to fix, so I wouldn't go jumping or stomping on it until then. So, if you do go up, you may want to stay there until we put in some temp steps in a few hours. But otherwise you should be fine."
Looking up to the second floor I considered staying down here. Or, rather, down in the basement to do some work on the Little Cloud. But then again, I'd probably end up just going upstairs eventually if the brief amount of noise that had woken me up was any indication.
"I think I'll go with the upstairs option," I told him, my decision made.
"Right then. Well, if you need one of to help you get back down or something just holler when we don't have any of the tools running." Then, looking down at my boot he nodded to himself and made his way up the stairs, edging past the hole before beckoning me up toward him. I flushed a little, how nice of him.
Before I could follow, however; Fluffy plodded up from down the hall, tail wagging wildly and thumping heavily against the walls on either side of the hallway. Stopping in front of me he began to circle, sniffing all around me and even pawing at my boot clad foot a few times.
He returned to my front, sneaking a quick kiss before turning to the stairs and putting one big paw onto the second step. Immediately the wood began creaking, loudly; popping and groaning against the strain he was putting on it with just the paw.
Letting out a low whine, Fluffy tried again in a different spot but the end result was the same each time. Dejected, he plodded backwards and sprawled out on the floor; taking up much of the entry way as he spread his legs.
I sighed and leaned my crutches against the wall before falling onto Fluffys thickly furred back. He began worming about as soon as I was on him, trying to get his head around to lick at me. But it was to no avail and he soon collapsed back onto his belly, quickly succumbing to the ear rubbing I was giving him as he melted under my ministrations.
"Man, with how big he is I forget he's just a big ol' puppy."
Glancing up at Kurt I smiled, "You bet he is, he's my big Fluffy-Puppy." I shifted my hands to scratching and rubbing at his snout and chin until he was little more than a puddle of fur beneath me.
My goal accomplished, I gave him one last rub before rolling off and, using the banister to support myself, got back onto my feet. "He's also just a big lump that'll do anything for treats and rubs. Fluffy whined at that and I looked down as I gathered up my crutches, seeing him looking up at me with big puppy eyes.
He rolled over, exposing his belly, and just looking all around pitiful until I gave in and scratched my toes through his chest fur. "Just one. big. butter lump," I reiterated before hobbling back a step.
He whined again, but, whether it was from the loss of scratches or my admonition though was up in the air.
Hobbling over to the stairs I had to give a quick order of - "Stay!" - to Fluffy as he'd began to get up and follow. He flopped back onto the floor and stared up at me with watery eyes. I stared back at him until he broke, and ducked his head.
I nodded, "You did good but you can't follow me up right now. Tonight though, you can stay with me then. Ok?"
Fluffy considered me for a bit, staring me in the eyes again before he rose to his paws, gave a low - "Woof! - of ascent and padded back down the hall.
Smiling, I took my crutches in one hand and made my way up the stairs, taking them one at a time until Kurt was able to help me around the damaged section.
However; with both us standing on the same few steps the wood began to creak and he quickly returned to the ground floor as I scrambled to the top of the stairs as fast as I could. At the top, I had to grab onto the banister as a spike of pain stabbed into my ankle and I hastily propped my crutches into my armpits. I flexed my calf, trying, fruitlessly, to relieve the ebbing pain from the strain I had put on the sprain.
It didn't do much, but it was enough to help me push it down and hobble down the hall to my room. Then, after kicking my door shut, I crossed to my bed and fell onto the birdsnest of sheets and comforter that I hadn't gotten around to making up.
I just lay there a bit, enjoying the cool goodness of the sheets before the position became uncomfortable and I had to inch-worm my way up my bed so I was on the pillows. Then I rolled onto my back, propping my boot up on the comforter bundle before leaning my head back and closing my eyes.
+X+X+X+X+X+
As it turns out, it doesn't really matter all that much if you're upstairs in a house or not when it's undergoing construction. Especially, if said construction is technically going on just fifteen or so feet away.
I'd lain there for five minutes, maybe. My eyes closed, not thinking about anything and just staring into the swirling blackness behind my eyelids when the screeching and pounding started up. I tried to block it out and go to sleep, but eventually I just gave in to the inevitable and sat up; shifting the pillows behind me so I could have a back rest.
From there I'd literally twiddled my thumbs for a bit while trying to figure out what to do. Eventually I settled on reading, something I hadn't done for any length of time in a while. So, reaching beneath my nightstand I'd randomly pulled out a book from a number of my old favorites that were lined up there.
My hand came back with a Pride and Prejudice and I opened to the first page. After five minutes I'd barely gotten halfway through the first chapter when I started remembering the general outline of the story along with most of the little details.
Sighing, I set the dog-eared paperback aside and retrieved another book. And then another, and another, and another... I kept grabbing a new one as I recalled the general plot of the story for each story until finally all of them were stacked on top of my nightstand, instead of below it as they had been; a mish-mash of old and weathered hardbacks alongside even older paperbacks.
Frustrated, I sat and stared at my shelf; considering whether to crawl over and find something from there. But I quickly shelved the thought, I'd read most of the books that were there numerous times as well so they wouldn't do me not good.
So I went back to twiddling my thumbs. Then, when I got tired of that I grabbed a pen from my nightstand drawer and practiced spinning it around my thumb for a bit until I regained the muscle memory. Then I sat there, and sat there, and sat there until I remembered that my phone was in my pocket. But pulling it out all I got was a dead battery screen instead of the boot.
Grumbling, I plugged it in and proceeded to wait. Occasionally checking the battery as I waited for it to reach an operating charge. And went back to waiting, and waiting, and waiting.
I could do little more than sit there while I waited, my frustration growing and it dawned on me. That, for probably the first time in a while outside of school, I was bored.
I'd read all the books I had in here and I needed to keep my foot propped up, so sitting at my computer was out. And, with a quick glance to confirm, unfortunately my laptop was still in the basement; where I'd left it running system checks on the Little Cloud.
I checked my phone and saw that it was only at one percent charge. It still needed four more percent to turn on.
I tried talking to Belly, emptying my nightstand drawer of bits, bobs and knickknack to throw. But that was a flop and did little more than litter the floor and my desk with junk.
I checked my phone again- two percent, dammit.
Leaning my head back against my headboard I stared up at ceiling… "Oh to hell with it," I muttered and drew in a long breath; cringing just a bit as my ribs twinged. "Spook~," I called, drawing out the word and waited a beat. But, with no response I tried again.
"Oh, Spook," I called, keeping at it until he came floating down through the ceiling to hover in front of me; blinked his big, tr-colored eyes tiredly. Then he yawned and looked pointedly at the windows, at the light of the sun shining in from outside, before looking back to me.
"Yeah I know, it's a bit bright out isn't it?" I gently scratched the area around his spike, right in the good spot. "Sorry for that, but you think you can go get my laptop from the basement for me?"
Leaning into my scratching, Spook blinked at me before bobbing his head and letting out a quiet coo. Then, turning intangible, he just descended through my bed; returning a minute later carrying the laptop between his cloak arms. Normally, the electricity in the device would have slowed his phasing down a bit; but then again with how tired he was he probably just didn't care.
That thought was emphasized as he simply dropped his cargo onto my lap before just floating up to the ceiling to go back to sleep. Frowning, I looked up, following him until he passed through the ceiling and into the attic. While the laptop powered on and booted, I made a mental note to pick up something nice for him. Something much better than simple sugar cubes.
"Now then," I muttered to myself, my fingers flying across the keyboard to get past the lock screen, "let's see what the world has been up to these last few days."
+X+X+X+X+X+
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Private message from Moderator #67-294-2:
Battle Princess: , just a reminder you need to come in for a debriefing regarding the Un-Officiated Battle you were involved in on November 14th, 2010.
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Topic: Battle Princess Vs. Hacker?
In: Boards ► Battles ► After Action Breakdown ► Beat That Ass!
Observer (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (Verified Watcher Of Forums)
Posted on November 14, 2010:
The Short Version: Trainer answers Challenge, Hackusations, Challenger sicks Houndoom on Trainer, Trainers Arcanine steps up and takes down Houndoom, Trainer takes down Challenger in short order, Moderators arrive, Stream ends.
Edit: really advise you watch the whole thing. Its not even that long.
LINK TO BATTLE STREAM ARCHIVE
THE PARTICIPANTS
First off, lets lay down a few ground rules so the thread doesn't get locked down before the hours out.
-No Baseless Accusations
-No Trolling
-No Shit Posting
-No Threats
Other than that, Go nuts!
Edit: OK! So 7TH_Handler has been Temp Banned by our resident Eldritch Overlord, would anyone else like to join him?
UPDATE: Possible Retaliation Attack On Trainer?
(Showing Page 1 of 44)
► Bored
Replied on November 14, 2010:
Well… shit, im definitely not bored after seeing that (I guess I know where the my next four dollar subscription fee is going). Something Im gonna throw out though (tinfoil hat warning) is that the Moderators were suspiciously slow in responding to this as it was happening. I got the Battle-Alert since I follow B.P. so I was in the chat and I know that I wasnt the only one that thought there was something up with their response time. Not to mention there should have been one there since it was a Upper Tier Vs. Lower Tier Battle.
...Then again they may have been enroute when things went pear shaped so there could be that. It did seem like B.P. was trying to stall for a bit, if unsuccessfully.
► QuestingQuarill (Vigilante)
Replied on November 14, 2010:
Reaches over and smacks off Tinfoil hat. Your paranoid, i've seen first hand how fast those squads can respond. My bet is on external factors.
BattlePrincess
Always aim true
► RadiantArestor
Replied on November 14, 2010:
QuestingQuarill
Dealing with another battle going bad perhaps?
► Northern (Deckhand)
Replied on November 14, 2010:
[QUOTE="RadiantArestor"]Dealing with another battle going bad perhaps? Maybe helping out with a cape incident?[/QUOTE]
Maybe? I dunno, i'm in brockton myself at the moment but I haven't heard of anything from my buddy whos a moderator. I'll see what I can weasel out of him and get back.
► Tanuki By Trade :3 (Kyushu Survivor) (Someone Of Suspicious Wares)
Replied on November 14, 2010:
They were distracted by the bountiful goods and the fluffy tails. :3
► LieZ (Verified Trainer)
Replied on November 14, 2010:
Just saw the video. Now, I have a female Houndoom myself and i'm gonna say that they're not normally like this. Not one bit what so ever. I've seen some Pokemon get agro before but not like this. Just gonna be a guess but my money is on that shock collar or whatever it was that B.P. cut off its neck.
Edit: holdup, wasn't there something like this a few months ago? Some dumbass that went after a Tier One or (was it a Zero?) something with a bunch of Agro Pokemon?
...I know there was something… To the search bar away!
► Alpha (Pack Leader) (Pack) (Verified Cape) (Verified Trainer)
Replied on November 14, 2010:
She has a strong pack. She did well in putting down that threat. She had better care for her new member… or else.
► Solgoth (Moderator)
Replied on November 14, 2010:
[QUOTE="Alpha"]She has a strong pack. She did well in putting down that threat. She had better care for her new member… or else.
[/QUOTE]
This is your one warning for this thread Alpha, I've warned you before. Keep the threats to yourself or I'll muzzle you.
► 7TH_Handler (Temp-banned) (Verified Tool)
Replied on November 14, 2010:
Heh.
Edit: I wonder how B.P. would have handled herself against the Houndoom without her Arcanine there.
► WhatPrettyTeeth (Trainer)
Replied on November 14, 2010:
This really isnt good, the Anti-Trainer advocates are gonna jump on this thing like flies on shit. First off, we've got the jackhole that set his pokemon on another person. Secondly, we have the way it was acting, was it just me or was it way too eager to get at B.P. Hell, if you keep an eye on it (1:48)you can clearly see the things was trying even when B.P.'s Arcanine had grounded it. And then there was that collar B.P. tossed away. A shock collar? If thats really what it was. Now I know those are banned in North America and their use punishable by law.
So yeah.
► HorriblePun
Replied on November 14, 2010:
PrettyTeeth
To late
Its just some minor lawer with a chip on his shoulder but my internet-fu helped me find that he's got connections with the Mayors office through his last elections "Fundraisers."
► DarkPup
Replied on November 14, 2010:
FUUUUUUUUUUU- Breath- Well shit, hopefully this wont gain any traction like the time when it came up in Detroit. Thankfully that got buried quick.
► Soloist
Replied on November 14, 2010:
Well… there was the thing with Detroit being evacuated so it may have had something to do with that. Anyway BB is probably way too stable for something like that to happen there. Remember, detroit was practically coming apart at the seams when Overgrowth went nuts. The chances of something like that happening are nil. [Knocks-on-wood]
► SurprisedPanda
Replied on November 14, 2010:
Soloist
You are an complete idiot. How about you look up some facts about the city that I grew up in before you say anything about it. Really though, I hope this lawer thing doesn't go anywhere. Things are working fine as is and people making power grabs are just going to cock it all up… but then again thats usually how people are
► Dick
Replied on November 14, 2010:
SurprisedPanda
Cheer up tubs, it may not be rainbows and ponies but weve still got it pretty good. Keep in mind the literal shitstorm that usually gets thrown when regulation on Trainers and Pokemon gets bandied about. Chances are nothing will come of it… although I for one would like some more Mods to be transferred in. If anything to help keep things like what B.P. had to go through from happening.
Not to mention that Collar BS. Also LieZ, got some info on that. Nothing conclusive but its definitely not good. I made a Thread for it HERE
Now, with the train brought back onto the track how about some actually Analysis. I for one am wondering what kind of training regimen B.P. has her Arcanine doing because they are in Sync. Really makes me wonder if they're getting ready for the regionals.
BattlePrincess
Any Word on that I'd love to see a local representing.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 42 , 43, 44
Smiling, opened up the thread that Dick had put together as I absently reached back and pulled the band holding my hair in its bun free. Scrolling through it though I was somewhat disappointed that there wasn't any new information. Just quoted posts and linked threads that had to do with the Battles that supposedly had involved the collars.
It wasnt much, but it was better than nothing. It brought the issue back to the surface and, with any hope, it would catch peoples attention. Hopefully.
Nearing the end I could only smile as I found LieZ response. Angry, would have been an adequate adjective to describe his following rant. Pissed would have been another.
In the short time since he had posted on the thread about my battle he'd trawled up every report that had passed through the forum and had put together a timeline of any known or suspected agro pokemon incidents that had involved. Looking at the timestamp I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in admiration. Sure, some of the stuff was the same that Dick had pulled together but there were other, older, posts that he hadn't put up or found.
"One hundred and seventy four likes... huh." I fiddled with the band in my hand as I considered the information I'd read, stretching it and twisting it until I glanced over at Belly. "Well, you think that got people's attention?" When there was no response though I hooked the band on my thumb and index finger and shot it at Belly... who gave as many shit's about it as everything else I'd thrown.
Sighing, I drummed my fingers on the palm rest before clicking back to my thread and started skimming.
(Showing Page 39 of 44)
► Lantern
Replied on November 15, 2010:
So… she knew he had been hacking the leaderboard? If im understanding it right (sorry im new) then why would she go through with the battle anyway?
► Troglodyte
Replied on November 15, 2010:
[QUOTE="Lantern"]So… she knew he had been hacking the leaderboard? If im understanding it right (sorry im new) then why would she go through with the battle anyway?[/QUOTE]
It kinda a point of pride. How would you feel if something you worked towards was just invalidated and stepped on because someone altered a few numbers... yeah, hacking the Leaderboards is a big No-No. For more info you may want to check out the Bounties page. Its kinda telling.
► Magnificent Panda Ears (Verified Trainer) (Verified Cape) (Verified Ham) (Verified Long Title)
Replied on November 14, 2010:
YEAH! Pound that Dunderhead! Give em a left, then a right, then another right, then the ground (though a suplex wouldn't have been amiss )!
Protip: Silly String, Streamers and Sharpies (The four S's ) make the experience so much more entertaining in the event that you ever have to wait for the boys in blue to show up.
► Fueled+by-Lemons (Verified Owner)
Replied on November 15, 2010:
I have to second [USER=294811]Troglodyte[/USER], if my babies got bumped down a rank in a contest because of some cheater I'd be breathing fire.
► DarQ
Replied on November 15, 2010:
WHOEVER_CAN_AWNSER
I got a question, the Challenger, what's going to happen to him? I mean, just off the top of my head and based on the crime shows i've seen I would have to say… Aggravated assault with intent to inflict bodily harm? Thats just what I can think of for the human front, not sure about the Pokemon front.
► Gholdera (Verified Trainer) (Guild)
Replied on November 15, 2010:
[QUOTE="DarQ"] WHOEVER_CAN_AWNSER [/QUOTE]
You are right about the Aggravated Assault charge, not sure about the intent bit though; that would be up to a judge. Also, the Hackusations B.P. made. If those pan out there can be some serious charges that will get thrown at him for that BS. Tampering with official records for one.
As for the Pokemon front… well, there was that collar thing (whatever the fuck that turns out to be…) so thats Pokemon abuse right there.
Other than that though I'm not too sure, I usually try to stay out of the picture after the arrests are made. So much less headache and paperwork to deal with that way, just not worth it half the time.
That answer your question well enough?
► Adrinsa
Replied on November 15, 2010:
[QUOTE="DarQ"]file charges against B.P.
[/QUOTE]
LOL.
Even if the challenger tried to sue her or whatever there is no way a judge or jury would rule against her. For one, she used her own prowess to kick his ass not her Pokemon so even if there were haters on the jury it probably wouldn't mean much unless there complete asshats.
► EmeraldAge (Verified Moderator)
Replied on November 15, 2010:
There called SkillZ
Seriously though, most of the upper tier trainers do some kind of self defense training or something of the like that would allow them to defend themselves. I've been lucky not to have seen it (and had to deal with the clean up) but there are still some stupid people that will try and gang up on trainers if they see them in public without their pokemon. For some reason people forget about the Poke'Balls.
► 7TH_Handler (Temp-banned) (Verified Tool)
Replied on November 15, 2010:
EDIT: [CONTENT DELETED] (9:38:14 PM) Solgoth
► EmeraldAge (Verified Moderator)
Replied on November 15, 2010:
7TH_Handler
...Dude, have you not heard of self defense…
► Solgoth (Moderator)
Replied on November 14, 2010:
I AM NOT AMUSED
[Shit posting is one thing, Talking shit is another. Implying things and making baseless accusations about someone character is something else entirely. ENJOY YOUR VACATION ISP .]
► Terian
Replied on November 15, 2010:
Good riddance. Anyway, anyone have any suggestions where I could learn some moves like that? Theres a couple a' jackholes at school… and… well im a bit on the small side.
► Khal
Replied on November 15, 2010:
Terian
Looks like she was using judo as a basis for the throw… maybe, cant say for certain. Also, if your looking at self defense I can only say to do an internet search since I dont know any myself but I would seriously advise trying to go to the Administration at your school.
► Dawnguard
Replied on November 15, 2010:
Violence isn't always the answer, but when it is you can never have enough dakka. I'd advise getting doing some pushups if anything, dem bigger guns will help.
► DreamsOfFluffyness (Verified Owner)
Replied on November 15, 2010:
Princess , hit me up when you can. Saw the video. Also, I already talked to Mrs.K. She said she'd get me your assignments and missed work for the day.
edit: P.S. I'm gonna stop by on my way home, you mind if I bring someone along?
'Hmm," Reaching over to my nightstand I grabbed up my phone and smashed the power button; and waiting for it to boot I remembered to give dad a call… "Damnit."
Finishing off my responses to a few of the more worthwhile posts in the battle analysis thread; along with a… somewhat sanitized, summary of what had happened that morning. Clicking the post button, the page refreshed and as soon as it finished my attention was drawn to a news alert that had popped up on the page.
I clicked it and was linked to a page in the Official News Sub Forum. The Title immediately jumped out at me and I just knew this would be an interesting read, though considering it that was likely the point.
BREAK IN, AND OUT, AT SILPH CAMPUS!
Monday, November, 2010
By Sanda Sayatoma
Edited by Yotaro Yakashima
Early this morning children on a school field trip to the expansive research center got to see more than they ever expected when they were witness to a daring break in by an as yet unknown individual. This person, believed to be a trainer by Silph, according to inside sources, was first identified by security entering a restricted area of the main research and development building mere minutes before their daring escape.
Details are sparse and it as yet unknown just how this mysterious trainer was able to breach the company's formidable security that has repelled incursions by Parahuman Villains, Unpowered Humans and Trainers alike looking to steal the technologies created there. During a public announcement spokesperson's from the company declined further comment other than that they are still assessing damages and investigating into how the intruder was able to get so far into the building before being discovered.
When questioned on the intruders potential motives the spokesperson declined to speculate nor to confirm when pressed whether anything was, or was not, stolen.
Little else is known about the break in and even less has been brought forth by representative. Fortunately, thanks to an enthusiastic student who had come fully prepared to see the companies creations, footage of the intruder's escape was able to be attained.
Scrolling down, I clicked on the embedded video and set it to play at full screen; displaying a still, slightly pixilated image of a line of kids being led along by an officious looking woman in a pant suit. The video continued buffering, the little scrolling circle taking a several seconds to fill before the sounds of barely subdued children came out of the laptops speakers as they were guided by the woman.
I couldn't have stopped the wistful smile that spread across my face if I had tried. The sound coming out of the speakers was universal; the barely contained cacophony of excitement bundled up into little bodies that would have seemed too small to contain it... The innocence of childhood
What differentiated it from little kids like Grace, Kurt and Laceys precocious daughter whom I'd had the distinct misfortune of sitting several time before, however; was the smatterings of japanese between them as they were guided along.
Then the excited ruckus was broken, silenced, by a distant explosion and the camera jerked around; following some cue before it angled up to take in a cluster of tall skyscrapers. They were close together, connected by sky bridges, there outer side curving inward on a gentle curve until they peaked. Frankly they were kinda shaped like a bloomin onion, or an apple that had been cut and cored.
And one of them was raining debris from a gaping hole in its side; thick grey smoke billowing out while pieces of framework from the reinforced exterior shell of the structure rained down. A structure that had withstood parahuman attack and had allowed it to transition almost unscathed during the Translocation.
The image zoomed in, getting a much closer view of the hole and just through the smoke I was able to see that the framework and exterior was melted and torn, bent outward… Then the smoke was lit from within, flashes of flame and lightning that cut through and disturbed it. Someone was battling in there, that much was certain. The intruder presumably.
Then the image panned back a bit as the smoke shifted, disturbed by an indistinct shape passing through it and a not a second later the distorted shape cleared the smoke. Immediately the camera, or perhaps the camera operator, zeroed in on it; focusing in to reveal it to be person in free fall; a ragged tan cloak or mantle billowing out around them as they tumbled through the air in an uncontrolled freefall. However, after a few seconds they threw their arms and legs out wide, stabilizing their fall somewhat and slowing their descent.
It only kinda-sorta worked though, due, I suspected, in great part the large black case the person held in one hand; its size and shape probably catching the wind and unbalancing her. The video slowed as the person fell through the air, distorted exclamations of shock coming over the speakers as I took in the person. It was a girl, or young woman most likely, if the curves of her black shirt were any indication; short black hair whipping about a face partially hidden by a tight wrap around its lower half.
The image zoomed out again and returned to full speed to show a new shape emerge from the smoke. It was big, massive even; muted blue, red and grey tones dominating its coloration as it plummeted after the falling young woman. It was like a big teardrop, a long blue and red tail trailing behind its, what I presumed to be, streamlined form; making it fall fast enough to catch up with the young woman and even pass her by.
Then it unfurled, wings spreading wide and it decelerated while staying beneath her; slowing down enough that the young woman caught up.
Again, the image zoomed in and slowed; focusing in on the two as they drew closer. And as the person came along side the Pokemon I was able to see that it wasn't quite as big as it had seemed while diving. Oh sure, it was big to be certain; but a large portion of its size had been it wings. Its armored belly, sides and somewhat stumpy legs made them look disproportionate and almost too big for it.
Briefly, an annotation appeared on the screen as the young woman reached out and disappeared behind the pokemons bulk as it rotated; the Salamence, a dragon type pokemon as it was now identified as being a close match to… Although, that close match part was a bit curious... but I held off from pausing the video to lookup an example and continued watching as the video sped up.
The Salamence completed its twist, giving the camera a better view of its back as it adjusted its angle and to the girl who was holding onto a saddle I hadn't noticed.
The camera followed, tracking the Salamence as it approached close to the ground before flaring its wings again and accelerated back into the sky when the image froze; zooming in on a still of the young woman and her mount.
he was now seated, almost hugging the neck of the Salamence; her visible foot hooked into a stirrup and the case she had been holding stuffed into a cargo bag area directly behind her. Then the video unpaused one last time and panned out; following the Salamence's retreating form at it went over the horizon of the surrounding buildings.
The exclamations of shock died out and gave way to the barely contained excitement of the children as they exploded into a cacophony of cheering and smatterings of Japanese. I swiped over to exit the fullscreen but was interrupted by the rickety- "Creeeaaak" -of my door being opened slowly.
Chapter Pokedex: Pokemon Featured and/or Mentioned
Arcanine
Salamence