Draco: I'm gonna be honest with you guys, nothing quite annoys me like imprecise release dates well past the time when precision should be available. If you know that you're gonna release something "late in [month]", that could be anything from [month] 15th to the day before [next month], and you should have a good idea of which end it's closer to by the time [month] rolls around. If you're planning to release something "early in [year]", that could mean anything from January of [year] to June of [year], and by New Year's Day [year], you should have an idea as to how early in [year] it's going to come out.
Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.
Ultra Kingdom - Nest in the Sky: Devilish Horde
"I'm not sure if I'm more pleased by being able to rest properly, or being able to best those accursed beasts instead of running for my life."
Kotarō's comment as he, Oichi, and Ranmaru arrived back at the ruined castle had his escorts trading glances. "I'm not sure I blame you, on that front," Ranmaru admitted. "We've had a similar disadvantage with a different beast."
It was four weeks since they had arrived at the Guzzlord's ruins. With the safety of making camp in the castle, where the beasts couldn't reach them, the Ranseans had developed a pattern of search and rest, with Type: Full, Lucario, and Zoroark accompanying their Warriors into town so they could seek out... anything that might still be of use in the broken buildings, while the others waited in the castle on defense.
When they made camp, Kotarō had gotten his own tent, Okuni and Gracia sharing once again.
As they made their way back inside, Oichi was surprised to find the others packing up camp. "Oh?" she mused. "Does that mean what I think it means?"
"Yep," Gracia confirmed. "We're ready to get out of here."
"Ha..." Kotarō grinned. "Excellent. Then let this gate be opened, that we might be quit of this place."
With cheerful shimmers, the Cosmog started to soar in their circle, mist flowing around them. Full lowered his head towards Oichi, allowing her to remove his Fairy-type RKS disc; after a moment's contemplation, she decided to leave the slot empty, closing the bag and prompting Null to stand tall again.
The seam was slowly getting wider, and Kotarō started to shift uncomfortably, earning Okuni's attention. "Something troubling you, Mulchlord?"
"Just... seems a bit unnatural, this," the Yakshan insisted.
Okuni turned back to it. "You're not wrong."
Soon enough, the gate was thrown wide; as the Cosmog started to drift down, Gracia caught them and leapt into the rift, Gothitelle following behind. Oichi insisted Kotarō and Zoroark go next, and Ranmaru and Lucario quickly followed them through as insurance; Mitsunari and Bisharp, Masanori and Krookodile, and Kiyomasa and Haxorus rapidly followed suit, and then Okuni and Volcarona jumped in before Oichi and Full brought up the rear.
+x+x+x+
There was the Xurkitree's power plant, which was on such a steep slope that for all intents it might as well have been floating in the sky.
There was the Guzzlord's ruin, which was surrounded by clouds so impenetrable that no one knew for sure that it wasn't floating in the sky.
But it was an entirely different experience to stand in a place that was verifiably floating in the sky - as this place was. The sky around them was bright, like midday, yet there seemed to be no source to the light that illuminated it; hexagonal segments, of a dark colour that was hard to make out from the contrast, were assembled like Combee in a haphazard plane extending forward, its breadth and direction seeming to vary at random. Further ahead, the segments formed a massive, almost spherical structure that extended upward and downward - it seemed to be a nest of some sort, though for what sort of beasts, no one was quite sure. Further away from that nest, the path became thinner, until it was individual segments were suspended just past each other, like stepping stones in the sky.
Oichi considered them all fortunate that they had landed on a portion of the path wide enough for everyone to land.
"Ugh..." Okuni's grip tightened on her parasol. "I never liked being in Avia."
"I loved being in Avia," Oichi mused, "but it was a little on the safer side than this."
Ranmaru looked towards the nest, seeing a segment missing along the path that would serve as an entrance. "I imagine camp will be a little more secure within than without," he observed. "But what sort of beasts would propagate in a place like this? It looks like a Beedrill's hive."
After a moment, Oichi reached for her disc bag, prompting Full to lower his head towards her and open his RKS slot. "I think defense should be our priority, here," she mused, drawing out the Steel-type disc and slipping it in.
"Definitely," Gracia agreed. "I really don't want to see if there's a bottom to this."
"Don't be absurd," Kotarō reprimanded. "With such a fall as this, you'd lose consciousness before you ever reached a bottom."
Gracia glared at him. "That's not better!"
"Ha..."
"Quiet," Oichi reprimanded. "Let's be careful as we go in."
She and Full led the march; Gracia and Gothitelle followed behind, the Nixtormer keeping her arms around the Cosmog as she did. Ranmaru and Lucario followed behind them, and then Kotarō and Zoroark; Okuni and Volcarona were close behind, and then Kiyomasa and Haxorus, Masanori and Krookodile, and Mitsunari and Bisharp bringing up the back.
The interior of the nest was oddly... ominous. There was a solid floor just within, and a small antechamber of sorts with an opening on either side; the enclosed space made it easier to tell that the hexagonal segments were a dark grey nearly black, and the spaces between them seemed to glow, offering a small bit of ambient light. Through those opening was a large room that seemed almost like a viewing platform, with every other segment in the wall ahead missing and parallel slopes nearby that allowed passage up or down. The wall didn't seem to continue endlessly, stopping at about 90 degrees around the nest's circumference, and through the gaps, the Warriors could see the walls opposite scattered with brighter grey segments that seemed almost crystalline.
After a moment, Oichi warily stepped up to the edge, glancing around the area before looking down.
At the floor of the nest was a larger gap, with a similarly crystalline surface - but the size of this one made it easier to see that it was somewhat transparent, giving her a view at what lay beneath. Lying beneath was a large purple figure that seemed oddly familiar; it had a draconic upper body, with sizeable spikes on its shoulders, thin arms that ended with three-clawed hands, and a pair of sharp-looking wings, yet its lower body was possessed of a swollen abdomen with three stingers, one much larger than the others.
"What is that beast?" she murmured.
Gracia stepped up beside her, looking down. "It... looks kind of like a Poipole," she observed. "Or, like, something that evolved from a Poipole."
"I'm not totally sure I'd be surprised," Oichi admitted. "Poipole weren't as strong as most of the other beasts we've fought." Her eyes swirled purple. "It's... a Dragon. But it's still poisonous, like the Poipole."
The Cosmog looked down from Gracia's arms, and one gave a wary cry.
"Naganadel," Kotarō echoed. "An ominous name, that one." As the two turned away from the ledge, he asked, "And how much trouble did its prevolution give you?"
"Its adhesives gave us more trouble than its toxins, to be honest," Ranmaru observed. "But a Dragon is another matter altogether."
"One double-edged sword," Okuni observed, beckoning to Haxorus. Then, to Volcarona, "One with a straight offensive disadvantage. One with an offensive disadvantage and a defensive advantage." Lucario. Then Krookodile. "One who might have a defensive advantage. One on neutral ground." Zoroark. Then Gothitelle. "One with a straight offensive advantage... um, Oichi?"
"No, I think we'll keep with the Steel," Oichi insisted.
"Two with a straight defensive advantage," Okuni accounted for, beckoning to Full, and Bisharp. "And what sort of numbers are we dealing with?"
Oichi glanced back into the nest. "It's just the one Naganadel," she observed. "But... those segments in the opposite wall..." She grit her teeth. "I think there might be Poipole inside."
"Inside each of those?" Kiyomasa wondered. "That's a whole lot of beasts..."
"You said they weren't much trouble in battle," Masanori mused. "Just the stickiness, right?"
"But that was with a small party and room to run, wasn't it?" Mitsunari observed. "And how many at once?"
"Never more than three," Ranmaru admitted. "Well, one encounter with six, and that was a trial."
Kotarō shook his head. "With so many, I wouldn't wager that-"
"Um, guys?" Gracia had terror in her voice. "The big one's awake...!"
Oichi turned back to find the Naganadel was indeed awake - and looking straight at them. It had bright, glowing eyes, like the Poipole, but these ones seemed to be conjoined, like a visor. As its wings started to move, the crystalline cover in its pit seemed to sublimate; it lifted up, coming level with the Warriors gathered there, and aimed its stingers at them.
"Frick," Masanori muttered.
"Mulch," Kiyomasa mumbled.
The beast opened its mouth - and power began to well in its maw.
"Frick Mulch!" Mitsunari screeched.
Everyone leapt apart as the Dragon Pulse flew, slamming into the wall of the antechamber they'd come in through; the impact shook the area enough to knock anyone who hadn't landed firmly off their feet. Oichi cursed, putting her back against one of the segments in the wall with the gaps as she tried to strategize.
"Gracia, Kiyomasa, Okuni, head lower down, see if you can blindside it! Mitsunari, Masanori, Kotarō, try to get it from above!" The Warriors and their Pokémon took off as she turned to Ranmaru. "You and me have defense, we're gonna keep it busy!"
"I think we can do that!" Ranmaru insisted.
He and Lucario charged off as he seized the necklace hanging around his neck - which Oichi had made to hold his prismatic stone. The dome of light that wrapped Lucario as he passed his Warrior by got the Naganadel's attention; it soared back and turned towards him, and as the changed Lucario halted before one of the windows, he hurled an Aura Sphere towards the beast. It was halfway there before the beast's Dragon Pulse flew; the two attacks collided in the air and burst, sending cracks along the walls around them.
Full roared out one of the other windows, and the Naganadel rushed up to it as he retreated towards the opposite walls. That left it close enough for the others to act; Krookodile leapt out of a window above, leaving it no time to react before he Crunched the beast's largest stinger. The Naganadel started to thrash in the air, and the Intimidation Pokémon was left flailing on the end of its tail like an excited Frogadier until his jaw slacked and he was flung into the window below Full - right past Gothitelle, who loosed a psychic pulse as Gracia backed against the wall between windows, the Cosmog still held close in her arms.
The beast didn't have the chance to follow through on the throw before Zoroark swung on the corner of the same window Krookodile had come out of - and a Night Daze surged out vertical around him, striking the Naganadel from above. It rose up confrontingly as Zoroark retreated, only to find Bisharp standing there; the Sword Blade Pokémon whirled into a Night Slash, twisting the beast around, and Lucario hurled another Aura Sphere at it while it was reeling, this one hitting true and slamming it against the wall between levels.
It opened its mouth, intending to retaliate against the blow with another Dragon Pulse - and Future Sight ripped up around it as Gothitelle's attack hit true. The Naganadel fell to the lowest level, and from the next window up, Haxorus leapt down. Dragon mist surged around the Axe Jaw Pokémon as he landed; Volcarona leapt from the window on the bottom level as he bombarded the beast with Outrage, starting her Fiery Dance to double the blows. As their two-front strike faded, the Naganadel twisted around in protest, starting to rise up to get away from them.
Gothitelle loosed another pulse as it passed her.
Bisharp propelled himself out as it it rose high enough, passing it with a ferocious Night Slash.
Zoroark leapt out at it when it recoiled, grabbing its shoulder spike for another Night Daze.
Lucario jumped towards it as it tried to pull him off, hooking his legs around its neck as he ravaged its torso with a Close Combat.
Krookodile charged out the window as it descended, Crunching its main stinger once again.
Volcarona hopped over it as it landed, and she twisted into another Fiery Dance as Haxorus bombarded it with Outrage.
Then Full leapt from the entrance level - and while Gothitelle's Future Sight surged out around it, he descended on the beast's main body, claws trailing a metallic light through the air until they connected with its chest.
The Naganadel roared, the sound echoing through the nest around them; then it slumped to the ground, its eyes closing.
Full stepped off of the beast as the Warriors gathered on the lower level - and once he was sure it wasn't waking up, Kotarō breathed a sigh of relief. "This beast is new to hospitality," he mused. "Running itself ragged just to deal with so many guests."
Lucario started; Ranmaru stepped up to one of the windows and saw what he was panicking over. "Oh no," he muttered. "It woke up the rest!"
The other crystalline patches along the walls had sublimated like the Naganadel's - and from each, a Poipole did indeed emerge. The ominous laughter of so many beasts had everyone panicking, and Okuni aimed her parasol before her warily. "Oh, no," she muttered. "What do we do...?"
Weak shimmers from the Cosmog drew everyone's attention; Gracia had barely glanced down at them before a light wrapped them, and they vanished from her arms. "No, wait!" She glanced around. "Where did they...?"
She turned and charged up the stairs, earning Ranmaru's yell. "Where are you going!?"
Everyone turned to Oichi, who shook her head. "Full retreat!" she insisted. "Follow her!"
The Warriors dashed out ahead of their Pokémon; Null brought up the back and was barely inside before sticky streams of Venoshock struck the earth between the Naganadel and their entrance. Gracia found herself running out through the antechamber, finding the Cosmog standing out against the skies at the end of the walkway.
And scattering mist as they swept around in circles.
"No! Stop!" The Nixtormer dashed towards them, panicking. "What are you doing!? You haven't had the chance to-!"
She was cut off when an arm grabbed hers, and she turned towards it. "Lady Oichi!"
"We have to get out of here," Oichi insisted. "No one's Pokémon can fly, and we can't Link with those beasts! If they're offering, don't stop them!" She turned to the others coming up behind her, and yelled, "Keep retreating - and hold off the beasts!"
Gothitelle was at the lead of the Pokémon as they fled the nest; she promptly turned, letting the others pass her before loosing a pulse of psychic power. The Warriors found that the Cosmog were off the portion where the walkway subsided into stepping stones, and Gracia stationed herself nearest the Cosmog, fighting the urge to grab them and stop them from opening the gate when they were still exhausted from the last. Kiyomasa, Masanori, and Mitsunari positioned themselves on the next stepping stones, and Kotarō had the last one that was separate from the walkway; Ranmaru and Okuni took the two segments it would have been connected to, and Oichi was the one closest to the nest.
As the Poipole started to emerge, Gothitelle's trap Future Sight went off on the segments of the walkway near the entrance, ripping the center portions out and slamming them into the beasts to batter them. Haxorus, Zoroark, and Volcarona spaced themselves diagonally along the walkway; once the advancing Poipole got near, Volcarona leapt forward into a Fiery Dance, Haxorus blazed dragon mist as he swung in a wild Outrage, and Zoroark slammed one paw to the walkway to loose a Night Daze.
The beasts were flung aside by the triple onslaught - Oichi had underestimated just how weak the unevolved Poipole were compared to the Naganadel. As Haxorus' Outrage subsided, he and the others retreated past Bisharp and Lucario; the still-changed Aura Pokémon hurled an Aura Sphere into the horde, the outshocks of the impact striking a good few beasts away, and when the next front of the swarm drew near, Bisharp twisted into a broad Night Slash that cut wide, stunning still more before they could land the first blow.
The two Steel-types started to retreat again as the Cosmog tiredly pulled apart; they swung their arms forward, and the gate was thrown wide, on a horizontal plane this time. As the combatants, at the prompting of their Warriors, redoubled their pace, the two star-dusted Pokémon slumped in the air, closed their eyes, and fell towards the rift.
"Cosmog!"
Gracia leapt from her platform as they vanished, diving in as she would into water; Kiyomasa leapt in after her, Masanori leapt in after him, and Mitsunari after him. Kotarō dashed across the open platforms and leapt in with his claws at the ready, and Okuni and Ranmaru promptly followed. Oichi waited, her staff in hands, as Zoroark, Volcarona, and Haxorus passed her; then Lucario, then Gothitelle, and then Bisharp. Full was charging behind after Bisharp; on seeing Oichi still intent on waiting, his mouth lunged forward, and he seized her by the back of her garb before she had the chance to stop him, carrying her like a Pyroar with a Litleo in its mouth as he leapt across the stepping stones.
"No, wait!" Oichi protested; the Poipole were still charging after her. "We can't let them through the- Ah!"
Full flung her into the gate ahead of him before leaping from the last segment and diving in after her.
He'd barely vanished into it before it flickered out of existence - and Venoshock streams converged where it had been as the Poipole cried out in protest.
Draco: Holy Mulch, I just realized how mean that would be. Pixelworker's nightmare - square tiles, hexagonal (anygonal, really) patterns on the floor.
...Come to think of it, I don't think Ransei has anywhere with multiple squares in the same place at different altitudes. That extending vine bridge in Greenleaf doesn't let you walk on the area below. I must be thinking Final Fantasy Tactics. (That would be sweet to see, Pokémon Conquest sequel with the tactical element coming from Ivalice instead.)
Anyone recognize the nest description? Multiple floors, viewing windows, something running around in the big open area in the middle? The answer involves the number 8. Here's the battle info for the new Ultra Beast.
Naganadel
-Range: 3
-Move: Dragon Pulse
-Ability: Beast Boost | Mood Maker
(horrible disregard of terrifying cliffhanger in favour of ramble b/c i'm evil liek that)
