Post by Tyler on Apr 1, 2019 14:33:58 GMT -5
AMBUSH
Cynthia's beautiful blonde hair whipped wildly in the wind as Garchomp flew across the sky at a breakneck pace, but even with his speed the journey to Sandgem Town took a few hours. As the sun was beginning to set, the town came into view, bathed in a golden-pink sunset that stretched across the water of western Sinnoh. Cynthia gave Garchomp a pat and the shark promptly dove toward the ground, shifting its weight as it hit the ground and slid down Route 202 to the entrance of Sandgem. The Champion chuckled and hopped off the dragon's back and the pair continued onward in the direction of a beautiful laboratory nestled beside the Pokémon Center. It had large glass windows like an observatory.
. . .
The door closed behind the Headmistress and a white-haired man standing in front of a desk turned around. He met eyes with the woman and his mustache wiggled as his mouth formed a smile. The Headmistress walked over, alongside Garchomp who was led to the side by an assistant to be properly fed and tended to. "Hello Professor, it's good to see you." The Professor nodded and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he replied. "Yes, indeed, it's good to see you too Headmistress! Hoho! What brings you all the way out to this part of the region?" Cynthia bit her lip and inhaled before she told him of the events that happened at Lake Acuity, including the Hex Maniacs and the strange vision that the students informed her of. When she finally finished, the Professor stood with a puzzled expression, stroking his chin in thought.
"That is... very strange. Perhaps it was an illusion of sorts from Uxie, but a vision that could've possibly told the future is rather concerning. I'm not one to believe in that sort of thing, but after everything that happened with Cyrus at Spear Pillar all those years ago, I suppose anything can be possible. All I can suggest is that you keep an eye out at the school for anything remotely suspicious and inform me if anything begins to unfold, understood?" Cynthia nodded her head in agreement, but she couldn't hide the worried expression she wore. Rowan walked over and put his arm around her, speaking as he walked with her to the door. "Everything's going to be okay Cynthia, you can't worry too much. Your paranoia has to be amplified because of this school thing being so new, but I know you can do it. Just be smart about it," he said as the sliding glass doors automatically opened. The Champion walked outside and turned to face him. "You're right, I'll let you know if anything happens. Thank you, Rowan, you've always been like a second father to me; I appreciate your reassurance." Rowan chuckled and waved her off; he never was one for mushy, sentimental exchanges, but Cynthia knew that he appreciated the compliment. The professor watched as Cynthia headed back to the Academy. She eventually disappeared into the evening dusk and blinding streetlights. Rowan's smile fell and his eyebrows furrowed in worry, he hoped that everything would be okay.
. . .
Cynthia left the outskirts of Sandgem Town and ventured back down Route 202, where fewer streetlights illuminated the path. Before she got too far, the tall grass in front of her began to rustle. Cynthia smirked, reminiscing about the time that she had encountered a Shinx here many moons ago. It was when she first started her journey. She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow, waiting for the Pokémon to appear.
She waited for a good minute or so, but nothing happened. Her eyebrows knitted together in concern as something started to feel off about the whole situation. She felt like she was being watched and the knot in her stomach tightened as an ominous sense of foreboding filled her being. Her face twisted into a scowl and she called out. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" There was nothing but silence for a minute. Then the brush began to rustle and the sound of a woman chuckling resounded through the clearing. Seconds later, the red silhouette of a woman took form at the end of the tall grass as it parted, revealing a person cloaked in glowing red attire. The neon glow of a red visor accented their matching, spiked hair.
"Hello Cynthia, it's been a while. Years, in fact, I wonder if you've missed me as much as I missed you." Something about the woman's voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite recall where she had heard it before. The redhead chuckled before speaking again. "Oh, have you really forgotten me? Oh well, I guess I'll remind you then." There was silence, then the sound of a click and an insignia on the woman's chest flashed to life revealing a large crimson G. Cynthia's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. The Champion grit her teeth; she recognized that logo. "Team Galactic... How? There was no trace of you, we searched everywhere -- and why now?" Cynthia barked back angrily, feeling her pulse race and her blood begin to boil.
The redhead's lips curled into a wicked smile, visible due to the glow of her visor. "We left Sinnoh and went elsewhere for a while. As for your second question... well, I suppose you'll find out soon enough. Hahaha!" she cackled. Cynthia shifted her leg and got into a fighting stance. She unclipped her Poké Ball and unleashed her Garchomp who she returned hours prior. The dragon took form and sniffed about, taking in the sight of the woman before letting out a guttural growl. The woman followed suit, unleashing a large pokémon that was difficult to make out in the dark. The sound of hissing filled the area and that's when Cynthia knew exactly who it was.
"Commander Mars!"
"Bingo! Took you long enough. I'm sure I won't be the only familiar face you'll see in the coming days. Not like you'll remember them after we're done with you." The woman whistled and the brush on each side of the route rustled. A group of shadows appeared, each figure wearing blue, glowing suits similar to Mars' with the very same G insignia on their chests. Beside each Grunt was a pair of red eyes floating menacingly. Cynthia looked to her sides then toward the direction of Sandgem Town. A wall of grunts was closing in on her and their Commander blocked her escape route. She had no other choice but to fight her way out. With adrenaline rushing, she flung her hand out and shouted an order.
"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!" Garchomp roared and its body erupted in a ferocious, blue flame before kicking off and rocketing toward the Commander. "Purugly, Shadow Claw!" Mars' Purugly let out a hiss as its claws became laced in a cloak of violet shadow. Purugly immediately leaped forward to meet Garchomp head-on. The two Pokémon collided causing a minor explosion that kicked up a dust cloud and moments later Mars' Purugly came flying back toward the Commander. She gasped and leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the rather large cat that came skidding along the grass behind her. "Get up! Grunts, get her!" she barked. The Grunts jolted into action and began calling out orders to their Bronzor. Psionic energy blasts came flying not toward Garchomp, but right for Cynthia. The Champion's eyes widened in shock and she put her arms up to shield herself from the blast. Garchomp's eyes narrowed in focus and it hunched forward before rocketing off toward his trainer. He flew past, picking her up and zoomed to safety in the blink of an eye.
The Bronzor turned their attacks in the direction of the fleeing Garchomp to no avail and the concussive blasts hit the ground kicking up dirt with each successive miss. Garchomp twisted to protect his trainer and let his foot catch the ground as he pivoted and skidded to regain balance a good distance away from the Galactic members. Cynthia was placed back on the ground and her lip curled into a snarl as she called out a command. "Garchomp, EARTHQUAKE!!" The dragon raised its foot and stomped the ground with such power that it began to shake. The attack rippled from the dragon's foot and the earth began to split open up the route at a rapid pace. The Grunts stumbled back and forth trying to maintain their balance and the tear continued to rapidly zip toward Commander Mars. She grunted and dove to the opposite side, skidding with her foot and twisting her body to maintain balance and avoid the attack. Purugly leaped to the side, mimicking her trainer; it was exceptionally fast for such a fat cat. This was Cynthia's chance, the opponents were scattered and Mars was ripe for the picking. "Get her, use Stone Edge!" Her Pokémon responded with a roar as a ring of glowing blue rocks took form around its body, spinning faster by the second. With another roar, the Garchomp let loose the barrage of sharp jagged stones right for Commander Mars.
Mars grunted and threw out a Poké Ball. "Bronzong, Gyro Ball!" The ball burst open unleashing a large metal Pokémon that came spinning from within with its body engulfed in a brilliant metallic light. It spun forward into the barrage of stones breaking them down into ground-up particles. Cynthia inhaled a 'hmph' as she watched it grind through Garchomps attack and... continue right for it. Bronzong twirled right into Garchomp who quickly grabbed it with its claws and maintained balance as it was sent shoved backward along the ground from the impact. Cynthia smirked as she watched Garchomp stop the Bronzong in its tracks but her eyes widened as she saw the Steel-type's eyes begin to glow purple -- it was using Hypnosis. "Into the air and dodge it!" Garchomp nodded and released the Bronzong before leaping up into the air above the attack, watching the hypnotic rings drift pass and hit the ground harmlessly. Mars' lips curled into a grin, she had the Champion right where she wanted her. "NOW! Hypnosis!" Cynthia's eyebrows knitted together in confusion but her eyes quickly widened in shock as she watched Purugly kick off of Bronzong's back into the air and soared right toward Garchomp. "Puurrrr!" it hissed and its eyes widened, unleashing rainbow-colored hypnotic waves. Cynthia gasped realizing that she had played right into Mars' strategy, Garchomp was still going upward from its momentum and it would be impossible to avoid this attack without even reaching the apex of its jump. There was nowhere for Garchomp to run now.
The Hypnosis hit the Garchomp and instantly put it to sleep, sending it rocketing toward the earth with its wings outstretched like a spiraling helicopter. Cynthia ran forward with her Poké Ball outstretched, preparing to return the dragon before it hit the ground. She grunted as she skidded to a stop and clicked the button, unleashing a red beam into the air that extended outward toward her partner like an outstretched hand. "Intercept!" Cynthia's eyes darted to the side as she saw Bronzong spin into the air and float in front of the red beam, causing it to ricochet off in the opposite direction. A moment later Purugly landed on its feet in front of Cynthia and let out a hiss, distracting her from watching as Garchomp collided with the ground. Purugly's eyes began to glow hypnotically, to which Cynthia spun around to avert her gaze as she reached for another Poké Ball. Before she could unclip it her eyes met with a wall of Bronzor floating in front of the group of Grunts at the exit to Sandgem Town, all of whom were already unleashing hypnotic waves toward her. Cynthia looked left and right, only to be met with the exact same sigh. She was entirely surrounded and she felt all hope drain from her as she felt her body begin to drift off to sleep. She fell onto the ground staring up at the stars wondering why she didn't just fly away in the first place. How stupid she had been trying to fight, but it wasn't like it was a fair fight; it was an ambush.
Cynthia's eyes closed and her hand relaxed, causing her Poké Ball to roll from her hand along the ground until a heel stepped on top of it and a hand-picked it up from the ground. "Looks like we won this round. This one's for Cyrus," spoke the Commander. She turned toward the large crater with Cynthia's sleeping Garchomp residing inside and returned it to the ball. "Good work everyone, I'll be sure to put in a good word about you all to our Leader. Get the Champion on board the chopper, we're leaving," she ordered. The Grunts got to work and had their Bronzor's form a makeshift levitating gurney that they set Cynthia on and departed into the woods. Meanwhile, Mars returned her Purugly and Bronzong and tapped her earpiece.
"Mars, is that you? How'd it go?" said a woman from the other end. "Beautifully. We got her, we're heading back to the HQ now," said the Commander smugly. "Okay. Be safe," said the voice. "Of course sister, aren't I always?" she cackled, tapping her earpiece and causing the communication line to go dead.
. . .
It's been over three months since Headmistress Cynthia's disappearance without a single word. Azure Academy has implemented a temporary substitute Headmistress -- a purple bunned woman with an affinity for matching lipstick and stinging comments. Over the course of these three months the academy has gotten much tougher and the courses more rigorous. Battle Class has become the primary focus alongside Science, and all other courses such as Breeding or the Performing Arts have all but been phased out of the curriculum. Most of the teachers have been replaced and the Verity dorm is still haunted by the sounds of loud banging and screeching late at night to the point where no one is outside their dorms after 10pm. Graduation has been pushed off as the Headmistress deemed the students incompetent as trainers particularly in the field of battle and not up to standards with the official Pokémon Federation handbook. Parents have been notified of this extension and classes are due to conclude in the coming month, with the Graduation ceremony slated for the end of April. Punishment for not abiding by school code, including newly added additions to the rulebook, have grown far more severe. Students have been punished accordingly to the point where they're afraid to be caught out of line for fear of a fate worse than expulsion.
Cynthia's beautiful blonde hair whipped wildly in the wind as Garchomp flew across the sky at a breakneck pace, but even with his speed the journey to Sandgem Town took a few hours. As the sun was beginning to set, the town came into view, bathed in a golden-pink sunset that stretched across the water of western Sinnoh. Cynthia gave Garchomp a pat and the shark promptly dove toward the ground, shifting its weight as it hit the ground and slid down Route 202 to the entrance of Sandgem. The Champion chuckled and hopped off the dragon's back and the pair continued onward in the direction of a beautiful laboratory nestled beside the Pokémon Center. It had large glass windows like an observatory.
. . .
The door closed behind the Headmistress and a white-haired man standing in front of a desk turned around. He met eyes with the woman and his mustache wiggled as his mouth formed a smile. The Headmistress walked over, alongside Garchomp who was led to the side by an assistant to be properly fed and tended to. "Hello Professor, it's good to see you." The Professor nodded and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he replied. "Yes, indeed, it's good to see you too Headmistress! Hoho! What brings you all the way out to this part of the region?" Cynthia bit her lip and inhaled before she told him of the events that happened at Lake Acuity, including the Hex Maniacs and the strange vision that the students informed her of. When she finally finished, the Professor stood with a puzzled expression, stroking his chin in thought.
"That is... very strange. Perhaps it was an illusion of sorts from Uxie, but a vision that could've possibly told the future is rather concerning. I'm not one to believe in that sort of thing, but after everything that happened with Cyrus at Spear Pillar all those years ago, I suppose anything can be possible. All I can suggest is that you keep an eye out at the school for anything remotely suspicious and inform me if anything begins to unfold, understood?" Cynthia nodded her head in agreement, but she couldn't hide the worried expression she wore. Rowan walked over and put his arm around her, speaking as he walked with her to the door. "Everything's going to be okay Cynthia, you can't worry too much. Your paranoia has to be amplified because of this school thing being so new, but I know you can do it. Just be smart about it," he said as the sliding glass doors automatically opened. The Champion walked outside and turned to face him. "You're right, I'll let you know if anything happens. Thank you, Rowan, you've always been like a second father to me; I appreciate your reassurance." Rowan chuckled and waved her off; he never was one for mushy, sentimental exchanges, but Cynthia knew that he appreciated the compliment. The professor watched as Cynthia headed back to the Academy. She eventually disappeared into the evening dusk and blinding streetlights. Rowan's smile fell and his eyebrows furrowed in worry, he hoped that everything would be okay.
. . .
Cynthia left the outskirts of Sandgem Town and ventured back down Route 202, where fewer streetlights illuminated the path. Before she got too far, the tall grass in front of her began to rustle. Cynthia smirked, reminiscing about the time that she had encountered a Shinx here many moons ago. It was when she first started her journey. She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow, waiting for the Pokémon to appear.
She waited for a good minute or so, but nothing happened. Her eyebrows knitted together in concern as something started to feel off about the whole situation. She felt like she was being watched and the knot in her stomach tightened as an ominous sense of foreboding filled her being. Her face twisted into a scowl and she called out. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" There was nothing but silence for a minute. Then the brush began to rustle and the sound of a woman chuckling resounded through the clearing. Seconds later, the red silhouette of a woman took form at the end of the tall grass as it parted, revealing a person cloaked in glowing red attire. The neon glow of a red visor accented their matching, spiked hair.
"Hello Cynthia, it's been a while. Years, in fact, I wonder if you've missed me as much as I missed you." Something about the woman's voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite recall where she had heard it before. The redhead chuckled before speaking again. "Oh, have you really forgotten me? Oh well, I guess I'll remind you then." There was silence, then the sound of a click and an insignia on the woman's chest flashed to life revealing a large crimson G. Cynthia's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. The Champion grit her teeth; she recognized that logo. "Team Galactic... How? There was no trace of you, we searched everywhere -- and why now?" Cynthia barked back angrily, feeling her pulse race and her blood begin to boil.
The redhead's lips curled into a wicked smile, visible due to the glow of her visor. "We left Sinnoh and went elsewhere for a while. As for your second question... well, I suppose you'll find out soon enough. Hahaha!" she cackled. Cynthia shifted her leg and got into a fighting stance. She unclipped her Poké Ball and unleashed her Garchomp who she returned hours prior. The dragon took form and sniffed about, taking in the sight of the woman before letting out a guttural growl. The woman followed suit, unleashing a large pokémon that was difficult to make out in the dark. The sound of hissing filled the area and that's when Cynthia knew exactly who it was.
"Commander Mars!"
"Bingo! Took you long enough. I'm sure I won't be the only familiar face you'll see in the coming days. Not like you'll remember them after we're done with you." The woman whistled and the brush on each side of the route rustled. A group of shadows appeared, each figure wearing blue, glowing suits similar to Mars' with the very same G insignia on their chests. Beside each Grunt was a pair of red eyes floating menacingly. Cynthia looked to her sides then toward the direction of Sandgem Town. A wall of grunts was closing in on her and their Commander blocked her escape route. She had no other choice but to fight her way out. With adrenaline rushing, she flung her hand out and shouted an order.
"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!" Garchomp roared and its body erupted in a ferocious, blue flame before kicking off and rocketing toward the Commander. "Purugly, Shadow Claw!" Mars' Purugly let out a hiss as its claws became laced in a cloak of violet shadow. Purugly immediately leaped forward to meet Garchomp head-on. The two Pokémon collided causing a minor explosion that kicked up a dust cloud and moments later Mars' Purugly came flying back toward the Commander. She gasped and leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the rather large cat that came skidding along the grass behind her. "Get up! Grunts, get her!" she barked. The Grunts jolted into action and began calling out orders to their Bronzor. Psionic energy blasts came flying not toward Garchomp, but right for Cynthia. The Champion's eyes widened in shock and she put her arms up to shield herself from the blast. Garchomp's eyes narrowed in focus and it hunched forward before rocketing off toward his trainer. He flew past, picking her up and zoomed to safety in the blink of an eye.
The Bronzor turned their attacks in the direction of the fleeing Garchomp to no avail and the concussive blasts hit the ground kicking up dirt with each successive miss. Garchomp twisted to protect his trainer and let his foot catch the ground as he pivoted and skidded to regain balance a good distance away from the Galactic members. Cynthia was placed back on the ground and her lip curled into a snarl as she called out a command. "Garchomp, EARTHQUAKE!!" The dragon raised its foot and stomped the ground with such power that it began to shake. The attack rippled from the dragon's foot and the earth began to split open up the route at a rapid pace. The Grunts stumbled back and forth trying to maintain their balance and the tear continued to rapidly zip toward Commander Mars. She grunted and dove to the opposite side, skidding with her foot and twisting her body to maintain balance and avoid the attack. Purugly leaped to the side, mimicking her trainer; it was exceptionally fast for such a fat cat. This was Cynthia's chance, the opponents were scattered and Mars was ripe for the picking. "Get her, use Stone Edge!" Her Pokémon responded with a roar as a ring of glowing blue rocks took form around its body, spinning faster by the second. With another roar, the Garchomp let loose the barrage of sharp jagged stones right for Commander Mars.
Mars grunted and threw out a Poké Ball. "Bronzong, Gyro Ball!" The ball burst open unleashing a large metal Pokémon that came spinning from within with its body engulfed in a brilliant metallic light. It spun forward into the barrage of stones breaking them down into ground-up particles. Cynthia inhaled a 'hmph' as she watched it grind through Garchomps attack and... continue right for it. Bronzong twirled right into Garchomp who quickly grabbed it with its claws and maintained balance as it was sent shoved backward along the ground from the impact. Cynthia smirked as she watched Garchomp stop the Bronzong in its tracks but her eyes widened as she saw the Steel-type's eyes begin to glow purple -- it was using Hypnosis. "Into the air and dodge it!" Garchomp nodded and released the Bronzong before leaping up into the air above the attack, watching the hypnotic rings drift pass and hit the ground harmlessly. Mars' lips curled into a grin, she had the Champion right where she wanted her. "NOW! Hypnosis!" Cynthia's eyebrows knitted together in confusion but her eyes quickly widened in shock as she watched Purugly kick off of Bronzong's back into the air and soared right toward Garchomp. "Puurrrr!" it hissed and its eyes widened, unleashing rainbow-colored hypnotic waves. Cynthia gasped realizing that she had played right into Mars' strategy, Garchomp was still going upward from its momentum and it would be impossible to avoid this attack without even reaching the apex of its jump. There was nowhere for Garchomp to run now.
The Hypnosis hit the Garchomp and instantly put it to sleep, sending it rocketing toward the earth with its wings outstretched like a spiraling helicopter. Cynthia ran forward with her Poké Ball outstretched, preparing to return the dragon before it hit the ground. She grunted as she skidded to a stop and clicked the button, unleashing a red beam into the air that extended outward toward her partner like an outstretched hand. "Intercept!" Cynthia's eyes darted to the side as she saw Bronzong spin into the air and float in front of the red beam, causing it to ricochet off in the opposite direction. A moment later Purugly landed on its feet in front of Cynthia and let out a hiss, distracting her from watching as Garchomp collided with the ground. Purugly's eyes began to glow hypnotically, to which Cynthia spun around to avert her gaze as she reached for another Poké Ball. Before she could unclip it her eyes met with a wall of Bronzor floating in front of the group of Grunts at the exit to Sandgem Town, all of whom were already unleashing hypnotic waves toward her. Cynthia looked left and right, only to be met with the exact same sigh. She was entirely surrounded and she felt all hope drain from her as she felt her body begin to drift off to sleep. She fell onto the ground staring up at the stars wondering why she didn't just fly away in the first place. How stupid she had been trying to fight, but it wasn't like it was a fair fight; it was an ambush.
Cynthia's eyes closed and her hand relaxed, causing her Poké Ball to roll from her hand along the ground until a heel stepped on top of it and a hand-picked it up from the ground. "Looks like we won this round. This one's for Cyrus," spoke the Commander. She turned toward the large crater with Cynthia's sleeping Garchomp residing inside and returned it to the ball. "Good work everyone, I'll be sure to put in a good word about you all to our Leader. Get the Champion on board the chopper, we're leaving," she ordered. The Grunts got to work and had their Bronzor's form a makeshift levitating gurney that they set Cynthia on and departed into the woods. Meanwhile, Mars returned her Purugly and Bronzong and tapped her earpiece.
"Mars, is that you? How'd it go?" said a woman from the other end. "Beautifully. We got her, we're heading back to the HQ now," said the Commander smugly. "Okay. Be safe," said the voice. "Of course sister, aren't I always?" she cackled, tapping her earpiece and causing the communication line to go dead.
. . .
It's been over three months since Headmistress Cynthia's disappearance without a single word. Azure Academy has implemented a temporary substitute Headmistress -- a purple bunned woman with an affinity for matching lipstick and stinging comments. Over the course of these three months the academy has gotten much tougher and the courses more rigorous. Battle Class has become the primary focus alongside Science, and all other courses such as Breeding or the Performing Arts have all but been phased out of the curriculum. Most of the teachers have been replaced and the Verity dorm is still haunted by the sounds of loud banging and screeching late at night to the point where no one is outside their dorms after 10pm. Graduation has been pushed off as the Headmistress deemed the students incompetent as trainers particularly in the field of battle and not up to standards with the official Pokémon Federation handbook. Parents have been notified of this extension and classes are due to conclude in the coming month, with the Graduation ceremony slated for the end of April. Punishment for not abiding by school code, including newly added additions to the rulebook, have grown far more severe. Students have been punished accordingly to the point where they're afraid to be caught out of line for fear of a fate worse than expulsion.