NIGHTMARE PLOT: BATTLE LOG

[these_balls]

Who: Nightmare Plot participants!
Where: THE BASEMENT (dun dun dunnnnn)
When: Wednesday, October 30
Summary: IT'S NOT CHERNOBOG. But you still have to fight it.
Rating: PG-13 in general; please mark threads that go higher accordingly!
Log:





YOU ARE HERE. IT LOOKS LIKE THIS. YOU'RE FIGHTING THIS. (IT'S NOT CHERNOBOG.)

ALSO, MOOD MUSIC.


KEY:

• RED areas are inaccessible regions! This time, characters have a little less discretion in what they perceive as the reason for the inaccessibility; it'll either be something like a broken or crumbling wall, a locked door, an archway overgrown with dangerous-looking vines, thick fog, or something else of that nature!

• The GREEN area is the set of stairs you used to get down here in the first place! Again, this is here so you know where your starting point is in relation to everything else.

~

☆ THE NUMBER TO MEET OR BEAT IS 55 PARTICIPANTS ☆.

REMEMBER: IF YOUR CHARACTER DOES NOT POST TO THE BOSSFIGHT LOG AT LEAST ONCE
(AS A TOP-LEVEL COMMENT OR IN RESPONSE TO SOMEONE ELSE'S TOP-LEVEL COMMENT)
BEFORE 7:00 AM EST on OCTOBER 31, THEY WILL NOT COUNT TOWARD THE 55-PARTICIPANT GOAL!

~

QUICK LINKS

THE BOSSFIGHT INFOPOST | QUESTIONS FOR MODS | SUPERPOWERS REQUEST THREAD | BOSSFIGHT PARTICIPATION CHECK-IN

Comments

[lieutenantantichrist]

[The sound of rain is louder and louder.]

[Blake has had days of being jerked around by this place. He's been ground down by fighting back against the constant undercurrent of exhaustion and fear.]

[He's had enough.]

[When he gets to a huge room like one of those damn sketches people who think they're smart put on their walls, and he feels the dark, wet mass in the middle turn its eye on him, he's not scared anymore.]

[He's mad.]

[Good, old-fashioned, strong, clarifying anger, washing his tiredness away and filling him with purpose. It'd never made him glow red before, but who gives a fuck about the details right now?]

[He sees a wave of creatures rise up and rush toward him. He stands his ground.]

Come on, you sonsa bitches!

[He'll clobber them with his bare fists, but his real power isn't for him: anybody he touches will find their strength renewed and their powers supercharged as they are filled with the might and courage of a raging jackass.]

[plushaeusrumpified]

[All of this was pretty much right up Bro's alley. Now that he had a weapon, a fucking katana, he was fucking set. More than that, he had his speed back. The ability to flash step. It was fucking wonderful.

What wasn't wonderful, however, was the monster. It was really kinda unsettling. It reminded Bro of the creature he'd been fighting in SBURB before ending up here after scratching the beat mesa. He didn't like it at all. Which obviously meant he had to kill it.

But the loud yell from Blake is a pretty good distraction for the moment. He turns his attention to him, eyebrows raising when he sees the man glowing.]

Holy shit. Dude, you look like a fuckin' gothic nightlight over there.

[searched]

[ While it's not the same as having Mog here, Serah's glad to have her bow. During the battle, she's moving around and shooting arrows at the boss whenever she can. Sometimes this is accompanied by magic - it was a paradigm shift, okay - and sometimes she moves further out of the line of fire to cast healing spells on herself or those around her.

If she catches sight of anyone who's in need of healing, she'll quickly make her way over to them. She doesn't mind helping people out by defending them from attacks, either. She may look tiny and fragile, but she's got fighting prowess of her own. She's doing her part to motivate others, too, calling out words of encouragement. Even to strangers, yes. ] Be careful! This enemy is strong! Keep it up!

[hipstermark]

[Guess who's starting to get a bit puffed from all the healing she's been doing?

That's right - Vanille, who does jump when she sees Serah. Just a little. She's not used to you being around still, okay.]
We're stronger, though! We can do this!
[Pep talk combo x 2!!! (Don't ask how much Vanille is freaking out. Just - don't.)]

[tentacletrainer]

[[Rose would let the others take care of the boss. Since reacquiring her powers, she had a very good feeling they wouldn't need her help. Instead she focused on the minions. They were easy enough to dispatch. When you give a Seer of Light her magic back, you unleash a fearsome opposition upon yourself. Between the omniscience allowing her to easily be two steps ahead of the grunts and the dangerous needles she wielded crackling with Eldritch magics, she was a force to be reckoned with.

This was child's play once she'd readjusted to using what the game had given her.

What Rose wanted to do most was assist others. She zipped through the battle field, offering back up to or rescuing those who needed it, trying to give them an edge so they could better defend themselves if need be.

She also wanted to find her friends, make sure they were okay.]]

[moveslikestrider]

[In the session, the children were divided in pairs by their dreaming bodies location. Yet they never really acted as one force. Until today.

Dave stepped in a position to Rose's left, cutting things down and never pausing. Time's ever changing power blended at the edges with the light. He doesn't glance her way but he always puts himself between the foes and her, moving aside only as if he can see when she's going to strike.

The circle around her is clear of foes. When they dare to get too close, he's there with blade in hand and putting them down. At one point he'll toss her a cocky smirk and salute her with his sword.]

[artfuldestruction]

[Lussac had already failed Kato once, so it honestly comes as no surprise to find that his Gengar, along with his other two Pokemon, is completely refusing to fight...whatever the hell that creature is.

Lovely. That's just lovely.

It's the last straw, really - Kato clenches his fist, gritting his teeth as he struggles to think of something, anything that can get him out of this mess.

Then he notices that his fist is not empty.

Kato recognizes the detonator immediately, and when he quickly glances up he finds just what he's looking for.]

...my air mines...

[Surrounding Not Chernobog is a floating fortress of small silver spheres, a green light flashing on each. Waiting for a signal.

Unable to control his ecstasy, Kato throws his head back and cackles madly, not even checking that he's in a safe area as he gleefully slams his thumb down on the detonator button, the lights on the air mines all flashing red simultaneously as they explode in unison, surrounding Not Chernobog in flames.]

[ortion]

[As the flames from the explosion begin to dissipate, there's the sound of a finger snapping beside Kato. All of the sudden it is like they're brought back to life. They grow in size and intensity, like a giant cloud of fire is forming around the mysterious creature. Finally, the cloud bursts into yet another large explosion.

When that's all over, there's a small chuckle where the finger-snapping came from.]

Having fun yet?

[He grins in Kato's direction.

One Dist the Rose with Super Ultra Gorgeous artes at your service, partner.]

[neededlassie]

[Shaun has exactly no experience in fighting, but what he does have is determination. And when three of his strongest pokemon are too scared to obey him for the first time, he decides that he's not going to be content with sitting back and watching his friends get hurt.

He won't let anyone die in front of him again. Not because of him.

Something gives him an idea- he closes his eyes and thinks of his team (now safe in their balls because they're so scared and he doesn't want anything to happen to them, either). He thinks about their strengths and imagines himself with them - Susie's speed. Chase's strength. Finn's self-defense.

Suddenly he's glowing bright blue - almost white - with an ambient light that pours out from behind him. He feels strong, strong enough to protect people. Strong enough to not be a burden.

He feels ready to fight.]

[lieutenantantichrist]

[Blake sees a light blaze out in the dark. It makes his eyes water, though the source is small.]

[A child shouldn't be here - but he is. Blake should be the one out there taking them all down - but he's not. He can't shoot fire, he can't fly, he doesn't even have his gun.]

[He can do something.]

[This kind of anger is different from the one he knows best. Deeper, broader, and with a purpose. He doesn't have a good answer for if he's one of the monsters, but what he's sure of is how much he owes Shaun Mars.]

Hey.

[His voice is ragged. Every time he touches somebody it takes something out of him, and there's more than a few red lights in the dark, doing what he can't.]

[Blake comes up behind Shaun. He taps him on the shoulder.]

[As soon as he does, instead of turning red, the glow sears its own color, fierce and bright.]

Go get em, kid.

[explosivecombat]

[To say that he's annoyed when his Pokémon won't attack the creature in the middle of this entire massive bundle of hideous is more than slightly understating it; he's quick to recall them once their unwillingness becomes obvious. There's no sense in continuing to try to force it, that's just wasting time; it's when he's trying to locate a vantage point, some high place to get up into, and he settles his gloved hand against one of those escher stairwells that he notices.

For a moment, he freezes.

And then he smiles.

He's tempted to draw up that stone of his but he refrains for now; that's best saved for emergencies for the time being - say, in case something manages to slash one of his hands - and he can activate it from inside his body well enough if he decides he really can't resist. For now, however, he's slipping his gloves off and casting them to the side, not really caring where they fall; his attention is given to seeing if his suspicions here are correct.

The familiar sharp crackle of blue energy kicking up around his hands when he claps his palms together, completing his array, is more than enough to confirm it.

Oh, this is going to be beautiful.

The blast he unleashes is large, concussive, designed to explode on impact with the target rather than being channelled through the ground; the sound the blast makes as it detonates is the most beautiful thing he's heard in years. Granted, there are two things wrong with it that he notices almost immediately - he doesn't remember his usual reach extending quite that far, as far as sheer force goes, and wow holy shit the effort kind of staggers him a bit - but from the way he's laughing over there, he's clearly having a grand time anyway.]

Absolutely beautiful!

[...Oh...dear.]

[sadisticwarfare]

[Archer had lost sight of Kimblee sometime between calling out his Pokémon and having a heated argument with Alekhine trying to get him to fight that thing. Alekhine normally doesn't disobey Archer like this, so he was surprised when the Alakazam told him in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't be fighting and then promptly used his psychic powers on the Pokéball to return himself. Needless to say, Archer isn't very pleased with him or his other Pokémon. He sure as hell didn't raise them to be cowards.

Now that they've all been returned to their Pokéballs, Archer is looking for Kimblee. Where the hell did he run off to anyway--

That's about when the explosion hits that monster and Archer glances upward.]

Kimblee!

[Oh god, he's got his powers back. This is going to be a repeat of that incident in Goldenrod, isn't it? Kimblee won't listen to him, and if he gets in the way, he's as good as dead. Archer hesitates for a moment before beginning to make his way up to Kimblee anyway; he doesn't want to risk dying, but Kimblee is his only line of defense against that thing.]

Your alchemy...! How is it working again?

[He hopes the words will at least calm Kimblee down a bit, but he's not expecting much.]

[neurotoxined]

[The sort of fear that GLaDOS is experiencing at the start of this fight is something not unlike that reserved for things like large birds; her Pokémon are too low-leveled to be useful anyway, so sending them out in the first place is going to be pointless, and she's in this pathetic human body and running is completely out of the question, so the most she really can do is back the hell up and pray that whenever she dies, Android Hell is a much better place than she's always made it out to be.

Somewhere between that thought and her back hitting the wall, she manages to nearly stumble across something, quite literally; whatever it is, it's spindly as hell and she nearly knocks it over. It manages to right itself eventually (as does she, given that she nearly knocked herself over in the process) and that...that's about when a ridiculously familiar sound reaches her.

That being a strange, electronically-tinged voice. "There you are."

Her first reaction is, confusingly, to bury her face in her hands because she has never been so relieved to see a damn turret in her life; her second reaction is to register the fact that suddenly there's a lot of pain, and her third is to kick the stupid turret over because it's shooting at her.

Right. Right, she pings as a human here. Have to keep that in mind. Now if only they'd shoot at the boss...

And she's no sooner thought it than they're there, a set of four of them just...opening machine-gun fire as only small spherical canisters packed full of bullets and nothing else can because welcome to fucking Aperture.

...we ignore the fifth, the one without the casing. That one's crap, it'll probably hit on you if you pick it up.

Either way, she's not going to complain about the sudden turret-summoning abilities; if it means she can get some damage done, then hell, she's going to do it.]

1/IDK

[ardent]

[Somehow Ishimaru had expected that Aiko wouldn't want to fight that thing, and Mitsuyo...to say she's a noncombatant is putting it very, very lightly. But Kamina...the Gyarados has always been obedient, at the very least, and the fact that he seems not just unwilling to fight whatever he's looking at, but actively refuses to do so...it's not right.

(The fact that Kamina chooses to voice his refusal with a very agitated "MOST EXCELLENT GOOD JOB" is also not right, but that's another story entirely.)

So basically, Ishimaru has a sword, and he has three Pokémon that are currently going back in their balls because he just got them back because he would prefer not to see them maimed, and instead of being scared or upset he just finds himself getting agitated. The last several days have been horrible, this entire experience is way too close to the hell he's experienced back home, and as little as he's prone to swearing even he's getting to a point where he is fully ready to declare himself completely and utterly done with this shit.]

All of this needs to stop!

[It's said more through a desire to vent than anything, just to give him an outlet for the frustration and the anger so they don't get completely overwhelming; he doesn't expect it to actually do anything - ]

2/IDEK

[ardent]

[...Needless to say, he's a bit confused when not-Chernobog over there actually pauses. And looks at him.

...gennnnnnnnnnnnnnntly caress, um.]

I mean, if you wouldn't mind - I'm getting tired of this and so is everyone else!!

[uncagedforjustamoment]

It's a strange sensation to suddenly feel chakra again. There was no one moment that he felt his chakra control return. One moment he was without it, and then he set his sight on the creature that was doubtlessly the source of their troubles: the one to seal away the pokemon and the one to capture the people. It looked similar to but not quite the same as the Juubi, and struck out immediately with a handful of its deadly spikes.

Knocking away the one headed toward those around him with an air palm strike was instinctive. It took him a moment to realize the complete ramifications of what he'd done, and...he stared down at his hand in surprise as he processed that.

Byakugan!

It wasn't a test as much as a knee-jerk reaction to the possibility that he could again, the doubt over whether his death had sealed that before his chakra ever was.

It worked. And...the creature's chakra network...made very little sense. But...as he lifted his hands and settled into a familiar stance he'd had to alter recently, for once in a long time, he could look over at those near him without fear of letting the creature out of his sight. "Chakra has been unsealed."

...In case anyone near him couldn't already tell.

He turned back to the creature wearing the ghost of a satisfied smile. Now things would truly begin.

[OOC: His abilities aren't big and flashy, they mostly augment his normal human ones, but with the added ability to punch air at people, permanently paralyze (or just kill) with a touch, and occasionally turn into a(n immobile) spinning dome of death. He should have plenty of chakra to stick it out for the whole fight and will be running around the room. The Byakugan means he'll see everything happening in the room at once, too, so...if rescuing or back up is needed, he will probably be there if you want.]

[doitrockapella]

[The truth of the matter is, Carmen actually notices the bit about people's Pokemon not attacking the massive shadowbeast horrorterror in their midst secondhand, rather than through her own experience — none of the Pokemon that have accompanied her to Nightmare Castle are her go-to fighters, save for possibly Chief, and in the grand scheme of things he's generally more suited to being her getaway driver than anything else. So it actually doesn't occur to her to send them out and discover the hard way their reluctance to battle; she'd never send Miles or Zack into the fray in the first place, and at this point, having Chief there with her just means two possible targets to hit instead of one.

She also doesn't notice, oddly enough, the bit about people developing powers. She doesn't feel any different, standing there inside the chamber with her dream batteries charged and ready. She hasn't been imbued with any new, strange power. She hasn't rediscovered any lost capability.

That would suggest that there was ever a point when she wasn't capable of it in the first place.

It's been awhile since her Action Girl days, but some old habits never fade; it doesn't take her long before she's instinctively making good use of the Escher walls in the chamber, darting here and there and using them to her best advantage. Sometimes it's to get someone vulnerable out of the way; sometimes it's to reposition someone at a better vantage point so they can get their own hits in. Sometimes it's to come flying out of nowhere and kick a monster's head off with one foot (contained, as always, in one fabulous red pump).

And sometimes it's to do what she does best.

With a creature of ultimate evil so close, it's only to be expected that she's hearing Maelstrom's voice echoing through her subconscious as she runs (you're a thief at heart, Carmen; you're a thief; you've always been a thief; what will you steal next?), but for the time being, even those words can't haunt her. Whatever else she might be, at the moment she's a woman on a mission, and she fully believes there's nothing she can't do in order to achieve it.]


[OOC: So, Carmen's "returned skill" is the ability to steal people's powers/talents/abilities — if you're okay with her doing this to you, PLEASE LET ME KNOW OOCLY! I won't make any assumptions without express permission. o/]

[lieutenantantichrist]

[While Blake has his hands full with punching one of the big, wheezing monsters, something red and fast keeps flashing by.]

[He gets a better looks when she comes down and stomps the shit out of one that was headed past him.]

[It's her. The crazy ninja bitch who turned out to be a little less crazy and less of a bitch than he thought at first blush (first punch), but right now it looks like the ninja diagnosis was spot on.]

[Maybe less crazy, but still not predictable. Not nearly a known enough quantity to make what he's about to do a good decision.]

[Blake mutters to himself] I'm gonna regret this. I know I'm gonna regret this.

[He shouts to her before she backflips into the shadows or any crazy shit like that]

Hey! Lady! Hold still a sec!

[OOC: Feel free to steal his ragebuff/heal!]

[beholdmydemons]

[Mooks showing attitude isn't a new thing for Walter; Pokemon refusing to fight is, and it doesn't look like he's going to have the time to sit around and argue with them.

He's getting ready to just heft his sword and do what he can when something...beeps. Something that hasn't beeped in quite a while.

And then the panels on his Gauntlet slide back, it lights up with Japanese text, and a friendly voice chirps out, tinged with an electronic hum: "That was a nice nap...but it looks like I woke up just in time. Sorry to keep you waiting, Master."

The Demon Summoning Program is back online, and its user is ready to rumble (if a little dumbfounded.)]

[Walter's got a sword of his own to fight with, but his real power lies with the little computer on his arm - now activated - and the three demons he's commanding through it.

Macabre, the medieval personification of Death, originating from illuminated religious texts. It moves through the swarms of enemies in an eerily graceful manner, seeming unconcerned as it sweeps its scythe through the boss' minions. It occasionally pauses in its ghoulish dance to unleash a Pandemic Bomb upon whatever foes surround it, leaving them Sick and listless for others to finish off.

Orias, the 59th spirit of the Ars Goetia, a Marquis of Hell that teaches astrology and bestows titles and dignities upon men. He makes a dignified, if grotesque, figure as he circles the boss, using Maragion to leave pools of flame at his horse's feet, setting groups of minions alight. And occasionally, he pauses to pick up a stumbling or fallen ally in his snakes' coil and set them upright again - but not without giving them a brief but probably terrifying stare.

Wendigo, an Algonquian cannibal spirit that looks more like a yeti or sasquatch unless you hear Walter calling its name. It's much larger than the other two, and much more brutal, crushing minions under its fists and howling out gouts of freezing breath. It's also the one that requires the most babysitting, since Walter's feeling every hit his demons take and Wendigo isn't quite smart or agile enough to dodge blows. He ends up having to recall it periodically, but the intervals when Wendigo is out and pummeling things are intense ones.

The downside to having powerful minions is that it's taking its toll on Walter's reserves, and fast. Orias and Macabre quickly pick up on the need to avoid damage, but their summoner is definitely showing the strain of keeping track of his demons. He could use some support.]

[radeonthecity]

[What. What are those even. Domri has to take a moment to figure out if Walter's demons are more of the monsters or not when he sees them.

He currently has a giant six-eyed cat and a small viper with him, the cat doing most of the fighting at the moment, while the viper just slithers over to one of the monsters that the cat's fighting and bites it before pulling back. The bitten monster looks down at the viper, starts to take a step towards it, and falls over dead.

Domri makes his way over to Walter, who he's figured out is the source of the demons, pausing to spear a monster through the chest on the way.]

Why do you keep unsummoning that big white thing? It's crushing them.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[There's something about entering a bossfight seeing a god that makes your knees go weak and the bottom of your stomach plummet right out of you. And that doesn't change, no matter how many you defeat.]

[Perhaps this enormous, shadowy being that's apparently been pulling the strings here isn't truly a god, but it's close enough, and when Heather follows the masses down into David Bowie's Staircase Wonderland, the gigantic looming shadow before them all makes that familiar roar of the abyss start up in Heather's ears.]

[Oh.]


[It's a testament to the amount of time she's spent in this place that her first instinct is no longer to reach for a gun or knife but instead to her belt. For Pokeballs that, of course, aren't there. That's she looks over her shoulder, panic starting to well up, because not only is a chair leg not gonna do much against Beelzebub over there, but also because she's suddenly remembering that of her massive, under-appreciated support team of magical animals that have accumulated over the years, she now only has two: a blind boxer, and a baby tarantula the size of her thumb.]

[And they're there. They haven't run. They're loyal like that-- a loyalty that she had never really appreciated. Not until now. Now it squeezes her heart so hard that it's almost crushing it. The Hitmonchan is steadfast but quaking, and the tiny blot of yellow fuzz that is Mully is being held, delicately, in his shiny new red-gloved hands.]

[For a moment, Heather's just standing there with her back to the giant demon and its approaching armies of skittering horrors, looking at her Pokemon.]

[They've done so much to protect her, whether or not she's ever realized or acknowledged it in the past.]

[But it all seems perfectly clear. Now, it's time for her to protect them.]</sub>

Hang on, guys.

_{[A familiar heat is crackling up and down her skin. She's felt it many times before and it's never been welcome, but there's something different about it now.]}

You leave this battle to me.




[ooc: Heather will be attacking Chernobog the Spoop King directly, and is exhibiting pyrokinetic powers similar to what she was capable of during the Outbreak plot last summer! She can also fly/levitate although she'll sort of be... HURTLING WILDLY THROUGH THE AIR rather than the creepy floating Alessa did in canon because WHAT IS SUPERPOWER.
TOTALLY OPEN TO ALL CHARACTERS, though other people who are oriented specifically towards protecting the Pokemon from the monsters would be especially cool!]

/dad support

[haveyouseenalittlegirl]

[Harry is there of course. Like he's leaving her alone to fight a giant god monster.

He's mostly sticking to defending the pokemon, his and hers, from the monsters. ...he'll get a least one rifle shot in at god though, for old times sake.]

Be careful Heather!

[Look it's a dad thing okay.]

[capax_infiniti]

[When monsters shrink back and refuse to act, it's easy enough to tell what he's supposed to do. That familiar feeling, the feeling that he's lacked for the past few months... it winds through him again and he pulls. Of course his monsters won't fight... whatever pulled them all there has given him a reprieve.

He lets the darkness bubble up from beneath his skin, giving him an inky black aura, as he calls his blade to him and it comes, a familiar weight in his hands. His mind seeks out, reaching for whatever objects it can find...

Even if it's only temporary, he's going to give this thinga fight it'll remember. Silently he calls the magic to him, winding the words of his favourite spells silently, before unleashing both darkness and frost, leaping in with greater vigour than he's ever exhibited in his time here to strike.]

[usedswift]

[Tenten has to duck to avoid a sudden frost spell, wheeling at the last second to gape at the older man. Wow, that was actually really cool!]

Hey! Old man!

[Pity their conversation had only been over text.]

Think that could stick to some of my weapons?

[Can magic even work like that?]

...sob, why so much tl;dr self? :|

[healing_wish]

[ Madoka swallows hard when her Eevee refuses to fight against this monster. Oh dear, she's usually the type to protect her trainer from anything, making the girl feel almost bad for some pokemon on the roads... And if Eevee refuses to do this, then how could she even ask from a Vulpix, who doesn’t like her all that much, or a tiny, shiny, Cleffa, who is still just a little baby?

The girl smiles nervously at her starter. ] It's okay, you don't have to if it's too scary. We'll be okay... Somehow.

[ There’s no point in forcing anyone to fight against anything, ever. If that thing feels like a Walpurgis Night to the Eevee, then Madoka is certainly not going to tell her to fight it.

But that leaves her with the question; what is she going to do now? She can't use her pokemon against it, the staff in her hands is – well, it's been good until now, but she doubts it would do much against that. She's still surprised that it hasn't broken into pieces by now, maybe it wouldn't even last much longer anyway. Besides, it's more like a weapon for another magical girl – or two – from her world, while Madoka herself prefers long-range weapons such as bows.

She looks around and she can see people getting powers. That's weird. Shouldn't they be powerless in this world? She wonders if they’re their powers from back home, or something else. Why is she so helpless again? Why can't she help anyone here either? If only she had her bow... Then she could fight too.

It's never wrong to hope. If someone would tell her otherwise, she'd tell them to always believe in hope every time. So, there would be nothing wrong with making a wish for it either, right? It – Maybe it wouldn't work, but she'd have to at least try. Now, Madoka had wished for a bow ever since the monsters first appeared, but it hadn't worked upstairs. Maybe this is different. If she would put all of her effort and heart into it, then maybe...

This is no time to close her eyes and cross her arms like she's praying for something, but that's exactly what Madoka is doing right now. She's picturing the bow from her sketchbook into her mind with all the details ever, and silently going through some begging from the world right there. Please? Eevee stays close to her legs, not wanting to leave Madoka alone, but not wanting to fight either because she's too scared. At least she could warn Madoka about the enemies coming closer to them, maybe. Uhhh, girl, what are you doing anyway? That's not a way to run away from monsters, nor is it a way to fight or calm down a scared Eevee.

Madoka is not even sure whether or not she expects anything to work, but after some extreme concentration she can just feel the thing appearing into her hands. It's weird, because she's still just a normal Madoka, but it's – well, at least it pretty much looks like the one from her sketchbook, or past timelines, if it looks like that in those too. Needless to say the girl is amazed to see it, and extremely happy after it. She pets the Eevee.]

Don't worry, this time I'll protect you, okay? ...Well, as soon as I figure out how to exactly aim all the way to that big monster.

[At least it's so big, that it should be easy to hit it! Arrows? She'll have them, they are just not visible all the time! It's a magical bow and it comes with magical arrows, uh.

She tries shooting with it. The arrow appears as soon as she is ready for her first shot... But it only hits the closest minion.]

...We – I'll learn this -- somehow!! [Why can't she be cool like her friends, who always hit the target on the first try?!] I – Maybe I just need to practice a bit.

[orz. Well, she will be good at it some time during the battle, but it is difficult for a beginner at first.]

(hugs)

[aheroofjustice]

(Sayaka felt the same way toward her Pokemon...as she saw Squire, her starter Empoleon, refuse to fight along with Mami -her Gardevoir- and even her youngest, Chikorita...it was exactly how she felt when she promised to protect Madoka, and all innocents from the witches!)

We've got this...

(Sayaka recalled her Pokemon and once realizing everyone else was receiving their powers the blue-haired girl had never been any happier -other than the day she made the wish and it had been granted- to retrieve her powers...! She felt for her sword at her side and pulled it out, smiling at her best friend a heartbeat later.)

I trust you, Madoka...with my life...

(She raced forward with blade in hand, screaming loudly so she would be targeted and not the other girl, trusting that Madoka would protect her no matter what happened.)

[usedwrench]

[Well, this was... Not what Winry had expected, though she's not even sure what she expected to see here. Needing all the colors to open the door? Sure, that wasn't surprising at all, but everything else surprised her more or less. Especially the part of her Audino, Altaria and Eevee not wanting to fight against that thing. What? W-Was it that scary? Okay, it was, she had to admit it too, but those three had never refused – or looked that scared before. Oh, except Skye the Altaria back in Mahogany Town, when it was still a very tiny Swablu on Winry’s first weeks on her first round in Johto.

She just decided to recall them all, just on time for some of the lesser monsters from the big monster to appear near her. Oh sh--! Wait, people were fighting against these things somehow. Powers? How --. Well, she didn’t have time to think about that right now, instead it was a good timing to try if she got any powers. If they were given at random again, then maybe she’d have some luck...

Nothing was happening, she didn't feel any different – or much different anyway, not enough to notice it. Except for the weird little glow in her hands for a moment soon after she got here, now it was gone too. Maybe it had just been some glow from the sigil, in a different color, but still.

So, no powers for her and those monster-things were coming closer. What do?

Screaming out loud and running away from them, that's what Winry is going to do. Not that she's trying to run away from the place, because maybe she could help somehow anyway. At least she hoped so, though it didn't really include being a bait for these things... Ah, and this really wasn't the best place to run away from anything, but was there really else she could do?]


[OOC: Healing / Supporting powers! If your character needs healing or more energy, Winry is one option? ...She will help anyone. :D]

[bertall]

<sub>[Considering everything else that had happened during the last couple days, Bertholdt wasn't going to question the reappearance of his Maneuver Gear.

While he wasn't too afraid of the Titans that ruled his home, there was something unsettling about the not-a-Titan!Chernobog in the center of everything. Instead of dealing with it directly, he chose to at least take care of the smaller guys. Fortunately he had more than enough gas to propel himself from one end of the room to the other towards the largest monster chasing after Winry. Killing it and it's buddies was easy enough, but there was definitely something 'off' about all of this--he shouldn't have stumbled like he did when his feet touched the ground.

Little did he know that the more gas he used, the more it drained his dream batteries. He'd pass it off as general fatigue, but that little 'oops' was going to bother him.]</sub>

Are you okay?

[haveyouseenalittlegirl]

[He's a little surprised when his pokemon show no interest in fighting, not Carrie, she's always been afraid of things. Lisa and Cybil on the other hand... However he's more then quick to step in front of them and shield them from the monsters. At this point, it's just something he does.

It may have been years since he'd faced down a god, but the fear that wraps around your heart when you see one is still there, just waiting to come back. Along with that however comes the same determination. He has no "powers" but he now has a gun, and that's more then enough for him to fight back with.

He mostly focuses on protecting his small team and others from the monsters sent out. Every so often taking a shot up at the God creature itself.]

[struck_out]

[The whole world's gone to hell. People are going Kamehameha left, right and centre and Naegi's shooting truth bullets and Ishimaru's mind-controlling people with his screaming and everyone's glowing what the flying fuck is happening!?

Leon doesn't know or understand but if people want to go ahead and risk their lives to fight the creepy demon thing then that's their decision. He's just going to hang at the back and just try not to die, thanks.

Only, that does not become an option once the spectres start crawling after him.]

Shit!

[Trapped in a corner he had placed himself in, Leon looks around wildly for anything to protect himself. It doesn't matter if it's a table, a chair, even a book, anything that he can throw-

...where did that baseball come out from?

Leon stares at the ball that had materialized out of nowhere into his hand, but the advancing creeps are getting closer and there's no time to think. He hasn't thrown a ball in ages, not since Hope Academy, but he's still got his talent; those baseballs hit hard, fast and accurate.]

[hintcoinplz]

[Luke has no awesome powers, no cool battle themes, no rushing into the heat of battle to take down the enemy. He's not really a fighter, just a scrawny fifteen-year-old.

He really should've expected to see something like this, considering all the weird things he's seen so far, but it still catches him off guard.

Except...]

Huh, this reminds me of this one puzzle the Professor mentioned once...

[And then suddenly this thing materializes out of nowhere. And when it appears, the nightmare beast will become noticeably slower then before.]

[usedswift]

[Tenten doesn't take the time to use her Pokémon -- for all the time she'd spent in this world, once she'd reached down and found a scroll attached to her belt, she's gone. As terrifying as the formless thing in front of them is, she has her weapons. And everything's going to be alright.

A scroll in each hand, she crouches, focusing Chakra in her feet (Chakra! How long has it been since she's been able to do that?!) and leaps several feet straight up, spinning in a tight circle and letting the paper of the scroll twine around her. For a beat, it almost looks like two dragons -- Dragonairs, even -- dancing around her.]

Rising Twin Dragons!

[And suddenly there are weapons flying in a deadly arc to pepper the shadowy figure.

That big attack takes a lot out of her, but she's hardly about to give up so easily. As soon as she lands, she slips one scroll away and dashes straight up the wall, sticking to it as easily as if gravity didn't apply. She'll lunge in wherever she sees someone who needs help, armed with knives, or a staff, or a sword.]

C'mon! Which weapon do you want to die by?!

[bestofthebest]

(Rainbow totally understands that her Pokémon are spooked; they just went through a really weird situation in a giant castle after all, and she looked around for a moment before hugging each of them: fierce Blaze, who had traveled with her since the beginning of her journey, had trekked with her through snow and cold winds...loyal Tank, who never left Rainbow's side for an instant throughout his training...loving Daring, who reminded Rainbow that it was okay to be an egghead and a top athlete...reassuring them they would be fine before recalling them.

That done, she flapped her wings and took to the skies before soaring forward at very fast speeds, her arms outstretched! to hit the shadowy meanie!

She pants lightly as she connects with a SONIC RAINBOOM before pulling back and hovering a bit since she used up some of her speed with that move, grinning as she sees a familiar face dash straight up the wall like she could fly too before calling to her.)

HEY, TENTEN! Wanna use a combo move?

[manfulness]

[Oh, this is the end. Kuwabara has pretty much had it up to here with this damn spooky tickles castle of doom, and after finally stumbling his way to... Whatever the hell this was supposed to be... He was already geared up and ready to go.

Fists bared, he wasted no time in running in, head first, as typical Kuwabara fashion permitted. It took probably four or five different staircases--all taken at three to five step intervals--but Kuwabara finally reached a point where he could see the giant, ominous monster before him.

What... was it?

Spookiest thing he'd ever seen, even compared to the Toguro brothers combined. But hell, if he could take on those demonic brothers, he could fight this one no problem.

So... winding himself up, he launched forth with a fist of courage!!]

[lightningbearer]

As if things could get any more bizarre. Geddoe noticed the pokemon retreating into their balls or otherwise refusing to fight, but that was almost a secondary concern compared to what was in front of him. Some kind of huge vaguely-defined monster; it was like nothing he'd ever seen, and yet seemed oddly familiar at the same time, reminiscent of the fiery dragon guardian of True Fire or the great birdlike beast that had been True Wind given physical form.

But even what it was really wasn't the point; the point was that it was attacking, summoning hordes of monsters to encumber anyone who attempted to approach it. A situation that was far from ideal, most certainly, but at the same time, far from impossible.

Because if nothing else, he could feel that his rune's power had been returned to him.

A moment's glance was all it took to assess the situation before entering the fray himself, sword lashing out at some enemies, lightning magic used strategically on others. Traveling through a strange world while commanding strange monsters to duel each other at his behest was something he perhaps would never be completely used to, but this, on the other hand, this he was good at, and he showed it in every skilled strike.

[ghostpepper]

[She had been about to toss out her own Pokemon that she had recollected from around the mansion, but saw a few backing up and refusing every order. Kushina had been about to toss out Kyuubi, who hadn't ever disobeyed her or done anything to earn her ire except be a fox with multiple tails when she could feel her chakra building up inside her. --Wait. Chakra?!]

Guess it's time for me to do my own fighting for once. But first things first.

[Her eyes flashed as she put away the ball and focused on building up her chakra, fixing them on the big bad. Unusual to most ninjutsu, she was gonna start with something that didn't require any hand seals. From her chest, large chains made of chakra minus the cross-crossing barrier burst forth and flew at the monster to hold down his limbs. But for how long, she didn't know. She had developed this to restrain a very powerful force, whether it manifested inside or outside of her body, but with something she was unfamiliar with, who could say the power levels translated the same. Not that she cared. Just as long as she could gauge how much power she'd been given here. If others took advantage of the opening to attack, awesome. If it didn't break her hold until after she could figure out something to throw at it, even better.]

[francia]

[France honestly did not think he would live to see such a creature as this, had believed it would come at the end of the world. In more recent years, he had come to believe less in the monsters of his youth and more in his fellows, that there is no greater terror that what lies beneath or within good intentions.]

[Well, France is not going to let himself be proved wrong. He hefts a fire poker that Envy had been using earlier in this whole ordeal, fingers of his left hand curling into Marianne's fur as she settles on Louis's back. It's not often he goes on the offensive any more, but like hell is he going to die today.]

Marianne, Louis: Fire Blast!

[topoftheclass]

[Do not ask her what possessed her to go into the creepy basement, she doesn't know. It was a good bet that the idea that her boys and newly made friends might be down there had something to do with it. Of course this also means triple the chances of her getting into trouble. Even at the fringes of the battle.

For the most part she tries to keep moving and out of the way of any real skirmish. Getting the injured out of the way is her second priority, which is how she figures out she can heal. Physical contact and a heavy dose of concentration required but she can heal. That seems pretty useful despite the growing tiredness.

Ironically, it's that tiredness that gets her cornered. Help anyone?]

(OOC: If you'd rather take advantage of her healing/dream battery recharging abilities instead of rescue that works too.)

[neededlassie]

[Hey Keiko, how do you feel about a little boy nyooming to your rescue with super speed. Because as soon as Shaun sees someone in trouble, he's going to put himself between the monsters and the older girl.

One of the monsters rears back to strike them, and Shaun flinches. As the arm comes down, the pale blue aura that casts a pale light on the little boy flashes to a dark purple and lashes out in sharp points, striking the shadow monster with every bit as much force as the shadow that strikes Shaun. He's panting a little and he looks nervous and scared, but he holds out his hand for Keiko and there's something determined in his pale face.

He's no knight in shining armor, but he'd make a decent squire.]

Come on, hurry!

[darkenedgales]

[Normally (assuming everything that's happening is anywhere close to normal) when a person walks into a basement in a haunted house and stumbles upon big, shadowy... thing, it's only natural to PANIC focus all of their attention on that. And sure enough, when Crow steps into the room, he gawks at it at first, but quickly gets distracted by the all too familiar throbbing pain in his right arm. He doesn't need to look at it to know what will happen next, and true to his expectations, a symbol on his forearm begins to glow with bright, red light, which could only mean one thing.

Shit just got real.

Still, it's a bit confusing -- it's been a long time since his birthmark reacted to anything, and at this point he took it for granted it wouldn't even work in this world... There again, who the hell even knows what world they are in now.

That mystery can wait till later, though, since our dear friend Not Chernobog and its minions don't seem like patient types. Crow turns around to the sole two members of his team he's left with, and while he's not sure if his Sigilyph would be willing to help -- their relationship could be described as rocky at best, after all -- he knows he can count on Alizé, his faithful Swellow. Or so he thinks, but one glance at both of them is enough to realize they're in no condition to face... whatever that thing is. And honestly, he can't blame them for that; instead, he gives them what he hopes resembles a reassuring smile in some way, and looks back at the creature ahead. With the option of Pokémon out, that leaves the question of what to do, and the chaos that unfolds all around isn't exactly making it easier to figure it out. What can he do, really? It's not like he's any good at anything that could help in such situation, aside maybe from--

Dueling.

... It might be a crazy idea, but hey, those are his specialty, right? Besides, no risk no glory and so on.]

Here goes nothing...!

[He pulls a card out of his deck holder and slams it on the Duel Disk on this arm -- sure, he might have lived in this other world for years now, but in the end, he's still a duelist, so it's obvious he keeps those on him at all times. Never thought it would come in handy like this, though.]

Darkened gales, become the wings that soar from resolved hope! Synchro Summon! Soar, Blackfeather Dragon!

[In a flash, a huge dragon appears from nowhere with a loud roar.

Now we're talking.]

[beholdmydemons]

[Not too long after the feathered millipede dragon appears over the field of battle, a strange creature canters past beneath it, its rider casually flicking gouts of flame at spectres as (he?) eyes the beast overhead. The lion's gaze moves straight from Blackfeather down to Crow, and it stares for a moment before its horse carries it away.

In a few minutes, it's back again, crushing a pair of the boss' minions in its arms' coils while its horse tramples and constricts another three beneath it. Its summoner is in tow, barking an order at it before bringing his sword out to dispatch another few minions, casting impressed glances up at the black dragon fighting overhead as he goes. It takes him a while to zero in on the right person, and when he does identify Crow as the dragon's leader and move towards him, Orias is otherwise occupied and doesn't follow at his heels.]

Hoy, is that one yours? [He gestures upwards with his sword before bringing it down hard on a minion's head. If this guy is the source of that behemoth, it'd be worth it to help cover him on the ground.]