Onward: Orange

[voidtreckermods]

On the second night those still on the train may be woken by rough seas, the train lurching and rolling in the waves.

If they manage to sleep through the choppy waters they might instead be woken by the voice over the ICPs. "Orange team to doors. Orange team to doors."

Those that head the instruction and exit out of the luggage carriage or dressing room doors will be met with a strange sight.

The sea is glowing. Or at least part of the sea. Underneath them, from where Bui lies there is a light that shines upwards through the dark water, rippling over the water, breaking into specks of light in the waves.

It seems it is time for another investigation.

Night Dive

The water is even colder at night, the water eerie as they make the dive down to the city. The whole city is lit up, light reflecting off shells and coral.

The light seems to be coming from the far palace. Outside the palace there is a sigil, in the shape of a shell, glowing brightly. It had not been there before, nothing to suggest there had been anything special about that patch of ground. Yet it glows now.

Crabs

The city of Bui, until now, has been peaceful, eerily empty even. But as they investigate they will find a different problem. Some of the giant crabs have found their way to the city. Not overwhelming numbers, but enough to be a problem, especially as their aim seems to be attacking the sleeping citizens.

On the Train

For those who remain on the train dawn brings it's own problems. Dawn breaks into darkness, the sun barely penetrating. Shadows are deep and the temperature cooler. It is not too dark to see, more like an endless twilight.

The seas remain rough and choppy, like a storm is brewing.

Comments

[mtsilver_conquor]

"Hopefully we'll make it before we become crab food-"

Not that she's looking behind her to see how close the crab is. Nope. Eva is far more focused on the directions she was given and as soon as they reach that air bubble, she literally yeets Conan up into it first.

"Up you go-"

Her safety is secondary to a child's.

[deductiongeek]

It takes a moment of flailing before Conan is able to adjust and bring himself to a stop.

"Was throwing me up here really necessary?"

[mtsilver_conquor]

"If it helps, it was to get you to safety faster than you could have normally," Eva says as she hauls herself up out of the water, though not unscathed, given the vicious kick directed downwards. One of her flippers has had a chunk taken out of it, though Eva doesn't pay it any mind, eyes riveted to the water below as she places herself between it and Conan.

"So... either that thing's going to try and follow us up -Dancer can probably handle it-" she doesn't sound that confident, "it'll wait down there, or it will get bored and wander off."

[deductiongeek]

He really hated how useless all of his tools were down here. Anywhere else and he could have at least kicked something at the crabs. Here all he could do was swim away, and that too was limited by his size.

"What about a trap?"

If they could expect where it would be, it was predictable. And that might be just enough.

[mtsilver_conquor]

"That'd be the easiest to pull off, more so if we can lure a few of them into it," Eva agrees as she takes a quick, calculating look around the area with an experienced eye.

"Just depends how messy you want the end result to be, really. It wouldn't have to be, but Princess is up with Kuroba-kun so we can't use Sing, and Lele's out of juice re: attacks but it could probably do a hologram... Ne, Conan-kun, if I give you Lele's 'ball, could you release it at the same time I do Dancer?"

[deductiongeek]

Conan considers this.

"If you tell me how to release it. I haven't gotten a close look at how those work yet."

[mtsilver_conquor]

Eva holds out Lele's pokeball in one hand, Dancer's in the other, finger poised over the central button.

"Central button but move your finger out of the way right after to avoid burned fingers, but I do have potions on me. Anyway, don't wait for it to form. Say 'Auth: Pro: HoloDe'."

Which, when le is released, will spawn two holograms that will zip into the water to lure in as many crabs s possible, while Lele remains, specifically, in front of Conan.

"Another thing, Eva says, and it's not the friendly, casual woman so many know her as, but the woman hardened by her world, the woman who's wrapped herself in the mantle of Champion. "if I move, you move and fair warning, I will grab you if I need to. Your safety is paramount, potions or not. I know how to deal with monsters; trust me, please?"

[deductiongeek]

He quickly memorizes the instructions and nods.

Conan frowns as Eva warns him at the end, but nods. He already knew that there was more to her. She'd warned him as much when he'd met her as his true self. And now he had seen some small part of that.

He wasn't happy about being thrown about. But you might say he'd gotten used to it. And with the situation as it was, his usual increased mobility tricks wouldn't work.

"Understood," he says at last.

[mtsilver_conquor]

She releases Dancer and the bird comes to rest on her arm so that Eva's holds the bird like a falconer.

"Only if I need to," Eva reiterates, eyes sharp and piercing as she watches the crabs starts to pile in, all chasing the holograms. Slowly, Eva starts to back up, movement careful and experienced, aimed to not draw attention. To get them as far away as possible.

Then, just when it seems like there's too many crabs, Dancer is tossed into the air (Conan should be able to pick up the 'Da! Go!' Eva mutters under her breath), where she circles once before falling into an aerial dance that's more heat shimmer and ember flickers that strangely almost resemble swords. Swords Dance.

From that, she goes into another aerial dance, first wheeling higher into the air- and then, wreathed in firey white flames that seem to give her much, much larger wings, she dives into the knot of crabs.

The result of the Sky Attack on a non-pokemon is... Messy. Sprayfully so, though Eva never once looks away. To do so means she could miss anything left alive, could put them at risk, and she won't do that.