029 [Video/Action for Route 39]

[soggypastry]

[First the trash and sludge come to life, then the fog keeping anyone from seeing more than five feet in front of their faces rolls in. It would have been enough to drive anyone up the wall, and it certainly did that to Lightning. It was why she'd left the city, trying to get a better vantage point and see just what else they were dealing with.

That was, of course, before the storm hit and turned visibility to less than zero. That was before the gear turns on, showing her face, lips pressed in a tight line as she stands with her back to a tree as the harsh rain plasters her hair and clothes to her skin. She's not happy about this, that's for sure. She didn't turn the gear on by accident, though, because she opens her mouth to say something, but then the screen shakes in time with a low tremor just as she turns, seemingly ready to move somewhere else.

It's not enough of a tremor to knock anything over, but the muddy ground is already slick and Lightning stumbles, gear tumbling from her hand as she curses, trying to regain her balance. She doesn't have a chance to, however, before the very air itself turns a bright blue for what can't be more than half a second, and then the screen goes white with the insanely bright flash of lightning blocking out the camera with the glare and booming roar of thunder covering any sounds but a rumble almost as loud but on a different pitch. It sounds almost like something fell, but...what's out there to fall?

Trees. When the lightning dissipates and the screen returns to normal about a minute later, it's obvious a few trees have fallen over for some reason, most likely a bolt of lightning striking one and making it topple its neighbours. The most obvious one to topple was the one Lightning had been leaning on, so...where is she? Pinned under it. The angle the gear landed at makes it hard to see, but that is most definitely one pink-haired woman pinned hip to shoulder under a decently heavy looking tree, and she's not moving. She doesn't move at all again while the feed continues, even as her Lucario and Haunter force out of their Pokeballs to try and help her, but eventually the rain soaks so deep into her gear that it shorts out, sputtering into static and going dark like a broken TV set.]

[ooc: video/text/audio replies ICly delayed by a few hours. Action for those in the area, and said folks should expect to be ambushed by the Pokemon she had with her as they drag you to help her, but be wary of fallen trees. It is hard to see out there!]

Comments

[video]

[paladinlost]

[Oh, good, that's one more person he knows who has survived the dreadful invasion. Or so he thought, before she started cursing and her namesake took over the whole screen.

His intended greeting dies on his lips.]

Lightning? Lightning!

[Of all the times to be stuck on some distant Kanto road...]

[text]

[soggypastry]

[He may actually have time to make it back, depending on how distant that road is, because it's about eight hours later that an answer comes to his desperate cry of her name.]

Still here.

[And sticking to text because she's a mess and feels like it. Whoops?]

[video]

[paladinlost]

[If the weather wasn't going insane, perhaps. He really is stuck at the moment.]

Thank goodness. How injured are you?

[text]

[soggypastry]

[Then they're both stuck. Route-stuck and Center-stuck...because she has no desire to move. At all.]

Bad. Cracked a few ribs and I can barely move my right arm or leg. Nurses say I'll recover, but it's going to take a while.

Video - Eventual Action

[her_mouse_jesty]

Lightning!

[She had promised to hold down the fort, but Lightning, dear Lightning! There was no way she was going ignore this. She left her smaller Pokemon behind to defend the home, while the bigger ones are kept in their Pokeballs around her belt. She has a good idea that strength will be sorely needed for this adventure. She runs through the storm, struggling through the rain and disasters. All that matters is getting to her friend.]

Action

[soggypastry]

[The good news? Lightning wasn't far from town so Minnie doesn't have to get far to find her...and she's easy to spot, what with all the downed trees in the area. The bad news? She's still stuck. Sen the Lucario is still trying to lift the tree while Fang the Haunter attempts to keep her above the mud. It's...not going well. Help them out, Minnie?]

Action

[her_mouse_jesty]

[She gasps in horror as she slows down to a halt.]

Lightning! Hang on, I'll get out from under there!

[Rocks are weak to water, but she still unhooks Goofy the Onix's Pokeball from her belt and gives it a t!ss. It arrives with a roar, slowly looking over the situation. He's confused, naturally.]

Goofy, very carefully, lift up the tree she's under!

[He's still confused, but he's always obedient. He leans over the fallen tree, and begins biting down on it. Ever so slowly, he begins to lift up...]

Action

[soggypastry]

[Minnie's, and by extension Goofy's, sudden appearance slightly startles Lightning's Pokemon, but they recover in time to help get her out from under the tree once Goofy's lifted it high enough for Sen to fit under and drag his trainer clear. She's a mess, a total muddy mess, and her right side is pretty much a disaster of bruising and abrasions from being stuck under there, but at least she's alive, right? Still unconscious, but alive.

There is also a worried Haunter now in Minnie's face, making worried sounds and gestures at Lightning. It's pretty obvious she's asking Minnie to take Lightning because they can't carry her and they can't leave her here so..what do, Mama Mouse? They don't knooowww...]

[legendarybeasts]

[A loud, nearly deafening roar is the only warning before the large, dark being bursts from the trees along the path. Probably the embodiment of raging fire in the form of a large, angry beast, on its quest forward... A god. And through his wake, he brings a moment of rest with the rain, as if the water itself is clearing a path for it.

It's looking for something...

Looking, but finding something else. A little, pale creature stuck under some sort of tree?

Entei stares, quite puzzled at the oddity of the scene.]

[soggypastry]

[Entei's quite puzzled? The pokemon attempting to help that little pale creature are puzzled! It's not every day the living incarnation of fire comes roaring out of the trees and makes it stop raining right on top of them, you know.

Not that they're ungrateful. The lack of rainwater is very helpful in their efforts of trying to get that tree off their trainer, but...still too heavy for the Lucario to lift and now he's just hurting himself trying because splinters. The Haunter, on the other hand, is just going to turn and grumble at Entei a bit: you going to stay there staring or will a god lower himself to help a couple of worried subjects?]

[adamant]

[He didn't even bother to respond on the gear--as soon as he saw what had happened he set out, rain and lashing wind be damned. Staying on top of Steelix's head is difficult, but not impossible, though his raincoat is rapidly overwhelmed by the downpour and he's left soaked to the bone. Lucky attempts a Sunny Day once or twice before she admits defeat and lets herself be returned; Strike and Flood will be his eyes.

It isn't long before Strike bounds forward, ears peaked, listening for something that Leon can't catch. In almost the same moment Steelix rushes forward with a grinding roar, and Leon can almost feel their palpable anxiety.

Somewhere ahead, beyond the curtain of rain, he can see light; he expects it to be Odin, perhaps managing a ray of sunshine in a way Lucky couldn't, but no, what he comes upon is stranger still. The sight is horrific, of course--Lightning, pinned under a tree, and looming over her, some strange, lion of a beast, the likes of which he's never seen.

A glimpse is all he gets before Steelix jerks under him, sending him crashing to the mud. He rolls, coming up in a crouch, watching as his pokemon shiver and twitch, anxious, nervous in a way he's never seen them before. Strike makes a keening call for Sen, but doesn't move to reach him.

Leon looks at Entei, on one knee, and decides he'll have to be brave on their behalf.]

Get away from her!

[legendarybeasts]

[Oddly enough, Entei is tempted to help. It was just wondering if it could, if it had time - it needed to find Suicune. But of course, Suicune would be okay for the few minutes, and the great beast did take a second to place one paw forward, turning to face them.

It's not until that second being appears, already challenging him. What is this act of defiance? It hasn't even done anything, but the sudden anger only gets an upset growl in response. Foolish human...

It takes a step closer. Because it can.]

[ action ]

[colorsofthewind]

[ Talim had avoided a similar fate, thanks to the quick reaction of her Scyther. Now the two are picking their way through the horrible conditions to assess the damage. ]

[ action ]

[soggypastry]

[The situation is pretty nasty; at least half a dozen trees have toppled already, and more may follow if another lightning bolt strikes one of them, so getting out of the area may become top priority for anyone still around. Of course, it's pretty impossible for Lightning to do that, being that she's pinned and her Pokemon can't get the tree off her, but, still. Talim may just want to leave before the Haunter can see her and drag her and her Scyther into helping them out. Which will be soon, at this rate.]

[ action ]

[colorsofthewind]

[ Talim doesn't need much coaxing. Once her Scyther understands that something is wrong, she follows both pokémon quickly, hand already hovering over the pokéballs on her belt. ]

[ action ]

[soggypastry]

[No need for much coaxing? Oh, that's a good thing, because there is no coaxing. There's just a Haunter looking up and then disappearing, reappearing in Talim's personal space and making all sorts of worried noises and gestures towards Lightning, half-buried in the mud that the rain is making faster than she can dig her trainer out of. You'll help them get her out, yes? Because her Lucario just isn't strong enough and they're running out of time and this storm is only going to get worse!]

[action]

[ex_aeroga402]

Hey, Lightning, are you out here?

[Ven's calling out into the fog, hands cupped at either side of his mouth. He knows she wandered off in this direction, but where did she wind up...]

[action]

[soggypastry]

[Where did she wind up? Under a fallen tree, hence why she doesn't answer any when Ven will suddenly find himself face to face with a rather worried looking Haunter. You! Friend of trainer! Help them out, yes?]

[action]

[ex_aeroga402]

[Ven starts with an alarmed sound, placing a hand over his heart as he tries to calm himself. Darn this murky fog]

Gosh, you just popped right outta nowhere. But then, you are a ghost...

[He's pretty sure he recognizes this particular Haunter though]

Say, you're one of Light's teammates, right?

[VIDEO]

[will_to_burn]

[ Although Hikaru has only been back in Johto a little more than twenty-four hours, she's been keeping an eye on the network for familiar faces. They might not have talked must during her last adventure in Johto and she doesn't know her very well, but Lightning's face is one she recognizes. She'd been ready and rearing to greet the woman when the glow of the lightning overtook the screen, faded, and gave way to a scene that is nothing if not jarring to the redhead. ]

Lightning-san! Lightning-san!

[VIDEO]

[soggypastry]

[A scene that is jarring and a reply that doesn't come. Or rather, doesn't come for at least eight or so hours. She was rather out of it, and someone managed to get her into the Center, but that voice...she knows that voice just like she knows the voices of everyone she knew who went home. It's the only reason she's not using text right away: too surprised.]

Hikaru?

[Okay, so it's more of a croak and Lightning looks like death warmed over, but at least she's alive, right? That has to count for something.]

[VIDEO]

[will_to_burn]

[ It does count for something and it's no small amount of relief Hikaru feels, seeing Lightning on the screen after all that time. She's spent the last eight hours or so worrying about her, not to mention pinned under one of Vanitas' larger Pokemon for the better part of said time to ensure that she didn't go out in the storm with a low-level fire Pokémon in search of Lightning despite that she had no idea where to start. She nods once, strongly, a relief-tinged smile briefly crossing her face. ]

It's me.

[ And her still very present, very significant amount of worry writes itself very plainly across her face now. She's more than a little concerned. ]

How are you feeling, Lightning-san? Are you at a Center now?

[Action]

[chasingstorms]

[There is one very guilty baby sis. She'd totally missed out on the video call her sister had made and therefore didn't find out about what was going on until later. Not that she blamed the smoochum for choosing the worst possible time to hatch, she'd never do that.]

[So instead of panicking at her side in the rain, she's sitting by Lightning's bed panicking internally instead. This is her big sister after all and things like this shouldn't happen to invincible older siblings. Not ever.]

[Poor Snow is honestly more worried about his trainer's mental state than the bigger human, because frankly as far as he's concerned that's Sen's concern. Worrying about Serah's already a full time job the way he sees it. So he's just going to pass around, doing his best to try and psychically reassure his human that her human would be okay. The others are there, they're just all in their pokeballs right now. Though her smoochum keeps popping out at random times, stubborn little thing.]

[Action]

[soggypastry]

[The nurses have undoubtedly given Serah the bad news: her sister is in terrible shape, what with a few cracked ribs, a broken ankle, sprained wrist, minor concussion, and enough bruises and abrasions to break a few world records. That's without counting her being in the rain for a while, and how worried they are about infection setting in. Needless to say, Lightning Farron is most definitely not going anywhere, which is why Sen has curled up at the foot of her bed and is now asleep, having been keeping vigil with Serah because he knows trainer isn't invincible.

Or maybe she is, but invincible big sisters are still only human here, and humans don't take hits well. Especially not from heavy trees that pin them to the ground. So it's no wonder that it takes a while for Lightning to come around, fingers twitching as she opens her eyes. Disorientation? Check. Headache? Check. Pain? Check. Doesn't look too hot, huh, baby sis?]

[Action]

[chasingstorms]

[They told her, but it didn't sway her determination to stay with her older sister. In fact it just made her that much more determined to not budge. She's not leaving her sister, not when she's like this. No way. No how.]

[Too bad about the powers thing, it would have come in handy when that tree was falling. Now's not the time to fuss about could have been's and entirely the time to focus on what's going on right now.]

[Doesn't look to hot? Those eyes are the most beautiful thing she's seen since Snow's surprise evolution when he started blasting through the poison pokemon with super awesome psychic moves. Knowing that her sister is probably disorientated doesn't stop her from moving closer to the bed, eyebrows furrowed with worry. Still she keeps her voice soft.]

Lightning?

[She looks worried and vulnerable and with her voice pitched that way she practically sounds like a little kid again. Heck, with big sis like this she feels like a little kid again.]