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

[ action ]

[colorsofthewind]

[ Talim notices that the tree is beginning to lift. She turns to the Haunter. ]

Can you help me pull her out of here?

[ The mud will help her slide Lightning along, yes, but she's just one girl, and she can't get enough leverage to pull Lightning free. ]

[action]

[soggypastry]

[The sudden appearance and landing of that Charizard would normally have them all jumping out of their skin, but this time, Sen only looks at Riku before he looks back to his trainer, all huddled up nearby her, still whimpering and with splinters in his paws while Fang floats overhead, not at all like her usual self, and Lightning is still out of it despite the commotion, so hopefully Ven's doing better in this mess. They can't both be so badly off, right?]

[ action ]

[soggypastry]

[That causes the Haunter to pause; can she...help? Well, she doesn't really know, but she's going to try! She'll just grab one arm with both her clawed hands and Talim can grab the other with her human ones and they can tug at the same time! That'll work, right? Maybe? Best idea she can think of!]

[ action ]

[colorsofthewind]

[ It seems to be working! The tree just needs to budge a liiiittle more. ]

A little higher Kalana!

[ The Dragonite steels herself, and with a flap of her wings, manages to get the leverage she needs. One final pull and Lightning slides free ]

[action]

[ex_aeroga402]

[Ven looks up when he hears Riku's voice, glad his friend was able to find them. If not for Fang, he might've never found Lightning in all this fog]

I'm okay, but Light's hurt. She was under a tree when I got here.

[action]

[islandshore]

Then we'd better get her back to the Center.

[He sighs, taking a quick look at Flare, who snorts and trudges forward.]

Flare should be able to get us back pretty quickly. He's used to heavy loads.

[action]

[soggypastry]

[Fang and Sen exchange a look as the boys talk. Center. They know that word and what it means, so they're both now tugging and shoving at the boys to try and make them hurry to get Lightning on Flare's back and to the Center. They can make it back on their own, you two just take her and go!]

[action]

[ex_aeroga402]

...I think they agree.

[So Ven'll...carefully try and get up without letting Lightning drop. If only they weren't the same size]

[adamant]

[Leon isn't sure what to do when Entei's great head swivels towards him and that roar blasts right into his face, whipping his hair back. Entei's breath smells too neutral to be organic, like charcoal and rock, and those enormous teeth snap shut before Leon can get a word in edgewise.]

[And then Entei is moving away, moving to the tree, and Leon is left dumbfounded as those massive jaws lock around the trunk and heave it up, and out of the way.]

[Oh.]

[Feeling grateful, Leon races forward, utterly ignoring the sparks of pain in his knee, until he's by Lightning's side, gathering her up in his arms gently. He looks up at Entei, his expression humbled now.]

Thank you.

[It's all he has to offer, and it isn't much, but it's heartfelt. He puts one arm under Lightning's knees and tucks her against his chest to lift her.]

[ action ]

[soggypastry]

[Free, but still out of it and it doesn't seem that she'll wake up anytime soon. Which may be a good thing, considering she's a mess of bruises, abrasions, and mud that would make moving rather difficult for various reasons. At least this way it'll be easier to get her out of here? You know. If Talim and Team can somehow carry her all the way to the Pokemon Center; the road is a bit too rocky and long to drag her.]

[video]

[paladinlost]

...In fact, the air was just as difficult to breathe back then...

[He's starting to see a pattern there.]

[text]

[soggypastry]

You've lived through an apocalypse, Cecil?

[Well, that's not surprising, being that other worlds can and are sometimes called hell. It does roll off the tongue easier than nest of vipers, after all.]

[video]

[paladinlost]

...My world is in a rather bad shape at the moment, you could say. I've not seen most of it, but I could hear the others talk about frozen towns and meteors.

[Not that he understood much of it at the time.]

[ action ]

[colorsofthewind]

[ Thankfully Talim has a few more tricks up her sleeve. Her Skarmory comes out of her ball next- jovial as ever, she's quickly sobered by the scene around her.

Talim turns to Light's Lucario and Haunter. ]

Loka is the fastest at a run. If we get your trainer onto her back, will you ride with her and make sure she doesn't fall?

[action]

[islandshore]

[Riku will go ahead and wait for Ven and Lightning to get aboard before he follows suit. Gotta make sure they've got plenty of room after all.]

[action]

[soggypastry]

[Once Riku and Ven have Lightning securely on Flare and take off, Fang disappears and Sen starts running towards the Center, determined to beat them there. Both manage to do so, and when the boys finally arrive at the Center, the nurses are already waiting to take Lightning into treatment. They spirit her away into the bowels of the Center after telling the boys to wait, one nurse taking Sen into another room to treat his paws, leaving only a despondent Haunter with them in the lobby, waiting for news of her trainer before she starts pranking again. Just not the same without her, is all.]

[ action ]

[soggypastry]

[Despite the splinters in his paws, the Lucario nods immediately, barking once while the Haunter nods with her entire body a second later, both ready and willing to do whatever they can, and whatever it takes, to see Lightning to safety. It's just going to take some wriggling to get them all to fit on Loka's back, that's all.]

[text]

[soggypastry]

Then this is nothing in comparison. Remember last year? The storms in April? This just seems like a repeat occurrence, that's all.

[Or so she hopes. Because if meteors start dropping and towns start freezing, well...they'll be in serious trouble.]

[video]

[paladinlost]

It would be nice if pleasant days were a repeat occurence instead, for once. It's as if Johto and Kanto are trying to hit each weather extreme every year.

[Meteors would be a nice little reminder of how badly he screwed up, at least. He needs those every so often.]

[text]

[soggypastry]

Considering everything else that's happened, extreme weather is probably the least of our concerns. This place could turn something a lot worse than this on us if we're not careful.

[Because weather they can deal with. They can hunker down, wait it out. Every pokemon suddenly turning on their trainer? Not so much.]

[ action ]

[colorsofthewind]

[ Talim nods once, and turns to her Skarmory, who's being remarkably patient as the others clamber onto her back ]

Do what they tell you, Loka. Listen to their directions- we don't want her to fall. Still, run as fast as you can. Get her to the Center. Don't stop for anything. Can you do that?

[ Her Skarmory nods, and Talim next addresses her Scyther. ]

Go with them. Kalana, Yun-seong and I will follow you. We won't be too far behind, so come get me if you need help.

Now go.

[ Another nod of assent, and with a quick "Scy!" to Loka, they're off, dashing towards town. Talim climbs onto her Flygon's back and they follow, weaving through the ruined forest. ]

((ooc; If you're game, we can always skip ahead to the Center/Lightning waking up.))

[ action ]

[soggypastry]

[By the time Talim gets to the Center, the nurses are just whisking Lightning into the bowels of the place for treatment, leaving Loka and Lightning's Haunter in the front room while a single nurse takes her Lucario to another room to get the splinters out of his paws. It's a while before he returns, and a while longer before a nurse comes from the human side of the facility, looking for Talim. Being that Loka probably responded to her immediately, the nurse assumes she is a friend of Lightning's and gives her the full explanation they have.

Minor concussion from the impact, abrasions up and down her right side from being pinned under scratchy bark. Broken ankle from the pressure of the tree, and several cracked ribs along with a few other worries that they have to keep an eye on. She's going to be in the center for a while, so if Talim wants to stay and keep her company, she's welcome to follow the nurse into her room. It probably won't be amusing, though: Lightning is awake but on pain medication and antibiotics. She's likely to be cranky, too.]

[ action ]

[colorsofthewind]

[ Talim spent her time waiting toweling down herself and her pokémon, since they were all caked with mud and covered in sticks and various foliage. She's tired and so is her team, and while the latter have all been recalled to their balls to rest, Talim would like to see Lightning now that she's awake.

They never really spoke much, but she knows her from the Anti-Rocket meeting. Carefully, quietly she pokes her head into Lightning's room. ]

[ action ]

[soggypastry]

[The room is small, sterile, with just enough room for a bed, chair, and all the needed equipment to monitor a patient for a long period of time. Hence the quiet beeping of a heart monitor near the bed; it's just a precaution, really, but it proves that Lightning is indeed still alive when she doesn't seem it, too pale and cold and still to seem like the woman who Talim remembers from that day in Goldenrod.

But she's still among the living; there is no doubt there as Lightning's team squeezes past Talim and to her bedside, her eyes opening slightly to look at them, then at the girl who got her here. The cranky part the nurse mentioned? Yeah, that's more that she's trying very hard to not throw up. So she's just not going to say anything right away, that's all. If she wants verbal thanks, she's going to have to wait a bit longer.]

[ action ]

[colorsofthewind]

[ Talim smiles. More than anything, she wanted to see that Lightning was okay. She's content to hang back and let Lightning's pokémon stay near to their trainer. ]

I'm glad you're okay. Do you need anything?