[FIN] Bugging About

[TawnyAngel]

Aulus shivered at the sudden chill but as the Articuno withdrew he started to climb cautiously again; it hadn't seemed to regard him as food.... But if he only stuck his head out, it might. He paused where he was, squinting up through the leaves. From where he was now he could just about make out the sky and indeed he spotted a flash of blue as the Articuno banked away.

Leaning against the trunk for balance Aulus retrieved his dex from his pocket and raised it to address base once more. "Aulus here, it's withdrawn again. It's hunting, so far seems interested in bugs but probably most small pokemon would attract it?" Damn! If he had a Zoroark he could get it to use illusions to keep baiting the legendary down, keep it busy while they waited for backup to arrive. Even if he'd had one though would he have brought it today? Well no way of saying that one way or another but he damn well intended to get one now.

Paul stuttered, still down the back of Aulus' shirt. But it hadn't and he was safe here, probably.

Char maintained his distance from the Articuno, debating whether or not to attack if it looked like it was really going to take off and go. Presumably aid was coming? The humans would be fools not to contact their allies and he did not consider his master or Tambery to be fools... well most of the time anyway, and certainly not in this instance. Would attacking it make it turn on him though or would it only flee faster?  

[Gwennythe]

"Oh frell, that's cold..." Tambrey muttered, forgetting she still had the 'dex channel open for a moment.
Hm. Bugs. That explained a lot; she thought of Pili and Jubilee currently riding on her... and Paul, of course, on Aulus.

Small pokémon, huh? Well, she had Pili and Jubilee, but she wasn't fond of the idea of using them as bait.
Any of her pokémon capable of fighting back well enough, really, were rather too big to be bait.
It was clearly an eyesight-based predator...
"What about a picture on a 'dex? It's got sharp eyes, as far as we can tell right... D'you think we could keep it distracted with a 'dex? If we, I dunno, uh, pulled up a caterpie image and left the 'dex on the ground?" It was probably a terrible idea but if it -took- the 'dex, it could be tracked, maybe... And if it didn't, maybe it would take it long enough to figure out that back up would arrive.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The Articuno continued its smooth path for a few more moments, but without warning it dove down towards the treetops, careening towards them for a few moments before its wings snapped open and it swooped back up (and a miniature blizzard whipped down through the trees instead) before it banked around smoothly again, immediately surveying its surroundings.  

[TawnyAngel]

It was coming back. Aulus looped his arm around the trunk of the tree, closed his eyes and hunched his back against the onslaught of cold. Was it safe up here? Probably not but it probably wasn't all that safe down on the forest floor either and at least from here he had a view of what was going on, more or less. As the flurry of snow passed he looked up again, fully prepared to jump out of the tree if he had to; he was quite a long way up but after a few years of learning parkour from Jerome he was confident he could land safely... or at least he would be with two arms. Oh well, jumping was still better than getting torn into by a legendary.

"It just came back at us, I don't know if it's trying to flush us out or what," Aulus reported into his dex. Then, to Tam; "Maybe? The hologram might fool it! Is there any clear space nearby you can see to put it down?" He could hold his own up out of the trees but frankly that just seemed like a really fantastic way to lose his left arm too. After a few moments of thought Aulus fumbled free Killer's pokeball and released the Sylveon on the forest floor next to Tam. "We've got an angry bird," he informed the eeveeloution, "if you see it coming for one of us I want a protect up right away, go it?"

Killer's eyes narrowed and he nodded, fur standing on end and feelers twitching.  

[Gwennythe]

"Oh frak!" Tambrey shivered as the cold breezed through the woodland, snow catching in her hair.
She looked up in concern, still very worried that Aulus was going to fall out of the tree at any moment.
"I think so; it thins out just over there... Don't, uh... Don't fall out of the tree; I'm going t' go and try it..."

The scientist began pushing through the bush, walking stick in one hand, being used as both support and a makeshift path-maker.
Her other hand took hold of her 'dex and she thumbed the display until she found the entry for Caterpie.
Now...
This looked like a clear enough place; she engaged the hologram and moved to set the device on the ground.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The Articuno paid no mind to the forest below anymore, its bright red eyes instead focused intently on Char and Pygi as it loosed a displeased, aggravated warning cry at the pair. Tambrey's pokedex went unnoticed.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Be careful!" Aulus called, half leaning out of his tree to track Tam's progress. What if it saw her moving and went for her instead? She couldn't move fast with her injured leg... but Killer was bounding along beside her, he could fend off any initial attack which would give Tam a chance to get other pokemon out and to get away.

As it turned out however nothing happened, or at least nothing he could see.

Cursing under his breath Aulus edged further up the tree, getting as close to the top as he could without exposing himself. There, up above, he could make out the shapes of the Articuno, Pygi, and Char. The legendary did not sound especially pleased. Unable to do anything else he raised his dex again to give another update. "Tam's diversion doesn't seem to have worked... yet anyway. It's focused on our pokemon in the sky right now." Would Bouce get Phaeth high enough to catch the bird's eye, draw its attention away? He'd be back below the treetops in moments and unlike the others he was resistant to ice but Aulus was loathe to put him at risk unless he really had to. He'd just have to hope that.... Humm. Frowning to himself Aulus fumbled another pokeball free, releasing Puck. "Go invisible, get up there," he said with a jerk of his head to the sky. "If the bird starts going for our lot you try Hypnosis, okay? Same if it starts to flee. Curse is an option too, that'll put a bit of hurt on it no matter how powerful it is but that's as last resort and be careful!"

Puck bobbed up and down in acknowledgement for a moment before dematerialising and heading swiftly upwards until she was just behind Char's shoulder.


Char was now extremely concerned and not entirely sure what to do. he said to Pygi, With these words he banked away from the Pidgeot and started a slightly more distant orbit of the Articuno.  

[Gwennythe]

It had red eyes! Pygi hadn't realised before, and she wasn't sure she liked it. Still, it was no time to be creeped out by the blue bird.
<> She called to Char, and banked away, before beginning to wheel upwards, trying to keep one eye on the legendary at all times.

Tambrey frowned as she placed her pokédex down and... nothing happened. Great.
She looked at Killer, shrugged, then moved forward to try and trigger the Caterpie's cry alongside the hologram before stepping away once more to the side of the clearing.
Maybe the legendary had really good hearing too?

As the Caterpie noise sounded- a generic kind of greeting- Pili blinked and waggled her tail. Another Pili? How strange!

Tambrey looked upward, but from her vantage point, though she couldn't really see the airbourne pokémon too well, she had no real idea of what they were doing.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

With an angry cry and a few powerful beats of its wings, the Articuno incited a sudden storm of Hail over the entire area despite the previously nice weather, and small chunks of ice began raining down over the flying pokemon, the forest, and the humans down below. That done, the bird shot forward, headed straight towards Pygi with its red eyes narrowed and locked onto its target.  

[TawnyAngel]

Aulus - who was still peering upwards anxiously - was struck dead between the eyes by a chunk of hail. Fortunately he was well balanced so he didn't topple but he did curse rather inventively for a few moments. "Hail," he explained briefly to his dex, now wondering if he should counter the unnatural weather by mega evolving Char.... Later, maybe, but what if there wasn't a later?


Up above Char growled to himself and followed the legendary, ready to attack if it looked like Pygi was in real trouble.

Puck meanwhile decided that this probably counted as 'going for our lot' and raced forward as fast as she could drift, pulling ahead of Char as she tried to get close enough to use Hypnosis.


Down below Phaethon gave up waiting at the bottom of Aulus' tree and gaited swiftly over to Tam and Killer. Nickering uncertainly he gave her a nudge before taking a couple of paces out into the clearing and gazing upwards.  

[Gwennythe]

<> Pygi decided, as, well, first there was hail all around, and she could see the big blue bird heading straight toward her.
Quickly, she folded her wings and tried to drop down to avoid whatever the Articuno was trying to do.
She would have liked to head for Char, but for now she was just focused on trying to drop and swoop out of the way.
The hail was making things very awkward though; she could feel it hurting whenever it hit her; ice was nasty.
She decided to try and send a Sand Attack at the Articuno.

Hm? Phaethon had arrived and was doing his very best Lassie impression... That likely wasn't good, and she doubted a well was involved... Also, she already knew Aulus was in a tree, so she doubted it was about that, too.
On a hunch, she followed Phaethon out into the clearing and looked upward. Thankfully, the falling hail /didn't/ hit her in the face, though it began to make things difficult to see above.
"Oh frak! Thanks Phaeth... Uh," She wasn't sure who to send out... Pygi -was- her flyer for the trip "Hold in there, Pygi! Try and hit it with Fly next!" She wasn't even sure if the bird could hear her, though she'd certain shouted as loud as she could. She grabbed up her 'dex to send a comm' to Aulus... and, well, probably who ever else was listening- she wasn't good with comm's.
"Uh. So. It's engaged our pokémon here, and now it's hailing..."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Ignoring Char for now, the Articuno didn't miss a single beat and dove right when Pygi did, swooping around and gaining on the other bird. It scoffed - if birds could scoff - at the Sand Attack, since accuracy played no role in its next move, and with a single, powerful beat of its wings, sent a large Blizzard straight for Pygi.  

[TawnyAngel]

Aulus swore and dropped his dex in his haste to reach for the mega stone at his belt; if that attack hit at full strength for all he knew it could kill outright, or freeze Pygi solid and send her plunging to the ground to shatter into pieces. Perhaps it was too late but he had to try, and had to hope that Char used the opportunity well because he was sure that the legendary would counter the sunny conditions before long.

Seeing the Articuno gather itself for an attack Char plunged after the pair of birds. As he dived he felt a by now familiar power surge through his body and gathered his breath. At the very moment the Articuno attacked Char mega-evolved, brilliant sunlight swept aside the hail, and he unleashed a powerful Flamethrower not at the Articuno but at the Blizzard attack that was heading for Pygi.

Puck meanwhile judged herself to be in position and appeared off to the side of the Articuno just out of the reach of Blizzard, and Flamethrower too fortunately because she hadn't been expecting Char to aim at the ice rather than the ice bird! Focusing all of her attention of the legendary pokemon the Gastly used Hypnosis, hoping desperately that it worked or at least that it didn't draw Articuno's ire onto her instead.  

[Gwennythe]

((Okay, ignore the roll- didn't actually need it... ^.^; wink )

Pygi really did appreciate Char's effort. Honestly.
She just didn't have very long -too- appreciate Char's effort; when the Blizzard struck, despite Char's flamethrower, and the weather turning from Hail to sunshine, Pygi, though she was, thankfully, not to be frozen thanks to the Charizard's timely intervention, couldn't 'weather the storm'. The ice bit deep and she screeched unhappily as she felt her feathers ice up before she passed out, unable to battle any further.
Also unable to fly now, unconscious; the bird seemed to falter in mid air, then simply begin to fall from the sky.

Tambrey, from her vantage point, could see the pokémon flying about, then Articuno launching something that looked very powerful (and cold) at her bird.
Char mega-evolved (that was still fascinating; she really had to look into that whole process a bit, when she wasn't distracted by her now free-falling Pidgeot) and Pygi was suddenly falling from the sky.
Her heart sunk a little- it didn't -look- like the Articuno had killed the bird, but the fall might, and Tambrey wasn't sure how far a pokéballs return function could reach; she was pretty sure it wasn't as far away as Pygi was, though.
"Oh no... Ohno, ohno, ohno!" The scientist found herself panicking a little, as she realised there was literally nothing she could do; none of her present pokémon could get to, or offer, a move that might aid the falling bird, and she could only move so fast (and she did) trying to rush through a forest, reliant on a stick to keep from topping herself over.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Char's Flamethrower didn't manage much more than to scorch a thin path through the blizzard, but the hole was quickly swallowed back up in the onslaught of biting snow thrown about by sharp winds. Puck's Hypnosis did nothing - nothing useful, perhaps, but it did succeed in drawing the Articuno's attention to the ghost. Char's presence right nearby also didn't escape its notice, and with an angry shriek, the large bird soared up and over the two pokemon still in the air and loosed another Blizzard upon the two of them, this one larger than before. Longer, too; it continued as the bird swooped in a few sharp circles, intent on covering the sky directly above the forest in a massive blizzard. After its final pass around the perimeter of it, the Articuno disappeared above the storm despite the sunshine brought about by Char's mega evolution.

Somewhere down below on the forest floor, both 'dexes had the same voice asking repeatedly if the agents were okay, though they were nearly inaudible over the rushing of wind and snow that billowed down and whipped through the trees.