pokebox | TESTRUN SHIT

TESTRUN SHIT

[It's a beautiful day in Ecruteak City. The sun in shining, there's barely any clouds in the sky, the birds are chirping, and it seems like nothing can go wrong on a day like today.

...Too bad someone's never been fond of peace and quiet. The bombs go off in the north of town at exactly 10:00 AM, and judging from the explosions, there were quite a few of them. Smoke billows from the Bell Tower, and judging from the citizens' panicked reactions, this definitely isn't normal.

Of course, getting into the Bell Tower is easier said than done, considering the fact that there's a building you have to go through first and several sages guarding it.]

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[And he will just be smiling at that poor dazed Cherrim once he's there.]

I'm waiting.

[...]

Oh, and do be mindful of the bridge. Sometimes there are wires.

[See, he's not all bad. He warned him!

...right, down to the southern pad we go, assuming there are no wires.]

[DO YOU WANT YOUR POKÉMON TO DIE

...Well, he won't because there aren't any wires here either. That warp pad will land him in the center of the room, and once again, you're going to have to step on it to get it to take you to the next floor! These things are confusing as hell, how do the sages get up here to clean?]

[Hmmm...well, he'll just be following it up, then! As little as he likes these things, at least it's better than running up half a million flights of stairs.

...even if Berlouis is not going to stop clinging to his pants leg anytime soon. Okay. What's up here?]

[Congratulations, you've reached floor 9!

You're probably going to immediately notice that this place has seen some things. More like lots of things. The majority of the floor toward the south near the windows is covered in scorch marks, soot, and those black pieces. The beams are looking a little hazardous in places, so you'll have to watch your step if you try to get closer! Of course, that's easier said than done considering the fact that you've wound up in the northern portion of the room, the northeast to be exact.

The weakened beams and debris aren't the only things to worry about, however. There's also a fire raging across the beams in the southwest. You probably don't want to get near those warp pads while the fire's going. So now what?]

[...We lament the fact that he doesn't have a water-type, that's what.

All right, there's a warp panel up in the northwest, it looks like, so that's going to be the first stop. Yes, he is dropping Berlouis again. Yes, this may backfire hilariously and drop his Cherrim into the flames. No, he doesn't give a single fuck.]

[...Goddammit, Tsukiyama. Goddammit.

Luckily for your Cherrim, the warp pad drops him off in the east, which should be far enough from the flames for the poor thing's comfort. It looks like you're going to have to figure out some way to fight the flames or get to the ladder leading up to the next floor.]

[...Actually, that's told him what he needed to know. Good job, Berlouis, he'll be following.

...Léa is probably his best bet for attempting to put the flames out; she's a bit flammable now, but she spent some time as a Surskit so Bubble is a thing. It's not a very...useful thing but holy shit, she's gonna try.]

[...Well, that certainly is one way to combat the flames, isn't it? Bubble isn't going to be doing a lot against those flames, unfortunately, but if you keep this up maybe you'll beat the flames back enough to get on that first warp pad!

Of course that might send you into the one pad still engulfed in flames, but that's a risk you'll have to take. Or force your Cherrim to take.]

[...okay, you know what, everyone here is useless as dicks. Léa, get back here.

So. The option he has right now seems to be braving those beams. Alessia is the designated test subject for things like that...how sturdy are they looking? He'll at least have the courtesy to have his hand on her Pokéball to recall her if the floor collapses.]

[At least there's that.

The ones closest to you are as sturdy as the ones on the lower floors, they're definitely not going to collapse any time soon. It's the ones in and around the fire you need to worry about, though even those aren't going to break just yet. It seems this place was made of pretty sturdy stuff! The closer you get to the flames, the more careful you'll need to be about watching your step - those black pieces are everywhere.]

[All right, so we have a lot of shrapnel lying around. This puts bombs on the second, fourth, sixth and...ninth? He's sort of surprised that they skipped the eighth, but clearly Seth is a rebel or something.

He has to wonder why the bomb on the sixth floor was left undetonated; the only logical conclusion is that he expected to be followed. Maybe he's still here after all...

Those sages should probably get used to visits from the squid and the maskbug, because they're getting another; that fire is another thing that is categorically not his problem. Tsukiyama isn't going to concern himself with it for now, instead sticking to the eastern side of the room - there's a way onto that island from there, after all, and he's going to use it to get to the damn ladder. Cross the beams rather than deal with the flames.]

[Oh great, an undetonated bomb and fire? Lovely. The sages and Jennys have their work cut out for them, it seems. At least you tried, Tsukiyama.

Once you make it onto that island in the middle, the ladder is completely clear. Or well, it would be if it weren't for the fact that there's something large and heavy over the top of it, preventing you from getting up onto the tenth floor. It looks (and feels) sort of like the beams, only rougher, like it hasn't been properly cut into the shape it needs to be.]

[...are you shitting him

can he punch it or something]

[Go ahead, but your hand will probably hurt. If you try to look up there you can see... well, the ceiling, but you can also see that there's another beam stacked very neatly on top of this one! Lifting it clearly isn't going to be a thing.]

[...actually.

How much space is there between the beams and the sides of the entrance to the tenth floor? They're crossed one over the other, but does it leave any space?]

[There's a little bit of space! You could probably fit your hand through it as long as you're not making a fist. Getting a Pokémon up there might be impossible unless you have something really tiny.]

[...Damn it. Okay. Just...let him think for a moment. He is going to be chilling on this ladder and trying to work this out for a second.

...You know what, because apparently this little exercise is going to make him use his entire team, he'll be calling Tizona out; ghosts have the fun property of being able to go through walls, so the beams shouldn't be an issue.]

[They're perfectly normal beams, so sending a ghost on up through them is a perfectly valid strategy!

...However Tizona is probably going to notice that there is definitely someone over there near the ladder that leads up to the roof. They're looking out the window, but it's obvious that they're dressed in all black with their head covered with a hood, so there aren't any identifying features. There's also two Pokémon out with this person: a Gardevoir and a Gallade.

(And if Tizona is particularly good at picking up on Pokémon in the room, he'll probably sense another presence.)]

[...Tizona is a level 5 sword whose primary life experiences up until now have involved Tsukiyama grabbing him by the head and swinging him around. He's. He's not the brightest.

However, that's actually told him what he needed to know, that being that there's a goddamn person up there, which Tizona manages to convey to him eventually; time to send Renaud out, then. Telekinetically moving those beams is going to render the damn squid useless, but it's not like he'd be useful in battle anyway...]

[Those are some heavy beams, so good luck Renaud! The person up there doesn't attempt to stop the removal of the beams. Once the beams are gone there's nothing standing between you and that person!

...Except a chasm where those two beams once were, um.]

[That's fine! He's actually not too interested in approaching, and he's content to remain where he is.]

A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, monsieur.

[His voice is loud enough to carry; unless this guy is functionally deaf, he'll hear it.]

[He's not Naki, thankfully. The man standing there (and it is very obviously a man, what with the broad shoulders and everything) has turned to face Tsukiyama. He's wearing a plain, featureless silver mask to cover his face and he doesn't speak, instead giving a slight nod in greeting.

The Gardevoir at his side is the one he's using to communicate, though he doesn't try to barge into Tsukiyama's mind or anything like that. Instead the Gardevoir does the equivalent of a gentle knock, trying to see if Tsukiyama will allow the Psychic-type to communicate with him.]

[...Ah, that's strange, isn't it. He shakes his head a bit at that as though trying to clear it, but he doesn't seem to be actively resisting, either - as long as the damn thing doesn't sound like Kaneki when it speaks, he'll be all right.]

[Oh don't worry, the Gardevoir doesn't sound anything like Kaneki!]

Good morning. I'm surprised to see someone made it up this far.

[The Gardevoir is apparently translating the thoughts directly to you, so have fun with that.]

[...he is probably never going to get used to this. He's had a few experiences with Renaud and that one time Arceus got him to move by imitating Kaneki, but those have never really been like this.

That said, he just smiles a bit, raking his fingers lightly through his fringe.]

I'm surprised to see someone still up here! So that makes both of us.

[His gaze rakes over the person standing there; he should probably be paying more mind to the psychics than he is, but...]

And what should I call you, monsieur?

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