Pokemon Umbral Mission 3: Faynoc's Folly

[Astral Harmony]

Primary Objective: Make Faynoc Run
Step Objectives
- Neutralize the Honmyr Prideguard's cordon
- Recruit the Miltank Pokebrid Muon
- Eliminate all HPG soldiers, HoA cultists, and enemy mercs as necessary
- Allow Faynoc to escape

The alarm went off, finally bringing the dullness of the peaceful days to an end. With new motivation, the Watchmen hurried to the briefing room. Rayleen was there, already suited up and armed.

"I see a lot of smiles today. That's good," Rayleen said. "I'm been dying for the next battle as well. And today, I'm certain we'll be very gainfully employed. Behold the holoprojector."

The holoprojector displayed Prime Square, one of the major areas of Fainas Metropolis where people gather to do inane things like fall in love or whatever. "This is Prime Square, one of the major areas of Fainas Metropolis where people gather to do inane things like fall in love or whatever."

...If there was an author avatar in this RP, a main character was sure to punch it.

"Our efforts against Faynoc's Harbingers of Ascension cult has apparently not been in vain. The egotistical fool has actually come out of hiding to deliver a public sermon right in the dead center of Prime Square. Obviously, what happens to Faynoc falls under the Watchmen's jurisdiction. I know a lot of you want Faynoc dead, myself as much as anyone. However, we're going to have to swallow our rage until some other time. We need Faynoc to retreat from Prime Square, alive and well. He's probably the only person in the world who can lead us to his hidden facility, Millenium House. There are others, of course, but they seem to die in horrible ways by your awesome efforts, for some reason."
"Why is he doing something stupid like a public sermon?" Cecilia asked. "Faynoc knows that the Watchmen are on the lookout for him. Why else would he try to have you killed off? But this just seems like a blunder of epic proportions."
"Must be recruiting," Whitney assumed. "Moera, The Light, and The Dark were a few of his top crusaders. And now they're history, along with several other lesser crusaders that showed great potential, my brother Wyatt and myself among them."
"But don'cha think 'e coulda been a li'l more discreet?" Milsha asked.
"He must be running out of patience," Rayleen guessed. "Who knows how long Faynoc has been at this, but I'm willing to bet that this whole time, he hasn't hit any considerable snags in his efforts to build an army of Pokebrids. Not until several months ago when the Watchmen started getting involved, anyways. I don't know about him personally, but when someone just comes along and starts kicking over the card fortress you've spent so long building, you tend to kind of lose it. If Faynoc can't control his temper at losing some of his best fighters, he's going to do something stupid. Now might be our best, if not our only chance to capitalize on his fatal mistake."

Rayleen gestures towards Aster, who nods, leaves his seat, and goes to the front of the room. "This briefing was called a bit later than it should have been so that Lloyd could have an extrasensory peek at the scene. Go ahead, Lloyd."
Aster nodded. "Reynold Faynoc is indeed in Prime Square. Judging from his appearance, the man is a Lugia Pokebrid. There was a little girl next to him with her head, arms and legs encased in strange armor. There is currently a lot of chaos. Faynoc's sermon has drawn Pokebrids and desperate civilians to his request of aid. It seems like the police tried to interfere, but they were driven back. I'm...not certain as to why, but there appear to be a large number of Honmyr Prideguard soldiers in the chaos. They have cordoned off the entire square and a small portion of the military force is fighting Faynoc's personal guard and any unalligned people who have been swayed by Faynoc's promises. There appears to be a stalemate, but it's difficult to tell. There's so much smoke. And for some reason, I also saw blue fire."
"Oh, yeah, there's some kind of military parade in the city," Calisto chimed in. "Maybe the police asked for assistance? I don't know about this blue fire, though."
"Maybe a combat vehicle of some kind." Rayleen guessed. "Anyways, a document is already being faxed back and forth and signed. With it, we should be able to pass through that HPG cordon without incident. Notice that I said 'should' and not 'will'. Burkmont doesn't like me and his deep-seated hatred for me may cause undue interference for us. Use the document to try and get through, but if they refuse to break it up, we have permission to engage them. They've been getting a little too proud and comfortable with their high authority. We'll send that disgusting fatass a crystal clear message that he really should learn not to interfere with me and my comrades. Anyways, by Lloyd's psychic probing, it seems like the clash between the Harbingers of Ascension and the Honmyr Prideguard has only recently started, suggesting that no serious offensive or defensive measures are set. You shouldn't need to concern yourselves with enemy Shook Troopers, Snipers, or Destroyers. At least not at the start. Piercing through the cordon, if that becomes our only option of advancing, should give you ample experience in facing HPG soldiers."

Rayleen then gestured to Whitney, who stood up as well. "My friend Muon told me about Faynoc's public sermon. Thanks to her information, we stand a much better chance of succeeding. I know you probably have questions about her trustworthiness, but I'm begging you. Please save Muon. She and I are the best of friends and I know she wouldn't betray my trust."
"Huh," Harliette said. "I thought you and I were the best of friends."
"I can have as many best friends as I like, thank you very much. Hmph!"
"Isn't there something else you can say that might make us want to help her?" Bretton asked Whitney.
Whitney looked thoughtful. "Umm...her sex appeal is over nine-thousand?"
"That'll work for me," Bretton conceded.

Pokemon Umbral, where Internet memes go to die.

"This is going to end up being a wild crossfire. There's going to be us, the HPG, the HoA, and various innocent Pokebrids and civilians who are caught up in the middle of it all. Because I'd rather we didn't cause any undue civilian casualties, I'm restricting us by not allowing a Destroyer. The widespread destruction Destroyers like Lexhur could inflict would definitely cause highly undesired trouble for our operations in the future if innocents end up dead from our artillery strikes."
"Anyways, to summarize, you'll need to breach the HPG cordon. Find and rescue Muon if you can. I'm certain she'll be a huge help in the coming fights. After the cordon, you'll need to get to Faynoc and destroy enough to his cultists to force him to flee the scene. We'll need to cover his retreat as well, but try not to make it too obvious that we plan to tail him all the way back to Millenium House."
"Who's going to be tailing him?" Lola asked.
"I'm planning on having all three of our kunoichi allies keep track of him," Rayleen said, indicating Kirie, Chizuru and Mika. "Faynoc might get wise about what we intend to do, so there may be a great deal of time separating the moment he flees to when he returns home. He's likely to take a lot of detours and even stay at various locations for days at a time until he's certain that he has avoided both capture and pursuit. Thus, I think it's best to employ all three to what should be an easy task for them."
"Not to mention boring," Kirie groaned lightly.
"Aw, it'll be fun!" Chizuru said cheerfully. "To be honest, I haven't tracked anyone in a long time. I should use this opportunity to refresh myself."
"Relax, Chizuru." Mika said. "You're one of the best in the business of stalking your prey. This guy may avoid the police, the military, and even the agency, but he won't escape the Kimonos."
"That should be it," Rayleen said with finality. "We don't know what the blue flames were that Lloyd saw in his vision, so be prepared to fight something highly dangerous. We also don't know what the little girl standing by Faynoc can do, either, so watch out for her as well. I know it's going to be rough going without a Destroyer's assistance, but I'm afraid you'll have to make due. The HPG soldiers' weapons and armor and their Engineer's devices tend to be made of metal, making Rachel's Magnet Crush a valuable tactic in crippling soldiers. As for the HoA cultists, you'll have to match them type for type. Now, are there any questions before we get ready to depart?"

...Wait, what about-?

"Oh, yes, a leader!" Rayleen suddenly remembered. "I'm nominating Impact as the leader, with Pierce and Renny as tacticians. Impact will have the authority of ignoring your advice, but I suggest that Impact gives both ears to you two. After all, there may come a day when he is leading on his own, and your advice could benefit him in the future when he moves on to command forces of great power."

Wow, Rayleen. It's like you totally know.

[Dracorion]

At the party

Pierce suddenly remembered the dishes he was carrying, and hurried off towad the kitchen. So, Impact had accepted the Latios. Pierce suspected since the mansion that Impact wasn't quite over his grudge on Pokemon. After all, his pure-Slayer choice was a dead giveaway. Impact was still scared of pokemon, but that fear probably translated into hate. Impact's reaction upon taking the Latios had been controlled. Skillfully, but controlled nonetheless. He had taken the Latios to prove to Pierce and Charlotte that he didn't hate pokemon, but instead it proved the opposite.

Still, maybe having a pokemon, and a Legendary at that, would help him. Pierce hoped so.

----------------------------
The next day

Pierce had been told there was a package waiting for him in the lobby, which was weird. There was no one that should be sending him anything. When he got there, he saw that there was a relatively big box. He signed for it, and opened it. Inside was a large hammer. Larger than any human could carry, anyway. Apparently it was a special order from PATCA to Ricewood Masterworks, especially made for Pierce's Tyranitar. It was just like Rayleen to neglect to tell him about it. It came with intructions, written by Professor Jeanette Ricewood herself, about it's effects. Apparently it was called the Terra Hammer, and it boosted the potency of Tyranitar's attacks and made it so his Sandstorm would only affect enemies, and double it's power. Extremely useful.

Pierce grabbed a pokeball from his belt and tossed it. "This is for you." He said to Tyranitar as he materialized, smiling. Tyranitar came over and grabbed the hammer, lifting it easily. He swung it around a couple of times, looking happy.

Later that day, Pierce was carrying Phantomere's staff and the Dragon Slave that Impact had given him back at the party as he knocked on Mika's door. "Hi..." He said when she opened. He wasn't quite sure what to say now. Small talk wasn't really his forte. "I'll get straight to the point. I had an idea about how to use the scythe. Phantomere's scythe. I was wondering if there was a way we could, I dunno, put it together with this," he waved the Dragon Slave "turn it into a hilt or something. I don't presume to know what would happen, but I'm hoping it would turn out to be something that deals Dragon and Ghost type damage, which would be extremely effective on Ruin-types."

"What do you think?" He asked.

----------------------------
One week later

Pierce stood outside the Tresserhorn residence. He raised a finger to ring the doorbell, but stopped just short. This was going to suck. He gulped, ringing the doorbell. Dominic answered the door. "Hi, um... Hello, Mr. Tresserhorn. We were never properly introduced. I'm Pierce Granger."

"I'm sure Renny told you that it was me behind the... um... the incident a week ago at the party. I wanted to apologize. If you'd let me in, I'd like to apologize to you and your wife at the same time, please?"

Dominic led Pierce into the sitting room, and went off to find Maria. Soon, they both came in and took a seat, but Pierce remained standing, looking nervous. "Mr. and Mrs. Tresserhorn, I'm really sorry about what happened. Renny told me that the wine was really special to you. I can reimburse you for the wine, and help you gather berries to make more. And anything else it takes to make it up to you. I'm really very sorry, it was a monumentally stupid thing to do. I understand if you can't forgive me, but please let me try to make it up to you."

----------------------------
At the briefing

So they were going up against both the Prideguard and the Harbingers of Ascension? Fun. Extremely fun. And Impact had been nominated leader. Well, maybe his time with Latios had taught him a thing or two. That is, if he had used it at all. Still, something was off. "Does Faynoc make a lot of public appearances?" Pierce asked Whitney. "He may be getting desperate, but this seems a little too much. Is there any way to know if someone particularly important or influential in the crowd?"

[Menarker]

*The very evening of the welcoming party.*

Renny had took his scouter and had explored its various options in the privacy of his own room, his mind caught on the day and the night of the party at his home, and looking at Lola's number. So many things happened which left him flustered and unable to comprehend it entirely. He had took the time to ask Evangaleen about the particulars of Moon and Shannon. The result had left him unable to think of much else than the night of the party. He had admired Moon's confession before he saw the visual that Lola didn't let him see. But the porn left him with personal questions and dreams that haunted him. How he talked with the people around him. How he behaved around them. It made him wonder if the ladies who shared his room really just thought of him as a kid and little more. He thought of Lola, and his vivid imagination tortured him with images of her lewd and attractive body being manhandled by someone... anyone. It angered him when he thought of her in pain... and it twisted his stomach and emotions when he thought she might even like it. He couldn't bring his mental voice out in protest. His imagination also shifted to the other ladies whom he saw as a result of repeated Sexy Parties during their last battle. He wondered if the way he behaved thus far had already alienated himself from everyone else, or even if his age meant that even if he behaved perfectly, that he would always fall short... He spent his entire night rather sleepless, as if coming face to face with some deep aspect of him that no one had ever attempted to bring up to his face.

------------------

*A few days after Renny's big party*

It was magical. Renny's Togekiss was sporting a new scarf, lovingly handcrafted and smooth to the touch, a caressing sort of feel against one's skin, as it gracefully glided along the air currents, letting the fabric drape into the wind. Mollesk played with a new badge, juggling it back and forth between its tentacles, even dropping it once or twice inside its body, before stickying it on the outside of his sparkling stone armor. Renny himself was touched by the show of support that his parents gave. Instead of trying to stop him from continuing the dangerous job he signed up for, they had reassured him and promised their support, even though they would have to hope for his success on the sidelines, as they prayed for his safety.

------------------
*A week after the party*

Maria's face was rather stern and unhappy as Pierce explained about his drinking spree and Dominic likewise. Renny HADN'T told them about Pierce, although they had lighten up as the young man had promised to compensate them for their lost wine bottles and that he confessed without reservation about his wrong-doing. Apparently, their son had gambled that if they weren't warned, they wouldn't have time to discuss their anger or the wine's price between them.

Maria explained, as she was held to her husband's side,
"Well, it was special. We made them when we got married, when Renny was born, when he became a trainer among other special milestones in our lives. When... or if he gets married, has his child and that sort of thing, we would pass it down to him, he'd share it with the one closest to him and he make a new wine together to pass down to his next generation."

"The type of berries don't specifically matter, since we mix and match based on their flavors. Some are spicy, some are sweet, some are sour and bitter. Others are hard and soft and a few are mixed in between. Give whatever you can find to Renny. He's planning to make a business out of it, you see. Wine, medicine, rare candies to feed to pokemon. I'm sure that if you help support him with giving him the berries, he'll slowly be able to create something worthwhile and he might even help you in some way..."

"The only thing we really demand... we would like you to keep an eye on his well-being. Not to any significant degree... but just make sure that no one is trying to make his life harder than it needs to be. We'd never expect that he'd try to do something as significant as the sort of anti-terrorism that PATCA seems to do. We're relieved that he's doing well now, but we always worry nowadays about what could happen. And he seems so out of place when compared to everyone with military training or even just age. So if you could at least give him your support, I'm sure he'll try his hardest. You can trust him... that's all we really need."

-------------------
*A few days after that*

Renny went over to the PATCA organization, hoping that he might find Impact. The recent events had convinced him that with the increasingly bold and dangerous actions of the HoA and the Prideguard, someone might be bold enough to attack him directly, or that one day, his pokemons will need his support. As he spotted him in the hallway, Renny rushed over, calling to his attention.

"Impact... I got a favor to ask you. I can understand if you're terribly busy, but I feel I need your expertise. Lately, I have been getting the feeling that I need to build on my own weaknesses, and that my biggest one is my own self-defence. As much as my pokemons are capable of fighting and defending themselves, it would be foolish to think that I won't be a target. And that if I'm in the battlefield, I should be prepared to fend for myself. You are a specialist in that field, so I felt you are the best person I could ask. Please, do you think you could possibly help me?"

-------------------
*Currently*

"Whitney, I'd love to help rescue your friend. I'm pretty certain we'd all would help, but can't you give us a little more info on Muon? I know you said she's incredibly attractive, but..."

Renny left it hanging as he looked at all the ladies in the room before continuing, as he tried not to bring attention to PATCA's standard, "But that's hardly any way to securely identify someone, especially in a panicked situation that's going on! Aren't there any particular identifying traits? Is she a pokebrid of a particular type? Any pokemons she uses or travels with? Does she have anything that makes her stands out from everyone else?"

Renny stopped to think who he would consider advising for the team.

"Impact, I can't help but think that while what Faynoc is doing is reckless, that he is expecting us and has something planned. He lost too many times to us for him to not consider us a threat, and it is quite likely he made accomadations to try to stop our interference. Also, I think the Kimonos might be better off trailing Faynoc away from our group. The Prideguards are in direct conflict with them for a while now, and I'd imagine that their reception of us would definately turn sour if they saw us collaborating with their supposed enemy. If they try to stop us while they aren't present though, then we could be fairly sure that Burkmont is deliberately trying to interfere with us..."

Renny's eyes sparked for a moment as the topic brought up a recent memory.

"Rayleen, back at my party, you were telling us about the various forces of the Prideguard, especially the ones that might attack the Kimonos. One of them being the Gabriel Force. Wasn't one of the codenames you listed Cerulean Wildfire!? If so, you think the blue fire came from that one?"

[DanteFalcon]

During the week between missions.

Matthias spend most of his time locked up in his home, doing very general searches on the little information he had. He only left twice and returned each evening, having given his family an extremely rare visit and gone to a cemetary for most of the rest of the first day. The second time was him going in for his third Pokebrid form and getting used to maneuvering in it. Most certainly an awkward form.

At the briefing.

"Quick clarification. Are we going to just ride up and shoot out the place? Or are we going to be sneaking in in an attempt to find Muon and minimalize casualties? I'd just like to know so I can decide which form to take ahead of time."

As always Matthias was leaning against the wall in his Venomoth state. However he looked considerably more than awake than usual. Or at least his eyes were entirely open and he was clearly paying attention, a bit of a rarity for the man except whenever he had been critically wounded.

[Astral Harmony]

Mika Cannot Help Pierce...Yet

"We'll need to go to the netherworld," Mika said dismissively. "As it is, I couldn't possible work on it for you. I'll need some pretty serious magic. Magic I can't wield here. In the meantime, why don't you just dual-wield? You can do that, right?"

True. The fragmented scythe was actually much lighter than the sword could be. Even lighter than a dirk.

-----

Cerulean Wildfire, Eh?

"Faynoc used to do public appearances in the beginning," Whitney said. "After he started to get in trouble for it, he went for a pamplet distribution by member plan, which has worked well in securing many allies for him without him actually getting caught. If he's going for a public appearance, he just wants to reach into the disgruntled populace and pick out two handfuls of powerful allies, or downtrodden people who could make powerful allies."

"As for my friend Muon, she's a Miltank Pokebrid."

Kinda gonna need more information than that, Whitney.

"She's also black."

Hey, PATCA is now officially an equal opportunity employer.

"Her other two forms are Breloom and Dragonair."
"That should be enough to go on," Calisto said confidently. "A Sniper should be able to pick and execute someone quickly, even in a stuffy crowd or on a raging battlefield. I mean, I know we won't actually executing Muon, but it should be the job of us Snipers to find her for you long before you have visual yourselves."
"Thank you, I really appreciate this."
"What about Renny's idea? That the blue flames could be indicative of Cerulean Wildfire's presense?"
"Pretty damn high, actually." Calisto said. "Cerulean Wildfire is an assault unit. Specializes in disabling people with flashbangs and then slicing them to piece with lasers. But her signature weapons are her dual plasmathrowers, which do actually bathe her targets of superhot blue fire."
"I didn't know Burkmont hated me enough to actually send a Gabriel Unit to keep us from interfering," Rayleen admitted. "It's a rare opportunity and a good chance to actually fight just one by itself."
"Fight her by herself," Calisto corrected.
"Huh?"
"Burkmont's even more twisted than you think," Calisto said. "Ever actually seen those mechs? They look like naked women with armor and weapons. It's really a sight to behold...y'know, when you're not the one they're trying to kill, that is."
Rayleen whistled. "I'd be hesitant about approving this mission, but that was until you destroyed Phantomere and put the hurt on Lexhur. A Gabriel Unit will be a unique experience just like those other two."

"Man, fighting a Gabriel Unit, Cerulean Wildfire no less," Calisto smiled. "Call me a barbaric psycho bitch, but I'm pretty damn excited."
"If we can avoid fighting with the HPG soldiers, we can probably avoid Cerulean Wildfire, but since that's almost a given failure, you should be ready for some serious combat against at least one highly lethal foe. It's going to get messy."

"I guess that answers the question of whether we shoot up the place or try to peacefully negotiate our way in," Lola said, looking at Matthias. "We'll try the latter, of course, but if that fails which it most likely will, we'd better be ready for some epic fisticuffs."

[Geminex]

((Just a quick placeholder, I'll make the proper post tomorrow:

After the party:
Impact contemplates his paradigm shift from "destruction" to "control"
Trains Renny

During briefing:
Recalls training Renny, observing his behavior while doing so, deciding he needed to become more sociable as well
Decides that modesty would serve better than pride here, makes rather deferential speech to the tune of "I thank you for the promotion, the vote of confidence. I'll attempt to use what skills I may have to the best of my ability, but I don't think I am an optimal leader, yet, I have much to learn, still. I will remain open to input from other team members, and, certainly, will seek to learn from you, Rayleen. I hope to grow, in the course of this, and hope to prove that your choice was the right one"
I'll rephrase that, but it's the general gist

Anyway, after that he'd return to the tactical issues.
Due to the nature of the mission, he'd decide to go in hard and fast (shock and awe). His plan is as follows:
Allocation:
Battle Master: Harliette
Medic: Rachel
Sniper and Engie unspecified
Enforcers as yet uncertain

Basic strategy is:
One or two trainers attempt flyovers on pokemon to gather intel
If PG fire at the flyovers (they'd be notified of them in advance), the rest of the team will immediately engage PG. What'd be important in this battle is to quickly drop the enemy's morale, persuade them to disengage. Signature techniques early in battle, destruction of Cerulean Wildfire. That sort of thing.

Against Faynoc's forces, same technique. Shock and awe, go in hard and fast. Hit his most vulnerable troops first, use a lot of sig techs, reduce the morale of his troops. Try to make him flee quickly, since that'd definitely discourage his supporters. Additionally, morale effects would discourage potential supporters in the crowd from coming to his aid. Impact'd prefer efficiency, but sometimes intimidation is just more valuable.))

[Menarker]

Renny nodded as Impact gave his accessment.

"I got no problem with that. I can do that with Togekiss and Shaymin, especially due to Shaymin's telepathy. It would be good to find out if the Prideguard are hostile to us before we charge in and they flank us from behind. Anyhow, I took the time to take a look at the data of our new recruits, and I request that Cecilia will be my enforcer. I developed some new tactics recently, and her unique abilities will be most helpful in ensuring they work to their full potency."

Renny cleared his throat as he continued.

"Anyhow, intimidation is sadly what we need at this point. If we flounder or make a big battle out of this, Faynoc may end up looking sympathetic or even glorious to some of citizens who feel indiginant or looking for a fight. I'd hate for anyone to mistake him as some sort of repressed martyr figure, having saw what he does with his supporters. We need to make our attack potent enough that anyone who would consider joining will think it futile even if Faynoc had their support."

Renny then looked to the other gathered in the room, considering his own pokemon team and the abilities of everyone gathered. He'd wait a little longer before voicing whom he thought was the best choice for their group, in case someone had some personal insight not yet spoken.

[Dracorion]

"Yeah, I can." Pierce replied to Mika. "Thanks a lot. Sorry to bother you." He said gratefully, leaving her to whatever she was doing.

-----------------------
At the Tresserhorn Residence

"I see..." Pierce said. "Yeah, I can find berries for Renny, no problem. And... well, I don't think he's out of place at all. He gets along really well with everyone, and he's a valuable member of the team. He's probably the friendliest guy in the agency. He may seem small, but he's tougher than you give him credit for. He's one guy I wouldn't mind watching my back. I'll keep an eye on him, Mrs. Tresserhorn. Both eyes. Thank you."

-----------------------
At the briefing

"Sounds good. I can do a flyover on Skarmory. We should be able to pull it off. The Harbingers and the Prideguard are no slouches, but we're PATCA. They don't stand a chance. And personally I'm looking forward to Cerulean Wildfire."

[Astral Harmony]

To Battle!

"Well, if we're decided, then we should get going. The longer we wait, the more time we give the enemy to prepare for us."

Everyone assembled at "the Rig", a massive armored vehicle, and things got underway. Renny and Pierce were allowed to fly there on their Pokemon. The Rig had to stick to the roads, regardless of it having the right of way all the time (usually do to its size, weight, and power), but Renny and Pierce could just fly straight.

"What's the best way to send the Prideguard packing?" Lola asked.
"Take out Cerulean Wildfire," Rayleen answered simply. "If we can remove that metal cunt from the equation, we'll obliterate the morale of the soldiers. The Prideguard will just be a fleeting memory by then. That should save us the chance of possibly having to open a route for Faynoc to escape since the cordon is all other areas will break down."
"So, fight the HPG until we defeat Cerulean Wildfire, then fight the Harbingers until we make Faynoc run away?"
"Hopefully, it's as simple as you say."

Renny and Pierce didn't like the looks of things when they neared Prime Square. The place was a mix of warzone and out-of-control riot. Much of the area was obscured by dust and airborne debris kicked up by explosions and chaos. The two trainers could see that cordon was very split up, basically forming walls of men in all the entryways. It didn't exactly work as there were most likely routes through the cordon by passing through the buildings. However, with the greatest chunk of the fighting not very far from all the cordoned areas, that would be much too risky.

The body of the entire military was seemingly split up between the various cordons and a more fearsome force fighting in the center of the square. Blue lights pulsed through the smoke, indicating that Cerulean Wildfire was trying to break through to fight and possibly kill Faynoc. Renny and Pierce instinctively told their scouters to patch the visuals through, which shown on the large screen inside the Rig.
"Holy cow, it's a madhouse in there!" Rachel gasped.
"Any sighting of Muon?" Whitney asked hopefully.
"Not with all that smoke," Calisto said. "We're going to need to get intimate with that place if we're going to find your friend."
"We've gotta draw Cerulean Wildfire away from the square," Rayleen said. "I don't want her killing Faynoc, if she can even get to him to begin with. Using this document might help us call the bitch off, but if it fails like I'm certain it will, we'll cause a ruckus."
"Just a ruckus, my Lady?" Dormond asked his mistress.
"There are all kinds of ruckuses, Dormond." Rayleen said with a lethal edge to her voice.

"Relax, Rayleen." Harliette said. "Man, you must really hate Burkmont. You're practically cumming at the thought of inflicting grievous harm on his soldiers."
"I wasn't chosen for the main party, I don't think," Rayleen said, then pointed at the various buildings on the screen. "Anyways, the main formation will break through the cordon, dealing with HPG reinforcements as necessary. Get that fucking bitch off of Faynoc and onto you, suicidal though that may be. Crush her like a cockroach under your collective might, and you'll have won your first battle against the Honmyr Prideguard, a victory we can all enjoy to the point of orgasm."
"So while the main formation is bringing shame to the Prideguard, what's the job for the rest of us?"
"We'll go through the buildings. There may be HPG soldiers in those places as well. If we neutralize them, we'll cut off reinforcements and ambush parties that could trouble the main formation. However, that's just icing on the cake. The secondary formation will be responsible for getting the innocent clear of this conflict. If we can do that, I might just risk having Lexhur pop right in to assist in the beatdown. Additionally, clearing the buildings of hostiles will allow the main formation's Sniper to progress with the main formation."

Rayleen pointed at the primary area of chaos. "Lots of Fog of War, here. As you progress, clear it out or you won't get easy visual on additional targets. Fog of War is the result of various happenings. Explosions, buildings collapsing, even Ground-type moves all create Fog of War. If Fog of War is on our side, then the enemies will have difficulty hitting us. If it's on their side, they get the advantage of extra evasion. Fog of War can constantly build up, so make sure to blow it away again when it starts to cripple your strategy. Things tend to get difficult if the enemy's Fog of War percentage is around 60% or higher. Up around 90%, even moves that would always hit could miss. Bear that in mind as combat drags along."

The Rig stopped near the closest cordon, close enough to be easily seen and identified, but not close enough to appear threatening. "Lemme do the talkin'," Rayleen said confidently, and told everyone else to generally stay with the Rig.
"That's close enough, agent." One of the HPG soldiers told Rayleen. Rayleen stopped and tried to look as defenseless as she could. Yeah, didn't work, exactly.
"I have authorization from the Honmyran President to take jurisdiction over this area. Please vacate the sight, immediately."

The soldier and one of his buddies walked up to check out the document Rayleen held out for them. They barely looked at it. "Do you know it's a federal crime to forge the President's signature, ma'am?"
"Yeah," Rayleen answered. "Do you know it's a federal crime to not follow his direct orders when you work for the Prideguard?"
"Ah, lookit what we've got her. A wiseass."
"I aim to please. Now leave, preferably ten minutes ago."
The soldier laughed, and his friends chimed in. Idiots. "Yeah, about that...it kinda ain't happenin'. We're under direct orders from General Burkmont not to let the Pokemon Advanced Tactics and Counterterrorism Agency anywhere near Prime Square during the progression of the battle. Maybe if you took this useless piece of paper and go present it to him, he'll call me up on this headset and tell me that he wants us to let you in."
"Hmm. Well, sure, I'll do that."
"We appreciate your understanding," the soldier said with thick sarcasm.

Rayleen left the laughing cordon of soldiers and strolled back to the Rig. "Are we really going to go see the General?" Lola asked. The scouters told them the story that they couldn't hear with the unaided ear. "The battle could be over by the time he gives us authorization."
"Don't worry about it. Time for Plan B, folks."
Rayleen entered the Rig and looked at Heidi, who was driving the monster. "Heidi. I don't like it when people laugh at me."

Heidi's smile was simply vile as she started the Rig up. The Rig turned back towards the cordon, and then the engine got louder. "We're going to ram the cordon?!" Lola gasped.
Rayleen simply smiled as they heard the tink tink tink of bullets pelting the Rig. But it was foolish to try and shoot the Rig with small arms. Suddenly, the Rig did a sharp turn and started to drift, broadsiding the suddenly paniced soldiers. When the Rig stopped, Rayleen opened the door and stepped outside, then rushed forward and cut down a soldier. "Main formation, you're up! Go, go, go! We're not paying you by the hour!"

The Rig was splattered with human blood, particularly the undercarriage and the huge tires. Heidi smiled as she opened the door and hopped out, then slammed her fist into a soldier's face as he tried to struggle to his feet. His face bled profusely from the shattered nose that pierced his brain as he fell, dead. "Sorry, I have a 'no stopping for fucktards' rule when I'm driving. You'll forgive me, eh?"
"Park the Rig, Heidi. Snipers, to the roofs. Use the outside stairwells. Main formation, destroy the enemy reinforcements and then press forward when we give the signal. We'll be neutralizing any HPG forces inside the buildings so that you don't get flanked or caught in a pincer. There shouldn't be that many soldiers, I'm hoping."

The secondary formation split up, circling around the nearby buildings and beginning their battles within. Heidi pulled the Rig away, giving the main formation room to prepare for battle. She left only on the other side of the intersection which was more or less devoid of vehicles.
A considerable force of enemy soldiers sprinted towards the main formation. The force included an Engineer and a Medic. A couple more of the soldiers were Pokemon Trainers, while the rest were clearly Slayer types. The scouters picked up a great deal of information on the enemy force.

[HPG Footsoldier A] [HPG Engineer A] [HPG Trainer A-1] [HPG Trainer A-2][HPG Footsoldier B] [HPG Footsoldier C] [HPG Medic A] [HPG Trainer B-1] [HPG Trainer B-2] [HPG Footsoldier D]

- HPG Footsoldier (Slayer): Common footsoldiers of the Honmyr Prideguard. They fight hard for their promotions, but against serious opposition, casualties among their numbers are expected.
Slayer Attacks: Thrust Kick (Fighting) / Machinegun (Normal, 6-8 Hits) / Carbon-Blade Sword (Steel, 30% Bleed) / Frag Grenade (Normal, 2 Targets) / Beatstick (Dark, 30% Flinch)
Slayer Defenses: Normal, Dark, Steel, Fighting -50%
SignTech: OC Spray - 50/100 RPs, 100% Flinch, 3 Turns. Feels like your face is on fire. This stuff can drop a Mamoswine like that.

- HPG Engineer (Slayer/Engineer): This common footsoldier has started expanding his skills into the field of engineering. He can construct some basic machines to assist his allies and help defeat the enemy.
Slayer Attacks: Sidearm (Normal, 2-3 Hits) / Wrench Swing (Steel, 30% Confuse) / Skullbreaker (Fighting, 50% Def -1) / Flashbang (2 Targets, Accuracy -50%)
Slayer Defenses: Normal, Steel, Fighting, Electric -50% / Paralyze Immunity
SignTech: Wrench Cannon - 50/100 RPs, Steel, 100% Confusion. How does someone throw such a heavy wrench with such force?
Engine Skill 1: Construct Thunder Evolith - 25/100 RPs. Constructs a Thunder Evolith which resembles a unicorn. Thunder Evoliths know the moves Charge, Discharge, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, and Volt Tackle.
Engine Skill 2: Construct Health Fount - 25/100 RPs. Constructs a device that grants health regeneration to all allies. Immune to all attacks except Ground.

- HPG Medic (Slayer/Medic): A common footsoldier who has been learning to be a medic so that he wouldn't have to fight anymore. Coward deserves a beatdown. Our medics don't run and hide.
Slayer Attacks: Sidearm (Normal, 2-3 Hits) / Poison Bomb (Poison, 2 Targets, 50% Poison) / Health Serum (25% Heal, Regen) / War Boost (All Stats +1)
Slayer Defenses: Poison, Ghost, Dark, Psychic -50% / Poison Immunity
SignTech: Dangerous Syringe - 30/100 RPs, Deathclock, 3 Turns, 50% Death. The Medic manages to inject something in you. Hopefully, it's a dud.
Medic Skill: Amped Meds - Items grant 10 RPs in addition to standard effects.

- HPG Trainer A's Pokemon
1. Charizard (Fire/Flying) [Male]
Moves: Flare Blitz / Heat Wave / Blast Burn / Sunny Day
Ability: Blaze
2. Blaziken (Fire/Fighting) [Male]
Moves: Flare Blitz / Sky Uppercut / Brave Bird / Sunny Day
Ability: Blaze

- HPG Trainer B's Pokemon
3. Typhlosion (Fire) [Male]
Moves: Eruption / Flamethrower / Solar Beam / Sunny Day
Ability: Blaze
4. Infernape (Fire/Fighting) [Male]
Moves: Flare Blitz / Close Combat / Solar Beam / Sunny Day
Ability: Blaze

"Here's a little something I learned on the mean urban streets and backalleys," Harliette mentioned. "Humans, enemy humans in particular, can't really seem to stand up to Fire and Poison type attacks. Just puttin' that out there."

Coulda used that advice a little sooner, Harlie.

[Geminex]

*In the van*

Impact sat in silence, observing the signal feed. This was a valuable opportunity to see their eventual enemy in combat, observe their tactics and strategies. He couldn't say he was impressed, however. He knew it could be trouble, to manage large-scale infantry operations, but this was pathetic. They really had grown fat on arrogance, hadn't they? But very well, he'd try to observe what he could.

*On the battlefield*
The Rig screeched to a halt, the rear doors opened, and Rayleen started screaming at them. Impact decided to follow suit. "Moon, you're with the main team, engineer for us. Wilhelmina, you're sniper support, look for a nice building to sit on and use that rifle of your. Kurika, enforce for me. Main team, let's go!" He stopped to grab a flamethrower from a weapons rack (he now bore Fighting, Fire and Ice armor, along with the LH launcher, the Flamethrower, the Ricewood and HV rifles, Claws of Darkness and a pack of Strange Parasites), and leapt from the APC into...

Well, it was battle, really. Blood, explosions, poor visiblity, carnage. Enemy troops were already lying underfoot, wounded or dead, and a small contigent of enemies seemed shaken, but prepared to fight to the death. Impact grinned. Just like the old days.
He didn't like killing humans (hell, he barely enjoyed killing pokemon... anymore), but he had become very pragmatic, recently. And after all, he had recommended that they go in fast and hard. His recommendation had been followed.

"Allright, shock and awe, people. That means we hit them hard, but we do it in style. Act professional, efficient, merciless. Emotionless. For Charlotte that means, pretend you're not enjoying this, for Pierce and Renny it means pretend you are, and for myself and Matt, it means act exactly the way we usually do. Let's show them who not to fuck with...

I think our primary targets should be the non-trainers. Support classes first, so we kill their engies and medics, then their foot soldiers. See if we can't disrupt their trainers' pokemon, or at least deploy stuff that's resistant to them. They really like their fire, don't they? I'm having moon deploy a power amplifier, so get out your special attackers.

Pierce, take out their medic. You have a Blaziken, use it. No leaders, I don't want sandstorm or drizzle out just yet.

Renny... can you try to disrupt their pokemon? Put them to sleep, confuse them? I'm sure there's something you could do, you have Confuse Ray in your arsenal, yes? If you can't disrupt the pokemon, attack Foot soldier A, or, if Charlotte's killing him, hit foot Soldier B.

Matt, I'd recommend Castform, and sunny day. It's a risk, since it'll help them as well, but I think that, for us, Fire is the way to go. You can start dealing damage next turn.

Charlotte, you have fire, don't you? Of course you do. Go ahead and use it, hit foot soldier A, make him regret he ever got up. If Renny looks like he's got him covered, hit Foot soldier B.

I'm taking the enginner on. Wilhelmina, if I don't kill him, will you follow up on that?

Finally, Moon, get us a Power Amplifier on the battlefield. For combat, you're a water trainer. They have fire pokemon. Wipe them out. What I'd do is deploy Lanturn, have it use signal beam to buff itself. From then on, it should be able to 1-hit any enemy fire pokemon, that'll be real useful.

Rachel, I don't think we'll need any healing, yet, though I don't think using steel pokemon would be a wise choice, what with all the fire around. Maybe enter battle yourself, try to paralyze some of the enemy's pokemon...

Harliette, you're in reserve... Deploy Blissey, definitely, it can survive a few hits, and it can sing. Use that on one of the enemy pokemon. But as for your other slot and yourself, deploy Nidoqueen, have it use Sludge bomb on any of our surviving targets, finish any wounded enemies off. You yourself do the same, shoot-em-up. If Medic, Engie, and foot soldiers A and B are dead by the time you act, hit foot soldier C, try to weaken him, at least. Oh, and try to draw some fire, get RP quickly.

I can't follow your rage points, use your signature techniques when you need them, or when you think they'd help. Recommend their use ahead if you're unsure, but you're competent enough to decide for yourself when they'd be best used!

Now, that's out of the way. Let's do this!"

He had already used an adrenaline boost in the van, and now brought the flamethrower to bear on the Engineer, after waiting for Moon's power amplifier and Matt's Sunny Day. A lethal cloud of flame blossomed from the weapon's tip and engulfed his enemy, and Impact couldn't help but grin. Not at the enemy's agony, but at the sight they must look, as, around him, trainers shouted commands and pokemon sprang into action. A rank of 7 individuals, with 5 securing their rear, deploying pokemon, firing weapons, engaging with brutal force. Identical scouters in front of their faces bathing their faces in eerie light, frowns on concentration interrupted only by precise, shouted commands. Merciless. Brutal. Highly efficient.
Yes, this was Shock. This was Awe.
"And I looove the smell of Napalm in the morning!"