paladinlost | 104th moon [4th walls suck at keeping bats out]

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104th moon [4th walls suck at keeping bats out]

[Ahhh, the last weekend of November. As nearly always, every city is invaded by dozens of confused new arrivals, strange Legendaries party like it's 1999, innocent trainers and breeders wake up on the beach or in the middle of the Ice Cave, not-so innocent Rockets do the same, Cecil's house and yard are overtaken by thousands upon thousands of shiny and non-shiny Zubats...

...Wait, what?]

If anyone could help me chase these away before this world returns to normal, it'd be much appreciated!

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I might be able to teleport the barrier itself, and us with it. I've never tried it before, though.

...It would be interesting to know, but considering our surroundings, this might not be the best time to try it. We'd not want any of the Zubats to get caught inside.

Fair enough. Though one way or the other we're going to have to figure out something, unless the plan is just to wait them out.

[Which really doesn't look like a good plan to her.]

[That's a tricky one. Unless...]

Would your shield protect us from four Hails followed by four Blizzards, or would we still feel the cold?

I... if it didn't break entirely, we should be perfectly fine. But why-

[She suddenly realizes what Cecil's planning and her eyes light up.]

Oh, I see. Very clever. Alright, I'll put as much power as I can into the shield, hopefully it'll hold up under that kind of onslaught.

Excellent. If your power does not suffice, we'll simply have to prepare plenty of hot chocolate later.

[He raises his voice, sounding terrifyingly cheerful.]

Ice-bro, Cloud, Moogle, Imperator! I do believe our unexpected guests are overheated!

[Not for very long, though, because the Ice-type onslaught is now starting.]

[The shield firms a bit, the purple shimmer almost blocking out the view around them, as the hail begins to batter it.

Twilight smirks, and well she might as the thing doesn't even waver.

Then the blizzards come, one right after the other. Bats drop and flee by the dozens, and Twilight grits her teeth, horn pulsing with the need to renew the shield with every new strike...

But it works. The shield holds all the way through the last one, and Twilight dials it back a bit so they can see the results, scanning the sky.]

Okay, the hail's going to continue for a little bit, so it's going to be hard to be sure. But I can't imagine even the hardiest Crobat withstanding that, and I don't think any of those had gone beyond the Golbat stage.

[Which makes sense given how they evolve.]

Their last evolution is induced by happiness and affection, is it not? Perhaps regularly working as a group to torment travelers and enjoy their fear is enough to trigger it. That said, I can only recall Zubats among their numbers.

[Not that his field of vision was particularly large up until a few minutes ago. He approaches the limit of the shield, looking around for any sign of the rest of his team.]

I could ask my Fire-types to end the hail with a Sunny Day, if there's no risk of awakening the unconscious ones.

In my experience, Zubats are largely nocturnal. If anything the sudden light would make them flee if they still had the energy, which I doubt.

[Honestly she probably should feel a bit more sorry for them than she does.]

Very well. Flare, please brighten up the weather for us.

[It only takes a few seconds before a shaggy, zubat-infested mane peeks out of a bush, quickly followed by sunlight. Pleased with the result, Flare bounds out of his hiding place and comes to sit as close to the shield as he can, his tail thumping. Didn't he do well?]

[Once the sky is cleared up, Twilight lets out a little sigh of relief and lowers the shield.]

Thank you, Flare.

[She smiles gratefully at him and looks at the pile of twitching Zubat.]

Uh... I wonder if a whirlwind would send them off without hurting them too terribly.

[Flare has earned himself a smile and some vigorous scratching, but the problem is indeed not fully fixed. Cecil looks at the unconscious critters thoughtfully.]

Perhaps a careful application of some well-controlled telekinesis would be gentler? But sending them as far as the whirlwind can would take more effort, even with five- four Pokémon participating.

Well, some of mine could help out, as could I.

[She pops open a ball with her magic, Starswirl appearing at her side.]

It'll take a bit of time and effort, but most worthwhile things do. We can sit and relax after for as long as I'm here... until the next crisis anyway.

Until next week, you mean. If we are all lucky enough to be left alone for so long.

[He turns to gesture at one of the house's windows, and a few moments later Terra, Lily, Klu and Mysidia join him, closely followed by Fu.]

The city's edge is not so far from here. They'll be safe there until they can fly again.

Well I can hope, right?

[Starswirl casually lifts up a half-dozen Zubats and starts to carry them off, Twilight following his example.]

Sounds like a plan to me.

Excellent. The shortest path would be to go east, and then turn south once we reach the ice cream shop.

[As he speaks, Lily and Terra team up to move their share, Klu's eyes start glowing, Mysidia lifts his stick... and Fu headbutts the nearest Zubat vaguely in the right direction.]

Ice cream shop?

[Twilight can't help the way her ears perk up at the sound of that. Funny, she didn't realize how much she'd been needing something sweet the past few days.]

Ah, well, great! That makes a very noticeable landmark.

It's also the most motivational building I can think of in this city, as far as my team is concerned.

[Indeed, they all appear to be picking up speed. That poor unconscious headbutted Zubat starts whimpering.]

Well I can hardly blame them, even if it's not really the season for it.

[She does feel a bit of pity for that particular poor Zubat. It's not its fault it just got warped into Cecil's space.]

It's not? How strange. They've been claiming for years that ice cream is a traditional treat fitting for every month and occasion. Perhaps we should keep it for warmer days?

[The Gardevoir pair immediately start making mildly distressed noises, as their pile of Zubats wobbles in midair.]

...Or not.

[She can't help but laugh at that.]

I have a friend who would probably say you deserve whatever you get for even mentioning such a horrible fate for your poor Pokemon.

Oh, I'll be safe from any overly harsh retribution. I am the main cook in the household, after all.

[He sounds completely certain of his relative safety, even as Mysidia starts grumbling under his breath.]

Clever. And a good use of the fact that most of them don't have hands.

[Never mind that she doesn't right now either. One thing her tenure as a human has taught her is how useful the things are.]

There are a surprising number of appliances that even tentacles and telekinesis cannot easily control. Have you ever seen a Tangrowth try to prepare coffee?

[The question gets a group snicker out of his team. Even his Lunatone joins in.]

No, but now I kind of want to.

[The mental image is certainly amusing enough, and she finds herself chuckling along with Cecil's Pokemon.]

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paladinlost - 2015-12-31 04:37 (UTC) - Expand

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