Re: Sword and Shield Choice Pokéresistance
Mission 4, Spikemuth - Proposal 2 (Keldeo, Butterfree, qva):
Accept: Keldeo, Butterfree, qva, Stryke
Reject: Panini
N/A: Chemist1422
Keldeo, Butterfree and qva proceed to the Spikemuth Gym Mission!
The five trainers tiptoe quietly around Spikemuth's northern wall, keeping their eyes peeled for a door. With the city's main gates sealed as they are, this little opening is their only entrance--and the only way they can continue their gym challenge.
The muttering crowd they'd seen outside the gates had been pretty unsettling. The entire city closed off? Even to people who need to get in for business and so on? Something like this... this couldn't possibly be Team Yell's doing, could it? The group has heard plenty of stories of the hooligans blockading typical trainer routes before--mostly just by standing in the middle of the road and aggressively tooting vuvuzelas--but nothing on this scale.
...right?
When Meowth and her trainer came back to the others with intel about a side entrance, it seemed like their luck might turn around. So long as the gym's still open, they could slip in, battle Piers, and slip back out. Maybe Team Yell won't even notice?
Sirfetch'd shifts a crate to the side with her leek, revealing the disused entrance right where they'd been told to expect it. A way in, at last! They hurry through single-file, hoping that their adversaries kept their focus on messing with the gates' mechanisms or somesuch and didn't consider the possibility of challengers taking a side entrance. (Someone should probably tell the crowd outside about this. That one lady looked like she was suuuuuper late for a meeting or something. But surely it's understandable if they wait until they've got their badges and are finally clear of Team Yell, right?)
The high walls around the city cast most of it in shadow, much of its light coming from the flickering neon signs hanging on tightly-packed buildings. It's hard to tell one from another, and the group needs to ask a surprised citizen where they might find the gym. They're directed toward a kiosk further down the narrow street, and as soon as they hurry over they're greeted with unusual news. Things are done differently here in Spikemuth, he says--there's no gym mission, not really, and all the young challengers need to do is head right down the road. There are no puzzles and no obstacles; they just need to wait their turn as Piers finishes up his latest show, and then he'll be ready to test their mettle.
Some of the trainers and their pokémon are a little put off by this; a gym without a gym mission? Is that even allowed? Sirfetch'd and Falinks are more put
out, annoyed by the idea of waltzing straight up to the leader without so much as a single preliminary test of their combat prowess and courage. In the end it's agreed that the less they have to contend with on their way to the arena, the faster they can be on their way without interference from Team Yell, and so they hurry down the street to take advantage of the break.
They make it about ten feet before Ponyta and his trainer collide with what feels like a solid wall.
A Kantonian Mr. Mime waves at them from behind its invisible barrier, then points back in the direction from which they came, smiling brightly. The group turns around and comes face to face with what must be at least twenty Team Yell grunts, all standing right in the way of the exit and jeering. They spin around again, only to see that Meowth, Arctozolt and their trainers are leaning casually against the invisible wall, wearing the same smug grins. Arctozolt sniffs, then holds up a eye-searing pink-and-black vuvuzela and toots it right in Wooloo's face.
"Pity you lot showed up when you did," sneers one of the grunts. "Right after our friend Mr. Mime spent hours and hours putting together this marvelous wall! It's just lovely, innit? Just look at this artisanally-crafted masterpiece of a wall. It'd be a right shame if he had to take it down just to let some wannabe champion chumps through, wouldn't it?"
"Can't have anyone ruining this gorgeous work of art just so they can lose to Marnie down the line, now, can we? Total waste of his precious time."
Before the three trainers can protest that it's impossible to tell whether an invisible wall is in fact a masterpiece, they're hoisted up above a wave of magenta hair die and carefully-distressed denim vests, carried back to the north entrance and tossed outside again. Then door slams shut behind them, and no amount of rolling from Wooloo or battering from Sirfetch'd will force it open again--probably held shut by another artisanal invisible wall.
Meowth and Arctozolt's trainers congratulate themselves on a job well done as they head back toward the gym's arena to catch the tail end of Piers's concert. Did those clowns really think they could keep up their gym challenge on
Team Yell's turf? Ha! Spikemuth is Marnie's hometown, and she'll be the only one who gets to shine here!
The two Pokémon themselves pause only for a moment, idly wondering whether they should remind their trainers about the gap in the southern wall of the city, behind the fences. But... nah. Those other losers only got in here with help from Meowth and her trainer! There's no way anyone's going to figure out how to find that other entrance on their own. Pfft.
Mission 4 Results: SUCCEED, SUCCEED, FAIL
Mission 4 has failed. Current score: Challengers 1 | Team Yell 3
Team Yell wins the game!
Gah. Dear lord. I'm deeply sorry it took me so long to put the endgame post together; I haven't been feeling particularly well, but it really doesn't justify this extended delay. The game did move a bit slowly in general, dismal ending wait notwithstanding, but I do hope that you enjoyed the game at least somewhat! Particular congratulations to Butterfree for managing to stay out of suspicion for just about the entire ride and bring it home for Team Yell. All of your theories were fun to follow along with, though!
Well played, all of you, and congrats to Team Yell for the win!
