Karma
~ Birth of the Sage Commander ~
By: The Sandwich
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Chapter 8 ~Lunatic Princess~
[April 3rd, 11:21 AM ]
The first indication Vikram and co. had that something was wrong was when the second story wall in the building in front of them exploded.
The three had set out shortly, as soon as their payment had been confirmed, heading north towards the town of Kakinda. After several days' travel, they had stumbled across the ruins of an old house, mostly overrun by greenery - probably ruins from a bygone past - but still with a decently-sized space clear of trees around it. They were just wondering if they should move past or around the building when the space in front of them went to hell.
A grey form flew from the debris and ruin of the wall, crashing onto the ground with a thud mere feet from their group. As the dust cleared, Vikram was able to see it clearly - a Pokegirl whose chiseled body looked as if it were made of dark, sanded stone, almost like a statue. She lay motionless for several seconds, long enough to make Vikram wonder if she was dead, but then an expression of rage appeared on the girl's face as the Pokegirl lifted her head and looked back up at the window, seemingly unharmed by the fall or explosion at all.
A second girl jumped out of the hole in the wall, a white-skinned girl with red hair that seemed to crackle like flames, wearing a strange white outfit torn and stained red from repeated cuts and bruises. Fire seemed to leap from hand to hand, but in mid-jump she suddenly wobbled in the air, flipping over once like a drunken bird before stabilizing. "Wh-whoa!" The girl laughed as she began floating around. "Interesting, interesting!" The girl quickly restarted her incantation, swinging her arm down towards the stone-like girl as a pillar of flame shot from the sky, immolating her. "Flame Strike!"
Vikram, Dearka and Yzak leapt back to avoid the secondary shockwave from the spell as a rush of heat flew over them, desperately giving themselves more distance between the two mad combatants. The stone-like girl, however, had just gotten back to her feet when the attack hit, the flames roasting against her hungrily but to questionable effectiveness. Both of the combatants paused, surprised by the ineffectiveness of the attack, before the battle was on again, a trio of stone spears searing past the flyer as she barely weaved her way between them, shattering the third with a powerful barrier that made the stony girl's eyes thin.
"Dearka! See if there are any more nutcases around! Vikram, information!You're with me, we're taking these maniacs down!" Yzak said with a feral grin, tossing both of his pokeballs to either side, Shiho and Izumi taking up positions next to him.
"Understood!" Traxia and Milliaria soon followed.
< Got it! > Vikram whipped out his pokedex and quickly began scanning. Zhao followed a second later, but Vikram held Lynn back in her ball. If that Dark Lady can pull that flame attack off on Lynn, she might as well be toast.
< The dark-skinned one's a Droido, and the one dressed in white's a Dark Lady! They're Infernals!> Vikram passed on the 'dex report to the group and swallowed hard. Magic-types. The most unpredictable of typings, and Infernals on top of that!
hen Vikram was younger, he had witnessed magic for the first time. His father had taken them to see the Festival of Lights, where spellcasters, not even all of them pokegirls, gathered from around the league to compete in painting the most brilliant light shows upon the night sky. It had been an amazing sight, and a sobering one, for Vikram had also witnessed the fine line magic walked that day, a contestant being carried away, barely hanging on to life, when she had lost control of her own masterpiece and her efforts erupted in her face. And that was with illusionary magic - not even magic meant to harm!
So as Vikram stared at the two girls before him, his first violent encounter with the unpredictable force, he could feel nothing but a sense of dread.
< Zhao, take the Droido!>
An infernal spellcaster and an infernal mage-counter? What's going on here? Where are their masters?
The two warriors, Slicer and 'Kapoeraa, charged towards the Droido as Izumi took to the air and charged towards the floating infernal. The Droido growled in annoyance, kicking the ground and sending a number of stone spears up from the earth, forcing the brown-haired Edo slicer back as Zhao charged on, cartwheeling through the spears to land a vicious uppercut onto the Droido's chin.
"God dammit! Where the hell did you come from?!" Up in the air, the flame-haired Dark Lady swore, barely getting out of the way as the Rack charged towards her. "Feathery bitch!" She laughed. "You want to die, too? Well, come on, then! I'll take you on!" A bolt of light charged out towards the Rack, who dived low to the ground to avoid the attack, before sending up a wave of wind that the Dark Lady easily brushed aside. She laughed, and the laughter echoed around the chaos of the battlefield as it descended into madness.
Izumi rushed in for another strike, cutting winds around her, but to her shock, the Dark Lady simply...fell, dropping several feet just as the flyer charged in. For a second, Izumi thought the Dark Lady was simply falling back towards the ground, but then the Dark Lady reversed course, grabbing the Rack harshly by the neck as the violent winds nicked away at the Dark Lady's arm, lining it with minor cuts.
"What did I tell you?" The dark lady smirked, before slamming her fist into the rack's side, the bird-type screaming as a sudden surge of electricity blasted through her, knocking her out in an instant. She smirked, letting go of the unconscious Rack and kicking her viciously down towards the Droido, using her unconscious body as a shield to intercept the stone spears the other infernal had sent her way, taking advantage of a lull in the combat below to try and hit her foe unawares. The spears jammed into Izumi without restraint, sending her careening to the ground with a sickening lurch.
"IZUMI!" Yzak screamed, the red light of recall already recovering her. "Shiho! Why isn't that Droido down yet!?"
"I'm TRYING!" The Slicer yelled back, trying to work her way in through the maze of stone spears poking at her.
Suddenly, a fiery shell slammed into the Dark Lady's shoulder, blowing away part of her clothes and leaving the arm hanging limp. The follow-up shots missed as the Dark Lady wobbled in the air, her concentration wavering, but seconds later, she responded with a fit of swears and a streak of blazing light which shot into the trees and sent the hiding Guntit falling indignantly onto the ground, her rifle flying from her hands.
"Augh! I'm through dealing with you people!" The flame-haired girl growled, before a tanned blur shot up from the ground. Zhao arced her body into a spin, but the Dark Lady was already out of the way, hovering up and over the building, looking to put it between her and the mass of opponents.
< She's running away!>
"I'm on it!" Dearka said, chasing after her, Traxia leading, head low and weapon first.
"Master!" Shiho called. "Please, leave this one to me!" Her eyes reflected the sharpness of her blade as she cut a pair of stone spears out of the air. "I can handle this!"
Yzak nodded and turned to Vikram. "I've got this one. You go back up Dearka."
He nodded. "Got it." < Zhao!>
"Is ready!" The amazon leapt back from her pummeling of the stone around her with a single graceful leap. "You no lose, sharp girl!"
As Vikram and Zhao raced around the corner, master and servant turned to face their opponent with the same feral smile.
"Let's dance, shall we?"
* * *
Zhao and Vikram rushed into the trees at top speed, chasing after the Dearka, when they saw the flare from an explosion.
< Dammit! Zhao, we have to go faster!>
Desperate, Vikram focused as he ran, his eyes shifting to yellow as he danced through the trees.
Oh, no. A convulsion ran through Vikram's body as he looked harder, pushed farther ahead...
As a vision of Dearka, impaled on the Dark Lady's arm, flashed through his head.
No. NO! I won't let that happen!
Traxia was lying on the ground, her body smoking, gun lying pointlessly at her side. Milliana was in front of Dearka faster than he could blink, but before she could focus enough to teleport again, a vicious smack to the girl's face sent her sprawling to the side, landing heavily against a nearby tree. Seconds later, the Dark Lady turned to Dearka with a grin, a blade of light on her arm.
"DEARKA!"
The Dark Lady looked over towards the voice in surprise, the mana blade vanishing as her concentration on it failed. Her eyes widened as she stared at him, as if something strange and alien had confronted her.
Vikram's face brightened. He could do this! "ZHAO! GO!"
Taking the chance, Dearka reached down to his belt in a desperate grab for his pistol, but it never got there. The Dark Lady's good hand had lashed out and grabbed his forearm, and held it high.
Her eyes shone of madness as she screamed outward in denial. "I...WILL...NOT...GO..BACK!"
Light shined from her hand. The hand glowed as magical energy built up, raw and uncontrolled within, before the Dark Lady yelled -
And Dearka's arm shattered.
Dearka stumbled backwards, his mind only barely there as his body tried to keep itself balanced, before it tumbled backwards, slamming into the ground next to Traxia.
Three voices screamed out in unison. "DEARKA!"
Milliaria all but shrieked, forcing herself up and grabbed onto her master and harem sister, before vanishing from sight as the teleport did it's work.
The Dark Lady threw herself into the air, levitating out of the building again, and away, as fast as her aching body could take her.
* * *
"You can see the future." Lynn stared at Vikram in disbelief.
"That's right. That's how I can predict people's movements or sense when I'm in danger."
"...That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard from you. You expect me to believe that?"
"Look, it makes no more sense to me than it does to you. Less, even."
"Prove it."
"Fine. Go and pick out some clothing and bring them out here. I will guess the color of what you bring out before you get a chance to show me. Zhao will stay here and make sure I can't follow you."
Lynn frowned. Walking into the clothes, she picked out a blue sundress and brought it out. Seconds before she could reveal it, however, Vikram's voice called out loudly. "Blue."
"Eh?" Lynn tried the test again.
"Red."
"Lime green."
"Hah, you're not even carrying anything this time."
"How is this possible?! I've heard of crazy gifts, but never this!" Lynn exclaimed.
"I don't know, but it has something to do with that medicine I've been taking." Vikram said. "I had the exact same sort of experience after I woke up after the practical, except at that time, I thought I was just going crazy and seeing things. But if my gift truly does give me the ability to predict the very near future, then what happened then might have actually been..."
"Your gift - your precognition - going out of control..."
"...because the medicine wasn't suppressing it!"
Vikram nodded. "But conversely, that means that so long as the ability can be controlled..."
* * *
-== INTERLUDE 08.3 ===-
-= April 3rd, 11:48 AM =-
I have to find her. The Dark Lady limped along. I have to get away. I have to get away, to escape, so I can go and find her...
She swore angrily. One arm disabled, barely able to move from successive injuries, and her movements were nothing but slow and awkward compared to her previous levels of skill. Getting used to her new form, it seemed, would take longer than she had hoped. Time that she might not have.
And on top of that, she had wasted a huge chunk of energy in her desperation, against a mere human boy!
I have to find her. Her left hand itched in hunger. I have to escape, so I can find her...
So I can finally kill her!
She did not know who it was that she searched for. She wasn't sure if she had ever known. She didn't even know if she was still alive, or if she had even existed in the first place.
All the Dark Lady knew, from the first moments of her memory, was that she had been trained to kill for that purpose alone, and that the rune on her left hand pulsed hungrily, seeking...her.
The Dark Lady coughed, feeling woozy.
Suddenly, a pair of figures walked out of the trees towards her. She froze. Two shorter, tanned-skin figures, the annoying amazon which she had thrown off before, and next to her, the almost plain-looking man whom she could only assume was her master. She swallowed. Something, she could tell, was strange about that one. Perhaps it was the way he carried himself, perhaps some sort of aura, but every cell in her body screamed -
That that man was someone to respect...someone to fear.
But...why?
"Heh. I have to hand it to you for being persistent." She said, eyeing him carefully. Only one pokeball on his belt. That must be the girl he has out. If I can take down that dirty-haired whore of his, this is over.
"Same to you." The man said, a definite subcurrent of anger in his voice. "But I won't let you get away from me again."
"Hah!" The dark lady spat. "I've heard such bullshit before."
"And from no one else will you ever hear them again." The man said. "Do you realize what you have done?"
"What I've done?" She frowned. "Oh, don't tell me you're angry because of that stupid goon got hurt?"
The man twitched. "Nobody has the right to call him a 'goon'. Zhao. Hurt her."
"You just try and hurt me, bitch!" A blade of energy sprouted from her sole good arm as the tanned girl charged her. She leapt forward, intending to pierce the short girl's stomach, but in a blur the girl had spun just to the side of the blade, knocking the arm high with one hand even as she continued to spin with one leg outstretched, knocking the Dark Lady's feet out from under her.
Fuck! I can't move nearly as well as before!
"You hurt my friend." The man said, "Something I cannot ever permit. I should kill you where you stand for what you've done, but I don't like killing needlessly. I'll settle for making sure you hurt no one without my orders ever again."
"No." The Dark Lady glared. "I won't let...you stop...me...I'll get away...and..."
Slowly, she began hovering into the air, moving away from the pair. She was almost into the trees when a pair of vines snared her legs.
"Gack!" The Dark Lady's eyes widened in horror. Son of a bitch! He had another girl?!
She swore as the vines tugged at her, overwhelming her weak levitation and dragging her to the ground.
-==END INTERLUDE==-
* * *
< Well done, Lynn.> Vikram called out to the Boobisaur. Knowing the Dark Lady had only seen Zhao, he'd had Lynn follow the two of them separately, using the trees to track them and catch the Dark Lady when her guard was down. It had been a risky decision, having seen Traxia taken out from the strength of her flame attacks, but it was one he had to take. < Try to enforce the bindings as much as you can.>
The Boobisaur nodded seriously, releasing another pair of viney tentacles to latch onto the red-head and bind her arms. The Dark Lady cried out in pain and anger as the vines tied her arms together and pulled her legs apart, sending piercing waves of pain up her broken arm as she did so.
"Should I use some lust dust on her, master?"
"Do it. I don't want her to enjoy this, but better to keep her mind distracted. The harder it is to concentrate, the harder it is for her to do anything funny."
"Please...no..." The Dark Lady stared at Vikram as the dust began to fall over her. "Please...this...was...my chance..."
Vikram's expression soured. Slowly, he pulled back one arm -
And struck the woman across the face as hard as he could.
"Don't you DARE toy around with me, you damn bitch. I don't care what you're missing. You hurt my friend, and nothing in all the world is going to save you from me for that." Vikram seethed. "Struggle all that you want, because I'm taking you down."
"Please! I didn't...I didn't do anythi-!" The red-head begged, but Vikram simply struck her again.
"Didn't do anything? Didn't DO anything?!"
"Beg me, bitch. Beg for me to take you. Because the only way you're coming out of this alive is if you're coming with me."
"Fuck you!" The Dark Lady spat. "I'm not taking orders from ANYBODY anymore!"
"That's what you think." Reaching down, he tore off the girl's panties, balled them up, and shoved them into the Dark Lady's mouth. "Zhao."
"Master?"
"Keep her mouth SHUT." Vikram said, biting down on a small pill that he knew would prepare his body for what was to come, where his furious mind could not. Zhao nodded. "Zhao understand. Fiery bitch needs punishment." Zhao sat down next to the dark lady and held her jaw firmly shut.
"You will not enjoy this," Vikram said, though in truth he hoped it would apply to him as much as to her - "I do not care that you are injured. I do not care if you curse my name or cry out in pain. You have insulted me. You have insulted my girls. And worst of all, you hurt my friend." Vikram glared at the angrily quaking girl as she struggled to escape from the combined grips of his two girls in vain, removing his clothes with a slow determination.
"You will acknowledge me as your master - Here! And! Now!"
* * *
Several hours later, as the sun began to sink below the trees, Yzak noticed Vikram walking out of the woods towards him, his face an angry mask.
The silver-haired tamer frowned. "...Where's Dearka?"
"Milly teleported him back to town along with Traxia, I assume to the center where he can get medical help. That goddamn bitch blew off his arm!"
Yzak winced. "Are you serious? Tch! Do you think he'll be alright?"
"I don't know. He should be, if she got him to a center in time."
Yzak stared over at Vikram for a second, but then gave a small smile. "If he's got that Cameragirl of his with him, I think it's possible. Might be a while before she manages to drag herself from his bedside to help us get back, though." He chuckled. "Though I suppose I can't blame her. That must have been rough on her."
"Yeah. Those two go way back."
"So. How'd it go?" Yzak said, trying to change the subject.
Vikram held out a pokeball in front of him and gave an unpleasant smile. "Payback's a bitch."
Yzak grinned at that. "Good to hear." He quietly held out a pokeball of his own. "Got the other one, too."
"I'd expect nothing less. So, what do we do now?"
"For the moment there isn't much we can do but wait. It's a several day walk back to town, our girls are in no shape to fight, and the only girl who is capable of teleporting us back to town is with him."
"Not anymore. Dark Ladies are teleport capable."
"Very good, *librarian*." Yzak rolled his eyes. "She's in no shape to teleport anyone anywhere, is she?"
"Well...no."
"Then she's not capable of it, idiot."
Vikram bristled for a moment, but then nodded. "You're right... Did you take a look into the house yet?"
"Yeah. Found whom I assume is the master for at least one of these two girls. Dead. A few obviously intentional injuries, but it looks like he was killed by debris from those two fighting." He tossed a ID card Vikram's way. "Gregorio DeValle. Ring any bells?"
"DeValle? That's a famous anti-rights family, I think." Vikram looked at the card and recoiled. "What the hell?!"
"What, you do know him?"
"This is the same rich-looking guy that tried to shoot me! What was someone like him doing out here in this beat-up old shack?"
"Who knows how rich freaks think?" Yzak shook his head. "Anyway, what do we do about this? If this guy's important..."
Vikram frowned. "They're going to want to investigate this, you know. And they'll probably have to scan our memories to make sure we're not involved."
"So?"
Vikram tapped one finger to the side of his head. "Can't be read. Psychics don't affect me."
"Eh? But you can use telepathy yourself. Isn't that...almost contradictory?"
"Perhaps, but if there are pokegirl breeds with both psychic and dark powers, then I suppose a similarly mixed heritage is possible." Vikram mused. "Anyway, that isn't even beginning to touch the wierdness I've got stuck up here. " He jammed a thumb towards his head. "You know how suspicious I naturally seem."
"Well, even if that is the case. Mine and Dearka's memories should suffice to keep you out of trouble."
"I hope so."
"So...what do we do now?"
Yzak shrugged and pulled a small, checkered board from his backpack and a bag of white and black stones.
"Ever learned how to play 'Go'?"
* * *
A few hours later, Vikram's distracted losing streak was interrupted by Millaria's return. Ten minutes later, they found themselves inside Dearka's room in the Pokecenter, resting quietly, though still awake, in bed.
"Dearka! You're alright!"
The blonde-haired boy grinned, though it was somewhat strained. "Yep! One of the Joys was able to get some sort of regeneration spell going on my arm. It should be restored in about a day or so, but Milly wants me to stay put until I finish recovering." He chuckled. "Though I feel a bit weird, still. The human mind's just not used to breaking an arm and then having it fixed right away, I guess. I'm not sure how much of a use I'd be out there with only one arm, anyway." He tipped his head to the side. "Are you alright, Vikram?"
"I'm just..." Vikram frowned, his eyes watering. "...so damn glad you're alright!"
Dearka smiled. "Hey, relax. It'll take more than losing an arm to do me in, you dork. Now stop crying before this conversation gets creeeepy."
The three of them laughed, but try as he might, Vikram's tears did not stop.
Vikram smiled. Let the future be damned, his friend was still with him, and right now, that was all that mattered.
* * *
[April 4th, 9:07 AM ]
"Yes, he was reported dead yesterday. The house he was in collapsed on him." The Officer Jenny reported to the trio. They had gone to report what they had learned of Gregorio's death to the police, but the reaction they received surprised them all.
The three looked at each other in confusion. "Someone else already...?"
"Yes, we've already sent out someone to confirm it. Thank you for coming to notify us, though."
"I...I see. Thank you." Dearka nodded to the Officer before they turned away as a group and left the small station.
"What the hell is that about? Who reported him dead before us? And from the HOUSE collapsing, of all things!"
"I don't know. This whole scenario's fishy."
"I hate to be the voice of ignorance, but I think we should leave it alone for now. Vikram and I can ask our latest acquisitions about it, but we shouldn't forget that we're not the police. We're tamers, and ones seriously behind schedule, at that. Besides, this reeks of trouble. I don't think whatever this is has anything to do with us, despite a measure of coincidence, but if we dig our noses too deeply this might explode in our faces."
"But...!"
"Think about it, Vikram. I'm aware that this isn't right. I want to find out what the hell happened here myself. But, as things stand now, we know too little and are too vulnerable. If something fishy IS going on, they almost HAD to notice us there. That means we are vulnerable. Especially you. Just imagine if someone tried using you as a scapegoat for this. At the very least, you would probably lose your license to become a Tamer and at worst would probably be charged with murder. Do you think you'd be able to prevent that?"
Vikram gritted his teeth. "So then we do nothing?"
"We learn what we can from our girls. If we learn something important from them, then maybe we can act on it, once we are able. Until then, we focus on what we, as apprentice tamers, must do."
"Hmmm...hate to say it, Vikram, but I agree with Yzak on this one. We might have picked up enough trouble just from keeping that dude's girls. No sense in risking anything worse."
Sighing, Vikram nodded in agreement. "Alright. Well, it'll take some more time for Dearka's arm to recover, so should we just rest for the day? I know we're behind, but Dearka has to heal anyway, I still have to deal with the Dark Lady and make sure I can use her, after all."
Yzak nodded. "I still have to tame the Droido as well. We should progress faster with more girls availiable, after all."
"Well, then. Shall we find an open area?"
* * *
The Dark Lady slowly opened her eyes. Her body's aches and pains were gone - apparently she'd been put into a healing cycle since her capture. Her arms, she noticed right away, were binded behind her back somehow, and her hands and fingers were similarly binded to make manipulating them impossible. Not bad. Treating me with kid gloves, but he's being cautious.
In front of her were the two girls she had last seen - the short tanned girl who had taken her down so handily, and that damn sneaky plant and her vines. Behind the two of them...
The strange black-haired man from before. The man who had defeated her, smashed her into the dirt, and forced himself on her, possibly taking away from her her last chance at freedom. And yet, she couldn't help but smile inside. Well, I'll be damned, I guess. She felt her hand throb, but ignored it, forced it's curse to subside once more. Let's give this thing one last chance.
The black-haired man looked at her with a confused silence. Both of his girls stared at her as well, as well as the other people behind them as if they suddenly weren't quite sure of what to make of her.
Their confusion was justified, of course. The girl they remembered capturing was gone.
In her place was a small child, one that barely stood level with the man's chest, yet one that still wore the same shredded clothes, fiery red hair, and strange collar as their opponent the day before. The tiny red-head looked up to the man before her and gave a huge grin.
"Well, well. Looks like I'm stuck with you after all, Mister." Despite the words, there was no anger in her voice. Instead, it was...amused?
The tiny girl chuckled, before dropping to one knee and smiling.
"Sayla, mage-hunter. At your service...Master."
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"For the general there are five dangers-
Resolved to die, one can be killed.
Resolved to live, on can be captured.
Quick to anger, one can be goaded.
Pure and honest, one can be shamed.
Loving the people, one can be aggravated."
- Sun Tsu, The Art of War
Chapter 8: Lunatic Princess - End
The long-awaited Dark Lady appears...and she's a Chibi?!
In case you're getting confused by the mass of characters, here's a handy character relationship chart. This should go without saying but, SPOILERS UP TO CH.8!
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9114/karmachart8.png
Important Pokegirls
:
DROIDO, the Demon Soldier Pokégirl
Type: Humanoid
Element: Magic/Rock (Infernal)
Frequency: Rare
Diet: Ego/Arrogance, Special
Role: Mage-Counter, Bodyguards
Libido: Low
Strong Vs: Bug, Electric, Fire, Flying, Ice, Poison, Rock, Magic
Weak Vs: Fighting, Ground, Plant, Steel, Water, Ghost
Attacks: Takedown, Rock Blade, Rockwall, Shockspike, Stonepalm, Barrier Breaker, Reflect, Absorb, Absorb Other, Dispel
Enhancements: Enhanced Strength (x6), Enhanced Durability (x10), Enhanced Endurance (x3), Enhanced Speed (x4), Enhanced Reflexes (x2), Can merge/move through stone.
Evolves: None
Evolves From: Daimon (Moon Stone)
Quiet, stoic officers in the in the Legions of Terror, Droidos came into being later in the war when it became apparent that Sukebe's Legions were no longer the sole possessors of magical power. They are powerful warriors that excel in bodyguard roles, especially when protecting their target against spellcasting types. They were a flexible alternative to the Gargals and Barriermaidens, capable of protecting their charge and themselves.
Droido are all but never mistaken for human. They are relatively tall, statuesque pokegirls, possessing chiseled features and dark grey skin that is tough and similar to various stone in texture. Their expressions are cold and without mercy, turning up only into smirks against those lesser than them. Their hair is typically short and of dreary colors, and their figure, though impressive, rarely holds greater than a C-cup, something of an oddity.
Droidos, for an Infernal, are in incredible control of thier emotions. For a long time, it was thought they had almost no emotions at all - however, it was revealed that Droidos are simply good at masking them and keeping them under control, resisting the more violent impulses common to their Infernal sisters. On the other hand, however, it is hard and rare for Droidos to open up and connect with others emotionally, as they are, ironically, drawn to people who also tend to find it hard to form such emotional connections, making Droidos with Delta Bonds rather rare.
Droidos are powerful combatants. Their strength and durability helps ensure that they survive long enough to deal significant damage to their opponents, but unlike most Rock types, they are fast on their feet and quick to react. This suits their primary role as a bodyguard very well, as they can quickly shield themselves or their charge with a Rockwall or Absorb Other. As the war progressed, however, and more and more magic-types began appearing within the ranks of the enemy, the Droido was put to another use - spellcaster counter-tactics. Resistant to many elemental types commonly used by spellcasters and to magic itself, coupled with their speed and ability to break magical barriers, the Droido is the average spellcaster's nightmare. Of the most common spell elements, the Droido is weak only to Water and Earth, making those elements an edge for the mages who possess them.
Interestingly, Droidos feed not off of fear or nightmares, like some of their Youma sisters, but rather the arrogance, ego, and even self-esteem of others. Because all human beings, and to some extent, pokegirls, possess at the very least a modicum of arrogance and self-worth, Droidos can exist without difficulty as long as they are near even a single person, though it is generally unpleasant. However, Droidos long for greater than simple survival - they seek to be paired with the greatest of masters, the most confident and arrogant of lords - provided such lords understand the Droido's worth, of course. Unfortunately, this method of 'feeding' does nothing to lessen such excesses in those they draw energy from.
An amusing (though historically disputed) tale tells of a troubled tamer, badly in debt due to gambling, betting that his Droido could defeat his rival's Lady Luck in a game of cards, and ended up winning in a spectacular upset as the arrogant Lady Luck simply could not read the Droido's intentions, so perfect was the Droido's poker face.
Feral Droidos are rarely ever found alone. They lose much of their control and tend to be very violent, but their first instinct is to find and ally themselves with a pokegirl or a human in order to survive. They can sense magical power, and tend to go towards strong areas of magic and to target those lush with magic in preference to those without.
Rock Blade - (ATK 100) The Droido forms a sharp blade of stone that extends from their arms. This technique acts much like the other elemental Blade techniques, however, unlike most Blade techniques, can be used almost indefinitely.
Barrier Breaker - (ATK 70) The Droido forms and launches a short but thick spear of stone towards her target at high speeds. The Droido imbues the attack with an energy which is highly corrosive to magical force effects, such as most magical barriers, allowing it to break through or severely weaken them without difficulty. The attack has no homing properties, however, and cannot be used very quickly, due to the tricky nature of the the attack.
Absorb Other (EFT) - As Absorb, but affects a single person or pokegirl other than the Droido so long as that person is within 30 feet. If the target is struck by an attack affected by Absorb, a pulse of energy shoots from the target to the Droido, shielding the target and replenishing the Droido's energies.
DARK LADY, the Seething Bitch Pokégirl
Type: Very Near Human
Element: Magic (Infernal)
Frequency: Very Rare
Diet: human foods
Role: Murderess, Arcane Powerhouse, Celestial-Killer
Libido: Low
Strong Vs: Magic, Normal, Psychic, Poison, celestial Pokégirls (Angels, Megami, etc)
Weak Vs: Fighting, Dark, Dragon
Attacks: Reflect, Absorb, Burst, Energy Blade, Aura Barrier, Power Bolt, Teleport, Bitch Slap, Dominate, Call Me Queen, Aura of Fear, L25 Force Bolt*, Rune Chain, L30 Agility, L40 Door to the Abyss*, L50 Void Aura*
Enhancements: Magical Affinity, Enhanced Strength (x3), Enhanced Endurance (x6), Natural Levitation, Darkvision, Amplified Laughter
Evolves: None (We hope!)
Evolves From: Dark Elf (Moon Stone)
Bounty (For Kill or Successful Capture): 100.000 SLC
Bounty (For Successful Capture While Feral): 50.000 SLC
Bounty (For reporting sighting & getting out alive): 25.000 SLC
Fine (For releasing Dark Lady under any circumstances): 200.000 SLC
Recommendation when you see one: Bring out any Dark-Types if you have them, or if you must, a Pokégirl with elemental attacks. In an open area, ranged attack capabilities are a must! RELEASE ANY CELESTIAL POKEGIRLS AT YOUR OWN PERIL. If a Dark Lady is after you, do not simply run away, they have Teleport capabilities and will simply laugh as you wear yourself out!
Dark Ladies are one of those evolutions that are almost universally reviled worldwide, usually used only by the most stubborn, self-centered, or spiteful of Tamers. To the Celestial-loving public, these Pokégirls are all but the embodiment of Sukebe's desire to steal away the happiness that the world stole from him.
Dark Ladies are evolved from Dark Elves when brought into contact with a Moon Stone. They stand taller than their previous form, usually an inch or two over five and a half feet tall. Their breasts are generous but not huge, a modest C-cup, and are quite firm, with sensitive nipples. Their nails are always painted and well-manicured/pedicured, even after marching about the wilderness for days on end. Dark Ladies always prefer to have long hair, and will never cut it unless it's in danger of dragging on the ground. Even then, they'd rather braid it or style it to raise it just enough that it doesn't quite reach the ground. They are very vain about their hair and will go to great lengths to care for it and enhance it. A Dark Lady will always try to dress in an outfit that is provocative and arousing without looking slutty, such as dresses with long slits to show off her legs, or low-cut tops that show off the upper portions of her breasts.
Despite their allure, Dark Ladies are not often found in Harems, for several reasons. First is because, although they are very beautiful, they are consumed with intense rage. They seem to have nothing but fiery hatred for everyone and everything, with a special place being reserved in their dark hearts for Pokégirls of a celestial nature, such as Angels, Megamis, and Megami-samas. The best known example of this was when a kindly Angel rescued a Dark Lady, not knowing what type of Pokégirl she was, from drowning and took her back to her Tamer to nurse the half-dead Dark Lady back to health. When the Dark Lady awoke to seeing an Angel watching over her and tending to her, she immediately flew into a screaming fit of rage and attacked her rescuer, killing the poor Angel, who didn't even have a chance to defend herself. She then slaughtered a third of the Tamer's Harem, who were shocked into inaction, before being brought down. After another incident when a Dark Lady went berserk during a Sadie Poken's celebration at seeing so many Celestials about. The breed became the first to be universally banned from Sadie Poken's celebrations and denied the right to choose her own master (as they are not likely to pick masters they respect, but rather, ones that they can manipulate and control).
Dark Ladies are not subtle combatants. They while they have the capacity for patience and subterfuge, they consider most foes to be beneath them and much prefer to simply beat their foes into the ground with their tremendous arcane might. They typically open a fight with their Magical Levitation enhancement to remain away from any sort of physical fighting, and hide behind magical defenses such as Aura Barrier while they rain down Power Bolts and various spells, along with insults and taunts of great variety. When the fighting does get physical, they use Energy Blade until they can get more distance between themselves and their opponent. And if worse comes to worst, they Teleport away, although they are loathe to quit a battle, and have an annoying tendency to return for rematches at the least convenient times. During battles, Dark Ladies verbally as well as magically assault their foes, mocking things they believe in, telling them how weak and pathetic they are, and how she will torment their surviving friends/lovers/Pokégirls. Above all, however, Dark Ladies laugh, be it sadistic giggles as they watch their foes squirm below them or peals of maniacal laughter as they rip their foes apart. Dark Ladies are not fools however, and their anger and zeal is calculated. They know when to retreat, and won't throw their lives away in an attack unless they perceive there to be no escape. Against a foe that has proven themselves to be a worthy opponent, Dark Ladies will open up full force, attacking with every spell, dirty trick, and insult that they know, weaving together a pattern of attacks at which's end lies the inevitable defeat of their opponent. Dark Ladies are surprisingly durable, capable of laughing off hits that would incapacitate lesser Pokégirls, and countering the insult in kind.
Dark Ladies are dangerous spellcasters, capable of using many offensive, defensive, and boosting spells. They are masters of flashy, unsubtle offensive magic, and with time can create new offensive spells of their own. They are, however, completely unable to learn White Magic spells, though they possess enough skill in defensive arts and health draining techniques that they rarely need it.
No one is really sure why Dark Ladies are so sadistic. They seem driven to cause pain and anguish to anyone they can, for reasons even they don't seem to understand. They hate celestial Pokégirls, and those who would associate with them, above all else, and will target them in preference to others. Some have suggested that Dark Ladies are upset because they have lost their Longevity enhancement that they had as a Dark Elf, and feel cheated of their long lives. Other theories postulate that they hate Celestial Pokégirls because they seem to radiate the peace and serenity that Dark Ladies lack so much in their own lives. Or that they simply derive pleasure through the anguish of others and hate those that live a life so alien in thought to her own.
Despite all this, it is possible to Tame and control a Dark Lady, though difficult. Dark Ladies don't respond well to kindness, nor to appeals to reason. Raw power, however, and the willingness to use it, are some of the very few things that gets through to them. A Tamer who shows himself to be her skilled and strong of will can earn a begrudging acceptance, but to fully earn her respect and unflinching obedience, a tamer must force a harsh lesson upon her. Since a Dark Lady, given the opportunity, will naturally satisfy her carnal lusts on helpless victims, a Tamer who forces himself on her in such a manner can make her submit to him. Generally, this requires her to be heavily bound and gagged - to prevent her from casting spells - while the Tamer rapes her harshly, bragging about his ability to do so and her own weakness and inability to stop him. Simply restricting her movements during a normal taming is not enough - the taming must be done on the Tamer's terms alone, and against the Dark Lady's wishes. The more harshly she is taken, the quicker and better the results will be, and more exotic or degrading forms of intercourse, such as anally or tit-fucking, are known to work better.
After successfully Taming and subduing a Dark Lady, she will behave very differently towards her Tamer. She becomes completely obedient to him, and appears to revel in her new position. Her loyalty to her new Tamer is unshakable, and she would gladly die before abandoning or betraying him. She is almost obsessive in her desire to please her new owner, calling him "Master" whenever she can, whorishly servicing his every desire, volunteering to be the first to fight pokebattles, to run even the most menial of errands, etc. She regards her Tamer almost as a god, and will talk long and almost lovingly about him to anyone who is willing to listen. Such rants are hardly love-driven poems however. Dark Ladies that have been won over by their Master tend to view their Tamer almost as some sort of evil overlord, telling others things such as "my Master is more powerful than you can possibly imagine!" and "my Master finds you displeasing, begone!" A Dark Lady in a Harem will always work her hardest to be the Alpha, seeing as naturally the most worthy for the position. But ironically, they will accept and obey the orders of other Alphas without complaint, though she will still do her very best to prove herself worthy of the position.
Feral Dark Ladies are beings of pure rage and spite, attacking anything that moves with a mindless fury. They are too distracted to use their magic or their Magical Levitation ability, however, and always resort to just using their strength to tear their opponent limb from limb, laughing madly all the while. In this state they aren't much of a fight, and they know it, making sure to find some poor soul every few weeks to force themselves on. Such experiences are never pleasant memories for the one they use. However, it is because of this and their powerful magical capabilities that they are considered so dangerous, as Dark Ladies are almost NEVER found feral, and thus are mobile, dangerous opponents that will all but guarantee a painful and extended rape-fest if they prove the stronger.
No Threshold girl has ever been known to become a Dark Lady, for which everyone is thankful.
Force Bolt (ATK 80): Forcing magical energy into a super-condensed bolt, the Dark Lady fires of a powerful and quick magical attack with minor homing qualities.
Door to the Abyss (ATK 40, EFT, Infernal): Placing herself at the center of a swirling vortex of Infernal energy, the Dark Lady drains energy from all foes around her, restoring health and vitality to herself as she takes it from others. Has a 35% chance of inflicting Exhaust. Celestial-Sub Type Pokegirls are especially vulnerable to this technique, taking double the Life Drain and a 70% chance of Exhaust.
Void Aura (DEF 50): The literal embodiment of a Dark Lady's smug superiority, this spell generates a defensive aura of whispy, greasy darkness nullifies the damage from any attack with an attack rating of less than 50 points. Only when hit by an attack with and Attack Rating greater than 50 will the Aura collapse, against which the aura only reduces damage by 25%. The Dark Lady must wait 3 rounds before she can use the Void Aura again.
CHIBI (insert name here), the Lolita (insert title here) Pokégirl
Type
: as base type, plus Metamorph
Element
: as base type, gains Magic-Type
Frequency
: becomes Extremely Rare
Diet
: as base type
Role
: as base type, being cute
Libido
: as base type
Strong Vs
: as base type
Weak Vs
: as base type
Attacks
: as base type, plus Cheer, Sleep, Form Change. While in Chibi-form: Gains Aura of Cute, Aura of Innocence
Enhancements
: as base type, plus Auto-Resize. While in Chibi-form: Gains Enhanced Agility (x3), Enhanced Balance (x3)
Evolves
: as base type
Evolves From
: None
All Pokégirls go through three distinct stages of life: the immature Pokékit stage, when they have yet to feel any sort of sexual desires, Pokégirl, when they go through puberty and develop a powerful set of hormones, and become capable of parthenogenesis, and Pokéwoman, when their hormones ease up and they are able to have children normally. The Chibi template is perhaps one of the least understood of Sukebe's creations, as it blurs the lines between the three.
Chibi Pokégirls are metamorphs, capable of shifting between two forms – a young, pre-adolescent 'normal' body, and an older, 'adult' form whose appearance matches the Chibi Pokégirl’s true age. This younger form becomes for all intents and purposes the Chibi Pokégirl’s natural form, and it takes effort to return to the original adult form. While in their younger form, however, the Pokégirl becomes more agile and balanced, giving them a sense of ease in movement that their original bodies lacked.
Chibis also gain some minor magical abilities. The chief of which is the ability to naturally adjust whatever they happen to be holding or wearing in one form to perfectly fit them in their other form whenever they undergo a Form Change. This includes clothing, armors, and anything they happen to carry, such as Poképacks, though anything stored inside of the packs remain their normal size. The effect lasts indefinitely and is not entirely controlled by the Chibi's will – if a Chibi Pokégirl is ever in adult form and knocked unconscious, reverting her to chibi form, the effects still take place, though Chibis may adjust things manually or choose to forego the adjusting, should they choose.
All Chibi Pokégirls were originally – and for the most part, still are – the result of a pregnant Pokégirl or Pokéwoman being affected by certain magical spells or certain Powder-based attacks, such as time-manipulating Haste or Slow effects or overabundant exposure of the mother to Bloom or Buttsprout Powders (or the Anti-versions thereof). Though the exact means is not understood, there is a small chance when this occurs that this will trigger the activation of a repressed gene – naturally present in all Pokégirls - inside the unborn child, awakening the Chibi template.
The first time a Chibi Pokégirl is tamed, the effects of the gene triggers, causing the Pokégirl’s appearance to revert back to around 10 to 12 years of age. The Pokégirl retains all of her physical and mental abilities (though adjusted to her new size), and usually tend to follow the same patterns that a normal Pokégirl of her breed would in combat.
The genome mutation gives the Chibi Pokégirl a measure of control over her body's age, letting them shift back and forth between appearing like a child and their 'true' age. In order to shift back to the older, more adult form, however, it requires a passive form of concentration. Things that take up their entire mindset, such as an extremely tense fight, or heated Taming, can cause her to shift back to her younger form. Shifting into their younger form when sleeping is common as well. Markings, such as tattoos or wounds, remain as normal in either form.
Strangely, a small number of 'busty Chibis' have been recorded, whose bust only partially diminishes during the transformation to chibi form, making them their chibi forms that of an incredibly busty – yet otherwise undeveloped - child. It is unknown if there is any cause of this, as it seems to be completely random. Surprisingly enough, these variants are in high demand by the rich.
It should be noted that because most Chibi Pokégirls all but perfectly resemble Pokékits (at least in appearance) they can sometimes be mistaken for being one. Tamers of Chibi Pokégirls have, in the past, sometimes been arrested or lynched as pedophiles when, in truth, they were innocent of the accusations. Even those who are consciously aware of the template's differences can often feel uncomfortable with Chibis, making them generally unpopular save for an avid minority. Most who own Chibi Pokégirls are either wealthy, so-called ‘high-blood’ Tamers, breeders, or the occasional lucky Tamer who found one.
However, in recent ages, as the knowledge of the Chibi template becomes more commonplace, they have become slightly more acceptable, and can sometimes be seen openly, though they are still not particularly popular due to the negative attitudes they often bring upon the owner. A simple demonstration of their ability to change back and forth between forms is usually enough to prove a Chibi Pokégirl’s validity for most League officials, and it is becoming increasingly common, particularly in Pro-Pokégirl leagues, for there to be laws against discriminating against Chibi owners, though their effectiveness is still variable.
Chibi Pokégirls continue to age normally in their adult form, becoming Pokéwomen, and then becoming old. As they age, however, usually around the time they become Pokéwomen, gain greater control over their transformation abilities, slowly allowing them to take the appearance of any age between around ten, and their true age. While transformed into any given age, the Pokégirl feels as vibrant as if it were their real age, though, while that form doesn’t feel the aches and pains of old age that her adult form would, when a Chibi Pokégirl’s time is up, she still dies of natural causes, no matter what form she is in. Chibi Pokégirls with the Longevity trait work as normal, however, their 'adult' forms likewise age much slower than normal Pokégirls due to their extended lifespans.
Intentionally breeding Chibi-template Pokégirls is a fairly tricky process. They can only have one parthenogenic birth in their entire lifespan as a Pokégirl, while they return to human standard while Pokéwomen. The theory is that because of the genetic anomaly in their bodies that allows them to shift between a younger-seeming form and an older-one, their reproductive system is forcibly limited. Their bodies tend to shrink down while giving birth and their body can’t handle more than one baby at a time. As such, and surprisingly enough, breeding Chibi Pokégirls tends to be a profitable business. It isn’t all that reliable however, due to the difficulty of finding one.
Chibi Pokégirls’ ability to bear offspring is regulated by their true age. After their first puberty, they are subject to possibly undergoing parthenogenesis, whatever form their in. Though, as stated, it will only happen once. Once they undergo their second puberty, they are capable of giving birth to children, again, in either form. Shifting forms doesn’t cause complications with the pregnancy, but it is less painful for the Chibi Pokégirl to remain in her larger form during this time. Since they naturally revert to their child form during sleep, a pregnant Chibi Pokégirl tends to stay up for days at a time. Giving birth is sometimes so painful that they lose their concentration and shift back to their child form, causing even more pain for them as they struggle to bring their young into the world.
Feral Chibi Pokégirls revert to their smaller form because they no longer have the ability to concentrate on maintaining their adult form. This naturally causes them to look like an immature Feralborn Pokékit of their type. Since immature Feralborn Pokékits are usually cared for by their mother until they hit puberty, finding one alone may be a clue that it is, in fact, a Feral Chibi Pokégirl. Most people don’t realize that the young Pokégirl they’ve found though is legally Tamable, and Feral Chibi Pokégirls tend to stay Feral for a long time since no one wants to risk Taming a Pokékit. To date there are only a small number of cases recorded of a girl thresholding into a Chibi Pokégirl of any form.
It is theorized that the potential to become a Chibi exists in all Pokégirls as a part of the basic code. No one is sure why – some say Sukebe was drunk at the time, and decided to seal the template thereafter, or that, suiting to his name, his perversity knew no bounds and he wanted all of his creations to be capable of the transformation. Why he chose against using it for all but a few select purposes during the Revenge War is also unknown, but afterwards the template was all but lost until it was accidentally rediscovered some time later.
It is unknown exactly why, but Pokégirls with the Youthful enhancement, such as Shadowgirls or Dracasses, have never been recorded to become a Chibi Pokégirl. It is believed that some feature of the Youthful genome overrides the effects of the template, preventing it from ever taking form.
To some's dismay, Chibi Pokégirls are neither better nor worse at Sex Battles than before. This, combined with the fact that the Pokégirl’s libido remains unchanged in either form, can make for some very strange encounters.