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 Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 3:28 am
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Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 3:35 am
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Fandom: Pokemon, game-verse
Genre: General
Title: Birthdays
Memory is a fickle thing.
As far as Red's mind is concerned, he did not exist before age three.
Recollections of age four are fuzzy, like an impenetrable haze. He could distinctly remember the bright flame on a red candle, a large hand patting his head and crumbs on the sofa. Nothing specific.
Perhaps his first, clear memories is when he was age five, old enough to want his own Pokemon except he received a cap instead. Nevertheless, he had happily walked out of the Safari Zone hand-in-hand with mom and dad, tummy full from mom's delicious hand-made sandwiches, eyes brimming with excitement when dad promises a Poliwag on his next birthday if (and ONLY IF) he does well in school.
He did not get his Pokemon on his sixth birthday; his father never came back. The celebration was a quiet, awkward one. There was cake, sandwiches and forced cheer. His report card-- which named him top of the class-- lay forgotten on the table. At night, he could hear his mom crying in the bedroom.
After they moved into Pallet Town, his subsequent birthdays (seven, eight and nine) were celebrated along with the Oak family. Professor Oak would let him feed the Pokemon in his laboratory (as long as he behaves, but then again, he always does); Daisy would knit him a scarf or make him tea; and Blue-- proud and selfish Blue-- would let him win in all the games they played, would let him have all the cupcakes and Pokemon feed because he wanted him to be happy (and he, in return, would pretend he couldn't finish the cupcakes, or that his hands were tired from feeding... so that Blue could have fun too). In the evening, there would be cake and sandwiches. His mother promised him each year that each birthday would be even more spectacular, and Red believed her.
... That is, until his tenth birthday, which had him and Blue sprawling on the mud, trading kicks and punches. The reason for the fight was insignificant, because Blue had stopped playing with him and started picking on him some time ago, but whatever he said that day had hurt. There were Pokemon, scarves, sandwiches and cakes. But he only wanted his best friend back.
He finally, finally received his first Pokemon on his eleventh birthday. He would have waited for a day or two before he left Pallet Town on a journey, but his mother knew how delighted he was, how eager he had prepared for the trip that she sent him off... but not before packing enough sandwiches that could last a week.
Hopping into warp tiles, battling grunts; his twelfth birthday passed quietly as he saved Silph Co. from Team Rocket. There were no cakes or sandwiches, but he got a Lapras as a thank you gift.
Thirteen was, perhaps, the most memorable one if he remembers. He never does since he left home... And when he does after a week, he wonders if Blue had lose in purpose so that he could have the Champion's title on his birthday. Perhaps that was why he dropped the title to Lance six months later.
He would have forgotten his fourteenth as well, if Blue had not found him. He was training in Sevii Island, trying to hone Charizard's Blast Burn when something smacked him on the face. Turns out to be a bag that contained a PokeGear, a scarf and sandwiches. For the first time in four years, he was able to sit with whom he'd consider his best friend and rival. The conversation was one-sided, but he didn't mind eating quietly while listening to Blue's rant on practically everything: like how Red never went home and how his mom is worried sick, how tiring it was to be a Viridian Gym Leader and (oh, where do you think former Viridian Gym Leader went?) whether he had heard of Mount Silver. Blah blah. They had a battle after, and his rival lose.
Fifteen he spent on Mount Silver, braving harsh winds and large wet snow, finally putting Daisy's scarf to good use. It was snowing heavily and the temperature was below freezing, but all his attention was on Pikachu as it trounced and thrashed an Ursaring effortlessly. Yup, time to train Snorlax.
And now...
Up here on the mountain, the world unfurled itself like a tapestry. It is one of those rare days when the endless snow is not too heavy, and that small bits hovered and danced in the crisp, cold air.
He spreads his arms and imagines that, if he would allow it, the wind could sweep him away. And then he would be free. Except, he is too heavy. Memories are heavy, people are heavy, especially the ones he carry inside his head (he briefly wonders how his mom is doing, because he hasn't call her for a year or two...). Pokemon are heavy, and they were too precious to give up (although he free the ones that are not in his main team). Burdens are heavy, despite the fact that he had given the Champion title to Lance, trainers would still challenge him because they were told of a tale, of a Legendary Pokemon Trainer whose skills has ascended to a plane where no one can touch him (and perhaps that is why he stay in Mt Silver; only the best could reach him).
Footsteps break him out of his reverie. The cave emerges a boy with golden eyes and a black-and-yellow baseball cap.
Without a word, both trainers reach their Poke Balls. He expects to win, not because he is overconfident, but because he has no reason not to. Why wouldn't he? When he has beaten everyone else?
...
On his sixteenth birthday, he returns home.
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Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 3:45 am
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Fandom: Ragnarok Online, TalonRO-verse
Genre: Drama, Adventure
Title: Together, We Stand!!
The ground trembled as if a high wizard cast Heaven's Drive on it. It felt as if the cavern was about to collapse a dozen of Ice Titans stampede after them.
“Fall back!” Lady Ruth screamed as she unleashed a Lightning Bolt behind, hitting and momentarily slowing down an Ice Titan. The rest of her companions followed after her, though a few lagged behind to distract those enraged frost giants. They have lose an assassin, Jon Snow. One of their healers, Emy, had teleported just a fraction of second before the Ice Titan's gigantic legs could crush her.
Despite being a stalker, WonglaX was barraging the Ice Titans by sniping them with arrows. His speed was similar to—if not faster than— a Gatling gun; behold, the power of a DDTS weapon that quickens one movement... Nevertheless, his attacks did little to hurt the frost giants, except maybe to slow them down. A little.
Baldog, an Anubis hat-wearing priest, was tailing closely behind her, flinging Heals and Increase Agility to the rest of the party. His Increase Agility worked so well that high wizard Rieppo ran past her and took lead.
BeSucked half-stumbled to the ground, his actions were uncharacteristically ungraceful as an assassin. Bytes was running in a zigzagged manner, obviously up to something.
ShadySniper’s gaze darted front and back furiously, and placed a few fingers in his mouth. On his whistle, his falcon emitted a shriek cry as it dove down, barraging the titans with its steely sharp talons.
Without any warning, Rieppo stopped running in front of her. He turned, and the sage could see that the high wizard’s brown eyes have steeled into resolve as he uttered long strings of incantations. Everyone stopped running, as if not wanting to leave their comrade behind. Not even coordinating, they have formed a protective circle in front of Rieppo.
A large magic circle weaved itself on the ground, forming an approximate radius on where the spell would fall. The Ice Titans roared-- and lo, what a deafening sound-- as they surged forward together. The ground was moving so much that the sage thought the world was trying to topple. With just a swing of an arm, they sent WonglaX (who was closest to them) careening towards the wall.
Bytes and Shades whistled their commands, commanding their falcons to Blitz Beat but their attacks did little to slow them down.
Ruth murmured swiftly, creating a field of Violent Gale on the ground before them. Her mind was clear and focused, courtesy of Dog’s Suffragium.
The Titans ruthlessly marched forward, and the female sage clenched her fist.
Is that it? Were they going to die like that?
Suddenly, the cavern was filled with sharp sounds of metal snapping. The Ice Titans howled in surprised, but they had stopped advancing.
Lady Ruth turned and noticed how Bytes’s lips twitched into a slight smile-
The world turned white.
Booming thunder and furious roars echoed across the cavern as Rieppo’s Lord of Vermillion descended against the Ice Titans, striking against their ice body. The acrid stench of burning ice soon filled the air.
“Again!” Ruth screamed.
The high wizard did not even have to be prompted twice; he had started his next chant.
The Ice Titans were shaking their battered, melting bodies, attempting to free themselves from the traps Bytes have set up. The cave trembled so much that bits of rocks are starting to fall from the ceiling. Even though they weren’t at the greatest position, Ruth still marveled at the fact that something so small could still trap something gigantic; it is said the size of the trap did not matter, for there would is a binding magic inside that could only be activated by a hunter’s touch.
The large magic circle formed again, shining brighter as ever. Traps started to snap and was pulled off the ground; the Ice Titans forcefully pulled through them... only to be pushed backwards. It was like a slow dance; the monsters advancing, the humans retreating. Step by synchronized step, ending with a grandiose crash of lightning. Again and again waves of arrows and falcons' talons, heat and cold, lightning bolts and lord of vermillions were exchanged until at last, when the party thought they could take not another assault when the Ice Titans gave one last roar and... crumbled into ice.
They did it.
Lady Ruth could only stared on the Ice Titans' remains on the ground, which was picked away by her BeSucked and Shadysniper like how a Poring would swallow any item on the ground.
They really did it.
Emy was on her way back. Baldog was reviving those unconscious members.
They weren't annihilated like before; they overcame it together.
Rieppo and bytes, chatting in the background, laughing.
They were alive!
The sage felt a chill on her cheeks. She wiped them and found that they were tears.
Was this the power of friendship? No, not really. This was a party formed by people who barely knew each other, and yet was able to coordinate like a team. Was teamwork really that beautiful? If it was, then she would want to experience it, again and again: the thrill of being close to death, only to overcame it with combined efforts.
Together, they would overcome everything!
They were soon gathered together again. The priests renewing buffs around them. The party looked at their unofficial leader, the sage. She flashed her brightest grin.
"Let's mosey!"
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