The Final Level (PG-16)

[Lusankya]

(OOC: That's okay, but next time you could try to find a way to do it where you don't totally mess up the order of what I was trying to do. ^^; I'll find a way through it...)

Michael was rather astonished when the Lucario responded in his own language. Pokemon that could speak English were rare in the world, not least because the vocal cords of most Pokemon weren't anywhere near suited for the production of the subtle nuances of speech that so characterized human language. Then again, maybe we're not so subtle after all, Michael thought. If Pokemon could understand each other simply by saying the same few syllables over and over again, then there had to be some kind of hidden code, or something.

Michael introduced himself to the Lucario. While the other two Pokemon did so as well, Michael looked around for the source of the rumbling. It was continueing without increasing or decreasing in volume or intensity, and it didn't seem to be coming from any particular direction. Maybe Michael couldn't see far enough?

"I'm going to climb a tree," he told the other three being, and grabbed a nearby sturdy-looking tree branch. Swinging his feet into contact with the trunk, he scrambled up the tree as best he could. When he reached the top, he was panting heavily. He was definitely not in top physical condition, nor an exemplerary example of an athlete.

From his position above the treetops, it became obvious where the rumbling was coming from. Clouds were covering the snow-white dome.

Michael looked around and marveled at what he saw. They had to be in a building, for there was no other explanation for a domed sky. Yet it was impossible for any building to be this large. He could see to the horizon, as though this were a world, not a construct.

And not too far from the horizon, was a mountain, belching smoke and flame. It was the source for those "clouds" that were darkening the sky, and no doubt the source of the rumbling as well. Michael knew what it was. A volcano. Indoors. The sheer ridiculousness of it caused him to shake his head. This was beyond any trick of technology he could possibly imagine.

But it was dangerous, and he knew that. The mountain was already blooming with smoke and lava. It could blow, really blow, any second.

Michael hopped down out of the tree as fast as he could, without hurting himself. His hands stung from grabbing the bark of the tree. "Guys, I think we ought to move. Fast. There's a volcano, and I reckon it's going to blow."

 

[King_Lucario]

Cario and Michael continued to exchange greetings when, suddenly, a horrid quake shook the ground beneath them. Cario got into his ready stance to prepare for the worse. The quake stopped without a care. Michael, dumbfounded, climbed a tree.

"I'm going to climb a tree," he said. "Gotta find out what's going on." Cario nodded his head and turned to Pika and Radcliffe who were continuing their conversation.

"Something about this game. I was carrying you and something came and healed you back up." Pika said. The rumbling came back, this time, with much more intensity and ferocity than the prior quake. The quake did not stop. In order to keep his balance, Cario had to levitiate in the air, something he did not do often. Michael came down from the tree with a worried look in his eye.

"Guys...," Michael quivered. Cario stopped levitating and tried to maintain balance on his own because it was exhausting his power: something he would need in the long run.

"What is it, Michael?" Cario asked.

"I think we ought to move. Fast. There's a volcano, and I reckon it's going to blow." Michael said. Cario looked up into the sky and could see the silvery-white dome being clouded with grey smoke. The rumbling intensified as Radcliffe, Pika, Cario, and Michael stood there, unsure of what to do next besides run.

 

[Raibutai]

After falling over, Pika wondered what would happen next.

Hm... I don't think that this is an earthquake, since the ground would be splitting up by now. And anyways, I know this place is artificial.

Pika looked around at all the players gathered around him. The Raichu looked bored, the Lucario was struggling to levitate, and the human... was deep in thought. Suddenly, the man spoke.

"I'm going to climb a tree," the human said. "Gotta find out what's going on."

"Okay, you go ahead and do that. I'll see if anything is supisious around here..."

Pika wondered what the man was up to as he nimbly scaled the tree.

Hm. There really isn't anything out of the ordinary here. But, we still need to find out what's going on about this rumbling.

The ground began to shake again, and Pika, once again, fell flat on his face.

"O-ow... This really can't be good..."

At this time, the man literally dropped down from his perch in the tree. And he looked scared.

"What is it, Michael?" asked the Lucario.

The man was shaking a bit, so it didn't look like there was any way this could be good.

Uh oh. This looks bad. Really bad.

"Guys, I think we ought to move. Fast. There's a volcano, and I reckon it's going to blow."

 

[King_Lucario]

With a volcano on the brink of erupting and the only place to run was inside a white dome, Cario, Michael, Radcliffe, and Pika were running out of ideas. The four ran as far as they could inside the forest, but the thick brush proved to much for Cario's aura-mapping skills.

"I can't see through the brush!" Cario shouted as Radcliffe, Michael, and Pika ran behind him. Cario tried his best to navigate the seemingly endless forest, but he was getting exhausted: the combination fo running and the use of aura also proved to great for him. As Cario was running, he felt the ground under him give way. Cario stopped running and looked under the ground with his aura. He noticed that under the ground was a deep labryinth with many tunnels.

"What is it, Cario?" Michael asked as he looked at Cario standing there, not moving.

"Don't move. Anyone. This ground is completely fragile. One false move could shatter the ground beneath our feet and send us tumbling into the labryinth. And from where we are all standing, once the ground shatters we'll be separated from each other," Cario explained. Everyone stopped moving and looked at Cario as he continued examining the ground.

"What are we going to do?" Radcliffe asked.

"I'm not sure," Cario said. Cario continued to stand still as the volcano in the distant began to erupt.

 

[Lusankya]

(OOC: Alright, two-post rule officially disabled. And King_Lucario, less bunnying please.)

Michael gave another look at the three Pokemon, each of them sitting there like multicolored fruit, ripe for the picking. He shook his head, and took off at a decent pace, jogging through the forest. Arceus might know how long this forest went on, or how far they had to run to be safe from the volcano, but Michael sure didn't. The thought that the forest might go on forever occurred to him, and it was not a pleasant thought.

"I can't see through the bush," Cario shouted out in human-speak behind Michael. Michael glanced over his shoulder and noticed that the Lucario was quite a bit behind him and the other two Pokemon, and seemed to be extremely tired. What did he mean by "I can't see through the bush?" Michael was just about to ask when Cario looked at the ground.

"What is it, Cario?" Michael asked the strange Pokemon.

"Don't move. Anyone. This ground is completely fragile. One false move could shatter the ground beneath our feet and send us tumbling into the labryinth. And from where we are all standing, once the ground shatters we'll be separated from each other."

How did he know? Something else he was about to ask when Radcliffe asked something about what they should do. Cario's reply was not comforting. "I'm not sure."

Michael shook his head. "We have to keep moving." A mere three seconds after he finished the sentence, an enourmous scorpion tail-like thing exploded out of the ground behind him and stabbed at him. Michael, eye's wider than a giant squid's, rolled to the side. The tail smashed through the ground, making a hole.

"Looks like this is what made the labryinth," Michael said. The ground around the hole the tail had made as it stabbed into the ground was crumbling into the cavity below. "Move!" Michael shouted.

 

[Raibutai]

As the group silently hustled along, Pika thought about things for a moment.

Guh. How long does this forest stretch? I mean, with a valcano about to erupt, we really could use a little bit of time...

Suddenly, the Lucario in front of him broke the eerie silence.

"I can't see through the bush,"

Um... what's that supposed to mean? Of course you can't... Oh. I forgot about a Lucario's mental abilities. That could be bad...

Stopping for amoment, the human in the group stopped. "What is it, Cario?"

Ah! So the Lucario's name is Cario!

"Don't move. Anyone. This ground is completely fragile. One false move could shatter the ground beneath our feet and send us tumbling into the labryinth. And from where we are all standing, once the ground shatters we'll be separated from each other."

Yep, this is bad. Real bad. But what are we supposed to do about this? If we can't move, we can't escape!... but, I have to trust him. A Lucario can see many things, and sense things no other creature can.

Behind Pika, the Raichu asked about what they should do. And the reply did not put Pika's fears to rest. In fact, it made them worse. "I don't know," he responded.

Back in front of him, the man shook his head. "We have to keep moving." Jst three seconds later, a giant scorpion-like tail rose out of the ground and struck at the human. Seeming to be very agile, the human reacted immediately and dodged to the side. Peircing the ground, the tail made a hole in the ground.

"Looks like this is what made the labryinth," Michael said. As time passed, the ground around the top of the hole began to crumble. "Move!" he shouted.

 

[King_Lucario]

As Cario stood there, dazed, he heard Michael say something.

"We have to keep moving," he ushered. Cario, listening to his gut feeling, did not move. He felt a quake under his feet. Suddenly, as if it materialized out of thin air, a large scorpion-esque tail appeared out of the ground.

"Move!" Pika shouted.

"Looks like this is what made the labryinth," Michael shouted as the four began dodging the large tail. The tail lunged at Cario, but he used his aura powers to thrust it away into the air. Cario managed to thrust the creature with such great force that the ground under them broke. Cario jumped on top of the creature's tail and hung on for sheer life.

"Back to where you came from!" Cario shouted as he began to glow. Cario thrust his palms into the creature's tail. Cario began to charge his aura, but was suddenly stopped in the proccess. What!!! Cario thought to himself. This creature can block the path of my aura! We're in serious trouble now! Cario hopped off of the tail and landed on a tree. Michael, Radcliffe, and Pika had moved out of the way of the breaking ground. Cario, hanging on the tree, tried again to fire his aura, but found his aura to still be blocked.

"You will die!" Cario shouted at the beast. As Cario jumped for the tail, he looked down into the labryinth. He couldn't see it clearly, but Cario could make out eight blood-red eyes deep within the labryinth. Not knowing where he was going, Cario ran into the tail. The scorpion creature reached up and grabbed Cario with a pincer. Cario managed to break free, but not before being savagely stabbed with the large scorpion's stinger. Cario felt poison coursing through his body, his aura being depleted. I can't let my aura go away or else I will die..., Cario thought. He pulled himself off of the stinger, but began to fall into the labryinth. Using the last energy he had, he steered himself towards a sturdy ledge. A loud shrill hiss could be heard from deep within the labryinth. Cario, hanging on for dear life, shouted out in pain. "Michael! Help me!"

Not knowing his fate, Cario hung on to the ledge, hoping that Michael will come to save him before he fell to his doom. It was at this moment that Cario realized that he could not beat this...game....by himself...

...he would need help...

 

[Raibutai]

"Looks like this is what made the labryinth," Michael mumbled as their little group of four began dodging the giant tail. After a few moments, Cario thrusted his palms together and charged his aura.

Pushing the creature away for a moment, Cario smashed it into the ground with great force.

So this is the power of a Lucario's aura! We sure are lucky that we have him with us...

This moment of triumph was shattered when the tail rose to strike again. Pika looked up, and noticed Cario holding onto the tail with great determination.

What is he thinking? He could get himself killed!

Suddenly, a distant shout rang through the air. "Go back to where you came from!" Pika could see the blue sphere growing in Cario's hand, but...

IT WAS DEFLECTED!

This can't be! How could this... No time to think, I must act!

Pika rolled to the side to dodge the monster when he saw Cario jump to a tree. Holding onto a branch, Cario screamed again. "You will die!"

The Lucario jumped towards the tail when a pincer came out of the hole and grabbed him. Pika had to look away when Cario was stabbed savagely by the scorpion's stinger.

Pika wondered what would happen when Cario broke free and fell towards one of the ledges. Cario grabbed the ledge and screamed for the third time. "Michael! Help me!"

Ah. I see. He finally realizes that he needs help...

Pika couldn't bear to watch this teerible sight any more, so he used Agility to steer himself towards Cario.

"Cario! Hold on just a moment more!"

Zipping through the humid air, Pika closed his eyes as he reached out with his arms.

Thump.

I made contact. But with what? This could very well be my last moments...

After an intense moment, Pika decided to open his eyes.

He frantically looked around, and his eyes rested on Cario, who was lying on the ground, several feet away from Pika. But he was alive.

Pika immediately took action. He grabbed Cario's arm and ran towards a pile of brush. "Everyone! Run for your lives!"

 

[Lusankya]

The tail struck at Cario, but the Pokemon somehow deflected the path of the mighty sting, and it slammed into the ground again, smashing right through the soil. The Lucario lunged at the tail, grabbing on to it and hanging on for dear life.

"Back to where you came from!" Cario began to glow, and he threw his arms out against the tail. Nothing happened. The tail flicked, and Cario was sent flying. Fortunately, he managed to land on a tree branch that didn't collapse under the strain. He jumped at the tail again, but a enourmous pincer rose out of the ground and pinched him. The tail came and gave a quick little jab in the Pokemon's neck. Somehow, Cario still managed to pull himself free, but he fell onto the edge of the widening hole in the ground. "Michael! Help me!"

"Hang on!" Michael started towards Cario, but was beat by the Pikachu, who zoomed towards the other Pokemon and tackled him clear out of the cavern.

The ground, which had not stopped rumbling since it first began, began to shake more violently. A shrill hiss sounded deep within the cavern, and both the tail and pincer retreated. A distant, echoing boom sounded in the distance.

Michael turned around. Somehow, inexplicably, the trees and undergrowth had parted, giving him a clear view of the mountain. Lava flowing down the sides and carved a circle into the side of the mountain. Within it was inscribed a vertical line. No, not a line, Michael amended, as the symbol took shape. It was a meaningful symbol. A 1 of glowing orange material, inscribed onto a circle of lava.

And the mountain exploded. More smoke and ash than Michael had ever concieved to exist in one place at a time suddenly blanketed his view. He turned around, beginning the run.

An ear-splitting shriek sounded from within the cavern, causing him to drop to his knees and hold his ears in pain. A dozen tentacles, as thick around as his arms and quicker than whips, exploded from the cavern and grabbed at his waist. As they flung him into the cavern, he saw that they had also twisted their way around the other three Pokemon. He was dragged bodily into the labryinth, and darkness took him.

 

[King_Lucario]

Cario hung on to the ledge for dear life. He continued shouting. "Michael! Help me!" The ground was shaking and the hissing from deep within the dark cold labryinth continued. Then, Cario was tackled by something. What was that? Cario thought to himself as the impact knocked him out. For a few moments, Cario lay on the ground without moving, scared of what the scorpion creature would do. Cario finally looked up and saw Pika looking at Cario straight in the eyes. Cario looked closely at Pika's mouth, which was trying to say something.

You're okay.

That's what Cario saw Pika say. Cario, still laying on the ground, then saw Michael begin to run towards him, but stopped. Cario looked around and saw that the trees and brush had given way. Cario looked around and saw that the large dome was quickly building up with smoke and ash. Michael, being only a mere human, could not stand it as Cario clearly saw. Michael fell to the ground coughing violently as the volcano in the distance continued to erupt. Cario watched the lava get ever so near. He noticed that the lava was flowing in odd directions. Using what aura he had stored up, Cario took a bird's eye view to look at the lava. A 1 of glowing orange material, inscribed onto a circle of lava. Cario couldn't believe his eyes. He got up rather slowly, but was quickly pulled back down.

"Cario!" Michael shouted as he coughed. Cario realized he was being dragged by something. He turned around and saw a tentacle wrapped around his body. Struggling to get free, Cario still couldn't use his aura powers to free himself. He watched in horror as he, Michael and Pika were dragged down into the dark labryinth. But one thing puzzled Cario--Where was Radcliffe?

((OoC: Sorry, Lusankya for copying your line. I couldn't think of anything. :nervous:))

 

[Raibutai]

Running as fast as his feet could take him, Pika tried to avoid the lava and ash. And with the burden of Cario, it was hard. Pika ried to dash left and right, but the ash seemed to know where he was going.

On the ground, Cario seemed to be observing something: maybe the lava.

The lava didn't look too queer, but there was a large vertical line in inscribed in the lava.

"What could that mean?... I wonder..."

Michael suddenly came running, but then he keeled over and covered his ears in pain as he heard a frightening shriek.

"Ow! My ears! Are they bleeding?"

Fortunately for Pika, Cario finally came to his senses and got up... but he got pulled back down.

Huh? What's this?... Tentacles?

A large tentacle wrapped around Cario's body, and got tossed into the darkness. Pika tried to run, but it was fultile; another tentacle wrapped around him, and pulled him away. Pika stared forward... Then he noticed something odd. Radcliffe was gone! Just GONE!

This place is starting to get creepier and creepier every minute.

Struggling to keep awake, Pika tried to move. Unfortunately, he was being bound too tight; he couldn't budge an inch.

No... It can't end like this...

"Ugh."

Everything was black when Pika fainted.

 

[Lusankya]

Michael awoke to a shriek in the dark.

When he opened his eyes, at he didn't notice any difference between his eyes being open and being closed. For a few seconds he grabbed at his face, thinking he had gone blind. But as his eyes adjusted, he realized he hadn't gone blind; where ever he was was simply extremely dark. But there was a bit of light. He looked up, and saw a tiny bit of light trickling down from above.

His back hurt from lying against the hard rocks. The surface of this cave was extremely rough, and there were rocks, large and small, lying everywhere. That meant it wasn't carved out by water erosion, because if that were true, the walls would be smooth.

But what had the shriek been? Michael looked around for the source. It was still echoing quietly in the confines of the cave.

A flash in the dark. Michael blinked. What had that been? As he stared at the spot, it appeared again, and this time, it stayed. A pair of glowing red eyes, of some monstrous creature. Michael's heart froze, and he scrambled backwards a little.

However, he had nothing to worry. Whatever the eyes belonged to turned around and left. Michael heard it's footsteps as it trudged through the labyrinth of cave tunnels.

"Radcliffe? Pika? Cario?" Michael called uneasily. To his relief, he saw movement that was probably his companions.

"Here," said a voice. Michael wasn't too sure who it belonged too.

Wait a minute. Was the cave getting brighter? He could see the walls better now. What-

He turned around, and saw an orange glow coming from a tunnel branching off from their part of the cavern. Something clicked in his head, and he realized what the glow was. Lava. Squeezing its way through the tunnels. And quickly, for the glow was getting brighter very fast.

"Oh god. Guys, we gotta move. Move. Move!" Michael shouted, as he ran towards the other three Pokemon. "This way!" he said, gesturing to one of the side tunnels. It was angled slightly backwards, so there was a good chance that the lava wouldn't go too far into it. "Come on!" he finished, and started the run off into the tunnel.

 

[Raibutai]

Pika was merrily running through the woods, nothing was wrong with the day.

"Ah. What a nice day-"

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

"Ah!" Pika had sat up so quickly that he landed face first on the ground. "Ow... That hurt."

And I was having such a nice dream... Huh.

Pika noticed that he couldn't see anything, so he tried to feel around the area.

Nothing, nothing... Huh? Pika's paw touched cold stone.

"Ah! Oh, that scared me... I'd better not do that next time, or I'll fall over."

This is starting to creep me out. I better find the others...

Suddenly a voice rang out, breaking the silence for a mere moment. "Radcliffe? Pika? Cario?

Pika rejoiced at the sound of Michael's voice. He began moving to the source of the sound, and whispered, "Here."

Finally, Pika could see Michael.

Wait a second? How can I see him? Pika's eyes darted to the side. He saw lava. Real lava.

Not knowing what to do, Pika looked a Michael for ideas.

"Oh god. Guys, we gotta move. Move. Move!" Michael shouted. He desperately looked for a place to run, and spotted one. Pointing at it, he yelled again. "This way!" Then Michael sprinted as hard as he could towards the tunnel. "Come on!"

Pika quickly obliged. Scrambling out of the main cave in an undignified manner, Pika looked back, and shouted, "Guys! Just get out of here!" Then he ran.

 

[King_Lucario]

A hot wind gust through the dark cave. Cario looked up and noticed that there was a small bit of light peering through the ceiling. It appears we've been caved in, Cario thought to himself. He looked around and noticed that Michael was wadering about. Simple human. Unable to see clearly in the dark, Cario thought to himself. He continued looking around. He saw Pika, but could not see Radcliffe. Where had he gone? Cario was not sure. But he was sure that there was a light in the distance. THe light gave off a dull red-orange glow. A glow that soothed Cario. But suddenly, the feelings of happiness quickly drained from Cario.

"Lava!" Michael shouted.

"What!" Cario exclaimed.

"Oh god. Guys, we gotta move. Move. Move!" Michael shouted. He desperately looked for a place to run, and spotted one. Pointing at it, he yelled again. "This way!" Then Michael sprinted as hard as he could towards the tunnel. "Come on!" Cario began to stand up, but could not. He quickly fell to the ground. The sound of raging fire began to get ever-so-closer. The heat began to escalate. Cario could only watch in fear as his companions began to run. It was then Cario realized a horrible truth:

His legs were broken.


He could not move.

 

[Twilight Wolf]

Just my luck that I had to space out for a very long time.

Just my luck that the Shaymin was gone.

Just my luck that I had no company.

Just my luck, like everything else.

I was snapped out of my trance by immense tremors in the ground.

"Whoa!" I cried out. I could sense that a volcano was erupting somewheres very near. I yearned to wait for the lava to come, but the tremors forced me to resist. I thrust up into the air, and surveyed the fake land.

There was the volcano, which was erupting already, blowing hunks and globs of rock and molten lava everywhere.

"Coooool." I said with a hint of satisfaction. I decided to stay in the air; maybe I could find the way out....

 

[Lusankya]

Michael looked back, Both Pika and Radcliffe were moving just fine, but Cario had stumbled to the ground. Michael hesitated for a few seconds, then ran over. "What's the matter with you?" he muttered as he closed the distance. In the dim light, he could see that the Lucario's legs were bent at odd angles and in the wrong place. Broken.

"Damn," he muttered, along with several more choice swear words. "Sorry, this is gonna hurt." Grabbing Cario by the arms, he began to drag him along the irregular, rocky ground into the tunnel. Meanwhile, the temperature kept going up and up, and the light from the glowing molten rock kept getting brighter and brighter. As the lava spilled into the chamber from beyond the tunnel, Michael reached the "safe" tunnel.

Thank god for viscosity, he thought. The lava was flowing at a stately pace, probably at a slow jog. Once he was certain they were far enough up the tunnel to be safe, he set down Cario's upper body, sat down on his butt, and heaved a sigh of relief. That had been close.

This tunnel was lined with some kind of glowing algae or fungus or something, because the stuff lined the walls of the tunnel, glowing bright green. Michael wasn't complaining, it made it easy to see inside the otherwise dark tunnel. But the tremors were shaking the tunnel, and bits of strange glowing powder kept falling off the sides of the tunnel, making Michael fear it collapsing.

Little did he know, that the powder had a powerful knockout effect. Within minutes, everyone in the tunnel was fast asleep.

Hours later, Michael woke up. He was still in the tunnel, but now he was moving quickly. A thick tentacle was wrapped around his midsection, dragging him along without touching the walls. The same could be said for the other players he had met. While the wind roared in his ears, within seconds they had emerged aboveground. What had once been verdant (and monster-infested) green forest was now an utter wasteland, as pyroclastic flows and ashfall had blanketed the entire level with several feet of pulverized rock.

Michael looked up in front of him. The source of the tentacles was a gigantic daddy long legs-type spider, the size of an office building. He was still a bit too woozy for the thought of fighting for his life to occur to him. But he needn't have worried, as the spider set him and the other players down gently against the ground. The ash was still hot. Quite hot, in fact, and Michael sprang up onto his feet so avoid getting burned.

"CONGRATULATIONS." A gigantic voice boomed from the heavens, making Michael jump. "You have passed Level 2! Now onto Level 3!"

The ground shook again, and a massive amount of dust rose into the air. Michael saw the shadows of immense objects rise into the air. When the dust settled, he saw they were in a city. The sky was dark and covered with clouds. The buildings were all about a dozen stories and all looked identical. Cars lined the streets, abandoned and empty. In the distance, perhaps the center of the city, was an enourmous cylindrical tower, with a little UFO-shaped disk at the top, and tipped with a spike that had a glowing red ring of energy floating around it.

Level 3: City of Destruction
This isn't the urban jungle, this is the urban maze. Players must find their way through the twisted streets and out of the city to complete the level. But beware, danger lurks in every dark alley, and what seems harmless at first can kill you...

"WELCOME TO APOKALIPS CITY!" the voice boomed. "Find your way out to advance to Level 4! For references purposes, the tower is at the center of the city, so move in the general direction of away from it! A warning to all creatures capable of flight: Advancing above rooftop levels for more than five seconds will result in an unsatisfacory mark on your record and a stern warning. Followed by death." As though the accent his words, a pair of jet fighters zoomed overhead, the sonic booms echoing between the buildings on either side of the street. "Have fun!"

 

[Twilight Wolf]

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

"CONGRATULATIONS." A gigantic voice boomed. "You have passed Level 2! Now onto Level 3!"

Awesome! I thought.

The ground shook again, and a massive amount of dust rose into the air. I saw the shadows of what seemed like buildings rise into the air. When the dust settled, I saw that the buildings were all a part of a city.

The sky was covered with clouds as black or even blacker than tar. The buildings had no difference between each other. Cars littered the streets, with nothing or no one inside of them. In the distance was an enourmous tower, with a little UFO-shaped disk at the top, and tipped with a spike that had a glowing red ring of energy floating around it.

"WELCOME TO APOKALIPS CITY!" the voice yelled. "Find your way out to advance to Level 4! For references purposes, the tower is at the center of the city, so move in the general direction of away from it! A warning to all creatures capable of flight: Advancing above rooftop levels for more than five seconds will result in an unsatisfacory mark on your record and a stern warning. Followed by death." As though the accent his words, a pair of jets zoomed over my head, the sonic booms echoing between the buildings on either side of the street. "Have fun!"

"Crap!" I cried, rocketing torwards the ground, and landing with a thud, cracking the concrete. The tower was behind me, and in front of me was a maze of concrete structures.

 

[King_Lucario]

Cario couldn't move, but he could feel well in the darkness. He did not know how, but the darkness shut down his aura-seeing capabilities. He felt someone grab hold of his arms.

"Sorry, buddy. This is gonna hurt," the voice said.

Michael, Cario thought to himself. As soon as Michael began to pull Cario, an intense pain ran through the entire course of his body. Cario wretched and turned in pain, but had to keep movement to a minimum or else Michael would drop Cario and Cario would burn to death by the ever-creeping orange glow of the lava. Eventually, Michael pulled Cario into a tunnel.

"Thanks," Cario said in hush breath. Cario turned around and saw that Micahel was laying on the ground. "I should follow suit," Cario said. He too took a quick nap inside the safe cave.


A few hours later, Cario awoke. He looked around and saw that the walls of the cave were lined with a green algae-esque fungus. What are those things? Cario thought to himself. He leaned over and touched one of the pods, a large aqua green flower bulb with six stame sticking out of the lips of the flower. The flower burst open and a bright yellow powder exploded in Cario's face. What the hell is this? Cario exclaimed in his head. He felt woozy and tired and weak. His limbs became numb and his senses began to fail. Cario lost mental conciousness and could only watch in horror as a slimy green tentacle wrapped around his body. Cario tried to get it off, but he could not move. The tentacle threw Cario out of a hole and into a large street. There were destroyed buildings everywhere and the sky was a bright grey. Smoke.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" a voice roared. Cario looked around to try to find the source, but he could not find it. "You have passed Level 2! Onto Level 3!"

"What the!" Cario exclaimed. He suddenly had full use of his limbs again. Unfortunately, Cario's legs were still broken. Cario had use of his aura again and began to heal himself when another voice sounded.

"WELCOME TO APOKALIPS CITY!" the voice shouted. "Find your way out to advance to Level 4! For references purposes, the tower is at the center of the city, so move in the general direction of away from it! A warning to all creatures capable of flight: Advancing above rooftop levels for more than five seconds will result in an unsatisfacory mark on your record and a stern warning. Followed by death." As soon as the sentence was finished, two jet fighters zoomed by Cario's head, leaving behind a deafening sonicboom in their wake. As if to make fun of the players, the voice sounded again. "Have fun!"

"Great. Another damn level," Cario sneered to himself as he continued to work on his legs.

 

[Lusankya]

"Great. Another damn level," Cario said.

Michael glanced over to the shiny Lucario. He was using his aura on his legs, probably healing them. Funny, Michael didn't know they could use aura to mend broken bones.

"Yeah, and I bet there's going to be a lot more of these," Michael thought aloud. He glanced over at the tower in the distance, then back at Cario. "Once you're done healing yourself, we should get moving. They were nice enough to tell us how to pass this level, so we should be heading out as soon as possible." He looked down the road. The roads of this city twisted and turned, merged and unmerged, making it impossible to know where any one would take them. "Guess they were being literal when they said that this was an urban maze."

The fighters boomed overhead again, and the whoosh of missiles firing could be heard. There was a squawk, likely from some bird Pokemon, and then a loud Boom.

There's another player down... Michael thought. Resisting the rules of the Game couldn't be good. He walked over to try the door of one of the buildings. Locked. As was the one next to it, and the one across the street. The windows were blackened, so he couldn't see inside. Maybe we should try to break a window and get inside... but then again, if they don't want us inside, then maybe we shouldn't go inside. On the other hand, maybe they want us inside, but they just want to make it harder...

Gah. There was no way to know what whoever, or whatever, created this Game wanted them to do.

 

[Raibutai]

Pika moved at a brisk pace, looking back every once and a while to check the progress of the lava and his friends. It was after his third check when he noticed Michael muttering something under his breath.

Curse word, probably.

Michael then moved back into the main cave. Pika was about to pull him back, but he noticed Cario sitting there; his legs at odd angles.

Ooh. Tha's gotta hurt.

Michael strode over to the Lucario, and picked him up by the arms. "Sorry, but this is gonna hurt." Dragging Cario over the rough ground, Michael moved along with the rest of the group at a steady pace. Finally, they reached a generally safe area.

Sighing in relief, Pika went to sleep like a log. "Good night..."

Suddenly, he shot up, wide awake. A large tentacle was wrapped around all of his body, and was carrying him somewhere, and pretty quickly, at that. They emerged aboveground several minutes later, and Pika was grateful to taste fresh air. Then he noticed something funny.

This is the same forest, but it's... like a wasteland! Nothing but ash and lava everywhere.

Pika wondered if he could get down, but he really didn't realize that the ash was still very hot.

"Ow!" Hopping up on a cooler rock, Pika nursed his burnt footpaw.

"CONGRATULATIONS."

Eh? This voice again? No... it's kinda different...

"You have passed Level 2! Now onto Level 3!"

The ground began to shake again, and this released clouds of dust into the polluted air. If you looked closely enough, there was a city behins the fog. Cars stood there, deserted, and there was no sign of life.

Abandoned...

WELCOME TO APOKALIPS CITY!" the same voice barked. "Find your way out to advance to Level 4! For references purposes, the tower is at the center of the city, so move in the general direction of away from it! A warning to all creatures capable of flight: Advancing above rooftop levels for more than five seconds will result in an unsatisfacory mark on your record and a stern warning. Followed by death." "

Pika looked up at this time, and saw two jets fly by. They were followed by a deafening sonicboom.

"Have fun!"

Ugh. Another level. Here we go again!