[video] DRAMABALLS AWAY

[stay_classy_cat]

[RIIIIING. RIIIIIING. RIIIIIIIIIIIING.

What little asshole pulled the fire alarm? Who knows, but after about 30 minutes of being herded to and milling around on the grass, it's announced that this was likely a prank since there's no discernible fire anyone can identify. It's safe to return back to your dorm rooms, and REMINDER; DON'T PULL THE FIRE ALARM AS A PRANK OR YOU WILL GET DETENTION!!! Seems like another ordinary day at Smash Academy, right?

No, there's something a little more ominous in the air...]



Attention, Smash Academy. This is Mayor Tabuu speaking.

[Whoa, something must be really important for him to address Smash Academy's network specifically.]

Eggman is a filthy liar. He's betrayed all of you! The insipid, fat, lumbering oaf is abusing his power and must be stopped.

[Wait... didn't... Tabuu authorize Eggman into Martial Law? Since when has Tabbuu used such flowery insults? SOMETHING WEIRD IS GOING ON.]

He's turned against you, and is robotisizing your own kind! Eirika's been missing from our--your fair academy and this is why! She's been kidnapped by him and was robotisized! If he's not stopped--

[BZZZTTTT--KSSSSHHHHH--! Suddenly, static! WE ARE INTERRUPTING THIS FEED FOR A VERY IMPORTANT HIJACK...]



ATTENTION, SMASH ACADEMY! Listen close and listen well! I am Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the world's greatest genius, and YOUR SAVIOR! I come to you with DIRE NEWS... Your beloved Mayor Tabuu is a FRAUD! An IMPOSTER, created to impersonate him and deliver this city into the hands of your REAL nemesis! Not I, my subjects, someone FAR worse than me!

I speak, of course, of one SETH RICHARDSON! Yes, your friend Seth has been a VERY busy boy this past year! the DRUGGED LOLLIPOPS he's been feeding into the city have caused no end of trouble for everyone! But that's not the LEAST of his crimes... No, with the money he's made from the drugs he's sold, he's created POKEBALLS capable of capturing ANYONE, even HUMANS! And replacing them with PERFECT DUPLICATES, completely subservient to his will!!

I have done my utmost to PROTECT you, to keep you SAFE from the madness Seth's machinations have wrought! And now it's time to STAND UP and TAKE YOUR LIVES BACK!!



Me? That's laughable, truly laughable! How desperate must you be to point fingers at someone such as me, you insipid, fat, lu--bloated worm! Who's honestly going to believe you with your track history? Who could've forgotten your ridiculous and stupid Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park? Or that time you tried to eat everyone's history? Face it, you've had your fun and your time is up. Tabuu wants you out and so does everyone else. If anything we should be standing up and rising against YOU!

Besides, where did you even get all this nonsense about me? I'd like to see some evidence, if your tiny, feeble, cotton-filled brain can comprehend that.

Oh, you're going to EAT those words, you smug, freckle-faced punk! You see, I got all this information from a rather reliable source. Our mutual friend Ulki, who happened to overhear your discussion with your SUPPLIERS, filled me in on ALL the juicy details he overheard. He even brought a little surprise. But don't take MY word for it...

[The camera pans to the side. Ulki is there, flanked by two Badniks. In his hand is the stolen Catball.]

See for YOURSELF.

[Seth stares blankly at the screen, even paling a little bit. Mary... He'll kill her! He'll kill her a million times over. Seth manages a twisted smile but resolve is cracking. He's sure Eggman isn't trustworthy and he could convince everyone else of that, but the bird...]

Ha... ha ha ha! So what? That could be a rock with a pawprint on it for all any of the lot of you know!

[Ulki looks hardly so convinced. ]

Shall we open it then? Besides, [He spins the ball around in his hand, showing the pawprint that was previously obscured.] How could you have known that?

[Seth is brilliantly caught in his own lie, worse yet, he still jumps too eagerly at the chance to cover it up.]

No! Don't! [His lips twitch and his smile is a bitter one, forced and seething.]--You don't know what that would do... do you? You might push a wrong button and hurt whoever's inside. I wouldn't put it past either of you, given your penchant for blatant idiocy anyway.

[Camera pans back to Eggman.] HURT whoever's inside? Now there's an interesting thought... Since when has letting a Pokemon out of their ball HURT them? Now I'm DOUBLY curious to see what's inside! Or would you rather just CONFESS?

Why don't you confess to being unwanted? You're an utter failure at everything you do! None of your plans has ever worked and for good reason: they're dumb. Your fiancé could have picked so much better.

[WISE AND MATURE WORDS FROM SETH RICHARDSON.]

YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET BRINGING HER INTO THIS, YOU PONCE!!

Now hear this, everyone! I am calling for the ARREST of Seth Richardson! Soon my robots will arrive at the academy gates to assume control of the school until he is IN CUSTODY. Submit, and you will be spared. Resist, or otherwise interfere with my efforts, and you will be ARRESTED and ROBOTISIZED INTO MY ARMY!! THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING!!

[Seth makes a grande display of open arms, smugly psychotic grin plastered on his face as if to say, "Dare ye cometh at me, sir?" The fact Eggman just declared robot season open is just as bad as the next line out of him:]

You have no control over me. I'd sooner die then let my plans be interfered by a corpulent, tactless, wretched ignoramus such as yourself! I'll take what's rightfully mine from you whether you and your bushy, unkempt mustache like it or not. [He makes a fist at the screen.] Considering you an equal gentleman would be an insult, so instead of proposing a fair and just duel, I'll promise you this: If you so much as show your face around here or FDC and get in my way, I'll fucking rip you apart!

[WAIT HE'S NOT DONE YET--Seth ducks out of the screen just a moment an returns with something around his neck. Yes it's Flurrie's big balls necklace he's fingering coyly.]

Oh, and tell Flurrie if she wants these back she can come and get them. They're not quite my size.

[Eggman's hands clench into fists of rage.]

YOU... WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU'LL SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE SCRUBBING FLOORS AS A CLEANING BOT!!

I quiver with fear!

YOU WILL BE!!

Comments

THIS IS THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN

[stay_classy_cat]

[While Seth's warning was for Eggman to stay out of his way, he controversially and actively seeks out the man's destruction. Right here right now, on top of FDC's tallest building for all to see. Seth expected Eggman to resort to some ridiculous contraption to give himself an advantage, so why not do the same for himself?

Indeed, Seth looked like he was on steroids; noticeably taller and hunched over, there was a railroad of pinhole marks following up his arms, now thick and muscular and unfitting for his body. His hands bared cat paws and claws, as did his digitigrade feet. The distinctive Persian ears and tail were also present. After overdosing on shadow bugs, his entire body was practically glowing with power. Parts of his shirt and pants were torn as his body stabilized itself (barely) in this half-state of transformation, and he didn't seem to care at all about his grotesque, monsterous appearance.

The hulking werecat seems to care not for the news cameras flying about either. Good for them. They'll all get a marvelous show of him annihilating his competition.]

THIS IS THE BOWSER RUNNING COMMENTARY

[bowbow]

So, Bowser was in his clowncar. He was passing by when he saw Robotnic with... whoever that was. Catman. With Catman down there dithering on about something or other. Who knows what.

But it looked interesting and likely to turn into some light popcorn snacking, so he hoisted out a camera and started rolling. He'd asked a couple of Laiktus to come in (okay told a couple of Lakitus to come in) to get some different angles. Bowser, meanwhile, was going to have fun with narrating whatever he saw happening below. And broadcasting it to the entire town just so that Flurrie could see her stupid fiancee get into a stupid fight.

Petty? Yes, very.

"So Catman down there, I think he used to run that stupid club where boys dressed up as cute girls or something, has been hitting up the gym or eating lots of protein bars or is all hopped up on star power or whatever, and is dicking around going all 'oh look at me I'm not wearing any shirt anymore because I have so many muscles I'm cool' when everybody knows that he's a chump. I can't remember his name. It's not important, because he's a chump. He likes to wear women's accessories. Hideous women's accessories. DID YOU HEAR THAT FLURRIE?" Bowser swung the camera around to his own face. "YOU HAVE TERRIBLE TASTE." The camera swung back around to the fight and centered on Eggface McButterpants. "Also: Robotnik is fat."

This was clearly some hard-hitting journalism. Stay tuned, kids.

THIS IS THE EGGMAN, READY TO BRAWL

[iamtheeggman]

Eggman decided that this fight called for a more... personal touch. After all, it was just one freckle faced fop, what trouble could he be? And so, Eggman, riding his Egg Walker hovered down to the rooftop to engage his foe.

"Well well! Finally decided to face the music, did you?! Well, it's high time I--"

Oh. What was this. What was even going on.

"You don't look at all well," he said.

[Private, to Connor]

[trustycrowbar]

[Jeezus christ, it's like every wrong in the world suddenly decided to have a slap-fight on top of the Chrysler Building! He'd be happy sit down with some popcorn and watch the fallout, except...]

It looks like we know what happened to Eirika. He may be lying, but my instinct tells me he's not, and Eggman is conveniently distracted right now. We've got to find, and shut down whatever the hell he's doing, because I don't think anyone from the city can do it.

Hopefully... we can find her as well.

[mohawk_tomahawk]

[Anger. Fury. Rage. That was what Connor was feeling. His teeth clenched as he stared at the screen. Before he pounced from the chair. Gordon had been trying to help him find Eirika...how ironic that they were in the same vicinity when this happened.

It was that cat. The host of that party. And that doctor...THAT DOCTOR. He wanted to take his tomahawk and-!

No, he had to...he had to think. This was now beyond delicate. This was a full out war. And he had to be very...very smart about it.

Or try to be. He made his way toward the door.]

They both must be stopped. But if Eggman is doing what was claimed...

I must find Eirika. I have to.

[trustycrowbar]

I know. [The reply is quick and quiet. He knows just how much you need to save her, yes.] I can't imagine she'd be anything less than on his honor guard, which means she might be on the bastard's ship.

I... still don't have a clue how we're going to get up there, though.

[monotreme_101]

[So, Knuckles was watching the news in his apartment after getting back from a little vay-cay on Angel Island. Feeling good, feeling relaxed, feeling - OH WHAT THE HELL!?

He ran to the door, grabbed the key to his extreme gear bike, called out a quick 'GOTTA GO SAVE THE CITY - BE BACK LATER! WATCH THE NEWS!' to Goombella and Harley and he was out the door running.

It felt almost like old times!]

ACTION: REACTION

[gentlesaint]

[Rhys had the news on just to make filler noise while the infirmary was somewhat empty, with the exception of Mary, who was just brought in. The news report didn't take long to catch his attention when he heard Tabuu address Smash Academy, so he paused what he was doing to listen on intently.

Intently became intensely when he saw Ulki of all people in the clutches of Eggman's robots. He gasped and voiced his name and felt his heart race while he paid close attention to what was going on, trying to make sense of it all. The last he saw of his dear friend was a solemn parting lacking in explanation as he left Mary to be tended to and departed in a strange and cryptic hurry. This must have been the reason.

Oh Ulki...

He didn't trust Eggman's numerous schemes, but he was positive Seth was up to no good. It was obvious who his biggest enemy was in all of this. Rhys was no stranger to battlefields, and he could already tell the school was going to be part of it in only a matter of time. Everyone was going to have to either pick sides or be a green unit tiptoe around the field in an unaffiliated wariness. It didn't matter to Rhys. He knew what he needed to do. But for now, he needed to make sure Mary was taken care of. He couldn't leave her side.

He shifted his attention to the fearful girl, assessing her reaction before making a move. He could already imagine seeing Seth's ugly face on the screen wasn't going to make her feel any better, since he was the main source of all her wailing.]

Re: ACTION: REACTION

[paletteknife]

Wouldn't you know it, Mary had finally stopped her crying and sniffling when the broadcasting began. The second his voice crackled over the TV she wailed anew, grabbing the nearest object - a near-empty glass of water by her bedside - and throwing across the room. She didn't have the strength to get it much further than a few metres beyond the foot of the bed, though...

Why was Seth on TV all of the sudden?! She didn't pay attention to a word that was being said, only that he was there and that he'd hurt her. She wanted him to hurt, too. Even worse than what happened to her.

Re: ACTION: REACTION

[sicklypriest]

The poor girl was a mess... Knowing Seth's insidious character, he didn't have to take a broad leap of the imagination to picture what kind of treatment he must have given her. Watching her like this and knowing the person responsible, a rare flare of resentment licked at his heart. The rest of him was teeming with sympathy that felt like one great big squeeze.

He came close to her and knelt down to her level, the aching compassion emanating from the eyes he gave her. He touched her shoulder, gentle as can be. "He can't hurt you anymore."

Later in the infirmary

[caincarnate]

While everyone else was gearing for battle and worrying for their safety and the state of the city, Naoya was having a grand time. This conflict was providing quite the entertainment. Perhaps he would've been more personally invested in the outcome if either technologies were something that he coveted for his own purposes, but as it stood he was ready to sit back and watch the two forces rend each other to pieces.

The programmer strolled casually through the school, observing the reactions of faculty and student alike. It was when he passed the school nurse running in the opposite direction of the infirmary (to get more supplies, no doubt - a war wasn't a war without casualties) that he decided to take a look inside to see if there were already any victims. Call it morbid curiosity.

There seemed to be a young girl here already. Naoya put on a cryptic smile as he greeted her. "So, it seems you are the first to fall."

[paletteknife]

Rhys had gone to the bathroom. Or went to get supplies. Or went to get supplies for the bathroom. Mary, admittedly, had not been paying too much attention when he explained where he was going, nor did she have the energy to put up much of a fuss about it. She didn't really want to be left alone, but she was so emotionally drained that staying away from other people seemed like a nice thing for now too.

But her solitude didn't last very long before she got an unexpected and unfamiliar visitor with an excellent choice in words. Her face twisted, looking to be on the verge of another tearful outburst, but she had no tears left to shed. In her embittered state she moved to Alaska to surround herself with huskies.

"No, I got pushed," she whimpered.

reaction

[makesithot]

[ Something told Chili that he needed to find Cress after this announcement, and stat. If that girl, Eirika, was somehow turned into a robot...

Chili didn't want him or Cress to fall victim to that. He didn't want to trust either of these two villains to get anything good done, so he knew it was up to the school to make things right. Chili and Simisear bolt out of their seat with the resolve to watch each other's backs and go on the hunt for Cress and Panpour. ]

[obfuskate]

[ Make a deterrent.

That is all Shadow can think, and while he isn't quite sure what he's doing just yet, he knows that he has to do something. That something is this.

One message will be left on every single possible means of contact with Eggman, all reiterating the same thing: ]

It will be done.

Glory to the Eggman Empire.

[ Filthy, filthy lies. Don't pay attention to this little spiky menace, Eggman. He's definitely on your side.

Except definitely not. ]

[hisho]

[ The mayor.

But...

Why...?

Who is Eggman? Why is the Mayor rallying against him? Who is this Seth? Isn't that- No, she knows him. Isn't that the one she'd spoken to over the network before? How is he involved?

Isabelle isn't about to take sides, nor is she really fighting-ready enough to do so.

Therefore, she does the only thing she knows to do:

She hides. ]

[kuragekasa]

[ ...

What.

Is this what Cyrus was talking about? This warlord is Eggman, isn't it? Or... is it the mayor himself, Tabuu?

It's strange, and perhaps a bit too judgmental at such an early time, but for some reason, Tabuu gives off this... air about him. This sensation, this feeling he got around only one other person:

Toue.

His stomach twists and knots. This isn't just about Aoba-san anymore. He wants him safe, too (of course!), but... he has already made friends here. He needs to make sure that they'll be okay. He really doesn't want to fight, though.

He just has to find everyone. Chihiro, Zelda, Henry, Mac, the kid with the funny apple head...

He has to protect them.

He will.

In that moment, he holds no fear, only the fiercest possible determination as one hand lifts to his mask, grips it firmly, and tears it from his skin. He drops it in purest abandonment, forgetting all about it as he charges out of the door.

The mask is off.

His heart sings.

He will protect everyone.

... He just hopes he doesn't have to do so violently. ]

Reaction: In Which Plans Are Made

[forgetbeam]

Someone pulled that fire alarm as a stupid prank, Kiyotaka had decided. Not only was it a waste of time, but that kind of recklessness could make people roll their eyes and not care in the event that a real fire occurred! It was time to make a passionate post to the network lecturing the entire student body, knowing the culprit would have to see it one way or another. He sat down and opened his laptop to get started, just about to hit "create post" when the Mayor appeared on his screen.

And things very quickly escalated from there.

"What..." He stared at the screen, hands poised inches over the keyboard, any plans of telling off pranksters long forgotten. "What is this!?"

[butterbelieveamanspromise]

"What's what?" came another voice, the owner of it stepping close and craning his head in to check out what's got Kittytacos so dumbfounded.

He's greeted by a hijacked news report. He heard the address to Smash Academy from the other end of the room but was only half-listening, because he didn't give a shit about the mayor or even know what he sounded like, and school announcements were usually boring even when they were on the eccentric side. It gets old after a while.

Mondo falls silent and watches the mayhem unfold with his bro.

[forgetbeam]

And what mayhem it is. Impostor mayors, nefarious schemes, robots, stolen necklaces, people in balls, the two major players here faces Kiyotaka has seen around the school... It is a hell of a lot to take in. He's got a bad feeling about all this.

As the feed ends, he slowly swivels his chair toward Mondo, desperate to clarify and make sure he heard everything right (although he'd rather he didn't).

"That just now... Was outright war just declared?"

Reaction to the most important part

[lovely_wind]

"That's...that's... that's my necklace!!!" Flurrie screamed, then promptly fainted.

TV Clip of the Most Important Part

[ihateplumbers]

"DID YOU HEAR THAT FLURRIE?" The TV said loudly as the camera was suddenly all full of Bowser's face.

"YOU HAVE TERRIBLE TASTE."

[lovely_wind]

SORRY, CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF BEING UNCONSCIOUS

Reaction

[voltecpower]

Well, that's what he gets for putting himself out of the loop, even if it was an act of self-punishment. If I had been paying closer attention, I would have been able to anticipate this happening,, he would berate himself. But then when it came down to Eggman mobilizing his army against the school, he realized that he really needed to focus on the issue at hand. He needed to act... but not without thinking this through. From where he was inside the network, watching the video feed, he dashed back to the sanctity of his dorm room, sat down on the bed, and thought.

Mayor Tabuu is calling out Eggman as a liar, and says that he captured someone named Eirika from the Academy. But Eggman says that Tabuu is an imposter, and implies that he was a clone of the real Mayor, created by Seth... ...Wasn't he the person in charge of the Host Club event? The blond-haired freckled guy with the red stone in his forehead? ...and then claimed that Seth is the mastermind behind the distribution of the drugged candy. Mister Ulki... He was there with Eggman, and he was holding one of those "catballs"... And now Eggman wants to arrest Seth, and says that he will have his robot army take over the school until he captures him.

Each one is saying that the other is lying... How can I tell who is telling the truth? I have no reason to believe Eggman, after all, I already know that he cannot be trusted, especially with all the violence his robots have dealt to innocent citizens while he was in power. But there was Mister Ulki with one of those supposed clone-generating devices that Eggman said Seth was using. And Seth did warn Eggman not to interfere with his "plans", whatever they are.

If Eggman is telling the truth... then the Mayor really is a clone, and Seth really is the one responsible for the psychoactive drugs, all the violence in the city... for what that man and his friends did...

He shivered, having been reminded of what occurred in that alley when he attempted to rescue Riwane.

...And if he is lying... Then, what reason would he have for calling Seth and the Mayor out? The Mayor was the one who gave him his power, after all...

...Wait...

He perked up.

If the Mayor was a clone when he gave Eggman the power to enact martial law... Then that means it's not official... Eggman never had the power to arrest anybody, so he isn't within legal boundaries to try to arrest Seth.

But then Seth is controlling the Tabuu clone... It would make sense that he would have the clone go after Eggman, since he's an obvious threat to his plans...

...Who is Eirika, and what did Tabuu mean by roboticizing her? What is "roboticization"? I may have to find Knuckles, and ask him...

He glanced over toward the panel which he used to send text posts to the boards.

...Either way... Seth is... or was... apparently up to no good, if Ulki is assisting in calling him out. Which means there is some truth to what Eggman is saying, unfortunately... But then, if he's right, and the Mayor was replaced by a clone, then Eggman is taking the law into his own hands without any kind of approval from the real mayor.

Although Seth must be brought to justice, I'm not going to let Eggman hurt more people just for the sake of getting revenge. And he isn't within any legal bounds to stop me.

Having come to a logical conclusion about what just took place, he got up and took off, leaving his dorm for the open Network. From there, he could easily find a good vantage spot to keep an eye on network activity, or through a monitor, watch what was going on in the real world. But for the sake of his friends' safety, he was going to keep tabs on them as well... though, hopefully in a non-invasive manner.

[will_be_god]

The fire alarm had prompted Cyrus into his evacuation routine--grab his pokéballs, detach his hard drive, and exit the building in a calm fashion indistinguishable from his normal expression.

Since it seemed to be a prank, he had started to return to his quarters when the announcement struck.

This was what he had warned them about. This is what he had told everyone was inevitable from the beginning. This was all-out war.

He drew in a breath, glaring towards the town. This would be a historic day.

[blue_karat]

[ Francine had been in the middle of dragging a box of clothes to her new room when the alarm went off. She attempted to ignore it completely and continue on her business, but when she stepped out into the hall to retrieve another closet, she was seen and promptly accosted by fellow students that insisted that the alarm was very urgent and very real, and they kept bugging her until she went along with the crowd going outside. ]

[ So she was pretty miffed when it turned out to be a false alarm after all. ]

[ What annoyed her even more was finally returning to her room just in time to witness a couple of fools broadcast their little hissy fight to the entire city. The threat of robots taking over the school wasn't reassuring her, either. ]

[ She had high hopes for you, Smash Academy. Couldn't you have just. Waited at least a week before crushing them? ]