PW! - Smoke and Mirrors
William Rendfeld
The sun shone down brightly upon Gateon Port, clear blue seas
washing up against the assorted docks and the many ships nestled among
them. Based on the weather and the climate, this was no doubt the norm
rather than the exception. As Alex descended the gangplank from the
small boat she’d traveled on to the dock, she couldn’t help but muse
that if a beach was nearby, this place would be as popular as Porta
Vista.
Of course, given the number of people who passed through on a
regular basis, it was probably just as good that this wasn’t a big
tourist spot. Much like a big city, a place with this much hustle and
bustle made it easy to get lost in the crowd.
A light breeze wafted over her, and she stopped to take it in. As
anxious as she was about being in unfamiliar territory, feeling the
wind on her face was comforting – a little piece of home.
That said, she needed to fix the unfamiliarity.
-
“Welcome to the Gateon Port Poké Mart. How may I help you?”
“Yeah, you’ll have to forgive me, I’m new in town.” Alex pulled out
her PokéNav. “Do you have any Pokémon Navigator applications? I’m
afraid the map feature on mine doesn’t have the software needed for
navigating Orre.”
The saleswoman shook her head. “I’m sorry, we don’t carry or
support any Devon Corporation compatible products – they lack a
franchise over here. If you’re interested in something a little less
low-tech, we have some standard maps over in Aisle 3.”
“That should be fine, just asking. Thank you!” The tall brunette
turned from the desk, only to find herself face to face with a tall,
burly man in sailor’s dress. “Is there a problem?”
An approving smirk. “No problem. Just wonderin’ what a gorgeous
babe like you is doin’ in a place like this.”
His first warning, a firm reply. “Providing support to a local
business. Please step aside, I have maps to purchase.”
One attempted sidestep found a strong, rough hand wrapped around
her right arm. “Wait, you needin’ directions? I can show you around
just fine.”
A dangerous glare, his second. “I’ll manage. Please take your hand
off my arm.”
“You sure? I know a few places ‘round here where you and I can have
loads a’ fun.”
She raised her voice and stood up ramrod straight. The final
warning. “I said that I’d manage. Now, let go of me or you’ll regret
it.”
He didn’t register the girl before him as intimidating due to her
height, her muscle tone, or the odd accoutrement that was a long sword
at her belt. All he saw was a pretty girl who was playing hard to get.
“Oh really? What’cha gonna do, call your daddy?”
He had his chance.
In one swift motion, Alex raised one leg and brought her heel down
hard upon the toes of his left foot. The sailor cried out in pain,
letting go of the girl’s arm and giving her enough time to grab his
wrist, twist it around his back, and knock him onto the floor. She
pinned him hard with her left leg parallel to his spine and leaned
close. “My daddy raised a problem-solver, not a crybaby. Clearly, I
was the lucky one.”
“Um, ma’am?” Brown eyes turned to the saleswoman. “I’m afraid I
need to ask you to leave. I realize he instigated this…but you’re
scaring the other customers. And me.”
-
_Perfect…here less than five minutes and I’m already fighting with
testosterone-overdosed sailors and getting kicked out of shops._ Alex
gave a heavy sigh – she didn’t even have the maps she’d gone in for.
And without them, she’d be stuck wandering aimlessly around the region
for who knew how long. She needed to get pointed in the right
direction…or at least talk to someone who could tell her how to get
around.
She looked about – not far away from the Poké Mart was a two-story
building whose design reminded her of a Krabby, its signage marking it
as the Club Krabby. Additional signs reported drinks, daily
entertainment, and a friendly atmosphere.
With a shrug and the slim hopes that its friendly atmosphere was
more hospitable than the one she’d found in the store, she marched
towards it. Just as she was about to enter, however, a burly man
blocked her path. “I’m sorry, is the Club closed?”
“Nah, it’s open. We just got a rule – no admittance unless you can
beat the bouncer in a Pokémon battle.”
An eyebrow quirked in response. “That’s an odd rule, isn’t it?”
The bouncer gave a smirk. “I don’t mind it. Course, I’m the
bouncer, so I can’t complain – each time I win, I get a little extra
pay and a free club soda. We got real good club soda here.”
Alex gave a defeated shrug. “Alright. We’ll play it your way.”
-
A few short minutes later, Alex strode into the club, the bouncer
left nursing an unconscious Wingull and Lotad in his arms. A fair
audience filled a number of tables and booths, the bar surprisingly
empty. She made her way there, the bartender turning to face her as he
set aside a freshly-cleaned glass. “What’ll it be, miss?”
“I hear you guys have good club soda – I’d like to test that.” As
the bartender fixed her drink, she turned towards the stage to watch a
Krabby perform with juggling pins. “Not bad.”
“They’re just the warm-up act. You should see the main event –
Razzle and Dazzle, pair of magicians. Sweet girls, the both of ‘em.”
He laid out a napkin and the drink, several cubes of ice resting in
it. “You beat the bouncer, right? First one’s on the house.”
Her mood already improving, Alex took up the glass. “Cheers.”
As she took her first sip, the Krabby had finished its performance
and was now scuttling off the stage amongst some polite applause, a
man whom she assumed to be the establishment’s owner taking its place.
“Thank you, thank you everyone. My apologies for interrupting
tonight’s performances, however there’s been a small change in plans.
Earlier today, Razzle had the misfortune of tearing her Achilles
tendon while practicing for tonight’s act. Due to her need to recover,
she and Dazzle will not be on tonight.” As the audience began to
groan, he raised his arms reassuringly. “However, by an amazing stroke
of coincidence, we’ve managed to book, for one performance only, one
of the premier prestidigitators of the Pokémon world!”
This prompted a quirked eyebrow – there weren’t too many magicians
running around with Pokémon in their acts, after all.
“So now, please give a warm Club Krabby welcome to the young, the
brave, the bold…Nicholas Pendrake!”
As if unaware of his summons, the entertainer didn’t appear. Some
of the patrons looked around in shock before a voice responded. “Sorry
– timing is one thing I still need to work on!” With the prerequisite
puff of smoke, the magician at last appeared, his host moving offstage
and muttering at the impertinence of youth.
Alex sat up and took notice. Standing upon the stage was a young
man of around her age, slightly shorter than her and fairly lean, his
black hair and green eyes shining in the stage lights. He wore a crisp
dark blue suit consisting of a dark blue jacket, a thin turtleneck and
slacks colored black, black shoes, a long dark cape and a pointed hat
resembling a fedora. A bit skinny, but a snappy dresser.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” Noticing the lack of
enthusiasm from the audience, he tossed his hat aside. “Clearly a
tough audience. No problem there, perfectly reasonable, I am the
replacement and all. Still, I like to think you’ll enjoy getting
something different this time ‘round – you see, no offense to Razzle
or Dazzle, but I’m much more than a mere magician. I, ladies and
gentlemen, am an illusionist, and that is a very important
distinction. Y’see, a normal magician might do something mundane such
as…well, asking you to pick a card.” Suddenly, a full flush of playing
cards appeared in his left hand, as if out of thin air. “Or he may
simply start producing something from his pocket and juggle it.” With
his right hand, he pulled a pair of tennis balls from his jacket
pocket and began juggling them one-handed. “When he does one or the
other, it’s called being unoriginal. When he does both, it’s
multitasking. Still unoriginal, but impressive nonetheless.”
A few audience members laughed at this comment, Alex included.
“As said, however, I’m an illusionist, not a magician.” He batted
the two balls to opposite ends of the stage. With the prerequisite
flashes of light appeared a pair of Pokémon, a Gardevoir on one side
and a Lucario on the other. “I try my best not to be mundane.” The
playing cards returned to a plain stack, then suddenly burst out of
his hand, each one of the fifty-two cards finding themselves in the
hands of someone present in the crowd, the Queen of Diamonds drifting
into Alex’s hand. A roguish smile crossed his face as he tossed off
his cape. “And now that I have your attention, let’s…oops.”
A chuckle went through the audience as the cape landed on the
ground, refusing to collapse into a neat pile on the ground like a
proper inanimate object. Instead it bounced around, leading to the
young illusionist chasing after it. He finally pulled the cape up as
the two Pokémon looked to one another with wearied expressions, the
source of the problem revealed.
“Lop!” A bright-eyed and bushy-furred Lopunny appeared under the
cap, glad to be free from her fabric prison. As the audience
applauded, she took a bow.
“Everyone, please welcome my associates – Lancelot, Igraine, and
Guinevere!” The Lucario, Gardevoir and Lopunny each bowed in turn.
“Now, pay close attention. What you are about to see will impress and
astound you…or at the very least give you something to chuckle over.”
The young man snapped his fingers, and each Pokémon produced a worn
broomstick that wouldn’t look out of place on the campus of Hogwarts.
Guinevere turned her broom so that the thistles pointed skyward,
planting it firmly into the floor of the stage before catching and
doing the same to those of her fellow Pokémon. As Nicholas ran a
gloved hand over the thistles, Igraine seemed to serenely glide over
towards the broom at stage left, her dainty white hand gently held in
the illusionist’s hand. Then, aided by the Lucario, the Psychic
Pokémon’s legs lifted off from the floor until she found herself
parallel with the tops of the three brooms.
“Now, I know what you’re thinking – she’s simply hanging in midair
with psychic powers. Well, I’ve some news for you! If she’s staying up
with psychic powers, they certainly aren’t hers!”
Indeed they weren’t – Alex wasn’t sensing any psychic activity in
the room. She was among the first to applaud as Nicholas removed two
of the three brooms, leaving just the one positioned beneath the
reclining Gardevoir’s head and upper torso. The applause died down as
Igraine returned to her feet and the illusionist produced a blindfold
from his pocket.
“Well, I’m glad everyone was impressed by that last one, because
this next feat is something special I put together for all of you.
Unfortunately, it’s something I can’t do on my own – I’m going to need
a brave volunteer from the audience.” At the audience’s lukewarm
reaction, he added, “Well, don’t all jump up at once. Fortunately, I
planned for this – as you all may know, Lucario is the Pokémon most
famous for its ability to harness and manipulate aura, allowing one to
navigate effortlessly even when their vision is obscured by the
elements. Seeing as we don’t have a fog machine, however, we’re left
with the classic standby of the blindfold.” As Lancelot applied the
cloth and tied it off, totally obscuring his vision, Nicholas looked
over the audience. “Now, no two auras are exactly identical. Lancelot
will find one, and make his way to it – the lucky individual who he
finds will be my welcome assistant for the next part of the show.” He
looked to the Lucario, who nodded, then closed his eyes. “Everyone
ready? Three…two…one…go!”
Quick as a flash, Lancelot leapt from the stage, leapfrogging from
one table to another and soaring over the heads of the audience
members, then landing softly upon the floor before zigzagging towards
the bar. He halted, then jumped upon an empty bar stool, his head
turning among the various people present at the bar before he stood
still, then raised an arm ramrod straight. #Her.#
Spotlights came on, and the audience grew excited. Nicholas smiled,
taking it as a good sign.
Alex, much to her credit, laughed with some nervousness, but didn’t
protest as the Lucario slipped off his blindfold and led her back to
the stage among the audience’s applause. As she stepped onto the
stage, Nicholas kept his eyes shut. “Your name and place of origin,
miss!”
“Alex. I’m from Lilycove City.”
“And have we ever met before?”
“No sir, we haven’t.”
“And the card you’re holding is the Queen of Diamonds, correct?”
Alex held up the card. “Indeed it is!”
The audience applauded, both due to the young woman before them and
amazed that the card trick had actually been completed. Nicholas
finally opened his eyes, turning to look at his volunteer…and stared
for a second, visibly surprised by the attractive young woman at his
side. He recovered quickly, however, then returned to the audience.
“Now that I have a lovely young lady, I’m afraid I’m going to have to
disappoint everyone, and make my lovely volunteer disappear!”
Not surprised, Alex simply went with the flow as the curtain behind
them, until now closed over the stage, was pulled back. Standing
behind them was a small custom area, the floor a checkerboard pattern
of black and white and the walls adorned with a series of vertical
black and white stripes. The only piece of furniture present was a
wooden table, about half her height at its tabletop.
“Now, before I perform this, I must ask you – and forgive me if
this sounds insensitive – but are you afraid of heights?”
“Nope.”
“The dark?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Sharks?”
“Them yes, but who isn’t?”
The audience laughed. Alex blanched a little, fearing that she’d
upstaged the performer, but Nicholas laughed along with them. “Who can
blame her, folks?” As the laughter died down, he continued, “The
reason I ask of course is because I need you to stand atop that
table.” Alex complied, first sitting upon it then scooting back and
getting to her feet in one swift motion. His cape floating upwards as
a blue aura of psychic energy gripped it, Nicholas moved to the side
with his Pokémon assistants. “Now, watch carefully faithful viewers.”
The cape totally obscured Alex for a few seconds, then revealed her
before obscuring her again. “Now you see her…and now you don’t!”
The cape dropped again, revealing that Alex had seemingly vanished.
As the audience applauded, Alex smiled despite herself from her hiding
place, a compartment concealed behind the table with the help of
mirrors. She was lucky she knew how the illusion worked – even luckier
the compartment was just barely enough to fit her as she knelt down on
one knee – otherwise she wouldn’t have moved fast enough to make it
convincing. Now, of course, remained an important question – would she
be brought back?
“Thank you all, thank you! Now, before anyone starts to worry about
her, I assure you, I have every intention of bringing Alex back!
However, I’m going to need complete silence – it’s a lot easier to
lose something than it is to find it again, after all. I just wish
that wasn’t the case – I still have trouble finding the keys to my
trailer!” The audience laughed, then grew silent as the cape moved up
and down, the compartment door silently sliding away. “Complete
silence now…and here…we…go!”
At the word ‘go’, Alex jumped from the compartment and back onto
the table, the door sliding shut again as the cape dropped to the
floor. She spread her arms as the audience burst out in applause, then
jumped to the stage floor and gave a small curtsey alongside the two
female Pokémon as Nicholas and Lancelot bowed.
“Thank you, you’ve been a terrific audience!”
-
Alex was right – the atmosphere at the club had been infinitely
more welcoming than at the store. As she walked out, a couple glasses
worth of club soda in her belly, she found herself once more with the
problem of finding a map. Based on what she’d overheard in the club
following the show concerning the size of Orre, she’d probably need
faster transport than her feet, making for another expense.
Remembering a machine parts shop near the docks, she started making
her way back there.
She’d have made it too, if not for suddenly being interrupted by
her psychic talents warning her of an incoming attack.
She dodged to one side as a burst of psychic energy rushed past
her, leaving a gouge in the ground where she’d been standing. She
turned about, audibly groaning as she got sight of the opponent she
was facing. “Not you again!”
An Alakazam at his side with psionic energy lancing between his
spoons like streaks of lightning, the sailor from the shop stood with
a wicked grin on his face, two of his shipmates at his sides. “Nice
that you remember me, girlie. Now you’re gonna pay for disrespectin’
me like that!”
“Hohst, you really want to do this? I mean, she’s just a…”
“The little bitch humiliated me! No one does that to me!” He turned
back to his quarry, his grin returning. “So, any last words before my
Alakazam fries your pretty little head?”
Alex’s eyes narrowed, her hands moving to the weapons stored on her
belt. Before she could reach them, however, a familiar voice asked,
“Three against one? That hardly seems fair, now does it?”
The trio turned, the Alakazam firing off a Psybeam at the newcomer.
The beam found itself hitting a bright blue Aura barrier, doing no
harm whatsoever to either Nicholas or Lancelot. As he eyed the two,
Hohst barked, “Stay outta this, twerps! This is between me and the
girl!”
The illusionist remained neutral as he raised the staff in his
right hand, its head adorned by a metal and crystal ornament not
unlike those of a Buddhist priest. “You brought your friends – why
can’t she bring hers?”
Catching the illusionist’s glance, Alex quickly tore a Poké Ball
from her belt and tossed it. “ShadowWarrior, let’s fly! Shadow Ball!”
As he materialized, the Murkrow gained altitude. “Barely in this
region for a day, and you’re already in trouble! It’s never easy with
you, is it?” The little black bird gave a chuckle and fired off the
attack, knocking back the Alakazam with ease.
Their attention now split between the illusionist and the telepath,
Hohst and his compatriots briefly looked among themselves before a
decision was made. “You two deal with the twerp! I’ve got the girl!”
They split off, the two drawing Poké Balls and sending out a pair of
Wingull.
The two birds barely lasted a moment as the Lucario attacked, a
Dark Pulse attack knocking them both out instantly. Their
flabbergasted trainers followed shortly thereafter, Nicholas’ staff
rendering them both unconscious in short order.
The Alakazam kept on attacking, his psychic strikes doing no damage
whatsoever to the Dark-type bird. ShadowWarrior, meanwhile, struck
back, lobbing another Shadow Ball and knocking him out at last. His
trainer, meanwhile, charged upon that of the Murkrow, picking up a
stick as he went. Alex dodged to one side, drew her sword, and
effortlessly cut through the bit of wood. Brandishing her blade with
practiced ease, she looked the sailor in the eye. “This blade’s tasted
blood. You really want to keep this going?” He stepped back, and she
gave a half-smile. “Didn’t think so.” Pulling and extending her pike,
she landed three blows, then collapsed it as Hohst fell to the
ground.
Nicholas approached with an approving expression. “Not bad –
clearly, you’re not the traditional damsel in distress.” His eyes
darted to her sword. “That’s an interesting sword.”
“I’m not one to rely on others to save my sorry hide.” She sheathed
her blade and stored her pike. “That’s an interesting staff. Family
heirloom?”
“Something like that.”
The two heard a growl, then turned as Hohst, apparently a fast
healer, got back up for more. A small dish of aura forming over the
crystal embedded in his glove, Nicholas backhanded the sailor in his
nose. He staggered back, then almost tried again before gasping and
then collapsing into unconsciousness.
Their foe defeated, the two young people looked at one another.
“Let me guess, telepath?”
“With a healthy dose of martial artist tossed in, along with a
little extra. And between the staff and the gloves, I’m guessing…Aura
Guardian, right?”
A smile crossed the boy’s face. “You know of the Order. I’m
impressed – most think we’re extinct.”
“I’ve got a healthy idea of what is and isn’t capable of existing.”
Glancing down at the defeated trio, Alex looked uneasy. “These three
aren’t going to be happy when they wake up.”
“Agreed.” The illusionist turned to her. “As much as you’re able to
take care of yourself, I don’t see any sign of you having a means of
transportation. Between that and the value of strength in numbers, you
might be better off sticking with me.”
She cocked her head to one side. “You saying that because you’re
genuinely concerned, or because you like having me around?”
He offered a smile. “We do work well together.”
“Whoa, hold it!” Fluttering down to perch himself upon Alex’s
shoulder, ShadowWarrior regarded the young man uneasily. “No offense
kid, but you’re acting a wee bit too suspicious for my liking. And
considering all the weird stuff we’ve been through, I think I have the
right to be paranoid.”
“<Just as we have the right to be paranoid about a Pokémon who
speaks like a human?>”
Alex gave her friend a smirk. “He’s got you there.” Turning back to
the young man, she nodded and offered a hand. “Assuming you’ve got the
space and the patience for me and my team, you can count me in.”
The hand was accepted. “Then welcome to the show.”
TBC?
[NS: And so it begins. I'm gonna try and put out at least one post a
week featuring at least one of my characters - Alex and Nicholas, Sven
& Peabody, occasionally Cass. I just hope I can manage it.]
Steffan Alun
> [NS: And so it begins. I'm gonna try and put out at least one post a
> week featuring at least one of my characters - Alex and Nicholas, Sven
> & Peabody, occasionally Cass. I just hope I can manage it.]
Fewer posters means it really shows if someone stops posting, and if
one person stops, it discourages others. I suspect it's no co-
incidence that all three of us started posting at roughly the same
time.
Then again, there are advantages to fewer posters. I feel I can pay
more attention to individual posts, for instance. I like giving
feedback on stories where I can - I like sending fan mail to favourite
authors - so I might start that habit here. It'd certainly make the
PokéWars! friendlier and more rewarding, I reckon.
> The sun shone down brightly upon Gateon Port, clear blue seas
> washing up against the assorted docks and the many ships nestled among
> them.
Loved your depiction of Gateon Port. Really felt like playing XD
again.
> “Nah, it’s open. We just got a rule – no admittance unless you can
> beat the bouncer in a Pokémon battle.”
> A few short minutes later, Alex strode into the club, the bouncer
> left nursing an unconscious Wingull and Lotad in his arms.
This made me laugh out loud. I love these early trainers with weak
teams. I think Rob pointed out once that no-one in the history of the
PokéWars! has ever lost to Faulkner. Even Karl beat him, and Karl's
rubbish.
> “They’re just the warm-up act. You should see the main event –
> Razzle and Dazzle, pair of magicians. Sweet girls, the both of ‘em.”
They're great! I was hoping Krabilly and Krabetty would be
namechecked.
> This prompted a quirked eyebrow – there weren’t too many magicians
> running around with Pokémon in their acts, after all.
This was another laugh-out-loud moment. Bet no-one ever thought
there'd be multiple magicians in the PW!.
> “So now, please give a warm Club Krabby welcome to the young, the
> brave, the bold…Nicholas Pendrake!”
He seemed good, for what it's worth. I'd like to see more of the
psychological effect of his lack of parent figure. I know lots of
people who lose their parents develop strength from it, but I'd like
to see the flipside as well - the lost little boy within this
confident man. But hey, maybe that's coming up - just thought I'd
mention.
> Y’see, a normal magician might do something mundane such
> as…well, asking you to pick a card.”
Writing magic shows is tricky business - practical magic is
impressive, after all, but in fiction, not so much. But you did well
here.
> The cape dropped again, revealing that Alex had seemingly vanished.
> As the audience applauded, Alex smiled despite herself from her hiding
> place, a compartment concealed behind the table with the help of
> mirrors. She was lucky she knew how the illusion worked – even luckier
> the compartment was just barely enough to fit her as she knelt down on
> one knee – otherwise she wouldn’t have moved fast enough to make it
> convincing.
I wonder how he knew Alex could play along. Was Lucario searching
specifically for someone who knew the trick? Wonder what happens if
no-one in the audience knows how to do it.
> “With a healthy dose of martial artist tossed in, along with a
> little extra. And between the staff and the gloves, I’m guessing…Aura
> Guardian, right?”
I like the idea of the Aura Guardians. Interesting that Alex knows of
their existence. Are they based on anything in particular, or a brand-
new concept?
Anyway, fun, fresh new start! Looking forward to reading more.
Steffan
William Rendfeld
> On 8 July, 00:44, William Rendfeld <WARendf...@aol.com> wrote:
>
> > [NS: And so it begins. I'm gonna try and put out at least one post a
> > week featuring at least one of my characters - Alex and Nicholas, Sven
> > & Peabody, occasionally Cass. I just hope I can manage it.]
>
> Fewer posters means it really shows if someone stops posting, and if
> one person stops, it discourages others. I suspect it's no co-
> incidence that all three of us started posting at roughly the same
> time.
>
> Then again, there are advantages to fewer posters. I feel I can pay
> more attention to individual posts, for instance. I like giving
> feedback on stories where I can - I like sending fan mail to favourite
> authors - so I might start that habit here. It'd certainly make the
> PokéWars! friendlier and more rewarding, I reckon.
>
Hey, I certainly don't mind. Prompt feedback is always a plus, so it
can't help but hurt.
> > The sun shone down brightly upon Gateon Port, clear blue seas
> > washing up against the assorted docks and the many ships nestled among
> > them.
>
> Loved your depiction of Gateon Port. Really felt like playing XD
> again.
>
Thanks. And the neat thing is, I was only working off the player's
guide and my own memories of the game. It wouldn't hurt for me to give
it another go, but it's nice that senility's still a ways off.
> > “Nah, it’s open. We just got a rule – no admittance unless you can
> > beat the bouncer in a Pokémon battle.”
> > A few short minutes later, Alex strode into the club, the bouncer
> > left nursing an unconscious Wingull and Lotad in his arms.
>
> This made me laugh out loud. I love these early trainers with weak
> teams. I think Rob pointed out once that no-one in the history of the
> PokéWars! has ever lost to Faulkner. Even Karl beat him, and Karl's
> rubbish.
>
And here I was afraid people would complain about the lack of a
battle.
> > “They’re just the warm-up act. You should see the main event –
> > Razzle and Dazzle, pair of magicians. Sweet girls, the both of ‘em.”
>
> They're great! I was hoping Krabilly and Krabetty would be
> namechecked.
>
Like I said, it's been a while since I played XD. Razzle and Dazzle
are just lucky they got namechecked on Bulbapedia.
> > This prompted a quirked eyebrow – there weren’t too many magicians
> > running around with Pokémon in their acts, after all.
>
> This was another laugh-out-loud moment. Bet no-one ever thought
> there'd be multiple magicians in the PW!.
>
Hey, as long as Rob doesn't mind. Someone's got to give Marvin a
little competition.
> > “So now, please give a warm Club Krabby welcome to the young, the
> > brave, the bold…Nicholas Pendrake!”
>
> He seemed good, for what it's worth. I'd like to see more of the
> psychological effect of his lack of parent figure. I know lots of
> people who lose their parents develop strength from it, but I'd like
> to see the flipside as well - the lost little boy within this
> confident man. But hey, maybe that's coming up - just thought I'd
> mention.
>
I'm still figuring out some of the rough parts for this arc, but I'll
definitely try to pay some notice for that. And considering how Alex
has lost her parents, that'll definitely give them something to bond
over.
> > Y’see, a normal magician might do something mundane such
> > as…well, asking you to pick a card.”
>
> Writing magic shows is tricky business - practical magic is
> impressive, after all, but in fiction, not so much. But you did well
> here.
>
That's another thing I was worried about - getting bogged up in the
mechanics. With Rob's stories, he usually omits how Marvin pulls off
his illusions. I figured doing the same here would be the wise thing,
but giving an explanation of Alex's disappearing act was something I
figured was necessary. And while I have no idea how Nicholas did the
card trick and only a vague notion of how he did the ball trick,
figuring out the trick with Alex was something of a necessity.
Fortunately, Youtube's a decent research tool if you know what to look
for.
> > The cape dropped again, revealing that Alex had seemingly vanished.
> > As the audience applauded, Alex smiled despite herself from her hiding
> > place, a compartment concealed behind the table with the help of
> > mirrors. She was lucky she knew how the illusion worked – even luckier
> > the compartment was just barely enough to fit her as she knelt down on
> > one knee – otherwise she wouldn’t have moved fast enough to make it
> > convincing.
>
> I wonder how he knew Alex could play along. Was Lucario searching
> specifically for someone who knew the trick? Wonder what happens if
> no-one in the audience knows how to do it.
>
That is a good question. My thinking is that, as Lancelot was acting
based on aura, he was able to read some parts of Alex's personality
based on her own aura. And as Alex is fairly perceptive and quick-
thinking (not to mention athletic), there was a good chance she'd
figure things out and move quick enough to duck in and out of the
compartment.
> > “With a healthy dose of martial artist tossed in, along with a
> > little extra. And between the staff and the gloves, I’m guessing…Aura
> > Guardian, right?”
>
> I like the idea of the Aura Guardians. Interesting that Alex knows of
> their existence. Are they based on anything in particular, or a brand-
> new concept?
>
Not a new concept, no - Aura Guardians were introduced in the eighth
movie, 'Lucario and the Mystery of Mew', and they've gotten the odd
reference in the series since then, due to Ash having the potential to
be an Aura Guardian himself one day. Bulbapedia suggests they're the
PW! equivalent of Jedi Knights - everything else they've got on them
is here:
http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Aura
Ever since I saw the movie, I've had a rough idea related to the Aura
Guardians in the back of my mind that also connected with Alex's fancy
sword. Now, I'm getting a chance to implement it. ^v^
> Anyway, fun, fresh new start! Looking forward to reading more.
>
Looking forward to providing more. Here's hoping I don't get caught up
with anything else.
Steffan Alun
> > Loved your depiction of Gateon Port. Really felt like playing XD
> > again.
>
> Thanks. And the neat thing is, I was only working off the player's
> guide and my own memories of the game. It wouldn't hurt for me to give
> it another go, but it's nice that senility's still a ways off.
That's probably why it works - providing more of a feel for the place
than just a run-down of buildings or similar.
> And here I was afraid people would complain about the lack of a
> battle.
Eh, I'm not sure how important it is to have a battle in every post -
but you had the face-off against the sailor at the end anyway. If
it's not important to the story, it might as well be omitted.
> That's another thing I was worried about - getting bogged up in the
> mechanics. With Rob's stories, he usually omits how Marvin pulls off
> his illusions. I figured doing the same here would be the wise thing,
> but giving an explanation of Alex's disappearing act was something I
> figured was necessary. And while I have no idea how Nicholas did the
> card trick and only a vague notion of how he did the ball trick,
> figuring out the trick with Alex was something of a necessity.
> Fortunately, Youtube's a decent research tool if you know what to look
> for.
With writing magic, I think it's important to realise that dialogue
and narrative are the important elements, and the tricks themselves
should be an absolute backdrop. I don't think it's actually possible
to have a *great* magic scene in narrative, because it doesn't lend
itself that well - same that there's no great car chase in narrative,
though Fleming gets closer. As long as the story itself is
entertaining (and it's witty enough to distract from the fact that
writing "it was her card!" is easier than actual sleight of hand),
then it gets away with it.
> > I wonder how he knew Alex could play along. Was Lucario searching
> > specifically for someone who knew the trick? Wonder what happens if
> > no-one in the audience knows how to do it.
>
> That is a good question. My thinking is that, as Lancelot was acting
> based on aura, he was able to read some parts of Alex's personality
> based on her own aura. And as Alex is fairly perceptive and quick-
> thinking (not to mention athletic), there was a good chance she'd
> figure things out and move quick enough to duck in and out of the
> compartment.
I wonder if the suggestion of how to do it was planted psychically -
again, more of an aura thing than genuine telepathy. But getting in
and out of compartments like that takes a lot of practice, so my pet
theory is that the muscle memory of it was given to her from
elsewhere. Maybe if she tried it again, without Pendrake around,
she'd be unable to.
> Not a new concept, no - Aura Guardians were introduced in the eighth
> movie, 'Lucario and the Mystery of Mew', and they've gotten the odd
> reference in the series since then, due to Ash having the potential to
> be an Aura Guardian himself one day.
Aha! I didn't watch the series at that point, owing to uni
commitments. Might see if I can pick up a cheap DVD for backstory.
Steffan