Posts by Steelia

Interesting plot going. I'm not exactly sure what this new threat is, but I'll be leaning on the edge of my seat until then!
Nicely done. I expect more chapters soon.

^ Woah, I never noticed the Character Selection screen in the b/g. I was too busy looking at the name "Tom" to notice it, I suppose. XD
I doubt the menu will look entirely like that, though. Since the menu was edited in the background, I'm sure there's more that is missing from the picture.

EDIT: Newest Update: WARIO'S SPECIAL MOVES

<Side Special Move: Wario Chopper>

Where's my hog?! (LOL.)

Yes, the same item we've seen during the first trailer...
And another familiar move, too...

<Down Special Move: Wario Waft>

In this case, patience truly is a virtue. The longer it's held, the more powerful it becomes. Yes, now this will teach people how to be patient. Hehe.

((Actually, yes. There's a certain trick you have to do to "activate" it... Make sure to have a Cut-er and some Repels while your at it!

Go to the Old Chateau, located in Eterna Forest (to the left of Eterna City, of course).
Once inside, head upstairs to the second floor... There are three entrances, one to the left, middle, and right. Go to the one in the middle.
Now you should be in a hallway with 5 rooms. Go to the 4th room, or the 2nd to the last room on the right side of the hall.
In this room, there should be a picture with glowing red eyes. Approach the picture... When the picture has "activated" (you'll know when), exit the room.
From there, go back in and out of the room. And keep your eyes on the right side of the screen, in the barren room beside you...

Oh, and just as an extra, take a look at the eyes of the picture whenever you go into the rooms to the right and left of it...

Enjoy.))

Friday 11/05/2007

The Wait...

...
...

I have no stories with which to tell.

I had a wondrous time yester-night! I haven't felt so... alive... in eons. The Trainer's precious screams... their kicking and flailing in their beds... So horrific. So heart-wrenchingly satisfying...
By now, She should have cured them again. But it's of no consequence. I shall continue my reign over the Trainer and Insignificant races alike, until either one of us -- She or I -- falls to our knees. I will triumph! Cresselia will be no more than a splinter plucked from my side! She is all that stands between Me and the world with which I terrorize... I shall stretch my hands over the oceans, towards Kanto, Johto... towards Hoenn, Orre... All the continents of the Planet will be under seige by Me.
Unless... my master Arceus says otherwise. But I know my Master. He is merciful... so merciful... He knows why I live, and He knew the consequences should She or I fail to continue our duties. Let it be ailing, surrender, or capture, that is when our duties will end.

Should I ever be replaced whence my time here comes to a close? Will that time ever come? I have yet to see a Legend give in to the pressures of time... to the beckoning of the Netherplace, where Giratina so closely resides...
I have yet to see such a replacement.

As of the moment, I also have yet to see My perpetrator. Whomever it is... I will find it during the night of the New Moon. Yes... When my power is at its peak, I will start my search. My senses are most keen on such a night as that... Just a mere two-week period left... and no more of it.

And when that time comes, I will haunt thee in thy sanctuary of imagination, where dreams are so easily penetrated by my Dark Essence...
Farewell...

((Thanks. ))

Thursday 10/05/2007

The Mansion: Truth...

...
...

I had my short-lived visit with Master Arceus the other night. He briefed me on the incident, but had no information available for me at the moment.
This... treachery... has me on the edge. I must find out who did this. Or else Shadow Master Giratina will have my hide... Unlikely, of course, as I will have his whence we duel... IF we duel...
After our meeting, I went out for a full night's worth of more Bad Dreams, and it helped cool my tense nerves... But I cannot remain this way forever... The criminal shall be caught by my hand, and eternally cursed. I swear to it.

Now... a story that has been bothering me since the sun arose.
It deals with the Forest Manor... the Haunted Mansion of Eterna... the Old Chateau. Whichever you please to call it, I care not. Only... I will be referring to it as the Forest Manor.
I have told the story... of its past. How it came to be.
Built by the man in Sinnoh.
Abused by the Spirit of the Forest and the Ghost.
Left to whomever pleases to infest it.
A simple tale of trial and error, of forgotten memories, of broken futures. But I was never able to truly tell what happened there... why it is abandoned to this day. Because, you see, even before I had the chance to live within it, however short it was... another family had dwelled there.

After leaving the northwest side of Sinnoh and moving more southeast of the Mountains of Coronet, a wealthy family bought the house. By this time, the Spirit of the Forest had vanished into another past, another present, another future... and the Ghost had gone idle into its television, only looking through its prison during the night. (It never bothered the family -- they weren't Trainers, so it couldn't escape either way.)
The family grew fond of the place, and constructed more rooms on the top floor: all for each of their individual children. I think there was five of them. It was dubbed the "Children's Hall." To the east and west quarters on the second floor of the house were two more rooms: the west one was a storage, and the east was the parents'. Near the Lobby, under where two stairways joined, they had a specially-made dining room: there was an enormous table, spread about the length of a juvenile Wailord, with dozens of antique-like chairs tucked under the waist of it. Behind it was where the breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts... all food preparation was made here. At the end quarters of the table, there was a picture of the family, to remind them to always remain happy for how they had prospered over the years. (Frankly, I was never fond of that picture.)
After about a month of preparation, the Forest Manor's original owner -- now a fatter, still nowhere near as wise man -- had come for a visit to view the renevations of the house. He congratulated the family for their work, and was gone in a hurry... The family thought little of it.
Time passed, and the family had another child. A female, if I'm correct. She was kept in her parents' room for a while, then, when she was about a year old, was moved into an older sister's room. The fourth room of the Children's Hall.
Time continued to flow, and I would regularly pass by the house to haunt the dreams of the children and their parents... However, I was ultimately stopped by the Spirit of the Forest, whom watched over the family. I assure you, the Spirit of the Forest is not as weak as She looks. I continued to pass the house, to see if the Spirit ever left it... But, of course, that was never going to happen... or so I thought. Months later, I subtracted the house from my visiting list and moved on to bigger prey...

At about four years old, the child -- the new girl -- was already walking, and talking quite well I might add. By now, three of the six children had moved out of the house: the eldest, a young man, moved on somewhere in Johto... Where was it? His profession was to make Pokeballs for trainers. His name has slipped my mind, however. It's been so long. The two older sisters went to Kanto somewhere, to become models or something like that. All that remained was the father, the mother, an older brother, and the two room-sharing sisters.

On one night, a night that has engraved itself into Our history that only the Pokemon can pass, a curious green Creature wandered into the house. How it got in is a mystery to everyone but it.
During this time, the Parents and the last brother of the house had gone off into Jubilife for some supplies and would be back by first sunlight. As fate would have it, things wouldn't turn out so well...
The green Creature crawled about the house, sniffing around, navigating through the dark. During this point, the older sister was downstairs preparing a meal for her and her younger sibling, whom was up in her room playing.
It has been said what the Creature did, but no one knows for sure what happened next exactly. All I know is the more true portion of the tale, that is passed down to this day.
From what was said, the Creature fell asleep inside a flower pot with a miniature green palm tree. The older sister, as she was preparing her meal, went out for a moment to check on her younger sister. She startled the sleeping Creature, but she did not see it as she was in such a hurry. The Creature, smelling the aroma of food, crawled into the kitchen and -- somehow -- made it onto the counter. Then, after nearly burning itself next to the stove, it jumped off... only to bring along with it the pan of food. The food scattered, and so did the Creature. It tried to race out of the room, and as it did, it caused an explosion of overgrowth to crack through the tiles of the floor. The overgrowth, a self-defense mechanism of the Creature, worked its way up to the counter, where the vines burned on the pan and the stovetop. A fire erupted shortly after.

...As I have noted, this is all from word passed down through the years. And this is what I have been told, or what I have overheard.

Upon the Creature's leave, the fire had already engulfed half the kitchen area. The older sister raced back down to see the fire blazing upward, and she screamed at her mistake. Not for leaving the food unattended, not for starting the fire, no... her mistake was leaving behind her sister. Because right above the kitchen area was where the Children's Hall resided. By the time she arrived, some of the rooms were already being burnt. The younger sister was still in her room, but was trapped by the licking flames and some falling pieces of wood. The older sister cried out, but could do nothing to help her. The smoke was suffocating... the fire so hot, too hot to go near... and the littlest one was trapped in between both... It engulfed the room completely.
And, it was here that the Spirit of the Forest came to their aid after time traveling, but it was far too late. In a last attempt, She put out the fire with her Psychic powers.

Private Investigators were all over the house. The police, fire men, and some ambulances had already arrived by the time the Parents and male sibling returned.
The older sister was rushed to a hospital, where she was treated for her burns. The younger sister... had not had such a fortunate fate. The room where she resided had already collapsed, but there was no body to be found. She simply disappeared...

It was judged, and the cause of the fire remained forever a mystery to them. The older sister was released to her family, whom embraced her again. They blamed her not for the incident, only themselves for not being there.
When the house was again accessible, they rebuilt the youngest child's room... and put a picture of her in there.
Miraculously, somehow the rest of the house had not burned down (except for one or two charred rooms). It was as if something had put it out without the damage spreading... Of course, the Spirit of the Forest was behind this, but no one came to figure this out...
Till this day, that is how the story has been passed...

But what happened to the girl, truly?
What about the Green Creature?
The family?

The green Creature, it turned out, was the only one of its kind -- Shaymin. Because of this devious act of foolishness, Arceus banned Shaymin to an island where She would live out the rest of her days... until someone were to decipher a message engraved in a white tablet miles away from Her prison. (She was given the name Shaymin due to her shy nature -- and also her shame, for her foolish act and being secluded from the rest of the world).

The family, too, lived rather secluded from the world, though the eldest brother remained in Johto to continue his profession. He's still alive, if I'm correct... The mother and father have passed by this time.

As for the girl...

A few months after the Forest Manor's destruction, the Spirit of the Forest allowed me into the house. I dwelled there for some time, making it my new private home away from Newmoon. However, it didn't please me enough. After installing two statues of my likeness (and having one of them thieved from me by that foolish Forest Manor owner), I deserted the place... because of one minor problem.
In the Children's Hall, in the fourth room, there hang a picture... the picture of that little girl... and living within the picture was the spirit of the child. She continued to call out to me, day by day, as I stood in that wretched house....
What is your name...
Darkrai, where is my mommy...
Where is my daddy...
Where is everyone...
I couldn't stand it. I left her to be alone with the Ghost, and I gave the Forest Manor to the other ghosts. They don't seem to mind her presence.

Yes, her pitiful cries are an enjoyment to me... but even I have a breaking point. It became from a pleasure to an annoyance I could no longer stand. I don't bother going around that house anymore.

I have no sympathy for that family... It only shows how foolish these mortals are, compared to Us. Nor do I feel any remorse for Shaymin. She knew better than to go into Trainer's homes. If it weren't for her causing that overgrowth... of flowers...

Ahh, the New Moon slowly approaches... The Full Moon dies into darkness...
I will soon have thee in my grasp again...

Oh...
The eldest brother, his name just came to me... Kurt... He makes custom Pokeballs in Johto...
It's amazing how much I remember. I flaunt my long-term memory prowess occassionally... To Master Arceus, do I give my thanks for it. So merciful a master...

And you will be praying for mercy whence I smite thee with inescapable NightMares...
Until then...

Today's update: NAMES.

I've always used my name in Melee, just to rack up points on my scoreboard, but now they have made a reason so you HAVE to use it. Not that I mind. I'd probably stick with the Gamecube controller. I'd try the others out some other day, after all the stages and characters are unlocked.

There wasn't much for Akira Tanaka to do after he finished his shower. It was pleasant, as short as it was. But his body ached for... something more. Competition? Perhaps. Even he wasn't exactly sure.
Nevertheless, Akira, his hair still dripping wet and his waist wrapped around by a complementary white towel labeled "SIH", took out some of his spare clothes from out of his sack, which once carried food and water. A mist of steam was still pouring out of the bathroom, but quickly evaporated because of the room's cooler temperature.
Putting his clothes on, Akira stuffed his "dirty" ones back in the sack, then frizzed his hair up a bit with the towel he had used. After that, he took out a comb and neatly combed his hair the way he always has.
After dumping his towel in a nearby clothes bin, he went back by the phone and sat down near it, his emotions edgy, and his body uneasy.
(I want to talk with Yukina,) he thought to himself, (but I don't have any money on me... Why does it still have to be the afternoon??)

With a feeling of restlessness, all Akira could do was wait around for nightfall to come.
During this time, he caught sight of a fireplace, located on the opposite side of the beds.
"Hmm, a fireplace," Akira mumbled, standing to his feet and checking it out.
It was a metallic box, covered with a net of metal strings and locked near the bottom with a cheap lock. Inside, there was a glass, heat-proof window pane, and after that only darkness... Perhaps it was electronically controlled?

(This fireplace reminds me of our mansion,) Akira thought. It was rather true. Akira's home back in Tokyo wasn't an ordinary home. It was a near-exact replica of the mansion where he met his wife Yukina, and also the maid Miwako, and many of his other friends. It was a mansion he would forever treasure. And even the replica itself was unsatisfying. Of course, he couldn't have been happier in such an expensive home, and if it weren't for his friends, there would have been no way he could have supported it. Luckily, almost everyone he knows lives in it, and does their part to pay for bills and other things.
Akira took another glance into the fireplace, shrugged his shoulders, then went back to rest on his bed. He kept peeping at the phone at the corner of his eye, but to his displeasure it never rang (although he knew it probably never would). Leaving the phone to itself, Akira stretched on his bed, and thought it best if he got some shut-eye... at least until nightfall, that way he could talk with the one he loved most.
(I just hope I wake up in time,) he thought in a daze...

Hey, welcome to the forums. Hope you enjoy your stay.

^ Is somewhat right.

< Has scar on left arm after minor, "mini-rock climbing" incident.

v Is doing something.

New Smash Bros. item today:

BANANA PEEL

I'm not sure about this update... It feels like more of a filler, if anything.
In any case, this reminds me of the flipper. You step on it, get slipped up or knocked back. Would it take damage, though, or just drop your opponent's defenses?

Wednesday 09/05/2007

A Problem...

...
...

Shadow Master Giratina called for me recently, saying my attendance was mandatory. So, I skipped a night's worth of fun and went to see him in the dead of the night.
When I arrived, he was very displeased. He frequently questioned my whereabouts, and throughout the conversation I hardly had a say-so in any matter he brought up.
Where were you the week before...
What night was it you where there...
And what about there...
I answered honestly and reverently, as it is such, Evil is a cunning, devious beast. But my charm had no effect on the troubled Shadow Beast, and, after a series of skeptical glances and suspicious questions, he sent me on my way... with a threat, stating that if I ever went into his cave "again," he would find me on my fair Newmoon Island and... do away with me.

I have always found Giratina to be a noble creature, with an evil far surpassing that of the Trainers, a power and Evil soul rivaling mine. Now he appears to have lost all thought... What would I want with him during nights I am busy with my work? NightMares, screams, those terrible cries for mercy... They are all too delectable to miss out. He knows that. But then, why question me on the matter?

I have been framed. That is the only logical reason behind all this. Someone... something... has put me under the darker side of Giratina, a side I would rather not deal with (as tempting as it is to test him). Maybe She has something to do with this........ No. Not Her. She is far too straightforward to pull off something like this, especially against me... considering we live on neighboring islands. Why try this now, of all times? So many years of rivalry, and She would dare challenge me? Not Cresselia, no... I know Her well enough to see that She cares far more about the Insignificants and their Trainers I curse than I. Not only that, She was born to heal... not destroy. She has no dark side to her. It is all nothing but feminine compassion. It's nauseating just to think about it...

But...

On the topic at hand... who do I know of that could have done this to me? There is nothing so Evil to pull off something like this... unless it was either Myself, or Giratina (which I dare say isn't so). I should see my Master on this ordeal... He knows about everything that goes on here in the World...

I just have to remember where I hid the Azure Flute...

You may have been spared for one night... but I will return to full force soon... Very soon... The day of the New Moon slowly approaches......

Quote from Aronath

Ladies and Gents; Looks like they've got more to say about this issue:

I rest my case.

(Populated event... Shouldn't be too hard to miss... Just keep walking... for about another 20 miles. What was I thinking?)

Akira Tanaka. A young man, 23 years old, carrying with him a duel-powered sword, a desert-colored cloak, and an empty sack once carrying food and water.
After wandering through a desert-like landscape for the past five days, Akira had thought he had been through it all. But this clearly opened his eyes.

(Next time I'll drive,) he scowled to himself, tightening the straps for his sword around his shoulders.

Akira Tanaka is a young man, 23 years old, carrying a duel-powered sword, a desert-colored cloak, an empty sack once carrying food and water... and memories. Memories of a past he would never forget, and events that had just so recently unfolded.

6 years ago, when Akira was 17 years of age, he had awoken inside the ravine of a mountain. What he was doing in there, he would come to learn. But the adventures he would face would have been the last things he would have expected to gain the answers to questions.
Born into a well-off family consisting of a demon-father, an angel-mother, two twins and a younger sister, Akira became lost during his lifetime at a young age, and has since been questioning his existance over and over. Only years later, when he was 22 years of age, did he finally discover his purpose: to save the World from its own evil. And when he did, the World neither recognized him nor praised him for it. He became just another face in the reborn Earth, and he couldn't have been happier that way.

With an expecting wife back home in Tokyo, along with countless other friends (including a certain nurse and her egg-shaped "pocket monster"), Akira had ventured away from modern life to rediscover himself, promising his wife he would return to see her give birth to a set of twins.

But what were his true intentions for leaving his beloved home? Was it truly to find himself again? Or was there a deeper meaning to his actions?
In all reality, it wasn't very complicated: Akira had traveled away to see how he would fare against the World, as he had once fought against it... and won. Now that his powers of old had faded away into the Heavens (literally), he became curious of his own abilities. And the best way to test it: at a world renowned event.

Hunter's Chance.
He had seen the posters around town, but didn't know what to expect. For a time, he thought it would be some joke-run tournament of wannabe fighters. But when he overheard some friends of his speaking of it, and saying how the turnout was always tremendous and fighters were ruthless, Akira figured he was up to the challenge.

And that is why Akira is where he is today: 20 miles ago, he was told he would find the tournament grounds, and the registration booth, by following a straight road with no leads whatsoever.

(So much for being "world renowned"... There isn't so much as a picket sign about it!) he grumbled. Sweat was pouring down his face, almost like a shower. He was constantly wiping away the beads from his forehead, face and eyes. The pants he wore were of no help. At least he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, but even that was of little comfort... because it was black.
(I really need to find some different shirts.)
And the sword on his back wasn't so much trouble, but it did tend to unbuckle -- seemingly by itself -- from around his strapped shoulders as he carried it like a bookbag. It wasn't very comfortable, but it was much more suiting than having it on his waist or near his hip. He had tried it once before... but the sword was a bit large for that kind of carrying style.

For the next half-hour, Akira would keep trudging along, humming to himself, or thinking of his wife, Yukina. She was a beautiful thing, with lavender hair and fuschia-colored eyes that were so happy and vibrant. He remembered when he first met her, in a mansion about two years ago, when the adventure of his life was just beginning... She was so timid then. In fact, she was afraid of men because she had lost her memory. But with a little bit of elbow grease (and some support from the mansion's owner), Akira was able to give his future wife the support she needed to regain her lost memories, and face her past once and for all. She had thought she had killed her father -- whom was drunk, and nearly raped her the night she supposedly killed him -- but about a week after she returned with Akira to Tokyo, he was found alive and well in a hospital, and he had completely given up drinking the night she knocked him cold. The two's relationship has increased substantially since then, and there are no hard feelings between either of them.
Yukina... The name rang in Akira's mind like a comforting, cool wind. It carried him into another world, where his mind could remain at ease. It made the minutes pass in seconds. And seeing her face in his mind, smiling at him, and her arms stretched to embrace him... made it feel as if--

Voices carried by the wind brought Akira back to reality. And before he had enough time to recollect himself, just past the horizon... he could see a large city, and people scattered about it. In fact, he could even see mountains -- and what appeared to be an ocean beyond that -- bordering just along the city's limits.
Picking up his pace, and tightening his sword's straps once again, Akira sprinted towards the town, his energy replenished by thoughts of his wife... and of food, and of cool water, and maybe even a hot shower.

* * *

Registration for the tournament was packed. There were people of all different shapes and sizes covering the registration floor. No surprise, as it was the day before the deadline. Still, for being the last day, it was a tremendous turnout. Fortunately, the building they were housed in was more than enough for all the eager fighters to sit in and wait around.

After a bit more shoving through the sea of fighters, Akira found what he was looking for: the registration booths, and there were plenty of them (though one or two were out for lunch, or processing in cards). The good news was, he had finally made it. The bad news: all lines he could see were long. Very long. The shortest line had some thirty or fourty people in it, and every now and again the smaller ones would be cut in front of by the bigger competitors.
(Jerks,) Akira thought.
With not much else to do except find a suitable line, Akira scanned the booths for a nice spot to settle.
...That is, until he noticed one of the closed booths reopening. Through all the fussing of fighters, no one -- except for Akira -- was able to hear or see the booth manager sit, and call out "Booth open. Line up."
Taking his time, Akira made it to the front of the line with ease. It was a good ten or so seconds before anyone else even noticed the new registration opening.
Smiling at Akira, the booth manager -- a middle-aged, pretty woman wearing some light makeup but a heavy amout of lipstick -- clicked a pen, and began writing something on one of the papers she had brought with her. Then she turned her attention back to him, still smiling softly.

"Your name?" she asked, to which Akira replied:
"Akira Tanaka."
The woman nodded her head, then wrote out Akira's last name, then first, on the sheet of paper.
"Is this correct?" she asked, turning the paper so that Akira could check his name.
"Ah... kee... ra... Ak, good... I, r, a... Tanaka... Tan... k... Yes, that's right."
The woman nodded her head again, then she pointed to some seats in the back, and asked that Akira wait for a while as she register and process in the other fighters.

* * *

About half-an-hour later, Akira, who had found himself in a daze after sitting so long, was brought back when he saw the familiar form of the lady who checked him in.
"Tanaka... Akira?" she said, holding the card in front of her.
"Oh, yes!" Akira responded, then he took the card and briefly examined it. It wasn't much, just a simple proof-of-registration with his first and last names, his number, and other information he assumed the runners of the tournament would understand.
"You have officially been registered to participate in the Hunter's Chance event tomorrow morning," the woman said kindly. For the first time, Akira noticed her nametag. Lizabeth. "Do you have any questions, concerns, regarding the tournament?"
"Hmm..." Akira murmured. "Questions... Would you happen to know of any good hotels, or inns around here?"
"Well," Lizabeth turned and pointed towards the tournament building's exit, which was slowly beginning to clear of people. "If you go down the street, you'll find the Shadow House Inn. It costs about 75 coins per night, but considering other hotels in the area cost much more due to booking for the tournament, it's the best choice."
"Wait... coins?" Akira remarked. (Oh, perfect! They have a different form of currency here! How could I forget to bring some spare change??)
"Not to worry, sir," Lizabeth assured him. "You're lucky. They're holding special bargains for newly registered fighters. One free night, and breakfast in the morning."
"Whew. That's a relief." (One night? I know I'm probably going to be here more than one night... but, it's better than no night.)
Thanking Lizabeth for her help and shaking her hand, then putting his card into his pants' pocket, he set out to the Shadow House Inn.

* * *

The Shadow House Inn wasn't as intimidating as it sounded. It was a luxurious hotel, possibly even five-star from the way it looked. For a name like "Shadow Inn," it was definately pleasant to the eyes!
Akira entered through the open entrance of the building, and caught sight of the Innkeeper behind the counter. He was dealing with another person, so Akira stood in line and waited.
(Probably one of the fighters,) he thought to himself.
"...night, though," the person had finished saying.
"Your name, please?" the Innkeeper asked the man, whom held out his card to be recognized as one of the tournament's qualified. Akira noted this to himself.
"Aronath Bahtra," the man replied, tucking his card away after the Innkeeper was finished with it.
"Very well, here is your room key; you have been given Room 9, on the 2nd floor. Please enjoy your stay tonight."
The man, Aronath, nodded, then proceeded without another word.
(Interesting,) Akira thought. (I wonder if I'll go against him in the tournament! Ah, well. I won't get my hopes up too much for it...)
Stepping to the counter, Akira smiled and pulled out his card.
"Welcome to the Shadow House Inn, sir. Are you competing in tomorrow's tournament?"
"Yes, I am."
"Name, please?"
"Akira Tanaka." Akira handed the Innkeeper his card, whom checked through a computer's database. After a few clicks, he handed Akira his card, as well as the key to his room.
"Very well, here is your room key; you have been given... let me check that... Room 10, on the 2nd floor. Please enjoy your stay tonight."
"Thanks," Akira responded, then he headed in the same direction as the man from before, Aronath, had been heading.
(I wonder what kind of people I will face here? It's been a little while since I've had any "normal" competition... Jeez, giant monsters, aliens from outerspace, even demons, egyptian gods, and evil incarnations... I've just about fought them all!) He chuckled to himself up the stairs.

As he made it into the 2nd floor, the faint sound of a harp could be heard playing down the hall.
(This hallway reminds me of the mansion...)
Akira noticed the rooms were divided on two sides: the left side of the hall had the odds, whilst the right side of the hall had the evens. Obviously, Akira's room would be somewhere on the right.
Walking quietly down the dimly-lit hallway, Akira found his room and immediately began opening it. He pushed open the door, and stepped in.
The room was cold -- almost to the point of freezing! Other than this detail, the room itself was tidy and well-kept. The beds were made, the windows were curtained and shut, and there were no spots on the walls or dressers. It was almost as if no one had even entered this room before.
(Now THAT'S clean,) Akira thought to himself as he unstrapped his sword and placed it on one of two beds. (This place is about as thoroughly cleaned as Miwako can clean it...)
Miwako, back in Tokyo, was the maid of his house. A close friend, Miwako first met Akira in the same place Akira met Yukina, his wife. She never seemed to mind cleaning. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it, as she also had a part-time job in Tokyo as a waitress, to give orders to customers and clean after them.
(Ahhh, Miwako. I could sure go for some of your cooking about now...)
With the cold air getting to him, Akira went over to the air conditioner, located just below the windows of the room. For some reason, whomever had stayed in this room before had set the temperature on max AC, and on the lowest possible temperature.
(The only type of people who could live in such an environment comfortably would be snowmen!)
Shrugging his shoulders, Akira set the AC to a more comfortable setting, and let it go by itself.
(That's better. I wonder where they serve food here...? But I suppose I will worry about that tomorrow. I had my supper on my way here... I KNEW I should have saved it... I'm starving now! And they require coins as currency!)
Sighing to himself, Akira hoisted himself on the second bed -- as on the first was his sword, cloak, and supplies -- and made himself comfy on the spring mattress. He could get used to this.
On a desk beside the bed, Akira saw a phone. On it, there was a small sticky note: "FREE HOURS - 7pm TO 7am ONLY".
(Ah, that's good,) Akira said to himself. (It's about midday, so I'll have to wait a little longer before I can call Yukina... I hope she's doing okay. I promised to call her yesterday, but I wasn't anywhere near a town... and the last place I was in didn't allow free minutes. Shoot.)
Putting those thoughts aside, Akira got back to his feet and went off to the bathroom for a hot shower.

^ And I wouldn't blame you for that.

This thing's still under investigation. I'm not going to go pointing fingers until everything's cleaned up. For all we know, this was a setup... It's a fifty-fifty chance: murder-suicide, or murder-murder.
I'll just leave it at that, I suppose.

^ Quite true.

< THREE STRIKES IS OUT.

v Couldn't read this.

Fast-paced, action-packed, touching story... What you would expect from a war short-story, I suppose. It teaches so many lessons that no one ever seems to pay attention to anymore.
I enjoyed how you had a different perspective for this story... a different P.O.V. And it really felt like you were in the middle of a heated battle. Quite something indeed. You could feel the emotions, smell the sweat, blood and tears, hear the screams, and know there was nothing but ensuing chaos. Yes, very well done, as short as it was.

I've always found myself fond of war novels. I'm not sure why. I guess it's because it preps me for something I may need to do someday.

I'm interested in anything else you may have planned -- whether it deals with this or not.

Quote from Muigi

Makes me think of what the new Zelda stage will be, actually.

Good chance they're going to add something Twilight Princess related, or even some from Wind Waker or the handheld games.

Interesting. I just came across this Zelda CD-I this morning when I was looking up info on Midna.

Personally, I've never played it... or any of those three, for that matter. What would one rate those games?

Ah, I'd forgotten how to say "Welcome" in French... I wish I had paid some more attention in those two years of classes.

Anyway, welcome to the forum (as belated as this may be). Kind of quiet at the moment, but it's beginning to fill. Probably the perfect time to be a member... as you won't have to worry abou a crowd pointing down at you and saying "ahwah yer new HEAR!" -_-

Monday 07/05/2007

The Shadow Master...

...
...

I can feel the power returning to me day by day... With each passing phase of the Moon, I will be at my full strength in a few mere days. Great is my Master to allow me such a privilage... though I am equal in ability to Her, She means nothing to me. May I one day tap closer into my Dark Heart and smite my Enemy once and for all.

Giratina asked for me recently, through his messengers the Drifloons and Drifblims. They landed on my Island and requested I meet a "mandatory" meeting with him. I didn't bother asking for any more details -- Giratina is a master of secrecy, and surely wouldn't allow any more information other than an invitation to be asked about. So, within the next passing week, I shall meet with him.

I recall once when I first met him, Giratina... He hasn't changed much. No, hasn't changed much at all. Such a devious and rebellious being. I sometimes imagine what my Master must have thought when he created such a sinister basilisk... Sometimes...

The cave was first founded by a Ruin Maniac, as Trainers call them. He had accidentally stumbled upon the area some time ago, when he heard rumors of a hidden "Fourth Lake" of Sinnoh. Of course, I knew about the lake -- and of Giratina -- but I was younger then, and ignorant. I cared not of meeting the Cave's Shadow Master. I simply did as I was inquired to, causing NightMares and wrecking havoc in the simple imaginations of the Insignificants and their Trainers. Because Evil must have its fun in some fashion.
Eventually, as the rumors spread, the Cave was excavated and announced to the public to be "an archeological revelation." People were allowed to visit the area, and they encountered many species of Creatures to be fought and captured. Sometime later, the surrounding area of the Cave was "a safe and thrilling environment to raise your Pokemon." They were half-right, those Trainers. The Cave itself started out with some higher leveled Creatures, primarily Golbat and Chimecho. However, there was a dense fog... and a strange brick structure just as you enter the cave. It said something about passing 3 rooms in 30. Anyone who dared venture farther than that was never heard from again. Because of this, the cave was then dubbed "Turnback Cave," and Trainers were prohibited from entering it. Of course, there were still some fools who went in... only to suffer a similar fate as the ones before them.
Because of these mounting losses of dim-witted Trainers, the entire area was eventually shut down, despite complaints and threats from the Trainers themselves. The area was blocked off for ages, being replaced with newly-planted groves and trees. A decade passed, and the Lake -- and its lost adventurers -- were almost completely forgotten.

By this time, I had grown very curious of the Cave. I knew of Giratina, but, as I have mentioned, I had never seen him in person. My Master mentioned him being a renegade... because, as I mentioned a few days ago, he was created from the sins of the Trainers and Creatures. I was prepared for anything.
On one of my free nights, after causing a little terror, I detoured my normal route to Veilstone and entered the Cave.
It was foggy... A dense blanket of gray was everywhere. Even I had some trouble navigating inside it. But, I was fortunate enough to figure out the puzzling brick structure's message: In order to reach the Final Room where the Shadow Master lay, you must pass three symmetrical rooms... lest you perish whence hitting 30 rooms before passing the 3 of them. In order to do this, you must Smash the rocks that don't belong, thus "transforming" the room and changing its direction. Whenever you made the rocks alike on both sides of the room, you could continue. If you didn't do this, you would pass a room -- but it would not be counted as BEING a room passed. It was... more or less a turn-based game. I enjoyed it, though it was simple enough to figure out.
Finally, after some trial and error, I reached the Final Room. And before me stood a magnificent, six-legged Beast, described in every detail as my Master had once told me. His glowing, bloody eyes didn't blink as he examined me. I did the same during our time of silence. Somehow, we connected on a certain level of Evil. It could be that my Master implimented this in him and I so that whenever we met, we would know that both our intentions towards Trainers and their Insignificants would be the same.
Giratina was a remarkable creature. I still remember shuddering in delight as I felt his shadowy aura surround me... Such a powerful, evil thing. Though, of course, he is no match against My Evil.
Giratina asked of my intentions for being in his Cave. I answered by stating I had only been curious in seeing the Shadow Master, the fabled creature of my Master. Giratina then remembered me as he, too, had been briefed by my Master about the other Legendaries in Sinnoh, Kanto, and other such places. He didn't mind my stay, Giratina, but he threatened that if I were to ever approach him again -- unannounced -- I would pay the consequences, with or without my Master's permission. I accepted this with pleasure. Maybe one day I will break that challenge, just to see which one of us is the stronger...
Since then, Giratina would only request for me via messengers. And that trend remains unbroken.

I could only imagine what he could be calling me for within this passing week... The last times, it was only for conversation with the outside world, and whether or not the Cave was remembered, or if our Master had any plans. This time, it feels... different. A different kind of invitation. I will enjoy this, no doubt.

I will also enjoy the night I come to petrify thee in thy dreams...
Farewell...

Well, no Sheik update today, but it IS Ocarina of Time related... Could that be a possible hint of Sheik's entrance (as Ocarina of Time is considered the best Zelda game), or is it just pure coincidence Sakurai would mention a medley of OoT? Gives you something to speculate about.