Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan smiled at Zoe's challenge to Xander, and smirked at Jenny's reply. "We'll see just who is the stronger of the two of us, Jen-Jen." he spoke confidently. "We'll have to find someplace a little less populated. Just so both of us can go all out!" The Plasma Agent then went back to munching on his food, keeping an eye on the others as they spoke. He caught wind of Dahlia training with her powers, which he felt was necessary. He also noted that Ryan seemed very uneasy about that, possibly due to what happened on the boat. Colette had mentioned something about Kalos, along with Zoe. The Hero hadn't been there, but had heard things here and there. He decided to let the conversations go on, as he ate.


Gnip wasn't paying attention in gneral, until her master issued a challenge to Jenny. The Mach Pokemon's tail wagged slightly as she heard that her masters would be going all out. This had to happen, as she didn't exactly get much of a chance to really shine as she wanted to as of late. The Shooting Star Dragon uttered a low, but pleased growl at Evan, clearly containing her excitement for the time when the battle would occur.....

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia Seaton

 

Dahlia blinked at Ryan blurting out his disapproval of training her powers. She looked at him for a moment but looked back down and started eating the food from her plate in silence. It wouldn't do any good to try and convince him to trust her again anytime soon, but in due time he'd turn around. Yes, she had lost control of "Power of the Renegade" that had activated on the boat, and his paranoia was understandable. All she could do now was win back his trust... However that might look. 

Asriel turned towards Ryan, his crimson eyes staring for a moment. His expression was unreadable, and the Absol turned back to his food in a moment. There was some kind of acknowledgement about his words going on, but what exactly that was wasn't clear.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

"I'm sorry, Ryan, but in this you are wrong. If you have a setback, it's very important to try again as soon as possible, or else you will find yourself too scared to try in the future. I certainly don't let Xander stop whenever he breaks something."

 

Xander nodded lightly. It'll be good for everyone involved if she tests her abilities again soon. The Reverse powers probably take a bit more practice than psychic abilities, and if she doesn't practice now, where it's safe, she'll have to try and use them in the field without any prior experience. He offered Dahlia a confident smile. You'll do fine, I'm sure of it.

 

"I can join you for training while Xander has his battle with the princess, if you're feeling up to it."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"I agree with the others." The aura wielder frowned, her conversation forgotten for the moment. She'd have time to ask questions later, but this seemed... odd. Ryan's sudden outburst had come out of nowhere, and Colette gave him a curious look at that. "I don't know why you seem hesitant, but... you're all talking as if she's had little to no experience using these powers." The girl paused for a moment, hoping that things wouldn't end up like it had the last time she'd stepped in. She was thankful for Sylph mentioning the psychic's name, as she had not been focused when it was said before. "Xander's right, too. These powers are likely very different than mine... but the point stands that powers without training are just a hindrance." There appeared to be an underlying reason for that, but she scratched her head.

 

"I could probably help out later, too, in both types of training. How does that sound?" Colette looked at Ryan - whatever reason he had for the other girl not using her powers, Colette felt it was not a good one in this case. Still, she had to wonder. There was something that got him scared; but the aura wielder couldn't tell what it was exactly. She made a mental note to ask him about that later.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Zoe

"I don't get it," Zoe blurted out, her mouth full of pancakes. "If you have awesome superpowers, it'd be silly not to use them. That's like buying new clothes and letting them just hang in your closet."

 

Ryan met Sylph's eyes, silently pleading with her to reconsider. She had been there, she had seen Dahlia lose control. But the Gardevoir was unyielding, and as much as he hated to admit it, Xander had a good point. It was better for Dahlia to test her powers in a controlled environment rather than on the battlefield. Ryan sighed in defeat and was about to go back to his breakfast when he noticed Colette staring at him. It was a little unnerving, as if she already knew what had happened on the boat. He half expected her to start spouting out details of his life like Aria often did.

 

"Well, it looks like I'm outvoted," Ryan muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He glanced over at Dahlia for a moment. "If you think you're ready to continue training your powers, I can't really stop you. Heck, Sylph and Colette are probably better suited to training you anyway, given that they've had... you know, actual experience." The Liberty agent looked back down at his plate and continued to eat in silence.

[Parugi]

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner - Arena, Chapel:

 

"Sounds like it," Ethan said, chuckling. "In my experience--and I'm sure Gavin can vouch for this--typically, once you get involved in one incident, you wind up getting involved in all following incidents. Or, at least, a pretty strong majority of 'em." He grinned. "Don't let that psych you out, though."

 

 

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

"Dude, stop pouting."

 

The voice came from directly behind Ryan. Kyle had arrived, arms crossed and looking at Sanders with a raised eyebrow. Beside him stood a woman of about equal age, with blond hair pulled back into a bun--save for the section of her bangs that she had left to hang in front of her right eye. She appeared somewhat uncomfortable by the number of unknown faces in front of her, but nonetheless held herself with a strong posture.

 

"Good morning," he said to everyone, then looked back at Ryan as he took a seat. "Seriously, though--take it from me, you should probably lighten up before you get slapped."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

"Yeah, she's been doing better recently; she's been resting a lot, and while she's been a bit unsteady on her feet since she just got cleared by the nurse to move around, but..." Lucia shrugged slightly, as she walked up to the door. "Really, she's been doing pretty well. She was sorta lucky that everyone was able to react quickly." She didn't mention how everyone was worried at first, for multiple reasons. She opened the door, and motioned to the other two. "Right this way... and you might want to follow closely, the layout can be a bit unintuitive at first." Lucia began to lead the two toward where Shannon's room was, but yet, for some reason, once again got this feeling of dread.

 

-==IC: Colette/Jenny==-

 

Colette looked up in surprise as she moved slightly to see Kyle as he showed up suddenly. As the aura wielder moved back again, she tilted her head at the new girl, though, as something seemed familiar about her as well. She couldn't place that, however, and simply stayed quiet about that, simply offering a nod at what Kyle was saying.

 

"Morning to you too." Jenny said with a smile, as she waved at Kyle. "Long time no see. How's it been going?" She paused slightly, as her X-transceiver beeped briefly, and she quickly sent off a reply, before looking up as if nothing had happened.

 

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe was confused, and a little bored. She glanced around with a scratch of her head. A time or two, she had decided that she might just head back to the infirmary to see whether anyone had shown up there, but instead simply sighed and stayed there. Finally, however, she got tired of waiting, and sent a message to Jenny, asking where everyone was. Not long after that, she got a reply, mentioning that they'd decided to just meet up in the cafeteria, since most of the others had already been there anyway.

 

With a slight sigh, she got up and frowned, as she headed in the direction of the cafeteria. She hesitated in her steps, taking them a little slowly. She was uncertain how things would turn out, or how many people would be there. However, she took a deep breath, and picked up her pace. After a few minutes, the girl reached the doors to the cafeteria, and bit her lip. She once again got nervous, but nevertheless, pushed them open. She scanned the crowd, and felt butterflies in her stomach as she noticed the group gathered around a table that had a whole cart of food near it.

 

Timidly, Chloe walked toward the table, not making her presence actually known. Despite that, however, she noticed one of the two beige haired girls at the table focus on her. The stare made Chloe hesitate a bit more, but eventually managed to stand near the table. She looked around at the people gathered there, and wondered if it were a good idea to speak up, or not.

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

"Oh, that doesn't bother me," Madison said, returning Ethan's grin. "Going around from place to place... saving people in need... I'm actually kind of starting to like it."

 

"I dunno, it sounds a little too stressful if you ask me," Luke said. "Never staying in one spot, not knowing where you might end up next... And you're never truly at ease because you've always got to -- how do you Rockets put it? -- prepare for trouble."

 

IC: Ryan

Ryan turned around in surprise. Pouting? He shook his head, managing a smile at his fellow Liberty agent. "Sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind. Didn't mean to dampen the mood any." He took a sip of juice, trying to push his worries aside for the time being. "So who's your friend?"

 

IC: Paul

The blacksmith was not familiar with the halls of the Alamo. Jamie, Xander, Evan, and Dahlia had already left their rooms, and Paul quickly realized he had no idea where the meeting place was supposed to be. Terry tried to track the scents of their friends, but the scents became muddled with the hundreds of Liberty agents walking through the halls. Eventually Paul's stomach began to rumble as much as Terry's, and the two decided to ask around for a place to eat.

 

A helpful agent directed them to the cafeteria, where Paul easily found the others sitting by a large tray of food. "We must've missed the invite," he muttered to Terry. Invitations meant nothing to Terry; he saw friends and he saw food, and that was good enough for him. With a bark, the Herdier padded on ahead, greeting each person in turn.

 

Paul quickly caught up to Terry, but chose to pause a little way's away from the group. He noticed an auburn-haired girl also distancing herself from the others, and moved over to her side. "It's... Chloe, right? I take it your adventure went well?"

 

OOC: Willows IC to come soon...

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe looked over in surprise, as Paul suddenly appeared. She wondered how he had appeared out of nowhere, but then realized that she probably just hadn't noticed with her nerves being so on edge. She nodded at the man's question, and scratched her head. "Y-yeah... it was definitely an interesting trip." She smiled slightly, but then looked back toward the table, looking a little hesitant to approach more, since the others appeared to be in conversations of their own for the moment still.

[Konuju]

IC: Paul
"Well, you can tell us all about it over breakfast." The blacksmith grabbed a plate and began to grab some food, filling a second plate for Terry. Then he sat down at the table, motioning for Chloe to join him.
 
IC: Shannon
For the first time in a while, Shannon's nose was at peace. It had been out in the open air for far too long, between the smoke and ash in the streets and the odd hospital-like smells in her current room. Had she waited much longer, Shannon would have been likely to catch a cold from her nose being in unfamiliar territory. But now her nostrilous appendage was finally back where it belonged: in the weathered pages of a book.
 
Shannon Willows was feeling much better, and not just because she had returned to reading. Her health had improved considerably, and Lucia had even been kind enough to help her start getting back on her feet. It was amazing how quickly her legs had turned into jelly after lying in bed for days. Standing up proved to be a much more difficult task than she'd imagined, and she would have been sporting several new scrapes and bruises had the healer not been by her side when she tried to walk.
 
Nevertheless, the prospect of finally returning to a normal life had Shannon in high spirits. She pretended she was not in a hospital bed but curled up on her couch, simply lazing the day away with her book. In fact, she was so absorbed in her fantasy (both the one of her couch and the one in her hands) that she didn't notice the knock at the door.
 
"Shannon!"
 
The sudden cry startled her, but nothing could match the shock of seeing her parents standing in the doorway. Well, at least her mother was standing there. Her father had already moved past the entrance to sit down by her bed, pulling her into a lung-crushing hug.
 
"Oh Shannon, thank Arceus you're safe! We were looking all over for you!"
 
"I-I'm fine..." Shannon croaked from between her father's burly arms.
 
"You certainly don't look fine." Her mother folded her arms across her chest. She strode over to the nightstand and picked up the girl's Pokégear.
 
"M-mom...!" Shannon managed to squirm out of her father's embrace and made a desperate lunge for her phone, a hint of a blush on her cheeks. Her mother stepped out of reach as she fiddled with the device.
 
"Twelve missed calls." Ava held out the Pokégear, which Shannon quickly snatched up. "Twelve. And you didn't return a single one of them."
 
Shannon gulped, trying to make herself as small as possible. "I... I've been really tired. A-and the pain meds... I-I haven't been thinking straight..."
 
"Shannon, didn't you at least think to let us know you were safe?" her father said. "We came to Celadon as soon as he heard the news, and found the house in ruins. We were so worried about you..."
 
"I..." Shannon looked down at her lap. She had lost her page in her book. The joy she had felt earlier was gone. Timidly, she slid further under the covers of her bed, mumbling something about needing rest.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Xander, intent on stuffing his face, fialed to notice everyone else show up until Sylph nudged him. "Xander," she muttered, nodding to the others.

 

Oh. Oh! Hey Paul. Kyle. Chloe, how's it going? Didn't realize you were gonna be here! Is Olive--

 

"Olivia."

 

Olivia! Is Olivia here, too? Has she seen Aspen yet? He swallowed his mouthful of food and grinned.

 

"I am so sorry," Sylph said as she moved closer to Xander. "Scoot! Let Paul and Chloe sit next to us."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe/Colette==-

 

Chloe opened her mouth for a moment, but nodded, as she went to sit down at the table as well. She was currently focused on the food, as she picked out a rather large plate of food to begin with. She knew things would probably go well, but she noticed a few unfamiliar people, and felt uncertain about how this would go, or how Kyle would react to her after everything in Unova.

 

Colette stayed quiet, as she watched the awkward auburn sit down and get things to eat. She noticed a lot of anxiety in the girl's green aura, and wondered whether it was just nervousness. She wondered why the girl was even here; but since Paul seemed to know her, the aura wielder wondered if the green eyed girl was part of the group as well.

 

At Xander's prompt, however, Chloe looked up at him in slight surprise. "O-oh, Olivia's here, yeah... she's talking to Aspen now, actually. Or at least, I hope so. I left the two of them alone, so hopefully that's been going alright..." The girl blinked as she glanced over at Sylph. "Wait, Sylph can talk...?" She looked at Xander with a perplexed look, the questions having been a good distraction from her nervousness for the moment.

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

"If I may cut in..." Lucia cleared her throat, as she frowned a bit. "I can confirm that she hasn't exactly been feeling herself recently. One time I was talking with her while helping her, she kept acting like she was half asleep the whole time." The scene wasn't quite how she pictured it would go, and the healer looked at Ava for a moment, before glancing back to Shannon again. "Things also happen anyway; sometimes things slip your mind." She shrugged, but looked pointedly back to Ava. "That said, I fail to see how this questioning is helping anything."

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

"That's right . . ." Kyle rubbed the back of his head, glancing at Esen as she sat down next to him. "We never actually saw you at that ball thing, did we?" He leaned back slightly to give Ryan a clearer view of her. "This is--"

 

"Esen," she said. "Nice to meet you."

 

"She's the friend I was talking about yesterday," he said. "She's cool, trust me. And if she decides to go with us . . ." Kyle nudged her arm, prompting her to roll her eyes and push him back. "She's great in a fight."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Sylph sighed softly, shaking her head. Xander chuckled.

 

That's about the third person that's asked that, now. Yeah, it's something we've been working on for a while. She didn't before because she's actually a bit shy. But then we spoke to you on the . . . transceiver?  and she couldn't talk to you telepathically over that distance, so she wanted to practice more.

 

Sylph nodded softly, smiling. "I didn't realize we'd be meeting face-to-face again so soon."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

"That makes sense... that's actually what made me question it." Chloe giggled, as she began to eat quickly. She bit her lip for a moment, as she glanced up at the others. From what she could tell, they were still in the middle of their conversation. She finished off the first half of the sandwich she had grabbed, and took a breath for a moment, and looked over to Kyle and the others.

 

"H-hi there..."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul/Zoe

"Well, we can never have too many fighters," Ryan said, waving in greeting to Esen. "In fact, some of us were just talking about having some training matches later today. You're more than welcome to join, or even just spectate."

 

"You're just full of surprises," Paul said with a chuckle at Sylph. His mood turned more solemn when he looked back at Chloe. "So you and Olivia heard about what happened to Aspen," he said in a hushed voice. "The other Ryan was also injured... he's your brother, isn't he? Have you visited him yet?"

 

Zoe felt left out. All these conversations had popped up around her and she didn't know which one to join. She looked to her sister for guidance, but Collie's silence wasn't much help. Zoe followed the aura wielder's gaze, and saw she was staring at the auburn-haired newcomer. She didn't seem to have arrived with anyone, unlike Kyle's new friend, and Zoe didn't recognize her from the day before. She thrust a finger across the table aimed at the girl. "Who is she?"

 

IC: Shannon, Theodore, and Ava Willows

"Telling your parents you've been hurt isn't something that just slips your mind," Theodore said. "Shouldn't we have been the first ones contacted? Why was she brought here and not to the hospital? Where's the medical staff?"

 

Ava narrowed her eyes at Lucia. "This is a family reunion, not an interrogation," she said coldly. "We haven't spoken to our daughter in weeks; I think we're entitled to ask her a few questions."

 

Shannon forced her eyes shut. How had things become so chaotic? Normally this would be the time that she'd hole herself up in her room. But this was her room now, and she had no control over who came to visit her. In the back of her mind she had known something like this would have to happen eventually. She just wished she'd had some sort of warning beforehand.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia looked between Theodore and Ava, trying to figure out who to reply to first. She decided that Ava was the best choice there, as she tried to keep her patience.

 

"It certainly seems like an interrogation to me - especially by being an outsider of sorts. Yes, you are okay to ask questions, but there's a difference between that, and taking hold of your daughter's Pokegear without even a warning." Lucia glanced back to Shannon, a frown on her face. She turned to Theodore then, however.

 

"As for your questions, she was brought here because the hospital was destroyed, the Pokemon Center was overfilled, and this was a place that was known to have good care - especially since a lot of the staff have been around with the Pokemon Center and hospital." She didn't touch on the contacting part, because she did not exactly know that. Lucia felt bad for Shannon having to go through this, though, but was more worried about Ava.

 

-==IC: Chloe/Jenny/Colette==-

 

Chloe looked back to Paul when he spoke up before the others, and scratched her head, as she frowned a bit. "I heard a bit... but I haven't actually been to see him yet. I was, well, told to meet up with people for something, but, well, no-one was there when I got there." She giggled awkwardly as she quietly spoke back, and looked around a bit. "It's just... it's complicated."

 

Colette was about to reply to Zoe's question, but Jenny managed to speak up first, since the younger sister had been rather loud about her question. "She's one of our friends, Chloe. She accompanied us six months ago in Unova, but we all went our separate ways after then. We met up again a week ago, back in Lilycove, but she needed to check on her family in Snowpoint." Jenny scratched her head, as she figured that was a pretty good explanation about who she was to the group.

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia Seaton

Dahlia stayed quiet when Ryan finally conceded. It was useless to hammer the point in further, he had already given up his protest, especially when the newcomer girl chewed him out for it. 

"Good seeing you again, Chloe." Dahlia said, smiling. She gave a quick nod to Paul Burks as well, but turned back to the auburn-haired trainer. "It's been a little bit. I trust you and Olivia have held up well?" she asked. The gardener fell quiet when she heard Aspen get brought up, a pang of guilt for not being able to do anything sooner rippling throughout her system. 

The middle Seaton didn't show it however, and smiled at Esen as she introduced herself. "Dahlia Seaton. Nice to meet you."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Xander smiled softly, turning to the other girl from the boat, the one he hadn't spoken to yet. So, Janet, right? How are you coming along with the Powers of Time?

 

Sylph put her hand to her head, groaning. "Xander, that's . . . that's not her name. I don't know what it is, but it's not . . .  not that." She glanced at the girl. "I am so sorry. I don't know why he's so bad with names. Hi! i'm Sylph. This is Xander. And your name is?"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie - Cafeteria

 

Jamie overheard someone trying to talk to a someone else whose name was Janet. It took her until the Gardevoir started addressing her that the mention of 'Power of Time' (whom she could only assume were from the person standing next to the Gardevoir). The Gardevoir had been using her vocal chords to communicate which was different from what she was used to. She had to think for a moment about whether it was normal to point that out. Thankfully she decided pointing out the Gardevoir's less than default number of arms was a bad idea from the start.

 

While her reason was still debating among itself, Jamie's mouth decided to open, "Wow, you can talk," Jamie said pointing out the obvious, "Your the first Gardevoir I've met that could do that." Remembering that Sylph had asked her a question she shook her head and said, "Oh, yes. My name is Jamie Arthur, heroine of time!" she said shouting that last part because she didn't know that she didn't need to.  

 

Jamie offhandedly reached to add another pastry to her plate, when Pelleas swiped the offending food from her hand and gave her a disapproving gesture. 'You've eaten plenty of these already' was the intended message. The message that apparently got across was 'give me your best impression of Baby-Doll Eyes to reclaim your pastry' because that's what Jamie did and her pastry was returned to Pelleas's shame.

 

"Oh and these are Pelleas," she said pointing to the Heracross, "and Lucan," pointing to the Vanilluxe, who looked up from his ice cream upon hearing his name. "The -strongest- Pokemon you will ever meet," Jamie said confidently. "Unless you meet Tristan, who is definitely up there."

 

Or Guinevere or Lancelot, Pelleas added as an aside, not particularly wishing to contradict Jamie, but it was true.

 

"Oh, and about the Time powers thingee... it's still a work in progress."

 

That was also true, Pelleas concluded.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

The two were slightly taken aback at how child-like Jamie seemed to act, but brushed it off as an eccentric nature like Evan's. Sylph smiled softly. "It's a pleasure to actually meet you!"

 

The trainer nodded, stuffing another pastry into his mouth. They seem pretty strong. You guys must've been through a lot together.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Jamie) - Cafeteria

 

It took Jamie another second to realize that Xander was telepathic. She wasn't as surprised about that though, working for Joker ensured that. She was however, going to inform Xander that it was rude to talk while eating. But then remembered that he wasn't -technically- talking. So she decided that it didn't count.

 

"You can say that again. Some of the things we have had to deal with, I can't even explain," before letting her face become uptight for a brief moment, "Legally," before switching back to normal to say "or in any other way for that matter.

 

"Though, I suppose in a way, most all of it links back to Ford," she said with a contemplative look on her face. "I've been meaning to ask about that by the way. Someone named Ellen was taken by Ford, and that's why everyone here's chasing him?"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Xander froze for a second, then nodded. He sighed and pushed his plate away. Yeah. Paul's daughter, Ellen. She was taken, and we're all . . . we're pretty upset about it.

 

Sylph put her hand on his arm and squeezed. Are you alright? she asked him silently.

 

Fine. I'm fine. As lies went, it was poor. Still, Sylph dropped the subject, instead turning back to Jamie.

 

"What do you have against Ford, if you don't mind me asking?"

[Konuju]

IC: Shannon/Theodore/Ava

"Ah, yes, the hospital," Theodore murmured. "I remember reading about that. What a tragedy. Well it's certainly lucky Shannon was admitted here. Do you have any other patients? Is there a doctor who can tell us more about Shannon's condition?"

 

"Don't tell me how to parent my child," Ava said. She narrowed her eyes, turning her stern gaze from Lucia back to Shannon. "I'm not stupid. I know you didn't just happen to sleep through every one of our calls when you somehow never missed a call from that Ryan fellow."

 

Shannon's face turned a bright red as she tried to bury herself in her blankets. "P-please, I... I need rest..." she squeaked in an almost inaudible voice.

 

IC: Ryan/Paul/Zoe

Ryan glanced around the table, listening in to the conversations going on around him. It looked like everyone was there except for those in the infirmary. He cleared his throat. "So, um... now that we're all here..."

 

The individual conversations continued, Ryan's voice lost amidst the noisy cafeteria. The Liberty agent frowned. While he wasn't opposed to people getting to know each other or catching up, there were still important matters to discuss. Glancing down, Ryan took his fork and lightly clinked it against his glass.

 

That got everyone's attention, including a few of the neighboring tables, whose occupants glanced over at the high-pitched chime before realizing it wasn't intended for them (although this had the amusing effect of several double takes at the sight of a Garchomp jauntily devouring a miniature mountain of food). Ryan cleared his throat and started again. "Given that we're all here, and it's about time for the meeting anyway, I figured we'd just... well, have our meeting here." He chuckled sheepishly. "So um, first order of business, the purpose of our mission. As most of you already know, Ellen, Sonja, and Ray have been captured by McKinley, who is working for Ford. We aim to rescue them. Now the reason we came to Four Island is because Colette here can help us..."

 

Ryan's voice trailed off as he looked around the table again. "Um... where's Jayron? And Aria? We, uh, kind of need them...."

 

"Collie can do it!" Zoe cried, clapping her sister's back. "She's the best aura wielder there is!"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

"Well, her usual nurse seems to be not present at the moment, but I'm sure she'll-" Lucia's explanation was interrupted as Ava retorted and began to become even pushier toward Shannon. Lucia's eyes narrowed, and she glanced over at the other girl for a moment.

 

"With all due respect..." Lucia found it hard to not grind her teeth at the woman's attitude. "It looks like her fever is returning. I must request that you let her be. Is that clear?" The healer leveled her gaze at Ava, her face making it rather obvious that the woman was pushing the case a bit too much. "If it is not, I can get the nurse, who will just say exactly the same thing I just did. Now please follow me."

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette frowned slightly, as she glanced over toward Ryan. "Can... you really count it as everyone being here, if... they're not?" The aura wielder looked at him with a subtly amused look on her face. She turned to Zoe with a small smile. "I could try, but this might be a bit much for just me; there might be a guard or something interfering. We'd need a bunch of aura masters to team up here." She didn't want to outright crush Zoe's hopes, which is why she spun it in a way that made it seem a bit more heroic. After that, Colette took out her Holo Caster, and began to type up a message to send to Jayron, so he would know to come to the cafeteria.

Edited July 13, 2016 by Destined Blade

[Konuju]

IC: Shannon

The look her mother gave her told her she had only delayed the inevitable questioning. Nevertheless, Shannon's parents reluctantly followed Lucia out of the room. The moment the door closed Shannon breathed a sigh of relief. Her hand was still clenched around her Pokégear and it took her several long moments to relax her breathing. She tenderly picked up the book from her lap. The bookmark had fallen out and it would take forever to find her place again. With a heavy sigh she tossed the book onto her nightstand. The book slid, knocking over a glass of water and sending it tumbling to the floor where it shattered with a loud crash. Shannon didn't care. She pulled the covers over her head and sobbed.

 

IC: Ryan/Paul/Zoe

"And that's the plan, right?" Zoe said. "Get all the aura masters together turn Ford's fortress into smithereens!"

 

Ryan stared open-mouthed at Colette for a moment. "I... I didn't know we didn't have... nevermind." Ignoring the two sisters, he instead turned to Dahlia and Chloe. "Could one of you maybe ask Olivia if Aria's in the infirmary with Aspen?"

 

IC: Jayron

For the hundredth time, yes, I'm sure this is the right meeting place!

 

Lucario's mouth curled into something resembling a smirk. So you're saying literally everybody else forgot where we're supposed to be? You're right and everyone else is wrong?

 

Before Jayron could retort, his Pokégear beeped with a message. The executive read it once and shook his head. C'mon, Lucario... they're in the cafeteria.

 

Told you you were wrong.

 

Jayron lightly punched his partner's shoulder. Shut up.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette/Chloe/Jenny==-

 

"Maybe. We'll have to see." Colette glanced over at Ryan for a moment, really hoping he had gotten that was a joke, and then went back to eating while she waited. She couldn't help but wonder if the other Lucario was needed, however. She didn't know how the thing they were planning to do exactly worked, but she was also not really that impressed with the first impressions she had gotten from Aria. She couldn't tell what it was, but the way the Lucario was acting, and the hesitance and fear she had felt from Ryan the day before made her wonder just what was going on with the scarf wearing Lucario.

 

Chloe looked up hesitantly. On one hand, she could message Olivia to find out where Aria was. On the other...

 

"Are you all talking about that snob of a Lucario?" The owner of the voice startled Chloe from her thoughts, as one of the Pokeballs opened, and a frowning Lucario stood beside her. "I don't know if she should be involved. I'm still feeling that last time we talked in a downtime." The Lucario rubbed his head, as Chloe frowned as well.

 

"That..." Chloe felt more awkward, as this had drawn more attention to her. She could feel her face get a bit hot, as she looked around at the others. "Th-this is my Lucario. His name's Luke... I know, I know, not that creative, but... it was his idea."

 

"Yeah, yeah, when are you going to explain how Aria locked me and Alvis into a psychic hold because she didn't like how we were acting?"

 

"Luke, that's not..." Chloe trailed off, as she switched to discussing the matter with the Pokemon in psychic speech.

 

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Jenny asked carefully, as she looked at Chloe and Luke with a frown. The psychic girl paused, as the two looked over at Jenny. Chloe bit her lip, but then began to explain what had occurred at the pizza restaurant in Sootopolis. She tried to keep things as neutral as she could, but watched worriedly, as Jenny's face darkened a bit. "... I see..."

 

Colette, on the other hand, was totally in the dark about all that was going on at first, but frowned as she heard the story. "That's odd." She finally said. "So you're saying that she was fine usually, but sometimes could go overboard?" The girl glanced at the new Lucario. He seemed rather new and rash from what she could tell, but... she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. She was a little surprised that this made two Lucarios that she had met in as many days, but had to admit to herself that it wasn't too out of the ordinary for that.

 

"Total loose cannon."

 

"Luke, you're just bitter..." The trainer sighed, as she recalled the Lucario she felt was causing trouble, but frowned slightly, as she looked at Jenny uncertainly. "Why do you seem like you've heard this story before, though...?"

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia silently followed the parents out, as she took a moment to glance back at the room as she closed the door behind her. She felt bad for putting Shannon through all that, and knew that Ryan probably would not be very pleased if he heard about it. She frowned at that however; there had been no word from him, and the last she'd asked Shannon, she hadn't heard from him either. The red haired girl worried a little, but figured that he could handle himself. Before she turned back, however, she sent a really quick message to aunt Stacy, telling her to meet them.

 

The healer led the Willows back to the foyer, where Stacy awaited them. "Hello there, my name is Stacy Trilan." The woman introduced herself, as she held out her hand for the parents to shake. Lucia thought she had caught a glimpse of Guinevere in a wheelchair passing by the hall, but couldn't be certain at that moment. She was especially uncertain due to worrying that her attempt to help had just made things worse for the bed-ridden girl in the long run.

Edited July 13, 2016 by Destined Blade

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

At the mention of Aria's past actions, Evan's face lost it's usual sunniness. Gnip faltered a bit at the mention of Aria's  ame, but continued to eat. "So, what you are saying is, she's been like that for a while?" he spoke, trying to choose his words carefully. "Because, and I don't like saying this, but she did something like that on the boat ride here." The Plasma Agent sighed as he told Chloe what happened on the boat when Jack turned on them. "There's no reason either side should have done what they did, but that's how the dice fell." Evan spoke, rubbing his forehead. "I really didn't like how Jack was acting, or how Jenny acted rashly, but Aria clearly had the upper hand over him and acted excessively. Knowing that this isn't new, though, slightly worries me....."

The Plasma Agent went back to eating, but at a much slower pace than before, clearly feeling a bit timid after what he said. Gnip looked over at her master and whined slightly, not sure what to do.....

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul/Zoe

"Another Lucario!" Zoe cheered. "They just keep popping up all over the place!" She nudged her sister. "Collie you should really see about getting Lucina to join, then you can attack Ford with an army of aura!"

 

Ryan saw the tensions rising and knew he had to stop them before things got out of control again. "Look, I know Aria can be a little... extreme at times, but that doesn't mean she's completely cold-hearted. Besides, like it or not, you're going to be working with her. So please, do us all a favor and don't make this anymore difficult than it has to be."

 

"She gave me a lollipop!" Zoe pipped in.

 

"I hope you're not still bitter about what happened on the boat," Paul said, eyeing Jenny. "Between Ellen, Sonja, and Ray, this group has fallen apart enough as it is. We don't need to be doing Ford's job for him by arguing amongst ourselves. I thought we all learned that lesson back in Fortree."

 

Ryan looked to Dahlia for help. "You grew up with Aria, right? You must've seen her good side."

 

IC: Theodore/Ava

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Trilan," Theodore said, shaking the woman's hand. "Theodore Willows. This is my wife Ava. We're Shannon's parents. See, we were out of town when the attack happened. We came as soon as we heard, but we found our house, like most of the town, in ruins. I can't thank you enough for taking my daughter into your care."

 

"Is there a nurse around?" Ava asked. "I have a few questions I'd like answered."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia/Stacy==-

 

Stacy smiled as she nodded in response to Theodore, happy to have been of help. However, when it came time for her to hold her hand out to Ava, the woman seemed to get right to the point. "Questions? What about?" Stacy inquired, as she looked at Ava with a raised eyebrow, as she lowered her hand, a little bit caught off guard by her not returning the greeting. "I'd be more than happy to answer any questions that are in my power."

 

Lucia, meanwhile, took a step back, and looked over at Theodore. She was curious about something, and walked over to where he was. She tried to stay a little way away, while attempting to catch the father's attention. She had a few questions of her own, especially considering the drastic difference between him and his wife, but wanted to ask those questions away from the older woman.

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

In the time he had spent away from this particular group, Kyle had forgotten just how quickly the conversation could move along. He had barely managed to nod at Chloe with a quick "Hey" before the official planning-slash-briefing had begun. Already, however, he found himself exchanging an uncertain look with Esen, which she returned. It was clear that there were a lot of underlying tensions in the group--issues with this Aria character, first and foremost, in addition to the concerns Ryan had raised earlier about whatever it was he had been upset about.

 

What worried him the most, however, was that he couldn't be certain of how prepared any of the others were for such a dangerous endeavor. He could easily vouch for himself and Esen, and he knew Evan, Jenny, Ryan, and Chloe's capabilities from their experience in Unova. Jayron he could trust on principle given his status as a Liberty Executive. But that still left half of the group up in the air--Paul, Colette, Dahlia, Jamie, Xander, and whoever this Olivia was. Even with a numbers advantage over Ford, they'd be doomed once they finally got to the field if they didn't get this cohesion issue sorted out, pronto.

 

"Are you okay?" Esen asked.

 

Kyle nodded. "Just thinking . . ." After a pause, he nudged Ryan. "Can I say something?"

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan glanced at Kyle. He could tell the other trainer was less than pleased... and given just how easily the group had fallen into disagreement, Ryan couldn't exactly blame him. "Go ahead," he said with a nod.

 

IC: Theodore/Ava

The woman narrowed her eyes. "I would like to speak with a nurse or doctor," she repeated. "To get their professional opinion on my daughter's condition. So far all I've gotten is a vague story of how she was injured by crossfire during the attack."

 

Theodore nodded in agreement before noticing Lucia's small wave. He looked over at her curiously, wondering what was so important.

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

Kyle offered a small smile to Ryan before looking back at the group as a whole, his expression straightening again. He planted his palms on the table and stood, conscious of the eyes on him now. For a moment, he seemed to chew on his lip, as if trying to figure out what it was that he wanted to say.

 

Finally, he sighed. "Look . . . I don't know all of the backstory with Aria and the rest of you, and I'm not going to pretend to," he said. "But this isn't the first big mission I've gone on. Some of you were on the same mission that I took to Unova when we ran into Madison Hayes, and then the incident with Kyurem, and then again when we fought that nut job in Opelucid. Every single one of those jobs was bogged down with group infighting--some of it justified and some of it not. All of them turned out for the worse because of it." He glanced at both Evan and Chloe, a silent apology in his gaze.

 

When he addressed the others again, he seemed to have steeled himself. "Every action has a consequence sooner or later. So, I don't know what Aria or anyone else has done to make you distrust her, but I do know that if we can't sort this stuff out now, then we may as well call it quits today, because I guarantee that Ford isn't going to give us a second shot at getting Ray or Ellen or Sonja back. And if we fail because of infighting, that's on us, and us alone. I refuse to let that happen if I can help it. Just . . . keep that in mind."

 

His lungs hurt, his face burned, and his head pounded in general. Nevertheless, as he lowered himself back into his seat amidst an uncomfortable silence, Kyle hoped that he had been clear enough on his point.

Edited July 13, 2016 by Parugi

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia/Stacy==-

 

"I could call one of the nurses now, if you would like." Stacy frowned, as she did just that, and buzzed the nurse that was in charge of taking care of Shannon. However, as she did so, she picked up a nearby tablet and tapped a few icons. "That is what happened, however; though it wasn't the full extent. She was treated at the Pokemon Center for a shoulder wound near the start of the fighting due to debris from a stray blast from one of the combatants. This was patched up, and she was able to move, so she was able to leave. She was forced to stay on the move, because she would otherwise be targeted. She eventually helped protect a woman and her daughter, and saved my nephew during a hostage situation. She then ended up accidentally caught in the crossfire of a Stone Edge that was thankfully mitigated by quick action - this still left multiple wounds that needed to be healed, along with the concussive force from the stone shattering."

 

She looked up from the screen, as she held up the tablet for Ava to read. The nurse walked into the room, clearly confused at having been called away from caring for another patient. "Are there any more questions, or would you like this lady to repeat what was just mentioned in the report?"

 

Lucia seemed uncertain at what was going on, but waved again, trying to motion for Theodore to approach, so she could talk with him, an apologetic look on her face.

 

-==IC: Chloe/Colette/Jenny==-

 

Chloe watched Kyle in just as much silence as Colette and Jenny, as she listened to the speech he made. When he finished, she stayed quiet for a few moments, but then stood up and nodded.

 

"Kyle is right..." The auburn haired girl offered Kyle a small smile, but then sighed. "He made very good points, and I wasn't there for a lot of those things, but... they sound like good examples of how things could backfire." She took a small breath, and looked around, a little uncertainly. "I'm sorry for my role in any of the things that did happen. I'm to blame for Unova in general as well, from keeping secrets, to having us be scattered a bunch of times because I vanished, and also for being arrogant toward the end. I'm sorry for the things that happened." She bit her lip for a moment, seeming as if she were falling back into old habits. . . however, the girl then smiled. "But... I also refuse to let things go like that again. I don't know what this Ford guy's done, other than what happened in Castelia, and that he's taken Ray, Sonja, and Ellen. But I'm not just going to sit back. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't help..."

 

Chloe stayed quiet for a moment more, but seemed more at ease in that moment than she had before. "But... again, Kyle and the others are right. We may have issues, but we're just playing into Ford's hands if we let them divide us. And we can't keep things to ourselves this time around. We all know what happened the last time we tried that." She bit her lip for a moment as she tried to figure out how to work with the Aria situation. "I don't think Aria's bad, though... she just..." The girl furrowed her brow slightly.

 

Colette, on the other hand, took that as an opportunity, and looked at Kyle. "I also agree. But what if there are issues? How do we sort out the stuff that might be wrong? I don't know half of what's going on either, but from what has been mentioned, it feels like something that should be addressed sooner, rather than later, no matter how that happens. But do you have any thoughts on how things like this could be figured out?" She also felt the tension in the air, that seemed to be slowly dissipating from at least Chloe and Jenny. However, she frowned at the thought that this could re-occur, especially if that other Lucario had been right about Aria.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

The two listened quietly as everyone talked about the mission. About Aria. Xander shook his head, sighing. She's . . . she's not bad. I've had the pleasure of seeing her have fun during a battle. I've also seen her get angry and snap at Aspen -- her trainer -- over an innocent comment about her former master. She's . . . Ryan, she's like you. She worries, she cares, and she doesn't always make the best judgement calls.

 

What I saw of her on the boat, with Captain Jack . . . I was about ready to shoot the myself. Aria went a step too far, and then Jamie escalated it a step further and . . . He shook his head. She's not 'bad.' But, as someone who's seen her at her best and at her worst . . . She may be more of a liability than an asset.

 

Sylph nodded softly. "She's proud, and protective, and that manifests itself through aggression. I don't know if that's her base personality or something her old trainer ingrained in her, but it's not always a good quality. I don't think I really get to say anything, however. I stood between Paul and Terry, and Ellen's - and Ray's and Sonja's - kidnapper. I did it for what I thought were good reasons--"

 

They were. He'd just dismantled Paul and would've taken Terry out of the picture, too. Aria gets overzealous. We . . . I can't believe I'm the one who's saying it outright like this. We may have to leave Aria behind. We have Colette, Luke, and this Jayron guy and his Lucario. Aria might be useful in small numbers without many aura users, but we have four coming along, right? Let Aria stay here. Aspen's stuck in the infirmary anyhow, so he would have to loan her to Dahlia or Olivia, and she hasn't trained with them up til now, has she?

 

If we're putting it to a vote, then I vote that she stays here.

 

"I hate to say it, but I second that notion."

 

Xander sighed, pushing his plate further away and leaning back.

[Konuju]

OOC: Jamie IC written by Minun, added in here because it fits best before the Ryan IC.

IC: Jamie - Argument
 
"Now hold on a second, that's not the full story." Jamie shot up with an angry expression on her face. "The way I remember it, Jenny -attacked- Aria. Aria at least remembered who we were fighting. Why are we singling Aria out?"

Pelleas knew Jamie, and yet the anger he felt from her now was something completely unusual to him. Something had set her off.
 
"I've fought the kind of people we're up against, time and again. They don't care for anyone's lives. Not even their own. We need someone who can take decisive action. And if we can trust someone who would attack their own allies, we should be able to trust someone who can do what is needed." Jamie spat out, fighting back half-formed tears in her eyes.

Regardless of how it would be received, Jamie pressed on, "I vote against excluding her if someone chooses to bring her... even if that person has to be me."

IC: Ryan
"If there are issues, we put our differences aside." Ryan looked at Colette. Kyle speech and Xander's subsequent comment had made him think. And he realized that his duty as leader was not only to tell everyone what to do, but to keep the group unified. Jamie's outburst only solidified that notion. Divided as they were, they stood no hope against Ford. "I may be acting as the leader of this group, but that doesn't mean I formed it. You all formed this group yourselves. Each of you has a reason you're here. Some of you have met Ellen, Sonja, and Ray. Some of you want to cripple Ford. And some of you just want to protect the innocent. But whatever your reason, you all are here not because I chose you, but because you chose this." He looked to Chloe, to Evan, to Jenny, to Jamie. "So forget our differences. We may be here for different reasons, but we all share a common goal. That's what brought us together. I'm not saying we all have to be the best of pals. I'm saying we need to trust one another enough to work together as a team."
 
Ryan turned his eyes on Xander and Sylph. "That includes Aria. If she wants to stay behind with Aspen, that's fine. But it has to be her choice, not anyone else's. I won't let the rest of you just vote her off the team... especially not behind her back. Sometimes... sometimes people lose control." He subtly glanced at Dahlia for a moment. "That doesn't make them bad people... it just makes them human. Or Pokémon. Either way, if we judged everyone for their shortcomings, I'd be the first to get kicked off the team. But it's because of support from friends like you that I have enough faith in myself to keep going. Give Aria that chance -- and everyone else too, for that matter."
 
The silence following Ryan's speech was broken by a sudden clapping. "Bravo! Couldn't have said it better myself. I told you you made a good leader, Sanders."
 
Ryan turned in surprise to see a man in a green fedora making his way over to the table with his Lucario. "Jayron?"
 
The executive grabbed a croissant and took a seat. "I would've been here earlier if you hadn't changed the location on me at the last minute. So what'd I miss?"

Edited July 13, 2016 by Konuju

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

Either way, if we judged everyone for their shortcomings, I'd be the first to get kicked off the team.

 

Kyle gave Ryan a questioning look, but said nothing, merely listening. He took a breath from his inhaler, looking up as Jayron sat across from him.

[MELON LORD]

OOC: Evan Tierra Bunnying approved by Alku.

 

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

That's not all there is to that story, Xander said, seething. Jenny did the right thing in attacking Aria, because Aria was threatening someone who'd already surrendered, for something outside his control. And, as I recall it, you then froze everyone involved in time, so if we're going to poke Jenny for her actions, we'll get you for yours.

 

Jack started the whole thing, but Aria is the one who didn't stand down when it came time for it. If we can't stop her when she gets out of line, then we can't trust her. Sorry, Ryan, for continuing this, but it has to be said. We don't need wild cards, and we don't need teammates who will go too far. If I'm radical for thinking that and thinking it's best not to discuss leaving Aria behind while she's in the room, then . . . screw it.

 

He stood. "Screw it." Sylph reached out for him, but he shrugged her off. Scowling, he stormed towards the exit.

 

Evan sighed and stood up, shaking his head. "i'll be back, guys," he said as he went after the angry Kalosian.

Edited July 13, 2016 by Carbevoir

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan had hurried as fast as he could after Xander. The Plasma Agent had seen how ticked off Xander was about the situation, and felt that the Kalosian had to hear what he had to say. "Yo, Xander, wait up!" Evan said, trying to sound friendly. "You got very worked up back there, regarding the whole thing about Aria. Mind if I hear you out, and maybe tell you something else?"

[MELON LORD]

IC: The Angry Kalosian

 

"Why bother?" he asked. "I was wrong, everyone else was right, right? Shame on me for getting mad? I don't want to hear it, alright?" He did, however, stop to lean against the wall. His hands went into his pockets to hide the trembling, and he squeezed his eyes shut to hide the tears that threatened. "Let me have it, then. I deserve it."