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Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets


Parugi

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-==IC: Colette==-

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Colette asked with a sharper tone than she was expecting to use. She had not expected Zoe to get so hostile all of a sudden, but wasn't about to just turn tail and run. She tried to circle around to get a look at Zoe's face. "Do you think I did this for compliments? What is your problem today? I noticed you just enter and leave back in the cafeteria - did you think I wouldn't?"

 

The girl tried to keep calm. . . but it appeared that her sister knew precisely the buttons to press to get on her nerves. She didn't like it much. Colette tried to study what she could see of Zoe herself, taking a step back from the maelstrom of emotions in her aura. But nothing seemed to point to the reason why the younger girl was so hostile at all.

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IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton/Ellen Burks/Paul Burks - Cafeteria, The Alamo

The moment Ryan appeared he stumbled into the side of the table and clutched it with a grimace while he waited for the world to stop spinning, all the while trying not to hurl his breakfast over everyone else's. Ellen the Eevee gave a small yelp as her body hit the ground, but Ryan didn't seem to notice. When at last the nauseous feeling subsided, Ryan jerked his head toward his companion. "A little warning next time?"

 

The sudden appearance of Ryan and Xander took Dahlia by surprise, but Aspen's question demanded her attention. She chewed her lip as she tried to think of the best way to explain the events on Two Island. "McKinley happened," she said simply. It was like the breath had been drawn out of the room. Dahlia hesitantly continued, choosing her words carefully so as to not upset Ellen or Levi. "You see, we all went on the mission trying to stop Ford, but it was really McKinley who we should've been trying to stop. He betrayed Ford, and brought about the very thing Ford had been trying to prevent."

 

Ellen slammed her fork down on her plate. "Stop sugarcoating it!" she yelled angrily. "You're acting like you just had a minor mishap. You want to know what really happened? Tyler turned himself into a monster and made Ford drain all Pokémon of their abilities! Then in the moment we were most vulnerable he summoned a massive, shapeless, horrific creature that will not rest until it has devoured this world entirely! And don't forget the most important part: I helped him do it! Now people are risking their lives trying to delay the inevitable. Is that enough detail for you?"

 

A stunned silence filled the table. Ellen pretended to stare at the video feed but in reality she was fighting back bitter tears. A soft yip sounded from below the table at Ellen's feet. With some hesitation she looked down and a fluffy Eevee smiled up at her. Then without warning the furball tried to leap into Ellen's lap, but evidently forgot she was under a table and wound up banging her head on the table's hard underside, eliciting a pathetic whine as she fell back to the ground.

 

Against her better judgement, Ellen leaned down to pick up the Eevee, cradling it in her arms. At first she thought it was Saya, but this Eevee was far less scrawny than the one she and Aspen had found in Sootopolis. She mulled it over as she quietly stroked the Eevee's fur, forgetting the pain from Two Island for the moment.

 

IC: Evan Tierra

 

As Ellen loosed her thoughts, each one piercing like an arrow, Evan Tierra, Hero of Space watched in disbelief. Here there wasn't a girl who had proven herself time and time again, that she someone who could fight. No, it was a terrible warped caricature, worn and torn by all that had occurred. As much as he wanted to yell back at her, he couldn't bring himself to do so.

 

No, if he was gonna defy her and everything she was saying, he was gonna do -his- way. The way a Hero does it.

 

When she had finished, Evan began to speak up, his tone gentle. "Ellen, remember Christmas? Recall how Ray was all doom and gloom about everything, after I got 'killed' in Giant Chasm? How I decked him for giving up hope? I wouldn't be able to bear doing it to you, so I hope my words are a viable substitute...."

 

The young man grinned inward at the memory of X-mas and continued on. "Remember Zekrom? Remember Black Kyurem? Remember the Ancients? Each time, despite the odds against us, we succeeded. This monster definitely is leagues above all those, but we're gonna beat it. Even if it -is- undefeatable, I'd rather go down swinging, than wait for the end to come."

 

Evan began to point his left arm up towards the ceiling. He wanted not only to rouse Ellen's fire, but the fire of his friends.

 

"I want a future where kids like you can play and be with Pokemon. Where I can be with my friends. Where I and those same friends can raise families of our own. We're not gonna get -any- of that, if we don't fight that thing. That's why I'm gonna fight."

 

He was pointing, tears running down his face, with a brilliant grin on his face. He hadn't expected to go on this long, and so passionately. But that -was- how he rolled, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

 

"If there's anything fighting the inevitable, it's that thing fighting us."

 

 

OOC: Do the impossible, see the invisible! Row Row! Fight the power!

Edited by Dr. Hidaka
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IC: Xander Cruize

 

The psychic didn't have time to apologize to Ryan before Aspen was asking his question, and then Ellen went on her tirade. He was opening his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Evan. The Hero of Space could be cheesy sometimes, but here he was probably at his most inspiring. Xander nodded.

 

"Like I told you before, it's only hopeless when you stop hoping." He stepped forward and knelt to stroke the head of the Eevee in Ellen's arms. "She remembers you from when we first met. She didn't have a name, then, but in Lilycove I realized that everyone in the group considered you a close friend. For that, you would have to be exceptionally kind, and caring, and everyone must have been inspired by you.

 

"I named her after you, because I could see that she would be very much the same. All of her teammates are stubborn and would never back down without a fight, and the same goes for your friends. They're all going to do everything they can against that monster, and we'll make it pay for every inch of ground we give up."

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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IC: Zoe Llyan - Hallway, The Alamo

"What's my problem?!" Zoe shot back with a tone sharper than her sister's. "What's your problem? You spend days cooped up in your room refusing to talk to anyone, then the moment you feel better you leave to go hang out with your new friends and show off your new clothes! I know you're trying to catch someone's eye. Why else would you wear something so . . . so . . ." She made a vague gesture at the skirt. "so girly?"

 

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton/Ellen Burks/Paul Burks - Cafeteria, The Alamo

The Eevee grinned at Evan's enthusiasm and Xander's compliments, and she crawled up to lick away Ellen's tears. "So," the girl said with a soft smile as the Eevee's tongue tickled her cheeks. "Your name is Ellen?"

 

Paul had watched the heated exchange in silence, his eyes fixated on his daughter's tears. Even as he spoke, his gaze never wavered. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Evan. But my daughter doesn't need a constant reminder of what's out there. Only time can heal her scars, and even then . . ."

 

Still stroking the Eevee's fur, Ellen looked up at Xander then across the table at Evan, the latter still holding his dynamically inspirational pose. "You've always had such great confidence, Evan." A wry smile formed at her lips. "Sophia would call you a fool for clinging to such hope. Xander's right . . . I do care about you all. Which is why it pains me so much to see you risk your lives fighting a monster I helped bring into this world."

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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-==IC: Colette==-

 

"Excuse me?" Colette grit her teeth as she looked at Zoe with a frustrated look on her face. "I don't 'have an eye' on anyone there. I got this for myself, because I'm trying to get on my own two feet. To try and keep myself from focusing on the scary new world out there." By this point, the aura wielder had stopped thinking about what she was saying ahead of time. She had honestly never felt so frustrated with her sister before, and hardened her look.

 

"Am I not allowed to change my clothes, especially when it's so hot here? Am I not allowed to try and actually attempt to make friends, especially with people pretty much in the same boat as me now? Am I not allowed to try and live my life when there's an ever-present threat of a giant blob coming to eat us?" A hint of yellow flashed for a brief moment, but Colette took a breath, and simply looked at Zoe disapprovingly. "And besides - where were you last night? You didn't seem keen to do much of anything yourself."

 

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe was about to respond to Aspen and Xander, when Ellen cut in first. The psychic girl at first turned her head in annoyance, intent on shutting down her accusations - however. . . she stopped before she even started. The look on Ellen's face, even as she was petting the Eevee, brought to mind a lot of memories from not even a month ago. She listened as Evan and Xander gave their own talks, but. . . she knew that there was something missing. Ellen's next comment gave the exact hint as to that.

 

"Which is why it pains me so much to see you risk your lives fighting a monster I helped bring into this world."

 

If Chloe was sitting at the moment, that in particular would have made her stand up. She walked over to Ellen, choosing to stand to her side so as to not interfere with Xander, and then just... smiled. One of the most sincere smiles that she could think of.

 

"It's not your fault, Ellen. I'm not sugarcoating it or anything when I say that. It is not your fault. You didn't decide to summon that thing here - no-one did. You were even trying to prevent it from showing up. Just because someone decided to take advantage of that, does not mean it's your fault." The psychic was speaking directly from experience as she said that. "Ellen, you're one of the kindest people I know. A lot of bad stuff has happened, but that's okay. It's not your fault. The only person whose fault it is, is McKinley. But just because you trusted him in the past doesn't make you suddenly a bad person."

 

Chloe took a deep breath, as she knelt down as well. "Remember? I basically had the same thing happen, and for six months I blamed myself. You were one of the ones who refused to blame me, though. You said it wasn't my fault, and it wasn't - it was my dad's. I trusted him once, but I'm not a bad person. So... I'll repeat it once again. Ellen, it's not your fault. You didn't cause this, you didn't want this, and you shouldn't blame yourself." The girl closed her eyes for a moment, but then opened them with renewed confidence.

"I know it's hard. I know that so so much. I've been there. But you are strong, and you are good. You can pull through - just try not to feel guilty, alright?"

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IC: Zoe Llyan - Hallway, The Alamo

Esmeralda gave a timid whimper, but the Llyans' frustration was terribly contagious. Just like how in the past, one sister's silliness would egg on the other, now both of their raised voices only fueled each other's rage. "Why should you care what I was up to last night?" Zoe shot back. "Maybe you'd know if you'd actually been there for me instead of playing with all your little boat friends! You can't just abandon me whenever you feel like it and then act like everything's perfectly fine between us!" Zoe's face burned red with anger and her hand instinctively gripped the locket she wore around her neck. Heavy breaths pierced the would-be silence before her voice turned icily cold. "But I guess you always were an aura wielder before you were a sister."

 

The thin metal chain snapped under the strain, and for a brief moment time slowed to a crawl. Zoe felt the broken halves snake their way across opposite sides of her neck, clinging to her for as long as they could before falling away into oblivion. Then she tore her eyes away from her sister's, threw the locket to the ground, and stormed off before she could succumb to tears.

 

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton/Ellen Burks/Paul Burks - Cafeteria, The Alamo

The Missing Zero was still out there, bent on consuming the world. Nothing had actually changed. And yet between Xander, Evan, and Chloe (and the infallible cheerfulness of Ellen the Eevee), Ellen felt as if a small part of a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. It still hurt. All her pain, anger, guilt, and sorrow remained. Yet for the first time since that terrible day on Two Island, Ellen didn't feel alone.

 

The Eevee tumbled from her lap as Ellen got up and threw her arms around Chloe. Words could not do her flood of emotions justice, so she simply sobbed into the older girl's shoulder and held her tight.

 

Ryan, having now recovered from his post-teleportation disorientation, looked over at Chloe with a newfound admiration. This was a new vulnerable side of her he wasn't used to seeing. He had never fully realized just how hard the events in Unova had hit her. Chloe's burden, while greater in scale, seemed shockingly similar to his own. He made a mental note to talk to her about that sometime. It seemed foolish now that they had wasted so much time butting heads over something as petty as team leader.

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe softly returned the gesture, and closed her eyes for the moment. She didn't say anything - the time for words had passed - but simply was there as a comforting presence for Ellen. She felt glad at being able to help even in the smallest amount. If she could have inspired even the tiniest bit of hope, then she would take it. Oddly enough, she also felt her own hope renewed. They could fix this. . . they just needed to finish all these missions. And then maybe things could get on the road to returning to normal.

 

OOC: Mini-jam with Minun for better flow.

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

The appearance of the new functionality of the suits was certainly a helpful thing in Lucia's mind. Now they didn't need to rely on those codes that she was having a hard time keeping straight in her head. She noticed the Leopyred certainly looked a lot wetter than it had when she had seen it last, and quickly put two and two together.

 

"After the attack's blocked, I'll try and finish it off!" Lucia said over the comms, as she kept the Petal Blizzard protocol handy. She may have missed a killing blow last time, but she was certain this could work.

 

Jamie placed herself closest to the Leopyred and yelled "See how you like this, King's Shield!" A series of hexagons appeared in front of Jamie. The raging Inferno collided with the field of hexagons, breaking against it. The heat that gathered around the shield was exacerbated by the Steel type suit, but she held fast.

 

Lucia nodded quickly, and jumped to the side, making sure she could get a clear shot at the beast. "Now!" The healer held her hands out toward the Leopyred, and aimed to funnel the Petal Blizzard on as direct a path to the now-water Leopyred as she possibly could get. With luck, this would disable the being before it could realize that the assault it tried had been stopped.

 

OOC:
Jamie: King's Shield = Self > Leopyred

Lucia: Petal Blizzard > Leopyred

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Just as the Leopyred watched them, Ryan watched the Leopyred. The Dark Suit user quickly Honed his Claws once more, as he opted to let the others handle the more prominent threats. The others were right, from what he had noticed - each Instance that had shown up so far, was to try and keep effective against the people who had hurt it. Electric against that Flying girl, Fire against Ray, and Ice and Fire against Lucia. Or even the two Fire types for Ray like when the two Electric types went after Esen.

 

Keeping the people who actually fought to a minimum could help them out here. They had enough types that they could counter the Instances that showed up, but this was both a mission to capture the things they killed and a mission to bide time while One Island evacuated. The less they got overwhelmed, the better. Ryan retreated back slightly, and sent out his Tyranitar to help keep watch. Even powerless, Ryan was certain that his Tyranitar could really help out with keeping that Leopyred at bay just long enough if needed, for him to land a killing blow.

 

OOC:
Ryan: Hone Claws = Self

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray was tempted. He was so very tempted to just use the Hail protocol now. No-one would mind getting pelted by little bullets of ice for a while if they had their defenses increased, right? The biggest flaw in that plan, however, was the Maulice that was mucking that up so very much. It was really disheartening to see his own element right there, just waiting to be used against him. It didn't help in the slightest that unlike the others, Aurora Veil was his only real method of buffing up. So, thanks to all of the above, he simply watched and waited, while sticking close to the rest of his team.

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IC: Xander Cruize/Jared Winters/Aspen Seaton

 

Xander managed to catch the tumbled Eevee just a few inches from the floor. He straightened, nodding softly to Chloe as he stepped back. Their part of the cafeteria was silent except for the sounds of the mission on the laptop, and of a girl who had been through far too much.

 

Jared had observed it all without comment; he didn't know this group's dynamics, didn't want to say the wrong thing. The girl who had said it was hopeless clearly meant a lot to there people, and Jared realized just how close Dahlia's friends were.

 

You'll never live up to that, not while you're keeping secrets. He turned away from the scene, instead pretending to focus on what was happening on-screen while he composed himself.

 

Aspen chewed his lip. The mission had gone poorly, and Ellen was blaming herself for . . . something. With a sigh, the youngest Seaton rose to his one good leg. "Sorry . . ." he mumbled, turning to make his way for the doors.

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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IC: Belle LaDonna

 

"I did my pukin' while Alma set the building on fire. I'll live." The tone of her voice suggested that she was done with the subject. "It's a lucky thing you have such good reflexes, else I woulda snagged yer Larvitar, and not been sorry for a minute." She grinned a bit. "Awright, maybe I'd've felt bad for a bit, but ya snooze ya lose."

 

IC: Alma Mason

 

The girl continued riding along in silence for a few minutes, before glancing at Alex again. "What's wrong with your leg?"

 

"Alma, are you bugging that poor kid?" Belle called from behind them.

 

"No!" Alma smiled. "I am not, am I?"

IC: Alex Zyther/Amelia Zann (August 6th)

 

Alex smiled back at the girl, but it was a weak one--tired, thin, and tenuous. "Not too much. I've been this way all my life, so I'm used to it by now." Before he had to continue, however, Amelia interrupted.

 

"Sun's startin' to set, maybe we ought to look fer a camp site?"

 

Alex nodded. "Uhh, right. Well, we're not too far from Reflection Cave, but I've heard it's not safe to spend the night inside. Maybe there will be something near the entrance?"

 

Eventually, they found a small clearing backing up to the mountain a little ways west of the cave's exit onto the route. While Alma and Belle went scouting for firewood, Alex watched Amelia setting up camp. The strange, violent woman perplexed him--violent and moody, and horribly judgmental, but at the same time she had the oddest habit of somehow helping him. A part of him wondered if she was just worried for herself, that the life-bond would hurt her too if something happened to him, but another part of him said there was more. There was something different about Amelia, something dangerous beyond just her rough way of life. If he was being honest with himself, she unnerved him, even more than the little girl with the penchant for piercing questions--she, at least, bore the innocence of youth, and despite Belle's insinuation she shared Amelia's line of work (did they really start that young?), Alma seemed to have a good heart. Is that fated to change, I wonder? Is she going to grow up into someone like Amy? Belle's not like that, but it seems like her work is a little less--

 

"Nene?"

 

Alex's brooding was interrupted by the inquisitive squeak of Didi. He followed her gaze to Amelia, who'd taken to returning his stare while he was lost in thought. Her green glare was soon averted as Alma and Belle returned with the firewood, but even as Alex prepared the group's dinner, he knew she wasn't about to let whatever she had against him go. Sooner or later, they'd have to talk--and he wasn't sure he'd like the outcome.


 

Me: *has idea*

Blade: "I'd say too convoluted, and I know too convoluted =P"

 

"Dangit, I shouldn't have gotten ambitious."

--Merc, RE: our plotting

 

Pokémon Rise of the Rockets Profiles: LINK

3DS FC: 3625-9584-9417 (Pokemon X Friend Safari: Electric-type, Pachirisu, Electabuzz, Zebstrika)

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IC: Evan Tierra

Evan smiled inward, because he had managed to get something of a smile out of Ellen. But no sooner had he finished, that Xander added his voice to the chorus, and then Chloe. As she spoke to Ellen, the young man thanked her under his breath. He didn't have what she had. He knew what happened in Southern Unova had affected her in so many big ways, but he realized just now, that she and Ellen were similar.

For moment, something he said in Lilycove rang in his ears. "I think you have the potential to be a fine hero. More of one than I, I believe. Heroes aren't made for their role, they shape into it at their own pace." The Hero, no longer the Ex-Hero who had said that, grinned inwardly again. "I see you've proven me right, Chloe." He thought, deciding not to say anything. It was then that he realized Colette had left, and Aspen was making for the door. He'd deal with that later. Right now, he just wanted to see how things would go.

IC: Lafoyae Belrose

No sooner had she been face to face with a deranged mutant killer snowman, ready to chomp her down, than it had blasted away by a boulder. She threw a thankful thought at Sleight as she faced towards her foe, brandishing her arm forward. From the palm of her hand, a ball of energy came forth. She aimed carefully at the Maulice, hoping to impact the head with the Aura Sphere she had launched. "You're not going to get me this time, monster." The psychic assassin thought as she fired, then sent out her Infernape. "I'll need you to back me up, if that happens again. You game?" The Infernape nodded and grinned confidently, ready to assist his trainer in any manner. Lafoyae was confident her fellow fighters would back her up, but she wanted to be safe than sorry.

Edited by Dr. Hidaka
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IC: James Arthur
 
James was scowling under his visor. He -really- didn't want anyone knowing about the remote access function. He would have to have reprimand Vert when he returned. Potentially remove her access to it while he was at it.
 
"Lancelot," James shouted curtly as he activated the Deflect protocol to pass his stat boosts and opponent to Lancelot. The Steel-Bug took in front of James and allowed the web to hit him in James's place, the restriction and pain lessened by the boosts he received from James. Once the attack had passed, he rushed the Magnode with a corkscrew punch.
 
 
IC: Richard
 
As Richard followed his team, the beach came into view. He took a second to take in the view.
 
"This will be a good stage," he remarked.
 
 
OOC:
Lancelot: (+5 Def, +1 SpA, +4 SpD, +1 Spd)
Jamie (+2 Spd, +1 Atk)
Richard (+1 Def)
 
Now for a shamelessly stolen opening.
 
-==IC: Adam Zynthic==-
 
"Oh, please," Adam scoffed.  "Wiggy and I have wandered these woods longer than any of you tykes have even been alive, so I think I'm perfectly entitled to a simple nap in front of the old--"  Adam stopped suddenly, his sudden alertness passing to Wiggy as well.  "We're inside," he muttered in horror.  He glanced at the children, their ridiculous garb a clear indication they too were victims, not perpetrators.  "Get out."
 
"What?" Yugo asked disbelievingly.
 
"We need to get out, now, or else--"
 
The door to the room opened as if in response to Adam's panic. An old man wearing a long black suit coat with matching tie stepped into the room. His face seemed kind, but exhausted. He paused for a moment to simply stare at the group, as if he was as much disbelief at their attire as they were.
 
"I see, you're all awake."

From his dull tone, it was clear any enthusiasm he appeared to have was forced.
 
 

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IC: Alma Mason/Belle LaDonna

 

Firewood was plentiful in the area, so the two returned pretty quickly from their gathering. As Belle set up stones for a fire pit, she glanced up at Alex and Amelia. "So, what's the deal with this Reflectin' Cave? It got some nasty Pokémon lurkin' inside?"

 

Alma hummed, scrolling through the browser on her Pokénav. The girl was leaning against Cuhulain with Howler at her side while Shadow, Garnet, and Freq chased each other around the clearing. "I'm not finding any relevant information, either." She set the device aside, shrugging. "Perhaps it's haunted?"

 

A shiver ran down Belle's spine as she thought of the various haunted places she'd visited. "Maybe we'd be best off goin' 'round tomorrow, instead."

Edited by MELON LORD

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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IC: Ryan Sanders/Ellen Burks/Paul Burks - Cafeteria, The Alamo

The moment seemed to stretch into eternity. It was as if Ellen didn't want to let go of Chloe for fear that the moment she did her hopelessness would return. Everyone at the table seemed to be deep in thought, if not focused on Ellen's plight, than on the battle raging on Kyle's laptop. For his part, Paul reflected on just how many friends his daughter had amassed and just how much they cared about her. Way back in Fortree he had been moved by the overwhelming response to rescue Ellen. But to see their interactions in action, to see them do everything in their power to comfort a girl who seemed broken beyond healing . . . it was enough to bring a tear to the burly blacksmith's eye.

 

He had initially berated the Hero of Space for speaking of battle, but Paul Burks found himself hoping Evan's conviction would prove fruitful, that they would be able to defeat this Missing Zero. Paul looked forward to the day he could bring his entire family to Four Island and reunite Ellen with her wonderful friends.

 

At long last Ellen pulled back from the embrace. She smiled softly at Chloe through glistening eyes. Ryan chose that moment to break the silence.

 

"Um . . . so Xander and I were going to go look into that Pokémon trafficking thing in Keturi. Any of you interested in tagging along? We've already got Jared and . . ." He looked around the group. "Where's Dahlia?"

 

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Cafeteria, The Alamo

The middle Seaton had slipped away from the group the moment she saw Aspen making his leave. It wasn't that hard to catch up to a kid on crutches. "Hey." She spoke softly, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself for setting Ellen on edge. She's been through a lot, and you had no idea. I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything earlier, I just . . . well, to be honest I've had a rough time sifting through everything myself."

 

For a moment her hand clenched on Aspen's shoulder as she flashed back to her shattered reflection in a broken mirror, but the moment passed and she relaxed. "I'm glad to see they let you out of the hospital." She smiled. "How are you feeling?"

 

IC: Theodore Willows/Ava Willows - One Island Beach

"This will make a good stage," Richard remarked.

 

"I don't know about that," Ava said. "I prefer to fight on solid ground. This sand will hinder our mobility."

 

Theodore stepped forward, looking out across the red-tinted ocean. His eyes narrowed. "Still, better to fight off the Instances here where they're only coming from one direction than further inland where they can surround us." He looked over to Goldhawk. "What's the plan of attack, sir? Just hold down the beach for as long as possible?"

 

IC: Dack Majors/Madison Morrow/Jayron Aaron - Kotahi Village, One Island

"Oh, thank goodness," Madison said when she saw the new display in her HUD. "It was a nightmare trying to keep track of PS-2 and T-9000. Dack, I don't know how you survived all those years with Team Rocket."

 

"I knew a girl once who followed protocols to a T," Dack muttered. "She ended up going crazy and attacking Sootopolis and Celadon. Moral of the story, protocols make you lose your mind."

 

"Less chatting, you two, more running!" Jayron called back as he led the way through the abandoned street.

 

"You sure they don't need backup?" Dack asked. "I'm itching to melt some killer snowmen."

 

"They've got it covered." Jayron did not slow his pace, sparing only a glance behind them to make sure they weren't being followed. "Our job is to rout the enemy at the beach and prevent any reinforcements from getting into the city."

 

"So we can't let them breach the beach." Madison grinned. "Mission accepted."

 

The trio arrived on the sandy shore unhindered. Goldhawk's team was already in position further west. Jayron activated his comms. "Jayron to Goldhawk. Moment Record is in position and ready to assist."

 

IC: Zoe Llyan - Four Island

Zoe burst out of the Alamo and ran into the woods. Her vision blurred with tears and thorny undergrowth tore at her arms and legs. Rage fueled her muscles and agony directed her steps toward some unknown destination. Perhaps she could outrun the pain that tore at her aching heart. Why was it that everything she did ended in disaster? First Ellen, now her own sister. It was a vicious cycle of anger and regret, and it seemed she could only sink further into despair.

 

Her feet became tangled, whether in themselves or over a thick root she couldn't be sure, and her stomach lurched as she crashed to the ground. She lay there, stunned. All of her energy had been spent running, and she found she didn't have the strength or motivation to pick herself up. The dirt on her face turned to salty mud as she sobbed uncontrollably.

 

Esmeralda and Merida had barely been able to keep up with their trainer, and it was only when she became incapacitated that they were able to catch up to her side. She ignored their every attempt to comfort her, so they positioned themselves on either side of her, acting as ever-faithful guardians.

 

It was the Fennekin who first realized they weren't alone. Her ears picked up the sound of snapping twigs. She peered through the trees and tensed, ready to defend Zoe if necessary.

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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-==IC: Colette==-

 

The girl felt rooted to the spot as the locket broke. She walked over to the fallen object as Zoe ran off, and knelt down beside it. How had things gotten this bad. . .? Colette's anger melted away in an instant, as she picked the pendant up. She bit her lip, as she examined the broken chain - there would be no way to fix it, and it wasn't able to just be replaced.

What do I do now...?

 

Colette fought back tears as she pocketed the object, and began to walk off in the opposite direction. She knew that if she went after Zoe right now, things would just get worse between the two of them - if that was even possible now. She took a deep breath, as she planned out how to work with this. First, she needed to see someone who could help her pick up the pieces of this broken state. . .

 

-==-

 

As the events were beginning to settle down, Evan's Pokegear beeped to indicate a new message from an anonymous source.

 

"You should check on that friend of yours with beige hair."

 

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe returned the smile for a moment and patted Ellen on the head softly, and then looked up at Ryan as the Keturi thing was addressed again. As much as she wanted to be a comforting presence for Ellen some more here, she wanted to help give some assistance there. Plus, she had to admit that she wanted to find out just how well this Jared person could hold himself in battle - if it came to that.

 

"I'll go, if that's okay with everyone. There could be some clues there, if it is connected."

 

-====-

 

Crack. Snap.

 

The sounds of movement and twigs breaking in the forest seemed to echo as it grew closer to where Zoe was. The noises began to grow louder and louder, and a face suddenly appeared in the shadows for a moment.

 

It vanished not long after.

 

Snap. Snap. Crack.

 

The noises did not stop, and seemed to have grown in number now. These noises seemed... heavier, as they approached more slowly than before. There was a new sound of breathing as well, as the noises grew closer.

 

Zoe looked back slightly, as she heard Esmeralda start to growl. She could hear the noises as well, and a shiver ran down her spine. The girl paled slightly, as she realized she had no idea where they currently were - other than being totally lost in a dark forest surrounded by creepy sounds.

 

"Wh-who's there?!" Zoe's shaky voice cried out, as she strained to look over her shoulder while her foot was still tangled up.

 

There was no immediate reply, as the sounds grew closer until they were almost entirely right on top of her. There was a figure right behind her, and although she couldn't see the person's face, there was an outstretched hand near her.

 

"Is that any way to greet a friend?"

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IC: Zoe Llyan - A Dark Forest, All Alone

Zoe would have screamed, but her breath caught in her throat. Her leg was stuck, her heart was pounding, and her muscles were weak. There was no getting out of this. The universe had sent a demon from the netherworld to punish her for being a horrible sister, nay, a horrible person. She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable end.

 

Esmeralda would have none of it. Baring her fangs, the Fennekin charged forward and bit down on the hand outstretched toward her trainer. She might not have had her usual firepower, but Esmeralda was about to prove her bite was still worse than her bark. Digging her tiny paws into the dirt, she tried to drag the hand away before it could harm Zoe.

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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IC: Evan Tierra

The Hero frowned at the message. If what had made Colette leave the cafeteria, was something that warranted checking on her, he had to abide. "Hey um sorry, guys and gals, but I've gotta take care of something." Evan said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I'd like to stay, but I am sure the others will catch me up on things." Without missing a beat, the Plasma Agent exited the cafeteria and began his search for the beige-haired girl....

Edited by Dr. Hidaka
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IC: Aspen Seaton

 

"My leg's fine, sis." Try as he might, he couldn't even sound angry with Dahlia. "I just wish I could have been there to help, you know? And I wish that you or Olivia or someone had told me what happened. Aria helped with the Aura locating thing, and she told me they figured out where Ellen was, but after that . . ."

 

He shook his head. "I just need to know what happened, I guess. I want everything you can tell me." He looked back to the table, where he could see Xander and Jared looking their way. "Later, alright? Once you get back from whatever you have going on, whatever crazy thing that might be." He smiled, a shaky smile. "Love ya, sis."

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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OOC: Mild bunnying for this.

 

-==IC==-

 

The figure let out a yelp at the Fennekin's chomp. In hindsight, it should have been an obvious reaction, and they inwardly sighed while whimpering from the bite. The person softly tapped Esmeralda on the top of her head to try and get her to let go. Afterward, the person brushed the hood covering their face back, which let Esmeralda see just who it was.

"Okay, okay, Esmeralda! You can let go now! I'm not trying to hurt her!"

 

Esmeralda opened her mouth with an apologetic whine as she saw exactly whose hand she was chomping on, and then bounded over to Zoe.

 

"H-how did you know Esmeralda's name...?" Zoe asked as she still continued to try to shrink away as best as she could. Her question didn't take too long to be answered, however, as the person crouched down near Zoe with a smile, a Scizor at her side.

 

"We met a while ago." Jenny said with an apologetic look, as the Scizor sliced through the vines trapping Zoe as quickly as possible. "I'm sorry about scaring you, especially with that tone. I just couldn't resist it... you okay, though?"

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IC: Dahlia Seaton - Cafeteria, The Alamo

Dahlia smiled back, a smile that failed to hide her concern. She didn't like Aspen just ducking out on her like that, but she knew the others were waiting on her. "Take care, Aspen. I'll see you soon."

 

As the siblings went their separate ways, Dahlia pulled out her device to send a short message to Olivia. She briefly explained that Aspen was out of the hospital but that she was busy at the moment, and then asked Olivia if she could check in on Aspen in her stead. Once the message was sent, she looked back up at the group. "Sorry about that, Aspen needed some fresh air. It looks like we're about ready to go?"

 

Ryan nodded. "Chloe will be joining us too." He cast a glance at Sonja and Kyle. "Anyone else?"

 

IC: Zoe Llyan - A Dark Forest, Not So Alone

Zoe nodded slowly, still trying to decide how she knew this girl. "I-I'll be fine . . . I think." The moment she was free from the vines, Esmeralda crawled into her lap and began searching Zoe for any obvious signs of injury. Zoe looked down at her hands, covered in dirt from her fall, and realized her face probably didn't look any better. Wiping her face on her sleeve produced a disturbingly potent collection of dirt, sweat, and tears.

 

Zoe hadn't broken anything in the fall, but her muscles still ached from running, so she slowly scooted over to a nearby tree and propped herself up against it. Now that she was up, she had a better look at the girl with the Scizor. ". . . You're the Space Princess, aren't you? What are you doing all the way out here?"

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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-==IC: Jenny==-

 

"I... might have caught the tail end of your argument, and thought I'd check up on you..." Jenny awkwardly scratched her head with a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry, I was just out for a stroll, and happened to be there... I think you ran by me too." Other than that, however, the girl did not bring up what had happened, and instead simply walked over beside Zoe and sat down.

 

OOC: Jam with Minun

 

-==IC: Olivia/???==-

 

"... and over this way, is the Cafeteria." Although this wasn't quite the way that Olivia had anticipated the day to have gone, it was a lot more... exciting than she had expected. She wasn't entirely certain who this mysterious man was and had never seen him before that she could think of, but she wasn't about to pry into his life. He seemed lost, so she guided him around - and right now, she felt hungry.

 

The redhead glanced over in confusion at the group that was gathered, but didn't really recognize anyone that she could see at the moment. She almost thought she saw one of Chloe's friends, but passed it off as a coincidence. "Anything in particular ya'd want?"

 

The man looked around the room. The unkempt hair, the five o'clock shadow, and the bags under his eyes may have suggested he was looking for the nearest cup of coffee. Instead he said, "No... there's not really anything I'd... like..."

 

He trailed off in his words as he turned towards the group Olivia thought were Chloe's friends. The young girl among them was crying something that Olivia couldn't hear due to the distance and the noise.

 

"Sorry to bother you again but..." he spoke up without turning his head back towards Olivia, "Do you know those people over there?" he said slowly raising an arm towards the group in question.

 

Olivia blinked, as she looked closer. She finally saw her siblings, Chloe, and a few of the others, and realized that the young girl was in fact Ellen. "Yah. I dunno most of them well, and some I dunno at all, but my brother, sister, and my girlfriend are over there..." She strained to try to hear what was being yelled about, but had a sinking feeling that Aspen might somehow be involved.

 

The man gripped the fancy walking stick that he was leaning on. He blinked a couple times. "The girl, she's..." the man paused for a moment, considering exactly what to say. "She's talking about some important things. I think I need to speak to her."

 

"Important things?" Olivia repeated with a frown, as she looked from the man to Ellen. She wasn't entirely sure how he had managed to hear what Ellen was upset about, but noticed the others trying to talk to her. "What kinda important things? It don't look like she might be in a mood to talk 'bout any important things, but maybe the others might help? But what kinda things are ya talkin' about?"

 

"The others are trying to cheer her up," he remarked as Evan began his corny and embarrasing speech that elicited a chuckle from him. "I can wait until they're finished at least, but I need to talk to them about the current situation concerning all of our Pokemon."

 

The girl glanced back over to the man. Did he know something that everyone else didn't? If so, then how? "Alright..." She said slowly, but something felt weird all of a sudden. She waited for things to calm down, and a small smile appeared on her face as she noticed the interactions between Chloe and Ellen. "I take it the rest'a the tour will hafta wait until after this?"

 

The man leaned back letting his large backpack press against the wall, his head beginning to droop. "How long do you think they'll take? Nap..." he paused yawning, "or no nap?"

 

Olivia glanced over as the situation seemed to have pretty much resolved itself. "I'd say no nap." A buzz of her PokeGear seemed to agree with that. "Well then?"

 

"Yeah, sounds like it..." he stood up straight and shook his head, trying to shake the tiredness from his face to little avail. He walked forward without waiting for Olivia and walked up to the group of people around Ellen. "Hey, this might not be the best time," he said speaking up, "but I overheard somebody here say they helped somebody called Ford drain Pokemon of their power. I was wondering if I could ask some questions?"

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IC: Zoe Llyan - Forest, Four Island

"O-oh. You, uh, heard that?" Zoe clutched at her locket out of instinct, as she always did when she was nervous, but her hand gripped thin air. She brought her empty fist to her chest and felt the rapid drumming of her heart. Her head hung in shame, and tears threatened to flood her eyes once more. "C-Collie, she . . ." Her voice caught in her throat. "Do you think she hates me now . . . ?"

 

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton/Ellen Burks/Paul Burks - Cafeteria, The Alamo

"You most certainly may not." Paul stood up and looked about ready to vault over the table should he need to place himself between this newcomer and his daughter. "Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?" A quick glance at the man's exhausted demeanor gave Paul reason to question how he had managed to overhear Ellen in the first place, but he wasn't in the mood to ponder such trivialities. "You're right, this isn't the best time. So why don't you back off and keep your nose out of other people's business?!"

 

Ryan swiftly moved to place himself between Paul and the strange, unkempt-looking man, and extended an arm to prevent Ellen's father from doing something he'd regret. "Hey, now. Let's not lose our heads." Even as he spoke, Ryan cast a wary glance at the newcomer. He was well aware of the dangers of acting on heightened emotions, but he had also faced too many crises in the past few days to warrant trusting this guy. Up until now, the knowledge of exactly how Pokémon had lost their power had been limited to those who had been at the egg, their close friends, and the higher ups at Rocket and Liberty. If word spread to the public that Ellen, Levi, Sonja and the other Children were partially responsible, the outpouring of hatred that would ensue would likely cause more emotional trauma than the Missing Zero itself. The memory of Executive Arthur threatening to lock up Sonja was still fresh in Ryan's mind. Ellen and Levi for sure did not need the public blaming them for McKinley's treachery. Innocent though his query may be, this newcomer set Ryan on edge, and despite his words of caution to Paul it was all the Liberty agent could do to not let his fears get the best of him.

 

It seemed to Dahlia that one emotional conflict couldn't be stamped out without another taking its place. She stepped forward with Ryan and Paul to try and prevent the newcomer from undoing what Evan, Xander, and Chloe had done to help Ellen. But her eyes darted past the hunching man toward a streak of flaming red hair. The gardener's mouth dropped open. "Olivia?" she called out as her sister approached the table. "Do you know this guy?"

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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IC: Xander Cruize/Sylph/Jared Winters

 

Another explosion of emotion. Xander stood, frowning. He put a hand on Paul's shoulder, squeezing. "Hey, relax. I'm sure he didn't mean for it to come out like that." He turned to scowl at the newcomer, sizing him up quietly. "How about you try this again? Who are you?"

 

Sylph had moved to stand beside Ryan, her hand out to one side as if readying to attack, though everyone could see that wasn't possible.

 

Jared frowned, taking a step away from the rest of the group. People were getting defensive, their auras spiking out towards the stranger. If it came to a fight, he needed to be clear to do whatever was necessary.

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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-==IC: Chloe/Olivia==-

 

"Everyone calm down." Chloe said with a surprising amount of attempted authority behind her words - yet also a calming aspect to them. "There's no need to get hostile when we don't know a thing about this guy yet." She glanced around, as if to emphasize how bad their defensiveness could get as well. Her eyes met Olivia's, who frowned as she knew that Dahlia's question would be the most important thing here.

 

"I don't know much about him. He wanted to get directions around, and this was the first real place we stopped. He never actually said anything about this before just now." The redhead's gaze turned to the man, as Chloe nodded in acknowledgement of what was said.

 

"Then Xander's question stands. Who are you? Questions should wait until after we've introduced ourselves at the least. I'm curious what the questions are too, but that can wait until you answer."

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

"Honestly, I can't say either way. I'm not a psychic, and I can't read auras, so I don't know a thing of what's going on in her mind. But what I do know, is that you two are pretty close; I could see it each time I interacted with you two." The woman looked up toward the canopy of the trees. "I'd say that things would really have to be bad for her to hate you. But considering how things went from what I heard, there may still be things to say or so, at least on your end."

 

Jenny looked down with a smile. "That said, I'm confident you can handle it, whatever needs to be done."

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IC: ???? ?????? - Cafeteria

 

The man listened to their words, but only seemed to be barely paying attention. If he was worried about what anyone else in the room might do to him, he didn't show it. He seemed more like he was trying to stave off sleep than caring about the response he received. A few moments passed without a word from him. At last, however, he finally spoke up.

 

"A piece of advice..." he paused to yawn once again. "If you're trying to allay suspicion from someone, I'd suggest not immediately getting so defensive," he said. His words were directed at Paul, but he didn't bother to look at him.

 

He blew air out of his mouth in a gesture of exhaustion. He relented however and started to speak. "Alright, give me a chance to start this again," he said looking at no one in particular. "My name is Lohe Mahina, I'm here on behalf of the Alolan government. I'm not here to accuse anyone of anything, everything is just in a tizzy because of this whole mess, and we're looking for solutions."

Edited by Metal Gear Minun

25fbd79538e4c3de878b599045e3f03a.jpg

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-==IC: Chloe/Olivia==-

 

That caught their attention. The couple looked over, caught completely off guard by what the man said.

 

"That explains why ya look like ya'd rather seek a bed than anything else..." Olivia mumbled, and exchanged a look with the others. "Alola? Even some middle'a nowhere place like that is interested? Can't say I blame 'em, really. How'd ya know to look here?"

 

Chloe thought over what the man said, and nodded slightly. "That makes sense." The girl crossed her arms slightly in contemplation, as she thought over what they could do. "Perhaps we should move this someplace more private? After all, if you overheard, who knows who else could overhear if we discussed things?"

Edited by Blessed Blade
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IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton/Ellen Burks/Paul Burks - Cafeteria, The Alamo

"Well here's a solution for you," Paul said. "If you're Alolan government, maybe you'd have more luck speaking to the Rocket government or Liberty leaders, not lurking around a cafeteria spying on people!" The man's tired, dismissive attitude toward the whole situation irritated Paul to no end, and were it not for the others keeping him at bay he would have grabbed Ellen and left then and there. Much to his surprise, it was his daughter's voice that rose above the growing tension.

 

"Stop fighting, everyone!" she cried.

 

Paul looked at her. "Ellen, we're not--"

 

"I'm the one you want, Mr. Mahina." The girl stepped forward; any apprehension she felt was masked by the grim look on her face. "I'll tell you everything you want to know . . . everyone deserves to know what's coming."

 

"Ellen, you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Ryan looked at the young girl with concern. Moments ago she had been in a fit of tears. Was recounting her trauma really the best idea right now? "The rest of us can fill this Mahina guy in on the present situation. You should go with your father and start packing for your return to Unova."

 

"Don't you have a poaching situation to look into?" Ellen's tone was not rude, but her words stung nonetheless. "He's looking for answers, and I have an intimate knowledge of what happened. You don't have to worry about me."

 

Ryan glanced around at Chloe, Xander, and Dahlia, silently asking if they were okay with leaving the others with this Alolan government official. Dahlia appeared hesitant to leave. "Are you sure we can trust them to not just start arguing as soon as we leave?" she asked quietly.

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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IC: Lohe Mahina - Cafeteria

 

"You really should think about my advice," Lohe said, still not making eye contact with anyone.  "As it is... I did try to speak to anyone in charge. It seems most of them, and their," another yawn, "immediate subordinates, are gone on some sort of mission."

 

Olivia's comment was the first one to make Lohe turn to face someone specifically, raising an eyebrow at her comment. "The news pretty much all but said it. Giant egg or something, a terrorist apprehended, all at the same time in the Sevii Islands."

 

The second one to make him turn with Ellen's. It was a large contrast to the loud man that he had to guess was her father (It'd explain the defensiveness at the least). He had to respect the sentiment, and gave a slight approving nod. "It doesn't matter to me who tells me what, but I need specifics on the matter."

 

Slapping himself on the cheek to keep himself awake, he turned his head in the vague direction of Chloe. "If you wouldn't mind, it would make things easier I think. I would be surprised, though if someone could overhear things better than I can."

Edited by Metal Gear Minun

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IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Levi Alaric - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

"Never a dull moment for us, is there?" Kyle muttered. Throughout the entire exchange thus far, he had remained relatively quiet, considering whether or not to join in on the poaching investigation. After a moment, he looked up. "Seriously, though, Ryan, Ellen's right--if you guys want to go try to investigate in Keturi, we can talk with this guy. It's not a problem." He glanced at the computer screen again. "I'm still not sure you're going to be able to find anything useful, though. If I knew where to start looking for information, I would have already."

 

Further down the table, Sonja couldn't help but stare are Ellen as she spoke--and, in fact, had been unable to tear her eyes off of the younger girl throughout the previous conversations. Sonja hadn't been sure what to say to help her through her trauma over Ford, and with a pang of guilt, she realized that she hadn't reached out to anyone else involved--Ellen, Levi, Ray, Skye, or Sophia--since they had returned to Four Island. Ellen, Levi, Ray, and Skye were one thing--they at least had friends or family to lean back on. But Sophia? With James and Quincy both gone, and McKinley turned traitor, Ford was one of the the only two people left who could speak to her on familial terms, and he was imprisoned away from her. So that just left Sonja . . .

 

"I'll stay, too," Sonja said, in an attempt to distract herself. "I was as much a part of it as you were, Ellen, and I was with Ford for a little bit longer. You don't have to place that burden on yourself." She looked at Levi, offering a small smile of encouragement. "You up for it?"

 

That backfired. Immediately, Levi panicked. "D-Do I h-h-have t-to?" he stammered. His hands clutched the table tightly. "I-I d-don't k-know if--"

 

"Hey," Kyle jumped up, darting to the other side of the table and placing a hand on Levi's shoulder. "Deep breaths, pal--just calm down. You don't have to talk about anything if you don't want to." To his surprise, Levi turned around and threw his arms around Kyle's midsection, digging his face into his stomach with deep, shaky breaths. Kyle looked helplessly at Sonja and the others.

 

"Sorry," Sonja said. "I didn't think--"

 

"No, it's alright," Kyle said. "Er . . . Yeah, if you all want to get going, I'll take care of him . . ."

 

 

IC - Tier Climb/Echo Order - Sleight/Jackson Sang vs. Maulice/Leopyred/Magnode - Kotahi Village, Main Street:

 

One, two.

 

The Aura Sphere exploded against the Maulice's chest. Its jaw snapped in time with an angry growl like icicles ringing in a snowstorm. Sleight stepped forward, slamming his fist into the ground. Energy rippled across the ground, erupting into stone spikes that impaled the Instance from below. It went limp, breaking apart from the impact.

 

One, two.

 

Lancelot's corkscrew punch sent the Magnode into a death spiral toward the ground. It slammed into the earth, impacting the ground into a small crater. The Electric-Type buzzed angrily, its magnet-like appendages spiraling around. It floated up, taking aim at James again and preparing to launch a powerful Thunder attack at him. At the last moment, Sang appeared behind it, driving a Bone Club straight through its body, causing it to collapse to the ground in pieces.

 

One, two.

 

The Leopyred moved.

 

Seven opponents, one Instance.

 

One instant, one move.

 

Steps in front of steps in front of steps.

 

Flames grew brighter and bigger, erupting around the Leopyred into a self-contained nova.

 

As it neared its opponents, the Fire-Type Instance exploded. Its Pyrrhic Victor attack expanded outward, quick and powerful, with force enough to shatter windows and scorch the sides of the surrounding buildings and roads for half of a block. Sleight shouted something; he and Sang created walls of stone and earth to protect from the attack, but even their defenses shattered, leaving the street covered in ash and debris.

 

 

IC - Essence Ponder - Esen Windred/Skye Hall vs. Leopyred - Kotahi Village, 2nd Street:

 

A storm of petals encompassed the street, blotting out the sun and running across the Leopyred like a massive shredder. Green blades sliced and cut from every direction, severing through water and flame and straight to the black core of the Instance. When at last the attack had passed, the leaves dissipating into the wind, the Instance stood in the street, no longer moving and bearing the thousands of slices of evidence of what had occurred. Without a sound, its flames burnt out, and the blackened creature beneath collapsed to the ground, its body cut to pieces and its umbilical cord eviscerated by the attack.

 

Essence Ponder slowed to a halt, taking a moment to catch their breath and observe the damage. Finally, Esen activated her comm. "Leopyred down and ready for extraction," she called. After deactivating her comm, she tapped the back of her hand against Lucia's shoulder, nodding at her and Jamie. "Good work. Let's keep moving." With that, they took off again toward the beach.

 

 

IC - Lyre Play - Goldhawk - Kotahi Village, Beach:

 

Normally, beaches inspired awe through the beautiful sunsets and rhythmic cascading of the ocean against the sky, or the Wailord breaching the surface for air in an explosion of ocean spray. But this beach inspired awe for none of those reasons. Instead of the pink and blues intermingling through the light of the sun, a rolling, bubbling pink and red wall broiled over the edge of the sand. It rippled and undulated unnaturally, like a living, breathing something that spread three stories high and outward across almost the entire beach, blocking the view of the southern islet. Four symbols shone on its surface, from which four umbilical cords extended, stretching into the city--and, presumably, to the Instances engaged with the other Liberty-Rocket-Plasma forces.

 

"What's the plan of attack, sir?" Theodore said. "Just hold down the beach for as long as possible?"

 

"Essentially," Goldhawk responded. "We'll move back into the city if we need to, but for now, our aim is to keep them as far south as possible until we get word that evacuations are done. The longer we can do so, the more data the IMC can gather and compile on Missing Zero's Instances. And if we can get a couple of those Instances back to Four Island . . . I think R&D would have a field day."

 

The comm crackled with activity. "Leopyred down and ready for extraction."

 

"This is Homestead, dispatching retrieval units now," the Alamo responded.

 

"Goldhawk, half of the strike team's statuses just turned orange," Bounty said, a hint of alarm clear in his voice. "We can't get a radio connection with Tier Climb or Echo Order."

 

Goldhawk swore. "Tier Climb, report." The comm buzzed. "Echo Order, report!" Still nothing. He switched back to the main comm channel. "Everyone--" He turned back to Missing Zero, eyes widening. "Stay on your guard--and get ready to fight!"

 

The previous four symbols had disappeared, severing the umbilical cords extended from them and leaving them to lie in the sand. Eight new ones soon replaced them, all varying in color. Soon, more Instances emerged. Two more Maulice clawed through Missing Zero's surface, landing heavily against the sand though soon straightening up. They were joined by a Leopyred, which leaped into view and landed expertly on its feet. These were not a welcome sight by any means, but it was the other five Instances that stirred unease within the group.

 

Fourth to emerge following the previous three was an Instance already documented from the invasion of Two Island--a Harpreak, which loosed an unearthly screech as it burst forth and took flight. Closer to the base, two minotaur-like creatures lumbered forward, their massively-oversized right arms dragging along the ground behind them. Elsewhere, something akin to a bundle of vines appeared. It sported a massive, flower-like head bearing an unsettling, toothy grin. Finally, a ghost-like creature materialized. A wheezy hiss escaped its lips as it surveyed the field below it, finally moving away from its mother and out into the world.

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~ Rise of the Rockets (I II)/Discussion Topic/Side Stories ~

 

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IC

 

She could hear them moving outside, whatever they were. Everything had happened so fast, and she'd gotten so turned around . . . She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of Hana to try and calm herself. She felt her head clear, and looked down at the Bulbasaur staring worriedly at her. "We just need to stay here a bit longer," she said, though she wasn't sure for whose benefit.

 

Hana reached up to wrap a vine gently around her wrist, a reassuring touch to try and calm her trainer. Yuri, the Eevee, squirmed in her trainer's arms and managed to turn enough to lick her chin. The trainer closed her eyes and took another deep, shaky breath.

 

And then there was heat. She heard glass explode, and hunched down to try and cover her face as well as the Eevee. As the glass and heat washed over them, Hana let out a low growl of warning. The vine tugged on the trainer's wrist, and the person looked up.

 

The building was on fire. She felt her heart stop for a second, and then she was running. Hana's and Yuri's Pokéballs were in her hands, the Pokémon safely returned. She wasn't sure when she'd done that. She headed towards the door and slammed into it hard. Normally, she would have bounced off, maybe broken something. Adrenaline, mixed with weakening of the structure due to the fire, allowed her to bust out into the open.

 

She saw something cat-like lying in the road, and turned away from it to see people in strange suits, surrounded by debris and rubble, the helmets on their heads covering their reactions to a young girl running out into a battlefield.

Edited by MELON LORD

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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IC: Zoe Llyan - Forest, Four Island

"I don't know . . ." Zoe continued to grip the space her locket should have been. "I'd say things got pretty bad." She let out a sigh and looked up at the Space Princess. "You were on that mission with Collie, weren't you? Did you stay in your room for days afterwards? Cause that's what Collie did. And then when she did get better, she totally ignored me and went to go hang out with her new friends instead. I-is it wrong for me to be jealous of them? Is it wrong to hate them for stealing Collie away . . . and to hate Collie for ignoring me?"

 

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton/Ellen Burks/Paul Burks - Cafeteria, The Alamo
Levi's panic explained why Ryan hated the idea of leaving Ellen and the others better than any words could have. But he trusted Kyle enough to handle Levi, and he trusted Sonja enough to handle this Alolan government official. "Alright then, we'll leave you to it. Come on, Dahlia. You don't have to worry about Kyle and Sonja."
 
"They're not the ones I'm worried about . . ." Dahlia muttered under her breath. Ever since Lohe had appeared, Asriel had appeared tense, like he usually did when sensing upcoming disasters. Dahlia knew that was impossible now, her Absol's clairvoyance gone with the rest of Pokémon powers, but it was enough to give her second thoughts about just leaving Sonja to keep Paul's anger under control.
 
"Chloe?" Ryan said. "You still up for joining us? We're ready when you are."
 
"Same goes for you, 'Liv." Dahlia recalled Asriel to his Pokéball and cast aside her doubts to extend a smile to her older sister. She knew she couldn't help out everywhere at once, so she would have to defer to Ryan's judgement. "You're welcome to stay back if you want, but if you want to join our little investigation, I can explain everything on the way."
 
Ellen had been sure of her decision to speak with Lohe, but Levi's outburst made her hesitate. She silently watched the boy cry into Kyle's arms, barely paying attention to the others deciding on what they would do. Unlike herself, Levi didn't have the strong support network she did. Even the exuberant Evan Tierra had terrified the boy upon introducing himself. Ellen had Evan, Xander, Chloe, and pretty much everyone else at the table lending her their support, wanting to help her get through this. Levi only had Kyle, and two distant parents more concerned with running their country (or in this case, saving it) than comforting their own son. Ellen had faced Unovan Legends, Ancient Darkrai, and the destruction of Sootopolis, and the Missing Zero still traumatized her. She couldn't begin to imagine how badly it had affected Levi.
 
The girl looked over at Sonja. "I don't think there's much I can tell Mr. Mahina that you couldn't already," she said quietly. She looked back toward Kyle. "If you don't mind . . . I'd like to stay with Levi. He needs me more than you do."
 
Paul glanced from Kyle to Lohe. As much as he hated to admit it, there was nothing he could do to help the boy. "I'll go with Sonja, then," he said, casting a hard look on the Alolan. "No offense, but until we know we can trust you, I don't think we should leave you alone with anyone."
 
Dahlia tugged on Ryan's shirt. "That leaves Sonja as the only one standing between Paul and this Lohe guy," she said in a low voice. "Are you sure we shouldn't have someone else stay back?"
 
Ryan turned and met Dahlia's deep blue eyes. He held her gaze and let out a sigh. "If it's really bothering you that much, then you can stay back." He knew better than to tell her what she could or couldn't do. "The rest of us can manage without you."
 
IC: Lyre Play/Moment Record - Theodore Willows/Ava Willows/Dack Majors/Madison Morrow/Jayron Aaron vs. Maulice (x2)/Leopyred/Harpreak/Minotore (x2)/Fraygrins/Phantashade - Kotahi Village, Beach
Dack swore at the sight of the wall of red. "That blob from the egg -- the Missing Zero's core -- I thought it had just sent its Instances here."
 
"That's what you faced in that egg?" Madison asked. She stared up at the gelatinous mass, trying very hard not to tremble. "It looks unstoppable . . ."
 
"Focus on the Instances for now." Jayron pointed to the eight new creatures emerging from the core. "And the fact Tier Climb and Echo Order are down. We don't know what happened to them, and until we do we cannot let these things leave the beach."
 
 
"Man, cut off one Instance and two more take its place." Theodore let out a low whistle. "What are we looking at here? Two killer snowmen, a fire cat, a flying-type, grass-type, ghost-type, and I'm not sure about those other two." He glanced down the beach where Moment Record had gathered. "Eight of them, seven of us. Something tells me we don't want to take these guys out quickly."
 
"Then you keep the overgrown Roserade busy," Ava said. "I'll make sure Birdman here stays grounded." Taking aim with the cartridges on her gauntlet, Ava fired a Gunk Shot up at the Harpreak before it could fly into the city.
 
Theodore stepped towards the monster plant, his hands glowing with the power of a Moonblast. "Fairy versus Flower," he said as he waited for the creature to make a move. "Looks like it's time to mow the lawn."
 
 
"Madison, stay away from the Grim Creeper over there," Dack warned as he approached the ghostly Instance. "We'll see how much it likes playing with fire." He activated the Will-O-Wisp protocol and sent a handful of flames toward the creature's long billowing cloak.
 
"Don't worry, Dack. It won't even know I'm here." Madison reactivated her cloaking module and carefully stepped around Dack to fire a Confuse Ray at his foe.
 
"Careful, Madison," Jayron said. "Don't forget your footprints are still clearly visible in the sand." The executive scanned the new instances, and noticed someone from Lyre Play had fired what looked like a poison move on the Harpreak. He scanned his HUD for the poison suit user's name. "Ms. Willows, I'll assist with the Harpreak," he said through the comms. The Twister protocol created a draconic whirlwind beneath the flying Instance that would hopefully throw it further off balance after Ava's attack.
 
OOC:
Previous stat boosts from this post.
 
Ava (+1 Atk, +1 Def, +1 Accuracy, +1 Sp. Def): Gunk Shot -> Harpreak
Theodore: Moonblast charging, approaching Fraygrins
Dack: Will-O-Wisp -> Phantashade
Madison (cloaking module activated): Confuse Ray -> Phantashade
Jayron (+1 Atk, +1 Spd): Twister -> Harpreak

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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-==IC: Chloe/Olivia==-

 

"I'll stay back. Y'all can manage... whatever it is yer up to without me." Olivia gave a confident smile to the others, and turned back to the ones staying back. She had to admit that she wasn't quite certain about leaving Paul alone with Mr. Mahina. From the looks of it, the two didn't really... work well with each other. She could feel almost a vibration on her hip, but she ignored it for the moment.

 

Chloe nodded at the decision. "I'll still go." The psychic said, before she turned to the ones staying behind. "There's a conference room that's almost always empty just down the hall. It should work out for discussing this stuff, I think." Some uncertainty crept into her mind as she hoped the guy actually was who he said he was, but at this point there was no turning back. She walked toward the door, and gave a smile back to the others.

 

"We'll be back before you know it, alright?"

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan and his Tyranitar's eyes widened as the Leopyred leaped into action. The man held his arm up as if he could do anything to stop the creature from launching off its deadly attack - however, he quickly found himself lying on the ground. With a groan, Ryan pushed himself to his feet, as he and his Tyranitar slowly looked around. The battlefield had turned into a disaster area as quickly as it had begun.

 

"Sleight! Zanth! Check in, everyone!" Ryan called out as he tried his best to work without comms as he didn't know what the state of their suits were like. However, out of the corner of his eye, the man noticed a young girl run out of one of the damaged buildings. She stopped short in the doorway as she looked around, as if lost in the warzone. Ryan's eye caught the shifting of material above her head.

 

"Watch out!"
 

Ryan's eyes widened as he saw the building slowly begin to collapse above the girl. . .

 

OOC: Bunnying permission granted.

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray yelled out as the blast sent him flying back. The teen landed roughly and rolled to a stop. He groaned as he attempted to push himself up to get a better view of exactly what just happened. He paled behind the visor however, as he noticed the sheer amount of destruction that had occurred because of the Leopyred's deadly attack. Rubble lined the affected area, and he noticed flaming buildings that threatened to collapse at any moment.

 

"Watch out!"

 

Ray's focus snapped quickly to a little girl underneath a building that looked like it would collapse at any moment. He grit his teeth, as he shot out the Ice suit's traversal gear to get over there as fast as he could. Once in range, Ray quickly reached out and picked the girl up on his way by. After a quick maneuver out of the way of the building, he set the girl down with a relieved sigh.

 

"Are you alright?" The girl nodded. Ray glanced back to the building she had come from - it was not quite so alright. Still. . . it would do to get away from here. "There's an evacuation team to the north, want me to take you there?"

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. The situation felt strangely familiar for some reason, but he was more focused on the rest of his comrades. Pushing himself forward, the man quickly tried to dig through the rubble to find the others who had been caught in the blast, uncertain where most of them had ended up.

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

"Very nice work." Lucia agreed, as she let out a sigh of relief as the creature fell. She followed along with the others, but after a moment, she turned her head toward where the others had been, as she thought she saw a plume of fire erupt into the sky for a moment. Behind her visor, she frowned slightly.

 

"Say, did anyone see that?" The healer asked cautiously through the comms. However, the next second, she froze in horror as seven suits went orange at the same time. She turned her head back toward the scene and wondered just what had happened to damage every single suit in the same moment. "... The markers aren't red. That's a good sign... right? They're okay, right?"

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny thought about the answer to that for a bit.

 

"The mission... was tough." The woman chose her words carefully as she spoke, not wanting to scare Zoe. "I took a little time kinda to myself, as I tried to lose some of my stress. I dunno if it's wrong or right of anyone to do anything, but your sister was shaken by the mission. Has she actually said that she ignored you on purpose?" She decided that now was not the best time to actually mention that she had helped Colette pull herself back together enough to be out and about like this.

 

-==IC: Yugo==-

 

"And who are you exactly?" The kid asked, obviously getting a little bit annoyed by all these people showing up without any sort of indication as to who anyone is. "And what is this place anyway?" Yugo would have been in a better mood if only one of the myriad of things happening currently had taken place. As it stood now, he wasn't.

Edited by Blessed Blade
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IC: Lafoyae Belrose

When the Pyrrhic Victor went off, the Assassin and her Infernape had knocked back and buried under rubble. Dazed, she mustered up her strength, augmented by the boosts she had accumulated. She could hear the stunned chittering of her partner Pokemon as he readied himself. A cold fire burned within Lafoyae Belrose as she wordlessly lifted herself from the rubble. Seething, the Rocket Agent noticed another of those who had fought alongside her, and started digging in her area as well. "I....highly doubt that our foe is gonna let us rest easy after that alarm bell." Her mentally projected voice rung in the minds of those present as she dug around. The monster would most likely strike this area with more force, especially if it knew that blast had weakened the group. She kept alert as she dug around, mentally shouting out names as she did so...

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IC: Amanda Zarth

 

Whether by luck or by some sixth sense, Amanda was staring right at the Leopyred as the purging flames erupted. Sheer animal instinct brought her hands up to protect herself, a tingling sensation stretching out from her fingertips, and then--

 

Then Amanda's feet were swept out from under her as her Magnezone, eyes gleaming amethyst, zipped up in that split second to place itself between its Trainer and the blast. The Steel-type groaned, both a vocalization and the shriek of superheated metal, as even through defenses and guards the scorching heat left a scar seared across its base, the blast then physically launching it backwards. The Magnezone felt some meager resistance that near-instantly gave way, the creature crashing into its Trainer and launching her back as well...

 

The world went dark. Whether some suit malfunction or personal injury, Amanda couldn't tell--in any event, her visor seemed jammed, so she had no way to check. She sensed rather than felt the others slowly starting to move around her, and with exceeding caution she retook her feet, leaning heavily on whatever hard object she'd been thrown into.

 

Zarth!

 

Amanda started at the foreign voice that appeared in her head, somehow audible above the ringing in her ears. It took her a moment--it was rather unfortunate she could not currently see to signal her suit for a Calm Mind--to recognize the psychic intrusion. Present? she responded weakly, still attempting (and failing) to regain her bearings.

 

The Magnezone moaned its pain as it rose from the ashes. Its eyes still glowing that same brilliant amethyst, it scanned the wreckage for its Trainer, rotating slowly so it could maintain its stability.

 

 

OOC:

Amanda (+4 Def, +2 SAtk, +4 SDef, +2 Speed): Barrier (psionics, shattered), ESP (psionics), Telepathy (psionics)

Magnezone: Defend Amanda, Search for Amanda


 

Me: *has idea*

Blade: "I'd say too convoluted, and I know too convoluted =P"

 

"Dangit, I shouldn't have gotten ambitious."

--Merc, RE: our plotting

 

Pokémon Rise of the Rockets Profiles: LINK

3DS FC: 3625-9584-9417 (Pokemon X Friend Safari: Electric-type, Pachirisu, Electabuzz, Zebstrika)

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IC: Lohe Mahina - Cafeteria

 

"That's kinda harsh," Lohe responded to Paul's statement. "Not entirely unwarranted given that you don't who I am, but still, it hurts."

 

The tired man stretched his neck a bit.

 

"Lead the way..." Lohe said sleepily.

 

 

 

IC: ?????? - Old Chateau

 

"I am the head butler of this great house" he spoke with a bit of pride as looked at the elegant walls of the room. He was slow to add anything further, as he trying to avoid looking directly at any of the trainers in the room.  

 

"You have all been invited to the party on behalf of my mistress,"

 

He looked embarrassed to have said such an innocuous message. 

25fbd79538e4c3de878b599045e3f03a.jpg

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-==IC: Yugo==-

 

"Party? What party?" The words finally caught Yugo's attention, though he was still wary of it. "For that matter, who is this mistress of yours? What even is your name?"

 

Something about this entire situation just didn't feel right, and the young trainer was certain that everyone, including Grumpy McGrumperpants would agree. But at the moment, he wasn't entirely sure that it would be possible to actually question this more than he was doing now, without something bad happening. What that was, he didn't know, but he didn't want to risk it.

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IC: Zoe Llyan - Forest, Four Island

"W-well . . . not exactly . . ." she stammered, turning slightly defensive at the insinuation that the entire argument had been nothing but a misunderstanding on her part. "Still, Collie knew I had been trying to talk with her ever since she came back, she could've at least told me she was feeling better. I-it's like she didn't want anything to do with me!" Defensiveness led to anger. Zoe felt better having someone to blame, even if that someone was her own sister.

 

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton/Ellen Burks/Paul Burks - Cafeteria, The Alamo

Dahlia nodded to her sister, then turned back to Ryan. "I appreciate the offer, but if Olivia's staying behind, that frees me up to go on with you guys. Besides, you were hoping to see me use my powers in the field, weren't you?" Her giggle threw Ryan off guard, and she left him fumbling for words and unable to find any before she had walked past him. "Alright then, Jared. Xander. We'd better hurry before Chloe leaves us all in the dust."

 

Paul ignored the man's words and looked to Sonja to lead them. She was one who likely knew where the conference room was, after all.

Edited by Konuju

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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IC: Xander Cruize/Jared Winters

 

The psychic trainer nodded. "Alright, sounds like a plan." He took off after Chloe, with Sylph and Vixen trailing him.

 

Jared frowned, not entirely sure what had just happened, but he followed after the others with just a quick glance to Dahlia and Ryan.

 

OOC: Bunnying approved by Blade

IC

 

The girl could only mutely shake her head at the man's latest question. She was still not sure how she ended up standing away from the burning building. She looked around quietly, fingers plucking at the sleeves of her pajamas.

 

She looked up again, seeming intimidated by the featureless blue visor. "I lost my parents . . ." she murmured, just barely audible over the noises of people digging and building burning.

 

"I'm sorry to hear that . . ." the strange man replied. The girl took a step back as he offered her his hand, then carefully took it. As he started walking, she let herself be led towards the other people nearby.

 

In the distance, she could still hear fighting.

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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-==IC: Ray==-

 

"It's never easy to lose one's parents." The man retracted his visor as he looked down at the girl. "I'm sorry that you had to have that happen... what is your name?" Ray attempted to put on a kind look, but without trying to make it seem like he was making light of the situation. He knew how hard it was to even think for a bit that your parents were dead. He couldn't imagine having to go through that when it looked like she was very young, though.

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

"Maybe so." Jenny shrugged, but then looked over at Zoe. "But if you feel that way, then why are you so worried? Show just how you feel about her if that's really what you think." She stayed quiet for a few moments, and went so silent that for a moment it might have been a possibility that she had fallen asleep. "I recommend it either way, if only to vent things in a non-permanent way. . . but I have to ask, do you believe that really was the case? Or rather, do you believe she's better already?"

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IC: Jared Winters

 

Don't be surprised when that Lohe person betrays us.

 

What? Jared frowned, casting one last look back at the cafeteria as he followed the others.

 

I don't know what he's up to, exactly, but he seemed pretty pleased that Pokémon powers were gone.

 

What are you talking about? He was practically asleep the whole time.

 

His aura, Jared! You really need to pay attention to people's aura, or we're going to be in for trouble one of these days! When he talked about the blackout, his aura glowed, grew, shimmered. All very slightly, so he's not overjoyed about it, but he's certainly not displeased.

 

Why didn't you--

 

Because there wasn't time. Everybody was talking and jockeying for control of the situation, so there wasn't time to say anything.

 

We should go back.

 

No. There's nothing we can do now that won't draw his suspicions. Talk with your "friends" and plant the idea, but other than that do nothing.

 

Jared sighed, shaking his head. "Did that guy seem weird to anyone else?"

Edited by MELON LORD

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Hallway, The Alamo

"Rather quick to judge him, aren't you, Jared?" The words were already out of Ryan's mouth before he realized what he'd said, and he quickly bit his tongue before he could continue down that train of thought. "I-I mean, I'll admit he was unusual, but let's not go leaping to conclusions here." The Liberty agent fell silent as he mulled over the irony of his own words.

 

"I didn't say anything at the time, but Asriel seemed nervous of him," Dahlia said, looking down at the Absol's Pokéball in her hand. "It could just be paranoia, but I certainly hope Liv, Sonja, and Mr. Burks don't get into any trouble with him."

 

IC: Zoe Llyan - Forest, The Alamo

"I don't know how I feel," Zoe said after a long silence. "I don't know what to think. Collie's the one who can read emotions; I can't even read my own. Is it possible to love someone so much you hate them, or to hate them so much you love them? It hurts me when she pushes me away, yet just now I pushed her away without a second thought." She looked up at Jenny. "I bet if she was feeling better, I just made things worse, didn't I?"

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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