Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

Parugi · October 11, 2017

IC - Sonja Baron - Conference Room, The Alamo:

Sonja bit the inside of her lip. Right--the One Island mission. The entire reason they had all gone to the cafeteria to begin with. In retrospect, it wasn't surprising that there were not any Leaders available at the moment--they were all too busy worrying about everyone else going out and fighting Missing Zero head-on.

"Executive Seaver would usually be responsible for taking care of accommodations," she said after a moment. "I'm surprised she didn't have anything set up for your arrival--I've always heard that she's one of the most organized people in Team Liberty. Did she know you were coming?"

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

Perhaps his memory was faulty from the seven or eight months since he had last seen her, but this was a side of Ellen Burks that Kyle couldn't remember ever witnessing before. She had made such a quick turnaround from the start of their meal--from a barely-responsive husk of herself to . . . Kyle wasn't sure if the best comparison right now was her old self, or if she had surpassed that and completely rebuilt her resolve into something new. Whatever the case, Chloe's words echoed in Ellen's own, and it was clear that she was taking them to heart.

After taking a moment to compose himself, Levi nodded. His breathing remained short, coming in sudden hiccups, but amidst the sniffling, it was clear that his panic and fear had passed--at least for the moment. From what he had observed, Kyle was certain it would return again, and it probably would not take very long for it to do so. He was starting to understand what Eileen had told him about Levi's temperament: Whatever troubled the boy was something deep, and it wasn't something that he had come to terms with. Until he did, he was bound to remain the same, frightened child.

And Ellen, too, Kyle reminded himself. While it was good to see her picking herself up, he wasn't convinced that she was out of the woods yet. Both she and Levi had taken part in something unthinkable. To believe that this single conversation would mark the end of either of their trauma . . . It was a recipe for disaster, waiting to happen. He made a mental note to mention this to everyone else in private. Until then, however . . .

"I'm here for you, too," Kyle said. "That's why your mom asked me to keep an eye on you. And that goes for you, too, Ellen. You both have been through a lot--even this conversation's probably been a bit much. Just remember that you don't have to process or think about everything that has happened all at once--take it in bits and pieces." He cast a glance at his computer, thinking back to some of the troubling experiences he had personally witnessed. "Believe me when I say that it makes it easier to come to terms with everything."

Levi nodded again, easing back into his seat at the table. The cafeteria had more or less emptied out by this point. He looked at the laptop. "Do you think they're okay still?"

"I hope so," Kyle said. "Not sure whether I want to check or not, if I'm being honest . . ."

Levi fell silent. He looked at Kyle with a shy expression. "M-Mr. Kyle?" he said. "Can I play with Torith again?"

With a small smile, Kyle responded by picking up Torith's Poké Ball and releasing the Houndour again. Immediately, the Dark-Type dog yipped at Levi, running to the next table over and wagging his tail at him. Levi ran after the dog with a laugh. Kyle couldn't suppress a grin from watching them. He looked at Ellen. "Hey, if you've got Terry with you, maybe the four of you could play."

IC - Tier Climb/Echo Order - Sleight/Jackson Sang - Kotahi Village, Main Street:

Sleight stared at the piece of machinery in Ray's hands. "That's from the Normal-Type Suit?" Ray nodded. "And there's no sign of the rest around?" A shake of the head. Sleight activated his comm. "Sang, Belrose, proceed to the beach to provide back-up. Until further notice you are under Goldhawk's orders."

"Yes, sir," Sang replied. With a wave to Lafoyae, he headed off, taking but a moment to regain his composure.

The Shadow Admin of Kanto switched channels. "Zarth, report your Suit's operational status." He switched his outgoing comm off, looking back to Ray. "Head to the beach--we'll keep looking for him."

IC - Phantashade vs. Madison Morrow - Phantom Plane:

follow followed target missed target followed Phantom Force plane target followed darkness followed target machine followed no woman followed follow woman fight fighting woman Ghost woman woman followed Shadow Claw attacking claws strike damage chest damaged Shadow Claws chest damage chest retaliate fight back woman Shadow Claws attack back Ominous Wind attack attack attack attack

IC - Essence Ponder/Lyre Play - Goldhawk/Esen Windred/Skye Hall vs. Maulice (x2)/Leopyred/Harpreak/Minotore (x2)/Fraygrins/Phantashade - Kotahi Village, Beach:

From their position, Entry Guard and Valley Watch had taken cover, in anticipation of the Icicle Spears hurtling toward them. They did not need to worry. Dack's Flame Burst attack melted most of the spears in the air, sending but a drizzle into the wind. With a call from Graves, the two groups took aim at the Maulice again, opening fire. A volley of sniper rounds tore into their targets, blasting significant chunks of snow and ice out of the malevolent snowmen. It was enough to destroy the connection points of one of their umbilical cords, causing one Maulice to drop to the ground, completely lifeless, while the other slumped over and attempted to recover.

Massive wing beats propelled the Harpreak several feet backward, out of the way of Jayron's Dragon Pulse attack. It screeched again and kicked off into the air, where its new elevation gave it a wide angle with which to fire a storm of sharp feathers at Jayron's position.

There was every possibility that Theodore Willows had made a mistake in harassing the Grass-Type Instance. Without a single utter of a sound, the Fraygrins turned its rose-tipped arms in front of itself. Though it had taken longer to charge with the lack of direct sunlight, the beams of pure solar energy that shot forth were strong enough to shake the very earth underneath it. The attack struck the ground on either side of Theodore, slowly closing in on him in a continuous explosion of light and sand as the Fraygrins turned its arms inward . . .

Richard's Sparkling Aria might have charmed any other opponent. Leopyred could not appreciate it, however, particularly not when said Sparkling Aria enveloped its body and significantly damaged it. Still, Fire could not beat Water, and so it resorted to something else: Praising the sun. Leopyred's fiery mane burned bright for several moments, before rising into the air and creating what could only be described as a miniature sun that intermingled with the rain, casting bright light upon the parts of the beach that were not covered by clouds.

Essence Ponder's arrival was well-timed. Lucia's Razor Leaf attack enveloped the non-paralyzed Minotore, distracting it from its charge at Goldhawk. Not long after, Esen, having taken to the sky, dropped dead-center upon the paralyzed Minotore, driving it into the ground before flipping off of it and coming to land by Goldhawk.

"Sir," she greeted, giving a small salute. "Sorry we're late."

"You're forgiven," Goldhawk answered. He took aim, noting a surge of power in his attack. A purple indicator had appeared next to the Bug-Type Suit's icon, signaling that Skye had connected and boosted his Suit using her own. He called upon the Electric-Type Suit, his gauntlets crackling with electricity as a loud boom erupted from the sky, before a powerful Thunder attack crashed into the healthy Minotore, completely frying it.

The other recovered from its temporary stun. Upon seeing the lifeless body of its brethren, it roared, its eyes turning a mixture of black and red. Its muscles bulged as the belt around its waist surged with energy, boosting its physical attributes to the limit. Soon all it could see was a blood-red fog, through which two figures stood out. It bellowed again, and charged at Esen and Goldhawk with a Superpower attack, each step erupting in explosions of sand beneath it.

With two Instances down, four more summoning sigils appeared. The first two Instances to appear were ones that had been documented during surveillance on Two Island--a strange, monkey-like creature deemed Chimerape, and a golem made of combined rock and purple crystal called Sinystal. The other two were new. It was clear to tell that one was a Bug-Type, as its green and black carapace mixed with its bloated, multi-legged, tick-like appearance served as a dead giveaway. The other was not so easily determined. The Instance's body was thin and human-like, appearing as if it were wearing a grayish-white full-body suit. Yet it moved too fluidly, too strangely to be anything truly living--if anything, it was like a doll given life, mocking the very concept of life itself.

It did not take long for the IMC to process names for these new Instances. The message flashed across all active Suits' screens: "Instance 001, Terminite, Bug-Type. Instance 013, Maniakoll, Normal-Type."

Soon, their targets became clear, as well. The Terminite and Chimerape charged toward Lucia and Goldhawk, respectively, with the former launching a bundle of Powder at Lucia and the latter digging beneath the sand in its trajectory toward the Electric-Type Suit. Meanwhile, the Sinystal turned to Dack, immediately producing a purple crystal and hurtling it toward him, while the Maniakoll--though eyeing the tower where Entry Guard and Valley Watch lurked--moved to attack Richard with a Sonic Boom attack.

OOC:

Phantashade: Ominous Wind > Madison

Maulice 1: Incapacitated

Maulice 2: Destroyed

Harpreak: Fiend's Feather > Jayron

Fraygrins: Solar Beam > Theodore

Leopyred: Sunny Day > Beach

Skye: Bug-Type Suit Boost > Esen, Lucia, Goldhawk, Jamie

Esen: Sky Drop > Minotore 1

Goldhawk: Thunder > Minotore 2

Minotore 1: Paralyzed; Seeing Red > Max Attack, Speed, Defense, Confused; Superpower > Goldhawk/Esen

Minotore 2: Destroyed

Terminite: Powder > Lucia

Chimerape: Dig > Goldhawk

Sinystal: Element Dust (Poison) > Dack

Maniakoll: Sonic Boom > Richard

Edited October 11, 2017 by Parugi

**Blessed Blade** · October 12, 2017

-==IC: Chloe==-

Chloe wore a contemplative look as she thought over the answer to that question. "I can't really say for sure. I guess it was all the support pretty much everyone who knew me gave after I showed back up." The young woman shrugged, as she awkwardly laughed. "Putting my dad behind bars finally helped a lot too, but honestly I don't think I could've pulled back through things if it weren't for you guys reassuring me that it wasn't my fault and otherwise not blaming me." She fell silent for a few moments, and looked up to the sky with a smile. "Ellen helped there too. That's what I was trying to help remind her of back there. The six months were hard, though; like, you could be the most confident person, or the best at faking it, but if something shatters everything then nothing will help that. But anything's possible and this just proved it. Anyone can pull through with the help of others."

Chloe looked forward as she saw the outline of where they were headed in the distance. "I still feel like there's a small burden, but it's honestly made me more determined to make things right. Plus, I guarantee that there won't be a repeat of what happened since I've been actually training my powers." The psychic giggled and placed her hands behind her head as she walked forward confidently.

-==IC: Jenny==-

After what felt like a long walk, the duo reached the edge of the trees and Jenny let out a happy laugh.

"Finally! It's been three thousand years since I saw the sun!" She said dramatically, and then turned toward Zoe. "Be careful! Who knows what that forest might have done to you... you may be a vampire now!"

-==IC: Colette==-

The girl blinked for a moment, and then put a finger to her chin, as a slightly mischievous smile crept onto her face. "Something you could help with, hm?" Colette had to admit to herself that most of the things she needed now she already had a plan for. But there were still things that could be helped with. "Alright then, follow me." Her expression returned to her neutral state, but inwardly she was cackling like a mad scientist. Company would be nice, after all. . .

- - - -

"So we're going on a shopping trip?" The voice of Evan Tierra sounded bewildered even as the two headed toward the west side of the shopping district in Keturi City.

"Yup."

"Um, all right?" Colette smiled in slight amusement at precisely how out-of-his-element Evan sounded. She quickened her pace as they approached and thought about the places her mother had recommended for what she wanted to find. "This way! I think I see the first place."

-==IC: Lucia==-

Well that was ominous. Lucia had not actually expected the sigils to keep appearing, let alone in that number. The sudden burst of powder onto her armour didn't help her any, as while it didn't seem to do anything, she had this distinct feeling that it sticking to the green suit did not bode well at all. The woman held her arm out, as she moved to shoot out Spores at the Terminite and that one Minotore that was headed their way. At the same time, she quickly activated the Cotton Guard protocol to increase her defense.

OOC:

Lucia: Spore > Terminite & Minotore

Cotton Guard > Self

Defense +3

-==IC: Ray==-

"Right." Ray appeared uneasy still, but nodded to show his acknowledgement before he headed off toward the beach. "Good luck, sir. I hope you find him."

The young man seemed surprised as he got to the beach and discovered just how chaotic it had gotten while they were recovering. It was like the weather was fighting itself, not sure what it should be doing. The sheer amount of things currently on the beach wasn't helping the feeling of it being chaotic. Ray attempted to find a good area to attack from, but felt as if he was out in the open no matter what he did. He quickly fired off an Icicle Spear toward the Maniakoll, if at least to keep it preoccupied until someone else could deal with it.

OOC:

Ray: Icicle Spear > Maniakoll

-==IC: Ryan==-

"Just one moment." Ryan gave a kind smile to Aori, and opened up a comm link to Sleight. "Sir, requesting permission to escort a bystander to the evacuation zone. We found her in a collapsing building and I don't believe she can make it back on her own."

"Affirmative - go ahead." The response crackled over the comm channel, and Ryan nodded.

"Roger that." Ryan moved the faceplate away, and then looked back to Aori. "Alright, let's head out quickly."

**Dr. Hidaka** · October 12, 2017

IC: Lafoyae Belrose

Lafoyae flew off.........

in the direction of beach, acknowledging her fellow assassin's wave, as she tensed up her arm muscles for a mobile Bulk Up. Considering what the HUD had presented, she'd need more of a boost, if she wanted to provide the utmost support in this fight....

Lafoyae: Boosts: 3 attack, 4 Def, 1 special Def (Stockpile plus 3 Bulk Ups)

IC: Evan Tierra

"Shopping. Why did it have to be shopping?"

Evan Tierra was someone who was more at home on the battlefield, than he was at a shop. But it seemed that him joining Colette would fulfill the mystery sender's request, so he decided he would bear it .Especially if it meant he could potentially get help for the Aura Wielder. "So um.....what are we shopping for, Aura Princess?" Evan said, trying to sound more confident as she lead the way. "Clothing? Jewelry? I can't say I'm good at fashion, but maybe I can help with jewelry, if needed?"

MELON LORD · October 12, 2017

IC: Yamamoto Aori

With a nod, Aori started following the man. She hugged Yuri to her chest tightly, hoping that her parents would be waiting for her at their destination. If they weren't . . .

No, they had to be there.

IC: Xander Cruize/Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Sylph - Keturi City

Xander chuckled at Dahlia's comment. "Duly noted!"

Lachina sighed and nodded. "I mean, I guess I'm sort of hoping that things go back to normal in the next day, but . . ." She nodded again. "Jared and I both have first aid kits, but extras never hurt."

Jared nodded in agreement. "Hey, what kind of force are we planning to go in with, here?"

Xander raised an eyebrow. "Not much, I don't think. I figured we'd just look around a bit, see what we could find . . ."

"Not. Shopping." The silver-haired trainer scowled. "You know, that other errand we have."

"Oh, right! Um, I dunno. My team can't do a whole lot without power, but if you have any muscle on your team, that would help."

"Alright then." Jared grabbed Anubis' ball and released the Lucario. "He hasn't gotten out much lately, so . . ." Anubis nodded in greeting to them all, and even waved at Lachina as she did the same. "I also have an Onix and a Lapras, but I don't know how overboard we want to go."

**Blessed Blade** · October 12, 2017

-==IC: Colette==-

"Heh heh heh. . ." That was the girl's answer, as she led the way. Colette hummed to herself as she stayed quiet about their destination. "My mom told me about a place here. I won't say what, though, think of it as a surprise."

"A surprise, huh?" Evan said, grinning a bit at the girl's laughter. "I shouldn't be surprised, considering you seem to be full of them." He laughed heartily. "Lead on then, I look forward to seeing just what you are up to!"

Not long after, they reached the entrance to a jewelry store. Colette didn't make a comment about the fact that Evan had actually guessed right - partially because she had already gone into the store. She stopped suddenly, however, as she looked around. She had absolutely no clue where to start looking for what she needed. That said, considering all that Evan had said moments before, she had her doubts that he would know any better. She couldn't give up here, though, even if she needed to search the entire store with a fine tooth comb.

**Dr. Hidaka** · October 12, 2017

IC: Evan Tierra

"Aha, so it was jewelry." Evan said when he got to Colette. "I'll try not to pry about the why, but....." Evan looked around at the displays, in which rings, necklace and watches all shone and sparkled in the magical way that a jewelry shop made them. "What exactly are you looking for?" The young man asked, as he tilted his head curiously. "Asking a clerk could definitely help us narrow down what you are seeking."

As Evan spoke, the setting that Colette had taken him to, sparked another thought. He'd definitely get to it, but only after he had helped the beige-haired girl out here. He'd made a promise, and it'd be selfish not to focus on her issue first...

Konuju · October 13, 2017

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Four Island

"Well, I don't know about muscle, but I think Asriel can still fight with his scythe." Dahlia sent out her Absol, who seemed to have calmed down since the Lohe's appearance in the cafeteria. The Disaster Pokémon nodded stoically; he might have lost his ability to sense disasters but that didn't mean he couldn't prevent them. With another explosion of light, Dahlia's Buneary popped out of her ball and began punching the air with her ears. "Looks like Coco wants to help, too." Dahlia laughed as she picked up the feisty bunny. "That said, we definitely can't rely on our Pokémon as much as we used to."

The gardener's words traveled back to Ryan and loomed over him like a curse. He kept forgetting that his Pokémon couldn't fight like before. Outside of the Ranger girl he was the only one in the group without powers, and from what he'd seen of capture stylers Lachina might as well have powers of her own. What did he have? Togie could fly, Quil might be able to utilize the flames on his back, Missy could go through walls . . . not exactly the ideal powerset. Ryan felt hopelessly outclassed next to everyone else, a liability more than a team player. What could he hope to contribute that someone else couldn't do ten times better? He glanced over at Chloe and the confidence she carried in her abilities. "At least you actually have powers . . ." he muttered.

IC: Ellen Burks - Cafeteria, The Alamo

Play. It seemed like a foreign concept to Ellen. How could she play when others were fighting the monster she had helped summon? How could she act like nothing was wrong? Sure, it wasn't her fault Tyler had turned out to be a monster, but that didn't change the fact that people were out there risking their lives to stop the Missing Zero.

Her eyes lingered on the laptop screen. Although it pained her, she felt an obligation to watch the battle unfold. But then Levi's laughter reached her ears. It was a blissful, innocent laugh; the polar opposite of the boy who had been crying into Kyle's arms just moments ago. It was a laughter that could very well have come from her own lips in a time long forgotten. Perhaps that laughter could be hers once more.

Tearing her eyes from the screen, Ellen slowly approached the adjacent table. "U-um . . ." She fumbled with her Pokéballs for a moment before finding the one she needed. The Herdier emerged in a burst of light and calmly walked up to Levi to greet him. "This is Terry. He's been my guardian ever since I was a baby. I . . . I didn't have him when I got taken, but he's with me now."

IC: Zoe Llyan - Edge of the Forest, Four Island

Jenny's words sounded almost foreign to Zoe. So lost in thoughts of her sister was she that the idea of playing vampires at a time like this felt foolish. However, as Zoe shielded her eyes against the harsh sunlight, she realized that her disheveled hair and muddied clothes probably did make her look slightly vampiric. As she looked up at the redheaded girl, she came to a very important realization. While the heroic Space Princess could never truly replace Collie, she could come pretty darn close. A mischievous grin etched itself onto Zoe's face.

"Alas, you thought you were helping a poor girl out of the dark forest," she said a rasping voice as she slowly circled around behind Jenny. "But the truth of it is . . . you've just brought the Vampire Queen her finest meal! Hyah!" With a sharp hiss, Zoe leapt onto the older girl's back, wrapped her arms and legs around her and pretended to bite her neck. "The blood of a Space Princess is a rare delicacy indeed!"

IC: Madison Morrow vs. Phantashade - Phantom Plane

The dark wind tore at Madison's suit and were her Shadow Claws not buried within the Phantashade's chest she might have been knocked back. Her HUD alerted her of the super effective damage the suit was taking. The pain only told her she needed to defeat her enemy quickly. Planting her feet in the ground to brace against the ghostly gale, Madison dug her claws deeper into the creature's chest with a feral cry. Adrenaline fueled her actions and a single goal drove her forward. She had to keep the Phantashade away from Dack at any cost.

IC: Lyre Play/Moment Record - Theodore Willows/Ava Willows/Dack Majors/Jayron Aaron vs. Maulice/Leopyred/Harpreak/Minotore/Fraygrins/(Phantashade)/Chimerape/Sinystal/Terminite/Maniakoll - Kotahi Village, Beach

Jayron knew even with his aura-boosted abilities, there was no way he could dodge all those feathers. And he was not about to find out how much they hurt. Thinking quickly, the executive activated the Dragon Tail protocol and waited for the projectiles to approach. When he felt they were close enough, he whirled around, letting his suit's draconic energy lash out with what he hoped would be enough force to dispel the pointed feathers.

Even while surrounded by twin Solar Beams and staring into the face of certain death, Theodore never lost confidence. He casually glanced at the solar powered death rays as if they were a simple party trick. "That's pretty impressive for a knockoff Roserade. Ever consider going into clean energy? Way more rewarding than this world destruction thing you've got going. I hate to rain on your little sunshine parade but it'll take more than that to ȟ̴̢͕i̶̗̭̠̍̈̇̑͠t̷͚̰̀̂͜͝ ̷̡̛̼͖̊ͅm̶̞̖͚̎ͅe̵̥̼͇̋̈́!̶̡͖̲̱̔͑ͅ"

The intense heat appeared to make Theodore's body waver, and Ava had to shield her eyes from the bright glare. When the blast subsided, the only thing left of the Fairy-Type suit was a charred chunk of metal that wavered briefly in the air before plopping into the sand. Ava could only stare in stunned silence at the spot her husband had once stood.

"Psych!" As if to counter the blasts of sunlight, a concentrated beam of lunar energy arced its way across the beach toward the Fraygrins. From atop the city's seawall, Theodore shot his wife a reassuring thumbs-up. "I told you not to worry, honey!"

Ava struggled to find her voice. "Wh-wha-? Th-theo-?! When did-?" She shook her head. "Don't you ever do that again!"

"Yeah, my bad," Theodore said sheepishly. "Vert's gonna kill me for frying her decoy module. To be fair, she should've known they'd have to take a beating. Anyway, a little help here? I wouldn't want to get hit by one of those blasts for real."

Still grumbling about causing unnecessary worry, Ava turned her sights on her husband's would-be killer and fired a Sludge Bomb.

Dack barely had time to process the new arrivals before the rock-like creature, which his suit identified as Sinystal, threw a large crystal at him. He quickly side-stepped, and the crystal crashed to the ground in an explosion of sand and dust. Dack allowed himself a smirk. "You'll have to aim much better than that if you want to--"

He suddenly doubled over in a fit of coughing. Warning lights flashed in his HUD, and through watering eyes he saw his own suit's status indicator gain a purple outline. Poison now coursed through his lungs. Trying not to dwell on the implications of his affliction, Dack raised a hand and shot a Flamethrower at his attacker. "Those evacuations better happen fast," he wheezed through the comms.

OOC:

Madison (in Phantom Plane): Shadow Claw -> Phantashade (chest)

Theodore (1 Decoy Module destroyed): Moonblast -> Fraygrins

Ava (+1 Atk, +1 Def, +1 Accuracy, +1 Sp. Def): Sludge Bomb -> Fraygrins

Jayron (+1 Atk, +1 Spd): Dragon Tail -> Fiend's Feathers

Dack (Poisoned): Flamethrower -> Sinystal

Edited October 13, 2017 by Konuju

**Blessed Blade** · October 13, 2017

-==IC: Chloe==-

Chloe glanced over at the sound of Ryan's voice as he gave his comment. A frown crossed her face, as it sounded almost like he was jealous.

"Doesn't mean you can't help. Sure we've been fighting alongside our Pokemon for the past year to get to where we are now, but that doesn't mean we're magically helpless without them, or that you're any more helpless because you don't have powers."

-==IC: Jenny==-

Jenny shrieked out half in surprise, and half in mock terror. She winked to her Scizor, who just watched the scene with a baffled look on her face.

"Oh no! Whatever shall I do? Must I be victim to a vampire?" She cried out, and then began to walk into the sun some more. "Perhaps this may help me! But my strength...!" Her steps slowed dramatically as she played it up with an amused smile on her face. "I fear I won't be able to stop this evil vampire!"

MELON LORD · October 13, 2017

IC: Keturi Group

Xander stopped, turning to look at Ryan. "Hey, yeah, don't be like that, man. Not having powers doesn't suddenly make you worthless."

"Yeah, I have nothing going for me but my training, but i'm not moping about it." Lachina crossed her arms. "In a fight, it won't matter what extra stuff you have, as long as you can throw a punch!" She demonstrated, punching out into the air the way that Jared had taught her and Dahlia just the day before.

Jared nodded, stepping up by the other guy. "We're looking to capture, anyways, not kill. Aura and psychic abilities are well and good, but hard to control. If we rely on them, it will be too easy for us to go overboard with this."

Humph. We're not looking for anymore than to free some poached Pokémon. If the poachers try to kill us--

We will do our best to take them non-lethally. You know I don't want to kill if I can help it.

I can only imagine if a member of the Company heard you say that

Xander smiled. "Now, enough moping! Let's hit some shops and get back out there!"

Konuju · October 13, 2017

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Four Island

Ryan hadn't actually expected the others to overhear him. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound that way. I just . . ." He let out a sigh, knowing the others would come up with a counter for any point he tried to make. "Nevermind. Let's just find the shops."

As they continued to walk, Dahlia slowed her pace to walk next to Ryan. "Remember when we first met?" She offered him a smile. "I felt just as powerless as you do. Perhaps even moreso; as the Heroine of Reverse I'm expected to do great things. I know how it feels. I may have powers of my own, but I'm a gardener, not a soldier. We're in the same boat here; we've always relied on our Pokémon to do the fighting for us. Now we have to pick up the mantle ourselves. You were the one who instilled confidence in me back then, so don't you dare wimp out on me now."

Just like a ray of sunshine, the gardener's words pushed through Ryan's gloomy demeanor, prompting a small smile. "Too bad I never asked Evan to show me how to punch."

"No problem!" Dahlia grinned as Coco started punching the air with her ears again. "Jared can teach you. Neither of you seemed interested in shopping anyway, so this'll give you both something to do!"

That was the last thing Ryan had expected. From what he'd seen, the aura wielder seemed short and to the point, and Ryan feared he wouldn't put up with any nonsense. Still, he couldn't refuse Dahlia, not when she seemed so enthusiastic about helping the person who had once helped her. Not unlike Chloe and Ellen, now that he thought about it. He looked over at the gardener with a smile. "Sounds like a plan."

IC: Zoe Llyan, Queen of the Vampires - Edge of the Forest, Four Island

"Nooo, not the sun!" Zoe pushed on the shoulders of her makeshift mount to try and steer her back into the shade of the trees. "The Vampire Queen requires darkness to thrive! Darkness and blood! Come, my loyal servants! Apprehend the Space Princess!"

Esmeralda yipped happily at Jenny's stumbling feet. She would play her role as servant to the Vampire Queen, of course, but she was just happy to see Zoe's usual energy return. Merida, on the other hand, found Zoe's enthusiasm to be contagious and leapt onto Jenny's leg in an attempt to keep her out of the sun.

Flipz · October 13, 2017

-==IC: Adam Zynthic==-

Adam, for his part, was utterly confused by his abductor's behavior. Would he really just let them go so easily? The ex-Ranger frowned.

"It seems we have a decision to make. And both options appear to be...unwise, to put it lightly. What do you think, Wiggy?"

The Grotle couldn't reply, of course, but he snapped his jaws together in a ferocious Bite, reminding his master that he wasn't without backup, no matter how this went wrong.

"...indeed." The man glanced between the butler and the door, apparently still trying to choose which option he disliked least, as he waited for someone else to make the first move.

OOC: Once again, Samus Returns spoilers in the music.

IC - Tier Climb/Echo Order - Sleight/Jackson Sang - Kotahi Village, Main Street:

Sleight stared at the piece of machinery in Ray's hands. "That's from the Normal-Type Suit?" Ray nodded. "And there's no sign of the rest around?" A shake of the head. Sleight activated his comm. "Sang, Belrose, proceed to the beach to provide back-up. Until further notice you are under Goldhawk's orders."

"Yes, sir," Sang replied. With a wave to Lafoyae, he headed off, taking but a moment to regain his composure.

The Shadow Admin of Kanto switched channels. "Zarth, report your Suit's operational status." He switched his outgoing comm off, looking back to Ray. "Head to the beach--we'll keep looking for him."

IC: Amanda Zarth - Kotahi Village, Main Street:

"*kshhh*-arth, rep-*shhhhkhssssss* status."

The transmission was garbled, but its instructions clear. However, when she reached up to activate her comm in response, she got only an error chime, repeating the attempt twice more to confirm its futility.

This would not do.

Reaching down to her belt, she unclipped a single Pokéball, releasing its occupant. Shifting her vision back into her psychic senses, she located the Porygon she'd just sent out. "Porygon, please enter and diagnose the condition of this suit," she stated. The digital Pokémon beeped out its compliance and merged with the machine's computerized components. Meanwhile, with Amanda's attention still focused internally, her Magnezone gently shepherded her out of the electrified pool. Almost immediately, the suit's screen reactivated, though at the moment its video feed was still disabled.

Porygon appeared on the mostly-blank screen, lines of text appearing to communicate its findings.

SYSTEM ANALYSIS:
SYSTEM MAIN POWER: ONLINE
SYSTEM INTERFACE: OFFLINE
EXTERNAL VISUAL SENSORS: MALFUNCTION
INTERNAL VISUAL SENSORS: OFFLINE
EXTERNAL AUDIO SENSORS: OFFLINE
INTERNAL AUDIO SENSORS: MALFUNCTION
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL: MALFUNCTION
WIRELESS TRANSMISSION ANTENNA: OFFLINE
WIRELESS RECEIVER ANTENNA: MALFUNCTION
PKMN POWER STORES: ONLINE
DRONE INTERFACE SYSTEMS: OFFLINE

HULL INTEGRITY: 65%

DIAGNOSIS: SEVERE HULL DAMAGE CAUSED BY THERMAL SHOCK, FOLLOWED BY SHORT-CIRCUITS FROM EXTERNAL MOISTURE COMPROMISING ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS.  LIMITED REPAIR POSSIBLE.

AWAITING FURTHER ORDERS_

Amanda nodded. "Reboot all offline systems, then reconfigure the transmission antenna to serve as a replacement receiver." Code filled the screen, followed by the non-video portions of the interface appearing as they had before. After the majority of systems seemed to be back online, Amanda reached out with her mind to the other humans in the area, noting as she did that several that she had sensed before had already left the immediate vicinity.

"EO-3 Amanda Zarth reporting. Damage to suit has disabled my communications system, rendering it receive-only. External video sensors also damaged, but most other functions, including Pokémon moves, appear intact. I will continue to attempt to use telepathic communication as a substitute for damaged transmitter and extrasensory perception and surveillance drones in place of visual input until further repairs can be attempted. Now awaiting further orders."

Edited October 13, 2017 by Flipz

Metal Gear Minun · October 13, 2017

IC: Lohe Mahina - Four Island

"-I- hardly knew I was coming," Lohe complained. "I get a call from the big wigs, and they tell me I'm supposed to go treat with Team Liberty. They didn't even tell me how I was supposed to get here. I had to hitch a ride with someone else. Like, seriously? What sort of planning for a diplomatic mission is that?" he said chewing his lip in frustration, gripping his staff tightly. "I guess it's because I was in Kanto at the time that they sent me, but they could have afforded giving me more to work with."

Lohe let out a mix of a sigh and a yawn. "Anyway, that's the reason for all my ails."

IC: Richard Apollo - One Island

Richard couldn't even grunt as the Sonic Boom slammed into him. He had to keep singing to attack. He had to keep dancing to stop the sun. No matter the pain, the show must go on.

"In endless dreams, countless realms collide

Hope falls only to rise like the changing tide,"

Despite the panic caused by pain, Richard kept his tempo even. He ignored the urge to speed up and kept his movements fluid and deliberate.

"But all dreams come to an end,

Just whispers on the wind."

On the word wind, a stream of sparkling bubbles shot towards his original target. The rain had to conquer the sun.

IC: Jamie Arthur - One Island

Jamie wanted to hit something. And now there were plenty of things to hit. She was tempted to send out Tristan and have him hit things too, but right now she was strong enough to fight on her own. She created an anchor and chain and looked for an opponent. She decided to pick the thin human-like Instance that just hit the water type suit.

"Get over here!" Jamie shouted as she launched the Anchor shot the Maniakoll, intending to reel it in so she could face it herself.

**Blessed Blade** · October 14, 2017

-==IC: Chloe==-

"If we're all done, we're here." Chloe motioned to the bundle of shops that lay before them. "Who all's getting clothes? You're with me if so." The psychic wanted to make sure they didn't take too long, but... Knowing everyone, this'll take like three hours. Knowing any shops this'll take three hours. They just never seem to have things in the right places or anything, do they? Always making you search around...

Despite her mental complaining, Chloe stepped through the doors to the clothing shop with a resigned sigh.

-==IC: Jenny==-

"Oh no! Whatever shall I do, I'm trapped!" Jenny laughed out as she felt the weight of everyone start to pull her over. With a yelp, that's exactly what happened. Jenny groaned for a moment, and then tapped Zoe with a giggle.

"And now the vampire queen has me pinned too!"

-==IC: Colette==-

Colette didn't answer at first, and pulled out the chain to look at it for a moment. She already knew the answer, but looking at the fragments of the chains at the edge showed that the chain would not be able to be fixed, not without making it too short for her sister to wear. She quickly glanced around the store again, and then sighed.

"A locket." The girl finally said, as she held up the remains of the chain and original pendant. "I want to get a gift for Zoe to replace this one. I have a possible idea in mind, but I don't know where to look here. I'd bet my mom hasn't actually been here in years, honestly." The side of her mouth curled up into a half-smile at those last words, but she continued nonetheless. "Maybe the clerk could help, but I get the feeling I'd need like the ultra fancy name for the stuff and such."

Evan frowned at the state of the locket in the Aura Wielder's hand. Then he grinned at what Colette had to say. He was not a stranger to being sorta clueless when it came to this, so he'd follow her lead. "I'd say we chase your little idea." He said, still smiling. "So far it seems to be working for us."

Colette nodded, and walked up to the counter. She still felt a little nervous, but between the kind look on the clerk's face and her own determination to make this right, she decided to just get on with this. "Do you have any like, heart lockets?"

"Certainly!" The clerk led the two over to a case with many assortment of lockets. As the different types were being explained, the girl looked over the different accessories herself - she saw a couple that worked the way she wanted it to, but one in particular caught her eye the most. . .

Evan paused. Now or never.

"There's also something I....kinda want." The hero said as he held up the pendant that held the Lustrous Shard. "I.......kinda want a better piece of jewelry to have this set in, if you don't mind me taking the chance....."

"Certainly - right this way too." The clerk smiled pleasantly as she prepared Colette's purchase. Once she was finished with that, she led Evan off to another part of the store.

----

After Evan's request was finished, the two walked back outside. Colette slid two pictures into the locket, and smiled as she admired it. Yeah... this'll work. She thought as she put the new locket on, and then put her old pendant into the bag they had been given.

"Anywhere else you needed to head to while we're here, Garchomp man?"

**Dr. Hidaka** · October 14, 2017

IC: Evan Tierra

"Well......."

Evan smiled sheepishly. "I.....um, kind of need a little more cash for my request." Evan said as he scratched the back of his head. "My pay isn't enough for it, and they've kinda got that jewel I gave them for it. so.........." He paused, thinking of the possible ways he could pay the fine people of that establishment. He really wanted this to work out, but money was holding him back.

Then, an idea hit him.

"Well, Aura Princess, you seem to know your way around here, soooo...." Evan said with a mischievous grin as a plan formed in his head. "Where could I sell......my coat?"

**Blessed Blade** · October 14, 2017

-==IC: Colette==-

"... What."

OOC: Nope, nothing else to see here.

-==IC: Colette==-

"Sell your coat?" Colette was baffled by the very notion of that. After all, it seemed rather trademark at this point for one, and the other is her general confusion at where that would happen. Though. . .

"There is a pawn shop nearby..." The girl said slowly, but seemed confused. "Is that really needed, though? I mean, it looks rather... unique."

MELON LORD · October 14, 2017

IC: Keturi Group

Xander snickered a bit as he caught Chloe's thoughts on shops, then raised a hand. "I could probably use some new threads."

"'Threads' really? What year is it?" Lachina asked with a slight grin. "I'll go hit the camping supply store, see about those first aid kits, if anyone wants to come."

Jared hummed. "I think I'll go find a sporting goods shop, pick up some things for training and such."

Sylph giggled as she and Xander followed Chloe. "Maybe somebody else can convince Xander that style isn't a bad thing."

"Hey, I prefer my clothes to be comfy and practical." Xander shrugged lightly.

**Dr. Hidaka** · October 14, 2017

IC: Evan Tierra

"Yeah, it's unique, but so is what I requested." Evan said, still looking sheepish. "I made this coat out of Garchomp scales, with the help of my mother. It's immensely precious to me, but...." He then smiled, as he slid his coat off, and held it. "I can always make another one later, and what I want to get is truly unique to me." He said as blushed ever so slightly. "It's for someone else and I am willing to pay the price for it. So, point me in the direction, and I'll be back."

"Hm. Well, it's over this way." Colette waved her hand to beckon Evan in her direction as she began to walk off in the direction of the store in question. Evan followed her, clearly willing to go through with what he was planning. As he entered, he went to the desk and took a deep breath, then spoke. "I've come to sell off this coat, sir." The man, smiled as he looked at the coat Evan presented to him, his eyes looking it over curiously. "What a curious article you've got here." He said as he felt the smooth scales inlaid into the coat. "Is this handmade perhaps? Because these scales feel too real for it to be store bought....." He eyed it over again....

Then....

"I'll give you 33500 for it." He finally said. "It's not the best work in the world, but it was clearly well-made, and that, coupled with how....good it looks, that's the best I can do." Evan's eyes lit up as he heard those words. "Say no more, because the coat's yours." Evan said brightly. The man handed the-now coatless young man the notes and smiled. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Evan turned to Colette, grinning as he did so. "Let's hurry along back there." the Plasma Agent said happily. "I've wasted enough of your time as is1"

Konuju · October 14, 2017

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Shopping District

At Dahlia's urging, Ryan opted to join Jared in picking up training materials. Ryan half-expected her to accompany them, but Dahlia remained by Lachina's side. "It's best we go in pairs. Or trios," she said with a nod to Xander, Sylph and Chloe. "You know, buddy system and all."

Ryan looked over at Jared. "Guess you're stuck me, then." He glanced back at the rest of the group. "So when we're each done with our shopping, let's say we rendezvous over at that little café across the street. Sound like a plan?"

IC: Zoe Llyan, Queen of the Vampires - Edge of the Forest, Four Island

Zoe let out a very un-vampirelike yelp as Jenny toppled over. It took her a moment to realize that she had her enemy perfectly pinned. Shaking off the disorientation of the fall, Zoe grinned and bared her fangs. "At long last, the Space Princess is defeated! Sic 'er, Esmeralda!"

The Fennekin charged up to the fallen Jenny and began to ferociously lick her face in the most ticklish way possible.

MELON LORD · October 15, 2017

IC: Xander Cruize/Sylph

"Sounds like a plan!" Xander grinned, following Chloe and Sylph into a clothing store. Quietly, he began browsing, Sylph trailing along behind him. "So, Chloe, does something seem . . . odd about Jared?"

He picked up a jacket and frowned. "Wait, really? 5600 for this? Y'know, in Kalos, I could find this same jacket for less than half the cost."

"It's from Kalos." Sylph pointed to the brand mark. "See? They're just recouping their money from importing it."

Xander gave an exasperated sigh and folded the jacket over his arm. "I guess that makes sense."

"Black leather, really?" Sylph shook her head. "I don't think it will suit you."

"Hey, I've been looking for a new jacket for ages, and the dark color will, uh . . ."

"Make you look incredibly washed out?"

"Anyways! Jared. Strange. Yes?" Xander turned back to Chloe and picked up a dark gray shirt with an eye emblazoned in black on the front. "Oh, cool."

IC: Lachina Adaon

"Right, that makes sense!" She grinned and hurried through the doors of the camping store. "Along with first aid kits, we should probably see about some survival gear. Liberty will probably provide tents and sleeping bags and stuff like that, but you never know when an extra blanket or a knife will come in handy, y'know?"

She glanced back at the older girl and offered a smile. "Have you camped out a lot?"

IC: Jared Winters

"Hey, yeah, let's make the two guys who don't want to be here shop together, great idea." Jared sighed, shaking his head. "Alright then, Ryan. I know Lachina said we weren't getting a ton of stuff, but I'll see about getting some things shipped up to Liberty HQ."

He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Getting targets for punches and kicks, headgear and padding for sparring. That sort of stuff." He chewed his lip, glancing at Ryan from the corner of his eye and observing his aura.

"Hey, so . . ." He cleared his throat, not sure where to go from there.

Are you really doing this?

He's an ally. I don't want to keep things awkward.

Ugh. Then allow me.

He stopped, pulling his hands from his pockets. "I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. If I've done anything to antagonize you, I apologize. Like it or not, we will be working together to some degree, and we cannot allow this animosity to stand." He held a hand out to shake. "So, let's let all bygones be bygones, and start afresh. I am Jared Winters. I hope that we can be friends."

There.

Would you stop doing that?

When you can handle yourself in social and combat situations, perhaps.

Edited October 15, 2017 by MELON LORD

Konuju · October 15, 2017

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Camping Store, Keturi City

"I haven't camped a whole lot." A nostalgic smile crept onto Dahlia's face as she scanned the shelves, kneeling next to a row of tinderboxes. "My family would go on a few trips back when we were all younger. Of course, that was back before Aspen and Olivia joined the war. Our father's work kept him busy, but those occasional trips gave us all time to spend together as a family. As you can imagine, three kids trying to put together a tent was always an experience. Olivia would insist she knew what she was doing, Aspen would pull out the instructions, tell her she was doing it all wrong, and father would have to break up the fight . . . but somehow no matter how irritated people got, s'mores always managed to make everything better."

The girl wiped away a tear and looked back up at the ranger. "Sorry, I was just reminiscing. Um . . . tinderboxes might be useful, cause our Pokémon can't light a campfire with Ember anymore, right?"

IC: Ryan Sanders - Sports Shop, Keturi City

Ryan was inwardly grateful that it had been Jared that had decided to break the wintry ice between them. If he hadn't, the awkward silence between them would have likely been enough to kill them both. He smiled and shook the man's hand. "Ryan Sanders. Glad to meet you, and I apologize again for earlier." He left it at that, and started to walk around the store. "So . . . Dahlia tells me you know how to throw a punch. Think you could give me a few pointers sometime?"

Parugi · October 16, 2017

IC - Sonja Baron - Conference Room, The Alamo:

Though she wasn't interested in Lohe's personal complaints about the methods to his employers' operations, there was one thing she couldn't help but smile at. Well, at least the Alolan government isn't as snobbish about their procedures as Plasma . . .

"Okay," she said aloud. Her eyes drifted around as she tried to figure out the best way of broaching the conversation. "So what exactly are you looking to find out? Obviously the situation as a whole, but what do you want me to start with--Ford? The Egg? The Children? McKinley?"

**Blessed Blade** · October 16, 2017

-==IC: Jenny==-

Jenny burst out into a fit of giggles that devolved into a fit of coughing for a bit before returning to giggling. "Sorry, wrong pipe there." The woman said sheepishly amidst being tickle-licked.

-==IC: Chloe==-

"Huh?" The psychic looked up in confusion from about three aisles over as she thought sure she heard something in the general direction of Xander. However, she quickly went back to selecting the outfit she had in mind if the mission went the way she thought.

Though. . . considering how this mission is likely to go knowing our luck, maybe I should try it out today too. . .

Metal Gear Minun · October 16, 2017

IC: Lohe Mahina - Four Island

"Hmm..." Lohe ruminated as he tossed his tired head from side to side. He seemed about as clueless as Sonja on how to start the conversation for real.

"I vaguely know who this Ford guy is, but the rest of those are lost on me," he said scratching his head. "The 'egg', was it? Let's start with that."

MELON LORD · October 16, 2017

IC: Xander Cruize/Sylph - Clothing Store, Keturi City Mall

Xander waited a short time before reaching out to Chloe mentally. Sorry, I should have spoken up a bit, I guess. Any thoughts on Dahlia's new friend? He seems strange, but I can't quite place it.

"You're going to wear those gloves with your jacket?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"Too much black, it looks as though you're trying to be a greaser or something."

"That's why I got the gray shirt and the cargo pants."

"Cargo pants? What sort of store even still sells those?"

"If you don't like it, go pick some stuff out for me instead."

"I will, I absolutely will."

And so she did.

IC: Lachina Adaon - Camping Store, Keturi City Mall

The ranger nodded. "Yeah, tinderboxes are a good idea. I don't know what we'll be supplied with, so better safe than sorry. Ah, first aid kits!" She looked over the shelf. "Let's see . . . I think two kits should be enough, one for each group, right?" She snagged a couple, checking the contents. "Gauze pads, bandages, alcohol wipes, iodine . . ." She hummed, nodding.

"So, how did you and Jared meet, anyways? Like, I get that he's training you now, but how'd that happen? He never explained to me."

IC: Jared Winters - Sporting Goods Store, Keturi City Mall

They walked into the shop and Jared nodded. "It's all about twisting to get the most force out of it without throwing yourself off balance. I was taught to try and hit a point behind the target. That way, you get as much as you can and aren't just jabbing them."

He glanced up at the signs and headed over for the section dedicated to sparring equipment. "Generally, try to avoid punching someone in the face. Noses and eyes are soft targets, but cheeks and teeth aren't. There are more tender areas in the torso, and not as many sharp things sticking out, though punching someone in the ribs can still hurt."

He picked up a pair of mitts with lots of padding on the front. He slipped one on and turned. "Anubis."

The Lucario stepped forward and unleashed a punch. The force caused a loud smack to fill the store, and Jared nodded. "These will hold up for a while." He shucked the mitts.

"So, you used to have Reverse powers?

**Blessed Blade** · October 16, 2017

-==IC: Chloe==-

"Uhh, I dunno. Haven't really seen too much yet - can't say either way. He seems okay, but there's only so much you can get in like half an hour or so. We'll see how things go after this mission, but..."

While this was all going on, Chloe finished picking out what she wanted, and after eying the sizes quickly went and checked the clothes out. Confident that Xander would take much longer with what she could hear from over there, she went to the dressing room and changed into the new, more adapted to stealth mission outfit, storing her casual clothes in the shopping bag.

"You all good over here?"

Konuju · October 17, 2017

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Camping Store, Keturi City Mall

Dahlia idly scanned the shelves as she struggled to come up with the best way to describe how she met Jared. "He kind of just . . . happened by." She picked up a water canteen and studied her distorted reflection in the curved metal. "I had been training on my own, practicing my powers. It . . . didn't go so well. After I cut my hand, Jared happened by and helped bandage me up. That was when he offered to train me." She ran her free hand across her bandages, lost in thought. Then she smiled over at Lachina. "What about you? Jared says you two have been traveling together for a while now, but I don't think he mentioned how you met."

IC: Ryan Sanders - Sporting Goods Store, Keturi City Mall

The question caught Ryan off guard. "I'm not a former Hero of Reverse or anything like that," he said sheepishly. "I'm guessing Dahlia told you. The Hero before her, Kinali, granted me a small portion of his power once to help in the battle against those Ancient Darkrai that were trying to take over the world last year. It wasn't much, and has long since faded. But I guess it was enough for me to give Dahlia a few pointers on how to use her powers."

He shrugged and busied himself studying a training dummy. He clenched a hand into a fist and twisted his wrist like Jared had said, then threw a punch aimed at a point behind the dummy. Pain shot up his knuckles, forcing him to bite hit tongue before he could cry out and reveal his blunder. He played it off with a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Of course, those pointers never included physical combat."

IC: Zoe Llyan - Edge of the Forest, Four Island

Deciding that Jenny'd had enough of the Vampire Queen's torture, Zoe called off her Fennekin and stepped back to give the Space Princess room to breathe. "That'll teach you to mess with the vampires of the dark forest!" she said with a triumphant smirk.

MELON LORD · October 17, 2017

IC: Xander Cruize/Sylph - Clothing Store, Keturi City Mall

Xander sighed. "Yeah, I'm gonna buy these and change into them, but Sylph is up front right now buying some things to be sent to the Alamo." He shrugged lightly. "Apparently, I don't have taste in clothes." He scoffed and went to change.

As he came out in his new outfit, Sylph was coming back from the front. "Alright, Xander, that order will take around a week."

"Thanks, I guess." Xander smiled. "So, shall we head over to the cafe?"

IC: Lachina Adaon - Camping Supply Store, Keturi City Mall

"I was on a cleanup operation in Sootopolis, after the Groudon attack. While I was escorting some civilians, Mercury -- Jared, sorry -- approached me. He was practically dead on his feet, he said he'd been traveling for weeks to get there."

The girl sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "After he filled me in about his list, I took him to my superior. I got assigned to travel with Jared to Two Island." She shrugged softly. "The rest is history."

IC: Jared WInters/Anubis - Sporting Goods Store, Keturi City Mall

"It takes some getting used to, but that was a solid punch. Just be sure to keep your fist tight and your thumb tucked under the fist, but not inside it." Jared grabbed another set of targets, padded circles on handles.

"If you were giving Dahlia pointers, why'd you stop? She mentioned an incident on a boat, but I would think that would warrant more training rather than less." He paused, sighing. "Sorry, that sounded like an accusation. That's not what I meant."

Konuju · October 17, 2017

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Camping Supply Store, Keturi City Mall

"Mercury?" Dahlia raised an eyebrow. "Is that his codename or something? But wow, it really is a small world. My siblings and I were in Sootopolis trying to help stop the Groudon. We followed the assailant to Celadon, so we weren't able to do much with the cleanup. That's crazy to think you two were there." She shook her head in amazement. "What was that about a list? I don't think Jared's mentioned anything like that."

IC: Ryan Sanders - Sporting Goods Store, Keturi City Mall

Regardless of Jared's intent, Ryan still felt criticized for effectively abandoning Dahlia. "You didn't see her lose control," he said softly. "It was like she'd become an entirely different person. After she nearly destroyed the boat, I thought it would be best if she took it easy for a while, at least until we had solved the current crisis of rescuing our friends from McKinley. Of course, we all know how that turned out."

Tucking his thumbs under his fists, Ryan turned back to the dummy and threw a series of punches. Each impact was accompanied by a solid twack! but they still jolted his fists like before. Dissatisfied, he paused to catch his breath and wipe his brow.

"I know she didn't like it, but it was for Dahlia's own safety as much as everyone else's. I'm lucky I was able to snap her out of it on the boat, but if something like that happened again . . ." He let out a heavy sigh. "She might not come back from it. She could lose herself entirely. Call me spineless, but didn't want to be responsible for that."

Edited October 17, 2017 by Konuju

MELON LORD · October 17, 2017

IC: Lachina Adaon - Camping Supply Store, Keturi City Mall

"Code name, yeah, something like that. It's . . . complicated." She shook her head. "The list is of places that had been or were going to be destroyed. Lavaridge, Sootopolis, Celadon . . ." She looked over. "Two Island. I think there was one stop after that, but I never got a good look."

IC: Jared Winters/Mercury - Sporting Goods Store, Keturi City Mall

Sounds familiar.

"I don't want to be responsible for that, either." He tucked the targets under his arm, sighing. "That's why I'm doing this. If someone doesn't teach her to control her abilities, then she'll never use them use them until she has to. In those situations, the ones where she has no choice, that's when she'll be at her greatest risk of losing herself to her powers."

He swallowed. "I've been there, in that situation. It's not pleasant, and the fact that I'm here right now is a miracle. I'm not passing judgement on you, Ryan. You pulled away from a painful event, and that's natural. At the same time, Dahlia needs as much support as she can get. You saw how far she came after just a day. That's all confidence. Without her friends -- without you there to back her up . . ."

Goodbye, Dahlia, hello Reverse Dahlia.

He let the implication hang as he went to pay.

**Blessed Blade** · October 18, 2017

-==IC: Chloe==-

"Sounds like a plan." The psychic nodded as she kept the hoodie that went with the outfit into her bag for the moment. She felt it would be needed for keeping a low profile, but in the middle of the summer it was also a good idea to her to not wear that as long as she possibly could.

-==IC: Jenny==-

"Alas, I have been conquered." Jenny hung her arm over her face in mock defeat, though her giggles gave her away. "The vampire queen was entirely too strong for me. Whatever shall I do now?" Despite her dramatic flare, she was glad that Zoe seemed to be feeling a little better after the play session. This seemed to be pretty much exactly what Zoe needed at that moment, even if it turned out to only be temporary help until things got patched up later.

Konuju · October 18, 2017

IC: Zoe Llyan - Edge of the Forest, Four Island

"It is the rule of the vampires that their victims must do whatever the queen commands!" Zoe cried out in her raspy voice. "And I order you . . . to become the Vampire Queen's sister!" Her face paled as she realized what she'd just said. "Uh . . . honorary sister, of course! Not to be mistaken with the Vampire Queen's actual sister. You'll just be performing sisterly duties. In her stead. Temporarily." The more she tried to dig herself out of her hole, the more agitated she became, until she finally threw her arms around the redheaded girl. "Don't tell Collie, but I think your siblings are super lucky to have a cool sister like you, Miss Space Princess!"

IC: Ryan Sanders - Sporting Goods Store, Keturi City Mall

Ryan pondered Jared's words. It was true, with Jared's support Dahlia exhibited a confidence he hadn't seen from her since before the incident on the boat. But then he thought back to their talk the night before, to his overwhelming desire to keep her safe. Could such emotions be trusted? He had already seen -- and Jared had proven -- that while his intentions were noble his actions ended up doing more harm than good. And Jared didn't even know the half of it . . . or did he?

Pushing the unsettling thoughts aside, Ryan followed the aura wielder to the cashier. He kept silent as Jared paid for the equipment and led the way back towards the café.

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Camping Supply Store, Keturi City Mall

"So that's why he was in Sootopolis and Two Island . . ." Dahlia made a mental note to ask Jared about the list later.

Returning her focus to the task at hand, she helped Lachina pick out a few more items: Repels, meal kits, and a couple pocket knives. They split the cost of the goods and shared the load carrying their bags back to the café. As they approached the rendezvous point, they saw Ryan and Jared coming from the opposite direction. Dahlia broke out into a wide grin and nudged Lachina before waving at the two boys.

"Hey, Mercury! Ryan!" she called out nonchalantly. "Looks like perfect timing!"

MELON LORD · October 18, 2017

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon

As he saw the girls, Jared couldn't help but smile. That was quickly wipe away when Dahlia called out to them. He tried not to glare at Lachina, but couldn't help disapproval filling his gaze.

Lachina swallowed. "He really prefers Jared, now, actually."

Jared approached. "No, it's fine. If you want to call me Mercury . . ." He sighed. "It just reminds me of some bad things."

Now's your chance. Tell them.

No. They don't need to know about you. Maybe later, but it wouldn't help anything now.

Just like Styx, right? Don't tell them until it becomes dangerous for them to not know?

Are you going to make it dangerous?

You never know what will happen.

"How was shopping?"

"Great! We got a couple of first aid kits, some tinderboxes, some knives." Lachina smiled, shrugging. "What about you guys? Did you get anything good?"

IC: Ruth Fishers - Old Chateau

The girl looked back at the others and sighed. "I guess if our clothes are being washed right now . . . we don't have a choice, really." She turned back to the butler. "I'll stay, but this had better not take too long."

Edited October 19, 2017 by MELON LORD

Konuju · October 19, 2017

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Outside Café, Keturi City Mall

"Yeah, we got some training equipment and such, and Jared gave me a few tips on punching." Ryan motioned at the shopping bag the aura wielder carried, casting him a curious glance. He wasn't sure what the deal was with this 'Mercury' nickname, but it was clear Jared didn't want to talk about it.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Dahlia's eyes darted between Jared and Lachina and she instinctively stepped between them to diffuse the tension, something she was used to doing between Aspen and Olivia. "Lachina mentioned it by mistake, and I just thought it was a cool nickname you went by. I didn't know it had bad memories attached to it." Desperate to change the uncomfortable subject, the gardener approached Ryan. "So you're learning how to punch, too? I told you Jared was the best. Maybe we can all do our training together!"

Her bold approach caught Ryan off guard, and he fumbled around for cohesive words. "Oh, I, uh . . . he really just gave me some suggestions. N-not that I was really good or anything, but . . . yeah." He felt his face redden and looked away. Jared's other words of advice remained fresh in his mind, and he really wasn't sure what to make of them. Regardless, he knew he'd need more training than the discount lesson he'd gotten in the store, and if doing so gave him a chance to bolster Dahlia's confidence at the same time, then he might as well knock out both Pidgeys with one stone. "Sure." He scratched the back of his head. "Training together will be good."

MELON LORD · October 19, 2017

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon - Keturi City Mall

"Don't worry too much about it. Like I said, if you want to call me Mercury, I'll live."

Just a pale imitation.

Quiet.

"Yeah, we could probably get another session in after this mission. Establish the basics, at least." He shrugged.

Lachina smiled. "Alright, so if we're good to go, then let's go rendezvous with Xander and Chloe!" She turned and started trotting for the mall's entrance.

IC: Xander Cruize/Sylph

"What makes it a 'Tapu' cocoa, anyways?" Xander scanned the menu and sighed. "They really need an ingredients list or something."

"Why not just ask?"

"I shouldn't have to ask, I should be able to just read it up there."

"They have a hundred drinks on there, that would be so cluttered!"

"Then have a booklet or--"

"Just ask!"

Xander rolled his eyes, stepping up. "Hey, what's in your Tapu Cocoa?"

The bell above the door chimed as four more people entered the café.

**Blessed Blade** · October 19, 2017

-==IC: Chloe==-

Chloe smiled knowingly at the drink mentioned, but opted to stay quiet for the moment as she wanted Xander to just find the answer out the hard way. Instead, she pulled her Pokegear from her purse and began to search up the research on the Tapu in question. However, she was yanked from her thoughts as she noticed the rest of the group make their appearance known courtesy of the bell.

"Here!" The psychic girl waved her hand in the air to catch the attention of the other four, glad for a bit of a reprieve from listening to the Tapu Cocoa saga.

**Dr. Hidaka** · October 19, 2017

Ic: Arius Jacobson

Around frowned at the news, but then relaxed his face. "I don't think I have a choice." He said, smiling now. "We shouldn't turn our noses up at someone's hospitality, so I agree with the others about staying."

Parugi · October 19, 2017

IC - Sonja Baron - Conference Room, The Alamo:

"Okay . . ." Sonja sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall, and then at Paul. "This might take a while, and I don't know many of the details from those who came in later, so . . ."

With Paul's help to fill in the gaps, Sonja more or less relayed the entirety of what had occurred regarding and inside of the Egg-- how and why it had appeared, how Ford had brought the Children there on the eve of July 31st to prepare the ritual, how the others had tracked them and arrived just in time to witness the brink of the ritual's success. How Ford had actually convinced them to stand down with his warnings of a greater threat to the world, and how unfortunately that had turned out for all involved thanks to McKinley's betrayal.

Finally finished, Sonja took a deep breath. "Long story short, the Egg brought Missing Zero to our world, and thanks to us, nothing has the power to even attempt to resist it," she said. "Except for the Team Liberty and their Power Suits, which are another matter entirely that I know basically nothing about. Any questions?"

IC - Echo Order - Sleight - Kotahi Village, Main Street:

"Roger that," Sleight responded. "Any signs of Arthur or the T-13 from your position?"

IC - Lyre Play/Moment Record/Tier Climb/Valley Watch/Entry Guard - Goldhawk/Esen Windred/Skye Hall/Jackson Sang vs.

Maulice/Leopyred/Harpreak/Minotore/Fraygrins/(Phantashade)/Chimerape/Sinystal/Terminite/Maniakoll - Kotahi Village, Beach:

attack hit attack hit attack hit attack failed failure attack failure damage done damage low health low endurance low strength low bleeding bleeding bleeding chest bleeding embrace demise embrace woman Phantom Force deactivate return beach back beach destroy target devour devour devour target arms locked embrace woman fangs bare Soul Eater attack

As they had done upon entry, now Madison and the Phantashade traversed the void, returning to the chaos of the beach. The Ghost-Type Instance, arms wrapped around Madison in its efforts to drag her out of the Phantom Plane, now used her close proximity against her. Shadowy tendrils pulled its hood back from its head, revealing a cycloptic, skull-like head. With a ghastly hiss, its jaw unhinged to an unnaturally wide degree, spilling forth purple tendrils that lurched in grotesque motion toward Madison's helmet, and it lowered its face toward her own . . .

Neither the Terminite nor the Minotore took the Spore attack. As the Fighting-Type Instance bore down on them, Esen activated her jets, launching herself into Goldhawk to throw him out of the way of the Superpower attack. As she did so, the Minotore threw a hand forward, catching her boot and squeezing down on it, before hurling her away. Esen yelled in pain as she crashed into a set of large rocks. Though her head spun, she was relieved to find that she had at least been saved from a broken ankle by the durability of the suit mixed with its inherent resistance to Fighting-Type moves. Even so, her left boot jet was not so lucky--her HUD flashed with a damage warning indicating that it would not be safe to use.

For the moment, all she could think to do was summon a Tailwind to help Goldhawk, who was busy dealing with the situation by himself.

He rolled to his feet, glancing at the indicator for his now-enhanced speed, and turned to face the Minotore. Between it, the Chimerape lurking beneath his feet, and the Terminite watching his every move, he wasn't entirely sure that he had the situation under control. Still, he would have to do what he could with what he had. The Minotore, he noted, was already paralyzed, and from its sudden, jerky head movements, it appeared to be confused, as well. That would be his main tool right here--finding a way to circumvent Missing Zero's connection to its Instances in order to turn them against each other.

The ground beneath him rumbled, and he kicked off--not a moment too soon, as the Chimerape's claws erupted in an explosion of dirt beneath his feet, primed to impale him. With his dodge, they met only empty air. There was little he could do attack-wise against a Ground-Type, but human-wise . . . He watched from the rise of the Instance from the ground amidst the sand and rocks. When he saw his opening, where it--as if in slow motion--had cleared the ground and almost floated in midair, he kicked, hitting the Chimerape squarely in the midsection. The force threw it backward, straight into the Minotore. The Fighting-Type roared, consumed by its blood lust, and clawed relentlessly at the Ground-Type, which, in turn, tried in vain to continue its assault on Goldhawk.

The Liberty Leader sighed, choosing not to question the implications of how confusion could affect Missing Zero's agents. He grunted in surprise as a soft material struck him in the back, erupting into a cloud around him. Turning, he found the Terminite focused squarely on him, crouched low to the ground. It appeared to have launched another Powder attack at him, though aside from that, it did nothing. He primed a Thunderbolt in retaliation, though was interrupted by the arrival of Lafoyae and Sang, the latter of whom took the liberty of hitting the Terminite with a Bonemerang as he landed from his jump toward the beach, knocking it back.

"Sorry we're late!" he called over the comms.

"I already said that," Esen replied, prompting a jealous curse from Sang.

"Focus," Goldhawk snapped, as a report flashed on his screen. "Evacuations are almost complete--we can begin retreating shortly."

There was something oddly entrancing about the strange, jerky movements of the Maniakoll. It seemed to dance around Ray's Icicle spear attack, and when Jamie's Anchor Shot latched on, it almost looked as if the Normal-Type Instance had allowed the attack to hit, so as to utilize the pull back toward the Steel-Type Suit as a source of momentum with which to counter through a spinning, twirling Double-Edge attack, to make use of the damage already accumulating on its form . . .

If it could, the Sinystal would probably have mocked Dack. Instead, it raised its large, boulder-like forearm, blocking his Flamethrower as it charged toward him. It drew its other arm back, and then when it neared, spun its massive, heavy body around, aiming to--for lack of a better term--pulverize Dack with a Rock Wrecker attack.

Richard's attack was well-timed. The Leopyred had just started forward, its flames beginning to expand outward, when the second Sparkling Aria engulfed it. It had already begun to drain its own power, eliciting a small explosion, when the attack hit; thus, it instead collapsed inward, flames and water mixing together to burn its own body to a smoldering crisp.

To Jayron's surprise, his Dragon Tail worked--but perhaps not in the way that he expected. Instead of striking multiple somethings and scattering them to the wind, the storm of feathers vanished, and his attack instead came into contact with four larger, almost metallic feather-shaped blades that seemed to have been hidden behind some sort of illusion. Perhaps a trick meant to force the target into staying in one spot, while the real danger hurtled toward them?

In any case, the Dragon Tail attack deflected the Harpreak's Fiend's Feather attack, sending the four blades right back toward the Flying-Type Instance. It dived out of the way, but could not fully avoid the attack, which tore through its left shoulder and partially severed its wing. The damage sent it into a free fall toward the beach, which it could only hope to try and correct. Too late, however, it crashed into the ground, where it twitched for some time before falling still

The Fraygrins might have expressed surprise if it possessed the capability to do so. Instead, its smile never wavered as the Moonblast tore into it, raw energy burning the very fibers that composed its body. Not even the Sludge Bomb, which rapidly ate away at its plant-like limbs, ever brought a frown to its face. It simply grinned, and grinned, and grinned, all the way to its grave.

Back toward Missing Zero, the Maulice erupted into a sudden shriek as its umbilical cord detached itself, drawing back into the sigil from which it extended out of Missing Zero. The Ice-Type lay unmoving.

With four more Instances down, eight more sigils appeared. At the sight of them, Goldhawk let out a curse. "They just keep on coming," he muttered. "It'd be one thing if we had our Pokémon to help us, but without them . . . There's no way this can keep up."

This was perhaps the biggest deployment of new forces seen yet, and Goldhawk could already tell that the IMC was whirring with activity as it used all available sensors to scan the new Instances. The first to appear was another Fraygrins, replacing the one that had fallen to the Willows. After it, an overgrown bacteriophage emerged, completely purple in color with four long, thin legs that did not look like they should have been able to support the weight of the thick crystal composing the middle portion of its body. This, the IMC designated as "Instance 014, Venophage, Poison-Type," deducing its Typing near-instantly.

Next, something akin to a human appeared--a knight, to be exact. It wore a cowl and bore armor ending in skate-like wheels on its heels, and it brandished a lance that appeared to be attached to its right arm. A designation popped up after a moment: "Instance 017, Ireknight, Steel-Type."

Fourth, another human-like creature. Whereas the previous Instance resembled a knight, this one took on a form closer to a demon. Its legs were not human, but more akin to a goats, with talon-like hoofs at the bottom of its feet and a pointed tail spreading from the base of its spine. Bat-like wings spread from its back, granting it flight, and it smiled a mischievous grin like that of the Fraygrins before it. "Instance 002, Devagore, Dark-Type."

After that, a small, pink creature emerged, contrasting the demonic appearance of the Instance before it. Though it bore angelic, feathered wings and bore a diminutive stature, it was clear from its blank face and the leech-like mouths on its hands that it was nothing to be trifled with. The IMC seemed to recognize this, designating it as, "Instance 005, Plite, Fairy-Type."

The sixth Instance was difficult to describe. It was a massive, brain-like thing. From its base, which appeared to be protected by some sort of bone-like armor, dozens of tentacles drooped toward the ground, writhing together in chaotic symmetry. Two arms that appeared to be made of pure energy extended from openings in this armor, granting it some degree of similarity to a living creature. "Instance 015, Cerebeuron, Psychic-Type."

The seventh to emerge was more familiar . . . sort of. It was clearly a dragon, bipedal, with wings like those of Salamence and a head eerily similar to a Sceptile. Yet, looking at its face, one could tell that there was something . . . off. The creature's expression was vacant, dreamlike, as if it were blissfully unaware of the horror of its very existence. It grinned as it approached, cackling with sounds like the laugh of a baby. "Instance 003, Dramalgon, Dragon-Type."

Finally, something larger emerged. This hulking creature bore no umbilical cord, signaling that it was something special compared to the other Instances around it. It was a samurai in everything but the truth of its existence, clad in red and black armor and staring out at its fifteen opponents from behind a nightmarish, blood-red mask. In its hands it clutched a notched sword, which it dragged along the ground behind it. Its eyes bore something inside of their core--perhaps not contempt, but something that indicated that this was not just another mindless instance, but instead something that had emerged with a purpose, a purpose that it would pursue until it had been felled--and which it would pursue until it had destroyed everything standing before it.

Unlike the others, the IMC could not get an immediate read on it. All it could provide was a suggested name based off of input from the researchers currently operating it: "Samurloch."

OOC:

Phantashade: Phantom Force (deactivated); Soul Eater > Madison

Minotore: Distracted

Chimerape: Incapacitated

Terminite: Powder > Goldhawk

Sang: Bonemerang > Terminite

Maniakoll: Double-Edge > Jamie

Sinystal: Rock Wrecker > Dack

Leopyred: Destroyed

Harpreak: Destroyed

Fraygrins: Destroyed

Maulice: Destroyed

Edited October 19, 2017 by Parugi

Metal Gear Minun · October 19, 2017

IC: Lohe Mahina - Four Island

Lohe remained more or less focused on Sonja, with the occasional shift to Paul, absorbing the wealth of information being showered onto him. When the tale was finished he sat for a moment, processing all the data before responding.

"Just one," he stated perking up, "You said that Pokemon abilities were turned off by a card. Is there any danger of such a card being reproduced to be used by another party in the future?" he paused turning away.

"If we have one, by the look of things," he added.

Parugi · October 19, 2017

IC - Sonja Baron - Conference Room, The Alamo:

"I seriously doubt it," Sonja answered. "Ford has made it out to be a one-of-a-kind trick. Even if it isn't, it took him years to put one together--I don't think anyone with the knowledge to do make another one or put on that ritual would be able to anytime soon."

Flipz · October 19, 2017

-==IC:Adam Zynthic==-

Adam sighed as the children made their decision. "It seems the choice has been made. Very well, lead on." He seemed distinctly unhappy about it--but then, that did seem to be his default state.

IC - Echo Order - Sleight - Kotahi Village, Main Street:

"Roger that," Sleight responded. "Any signs of Arthur or the T-13 from your position?"

IC: Amanda Zarth

"Negative," she mentally broadcast, slipping back into extra-sensory perception to confirm.

Suddenly, something shifted. Her psionic perception faded.

"Sir," she reported, "currently sensing a disturbance of unknown origin. Shifting to T-03 surveillance pod now."

As soon as she said it, her screen switched to the view. As a feathered fiend fell to the ground, fractured, saw a series of new monstrosities emerge. Her eyes widened beneath her visor. "Sir, a large wave of new Instances has appeared on the beach. Recommend transport by my Magnezone for more rapid reinforcement. I can attempt to insert via teleportation." She waved the Steel-type over to Sleight, despite its seeming reluctance to leave her, as she attached one of her remaining drones to the wall above her and finally offered her fifth to the Rocket Admin. "Request permission to attach surveillance drone to your Suit in case of need for emergency evacuation." As soon as her commander made his decision, she switched her feed back to Jayron's pod, attempting to affix his location in her mind as an imminent Destination...

Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

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