Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

"That would be awesome! The more the merrier, as they always say! And yes, your battling skills are very cool. You might have to show me a few tricks. Oh yeah, we were planning on heading to Oreburgh first for the Gym there. What about you? Do you want to try the Pokemon League?" Jake asked, while Pikachu jumped from Jake's head to his right shoulder.

[JiMing]

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

"The Pokemon League? Hm... It sounds like something I'd want to try, but really, I'm just here to go on an adventure and travel around battling and seeing new places." said Ruth, who fiddled with Locke's Pokeball. "Honestly, you'll have to wait until we get there for a straight answer. But you guys are heading to Oreburgh? That answers my question about where we were headed!" Ruth exclaimed, as her gaze fixed on Jake's Pikachu. "Well aren't you adorable?" she cooed, rubbing it's head. after a bit, she suddenly spoke up again. "Oh yeah, Jacob and I should probably heal our Pokemon at the Pokemon Center. After that, then we can get this show on the road!"

[Konuju]

IC: Paul Burks

Paul stood in front of the treetop house, double checking that he had correctly followed the map. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

 

There was no answer.

 

He knocked again, louder this time.

 

Still no answer.

 

Sending out his Bisharp as backup, he knocked once more. When no one came to the door, he was about ready to have Bisharp knock the door down. But first, he tried the doorknob, and was surprised to find it unlocked. He silently entered the house, his Bisharp following close behind. As far as he could tell, the house was empty. A few dishes rested in the sink, and the trashcan glittered with shards of broken glass, but other than that everything in the house seemed neat and orderly. An inspection of some of the portraits that lined the shelf in the living room revealed a young trainer with a Cyndaquil, who Paul recognized as one of Ellen's friends that had visited during Christmas. Of course, this picture must have been taken a long time ago, because most of those friends Ellen had made were nearly twice her age.

 

He set the picture back down with a sigh. "Well, it looks like we're in the right place, at least," he told his Bisharp. "I guess now we just have to wait for Ellen to show up."

 

IC: Ellen

The further Ellen and her Pokémon went through the forest, the denser the trees seemed to become. The gnarled roots and twisting branches were a far cry from the pleasant greenery that surrounded Fortree. The trees here were lined with thorny vines and sharp-pointed leaves that threatened to blot out the sun. Even with Artemis and Maturin helping to clear away some of the thicker foliage, Ellen still had to watch her step, taking care not to catch her arms or legs on the sharp thorns, and taking even more care to shield the poisoned Purrloin she held in her arms from further harm. All the while, Terry stuck by Ellen's side, doing his best to guide her through the forest and occasionally giving a worried glance at Chrono.

 

Despite the gravity of their situation, Ellen couldn't help but smile. Six months ago, she never would have guessed that out of all her Pokémon, Terry would show the most concern for Chrono. The Herdier and Purrloin had been at odds ever since their first encounter in Nacrene City. Yet as the oldest in the group -- older even than Ellen -- Terry had taken the unofficial role of guardian. He held himself responsible for all his companions, even the disagreeable feline.

 

When Ellen had first journeyed across Unova, Terry had been there to protect her. It was clear that the Herdier took his role very seriously. Even with the thorny vines closing in on all sides, and Chrono struggling with every breath, Ellen felt a surge of hope knowing that Terry -- and in fact all of her Pokémon -- were by her side.

 

IC: Dack

The sight of numerous felled trees and charred footprints was enough to convince the group by the time they reached the Survival Area that Heatran had indeed gone through here on his way to Snowpoint. "Well, that's good to know," Dack grumbled. "I could have guessed that myself without wasting the day away."

 

Indeed, when they had finally stepped foot in the small, mountainous town, the sun was low in the sky, bathing the imposing form of Stark Mountain in an orange glow.

 

"But now we know for sure," Palmer explained. "We can rule out the possibility that someone teleported the Heatran directly into Snowpoint."

 

"I suppose we can rule out Arceus sending the Heatran to smite us as well?" Dack rolled his eyes. "I still think we should have just flown here directly. Now another day's wasted, and that's another day this culprit has to escape. Or attack some other city."

 

"Well either way, we're here now," Madison reminded him. "So let's not waste any more time."

 

"Agreed," Luke said. "If you thought that rugged trail was hard, just wait until we climb Stark Mountain!" The black belt punched the air in excitement, with his Machoke mirroring his movements behind him. "We've braved the frozen mountains of Snowpoint, but now will be our chance to test our endurance against the opposite extreme: the intense heat of the fiery mountain itself!"

 

"All in due time, my friend," Palmer laughed. "For now, let's just see what we can learn about the Magma Stone."

[Ehksidian]

IC:
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Let's heal everyone up and adventure forth!" Arius shouted, and headed back towards the Pokemon center.

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

"Alrighty then! You should probably go with him, Ruth. I have to get my team used to the idea of traveling with others, especially Charmeleon." Pikachu rubbed his fur on his head to smooth it down a bit, before Jake turned and tossed two more Pokeballs into the air. "Come on out, Charmeleon, Squirtle!" Twin flashes of light faded to reveal the Tiny Turtle Pokemon and Charmeleon. Charmeleon immediately glanced around suspiciously, while Squirtle jumped into Jake's arms. "Alright guys, gather up. We are going to be traveling with a couple other people. Charmeleon, I will have to ask you to not torch them. They seem like pretty cool people." Charmeleon huffed and turned his head. "Okay then, if I give you a sour Pokeblock will you listen?" Charmeleon did a double take when Jake held out the yellowish-green block, before quickly looking around and grabbing it out of Jake's hand. Pikachu giggled, Squirtle smirked and even Jake had to hold in laughter at the fire-type's willingness to sell his soul for a few Pokeblocks. Charmeleon nodded to Jake after that, but still had an 'I'm watching you' look.

 

"Cool! Once they get back, we can leave. And as a special treat, you guys can all stay out of your Pokeballs until we get to Oreburgh Gate." Jake was met with various cheers of happiness.

[JiMing]

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

"I like the way Jacob thinks." Ruth said, grinning. "See you in just a short bit!" she shouted, heading inside the Pokemon Center. After coming out, Ruth quickly mentioned "Ever find it funny how they say 'We hope to see you again!' a lot?" Ruth's gaze then shifted to Jake's Pokemon. "Ooh, a Charmeleon! When it evolves, you're sure to be the most popular kid on the block." she teased. "In fact, most of your Pokemon are pretty popular lines. Anyways, how about some introductions of my own?" she said, releasing her other two Pokemon. "These are Caliburn and Fuerte. Locke you already saw in battle against Eyes." The Aegislash bowed to Jake and his Pokemon, while the Hawlucha smirked and crossed his arms.

 

"Anyways, now that we're all healed up, why don't we get a move on?" Ruth suggested, already starting to walk away.

Edited March 25, 2014 by JiMing

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

"Hey wait up! What about Jacob? I think he is still in the Pokecenter" Jake called out to Ruth as she started to walk away. His Pokemon all greeted the newcomers in their own ways, Squirtle bowing so low he almost fell on his face, Pikachu waving very enthusiastically from Jake's head, and Charmeleon just nodding.

"Cool Pokemon! Your Aegislash looks really strong, and Hawlucha looks awesome too. And I already know how cool Klefki is." He said with obvious enthusiasm.

[JiMing]

IC: Ruth Fishers

"Hm? Oh yeah, let's wait for him." Ruth agreed. "Thanks! Me and my Pokemon work hard at getting stronger, and we haven't stopped!" Ruth said with a playful grin. "I'm expecting you and Jake will work equally as hard! Though uh... Could you refer to my Pokemon by their nicknames? It's kinda strange when you call them by their species name. It's like a parent naming ther kid 'Human'."

Edited March 25, 2014 by JiMing

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

"Heh... my bad. I'm just really used to that because my Pokemon don't go by their nicknames, really by choice. In my defense, this is coming from the guy who wanted to name Pikachu 'shockey' or something similar, but when I tried putting out a bunch of flashcards with names on them, Squirtle and Pikachu just pointed to themselves and nodded when I asked if they wanted to go by their species name. Charmeleon won't answer to anything else, he used to be my Dad's Pokemon. But anecdotes aside... Locke, Fuerte, and... Caliburn, right?" Jake asked, gesturing to the Klefki, Hawlucha and Aegislash in turn.

[Ehksidian]

IC:

It took oddly longer than expected for Arius to leave the pokecenter.

"Hey guys, sorry for the wait! I just was talking to some people in there...so, we're heading out to Oreburgh now?"

[JiMing]

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

"You got it, Jake." Ruth confirmed to Jake recognizing her Pokemon's nicknames. As Jacob came out, she smiled. "Yep! I think this should be good now." With her party in tow, Ruth headed out of Jubilife City, with Jacob and Jake hopefully following.

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

Jake followed the two out of the city, gazing at the scenery as the group walked along, watching the grass for any possibilities of wild Pokemon. Out of nowhere, Pikachu resorted to one of his oldest and best pranks: he grabbed Jake's hat in his mouth and ran off towards the trees, laughing all the way. Jake noticed a few seconds after the snatch, and playfully shouted "Pikachu! Give me my hat back!" The electric mouse continued laughing as Jake ran after his friend in circles, while Charmeleon and Squirtle facepalmed at their antics. Jake managed to throw himself sideways into Pikachu's path, grabbing his hat from his Pokemon's mouth as he landed. He laughed and brushed himself off, turning to his new companions. "He always does this. I'm honestly surprised he didn't do it sooner" he explained while brushing himself off.

 

OOC: That was mainly filler cause I needed to post. Also, encountering a Pokemon... how does teleport work in this RPG for wild Pokemon?

[Parugi]

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner - Celadon Department Store: "I agree," Ethan said, surprisingly the only one unfazed by the unusual nature of what had just occurred. "To the roof, then, right? Right."

 

Pocketing his badge, the Rocket Agent moved forward, beginning to ascend the stairs. The others followed after him, all of them continuing to listen for signs of approaching "threats."

 

After a few moments, Gavin spoke up. "Regardless of . . . Whatever that was," he said. "we should keep in mind that the rest of this kid's group is going to know that we're on the scene, and they may be a little more . . ." He paused. "Competent, so to speak."

 

"Duly noted," Ethan said. "I was thinking the same thing, actually. I mean, the entire group can't be as sketchy as that guy, right?"

 

IC - Sonja Baron - Opelucid City: The battle against Kane's Blaziken came to an abrupt halt. All eyes focused on the scene between Evan's team and Feral, the atmosphere utterly freezing when the latter's body suddenly went limp. Sonja could only stare in shock at the sight, hardly able to comprehend what she was seeing. Only the sound of Loki finally collapsing to the ground nearby snapped the Liberty Agent out of her daze. She hastily returned the Fighting-Type to his Poké Ball, looking up to stare at Kane.

 

"You . . ." she said, quiet voice just audible over the din of battle behind Kane. "You can't expect to win anymore." Sonja cast her gaze back at Evan and Feral. "Not after . . . this."

[Daniel Bryan]

OOC: Det returns. Kinda. Again.

 

IC - Kane - Opelucid:

 

Kane watched as Feral was dispatched by Evan. There was a look on his face, it was not fear at the fact that his partner in crime had just been killed. It was not worry that he himself might not survive, no. No, it was a look of disappointment. “Hmph. Figured he’d last a bit longer than that.” Kane shook his head, placing his hands on his hips as he muttered under his breath. With a motion of his hand, he signaled for his Pokemon to finish off his foes… Only to find himself forced to recoil backwards, as an electric Pokemon made its appearance.

 

With a roar of anger, the assailant was revealed, a Luxray, one with a wild mane and battle scars. Kane growled as he recognized the creature. It meant that the others weren’t too far behind. The Luxray took the stance of combat, baring its fangs as its entire body cackled with electricity. “Well, well, well…” Kane grumbled. “I should have known you would have turned up sooner or later.”

 

Blaziken kept on her path, but suddenly found herself knocked into the path of her enemies’ attacks as she was struck directly in the chest by a sphere of blue energy. She found herself tossed around, being dealt significant damage as she rolled backwards out of harm’s way as best she could. Blaziken glanced at the source of the initial sphere, finding only a Lucario standing before her. It launched another sphere, once more hitting dead centre in the chest of the Fire-type. The Lucario stood its ground, standing confidently as it stared down its foes.

 

Gaigan saw her opportunity, laughing internally to herself. Her opponents had just made their worst mistake. Never group up against a Darkrai. Gathering her hands together, she began creating a sphere of darkness. With a single, swift motion, the Dark Void was launched directly at the gathered group of Pokemon before her. The dark attack would make its way towards Gaigan’s opponents, with the intention of locking them into a nightmare. Gaigan couldn’t believe they didn’t think that through when they decided to get in close to each other. Before the attack could reach, it suddenly was split apart from within.

 

“Enough, Gaigan.” A voice spoke firmly and defiantly. Three figures stood before the Darkrai, who found herself recoiling in shock. She faced her siblings, the last survivors of the Battle of Sinjoh. She hissed, the last she remembered, Daseos had taken them away, while she had left partway through the fight. Five, Three and Seven hovered in place. Daseos moved forward, raising a hand, in which he channeled dark energy, launching it forwards. “I figured if you were around, trouble would not be far behind,” the Fifth Darkrai hissed.

 

Kane simply looked around. He had a look of annoyance upon his face. This was all just one big inconvenience after another. He glanced over at Feral's corpse, before shaking his head and shrugging. "All of this... And the Hero of Time is still in my way..." Kane spoke with a shrug, his eyes resting on the Luxray that was now in his way. "Funny, even in death, people will always find a way to cause you problems." Even despite the death of his comrade, and his clear outnumbering, Kane stood in pure nonchalance.

 

IC – Lust & Greed – R&D:

 

The Ninjask, already weaker in its defenses than most, would be impacted by the Psycho Cut, slammed downwards. Greed seemed unimpressed. “Oh no… My mighty and unbeatable Ninjask, beaten by a single attack… As if that wasn’t obvious.” Greed winced. Ninjask was incredibly fast, and Swords Dance had it boosted, but hers was terribly weak defensive-wise. Lust shot a look of disappointment at Greed, who responded in kind by sticking her tongue out at her sister. With a flick of her wrist, she unleashed her second Pokemon. With a bellow and a crackle, the Eelektross stared down its opponents, focusing upon Malamar. The eel wrenched its head back, before launching Gastro Acid towards the squid.

 

As “Lopunny” was struck by the attack, its disguise faded away, revealing its true form. The Zoroark winced in pain, before unleashing a dark shockwave, intending for the Night Daze to strike the Gardevoir, the power still increased by Nasty Plot.

 

~Det

[Metal Gear Minun]

OOC: ...Shoot

 

IC: ...Shoot.

 

It explained a lot really, he should have seen that one coming considering the power of the attack. However even without knowing his opponet's true form, he was much more prepared this time to fight back. He would have preferred to prepare another Calm Mind before pulling this off, but there was too little time. The pair needed as much time as they could afford, every second had to be dedicated. He hoped it would be enough.

 

The first part of the plan had already started as soon as they finished the first Ice Beam, they began charging a second. This time however, Guinevere launched the Ice Beam Right towards the Night Daze. Trying to get out as much power in as short a time as possible, so to begin the second part of the plan. The Beam collided with the Night Daze, with the former wasting most of its energy into dissapating the latter. By the time the collision ended, a screen of mist appeared, but the Night Daze broke through, disappearing into the mist.

 

Due to the mist, the Zoroark might have been wondering where the Gardevoir now was, and more importantly if the Night Daze had hit. Might have had the night fox not felt an extremely cold sensation from behind its back.

 

The trainer sighed in relief with a "phew" for they enough time for Teleport to charge. "Now Freeze him solid," James said smiling brightly.

 

The Psychic could only (and would only) oblige firing as much power she could muster in a continuously charge blast at the Zoroark, hoping ice on the inside would prevent it from running.

 

IC: "Well we can always hope," Jamie said sort of wondering the same question herself.

 

She actually wasn't certain what she hoped for. On one hand, if they were incompetent, they could have an easy win and be home in time for supper. On the other hand, she honestly found herself thinking too easy of a win would be well boring. Course she didn't want themto be competent enough to constitute an actual threat that could actually hurt anybody (other than themselves which by first impressions didn't seem out of the question), just enough to shock her out of her boredom.

 

Actually however incompetent they are, she thought whilst watching Pelleas and Tristan who were trying to stay in front of the other to keep point so they would be the more likely one to take a hit for Jamie, which quickly turned into an outright race with no end post, and then culminated in the both of them slamming their faces on the wall by the door to the roof, I'll need to keep an eye on those two, she thought hiding her face with her hand with a mix of shame and amusement on her face.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Claus Von Minun the 4th

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

"We'd hope not, at least." Lucia shrugged, not sure how likely that actually was, but, well, it was definitely a possibility.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

From his Togekiss' back, Ryan was able to glimpse everything that was happening in the center of Opelucid. The sight of Feral getting impaled sickened him, but he had heard enough from Evan to know that the Spacial Horror wasn't exactly human. Turning away from the spike of earth, Ryan looked toward his Dewott to see how the otter was faring against Kane's Blaziken. But at that moment, Gaigan launched her Dark Void. For a brief instant, Ryan froze in horror. He had experienced firsthand the powers of the Dark Void during the Battle at the Sinjoh Ruins, and it was only because Klim, as Hero of Reverse, had given him limited power of the Void. But that power had long since worn off, and Ryan was in no hurry to return to that void of endless nightmares.

 

As it turned out, Ryan needn't have worried, as before the Dark Void could reach anyone, the attack was shattered as three more Darkrai emerged from the shadows. Ryan did not immediately recognize the first two, but the third he knew all too well. "Seven," he glared at the insane Darkrai he had fought at the Sinjoh Ruins. "What are you doing here?" At a nudge from his trainer, Togie began charging an Aura Sphere. If they had to face three more Ancient Darkrai, it seemed like Kane was the least of their worries.

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Time to finally end this. Might take a few posts, but I'm finally finishing this off.

 

-==IC: Zach/Ryan/Alistair==-

 

"Pawns? No. I wanted all of you to remember... And if not, to pay." Alistair said with a scowl, as the Weavile was struck by the Superpower, and skidded back, nearly fainted. However, it dashed forward to use another Ice Shard on the Braviary once more... However, at that moment, the Quilava broke through, and launched the Dragonair right into the path of the attack, both fainting it and freezing it solid, causing Alistair to just stare in shock, not believing what had happened, and looked over at Lucario, as the Sucker Punch took effect, and knocked Lucario away.

"I never forgot, Alistair..." Zach said, as he nodded to Olivia, and started to walk forward, hoping that she would help support him as he did so.

"I thought you were dead, everyone did, but I tried to find you. But you were nowhere to be found, so everyone had us stop looking, and since I was young at the time, I couldn't just go off on my own." Zach said, and closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them with a green glow, as he sent out his Gallade to help finally.

"However, I can't agree with this. None of this. You should have just let it go, and returned when you could. I won't hold back just because this is my fault, this time I'm stepping forward." Zach said, as he looked to Aspen.

"You take care of the Weavile, I'll finish the Lucario with Olivia's help!" Zach said, even though both him and Blade didn't really look in the condition to fight.

 

"Fine then... Weavile, finish that Quilava and the Braviary! Lucario... SHOW THEM ALL!" Alistair yelled out, his anger wavering, but not his will to fight, as the Pokemon were prepared to fight to the last apparently. The Weavile dashed forward rapidly, shooting off an Ice Shard at the Braviary, and then attempting to use Night Slash on the Quilava quickly. Lucario dashed forward with ExtremeSpeed, attempting to slam into both Toxic and Shade, as Blade teleported above and attempted a Psycho cut, only for his attack to be caught by the Lucario.

I'm not synchronizing right still... Dang it, it's because I shut myself out for so long, isn't it... Zach thought with a look of worry on his face, hoping this would end okay in general.

[JiMing]

IC: Aspen, Olivia, and Dahlia Seaton

 

Jet and Flare took the Ice Shard and Night Slash respectively, knocking them a fair distance back. They struggled to rise, though they at last did. In a last stand, Flare shot off with a Flame Wheel, while Jet rushed the Weavile with Superpower once more, both using the last of their strength. Both Pokemon seemed determined to finish the struggle.

 

As Blade intercepted the Lucario, Toxin took the opportunity to use another Sucker Punch while it was distracted, Shade supporting it with and Ice Punch. Olivia moved forward when Zach did, and spoke after him as well. "It doesn't matter that you're mad, nobody kidnaps my sister." she snarled. "Amethyst! Support them!" she commanded, as the Gardevoir came out of it's Pokeball, using Teleport to arrive at the battlefield, as it used Psychic on the Lucario.

 

"I did forget about you... I'm sorry, but I was even younger than Zach at the time, and I swear I never meant to..." Aspen murmured. "But that doesn't give you the right to kidnap Dahlia. For six months, I cried every day, not knowing where she was or even if she was still alive...." he continued, tears streaming down his face. "I'm not a chosen one, or a psychic, just an ordinary 14-year old... But I promise.... YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" he screamed with a mixture of rage and grief, throwing Torrent's Pokeball as well, the Buizel rushing at the Weavile with an Aqua Jet.

 

Dahlia continued to stand where she was, hanging her head down and sighing. Everyone... I'm sorry for causing so much grief....

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach/Ryan/Alistair==-

 

Alistair looked in shock, as the three attacks combined, and dealt heavy damage to his Weavile, sending it staggering back, and then fell down, fainted. He looked over at his Lucario, as all the words the others were saying were slowly getting through to him. Lucario attempted to take all the attacks, but fell to a knee, and Blade just nodded, and and kneed the Lucario quickly, fainting it too, as Alistair recalled all his Pokemon.

 

"Alistair, it's over. You lost." Zach said, as Alistair closed his eyes, and nodded.

"... I see." Alistair said with another nod, though he seemed more distracted, and threw three Pokeballs, one at Zach, Aspen, and Dahlia respectively. One was the Pokeball that contained Weavile, which Zach grabbed, one was Lucario, which was headed to Aspen, and the last was the Dragonair, which Dahlia could take.

"Sayonara, then..." Alistair said, as he walked back to the house, as Zach and Ryan looked in confusion as he disappeared into the house once more.

"This seems odd... We should go after him." Zach said with a frown.

[JiMing]

IC: Aspen, Olivia, and Dahlia Seaton

 

"Wha-?" was the reaction from both Aspen and Dahlia, both catching the Pokeballs, staring at them for a moment. Olivia broke the silence, saying "Zach's right. After all this, we can't just let him disappear."

Snapping his head up, Aspen nodded. "Agreed." he said, moving towards the house and motioning for the others to follow him.

 

"Aspen?" Dahlia started. "I missed you." she said, giving him a hug.

 

"I missed you too."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach/Ryan==-

 

Zach entered the house, and frowned, as he only saw... nothing.

"He can't have just disappeared... Let's search around for anything that might have a secret switch."

[Konuju]

IC: Dack
Dack, Madison, Luke, and Palmer sat around a small campfire in the middle of the Survival Area. Although it was a summer evening, a cool breeze from the north blew through the town. Across from them sat the village elder, who Palmer claimed could tell them about the Magma Stone and its relation to Heatran.

"Heatran is said to be the Spirit of the Mountain," the village elder explained in a deep, shaman-like voice. "When Heatran is angry, the mountain burns, and may even rain fire down upon us."

"Are you sure this guy knows what he's talking about?" Luke whispered to the others. "We came here for answers, not folk tales."

"If you're looking for the legends surrounding Heatran, there's no one more knowledgeable," Palmer insisted. "At least, not in these parts. Besides, these 'folk tales' often have a basis in fact. Let's see what we can learn."

"This mountain-burning stuff," Dack pressed. "Have you seen any of that recently?"

The elder looked at Dack gravely. "A few days back, a thick smoke poured from the mountain. But then all was silent. It would seem whatever angered Heatran has passed."

"Let's hope so," Dack muttered, adjusting his belt to better hide the Ultra Ball that held the Legendary Pokémon.

"What can you tell us about the Magma Stone?" Madison asked. "We know it's somehow related to Heatran, but what exactly does it do?"

"It is said that the Magma Stone was forged in the belly of Heatran itself, at the very heart of the mountain in which it resides. It is a part of Heatran as much as it is a part of the mountain."

"So you're saying that each Heatran has its own Magma Stone?" Palmer asked.

"One that is tied to it, yes," the elder confirmed. "A Heatran will often hide its Magma Stone within the mountain where it resides. But it will sense if the stone has been disturbed, and will attack with deadly force to reclaim its stone. In fact, about twenty years ago a young man by the name of Buck had the unfortunate luck of taking the Magma Stone from the mountain. The lad was merely trying to keep it out of the hands of Team Galactic, but he ended up angering Heatran all the same."

"And what about the rumors that the Magma Stone can control Heatran?" Dack asked.

The elder looked at him curiously. "That depends on your definition of 'control.' The Magma Stone can be used to bribe Heatran in a sense, if it views the one holding the stone as a powerful trainer. If the one who has the stone is not strong enough, however, Heatran will simply attack and reclaim his stone."

Palmer, Madison, and Luke all glanced at Dack. "What?" the ex-Rocket asked with an irritated look.

"You know very well 'what,'" Luke smirked.

IC: Ellen
They had been wandering through the forest for a few hours, and the sun was starting to set when the trees parted and they came across a field of berries behind a picket fence. Maturin happily crawled under the fence and walked up to a berry tree, but Ellen shook her head.

"This is someone's garden," she said, pointing to the house at the other end of the field. "We should talk to them before we start grabbing berries off the tree." Adjusting the Purrloin she still carried in her arms, Ellen made her way to the home and knocked loudly on the door.

"How may I help you?" a hunched woman answered the door. She seemed to be incredibly ancient, and a maze of wrinkles lined her face. Her silvery hair hung loosely at her shoulders, as if she had abandoned the notion of styling it years ago. She leaned on the doorframe for support as she peered suspiciously at Ellen, but not without a trace of kindness.

"Please," Ellen said, lifting up Chrono. "My Purrloin was poisoned by a wild Seviper, and I lost all the berries I had when we fell in the river. Do you have any Pecha Berries we could use?"

"Oh, come on in, you poor thing. You look like you've been through a lot." The old woman ushered Ellen inside, pulling a strand of seaweed out of the young girl's hair. She sat Ellen down in a chair by the window, then moved into the kitchen with surprising speed and grabbed a basket of Pecha Berries and an earthenware bowl. "They don't call me the Berry Lady for nothing," she muttered as she crushed a handful of the pink berries in the bowl. She added water and a few herbs to the bowl, humming quietly to herself as she rapidly stirred the mixture to create a thick soup.

"Will that help Chrono?" Ellen asked as she and her Pokémon looked on curiously.

"You're supposed to wait for the water to boil, but your Purrloin's condition is critical," the woman explained as she returned to where Ellen sat. "But yes, this will alleviate the poison, my dear." Kneeling down, she carefully poured the concoction down Chrono's throat. The Purrloin did not respond, but his breathing was no longer labored.

"Will he be okay?" Ellen asked.

"He just needs rest, darling," the old woman assured her. "Don't you worry your little heart over it. Now, why don't you tell me how this happened?"

The woman hobbled over to a rocking chair and listened intently as Ellen recounted how she had first found Chrono in Unova, and then explained their journey from Fortree. By the time she had finished, the moon had risen, and the rest of her Pokémon had fallen asleep. "I don't know why, but I just can't seem to connect with Chrono like I have with my other Pokémon," she sighed.

"Yes, that Purrloin certainly seems to be a problem child," the Berry Lady agreed. "You say you keep trying to bond with him. But have you ever considered the possibility that it's not just you? That he might not want to bond with anyone?"

Ellen frowned. "Yes... for whatever reason he doesn't seem to like anyone. Not even other Pokémon."

"Not all Pokémon want to live in harmony with humans," the woman said as she got up and returned to the kitchen. "But if you truly wish to befriend your Purrloin, you might find this berry to be useful." From one of her many baskets, the Berry Lady pulled out a lumpy red berry with a green stem. "It's a Tamato Berry," she explained. "It is part of a breed of berries used for domesticating Pokémon."

"Domesticating?" Ellen repeated.

"Taming, house-training," the woman said. "These types of berries make Pokémon more friendly while at the same time suppressing their fighting abilities. They are very popular amongst people who keep Pokémon purely as pets. This Tamato Berry is very spicy, something a naughty Pokémon like your Purrloin would love. However, it will also make him slower in battle."

Ellen took the Tamato Berry in her hand and looked at it with a frown. "I don't know," she said slowly. "Somehow it just doesn't feel right, like wearing your shoes on the wrong feet. I mean, is it right to forcibly make a Pokémon friendlier? Or would that change who they are?"

"A wise question, dear," the old woman remarked. "Pokémon are wild creatures by nature. One could argue that the simple act of capturing a Pokémon changes who that Pokémon is. But let me respond to your question with another: when a Pokémon evolves, is it still the same Pokémon? I'm not talking about the same species -- when a Pokémon evolves, does that change who that Pokémon is?"

Ellen thought long and hard. All the while, the old woman waited patiently. "Yes and no," she finally said. "When Artemis evolved, her fighting instincts grew. She's definitely still the same Artemis I've known for years, she's just quicker to draw a punch than before. But then there's Duo." Ellen glanced over her shoulder to make sure the Duosion was asleep before continuing. "Before he evolved, he was called Solo, and he was my best friend. He's a Psychic-Type, so he could speak to my mind. I used to share everything with Solo. He was there for me when I needed him. But when he evolved, his mind sort of split in two. And the two halves don't always agree with each other. Now he keeps contradicting himself, and he can never make up his mind. When I need someone to talk to, he just makes things even more confusing. It's fitting that his name changed, because he's a completely different Pokémon now. It's like I've lost my best friend."

The old woman looked at Ellen with what seemed like pity. "Much like evolution, change is inevitable, darling. But that change doesn't always have to be a bad thing. Sometimes you just have to adapt, like the flow of a river when a boulder is thrust into it."

"Er... right," Ellen frowned. "But what does this have to do with Chrono?"

"Your Purrloin seems to be as stubborn as yourself, child," the woman remarked. "If you don't want to use that berry, there may be another way. You say he doesn't seem to trust anyone. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some experience in your Purrloin's life that's causing him to act this way."

"That's certainly a possibility," Ellen agreed, recalling Tyler's suggestion that Chrono had been abused.

"I've heard stories of a woman in the far off Kalos Region who has the ability to read a Pokemon's memories," the Berry Lady said. "If you could find her, perhaps she could tell you what is preventing your Purrloin from bonding with you."

"Do you know where in Kalos this woman is?" Ellen asked with sudden interest.

"Of course I don't," the woman frowned. "Do you expect me to remember everything at this old age? But I do know that the woman's cousin recently moved to Sootopolis. If you want more information on this woman, you should ask him." The old woman suddenly stood up. "But now it is past my bedtime, and it's probably past yours as well, dear child. Feel free to use the bed in the other room. I'll be down the hall if you need me." With that, the old woman hobbled on down the hall, disappearing into the darkness.

Ellen sat down on the floor next to Chrono, stroking the sleeping cat's soft fur. "Why won't you accept me?" she asked softly. "I'm only trying to help. What am I missing?"

***

Chrono opened up his eyes. The first thing he saw was Ellen, asleep on the floor next to him. Moonlight sifted through the windows of whatever house they were in. The Purrloin didn't recognize it, but he was sure it wasn't the treetop house in Fortree. The last thing he remembered was the Seviper and Zangoose tossing him into the river, and Ellen running after him.

Once again, the young girl surprised him with her stubborn love. Was there nothing he could do to make her give up on him? The thought troubled him as he closed his eyes and fell back into a deep and restful sleep.

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

Jake was about to continue walking when a loud CRACK! was heard just off the path.

 

"One sec guys! I'm gonna check this out!" Jake called once more to his traveling companions. He turned towards where the source of the noise was before jogging towards it. He pushed aside some bushes, following the continuing, but quieter, noises. He emerged into a clearing, and found a Machop punching a tree over and over. It was so focused on it's training that the Pokemon didn't even notice as Jake and his Pokemon arrived in his clearing.

 

On one hand... I don't really need a fighting type... on the other hand though, I do need a second Pokemon with a type advantage at Oreburgh... so why not?

 

In the time it took for Jake to decide, the Machop had slammed one last punch into the tree, causing it to crack and fall over on the ground. It turned, obviously looking for another tree, before noticing the human that had invaded his clearing. The Superpower Pokemon quickly settled into a fighting stance, then grinned, obviously wanting a battle.

 

"Alright, lets go Charmeleon!" Charmeleon stepped in front of his trainer, roaring a challenge to the Machop. "Let's start this off with a Flame Burst!" Charmeleon pulled back his head and whipped it forward again, blasting an exploding burst of fire at Machop. It just stood there until suddenly shoulder rolled behind the trunk of the tree just as the attack exploded, taking minimal damage and avoiding any burn effect. It flipped over the log and charged at Charmeleon, pulling back it's left fist and forming it into a wedge shape before bringing it overhead at the Fire-type.

 

"Charmeleon, counter with Thunder Punch!" The dragon-like Pokemon immediately brought up his own fist, suddenly coated with lighting where it met the Machop's Karate Chop. The punches stalemated, but the electricity arced up the Machop's arm, forcing it to break away and stumble back. It glared at it's larger opponent, waiting with it's arm's crossed.

 

"Flamethrower!" Jake shouted, and his Pokemon let loose a torrent of fire from his mouth. The Machop was clearly surprised. It had been expecting a physical attack, and therefore couldn't get out of the way in time. The flames washed over it's body until Charmeleon cut off the stream, expecting to see a fainted fighting-type. What he found instead was a Machop that, although a red flame ran over its body to show it was burned, suddenly looking much, much stronger.

 

Oh crud.. it has Guts! "Charmeleon, stay out of its range and use Dragon Rage!" The command came too late, and a powered-up Low Sweep knocked Charmeleon's legs out from under him, surprising him enough to cut off the charging Dragon Rage. The Machop stood over him and brought its fist up for a a Karate Chop, meaning to end the fight.

 

"Sweep his legs with your tail and use Dragon Rage, once more!" Just before the move landed, Charmeleon spun on his back and tripped the Fighting Type, who at the same time happened to be affected by the Burn. The result was Machop fell directly onto a Dragon Rage launched by Charmeleon a few seconds before. Machop landed on his back, but started to get up slowly.

 

This is it... "Pokeball, go!" Jake threw a Pokeball that curved perfectly across the clearing and bonked the Fighting type on the head, before opening and sucking in the Machop with a flash of red light. It wiggled once... then twice... then finally, it stopped and 'dinged', signifying a capture.

 

OOC: This is where I end for tonight. I will have Machop's profile up tomorrow.

[JiMing]

IC: Aspen/Olivia/Dahlia

 

Aspen cursed under his breath, recalling Flare and Jet, and sending out Meadow. "Work with Torrent to find anything suspicious in this house." asked Aspen. The three of them split off into different corners of the house. As he searched, Aspen thought to the Pokeball he received from Alistair, suspicious of how easily it was given up.

 

Olivia followed suit, recalling Shade and Toxic, while turning to Amethyst. "Help me find a mechanism in this house that could lead to an escape route." she commanded, the two setting off to look into every nook and cranny of the household.

 

Dahlia helped them as well, until she felt something tap her. Looking around, she was overjoyed to find a Bellossom behind her. "Laurel! I missed you!" she cried, the two sharing a hug. "I could use your help. Look around to see if you can find anything strange, alright?" Dahlia asked. Laurel nodded and joined the others in their search.

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

Ruth pushed through some bushes to where Jake was, not checking whether Jacob had followed her or not. "Hey, sounds like a battle just went on. And that..." she said, eyes shifting to the Pokeball. "Means you have just caught a Pokemon, right?"

Edited March 31, 2014 by JiMing

[Ehksidian]

IC:

Arius had been lagging behind Ruth and Jake, attempting to keep up with them after having to stop and tie his shoe. After both of them had gone off the pathway, Arius finally was able to catch up.

"Gah, you guys need to slow down...hey, Jake, did you catch a pokemon?"

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: I'm thinking that Dahlia should stay away from the search, just for the record.

 

-==IC: Zach/Ryan==-

 

Zach and Ryan nodded to each other, and headed off around the house to search as well.

[JiMing]

OOC: Ignore everything aside from her meeting Laurel again.

 

IC: Aspen/Olivia Seaton

 

"Ugh," Aspen grumbled angrily. "Where could Alistair even hidden a secret switch in this house?!" he said in frustration. So far, he and his Pokemon were finding nothing.

 

"If he's smart, somewhere where you'd never expect it. Until we know where that would be, look everywhere." responded Olivia, who continued on her search.

 

Aspen scowled at the remark, yet he said nothing, turning back to the seemingly fruitless search.

Edited March 31, 2014 by JiMing

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach/Ryan==-

 

Zach heard the comment and chuckled, since it was correct. He frowned, though... He could use his psychic powers to just end this search and figure out where the place was... But what if it backfired? Zach froze on the spot, and his frown deepened, as he shook his head.

No... I won't let that happen again... Zach thought, as he looked down to his other new team member...

I think I know the most fitting nickname for her... Zach thought again, regarding the Weavile with a nod.

[JiMing]

IC: Aspen/Olivia Seaton

 

After looking around for a bit, Torrent went over and nudged Aspen. "Hm? Did you find anything?" he asked. The Buizel nodded, and motioned for Aspen to follow him. They made their way into the bathroom, and Torrent pointed at the toilet. "Really?" questioned Aspen. Seeing Torrent insist, Aspen sighed and inspected the toilet. "What?" said Aspen as he made out what seemed to be a small hatch blending into the bottom of the wall behind the toilet. "Now this is strange.... Olivia! Zach! I think I found it!"

 

Coming over, Olivia smirked. "What did I tell you? Who would've thought to look in the bathroom?" Chuckling, she looked to see if Zach and Ryan had come over as well.

 

OOC: When I thought of a place nobody would look too hard in, this is what I came up with. =P I can change it if you want, Blade.

Edited April 1, 2014 by JiMing

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Nah, that works. =P

 

-==IC: Zach/Ryan==-

 

Zach and Ryan both blinked, but shrugged.

"That actually makes sense, it might lead to the sewers." Zach said, as he paused.

"Who should open the grate?" Zach asked, looking over at Olivia in the process like 'you wanna, or should I?'

[JiMing]

IC: Aspen/Olivia Seaton

 

"It shouldn't matter who opens the grate, I'm mainly concerned with what we'll find when we open the grate." said Olivia. "It wouldn't be smart to head in when our Pokemon are not at full strength."

 

"Hm, she has a point." Aspen agreed. "Should we head back to a Pokemon Center, or is there anything here that might help?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach/Ryan==-

 

"That's not necessary." Ryan said, as he took out a few healing items, and used them on the Pokemon, but frowned, as he ran out of them.

"That said... Something seems odd about this. It seems... too easy." Ryan said, as he thought over different things, and then sighed.

"Either way, we'll have to find Alistair to find out for sure." Zach reminded Ryan, who nodded, as Ryan nodded to Olivia to open the grate.

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

Jake grinned, and in response to both questions stated "Yes, I did. I just caught my first Pokemon!" He walked over and picked up the Pokeball, holding it with a near reverence. "Guys, I would like you to meet... Machop!" With a flash of light, Machop appeared in front of Jake, looking up at him curiously. "Alright, first things first." He knelt down and faced the Machop. "Now, seeing as I took a bit of flak for not nicknaming my other Pokemon.." He smiled at Ruth, showing no harm was intended, before turning back to his new Pokemon... "do you want a nickname?" The Superpower Pokemon quickly shook its head, pointing at itself and shaking his head 'no' to the question that he did not want a nickname. "Alright, now Squirtle, please come over here and use a very, very gentle water gun to get rid of the burn." Seeing that Squirtle did as he asked, he turned up and grinned happily at the others. "Hi guys! Sorry for the quick exit earlier. Luckily I found Machop here and he wanted to battle and... yeah. Sorry, I was about to start rambling. Anyways, what do you guys think? How'd I do with my first ever capture?" He grinned and stood up straighter, obviously proud of his achievement.

[Parugi]

IC - Goldhawk/Silvermind/Blackskull - The Alamo: ALERT. ALERT. ALERT.

 

The automated voice repeated this word over and over again, accompanied by a frantic beeping. The three Liberty Leaders hurried through the door to the command center, none of them quite sure what to expect. In the past year they had witnessed everything from a direct attack on the Alamo to a near-total invasion of Hoenn and Sinnoh by a group of beings long thought to be nothing more than a myth. As such, their imaginations were free to run wild with what might be happening.

 

"What's going on?" Goldhawk asked Head-Technician Rodia.

 

"It's an emergency call from Cianwood, sir," Rodia said, pulling up a map on the main screen at the front of the room. "It appears to have been sent by Jennifer Lorn. There's no other information attached to it, but cross-referencing it with Team Rocket's current reports brings up . . . this."

 

The screen flared to life with a video feed, showing a group of three bloodied and crazed trainers stumbling through the streets--one woman, two men. Each was followed by a Pokémon, who blindly lashed out at their surroundings on what appeared to be random orders. Before long, one of the men turned toward the, pointing at it as his Muk descended upon it.

 

The feed went dead.

 

"Koga?" Goldhawk looked back at the entrance to the Command Center. Jayron Aaron stood in the doorway, Lucario at his side, the two having entered just as the feed came on. The normally-contained Jayron now bore an expression of shock and horror at the sight of the carnage building up in Cianwood. The Executive looked at his leader, face pale. "Sir, we have to do something."

 

"Of course," Silvermind said. "We'll organize a strike team and see if we can't--"

 

"Wait--there's more," Rodia interrupted, bringing up another map. This one was a schematic of the Alamo itself. Goldhawk and Blackskull both felt a chill in their stomachs as a section of the map glowed with a red highlight, dreading the Head-Technician's next words. "We just found a breach in security down at R&D. For whatever reason, the alarms didn't go off down there when it happened--some sort of electrical interference, I think." He looked at the Executives behind him. "Vert's not responding, either, so we have no idea what is happening down there."

 

Goldhawk nodded. "Selene and Executive Aaron, get to Cianwood and see what you can do to help." Silvermind nodded, turning and exiting. With a worried glance at the screen, Jayron followed. "Kane, you mind keeping an eye on things up here while I check in on Vert and R&D?"

 

"Not at all," Blackskull said, taking a seat at the head chair. "You sure you don't want me to go with you?"

 

"If this is anything like last time, no," Goldhawk answered, stopping at the door. "We can't afford to lose you again." Blackskull nodded, allowing Goldhawk to exit, headed in the direction of Research and Development.

IC - Rocket Triad/??? - Cianwood City: "Alright--that's enough."

Through the veil of red that coated their vision, it was difficult to see the new arrival. She leaned against a tall brick building, hands in her coat pockets and face obscured by the hood over her head. She appeared unarmed.

"I don't know what your problem is," the woman said, moving to the edge of the sidewalk. "But this ends. Now."

In response, Sabrina pulled her arm back, before throwing it forward. A psychic blast hurtled towards the woman, rippling the air around it. She watched it hurtle towards her, still as stone. With a loud caw, a Pokémon flew between the woman and the attack, taking it straight on. It dissipated as it came into contact with the Honchkrow's chest, ineffective against the Dark-Type.

"Thank you, Krow," the woman said gently to her Pokémon. Less gently, she addressed the Gym Leaders again. "If that's how you want to play . . ." She pulled her hand from her pocket. "Have at it."

With a snap of her fingers, Honchkrow took flight again, shooting towards Alakazam with Brave Bird. From above, a Gliscor and Swoobat shot downward, the former aiming a Guillotine attack at Surge's Raichu and the latter launching a Psychic attack at Koga's Muk.

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner - Celadon Department Store: The group came to a stop at the end of the hall. "Oh, hey," Ethan said. "Look at that, Jamie--you found the door! Great job!"

 

Gavin frowned. The place was deserted, just like the rest of the store, albeit much less of a mess--the only out-of-place decor was an overturned trash can. "Should we try the door?" he asked. "It doesn't look like they're here."

 

"That's an a-door-able idea, Mr. Braner," Ethan said. Gavin rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored him. The younger agent walked forward, gripping the door handle and pulling. It didn't budge. The deadbolts on the top and bottom of the door rattled against their sockets. Ethan tilted his head. "Huh. Wonder if they barricaded it?"

 

"Doubt it," Gavin replied. "It looks like it hasn't even been opened. Still, best to make sure--Dothe, come out." He held out the Dusknoir's Poké Ball, releasing the Ghost-Type in a flash of light. After receiving quick instructions, Dothe phased through the door, disappearing through the shadows. He returned several moments later, shaking his head. Gavin frowned. "So they aren't up there--not yet, anyway. Where could they be?"

 

Ethan shrugged. "You know," he said slowly, grinning. "I think I might know how to find them."

 

"How?"

 

"Jamie." Ethan looked at his fellow Rocket Agent. "You've got a Metagross. Break the door down."

 

IC - Meghan Vert - R&D Test Area: “Oh no… My mighty and unbeatable Ninjask, beaten by a single attack… As if that wasn’t obvious.”

 

Vert furrowed her brow. Greed sounded oddly unperturbed by the loss of her Pokémon, considering the circumstances. The Executive pulled back for a moment to observe Eelektross's entrance, watching the glowing glob of acid fly toward her Pokémon. It landed with a splash, instantly negating Malamar's Contrary ability.

 

No matter. Vert held up an Ultra Ball. "Malamar, return," she called, much to the Overturning Pokémon's surprise. As the Psychic-Dark-Type disappeared into her container, the Trick Room she had set up earlier dissipated, its reversal effects deactivating. Vert selected another Ultra Ball from her belt, hurling it into the air without a word. A flash of light accompanied the appearance of a Galvantula, whose hairs bristled with electricity and agitation towards her opponents.

 

"As they say," Vert said, closing her eyes and cleaning her glasses again. "An eye for an eye. Galvantula, use Gastro Acid." The Electric-Bug-Type complied, launching its own ability-neutralizing acid at Eelektross.

 

Mr. Arthur, I suggest we switch opponents, Vert said to her fellow Executive through their mental link. My Pokémon are better equipped to handle Dark-Types, after all. She paused. On an unrelated note, I highly suggest exercising caution from here on out. This whole ordeal is beginning to feel more and more suspect as time goes on . . .

 

 

-==IC: Amanda Zarth==-

 

As the battle raged, a beam of pink light appeared behind Kyle, Ray, and Jupiter, materializing in a flash into a young woman with frosted black hair and an Elgyem at her side. She extends a hand to the Galactic Commander.

"Come with me if you want to not die."


==Ten Minutes Earlier, Humilau City==

[The Second]

At the port of Humilau City, a young woman stood in line for the ferry. Few passers-by would notice her, with her silver briefcase, buttoned black vest, matching black skirt, and white collared blouse telling them at a glance all they needed to know: boring corporate functionary, nothing of importance here. Even her medium-length hair, black with frosted tips, passed for normal here in Unova. What none of them knew--not even the woman herself--was just how important she'd soon be.

Of course, none of this made the wait for the ship go by any quicker. Not that she minded. Simple and orderly, the queue was a paragon of her ideals--something her employers seemed to agree with her on. While sea travel was not the quickest means of transit, it was important for her and her company's image that she arrive in Johto in as ordinary a manner as possible--to say nothing of its effect on the odds of success of her mission.

That was about to change, however. A young man bearing the telltale signs of a messenger--formal dress a size too large and a face too young to suit it--was approaching the rear of the line, craning his neck to look past the people in front of him. As she (and several curious bystanders) continued to surreptitiously watch him, he withdrew a small badge and began moving up the line, interrupting certain people and looking at their faces as he went. Calculating the odds he was looking for her and deciding there was no reason to let him continue to disrupt the other waiting passengers, she stepped out of line and made eye contact.

The young man's relief--when he at last noticed her--was obvious. "Amanda Zarth?" he asked tentatively. She inclined her head to let him know this was the case. "Follow me, please."

She waited until the messenger led her through a door labeled 'Authorized Personnel Only' before speaking. "I assume a new detail has arisen regarding my mission?"

The man nodded, extracting his badge and scanning it at another security checkpoint. "Consider it postponed, indefinitely. We're suspending those operations until we have a handle on what's going on here at home." Glancing back at Amanda, he removed a small chip from his C-Gear and handed it to her. "We recently received this footage from Opelucid. Take a look."

Slotting the memory card into her C-Gear, Amanda soon saw video of what appeared to be a group of Team Liberty agents opening fire on a group of civilians, only for a Darkrai to rise to protect them. To her trained eye, something appeared off, but it would take further analysis to figure out what. "This is bad, but it's not my normal field. Why are you showing me this?" Without waiting for a response, she rewound the footage and began watching it again, this time paying closer attention to the identities of the people present.

"Take a closer look. There are a couple of extremely valuable assets there..." Just as the man mentioned them, one of the identities clicked in Amanda's mind.

"Is that Jupiter of Team Galactic? And...wait a moment..."

The man nodded. "It's hard to make out, but it looks like at least two of ours."

Rather than looking shocked, Amanda frowned. Shock was an emotion for weaker people. "That makes no sense," she said, increasing her pace and using her own badge to open the doors now that her companion was too slow for her. "Why would Team Plasma be involved with this situation at all?"

The man shrugged, hanging back as Amanda approached the final door. "That's a problem for someone else to solve. You're being called in for an extraction."

The door opened, revealing a room full of monitors with four agents in black suits and sunglasses standing in the center, holding various briefcases and equipment. Amanda stepped forward to one of the men, letting him help her put on an Assault Vest. "Got it. Her companions?"

"Your call. If they want out, fine, but don't waste time. In and out."

"Understood. And our people?"

"Not your problem."

Strapping a tracer to her wrist and squeezing the jewel of her pendant to activate the tiny camera inside, she nods. "Ready to go then." She removes a Pokéball from its padded compartment in her briefcase and releases its occupant, minimizing the other two and holding them in her right hand for easy access. "Elgyem, to Opelucid on his mark," she commands, pointing at the Team Plasma messenger who'd escorted her here. The man looked to one of the technicians at the monitors, waiting for confirmation; spotting an opening on the live feed, the technician gave a thumbs-up to the messenger, who in turn nodded to the Elgyem. A moment later, the Pokémon and its Trainer were gone.

==Now==
Though she stood still as a statue, her demeanor unchanged and her left arm still outstretched, Amanda Zarth's mind was racing, calculating possible angles of attack and potential vectors by which they might be ambushed. Her thumb hovered over the activation buttons of the Pokéballs in her right hand, ready to send out backup if her objective took too long to understand. Still, she hoped it wouldn't come to that--she had trained to offer excellence in all fields, including those she disliked, but that didn't change the fact that Pokémon battling was as distasteful to her as an overseasoned dish, so many flavors colliding and overpowering each other that the taste of the meal itself was completely lost. Hopefully, the Team Galactic Commander would recognize the necessity of her safety and accept her offer quickly.

 

 

 

IC - Kyle Eston/Jupiter - Opelucid City: Between the appearance of three more Darkrai, the sudden death of Feral, and the general chaos of what was happening in Opelucid, Jupiter found herself at a loss for words as yet another person arrived, this one a female who apparently had the Galactic Admin's best interests at heart.

"You expect me to abandon a battle like this without any sort of explanation, and at the behest of a total stranger?" she said. "What kind of fool do you take me for?"

Three of them . . .? How . . . what?

Kyle was not so shocked with Amanda's appearance--he was too busy trying to register the presence of Seven, Three, and Five. More accurately, he was attempting to rationalize the former two's presence. Five, he remembered, had changed sides during the fight against Sombra, at the behest of Nine; the others, however, had remained staunch allies of the Tenth Ancient. Why, then, were they here? Surely they could not have switched sides, too . . .?

It didn't make sense. Nothing about this situation made any sense. How had the world gone without incident for six months, only for everything to converge on such a random, unrelated location out of nowhere? It was frustrating, and the fire burning in his chest seemed to agree.

Just what is going ON here!?

He took a deep breath, feeling a familiar mental sensation wash over him as Suicune touched his mind. The Liberty Agent breathed slowly, allowing his confusion and anger to subside. As a further distraction, he recalled the injured Lyxek, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Right . . . Relax. Keep calm . . . I'm sure this'll all make sense soon.

 

 

OOC: Amanda Zarth IC courtesy of Flipz. Sorry for the wait!

Edited April 6, 2014 by Pears Nivans

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Heh, the timing for that first part is hilarious. xD

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray, taking advantage of the temporary focus on the Darkrai and what had happened with Feral, dashed over to Sonja, and then stood beside her.

"Would you like help?" Ray asked, a frown on his face as he looked at what was going on, as his Pokemon regrouped around them.

[Flipz]

-==IC: Amanda Zarth==-

Amanda frowns as Ray separates from the group, but makes no comment upon it. "Team Plasma recognizes the necessity of preserving a valuable asset. Your death, especially on Unovan soil, would provoke great instability. That is not acceptable."

 

That was when she noticed the Darkrai. She straightened, allowing the camera in her pendant to capture the four ancient beings. "Miss Jupiter, it is more imperative than ever we get you to safety, while teleportation is still an option." Her thumb twitched, marginally, as she prepared to release a Pokémon if Jupiter did not accept.

 

-==IC: Amelia Zann==-

 

[The Third]

 

Amelia Zann was bored.

 

"I'm bored," she complained, rather unnecessarily, to the world in general. A pink Sneasel nearby poked its head up from its rummaging to grunt in agreement.

 

To be fair to the universe, the alley they sat in--on the northern side of Lilycove City--was not the most likely place for woman or Pokémon to find excitement. Still, it offered shade from the hot summer sun, as well as a few dumpsters in which Sneasel might search for shiny things.

 

"I wish some time-traveler would show up in a blue box to take me on adventures," she complained, a recurring fantasy she often expressed when alone. Which was all the time, really. She glanced to either end of the alley and straight above her, as if stating her wish yet again would somehow make it true, but alas, it did not. She sighed, attracting the Sheasel's attention. The Sneasel climbed out of the dumpster and sniffed the air gingerly, before nudging its Trainer toward the end of the alley.

 

Amelia chuckled, her flippant tone indicating she was repeating some other individual's oft-repeated admonition. "You want to battle? We're spies, Sina. We're not supposed to be seen, let alone have big, flashy Pokémon b--" The woman was interrupted by a Pokéball wobbling in her pocket. She pulled the Premiere Ball out and lazily threw it into the air, releasing the Larvitar inside. "What do you think, Harvey?" she remarked, clearly knowing what the answer would be.

 

The little green reptile didn't seem to realize this, however. Squeaking and flailing its arms furiously, it ran between Sina and the end of the alley, blocking the way with Stealth Rock.

 

Amelia laughed, at least momentarily amused. "All right, little guy, we get the message," she said, returning the Pokémon to its ball. "You've got a point--the reconstruction workers don't need us distracting them with battles. And besides," she added jokingly, "I don't think Van wants to battle, either." A rumbling from Van's Pokéball gave obvious proof of the statement's falsehood, but she chose not to release the turquoise-and-green Carvanha from the protective sphere--even in the humidity of Hoenn's coastal regions, she preferred not to let her out on dry land unless absolutely needed for a battle.

 

Amelia sighed and leaned back, bored again. Amusing herself by tossing Sina's currently-unoccupied Pokéball in the air and catching it over and over, she nods to the Sneasel. "Keep an eye on what's going on out there," she orders. "Tell me if anything interesting happens.

[JiMing]

OOC: My profiles should be approved, so...

 

IC: Aspen/Olivia Seaton

 

Aspen smiled as Flare and Jet recovered, both giving Aspen a nod to show they were ready to fight again. Howver, the Lucario that previously was owned by Alistair also stirred. "Ugh..." started a feminine voice, as the Lucario got up as well. "Master Alistair? What course of action shall we-" she stopped upon eyeing Aspen and the others, quickly leaping up. "What?! How do you possess my Pokeball?! And where is Master Alistair?!"

 

"First of all, we don't know where Alistair went." Aspen responded, he and his Pokemon looking warily at the Lucario. "When we beat him, he threw your Pokeball to me, Dragonair and Weavile went to Dahlia and Zach each. We're working on tracking him down now."

 

"Hm..." mused the Lucario as she looked down with her paw below her chin. "I know not why Master Alistair would leave me with the likes of you... But whatever the reason, I trust his judgement." she concluded, looking at Aspen once more, them bowing. "Very well. Now then, Master... Aspen, was it?"

 

"Yes. And don't call me that." replied Aspen. "I don't remember Alistair callibg you by a nickname though." Aspen though for a moment, before making up his mind. "How does 'Aria' sound?"

 

"Aria... Alright." she replied, giving an affirmative nod.

 

"Okay. Welcome to the team, Aria."

 

Olivia nodded to Zach, opening the hatch and pressing the button. She waited to see what would happen.

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

"Really now? Your first capture?" Ruth looked down at the Machop for a moment. "Not a bad choice. The Machop line is filled with heavy hitters. Fuerte is probably itching to challenge him!" she grinned, looking down at the Hawlucha, who was crossing it's arms and looking intently at the Machop. Meanwhile, Caliburn bowed as he normally did, while Locke looked curiously at Machop. "Anyways, that's for another time. Congratulations!" she said with sincerity, glancing at Jake to see what his reaction would be.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach/Ryan==-

 

Zach and Ryan watched as the wall opened up, revealing a hidden alcove that lead down into the sewers as was theorized; a path being formed over a pipe, and leading downward.

"Well, let's go." Zach said, as he walked into hidden passage.

[Flipz]

-==IC: Amelia Zann==--

Sina sniffed the air, then looked up, scampering back to her lazing Trainer. "Snee," it whined, nudging Amelia away from her daydreams.

 

"Sina? What is it, girl?"

 

A tall figure stepped into the alleyway, his identity obscured by the harsh angle of sunlight. "Excuse me."

 

"Hm?" Amelia jumped to her feet, hand hovering innocently near her pocket, where her other Pokéballs resided. "Something you wanted?"

 

"Huh? Oh. Well, no. Yes, actually. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you, but since you're here--we're looking for people and Pokémon to help building the new seaport facility. If you're interested...?"

 

"No thanks." Amelia sat back down and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms behind her head.

 

"Huh?"

 

"I said no thanks."

 

Sina joined the man in giving Amelia a strange look. "But...why not?" the man asked.

 

Amelia gave him a contemptuous look. "Look. You want someone to sneak around, find stuff that's not supposed to be found, I'm your girl. You want secrets? I know plenty. But boring stuff? That's beneath me. I leave that to boring people."

 

The man clenched his fists and growled, but Sina responded by spreading her razor-sharp claws. Thinking better of tangling with the Sneasel--particularly such a strange-looking one--and not wanting to tire his own Pokémon, he stormed off in a huff.

 

Sina shot Ameila a withering look. "What?" Amelia replied. "It's the truth." The Sneasel shook its head and went back to rummaging.

 

OOC: Open for interaction, by the way, if that wasn't clear--if you can stand her.