Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

The psychic girl nodded in response. "Yeah, I'd guess that one of them frequents the labs or so, but finding their contact info would likely be much faster than individually checking." Chloe thought things over as she received the message from Kyle, and then nodded to herself. "We'll head over to the records room, that should have something to help us out. We'll meet my friend there in a bit, hopefully; he has to talk to someone first, though."

 

As she quickly typed up a reply to Kyle, her Pokegear beeped once again, causing the girl to bite her lip. I'm very popular today, apparently... She noted to herself with a rueful smile, and then glanced at the message. "Hmm, maybe we might have some more help, too..." Chloe quickly typed up a response to Evan as well, wondering what his stuff was all about.

 

 

"Alright, let's meet near the Records Room."

 

 

 

"Um, sure... I'd feel it's best to meet near the Records Room."

 

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

"Yeah..." Ray seemed to falter for a moment, but then gave a smile after that. "I should, um, go to figure this stuff out now. See ya." The man wanted to talk to Jenny for a bit, but she seemed to be pre-occupied, and didn't want to interrupt. As Ray quickly walked off, his smile turned to a frown, as he thought about the others. He wanted to talk with them all, but at this point, it just... the Separatist didn't feel like anyone actually trusted him anymore, outside the few people he had talked to already that day.

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

Jenny walked over to Colette as she tried to tune out what the others were talking for the moment. The younger girl seemed distant from what the redhead could tell, but that didn't dissuade her from trying. Colette glanced up uneasily as Jenny approached, but offered nothing to begin the conversation herself.

 

"So, how's it going?" Jenny asked with a reassuring smile. She was met with silence as she watched Colette lean against the wall and look away. "... That well, huh? Anything I could do to help?"
 

"I do not think there is." The aura wielder said finally, and glanced past Jenny's shoulder to where Amanda was. Jenny took the hint and nodded, as she tried to think up a game plan.

 

"Alright, how about we go for a walk for a bit, then?"

 

Colette rubbed her arm nervously, but then nodded after a moment's hesitation. The two women walked further down the hall and out of earshot of the other two Plasma agents. Jenny waited patiently for the silence to be broken, but it felt like it would go on forever. Finally, she decided that if she didn't speak, then this would be a morbidly quiet tour of the Alamo.

 

"So... how are you, honestly? I bet it's been tough, hasn't it? I mean, you've had your powers for a while, right? Losing them must have been a shock..." The redhead glanced over as Colette kept quiet and noticed that the young girl was staring sadly at an aura sphere in her hand. For a moment, Jenny wondered if she had said too much.

 

"I just don't know what to do." Colette said quietly as she closed her hand over the Aura Sphere, the energy dissipating once again. "It's not just the shock of the powers, but everything. We're fighting things that are unknown, who we thought was the enemy was secretly on our side even despite causing so many stupid issues, there's a clown, I haven't talked to my sister in so long, and I just... I don't know what to do." Jenny watched as the girl closed her eyes tightly. "I just feel like I need to do things to help, but everything I can think of just feels... too exhausting, or that I'll screw something up, and every time I try to think, I worry that my family will be the next people who are hurt because we can't fight. That their voices will be the next screams I hear."

 

Jenny stayed quiet as they came to a stop outside the dorms. "It's a tough thing, yeah. It's okay to be scared over the unknown, to be worried and everything. I... I actually had to take a little while to just keep to myself. The last little while has been hard for many reasons, but I've had to keep strong for the others. And I'll continue to keep strong, but that doesn't mean I don't feel that way inside." The redhead felt Colette's eyes on her as she said that, but knew she had to continue.

 

"I worry about everyone, every day. I worry that we'll not make it through, especially after everything I've been through. I worry that my memories will never completely return, and with things so uncertain now, I might never remember some of the best times with my own family; with Ray or my parents, or even my old friends. I worry that we'll lose ourselves, or be killed at any moment, especially with everything recently. Every time someone is hurt stresses me out more and more. I have to keep strong, because that's how everyone sees me, though. I have to keep going not just for everyone, but for myself to. I have to keep fighting with a smile, to fight off my fear too, that maybe I'll never see anyone I love again. That maybe the next time I wake up, I won't even remember anyone I love, again. It doesn't always work, but... it's what I need to do."

 

Colette stayed quiet as Jenny looked over again. The younger girl seemed to be taking in what was said, but looked to the floor. "I don't feel strong enough in any way to be able to do that, though... I don't even feel like I can trust my own powers. I almost feel... scared of them. As if they'll never be enough to fight what we need to fight." Colette bit her lip, as she shook her head. "I've just been in too many situations recently where I feel like I just made matters worse. If I had just kept quiet, maybe the fight in the egg could have somehow gone differently. If I had just kept quiet, maybe Alexa wouldn't have wandered off and gotten taken by the Unown. If I had just been stronger, if I had better control over my own powers, then maybe people wouldn't have been killed. . ."

 

"You can't worry about the what-ifs." Jenny said sternly, which prompted Colette to look up in surprise. "If you just fall into that trap, then you'll never grow confident enough. You need to look at what the immediate thing is. In cases like this, dwelling on the past will only make things worse, only look to it to see how to grow from it. Now, I ask you... what do you fight for? What do you want to use your powers for?"

 

The hall grew silent once again, as the question hung in the air, but try as she might, Colette could not think of a specific thing to say.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan Sanders - Hallway, The Alamo

Sonja and Ryan walked in silence. Not an awkward silence, for they had both made their peace with past mistakes, but one of grim anticipation for what Executive Arthur wanted, what Sonja's visions meant, and what the future held.

 

The silence was broken by yet another series of beeps and alerts on both their devices. "Seriously, why does everybody decide to do things at once?" Ryan pulled out his Pokégear to see a message from Evan. He glanced over at Sonja. "After we meet with Arthur, Jayron wants to see me. Then Evan wants to get the whole gang back together again. It sounds like he's been in touch with your sister. Have you seen her at all since Two Island?"

[Dr. Hidaka]

OOC: The journey of a thousand messages, starts with a single 'send'!

IC: Evan Tierra

After a moment of waiting, Evan heard his Pokegear beeping. He had received a message from Chloe, grinning at the psychic girl's reply. Noticing that Jenny and Colette had left, the young man grinned as he sent a reply to Chloe, and then a message to Jenny, telling her where he and Amanda were going.
 

All right, meet you there! Will try not to keep you waiting!

☆Evan☆

 

 

 

Heading to the Records Room to meet Chloe and the others, hopefully!

I'll see you and the Aura Princess there. Take as long you have to!

☆Evan☆

After he had sent, he had turned his attention to his fellow Plasma Knight. "We are to head for the Records Room, my Squire." Evan said, grinning a bit at his title for Amanda. "There we shall meet up with a few more of my friends, a few who could give us more leverage with Team Liberty." Evan began to walk in the direction of his destination, then added. "While we wait, I would be more than happy to finish my report."
 

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared WInters - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

 

While Dahlia washed her hand, he dug through his backpack and found the first aid kit he'd been supplied by Lachina's superior. How long had it been since that day? It felt like it had been over a year, but in reality it had been only a couple of weeks. He sighed as he pulled out the bandages and the iodine compound.

 

The girl had mentioned feeling pressured to use her powers, but he felt that her problems ran deeper than that. Pressure was one thing, but a full breakdown that evolved to punching a mirror . . .

 

You should ask her, if you're so insistent on helping her.

Once you realize that you can't, we can move on to more important matters.

 

When he'd asked her what was wrong before, though, her aura had closed itself and drawn back towards the girl. She didn't want to talk about it.

 

There's never been a case where a problem has been solved by ignoring it.

Ask, or be content knowing that you aren't doing everything you can to help.

 

Why are you suddenly so insightful? Normally you're just a pain.

 

Jared, Jared, Jared. I may not like people, I may even find their existence tedious and loathsome.

But, Jared, that means I see past the facades and charades. I see how people work, and that gives me

an edge in getting them to do as I say. It's a valuable skill, one you should learn.

 

The aura user stood and knocked on the bathroom door. "Dahlia? You okay in there?"

Edited April 14, 2017 by Mipha's Grace

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron - Executive Offices, The Alamo:

 

"I was strongly advised to stay away," Sonja admitted, air-quoting the two words. They had come to a stop outside of Executive Arthur's office. Sonja brought out her Pokétch again, checking the time. "Executive Ladon suggested that our familial history might make it easier to manipulate me into helping her escape. She didn't have an answer when I asked what Sophia could possibly accomplish by leaving, considering the current situation. That was the day after we got back."

 

With a sigh, Sonja raised her fist and knocked. She stepped back, folding her arms across her chest.

 

"Hopefully this doesn't take long . . ."

 

 

IC - Ethan Worth - Infirmary, The Alamo:

 

"Sounds good," Ethan said. "Lead the way."

 

 

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

 

Esen and Kyle's walked in awkward silence. It was not that the pair bore any particular problem with their job and destination, nor did they have any past antagonism to be settled. No; the awkward air came from the distractions that afflicted them both. The thought of meeting with Richie made Kyle more and more anxious with each step he took. It was not that he did not want to talk to the Executive per se, but rather the fact that what he needed to talk to him about--and what he wanted to talk to him about--were inherently emotional topics. For two people who had hardly spoken in several weeks, it would have been an agonizing conversation. For those who had not spoken in several months . . . His nerves nearly strangled him.

 

He sent the message to Richie Eston, anyway.

 

Esne was distracted, too, and it was not immediately clear why--at least, not until she slowed to a stop. Kyle halted mid-step, turning to look at her. They had just passed by another television; again, her eyes were glued to the message scrolling across its bottom. She finally turned back toward him, offering a small smile of apology.

 

"It's a very urgent message, isn't it?" she said.

 

Kyle nodded. "Condition 3. Last time that was declared, this base was under attack by Team Rocket."

 

"That was when you got shot?" Kyle nodded again. Esen ran her fingernails across the surface of her bag. "Would you put yourself in that situation again?"

 

Silence returned as Kyle thought this over. "Honestly," he said. "I don't know." He shifted his weight onto his other foot. "I want to say yes, but . . . It's really hard to say." Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. Between the aforementioned bullet, jumping off of a bridge to catch Jenny, saving Levi Alaric from being crushed by the serpent in the egg . . . "It was more of an instinctual decision, you know?"

 

A short beep echoed from the screen. An amended message had appeared--a 10-minute countdown to the beginning of the mission briefing. Esen watched it with half-closed eyes, and then looked down. Kyle glanced briefly between her and the screen, realization dawning on him. Esen took a deep breath and raised her head, matching his gaze. If she saw his silent pleas for her to reconsider what she was thinking, she ignored them.

 

"It sounds like they're pretty desperate for help."

 

"Esen--"

 

"Please don't tell me not to go," she interrupted. "I can fight without Pokémon--you already know that. I may be able to help them." She bit the inside of her cheek, looking away. "If nothing else, it would help to know what they're planning."

 

Kyle stared at her for some time, saying nothing. Finally, he sighed. "Do what you have to do," he said, reluctant to speak the words. She looked at him. He offered her a small smile. "Just . . . come back in one piece."

 

"I'll tr--I will," she corrected herself. "You stay safe, too." 

 

She smiled back. The genuine warmth in her expression lit up the hall. Kyle watched her go until she had disappeared around a corner, lost in his thoughts. The hall felt colder.

 

A sudden vibration from his Pokétch. He read the message.

 

 

I'll meet you there.

~Dad

 

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

The gardener nodded. It took a moment to realize Jared couldn't see her. "Y-yeah . . . I'm fine." She opened the door, offering a smile to the aura wielder. She held up her hand. "See? All clean now."

 

Her hand indeed was no longer stained with blood. Instead the deep and raw cuts were plainly visible, left open to the world.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

 

The wounds were ugly to look at, and they ran deeper than a quick glance would reveal. The best way to treat them would sting, and sting badly, but only for a short time. In the long run, it would be better.

 

He took her hand in his and carefully started applying the iodine. He held her wrist firmly, knowing her first instinct would be to pull away. He glanced up at her as he worked and asked, "So, are you having trouble with your powers, then?" She would try to pull away, but he couldn't let her. Sometimes you had to endure a bit of pain to heal better.

 

IC: Xander Cruize - Alamo, Four Island

 

"A storm is coming."

 

The occupants of the Meteorological Center turned as one to the strange person, the lone outsider amongst their midst, but when no response was forthcoming, they returned to their work.

 

The technician working at the person's console turned to her with a frown, having scanned the map with her well-trained eye and found no anomalies--well, aside from the obvious one.  "Octy, there's nothing there...?"

 

"It's here," Octavyn clarified, quieter, not wishing to disturb the peace as she usually did.

 

The weather-watcher nodded, not wishing to betray her own confusion.  Octavyn Nowarei was not known for frequent proclamation, so when she spoke, people listened...even if they rarely knew quite what she was trying to say.  They eventually would--

 

"Hellooooo gentlemen and lllladies of Alamo Meteorology!  I see you've kept the lovely Octavyn company while I was gone, but it's okay, I've got her now.  You're welcome."

 

Octavyn allowed herself the faintest hint of a smile, despite the rest of the room's eye-rolling coming dangerously close to registering on the Richter scale.  "Cameron."

 

"Octy," the egocentric broadcaster returned with an exaggerated bow.  Experience, at least, had finally taught him not to add 'my lady', it seemed--and with Morill, good behavior needed to be rewarded.  "Shift's up.  Care to walk with me to work?"

 

'Work'--if one could call Cameron's job that--was at most a five-minute walk away, and only five more from her own station at Command.  However...

 

"I'm late."  Octavyn notably did not consult a watch to discern this.

Cameron shrugged.  "So we'll stop by your place first, my tunes are fresh enough to keep.  Let's go."

 

With an inclination of her head, Octavyn accepted, leading her friend out into the proper hall.

 

"Sorry, would've been quicker, but I got held up in the halls.  You'll never believe who I ran into on break.  Remember that wimp--"

 

"Xander."

 

Cameron did a double-take, taking several critical seconds to realize Octy had not predicted him, but rather acknowledged the Trainer in question, who had just rounded the corner with Isa.  "Cruize!  I thought you'd already left, come back for more of me?"

 

Octavyn elbowed him.

 

"Er, right, sorry, Cruize, different wimp.  Not you."

 

Octavyn caught Isa's exasperated facepalm and smirked, but did not further intervene.  "I'm glad you are here, Xander.  You've grown."

 

The 'wimp' in question offered a half-hearted scowl at Cameron, but then smiled at Octavyn. "Thanks, Octavyn. You, too." As responses went, it was pretty lame, and Isa made Xander aware of this fact by elbowing him lightly in the ribs. "I mean, it's good to see you."

 

He was about to continue this train of thought, when all of their Holo Casters went off. As they all fished them out and read the message, Xander frowned. "Are any of you field agents?"

 

"Cameron was, but he chose to take a cushy DJ job after his first mission," Isa said with a playful grin. "Octy and I aren't, either." Realization struck her. "Oh, you are, aren't you? Your arm! How did I not realize?"

 

Xander shrugged. "No worries. I'll report in for duty later. For now, this is the first time we've all been back together since we were kids. You guys wanna grab some lunch? I'll buy."

 

Cameron swaggered forward, clapping Xander on his left shoulder. "I accept your offer, Cruize! Just don't complain if we drain your meager wallet."

 

Octavyn offered a wan smile.  "I'm late for my shift.  But I will see you later."

 

Cameron swiveled around to face Octy.  "Oh, right.  Sorry, Octy."  The DJ waved off the misstep to the others.  "Actually, I'll be escorting the lovely Octavyn to Command, and then the station called me in off break for some announcement or something.  I'll catch up for the tail end of lunch, though, so save me a plate!  I know you know what I like."  While Octy rolled her eyes in amusement and set off, Cameron backed down the hallway with her, shooting a pair of finger guns at Cruize and Isa with a wink.

 

Xander waved as the pair left, and he and Isa started towards the cafeteria. They made a few turns before Isa spoke. "Are you really planning to report for duty?"

 

The psychic glanced over and raised an eyebrow. "Of course. I'm a field agent. A new field agent. If I don't report, it might look bad." He smiled. "I can take care of myself, Isa."

 

"Right, that's why you have a broken arm. If you show up like that, won't that also reflect badly on you? The higher-ups might think you're a frigging idiot." Isa's eyes were blazing, and Xander sighed. She'd always been protective of the others.

 

"Isabelle, I have to go. I'm one of the only people who can possibly do anything."

 

"What do you mean?" She stopped and glared at him. He took a couple of extra steps before realizing she'd paused. He turned with a sigh.

 

"Maybe you haven't heard that some people have special powers, sort of like a Pokémon's--"

 

"What, you mean you're psychic, Xander?"

 

He blinked, his mouth opening in surprise. "Well, uh . . . yeah."

Edited April 16, 2017 by Mipha's Grace

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: James Arthur - Executive Suite

 

The door opened after a few moments. Out from it the Executive who owned the office appeared. He was wearing a black double breasted suit jacket with a yellow vest peaking out of it. And if anyone said that he had been wearing anything different at any point since he returned from his mission on Two Island, they were lying and would be dealt with.

 

"I see both of you arrived at the same time. In truth, I need to speak to both of you individually. Agent Baron, would you wait out here while I spoke with Agent Sanders?"

 

Executive Arthur allowed Ryan into the room while Sonja stayed outside. Lancelot could be seen for a brief moment while he entered a room on the other end. The Executive took a seat at his desk, briefly passing his hand over the keyboard of his laptop.

 

"I would offer you something to drink, but I only have a limited amount of time I can spend here. Please forgive me. Have a seat if you wish."

 

As Ryan took a seat, the Executive began speaking again.

 

"Allow me to get to the point. I need more information before I can make a decision on my next move. Your name has come up a number of times, when I looked into the Sins and as well as Ford's agents. If you would not mind, please tell me what you know about them, starting with the Sins."

 

OOC: It was the Easter Bunny who moved Ryan into the room by himself without Sonja and into the chair.

 

IC: Jamie Arthur - Liberty Hospital

 

Jamie almost giggled with delight when Lucia gave her approval. She could've frozen time completely right then to savor the moment. The young Rocket agent feared that her best friend would think this was a bad idea. Nothing else had gone right recently, why should that? But seeing the approval boosted her spirits back up to dangerously Jamie levels.

 

So she didn't actually register any context to what Shannon had said. Rather Jamie merely heard "I'm going with you to that briefing" to mean, "Let's go!"

 

With her almost delusional twisting of Shannon's emotions, ran to the door shouting, "Right! Onward!" her sheer bubbly energy blowing past Shannon before anyone could react.

 

She was already out in the hallway when she stopped, "Wait..." she spoke to herself as she realized something.

 

If there was any time that she needed to dip into her mentor's experience of being a hero, this was it.

 

"I need to go find my fellow Hero. Could you all go ahead without me? I will catch up wherever we're supposed to actually go."

 

She turned to go find Evan, but then made an about face and looked back into the room at Lucia one more time.

 

"Oh and Lucia... thanks," she said with a smile before running out to go find Evan.

Edited April 20, 2017 by Valorous Angel Minun4

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Pitter-patter Pitter-Patter

As Evan was walking with Amanda to the record room, those were sounds that echoed in his ears. "Sounds like someone's in a hurry." He thought with a chuckle, as he walked. It was then that the Plasma agent saw the source of the running sounds: a girl with long brown hair, and as she drew closer, green eyes to boot. It was someone he had (shamefully) been unable to really talk to as of late.

The Heroine of Time: Jamie Arthur, and she was on a collision course with the Hero of Space.

"Eep!"
 

She had run into him, knocking Evan onto his back. He thanked the good people in the hospital wing for binding his damage arm so well, otherwise he'd have been howling with pain. The Plasma Agent got up with his one arm, and looked up at Jamie, grinning a bit. He recalled, that like Jenny, if not moreso, this girl liked his "Hero" Act. So he -had- to act accordingly. The Hero put his left arm across his chest, slanting his hand in what he thought was a cool pose, and spoke.

"As I would have expected from the energetic Heroine of Time, a lot of spirit! Long time, no see, Jamie!"

Edited April 16, 2017 by Dr. Hidaka

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Heroes

 

Jamie was caught between pleasant shock at finding her mentor so easily, and horror as she ran into his arm, considering that she had just come from visiting someone with a serious arm injury. But one heroic pose later, she was reminded of how to act as a hero. She needed to respond with a pose of her own, but couldn't think of one. So she imitated the Rocket soldiers she had seen from her days at Abyss and slammed her right arm to her forehead, holding her right hand parallel and shouted "Sir! It's good to see you again, too. Sir!"

 

Evan was so caught off guard, that he broke broke his stance and chuckled a bit at his fellow's Heroine's pose. "Ease up, Little Miss Stopwatch, we're on equal terms." Evan said lightheartedly, giving a two-fingered salute of his own. "What's up? Where's the fire?"

 

"That's..." Jamie said breaking eye contact with Evan. Her spirits took a slight dip as she actually thought about what she was doing again. "It's the message that all the leaders sent out. Did you see it?"

 

"Yeah, I heard about it." Evan replied, breaking his salute, smiling a bit. "You going to get briefed about it? You gonna go fight?" He could tell that she wanted to go, but she also looked a bit.....discouraged.

 

Jamie nodded slowly, looking to the side as if in thought. "Yeah, that's the idea."

 

".....Go and fight, then!" Evan said, grinning at Jamie. "Did you stop to ask for my help, or......did you come for some advice?" The Plasma Agent then gave a slight bow to the Rocket Agent. "It'd be a joy to provide advice to you." He said helpfully. "As for help in battle......my arm prohibits me from thinking of joining....."

 

Jamie was quiet for a moment as she looked at Evan's arm, though it wasn't his arm she was thinking about. "It's just... I'm the right person for this, right? " Jamie said, bringing her arm "I have to be. I've seen these before and I can freeze time. I might be the only person for this mission. I can't ask you to go with me, and I can't ask the people who were with me last time to go with me. But when I was in that chamber with Ford... I think for the second time I can recall I was... scared."

 

As soon as she finished, Evan felt a strange sensation, one that brimmed with familiarity. It would seem that his fellow Hero was uncertain and afraid. This wouldn't do for the Hero of Space. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a gentle tone. "Why wouldn't you be the right person? Your hero's spirit burns bright and hot." Evan said, his voice sounding proud. "However, being scared.....isn't a bad thing in of itself, Jamie."

 

"Jeez, it is like I am talking to myself."

 

"All of the bravest heroes, at one point or another, have been afraid." The Plasma Agent spoke, his eyes focused on the Heroine. "It's ok to run. It's ok to be afraid. There's a difference between bravery and recklessness. You're showing that you -will- run, if things looks dicey, if that makes sense."

 

"I..." Jamie was admittedly a little worried that being scared meant she was doing the whole hero thing wrong. "I mean, does that mean even you get scared, sir?"

 

"Of course I have." Evan replied, smiling. "And I have had to flee my fair share of times. Of course, when I return to the fray, I made my foes wish they didn't make me do that."

 

"Heh," Jamie laughed, as she imagined what villains Evan must have struck terror into as he returned gloriously to battle. For some reason she got stuck on Lucia's not-dad. "That sounds totally hero."

 

"Dang right it does." Evan said, patting Jamie on the head playfully. "A Hero is courageous and tenacious, with little time for regrets. Give 'em heck for me, Stopwatch. Show them what -you- can do, and if things get scary, just come back here, and we three will better ourselves." As he spoke the last line, his eyes shone a lustrous dark pink, giving them an air of confidence.

 

Jamie laughed a little as Evan ruffled her hair. "Right, I'll show them whose side time is on. Hopefully Dahlia will be there too." Taking a deep breath and pumping her arms back, she shouted, "I'll show them what a chosen hero can do!"

 

"Atta girl!" Evan said, striking a dynamic pose. "This is your time to shine! You ain't no lionheart. You're a dragonheart. Give 'em what for!"

 

"Here I go!" she called running off to go find out where she was actually supposed to sign up for this mission thing.

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

There was a sharp intake of breath, and every muscle in Dahlia's body tensed. "I-I never said-" She bit her lip as Jared applied pressure to the wounds. The aura wielder glanced up at her with a knowing look. Dahlia closed her eyes against the pain. It took every ounce of effort not to cry out. Tears leapt to her eyes. "Y-you already know, don't you?" A bitter smile crossed her face. "Guess it wasn't that hard to figure out, the way I left the training grounds and all."

 

She had to blink several times to clear her blurred vision. Her hand throbbed in pain and her stomach had twisted itself into a massive knot. But Jared maintained his grip, diligently cleaning the cuts.

 

Dahlia took a deep, shaky breath. "M-my powers aren't as simple as yours. You've probably had yours since you were a kid. Mine were given to me a few weeks ago . . . by Giratina. Sinnoh's guardian deity of the Reverse." Her throat clenched up, but she knew she couldn't stop now. "With everything that's been going on lately, I've kind of had to, well, learn on the fly. I mean, I've had some training, kind of, but I still tend to . . . lose control." With a grimace, the girl briefly recounted the attack on the boat from Lilycove, how a Pinsir had broken her brother's leg and she had let her powers run wild. "I . . . I don't actually remember much of that battle. I just remember seeing Aspen's leg twisted like an old garden rake, and I was just so filled with rage. In that moment, I only wanted to avenge my brother. Then I woke up in the ship's medical ward with this terrible headache. Apparently I utterly defeated the Pinsir and sent it flying through the roof . . . and would have destroyed the rest of the boat had my friends not stopped me." Her tears were flowing as freely as her words. "Th-that's not like me. I've always been the kindest of my siblings, the peacekeeper, but now Giratina's given me this power and it seems to control me more than I control it. I want to help fight, I need to help fight, but I just can't . . . I can't protect anyone . . ."

 

Dahlia covered her face with her free hand and sobbed quietly. Her tears stung as sharply as the iodine on her hand, but their release came as a relief, as if they had been stored away far too long.

 

IC: Ryan Sanders - Executive Offices, The Alamo

Had James perhaps been wearing a more flamboyant suit, Ryan might have been too caught off guard to hear the question. Instead the executive was wearing a perfectly normal suit, and so the agent in question heard the query perfectly clear. At the same time he felt a chill run down his spine and a pit in his stomach. Why had Executive Arthur made his office so cold?

 

The topic at hand shouldn't have been a problem. He had already decided back in Sonja's room that he was done feeling guilty about his Sin. But with an executive staring across the desk at him, Ryan suddenly wished he was back in the egg; anywhere but here.

 

He bit his lip. Just like with Sonja's visions, If his information could somehow help in the battle against that blob, then it was vital that he be perfectly honest. There was no avoiding it. Best to start at the beginning. "I first heard about the Sins after the Liberty Ball. 'Anomalies,' they were called at the time. One had destroyed Galactic's base. One appeared in Johto. Two had attacked the Alamo. Blackskull suggested that we talk to Vert to learn more about the attack in R&D . . ."

 

Ryan's voice trailed off. His head tilted to the side as he dug through his memories. He stared at the executive, fighting off another chill.

 

"You were involved in that attack too, weren't you? You fought Lust and Greed."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: James Arthur - Executive Suite

 

The Executive kept eye contact with Ryan the entire time, but clasped his hands as Ryan finished speaking. He held them there for a moment before responding.

 

"Correct, I fought both of them alongside Dr. Vert, though only Greed had a particular interest in myself," he said, the executive's voice slightly distant. "When I visited Dr. Vert in her cell a while after the experience, she mentioned that you apparently the knew the human names of both Greed and Lust. Elaborate on this for me, please."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

 

He let her hand go and set the iodine to the side. "I see," was all he said as he picked up the bandages. Carefully, he started wrapping her knuckles. "You let your powers control you once, and now you're afraid of them. You don't want to let them get out of hand, but if you don't . . ."

 

Sounds familiar.

 

Hush.

 

He taped the bandages down. "I'm no expert on Giratina's power, but, as you said, I've had my Aura abilities for a number of years. If they are at all similar, I might be able to help you." He paused, biting his lip. "If you want my help, that is. If not, that's fine, too."

 

If not, she might end up hurting someone.

 

I can't forcibly help someone. She has to want my assistance.

[Flipz]

OOC: Jam time with Alku!

 

IC: Amanda Zarth/Evan Tierra

It was several seconds after the encounter of Heroes ended before Amanda became aware of her surroundings once more. Knight Tierra was already halfway down the hallway, apparently unaware that anything was amiss.

 

...was anything amiss? And if so, what was it?

 

Amanda clenched her fist, only to meet the unexpected resistance of a Pokéball within--she had seemingly stopped just short of summoning the Magnezone within. Upon further inspection, her pose seemed to indicate one of readiness--wide stance, loose knees, C-Gear tucked in close and shielded by arm and body with the other hand holding the Pokéball outstretched in preparation to begin battle, the briefcase in which it had been contained dropped unceremoniously at her side. What the inspection did not reveal was the source of the stimulus that had provoked the reaction.

 

A familiar tune began to chime from the device's Xtransceiver, drawing the attention of both Plasma agents. Shaken from her stunned stupor, Amanda automatically reached over to silence the alert.

 

"What was that all about?" Evan asked, curious as to why Amanda would react the way she did, noting the colour of her eyes was that of an intense purple. "A little surprise from our Leaders?"

 

Amanda checked the alert summary dutifully, scanning the transcript of the voice message. "A...perhaps," she responded distractedly. The blazing amethyst flame within her eyes died down to their usual embers as they reached the bottom of the screen. "Rook Kingsley has informed us that the Bishops wish the presence of at least one of the Team Plasma liaisons at the Liberty mission briefing." Something ticked away at her, something important, but elusive. The Plasma agent was thoroughly unprepared for such an indistinct input, and she struggled to properly categorize it. She became dimly aware of the scrutiny of her superior, and concluded that her internal indecision had exceeded operational margins, meaning he needed to be informed. "Additionally, I seem to be under the effect of a distraction of unknown source." She paused, comparing the situation to previous scenarios. "It is proving abnormally difficult to isolate."

 

The Plasma Knight furrowed his brow, raising his left arm up to his chin. "They request one of the liaisons, correct?" he spoke, considering his plans. "I need to meet up with my points of contact, so I'll put the trust of the Bishops to good use."

 

He then focused on Amanda. "You mind going in my and Jenny's place?"

 

Amanda blinked once, but then retrieved her briefcase and nodded. "I will resolve my mental distraction and attend to the matter immediately." Snapping off a salute to her superior, she spun on her heel and began marching toward the room listed in the briefing announcement.

 

It was two hallways and an elevator before Amanda could put a name to the feeling plaguing her. Instinct, she concluded. But why would that woman provoke such an instinct within me? Particularly given my distinct lack of predilection for such intangible matters? Shelving the issue--she had a name for it, after all, and that seemed to be enough to satisfy whatever part of her brain that had distracted her in the first place--she opened a new file on her C-Gear and stood patiently outside the door to Command.

Edited April 22, 2017 by Flipz

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize - Alamo, Four Island

 

Isa stared in shock, eyes wide and mouth open. "What, really? When? How?!"

Xander chuckled. "C'mon, I'll explain on the way to lunch. I really need to eat something." He turned and started walking, and on the way he explained it all to her.

 

The blonde girl grinned as they entered the cafeteria. "So you still have the Ralts you helped save when we were kids?"

 

"Well, obviously she's not a Ralts anymore, but yeah. Sylph was my only Pokémon the entire time I was in Kalos. i'll introduce you to the rest of my team later, if you want."

 

They ordered quickly and went to sit. "So, why'd you come to Sevii, anyways?"

 

"Oh, you know how it is. Octavyn has family out this way that she decided to see, and Cameron just had to tag along, so of course I have to make sure they keep out of trouble." She took a bite of the salad she'd ordered. "And seeing you, I think it's a good thing I did. Cameron would have dragged Octy into a mess, and I would have been guilty of not stopping them."

 

Xander shrugged, chuckling. "The arm is fine, really. It got seen to immediately after it happened, and the doctors say it'll heal fully in a couple of weeks because of that. My ribs are recovering, too."

 

"Your ribs? What did you do?!"

 

So, Xander explained everything that had happened since he'd arrived in Hoenn. He had just finished explaining about the Tentacruel when the doors to the cafeteria opened, and Cameron strode towards them.

 

"Alright, Cruize, you promised me lunch, so--" He was interrupted as, once more, their Holo Casters went off. Xander fumbled his out.

 

 

URGENT: SEEKING 18 VOLUNTEERS FOR PARTICIPATION IN PRELIMINARY RESEARCH AND CONTAINMENT AGAINST [̮͔̮ͯ̽͑̄͌ͤỤ̷̱͖̹̈́ͥͅN̶̴̦̹̮̭̗̈́͟W̴̻̤̰̞̝ͩͫͩͤͮ͠͡N̻̼̫̪̳̍̎̇̓͂̓̋͟ ̷͕͉͎͈̱̈́̎̂̉̍̓͞ͅT̴̴̟̼̯̼̍ͭ́͋́̅͌̓͐A͖̮̺̺̟̰̤̰͒ͮ̕R̛̭͍̍ͦͣ̉͘G̴̝͔̺̱͐͒ ͙̙̻̪ͧ̊̄ͦͪ͌̓̀̕M̵̸̤͉̻̏̊I̯̭̣̖̜̭̺͇͐̃̏͂̚͝S͉͇͉̝̙̣̀ͭ̾ͧ͗̅S̒ͬ͑͋ͭ͏̼̭͚̲͖͕̞͕̻I̳͕͚̓ͦ̂͌͌͗̆ͣ̐Ṅ̷̖̙͎̟̣̪̪ͤ͋͂̾̚͜G͓͎͛ͯ͊̈͗ ̗̰̟̓ͤ͋̾ͨ̎̀ͯ͞0̪͔̥̗̘̰̩̾ͨ̃͋͜0͔͇ͧ̔̄̈́ͦ̑̂ͮͅ0̪̝̲̑ͫ́̌̕0̵̯ͯ́0̵̨͙͍͚̣͔̬͖̒ͧ̇ ̸̷̠̱̗̖̈́ͨ̀̔U̧͎͛ͪ̀̚N̜͔̯͐ͤͬ̈̐͐͒͐̀K̝̺̜̲̲̀̑W̡̬͋̌̓̄ͨ̓̈̇N̢̏ͦ̎͛͏̺̻̳ ͇̲̙̮̬̜̦̅́ͦ̎͑ͪ̃͐̆̕͘ͅT̴̤̩̫̠̪̦̊̓̕ͅR̶̨̲̱̺̦̉̈̓͜Ǧ̷̻̘͚̟̻ͧͩ͟͞E͍̬̬̜̫͕̪̖̝̓̆̏̿͒̓͞T̹̼͚̜ͯͯͯ̄͆̾ͅ]̴̠͇͎̭̒͐̌ͮ̃̾ͮ̆̽̕

THIS MISSION IS CLASSIFIED AS CONDITION 3. AGENTS ARE WARNED OF POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE PERSONAL RISK.
BRIEFING WILL BE HELD IN 10 MINUTES TIME

 

 

Xander sighed and stood. "Sorry, Cam, it'll have to wait." He grinned. "See ya later." He teleported out, leaving Cameron and Isa staring at where he'd been.

 

IC: Belle LaDonna and Alma Mason - The Reef Runner

 

"So, who's this friend we're going to meet?" Alma asked as she ran a brush down Howler's side."I know she's someone you know, but . . . who is she?"

Belle looked up from where she was buffing Hemlock's scales and grinned. "She and I used to work in proximity with each other. Usually, we would just cross paths while doing various freelance work, but occasionally, we would get hired for the same job, so we would spend a lot of time hanging out in the same place, getting to know each other."

 

Alma nodded softly, running her fingers through the Poochyena's coat. "So, you trust her, then? Completely?"

Belle hesitated, looking down at the bright blue of Hemlock's back. "I don't know if I trust her completely. I'll say I trust her more than I've trusted anyone else. She's always done right by me, and I've always done my best to do right by her. Y'know?"

 

"What would you do if . . ." The girl hesitated, seeming to weigh her words. Belle turned fully to her and raised an eyebrow.

 

"If?" she prodded after a few seconds of silence.

 

"How would you feel if you didn't trust her completely, but you were in a situation where it was your only option?" Alma returned Howler and released Garnet. She picked up a cleaning cloth from the floor and started rubbing the creature's head.
 

"If I were in that situation . . . One where I had to rely on someone, but I didn't trust them? I would remove myself from that situation. I did it back home. I made a name for myself and dropped the people who tried to pretend they cared for me. I made my way on my own merits. If you can't trust someone, you shouldn't rely on them, either." Belle returned Hemlock to her ball and called out Arsenic. "Why do you ask?"

 

The girl was silent for long enough that Belle thought she might not have heard. Finally, she said, "I was just wondering."

Edited April 19, 2017 by Mipha's Grace

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Arius

As the group walked in Eterna Forest, Arius had sent out Eyes, to scope out anything interesting as they walked. After a good three minutes walk, the trainer had noticed that the Espurr had hung back, seeming to be enthralled by what she had been looking at. Her master looked in the direction she was, and saw what appeared to be a dilapidated mansion. It had clearly seen far better days, as it's peeling and broken exterior showed.

"Hey, guys?" The young man inquired. "Have any idea what that house is?"

IC: Evan Tierra

As he made his way to the Records Room, the Hero of Space thought about the talk he had with Jamie. "I'm always scared. Scared of losing all that is precious to me." As he thought, Evan stopped and reached into his pocket, and drew out three small silver charms, each adorned with a stone: One that resembled a brilliant diamond, one that resembled a gleaming pearl, and one that resembled a chunk of shining gold. He focused on the Diamond. "Regardless if she runs or fights, either will definitely merit giving her the Adamant Shard. Such is the proof of a Hero."

With those thoughts in mind, Evan had made his way to the Records Room, noticing there was no one there yet. Whistling a bit, he sat down onto a nearby bench, and started writing up his report on his pokegear. "I've got nothing better to do, may as well ensure I get the backing of the Bishops somehow."
 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan glanced over at Lucia for help as things settled down from Jamie's sudden exit. However, she proved to be no help, as she was just smiling at the air where Jamie had been. The black haired man couldn't see a way out of this for the time being, and let out a sigh.

 

"Alright." Ryan said finally, but had a troubled look on his face. "Let's go, then..." The man walked forward, headed out of the room as he motioned to Lucia and Shannon. He felt uneasy about the situation however, but couldn't place exactly why he felt that way. Something about the way Shannon was acting felt... off to him, and Ryan struggled to place a finger on why.

 

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

The psychic girl bit her lip as the group approached the Records Room. Something had bugged her on the way, and she nearly froze as she realized just what it was. To get the information, they would need the full names of Blue and Yellow; something that Chloe did not have. Troubled, she continued into the room, not even paying attention as she walked right past Evan. She glanced around with a nervous expression on her face, as she looked for where she needed to go. With an uncertain air around her she headed toward a terminal at the far side of the room, hoping that it would have the information that they needed.

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

The girl sniffled and wiped her tears on her arm. A wry smile played on her lips as she looked at Jared. "The last person who offered to help me changed his mind after he saw me lose control. But if you're willing to work with me . . . I'll take all the help I can get. I have to learn how to control these powers."

 

IC: Ryan Sanders - Executive Offices, The Alamo

"The Garven twins. Melanie and Melissa."

 

The names felt simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar on his tongue, as if part of a once-forgotten memory. For a moment Ryan let himself become lost in thought, before realizing that James was waiting for further explanation.

 

"We grew up together in Fortree. They were a year older than me, so I didn't know them too well, but they were always nice. They would have graduated high school shortly after Team Rocket chased me out of Fortree, just over a year ago." His nostalgic smile vanished, replaced with a troubled frown. "I recently went back to Fortree to try and find what happened to them. But their parents didn't seem to recognize their names. It was like they had never existed. Instead of finding answers, I only found a Sin of my own. Gluttony, a man who was once known as Albero DeLargo. Albero and Gluttony . . . it was like they were two different people. Albero didn't want me to suffer; he wanted me to accept my sin and learn from it. Gluttony just wanted to consume me."

 

He fell silent again, a thoughtful look in his eye. He looked over at the executive, unsure if he really wanted to ask the question resting on the edge of his lips.

 

"Lust and Greed . . . when you fought them, did you see any sign of Melanie and Melissa?"

 

IC: Shannon Willows/Madison - Medical Wing, The Alamo

"Hold on a second." Madison folded her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes at Shannon. "What happened to you being restricted to the medical wing? I thought the whole reason we came in here was because you couldn't leave?"

 

"To heck with the hospital rules," Shannon shot back. She stamped her feet on the ground. "I can stand on my own two legs just fine; I can certainly make it down the hall to a briefing. I'll just sneak out; the nurses here are so busy, they'll never notice I'm gone. And if anyone does try and stop me, Lucia's my licensed healer-slash-physical-therapist. She'll vouch for me."

 

The skier raised an eyebrow. "You may get past the nurses just fine, but I guarantee you someone in that briefing is going to question what a girl in a hospital gown is doing there."

 

Shannon's face reddened. "W-well, I was going to change as soon as you all gave me some privacy!" With the frenzy of a madwoman, she grabbed Madison and ushered her towards the door, pushing Lucia and Ryan outside as well despite the latter two already being in the doorway. Once all three trainers were out, the girl issued a word of warning, "Don't you dare leave without me!" before shutting the door.

 

Ryan, Lucia, and Madison stood in stunned silence. It was Madison who broke the spell with a look of amusement aimed at Ryan. "Well, she's certainly a feisty one. Gotta say, I like the way she thinks."

 

Before the black-haired trainer had a chance to respond, the door opened to reveal a bright and smiling Shannon. The girl sported blue jeans and an unzipped navy jacket over an olive colored t-shirt, no doubt to hide the residual scar tissue on her arms and legs. Her hair was adorned with a small Butterfree-shaped hairclip and her demeanor seemed to have done a complete one-eighty. Even with the three Pokéballs resting on her hip, she felt more like a girl about to go for a pleasant stroll in the park than an important mission briefing.

 

"Ta-da! The perfect disguise; no one will suspect I've escaped the medical wing!" With a giggle, she bounded forward, grabbed Ryan's hand, and led the way down the hall. "What're we waiting for? Let's go already!"

 

IC: Dack Majors/Luke - Records Room, The Alamo

As Dack followed Chloe through the records room, it felt like the girl was just as lost as he was. Not a good impression to get from the person who was supposed to be leading them on this little fetch quest. Despite his misgivings, Dack felt it best to keep his thoughts on the matter to himself, at least for the time being. But for all the trouble they were going through, he really hoped at least one of Chloe's contacts would get them to Ford.

 

He was so focused on their task that he didn't realize Luke had fallen behind until he heard the blackbelt shout, "You!"

 

The sound of a Pokéball opening echoed across the room, and by the time Dack had turned on his feet, Luke's Machoke was towering over the Garchomp-Man from the egg. Even with the man's arm in a sling, both Luke and his Machoke looked ready to punch him through a wall. "Luke, what are you doing?" Dack hissed, trying his best not to make a scene. Unfortunately, the growling Machoke had already succeeded in attracting the attention of numerous onlookers. "Have you lost your mind?!"

 

"It's him!" Luke pointed an accusatory finger at the Garchomp-Man, not daring to take his eyes off of him. "Dack, he's the guy from the Void Tower!"

 

It took several seconds for Dack to process this information. It took several more to decide that yes, this man was the same Spacial Horror they had fought in Hearthome. Minus the shadowy aura and sinister grin, of course. Dack swore under his breath and strode toward the man in question, one hand concealing his Bastiodon's Pokéball. "When we fought together in the egg, you told me we had never met before. You've got some explaining to do."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

"Wha-" The man was almost dragged along by the once bedridden girl, a look of bewilderment on his face from everything that happened. Ryan felt conflicted, as he thought over everything. "Do you happen to know exactly where you're leading us, Shannon...?"

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

For what it was worth, Lucia was admittedly impressed by the sheer amount of energy that Shannon was showing off during all of this. It was nothing like the girl who feigned injuries to stay in her bed or wheelchair the past week or more, that was for sure. But something bugged her too; the way that she had been reacting was most certainly out of the norm for anyone, especially considering how angry she had seemed before Jamie had interrupted. Lucia wanted to bring it up, but knew that this was most certainly not a proper time to do so, especially in front of everyone.

 

"So, how do you fit into the group? I think I remember seeing you around Celadon. For that matter, who are you, anyway?" The redheaded healer asked Madison, as she didn't seem that connected to anyone else she knew.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: James Arthur - Executive Suite

 

The sinner sitting across from Ryan moved his lips as if he were repeating the name 'Melissa' to himself, keeping Ryan waiting for several moments.

 

Eventually he spoke again, "If there was anything left that could be considered human in them, I did not see it. There was no conflict in Greed. Although..." he didn't particularly want to get Ryan's hopes up, but it was the only thing he noticed. "They remained together even as Sins, even choosing targets that were next to each other. If that could be explained by some residual feeling of fraternity, then there is that."

 

"My question is why you are able to remember the Garven twins when their own parents could not?"

 

I could at least make some calls to try and find if there is any documentation proving that Melissa existed, James thought silently.

 

"Did you ever meet anyone else who once knew the Garven twins?"

Edited April 20, 2017 by Valorous Angel Minun4

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

 

The silver-haired trainer nodded. "Why don't we head back out to that arena? It will have the space for us to spread out a bit. I'll show you some meditation techniques, how to center yourself so that you aren't overwhelmed by your abilities. You also need to understand that losing control isn't something to be ashamed. You don't want to lose control, because someone could get hurt, but there's no shame in it happening. You don't become an expert Pokémon battler without losing sometimes, you know?"

 

He opened the door, smiling. "On the way there, tell me a bit more about the Reverse powers? I'm not entirely familiar."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jake Harris - Eterna Forest.

 

"Besides another detour?" Jake said with a slight hint of sarcasm.

 

But as Jake thought about it more, the more he thought of it as a good sign.

 

"It might be the landmark we need to find our way. They wouldn't build a house that big incredibly deep in the forest. Can hardly drive so you can't get food fresh without serious labor. And you'd have serious food needs if that house was fully staffed at any point. Plus not enough open space for farm ground to supply its own food. We have to be getting close... unless..."

 

At this point, anyone smart would stop paying attention or someone merciful would interrupt him has he began to list countless alternatives as so to be as thorough as possible.

[Flipz]

IC: Amelia Zann/Alex Zyther (July 31st)

"...I see." Nurse Joy sighed into the phone. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'll go inform the Pokémon." The healer hung up, gripping the receiver a little too tightly as she did so. This was always the worst part of her duties--but that didn't make the job any less necessary.

 

Holding back her tears, Nurse Joy headed into the back hallways of the Pokémon Center, heading to the storage room with quite possibly the worst news her four charges would ever hear.

 

 

 

---------------

 

The Pokémon Center, like the hospital hallways before it, was empty. While not unusual for Laverre City--the hospital was close by, and the city's populace was both small and rather...traditional in its preferences for medical treatment--it still struck Dr. Canard as odd. Something is not right here, the medical examiner mused, and I'm not sure I want to find out what. Even the desk was unoccupied, the only sign of life in the place a television softly reporting the news--some breaking story in Kanto, from the looks of it. Those poor people. Didn't they suffer enough from that debacle in Celadon? What more must those poor unfortunate souls be forced to endure?

 

The doctor's concentration was broken when Amelia Zann cleared her throat. "Well, Doc?"

 

Dr. Canard started--he'd almost forgotten his gun-toting ex-patient. Well, ex-prospective patient. Posthumously. This mess is certainly going to make for an...unusual report to say the least. "Ah, yes, my apologies." He looked around, but saw no sign of the Nurse Joy who was supposed to be at the desk. "It appears that Nurse Joy has stepped out, but I'm sure she'll be--"

 

Amelia shot the doctor a death glare. "I'm not in the mood for waiting. Where are my Pokémon?"

 

"In the back," Alex supplied. "Last door on the left, unless Laverre has one of the big centers, then you have to make a right down the side hallway." Alex shrugged, an impressive feat for a young man supporting himself on a pair of crutches. "Until a few months ago, Kalos was everything I've ever known. And with my...condition...I've been in places like this just about as often as a hospital."

 

Amelia nodded distractedly. "Sure, sure." She looked to Canard expectantly. "Doc?"

 

Dr. Canard sighed. "All right, all right, fine." The medical examiner held up his name badge to the scanner and typed in his override. "You know we just want to help you, right? There's no need for you to force the issue like this."

 

"Forgive me if I'm not exactly trusting of your sort of 'help,'" Amelia muttered cryptically. She stepped toward the doors as they opened, but to her surprise Alex was the first one through. With a shrug she gestured toward the doctor. "After you, I guess."

 

Following the grumbling doctor through, Amelia sealed the doors behind the trio before following Alex's lead down the hall.

 

 

---------------

 

Nurse Joy took a deep breath as she knelt before the four Pokémon, steeling herself for what she was about to say. "Hello. The last time we spoke, I explained that your Trainers would be here for you soon, but I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news." You've done this before Joy, you can't hesitate now. "I'm afraid your Trainers are--"

 

The healer jolted upright at the sound of the door squeaking open behind her. The Dedenne before her squealed joyously.

 

"Dinene!"

 

"Didi!" a blonde-haired young man cried, dropping his crutches and falling to his knees so he could open his arms for the Electric-and-Fairy-type to leap into. "I was so worried when I woke up without you!"

 

Nurse Joy froze at the sight of the boy, who was followed into the room by an unfamiliar redheaded woman and one of the doctors from the hospital--she couldn't recall which one. "Doctor...?" she queried. "I...I just got a call from the hospital telling me that these Trainers..."

 

Dr. Canard sighed. "Yes, I'm well aware. There was a...a mix-up, of sorts." He glanced nervously at Amelia, not wanting to risk her ire. "It's really a long story."

 

Amelia, for her part, glared down at Sina and Harvey with a mix of consternation and relief. "Sina. Harvey. Glad to see you both in one piece. Enjoy your vacation without me?" As Sina rolled her eyes and Harvey chewed his claws nervously, Amelia's gaze passed to the last Pokémon in the group--and suddenly her hand dropped to her belt, her voice icy with hate. "You."

 

The Ralts drooped his head sadly, making no move to defend himself. He'd expected this, especially after Amelia's Pokémon had explained exactly what he'd done.

 

Both doctors looked back and forth confusedly between Amelia and the blue-capped Ralts who had prompted her rage. Canard--realizing what Amelia surely must have been going for--spoke up in his most soothing tone. "Ms. Zann, it's all right. I'm not sure what's wrong, but I assure you that that Ralts--"

 

"Darn near killed my Van! If it werern't for that little ******, I wouldn't be here in the first place! Not here, not Celadon...I swear to Arceus, I oughta--"

 

To the utter shock of everyone in the room, it was Alex who brought the confrontation to a halt, the young man forcing himself to his feet and standing between the Ralts and the rage-filled woman, arms protectively outstretched.

 

"No."

 

Didi wailed, the diminutive creature futilely copying the gesture as she stood between Amelia and her Trainer, whiskers vibrating with effort.

 

"No? Kid, I don't think you understand--"

 

"I understand well enough. I'm sorry about what happened to your Pokémon, it sounds like it was really bad. But we're all here now, so there's no need to be a bully."

 

This broke through Amelia's rage, at least enough to prompt an upraised eyebrow. "A bully? That's what you're going with?"

 

"I don't like bullies," Alex mumbled, intimidated but unwilling to back down. Even though he knew he was safe, knew the madwoman needed him alive and well, every instinct in him was screaming to get out of her way. He pointedly--if with difficulty--ignored them.

 

Amelia snorted, planting her hand on her hip instead of going for her hidden weapon. "You got guts, kid, I'll give you that." She glared at the Ralts. "That little **** owes me, big time." She fished a Premiere Ball out of her pack and tossed it to Alex, who fumbled it in surprise. "But if you want to stand up for him that bad, he's your problem now." Summoning Sina and Harvey to her with a jerk of her head, she yanked her belt of Pokéballs out of the stunned Nurse Joy's hands and spun on her heel, marching out the door without a second look back. "Five minutes," she warned from the hallway, and was gone.

 

Alex's knees wobbled--well, all of him was shaking, really, the knees were just the most evident--and a second later he was back on the floor. "I...I can't believe...I did that.." he muttered, mostly to Didi, trailing off as the Dedenne squeaked quietly at him.

 

A tap on the shoulder broke his concentration. To Alex's surprise, the Ralts was holding the dropped Premiere Ball out to him.

 

"Oh, uhh...thank...thank you," he mumbled, embarassed by the stares he was still getting from the two doctors in the room. The Ralts simply stared at him, briefly fiddling with the red bowtie-like protrustion on his chest before clasping both hands behind his back like a proper gentleman. "I'm sorry, did you...er, I'm sorry, I don't even...know your name..."

 

"Raleigh," Nurse Joy supplied, finally getting over her stupor. "That's what he called himself when he brought us to you in the woods."

 

"When he...what?"

 

"Ah yes," Dr. Canard interjected, having overcome his own shock as well. "That wild Ralts was the one who alerted emergency services to your and Ms. Zann's presence two weeks ago. He hardly left your side afterward, until the nurses insisted he come here to be treated for his own injuries."

 

"If I'm not wrong, young man, I think...I think he wants to go with you."

 

Alex looked to Raleigh, who nodded solemnly. "Are...are you sure?" Another nod. "Well...all right then, I guess." Tapping the button on the front of the Pokéball, Alex held it out toward Raleigh, who was immediately drawn into it. With barely a wobble, the device clicked, signifying a successful capture. "Welcome to the team, Raleigh." The simple statement prompted a frown from the young man. "That reminds me...where are Sylph and Blissie?"

 

The two doctors looked to each other, mystified. "I beg your pardon?"

 

"My Eevee and Blissey? They were both with me back in Celadon City..."

 

Dr. Canard paled. "Is...is that so?" he murmured, sounding faint.

 

Nurse Joy, who seemed only slighly less surprised by the revelation, folded her hands in consideration. "We did find two used but empty balls on the woman's belt. Perhaps they were theirs?"

 

Alex shook his head. "No, they weren't the right kind...oh, I know!" Alex clicked the Premiere Ball again to send out Raleigh. "Hey, uh...Raleigh...when you found us, did you see an Eevee or a Blissey?"

 

Slowly, almost regretfully, Raleigh shook his head. He looked away, seeming if anything even more guilt-ridden than he had before.

 

"That's okay, Raleigh. Thanks anyway." He smiled gently at the Timid Psychic-type. "Hey, think you could grab my crutches for me?" The Ralts bowed and retrieved the requested item, earning another smile from Alex. "Thanks, Raleigh. Come on, let's go check on gun-lady before she gets mad...well, more mad anyway."

 

'Gun-lady?' Nurse Joy mouthed at Canard as Alex and his two Pokémon left. The medical examiner shook his head.

 

"It's a long story, I'm afraid." He furrowed his brow. "Celadon...another piece of the puzzle it seems. Such an odd pair...and how did they get from there all the way to Kalos?"

 

"Well, Raleigh did know Teleport...though why a Kalosian Ralts would be all the way in Kanto is a mystery all on its own."

 

"Yes, he did seem a bit...unusual, to say the least." Dr. Canard's frown grew deeper. "Rather quiet for a Psychic-type, actually, now I think of it."

 

Nurse Joy's eyes widened. "You...haven't seen the news?"

 

"I'm afraid I've been a bit busy since my scheduled autopsies suddenly sat up and walked off the morgue slabs." The medical examiner observed Nurse Joy's expression with mounting alarm. "Why do I get the sudden impression that's not the strangest thing you've heard today?"

 

"Doctor..." Nurse Joy fidgeted nervously. "I think there's something you--and your patients--really need to know."

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan looked up to see the Machoke, a Black Belt with a blue headband, and the black haired person who had fought alongside him in the Egg. The mention of Void Tower stirred quite a few memories in his mind, prompting him to reply. "Void tower? As if I would be caught dead in a drab place like that." The Hero replied giving a confident grin to Luke and his Machoke. "If you met anyone who looked like me, I'm willing to bet they had a scary aura, a love for beating you while you were down, and a big toothy grin, right?"

Evan rose up from where he was writing his report, making sure to not do it too quickly, as to not be sent into next week via Machoke punch. He then looked at Dack. "You probably fought a shadow of myself." Evan said, his tone calm and formal. "I would know, since I met him myself. He's not exactly an issue now, since I sealed him off, with help." He then flipped out his Plasma Badge nice and slowly, as he looked at Luke.

"My name is Evan Tierra, Knight-Class Plasma Operative and Hero of Space." Evan said, as he began the works for a dynamic pose. "I was born and raised in Sinnoh by my family, in which the blood of Elite Four Bertha flows strong. I was chosen by Palkia, after proving myself. I've fought the Ancient Darkrai, faced the power of Kyurem in Unova -and- died by it's claws, I witnessed the defeat of the Master of The Ancient Darkrai and pummeled the daylights out of the Spacial Horror, with amusing amounts of help." Evan pointed his left hand up, and then at Luke.

"As Warrior and Hero, I really don't think it'll benefit either of us if you hit me. I was just waiting here for a friend named Chloe." The hero said in a relaxed tone, chuckling a bit. "I had seen her go in,but then this happened."

Edited April 21, 2017 by Dr. Hidaka

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

Dahlia nodded as she led the way back to the training arena. "Reverse is . . . kind of complicated. I'm not sure I fully understand its potential myself." She gave a sheepish smile. "But I've been able to reverse the order of my actions and their effects -- someone feeling a punch before I throw it, for example, or crushing a water bottle before I grab it. Just now I was working on undoing actions that already happened, like uncrushing soda cans. And in the heat of battle I can reverse my opponents' movements to . . ."

 

The gardener let her voice trail off. She had planned to say her powers could disorient her opponents, but McKinley's Xatu was a very poor example of that ability. Perhaps it was best if she stuck to using her powers on herself or on inanimate objects. She mulled Jared's words over in her head. Sure, it was better to lose control in training than in an actual fight, but what if someone got hurt? She tried not to think about it.

 

IC: Ryan Sanders - Executive Offices, The Alamo

The agent frowned. "I wouldn't go as far as to say they were the most popular girls in school, but, well, they were twins. That kind of stands out." He racked his brain for anyone he knew had met the Garvens. "Kevin Steele . . . Grant Cochran . . . Oh, and Jordan Taylor. They all knew the Garvens. In fact, I'm pretty sure Grant had a crush on Melanie at one point. Or was it Melissa? Probably both."

 

Memories of his school days rushed back to him, prompting a chuckle and a nostalgic smile. It took a moment for him to remember he was still sitting in an executive's office.

 

"I couldn't tell you if any of them still know the Garvens. I haven't met anyone who remembered them since I left Fortree and joined Team Liberty last year." He shrugged. "You could also try looking up Fortree High School's records. Even if the Garvens didn't graduate for some reason, there should at least be a record of them attending school."

 

IC: Dack Majors/Luke - Records Room, The Alamo

"That's quite the resumé you've got there." Luke peered at the Plasma Badge, still wary of the man yet clearly impressed. "We're with Chloe, so we'll let her confirm your story. But I'll admit, the fact that you're not beating us down right now certainly helps."

 

"You fought against the Ancient Darkrai," Dack said. "That's all the proof I need. Sorry for the misunderstanding, Evan Tierra."

 

"What?" Luke cried. "You're just gonna believe him? Just like that? There's massive holes in his story! If Kyurem really killed him, how is he standing here to tell us about it?!"

 

Dack put a hand on Luke's shoulder and gently led him back toward the terminal Chloe was at. "He helped me fight against McKinley and a mind-controlled Ford," he said quietly. "We can trust him."

 

IC: Shannon Willows/Madison - Medical Wing, The Alamo

The skier chuckled at Lucia's question. "Sometimes I wonder how I fit into all this, too. The name's Madison Morrow. I'm Dack's girlfriend. You know, the tall, black-haired guy who tends to act rashly?"

 

She glanced ahead at the sight of Shannon pulling along a bewildered Ryan.

 

"Um, the other tall, black-haired guy who tends to act rashly. Anyway, Dack's with Team Rocket and knew Hannah, the girl who attacked Celadon, before she went crazy. Hannah attacked our hometown, Snowpoint, and we followed her to Celadon. After her capture, we met Ethan and Gavin, and got roped into this whole Ford business." Madison fell silent when she noticed that Ryan and Shannon had slowed down. The reason for the change in pace quickly became evident: they had reached the medical wing's lobby.

 

"Of course I know where I'm leading you," Shannon said. "Away from here. Now this is the hard part. If anyone asks, we're friends who just came from visiting a mutual injured friend. Just act natural. We'll be fine." The girl seemed like she was trying to convince herself more than Ryan that their plan was a solid one. She hugged the black-haired trainer's arm tightly and strode through the lobby with enough nervous energy to arouse the suspicion of anyone watching for a runaway patient.

 

Thankfully, nobody paid any mind to the young couple that had clearly just come from visiting their mutual injured friend, nor did they look up at the two girls who followed at enough of a distance that they could have been a separate group. Everyone was simply too preoccupied with their own personal problems or the news of a potentially deadly mission to care about four simple visitors.

 

When they finally made it out of the medical wing, Shannon let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Oh man, I can't believe we just did that!" A wide grin spread across her face and she looked about ready to run off with Ryan in tow once more before she thought better of it. "Alright, now it's your turn to lead the way, Ryan. Do you know exactly where you're leading us?"

 

Madison allowed herself a smile at the pair's antics, then glanced back at Lucia. "So, where do you fit in? Shannon mentioned you were her personal healer?"

Edited April 21, 2017 by Konuju

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

"It's good that my resume meets your approval." Evan replied, as he too went towards the terminal Chloe was working at. He looked at the auburn-haired Psychic, and a mischievous idea crossed his mind, one he blamed Jenny for. The Hero snuck near Chloe's workspace, and without missing a beat, spoke in a confidant and heroic tone.

 

"HELLO, HIKARI, HOW ARE YOU?!"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters - Alamo, Four Island

 

"I see. That sounds pretty incredible, to be honest." Jared smiled as they continued walking through the winding halls of the Alamo.

 

Do you want me to take over for this, then?

 

No. I can handle this just fine, I don't want to scare her off.

 

 

Well you're not any fun.

 

IC: Lachina Adaon - Alamo Training Field, Four Island

 

The girl took a deep, calming breath as the wind rushed past her ears. She loved flying with Aolani more than just about anything else, and it felt like so long since she'd gotten a chance to ride the cloud bird. She looked down at the ground and grinned. Everything was so distant from up here.

 

She gave a command, and the Altaria stopped ascending. A moment later, they were diving towards the ground, and Lachina's yell of glee was ripped away behind her by the wind. She closed her eyes, basking in the feeling of pure free-fall. Aolani had this down to an art-form; she leveled off with just a few feet to spare from the ground, and kept flying low.

 

Lachina smiled. Now it was her turn. She had seen some of the older rangers pull daring feats of aerial acrobatics, and now she was going to try some herself. Aolani started ascending again and Lachina waited until they were a good distance up before jumping. As she fell, she brought her  knees up and executed a backwards somersault. She landed lightly, bending into a crouch and using one of her hands to stabilize herself. Her free hand whipped her capture styler out and extended it. Aolani circled quickly to hover behind her. 

 

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon - Alamo Training Field, Four Island

 

"Well, that was impressive."

 

Lachina's head snapped up, and she straightened a bit to quickly. If Aolani hadn't been behind her, she would have fallen back onto her bottom. "Mercury-- or, Jared! Hey! Hi, um . . . You saw that?"

 

The aura wielder nodded. "Yeah, I did." He smiled, throwing a thumbs-up. "Wish I could do stuff like that."

 

Lachina would have said something embarrassing, she was sure, but then she saw the other girl standing behind Jared. "Oh, uh . . . Who's this?"

 

Jared smiled. "Oh, right. Lachina, this is Dahlia. I'm going to help her with some meditation exercises. Dahlia, this is Lachina. We've been traveling together for a few weeks. Lachina, you want to meditate with us?"

 

"Sure! Yeah, sure, absolutely. Yup." As Jared walked over to a spot surrounded by tin cans -- what was that about? -- Lachina followed. When Jared sat, she did too, matching his posture of legs crossed and hands palm-up on knees.

 

"Dahlia, come sit across from me, alright?"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: James Arthur - Executive Suite

 

The executive nodded in response to Ryan "I cannot say for certain that we will learn anything worthwhile from following those leads, but considering our lack of understanding of the origins of the Sins, it is worth a try."

 

"For now, I would like to change the topic. From what it seemed on Two Island, you were leading a number of people on a rescue mission."

 

James paused for a moment as he considered how to best broach the topic. He had hoped that Ryan and Sonja would've arrived separately. Perhaps he should have added a delay between the messages.

 

"The people you sought to rescue were Agent Sonja Baron, Agent Ray Hakuda of the Team Rocket Separatists, Agent Skye Hall of Team Rocket and Ellen Burks, a civilian from Unova who was caught up in these events," James listed, briefly glancing at a list he had open on his laptop screen. "I was wondering if you knew the circumstances behind Ford capturing each of his hostages."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

The girl ignored the noise in the background, unsure what everyone was talking about. She did not care, however, as she knew that their time was limited, one way or another. She tried search after search, but everything just seemed too general. For people who had colours as their names it was certainly a tough time to find them, when the computer included it as last names. She would have explored the search option if she had more time, but...

 

Chloe paused, as she recalled a fragment of a memory. What was it... it was something important, from when she recruited Blue. . .

 

This belonged to my grandfather at one time.

 

"Grandfather..." Chloe mumbled under her breath as she tried to remember the rest of it. She reached into her purse and pulled out her Pokedex, knowing that it had to be important. "... Right." The psychic girl's eyes widened, as she placed the device on the keyboard, and typed in one final phrase.

 

"Blue Oak."

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

"Of course I do." Ryan answered with a bit less certainty than he had aimed for. "Probably more so than most who don't belong here." The man put his free hand into his pocket, a hint of an amused smile on his face. He wasn't wrong either. After the group had returned, he had tried to get into the command center a few times to try and find out what was going on about the things that had shown up, only to be turned away because only the top staff were allowed in.

 

"Come on, it's this way."

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia listened intently, as she nodded a couple times at the appropriate places. When Madison asked her question, however, the redhead found herself at a loss for words. She decided that first she'd introduce herself.

 

"My name's Lucia; now Lucia Zyther, but everything's just a confusing mess regarding my last name honestly. As for how I'm connected to everyone else" The girl felt hesitant to continue as she glanced away to look at the walls. However, she knew that keeping quiet wouldn't help anything.

 

"Sometimes I don't know." Lucia admitted, as she walked in silence for a while. "My only real tie to things usually has been with Jamie and Gavin and everyone. Even with Ryan, the only reason I even met back up with him in the first place and found out he was my brother... it was because of them. Even staying back to help Shannon was because I was the best choice, since helping Jamie's brother's Pokemon was the main reason." The healer bit her lip, as she ran her fingers through her hair awkwardly.

 

"It's not a bad thing, don't get me wrong." The girl said quickly, but looked uncertain. "I just wonder sometimes if they actually need me. If everything could function just the same, it would still be okay if things happened just without me. Sometimes that scares me."

 

Lucia stayed quiet for a little longer after that, but glanced up as she noticed that they were approaching their destination. "But, um, that doesn't really matter much. I'm sure it'll go away soon, like usual."

 

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

The girl looked at the screen intently as she pressed the enter key, the results about to pop up any second now. . .

 

"HELLO HIKARI!"

 

. . .

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Chloe whirled around right after she figuratively jumped ten feet into the air. The girl took a few moments to catch her breath, as she blinked and slowly looked around. Her sudden outburst of terror had caught the attention of others for a brief moment, but they quickly went back to whatever it was they were doing.

 

"Whatevenwasthatyoucouldhavegivenmeaheartattack?!" The girl took a few more calming breaths, but gave Evan a bit more of a stern look until she finally just let out a slight giggle at the sheer zaniness of the situation.

 

-==IC: Yugo==-

 

"I don't know." Yugo said slowly, half to cut in before Jake could bore them to death, and half because something felt... off. "I mean, if everyone else wants to go, I have no objections but... I don't know. Something doesn't feel right about this." He had a feeling, too, that it was more than the decision to seemingly not keep the outside repaired.

Edited April 21, 2017 by Blessed Blade

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Training Field, Four Island

Dahlia waved at the new girl. "It's nice to meet you, Lachina." Her smile faltered when she saw the spot Jared had chosen for meditation. Why did it have to be in the middle of all those cans? How was she supposed to focus when she was surrounded by her failures? With a moment's hesitation, Dahlia followed the aura wielder and sat across from him, doing her best to match his posture and trying not to think about the cans that littered the floor around them. Like shards of broken mirror. "So, um, what now?"

 

IC: Dack Majors/Luke - Records Room, The Alamo

Luke took one look at Evan's comedic assault on Chloe and turned a skeptical eye on Dack. "We can trust him? Maybe he won't kill us, but I wouldn't put it past him to scare the living daylights out of us all."

 

Ignoring his friend, Dack strode up to the startled girl and jerked a thumb at Evan. "You know this guy? Luke is convinced he tried to kill us once in Sinnoh, but Garchomp-Man here claims that was a shadow version of himself. Which doesn't surprise me, given that this happened during the reign of the Ancient Darkrai. Can you confirm his story?"

 

IC: Shannon Willows/Madison Morrow - Hallway, The Alamo

Shannon let out a giggle at Ryan's teasing. "I don't know what you're talking about; I'm right where I belong." With a subtle squeeze of his hand, she followed him down the hall. "I'm sure you'll find it eventually, but it's the journey that counts. Right?"

 

Madison slipped her hands into her pockets as she walked alongside Lucia, listening patiently to her rambling story. When the healer fell silent, she offered a soft smile. "I know what you mean, actually. I'm nowhere near as good a trainer as Dack, and many times I wonder if I'm just a burden to him. I'm sure he'd rather I stay safe in Snowpoint where I don't have to worry about getting eaten by a giant blob thing." A grin broke out on her face. "Of course in Snowpoint I risk my life every day barreling down steep slopes with nothing a couple of plastic sticks stuck to my feet and a pair of poles, so joke's on him. In all seriousness though, Dack needs me looking out for him just as much as he looks out for me. You may not realize it, but I'm sure you mean more to your friends than they let on. Don't let it get you down. Just look at Ryan and Shannon. Would they really be as happy as they are together if it wasn't for your helping Shannon recover?"

 

The skier let Lucia chew on her words as they stepped into the command center. The place was bustling with activity. A large monitor depicted a red circle superimposed over an aerial photograph of Two Island. Other monitors showed video footage of the monsters depicted in recent news broadcasts. Aside from the technicians furiously typing away at their keyboards, it was hard to tell who was a regular at the command center and who had answered the Alamo-wide summons. Shannon clung to Ryan's side like glue, while Madison tried to assess the situation based on what Dack had told her.

 

IC: Ryan Sanders - Executive Offices, The Alamo

Ryan nodded. "Sonja and Ray are easy, since I was actually there when they were taken. Both of them had accompanied me to Fortree when I tried to find answers about the Garvens. We found Maddison Hayes, a Ford Agent we had first encountered during a mission in Unova. She was looking for Ellen. That was about the time I got separated and fought Alber- er, Gluttony. Ray ran after me, and Sonja stayed back with our other companions, Plasma Agents Evan Tierra and Jenny Hakuda, to fight Hayes. After I defeated Gluttony and ran back to the others, Sonja had . . ."

 

He hesitated. No matter how much he trusted Sonja, the cold fact remained that she had willingly chosen to aid a known terrorist. True, it turned out Ford had only been trying to prevent a wider catastrophe, and he couldn't fault her for wanting to stop the blob, but the current imprisonment of both Ford and Hayes suggested that Team Liberty wouldn't take Sonja's choice lightly. By definition, Sonja had effectively committed treason. He couldn't let her meet the same fate as Ford and Hayes. Especially not when her visions could be their only clue to defeating the blob.

 

"Sonja was . . . angry with me." He didn't like admitting this, especially to an executive he barely knew, but it was the only way he could spin the story in Sonja's favor. "You see, back when we had the Liberty Ball, I kind of . . . overstepped a few bounds. I really acted like a jerk, and Sonja didn't take kindly to it, rightfully so. On top of that, Hayes is actually Sonja's older sister. When we found her in Fortree, with Ellen gone, I attacked her ruthlessly. That was the point Sonja got completely fed up with me. Sometime during their fight, McKinley showed up -- in his human form, of course." Ryan suppressed a shudder at the thought that the golden-haired man from Fortree was the same person as the monster clown they had all faced. "It was a combination of McKinley's manipulation, Sonja's ties to her sister, and my own deplorable actions that pushed Agent Baron to Ford."

 

Ryan bit his lip. He couldn't tell how much he had helped Sonja's case, but if he could alleviate even some of the criticism toward Sonja, it was worth it. He took a deep breath before continuing.

 

"Why Hayes and McKinley didn't take Ray then and there, I don't know. But a few days later, we heard that McKinley had taken Ellen. Agent Xander Cruise, a recent recruit, found her wandering around Slateport City. Ellen's father caught up to her shortly afterwards, and convinced her to return to her home in Unova. That's when McKinley showed up and convinced her the right thing to do was to help Ford." Ryan shook his head sadly. "I don't know if it was her own naivete, McKinley's manipulation, or some combination of the two, but she left with that monster, prompting Xander and Mr. Burks to seek us out. That's when we formed our little rescue mission. It was on a boat to Four Island that McKinley showed up again, this time to take Ray away. We tried to stop him, but Ray agreed to go with him to protect the rest of us."

 

Sonja, Ellen, Ray. That left one more Child, the one Ryan knew the least about.

 

"As for Skye Hall . . . you'd be better off asking your sister about her. Jamie joined our group on One Island, initially because she was looking to train under Evan Tierra. But when McKinley showed up to take Ray, Jamie recognized him as the man who had taken Skye. That's all I really know about her."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe nodded as Dack showed up, confused as to what was going on now. "Yeah. We fought together in Unova, and then met back up in Lilycove a couple weeks ago. I also kinda... know a little about that shadow thingy." She closed her eyes to concentrate, as she tried to bring the memory to her mind.

 

"Basically, Evan was having some trouble with things after fighting my father and some other things, and wanted me to help out. I didn't know how, but tried anyway and found a sort of shadow in his head that threatened me a bunch. I tried to bluff my way through that conversation, but decided I'd gotten enough information anyway." Chloe shrugged. "Beyond that, I haven't actually seen this thing, but considering Evan's powers, I wouldn't be surprised to find out it was real."

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

With every word Chloe had said, Evan had smiled at his recollection of the beatdown on the S.S. Coral. There would be time for that later, however. He had other concerns. "There you have it, boys" The Hero said, giving a friendly grin. "Hopefully that's enough for you? No hard feelings on the misunderstanding, I can definitely understand. By the way, I gave you mine, could I ask for your names?"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Liberty Executive James Arthur

 

 

 

"To summarize, as far as you know, each of Ford's Children, including Agent Sonja Baron, willingly chose to join him."

Edited April 21, 2017 by Valorous Angel Minun4

[Konuju]

IC: Dack Majors/Luke - Records Room, The Alamo

"Dack Majors." The Rocket agent shook Evan's hand. "Thanks for your help on Two Island, by the way. It's a lot better to be fighting with you than against your doppelganger."

 

"I'm Luke." The blackbelt shook the Hero's hand next. "Sorry about that misunderstanding. Your shadow-self gave us quite the run for our money. Oh, and this is my buddy Machoke. He's sorry too." While the Machoke gave a big, toothy, sheepish grin and held out a hand to shake, Dack turned his attention back to Chloe.

 

"So, any luck finding your contacts?"

 

OOC: Pseudo-jam with Minun

 

IC: Ryan Sanders - Executive Offices, The Alamo

Ryan shifted in his seat, his lip curled into a frown. This was exactly the opposite conclusion he had wanted to convey. "I think you're missing the point," he said. "When each Child was taken, McKinley was--"

 

James gave him a hard look. "This is a yes or no question, Agent Sanders."

 

It took every effort not to yell at the executive. His stomach warped into a knot, and he placed as much defiance as he could into his glare and his seething, one-word answer.

 

"Yes."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Executive Arthur

 

The Executive met Ryan's glare with an impassive expression. He merely hit a few keystrokes on his keyboard in rapid succession.

 

"That is all the information that I require. I will need you to vacate the room so that I may speak with Agent Baron," he said standing and walking towards the door.

 

With his hand on the doorknob, he spoke once more without turning around.

 

"I should inform you, that everything we have just exchanged is classified information. Disclosing it to anyone outside this room without my permission would be a strict violation of confidence."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon

 

"First, close your eyes. Take a deep breath, then slowly let it out. As you do, let your body .  . . slowly . . . relax. In a moment, I will go quiet. At this point, you must focus solely on yourself. There will be thoughts in your head, each one clamoring for attention. You can't push those thoughts away, that would only invite more in. Instead, let each thought flow to the forefront of your mind . . . Focus on each one, for a brief second . . .  Then let it go."

 

Lachina stayed quiet as she listened to Jared speak in a calm, soothing tone. She'd never heard him speak like this. It was always either an intense, quick cadence, or tense silence. She followed his instructions, slowly letting herself relax, letting thoughts come to her mind.

 

"And eventually," Jared continued, "you will find the thoughts that you need to meditate on. You will find the things that are troubling you, the ones that keep you up at night. Just like the others, you must let them flow. Don't push them away or try to ignore them. Pay each one some small attention. Reflect briefly on it, consider for a second what you can do to change it, and then . . . let it go."

 

The ranger took a deep breath as images of Mercury flashed through her mind. The man she'd met in Sootopolis, had that been Jared, or Mercury? It was hard to distinguish by the way he'd acted back then. Maybe there hadn't been a difference. She let the thought go. The man that Mercury had hurt in the gym in Vermilion. The first time she'd seen the distinction. Then the mansion that evening, the first time she'd seen Mercury in full. Her stomach dropped as she remembered the blood.

 

She let the thought go. She heard Jared breathing to her right, and it was almost comforting.

 

"Meditation focuses your mind. If your thoughts are scattered, you won't be able to direct your powers to your will."

 

Powers? Lachina opened her eyes slightly. The other girl also had powers? Was that why Jared was sitting here, when he'd been avoiding her for the past four days?

 

Was that why he'd seemed so cheerful when he first came out? He finally had someone like him?

 

Lachina closed her eyes and tried to let the thoughts go, but they wouldn't.

 

IC: Ruth Fishers - Eterna Forest

 

"Oh, hey, yeah, that seems cool! Let's go check it out, guys!" Without waiting for further input from her friends, Ruth took off running towards the house.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan Sanders - Executive Offices, The Alamo

"Yes, sir." Ryan gripped the arms of his chair as he stood up and strode out of the office, refusing to meet the executive's eyes. He only had a few fleeting seconds as he passed by Sonja. They locked eyes, and in that single glance he tried to convey his concern, to issue a non-verbal warning of what James was trying to do. With the executive present, he didn't dare utter anything beyond a simple "Good luck."

 

And then she was gone. Vanished into the belly of the beast. Ryan felt sick. He should have lied, made up some story about McKinley forcibly kidnapping Sonja against her will. Anything to keep her out of a Liberty prison. With shaking hands, he pulled out his Pokégear and typed out a simple message to Sonja.

 

 

 

Call me if you need help

 

He knew Sonja hated being treated like she couldn't handle herself, but Ryan was genuinely scared that this questioning could end in an arrest. If he needed to cut his ties with Team Liberty to help her escape, he would do so. Evan, Kyle, and the others would still do what they could to lend their aid. But with Ford and Hayes already under lockdown, Sonja was their last hope of finding some way to stop the blob. He hit send.

 

It was several moments before Ryan found the strength to leave James' door. His destination lay only a few doors down, at Executive Jayron Aaron's office. He could only hope this meeting would go better than the last.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Executive Arthur - Executive Suite

"Come in Agent Baron," the Liberty executive said with a smile, totally contrasting how Ryan appeared when he left. "My apologies for making you wait. I will try to make this meeting as short as possible."

 

He offered a seat to Sonja much the same as he did with Ryan. Exchanged the same pleasantries he had offered beforehand.

 

"In our meeting, there was an exchange between Agent Sanders and myself that I believe you have the right to hear," Executive Arthur said as he clicked his mouse a couple times on his laptop, before it began to replay part of the message it had recorded.

"To summarize, as far as you know, each of Ford's Children, including Agent Sonja Baron, willingly chose to join him."

 

"I think you're missing the point. When each Child was taken, McKinley was-"

 

"This is a yes or no question, Agent Sanders."

 

"Yes."

 

 

"I do not believe I need to inform you that willingly joining Ford is tantamount to treason," the executive said, his face betraying no emotions. "I have all the evidence i need for your conviction to be acquired. I could have you arrested on the spot, however... I thought it prudent to give you a chance to defend yourself. If you have anything to say, I will hear it."

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Training Field, Four Island

Dahlia closed her eyes. She could still see the cans littered about in her mind's eye. It was clear she needed training. She could only hope that meditation was the answer. She let the thought go. She felt the pressure of the bandages wrapped around her hand. For a near-complete stranger, Jared had been incredibly kind and understanding. She was lucky he'd heard her. She let the thought go. Her memories drifted back to the boat, to her training sessions with Ryan. She couldn't exactly fault him for not knowing what he was doing, but Jared in comparison instilled much more confidence. A part of her wished Ryan could have been more patient and understanding . . . She let the thought go.

 

She saw the Pinsir, Aspen, felt the rush of anger . . . Even without her powers, Dahlia felt she would have flown into a rage. Perhaps the problem wasn't her powers, but her attitude, her thoughtless reaction . . . She let the thought go. The Pinsir was replaced by the Xatu. She wasn't trying to destroy, she was trying to protect. Gavin had been injured, far worse than Aspen, yet she hadn't lost control like on the boat. Then why had her powers not worked as she'd intended? She dwelt on the thought longer than she should have, before letting it go.

 

Instead of the Xatu, she saw McKinley. "Little Miss Reverse," he had called her. She felt like a little girl thrust into a big, scary world. Like a sprout trying to find its roots without losing the sun. She was vulnerable. Weak. Immature. But if watered, could she grow? The thoughts bombarded her mind like insects seeking to feed on the sprout. She had no choice but to block them out, despite Jared's warning. She tried to let the original thought go, but it was already buried under countless questions.

 

She saw herself in a fractured mirror. Her family had one been broken. With effort, her siblings had reunited and set aside their differences. Could the same be said for herself? Could she fix her broken spirit? Or was the image of Dahlia Seaton, Heroine of Reverse, a distorted one?

 

Let it go.

 

She couldn't. The thoughts clung to her like a stain.

 

Let it go.

 

Was she really this bad at meditating? Had she really just failed the first lesson?

 

Let it go.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon

 

There were a few minutes of silence as Jared let the other two sort things out until they hit a block. It happened in meditation, especially for those who weren't well-practiced with it. Once he saw their auras reflect their inability to get past something, he opened his eyes. "By now, you've discovered the current big problem, the thing that you can't just let go with a passing glance. It's something your mind is focused on, whether you realized it before or not. It keeps you awake, distracts from your other activities."

 

He smiled. "That's okay. That thought that keeps you from moving forward, is an important one, but you can't let it be an overbearing one. And so we come to the question of what you can do about it. Lachina, what's the thought that is holding you back?"

 

The girl's eyes opened, surprised at being put on the spot. "Um . . . Can I not say?"

 

"If you can't speak about something, how do you expect to overcome it? You can't solve a problem without addressing it. Tell me what's on your mind, please."

 

Lachina sighed and nodded. "I feel like I don't have much use here. I don't have any special abilities like you two have, and even if Aolani could use attacks, I've never really battled. Being a ranger has been my goal since i was young, but I'm realizing that I'm only really suited to problems involving Pokémon in the wild."

 

Jared nodded. "I see. I'll help you address that later, if you'd like." He turned his head back to look at the other girl. "Dahlia, now it's your turn. What keeps you from moving forward?"