Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Nara]

IC - Zac Flash, Fortree CityZac sat on the charred grass and played the song of the city using a wood flute he bought at the mart. Like the city itself, the tune came out broken and in pieces. It'll get better, though... he thought.Like most of the others, his house had been burnt down. He replanted it with a sapling and went on his merry way, setting up a hut with sticks on the jungle floor.He was almost glad to see that some people from Team Liberty were building and rebuilding homes here, like Ryan and Ellen. Zac only vaguely recalled them from his adventure in Unova."Hey," a voice called out. "You're butchering that song."Zac stopped abruptly and looked up at his guest. "Oh, it's you," he said, and stood to shake his hand. "Thank's again for the Duskull.""No problem, kid. How's it doin'?""Pretty well. Do you live here?""No, just helping rebuild." the former Rocket began walking away, without any protest from Zac, who began playing again. "And I wasn't kidding about the song!"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: James Arthur – Four Island

 

After the battle ended, James returned back to Four Island. A few days later the ceasefire was announced to James’ honest relief. He went back to his office to finish working on a document he had started before the meeting when Celebi appeared holding what appeared to be luggage.

 

I am going to take a vacation to better days and parties, Celebi mentioned opening a small vortex in James’ office.

 

James continued typing on his computer, not bothering to look up for a moment.

 

“It occurs to me that you have time travelling capabilities which would be a great asset to our cause and yet we have hardly ever discussed its use.”

 

Celebi had a part pained and part annoyed expression on her face.

 

Yeah but it’s a long bureaucratic nightmare when I take anyone else along with me through time, have to speak to about a hundred other versions of myself plus Dialga to justify anything. And to actually use time travel to influence combat? No thank you. Plus messing with time when the Darkrai were making trouble, bad idea.

 

“Fair enough,” James muttered as he saved the document he was working on and shut down the laptop.

 

“Well then fare well Celebi. May your travels be pleasant,” he said and extended a hand to the legend.

 

Celebi shook the hand and turned back towards the portal.

 

See ya, when I see ya, the time traveling Pokémon said before the portal engulfed her.

 

The day after, the Executive left on leave to replace his old suits, and take a much needed trip to Saffron City, (something he was so glad to be able to do without having to sneak around) during which he completely upgraded or otherwise replaced just about every piece of technology on him. Technology became obsolete after only so long and everything on him needed to be state-of-the-art for his needs.

 

One might notice if they entered his office at different periods during the ceasefire, (if the cold temperature of the room didn’t distract them first) they might notice that the room seemed smaller than previous visits. If such a person looked closer behind the Executive’s desk they might notice a wire leading from the wall into what looks to be his brand new desktop computer. In truth it was and was not. Or better stated it was part of his computer. The outside layer of his room had been converted into a larger case for his computer, a case he had spent a large amount of time starting to fill. Behind paintings and bookcases were wires and circuit boards (but in all honesty only one wall actually contained a part of his computer; the other walls were converted for future use and aesthetics reasons). He went on trips to various technological capitals of the world seeking out the best parts to boost the power of his computer. And though the capabilities of the machine were truly impressive, it was not as powerful a computer as the outright supercomputer in the mainframe room used to guide Team Liberty.

 

But who said he wasn’t allowed to have some fun.

 

The Executive’s true goal for the duration of the temporary pause in combat was to train his team. On each excursion he took to find and buy parts to boost the power of his computer he sought out battles to further boost the power of his team and his skills as a trainer. He took scenic routes (at least for the guy who generally teleported everywhere he wanted to travel) in order run into as many opportunities to battle as possible. He was able to act like a normal trainer again something he hadn’t done in a long time. Not since he became a hacker, and that was a long time to him.

 

Between fiddling with a brand new computer and Pokémon battles, James was having a really fun time with the ceasefire. His faith in that it would last however was slim to none.

 

 

IC: "Ah lay off him," a certain bard said as he heard the other man's opinion on Zac's flute playing. "Just give him some time he'll get it."

 

Richard at the end of the events with the Darkrai had pretty much followed Zac wherever he went, or not him so much as the legend he carried around with him. That and also following Zac had the prospect of food being given to him. Regardless of why Richard had stuck with Zac to the point even Richard was pretty sure Zac was probably sick of him.

 

The bard had seen food being given out to people who were helping and started to pitch in. He wasn't sure who the people where, how the place burned down or where he even was but he had two arms, a Snorlax and access to food.

 

"Though until you do, you might want to consider practicing where others won't make fun of ya."

Edited October 14, 2016 by Valorous Angel Minun4

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Black//Black City==-

 

"What do you mean, precisely?" Black asked, unsure of this man, as the stranger pulled out a badge that read 'International Police Agent'.

"I am a member of the International Police. We heard about your situation, and figured you might be able to... help us, in a way." The man said, and Black turned his head to the side.

"Not interested... I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm locked up, and for good reason. There is no way I can make up for what I've done." Black said rather coldly, and the man smirked.

"But, you see; I have a couple things that I could say to make you change your mind. First of all; the reason we need your help, is because a few girls have been kidnapped recently. They seem to be randomly chosen, no link to anything... Well; almost no link." The guy said, and pulled out a photo.

"You recognize this girl, correct?" Black looked over at the photo first with disinterest, and then his eyes widened.

"Why do you have a picture of Jessie?" Black demanded, and the agent smiled.

"Because that girl; Jessie, Summer, Jenny, whatever her name is; is one of the victims. And so far, the only ties are to your family by this girl and another girl, known friends of your family." The agent explained, and Black frowned.

"So, you want me to do what; give information?" Black asked, skeptical, as the agent shook his head.

"No; I'm requesting your release, to look into this situation. This guy... He's smart. We haven't been able to find any information on him so far, but he's been taunting us; detailing information he shouldn't know about; information never given to the press either. We figure this guy has moles in the organization, prisons, and possibly other places. Which is why we need you. You are our 'secret weapon' of sorts. What do you say; you in for the job?" The agent asked, as Black looked away, his face neutral for the moment, as he looked back and simply nodded. The agent smiled, as he nodded himself.

"Good. We've already arranged to have your Pokemon returned; though your old equipment has been confiscated for obvious reasons. You will be monitored at all times during this mission, as you are essentially on early parole. Due to the time sensitive nature of this, we had to go straight to the source, which is why there wasn't an official hearing for this; it probably would've tipped people off anyway. Let's go, then, the guard will escort us out." The agent explained, as the guard uncuffed Black, surprised at this turn of events, as he followed the agent, the guard leading them down the halls of the prison.

Why does this guy seem so familiar...? Black wondered, as he was handed a new set of clothes and his pokeballs, unable to figure out why he had that feeling, but shook it off, as he was led out of the building. After traveling a little while, the agent paused.

"I think it's best to meet up with a fellow person looking; let's go to Olivine." The agent state, as he sent out an Alakazam, and teleported the two of them away.

 

Shortly after Black and the agent left, two heavily dressed people arrived at the prison, and the guard from before welcomed them.

"Hello; what can I do for you?" The guard asked, as one of the people stepped forward.

"We are agents of the International Police Force; we are here to talk to one Ryan Hikari." The person said, holding out a badge like the other agent had. The guard looked at the badge in surprise, and then frowned.

"Well I'm sorry, but it appears there's been some miscommunication; the other agent just left with Hikari." The guard said, and the two men looked at him in surprise.

"Other agent?" The two said in unison, and then looked at each other with a grim frown.

"Thank you for your time." The agents said, and then began to walk away.

"Could it be...?" One said, and the other nodded.

"It definitely sounds like the work of Alistair..."

 

-==IC: Ray//Olivine City==-

 

Ray was just about to head over to the lighthouse to ask if anyone had seen who he was looking for, when suddenly two flashes occurred, and Black was standing, disorientated, in the streets.

"What the- What are you doing here?!" Ray asked angrily, as Black blinked, and saw Ray looking at him as if he wanted to kill the former prisoner.

"Wait; I can explain; this agent-" Black started to say, but was cut off.

"What agent? I see only you there." Ray said, and Black blinked, and looked around with a frown.

"That's odd..." Black said, as he shook his head.

"I'm here to help you." Black explained, and Ray started to laugh.

"You're here to help me what; blow up a city? Give me a break..." Ray said, and began to walk away.

"Jessie.... err... Summer... Whatever you wanna say, your sister." Black called out, and Ray stopped in his tracks, and then looked to the side to watch Black out of the corner of his eye, as he thought up a response.

"... Either you're telling the truth, or things are more complicated than I imagined... But I'm going to believe you. For now." Ray said, as he turned back toward Black, shaking his head.

"One false move, though, and you won't be 'helping' anyone ever again." Ray warned, as Black nodded.

"... I really didn't know she was still alive..." Black said, and Ray simply stayed quiet in response.

"Neither did I. But I didn't go around destroying things, now did I?" Ray asked, and Black simply focused on a spec of dirt on the ground.

 

Ray began to walk away, doubting this situation more and more, when Black noticed something."Ray, wait." Black called out, and the Rocket stopped in his tracks with an exasperated sigh.

"What is it now?" Ray asked, getting tired of the constant interruptions, but his face then turned to one of surprise, as Black pointed to a piece of paper on the ground.

"I could've sworn that wasn't there before..." Ray muttered, as he walked over to it, and picked it up. It was coded in all sorts of different letters, but Ray was certain he had seen that type of cipher somewhere before. Ray thought for a moment, and sighed.

"Aizen." Ray sent out the Kadabra, before nodding to Black.

"Go reintroduce him to his brother; he probably is in either Ecruteak or Goldenrod, as usual." Ray said, as Black started to object, but was teleported away before he could say a word. Ray looked at the piece of paper once more, as he sat down, eyes narrowed at the paper.

"... 'The... te... ... is... in... cin... is...' What could this mean?" Ray muttered, he had an odd feeling of what it meant; but wasn't certain even still.

 

-==IC: Zach//Goldenrod City==-

 

Zach said, but then noticed his Riolu suddenly tense up, as the wind rippled, and a Kadabra showed up, with a perpetually muttering Ryan Hikari with him.

"If someone teleports me again today, I'm going to punch them the next time I see them..." Black growled, and then blinked, as he saw Zach just staring at him."What are you doing here?!" Zach said through grit teeth, and Black blinked, and then realized what was going on.

"Wait; this isn't-" Black started to say, but was cut off by Blade nearly missing him. Black stumbled back, and quickly sent out Tyranitar to at least defend himself while trying to get a word in. Blade kept trying to attack both the Tyranitar and his Trainer; but the Tyranitar kept blocking the blows meant for Black.

"Tyranitar; just give me some time to explain... Stone Edge!" Ryan called out in desperation, and Zach looked up in surprise, as the Gallade was knocked back, and looked at the two warily.

"This isn't like you Black. You don't give people mercy, or try to stall for anything but time to run away." Zach said, and Black narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not here to fight you." He said, and Zach laughed.

"Hah. Like I'll believe you after what happened in Unova." Zach said, frowning once more.

"Blade, Close Combat, get rid of his biggest threat." Zach ordered, as the Gallade shot forward, and quickly hit the Tyranitar, which sent it flying back. The rock type hit the ground hard, and was knocked out on contact. Black frowned, realizing that although it had naturally recovered, this would've been the Tyranitar's first real fight in over half a year. Black closed his eyes with a sigh.

"So be it." Black said with a frown, as he sent out his Porygon Z quickly.

"You want a battle; you're getting a battle."

[Dr. Hidaka]

OOC: Today's post is brought to you by the song "Tuck n Roll", a remix of Armored Armadillo's theme from Mega Man X

 

IC: Evan Tierra, Southeastern Unova

 

Southeastern Unova, once ruined by the cataclysmic battle between Palkia and Black Kyurem, seemed far from being returned to normal. Buildings were still being built, and trees still growing, but it was a start. Day and night, Team Plasma officers and agents would help with the rebuilding, including Evan Tierra, who seemed more than willing to repair the damage he helped cause.

 

"When I was younger, my old father would sayThe only thing worth having was found at the end of each dayBut that was then and this is now and he's far goneAnd his voice did linger on for far too long (He said)"

 

Evan's voice rang high as he sang to encourage his pokemon, most of whom were using a restrained version of their Earthquake attack to till the land for farming, forestation and development. Lazengann dug up holes for saplings to be planted into. They had a long road ahead of them, to restore this part of Unova to it's former glory.

 

"My fearless son, you can't be stronger than them allThe birds control the sky and if you jump, you'll likely fallAnd you need an alibi just to pass by in this life'Cause your shell can't protect you from death's scythe (Oh no?)"

 

Evan's pokemon picked up the pace as he sang, even Landorus, who still remained in his Therian Forme to better aid Evan in his work. There had been a few changes in them over the six months. Behemoth had become a Mamoswine, and he and Vlad learned new moves, as a result of Evan training them between work and sleep. They knew it was so that they and Evan could better themselves...

 

"When he left to find himself, I left in spirit and body and soulI also left my family... literally'Cause if he's not worth anything, then what do I know?I'm just a carbon copy of a cursed machine!"

 

Evan himself had changed quite a bit. After returning from Sinjoh Ruins to report to the Sages, he was promoted to the rank of Knight. The position afforded Evan a measure of respect from both Team Plasma and the people of Unova. He took the promotion seriously, remembering what it had cost him.

 

"He saidYou'll never breatheAnd you'll never touch the waterYou'll never seeThe sights that I, your fatherHave entrusted to youEntrusted to youI'm sorryBut you will never touch the sky......."

 

Evan had also taken Seth's flute, a reminder of how much he still had left to do to better himself. Every day and night, he tirelessly applied himself to his work with Plasma and his training, in the hopes he would be as good as Seth was.

 

"When my time comes, I'll hold my head up and sayThe only thing I've lived for is be thrown to the frayNo legacy, just digging; digging deep in my soulI've become the underground king of nothing at all!"

 

The quaking became more and more intense in the area Evan was working in. The Plasma agent looked at his hardworking team of Pokemon, happy to see that they were able to use their power for something other than fighting...

 

"I'm under orders to destroy all who dareDisturb this cave and bring a light to my lairI am more dangerous than you comprehend'Cause there's nothing holding me back from the end!"

 

"All right, guys, that's enough work for now.", Evan said, smiling as he recalled all his pokemon but Gnip, "You must be tired. Let's go take a nice long rest."

 

With that, Evan waved to his fellow workers, got on Gnip's back. The Garchomp flew in the direction of Black City, where Evan now lived. Trainer and pokemon looked forward to getting home and having a nice long nap.......

Edited June 20, 2013 by Hades

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Fuchsia City, Home:

Breathe in... Up.

Breathe out... Down.

Breathe in... Up.

Breathe out... Down.

 

Up from the floor, arms extended at a ninety-degree angle. Stomach flat. Chin up, staring across the floor at the wall of the bedroom. His muscles burned with the work out, but he kept on going, pushing up, and then lowering himself back down to the ground. Up and down. Continuous. Like clockwork, until he could not take it anymore, and dropped down, rolling over, breathing heavily as he stared up at the ceiling, the cool, wooden floor against his back.

 

71... That may be a new record, Kyle thought wearily, feeling the relaxing fires in his muscles. Five and a half months now, it had been, since his cast had come off; since then, he had worked tirelessly on multiple fronts--reconstruction, on Four Island, in Hoenn, in Sinnoh, even occasionally in Unova, after the Sages had reevaluated their degree regarding Team Liberty. Relocation--moving from Four Island, back to his original home in Fuchsia City. Exercise, physical and mental, trying to get himself back into the condition that he should never have let himself get out of to begin with. It was arduous work all around, but it was wonderful--Kyle felt a long better than he had in a long time, since before the sniper incident on Four Island the year before.

 

He sighed, resting his hands underneath his head. His black tank top and shorts clung to his body, though he did not notice as his thoughts drifted elsewhere. It was strange to think that only a year ago (roughly,) he had just started traveling with Gecynde and Darren in Cerulean; in that time, he had met Mewtwo, various other Legends, been hospitalized twice, lost and made friends, and battled against countless, insanely powerful enemies. How much have I actually grown in that time? Kyle wondered. His Pokémon team certainly had--from Kitheus and Daiga to Jaeda, Ruj, Lyxek, Kovian, Sensha, Suicune, and, most recently, Rodax the Aron. Countless evolutions, countless battles, numerous losses and victories.

 

Even now, they were outside, doing who knew what. On occasion, they might have trained with his father's Pokémon, but that was a rare sight. The move back home had been sold as, "We're moving to a quieter location." In practice, it had turned more and more into, "You're moving to a quieter place for your own health." Kyle didn't resent that--not much, anyway--but it was still... well, disappointing, after everything that had happened. Still, he had to admit that it was much nicer being somewhere on his own than in the crowded Team Liberty base. It certainly made it easier to evaluate his mind; and, really, with the lack of conflict lately...

 

Well, was there much point in being part of Team Liberty anymore?

 

The question lingered on his mind as he headed off to shower. As he turned the water on, preparing to step underneath, he noted Lyxek below the house's second story, now a Fraxure, dozing on a tree stump beyond the window. Kyle recalled the moment he had evolved...

 

It was in a Four Island training facility--one of their older, out-of-use battlefields. For the past few weeks, Lyxek had been showing the usual signs of an approaching evolution--a sort of anxiousness, an itch to battle that could not be satiated simply with practice fights. We had gone there partially to clear out the scouting party of a group of Aron nearby; above, that, though, our intention had been more selfish. Axew walked beside me as we approached, and then entered, the broken-down building. He was bigger than when he had been left with Sonja--much bigger. Grown with time. Older. In his eyes burned a fire that no one had ever seen before--an indication of what was to come.

 

There were only two Aron--one with blue eyes, the other with yellow. They stared at us as we approached, but only the latter made a move, stepping forward from where they had been eating. Its expression was... disconcerting. Angry, almost. Yet, at the same time... afraid. Had it never seen a human before? Who could know? It was raring to fight--that's all I cared to focus on.

 

Lyxek stepped forward. We did not start the fight. The Aron rushed forward without a moment's hesitation, slamming into Lyxek with Headbutt. Lyxek was winded, but managed to respond with Double Chop, slamming his tusks into the Steel-type's armor with enough force to leave visible dents. He wasn't deterred by the damage, only responding with Harden to increase his defense. Lyxek attacked even harder, not even bothering for a break.

 

It all happened within moments--the flash of purple light that accompanied Lyxek's evolution; the roar and continued attacks on the Aron's body; the cracking of the shell... It was luck that allowed me to return him in time, before he caused permanent damage--a miracle that the Aron now named Rodax even survived the encounter long enough to be healed, even with the application of a Pokéball's stasis effects.

 

Its partner fled, and hasn't crossed our paths again since. I don't blame it. I don't blame Rodax for not listening to me now, either. But, Lyxek...

 

 

Kyle sighed, shaking his head under the stream of water.

 

IC - Sonja Baron - Nimbasa City, Tennis Courts: "Serve!"

 

Sonja tossed the ball into the air, waiting a moment as it dropped back into position. Then, she swung, sending the ball flying forward and over the net. It bounced toward her opponents, who hit it back, into the waiting tennis racket of Sonja's teammate.

 

One might wonder why Sonja Baron was playing tennis. The answer was simple: She enjoyed it. That, and she was on vacation. The past sixth months had seen a steady decrease in war-related activity, until almost all efforts had shifted to rebuilding damaged portions of the various regions. Sonja had participated in that as much as she could, but eventually, the borderline obsessive behavior she had been showing towards the effort had indicated a problem--namely, extreme concern for her own home. Unable to go back and help there, she had transitioned her worry onto the people of Kanto, eventually resulting in a fatigue-induced physical breakdown.

 

That was four months ago.

 

By now, she was better, after having been treated and blessed with access to her home again by the Sages. She had wished her friends luck before leaving, heading back to Unova for an indefinite amount of time. Now, after weeks of more-manageable work, she had finally decided to take a break, seeing as a fair amount of Castelia and the south-eastern portion of Unova had recovered.

 

Present time. Sonja had taken up tennis again.

 

Her opponents--old friends of hers--were not happy about this.

 

Her partner, Taylor, was delighted, particularly as the Liberty Agent spiked the ball again, scoring the final point.

 

"Nice!" They clapped hands. Taylor turned to Lana and Chloe, waving jokingly. "That's three to zip! I think we won!"

 

She chuckled, even as Lana tapped her in the back of the head. "Oh, hush," she said. "We were going easy on you."

 

"That, and we haven't played in a while," Chloe added sheepishly. "Still, it was fun. Just like old times!"

 

"Kind of," Sonja agreed. With an annoyed look over her shoulder, she added, "Only, old times wouldn't have included a caretaker."

 

She was referring to the Plasma agent in the stands. He had been assigned to accompany Sonja around the region, to keep watch on her--with her knowledge--so that nothing else would befall Unova as what had six months ago. The fact that Sonja was known to be related to the perpetrator of one of those incidents did not help matters at all, of course, even though at the time, the Sages had not seemed to hold that against her. Now, though? Well, for whatever reason, now it seemed to be a problem.

 

A problem in a Plasma uniform.

 

His name was Phil.

 

"Yeah..." Lana said. "I'd suggest giving him the slip, but... that wouldn't end so well."

 

"Not at all," Taylor agreed. She perked up as a mischievous smile crossed her lips. "Hey, maybe you should try a bit of... persuasion. That always works, right?"

 

Sonja, cheeks red, glared at her friend as she burst into laughter.

 

That laughter ended with the sound of a tennis racket striking someone's head.

 

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner - Ecruteak City: The dark green car moved steadily across the road. It was a small car, nothing terribly unique or notable about it save for its current driver and passenger, Ethan Worth--who owned the car--and Gavin Braner--who did not own the car. The pair were, as well established, Team Rocket agents. More importantly, they were one who had a dream: Permanent peace between Teams Rocket and Liberty. Such a hope would not immediately be evident in them, and that was because, really, it wasn't.

 

It was Ethan's dream.

 

Gavin? He was just along for the ride.

 

Regardless, the two were on their way to what had, back in December of the year before, been reduced to little but piles of rubble by a mysterious, apparently-dimension-crossing man. He had been a sight to behold--unbearably angry, even stronger than that, and capable of inducing a panic in even the likes of Zapdos. It was only after he had destroyed Ecruteak City that he had vanished, though no one knew where he had disappeared to.

 

That was both good and bad. Good, because it meant that he had not caused any further damage to Johto, at least not that had been discovered yet; bad, because no one knew where he was, no one knew when he might strike again, if he even would, and if so, where. Now, having not born witness to his chaos, and instead having participated in an entirely different set of extra-dimensional confrontations, the result of which being that they had not heard about Ecruteak's attacker until roughly a week ago, Ethan--and to an extent, Gavin--were intent on tracking down the maniac and either bringing him to justice, or die trying.

 

Or, at the very least, figure out if he had anything to do with what they had encountered--the former Gym Leader Pryce, controlled by a mysterious, pool-like entity and accompanied by a slew of monstrous, puppet-like creatures.

 

"Ecruteak City, former City of Traditions," Gavin said as they passed the border. "How the mighty have fallen..."

 

This was true, to an extent. Much of the damage had been repaired by now; the rest, in the process of being repaired. Still, it was a far-cry from what the city had used to be like. In time, however, Gavin figured it would be better, if not quite the same.

 

"Don't be rude, Mr. Braner," Ethan answered. "It's not like they were ever pompous about their beliefs, unlike a lot of other people. Besides, we're here now, so I think it's safe to say that this guy..." He paused, putting on his sunglasses. "... is history."

 

"Yeah, yeah," Gavin sighed, opening the passenger-side door and stepping out onto the street as soon as Ethan parked. "Let's get to it, then."

 

IC - Jackson Sang - Cerulean City, Across from the Gym: How do you approach someone whose husband you promised--and failed--to save from death?

 

This was the question on Jackson Sang's mind. He was seated on the ledge of a building, staring down at the entrance to the Cerulean Gym. Below, Misty was exiting a car and walking toward the entrance, hands in her coat pockets. The mercenary held his chin in his hand as he watched her, eyes focused, brow furrowed with annoyance at his inability to figure out what had happened.

 

The incident had been a rather horrible one, to be honest--and this coming from a man who had seen and dealt out death in droves. Ash Ketchum--along with Liza and Tate, among, supposedly, others--had been literally stripped of their humanity, turned into nothing more than puppets for a researcher name Elton. It had been Jackson's job to prevent that--to rescue Ash and his family, as well as others, from whatever had been planned for them. And he had--except not. He had not gotten there in time to save Ash. Misty, Darren, others, sure.

 

But three souls--probably more--had been taken--and Jackson had been unable to stop it. And that was the first blow--the first real strike to his system of belief that he had ever really experienced. As long as you put your mind to something, you could do anything--right? That had proven right time and time again... except for that time.

 

Jackson Sang sighed, standing up and walking back to the roof door as Misty Ketchum disappeared into the gym.

 

IC - Tyler McKinley - Fortree City, Working: He was hidden in plain sight. Skull-bearing bandanna had been replaced with a simple black one, his uniform exchanged for more... inconspicuous clothes: a black hoodie, white gardening gloves, white shorts, black sneakers. His golden hair still spilled from the back opening of his headgear, sure, but that was no problem--that was his look, after all. The rest of it? Well, to say it had given McKinley the creeps was putting it lightly, so unused was he to seeing himself in civilian ware.

 

Still, the 'disguise' was working--no one paid him two minds as he went about helping with Fortree's reconstruction. And that was just what he wanted, considering it covered up his real goal--namely, potential recruit surveillance.

 

The subject in question was not someone that Ford would have typically chosen, to say the least, first and foremost because she was young. Very young. In most cases, that would mean limited use, limited trustworthiness, and difficulty controlling. But McKinley had reason to believe that this one would not pose such issues, at least soon after recruitment. She had shown initiative, after all, on multiple occasions--abandoning home (on Christmas, no less) to join what was equivalent to a group of vigilantes on a quest to apprehend a highly destructive criminal; continuing to travel with said group across most of her home region; briefly bearing a limited control over space; and finally, most remarkably, bearing witness to--heck, participating in--the battle against what had widely been considered an unbeatable opponent, one that had overshadowed all of Sinnoh and Hoenn, which had threatened to do the same to the world... and winning against said opponent.

 

That was impressive, to say the least.

 

Oh... and I can't forget--the very reason why she was brought to our attention to begin with, McKinley reminded himself, closing his golden eyes briefly as he considered the thought. His hands continued to move the plow he held back and forth, in a convincing mimicry of work. Fighting against Hayes. Escaping Castelia virtually unscathed. The corner of his mouth hooked upward into a smirk. Seems you were right, Second Child... although, your predictions fell too short. Far, far too short.

 

He looked up at the girl--not far away--as she berated her Purrloin for daring to sharpen his claws on a sapling. A softer smile crept onto his face.

 

How cute. The girl triumphs over psychics and titans... and yields to a cat. He loosened his grip on the plow's handle, setting it against a tree and wiping his hands as he started walking toward her. Let's give her a hand, shall we?

 

"Excuse me, miss," he said politely, a soft, kind smile crossing his face. "But I think I may have a way to help, if he won't listen to you." Reaching into his pocket, the Fourth Child produced a long, plastic case, similar to a Pez dispenser. Opening the Pokéblock Case, he picked out a reddish-orange block, which he held out to the Purrloin.

 

Its attitude suggests a rather naughty nature, which means that it should like spicy Pokéblocks, McKinley mused. Let's see if I'm right. "Try this, friend. I think you'll like it."

Edited June 22, 2013 by Parugi

[Konuju]

IC: Mr. Burks
The summer sun shone brightly as a whirlwind kicked up in a grassy field on the island of Mossdeep, heralding the landing of a Déoza helicopter. Before the helicopter’s blades had fully stopped spinning, Paul Burks had already hopped out, followed closely by his Bisharp.

Mr. Burks took a deep breath of the salty ocean air as he stretched his limbs from the long helicopter ride. The ocean breeze reminded him somewhat of Village Bridge, but it was clear that Hoenn was a much more tropical region than Unova. Coming to the top of a hill, Paul was able to look over a majority of the island city. He was amazed at how much effort had been put into reconstruction -- other than the old abandoned Gym that didn’t look like it had been used in years, there was hardly any evidence that the Ancient Darkrai had even touched Mossdeep.

Although it had been nearly two months since his decision to travel outside of Unova, Mr. Burks was only just now arriving in Hoenn. As he walked to the place where he was to meet with the Déoza commander, Paul’s eyes scanned the island, searching for any sign of his daughter, Ellen. Behind him, his Bisharp scoured the roads as well. Paul wasn’t sure how easy it would be to search for his daughter while doing his blacksmith work, but he was sure he’d figure something out.

IC: Ellen
Chrono took one look at the Pokéblock and batted it out of the man’s hand with a scowl, sending it flying.

"Chrono!" Ellen cried, aghast as the Purrloin darted away. "Oh, I’m so sorry!" she said to the stranger. "Chrono doesn’t like to accept food from humans... not even from me." Ellen looked at the spot where her Purrloin had swiped at the man’s hand. "Are you okay?" she asked with a worried look. "I hope he didn’t hurt you or anything. By the way, I’m Ellen."

Out of the corner of her eye, Ellen noticed that Chrono had located the Pokéblock on the ground several feet away from where they stood. After cautiously sniffing the block, Chrono happily licked it up, a satisfied expression on his face.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Konuju

[Nara]

IC - Pierce Aderia, Agate Village

"Well," Pierce said, flopping down on his familiar bed, "we're back." It had been a long journey back to the Orre region. Pierce left the Rocket organization having learnt that the war was on a standstill. Of course, he regretted leaving Eric, but there was simply nothing binding him to the former-criminal group.

 

Besides, rumor said that the government was planning on adding more Colosseums to the region.

 

"What do you think, Gais?" Pierce asked his Houndour. He found her roaming the desert while travelling home, though he hadn't used her in battle yet.

 

I think that we'll still destroy everywhere, and you'll just get bored again.

 

"Hush up, Dusknoir."

 

IC - Zac Flash, Fortree City

"There are earplugs in the mart if people really hate me," Zac said, and continued playing. "Where you headed, anyway?"

[Parugi]

IC - Déoza Commander Damon - Mossdeep City: "Burks! You're finally here!"

 

As Mr. Burks arrived at the designated meeting place--a relatively crowded market place a distance away from the helicopter pads--he would see an older man waving for him, dressed in a casual suit and with a cinnamon pretzel in hand. Damon smiled cheerfully as his employee approached, quickly shaking his hand in welcome.

 

"Good to see you, Burks," he said. "How was the trip? Hopefully not too difficult--I know how troublesome it can be to get out of Unova."

 

IC - James Pierce/??? - Hojohsin/Déoza Construction Plant: Déoza had certainly delivered. Pierce had expected them to, of course, but that still did not stem his surprise at what they had already accomplished in their relatively short tenure in Hoenn.

 

To paint a fuller picture, the clock would have to be rewound. About a month after Team Rocket and Team Liberty had agreed on their ceasefire, Pierce had met with Déoza's Commander Damon, who had been placed in charge of negotiating whatever deals needed to be made between the weapons company and the Hojohsin League. As per Ford's instructions, Pierce had requested enough troops and equipment to take out four of the smaller factions that had arisen in the Kanto Regions. For some, that had required standard military wares; for others, only what was necessary to weaken them enough to pull their resources into the League's own reserves.

 

Déoza had answered that request with artificial power suits, draining technology based off of that developed by Team Energon, energy seals like those created by Team Galactic, and were still working on creating more. All in all, the mission wouldn't take long to complete once it was set in motion.

 

As he stood on a catwalk high above where this technology was being built, lost in the wondrous jungle of industrialization, Pierce noticed a flash of darkness out of the corner of his eye--movement. It was familiar, and so it did not concern him as much as it might have for others; instead, he simply smiled, straightening up and turning.

 

"Nine," he said as the Darkrai came into view. "It's been too long--" He cut himself off mid-sentence, genuinely surprised by the sight before him. What stood at the end of the railed walkway resembled Nine--and yet, it was obvious that it wasn't. The Darkrai's form flickered here and there, and bore a distinct transparency to it. Nine's eyes were unfocused; Pierce wondered if he could see anything at all. Snapping himself back to focus, the Hojohsin President ran forward, reaching a hand out. It passed through the Darkrai's shoulder.

 

"Nine!" he repeated. "What happened to you? What's going on?"

 

"Uugh..." The phantom did not seem to fully comprehend Pierce's words. "For...rd..." he said quietly, his voice a gravelly whisper now. "I'm... sor...ry... They're... out..."

 

"Who?" Pierce asked. "Who's out?" His eyes widened. "You don't mean...?"

 

Nine's hologram flickered. "Seven..." he said. "All... seven... Be...ware..." His last word hung on the wind as the Darkrai's image dissipated into the air around him, leaving a baffled Pierce in his place. The only comfort to the Hojohsin President was that whatever the Darkrai had referred to, it was not what Ford and the others feared.

 

And yet, somehow, that only made it all the more disturbing.

 

IC - Tyler McKinley - Fortree City: If he was surprised by Chrono's response, McKinley did not show it. Instead his smile softened, and he looked at Ellen, nodding. "Oh, I'm fine--don't worry about it," he said as reassuringly as he could. "He's hardly the first Pokémon to do that to me--and, besides, I'm still wearing these." The Fourth Child indicated his gloves. Nevertheless, he rubbed his hand for a moment as he stood up. "Anyway, nice to meet you, Ellen. My name is Tyler."

 

Looking at Chrono for a moment, he watched as the Purrloin ate the spicy Pokéblock. His expression afterwards indicated to McKinley that he had been correct in his assessment. "So, Ellen," he said, curious. "Do you have any idea why Chrono acts this way? It seems to me as if he was abused at some point in his life, but I can tell you aren't the type of person who would do that..."

 

IC - Saturn/Mars/??? - Galactic HQ: "So... Anyone have any idea what's actually going on?"

 

The answer was in the negative. Mars growled in frustration. It had been months now since anyone in Team Galactic had heard from Ford or his agents. While they knew that the Searchers had been destroyed by Ho-Oh some time ago, and had maintained at least some contact with Team Energon, the Hojohsin League had yet to reach out to them again for any purpose. One's initial assumption would have been that the league had been defeated by Team Rocket or Team Liberty; however, given that they still controlled Hoenn, Team Plasma knew that this assumption was baseless.

 

That left two possibilities: Either Hojohsin had their hands full with some other project, as they always seemed to when they had still been in talks with Team Galactic, or they simply had no intention of carrying out their promises. In Mars' opinion, the latter was more likely, though she could do little about it without Saturn's permission. Thus far, he had maintained his stance on waiting, for if they made a move on nothing more than a guess, then they risked losing everything they had constructed.

 

Mars' response? If they waited, and someone (say, the Hojohsin League) attacked, then they would lose everything, anyway. Better to have the element of surprise on their side than not, at any rate. Needless to say, dissent was high in the blood of Team Galactic, and it did not seem like anything would change anytime soon. Mars only knew that if she had been placed in the position of power that Saturn occupied...

 

That power should be yours...

 

Huh? Mars sat up straight. That thought had not been hers, natural as it felt in her mind. She looked around, frowning. No one seemed to have noticed her sudden movement, for the various technicians continued to stare at their screens, Saturn was still engaged in discussion with Jupiter... except, no one was moving. It was as if they were all frozen in time and space, leaving only Mars to freely observe the world. What's... going on...?

 

Do not fear... the voice in her head said soothingly. The darkness in your heart has given you this power... Your aura glows green as a forest, glistening with twenty years of envious dislike... This chance is now yours, to take what rightfully belongs to you--the power to control...

 

I don't understand, Mars answered. What do you mean?

 

Saturn's body became enveloped in a green aura. Take what is yours, Mars, the voice answered. Sow the seeds of reconstruction... Open the door...

 

Mars could not respond, for her body felt as if it had switched to autopilot. Without conscious thought, she reached for the pistol holstered at her side, gripping it tightly and raising it toward Saturn. The world slowly began to move again around her. Out of the corner of his eye, Saturn saw Mars raise a hand toward him, and turned to look at her, his expression shifting to one of surprise as he saw what she was doing. Mars' expression remained blank, eyes devoid of thought. She heard nothing--not the yells of surprise, nor the simple, confused uttering of "Mars...?" that fell from Saturn's mouth.

 

She did not even hear the bang of the gun as she squeezed the trigger, nor the sound of her leader's body hitting the floor. What she did hear was a loud whistling as the air in the room suddenly transformed into a turbulent wind, spinning around a glowing, bright green and black sphere that appeared in the middle of Team Galactic's command center, knocking everyone present to the floor. The impact was enough to bring Mars back to her senses, allowing her to watch as the sphere grew and grew, before evaporating to reveal the form of a girl clad in a black and white dress. Her pale complexion stood in stark contrast to her flowing, dark brown hair. Her arms hung at her side, head bowed and eyes closed as she slowly descended to the floor.

 

All eyes were locked on her, though she did not seem to notice. After several moments, she raised her head, opening her eyes. They were bright green, shining out from her skull like poisonous, radiant rays of light. She turned her head, observing first the room, and then its various, confused and frightened occupants, finally setting first on Mars, and then on Saturn's body.

 

"Well done, Commander..." she said softly. "I couldn't have done a better job, myself..."

 

"W-Who are you?" Mars stammered. "What have you done!?"

 

"I appealed to your heart's desires..." the girl answered. She raised a hand, placing it on her own chest. "Is that so bad? Oh, well..." She looked at Mars, expression blank. "My name is Vidinia... Vidinia LeJauso. At least, I was..." She smiled slightly. "Now, I'm Envy." Envy looked around the room again, her smile one of tragic beauty. "It's wonderful, don't you think? An organization beset by jealousy and envy, one that would upset balance in order to garner power..." The girl locked eyes with Mars. "I think I'm going to make some very good friends here, ones to keep forever and ever... Don't you agree?"

 

Mars' response was to pull the trigger of her gun, again and again and again...

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray//Olivine City==-

 

Ray sighed, as he puzzled over the meaning of the note that he had found. He had made out two words in particular, 'Cinnabar Island', and also something about a lab; though he wasn't certain what it meant; though he had his suspicions. Aizen returned at that moment, and Ray stood up, stretching as he did so.

"Right; let's head to Cinnabar Island, and see what exactly is there that's so secret it needs a coded note." Ray mumbled, as the two vanished in a flashy burst of light.

[Franco]

OOC: All new, improved, and in media res.

 

IC: "Jennifer, we're going on an adventure!"

 

Jennifer rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to sigh or lift her voice above a whisper as she lay concealed within the grass of the Johto Safari Zone. There was little adventure to this place. They were simply catching 'mon and nothing more, and so she was focused on acclimatizing herself to the unfamiliar environs of the six areas and the strange method of capturing creatures so unlike her previous garnering of friendships. All there really was to do was sitting quiet and netting Pokemon.

 

Of course, though, Hex insisted on dramatizing things.

 

"Jennifer, we're going on an adventure!," He repeated in one breath, his speech thunderous to the point that she wondered how all living things in their area had not yet fled.

 

"Hex," She replied, calmly clocking back an arm as she spied movement in the trees nearby, "For the last time: contrary to your puerile world view, rhyming does not make you attractive."

 

As her boyfriend gave her the Bambi-eyes treatment at her assertion, Lorne whistled, purposely alerting the nearby 'mon to her presence.

 

Her eyes flitted about in ignorance of Yutry. She was scanning the area for animation. Just one 'mon was all she wanted, yet wary of the dangers inherent within a method of capture not involving battle nor befriending. Although it didn't seem as though the wild hordes had been quite loosed on the duo of Team Liberty agents yet, Lorne was always careful, aware of that possibility--

 

There! An array of sensations assailed her perception: A flash of yellow in between the trees, a lightning crackle nearby, the tang of ozone in her nostrils. She inhaled it all. These were the little pictures of success.

 

Fueled by that success, she aimed at the flash and flung the Safari Ball clenched within her fist as soon as it appeared.

 

The ball opened, vacuuming in what she presumed to be an Electric-type. It fell to the ground and began to roll. Jennifer waited in her concealment with bated breath. She had not obtained another partner in months. This one could well be a great asset...Assuming it was actually captured, of course. Hence her creeping anticipation.

 

At once, the sphere stilled and turned dark. Her desire was rewarded with the grand portrait of triumph.

 

Jennifer silently fistpumped and grinned. She retrieved the Safari Ball, then turned to Hex. "You were saying?"

 

OOC: New dude.

 

Species: Electabuzz

Nickname: Raun

Trainer: Jennifer Lorn

Appearance: Raun looks like any other Electabuzz- nothing special here

Personality: A bit of a party 'Mon, Raun is somewhat hard to control. Despite this, he's often just enthusiastic and energetic in combat

Ability: Static

Specialty: Great in close combat- when he gets you up close, he can usually close the deal in a few blows

Known Moves: Thunder, Thunderpunch, Discharge, Low Kick, Electro Ball, Screech

Edited June 27, 2013 by Mr. Peanuts

[Relapse]

IC:"Jenny," he said, chuckling, "please. I can do better than that." After a few trial and error-type failures, he finally managed to catch a Duskull- not the best, but still, a success in his eyes. "What is up, Jen?" he said, not silently fistpumping.OOC: New guy here, as well:> Species: DuskullNickname: LenoreTrainer: Hex YutryAppearance: Lenore is the average female Duskull in size and coloration, but she has a cut scar below her eye.Personality: Lenore is a pragmatic 'mon, always seeking to accomplish her own goals. By extension, this includes her trainer's.Ability: LevitateSpecialty: Lenore is very strong defensively against special and physical attacks.Known Moves: Pain Split (egg move), Dark Pulse (egg move), Ominous Wind (egg move), Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray, Curse

Edited June 27, 2013 by Shuhei Hisagi

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: “Well at the moment, I was looking for Ponos, so if you have seen hiiIIIM!!” Richard suddenly shouted as the ground beneath him gave way.

 

The aforementioned Diglett popped up out of a hole a few feet away laughing hysterically at his prank upon his trainer. He looked upon Richard deep in the hole he had dug and continued laughing more.

 

“Har har,” the disgruntled bard muttered as he tried to upright himself. “Now get me out of here.”

 

The Diglett after eventually composing himself dug a way out.

 

“Well now that he’s accounted for... To fully answer your question, since Fortree is almost done being rebuilt, I am not sure where I am heading next. Perhaps follow the muse some more. Speaking of..." Richard then mad a face that just screamed "Please?"

 

Richard had over the last six months made every excuse possible to Zac to let the muse out of her pokeball.

 

IC: James stood by the sidelines of one of Four Island’s practice arenas as he watched Lancelot and Mordred spar. The Scizor had the type advantage but his opponent outmatched him in speed. He saw the Scizor unleash a flurry of powerful attacks but managed evade almost all of them. When it came time for Mordred to attack however, Lancelot took the hit as he seemed largely unfazed by it. One solid Bullet Punch landed on the Weavile knocking Mordred to the edge of the practice.

 

Out of all his Pokémon Lancelot had progressed the fastest in power, surpassing even Guinevere in his opinion.

 

The Executive watched as Lancelot wreathed itself in a blue aura. The Scizor had decided the match had gone on long enough. He unleashed the full force of a Superpower on his team mate who despite his speed could not dodge out of the way. The Weavile fell near unconscious with one hit.

 

With that the Executive stepped off the sidelines and pulled out medicene for both pokemon.

 

"Excellent work, both of you," he said as he revived Mordred. "You have both come a long way."

Both Pokemon seemed pleased by the praise from their trainer.

 

"Return to your pokeballs and take a good rest," James said as the pair disappeared in a red light back into their pokeballs.

 

"Now for Galahad and Gawain..."

[Franco]

IC: "What's up," Jennifer countered with a smile, walking alongside Hex from the Safari Zone towards Cianwood Town, "Is that I have an awesome new 'mon of unknown origin, even with an element free to imagination, while you have a plain old Ghost-type." She smirked. "As usual, the emo gets the stereotypical angst-mon. On the other hand, I'm curious to see exactly what my new catch is, considering it probably won't hurt my team..."

 

She locked eyes with her fellow Team Liberty agent.

 

"Battle?"

[Relapse]

IC:"Definitely," he grinned, gripping to Safari Ball in his hand before tossing it out. A red light erupted from the sphere, letting loose the Duskull inside."Yeah, you're right, Jen. This thing will seriously pose a threat to Hydriegon," came the sarcastic response, somewhat disapointed.

[Konuju]

IC: Mr. Burks
"Always a pleasure, Damon," Paul Burks said, shaking the Déoza commander's hand. His warm smile betrayed none of the worry he had for his daughter. "Thanks to the ceasefire, I didn't have a whole lot of trouble getting here. But if the war breaks out again while I'm here, I'll have a heck of a time getting back home."

Behind him, his Bisharp nodded in agreement.

"Well, as much as I wish it were otherwise, I didn't come to Hoenn just for sightseeing," Paul laughed. "So what do you need me to do?"

IC: Ellen
Ellen shook her head. "Chrono's acted like this ever since I found him on the streets of Unova. He was moving from town to town and kept getting himself into trouble. Eventually I found him unconscious on the road just outside of Undella Town. He looked pretty beat up, so I rushed him to the Pokémon Center and then decided to capture him. I thought he'd be better off under my care. But six months later, I've barely been able to bond with him at all, as you just saw."

Ellen looked over at Chrono with a worried look in her eyes. The Purrloin began licking his paws, paying no heed to his trainer.

"Maybe you're right, Tyler," Ellen sighed. "Maybe he has been abused. I just wish there was something I could do."

IC: Dack
The wind whistled in Dack's ear as he shifted his weight. His ski blades dug into the snow, cutting a smooth arc into the side of the mountain.

"Not too sharp!" Madison's words traveled on the wind.

As soon as Dack heard the warning, he suddenly lost his balance and tumbled. He landed face first in the snow, his skis becoming a tangled mess.

"Dack, I told you not to make your turns so sharp!" Madison cried as she skied to a graceful stop behind her friend.

Even against the cold snow, Dack felt his face flush as he picked himself up. "Skiing is so much easier when you're going in a straight line," he grunted. "The moment I start to turn, I end up stuck in the snow." The Teddiursa riding on Madison's shoulders giggled.

"Well, Teddy thought it was cute," Madison laughed.

"Right, cute." Dack rolled his eyes. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Despite growing up in Snowpoint, Dack had never skied before. Well, that wasn't exactly true -- he'd gone skiing a couple of times with his parents when he was young, but he had never been really good at it. Madison, on the other hand, had been skiing since she could walk. Riding the slopes was as natural to her as riding a bike. And so, for the past month or so, Madison had been giving Dack a crash course on skiing... with a bit more "crash" than either of them would have liked.

When he had initially decided to leave Team Rocket and remain in Snowpoint, Dack had thought he'd have to lay low for a while or else his commanders would track him down and drag him back out into the battlefield. But thanks to the ceasefire announced shortly after the Ancient Darkrai were defeated, he didn't have to. The war itself had been put on hold as everyone worked together to rebuild the broken cities. Dack had gotten a few messages from his fellow Rocket Agent, Hannah, requesting that he return to one of the Rocket bases, but he ignored her, opting to stay in his hometown.

For the first time in a long while, Dack was truly happy. The war was over, at least temporarily, the Darkrai were defeated, he was with his friends, and Team Rocket wasn't knocking at his door. His Swellow was excited to be home and Luxray and Bastiodon had quickly adjusted to Snowpoint's colder climate. Snivy had been reluctant at first to stay in the snowy city, but Dack had made it a point to train the grass snake and get her acclimated to the snow and ice. Thanks to those training sessions, Snivy had recently evolved into a Servine.

And then there was Teddiursa. Dack had found the little bear cub while training with Servine. Once he captured the cub, Madison insisted on calling him "Teddy." Dack was against it, arguing that his other Pokemon didn't have nicknames, but the name stuck. Teddy was a very loveable Pokemon; he got along with everyone, especially Madison. In fact, it was only Teddy's loyalty to Dack that stopped him from outright giving the Teddiursa to Madison.

"Come on," Madison smiled, extending a hand to help Dack up. "You'll have to master turning if you want to get down the slope -- there's no straight shot to the bottom."

Dack shook his head. "If that's the case, I get the feeling we'll be here for quite a while."

Edited May 4, 2014 by Konuju

[Franco]

IC: Jenny stopped and called forth her new creature as well. With a sanguine screech, it burst from its container, forming a black-and-yellow goblinoid. It grinned at Jenny from a fanged mouth before turning to face its opponent and setting its body alight with a furious charge, exuberant to do battle. Jenny merely frowned. The Electabuzz looked ready to fight, assuming these were pre-combat pepping rituals as they appeared to be, but its demeanor struck her as almost too enthused for fighting. Not zealous as Saber's righteous fury, striking out against evildoers, but charged with a passion for combat.

 

She did not like that.

 

Okay...Might as well make the best of it.

 

"Electabuzz, let's get cracking. Show me what you got!"

 

Galvanized by its trainer, the 'mon leaped into action. It grinned and released the charge that had been building between its antennae. Instantaneously, a bolt of Thunder flew from the twin structures towards the Duskull.

Edited June 28, 2013 by Mr. Peanuts

[Relapse]

IC:

 

Hex frowned at Jenny's catch. An electric? Not fair. Not fair at all. Minun, perched on his shoulder, obviously loved the Electabuzz. This was to be expected- the little 'Mon hadn't seen another of his type in months. In every way, Jenny getting the Electabuzz just rubbed the trainer the wrong way. As the Thunder attack came at Duskull, Hex was at a loss. Why start out with an attack like that? Easy way to wear down on your super-powered pet.

 

"Duskull! Use...I don't even..." "Minu! Minu!" "Bro! Chill! I got this!"

 

Acting on her own, the 'Mon used an attack Hex vaguely recognized as Will-o-Wisp on her electric opponent, even as she finished reeling back from Thunder.

[Franco]

IC: Jennifer frowned in response to the opposing 'mon's actions. That Duskull knew Will-o-Wisp? And was able to take a Thunder with minimal damage? Both these things fit her style of battling perfectly. She loved stalling fighters with the ability to take hits easily. Moreover, she found moves that also did damage and increased the stall with burns and other status effects to be exemplars of her kind of attack. Hex' captured 'mon did both. Most importantly, though, she could tell from its cold demeanor that it had a calculating personality. That was something Jennifer liked. It reminded her of her brother, a strategist possessing all the connotations of the title.

 

On the other hand, her Electabuzz had just proven itself to be a terrible match for her again. The move it perceived to be its best was an extremely offensive move. Thunder may have been capable of paralysis, but more importantly, it was capable of terrible damage in spite of its low accuracy. It was built to be used on the attack. Jennifer was not. As far as its strengths went, too, Lorn could only see that it did not seek to absorb hits nor evade them. It was too focused on attacking to consider defense. And its personality was contrary to her likes. Not quiet or tenacious in as much as joyful, the Electabuzz was not at all a favorite as far as its psyche went.

 

Funny, She thought, remarking at the sight of Lark's own disappointment with the Duskull and his Minun's joy upon sight of an Electabuzz. Seems that we're both disappointed with our catches.

 

She pressed on anyways, though. Jennifer Lark was nothing if not tenacious. She would not convene with Hex to discuss this peculiar set of circumstances until she had thoroughly made sure of their specifics and reaffirmed their base natures.

 

"Electabuzz, use a move that doesn't exert you quite so much."

 

The 'mon grinned through the pain of its burn, eager to please. Its antennae lit up again. However, instead of storing power, the rivulets of energy shifted to the creature's fist. It charged for the Duskull with Thunderpunch readied.

[Canis Lycaon]

OOC:

Going to jump into this RPG now.

 

IC: Blake Grimpen [Cianwood]

Blake walked around the town, looking for something to do when he saw two people in the midst of a Pokemon batttle. He walked towards to see it was Duskull vs. Electabuzz, with the Electabuzz's hand crackling with energy.

[Franco]

IC: Cero meandered across Route 48 without worry. It was just Johto, another of the five regions he had seen, and so far everything within was just as it had been for the past few months: quiet and pacific. He need not open his eyes much to test that postulate. Ever since the accident, he had much preferred to keep them near-totally closed.

 

After all, without so much light, how could his sight be seared with brilliance?

 

Cero's conclusion was succeeded by a slight swishing in the grass ahead. He peered into it, catching a glimpse of tan fur amid the green. Exactly what he had been looking for.

 

Striding into the long grass, Cero let loose Aridez. The nearby grit and dust of Cianwood Island kicked up to form an unnatural sandstorm pillar around the trainer and the two fighters, a fitting cover for their battle.

 

OOC: Catching a wild 'mon. Interaction would be just dandy.

Edited June 30, 2013 by Mr. Peanuts

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray arrived at the island with a frown. It seemed just as abandoned as it had seemed back when he was sent out on missions through Kanto; but something did seem off about the place. Ray recalled Aizen quickly, and walked forward, looking around cautiously. The trainer noticed some tracks in the sand nearby, and walked over to investigate them. The tracks seemed to be leading further into the island, and Ray frowned, but followed them. As he progressed toward the volcano, it became more and more obvious that they were headed to the heart of the island, and Ray wondered if this was a good idea or not; but he didn't have time to ponder that, as it took a sudden left, and stopped at a door seemingly built into the side of one of the rock walls there.

"Well... Not much I can do but check this out, I guess." Ray said, as he sighed, and walked in, following the hallway through.

 

The odd building seemed to consist of nothing but twists; with equally twisty dead end paths thrown in to try and throw off Ray's sense of direction at times.

"Will this place ever end...?" Ray muttered, as he found dead end number 7, and turned back. However, on his way back, he noticed a door he had seemed to miss before, and paused.

Could that be the correct way? Ray wondered, as he tried the door, to find it locked.

"... There's no way I'm searching this place for a key; Zangetsu, Close Combat the door to force it open." Ray said, getting annoyed with the layout of the building. The Zangoose appeared from it's Pokeball, and quickly sliced through the door, before kicking it's fragments to the side. Beyond it was Ray's favourite thing; more hallways. However, Ray had an odd feeling that this was the way to head, and set off down the millionth set of halls in that place.

 

Ray walked for a while compared to the last sets, not finding any doors, but noting it was getting more technologically advanced as he proceeded further into the building. The outer part seemed to have more metal focus, while this seemed almost to be steel... Could this be nearer to the actual volcano part? Ray didn't have much chance to focus on that further, as he got to reinforced blast doors.

What is this guy keeping out...? Ray thought; not wanting to think about the other possibility. Ray sighed, as he sent out Entei, Zangetsu and Rukia quickly.

"Entei, Flare Blitz the doors to heat them up; then Rukia, Ice Beam it quickly after. Zangetsu, break the ice right after that." Ray commanded; however, despite the plans, nothing happened to the doors, and Ray scowled, getting the bad feeling that this would not be a fun time. Shrugging it off, Ray headed over to the nearby computer panel that he assumed controlled the doors.

"Enter password." The screen read, and Ray shrugged, but tried his birthday just for the heck of it, not expecting it to work. Two surprising things happened; first of all, the doors opened. Secondly, Ray's birthday was the password.

"What is going on here...?" Ray muttered, not making any sense of what was going on, as he walked forward, proceeding through the doors. Ray ended up in a large rectangular room with angled corners, with all sorts of machinery in it. Ray looked around, and then noticed a slumped over girl on a chair in the middle of the room. Running over to it in shock, Ray checked the girl to notice that it was indeed Jenny, though she was definitely still alive, and there didn't seem to be anything about the chair she was on... So, why did this seem so much like a trap? Jenny stirred then, and opened her eyes.

"Ugh... Ray...? How did you get past..." Jenny wondered, and Ray froze; his initial suspicions were right. There was something else to this. There was a reason it all seemed to easy. And the doors sealing behind him simply confirmed his suspicions as glowing eyes opened on what he thought was a larger than life statue of an Aggron to the side of the room; he had walked right into a trap.

[Parugi]

OOC: Electabuzz and Duskull look fine to moi.

 

IC - Commander Damon - Mossdeep City: "Quite, quite. Right, then--to work," Damon answered. "Follow me." After paying for the pretzel in his hand, the Commander walked, headed in the direction of a walkway that led down to the waterfront, where a boat waited. In the distance, a small islet could be seen, on which was housed a large factory adorned with the familiar "D" logo of Déoza. The pair approached and boarded this boat, and as they made their way toward the factory, Damon alternated between eating his pretzel and speaking with Paul Burks.

 

"What we require you--and others like you--for is, quite simply, research and development," Damon explained. "The Hojohsin League--which, as you know, is considered a close ally to our dear Mr. Castle--is in the middle of... Well, let's say aggressive war prevention. A number of side factions in these regions currently threaten the balance that has been established by Teams Liberty and Rocket. You could say that they're, ah... loose ends. Extraneous factions that could renew the conflict between the two teams at any time, without warning. We need experienced crafters who can come up with tools to assist in those groups' dismantling."

 

He took a moment to bite his pretzel. "Take, for instance, Team Magma," Damon continued. "We know their base is somewhere in a volcano--somewhere we can't reach, despite our best efforts, due to the nature of their headquarters. Members of that group are the only ones who know how to get in. But if we could develop a weapon to, say, emulate their heat-resistant vehicles, they could be defeated in a flash. Likewise, a group called Team Energon possesses weapons capable of draining Pokémon energy; as such, it is imperative that we find some way to counter that. You see?"

 

IC - Kyle Eston - Fuchsia City: The sound of the door lock clicking into place met Kyle's ears as he turned the key. Face impassive, he turned the handle, making sure that the door was actually locked. When it didn't budge, the Liberty Agent pocketed the key, turning and walking down the steps into the yard, adjusting the bag slung across his back. He raised his chin, whistling. "Come on, everyone! Time to go!"

 

In a few moments, his team had assembled before him. Ruj the Gliscor descended from the air, landing on his trainer's shoulder with a grin. Kovian the Oshawott and Sanshou the Mienfoo slid from the top of the house, both bowing respectfully and prompting a chuckle from Kyle. Kitheus the Magneton appeared from around the side of the house, glowing with energy that suggested an approaching evolution; following behind him was Lyxek the Fraxure, who looked as if he had just woken from a nap. That left only two others:Rodax the Aron, whose approach was signaled by a small tremor below ground. As he appeared, he turned away from his trainer, glaring at a one of the wooden fence posts. Kyle frowned at this, though said nothing, as the final member of his team appeared--Suicune, who walked gracefully from the trees surrounding the house, and whose presence immediately brought a smile back to Kyle's face.

 

"Alright; glad we're all back together," Kyle said. "It's about time we visited Four Island again, so let's hop to it." Raising each of his Pokémons' containers, he recalled them, replacing the Pokéballs on his belt. Adjusting his bag again, the Liberty trainer took off, headed in the direction of the docks...

 

IC - Tyler McKinley - Fortree City: Oh, that's tragic... McKinley mused. Well, there's only one proper response that I can think of--a seed of encouragement to sow the field for future reaping. Now... what was the word that Hayes used, again...

 

"I see," McKinley said quietly, watching the Purrloin closely. One hand on his chin, he closed his eyes for a moment, smile fading into a more serious expression. After a moment, it returned. and he stooped down so that he was at eye level with Ellen. "Well, here's all I can tell you, Miss Ellen: I have faith in you. I can see in your eyes that you're a special kind of person; if anyone can find a way to make Chrono come around, it's you--you've just got to put your heart into it." Gently, he cupped Ellen's hand in his own, passing the PokéBlock case to her. With an expression of utter cheerfulness, he began to rise. "After all, little one, you have potential--I can sense it."

 

He turned, walking back to his spade and picking it up. "Well, I'll see you later, Ellen. Good luck." With that, he disappeared into the trees, where his Xatu waited out of sight. As he teleported away, McKinley mused.

 

We'll see what becomes of this in time. With any luck, she'll bite the bait--and we'll have another pawn set. That just leaves three more... He smiled to himself, bowing his head as he appeared in Nimbasa. So many candidates, so little time... Will guilt serve as a worthy enough motivator for the next? We'll have to find that out...

 

IC - Mars/Envy/Jupiter - Galactic HQ: The Galactic command center erupted with the sound of fireworks as Mars and the various guards present unloaded bullet after bullet from their weapons. All were trained on the girl before them, Envy, who quickly disappeared amidst the thick smoke billowing from the machines that were caught in the crossfire. All in all, the assault lasted only moments, the sound of gunfire finally giving way to an eerie, ringing silence as Mars watched the smoke cloud, waiting for the fans to dissipate it.

 

When they did, her eyes widened.

 

Envy, back slightly slouched, stood completely unharmed. Her eyes locked on Mars, expression betraying the barest hint of hurt--and anger. Eyebrows turned slightly downward, the girl straightened up. "That wasn't a very good 'thank you,'" she said, tone completely flat. "Why can't I have your love?"

 

Mars gasped, freezing in place as Envy became outlined by an acidic aura. The room was enveloped in a powerful wind again, whipping around the hem of the girl's dress and the long locks of hair streaming from her head, revealing a glowing, green, cross-like symbol on her forehead, adorned with seven, eye-like circles. Before the Team Galactic members' very eyes, Envy's shadow grew, rising up behind her in a whirlwind of darkness, forming a shadowy, tornado-like creature covered in eyes.

 

"Obviously, I was wrong about you," Envy said, her voice under-layered by another, much deeper one. "If you will not use your potential, then I will take it FOR MYSELF!"

 

 

It started with Mars. In a flash, the dark creature had descended, encompassing the Galactic Leader in its center, its essence disintegrating every surrounding piece of metal it came into contact with. Mars stood no chance. From Jupiter's position, crouching behind a pillar near the door, she could see her fellow Leader's body almost instantaneously atomize in the creature's center. It looked like a relatively painless death--Jupiter certainly hoped so, anyway.

 

With little but a slight smirk on her face, Envy turned, jumping from person to person, sentencing each to a swift death. All the while, her dark winds tore at the room, reducing it to little but piles of rubble around her. Presently, Jupiter became aware of the very real danger she was in, and opted to quickly slip out of the room while Envy was distracted with the others. Outside the room, she slid in front of a command console, putting in two codes. The first sounded the alarms for a base-wide evacuation. In any other emergency, she would have allowed a moment to use the intercom, to warn the others of what, exactly, was going on. There was no time for that now, unfortunately--the alarm would have to do.

 

The second code was more to buy her time than anything else, at least on paper. As soon as she entered it, the blast doors around the command center began to close. She knew she was trapping an unlucky group of individuals, a thought that almost made Jupiter faint. But, she rationalized, it was necessary. At the very least, it would block Envy for a moment--perhaps long enough to get to where she needed to go. On the other hand, with the power she was demonstrating in her rage... Jupiter shuddered, before turning and fleeing down the hall, away from the command center.

 

 

Envy halted as a loud siren cut through the sound of the howling wind, followed a moment later by the rolling sound of several heavy doors closing. She frowned, looking around at the entrances to the destroyed room, all of which were slowly becoming blocked off by what could only be described as thick plates of metal. As they slammed shut, a soft smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

 

"How pointless," she said to herself. "Doors never stopped destruction."

 

 

Jupiter panted as she pushed through the door to the roof, collapsing to knees on the pavement. Taking only a moment to rest, she forced herself to stand, jogging haphazardly to a radio tower in the southwestern corner. There, she opened a panel, gripping tightly a metal pole to steady herself as she connected her PokéGear to it, initiating a distress beacon that would hopefully reach as far as she needed it to.

 

Below, she felt the building tremor, prompting her to look back at the door, counting down. Six, five, four... There! She felt a rush of relief wash over her as the screen lit up green, followed by a red light at the top of the tower. Smiling, she disconnected her device, moving carefully to the edge of the building. She could see the hordes of Galactic personnel fleeing the complex, though they weren't moving as quickly as she had hoped--as if they assumed the alarm was nothing more than a drill. Jupiter gritted her teeth, looking for some way to get their attention...

 

She didn't have to. As soon as an idea came to mind, a number of windows around the building shattered, spraying fragments of glass into the air and eliciting several screams of surprise. The next moment, a portion of the roof began to collapse, slowly expanding toward the radio tower and Jupiter. Her eyes widened. Come on... The Galactic leader closed her eyes. Come on!

 

A flash of light before her. How may I be of assist--?

 

Jupiter's eyes shot open. "No time to talk!" she yelled. "Get me to someone who can help!"

 

The Alakazam seemed confused, but complied with her order nonetheless-and none too soon. As his psychic powers encompassed the pair, the ground beneath them collapsed, sending everything falling inward, toward the center of the Galactic base. Winds of darkness struck them as they disappeared, sending the Energon Teleporter and Galactic Leader off-course mid-teleport.

 

 

With a thump, Jupiter appeared on the street of an ebony-colored city, eyes wide as she panted with terror. Shakily, she pushed herself up enough to look around. Several civilians had stopped what they were doing, looking at the new, disheveled arrival.

 

Above, a man on a Garchomp descended, having seen the flash of a psychic energy...

 

IC - James Pierce - Déoza Construction Facility: Nine... What happened to you?

 

Pierce paced back and forth in his office, eyes set on the floor, mouth turned downward in a troubled frown. His hands were clasped behind his back, fingernails digging into the material of his suit, though he did not seem to care. The Hojohsin President could not get the image of Nine's battered form out of his mind, nor the damaged voice that the Darkrai had spoken with. More troublesome were his words, difficult to hear and even harder to decipher. What, exactly, had Nine failed to contain--and why had Pierce not heard about 'them' until now?

 

The First Child took a seat, running his potential options for assistance through his head. If Ford were present, perhaps he might have known what Nine referred to, but alas, the man had not been seen in the past six months, nor had Mewtwo. Obviously, an investigation was in order, though Pierce himself could not conduct it at the moment--he still had to see his job through. Hayes remained comatose from her mission in Unova, and Adams was still in Johto, still preparing for her confrontation with Joker, leaving her out of the question--for now. McKinley... Well, Pierce never quite knew where the Fourth Child was. Last he had heard, McKinley had gone on a recruitment mission, and returned with what had become the Fifth--a man named Adam, given the codename Van Harrison by McKinley. With every other option exhausted, and McKinley nowhere to be found...

 

Pierce sighed.

 

In any other circumstances, he would not even consider sending Harrison. Between his amnesia, how new to the organization he was, his untested abilities, and his... debatable origins, the risk of using him was much, much too high for Pierce's comfort. Yet, what else could he do? Leave the matter at rest? Unacceptable; he would have to take the risk.

 

But where to start?

 

The answer arrived in the form of a flashing icon on his computer screen. Raising an eyebrow, he approached, opening the message. As he read it, his brow furrowed. The report indicated that Team Galactic's headquarters, a facility designated "Nova," had suddenly issued both an evacuation order and a distress beacon before going completely silent. All efforts to reach the place had been met with failure, and no ground agents stationed there had reported in for the past hour.

 

That settled it.

 

Activating the messenger on his PokéGear, Pierce recorded a quick message informing Harrison of where to go and what to look for, before sending it to the Fifth Child. Having done that, the First leaned back in his seat, chin resting on his hand as he waited for a confirmation.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Black City

 

"Well, who do we have here?", Evan said, noting the new arrival's appearance, "Where did you come from?"

 

Evan noticed the arrival's appearance, especially the purple hair. He knew he had seen her before. But where?

 

Then it hit him. This was one of Team Galactic's Admins, Jupiter. From her appearance and facial expression, she seemed incredibly terrified.

 

"What happened to you, Jupiter?", Evan said, a note of concern in his voice, "What could possibly scare you?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray faced the Aggron, standing between the Pokemon and his sister, as she slowly stumbled out of the chair, trying to regain her footing after who knows how long of being there. The Aggron roared out, as the many computer screens all lit up, as laughter echoed through the room.

"You fell right into my trap; and I didn't even have to do anything but edge you closer to this. I must wonder how he will react to this..." The voice of a person said, as a shadowed figure was seen on the monitors with glowing yellow eyes.

"So; I presume you're the one who's been orchestrating this... And that this isn't your real base after all." Ray deduced, as the person laughed again.

"How perceptive. Too bad it won't do you any good." The voice taunted, except, Ray simply frowned.

"You really do underestimate me." Ray said, as he rolled up the sleeves of the jacket he was wearing, revealing a metallic gauntlet of sorts. Ray fired off a quick blast of ice at the Aggron, as the person faltered in his laughing, and Ray then fired a blast at the ground in an odd pattern, and then removed the resulting blade-like piece of ice from the ground.

"I guess this will be too easy after all." Ray said with a smile, as he dashed forward, sending out Hozukimaru quickly to help. The Aggron was hit by the first blast, and knocked off guard for the second attack, which caused him to stagger back just in time for the Dewott's Shell Blade attack. The Aggron was hit, but not even really damaged by any of the attacks, as it roared out in rage, and attempted to charge at Ray. Ray drew it's attention away from Jenny, and then side-stepped quickly, causing it to slam into a wall.

 

"Come on, let's go, while it's distracted." Ray called to Jenny, who nodded and ran to the door, only to find it sealed.

"How many times do I have to tell you? You're not going anywhere. Especially now that you've shown you're rather violent. Just fall, and let the darkness of unconsciousness take you over." The voice replied, and Ray shook his head."I'm not like that... I don't give up. If we can't get out the normal way, I'm make a way out." Ray said, figuring that would be impossible; but not wanting to give away his true plan to this person before he had actually organized it. Aizen read ray's mind, and nodded in his Pokeball; even as Ray drew the Aggron away, and then ran toward Jenny.

"Now!" Ray called out, as the Kadabra appeared. The voice gasped, not realizing the one thing he forgot to do; teleport proof the rooms ahead of time.

"Natu; stop th-" The voice tried to command; however, the Aggron charged toward the three, and Ray looked at it, right before they disappeared from the room.

 

Ray stumbled, as he hit the ground, and nearly fell. Jenny, however, landed correctly, and raised an eyebrow at her brother.

"Where are we? This isn't Goldenrod City." Ray noted with a frown, as Jenny looked around, confused.

"You're right... This is just outside Black City... wait; no, this is specifically... White Forest?" Jenny said, in surprise, as she frowned.

"I had been wanting to head here right before I was kidnapped... But why did we end up here...?" Jenny wondered out loud, as she looked over at the mischievously grinning Kadabra, which Ray quickly called over to him.

"I'm not sure; but, I also know I can't be seen here. Home region or not; and them loosening their rules or not, I'm still part of the groups they don't like... Which means the easiest thing for everyone, and with our track record safest, is to just leave now." Ray said with a shrug, as he nodded to Jenny.

"This time, don't get into trouble." Ray said with an overconfident smile, as he and Aizen teleported away... And ended up two feet away. Blinking, ray nodded once more, and the two teleported once again; ending up where he was the first time.

"... Seriously, we're going to play this game? Aizen, teleport me to Goldenrod City." Ray said in annoyance; and the two teleported away for the third time...

 

Except, despite not reappearing in the same spot, Aizen seemed to want to be in Unova for some strange reason, and teleported himself and Ray to the top of the recently rebuilt Ferris Wheel, which Ray recognized instantly.

"... This is the last time I rely on you for teleporting, Aizen; I should know by now not to do that." Ray said with a frustrated sigh, leaning back and looking up at the sky as he waited for the Ferris Wheel to head back to the ground... but the familiar sensation of teleporting hit him once more; and he hit the ground on his back; as the Kadabra walked over to his trainer, who happened to be in pain, and stood over him with a smirk.

"... Aizen... I'm going to kill you when we get back..." Ray groaned in pain, noting it was still Nimbasa City, but not recognizing where they were, even as he gripped his head, trying to stop the world from spinning around from the five teleports in a row.

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny made her way through the forest after the comic relief was finished, eventually reaching the edge of the city with a smile. This was where she had spent a lot of her time after she finished helping out with the rest of the region during the days. She wondered if anyone had missed her, or even knew she was gone, which made her frown, and remember how lonely the fake memories seemed to be after she learned the truth; and how in those first few days after she had been given some actual time to think, she had wondered if all of the concern that had apparently been felt after she had seemed to die was real or not. She figured it was after spending more time with her brother before heading to Unova; but it was times like this, when it was ONLY her brother who seemed to be looking for her, that simply reinforced those worries.

Does anyone even care for me...? Jenny thought; all she knew for certain was that people who apparently cared for her simply used her as an excuse to cause destruction; especially Ryan, who was more talk than anything else... Jenny frowned, but headed toward the city anyway, finally entering from the west, and slowly making her way toward the centre of the city. Her movements began to slow, however, and her eyes blurred, even as she thought she was approaching two people. She remembered then that it had been at least a day since the last time she had had anything to eat or drink; and her thoughts drifted idly to the idea of making her captor pay the next time she saw him; before she fell towards the ground in a fainting spell.

 

OOC: I was gonna have that be different, but, she didn't have a normal captor. =P For the record, she was fed and such while captive; just not as often.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

Evan saw Jenny fall to the ground as he was talking to Jupiter. Evan noticed what happened and started to walk over to Jenny. He turned to Jupiter, his eyes looking quite fierce.

 

"Stick with me, so that you can tell your story to the Bishops.", Evan said, "Given your current appearance, it would seem you escaped something dreadful in the nick of time."

 

Evan then produced a Pokegear from his pocket and hit a button. He looked at Jenny, recalling her as one of the key players in the showdown against Black Kyurem.

 

"Bishops, this is Knight Tierra.", Evan talked into the Pokegear, "An agent has been found unconscious and a member of Team Galactic has arrived in the city as well. I am bringing her to Plasma Castle along with the agent."

 

Evan then whistled to Gnip. The garchomp slowly trudged towards him. Evan then sent out his Swampert.

 

"Monstro, help me get her onto Gnip.", Evan said as he motioned to Jenny, "Jupiter, you are to follow me to Plasma Castle, where the Bishops shall hear your story for themselves."

 

Monstro and Evan lifted Jenny gently and carefully onto Gnip's back. The Garchomp growled softly as she kept a close eye on Jupiter, making sure she didn't try anything funny.

 

"All right, onward to Plasma Castle." Evan said.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Gallade and the Porygon 2 had quickly traded blows a few times, the Porygon taking more damage due to the innate weakness of the attacks; however, the Gallade was also taking a rather large amount of damage, since it was being hit more.

"Ready to give up and head back where you belong...?" Zach asked, as Ryan shook his head in frustration.

"Did something happen to your ears during that Kyurem fight? I'm trying to tell you there's a reason!" Ryan called out in reply; but Zach simply laughed.

"Yeah, there is a reason! You escaped, and are trying to blame something else, just like last time. I'm not buying it." Zach said, and the two pokemon began to clash once more, but Ryan simply shook his head, trying to figure out if there was some way to end the fight, but show him he wasn't like he was before...

[Daniel Bryan]

IC - Van Harrison:

 

A dark room. Many different figures. A bright blue glow shining across the room, before settling upon a child's form. Terrified parents watching their infant. A dark form emerging from the infant, screaming and-

 

*BEEP*

 

Van Harrison's meditation was cut short by the loud ringing of his PokéGear. The cold air of Spear Pillar brushed against his face, bringing the young man back to the reality of the world. For the past while, the Fifth Child was meditating atop Mt. Coronet, scanning his memories, searching behind locked doors in his personal quest to discover his origins. Spear Pillar happened to be a place where he felt most calm and at home, much like he was when he found himself in ruins of any sort, Sinjoh Ruins being a prime example. Opening one of his bright blue eyes, he scanned for his pack, inside which his PokéGear was stored.

 

*BEE-*

 

The infernal noise was cut short, much to Van's satisfaction, pulling free the device from the clutches of his pack. As Van let loose a sigh of relief, his attitude quickly changed into one of seriousness as he received the message. With a deep breath, Van raised himself to his feet, making sure to grab the band that had rested beside his pack, using it to tie his long hair back into a ponytail, brushing it from his eyes as he stretched his arms and legs. Van produced a black and grey-striped scarf from his pack, quickly wrapping it around his face. Releasing his Hydreigon, the massive dragon releasing an echoing roar as it spread its wings. Its glowing red eyes scanned the ruins, as different elemental energies began gathering in its mouths, ready to unleash an attack upon the ruins. Hydreigon's rampage was stopped before it even began, as Van quickly jumped onto the back of the massive dragon. Sending a quick confirmation back to Pierce, Van pat the mighty dragon upon the back as Hydreigon took to the air.

 

"Now... Let's see what the future has in store for me..." Van said to himself, replacing his PokéGear back into his pack as he flew off towards Galactic HQ, ready to undertake his mission.

 

~Det

[Konuju]

IC: Mr. Burks

"Hmm," Mr. Burks thought as he analyzed the situation. "Fireproof armor shouldn't be too tough, although finding a way to counter this Team Energon might give me some trouble." The blacksmith fell silent, listening to the crash of the waves against the boat as they neared the small islet.

 

To Damon, it would appear as if Paul was deep in thought about finding a solution to this problem. However, he was actually wondering how he would search for Ellen while also producing the materials Déoza required.

 

The best solution would be to send Scar out to search for her, he mused, thankful for the great endurance his Skarmory possessed. The trick is getting to Ellen myself once Scar locates her.

 

Paul looked back at the Déoza commander. "I'm sure you have plenty of materials in that factory," he nodded at the quickly approaching islet. "But if I find myself having trouble, I may need to go on a scouting mission. Meteor Falls, for example, I hear has several types of ore exclusive to that area. I take it you have teleporters that would allow me to do a bit of field work as needed?"

 

IC: Ryan

"I just finished building this home and I'm already leaving," Ryan chuckled to himself as he stood at the door. From around the corner came the newest member of his team, a Mareep named Ampere. "There you are, Ampere," Ryan grinned. "We're going to take a little road trip to Four Island; we'll see if Team Liberty knows anything about this Pokédex and why my parents had it." Recalling the Electric-Type, Ryan took one last look around his new home before heading out the door.

 

IC: Ellen

Ellen stood rooted to the ground as a chill ran down her back. Her face turned white as Maddison Hayes' words echoed in her head: "You have potential, little onethe same potential that Ford felt in me." This potential... was that the same potential Tyler had just mentioned?

 

No, she shook her head as she watched the young man disappear into the trees. That's impossible -- right?

 

Potential... potential... why does that sound so familiar? Duo asked as he floated next to Ellen.

 

Maddison Hayes, Ellen responded mentally. You don't think they're talking about the same thing, do you?

 

Well, of course they are! the Duosion said. Or... maybe not. I don't know; it could just be a coincidence. 'Potential' is a popular word, isn't it?

 

Ellen sighed. Ever since Solo had evolved into a Duosion, he had become very indecisive. His nickname had changed to Duo to reflect his evolution, but his new name was also surprisingly fitting given his dual states of mind. Sometimes Ellen wondered why she still bothered to ask Duo for advice. They can't mean the same thing, she reasoned. Hayes was talking about my desire for peace, while Tyler saw my compassion for Chrono. Ellen looked down at the PokéBlock container in her hands, then looked back at the Purrloin, who still sat several feet away from the rest of her Pokémon.

 

"Hey."

 

A hand rested on her shoulder, causing Ellen to jump.

 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Ryan chuckled. "Anyway, I'm about to head to Four Island for a bit. It'll be a quick trip; I should be back by the end of the week. Do you want to come with me?"

 

Ellen shook her head as she pocketed the PokéBlock container. "No... I'd like to continue helping out here in Fortree."

 

"Are you feeling okay?" Ryan asked. "You look a little pale."

 

"I-I'm fine," Ellen stammered, managing a brief smile. "It's probably the heat -- I'm not used to this tropical climate."

 

"Yeah, these summer months can be a killer," Ryan agreed. "Try not to overwork yourself, Ellen. Be sure and drink plenty of water. It's easy to get dehydrated, especially under the trees, where it doesn't feel as hot."

 

"Right," Ellen said. "Well, good luck on Four Island."

 

"Thanks," Ryan smiled. "You behave yourself, alright? No getting into trouble!"

 

IC: Dack

"Don't feel bad, you just need more practice," Madison smiled. Dack slung his skis and poles over his shoulder as the two friends headed back to Snowpoint.

 

"Well," the former Rocket Agent shrugged. "It's not like I have any excuse not to practice. Other than the fact that I'm exhausted right now."

 

"Endurance will come with time," Madison assured him.

 

"Well, I wouldn't even be able to ski straight without your help," Dack chuckled. "You're a really good teacher, Madison."

 

Madison stopped walking, looking slightly flustered. "Oh, Dack... you... you're a really good learner, you know."

 

"You're just saying that," Dack shook his head. "I can't make a turn to save my life."

 

Madison laughed. "Yeah, you got me there. But still, I..." her voice trailed off. Dack was looking into her deep, blue eyes, and she stared back at his dark, brown ones. They slowly inched closer together as Dack held Madison in his arms.

 

A sudden explosion sounded to the north, bringing both Dack and Madison back to reality. "What was that?" Madison asked with a worried look.

 

"I think I see smoke," Dack frowned. He tossed a Pokeball into the air. "Swellow, give me a better view!" The large bird materialized in the air and grabbed onto his trainer's shoulders. Dack grimaced as Swellow's talons dug into his shoulders; he wasn't wearing the protective pad he normally had on his shoulders.

 

Ignoring the pain, Dack scanned the ground as Swellow quickly gained altitude. What he saw made his heart drop into his stomach. The Snowpoint Pokemon Center was on fire, and a thick black smoke was starting to billow out of the building's windows as the tiny forms of nurses and patients evacuated.

 

"What happened?" Madison asked as Dack descended.

 

"Fire; in the Pokemon Center," he quickly explained. "Hop on Swellow's back, now!"

 

"What?!" Madison cried in shock. But I've never flown before--"

 

"Trust me, just get on!" Dack barked.

 

Swellow fluttered to the ground in front of Madison. The skier cautiously sat down on the bird's back, clutching its feathers. She shrieked as Swellow took off and grabbed Dack by the shoulders once more. Straining with the weight of his extra passenger, Swellow beat his powerful wings and set his course toward Snowpoint.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Konuju

[Parugi]

IC - Commander Damon - Mossdeep City: Commander Damon nodded in response. "That we do," he said. "Do be aware, you're more than welcome to leave the facility, regardless of whether or not such a need arises. After all, there is little doubt that we will succeed in our goals, one way or another."

 

IC - Alakazam - Near Cianwood, Route 48: Four traineers--two battling each other; one battling a wild Pokémon; another observing the former match. All within a close area, all under the same group of clouds, all standing on the same section of island.

 

All in view of the flash of light in the sky as an Alakazam materialized, having been thrown off course mid-teleport, now subject to a view of that same Psychic-Type free-falling through the air several stories above the ground on the outskirts of Cianwood City, clearly unconscious or damaged enough to appear unable to save itself...

 

IC - Jupiter - Black City: Jupiter seemed more surprised than anything. For a moment, she ignored Evan, instead looking around for the Alakazam that had been teleporting with her. Where did he go...!?

 

"Wait!" she called after Evan, scurrying to her feet and chasing after him. "Just where am I!? I need someone who can help, not..." She clenched her fist and jaw, at a loss for words. The civilians that had gathered around the area continued to watch the group cautiously, their stances both suspicious and slightly fearful.

 

Jupiter looked back at Evan. "Hang on... You said Bishops? This is Unova? What part of it?"

 

IC - Envy - Galactic HQ: The dust was settling, and in its midst stood Envy. Hands clasped over her sternum, head bowed and eyes closed as if in prayer, the girl's aura slowly retreated back toward her. Behind her, the dark beast that had emerged began to evaporate into the wind, specks of black floating away until it was gone completely. At last, the symbol on her forehead faded. Envy's eyes drifted open, staring down at the rubble under her feet. All around her, ruin reigned. Team Galactic's former headquarters had been devastated; where once a six-story building had stood now bore only pile upon pile of rock, metal, and ash. Small craters dotted the landscape around the ruins, places where Galactic members had stood before being consumed.

 

She blinked, lowering a hand to her side. The land was silent around her, now that that horrid siren had been destroyed. No one had yet approached the place, given the distance between there and Eterna City, the closest mark of civilization. Envy's expression could only be described as one of disappointment--as if she had been promised some grand treat, only to find that no such thing existed. Even so, the small smile on her face suggested that she was taking the disappointment well. Humming quietly to herself, the girl turned, stepping carefully across the fallen stones as she made her way away from the epicenter of her retaliation.

 

Too weak, Envy mused, sighing. Hm... Where to, then? I need someone stronger... She paused as she stepped on solid ground, looking at the palm of her hand. The cross-like mark was etched there--the Symbol of Envy. Someone more powerful... But where might I find...

 

The girl closed her eyes, opening them a moment later as she sensed someone approaching from a nearby place. Looking up, she saw a large, black shape growing in the air--a Hydreigon. On it, she sensed a person. While they were certainly powerful, they were not what she was looking for. Still, perhaps she could use them...

 

Envy waited.

 

IC - Sonja Baron - Nimbasa City: Laughter accompanied Sonja and her friends as they exited the stadium, the Liberty Agent leading the way. Several feet behind them, Agent Phil followed, glancing around every so often at the passing buildings, obviously bored with his job. Sonja largely ignored his presence as they walked, focusing instead on the aimless chit-chat and jokes that were occurring between her friends between them. For a while, they simply walked through the streets of Nimbasa, not going anywhere in particular.

 

Everywhere, Phil followed.

 

Sonja looked at her friends. They were very clearly having fun with the situation, hardly seeming to notice the Plasma agent. Had there been no indications otherwise, they might have been hanging out before Sonja's initial departure to Kanto--a topic that eventually and inevitably came up, as they were nearing a much less active part of the city. At the mention of the region, Sonja looked at Taylor, raising an eyebrow. The girl noticed, smirking.

 

"I thought that would catch your attention, Miss Introspection," Taylor joked, prodding Sonja's head. The Liberty Agent shrugged, looking forward again.

 

"Sorry; this is just unusual for me, as you might imagine," she answered. "Considering everything that goes on in Kanto, you know..."

 

"Oh, I know," Taylor answered. "That's why I was just saying, I'm excited for this whole peace thing--it means time at home for you, and more you for us!"

 

"I'm just glad people here are finally able to talk about what's going on over there," Sonja replied. Lana nodded in agreement.

 

"Yup," she said. "That's boring stuff to talk about, though." Taylor grinned. "Which brings us to the inevitable." Sonja face-palmed. "Any cute b--"

 

"What do you think the answer is?" Sonja asked, perhaps more sharply than she intended. With a sigh, she stopped walking, turning to lean against the railing of the bridge. Her friends did not answer. "Sorry; that topic just gets really old."

 

No answer.

 

"Guys? Hello? You can stop playing around any ti-" Sonja turned, cutting herself off mid-sentence in surprise.

 

Right next to her, just far enough around that she had missed it in her peripherals, an aged Xatu had appeared. Its wings were stretched out to either side, as if forming a barrier between Sonja and the others, and its eyes were glowing. In front of it, Lana, Taylor, and Chloe stood, completely still, faces frozen mid-speech. It was as if they themselves had been frozen in time; around them, the world continued to move, though the bridge they stood on and the areas near its entrances were devoid of people, given the late hour.

 

Phil was nowhere in sight.

 

 

 

"Hello, Second Child."

 

Sonja whipped around at the voice. On her other side, several feet further away, stood a young man, no older than twenty or so. His eyes, a bright gold, stared out from his youthful face, shadowed by a black, skull-bearing bandana that held back his long, equally brilliant hair, similar in color to his gloves. His clothes--at least, the color scheme and the jacket--Sonja recognized immediately.

 

Likewise with the unconscious man whose collar the boy held, suspending his torso several feet off the ground.

 

That's the same outfit that... No...

 

"Let him go," Sonja ordered.

 

"Why?" the boy asked. "I thought you found him annoying." He smiled coyly, chuckling at Sonja's darkened expression. "Fine, fine, have it your way. I'm trying to do you a favor, Madds." He let go of Phil's collar, allowing the man to drop to the ground with a thud. The boy proceeded forward several steps, peering closely at Sonja's face. He stopped after the fourth step with a fake gasp of surprise, raising his hand to his mouth in a mockery of the same sensation. "Oh, but you're not Maddison Hayes. I'm sorry--it's just you look so much like her, you know, what with the eyes and the hair and everything..." He chuckled again. "Heh. Silly me."

 

Sonja clenched her fist. "Just who are you?" she demanded. "And how do you know... Maddison?"

 

Quite aware of the tension, the boy held up his hands, smiling purposefully. "Calm down there, Second Child's Sister; I'm not here to hurt you--physically, anyway," he said. "I'll start from the top, how about that? My name's McKinley. Tyler McKinley. If you know your history books, then the connection between Madds and I should be pretty obvious." He smirked. "Or should I call her Sophia?"

 

It didn't take long for Sonja's eyes to widen in realization. "Then... you're one of Ford's?" Of course he is, she reprimanded herself. The uniform's the same...

 

McKinley snapped his fingers. "Bingo." He lowered his hands, placing them behind his back. "Tyler McKinley. Fourth Child of Gild. And you're Sonja Baron, sister of the Second Child of Gild."

 

If that was supposed to mean something, Sonja didn't know. "Fascinating," she said. "Now what do you want?"

 

McKinley shrugged, closing his eyes momentarily. "Your word." Sonja raised an eyebrow. The boy turned, beginning to pace from side to side. "Here's the deal. Not long from now, Ford will return. When he does, the Children will gather--and it will be their job to ensure the emergence of total peace in the world. As things stand, we don't have quite as many of said 'children' as we need--of the nine, in fact, we have only five..." He trailed off, looking pointedly at Sonja. Her expression was, needless to say, one of surprise.

 

"You... want me to fill one of the last four spots?" she asked. McKinley nodded. "Is that... is this what my sister has been working towards?" Another nod. Sonja cast her eyes to the ground. Peace... with so little effort? It can't be true... can it? "Just... what exactly would this entail?"

 

"I can't tell you that without your word," McKinley answered. "Sorry, honey."

 

Sonja frowned, her glare focused on a single, protruding stone in what was otherwise a perfect bridge. "And if I refuse?"

 

She could practically hear McKinley's grin widen as the question. "If you refuse, then I'm afraid I can't guarantee your friends--these ones or the others--will live to see what we seek to bring--or your sister, for that matter, considering replacements and all." The Liberty Agent raised her head at this, eyes locking on his. Through the unease brought about by his presence, she could tell that with this, at least, he was being truthful. She gritted her teeth. In the end, she really did not want to follow in Sophia's footsteps; on the other hand...

 

Maybe... "If I say yes," she said slowly and quietly. "You promise me that you won't hurt any of them?"

 

"That I do," McKinley said. His grin shrunk back into a smaller, somehow friendly smile as he saw Sonja nod.

 

"I'll do it, then," she said at length. "Just tell me what I need to do."

 

"Excellent," McKinley said, approaching her slowly. Carefully, he placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her around to face Xatu. "Just look into Xatu's eyes, Sixth Child, and you'll know everything you need to know."

 

The Psychic-Type maintained its hold on the other girls as it, too, turned around, looking up at Sonja. Reluctantly, she locked eyes with it, becoming entranced with the orbs of bluish white that stared back at her, feeling information flow freely into her mind. She saw images of ruins, of nine circles on the ground, a totem-like rock in the center of the place--and then it all vanished, the memories of her conversation with McKinley slowly disappearing, quicker than she could react or realize that they were being hidden inside her mind, locked away until the promised day...

 

 

 

"Yup," she said. "That's boring stuff to talk about, though." Taylor grinned. "Which brings us to the inevitable." Sonja face-palmed. "Any cute b--"

 

"What do you think the answer is?" Sonja asked, perhaps more sharply than she intended. With a sigh, she stopped walking, turning to lean against the railing of the bridge. "Sorry; that topic just gets really old."

 

"No, no, I unders--" Lana began, only to be interrupted by Taylor and Chloe, who jumped to either side of Sonja.

 

"Oooh~" Taylor said. "I know what that answer means!"

 

"What're their names, hmmm?" Chloe asked. "Or was it a single guy?"

 

Sonja glared at them, quickly becoming aggravated at the restrictions they were placing on her movement.

 

For the second time that day, the sound of a tennis racket striking someone's head sounded.

 

Even Phil chuckled.

 

 

 

McKinley studied the quartet (and Phil) from a distance, arms crossed as he watched Sonja from the shadows of a far-off tree. He smiled, looking at Xatu. "Nice job, buddy," he said. "That's another one down for us... Hm." He closed his eyes, bowing his head slightly. "I never did give her an official codename. I'll call her... Lynda Grant. Heh..." He opened his eyes. "Guess it doesn't matter, considering she won't be using it. Anyway, hopefully that knowledge of where to go will resurface in time... Well, here's to the best."

 

With a nod to Xatu, the pair teleported again, leaving the newly dubbed Sixth Child behind. As they vanished, the Psychic-Type sent a quick blip into Sonja's head, planting the name in her unconscious mind--a final souvenir from McKinley to her...

Edited July 4, 2013 by Parugi

[Franco]

OOC:

IC - Alakazam - Near Cianwood, Route 48: Four traineers--two battling each other; one battling a wild Pokémon; another observing the former match. All within a close area, all under the same group of clouds, all standing on the same section of island.

 

All in view of the flash of light in the sky as an Alakazam materialized, having been thrown off course mid-teleport, now subject to a view of that same Psychic-Type free-falling through the air several stories above the ground on the outskirts of Cianwood City, clearly unconscious or damaged enough to appear unable to save itself...

Dealing with this.

 

IC: Aridez Cursed. The ominous "Hippo" lined its body with the sharp runic scrawl that the move produced. Encumbered yet empowered by the scrawl, it lumbered once more towards the Lillipup. But the puppy behaved exactly as Cero thought. The Lillipup had earlier escaped from Aridez numerous times in spite of Aridez' natural advantage in a sandstorm. Now much too fast in comparison to be caught by moves requiring contact, like Crunch, the Lillipup was safe from capture.

 

Safe in that fleet moment before Cero let his 'mon use Earthquake, that was.

 

Withered by the sandstorm and struck by the Hippopotas' most powerful attack, the tiny creature staggered. But it did not faint. Cero had told the Hippopotas to hold back a bit, as he wished to catch this creature due to its surprising array of moves and the high speed at which it moved in spite of its small size. He remembered clearly a rime-covered chomp onto Aridez that could only be Ice Fang; in conjunction with its hit-and-run style of fighting, a Curse-bearing Earthquake had been necessary to ensure its defeat.

 

An Ultra Ball soon scooped up the Lillipup, while Aridez returned to his own sphere. The grit whipping about Cero gradually slowed, falling once more as the unnatural winds of Sand Stream disappeared. He turned and began to walk away, not bothering to clean the fine layer of sand from his attire. That would be removed later. His first priority was to visit Cianwood's Pokemon Center once more to refresh his team. After all, his clothing was already lined with the dust of a thousand places. What was one more?

 

As he grew nearer to the city, though, Cero caught a glimpse of brilliant light above the city's fringe. A battered Alakazam had appeared midair and was falling to the ground from such a height that it could well be killed. The conjecture that it had Teleported into the sky here, along with the facts that it had Teleported without company and its unconsciousness, all didn't add up; however, Cero wasn't one to let a creature die. He let out Buitre and commanded her. The Mandibuzz took to the air, swooping towards the Alakazam with claws extended to catch it.

 

OOC: New dude.

 

Species: Lillipup

Nickname: Viajero

Trainer: Cero

Appearance: Viajero is average but for longer teeth and shorter fur than most Lillipup, as well as a propensity for carring objects within his fur--if not ones he obtains using his ability, then typically small and wholly natural things like pebbles or twigs.

Personality: Viajero is very curious, always looking for excitement. He is also energetic and loves to move about.

Ability: Pickup

Specialty: Incredibly fast and agile thanks to his energy and short fur, though he also does have a bit extra biting power thanks to his pronounced canines.

Known Moves: Reversal, Crunch, Fire Fang (egg move), Thunder Fang (egg move), Ice Fang (egg move), Work Up

Edited July 4, 2013 by Mr. Peanuts

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach/Black==-Ryan frowned, as saw his Porygon get knocked back from a rather powerful attack from the Gallade."Ready to give up yet?" Zach asked, still not trusting Ryan, as the other trainer growled and recalled his Pokemon."I've had it with you! You won't listen to a single word I say! I'm through going easy on you because of what's happening; I'm going to wipe that smile, from your face!" Ryan yelled out, upset that no sense could be gotten through to his brother, even as he gripped a Pokeball with a cool air surrounding him, as he closed his eyes; focusing on what was going on."Now go on. Take your best shot, Excadrill. Take him down, because I have had it with him!" Ryan yelled out angrily, as he snapped his eyes open with a reawakened rage, calling on all memories of being foiled by Zach before, of Zach being treated as the favourite and hero and overall being treated better; just for the chance to finally shut him up and get him to listen. He sent out the 'Drilbur', right as it was engulfed in a dark light, and re-emerged as an Excadrill with a horn shaped like the end of a key on the top of his head, which was the shape for the 'spikes' on his hands. The key end had jagged edges, of course, but it really did resemble the edge of an old skeleton key."Now, do it! DRILL RUN!" Ryan yelled, his eyes full of rage for the first time in six months. The newly evolved Excadrill ran toward Zach quickly, it's eyes equally full of rage, as it attempted to drill into the Gallade. Blade, not expecting it, pretty much let the attack hit, which sent the bladed Pokemon flying backwards, heavily damaged from both the previous fight, and that one attack. Blade attempted to stand up, but was forced to a knee, even as Zach was taken aback from the sudden turn of events./EDIT:-==IC: Ray//Nimbasa City==-Ray gripped his head, the world still swirling, as he staggered toward the bridge leading to the north of Nimbasa City.Did he seriously have to pull that trick? Ray mentally growled in protest, as he shook his head, trying to clear his vision, grabbing hold of the guardrail to steady himself. Ray looked up at about that moment, and saw a group of four people headed in what looked like his direction. He still stared, but simply to register that fact, until he noticed one of them looked awfully familiar...... Who...? Ray wondered; he thought it was her... But given the fact that he hadn't seen her in about five or six months, he couldn't be certain. As they got closer, however, his vision slowly began to unblur, and his eyes widened."Sonja...?" Ray mumbled, mostly to himself, and mostly inaudibly, as he shook his head again, not believing his eyes for some obvious reasons. Ray gripped his head, as another quick stab of pain traveled through his head, however, when he opened his eyes once again, he saw that it really was Sonja, and Ray just looked over in that direction, unsure what exactly to do. Especially because, you know, he was in Unova, and that probably wasn't going to go over all the greatest if anyone else who knew of him realized he was there. Nonetheless, Ray wasn't exactly able to just vanish, and it would likely make the situation worse.Know what else will, stupid? You staring at her. Ray reminded himself, as he realized he was in fact effectively staring, and looked away, taking note of the miraculously reflecting water to concentrate on anything else, as his surprised stare could possibly be considered something else.

Edited July 5, 2013 by BZP Blade

[Light]

IC: Near CianwoodJared was running, as fast as he could. Bright flashes of light tend to attract attention, and this was no exception. Plus, he felt he owed it to Sam to help any of his kind.For once, his Pokemon were put away.OOC: Back, by request of Francis.

Edited July 5, 2013 by The Fourteenth Doctor

[Krayzikk]

IC:Not far from Cianwood, a second Pokemon soared into the sky, hanging back in reserve in case Cero's Mandibuzz failed to catch the falling Alakazam. The crimson Scizor watched both Pokemon warily, eyeing them in case they turned out to be a threat.

 

On the ground, a short distance away, a man leaned against a bicycle, watching the scene unfolding.

[Parugi]

OOC: Lillipup looks good~

 

IC - Sonja Baron - Nimbasa City: "Ooooww." Taylor and Chloe rubbed their heads in pain, backing off as Sonja spun the tennis racket around in her hand before planting its end on the ground, glaring at them. As she began to replace the racket in its case, Lana poked her shoulder, pointing behind the Liberty Agent. "Um... That guy is looking at you."

 

"What?" Sonja turned her head, looking over her shoulder, expression softening in surprise as she saw the telltale spiky orange hair that had become so familiar back in December. Zipping up her bag, she stood up, shouldering it and frowning as she noticed that Ray seemed... off. His body language was uncertain, and his presence in Nimbasa--in Unova, actually--was... well, quite shocking. She looked at Lana, lowering her voice. "That's a friend of mine--the Rocket member who I told you about."

 

"Oh," Lana said. "I see..." She glanced back at him. "So what's he doing here?"

 

Sonja shrugged. "I'm going to find out," she said. "Mind taking them home?" Lana smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

 

"No problem," Lana said, grabbing the other twos' arms and pulling them back. She waved to Sonja. "See you later!"

 

Sonja waved back, before turning and talking toward Ray, Phil still following behind her and watching the two curiously. As she neared, the Liberty agent whistled at him to catch his attention. "Hey--Ray!" She smiled and waved as he looked over. "Long time, no see!"

 

IC - Alakazam - Near Cianwood City: The jolt of being grabbed mid-fall by the Mandibuzz was enough to cause the Alakazam's eyes to drift open slightly. Mind still foggy, he was barely able to register where he was or what was happening as the Dark-Type bird began to carry him to safety, only realizing that he had been falling when the view of the city below penetrated his hazy vision.

 

Before long, he touched solid ground, having been deposited at a robed man's feet. The Alakazam looked up at Cero, barely managing to establish a psychic link with the boy due to his injuries--which, up close, appeared to consist primarily of numerous burns of some kind, blackish-purple in color.

 

Thank you, the Psychic-Type said. Where am I?

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: LONG TIME NO SEE! LONG TIME NO SEE! </Sonic Adventure> Granted, it makes sense here, but still. =P-==IC: Ray==-Ray looked over in slight surprise, as he smiled back at Sonja, and waved to her as well."Hey there; definitely has been a while." Ray said, as he turned to the Liberty agent once more."What's new with you? Unova life been treating you well?" Ray asked with a slight chuckle, as he winced slightly at the slight headache that was still there, rubbing the back of his head as he did so. He wasn't exactly sure how this would play out, but was definitely up for talking with Sonja; especially as that had not happened for so long.

[Franco]

IC: Johto, Cianwood City, Cero replied. He shifted uncomfortably within his garb, a worm cast into blinding brilliance. His mind similarly squirmed under the Alakazam's mental gaze. He knew enough by now to trust a Psychic-Type he had saved from certain death to provide him the courtesy of leaving the darkest recesses of his soul untouched. And he well understood that even his most external of thoughts were not relevant to the situation at hand and therefore that intrusion upon them would be perceived as impertinent by the Alakazam. But his subconscious had other concerns than a mere intrusion on minor privacy or another. He simply felt an overwhelming instinct to hide from the psychic's stare, regardless of intent.

 

Cero shook himself from the disturbing revelation. Before him lay a severely injured sapient being. Its burns, vaguely intriguing to the nomad as he noted them to be, took priority over ponderings. Are you well enough to transport yourself to a center?, he asked. Then he turned and gave a swift glance to Buitre. The vulture, having come to rest hunched atop a nearby tree to preen her plumage, instantly understood and drew tighter her wings for a more explosive takeoff if ordered to once again move. Type relations between the rescuing- and rescued-'mon may have inherently been bitter, but while she certainly didn't like helping the Alakazam, she would yet obey her trainer. If you have been rendered immobile, we will provide for your hospitalization.

Edited July 6, 2013 by Mr. Peanuts

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: ???, Goldenrod City

 

Suddenly, a massive fist struck Ryan's Excadrill, knocking him to the ground. The fist belonged to a Conkeldurr. A rather angry looking Conkeldurr. Beside him was a man surrounded by what looked like a thin scarlet mist, who was clapping slowly. He had dark red hair, wore a black outfit with a white shirt underneath. His smile seemed almost like it didn't belong on his face.

 

"A very good demonstration, but an unnecessary one.", the man said, "You really shouldn't be starting fights like that. Especially when I am around...."

 

"Who are YOU and why should we care?", Ryan asked harshly to his Excadrill's attacker, "Who are you to come barging in on this?"

 

"Me?", The man said as he raised his hand, "I used to be called Raimundo Rojo."

 

Raimundo then snapped his finger. Almost instantly, his Conkeldurr shot forward and smashed his fist down on Blade, eyes aflame. The resulting attack sent the Gallade face first into the ground.

 

"But you two can call me.....Wrath." Raimundo said in a sinister voice.

 

IC: Evan Tierra

 

"Central Unova, Black City to be exact.", Evan said, "Now come with me. We wouldn't want to keep the Bishops waiting."

 

Evan made a "hurry up" gesture at Jupiter as he walked alongside Gnip towards the Plasma Castle.......

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Zach//Goldenrod City==-Ryan scowled at the intruder to the fight, as he raised his hand toward Wrath; his Excadrill very slowly getting up due to it's last hit and dashing toward the Conkeldurr, intending on utilizing the Drill Run on him instead. Zach was shocked, and quickly returned his Gallade to his Pokeball, and frowned, as he quickly sent out Cyndy, his Typhlosion, to take over."Lava Plume, now!" Zach called out, as she nodded, and sent out a large burst of flames at the Conkeldurr quickly, trying to take down this new threat before anything else happened.

[Parugi]

OOC: Blade: At least I didn't go with "THIS IS THE ULTIMATE!"

 

IC - Sonja Baron - Nimbasa City: Sonja's smile flickered at Ray's question. "Eh, sure..." She glanced back, indicating Phil. The Plasma agent raised an eyebrow, staring back through his sunglasses. After a moment, he looked away, taking a seat on the bridge railing. Sonja looked back at Ray, shaking her head slightly. "For the most part. Turns out being a bomber's sister doesn't get you a lot of fans around here." She looked over the side of the bridge, gazing into the water. "So, what's up with you? I didn't expect to see you in Unova yet. Are you on leave, too?"

 

IC - Alakazam - Cianwood City: No, that is unnecessary, the Alakazam answered, sitting up and placing a hand on its head with a groan. I should be fine. The Psychic-Type's eyes glowed with a bright light, and a many-colored aura enveloped its body, lingering there for a moment. As the Recover subsided, the Pokémon's skin came back into view, revealing that it had at least partially begun to heal itself.

 

As it initiated another Recover, the Alakazam appeared troubled. Cianwood... That is nowhere near where I meant to go... It closed its eyes. And Jupiter is nowhere to be found... How troublesome...

 

IC - Jupiter - Black City: Jupiter did not need to be told twice--after all, she was already following after Evan. The redundant signal plus Evan's overall attitude equaled an irritated glare from the Galactic Leader--which was understandable, really, given what she had just gone through.

 

"Okay, so that answers that question. However, since you somehow seem to know who I am," she said. "just who are you?"

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Or 'IT'S NO USE! TAAAAAAAAKE THIS!' =P-==IC: Ray==-"Yeah; turns out my sister can't keep herself safe for more than a month, so I had to help her out and bring her back here safely." Ray said with a mischievous smile."Thought I'd... 'drop' in and say hi, though." Ray said, rubbing the back of his head, though he nodded to indicate he understood what she had meant.