Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

**Blessed Blade** · July 13, 2013

-==IC: Ray//Nimbasa City==-Ray nodded, the smile still on his face, as he reached for Aizen's Pokeball, and sent him out quickly."Right. I'm going to admit, Aizen seems to have a plan of his own recently, so I'm not entirely certain where we might end up, but hopefully it's the right place." Ray said with a chuckle, as the two were teleported away elsewhere, hopefully to the Alamo.

**Franco** · July 13, 2013

OOC:

IC - Alakazam - Cianwood City: Alakazam looked at Cero. Shadow Admin Joker has personally joined the fight. If nothing else needs to be said, I can teleport you there now--to help with the rioters, if nothing else. It looked away. The web is reporting confirmations from numerous other agents on their way to the area... Such a large conflict could easily get out of hand...

IC: Indeed, Cero responded gravely. He turned towards the other trainers. I presume you wouldn't mind Teleporting to Goldenrod?

Konuju · July 13, 2013

IC: Mr. Burks

"Thank you, sir," Paul said, shaking Commander Damon's hand. He headed into the factory and after studying the building map for a few seconds, quickly found his workstation. Grabbing a Pokeball from his belt, he called out his Skarmory. "Alright, Scar," the blacksmith said. "You know what to do. I need you to fly around this region; see if you can find Ellen. If you spot her, report back to me."

With a nod, the Skarmory flapped his wings, flying down the hallway and out of the factory.

As Paul watched Scar take off, he desperately hoped that his daughter was actually in Hoenn. If she was in Kanto, Johto, or Sinnoh, he wouldn't be able to find her until after Scar had already scoured all of Hoenn. With a sigh, he sent out his Torkoal. "Alright, Kimber, let's get to work. Damon wants some heat-resistant armor to help take down Team Magma, so I'm going to need your assistance."

IC: Dack

The Electro Ball struck Heatran in the side, causing the beast to roar in annoyance. The ground shook as several large rocks erupted out of the snowy ground. The stones floated in a circle around Heatran before the Legendary sent them flying toward Baku and Rotor.

By this time, Dack and Madison had picked themselves up, and Luke had arrived at the scene. "Alright!" Luke cried, sending out his Machoke. "We haven't had a battle this big since we fought that guy at the top of the Void Tower! Machoke, Smack Down!" With a grin, the Machoke rushed toward the Heatran from behind. Jumping into the air, he brought his fists down on the monster's back.

The Heatran whirled around, throwing Machoke from its back. As the Machoke landed in the snow, Heatran charged toward Dack and his friends once more, preparing to use Iron Head. But this time, Dack was ready.

"Bastiodon, Iron Head!"

The armored Pokemon lumbered toward the oncoming Heatran, lowering its head. The two part-Steel-Types collided with a resounding crash. It was as if Heatran had run into a solid wall -- Bastiodon would not budge. It appeared as if the two had reached a stalemate.

"Madison," Dack said. "Can you take care of the Pokemon Center?"

"Sure thing," the skier nodded. "Anzu, keep up the Icy Wind! We need to put out that fire while the others distract Heatran!"

The Froslass raised her arms, summoning a chilly whirlwind of air, which she directed toward the flaming Pokemon Center. She also threw in a few Ice Shards to try and douse the flames.

Edited July 13, 2013 by Konuju

Daniel Bryan · July 14, 2013

IC - Van Harrison - Galactic HQ:

Van's Hydreigon waited, gathering energy inside of the middle mouth, before releasing a turquoise ball of energy at the enemy Hydreigon, purposely allowing the Tri-Attack to strike it, causing it to float backwards, more intent on trying to deal as much damage as it could to its fellow species member. "Then I guess it will be a two-on-two fight..." Van admitted. He had only one other Pokemon, a peculiar kind for its species, but one that Van bonded with from the moment it was caught. Nevertheless, Van stared down the foes, their green auras concerning Van, but one that he felt would be temporarily put on the back burner, as he was now more concerned with winning, if he was to learn anything.

"Hydreigon! Take to the skies!" Van barked at his dragon. Hydreigon was more than happy to oblige, quickly bursting upwards, not bothering to check as to whether or not the attack hit, feeling more pleasure would be gained from striking its foe itself.

IC - ???:

The creature sat within its chamber, its intelligence having somehow grown much more. It raised its hand to its face, brushing its long, unkempt black hair out of its face. It examined its form and watched as its hands were in the slow process of reverting from their horrific, clawed appearance, into a somewhat more human look. White eyes shone out from its face, still completely shrouded in darkness. "After so long... I become whole..." The creature smiled, revealing a row of pointed fangs which were slowly dulling. Resting its head upon its hands, it gazed around its chamber, the dark rock formations covered in many marks, made from its claws from back when it was in a more... feral state of mind. Shaking its head in disapproval, it gazed at the tightly sealed stone door. Ancient and covered in strange runes, the door was made to keep the creature inside-a job being done far too well for the being's liking.

"Nevertheless... It is only a matter of time..." As it closed its eyes, a familiar presence began to reveal itself, one which had not been sensed in many years, which at that point, was just a mere idea of power. "Well... let's see what fun I can have with my new developments..." With its growing strength, it let loose a bloodcurdling scream, echoing through the wind, destined to be heard by only one man, for now...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within the mind of Evan Tierra, one faint thought echoed through his head, scratching at any insecurities he had. It may not have been loud enough for it to have shot to the front of his mind, but the seed was planted, and a hidden madness was unlocked...

"You could have saved him..."

~Det

**Franco** · July 14, 2013

OOC: Judging by the description of that attack, it's either Stone Edge or AncientPower, correct?

IC: Cassius contemplated his upcoming decision. Should he assume that this creature had been provoked? Might he conjecture that it was rampaging madly, giving into the desire to thrash about in the darkest hours of its miserable existence? Was it even correct to assume at all? Judgment was nothing to be taken lightly, and besides, it was foolish to hold baseless ideas...

In the end, he was unable to decide what he would do to resolve the fight. So the fight decided it for him. Stones emerged from the snow, briefly ringing the beast before they flew towards Baku and the man behind her. Cassius sighed. As usual. As always, just about. He sometimes had to wonder why, exactly, he vacillated so much upon the inevitable realization that nothing ever came of such a habit. Oh well.

"Baku, Flamethrower the attack!," He ordered. It was time for that Flash Fire activation to be put to good use. Baku agreed, her long nose seeming to form a curious anteater's smile. She sucked in a breath of the hot air around the attacker and exhaled a great gust of flame. The fireball slammed into the rocks, neatly blasting away their blackened and molten bits as it continued briefly before dissipating.

Cassius almost jumped. As usual, Baku had dealt with the attack in the most efficient way possible, but that bit of fire she had absorbed earlier was still making her attacks fiercer than she intended. Maybe he should switch her out for a while. Not yet, of course; he had to attain enough evidence that her position was highly detrimental to his interests. At the same time, however, he felt he'd like to try Bhusunda. His new Murkrow had yet to grow acclimatized to his master or even fight in a battle alongside him yet. And he might have a move or two that would help in combating the creature. He didn't feel like Baku's flame could do much against a beast that seemed to be made of lava.

Speaking of Baku, maybe I should get a move on. She hasn't yet proved herself totally terrible here. And why wait?

"Night Slash it!," Cassius ordered, picking Baku's most powerful non-Fire-Type move. The Heatmor charged towards the rampaging beast with right hand raised. Her arm blackened with dark energy before it came slicing down towards the creature.

**Dr. Hidaka** · July 14, 2013

IC: Wrath, Goldenrod City

Wrath was smashed into the ground by Leviathan's enormous fist. He heard many crunching and snapping noises emitting from his body during this and screamed in immense pain. Never before had he been so wounded, even considering his background......

"N-not by this person.", Wrath said shakily under his breath as he was being crushed, "NOT BY THIS WEAKLING!"

All of a sudden, the punch was pulled back, leaving a crater in the street in it's wake. Wrath dragged his broken body painfully up, his eyes afire with pure anger. His pokemon also crawled out of the crater, looking as batter as their master.

"You know, that actually hurt!", Wrath said, his voice sounding pleasant, despite his looks, "It seems you have really hurt my pokemon as well! Well done, Shadow Admin Joker. That means I should reward you!"

With that, wrath lifted up a mangled right arm, and fired a red beam at Leviathan, to no effect, it seemed......

Konuju · July 14, 2013

OOC: Yeah, that was Stone Edge. I meant to actually state that in my post, but it somehow slipped my mind. Oops.

IC: Dack

Heatran and Bastiodon had both locked horns, so to speak, each trying to force the other down with dual Iron Head attacks. When Baku struck Heatran with a Night Slash, it gave Bastiodon the leading edge, allowing her to knock the Lava Dome Pokemon down into the snowy drifts.

"Luxray, Wild Charge!" Dack cried.

"Machoke, Cross Chop!" Luke ordered.

The two Pokemon darted toward the downed Heatran, striking from either side. The beast roared in defiance. It was being attacked from all sides, and the Legendary had decided that it had had enough. Its body glowed a bright orange as it spewed a Lava Plume from its back. Dark ash filled the sky as the Lava Plume rained down in the form of fiery meteors of molten magma. The attack struck not only Heatran's opponents on the battlefield, but the battlefield itself. Once-green trees were burned to a crisp. The Pokemon Center, which Anzu had been busy trying to save, burned anew. Several unfortunate homes that were located near the battlefield also caught fire; their residents raced outside, only to cower from the magma that continued to rain down on the city. Machoke and Bastiodon rushed over to shield Dack, Madison and Luke from the Lava Plume. Dack could only hope the two trainers on the other side of the battlefield could find protection as well.

"Well, I think we got him angry," Dack said grimly.

"This is just horrible!" Madison cried.

"Hey!" Dack called to the two trainers that were helping them. "Got any bright ideas?"

Parugi · July 15, 2013

IC - Shadow Admin Joker - Goldenrod City: The great golem descended, sliding carefully between the buildings of Goldenrod until it floated just above the street, behind those fighting against Wrath. A red beam followed Leviathan's movements, launched from the man's hand, striking the Pokémon in the chest. Though there was no immediate reaction, Joker felt a slight change in her Pokémon's mental state. It was not enough to cause concern, but it was there--and it was something she could handle.

She smirked, telepathically broadcasting her thoughts to Wrath and the others. Your body is broken, she declared. Your Pokémon are hurt, as little as those injuries may appear to be. You are one, single fool fighting against the law, and not nearly powerful enough to survive this ordeal. Give up now and perhaps you will live to see tomorrow.

IC - Envy - Galactic HQ: With almost mirrored movements, the enemy Hydreigon's attack struck, knocking Envy's Hydreigon back a few feet. She did not know what the attack had actually been, nor did she know how much damage it had done to her Pokémon. However, she also did not particularly care. Envy seemed more focused on studying her opponent's movements than anything else. With a slight turn of her head, she nodded to her own Pokémon.

"Follow it," she said, soft voice virtually carried on the wind to Van's ears. With a roar, the Brutal Pokémon flapped her wings, throwing up a cloud of dust as she ascended, following the other Hydreigon. As she neared, she unleashed three streams of fire at the Hojohsin Pokémon--a triple Flamethrower, tearing its way through the air.

Envy looked away from the battle and back at the boy, peering into the various corners and crevices of his inner darkness. She did not have to read much of it in order for the knowledge to bring a knowing smile to her face. "It's a true shame, not knowing who you really are," she said, as if making a comment about the current weather. "Particularly when everyone else does, and makes a point of making you work for that information. Am I right, 'Van'?"

Edited July 15, 2013 by Parugi

Daniel Bryan · July 15, 2013

IC - Van Harrison - Galactic HQ:

"Hydreigon! Try to dodge and fire off another Dragon Pulse!" As the two dragons cut through the air, the streams of flame from Envy's dragon blasted the ground, leaving a trail of fire upon the ground as it chased after Van's. The flames rose up, creating a wall of fire between the two trainers. Hydreigon could not fully avoid the Flamethrower, his tail getting singed by the attack. Letting out a roar of pain and rage, the beast quickly spun on its back, flying upside down, as he used his middle head to fire off another pulse of turquoise energy at his foe. Van stared focused at his opponent, his teeth gritting.

'Who I really am? I don't understand... I'm me... I'm nobody else... Aren't I? How does she even know my name?' Van asked himself, his mind slipping into his confusion. Van shook his head. 'I can't get distracted. I have a mission to do, and this will allow me to get answers... And some for myself as well, perhaps...' Beyond the flames, he could see the smile upon the face of Envy. It disturbed and enraged him, insulted that she could smile at a time like this. Still, he refused to let himself loose his cool, trying as hard as he could to not let his mind wander too much.

~Det

**Franco** · July 15, 2013

IC:

"Got any bright ideas?"

Cassius shook his head. He was too hard-pressed trying to fight the fire to fight the beast with Baku. As she ran about, absorbing flames and lava before they could make contact with her trainer or another person, he found that his earlier presumption had been correct: Baku's position was untenable. True, Flash Fire made the normally-damaging heat empowering to her body, but otherwise she couldn't damage the creature--her Night Slash appeared to have done minimal damage, and he wouldn't risk attacking the beast with anything else. And the conflagration beginning in Snowpoint was too big for her to combat by herself. Yet she was just helpful enough for his purposes. Faust needed options and he needed them now.

What do I have? My clothes, supplies, 'mon...

But of course. That was the answer. He should do as these other trainers had and let out more of his fighters.

Let's see...Baku's use here justifies her upkeep. As a Grass-Type, Eikþyrnir is out of the question, while as a Water-Type with many long-ranged attacks and a good defense, Hafgufa is good, Cassius thought. And Bhusunda showed off a certain move when I was catching her that could prove to be crucial here. Bhusunda and Hafgufa are coming out, then.

He reached into his pockets, retrieving the two spheroid containers of the 'mon and raising them before his throw. The duo exploded into the air. Bhusunda cawed in seeming askance of why she was let out so soon after capture, while Hafgufa settled into a pool of melted snow and eyed the beast hungrily. Cassius, heartened by the sight of additional allies, looked towards the trainers he had denied ideas earlier. He would have to rectify that.

"Actually," He called back, "I do have an idea. Distract the creature and my Jellicent can handle it with long-ranged Water-Type attacks." He turned back to the matter at hand. It was time to do just that. Orders for Bhusunda at this moment were out of the question due to her injury and her role in his plan. Baku was also good for providing fire protection as needed. All he had to do was give the order to Hafgufa and he could start really contributing.

"Hafgufa, Water Spout the enemy!"

Liquid erupted from the Jellicent's crown, whirling as it went in a massive column of water spun by the Floating Pokemon. The fluid cyclone grew in less than a second to its towering peak above the nearby buildings as it stretched into the sky. Then, in mere moments, it dropped from Hafgufa to storm towards the beast and toss it about.

Hearing no objections, Cero bid the Alakazam Teleport. The three trainers and the Psychic-Type winked from existence before materializing shortly afterwards in Goldenrod City. Cero nodded thanks to the servicing sapient before he turned to the others. "Do either of you have any Psychic-Types? I believe they would be of most use in quelling the riots with assuaging telepathic signals."

"DOOMCANNON, FORTIFY OUR FREEDOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

The Magmortar sighed as it reluctantly generated several Barriers about its body to boost its defense. A translucent set of red, white, and blue plate armor appeared around the creature.

"MANBEARPIG, HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON!"

The Spoink quivered and fell asleep at once. Its Rest healed it of all injuries previously sustained.

"FREEGLE, GIT SOME BOMBERS AND NUKULAR POWAH!"

The Braviary flapped its wings with a joyous screech, producing a powerful Tailwind behind the team. The Spoink bounced more rapidly and the Magmortar faceclawed even faster. Then it Honed Claws, the bird's talons playing an air guitar.

Freeman turned to the Hitmonchan last. "CHUCK NORRIS, YOU DO...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. BECAUSE YOU DON'T BATTLE, YOU'RE JUST GONNA ALLOW WRATH TO LOSE!"

He looked down from his vantage point atop the Department Store, gazing out across the city towards the colossal Golurk and the combatants at its feet. "THESE ARE NOT MEN, BUT SKITTYS, FOR THEY MENTALLY MEOW OF SURRENDER!" He held up his fist. "BUT WE ARE TRU-'MURKANS, AND SO WE KNOW WE ARE FREE TO FIGHT IN DEFENSE OF OUR GREAT FREEDOM TO STAND ATOP RIDICULOUSLY OVER-SIZED SHOPPING CENTERS AND MAKE SPEECHES OF NO IMPORTANCE TO THE CURRENT CONFLICT! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"BRAVIARY!"

...

"WAIT, WHAT?"

Edited July 15, 2013 by Iskandar

Relapse · July 16, 2013

IC:The Duskull had displayed to her its defensive wonder of toughness, a burn-inflicting move, and a pragmatic nature, Jenny had thought the show was over. Of course, though, that assumption was proven incorrect in the next round with that Confuse Ray. The flickering light that so bewildered her Electabuzz didn't matter so much as what the move could do in conjunction with what the Duskull had already displayed in copious amounts. Given a few evolutions, she was sure this 'mon would be the perfect Ghost-Type partner, whittling down foes with status conditions as it sat pretty with its absorption of Fighting- and Normal-Type attacks plus defenses. Meanwhile, her Electabuzz was fierce and exuberant with a matching moveset--a complement to Hex if she had ever seen one. It was time to make the right decision and deal with this ill-advised arrangement as best she could. "Hold up," Jenny called to Hex. The two pokemon instinctively faltered, falling at ease in spite of their injuries as the call instated a truce. "This isn't working out. If we trade, maybe we could evolve the Electabuzz and-" "Yeah, yeah, that's what I was thinking.""...""What?""You don't get to interrupt me, Hex-"A wave of luminosity washed over all present, its brilliance forcing their eyes shut against its miniature nova. When it had finished, the two trainers and the Electabuzz peered out from beneath still-raised arms in wonderment. A Dusclops stood before them where the Duskull once had been, single eye above its scar staring down at a set of powerful appendages as they twitched in cautious trial. Jennifer grinned."But she does.""Sorry...""As I was saying, we could evolve these two by trading.""AGAIN?!""Again.""Don't we need special objects for that? That would require...Jenny...why are you smiling like that?"Jennifer grinned from ear-to-ear. Hex could not recall previously seeing such an expression adorning her visage, turning it from regal to impish in the blink of an eye, but something about its leer made his blood run cold with a primeval fright. Thousands of years of the Yutry family's existence had left him with many a genetic remnant of his ascendancy, among them this urge deep within his soul to flee with all immediacy at the sight of his girlfriend's oversized smile. And now, as her lips moved to form the sequence of three age-old words feared by all those male Yutrys, Hex found out exactly why that instinct was so prevalent."It's shopping time!"A blur of gaudiness and glitter later, Hex found his egress from the torment of spending splurges in the walk from Cianwood's shop. From a veritable array of bags nearly bursting with merchandise, Jennifer produced a dark rag exuding an unnerving aura which she handed to Hex. "It's a Reaper Cloth," She explained happily in response to his groggy gaze. "And only for five thousand at Cianwood Utilities! A delectable deal," Jenny sighed. "Speaking of which..."Coming to a stop on a public bench, briefly checking its surface to ensure that it had not been defecated upon by bird Pokemon recently, Jenny sat down contentedly and patted the area next to her to indicate where Hex should place himself. She set down her purse and dug through it for a few seconds. Withdrawing a small mustard-colored box, she palmed the contraption. "Here's the Electirizer. Now all we have to do is hand the items to our respective 'mon and trade them and we'll be good until you decide to be a cool dude again. Okay?""...yeah, okay," said Hex, still recovering from his shopping experience. Taking the Reaper Cloth, he let the Duskull loose. "Here you go buddy." He tossed the item to his catch, and it accepted it quickly. Nodding to his significant other, they each traded Pokeballs."So, that's it. They should evolve now."BOOMElectivire wasn't in the business of waiting. He came out on his own, screeching and crackling explosive. Hex and Jenny fell back as he blasted out, his voice deafening and his natural electricity filling the air blinding. Hex grabbed his hat to keep it from blowing away, eyes wide, smile even wider."JEN.""THIS. IS. AWESOME."The Electivire had transformed into an Electabuzz, standing with power and arrogance, donning a smirk not unlike Hex's own. "Perfect..." the trainer gasped."Aye-kay-ar," Jennifer breathed."Hex, I'm afraid I must inform you of this wondrous thing called an 'acronym' oft applied with colloquial speech, a message utilizing a simple-enough combination of letters for even dullards such as you to remember. 'IKR' stands for 'I know, right?'"Lorn whistled softly, jabbing Hex in the ribs. He turned to see another evolution grace his eyes.A Dusknoir floated before the duo. Having evolved twice within such a short period and still clearly adapting to its new body as it experimented with movements of its fingers, the creature yet retained a sort of ethereal poise. Its golden antenna drew their gazes to the luminous crimson eye set in her aloof expression. The scar once present on her mask had shifted to below her cyclopean visage, wreathing the Dusknoir's throat. A tattered black suit emanating deathly energy--the evident remnant of the Reaper Cloth--sleeved the Dusknoir's great arms and orb-like trunk, giving her an eerie semblance to her master in garb if not form. Her build was solid in opposition to the general appearance of Ghost-Types. Overall, Lenore was the epitome of a fortress, unyielding and distant."Oh, come on. You've got to be kidding me," Hex droned."What did you say?""You get two evolutions in one day on something I caught. Is this really fair?!""They say reality is a harsh mistress, Hex. Keep that in mind while you pursue her.""you're a harsh mistress" Hex muttered as he recalled Electivire. This was going to be a long day.OOC: Using one point, Duskull was evolved. And then evolved again by trade.

Edited July 16, 2013 by Shuhei Hisagi

**Franco** · July 16, 2013

IC: "Now, let's get going," Jennifer said with a smile. "We've got time to burn."

OOC: Trading and upgrading.

Species: Dusknoir

Nickname: Lenore

Trainer: Jennifer Lorn

Appearance: Lenore wears a tattered black suit of the continental style that covers her roughly-spheroid trunk and arms. She conspicuously lacks the tail of normal Dusknoir and is built solidly. A long cut scar wreathes her neck. Otherwise, she is like the average Dusknoir.

Personality: Lenore is a pragmatic 'mon, always seeking to accomplish her own goals. By extension, this includes her trainer's.

Ability: Pressure

Specialty: Lenore is very strong defensively against special and physical attacks.

Known Moves: Pain Split (egg move), Dark Pulse (egg move), Shadow Sneak, Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray, ThunderPunch

Metal Gear Minun · July 16, 2013

IC: Claus Von Diamond looked uncertain as he walked down the roads of Fortree. He had stopped by there because he had heard there was reconstruction going on, but it seemed he was too late to help much. Most of the main reconstruction efforts had been finished and things were returning to normal.

Ah well, it doesn’t seem like a complete loss to come here, he thought as he watched Flint hop around the tree branches.

The Monferno looked happy to have some tree to swing around on and eat the occasional piece of fruit. Claus was content to watch his companion for some time when suddenly a guy crashed into him.

“Oops, sorry,” he said and was about to continue running when he stopped mid-stride turned around and said, “Have you seen a guy, green shirt, pokeball on it? Brown eyes and somewhat bitter sarcasm…” and paused completely mid-sentence to contemplate whether to add any comparisons of his companion and coffee to his master work.

“Um… no?”

“Ah confound it, I lost him,” he said.

The man sat down and began to sulk muttering something about a piece never finishing a piece. Claus felt slightly bad for the sulking fellow. He wasn't sure what exactly he had done to make the poor man seem so down at the moment but he seemed quite hurt.

“Well, if I see him, I’ll tell him. Your name?” he offered in an attempt to cheer him up.

It worked, it seemed, when the strange fellow bolted to his feet, as if answering would win him all the wealth in the world.

“My name is Richard Apollo, wandering bard and Pokémon trainer. And what of you and yours?” the self-proclaimed bard said grinning widely before bowing and extending a hand.

“Um, I am Claus Von Diamond, agent of Liberty and likewise,” he said bowing before shaking Richard’s hand.

Richard seemed quite perplexed by Claus’ statement, “I have heard about this whole Team Liberty thing while I was working around here, and I have to ask, what exactly is it?”

Claus was silent for a few moments as he processed that last statement. The war between Team Rocket and Team Liberty had been the name of the game for the last ten years, and yet some person here had no idea what one of them was?

Does not compute… unless…

“Before I answer, out of curiosity, where are you from?”

“Castelia City, born and raised!”

“Oh I’m sorry…” Claus remembered hearing about the destruction of the city and how his challenge at the Castelia Gym had become one of its last. He really hoped he didn’t just bring up a lot of bad memories for him.

“What for? It was a great place growing up… in its own way. Met Hades there,” the bard said glancing over at his Sableye who was munching on rocks.

Claus was about to open his mouth to question Richard if he even knew that Castelia had been leveled, but decided against it. He didn’t want to be the one who broke it to him if he didn’t.

“Never mind, to answer your question Team Liberty is a resistance group that formed after Team Rocket, who currently rule here, took over. Though there is a ceasefire going on now between them.”

Of course, Richard ignored that last bit, “Ooh sounds… inspiring. A few brave souls fighting to defeat tyranny?”

Claus shrugged, “Something to that effect,” he mentioned before muttering ‘though they have a good number…’ and other thoughts which were too inaudible to understand much less comprehend.

Richard seemed to interpret Claus’ statement as “YES!” and thus opened up his violin case and pulled out a few scraps of paper and the remains of a pencil.

“I can definitely work that into some lyrics…” he said with a lot of giddiness and confidence that it seemed he not only thought the song would write itself but would bless the ears of all who heard it.

Claus watched him work for a few minutes, when finally Richard took his work and tore it up into tiny pieces.

“It doesn’t flow…why doesn’t it flow?” he muttered under his breath. “Oh, if only all the muses were here, I could finally finish my work!”

Richard huffed around for a while before he packed up all he could into his violin case.

“Ah well, come Hades, time to resume the hunt! We must find Zac so we can return to worshipping our muse.”

“Hold on a moment?”

Richard shot him an interested but questioning look.

“If you want to write about Team Liberty, I couuuuuld probably take you to their base to learn a bit more. Heck, if you wanted, they’d probably allow you to join,” and then mumbled, “Which would mean you’d be doing something useful which I doubt you were before this.” He spoke up again saying, “With the ceasefire on though, you shouldn’t have to do much, if any fighting at all.”

Richard mulled it over, looking as if he was contemplating the offer.

“Will there be food?”

Claus waited for a moment before smiling in response, “I think we are going to get along nicely.”

Parugi · July 16, 2013

IC - Lt. Surge/Sabrina/Koga - Cianwood City: The cons of having your mind manipulated and broken, on top of being connected to what was essentially a panicking string of a hundred minds, were many. Anyone who had endured such experiences could attest to this, be they in possession of psychic abilities or not. For the latter, however, the experience was secondhand only--it was something you could merely imagine, not something you could ever directly feel without the 'help' of someone from the former category.

For the former, however... Well, that was another story.

It started as an inkling of pain for Sabrina, not unlike the migraines she had experienced in her youth, upon first developing her powers. It had started six months before, when--unknown to her--a certain AWOL Team Rocket scientist's lab had been destroyed by a certain Team Liberty-hired freelance mercenary, in the pursuit of a family that had gone missing. The confrontation had ended in much loss, unfortunately--the deaths of Executive Tobias Elton, Ash Ketchum, the twins Tate and Liza, a loss of certainty for one Jackson Sang. But it had resulted in other problems, as well.

One was control, for those that had been subjected to Elton's experiments. Is was a gradual loss of control, one that did not immediately manifest, but that grew and grew with each passing day, starting out as a headache, then a migraine, a blinding pain behind the eyes, culminating in what was now happening to Sabrina. Add in the intense fear from the psychic network, and you had a recipe for disaster--a boiling pot about to explode.

And explode, it did. She couldn't help herself. Koga and Surge lay nearby when it happened, hoping some simple rest would ease the pain in their minds. In moments, however, she had connected hers with theirs. They screamed, a trinity of pain and confusion, followed by the standard psychic issues--nose bleeds, bulging veins, blood from the eyes and ears. Before long, they became numb to the pain, so intense was it.

Around that same time, the rampaging started. Electivire, Toxicroak, and Exeggutor emerged from their Pokéballs; moments later, the wall of their rented room in the Pokémon Center exploded, eliciting surprised screams from those pedestrians passing by outside. Enraged by their own mental anguish, the trio followed their Pokémon through the new hole in the wall, driven only by Elton's screaming whispers in their heads--fire, fire, fire, fire, fire....

The worst part? Sabrina wanted help. They all did. And there was no doubt Team Rocket knew that they needed help, given the subsequent raid on the lab; however, for six months now, the three had felt a very specific compulsion:

Avoid.

There was no help to be had, for they could not help themselves.

IC - Envy - Galactic HQ: The Dragon Pulse cut through the air, leaving sizzling heat in its wake as it raced toward Envy's Hydreigon. Like before, the Brutal Pokémon did not seem intent on dodging the attack, almost letting it strike her in the chest. She unleashed a noticeably pained roar, locking eyes with Van's Pokémon. With greater speed and agility than should have been allowed by her size, the Hydreigon flew forward, using its frustration as a source of power as she began to bite and tear at her opponent. The Frustration attack seemed further powered by the dismissive attitude Envy was taking toward her Pokémon, still focusing on Van, still feeding the green in his heart.

Envy smirked, looking away and placing a hand on her hip. "Well, whatever your opinion, I'm sure you can only imagine how glad I am to have full access to my memories," she said. "I know who I am, and who I was--not just the name the darkness gave me."

Her eyes became cloudy as she focused on the thoughts, the memories echoing in her ears as well as Van's--as if he, too, had been there. The noise of battle above became muted, replaced by the murmur of countless crowds and people passing by, faceless phantoms that appeared and walked around Van and Envy's battlefield. Amidst them all, a little girl sat, head bowed, against the wall, tired, battered, and dirty, having barely scraped by another day on the Oreburgh streets. From an alleyway, she watched the crowd, green eyes the only notable color in a dull, gray world of poverty, their light glinting off the cold metal of watches and briefcases and necklaces, the only constant in a face that was rapidly changing, shifting from a child's to that of a nineteen-year-old girl, until one day...

Black. Pure, unbreakable black. The whispers of true phantoms, manifestations of shadow. From the darkness, green eyes not unlike her own, staring at her from between a billowing, white cloud and a necklace of crimson, melting away now to reveal her.

Envy.

The roars of the Hydreigon returned, as did the thunderous din of their attacks. She was staring at Van again, the flames between them having died down.

"Vidinia LeJauso... A peasant's name," she declared. "Now? Now, the basest emotion of humanity, manifest--Envy." Her smile softened into a much more sombre expression, hand moving over her heart again. "Can you feel it, Van Harrison? The drumbeat that connects us--my yearning for your human future; yours for my knowledge. What will happen, I wonder? Will you forever deny yourself that which you so desperately want, by closing your heart? Or will you embrace your contempt for what I have, and let it guide you to victory?" Envy raised her head. "Left or right on the crossroad... I certainly hope you do not disappoint."

Edited July 17, 2013 by Parugi

Relapse · July 16, 2013

IC(Hex-Cianwood)Hex had been walking alongside Jenny- stumbling along behind, really, as he was holding her many shopping bags -for the past five minutes now. The Minun was sitting on top of his head to avoid being crushed by merchandise being hefted by his trainer. In short, both were miserable. Why couldn't they just ride Zweilous to the next city? It would be so convenient. Much faster, anyway. Hex felt like a bird in a cage. Worse- a dead bird in a cage, in a cave filled with gas. He was being smothered. His mind truly lied with the fight. No joke, he would rather be back fighting a losing battle against a giant Tentacruel than here with Jen's shopping trips and lectures. It wasn't hard for his mind to drift back to the prison. To Joseph... "Nope," he said under his breath. "Not even going there." Ah, yes. He had to work audibly to keep from thinking about his good old buddy Lark. It was too painful to do otherwise."Alright team!" he set down his girlfriend's shopping bags and letting out Electivire and Prinplup. "It's time for mission: move Jenny's bags! Prinplup, you get this half, Electivire, you get-"BOOMHis orders were belayed by the distraction an exploding wall somewhere to his left caused. He twirled on his foot, eyes shooting directly at the source of the sound. His heart skipped a beat, and he was once again filled with joy at the prospect of combat. Electivire, Prinplup, and Minun were all recalled as Zweilous was let out. In one fluid movement, the Dragon exploded into manifestation, Hex scooped up Jenny, and the two flew back towards the city atop his Pokemon.As they drew near, between Jenny's objections, he spotted the hot spot of activity: a wall had exploded in the Pokemon Center, and three Pokemon droned out, followed by what he could only assume were their trainers. Electivire (woo-hoo), Toxicroak, and Exeggutor. At Hex's command, Zweilous nosedived, and landed before his opponents. That...was that Sabrina? She was the only one he immediately recognized, but he knew they were all skilled trainers. But that didn't matter. They were Team Rocket, and they were to be dealt with."Alright, listen up!" he let out Electivire and Prinplup. Each 'mon assigned itself to an enemy: Prinplup to Toxicroak, Zweilous to Electivire, and Hex's Electivire to Exeggutor. They made an effort to round them up, at least. "You guys are causing trouble, and so simply enough, we're here to stop you. Either you can be intelligent and back the heck up, or we can settle this like adults, in combat. I will warn you, though," he crossed his arms, "I don't make a habit of taking prisoners."

**Franco** · July 16, 2013

IC: "What the heck, Hex!" Jennifer sighed. "You're being absurdly impulsive right now! How do we even know we could or should interfere in this, pray tell?"

"...That smoking hole in the wall?"

Jennifer applied both palms to her face. "Remind me again: why, exactly, am I your girlfriend?" She turned to face the Gym Leaders. "Hello, fellows." She bowed, placing her hand upon the breast of her suit in a gesture of respect, then made to stand up. "Have no fear, my partner means you no ill will, and I'm sure if we all just sit down and talk this through, we'll each get what we wa--"

She froze in an instant. Her eyes had met Sabrina's gaze, taking in its crimson hue and lack of focus. Then she scanned her entire body, seeing the bloody nose and injured ears as well as the sporadic twitching of her limbs. The trainer turned slowly to regard both Koga and Surge in much the same manner. The blood drained from Jennifer's face as she saw the same symptoms spread across the three Gym Leaders.

"Um." Lorn cleared her throat hastily, now quite acute of her most extraneous of motions and quelling each as much as possible. "Are you...Sure you're alright, sirs and miss?"

Edited July 16, 2013 by Iskandar

**Dr. Hidaka** · July 16, 2013

IC: Wrath, Goldenrod City

Wrath looked around him, noting all the combatants. He had certainly drawn a crowd! But most of them were of little use to his mission.

Except for him.

"Hold that thought, woman.", Wrath said dismissively, "I have one last matter to settle before I surrender."

Wrath pointed at Ryan, and started to laugh. It was an ugly sounding laugh. Wrath laughed and laughed at Ryan.

"You honestly think you can wash your hands of all that chaos and destruction you caused?", Wrath said mockingly, "All those lives. They will never come back and it's all on you!"

Wrath continued to laugh at Ryan, his aura glowing even more scarlet.......

IC: Evan Tierra, Plasma Castle

Evan looked at Jenny, wondering what had happened to her. She didn't look hurt, but at the same time, she looked like she had been through a lot. The elevator door opened, revealing a small group of Plasma agents. Evan pointed to Jenny and Gnip.

"Take this woman to the infirmary and keep me posted on her status.", Evan said to the agents, "I have to bring Jupiter to the Bishops."

With that command, two of the agents gently took Jenny off of Gnip, and took her away. Evan then led Jupiter to the meeting room of the Bishops. Inside the room, sitting in their respective seats, were the Six Sages of Team Plasma.

"Bishops, here is Jupiter." Evan said calmly.

**Blessed Blade** · July 16, 2013

-==IC: Ryan//Goldenrod City==-Ryan grit his teeth, as he clenched his fists, and slowly began to walk toward Wrath."I did cause that chaos and destruction. I know I likely won't ever be forgiven. But I'm not letting the past rule me like that." Ryan stated, a cold look in his eyes as he stood in front of the broken man, and then, before anyone could react, he slammed his fist forward into Wrath's face."You have no right for the things you say. Not when you yourself are causing chaos and destruction right now. I won't let you do this any further." Ryan stated, as he looked down on Wrath, a scowl on his face.

**Dr. Hidaka** · July 16, 2013

IC: Wrath, Goldenrod City

"I guess you weren't all talk." Wrath said as he laid upon the ground.

At that moment, what appeared to be black fire started to consume Wrath's body. His pokemon were consumed by the same flames. Wrath continued to look at Ryan, his eyes full of malice.

"That fury in your eyes.", Wrath said weakly as his body continued to burn, "I await the day when many eyes like them look upon you...."

With those words, Wrath's body disappeared. There was no sign that he or his pokemon had been there to begin with.........

Edited July 17, 2013 by Hades

**Blessed Blade** · July 16, 2013

-==IC: Ryan//Goldenrod City==-Ryan frowned, unsure of what Wrath had meant by that, as he simply stood there, and looked at the spot where the man had once stood. The threat had been neutralized, that was certain... But something about the way Wrath had been talking made him uneasy, as if he had been doing exactly what the man had wanted."... What was that all about, anyway...?" Ryan muttered, wondering why he had chosen that moment to show up anyway, and why he wanted to make such a large scene that everyone and their brother joined in. Ryan shook his head once to try and clear it, and then turned around, as he looked to the others, slowly trying to get his rage under control once more.

Metal Gear Minun · July 16, 2013

IC: Claus had kept his promise to Richard, he did bring Richard to Four Island and yes there was food.

Emphasis on the word 'was'.

Richard upon discovering the cafeteria in all of its wondrous glory was left awestruck at the sheer amounts of food.

"Come my new friend, we must go to it!" the soon not-to-be thin man said before the two did what can only be described as skipping to the food line.

And they did not hold back on the kitchen staff. Even worse than two food loving trainers taking as many plates of food as they could humanly carry, but they let their Pokémon out, who were even bigger consumers then their trainers. Dionysus had to take two tables together just to hold his first course. When they had finished taking their plates, there was not a scrap left on the line. The two trainers ate with such ferocity that it seemed that they were Pokémon themselves.

As they were finishing Richard stopped being so engorged in the food that he actually looked around to get a better look at the cafeteria.

"Hmm? Say why are people staring?"

True to Richard's word everyone else in the cafeteria was silently watching them. Some had their mouth's slightly open, other's shook their head, and some seemed plain sick.

"We may have overdone it some..." Claus considered seeing the reactions of everyone else in the room.

Dionysus was rubbing his stomach when a faint rumbling came from it. Which grew louder, and louder, until you could hear it across the cafeteria.

"Oh dear..."

"HE'S GONNA BLOW!"Mass panic ensued as people rushed out of the cafeteria for their lives. Claus and Richard (plus all their other Pokémon) just barely escaped when suddenly a great boom erupted from the center of the cafeteria. The loudest, smelliest, and most prolonged belch ever heard in the history of at least Four Island was now being emitted from Dionysus. Even after a minute had passed and the burp had stopped, no one felt like eating and left.

Of course Richard burst out laughing at the humorous event which infected Claus who infected Flint, who infected Porky, who infected Erebus, who infected Ponos, who infected Nyx all the while Hades and Baccio acknowledge that they were being trained be idiots.

Parugi · July 18, 2013

IC - Plasma Sages/Jupiter - Plasma Castle: Jupiter took a moment to herself before stepping before the Sages, using those moments to observe the room they had stepped into. It was circular in structure, with the Sages in question seated behind a long, half-circle desk that twisted around the back half of the room. A female attendant stood nearby, taking notes on what was occurring. As she stepped forward to the center of the room, Jupiter became aware of the looks being given to her by the Sages--half of which appeared to bear considerable ire, and the other half more curious than anything.

"Executive Jupiter of Team Galactic," Gorm said, bowing his head respectfully. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"

Jupiter bowed in turn. "Nothing good, I'm afraid," she answered, straightening up. "I arrived here by accident, sir, trying to escape from my group's headquarters. My transport is nowhere to be found, otherwise I would have continued on my way immediately."

This caught the Sages' full attention. "Escape?" Rood asked. "From what, exactly?"

The Galactic Leader opened her mouth to reply, and then closed it, looking away. Her memories were such a blur already that it was difficult to find the right way to word what she had witnessed.

"It... was a trainer," she said at length. "One with access to some kind of dark power, and who called herself 'Envy.' She did something to Mars--used her to kill Saturn, from the sounds of it--and then attacked everyone using a sort of shadow creature." Jupiter looked at Rood. "The base collapsed right as I teleported out of there. i haven't heard from any other survivors..."

This information sent a jolt of fear through the Sages' council--whether because they knew what was going on or simply due to the prospect of such a powerful entity, Jupiter did not know. Regardless, she knew that they believed her, and she did not have to think terribly hard to guess why they would, considering the kinds of threats that had so badly damaged Unova back in December. Because of this, however, Jupiter also had an idea of what they were about to do.

"If such a trainer truly exists," Zinzolin said. "Then it would be in the best interests of everyone involved to send you away from Unova, to someone with more influence in that region. Team Rocket or Team Liberty, perhaps."

Jupiter frowned, lowering her chin at staring squarely at the face of the desk. "That... would not be ideal," she said. "Team Galactic was not exactly on friendly terms with--"

"I'm afraid there is little choice," Giallo interrupted, continuing before Jupiter or Gorm could say anything. "We will send an agent to escort you to Kanto immediately. You may decide what course of action to take from there." Approving murmurs sounded from the majority of the other Sages. "This meeting is adjourned."

Jupiter stared, baffled, at the Sages as they rose from their seats, mouth ajar in disbelief and surprise, watching as they exited through the door behind their desk. She turned to Evan, raising a hand to gesture to them, and then placing her palm on her forehead, shaking her head.

"Well," she said. "That was helpful."

"Indeed," Gorm said, approaching the pair. He, too, shook his head in disappointment. "And so we demonstrate the passing of reason in this council." The Blue Sage looked at Evan. "Agent Tierra, would you mind acting as Miss Jupiter's escort, to warn those closest to the danger? As an act of pragmatism, to appease my fellows, if nothing else?"

IC - Sabrina/Surge/Koga - Cianwood City: The Gym Leaders did not appear to heed Jenny and Hex's warnings, though they did shift their attention from the city itself to the Liberty Agents. Blinded by blood and deafened by pain, all that they knew was that they were challenged--and the voice had accepted for them. In the same way that Tate and Liza had been forced to order their Pokémon with mental orders, so, too, did Koga, Surge, and Sabrina now enter the battle, using naught but gestures to send their Pokémon forward.

As one, the group attacked--Electivire with Thunderpunch, aimed at Zweilous; Exeggutor with Seed Bomb, directed at Hex's Electivire; and Toxicroak with Poison Jab, poison blades extending as it rushed toward Prinplup.

IC - Shadow Admin Joker/Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner - Goldenrod City: They rounded the corner, drawing their Poké Balls from their belt--only to find that the battle was over. Ethan groaned in disappointment, replacing the capsules on his belt and glancing at Gavin, who merely shrugged. After a moment, Ethan smiled.

"Well, they can't say we didn't try," he said. "Probably better that we didn't get involved, anyway, right?"

"Sure," Gavin said. He looked up at the Golurk that stood in the middle of the street, towering over the former battlefield. It was raising its arm, as if to bring someone to the ground. The Rocket Agent frowned. "We should see what that is about." He nodded toward the Ghost-Type, beginning to walk forward without waiting for a response from Ethan.

Just as quickly as he had appeared, the sharply-dressed man with the strange energy signature was gone, carried away by black flames. That suited Joker perfectly fine, both because it meant the target was dealt with and because it indicated that her experiment had worked--Leviathan had more or less risen to a level equal to, if not greater than, that of a Legendary Pokémon.

"Shadow Admin Joker," Anderson's voice cut through her musings. "We've lost track of the energy signature. What's going on?"

"Target eliminated, Overseer," Joker replied. "I'd say that's mission accomplished."

"Er, not quite, ma'am," Willem said after a moment of silence from the other end. "The target may be gone, but we're still receiving reports of aggression across that section of Goldenrod, which we're pretty sure are related to that second pulse from earlier."

"Right," Joker said. "Well, send word that back-up is on the way."

"Roger that."

With a mental nod to Leviathan, the Shadow Admin stepped forward, onto the Golurk's palm. Slowly and carefully, the golem lowered its hand toward the street, where those that had gathered against Wrath were still present, among them several Rocket agents that had just arrived. Joker stepped off of Leviathan's hand and onto the concrete, removing her helmet to look more closely at them.

A female Rocket with brown hair straightened up, raising her voice over the chatter within the group. "Shadow Admin Joker present," she said. "All Rocket Agents, salute!"

Joker stopped mid-stride, quickly glancing at the woman's name tag, and then at her face. "Stop that, Treyson," she said, tone dripping with disdain toward the formal procedure. The agent nodded, relaxing her stance, though as a result of her announcement, all eyes had focused on the Shadow Admin. This, Joker figured, was at least worth the formalities. "If you all are done staring at the enemy's ashes, we have another problem to deal with related to him."

"Yes, ma'am," another agent said, glancing at Treyson as the woman skirted around the edge of the group to look at Leviathan. "What do we need to do?"

"A number of rioters set on our barricades not too long ago," Joker answered, ignoring the movement. "I want everyone capable of doing so to go out and assist our agents against them. Simple as that. Help bring the situation under control so that we can start cleaning up this mess." She turned her head. "Understand, Treyson?" No answer. "Are you listening?"

The Shadow Admin turned around. The agent in question was still there, though was completely transfixed on the Golurk before her. Following her gaze, Joker saw why: The Ghost-Type had stopped moving, shoulder slumped and staring blankly forward, whilst red electricity crackled across random spots on its body. Frowning, Joker re-established her psychic link with the golem, grimacing and cutting it off as a storm of rage washed over her.

"Everyone, get back!" Joker barked, throwing a hand behind her to get the group moving. "Agent Treyson!"

"Oh, is Leviathan a danger now, Joker?" Treyson asked, turning and cocking her head to the side. Her gaze shifted to the damaged Poké Ball on Joker's belt. "Ah, but its container is still intact... That's probably the only thing keeping it in control right now, correct?"

Joker began walking backward, well aware of the fact that there was something going on. "For the moment, I would assume," she answered.

The Rocket Agent smiled, stepping forward. "Thought so." In the blink of an eye, she had drawn her sidearm, taking aim at the Poké Ball and pulling the trigger. The explosion of gunpowder was accompanied by the sound of shattering metal, as burnt red and gray shards shot out in every direction. The bullet bounced off of Joker's body armor, the impact winding her. She had foresight enough to throw a hand forward, telekinetically ripping the gun away before more shots could be fired, but the damage was already done.

Treyson laughed. "Good call, but I wasn't going to shoot you," she said, pulling off her jacket. Underneath it lay what was becoming a very familiar sight--a black jacket with silver trim, signifying one of Ford's apprentices. Quincy Adams threw the Rocket garment and her hat aside, giving the Shadow Admin a short bow. "Good luck, Joker--you're going to need it!" In a flash of light, a Beheeyem had appeared, disappearing a moment later with Quincy.

Above, Leviathan clenched its fists, unleashing an earthshaking roar before turning its anger downward--specifically, in the form of a punch that threatened to squash Joker and those near her.

**Blessed Blade** · July 18, 2013

-==IC: Ray//Four Island==-Ray opened his eyes, as the teleportation finished, and noticed that they were on a familiar beach."Wait, isn't this...?" Ray said, as he turned around and saw The Alamo behind them."Huh, Four Island. Aizen actually got things right for once." Ray said, seemingly surprised, as he chuckled."Well, I believed you mentioned that you wanted to catch up with everyone, so here we are." Ray said, as if it had been planned./EDIT: OOC: I had another IC here, but I'm not posting it for the moment. xP Need to check something quickly.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Blade: #XIII. Roxas

Constructelf · July 18, 2013

IC: Jacob

Jacob, contrary to what he had desperately wanted to do, had not instantly fled Goldenrod when the Golurk had landed. Instead, he had simply remained on the sidelines, surveying the scene. He especially took note of Shadow Admin Joker`s arrival. "Now the big shots are on the scene," he thought. True to form, he continued to observe the scene around him.

One of the Rocket Agents suddenly drew a gun. She shot at the Admin; no damage was done except to a pokeball. Sensing a threat, Jacob drew his pistol and got into firing position. Too late; the woman was gone. "That was odd," Jacob hissed under his mask. Suddenly, he heard a rumbling sound. The stone golem had suddenly gone beserk, energy crackling all around its body. Jacob instinctively fired away at the thing, but the bullets just bounced off of the armored pokemon. Said pokemon was about to punch Joker and those around her into oblivion. A sudden wave of compassion hit the assassin and he rushed forward at the pokemon. "What are you doing Jacob?!" his inner voice screamed at him. "These people mean nothing to you! You should be getting the **** out of here!" Even so, Jacob reached with one arm for his belt and called out his Deino even as the other launched into a powerful Night Slash at the giant's ankle...

Metal Gear Minun · July 18, 2013

IC: "...Hmm..." James let out as he watched the gigantic Golurk turn on its master.

If I do nothing Joker is more likely to die... decisions, decisions... James thought smiling, almost glad enough to whistle.

Unfortunately for the Executive, his clone was a loyal Rocket agent. One who had the rash decision to charge towards it, releasing all of her Pokémon to attack the colossal ghost. She told Pelleas and Tristan to charge in with physical attacks (Night Slash and Bullet Punch respectively) while Lucan, Grummore and Palomides were to strike it with their combined special attacks of Ice Beam, Water Pulse and Shadow Ball (though Grummore's Water Pulse was delayed due to Grummore being slower in mind and body).

James was not happy that she was running towards the giant hostile ghost. He did not want to get involved but not wanting Jamie to get hurt won out.

"Day has come when I actually help Joker..." James muttered releasing the rest of his Pokémon to join the fray.

Keeping his cool and not charging however James gave his order: "Guinevere and Percival, attack from here with Shadow Ball. Galahad fly above it and use Flamethrower. The rest of you, physically attack it in it's blind spots, now go."

The Pokémon moved to better positions as the Gardevoir and Chandelure shot blasts of condensed shadowy energy at the giant target.

**Blessed Blade** · July 18, 2013

-==IC: Zach==-As the gunshot went off, the two brothers turned around quickly, their attention grabbed by the sudden turn of events. As they noticed the giant Pokemon now targeting the people on the ground, the two acted quickly."Hyper be-" Ryan began to yell out, before remembering that that would not work, as the Golurk, despite being giant, was still part ghost. Zach, knowing his only choice was his secret weapon, hesitated for a moment longer."... Raikou." Zach said, as he called out his partnered legendary."Let's go." Zach mumbled, as he hopped onto Raikou, and the two dashed forward quickly, trying to grab as many of the people on the ground as possible.

**Franco** · July 18, 2013

OOC: Roll initiative, wenches.

IC: It's often said that imminent death brings out the worst and best in men.

It is only when the revelation of possible fatality dawns that one understands the purpose death plays in his or her life. Humanity only begins to see its downfall when it is brought before its nose. As one's own mortality approaches the forefront of the mind, its person finally cognizant of that essential truth, that person must make a decision: will him or her fall before the inevitable demise looming before him or her, or will him or her instead rise to the challenge?

Unbidden, a single image substantiated before Cero's mental eye as the titanic fist of Leviathan descended.

A scaled arm dotted with crimson thrust down, fist hammering the Skarmory's belly with a denting blow. Then it struck again. And again. Each time the punch connected, a dent appeared in the beaten Armor Bird's abdomen, yet it made no motion to move. It stared up at the reptilian attacker with fear tinged by pity in its normally-stoic scanning. The fist slammed the bird continuously, finally cracking its armor and further peppering it with red. But even as the scaled arm and its liquid covering dissipated into a faint red glow and its victim lay broken on the ground, the Skarmory could only watch it fade with sympathy in its eyes.

Cero watched the light fade as well. And with the loss of luminescence came a minuscule crack in the clogging of his memory. His face fractured under the erosion, seeming to form a thousand expressions at once. Then Cero mechanically summoned his fighters, throwing out his Pokemon. Aridez flopped, Viajero jumped, Buitre sat, and Piedra waited, all watching the fist with the same rapture as he had.

For the briefest of moments, the bedlam of his visage came to rest on the thinnest of smiles.

"Aridez, Curse and Crunch; Piedra, Magnet Rise and Power Gem; Viajero, Work Up and Crunch; Buitre, Nasty Plot, repeat until further notice."

Each of the creatures leaped into action in fractions of a second. The Hippopotas groaned, lining its body in empowering runic scrawl, before biting at the Golurk's ankle with crushing force; similarly, the Lillipup stretched to energize its body before Crunching the other side of the great golem's ankle. The Probopass twirled its body as its magnetic repulsion forced it from the ground, its body briefly taking on a crystalline appearance as it fired a bolt of shimmering energy into the knuckles of the beast at point-blank. Its move was a delaying tactic. In drilling up into the hand of Leviathan with the power of Magnet Rise, Piedra attempted to slow its punch so those below could escape, Power Gem only its attempt to damage the creature as much as possible in that position. The two mammals of the team both were attempting to divert its attention with their gnawing. And Buitre, flapping her wings to retreat to safer territory, made Nasty Plots to build her attack power.

But Cero wasn't solely to rely on his Pokemon in this fight. There were other things he had to master. So, even as Sand Stream kicked in and grit swirled about his bandaged body, the agent turned his gaze towards the others in the group around Joker. His eyes flitted about indiscriminately. Cero wasn't just hoping to catch the attention of those whom he had originally entered Goldenrod alongside, but also the agents of other organizations and even those trainers without any identification. Then he began to speak with as much rapidity and volume as he could muster.

"I don't presume dying is a top priority for any of you today! If we're going to defeat this big of a beast, then we can't simply trust that any one individual or creature's power can stop it, so we must place confidence in our powers used in conjunction! For a united defense to be feasible, we need to formulate a plan and follow it." He took a quick breath through the nose before continuing at his same swift pace. "I suggest everyone send their defensive and evasive Pokemon to hold it off while we retreat, while Pokemon with empowering or support moves stay at a distance and accumulate greater power until we might think of truly going on the offensive--but most importantly, I must emphasize that, again, we are not surviving by fighting alone. We must coordinate our defense and offense. Regardless of whether or not we follow this suggestion, however, I hope we can all rally behind Joker to defend Johto." The masked man exhaled and inhaled again, making sure to breathe as quickly as possible, before continuing. Just a little longer. "Leviathan appears capable of rampaging across the region unless an organized defense led by such a leader is applied. So let's hold our ground. For Goldenrod."

Whipped by the sand of the starting storm, Cero's eyelids appeared to twinkle.

"Vámonos!"

Edited July 18, 2013 by Iskandar

Krayzikk · July 18, 2013

IC:"Vernichten. Stahl Schneide. Angreifer. Deploy."Three flashes of light heralded the Pokemons' arrival on the battlefield, arrayed before Abraham like a protective wall. But they were not to remain that way. Almost before the order was given, Vernichten leaped into action, moving just as Abraham had planned for him to.

"Vernichten, Double Team en route to rescue." The Absol grunted, disappearing into a sea of multiple copies, all moving the same way, as he ran towards the target area of Leviathan's punch. On the surface, this seemed like a suicide run, the Golurk was too large to simply evade the attack, and a blow would almost certainly be crippling, if not fatal. But then one considered two things, much like both Cero and Abraham had done in the blink of an eye; Piedra was already working to slow the creature's attack, and Absol's use of Double Team meant that not only was Leviathan being slowed, Vernichten was moving faster. The Absol was almost a blur as he shot forward, tackling Joker out of the way of the attack. It wouldn't exactly be a soft landing, but it was certainly better than being crushed under her own Pokemon's fist.

"Vernichten, fall back. Use Night Slash on my mark, until then, Swords Dance. Keep Detect on the back burner in case of a suspected attack." Vernichten nodded, retreating several yards, and remaining in place. It began to use the specified move repeatedly, its attack rising with each successive use.

"Stahl." The Scizor looked away from its massive foe, looking back at its trainer. The question was clear; Enemy? "Iron Defense repeatedly. Prepare to engage. Angreifer, deploy Aqua Ring, and target enemy with Sludge Wave."

Both Pokemon sprang to do as they were told. The Tentacruel readied for the defensive, before striking out at Leviathan in an attempt to poison it. Scizor stood back in front of Abraham, hardening its carapace to deal with any incoming attacks, of which he was sure there would be many. Abraham himself stood still, watching the proceedings with an unusually calm demeanor, watching for the slightest changes in the tide of battle. He was ready, and so were his Pokemon.

"Anfangen Betrieb."

Metal Gear Minun · July 18, 2013

IC: James turned to face the person who was yelling, internally sighing. Anyone yelling reminded him of the idiots who did similar actions but for no reason. Such as that other person earlier.

"I have no idea who he is, though he seems confident enough to give orders."

Do you disagree with him? his Psychic companion asked firing off an Ice Beam to follow the Shadow Ball.

"No it is a good strategy. Though I don't like the idea of rallying behind Joker," he said with a rare tint of irritation that did not fit him. The tone disappeared as he continued, "And getting some organization amongst the random people assorted here helps. Very well then. If you would cast Double Team around to help confuse it. Tell Mordred and Lancelot to back off and use Swords Dance, Mordred to use Agility, and just tell Gawain to back off with them. And then start empowering yourself with Calm Mind."

Upon hearing the change in instructions via telepathy, Mordred, Lancelot and Gawain paused in their charge and backed off slightly. The former two began dancing in a strange fashion as their strength in their arms increased drastically while the latter raised water and mud to guard them. The Togekiss whose orders had not changed unleashed a stream of fire intended to make the Golurk lose focus.

Light · July 18, 2013

IC: Jared groaned as he appeared on the battlefield."Why can't one day be normal?""Sam, Indy, Aaron, go."Triple flash, a Kadabra, Grovyle, and a Larion appeared."Giant Golurk, rampaging through town-"He gestured, Kadabra hopping behind him and looking up at the Golurk, eyes glowing."Alakazams falling from the sky-"Another gesture, Indy hopping onto a nearby building and climbing up quickly."Teleporting all over Johto-"Final gesture, Aaron moving in front."Yeaaaaahhh... I'm done complaining. Big Golurk needs taking care of."OOC: Sam's new profile: Evolution being the 100 page reward.Species: KadabraNickname: SamTrainer: JaredAppearance: Sam has green shoulder pads instead of brown.Personality: Sam is eager to please, but tends to rest when not called on.Ability: SynchronizeSpecialty: Sam specializes in special moves.Known Moves: Teleport, Thunder Punch (Egg move), Psychic, Recover, Psybeam, Future Sight."Eyes glowing" is future sight, if this meets approval.Also, was wanting to upgrade Indy's Mega Drain to Giga Drain, if possible.

Edited July 18, 2013 by The Fourteenth Lakefish

Relapse · July 18, 2013

IC:As one, the group attacked--Electivire with Thunderpunch, aimed at Zweilous; Exeggutor with Seed Bomb, directed at Hex's Electivire; and Toxicroak with Poison Jab, poison blades extending as it rushed toward Prinplup.Hex backed up, crossing his arms and analyzing the opponents carefully. The opponent's Electivire was identical to Raun- that could get confusing. Exeggutor- this one he was fairly certain he could defeat somewhat easily. Toxicroak might be a larger problem. Empoleon was out of his place in this battle- it would be better to trade him out for Growlithe for the time being. Raun, Hydreigon, and Growlithe were all tough and powerful, as well as capable of their own defense. Growlithe would play against Exeggutor's weakness, who had grass tendencies, while Hydreigon could effectively combat Electivire, and Raun could strike hard against Toxicroak. Overall, he found that his team could at least hold off the Gym Leaders until authorities could arrive.Until then? Well, Hex wasn't a rookie."Everyone, get out of the way!" this first command was carried out with varying degrees of success. Hydreigon dodged the Thunderpunch rather easily, rising quickly and managing to let the strike slip under him. Raun, however, was under attack by something simply not able to be dodged. The seeds exploded against him, and he tumbled back, electricity crackling all about his large yellow frame. Finally, Empoleon took the hit dead on...but wasn't around long enough for this to matter. In two extremely quick flashes of light, he was tucked away in Hex's bag, and Growlithe leaped into battle."Here we go, Team Hex!" the cheesiness of the statement wasn't lost on the standing Pokemon, who would've groaned had they not been in active combat. "Time for a switcheroo... Raun! Give Toxicroak a little taste of Giga Impact! Growlithe: show Exeggutor a warm welcome with Heat Wave! Hydreigon! Explain in fine detail to Electivire why you never get in the way of a dragon's Outrage!" Raun slid over, lifting both fists in the air and slamming down on Toxicroak with one of his harshest attacks. Red blaze surrounded Exeggutor and any other enemies near him- this meant Toxicroak stood a chance of being affected as well. With this attack came the chance of getting a burn, which would only increase Exeggutor's problems as a Grass-type. Even as this passed over, Hydreigon let loose with ruthless aggression, striking down on Electivire (and Exeggutor, who happened to be near him) with an almost excessively powerful Dragon-type move.In his hand, Hex palmed a Paralyze Heal, in case Electivire had the Static ability. Of course, Hydreigon might've lucked out, and his opponent could have the Intimidate ability.

**Franco** · July 18, 2013

IC: ManBearPig's eyes opened. Instinctively, the Spoink sighed, at last relaxed. When he used Rest, he escaped the loudness of the world about him to reside in a land populated only by himself, without chaos but perpetually set in silence. He didn't want other people or Pokemon and their messy, intrusive ways of living. All he wanted was to be alone so he could sleep in peace.

"MANBEARPIG, UP AND AT 'EM! WE AMERICANS ARE GOING TO ROCK THIS FAT MAN LIKE A HURRICANE!," Freeman yelled. He pulled out his flag-covered notebook and peered into his tiny scrawl.. "NOW, WHAT IS DIRT-AND-SPOOK WEAK TO AGAIN..."

ManBearPig sighed once more, this time from annoyance. Why did he bother desiring quiet when his master was the loudest man around?

"...ALRIGHT! WE HAVE A BATTLE PLAN!" Freeman fist-pumped. "EVERYONE HUDDLE!"

The four Pokemon formed a circle with their trainer, heads facing towards the center as Freeman spoke. "THIS IS HOW WE DO. FREEGLE, MAKE MOAR NUKES!" Freegle strummed its air guitar in a "Beat It" cover as it used Hone Claws once more. "MANBEARPIG, USE ESP!" The Spoink assailed the Golurk with Psychic. "DOOMCANNON, STAND TALL FOR OUR LIBERTY~!" Doomcannon slammed its back's appendage into the ground, using Iron Tail to keep it in the roof of the department store as a stabilizer. More patriotic plate armor appeared around its body with Barrier. "CHUCK NORRIS...UH..."

Freeman looked from the Hitmonchan to the Golurk. He would've recommended it leap onto the creature and Ice Punch it in the face. Freeman liked punching things in the face. Sadly, however, it appeared some American-colored fighter jet was already blasting its head and shoulders with sweet and fiery FREEDOM. The trainer grinned. Maybe his original plan no longer worked so well, but having another of red, white, and blue fighting for democracy heartened him.

"CHANGE OF STRATEGY! FREEGLE, SKY DROP CHUCK NORRIS ONTO THE GROUND LIKE THE PARATROOPER HE IS! ONCE THERE, MANBEARPIG CAN COMMUNICATE ORDERS WITH HIS TELEKINESIS!" ManBearPig didn't have the heart to correct Freeman when he had that stupid grin on his face. Uninterrupted, the Braviary grabbed the Hitmonchan by its shoulder pauldrons and cawed once before taking off.

"TODAY," Freeman stated,"WE WILL DEFEAT THIS SOVIET MECH AND BRING DOWN THE GOLURK WALL! TODAY, WE ARE NOT WHIMPERING BOYS, BUT FREE MEN! LET'S GO!"

Freeman always made sure to encourage his Pokemon...Regardless of whether they liked his pep talks or not.

Edited July 19, 2013 by Iskandar

Konuju · July 18, 2013

IC: Dack

Dack saw the Water Spout crashing towards the Heatran and nodded at the trainer. "Luxray, distract it with Thunder Fang!"

With a growl, the Luxray leaped toward the rampaging Pokemon and chomped down on its thick hide with fangs laced with electricity. Enraged, the Heatran whirled around, trying to shake the lion off its back. By the time Luxray finally did come flying off, the Water Spout was upon them. Heatran was sucked into the cyclone of water and sent spinning round and round.

Of course, there was one drawback to this attack, which became immediately obvious. The Lava Dome Pokemon's body temperature started to evaporate the water, creating a thick cloud of white steam. Before long, this cloud blended in with the white snow that covered the battlefield, effectively blinding Dack and the other trainers. Dack peered into the whiteness, trying to discern what had happened to their enemy. Was that the round shape of Heatran's shoulder racing across the snow? Or was it simply the fluid motion of the steam as little wisps curled in the air?

A burst of bright redish-orange erupted across the field of white. Dack leapt backward to avoid the attack; even at this distance the heat from the fiery tornado threatened to burn him. He heard a shriek to his right. "Madison?" he called out, racing toward the sound. Led by the orange glow of the flames, Dack quickly found his friend. Madison herself was safe from harm, but she was staring, horror-struck, at the column of magma swirling just a few feet away. "Madison!" Dack cried, grabbing the skier's arm. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

Madison shook her head, continuing to stare at the fiery vortex. "Anzu..." she said weakly.

Sure enough, Madison's Froslass was trapped in the middle of the Magma Storm. The icy Pokemon floated almost serenely, arms extended, as the flames whipped around her, threatening to consume her fragile form.

"Swellow," Dack said, trying his best to remain calm. "Blow this steam away. See if you can blow the flames around Anzu away as well. Bastiodon, as soon as you can see the Heatran, use Ancient Power and Iron Head."

As Swellow began to flap its wings, Dack peered at the other end of the battlefield. That trainer's Heatmor had been using its ability to absorb Heatran's flames. Perhaps that ability could free Anzu from the Magma Storm.

**Dr. Hidaka** · July 18, 2013

IC: Evan Tierra, Plasma Castle

"I would be happy to, sir.", Evan said respectfully, "We'll head to Four Island to inform Team Liberty of this danger. Could I ask for a Teleporter to send us there?"

IC: ???, Goldenrod City

One man stood a block away from the chaos the had erupted in Goldenrod City. His eyes flashed gold for a second as he watched what had been going on. A Dusknoir floated near him, as if he were waiting for an order.

"Looks like Joker got a little too confident in herself, buddy.", the figure said softly, "We'd best help her now. Shadow Punch on the Golurk's head, Moriarty."

With that command, the Dusknoir floated towards the Golurk's head and slugged it with all his might.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Hades

**Franco** · July 19, 2013

IC: Out of all the things Cassius could have hope to seen as a result of Hafgufa's Water Spout, a clouded battlefield containing a white-cloaked creature within a magmatic cage. He sighed. By ordering the giant jellyfish to use its most powerful attack, especially against what he presumed to be a Fire-Type, he had hoped to at least cripple the creature. Instead, the move had enshrouded Snowpoint City in the literal fog of war as the water evaporated in moments of contact and the beast disappeared into the mist. He could only guess that this ring around the ghost was an attack it had furtively launched. While he was not native to Sinnoh or an experienced trainer, he knew Snowpoint enough to guess that the trapped Pokemon was an Ice-Type. And he knew the Vanillite of Unova enough to be well-acquainted with their kind's characteristic poor defense against Fire-Type attacks. Something had to be done before the allied Pokemon was critically injured or incapacitated by such a prison of lava.

Cassius sighed again. Why are we always so short on time? It's like I'm never going to be able to fully ponder my decisions...

Quelling his mental uneasiness, the trainer gave his commands. "Baku, Lick up that lava! Hafgufa and Bhusunda, use Hydro Pump and Sucker Punch upon sight of the beast!"

The Heatmor ran from its guard position near its trainer towards the imprisoned creature ahead. Nearing the lava, Baku's eyes widened to take in the savory feast of flames before her, the anteater letting out a happy "Heat!" as it charged. Its tongue erupted from its mouth to slurp up the molten rock with a Lick. Meanwhile, Hafgufa and Bhusunda were back-to-back, senses watchful and attacks prepared in case the beast made a return.

Constructelf · July 19, 2013

IC: Geoffrey

"Ok: first of all, what is this thing doing here?" Geoffrey mused aloud. "Rotor, hit that Heatran with continuous thundershocks." The Rotom obeyed and began to zap away at the Heatran. "Their natural habitat is in areas with high degrees of volcanic activity; most definitely not here!" The scientist considered sending out another pokemon but decided against it; they didn't really have any moves that would be effective against the fire-steel type. "Secondly, why didn't that hydro pump do anything more than cloud the battlefield? It should have done quite a bit of damage!" Geoffrey continued to ramble on as his Rotom continued spamming Thundershock.

Daniel Bryan · July 19, 2013

IC - Van Harrison - Galactic HQ:Van was stunned by what he had seen. He tried to remove the images from his mind, but it seemed to override every thought he tried to cover it up with, leaving him to witness every moment of the memories. As they faded away, Envy's words began to sink in. "I... I..." Van's mind slowly began to open, his heart widening its doors to embrace the corruption... And then there was darkness. It was not the darkness that was of Envy, but of a different darkness, one that shielded Van's heart and mind."Focus..." A distantly familiar voice rang within the ears of the young man. He recognized the darkness and fear that accompanied the voice, yet it fazed him not. He could sense no intent either benevolent or hindering. Once more, Van's mind and heart were a blank slate, back to their normal status. As if a breath of new energy gave life to the young man."The path I choose... is the path that lies before me. Whichever one comes first," Van replied his face revealing a look of pure determination, both rage and reason as one, as his voice once more became calm and stoic. Hydreigon let loose a roar of pure Outrage, it's eyes glowing bright red with rage as it sunk its teeth into Envy's Hydreigon, tugging with as much might as it could muster at the neck and wings of the female dragon, sending them both crashing towards the ground, but Van's Pokemon poised to take more of the impact in its rage.~Det

Edited July 19, 2013 by ~Detranix~

Parugi · July 20, 2013

OOC: Kadabra looks fine, as well as the other requested changes.

IC - Sonja Baron/Kyle Eston - Four Island: The smell of saltwater rode on the breeze, filling Sonja's senses as she took a deep breath, smiling at the scent of the ocean. As much as she had enjoyed spending time in Unova, Four Island, she had to admit, was where her home truly was--it was where she was most comfortable, and where the majority of her closest friends lived, after all.

She looked at Ray. "Perfect," she said. "I guess we should hop on that, huh? Come on--let's see who all is actually in right now!" With that, Sonja grabbed the Rocket Agent's arm, hurrying toward the Alamo's front entrance.

Off the northern shore of Four Island, a boat approached, rocking back and forth with the waves as it cut its way through the sea. In its hull, the boat bore several passengers, all members of Team Liberty and all headed to the same place--the Alamo. Among them, Kyle Eston sat, hunched over and his eyes closed, deep in thought about might lie ahead, once he stepped back onto the island's familiar sand...

IC - Bishop Gorm - Plasma Castle: The Blue Sage smiled, eyes alight with deep appreciation. "Of course," he said, turning to the attendant and nodding. She returned the gesture, disappearing through the door. "Thank you, Mr. Tierra, and to you, Jupiter, for bringing this to our attention."

Jupiter bowed slightly in response. "Of course, Sage. Thank you for listening." She looked at Evan as Gorm walked away, expression turning again into one of unease. "Team Liberty, huh? You sure that's such a good idea?"

IC - Rocket Gym Leaders - Cianwood City: Raun slid over, lifting both fists in the air and slamming down on Toxicroak with one of his harshest attacks.

They moved virtually as one, Koga and Toxicroak, with such fluidity and synchronization that one would be forgiven for assuming that they were mentally linked together. Raun's fists rose up, coming down rapidly toward the Fighting-Type. Toxicroak thrust its arms sideways, claws glinting with poison before throwing them diagonally in front of itself in an x shape. At the same time that the Giga Impact struck, dazing Toxicroak and visibly injuring it, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon slashed at Rain's arms with Poison Jab, mixing its already poisonous attack with its Poison Touch ability in an attempt to weaken the Electivire.

Meanwhile, Raun had knocked it backward, causing it to graze the Heatwave attack from Growlithe as a result. As it waited for its vision to clear, Toxicroak began croaking, the poisonous substance in its throat sac churning and mixing into a more potent form with each action...

Red blaze surrounded Exeggutor and any other enemies near him- this meant Toxicroak stood a chance of being affected as well. With this attack came the chance of getting a burn, which would only increase Exeggutor's problems as a Grass-type.

With the rush of fiery breath, Exeggutor stumbled back a few steps, indicating that it had suffered a notable amount of damage from the attack. However, closer inspection revealed that this was not the case: The Psychic-Type's eyes glowed with a powerful aura, the same color as the Protect that it had summoned to defend itself, with the side effect of blocking the damage it would have received from Hydreigon, as well. As the Heatwave subsided, Sabrina threw a hand forward, willing it to strike back at Growlithe with Psychic.

Even as this passed over, Hydreigon let loose with ruthless aggression, striking down on Electivire (and Exeggutor, who happened to be near him) with an almost excessively powerful Dragon-type move.

Surge's approach to his attacker was simple and brutal. As Hydreigon closed in, lashing out at his Electivire, the Thunderbolt Pokémon retaliated in kind, fists sparking with electricity as it returned Hydreigon's blows in kind.

IC - Joker/Leviathan/Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner - Goldenrod City: Cero's inner monologue had covered the implications of a gargantuan fist heading toward one well enough, and with her psychic net active, Joker had heard every word of it. Unlike Cero, given the fact that said fist had moments ago belonged to her, and that she had just been shot in order to break her control over said fist, the Shadow Admin was not in a proper state of mind to immediately comprehend the situation or truly take into account the presence of said fist heading directly for her.

As such, it was only a very close miracle in the form of an Absol that stopped her from being crushed by Leviathan's attack. The golem's fist slammed into the ground, throwing up rock and dirt and creating a massive indent in the middle of the street. Leviathan did not move for several moments after this as it recovered from the impact, leaving it open to storm of attacks from the other trainers in the street. Through the obscuring dust, Joker saw too many attacks to count, all aimed at whatever portion of Leviathan they could reach--bites, slashes, energy, punches, kicks, all directed at the golem's legs and ankles, with several having served to slow his punch down enough for Absol to save her.

This rush of activity and help slowly chipped away at the shock that froze Joker, leading her to as simple a conclusion as she could understand: Leviathan had almost killed her. Not only that, but the underlying fault lay with Joker herself, for having put so much confidence and faith in something with which she had no past experience.

Joker's pride had almost become her own death.

She did not hear the sound of someone running toward her, nor did she see Ethan Worth's face as he skidded to a stop in front of her. "Shadow Admin Joker!" He grabbed her shoulder, shaking Joker in an attempt to get her to focus. Behind the Rocket agent, Leviathan's fist shifted, the dust that had settled on it rustling dangerously as the huge extremity began to lift, the Golurk straightening up where it stood. Seeing this, Ethan grabbed Joker, pulling her to her feet and moving further away from Leviathan, taking refuge in a nearby alleyway.

As they left the street, Joker blinked, staring first with confusion at Ethan, and then flat-out glaring at him as he peered out back at the fight. "Just what do you think you're doing?" she demanded, shakily pushing herself to her feet.

The Rocket Agent looked at her in surprise, and then smiled. "Oh, now you're awake," he said. "Sorry, Shadow Admin--just thought it'd be best to get you out of the line of fire until you'd come back to your senses." He looked back. "Also, until it attacks again--seems like it's gearing up for something big right now. Might want to give it a moment. Anyway, feel free to join in when you're ready to, ma'am--we've got it distracted for the moment. Though, you might want to do something about that bloody nose first."

With a quick salute, Ethan darted back into the street. With a quick movement of his hand, he tossed four Poké Balls into the air, each one releasing a flash of light that materialized into a Pokémon--Scizor, Beedrill, Grotle, and Weepinbell.

"All right, guys, let's do this!" he called to his team. "Céris, Tox, standby for now with Agility. Once you're done with that, Céris, use Night Slash, Double Hit--anything you've got on that Golurk's legs. Tox, you're going to help me with something else before joining him. Understand?" The Scizor and Beedrill nodded. "Kada, Tox is going to airlift you up to a higher position; see if you can't weaken its chest armor with Mega Drain and Bullet Seed." The Grotle, too, nodded. Ethan looked at his perpetually-angry Weepinbell. "Suya... Well, I've got a wonderful idea for you." He grinned evilly. "Use Vine Whip to navigate the air and use Gastro Acid, Stun Spore, and just plain Acid as much as possible on him. The more armor you can hit, the better."

Dozens upon dozens of attacks were connecting with Leviathan's ankles and body; however, its sheer size and thickness of armor prevented it from registering the attacks as little more than the strikes of pests, even after taking into account the dents and minor surface cracks that were appearing on its feet. For those attacking other areas by themselves--Moriarty, for example, with his Shadow Punch on Leviathan's face--the damage and effect was even less. Clenching its fists, Leviathan abruptly raised its right foot, catching a number of Pokémon below off-guard. For a brief second, a massive foot hovered above the field; the next, it came crashing down, the Pokémon underneath barely managing to escape the mobile death sentence.

With the impact came what could best be described as a makeshift Earthquake. Without direct knowledge of how to use the move, of course, it would not be the same as an actual Earthquake attack; however, the force of the strike was enough to shake the ground and buildings around Golurk, to break a number of windows, and to momentarily cause a number of people and Pokémon to lose their balance.

Having attacked the ground, Leviathan turned to the air-bound forces. Fists still clenched, the golem poured as much energy as it could into its extremities, summoning the power necessary for a Thunder Punch. It first threw one fist forward, and then another, electricity crackling around them the entire time, leaping out and adding an extra hazard to the already-dangerous extremities.

IC - Envy - Galactic HQ: For the briefest of moments, Envy saw and felt Van's heart open to her words. She reached forward--both figuratively and literally--drawn forth by the darkness, her symbol appearing on the palm of her hand with the movement. Just as her hand passed the threshold, however, the trainer felt herself being forced out, the doors virtually swinging shut on her mind, the force of the push--the nature of the deflector--sheering away at her hand.

The impact of the Hydreigon on the ground brought her back to the present. As the dust cleared, she noted Van's expression. Initially, Envy suspected it to be surprise at the fact that her Hydreigon had fainted from the impact, weakened enough by Envy's own distraction to have been knocked out despite the dragons' orientation during their descent. Upon closer inspection, however, she realized that he was staring at her outstretched hand.

Or, more appropriately, where it had been.

The air was empty there, her limb ending abruptly about mid-way down her forearm, the stub covered in writhing shadows. Slowly, her own expression shifting to one of shock, Envy pulled her arm back toward her chest, holding it gingerly in her other hand. The darkness twisted, filling in where her arm and hand had disappeared, solidifying to repair the damage. As the blackness lifted, revealing a perfectly intact appendage, Envy shook her arm, resuming a noticeably concerned, yet relatively calm mask once more.

"That was... something else," she said, recalling her Pokémon to its Poké Ball. With a twist of her hand, the container became shrouded by darkness, which evaporated a second later to reveal another Poké Ball. It opened, unleashing a flurry of white that materialized into an Exeggutor, all three heads adorned with a knowing smirk not unlike Envy's own. The trainer frowned, but then shrugged, clasping her hands behind her back. "Hm... Not what I meant to send out, but it'll do..."

As one took a step into her thoughts, Envy's careless attitude disintegrated into one of confusion. It can't be... How could someone possibly shut out my power like that? She narrowed her eyes, watching Van carefully. I suppose I should count my blessings--at the least, it shows he has the will to conquer envy, and that means I can still use him... Come now, Van--attack 'Exeggutor,' why don't you? Defeat it, and help me fulfill my purpose...

IC - Jackson Sang - Cerulean City: "... soldiers to add to our ranks..."

"... they're a lot easier to break than adults are."

"... So, you can't just recruit adults...?"

It was with great surprise that Jackson Sang landed on the concrete roof of the building, with no exact memory of how he actually ended up there. Irritably, the mercenary pushed himself to his feet, recalling everything that had just transpired--everything that he remembered, at any rate. Sang recalled the sight of a man dressed in a manner very similar to that of the Ford agent he had tracked several months ago--black jacket with silver trim, brown slacks and black boots, with the only major differences being his yellow gloves and black bandanna.

The contract.

"The contract states... no older than nineteen..."

Nine.

"... of their own volition..."

The contract...

Past the point of approaching him, however, Sang did not remember much--just a smirk, a Xatu, a white flash of light, and then falling. He figured the middle two were related, though for all he knew, the Ford agent himself had done something. Snippets of a conversation flashed back and forth in his mind, though Sang could not piece together the meaning of the words--

Vows...

"Pierce, Hayes, Adams, and I."

Nine.

"The others are a different story."

Sang did remember one part of the conversation, however--the only part, it seemed, that had not been majorly affected by the memory wipe. Given what he knew--or thought--was said, he concluded that it had been the very last part of the exchange, what he had been told right before Xatu had attacked. That knowledge did not put him anymore at ease, however, nor did he fully understand what the man had meant.

"Well, I'm afraid I must be going now," he said, patting Xatu on the head. "Any last questions, Mr. Sang?"

"Just one," Jackson said, brushing his bangs out of his face. "You seemed very intent on telling me everything. Why?"

"Oh, that is an easy one, Jackson." He smiled, looking directly into Jackson's eyes. "Because I know that no matter who you talk to, what you do, how hard you try, you cannot stop what is to come--the machine has gained far too much momentum for that." He frowned. "Besides, it wouldn't be a proper challenge for us if no one had an inkling of what we were doing, would it?"

If anything, that snippet served only to disturb and frighten Sang.

OOC: So, by my count, there are at least 34 Pokémon fighting in Goldenrod, so... This is going to be the first RotR battle to give out 4 EXP to those Pokémon participating. Yah.

Woo.

If this is an indication of things to come... It won't be the last. :3

On a related note--for future reference, Sin battles count for 2 EXP for the person the Sin appears to, and 1 for everyone else who gets involved. Just so y'all know.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Parugi

Relapse · July 20, 2013

OOC: Two points used here, making Poliwag his final form.

Also, not gonna post Castform's profile just yet- I'm just gonna say he has Rain Dance, Sunny Day, and Hail, if that's cool with y'all ^^. More on this later.

IC:

Castform.

Kind of cute, in a weird, disembodied-head sort of way. But that wasn't why Devin had been searching for it. There weren't a surplus of them, because they didn't naturally occur...anywhere. For people who had Pokemon that used the weather to their advantage, it was exceedingly useful. People like Devin, for example. He was in the jungle of Hoenn, near the one place where they could be found. Recently, there had been a leak, and they had scrambled out into the wild. While the institution figured they'd just spread far and wide, eventually to be chanced upon and caught by trainers. Devin, having heard this on the news while staying in the area, decided to take advantage of the incident. It was a simple catch, Castform not putting up much of a fight against Poliwag. And yet, it had tipped the scales- Poliwag had evolved into Poliwhirl.

Almost a year later, Devin had encountered Toxicroak. It had been an incredibly tough match for the both of them; Devin had nearly died of poisoning. But they'd pulled through, and he'd caught the 'Mon. Poliwhirl had begun to evolve...then stopped. It was as though he had decided it wasn't his time or something.

Truth was, he wasn't supposed to evolve into Poliwrath at all. But he definitely evolved eventually.

An explosion of light signified the joining of another combatant in the battle against Leviathan. Devin smiled as Politoed sprung out. He would never have reached his potential had he evolved into Poliwrath. This path suited DeLong's tastes much better, and worked way better with the rest of the team. Of Devin's four Pokemon, he was the most adept in combat. The two had connected quite well in the years they'd been fighting together. Goldenrod was a particularly interesting spot for the two, because- Oh, yeah! The Golurk. The Team Rocket member, having had Castform concealed comfortably in his longcoat, produced the Pokemon and called out an order.

"Castform, use Rain Dance!"

The floating 'Mon did a cheerful little jig, waving it's limbs around in seemingly insignificant moves that caused major changes in the environment. Throughout Goldenrod, it began raining. First, just a bit. Some natural thunder here and there. And then it poured. Castform's small body transfigured to look like a rain drop, and it retreated through the air towards Devin's waiting Pokeball. Politoed, meanwhile, was just getting fired up. His ability, Drizzle, kept the rain going in full.

"Alright, Politoed, show Golurk a bit of Northern courtesy with Perish Song!"

Oh, Perish Song. What a beautiful move. In three moves, Golurk would faint. This is, unless it was switched out- which couldn't happen -or it had Soundproof, which it didn't. Unfortunately, it would also make everyone else on the field faint under the same conditions. Everyone. In three moves, Devin would either be down his best 'Mon, or have everyone else under the same condition. Of course, with all the noise of the rain and the other fighters, it was practically impossible to find the source of the Perish Song. It was almost a perfect strategy. Devin smirked. He would, he expected, be rewarded highly for his actions.

OOC: So...yeah. Pretty much everyone who doesn't switch out is fainted in three moves.

luv u gaiz <3

Konuju · July 20, 2013

IC: Ryan

As the boat Kyle was in approached Four Island from the north, a similar boat arrived from the west. This boat was also full of Liberty Agents, including Ryan Sanders. It was an odd feeling, returning to the Alamo. It almost felt like he was coming home. But Fortree is my home, he thought to himself. At least, it used to be.

After helping to rebuild Fortree for so long it almost felt like he was stepping into another world. Another life. As Ryan stepped off the boat, memories flooded in. He saw the spot on the beach where he had trained with Klim in preparation for the battle against the Darkrai. He saw the small group of trees where he had battled so many Rocket Agents during the Invasion of Four Island over a year ago. He saw the path leading to the Alamo's front entrance, which Sonja and Ray were currently walking on.

Wait, Sonja and Ray? Ryan did a double take.

Sure enough, the Liberty and Rocket agent were both headed down the path; from the looks of it, they had also just arrived on the island. "Sonja! Ray!" Ryan called, waving his arms as he started to race towards them.

IC: Dack

Madison and Dack watched in amazement as the Heatmor licked up the Heatran's most powerful attack like it was cotton candy. Once the Magma Storm had disappeared, Anzu continued to float in the air for a second before she lost consciousness and fell into Madison's waiting arms.

"Thank you," Madison said to the Heatmor and its trainer as she cradled her Froslass.

Dack nodded his thanks before turning his attention back to the cloud of steam. By now, Swellow had blown away a majority of the white cloud, revealing the silhouette of the enraged Fire-Type. As soon as its outline was visible, Bastiodon moved with surprising speed. A shower of rocks sped toward the Heatran in a display of Ancient Power. Those caught the beast's attention just in time for it to see the Bastiodon strike it in the side with Iron Head.

The Heatran roared furiously as it prepared to shoot another Magma Storm at the armored Pokemon. Before it could attack, however, a Murkrow struck it with Sucker Punch, immediately followed by the Jellicent's Hydro Pump and the Rotom's Thundershocks. The beast fell to its knees, overcome by the multitude of attacks and feeling the effects of the paralysis caused by the Rotom's initial Thunder Wave.

Dack frowned when he heard Geoffrey's muttering. The trainer had a point -- this Heatran did not belong in Snowpoint. So why was it here? "It doesn't seem like anyone is ordering it to attack," he thought aloud. "It's just attacking out of anger."

"That means it's a wild Pokemon, right?" Luke asked as his Machoke punched the Heatran, sending it skidding across the snow. "Why not capture it? Stop it from causing further harm."

"Well, it's worth a shot," Dack shrugged, digging into his pack to find the black and yellow pattern of an Ultra Ball. He tossed it at the Heatran, drawing the Legendary Pokemon inside. The ball landed in the snow and shook once, twice --

The Heatran escaped from the ball in a burst of light, clearly unhappy about almost being captured. With a roar, it charged toward Dack, ready to trample him with Iron Head. Cursing loudly, the ex-Rocket member shot his hand back into his pack, fingers fumbling for another Ultra Ball. When his hand finally closed around the sphere he chucked it at the beast without a moment's hesitation.

The Lava Dome Pokemon vanished into the ball once more. Dack held his breath as he watched the ball shake. After what seemed like an eternity, the Ultra Ball came to a rest with a click. The Heatran was captured.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Dack walked over to the ball and picked it up. Pulling out his PokeGear, he checked the Pokemon's health. "Just as I thought," he reported. "In its rage it was ignoring the pain from our attacks. The Heatran is actually much weaker than it led us to believe." He looked at the trainer with the Rotom. "You had a good question: what would have driven the Heatran from its natural habitat?"

"First we should probably introduce ourselves," Madison said, still holding Anzu in her arms. "I'm Madison and this is Dack. Our friend with the Machoke is Luke."

Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

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