Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Konuju]

IC: Ellen - Alamo Barracks, Four Island
The girl nodded silently, although she still seemed unconvinced. Any doubts she had, she kept to herself. "I guess you're right . . ." she muttered. Out of habit, she sent a telepathic message to Duo, inquiring his thoughts on the matter. She received only a painful reminder that Duo could not hear her, or at least he couldn't answer. That left her with only the encouraging words of Xander and Ray. But how much of their words were truth, and how much fabricated ideals to make her feel better? Perhaps only time would tell.
 
IC: Ryan - Alamo Barracks, Four Island
"And that is why you should never let your guard down." Ryan groaned, gratefully accepting Esen's help. "You never know when you might get mauled by a puppy." He cracked a grin at Kyle, then turned his attention back to Sonja's door. He'd hoped to have been able to talk to Sonja in private, but perhaps it was better this way. After all, the last time he had tried to speak with Sonja alone, things hadn't gone so well.
 
Of course, present company wouldn't matter if Sonja wasn't there in the first place. "I only just got here myself." Ryan shrugged and knocked again, louder this time. "Sonja . . . ?" he called hesitantly. "Are you in there?"
 

OOC: Jam with Blade

 

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke/Ryan/Chloe/Lucia - Hallway, Medical Wing
The group walked in silence, in solemn anticipation. No doubt each person had a different idea of Gavin's state. The loss of his arm served as a grim reminder that nobody was infallible. Hushed voices broke the silence, and as Dack turned a corner he saw two girls walking down the hallway. He called out to them.
 
"Chloe, right?" He recognized the auburn-haired one from Two Island. "Are you here to see Gavin, too?" The moment the words were out of his mouth, Dack realized she could have been here to see any number of people. Nevertheless, he waved a greeting to the two girls.
 
Chloe nodded in response as she gave a small smile at the sight of everyone. "Yep, Lucia's been waiting to see Gavin since she got here, so I thought I'd tag along." She managed to keep an upbeat smile, though Ryan could tell that it was more than a little forced for everyone's sake, considering they had little idea of Gavin's actual condition. "And besides, I wanted to check in on him too."
 
Lucia, on the other hand, was focused on Ryan, whose arm was out of the sling by now, but still being moved with very minimal effort. "It seems as if half of you were cursed to be injured or something; I passed someone who looked boisterous earlier that seemed like he'd gone through the wringer... he didn't quite seem energetic, either." The redhead gave a shrug, as she glanced around, getting a gaze returned to her from Ryan.
 
"Speaking of, why are you here? Did you come to visit Jamie and Gavin, or...?" As Ryan spoke, an unworded question remained about what happened to Guin and Shannon. Lucia looked away, however, as if she were trying to dodge the questioning for that moment.
 
"Uh-huh. I'm off duty, and you all decided to get tangled up in something beyond what anyone thought of, from what I've heard." The healer left words of accusation left unsaid, and simply shook her head, as she looked down the hall toward Gavin's room, as if not wanting to answer any other questions.
 
"Lucia!" Madison snapped her fingers in recognition. "You helped us in Celadon, didn't you? I didn't know you were a friend of Gavin's."
 
"Funny how we're all ending up here," Luke chided in. "You'd think it was the end of the world or something."
 
Lucia looked at Luke sharply for a brief moment, but then composed herself with a brief nod at Madison's question. "Ethan, Gavin, Jamie and I were all on, well, basically a strike team for a while. After Celadon, we pretty much took a little break because of the very, very tough aftermath, and because Jamie's brother's Gardevoir had been seriously hurt during the attack." She bit her lip, as she once again recalled what had happened what seemed like an eternity ago. The medic glanced toward Dack with grim uncertainty, but kept her worries to herself for the moment.
 
"We met Ethan and Gavin at Chapel, directly after Celadon," Dack explained. "That's how we got roped into all this Ford stuff."
 
"Well, shall we continue on our way?" Madison smiled. "It seems like Gavin's got quite the welcoming party. I'd hate to keep him waiting."
 
Lucia nodded, as she smiled for a bit. "... I'm glad that none of you were hurt any worse, though. Even if I don't know most of you as well as I should." The healer bit her lip again, and turned around to continue walking on her way. She had neglected to actually let Jamie know she was around, since she had been busy up until this point, but... she just hoped this was a good surprise.
 
Ryan sighed, as something still didn't seem to have been answered. Regardless, it wasn't anything he could afford to worry about for the moment; he just hoped it wasn't bad news that was stopping Lucia from explaining. "Alright, let's go." He said, as he took up the rear, Chloe and the others going ahead of him.
 
Dack could hear raised voices as they approached Gavin's room. "It sounds like we aren't the only visitors," he said in a hushed voice. Clinging to the hope that their sudden appearance wouldn't add to what seemed an already heated situation, the Rocket agent gave a small knock before opening the door.
 
Ryan was about to follow the others when a pair of arms wrapped around his torso, holding him back. He whirled around to face his attacker, and his heart skipped a beat. There was a burst of unkempt dirty-blonde hair as the arms tightened their grip around him.
 
"Ryan, it's really you!" Something resembling a squee pierced the air as the jubilant face of Shannon Willows grinned up at him.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Konuju

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

 

Xander caught the girl focusing and directing her thoughts, but . . . nothing came of it. Without his abilities, Duo couldn't even interpret her message, let alone respond. The Kalosian smiled softly.

 

Do you want me to act as a relay, Ellen? I can communicate what you think at me to Duo and vice versa.

[Konuju]

IC: Ellen - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

Ellen hesitated. Although she hadn't cared about it in the past, she was used to being able to keep her conversations with Duo private. Especially now, their conversation could reveal her doubts to Xander. Of course, the psychic probably already knew what was on her mind. After a slight pause, she nodded.

 

I was just wondering what Duo thought about all this.

 

When the Kalosian tried to relay the message, however, Duo responded with a mental outburst of joy at finally finding someone who could 'hear' him. He ranted on and on about the isolation he had been forced to endure ever since his psychic powers had been cut off, entirely forgetting the original question.

[Flipz]

IC: Amanda Zarth

 

August 4th, 2017, 7:34 a.m.

 

In the ambassadorial aides' quarters at the Alamo, Amanda awoke.

 

Amanda awoke from a dream. The dream. The same dream she'd had the past three nights. The same dream she'd had back when--

 

The Plasma functionary shook her head. It did not matter. It could not, there was no reason it should. How could a dream affect the waking world? No, it would not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

 

And yet...

 

Amanda allowed herself a moment of sentimentality, wishing her Pokémon could be present to dissect the dream and search for its subconscious meaning--or better yet, to prevent the occurrence in the first place. But, as Knight Tierra had reported, Pokémon powers across the world were non-functional, so it would do little good to extract the creatures from their capsule containment. For a brief moment, something resembling concern passed over her, a sense of something wrong with the sentiment. But the moment passed, and a cursory check of her briefcase-bound Plasma Balls indicated no inclination that the Pokémon themselves wished to be released.

 

While she had the case open, Amanda took the opportunity to extract her C-Gear and boot up the device to check the time. 7:37 a.m. A perfectly reasonable hour of awakening, but in her case functionally unhelpful; her new superiors would not be up for at least half an hour, and given her own skill set there was little she could offer to aid them in their morning preparations. Additionally, with no further administrative tasks requiring her preparation (she had compiled and organized the day's schedule the evening prior) and no articles of interest flagged to her inbox, it appeared that Amanda was now left with an hour or two of free time.

 

Unfortunate.

 

Amanda laid back in bed, recognizing the futility of attempting sleep given the short time before her superior agents would require her services. There would be little practical gain, and every possibility that sleeping now might adversely affect her ability to awaken later at the proper time. Besides, she considered, there is every likelihood that I would simply once again have that--

 

Unbidden, the sleep-fogged images--more impressions, really, than actual mental pictures--rushed back to her brain, still somewhat fresh in her mind.

 

I see a face before my eyes.

I'm falling into darkness...

 

Amanda sighed and sat up. If she was going to waste time psychoanalyzing herself, she might as well record the impressions for analysis when she was in a more objective state of mind. She began tapping away at the C-Gear's keyboard.

 

I somehow feel like I am struggling for life...why? Why must I fight to stay alive?

And then the sense of heroes falling...

 

It made no sense. And yet, somehow, this was the part that stuck with her most--the idea of heroes (or, as she reminded herself, high-value fieldable assets) falling in battle to some unknown foe. It was ridiculous to think that a dream could somehow be some kind of prediction, and yet...

 

The agents of this...thing...that Knight Tierra and Knight Hakuda fought in the so-called "egg"...they certainly seemed more than capable of eliminating a great number of high-value units among our allies. Perhaps the subconscious attempting to rationalize the illogical existence of these beings?

 

Amanda's ruminations were cut short by a tone of alert from the C-Gear, an automated notification of anomalous activity from Liberty command. With neither a sigh nor a frown, Amanda abandoned her digital dream journal, slipped out from under the covers, and began to prepare for the day. Whatever had just begun amongst Liberty leadership, sooner or later they would need to alert the Knights as liaisons of Team Plasma.

 

And when that happened, Amanda would be ready to assist.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, August 4th, mid-morning.

I implore you not to treat this like a game. Boastfulness and showmanship will get you nowhere here.

Ever since they returned from Two Island, Hayes' words spoke more and more truth to Evan, especially considering the aftermath that resulted. All of his showiness and acting had meant nothing in the end. It didn't help that he had more than those words to worry about, among the obvious. The Plasma Agent hadn't seen Jenny, for more than glimpses at a time, but it wasn't because of her.

It was his fault.

He had become too reliant on Jenny. He, and others, had made her bear too much pressure. It wasn't fear that kept him away from the one he loved. It was the guilt he felt as a result. He couldn't bear to face her, worried that it would only make her feel worse.

Gnip whimpered at her master, clearly concerned for him. The knight went over to her, and rubbed her head, trying to think of what to do. He felt his pokegear vibrate and found that a message from Zarth had arrived. Evan jotted off a quick reply, telling her to keep him posted, and sighed.

I implore you not to treat this like a game.

He frowned at those words in particular. As much as he hated it, those words were especially true. "Stay here, girl." He said tiredly. "I need to pay a 'friend' a visit. Keep an eye out, ok?" Gnip gave a short growl in reply as her friend walked out. Evan made his way past the personnel going to and fro throughout the hall. He had figured that, considering her crimes, Hayes would have been kept in the prison ward. The Plasma Knight moved briskly, asking directions to his target, flashing his Plasma Badge to make things go smooth. After a good amount of walking....

He was there. At the gate of the prison ward. Mustering what passed for his willpower at this moment, Evan made his way up to it, and held up his badge to the receptionist nearby. "I wish to see Maddison Hayes, aka Sophia Baron." He spoke, trying to keep a formal tone. "I'd like to pay her a visit, on behalf of Team Plasma, but mostly myself......"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

 

He let the psychic type go on for a few seconds before politely interjecting. I'm just here as a mediator. Ellen wants your thoughts on this subject. She values your opinion.

 

"Ray, have you talked with Ryan and the others yet?"

 

IC: Jared Winters/Mercury

 

Jared wasted no time with pleasantries. "Tell me why you've been so quiet lately." If this was some sort of trick by his alter-ego, he wanted to be ready for it.

 

"Why, Jared, I hadn't known you needed my company--"

 

"Shut up. Answer me."

 

The apparition sighed. "Very well, then. I've been quiet because of two things. One, you've shown yourself to be cooperative, letting me take control when the going got tough. That was enough to show that you wanted peace with me."

 

Not quite right, but Jared would let it slide. "What's the other reason?"

 

"We need to be working together, right now. That's true normally, but especially now. I can't distract you from your training, because if I do you may get yourself killed against this abomination. And I, being all in your pretty little head, would cease to exist if you died. So it's to my benefit to let you focus on training, and I know that if the situation gets bad enough, you'll let your killer instincts take over. We both win."

 

The original copy frowned at this explanation. He really shouldn't have relied on Mercury in that battle, but he'd felt he had very little choice. He couldn't have controlled Styx on his own, and Mercury's ruthlessness was a benefit in a fight for their life. "Fine," he said at last. "If things get hairy, I'll see about giving you control. But keep it quiet until then, alright? I don't want people to think I'm--"

 

"Disturbed?" Mercury laughed. "No, we wouldn't want people thinking there's something wrong with you!"

 

Oddly enough, the insult was comforting to Jared. With a sigh, he walked towards the exit of his inner realm.

[Konuju]

IC: Duo - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

Duo was used to having a split mind. Still, it came as a bit of a curiosity that Xander would be able to hold two conversations at once -- one mental, and one verbal. He had to admire the Kalosian for that feat. Perhaps it came from hanging around a psychic-type all day? Regardless, he couldn't let himself get distracted by Ray's response. Hovering between the three trainers, Duo wracked his twin brains for an answer.

 

Tyler betrayed us all. He brought about that which we were trying to prevent. You and Ray cling to hope not because there is hope, but because you can do nothing but hope. And maybe that's enough. Maybe you'll find a way to defeat it. And if not, if the world is truly doomed . . . I don't know about Ellen, but I'd prefer to spend our last moments reunited with our family, as selfish as that may sound.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

"Not yet, actually. I've been a little tired since we left, so I've been resting up most of the time since." Ray scratched his head for a moment, and chuckled a bit. "I was actually going to try and look for the others soon, especially since Evan still has some of the things I gave him when I was trying to show that the clown had forced my hand there..."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

Xande, for his part, relayed everything as he heard it between Duo and his trainer. It was simple enough to put them in the background of his mind so they could communicate with only a minor delay.

 

"I see." He nodded. "So you stopped here first to see how Ellen was doing?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray nodded in response. "Yeah, that's pretty much it." He glanced over at the young girl, and wondered whether she was still so afraid of what might happen. But yet, he couldn't figure out what to actually say now. He wanted to help out as best as he could, but... he had to admit that maybe it was out of his hands. "... Maybe I should go try and find the others now, then..."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize - Alamos Barracks, Four Island

 

"Maybe. I should find Evan sometime soon, and I probably also need to talk to Dahlia . . ." He sighed, glancing between Ellen and Duo. "I'll probably do that in like an hour."

 

IC: Ruth Fishers/Cultists - Hidden Tunnel, Alamos Power Plant

 

She could hear Jake and Yugo behind her, and she could hear the cultists behind them. Yugo had suggested aiming an attack above them, but she realized that none of her pokémon had any attacks to do that with. Maybe something to work on later? She shook it off and kept running harder.

 

The Houndoom was hot on the heels of the children, and he had already failed his master in letting them get this far. With a snarl, he opened his mouth. There was a wave of heat, then a stream of fire shot forth, hoping to engulf the intruders.

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke - Alamo Medical Wing, Four Island

"Based on the yelling we heard from the hallway, I take it you've heard the news." Dack stepped into the room, coming to a halt near the foot of Gavin's bed. He gave the crippled agent a sympathetic look. "I'm glad you at least made it out alive."

 

Madison stood by Dack's side, unable to keep her paled gaze from lingering on the stump of Gavin's right arm. She couldn't begin to imagine how he had lost the appendage, and it didn't look like Gavin was in the mood to recount the tale anytime soon. But after seeing him like this, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the full story.

 

Luke stepped over to the other side of the bed to make room for Chloe, Lucia, and Ryan, currently unaware that the latter had become suddenly preoccupied. "Hope we aren't breaking any visitation rules by literally tripling your room's occupancy." He cracked a grin. "But hey, at least you know you're a popular guy."

 

IC: Ellen/Duo - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

While Xander and Ray talked, Ellen appeared to have zoned out, staring into space and oblivious to the world around her. One might think she had fallen asleep with her eyes open. In reality, while her eyes were unfocused, her mind was as sharp as ever as she trudged deep in a mental debate with Duo via Xander.

 

We can't fight it. We can't outrun it forever. Don't they see they're clinging to a false hope?

 

False hope? Can hope be true or false? Their hope is true if they truly believe it.

 

That's not how the world works.

 

That's not what you would've said six months ago.

 

Now I know better.

 

What happened to you, Ellen . . . ?

 

. . .

 

What happened to the girl who ran off to help stop the Ancient Darkrai? What happened to the girl who stood up to the Six Sages when they threatened to condemn Evan Tierra? What happened to the girl who endured countless bites and scratches, and stood up to constant rejection, because despite all the naysayers, she knew she could bond with her Purrloin?

 

And look where that's gotten me.

 

Did you not see everyone who came to Two Island to rescue you? You've been a light to so many people, made so many friends. What happened?

 

I thought they were mistaken. It was the greatest irony, that they were trying to rescue us when it was really we who were rescuing them from certain doom. But in the end it turns out we were the ones who needed saving after all. We were -- I was -- deceived.

 

So you made a little mistake that kickstarted the apocalypse. Big deal. This is the part where you pick yourself up and learn from your mistakes.

 

And I learned that everything I thought I knew was a lie and the whole world is doomed. Daddy was right, I never should have ran away from home. I shunned those who truly care about me in favor of trying to make a difference in the world.

 

Well, I thought the moral of the story was "don't trust evil pirate-clowns," but to each their own.

 

. . .

 

. . . Sorry.

 

But seriously. Don't trust 'em.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie - Gavin's Hospital Room

 

After somebody had made the mistake of letting the door open too much that people inside could see people outside. More specifically, letting Jamie see Lucia. Without thinking, Jamie leaped over the bed, narrowly avoiding touching the injured man or knocking over the people on the opposite side of his bed. If Jamie could've slowed time, she would've (or perhaps more accurately, if she knew how to do it; she hadn't had a chance to practice since powers began returning).

 

"LUCIAAAAAAA!" Jamie yelled as she launched herself towards the best sight she could've wished to see.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

"Right..." Ray looked between Ellen and Xander for a moment, and then to Duo, who seemed to be going from emotion to emotion. He had a feeling what it was all about, but also knew that there was no way for him to actually help out in any way. "I think I'll probably go now, then... cya, everyone." He gave a small wave and wondered how many of the occupants had actually seen it, and turned around to walk out the door. As soon as he was out of sight, he frowned at what had happened, stunned at just what the girl was like now.

 

Ray closed his eyes for a moment as he leaned against the wall of the hallway right outside the door, only to open them as he pulled out Zangetsu's Pokeball. The Pokemon met the trainer's eye, and exchanged a silent conversation. They had been together for years, and without any fancy tricks of telepathy - they could just tell what was up. And so, at this moment, when Ray's most trusted Pokemon gave a knowing nod, the Separatist knew that it had to do with the conversation he had been having with Zangetsu since the night after they returned.

 

As he walked down the hallway, purpose renewed, Ray sent off a quick message to Xander, asking to talk some more when they weren't busy. However, he added a little bit of context to it in the second half of the message... "It's time to explain what happened a month ago..." As he pressed send, and then pocketed the device, the orange haired man glanced up at the path, looking around to try and find any signs of where the command room might be, or anywhere that a leader could be. He wanted to make a difference in this war against these unknown things, and he wanted to find out how he could in any way possible.

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

"Wha-" The words died in Ryan's mouth as he was shocked beyond all compare. He gave a small smile, but at the same time, he had no clue what to say. "Hi..." The man finally managed while being totally caught off guard by the girl's sudden appearance. He didn't even notice that he was the only one of the other group who was still out in the hallway, though suddenly this explained part of why Lucia had been here. But it still left so many questions.

 

"Um, what are you doing here?" Ryan finally asked, as he managed to find the words. He tried not to sound too worried by everything, but the fact was still that they were rather close to the thing that everyone kept saying was here. Plus, he wasn't sure what she might think about everyone's injuries...

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia's face brightened as she heard the yell, and reacted quickly to catch Jamie before she crashed into anything or anyone. She gave a smile and a hug to the other girl, just as glad to see Jamie at that precise moment.

 

"Heya, Jamie~" Lucia said finally, especially glad that Jamie seemed unhurt. She had been a little worried about that up until now, but this was the exact reaction she had been hoping for, if she were to speak her thoughts. "How are you?"

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

"I know. I know." The girl said, as she picked herself off her bed, wiping a hand across her eyes in the process. "But I just... I don't know. The way he's been lately; I think he needs some time to himself... I obviously do, so, I just... I don't know." Jenny took a deep breath, as she stretched out, a worried frown on her face. "We're the two who everyone expects to be positive in the face of anything, right? But what about this? What about this sort of situation, where everything is a lot less clear? On the fly it's not that hard, but... this is a totally different thing than anything we've seen before, in more than one way." The girl grabbed her clothes, as she ignored yet another message from who even knows who the sender was. The past few days had seen so many messages from so many people; whether they be of orders she just hadn't felt up to, or people just asking how she was.

 

"I know that running away and hiding isn't helping anything, but, sometimes I need to recharge, just like everyone else eventually does. I know he's scared; I'm scared. There's got to be a way to stop this thing, but I don't think anyone knows what it is. But... none of us can do that if we're too disheartened." Jenny adjusted the bow on her shirt finally, as she stepped back and looked in the mirror to see how it looked on her. "So I want to give him a little space, even just for a little bit. I don't know how this'll turn out, but I can keep hope that we can get ourselves back sooner than later at least." She sniffed for a moment and rubbed her eyes again, but still wore a determined look on her face. "I'm not going to hide any longer, though..."

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Had it really already been four days? Colette blankly laid on her bed as she stared at the time. Everything had run together since things had ended; she had tried her best to get away from people trying to get her take on things; from Jayron trying to say that things weren't as bad as they seemed, to people who tried to get a debriefing of that Arceus forsaken incident when others were better off being asked, to her own family. She hadn't felt like moving much since she returned. First, everything she had been told and had experienced turned out to have been for nothing, then that creepy thing took over and everyone was powerless to stop him... then everyone really was powerless. The girl closed her eyes tightly, trying to purge the flash of that giant blob thing from her vision, as she raised her hands to cover her ears from the screams of that one person, even though it was all in her head at this point.

 

But now that thing was here, and it might be able to appear outside at any time. Colette brought her knees up to her chest, as tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. Because of that failed plan, no powers existed. Not even her own. She had even tried, to make sure it wasn't a dream, and nothing would work. She had thought that she had seen a flicker of aura at one point, but it had vanished not even a nanosecond later. How could any of them hope to deal with this? The girl wanted to have hope somehow, in any way... but yet, she couldn't think of any sort of way that things could work. For a brief moment, she wondered what had happened with that second card...

 

Colette finally sat up half an hour later, looking about as hopeless as she felt. She wiped her eyes quickly, and simply looked around. The girl figured that Zoe had either been told to leave her alone, or that the young girl had been disenchanted with the fantasy that her sister was a marvelous aura wielder after the failure on Two Island. Colette tried to find something, anything, to ground her once again, but everything just felt hollow. Her eyes finally trained themselves on her locket, and the overwhelmed girl forced herself to stand up. She felt a bit shaky and lightheaded, but she managed to walk over and pick up the locket before she slid down to the floor. The locket wasn't anything fancy, but yet, it always seemed to help her. She wasn't sure that would work here, however, even as she opened up the trinket and glanced over the pictures.

 

The two pictures weren't that recent by any means, and Colette was honestly surprised to see herself without her Lucario-like hairstyle. The girl bit her lip, as she had to wonder just how badly she looked at the moment, and then looked at Zoe's eternal smile. The young girl beamed up at her from the picture, and the older sister simply began to cry.

 

"I'm sorry..."

 

Colette pushed herself to her feet, and made her way into the bathroom, where she finally took a look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red from crying, and her hair was honestly a mess from not doing much with it the past few days. The girl closed her eyes, as she wondered what she could even do at that moment. Her world had been turned upside down, and everyone she knew probably was waiting for her to do anything. She didn't want to let anyone down, but at the same time, she just felt... tired. She felt torn, and closed her eyes tight. She knew that what she was doing was just self-destructive to herself, but... she couldn't muster up the energy. The girl glanced toward the shower, however. Maybe just one step would help...

 

Over half an hour later, Colette bit her lip as she reached for the doorknob that would lead out of her bedroom once again. Her still-damp hair dripped a bit onto the floor, but she didn't pay any attention to it. She needed to take another step, and slowly opened the door, glancing around again. Still no sign of anyone. With a curious thought as to what had happened to everyone, she slowly made her way downstairs to try and get some food before actually figuring out what to do next.

[Konuju]

IC: Arthur Llyan - Llyan Household, Vier Village

When Colette stepped into the kitchen, she was surprised to find her father sitting at the table. The man appeared weary, as if he hadn't gotten enough sleep. Nevertheless, he brightened a little when Colette walked into the room. Whereas her mother might have asked how she was feeling, her father made it a point not to plague her with pressing questions the moment she came out of isolation. He merely smiled in greeting and motioned to a sandwich and a glass of juice that he had set at her usual spot at the table.

 

"I heard the shower running and figured you might be hungry," he said.

 

IC: Shannon Willows - Hallway, Medical Wing

"Oh, this is the best thing that could've happened!" Shannon refused to let up on her ever-tightening squeeze hug, as if she was afraid Ryan would disappear if she let him go. "You have no idea how hard these past few days have been. My parents found out I was with Ms. Stacy and decided to move in with her to keep a close eye on me. They wouldn't leave me alone! Then a few days ago they said they were taking me to Liberty Headquarters for better medical treatment. I told them I was perfectly fine with Ms. Stacy, but they wouldn't listen. I-it was like Ecruteak all over again. Just when I finally started making friends in Celadon, they came in to pull me away."

 

The girl's face darkened, her joy replaced by a sudden anger. "They didn't bring me here for the medical treatment. If anything it's worse than Ms. Stacy's house, because they have so many other patients to distract the nurses. No, my parents pulled me out of Celadon because they still want to do important things for Team Liberty while keeping a close eye on me, like I'm still a little kid they have to look after. I hate this stupid Team Liberty and everything to do with it."

 

As quickly as it had come, the moment of anger passed. "But everything's better now that you're here. When I heard your voice from the hallway, I thought I was imagining things. Surely you wouldn't be in Liberty's base of all places." A smile grew on her face as she lit up in realization. "Did Lucia tell you to come here? I wouldn't put it past her to have set this all up."

 

While Shannon giggled at Lucia's supposed slyness, Selena poked her head out from a room partway down the hall. When she saw Ryan, the Furret squealed in delight and darted toward the man, placing him under attack for the second time in the span of a few minutes. She scampered up Ryan's back and curled herself around his shoulders, all the while chittering wildly.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan was about to open his mouth to deny Shannon's claims about Lucia being responsible for him being here, when he felt a distinct something on his back. The man turned his head to find the mischievous Furret on his shoulder, and chuckled for a moment before ruffling her head. He then looked back to Shannon, and bit his lip.

"No, Lucia didn't call me here. I didn't even know either of you two were around until just a moment ago. Remember that mission I was on with those people I met in Lilycove? And how I was helping find that little girl?" Ryan wasn't totally certain whether he should actually explain what had gone on, but... at this rate, they'd all find out sooner than later.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"Thank you..." Colette mumbled quietly, as she sat down at the table. She attacked the sandwich rather quickly, and finished it off in possibly record time, an uncertain look on her face. The girl nodded at her father, as she more slowly sipped at the juice. Despite that, however, she quietly sat there, unable to even think of the words that she wanted to say. She looked up again quietly, an unspoken question asking what had her father so tired looking. The girl also half wondered if that was how she looked to others, and sipped her drink a little more to take her mind off that.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Feral Tierra

The creature whirled and whorled around, pondering Jenny's words as she spoke. "I hope you both get yourselves back together soon, as well." Feral spoke, his tone sounding more gentle than it did before. "You both have done so much, but even you two need to take a moment to rest, yeah." He then added. "No matter how bad things seem to get, you two always seem to bend, but never break. I must admit that I am jealous...." The shade of Evan Tierra was sincere. Despite all the cruelty -he- had mustered, he had to admit his better half was stronger by overcoming it all.

"And he may even forgive me for it all...."

[Konuju]

IC: Shannon Willows - Hallway, Medical Wing

Shannon nodded. "Of course I remember. That's why I couldn't call to tell you I was leaving Celadon; I didn't want to inconvenience you in the middle of an important mission. So were you able to find the girl?" Her mouth dropped open as another realization dawned on her. "Wait, was that little girl with Team Liberty? Or were those people from Lilycove with Liberty? Is that why you're here?"

 

Before Ryan could answer either way, the color rushed to Shannon's face. "I-I didn't mean to offend you when I said I hated everything to do with Team Liberty! I don't hate your friends, I swear!"

 

IC: Arthur Llyan - Kitchen, Llyan Household

For several long moments father and daughter sat in silence, staring at each other from across the table. They had no powers of telepathy, but they did not need words to know that each was glad to be in the other's company, despite their unspoken concern for each other. For his part, Mr. Llyan wanted to tread carefully; he was afraid that too many prying questions would make Colette shut herself in her room again. She would talk when she was ready. For now, he was content to just be there for her.

 

Minutes stretched out into what felt like an eternity. It wasn't until after Colette had finished her juice that her father broke the silence. "Do you need another sandwich?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan rubbed the back of his head at everything. "No worries, really; I know better than anyone that both sides have their good and bad things. But no, Ellen wasn't with Liberty or anyone; but our group was a mix of Liberty, Rocket, and others. Chloe's Liberty, though, but I never really figured out who everyone else is with." The man paused for a moment, as he realized that he was getting a little side-tracked from his initial attempt at explaining things.

"That's not exactly what I was trying to get at though. First a few things happened on the boat on the way here to get that person who could help find the girl, which is kinda why I wasn't able to talk for a while. But when we finally got there... things didn't quite go as well as we'd hoped. I wasn't around for most of it, so some is second-hand information from the others, but..." The Rocket tried his best to explain what had happened without taking too long, or going into some of the scarier details, but tried to at least explain why they had gone to the Alamo.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

The girl thought over the question for a moment, but then nodded. Colette stayed quiet, as she returned to her thoughts. She bit her lip for a moment, and then took a deep breath. "Have you ever... had tough missions?"

[Konuju]

IC: Shannon Willows - Hallway, Medical Wing

For as carefully as Ryan tried to explain things, the more he spoke the more confused Shannon became. "Magic cards? Monsters from another dimension? Clowns? Are you sure you haven't been reading too many science fiction novels? Do you honestly expect me to believe all that?" Her initial confusion was gone, replaced with a very unamused frown. "Come on, Ryan. What really happened?"

 

IC: Arthur Llyan - Kitchen, Llyan Household

Mr. Llyan had gotten up to make another sandwich. When Colette asked her question, he paused with his back turned to her. For a while he just stood there, staring at the empty slice of bread in somber contemplation. Then he dutifully went about crafting the sandwich, piece by meticulous piece. Only when the meal was ready did he speak.

 

"Every mission is tough when you have two beautiful daughters waiting back home." He turned around and walked back to the table to deliver the sandwich, a melancholy smile on his face. "I know it sounds sappy, but it's true. I've been on countless missions, and every time my biggest fear is that if something goes wrong I could leave you and Zoe fatherless. I've seen friends captured or killed . . . the worst part is always seeing their family react to the news. Zoe likes to romanticize our missions, like we're living in an action movie, but the reality is, war is an ugly thing. Even if when you win, it takes its toll on you."

 

The man sat back down across from his daughter, the weariness even more evident in his eyes than before. "Of course, I can't say I've ever faced anything like what you did at Cape Brink." Colette looked at him in surprise. "I already know about what happened, it's been all over the news. If you want to talk about it, I'm here, but I understand if you'd rather not."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan returned the frown, as he believed everything, if only for one little reason... "Haven't you noticed that Pokemon moves don't work anymore? That was the first side-effect of all this. The most noticeable one. And quite honestly, I saw everyone when they didn't come out - and those that didn't. I believe what my friends told me, especially because of the reason we all were there on a specific day; it was a ritual. And it failed." The man subtly wished that not everyone had gone into the room already, because he knew that any one of them could confirm what he was saying.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette frowned in uncertainty, and looked to the side, even as she nibbled on the sandwich a little. "I just... I don't know. I really, really don't. I thought that the mission was clear; and then everything just flipped on its head, and now, how do we fight these things? I don't know. . . We're all powerless, and yet we have to do something... but we can't..."

 

The girl closed her eyes again, forgetting about the sandwich for the moment. "How do you deal with the screams...?" She bit her lip, an uncertain look on her face as she glanced back up. "I just don't know what to do about anything right now..."

[Konuju]

IC: Shannon Willows - Hallway, Medical Wing

The girl raised a still-skeptical eyebrow. "You know I don't make my Pokémon fight. Why would I notice something like that?" Her lip curled into a subtle smirk. "Still, there's a simple way to see if you're lying or not. Selena . . . Hyper Voice."

 

The Furret, dangerously close to Ryan's ear, opened her mouth and unleashed an enormous, pint-sized squeak. Her eyes widened in shock and she scampered about on Ryan's shoulders in a panic, squeaking at the top of her tiny voice in a vain effort to fulfill the command.

 

Shannon felt herself blush. "I-I . . . I'm sorry I doubted you. It's just . . . that's a lot to take in." She frowned again. "That must be why my parents are here . . . but what do they really hope to accomplish when they can't do a darned thing?"

 

IC: Arthur Llyan - Kitchen, Llyan Household

The sight of his daughter's uncertainty made his eyes glisten. Mr. Llyan walked around the table and pulled the girl into a comforting embrace. "Nobody knows what to do right now . . . This situation is unprecedented."

 

For a moment he just held her, letting his tears roll down his cheeks and onto her still-damp head. "Goldhawk and the others are trying to come up with a strategy, but right now it's impossible to know how this will play out. Everyone's scared. I'm so, so sorry that you had to go through that. To see those . . . things firsthand. I know it's hard. All we can do -- all anyone can do -- is take things one step at a time."

[MELON LORD]

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

 

He knocked on the door, sighing. He had waited, and waited, and waited, and now it came to this. He was the one who would have to initiate this conversation. After a moment, the door opened. Despite it being after noon, Lachina looked like she'd just rolled out of bed. Her brown hair was a mess, sleep crusted at the corners of her eyes, and she was still wearing her pajamas.

 

Jared sighed. "We need to talk, for real, about everything that's happened."

 

The girl frowned and stepped aside. "Oh, now you're ready to talk. Great. You wanna start with Vermilion?"

 

"That's a good place, yeah." He stepped into the room. "And I'll explain everything that's happened since then, too." As Lachina closed the door, he sat at her desk. "I didn't have the greatest of childhoods . . ."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie Arthur - Four Island Hospital

 

"I-I'm alright," Jamie said trying to cover up the fact that she had been crying up till recently. "Better than I was when... well..."

 

Jamie nodded towards Ryan who was explaining the situation to Shannon. She let him talk for a while before speaking up again.

 

"The situation is well... not good. We can deal with it though, we always do right? So for right now, Gavin needs our support..." she said before making the mistake of looking at Gavin's arm once more.

 

No, no, don't cry. Not in front of Lucia. Have to be strong. I can hold it in, need to hold it in.

 

She lasted about two seconds before she buried her face in Lucia's clothing.

[Parugi]

IC - Meghan Vert/Blackskull - Prison Cell, The Alamo:

 

"You'll have my list within the hour. Until then, adieu."

 

 

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

 

For some time, there wasn't a response. Kyle slid his hands into his coat pockets and stepped next to Ryan. "She might be out," he said. "I don't think she's been here a single time that I--"

 

The lock clicked, and then the door opened. Sonja's eye peered out from the gap between the door and its frame. "Is this important?" she asked. "I'm in the middle of something."

 

 

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner - Infirmary, The Alamo:

 

In the span of two minutes, the room had gone from empty to uncomfortably full. Seeing already that Gavin had no idea how to respond to the sudden appearance of so many people, Ethan stood up, picking up his coat. "Take your time, kid," he said, patting the younger Agent on the shoulder. Ethan waved at everyone. "Hey, he just woke up a couple of minutes ago and probably shouldn't spend too much of his energy on everyone else. Let's leave him be for now."

 

Ethan shooed everyone into the hallway, closing the door behind him. He pulled on his coat with a sigh.

 

"Don't mean to be rude," he said. "But he's a little bit . . . unwell at the moment, so it's probably a good idea to give him space for now." Ethan offered an apologetic smile. "Glad to see you all are out and about, though. Any news?"

 

 

IC - Madison Hayes - Prison Ward, The Alamo:

 

The lights in Hayes's cell were off when Evan and his escort approached the gate. Upon arrival, the guard stepped away, allowing Evan to approach.

 

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

A flurry of emotions had engulfed Evan on the way to Hayes's cell. There was the standard anticipation, the potential anger to be unleashed, and so on. However, by the time he and his escort made it to her cell, he had tossed aside any distracting emotions and thoughts. All the Plasma Knight had left, was what brought him here.

He cleared his throat and spoke.

"This is Evan Tierra, acting not as representative of Team Plasma, but for himself." he spoke officially. "It's been a winding road, Hayes, but it turns out what you said in the egg was true: Boastfulness and showmanship got me nowhere back there. It certainly got me nowhere in Unova."

Evan sighed and continued. Potentially facing down someone like Hayes made him nervous, but he had to remain steadfast.

I've come to you for a better understanding of what happened, so that I don't screw up again." he spoke, his voice sounding a touch more intense. "I want to protect those dear to me. What can I do to help?"

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

Is it important?

 

He started back at her violet eye, baffled by the question. He knew he was on delicate grounds with her, but something in her dismissive tone made him throw all caution out the window.

 

"Of course it's important," he said, a little more forcefully than he'd intended. He motioned behind him to Kyle and Esen. "We haven't heard a word from you since we got back from Two Island. Sonja, we're all worried about you. I can understand you have a lot on your mind, I can't even begin to imagine everything you must be feeling, but . . . trust me, in times like these we need each other for support. We're all here for you. If now's not a good time, we can come back later, but . . . we need to talk."

 

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke/Shannon - Hallway, Medical Wing

"Any news?" Luke repeated. "Have you turned on the TV lately? That thing is loose; it's practically turned Two Island into a pile of monster jello. Speaking of . . . what exactly is that thing? Dack didn't really have a good explanation for it."

 

"Nobody does," Dack muttered. "Not unless you went and asked Ford himself. All we know is it lives to destroy, and Ford was trying to keep it out of this world."

 

Shannon's eyes turned from Ryan to the two girls standing outside the doorway, who suddenly multiplied into a crowd so large she was surprised they had all fit in the room to begin with. She recognized a few faces from Celadon, but others were unfamiliar. "Is that your friend?" she asked the group as a whole with a nod toward the now closed door. "What happened?" The sight of the hopelessly sobbing girl gave her a bad feeling about the answer.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Chloe/Lucia==-

 

The events all happening at once had caught the attention of most of the people present in one way or another. Lucia wrapped her arms around Jamie, guiding the both of them away from the others to give more space. Ryan stayed quiet for a moment, unable to answer what Shannon had said at first. And Chloe just looked over at Luke and Dack in surprise at the mention of the thing being loose. At the follow-up question, she bit her lip, as she wondered how to explain what happened.

 

"Gavin... lost his arm during one of the fights. No-one actually explained to me what happened, but from the sounds of it, it hadn't been good." The girl finally said, as she scratched her head. "Considering who he was up against, and everything that happened after, I'm not really surprised, but..." Chloe closed her eyes with a wince. "I wish it hadn't come to that regardless."

 

-==IC: Yugo==-

 

The flames were rapidly approaching. If nothing was done, all of his newfound friends would become deep broiled by the fiery breath...

 

"Sandslash, use Rollout!" Yugo called desperately, as he stopped suddenly, flinging the Pokeball back toward the flames. The ground type appeared, as the capsule flew back to its trainer's hand; however, Yugo quickly dropped the metal container, as it had been heated to a burning point by the proximity to the flames. The Sandslash didn't pay attention to that, however, instead doing its best to block the flames, while gathering up a rock to send hurtling back toward the Houndoom, despite desperately wanting to run away with Yugo and his friends...

[MELON LORD]

IC: Ruth Fishers/Cultists - Hidden Tunnel, Alamos Power Plant

 

The Houndoom took the hit and snarled. These children would pay for that one. his master would be sure of it.

 

Ruth was up the stairs right behind Jake, and as soon as she was at the top, she spun. "Locke, Spikes!" The Klefki spread her keys wide, scattering spiked stones on the stairs just behind Yugo and his team. It was time to make a stand.

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron/Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Barracks, The Alamo:

 

The drumming of Sonja's fingers against the door was the only noise that cut through the awkward silence following Ryan's words. She glanced between him, Kyle, and Esen uncertainly, as if mentally debating the merits of letting them into the room. After some time, she sighed. "Alright--you're right." Sonja stepped aside and opened the door, allowing them to enter. "I'm sorry for the mess."

 

The mess in question was not so much as mess-mess as it was an explosion of paper and pens strewn about the room. Drawings of various symbols--all of which had appeared in the egg--and shadowy figures littered the floor and every available surface, none of them consistent in shape or size with one another. She stooped down to start picking up paper in order to make some sitting room for everyone. As she did, Torith tromped into the room and pounced on a loose drawing with a bark.

 

"Hey--stop that," Kyle said, moving quickly to pick up the Houndour. "Sorry, Sonja. He's--"

 

"It's okay," Sonja interrupted. " He's still learning. That's what you said to Ryan."

 

"Yeah . . ." Kyle said slowly. "You heard that through the door?"

 

Sonja didn't seem to hear him. "What did you guys want to talk about?" she asked. She set the papers in a pile on her desk and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Sorry, it's been . . . The thing with Two Island. It's been a weird couple of days . . ."

 

 

IC - Ethan Worth - Infirmary, The Alamo:

 

Ethan held up his Poké Gear. News headlines scrolled across the screen--the most recent of which was a very pertinent 'BREAKING: Mysterious creatures lead massive attack on Two Island, thousands of wild Pokémon dead.' He smiled at Luke, a look that might have come off as condescending coming from anyone else.

 

"I know," Ethan said. "What I meant was--"

 

"Excuse me--sorry. Pardon--oof!" Someone bumped into Ethan from behind. The Rocket Agent turned and found himself face-to-face with Skye. She paused in surprise as she realized who she had just run into. "Ethan . . ."

 

"Skye." Ethan beamed. "It's been days since I saw you last!" He went in for a hug, but she stepped back. Ethan frowned. "Are you okay?"

 

Skye shook her head. She looked past Ethan, at Gavin's door. "Is he . . .?" Ethan nodded. Skye sighed in relief, relaxing her shoulders. "I feel . . . really bad about . . ." The sentence trailed off, ending with a twitch of her arm. She shook her head, rubbing her nose. "Can I see him?"

 

Ethan chewed his lip, but nodded. "Yeah," he said, stepping aside. "Go ahead." With an appreciative nod, Skye moved past the group, pushing open Gavin's door and gently closing it behind her. Ethan watched after her, and then gave the rest of the group a helpless look. "Should we move out of here? Clear the hallway in case the staff needs the space?"

 

 

IC - Madison Hayes - VIP Prison Block, The Alamo:

 

No immediate response came from the cell. Instead, there was a period of silence. After some time, the silence broke with the sound of mattress springs groaning, as Hayes rolled off of her bed and walked slowly toward the cell door. She sauntered into view, her body and face cut into sections by the bars that crossed the door. She slipped her hands into her pockets, unhappy eyes sagging with fatigue as they set on Evan's face. She said nothing, only matching his gaze.

 

"Get rid of him," Hayes said at last, nodding to the escort. "Then we'll talk."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize - The Alamo, Four Island

 

After another hour or so of talking with Ellen and Duo, Xander excused himself. He needed to find Evan or Dahlia next, but he had no clue where to start looking. He pulled out his Holo Caster to see about calling Evan and paused. The Caster had downloaded a new function, something called A.L.M.O. Frowning, he opened the new feature.

 

Music sounded from it, and he hurriedly dug out his earbuds and popped them in. The song was a classic, Roggenrola by Led Drifblim. Chuckling to himself, he started walking while he jammed out. He would trust his luck to take him to where he needed to go.

 

As luck would have it, luck was about to lead Xander where he least expected, as the song soon drew to its close.

 

"In case you've been living under a rock, that was 'Roggenrola' by Led Drifblim that led you to here to A.L.M.O.  But just in case you have been living under a rock, I'm Cameron Morrill, the DJ more real than all the rest, and you're listening to A.L.M.O. for your all-Liberty music overload!  Next up in our lineup we've got songs by Durant Durant, followed by a bit of Mew2, and later we'll have some Lumiose 65 for some old school dance pop, but first let's go with Kirsten Price and her Alamos favorite 'I'll Always Remember You'!  And speaking of remembering, remember to keep that dial on A.L.M.O. with the only real DJ, your very own Cameron Morrill, live from the Alamo broadcast headquarters all day every day.  Stay tuned, fellas!"

 

Xander paused. "Cameron?" he asked himself. The name was that of an old friend-slash-rival of his from Kalos. He stared in disbelief at the screen of his Caster. What would Cameron be doing here? Maybe it was just a coincidence. People could have the same name, after all.

 

Still, Xander had to know for sure. He went to get directions, frowning softly. Ten minutes later he was walking to the broadcast room.

 

----------

 

"Well, fellas, it's that time again, time to wrap up A.L.M.O.'s lovely lunchtime listening hour with me, your host, the more-real Cameron Morrill!  I may be out for now, but coming up next is another hour of non-stop music from my most marvelous mixtapes.  And don't forget to tune in again this evening for the return of the one and only real Cameron Morrill.  Until then, peace out fellas!"

 

Cameron waited for the technician on the other side of the glass to flip the switch on the board to cut his mic feed, then waited an agonizing five more seconds for the young woman to give him the green light to go.  At last the "On Air" lamp dimmed, and the Liberty DJ was free to leave his soundproof prison.  As he stepped out the door, he brushed several stray strands of hair out of his face before flipping his hair back with a flourish, the way he'd done every day for the past two years.  With a confident swagger to his step, he strode out into the hall with a gleaming half-grin.  Everything in his life was flawless, as it naturally should be--

 

So it was outlandishly off putting to find a former frenemy waiting for him.

 

"Cameron?"

 

Cameron's smile slipped, a little, before sliding into a sly smirk.

 

"Alexander Cruize.  Now what could possibly drag such a serious Kalos homebody all the way out to Sevii, hmm?"

 

"Oh, y'know." Xander shrugged with his good arm and smiled a bit. "Thought I'd see the world a bit, join up with Liberty. What about you? I didn't ever think you'd leave Kalos." Then again, they hadn't seen each other since they were eleven or so, so there was no telling what had changed in that time.

 

"Zander.  My buddy.  My pal.  When you're destined for greatness, and Destiny calls you, you don't refuse her."  Cameron flipped his hair and flashed his prizewinning grin--winner of the Cameron Morrill Best Smile of Sevii Award for two years running.  "Besides, I'm sure my leaving did wonders for making you the primestar of Kalos, am I right?"

 

"I don't...what are you even talking abou--?"

 

Cameron chuckled.  "I see what's happening here.  You're face-to-face with greatness and it's strange.  I understand."

 

"...what."

 

"You don't even know how to feel--that's adorable!"  Cameron patted Xander's left shoulder patronizingly, merrily ignoring the assorted noises of pain the provocation produced.  "It's nice to see that Cruizes never change."  With a condescending chuckle, Cameron swung around in front of Xander and grabbed the fellow Kalos trainer, this time by both shoulders.  "You know what, let's begin again.  Yes, it's really me--breathe it in!  I know it's a lot--I mean, the hair, the bod, it's like looking at a demigod.  But trust me, I'm the exact same shining star you knew back home."

 

Xander winced and hissed as Cameron grabbed him. "You, uh . . . you sure are, Cam." At the very least, he has the same ego as always, he thought to himself. "So, you're Team Liberty's DJ? Do they put you in the field at all?" Cameron had been a pretty competent trainer when they were kids. Using him as just a DJ would be a huge waste.

 

"Are you kidding?  You are talking to the star of Operation R.A.L.L.Y., Team Liberty's most important mission ever--in fact, I'm pretty sure it's still going!  Technically."  Cameron cleared his throat, the first outward indication of hesitation he'd shown in hours.  "Anyway, it was a wrench to take fewer missions, but when the gig showed up I knew it was my solemn duty to spread these sultry tones across all of Sevii."

 

The psychic decided not to point out that, technically, Cameron wasn't even broadcasting to all of Four Island, let alone the Sevii Islands. Instead, he just nodded. "Alright then, I guess that makes sense. So, when did you leave Kalos? It's been, what, five years since that battle?"

 

Maybe bringing up that battle wasn't the greatest idea, but the words came out before he could stop them. He was really off his game today. He normally didn't let anything slip.

 

Something darkened in the DJ's eyes.  "Still have fangs, I see."  Cameron tried to shrug off the moment.  "When you're as great as I am, sometimes you find your friends in need, so you answer the call even if it sends you an ocean away."  He allowed himself a somewhat sharper smirk than usual, an attempt to force up his usual bluster.

 

Xander took a second to process what Cameron had just said. His eyes widened. "Friends? You mean Isa and Octavyn are here, too?" That would be a crazy coincidence, especially since neither of the other trainers had shown any great love for battling or inclinations to join a team across the world from home.

 

“Octy’s fam’s from out here, apparently.  They’ve never had the pleasure of meeting me, of course, but I’m told they love my show.”  Not by Octavyn, of course, but Cameron assumed it was a safe assumption.  “And of course, where Octy goes, Isa keeps an eye on her.”

 

“I see.” Xander nodded. “Well, hey, are you still on the clock or can you take me to see them?” Spending time with Cameron was not his idea of fun, but he really wanted to catch up with Octavyn and Isabelle again.

 

With a chime, Cameron’s Holo Caster cut the conversation mercifully short.  “Well well well, speak of the devil.  Looks like Isa just got off her shift in the command center, so Octy’s probably off as well.  I’ll leave the three of you to it, I need to go swing by some old pals in Communications anyway.  Catch you later, though, eh?  And hey--I still owe you that rematch.”  The DJ’s expression never changed, but something within drew the light from his eyes.  “Maybe this time I’ll grace you with my real greatness.”  Before Xander could reply, Morrill made his way down a side hallway and turned a corner out of sight.

 

With a shrug and a sigh, Xander headed towards Command.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"Then we'll talk."

Hayes didn't need to say more. "I've got this." The Plasma Agent spoke, as he turned to the escort. "You may leave us." The escort nodded and left, as Evan turned his focus back onto Hayes, making it clear she was on center stage. Numerous things zoomed in his head as he thought of what to say next, but something current would help. "Wish granted." he spoke softly. "I'd be lying if I said you've been resting well. I can sympathize, honestly."

He then looked concerned for the Ford Child. The Plasma Agent was never good at talking to potentially angry girls, unless they were Jenny. Especially when said girl could hold a grudge towards him for past events. But he had no choice. If he wanted to move forward, he had to bite the bullet.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you, especially at a time like this. I hope we can make this quick, for your sake at least."

Edited March 27, 2017 by Dr. Hidaka

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan - Alamo Barracks, Four Island

"You've . . . certainly been busy." Ryan glanced around at the multitude of sketches, unable to hide his worry about her seemingly obsessive handiwork. Then he felt his heart constrict as his eyes lingered on one symbol in particular.

 

Gluttony.

 

She didn't know, did she? She had vanished before he could tell her in Fortree, and he hadn't thought to mention it in the Egg. Unless by some chance Ray had mentioned it to her after McKinley had taken him, Sonja didn't know of his connection to the ravenous Sin. Nor did Kyle or Esen -- Ryan had taken great pains to leave those details out of his expositions -- although it wouldn't be hard for them to guess after he had identified the same symbol in Ellen's chamber.

 

The silence pressed in around them. Tearing his eyes away from the haunting glyph, Ryan focused instead on the girl who had drawn it. "How are you feeling?" he asked, letting the concern seep into his voice. "I . . . I know I've already made my apology, but now that I understand what you were trying to do, and why you couldn't say anything . . . I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

 

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke/Shannon - Hallway, Medical Wing

Shannon's eyes widened at Chloe's explanation. Before she could respond, another girl Ethan identified as Skye approached the group. As Skye moved toward Gavin's room, Shannon looked toward Ryan in shock, mouthing silently: "Lost an arm?"

 

Skye was there and gone before Dack could properly introduce himself. Not that it mattered; he already felt out of place among the obviously tight-knit group of Ethan, Gavin, Skye, Jamie, and Lucia. Still, the girl had been their primary mission, and he felt it was only proper that he at least make himself known to the young Ford Recruit. There would be time enough for that later though. "Shall we move out to the Alamo's lobby?" he suggested. "Or one of the break rooms?"

 

Shannon clutched Ryan's arm almost instinctively. "Um . . . I'm not allowed to leave the medical wing yet, but you could all crowd in my room if you want. I don't mind."

 

"That's not a bad idea, Miss . . ." Luke looked Shannon up and down before beaming in recognition. "Hey, it's the girl from Celadon! The one Hannah wa--" The blackbelt was cut off by a sharp elbow to the ribs courtesy of Madison.

 

"How's your shoulder, Shannon?" the skier asked kindly, prompting Dack to sheepishly look away.

 

Shannon responded by pulling back the sleeve of her hospital gown to show her residual scabs. "My shoulder's doing pretty well, all things considered," she said brightly. "Although after hearing what happened to your friend, I'm in no position to complain."

 

It was Madison's turn to be shocked, although she recovered quickly. "You'll have to tell us all about it once we get to your room."

 

"Alright, this way." Happy that someone had taken her up on her offer, Shannon led the group down the hall toward her room with a slight spring in her step, pulling Ryan behind her.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Chloe==-

 

Oh, this isn't a good sign. Ryan had a very bad feeling how things would go, and awkwardly looked around a bit before resignedly following the eager girl. He didn't feel like this conversation would lead anywhere good, though. On the bright side, it was all okay now, right? Right?

 

Chloe was a bit caught off guard by the sudden appearance and disappearance of Skye, but simply kept quiet at everything that happened. She wasn't too certain what to say in the fast paced stream of people talking, and simply resolved to follow the group wherever they went in silence until someone decided to address her.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jake Harris - Alamos

 

If Ruth wanted to make a stand there, she'd have no argument from Jake.

 

"Pikachu, aim a Thunderbolt at the spikes, release it when the Houndoom crosses them."

 

The Pikachu's cheeks crackled with electricity as he awaited his target.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Arius Jacobson

As soon as he saw Locke lay out a Spikes Trap, Arius knew the moment to strike had finally come. To the Houndoom, he looked defenseless, but that couldn't be further from the truth. "Hexcalibur, Sacred Sword, now!" Arius commanded. "Make sure your foe hits the Spikes!" With a flash of steel emerging from the darkness, the Honedge Appeared from behind the Houndoom, and sliced at it, using the force of his swing to ensure his foe was sent flying towards the spikes....

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron/Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Sonja's Room, The Alamo:

 

The apology seemed to catch Sonja by surprise. She crossed her arms and stared at Ryan for several moments before sighing. She turned, rolled her desk chair toward herself, and took a seat.

 

"If I'm being honest, Ryan, I can't just say 'it's all right' and let you off the hook like that," she said. "For your information, I really don't appreciate being treated like I don't know how to handle my own agency. And between you and Ray, that's exactly how I felt the entire time before I went with Sophia and--" Sonja shook her head, falling into silent musings. Finally, she looked at Ryan again, visibly forcing herself to calm down. "All of that being said--I accept your apology and hope we can put all of that behind us." Several papers clapped together as Sonja picked them up. "Maybe you can even help me with these."

 

"What are 'these'?" Esen asked as Sonja spread the pictures around the floor. She pointed to one drawing of a dark, clown-like figure. "That one looks like McKinley, but the rest . . ."

 

"Yeah, I don't know," Sonja said. "Ever since the egg, I've been having . . . visions, I guess. Like someone whispering to me. I can never figure out what they're saying, but when I sketch it out, it becomes clearer." She shrugged as Kyle picked up an image. "Not that it makes any more sense."

 

"This one looks familiar, too," Kyle said. The paper he held showed a silhouetted image of a man holding something, though Kyle couldn't place exactly what it was. He frowned, looking around at the others. "Weren't some of these symbols in the egg, too? Right before that blob appeared?"

 

 

IC - Ethan Worth - Infirmary, The Alamo:

 

Ethan lagged behind several paces. Truth be told, he hadn't planned on sticking around for long even with Gavin and wasn't certain of how much anything meaningful would get done by crowding into another hospital room. But for the moment, he figured he would tag along. Perhaps an opportunity would arise for him to talk strategy with someone . . .

 

 

IC - Madison Hayes - VIP Prison Block, The Alamo:

 

"Spare your breath," Hayes interrupted. With the extra set of ears gone, her expression intensified. It was clear that whatever Hayes was about to say, she had been thinking about it for some time, waiting for an opportunity to share. "Now isn't the time for talk, it's the time for action, so listen close. The five of us who might have been able to figure out a way to reverse all of this have been locked up, killed, or turned traitor, and our counsel hasn't exactly been welcomed with open arms thus far. You want to know how to save your friends? You need to figure out how to get John and I involved in the counter efforts so that we can get John's knowledge into trustworthy hands before McKinley goes after it."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

As the rest of the group continued to walk, Chloe glanced back at the older man present. From the expression on his face, he looked as if he only half wanted to be there at the moment. Given that she didn't know anyone but the already-distracted Ryan and Lucia, the psychic girl slowed her pace down, and looked over at Ethan once they were closer.

 

"Hi, um, what are your thoughts on the situation from the egg? Um, I just wanted to ask since you kept getting interrupted earlier, and thought you might have some ideas on how we should tackle this maybe. . .?" The girl scratched the back of her head for a moment, feeling a little out of the loop in general at the moment, and wondering if she had misconstrued things.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize - Alamo Command Center, Four Island

 

"Isabelle, Xander said with a grin. The blonde girl paused when she saw him, and a small laugh escaped her.

 

"Xander Cruize, is that you?"

 

He nodded softly, chuckling. "Yeah. It's been a while. You haven't changed at all."

 

Isa laughed, smacking his shoulder lightly. "You've changed quite a bit! What are you doing here?"

 

"Come walk with me and I'll explain. I actually ran into Cameron already."

 

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said jokingly. Xander chuckled as they started walking away from Command. "Octavyn is here, too. She'll be happy to see you!"

 

"I'm excited to see her, too. I'll explain everything once we meet up with her."

Edited April 2, 2017 by Mipha's Grace

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Hayes's words had quite the weight on them. Despite Ford and Hayes having the info needed, they hadn't been heard out? As much as he detested what Ford and his group had done for their goal, at the same time, disregarding a potential ally's valuable information would be outright suicide. "You know, it's funny you would ask me this." Evan said, his expression looking a little more intense. "It so happens that Jenny and I have been appointed liaisons of Team Plasma. I'm not sure how much power we have, but you're right. The time for words has ended. You both have more of an idea of what we are up against, and a limited time, potentially, to tell us."

He then turned to leave, before adding more. "Thank you for your time. I need to find my fellow Plasma officer, on the double. I'll make sure out assistant is in the know about this. Having another ally, especially against this thing, is something we desperately need." Evan then left the room, his escort ensuring he got out in a timely manner. As he was walking.....he realized he had no idea where Jenny was.

Frowning, the Plasma Knight fumbled one-handedly with his Pokegear, sending a message to Amanda Zarth detailing what Hayes had informed him of, and that she was to contact the Bishops about this, so he could have their backing potentially. He made sure to note that the consequences could be dire if no action is taken. After he had finished with that, he decided, to at least........let Jenny know where he was. He started, when he felt the pangs of hunger hit him. Jotting the note down, he hesitated before hitting send, as he headed for the Cafeteria.


"Hey, I'm not sure where you are, but I just spoke with Hayes. Mind meeting me at the Cafeteria, for both a bite, and to hear me out, maybe?"