Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina grinned as the two other girls agreed to continue the workout. It reminded her of her classes at the Ranger Academy, people with very different personalities all learning the same thing. She thought it a bit of a coincidence that Dahlia's sister would come across them at the perfect time to join in, but she shrugged it off. Coincidences happened, and Olivia seemed like a friendly enough person.

 

Jared smiled. "Alright, then. To start, kick off your socks and shoes. It's easier to get the form right if you're barefoot." After everyone had done so, he took another stance, this one with his right leg back and his body turned towards the others. "When you kick, you bring your knee up." He slowly did so, bending the leg. "And then kick out. For a roundhouse kick, you wand to point your toes out and hit with the thick part of your foot. You can hit with your toes, but it's not a pleasant feeling." He demonstrated again. "And then you re-bend your knee and place it back. This keeps you from pulling the tendons in your knee and damaging your leg."
 

He retook the stance. "Let's go one at a time so I can judge your foot-shape better. Lachina, you first."  The girl nodded and followed his example, slowly bringing her right knee up and kicking out with the top of her foot. She paused as Jared inspected her foot. He gripped her ankle and straightened her knee out a bit more, then nodded. "Like that. Then rechamber."

 

She did so carefully and nodded. Jared continued. "Don't forget to fully extend your leg. You don't get as much power if your leg isn't locked out. Dahlia you're next."

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Training Field, Four Island

Dahlia studied Lachina's technique and paid attention to the tips Jared gave her. Fully extend the leg. Just like her punches. The middle Seaton took a deep breath, lifted her knee, and flung it out. The force of the kick threw her off balance, and she flailed her arms about, but managed not to fall. Instead she hung poised with two arms and one leg outstretched like some crazy ballerina.

 

"Um . . . was that too much?" she asked sheepishly.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina raised an eyebrow. This girl kept almost falling over because of her enthusiasm. Showoff, she thought, somewhat bitterly.

 

Jared smiled. "A bit too much, yes. When you do it, you want to twist on your other foot just a bit. The back leg should make an arc from one point to another straight in front of it, then back." He grabbed her ankle lightly. "Point your toes." He pressed, then carefully pulled her leg to where the kick should have ended. "If you throw yourself off-balance, enmies will take advantage of that." He released her leg. "Rechamber. Try again, but go slower this time. Speed can always be learned later, but technique is harder to fix."

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Training Field, Four Island

Dahlia gave another, slower kick. She pivoted as Jared had shown her and extended her leg, ending with pointed toes. She held the pose and looked at the aura wielder expectantly. "How was that?" she asked with a smile.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon

 

"Much better," Jared said with a grin. "Leg fully locked out, toes pointed straight. I'd say that's a nearly perfect display." He met Dahlia's eyes and paused for a second as he felt his heart speed up. This was friendliness, in a pure form. No snark, no distrust, nothing to obscure it. He flushed and looked to the last member of the group. "Olivia! You said this is a specialty of yours? Let me see it."

 

Lachina frowned, crossing her arms. What was with him today? First he decides to tell me everything about his life, then he runs off and meets this girl and agrees to teach her things. Then he flirts with her and her sister, and gets all flustered talking to her? What an idiot.

 

She looked to Dahlia, then Olivia. If he tries to woo, her, too, then surely they'll both leave, right?

 

What the heck was that?

 

That was pathetic, that's what it was.

You're a warrior, stop getting embarrassed and flustered,

and train these girls if that's what you're going to do!

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Olivia==-

 

Something felt off to the Rocket, but she pushed it out of her mind for the moment. With a small smile the woman got into position and brought her knee up. She pictured the explained pose, and kicked out at the air quickly, breathing out as she did so. Olivia felt as if something was slightly off in her form, but was honestly impressed with the force she put behind it. She kept quiet for the moment as she balanced on her other foot, arms held out to not fall.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon

 

He frowned, trying to see what was wrong with the stance. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then snapped. "Right. When you pivot on your front foot, you have to also turn your torso with it." He grabbed her leg with one hand to balance her, while his other hand grabbed her hip and gently guided her into the proper form. He didn't seem to realize how unusual the contact was.

 

"When you pivot, your body should turn in a 180 degree arc along with the leg in question. Then, you rechamber and pivot back. Go ahead and try it again. This time your stomach should go from facing Olivia to facing the building, and then back. After, we'll do four kicks with the right leg, then switch and do four with the left."

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Ethan Worth - Records, The Alamo:

 

"No, we can't," Kyle agreed, nodding to Dack. "Knowing about this thing's weaknesses or where to start looking for them won't do us any good if we don't have the back-up power to actually make good on that knowledge, especially if our Pokémon still can't fight. We can't just keep them out of the loop, and we especially don't want them so angry that they're working against us."

 

"Alright, well, how about this," Ethan said. "We have access to Ford, so let's just start gathering information. If he gives us a solid lead, we can follow it, and that'll hopefully get us something concrete that we can offer to the Executive branches. Anything we find, we'll ensure that it gets recorded in multiple places. That way, even if it gets tied up above us, we can still try to find a way to use it ourselves--or we can bring it back to Ford and see if he has any insight on what to do from there. How's that sound?"

 

"That sounds--" A beeping and buzzing from his Pokétch interrupted Kyle. He opened the message, quickly reading it. Kyle's lips curled into a frown. "Executive Seaver needs me for something in the Daycare. Probably that Bronzong acting up again . . ."

 

He sighed. The last time he had done work in the Daycare had been with Gecynde, when an up-and-coming Bronzong had decided to misuse its hypnotic abilities on its fellow Pokémon. That couldn't be the reason he was being called there now, so why the summons? The thought of Gecynde lingered. Where might she be now, amidst all the chaos? Still missing, certainly . . . Maybe news of her whereabouts?

 

He pushed the thought from his mind.

 

"Anyway," he said after a moment. "That plan doesn't sound terrible, although I can't imagine it going over super well with Command if they found out . . ." Kyle shrugged, shaking his head. Why did everything always have to be so complicated? "Regardless, I need to get going. Chloe, you have the permission log to see Ford. I'd take a small group and head down there as soon as possible. Maybe the others could secure a reliable transport to wherever we're going--preferably a helicopter."

 

 

IC - Sonja Baron - Hall, The Alamo:

 

Ford's Mewtwo. Sonja stopped in her tracks, staring at Ryan. Of course!

 

"You know where Mewtwo is?" she asked. Sonja reached into her bag and pulled out the letter from Executive Arthur. "This is from the Executive. It's an override granting me permission to speak with Sophia. If peoples' powers are back and we have Mewtwo, we might be able to use my sister's abilities to communicate with him. They might be able to give us a proper direction to follow."

 

 

 

IC - Goldhawk/Sleight/Esen Windred/Jackson Sang/Skye Hall - Command Center, The Alamo:

 

Someone was playing a violin when Esen entered the Command Center. That was an odd choice--did they realize they were in a meeting place filled with potentially-suicidal Agents about to embark on a potentially-suicidal mission? Maybe that was the point. Maybe the violin was supposed to lighten the mood, give everyone a brief moment of peace before their turn playing cosmic Russian Roulette against Ford's monster . . .

 

The loudspeaker buzzed on. "This is Executive Ladon. To the Agent playing the violin, please cease immediately so that we can begin the mission briefing."

 

Esen sighed as the lively musical notes faded like the deadening chatter around her. The room fell silent, many pairs of eyes all turning to look at the front of the room. Goldhawk wasn't there, nor any of the leaders--not yet. Slowly, the chatter resumed, quieter than before. Esen frowned and began to move forward. The atmosphere in the Command Center was strange--tension and uncertainty twisting together into an uncomfortable cloud that bore down upon them. She stopped at the back of the crowd to let someone through, watching as the kid--a boy no older than fifteen--exited the Command Center.

 

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Esen turned to the front again. A Liberty technician had approached her, datapad in one hand, the other outstretched. "I.D., please." She reached into her pocket and produced her card, handing it over. The technician looked it over, glancing several times between Esen and the card, and then took note of something. He looked almost disappointed as he wrote. He returned the card and nodded at Esen. "Thank you. The briefing will begin shortly."

 

She expected him to disappear into the crowd. Instead, he simply approached the woman next to Esen. "Ma'am? I.D., please." She, too, produced her I.D. The technician took one look at it, sighed, and handed it back to her. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. This mission isn't for you."

 

"Seriously?" the woman exclaimed, her face flushing. "What, my credentials aren't good enough for you?"

 

"You're too young," the technician explained, his tone as gentle as he could make it. "I've been instructed to parse the group for any injured or underage Agents. I'm sorry--I understand that you want to help, but guidelines are guidelines. You'll get another chance another time."

 

"No, I--no," the woman responded. "I want to help. I'm turning eighteen in a month, can't you just--"

 

"Ma'am, please don't make me call security."

 

The technician move onward, approaching the next person and repeating the process, then doing the same with the next. Esen watched. In rapid order, the woman and the next several people in line all left, some looking disgruntled and others almost relieved. Some were too young; others were dismissed due to obvious injuries. Esen became aware of other technicians moving through the crowd around her, all performing the same procedure--I.D., approval or disapproval, rinse, repeat. It did not take long for the effects to multiply. By the time they had finished, the crowd of almost four dozen had shrunk to less than twenty.

They asked for eighteen volunteers, Esen thought, frowning. What are they going to do if they don't have that many?

 

"Excuse me?"

 

The voice pulled Esen from her thoughts. A girl had come to stand next to her. Esen recognized her as one of the people in the Egg--the same one she had helped to escape from the blob and its minions. Esen nodded in greeting. "Hey."

 

"Hey," the girl said. She rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry--I just saw you and figured that I kind of know you, so . . . uh . . ." She trailed off. "Anyway, I never thanked you for helping me the other day, so . . . Thanks. Also my name is Skye, I'm with Team Rocket as of a few weeks ago and--"

 

"Esen," the Flying-Type trainer interrupted. "Nice to meet you." She glanced back at the front of the Command Center as Goldhawk finally appeared. Sleight, Blackskull, Joker, and Bounty were with him. Esen looked back at Skye again as the chattering in the small audience began to die down. "And don't worry about it--I've got your back." She straightened up and crossed her arms, directing her full attention to Goldhawk--missing Skye's appreciative smile at the comment.

 

Goldhawk bore a clear look of disappointed acceptance as he looked at the Agents in front of him. Nonetheless, he kept his tone even and professional as he began to address them all. "Good afternoon," he said. "There is no time to waste, so we're going to hop right into this. You all are here because you received the emergency summons that went out not long ago. Others who responded have been dismissed as an agreed-upon protocol for this operation--we cannot reasonably expect injured or underage agents to carry out the task at hand given the present danger."

 

He held up a remote, clicking a button. The displays nearby lit up with images from Two Island--pictures captured via drones of the blob and its mindless minions. Esen frowned at the unpleasant sight, noting that the creatures on the screens were not the same ones she had seen in the Egg. Skye shifted uncomfortably.

 

"As you may have noted, our target is a creature unlike anything we have ever seen," Goldhawk said. "It is alien to the point that our systems cannot process a proper name for it based on characteristics alone, as it has done with undocumented species in the past. You'll have seen this in the form of corrupted lettering in our summons. Because of this, we have designated it as simply Missing Zero. It is the target of this operation."

 

Another click. The images shifted to aerial views of the Sevii Islands.

 

"Based on available data, we have determined that Missing Zero's next likely target is Three Island," Goldhawk continued. "Our available data does not, however, give any substantial insight into how Missing Zero operates--its combat tactics, rate of spread, and so on. That is where you all are going to help us." Team Liberty's leader crossed his arms. "With the help of Team Rocket, we will be conducting a research operation--clean and simple, with our top priority being the safe gathering of information and subsequent extraction of our forces. Because Pokémon abilities still unresponsive, we have developed an alternative strategy."

 

Another click. Schematics for some sort of suit appeared, as well as images of the finished product. Esen furrowed her brow.

 

"Through the efforts of former Executive Meghan Vert, Team Liberty has recently developed a set of Power Suits," he said. "These suits are human-compatible and allow for the use of elemental abilities derived from Pokémon. Minimal training is required to operate them, and as they have not been affected by the power shutoff that has swept the rest of the world, we have determined that they are the most viable anti-Missing Zero weapon in our arsenal." As he spoke, Goldhawk frowned. Whatever these suits were, it was clear that he was not using them entirely because he wanted to. "Our plan is as follows: Each of you will be outfitted with a Power Suit, assigned to you based on an assessment of your primary strengths. You will form the vanguard in our research operation, meeting Missing Zero at its arrival point on Three Island and engaging its initial wave of forces. Cameras and scanners built into your suits will record combat data and transmit it back here, allowing us to analyze for any patterns or pertinent information. If possible, we will secure specimens to be brought back to Four Island for study purposes, in order to better understand the physiology of these creatures. Shadow Admin Sleight will direct a team of snipers from an above-ground position in order to act as an additional line of support, allowing for a safe retreat and extraction."

 

Goldhawk shifted, digging his fingers into the sleeve of his jacket.

 

"Each of will also be outfitted with a prototype transfer device. In the event that critical injury befalls an Agent, this device will automatically return all logged Pokémon back to Team Liberty's database, ensuring their safety." He paused. "In these circumstances, it is imperative that we work to ensure the good of the many are met before the needs of the individual. In light of that, I will also be present on the field with you, operating a Power Suit of my own." Goldhawk's eyes scanned the crowd. "Any questions?" 

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan noted all the ideas and routes that the others brought up, but frowned at the fact that Ryan and Sonja still hadn't arrived yet. He had to make sure they were in the loop, lest this plan they had come up with get tangled up.

The Hero cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. When he was sure he had it, the Knight began to speak. "Before we set things in motion, I do feel you should know that we should wait for the others." The young man spoke carefully. "I made sure to let Ryan know where we were. Hopefully he'll be quick, as we need many angles for this plan, honestly."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Olivia==-

 

Ah, there were the warning bells. Although she listened to what Jared was saying about how she should be moving and such, Olivia's mind was also hyper-focused on the... oddly casual form of contact he was using. She cleared her throat once he had finished talking, and glanced down directly to his hand, and put one hand on his wrist as a warning.

 

"I dunno where ya came from, but. . .  if ya could getcha hands offa me, that'd be great." The woman felt a little cautious about the reason for this little training session now, but was willing to at least see what Jared had to say about all this. Olivia glanced up at Lachina and Dahlia, trying to meet the eyes of the former to see her reaction to this development. To try and mask her feelings a bit, Olivia chuckled slightly. "It's sorta hard to move with yer hands grabbing me."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Lachina Adaon/Jared Winters

 

The ranger was glaring at Jared as he moved his hands away. The silver-haired trainer raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, did I do something wrong? I was trying to help you feel how your body should be for the kick."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Olivia==-

 

Olivia frowned slightly, as she considered his words. "Could ya maybe think of a less touchy-feely approach next time, maybe?" She had to admit, the foot part was more fine, since that was a bit more understandable for instructing, but he was still acting rather... overly friendly. Nonetheless, the woman walked a short distance away to avoid accidentally hitting Jared as she repeated her kick while keeping in mind the advice. "How was that, then?"

 

Olivia glanced around at the others too, wondering their thoughts, and still trying to gather info on what they thought of the current situation. The explanation had made sense, but something still bothered her for some reason. Despite all that, she was enjoying learning things that she hadn't necessarily been taught in this manner. Other ways of doing things worked too. The only thing that raised her guard was how Jared was acting, and even that might have been for some reasons that they didn't know yet. She'd have to remember to ask about that soon...

Edited April 26, 2017 by Blessed Blade

[MELON LORD]

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

 

The aura wielder nodded. "That was much better. Alright, so everyone put your right leg back. We'll do four with the right, then switch and do four with the left. If you feel the need to go slow, then go slow. Don't overdo it . I want them clean, not fast or powerful. Understand?"

 

Lachina took the stance, wondering about Jared. He had been friendly, but after Olivia's reprimand he was all business. He wasn't shouting at them, but his voice was definitely a bit more clipped than it had been. It was almost a comfort, hearing him back to his usual grumbling self, but she had enjoyed watching him smile and laugh and be . . . happy.

 

"And . . . One!"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Olivia Seaton==-

 

The Rocket followed on the advice as she went for kicks that wouldn't drain her stamina, focusing more on how the moves felt than anything. She glanced over at Jared in slight confusion as the fighter seemed to have distanced himself more than before. Olivia wondered what was even going on at this point, and took a breath as she finished the kicks. That other girl seemed like she might have a clue as to what was going on, but at the same time, it was like she was just as confused. With another breath, she walked over to Lachina and gave a small smile.

 

"Heya... don't think we met yet." Olivia held out her hand to greet the ranger before the next part of the training actually began.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize/Octavyn Nowarei

 

Xander frowned as the man didn't even ask for his ID before saying "You need to leave." The Kalosian frowned. "What? Why?"

 

The  man sighed. "We aren't allowing anyone injured to take this mission."

 

"But my arm is--"

 

"No." The sudden declaration took those nearby by surprise, save for the one to whom it was directed.

 

"Octy, please," Xander countered, "it's my choice."

 

"You're hurt.  This is a bad idea."  Octavyn lightly caressed the black-and-white bracelet at her wrist, the only outward sign of the depth of her worry.

 

Xander scowled. The ID checker nodded. "Now, are you going to leave, or will I need to call security?"

 

"Fine." Xander turned and stalked out of the room, grumbling to himself.

 

Octavyn watched him go.  It was painful to see her friend so angry and hurt, but she would see him again.  She addressed her fellow technician.

 

"Thank you."

 

Work beckoned, and Octavyn happily lost herself in her duties once more.

 

Out in the hall, Xander slammed his good hand against the wall. He was one of the only people who could do something! He had been there when the thing appeared, so he knew full-well what he was getting into!

 

He took a few deep breaths and sighed. He would just have to wait for the briefing to end, then talk to Goldhawk about Kalos. If he couldn't help here, he could help there.

Edited April 27, 2017 by Mipha's Grace

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Training Field, Four Island

Dahlia tried to make each kick better than the last. Her thoughts drifted to Jared. Was she reading too much into things, or was something else going on? It wasn't surprising for Olivia to snap at anyone she thought might harm her siblings, but it still felt like the redhead had overreacted. After all, Olivia didn't know about how Jared had already helped her. That's all the aura wielder was trying to do, help them. Right?

 

The middle Seaton wiped her brow as Olivia struck up a conversation with Lachina. She glanced at Jared, then averted her eyes back to her sister. The workout had found her more tired than she'd expected and she wasn't thinking clearly, especially after her tantrum had left her emotionally drained. That was it.

 

IC: Ryan Sanders - Hallway, The Alamo

Ryan stared in disbelief. "Of course! Here I was thinking Mewtwo had no way to communicate without his powers, but if a human psychic were to talk with him . . ."

 

For the briefest of moments he wondered if that had been Jayron's plan all along. He shook the thought from his head. Mewtwo was far more likely to open up to one of Ford's agents than some Liberty executive. Not to mention, a meeting with Hayes would knock out two birds with one stone.

 

"I handed Adams' Pokémon, including Mewtwo, to Ethan Worth. He's a Rocket agent who's helped me out in the past." Ryan spoke quickly and quietly, as if afraid someone would overhear. "We'll have to track him down. But first we should talk to Evan and fill him in on our plans."

 

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

"I'm not sure how well Liberty's transportation department takes vague requests from Rocket agents," Dack said. "But I can try to get a helicopter or something arranged."

 

"I'll help you with that." Luke grinned. "If they prove difficult, I'll just give 'em a little Machoke-style persuasion." Dack shot him a look. "I was only kidding! Geez, you need to lighten up."

 

Dack chose to ignore his friend and instead looked back at Kyle. "Before you go, we should all exchange contact info. That'll make it easier to keep in touch."

 

As the group shared numbers, the door to the records room opened and two more people walked in. "Sorry we're late, but we've got big news. Sonja's- Ethan!" The young man ran up to the table and took several moments to compose himself to the point that he could speak in comprehensible sentences. "Fate must be smiling down on us; you're just who we needed to find!"

 

Now that he was closer, Dack recognized him as the kid from Fortree. His companion looked like one of Ford's recruits -- likely Sonja, based on what Kyle had said. "Slow down, kid. You'll give yourself a heart attack at that speed." A bemused smile crossed Dack's lips. "What exactly do you want with Ethan?"

 

Ryan took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. "Ford's Mewtwo," he finally managed. "Sonja got permission to speak with her sister -- Hayes -- who can communicate with Mewtwo. Mewtwo had been sent to that monster's world to fend it off and buy time. If anyone can give us tips on how to stop it, it's Mewtwo."

 

Luke gave a low whistle. "Well I guess we've all got our tasks now. Ford, Hayes, chopper, daycare. Am I forgetting anything?"

 

IC: Theodore Willows/Ava Willows - The Alamo

Theodore and Ava Willows had come to the Alamo to help. The two veteran agents had recently requested time off to be with their daughter, who had been injured in the 'small war' that had ravaged Celadon. No one had expected to see them back at Liberty headquarters so soon. Then again, no one had expected Pokémon power to suddenly shut down around the world, either. Life is full of little surprises.

 

With their daughter transported from a private Celadon hospital (it was a small miracle she hadn't been anywhere near the city's public hospital) to the Alamo's medical wing, Theodore and Ava returned to the line of duty. They didn't know what was going on, but they knew they had to help, in whatever way they could. For the first few days while Liberty leadership tried to assess the situation, the Willows found themselves assisting with the nightmarish task of managing the Alamo's small fleet of helicopters and ships in coordination with the Sevii Islands' public transport. Refugees from Two Island flooded to Kanto, Four Island, One Island, anywhere they could find. A small number had departed for Three Island, which made that island's subsequent evacuation all the more complicated.

 

Theodore and Ava were field agents. They weren't used to dealing with people outside of a battlefield. But amidst the mass evacuations, standard transportation couldn't just come to a standstill. Agents out on missions in other regions couldn't just be abandoned, and with the teleportation network down, Liberty choppers and boats were stretched frighteningly thin. And that wasn't even getting into the sheer number of people who still thought it was acceptable to use Liberty vehicles for personal transportation. Ava had just recently dealt with a man who insisted on he and his daughter being taken to Unova of all places, with a pit stop in Hoenn. The sheer audacity of the request had her pulling her hairs out. She still couldn't believe she had finally given in.

 

Their volunteer assignment had turned out to be far more stressful than their years of fieldwork. Naturally, when an emergency summons requested volunteers for a mission, Theodore and Ava leapt at the opportunity. As soon as their shift in Transportation was done, the two rushed over to the Command Center as fast as they could. They made it just in time to see several teenagers get kicked out.

 

"I.D.s, please." The couple produced their badges.

 

"Those kids have spunk," Theodore muttered. "Reminds me of when we were young and foolish."

 

Ava shook her head sadly. "When we were their age, we weren't at war. They've had to grow up much faster than we did. It's for their own good they're getting turned away."

 

It wasn't long before Goldhawk and Blackskull appeared, flanked by Sleight, Joker, and Bounty. It was an odd feeling being in the same room as these powerful figures who for so long had been at each others' throats. The sight of Aleivy and Alaric standing side-by-side as allies spoke to the gravity of the situation. Goldhawk began the briefing.

 

Theodore tugged on his wife's sleeve. She ignored him. He tugged harder. "What?" she hissed, clearly annoyed at the interruption. They were in the presence of five of the most powerful leaders in the world, and Ava did not want to appear distracted.

 

Her husband nodded toward the opposite end of the room, where a girl with dirty-blonde hair stood amongst the crowd. "Is that who I think it is?" he whispered.

 

Ava couldn't believe her eyes. It was impossible. She shouldn't be here. She couldn't be here. And yet there she was, another face in the deathly solemn crowd. It took every ounce of effort for Ava to turn her attention back to Goldhawk's presentation. "We'll deal with her later," she said under her breath.

 

IC: Shannon Willows/Madison Morrow/Jayron Aaron - Command Center, The Alamo

Towards the end of Goldhawk's briefing, Shannon suddenly clenched Ryan's arm. She bent her legs and took a half step backwards, a cold sweat starting to break out on the back of her neck. At a glance one would simply assume she was nervous about the mission. In truth she was trying to hide behind Ryan and make herself as small as possible, for she had just spotted something far more terrifying than the Missing Zero. Something that could jeopardize everything she had planned. She could only hope they hadn't noticed her.

 

An uncomfortable silence filled the room when Goldhawk finished speaking. Jayron scanned the crowd. He recognized a few people from the egg but was largely disappointed in the outcome. It did not help ease his nerves. How many of these faces would give their lives on this mission? All because he had suggested they gather research?

 

Sanders better hurry up with that Mewtwo, he mused. These guys are going to need all the help they can get.

 

It was Madison who finally broke the deathly silence. She timidly raised a hand. "Um, when would we be leaving for this mission? And . . . would it be possible for someone who couldn't make it to this meeting to join?" Her heart went to Dack. She didn't know if he'd want to risk his life in a mission like this, but she knew she couldn't go without him. Nor, she realized, could he go without her.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters

 

"Alright, Dahlia. Let's take a quick break, get some water, and then I'll show you how to bring it all together to try and focus your powers." Jared had hardly even broken a sweat during the workout, probably from years of daily practice. He glanced at Lachina and Olivia. "Do you two want to watch?"

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

"No, we haven't. I'm Lachina Adaon, Pokémon Ranger." She looked over as Jared spoke up. "No, thanks. I'm going to get a drink and see about some lunch. Thanks, though."

 

She looked back to Olivia. "Wanna come with?"

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

Evan waved at Ryan and Sonja, grinning a bit. It seemed another angle into the group's investigation had been made clear with Ryan and Sonja's arrival. Before he could press on, he had to pause to appreciate that, sans Ray, the group he had traveled with and fought alongside, was reunited. The Hero wished it had been under happier circumstances, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

 

There was a chance they could succeed, he thought.

 

"I have spoken with Hayes." Evan said to Ryan. " She's the reason I started on this. We've got a limited time, according to her, to either get information from her and Ford to the higher ups...." He sighed at the next daunting option. "Getting them to listen to her and Ford. Failing those, we could spread the information ourselves, after we gather it ourselves."

 

He then focused on Ryan, a clever look in his eye. "And then we have your way, which definitely would help." The Knight spoke. "Nothing better than someone who knows firsthand what we are up against. The question is, who would do what?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Olivia Seaton==-

 

"That'd be great, I'll treat." Olivia said with a smile, as she looked over at the others. "Sorry about earlier, but I think I'm gonna get somethin' to eat too. I'm starved after that plus my exercise before I stumbled on ya. Have fun!" She bit her lip slightly as she hoped what she did hadn't caused a rift, but nodded to Lachina as she led the way out of the arena.

 

-==IC: Ryan Hikari==-

 

Ryan glanced over at Shannon with a slight frown - it was clear just by the sheer oddity in her behavior that something had spooked her, and he had a feeling it wasn't Goldhawk's speech despite the timing. He glanced around the room, his head filled with questions. What exactly had caused her to be so startled and scared all of a sudden? What was up with the mission that it had such rather short notice? What were these things in the first place? Ryan's gaze focused on one of the images in particular, however.

 

What were these 'power suits', and why had they not been heard of before now?

 

"How do we get picked for these 'Power Suits', especially those without any combat data?" Ryan spoke up finally, voicing the one question that he knew wouldn't cause trouble. He wanted to know more about this mission, about what everyone was putting themselves on the line for. But he knew that attracting too much attention with Shannon in this state wouldn't do anyone any good. Despite what he wanted, his eyes darted around the room just in case something - anything - went wrong. He didn't recognize anyone that could be a problem, despite recognizing a bunch of people from the egg, including that one guy with the weird hat and the bard. But. . . perhaps that was the problem. Maybe it was someone he didn't recognize. If that were the case, then Ryan had no idea how he could make things go well for everyone.

[Flipz]

IC: Amanda Zarth

Amanda typed rapidly away at her C-Gear, annotating a voice recording in real-time and frequently uploading the results to a cloud-storage folder. She mentally reprimanded herself for letting the Heroine of Time divert her attention as much as it had--as it was, audio and text-notation would have to make do in lieu of recorded video. As Goldhawk surrendered the floor to questions, Amanda cocked her head slightly in consideration.

 

One: the Bishops requested an official Team Plasma presence at this mission briefing.

 

Two: the presence intended was that of Knight Tierra, Knight Hakuda, or the two of them in conjunction.

 

Three: the official duties of Knight Tierra and Knight Hakuda are to represent the interests of Team Plasma in the coordination of activities involving John Ford and now the entities on Two Island.

 

Four: Knight Tierra has assigned me to take his place in this meeting.

 

Conclusion...

 

"I must inquire as to the original purpose of this technology, General. It seems unusual for such a tactical asset to simply appear in the midst of a crisis, precisely when most needed. It is..." What was the phrase Rook Kingsley used? "...I believe the expression is 'too good to be true'." Amanda watched Goldhawk's reaction dispassionately, clutching her pendant for a moment before dropping her hand back to her C-Gear. She kept her focus on the Team Liberty general, ignoring any attention she might have drawn; after all, the only thing that mattered--despite what her own disobedient mind might be telling her about a certain Heroine--was his answer, particularly why exactly in a time of claimed peace the team had continued development of a rather clear war technology...and what Team Liberty's original intentions were in using them.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

"Yeah, sounds good." She waved to the other two as she and Olivia headed into the building. "So, you're Dahlia's sister? Who's older?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Olivia Seaton==-

 

"I'm the older one." The woman chuckled as she stretched her arms out to cool down from her exercises. "I'm the oldest in my family, in fact. My brother Aspen's the youngest and is in the hospital wing here. I've been visitin' a few times while my girlfriend's been off doin' some stuff for her friends." Olivia's mind wandered to Aspen for a moment as she thought about whether he had been able to start trying to walk on his once-broken leg again yet. She made a note to go and check on him at some point later.

 

"How 'bout ya? Do ya have any brothers or sisters?" Olivia glanced back over to the girl as she also got curious about how someone so young was able to become a Ranger already, and wondered if she had been sent on any missions yet.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

"Yeah, I have a younger sister back in Vientown." Lachina grinned a bit. "Last I heard she was just starting her own training at the academy. I hope she's doing well . . ." She trailed off for a moment before seeming to turn back to reality.

 

"So, what do you think of everything that's been happening lately? Were you on Two Island?" Maybe she could find out more about what happened. Jared, despite opening up about his past, had been cagey as to what he'd done on the island, or why they had come to Four Island.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Olivia Seaton==-

 

"Nah, I weren't. I wanted to help at the start but between Aspen's leg, an' not feeling strong enough to do more than slow people down. . . I decided to stay back an' train." Olivia sighed, as she looked toward the ceiling. "As for what happened, I can't really tell ya. Somethin' bad went on, I know that much. Somethin' that had everyone panicked, and one guy in constant medical attention. An' then there was that flash of light that connected with our Pokemon losin' their attacks, an' the creatures that everyone keeps talkin' about. . . whatever happened there was more than anyone bargained for, I reckon..."

 

Olivia bit her lip after she finished explaining what had happened. Whatever it was, Dahlia hadn't exactly wanted to explain about it, and all she'd actually heard when she'd met the group at the beach upon return, was what she'd repeated. She felt scared about what could cause this type of reaction and hoped that whatever it was, the people who had already gotten their powers back would be able to handle this.

[Konuju]

OOC: Happy Seven Year Anniversary, Rise of the Rockets!

 

Maybe I should've waited a few hours and made my last post my anniversary post. I'll try to keep this brief since I'm sure it will run longer than the actual IC, but every anniversary I've done this little personal year in review and I'd like to keep that tradition going. And man, this past year has been one of the biggest plot-wise. I feel like the Sins Arc was very character focused, and that combined with having way more "downtime" than previous arcs (especially after the mad rush of moving everyone halfway across Unova for that arc's finale), we've grown more invested in each of our characters. So now that our heroes are facing a more universal and far more deadly threat, the stakes are that much higher due to the past nearly four years of character exploration and development. I also love how this arc has brought together characters who would've never before interacted, namely all the Rockets and Liberties that weren't part of the Unova group. And I think the current distrust of Liberty's leadership could either drive these characters closer together, or tear them apart. Only time will tell.

 

So congrats on seven years, and here's to the start of another fantastic arc!

 

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Training Field, Four Island

Dahlia watched her sister leave. Part of her wanted to go with her and turn lunch into a group event, but she knew how important her training was. She sat down on the floor to catch her breath and glanced over at Jared. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of it," she said with a smile. "Have you ever trained anyone like this before? You seem like a natural."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

"I see." The ranger worried at her lip and shrugged. "Alright then. Was there something you wanted to talk to me about, or was it just a friendly introduction?"
 

IC: Jared Winters

 

Jared sat across from Dahlia and smiled. "I haven't done anything quite like this, no. I guess if you learn for long enough you eventually figure out how to teach, too." He grinned. "You're doing well, for someone who hasn't had any sort of training before this."

He reached out and grabbed one of the dented cans she'd been practicing with earlier. "So, the idea for your powers is to . . . change the order of things? I bet that wreaks havoc with keeping things straight. If I were to throw this can, would it leave my hand before I actually made the throw? Would I then make the motions anyways, to tie it together?"

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Training Field, Four Island

The girl nodded. "That might be part of why I've been having so much trouble; my powers aren't the easiest to understand. Time and Space seem fairly straightforward, but Reverse is just . . . odd." She got to her feet picked up a can, turning it over in her hand. "To be honest, I feel like I'm only scratching the surface with what I can do. But crushing cans and reversing punches is what Ryan had me practicing, so . . . here I am."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Olivia Seaton==-

 

"That was the main thing, yeah." Olivia chuckled, but rubbed her shoulder for a moment. "I'm curious though. . . has Jared ever done somethin' like that before?" The woman glanced over at Lachina uncertainly, as she bit her lip. "What he said makes sense, but ya gotta admit that it being out of the blue was unusual. I feel bad because I wonder if I jumped the gun, but I also feel like that kinda contact coulda used some warning, y'know?" She sighed, as she now wondered if she was making a mountain out of an Excadrill hill. "What's ya thoughts on the matter?"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters

 

"I see." He held the can out to her. "Alright then. The meditation I taught you should have structured your mind, just a bit. This time, instead of giving each thought attention, you have to let it go in the background, while you focus on your own will. Anything that's not directly related to what you want to achieve needs to take the backseat. That includes screw-ups you've had in the past."

 

He clenched his hand, crushing the can further. "I want you to focus only on the can, and your powers, and I want you to fix this. You have to believe you can do it, and you have to believe that nothing bad will happen."

 

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

"The contact? No. He and I shared a small cabin on a boat for a week, and he never so much as nudged me awake. I don't think he does physical contact outside of training with his Lucario." She shrugged. "Did it bother you, then? Because I can tell him not to get hands-on like that if you want."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Olivia Seaton==-

 

"I dunno. . . I think if it happens, then I should be given a heads up?" Olivia felt conflicted as she recalled the reaction to her mentioning it. "I don't really like that sorta touchin' from someone I dunno very well, but. . . if it's in trainin' form, then it's not so bad if it's not outta nowhere? Though I feel like he coulda just given instructions too..." She sighed again, and seemed uncertain about the whole situation. "Sorry if I caused any trouble at all."

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Training Field, Four Island

She took the can from Jared and set it on the ground in front of her. Taking a deep breath, Dahlia closed her eyes to focus her mind. Her doubts and fears had no place here. When at last she was ready she opened her eyes, unaware of their soft glow. She extended her hands towards the can. All she wanted to do was to fix it. To reverse what was wrong.

 

She saw her brother with his broken leg. She saw the fear in Ryan's eyes after her battle on the boat. She saw McKinley, that monstrous clown set on destroying the world. Each image floated through her mind like before. But instead of bearing down on her, Dahlia found a strength of will in the memories. A desire to undo the evils of the world. She honed in on that yearning. Before she could save everyone she loved, she had to save this can.

 

At first nothing seemed to happen. Then the can trembled, as if caught in a sudden quake. The can slowly inflated like a balloon. Wrinkled aluminum turned smooth. Scars healed. Before long the once-crumpled can sat good as new. But Dahlia didn't stop there. The tab swiveled and the lid swung shut. The can resealed itself as if it had never been opened.

 

The glow in her eyes faded, but Dahlia held her pose for several moments, in awe of her own abilities. Then she fell to her knees, exhausted. "I . . . I did it . . ." She looked up at her tutor, a grin breaking out on her face. "Jared, I actually did it! This is amazing! Thank you!"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

"I'll talk to him when I see him later. If we have another training session like that, hopefully he'll give a heads-up." She smiled. "Don't worry, you didn't hurt anything, promise." They stepped into the cafeteria and she looked around. "Wow, it's pretty empty in here."

 

IC: Jared Winters

 

"You did,: thee silver-haired trainer said with a smile. He picked up the can and yelped as he nearly dropped it. "It's even cold!" He laughed, "Why don't we call it a day, then? That seemed to take a whole lot out of you, and with the sort of day you've had, I think you deserve a break."

 

. . .

What?

Did I say anything?

I can feel you thinking, y'know.

Fair enough. I was just thinking . . .

Go on.

No, never mind. It's dumb

 

Jared raised an eyebrow. Mercury had never seemed to care if what he said was meaningful or not before.

 

Well now I'm really curious. Tell me.

It feels good. Helping her, I mean. It's nice.

 

He was at a loss for what to say in reply, so instead he just nodded. It does, yeah. 

Edited April 28, 2017 by Mipha's Grace

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Olivia Seaton==-

 

"That's strange. . ." Olivia furrowed her brow as she glanced around at the nearly empty food court. "I dunno about when ya usually eat, but I've been here 'round this time the last few days and the place has been crowded. For it to be this empty is. . . weird." The woman glanced around as she headed toward one of the counters. "Think we should check things out after?"

[Konuju]

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Alamo Training Field, Four Island

Despite her exhaustion, Dahlia felt giddy at her success. Olivia and Lachina really missed out. She started picking up the cans that lay strewn about the arena, making a mental note to track down her sister later so she could tell her all about it. "So, are we going to make this a regular thing?" she asked. "These training sessions, that is. With you teaching me, I feel like I could learn to control my powers in no time at all!"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

"Yeah, I feel like there's something going on that we got left out of." She sighed. "Guess that's what we get for not being Liberty agents, huh?"

 

IC: Jared Winters

 

Jared considered carefully. On the one hand, he wasn't sure if he would be leaving this place anytime soon. On the other, he had been wiling away the days since Two Island by sparring with Anubis, aimlessly wandering the complex, or sitting in his room with nothing to do.

 

He grinned. "I'd like that, sure. Say we meet here once a day for a couple hours? I can teach you more martial arts techniques, we can meditate together, and you can get more and more out of your abilities."

 

Oh, good, we're going to make this a thing, then.

You were just saying it felt nice to help.

And it did, but I don't want to make a habit of it.

Too bad. Until she decides otherwise, we're doing this.

 

"Do you want me to walk with you?"

Edited April 29, 2017 by Mipha's Grace

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Lafoyae Belrose

"Mind if I add something, sir?"

A polite if demure voiced echoed in the room. When it became clear that Goldhawk was struggling to find the source, a woman in a black dress stepped forward. Her keen eyes looked at Goldhawk, unflinching as the others focused on her. "I have encountered these creatures before." The assassin spoke telepathically. "My name is Lafoyae Belrose, and I can tell you these creatures have no emotions, just the drive to kill and devour. From what I have seen, the specimens on two island, aside from one, are new to me."

Frowning at the memory of those creatures, especially the haze beast, she continued. "I can say, from what I know, they all have a cord extending from their bodies. Severing it will fell the one connected to it." As she began to sit down, she contemplated that what she had fought, was nothing compared to this....

Edited April 29, 2017 by Dr. Hidaka

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

The Separatist listened to the meeting with interest as he thought over plans for how to go against this threat. Ray scanned the room absentmindedly as the questions were asked one after another, as he tried to get a good judge on who would be going, and what they might be like. He recognized only a handful of people here, and none of the people who would ask questions the most. . . outside Jamie, that is, but she was being decidedly quiet to keep focus. Ray bit his lip for a moment.

"Jamie, I'm so-" The man cut himself off mid-sentence, as his eyes focused on one of the technicians for a moment. With a blink, Ray rubbed his eyes frantically as he knew that what he had seen was impossible. When he refocused on the spot where the technician had stood before, however, she had been replaced with a different woman. Ray looked around the room in confusion, as he knew that what he had seen couldn't possibly be real, but yet. . .

 

"... Jamie, have you ever seen a ghost. . .?" The man glanced over with a surprising seriousness, as he seemed rather... unnerved.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Arius

Arius watched Ruth rush towards the dilapidated house, amused. "Well. if Eyes is interested in this house...." the young man said as he made for the house himself. "Then I am interested!" Eyes followed her master, like the house was calling to her....

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie Arthur - Alamo Command Center

 

Jamie had been focusing on the presentation when Ray interrupted her concentration. Mainly she was thinking about how cool the power suits looked and how she wanted to try one on right now. When Ray asked his question, the Heroine of Time tried following his eyes. She saw the technician that was standing there but didn't see anything ghostly about her.

 

"I mean I have a Haunter," Jamie whispered back to Ray. "That's... not what you are talking about, is it?"
 

 

IC: Jake Harris - Old Chateau Grounds

 

"Eager aren't they?" Jake commented to no one in particular.

 

"I'll go check out the front. See if I can find the path that'll lead us to Eterna.  I'll meet you all inside," he called to Yugo before taking off towards the grounds in front of the house to try and orient the group.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

"Not quite, but that is pretty cool." Ray continued to look around, as something just seemed... off to him. He could have sworn that he wasn't imagining things, but that was the only logical conclusion. "I thought I saw someone who can't possibly exist. But now I can't see that person. . . Do any of the technicians seem odd to you? I don't know what to tell you to look for, but... something. Anything."

 

-==IC: Yugo==-

 

Yugo nodded as he glanced around outside. Something didn't feel right to him still, however he slowly walked into the mansion slightly on edge. What is this place? Why is it here? And why. . . The teen stopped suddenly in the middle of the hall just inside the entrance. He shuddered slightly, and looked ahead uncertainly.

 

Why does there feel like there is a cold hand on my shoulder?