Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters

 

"I see." That was all Jared said as he released the bag. He could feel something welling up within him, a panic more powerful than anything he'd experienced before. The world was literally ending, and there was very little he could do about it.

He stepped away from the bag and the assassin. "Thank you, Miss Belrose, for being honest about it. That situation is pretty grim."

 

Jared paused, waiting for a snide remark or observation from his other half. Nothing. He frowned and turned back to face Lafoyae. "I have a mission tomorrow morning, so I should go rest up. I don't know when I'll be back, but if you're still here on Four Island, perhaps we could meet up to train some more?"

[Dr. Hidaka]

OOC: Bunnying approved by Merc

IC: Lafoyae Belrose

She stopped savaging the punching bag at Jared's request to spar tomorrow. The assassin was uncertain what the next day could bring to her, but she had never really known anyone who would willingly spar with her. Lafoyae would have to be a fool to reject such a rare offer, especially from such a capable rival. "I feel that it's only right that I pay you back for last night." The woman said, giving a rare smile as she handed Jared a card with numbers writ upon it. "Here is my number. I can't respond verbally, of course, but I can send text messages." The Aura Wielder nodded and walked out as Lafoyae went back to punching the bag, her blows full of focused fury, rather than mindless anger.....

Edited December 22, 2017 by Dr. Hidaka

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters/Mercury?

 

He made his way back to the guest room and set his stuff down. He quickly punched the number into his device, then grabbed Anubis' ball and released the Lucario. "Meditation," was all he said in way of explanation to the fighting type's querying look.

 

The two sat across from each other, legs crossed, palms up, eyes closed. Anubis couldn't help him the same way he had when they'd first confronted Mercury, but he could at least slap Jared back to reality if need be.

 

Jared focused inwards and slipped into the disassociated realm within his mind.

 

Everything was quiet, but the world was not the same. Trees twisted to the side, nettles littered the plain, stones rested against one another. All of the elements were in place to keep something out.

 

Jared began to walk. Every step was echoed by a frantic heartbeat that pulsed across the sky. As he drew near the first obstacle, he felt that panic he'd felt in the gym. Perplexed, Jared touched the boulders on the path. They vanished, and the terror washed over him for a brief second.

 

He took a deep breath and pressed onward. Each new obstacle vanished just as simply as the first, but each time the panic that he felt got worse and worse. His heart was pounding against his ribs, his breathing was heavy and ragged. His hands trembled when he lifted them to move another blockade.

 

Finally, he came into a small circle of open field, no trees or rocks in his way, no nettles to sting at him.

 

A silver-haired child sat in the middle of the clearing.

 

Jared paused, not entirely certain what he was looking at. The child's face was covered by his hands, and his body was shaking. A sound drifted across the clearing, and it took Jared a moment to realize the child was sobbing. With a frown, he made his way across the clearing, his head on a swivel as he tried to spot the trick, the trap.

 

There wasn't one. Jared knelt next to the boy and gently put a hand on his shoulder. "Mercury?" he asked hesitantly.

 

The boy wiped his hands across his face, smearing tears, and gave a soft nod as he sniffled. Jared frowned.

 

"Go away," the child said. "Leave me alone."

 

"Um . . . no. Tell me what's going on. What happened to you?"

 

"Does it matter? There's a monster out to end the world, and we can't stop it. As good of a fighter as I am, I can't fight this thing!"

 

Jared stared, trying to wrap his head around it. It almost sounded like . . . "Mercury, are you . . . scared?"

 

"Of course I'm scared, you idiot! I don't want to die!"

 

Jared frowned. "I don't want to die either, but . . . Okay, sure, I'm a bit scared of the thought of that thing, but not like this." He made a sweeping gesture at Mercury's current state.

 

"How can you not be scared of dying?"

 

"I am. Everyone is, but . . . I see." Things had finally clicked into place. "You're . . . You're more than just my fighting instincts, aren't you?"

 

"I didn't exist until you were staring death in the face. When Father was about to kill you. We had to do something!"

 

"I know." Jared squeezed the boy's shoulder. "I know, it's okay. But you don't have to be afraid. We'll work together, we'll make sure to stay far away from this monster. If it comes to a bad situation, you'll have control. We aren't dying anytime soon. Sound good?"

 

Mercury gave a slow nod. Jared stood. "Good. Now, say something scathing so I know things are normal."

 

"Get some rest, Jared. We have a mission looming, and I would hate for you to slow me down by being tired."

 

Jared opened his eyes into the real world and began preparing for bed.

Edited December 23, 2017 by MELON LORD

[Flipz]

IC: James Arthur - Infirmary

 

James eavesdropped on Amanda's conversation with a small amount of curiosity (and a burning desire to distract himself from his injuries). He thought it odd that someone who seemed as practical as her had not taken steps to rectify the situation. He felt like thinking of a snide remark about the fact that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, but his sense of humor was exhausted for the time being.

 

"I do," he said as a Weavile walked into the room, holding an older suit jacket of James's. He couldn't switch into his normal attire while he was still in the infirmary, so he had Mordred bring him an old suit. He'd at least have something.

 

"I was hoping I could get your tactical assessment on this previous mission. Would you object to compiling a full report on the effectiveness of all agents who participated in the mission?" he asked as he placed his arms through the jacket's sleeves, hiding a wince he made when the jacket touched his back.

IC: Amanda Zarth

 

Amanda inclined her head in acknowledgement of the request. "Of course. I was going to request the same of you as well, in order to compare notes. I should be finished with the preliminary analysis by noon tomorrow." She reached for her briefcase to log the appointment into her C-Gear, but the familiar accessory was nowhere to be found, left in her quarters along with all other belongings she'd determined to be unnecessary to her mission. "I'll begin the analysis as soon as I return to my quarters. I'd also like to request that you, I, and Mr. Hikari schedule a Pokémon training session in order to assess the anomalous behavior and abilities of our three team members."

 

The Plasma agent directed her gaze sideways and upward, as if consulting an invisible holo-screen. "Let's see...while I will of course be submitting my Power Suit analysis and suggestions for improvement to you directly in addition to my report to your technician, since I do not currently have the relevant schematics prepared we will need to postpone that discussion until after I have done so--possibly at the time of our meeting tomorrow, barring unforeseen complications. I would also like to formally request that the weapon I recovered from the Instance designated 'Samurloch' be returned to Team Plasma possession after the conclusion of your analysis, so that we may run diagnostics using our own methodology and equipment. And lastly, if Team Liberty has a resident authority on psionic abilities, I would like to get in contact with them." She would also need to involve Team Plasma's own experts on such abilities, but that she could handle during her call to Rook Kingsley--which would have to wait until she had been properly debriefed and could submit her post-mission report, meaning she would need to rendezvous with either Knight Hakuda or Knight Tierra as soon as possible. She resisted the urge to frown; without her Xtransciever, her ability to access and organize necessary tasks was proving limited.

 

"I believe that should cover the majority of matters classifiable as imminently important; if there's nothing else, I will return to my quarters to begin the analysis."

Edited December 23, 2017 by Flipz

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Claus - Band Hall

 

 

Flint did front-flips for joy. He performed such airborne somersaults that landed him on top of Taylor's head, which he noogied with ecstasy. Claus on the other hand looked shocked. His mouth hung open for a while. It took him a while for him to collect is thoughts.

 

"Do you know where he is now? Can I speak to him please?" he asked hopefully.

 

 

From near the entrance came a knocking. The two trainers were too distracted to hear it. They were too distracted to even see the Cubone come out of his Poke Ball. The knocking was incessant enough for the Cubone to warrant investigation. The Cubone opened the door to check what was knocking on the door and stepped outside.

 

Nyx turned away from the oboe she was admiring when she saw Lucas walk out the door. She looked back and forth between where Lucas had gone and Claus, still absorbed in the moment, and tried to let out a weak cry. Claus didn't hear her. She began to run back and forth, before deciding to run after Lucas to try and bring him back.

 

 

 

IC: James Arthur - Infirmary

 

James looked from side to side, and gestured weakly to the room they were in. "Well that first request might be a problem. I am currently laid up here for time being," he said omitting the pain he was suppressing to be able to speak. "I can certainly give criticism when you finish your report but I do not believe I will have sufficient time to prepare one myself."
 

"As for a training session, that should be easy to arrange. For 'Samurloch's' sword, I will see about that when our analysis on it is complete."

 

It wasn't exactly a guarantee of compliance, but he had acknowledged the request and didn't deny the request either.

 

"As for a psionics expert, I will see who I can get you in contact with."

 

 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Taylor==-

 

Taylor awkwardly laughed for a moment as she rubbed her arm. She tried to think back about the last time she had talked to her dad, but couldn't recall if he had mentioned where he was.

 

"I'd love if you could, though admittedly I'm a little nervous about it. But the thing is that I haven't really spoken to him for a little while. He was back home in Sinnoh then, but something in his voice sounded almost like something was wrong... not just because he actually was nice to me for the first time in like three years." She seemed amused at that thought, but pulled up the phone app on her Poketch. "Lemme give it a shot now, though."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie Arthur - Hangar

 

"Nah, it is not. Well, hmm..." Jamie said scratching her head. "It is not something I mind anyone overhearing," Jamie said looking off to the side.

 

"Though I don't exactly mind leaving here if you just want it to be the two of us," she said with a naive smile.

 

The two left the hangar quickly. In the hallway outside, Jamie looked deep in thought as she tried to think of how to explain everything that had transpired regarding her powers.

 

"You remember that conversation we had where I said I'd punch Skye in the face? Oh remind me to do that after we beat Missing Zero."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

"I think that rings a bell somewhat." The redhead filed that request under 'info that should probably be held onto for everyone's sake'. Regardless, she nodded for Jamie to go on, as she couldn't really recall specific details that would be pertinent. Lucia decided that she'd let Jamie finish this part of the discussion before bringing anything else up.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie Arthur - Four Island

 

"Yeah so... " Jamie paused for a moment. She somehow doubted this was a normal event that occurred to many people so she hesitated in phrasing it. "In the middle of that conversation, Mr. Dialga contacted me. In my head. With telepathy. And he asked if I would become the next Hero of Time. Told me he would grant me power in exchange for protecting peace and justice!" she said punching a fist in to her other palm, her face beaming. "A chance to actually be a hero? I couldn't pass that up."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia looked surprised by the mention of all that and thought it over to try and piece together what it entailed. She smiled after a moment, however, as she realized just what this meant for what Jamie did back on the battlefield.

 

"So you can stop time in an area now, basically?" She made sure they were alone when she said it, but seemed pretty in awe about that. "That sounds pretty cool! How much training in it have you gotten? Is that why you were looking for that Tierra guy?"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie Arthur - Four Island

 

This was going well.

 

"Yeah. You see, he's the Hero of Space. He's been doing this for much longer than I have." Jamie scratched her head when she realized that Lucia asked about training.

 

"Uh.... training, training. Well I have been having Pelleas throw stuff at me to see if I can stop it? It has only really worked when I really need to though. Not sure what I am really capable of."

Edited December 28, 2017 by Metal Gear Minun

[Flipz]

IC: James Arthur - Infirmary

 

James looked from side to side, and gestured weakly to the room they were in. "Well that first request might be a problem. I am currently laid up here for time being," he said omitting the pain he was suppressing to be able to speak. "I can certainly give criticism when you finish your report but I do not believe I will have sufficient time to prepare one myself."

 

"As for a training session, that should be easy to arrange. For 'Samurloch's' sword, I will see about that when our analysis on it is complete."

 

It wasn't exactly a guarantee of compliance, but he had acknowledged the request and didn't deny the request either.

 

"As for a psionics expert, I will see who I can get you in contact with."

IC: Amanda Zarth

 

"Understood. In that case, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow." Though her fingers twitched with the reflex to pick up her nonexistent briefcase, she refused to make the exact same error in front of the executive within mere minutes; substituting a nod for the familiar action, she made a determined retreat from the medical center and, having determined that her quarters would be the most efficient destination, rounded the corner out of sight.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Guinevere - Mansion Parlor

 

The night passed and gave way to day. Guinevere was sitting in a parlor with all the mansion’s staff that had been present on the previous night. When she had returned to the mansion, the police had detained her until she could give a statement. The chaos of the situation and the late hour convinced the police to do the questioning the next morning. But no one could leave until they were done.

 

She had been given a whiteboard so that she would be able to give her statement. She fiddled with the marker as she thought what to write. Not simply what she was going to show the police, but what she gonna show the nervous man sitting next to her.

 

The man was a bundle of nerves. One of the Grimer told her that there was apparently a witness to the murder. His nervous demeanor singled him out. It was technically only a hunch to be sure, but she felt that she could bet on it. So she had intentionally found a seat right next to him.

 

She marked a message onto the whiteboard, but then erased it. It didn’t quite sound right. She began to write a second message, but erased it when the letters came out wrong. She hadn’t had time to practice writing in a long time. Not since James and her were children.

 

She snapped herself out of that nostalgia. She had a job to do and little time to do it. She observed him for a moment longer. The Gardevoir noticed that the man’s breathing was erratic. She wrote one final message and poked the nervous man.

 

[Deep breathes] the whiteboard read as she began to mime the motions the man badly needed to copy right now.

 

 

 

IC: James Arthur - Four Island

 

James walked back towards his office. Despite the injuries he had received, he in general decided the mission was a success. If the injuries he received was the cost of Lancelot getting his old powers back, let alone the new powers he had also received, then he was perfectly fine with sustaining them.

 

At least he would be in hindsight he thought as pain from the burns flared up again.

 

Still the pain had subsided compared to when he had first received them. He would be able to deal with them for now. He longed for his own bed though. He had used executive privilege to check himself out when the nurse told him he should stay overnight. If bed rest was the prescription, he'd rather use his own bed, so he could get back to work to the next morning. The tired man reached for the door to his suite.

 

James paused. The door was unlocked. Somebody was in there. He looked towards Mordred. The Weavile had to have gone in there before him. Mordred recoiled slightly before nodding slightly. The Weavile hadn't told him something. James was bothered by that, but if it wasn't dangerous then he had no reason to keep standing out in the hall. He opened the door wide and saw who was inside.

 

"Ms. Silver Eyes," James said cordially as he saw the 'not-girlfriend' of Roderick sitting in his chair, "It is good to see..."

 

James paused. Mina's eyes were red and full of tears. Around them were Pokemon that he recognized. Pokemon that he knew did not belong to Mina. In front of her on James's desk sat a file. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came forward. She pushed the document towards him, her fingers trembling. With dread building in his stomach, James picked up the document.

 

His eyes didn't make it past the headline on the first page. He stood still completely motionless, frozen.

 

'Roderick Krane. Status: Deceased.`

 

[Blessed Blade]

-==NPC: Ness Whitby==-

 

The man took deep ragged breaths, as Guinevere's attempt to help managed to get him to calm a bit. He shakily gave the Gardevoir a rough smile. He didn't seem totally out of the woods yet, but focused on the police officers as he tried to keep his breathing in check more.

 

-==IC: Taylor==-

 

The Poketch rang out as it seemed like breath was being held. After a few rings, however, it just reached a "This number could not be reached" message. Taylor seemed a little bit unnerved by what the implications of that could be.

 

"Um, sorry about that, I'm not sure what happened there..."

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

"I'm sure whatever you can do after your training gets really going will be pretty cool." Lucia's cheeks turned slightly red in awe, as she imagined Jamie fighting with the cool powers that she had used, but stronger in some ways. As they reached Jamie's room and went inside, the healer tapped her fingers together shyly, as she thought about everything.

"Umm, I got you a present while you were gone." She walked over to where she had left her bag and pulled a gift-wrapped rectangular box out of it. "It's nothing too special really, but I wanted to get something." As she said that, her face seemed to get hot. "Um, is this even a good time for it, though? I don't know if we've ever actually talked birthdays or any other gift giving things, or if this should count since it was only because we were away for so long..." Lucia trailed off, opting to just stay quiet after that until Jamie replied.

[Konuju]

IC: Chloe Hikari/Ryan Sanders - Training Arenas, The Alamo
The sounds of combat echoed from the training arenas long before Chloe reached the designated spot. When she entered the field Sanders had mentioned, she found that her fellow Liberty agent was already there, along with all of his Pokémon. Each one appeared to be in the middle of a sparring session.

Togie circled merrily just out of reach of Ryan's Samurott. A bleating Flaaffy tried and failed to tackle his Mismagius. Quil and Entei exchanged savage blows in an isolated corner. And at the center of it all, Ryan stood locked in combat against his own Garchomp, wielding his Samurott's seamitar as his only means of defense. He raised the sword against the energetic dragon, but as evidenced by the multiple scrapes across his arm and face he wasn't having much luck at warding off his Garchomp's attacks. Every bout was the same: Ryan would manage to deflect the first few blows, but he could never keep up with his Garchomp's nimble movements and he would leave a wide opening for the landshark to strike an easy blow.

Chloe winced as the latest strike sent Ryan tumbling across the floor in her direction. Sanders picked himself up, wiped the blood from his chin, and approached his Garchomp once more, oblivious to his sudden audience. "Again," he muttered, brandishing the seamitar.

"I think that's good enough." The psychic woman walked forward with a slightly concerned frown on her face. "How long have you been doing this?"

Caught up in the heat of battle, the Garchomp roared and started to charge. Ryan turned at the sound of Chloe's voice and got blindsided by the landshark. The seamitar clattered out of his hand as his Garchomp growled a sheepish apology. Despite his apparent injuries, Ryan managed a smile. "Hey there, Chloe. I figured we should train with our Pokémon in case we run into another fight like at the warehouse. I mean, you can train your psychic powers and all but I need to practice my swordplay." His smile faltered. "Somehow I can't seem to get the hang of it though. Maybe I'm just fatigued, but I feel like I'm doing worse than I did against the Vigoroth earlier today."

Chloe couldn't comment on whether or not he was doing worse, considering she hadn't seen that, but. . . what she saw here wasn't looking good. "Have you ever fought without your Pokémon before?"

Ryan caught Chloe's meaning and quickly ducked his head to hide his reddening face, making a show of retrieving his fallen seamitar. "Well I did get into a few fights in grade school. Most of the time though I'd run away with the help of Quil's Smokescreen." The rest of Ryan's Pokémon had paused their respective battles to listen in on the conversation. "Keep it up!" the agent ordered. "The enemies we face now aren't something we can just run away from. We need to be combat ready, powers or no powers!"

For a moment, Chloe seemed confused about that. Then she paused. "Wait. Have you not taken the training course here?"

"Training course?" Ryan's dumbfounded look quickly turned into one of wry amusement. "Isn't that supposed to be for heavy hitters and powered people? Look at me, Chloe, I'm not exactly the heavyweight champion. Physical combat's never been my forte."

Chloe shook her head. "Do I look like a heavy hitter? I didn't have my powers when I first got into Liberty; the training course was for all people before this all started." She looked a bit apprehensive, however. "I think I can see your point, though. The lack of expertise is really showing through. Good job on that one." The edge of her mouth curled into a mischievous smile.

"W-what do you think I'm training with Garchomp for?" His face reddened further as he instinctively raised his seamitar into a defensive stance as if it could shield him from her mockery.

"You're not going to get anywhere throwing yourself at a Garchomp if you don't even know the basics." The woman bit her lip after she finished speaking, as she wondered if she had been too blunt there. "You need to go in stages, and starting right with a Pokémon, while it might seem like a good idea... really isn't. I've had experience."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do?" Ryan asked a little more forcefully than he intended. "We don't have time to start with the basics. The Missing Zero is out there now, and we're leaving on our mission tomorrow! I need a crash course as soon as possible, or next time we won't have to worry about cleaning bullet wounds because we'll all meet the same fate as Kamina!" The moment the words were out of his mouth he knew it was a mistake. He fell to his knees, resting on the hilt of the seamitar for support. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," he muttered. "I just don't want to stand by while everyone else puts themselves in harm's way. I have to be out there doing my best, too. Protecting the people I-- protecting my friends."

"Then that's all the more reason to learn the basics before you go and get yourself killed trying to protect your friends without a clue how to do that." Chloe's eyes followed Ryan, as her face turned more passive. "None of us got to be able to do any of this without basic training, not even our Pokémon. You even saw what happened when training was ignored, so why try that again?"

Ryan took a deep breath and nodded. He met her eyes. "Will you teach me?"

"Sure. Isn't that why we're here?" The woman raised an eyebrow, as she gave another small hint of a smile.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Kure Shoken

 

She sat with Commander draped over her shoulders, a habit developed when he had been a much smaller specimen. The weight brought her comfort in these times of stress. She'd seen no solid evidence, but rumors and reports were abundant. From what she had heard, though, things were bad. She did her best to type through her thoughts, but nothing solid was forming.

 

She reached up and stroked her companion's hood with shaking fingers. "What do we do about this?" she asked, though she was unsure if she was asking herself, the Arbok, or the world. "This cannot be how it ends. We have worked too hard for the world to end before we are finished." The poison type coiled around her shoulders, hissing softly. She closed her eyes and nodded. "Perhaps I am worrying too much. We still do not have anything concrete to read." She stood and stretched.

 

She had other things to worry about. She was one woman, she could not do everything by herself. Picking up a data pad, she began walking the lengths of her base. As she did, she scrolled through personnel files, finding ones that matched her needs and marking them. Each would have to be carefully vetted, to make sure their loyalties were in line. It would not do to be betrayed due to sloppiness.

 

Her fingers brushed along Commander's scaled form and she smiled. "I am sure to get enough loyal recruits that any betrayal will be met with swift and merciless death."

 

Kure Shoken began writing a message to those she'd marked.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie Arthur - Four Island

 

"Ooh!" Jamie said with a big smile as she took the package from Lucia. She voraciously tore the wrapping off and opened the box. Inside was a light blue summer dress and matching bag to go with it.

 

"Wow, this looks good," she said as she admired the dress, her admiration all the greater because of Lucia's normal fashion sense. 

 

"Gosh I have just been wearing your borrowed clothes. Guess I got used to it." she said as she realized that she'd just been wearing the pairs of clothes she 'borrowed' from Lucia back in Celadon. "I guess I really should return those."

 

Guilt began to set in because of how long she'd been borrowing Lucia's clothes. A guilt only deepened by a lack of presents to give Lucia in return.

 

"Now I feel bad that I did not get you anything," Jamie said with a slight pout. 'When is your birthday Lucia? I definitely can't let that pass up without the best present for my best friend."

 

 

IC: Claus Diamond - Four Island

 

Claus unconsciously tightened the fists that lay by his sides. Flint's face drooped slightly.

 

"That's alright," Claus lied. "Do you think you could try calling him a few more times tonight?"

 

He didn't want to worry her, but it bothered him that she couldn't get through. It could simply be a coincidence, and as long as it could be one he didn't want to say anything more. Not until he's had a chance to check some things.

 

 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia smiled as she watched Jamie's reaction, but it subtly faltered for a moment as the other girl seemed to be worried. Something about that seemed to play with her own mood, but she brushed it off as best as she could.

 

"August 15th." The redhead said as if reciting a page from a computer. She was honestly curious when Jamie's birthday effectively was, but was less worried about that for the moment at hand. To try and help with things, Lucia picked the dress up out of the box and moved closer to hold it up to Jamie so she could see just what it would look like if she were wearing it - or a close enough approximation at least. The healer gave a small but warm smile as she felt her cheeks become just as warm as she both admired her friend and realized how close they were at the moment.

 

After a brief moment of that, she giggled slightly. "The colours feel like they fit you, honestly..."

 

"Ooh," Jamie said, her eyes sparkling. "Want me to go change? I got to see how it looks on me."

 

"Sounds good to me!" Lucia hopped up on the bed as she swapped the dress for the box.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Guinevere - Mansion Parlor

 

Guinevere looked from side to side at the cops in the room. Technically they weren’t supposed to be talking to each other, but the room was large and filled with people. But she had to be careful, what she was about to do was certainly illegal.

 

But what was clear was that the man was afraid. At first what she asked were innocent innocuous questions. Asking his name and giving her own.

 

“Ness Whitby,” he had replied.

 

It was a small thing, but he was talking now. And that was a start.

 

She probed him about his fear. Not directly at first. She showed concern at first that he was not looking good. With a few precise prods, she found out the source of the man’s fear.

 

“I’m,“ Ness paused for a moment, choking. “I don’t, I- I don’t want to mess this up. People are counting on me right now, and I don’t think I can do it.”

 

Guinevere made a soft serene smile. The same smile James made whenever something he wanted entered into his grasp.

 

[Want some help?] the whiteboard read.

 

Ness’s eyes lit up as they met Guin’s face, reassured by her smile.

 

[Pretend I’m the police]

 

A quick erase and some marker strokes.

 

[say it to me like you will to them]

 

She only continued to calmly smile as he bared his soul.

 

[MELON LORD]

NPC: Inigo

 

The store where he went to resupply was normally a very quiet building, run by an older woman who had just wanted to do something other than idle away her years. Inigo had been coming in here, either with his trainer or alone, for the better part of eight years, and he had never seen anyone causing any trouble.

 

Today was proving to be exceptional. Three men in leather jackets were crowded around the counter; one might say they were 'looming' except that, at least to Inigo, they didn't look at all threatening. Still, he could see the kindly shopkeeper behind said counter, and while she looked angry, she was also trembling like a leaf. Without Pokemon power, there was little she -- or even the police -- could do about thugs like these.

 

Inigo rushed in as the man in the middle turned to see who had entered. The Gallade came in with a sliding kick that toppled the man, then rose up to slash at the other two, knocking them away from the counter as he caught them off guard. The apparent leader of the trio scrambled to his feet, glowering at the attacker. Inigo took a defensive stance, his blades flashing in the light. If he'd had his psychic powers, he would have slammed all three of them together in a corner until the police arrived. As it was, he would have to beat them the old fashioned way.

 

The man he'd knocked over started to reach for his pocket, but as Inigo took a step forward, he reconsidered. The punk turned his head and spit. "Whatever. Let's get outta here, guys." He turned and led his friends out of the shop. Inigo glared at their retreating backs, but he had more important things to do than chasing them down. With a sigh, he turned to face the old woman. She smiled shakily up at him as she stood.

 

"Hello, Inigo. That was good timing on your part, I have to say. The usual parcel, today?"

 

The rest of the transaction went as usual, though the psychic type made a mental note to talk to his trainer about those thugs. If nothing else, they could loan Shere to the woman for a while, just to make sure the thugs didn't try anything like this again.

 

IC: Yamamoto Aori

 

The refugee center was full enough that they'd had to send a few dozen people elsewhere in the city. The man who had checked her in had informed her that her parents were still unaccounted for when she'd asked. Now, Aori lay awake on her small cot to one side of the room. She always had trouble sleeping in new places, and it was only made worse by the noises of other people throughout the room.

 

The sounds of crying were the most prevalent, with sniffles and the occasional muffled sob carrying through the warehouse-like room. The girl closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She'd been allowed to let Hana and Yuri out, and the two were doing there best to keep her comforted. It wasn't their fault that she was tense. In fact, Hana's sweet smell was helping, which was why the girl wasn't currently contributing to the noises in the room.

 

Slowly she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the cot. She tugged on the sleeve of her PJs and gestured for her Pokémon to follow her as she made her way through the narrow corridor between the beds. The attendants were gathered at the front, talking quietly amongst themselves. They were far too busy to notice a young girl slipping out of the building. The air in the city smelled different from what she was used to, but she took a deep breath of it anyways. She looked down at Hana as a vine wrapped around her wrist, and she offered a small smile. "I am alright, thank you."

 

She looked up at the sky and sighed. At home, she could have seen the starts clearly from her window, if the night was clear. The air in the city was smoggy, and the lights were too bright for any but the brightest stars to shine down. She turned her face towards the moon, instead. "My parents may be dead." It was painful to say, and she could feel tears forming as she said it. "I may be alone."

 

The vine tightened, and she nodded. "You're right. I have you two." She knelt, scooping Yuri into her arms and squeezing the Eevee to her chest. "We may be on our own." Yuri licked Aori's cheek, and the girl giggled despite herself. "If that is the case . . ." She looked back at the refuge. "We should spend the night here. Then we will get some supplies, and find that man."

 

The police man had broken his promise. Aori hoped he was okay. "That will be our next step. After that . . ." She chewed her lip. "I do not know. We will take this slowly, and we will figure out what to do next when we get to that point." She stood, still holding Yuri in her arms, still with Hana's vine wrapped around her wrist. She stared up at the moon for a long time before she sneaked her way back indoors and to her cot.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia/Jamie(Jam)==-

Lucia’s head tilted up as Jamie re-entered the room. She smiled at the excited and giggling girl, glad that the dress looked as good on Jamie as she had imagined.

“What do you think?” Lucia asked as she leaned forward a bit, resting her chin in her hands with a happy look on her face.

“Hmm,” Jamie thought about that for a moment. She didn’t know a thing about clothing, but she thought it looked good on her as she looked in a mirror, and decided that it was enough. “I like it!” she shouted.

Lucia smiled wider as she heard that and stood up as she moved toward Jamie with a giggle. “I’m glad you do, I was worried it might be a little wrong, but that’s one thing you learn when you basically grow up with a fashion-orientated mother, I guess.” She stopped close to her friend again, as she felt the heat return to her cheeks. She tried to stop herself from getting flustered once more, and instead took a deep breath.

“Say, um, did you know there’s a level beyond best friends. . .?” Suddenly, Lucia didn’t quite know where to look, as she struggled to realize that she had actually said that.

“Yeah!” Jamie’s chest swelled with pride as she responded to Lucia. She knew the answer to this question. “Family, of course!”

Inside their Pokeballs, Pelleas and Tristan were shaking their heads rapidly screaming something that would translate to “ABORT! ABORT!”

The girl figured that her face now matched her hair as she smiled shyly. “That’s one of them, yes! There’s actually some other things too… do you, um, know much about love?”

The panicking within the Pokeballs increased.

“Love?” Jamie said, pondering what Lucia was talking about. “That’s how families feel about each other right? Like my Pokemon love me and I love them… right?” Jamie said with some trepidation. She wasn’t as clear on this subject.

Lucia tapped her fingers together as she tried to figure out how to reply exactly. Jamie wasn’t too far off in general, but. . . “You’re kinda close, actually.” Lucia shyly giggled, as she again didn’t know exactly where to look. “Um, there’s also a kind of, um, love feeling you can get for other people. Like friends you grow very close to or so; close enough that they might as well be part of your family.”

“Might as well be part of your family,” Jamie considered. Inside her head, two metaphorical train conductors were arguing about which exit to steer Jamie’s train of thought. One yelled “LOOK A DISTRACTION!”, and quickly shifted gears to steer the train in the wrong direction while the other turned to look. “Does that mean we get to declare more brothers and sisters? Cool, I always wanted a younger sibling. Maybe I could appoint Gavin-”

“Ummmmm. . .” Lucia chuckled awkwardly. On one hand, that was just like Jamie and she had to admit, that would be neat. On the other, that was totally not what she had meant, plus she had a funny feeling after some things from earlier that Gavin would absolutely -not- be in the mood. “I mean, that’s kinda possible, but I kinda meant it in a different way than like siblings.” She struggled to pull the words together, as she considered how to phrase this.

“Imagine like, a friend you really -really- liked and cared for and such. A feeling of butterflies and the like whenever you look at them, or just like… a feeling of caring deeply, deeper than friends, but at the same time… the same, in a way?” Lucia paused for a moment as she tried to ignore her own doubts. “Like… it’s hard to describe precisely because it’s different for everyone. But there can be that type of thing just waiting for someone. Everyone has their own preference on the type of person, like, whether they’re a girl, boy, or any sort of mix…” She trailed off slightly. “But that’s basically… romantic love, and crushes.”

Finally the other metaphorical train conductor attacked the one who had driven them off course and tied him up, so she could drive them back onto the correct course. “Oh,” she said as an example began to form in her head. “Is that like what,” Jamie paused for a moment. She had only seen stuff like Lucia was talking about on TV when she was a kid. She didn’t have what she was about to suggest, and it tore her up for a moment. Was she abnormal for not getting this? “Is that like what moms and dads have for each other?” she said with some trepidation.

Lucia smiled shyly a little bit, as she nodded. “That’s part of it, yes. It’s like Pelleas and Tristan in a way.” The redhead bit the inside of her lip slightly, as she tried to figure out some other way to help further explain the concepts.

The Heracross and Metagross just looked at each other from within their Pokeballs. Now what Lucia had just said made things feel quite awkward. True, they both thought of themselves as Jamie’s “dads”. True, they definitely thought of each other as partners in some degree, definitely in raising Jamie. But Lucia just made it sound like they were ‘mates’. Which Pelleas didn’t even know how that would work, and neither were sure if they quite felt -that- way about each other. I mean, if Jamie -needed- parents that felt that way, they could sure pretend, but Lucia just made everything awkward.

Lucia fell quiet as she quickly felt the awkward atmosphere fall over the room. She had tried to help things, partially selfishly so she could let her own feelings be known, and might have just messed things up. Looking away a little more, she took a deep breath. “U-um, are there any other questions you have…?”

“Hmm…” Jamie thought again. So love could mean all that too. That was very informative but… “So why are you bringing this up now?”

That was not the question she was expecting. “U-um, well, you see…” The words caught in her throat. Would this be okay? Is this something that she should say? She inwardly cursed her doubting mood. She needed to at least try regardless, right? “I might have a crush on someone… um, that means basically the hints and beginnings of love or so, or like, a love that you haven’t actually mentioned to the other person yet.” Lucia herself felt awkward now, as she wondered how to even say this.

“Wow,” Jamie said, seeming slightly downtrodden. “You’re my best friend and love is for people closer than best friends, right?” She perked up quickly though, “Okay, you got to tell me about ‘em. Are they super-strong or adorable or- ooh- maybe they’re really good at beating up bad guys?” she kept listing off trying to guess who Lucia had a crush on. They’d have to be pretty impressive for Lucia to have feelings for them.

“Definitely all of the above.” Lucia’s gaze turned back to Jamie’s face with a soft smile. “She is very nice in many different aspects, like being a strong trainer… definitely very cute too. She has pretty soft-looking brown hair…”

Pelleas and Tristan popped out of their Pokeballs, scrambling to try and interrupt the moment. Their great strength and superhuman precision failing them in the moment, as they tripped over each other.

“Hey guys, settle down, this is important,” she yelled at her two dads, before kicking them out of the room.

As the door slammed shut, the two began begging to be let back in, with Pelleas banging on the door. Jamie ignored them.

“I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what’s got into them. Where were we?” Jamie asked as if none of that had happened.

Lucia hid a snicker at everything that had just taken place, but smiled. “I believe we were discussing my crush and how amazing she is, especially with her neat green eyes…” The girl took a step toward Jamie again, despite her inward fears about the moment. “I think what really made me actually want to start talking about my crush is because I want to be able to tell her before anything happens.”

“Hey, don’t worry,” Jamie said feeling a bit of tension. “Whoever this is I will make sure nothing bad happens. I’ll beat up whatever bad guys are threatening her. That way you can have as much time as you need.” Jamie laughed to herself a little bit. “Time, heh.”

Lucia seemed surprised for a moment, and then began to laugh a little bit, both at the girl’s pun, and her offer. “I think it’ll be pretty easy for you to do that…” She felt her cheeks get hot once again. “After all, I have a crush on you.” As soon as she said that, her mind began to become the scene of a thousand chickens running around like their heads were missing. She kept a smile on her face, to her credit, but was uncertain if she had succeeded in what she wanted to say, or in causing things to get awkward.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie/Lucia

 

 

The cogs took a second to line up. “Oh neat…. Wait. Whaaaaaaaat?!” Jamie shouted her jaw dropped to its full extent. “You mean that girl you like, the one you said all those nice things about… is me?” Lucia meekly nodded.

 

Jamie had to sit down. “Whoa, whoa,” she said confused. “I just learned about these feelings and now you’re telling me my best friend has them for me,” she began to think aloud. “It’s not that I don’t love you, but I can’t say yet if I know I do either. But…”

 

Now Jamie’s face was red. She was embarrassed and unexperienced in this field. She didn’t know if it was normal for one’s best friend to confess to them, but here it was. “I wouldn’t mind, trying to find out,” Jamie said awkwardly. “Where do we go from here?”

 

Lucia had to admit to herself that she had not thought that far ahead. “I… don’t really know…” Her thoughts felt jumbled up now, as she focused on a spot on the floor that suddenly seemed very interesting. “I… I didn’t really think that far ahead…” She thought to herself for a moment - she didn’t really think at all, did she? Had it gotten hot in here?

 

“Um, sorry, but I think I need to get some air and cool down a bit…” Lucia occupied herself with adjusting her clothes a little bit before she headed to the door. “Sorry…” As she opened the door, she quickly passed by Pelleas and Tristan before she walked down the hallway at an equally quick pace. She didn’t notice, however, that she had left her Pokegear in her bag after pulling out the gift.

 

Pelleas and Tristan had manly tears in their eyes as they walked back into the room. They had tried to fight against the tide of their little girl growing up and failed. They would have to accept that their little girl wasn’t so little anymore.

 

Jamie lay back in her seat thinking. She wondered if it was possible for her slow down time right now. She needed a lot of it right now so she could think things through.

 

A ringtone began to play from Lucia’s bag catching Jamie’s attention. Its loud ringing snapped her from thoughts and urged her to dig through Jamie’s bag. Pulling the phone from the bag, she took a look at the caller ID.

 

“Mom”

 

“Lucia will want to talk to her,” Jamie reasoned to nobody in particular and pressed talk on the phone. “Um, hello. Lucia is away at the moment, this is Jamie, her-” Jamie paused as she realized their relationship was changing and she didn’t exactly know how to put it yet. “This is Jamie.”

 

“Oh, hello, is she alright?” The voice on the other end of the line couldn’t mask the relief in her voice as she replied to Jamie. “She hasn’t been answering all day, so I just wanted to make sure she was alright.”

 

“Hm, yeah, she’s fine. She just went out to go get some air,” Jamie said leaning against a table. “Do you need me to run after her? She has not been gone long.”

 

“You don’t need to, just tell her I called when she gets back, alright?” Cassie didn’t sound entirely convincing. “Um, how have things been? Did Lucia and Shannon get there without incident? Has she-” There was a pause. “Actually if she hasn’t, then…” Another pause. “Um, disregard that! Anyway. How have you been?”

 

“Disregard that? Okay,” Jamie responded unquestioningly. If she didn’t have to say Shannon’s father died to anyone who asked about her, she wouldn’t. “I have been… good. Really good, I think? Lucia gave me this awesome dress and uh.” Jamie paused again. “Hey, um. Can I ask 

you a question?” Jamie didn’t wait for an answer. “Let’s say for a moment that Lucia, um, said that she… more than liked me,” Jamie said, dancing around the issue. “And I don’t… -not- more than like her, what do we do?”

 

Pelleas and Tristan were heartbroken that Jamie had asked Lucia’s mom instead of them.

 

There was a long pause as Cassie considered the question. “Do you think you could explain a little more?”

 

“I can try,” Jamie said after a few moments. “I have never thought about… love before. And well today Lucia told me that she… had a crush on me,” Jamie said, phrasing it the way Lucia had. “And we’re both confused. I don’t know if I love her in return yet, but I want to find out with her.”

 

“Hmm… that makes sense…” Cassie sighed, as she seemed to be mulling that question over. “That’s a tough one. I don’t really know what advice I can really give. It takes time to figure things like that out, but there’s not always the time -to- figure it out. I don’t know if that makes sense or not, but this certainly is a situation you’re in.” She sighed again, but gave a small chuckle. “That’s my daughter for you, though, always making things complicated.”

 

“Heh,” she laughed in response. “Well that is fine by me. Thanks for hearing me out.”

 

“You’re welcome… I hope things go well. Oh, by the way, if you want to give Lucia a message for me, tell her it’s going to be a nice and apple-y warm summer in Kalos. Perfect for a trip, I’d say.”

 

“Nice and apple-y warm,” Jamie repeated. “Got it, I’ll tell her.”

 

Both parties said their farewells, and Jamie hung up the Pokegear. She signaled Pelleas and Tristan to follow her as she left the room; she had to go find Lucia.

 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia/Jamie(Jam)==-

 

Lucia herself was leaning against one of the guard rails facing the ocean. She didn’t figure this was what the path was meant for, but. . . it was more comfortable than other places she could have gone for this. She stared out at the ocean waves crashing in the night; she might not have been able to see too much aside from what the moon lit up, but she’d take it.

Jamie was about to tackle hug her from behind, but Pelleas stopped her, shaking his head. Jamie nodded, she had to play this cool while Lucia right now. She walked forward and said “Hey, your mom called.”

Lucia’s head tilted up in surprise. She quickly raised a hand to her face before she turned around. She seemed a little confused as she patted what few pockets she had. “... Ohh… I forgot my Pokegear…” Her head fell in embarrassment as she berated herself in her mind for that too. “What… did she want?”

“Oh, she just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Jamie said, deciding to leave out the part where she asked her for romantic advice. “Oh! And she said it was a nice and apple-y warm summer in Kalos. Something like that,” Jamie added.

The redhead paused, as she looked up, all trace of embarrassment or regret gone. “... She said nice and apple-y warm?” Lucia seemed a little paler than normal, as she looked around uncertain. Her mom wanted to know if she was okay, and then gave that phrase… “Did she say anything else…? Did she sound off to you?” She caught herself before she could get too intense with her questions, but warning bells were going off in her head. She was pretty certain that at this point, this day was simply cursed.

Jamie looked at her as if she was missing part of the picture, “Uh well, she asked if you and Shannon were alright before telling me to disregard that. I guess she was sort of cautious at first.”

That seemed to confuse Lucia more than anything. “Huh, that’s an odd thing, but okay.” She thought for a moment.

“She definitely seemed glad to hear from somebody,” Jamie mentioned off-hand before realizing she still had Lucia’s Pokegear. “Ah, here. I guess you want this back, right?”

Lucia smiled as she took the device, her hand lingering a little longer than was likely needed. As she turned the screen on, however, she tilted her head to the side as she saw roughly 14 messages from her mother. All of them were asking if she was alright - from around the time they had gotten on the helicopters.

“Nice and apple-y warm…” Lucia bit her lip as she took deep breaths. “Well…” She closed her eyes. Her imagination being overactive was only good when things were okay. Things were definitely -not- okay right now, and she didn’t even know why. All she had was this hint for her, a code phrase to know when something was very wrong. And in that code phrase, a place to go. “Ever go to Kalos?” The redhead gave Jamie a grin to cover up the fact that she had no clue what was going on.

“Nope. I have barely even heard of Kalos. What is it like?” Jamie asked, curious.

“It’s… uhh…” Lucia scratched her head for a moment. “Interesting. It’s somewhat like here, but also not, if that makes sense? I’ve only been there a couple times, but it’s kinda neat. Do you want to go?”

“Hmm,” Jamie pondered to herself. “I mean, I would rather keep fighting M0 with everyone here-”

Lucia was looking at her with such pleading, hurt-Lillipup eyes. As they watched this, Pelleas and Tristan wished they had popcorn as they watched the tables turn on the young girl.

“Wait, that’s not fair,” Jamie pouted. “That’s what I use to get my way with Pelleas and Tristan…. Fine, I’ll go with you.”

Lucia felt a little bad after Jamie’s reaction, and winced slightly. “I mean… if you really really want to stay… where it’s dangerous…”

Jamie began to feel bad that Lucia was feeling bad. Pelleas and Tristan were enthusiastically nodding in support of getting their daughter away from all this danger. “I mean, that’s where heroes are needed, right?” Jamie sighed and put on her best smile. “Don’t worry about it. We can go to Kalos. There isn’t a mission to fight M0 going on right now anyway.”

Lucia let out a sigh of relief she didn’t know she was holding. Something about the way that message from her mother sounded made her really uncomfortable leaving Jamie behind. “That’s true,” was all that Lucia could actually muster out, though.

“I… I can’t stay away forever. But we can stay for a little while at least,” Jamie began to mutter that last part. To be honest, she didn’t know what she was gonna do away from the battlefield. She hoped she could train at least.

“Well, we’ll figure out everything as it goes along.” Lucia gave a small smile to Jamie as she turned away slightly. “I.... I’m sorry again… for putting you on the spot like that earlier. It wasn’t fair to you…”

“Hey… It’s okay,” Jamie said hesitantly. “I don’t think I would have figured that stuff about love on my own. And from the looks of things,” she glanced at Pelleas and Tristan who suddenly noticed some very important pieces of dirt to inspect and were most definitely not trying to avoid eye contact, “they probably weren’t gonna tell me,” she said with a bit of chuckling.

Lucia giggled herself at that, as she smugly looked at the two in question. “I’m sure there were some things I didn’t say; I’m not really good at this stuff either honestly. But. . .” The redhead looked over with Jamie with a small smile. She didn’t know how this would turn out, but she had to remind herself that there was still a possibility. “Maybe tonight we could like, learn more about each other? I mean, the birthday thing earlier made me realize we kinda are lacking in that and I want to fix that.”

“Yeah sure, let’s head back to our room. I guess I got a few questions worth asking,” Jamie said, Pelleas and Tristan giving approving remarks.

Lucia wiped at her face with her arm again for a moment before she started to walk forward, turning her head slightly to make sure that Jamie followed. Even so, she had to admit that she still had her doubts - still wondered whether this had been a good idea. The girl turned her head forward again so that Jamie couldn’t see it right then.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan Sanders/Chloe Hikari - Training Arenas, The Alamo
"This isn't exactly a fair fight, you know." Ryan threw another set of punches that Chloe easily deflected, then put all his energy into dodging a strike from her right hand, completely oblivious to her left hook until it jabbed him square in the jaw. He stumbled backward with a grimace, bringing a hand to his tender lip. "Case in – ow! – point. Do you really expect me to win when you're reading my thoughts to know what I'll do in advance? Or is punching me in the face just that cathartic?"

"I can't just read your thoughts like that." Case in point for what she said, she let another punch fly, this time toward his stomach to prevent another punch from hitting the already injured face.

Ryan just barely managed to parry the attack and retreated several steps away. "So you're saying I'm just that predicable?" His lip curled into a mock pout. "Now that's just mean."

Chloe snickered as she cracked her knuckles while waiting for Ryan to approach again. "I'm sure there's meaner. I wouldn't really say you're that predictable though . . ." She raised her hands to defend against another attack.

"There you go again, predicting my unpredictability." Ryan grinned and charged at her with his fist drawn back. The psychic woman easily moved out of the way, but he was ready for her. Pivoting on his heel he kicked out a foot to trip her, using Chloe's backward momentum to his advantage.

That definitely proved that he wasn't predictable. Thinking quickly, Chloe shot her hand out and grabbed Ryan's shirt. Already off balance from the kick, Ryan had no time to react as the woman pulled him down with her. The two landed in a tangled heap on the ground, momentarily stunned.

"That's what you call a Rolling Kick. Followed by a Body Slam." Ryan gave a sheepish smile that quickly turned into one of embarrassment as he realized he was essentially lying on top of her.

Chloe smiled smugly, however. "Lesson Number Ten." She concentrated as an unseen force flung Ryan off of her. He landed hard on his back, tears blurring his vision as Chloe got up and brushed herself off. She stared down at him with a smirk. "Always expect an attack, even if you think you've won."

Ryan scowled as he struggled to pick himself up. "Now that was definitely cheating. I think my chances were better fighting Garchomp."

"Mmmm, no, you were doing much worse." The woman brushed her fingers through her hair slightly to fix it up again, before she got back into her fighting stance. "Besides - didn't Ford say these people had something something magic? They won't be fighting fair, nor will those things that hurt our friends on the last mission."

Ryan mimicked her stance, but wore a grim expression on his face. "I saw them, you know," he muttered as they began to circle around each other. "The volunteers of that mission. The nurses made Dahlia wait for hours so they could prepare for treating everyone from the mission. I don't know what went down in that fight, but it was bad." He lunged forward with two powerful punches.

Chloe kicked backwards to dodge back out of the way of the punches, surprised by the force behind them. "Yeah. It sounded like a few people got off lucky, but whatever happened wasn't a walk in the park." She gave a small smile, however. "It's not all bad news, though . . . did you hear that, too?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Hear what?"

She lowered her guard ever so subtly. "Three Pokémon got their power back during that mission, and got some kinda new forms. Ryan told me about it when he got back." She paused for a moment. "Um, my brother, I mean, not you. Turns out, his Tyranitar was one of them."

Ryan dropped his fists and his jaw at the same time. "They got their powers back? How?!" He glanced over at their Pokémon having their own sparring match in the corner. "Quil, see if you can use a Flamethrower!" The Tylphlosion gave him an inquisitive look and blew a puff of smoke before getting pelted by Alvis.

"It's only the three so far. No-one can figure it out that I've heard - it just happened randomly in the fight." Chloe awkwardly laughed as she watched the Typhlosion get punched. "But it's a good sign, don't you think? If we succeed in our mission, it could give an even greater edge, especially if the powers are returning."

Ryan nodded, returning to his fighting stance. "We have to cling to that hope. You and I both know what happens when you get bogged down by the bad things."

Chloe nodded. "We can pull this off. I know it, we don't give up even when things go bad." Despite Ryan seeming ready to attack, Chloe made no move to put her guard back up.

This did not go unnoticed, and Ryan couldn't help but smirk. "Exactly. We'll pave the way with our determination and resolve. We'll stand together and fight!" Taking advantage of Chloe's lowered guard, Ryan pounced forward with a punch worthy of Evan Tierra, a wild grin on his face. "Because that's what heroes--"

Chloe's fist flew forward, as she smiled and placed her full force behind it. The bait was taken. The moment she struck his chest, she channeled psychic energy through her fist to send Ryan flying across the room. "You're absolutely right! Now we just need to get you trained up so you don't fall for such an obvious ruse!"

Ryan crashed to the ground and skidded across the floor. His head spun and his body ached and he felt like he'd been hit by a herd of Tauros. "On second thought . . . maybe we should leave the hero thing to Evan."

Chloe laughed awkwardly as she approached. "Sorry, you alright? I might not be strong, but I can sure amplify that with my powers."

"That's the understatement of the century," Ryan groaned. "Now in return for training me, how about I give you a chance to practice those healing powers of yours?"

[Parugi]

IC - Sleight/Eileen Alaric/Bounty/Silvermind/Joker - Hangar, The Alamo:

 

"Elijah!"

 

The process had not taken long; by and large, Sleight's Suit had sustained no notable damage on their mission, thus his personal debriefing had transpired without issue. In short order he had dragged back the curtain on his station, pulling his jacket over his shoulders, and stepped back out into the hangar. Mere seconds afterward, Eileen had enveloped him in a tight embrace, nearly knocking him off of his feet from the force of her greeting. Sleight smiled, kissing her and returning the hug.

 

"Thank god you're okay," she said. "I wasn't sure you were going to come back in one piece." Eileen pulled back. "Are you okay? You weren't hurt?"

 

"I'm not hurt," Sleight confirmed. "Though, I can't say the same for everyone else." He looked around the hangar at the other participants of the mission. "What have you heard so far?"

 

"Not a lot," Eileen said.  "Just that someone was killed. I feel selfish for saying this, but I'm just glad it wasn't you."

 

Sleight shook his head, rubbing her shoulders. "Don't." He looked around at the hangar again, taking note of Silvermind's and Bounty's presence. He directed his gaze back to Eileen, lowering his voice. "Where's Levi?"

 

"He's with Joker and her kids right now," Eileen said. "Why?"

 

"There's something I need to discuss with Liberty's and Rocket's leadership--something that happened to Goldhawk during the mission" Sleight said. His tone was a certain degree of urgent that he had tended to reserve for only the most serious of circumstances. The lowered volume of his voice made it very evident that he did not want his words to be heard by anyone amidst the din of the hangar. "Go take over watching them for me--I need Joker here. Do not let anyone into the apartment unless it's me or her. Do you understand?"

 

"Of course." She reached up, kissing him again. "Don't take too long."

 

Sleight shook his head. "I won't."

 

The two stepped apart from one another, Eileen heading toward the exit and Sleight watching her go. Once she was out of sight, he directed his attention to Silvermind and Bounty again. As he approached them, Bounty gave the Shadow Admin of Kanto a nod in greeting. Silvermind hardly seemed to acknowledge him. Sleight didn't care for either action--as he strode past them, he gave a small gesture for them to follow him. "Call Blackskull and Joker. We need to talk."

 

Silvermind scoffed. "Giving orders on Liberty's ground, are we?"

 

"As the only alliance leader returning unharmed from this cluster**** of a mission, yes, I am," Sleight snapped. "We're meeting. Now. This is not something that can wait."

 

 

It did not take long for the leaders of Liberty and Rocket to gather in a meeting room off of the hangar--most of them, at any rate. Joker had appeared soon after Bounty, Silvermind, and Sleight had filed in. Goldhawk remained in the infirmary under emergency care, leaving Blackskull as the only leader unaccounted for--ironically leaving Liberty as the least represented within their own base. Luckily for all involved, Blackskull's presence was not strictly required for the topic Sleight intended to bring forward.

 

He slammed the Electric-Type Suit's helmet on the table. The near-golden plating had been burned to a deep bronze, chipped and scorched down to the wiring in some places. The electronic visor had cracked, almost melting around the edges. It was not difficult to imagine the damage on the inside of the helmet, nor what anyone wearing the T-04 at the time of its failure might look like as a result of Samurloch's devastating fire.

 

The question was implicit in Sleight's gesture, but he spelled it out nonetheless: "What happened to Goldhawk's armor!?"

 

"Elijah, calm down," Bounty urged. "We're going to get to the bottom of this."

 

"No, I am not going to calm down, Coleman," Sleight said. "This operation hinged on these Suits operating at full capacity. Out of all of them, the T-04 had the least reason to shut down, so why did it?" He looked pointedly at Silvermind. "You were the one insisting on using them. Did you have any idea that Goldhawk was running the risk of using a defective suit--that any of us were?"

 

Silvermind bought her palm down on the table, pointing at the Shadow Admin with her other hand. "Watch it, Sleight," she seethed. "You can dish out all the accusations of treason that you want, but taking them back is another thing entirely."

 

"He does raise a good point," Joker said. "The Electric-Type Suit is supposed to have a self-perpetuating battery; how could it have failed so suddenly--and at such a critical moment?"

 

"How should I know?" Silvermind responded. "Several of the Suits sustained significantly more damage than they should have under particular circumstances; you need look no further than the Psychic-Type Suit to see that for yourself. Without post-mission diagnostics to analyze, I can only guess that there were oversights in the pre-deployment calibrations, or possibly even malfunctions in the production process that we couldn't have caught without putting the Suits out on the field to begin with. It stands to reason that something went wrong in the T-04's development. Maybe there was a crossed wire somewhere and it overloaded itself by trying to recycle its own energy. Maybe the battery itself was defective, or maybe it was just bad luck--I don't know."

 

"So you vouched for these armor sets without accounting for the numerous ways that their deployment could go wrong," Sleight said. "Or at the very least ensuring that we would be aware of the risks ahead of time."

 

"I won't apologize on anyone's behalf for failing to think of every conceivable mechanical failure that we could have run into," Silvermind snapped. "We were pressed for time and needed a solution. The Power Suits were that solution. Don't even pretend that the risks weren't spelled out to everyone who volunteered to use them--we said from day one that our Agents would be right there on the field, the center focus of this mission and therefore the most in danger of fatal injuries. Even with that knowledge, you didn't advocate against their deployment, and I certainly don't remember you helping our research division with safeguard installation. The fact of the matter is that we used the Suits, and because of them, we were able to ensure that everyone else on One Island successfully evacuated--regardless of whatever mistakes our development teams made."

 

"There is a huge difference between an opponent outmaneuvering you, and your weapon malfunctioning!" Sleight's tone suggested he was seconds away from lunging across the table and shaking Silvermind by the shoulders. "This wasn't just a mistake--this was an oversight that may very well have gotten your own leader killed! It's an oversight that turns the Power Suits into a gambling game for the life of whoever winds up piloting one when it is deployed. We cannot expect our agents to pilot them if the defenses meant to ensure their survival can't be counted on to work when we need them to!"

 

"War is a constant gamble, Shadow Admin," Silvermind said. "Sometimes a plan pays off, and sometimes it doesn't. And regardless of Goldhawk's health, or that of Willows, I'd say it paid off this time." Sleight's eyes grew wide--whether out of outrage or shock, Silvermind could not tell. She did not particularly care. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bounty and Joker shifting uncomfortably. She ignored them. "As I said, we saved an island's population at the cost of two of our own. By and large, the numbers say we were successful. You can take that, or you can leave it."

 

"We could have achieved that same result by sending in armed squads," Sleight growled. "No mistakes. No gambles. No deaths."

 

A short laugh erupted from Silvermind. "That's a pretty thought," she said. "You just don't want to admit that I'm right, Sleight. The Power Suits worked, and even if they didn't function completely as intended, there's nothing that can be done but work on making them even stronger. Whether you intend to use them or not doesn't matter to me, because Liberty still will. Meanwhile, you can sit back and watch from your sniper nest." She looked from Sleight, to Joker, to Bounty, and back again. "Anything else, or are we done here?"

 

"I have to wonder how Blackskull is going to feel about the Power Suits after this?" Joker said. Her gaze was cold against Silvermind's, not antagonistic yet certainly not friendly. "I can't say I would be too keen on using them after what happened today, if I were him."

 

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Silvermind said, returning Joker's look in equal measure. "For now, they're still our best bet against Missing Zero. There really aren't a lot of other options out there." With a small smile, she shrugged. "I think he'll be open to my point of view." She opened her Poké Gear and turned, beginning to walk away. "I would suggest the three of you return to your quarters for the night. We'll have plenty of time to go over our next course of action tomorrow. I'll send for escorts."

 

"There's no need for that, Selene," Bounty said. "I think we can manage on our own." Silvermind paused. After a moment, she shook her head, switching off her comm. As soon as the doors closed behind her, the three Shadow Admins eased back into their seats, exchanging looks of concern with one another. Bounty looked back to the door, and then at Sleight, drumming his fingers against his cane. "That could have gone better."

 

"I don't think any other approach would have turned up different results," Joker said. "I can't tell if she's hiding something, if she's letting Goldhawk's situation get to her head, or if she's simply lost her mind. In any case, she is far too comfortable with the idea of losing Goldhawk. "

 

"Even then," Sleight said. "The bottom line is that she's not working with us, and I'm not sure we can rely on Blackskull to rein her in. With Goldhawk out of the picture, that makes this partnership with Liberty more tenuous than ever--and that puts us all in danger." He looked at Bounty. "You have the most experience working with them. You're going to need to sort this out with Blackskull--without Silvermind's intervention, if you can."

 

"Well, let's not do anything rash," Bounty said. "She's a wild card, but she's still one of Liberty's leaders."

 

"That is exactly what concerns me," Sleight responded. His eyes drifted back to the exit. "She's temperamental, she's got a grudge against Team Rocket, and she has the means to make whatever calls she wants. That's a very dangerous combination."

 

"Can you blame her?" Bounty asked.

 

"No," Sleight said. "I suppose not."

 

 

IC - Refugee Center, Vermilion City:

 

"Hello . . . Hello . . . Hello . . ."

 

The girl sat with her back against the wall, legs pulled up to her chest and arms wrapped around her knees. Amidst the rumbling conversations of the refugees around her, her voice hardly made an impact. Yet it was a consistent whisper in the crowd that earned her several glances, numerous looks, and a few shakes of the head. Occasionally, well-meaning passerby would stop to check on her. She seemed content to ignore them all. Staring forward, she continued the repetition, muttering to herself that one word over and over and over again.

 

"Hello . . . Hello . . . Hello . . ."

 

 

IC - Kotahi Village, One Island:

 

in the silence of the beach, where corpses lay scattered in pieces with only the wind to disturb their slumber, we stretched finite yet unseen, as infinite as the sea

 

we reached out with hands of slime and blood and embraced the fallen like family, clasping and dragging them back until they had vanished inside

 

we boiled like bubbles and the wall stretched out, a slow drowning of the land in red

 

the living fled and we took them as prey to feed us

 

the stones and trees and sand and water fed us and we broke them to pieces to sustain us

 

anger, oh child of ours, returned to us and we lifted him up back onto his feet

 

in the depths of our minds we knew the steady spread would crawl us forward into the infinite void beyond, and yet we hunger

 

and so we cast the seeds into the sky like seven stars falling across the night

 

seven seeds to guide the spread and prepare the feast before us

 

we reach ever outward now and we will sate our hunger

[MELON LORD]

IC: Aori Yamamoto - Refugee Center

 

Aori was almost back to her bed when she saw the other girl. At first, she was going to keep walking, but something about the other girl made her pause. She kept repeating herself, which would have unsettled most others.

 

To Aori, it was almost soothing. Slowly, the girl with the Eevee stepped closer. "Hello," she said quietly.

 

How did conversations usually go from there? Hello was easy, everything after was harder. She squeezed Yuri to her chest again as she thought. "I am Aori. What is your name?"

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Ryan Sanders/Chloe Hikari/Lafoyae Belrose - Training Arenas, The Alamo

Although he had seen moves like Recover or Heal Pulse many times, Ryan had never had psionic healing abilities used on him personally. It was an odd sensation for sure; his cuts and scrapes closed of their own accord, dark bruises fading into his regular skin tone. On top of that he felt instantly rejuvenated, as if he had just woken up from a long rest. His worries faded away into nothingness. He felt as light as a feather.

 

"Chloe . . ." A wide, goofy grin stretched out on Ryan's face. "You should heal people more often."

 

Chloe blinked in confusion, as she wondered if she had accidentally done something wrong like when she had helped 'heal' the guy who had been stuck in the ground. She gave an awkward smile as she giggled in response, but glanced to the side curiously. She felt like she had heard a noise near the entrance, and that drew her attention away from Ryan for the moment.

 

Lafoyae heard activity in the training area, as she cleaned up the ruin of the punching bag she had quite literally torn apart. Keeping her wits about her, she approached where she had heard voices and punches and such being thrown. She noticed the two people, and tried to stealthily approach them.

 

Ryan frowned when Chloe seemed distracted by something else. "What's over there, Chlo?"

 

Chloe focused more as she saw movement. "Who's there?" The woman kept on her guard - why would someone be sneaking around here?

 

A gentle voice echoed in Chloe's head as Lafoyae approached. "I Could ask you the same question, you two." She projected politely. "I just came here to work off some tension after a hard day, when I hear activity."

 

Ryan cocked his head back as a dark-haired, fair-skinned woman approached them. "Hello, there. Who might you be?"

 

"Lafoyae Belrose of Team Rocket. Yourself?" Lafoyae projected kindly as she curtsied at Ryan and Chloe.

"Ryan Sanders." The agent quickly scrambled to his feet and bowed, still caught up in the surreal feeling of rejuvenation. "I'm afraid you must be turned around. This is the training arena, certainly no place for a lady like yourse-" he suddenly grunted in pain as a sharp elbow pierced his stomach, courtesy of Chloe.

 

"Were you on that mission earlier?" Chloe stepped forward - something about what Lafoyae said about a hard tension-filled day made her think back to when Kyle had been showing off the mission.

 

Lafoyae frowned at Ryan's comment. "Even if that lady is a lady of war?" Lafoyae said as she turned to Chloe. "And why yes, I was on that mission. Why do you ask?"

 

"Ryan, don't talk about someone who could probably fight better than you." Chloe said as she gave a small smile. "I heard that it was... intense."

 

The sharp pain seemed to clear Ryan's head a little. "M-my apologies," he said with another hasty bow. "I wasn't thinking clearly. So you fought this . . . Missing Zero, they called it? What was it like?"

 

Lafoyae audibly sighed, and thought about how to go about saying what happened. "It was terrifying, if I may be honest." The woman explained mentally. "It wasn't the first time I had fought them, but it was definitely much more....intimidating, despite us being far more prepared."

 

"You've fought them before?" That got Ryan's attention. "I don't remember you being at the egg on Two Island. When did you . . . ?"

 

Lafoyae quickly explained what had happened on the train, about Pryce, and just how it had fought back then. "Again, this was -far worse-."

 

Ryan exchanged a look with Chloe. His earlier optimism had faded, and fear began to creep back in. "Is there any way to beat them?" he asked quietly. "You make it sound like an impossible battle."

 

"Nothing is unkillable." She said, shooting a steely look at Ryan. "I've been with Team Rocket, and taken down enough targets to know that." The woman then widened her view to both trainers. "Don't tell me you're going to lose hope?"

 

The force of her gaze made Ryan take an instinctive step backward. "Well, your story doesn't exactly inspire confidence."

 

Before Ryan could react, the Rocket Agent darted towards him, and leveled a heavy punch at his chest. "Just because something sounds terrifying, does not make it invincible. She projected, a touch of annoyance in her telepathic voice.  "I'm sorry, but discouragement is the least of what we need right now."

 

Ryan stumbled backward, clutching his chest. "H-hey, I didn't mean--!" He drew a quick breath and exhaled. "You're right. That's why Chloe and I are here in the first place. To better ourselves and prevent further catastrophe." He glanced at the woman's surprisingly formal attire. "You don't look dressed for combat, but that clearly doesn't stop you from throwing a punch. Perhaps you'd like to join us in our little training session?"

 

"If you'll have me, then I am fine with that." Lafoyae replied, before striking a fighting pose. "I kind of destroyed a punching bag, so I'll try my best not to be too vicious....."

 

"Destroyed?" Ryan tried not to let his nervousness show. "Well, um, as long as Chloe has no objections . . ."

 

"I don't have any objections." The woman in question glanced over at Ryan. "Just make sure to go easy on him too, he's just learning the ropes now."

 

"Deal." Lafoyae said, smiling as she sized up Chloe. "What about you? Should I go easy on you?"

 

"Hmm..." Chloe considered things for a moment. "I want to learn how to fight better. If you were able to fight against those things, you must be good at fighting, right?" She tilted her head slightly in curiosity. "If so, then don't go as easy - I have a pretty good grip on fighting, but need some more for this upcoming mission."

"What sort of mission?" She inquired. "I don't care what you are doing, but I may vary up my approach, depending on what you are going to do."[/i]

 

Chloe thought this over for a moment. "It's a... scouting mission, shall you say, that if our earlier stuff is any indication, might end in fighting." She bit her lip - this wasn't info that anyone actually knew outside of their group. "Have you ever heard of the Signs?"

 

"Can't say I have, really." Lafoyae said, frowning a bit. "But, you say your mission is more scouting, huh? I may have some ideas on how to help you...."

 

"It's like... technically we should just have to talk to people, but I don't feel it'll end that easily." The woman scratched her head as she felt uncertain how to explain properly. "Ryan, any way you could help explain?"

 

Ryan bit his lip. He would rather have kept their mission confidential. The less people who knew about it, the better. They knew next to nothing about this Lafoyae person, so how could Chloe so easily trust her? He shook his head. Chloe had already mentioned the Signs; what harm could a simple explanation do? "The Signs tie back to Ford. Somehow they knew about this Missing Zero and that it would eventually come here . . . which is why Ford put together his plan to try and stop it. We're trying to find the leaders of this organization Ford came from to see what else we can learn about our enemy. Most importantly, how we might be able to stop it. Another of our agents recently encountered the Signs, and they don't exactly play nice. So we need to be prepared for the worst in case the apocalypse isn't reason enough for the Signs' head honchos to come to our aid." Ryan leveled a warning eye on the Rocket agent. "All of this is strictly confidential. You must tell no one."

 

"I'll take it with me to the grave." Lafoyae replied, giving a salute to Ryan. "Any idea where they are based? I could help you in more than one way, honestly?"

 

Ryan glanced at Chloe, then back to Lafoyae. "Kalos," he said hesitantly.

 

Lafoyae's eyes flickered a bit when Ryan said that, and then she grinned. "That's my homeland." The Assassin said, her smile in place on her face. I could figure out how to have my family help you......"

 

"That would be . . . much appreciated." Ryan bowed again to hide the wariness on his face. He wanted to trust Lafoyae, but he knew next to nothing about her. They could accept her family's help, but he would have to make sure Chloe and Sonja remained on their guard.

 

"Help would be nice!" Chloe, meanwhile, still seemed a little guarded, but, at the same time, she was more accepting of the help. Besides, her cursory scan of Lafoyae's surface thoughts didn't show any sort of malicious intent regarding this.

 

Ryan glanced up at the two girls. "So, how should we spar? Taking turns one-on-one? Two-against-one? Free-for-all?"

 

Lafoyae thought for a moment, considering the benefits of either idea, before coming to a conclusion. "Why not try one then the other?" she projected in an agreeable tone. "Your mission may require you to fight more than one person at a time, and we need to build you up to that."

 

"Very well, then." Ryan nodded. "Who's first?"

Edited January 15, 2018 by Dr. Hidaka

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan Sanders/Lafoyae Belrose - Training Arenas, The Alamo
"You and me, boy." Lafoyae said, smirking as she projected. "I need to see what you've been taught by this girl."

Ryan got into a fighting stance, doing his best to convey confidence. His legs shook. "Alright. Just don't be too rough. I have a mission tomorrow, after all."

"Yeah, yeah." the assassin said as she struck her own fighting stance. "Wouldn't want you to go in at just 85% efficiency."

Without warning Ryan pushed off from the ground and leapt toward the Rocket agent. His hand formed into a fist aimed at Lafoyae's face, although his true intent was to distract from his leg, which kicked out in an attempt to knock her off balance.

Lafoyae blocked the punch, but was knocked down by Ryan's kick. With the grace of a Persian, she got back up with a whirling motion, and aimed a left hook at Ryan, ready to dodge in case he countered. "Brilliant, you had me fooled." She said, grinning a bit. "Let's see how you handle this!"

Ryan stumbled backward to avoid the punch, giving him no chance to counter. He bit his lip. His opponent was strong -- if he hoped to best her, he would need to rely on more than just skill. "Oh, I can handle you just fine." He returned her grin with an air of confidence while maintaining a safe distance between them. "It would seem all your talk had me worried over nothing."

Without warning, Lafoyae rushed towards Ryan and clapped her hands in front of the trainer's face, aiming to surprise him so she could get an advantage over her sparring partner.

He knew Lafoyae was quick, but he hadn't expected her to be this quick, especially in a dress. He flinched and stumbled backward, trying once again to put distance between himself and her.

Seeing her chance, Lafoyae made a move to grapple Ryan. It was a compromise, considering she couldn't be too rough on him. She artfully pinned Ryan to the ground, taking great care to be gentle with him as she did so.

Ryan really wished he had Chloe's psychic powers right about now. "I'll admit, you're pretty good," he said with a smile. Even as he spoke, he brought his knees up to her stomach in a hard jab, intending to flip her off of him or at least knock the wind out of her.

Lafoyae didn't expect the knee jab, but she knew that letting it press more on her stomach was a bad idea. She let herself flip off of Ryan, landing a bit shakily on her two feet. "I must say, you're a lot more entertaining than a few targets I've had." The woman said, smiling as her telepathic voice echoed in the minds of those present.

"Chloe taught me well," he said with a slight wink at his fellow Liberty agent. "I'm not that strong, nor am I very skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Chloe taught me that the direct approach is a surefire way to get myself killed. I have to be more sneaky if I hope to beat you." He crouched low to the ground and goaded Lafoyae with a "come on" gesture. "So what's with the telepathy? You a psychic, too? I'm impressed you aren't resorting to telekinesis, unlike some people I know. Makes it more of a fair fight."

The Assassin winced a bit at what Ryan said."I wasn't trained in the use of Telekinesis." Lafoyae said as she maintained her stance. "I was born with no voice, so when it was revealed I had the potential to use Psychic abilities, I jumped at the chance to learn Telepathy, so that I could have a voice."

Against his better judgement, Ryan let his guard down. "I'm sorry," he said. "I had no idea. I meant no offense."

Lafoyae took advantage of Ryan lowering his guard, and rushed towards him. Rather than deck him in the face, she did a love tap on his face, leaving herself wide open as well. "I'm not going to knock you out for that." Lafoyae said with a small smile returning to her face. "You didn't know."

"What I do know," Ryan returned as he made for the folds of his opponent's skirt. "Is that you can't move as well in a dress. And as Chloe taught, I must use what I know to my advantage." His hand closed around the fabric as Lafoyae ran past him and he held on tight to trip her up.

At the sensation of her dress being grabbed, Lafoyae knew she was going to fall. So naturally, she grabbed Ryan by his shirt to drag him down with her, using her weight to do so. "You'd be surprised how many of my targets thought that." She said, trying to stifle a mental giggle. "Natually, they underestimated me."

Had this battle happened earlier in the night, Ryan would have been caught unprepared for Lafoyae's counter. However, Chloe had done the exact same thing to him earlier. With a grin he let go of her dress and grabbed both of her arms, shifting their weight to ensure he would land on top of her. He tried not to blush as he pressed against her to prevent her from using his own strategy and kicking him in the stomach. "If you'd wanted a dance," he said with an amused smile. "All you had to do was ask."

Lafoyae replied with a grin, and a headbutt. "How's that for a dance move?"

Ryan grimaced but maintained his grip. "I'm afraid you'll have to try harder than that," he said.

"I'd concede defeat but my Conkeldurr would say otherwise. Lafoyae said as a hulking figure appeared in a flash of light to gently pluck Ryan off of his master, grinning a big sheepishly as he did so. "But the round is yours, in all fairness."

Ryan returned the sheepish grin. "Chloe, looks like you're up. Unless you think we're advanced enough to try our hand at fighting Pokémon now." He looked back at Lafoyae. "I had a mission earlier today that had me fighting a Vigoroth. It was challenging, but with Pokémon unable to use their abilities . . . I'm afraid we have to prepare ourselves for the possibility of facing some of the more, shall we say, muscular ones."

[Flipz]

IC: Amelia Zann/Alex Zyther/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason (Jam) (August 7th)

 

"I promise, Ms. LaDonna, the only ghosts in this cave are Sableye, and they're not really the...er...'ghosty' sort of Ghost-type."

 

Belle shuddered, shaking her head. "Kid, the non-ghosty ones're probably worse than the ones that are." She glared at the entrance to the cave and adjusted her pack. "'Sides, you ain't met Garnet yet."

 

Alma giggled softly as she double checked the hidden pockets in her clothing. "Garnet isn't so bad, Nightshade. She likes you!"

 

"Maybe that's the problem," Amelia quipped. "Belle don't like nobody who ain't tried to kill 'er at least once." She grinned mischieviously as she dodged Belle's retaliatory shove.

 

Alex shook his head at Amelia's antics. As he leaned against one of the mirror-like crystals embedded within the cavern walls, he frowned, sensing...something. "Did you feel that?"

 

The purple-haired woman turned to glare at Alex. "I don't know if you think yer bein' funny or what, but quit it. No freakin' me out with fake ghost stuff, awright?"

 

Alma giggled. "I don't think he would do that. Perhaps Amelia, but not Alex."

 

When Alex only frowned but didn't reply, Amelia headed over herself, mirroring his expression as she laid her hand upon the crystal's reflective surface. "He ain't jokin', I--"

 

Just like that, the sensation ceased. The two exchanged a glance.

 

"...c'mon. Let's keep movin'."

 

With a scoff, Belle turned to continue walking. "So what's the deal with this cave, then, if it ain't ghosts?" Sure, the myriad of extremely reflective crystals was unsettling, with oddly distorted reflections, but it wasn't particularly spooky.

 

Alex brightened visibly at the chance to show off his knowledge. "Ooh! I know! 'Reflection Cave is a cave in western Kalos connecting Route 11 and Shalour City. Many walls in the Reflection Cave are reflective like mirrors, thus explaining the origin of the cave's name. Due to these reflective surfaces, several Trainers--'"

 

Amelia groaned. "If I wanted an encyclopedia I'd buy a Pokédex. What's not boring 'bout it?"

 

Alex stuck his tongue out at Amelia behind her back. "Well, for one thing, it's full of rare Pokémon, like Wobbuffet, Solosis, and...ooh! Carbink, the Jewel Pokémon! Carbink are really rare outside of Kalos, and even here they've only been seen inside Reflection Cave, you'll never find one anywhere else!" Alex stopped short at the sound of a sniffling sob. "...wow. I've heard Carbink are really beautiful, Ms. LaDonna, but I didn't think just a description could bring someone to tears..."

 

Belle snorted. "Ain't me kid." She looked around, trying to determine where the sound was coming from. "Everyone, guards up. We don't know who else might be in here."

 

Alma hummed softly. "There are a lot of ghost types lurking . . . this way." The girl pointed. Shadow peered out of his hiding spot in Alma's shadow and growled. Alma nodded. "They're like revelers at a feast. Perhaps somebody is in trouble?"

 

Belle shrugged. "Sucks for them. Let's keep movin'." She started to do just that.

 

"Perhaps it's a child."

 

Four words stopped Belle mid-stridge. She shot a glare at the albino girl and reached for her belt. "Hemlock, Cyanide, c'mon out." She glanced at Amelia and Alex. "We'll check it out and then hurry on through."

 

Amelia nodded, signalling her Pokémon to her side, while Alex was already clambering ahead. With a sigh, she gestured to Alex's team as well. "Let's go."

 

The quartet advanced into the darkness.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Amelia Zann/Alex Zyther/Belle LaDonna/Alma Mason (Jam) (August 7th)

Belle knew, from the moment she saw the Pokémon, that this was a trap.

Unfortunately, avoiding it was just as clearly not an option.

Amelia seemed to be operating on the same wavelength. "Hang on, there," she warned Alex, grabbing the back of Alex's collar. "Let's not be hasty."

Alex looked back at Amelia with wide eyes. "But she's in trouble..."

Before them, the cave opened up into a large gallery cavern, a number of other exits dimly visible across the open expanse. A number of the cave's signature reflecting crystals hung from the ceiling, the wavering reflections giving the illusion that they teetered dangerously above the floor far below. In the center of the room sat a crying Carbink, her rosy jewels a sharp contrast to her dismal demeanor. She sat atop the clearest crystal they'd yet come across, a flawless natural mirror spanning most of the cavern floor giving the impression of a window above an immense abyss.

Alex pulled free of Amelia's grasp and dropped to the floor, crutches clattering alongside the Kalosian. The Trainer approached the Carbink cautiously, cognizant she could be wary. "Hey." No response. "It's going to be okay. I'll help you," Alex promised.

Behind Alex, Amelia stiffened, her instincts caught between rushing in to drag Alex back and keeping out of the way of an obvious impending disaster. "Alex..." she hissed.

The Carbink looked up at Alex, her red eyes widening in horror. She squeaked at him, but whatever words she'd tried to use failed to emerge without the aid of telepathy.

"It's all right," Alex reassured, "I'm not going to hurt you."

The Trainer failed to see the slowly-materializing gem-eyed ghost reflected in the Carbink's gaze...but Alma didn't.'

Alma stepped forward, reaching out both physically and . . . not, to stop the ghost type. "Stop!" she cried out, putting as much of her force as she could behind the word. The creature halted, turning its head to peer at the girl.

Belle stared in wonder as the Sableye just . . . stopped. She'd known Alma favored ghost types, but she hadn't realized the full extent of it.

Alma glared at the gem-eyed creature. "Be gone from here, you and all your friends. I do not wish to see any of you lurking while I remain here."

There was a tense moment as the Sableye processed what was said. Then, a horrible grin split its mouth, and it lunged at the albino. The girl's eyes widened in shock and she threw herself to the side to avoid the creature's claws. As she scrambled for balance, more ghosts appeared from the various exits off of this room.

Belle frowned, eyes darting to try and find an escape. None was forthcoming. "Pond, I'm not seein' a way outta this one!"

Amelia drew her gun, but held back from firing, knowing full well the ghosts would be uninjured unless caught unawares. Her gaze darted from exit to exit, enemy to enemy, as the assembling Sableye drew the net tighter around the group.

Didi squealed threateningly, but to little effect, as the terrified Raleigh practically adhered himself to Alex's side. The Trainer, for his own part, raced to the Carbink, shielding her with his own body as a particularly-aggressive specimen rushed in for its snack.

Out of nowhere, the blow was blocked by an angrily-hissing Harvey, the Larvitar taking the blow much like the Substitutes often made in its species' image. Meanwhile, Sina slashed out at one of the Sableye striking at Belle; the blow passed harmlessly through the Ghost-type, but it still proved enough to draw the opponent's attention and send it off-course.

The net tightened. The enemies moved in, falling back for mere moments before turning the momentum back against the party. It was only a matter of time before they were overrun--

BANG

Shards of crystal rained down upon the battlefield as Amelia fired once into the ceiling. The unexpected gunshot had startled all of the combatants--even the aggressors--but after a few moments' hesitation they resumed their advance. With a grimace of dismay, Amelia prepared to let off a second shot, before a rumble shook the battlefield, stopping her. "What in...?"

The earth rumbled again, stronger, and Amelia looked nervously up at the stalactites swaying above them.

Suddenly, two things happened in rapid succession:

First, a bright indigo Pokémon burst free of the ceiling above, shrugging off shards of rubble like a harmless rain as it descended upon the assembled Pokémon. Second, in response to the explosion of stony shards the stalactites above snapped loose, the enormous crystals plummeting down like the rocks they were--directly above the helpless crew.

Shadow grabbed Alma, spreading himself to cover her from the shards falling from above. Hemlock shot towards the boy and the Carbink in the middle of the cave. Agilely, she scooped both onto her back.

Belle had hopped on Cyanide's back, and the Metang grabbed Amelia quickly. Belle cursed. "I'm not--" she stopped as something caught her eye. What she had at first taken as another wall of reflective crystal now appeared to be an entrance to another part of the cavern. "There!" She pointed. "Go, go, go!"

The group rushed for the exit. Alma, carried by Shadow, looked back as a large boulder slammed into the ground. A wave of crystal rose behind them, caught them, overtook them. They were launced forcefully through, and the world turned dark.

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

 

Alma came too a minute or two before the others. The light that had filtered through the cave crystals had dimmed, but her eyes were more adept at seeing in the dark anyways. As she sat up, she could see someone coming down the tunnel towards them. Weak as she was, she pulled a knife from her apron and brandished it in front of her. "Who's there?" She challenged, trying to conceal the shaking of her hand.

[Parugi]

IC - ? - Kalos, Reflection Cave:

 

The man's features were difficult to make out as he rounded the corner--the mirrors behind him served to reflect the light from an opening above, casting him in a silhouette that obscured his features. Still, the shadowy shape of the man could emote as effectively as ever, and it was clear from the toss of his hands into the air that Alma had caught him off guard.

 

"Whoa, kiddo--I yield," he said. His voice was young, calm and smooth--a silk thread spun from a silver tongue. His boot crunched against shards of glass as he took a slow step forward. "Hey--I'm unarmed, just patrolling this area with my partner. Nothing to it." A shift of his head down indicated that he had noticed the unconscious bodies around Alma. One hand changed position, pointing. "Are your friends alright? We can help you out."

 

He took another step forward. The light of the large mirror behind Alma cast the man in a soft, pinkish glow, illuminating his features. He wore a black coat adorned with golden buttons over a bright yellow shirt, which contrasted sharply with the dark brown pants he wore. His short, golden hair lay largely hidden underneath a black bandanna adorned with a golden skull, drawing attention away from his pale, youthful face. All of this served to complement his eyes, which shone with a brilliant golden sheen.

 

"My name is Seth," he said. "But lately I've become better known as Tyler--Tyler McKinley." McKinley offered a kind smile. "On behalf of one John Ford, I offer you the services of the Signs. Now, would you consider lowering the knife?"

Edited January 20, 2018 by Parugi

[Dr. Hidaka]

-==IC: Chloe Hikari/Lafoyae Belrose/Ryan Sanders==-

 

"I'll take her!" Chloe squeaked out, as she instinctively took a step back.

 

"What's wrong, Chloe?" Ryan laughed as the Conkeldurr gently set him down on the ground. "Does our Rocket friend's prowess scare you?"

 

Lafoyae tilted her head at Chloe's reaction to her, but was it really towards her or......her Conkeldurr? "I'd hope it's not my prowess." The woman directed her thoughts at the girl. "It'd be poor form of me to scare my sparring partner...."

Chloe shook her head. "Not you or your prowess." She bit her lip as she felt uncertain how to explain best. Instead, she tried her best to put on a brave face again. "I'm ready when you are."

 

"Very well." Lafoyae said as she returned her Conkeldurr to his poke ball, and then darted at Chloe, fists raised in a manner similar to how a boxer would rush.

 

Chloe stepped to the side quickly as she attempted to gauge what Lafoyae might do next. She ducked down quickly, and swept her leg out to attempt to trip up her opponent before anything bad could actually happen.

 

Lafoyae handily dodged Chloe's attempt to trip her up, grinning as she leveled a punch at her foe's gut. "The same trick won't work twice." The woman projected, a note of mischief in her voice.

 

Chloe twisted her arms quickly to block the brunt of the blow, and staggered back. Her foe was certainly fast - there needed to be something she could do to get past this. The woman raised her arms into a blocking stance as she cautiously circled around her opponent, waiting for something she could use.

 

Lafoyae, upon seeing Chloe assuming a guard stance, decided that a change in tactics was in order. She rushed towards the Psychic and grabbed her arms, aiming to break her stance so the assassin could get her onto the ground for a pin. What surprised Lafoyae, was how easy it was to break through her defenses.

 

Chloe quickly attempted to formulate a backup plan. Without seeing any other real idea here, she attempted to push back against Lafoyae, to at the least prevent her from pinning her to the ground. She needed to find a way to free her arms still, but. . .

 

Whereas breaking Chloe's defenses was the easy part, the hard part was knocking her down. Considering her options, she decided to aim a kick to her foe's left shin. Hopefully the pain would be distracting enough to allow Laf to try for another pin.

 

Chloe yelped out as the foot connected with her shin. She felt her knee buckle slightly under the pain and reflexively attempted to blast Lafoyae back with telekinesis, even though this was a hand-to-hand fight that had so far been without powers.

 

Lafoyae was pushed back by the blast of telekinetic energy, and knocked onto her rear, a look of surprise on her face. "Sheesh, I'm beginning to lament my focus on telepathy now." She said as she got back up, loosening up her neck in the process. "Well, now that I see that, I'll just have to pay you back -double- for that." She then rushed towards Chloe again, a fierce look on her face as she readied herself to dive into Chloe.

 

Chloe was caught off guard by the sudden dive and tumbled across the ground with Lafoyae from the momentum. However, before she could get actually pinned, she quickly brought her feet up and aimed to kick her foe off of her.

 

Lafoyae was knocked away by the kick, but landed with grace away from her tenacious target. Smiling, the woman considered her next move, deciding on another leap while Chloe was getting back up. "I must say, you're quite good...." The woman projected in an amused tone. "Did anyone teach you, or is it all you?"

 

"I took a course here in Liberty when I first joined." As Chloe saw the movement, she paused in getting up. Instead, she clenched her fist and punched out as Lafoyae aimed to tackle her again. She felt the punch connect, but her foe also crashed into her, which sent her rolling backwards again with a groan.

 

The punch had connected and made Lafoyae gasp in pain, but her goal was achieved. However, due to the previous fight with Ryan, her earlier mauling of the punching bag, and how much more involved this fight was, the Rocket Agent was totally exhausted. Gasping, she rolled off of the girl, gasping as she did so. "You've definitely got promise, that's for sure." She replied, her mental voice sounding tired as well. "What do you say to a draw?"

 

Chloe panted as she just laid on her back as well. A lot of the pain from the fight suddenly washed over her as she grimaced. "... Sounds good..." She managed to groan out as she stared at the ceiling. "You're pretty good, though. That shin kick, though, not cool." The woman grimaced some more as she sat up and put her hand on her poor leg.

 

"I was taught to do anything to win in a fight." Lafoyae replied, stifling a mental chuckle as she continued to lay on the ground. " I do apologize for it, regardless. At least you paid me back with that telekinetic burst."

 

Chloe giggled a bit in return as she nodded. "Do you have any tips for what I could do to get better?"

 

"Trickery is a good tool in a fight." Lafoyae replied kindly. "In a life or death situation, anything is fair game. Biting, headbutts, etc. Think like a Dark-Type."

 

Chloe found the irony of that rather amusing, but nodded. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Good fighting! I hope we can have a rematch sometime." The psychic extended her hand with a smile, but then seemed to remember something, and dug around in her bag for a book. "Oh, here, you can have this. I've made a bunch of notes in my Pokegear that I can refer to and memorized most of the rest. It's a book to practice psychic abilities."

 

Lafoyae was surprised at what Chloe was offering her, but even moreso at the possibilities this meant for her. "I thank you for this gift, and for the sparring." The woman broadcast  gratefully. "I'll be sure to practice as much as possible." She then took the book, a smile on her face.

 

"So what, was my fight not enough of a life-or-death situation?" Ryan said with an amused chuckle. "Seriously though, good fight, you two. It looks like I've still got a lot to learn."

Edited January 20, 2018 by Dr. Hidaka

[MELON LORD]

IC: Alma Mason/Belle LaDonna

 

Slowly, the girl did as requested. She looked around, worrying at her lip briefly. "We should tend to them, yes. There was a battle, but .. .  I don't see the chamber we came from." Not technically true; the room they were standing in seemed like an exact duplicate of the cavern they had just been in, down to the placement of the tunnels leading off of it. Still, she was certain they had been flung from that area to this one.

 

Shadow rose from her shadow, frowning softly as he, too, looked around. Shards of crystal littered the floor, but not nearly as many as there should have been. Slowly, the girl limped -- her right leg was pained, badly enough that she could not simply ignore it -- over to Belle and shook her lightly.

 

The purple-haired woman came to slowly and sat up with a wince. Blood dripped from her cheek and ran down her arms from numerous cuts. "What happened?" she mumbled, putting a hand to her head. "We alive, or are ya also the grim reaper, Alms?"

 

The girl chuckled. "We are alive, Nightshade. Somehow." She looked up at the man who had found them. "Mr. McKinley here has offered us the assistance of his organization."

 

Belle eyed the man up and down carefully, then nodded. "Sounds good. Lessee if we can git these two awake." So saying, she crawled the foot or so to shake Amelia lightly. Alma moved to do the same with Alex.

 

OOC: Notes because there's not a very natural way to mention: Belle's sunglasses are shattered, and Alma's dress has a few small tears in it as a result of the crystal death explosion.

[Flipz]

-==IC: ???==- (night of August 5th)

 

A black-furred Pokémon scampered up a drainpipe, silent as the night itself. Cautiously, making certain no humans could hear, he stood up atop the roof and let out a series of rhythmic squeaks. A few moments later, half a dozen identical silhouettes appeared atop the nearby roofs. One of them detached itself from its perch and scurried across to the first Pokémon.

 

<"Trouble, boss?">

 

<"Possibly. What's the report?">

 

<"We ain't having much in the way of luck, boss. Most around here are too committed to the humans, and most of the rest are too fearful to leave their dens. There's a few who'll show, but it ain't much. Sorry, boss.">

 

<"It's all right. We'll simply widen our search. There's signs of a larger colony near the human settlement to the north.">

 

The second Pokémon squeaked its displeasure. <"You ranged that far out? Boss, I know this is important, but surely the Boss back home wouldn't approve--">

 

<"Enough. Mother would not approve, but one must lower their nose to follow a scent. And the scent I've found is...tantalizing.">

 

<"That may be, but the Boss tasked us with your safety. Were you seen?">

 

<"Not by humans. But yes, by their servants.">

 

<"Were you followed?">

 

<"I cannot be sure.">

 

The second Pokémon sighed. <"Boss, you can't be puttin' yourself in danger like this.">

 

<"For our cousins--">

 

<"Forget our 'cousins', they're still foreigners, they ain't you, and you're more important.">

 

<"That is a grave insult to levy, when in fact we are the foreigners in this land--">

 

<"Yeah, well, that's still less important than your safety. Look, boss, it's gettin' late anyway, why don't me and the boys take you up to Payat and then we'll keep up the search? That way you'll be nice and safe, and we can keep on looking without having to worry about you.">

 

<"Very well. Our partners' search is likely in a similar state. They no doubt await word of our progress.">

 

<"...Sure, we'll go wit that."> Shaking his head, the second Pokémon sent out a call to the others, and the group formed up to escort their young leader into the night.

 

 

-==IC: Mt. Payat==-

 

Nani was nervous. Though the group's sponsors had assured her of her new partner's reliability and his devotion to whatever cause to which he laid claim, no matter who he was he was still what he was--namely, the heir to a legacy that could be considered questionable at best. She unconsciously dipped her head, ears flattened back, at the thought of the dark matriarch to whom she'd gone for aid. Still, she mentally consoled herself, she's responsible, she'll keep to her word, and she'll keep things safe and under control until I get back. She's not some lolo like--

 

<"Are you pacing again?">

 

Nani's fur bristled, but a few deep breaths helped he restore her patience. <"Yes, Fini. I think better on my feet, we've been over this a dozen times...">

 

Fini sat back on her haunches and shrugged. <"Not sure what there is to think about. And from what I've seen, that tactic doesn't seem to be working out for you. You should try out a new one.">

 

Nani struggled not to roll her eyes at her fellow Rockruff; the alliance between their two islands was too important to jeopardize with a display of immaturity. <"I'd be more relaxed if our partners would just show up...">

 

<"Oh, you too?"> Fini waggled her eyebrows suggestively, baring her teeth with a mischievous grin.

 

Nani's facade shattered. <"Wh--no! What is wrong with you??">

 

<"Oh, come on! Dark, brooding loner with no fear--who doesn't want someone like that?">

 

Someone with more important things on her mind.

 

<"Like what?">

 

It took Nani a second to realize she'd spoken aloud. She grimaced. Good job, Nani, diplomat of the friggin' year. If she could have picked anyone else to handle this she would have, but there was only one other candidate--

 

<"Nani?">

 

<"My sister!"> She snapped, baring her own fangs in a clipped snarl--a threat, but not quite a challenge.

 

Fini was unfazed, tilting her head in confusion rather than submission. <"You have a sister?">

 

<"Back on the island. My baby sister's the most important thing in my life. I hate having to leave her back behind, but better than dragging her all the way out here."> All the way out here, where who-knows-what could be waiting to just snatch her up...no, far better, far safer for her to stay home, where she was safe, where she was--

 

<"...that's nice."> After nonchalantly grooming her paw, Fini stood and turned tail, casually trotting away.

 

<"Wha--where are you going?">

 

<"I dunno. Somewhere else?">

 

Nani stared at her Poni Island counterpart. What kind of crazyhead Berries do they grow over there?

 

Barely had Fini turned back to the path when she spotted someone else approaching. <"Oh look, they're here. Hi, Mal. Mu.">

 

The pair of black-furred Ratatta reached the top of the path, the first nodding casually at the two Rockruff while the second stood and then dipped into a respectful bow to each of them. <"Lady Fini. Lady Nani. Please forgive our tardiness.">

 

Nani waved away the apology. <"It's fine, how are things going?">

 

<Well, we got a few stragglers,> Mal answered, <"but mosta the lot ain't keen on leaving the safety of their dens.">

 

Mu nodded solemnly. <"It is as my lieutenant says. I have hopes for some of the warrens further to the north, but--">

 

<"But there's way too many humans there, packed too close to hide from,"> Nani finished. <"I understand. We've had similar problems avoiding human interference. Thank you for trying anyway.">

 

Mu gave Nani a strange look, as if her interruption had not been what he'd had in mind. <"On the contrary, my subordinates are well equipped for such subterfuge, we merely wished to inform you before we--">

 

<"--before I go back to the others and lead them in."> Mal shot Mu a pointed look before scampering away back down the mountain.

 

With a sigh, Mu resigned himself to inaction. <"My subordinate fears for my well-being. I apologize if my presence is an inconvenience.">

 

<"Nah, apparently Nani doesn't care if you're around.">

 

Nani briefly considered whether the benefits of marooning Fini on the island would be worth the wrath she'd face once Fini's parents found out. <"Didn't you just say you were going somewhere, Fini?">

 

The Poni Rockruff tilted her head, considering the matter solemnly, before shrugging and strolling away.

 

With Fini gone, Nani finally let out a sigh of relief, only to remember Mu's presence with a start. <"Sorry. About her, I mean.">

 

The dark-furred rodent tilted his head at her. <"Curious.">

 

<"...curious?">

 

Mu shook his head. <"I apologize. It is not my place to question.">

 

Well that's not leading at all. Despite her better judgement, she decided to bite. <"...question what, exactly?">

 

The Ratatta studied Nani a few moments, nose cautiously testing her scent. <"It is...strange, the relationship between you and your subordinate. How does your organization maintain obedience when disrespect of such caliber is allowed?">

 

<"Organization...? Oh...right."> At any other time she'd find the thought of being compared to a mob boss quite literally laughable, but in her present state the best she could manage was a lopsided grimace passing for a smile. <"Our alliance isn't quite like that. We're not really some cohesive unit, we're just from around Alola. Fini's from Poni, I'm from Melemele--the goal was to get at least someone from each island to represent their community, so the standards were kinda...">

 

<"...relaxed?">

 

Nani snorted. <"Nonexistent, more like it. If I'd known Poni Island would send such a lolo...">

 

<"It is most...unusual.">

 

<"Yeah, well, it's not like we can send out hit Pokémon to maintain discipline."> The words hung in the air for a horrifying half-second before Nani rushed to fill the space. <"I am...SO sorry, I didn't mean--">

 

Mu shrugged. <"No apology is necessary. You speak the truth. There is no sense in failing to acknowledge it.">

 

Nani nodded sheepishly. <"It still feels...I don't know. Not polite?">

 

The mob prince merely shrugged impassively. A cold silence stretched across the mountaintop, the wind icily brisk despite the rest of the island's more temperate climate. Below them, in the scattered spaces still unpolluted by the light of humanity's handiwork, the other island representatives ranged across Four Island, seeking Pokémon dedicated to their traditional fighting spirit, whose lungs still drew in the breath of the wild, and inviting them to the night's gathering. It was more difficult than they'd first expected to find individuals untethered from the humans sprawled across the land--it seemed that Kanto had lost much of its wildness over the years--but Nani still held out hope that her parents' ideals could be spread to the untamed masses of Kanto...

 

...if she didn't die of boredom first. Nani did her best not to show her nerves, but stoic silence was not exactly her forte. Unlike him, apparently. Mu stood staring stoically into the distance, his gaze flickering occasionally to one of the human settlements--no doubt the one where his men were trying to make contact with the warrens of their Kantonian bretheren. The mob prince was...odd, to say the least. Confusing. Maybe a little intriguing. And if that girl ever finds out...

 

<"You seem troubled.">

 

<"...What?">

 

<"Your bearing just now. It seemed most agitated.">

 

Nani shivered. Bad enough to be working with the mob, without its dark prince seeming to read her mind. <"Just...thinking. About you--uh, I mean, when you got separated from us. We were all so worried..."> ...about what your mother was going to do to us. <"...how did you get here after that, anyway?">

 

<"Ah. Well, Lady Nani, that is an interesting story...">

Edited January 21, 2018 by Flipz

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Mu - Mt. Payat

 

After our... acquaintance from Ula'Ula and I fell from the ship, I clung to driftwood for survival. Between the waves, the cold and the more than one predator from the sea and the sky taking swipes at me, I rated my chances of surviving pretty low. But I kept myself afloat. The current would take me to land if I just held on. I held on to that belief and kept myself above water.

 

True to my belief, I found myself washed ashore near some sewers in some city in Kanto. Much to my surprise, our acquaintance had reached there first. And he wasn't alone.

 

There was a gang of Grimer, there. A young group of some potential. Any discipline in that group is maintained solely by the strength of their leader, but the seeds were there. I was brought before said leader because I was trespassing on his territory, and because our acquaintance had sought their protection.

 

Fortunately their leader was in a good mood. Apparently his daughter was visiting from out of town and he was feeling magnanimous. In exchange for forgiving our acquaintance's debts, he would help me find a boat to this island. If I was not tired from drifting, I might have been more concerned with projecting strength, but at the time I was glad to know that I could rejoin everyone here, so I agreed.

 

I traveled with one of their Grimer as a guide. He took me to a port city some ways away from the city I wound up in. We searched the human settlement for a boat that would take me to this island. Then our story took a turn.

 

There was a human who was speaking about going to this island. He was speaking to another under the shade of an awning. And his eyes were briefly glowing red above countless bags. Even when the glow was gone, I could tell looking at him that there was something wrong with him. My companion froze immediately, and begged me not to go closer. The human turned his head barely an inch closer to where we were and he fled.

 

I had been close to drowning, starving, freezing or being eaten earlier and I wasn't scared. But this human scared me. I felt like if I went near him he would kill me. I didn't even know if he knew I was there, but I couldn't move.

 

I felt fear like that once before. Tell me, have you ever seen Tapu Koko mad?

 

I wouldn't have thought so. I have. The poor sap that crossed Tapu Koko didn't know what he was getting into. I was too enamored by the guardian's appearance that I didn't notice whatever sleight he did. Tapu Koko was... vicious. I still reel a bit when I hear thunder.

 

I took one step back when I realized something. Mother always shielded me from the world against my wishes. And now the world was before me and I was scared. A choice was laid before me. I could seek another boat, prove my mother right that I wasn't ready. Or I could take the boat I knew would take me there, and bury that fear.

 

And I decided then. Fine, I'll take you on Tapu Koko.

 

I found the ship they were talking about and stowed aboard. I heard that human step aboard. For a moment I thought he knew I was there. He turned towards me for a moment before someone pushed him away. Didn't see him after that, but I felt his presence the entire trip.

 

Anyway that's how I got here.

Edited January 21, 2018 by Metal Gear Minun

[Flipz]

IC: Alma Mason/Belle LaDonna

 

Slowly, the girl did as requested. She looked around, worrying at her lip briefly. "We should tend to them, yes. There was a battle, but .. .  I don't see the chamber we came from." Not technically true; the room they were standing in seemed like an exact duplicate of the cavern they had just been in, down to the placement of the tunnels leading off of it. Still, she was certain they had been flung from that area to this one.

 

Shadow rose from her shadow, frowning softly as he, too, looked around. Shards of crystal littered the floor, but not nearly as many as there should have been. Slowly, the girl limped -- her right leg was pained, badly enough that she could not simply ignore it -- over to Belle and shook her lightly.

 

The purple-haired woman came to slowly and sat up with a wince. Blood dripped from her cheek and ran down her arms from numerous cuts. "What happened?" she mumbled, putting a hand to her head. "We alive, or are ya also the grim reaper, Alms?"

 

The girl chuckled. "We are alive, Nightshade. Somehow." She looked up at the man who had found them. "Mr. McKinley here has offered us the assistance of his organization."

 

Belle eyed the man up and down carefully, then nodded. "Sounds good. Lessee if we can git these two awake." So saying, she crawled the foot or so to shake Amelia lightly. Alma moved to do the same with Alex.

 

OOC: Notes because there's not a very natural way to mention: Belle's sunglasses are shattered, and Alma's dress has a few small tears in it as a result of the crystal death explosion.

IC: Amelia Zann/Alex Zyther

 

At Belle's touch, Amelia smiled softly, before her return to consciousness launched her into an instinctive leap away from the contact. It was only a few seconds after that she spotted Belle's crestfallen face. "...Sorry, Blake. Force'a habit. Least I didn't punch ya this time?"

 

"...you suck at apologies, Pond."

 

Amelia snickered along with her friend. "Yeah, ah git that a lot." She frowned suspiciously at the well-dressed man standing a short distance away from them. "Who's your friend?"

 

Alex, meanwhile, was by far the worse for wear. While Amelia had emerged with her fair share of bruises and scratches, Alex awoke with a hiss as his whole back burned as if aflame. The noise awoke the Carbink he'd saved, as well as his own Pokémon. Squeaking in dismay, Didi tried to shock the others back to consciousness, while Raleigh instinctively tried to gather energy for a Heal Pulse, but their simultaneous failures reminded them of their present powerlessness. With gritted teeth, Alex sat up, the Kalosian's back an array of shredded skin and crushed crystal. Setting aside his own pain, however, Alex looked to the pink Carbink whose peril had prompted their problems. "Are you all right?" The Rock-type wilted guiltily, but nodded; at this confirmation, Alex turned his concern to the rest of the group with a grimace. "How about everyone else?"

[Metal Gear Minun]

-==IC: Nani/Mu==-

 

<"That's . . .">  Despite herself, Nani found herself impressed.  The sheer tenacity . . .  <"I don't think I could ever challenge our guardian deity.  My family -- we owe him so much.">  She stared down at her paws, lost in thought.  <"You know, Tapu Koko was the first champion of Clawmark Hill.  Legend says that once he got bored with his never-ending victories he passed on the mantle to the first two Lycanroc, the only Pokémon who'd stood up to more than a single attack.  My sister and I are their long-distant descendants.">

 

The Rattata shook his head slightly. <”I would not be concerned.  A challenge is as good as a prayer to Tapu Koko. But such a legacy can indeed be a heavy burden to bear.”>

 

<"More than you know . . .">

 

A rhythmic tapping sound accompanied by a gentle jingling marked the arrival of the other island representatives, its source the female Hakamo-o at the head of the procession.  Mitama tapped her staff idly against the ground as she looked up at the stars. <“The time is drawing close. Somebody should greet our guests.”>

 

Nani was suddenly all business.  <"How many do we have?">

 

The dragon-type shrugged softly. <”Somewhere between twenty and forty, I am not sure the exact number.”>

 

That caught Mu’s attention.  <”Quite impressive. Our team had difficulties in finding willing participants.”>

 

<"Well . . . we . . . may have cut some corners . . .">  The Wimpod representing Ula’ula, suddenly realizing the scrutiny he’d drawn upon himself, dove behind Mitama in fear.

 

Nani's fur bristled.  <". . . are you saying you have invited those bound to humans to join our rite?">

 

<"Oh, lighten up.">  The voice, from the back of the pack, came from Fini.  <"Humans aren't the worst thing in the world, you know.">

 

Nani's eyes narrowed, the Rockruff baring her fangs at her counterpart.  <"Humans care not for what is sacred to us.  Humans take whatever they want, discarding their scraps for the rest of the world to fight over.  Humans are no doubt the reason we’re powerless in the first place!">

 

Fini scowled at the older Rockruff.  <"You don't know that.">

 

<"No.  But who else could it be?">

 

The Wimpod, emboldened by his position behind Mitama and her thick, clanging scales, spoke up in challenge.  <"I mean . . . that . . . uh . . . doesn't really seem fair?  To the humans?">

 

<"Enough,”> Mu interjected.  <”We have our participants.  Let us prepare for their arrival.">

 

With Mu’s proclamation, the Alolan Pokémon set to work, clearing debris and even moving a few small boulders in preparation for the night’s gathering.  With the tasks suitably divided -- and her assistance apparently unwanted, judging by the looks the Wimpod kept giving her -- Nani was left with nothing to do but resume her earlier pacing.  Lost in her thoughts once more, it took several minutes before the Melemele representative noticed Fini staring at her from nearby.  <"What do you want?"> Nani asked, perhaps a bit more harshly than she’d initially intended.

 

<"You know what your problem is, Nani?  You're way too serious.  Sit back.  Relax.  Stop worrying about stuff you can't do anything about, and just take the time to enjoy life.  We've got more than enough for it.">

 

<"Yeah, well maybe if you had some actual responsibilities you wouldn't be so . . . lax about everything.">

 

Fini shrugged.  <"I do.  I've just figured out that obsession's a losing strategy.  Have a nice walk.">

 

[MELON LORD]

-==IC: Psyka/Ellen/Vixen/Lucas/Nyx (Espurr, Eevee, Fennekin; Trainer: Xander Cruize; Cubone; Trainer: Claus Diamond; Eevee; Trainer: Richard Apollo)==-

 

At the peak of Mt. Payat, the moon shone down brightly upon the wide stony space overlooking the island's interior.  Atop it, a throng of wild Pokémon gathered, eyeing each other warily as they waited for someone to explain why they'd been invited.  A medium-sized boulder sat near the space's center, guarded by a number of the same strange black-furred Ratatta Lucas had followed to the assembly.  The Cubone glanced in annoyance toward the nervous Eevee beside him, who'd earlier stopped him from following their leader any further up the mountain, only relenting once the mass of strangers had arrived.  As more participants continued to trickle in, Lucas made to join them, but with a wail Nyx grabbed his leg and tugged him back.  This time, however, he would not be deterred; an important-looking Rock-type had leaped atop the boulder and stepped forward to speak, and Lucas was not about to miss their explanation.  He yanked himself free of Nyx's grasp, leaving the skittish Eevee to choose between following or being left on her own.  After a few moments of increasingly anxious vacillation, she opted for the former, ears and tail tucked low as she followed the Ground-type into the crowd.

 

Not far away, a trio of Pokémon approached the gathering behind the last of the stragglers.  Though Psyka had ranged far on her midnight strolls, never before had she ventured quite this far alone -- but then, never before had she seen so many wild Pokémon gathering across so great a distance.  Psyka noted with some interest that not only were natural enemies tolerating each other -- a Zangoose and a Seviper, specifically, stood within ten feet of each other without attacking -- but that Pokémon that were normally solitary were here in small groups. A small cluster of fellow Espurr particularly caught her eye. She offered a small wave of her paw at them. What really stood out, though, were the unrecognizable breeds. The black-furred Rattata that had led many of the groups here, the strange rock-dogs, and, watching over the others with a sharp, stern eye, some sort of dragon. It stood with its arms crossed, looking extremely serious about whatever this was.

 

As the foreign canine made her debut, Vixen watched with an unusual interest, perplexed by the unfamiliar Rock-type and her strange gathering.  After a moment’s hesitation and an intake of breath, the Pokémon began speaking with something approaching confidence.

 

<”Alola, fellow Pokémon.  I am Nani, chieftess of Clawmark Hill.  We come to you tonight with greetings from the Alola region, the island chain far to our west.”>  The Pokémon paused, though whether for her consideration or theirs it was unclear.  <”You’re probably wondering why we’ve asked you here tonight.  Well . . . it is . . . a bit of a long story.  On my home island, my ancestors helped found an association of wild Pokémon at Clawmark Hill, a sacred mountain blessed by Tapu Koko himself, untouched by human hands.  There, we practice the art of battle, training to improve ourselves free of outside interference.”>

 

The two foxes in the trio bristled notably, with the Fennekin baring her fangs in a soft growl.

 

<”We hope to share this practice with you, our Kantonian cousins, in the hope we may all better ourselves no matter our region or background.”>

 

<”Yeah, what’s your plan for that?”> Vixen challenged from the crowd.  <”Do you still have your attacks and abilities, or are you just blowing a bunch of hot air instead of an Ember?”>

 

<”Chill, cuz,”> a relaxed-looking Pokémon of Nani’s species piped up.  <”Who says we need powers to fight?  It’s boring sticking to the same thing all the time, anyway, why not try something new?”>

 

<”Yes, thank you, Fini, we were just getting to that,”> Nani cut in, the annoyed interjection a stark contrast to the stiff, formal tone she’d started with and now resumed as she attempted to regain her verbal footing.  <”As I was saying, we have chosen to come here now in light of the recent loss of many of our powers.  These events have devastated our communities all across Alola, and, from what rumors we've heard, had been just as bad around the entire world.  It is our hope that working together, we may uncover a solution.">

 

The crowd grew restless.

 

<”Solution?”>

 

<”It’s been five days!”>

 

<”Bunch of foreigners thinkin’ they’re gonna come and just fix our problems.”>

 

Psyka, Ellen, and Vixen all traded looks. Vixen shifted her weight back and forth. <”Do you think this will really work?”>

 

Psyka frowned, shrugging. <”Anything is possible, I suppose, but I would not hold my breath. If it were that simple, we would have figured it out by now.”>

Ellen nodded. <”I think you’re right. But, we might want to give it a shot, just on the off chance. Right?”>

 

The other two nodded, and the trio moved forward to stand closer to the Rock-type.

 

Lucas stood on a small rock near the back of the crowd, using the height to allow him to see the Rock-type canines, with Nyx hanging on close behind him. These Pokémon were promising a lot more than they could likely keep, but right now, he needed a lot more than he had.

 

Though obviously aware of the crowd’s dissatisfaction, Nani awkwardly continued her now obviously pre-prepared speech, struggling to maintain the ‘inspiring’ tone she’d chosen for the monologue.  <”A-anyway, shortly after the disaster struck, an alliance was formed, with each island sending a number of representatives to discuss means of restoring our lost abilities.  Our spiritual advisor, Mitama--”> here she indicated the larger Dragon-type behind her <”--suggested that cleansing the spirit through non-powered battle may prove to be the key.  She believes that such an experience may still hone our energies enough to allow us to evolve, and that evolution may provide the key to regaining what we’ve lost.  Realizing that other regions might lack the tradition of our own Clawmark Hill, we decided to spread our quest outward, beginning with the region from which many of our own ancestors are descended; thus, with the generous assistance of Madame Raticate, represented tonight by her son Mu, we will be hosting the first battle at Payat Peak this very night!  Now, to start things off . . . Mu, will you please join me?">  

 

With Mu’s minions ushering the crowd back, the trio of Psyka, Ellen, and Vixen found themselves on the front lines of a small naturally-defined battle arena.  Dominated by the announcement boulder in the center, two small ridges jutted up on opposite edges of the arena, and it was from atop those ridges that the two combatants surveyed their battlefield.  The armored Dragon-type Nani had indicated as their spiritual advisor moved to one side, standing along one of the two borders defined only by the edge of the crowd -- coincidentally enough, placing her almost directly in front of Lucas and Nyx, and opposite Xander’s Pokémon.  Mitama tapped her staff four times upon the ground, before raising her voice to address both the crowd and the combatants.  <”In the name of Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Fini, as well as this land’s guardian deities, whomever they may be, I dedicate this night of battle to their honor.  Begin!”>

 

IC: Xander Cruize/Chloe Hikari - Alamo Barracks, Unreasonable Hour

Xander snapped awake from a fitful sleep. A moment to get his bearings revealed it was still dark out. So why was he awake? Had there been --

A knock on the door startled him, but he rolled out of bed and staggered over. Still shirtless, he opened the door, rubbing at one purple eye. He stifled a yawn and frowned. "Chloe? What's going on?"

The girl raised an eyebrow, but gave a small smile. "I think I forgot something earlier."

With a soft chuckle of disbelief, Xander stepped aside. "Really? Couldn't have waited--" He glanced at the clock. "five more hours to get it? Yeah, come on in."

"Probably could have, but I've never been good at waiting." Chloe glanced around as she walked into the room, as she tried to see what she had left behind earlier.

Xander closed the door and nodded. "Fair enough. I'm pretty impatient, too." He moved to help her look, though he wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for. Something out of place, that didn't belong to him. Simple enough to find.

"Aha! Here it is." Chloe smiled, as she found a hairclip that had fallen out of the shopping bag earlier. She stood up, and clipped it into her hair with a giggle. "I thought it was in my backpack, but it must've gotten caught in my other clothes."

As Chloe straightened, Xander looked up and paused. Chloe was frame in moonlight filtering in through the curtains. The girl seemed ethereal, her auburn hair lit with silver light, her green eyes shining. The psychic boy blushed. "Wow . . ." he muttered without realizing it.

"Hm? Did you say something?" The girl glanced over at Xander with a small smile as she took a step toward him. "I thought you said something, but maybe I was mistaken?"

"I was, uh, just thinking." Xander swallowed as he locked eyes with her. "You're really beautiful, you know?"

Chloe smiled as she took another step forward. "Really? Do continue. . ." She giggled slightly, as she seemed almost curious to hear more.

"Well, uh, I mean . . ." He took a breath to center himself. "Just, the way you look. You're really something else. Olivia's lucky to have you." He tried not to show his nervousness at the girl drawing closer. "Wh-what else do you want me to say?"

The redhead tilted her head in thought. "I'm not really sure. But that is very nice, thank you." She giggled again with a smile, as she stepped forward again.

Xander smiled shyly. "Yeah, no problem." He took a step forward, brushing a bit of black hair away from his eyes. "Do you want to hang out for a while?" he asked softly.

"Sounds good to me! Anything you had in mind?"

The dark-haired boy gently leaned forward and kissed her.

Chloe smiled as she returned the kiss. She seemed a bit amused, but did not complain as she leaned closer.

Gently, Xander broke the kiss. "Should we sit?"

"Sounds good to me." The young woman wore a subtle blush, as she began to walk toward the bed.

As the two sat, Xander put a hand lightly on her waist.

Chloe smiled as she leaned in for another kiss and wrapped her arms around Xander.

***

Xander's eyes snapped open, and he stared at the ceiling as he tried to process that dream.

All he could say was, "What."

Edited January 27, 2018 by MELON LORD

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan Sanders - The Alamo, August 6th

Perhaps it was the lingering aftereffects of Chloe's healing, perhaps it was merely anticipation for the upcoming mission, but Ryan awoke at the crack of dawn and try as he might he could not go back to sleep. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring out the window as his feet rested on the cold floor. Dark clouds loomed out in the distance, and he could see a crisp wind rustling its way through the trees. Despite the gloomy atmosphere, he knew the coming storm was nothing compared to the sea of red that sat on One Island.

 

With a deep breath, Ryan pushed himself up and put his nervous energy into packing his things. By the time he had everything ready the sun had risen behind the overcast sky, adding a hint of color to a world of grey. Leaving his bag by the door, Ryan departed down the hall. Dahlia had reportedly spent the night in the Alamo's medical wing, and he thought it was best to check up on her and make sure she was well enough to go on the mission to Kalos.

 

It wasn't that he didn't want her to go, he knew how crushed the girl would be if she was forced to stay back, but some part of him couldn't help but think he would sleep better at night if she didn't go. Was this the same part of him that had refused to train her after the incident on the boat? He couldn't be sure, but he had a feeling Dahlia would resent him if he voiced that particular opinion. Of course, ultimately it wasn't his choice -- the doctors had the final say on Dahlia's current condition.

 

His mind was elsewhere as he spoke to the receptionist, mumbling some barely-coherent sentence about visiting Dahlia Seaton. He found himself wandering down the hallway, struggling to remember the receptionist's directions. And then he found himself on the ground after a door swung open and smacked him in the face.

 

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!"

 

"Ryan?"

 

"What? You know this kid?"

 

An arm blurred by tears extended into Ryan's field of view, and he instinctively grabbed it, surprised by the strength with which its owner pulled him up. He blinked, and was surprised to see Dack Majors offering a sheepish smile while the blonde girl next to him spouted countless apologies. "Wh-what are you doing here?" Ryan asked, his mind still in a fog.

 

"We were on the mission to Three Island," Dack explained. "The doctors had us stay here in the medical wing overnight to make sure our injuries weren't too bad. They've only just now released us."

 

"Yeah, and who's fault is that?" the blonde girl asked with a teasing smile. "Here's a bright idea: maybe next time, don't burn everything to the ground and get your friends caught in the crossfire."

 

"Hey, it was either that or let the grim reaper steal your soul with a kiss of death." Dack gave Ryan another sheepish smile. "Don't mind Madison, she's just irritated that I--"

 

"I was on fire, Dack! Literally on fire! How is that in any way okay?!"

 

Ryan laughed at the couple's antics. "Well, it doesn't look like you suffered any burns at least."

 

"No physical burns, at least," Dack said as Madison punched his shoulder. "So what brings you here, kid?"

 

That brought Ryan back to attention. "Well, I was going to go check on my friend, she was hurt pretty badly yesterday . . . but actually I've been wanting to talk to you. If you have any spare time, would you be willing to look into finding my parents for me? I'm actually leaving on a mission this morning, so I don't mean to just dump my troubles on you, but . . ."

 

"Consider it done." Dack smiled. "Normally I'd hate the idea of deskwork, but after yesterday I think Madison and I both need some time to cool off, no pun intended."

 

"First thing's first." Madison tugged on the Rocket agent's arm. "We've got to find Luke, he's probably worried sick."

 

"Take your time, no rush." Ryan pulled out his Pokégear. "Here's the contact of the Liberty tech who's been helping me with this -- Agent Petersen."

 

Dack nodded as he copied the info into his Pokétch. "I'll look into it. Don't you worry, kid."

 

He knew it wasn't meant in a condescending way, but Ryan couldn't help but balk at Dack referring to him as a 'kid' when he was only a few years younger. Regardless, Ryan swallowed his pride and put on a smile. The fact that Dack was agreeing to help him at all was worth a little name-calling. "I can't thank you enough for this."

 

"If there's one thing about Dack, it's that he won't hesitate to help a friend in need!" Madison hugged her boyfriend's arm, leaving Ryan and Dack to exchange awkward glances. It was probably best not to tell Madison about their first few encounters.

 

"Well, we should probably get out of your hair," Dack said. "Your friend's probably waiting for you."

 

"Oh, right!" Ryan nodded and waved goodbye to the couple. "Thanks again!"

 

It was only after Dack and Madison were out of sight that Ryan realized he had absolutely no clue where Dahlia's room was.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Beeeeeeep! Beeeeeeeeeeeep!

A hand brushed on top of the alarm clock that blared in Evan Tierra's temporary quarters, it's beeping silenced with the press of a button. A yawn echoed as the man stretched his left arm and both legs. Thoughts of last night danced in his head as he got prepared for the day ahead. The mission the others were going on, Ellen's sadness, the training and pizza dinner with Colleen and Zoe, and.......

His declaration of what he was gonna do today.

The thought of "that" would have to wait, however. Today was the day that some of the others would be leaving for their missions. The Hero had to see them off on their mission. "That's the least I can do, since I'm not going." Evan thought as he opened up the door, and made his way to the airport......