Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

"Wonderful." she growled, curling up and burying her head in her knees, sighing. Suddenly she shot a leg out, kicking Katie who was currently disguised as Dahlia.

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

"Hm?" Ruth said, following Jake as he made his way to his former camp spot. "Hey! You've been here before?" Ruth asked, looking around the area. "Looks really pretty. What do you guys think?" she asked her Pokemon. Caliburn and Locke merely nodded, but Fuerte bent down to feel the grass. Then he yawned and lay down, "I guess that means he likes it! Let's get set up then!" she said, bringing out her sleeping bag and set it down.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Katie==-

 

Katie yelped out, as she half changed to her normal form when she fell off the bed, and blinked, tilting her head as she looked in the mirror, twirling her tail as she noticed the illusion adapted to make it look as if the ears and tail somehow belonged on a human girl.

"Well, it'll make me stand out." Katie mumbled, until she could figure out how to control that part better.

"I don't want us to be enemies, Olivia..." Katie said, as she brushed herself off.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Richard would not stop kissing it. His new Liberty identification that is.

 

"Money, a roof over my head, free food," he said in between subsequent kisses as the pair of new Liberty agents walked out of the front door of the main Liberty building.

 

Claus chuckled slightly, if with a somewhat disturbed tinge, "Well I am glad you are happy with it."

 

"So... I guess you are gonna want to check out the band hall aren't y-"

 

Richard sprinted in a mad dash at the word band. Neither Claus or Hades moved.

 

Claus simply waited with Hades as Richard came running back "Where is it by the way?"

 

"Dude, calm down and I'll take you there," Claus responded getting up from where he sat.

 

Richard immediately stood at attention trying to seem calm, but produced the opposite effect. Extremely.

 

That's as close as you're gonna get.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Claus Von Minun the 4th

[Ehksidian]

IC:

Arius watched as Ruth and Jake ran to the soon-to-be campsite.

He followed them, and looked around at the outcropping. "Oh, wow, it's nice. I could probably sleep on the grass, here." He sat himself on the ground, and stretched out.

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

"Well, you could sleep on the ground, or..." Jake dug around in his pack until he found two small bundles which he held in each hand. "You can have either a sleeping pad or a sleeping bag, if you want." He pressed a small button on his belt which instantly opened the four Pokeballs magnetized there, which each released their respective occupants. Each gave a cry of greeting. Squirtle ran over to the pond and jumped in, Pikachu hopped up to Jake's head, Charmeleon huffed and leaned against a rock wall, while Machop just lay down and started snoring.

[Konuju]

OOC: "Autumn Forest" for the background music. I guess you could consider that to be Arddwyr's Theme.

IC: Ellen
Arddwyr led Ellen and her Pokémon to a small home that looked almost as weary as its owner. Ellen noticed a garden that curved behind the house. "Do you grow berries too?" she asked, recalling the Berry Lady she had met the day before.

"Indeed I do," Arddwyr chuckled. "But I don't limit myself to just berries. I grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables and grains in my garden."

"So you're a farmer, then?" Ellen guessed.

"Do you see any Miltank or Ponyta here?" Arddwyr responded. "Farmers deal with Pokémon. I am a simple gardener. I find that crops are much more manageable than tending to wandering Mareep." The self-proclaimed gardener kindly opened the door and invited Ellen and her Pokémon inside.

The home was surprisingly small. A cramped kitchen stood in the far corner, while a door in the other corner led to what Ellen assumed was a bedroom. An ancient-looking table sat in the center, in front of a fireplace that housed a large kettle. Arddwyr quickly grabbed some gauze and began to bandage Tailow's broken wing. Than, as Arddwyr kindled the fire and began slicing various peppers and citruses, Ellen started looking around at the dozens of photographs that hung on the walls. A family portrait quickly caught her eye. It showed a much younger Arddwyr, accompanied by a beautiful woman with long black hair and a young boy whose hair was just as messy as his father's. Beside the boy stood a Leavanny whose face seemed to be radiating kindness.

"Is this your family?" Ellen asked.

Arddwyr paused from his dicing and gazed at the portrait with a nostalgic smile. "Indeed it is," he replied. "Those were happier times. Our son was very sickly. Not even a year after that picture was taken, his condition grew worse, and he eventually passed away. He was about your age."

"I'm sorry," Ellen said quietly. The picture portrayed Arddwyr's son as an enthusiastic boy, one who had his whole life ahead of him. In fact, Ellen imagined she must have had that same joyous smile when she had first started traveling around Unova. It didn't seem right for one to die so young.

"Well, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you can grieve all you want, but life moves on," the gardener sighed. "And eventually, you have to learn to move on as well. My wife never could bring herself to do that. Our son's death... it just tore her apart. I didn't think I'd ever see her beautiful smile again. Eventually, after many years, she did start to move on; and for a brief moment I dared to hope that things would return to the way they had been so long ago. Then the Darkrai struck."

Ellen shuddered. "I was in Unova at the time of the Darkrai attack, but I've heard from others what it was like to fall victim to their Dark Void. Endless nightmares... a constant feeling of hopelessness... they say it was both mentally and physically draining."

Arddwyr nodded. "Be grateful you did not experience it firsthand," he said. "When we awoke, our house was in ruins. I'm sure you've heard that one of the Void Towers, which the Darkrai used to draw energy from their victims, was in Lilycove. Much of the city was destroyed in the battle to stop the Darkrai. And some of that destruction spread as far as our home. The eastern wall and part of the roof had collapsed. My garden had overgrown with weeds, and those crops that I had planted had died. It was the middle of winter, and we had only the food I had managed to harvest before the Darkrai struck. Luckily, the relief projects were able to provide us with food and water. But my wife... those nightmares must have reignited those painful memories of losing our son. She grew sick, and Leavanny had grown too old to care for her. Within a month, both had passed away."

"That's horrible," Ellen whispered as she wept for the poor gardener.

"Indeed it is," Arddwyr agreed. "But my story doesn't end there. On my way back from burying Leavanny at Mt. Pyre, I found a young Tailow, a mere hatching that had fallen from its nest. I was unable to find the nest, and so I took the Tailow home with me. My garden had been completely destroyed, but I was able to rebuild it. My family has been completely destroyed, but now I'm starting anew."

He buried his Leavanny on Mt. Pyre? Duo asked with a shudder. Yeesh... and you wonder why there's so many Ghost Pokémon there.

"Duo, don't say that!" Ellen cried. "Sorry," she added quickly when Arddwyr gave her a confused look that indicated he had only heard her half of the conversation. "My Duosion likes to speak his mind a lot through telekinesis. We just came from Mt. Pyre ourselves and had a bit of a run-in with the local Ghost Pokémon."

"Yes, those Ghost-Types to love their fun," the gardener nodded. "But they're usually considerate enough to not bother those who come there to grieve."

"So what you were saying," Ellen continued after shooting Duo a dirty look. "Even after you've lost everything, you're rebuilding your family from scratch? I guess it really isn't such a good idea to continue to dwell on the past. After all, like you said, life moves on."

"I'm glad you see my point," the gardener smiled. "Despite all my grief, I consider myself lucky to be alive. And Tailow here is also thankful for that." The small bird gave a happy chirp of acknowledgement. "That said, I wouldn't wish what's happened to me on anyone," Arddwyr said seriously. He looked straight at Ellen. "You have your whole life ahead of you. But never forget the one thing that matters most: your family."

Ellen nodded and looked back at the picture. She could easily see herself standing in the place of Arddwyr's son, with her mother on one side and her father on the other. Instead of a Leavanny, Terry would have been the family Pokémon present in the portrait. With a pang of regret, Ellen realized that she hadn't even spoken to her parents since Christmas. Sure, she had been busy helping to save the world and rebuild Fortree, but she could have at least written them a letter, or given them a call. Once this whole thing with Chrono is sorted out, maybe we should head home, she thought to herself.

[Parugi]

OOC: this is super late, but... happy 4th anniversary, RotR! +1 reward point to everyone*! woooo

 

Actually make that +2 to everyone as compensation for how slow the main plot has been progressing lately. soz.

 

(*unless you've used it already in which case you can't use it again)

 

IC - Jupiter - Eterna City: Such a rattling off of information as this would, logically, require several moments for anyone to process. Jupiter was no exception. It took her around twenty seconds to sort through everything that Amanda had just said, and then another ten to reflect on it. All the while, she held her Tangrowth's Poké Ball forward, the slight shaking of her hand mirroring the terror that had ignited in her eyes at the prospect of meeting Envy again.

 

At last, after much teeth grinding, she shook her head. "With that kind of attitude, you can't be anything but a Plasma robot," the Galactic Admin scoffed, lowering the Poké Ball. "Regardless, you don't appear to have been informed of exactly what happened to Team Galactic: The entire organization was destroyed, including our research and any personnel that happened to be in Nova during Envy's attack. There is little point in rebuilding when there is nothing to rebuild from." She cast her gaze in the direction of Nova's ruins, brow etched with bitterness. "Team Galactic is done."

 

IC - Daseos/Seven/Three - Opelucid City: For many long moments, the three Darkrai stared at the place where Kane and Gaigan had once stood. Daseos could not suppress the unease he had felt at the brief transformation that Kane had taken into Seth Vicens' form, given the implications of what he could actually be. Still, they had more pressing matters to deal with, first and foremost being that they needed to track down the pair before they caused any further chaos.

The Fifth Darkrai turned to look at his brother and sister, both of them powerless thanks to his efforts. Though the process had been draining on it, it had been worth it, given that both Seven and Three had been brought back under control. Even without the powers of Space and Time, they could assist him in combating their sister.

The stirrings of the crowd, their awakening from the entrancement that Kane and Gaigan had created, pulled him from his reverie. "Come, my brethren," he said. "We have spent enough time here." With a last look at Kane's throne--and the Liberty Agent standing by it--Daseos, Seven, and Three willed the shadows to encompass them, vanishing into the darkness.

IC - Sonja Baron - Opelucid City: Ryan's words were not lost on Sonja. Nor were the implications of Ray's actions.

And to both, she rolled her eyes.

"Well, regardless," she said, looking around as the dazed crowd began to stir, rumbling with renewed murmurs. "It looks like things are finally settling down. Which is good, but it still begs the question . . . what was any of that even about?"

As Evan's warning reached her ears, she looked in his direction, watching him make his way through the crowd with his entourage of Pokémon. Jenny appeared to be following him, though she had no idea where either of them were headed. A moment later, she watched as the Darkrai vanished into the shadows, having evidently come with some purpose that did not involve attacking the town. Briefly, she wondered what they could have been after . . .

Her thoughts quickly returned to Evan's warning, to which she glanced up in annoyance. "You know, I feel like he keeps on saying that, but it doesn't get any more helpful or mean anything in particular any time that he says it." The Liberty Agent shook her head. "I'm getting a little tired of vague warnings and meaningless destruction, truth be told."

IC - Kyle Eston - Opelucid City: "What . . .?" Kyle turned his head to follow Evan's movements, confused by this sudden warning. A moment later, when it became clear that the Plasma Agent was actually leaving, he scrambled to his feet. "Hey, Evan--wait! What about the--?"

 

It was too late. Evan had disappeared into the stirring crowd, Jenny in tow, and made no indication that he was about to turn around. Kyle gritted his teeth in frustration, recalling similar actions that had occurred back on Four Island not long ago. Making a mental note to question him about this later, the Liberty Agent turned to face the Darkrai again, enlarging the Poké Ball containing Suicune. Though the Nightmare Pokémon had not moved from their place, one of them--the one known as Five, if Kyle remembered correctly--now faced his comrades, and seemed to be addressing them. With a brief glance around the square, and a lingering sweep in the direction of the throne, Kyle, and Evan, the Darkrai vanished, engulfed in pods of darkness that transported them to some unknown destination.

 

Kyle let out the breath that he had not realized he was holding. It occurred to him that his legs were shaking, his chest burned with the rapid beat of his heart, and his head felt several times lighter than usual. He closed his eyes, letting his hand drop to his side in order to clip the Poké Ball he was holding back to his belt. Resisting the urge to gag, he leaned against the throne, sliding down to sit on its left armrest, and buried his face in his hands.

 

Are you alright, Kyle? Suicune asked, her voice a mental coolant that managed to help calm the Liberty Agent's rapid-firing nerves.

 

He took a moment to steady his breathing, finally opening his hands and clasping them together on his knees. Eyes still closed, he nodded, head down-turned toward the ground. "Yeah . . ." he said. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just wondering where everyone else went, and why, because that could have been very, very bad."

 

Truly, it could have. It was a miracle that a conflict had been avoided here. Kyle remembered all too vividly the difficulty he had had in battling Eight, and that had been with his strongest Pokémon against a single opponent. If the three Darkrai that had just departed had turned out to be just as malicious as Kane and Six . . . Kyle shuddered at the thought of what a fight against them would have been like.

 

Amidst the stirring crowd, he picked out Ryan, Ray, and Sonja, all three of whom stood in a triangle of conversation. It took every ounce of willpower that Kyle could muster to not approach them and chew them out for leaving the Darkrai alone so easily, but he nonetheless managed to keep himself in check.

 

That did not necessarily mean he was not annoyed.

 

Without a word or a signal, the Liberty Agent pushed himself back to his feet and shouldered his bag, easing his way through the crowd on his way to the Pokémon Center. If nothing else had proven it to Kyle, then this entire ordeal had:

 

He needed a vacation.

IC - Lust/Greed/Meghan Vert - R&D Lab: The Gastro Acid attack struck, grounding Eelektross. It screeched furiously as it fell to the ground, though quickly picked itself back up and glared at its opponents. However, it made no move to attack yet, instead coiling its body.

Zoroark growled in frustration, raising a hand to cover its face as Guinevere's Ice Beam struck it. Before the eyes of the combatants, the Dark-Type's body began to freeze solid, a thick layer of ice creeping down its arm and beginning to encompass its entire body. With each passing moment, the Illusion Pokémon grew more angry, until at last it forced itself into a slow run toward the Psychic-Type. Every step brought with it a stronger and stronger glow around Zoroark's claws, the Pokémon virtually racing the ice slowing it down in its attempt to attack the Gardevoir. With surprising speed, it moved it, thrusting its claws forward . . .

. . . only for its attack to stop just short of Guinevere's face, halted by the full freezing of the Zoroark's body.

Lust did not seem to notice her Pokémon's predicament, nor Greed hers. Both girls stared across the field, each focused intently on Vert and James, respectively. The atmosphere of the room seemed to grow heavier the longer their gazes lingered, relieving only for a brief moment as they glanced at one another. Lust raised an eyebrow; Greed almost pouted at her sister, but eventually looked away.

"We're not quite done yet, are we?" Lust cooed, looking back at Vert. As she said it, the frozen Zoroark before Guinevere vanished, and a half-frozen one appeared behind the Gardevoir, fully delivering a Dark Pulse at point-blank range before truly succumbing to the freezing effects of Ice Beam. Lust quickly recalled the injured Pokémon, sending out in its place her Milotic. With a quick nod at her sister, Eelektross and Milotic swapped places--the former moving to combat James, the latter challenging Vert's Galvantula.

What are they playing at . . .? Vert wondered, furrowing her brow in frustration. Nothing about this situation could be seen as logical. Why would Lust send out a Water-Type if she knew that she would be going up against an Electric-Type by switching opponents immediately after? Surely she had something else at her disposal more suited to take out Galvantula? And . . . why had they decided to switch right after she had mentioned it to James . . .?

It dawned on her then that the mental channel between herself and her teammate had gone dead silent.

It did not stay that way for long.

Do you really believe your thoughts are safe from me, Meghan?

The researcher had to suppress a gasp at the new voice in her head. It did not take a brain as powerful as hers to realize who it was--the voice was all too recognizable, even with how recently she had learned it.

You're fooling yourself, Executive--and I think you know it, Lust continued. A small smirk crossed her face. You think you're so smart, but really, you're just an insignificant worm with delusions of grandeur. Perhaps Pride would have suited you better. Oh, but . . . perhaps not? I think we both know why I'm here. Right?

You know nothing about me, you petulant little . . . Vert mentally growled. With a verbal growl, she raised her hand. "Galvantula, use Thunderbolt!"

Lust scoffed. "Milotic, let's knock that aside and retaliate with Iron Tail, shall we?" she called to the Tender Pokémon. With very not-tender enthusiasm, Milotic slithered forward, slamming her tail against the Thunderbolt attack with no visible effects on her body. Immediately, she used the momentum to spin around, this time slamming a silver-glowing tail against Galvantula's body, knocking the Electric-Bug-Type back.

Vert's eyes widened. Did I strike a nerve? Lust asked. Heh. I see you don't take retorts so well, do you? Well, let me tell you something, Meghan: I'm going to win this battle, and I'm going to do with by causing your little bug as much pain as possible. She chuckled, a devious sound that sent shivers down Vert's spine. Won't that be nice? I'm getting giddy just thinking about it, myself . . .

To Vert's side, James, too, had noticed a lack of communication from his teammate--as well as Guinevere. However the Sins had done it, it seemed that their full-proof tactic had just gone out the window. And as the Executive was about to discover, that did not necessarily mean he was mentally alone.

A psychic channel . . . The girl's voice rung in his head. Now why didn't I think of that? Greed smiled at James from her perch, eyes narrowing dangerously. Well, I hope you don't mind if I take that idea for myself, James. Just as I'm about to take everything else from you: Your life, your team, your very mind--they are all mine, more pieces that I get to add to my collection. Lucky me!

In all actuality, she seemed very unimpressed with the prospect, particularly as she raised a hand to order her Pokémon to attack. "Eelektross, use Wild Charge!"

She did not specify whether the EleFish Pokémon was meant to attack the injured Guinevere, or James himself--essentially leaving the outcome of the attack up to a gamble.

IC - Silvermind/Esen Windred/Rocket Triad - Cianwood City: Esen Windred.

Windred.

Windred?

The word hung on the wind like a flag on a pole. It flew out there, dangling from a tall perch, its bright colors--red, in this case--on display for all to see, loud and clear to all who looked upon it. It was enough to make Silvermind step back and freeze, staring in shock at the young woman before her. She wondered if the name was merely a coincidence--that, perhaps, this Esen was not at all related to the one that Silvermind knew and loathed. Because, in all of her days, she had never thought that this would come back around--that this would ever resurface. There was no way. But no. Silvermind had seen enough to find the small facets of resemblance between her and Esen--the rounded nose, the similar color of her hair, the fierce flame in her eye that warned the Liberty Leader not to cross her.

It was a ghost. It had to be a ghost--a phantom of Silvermind's past, come back to haunt her and crush her with the weight of what she had done. Perhaps it was a punishment, a divine message sent from Arceus himself, to remind of what she had done. Not of the action itself--oh, no; as a Team Liberty Leader, the act had been a necessity of war, and so could be forgiven--but of her folly in executing the act. Try as she might, she had never learned how to separate the two halves of her enemies--the half that was just that, her enemy; and the half that was human. Perhaps it was a result of her upbringing, coming from the Battle Area in Sinnoh, or perhaps it was simply a habit born of her hatred of Team Rocket; regardless of the reason, Silvermind had always focused exclusively on the latter, forgetting that those she fought were, underneath all of their immoral acts, people.

People with lives. Beliefs. Families.

People with children.

It was almost enough to make her charge right at the Gym Leaders behind her, so that she may bury what guilt she bore beneath the tide of battle. She didn't. Silvermind maintained her composure. And, leaving Cyan and Jayron to occupy the trainers behind her, she lowered her hand, staring into the face of her enemy's child.

Esen Windred.

"You're Ace's daughter," she said, her voice barely audible over the sound of flying attacks.

Esen's glare intensified. "Yeah, I am," she said, her tone half proud, half disdainful. "Still think you have authority over me?"

Silvermind closed her eyes, gritting her teeth. "Look," she said, hardly believing that things had come to a point where it was necessary for her to protect someone who, only a year ago, would have made the perfect political target. She opened her eyes. "I understand why you don't trust us, but please listen to reason. You've done a wonderful job here, I admit that--I can't think of anyone else who could have taken out three Gym Leader-level Pokémon at once--but let us take over now. As one of Team Liberty's leaders, I can assure you that no further damage will be caused here."

"Do you think I'm that stupid?" Esen asked. "I know who you are. I also know that, contrary to what you say, Liberty Leader Silvermind can't put on her shoe without causing millions of dollars of collateral damage." Silvermind's eyes widened. "Further, I have no interest in cooperating with the woman who got my mom kil--"

She was interrupted by a surprised shout from behind Silvermind. Esen immediately looked up, gasping in surprise, and pushed the Liberty Leader out of the way, before kicking backward herself. Seconds later, a white and yellow beam of energy struck the ground where they had stood, blackening the pavement. Recovering, Silvermind rolled to her feet, looking around just in time to see Surge's Manetric land and absorb the remaining energy from its Charge Beam attack, before dodging an attack from her Tyranitar.

Silvermind took a moment to gather herself again, letting out a shaky breath. After a moment, she looked over at Esen, who--though rubbing a burned shin--appeared fine. She just . . . the Liberty Leader thought, before cutting herself off with a shake of her head. Never mind. We need to get these three under control . . .

OOC: Will post as Ethan and Gavin next time. In the meanwhile, Blade and Minun, we need to figure out which names from our list have been used--be sure to identify your Zephyr members.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Pears Nivans

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Skye, Skylah, Skylark, Skya, Skyler, Skyle, and Skylon (And Windy)

 

I'll take Skylah for the one we captured, since I'm not sure what names correspond to who... ^^'

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray nodded at what Sonja said.

"Same here." Ray said, trying to brush off the reason he took things as bad as he did, and inwardly regretted his reaction, but...

"I'm not sure why any of this happened..." Ray said, as he blinked and looked around to see that half of the group had scattered already, and then sighed.

"Should we try and find Kyle, and then head back to Four Island, then?" Ray asked, even though he had no clue where Kyle had disappeared to.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan shifted his eyes from Sonja and Ray to the three Ancient Darkrai just in time to see the latter three disappear into the shadows. So it looks like that's over with, he sighed. But I doubt we've seen the last of them. Just what did those Darkrai have planned? Although it seemed clear now that the three Ancient Darkrai weren't allied with Kane and Gaigan, he still doubted that Seven and the others had their best interests in mind.

 

Ryan shook his head at Evan's warning as the Plasma Agent disappeared into the crowd. "He brings us all here to fight, and then ditches us?" As Ray spoke, Ryan realized that Kyle had disappeared as well. "We should stick together," he told Sonja and Ray. "Even if the battle's over, I don't like the thought of us all splitting up and going our separate ways without so much as a 'farewell.' The same thing happened in Undella Town... and it sort of happened again in Village Bridge." As he mentioned Ellen's hometown, he looked back at Ray as if to remind him of how he had ditched the group on Christmas Eve.

 

"Regardless..." The Liberty agent sighed. Now that the battle had ended, he was overcome with exhaustion. "...Drayden. I left him on a roof. He and his Pokémon took a pretty bad beating from Kane before we got here -- I should probably go check on him." He started to turn around but stopped, giving a questioning look to Sonja and Ray. "Come with me?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ryan's look was not lost on Ray, however, this time, he didn't back down from it, as he had done that to prevent them from getting hurt, or worse; which his wish had been justified when Evan had gotten killed temporarily.

"Of course we're going with you, didn't you just suggest that?" Ray said, as sticking together was definitely a good thing in this case. However, he noticed Ryan's gaze linger mostly on Sonja as the other trainer said so; and inwardly wondered what Ryan was playing at, as he had been acting oddly all day.

[Flipz]

IC - Jupiter - Eterna City: Such a rattling off of information as this would, logically, require several moments for anyone to process. Jupiter was no exception. It took her around twenty seconds to sort through everything that Amanda had just said, and then another ten to reflect on it. All the while, she held her Tangrowth's Poké Ball forward, the slight shaking of her hand mirroring the terror that had ignited in her eyes at the prospect of meeting Envy again.

 

At last, after much teeth grinding, she shook her head. "With that kind of attitude, you can't be anything but a Plasma robot," the Galactic Admin scoffed, lowering the Poké Ball. "Regardless, you don't appear to have been informed of exactly what happened to Team Galactic: The entire organization was destroyed, including our research and any personnel that happened to be in Nova during Envy's attack. There is little point in rebuilding when there is nothing to rebuild from." She cast her gaze in the direction of Nova's ruins, brow etched with bitterness. "Team Galactic is done."

-==IC: Amanda, Pippi, and Wiggy==-

"I am not certain of the source of your intelligence on Team Plasma, but Team Plasma not employ autonomous drones on missions involving unpredictible environments." Amanda opened her mouth to reply further, only to be interrupted by an unusually loud chirp.

 

"Pipipipi!" The pristine Piplup chirped angrily at the woman and her Pokémon, an aged but surprisingly nimble Grotle loping up in the bird's wake--a very familiar Grotle to the Team Galactic Admin.

 

"Grrrl?" the lumbering beast inquired. Though the Piplup seemed prime for battle, Amanda could tell from the Grotle's calm demeanor and the Piplup's frequent looks to the Grotle for guidance that both were trained Pokémon rather than wild animals.

 

Amanda frowned, but held her arms outstretched in a posture of non-aggression. "I do not wish to battle at this time. It would be counter-productive to the schedule of my mission." She nodded to her Elgyem, which relayed the thoughts directly to the other Pokémon.

 

Pippi shrieked and made to launch an attack, but Wiggy silenced the insistent creature with a grunt and a look. Inclining his head, he allowed the Plasma agent to pass, despite Pippi's look of clear mistrust. Amanda retreated her Pokémon and walked coolly by. She turned back to Jupiter. "Your decision regarding the future of Team Galactic is...unfortunate, and does not bode well for you nor your community. For the sake of the greater good, I urge you to reconsider. Nonetheless, I will be in the Pokémon Center if you still wish to engage my transportation services." Amanda turned on her heel, and was gone.

 

Pippi narrowed her eyes and followed a few steps, but seemed unwilling to stray too far from Wiggy. The Grotle, on the other hand, was staring at Jupiter with a look of recognition--no, more than that, like it somehow knew what had been said and was trying to convince her of something...of what? Of the validity of Amanda's argument, perhaps? But why would this Pokémon even care...?

 

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

 

As Amanda passed the pathway towards Nova, she turned her head to look at the remains of the ruined facility. There wasn't much to see, save for a large pile of metal and rubble, scorched beyond recognition. As she passed, she noticed...was that a person, kneeling amongst the ruins? It was too far away for her to tell, and she had promised Jupiter she would be at the Pokémon Center rejuvenating Elgyem. It would not be logical to investigate the disaster site, anyway, without her Pokémon ready to transport her out at the first sign of danger. Dismissing the thought, she continued on her way--a wise choice she would later come to regret.

 

 

-==IC: DiDi==-

Scampering along behind Lucia, the Dedenne shrieked loudly, reminding the Rocket agent that she was there. When Lucia turned around, she would see a serenely sweet electric mouse with her head cocked to one side, exuding an aura of sassily-feigned innocence.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

"Sure thing." Olivia said as Katie walked out. "Just leave me alone for the rest of the night." she mumbled, clearly meaning exasperated at this point.

 

Aria stood outside, arms crossed as Katie walked out. "Well trickster?" she began, her eye glinting as Aria glanced at Katie. "Do you see the effects of your mischief now?"

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

Caliburn leaned against the rocky wall, as did Locke. Fuerte was already fast asleep, and Ruth had already settled in her sleeping bag. "Well, goodnight!" she said.

Edited May 11, 2014 by Edea Lee

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Katie==-

 

Katie scowled at Aria, and turned her head away from the aura wielder; however, had to admit that she had a point there... She headed back to the kitchen, however, where she saw Zach waiting in a new outfit, which made her pause, as Zach sighed.

"Can't you just leave her alone...?" Zach said, and Katie, scratched her head, reverting to her Zoroark form, as Zach recalled the mischief maker.

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

Jake shrugged and tossed the sleeping mat in Jacob's general direction, then took off his vest and hung it from a small rock outcropping, along with his hat.

 

"Good night guys," He said tiredly. Jake unrolled his sleeping bag, got in, and promptly fell asleep. Pikachu and Squirtle, who dried himself off, curled up right near him and fell asleep as well.

[Ehksidian]

IC: Arius caught the mat, and smiled.

"Night, Jacob. Night, Ruth."

He put the mat on the ground, and sat down on it. With a sigh, he set his head down and quickly fell asleep.

[Konuju]

OOC: New character time.

IC: Ellen
Ellen and her Pokémon helped Arddwyr slice up his vegetables, and soon they were all sitting around the old table enjoying the soup. "Well, it's been a long time since I've had a company this big at this table," Arddwyr laughed. "Now, what brings a young lady like yourself to the outskirts of Lilycove, if you don't mind me asking?"

Between spoonfulls of soup, Ellen recounted her adventures since leaving Fortree. When she mentioned the woman in Kalos who would be able to read Chrono's memories, the Purrloin gave an audible hiss, gulped down the rest of his soup, and stalked off to the far corner of the room.

"A troublesome Purrloin," Arddwyr said thoughtfully once Ellen had finished her tale. "This Kalos woman sounds like she could help you. But knowledge alone won't let you bond with your Purrloin. A change must occur."

"What sort of change?" Ellen asked, thinking back to the Tamato Berry the Berry Lady had given her.

"This reminds me of a story I heard long ago," Arddwyr replied. "There was once a man who was known for having the fastest and strongest Pokémon around. He could end battles in the blink of an eye. One day, he caught a Slowpoke. He tried to train the Pokémon, convinced that the Slowpoke would become as powerful as the rest of his Pokémon. But try as it might, the poor Slowpoke just couldn't keep up with the trainer's other Pokémon. The trainer was frustrated that the Slowpoke was so slow, and the Slowpoke was frustrated that he couldn't please his trainer. One day, the man decided he'd had enough, and went to a nearby forest to release the Slowpoke back into the wild. But along the way, he tripped and broke his leg. He was trapped in the middle of the forest, surrounded by wild Pokémon that saw him as easy prey. But the Slowpoke, being ever loyal to his trainer, began to do what Slowpokes do best..... yawn. The Slowpoke yawned and yawned, and eventually the yawning caught on and all the wild Pokémon fell asleep. The Slowpoke had saved the man's life. After that, the man stopped trying to make his Slowpoke into something it was not. As time passed, other trainers rose to claim the title of having the strongest and fastest Pokémon. But no one boasted a bond as strong as that between the man and his Slowpoke. You see, sometimes it's not the Pokémon you need to change, but yourself."

I don't get it, Duo frowned. Chrono's not a Slowpoke, and we're not trying to release him.

Ellen was silent for a moment, ignoring Duo's mental rambling. "So you're saying I should be more like Chrono?" she asked with a frown.

"Not exactly," Arddwyr explained. "But you can't expect Chrono to suddenly look at life from your perspective. Perhaps, if you can, try and see life from his point of view. If you use up all your energy trying to force Chrono to change, you'll only end up frustrated. Sometimes a different perspective is all you need."

IC: Paul
Scar carried Paul down the length of the river. Both trainer and Pokémon kept their eyes peeled on the banks, looking for any sign of Ellen. Paul desperately hoped that they would find his daughter, but at the same time, if she had fallen into the river, he was afraid of what he would find when they did locate her. He tried to push those morbid thoughts aside and focused solely on searching for any indication that Ellen had come this way.

The sun had nearly set by the time Scar landed on the banks of Route 118, where the river flowed out into the sea. "She must have washed up here," Paul muttered. "Or else we missed her somewhere else along the river." He couldn't bear to think of the alternative.

Behind them, the sky glowed in a rainbow of colors -- the result of the setting sun mixed with the bright lights of Mauville City. "Well, if Ellen made it here, she must have headed for the nearest city," Paul reasoned. "Besides, we need to find some place to rest for the night. What do you say, Scar?" The Skarmory spread its wings once more and took off, heading for the bustling city.

Edited May 11, 2014 by Konuju

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan, Flashback==-

 

Ryan grit his teeth, as the whole cave began to rumble, as rocks fell from the ceiling to strike the opposing Pokemon.

"Ryan, what did you do?!" Alistair managed to spit out, as he struggled to keep above the waves with Jessie in his arms.

"What I had to!" Ryan growled in return, as Alistair closed his eyes in resignation. Alistair shoved Jessie away from him, as the Onyx, realizing the two were still alive, slammed its tail at Alistair again, sending him flying out of the water with a shriek. The boy tumbled down the passage to the floor further down, as rocks fell from the ceiling to block the path.

"Alistair!" Zach and Ryan yelled out, before turning back to the fight, as the Pokemon began to flee before the collapsing cave.

"Ryan, you get Jessie out of here." Zach said, and began to head toward where Alistair was last seen; however, Ryan grabbed both Zach and Jessie, and ran out of the cave with his eyes closed for a moment, knowing that if anyone stayed in there right then, they would be killed...

 

"He's still in there; I know it! He's alright!" Zach shouted, as he tried to wrench his way out of Ryan's grip, however, the elder brother simply kept a hold of his younger sibling, looking to the side, as Jessie simply stayed quiet, looking between the two of them, confused.

"What happened to Alistair?" Jessie asked with a confused blink; but Ryan didn't respond, even as Zach finally got out of his grip, and ran back into the cave, even as family members began to crowd around them, not sure what happened. All the while, Ryan knew exactly what happened, and what caused the landslide, and he simply looked at his hands in shock at what just happened. He caused the incident; they wouldn't rescue Alistair, and it was all his fault. Ignoring Jessie's confused calls, Ryan simply walked away, headed for home, as he thought about what he did, and realized that in saving everyone's lives, he sacrificed another, and then began to break down once in his borrowed room, crying over the devastation he had just caused.

 

Five days later, the search for Alistair had been called off. The three children had tried to stop that, however, despite their pleas to continue looking, they were sent back to Accumula town, Ryan and Zach staying with them while preparations for Alistair's funeral were made. Jessie still wasn't certain what was going on, as she was adamant he was alright; however, Ryan just tried to comfort her as best as he could, even though he wasn't sure how he would do that when he was confused about what to do himself. On the day of the funeral, Jessie seemed to finally be getting what happened, but Ryan simply hugged her, unable to actually say anything, since he thought it just seemed hollow to him, since he was the cause of the accident.

"He's still alright." Jessie said, but didn't totally seem to believe it, and Ryan simply looked away, unable to say anything to contradict that...

[Konuju]

IC: ???
A young girl peered around a corner, glancing at the empty hallway. Panting, she wiped the sweat from her brow with the white and sky blue sleeve of her shirt. Her bangs, which she had raised up in two tufts of hair, started to droop, but the girl didn't seem to notice. "Contacting Liberty base," she said into a gold locket that hung around her neck. "I'm in. Infiltration into Rocket base Chapel was a complete success." The girl closed her eyes, tightening her focus. "My aura powers aren't picking up anyone in the hallway. All clear."

With that the girl darted down the hallway, only to run smack into someone walking the other way. "Watch it!" the young man cried.

"Sorry," the girl said meekly. She shrank against the wall as the man walked the rest of the hallway, shaking his head, and turned the corner at the end. The moment the man was out of sight, the girl breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a close call," she muttered into her locket.

With another glance to make sure the hallway was empty, the girl continued her sprint. As she approached the door on the other end, a Meditite appeared, going into a fighting stance.

"Shadow Admin Joker," the girl frowned, clenching her fists. "I should have expected you."

Without a word the Meditite leaped into the air to deliver a punch. The girl slid underneath the Pokemon and extended an arm. "Blam! Aura Sphere!"

The Meditite turned around in shock, throwing herself backward against the wall as if struck by an unseen attack. The Meditate Pokémon weakly raised a hand, causing the girl to bring her hands to her neck as if being choked.

"Ack!—A psychic death choke!" The girl gasped. "I should have known you'd use such a sneaky trick. But it won't work on an Aura Master like me!" The girl raised her hand again and the Meditite fell to the side. "Quickly now!" the girl cried as she ran to the end of the hallway. "While she's distracted!"

The girl kicked the door open and entered a stairwell, where a Fennekin and Feebas turned around in surprise.

"Shadow Admin Sleight," the girl's eyes narrowed at the Fennekin. "And -- The Shadowed Man? Even if you two are working together, Team Liberty will stop you both!"

The Fennekin retreated further down the stairs while the Feebas flopped helplessly in front of the door. Just then, the Meditite leapt through the open door, landing on the girl's head.

"Aah!" the girl cried as the Meditite covered her eyes. "Joker's blinded me! Aura Sphere!"

The Meditite jumped off her head, grabbed the Feebas, and followed the Fennekin out the stairwell's exit. The girl followed, blinking as the bright sunlight hit her when she stepped outside. The three Pokémon were already halfway down a flower-lined path that led to the beach. The girl ran after them, her ponytail fluttering in the wind.

"Nowhere to run," the girl smirked.

The Fennekin hissed and charged at her. But the girl pulled out a small water gun, shooting a tiny stream of water at the Fire-Type's face. The Fennekin sputtered then lay down in the sand, playing dead.

"And Shadow Admin Sleight is defeated!" the girl cheered, turning the water gun on the two remaining Pokémon. "What's your move, Joker? Shadowed Man?"

Without a moment's hesitation the Feebas dove into the ocean, disappearing beneath the waves. The girl aimed the water gun at the water, but there was no sign of the Feebas.

"It looks like The Shadowed Man turned cold turkey," the girl smirked as the turned back to the Meditite. "It's just you and me, Joker. Bring it!"

The Meditite leapt into action, with the girl blocking all of its soft punches with the palms of her hand. "Do you even know who I am?" the girl mocked. "I'm Zoe Llyan: Aura Master!"

Just then the Feebas flew out of the ocean. The girl raised her hand and shouted "Aura Sphere!" mimicking the sound of an explosion as the brown fish flopped down on the sand, defeated. The Meditite used this distraction to strike the girl with a weak Force Palm, knocking her head over heels in the sand.

"Having slain Shadow Admin Sleight and The Shadowed Man, Aura Master Zoe takes a mortal wound from Shadow Admin Joker," the girl wheezed as she gripped her chest. "But she knows she will be remembered as a martyr. Future generations will know her as Zoe Llyan: The Aura Master Who Saved The World. And with that happy thought in mind, Aura Master Zoe breaths... her... last..."

Zoe dropped her head in the sand, lying next to the still forms of her Fennekin and Feebas.

...

After a few moments the Fennekin peeked an eye open, walked over to the girl, and began to lick her face. "Okay, Esmeralda!" the girl laughed, sitting up and petting her Fennekin. "There's no fooling you, is there?" As she sat up, her bangs finally fell completely flat against her head.

The Feebas flopped lovingly into the girl's arms, looking up at her with a silly grin.

"You did good too, Eilonwy," the girl giggled. "I think you may have set a new record in leaping out of the water. And Merida," she turned to the Meditite. "That was a fantastic Force Palm -- it really did knock the wind out of me!"

Pulling her Pokémon into a warm embrace, Zoe looked out over the ocean. With their game over, her thoughts drifted to her older sister Colette, who was studying hard to become a real Aura Master somewhere on the other side of the vast sea.

It had only been four days since Zoe had returned to Four Island from her annual vacation to visit her sister in Kalos. Already she missed Colette, or Collie as she affectionately called her. Collie was the best sister Zoe could have asked for. She was strong, yet she was kind. She was the kindest person Zoe knew. She always stuck up for Zoe, and Zoe admired her dedication to training. Simply put, Zoe idolized her sister. She wanted to be just like Colette -- an impossible dream, given that outside of her fantasies Zoe didn't have even a trace of aura powers. But the girl would often close her eyes and focus real hard, imagining slight fluctuations in the wind to be tiny aura signals.

Unfortunately, although they were sisters, the only times Zoe and Colette really got to see each other was during Zoe's annual trips to the Kalos region. She looked forward to those ten glorious days more than she looked forward to her own birthday. For the other fifty-and-a-half weeks of the year, Zoe only had the gold locket that hung around her neck, which held a portrait of her sister. The locket was Zoe's most precious possession, and she carried it with her wherever she went.

Zoe gripped the locket in her fist. It had been an especially emotional good-bye this year, as they had left on Colette's birthday rather than a few days later. Zoe closed her eyes, like she had done many times before, and listened to the sound of the waves softly lapping against the beach, imagining that Colette could hear that same sound on some beach in Kalos.

Just 351 more days, she thought to herself.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: ???==-

 

A young teenaged girl listened to the sound of the waves, as she focused. She slowly breathed in and out, as her ear twitched, turning her head, as she saw her Squirtle walk up to her.

"Oh, hey Kammy; what are you up to?" The girl asked, as the Squirtle communicated through sounds and hand gestures, and then turned to the breeze and focused as well, as the girl smiled.

"It'll be soon enough; and I'm sure you'll manage the powers too." She said, as the Squirtle jumped up and down in joy. The Squirtle then focused, as she summoned up an odd shaped ball of energy, and launched it into the ocean, dissipating after a couple seconds. The Squirtle seemed saddened, but the girl simply placed a hand on the Squirtle's head.

"Cheer up! You'll get it next time!" The girl said with a wide grin, as the Squirtle looked up at her in awe for a moment, and then grinned widely as well, as the two laughed.

 

"Colette!" A voice called out from behind the two, as the girl, named Colette, turned around to see who it was. A middle-aged woman walked up to the two with a smile, and nodded to Colette.

"There you are; was looking all over for you. Aren't you going to have anything to eat? We're nearly there!" The woman said, as she pointed to the island in the distance. Colette paused for a moment, and shook her head.

"Uhh, n-no thanks, I'm good, auntie." Colette said with a nervous chuckle, as the woman, apparently Colette's aunt, simply shrugged.

"Well, alright then, but I think growing Aura Masters need to eat just as much as anyone else." The aunt teased, as Colette laughed half-heartedly again.

"Auntie, I'm not 8." Colette said, and her aunt smiled, and nodded as she walked out of the room. Turning around, Colette's face quivered slightly, as she gripped the railing of the boat with one hand, and her stomach with the other.

Right now, eating is the last thing I want. Colette thought, not wanting to really outright say what was bothering her.

The great Aura Master! Can conquer anything but motion sickness and people! Colette thought with a grimace.

 

Colette looked over the water, as the waves slowly started to ease off and get better. Colette sadly looked at the island in the distance, as a tear fell from her eye. She had promised herself she wouldn't cry anymore, but every time she recalled the departure that her and her sister Zoe had had four days ago, she couldn't help but tear up.

Zoe's expression... That sheer disappointment on her face for that split second... Colette thought, wincing to herself, but then breathed in deep, and smiled.

This'll be worth it though. Won't it? Colette tried to reassure herself, but it wasn't going too well, as she tried to calm herself down with more meditation, closing her eyes for a moment. As she detected a disturbance around her, however, she looked to the side, eyes still closed, and saw the auras of her Clauncher and Mienfoo, who seemed sad too.

"Don't worry, Vivian, Myriam." Colette said, as she smiled brighter and opened her eyes.

"This year's surprise will be the best there's ever been!" Colette said, as she looked over to the ocean again, and saw Floe Island approach.

Mom... Dad... Zoe... I'm home, finally.

 

Smiling, Colette kicked off her shoes and socks as she stepped onto the Four Island beach, giggling to herself as she felt the warm sand beneath her feet for the first time in ages.

She'll be so surprised... Colette thought with a smile, as she closed her eyes, and saw the aura traces of the group that she was interested in to the north. Putting her socks and shoes back on, she slowly made her way over to where Zoe and her Pokemon were, taking caution to not be seen early.

Not too much further... Colette thought, having recalled her Pokemon just for that reason, as she tip-toed toward her sister, and smiled widely, as she stepped behind her, caught Merida's glance, who looked shocked, and then covered Zoe's eyes quickly, as Merida grabbed the younger sister's sleeve to catch her attention. Colette giggled slightly, as she smiled.

"Guess who?"

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe Llyan

Merida's tug pulled Zoe out of her thoughts. But before she could even turn her head to ask the Meditite what she wanted, Zoe's world went black as something covered her eyes. Zoe panicked, not sure what was going on.

 

"Guess who?" an all too familiar voice asked.

 

"Collie?!" Zoe whirled around to see her sister standing on the beach with a wide grin on her face. "Collie!" the younger sister cried with tears of joy, throwing her arms around Colette. "What are you doing here?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette Natalie Llyan==-

 

Colette smiled, the reaction being even better than anticipated.

"My training is officially done!" Colette said, as she caught a glance of her aunt smiling approvingly to the side, before heading back on the boat. Colette hugged her little sister back, and chuckled.

"Happy early birthday, sis." Colette said, as she intended herself returning to Four Island to be Zoe's gift for that year.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

Zoe looked up at her sister, her blue eyes wider than ever. "Really?" she gasped. With a laugh of absolute joy she grabbed Colette by the hands and spun around with her in the sand. "Best! Present! Ever!"

 

From the side, Esmeralda scoffed. Had her trainer really forgotten the Fennekin she had received for her tenth birthday?

Edited May 13, 2014 by Konuju

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette laughed out, as the two sisters spun around, but then her eyes twinkled.

"What about Esmeralda?" Colette teased, knowing what she likely meant, but noticed the subtle jealous change in the Fennekin's aura, and just wanted to mention that.

"Glad that you liked it! I'm sorry I couldn't explain before, but I figured it would've ruined the surprise!" Colette said with a giggle, actually being free and open with the one person she trusted the most; her sister.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

Zoe glanced at her Fennekin and couldn't help but laugh. "Oh yeah, I forgot about Esmeralda," she said. She looked back at her sister with a grin. "Sorry, Dog Ears, it looks like you've been demoted to a close second."

 

Esmeralda hopped onto Zoe's shoulder with a playful smirk at Colette.

 

"Anyway, you finished your training, then?" Zoe asked. "Does that make you a real Aura Master?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette paused for a moment, not having actually given that much thought, but nodded with a happy smile.

"Yep, it sure does!" Colette said, as she closed her eyes in a happy way, and inwardly wondered about that.

It DOES make me an Aura Master... right?

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"That is so cool!" Zoe grinned. "If anyone could complete all that training, it was you, Collie."

 

At Zoe's feet, Merida punched in the air, mimicking the pretend battle they had just had.

 

"Hey, Dog Ears," Zoe asked, her smile growing even bigger. "How about a little battle -- a game of 'Rockets and Liberties' to see how strong you've become?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette nodded with a smile matching Zoe's.

"Sure! Besides, it'd be cool to see how you've progressed yourself." Colette said, as the state of the younger sister's party showed that she was trying her best to be strong as well. Colette sent out her team, as they waited in ready stances.

"Alright guys, you can figure out your own commands this time!" Colette said happily, as the team cheered; as that meant it was time to have fun.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

As Colette sent out her team, Esmeralda leapt off of Zoe's shoulder, landing gracefully in the sand, baring her fangs against the three Pokémon, playfully daring one to step forward and become her first opponent.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette nodded, as Squirtle walked forward, and spun around before striking a pose.

"Alright, do we join in tooo, or?" Colette asked, as Squirtle dashed forward, launching off his incomplete Aura Sphere at Esmeralda quickly.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Light Screen!" Zoe cried as a protective barrier formed around her team.

 

There was little need, however, since the Aura Sphere had largely dissipated by the time it reached the Fennekin.

 

"Alright, now Psybeam!"

 

Esmeralda aimed a beam of psychic energy at the tiny turtle, hoping to prove her psychic abilities were better than her opponent's aura abilities.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette watched with a nod, as the tiny turtle was knocked back by the Psybeam, but launched off two Bubbles in a row, to try and break through the Light Screen more; even as the Squirtle ran to the left, to try to get into a better Aura Sphere range.

 

/EDIT: OOC: Minun is reserving Skylon for the 'Nothing But ground Types' guy.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Tiz Arrior

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

A while later, dinner was finally ready. Aspen and Dahlia helped Rose set up the table, which was almost entirely overflowing with various plates, as well as the area around the table lined with bowls of Poffins for everyone's Pokemon.

 

"Olivia," Rose called, "Dinner's ready!" Hearing this, Olivia finally got off her bed, heading to the dining room. Upon reaching the table, she quickly glanced at Zach before sitting down in her chair, starting to eat.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Oncoming bubbles at twelve o'clock!" Zoe cried in warning. Esmeralda leapt to the side to avoid one bubble, which placed her right in the path of the second.

 

The Fennekin was knocked down into the sand, where she had no chance to dodge Kammy's Aura Sphere. Esmeralda braced herself -- she could only hope that this Aura Sphere would dissipate like the last.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Sadly for Colette, the Aura Sphere did indeed dissipate... But that was planned for the Squirtle, as she took that moment to dash forward toward Esmeralda, and attempted to launch a close-range Dragon Pulse, which otherwise would just dissipate like the Aura Sphere did. However, this move gave Esmeralda a brief moment to try and counter it as well.

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach looked at the food in amazement, before Olivia was called, not having seen food this good in a long while.

"This looks amazing!" Zach said, moments before Olivia walked into the room, involuntarily raising his hand to scratch his head for some reason. Zach noticed the glance, but looked away, not wanting to cause any problems, as he quietly started to eat as well.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Trap her, now!" Zoe cried as Kammy closed in for the attack.

 

Esmeralda saw her chance and bared her fangs against the Dragon Pulse. Claws outstretched, she sailed past the Squirtle, then turned around and shot a Fire Spin. Although the attack would not be very effective against the aquatic turtle, it would at least trap their opponent in the swirling flames.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette and Kammy were both surprised, as fire spun a cage around the Squirtle, and Colette seemed caught off guard by it; however, she simply nodded.

"Good work; keep it up!" Colette said, as the Squirtle tried to simple dash through the flames, thinking that if she could get out quickly, the damage wouldn't add up.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Don't let her escape!" Zoe cried. "A Liberty Agent never lets her guard down, even when her enemy is behind flames. Psybeam!"

 

Even as Kammy tried to dash through the flames, Esmeralda struck her with another psychic attack, which if it hit would knock the Squirtle back into the center of the fiery ring.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Kammy seemed surprised, as the Squirtle tried to brace herself against the attack, but was launched backwards still, returning to the centre of the ring of fire. Kammy slowly stood up, and panted, as she tried the move again, except this time, attempting to launch a bubble to break through in the process.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Psybeam again!" Zoe cried. Kammy broke through the swirling flames, but not without suffering serious burns. The few bubbles that had survived past the fire were popped by Esmeralda's psychic attack, which was headed straight for the Squirtle.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette gasped, obviously not expecting this outcome, as Kammy was knocked back, through the other side of the ring of fire, and was knocked out, a wide grin on her face.

"Well done, Zoe." Colette said, recalling the fainted Squirtle, as she smiled.

"Though, that's just one." Colette said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, as Myriam stepped forward with a smile on her face, ready to fight, as Colette tended to her fainted Squirtle.