Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Well that was rude," Zoe said loudly as the man walked away with a rejected look. "Couldn't he see that I'm already showing you how to dance? The nerve of some people..."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Right as the attacks were about to hit Zach, Zach felt something around him. The scene then changed to another memory from earlier; the same that Olivia was dreaming about at that moment. Zach watched the scene with wide eyes, as his dream consciousness seemed to suddenly realize things, and he nodded to himself.

Zach reached out with his arm in his sleep, and wrapped his arm around Olivia in return, as if in thanks for what she did, as the dream continued.

Zach noticed a Ralts behind Olivia at one point, and realized it was likely Amethyst, and wondered when exactly Olivia had caught Am, anyway, as he heard the last parts of what was said, and felt the dream begin to fade, realizing the answer was always...

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"Y-yeah, and he seemed to just ignore you, too, anyway..." Colette said, though wondered if that was it, given the look on the guy's face as he left. Colette also wondered if they were going to keep spinning for much longer, since she realized they were going kinda fast...

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Early in the morning, Olivia woke up, slowly blinking. As her vision started to clear, it was apparent Zach's arm was draped on top of her, while her arm was over him. Olivia also found her face was within centimeters from Zach's, whose expression was serene and happy. Blinking even harder, Olivia simply stared back at Zach curiously.....

 

Then flung herself to the other side of the bed with a yelp, flailing the arm not over Zach and sending him spiraling off the end of the bed as a result.

 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Olivia's cheeks were absolutely flushed, and she was left breathing hard. Unaware of Zach's tumble, Olivia turned to her thoughts once more.

.....So that's how I feel, even now...... she mused while her face turned scarlet further, wondering if Zach was aware of how close they had just gotten then.

Edited July 9, 2014 by Phoenix Zero

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Right as Zach was thinking of the thing he'd realized, he suddenly found himself in a state of very temporary weightlessness. The next moment, he groaned and opened his eyes to find himself in a faceplant on the floor.

... What did I do, roll off the bed...? Zach thought, as he groaned again, and stood up, rubbing his now-sore face with one hand, and his eyes with the other.

"... Morning... Liv...?" Zach mumbled, having absolutely no clue of what time it was, or so, since he was half asleep and in pain; not a good combination for thinking clearly.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

When Zach spoke up, Olivia did her best to hide the blush and turned around, seeing Zach on the other end of the bed. Suddenly her brain registered hearing a loud thud shortly beforehand, and realized her efforts to get away had resulted in Zach tumbling off. 
"...Uh, morning." she responded, rubbing the back of her head a little when realizing what she had done. "Sounds like you kinda fell there..... You okay?" Olivia asked concerned.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach nodded, but still was slightly confused.

"Yeah, I'm alright, mostly a sore nose; though I don't recall rolling over to fall... How long have you been up?" Zach asked, as he tried his best to remember what he had been thinking about before he woke up, but sadly it and the dream was slowly fading from his memory, aside from the general idea of what was happening. Zach yawned slightly, and thought for a moment, as he recalled what had happened yesterday, after the battle in Striaton.

I wonder if battling the others really is a good idea...? I mean, Olivia basically won that fight for me, after all...

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

"Uhhhh, me?" Olivia repeated, still somewhat nervous at what she had done. "....I haven't been awake for that long actually, though I can't say for sure....." she lied, and noticed Zach was thinking about something.

"Hey.... Is something bugging you?" she asked again, sitting down on the bed and putting on her shoes while she asked. 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

"Oh, was just thinking about what that Caitlyn had said yesterday..." Zach said, and paused, and looked over at Olivia curiously.

"Are you alright...? You seem like something's bugging you as well." Zach said, a slightly amused look on his face that they both seemed to be bothered by something.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC (Claus):

Claus would have joined in on their dance, had he really any room to move, so as it was he just sort of span while grabbing bites from his not-set-down plate, when he not directly facing either Llyan sister . He decided not to comment on Zoe dance lessons, but just decided to enjoy himself in the moment. Not quite the dance he'd have picked, but he had two dates at once for the moment, so why would he complain? The event with the man approaching them seemed odd, but he quickly put it out of mind.

 

IC (Richard):

The bard felt all his worry melt away as the song continued. Even he had been a bit surprised by the fact that his hands were working as well as they were with his instrument as they were now, but he had motivation darn it! He had to pull this off somehow.

 

Speaking of motivation... he thought to himself, If I could just see my inspiration, I know I could perform this well all night!

 

When the song came to a point where he had a break, he temporarily shifted his focus and quickly scanned the crowd. He scanned it once, and missing his target scanned it again. The second time he found his new boon companion being surrounded by two girls, which he quickly identified as Zoe and... Colette.

 

 He would have focused on it longer had he not had to continue his violin playing, but the girl he saw dancing around Claus, while very beautiful to his eyes, just wasn't as inspiring as when he had first seen her. Like something was wrong, that the picture didn't fit. But one look at her eyes gave him that confident inspiration that he needed to stay strong throughout the night.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

"M-Me?" Olivia repeated, looking up after getting her shoes ready. She sat there for several moments, attempting to find a plausible excuse, but nothing seemed to make sense.

.....M-Maybe I should just tell the truth? Olivia wondered, since she had seemed to stop lying to herself after the dreams she had.

"......Actually, I.... I was lying when I said I didn't know how long I've been up." she started. "I-I woke up really recently, and when I did....... We were facing each other, with one arm around each other....." she admitted with a blush, looking away as her cheeks flushed again. "Woke me up with a start....." 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

"Oh, that makes sense." Zach said with a nod, yawning again slightly, after he found her silence a bit odd.

"I was trying to think of how I could've just fallen outta bed to be honest, since I'd thought I was far enough away from the edge to not fall." Zach said, and then noted what she said, and realized what she meant, and his face had a trace of redness as well... But that also might've been from him falling on it moments earlier.

"Don't worry, though; it's alright." Zach said, though the way he phrased it could mean the fall or the accidental cuddling.

"Anyway... What do you think I should do about that Elite 4 challenge that was mentioned?" Zach asked, as he frowned slightly again, thinking about it once more.

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan sighed, as he walked through the streets of Goldenrod.

It's been a while since I was here in such a calming way... Ryan thought, as Anna hummed along on his shoulder. As he turned, though, he froze in his steps, as he frowned; the sudden way of sadness breaking Anna out of her song, who looked over at Ryan in confusion.

"They never fixed them, huh...?" Ryan mused, as he looked at the ruins of his house and the house that belonged to the Hakudas; both of which had been destroyed in the attack nearly four years prior.

"This was your house?" Anna asked, confused, as Ryan nodded, looking to the side as he recalled the incident for a moment, as his hand trembled slightly.

"And my own father was the cause..." Ryan said, and then breathed in slowly.

"My whole life I've just been being used, haven't I? So many secrets; and do I even know all of them now...?" Ryan muttered, as he shook his head.

"I need to get to the bottom of all this. Anna, we have a place to head to." Ryan said, as the Natu tilted her head to the side, but nodded, as she linked with Ryan's guarded memories, and then teleported to Saffron City.

 

Ryan opened his eyes with a frown, as the trainer and Natu appeared in Saffron City. Ryan looked around, and noticed them to be to the north of the city, and Ryan stared up at the giant tower-like building in the middle of the city.

That's where we have to go... Ryan thought, as he walked through the city, Anna starting to hum her song again.

"Anna, what is that song, anyway? Why do you hum it so often?" Ryan asked, as he realized she had been humming it ever since they left the department store.

"It's... called 'My Song'." Anna said, and Ryan scratched his head.

"Your song? You came up with it?" Ryan asked, and the Natu laughed.

"Noooo silly; the title is 'My Song'; I heard it from a young traveler back before I got to Hoenn. That person was one of the only two people who actually paid attention to me for good reasons, before you... You really do seem like that person, though, somehow." Anna explained, and Ryan looked over at her confused.

"We do?" Ryan asked, wondering who this mystery person was.

"I can't figure out how; but all three people who really were nice to me have had something in common... They all had a subtle feel to them." Anna said, and Ryan sighed, thinking that over.

 

"You were from Kalos?" Ryan asked, as he looked over to the Natu on his shoulder, as she nodded.

"Yes. I spent a long while in Kalos; was born there too..." Anna said with a rueful smile. Ryan frowned, as he thought that over.

"What changed?" Ryan questioned further, as the Natu fidgeted on Ryan's shoulder.

"Well, first, I ran into the traveler who taught me the song... I'd been lonely for a while, after all, since most Pokemon don't really care to be with a Natu who didn't belong. I'm not sure what happened to my parents; so I just wandered for the longer time. The traveler taught me the song because of it; apparently it fit me rather well. Of course, after that, I was captured by someone and sent to the Hoenn Safari Zone. I made my brilliant escape after that, and began to make my way across Hoenn; but the other guy who was nice to me help me out, and brought me to the Petalburg woods, which was better for a Natu like me than just wandering aimlessly. And then you showed up! And now I don't have to be lonely!" Anna said happily, and Ryan smiled, as he closed his eyes.

"I'm glad." Ryan said, and then looked back toward the large building they were quickly approaching; the sign on the building saying 'Silph Co.'

"Do you mind, however, if you stay in safety for a bit...?" Ryan asked, and Anna, sensing his worry, nodded, as Ryan recalled the small bird, and steeled himself, as he took his first step toward changing his future destiny.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Colette Llyan

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Yeah, why would he want to teach you how do dance but not me?" Zoe frowned. She shrugged and looked over at Claus. "He completely ignored Mr. Multi-talented as well. Seriously, I'd like to see that guy try dancing while eating a plate of food."

Edited July 10, 2014 by Konuju

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray sighed, as he looked back at the dancing crowd, a glass of punch in his hand, as he just watched the events sadly from the snack bar.

What was I even thinking? I belong at a dance like a Donphan belongs in a doll house... Ray thought with a sigh; he didn't know anyone here, after he thought about it, and he doubted that anyone would even want to dance with him, especially since he was a stranger to pretty much everyone.

Why'd I bother to pull out my tuxedo anyway? Ryan probably said that as some sort of taunt, after how he acted yesterday... Ray thought, and sighed again, as he looked at the drink suspiciously, as he tried to shake the thoughts out of his head.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Colette Llyan

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC (Guinevere & Lancelot):

 

The night before Guinevere received a note from a receptionist which was evidently from James. The note in short said to let the team do whatever they wished for the night, and if they needed him he was going to back in the room. What it actually meant was, "I know none of you all wish to see me right now, so here is where to avoid."

 

The Gardevoir was silent until the rest of James' team had arrived in the lobby of the Liberty Medical Center. She relayed the message to them all before pulling the Scizor aside, and leaving the medical center.

 

She had been intent on asking him a bunch of questions, but could not find any of the words. Right before the battle with Greed, she had asked him why Lancelot chose to defend James right after the trainer had betrayed him. His answer was short but to the point. And it had the effect of making the Gardevoir risk her life in defending James.

 

That wasn't something that was supposed to be hard for her to do.

 

The result of neither speaking was that they spent about two hours in silence far away from anyone else.

 

You know you can just read my mind, and you'll get the answers you want... the Steel-Bug said finally.

 

The Psychic in response merely shook your head, No, this, these, are things that I need to find the right words for and actually ask it.

 

...I don't really get why, but fine...

 

The Scizor led the Psychic a bit further away. If they were going to spend the entire night for the Psychic to find the right words, they were going to do it where they could sleep if they wanted.

Time passed, the spent for the duo not particularly effectively as the Gardevoir never found the words and the Scizor did not have anything to say. At least not at the moment. Not yet. And so, before they knew it, the next night had already appeared. They wandered back towards the Liberty base at some point, to check on the others.

 

They were walking for a while when they heard the sound of music, and large amounts of people entering into a building. The two decided to investigate and what they found amused Guinevere slightly.

 

Heh, a dance. I know James would have jokingly asked me to it, the Gardevoir said with a sad look on her face.

 

They were silent for a while before the Scizor asked, Do you want to go to the dance with me?

 

What?! the Gardevoir replied completely surprised.

 

Do you want to go to the dance with me? the Scizor replied again, with a blank expression on his face.

 

Do you even know how to dance?

 

Very little, mostly the Swords Dance, but I know you do.

 

But we are not in formal attire, she pointed out.

 

You're in a gown, and I'm in armor. You don't get much more formal than that.

 

The Gardevoir was shocked that this of all occurrences happened now.

 

Well... I guess we could, the Gardevoir said quietly.

 

The Scizor nodded before escorting the Gardevoir into the ballroom.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Cassie; flashback==-

 

Cassie sighed, as she adjusted her outfit for the millionth time in an annoyed fashion. She never did like the outfit that had been picked out for her, but there was no use complaining, since that wouldn't solve anything at all. She wasn't totally sure why she needed such a fancy outfit to greet her parents, but since it had been quite some time before the family had all been together, she figured it was a good enough occasion to warrant it. Cassie yawned slightly, as she fidgeted with her outfit once more, the dress seeming to be too tight, but sighed, as there was no fixing it tonight, really. Cassie walked downstairs, as the doorbell rang. Christopher called to Cassie, and mentioned her parents were there, and Cassie walked over to greet them.

"Hi!" Cassie said happily, and her mother frowned.

"What did we tell you about how to greet us?" Her mother asked, and Cassie flinched slightly and looked down with a sad look, as her father looked between the two with a frown, but didn't say anything.

"Straighten up, Cassandra, and put your back into it." Cassie's mother said, and her father sighed.

"Honey, she's a kid..." Her father said, even as Cassie subtly obeyed what her mother said, and looked at the floor, wondering when her family had gotten like this. Christopher looked on with a slightly disapproving look as well, as Cassie's father cleared his throat.

"Cassie, can you get your sister, and tell her we're going to have a guest tonight?" Her father asked, ignoring the look he was getting for using Cassie's nickname, instead of her full first name. Cassie, however, was thankful for the chance to get away, and nodded, and scurried off to where Stacy's room was, as her mother sighed.

"How can she be strong enough to help look after her little brother, if you treat her this way, though?" The mother asked, as her father sighed.

"It's because she knows how to be loved that I know she'll do that well."

 

Cassie frowned, as she walked through the halls, and then yelped as she bumped into someone.

"...? Cassie? Why aren't you watching where you're going?" Her sister asked, as Cassie timidly looked up, and nervously chuckled.

"I-I'm sorry, I was thinking about something." The redhead said, as Stacy sighed.

"If you keep your head in the clouds, you're gonna end up bumping into someone you don't want to, or worse." The older girl said, and Cassie paused, as Stacy began to walk off again.

"Wait! Dad- I mean, father wanted me to tell you that we're having a guest over tonight..." Cassie said, and Stacy turned around and raised her eyebrow.

"Oh? Really now... I'll keep that in mind. I wasn't expecting that, I must go change..." Stacy said, seeming distracted herself, but Cassie kept her thoughts to herself, as she turned away with a sad look.

Just telling me to watch out because I could mess up... Isn't anyone warm other than dad nowadays...? Cassie wondered to herself, as she headed back down the hall to the entrance room. Cassie was slightly downed by everything at that moment, as she was too focused on the bad, and not enough on the good. It made her miss the fact that her sister was actually trying to help her out, in her own way.

 

After taking her time to take the long way back, Cassie returned to the entrance hall to find that there was no-one there. Cassie frowned, and rubbed the back of her head nervously.

Did everyone go to the dining room already...? She wondered, as she looked around for a few moments, and then checked her Pokegear and noticed it was nearly time for dinner. Cassie realized that her taking the extra time had likely helped to give them a chance to miss her entirely in the mansion. Cassie picked up her pace, as she ran through the halls, and arrived at the dining room, panting, as her parents looked up at her with a questioning look, as Cassie noticed that there was another person at the table, and realized that the guest was already there.

"Have you already met our guest, Cassandra?" Cassie's mother asked, as she noticed Cassie's questioning look.

"Uh, maybe...?" Cassie said, still unsure of that. Giving a sigh in response, her mother quickly introduced the two, as Cassie moved to sit down, still giving the man an odd look, as if she'd seen him before. Her parents gave her a quick run down on his backstory; apparently his father worked with Cassie's father, and Cassie's father invited them over, although the man's parents were out of the room at the moment. Cassie didn't pay too much attention to what was being said, as she was more focused on her meal, and getting reprimanded for different etiquette things that she was not paying attention to in the slightest.

"And what are you interested in?" The man asked, taking a sudden interest in Cassie, as she frowned in response.

"Pokemon, sports, bracelet making..." Cassie said with a sigh, as she wondered why she would even be asked. The man seemed amused, but nodded, as Cassie excused herself from the table, having finished her meal.

 

Cassie shook her head, as she headed back to her room, and quickly got changed out of her dress and into her normal clothes. She had lost the interest to care about whether she was wearing fancy clothes or not by that point, and just laid on her bed, as she wondered why someone would have just randomly taken an interest in her. She couldn't even recall the guy's name anymore, or what he looked like, and just closed her eyes, as she thought about her parents, who didn't seem to care that she didn't want to be the traditional image of a lady. She thought about how her sister seemed to be glaring at her every time she did something wrong, and how even Christopher seemed to be against her that night, and she sighed, and just buried her head in her pillow for a moment, and then turned and looked to the side, as she wondered again if anything would ever return to normal again. However, at about that moment, there was a knock at her door. After a few moments of not being answered, the door opened, and Stacy walked in.

"You're upset, aren't you...?" Stacy asked, and Cassie turned her head with a sigh, a look of mock displeasure on her face.

"Gee, I wonder what gave that idea?" Cassie asked with a hint of sarcasm, as Stacy frowned slightly in response.

"I know how hard mother can be on us, but-" Stacy started to say, when Cassie cut her off.

"Do you? Do you really? I don't want to be like her; I want everyone to be close, and laid back, and like we were before all this changed..." Cassie said, and Stacy sighed.

"I think they realize that... But I think mom's let everything go to her head..." Stacy said, as she slipped into her non-formal manner of speaking, and Cassie looked at her with a tired face.

"And what about you...? I thought I could always count on you at least, up until recently..." Cassie said, and Stacy smiled subtly, and walked over to her younger sister, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"You can always count on me... Everything I do, is to try and help you succeed." Stacy explained, and Cassie seemed to cheer up a bit, and fidgeted in bed slightly with a yawn, as she looked away for a moment.

"... M-maybe a bed time story...?" Cassie asked, as both girls chuckled for a few seconds, since it had been a long while since the elder sister had read such a story to Cassie, since they were supposedly too old for it; but to help cheer up her sister, Stacy nodded. As Cassie closed her eyes with a smile, Stacy began to read, and Cassie felt like this was how her family was supposed to be, even if it was just the two sisters...

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Once seeing that Zach barely reacted to them accidentally cuddling, Olivia both breathed a sigh of relief and blinked confusedly. Well.... Doesn't seem like he's making a big deal out of it. Maybe I shouldn't either. she decided.

"Hmm, oh right, Caitilin mentioned something about challenging the Unova Elite Four?" Olivia said in response, pausing for a moment. ".....Well, it wouldn't hurt to try at least, right?" she asked, shrugging. "We'll see when we get there, first, I'd like to have a word with the clerk......" she finished.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

"That's true." Zach said with a nod, and then chuckled at the mention of the clerk.

"Yeah, getting our money back would be nice, right...?" Zach said, as he laughed a bit nervously, as he could definitely use the refund of the extra room, and then stood up, and nodded again with a smile.

"Let's head out then, and then make our way to the Pokemon League!"

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Olivia chuckled at Zach's declaration of heading to the Pokemon league, grinning at him afterwards. "Well now, looks like someone's excited." she teased, before heading out the door.

Where is he? ..... Olivia thought as she went out into the hallways, wondering when the clerk would conveniently run into the two. Really would like that money back..... Any time now.....

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach chuckled as he followed his friend, as he did have to admit that he was pretty excited for the fight; especially since this would mean he'd finally get his rematch against Grimsley. However, on their way through the halls, the clerk indeed showed up.

"Ahhh, hello... How was the night?" The clerk asked with a mischievous smile, as Zach stopped, and seemed skeptical of the clerk's mood.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

"Oh, it's you again, hello." Olivia responded with sarcastic politeness once more. "Your stupid slogan? Didn't happen, nope." she said with a grin, looking on triumphantly. "Since it didn't work...... Could we get our money back?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

The clerk looked over the two of them, and thought for a moment, and then said the words Zach dreaded to hear.

"Hmmm, nope, give it time." The clerk said happily, and then walked away, as Zach just looked on in horror, as he was really hoping things would work out so he got the money back, and he put his head down in utter sadness.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

As the clerk walked down the hallway away from the two, Olivia blinked, then clenched her fist angrily. "What the heck?!" she called out indignantly, immediately heading after the clerk. 

"What kind of an answer is that?! We didn't meet the criteria clearly stated in the slogan, so we should be getting our money back, right?" she cried confusedly, not at all happy with the current situation.

"What makes you able to just say 'give it time'? We didn't meet the deadline set! Or is there some fine print on a paper I was never shown?! What kind of management is this??!" she continued to rant, absolutely furious at the clerk, especially his smug attitude.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach looked over in shock at what Olivia was doing, as the clerk raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" The clerk asked in amusement, but sighed, and shrugged, and then handed Olivia the money in question.

"Alright then, whatever you say..." The clerk said, but simply looked at Olivia in pity as he did so, as Zach scratched his head, unsure of what to say, since he hadn't actually expected Olivia to have done that, though he kinda was grateful for it, but he hadn't wanted to make a huge scene over it...

[Parugi]

OOC: Official announcement: The first post has been reformatted and recoded, and should now contain no cut-off points. In order to do this, do note that there were a few changes that had to be made:

• The "Achievements" Section, which detailed which GLs, Legendaries, etc. had been recruited by what group, has been moved to the first post of the discussion topic. It may or may not stay there--that is yet to be determined.
• Likewise, the section detailing which Legendary Pokémon are singular/multiple-species has also been moved to the discussion topic, underneath the Achievements section.
• The narrative introduction has been removed from the first post. This was done so as to free up a big enough space to allow for the technical aspects of the first post. The introduction itself has been linked to in the story summary section, and is included in the Google Doc version of the first post.

So yeah. Feel free to ask any questions regarding this in the discussion topic, or in the chat.

 

IC - Sonja Baron - The Alamo, Ballroom:

 

Well, she thought, straightening the skirt of her fairly plain, purple dress. I guess this is it . . . She took a deep breath, and then turned the corner, finally laying eyes on the place she had been dreading all day.

 

For all the misgivings she had held about it, Sonja had to admit that, so far, the dance seemed rather . . . nice, at least from where she stood just outside of one of the entrances, caught in a mental tug-of-war of entering and not entering. It had not occurred to her before now that, of all the people she knew in Team Liberty, she had seen only a small handful outside of official, war-related circumstances--training exercises, practice battles, tactical studies, covert operations in Unova, the likes. To see so many familiar faces in Team Liberty's ballroom, men and women in a sea of intermingled colors, donning suits and tuxedos and dresses of a hundred different styles and fashions, ebbing and flowing with the cascading music . . .

 

Surreal. That was the one word that Sonja could put to the scene.

 

Not that that was a bad thing. If it meant at least a few moments of calm, moments free of the worry and stress brought about by the impending threat of danger, however fleeting they may be, then she would take it. She just wished the security guards stationed around the room could be a little less conspicuous, for they were the one element in the mix that threw off the carefree illusion. Their presence--hidden as they were--only served as a subtle reminder that, no, things were not as peaceful as this dance made it seem. At any moment, something could happen, something could go wrong, and if--or when--it did, no one present would be the least bit prepa--

 

A light tap on her shoulder called her attention. "Um . . . Excuse me." Sonja turned. She was met by the sight of a young woman--maybe her age, though she might have been a year or two older. She wore a sleeveless black dress with an intricate beige pattern sewn into the nearly floor-length skirt. Long, blonde hair fell down her back in waves, while similarly wavy bangs covered the right half of her face, leaving one green eye free of obstruction. From the slight blush on the uncovered half, Sonja could tell that the girl was uncomfortable. "Is this the, uh . . ." She glanced down at the pamphlet in her hands. ". . . the Liberty Ball?"

 

"Yeah, it is," Sonja said after a moment. "Are you . . . new here?"

 

The other girl nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I'm only here until tomorrow, but I'm being . . . hosted, I guess, by someone here, and they suggested I stop by." She averted her gaze, watching the crowds of dancing people. "You know--have fun and all that. Which is fine, I guess, I just . . . I don't know anyone."

 

Sonja nodded, remembering how she had felt under similar circumstances during the Manaphy Operation the previous fall. With an absentminded brush of her hair behind her ear, Sonja smiled at the new girl. "Well, you're free to pal around with me for the night," she said. "Gotta stick together right?" She held out a hand. "I'm Sonja, by the way."

 

The other girl smiled, shaking her hand. "Thanks, Sonja," she said. "I'm Esen. Pleasure to meet you."

 

"And the same to you, Miss Esen," Sonja said, leading the way into the ball room. They were immediately met with the increased volume of the waltz, though this did little to silence their mood. "Come on--I'll introduce you to some friends of mine."

 

IC - Goldhawk/Blackskull/Silvermind - The Alamo, Boardroom:

 

As it turned out, it was the former reason.

 

James was met by the sight of not just Goldhawk, but two other Liberty Executives--Blackskull, who appeared to be preoccupying himself by slowly spinning his seat around, and Silvermind, who watched the former with a clear air of silent disapproval. Goldhawk, for his part, simply ignored them both--or perhaps did not even notice them, given that he was standing with his back to the door, staring out the large window at the other end of the room, arms crossed as he focused on a distant storm lingering over a far-off island.

 

Blackskull perked up as he saw James enter, and quickly put a stop to his idle movement. "Mr. Arthur," he said, waving in greeting. This prompted Goldhawk to turn around, giving James a quick nod. "Have a seat and we'll get started." The Dark-Type specialist gestured around to the free chairs.

 

Goldhawk sat down in his own spot, and waited for James to situate himself before addressing him. "Alright, Executive Arthur," he said after a moment. "I hope you don't mind if I skip the pleasantries, and just ask you upfront . . . What happened in Research and Development yesterday?"

 

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner - Celadon Department Store, Stairway to Heaven:

 

Ethan, too, had slowed down to catch his breath when the Zephyr Agent had passed by. Breathing deeply, and with one hand to his side, he pointed after Skyle with his thumb. "If you're talking about tall, dark, and smirky, yeah," he said, doubling over. "He just passed by a few seconds before you got here. Probably can't wait to watch his leader make the worst mistake of her life . . ." He did not elaborate despite the questioning looks from his teammates. Instead, he pulled his Poké Gear up to his mouth. "Gavin, you at the roof yet?"

 

"Just about," Gavin replied. "Just a few more hallways and I'll be there. Where are the rest of you?"

 

"Two floors down," Ethan said. "Whatever you do, do not let that orb onto the roof, got it? That is our priority--I don't care if the others get through, but keep whoever has it inside. Right now, that's Windy. Understood?"

 

There was a pause. Then, " . . . Roger that."

 

Ethan took another deep breath, clipping his PokéGear back to his belt. He looked at Lucia and Jamie, hardly acknowledging the two prisoners trailing behind them. "I'm going ahead," he said. "Keep up if you can--hopefully we can stall them long enough to get everyone up there." Without another word, he took off again, running for the stairs.

 

 

Gavin put his Poké Gear away, continuing to move at a brisk pace toward the stairs. I've never heard such an urgent tone from Ethan before, he mused. What could he be so worried about . . .? Hm . . . Gavin frowned, grabbing a Poké Ball for security's sake.

 

"Hey, Mr. Gavin? Can we slow down a bit?" asked Skye, who was currently trailing behind the Rocket agent. To his surprise, she had made good on her promise of turning herself in after finishing her collectible search, handing over her Pokémon, leaving behind more than enough to pay for what she had taken, and now carefully guarding the briefcase cradled in her arms. "My feet are killing me."

 

"I can't, sorry," he said, though (and he noted the irony) slowed down anyway to address her. Gavin rubbed the back of his head. "Tell you what . . ." He looked around, quickly finding a set of benches, which he pointed to. "I don't know how ugly things are going to get over here, so why don't you wait over there until we deal with your friends, and then I'll come get you?" He paused, looking at her carefully. ". . . I can trust you to wait there, right?"

 

"Of course," she said, a bright smile on her face. "You have my Pokémon--I'm not leaving until I get them back, you know?" Gavin nodded, a smile flicking across his mouth. It was Skye's turn to pause now. "Just . . . Make sure they don't get hurt, please?"

 

"You have my word," Gavin said, tucking the Poké Balls in question into an inner pocket of his jacket.

 

She nodded gratefully at him, and then waved as she made her way to the benches. "Stay safe!"

 

Once he was sure she wasn't going anywhere, Gavin turned and continued running. Soon enough, he had arrived back at the rooftop door, which appeared completely untouched from when he had last been there. He paused to catch his breath, and pulled out his Poké Gear again, holding Talsim's Poké Ball in his other hand.

 

"Ethan, I'm here," he said. "Doesn't look like anyone has come through . . ." Gavin waited for an answer. ". . . Ethan?"

 

The Poké Gear merely buzzed with static. It was at that moment that Gavin became aware of a crackling sound behind him. Eyes narrowing, he spun around, holding Talsim's Poké Ball forward, the flash from the Alakazam's release providing enough light for him to make out the silhouette of Windy, who appeared to be holding an iPad-like device in one hand and the green orb under her other arm.

 

"Aw, I was going for a more dramatic entrance," she said, brushing her hair out of her face. "Oh well." The device suddenly glowed as one of her Rotom took over, hovering like a guardian just over her shoulder. "So, I take it you're next on the list of people we get to steamroll?"

 

"Depends," Gavin said, pocketing his Poké Gear again. "Do you think a Rotom can beat an Alakazam by itself? I think the odds are out of your favor, Windy."

 

"Like I would take on an Alakazam with just a Rotom?" Windy scoffed. "As if." She lifted her arm, staring at her wrist as if wearing a watch. "Any second now . . ."

 

Almost on her word, Gavin became aware of the scuffling sounds from three different directions. Seconds later, three of Windy's men had arrived--one of them Skyler, whom Gavin instantly recognized. Windy stared at him in particular for several seconds, clearly puzzled.

 

"So Skyler made it out and not a single one of the girls did . . ." She sighed, shaking her head. "Just my luck . . ."

 

"Like, hey," Skyler said. "I resent that, you know."

 

"Oh, hush," Windy snapped. "Consider it a compliment if nothing else." She shook her head, giving an exasperated look to Gavin. "At any rate . . . Boys, initiate steamroll." Several flashes of light followed this--including another from Gavin as he released Dothe, though he still found his team outnumbered by quite a large number of Pokémon.

 

And it was around that point that the steamrolling began.

 

 

"Hey, Gavin, you okay?"

 

The voice was hazy, though Gavin could still make it out. He rubbed his head and groaned in pain as he sat up, brain throbbing with pain from the merciless assault he had received moments earlier. Talsim and Dothe both lay unconscious nearby, completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of opponents they had had to keep track of. As his vision cleared, he was able to make out Ethan standing in front of him, hand held out to help him up. He took it, rising to his feet. Behind Ethan, he saw Jamie and Lucia--as well as a pair of tied-up Zephyr members, whom he chose to ignore.

 

"I'm fine," he said after a moment. "Don't know how, but I am. Ugh . . ."

 

"Well, that's good," Ethan said, looking around at the damaged hall. "So, what happened here?"

 

"They, uh . . . They had a flash grenade."

 

"A flash grenade," Ethan repeated, stating it less like a question and more like a, "You sure about that?"

 

"Yeah. It hurt. A lot," he said. "I'm pretty sure there were, like, twelve, actually." There was a long silence. Finally, irritated, Gavin looked at the stairs. "Don't we need to stop them or something?"

 

"Right," Ethan said. "Enough dillydallying--let's go!" He made to run, though paused. "But, uh, make sure everyone is healed up. Lucia, mind giving us a hand with that?"

Edited July 11, 2014 by Pears Nivans

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia nodded with a grim frown, as she sent out her whole team to assist with the healing more quickly.

"Well, this is pleasant." Lucia said, as she was reminded again of the electric Pokemon that hovered near her shoulder, trying to catch her attention. The Dedenne had been cut off from her in the last fight, since it had been sticking close to where the cart was, but, now she was reminded of it again, and she nodded.

"Right, so, they're stronger than they let on. But we can't just let them..." Lucia looked at Ethan with a puzzled look. When he had mentioned about the orb, he'd seemed so much more serious than, well, ever. Now she was curious why, and then a look of realization slowly dawned on her face.

"Oh." Lucia said, as she recalled what the Zephyr members kept talking about for their goal.

"Oh, that's not good." Lucia said with a frown, as she stood up, her team having finished healing up the rest of the group, as she recalled them.

"We... should get up there, then." Lucia gulped, hoping they weren't too late, if what she was thinking was what actually was happening.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC (James):

James was surprised (and yet in hindsight felt he should have seen this coming) that all three of Liberty's Leaders were there. All three of them.

 

This should not change how I will act or what I will say, the Executive thought as he sat across from all three of his superiors.

 

"Quite honestly, Sirs, Madam. A great deal happened yesterday, down there in the Research and Development department."

 

James began his narrative with how had arrived at the Research and Development department with the intent of checking in on the workings of his fellow Executive, Meghan Vert, and more specifically the Power Suits. He then confessed his crime of knowing that Goldhawk had wanted the project stopped over six months ago, and that he knew the project had still been going on, because he had lent the project his aid almost right after he had heard Goldhawk say it. Mr. Arthur continued the story by telling of how Vert offered to have him test drive a power suit in a battle with Officer Ross, which James had agreed to on the condition that both sides would also have one Pokémon ally. The battle had taken place in a testing arena, in which Ross had slightly held the upper hand... (James paused here as he mulled over whether to add all of the details of the next part of the narrative. He decided he had to put it in there for the rest of the story to make sense). After a few more moments of pause he finally told the three trainers across from him how he had charged up a Hyper Beam as strong as he was capable of at that moment, and fired it at Ross, fully knowing that his own Pokémon would have been struck in the crossfire, and that Ross had been severely wounded (he hid himself swallowing in nervousness, knowing the three leaders must have known Officer Ross' current condition).

 

"And it was at that point, that everything truly took a turn for the worse, and for the strange."

 

He told them of how two girls had appeared in the testing arena, and of the strangeness of them. Of how they had introduced themselves as "Lust and Greed" and how they were attracted to Vert and Arthur respectively. He told them of how they were challenged to a Double Battle. Of how they tried to tempt them into falling completely into the Sin that they represented. How Greed had tempted him, and listed every greedy thing he had done in his life. But then how he and Vert had a moment where they were able to throw off greed and lust and defeated their opponents. And then he spoke of their deaths, and of the ominous warning he had received.

 

"And that is everything that transpired in the Research and Development department, before we came to Goldhawk, as truthfully and as detailed as I see possible," and as James spoke those words, he realized that he meant them.

 

That felt strange.

 

IC (Jamie):

 

The mood had changed for the worse, but Jamie had not yet figured the cause of it. Regardless, she could recognize that if there was any time for when it truly was time to take everything completely seriously, this seemed like it, far more so than she normally would (and far far more so than she had today). She looked towards Tristan and Grummore, and found them both looking as fully prepared as they could. The Pokémon in the thank also showed their support. She was grateful that they had seen fit to stay with them. She hoped that it wasn't because they thought the other Zephyr members also wanted to eat them.

 

She really would have to do something for all of them. They deserved a lot for what they had done for her.

 

A shrill cry came from behind Jamie, signaling Lucan's arrival to the group.

 

"Lucan?! Where are Pelleas and Palomides?"

 

The Vanilluxe gave several crys, which Tristan translated in his computer for a head.

It appears madame, that my fellow was victorious but finds himself unable to continue on for the time being. Palomides is staying there to guard over their prey and our friend.

 

Jamie sighed in relief at hearing the overall good news, "Excellent work Lucan, I know this maybe asking a lot of you, but can you ready yourself again for another battle?"

 

The timid Ice type was silent for a moment before signaling its affirmation as best it could.

 

"Alright let's get going."

[Parugi]

OOC: Track 2 of the Official Dance Playlist.

 

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

 

Ray's introspection came to a swift pause as he felt a hand pat him on the shoulder, as well as heard a familiar voice over the music. "Hey, Ray!" Looking up, he would find Kyle smiling at him off to his left--not exactly a super-comfortable grin, as he appeared self-conscious of the tuxedo that he was wearing, but still clearly enjoying himself.

 

"Oh, hey Kyle . . ." Ray said, as he waved slightly at the Liberty agent.

 

"Was wondering where I'd find you at. Probably should've checked over here first, I guess." He chuckled. Noticing Ray demeanor, Kyle tilted his head. "You alright? You look a little sullen. What's up?"

 

"O-oh, no real reason for it . . ." Ray said, looking around. "Mostly just me knowing no one here, and, well, just thinking about everything and such . . . And, well, I'm not totally certain why I showed up to the dance at all . . ." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and looked at the punch oddly again.

 

"I see," Kyle said, nodding slowly. He had a feeling he knew what part of that 'everything' was, though did not say anything--yet. Instead, he poured himself a glass of lemonade, and looked around at the surrounding crowd. After a moment, he paused to take a sip of the drink, simultaneously nudging Ray. "Well, don't look now, but Sonja's headed this way." He didn't wait to see how the Separatist Agent reacted, as Sonja arrived at that moment, a blonde-haired girl in tow. "Hey."

 

"Oh, hi there." Ray said, as he looked up at Sonja, and seemed surprised at how casual and formal she simultaneously seemed, but also remembered how she had seemed the night before when they parted. He stifled a yawn, not really wanting to bring up the lack of sleep yet.

 

"Hi, Kyle, Ray," Sonja said with a wave and a smile. "You guys are looking sharp."

 

"Oh, that's good to hear--I'm not used to dressing like this," Kyle said, blushing slightly, but managing to hide it with a smile. "You two look great, yourselves. Don't they, Ray?"

 

"Yeah, you two look pretty fantastic." Ray seemed impressed, as while neither girl had a dress that was probably particularly fancy by typical standards, it fit both rather well, and they both did admittedly look pretty nice; the blonde girl's dress contrasting her hair well, and Sonja's bringing her eyes to focus more.

 

The Liberty agent smiled brightly. "Thanks, guys." Both Ray and Kyle also noticed that, as much fun as they were having talking to Sonja, the girl behind her seemed a little less comfortable. She glanced about every so often, and seemed to adjust her dress every few minutes, as if she was unused to wearing that sort of clothing--a sentiment that Kyle could easily understand.

 

Sonja, too, took notice, stepping back and placing a hand on her friend's shoulder to bring her forward. "Oh, here--Kyle, Ray, this is Esen. We just met out in the hallway, and I figured I'd invite her along with us for the night."

 

"She's more than welcome here," Kyle said. He shook her hand. "Kyle Eston. Please to meet you."

 

"Hi . . . Esen?" Ray questioned to make sure he had gotten the name right, and smiled politely a bit, as he held out his hand to shake. "My name's Ray Hakuda . . ." The separatist introduced himself, not quite sure how to do so this time without it seeming a bit awkward.

 

Esen smiled, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you both," she said. After a few moments of silence, Esen looked over her shoulder, hearing the change of song that had just taken place. She let out a sigh, placing her hand on her chest.

 

Sonja tilted her head. "Something wrong, Esen?"

 

"Not at all," she said, turning back. She looked down, fiddling with the ends of her gloves. "I just . . . really like this song."

 

"It is pretty nice . . ." Kyle said. After a moment, he set his lemonade down, and then stepped forward, holding a hand out to Esen. She looked up in surprise. "Mind if I take this dance?" He smiled kindly at her. After several moments, she returned the expression, taking his hand. As they walked out to the floor, Kyle looked at Sonja and Ray. "We'll be back!" 

 

They disappeared into the crowd.

 

"Aw," Sonja said. "What a gentleman . . ." She pretended to swoon, grinning at Ray afterwards to ensure him that it was meant in good fun. "That was really sweet, though." She stared after them, into the sea of dancers, oblivious to the Liberty agent approaching around the edge of the crowd . . .

 

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner/Team Zephyr - Celadon Department Store, Stairway to Heaven:

 

"Yeah," Ethan said to Lucia, pulling his sunglasses off and pocketing them. "Not good at all. But that's okay, because we still have time. So let's get going." He recalled his Pokémon--except for Kada. The Grotle jumped out of the way of the red beam, staring determinedly up at Ethan. It took only a second for the Rocket agent to understand what the Grass-Type was trying to say. "You wanna get revenge on Windy?" He grinned. "Alright--that's cool with me." With a sweeping gesture, he turned. "Let's go, everyone! We'll thank Lucia for the heals later!"

 

They ran, each accompanied by their own Pokémon and each other. Up and around, up and around, they ran and ran, the stairwell spiraling several times as they approached the exit to the roof. Far above, they could hear other footsteps getting closer and closer--whether guards who had been left behind the subdue their pursuers, or else a pair of Zephyr agents who moved just a bit more slowly than their cohorts, Ethan did not know.

 

What he did know was that, as they rounded another corner onto the top platform, a Swanna, Klingklang, Altaria, and Delcatty appeared to block their way, with Skyler and Skylark at the very back of the group. And just behind them, the exit to the roof was visible. Surprised by their pursuers speed, it took a moment for Skyler to speak up, raising a hand.

 

"Like, end of the line, Rock--AH!"

 

Evidently, he had not been prepared for Kada to charge straight through the opposition, knocking both Pokémon and trainers aside in his run for the door. Ethan kept close behind, followed by Lucia, the two making it through just as the enemy regrouped.

 

"Gavin, Jamie, take care of these two!" Ethan called over his shoulder. "We'll get Windy and the other guy!"

 

"Will do!" Gavin yelled, coming to a halt at the top of the stairs. He panted, futilely trying to catch his breath. "I don't know how he does it . . ." he muttered to Jamie, spinning his finger in a circle in the air. "Just . . . so much energy . . . ugh." He straightened up, still out of breath. "Kora, Vel, let's finish this!"

 

The Poochyena and Vullaby appeared on the field, both raring for battle. Gavin looked at Jamie. "You ready for this?"

 

 

 

The door burst opened with a single, solid strike from Kada, who skidded to a halt on the concrete. Ethan and Lucia came to a stop right behind him, all three searching around for Skyle and Windy. After a moment, Lucia nudged the older agent, pointing to a helipad across the roof, where two figures stood--the shorter one already holding up the Jade Orb. Sparing no time, Ethan took off again, followed by his teammates.

 

"Windy!" he shouted. "Put it down!" The two figures whipped around, briefly surprised by the interrupted though quickly regained their senses. Within seconds, two Rotom had appeared on the field, accompanied by Skyle's Tropius and Xatu. In response, Ethan hurled a Poké Ball into the air, releasing Paruk again, the Bug-Type hissing at the sight of his earlier opponents.

 

"Well, well, you recovered quickly!" Windy said, lowering the orb and clapping very, very slowly. "I'm so impressed, Worth." She smiled. "Or, is it Worthless, like your Pokémon?"

 

"Good one," Ethan said, clenching his fists. "Is that it, then? You done yet? Because it sounds like you've proven whatever point you're trying to make already--you're worth more than me. Down with the government. Whatever. There is no reason to even think about using that Orb now."

 

"As if!" Windy said. "Do you know how long it took to find this thing? I'm going to prove its worth one way or another--both it, and Rayquaza's! And you're not going to stop me!"

 

"The last time those kinds of Orbs were used, they nearly killed the men who were stupid enough to activate them," Ethan snapped. "And if you know your Hoenn history, then you'll know they were a lot more prepared for them than you are now!" Windy scowled at this. "So I'm going to say it one more time: Put. The Orb. Down."

 

Windy fell silent for several moments. "You know what?" she said. "I'm getting tired of this nonsense." She looked to her second-in-command. "Skyle, I'm going to step back, and I want you and my Rotom to take care of these two. Got it?"

 

"Understood, ma'am," Skyle said, nodding. As Windy turned on her heel and approached the edge of the helipad, Skyle walked forward, a broad smile splashed across his face. "Let's get to it, then!"

 

OOC: TL Leader IC tomorrow. Hold me to it.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

There were about two things that Lucia was worried about at that precise moment. Stopping the group from making a stupid decision, and wiping the stupid grin off of Skyle's face.

"Ethan, this guy is stronger than he seems." Lucia mumbled as a warning, but narrowed her eyes, as she sent out Claraga and then nodded to Didi, who hopped off her shoulder.

"I'm not going to repeat the same mistakes..." Lucia mumbled, as she glared toward Skyle, even as she was about to hover her hand near her throat again.

No. I'm not going to give him that satisfaction. Lucia decided, as she caught herself in time.

"Claraga, Dark Pulse on the Xatu, Didi, Helping Hand, then Nuzzle on the Xatu!" Lucia yelled out, showing more fighting spirit than usual, as she was probably being questioned about just why she was using such a weak move on the Xatu, and leaving the Tropius wide open for further attacks, but it would become pretty obvious in the near future, as she was relying on the chance that the Xatu would be paralyzed, which would make at least one of the two threats a lot less threatening. Lucia glanced over to the Rotom as well; Ethan probably wanted to handle them himself, but, that didn't change the fact that if they switched to the standard forme, Claraga had a move that would be extremely powerful against them. The only question would be how that would even work... And whether Lucia could defeat her current opponent or not. As she considered those things, the Dedenne acted quickly. She clapped her hands and cheered for the Clawitzer, and then dashed toward the large psychic bird quickly, and attempted to nuzzle against it. As Claraga's Dark Pulse spiraled toward the Xatu, however, Didi quickly launched herself away from the bird, hopefully having done her job in at least distracting the Xatu long enough for the Mega Launcher, Helping Hand boosted Dark Pulse to hit its mark.

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray nodded with a smile in return, as that definitely was a nice gesture.

"Yeah, I gotta say that that, right there, was a very nice thing to do." Ray said, as it seemed almost like Esen had been in the same situation he was. Ray paused, however, as he realized that he had the same sort of opportunity here; after all, Sonja was pretty much the only one other than Kyle and likely Ryan, wherever he was, that the Separatist knew... And also the only one who'd probably be willing to even try to dance with him. However, there was also the fact that he had no clue what Sonja's thoughts about it were, so as Ray opened his mouth to ask the question, he hesitated, and then closed his mouth again, and instead took a small sip of his punch. He knew that it was probably up to him to ask... But, well... He had other things that were probably more important to ask at that point, but also had no clue how to ask them.

Did Kyle really have a point yesterday...? Ray wondered, a troubled look on his face, as he had absolutely no clue what to think right about then, as his mind was just being flooded about everything, and he just... Couldn't focus on one specific thing. Ray wanted desperately to figure out the answers to the questions that just kept floating around in his mind, but had no clue how to ask them, especially after the night before... So he simply tried to keep his focus on the situation at hand; the dance. Ray looked over at Sonja again for a moment, and awkwardly opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, again, but then looked across the dance floor again, just plain unable to form words at that moment due to all the troubled thoughts that filled his mind.

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

Quickly grabbing the money with a huff, Olivia walked back to Zach and handed him his money back. "What is wrong with that clerk anyways?" she muttered confusedly, sighing once more. "Oh well, at least you got your money back....."
"Oh, hello." called  out Aspen, who walked towards the two with Dahlia. "We were going to look for you two, but once the screaming started it became fairly obvious where you were." he said with a smug grin. 
"What happened?" Dahlia asked with a concerned expression. "....Is everything still alright with you two?"

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan
Ryan's heart started to flutter as he picked out Sonja walking across the ballroom amidst the sea of dancers. Her purple dress wasn't particularly fancy, but it served to accent her already beautiful features, and went well with her brown hair. For a moment, it felt like Sonja was the only other person in the room. Somewhat in a daze, Ryan started to walk after her. He froze when he saw her greet Kyle and Ray. When he had run through the scenario of asking Sonja to dance in his head, he had pictured them being alone. He wasn't sure he could ask in front of Kyle, and he certainly didn't want to ask in front of Ray.
 
The Liberty agent took a step back, wondering if Sonja would even notice him from such a distance. Maybe she'll see me and come over by herself, Ryan thought. She'd ask what I was doing over here by myself, and I'd say, "I was just waiting for someone to dance with..."
 
Ryan was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw Sonja introducing a blonde-haired girl he did not recognize. They conversed for a bit, then Kyle took the blonde girl's hand and led her out onto the dance floor, leaving Sonja and Ray alone.
 
Sonja and Ray. Alone.
 
Ryan had a bad feeling he knew what was about to happen if he did not act now. Summoning up all his courage, Ryan made his way through the crowd to where Sonja stood. All his previous anxiety had been shattered by the desperateness of the situation.
 
"Sonja..." Ryan paused as he approached her. Up close, she looked even more beautiful than she had from afar. Her dress brought out her deep purple eyes, which Ryan found himself gazing into. "...Wow. You look wonderful." He did his best to ignore the subtle blush that risen in his cheeks as he extended a hand to the Unovan girl with a friendly smile. "May I have this dance?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette, while spinning a little slower, had tentatively taken the chance to look around the room. She noticed the guy from earlier who was so asleep he nearly couldn't battle, and was seemingly with another girl; both of them smiling and the like. Even without checking his aura, she realized he was utterly nervous and conflicted about something, and she couldn't even read anything out of his aura, it was that confusing. Colette kept an amused grin to herself, however, as she tried to put two and two together, as she kept watching subtly and noticed that he seemed to keep trying to work up the nerve to say something, probably related to that moment. However, she stopped very suddenly, as she frowned.

Did that... just happen. She thought, as she noticed the other guy from earlier, the one she fought, just waltz up to the orange haired guy and his friend, and just ask something. She double checked his aura, and guess what, it really did just happen.

"..." Colette just stared, a look of utter disbelief on her face, as she had half a mind to just walk over there, and just get involved.

But this.. doesn't involve me. Colette said, finding a bit of reason before she did that, but gave a glare off in that direction before she was about to turn back to Zoe, definitely not in as good a mood.

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray had no clue what just happened. He tried to play it back in his mind, but nothing. Out of nowhere, Ryan just shows up. In two seconds, he just stepped in, and... Well, that made a bit more sense now. Ray said nothing, but just turned back on his chair toward the snack bar, just content to stare at his drink, as he tried desperately to try and understand why he'd thought this a good idea at all. Why he ever thought any of this was a good idea. But, to his credit, aside from a drastic shift in his mood, which his face reflected again rather well, he did not react. He couldn't react, not with him having no clue how to react to any of this in the first place.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe
"What's wrong, Collie?" Zoe asked, noting her sudden change in mood. She looked over at where Colette had been staring and saw the two guys they had battled earlier. "Ooh, it's Sleepyhead and What's-His-Name!" she said with a smile, oblivious to the drama that was unfolding.
 
Zoe was about to start dancing again with her sister when a tall young man approached them. His hair was smoothed back and he had a white flower attached to his suit. "I daresay you have captured my heart, Mademoiselle," he said, taking Colette's hands in his own. "Your eyes, they dazzle like the sundial of Anistar. Your hair flows like the waters of Couriway Town. Your skin is as soft as a Swirlix." The man smiled at Colette, his eyes gleaming. "I am breathtaken by your beauty, for you are fairer than the elusive Milotic that swims in the deepest oceans. I implore you, ma chérie, I must know your name."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette was about to answer Zoe, when the man approached them. On a normal day, maybe she would've responded better to the compliments. That day, however...

"Why is my name your business?" Colette asked, still upset from a moment ago, and this did nothing to help, as she yanked her hands away; she regretted the force behind it, but she hadn't given him permission to take her hands, so she wasn't just going to let him continue that.

"Also, I'm from Kalos, so using those terms isn't really anything too special, and I'm not too sure about why you think my eyes are like that, considering I've lived there for ages..." Colette said, as she wasn't really comfortable with the fact that the only thing he seemed to be interested in, was how she looked.

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach nodded, as he put the money away with a thankful smile to Olivia.

"Everything's alright, yeah." Zach said to Dahlia and Aspen as they approached.

"The clerk decided to go back on the policy they had, and Liv was none too pleased about it..." Zach said, as he did find that rather nice, but wondered if it had've actually been worth the trouble.

"On another note, we talked things over, and decided that it might be cool if I took up that offer after all, and challenged the Elite 4... But I'm not sure how we're going to get to the Pokemon League in the next little while..." Zach said, as he realized that would probably take at the least a day or two, and wondered if there was any faster way to get to the League...

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Mademoiselle, please!" the man cried out. "Without you, my heart is as void as the Chamber of Emptiness! You complete me. I beg you, let us dance 'till the sun rises!"

 

"She's already dancing with me," Zoe glared, stepping between Colette and the enamored man.

 

"Ah, you have a sister!" the man smiled. "Not to worry, I can find a date for your sister. That should keep her occupied, and then you and I will be free to dance the night away. I want nothing more than to hold you in my arms, my sweet Mademoiselle."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"I... think I'll pass." Colette said, as she looked back to Zoe, unsure of why this guy was so fixated on her.

"Besides, all you can think about is my looks, huh?" Colette asked, as she sighed, and just wanted to get back to dancing with Zoe, so that she could just get her mind off of what had happened.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe
"But you are so breathtakingly beautiful, ma chérie, how can I possibly think of anything else?" the man asked.

 

"Well how about you think about it somewhere else?" Zoe glared. "She's my sister, and I'm dancing with her."

 

"I beg you to reconsider,' the man pleaded at Colette. "We could have the time of our lives together, you and I. I promise I will not disappoint you."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"I'm sorry." Colette said, as she just wasn't interested in dancing with that guy. Her mood was somewhat improving as she was distracted from thinking about what happened, however, it didn't change the fact that she just wanted to dance with Zoe at that moment.

"Besides, I'm a terrible dancer anyway, and only my sister wouldn't mind." Colette said, as she felt a bit bad for the guy, but why couldn't people see that she just wanted to dance with her sister...?

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe
"I wouldn't mind your dancing either, ma chérie," the man said with a smile.

 

"Well I would mind your dancing," Zoe scowled. "Come on, Collie, let's ditch this guy."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette nodded slightly, as while she felt bad for the guy, she wished he could take a hint. Besides, didn't he see Claus either? Even if not Zoe, Claus should have been a sign to stay away, but apparently not.

You had one job, Claus, and you failed. Colette jokingly thought with a sigh, as they dragged him along with them.

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"Oh dear....." Dahlia muttered. "What policy? If it was bad enough to get Olivia angry like that...." 

"That's not important." Olivia cut in with a roll of her eyes. "It's over and done with, we got our money back, let's go." she decided, sighing at how her siblings were reacting to the situation.

"At least the screaming actually got you what you wanted." Aspen said with a smirk, turning to leave. "Though, if it'll take a while for Mr. Hero to get to the League, then let's get moving."
Olivia growled slightly and muttered under her breath while following, not appreciating her brother's snide remarks. Dahlia started to leave, but then turned to Zach. "....'Liv', huh?" she asked amusedly with a smile.