Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach smiled slightly, as he sniffed again, beginning to cheer up a little.

"S-so you don't think I-I'm some kinda m-monster?" Zach asked with a hiccupy giggle, his voice a little breaky because of crying not long before. Zach hiccuped again, as he scratched his head with a sheepish grin, and then looked over, as he took note of everything that had happened while he was having his breakdown.

 

Raikou, on the other hand, was not complaining at all. He was quite enjoying the petting session, and was quite content to just lay there as he was currently doing. For a Legend, he was currently quite hammy, but he noticed the worry seem to drain away from Aspen, so he felt he was doing a good job. However, he also half wondered how long they could get away with this, and hoped that everyone decided to get going sooner, rather than later.

 

Blade sighed, as everything seemed to work itself out, and then looked over at Am.

"Well, that worked out better than I had expected, honestly..." Blade mumbled, though he had a feeling that everyone could use some venting talking later...

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"Hmm..." Colette checked her Holo Caster out of habit, and then put it away, seeing that it was useless for this mission. "We could head straight to the source, yes, but it might be best to know what we're getting into first, just in case there's a particular reason for this distress signal... That said, we should probably make haste with whatever decision we make..." Colette said, as she thought over the different options a little more in her head... But even a little information was better than nothing but the possibility, in her opinion.

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Ellen/Kiri

Despite her weariness, Ellen couldn't help but giggle at the Raikou's eagerness to be pet. "What did I tell you?" she laughed as she knelt down to rub the Legend's belly. "He may control lightning and thunder, but deep down he's just a big furball."

 

Kiri looked down at Dahlia with a warm smile. "That's very kind of you to offer up your house," she said. "But I think I'm needed more here. Remember what I told you yesterday? We Sootopolisians are resilient. We rebuilt our city after the battle between the real Groudon and Kyogre all those years ago; I know we can recover from this attack. My home suffered minimal damage, but I could never forgive myself if I didn't do what I could for those who lost much more than I have."

 

Dack heard Kiri's words and inwardly sighed with relief. Now they didn't have to worry about wasting precious time sending Kiri off to some refuge. Now if only Aspen would stop playing around with that Raikou, they might actually get to Celadon before Hannah wrecked the place.

 

Madison gave Dack a hard look, as if she knew what he wanted to say. The ex-Rocket wisely kept his mouth shut. The last thing he wanted to do was start another quarrel.

 

IC: Jayron

"To the city it is, then," Jayron said. He turned back to the captain. "Wait here for us," he instructed. "We don't know how things will play out, but if we need to make a quick getaway, you're our ride. I would say we could keep in touch, but..." With a sheepish grin, the executive held up his communications device, which was buzzing with static.

 

The captain nodded. "I'll just hang tight here, Executive Aaron, sir."

 

Leaving the dock and the captain behind them, the three Aura wielders (two human and one Lucario) headed further inland.

 

Seven Island was a ghost town. The streets were empty, a majority of the windows were boarded up, and the only sound was the wind whistling through the dark alleys. To anyone it would have been clear that Jayron and Colette were simply wasting their time, searching for answers where there was no one to give them. Anyone, that is, except for Jayron and Colette themselves.

 

"Can you feel it?" Jayron asked, closing his eyes and extending his Aura. "There's people here... but they're all indoors."

 

I don't blame them, Lucario said, his dreadlocks swaying in the wind. It feels like a bad storm is about to happen.

 

"It must be one heck of a storm for everyone to board up their windows for it," Jayron said with a frown. He extended his aura once more, hoping to find some clue about what exactly was happening. But all he could read was an overwhelming sensation of panic and fear. Already on edge, the city's aura only served to heighten Jayron's anxiety. The executive glanced at Colette. "I can't seem to find anything useful. What about you?"

 

Wouldn't it be easier to just knock on a door and ask? the Lucario asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

"Keep in mind, part of our objective here is to test the extent of Miss Llyan's powers," Jayron said. "I can't exactly pass her if I do all the work. So tell me, Colette. What do you see?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette, on the other hand, was a little calmer. She was slightly unnerved by the atmosphere, however, as Jayron and his Lucario were looking around and examining the aura, Colette had her eyes closed, and was sifting through the different feelings she could pick up.

"I couldn't find anything useful, how about you?" Jayron asked, and Colette opened an eye briefly.

"Hmm..." Colette closed her eyes and focused on searching through the town again, as she held up her hand for dramatic purposes. While there was a lot of panic and overall chaos in the feelings, one felt oddly... calmer, almost? "Might have something..." Colette mused, as she thought for a moment. This person seemed a bit too calm, and she pinpointed roughly the area she felt the person with these feelings, and motioned to the others, marking the point roughly in her mind for the moment, as she walked closer to the area of intrigue. Once closer, she closer her eyes again, and held up her hand, detecting feelings almost of power coming from the person, and of subtle worry, but different from the others. A leader-like quality, so to speak...

"Huh." Colette said, as she opened her eyes, and smiled. "I think I might've found the mayor, or whoever's in charge, maybe."

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"....I-I, uh.... I guess?" Aspen said in response to Ellen, finding the experience quite surreal. He vaguely heard Kiri discuss the fact she would be fine, and paused his petting of Raikou to look at the others. "So... I-I guess we're gonna go soon?"

 

Dahlia smiled at Kiri's decision, and gave her aunt one last hug. "We understand, there must be so many friends who could use your help...." she said, about to turn to the others. "Well, if you need anything from us, I think you can remember to call people better than me." Dahlia said with a small grin, before looking over at the others. "We're leaving, then?"

 

"Hmm. Things seemed to calm down as soon as they heated up..." Amethyst noticed curiously, turning her head to the Gallade. "Now that everything's done now though, I believe your services are required." the Gardevoir said simply, folding her arms.

 

"No." Olivia replied simply to Zach, smiling as she wiped away a drying tear. "You're no monster, you're my best friend, and I just love you..." she responded with a slight giggle and happily squeezing him slightly during their hug. However, the silence of the others caused her to turn her head, noticing everyone seemed to be waiting to go. "W-Well.... I think we've got to go...."

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

"Hold your ground, Caliburn!" Ruth commanded. The Aegislash complied, using his massive defenses when in Shield Forme. Roark's Geodude bounced off when it struck.

"Now! Sacred Sword!" she cried, Caliburn switching to Sword Forme, and lashing out with his sword body, aiming to knock out his opponent quickly.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Phoenix Zero

[Konuju]

IC: Jayron

Jayron looked at Colette with a mixture of surprise, admiration, and a small dash of jealousy. He found it hard to accept that someone almost a year younger than him was more skilled with aura than he was. Then again, Colette had trained with Lucina, one of the most well-renowned masters of the art, and she had been training for most of her life. Pushing his thoughts aside, Jayron looked around at the suburbs Colette had led them to.

 

"That's very impressive," the executive said. "Can you pinpoint their location?" Opening her eyes, Colette pointed to a house near the end of the street. The group approached the house in question, which looked just like any one of the dozens of upper-middle-class, two story homes that lined the street. Not exactly where I'd expect to find a mayor, Jayron thought with a frown. But I guess we'll see soon enough. With a sidelong glance at Colette, a final confirmation that this was the correct house, the executive reached out a hand and pushed the doorbell.

 

First there was silence. Then a loud barking. Raised voices, their words muffled and indecipherable through the solid door. Out of the corner of his eye, Jayron thought he saw a face peeking through the blinds of the far window, but the next instant it was gone. The barking grew louder, and there was a shuffling of feet. Then the oily squeak of a deadbolt being undone. The door opened just wide enough for a woman to stick her face through. "You shouldn't be out," she said in a hushed voice. The woman shifted her foot to block a barking Growlithe from clawing his way out through the open door.

 

"Sorry to disturb you, ma'am," Jayron said. He paused, wondering how wise it would be to reveal that they were with Team Liberty. True, the Sevii Islands as a whole had always been more supportive of the rebel group, and the current ceasefire meant tensions weren't as strong as they'd been in past years. But the recent happenings had set Jayron on edge. Some might consider it paranoia, but the Liberty executive chose to err on the side of caution. "We were just wondering if you could tell us what's going on. Why is everyone indoors? How long have radios and telephones been out? What happened here?"

 

The woman frowned at the trio that had gathered on her porch. "No one's quite sure what's going on. Are you tourists?"

 

"Our boat's navigation systems went haywire when we approached the island," Jayron explained with a slight nod. His words, at least, were true.

 

The woman cast a wary glance down the empty street. "You'd better come inside," she said. "It's not safe out."

 

As soon as the door was further opened, the Growlithe darted around the woman's legs, barking excitedly in greeting to the three visitors. Detecting playfulness in the canine's aura, Lucario made no move to defend the two trainers. Jayron quickly sidestepped out of the way, leaving the Growlithe to leap up toward Colette.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach smiled with a bit of a giggle, as he wondered if he had just imagined what he had thought he'd seen. The reassurance, though, helped bring him out of his bad mood. Upon mentioning the others, however, he looked over, and nodded.

"Yeah... I'll say it again, though, after all this, we really need a vacation..." Zach said, as he blinked, and looked at the Raikou spectacle, right before Aspen paused. "Apparently Raikou really enjoys this moment, but we'll try to have more of it later." Zach said, rather amused, as the Raikou looked up, and then looked over, and nodded. Upon the nod, Zach recalled the Legend, and then looked over at the others.

"Well, if everyone's ready..." Zach started to say, as the Gallade closed his eyes, and reached out with a mental field, ready to teleport all who were actually going with them to Celadon City, when the word was given...

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette was surprised for a moment, simply because of the happily charging Growlithe. However, she put a happy look on her face, and put her hands on her thighs for a moment, ready for the Growlithe. She effectively hugged the Pokemon when it approached, and then tried to pet it happily, since that's what it seemed to want from her. Colette then tried to lure it over to the house, since that's where everyone was gonna be headed anyway, and she smiled at the rather peppy Growlithe.

"How old is this cutie?" Colette asked curiously, as she looked up with a happy look, the happy Growlithe really boosting her spirits.

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Ellen/Kiri

"Good luck," Kiri said to her nieces and nephew. "And stay safe."

 

"I'll meet up with you as soon as I find my friend," Ellen said. She glanced nervously at the group, half-expecting them to resume fighting the moment they teleported. "Hold down the fort until I get there."

 

"Hopefully this friend of yours is as strong as you say he is," Dack said. "We're going to need all the strength we can get." He turned back to Madison, Luke, and Palmer. "Ready?" Each of the trainers nodded in turn. "Alright, then." Dack nodded at Blade. "Everyone said their goodbyes? Then take us to Celadon."

 

IC: Jayron

"Amber!" the woman cried. "Get back here! Sorry about that," she said apologetically. "Amber's just under a year old. She really loves people, but she can be a handful at times..."

 

Paying no heed to the scolding, Amber happily jumped at Colette's feet, eager for more attention.

 

"It looks like you've made a new best friend, Colette," Jayron said with a chuckle.

 

"Amber!" the woman said sternly. "Down, girl!" When it became clear that the Growlithe was not going to listen, she instead hurriedly ushered her visitors inside. Amber, determined to stay at Colette's heels, followed them in before the woman hurriedly shut and locked the door.

 

Only after the door had shut did Amber take notice of Jayron. Barking wildly, the Growlithe skidded across the wood floor to demand the green-clothed aura wielder's attention. Jayron smiled, gently petting the energetic pup. Spotting Jayron's Lucario, the Amber abandoned Jayron in favor of his Pokémon. Lucario awkwardly pet the Growlithe, finding the situation terribly ironic.

 

"Now then," the woman said once the door was securely latched. "If you're looking for answers, you're better off talking to my husband. He's the one who ordered the citywide lockdown. George, honey! Can you spare a few minutes?"

 

There was a sound of feet trampling down the stairs, and suddenly two kids, a boy and a girl, appeared at the entryway. "Who is it, Mom?" the boy asked. The girl simply stared at Jayron and Colette with wide eyes.

 

"They're here to see Daddy," the woman said quickly. "Now here, take Amber and go back to your rooms. I don't want you disturbing our guests." The woman picked up Amber, who had found the Lucario boring and returned to jumping at Colette's feet, and gently placed the energetic pup in her daughter's arms.

 

The boy gave a groan and sulked back upstairs, muttering something about never getting to have any fun. The girl, arms wrapped tight around the squirming puppy, continued to stare at the trainers a moment longer before quickly following her brother up the stairs.

 

At that moment a tall, strong-built man came around the corner, his hair in a mess, his shirt heavily wrinkled, and a stack of notes in his hand. He eyed the two trainers and Lucario with surprise, coming to a halt at the foot of the stairs. "Did Jimmy send you?" he asked.

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"Bye Kiri." Aspen waved, putting on a tiny smile. "And to you too, Ellen. I-I'll make sure Saya's alright." he added, knowing she probably didn't trust him to watch over the Eevee. The boy sighed, knowing that he made an enemy of almost everyone in the current group..... 

 

"Meet up again soon!" Dahlia called out to her aunt and Ellen, turning around. She winced slightly at Dack's continued bluntness. Why couldn't they all just work together and be friendly with each other....? What kept driving everyone apart?

 

"See you two later!" Olivia said, keeping one arm around Zach while she turned around. Deciding to ignore Dack's command, Olivia looked over to the side. "Yeah, I think we can teleport now...." she said. "Off to Celadon it is...."

"Well then what are you waiting for?" Amethyst said to Blade with mild annoyance. "Stop dilly-dallying and let's move on with this already, kay?" 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Blade and Zach both ignored Dack, and simply nodded to everyone agreeing to teleport.

"Right. Let's go." Zach said, as blade began the teleport sequence, and the group heading to Celadon then vanished from Sootopolis, reappearing near a fountain, in front of a large building that read 'Celadon Department Store'.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette smiled at the wriggly puppy, somehow keeping a giggle to herself, admittedly a bit disappointed as Amber was taken away from the group. She turned her head as the newcomer entered, however, she didn't recognize the name. However, she wasn't exactly sure how to respond, since obviously the man wasn't expecting them. She figured that she'd leave this up to Jayron for the moment, since she wasn't quite sure how to bring up the interference issue, without explaining why this house had been the first to visit.

[Konuju]

IC: Dack
The streets of Celadon bustled with people walking every which way. Early morning shoppers already crowded the department store, and a large group had formed around the fountain, hoping to cool off from the hot summer sun. A young couple held hands as they strolled through the square. An old man made his way to the Celadon Condomoniums, carrying a sack of groceries. People were going about their daily lives, in blissful ignorance of the disaster that would soon befall them. Dack intended to stop that disaster before a repeat of Sootopolis happened.
 
"Alright," Dack said. "We don't know when Hannah will be launching her attack, or even what her attack will look like, so we have to be prepared for anything. Time is of the essence. Our first priority should be finding the Pokémon Center and healing our Pokémon." The ex-Rocket turned his gaze on Zach. "How well do you know the city? We need to find some strategic locations to position ourselves from. Hannah won't expect us to launch a counter-attack, so we'll have to use the element of surprise to our best advantage."
 
IC: Jayron
Jayron glanced at Colette, then back at the newcomer. Unless Goldhawk had recently changed his name, he had no clue who this Jimmy was. The executive shook his head. "Sorry, we just came here by chance. We were hoping to learn what happened to the city. Or rather, to the island itself."
 
"Oh," the man said, not hiding his disappointment in the slightest as he looked back down at his notes. "I should've known it was too early for Jimmy to be sending those readings. Well, you might as well come on back to the office. I've reached a bit of a lull in my work, so I'll see what I can do for you. I'm George, by the way, captain of the city's police force."
 
"I'm Jayron, and this is my Lucario, and that's Colette," the executive said. Captain of the police force, huh? he mused as he followed George down the hall and through the kitchen. Not exactly a mayor, but he'll probably be just as helpful.
 
George led the trio into a small office, where a large computer was hooked up to a handheld radio buzzing with static. "It's been a rough morning for all of us, and even worse when we realized radio communications had gone down," George explained. "We're trying to cycle through different frequencies in hopes of finding one that will work, but it seems like whatever's doing this is jamming every frequency there is. Our first thought was electrostatic interference, but now we're wondering if it could possibly be a surge of psychic energy."
 
Jayron looked at the computer-radio setup curiously. Part of him wondered if it would be possible to set the radio to whatever frequency aura operated on, but he had no clue how he would go about finding that frequency, assuming aura even worked that way. "If it were psychic energy," Jayron said with a frown. "Could that be a reason for this funky weather?"
 
"That's what Jimmy was trying to analyze," George said. "While the rest of us went home to make sure our families were safe, he went to go see his meteorologist friend."
 
"So when did all of this start?" Jayron asked.
 
"8:06 this morning," George said. "Two seconds after that, according to our computer systems. That's when everything went offline. I was in a meeting when it happened. One of the officers barged in on the meeting, saying the network had gone down. Well, we soon found out it wasn't just the network. Everything was down. Radios, satellites, you name it. That was probably about the time the clouds started rolling in. I ordered the city to go into lockdown, for everyone to stay indoors. Not only because of the storm, but because if it was some sort of interference, it would have to be giving off some powerful radiation to affect the whole island. We spent a good deal of the morning getting everyone off the streets, then I sent all my officers home to check on their families. You three are lucky you came when you did -- the police force is meeting back at the office in an hour, unless I hear from Jimmy before that."
 
"So you don't know where the interference originated from?" Jayron asked.
 
"No clue," George said with a sigh. "We don't have enough data to know if it was instantaneous or if it spread across the city -- or across the island, for that matter. And the interference is too strong to locate its source. It's like the entire island suddenly became a dead zone."
 
"That certainly is a problem," Jayron agreed, crossing his arms with a frown. "What's your take on all this, Colette?"

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

Olivia turned to Zach, shrugging apologetically. "Sorry, but you're the only one whose been to this city. It's kind of all up to you now." she sigh with a sigh, not wanting to stress Zach out further. "After we heal our Pokemon, I might wanna take a look inside the Department Store.... Am, you could teleport me back to this spot afterwards, right?"

"Of course I can." Amethyst replied, though did not appear as focused on her trainer as usual. Instead of warping to Olivia's side, the Gardevoir remained next to Blade, standing around and seeming slightly distracted. 

"....Sure, then." Olivia muttered, not sure what was up with Am. "What about you guys?" she asked everyone present. 

Aspen shrugged as he had already purchased TMs earlier yesterday. Dahlia shook her head, looking around warily for the signs of a conflict to begin. "We should probably get moving now." she suggested, wanting to keep everyone's minds busy.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Phoenix Zero

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Roark==-

 

The Sacred Sword hit, as Roark winced. The poor Geodude was sent flying, and knocked out on impact, more or less.

"Good work, Geodude." Roark said, as he recalled his Pokemon, and then sent out his Onix next. "Rock Slide!" Roark called out, as the Onix then attempted to call down rocks on top of the Aegislash.

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

"I know it well, but not in a military sense." Zach said, placing a hand on his hip as he looked back to Dack, and then turned to Olivia again. "Mind if I come along, though, if he lets me?" Zach asked, motioning his head subtly to where Dack was, before looking back. "If you want a height advantage, there's the huge mansions over here, or the top of the department store, but I'd prefer if we kept attacks actually localized." Zach said with a bit of a 'try this if you really dare' tone, as counter attacks to either position would be potentially destructive to both places. "There's also not really any place to truly 'hide', except behind buildings. Though, there is this one tree..." Zach said, as he walked over a few feet to motion to a tree in between the mansion and the department store. "Pokemon Center is a little ways behind you." Zach said, pointing to the east of the city.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"Hmm..." Colette thought over everything that had been said, and then took a moment to think about what it might mean. "Where is this meteorologist friend?" Colette asked curiously, as that might possibly hold some answers to the mystery as well.

Though, psychic energy is always a possibility... But where could the source be from, and why? Colette wondered, as there had to be a source if it was a psychic interference thing.

[Konuju]

IC: Dack
"We can still use the height to get an aerial view of Hannah's forces," Dack said as he began leading the group toward the Pokémon Center. "If your Gardevoir or Gallade were positioned on one of the roofs, they could relay information to the rest of us on where Hannah's army is headed. If we kept the fighting to the narrow streets without having that aerial advantage, we'd be fighting blind."
 
"Don't forget, Hannah has her own Gardevoir you need to worry about," Palmer said.
 
"You're right," Dack said. He looked back at Zach and Olivia. "Maybe your Weaviles could help with that. Hannah also has somewhat of a specialty in Flying-Types. Back when we were working together in Team Rocket, her main Pokémon was a Staraptor. And let's not forget the Noivern she had in Sootopolis. You may want to keep the battle on the ground, but Hannah might not let that happen. Aspen, do you think your Braviary can work with my Swellow to take out her Flying Pokémon? Zach, how good is your Raikou with accuracy? His lightning could be useful, but we don't want him hitting Swellow or Braviary. Madison and Dahlia, your Frosslass and Buneary will need to deal some finishing Ice blows once we ground Hannah's birds." The ex-Rocket spoke as quickly as the strategy formed itself in his mind.
 
"And what about this army Hannah spoke of?" Madison asked. "We don't know how many grunts she's bringing or what Pokémon they'll have."
 
"Madison's right," Palmer said with a frown. "While we're busy taking out Hannah's Pokémon, we run the risk of being overwhelmed by the sheer size of her army."
 
Dack frowned, racking his brains for an answer. He was no military commander, and this ragtag group of trainers was no army. They had managed to fight off a pseudo-Groudon and a handful of Hannah's Pokémon, but how would they last against an entire army?
 
IC: Jayron
"The meteorologist's lab is on the northern outskirts of the city," George said. "But I wouldn't advise going there now. The city's in lockdown, so you'd better stay here while we take care of things."

 

Jayron frowned. "Sir, we might be able to help." The executive chose his next words carefully. "My Lucario is a powerful user of aura. Your radios may not work, but he can still read aura."

 

"Interesting," George said, looking at the Lucario curiously. "Does he sense anything out of the ordinary? Perhaps the source of this--"

 

The captain of the police force was interrupted by a loud barking as Amber bounded into the office and started jumping up and trying to lick Colette's face. Jayron turned and noticed the two children huddled on the stairs, peeking through the railings. As soon as they saw Jayron looking at them, they gasped and disappeared back up the stairs.

 

"Amber!" George said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

 

"She seems to have grown fond of Colette," Jayron said, turning to smile at the overexcited puppy.

 

Yes, I think it has something to do with her hairstyle, Lucario added with a chuckle.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Richard)

 

Now Richard didn’t know who this ‘Executive Aura’ was. He could be the nicest guy on the entire planet, and he likely was. But right now, in Richard’s head, he was the biggest Tauros rear that had ever existed ever. Anyone who made the girl before him cry, could simply not have any redeeming qualities, for that would be contradictory to the current situation. Unfortunately not liking somebody does nothing to stop little girl tears. Well not in this instance anyway.

 

“Come on, let’s head to the Pokemon Center. I just got a new member of the troupe and I have to introduce you to him.”

 

A hop, skip and a jump (or more like 137 repeats of Richard, hop, skip and jumping, and Zoe following) the bard and the not-bard were in front of the Liberty Pokemon Center receptionist, who was eyeing Richard like she thought there was something wrong his him. But regardless, she accepted the Pokeballs of Ponos and, the only in his head recently dubbed, Orpheus, and after a few moments (in which Richard filled the space with a short minuet) the Pokeballs were returned to him.

 

“Take center stage, Orpheus!”

 

The Pokemon, (which he still did not know was known as a Whismur) appeared in front of Zoe, in all of its… plush bunny-ness.

 

"You have to hear this, he can say hi! Go on, Orpheus," the name caused the Whismur to look slightly confused as he registered the name was in reference to him, "say hi!"

 

The Whismur clammed up then, but murmured something inaudible.

 

"Come on, let's have an enthusiastic, energetic hi!"

 

Orpheus nodded slightly before taking a very audible breath. Upon hearing that, Richard immediately covered Zoe's ears.

 

"HIIIII!"

 

"...Not quite what I meant, but that does at least introduce him to you," trying to hide his panic before hearing returned to his ears.

 

IC: (Hades)

Hades was hungry, that was true. He’d eat at the cafeteria that they went to yesterday, except that required Richard. He’d also eat gems, but gems weren’t always easy to come by. Finding them was work in and of itself. And finding something as good tasting as he could get at the cafeteria was also a problem. Though he knew it would be better for him if he did find and eat rocks, he decided it was easier to try and find Richard first.

 

Of course, that would be much easier if he knew where to look.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Claus Von Minun the 4th

[Franco]

"Thanks, ma'am." The pair watched her go, waiting until they could neither see nor hear the departing woman before turning and heading in the direction she had pointed them. Briefly, Kyle glanced at Esen, trying to make sense of what he had been shown as well as wondering what she had seen. From her uncomfortable silence, it seemed that her vision lingered on her mind, as well.

 

He pushed the thought aside as they arrived in the Pokémon Center, the need for sleep now fully catching up to him.

 

In the distance, a mournful cry sounded.

IC: By pure circumstance, Cero happened to be waiting the few moments for his partners to be healed. He nodded to the entering pair from where he stood. "Hello."

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"First of all, it's Jet, he's not 'just' a Braviary." Aspen replied, then sighed. "I'm not sure how much he'll be willing to cooperate.... You've seen how he is, I think. Then again, he seems to listen to me most of the time, but even if he cooperates, I don't think he'd be very happy about it." he said, frowning. 

 

"Well, how much time do you think it would take to ground the Flying types?" Dahlia asked. "I remember Aspen saying we could have one of our flyers take Meadow or Laurel up for them to use Stun Spore... Who says we can't have our other Pokemon take to the skies?" she asked, but shrugged. "Th-Then again... I'm a gardener, not a military strategist...."

 

"If we're going up against an army.... W-We might not have enough time to put these plans into action..." Olivia muttered, putting a hand to her chin. "Zach, you've traveled with a few people, right....? And your brother's pretty powerful too, right?" she asked. "Do you think you could call any of them up, and see if they can arrive?"

As everyone was speaking, happy chirping could be heard off in the distance, steadily growing louder. A young, wide-eyed Torchic bounced onto the scene, making a beeline for Zach and Olivia. The Chick Pokemon looked at the couple curiously, darting around them quickly, chirping excitedly. After running exactly three circles around them, the Torchic stopped next to Zach's leg, nuzzling against it quickly. Then the little Pokemon turned to Olivia, leaping up at the redhead, who caught the Torchic. 

 

"H-Huh?!" she exclaimed, unsure of where the fluffy fire chick could have come from. The human and Pokemon made eye contact, before the Torchic elected to cuddle against Olivia. 

"Hey!" came a voice off to the side, a Pokemon Breeder running up next to Zach and Olivia. "Erm, s-sorry about that.... I've gotten set up over there, you see..." he began to explain hurriedly. "I mean, I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden, this baby Torchic started making a lot of noise, and she just lept out, and, well... Yeah." the Breeder muttered confusedly. "S-Sorry for bothering you all..." he explained, holding out his arms to take back the fire chick, who seemed utterly disappointed it could not stay in Olivia's arms. 

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

Ruth pumped her fist up in the air when the Geodude was knocked out. "Good work, Caliburn!" she cried, frowning slightly when Roark sent out his Onix. 
"King's Shield!" she cried, Caliburn attempting to throw up a barrier around himself. However, the process required the Aegislash switching back to Shield Forme, and in the delay between the transition, a few of the rocks came down on top of him. However, the Royal Sword Pokemon managed to throw up the barrier, blocking the rest of the attack from hitting. 
"You alright?" Ruth asked, Caliburn chiming to confirm. "Then Iron Defense again!" she commanded, knowing full well that the same strategy twice would only work so well, and wanted to get in a few more buffs before Roark struck back.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Phoenix Zero

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

Zoe's ears may have been covered, but her eyes remained wide open, glued to the little pink bunny-like Pokémon. For a long moment she simply stared at Orpheus, surprised that such a small Pokémon could produce such an enormous sound.

 

She blinked.

 

Then her mouth curved upward ever so slightly. A soft giggle started to rise in her throat, breaking through her sadness. Then Zoe burst out laughing. She picked up the Whismur, spinning it around before hugging it. "That is the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" she laughed. "Where did you learn to do that?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Roark==-

 

Roark frowned slightly.

"Rock Slide again!" Roark called out, trying to find a way past the defensive attacking style that Ruth was utilizing at that moment. It became painfully clear that he had underestimated her team a lot, just because she didn't have any badges, as the Onix attempted to break the shielding cycle.

[JiMing]

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

"Move back, mix things up!" Ruth called out, wanting to keep Roark on his toes. Caliburn shifted back as the rocks began to fall, still managing to get struck with a few, but due to to the massive defenses of Shield Forme, and the Iron Defenses he had gotten off, the Aegislash was still not out.

"Now hit those rocks back!" the trainer called out, the Royal Sword Pokemon acknowledging, switching to Sword Forme to strike the rocks gathered in front of himself and strike them towards the Onix.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Roark==-

 

Roark smiled at that.

"Now, then, Stone Edge!" Roark yelled out, as the Onix roared out, pumped up, as it mostly ignored the rocks being thrown back at it, not caring about any damage it took, as it tried to slam its tail down on the weaker defending Pokemon before it could switch back.

[JiMing]

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

Okay, that's definitely not good. Ruth thought, as Roark's Onix rushed forward to strike Caliburn. "Quick, strike back with Sacred Sword!"
The Aegislash prepared itself for the strike, and lashed out with his sword body just as the Onix's tail came down, the two trading blows. Damage wouldn't be negated entirely, and neither Pokemon would make it out unscathed...

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Richard)

Orpheus was right now Richard's number one, top of the stack, crème of the crop, bestest buddy, favorite thing. If Richard had a picture of Hades' he'd have pretended to tear it up.

 

SUCCESS! he thought while pumping one arm in the air.

 

"I don't know! Isn't it the coolest!" Richard said, as in the dark about the Whismur's origins as she was.

 

The aforementioned Whismur was blushing lightly at all the praise leveled at it. It wasn't the loudest voice he'd ever heard, but it was fairly loud. But it was only slightly deafening.

 

"We met him down by the beach, and Oh! Orpheus, we have to show Zoe that spot!" 

 

Orpheus shook his head furiously with a scared (if either of the others could figure that out) expression on his face.

 

"Aww, come on please. It's like gotta be the best practice spot ever!"

 

Another shaking of the Whismur's head. This earned him a Richard two inches from his long ears.

 

"Look I'm all about wanting to keep secret places to practice music, but right now Zoe's happiness is hanging by a thread. We got to show her the place."

 

The Whismur pouted, and kept the pout all the way to his formerly secret spot. Richard all the while was regaling the tale of how Ponos and Orpheus had done battle there, all the while exaggerating the story as much as possible.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

Zoe was captivated by Richard's grand tale of adventure. She laughed when Richard found the musical Whismur too shy to share its talent. She gasped when Ponos was on the receiving end of a punch by the pink furball. She cheered when the Diglett used his power over the earth to his full advantage, striking a powerful blow against his enemy. And her eyes were glued to Richard as the bard told of how he had thrown his one Pokéball, and how it had shaken once... twice.... thrice... and clicked!

 

"Sounds like you had an exciting morning, Mr. Bard," Zoe giggled as they walked along the beach. "And you too, little furball... Orpheus, was it?" She knelt down to smile at the pouting Whismur. "Why's he look so sad all of a sudden?" she asked.

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Pokémon Center, Lumiose City, Kalos:

 

The Pokémon Center was all but empty by the time Kyle and Esen got there, its main lobby occupied by only a single inhabitant. The air conditioned space felt a million times colder than the warm, summer air outside, and it only made Kyle more exhausted as he approached the front desk. He looked at Esen again as they moved across the space. She still had not said a word, staring at the ground with a hazy focus for as long as they walked. Evidently, the Shadow Admin's daughter had seen something that she did not like.

 

Kyle pushed this aside as they stopped at the desk. The attendant was elsewhere--presumably tending to the third person's Pokémon--so Kyle elected to give her a few minutes to return before opting to ring the small bell on the desk. As he waited, he looked over at the strange man nearby. He was covered head to toe in robes that looked as if they had not been washed in a long while, and aside from his eyes, much the same could be said about his face, which was covered in bandages. He had not realized just how long he had been staring when the man nodded at him, uttering a soft "Hello" a moment afterwards.

 

"Hi," Kyle said after a pause. He tapped his fingers on the counter, glancing briefly at Esen. She had closed her eyes, and pulled her jacket taut with her hands in her pockets. Kyle looked back at the man. "Don't suppose you got lost in the city, too? I swear, this place is a maze."

 

IC - Sonja Baron - The Alamo, Courtyard:

 

Sonja closed her eyes and gave a long, slow sigh, as if to mentally prepare herself for this topic of conversation. "If by 'disappear' you mean, 'left after the first dance,' then yes, I did," she said. In the pause that followed, she appeared to have become very interested the back of her left hand. "Ryan asked me a question that . . . surprised me." Sonja looked away. "Let's leave it at that."

 

As if to punctuate her point, it was at that moment that Goldhawk's announcement blared over the loudspeaker. Sonja looked up at the source of the sound, immediately concerned with the implications of the summons, and stood up.

 

"Guess we'd better check that out," she said. Gathering her things, she started in the direction of the command center, already preparing herself for the worst.

 

 

IC - Goldhawk/Others - The Alamo, Control Center:

 

Agents trickled into the Control Center with respectable speed. Somehow Goldhawk was not convinced that the numbers here were a true representation of everyone present in the Alamo--particularly considering the turnout of the dance the night before--but he could only digress. The situation was too urgent; for now, he could make do with what he had, and hopefully bring others in as more information developed.

 

Speaking of . . . With a wave to the assembled agents, Goldhawk approached the head technician. "Any further reports from Havoc?"

 

"Very few," the tech said. "Communications appear to have been blocked out entirely ever since Maxie's call ended. Along with that, agents in the area are reporting strong psychic disturbances, suggesting that a powerful teleportation barrier has been put in place." The man looked up at Goldhawk as the Liberty Leader looked through the reports. "While there is a noticeable hole in one sector, it's not big enough to be considered reliable--anyone who attempts to teleport inside could end up in a completely different part of the facility, or potentially even outside the place. They would need an incredibly precise transport to get through without any repercussions."

 

"Agent Arthur," Goldhawk said, turning to the suspended Executive. "Did you hear that?" James nodded. "To my understanding, one of your Gardevoir's specialties lies in teleportation. We're going to need you to act as a sort of vanguard for us--get into the facility, secure Maxie, and clear out as many of these teleportation blockers as you can so that others can move in and assist you. Take however many agents you can manage to teleport with you. The rest of you--" He turned now to the other assembled agents. "--will remain on hold until we get confirmation that the teleportation route is stabilized. Is that clear?" A resounding affirmation sounded.

 

With that, Goldhawk nodded to James. "Whenever you're ready."

 

IC - Lidiya Vasilev/Abbing/Styles - Havoc, Main Halls:

 

The job did not take long to finish. Once everything that could be collected had been collected, Vasilyev rounded the group up again and pushed onward, down more hallways. By this point, the alarms had been sounded, and red lights flashed virtually everywhere they moved. Yet activity remained minimal, suggesting that either the total number of occupants in the facility--at least in this section--had been low to begin with, or that Déoza and Team Energons' work had gone along quite smoothly despite the back-stabbing of the former.

 

Vasilyev was not sure which case to believe, though either suited her just fine.

 

Eventually, the group came to a stairwell. Vasilyev checked to make sure it was clear, and then motioned for the group to follow. They ascended several flights before moving back into the main hallways. It appeared that the higher floors were about as barren as the lower ones. Perhaps, then, the Magma agents had retreated to more secure parts of the facility? If that were the case, then the hunt had taken on a new level, and they would need to find a computer terminal so as to access more in-depth blueprints for the building . . .

 

"Alright," she said, turning to address her group again. "This wandering business isn't working out all that well, so we're going to prioritize finding a layout of Havoc, whether the means a computer or--"

 

"Who's there?"

 

The Energon agent immediately shifted into a more defensive stance, as did Abbing and Styles. They took cover where they could, peering down the hall for the source of the voice. It did not take long for them to appear. From around a corner further down the hall, a man in a lab coat appeared, flanked by four guards. All four bore magma insignia on their uniforms, immediately quelling any fears that Vasilyev might have had about them being allied units. Hardly sparing a moment, the Lieutenant gestured to her three squad mates, signaling that they were to attack.

 

Before anyone could move to stop her or confirm this, she had done just that, stepping out from her cover and raising her weapon, finger primed on the dual-triggers of the power-draining gun. With one, she fired a stream of energy at the group, who quickly dispersed to avoid the blast; with the other, a Poké Ball shot forth, releasing her Meowstic onto the field. Given no choice now, Abbing and Styles, and their Seismitoad and Pangoro, joined the fray.

 

From down the hall, one of the Magma agents could be heard shouting, "It's Team Energon!" This proved enough to motivate the group into action, and with four flashes of light, a Talonflame, Pyroar, Magmortar and Magcargo had appeared. As one, they unleashed a flurry of Flamethrowers and Embers at their opponents, which Abbing's Seismitoad blocked with a Surf attack before unleashing a second wave at the group of Fire-Types.

 

Behind the four Magma Agents, the scientist hid, watching the battle with a clear aura of fear.

 

IC - Joker/Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner/Skye Hall/Déoza Agent - Havoc, Lower Halls:

 

In mere moments the hall had erupted with activity, Jamie's and Lucia's teams emerging to combat the armored opponent. Skye watched the battle with clear hesitation, slowly grabbing a Poké Ball from her belt. She jumped as Gavin held his arm out in front of her, giving the former Zephyr Agent a slight shake of the head.

 

"We don't need six people to take this guy down," he said, gently moving her backwards to join Joker and Ethan. "Let them handle this. It'll be better in the long run if we can minimize the amount of energy we're spending against side-targets."

 

"O-Okay," Skye said, her voice small. "I just . . ." She trailed off, taking a deep, shaky breath, prompting Gavin to study her expression more closely as he waited for her to continue. "I've . . . never seen a dead body before, let alone this many."

 

Gavin nodded slowly, his lips thinned. "I hate to say 'get used to it,' but . . ."

 

 

"Beheeyem, Protect!" the Déoza agent ordered. The Psychic-Type whirred with an alien buzz, teleporting away from its trainer and in front of its team. It raised its hands, pouring out psychic energy into a defensive barrier that spanned from wall to wall, ceiling to floor. The torrent of attacks slammed into it, auraric energy, dark power, psychic barrages all dissipating on impact. It was only with the timing of the Protect's break that Lucan's Ice Beam managed to shoot through, striking the enemy Tangrowth head-on. It roared in displeasure as a section of the vines covering its body froze solid, limiting its mobility.

 

Its trainer did not seem concerned. "Tangrowth, respond against the Clawitzer with Power Whip!" he ordered. "Trevenant, Phantom Force!"

 

Thrusting its unfrozen side forward, his Tangrowth lashed out, powerful vines shooting forth in an attempt to slam Claraga into the wall. Trevenant stepped back, shadows engulfing it from behind and taking it away from sight, a ticking time bomb waiting to strike.

 

"Hitmonlee, engage in Close Combat with the Vanilluxe!" he continued. "Abomasnow, take out the Shellder with Seed Bomb!"

 

With monstrous speed, the Fighting-Type shot forward, long legs carrying it within reach of Lucan within seconds. Immediately it launched into a series of rapid kicks and punches, focused solely on taking out the Ice-Type before it. As it moved, fire engulfed its feet, expertly merging the Blaze Kick attacks into the combinations it was putting together with Close Combat. Meanwhile, the Abomasnow grounded itself, before launching a pair of explosive seeds at the much smaller Water-Type.

 

"Amoonguss, use Giga Drain on the Slowking, and Beheeyem, Synchronize with all enemy Psychic-Types!" the Déoza agent finished.

 

Taking aim with its arm shields, the enemy Amoonguss launched its attack, attempting to pull energy from Grummore. Simultaneously, the Beheeyem's eyes glowed with energy as it reached out to the enemy group, connecting its mind with the other Psychic-Types in the area and sending out mental shock waves to injure them. As it did this, Joker grimaced with pain and gripped her head, falling to her knee from the mental assault.

 

"Good to know that they don't discriminate against enemy trainers," she muttered, casting a dark look at the fallen Magma trainers. The Shadow Admin raised her voice, sending a mental spike right back at the Beheeyem. "It's going to take a lot more than this to stop me from finding Adams, you ######!"

 

OOC:

-Beheeyem: Protect (all attacks except for Ice Beam blocked); Synchronize on all Psychic-Types.

-Trevenant: Phantom Force on unknown target.

-Hitmonlee: Close Combat/Blaze Kick combination on Lucan.

-Tangrowth: Power Whip on Claraga.

-Amoonguss: Giga Drain on Grummore.

-Abomasnow: Seed Bomb on Bedevere.

 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Roark==-

 

Roark's Onix slammed into the Aegislash as the two traded the blows. The Onix staggered, having taken a lot more damage due to super effectiveness; however, it was still not out of the fight, and then attempted to quickly Bind the Aegislash, and then Slam it into the ground, if at all possible...

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette was about to respond, when suddenly Amber showed back up, and started to lick Colette's face, while she laughed.

"It's all right!" Colette said, as she looked at the excited puppy in amusement. "She really does seem to like me, though." Colette said, and looked up at her hair. "The hair thing is a good point..."

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray nodded, but frowned, seemingly about the announcement, but to both.

A question? Ray thought, not liking the implications, as he stood up as well. He took a moment and sighed.

"You don't need to say anything else, no. I don't wanna make you feel worse, especially since you obviously look like I did yesterday. On that note, always ask for directions to rooms." Ray joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit, as he figured that Sonja was a bit more 'surprised' than she was letting on, and wanted to be friendly to try and help out if at all possible.

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan seemed conflicted still; things just didn't seem right still... But regardless of what he wanted, he had to fight, since they weren't about to just talk it out.

"Come on, Dewott..." Ryan said with a frown, as he sent out the Water Type, hoping to finish this fight sooner than later.

"Razor Shell on the Magcargo!" Ryan called out quickly, hoping to take these opponents down fast, as the Dewott leaped at the Magcargo, wielding its scallop in hand.

 

OOC: ... Dewott: Razor Shell. (Target: Magcargo)

 

=P

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia frowned, as Gothy suddenly covered her ears, as if there was something loud and painful. The girl balled her fist, and pointed out at the Beheeyem.

"Co-ordinated attack, Dark Pulse, Dark Pulse, Poison Powder, Double Edge, Double Edge!" Lucia yelled out, as Claraga shot off a Dark Pulse at the Beheeyem quickly, figuring that it didn't have enough time to actually Protect again, since it had just launched off a Protect that blocked everything. Moments later, the Tangrowth slammed the Clawitzer into the wall, and the Clawitzer winced slightly, and then turned and shot a Dragon Pulse right at the Tangrowth's face, in an attempt to get the half frozen Pokemon to drop the water type.

 

Gothy barely even heard the comment, as her head still rang from the Synchronize. However, she got the gist of the attack, and frowned, as she focused, and launched off a Dark Pulse at the Beheeyem, wanting to get it back for the very bad headache it had just gotten.

 

At around that time, Baya focused, and then launched off a Poison Powder at the Beheeyem, trying to poison it so that at least if it did protect next, it would slowly be poisoned and its focus thrown off. Following the Dark Pulses from behind, the Audino and Chansey pooled their efforts, and then used a dual Double Edge on the Beheeyem, also trying to deal as much damage as possible before they would have to start healing everyone...

 

OOC: Pokemon round up:

Clawitzer/Claraga: Dark Pulse (Target: Beheeyem)

Gothita/Gothy: Dark Pulse (Target: Beheeyem)

Bayleef/Baya: Poison Powder (Target: Beheeyem)

Audino/Audinaga: Double Edge (Target: Beheeyem)

Chansey/Chansa: Double Edge (Target: Beheeyem)

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (James and Roderick)

There was a certain irony to James as he heard Goldhawk volunteer (that is order) him to lead the vanguard. He specifically wanted Guinevere to become as good at teleporting as she was so that they would always have a way out of danger. Now it had become their ticket straight to the front of the line to fight. But the situation was what it was, and no amount of irony would change that.

 

“Understood, sir. Guinevere, how many do you believe you can warp?”

 

As soon as Goldhawk had referenced her, the Gardevoir had already begun making the calculations based on the data provided.

 

Five. Including you, providing you retreat the others, I can teleport five trainers.

 

“I understand. Thank you very much,” he added politely as he retreated the three Pokemon still out in the open.

James scanned the room for any trainers with known talent for battle. He saw to agents he could regard with respect in that regard, and with familiarity.

 

“Agent Krane, Agent Vero, I presume you are both up for this,” he commented.

 

Roderick nodded as he retreated Wattling and Swirl, following suit as James had done. Cyan Vero nodded likewise.

 

James scanned the room once more and picked out two trainers he was less familiar with, but hoped had the power that would be required.

 

“We are ready, Ms. Guinevere. Whenever you are, please let us be off.”

 

She nodded silently as a field enveloped the five agents that had gathered near. The field glowed for a second, before disappearing and the agents with it.

 

IC: (Jamie)

Grummore did not question the merit of attacking full force on the Beheeyem by Lucia. Anything that could block that many attacks needed to be taken down fast. But now the problem for Jamie and her team would be reversing the momentum that the Psychic had won for his team. And sadly, that meant someone would likely end up getting shafted to cover someone else.

 

He decided, since the noise in his head was harming him anyway, that may as well be him.

 

“Grummore Disable Hitmonlee!” Jamie started.

 

Heh, looks like she picked up on the idea… good on her.

 

Blah, blah, blah, just blast everything! a second noise went in his head, brought about by the first.

 

Shut up… he thought as he focused his power on stopping the Hitmonlee in its onslaught, while life flowed out of him, doubly so due to the typing, only resisted by his species natural resistance. The Hitmonlee found his target did not just sit there and let himself, and countered his monstrous speed, with a crying-scaredy-ice-cream-cone-running-from-the-monstrous-speed-speed. It was just enough for Grummore to activate his power.

 

“Lucan, while Hitmonlee is stopped, focus on fully freezing the Tangrowth.”

 

The crying Vanilluxe turned around and launched one blast more at Tangrowth, before running (well something) away from the Hitmonlee.

 

Bedevere also found himself running away (or swimming, as quickly as Whirlpool allowed him), as he by instinct could not allow the Seed Bomb to hit or that’d be all she wrote. If Bedevere had time to think, he’d think on where he knew that phrase from, but the speed he had been building up allowed him to evade the Seed Bomb, but he had no opportunity to make a counterattack.

 

“Palomides, try once more to use Hypnosis on the Amoonguss.”

 

The Ghost responded by floating up above and sending the waves containing thoughts of sleep down on the Amoonguss.

“Pelleas,” Jamie said and cut off the Heracross as it tried to cut her off “Grummore cannot hold the Hitmonlee back forever, and Lucan cannot stand to Hitmonlee by himself. I will be fine, please protect him.”

 

The Heracross was stunned for a half a second before allowing his wings to carry him forward. His arms both carried the power granted by Aerial Ace, intent on doing battle with the Hitmonlee.

IC: (Claus)

 

Claus watched as the Gardevoir warped herself and several others out of the room. He didn’t exactly disagree with him not being picked for the vanguard, not that he wanted to go, but now he was left in suspense as he waited for more knowledge on the situation.

 

He sighed and shook his head, not much else for him to do at the moment.

 

OOC:

Slowking/Grummore: Disable on Hitmonlee.
Shellder/Bedevere: Shell Smash evasion/sets up Whirlpool to max speed.
Gastly/Palomides: Hypnosis on Amoonguss
Vanilluxe/Lucan: Ice Beam on Tangrowth
Heracross/Pelleas: Aerial Ace on Hitmonlee

Edited September 17, 2014 by Claus Von Minun the 4th

[Franco]

IC: "Yes, it is terribly big." Cero extended a hand, unruffled by the stare. "Forgive my manners. I am called Cero."

[Konuju]

IC: Jayron

George hurriedly stepped between Amber and his desk, before the hyperactive puppy could topple his radio contraption. "Phillip!" he cried. "Alexa! Weren't you two supposed to keep an eye on Amber?"

 

The two children, who had so quickly vanished up the stairs before, appeared reluctantly at the doorway. "Sorry, dad," the boy said, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. "She... she ran ahead and we couldn't catch up..." The girl, Alexa, was fixated on the older girl currently playing with Amber. She remained silent, watching the two with a timid curiosity from the corner of the doorway.

 

"I know your mother's told you multiple times about letting Amber into my office when I'm working," George said. "And that's even more important now, when we're trying to solve this crisis."

 

"We won't let it happen again," Phillip said, grabbing Amber and leading his sister back up the stairs. Alexa's gaze darted between Jayron and Colette before she was led away.

 

Jayron wasted no time in answering the police chief's earlier question. "We think the source is coming from the south, but we're not sure exactly where. Colette had a good point. If we could speak with your meteorologist friend, we might be able to figure something out. Piece some things together."

 

"Hm, well I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try," George said thoughtfully. "With our radios down, that aura power may be our best hope. Jayron, why don't you and your Lucario come with me? Colette, you can come along too, but you're more than welcome to stay and play with Amber if you'd prefer." The police chief cracked a weary smile as he led the trainers out of his office. "Amber loves practically everyone, but I think that Lucario may be on to something -- I've never seen someone with such a unique hairstyle as yours, young lady."

 

As they left the office, Jayron saw a brief flicker out of the corner of his eye. Subtly activating his aura, he saw the two children scurrying back up the stairs, no doubt having been eavesdropping. The aura reader chuckled to himself. Had the situation not been so dire, he wouldn't have minded Colette staying back to play with the kids and their puppy. But they had a mission at hand, and they'd need every ounce of aura capabilities they could get.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Nimbasa City

 

"What are you looking all worried about?", Evan said, chuckling a bit, "You act like there's gonna be some ultra huge confrontation here.  You gotta relax! Now come on!"

 

Evan's heart still beated furiously. He was still trying to figure out what was going on with him. He had a faint inkling, but he wanted to make sure he was right......

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

"Hahaha, I guess you're right..." Jenny said with a sheepish smile, as she still was a bit confused, but simply shook it off, and kept walking. After a little bit, they reached the park, and Jenny looked around. "Wow... I think they've even added more things now..." Jenny said, with a surprised look of awe on her face, as she looked around at the different rides around in the park.

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach gave Dack a look, as he struggled to keep up with the questions being rapidly shot back and forth, and everyone just talking.

"Look, just, calm down with the questions and panicking. I'd rather this place not become a warground too..." Zach said, unsure how to answer the Raikou question, but the Raikou hadn't exactly been too bad at accuracy so far... Turning to Olivia when she asked her own question, Zach thought about that for a moment. "Well, uh, I guess maybe... Though, I'm not totally sure if Ryan's number still works or so..." Zach mumbled, and was about to pull out his Pokegear, when he suddenly noticed the chirping Torchic run up to them, and then he squealed when the Torchic nuzzled against his leg, about to lean down to pet it when it took off to Olivia's arms. Zach looked up as the Pokemon Breeder approached, and frowned slightly.

This guy seems to be pretty neglectful and... Kinda incompetent. Zach thought, noting the confusion especially, as if the guy had no clue what to do. However, the trainer chose not to comment on that.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette watched the puppy Growlithe leave apologetically, but... This was not the time to play. And although the police chief offered that she could play with the Growlithe and co, Colette instead chose to follow the two others.

"Maybe later, sir, but right now, I think I'll tag along; the more people to try and decipher this mystery the better, right?" Colette asked to confirm, since she wasn't too keen on being left out of the action on her own mission.

Edited September 20, 2014 by Colette Llyan

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Richard)

“Eh well. You see I think he had the same idea of being here that I did when I first came here. And when I came here first, I was trying to find a spot to practice where no one would hear me… And then I barged in and then shared the spot with you…”

 

He fidgeted with the handle of his violin’s case with the hand that wasn’t holding it. It was kinda bad form to expose a fellow musician’s secret hiding spot.

 

“Hey, Orpheus?” he said kneeling down to the Whismur. “You’re not that mad at me for this, right?”

 

Orpheus was that mad. Richard learned this. Zoe probably learned this. Ponos dug his way underground to avoid learning this. The constant Uproar that came from Orpehus’s mouth taught Richard. Even as he went to once again cover Zoe’s ears, sound waves definitely reached them first.

 

Those two were not the only ones to hear the loud noise however. Unfortunately Orpheus and Richard were not the only ones who had picked that area because they wanted to be by themselves. But this one had come to the spot not to make noise, but to get away from it.

 

In hindsight, Richard wasn’t surprised that something popped up from the noise. He was more surprised that it was only then that it happened. In the moment however, he was greatly surprised by it. It being a large column of water, and from the water a Swampert who had a mind-numbing headache arose. And it was pretty mad about it, as evidenced by the roar it sent out.

 

“…Eep.”

 

(A few minutes ago)

 

Gawain’s mood had somehow only worsened the more he had let out steam. All the worthy rocks near where he was had been shattered, yet he felt no better. He decided to surface around then, maybe find something more worthwhile to let out his frustration on. It was near when he did however, that the massive noise of an Uproar were unleashed, and even submerged as he was, could still hear the noise. At any other time, the Swampert would have merely shrugged it off and swum to quieter waters. But today, he was kinda in a bad mood to begin with.

 

What happened after that was already said above.

Edited September 20, 2014 by Claus Von Minun the 4th

[Konuju]

IC: Dack
"We may not have much of a choice," Dack said darkly. "Hannah chose this city as a warground, whether we like it or not. Personally, I'd prefer to keep it a warground and not have it turn into a slaughterhouse."
 
"Oh, who's this cutie?" Madison cried, patting the Torchic on the head as it rested in the breeder's arms. "He's so adorable!"
 
"We're doomed," Dack said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "You guys are hopeless." Turning on his heels, the ex-Rocket stormed off into a nearby market square.
 
"Dack--" Madison cried, starting after him.
 
"Leave him," Luke said, grabbing Madison's arm. "If the rest of us split off from the group, knowing how much Zach and Dack are already butting heads, I don't think we'll be getting back together. If Hannah's really attacking with an army, we need to stick together. We have more power in numbers."
 
"Which is exactly why I'm bringing Dack back," Madison said, wrenching herself out of the black belt's grip. "Zach and the others may not realize it, but we need a strategic mind like Dack's. He may be blunt when bringing things up, but he has some really good points. We need him here with us if we want any chance of stopping Hannah."
 
Before Luke could think of a response, the skier had already darted down the street, vanishing into the crowd.
 
IC: Jayron
"Very well, then," George said, grabbing a stack of papers from his desk. "We'd better be going, then. I must say, fortune must have been smiling on you when you chose this house to knock on the door looking for answers. Perhaps it was meant to be."
 
"Haha, yeah," Jayron said, scratching his head sheepishly. "Lucky guess, huh?"
 
The chief of police led the trainers into the garage, where an old police car sat next to a minivan. George got into the police car and turned on the ignition. "Luckily whatever caused this radio interference didn't affect our cars," he chuckled.
 
Jayron motioned for Colette to get in. "Ladies first," he said. "I wouldn't dream of making you ride in the back of a police car."
 
How noble of you, Jayron, Lucario said teasingly. I see you've been taking lessons in chivalry from Executive Arthur.
 
The skies had grown so dark that at first Jayron thought the sun had set while they'd been talking to George. But it was still mid-afternoon; the clouds had merely decided to emulate the curvature of the earth in blotting out the light of the sun. An eerie silence hovered over them, broken only by the police car's engine and the dull static coming from the radio.
 
They drove through empty streets, as still as a painting. Jayron found it even more unsettling than when they had first arrived in the city. He sat in uncomfortable silence, watching the eerie houses go by. Not even when the war had been going at full force had things been this dreary.
 
IC: Zoe
If Zoe was shocked by the noise that came from an angry pink furball, that was nothing compared to the terrifying roar that came from the massive blue monster that had just erupted out of the ground as if summoned by Orpheus. Zoe tried to back up, but Richard was already behind her, covering her ears. She stumbled, tripping over the bard's feet and falling to the ground. This had the effect of causing one of her attempted 'dog ears' to fall flat against her head, leaving the other one hanging dangerously lopsided.
 
"L-looks like you two aren't the only ones who wanted this spot to remain a secret!" Zoe cried, trying to scramble backward in the sand to get away from the enraged monster. For an instant, she looked to Richard, hoping the bard would protect her.
 
That instant lasted all of half a second. Then she realized that someone like Colette wouldn't need protection from a monster like that. With one hand gripping her locket, the other reaching for a Pokéball, Zoe stood up, a determined glare in her eyes. "You may act all tough, but you've never met the Great Zoe Llyan or the Adventurous Mister Bard." She took a step toward the Swampert, holding her Pokéball threateningly in front of the beast. "I'm going to give you one chance to escape. But if you insist on fighting us, rest assured that we will show you no mercy." A confident smile formed on Zoe's lips. She looked back toward Richard, waiting for the bard to back her up.
 
Her only regret was that Colette wasn't here to witness this awesome moment.

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"Hah, she's a baby girl actually." the Breeder replied to Madison, still dealing with the squirming Torchic. Madison's pat on the head made it pause, and look up at the skier with wide eyes. Before she could smile back, the trainer had already left and was squabbling with Luke. The fire chick began to struggle once more in the Breeder's arms, trying to worm her way out.

"Yeah, I-I'm gonna have to go then." the Breeder said again. "Sorry for bothering you......" he began to say, but then paused. "....O-Or if any of you like, you could take her home with you.... I mean, Torchic seems to like the redhead.... And it's only about 80,000 or so." 

 

"The heck?!" Olivia cried, looking at the Breeder, flabbergasted. "That's criminal! Who the heck would have that kind of money?!" she said, completely speechless afterwards.

 

The baby Torchic chirped excitedly at the sound of Olivia's voice, kicking to get free of the Breeder's grip. He looked back and shrugged. "Well, one has to make a living..... Alright, bye." he said, walking back to where he had just set up 

"...Okay then." Olivia said in confusion, looking around. "....Okay, That Dack person's gone huh."

 

".....Guys?" Dahlia called out with concern. "That's about two people gone from the group now.... Wh-What do we do now?" the gardener asked. "Do we... Run after them?"

"Not worth it." Aspen replied, shaking his head. "Might as well keep what we can together. If the other lovebirds want to run off on some romantic honeymoon as the city gets destroyed.... Whatever." he muttered. "We heading to the Pokemon Center then?" 

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

Caliburn recovered quickly from the strike, seeing that his opponent wished to Bind him. The Aegislash however, lept up into the air with an Aerial Ace, leaving the Onix to grab nothing. When close, he spun around his sword body in a circling Sacred Sword slash, aiming to take out the Onix.

"Woah...." Ruth breathed, amazed Caliburn could pull off such a maneuver. 

Edited September 21, 2014 by Phoenix Zero

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Nimbasa Amusement Park

 

"Well, I think we should have some fun with the games they have, ya know?", Evan said, smiling big at the myriad of colors emanating from the place, "Let's see what we can find, huh?"

 

Evan walked a little ways out, his heart still pounding, and saw something made him all giddy.

 

"Look at this!", Evan exclaimed loudly at Jenny, "They've got a dunk tank! I loved being put in the tank, taunting people to see if they could dunk me in. Wanna give it a shot?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny noticed the dunk tank too, and giggled at both the tank and how Evan was reacting, his giddiness becoming quite infectious.

"Sure; would be pretty nice!" Jenny said, and then paused, since it sounded like he wanted to try it, and tilted her head at Evan curiously. "But... What's your outfit made of, anyway...? Can it take getting wet?" Jenny asked, unsure about that, since if it was Evan getting dunked, then if she actually pulled that off, then that would mean his outfit would get wet, and if it couldn't...

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Nimbasa Amusement Park

 

"Oh, the outer layer of this blue coat is woven with Garchomp Scales.", Evan said, "It's very breathable and aerodynamic. I'd like to think it could take being wet."

 

Evan noted that Jenny looked rather shocked at what he just said. He realized what he just said would sound kinda disturbing to others........

 

"Before you get started, I didn't do anything to any Garchomp whose scales I used in getting this whole outfit made.", Evan said, sounding a tad embarassed, "I gathered their shed scales, because they look like a good material for a light but functional outfit."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny had been caught off guard by them being actual Garchomp scales, but smiled after the quick explanation of how he'd gotten them.

"Didn't think you could've harmed a Garchomp... I think Gnip would've taken some offense." Jenny said in amusement, and nodded. "Definitely do look lightweight and practical though... Let's put the 'waterproof' part to the test, though." Jenny said with a mischievous smile, as she began to walk toward the dunk tank once more.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Colette Llyan

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Nimbasa Amusement Park

 

"Let's!" Evan said, grinning like a madman as he walked over to the booth attendant.

 

"I'll pay for this woman's chance to dunk someone, and for me to be that person." Evan said, smiling even more.

 

"Go right ahead.", the attendant said happily as she received the money from Evan, "Step on up, and push your luck!"

 

Nodding, Evan took off the longcoat he had been wearing over his outfit, grinning as he did so. Evan positioned himself on the platform and started making faces at Jenny.....

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny watched Evan make faces for a moment, rather amused at them, and then thought for a moment.

"I won't hold back, just so you know!" Jenny called out to her friend, as she focused, and then picked up the ball, and then threw it quickly at the target that would send Evan into the water, if it hit.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette frowned as she watched the houses go by in curiosity.

This just seems so weird... Why would they need to make this seem like a ghost town...? Sooner we can figure this out, the better... The aura wielder thought, as she waited out the ride quietly, wondering what could even cause this, as she leaned down slightly, and looked up at the sky. As she did so, she again wondered how such an odd storm could have cropped up so suddenly...

 

-==IC: Roark==-

 

Roark looked in shock, as the Aegislash vanished into the air, and then Caliburn's fall to the ground was heralded by Roark's Onix suddenly appearing by his side, fainted. Roark sighed, and recalled his Pokemon, as he quickly adjusted his glasses, and then sent out his Cranidos quickly.

"No holding back, Zen Headbutt!" Roark called out, as the Cranidos quickly dashed forward, attempting to slam into the Aegislash quickly.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Nimbasa Amusement Park

 

......And missed. Evan laughed loudly at what had happened, smiling as well.

 

"C'mon, a Togepi could hit that better than you!", Evan said in a very cheery way, "Try again. I don't think you are trying hard enough."

 

With that statement, Evan made more funny faces at Jenny......