Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

Aspen rolled his eyes at Zach's reply. "Of course you've met Erika before, what, lemme guess, you've also been having tea and crumpets with Jasmine the time before the last time you were in Olivine..." he muttered, before slapping his forehead. "Whatever, just, Dahlia's the best person to talk to Erika with because she's neutral and also a gardener. The stuff about Erika was from rumors in the articles I read, and the fact most of the interviews I found of her were conducted with female journalists." the trainer finished off his statement with. While Palmer brought up where a tactical location for his Rhyperior would be, Aspen was only able to stare at the map blankly. Unfortunately, most 15-year olds weren't tactical geniuses. 

"I-I'll try to talk to Erika then....." Dahlia said. "Hopefully they'll understand the emergency of things and let me through, though..... And that I can convince of the emergency in the first place." she mused, while Dack's group talked amongst themselves about Madison's situation. "If she gets more Pokemon to back her up, then the plan's a lot safer. At least, I think so..." the gardener said while shrugging. "There shouldn't as much to worry about in that case, if her position's well guarded, then she might end up being more safe than anyone else on the ground..." 

 

"I do have a question though." Olivia spoke up while continuing to type out a message. "Why do you and brickhead only have one Pokemon each? I get that training a signature to be really strong is nice and all... But isn't it more practical to split that strength between several Pokemon, so that you're not left helpless the moment your signature's down?" she asked bluntly. "Unless, it's a legendary in Palmer's case, and even then, he has.... Two more Pokemon or something?" the trainer asked, as she had recalled Palmer also having a Dragonite out during Sootopolis. "Are Pokeballs just that expensive in Sinnoh or something?"

 

"To expand on putting the army to sleep, I can help out with Hypnosis and Dream Eater." Amethyst spoke up psychically from her Pokeball. "Of course, I'm no legendary, but every little bit counts, that's how the saying went, right?"

Edited December 16, 2014 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

A scratching at the door caught both Colette and Jayron's attention. Colette opened the door, only for the energetic Amber to leap into her arms. The aura wielder laughed, as she petted the Growlithe pup, her earlier anxieties melting away.

Colette spent much of the rest of the evening playing with Amber. She didn't see too much of Alexa or Phillip until the two kids were about to head to bed. A small commotion caught her attention.

"Alexa, I told you, it's time for bed!" George said in a stern voice. "You have to get some sleep after what happened today."

Colette couldn't hear a response, but upon activating her aura, she sensed an uneasy fear coming from the young girl. With a frown, she headed up the stairs, Amber following at her heels. When she got to the top of the stairs, he saw George embracing his daughter.

"Look, Alexa, I know you're scared. But there's no Feraligatrs hiding in your room. And Daddy will make sure none of them get into the house."

Alexa sniffled, her tiny voice muffled by her father's shoulder. "But I'm still scared. Can I sleep with you and Mommy tonight?"

George sighed. "Mommy and I have a lot of work we need to do to try and end this crisis. You're a big girl now, Alexa."

 

"Umm..." Colette said, an idea forming in her head. "If it would make you feel any better, I could sleep on the floor in your room, Alexa."

The young girl poked her head up from her father's shoulder, gazing at Colette with those wide eyes. "C-could you really?"

Colette knelt down so she was at eye-level with Alexa and gave her a warm smile. "Sleeping on the floor is not a problem if it means you won’t be scared."

Wiping her tears away, Alexa squirmed out of her father's embrace and gave Colette the biggest hug she could muster.

Colette smiled reassuringly, as she gently patted the young girl's back. Colette turned her head as she noticed Jayron taking a step or two up the stairs, and then thought for a moment.

"Hmm... Looks like a room just got freed up; mind if Dandy takes it?" Colette suggested, the look on her face showing that there was a reason for that more or less.

 

Jayron paused, raising an eyebrow at this sudden turn of events. "I'm surprised you're offering it to him, but I don't have a problem with it," he said with a shrug.

Colette nodded; to be fair, she had more of a cautious outlook for giving Dandy the room, since it'd be easier to hear him if he tried anything, but it was possible Jayron's earlier words had helped with the decision.

"Alright then, sounds good to me." Colette said, and looked back to Alexa for a moment. "Do you mind if I quickly get ready for bed, too?" Colette asked, as she noticed a familiar sort of look in Alexa's eyes; that look of sisterly affection Zoe often gave her.

Alexa shook her head. "T-thank you, Colette..." She quickly made her way to her room, glancing back at the aura wielder with an adorable smile.

George placed a hand on Colette's shoulder. "I can't thank you enough for being there for my daughter," he said. "First you protected her from that Feraligatr, now you're protecting her from her fears. You truly are her guardian angel, Colette."

Colette looked up at George with a smile after watching Alexa run off happily, and then nodded. "You're very welcome, sir. I'm glad to be of help," she said, happy that things were so normal here.

"I'll have Helena get some blankets and pillows for you," George said.

As he headed down the stairs, Jayron followed him. "Sir, I must thank you for your hospitality. But I also have to let you know..."

 

Colette watched the two disappear down the stairs, glad that Jayron had decided to wait until Alexa had gone to bed to let her father know about the possibility of more Pokémon like the Feraligatr. Colette turned after that, and headed into the bathroom, as she opened her bag, and took out her pyjamas.

This day has been so... weird. Colette thought, frowning slightly as she wondered what could even cause this electromagnetic interference. The aura wielder tried to distract herself from worrying about things, as the unknown wouldn't become any more known right then. She looked down at the steel blue shirt she was wearing, and the pink and white plaid patterned shorts, smiling since it had been a while since she needed them. Even in Anistar, it was typically only summer-like weather for about a month or two, so she used to find it too chilly when wearing pyjamas designed for the summer. Colette shook her head, as she opened the door, not wanting to keep Alexa waiting too long.

George's wife was already waiting when Colette stepped out of the bathroom, with an armful of pillows and blankets. "Alexa never should have run off like that," she said with a grim look. "But if what George says is true, you put your life on the line to defend her. And I thank you for that. If there's anything else you need, don't hesitate to ask." With a grateful smile, Helena dumped the blankets and pillows into Colette's arms, then went to tuck Phillip in bed.

Colette smiled back, and took the blankets and pillows, hugging them to her so she didn't trip over them, as she headed over to Alexa's room. Colette opened the door, and quietly peeked in, making sure that Alexa wasn't sleeping too much right then, and walked in not as quiet, as she noticed that Alexa looked back at her.

 

Alexa watched Colette in silent awe as she arranged a makeshift bed from the pillows and blankets. Once the aura wielder had lain down, Alexa reached over and handed her a stuffed Munna doll. "In case you get scared," she explained in her tiny voice.

Colette smiled, as she accepted the stuffed Munna, and then looked over at Alexa. The little girl had seemed so brave earlier, in her own way. "Thank you... Do you have anything that you keep with you always to keep from being scared?" Colette asked, curious about that.

Alexa looked at Colette curiously. "You mean like a lucky charm? Not really... Daddy gave me Munna so I wouldn't have nightmares, but I don't take her with me always."

Colette nodded, and thought for a moment, as she considered what was said. She pulled her bag closer, and then took out her hairband, and then slowly removed the flower from it. "Well... I think this might be nice, then." Colette said, as she handed the flower to Alexa with a smile.

Alexa took the flower, her eyes wide with wonder. "C-can I really keep this?" she asked, cradling the flower in her hands like it was the most precious treasure she had ever seen.

Colette nodded with a smile. "Yeah! It's a sign that you can be just as brave as I am... If not more so." Colette's smile widened as she saw the reaction of the little girl, and was once again reminded of Zoe; this time of Zoe's reactions to all the gifts she had gotten from the elder sister, the most recent being when she surprised Zoe the day before.

 

Alexa carefully set the flower down on her nightstand and laid her head down on her pillow, smiling warmly at Colette. "Thank you... I'll try to be brave for you."

Colette smiled more, and then put a hand to her chin, as if she were thinking about something. "Very nice! You're already very brave, though; not many people would hitch a ride like that." Colette said, as she hoped she was encouraging Alexa to not be as afraid that night

Alexa smiled sadly at the compliment. "Mommy and Daddy say that wasn't brave, but foolish," she said, her small voice starting to waver. "I got in a lot of trouble for it."

Colette smiled sadly too, since she should have chosen her words better, but then smiled more warmly in response. "Sometimes the bravest thing is to do foolish stuff, or the other way around... I'm sorry you got in trouble, but in my opinion, trying to catch a ride when there likely is to be trouble is the bravest thing around."

Alexa nodded, her wide eyes full of admiration. "Thank you, Colette..." The young girl yawned. "Maybe one day I really can be as brave as you..."

Colette giggled, and smiled at the admiring look. However, she thought for a moment, as she got an idea. "Hmm... I have a nickname that people really close to me use... Would you like to use that nickname too?" Colette asked, as she lay on her side, still looking at the young girl.

"That'd be nice..." Alexa nodded sleepily.

Colette giggled once more, and nodded, as she yawned herself. "Well, you can call me Collie, then!" Colette said, as her dog ear hairstyle fell down, as she drew her focus away from maintaining the hairstyle.

Alexa closed her eyes, with a warm smile, giggling slightly at the nickname. "I like it. Goodnight... Collie."

Colette yawned again, and drifted off to sleep, glad that she had been able to cheer up Alexa.

[Metal Gear Minun]

OOC: This is the song that Harmonics will be listening to.

IC: (Roderick/Wattling/Harmonics)

While the Synchronoise was filtered out by the Light Screen and his type-given resistance (yet also oddly his vulnerability to the attack in the first place), Harmonics found himself shuffling through the music coming in through his headphones to find something to best drown out the music. He settled on a song from a game he found on Roddy's computer,its odd swing tone distracting him from the pain. When he saw Claraga begin to attack, he quickly warped behind the other Beeheeyem. Even if the other Beeheeyem evaded the Dark Pulses, he would be there to strike with Hyper Beam. Even if the other Beeheeyem was hit by the Dark Pulses, he would be there to strike with Hyper Beam.

Wattling, pondered what to do at that moment when Roderick called out “Wattling, use Hex on Venusaur!” It occurred to the Rotom that his type had switched again, thus giving Hex a boost in power, in addition to the one it would gain upon connecting with the Venusaur’s paralysis. Thus he charged up his ghostly power one more time, to strike the Venusaur with, and fired.

OOC:

Wattling (Rotom) -> Hex -> Venusaur

Harmonics (Beheeyem) -> Teleport, Hyper Beam -> Beheeyem

IC: (Jamie/Pelleas/Lucan/Tristan)

Pelleas, spurred on by the flames that engulfed his heart (and singed his body) spread his wings wide and flew over the Sludge Wave. His arms became wreathed in blue light as he sped toward his target. As the Sludge Wave passed the Sawk, the Heracross slammed his arms down, intent on finishing off the Sawk while he was down.

Lucan on the other hand, was a bit more worried for himself, at least the half that was still conscious. He dragged the body as well as he could away from the conflict and the Sludge Wave.

Tristan held his forelegs up to guard the Torchic on his head from the Sludge Wave splashing on his Steel hide.

Right, Tristan said, trying to sound confident and boisterous as normal, but he couldn’t summon up enough energy.

OOC:

Pelleas (Heracross) -> Aerial Ace -> Sawk

Lucan (Vanilluxe) -> Flee

Tristan (Metagross) -> Blocks Sludge Wave LIKE A BAOWSS.

IC: (James/Lancelot/Percival)

Unfortunately Ice Beam did its job, as Lancelot’s legs grew attached to the ground, via ice. Lancelot let out a quiet curse, before he kneeled down. He began to Roost, as he worked on freeing himself from the ice with his steel claws.

Lancelot’s typing prevented him from suffering too much damage, as opposed to Percival who did not have such luxury. Both trainer and ghost found themselves berating themselves for missing the balconies above. Not that they had much time before Thunderbolt struck Percival. He found himself stunned in place, from both pain and from electric shock. All he could hope was that Wizard's focus was solely on him.

Allowing a bit of his anger to slip through, James called to Adams, "Then by all means enlighten us. Name what truly constructive actions that Ford has done. Team Rocket and Team Liberty put forth from the start the ideals that they were both willing to fight for. They even managed to put everything aside to protect this world. Where was Ford when the Darkrai attacked? You may accuse me of being a poor researcher, but all I have seen is death and destruction in his wake.”

 

There was one potential way to disprove his statement to James' knowledge, and he would love if she spoke it. But regardless he needed to keep Adams speaking.

OOC:

Lancelot (Scizor) -> Roost -> Self

Percival (Chandelure) -> Paralyzed

Edited December 16, 2014 by Claus Von Minun the 4th

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke
Dack rolled his eyes at Aspen's remark. "Your mom's been having tea and crumpets with Jasmine," he muttered. This earned him a sharp elbow in the ribs, compliments of Madison.
 
"Brickhead?!" Luke cried in exasperation. "I'll show you brickhead, you-"
 
"Luke and I aren't powerful trainers like Dack and Palmer are," Madison explained, cutting Luke off before he could dig himself a deeper hole. "Anzu's my most trusted companion, but my true skill lies in skiing, not battling."
 
"Which is exactly why I won't let you on that roof!" Dack cried. "You have zero experience out in the field, much less fighting an army."
 
"This is my choice, Dack," Madison shot back. "Like Amethyst said, every little bit counts. Besides, I'm a quick learner."
 
"Yeah, you let me help when the Darkrai covered Sinnoh in shadows," Luke said. "Give Madison her time to shine."
 
Dack sighed, giving Madison a defeated look. "I guess there's no stopping you, is there?"
 
Madison smirked. "It'll be no less dangerous on the roof than on the ground. Glad we got that settled. Now what's next, Zach?"
 
IC: Peter - Meteorology Lab
While Colette, Jayron, Dandy, and the others slept, the meteorologist Peter was busy working in his lab. As soon as George had driven off, Peter had made his way down to the beach where the defeated Feraligatr lay. Of course, with the rapidly fading daylight, it would be unwise to perform any experiments out on the beach. And so, with the help of his Magneton and Kadabra, Peter had moved the fainted lizard from its resting place in the sand to a steel table in his lab.
 
Peter was a meteorologist by trade, not a biologist. He was not used to bringing live specimens into his lab to study. But his curiosity had been stricken. The gears of his scientific mind were moving, almost with a will of their own. He attached a variety of probes to the sleeping beast. His Kadabra and Magneton aided in the performance of a variety of experiments. Colette and Jayron had proven their worth in felling the powerful beast; Peter had never been one for Pokémon battles. But scientific discoveries? This was his time to shine.
 
The scientist worked long into the night. He checked and rechecked his calculations. Yes, the Feraligatr had been driven to insanity by this electrostatic interference. But if the interference could do that to a Feraligatr, perhaps it could work in reverse as well. Peter sat down at his computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard. Finally, he reached into the back of an old storage closed and pulled out a rusty old generator. If his calculations were correct, he had devised a way to send a similar signal back from where the original signal had originated, one that with any luck would have the same effect it had on the Feraligatr.
 
Plugging the generator into the computer, Peter ran some final tests before attaching an antenna. "What do you think, Magneton?" the scientist asked. "If this works, it could finally put an end to this interference." The Magneton merely buzzed in response. "Well then." Peter's finger hovered over the button. "Here goes nothing."
 
At first, nothing happened. Peter frowned, wondering if his calculations had in fact been wrong.
 
 
 
BZZZZZZTTTT!!
 
The power went out, sending Peter into complete darkness. The radio, which had only been giving off dull static before, suddenly seemed to go haywire with an earsplitting screech. Peter put his hands to his head, tripping backwards over his chair and landing on the ground with a hard thud.
 
The shrill noise coming from the radio was so deafening that Peter barely heard the guttural growl that came from the table. But he could feel the quaking thuds that shook the lab. And as he stood up and squinted through the darkness, he could see the faint outline of the monstrous form of a giant lizard, enraged and confused. And as he tried to run, he could feel the sharp pain of what felt like a clawed hammer swiping him aside.
 
And then he could see, hear, and feel no more.
 
IC: Alexa
This was the first night in a long while that Alexa had been able to sleep soundly without her stuffed Munna doll by her side. But having Colette -- or Collie, as she liked to be called -- by her side seemed to have an affect even more calming than the Munna. The young girl slept soundly, not making a sound. The aura wielder on the floor was just as sound asleep; both girls, in fact had experienced a rather exhausting day.
 
The silence was broken by Alexa's alarm clock. It shouldn't have gone off for several more hours. And yet somehow its radio function had been activated. And it caused a shrill sound to pierce the air, pulling Alexa from her sleep.
 
The young girl awoke with a start, sitting straight up in bed.
 
She stared at her alarm clock radio, her tiny heart pounding inside her chest. The darkness can make your eyes play tricks on you, make you see things that aren't really there -- shadows dancing just beyond your reach. The darkness can make your ears play tricks on you as well. But Alexa was convinced that amidst the earsplitting noise, she heard... voices.
 
They were barely audible, like a thousand whispers echoing in a large room. And yet they were all saying the same thing. They were calling. Alexa grabbed the radio from her nightstand and put it in her lap. Yes, it seemed obvious; as clear as night and day. The voices wanted her to follow them. They wanted her to help them. Alexa glanced at Collie, sleeping soundly on the floor. The strange blast from the radio had not woken her. For the briefest of moments, Alexa considered shaking the aura wielder awake. After all, she didn't want to follow the voices all by herself. She was scared.
 
But then Collie's words came back to her. "Sometimes the bravest thing is to do foolish stuff." Alexa took a deep breath, then fixed the flower Colette had given her in her hair. She would follow these voices and solve this mystery. She would prove once and for all that she could be just as brave as her daddy, or the aura wielders that had fought so hard to protect her.
 
Careful not to wake Colette, Alexa tiptoed out of her room, clutching the radio against her chest. Everyone else was asleep -- Alexa quickly turned the volume down on her radio so as to not wake anyone else up. The floorboards creaked quietly below her feet. Her little heart was racing now. She knew this was the bravest -- and most foolish -- thing she had ever done. But Collie's flower in her hair seemed to give her the strength to keep going. Or perhaps it was the voices coming from the radio, which almost seemed to be egging her on.
 
Alexa silently slipped outside, the cool wind tickling her bare feet. She turned the radio up; the voices seemed more excited now. "Alright," she said in her tiny voice. "If Collie can be brave enough to help me, I can be brave enough to help you. Just tell me where to go."

Edited December 16, 2014 by Konuju

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: And so the wheel of fate turns...

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette stirred, as her ear twitched slightly. The aura wielder slowly opened her eyes and frowned, puzzled at the darkness.

Odd... It's still dark. Colette noted, as she wondered what had woken her from her slumber. She sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily, as she looked around for the time. However, she paused in confusion, as she noticed two things: the room was pitch dark, and there was no glowing time on the bedstand.

Was there... a power outage? Colette frowned, as she lowered her hand.

"Hey, Alexa, did you hear any beeping?" Colette whispered; she didn't figure the girl would be awake, but... The silence that responded was very... uncertain. "... Alexa...?" Colette asked again, not sure why she had a bad feeling. She summoned a small aura sphere to act as a light, shielding her eyes from the bright glow with her other hand. The next moment her heart dropped. The bed was empty. Quickly scanning around, Colette noticed that the clock wasn't just off; it was totally missing.

What the- I have to get Jayron! Colette thought, as her frown deepened. Colette scrambled to her feet, but then paused before she ran out. ... I wouldn't want to worry the others, though... she realized, as she tiptoed out the door and across the hall, making her way through the house, until she got to Jayron, who was still soundly sleeping on the couch, obviously not having noticed the oddities of the morning.

 

"Jayron... Jayron, wake up!" Colette half hissed, half whispered, as she walked over. Not hearing a response, Colette proceeded to shake him, trying to help wake him up.

"Hrmn...?" Jayron mumbled groggily, opening his eyes to a very worried Colette.

"Wake up!" Colette repeated, as she shook him again. "Alexa's missing, we have to go look for her!"

The intensity of Colette's voice managed to wake Jayron out of his sleepy state. The executive sat up on the couch, a deep frown forming on his face. "What happened?"

"I just told you; Alexa's gone." Colette said, as she seemed a tad annoyed for wasting time. "I woke up, and she was gone, and her clock was too... I'm not sure why, though." Colette explained further, as she frowned.

Why did she take off, though? Things just aren't adding up... Colette thought, as she stood up tall again. No matter how sleepy Jayron was, they needed to go search now.

Jayron stood up with a yawn, quickly scanning the auras in the house. George, Helena, Phillip, Amber, and Dandy were all still asleep, for it was still the pre-dawn hours of the morning. "Alright, let me change real quick," the executive said. "You might want to change, too. Then we should at the very least leave a note for George and Helena, explaining what happened."

Colette shook her head, as she frowned further. She couldn't figure out why, but she just had a bad feeling about this. She recalled yesterday, how she had guarded Alexa from the Feraligatr... And if Jayron's hypothesis the night before had been right, then there might be more threats out there... And Alexa didn't have any Pokemon with her, since her only real party member was Amber.

"No. We have to leave now. I just have a feeling that we can't waste any time." Colette insisted, but grabbed a spare piece of paper and a pen from the nearby table. She held the paper with her foot, as she used her left hand to illuminate the paper while she wrote a very quick and brief explanation.

Jayron frowned. He wasn't used to seeing Colette this nervous. "I don't know about you, but I can change fast," he said, grabbing his bag and rushing to the bathroom.

 

By the time Colette finished her hastily written note, Jayron was back, wearing his usual green outfit and fedora, slipping his gloves on his hands.

"Let's go, then." Colette stood up, as she left the note where it was. The Lucario pattern on her shirt tended to give her hope, just like it did on her other pyjamas, but, she still was uneasy about the situation. She'd told Alexa to be brave, but she still couldn't help but worry, since at least for herself she had powers and Pokemon... And to Colette's knowledge, Alexa had neither.

"Alright then," Jayron said, following Colette out the door. The Liberty executive closed his eyes and scanned for Alexa's aura. "She can't have gone far... I think I can pick up her trail. But why do you think she would just run off like that?"

"I don't know." Colette admitted, as she pulled her second shoe onto her foot and kicked the ground to make sure it was on. "But... she took her clock with her. Why would she do that?" Colette asked, still worried about the little girl, as she scanned as well.

"That sounds like it could be an important clue," Jayron frowned. "I just hope we can get to her before something bad happens. If she ran into another Pokemon like that Feraligatr, she'd be completely helpless." He looked at Colette grimly. "I've found her trail. Come on, let's see where it leads."

Colette nodded, as she detected the trail as well. The two of them headed toward it, both aura wielders fearing what was going on...

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach watched as the conversation went back and forth, smiling a bit at Dack's retort. He'd have to rememebr to high five the ex-rocket later, as that had been an amusing response. However, he then focused, as he looked at the map again.

"Well, we need to figure out who else is going where." Zach said, as he considered everyone else. "Luke, do you mind being in the center of the city with me?" Zach asked, figuring that would be best considering the two teams. "Olivia, you'd probably do best there too, maybe, with Dune flying around." Zach explained, as he considered the two relatively wide-open entrances, before he paused.

"Aspen, you can be the bottleneck at the entrance from the Cycling Road, Dack, you can take the other entrance." Zach said, as he had forgotten the Cycling Road had a building to go through. That left one person really, aside from the possible reinforcements.

"Hmm... Rhyperior..." Zach said, responding to Palmer first. "Well, it could help back up Aspen, possibly; the more the merrier, as they say." Zach said, figuring that a Rhyperior could more easily help bottleneck the building and surrounding area. "Of course, you could also..."

Edited December 16, 2014 by An/A Blade

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

"That sounds good," Palmer said, cutting Zach, grinning at Aspen. "We won't let any of Hannah's foot soldiers get past our impenetrable defenses, huh, Aspen?"

 

Luke nodded at Zach's suggestion. "Center of the city? Center of the action!" He enthusiastically punched his fist into the palm of his hand.

 

Dack, on the other hand, was less enthusiastic about his assignment. "Glad to see you're keeping your girlfriend safe nearby," he muttered. "But I think I could be more useful somewhere else than the fringes of the city. After all, I'm the one who knows Hannah the most. Send Olivia out there or something, I'm sure if Madison can handle herself, Olivia can do just as well."

 

Madison merely rolled her eyes.

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"Wha-?! You, how dare you-" Aspen began, only to be cut off by Dahlia.

"I know you might not like my brother's attitude, but didn't you say your parents died, Dack?" the gardener asked. "I thought that you'd learn to respect the importance of people's parents after that event...." she said, her voice calm but filled with subtle disapproval.

 

"What Dahlia said." Aspen muttered, shooting Dack a dirty look still. Then he heard his name mentioned, and looked back at the map where Zach suggested he and Palmer be placed. "Hmm..... Cycling Road? They better not be coming by bicycle." the trainer said. "Since it's a chokepoint, there can't be too many footsoldiers coming out of there... Sounds perfectly fine to me." Aspen decided. "Hopefully Palmer's strength hasn't dropped off after all these years, and well.... I've got some strong Pokemon too." he said, gripping Aria's Pokeball while he said that.

 

Olivia heard Dack demand she be bumped to the sidelines of the city, and glared at him. "Nice try, glory hound, but you're gonna need a better reason than your ego to justify shoving me away so you can show off." she muttered, rolling her eyes. "I don't know about you, but it's not like there's some kind of safe area that you're being shoved to, where you're not a part of the action.. Pretty much every square inch will be a spot to defend. And if you're mad about Zach trying to make sure I'm okay, then why don't you go up with your girlfriend on top of the roof, where you two can make out with each other in private while explosions go off around you?" the redhead trainer asked, highly unamused. "And what good will your knowledge of that Hannah person be if she's high above our heads on a Flying-type?"

"Where does that leave me?" Dahlia asked Zach. "I could potentially serve as backup in case any one of you gets in a bind, though I probably shouldn't stay in the front lines, what with most my Pokemon not being as strong as the rest of yours...." the gardener said. "And what about Erika? Where might she go if I manage to recruit her successfully? Center of the city too or something else?"

Edited December 17, 2014 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach thought for a moment, as he had admittedly not factored in how long it might take to bring Erika into the fight, or where the cavalry would even be.

"Hmm... The south side of Celadon is admittedly a bit unguarded, but really... This is all going off speculation. If they all fly in, we're pretty much done for, unless we disable the fliers." Zach pointed out, unsure of what to do there.

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke
Madison blushed heavily at Olivia's remark. "I- I told you, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself up there on my own!"
 
Dack slammed his fist on the table. "I will not be confined to some corner of the city! If Hannah's going to be roaming the skies, then I should be, too! I know her best, so I should be the one to take her down! If you think I'm in this for the glory, then you're sorely mistaken. Nor do I intend to waste my time on the roof with Madison. And you--" He turned toward Dahlia, his face contorted with rage. "How dare you bring up my parents, and then talk to me of respect! I have half a mind to just give up on the idea of any of us working together, because it's quickly becoming obvious that it's not going to work!"
 
"U-um.... your food's ready..." Natalie stammered, standing beside the table, shaking from Dack's sudden outburst.

 

IC: Zoe

Zoe was pleasantly surprised to see that this newcomer did indeed regard her as the Warrior Princess she claimed to be. She was also glad that he had not asked what kingdom she was a princess of, for she had not yet had a chance to think about that minor detail.

 

She glanced over at where she had pointed earlier, surprised that Richard had not made his appearance when he had been mentioned. "The bard must be off practicing somewhere," she said with a shrug. "But in the meantime, what brings you to this lonely island? Are you perhaps in search of lost treasure?" She giggled. "I'm afraid the only treasure you'll find here is the sweet sound of the bard's music. That and the beauty of the famous Warrior Princess."
 
IC: George/Helena
The morning began in a panic. Helena was the first to wake up, sleepily walking into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. That was when she first noticed something was wrong: the coffee maker had stopped working. In fact, the digital display on the microwave didn't work either. They had lost power. Helena started to walk back to the bedroom when she noticed the second thing out of place: Jayron was no longer sleeping on the couch. Then she saw the note that had been left on the living room table. She read it twice, then read it a third time to make sure she had read it correctly.
 
Her hand started to shake. She ran up to Alexa's room to find it was indeed empty. Then she hastily woke George, struggling to not go into a full panic attack. George cursed, then rushed into Phillip's room.
 
"What's wrong, Dad?" the young boy asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
 
"Did Alexa say anything about running off last night?" George demanded. Phillip shook his head in confusion. George raced downstairs, where Dandy was just coming out of the spare bedroom. "Dandy, you wouldn't happen to know where Alexa went, do you?" The trainer had the same confused look as Phillip. George raced to the phone to call his fellow policemen, only to remember that the phones didn't work.
 
That was when Jimmy pulled up in the driveway and knocked on the door in a panic. "George!" he cried. "Something terrible happened at the meteorology lab! The entire place is a wreck!"
 
"We're having a crisis of our own, Jimmy," George said grimly. "Alexa's missing, and Colette and Jayron have gone after her. You didn't happen to see any of them in the streets, did you?"
 
Jimmy shook his head. "No one. I'm sorry, George. Maybe Peter knows what happened. But we need to get to the lab ASAP. Things looked bad."
 
George turned to his family behind him. "Helena, you stay here with Phillip, in case Alexa, Colette, or Jayron come back. Dandy, I think you should come with me to the meteorology lab. We need to find out what happened."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach quietly sighed in annoyance as the arguing started up again. Zach caught the look of fear on Natalie's face, and then glanced at Dack.

"Could you keep it down? I'm starting to get a headache." Zach said, as he put his hand to his head to help indicate that, and then looked over at Natalie.

"Oh, hi, Natalie." Zach said, to try and emphasize the point that maybe, just maybe, there was a scared out of her wits waitress standing right there.

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"Apologies for the ruckus." Aria chimed in, popping out from her Pokeball with little effort. "This table is sorting issues out, and disagreements can get rather loud. But when you return the next time, everything will have been sorted out." the Lucario promised in a reassuring voice, or at least an attempt at one. "Isn't that right, everyone?" she warned not so subtly, looking at everyone with a thinly-veiled glare. 

 

Aspen seethed with rage. Who was Dack, to think he could shout at his older sister, Dahlia?! The kindest person he knew, who always had the best intents for everyone around her.... He was nearly about to speak up, until Aria showed up, calling attention to the fact Natalie had returned. "....Foods' ready? Thanks...." Aspen muttered, trying to swallow his anger and frustration at Dack by breathing deeply. 

 

Olivia really, really, really wanted to smack Dack in his stupid little face. She would apologize to Zach afterwards, but she really wanted to give that egotistical head a beatdown. But those plans were cut short by the appearance of Natalie and the warning from Aria. The trainer was left to clench her fist, while doing the best not to scowl. "Th-Thank you, Natalie....." Olivia said through gritted teeth.

 

Dahlia wasn't surprised at Dack's sudden outburst, but that didn't stop her from wincing slightly. However, she didn't back down from her position, she couldn't let loud noises and accusations make her break down.... But the arrival of Natalie made her shelve ideas of countering Dack's points. "Oh, Natalie!" she said, putting on her best smile. "Everything here looks delicious! I'm already thinking of coming back to Celadon at some point, just to eat here again." 

Edited December 17, 2014 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

"I- I'll just hand everyone your plates..." Natalie said, looking incredibly flustered. "A-and I'll leave you sort things out, then." She hastily handed everyone their food then rushed off to the other tables she was waiting on.

 

"Well that was a disaster," Madison sighed, burying her face in her hands. "Dack, maybe next time you should think before you speak."

 

Dack was still seething with anger, but took a deep breath as he stared at the Lighthouse Linguini in front of himself and Madison.

 

"Alright, let's dig in, everybody!" Luke cried with delight. "No use getting worked up on an empty stomach!" He took a huge bite out of a breadstick. "You can go back to tearing at each others' throats after we've stuffed our faces."

 

Palmer glanced at the table of younger trainers. "If it's that much of a problem, I can take the entrance Dack was assigned to if you want," he offered. "I'm sure Aspen can handle the Cycling Road entrance no his own," he added, giving the youngest Seaton a wink.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Four Island Beach

 

"This Knight comes not just for treasure, but to see some very good friends, Warrior Princess!", Evan said, bowing again, "But I see you aren't exaggerating! The beauty of the Warrior Princess almost rivals that of my Princess!"

 

Evan slightly blushed and shook his head again, trying to rid himself of the remain dizziness he had left. Next time he pulls off what he did, he's giving more warning......and helmets. How long had it been since he could pull his "Hero" act without being called out on it?

 

"But I am intrigued by the notion of hearing the sweet music of this Bard.", Evan said, "He must be incredible, to make even a Warrior Princess sing his praises! I, no, WE simply must hear his music."

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Lumiose City, Streets:

 

The Tympole's hasty movements allowed it to move out of the way of Kovian's attack, but there were more to come. The Hydro Pump following close behind, the Dewott wasted no time in shifting his course as he landed, shooting off with Aqua Jet and randomizing his pattern again to come at the Water-Ground-Type from a new angle with his Fury Cutter--this time from the back.

 

IC - Esen Windred/??? - Lumiose City, Streets:

 

Krow's patience paid off. Eventually Golem had expended all of the available rocks in its immediate area, and in doing so had tired itself out. The Honchkrow was able to dive in and charge, taking advantage of the Megaton Pokémon's moment of fatigue to fire a solid volley of Dark Pulses into the crevices of its shell. At long last, the Ground-Rock-Type fell, forcing Esen's opponent to recall it.

 

The referee raised a hand into the air, prompting the woman to look at him. "Golem is unable to battle! Round Two goes to Esen and Honchkrow!"

 

The crowd cheered, drowning out the man's call for the next Pokémon. Esen furrowed her brow as her opponent stepped back, that odd mixture of expressions present on her face again. She seemed trapped between wanting to continue the battle and wanting to say something, and either way looked as if she couldn't bring herself to act. Finally, she bowed her head, taking a deep breath and stepping forward again. With a clear air of hesitancy, she pulled a third Poké Ball from her jacket, throwing it forward and sending out a Nidoqueen.

 

"Nice work so far . . . Esen?" the trainer called. "Let's see if you can pull a three-for-three."

 

Esen cocked her head to the side. ". . . Thanks," she said. She looked at Krow, who could only shoot her a look equal to a shrug. "Krow, Air Slash."

 

The Honchkrow swooped down, falling back on the strategy that had won him the last two fights. Esen watched him go, and then turned to look at the Nidoqueen. Another Physical attacker, most likely. Still a Ground-Type, meaning that she is most definitely a Type-Specialist--not very lucky for her, frankly. Defenses are nothing to rave about, meaning that if I can keep up with--

 

"Nidoqueen, Disable!"

 

Krow had just managed to fire off a single Air Slash when the Disable took hold, at which point he found that he could not produce the blades of wind. Undeterred, he simply switched to Dark Pulse, gathering shadow energy to launch forward--

 

"Disable again!"

 

--only for the attack to fizzle out. The Big Boss Pokémon cawed in surprise, before shooting a death glare at the Drill Pokémon, who merely smiled back at him. Esen watched with curiosity, trusting Krow to make the right move while she waited to see what her opponent would pull out next.

 

"Alright," the woman said. "Let's see if we can't get it with a Thunderbolt!"

 

Clever. For perhaps the second or third time, Esen could say she was impressed by her opponent. Nidoqueen were not typically utilized for their special capabilities--generally it was their physical power that was taken advantage of--and so finding one that was was a genuine surprise. Now the question was whether that was its only trick, or if it was a mixed bag.

 

Either way, disabling Krow's attacks would not do a whole lot. Sooner or later the effect would wear off, and in the meantime, the Honchkrow had other tricks.

 

IC - Sonja Baron - The Alamo, Water Arena:

 

"Executive Vert," Sonja answered, already walking through Ryan and his team. If things were as bad in R&D as Ryan said, then there was no time to waste talking when they could also be walking. She opened up her Pokétch, checking for any updates from Goldhawk or the other leaders. "Goldhawk wanted people in the Command Center, and there haven't been any new reports since then. If we can't find someone in R&D, then logically we can find someone there, right?"

 

She was already out of the arena and exiting the hall that led to it, seeming to go on faith that the others were actually keeping up with her.

 

IC - DÉOZA AGENT NAUM RHODES - Beheeyem, Walrein, Throh, Venusaur, Scolipede, Dodrio

Gavin Braner (Vel/Mandibuzz)/Lucia (Clawitzer, Gothara/Gothorita)/Roderick Krane (Wattling/Rotom, Harmonics/Beheeyem)/Zack Furler (Glalie) - Central Hall, Havoc:

 

Just as Venusaur began to aim its attack, it found itself on the receiving end of a Psybeam. It roared from the Psychic assault, fully intent on completing the attack. The addition a sudden Ice Beam from behind, however, slowed it down, as well as diverted its attention away from its intended target. Finally, getting hit by Wattling's Hex stopped it in its tracks, and with a final roar of outrage, it collapsed, its energy fully spent.

 

The Beheeyem cut off its Synchronoise just in time to dodge around one of the Dark Pulses. The second, however, struck it squarely in the chest, knocking it backwards and off-balance. It spun around to face Harmonics at the exact moment that the Liberty-Beheeyem unleashed his own Hyper Beam, catching the enemy Psychic-Type point-blank and driving it into the ground at Rhodes's feet. The force of the attack was enough to knock the Déoza agent backwards, though he managed to use the momentum to roll backwards onto his feet.

 

A moment later, Vel flew by, dropping the bloody and unconscious Throh in front of him.

 

And just like that, the battle was over. Rhodes surveyed the field, recalling his last three, fainted Pokémon and straightening up, turning to watch his enemies as they converged on his location.

 

Gavin paused for only a moment, recalling Talsim. Then, a fiery fury burning in his eyes, he began to run at Rhodes. It was only by Zack's intervention, grabbing the Rocket agent mid-run, that he did not tackle the Déoza agent to the ground.

 

"Let me go!" the Rocket agent shouted. "He nearly killed Dothe!"

 

"I get that," Zack said. He nodded at Rhodes. "But look at him. You really think anything good is going to come out of assaulting him?"

 

Gavin paused long enough to look at the Déoza agent. Indeed, he was standing up straight, his face still covered by his helmet. The man radiated an air of power even in spite of his loss; the longer Gavin stared, the more obvious it became that anyone who neared him would likely end up dead, whether by a broken neck or by some other means.

 

"Smart move," Rhodes said. "But it doesn't affect me either way."

 

Before his opponents could question his meaning, the world began to spin around them. Their arena began to collapse and distort as time and space repaired themselves from Wizard's influence. This did not direction affect the Liberty and Rocket agents. Rhodes, however, was pulled into the mess, his very being torn apart and disassembled into atoms as penance for his loss. The group's last image of him before everything turned to black was the sight of his skull-like helmet, staring out at them from the void . . .

 

IC - DÉOZA AGENT DRAGAN ARGALL - Beheeyem, Muk, Sawk, Diggersby, Camerupt, Aegislash

Skye Hall (Torchic)/Jamie Arthur (Pelleas/Heracross, Lucan/Vanilluxe, Tristan/Metagross)/Cyan Vero (Typhlosion, Gallade)/Drake Masters (Goodra) - Central Hall, Havoc:

 

The attack on Sawk seemed almost superfluous, as--though it knocked him out--the Fighting-Type had essentially been down for the count, anyway. Still, seeing him actually go unconscious likely did more to boost the team's morale than most of what else had occurred in the battle.

 

Muk's Acid Armor could do little to protect it from the attacks being launched at it. In the end, liquefying itself only served to allow the assault to splatter the Poison-Type that much further throughout the room.

 

And with Muk taken out with ease, the others were free to take on Beheeyem--which they did. One combination attack from the assembled Pokémon later, and the blinded Psychic-Type was left fainted on the ground, recalled just like its fellows. For some time, Argall showed no outward signs of how she felt about this outcome--it seemed she was simultaneously shocked and amused. After a few moments, however, she began to laugh.

 

"What's so funny?" Drake asked. "You're beaten, you're defenseless, and you're about to be arrested--you have nothing to laugh about here!"

 

"You wouldn't understand even if I tried to explain," Argall said. As she continued to laugh, the room they were in began to swirl, tearing itself apart at the seams as time and space seemed to become nothing. The Déoza agent's voice faded into nothingness as she, too, dissolved, leaving the team of Rocket and Liberty agents to witness the restoration of the hall that they had originally been in . . .

 

IC - THIRD CHILD QUINCY ADAMS - Beheeyem/Wizard, Gothitelle/Doll, Abomasnow/Ent, Sudowoodo/Chan, Banette/Voodoo, Mismagius/Witch

Ryan Hikari (Dewott, Porygon-Z)/Joker (Seer/Alakazam)/James Arthur (Lancelot/Scizor, Percival/Chandelure)/Ethan Worth (Tox/Beedrill) - Central Command, Havoc:

 

"Our goal has always been to end the war, Executive Arthur, in order to protect the rest of the world," Adams said, gripping the railing tightly and leaning forward. "Whether you people believe it or not, that has always been our intention. Through our blood or yours, the purpose was always the same: Bring your war to an end before it was too late. If either team had stepped down when they had the chance, all of this could have been avoided--Hayes's bombing of Castelia, Pierce's mass arrests of Liberty and Rocket agents, all of it."

 

Her hand shook against the metal. She looked down at it, surprised by the feeling and unable to explain what was causing it. Adams shook her head, and gritting her teeth, looked back at her opponents. "But now, it's too late. It doesn't matter what we say or do to you people, because we're out of time. We must do what is necessary to protect everyone, regardless of whether the world understands or not."

 

 

Any attack would have knocked out Chan. A lack of an attack would likely have done the same, considering the sheer amount of damage that he had taken. As things stood, whether necessary or not, Dewott struck the Rock-Type, knocking him back and knocking him out. He did not even struggle to pick himself back up as Adams recalled him.

 

 

With Percival paralyzed, he was easy prey for Wizard, who drew his arm back in order to launch a finishing Thunderbolt. But he never finished the move. Numerous factors had weakened him--most significantly the effort and energy put into splitting the initial group apart into their own side-dimensions--and Porygon-Z's Signal Beam had been charging for quite some time. That coupled with the earlier Shadow Ball, and the result was not pretty. The attack struck and knocked the Psychic-Type into the wall, where he then fell toward the ground. He barely clung to consciousness, and as that faded, so, too, did the arena.

 

The world began to warp. The remainder of Adams's team, seeing what was happening, fell back, forming a protective wall in front of Wizard. Adams's platform shifted away from the others, slowly beginning to descend. Everything began to vanish around the numerous trainers and Pokémon, slowly dumping them into a void as Havoc's hallway began to reconstruct itself around them. But they did not seem to notice, so focused were they on what was being said.

 

"What are you talking about?" Ethan asked. "The Darkrai are gone. Team Rocket and Team Liberty aren't fighting anymore. So . . .?"

 

"She's insane," Joker said. "Just like Ford and the rest of his 'children.'"

 

Ethan waved an aggravated hand at the Shadow Admin. "Quincy," he said flatly, staring straight at her. "The Unown aren't a threat anymore. The Darkrai aren't a threat anymore. The only antagonistic machine right now is the Hojohsin League, as far as we can see, outside of a few . . . isolated incidents. What are you trying to protect people from?"

 

Adams stared back at him for some time, seeming to genuinely feel the earnestness behind his question. Her expression, however, had turned blank, as if she were no longer inhabiting her own body. "Worth," she said, her voice quiet, barely audible over so great a distance. "You don't know . . . There's no way to . . ." She took a breath. "There are worse creatures out there than the Unown or the Darkrai. And what you call 'isolated' . . . we don't."

 

IC - Quincy Adams/Ryan Hikari/Joker/Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner/Skye Hall/Jamie Arthur/Lucia/James Arthur/Cyan Vero/Roderick Krane/Drake Masters/Zack Furler:

 

It seemed that in the blink of an eye, the world had returned to how it had been mere moments before Wizard had disrupted time and space. Yet there were a few noticeable differences. The hallway was much more crowded than it had been before, courtesy of the numerous Pokémon that were now out of their containers. Quincy's team, too, was out, sans Chan and Witch. And her flunkies, the two Déoza agents, were nowhere to be found.

 

She did not seem to fully snap back to herself even when the facility became whole again. Instead she stood with her eyes closed, silent as could be. After a moment, she opened her eyes, looking up at her numerous adversaries. "Ball's in your court," she said. "Maxie and Travis are dead; I did what I came to do. Wizard is out and I have no means of escape. And I know that against this many opponents, my team is completely outmatched." She straightened up. "But whatever you do, you'd best do it quickly--those bombs aren't going to wait much longer, and neither will that reactor . . ."

 

IC - Jackson Sang - Alaric Estate, Fireside Lounge:

 

Felix approached Sang slowly. With an encouraging smile, the mercenary nodded, allowing the Psychic-Type to gently place his hands on either side of his head. The Elgyem's fingers felt warm against Sang's temples, radiating with power as he activated his Telepathy ability.

 

Sang's world went dark.

 

 

The mind was as a maze, winding and twisting in all sorts of different directions. Memories came and went, past experiences that he had fondly remembered . . . or else had chosen to forget. He did not choose where he went; it was as if he had been placed on a track, one that wound its way slowly but surely through random passages and tunnels, forcing him to watch and listen to whatever happened to pass by.

 

Many of the memories were unremarkable. In some, he walked, either alone or with Tracer beside him, a constant companion through innumerable adventures. He stood at the ticket booth of a train station, glancing about as he purchased a ticket. Now he stood upon a building's edge overlooking the streets of some unknown city, eyes closed and wind flurrying about. The moon shifted and then it was day, and now he stared at the back of a blond-haired head . . .

 

There!

 

He tried to turn, to pursue the memory. But it, like so many others, merely passed by, leaving him to walk the track in front of him. Instead he found himself walking into another memory, one that had not crossed his mind for a very, very long time.

 

 

Castelia's streets were dark, glistening ebony from the light rain that had fallen for the past week. The light of streetlamps shone like phantoms in the gathered pools of water, rippling with the sprinkles of water in the air. Every step elicited a small splash against his shoes and pants. He shivered despite the warmth of his coat, his small, prepubescent body unused to the cold that permeated throughout the streets. Beside him, another boy walked, the same age and height. His skin was darker, his eyes bright, and his steps more comfortable, as if used to traversing Castelia City so late in the night.

 

"We really shouldn't be out here," he said.

 

"Oh, stop worrying, Jack," the other boy said. "How often do we get to walk around the city alone? Never." He didn't wait for an answer.

 

"Yeah, but there's nothing open right now, anyway." He watched a car drive by, sending a spray of water into the air behind it. "Besides . . . What if your parents decide to check on us?"

 

"This late? Fat chance. You said it yourself, it's late enough that nothing's open." The boy adjusted his hood. "That doesn't mean we can't explore a bit, by the way."

 

"I'm just saying, Emre," he said, coming to a stop. He was freezing at this point, the thick, expensive coat he was wearing doing little to actually keep him warm. That was the problem with so many of the designer clothes his parents adored: They were more for looks than actual function, and in this case, it was the best he had. "It's cold, it's late, and . . ."

 

Emre paused, actually curious now that he had stopped talking. "And what?"

 

"I mean . . . you know." He looked around, and then lowered his voice. "What they say about those people from the other regions . . . They're all over the city, and they're dangerous. And what about wild Pokémon, and . . . and . . ."

 

"Jackson Sang," Emre said, a smirk crossing his face as he stepped closer to his friend. "Are you telling me that you're afraid of your parents' spooky scary stories? You know they just tell you that stuff so you won't run off, right?"

 

"No!" he said, indignant. He looked away. "I just . . . don't like it here."

 

Emre sighed. "Alright, fine. You wanna go back, we can go back." He breathed a sigh of relief as Emre turned and walked past him, leading the way back. The boy continued to walk several steps ahead of him, continued to glance about and behind him on occasion. After some time, Emre came to a stop next to an alleyway, peering into the shadows within. He stopped as well, watching Emre with a dreading confusion.

 

The words "What are you doing?" had barely escaped his lips when, with a smirk, Emre took off running into the alley. He gasped, and after a moment's hesitation, took off after him. "Emre!"

 

"Sorry, Jack, but I gotta poke around a little bit!" Emre called back. "We never get to see these kinds of places during the day!"

 

"Emre, stop being stupid and slow down!" he yelled, to no avail. Try as he might, Emre simply kept on running ahead, putting a sizable distance between the two of them. He only stopped when he came to a locked fence and gate, but even this would not deter him. He watched as Emre stepped back, surveyed the obstacle and his surroundings for a moment, and then began to climb. He had to slow down to catch his breath. And with no way to catch up, he could only watch as Emre expertly constructed a path over the fence--climbing onto a dumpster (disturbing a large pile of trash in the process), jumping up and grabbing the ladder of a fire escape (which rattled dangerously, as if it would break under his weight), climbing up this and picking his way down (it continued to rattle), until he had dropped back behind the gate.

 

He approached, one hand still nursing the stitch in his side, and placed his free hand on the cold metal, gripping it tightly. "Great . . . job . . . Emre," he gasped. "Now . . . can we . . . head back . . .?"

 

Emre leaned against the gate, still smirking to himself and looking about. His hood had come off over the course of his shenanigans, and his dark hair had been plastered against his forehead by the rain, but he did not seem to mind. "In a bit," he said. "You should check it out back here--it's a lot different on the other side."

 

"You know I can't climb that fence," he replied with an exhausted sigh. When he looked up, he saw that Emre was still smirking at him. He straightened up, face burning with anger. "Alright, genius, why don't you tell me exactly how you did it so that I can come over there and join you?"

 

"Why, Jack, it's simple," Emre said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You just gotta--"

 

A sudden growling caught their attention from behind Emre. By virtue of already facing that direction, he was the first to see what was happening. From a number of boxes and crates within the alley, a pack of around ten Mightyena had begun to emerge, their eyes glinting in the moonlight. Emre turned to look, and upon seeing the Dark-Types, immediately backed up against the gate, paralyzed by fear. They continued to growl, several of them lowering their bodies to the ground, others beginning to bark at the intruder who had disturbed their sleep.

 

"Emre," he whispered through the fence, voice quivering with equal fear. "Emre, I . . . You need to . . . I'm . . ." Try as he might to come up with a solution, something that either of them could do, he couldn't. He, like his friend, was rooted to the spot, unable to process the situation that had so rapidly developed before him. Ten minutes ago, the prospect of being attacked had seemed like only a distinct possibility. All too quickly, it had become a terrible reality. He took several breaths to steady himself, and then glanced at his Pokétch. "Emre . . . I'm going to call for help . . ." He began to slowly step away from the gate, gradually loosening his grip on the metal bar.

 

"No--Jack!" Emre pressed a hand tightly against his. If he had been able to, he would have turned to look at him, to implore him with every minutia of desperation that he could summon. "Jack, don't leave! P-Please--don't leave me alone here!"

 

He felt his heart drumming in his chest. Blood pounded in his ears, a noise so loud it seemed to drown out the noises of the alleyway and rain, coming from all around. He could not move. "Emre . . . it's--"

 

He gasped.

 

One of the Mightyena had howled, and a moment later, had pounced. He opened his mouth, intending to yell . . . something. "Look out!"? "It's pouncing!"? What did it matter now? The wolf had made its move. It shot toward the boy with a feral glint in its eye, fangs bared and ready to kill. Emre screamed, throwing his arms in front of his face in a futile attempt to defend himself. In the end, his warning became only another scream, and he could only watch as death descended upon his friend.

 

The gate rattled as something landed on it, resting there for only a split second before vanishing just as quickly.

 

The next instant, a sharp crack sounded as a small, white and purple figure slammed its fist into the Mightyena's head, sending it crashing into the ground.

 

It took a moment for him and Emre to register what had happened. When it did, the other boy slid to the ground, shaking from the shock of what had just happened. He watched as the Pokémon kicked the Dark-Type back toward its brethren, before jumping back toward the gate. Still keeping its eyes on the pack, it threw a hand back, breaking the lock on the gate. The sound snapped him out of his own trance, and he quickly opened it, allowing the Pokémon to pull Emre through. With a threatening hiss and a crack of the whip-like fur covering its paws, it managed to drive the Mightyena away, the Bite Pokémon clearly aware of the danger they were in.

 

He watched this exchange through a fog, thankful yet disbelieving of the how close they had come to . . . He shook his head, pushing the thought away. Emre had managed to push himself up with a hand, though his arm shook weakly and his typically-dark face now glistened like a ghost's in the moonlight. He stumbled over to Emre, arms and legs shaking as he glared down at the boy. His throat felt tight, and the urge to strike out at him felt almost overpowering.

 

In the end, he simply fell to his knees beside Emre, barely managing to keep a hand pressed to his face. This did nothing to stop him from crying. "You idiot . . ."

 

Emre did not respond. For several moments, both fell silent, as did the Pokémon. At the sound of approaching footsteps, the latter perked up, quickly running to meet the newcomer. He turned his head, following its movements, and watched as it stopped in front of a young man in a blue coat. He stooped down, petting the Pokémon's head.

 

"Nice work, Shao," he said, allowing the Mienshao to climb onto his shoulder. Standing up straight, the man walked forward, stopping next to the two boys. He brushed his brown bangs aside, smiling down at them. "Hi, there. I take it I don't need to explain that you two shouldn't go places like this at this time of night?" Both managed only a tired nod. The man chuckled. "What're your names?"

 

He looked at Emre in surprise. "I'm . . . I'm Jack," he said. "This is . . . Emre."

 

"Jack and Emre . . . I'll remember that," the man said. "Well, nice to meet you. I'm Blair." He adjusted the edge of his hood. "Hey, listen, it's getting pretty late. Give me a minute to fix this gate and then I'll walk you two back home; make sure those Mightyena don't come back. Alright?"

 

They nodded again, thankful for the short respite. Blair stood up, quickly doing what he could to fix the gate. Emre and he both remained where they were, still processing the events of the night.

 

Around them, the rain continued to fall . . .

 

 

With a sharp intake of breath, the mercenary shot back into reality, jerking his head back. Felix pulled away in surprise, a worried look appearing in his eyes at the sight of Sang's pale, wide-eyed face. After several moments, Sang took a deep breath, holding a hand to his chest while he patted Felix on the head with the other.

 

"It's fine, friend," he said, managing a reassuring tone. "Those weren't the memories I wanted, but . . ." He shook his head. "Don't worry about it." Felix seemed happier as Sang recalled him. As soon as the Psychic-Type had been put away, Sang dropped his head into his hands and closed his eyes, forcing himself to take several deep, shuddering breaths.

 

"I don't want to think about you . . ," he muttered. "Why am I thinking about you . . . Why am I thinking about you . . .?"

 

OOC:

 

Felix learned Miracle Eye . . .

Edited December 21, 2014 by Parugi

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray frowned, as he had to run a bit to keep up with Sonja. Ray glanced back at Ryan giving him a 'now why did you have to do that?' look, as Sonja had been just starting to feel better.

Though, would these really be connected? If Ryan's right, then it sounds like a situation that's been resolved, since there hasn't been any warnings that there are ongoing attacks or battles... But... Despite his thoughts, Ray was slightly worried too; hadn't there been other weird things recently?

Aside from Kane, wasn't Jupiter brought to Four Island for some weird reason...?

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan frowned in confusion at what both had happened and what Quincy had quietly said, only barely hearing parts of it, but picking up on a general intent of contradicting what Ethan had pointed out. After the group had reassembled, Ryan noticed out of the corner of his eye, that Lucia dashing over to Skye and Jamie to make sure they were okay.

Who are they, anyway? Ryan wondered, and then paused. Wait, weren't they at Goldenrod just a few days ago...? Ryan frowned, but then something Quincy said caught his attention.

"Wait, bombs?!" Ryan looked at Quincy in a mixture of surprise and angry shock. Lucia nodded, as she recalled the earlier fight.

"Yeah, they set up bombs around the base." Lucia confirmed as she recalled her active Pokemon, and Ryan looked to the ground in shock.

"Are there any people nearby? How wide could this explosion be? How much time is even left?!" Ryan wondered, slightly panicked because he was not wanting Ford to have any more casualties because of this mission. "If we can't stop them... We need to get out of here..." Ryan said, as he hoped there wasn't any towns or anything within range of whatever happened. Ryan did catch the fact that Quincy was unable to escape, though.

... She killed all these people... And yet... Ryan silently thought for a moment.

"... We should take her with us, and let her get proper justice. If we leave her here, we'll just be the same as she is."

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny seemed surprised by the mention of the bard, and when Evan mentioned having to hear his music, she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it sounds like your Bard has very good music!" Jenny agreed with a smile.

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach watched Natalie run off, as he took a mouthful of food, and then silently looked back to Dack.

What did he get so worked up for? I get it's a touchy subject, but that was just... Zach frowned, as he took a moment to keep the calm.

"Palmer, that's a good point." Zach broke the silence, as he scratched his head, and looked back to Dack. "Dack, it's a good idea in theory to be in the air, but don't we want them all land-bound? And wouldn't they want the same thing?" Zach pointed out, especially after how... 'well' his last flight battle went.

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

"I couldn't agree more. Thanks for the ride, and for the history lesson." Jake said with a smile. Pikachu had already jumped off the balloon and was rolling around in the grass, glad to be out of the air.

[Franco]

IC: Caught by surprise, the Tympole was cut multiple times, scraping through exhaustion and damage purely on Aqua Ring. He was disheartened and Cero knew it. "Supersonic," the trainer called. With his waning strength, the Tympole flipped his body over and tried to confuse the Dewott again.

[JiMing]

IC: Ruth Fishers and Alice

 

"No problem!" Alice said, opening the door in the balloon for everyone. "Welcome to Alamos Town! If you're not staying this time, hopefully you three return at some point."

Before anyone else could respond though, a Gallade ran up to the balloon with a worried look on his face. "Alice! There's something you should know...." he communicated in an urgent tone, before noticing the three trainers nearby. 

"O-Oh?" Alice responded, frowning slightly. "You three can go. Whatever it is, it doesn't have anything to do with you all..." 

"You sure...?" Ruth asked. "Seems like this is something bad...." 

"I'm sure. Good luck out there, and feel free to come back to this garden if you need anything else." Alice said, before turning back to the Gallade.

 

"Well what do you think that was all about...?" Ruth asked, worried about Alice's situation. It was odd feeling so concerned, being around such a relaxing environment, with Pokemon running all around, on the ground and trees, playing, eating, and loafing around. "Hmm....."

IC: The Seatons

 

"Nice to see that people trust me enough to be able to handle things by myself. Buuuut I'd like at least a little backup so I don't feel like a meat wall." Aspen muttered with a frown. "I'm only one person... And a chokepoint still means quite a few grunts passing through, after all. And there's the question of how powerful they are..." the trainer said, quickly going to take a rather large bite out of his meal.

"I could always help a little, but I think I've got a better idea." Dahlia said in response to her brother. "Palmer, how well do you think you could do with just your Cresselia and Dragonite? Perhaps you could still leave behind your Rhyperior to help Aspen guard the Cycling Road." she suggested. "I don't think Aspen's team is super defensive, so having a wall could help out with supporting his team." the gardener finished, taking a very small bite of her food afterwards.

"I may not be defensive, but I thought I proved my power and might already..." Aria said in an offended tone. "Just kidding, I find the suggestion logically sound. Do the others think that as well?"

 

"I'm not a strategist either, but Dahlia's suggestion doesn't sound bad right off the bat.... I mean, a legendary Pokemon and a Dragonite should do fine enough against the fringes of the city..." Olivia muttered. She then turned to Dack and shook her head. "Sorry, I just don't see being in the air right off the bat as a good idea. Flying high up in the sky in plain sight while looking for Hannah would be an invitation to take potshots from the troops below." she explained. "And while there's a possibility she could lead an aerial squad, I doubt she can afford to be that picky with the grunts she's taking with her, so I still think most of the army would be land-bound." the trainer said, eating her meal at a decent pace.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[Ehksidian]

IC: Arius Jacobson.

"Er...I'm not sure. It probably doesn't concern us. We should go and try to find...whatever it was that broke. You guys have any idea where it could be?"

[Makuta of Time]

Ic: Dandy

 

Dandy had been sleeping soundly in his bed in the spare room last night. He woke up still drowsy from his rest to the sound of George's voice. "Have you seen where Alexa went?" All he culd do was give a shake of his head. He didn't know what's going on.

 

Sun Hound runned her fur on Dandy's leg to say that something wasn't right and she was worried. "It's ok honey. I'm sure we'll find them." He quickly put on all his clothes and went downstairs to hearJimmy arrive. At that very moment, George told him it was best to go with them to the lab. "I'm all set yo go. Let's get going." He ppaced Razorface in his ball since the means of transport would be car once more. 

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Gawain)

Knight in Shining Armor, huh? Gawain thought with a bit of melancholy as they walked back from the Pokémon Center.

He really wasn’t sure why he continued to stay with the girl and the others, but he chalked it up to the fact that he really did not have much to do himself. The only other options he knew where to go back to his trainer and to keep training himself. The former option he couldn’t quite bring himself to do, and the latter he felt too tired to do. At the moment anyway. He’d be back in the mood to train some more later. He also considered that maybe he liked these two, despite their short association together being marked by combat. He did owe them for not being mad at him for attacking, so there was that too. At the very least, he needed to humor the taller one about the song.

It was in the midst of these ruminations that Gnip and her trainer crashed down to earth. Gawain watched the whole affair with amusement.

Not a bad entrance, he said while nodding, not a bad entrance at all.

He focused more on the Garchomp than the trainer, trying to size her up. He wasn’t the most familiar with Garchomps, but despite the antics he got a sense of power emanating from her.

Gawain had to admit he was kinda curious on how much it was.

IC: (Claus)

Claus wasn’t the first person to leave the Command Center, but he was among the first. The decision to do so came about from looking about the room and gauging the level of skill of the trainers in the room. Considering his own lack of power in comparison to the other trainers he saw in the room, and the lack of reinforcements being sent already, he seriously began to doubt his own ability to aid in the battle. He was just about to go up to Goldhawk to ask to be excused, but it definitely felt awkward considering the tension in the room.

So when Richard entered the room, and all eyes were suddenly on him, it was a somewhat welcome relief.

“Um…” the bard began, suddenly a bit nervous. “Agent Claus is needed… for something… regarding a wild Swampert.”

After a quick glance from Richard to the agent who was being pointed at (and the Monferno that adorned his head, forgot to mention that) the Liberty Leader said, “He’s excused.”

And without another word, Claus left the room, Flint still on his head, and followed Richard.”

“Well, thanks for saving me from there. That was a… graceful tale you told to get me out of there.”

“Hmm? What tale?” Richard asked turning around and stopping, genuinely puzzled.

“…Wait, is there actually a wild Swampert running about?”

“Well he isn’t so much wild, as much as I just don’t know who he belongs to, and he isn’t running so much as he is probably still following Zoe.”

“Wait, you left Zoe with a potentially dangerous Pokémon?!”

“Formerly dangerous Pokemon. He’s actually a real softie once you get to know him.”

Claus face-palmed but relented. “Alright, and what did you want me to do?”

“Why follow your dreams, of course! We need an ace chef to make some refreshments for us all, while we prepare the song regaling the epic battle and the Rage of Gawain… that’s the name of the Swampert.”

Claus blinked several times as he took this in. “…Of course.” Claus sighed. There really wasn’t much else better to be doing at the moment, from his stand point. “I’ll try to whip something up. Don’t expect much, and Dionysus and Oceanus get the same portions as everyone else… Same goes for you too.”

“Why of course, of course. I’ve got to go get everyone and a bunch of instruments, so see ya!” the bard yelled and ran off.

Claus sighed as he began walking, “In return, just expect me to help myself to a bit of your paycheck…”

IC: (Richard)

“Alright, let’s check over the list once more. Item 1, the food. Being taken care of by Claus. Should be good. Item 2, the rest of my Pokémon.”

He looked about him, and saw Ocenaus, Erebus, and Dionysus.

“1, 2, 3… where’s Nyx?”

The Eevee in question peeked out from behind the Snorlax, raising her paw, signaling her presence.

“And four! Item number 3, the necessary instruments.”

Dionysus held up a trombone and a ukulele. Erebus would have been used to carry more stuff, but he still too sluggish out of water to carry much of anything, and they did not wish to get any of the instruments wet. Oceanus also still lacked arms, so he was out, and Nyx was just too small.

“…and my violin” he said looking down at the hand holding the violin case.

Only able to bring a few instruments down to the beach, Richard decided he was just gonna jam with Ponos and Orpheus (the only two besides him to have shown any skill at all with their respective instruments, though he’d still have to keep teaching them before they’d have any success) and see what the three of them could come up with. Percussion would be added in and the lyrics modified depending on the results. So really, he only need the players already there and maybe Dionysus, but he thought it’d be more fun if he had everyone there, plus there was the hopeful chance of inspiring the others to pick an instrument and practice their hardest.

“And that’s everything we need. Alright Oceanus, let’s go!”

The Gyarados he was standing on nodded, nearly causing Richard to trip over as he began to move fly forward once again. After running about the island getting everything, Richard a bit tired so he sent out his Pokémon to do everything for him. Even after he rested up enough, he stayed on the Gyarados, simply because it was really fun to do so.

After a few moments of flight, the violinist took his tools from their case and carefully lowered the case down to Erebus (who managed just enough strength to hold onto it). The way that Oceanus moved through the air reminded him of a song he had heard long ago. And so he began to play the violin in a recreation of that song. The rhythm was slow, and the melody had a strange feel to it (doubly so by the fact that the violin was not the intended instrument for the song). The recreation was of the song of an Ekans charmer he had broken bread with in Black City. The old charmer had been kind and skilled, and something of a charmer in more ways than one. They shared a sandwich on the elder’s take (largely because Richard wasn’t quite the violinist he was today), and over dinner he probably asked over a hundred questions about the song… okay more like 5, 10 at the most including the questions about the Ekans, but Richard was never very good with numbers. Music on the other hand, he was quite good with, and the song stuck in his head. And now that his skill was much higher than it once was, he knew how to recreate the song, and thus he continued his tribute on the violin.

Oceanus for his part, enjoyed the song raining from above his head, immensely. He began to do a slow Dragon Dance, remembering not to grow faster lest he toss the bard from his head. He began rising and diving in an odd pattern, trying to match the bard’s song.

The two were so lost in the music, that they didn’t notice that everyone else had stopped on the beach, and that they were beginning to float over the ocean.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan
Ryan was taken aback as Sonja abruptly brushed passed him without so much as a thank-you-for-telling-me-about-this-situation. Was she still angry about the dance? He opened his mouth to say something, but his apology died on his lips as Sonja walked out of the arena. To make matters worse, Ray shot him a look like somehow this was all his fault before running after Sonja himself, leaving Ryan all alone in the arena.
 
That could have gone better, Entei mused.
 
"You think?" Ryan rolled his eyes in frustration before running to catch up to the two trainers. His Pokémon followed behind him, all clearly put off by their trainer's anxiety.
 
IC: Dack/Madison/Luke
Dack was silent for a moment, chewing his linguini. When he finally spoke up, it was with forced calmness. "There's a tactical advantage to being in the air. Both Hannah and I know that. If we remain on the ground, we'll lose that advantage. Sure, we can do our best to shoot Hannah's army out of the sky, but we'd be sitting ducks for the ones we can't take down. I can leave the rest of my Pokemon on the ground to fight without me. But I can't take Hannah down if I'm not in the air."
 
"Anzu can back you up from our rooftop," Madison suggested. "Plus, it'd give you a place to land if you needed to recover."
 
"Even if you take Hannah down," Luke said through a mouthful of food. "Who's to say her army won't continue to fight? I mean, do you really think they'd surrender?"
 
Palmer scratched his chin. "In a traditional war that might be the case," he said. "But this is far from traditional, and this is far from a war. This is an executive gone off the deep end. It seems to me like Hannah's willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her goals. And she'd ensure her army would do the same." The Frontier Brain turned to Madison. "In addition to Cresselia, Dragonite, and Rhyperior, I also have a Milotic. You might find her abilities useful up on that roof." He grinned at Aspen. "Speaking of loaning Pokémon, you're more than welcome to borrow my Rhyperior. He can battle well enough without me."
 
Dack glanced at Zach. "While I see the benefit of using Legendary Pokémon, and I agree we need all the help we can get, I'm hesitant to use Heatran... especially after what happened in Sootopolis. But as a last resort, where would you suggest we place him?"
 
IC: Team Rocket Techie
Both Dack's and Oliva's messages traveled through the cyberspace of the Rocket mainframe, making their way to a secure server in Chapel, where a trained Rocket techie would pick them up. Or at least, that's what would have happened, had another techie not created a program to intercept all incoming transmissions from Celadon. The techie in question read both messages and promptly deleted them. His executive had warned him that messages might crop up from Celadon, trying to frame her for some horrible crime. As he had been instructed to do in such a case, he quickly picked up the phone and called his executive...
 
IC: Hannah
Hannah Wright walked confidently through the halls of Chapel, unable to keep the smile off her face. After lying in wait for so long, her plans were finally coming to fruition. Dack and the other trainers in Sootopolis had created a minor setback, but she wasn't about to let that stop her. Not when she'd come so far. Arriving at her office, she placed her Pokéballs in a healing machine and hung her hooded traveling cloak up on the coat rack. She no longer had any need for secrecy -- and how could she dream of hiding her face during her moment of glory?

On her desk, her pager rang. "Executive Wright." It was one of the Rocket techs, who happened to be under her command. "We just received two messages from Celadon, blaming you for the disaster in Sootopolis."

"Sootopolis, as you know, was Team Liberty's fault, correct?"

"Correct," the techie said. "The earlier transmission we intercepted proves that."

"Then Team Liberty has made an attack in direct violation of our peace agreement," Hannah said, a cruel smile forming on her lips. "I will gather my troops and arrange a full-scale counterattack. That message from Team Liberty was also from Celadon, correct?"

"That's correct, Executive Wright," the techie replied.

"Then that's all I need to know," Hannah said. Ending the call, she grabbed her Pokégear and sent a message to all the troops under her command:

Report to Hangar C. Prepare for battle.

Grabbing her Pokéballs from the healing machine, Hannah left her office and strode back down the hallway, heading in the direction of the hangars. Although she kept a serious expression, on the inside she was as giddy as a schoolgirl. Nothing was more satisfying than seeing her plan come together.

Hangar C held dozens of helicopters, all with Team Rocket's stylized R emblazoned on their sides. Hundreds of troops slowly formed into ranks, saluting the executive when she entered the hangar. Allowing herself a small smile, Hannah gathered the heads of each platoon and escorted them into an adjacent room for debriefing.

"Team Liberty will not expect us to link the Groudon incident to them so quickly," she explained. "This is our one chance to hit them hard."

"Miss Wright?" one of the Rockets raised a hand.

"Executive Wright," Hannah insisted.

"Executive Wright, would it not be more strategic to strike Team Liberty's headquarters? Celadon holds nothing more than an outpost-"

"An outpost that sent the transmission we intercepted," Hannah interrupted with a glare. "Surely you remember our attempt to invade Four Island last year, Agent...?"

"Mark, ma'am," the Rocket said. "Agent Mark."

"Well, Agent Mark," Hannah smirked. "Some of the most painful diseases target not the heart, but the central nervous system. They may not be instantly fatal, but their lasting effects can be even worse. Our goal today is not to take out Team Liberty once and for all. We merely intend to cripple them."

"Understood, ma'am," Mark nodded.

Hannah smiled. "Good. Now let's move on to our plan of attack..."

IC: Ellen
With Dack and the others gone, Ellen slowly wandered across the ruins of Sootopolis, trying to take in how much damage the false Groudon had done. "That Rocket girl," she said with a shudder. "She went to such lengths for revenge. How could anyone justify something like this?"

Well, I can think of at least one person, Duo piped in. Madison Hayes.

"But that was different," Ellen shook her head. "As wrong as Hayes' actions were, at least she ensured the city was evacuated before blowing up those bombs."

Am I hearing you right? Duo asked. Are you actually defending Maddison Hayes?

"Of course not," Ellen quickly said. "But... at the very least, Hayes was better than Hannah."

But that doesn't make Hayes one of the good guys, Duo retorted.

"Right, but--" Ellen fell silent, trying to gather her thoughts. Hannah was a bad guy. Hayes was a bad guy. But as she had seen over the past several months, the world was much more complicated than her simple notion of good versus evil. People from Team Rocket and Team Liberty each viewed the other side as evil. Even Amelia had said that 'gray' was not the middle ground between good and evil, but between two evils. Yet Ellen saw good in both sides of the war. Rocket agents like Ray were not so different from Liberty agents like Sonja. Meanwhile, Hayes had been trying to stop the war, and Hannah was trying to rekindle it. Ellen viewed both of them as bad guys, but was it possible that there was good in them as well? Was that the point she was trying to prove to Duo? She wasn't sure anymore.

Everywhere Ellen looked, she saw destruction. Entire blocks of the city lay in ruin. Children younger than her wandered the streets, finding themselves suddenly homeless, orphaned, or both. Although the magma and hail had finally stopped, the dark clouds still loomed over the city. The clouds showed no signs of loosing any water, however, and so numerous Water Pokémon began racing through the streets to put out the fires that still raged. The haunting sights of broken families, the horrible stench of charred rubble, the devastating wails of the injured... it was almost too much for Ellen to handle. A sickly feeling rose in her stomach as she watched a woman gathering what little possessions she could from the wreckage of her home. A pocket watch, a signed letter, a water-drenched photo album. These trinkets were all gathered and placed next to the lifeless body of what Ellen assumed was the woman's husband. Fighting the urge to hurl, Ellen closed her eyes against the horrible sight, only to see that the devastation had been burned into the backs of her eyelids. It was just like Castelia. Just like southeastern Unova. Hannah... Hayes... Rocket... Liberty... so many people fighting to change the world the way they saw fit. Ellen could care less who was in charge, she just didn't want to see anyone else get hurt. But as the smoldering fires crackled, even a wish as simple as that seemed impossible.

Ellen continued to walk silently through the destruction on her way to the harbor, her eyes unfocused. She couldn't bring herself to look at any more of the destruction that had befallen the city -- it was just too much. It took every ounce of effort just to put one foot in front of the other. "We've got to get to Fortree," she muttered. "Tell Ryan what's happening. We can't let Celadon meet the same fate."

IC: Zoe
The warrior princess did a flourishing courtesy, blushing slightly at Evan's comment. "Your words are too kind, Ex-Hero. But I assure you, if you find my beauty astounding, the bard's music is even more so." She glanced at Jenny. "And I see, are you a fair princess as well? Then the Ex-Hero must be your ex-heroic knight! Although I must ask: why ex? Did you lose the title of heroship?"
 
Before Evan had a chance to answer, the bard who's presence had been hyped made his grand entrance, riding atop his hypnotically writhing Gyarados. "Ah!" Zoe cried. "There he is, the bard that bested the noble knight! No offence, Gawain," she quickly added as an aside to the Swampert. The bard and sea serpent made their way to the beach.... and past it.
 
Zoe turned in confusion to Hades and Ponos, dropping the princess act for once. "This is just part of his performance, right?"
 
IC: George
After a hasty goodbye to Helena and Phillip, George, Jimmy, and Dandy hopped into the car and drove to the meteorology lab. The skies were just as dark as they had been the day before, although the wind had picked up considerably. They drove in an uncomfortable silence, the ominous weather outside reflecting their grim mood.
 
It had only been a day since they had been at the lab, but it looked like a hundred years had passed. The lab lay in ruins -- windows shattered, walls cracked, and a portion of the second floor completely collapsed. A large file cabinet hung partly out the window, its contents exposed to the elements.
 
"I drove by the lab this morning to check on Peter," Jimmy explained as they got out of the car. "As soon as I saw this, I came to get you."
 
"What in the world could have happened here?" George asked.
 
The inside of the building looked no better than the outside. The floor was strewn with shattered glass, which crunched beneath their feet as they walked. The displays in the lobby had been ripped to shreds, and deep gash marks were carved into the walls. Jimmy carefully stepped through the broken glass door that led to the main part of the building. "When I signed up for this job," he said. "I thought I was signing up to be a police officer, not a detective."
 
George ignored him, observing the wreckage with a frown. "Whatever happened here... it doesn't look like something was trying to get in. Something was trying to get out." The chief of police paused, glancing back at shattered windows. "And it looks like it succeeded. Which means whatever it was, it's out there now. Out there with... Alexa..." George's voice shook as he stood there, fighting back tears. "S-sorry," he muttered. "You go on ahead. I'll just be a few minutes."
 
Jimmy gave his captain a nod of understanding and beckoned Dandy to follow him. Overturned tables and gashes on the wall seemed to follow them all the way to the actual lab room, where Jayron and Colette had first met Peter the day before. If the lobby had been trashed, the lab room had been completely demolished. The overhead lights flickered dimly (a sign that the power might have returned), and an eerie noise seemed to come from the radio.
 
The moment Jimmy stepped into the room, Peter's Magneton appeared in front of him, buzzing worriedly. Jimmy gasped, his voice carrying all the way to the lobby. "George? You'd better come quick!"
 
George, however, had stepped outside. He pulled out his wallet, where he housed a picture of his daughter. "Alexa..." he whispered, finally allowing his tears to fall. "Where are you?"
 
IC: Jayron
Jayron and Colette were asking the same question George was. The trail of Alexa's aura had let the pair of trainers in exactly the direction they had wanted to go: south. By the time the sun had actually risen (not that they could see it, but the wall of clouds that blanketed the sky had become somewhat lighter) they had passed the dock where they had left their boat, and made it to a long bridge leading to the southern islet.
 
Jayron had sent out his Lucario to help with the aura tracking. The Aura Pokémon was unsettled by the news. She shouldn't have run off on her own like that, he frowned. It makes no sense.
 
"It is strange," Jayron agreed. "She was so scared last night, she needed Colette to sleep on the floor of her room. Why would she suddenly run off like that if she was scared out of her mind?" He looked out over the side of the bridge at the churning sea below, deep in thought. "I don't like this. The more I think about it, the more worried I become. I know aura doesn't give abilities of clairvoyance, but I can't help but feel like something terrible is about to happen."
 
The trainers paused at the end of the bridge, where a faded, worn-down sign heralded their arrival upon the southern islet: "Welcome to Sevault Canyon."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach frowned as he considered it.

"As a truly last resort, the middle of the city. Let's try and allow Raikou to have first dibs to the fight, though, just in case... Fire's a bit more chaotic than lightning, after all." Zach said, still not sure that the air was such a good place to be, but wasn't going to say that right then, since Dack seemed about as stubborn as Madison right at that moment.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette winced slightly as she overheard what Jayron said, and looked off to the side, focused on the sign, as she thought for a bit.

It... was my fault, wasn't it... Colette thought, as she recalled how she had tried to encourage Alexa the night before, and how she had told her she was brave enough for anything, basically. Colette, however, frowned more instead. She recalled that just after she'd initially gone to sleep, a tiny voice had called her from her slumber...

"Collie...?" Alexa asked meekly, as the Aura Wielder opened her eyes for a moment, unsure what she wanted.

"Yes, Alexa?" Colette replied, as Alexa seemed to fidget for a moment, and then smiled weakly.

"Will you protect me if anything happens...?" Alexa looked over at Colette with her big eyes, and Colette simply smiled back.

"Of course I will!" Colette said with a nod.

"No matter what?"

"No matter what."

Alexa seemed to be pleased by that answer, but then hesitated. "Promise...?"

Colette was slightly amused by the young girl, once again being reminded of when Zoe was scared of something and Colette would reassure her, but looked into Alexa's eyes, to show she was telling the truth. "I promise. I won't let anything bad happen to you." Colette said, and Alexa smiled widely, and then nodded, and closed her eyes again. This time, she actually seemed to be asleep, so, with a soft smile in return, Colette closed her eyes, and got back into a deep sleep...

"Then we prevent that." Colette said, finally responding to Jayron's bad feeling, as she stepped forward with new determination.

I'm not going to let anything happen to her. I gave a promise, and I plan to keep it.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Four Island beach

 

Evan saw Richard on his Gyarados, the movements of the Atrocious Pokemon mystic and hypnotic. Evan could not wait to hear his music. But that still didn't stop him from wondering why he was going to the ocean. Maybe his music was so mystifying, that he just loses himself in it!

 

"I guess not even this Bard is immune to his own music!" Evan said, keeping up his knight act.

 

Seeing that Zoe had stopped petting her, Gnip got back up with a soft growl. She turned her attention towards Richard and his Gyarados, perplexed by what she saw.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Hades

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Like I said, I'm fairly certain she wouldn't be able to drum up an all aerial army in a short timespan, so even if she leads an aerial platoon, the bulk of the army is likely to stay on the ground." she said. "And since you wanna stay up in the sky, whatever we can't hit we'll be relying on you to make us not sitting ducks."

 

"Thanks for the Rhyperior, having at least a little backup makes holding the choke point a bit less daunting." Aspen said in reply to Palmer. Turning to Dack, the trainer shrugged. "Guess we're not stopping you from going up there... Feel free to take Jet if you want, he'd probably do better in the sky than in the ground. Don't think he'd wanna obey you, though..."

 

Dahlia frowned and looked towards Zach. "If Palmer is right and the army doesn't let up.... I think we'd need more people out there on our side. Zach, you sure you can't contact anyone strong to help us?"

[Konuju]

IC: Jayron

A chill wind blew across the bridge from the ocean, nearly causing Jayron's fedora to blow off. "Sure you don't want to double back and grab your jacket?" he joked. But the Liberty Executive needed only to scan Colette's aura for a brief moment to find the answer. She was radiating a fierce determination, and it was clear that she would not rest until Alexa was safe. "Never mind," Jayron quickly said. "Let's go."

 

As the two aura wielders and Lucario trekked onward, the steep canyon walls quickly rose around them, sealing them in a narrow path where the only options were forward or backward. "I don't like this," Jayron muttered. "This is the perfect spot for an ambush." He turned to Colette. "You keep following Alexa's trail. I'm going to focus on scanning the cliffs for a possible attack. Lucario, see if you can't find where the source of that electric interference is coming from."

 

I see, Lucario said. By having us each focus our aura on one task, we maximize our efficiency.

 

"Something like that, yes." Jayron nodded. He extended a hand, searching for any malevolent forces among the sides of the canyon. He didn't sense anything, but somehow that set him even more on edge. After all, as his old master Koga had taught him, the most dangerous enemy is the one you cannot see.

 

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

Dack frowned at Aspen. "Just as long as that vicious bird of yours doesn't get in my way like it did in Sootopolis," he said.

 

At the mention of Raikou, Luke glanced at Zach. "Is that thundercat of yours going to be there from the beginning? Or are you sending him out as a last resort as well? I could see him being pretty useful in taking out some of our flying enemies if Dack can't get to them all."

 

"What about all the people?" Madison asked. "The people of the city, like Natalie. Should they really just be walking about the streets when Hannah's army attacks? We should get them somewhere safe before the battle starts."

 

"Or offer them a chance to fight," Palmer offered. "Dahlia said we'd need more troops, and while I'm sure Zach has many wonderful friends, we mustn't neglect the manpower we can get right here in the city. These may be ordinary people, but they will fight to defend their city."

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Lumiose City, Streets:

 

The Supersonic struck just as Kovian raised his scalchop for another attack. The Water-Type reeled, head spinning as he tried to make sense of his surroundings again.

 

"Come on, Kovian, focus!" Kyle called. "You've almost got him!"

 

The Dewott squinted. Multiple Tympole seemed to occupy the space where there ought to have only been one. Shaking his head, he lunged forward with another Fury Cutter, doing his best to aim for his opponent amidst the confusion.

 

IC - Sonja Baron - The Alamo, Halls:

 

Hurried stride had quickly transformed into a full-blown run. Sonja could not explain the sense of urgency that had taken hold of her. All she knew was that the more she thought about everything that had transpired within the past few days, the more serious the situation seemed to become. The attack in Opelucid, on Team Galactic, in Goldenrod, now the Alamo itself, and finally some unknown crisis that had resulted in a building-wide call from Goldhawk . . . It was as if everything that had happened had meant to occur during the last six months, that odd period where everything had gone silent, undisturbed, too perfect to last, and instead had been forced to catch up in the span of a few weeks.

 

Her feet seemed to carry her of their own accord, leading her through the halls and toward Research and Development. She hardly registered the few people she passed by, several of whom gave an odd look at the sight of her. She brushed them off without a second thought. The only one who truly broke Sonja's focus was a jogger whom she nearly crashed into, but after haphazardly slowing down and moving around him--as well as offering a quick apology--she continued on, not waiting to hear his reply.

 

Finally, she arrived--and it was the sight of the department's interior itself that forced her to a stop.

 

Police tape blocked the doors. Beyond that and through the windows looking into the R&D lobby, the place was wrecked, like someone had gone through and torn the place apart. Almost like a tornado, but also perhaps like an earthquake . . . Pushing aside specifics regarding the natural disaster used to destroy the place, Sonja approached slowly, grabbing Sheik's Poké Ball and easing her way under the police tape, wary of any alarms that might have been set around the doorway . . .

 

IC - Jackson Sang/Eileen Alaric - Alaric Estate, Fireside Lounge:

 

"Mr. Sang? . . . Mr. Sang, it's time to get up."

 

Sang awoke with a start. Summer light streamed through the open windows, drawn-back curtains shifting lazily in the slight breeze that accompanied it. He shifted groggily, realizing as he did so that someone had draped a thick blanket over him while he slept. A pillow, too, had been given to him in the night, which he seemed to have rested his head upon at some point in his slumber. He took a moment to appreciate its softness, a fluffy grace like no other. Slowly, he pushed himself up, recalling the previous night--Felix's venture into his memories and all--and he realized that he must have fallen asleep soon after.

 

Eileen stood nearby, sleeves rolled up her crossed arms, and a worried expression on her face as she watched him rub the bridge of his nose. "Are you alright, Mr. Sang?"

 

"Never better," he said, voice raspy from the sudden emergence from sleep. "Had a rough night, is all."

 

"I see," she said. "I was going to say that you looked a little out of it. At any rate, Alexis is cooking brunch now, so if you want to take a shower and get ready to continue our search in a few hours, you're more than welcome to."

 

"Right," Sang said, pausing for a moment. "What time is it?"

 

"Five after ten," Eileen said. That seemed to jolt Sang awake, as he threw the blanket aside and pushed himself up onto his feet. "Please, don't feel rushed. I know it's a bit later than you had meant to leave, but Elijah sent word asking us to wait here for something." She sighed, glancing out the window. "He did not specify why, but it sounded urgent, so I'm willing to humor him for now."

 

"Alright," Sang said. He had already gathered up his things, and now moved past Eileen on his way to the nearest restroom. "I guess I'll take you up on that offer, then. Mind letting my team out while I'm away?"

 

"I'd be more than happy to get them fed," she called back.

 

Sang's four Poké Balls had been left beside his bag. Carefully, Eileen stooped down, picking up each one and releasing the Pokémon it held into the lounge. Each one stretched as they adjusted to the morning, only to quickly shift into a confused stance as they realized that someone other than Sang had let them out. Walker and Claire both stepped back, as if ready to fight, prompting Eileen to hold a hand up.

 

"Hey, relax--it's just me," she said. "Sang's friend, Eileen." They slowly calmed down upon recognizing her, which was helped by a nod of approval from Trace. Eileen managed a motherly smile, gesturing to the kitchen. "Sang asked me to feed you all while he gets ready for today. So if you'll just follow me . . ."

 

She did not have to lead--the three senior Pokémon moved in front of her, already keen to locate the food they were smelling. Eileen couldn't help but chuckle at them as they disappeared through the door. As she moved to follow them, however, she realized that Felix was still with her. Looking at him, she found the Elgyem floating at eye level with her, his head tilted to the side in silent contemplation. Eileen couldn't help but stare back at him, wondering what he was thinking.

 

The Psychic-Type approached her with a clear sort of hesitation, reaching a hand toward her forehead. She furrowed her brow, momentarily stalling his movements, but after a moment of no further confrontation, he seemed compelled to continue forward. Eileen said nothing. Gently, the Elgyem placed his hand on her head, focusing his power.

 

The world seemed to fade around them.

 

 

A maze-like world composed of past voices and faces, past experiences that begged to be relived. She walked among them, following naught but her own way, compelled forward by some unknown force. All around, Levi's face seemed to stare out at her, his voice calling for her, dozens of cries and exclamations that seemed almost maddening. Where to go, where to go, for none seemed to draw her in.

 

The maze led to a gate, a door of wood and leaves that led into an unknown darkness. Blue eyes stared out from the depths, four of them wide with terror, each indistinguishable from the next in color. Flames burned above, illuminating nothing but clasped hands. Her eyes widened as she realized where she was going. The compulsion lifted her hand, pushing against the gate, and forcing it open despite its protesting creaks. She stepped inside.

 

All became as a fog, memory and reality indiscernible from each other . . .

 

 

Eileen stepped back, emerging again into the real world. Felix blinked in surprise, looking from his hand to her. A cold sweat dotted her face. She moved carefully over to a chair, slowly lowering herself onto it, hands shaking with every movement. Felix floated nearby, a hand to his mouth as he watched her.

 

"Go eat," she said quietly. The Psychic-Type nodded, quickly following after his teammates.

 

Eileen merely stared at the floor. 

 

OOC:

 

Felix learned Confusion . . .

Edited December 21, 2014 by Parugi

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

"Sonja!" Ray called out, as he finally managed to catch up to Sonja, panting, as he looked up, and then seemed surprised.

"Okay, I don't think this is supposed to look like this..." Ray mumbled with a frown, as he grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, and then waited for Sonja to head into the room, before slowly attempting to follow her inside.

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

"Hmm..." Zach frowned, unsure about that. "What if they can't fight, though? We'd be bringing people into a fight that shouldn't involve them, all because of some mad woman's twisted idea of revenge. I don't want innocent people hurt because of that, but if there are good fighters..." Zach said, as Dahlia repeated the idea of contacting people.

"Hm. I could try and see if Ryan or someone can join in..." Zach thought, as Natalie meekly approached the table again.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"Right." Colette nodded, as she headed forward. She was solely focused on her task, and was glad she wasn't just sent to lookout duty. Colette headed forward with a grim look on her face, as she continued to follow the trail, as she noticed it lead further into the canyon, and adjusted her gloves, as she kept hope.

I'll find her. I'll definitely find her.

Edited December 21, 2014 by An/A Blade

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"If they can fight well, they should fight. If they can't, they shouldn't." Aspen replied with a shrug. "We survived against the fake Groudon, but an entire army is a little ridiculous to go up against.... Note to self, buy a lot of Potions....."

 

"We do have two Legedaries on our side, three if that Heatran doesn't want to burn down the entire city." Olivia pointed out. "And if we find and take out Hannah's Ditto right off the bat, she can't use any Legends either. That kind of pushes the odds to our side.... But we should at least tell the citizens of what's going on...."

 

"If you want, I could go around the city and warn people while the rest of you prepare for the fight." Amethyst offered. "Perhaps Palmer and his Cresselia could to the same, people would probably listen to a celebrity and his Legendary more than some random Gardevoir."

 

"I could try to ask Erika to also warn the citizens too." Dahlia offered. "But that still leaves the question of what to tell people around us right now...."

 

As if right on cue, Natalie returned to the table. "Oh, hi there!" Dahlia called out, while her siblings looked confusedly wt the others at their table, their expressions asking whether to tell Natalie or not.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan
Ryan darted down the hallways, his full team of Pokémon following in pursuit. By the time he finally caught up to Sonja, she had already made it to R&D. Ryan paused to catch his breath. "See?" he panted. "I... told you... something's... wrong..."
 
It looks worse than I imagined, Entei said.
 
Ryan nodded, on high alert as Sonja entered the taped-off department, wary of any lingering danger that might be lying in wait.
 
IC: Dack/Madison/Luke
"What makes the people of Celadon any different than me?" Madison scoffed. "If you're letting me on the roof, you should give anyone who wants to fight a fair chance."
 
"Or we send you to safety along with them," Dack shot back.
 
"Guys, let's not start this again," Luke sighed, stirring his soup with a breadstick. "I think Madison has a fair point, though. Unless we're talking about two year olds, I think anyone who's willing to fight for their city should be given that chance. Who knows, we might be able to scare Hannah's army away with our sheer numbers."
 
"In any case, we at least need to warn the people," Palmer agreed. "And we need a safe place for those who are unwilling or unable to fight. Zach, what's the most secure location in the city, where people will be safe from Hannah's attack?"
 
"A-attack? Secure location?" Natalie peered curiously at the group, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business. How are you enjoying your food?"
 
Madison glanced around the table, then up at their waitress with a worried look. "Actually," she said. "It is your business. Celadon is going to be under attack by a rogue Rocket executive. We don't know when she's coming, but we know it's going to be soon. That's why we're here -- we're trying to defend the city against this Hannah person's attack. If you want to help us fight--"
 
The skier was cut off by the sound of the empty salad bowl Natalie had just picked up crashing to the floor. The waitress stood rooted to the ground, paying no heed to the shattered bowl at her feet. Her face had gone pale. "C-celadon is... under attack?" she asked meekly. She turned to Zach, as if to confirm Madison's story. "That can't be... who in their right mind would do such a thing? A-and why...?"
 
IC: Jayron
The trio continued to walk in silence, each focused on their individual task, each equally worried about the current situation. On either side the canyon walls rose above them, swallowing up the sky in their rocky strength. The land was as desolate as their spirits, it seemed. And the chill wind did nothing to brighten their moods.
 
Lucario was the first to notice something off. His ears perked up at some distant disturbance. Then Jayron froze, extending his aura not above them but behind them. "Quiet," he said, closing his eyes to heighten his other senses. "Something's up..."
 
The ground started to shake beneath their feet. Jayron turned around. "It's a herd of Rhyhorn," he said. "They've been spooked. They may be suffering the same condition as that Feraligatr."
 
"We don't have time to deal with them," Colette said. "I'll make quick work of this."
 
Jayron's eyes widened as he saw what Colette was about to do. "No, stop!" he cried.
 
But the warning came too late, as Colette lobbed an aura sphere at the head Rhyhorn. The stampeding Pokemon took the hit head on, then reared its head back and roared in defiance. It continued to rear back, transforming before the aura wielders' eyes from a quadruped to a biped. The newly-evolved Rhydon glared at the human who dared attack it, lowered the drill on its head, and charged even faster than before.
 
Jayron's voice was as cold and firm as steel. "Run. NOW!" Jayron, Colette, and Lucario wasted no time in dashing as fast as they could down the canyon. Lucario scanned the cliffs for caves they could hide in, but none of them were low enough. "You don't have any flying Pokémon with you, do you?" Jayron asked as they ran.
 
Behind them, the Rhydon ripped chunks of rock from the cliffside and hurled them at the fleeing trainers, using Rock Blast as it continued to charge at full speed.

[Franco]

IC: The Tympole fell unconscious while the sand petered out. Cero sighed.

 

There was work to be done.

 

He summoned Viajero. Though the Lillipup was at the same stage as the Tympole, Viajero was more experienced and faster, traits that would be useful when fighting a confused opponent; Cero thought that his bond could be deepened even further with success here. But there was another reason he had chosen the Lillipup in spite of those with even more experience.

 

"Work Up and Thunder Fang." As soon as Viajero appeared, the dog was dancing, pumping himself up in response to his trainer's orders. The memory of his ineffective performance in Goldenrod was still fresh in his mind, and now that he was facing a regular-sized opponent, he was determined to prove himself. He shot forward with crackling fangs aimed at the otter.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Carson Chambliss

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (James/Jamie/Roderick and their Pokémon)

If Percival could sweat, he would have wiped a face full of the stuff away. That last attack would -not- have been enjoyable.

“Through our blood or yours?” those words possessed James’ mind for a moment as he considered all the implications of what Adams had just said.

“So… you admit then, that President Pierce works directly for Ford, and that the Hojohsin League is a direct puppet state under him.”

James was slightly confused at the present situation. He had expected many things, but to just flatly admit this, was beyond any of James’ expectations. He did not know whether that it was for the better or for the worse.

“On what to do with her, I am in agreement. She must be kept alive, if for no other reason than so she can stand trial. However…”

Lancelot perked his ears up at the last word.

“My mission is to aid Team Magma,” he said turning towards his fellow Team Liberty members. “We need to locate as many living members of Team Magma as possible… at this point, I believe same goes for any remaining Team Energon members.”

No one deserves this fate… well perhaps not ‘no one’ but…

“But James, there is no way we can search the entire facility in the remaining time!” Roderick interjected.

The suit-wearing trainer looked to Guinevere’s Pokeball that housed both his injured partner and a source of inspiration.

“What if we were to use Telepathy to search the structure for living minds and then Teleport them to us, and then warp out with them?”

“Well… Harmonic’s Telepathy could be used to try and search for thoughts, indicating a living person, though there is no way he can search the whole facility, not in this time. Maybe I can get Digitial to help as well. With Psychic and Lock-On, he should be able to analyze the data flowing through, if he’s connected to Harmonics.

James turned to his Liberty allies, but all that produced was Cyan’s Gallade. He pulled a Ultra Ball from his suit pants pocket. In it was his ace-in-the-hole

Don’t worry, I already know what you need me to do, Celebi said with a wink as she appeared in front of James, before joining her telepathic powers with the Psychic powers of Harmonics, Digital and Cyan’s Gallade. But even I’m not quick enough for this job.

James was silent for a moment upon hearing those last words from Celebi. The four set about their work, but the last remark Celebi gave demoralized him. There was very few options left. So James swallowed his pride and opened his mouth.

“Joker, I ask, no, I beg of you. Please help us, so that no more have to die here,” the Liberty Agent said softly before bowing before the Team Rocket Shadow Admin.

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

"Ummm... I am actually not sure. He said something was draining the power or something, right? So maybe we should go check the power lines." Jake said, looking on his pokedex with the map app for the placement of the cables.

[Makuta of Time]

IC: Dandy

 

Dandy looked in amazement as he looked at the lab, even if it's in disarray. When he saw the Magneton appear before them, it startled him a bit. "Whoa, what's with the science fair project? It's going all crazy." Dandy has obviously never seen this type of Pokemon before on his adventures. Just seeing the thing buzz freaked him out a bit. "So George, what exactly is up with it? Is it the same thing that's causing the others to go psycho?"

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Lumiose City, Streets:

 

"Nice work, buddy!" Kyle called, voice overlapping with the referee's as he announced the victory. A moment later, Cero had sent out his third Pokémon, a Lillipup who almost immediately launched into an attack--with great success.

 

Electricity coursed through Kovian's body as Viajero latched onto his arm. Amidst his confusion, the Dewott somehow managed to shake the Normal-Type off, though not before paralysis had taken a solid hold over his body. Head still spinning, he fell down, legs locking as he attempted to push himself back onto his feet.

 

It was already clear that this wouldn't go over well. Kyle raised the Dewott's Poké Ball. "Kovian, return!" he said. Once the Water-Type had vanished into the sphere, the Liberty Agent pulled out another one and tossed it forward. "Go, Sanshou!"

 

The Mienfoo emerged onto the field, immediately shifting into a combat pose as she sized up her opponent. Without breaking eye contact with the Normal-Type, she craned her neck and lightly stretched her arms and legs, readying herself for the fight.

 

"Sanshou, let's start out with a Force Palm!" The Fighting-Type nodded. She ran forward, lean body almost parallel with the ground. Focusing energy into the palm of her hand, she flipped forward, aiming to slam the attack down on Viajero . . .

 

IC - Sonja Baron - The Alamo, R&D Department:

 

There wasn't much to see within the department's main lobby--it looked just as bad on the inside as it did from the outside. So instead of lingering, Sonja approached the stairwell leading to the training center, Ryan and Ray in tow, all the while remaining silent as she observed her surroundings. Within the training center, she discovered the thrones, just as Ryan had described.

 

She wasn't sure what to make of them. The sight was indeed eerie, but somehow they seemed bereft of the power she had assumed they would hold. Even entering the training room and approaching them felt much different than what she had expected. And it wasn't a natural voidness of sensation, it seemed. At least to her, the very room itself felt . . . drained, somehow.

 

"What do you make of this?" she asked the others, looking around even as she walked a wide circle around the two metal seats, trying to indicate just what it was that she was talking about.

 

IC - Quincy Adams/Ryan Hikari/Joker/Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner/Skye Hall/Jamie Arthur/Lucia/James Arthur/Cyan Vero/Roderick Krane/Drake Masters/Zack Furler - Havoc:

 

Joker shifted her gaze between James and Adam at the former's request, her expression cold and calculative regardless of where it fell. Finally, she settled on the Liberty Agent. "I'll help you find anyone left alive here," she said, producing a second Poké Ball. "But in exchange, you're going to let me take Adams into my custody."

"We can't agree to that," Cyan said. "Team Magma was the main victim here, and they're a direct ally of Team Liberty, not Team Rocket. We're responsible for handling this murderer."

 

"How do you plan to do that?" Joker asked. "Can you prove anything about her involvement here? As far as the outside world knows, this was a Team Energon attack gone wrong, not a Hojohsin League attack--the bodies can certainly prove that, should any survive the base's destruction. And if they don't, you have no proof. I, however, can prove that she was directly involved in an attack my both my life and on a city within my jurisdiction, on top of having eyewitnesses who can attest to her involvement on a certain train hijacking that took place seven or so months ago. You hand her to me, and I will guarantee that she receives her just reward--for both this, and other transgressions."

 

Cyan looked as if he wanted to say something, but after a moment of contemplation, he could only nod, knowing that Joker was right. Glancing back at him, she released her Hypno from its Poké Ball, directing it and Seer to assist the other Psychic-Types in their endeavor. The sight of the Hypnosis Pokémon sent unnoticed shivers down Gavin's spine as he recalled his last interaction with the species. Nonetheless, he moved forward and, without a word, released Evris, giving the Claydol similar instructions.

 

There appear to be six living beings within our combined range, all Team Magma, Seer reported after several moments. Even pushing our limits . . . They seem to have done a very thorough job of clearing out this facility, particularly their Energon pawns.

 

"Work on teleporting them here, then," Cyan said. "There's no sense in leaving them."

 

Wasting no further time, the group turned back to Adams. Joker pointed a metal-clad finger at her. "Now," she said. "Quincy Adams, you are hereby under arrest by the region of Johto. Return your Pokémon to their transports and we can resolve this peacefully. Otherwise, the use of force will resume."

 

"Don't make this any harder for yourself, Quincy," Ethan said. "You said it yourself, you can't do anything else here."

 

Adams glanced at her team, seeming halfway between resisting and complying. Finally, with a defeated sigh, she reached down to her belt to retrieve her Poké Balls.

 

"Are you giving up so easily, Third Child?" an echo of a voice called out, seeming to reverberate around the group. "Ford wouldn't appreciate that, would he?" Adams gasped in surprise, eyes widening as a portal opened beside her. From it emerged a yellow-eyed young man with a black bandanna adorned with a white skull. Golden blond hair cascaded down his back, barely visible in the front through the dark fabric on his head. A small smile stretched one corner of his virtually flawless face, a smugly amused expression that conveyed all the same emotion as the condescending tone of his voice. A scarred Wobbufet, much taller than the norm, accompanied him.

 

"After all, you're no use to us in prison," he said, crossing his arms as the portal closed behind him. "Or dead, as is likely to be the case if she gets her hands on you."

 

"And just who are you?" Joker demanded, clenching her fists threateningly. Behind her, Ethan and Gavin both pulled extra Poké Balls from their belts.

 

"Tyler McKinley, Fourth Child," the man said. "I would go so far as to pretend like I was someone else, but I'm afraid I'm a bit short on time."

 

"Yeah, you are," Adams said. "What are you doing here?" She seemed genuinely surprised by his appearance.

 

"Rescuing you, of course," McKinley said. "Isn't that what siblings do for each other?" His smile cracked, becoming even wider as he turned to look at his Pokémon. "And, of course, I just had to bring our newest recruit along for the task, as well. Say 'Hello', Calvin."

 

He hadn't been visible from the get-go owing to Wobbufet's presence, but seeing him now sent a ripple of shock through the crowd of Hojohsin's opponents. Timidly, a young, masked boy peered out from behind the Psychic-Type. Black hair swept across the white forehead of his mask, behind which stared bright, terrified eyes. He wore a similar outfit to the one possessed by McKinley, though where the man's gloves were golden, the boy's were a light, forest green. He scanned the crowd for a moment, and upon seeing Joker, made as if to move forward, though was stopped as McKinley placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

"Come on, Cal, I said to say 'Hello', not to attack," he said. "I swear we've talked about this, Eighth . . ." McKinley sighed, shaking his head.

 

"Why would you bring him here!?" Adams said sharply, slapping a hand to her forehead. "How much time is left on the countdown?"

 

"I'd say about seven minutes. Maybe ten," McKinley said, smile never faltering. "But, look--that's why." He referred to Joker's slightly raised arm, a signal to her allies not to attack for fear of accidentally catching Truman in the cross-fire. It was clear even without the casual dialogue between the two Hojohsin Agents that the boy was not there of his own free will. McKinley chuckled. "I swear, kids are like free passes when it comes to this kind of thing: Bring one along, and no one can hurt you . . ." He glanced at Joker. "Must be that parental instinct, eh? Tell me, Joker, how're Sam and Will doing?"

 

The Shadow Admin clenched her fist. "If you think this is some sort of game--"

 

"Leave it," McKinley interrupted. "I have reasons for being here, as I've said already. First and foremost being Adams--but since it was also brought up, yes, I'm afraid it's true: Pierce is ours, as well." He chuckled. "Not that that matters--I'd wager we won't be needing the benefits of that position for much longer." The base rumbled violently around them, throwing Calvin Truman off-balance and nearly succeeding with the rest of the assembled, sans McKinley. The Fourth Child caught the Eighth, pulling him back to his feet. "Welp, I would think that's our sign to leave. Wouldn't you agree, Adams?"

 

As Adams withdrew her Pokémon and made to move next to McKinley, Cyan managed to regain his balance. "You're not taking either of them," he snapped. "She needs to pay for her crimes, and the kid . . ." He couldn't put the anger he felt at the sight of the helpless boy into words.

 

McKinley laughed. "You couldn't stop me if you tried," he replied. He smiled, walking backwards amidst another rumble of the building as a portal opened up behind him. Adams moved past him, disappearing into its depths with only a final, solemn look at the group.

 

The Fourth Child pulled the Eighth with him, though the boy visibly struggled as he continued to stare desperately at Joker. As the shadowy fingers of the portal reached him, he finally snapped out of his trance, finding the strength to suddenly push against McKinley's hold and stumble forward a step before being grabbed again. "Mrs. Moreno!" he yelled. "H-Help--Don't let him--!"

 

Joker's face paled as she recognized the voice. "Levi?"

 

McKinley's smile flickered, though it quickly reappeared as he placed a hand over the blank space of the mask that covered the boy's mouth, other arm circling his midsection. Both vanished into the darkness of the portal, followed by the Wobbufet. It closed a second later, just before a psychic pulse could sweep through it.

 

Joker stomped a foot against the ground, uttering a sharp curse. "I cannot believe it," she muttered. "I can't believe that just happened . . ." The ground shook again. She looked to her group. "We need to get out of here."

 

"What about the Magma survivors?" Ethan asked. "And that boy--'Levi'? Do you--?"

 

"I'll explain later," Joker said, with such conviction that even the Liberty Agents did not question her. "Seer, grab the survivors and let's go, but do it quickly--we don't have much time." The Alakazam nodded. Communicating silently with the other Psychic-Types, they reached out, creating a teleportation field around their allies and trainers. Several of them quickly dispatched to the locations of the survivors, injured or otherwise, before returning to the main group; and from there, with Celebi as the lead, they headed out, the group of Liberty and Rocket agents vanishing from the facility just as dozens of explosions began to tear it apart.

 

Soon enough, the crumbling debris of Havoc was devoured by the very volcano that had once offered Team Magma its unquestionable protection, as the legacy of the organization became its own undoing.

 

 

Teleportation tended to be rough on its own, but in this instance, the trip was even worse. Even Joker's head pounded as she struggled to regain her footing, the bright lights and unfamiliar faces around her swirling together into an endless sea of color. When at last she regained her bearings, she became aware of the fact that she had appeared in the midst of a large number of Team Liberty agents, including the three Liberty Leaders whom she had spent so long fighting against (sans Silvermind, she silently corrected.) It occurred to her that the last time she had been here, it had been in the middle of Team Rocket's assault on the facility.

 

How ironic.

 

"Agents Vero and Arthur," Goldhawk said after a moment, raising a hand behind his back as an order to some of the more zealous Liberty agents to stand down. "First off, welcome back. Second--"

 

"Where'd the Shadow Admin come from?" Silvermind cut in.

 

"I was going to say, 'What happened?' and 'Where's Maxie?'," Goldhawk said. "But that is also a valid question."

 

OOC: Save for the inevitable conversation betwixt Joker, Final Rockets, James, and the TL leaders, Havoc is officially done.
 

Arrangements regarding Ryan getting to where he needs to be will likely need to be figured out OOC--but we'll have to talk on Skype tomorrow, Blade.

 

Hopefully this gave you all a bit more of a look into McKinley's character.

 

And as for Calvin Truman... If you guessed his identity, congrats--you were right.

 

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Edited December 26, 2014 by Parugi

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan
Ryan was still breathing heavily when they made it to the training center. He shuddered again. "Those thrones..." he said in a shaking voice. "They're unnatural. They... they, they almost seem.... evil." He tore his eyes from Sonja and stared at a point on the wall. "I know it sounds crazy, but whatever happened here... I don't think it was like anything we've ever faced before."
 
Evil? Entei said. Perhaps. The Legendary Beast slowly walked forward, circling the pair of thrones alongside Sonja. The feeling I get is almost one of sadness. Like these thrones were intended to be hallowed, but ended up becoming hollowed.
 
"What do you mean?" Ryan asked, forcing himself to look back at the metallic chairs.
 
The thrones are empty, Entei replied as he stopped pacing and stared directly at the seats of the thrones. As empty, it would seem, as their threat. Whatever happened here, it appears to be over.
 
Ryan glanced from Entei to Sonja. "H-how can we be sure?"
 
IC: George
"This is Peter's Magneton," Jimmy said, shaking his head at Dandy's question. "It... doesn't appear hostile."
 
True to the officer's words, the Magneton made no move to attack them, even when George arrived and rushed into the room. "What happened here?" the chief of police wondered. The Magneton slowly floated behind a large shelf, as if it wanted the trainers to follow it. Jimmy cautiously followed, his finger on the trigger of his gun.
 
George glanced at the old computer monitor that stood on Peter's desk. It showed a log of energy readings from the past 12 hours, overlayed on a map of Seven Island. There was a large chunk of data missing, likely from the city-wide blackout that had occurred in the middle of the night. But right before the power had went out, there was a massive energy spike. George narrowed his eyes. "Jimmy, what do you make of this?" he asked.
 
Jimmy, however, let out a gasp as his gun clattered to the floor. "George, we've got more important things to worry about!" he called. George came running around the corner. Peter lay in a crumpled mess on the ground, his shirt stained red. Jimmy rushed to the meteorologist's side to check for a pulse. "He's alive," he reported. "But barely. He's lost a lot of blood."
 
George cursed. "He'll need medical assistance. And with our radios still down, we have no way to call for backup." He glanced back at the computer. "Dandy, what do you make of those energy readings? Think they mean something?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

"Well, judging from the fact that nothing has attacked us... I'd say at the very least, it's not here." Ray said, and then thought for a moment, as he looked around the room.

"The scorch marks indicate there was a battle here, too. And the fact that it's only the R&D section that's been affected, there pretty much had to have been a conclusion to the battle, I'd think." Ray said, as he looked back to the other two, frowning at Ryan; who seemed way too panicked to really think straight.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"No; I don't!" Colette called back, as she dashed forward quickly, quickly looking around to both make sure she didn't run into anything, and to see what they could do next.

[Konuju]

IC: Jayron
"We're running--" Jayron paused as he focused his energies on forming a quick aura shield to deflect the boulders raining down on them. "--out of options!" Behind them, the Rhydon roared in fury.
 
We're also running out of canyon, Lucario said as he dashed ahead of Colette. Once we reach the end of the canyon there's a wide beach. Hopefully it'll be wide enough for us to fend off this Rhydon.
 
"Assuming we even make it that far," Jayron panted. "Is it just me, or is the Rhydon closing in on us?" Suddenly the aura wielders caught a glimpse of churning water; the end of the canyon was in sight. At the same time, the Rhydon chucked another boulder at them and lowered its head. The drill on its head began to spin rapidly as it started running even faster. Jayron knew he would have to stop running to create an aura shield powerful enough to stop the enraged Pokémon, but he dared not stop until they were out of the canyon.
 
The boulder chunked by the Rhydon crashed to the ground mere inches behind them, causing the ground to shake. But the aura wielders ran on, determined to put as much distance between themselves and a gruesome Horn Drill as possible.
 
At long last they reached the mouth of the canyon. Jayron wasted no time whirling around and throwing up a shield at the canyon mouth. A split second later the Rhydon rammed into the barrier. Beads of sweat lined the executive's forehead as he struggled to maintain the shield. "Finish it!" he cried. "I can't hold it back much longer!"

[Parugi]

IC - Esen Windred/??? - Lumiose City, Streets:

 

Nidoqueen slouched forward, eyes locked squarely on Krow as she gathered electrical energy around her body. The Honchkrow hovered in the air, eyes narrowed and body ready to react to the coming attack. With a growl and then a roar, the Drill Pokémon straightened up, unleashing a storm of lightning at the Flying-Type. Krow responded with a caw and a forward thrust of his wings, summoning a mirror-like shield around him. Upon striking this, the Thunderbolt rebounded, deflected back at Nidoqueen.

 

Though the attack itself had no effect on her owing to the species' Ground-Typing, the flash from the lightning temporarily blinded her. Nidoqueen covered her eyes, and after lowering her arms, squinted to see through the bright spots swimming in her vision. From amidst the sea of swirling nonsense, she was able to make out the approaching form of Krow. She stepped and turned, locking eyes with the Big Boss Pokémon for a moment as he passed. Spinning around to face him, she thrust her head forward, launching a Sludge Bomb attack at Krow's retreating form. The Honchkrow rolled sideways in the air, narrowly avoiding the poisonous substance. He tilted upward, adjusting his course to turn around for another attack.

 

"Nidoqueen, Protect!" the woman called.

 

The Drill Pokémon spread her arms out, summoning forth a green shield. Through its shimmering surface, she watched Krow's approach, fully prepared to retaliate against the stunned Flying-Type once he crashed into the field. This plan did not come to fruition, however: With a whistle from Esen, Krow banked to the left, barely skimming the Protect. As he shield dissipated, he charged from the back, slamming into the now-defenseless Nidoqueen with a Wing Attack. The impact knocked her forward, allowing him to come in at a different angle again and again.

 

As he approached from the front again, ready to finish the fight, the injured Nidoqueen threw her hands up, catching Krow's legs. The two struggled against each other for several moments, before Nidoqueen's superior strength began to show itself, allowing her to pull the Honchkrow in for a flip above her head. Esen frowned, rapidly considering her options, but had no time to give an order before the situation changed. Krow's claws suddenly began to glow with the energy of a Foul Play attack, allowing him to siphon Nidoqueen's own power and use it against her. Just as she began to attack, he managed to push forward, thrusting his talons against her head and knocking her down and out.

 

With a turn of his head and a scoff, he flew back to his trainer. The other woman recalled her fainted Pokémon.

 

"Nidoqueen is unable to battle," the referee called. "Round three goes to Esen and Honchkrow!" Esen's opponent looked at him. "Please select your next Pokémon."

 

"Nidoqueen was the last Pokémon I had," she said. "So I guess I lose."

 

The referee nodded. "Then that's the match! Esen is the victor!"

 

The crowd broke into applause. Esen glanced around at the gathered people for a moment, betraying her discomfort towards them once again. Luckily, she had something of a distraction in the form of what she had observed during the battle. She looked back at her opponent, who likewise seemed to be ignoring the crowd in favor of sizing up Esen. Three Pokémon down--her entire team--and I didn't lose a single one, Esen mused. How hard was she actually trying to win?

 

Recalling Krow, Esen turned and descended the steps from her platform, ignoring a call from the referee regarding the participation prize. As she turned to head in Kyle's direction, she noticed the other woman continuing to watch her. Just as she began to disappear into the crowd, a sudden jolt seemed to jump through the woman, prompting her to throw a harried wave in Esen's direction before she turned around to descend from her own platform. Esen's last view was her disappearing into the crowd, seeming to be trying to cut her way through it as quickly as possible.

 

Huh . . . Esen shook her head, turning around and continuing on her way.

 

OOC: Krow: Wing Attack > Foul Play

 

IC - Sonja Baron - The Alamo, R&D Training Facility:

 

"I would think if this thing was still a threat, Goldhawk and the others would've let us know," Sonja agreed. "Doesn't mean this isn't a cause for concern, though . . ." She stopped in front of the left-hand throne. It was significantly larger than the other, which itself appeared to have been partially eaten away on one side. Sonja rested on hand on the throne, the cold metal surface conflicting with the warmth of her palm. "It's so weird--why thrones? And how did they even get here?"

 

She looked to the other side of the room. A twisted mass of metal and broken glass, barely maintaining its original rectangular shape, lay on the floor across from the thrones--evidently what had been the observation deck. Spots of blood dotted the metal tiles near one of the windows, a short trail leading to a larger pool that appeared to mark one end of the battlefield. Of everything that she had seen, this was perhaps the strangest; for what sort of power could have caused such a structure to collapse a full story like that?

 

"There's not much else to get from here, I would think," she said. "So maybe we ought to try and find Executive Vert."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Hades)

…

The Sableye found himself with mixed feelings. He was shocked speechless, but at the same time, was not the least surprised that Richard was capable of this.

Hades sighed. If this went on for too much longer, the bard had an actual risk of losing himself at sea, and the Sableye was -not- going to suffer that humiliation.

Alright I didn’t want to have to use this, but…

The Dark-Ghost walked over to Orpheus and tightly pinched the Whismur’s cheek.

The resulting wailing nearly shocked Oceanus out of the sky.

 

IC: (James/Jamie/Roderick)

“...For a short response to your first question, far too much. For the second…”

James began by naming Team Energon and a Ford agent as the culprits of the attack. James gave the details of the attack itself first, its aims and method, about the sabotage and bombs. He spoke on how they met with the Shadow Admin and her Rocket operatives. He continued telling them about how after being convinced by the Rockets that they were not the culprits they joined forces. And then how soon afterwards, they came upon Quincy Adams, Ford agent and a couple of followers. Of how she ended the lives of the leaders of Team Energon and Team Magma. He regaled how they were separated but also that they emerged triumphant. And how that triumph was cut short by the arrival of “Tyler McKinley, the Fourth Child” who brought a child with him known as ‘Calvin’, cutting himself off on that point, considering present company. James would discuss that one later. He gravely mentioned that the Magma agents that were with him now were the only survivors in the base. He ended his report by declaring that it was confessed before them all that James Pierce and the Hojohsin League were directly working for Ford.

“And that is all I have to report. Might I ask, if it not a problem, that we have some Chansey from the Pokémon Center brought over here? We have a number of injured Pokémon with us."

IC: (Richard)

When Oceanus was nearly blasted from the sky, Richard nearly fell from Oceanus. It was only out of sheer dedication to his violin that he found the dedication to stop himself from falling, lest he damage the sacred instrument.

The Gyarados floated down towards the group of people and Pokemon.

“A bard nearly lost at sea, for so lost in the music was he…eh, not the worst rhyme I’ve made. At any rate, I brought some instruments and a couple players, and we’ll see what we can do for your song Gawain. Oh! And Claus is bringing snacks and the monkey and more snacks. So hopefully we can give you all dinner theatre. Or something like that….Oh? Hello! I don’t remember this impact being here.”

Richard knew none of his Pokemon were responsible, Zoe was incapable being much too small. And Gawain didn’t seem the type, unless he was trying to entertain Zoe. This left two people that he didn’t know.

“Did you two make that? If so, excellent work,” the bard said walking down Oceanus’ tail and on to the sand.

IC: (Mordred)

Mordred’s will to do nothing broke after several hours of sitting in that tree. He had no intention of going back to James in the near future, but he needed something to do

The Weavile picked a number of Pecha berries from a nearby tree. He liked them… decently enough. It was more the fact that simply eating would be a better distraction from his thoughts than doing nothing in a tree.

A small blue Bug-type Pokemon ran by Mordred, bumping into him, before running off into the brush of the forest.

The Karrablast chuckled as he looked at the fruit of his theft. The Pecha berry looked quite ripe and tasty to eat, which the bug was about to, when an icy fist rested on his head.

Your technique really needs some work.

The bug froze… literally and metaphorically.
 

Edited December 29, 2014 by Claus Von Minun the 4th