Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan nodded, giving Sonja a pained look. "Melissa and Melanie... I went to school with them in Fortree. They... they were always so kind." He shook his head. "There's no way they could've been turned into those things. L-Lust and Greed? Melissa and Melanie Garven are some of the most selfless and humble people I know." He looked down, hoping Sonja wouldn't see his eyes swimming with tears. "I-if Vert is right, then they're dead. I haven't seen them in a while, but I'd always assumed they had just left Fortree on a journey. I had no idea they had become... whatever those things Vert faced were."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray thought for a moment, as he considered what was said.

"How long ago was a 'while'?" Ray asked, but looked away. He knew exactly how it felt to be in that situation... Or at least; he'd thought he did, but now, he wasn't so sure, what with everyone showing up from his past that he thought was dead...

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Richard)

Richard frowned slightly as he heard Zoe’s warning. Holding a violin in his hands did limit the amount of dancing one could do, but he needed to kick it up a notch. Especially since the upcoming verses were going to be quieter than the two following.

"Gawain, Bide can take you far
Take the onslaught of the star (dragon)
'cause there is no limit to you (Yeah, c'mon)
Baby, just steel your hands
and soon you shall understand
why I say you’re tough as goo (Everybody now, c'mon)"

Gawain gritted his teeth, fully steeling himself as well as he could, forgetting the dance and song nature of the battle. The land shook with a force that he never had managed to produce at his strongest. He prided himself on being able to take blows, but this one was ridiculous.

On Richard’s side, he waited for Hades to perform the “Moonwalk” to join the Sableye in his dancing. The ghost picked up on the bard’s intentions and picked his dance moves based on Richard being able to perform them without risking his violin. The bard’s focus on the musical part of the battle however distracted him from realizing what Gawain had just endured.

Hate to repeat a verse, but the Bide power behind it should keep the verse fresh.

"Baby, he can take you far
He can toss across the stars
'cause there is no limit to suds (Ah, ooh, c'mon)
Baby, just take his hand
and soon you shall understand
why they say he’s smooth as muddy... yyyeeeeah!"

Gawain took the vague command from the song to add his own spin on the verse, launching large Mud Bombs instead of raising water. The bombs clearly had strong power behind them, but at a second look by Richard, not the right amount. They were stronger than the ones Gawain had used earlier at him, but they also had a similar lack of control. Earlier it was out of anger, now it appeared out of extreme adrenaline. It was only out a small bit of luck (or perhaps the power of music) that a number of the bombs were launched to the beat and the others were launched on the off-beat which created the illusion that Gawain was still focusing on the musical aspect of the fight.

Richard began to dance quite quicker out of worry, when upon a better inspection of the knight, he could see Gawain’s face. It appeared excited, but was full of pain and was very clear that the Swampert’s entire body was severally working overtime to keep up with his opponent.

Thank the heavens I have Recover, Hades thought as he struggled to keep up with Richard, who had definitely taken the lead in the dancing.

IC: (Jamie)

"Celadon is in our jurisdiction as Team Rocket. And as members of Team Rocket, it is our job to investigate trouble… Otherwise we would never have gone here earlier.”

Jamie gazed at the Pokéball that stood in place of the one that would contain her Metagross. Suffice to say, multiple thunderbolts to the face guarding Skye was not good for the Steel-Psychic. She had been advised to not let the Metagross fight for a while. So she had asked to take one of the Clamperl that she had taken from the restaurant as “evidence”. While she thought that the Bivalve Pokemon was adorable, she felt much weaker without Tristan near her.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Claus Von Minun the 4th

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

Zoe tried to keep her balance as Gnip created earth tremors in beat with the music. She fell into the sand, looking up at the superstar dragon in awe. "Triple bonus points to Team Space!" she declared. Then she heard Richard's lyrics. She wasn't too familiar with the chosen song, but the bard's battle commands were so seamlessly integrated into the song that Zoe hardly even knew they weren't the original lyrics. She applauded the bard, then laughed as he began to dance with his Sableye. So pleased was the warrior princess with the bard that she was able to overlook the off-beat Mud Bombs. "The award for most creative lyrics goes to Team Bard!" she cried. "And that puts both teams back at a tie!"

 

At her side, Merida applauded as well, cheering for both teams to step up their game even more than they already had.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

Gnip was struck by the Mud Bombs, but continued to roar towards the sky in time with the music. Nothing was gonna stop her now. She admitted that she liked the spirit of Gawain, but all good things must end. She waited for Evan's next command, having a feeling what was coming up.

 

Boy, did she feel bad for Gawain right now.

 

Evan smiled at Zoe's declaration, taking this as sign of the end. What better way to end this, than in the most bombastic way possible. Still dancing, Evan went over to Jenny, gently grasped her hands, and started to perform an energetic two step with her. The moves of the two flowed like the water nearby, as they spun 'round and round. As they danced, Evan sang the finale....

 

 

"Baby, she can take you down (Down!)

She can dance across the stars (The stars!)
'cause there is no limit to her (There is no limit, yeaaaah!)
Baby, just take a chance (A chance!)
and soon you shall understand (Understand!)
why they say she's so angry!... oooh!"

 

Gnip took that as a cue to use her most devastating attack: Outrage. Unleashing a mighty roar, Gnip rushed towards Gawain, glowing red as she advanced closer and closer to the Swampert. She could see that Gawain was kicking it into severe overdrive to keep up with her assault. She admired that quality in other pokemon. She leapt towards Gawain, and started to slash at him with her claws and fins, to the beat no less. Gawain raised his arms to help him weather the assault, but the power of this she-dragon was incredible. Nevertheless he continued to hold on. Evan continued to sing, making sure that he and Jenny stuck to the beat.

 

"Baby, she can take you far(Far!)

She's the envoy of the stars (The stars!)
'cause there is no limit to her (There is no limit, yeaaaah!)
Baby, just take a chance (A chance!)
and soon you shall understand (Understand!)
why they say she's so mighty!... oooh!"

 

Gnip continued her rampage against Gawain, slicing with more force each time she struck. Gawain looked almost ready to faint from the sheer fatigue he was dealing with. He was right: she had quite the power. But he wasn't gonna go down that easily.

 

As the song drew to a close, Evan and Richard sung out the last of the lyrics, each adding their own twist on the performance. Richard belted out a stunning violin performance, while dancing with Hades. Evan and Jenny slowed their dance down, as Evan started to sing in a more subdued voice

 

Uh-huh!
Uh-huh!

"Get off the wall
and hit the dance floor
Ah... a-chicka... a-ah... ah...
C'mon!"

 

As the song drew to a close, Gnip unleashed a final attack, putting all of her might into it. The attack broke Gawain's defenses, knocking him down. Gnip started to move away from Gawain, knowing it was over, when she saw he was still standing. Shaking like the land did earlier, but still standing.  Gnip was overcome by an incredible sense of resolve emanating from Gawain. As if he we saying "I cannot beat you, but I shall not lose to you either!". Gnip walked over to Gawain, and patted the Swampert on his shoulder, as if she were congratulating him for his refusal to go down....

Edited January 21, 2015 by Hades

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"Right, together...." Dahlia said. She looked around at everyone present.... Some of the people present would most certainly work together quite well... But their ability to work together as a whole was still up in the air. And bringing in more people could potentially alleviate that fact, or make it even worse....

 

"So your brother's coming over to help us, then?" Aspen asked. "Ask him if he's bringing anyone else who knows what they're doing, I'm pretty sure he'd know at least one person who can help..."

"Right... The more the merrier, right?" Olivia said, looking towards Zach. "Speaking of which, do you have anyone else's number who you maybe traveled with before in Unova and is available to help?"

"Oh, I intended to spread the message as well." Aria clarified. "But why would the public listen to some random Lucario and Gardevoir? They need someone they look up to, someone they respect to spread the message as well...." the Lucario explained. "Who better to promote the message than a Frontier Brain and his legendary? If the public can be convinced to purchase packs of gum by slapping a Pokemon League official's face on it, then the same principle should have similar effectiveness when telling others to save their own skin."

Amethyst's Pokeball also rumbled, joining in on the conversation between Aria, Cresselia, and Palmer. "Who's to say that Blade couldn't help either?" the Gardevoir asked. "Gallade can still communicate telepathically, even if their preferred method of battling is to punch faces in, right?"

Edited January 21, 2015 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

"Or, we could just ask Jacob's Espurr to give a few of our stronger pokemon a lift into the window, and have them help everyone up." Jake shrugged. "Just an idea."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Lucia==-

 

The two siblings nodded, as Lucia chuckled.

"Point taken." Lucia said with a smile, and thought for a moment, and looked over to her aunt. "Would you like to join us?" Lucia asked, as Stacy thought for a moment, and then nodded with a frown.

"Someone attacking my hometown... I couldn't bear the thought. I'll definitely join you in hearing about this." Stacy said, and Ryan nodded, as the group of four walked out of the house.

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

"Hmm, good idea about asking Ryan about others, Aspen..." Zach said, and was about to type up his response, when Olivia mentioned the others from Unova, and froze. "... No." Zach shook his head, as he seemed distant for a moment, and then looked back up at the redhead. "I don't have their numbers, and they wouldn't likely want to help at all." Zach said, as he looked away, thinking of the obvious reason why. However, before he could really focus on that, he heard the jingle of the door, and footsteps headed toward them.

"Yo; what's this about Celadon in danger?" Zach looked up in surprise, as Ryan was standing there, with two unfamiliar girls and Aunt Stacy.

"... How'd you...?" Zach asked in total confusion, as Ryan looked back, equally as confused.

"We were here already. What's this about Celadon in danger?" Ryan asked again, as Zach looked past him to Lucia and Jamie.

"Who are they? Why is Aunt Stacy here?" Zach asked, and Ryan put his head in his hands.

"You're wasting time..." Ryan sighed, but shook his head. "Zach, Lucia, Lucia, Zach, congrats, you two are siblings. Zach, Jamie, Jamie, Zach, she isn't a sibling." Ryan quickly introduced the two girls, and then blinked, as he looked around the table, at Dack and Madison and Zach and Olivia. "... What'd I do, walk into the couple's restaurant, or what?" Ryan asked, but shook his head. "Nevermind that, Celadon, danger, can someone explain before we waste more time?" Ryan asked, obviously getting a bit irritated at having the question ignored.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe
The warrior princess cheered as Evan and Jenny began to two step. Maybe it was because it was a more formal dance, but she found the two step more appealing than Richard and Hades' moonwalk. She found herself wishing that the Ex-Hero and his Space Princess had arrived a day earlier so they could have joined in the Liberty Ball. Zoe was pulled from her thoughts by the Superstar Dragon's mighty roar. She watched as Gnip unleashed a devastating final blow on Gawain... only for the Knight of the Round to remain standing.
 
But with the song over, the battle had also ceased. Zoe cracked a smile at Gnip's display of good sportsdragonship. It reminded her of Collie during their games of 'Rockets and Liberties.'
 
"Alright, the battle is over!" Zoe declared, holding out her arms. "Let's tally up the points! The Ex-Hero and the Space Princess' dance earned them lots of points, as did the Superstar Dragon's show of strength and rhythm. But Sir Knight refused to yield, even against the toughest of foes! Overall the winner is Team Space, with Team Bard coming in at a very close second! But all of you put on a fantastic show!" She turned to Richard with a grin. "Better luck next time. Now, you said you had a song for us?"
 
IC: Dack/Madison/Luke
Dack had to admit he was impressed with the timeliness of Zach's brother. He was not impressed with the fact that the brothers spent a solid minute saying hi and catching up. "You two talk too much," he said. "Celadon is being targeted by a rogue Rocket executive who plans to attack the city with an army in order to obtain revenge and satisfy a longtime grudge against her childhood friend. We know the executive, Hannah, has a Gardevoir, Rapidash, Noivern, and Ditto, along with her signature Pokémon, Staraptor. Earlier this morning, her Ditto transformed into Groudon and attacked Sootopolis in the Hoenn Region. We know she's dangerous. What we don't know is what her army is like or when she plans to attack, but it will likely be sometime today."
 
Luke gave a low whistle. "Someone copy that down and pass it out on fliers. That's the best summary of this crazy day I've heard."
 
"We're trying to recruit anyone who's willing to help," Madison explained. "Your support would be greatly appreciated. I think if we can get large enough groups at key points throughout the city, we'll be able to fend off the attack."
 
Palmer, meanwhile, merely nodded to the newcomers and returned to his conversation with the telepaths, projecting his thoughts to Cresselia so she could relay them to Aria and Amethyst.
 
Your bitterness toward celebrity marketing campaigns will do us no good here, Lucario, the Lunar Pokémon said. While Palmer agrees that the masses are likely to listen to what he has to say, people like our waitress and Zach's brother have already proven that if their city's in danger, they don't care who tells them the news. The Gallade will also be helpful, as would any telepaths our new friends might have.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Lucia/Zach==-

 

"Right. Then we fight." Ryan said with a frown, and looked over to Lucia, who seemed just as grim, and nodded.

"How did she manage to get an army...?" Lucia mumbled, but shook her head, and looked at the assembled group. "We need to tell the others about this; they'll definitely be interested to know about what's going on here..." Lucia said, as her frown deepened. How could this executive have gotten approval for an army for what what basically a revenge mission?

 

Zach, on the other hand, waved his hand in the air to catch the attention on the others.

"Hold up, say what you just said again, Ryan?" Zach asked, and Ryan blinked.

"... We fight?" Ryan asked in confusion, and Zach shook his head.

"Before that." Zach said, obviously not believing what Ryan had said, as the brother thought for a moment about what Zach was talking about.

"... You mean about... Oh." Ryan said, and scratched his head. "... Well, it's kinda a long story, but to sum it up, Gerald once again caused things to happen, and... long story." Ryan said, and Zach frowned.

"... I've got time." Zach said pointedly, and Ryan sighed.

"Gerald was rough with me and Lucia, Lucia was hidden away, and apparently mom's alive." Ryan explained, and Zach blinked, and looked at Ryan incredulously, as if he had three heads. Both Stacy and Lucia sighed, and nodded.

"Hard to believe, but yeah, apparently true." Lucia said, and Stacy nodded again to confirm.

 

Ryan shook his head, and looked back over to Dack.

"Do we know who this target is? If we can warn the person at the least, then maybe we might have yet another person on our side here... Though, at this rate, we seem to have a small army of our own." Ryan said with a slight chuckle.

[Ehksidian]

IC: Arius Jacobson

"I...ah, don't think Eyes would be able to do that very well. She's psychic, yes, but..." Arius looked down at the Espurr. The Espurr stared right back at him. "...Yeah."

[Prowl Nightwolf]

OOC: Guess I am going to try my luck

== Alamos Town ==

IC: - Yugo Doseki -
 
Yugo Doseki was a new trainer of only about 15. A bit old for typically starting out on his journey but it was not by choice. His father left long ago to help with the war and his mother had died in a house fire several weeks back. With nowhere else to go Yugo left his home town. Yugo had been raised with Pokémon in the household and enjoyed pokemon in general. He went as far as to actually rehabilitate an injured baby sandshrew he found one day. His Mother agreed to let him keep it and raise it as his own as long as he cleaned up after it. Yugo did just this and his sandshrew at the shock of Yugo evolved into a sandslash. This happened after a battle with a wild charmander than somehow managed to get into the yard and attack his recovering sandshrew. After a grueling battle sandshrew managed to defeat the charmander and Yugo captured it. He named the Pokémon Spitfire. Yugo's family also had a special pidgey they raised as a pet named Airazor. It was with these 3 pokemon Yugo left with on his Pokémon journey and it was these three pokemon he walked into Alamos Town with...

 

"Here we are, Alamos Town." Yugo said to his pokemon who were at that moment held snug in their poke balls. Yugo was sitting on his bike just outside the Town limits looking at the town as a whole. "I hope they have a Pokemon Center my feet are killing me."

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

Olivia frowned upon Zach's adverse reaction to mentioning Unova... She had nearly forgotten how sensitive a topic it was for him, even still... "Well, hopefully your brother comes soon so we can ask-" she began, until Ryan and three others walked through right after. She didn't know who they were, but they seemed like they could help and-"Wait, sister?!" Olivia asked incredulously. She had been over to the Hikari house more than a few times in the past, and there was never any mention of a third sibling...... She was in fact so baffled that she didn't even reach out to punch Ryan's shoulder for his comment clearly aimed at her and Zach.

"What the, long-lost siblings or something?" Aspen muttered, similarly confused. "Oooookay, that's weird, how the heck, just, how messed up is your family now?" he asked Zach and Ryan.

 

"I-I'm Dahlia, these are my siblings, Olivia and Aspen." Dahlia said. She nearly began to explain things, but Dack took over, to which she nodded in response to. "That's what happened, and most of us were there for when Hannah attacked Sootopolis, except for Natalie here." the gardener explained, motioning towards the nearby waitress. "There was also someone else with us, her name was Ellen, but she couldn't make it to Celadon. We do have some more people now, but is there any chance you three could find others to help out, or maybe spread the message?"

Aria shrugged at the Lunar Pokemon's response. "Yes, but Natalie for example got the message from a reliable source she trusts, aka a close friend. The average person would be quite doubtful of any claim made by a complete stranger, such as some Lucario with a scarf." she explained. "They'd write me off as crazy and call the authorities should I pester them too much. But the thing about celebrities, the public feels like they're friends with them even if they've never met face to face. So it's simply natural to assume that they'd trust a message coming from Palmer and Cresselia far more than the same warning coming from the likes of me."

 

"Ya hear that, Blade?" Amethyst asked the Gallade through her Pokeball. "We've recruited you for spreading the message. Also, hello new people, you wouldn't happen to have any telepaths on you, would you?"

[Franco]

IC: Cero cleared his throat, thinking. He wasn't exactly sure of what he was doing, but he knew staying here was not an option, and going--or growing--with Kyle was. He knew so little. To know more, he'd have to move forward; to become stronger, he'd have to face more challenges. And he had to progress, because all he had was that which had been given to him.

 

He wanted more. He wanted someone who was also committed to development, someone who wasn't bound to one place, and someone who he could learn from; but he, without a name, mainly just wanted someone to identify with.

 

The word "friend" came to mind.

 

"Mind if I come with?"

[Makuta of Time]

IC: Dandy

 

"Well if its one thing I know about ruins, is that some type of tribal stuff is invovled. I went up against something about ruins one time a while back. Though,  I eneded up breaking them and leaving the place in even more ruin." Dandy looked at the writing a bit more before continuing his talk.

 

"Was there any legends about stuff out of natural? If there are, I'm guessing someone found out and decided to test if it was real. It's just a theory."

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Lumiose City, Streets:

 

Kyle hesitated in answering. It was not because he still hardly knew Cero--at least, not mainly; if anything, he had learned from Unova that picking up strangers was actually an effective way of meeting new people and building friendships, even if said strangers possessed an unnatural knack for driving him up the wall. No; what caused him to hesitate was the implication of the changed trip dynamic. He couldn't help but remember Silvermind's orders, and because of that, Kyle couldn't help but recognize the difficulties that could arise from having a third party around.

 

Trying to coerce Esen into joining Team Liberty would be much more difficult in that case. Even more so if the attempt was made with the intent of not betraying both of their origins. Almost impossible, in fact . . .

 

And tempting. Very tempting.

 

"Not at all!" Kyle replied with a smile. He looked around at the various signs and postings, and then turned, gesturing for Cero to follow. "Station's this way. Come on!"

 

I can play this game, too, Silvermind, he silently mused. I'm not about to force someone into a dead war if I can help it . . .

 

IC - Sonja Baron - The Alamo, Infirmary:

 

In all truth, Sonja wasn't sure what to say. But she could imagine what Ryan was feeling. After all, it hadn't been that long ago that her home region had been devastated . . . She took a deep breath, and then pulled her fellow Liberty Agent into a hug.

 

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. After several moments, Sonja pulled back. "As bad as it might be, the best thing we can probably do at this point is keep moving forward--help make sure no one else falls victim to whatever happened to them." She frowned, looking away as a thought came to her. "Do you think it's possible that we might find something about them in Fortree? Some clue about what transformed them?"

Edited January 23, 2015 by Parugi

[Prowl Nightwolf]

== Yugo Doeski ==

IC:

 

Yugo sat on his bike just looking at the town when he noticed something off the way. For whatever reason he abandoned the town and traveled down the route to find a Power plant and could see something amiss. Grabbing a pokeball from his waist he clicked the center tab causing the ball to increase in size, "Airazor! Check around and see if you notice anything!" Releasing the tab the pokeball opened in his hand revealing a pidgey.

 

Airazor gave a quick nod before taking to the air and circling the area several times before she noticed a group of people around the back of the Plant. She circled several times before returning back to Yugo and signaling him to follow her.

 

Yugo looked up as he watched his pokemon return calling out and circling several times before flying back to the Power plant. "Well I guess she found something," He said to himself as he pushed off the ground to start his bike rolling. Following slowly behind Airazor until he seen the group of 5 individuals talking. Airazor decided all on her own to just land on the window and look down at them chirping as it pruned its feathers. "Airazor you silly Pidgey. What do you think you're doing?" Yugo whispered as he tried to figure out what they were all doing there. He stayed back not wanting to be noticed just yet. Getting off his bike he collapsed it and loaded it onto his pack.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Not one day ago, Ryan would have jumped at the thought of Sonja hugging him. But given the current circumstances, he was too preoccupied with the Garvens' fate to care. He merely grateful for Sonja's support, and took solace in the fact that she didn't completely hate him.

 

He took a deep breath, blinking back his tears, and looked at Ray. "It's been over a year," he said in response to his question. "The last time I saw them was before I joined Team Liberty." When Sonja spoke, his face paled. "I'd hate to think that what transformed them might still be in Fortree. But you're right, we should probably head there. I need to check on Ellen, anyway. And... Melanie and Melissa's parents deserve to know what happened." He gave a heavy sigh and looked down with unfocused eyes. "W-we can take a boat first thing in the morning. Right now I think I just need to lie down..."

 

IC: George

"I don't know of any legends regarding the Tanoby Ruins specifically," George said, frowning at the writing.

 

As a police captain, he dealt with cold, hard facts. The laws of the city governed the people, and the laws of nature governed the world. Myths and legends were little more than stories told to pass the time; tales spun by the bards of old. If Dandy was right in there being a legend behind all this, it was likely a case of some madman widely misinterpreting the folklore. In any case, it was George's duty to put whoever was responsible for the electrostatic interference behind bars.

 

"Let's search around here for any clues," he said. "If we can't find anything here, perhaps we'll have better luck at the ruins." George moved to check the exterior of the cave. The moment he stepped foot outside, a fierce roar echoed throughout the canyon. The police captain reached instinctively for his pistol as the ground started to shake. At first George thought it was an aftershock of the initial quake, perhaps a secret passage opening up. As the rumbling grew louder, he quickly realized it was footsteps. Big footsteps.

 

A second roar heralded the gargantuan form of a Rhydon charging toward the cave. In a few seconds, George sized up the situation. The Rhydon was slightly limping, but that didn't seem to slow its running any. He and Dandy were stuck at a dead end with a small cave barely twenty feet long as their only shelter. He quickly replaced his gun, knowing the weapon would be largely ineffective against the Rhydon's thick hide, and grabbed a Pokéball instead. He wondered if this was another Pokémon that had gone mad like the Feraligatr. But as the Rhydon drew closer, he realized that was not the case.

 

The Rhydon wasn't mad.

 

It was furious.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray nodded, as he agreed with the plan.

"Good idea." Ray said, but then frowned subtly; whatever had happened, had occurred while Ryan was away, from the sounds of it. Ray looked over to Sonja to see if she had any thoughts about what might have happened, but couldn't figure it out himself.

Though, that gives us time to meet up with Evan and Jenny first, too.

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke
Dack looked at Lucia. "How did she manage to get an army? Through lots of trickery and lots of patience. The army was part of the generous benefits package that comes with getting promoted to Rocket Executive. As for who she's targeting, all I know is it's a girl named Shannon who's parents are apparently with Team Liberty. I agree, she'd be a welcome addition to our small army."
 
"We're going to need a lot more than this small army, though," Luke said. "That's why we need to recruit as many people as possible."
 
"If anyone should be recruited, it's Shannon," Madison said. "If we're lucky, maybe she and Hannah can just talk things out peacefully."
 
"Hannah's had this planned for years." Dack shook his head. "She's not going to back down that easily."
 
Cresselia mentally sighed. Be that as it may, there's no reason you can't help spread the word as well. Remember, if enough people start raising barricades or seeking refuge, others will catch on. When the entire world gets turned upside-down, suddenly that Lucario with a scarf doesn't seem so crazy.
 
IC: Jayron/Colette
As Colette walked down the tunnel toward the fourth chamber, she thought about what had happened so far. "A labyrinth, a Munna, and Arcanine and Manetric... Any guesses to what this all means?"

Jayron shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine. But don't forget the carvings. They might be related. Monean was a maze, and Liptoo had lights, sort of." He frowned. "And Weepth... I don't know, did that Arcanine almost look like it was weeping when it left?"

Colette frowned, and scratched her head. "Hmm... So, what, the first letters might correspond to things...?" She seemed unsure about that, but shrugged, as they came to the next entrance.

"It's a shot in the dark," Jayron said. "Which seems to be the best we can do down here... I still can't read anything other than that strange presence with my aura." They stopped walking as they reached the end of the tunnel. "What do you think this next one will say?"

Colette put her hand to her chin as she closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Hmmmm.... Regalana or something similar to that."

Jayron chuckled as he climbed out of the tunnel. "Maybe we should be writing these down. I wonder if Liberty has any intel on gibberish like this." He glanced around. This chamber seemed slightly brighter than the others, and the shadows dancing across the ceiling unnerved him.

Colette scratched her head. "This seems brighter than normal," she mumbled as she looked over to see what this chamber was actually called. The flickering light made it easier to read the letters scrawled into the wall, but they were no easier to comprehend.

'DILFORD.'

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's a cheap knockoff of Dewford," Jayron said, growing frustrated at the enigmatic names. "Be ready for anything."

Colette sighed. "So much for my totally random guess," she mumbled as she walked toward where she figured the next tunnel would be.

When they reached a gap in the wall leading toward the center of the chamber, they found the source of the light: a swirling yellow vortex of energy, radiating power. Jayron held out a hand to keep Colette from advancing further. "Is that aura?" he said in a low voice. "I've never seen aura energy just swirling around like that before."

Lucario closed his eyes. I can't tell if it's aura or not, but it's definitely blocking the next tunnel, he said.

Colette frowned, as she looked toward the energy. "Hmm, that's odd..."

Jayron formed an aura shield large enough to cover himself, Colette, and Lucario. "Keep an eye out for whoever might be controlling that thing," he said as the trio carefully began to move out into the open.

The vortex seemed to undulate in an almost hypnotic pattern. Colette couldn't tell if her eyes were playing tricks on her, but it almost looked like there was the silhouette of a person inside. She blinked, as she thought about that for a moment. "... Jayron, how big would you say that 'vortex' is...?"

"Don't worry about it," Jayron said. "Just keep moving."

Colette frowned, really uncertain about the vortex, as she continued to stare toward it. "No, seriously, I have a bad feeling about this..."

The moment the words were out of Colette's mouth, a hand shot out of the vortex. Followed by another hand, and a foot. As the rest of the body began to step out of the swirling mass of energy, Colette gasped. The figure that had emerged looked just like her. The only difference was that while Colette was still in her pajamas, her doppelganger was wearing her usual outfit, complete with yellow gloves and dog ears.

 

Colette's eyes widened for a moment in shock, and then she frowned. "Dilford, Doppelganger, it keeps happening." She sighed, as she shook her head. "Right then, this is new, though."

Jayron blinked in surprise. "I don't suppose I'll be coming out of there next?" The fake Colette took one look at the trio and shot an aura sphere at them. The sphere exploded against Jayron's shield, knocking the trio off their feet. Jayron winced as he picked himself up. "Lucario, show that fake a real Aura Sphere!"

Lucario started to charge an attack, but Colette frowned and put her hand up. "... No. This is a clone of me. The best counter... Is myself."

Jayron glanced from one Colette to the other. "You sure about this? Lucario and I can help."

Colette nodded. "I'm sure. I know myself better than anyone."

The Colette double walked forward and fired another aura sphere at the trio. Jayron instinctively threw up another shield, grimacing against the strength of the attack. "Somehow I don't think she has the same idea in mind!" he cried.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Lucia/Zach==-

 

Lucia frowned, as she considered that fact.

"But... It's peace time. There's no way that anyone would approve an army in this ti-" Lucia was starting to say, but then got cut off, as Ryan looked at Dack with a frown.

"... Did you say Shannon?" Ryan asked, and looked as if that were impossible. "It can't be... Could it be Shannon Willows?" Ryan wondered, as he half mumbled that to himself, but then focused on Dack again, as his frown grew deeper. "This 'Hannah'... Is her name Hannah Wright?" Ryan asked, as those two came to mind, but... It couldn't be them, could it?

 

"Oh, I heard." Blade replied nonchalantly, as a higher pitched voiced squeaked up after that.

"Yes, the newcomers have telepaths, and we have names, you know!" The voice, said, and Blade sighed.

"Alright, so tell me, oh squeaky one, what is your name?" Blade asked, and that seemed to make the voice pause for a moment.

"Anna!"

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette frowned, and then ran to the side, as she charged up an aura sphere of her own, and fired it toward her clone, trying to draw its attention away from the others.

The doppelganger tilted her head slightly and gave a confident smile. "I'll deal with your friends later."

Extending a hand, she formed a large aura shield and pushed it toward Jayron and Lucario. The shield pushed the trainer and Pokémon against the wall, then curved at the edges, effectively trapping them. Jayron banged his fist against the barrier and Lucario fired an aura sphere, but the shield stood unyielding. Colette's double giggled. "That should keep them busy for a while."

Colette took a step back for a couple reasons, but the one that caught her off guard the most... "You can talk?"

The double laughed. "Of course I can. Why are you so surprised?" She turned toward Colette with a sinister grin. "You know what else I can do? THIS!" With surprising speed, she hurled a large aura sphere at her twin.

Colette rolled to the side, and then frowned. "How nice," she said as she breathed in and charged up an aura sphere to fire at the clone.

The clone formed a shield to deflect Colette's attack, appearing unimpressed. "Really, is that the best you can do? And you call yourself an aura wielder?" With a flick of her wrist, she formed half a dozen aura spheres and sent them all flying toward Colette at once.

Colette frowned, as she was unsure how to respond to that, but dodged out of the way once more. How can a clone of me be like this? she wondered, but tried to mimic her clone's multiple spheres attack in response.

The clone spun around, dodging some of the spheres and deflecting others with her shield. She tilted her head again. "You're an interesting girl. You insist on battling me alone, rejecting help from your friends. Why is that?"

Colette paused, as she stood on guard. "You..." She smiled subtly. "You're not a true clone. You can't be; or you'd know that answer already. So... Who are you?" she asked as she frowned again.

The double smiled. "I'm Colette. But you can call me Collie. And who are you?"

Colette smirked at that. "That's where you made a mistake," she said, before she dashed forward recklessly and charged up an aura sphere in her hands, a frown on her face. "Very few people call me Collie."

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"Oh great." Aspen muttered while facepalming upon hearing Ryan's question. "Yet another way that you guys are somehow connected to each other unknowingly.... Really, the first connection was a little strange, the second one stranger, I'm beginning to question the existence of fate now and if it has a sense of humor." the boy sighed. "At least it looks like me and my family aren't involved in this... I dunno, web of coincidences...."

Olivia scratched her head, as she couldn't help but slightly agree with Aspen's comment on the overall situation. "To be fair, it does make things a whole lot easier for us now... If Ryan really did know Hannah and Shannon before, he knows where to find Shannon, right?" the red-haired trainer asked. "Even if them reconciling their differences is impossible, having Shannon on our side means another ally, right?

"Speaking of allies, I was picked to go try and get Erika on our side too, right?" Dahlia asked. "Well, I'm certain I'm not the only one who's unaligned here, anyone else who might wanna go with me?"

Aria was silent for several seconds. Then she began clapping, not in a sarcastic, mocking way, but a genuine applause. The ends of the Lucario's lips also curved up, as she began to speak once more. "Very, very good, Cresselia. It takes a lot to impress me, but your logic is sound." she said. "Though, I would have expected no less from a legend. Very well, once you kickstart several people into taking action, I and the others will continue spreading the word." she offered. "That sound agreeable?"

"Anna? Like that cousin of Zach's?" Amethyst began. "Well, whatever. Welcome on board, then... What are you? A Smoochum maybe? And did Ryan's friends bring any more psychics?"

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

Ruth observed the shiny Pidgey land on top of the window, and sighed. "Man.... Flying would make things so much easier. Especially situations like this...."

Caliburn observed the area behind everyone, and his eye spotted Yugo eyeing them. The Royal Sword Pokemon chimed to get everyone's attention, and direct them to this odd stranger observing them.........

Edited January 24, 2015 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke
Dack stared at Ryan incredulously. "You know her?" he cried.
 
"Man, small world, huh?" Luke said with a laugh. He glanced at Ryan. "How well do you know this Shannon? Is she someone we could count on to help us fight?"
 
"How close was she with Hannah?" Madison wondered aloud. "I'd hate to have to tell her that her best friend is destroying the city because of her."
 
When Aspen spoke up, Dack shot him a glare. "Like it or not, you are involved. If you wanted to avoid this web we're in, you should have stayed with your auntie in Sootopolis."
 
Very well, Cresselia said to Aria. She turned her attention to the newcomer. Anna, we'll need your help to warn the people of Celadon about Hannah's impending attack. Give them a choice to defend their city or seek refuge. It's a very important task. Think you're up to it?
 
IC: Colette/Clonette
The double calling herself Collie crafted an aura shield the size of her body and pushed it toward Colette. "Well I wouldn't expect anyone to call you Collie," she said seriously. "That would be terribly ironic. So what do they call you?" She formed another aura sphere in her hands and stood poised to throw it, but paused, waiting for her opponent to answer.

Colette narrowed her eyes. "Colette Natalie Llyan." As she spoke, she quickly fired off an aura sphere to try and beat out the double's own attack.

"Oh, how interesting," 'Collie' said as she ducked under Colette's aura sphere and tossed her own with a slight spin. "I must admit, it's been fun chatting with you. It seems like we have a lot in common. It'll be sad when I have to destroy you."

Colette twisted out of the way, and then dashed forward again, as she tried to keep her clone on her feet with a few cautionary aura spheres. "Funny; I was about to say the same thing."

Collie laughed as she sidestepped and sent an aura sphere at Colette as she passed. "I admire your confidence, but I think we've already proven which of us is the better aura wielder."

Colette smiled, however, and twisted ever so slightly. "Have we?" she asked, her smile widening as she very quickly followed through on her twist, unleashing her aura as she did so. With waves of yellow aura visibly radiating out from her, Colette prepared and fired an aura sphere at the clone's chest in one smooth motion.

Collie was not expecting that. The aura sphere struck its target, knocking her back against the wall. "Ouch," she said. "That actually hurt." The doppelganger stood back up with a wide grin. "I guess it's time to go all out!" She dashed over to the swirling vortex and absorbed the aura into her body. Then a magnificent aura exploded around her, casting the entire chamber into a brilliant yellow light. Colette's double rose into the air as the aura started to swirl around her, creating a harsh wind. "Witness the true power of an aura master!" she cried over the storm. Laughing maniacally, she raised her arms above her head and formed a giant Aura Sphere. "Prepare to be annihilated, Colette Natalie Llyan!"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan scratched his head, as everyone started talking at once.

"Well, mostly I only sorta know her; she used to be in the school I went to, maybe a grade or two lower, I forget..." Ryan said, and tried to think about how the two used to act. "From what I recall, they seemed to be okay with each other, but... Well, after what you say, I'm kinda doubting myself, and it's been over, what, five years at the least?" Ryan said, and sighed. "We might have talked a couple times, but that'd mostly be like in the cafeteria or after class, and mostly they were in a group of other friends, so yeah..." Ryan shrugged, but frowned.

"None-the-less, though, it all does make sense, now; Willows moved here a while back, but I forgot because things just started to go downhill for me after a while... Never really saw her in the few times we visited Aunt Stacy before that, either." Ryan said, as he tried to recall the last time he had seen either of the girls, and then shrugged. "As for Wright, she was there pretty much the entire time until I left, so I can't really say..." Ryan said, and then paused. "... Though... I don't think I saw her in my final days of school, that one year..." Ryan said, as he struggled to recall any other time he might have seen Hannah around.

 

"All I know is that we should tell Wil-" Ryan started to say, before a loud squawk sounded out.

"SMOOCHUM!?" Ryan covered his ears, despite that not helping, as Anna let herself out of her Pokeball; the Natu hopping angrily toward the table. "Who said that; let me at them!" Anna psychically said, as Ryan put his hand to his head, growing embarrassed at and for the Natu.

"Hey, squeaky, chill out a bit." Blade said with a sigh, and Ryan nodded, not wanting a fight to break out, especially right then.

 

Zach rubbed his head with his hand, finding the cacophony of noises really distracting.

"Well, aunt Stacy's not involved with the war, and is a Celadon resident; she might be able to help..." Zach mumbled through his growing headache, as he tried to ignore the rest of the noise.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette shielded her eyes for a moment, but then frowned, and gathered up power around her hand. "I won't back down! No matter what!" she yelled out, as she held out her hand and fired her gathered aura, trying to beat out the other blast.

"Then that makes two of us!" Collie cried. "I will not rest until I have defeated you!" Her eyes burned with an unyielding determination as she fired her own sphere. The two attacks exploded in a brilliant burst of light. The doppelganger quickly fired several aura spheres into the vortex that swirled around her. The spheres spun around at a dizzying speed, coming dangerously close to Colette with each revolution.

Colette yelled out as she attempted to send off some of the excess aura energy that surrounded her into the circling spheres, then dashed forward and fired off three more aura spheres toward her clone at once. She was subtly starting to feel the drain of the fight; but she had made a promise, and was not going to back down at all.

Two of Colette's aura spheres were deflected by the circling spheres, but the third one hit its mark, striking the fake in the face. Collie shrieked in pain, her face contorting into one of pure rage. "No! I will destroy you, Colette Natalie Llyan! I refuse to back down!" Blasts of aura rained down on Colette from above, while the circling spheres began to spin even faster.

Colette frowned as she rolled out of the way of most of the blasts, but one struck her left shoulder, causing her to wince. Not about to give up just yet, Colette fired upwards quickly, sending off three more blasts in a row; even though she wasn't sure how much longer she could actually keep this up.

Collie screamed, her eyes livid as she formed her largest aura sphere yet and fired it with astounding speed. "Goodbye, Colette Nata-"

 

The doppelganger was cut off as Colette's three aura blasts struck her in the head in quick succession. For a moment she seemed to hang there, suspended in disbelief. Then the vortex around her dissipated and she crumpled to the floor.

Colette panted, her aura's glow fading. "... Finally..." she mumbled as she fell to a knee and gripped her shoulder with a wince, then looked over to where Jayron and Lucario were.

The shield the two were trapped behind started to dissipate, and the executive wasted no time in rushing over to his fellow aura wielder. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"No....." the doppelganger groaned, extending her arm weakly. "I must destroy you.... I made... a promise..."

Colette glared over at her clone, astounded at her refusal to back down. "And what exactly is that promise?" she asked, moving her hand off her shoulder to aim at the clone once more. "Because I made a promise too... And intend to keep it."

The doppelganger lifted her head to look at Colette, her eyes full of sadness. "I was supposed to protect Alexa... no matter what.... But I've... failed...." Just as her tears started to fall, the double's body began to disintegrate. She stifled a gasp, quickly realizing what was happening. But she made no move to fight it; she had resigned herself to her fate. The girl bowed her head as the rest of her body evaporated into wisps of aura that vanished on the air. The fallen tears were the only indication that she had ever existed.

Colette bit her lip, and simply closed her eyes, bowing her head low to the ground. For a long moment she sat motionless, before standing up wordlessly. "... Let's go." she said as she walked past the other two, making sure to keep her face out of view; because although she refused to admit it, she had found herself tearing up slightly as well.

[JiMing]

OOC: You know what, this has been waaaaay too long in the making. Apologies, and enjoy the beginning of a new story!

IC: (Take a guess)

Sootopolis City was a somber, sad shadow of its previous glory, after Hannah's attack ravaged it. The Pokemon Center was packed, people lay dead or soon-to-be dead on the streets, families were torn apart... And the skies were dark.

Yet the dark skies soon became filled with a sound, the source of which soon revealed itself to be several helicopters, all converging around the crater city. Descending, the doors opened to allow their passengers to exit the vehicles.

One such occupant leapt out without hesitation, a young girl wearing a red, black and yellow uniform with a watch-like device on her wrist. An Altaria followed, the girl landing on its back while the Pokemon circled around in the air before landing safely on the ground. Others with the same outfit quickly followed suit, and others still waited for the helicopters to descend slightly further to leap out.

In front of the group gathered, an older , reddish brown-haired man with the same outfit and watch stood up, a Floatzel at his side. He looked at the destruction in front of him and turned to those behind him. "Alright Rangers, listen up, and listen up carefully!" the man cried out. "We came here to help, but the problem looks worse than we expected... For now, don't worry about recruiting Pokemon to your side. First, we gotta provide as much direct relief as we can. That clear?" he asked.

Every Ranger nodded their head, and began wandering around, looking to help everyone around them. The girl who had leapt out first looked at horror at Sootopolis' state, and shook her head.

"We've got a lot to do, Aolani." she sighed. "Let's go." Lachina said, as she made her way through the ruined city....

OOC: Seatons IC will be edited in later when I'm not on a phone. xP

 

EDIT: What did I tell you?

IC: The Seatons

 

Aspen glared at Dack and facepalmed again. "No, no, I'm not talking about how we're gonna go up against Hannah and her army... I was talking about how apparently most of you guys here have some kind of connection with each other that we only now just know." he sighed. "I am almost certain that neither me nor my sisters have any hidden connections with anyone here or people you guys know.... At least, I hope we don't...."

Olivia listened on to Ryan's story and thought for a moment. "Hey, Zach? Have you ever seen those two around at school or so before?" she asked. "Nothing's ringing a bell, though maybe I just wasn't paying attention...."

"Aunt Stacy, huh?" Dahlia said, looking over to the Hikari's aunt. "Nice to meet you! Think you might be able to go along with me to recruit Erika? I mean, if you're a Celadon native, that should help things a lot."

 

"Oh, so not a Smoochum then." Amethyst said from her Pokeball. "I'm not out here at the moment, mind letting me know what you are?"

"Focus, little birdy." Aria advised. "There will be another time to let your emotions get the best of you. But now, you should answer Cresselia on whether you're willing to aid us by spreading the message to the residents of Celadon."

Edited January 24, 2015 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[Prowl Nightwolf]

== Yugo Doseki ==

IC: Ruth Fishers
 
Ruth observed the shiny Pidgey land on top of the window, and sighed. "Man.... Flying would make things so much easier. Especially situations like this...."

Caliburn observed the area behind everyone, and his eye spotted Yugo eyeing them. The Royal Sword Pokemon chimed to get everyone's attention, and direct them to this odd stranger observing them.........

 
Airazor looked down at the human girl Ruth and the others scattered around on the ground. She chirped several times while hopping in the window before pruning her other wing. Looking down again Airazor noticed a sword pokemon Caliburn and could tell it was looking at her trainer. Yugo was not very good at hiding if that's what he was really trying to do. Not knowing yet if the others noticed Yugo Airazor thought she better intervene. Spreading her wings she plunge down until she was a few inches off the ground and shifted her flight feathers ever so slightly weaved her way through the group of people and Pokémon before taking back to the air.
 
Yugo Doseki seen what his Pokémon was doing and couldn't help but palm his face. "She is going to get herself and me into so much trouble with these trainers. It is not going to be funny." He said quietly to himself. First she flies over there and teases them from an open window then she tries to throw them off balance by flying right at them. Figuring enough was enough he was going to have to manually retrieve his Pokémon. Getting to his feet he slowly walked into view. A trainer just over 5 and a half feet dressed in mostly black walked into the open and over where the other Trainers were congregating. As he got closer Airazor flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. Now that the jig was up Yugo figured he had better introduce himself to the group as well as his mischievous Pokémon.
 
"Hello there. I am sorry about that. My Pidgey here heard a commotion and flew off. I had to chase her down. My name is Yugo, and this little girl here is Airazor."

Edited January 24, 2015 by Prowl Nightwolf

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach/Ryan/Lucia/Stacy==-

 

Zach thought for a moment, but then shook his head.

"Not that I can recall..." Zach said, and tried to think more, but then just shook his head again. "I remember people vaguely, but no-one in particular, other than you, really. How old even is Hannah, anyway?" Zach asked Dack, confused about that.

 

Ryan, meanwhile, just looked over at Aspen.

"I can get the point, but not everything is relevant right from the start, or even known; I didn't even have a hint to who Wright was until Dack mentioned the details about Willows; and even then, I had to confirm..." Ryan said with a sigh, but nodded. "It is kinda odd, though. Can't say it hasn't been a roller coaster last few days, either..." Ryan said with another sigh, as he shook his head.

 

Lucia, in the meanwhile, thought for a moment, as she took everything in, and wracked her mind, trying to see if she had seen anyone who was like that at all while she had visited Celadon. Eventually, she sighed.

"Sorry guys, not recalling anything." Lucia said with an apologetic shrug.

 

"You...." Anna growled at Amethyst, before she took a deep breath, and nodded to Aria. "Right, uh, yes, um. I'm not exactly that good at anything, but I can try my best..." Anna said, as she awkwardly shuffled a bit.

 

Stacy, on the other hand, had kept quiet for the moment, until Dahlia addressed her.

"Nice to meet you too." Stacy said, as she bowed her head semi-formally with a smile. "As for helping, I'd be delighted." Stacy explained, and then thought for a moment. "I might be able to help with finding Ms. Willows, too; if I recall correctly, she should be around the southern area. I'm not entirely certain where, but I'm pretty sure she's somewhere in the eastern sector?" Stacy said,as she scratched her head slightly.

"I thought that might have been more help than it actually turned out to be..." Stacy admitted, as she smiled subtly sheepishly.

[Franco]

IC: "Yes," Cero said, pocketing the package and following Kyle. His future awaited him.

[Konuju]

IC: Ellen

One foot in front of the other.

 

It took all of Ellen's effort and focus just to perform this simple action. She wanted nothing more than to just collapse on the ashen ground and cry herself to sleep amidst the ruins of the once great city. The hard cobblestones looked as welcoming as her bed back home, and the settling dust would blanket her...

 

But no. She had to keep moving. Madison, Aspen, and the others were all depending on her. She had to find Ryan and bring him to Celadon. That was the only thing that kept her going.

 

Artemis tugged on her shirt.

 

One foot in front of the other. She had to keep moving. The harbor... that would take her back to Fortree. But she saw no harbor. All she saw was destruction. It was sickening. One foot in front of the other. She had to keep moving. If she walked far enough, she was bound to find her way to the harbor. Then she could take a boat. It would take her far from this place. But the memories would cling to her, and she could never forget...

 

Artemis tugged again.

 

The world was a cruel place, Ellen realized. It was hard to believe she had once lived in ignorance, believing all was good. Ford, Liberty, Rocket... there had been forces at play controlling her world without her ever realizing it. And she could see the effects of those forces. In the faces of the people of Sootopolis and Southeast Unova. In the face of the poor gardener Arddwyr. So much destruction... so much sadness....

 

No. She couldn't think about that. One foot in front of the other. She had to keep moving.

 

Artemis pulled hard, forcing Ellen to a stop. Ellen shifted her eyes to the Mienshao, her vision blurred by tears. She stared at Artemis for a long while, before she realized that her Pokémon was pointing up. Slowly, Ellen lifted her head, wiping her tears as she did so.

 

Amidst the blackened clouds several helicopters flew. Ellen stared up in confusion as people started jumping out of them, flying down toward the ground on their Pokémon. She didn't know who they were, but it was clear they had come to help.

 

"They're much too late for that," she muttered, returning her gaze to the charred street on which she tread.

 

One foot in front of the other.

 

She had to keep moving.

 

OOC: Oh no.

Guys. I think I broke Ellen.

 

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

Luke scoffed at Aspen. "No hidden connections? What, does your family live under a rock?"

 

Dack looked over at Zach. He opened his mouth to respond to his question, but was distracted by the sudden Natu's hopping and scuffling. "Will someone get this bird off the table?" he growled.

 

"Oh, but it's such a cutie!" Madison cried, taking the bird and pulling it into her lap.

 

"I don't want it anywhere near my food!" Dack glared, scooting the plate he and Madison shared away from the Natu. He looked back at Zach, shaking his head at how crowded their table had suddenly become. "Hannah's about twenty, I think."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Lucia/Zach==-

 

Anna shot Dack an indignant look.

"Hmph, can't be trusted, huh?" Anna asked; if she had arms to cross, she would almost certainly be doing that right now. Ryan simply sighed, and recalled the young Natu, as he simply stood nearby the table.

 

Zach nodded at Dack's reply, watching the Natu's antics in amusement until she was recalled.

"Hm, then she would be a grade ahead of me, likely, which probably partially explains things..." Zach said with a nod. He then thought for a moment, however, and looked across the table. "How about we get started on where people are going, the-" Zach began to speak...

 

"Right, so, grim guy, you, Aspen, and miss bad choice of clothing here are with me, probably Mr. Karate as well; we'll go find Willows. Dahlia, you take Stacy and Palmer here with you to go recruit Erika, and... I guess everyone else just chills and relaxes." Ryan rhymed off quickly, and then paused, and turned his head back to Palmer, and walked up to him, curiously.

"You're... You're Palmer of the Battle Frontier, aren't you?"

[JiMing]

OOC: @Kon I'd say that was likely a long time coming, but you wouldn't appreciate it if I said that, huh..... 

 

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Keith, the leader of the small band of Rangers took a second glance around at all the destruction, then to his Floatzel, and then back to the others. "Actually, if anyone has a Partner Pokemon who can fly or move you quickly, try spreading out and helping other areas, and keep in touch with my thro." the Top Ranger advised. "We're gonna need to help as many people in the shortest amount of time as possible....."

"Yes sir!" Lachina called out, as did several others. Some Rangers mounted Pokemon like Doduo and took off running along the ground, others took to the skies. Lachina fell under the latter category, getting on Aolani's back. She watched for a moment where her fellow Rangers were going, before heading off to another section of Sootopolis that the Ranger didn't see anyone go to.

"Right... This situation is bad.... Very, very bad...." she muttered to herself. "And they say a Groudon was behind all this? Wonder what chased it off..." Lachina mused, before leaping off her Partner Pokemon's back, landing on her feet afterwards. It was the same image throughout, broken homes, buildings, and people.... All of whom could use help. Glancing around, a young girl with auburn hair was walking nearby with her Mienshao and other Pokemon out.... Wandering almost aimlessly and without family....

 

"E-Excuse me, miss..." Lachina said, while approaching the girl. "My name's Lachina, of the Ranger Union... Do you need help?"

 

IC: The Seatons

 

Aspen glared back at Luke. "No, we used to live ordinary lives, until a certain somebody made us throw that out the window." he replied. "Whatever, I guess I'm going with Ryan, not like I had too much of a choice, but it works."

"To be honest, I-I don't really remember the names of anyone at school either..." Olivia admitted somewhat sheepishly, before trying to listen to Zach, who quickly got cut off by his brother. "Huh, I guess I don't really need to do anything... And neither do you, apparently?" she said to Zach.

 

Dahlia nodded to Ryan Hikari's plan. "I don't see a problem with that.... Stacy's a Celadon native and Palmer's a fellow Pokemon League official." she noted. "That means the three of us would be best at getting Erika on our side. Now we actually have to go do that...."

"Little birdy? So a Xatu, then?" Amethyst said, once more from within her Pokeball. "No.... No, that'd make you a big birdy." 

 

"While the humans split up, I say we put our plan in motion as well." Aria suggested to Cresselia. "You start off the process, get people in various locations informed. When they begin to take action, the work will be split by me, the Gardevoir, the Gallade, and the Natu." the Lucario said. "And we must remember not to waste any time, for the unstable executive and her army could choose to strike at any time."

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

"Hey!" Dack cried, shooting Ryan a glare. "When did you start giving the orders around here?"

 

"Dack," Madison pleaded, grabbing her friend's arm. "Don't start this again! We need to work together, remember?" Her face had turned red, partially from Ryan's comment about her choice of clothing, partially because it was indeed very hot.

 

"Whatever," Dack grumbled, taking a final bite of his meal. He glanced up at Natalie. "Looks like we'll be taking the rest of this to go."

 

"So what are we going to do?" Luke asked. "Just knock on doors asking for Willows?"

 

Cresselia relayed Aria's message to Palmer. The Frontier Brain nodded. "Sounds like a good plan. While we're off finding Willows and Erika, it sounds like some of our Pokémon who can communicate telepathically will start warning the rest of the citizens. We can all meet back at the fountain near the middle of the city, unless we're using this restaurant as our base of operations." Palmer finished speaking, then looked at Ryan. "And yes, I am Palmer of the Battle Frontier. It took your brother a while to recognize me as well... I must be getting old." The Tower Tycoon laughed.

 

OOC: No Ellen post yet. Still need to recover from that last one.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Konuju

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach/Ryan==-

 

Zach seemed rather amused at Dack's reaction, since he was wondering the same thing, but shrugged.

"I wouldn't argue with him, he can be stubborn sometimes." Zach said, and then smiled to himself somewhat.

Kinda like you, actually...

 

Ryan chuckled at the Tower Tycoon's comment, and scratched his head.

"I've had a lot on my mind, recently..." Ryan said sheepishly, but smiled. "Good to have you on our side, though, sir!" Ryan said, as he held out his hand to Palmer.

 

Stacy thought about the comment, and sighed.

"Well, unless we manage to find some clue to where she lives otherwise, then that might just be what we need to do, and hope she's home." Stacy said, unsure how else it might work.

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"Not every decision falls down to you, you know.." Aspsn growled with annoyance at Dack. "Keep that attitude up and no one except that black belt and your girlfriend will wanna listen to you...."

 

"....Huh, yeah, Palmer of the Battle Frontier, helping us.." Olivia mutters as the cogs in her brain finally got into place. "...Never thought I'd get to say that sentence before.... These last few days really have been crazy, h-huh?" she asked Zach.

 

Dahlia thought for a bit, and then looked over at the group. "You know, someone could look up her address, online or in a phone book lately. I mean, if Shannon still lives here that is..." she said. "Oh wait, Natalie?" the gardener asked. "Did your fiance respond to your message?"

 

Aria nodded to confirm Palmer's statement. "I along with Cresselia, Amethyst, Blade, and Anna will split up and warn the citizens of Celadon while the rest of you search for more recruits."

Edited January 25, 2015 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

"Keep your attitude up and no one but your sisters will wanna even be with you," Dack shot back at Aspen.

 

"Ignore him, Dack," Madison said. "You're better than that."

 

"I can handle Zach," Dack growled. "I can even deal with his brother ordering us around, telling us what we already knew we had to do. But that kid is really starting to get on my nerves!"

 

"He's got a point, Madison," Luke chimed in. "It's hard to work with someone who keeps antagonizing us."

 

Madison gave an exasperated sigh, wishing Ryan had paired them up with Dahlia instead of Aspen. She turned to the middle Seaton, hearing her suggestion. "Great idea, Dahlia," she said with a smile. "After all, time is of the essence, so anything that could help narrow down the search would be useful."

 

Natalie checked her PokéGear and shook her head worriedly. "Phil hasn't responded yet... I'll give him a call when I'm done with my shift. Do you want me to have him meet you somewhere?"

 

Palmer smiled as he shook Ryan's hand. "Thank you! You'll have to forgive my traveling companions. They can come off as rude sometimes, and they bicker even more than I did at their age. But they mean well, and want to see this city safe just as much as you do."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Zach==-

 

Ryan chuckled, and looked over at Aspen and Zach.

"Oh, don't worry, sir, I'm used to it. Even if it's been a while." Ryan explained, but nodded. "I can see the wish to protect Celadon even through the bickering... On both sides." Ryan said as he sighed.

 

"That's a good idea, Dahlia." Zach said with a nod, as he looked over at Aspen. "Aspen, try to avoid confrontation here, please..." Zach sighed, as he wasn't wanting yet another fight here; but he then looked over to Natalie again.

"Hmm... Maybe meet up around outside here or so? Unless we really do decide to use this as a sort of base, but it could get crowded..."

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron - The Alamo, Infirmary:

 

"You do that," Sonja said after a long moment, clearly uncertain of how to approach the situation. "We'll find something else to do in the meantime--preparations and things. Alright?" She looked at Ray, as if to ask, Any ideas?

 

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner/Skye Hall - Celadon City, Streets:

 

The ponds proved difficult to find.

 

Part of the problem was the unfamiliarity of their starting location. These were not neighborhoods that Gavin, Ethan, or Skye knew, and thus they could not effectively navigate them without a map. In another area, they might have been able to do so by looking at the skyline, finding the tall, shadowy face of the department store, and simply using it as a marker by which to pick and choose which streets to follow. That, however, proved impossible as well, given the tall mansions all around them that blocked said skyline, on top of the fact that this was Celadon City and thus the majority of the buildings that they could see in the distance were, in fact, skyscrapers.

 

Not exactly a useful navigational tool, in hindsight. But that was okay, because the more Gavin thought about it, the less he actually wanted to try looking in Jamie's suggested spot. The reasons were numerous.

 

He didn't aim to capture Water- or Poison-Type Pokémon, which were the most likely to be found there. The same could be said for Ethan. And Skye? Perhaps he was making assumptions, but he doubted she would be the kind of person to want a Grimer. Perhaps a Poliwag or a Goldeen, but . . . Well, that still left the other reason.

 

Notoriety.

 

Team Zephyr's heist had not been a particularly subtle affair. And even if she was with Team Rocket now, people around Celadon likely knew who Skye was and what she had been involved with. Loitering near the department store--the very place they had attempted to take over--would likely not be the best option.

 

Then again the ponds weren't likely to be that close by . . .

 

How had no one brought up the idea of having him use one of his Pokémon to teleport them there yet?

 

Time to be honest with myself, Gavin mused. I just really don't want to go that close to the center of the city.

 

He couldn't place why. Maybe it was because of the previous reasons. Maybe it was because of what he and Ethan had seen in Ecruteak, the mass destruction that had befallen the Johto city to some mysterious foe. Maybe it was because of the chaos that had ensued in Goldenrod as a result of Leviathan. Or maybe it was because he was still incredibly hung up on everything that had occurred within the past twenty-four hours--near-death experiences, Hojohsin agents, talks of Sin creatures, strange revelations about families far more twisted and messed up than his, and everything in between.

 

Embodiments of Sin who appeared to those who 'called'. Hojohsin, such a long-time leader in threat-level, gone now and returned again with little warning. Now this Gerald Hikari figure, who had apparently been responsible for a certain something that had occurred six months ago; Gavin had a fairly solid idea what that was. Which was the biggest threat?

 

The Sins attacked at their own discretion.

 

He knew nothing about Gerald Hikari.

 

Hojohsin. Savior of Hoenn? Destroyer of Castelia. Enemy of Team Liberty? Enemy of Team Rocket. Enemy of people. Destroyer of trains.

 

Hojohsin it was. And yet that front was being covered. Adams's trail was lost. The next step? Apparently take on James Pierce. That was not a personnel operation; he did not need to know whatever plan Team Liberty had established to realize that much.

 

It was not Hojohsin. Was it?

 

Then what?

 

The Sins?

 

Pride. Gluttony. Sloth.

 

The only one they--he, Ethan, Skye, Lucia, and Jamie (And now Ryan, too, Gavin supposed)--had even an inkling of a chance to avoid was Gluttony. Yet, even then . . . How does one define Gluttony? Or any of the Sins? Envy, Wrath, Greed, Lust, Pride, Gluttony, Sloth. All carried stereotypical definitions; did the Sins define themselves the same way? Did they choose their targets based off of the parameters set by the general populace of the world? Beings who defied the nature of reality could certainly choose their own exemplars, could they not?

 

Too unknown. Likewise with Gerald Hikari. Yet he had encountered and heard nothing of this man until the previous night. And from the sounds of it? This man appeared less interested in disrupting the world itself than he was with tormenting his own family.

 

Why?

 

Did it matter?

 

Gerald Hikari was a small-fry, at least for now. Hojohsin was actively antagonizing the world and destroying sections of the board that would otherwise have had no reason to get involved with anything. Their influence remained. The Sins were watching. Gerald Hikari was watching. Perhaps they were all waiting, the four or five of them. But the Sins' impact was not great--not yet. Not so far. Team Galactic's destruction and Leviathan's rampage. Those were the only lasting effects the Sins had had. And Gerald Hikari . . . Destruction of part of Unova, and then what? He had simply backed off, it seemed. No follow-up. No other grand plan to speak of. Was he plotting?

 

Did it matter?

 

Hojohsin. Sins. Gerald Hikari.

 

The order was set.

 

"Ethan," Gavin said, coming to a stop. The older Agent and Skye paused in the midst of a conversation that Gavin had not heard a single word of, though it appeared as if they had been discussing how to get to the department store from their position. "I feel like we should just give it up. The more time we spend looking for these ponds, the less time we have to actually train--and I feel like that's more important than anything else right now."

 

"That's a good point," Skye said. She looked around, searching for a good place to hunker down. Seeing none, the former Zephyr flunky looked at her companions. "Let's at least keep walking. There has to be a park or something around here."

 

She moved. Ethan followed, and then Gavin. They continued down the street, Gavin falling silent and resuming his introspection. After a moment, Ethan looked back at them, and then slowed down until he was walking beside the younger Rocket Agent. Ethan tapped his shoulder to gain his attention. "Everything okay?"

 

"I'm just thinking," Gavin said. The corner of his lip twitched in annoyance as Ethan gave him a look that quite plainly said, I could tell. "About Hojohsin. Havoc. All of that stuff with Lucia's family. Not to mention the Sins."

 

"You're worried about all of that?" Ethan asked. "I wouldn't have expected any of that to bother you, to be completely honest."

 

"I wouldn't call it 'worried'. More . . . confused," Gavin said. "Take Hojohsin. They slip into inactivity for a while after the train incident, and then pop again full force out of nowhere--after Team Rocket and Team Liberty establish a ceasefire. That doesn't make any sense. And why get Team Energon and Team Magma involved? They were doing even less on the war front than those two. Not to mention that with the Sins running around--wouldn't they want more targets around, to minimize the threat to themselves? Why are the Sins even a thing to begin with?"

 

"Maybe Ford's trying to bring the Sins to him," Ethan suggested. "Or maybe he's trying to minimize the number of targets so that they're more likely to attack Team Liberty, or even Team Rocket. Weaken them up a bit."

 

"They've done a pretty lousy job of accomplishing anything, if that's the case," Gavin said. "And if it is--then why not use Team Energon for that purpose? Or that other group they were using--Déoza? Forces like that . . . You would think they'd be able to make some more direct moves. And that still doesn't explain why the Sins are appearing to people in the first place." He sighed. "I don't understand any of this . . . Ford's supposed to be some genius, master planner, right? If that's the case, then why is everything involving him so inconsistent?"

 

Ethan could only shrug. "I'd be willing to bet that Ford himself doesn't remember half of the reasons he has for doing anything."

 

This elicited a scoff from Gavin. "Right," he said. "And Gerald Hikari is Gerald Braner in disguise."

 

"That'd make you . . ." Ethan rubbed the back of his head, thinking hard about this. "Lucia's brother?"

 

"Half-brother," Gavin corrected. "I know for a fact who my mom is."

 

"Hey, guys!"

 

The two looked forward again. Skye was standing several yards ahead of them, pointing down a sidewalk halfway down the block. In the distance, they could see that it led to a small park. Being where they were, it was not a small one. Tall grass covered a significant section of the large field that composed part of the park, and in another area, a small forested section stood, its canopy thick enough to cast the area beneath in a deep darkness.

 

Skye was smiling when they came to a stop next to her. "In hindsight, this makes sense, considering who the Gym Leader of this city is," she said. "Do you think it'll work for training?"

 

"More than work," Ethan said. "It'll rock! Now let's go!"

 

IC - Joker/Sam Moreno/Will Moreno - Blackthorn City, Moreno Estate:

 

Darkness.

 

Pure, unadulterated darkness.

 

For around ten seconds, that was all that Sam and Will could see, for the Dark Void attack had so wholly engulfed them. Yet it did not take effect, and through the black veil that lay over them, they could not immediately see why. As they stared worried about, however, they became aware of the soft, barely noticeable glow and undulation of the green shield that had formed around them. Next they saw Seer's glowing eyes cutting through the shadows, which illuminated his raised hands. Joker squeezed the hand that she had placed on Will's shoulder, as well as the one that was supporting Sam by the arm.

 

Finally, the shadows began to disperse, leaving only Seer's Protect between the four of them and their attacker. The Darkrai glared at them, aggravated by its failure, though did not yet make another move.

 

Now was the time to act.

 

"Will," Joker said. The boy tore his eyes away from the Darkrai, turning to look at his mother. "Grab Gladiator's Poké Ball off of my belt." He hesitated, but did so, unclipping the sphere that contained his mother's Aegislash. "Good. Now here's what I want you to do." The Shadow Admin's eyes did not leave the Darkrai as she spoke. "Seer and Gladiator are going to escort the two of you out through the back. You are going to go to the back wall of the yard. Gladiator is going to go over first and make sure that nothing is waiting for you. Seer is going to help you both over the wall, and then follow. Once you're outside of the anti-teleportation field, you're going to teleport straight to Abyss. You're going to go as quickly as you can and not look back here at any point. You will stop for no one. Do you both understand?"

 

Sam's face paled. "But what about--?"

 

"Do you understand?"

 

Sam wanted to say "No." She wanted to point out the stupidity in letting her mother stay behind to fight something that could potentially kill her. But she knew the effort would be futile, even if she had not injured her ankle and could help. The only thing she could do was sigh. "Yes, ma'am."

 

"Okay," Joker said. "I'm going to hand you off to Seer. As soon as I do, this shield is going to break, and that Darkrai is going to attack. So you two need to move as quickly as possible and get out of here. Send out Gladiator as soon as you're out of sight. Got it?" Sam nodded. "Then, on three. One. Two . . ."

 

The next few seconds seemed to transpire in a blur. Joker was not sure what happened first--the shield breaking as soon as Seer took Sam's weight, or the Darkrai launching a powerful Ice Beam at them. All she knew was that she had barely managed to redirect the attack with her own abilities, causing it to fly over her shoulder and strike the stairwell behind her. Seer, Sam, and Will rushed across the lobby, disappearing behind a door; a white flash indicated that Gladiator had been released. As they moved, the Darkrai turned to launch another attack at them; however, Joker was faster this time, and managed to throw two Poké Balls forward, releasing Cyclops and Watcher. With the quick application of Double Team, the Dusknoir sent forth a cloud of clones, blocking the Darkrai's attempt at a Flamethrower; one Disable from Watcher later, and the attack was locked.

 

Now, Joker faced the Darkrai, her two Pokémon by her side. The Darkrai glanced between her and the door, as if debating which to engage. After a moment, it settled on her.

 

Joker clenched her fists. "Kill me, if you can," she said. "But you are not going anywhere near them."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

"Hmm... Let's stop by the Move Relearner, and go meet up with Evan and Jenny." Ray said, as he pulled out his communication device, and glanced at the time. "They said they'd be at the beach around now, after all, didn't they?" Ray looked over from Ryan to Sonja, and then back to Ryan, and then sighed, and walked up to Ryan, and placed a hand on his shoulder with a frown.

"Go get some rest; I know what you're thinking, and what you're going through; you need it." Ray said, though he wondered just how much he would be believed at that moment.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan gave Sonja a weary smile. "Alright," he said. He was about to turn away when Ray placed a hand on his shoulder. As the separatist spoke, Ryan bit his lip, resisting the urge to argue that Ray had no idea what he was going through. Instead he gave a curt nod and turned away without a word.

 

He headed back to his dorm, a whirlwind of thoughts going through his mind. Just a few days ago he had been happily rebuilding in Fortree, believing his life had become normal again. Then, in the course of about 72 hours, everything had fallen apart. He suddenly felt more exhausted than he had been in a long time.

 

Ryan had no memory of the rest of his walk. Next thing he knew he was in his bed, finally breaking down and crying himself to sleep as his memories and emotions overwhelmed him.

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"Okay, lemme get out my Pokegear, I'l try to look up Shannon's address..." Dahlia said, taking out said Pokegear while hoping that another argument didn't break out. She plugged into a search engine 'Shannon Willows Celadon', and examined the results.

 

"There's nowhere else we could really look to make our headquarters, we're short on time after all..." Olivia pointed out. "I mean, maybe if Erika joins us, we could instead gather at their Gym? I mean, that'd work a ton better than a restaurant..."

 

Aspen scoffed at Dack, and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, maybe I'd stop 'antagonizing' you if you actually were a decent person...." the trainer said with contempt. "Tell me, are you the kinda person who fights for your friends and loved ones? Or are you like Hannah, fighting to prove your superiority over one person, no matter who you have to hurt in the process?"

 

"Hey armswords, don't mess up, alright?" came the voice of Amethyst. "Same goes for you, beakhead."