Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Makuta of Time]

IC: Dandy

 

Dandy heard the thundering footsteps of the Rhydom and immediately felt terrified for bit when he heard its roar. "Oh man! That's on angry beast. What exactly do we do?"

 

He didn't know what to do in these types of situations. The more he thought about it, the more closer the Rhydon was getting. The only option he had was to stand and fight. He commanded Razorface to step forward and the rest of his Pokemon to assist him somehow. However the situation will end, one thing was sure, it won't end well.

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron - Four Island, Beach:

 

Between Evan's excitement, Gnip's half-wanting-but-not-really a belly rub, and Jenny's hug, Sonja was quite honestly overwhelmed. And it was not just these things that caused her to momentarily freeze--there was a mental aspect to it, as well. Because she still had not forgotten that Evan and Jenny had vanished in the middle of a conflict with an enemy they knew nothing about. Because neither had thought to provide any real explanation for the situation before or after the fact. Because they were here now, back in the middle of a cluster of worse revelations and issues, ready to help as if nothing had happened, and she did not know whether to be angry or thankful that they were at least up for that task.

 

Sonja did not manage to return Jenny's hug before the Plasma Agent had pulled away, smiling and inquiring as to her well-being, oblivious to the current train wreck that was her friend's mind.

 

"I've been . . . fine," Sonja said after a moment, her voice sounding quiet and distant to her own ears, as if coming from a far-off tunnel. How did she sound to the rest of the world, she wondered. Just as airy? Just as uncertain? Or positively normal, like she had everything under control? "Ray's on his way here. And Ryan . . ." She paused, taking a breath. "He's . . . Um . . . Look, it's been . . . a long past few days, and you won't understand until we tell you everything that's happened, so . . ." Sonja rubbed her head, the full realization of how twisted everything had become within the past week truly hitting her for the first time. "Do you want to go find Ray, and then we can talk about everything?"

 

IC - ? - Celadon City, Olivine Garden:

 

The answer Aria had provided did not perturb him. The explosion of glass did not perturb him. Nor did the feeling of feeling his drink soak through his pristine coat and shirt, coloring the white fabric of the latter with a deep purple. Instead he merely stopped moving his swishing hand, taking a moment to slowly lower it and place the remains of the glass on the table. Then he opened his eyes, purple half-circles staring out from half-closed lids with an icy distaste, his gaze settling on the Lucario with an expression mixed between annoyance and amusement.

You

The young man pushed himself up from the table, picking up his coat and throwing it over his shoulder. He walked away from his table, passing close by the Psychic-Types and Lucario that continued to watch him. The atmosphere of the diner--thickened by the direct antagonism taken by Aria, and felt by every patron within the place--could have been cut with a knife. And, indeed, perhaps it would not have surprised anyone if the man revealed such an instrument as he passed by, attempted to stab his transgressor.

Dare

Yet he did not. He merely passed by, entirely unconcerned with their looming presence.

How

At the door, the man came to a stop. "Hubris may yet doom your efforts," he said. "To presume the outcome of an action before taking it . . . To avoid giving so much as a warning merely on the whim of disbelief . . . Such is the means through which all is revealed." He turned to look at Aria, staring her down with those freezing, purple eyes that could have pierced a person's soul. "For a lowly Pokémon--a simple pawn with a master--to decide the avenues by which its betters defend themselves . . . I say learn your place." He turned again. "And I dare say that those among you who truly know the men and women sworn to protect this city would agree."

Dare

Thus he departed, vanishing into the crowds that swept through the city streets.

You

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

 

A battle for fun, as this boiled down to . . . Ethan and Gavin could not speak to the last time they had done such a thing. For Skye, her experience in Havoc had given her much the same impression, short of a tenure as that 'adventure' had been. 

 

'Fun' was really the only word that could describe it. None of the attacking Pokémon seemed particularly angry, now that Gavin got a better look--more like they were mildly annoyed, presumably at Ethan's previous volume. He couldn't blame them. Granted, that did not make their grouping any less irritating. Of the horde that had appeared, Cain was faced with a Venonat, an Oddish, and a Parasect. Nothing particularly difficult to face, but certainly not easy, especially for a Seedot who had only seen battle a handful of times.

 

Still, his experience was greater than theirs. And that was something.

 

"Cain, Bide!"

 

The Seedot did not need that instruction, considering that was basically all it could do at the current moment. Regardless, the Grass-Type planted himself against the ground, steeling himself for any damage that would come his way. And his attackers did not disappoint. A Tackle, an Acid, and a Cross Poison attack all worked together to knock him back, dealing heavy damage to the Seed Pokémon. He did not relent, instead merely glaring at Gavin, as if to ask, Now what, genius?

 

"Hang in there!" the Rocket Agent called. He reached for a Poké Ball, grabbing the first one he felt and throwing it forward. Ithes appeared on the field, the Starmie immediately flying forward and taking up a defensive stance in front of its ally. "Ithes, keep them off balance!"

 

He did. The Water-Psychic-Type took to the air again, using Rapid Spin to slam into the three Bug- and Grass-Types. All three were knocked back, taking the pressure off of Cain for the time being. But they were not out, and now they were not happy. They redoubled their efforts, aiming more attacks at the Starmie.

 

"Get 'em, Cain!"

 

Ithes jumped out of the way.

 

Their three opponents now found themselves facing a powered-up Seedot, who immediately used the absorbed energy to launch straight at them. He bounced between them all, striking with sharp and powerful hits. Cain hit them so hard, in fact, that the Oddish, at least, was sent flying back into the bushes from whence it had come, while the other two fled in order to avoid any further damage.

 

He did not have long to celebrate, because immediately after, the Pancham jumped down, taking up Gavin's earlier declaration as a challenge. And with Cain already weakened, it only took a single set of Arm Thrust attacks to knock him out. At the same time, that left the Fighting-Type open to a Hydro Pump from Ithes, who sent the Pancham into a tree.

 

Gavin threw a Poké Ball, which struck the Fighting-Type and drew him in.

 

Within moments, it stopped moving, signaling his capture.

 

"Nice, Gav!" Ethan called. "Now back off and let the rest of us have some fun!"

 

With a roll of his eyes, and a recalling of both Ithes and Cain, Gavin complied. He took a seat, watching Ethan's battle. The Grass- and Bug-Specialist was facing a pair of Pokémon--a Joltik riding on top of, and appearing to be working with, an Ivysaur. Serena and Baya both stood staunchly, ready to fight whenever Ethan gave his command. And he did so, directing the pair to use a combination of Sweet Scent and Grasswhistle.

 

The effect was immediate, but not necessarily super. The Joltik appeared to begin to doze off, though it was not asleep quite yet. The Ivysaur, meanwhile, completely tuned out the latter attack, and appearing utterly unaffected by the former. In retaliation, it growled and launched forth a Razor Leaf cloud, striking the Deerling and Combee. Neither appeared all that worse for wear from the attack.

 

"You two're good!" Ethan called, a broad smile on his face. Clearly, he was enjoying himself--if not the scenery then certainly the battle, and vice versa. "Now, Baya, hit 'em with a Gust attack! Serena, follow it up with Take Down!"

 

The Combee flapped her wings, sending an actual gust of wind forward. It struck the Ivysaur-Joltik pair, knocking them back. Before they could recover, Serena threw herself forward, slamming into them. She took damage from the attack, as well, though nothing severe--she looked more tired than anything. This was, however, enough to knock the now-sleeping Joltik to the ground, which Ethan immediately took advantage of by throwing his own Poké Ball.

 

Just like Gavin's, it did not take long to stop shaking.

 

Upon seeing this, the Ivysaur considered its options, and after coming to the conclusion that it would prefer not to be captured, it fled into the undergrowth, leaving Ethan to claim his reward.

 

"Easy, and worth it," he said proudly, holding up the Poké Ball. "This forest was a great idea, Skye!"

 

"Thanks, Ethan," she replied. "Now give me a moment--I'm almost ready to capture this Zubatman."

 

"Zuba-what?" Ethan turned to where Skye was standing. Spinarak-Man and The Human Torchic were working together to fight a Zubat, who darted about in the air above them. It incessantly dodged the attacks being thrown at it--which primarily consisted of increasingly-frustrated Embers--before finally darted back down at The Human Torchic and using Bite.

 

This prompted an immediate, and somewhat surprising, reaction from Spinarak-Man, who furrowed his brow angrily and began gathering webbing for an Electroweb. He waited for the Zubat to come around again--this time aiming at the Bug-Type himself--and then launched the attack. It caught the Bat Pokémon completely off-guard, stunning it for several moments. This gave The Human Torchic enough time to launch another Ember, knocking it out of the air.

 

Now it was Skye's turn to throw a Poké Ball. This one took slightly longer to stop shaking than the others, but when it did, she could not suppress a yelp of delight.

 

"Awesome job, my friends!" she said excitedly, picking up her two Pokémon and spinning around. When she remembered where she was, she slid to a stop, chuckling and rubbing her head awkwardly. "Um . . . sorry. That's my first real Pokémon capture."

 

"Then the excitement is warranted, wouldn't you say?" Ethan declared, prompting Gavin to cringe again from the volume. This time, no new enemies appeared--thankfully. As Skye picked up her Poké Ball, Ethan began to head back to the forest edge. "Come on--let's go find some way to celebrate! I've heard that Celadon has some pretty fabulous restaurants around! Though that may mean we'll have to find our way to the Department Store, anyway!"

 

Gavin sighed, following being the unusually-joyous Ethan Worth with Skye.

 

OOC:

 

Species: Joltik.

Nickname: Julia.

Trainer: Ethan Worth.

Appearance: No notable differences from other Joltik.

Personality: Julia is modest to a fault. She will never take credit for anything--ever. She does not like a lot of attention. She would prefer to stay in her Poké Ball if at all possible. Unfortunately she has Ethan as a trainer and that just won't do. Julia is not particularly fond of this fact.

Ability: Compoundeyes.

Specialty: Julia excels in speed and special attacks. However, her defenses are fairly low even by Joltik standards. 

Known Moves: Thunder Wave, String Shot, Electroweb, Gastro Acid, Fury Cutter, Camouflage (EM).

 

 

Species: Pancham.

Nickname: Paris.

Trainer: Gavin Braner.

Appearance: No notable differences from other Pancham.

Personality: Though a bit of a troublemaker, Paris is undeniably brave. He will not hesitate to jump into a brawl if he needs to, and even the most daunting of opponents cannot immediately stall him in his tracks. Even so, he is not the brightest, and though not unintelligent, he certainly prefers to act like he's the coolest cub on the block. Appearance over ability, as they say.

Ability: Mold Breaker.

Specialty: Paris specializes in physical attacks and defense. His special abilities are nothing to speak of, and his speed is about average for his species.

Known Moves: Work Up, Arm Thrust, Circle Throw, Leer, Me First (EM).

 

 

Skye Hall:

-Zubatman--(Infiltrator): Leech Life, Supersonic, Bite, Astonish.

 

 

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

 

As the heat of battle slowed down, along with the adrenaline and excitement that accompanied the captures of new Pokémon, the group became aware of something very peculiar. It was a lowering of the temperature around them, a darkening of the sky above and a slight increase in the wind. It was a mist of transparent white that fell over the trees and over the city of Celadon as a whole, a fell chill that did not belong in what had previously been a normal July day.

 

It was a light snowfall that descended upon the city from the clouds above, that quickly gained momentum until even the trees could not shield the trio from the falling flakes. All three looked up, baffled as the cold flecks flitted to and fro, coating the trees and streets and the skin of their faces. Skye pulled the hood of her jacket up, crossing her arms.

 

"Um . . . Is that . . . snow?"

 

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Kalos, Train:

 

"It's always good to know where you're going," Kyle said. "Though . . . 'Up.' That's pretty broad, but, hey, if it works . . ."

 

He was still hung up on the Darkrai thing. Because the more he thought about it, and the closer he looked at Cero, and the more he took in the young man's garb and overall appearance--the scars, the bandages, the outfit--the more connections manifested between the two. The picture became clearer.

 

"Can I ask . . ." he said, and then hesitated, remembering a similar bluntness that he had used when he had spoken with Esen during the dance. "Was the reason you became a trainer because of the Darkrai? Because of . . . your injuries?" He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry--I know that's probably a rude question to ask. But my experience with that whole situation wasn't exactly normal, so . . . I'd like to know that some good came out of it."

 

 

IC - Will Moreno - Blackthorn City, Moreno Estate:

 

The living room. One of many in the mansion. So named because it was, in theory, where daily activity remained the highest--the place most often traversed. The family place. But it was a bad name, inaccurate and almost cruel. Because Mom was never home, and thus never used it, and the children did not wander the house except to eat and occasionally walk when they got bored of their usual activities upstairs, and thus they never used it, either.

 

It was an unliving room. 

 

Why should they use it? Sam had her computer, and the large room upstairs. In earlier days, she might have made more use of it--but then so might have everyone else. Now, though, her primary focus was her online presence. When she wasn't hiding behind the screen at school, in the furthest corners of her classes, she was hiding behind the screen up in her room. Hiding as if in exile, modestly dismissive of the invitations and outreaching of what few friends she still had, yet secretly wishing for more--more energy, more fun, more extroversion.

 

A self-imposed exile. One that she did not know she was creating. One that he only knew about because she did not know herself.

 

And he? He did not like the room. He had not liked it for a long, long time. Not since It happened. Come to think of It, that was around the time the changes happened. The time when Mom began to stay at work later and later. The time when Sam became more reclusive. The time when the spirit of the house had died. The light departed, leaving only black, a ground fostering sorrowful phantoms.

 

It. That which he did not like to think about.

 

In the unliving room.

 

How depressing.

 

. . .

 

The urn was in place when he entered.

 

It never moved from its place. Above the fireplace, to be exact. Set behind a locked, glass cabinet, cushioned by the walls designed just-so to accommodate its shape. It was plainly decorated, merely a vase black in color with a purple eye painted on its front. A simple design for a man who, at his very core, only really desired a simple life--something apart from the fame and fortune that his wife's position in life had brought him. He had always said that nothing good would come of hatred, of utter ambition.

 

He was not wrong.

 

The stool was in its usual spot, set in the corner where the bookcases met. Will grabbed this, pulling it across the carpet until it was just in front of the empty fireplace, on top of the hearth. Standing on it allowed him to peer more closely at the vessel. Behind the cold glass, behind the black surface--the fine particles of ash. All that remained of his physical essence . . .

 

Will rested his head against the cool glass. "Father . . . Don't worry--you'll be safe. I promise."

 

Will.

 

He gripped the mantel as he turned to look at the door. Seer had followed him. The Psychic-Type's voice was stern, but easy--understanding of what the boy's mission had been.

 

"Seer," Will said, a smile forming on his face. "You came with me."

 

The Psi Pokémon approached. Come. He held a hand out, offering to help his master's son down. This place is too dangerous.

 

"Help me get Dad first, won't you?"

 

Seer grabbed his wrist, beginning to pull him down. There's no time--

 

"Seer--please," Will said. His voice was even, his typical calm plainly obvious to one who could not see past it. But behind the soft, even tone lay something more desperate. "Mom can handle it for just a little bit, can't she? We can't just leave him here." He looked squarely into the Psychic-Type's eyes. "Please."

 

It was a serious matter of debate, and every instinct told Seer to insist on leaving--to force the child to follow, if need be. But in the end, his empathy won out, and he uttered an exasperated sigh. The Psychic-Type let go of Will's wrist, allowing him to straighten up. Fine. He raised a hand toward the glass. But do not say I did not warn you.

 

Psychic power opened the lock. Will climbed down as the cabinet opened, raising his hands as the urn floated out of its place and gently into his hands. He held it tightly, hugging it against his chest as if it could fly away at any moment. Seer allowed him a moment to close his eyes and settle his rumbling emotions before nudging him toward the door. Without a word, the boy perked up, opening his eyes and beginning to move toward the hall.

 

The place shook.

 

The boy froze. "Seer?" he said. "Was that--?"

 

Keep moving.

 

The Alakazam clearly did not want him to finish the thought.

 

That was probably a good thing.

 

IC - Goldhawk/Blackskull/Silvermind - The Alamo, Control Center:

 

". . . And so that's the general idea," Goldhawk finished. "Think it'll work?"

 

He stood at a table with Blackskull, the two poring over an outline of the plan that Goldhawk, Silvermind, and James Arthur had concocted regarding the Hojohsin League. 

 

"It's certainly a solid idea . . ." Blackskull said slowly.

 

Goldhawk looked at him. "Except . . .?"

 

"Well . . . This is one of Ford's we're talking about, right?" Blackskull said. "Inevitably he's going to have some tricks up his sleeve. And if things don't go his way, someone's likely to get hurt--he won't need to preserve his public image if he's successfully exposed. So whoever is physically present when this discussion happens needs to be prepared to fight in that scenario."

 

"That's a good point." Goldhawk looked back at the map. "Perhaps we could set up precautions . . . Have everyone turn in their Pokémon beforehand . . ." He looked back at Blackskull, who seemed unconvinced. The Liberty Leader sighed. "You're right--that would just be putting everyone in more danger. There would be nothing stopping this McKinley figure from appearing and attacking. Or even Adams or Ford himself." He turned. "Silvermind, have you managed to get in contact with any of the Shadow Admins?"

 

She was stationed at a console, from which she had been busy conducting a series of calls. At Goldhawk's words, she looked up and removed the headset she was wearing. "Only Bounty," she said. "He's in. But no one has heard from Joker since she left for Havoc, or from Sleight since this morning. We may have to wait for any further action until we can locate them."

 

"I suppose it's a good thing we won't be ready for a while, then," Goldhawk said. "But that is strange. Very strange . . ." He glanced at Blackskull, who appeared to be staring at the files in front of him in deep thought. The look he was giving, however, felt different--as if he was elsewhere. "What's on your mind?"

 

"Hm?" He shook his head. "It's . . . nothing." Goldhawk seemed unconvinced. "I mean it--if it becomes a serious concern, I guarantee that you'll know about it before long. But for now, it's just a train of thought--nothing more. You should focus on what you're doing."

 

"You ought to follow your own advice, Kane," Goldhawk said, though did not press the issue further.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Parugi

[Prowl Nightwolf]

Power plant

== Yugo Doseki ==
== Pidgey(Airazor) == Sandslash == Charmander(Spitfire) ==
 
OOC: Sorry for late reply, Between work and not having any internet could not get on...
 
IC: Yugo thought some more and looked at the building in question while also thinking on the size of the dumpster then the height of the window. "Yeah you guys may be right. I don't think it would be a good idea to damage the building while trying to get in." Yugo looked over at Megan, to address her Scolipede, "Can your Scolipede climb walls? If not I do have an idea involving making a ramp out of dirt. It would be sturdy enough that we wouldn't have to worry about damaging the building or accidently falling off from so high up." Yugo didn't know how the group would go for this idea but it seemed safer in the long run. He was going to use his Sandslash to build up a larger enough ramp of dirt.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny frowned slightly at Sonja's response, and her confusion definitely showed.

"I... okay, that works." Jenny said, caught off guard by Sonja's distantness, but nodded at her plan to go find Ray; Jenny quickly looked over to Evan, as the two of them exchanged a glance that showed that both were equally uncertain about the current situation, and Jenny then turned back, and nodded again. "R-right, let's go..." Jenny said a bit more quietly as she wondered what had happened to Ryan, to make Sonja respond the way she did.

 

As the trio moved to walk back to find Ray, however, the orange haired teen was walking up to them, a slight smile on his face.

"Yo." Ray said, as Jenny managed a slightly weak smile; though Ray was slightly confused about that. Ray paused for a moment, as he noticed the sight tension, and wondered just what had happened while he had been busy. "So, what's up?" Ray asked, as he tried to scope out the current situation before actually talking much more.

 

OOC: Here a jam, there a jam, everywhere a jam jam. =P

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach nodded at Olivia's comment with a smile, and then had to react quickly, as the Torchic hopped into his arms. Zach seemed amused at the Torchic popping up once again, especially as she nuzzled into his arms, as he looked down at the Torchic. However, Zach looked up, as the breeder appeared once again, and then offered the discount.

"But, wasn't the price last time 80,000?" Zach asked, as he frowned slightly. He could understand having to make a living, but even then, it was kinda expensive, and a five percent discount didn't really lower the price all that much...

Olivia took out her Pokegear and used her calculator function to find out the price. "That means it's 76,000 this time, still way, way more expensive than any sane person would really pay for one Torchic." she said, then frowned at the breeder. "You know, now she's just gonna end up with some rich snob who wants to carry her around like an accessory, instead of a good home...."

"Okay, I'm new to the business.... Five percent isn't enough? Maybe ten percent..." the breeder muttered, before it started to snow. "Huh? What's going on?"

Zach sighed. "That's 72 thou..." Zach paused as he looked up at the sky in utter confusion. "... Snow...? But... It's the middle of summer..." Zach mumbled, unsure what exactly was going on right then.

Olivia nodded as Zach began to speak, but then a sudden chill came over her. "Wh-Wh-What the....?" the trainer stuttered, shivering. "B-But..... How c-c-can this happen?! It's s-supposed to b-be the middle of s-summer...."

The breeder was very confused at everything and wanted to be rid of the troublesome Torchic already, so he threw his hands up. "Alright, alright, y-you know what? If that Torchic l-likes you two so much, then you can name your price..."

 

Zach shuddered slightly, and quickly sent out Cyndy, since it was easier for the moment to keep everyone warm. "W-well, what do you think, Liv...?" Zach asked, as he wasn't sure what price was best.

"W-Well..... I d-don't know.... I-I-I'm not that rich...." Olivia replied, drawing nearer to Zach and Cyndy to keep warm. "I... I have to think....."

"I don't have t-time to think!" the breeder cried. "I need to find s-s-some shelter! F-Fine, you can have the Torchic for free if you can't make up your mind, it was a pain to raise a-anyways!"

Zach seemed surprised by that offer, but sighed. "W-well, I don't think we can just take it for nothing..." Zach said, feeling back for the breeder despite the fact that he was a bit obnoxious in certain ways. "Here, take this, at least." Zach said, as he handed the breeder 3,000 yen.

"Wait, Z-Zach...." the redhead said, stopping Zach's hand. "It's not f-f-fair if you pay again.... Lemme pay him...." she insisted, taking out 3,000 yen of her own.

"I don't c-care who gives the money..... I'm not spending another second out here if I have to...." muttered a certain annoying but sympathetic breeder.

Zach sighed. "Then let's split it; 2,000 and 2,000." Zach said, as he smiled at Olivia, and then chuckled. "Call it a late birthday gift?"

"But...." Olivia started, then winced at just how cold she was. "A-Alright..... We're paying, th-then...." she said, handing both their scraps of money to the breeder.

 

"T-T-Took you two long enough..... B-But thanks...." he replied, taking the money and putting it into his vest pocket. "I-If you'll go excuse me, I'm finding a grocery store to buy some hot chocolate with this money....."

Torchic looked back as the breeder trudged off, and then looked up at Zach and Olivia, before chirping with excitement and thrashing around happily in Zach's arms.

Zach laughed slightly at the happy Torchic, but shivered again a bit. "C-come on; let's go inside; it's bound to be warmer in there..."

"Right.... Th-Thanks Zach...." Olivia said, smiling at Zach while the color of her cheeks rose, partially due to the cold, partially not. "You r-r-really are the best...."

The baby Torchic chirped on with glee as the couple walked away towards the towering Department Store, looking forward to their time together... However, this was but the calm before the storm, as they would soon find out.

 

-==IC: Colette/Jayron==-

 

"Okay, so we're obviously not out..." Colette said with a frown, as she noticed the rock, and sighed. "... I don't see any way out of here, though..." Colette's frown furrowed, as she looked around the island, and began to walk further ahead.

Jayron ran to catch up with her. "We must be nearing the end, though, if we're no longer in a room." He frowned. "The sun's too high in the sky to tell what direction we're going, but I don't see any sign of Seven Island on the horizon. We must be on the opposite shore."

Colette sighed, and turned to look at Jayron with a skeptical look. "Do you really think we're on a real island? The storm's not here, and the sun's too high for how long I think it's been since we entered..." Colette then proceeded to look around. "Do you see any other islands around here, either?"

Lucario stepped forward. I'm not sensing any stairs, either. Something's very wrong here.

Jayron furrowed his brow. "After all we've seen here, it wouldn't surprise me if this entire beach was all in Alexa's head." He bent down and grabbed a fistful of sand, letting the small grains trickle through his fingers. "All the other rooms had enemies in them, save for the labyrinth. Small manifestations of Alexa's mind, if you will. Perhaps this time the entire room itself has become an illusion created by Alexa."

Colette looked around, and thought for a moment. "... Perhaps so..." Colette thought, as she recalled the day before. "We've seen a beach recently, after all, have we not? What if that was like 'looped'?"

"Looped?" Jayron frowned. "What do you mean?"

Colette shrugged. "Like, repeated. I don't know; I have no clue where we are, because this doesn't look like anywhere I've seen."

"Well, it seems like the best we can do is just keep walking and hope we find something eventually." Jayron closed his eyes, yet he was still unable to sense anything leading him in a particular direction. He sighed, and continued to walk forward.

Colette frowned, but nodded, as she looked around. "Do you remember where we were, anyway?"

Jayron glanced behind him. "Yeah, we were right over.... there." Behind him was nothing but endless beach. The stone was nowhere to be seen, nor was the hole leading from the tunnel. "We couldn't have walked that far," Jayron muttered. "Could we?"

Colette frowned darkly. "No, we didn't..." Colette sighed, as she scratched her head. "Guess there's no way but forward now, huh?"

Not necessarily, Lucario replied, looking out at the beach. You two are assuming the exit lies along the beach somewhere. But what if it were somewhere out at sea?

"Alexa's father is a policeman, not a sailor," Jayron said. "I don't know that she's ever been out at sea." However, the executive walked up to the shoreline, staring out into the horizon. If this really was just an illusion, what would happen if they tried swimming away? Would they reach the edge of Alexa's mind? Or would they just swim on into eternity?

Colette frowned, and then sighed, as she looked down at the water, trying to look at her reflection to calm herself a bit. The day had already been really draining, and she tended to find that staring at the water helped to calm her down.

 

Her reflection smiled.

 

Colette did a double take, wondering if the clone had somehow survived. But the reflection wasn't smiling back at her -- it was smiling over at Lucario. Or rather, Lucario's reflection. Jayron's reflection, too, looked over at his Pokémon. The Aura Pokémon looked down, awkwardly petting an energetic Growlithe.

Colette frowned, as she sat down, and watched the reflections with intrigue. "Hey, uh, Jayron...?"

"What is it?" Jayron looked down, saw the strange reflections, and knelt near the water's surface. "What in the...?" It was as if their reflections had suddenly forgotten the laws of physics. They were moving about with minds of theiir own, focused on a Growlithe that didn't seem to exist in the world above the water.

The Growlithe abandoned Lucario in favor of Colette and began jumping at her feet. Then a woman picked up the energetic pup and began to walk towards the barrier between the real world and the reflected one. It almost seemed as if the woman and the Growlithe were about to burst out of the water's surface. Then the Growlithe vanished from view and the woman walked off, leaving only the reflections of Colette, Jayron, and Lucario. The reflections remained still for a moment. Then the entire scene shifted and they suddenly saw a flight of stairs. The entire image bounced up and down, as if they themselves were ascending the stairs.

Colette frowned, and inhaled sharply. "Wait. That seemed familiar..."

Jayron glanced at Colette. "That was Amber, wasn't it?"

Colette nodded, and seemed intrigued. "Yeah... Wasn't that what she did when we first saw her?"

"Yeah," Jayron said slowly. "She probably would've kept jumping at your feet if Alexa hadn't taken her up the.... stairs." He hurriedly looked back at the water. He saw Alexa's brother, Phillip. His mouth was moving, but no words breached the surface of the water. Then Amber returned, licking the water's surface.

Colette paused, and then watched. "So then..." she muttered, as she watched the reflection some more.

A small hand emerged and began to pet the Growlithe. "We're seeing what Alexa sees," Jayron said. "Or what she saw. Her memories." He looked back at Colette, seeming just as fascinated as he was worried. "We really are in her mind."

Colette frowned, as she thought for a moment. "This doesn't make sense, though..." Colette mumbled, as she tried to wrap her head around it.

 

"Here. Let's see something." Jayron took Colette's arm and led her a little further down the beach, where he knelt down near the water again. This time, they saw a pink and white cake, with the words 'Happy Birthday Alexa' written in icing. The image seemed to flicker in the light of the candles, which were extinguished soon after.

"It must be," Jayron said with a nod. He looked up and down the beach. "There must be thousands, no, millions of memories here. A sea of thought; Alexa's entire life, preserved in the water's reflection."

Colette seemed amazed, and scratched her head. "Wow... This could be pretty useful, actually..." Colette said, but then frowned. "But, what could be causing this...?"

"I'm not sure," Jayron said. "The other manifestations of Alexa's mind -- Amber, her Munna doll, your evil twin -- seemed almost like a defense set up to stop intruders. Think about it this way. If I tried to extend my aura and speak to you telepathically, you could put up a barrier around your mind to block me. But if I was powerful enough and persistent enough, I'd eventually be able to break through. Now, if I were a psychic, once I had access to your mind I'd be able to sift through your memories. Read your mind. Perhaps that's what we're doing. We've breached the defenses that have been guarding Alexa's mind."

But whatever kidnapped her must be even deeper, Lucario said grimly. And whatever it was, it was powerful enough to project her mind, her thoughts, her memories, into these ruins.

Colette's eyes widened, as she nodded in understanding at everything Jayron and Lucario were saying. "... So then... how do we get past here, without hurting her, if we're actually traveling through her mind by going through these rooms...?"

"I'm not sure," Jayron sighed, looking back at the water. "There is one idea... It would be a longshot. But if Alexa came this way, maybe if we found the memory of her accessing the next tunnel, it would help." He glanced down the beach again. "Problem is, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Or more accurately, a speck of sand in the ocean."

Colette thought for a moment, as she focused on what they had seen so far. "... Have we been seeing older memories further to one side than the other?"

Lucario shook his head. Memories aren't stored chronologically. He pointed out toward the crashing waves. They're in constant motion. New ones can be forgotten, and old ones rise back to the surface. There's no telling where that memory could be, if it even exists.

Colette frowned, and sighed. "Hmm..." Colette walked toward the edge of the beach, and thought for a moment. "Rise to the surface..."

Edited February 1, 2015 by An/A Blade

[Franco]

IC: "No...I mean, yes--no. Wait, I mean..."

 

Cero inhaled deeply, coiling. He saw a better future in one discrete thought at a time.

 

"I mean, no, that's not rude of you to ask, and yes, I am a trainer because of that. I had nothing after that, and I was dying." He talked with a fervent energy and one eye on that. "But Team Magma saved me. So, I would like to do what they did."

[Flipz]

IC: Amelia Zann (+Sina/Sneasel) [Ellen Time]

As Amelia casually trailed the bickering bunch, she had to turn her face momentarily away from two men--well, a man and a boy--who had also decided to follow Majors. Unlike her, however, these two knew her quarry, and had quickly adjusted their pace to catch up with him. One she didn't recognize, but the other...

 

"Is that the kid from Sootopolis?" she quietly murmured to herself. She swore mentally, remembering the Trainer's choice of Pokémon, and her own small part in that battle...

 

-----Earlier-----

 

Thud.

 

 

Thud.

 

Amelia's eyes shot open prematurely, for the second time in as many days.

 

"Blast it, why won't anyone let me get some bloody..."

 

An instant later her eyes nearly bulged out of her head, all thoughts of sleep forgotten.

 

Shoot. I liked this dress.

 

Already, a group of trainers had clustered around the feet of the Continent Pokémon, preparing to fight off the looming menace. Good luck to them, she thought to herself. Her next thought was: good luck to me, actually.

 

Scooping up her pack, she observed her first obstacle--the wall surrounding the grounds of the Rugissement mansion. Leaping it to get in had been easy enough with the aid of a nearby dumpster, but getting out would be an issue. After a moment's thought, the spy unclipped a Pokéball from its fastening and released its contents as she ran towards the wall. "Harvey, gimme a fast Stealth Rock, quick!" The lime green Larvitar immediately complied, commanding a spike of stone to rise from the ground directly beneath his Trainer's feet to launch her into a somersault. As she cleared the wall, she uncurled in midair, spinning and holding out the Pokéball to retreat the Pokémon. A few moments later, she landed on the sidewalk with catlike grace, using her free hand to steady herself a moment before taking off in the direction of the large red Legendary Pokémon.

 

It's surprising how fast someone can cover fifty yards when they're running on adrenaline. What's also surprising is the sight of three Legendary Pokémon in the same place, two of which apparently under the command of Trainers.

 

"What in Arceus' name--?"

 

Amelia barely had time to register a few faces--wait, is that Ellen?!--before two more things happened: one, enormous hailstones began to pour down from the sky, and two, a crowd of angry citizens began barreling down upon Rugissement Manor. The Trainer turned around to see an enormous shield of Protect decending upon the mansion and its grounds. Well...glad I got out of there then, she thought to herself, somewhat rattled by the rapid pace of the events unfolding around her. She slowed her pace, allowing herself to be caught up in the crowd for a moment so as not to be trampled. By the time she worked her way to its edge, however, something else had begun to fall from the sky: magma.

 

"Welp. Time to be somewhere else." Swiftly slipping away from the crowd--alongside more than a few others, she noticed--she began running full-tilt toward the western edge of the crater in which the city sat. Realizing that she--nor anyone else running with her, as far as she could tell--would be able to make it over the edge in time, she sent out her Larvitar once more. "Harvey, Rock Slide!" Following her lead, a number of other people sent out their own Pokémon, and with surprising speed they started to smash a small tunnerl through the upper edge of the crater, through which the throng fled. Amelia's last sight of Sootopolis before the darkness swallowed her was that of a shattered city shrouded in soot, ash, and ice.

 

-----Present [Ellen Time]-----

The memory of the past bled into the present--or at least, that's how it seemed, as a chill wind blew through the town, storm clouds coating the city in a soft sheen of snow.

 

"What the--?" she said, her fingers instinctively dropping to her Pokéballs before she remembered that all but one were already empty. Sina looked to her Trainer, perhaps confused by her apprehension, as the snow didn't seem to bother the Ice-type--not visibly, anyway. Amelia shook her head to indicate she was fine, though she still did a quick scan of her immediate area for signs of another looming Legendary. "Would be just my luck to get caught up in two cities attacked by Legendary Pokémon in the same day," she muttered darkly, but seeing nothing she relaxed long enough to unsling her pack from her shoulders. She reached inside, slipping out a silky, see-through sweater that would look fabulous but be hardly better than what she was already wearing for warmth. She sighed. People in this city really need to learn to dress better, she thought to herself. Perhaps partially more suitably garbed, the woman re-shouldered her burden and continued following the Trainers she had been tracking since her arrival in Celadon.

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Jam with Minun!

 

-==IC: Lucia/Jamie==-

 

Lucia frowned to herself, as she watched the stuff that happened in the restaurant.

What was that all about...? Lucia wondered, as she shook her head, and looked over at Jamie.

"I think we should tell the others about all this craziness. They probably won't believe we managed this. Or maybe they will, considering this always happens." Lucia said with a sigh. "Just once, just once can we have a vacation without things going wrong?" Lucia muttered, as she shook her head again.

"I would much rather bet on our friends believing us, than for us to have a normal day off... I suppose we'll have to find them then."

Lucia chuckled slightly at Jamie's comment, and nodded because she had a good point. "Yeah, they likely will believe us, but like, seriously, how do we manage to involve ourselves in everything that happens wherever we go?" Lucia asked, a simply incredulous look on her face as she again realized that.

"Because it is our duty to be involved... even when we'd secretly like to take the day off..." Jamie sighed wistfully.

Lucia sighed, and nodded. "True that... Maybe after today we can actually finally take a break or something?" Lucia asked, just seeming a bit tired.

Jamie nodded back smiling, "I'd like that, especially while Tristan is still out of commission. Anywhere you would like to go?"

Lucia thought about that for a moment, and then scratched her head. "Hmm. I'm not too sure; there's a lot of places I've been interested in seeing..." Lucia said, and her sentence trailed off, as she noticed two people fighting over a watch. "... Seriously, the whole city's about to be attacked, and people are being selfish still?" Lucia asked with a frown, as she shook her head, and walked toward the two people, intent on breaking up the fight.

 

"This is also a part of our duties..." Jamie said as she stood up to follow Lucia.

Lucia approached the two brawlers, and tapped the closest one on the shoulder to get his attention. Bad idea, considering Lucia got badly elbowed in the mouth right after. Slightly annoyed, Lucia growed, and sent out Claraga, who sighed at the situation, and proceeded to Water Pulse the two fighters, who staggered back from the hit, confused for the moment, but then right back to fighting each other.

"Please stop fighting right now, or-" Jamie was interrupted by a punch to the face and a "SHUT UP!". The punch sent her reeling, and completely paralyzed for a moment. As she felt blood run down from her nose, she decided that she never met anyone quite so... so rude. Shock turned to anger, as she slammed the Pokeball of Pelleas on the ground. Upon seeing the blood on Jamie's face, the Heracross turned towards the two men with a aura of murder exuding from him.

You hurt my little girl... he said, not caring that no one could understand him.

Lucia looked at the two people, stunned, as she herself got rather annoyed. "You take one, I'll take the other!" Lucia yelled out, as the second, possibly drunk, man turned around, in time for Lucia to punch him back. Lucia waved her hand in front of her with a slight wince after that, as the guy staggered back for a moment, and then collapsed to the ground, even as Lucia gave him a look of disgust.

 

The other man, was not so fortunate. Before he could even act, the Heracross flew in his face and slammed him into the ground with Aerial Ace, before smashing his face with Brick Break, though right now, the move might be more accurately called Nose Break.

Lucia looked up with a pant, as she noticed the Heracross's move. "If it weren't for the fact that my hand's a bit sore right now, I'd clap." Lucia said, as she turned back to Jamie, and walked over to her with a frown, looking at her injury. "You alright there?" Lucia asked with concern, as that blood didn't totally look like a good sign, and it had seemed like she had taken a good punch there.

"Ow, ow, ow...." Jamie muttered as she applied pressure to her nose. "Y-yeah, I, I'll be okay. I've never been punched like that before..." she said, still shaken up.

Lucia frowned, and then wrapped her arm around Jamie to try and calm her down a bit. "Shhh, those people were just big meanies. Wanna get that patched up a bit before we head on, though...?" Lucia asked, as she was admittedly wanting to get her mouth and hand looked at a bit too.

"Yeah, let's go," Jamie said, slowly getting up.

Lucia nodded, and supported Jamie as she stood up, and looked around to get a better idea of where in the city they were. "I think the hospital's closer to here than the Pokemon Center, do you mind us headed there?"

"No-ow-No, let us go..."

Lucia nodded at her friend's comment, as the two of them began to head toward the hospital, Lucia still hoping Jamie wasn't downplaying the injury, since she seemed to kinda be in pain. However, for the moment, she simply focused on walking onward.

[Konuju]

OOC: Looks like Celadon is a... jamming place.   
 
IC: Dack/Madison/Luke/Ryan/Aspen
Dack walked onward, not dignifying Aspen or Ryan with a response. He walked down the bustling streets, recalling the path he had memorized from the map. He pushed his way through the crowd, not bothering to look back to see if his companions were keeping up.

Madison, for her part, was growing increasingly frustrated. No matter how hard she tried, the bickering amongst the group refused to stop. She did her best to keep up with Dack. Her cheeks were flushed, as much from her frustration as from the summer heat. The crowded streets weren't helping any. As they turned a corner into a less busy side-street, she reached up a hand to unzip her jacket.

It was at that moment that a sudden chill descended on the city. It was an all-too-familiar phenomenon for the skier, but one that seemed out of place for Celadon, especially in the middle of July. Shivering slightly, Madison quickly zipped her jacket back up.

Ryan paused, and grabbed Dack by the shoulder to stop him for a moment.
"Why is it snowing...?" Ryan said, as he pointed the attention of the impatient ex-Rocket to the sky; since it had suddenly gotten very cold, and suddenly had snowflakes falling from the clouds... Something that was not supposed to happen.

"How should I know?" Dack asked, wresting himself out of Ryan's hold. "Hannah's about to send an army to destroy the city, and a little cold front's bothering you?"

Aspen blinked, as there were suddenly flecks of white on his glasses. The trainer removed his glasses to clean them, but then felt a cold sensation on his face.
"What the heck....?" he muttered, flabbergasted. "It's snowing.... In the summer?!" he was suddenly thankful of the scarf around his neck, and wrapped it around some more to keep warm.

"It's not that unusual, kiddo," Luke said with a chuckle. "Happens all the time in Snowpoint." The blackbelt may not have been dressed for the weather, but years of training, enduring his hometown's frigid temperatures, made the current snow feel like a cool breeze.

"There's something very, very, very important y-you're forgetting now, dingle-brain....." Aspen replied to Luke, gritting his teeth due to frustration and the cold. "This. Isn't. Snowpoint. You know what it is? It's Celadon." the trainer explained, before quickly taking out his Pokéball and releasing Flare to help with the cold slightly.
"So, if it's Celadon in the summer, I don't expect it to snow at all..... And it's not like some trainer used Hail or whatever, since it's not ice shards that's falling down... Not to mention how the snow seems everywhere......" he said, and frowned. "S-So there's someone slash something here and messing with the weather..... And if it's not Hannah, then th-that means another threat to deal with..."

Ryan frowned, as he nodded.
"If it were a place known for snow, this would make sense; so this seems like a Pokémon is behind it... But why?" Ryan mumbled, as he shook his head. "We do need to hurry up, though; even with this weirdness, we need to get to Willows before Wright does." Ryan frowned again, as he stepped forward instead.

Dack stepped forward as well, walking right next to Ryan. "Congratulations," he said. "That's the best thing you've said all day."

The trainers continued to walk. The more rural side streets had indicated that they were close to Shannon's house, and sure enough, it didn't take long for them to reach it. It was no mansion, but it was fairly large. As Madison walked past the gate, she saw the white snow had gathered in the freshly cut grass. Despite her ski suit, she shuddered. The cold may not have bothered her, Dack, or Luke, but the people of Celadon were in no way prepared for this. And she had to wonder, why was this happening now, of all times?

Ryan smirked at Dack's comment, as he walked toward the door.
"Never been here; she has a different house than I would've expected." Ryan said, as he frowned.
Definitely fits with a Liberty budget, from what I've heard in the past. Not shabby, but not a huge house. Ryan noted, as he moved to knock on the door.

"Like I said, I'm not getting left behind." Aspen muttered as he quickly caught up to Ryan and Dack.
Then he walked with the group into Shannon's home, and rose an eyebrow. "Hmm, definitely better than my house back in Olivine, but it's not a mansion." the trainer said. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be on standby until I'm needed."

At that moment, the door opened. A girl with dirty blonde-ish hair poked her head out, eyeing the odd assortment of visitors. She frowned, then suddenly her eyes widened in recognition. "Ryan? Is that you? Wait.... is it snowing?"

Ryan seemed surprised that she recognized him, but looked, and then nodded. "Yeah... Apparently today's the day of very weird things, and, not meaning a pun, but it's just the tip of the iceberg." Ryan said with a sigh, still kinda unsure how to explain that Hannah was trying to raid the city just because of her.

Shannon frowned. "W-what are you doing here? I haven't seen you in forever!"

Dack stepped forward. "Your friend Hannah Wright? The one you used to hang out with back in Ecruteak? She's going to attack Celadon."

Shannon stared at Dack, as if she couldn't decide whether or not he was joking. "Do... do I know you?"

Madison sighed at Dack's bluntness and pushed him aside. "You don't know us. But we know Hannah. She's joined Team Rocket and become an executive. And now she plans to use her power as an executive to invade the city. I'm sorry. I know this must come as quite a shock to you."

"You're trying to tell me that one of my childhood friends has gone insane and is attacking cities at random?" Shannon frowned. "I don't have time for your games." She shot Madison a look of disgust and moved to close the door.

Aspen shot forward and shoved Shannon out of the way at slammed the door back, not letting go of it. "Yeah, no, this is real, and it's pretty much all your fault." Aspen said, glaring at Shannon. "You may think you were her friend, but apparently you made her feel inadequate to the point she wants to commit mass murder, twice. Sootopolis fell victim to her earlier this morning." the trainer said, before turning his look to Ryan. "How about you explain it so she believes us?"

"Excuse me!" Shannon cried, giving Aspen a hard shove. "Don't you dare come into my home and talk about my friends like that!" She glared at Ryan. "How about you explain to me what in Arceus' name is going on here?"

Ryan shot Aspen a glare that showed that he was not helping anything at all, and looked back to Shannon with a frown.
"I know everyone's way too blunt for their own good except Madison here, but..." Ryan scratched his head with a conflicted look. "I don't know what happened, and I won't pretend to. But it seems after you left, Hannah changed. She did attack Sootopolis earlier." Ryan said, and grabbed his Pokégear, and then turned it to the News card. "Look." Ryan said, as the news footage of the Groudon attack from earlier played on the Pokégear. Ryan looked at Shannon with a slightly sympathetic look on his face, as he sighed.
"I know it's hard for you to believe us..." Ryan started to say, and then paused. "But something happened, and you are her target. She is going to lead an army to Celadon sometime today, simply to prove she's better than you... But I don't want her to make that mistake, because I'm positive she's better than that, just like you do. But..." Ryan trailed off, as he looked down and grimaced in defeat, not sure at all how to explain better, or help her understand that they weren't here to cause trouble. "... Sorry I haven't been around." Ryan said, as he began to turn around, having a feeling that they weren't going to get anywhere.

Dack shook his head at Shannon. "Fine. Don't come crying to us when Hannah busts down your door." He took Madison's arm and turned around to leave.

"...Wait." Shannon stood in the door frame. She bit her lip. "If I'm really her target, she won't rest until she finds me, will she?" She looked out onto the snowy landscape of the city. "I don't want Celadon to end up like Sootopolis..."

Ryan looked back, and sighed. "Seems to be the case, yeah..." Ryan said, and scratched his head, and shivered slightly, as a cold chill blew through the area. "... Don't ask me where this snow came from, though..."

"Don't think you showing up would save your city....." Aspen muttered, sighing. "She did.... That, to Sootopolis as a test run to prepare herself for Celadon. Even if you showed up, I don't think she'd stop until every single person and Pokémon in Celadon is slaughtered, she's that far gone....." he said. "Not that the snow helps things, either..... I don't know what caused it, but I don't think it was Hannah......"

Ryan looked at Aspen with a frown.
"I don't think that most people are ever 'too far gone'. It might take some sense being knocked into them, but I think for most people, who are not my father, there is a chance to redeem themselves." Ryan said, as he was rather speaking from experience.

Shannon shook slightly, shivering from the cold. "Then we can still stop her." It was not a question. She looked into Ryan's eyes, and saw that he still believed in her friend. "It's not too late."

"I don't know the Hannah you grew up with," Dack said. "But the Hannah I know is twisted. Manipulative. Back-stabbing. You can try to stop her, but I don't think she'll back down so easily. That's why we're setting up an army of our own."

"If you think I'm going to fight Hannah, forget it!" Shannon spat.

"I don't think you're one to make any assumptions about the way she is now, when there are people like me who know that she's a cunning, psychopathic idiot with the authority to get away with everything she wants." Aspen replied, his glasses becoming opaque for a moment as light from tilting his head up reflected off.
"We need a resistance of our own to defend Celadon. In fact, we've got quite a few of our Pokémon with psychic powers trying to do just that. And who says you need to attack Hannah?" he pointed out. "There's an army she's ordering to kill everything in sight, can't you battle them?"

Ryan glared at Aspen again. "I think I'm more qualified to make those assumptions than any of you, and not just judging on her past either." Ryan said, and then looked back to Shannon with a sigh. "Try to help talk her down, then, at least. Never any guarantees it'll work, but... There's gotta be a reason. If we find that reason, and at least try to fix it..." Ryan said, obviously considering a more peaceful end to this mess than most other times here, as he scratched his head, unsure what else he could say.

"I agree with Ryan," Madison said. "You should at least try and talk with her. We don't want any more bloodshed than is absolutely necessary."

"In any case," Luke said. "You don't want to just sit around here waiting for Hannah."

Shannon took a deep breath and closed the door. She returned a moment later wearing a hooded jacket. "Alright," she said as she stepped outside. "I'll go with you. But don't expect me to do any fighting." She put her hood up and locked the front door. As she turned back around, she added in a quiet mutter, "That's my parents' job."

IC: Jayron/Colette
"Hold up," Jayron said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Even if she buried that memory, it would take a hundred times as long to search every memory underwater than it would to just scratch the surface. And that's not counting the times you'd have to keep resurfacing for air. It would take an eternity."

Colette frowned, as she looked back to Jayron. "Well, do you have any other ideas?"

Jayron nodded, pulling out Aqua's Pokéball. "It'll still take a while, but our Pokémon can certainly help. You have that Squirtle of yours, don't you?"

Colette nodded, but frowned. "How do we know what to look for, though?" Colette asked, skeptical about that.

"You mean you were about to dive head first into the ocean by yourself with no clue what to look for?" Jayron chuckled. "See if you see any of these ruins. Perhaps some of the strange writings we've seen." He sent out Aqua and quickly filled her in.

Colette looked at Jayron with yet another skeptical look. "You knew what I meant..." Colette said with a sigh, as she sent out Kammy, and filled the Squirtle in on the plan to find the memory.

"Well," Jayron said, taking off his hat and placing it on the sand. "Here goes nothing."

The trainers and their Pokemon dove into the ocean. All around them, dozens of bubbles floated. Each one contained a different memory. Gripping a plush Munna in fear. Falling from a slide and scraping a knee.George's stern face as he yelled about something. The memories down here were darker. The aura wielders immediately felt like they were intruding on Alexa's deepest secrets. Which wasn't far from the truth. But they had to keep searching.

Several times the aura wielders had to return to the surface for air. It was slow going. They seemed to pass by a thousand memories, not one of them indicative of the one they were looking for. Just as Colette and Jayron dove back underwater for the umpteenth time, Kammy waved her tiny arms to try and get their attention. Colette looked over at Kammy, and then tapped Jayron on the shoulder, as she swam toward the small Squirtle, intrigued as to whether she had found anything.

Kammy led the pair toward a bubble that had been lodged in a small crevice.

Jayron tried to look, but the image was obscured by the crevice. Spotting the others gathered together, Aqua went to join her companions. Upon seeing the predicament, the Swampert struck the crevice with Hammer Arm, dislodging the bubble, which started to slowly rise toward the surface. Colette quickly swam toward it, trying to carefully grab the memory with her hands. She brought her face close to the bubble, and as she touched the sphere, she became suddenly immersed in a world that was not her own...

Rocking.

She was rocking.

The small boat she was in bobbed up and down on the waves. The gray sky seemed a little brighter than it had before. Perhaps, somewhere far beyond the blanket of clouds, then sun was starting to rise. The boat bumped against the rocks. She clutched the radio tighter to her chest. Voices whispered through the static. They seemed excited, pleased. Eager.

Her own heart raced in anticipation. She stepped out of the boat, enjoying the feel of the sand on her toes. "Alright," she said in her tiny voice. "Am I there yet?"

The voices swelled, becoming more energetic. They were egging her on. She was almost there. Just a little farther.

An ancient-looking temple lay ahead, resting on top of a small hill. She quickly ascended the steps, driven as much by her own curiosity as she was by the voices. She stared in awe at the mysterious chamber she had entered. She was breathtaken by its archaic beauty. It felt sacred... almost magical. An odd word was etched into the stone wall, but she didn't have time to read it. The voices were louder than ever. Thousands of whispering voices. Their noise drowned out the radio's static.

She was close.

So close.

Agonizingly close.

The voices' desperation seemed to affect her as well. She had to get to the center of the chamber. She had to. She roamed the halls of the chamber, her heart beating faster and faster. Each time she made a wrong turn the voices lashed out at her, a high pitched scream coming from her radio. In this fashion she was shepherded through the chamber. The voices were frantic. By the end, she was running. And then -- finally! -- she arrived at the center. The heart of the chamber.

"N-now what?" she asked, panting to catch her breath.

The voices grew louder as the walls of the chamber began to glow. She didn't know what happened next. She was barely aware of the radio slipping from her hands as she rose into the air. Her vision became clouded by what appeared to be swarms of tiny insects. Their humming drowned out her terrified screams. But that wasn't the worst of it. She felt a strange presence touch her mind. It forced its way in, sifting through memories and emotions like a burglar raiding a home. The intrusive presence clung to several of her thoughts and feelings, casting hundreds more by the wayside.

The result was agonizing. The presence meticulously and mercilessly dissected her brain, leaving no corner untouched. She couldn't move. Couldn't hear. Couldn't see. Couldn't scream.

But she could feel.

And all she felt was torment.

Colette floated to the surface with her eyes closed, as her aura silently glowed around her. Colette could sense the sheer feelings, even through the memory. And she was furious. Colette broke the surface, as she snapped her eyes open, and climbed back onto the beach in silent fury. Whatever is doing this... Will pay.

Jayron, Aqua, and Kammy followed her. They had each seen the memory contained within the bubble. But none of them had immersed themselves in it like Colette had. None of them had heard Alexa's screams, or felt her pain. The companions looked worriedly at Colette. Jayron hesitantly reached a hand out to her shoulder, shielding his eyes from the glow of her aura. "Colette... are you alright?"

Colette's aura instinctively flared up for a second, but then relaxed. "... We need to get out of here. Now." Colette said, with a slight edge to her voice. "These... things... What they're doing is hurting her." Colette briefly stated, as she focused. "And if I'm to be expected by those things to just sit around here while that's happening, they're sorely mistaken..." Colette muttered, as she charged up an aura sphere; not even sure what to do, but guessing that if this really was an illusion; it would have to end sometime.

Jayron silently picked up his hat. "We'll get her back. As soon as we find a way off this darn beach." The moment the words were out of his mouth, Jayron spotted another hole in the sand. The next tunnel.

Colette paused, as her eye caught the hole as well, and she dissolved the aura sphere. "... Let's go, then." Colette said, as she walked toward the next tunnel...

[Flipz]

IC: Didi (Dedenne/T:Alex Zyther)

Didi the Dedenne was not happy. As she considered how things had come to this, she began to pounce from one end of her perch to the other, over and over and over. At first, the other Pokémon in the room were content to tolerate it, but at last a soft but dangerous growl from the Blissey convinced her to stop. Chittering angrily at the much larger Pokémon, Didi leaped from her soft, warm perch to the cold linoleum floor below, ignoring the ribbon-clad puffball named Sylph curled up in the basket next to her as she stomped out the door.

 

The moment she left, however, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She had been left with a charge, and ended up abandoning him. But the woman she had helped...she was family, too, wasn't she? Still, she hadn't been there for Alex when he needed her--he himself had told her as much--and she couldn't just let that go.

 

But now...how to help? Sylph had worked himself into exhaustion multiple times already trying to solve this problem, and even Bliss had been unable to assist her faithful Trainer. She knew no way in which her own powers could help the situation, and so the glowing rodent found herself pacing pensively up and down the halls.

 

Suddenly, however, a new scent drifted through the air. No, not new--familiar. It's her!

 

Didi was conflicted. Did she go, again, and leave her master undefended? Or was searching out his family not worth the risk?

 

The Dedenne made her decision. And then skittered furiously towards her destination.

 

OOC: Amelia post as soon as I'm done with it.

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Kalos, Train:

 

Kyle couldn't help but chuckle at Cero's difficulty in answering. It seemed, after all, that such a problem was not limited to himself. As he continued to speak, however, Kyle felt the smile slipping from his face.

 

"That's rough," he said. "Are you with Team Magma, then . . .?"

 

Small world, he mused. I wouldn't have expected to run into any other Liberty agents here, let alone Team Magma . . .

 

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

 

House shaking.

 

Not a good sign.

 

Sam stopped, forcing Gladiator to do the same. She turned back toward the hall. Will was not back. What was taking so long? Where was Seer? What was this feeling of dread that had overtaken the household, so powerful that it almost threatened to suffocate her?

 

Something amiss.

 

Something not right.

 

To flee, to get help, to abandon. To look, to risk, to save. Hesitation. Total uncertainty gripping the air, paling her skin, running along her face. Sam took a step back, and only with that action could she steel herself. Joker's daughter looked at Gladiator, a clearly fearful look in her eye masking a glint of resolution. "We need to find Will."

 

A nod. Affirmation.

 

They turned and hurried forward.

 

 

Will and Seer froze.

 

The darkness had come, gathering at their door. In its wake, the Darkrai appeared, pale green eyes scanning the room before settling on them with a dead acceptance of the situation. It blocked the way, a shadowy stopper bottling them into the living room.

 

As Will took a fearful step backward, he could not help but think of how much more inappropriate the name would become in just a few moments. He jumped, looking at Seer as the Alakazam placed a hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met for a moment, a matter of seconds that felt more like an eternity. And in that space of time, the boy heard only a single word, one that reverberated in his mind and rung in his ears despite the softness with which it was spoken.

 

Run.

 

And he wanted to. He truly did. But there was nowhere to go, except through the window, and there was no chance of him managing that--not yet, anyway. So instead he moved back, and still clutching the urn as tightly as he could, he ducked behind the most remote armchair that he could find. His eyes never left the Darkrai's face, nor the Darkrai's his. The two stared at each other with a mixture of emotion that Will could not name. He knew he felt fear--that was obvious--but now, seeing the Darkrai up close, and it looking just as intently at him . . .

 

Something was off . . .

 

Something was missing . . .

 

Murderous intent. Anger. A sense of despise. The Darkrai did not look happy to be here. If anything, it looked . . . sad? Lost? Will could not describe it. Something was missing; that was all he knew. And if that was the case . . .

 

He retreated. There was nothing he could do now but let Seer do his work.

 

Such was the Alakazam's goal. And he was certainly ready to see it through.

 

Every moment that could be spent distracting the Darkrai was precious. And Seer knew it. So as soon as Will had hidden, the Alakazam struck. His eyes glowed as he thrust a hand forward, prompting the Darkrai to raise its arms defensively. But no attack came. The Dark-Type eased its stance, narrowing its eyes at its opponent, and raised a hand to attack. As it did so, a powerful and uncomfortable sensation fell over its mind and body. The Darkrai looked to its hands, and then to its chest. There, it witnessed a red eye of energy appear, one that had instantly locked away its immunity to Psychic-Type attacks.

 

As soon as it finished forming, Seer spun his hands, throwing them forward again. This time, a wave of psychic power engulfed the Legendary Pokémon, launching it backward and through the bookcase and wall, into the larger library. Seer jumped after it, using Psychic to clear the cloud of dust that had formed. The Darkrai recovered from the impact, quickly floating backward and out of the way of Seer as the Alakazam attempted to slam into it. Righting itself, the Dark-Type gathered energy, using it to launch an Ice Beam attack at its opponent. Seer's eyes glowed as he manipulated the attack, redirecting it around himself in order to send it flying back at the Darkrai.

 

It dodged. The attack struck the area behind it, freezing the cases covering dozens of books. This did not deter Seer, who continued after his opponent, aiming another Psychic at it. Sensing this, the Darkrai vanished into the shadows, reappearing above Seer. A flurry of Shadow Ball attacks erupted from its hands, raining down on the Psychic-Type. In response, Seer used Protect. The spheres of darkness exploded harmlessly against the protective energy; and as soon as he spotted an opening, Seer let the shield go, snapping his fingers at the Darkrai. The Disable took hold, deactivating any further use of the super effective attack.

 

The Darkrai's eyes narrowed. With an audible growl, it drew its hand back, claws crackling with energy. The fact that Seer did not recognize the attack made it clear o him that it needed to be stopped. Thus, without so much as a moment's hesitation, the Alakazam launched another Psychic forward. The attack caught the Darkrai off-guard, disrupting its attack and throwing it through the ceiling, arriving amidst an explosion of dust in a room on the second floor of the manor.

 

By this time, Will had stepped out from his hiding place, and taken a tentative step toward the battle. As he sensed the boy, Seer turned, eyes settling on him with a sharp edge.

 

Go--now!

 

Without waiting for a reply, Seer ran forward and jumped, using Psychic again to propel himself after the injured Darkrai.

 

For several moments, Will could only stare after him, simultaneously amazed by the Alakazam's display of power and worried for his safety. He did not have long to spend there, however, as a moment later Sam and Gladiator stumbled in through the doorway, the former almost tripping over the debris as she limped over to him, pulling her brother into a frantic hug. "Will! You're safe!"

 

"Sam . . ." he said, as if in disbelief of her presence.

 

She pulled away, her expression halfway between angry and relieved. "Idiot! I told you not to run away like that!" Sam's eyes softened. "Did you at least get him?"

 

"Y-Yeah," Will said, looking down and shifting the urn in his hands. "But--Seer . . . He's fighting that Darkrai alone . . ." He looked back at the hole in the ceiling. "And if it's here . . ."

 

Sam followed his gaze. Then, she turned to Gladiator. "Go help Seer," she said. The Aegislash nodded, sliding past them and heading after the two combatants. Sam gripped her brothers shoulder, directing him toward the door. "Come on--we'll get Mom and get out of here." Once Will had moved next to her, allowing her to lean on him in order to navigate the mess on the floor, the two shambled out, headed now to the foyer . . .

Edited February 1, 2015 by Parugi

[Flipz]

IC: Amelia Zann (+Sina/Sneasel;Harvey/Larvitar) [Ellen Time]

The moment the five Trainers stepped through the gate, Amelia stopped. At her own Trainer's nod, Sina began digging aimlessly through the snow-covered planters on the parkway, making a show of being animalistic about her actions. Amelia, meanwhile, crossed her arms and leaned against the archway over the gate, hooking a lock of hair over her ear--and at the same time, activating the over-ear hearing aid she wore subtly tucked away out of sight. Her hand dipped to her pocket, extracting a PokéNav Plus from her pocket; from there, she adjusted the volume and began to eavesdrop.

 

Though she hadn't overheard everything in the Olivine Garden, what she had heard matched up with what the Trainers were saying now: this "Hannah" individual was prepping an army to flatten Celadon, apparently out of revenge for the actions of just one person. Even I can tell this lady is bad news, and that's saying something.

 

Just then, the youngest member of the group lunged forward and slammed the poor woman's door open. Amelia rolled her eyes at the young Aspen's antics. "This kid," she muttered to Sina, "has an ego so big it makes Groudon look like Roselia." For a moment, the Sneasel abandoned her cover and stared pointedly at Amelia. "What?" the Trainer replied. Shaking her head, Sina returned to rummaging in the grass.

 

It was pure misfortune, then, that Harvey chose that precise moment to return to his Trainer. The Larvitar pumped its stubby legs to run to her as quickly as it could--not loudly, as even her clumsiest Pokémon had been taught the importance of silence, but an overgrown lime green lizard tottering down the street toward her was not the most subtle sight in existence. Momentarily muting the feed from her microphone, she hissed at the Larvitar as it approached.

 

"What are you doing?!" Amelia demanded. Harvey hissed and mumbled and gestured, before the Pokémon's Trainer stopped him. "Harvey--the signals. Use the signals."

 

Nodding, Harvey made a series of gestures indicating available work, then pointed back in the direction Amelia and her quarry had just come from. Amelia stifled a groan.

 

"Are you talking about the Olivine Garden?" The Pokémon nodded. "Harvey...! That's where Sina and I were just at--"

 

The door closed. Amelia shoved Harvey behind her, then chanced a quick glance at the house--it appeared that all six of them were distracted by watching the woman lock her door. "We'll talk later," she warned Harvey, before fixing her hair--palming and pocketing her eavesdropping device in the process--and whistling to Sina, knowing the sound would be heard by the small herd of humans now walking towards the street.

 

"Sina," she crooned, speaking to the Sneasel more like a pet than a partner. "Come on, Sina, you've had your fun. Come back." The Sneasel poked her head up from the grass, deliberately displaying her razor-sharp claws, before Amelia retreated her to her Dusk Ball. "Sorry," Amelia apologized to Dack, "you know how they can be sometimes." She flashed the Trainer a smile, before feigning shock at the group's appearance. "Wait...you wouldn't be...you are! You're those Trainers from Sootopolis, the ones they're showing on the news! If only I could have helped--but no matter, no matter." As she mentioned this last part, Amelia deliberately took a half-step backwards, exposing Harvey to the others' line of sight. The spy allowed herself a small smile as she expertly wove the threads of her half-truth together, both verbal and somatic. "But what brings you to Celadon? Surely there's no rampaging monster on its way here--well, unless you count the snow, I guess." Amelia allowed some of the artificial sweetness to leave her tone as she cocked her head at Dack. "Unless there is something I should be aware of?" she inquired, her concern, for once, genuine.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

Evan, while happy to see Ray, also remained concerned for Sonja. He knew he and the Liberty agent didn't have the most smooth history regarding each other. He never had seen her act this distant. She seemed almost weighed down. By what, he did not know, but he was gonna make sure he and Jenny tried to help out, even if it was just a small amount.

 

"I think that's a good idea that we talk.", Evan said, "Afterwards, we should all get a rest. You especially Sonja."

[Franco]

IC: He nodded, returning to the visible ease of linear movement.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

While the bard and king conversed, Zoe started a game between Merida and Flint, trying to see which could remain on her head the longest. Merida Force Palmed to defend her throne, but the monkey was too nimble. He somersaulted over the warrior princess, grabbing the surprised Meditite as he flew and slamming her into the sand. With a small victory screech, Flint hopped onto his quite literal headrest.

 

But Merida was not about to give up just yet. Dusting the sand off herself, she leapt up and grabbed the Monferno by the tail, swinging to try and get him to let go. Flint screeched loudly, turning around to try and throw a fireball at the Meditite. Merida merely repositioned the tail she was holding, allowing the fireball to be absorbed by the flame that already burned on the tip of the appendage. As Merida continued to swing, Flint had no choice but to relinquish his headrest, slamming into the Meditite with his feet as the two started to squabble on the ground.

 

The warrior princess, for her part, stood and giggled the entire time. When she looked up, she was surprised to see that the ex-hero, space princess, and newcomer girl had already left. She was allowed a brief moment of disappointment before the monkey metronome's screeches pulled her back into a fit of giggles.

 

IC: Kiri/Alaina/Drew

"Buizel!"

 

The moment the word escaped his sister's lips, Drew's own face paled. He took off at a run, pushing past Lachina and Kiri. Trusting the girl to keep up as well, the Spearow relinquished its hold on her hair and began to quickly fly down the street.

 

"Mickle!" Kiri instructed. "Don't lose sight of those kids!" As the Pidgey on her shoulder took flight, Kiri turned to the Ranger at her side. "Sounds like there's trouble," she said. "And from the looks of it, those kids have had enough trouble to last them a lifetime. We have to follow them!" Without waiting for an answer, the Sootopolis native took off after the street urchins, running as fast as she could through the desecrated streets of the city.

 

IC: George

As the Rhydon charged ever closer, George hurled his Pokéball with all his might. The capsule hit the ground and opened in a burst of light, releasing its contents. Even before it had fully materialized, George's Manectric launched itself toward the Rhydon. A low growl reverberated in its throat, growing to a terrifying Roar. The Rhydon did not flinch at the move. It merely roared in return, swiping the electric canine away with a Hammer Arm.

 

George gritted his teeth as Manectric was slammed hard against the canyon wall. He glanced back at Dandy. "I'm at a disadvantage here, kid. You're gonna have to back me up!"

 

IC: Cresselia

The Lunar Pokémon glared at the snobbish man as he left. She had half a mind to put him to sleep then and there, but she knew that would not help anything. Instead, she turned her attention back to the remaining restaurant-goers. If anyone else objects, feel free to leave now. But rest assured, we will inform the police of this situation -- along with everyone else in this city. She turned to her fellow Aria and her fellow Psychics. I believe we're done here?

 

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

Dack stared at the girl in surprise. He had expected gathering other citizens would be just as hard as Shannon. But this girl seemed almost eager to help. "As a matter of fact, there is something you should know about," he said. He quickly filled her in on the situation, explaining how Hannah was abusing her executive powers to bring an army to the city.

 

Shannon stepped between Dack and the woman. "Hannah is not a monster," she insisted. "She's my friend. I don't know what is causing her to do this, but I won't allow your little ragtag army to bash her head in! Let me talk to her. That's what you came to me for, is it not?"

 

Luke stepped forward as well. "Regardless, if she refuses to listen to you -- which seems to be the case, given that she explicitly said you were her target -- then we need to be prepared to defend the city." He looked back at the woman and her Larvitar and Sneasel. "If you wish to help us, Miss, we're gathering recruits at the Olivine Garden. We're headed that way now, as a matter of fact."

 

Madison stared at the woman, frowning at the sweet way she seemed to be talking to Dack. "If you've seen what happened in Sootopolis, then you know this is nothing to be taken lightly. If you're not prepared to fight, then you should find a safe place to hide. The further away from the city, the better."

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron - Four Island, Beach:

 

It seemed Sonja had not managed to hide her current state of mind as well as she had thought. Yet, somehow, actually hearing someone acknowledge it seemed to lift a weight off of her shoulders, and she managed a small smile at Evan.

 

"That'd be nice," she said. "Talk and walk, right? Where do we begin?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan frowned at the newcomer, and when Shannon mentioned about Hannah again, and mentioned not knowing why she was doing this, Ryan thought for a moment.

I wonder what could have happened... Ryan thought, and made a note to ask about that later.

 

-==IC: Jenny/Ray==-

 

Ray thought for a moment, as he slightly smiled. He noticed that Sonja looked better than she had been even just a few minutes ago, and glanced over at Evan with a thankful look.

"Well, how about we start with the stuff after..." Ray started to say; however, at the same time, Jenny was thinking about what might be a good thing to talk about first; however, then she realized that as soon as that Ancient Darkrai had appeared, everyone had stopped watching Feral, and that they didn't know anything about what happened with that.

"...the fighting in Opelucid started." Jenny finished for Ray, as Ray paused and blinked, and gave Jenny an odd look; wondering why she had cut in, and not even finished his sentence right.

 

OOC: Strawberry Rhubarb jam! Slight edit to one part to flow better and add in something I meant to add. ^^'

 

-==IC: Stacy/Dahlia/Palmer==-

 

Stacy nodded at Dahlia's comment about it being news to her.

"That's because she liked to keep out of the spotlight; she was never one for money or fame like my mother or I. Heck, as a kid, she despised the fact that work took our family away from her, so, she didn't want that to happen again; especially when events caused her to require not having a high ranking position there." Stacy explained, and then heard Dahlia's comment, and chuckled slightly with a smile.

"Of course I would. We are a down to earth family, aside from that despicable scum of a human being known as Gerald Hikari..." Stacy slightly scowled at the last part, but shook her head. "We know our origins, even if we forgot it for a little bit; we don't let things like this get to our head." Stacy explained with a smile to Dahlia.

Palmer gave a hearty laugh. "The world needs more people like you and your family, Stacy," he said. "Those who don't let fame or fortune go to their heads. In the Frontier, we Brains always reminded ourselves that despite our prowess in battle, our guests always came before ourselves. We may be strong, but as Frontier Brains we were meant to be beaten. That thrill of battle -- it exists whether we win or lose." As the Tower Tycoon spoke, small flecks of snow started to fall from the sky, accompanied by a sudden drop in temperature. Palmer held out his hand curiously to catch a few flakes. "Snow...?" he said. "In the middle of summer?"

Dahila smiled and listened on to Stacy's words with interest. "I'm glad to hear being born into a high position hasn't hurt your happiness. I don't know a lot about people with different lifestyles, all I hope is that they enjoy their work like my family does." the gardener said. "I'm lucky to be one of those people who loves what they do..... My family has been growing berries and flowers for generations now, and we live modestly.... We don't need lots of money, we're happy just being able to continue gardening.... And heck, after a good harvest, Mom would hand me a pouch filled with berries, and I'd walk somewhere else handing out the berries for free!" she explained, smiling. "It's not easy work, but I don't know what else I'd want to do for the rest of my life....."

 

While Dahlia was speaking, it occurred to her that white specks suddenly dotted her vision, and the temperature plummeted. "H-Huh....?" she muttered confusedly. The gardener took off her straw sun hat, and stared intently at the flecks of snow lining it. "But.... H-How is this possible.....?"

Stacy smiled at Dahlia's explanation with a nod, and chuckled slightly.

"You really do remind me of Cassie, really. Her and Christina, actually." Stacy said, and then paused, as she noticed the snow as well, with a frown. "This... This is unusual..." Stacy mumbled, as her frown deepened. "We should get going; I don't like the looks of this."

Palmer pulled his coat tighter around himself, tightening his scarf as well. "Here's to hoping Erika's got more than just Grass-Types," he said as he led the way toward the Gym. "At any rate, this snowstorm will help fend off any aerial attacks."

The middle Seaton looked around worriedly, before putting her hat back on her head. "This... This just doesn't seem natural...." she muttered. "What's causing it? Can't be Hannah.... We need to get to the Gym, r-right now..." Dahlia said, quickening her pace and motioning for Stacy and Palmer to do the same.

Stacy nodded, and frowned, as the trio continued toward the gym.

 

After a few minutes of walking, not helped by the sudden snowstorm, they entered the building. The lone occupant of the gym looked up, slightly surprised.

"Oh, hello there; I wasn't expecting many visitors because the Gym technically just opened for the day, yet none of my trainers are here yet." The Gym Leader, Erika, said, and Stacy smiled ruefully.

"There may be a reason for that..." Stacy said, as a sudden gust of wind blew through the door, sending in some snow and a large chill. Erika frowned, and tilted her head.

"... Is that...? But it's the summer..." Erika seemed just as confused as everyone else, as she shivered slightly. "Please, close the door and come on inside..."

Palmer nodded and closed the door, cutting off the fierce wind. "Sorry about your plants, ma'am," he said, glancing at the snow-covered greenery that had the misfortune of having been placed by the door. He quickly walked towards the Gym Leader, making his way through the magnificent garden. But his eyes were solely trained on the Gym Leader. "Erika, we need to talk. This summer blizzard isn't the only threat to the city."

Dahlia slowly walked into the Gym. She was met with a wondrous garden inside, obviously tended to and cultivated by careful hands every single day..... If this were under ordinary circumstances, the middle Seaton would have been gushing and raving about how beautiful it was.... Sadly, these weren't ordinary circumstances. Erika looked over toward Palmer, as she recognized the Frontier Brain. "Palmer? What do you...?" Erika began to say, as Dahlia nervously cleared her throat to get Erika's attention.

"Palmer's right.... There's something very, very wrong that will happen soon today...." she said, looking apologetically at Erika. "O-Oh, right, my name's Dahlia, you probably know who Palmer and Stacy are, but I'm just a fellow gardener from Olivine. I've always wanted to visit Celadon, but n-not when there's an army coming to attack..." Dahlia explained, and pursed her lips for a moment. "....If you check the news, there should be something talking about an attack on Sootopolis... Well, me and Palmer were there, and the culprit is a Rocket Executive named Hannah Wright. We don't know when exactly, but she wants to attack your city to get back at someone named Shannon Willows.... And there's more of us trying to organize a resistance to protect the city." the gardener explained, and sighed. "M-Maybe someone else can explain things better, but.... That's what's happening..."

 

Erika seemed surprised by what was said, but then frowned with a nod.

"I'd heard something like that on the radio this morning. So, someone's planning on attacking Celadon...?" Erika said, as she considered that for a moment, and looked between Palmer, Stacy, and Dahlia. The Gym Leader stood there silently, as Stacy watched, wondering if that was enough. "So... There's a resistance to stop this...?" Erika queried, and Stacy nodded. A couple seconds went by, and then Erika's mouth curled upward into a smile.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Erika asked, a determined look on her face. "Let's go meet up with this resistance of yours!" Erika said, as she pulled out her Pokegear, and started to call her gym trainers, but then paused. "... Where should I tell them to meet, though?"

"The Olivine Garden," Palmer said. "It's near the center of the city. Also, tell your Gym trainers to spread the world to their friends as well. We'll need all the help we can get -- and whoever doesn't choose to fight must be evacuated to a safe location."

Dahlia couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and look back at Erika with gratitude. "We can't thank you enough, Erika! Right now most of the resistance moved away to contact Willows, but our base of operations is indeed the Olivine Garden." she said, confirming Palmer's words. "We've left some Pokemon there to try and recruit as many people as possible..... But we should really head there as soon as possible, see how things are going....."

Erika nodded, as she quickly sent off a note to her gym trainers, telling them to meet at the Olivine Garden, and to bring friends who can fight.

"Right, let's go! Sounds like there's no time to waste."

[JiMing]

OOC: So me and Blade jammed, but instead of doing so on guitars and producing sick tunes, we did so on our keyboards and made an IC.

IC: Olivia/Zach

Olivia looked all around the Department Store, which was more packed than she had initially expected.... She looked over to Zach, who was currently still holding the baby Torchic the two of them had just purchased from the breeder, and spoke up. "I don't think we can afford to spend too much time here, but.... After we get the TM, could we maybe look at warmer clothes for the two of us? I-I'm not really dressed for snowy weather right now...."
Zach nodded, as it was a good idea. "Right; sounds good to me. I think the clothes are around the first floor, and TMs are on like the third or fourth floor, so that works pretty well." Zach agreed, especially since he had left his other jacket back at the Seaton's house.

"Alright, let's look for clothes first...." Olivia responded, and quickly made her way to the women's wear section. She browsed as quickly as possible, and spotted a rack of dark green coats, where she went over to find out that they were her size. "This seem good to you?"
Zach chuckled, and nodded with a smile. "Looks good to me." Zach said, as he thought for a moment about things.

Olivia grabbed the coat off the rack once Zach voiced his approval, and blinked at Zach who seemed to be thinking about something. "....What is it?"
Zach was snapped out of his thoughts by Olivia, and nervously laughed a bit. "Oh, nothing, just thought that I should probably get something warmer too... I mean; you probably still need other things, but..." Zach said, as he rambled slightly.
"Oh... Right, right, of course....." she said, still frowning a bit at Zach rambling. "Well, I can help you look..." she offered. "And maybe hold the Torchic for a bit while you do that, too.."

Zach nodded, and paused for a moment, as he scratched his head awkwardly. "... Though, um, I found that sizing isn't always that great for me..." Zach said, a tinge of red on his face.
The eldest Seaton tilted her head, not getting what Zach was trying to say. "What about the sizes? Like I said, I can help you look...."
Zach scratched his head awkwardly again for a moment. "Well, usually I have to look around this section because it's the only thing that's not permanently baggy." Zach said, unsure how else to put it.
"Oh. Oh..... That's what you meant..." Olivia said, realizing the meaning behind Zach's words. "Well, if that's the case..... We're already in this section, right? Let's quickly look for something that does fit you." she said, smiling at Zach.
Zach slowly smiled again, and nodded, as it had gone better than he'd thought, and followed Olivia, as he looked at the different clothes, not sure what actually worked.

The couple quickly set about exploring the section some more. A bright red coat caught Olivia's eye, and she tapped Zach on the shoulder to get his attention. "Does this look like it could fit you?"
"Hmm..." Zach thought for a moment, and looked at it in intrigue. "It might fit, yeah." Zach said, as he examined the coat, and then held it up to himself.
Olivia watched as she continued to hold the baby fire chick in her hands. "So do we buy that too?"
Zach nodded, as it seemed to be the right size. "Anything else you wanna get?" Zach asked, as he noticed that Olivia was wearing shorts.
"Hmm? Oh, right...." she replied, realizing she was indeed only wearing shorts. "Uhh, yeah, let's see if the pants section has anything warm....."
"Good idea." Zach said with a chuckle, as he followed Olivia to the section in question.

While they walked there, Olivia noticed that the baby Torchic was darting her head all around the store with wide-eyed curiosity. Laughing slightly at the adorable little Chick Pokemon, Olivia saw a white pair of thick snow pants, and bent over to get a look at the size tag. "Hmm.... This seems like it's about my size...." she said, looking over at Zach. "Does this look like it'll work too?"
Zach looked at them, and then smiled, and nodded. "Looks good to me." Zach said, and thought for a moment. "Think that should be all we need, especially considering hopefully there won't be too much snow..." Zach said with a sigh, unsure how things got to be this way.
"Alright then....." Olivia said, nodding back. "Then we go buy these things, and then go to the floor where they keep TMs. That sound about right?"
Zach nodded, and looked over to the counter. "We should be able to pay there; and then run upstairs and get the TM quickly."

"Alrighty then." Olivia said, walking with Zach over to the counter. There, they quickly paid for their clothes, and head off to the TM floor, while Olivia did her best holding the Torchic with one arm while carrying the bags in the other.
Zach smiled at Olivia, as she seemed to be struggling to carry the bags with the Torchic in her arms. To try and help, Zach slipped his left arm through the handles of the bags, and chuckled. "These aren't that heavy; I'll carry them." Zach offered, as they reached the TM floor.
"O-Oh, thanks, Zach..." she said, letting him grip the bags. "I needed that.... Quite a bit." Olivia said with a chuckle, wrapping her now free arm to grip the Torchic better. When she reached the TM floor, she walked into an aisle, and looked to see if they had Shadow Ball.....
Zach looked around as well, and noticed the TM in question, and picked up a copy, and walked back over to Olivia. "Found one!" Zach said with a smile.

"Wow, you've been super helpful today!" Olivia laughed, and smiled back. "Thanks again again, I'll quickly buy this!" she said, and did just that. "So... Are we ready to head back now?"
Zach nodded, and smiled back. "Yeah." Zach said, as the two began to walk down the stairs, and out of the store. When they stepped outside, however, Zack paused for a moment, and then dug through his backpack. "I just thought of something, though." Zach said, and pulled out an empty Pokeball, and handed it to Olivia with a smile. "Always helpful, right?"
"Hey, that's smart!" Olivia said, taking the Pokeball "She's our Pokemon now, after all.... This'll be easier to carry around." she decided, holding the Pokeball out in front of her for a moment. Just then, the Torchic looked at the ball curiously, and pecked it, quickly capturing herself.
"...That was easy." she said, scooping up the Pokeball as it shook a few times and then clicked. "Let's go back now.... The others are probably waiting for us...."

IC: Aspen Seaton

"What the-?!" the trainer shouted, once Amelia made her appearance, and listened to her 'explanation'. "So you mean to tsay you just 'happened' to be in Sootopolis and see us, and just 'happened' to run into us again? Sorry, I've been able to witness crazy coincidences that didn't make sense recently, and this makes too much sense to be a coincidence." Aspen muttered, narrowing his eyes at the newcomer. He also picked up on her false sweetness, due to actually being around someone on a daily basis who really was kindhearted, luckily. "Whatever you're really up to with us, buzz off. We're a bit busy trying to save Celadon from being wiped off the map." he growled, looking daggers at her.

 

"What the-?!" the trainer shouted, once Amelia made her appearance, and listened to her 'explanation'. He shouldn't have had a problem with her words, but..... Her tone was off. "Nice acting skills, but I'm not falling for it." the boy began, glaring daggers at Amelia. "See, I can see you're trying to sound super sweet and nice..... But I happen to live with a sister who is actually super sweet and nice. Even still, there are people who you just want to hate, so she fakes it for them. Naturally, living with her for all fifteen years of my life..... I can tell the difference from genuine sweetness and acting." he explained, pushing his glasses up when they began to fall down his nose. "Nice touch there by trying to get Dack's girlfriend jealous of your charm too, I'll give you that. But, if you really wanna join us, go ahead, we need as much people on our side as possible, but I'd like to know what your real goals are first if that's alright." 

 

IC: Aria/Amethyst

Aria simply stared back at the man, as he walked out, taking that time to read his aura. What she saw..... Was strange, to say the least. The Lucario saw purple, but beyond that, it was a chaotic cacophony that was unreadable and completely inhuman..... Thus, she raised an eyebrow after the snobish man left the restaurant, and began to think....

"......Okay, I don't know who he was, but he's weird." Amethyst finally spoke up, confused from everything he just said.

"You mean, its' weird." Aria said to her fellow telepaths. "I took the liberty of reading that..... Thing's aura. Even I myself cannot make out anything from it.... But if it was human before, it isn't anymore."

"What the....?" Amethyst said, blinking. "So if he's not human.... Then what is he?"

"I'm not sure." the Lucario admitted. "But so far, I've not found a sign that he will aim to hinder our progress.... So we must focus our attention on what we know." she decided. When Cresselia asked if they were done, Aria responded. "Yes, I believe we've done what we could. I suggest we hold our positions until our trainers return." she suggested, putting the memory of that strange, inhuman aura in the back of her mind... For now.

IC: Lachina Adaon

"Oh my...." Lachina said, wondering what could have sent those kids into such a frenzy. "Whatever it is, it's not good. We've gotta follow them." she told Aolani, as the Ranger and Partner Pokemon took off after the urchin children at top speed, trying to see what was wrong.... Whatever it was, she hoped it was something easier to handle than rescuing Drew had been....

OOC: Will edit Aspen IC later when I figure out how to fix it...

 

EDIT: And done.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Blade==-

 

"Agreed. Though, Zoroark tend to have 'inhuman' auras too, don't they?" Blade pointed out, unsure how auras actually worked. Meanwhile, Blade simply watched Anna, as the tiny bird simply danced around, and shook herself a bit with a couple jumps.

"AND STAY OUT!" Anna said in native Pokemon tongue with a laugh, but frowned. "That guy gave me the creeps, and was too arrogant for his own good."

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

"I feel I should explain why we left Opelucid so suddenly.", Evan said, nodding to Jenny, "I do not know if you saw, but before we left Opelucid.......I killed that Spacial Horror. While it felt good to rid the world of such a thing, it also left me shocked and feeling not like myself. It wasn't soon after, that when we reached route 4, that we encountered Gerald. I had managed to defeat him, but then......"

 

OOC: For effect, I Want To Know from Kill La Kill for the first half, and Id: Return from Fire Emblem: Awakening for the second half.
 

IC: Evan Tierra, Jenny Hakuda, and Gerald Hikari, Route 4, Flashback

 

"In the end... isn't that just the reality for everything?" Gerald had said, laughing coldly at Evan.

 

Evan shook his head at Gerald's response. He was tired of people like him not getting the idea behind what he was saying. He was tired of letting people like Gerald, who sought to do nothing but cause destruction and pain to everything, get away.

 

"Maybe, I should show you the reality of your actions.", Evan growled, "Show you the cold reality of your current situation. Look at you. You may have your pokemon, but most of them are too exhausted to help you. I could take your life, and you could do almost nothing about it. That is the reality you face now."

 

Evan's mind was a blur of confusion and rage. Here was the man, who may as well have killed him. The man who had caused so much pain and suffering for so many people. Evan honestly thought he deserved to die. To suffer the consequences of his terrible actions. Evan had begun to make a walk towards Gerald, when a hand reached onto his shoulder. Evan turned and saw Jenny, frowning in disapproval. While shocked, Evan remained adamant about his statement earlier. There was no going back, sadly.

 

"Let me go.", Evan said coldly, "He has to pay for what he has done. Can you not see that? He's gotten away so many times without any retribution."

 

"And how is that any better than him?" Jenny asked sharply, as she shook her head. "There are better ways to make someone pay, than to kill them." Jenny said, as her frown deepened. "He could be forced to wander and contemplate his mistakes. Or locked up. Anything but stooping to his level."

 

"I killed that thing in Opelucid.", Evan retorted, seeming more lost in his eyes, "What's another monster killed gonna hurt?"

 

"It's going to hurt you." Jenny stated, as she stared at Evan. "Look at me; look at me now. Do you think this will help at all? He's gotten away before, yes, but does that mean that the answer is to just murder someone?" Jenny asked, as Gerald harshly laughed.

 

"Ha... ha... ha... Listen to little miss goodie two shoes here. You know in your heart exactly what's needed... So what's stopping you?! GO ON!" Gerald laughed out, an insanely triumphant look on his face as he cruelly smiled, and spread his arms out, egging the Hero of Space on.

 

"I want to kill him.", Evan thought, Jenny's words ringing in his ears, "I really do. But, would it be worth it? To kill him? Would it be worth throwing away all I stand for, what makes me 'me', for this monster? Would it be worth casting away the mantle of 'Hero'? To become the 'Villain'?" Evan closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He had made up his mind.

 

"No, I'm not gonna kill you.", Evan said, his eyes aflame with new resolve, "I've made plenty of mistakes in my life. I've done many foolish things, but killing you would be the most foolish thing of all. I'm not losing everything, because of a pathetic creature like you!"

 

Gerald's smile faltered, as he proceeded to frown at Evan for a moment, but then smiled again, still triumphant. Jenny smiled, as Evan slowly got back to his old self, and then nodded, proud of Evan for overcoming Gerald's taunting.

 

"Last I checked, my pokemon follow me because I actually care about their well being and they care about mine.", Evan said as he advanced towards Gerald, "They are more than tools to me. They are my comrades."

 

OOC: End Flashback

 

IC: Evan Tierra, Four Island Beach

 

Evan then explained that he had released most of Gerald's pokemon team. He mentioned that Gerald teleported away, having little left to help him in such a dire situation. He made it clear that Gerald was still at large, but seemed mostly harmless now.

 

"Which brings me to what I wanted to tell you, Ray.", Evan said, smiling a bit, "Your sister managed to stop me from making a mistake that would have ruined me forever. She reminded me that I was not a killer. That I am a Hero, Ex or not. Therefore..."

 

"Therefore?" Ray asked, as he tilted his head slightly, and Jenny giggled with a knowing smile for a second.

 

Evan smiled as well, as he and Jenny began to hold hands. Ray's head tilted more at the action. Evan wasn't sure what Ray's reaction would be. He didn't really care what Ray would think. He'd be glad if Ray was happy about it. But, there was only one way to find out....

 

"I fell in love with Jenny.", Evan said, blushing a bit as he spoke, "She helped me find my way again. I need someone like that. Someone who can remind me that I am a Hero in some way now, which your sister most definitely does."

[Konuju]

IC: Kiri/Alaina/Drew

Spearow darted up and down the streets of the city, careening through alleys, flying over fences, taking the quickest route possible to get to their destination. The urchin children followed quickly behind the restless bird, doing their best to keep up. Kiri, for her part, could only follow Mickle, who did her best to both stay in Kiri's line of sight while keeping the children in her own vision.

 

More than once Kiri almost lost the children in the ruins of a building they had darted through. But by some miracle she managed to keep up. Eventually they arrived at an old factory that somehow managed to remain standing after the Groudon's attack. Spearow fluttered over to the far corner of the room and chirped loudly. Drew pushed past his sister and ran to the corner. A large cylinder of what appeared to be compressed gas had fallen over, pinning a Buizel to the ground. The poor weasel looked like it had given up trying to pull itself free ages ago. It had lost all strength. But at the sight of the urchin boy it perked up, squeaking excitedly.

 

"Buizel!" Drew cried. "Don't worry, Buizel! We'll get you out of there!" As he tried in vain to lift the heavy cylinder, Alaina came up behind him.

 

"It's not going to lift, genius," she said. "You'll have to roll it." However, the cylinder proved just as difficult to roll as lifting was.

 

"Hang on, I've got it!" Drew cried. He darted into the shadows, emerging with a crowbar. He struck the cylinder with all his might. The echo reverberated through the factory, but the cylinder did not budge.

 

What did budge, however, was dozens of beady eyes, darting toward the source of the sound that had awoken them. From under pipes, beneath the staircases, within the shadows, dozens of Raticate and Garbodor made their way toward the urchin children, hissing and gnawing. Alaina backed up against the cylinder, uttering a terrified scream. The crowbar dropped from Drew's hand, clattering to the floor. The two children stood petrified as the sewer rats closed in on them. Spearow tried to attack the nearest ones.

 

"Mickle, do something!" Kiri cried in desperation. The Pidgey joined her fellow tiny bird in attacking the Raticate and Garbodor. But even then, it seemed like a losing battle...

[Makuta of Time]

IC: 

 

"Got your back bud!" Dandy pointed at the Rydon to his Pokemon. "Razorface! Sunhound! Give that thing all you got!" Immediately they both charged at the creature while staying a bit cautious for their own safety. Razorface performed Cross Chop on the Rydon while Sunhound used Fire Spin.

[Flipz]

OOC: Jam with Konuju inbound!

 

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

Dack stared at the girl in surprise. He had expected gathering other citizens would be just as hard as Shannon. But this girl seemed almost eager to help. "As a matter of fact, there is something you should know about," he said. He quickly filled her in on the situation, explaining how Hannah was abusing her executive powers to bring an army to the city.

 

Shannon stepped between Dack and the woman. "Hannah is not a monster," she insisted. "She's my friend. I don't know what is causing her to do this, but I won't allow your little ragtag army to bash her head in! Let me talk to her. That's what you came to me for, is it not?"

 

Luke stepped forward as well. "Regardless, if she refuses to listen to you -- which seems to be the case, given that she explicitly said you were her target -- then we need to be prepared to defend the city." He looked back at the woman and her Larvitar and Sneasel. "If you wish to help us, Miss, we're gathering recruits at the Olivine Garden. We're headed that way now, as a matter of fact."

 

Madison stared at the woman, frowning at the sweet way she seemed to be talking to Dack. "If you've seen what happened in Sootopolis, then you know this is nothing to be taken lightly. If you're not prepared to fight, then you should find a safe place to hide. The further away from the city, the better."

IC: Aspen Seaton

 

"What the-?!" the trainer shouted, once Amelia made her appearance, and listened to her 'explanation'. He shouldn't have had a problem with her words, but..... Her tone was off. "Nice acting skills, but I'm not falling for it." the boy began, glaring daggers at Amelia. "See, I can see you're trying to sound super sweet and nice..... But I happen to live with a sister who is actually super sweet and nice. Even still, there are people who you just want to hate, so she fakes it for them. Naturally, living with her for all fifteen years of my life..... I can tell the difference from genuine sweetness and acting." he explained, pushing his glasses up when they began to fall down his nose. "Nice touch there by trying to get Dack's girlfriend jealous of your charm too, I'll give you that. But, if you really wanna join us, go ahead, we need as much people on our side as possible, but I'd like to know what your real goals are first if that's alright."

IC: Amelia/Dack/Madison (+Harvey/Larvitar, T:Amelia)

The red-haired spy listened intently as Dack explained the situation, mixing feigned surprise at the things she already knew with genuine interest at the details she hadn't yet overheard. She took another half-step back, this one uncalculated, to collect and analyze her thoughts. "So. A corrupt Rocket executive, leading her army against a civilian city for the sake of a personal grudge?" A shiver passed through her unrelated to the current cold. "How...interesting," she murmured, almost to herself, her gaze glassing over momentarily as she considered the possibilities.

 

She was rudely snapped back to reality, however, by the grating growl of the gruff grunt accompanying the group. Amelia smirked, infusing her tone with a patronizingly saccharine sarcastic sweetness. "Such a lovely child," she remarked, rolling her eyes slightly towards Dack and the others just in case her sarcasm had been missed. She allowed her voice to go halfway back to normal. "Listen, kid, I don't know what your problem is, but if you jumped in the air like you jump to conclusions, you'd be Rayquaza bait right about now." She tilted her head and put a finger to her lips in (mostly) mock consideration. "Although..." Harvey looked suddenly up at Amelia's deviation from script. "I guess the boy makes a good point. I'm not even from Celadon, I'm just passing through. Maybe I should want something else..."

 

Amelia locked eyes with Dack, an intensity and drive within them that hadn't been present before. "All right, here's the deal. Fighting off armies isn't really my forte, but I'll do you a favor--if you agree to do a favor for me. Deal?"

 

Dack frowned as he considered the woman's offer. Madison quickly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dack, no," she insisted. "We're here to recruit people to fight for the city, not hire them like... like mercenaries."

 

The Snowpoint trainer brushed Madison's hand away, looking just as intensely back at the woman that stood before him. "I'm not going to walk into a blind deal," he said. "What's the catch?"

 

"No catch," Amelia replied, "just...a favor. To be repaid at some future date." She waved her hand airily, almost dismissively, as if banishing any thoughts of the future. She dropped her hands to her thighs, getting serious once more. "I promise, I'll ask no more of you than you do of me." On this, Amelia was crystal clear--showing the exact same honesty she had every single time she'd previously uttered those thirteen words.

 

Amelia Zann was serious about her job. And this time was no exception.

 

"Still," Dack said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I'd like to know just what it is I'm walking in to. What exactly is this favor that you're asking of us?"

 

Amelia laughed, a wistful memory of innocence long since passed. "A favor." Seeing her target still did not understand, she quelled her amusement. "A favor. Right now, you're in trouble. You need my help. One day, I'll need yours. Then it's your turn to help me." Amelia shrugged, as if the idea was the simplest thing in the world.

 

Dack still seemed unconvinced. "Why?" he asked. "Why would you need our help specifically?"

 

"Because I'm the best." She paused, considering whether or not to play her trump card, then went for it. "And maybe--just maybe--you might be as well." Amelia half-bowed, half-curtsied to Dack. "Amelia Zann, at your service--if you wish it." She maintained the pose, incling her head upward towards the other Trainer as she waited for a response.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray blinked for a moment or two, as he processed the words in his head. Ray opened and closed his mouth a couple times; but no words came out, as he seemed confused.

"I, wait, you two..." Ray said finally, as he scratched his head, still trying to find the right words, as Jenny giggled a bit at the reaction, slightly amused, as Ray sighed after a couple more seconds.

"Sheesh, I leave you two alone for a few days, and this happens..." Ray said, as he chuckled slightly, half amused, and half utterly shocked.

"What can we say...? Love doesn't wait." Jenny said with a slight blush herself, But Ray smiled, and nodded, slightly impressed at all that.

"Well... You two seem to be a good match. Both of you do those poses, both of you are like perpetually happy, and you both never know when to give up at all." Ray explained, a slightly amused smile at the last part. Ray looked over to Sonja then, however; as did Jenny. The two both wondered what her thoughts on the entire situation were, but especially the latter part. Ray knew that Sonja had wanted answers about what happened, after all, and he thought that it pretty much answered a lot of things.

Especially why they left like they did... Ray thought, casting a quick glance toward Evan, before he settled his gaze back on Sonja.

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan looked between the woman, apparently named Amelia Zann, and Aspen.

What's her deal? Ryan wondered, as between the odd way she'd reacted to the explanation of Hannah, and that 'favour' she'd mentioned, he wondered just who she was. Ryan then turned his attention to Dack, as he wondered how the ex-Rocket would react. Wasn't his situation to get involved in, anyway.

 

-==IC: Colette/Jayron==-

 

The two aura wielders walked through the tunnel in silence. The darkness seemed to press in all around them after the bright beach. And the memory of Alexa's still haunted them. As a Liberty Executive, an aura wielder, and a ninja, Jayron had received intense training on remaining cool under pressure, of never losing his focus. However, he had to admit, Alexa's memory had disturbed him. Had it been himself in Alexa's shoes (metaphorical, of course, as the girl had traveled barefoot), he wouldn't have had a problem. He would have figured a way out. But seeing Alexa suffer like that, knowing there was nothing he could do but watch... Jayron was determined to see that whatever it was that had kidnapped the poor girl was brought to justice.

Colette had it worse. She had done more than just see what had happened to Alexa. She had felt everything the young girl had felt. Like she had been there, suffering alongside her. Or in her place. If she could have, Colette would have gladly taken Alexa's place. As she had told her double, she had made a promise. She didn't care if Team Liberty needed her for other missions. This little girl needed her more. Jayron was determined to seek justice. Colette was livid. She would not rest until Alexa was safe and her captor had paid ten times over.

Lucario had neither seen nor felt the memory. He walked a few paces behind the two trainers. He could feel their fierce determination, their quiet resolve. He did not ask what they had seen down in that endless ocean of Alexa's memories. He merely followed. If they were to fight, he would fight alongside them. He did not need to know what they had seen to know that he would help them every step of the way. None of them said a word, for there was nothing to be said. They all knew what needed to be done.

 

Before long, the trio made it to the next room. Jayron couldn't tell if it was because the last 'room' had been a bright and sunny beach, but this one seemed darker than the others. The moment they stepped foot in the chamber, Colette formed an aura sphere in her palm -- both to light their way as well as to guard against any attacks. She quickly led the way toward the center of the chamber, not wanting to waste any more time. Jayron and Lucario quickly followed her, taking small note of the mere four letters carved into the wall.

 

'RIXY.'

 

Darkness seemed to press in against them from all sides, suffocating even the luminous aura sphere. As before, they could not sense anything with their aura. But they didn't need aura to be able to sense the heavy breathing. Something was with them, lurking in the shadows.

Jayron allowed himself a small smile. He may have been a powerful aura wielder, but he was a ninja first. He had been trained by Koga, one of the best. And as a ninja, he knew how to use the shadows to his advantage. And so it was no surprise that Jayron was able to detect the attack when it came, and respond accordingly.

Moving as fast as a serpent, Jayron grabbed Colette's arm and pulled her back, forming a large aura shield with his other hand. A split second later a clawed hand struck the shield, where Colette's head had been moments ago. A fearsome roar reverberated through the chamber and a gruesome face leaned close to the shield. The small light from Colette's aura sphere illuminated its features: rows of pointed teeth, an angled face, and a thick snout curved into a snarl. It was a familiar shape, but the flickering light made it even more terrifying. It was a Feraligatr.

 

Colette frowned, as she reached for her Pokéballs quickly, and then sent out her entire team, except for her Magikarp. "Let's get this done quickly." Colette said quietly, as she prepared an aura sphere, knowing that this was just an illusionary thing, and that she didn't have to hold back.

Jayron nodded, maintaining the shield with one hand as he sent out his team with the other -- Absol, Zwelious, Metagross, Aqua, and Servine, who stood by Lucario ready for battle. "Give them everything you've got," he said. "Three, two, one, now."

 

The moment Jayron dropped the shield, the Pokémon jumped into action, propelled by their trainers' determination. As Lucario launched an Aura Sphere, Absol struck the lizard's thick hide with Night Slash. Zwelious gave a fierce roar, her shadowy aura glowing darker in the surrounding shadows, as she fired off a Dragon Pulse. Metagross and Aqua rushed forward, striking the Feraligatr with twin Hammer Arms. Servine narrowed her eyes at her opponent, sending a Leech Seed its way.

Colette nodded, as she dashed forward. Vivian opened her claws and fired a Water Pulse at their enemy. Kammy and Myriam followed, unleashing a double Aura Sphere, even as Colette launched her own toward the Feraligatr. Colette frowned slightly, as the Feraligatr seemed to not really care that much about the attacks, but nodded to the others.

"Keep it up!" Colette yelled out, as a soft white glow enveloped the tiny Squirtle, even as Colette began to prepare another Aura Sphere to fire.

The combined attacks served only to make the Feraligatr angrier. It waited until the initial attacks subsided, then eyed its opponents with a sinister grin. It slammed its heavy tail to the ground, creating a massive Earthquake.

Jayron and Lucario both grimaced, while the shockwave sent Metagross tumbling to the ground. Absol managed to Detect the attack and Aqua was able to hold her own. Zwelious responded with her own display of Earth Power, creating spikes of earth that forced the Feraligatr back a few paces.

Colette and her Pokémon staggered against the force of the Earthquake, however, she planted a foot on the ground to keep her balance. She then leaped toward the Feraligatr, as she tried to slam an aura sphere directly into its head. Colette's Pokémon stopped for a moment to catch their breath, and Myriam proceeded to attempt a Force Palm on the Feraligatr, and Vivian launched off another Water Pulse toward the hulking Feraligatr.

 

The Feraligatr narrowed its eyes, mustering up a Scary Face to slow its opponents. When Colette leapt forward, the Feraligatr caught her with an outstretched claw and moved to slam her against the rock wall. It barely felt Vivian's Water Pulse, and Myriam's Force Palm did little to deter it.

Jayron dashed toward the giant lizard himself, using his aura shield as a battering ram. His hit took the Feraligatr by surprise enough to throw it off balance. Servine followed up with a Twister, while Lucario Extremespeeded to catch Colette before she could fall to the floor. Metagross, meanwhile, had gotten back up and chose to protect itself from future earthquakes with Magnet Rise. Zwelious was so caught up in the heat of battle that she did not wait for the trainers to move before launching a Dragon Pulse. Lucario and Colette were able to evade the friendly fire with another Extremespeed, and Jayron barely managed to get another shield up in time, regretting that he had not had a chance to bond better with the Shadow Pokémon.

 

Colette panted slightly, surprised by both the sheer tenacity of the Feraligatr, and Jayron's pretty awesome move. "That thing's quite solid for an illusion; but I guess that was to be expected after the last room..." Colette muttered, as she looked over and noticed Kammy shaking slightly. Confused, she was about to ask the Squirtle what was wrong; when suddenly a flash of light erupted throughout the room, and a Wartortle took the tiny Squirtle's place. With a confident smile, Kammy leaped forward, and launched off another Aura Sphere; as the evolution, and experience in general, seemed to have allowed the sphere to be formed all the way; but still did not seem to have the entire amount of power behind it that it could have if it were totally perfected. The imperfect Aura Sphere did its job, though, of keeping the Feraligatr on its toes. The lizard stumbled back, roaring in defiance. It opened its gaping maw and unleashed a Hydro Pump at its gathered enemies.

"Aqua! Servine!" Jayron cried. "You know what to do!" The two Pokémon leapt in front of the Feraligatr, shielding their teammates from the brutal attack. Jayron bit his lip, trusting his Pokémon to withstand such a powerful move. When the attack finally subsided, the Servine and Swampert glowed with a dazzling light as they countered with a double Mirror Coat. The Feraligatr was thrown back against the wall and crumpled to the floor, unmoving. Jayron panted, as he glanced at Colette.

Edited February 3, 2015 by An/A Blade

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron - Four Island, Beach:

 

Right . . . That happened, didn't it?

 

How could Sonja have forgotten? That dark manifestation of Evan, impaled on a spike of earth. She had considered it just another form of the darkness, just like the Darkrai; but it seemed that in reality, facing it had been something of a challenge for Evan himself. And killing it . . . Well, killing was killing, no matter who was doling it out or receiving it. Necessary as it may have been to do, it could not have been easy.

 

She had not considered that. So while it did not completely excuse what happened after, she could at least understand the action a little bit better.

 

It took her a bit longer to process what his and Jenny's announcement of love. When she finally did, she tilted her head with a smile, doing her best not to think about how love was currently sabotaging her own friendships.

 

"Congratulations," Sonja said, her tone entirely sincere--and, it seemed, somewhat uplifted. "Really--I'm happy for you two." The group collectively began their hike back to the Alamo. "So I guess now we ought to tell you what we've been up to . . ."

 

So they did, starting from the top and moving from there, weaving a tale that seemed to carry them into the night.

 

And with the dawn, the beginning of another journey fell upon them.

 

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Kalos, Train:

 

"I see," Kyle said. He fell silent, thinking this over. If this was true, then that meant Cero was an ally of Team Liberty, did it not? But did that necessarily mean that he could be trusted with the knowledge of who he was . . .?

 

At the very least, it seemed that Cero did not recognize him. In some ways that was surprising--considering the sheer magnitude of some of the stuff he had been involved in, and thus had had his face and name associated with. Then again, if Cero was as new as he said . . . Perhaps it was a blessing?

 

Really, was it even worth it to make it an issue?

 

The train seemed to decide for him, cutting off the thought before he could pursue it any further. An announcement blared, declaring that they would soon arrive at their destination. Hearing this, Kyle attempted to nudge Esen awake. It failed, as she merely shifted. He sighed, shaking his head at Cero.

 

IC - Sleight/Eileen Alaric/Jackson Sang - Alaric Estate, Foyer:

 

The darkness had dissipated of its own accord. Though clouds of shadow remained, the vast majority were gone, revealing in their place the silent and damaged home of the Alarics. Silent, that was, in feeling; for the hustling of armed Rocket Agents, paramedics, and other personnel did not allow for the grounds to fall into any sort of quietude. They would have been fine, save for the unwanted presence and attention of the media. News vans had lined up at the gates, field reporters all demanding entry onto those fabled grounds of their country leader, demanding "first access" to the shocking news that would almost assuredly plaster itself across the headlines within the next few hours:

 

Alaric Estate Attacked--First Lady Left Comatose

 

Sleight did not have the energy to deal with such nonsense.

 

He sat against the wall next to the kitchen doorway, pointedly ignoring the uncertain looks being given to him by those passing through. His focus was on one place: The ground. Where he could think, and do nothing else. Away from others, locked within the confines of his head.

 

Perhaps not the healthiest place to be, but under these circumstances . . . Sleight sighed, cupping his face in his hands.

 

He had watched the paramedics carry them out one by one, all asleep, all unable to awaken. In total, three Pokémon--all Sang's--and two human beings. Jackson Sang; trusted ally. Eileen Alaric; dearly beloved. His only other family.

 

The only one he had left.

 

She and Levi . . . now both gone . . .

 

A gentle nudge on the shoulder pulled him back to reality. The Shadow Admin expected someone to talk to him--one of the guards, or perhaps one of his accompanying Executives. But it could not have been, because the place had fallen quiet again. The only ones who remained were those guards who had been assigned to help patrol and protect the estate; from the lack of sound outside, it seemed the rest had managed to clear away the paparazzi. Who else could it have been? Alexis? He had sent her home, overruling the calls to question her; he had already gotten all the information he could out of her before their help arrived.

 

So, who . . .?

 

Sleight lifted his head to look at the source, becoming aware of the wet sensation around his eyes as he did so. Sang's Elgyem floated beside him, a hand outstretched. The Psychic-Type peered at him. The Shadow Admin stared back for a moment, neither of them saying or doing anything. After a moment, the Elgyem tilted his head, as if asking a question. A deep expression of concern appeared in its eyes, almost unnoticeable.

The Shadow Admin rubbed his eyes. "I'm fine," he said, the words bitter in his mouth. The Elgyem seemed unconvinced. Gently, he reached forward, placing a hand on Sleight's shoulder. His eyes and hands glowed with a warm power; instantly, Sleight began to feel better, the toiling clouds within his mind easing up and dispersing. It took some time, but he finally managed to find the strength to smile. "Thank you . . ."

 

The Elgyem watched as Sleight stood up, taking a moment to compose himself before walking toward the front door. The Pokémon blinked, taking a moment to stare at his palms with their fading glow before following after the human.

 

OOC: Felix learned Calm Mind . . .

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Claus/Richard/James)

 

Fun as it was to watch, Claus decided it was time to put a stop to the 'battle' going on before him, as he checked his phone for the time.

 

"Alright Flint, that's enough," Claus said as he pulled the Monferno away from his play-fight with Merida. The monkey did not go easily, but not wanting to hurt Claus, had to eventually give up.

 

"It's getting kinda late, people are leaving and the food is almost-" Claus watched as Dionysus swallowed what was left of the food in one bite, "I mean completely gone, so I am gonna take Zoe back home before heading back to the room."

 

"Cool, I'll see you later back at the room. I got to take the instruments back to the band hall."

 

James watched people come and go with only a vague interest. Gawain had awoken for a moment and gestured for his trainer to sit near him. Despite his preference for not getting his suit dirty, he sat down on the sand near the Swampert. He knew he had to wait for the Swampert to finish his nap before the two could have any heart to heart conversations.

 

While the bard's Pokémon were packing up most of the instruments and the plates brought by Claus, the bard stopped by the Executive.

 

"You know, I brought this ukulele to see if Gawain would like to learn an instrument. In my experience, playing an instrument is a great stress relief, plus a lot of fun. I checked it out under his name, so at the very least, could you tell him about it?"

 

"..Very well, I will."

 

"Great! Thanks a bunch. Oh and tell Gawain Good-bye for me," Richard said as he ran off to follow his Pokémon, waving back at the Executive behind him.

 

James gave a polite wave back, before turning towards the sea. He would wait as long as it took for Gawain to rest, and then they would talk.

 

OOC: Timeskip to Celadon time next post.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, The Alamo, Flashback

 

As Evan walked off towards the room he was supposed to sleep in, he felt dread rising up in his mind. That dread only rose when
he entered the room. The room was dark and quiet. Then there was the bed. Evan eyed it with even more dread, not wanting to sleep.
He didn't want to believe what he would dream about this time. The last two days were the same thing. Evan decided he needed rest, and laid in the bed, hoping he'd be wrong.



He was wrong. it was worse.

"Ha... ha... ha... Listen to little miss goodie two shoes here. You know in your heart exactly what's needed... So what's stopping you?! GO ON!", a voice rang in Evan's mind, as Gerald Hikari stood before him
arms spread wide in a "come on!" pose. He saw Jenny staring intently at him, her eyes pleading with him to stop.

"It's too late for me, Jenny.", Evan heard his voice state in a hollow tone, "He's done too much to deserve any fate but that."

With those words, Evan drew closer to Gerald, unsheathing a survival knife he carried with him. Evan's eyes shut as Gerald laughed coldly.
The laughing stopped shortly after. Evan opened his eyes and saw Gerald's body lying on the ground. He felt numb. He turned and saw Jenny, her face looking incredibly distraught. As he turned towards her, he dropped the knife, and reached for his poke balls. He then released his pokemon, and crushed the poke balls that once contained them.

"Go, my friends.", Evan said, his voice shaking, "I've no right to be with you anymore. Please go away."

At that command, Evan's pokemon, looking absolutely heartbroken, ran or flew off. Gnip, before she ran off, walked towards Evan, and nudged his hand, wishing to be petted one last time. Evan petted her, tears in his eyes. The Garchomp then flew off, never to be seen again.

"You'd best go, Jenny.", Evan said numbly, "You have no reason to be hanging with me anymore. I am the villain now."

With those words, Evan walked off, the blowing sands swallowing him up, as haunting laughter echoed.......

Edited February 3, 2015 by Hades

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe
Zoe sat on the edge of her bed, staring out the window into the night sky. Overall, it had been a fun day. Between Mr. Bard's antics, Ex-Hero's hamminess, and the Swampert's switch from angry villain to noble knight, the warrior princess had completely forgotten her earlier sadness. As her blissful joy wore off with the fading light of the day, reality hit home.
 
Collie was still gone.
 
She should have known better. Most Liberty operations took more than one day to complete, her parents reminded her. Colette was most certainly safe and sound, and would be back before she knew it. She should have been used to waiting. Under ordinary circumstances, back when Collie was still training, Zoe would have had to wait another 349 days to see her sister again. She glanced at the countdown calendar that hung on her wall. After Collie had surprised her by coming home, she had planned to take the calendar down. Now it hung there, taunting her. Because she had no way of knowing when she would see Collie again.
 
Zoe looked back at the night sky, staring up at the stars as she had done many a night before. She wondered if even now Collie was staring up at those same stars. Her hand moved to grip the locket that hung around her neck. The thought made her smile. Collie was likely just as sad about their parting as she was. She would be back as soon as she could -- she just had to save the world first. For there was not a force in the world that could keep the two sisters apart.
 
The young girl crawled under the covers and closed her eyes, her fingers still wrapped around her locket. She was no longer a warrior princess. That act had ended shortly after Claus had dropped her off. She was just a little girl, waiting for her sister to come home.

IC: Jayron/Colette
Colette rubbed her forehead with her arm, as she stood up. "... We're probably close to Alexa, but I dunno how much more I can fight right now..." she mumbled as she panted slightly, wincing at the drain on her energy that everything had taken recently. She looked over at Jayron. She knew they had no time to waste, but she wondered if she could take the strain of this sort of fighting for much longer.

Jayron nodded. "These battles really have taken a lot out of us," he said. "We should find the next tunnel, then we can--"

The executive was cut off as the Feraligatr's body became engulfed in a shadowy vortex. The lizard's eyes glowed a deep red and it hung in the air like a marionette on a string. Before the aura wielders' eyes, the spikes on its back elongated, becoming more pointed. Its lower body was absorbed by the vortex that whirled around it. With a nightmarish grin, the gruesome creature lashed out with a Shadow Claw.

Jayron acted quickly, moving his aura shield to protect Colette and their Pokémon from the sudden attack. "Oh come on!" he cried. "Just when we thought we'd won!"

Colette frowned, as she slowly stumbled a bit, and looked to the twisted Feraligatr. "Kammy, Myriam, Aura Sphere!" she yelled out, as she moved to charge up an aura sphere alongside the two of them, but then fell to a knee with a slight wince, feeling a twinge of pain from the earlier grab. Guess I've gotta leave it up to them... she thought, but then smiled slightly. I can trust them though... Come on you two; show me your strength! Colette watched as the Wartortle and Mienfoo charged up their respective attacks, and then fired the attacks off toward the mutated being.

"You alright, Colette?" Jayron gave her a worried look as he maintained the shield to keep them both safe. He looked back to his Pokémon. "Don't hold back!" he cried. Lucario moved to offer a Heal Pulse, but she waved off the help for the moment.

"Y-yeah, I'm good!" Colette lied. "Focus on the beast!" While she could still fight for the moment, she definitely would be thankful for a quick break after they reached the next tunnel.

Lucario looked unconvinced, but he whirled around and sent a flurry of Aura Spheres at the shadowy creature. Meanwhile, Absol prepared a Double Team before leaping forward with Megahorn. Servine sent a Leaf Storm at the monster, the attack heightened by Zwelious' Hyper Voice. Metagross' eyes glowed as it reached out with Psychic, and Aqua reared back with an Ice Punch.

The monster roared as the attacks battered it. Most seemed to do little more than annoy it, but Aqua's Ice Punch froze a chunk of the shadowy essence that orbited the creature. The ice chunk flew around and around, the creature laughing evilly. Soon the entire room was enveloped in a harsh Blizzard.

Colette shivered at the sudden temperature drop, and slowly stood back up, panting. "Jayron," she suddenly said, a grim look on her face. "Follow my lead this time... Remember the boat...?" Colette held out her hand, trying to keep her focus on the aura sphere that had formed there. Meanwhile, Kammy attempted a more complete version of her Dragon Pulse as well, as she attempted to effectively bounce around the room to dodge the attacks; Vivian and Myriam simply took turns between the Clauncher firing off a Water Pulse, and Mienfoo an Aura Sphere.

Jayron bit his lip. The last time he had attempted to create an aura sphere he had failed miserably. But his master Koga had always told him that the best way to learn is by doing. He stared at the sphere growing in Colette's hand. Then, with a deep breath, he dropped the shield and concentrated on forming a sphere in his own hand. The orb took shape, wobbling slightly. It was imperfect, like Kammy's, but it was an aura sphere nonetheless.

The nightmarish creature watched Kammy dart around the room, then reached out with another Shadow Claw to crush the sea turtle. Absol quickly leapt in front and took the attack, glaring at the monster as it struck her. Lucario launched Aura Sphere after Aura Sphere at the thing, while Zwelious joined Kammy in firing off Dragon Pulses. Metagross swung its arm across the ground, trying to attack the vortex's ethereal substance with Hammer Arm. Servine attempted to counteract the vortex with a Twister spinning the opposite direction. Aqua grimaced against the cold, but used another Mirror Coat to send the creature's attack back at it. The monster roared, the combined attacks finally starting to weaken it.

Colette nodded as she saw Jayron create the sphere, and then focused, trying to find the best place to aim the attacks. "Now!" she yelled out, as she fired off her Aura Sphere at the best place she could see. She could only hope that it hit, and that Jayron's at least made it to its target. Meanwhile, Kammy, quickly getting used to her new body thanks to Lucina's previous training, decided to run toward the monster directly, as she focused and launched off a Dragon Pulse near the vortex, trying to help the Servine.

Jayron watched as the two spheres sailed toward their target. Servine and Kammy managed to slow down the vortex enough for the spheres to pass through the shadowy essence. Jayron's sphere started to diminish, but the aura still burned bright when it struck the abomination in the head. Thanks to her extensive training, Colette's sphere flew straight and true, hitting the creature square in the chest.

The monster roared out, its shadowy body giving way to the aura spheres' light. The nightmare closed its eyes, putting its focus into one final attack. The vortex around it exploded, sending waves of shadow energy in every direction. Jayron quickly threw up another shield to guard against the attack, grimacing as the shadowy winds battered his barrier.

When at last the attack ceased, the executive looked up and lowered his shield. The creature was no more. It had been destroyed in an explosion of light. Jayron fell to his knees, panting.

Colette panted and collapsed to the ground, supporting herself with her hands and knees. "... S-so, rest?" she said weakly, looking over to Jayron. She was a bit upset that they'd have to take a break, but felt there was absolutely no other option short of pushing herself beyond her limits.

Jayron nodded as their Pokémon gathered around them. "We'll need some time to recover our strength." He stared at the spot where the nightmarish creature had stood. "Let's just hope we don't have much further to go."

Colette nodded, as she continued to pant. "We go all out to get Alexa back, though..." she said with a frown, not liking the idea of having to hold back because of exhaustion right when their full strength was required.

"Of course," Jayron said. "I won't give up until that girl is safe back in her father's arms."

Colette nodded again, as she slowly stood up, and then moved to sit against the wall, still breathing heavily. "Yeah..."

[JiMing]

IC: Aria/Amethyst

 

"I thought using inhuman would suffice to explain my point, but instead you're starting to argue semantics." Aria said, shaking her head and sighing. "I would have told you if that was a Zoroark. People and Pokemon, their auras I can read as if I they were open books. But.... That thing was far, far different." the Lucario explained grimly. "What I saw.... I couldn't make sense of. It was chaotic and incomprehensible..... Whatever that was.... My best guess is that it's some dark force parading around in a human suit."

 

"That.... Doesn't sound good. At all." Amethyst replied. "I vote we don't tell anyone here about your theory. They've got enough on their minds as is..."

 

IC: Aspen Seaton

 

"Madison, tell your boyfriend to not fall for flattery." Aspen growled, looking very unimpressed at Amelia. "There is always a catch to these sorta agreements.... But that's honestly the least of my worries. One, how do you know Dack? Two, why are you so interested in him? And three.... What exactly are you the best at?" he asked. "You honestly expect me to trust you, when you consider fending off an army an equivalent exchange for whatever you have in mind? Give me a break....."

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Like Kiri, Lachina ran after the urchin children. She vaulted over any obstacle in the way and did not slow down, until she finally came into the factory where Buizel was trapped.

"Now kids, lemme think of something before you try anything-" the Ranger began, but was interrupted by Drew smashing a crowbar down on the cylinder. At that moment, a crowd of Raticate and Garbodor eyed the children hungrily, and surrounded them. Lachina's eyes widened as she realized that even with Kiri's aid, they were horribly outmatched.... I... Have to think of something fast....

 

"Everyone, cover your ears!" she warned, turning to Aolani. "Hyper Voice! Now!"

It didn't take long for the Altaria to comply. Aolani uttered a piercing shriek, causing the mob of Pokemon to step back and hiss. Lachina took that chance to send out her Capture Disk around a portion of the group, surrounding them with a glowing white loop of energy which closed in on them quickly.

 

Lachina pointed to the cylinder, and the Raticate and Garbodor lurched over to help, freeing the Buizel trapped under it in short order. As they retreated back into the darkness, Lachina captured the other group and ordered them back as well.

 

"Is everyone alright?" she asked, looking at the urchin children with concern. "You two weren't hurt, were you?"

Edited February 8, 2015 by Toph Beifong

[Franco]

IC: Cero looked up from contemplation and shrugged, emulating Kyle. "Maybe we could carry her out," he offered. His medical knowledge was limited, and his social savvy even more, but Esen's behavior made him feel like waking was not the right call.

[Konuju]

IC: Cresselia

Their job in the restaurant done, the Lunar Pokémon turned to face her fellow Psychics. Whoever -- or whatever -- that man was, he's not our concern at the moment, she said. We need to ensure that the city is prepared for the coming attack.

 

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

"Aspen does have a point, you know," Madison said. "There's plenty of other people who will agree to help us without roping us into some kind of deal. If this woman is only willing to fight for her own personal gain, she's not worth it."

 

"I agree," Luke said, giving Amelia a suspicious look. "The way she's softening you up; something just feels fishy about this whole thing."

 

Dack stared at Amelia, while Aspen, Madison, and Luke's arguments echoed in his head. Even Shannon seemed hesitant, muttering something about there being enough fighting. Dack weighed these arguments against the promise of this Amelia Zann's strength. She claimed she was the best, and although he had no proof of her proficiency, the Larvitar at her side seemed to convey a sense of power. The child-like Sneasel, not so much, but it at least seemed like Amelia could back up her claim. And the price for her skill? It was nothing more than returning one good deed with another.

 

"One condition," Dack said slowly, keeping his eyes trained on Amelia. "Leave my friends out of it. This deal is between you and me. I won't force everyone else to help you when the time comes; that will be a decision they'll make for themselves at that time." He extended a hand towards the woman. "If you can agree to that, we have a deal."

[Parugi]

IC:

 

I am not me.

 

Rather, I am the me that is fluid. The me that is morphed. The me that is changed from what it once was. And she, the girl who walks before me--she is who I was. The me without fluidity. The me that was untouched.

 

She wears a gown. A light gray, it billows about her frame. She is small. Young.

 

Pure.

 

We progress--she on one side, myself on the other. A line stretches before us and between us, beginning to end, end to beginning. Linear, marked and scuffed--an unpleasant journey. Blurry to start, a foggy vision that takes no true form no matter how intently I stare into its depths. And she, so pure, so naive, sees nothing at all--no fog, no line, no me--just stares ahead and walks. I follow, matching her pace, and watch.

 

As we walk we begin to discern. And as we discern, she slowly grows taller, older, and the gown with her. We pass a broken bridge, under which flows a fragment of a river that never starts and never runs out. The bridge is metal and wood, rusted and decayed. It has fallen through into the clear currents below. Beyond this we find a manor, tall and imposing, decorated with statues of birds, three in total. A crack splits it down the middle, the two halves crumbling away to reveal another house within. It bears a simple design, intentional in its unassuming presence. The statues remain, except for one, for it has been smashed against the ground.

 

We both pause. For the pieces are moving, and the question lingers on both of our minds--how? Why? We do not know the answer. As we watch, the bird becomes whole again. It is . . . odd. For it is not ugly, nor is it beautiful. Yet it possesses the essence of both. It tries, and it wants, to be one; yet it cannot stop the other from seeping into its form.

 

The bird has taken flight. It attacks another, the larger of the two remaining ones. This is thrown to the ground, replacing the first. The smallest bird watches, yet cannot move, and in its gaze is confusion. Fear. And it can do nothing as the first picks it up, flapping its great wings and carrying it away, leaving the house--and the second broken bird--behind.

 

She is walking again. And so I follow.

 

We pass by a playground, where children play but do not sing, do not utter so much as a sound--merely existing, and now vanishing into a doorway emblazoned with a symbol styled after a Zapdos. We pass by books, what seem to be hundreds of them, an endless maze that begs to be navigated. We pass by weapons, dozens of different kinds, all primed and ready for use. We pass by men in coats with clipboards, who seem to peer at us with shadowy eyes as we near. The sight is uneasy. She does her best to ignore them.

 

With the passage of each image, I notice something. She is growing. The gown is growing. Yet it is not only growing with her. Its very color grows darker, white ebbing into grey, darker and darker shades with every step. Purity becomes corruption. Innocence vanishes. She grows tired, her movements sluggish. I slow, hoping she will follow my example, hoping that she will stop pushing herself. Yet now a figure follows behind us both, and it whispers words that are not words, urging her forth. She does not--cannot--hesitate, and so she continues, faster than before, pushing herself to the limit.

 

We reach a point, and she finally stops, her gaze cold and afraid. She has frozen, and with her, the rest of the world.

 

Before us lies a screen. She stares at this. Static buzzes across it. Voices speak from it, their voices incomprehensible. The figure behind us whispers again. She moves forward, slowly, uncertainly, reluctantly. She is older now--still young, yet older. Experienced with the realm of horror, no longer a stranger to it and yet no more used to it than she ever had been. A master in the art of pain, in delivering and receiving it. An expert in analysis, in finding the crack in the wall and exploiting it for all it is worth.

 

And I cannot bear the sight of her.

 

It is just like that, at the behest of a whim, that the words and pictures, just as I have dreamed them, pile into the cage, and with the turn of a key are locked away again, hidden from my sight.

 

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Kalos, Train:

 

"Maybe . . ." Kyle said. He did not like the idea of having to carry Esen out, for a number of reasons. First and foremost being that someone was bound to get the wrong idea from seeing her like that. At this point, however, he recognized that they may not have had much of a choice. As the train pulled into the Dendemille station, he adjusted Esen, waiting for the train to stop so that he could help her to her feet.

 

She opened at her eyes at the exact moment the train ceased its movement.

 

The sudden sight of her straightening up prompted Kyle to immediately pull his hands back. She didn't seem to notice--or care--instead seeming more focused on rubbing her eyes. "I take it we're in Dendemille?" she asked. Esen did not actually look at either Cero or Kyle. She sounded as exhausted as she looked.

 

"Yeah, we just got here," Kyle said. "You've got really good timing--we didn't think you were going to wake up again today."

 

Esen gave him an odd look out of the corner of her eye. "You don't have to worry about me . . ." she said. She brushed her bangs aside, careful to keep her gaze averted from the Liberty Agent even as they stood up, gathering their bags and disembarking from the train. "Although if we could find some place to rest for the night, that'd be nice . . ."

 

Her tone was reason enough for Kyle. But if he had been able to see her eyes, he might have realized the other reason that Esen wanted to retire: The soft glistening on their surface that indicated she wanted to be alone, even if she did not say it out loud--or knew the reason for the tears, herself.

Edited February 8, 2015 by Parugi

[Franco]

IC: Cero saw and did not move. Those eyes were all the more reason to do as Esen said. He had never seen her in any state except troubled or sleepy, and if finding a place to stay was what it took to change that, then he would do it. He needed very much to restore the happiness he was sure she once had. He needed to administer justice.

 

"The center."

[Flipz]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

"Aspen does have a point, you know," Madison said. "There's plenty of other people who will agree to help us without roping us into some kind of deal. If this woman is only willing to fight for her own personal gain, she's not worth it."

 

"I agree," Luke said, giving Amelia a suspicious look. "The way she's softening you up; something just feels fishy about this whole thing."

 

Dack stared at Amelia, while Aspen, Madison, and Luke's arguments echoed in his head. Even Shannon seemed hesitant, muttering something about there being enough fighting. Dack weighed these arguments against the promise of this Amelia Zann's strength. She claimed she was the best, and although he had no proof of her proficiency, the Larvitar at her side seemed to convey a sense of power. The child-like Sneasel, not so much, but it at least seemed like Amelia could back up her claim. And the price for her skill? It was nothing more than returning one good deed with another.

 

"One condition," Dack said slowly, keeping his eyes trained on Amelia. "Leave my friends out of it. This deal is between you and me. I won't force everyone else to help you when the time comes; that will be a decision they'll make for themselves at that time." He extended a hand towards the woman. "If you can agree to that, we have a deal."

IC: Amelia/Harvey(Larvitar;T:Amelia Zann)

Amelia locked eyes with Dack before firmly clasping his hand. "I wouldn't have it any other way." The Trainer knelt down next to Harvey, gently murmuring to it--a strong contrast to her most recent tone. "Go check on Van, then come find me. Bring our newest friend." The Larvitar nodded, and tottered away towards the city center while its trainer rose to her feet, falling in step with the rest of the group. "So, we have a plan yet, or is this a seat-of-our-pants sort of thing?"

 

While her face betrayed no hint of discord, her mind was elsewhere--namely, on the one Pokémon in her team she couldn't count on to help her.

 

-----Earlier-----

 

Amelia emerged from the tunnel, one of the last of the refugees fleeing Sootopolis for safer shores--or at least, last in this group, anyway. The spy had no doubt there'd be many others to come. A rookie might see this as an opportunity. But this...this is a disaster. Like a chessboard upended in rage, the pieces scattered to the four winds, there could be no going back. Sure, one might rebuild, might gather back much of what was lost...but never again would the game reach the same state, its particular combination eternally lost. Sootopolis may have been a piece in a much larger game, but a Wurmple caught amidst a battle between Aggron must note even the tiniest movements...and this is anything but tiny.

 

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw her faithful Larvitar Harvey waiting anxiously for her by the tunnel mouth. The lime-green lizard had been one of the first Pokémon to start digging, so it would make sense that he had been one of the first out. He had obviously worked himself to the limit and beyond, as had many of the other Pokémon who had been sent out to aid him. Amelia knelt down to Harvey's level. "You did well," she said with genuine gratitude as she fished a Premiere Ball out of the pocket where she'd hastily jammed it, "now return."

 

Amelia stared down the steep slopes of the extinct volcano, seeing a line of good Samaritans helping their fellow civilians maintain their footing. A man reached out to steady her as she took a few steps forward--she drew sharply back, nearly taking a tumble as she stumbled over an exposed root. Only the timely assistance of a nearby Nurse kept her from careening down the mountain face.

 

"Whoa, there!" the woman said, her trained eye giving Amelia a once-over for injuries. "You all right?"

 

"I'm fine," Amelia replied, her tone both less acidic and more shaken than she'd intended. As soon as the woman released her, the spy adjusted her footing and began a swift but controlled slide down the mountain face.

 

At the bottom, the group of...the word 'refugees' came to mind even though none of them knew what fate ultimately awaited the city. Regardless, the crowd had encountered another obstacle--in this case, the sapphire shores of Route 126. Some of the citizens felt content to wait there for the calamity to cease, while others milled about in fear and uncertainty. A few of the more level-headed among them had already begun polling the people, asking for those who had aquatic Pokémon to volunteer their efforts in the evacuation. After a few minutes of careful surveillance, Amelia nodded in approval and stepped forward to the nearest inquiring individual, displaying a red-ringed Dive ball for the Ace Trainer before sending out her Carvanha, Van.

 

"Wait a minute!" a voice cried out.

 

Amelia turned her head, spotting the Nurse from a few moments earlier, the woman having apparently followed her down the hill. Amelia admired the woman's tenacity, though her interference was coming at a particularly inconvenient time. "Something I can help you with?" she inquired.

 

The Nurse pointed at Amelia's Pokémon. "That Pokémon is unfit for battle. It's in no shape to travel long distances.

 

Just then, a deafening roar shook the ground beneath them. Children began crying, their families crowding closer to them in a vain attempt to provide comfort. Amelia scowled at the added noise. "I agree. But we don't exactly have a choice, now do we?" she asked bluntly.

 

The Nurse paused, clearly seeing the truth in Amelia's statement even if she didn't like it. After a few moments, she reluctantly withdrew a large spray canister from her bag. "At least let me do this," she said, and at Amelia's nod of acceptance, she sprayed Van with the contents of the canister. "A Full Heal won't work properly on a fainted Pokémon. But at least it should help keep him from further injury. DON'T push him. He can take one Trainer--maybe two, given the circumstances."

 

"She," Amelia corrected automatically. "And all right then. I choose you."

 

The Nurse and Ace Trainer waited patiently, expecting Amelia to pull out another Pokéball and choose a different Pokémon to provide transport. It took them a minute before they realized Amelia was referring to the Nurse herself.

 

"What--me? But why--?"

 

"You cared enough to say something. Reason enough for me to peg you as a decent human being. Plus, you don't seem like the type to volunteer yourself for a shot at getting off this island, so I'm volunteering you for you." Amelia turned to the Ace Trainer and pointed at him. "And before you say anything, my Pokémon, my rules."

 

The man raised his hands and backed away defensively. "Wasn't planning to," he said in his most conciliatory tone, before quickly diverting his attention to someone else in need.

 

Amelia looked back at the Nurse as Van launched herself into the water. "Well? You coming?" The spy extended a hand to the Nurse, who, after some consideration, finally took it.

[Konuju]

IC: Kiri/Alaina/Drew

The two children stood rooted to the ground, still shaking with fear. Drew stared up at Lachina, his wide eyes filled with awe. This was the second time today this Ranger girl had saved his life. The Buizel had squirmed away from the cylinder the moment it was free, and wrapped itself around the boy's feet. Its cowering squeaks somehow managed to snap Drew out of his daze. He reached down and took the small weasel into his arms, hugging it tightly. After making sure the Pokémon was relatively uninjured, Drew turned his gaze back to Lachina, stammering a small "T-thank you, Miss...."

 

The moment the sewer rats had retreated back to the shadows, Kiri rushed up to the children, checking them for injury. "Oh, thank goodness you two are alright," she said.

 

"W-we're fine," Alaina said, squirming out of Kiri's grasp. As the Spearow fluttered above her head, she took her brother's hand and started to lead him out of the building. "Thank you for all your help. We mean it. But we really must be going now..."

 

Drew hesitated, still staring up at the Ranger.

 

Alaina pulled harder. "Come on, Drew! Let's get going!"

 

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

"The plan is... in progress," Dack said as he started to lead the way back to the restaurant. "We're working on it. If you have any suggestions, don't keep them to yourself."

 

"I don't like this," Luke muttered to Madison. "Does Dack have any idea what he's getting himself into?"

 

"I don't know," Madison said with a worried look. "I want to trust that he knows what he's doing. But... I'm not sure."

[Parugi]

OOC: I swear I'll actually get around to posting for Kyle and Joker and Esen and Sleight and all them.

 

But for now, have a jam.
 

IC - Sonja Baron/Ryan Sanders/Evan Tierra/Jenny Hakuda/Ray Hakuda - Four Island, Boat:

 

"Ray's late."

 

This was not a criticism. It was merely an observation, a simple statement of fact. The designated time to meet had been fairly loose-set--"roughly noonish"--yet even by that standard, Ray was the only one who had not yet shown up. Sonja, Evan, Jenny, and Ryan had already taken care of most of the necessities by the time they finally spotted him in the distance, securing a usable vessel and recruiting an off-duty ferryman as their pilot. Now they merely waited for Ray to arrive.

 

Sonja sat on a bench against the main cabin, her backpack in the seat beside her and her laptop resting in her lap. Though these were more or less the only two words she had said all day, she did not seem terribly exasperated or cold like she had the past few days. In fact she seemed more wakeful and rested now than she had in a while. Her silence here was more in wishing to focus on the files she was reading, news reports and official statements by Team Liberty that had just been published regarding the fate of Team Magma and the situation in R&D.

 

Ryan allowed himself a small smile in satisfaction as he stood by the rail, looking out at the Alamo off in the distance. Although he was irritated that Ray seemed to be taking his sweet time, he couldn't help but feel pleased that the Separatist was making himself look bad in front of Sonja. He turned to his fellow Liberty agent, wondering if he might strike up a conversation with her. But upon seeing she was busy, he looked back out at the beach. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the rail of the boat. Sleep had done him well -- he felt more rejuvenated than he had in a while, despite the gnawing ache in his stomach. He wished Sonja wasn't so busy, so that he could talk with her. But they had a long boat ride ahead of them for that.

 

"It's Ray, I'm not surprised."

 

Evan managed a tired smile while he stood near Jenny. His sleep wasn't too restful, but he didn't want to worry the others with that tidbit.

He looked at Ryan and Sonja, who seemed to have rested well, then at Jenny, who also seemed to be at the top of her game. Evan chuckled a bit in his head. Rest or not, he was gonna keep on going, whether he liked it or not. There'd be time for some rest on the boat ride, he hoped.

 

Jenny nodded at Evan's comment, and chuckled. She looked over to him, and noticed how Evan seemed to almost be exhausted, and was utterly perplexed. I wonder what that was all about...? Jenny thought, as she recalled that Evan had hugged her first thing that morning, when he had reached the group. He had said it was nothing; but Jenny wondered what was going on right then. However, her thoughts were torn from that, as she looked over back toward the Alamo.

 

Ray panted, as he skidded down the dirt path, and dashed toward the docks.

 

Why did that guy talk so much?! Why was there so much paperwork?! Gah! Ray thought, as he saw the boat coming into sight, and skidded to a stop in front of the others, as he panted heavily. "I'm sorry... I'm late... Got held up at... Move Relearner's..." Ray gasped, as he struggled to catch his breath, his seven Pokémon all back on his belt, most fresh with new moves.

 

"A likely story," Sonja replied, half-jokingly. She only spared a glance up from her screen as she spoke. "Hop on--you're the only luggage we're waiting for to leave."

 

He did. And as he did Sonja allowed herself a short glance around at the others, taking note of what and how they were doing. She focused on Ryan, in particular, for several moments, noticing his silence and his tapping fingers.

 

"So, Ryan," she said. "Are we docking in Fortree, or walking there from elsewhere?"

 

Ryan turned his head, giving Sonja a warm smile. "Looks like it's my turn to be the tour guide," he said with a chuckle. "We'll be arriving in Lilycove port. From there we'll walk to Fortree. It's a small distance; nothing like our travels in Unova." He gave a small nod to Ray as he boarded. "We'll check on Ellen first, see how she's doing. Then... then I guess we'll pay a visit to the Garvens' family."

 

"Breathe, Ray!", Evan said, chuckling at Ray, "At least you're here! I think we've burned enough daylight though. Shall we?"

 

Evan was excited to be able to see Ellen again. He hadn't seen her since the battle at Sinjoh Ruins. He had also never been to Hoenn before. If it was anything like what he had read about, he and Jenny were in for a treat. He was especially interested in Fortree City, Ryan's hometown. He shook at the excitement that was going through him. Anything was better than last night, honestly.

 

Ray nodded with a winded chuckle to both Evan and Sonja, and looked over at Sonja with a smile. She seemed much happier than the day before; and it showed even with her not speaking. Ray looked over at Jenny, who nodded back, an amused smile on her face at Ray's antics.

 

"Yeah, let's get going." Ray said, as he looked over to Ryan, who seemed... Oddly a bit cheerful, in comparison to the day before. Wasn't he most interested in finding out what happened to the Garvens to begin with, though...? Ray thought, but shook his head, just generally confused. Maybe sleep just did everyone good.

 

Ryan smiled in excitement as the boat left the dock, heading for the wide, open sea. It had been an exciting -- not to mention, eventful -- excursion to Four Island, but it felt good to be heading back home to Fortree. He remained at the rail, watching Four Island fade off into the distance. When the Liberty base was no more than a speck on the horizon, he turned around, smiled at Sonja, and sat down on the bench in the open seat next to her backpack. "So," he said, leaning back against the main cabin as he looked over at her. "Reading anything interesting?"

 

Sonja did not take her eyes off of the computer screen. "Administration published some reports on what happened with Havoc and R&D," she said. "There's nothing new on Havoc, but the R&D article mentioned some sort of break-in. I don't know if they're referring to the Sins or not, because the way that they word it makes it sound like two separate incidents." The Liberty Agent shrugged. "There's nothing else on it, so I'm going to have to look into it later, I guess."

 

Jenny watched quietly as Ryan approached Sonja. She had been told about what had gone on the night before, and was trying to keep as neutral as possible for Sonja's sake; but she did make sure to watch how Ryan acted, just in case. "Yeah, good idea to look into it later; I wonder how it could be two incidents, though... Or why?" Jenny queried, as she tilted her head to the side.

 

Ray, meanwhile, thought that over. "Two incidents... Didn't Blackskull seem to imply that too, or something?" Ray asked, as he recalled that Blackskull had seemed to show surprise at how the R&D department's state was.

 

"I don't know," Sonja said. "He didn't say much about it, from what I remember. I just wonder who would have wanted to break into the place. Clearly not someone from Team Liberty . . ."

 

"Well, we can vouch for Team Plasma.", Evan said, having perked up a bit at the topic, "There've been no plans, that we knew of, regarding Team Magma."

 

Ryan raised an eyebrow, glancing from Ray back to Sonja. "If it was two separate incidents, could they somehow be connected? Perhaps someone took advantage of the chaos these Sins had caused, or maybe they purposely sent the Sins to cover their tracks." He frowned. He refused to call the anomalies by their names, given or adopted. He still had a hard time coming to terms with what had happened to Melanie and Melissa. "Speaking of which, how did the Sins get into R&D in the first place?" he asked.

 

"Maybe they just teleport to whoever they target. I don't think any of us are in a position to really answer that, though, to be frank," Sonja replied. "But, I don't know . . . The more I think about them the less they seem like weapons to be pointed and aimed at people, by people--they feel too free-roam for that." She brushed her hair to the side. "It's seems most likely that it was just someone taking advantage of the situation. But that still doesn't tell us who it was, or what they were after."

 

"There has to be another big player.", Evan said curiously, "There has to be someone that we haven't considered. Someone keen on removing something like Team Magma out of the picture. Any ideas?"

 

Ray looked over to Evan, and thought for a moment.

"Well, let's see; Quincy Adams was said to be basically leading the charge against Magma, and they kept saying that she was one of Ford's lackeys, so that might just be it." Ray said, as he recalled what Blackskull and the other Ryan had said.

Jenny looked over at Evan curiously, as she thought back to the night before. Didn't they mention about Adams and Ford last night...? Jenny wondered, as she gave another subtly worried glance over to Evan, who seemed to be acting strangely today.

 

"Ford, the Sins, whoever was responsible for the break-in..." Ryan sighed. "It used to be so simple. Liberty versus Rocket. I don't even get what Ford's deal is; I thought he wanted the war to stop. Was the ceasefire not good enough for him?"

 

Ray frowned, and then nodded, as that was a good point. "Yeah... I thought that was the whole point behind..." Ray paused for a moment, as he glanced over to Sonja, nearly forgetting; the last time they had run into a true Ford agent, it had been Sonja's sister, back in Castelia... Back when Sonja and Ellen had been taken away, and... Ray left the thought hanging there, unsure what Sonja's thoughts on the matter were now; but the fact of the matter was that if Quincy Adams really was behind the incident at Havoc... Then Sophia Baron had gone against what she had said six months earlier.

 

"Personally, I stopped trying to make sense of Ford a long, long time ago." And that was all Sonja said on the matter.

 

Ryan gave Sonja a worried look. He couldn't know how she must feel, having a sister working for Ford. But he knew enough from Ellen's reaction to her father's connections to understand why Sonja didn't want to say much. He wished he had something to say to comfort her, but he had nothing. Instead he simply looked down, twiddling his thumbs. "Sorry I brought it up," he said quietly.

 

"There has to be something, though.", Evan said, struggling to keep his thoughts straight, "Something we aren't thinking about. Because, most of the time, there has to be some purpose behind these actions, besides to cause chaos."

 

Sonja glanced at Ryan, and then sighed. "It's not your fault," she muttered. After a moment, she closed her laptop, looking at Evan. "Look, maybe there's a reason for it, maybe there's not. But we know nothing about Ford outside of what we've been told and what we've observed. Not even Goldhawk and the others know what he and his posse are up to. So is there any point in speculating about it when we could just go out and do something about it instead?"

 

"I agree with that statement, Sonja.", Evan said, trying to stifle a yawn, "No use hemming and hawing about it. Just do as we normally do: press on and hope for the best?"

 

Ray nodded, as he agreed with both Sonja and Evan. "Definitely the way we roll." Ray said, and then thought for a moment, about something else. "How long will it take to get from Lilycove to Fortree, anyway?" Ray asked curiously, as he hadn't made the trip before, either.

 

"Hmm," Ryan said. "It usually takes a few hours; I'd say about half a day or so if we can keep up a good pace and don't stop to smell the Roselia."

 

"Why not just use our Pokémon to shorten the trip?", Evan said, finally seeming alert, "I've got Gnip to carry Jenny and I. What about the rest of you?"

 

Ray thought about that for a moment, and nodded slowly. "Yeah, plus we have the two Enteis and Sheik for us... Though, that might be a bit flashy... Though, since we'd be going fast anyway, it might not matter?" Ray said, unsure whether that'd exactly work or not.

 

"Subtlety, what's that?", Evan chuckled, "Just ride like the wind, right? Besides, the Entei and Sheik could go ahead, while Gnip lags behind, to avoid any chance of people stopping and wondering what's going on. They won't stop a Garchomp from running around."

 

"That would certainly get us there faster," Ryan said. "We'd have more or less a whole day to do stuff in Fortree, rather than just the afternoon." He glanced at Ray. "Just be careful not to destroy anything when you're going at breakneck speed. Fortree's already suffered enough damage as it is."

 

Ray looked over at Ryan with a frown. "Like I destroy anything, anyway."

 

Sonja momentarily glanced at Ryan, eyebrow raised. She could already sense the impending argument. "We'll just stop outside of the forest," she said. "Avoid the trees altogether. Nothing to worry about."

 

"All right, Sonja.", Evan said through a yawn, glad that the tension he felt just now had been dispelled, "I'll make sure Gnip does her best to do so."

 

"Sounds good," Ryan said with a nod, keeping an eye trained on Ray. "It won't be that far of a walk to my place from the outskirts of the city."

 

"Glad we sorted that out."

 

Ray nodded, as he had wanted to avoid an argument too. "Sounds good to me, too."

 

 

 

Ryan could hear the city well before he could see it. A dense fog floated over the harbor, obscuring the source of the cacophony of squawking and chattering. Ryan stifled a yawn. He was not used to being up this early. Clearly Lilycove Harbor was, as it was much more active than he.

 

Sifting through the barrage of sound, he heard sailors preparing a boat for departure, fishermen hauling in their first catch of the day, and street vendors just opening their markets. But beyond the telltale signs of the harbor, it was the humidity that told Ryan that they had arrived in Hoenn. He stood at the front of the boat, trying to catch a glimpse of the city's skyline through the morning fog.

 

Evan fanned his head. Being from the northern reaches of Sinnoh, he wasn't exactly used to this heat. Evan seemed.....out of focus due to it. He felt much more tired as a result. Reaching for his berry pouch, Evan grabbed one of the Yache berries inside and started to chew it, hoping it would at least cool him down. The berry was enough to at least jolt him to some semblance of being alert as well.

 

Ray watched with a yawn, as he walked onto the deck, rubbing his eyes. "... So, are we here yet?"

 

The boat lurched slightly as it arrived at the dock. Ryan turned to face his sleepy friends with a smile, and led them off the ship. The moment they all stepped on the pier, Ryan turned around to face the others. "Here we are," he said, spreading his arms out wide. "Welcome to Hoenn!"

 

"... We can't see anything, Ryan." Ray pointed out, as he tried and failed to look around. Jenny simply nodded her agreement to that statement.

 

"But, I am pretty sure, if it was clear, the view would be wonderful.", Evan said, sounding playfully sarcastic, "So there's that, at least!"

 

Ryan glanced behind him and saw that the harbor was indeed still obscured by the fog. He looked back at the others, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Er... right," he said. "Trust me, it gets better."

 

Fog on a summer day in a tropical region was not something that Sonja had expected, but she chose not to question it. After all, it wasn't likely to drastically affect or change anything. Aside from possibly the boat driver's trip home, which wasn't a huge concern at the moment.

 

"I'm sure the fog won't last," Sonja said. "I'm also sure it won't stop us from getting to Fortree."

 

"Yeah, I'm sure that Entei can lead the way." Ray agreed with a nod.

 

"I hope you're talking about my Entei," Ryan said with a chuckle. "Yours hasn't even been to Hoenn as far as I know." He started to lead the group off the pier. "We'll walk to the outskirts of the city, and then ride the rest of the way."

 

"All right, lead on.", Evan said as he half-walked and half-stumbled along behind, "I'm curious about your hometown, Ryan...."

 

The fog started to lift as they left the harbor, providing a clearer view of the seaside city. If they hadn't been on a mission, Ryan would have loved to have shown his friends around the city. But he was eager to get to Fortree, and so he led the group through the crowded streets as quickly as he could, making sure to avoid the street that held the Hojohsin Prison where he had been locked up several months ago.

 

The streets and buildings felt like a maze, and as they traversed them, Sonja could not help but wonder whether the way she felt now was how the others had in Unova, when their positions had been reversed. If so, she wished they had said something. Perhaps it was the heat, which bore down on them harder and harder with the longer they walked. Or perhaps it was the lingering scars amidst the streets and structures, grim reminders of the terrible battle that had taken place here. Maybe even the throngs of people going about their daily business, already fully reintegrating to the city that had, for a time, been taken away from them. Whatever it was, the city made her uncomfortable. 

 

The sights, the sounds, the atmosphere--they should have made her happy. Why didn't they?

 

When at long last they arrived on the outskirts of Lilycove, having spent several hours picking their way through the place, Sonja pulled out Sheik's Poké Ball. They were well out of sight of any prying eyes at this point; all they had left to do was to release their transports and get moving again. Before doing so, the Liberty Agent turned, scanning the hills and the curvy road running through them that composed their surroundings.

 

 "I take it we just need to stick to the road?" Sonja asked, gesturing at it to Ryan.

 

Ryan nodded, reaching for Entei's Ultra Ball. "Pretty much," he said. "It curves a bit, but it basically leads straight into Fortree."

 

Evan looked around, taking the city in. This was almost similar to Sinnoh's Veilstone City or Jubilife City, except those cities didn't have a port. The heat continued to pound on him, only slightly alleviated by how breathable his coat was.  When the group stopped on the outskirts of Lilycove.

 

"As you say, Ryan.", Evan said as he grabbed Gnip's Poke ball, "You know this area better than I do! Rise and shine Gnip!"

 

As her form materialized, Gnip yawned loudly and looked around, focusing her gaze on Evan, Ray, Jenny, Ryan, and Sonja. She looked at the others, then back at Evan and shook her head. as if she were saying, "Are you kiddin' me? Not in a million years."

 

"She probably thinks I intend on all of us riding on her.", Evan said, chuckling, "No worries Gnip. You just need to bear with Jenny and I."

 

Ray chuckled at Gnip's look, as Jenny giggled slightly. Jenny walked toward Evan and Gnip, while Ray sent out his own Entei.

"Let's hope it's not curvier than you recall, Ryan." Ray said, poking fun at his friend, though he believed Ryan for this case.

 

"You doubt my memory?" Ryan gave a wry smile as he unlocked the Ultra Ball, sending out his Entei in a burst of light. "Honestly Ray, that hurts."

 

"No better way to test its reliability than this, right?" Sonja said.

 

She released Sheik, the Raikou materializing in a flash beside the Liberty Agent. The Electric-Type stretched, taking a moment to breathe in the Hoenn air. It's been a while . . . she said, her tone implying the friendly smile that she could not physically give.

 

Gnip shook her head, as if to say "No big deal to me." She seemed to get excited as Jenny got closer to her and her master. Evan grinned at this, and made a gesture for Jenny to get on Gnip's back, front of her dorsal fin.

 

"Ladies first." Evan said sweetly.

 

Ray smiled amusedly, as he nodded to the others, Alt Entei looked back to him finally.

"Seriously, I wasn't needed sooner? Disappointing." Entei said, and Ray sighed and shook his head, as he hopped on the Legend's back.

 

Jenny nodded to Evan, as she hopped onto Gnip, and looked back. "Alright, let's go."

 

Evan got on Gnip after Jenny, taking care to not be too rough on his Garchomp.

 

Ryan chuckled at Evan and Jenny, then hopped on his own Entei's back and looked back at Sonja. "No need to worry," he said with a smile. "I won't let you down."

 

You might not let her down, but I can't make any promises for myself, Entei said teasingly.

 

Sonja climbed onto Sheik's back, settling herself and tightening her grip on the Legendary Beast. "Don't make a girl a promise if you know you can't keep it." She smiled apologetically at Ryan, before prompting Sheik to take off.

 

Ray looked over with a subtle frown, but had his Entei head off as well, as he adjusted his seating on the legend.

 

Ryan stared at Sonja. "Wait, wha-?" Before he could question her, Entei took off, leading the way to the Treetop City.

 

"All right, Gnip!", Evan said, a maniacal grin on his face as he pointed forward, "LET'S GET A MOVE ON!" Gnip unleashed a mighty roar as she started to sprint off after the Raikou, and two Entei aiming not to exceed their speed, but to come close to matching it. Evan was laughing like a madman at the rush he was getting from this.

 

Thus as a pack, they left, headed for the City in the Trees.

Edited February 8, 2015 by Parugi

[JiMing]

IC: Aspen Seaton

 

".......What? You would seriously trust her, even after your goon and girlfriend said not to?" Aspen said, flabbergasted at Dack's decision making skills. "I.... Wow. Congratulations on taking stupidly large risks I guess, whatever goes wrong for you, I hope I'm not there to see it."

Aspen glared towards Amelia, still as distrustful as ever. "You. Amelia-if that's really your name, we're planning stuff but it's a work in progress. Course, perhaps we should improvise.... So there's nothing for you to sabotage." he growled. "I'm warning you, stay out of our way. You got Dack right where you want him, but the rest of us, don't even think about trying to nab us too...."

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

The Ranger breathed a sigh of relief, as both the Buizel and the urchin children were alright..... 

Though, I should have seen that coming for the former.... she thought. Sometimes it's easy to forget just how hardy Pokemon can be.....

 

While Lachina looked into the shadows to make sure none of the Pokemon were coming back for the children, she heard Drew and Alaina thank her, and turned around to see them about to head off.

"Wait...." Lachina called out concernedly. "You two don't look very well off to be running back into the city... It's dangerous out there." she said. "There's no telling if something like the last two incidents might happen again..... I wouldn't mind sticking with you two, for now." she offered. "Maybe later we'll figure out where you two can stay, but that's not something I can figure out right now..."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

It took Lucia and Jamie a while longer than they wished to get to the hospital, as Lucia led them down a wrong turn and Jamie did not correct her. So when they arrived in front of the hospital, snow had begun to fall on their heads.

"Oh look, Lucia, there's snow fallin-ow...."

Lucia stopped, and blinked, as she looked up at the snow. "That's... odd. Why is it snowing...?"

"It's... odd?" Jamie muttered in a whisper before speaking up, "uh.. well I don't know Luc-ow... let's get patched up first before we think about this."

 

Lucia looked over at Jamie, as she thought the other girl had said something, but nodded, as she led Jamie into the hospital.

After a little while, some bandages, a brace for Lucia's hand, and some ice, the two girls were cleared to be able to do things; luckily, nothing was too bad other than Lucia's hand. As the girls were about to leave, however, Lucia stopped, and turned her head, as a small mouse thing started to squeak.

Jamie turned her head to follow Lucia's line of sight and saw the mouse thing as well.

"That Pokémon... looks familiar."

Lucia nodded, and frowned slightly. "Isn't that..." Lucia started to say, as the Dedenne ran up to her, and began to pull on her socks, squeaking more, as Lucia sighed.

But why is she here...? Lucia wondered, as she followed the squeaking Dedenne, Jamie trailing along after. After a little while, and Didi leading them through the halls, the two finally reached a certain room, which Lucia seemed rather curious about, considering she wasn't sure why the electric mouse had led them there... But, she was starting to have a sinking feeling about it.

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan frowned, as he looked over at Aspen.

"Now you're just leaping to conclusions." Ryan said in slight annoyance; he wasn't too keen on this plan, for about the same reasons as Madison and Luke; however, he saw no reason to not believe that she had lied about her name; or that there was anything to sabotage... He just didn't get that sorta sense from the odd girl. She was weird in her own ways, but not to the point where he thought she was involved in anything bad.

Edited February 9, 2015 by An/A Blade

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Entei slowed to a halt as they reached the outskirts of the forest that surrounded the city. As much as Ryan was looking forward to his return to Fortree, he felt himself choke up at the sight of the forest. After the Ancient Darkrai had set the city on fire, much work had been done to plant new trees and rebuilt the forest. But the outskirts of the forest remained charred: a blackened reminder of how easily their homes had burned away.

 

Ryan waited for the others to catch up, then recalled Entei. Without a word, he turned back to face the dead trees. Charred husks. Twisted shells that had been reduced to nothing more than a mere shadow of their former glory. He had spent countless hours running through these trees as a child, playing with his Cyndaquil. Even after six months, he had not quite grown used to the sight of the gnarled branches and blackened roots. Small traces of shrubbery grew at his feet, a promise of new life. But they could not outgrow the dead spires that surrounded them on all sides.

 

Ryan trudged on in somber silence. He passed by a man slowly wandering in roughly the same direction, looking just as sad as Ryan felt. I should have been there, Ryan thought. When the Darkrai attacked -- I shouldn't have gone with Entei to Unova. I should have been here. Fighting to defend my city. He didn't bother to look back to see if Sonja and the others were following him. He merely walked on, lost in his own remorse.

 

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

Dack stopped walking and whirled around, glaring at Aspen. "No one asked you to be apart of our group, Aspen! If you don't like my decisions, then you can just leave!" He pointed a finger down the nearest alley, seething with rage.

 

"Dack!" Madison cried. "He's just a kid! You can't just-"

 

"Yes I can," Dack said, not taking his eyes off Aspen. "You're right Madison, he's just a kid. He needs to learn his place."

 

"Woah, Dack, just calm down!" Luke said. "Remember, Hannah's the enemy here, not Aspen!"

 

"Oh, is that what you think?" Shannon cried, taking a threatening step toward Luke. "Which one of us here grew up with Hannah? Who knows her better anyone? Last I checked, it wasn't the guy in the stupid karate outfit!"

 

"Hannah's not the person you thought you knew!" Dack spat. "She had you fooled! She had everyone fooled!"

 

"You don't know that, Majors!" Shannon shot back. "You may have been her partner, but I was her friend!"

 

IC: Kiri/Alaina/Drew

Drew let Alaina's hand slip from his own as he stared at Lachina. "W-would you really do that, Miss...?" he asked in a small voice.

 

Alaina looked from her brother to the Ranger, then grabbed his arm. "Come on, Drew," she said desperately. "We have to go. Now!"

 

"I don't see what the big rush is," Kiri said. "You have nowhere to go. I'll stick with you too. After all, someone will need to look out for you while Lachina's off saving other people in need."

 

Alaina shook her head as she tugged her brother's arm. "Thanks, but we don't need your help."

 

"We don't need it, but why can't we take it, Alaina?" Drew asked, taking a step toward Lachina. "They seem really nice."

 

"You know very well why," Alaina hissed. "They'll turn us in. To them we're nothing more than street rats. You want them taking away our money?" The young girl's words were louder than she intended, and the barren factory amplified her voice further, allowing Kiri to overhear.

 

"We're not going to turn you in," Kiri said. "We just don't want to see you get into any more trouble."

 

"How long will you stick with us for?" Alaina asked suspiciously.

 

Kiri glanced at Lachina. "For as long as necessary," she said.

 

Alaina stared at her for a long time. Her hand subconsciously reached for her pocket, where the stolen pocket watch lay. She bit her lip.

 

"I don't know about you, but I'm sticking with her," Drew said, walking over to Lachina. He raised a hand hesitantly to try and pet her Altaria.

 

Alaina muttered a word that would make a sailor blush, and then followed Drew. "Alright, fine," she said. "We'll let you tag along with us." The Spearow landed on her head, giving a sharp look at both Lachina and Kiri. "For now."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

"Would everyone just calm down?" Ryan said in annoyance, as he yelled out the last two words, shivering slightly as the snow continued to fall. "We're not getting anywhere by treating each other like the enemy. Everyone take a step back, calm down, and stop arguing over petty things, got it?" Ryan asked, as he glanced at Shannon.

"I hope you're right about what you say. I know how quickly things can change, so it's possible both things can work. But... It probably would help to get more info on what Hannah was like before you left." Ryan said, a slightly apologetic look on his face for all this.

Edited February 9, 2015 by An/A Blade

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Outskirts of Fortree City

Gnip had barely exerted herself during her run, but the same could not be said of the two riding on her. Evan was holding onto Gnip's neck for dear life, while Jenny has holding onto Evan. Evan continued to laugh as they rode on until he saw what appeared to be blackened trees. Ushering Gnip to slow down, Evan looked upon the ruin, wondering what had caused such devastation. He saw Ryan up ahead, his pace slow and somber. Since this was his turf, it would be best ask him what had happened.

 

"Ryan, pardon my ignorance, but mind telling me what caused this?" Evan said as Gnip stomped along.

 

Ryan did not look back. he merely muttered three words. "The Ancient Darkrai."

 

Evan nodded, remembering that the Ancient Darkrai had caused chaos and destruction in more than just Sinnoh. As Gnip continued to move along towards Fortree City, Evan continued to think of what was going on with Ryan. He wasn't sure he had gotten the entire picture of what had happened while he was away.

 

"Jen, I'd like to know: do you have any clue what is going on?, Evan asked Jenny, "I know Ryan, and what I saw on the boat, was not Ryan at all."

 

"Well... Let's just say that there were some... issues that weren't brought up." Jenny said, as she awkwardly scratched her head. "I... don't think I should be the one to explain, though..." Jenny said, an uncertain look on her face, as she figured Sonja would prefer not having Ryan's horrible decision be broadcast to the world.

 

"I guess I'll have to find out eventually.", Evan said as he raised an eyebrow, "All will have to be revealed eventually. No use worrying about it right now."


IC: ????, En route to Fortree City

The man raised his head as Ryan had passed him. He wanted to reach out to Ryan, as sad as he was. To comfort him about what had happened. But, even he understood that he couldn't do anything of the sort. He had other things to do.........that he'd rather not do, at all. He was so tired of his situation, being forced to do things that broke his heart. He hadn't done much, but enough to regret it.

"But, it's my turn after all.", The man had thought as he continued his solemn march, "I just hope I don't have to draw this out.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Hades