Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[MELON LORD]

IC

Mercury could only watch, bemused, as some kid threw a ball at Aolani. He was quite impressed, however, when Lachina jumped into the air, caught the ball, and threw it back, nailing the guy in the face. He raised an eyebrow, looking at the auras surrounding the boy. One was normal, for a human, but the other was... incredible seemed like such a weak word for the power that emanated from his shadow.

 

"What the heck?" he muttered softly. Anubis stepped forward, growling at the trainer. 

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina slowly looked up, eyeing the dazed boy who thought capturing Aolani was a good idea. While the indignant cloudbird squawked and complained, the Ranger slowly walked up to Zac Blazer.

 

"Lachina Adaon, Pokemon Ranger. State your name, age, and career if you have one." she said, crossing her arms. "Also provide a reasonable explanation of why you assaulted my Partner Pokemon, or I'll have to report you back to the Ranger Union."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

 

Zac groaned, as he sat up, and rubbed his face with a wince. "Zac Blazer, 16, Pokémon Trainer..." He groaned, as he sighed. "I didn't realize the Altaria had a trainer, sorry... Should have realized it, but I didn't." He sighed again, as he sat up, and frowned. "You should loosen up, though, seriously, do you treat all mistakes like this?"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury

Mercury strolled forward, chuckling. "She does, she really does." He raised an eyebrow. "Though, how you thought you'd capture an Altaria in the city just by throwing a ball at it, I have no idea."

[Dr. Hidaka]

OOC: Jam with Minun!

IC: Jamie and Dialga

"Jamie Arthur." a voice, booming and proud, echoed in Jamie's mind. "The time has come for you to realize what you truly are now."

It took Jamie a moment of looking around to recognize that the voice that spoke into her mind was telepathy, or something similar in nature. When no one else reacted, she realized that she was receiving this message alone.

"Your actions in Celadon have not gone unnoticed.", the voice continued. "I've seen your resolve and how far you will go to help others. You are no ordinary soul. You have the soul of a Heroine dwelling inside of you."

"A Heroine?" The term was not lost upon Jamie; James had often spoken of the heroes of yore with a passion that had ignited many of the clone's young fantasies. But to hear herself actually called such, surprised the Rocket Agent. She had only thought herself as doing her duty.

"Indeed, a Heroine." the voice continued. "I am Dialga, Master of Time. You've heard of the Heroes of Creation, correct? Heroes who fought off the Ancient Darkrai and many other evils in the past, using the power granted to them by Us."

"Um...." Jamie thought back to the days when she was young..er and in James' care. She had asked James to tell her a story and told him that she didn't want any Arthur tales, because they were getting boring. Tristan had to knock James out of his sudden shock and depression.

The elder brother ended up telling his younger sister tales of other heroes throughout history. While the Pyroar's share of the time went to telling her about the Twin Heroes of Unova, she did recall a brief summary of some tales from Sinnoh.

"Yes... but I don't know that much about them," she said finally.

"You have been chosen, by me, to be the Heroine of Time, Jamie Arthur." Dialga replied. "Whether or not you know much about them, makes no difference now."

Jamie was of two minds about Dialga's words. And since this was telepathy both got transmitted. The part of Jamie's mind that was still a child, enamored by the offer of being a heroine yelled "Awesome!" while the part of her mind that was the dutiful Rocket Agent inquired "What will my duties entail?"

"Preservation of peace and order in the world." Dialga replied. "You will need to learn the ways of being a Hero of Creation firsthand from someone who has been there and done that. And to answer your other half, it is quite awesome to have someone such as yourself as my champion."

Jamie's mind was still for a moment trying to collect her thoughts. The mission laid before her by the master of Time sounded similar to that which got Skye to go with Ford. But it was never that goal that was the problem.

"That is a cause I can get behind. Please tell me who I must learn from."

"A man known as Evan Tierra." Dialga spoke. "He is the current Hero of Space. He fought alongside the former Heroes of Time and Reverse to defeat the Ancient Darkrai. I am sure he'll be able to show you how things work."

"I cannot pinpoint his exact location, but I am sure if you ask the others that were fighting on your side in Celadon, such as Zach Hikari....." Dialga replied. "You will find him. That's about all I can offer you right now."

"Alright then, I'll find Zach Hikari and seek out Evan Tierra. Thank you Dialga."

With those words from Jamie, the connection she had with Dialga vanished as quickly as it had come.

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

"Ahahahahaha no." Lachina responded, turning briefly to give Mercury an unimpressed look. "For starters, I'm not a Pokemon Trainer. Didn't you hear me? I'm a Ranger, specifically, from Almia." she said, getting out her ID and shoving it in Zac's face. "Pokeballs are -very- rarely seen in my region, most often it'll be a foreigner using them. And even then, laws are restrictive on their usage, and Rangers simply don't make use of them." the Ranger explained, crossing her arms.

"So what you just did, was akin to an attempted kidnapping my Partner Pokemon, Aolani. I think I'm very justified in treating this matter seriously.. Don't you?" Lachina asked, raising an eyebrow at the trainer, unimpressed at his behavior. Even without her uniform, her air of professionalism returned, and she was in on-duty mode. 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

 

"I've never been to Almia, so I didn't know, but in case you haven't noticed, you're in Kanto right now. A Pokémon not caught in a Pokéball might as well be considered wild, especially in this kind of situation..." Zac said, as he frowned. "I already admitted I was wrong in the end, but I guess you can't realize that maybe that mistake was a little understandable." The trainer stated, as he looked over to Mercury with a sigh. "I'm kinda hasty... I wanted to give it a shot first, though if it had've actually been wild, then I would've followed up."

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina frowned, and sighed. "I think I get why Rangers usually don't operate in other regions with lots of Pokeballs...." she muttered, and frowned. "Yeah, Aolani's a wild bird. What's wrong with that? She still helps me and is my Partner Pokemon...." the Ranger said, and crossed her arms more, closing her eyes. "...But yeah, I can't really do anything, I guess you're off the hook... But I probably need to watch Aolani a lot closer now." she muttered, looking over at the indignant bird that swooped down to give a death glare to Zac, still unsure of what to do now. "Hmm...."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury

He raised an eyebrow, watching quietly as the two bickered for a moment. He dug a ball from his backpack, holding it out to Lachina. "It would probably be best to capture her, even if rangers in Almia aren't supposed to. We don't want you to lose her."

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina whirled around to face Mercury, an incredulous look on her face. "I-I couldn't...!" she protested. "That would restrict Aolani's freedom... She follows me because she wants to, not because she has too!" the Ranger pointed out, very indignant at that idea.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

 

The young trainer thought for a moment. "That sounds like me and Shadows... But how do you know she would follow someone even if she were captured? I've seen people who have Pokémon who don't obey, even if a Pokéball is used."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury

The aura-user nodded, glancing at Zac's shadow again. What was that? "She'll still want to follow you if you capture her. How long has she been your partner?" He gestured to Anubis.

 

"Do you think, if he didn't want to be here, I could stop him from leaving even with a pokéball?"

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

Lachina turned to Mercury, and sighed. "...She's been following ever since my graduation ceremony... Which she actually crashed." the Ranger replied, but sighed. "From my understanding, you can just immediately recall any Pokemon if they try running, and force them inside the Pokeball... And that sounds awful to me. But... Are you two sure that capturing Aolani is the only way to stop anyone else from taking her away?" she asked, still seeming reluctant as she stared at the Pokeball Mercury was holding.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury

He shook his head. "They have a limited range and can be blocked or dodged. All Aolani would have to do is fly straight up for a few seconds to get away." He glanced at the dragon-type. He felt bad, even if he didn't necessarily like the cloud-bird. "Maybe the next person who tries to capture her will actually succeed. Then you'd be in a real jam."

[Parugi]

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

 

For a brief moment, Jamie's thoughts appeared to have gone elsewhere, though she returned her focus to Ethan and Gavin almost immediately. As such, Ethan decided not to put too much thought into it. Instead, he offered Jamie an understanding look, before beginning to fish through his jacket pocket.

 

"We're not going to have to look very far for a lead," he said, pulling his hand free again and holding it out. A thumb drive rested in his palm, black and yellow in color. "McKinley gave this to us as 'consolation.' Supposedly, it'll tell us where we can go to get Skye back and when we need to be there. We just need to decrypt it first." Ethan closed his fingers around the device again. "It'll take a while, but a lead's a lead, right?"

 

"That's . . . not all," Gavin cut in. "McKinley wants the information on that thing spread--not only to Team Rocket, but to Team Liberty and anyone else whom we consider allies. He made it sound like he wanted an audience for what Ford's doing." He looked between Jamie, Ethan, and Lucia. "Whatever is on there--and whatever Ford's endgame is--we need to be careful."

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

The Ranger bounced the possibilities in her head, eventually sighing, and hanging her head low. "One day... I'm finding whoever designs the Capture Styler and make them figure out how to null Pokeballs." Lachina muttered, taking the Pokeball Mercury had offered her, and walking up to Aolani.

"...I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to do this... But someone else could take away your freedom." she said to the cloudbird, wrapping her arms around her Partner Pokemon. "If you ever want to leave me... I'll let you go. But for now, you're my partner, and we gotta stick together... Alright?" 

The cloudbird nodded, and stood, looking directly at the Pokeball. Lachina moved back, hesitating one final time, before closing her eyes and throwing the Pokeball. She opened her eyes later when she heard a click, immediately scooping up the Pokeball and fumbling for a moment, before finally releasing Aolani.

"...There. Now she's safe." the Ranger said with a sigh, putting the Pokeball in her backpack, frowning. "...I hope I made the right choice..."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

 

Zac nodded at everything that happened. "I don't claim to be an expert on things... But I think you did. If she hadn't wanted this, then she would have protested like when I tried. And I'm sorry again about that, I didn't realize she was with you... didn't even see you... until it was too late." He sighed, and scratched his head, but paused, as he jumped slightly. "Oh right, but that can all wait! Have you heard about the recent attacks in Sootopolis and Celadon?" The teen asked, a frown on his face.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury

Mercury and Anubis traded a glance before looking back to the younger trainer. "Yes, we have, actually. We just came from Sootopolis City." He sighed, feeling regret over not making it to Celadon. "Why, what do you know?" He kept his eyes on Zac, now. More specifically, he watched Zac's shadow. The creature lurking there wasn't giving off an aggressive or unfriendly aura, but that power that was there...

 

He would have to keep his guard up. This kid had his own secrets as well.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

 

"I think whoever it is will attack here." Zac said, a genuinely worried look on his face, as the shadow seemed to... sigh?

 

"I've told you before, Zac, they're probably long gone. You don't attack two cities in a day, if those are even connected, and then just vanish off the grid for a week." A voice said, as it slowly formed into the shape of a Pokémon, the hands of the shadowy being held up to show it wouldn't attack. "I mean you no harm - neither you or your Lucario. My name is Shadows, and we are... Well, I guess we're like investigators by this point. Zac took interest in what happened the other day, and what's been happening around the other cities, and wanted to try and help. Too bad he's dense, most times." The Darkrai backhandedly said, as the other trainer shot him a look.

"I am not dense, I'll have you know! Just because I'm hasty, doesn't mean a thing!" The trainer sighed, and frowned at his partner, a stubborn look on his face. "I just know that something's going to happen here... I might not have proof or any real reason to think it, but I just know it..." Zac sighed again, as he could just tell no-one at all believed him. "I just don't want to see anything happen to another city, and Celadon's so close to here..."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury

Mercury and Anubis both gave a start when the Darkrai formed. The Lucario gave a soft growl, moving in front of his trainer protectively. Even if the creature showed no signs of attacking, a legendary pokémon like this could end human life with a thought. Mercury focused on the blurring of his aura and Anubis', sending gentle waves through to try and calm the fighting-type.

 

As he listened to Zac, he chewed on his lip. Vermilion wasn't one of the suspected targets.

 

He shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling the list against his fingers. He shook his head. "We... have reason to believe that Two Island is the next staging ground. Our source gives the date as a week from today, with nothing between Celadon and there." He cleared his throat, and he scuffed a toe against the ground, kicking up dust. "It would be nice if we could get a prophetic pokémon to confirm our beliefs. Don't suppose you have a Xatu or a Gardevoir or such?"

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina sighed again, but maintained her composure, nodding as Mercury explained. "That's right. Rangers arrived on the scene in Sootopolis. I was one of them, but now I'm accompanying Mercury thanks to his list." she said, frowning at the mention of Celadon. "Last I heard, they were considering sending Ranger to Celadon, but the force they sent was pretty limited, so they might still be in Sootopolis..."

Then the Darkrai named Shadows made himself known. Aolani squawked and leaped back, with Lachina also doing a backflip out of surprise, putting distance between her and the legendary. She seemed nervous, but quickly regained her composure. "That's right. We're here to investigate Two Island. Mercury has said nothing about Vermillion..." the Ranger explained, before turning to Shadows. "...You wouldn't happen to know any Darkrai from Almia, would you?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

 

Zac shook his head. "No, there's something here, I'm positive." He insisted, as he frowned. "I already saw three shady people head toward the gym. And it's been long abandoned, as you might know..." The trainer seemed confused about why they thought Two Island was a place to be. "Besides, there's nothing on Two Island but like one or two houses, to my knowledge... I'm sure it's here."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury

 

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "Shady figures going to the gym?" He glanced up at the sky, gauging the time. "Lachina, we have a few hours before we need to board the ferry. Think we should check this out?" He cast a look back to Zac. If this kid was tricking them or trying to lead them into a trap, it would show in his aura soon enough. Right now, he still seemed honest.

 

And even if the city wasn't in any real danger, it couldn't hurt to investigate strange happenings.

 

OOC: I've been playing D&D/Pathfinder for years, and I still nearly missed an adventure hook =P

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke
It took a moment for Madison's world to stop spinning. By the time the skier got her bearings, the Alakazam had already teleported away on its next assignment. At first Madison thought she was in an actual chapel: light filtered down into the large hall from a skylight. All that was missing was stained glass windows and rows of pews. But the illusion of a church was broken the moment Madison looked down and saw not a pulpit, but a towering, metallic statue of a Venusaur in the middle of an indoor garden.
 
Beyond the Venusaur, the soothing sound of running water drew Madison's attention to an equally impressive statue of a Blastoise standing in the middle of a fountain. Further down still, roaring flames surrounded a metallic Charizard. The skier found herself speechless. She had heard stories of the Rocket headquarters, but the actual thing was far more grandiose than she could have ever imagined.
 
"So this is where our tax money goes..." Luke muttered. "Kidding!" he quickly added when Dack and Madison both shot him a glare.
 
"It's hard to believe the last time I was here, I was with Hannah," Dack said quietly. "And now here we are, reporting her for her crimes." Without waiting for Madison or Luke, Dack strode through the expansive hallway, a solemn look on his face.
 
"You couldn't have known," Madison said, running to catch up to Dack. "There was no way you could have known Hannah was planning that attack."
 
Dack paused for a moment, staring down at his feet. "It's not that," he said, biting his lip. "It's... I... I'll tell you later."
 
Madison placed a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from walking away again. "...It's Pride, isn't it?" Dack looked at her in surprise. "You see a part of yourself in Hannah... don't you?"
 
For a long moment, Dack stared at Madison. When Luke came up behind them, Dack merely gave her a subtle nod before leading them onward. Madison stood rooted to the ground, her eyes locked on Dack. "You can tell me..." she muttered under her breath.
 
"Oy, Madison!" Luke called. "Hurry up! This doesn't look like the kind of place you'd want to get lost in!"
 
"R-right!" the skier said, pushing her fears aside and putting on a friendly smile as she ran to catch up to her friends.

OOC: Jam

IC: Zoe/Collie
Zoe was sick of waiting. For the past few days, it seemed all her sister had done was sleep, stare out the window with a melancholy expression on her face, and sleep some more. Zoe had begged Collie to play with her, but no matter how hard she pleaded the aura wielder's answer remained the same: "When I'm feeling better."

The problem was, Zoe wasn't even sure what was wrong with Collie. She didn't claim to feel sick, and her body had no signs of physical injury (none that Zoe could see, anyway). The aura wielder just didn't feel like playing for whatever reason. Zoe's inquiries about the mission to Seven Island were met with a similar lack of enthusiasm. Either Collie didn't want to talk about it, or she wasn't allowed to. Either way, Zoe'd had enough. Collie was living with her now, and yet she had seen less of her sister than she did on her yearly vacations to Kalos.

Zoe paced outside her sister's room. Her mother had warned her to let Collie rest. Well, Zoe thought she had rested long enough. A warrior princess was not allowed to sleep all day, and neither should an aura master. In a fashion much more befitting a warrior than a princess, Zoe kicked open the door to her sister's room and barged inside.

"Rise and shine, Collie!" Zoe cried, opening the blinds and flooding the room with bright light.

The girl in question groaned, and opened her eyes with a blink. ". . . Zoe...? What are you...? What time is it even...?" Collie asked, squinting to valiantly try and oppose the light.

"It's nearly noon, sleepyhead!" Zoe said, grabbing Collie by the wrist and trying to drag her out of bed. "Come ooooon! You promised we'd play when you got back, and that was ages ago!"

The elder sister tried to protest, as she frowned, trying to keep her eyes closed now. "I'm not... Zoe, not right now... I'm not feeling that good..." Collie sighed, as she just wanted to sleep, both feeling tired and especially exhausted from being woken up so suddenly, and from just... everything that had happened.

"That's what you said last time!" Zoe said, continuing to tug on her arm. "When are you gonna actually feel better?"

Collie paused at that question. When would she start feeling more like herself again? "I... I don't know..." The girl went quiet, as she seemed more awake, but more melancholic about things. "I just..." Her shoulders sunk. She wanted to go and play with her younger sister, and to have a good time... but she couldn't help but just think about everything that had happened, and closed her eyes tightly, wanting desperately to not dwell on that.

Seeing that nothing short of brute force would get Collie out of her bed, Zoe gave up her endeavor and walked over to the window, staring at the ocean off in the distance. "It's not fair, you know," she said, pursing her lips into a pout. "You went through all that effort to surprise me with you coming home, and now all you do is sleep all day and act depressed. You know what Lucina would say? 'You're an aura wielder, not a Slakoth, Colette.'"

Collie fell quiet again, and looked to the side as she tried to find a way to reply, to let Zoe know just what she was thinking. "... What do you want to do?" she finally asked, as she looked up at her sister slowly.

Zoe met her sister's eyes as she mulled over the question. "I'm... not really sure, actually," she admitted. "I guess I just want to spend time with you. If you're not feeling well, maybe we could just talk?"

Collie's look softened, as she sighed, and smiled a bit. "That sounds good to me..." She wondered whether to explain what was wrong... but knew she didn't want to trouble her younger sister.

Grabbing a chair from the desk, Zoe sat down at her sister's side. "So what was your first mission like?" she asked. "Was it awesome?"

Collie scratched her head, as she sighed. "There were some awesome parts, but it was really draining, in more ways than one." Ever so briefly, a reminder of her clone flashed through her mind, which caused the aura wielder to wince.

"I see," Zoe said with a wry smile. "Do you get so many days of recovery before you get sent on your next mission, then?"

Collie went quiet. ". . . I hope I do... I wish I could choose what missions I could go on... or if I do." She said the last part much more quietly than the rest, but she still seemed bothered.

"From what I've seen, you should get some say in your missions," Zoe said. "But people with special skills tend to get assigned to missions where they can be useful. Like aura powers. Or warrior princess powers." The girl grinned as she held out her hand and fired an imaginary aura sphere. "Pew, pew!"

Collie scratched her head, as she seemed distant again. "Ah. . ." She seemed much quieter than normal, and sighed again. ". . . Why do we have to fight, anyway?"

Zoe looked at her in surprise. "So we can bring peace, silly. What do you think your training was for?"

Collie went quiet again, and looked toward the window. To create a weapon, she thought, but didn't say that out loud. Because they had succeeded, hadn't they? A volatile weapon, but a weapon nonetheless.

Zoe found her sister's silence slightly off-putting. "...Don't tell me you don't want to be an aura master."

Collie chuckled, as she looked back to Zoe. "That's not it," she said with a reassuring smile. "Even if I kinda wonder if I'm actually ready, that's not it at all. I just, I'm not sure of what some of these missions would... bring." She tried to keep her doubts to herself, but what she said was true. While she wanted to help, she wondered whether this was truly for peace. Not that I've had any chance to know for myself what things are like...

"But isn't that what your training was for?" Zoe asked. "So that you would be ready?"

"I don't know. I just don't think I'm ready enough..."

Zoe looked her sister in the eye. "Of course you're ready enough, Collie. You wouldn't have passed your training otherwise."

I doubt that, Collie thought. "Maybe you're right..." she said with a sigh.

"You don't sound convinced," Zoe said with a frown. She thought for a moment, trying to change the subject. "Look, even if you're not ready enough for more missions... when will you be ready enough to play with me? I'm bored out of my mind waiting for you to feel better."

Collie sighed, but smiled slightly, admittedly glad for a change in the subject. "Well... what would you want to play?" she asked, as she sat up more.

"How about a card game?" Zoe suggested. "It'd be nice to play against someone other than Merida for once, and that way you won't even have to get out of bed."

Collie giggled, and yawned, as she stretched. "That sounds good to me... I'd suggest swimming too, but I am kinda still tired..." She sheepishly smiled, as while she was nearly back at full strength, she wasn't quite there yet.

Zoe giggled as well as she got up to go get the cards. "Maybe later we could walk around Vier Village... You haven't seen much of it, have you?"

"Not too much, no..." Collie said with a sigh. "Go get the cards, though. Vier Village isn’t going anywhere... and neither am I for the moment." The aura wielder managed a tired smile as she scratched her head.

The younger sister quickly darted down the hall to grab a deck of cards, then ran back and plopped herself down on the edge of Collie's bed. "I hope you're awake enough," she said with a grin. "It wouldn't be fair to beat you when you're half asleep."

Collie smirked, as she looked over at Zoe in response. "Would give you a chance, though," she said with a teasing smile.

Zoe laughed. "Psh, I could beat you blindfolded."

"Yeah, right." Collie grinned, feeling more awake now as Zoe dealt out the cards. The sisters giggled like they were little girls again, and for the first time since Seven Island, Collie felt relaxed and at peace.

OOC: Double Jam

IC: Ryan/Ray/Evan/Jenny
When Evan and Jenny returned to Ryan's house, Ryan and Ray were already there waiting for them. "Any luck?" Jenny inquired. Ryan merely shook his head as he stood up to offer them a place on the couch.

"It doesn't seem like anyone's seen Ellen for a few days now," the Liberty agent said. "No one knows where she's gone."

Jenny thought for a moment, as she considered that. "Hm. Kinda matches our luck, but..." She went quiet for a moment, and then scratched her head. "While we were looking, we found someone who'd heard of another person asking around for Ellen... and it wasn't Hayes."

Ryan paused, looking from Evan to Jenny as he bit his lip. "Someone else?" he said. "Who was it? Do you think Ellen could've been kidnapped?" Ryan's face paled as he considered that possibility. He'd never forgive himself if something had happened to Ellen when he'd left her on her own.

Jenny shook her head. "I'm not sure about that. From what we heard... Ellen's dad, Paul, was looking around for her, after she had already vanished for a little bit."

"Ellen's father?" Ryan frowned as he recalled the gruff blacksmith they'd met in Village Bridge around Christmas. "He works for Déoza... You don't think he could've sent Hayes here, could he?"

Jenny scratched her chin. "Hmm... it's possible, but I'm not so sure. I get the feeling that might've..." The girl trailed off, not wanting to actually say her theory, as she didn't think the two were connected. "If she were sent by Paul, why would she be checking after he had checked?"

"There has to be another player involved with this." Evan yawned. "Someone above Hayes and Ellen's father. That other fellow seemed like he'd be involved somehow, especially if he were aligned with Hayes. There's still so much we don't know, though."

"Good point," Ryan muttered. "Hayes could've been sent to keep an eye in case Ellen came back... but it seems there's something larger at play here. If her father didn't take her, then where could Ellen have gone?"

"That guy... McKinley, Hayes called him?" Jenny mused, as she tried to remember what was said. "They were talking about 'a new fifth', and Hayes was called 'Second'... I think they were both part of Ford's group." She frowned slightly, and sighed. "That's the question of the hour, though, where did Ellen go...?"

Ray stayed quiet while Jenny explained about McKinley, as his fists slowly clenched. Is this his idea of 'protection'...?

"We'll have to expand our search," Ryan said. "The two main paths leading out of Fortree run east and west... but she could've just as easily gone through the forest. I don't even know where to begin. We could maybe try asking around Lilycove, but what if she went the other way instead?" The Liberty agent sighed as he went to the fridge to find something for them all to eat. The more he thought about it, the more hopeless the situation seemed.

"I think Lilycove could be a viable place to head to." Evan remarked. "I think she most likely got tired of hanging around Fortree and wanted a change of scene. From what I saw in Lilycove, it had a lot of places Ellen would like to go to. I think we should start there."

"It's also possible she headed somewhere further than Lilycove, too. We don't know how long she's been gone, other than that it wasn't recently." Ray said, and frowned. "We'll check Lilycove; but we'll do it tomorrow... As much as I want to see Ellen found, we can't do that on no sleep."

Ryan nodded. "Agreed. I just hope Lilycove proves more fruitful than Fortree."

"You folks sleep, I have more reading to do." Evan stated as he made a sluggish beeline for Ryan's bookshelf. "I'd like something fun to do before we are all business tomorrow."

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina was still staring at the sudden Darkrai, a mixture of amazement and wariness on her face. "...Yeah. We could spare some time to investigate the... You call them Gyms?" the Ranger replied, seeming confused. "Gyms are where you work out, right? That's a confusing name... These regions are so... Different." she muttered, wearing a mixture of confusion and frustration on her face. Try as she could, Lachina was still out of her depth, and would likely have to rely on Mercury and any good samaritans they encountered. 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

 

"I'm sorry for not responding sooner." The Darkrai replied finally. "No, the most I've traveled has been with Zac here, and Almia has not been one of the regions I have visited. I'm also not aware of any Darkrai outside of the ones native to Sinnoh, and those Ancient Darkrai from six months ago - I cut any and all ties with them when they reappeared, however."

 

Zac looked over in surprise. "You haven't heard of Pokémon Gyms?" The young trainer asked in incredulousness. A couple moments passed, and the boy smiled. "I could help explain. You see, there are..." He began to help tell about what the gyms were like, how they were places to allow Pokémon to test their skill in a controlled environment, and to get stronger. How most Pokémon loved to compete against others, and how if some Pokémon didn't wish to battle they had other competitions, in the form of contests.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury

 

Mercury shrugged, leaning against a wall. He was familiar with the idea of gyms, even if he'd never gone to challenge one. It wouldn't have been fair, really, with Anubis' special aura manipulations. He waited patiently for Zac to finish before rolling his neck and shoulders. "You wanna lead the way to the gym, then? We're not familiar with Vermilion." He felt a twinge, something stirring in his mind. A sense of déjà vu flooded him.

 

A smile played at the corners of his lips. He had been here before.

[Konuju]

IC: Paul

A good night's sleep had done Paul well. He looked much more rested than the night before and was now clean shaven. But if one were to peer deep into his eyes, they'd see the that hidden behind his stoic face was the pain of loss. When Xander came down to the lobby, Paul was busy studying a picture in his billfold. Unlike the portrait of Ellen he had been showing everyone throughout his search, this photo contained the entire family: a grinning Paul, a joyful Anna, and a giggling Ellen surrounded by Solo, Artemis, and Terry. Even Bisharp, Kimber, and Scar were present.

 

Paul glanced up as Xander approached. "Sleep well?" He glanced back at the photo, his eyes growing more melancholy. "I'd like to get to Fortree as quickly as possible. You wouldn't happen to have any flying Pokémon, would you?"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander

The youth stretched as he entered the lobby of the center. His night hadn't been quite as restful as he would have liked; He had spent most of the time tossing and turning, staving off dreams of vicious blonde men in red suits. Even so, he smiled and waved at Paul as he approached. "I've had worse nights. You?" He looked around. The lobby was deserted aside from the nurse and a couple of early morning hikers.

 

He looked back to the blacksmith, shaking his head. "Sorry, just what you've seen thus far. But..." He unhooked Sylph's ball from his belt. The only time she returned to it was for rest, and she disliked sleeping while Xander was up and about. "Sylph knows teleport. If you know Fortree pretty well, she can focus on that to get us there. Ellen and I would have done it yesterday, but she was having trouble focusing after Sootopolis."

 

He released the Gardevoir, who bowed softly to her trainer and Paul. Good morning. Whenever you are prepared, I will be as well.

[Konuju]

IC: Paul

The blacksmith nodded as images of the destruction in Sootopolis flashed through his mind. Ellen should never have had to have gone through that. In the back of his mind, he wondered if the events in Sootopolis had spurred her toward accepting McKinley's offer. She had certainly been bent on trying to save Celadon from a similar fate.

 

"I've only been to Fortree once," Paul warned. "But it was recent enough that the area's still fresh in my mind. If you believe my memory is sufficient enough to get us there, then I'm ready." Taking a deep breath, Paul concentrated on the treetop city. For a moment his thoughts were scattered, shifting from the city's Pokémon Center to a view of the canopy from one of the bridges to a local fruit stand whose owner knew Ellen well. Finally his memories settled on a single house, the one Ellen had reportedly stayed at. The blacksmith focused on the house, burning its image into his mind's eye as he waited for Sylph to initiate the teleport.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

The Gardevoir closed her eyes, focusing on Paul's mind. There is going to be a sharp tug. You may close your eyes to avoid disorientation upon arrival. As she spoke, a veil of gossamer seemed to settle over the trio, just a slight pressure. The air shimmered, and in the next instant, they were yanked through space. There was a 'whoosh' in the Pokémon Center as air rushed to fill the space where they had been.

 

In a house in Fortree City, there was a small 'pop,' air being suddenly and violently displaced. This was followed by a solid thudding sound and a curse of pain from Xander. The teleportation had put him right next to some piece of furniture, banging his shins against the edge. Oh well, at least it wasn't a wall.

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina blinked and scratched her head. While some of the specifics went over her head, she thought for a bit, and looked back at Zac.

"Interesting. From what it seems, these 'Gyms' and 'Contests' are a big part of your culture here. Those are competitions, right? So a key element of your culture is going head to head with Pokemon in tow." the Ranger said, looking up with a thoughtful expression. "That's not really like Almia at all. Back there, I'd say the biggest element in our culture is cooperation. Us humans coexist with Pokemon and nature, and do our best to protect and nurture both. That's especially why us Rangers exist, and probably why we shy away from Pokeballs." 

For a while, she had that same thoughtful expression, looking up. Only a while later did Lachina register that they should be moving on. "Oh, oh right! What Mr. Brooder said, lead the way to the 'Gym'." the Ranger said at last, not noticing Mercury's smile. 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

 

"Sure." The boy nodded, but looked over at Lachina, and thought for a moment. "Hmm... I'm not sure if you could call it just competition, though admittedly that is a large part." Zac sheepishly smiled, but scratched his head. "It'd take a long time to explain, really, but I'd say there are many ways we co-operate with Pokemon to co-exist with nature." He said, and motioned over to an empty plot of land. "Like, right over there, that Machoke is helping with... something. People say he's been going at it for years, with his partner." He began to lead the way to the gym, after that bit of trivia.

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina looked over at the Machoke, and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm... That's not bad, then. Definitely, working together with people and Pokemon, that's great." she said, but then looked up thoughtfully. "....Everything does seem a lot more industrialized here though. Back in Almia, the place with most development is Pueltown, and even that's essentially a gigantic park with a lot of green. Here though, a lot more streets and taller buildings." the Ranger noted, and sighed. "So... I'm a bit out of my element overall." Lachina muttered, still following Zac to the Gym, looking over her shoulder to make sure Mercury was there.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury

The aura wielder was, indeed, following. He walked quickly, his gait long and sure, but his stance was tight, a coiled spring ready to launch into action at the first sign of trouble. Anubis walked beside him, aura swirling around his forepaws. The Lucario's eyes stayed on Zac and Shadows, and he bared his fangs every few seconds.

 

Mercury saw Lachina looking and nodded, smiling softly. He had a feeling that if they helped this trainer, he would join them in their journey to the islands. The Darkrai could prove to be a valuable, if unpredictable, ally.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan sat straight up in bed. His room was completely still, the first rays of sunlight making their way in through the window. The Liberty agent tried to calm his breathing as he listened hard for whatever noise had woken him up. It didn't take long for a loud curse to reach his ears. It was hard to tell through the walls, but the voice didn't sound like Evan, Ray, or Jenny.

 

As silently as he could, Ryan slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the door. He heard muttering. Conversing? He wasn't sure. He slowly opened his door, careful not to let the hinges squeak, and snuck down the hall. When he made it to the living room, Ryan pressed himself against the wall and carefully peeked around the corner. What he saw made him stifle a gasp. There were three figures in the living room. One was a boy he did not recognize, a few years younger than himself. The second was slightly more disturbing: a Gardevoir with a missing arm. But it was the third intruder that made Ryan's face pale, for this one he did recognize. Ellen's father.

 

Instinctively Ryan reached for a Pokéball, only to realize the only ones he had were the stylized ones printed on his pajamas. Silently cursing himself for not thinking to grab at least one ball before heading out of his room, the Liberty agent debated whether he should go back to retrieve one of his trusted partners or keep the trio of intruders in sight. As Ryan wrestled with this decision, his ears picked up the soft sound of wings on air. From down another hall, Togie soared into the living room at full speed. The Togekiss took one look at the intruders and fired a low-powered Aura Sphere at the Gardevoir as a warning.

 

That's right. Ryan smiled. Togie didn't sleep in his Pokéball tonight. Taking a deep breath, Ryan stepped out into the living room, pointing an accusatory finger at the intruders. "Doesn't anyone knock anymore?" Ordinarily Ryan would have at least given Paul and his unusual companions a chance to explain themselves. But it had only been two days since Hayes had broken into his house. He didn't want to take any chances. Hit first, ask questions later. "Get 'em, Togie!"

 

In the blink of an eye, the Togekiss rushed over to Paul, aiming a pointed feather at the blacksmith's throat: a combination of ExtremeSpeed and Steel Wing. Togie glared at the Gardevoir and other trainer, warning them against making any sudden movements.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

Sylph glanced towards the hall as they settled, a soft sigh escaping her lips. It appears we've woken-- She was cut off as she took the Aura attack. She sensed the Togekiss wasn't intending serious harm, and the fighting-type move barely affected her in the first place. She glanced back to the hall as the pajama-clad trainer stepped into the room.

 

Xander scowled a bit, watching as the Togekiss threatened Paul. Sylph locked eyes with the Togekiss, slowly shaking her head. We do not mean you harm. There was a miscalculation on my part; I thought the living room was larger.

 

Xander snorted softly, stifling a chuckle. Now was not the time for laughter. "I don't think they're ticked because we interrupted their beauty sleep." He glanced at Ryan, turning to show he held no weapons. "But she's right. We're not here to hurt anyone. We're looking for someone. Call off the Togekiss, I'll return my Gardevoir, and we can talk like civilized human beings. You can even leave him out while we talk, so you'll have the advantage."

 

Sylph glared softly. She loathed her ball, even more so if her master would be chatting with potentially hostile individuals.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan had been watching the scene that had been playing out, having put down the book he had been reading. It was bad enough he hadn't got sleep YET again, but now some people had to crash what reading time he had. He had some serious questions for the visitors, and he wasn't sure if he'd wanna start a fight right now. Evan noted Ryan's actions and the general tenseness of the situation, and decided it needed his special touch. He didn't recognize either visitor, but one seemed familiar somehow.

"Do you people mind?" Evan asked in an annoyed tone, as he drew Vlad's Poke Ball. "I was reading this wonderful book, and not soon after, you folks pop in. Then Ryan gets in, ready for a fight. Now you say you are looking for someone. What next?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray/Jenny==-

"Ryan, what is all the noise...?" Ray mumbled, as he rubbed his eyes in slight annoyance. He looked up with a blink, and waved sleepily, as his sister joined in behind him and Ryan.

 

"... When did we get visitors?" Jenny asked in confusion, as she, unlike Ryan, didn't recognize either of these two newcomers. However, it appeared that neither of the two shared Ryan's sentiment for violence, and even Orihime seemed more confused than anything, though she thought she recognized the older man.

 

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

 

"Makes sense. I get being out of an element." The trainer nodded, but paused, as he scratched his head. "Not to say that I stay out of my element for long, but it does happen. Like the first time I started traveling, I didn't have a clue what to do... So I just went and winged it!" Zac shrugged, as he nodded. "I'm sure you'll get used to it. Besides, there are a bunch of towns closer to nature, but Kanto's pretty developed in comparison to, say, Sinnoh. Floaroma Meadow, guys, Floaroma Meadow."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

Ryan gave the young trainer a suspicious look. "Return the Gardevoir first," he said. "I'm not lowering my guard until I know exactly why it is you barged into my living room. Does the term private property mean anything at all to you?"

 

Paul glanced around at the surprisingly large crowd of people that had gathered, his eyes narrowing at the Togekiss. "We don't have time for this," he growled. The blacksmith swung an arm, and as his hand passed by his waist, he dislodged a Pokéball from his belt. The capsule flew through the air and burst open as a Bisharp descended on the Togekiss, knocking it away from Paul with a Fury Cutter.

 

Before Togie could gather up a second Aura Sphere, the Bisharp was on top of him, bladed hand at his feathered throat in a reversal of the situation Paul had just been in. The Togekiss let out an indignant squeak of surprise and glanced over at Orihime, asking for help.

 

"Now," Paul said in a commanding voice. "If you'd be so kind as to listen, I can explain everything."

 

"Not until you let Togie go!" Ryan cried.

 

The Déoza blacksmith turned on the pajama-clad boy. "You don't know when to back down, do you? Ellen's gone."

 

Ryan scoffed. "You think we don't know that?"

 

"She was taken by a man calling himself McKinley," Paul continued, ignoring Ryan. "He claims to work directly for Ford."

 

At once Ryan's anger melted away into shock. "Wait, what? But aren't you with Ford?"

 

"Ford's a client," Paul said coldly. "Not an ally. If I had my say, Ellen wouldn't be involved in this war at all. Now she's apparently helping Ford in whatever it is he wants to achieve. And that brings us to why I'm here. I need your help."

Edited August 31, 2015 by Konuju