Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Konuju]

IC: Theodore/Ava

"Footing the medical bill and offering us a place to stay?" Theodore fought back tears as he handed the tablet back to Stacy. "We can't thank you enough! We promise we'll be out of your hair as soon as our Shannon's feeling alright."

 

Ava gave a simple nod. "You're too kind," she said, managing a small smile. The woman pulled out her Pokégear and began fiddling with it -- likely typing out a message, based on the number of keystrokes, although her steely eyes gave no indication to the contents of said message. Within a few moments she slipped the device back in her pocket as if she had never brought it out in the first place.

 

IC: Ryan/Paul/Jayron

"Let's get going, then." Jayron stood up as he looked to Colette and Luke, and nodded at Esen as the girl wandered over to their side of the group. He led the way back to the infirmary, trying not to pay too much attention to the tension in most of the auras behind them. The executive had only briefly met Aria, but if this morning's meeting was anything to go by, getting five aura wielders to work together might prove almost as difficult a task as facing Ford himself.

 

Paul silently followed the aura wielders, Terry padding along at his feet. His hand rested in his pocket, where it clenched the scrap of cloth. He had anticipated this moment ever since they had left Fortree... it almost felt surreal to think that they would finally locate his daughter.

 

Ryan was about to follow the aura wielders as well when he noticed Kyle staring at his Pokétch. "Hey," he said with a friendly tap on the shoulder. "Thanks for those words of inspiration back there. I don't know what I would've done without you."

 

IC: Zoe

Esmeralda cried out as the attack struck her, sending her back into the sand. A more advanced trainer might have noticed that each of Vixen's prior attacks had taken their toll on Esmeralda, but it wasn't until this most recent Psybeam that Zoe realized her Fennekin was low on health. Zoe grinned. "A hero always looks like she's about to fail right before she saves the day! Esmeralda, don't let up! Go for another Scratch!"

 

Esmeralda panted heavily, specks of sand clinging to her fur where she had fallen. She paused just long enough to catch her breath before darting back at her foe, her claws outstretched. Exhausted though she may be, Esmeralda knew that for Zoe's sake she couldn't give up.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize, Vixen

 

The Kalosian shook his head softly. A more experienced trainer would have known when to switch to long-ranged attacks, keeping their pokémon from further injury. He would just have to show her her mistake first-hand. "Vixen, meet her head-on with another Flame Charge!" The Fennekin rushed forward, panting as flames poured from her mouth to engulf her again.

 

For a brief moment, she was a ball of blazing fire, ready to come down hard on her foe.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Esmeralda-!" The rest of Zoe's command went unheard as the flaming Vixen slammed into Esmeralda, sending her flying into the air once more, only to crash into the sand like a rag doll. Zoe's Fennekin tried to lift her head to spit a weak Ember, but managed no more than a few sparks before she laid her head back, fully succumbing to unconsciousness.

 

Zoe dropped to her knees in disbelief. "W-we lost? But how...?" She pulled the goggles from her forehead and stared at them. "I thought that as a hero we were unstoppable..." Her mood quickly shifted as she grinned up at Xander and Vixen. "That just means you two are even better heroes! No wonder you're gonna rescue that girl!"

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

"Probably floundered like a Magikarp, if that turn-out is anything to go by," Kyle answered, leaning against the table. "Are Jamie and Xander always so . . . passionate?"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

"Good round! C'mon back, Vixen!" As the pokémon staggered her way to him, the Kalosian knelt to pat her head. "That was good, Princess, but you need to watch your pokémon's health. If you had gone for another Psybeam or Fire Spin, you might've won that one."

 

He grinned. "I hope you're ready to keep this ball rolling, because it's Ellen's turn now!" The Eevee barked, prancing out onto the field. "Don't let her looks fool you. She's a tough cookie!"

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra


"More the "My body got vaporized into dust" kind of dead, but same difference." The Plasma Agent said, chuckling a bit. "It really wasn't cool to have that happen to me, but..............."

Evan's jovial expression then turned into a fierce and determined one. He told Jamie the details of what had occurred in Unova. The Hero of Space told her how Dialga had brought him back, albeit with a shortened lifespan. "I traded a good deal of my potential life, to fight the good fight again." Evan spoke, sounding quite calm, despite his expression. "I made one of the hardest decisions of my life, without a second thought. To save many more lives, at the cost of my own, Jamie Arthur. You never know what you can do, until you've been tested........."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

" 'Passionate' is certainly one way of putting it," Ryan said with a chuckle. "Jamie's almost like having a second Evan. As for Xander, though... he doesn't usually get that upset. All that stress probably got to him. You know, he was actually with Ellen when McKinley took her...." Ryan appeared lost in thought for a moment, then shook his head and looked back at Kyle. "So what about Esen? You don't think we scared her off, do you?"

 

IC: Jayron

"You seem a little nervous." Jayron offered Colette a reassuring smile as the group headed toward the infirmary. "Don't worry about it, I don't think any of us are too familiar with merging auras. I mean, Lucario and I have a pretty close bond, but we've never tried anything on this scale before. It'll be a bit of a learning curve for all of us."

 

IC: Zoe

Zoe's face lit up. "A cookie, huh?" She recalled Esmeralda in a flash of light and sent another Pokéball flying. "C'mon, Merida, let's show this cookie just how tough you can be! Start with the Meditation of an expert aura warrior!"

 

The Meditite emerged onto the field and promptly sat cross-legged, assuming a meditative stance. But despite her focus, Merida couldn't help but peek one eye open to observe the so-called cookie.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander

 

"Ellen, while she's meditating hit her with a Sand Attack!" Ellen was pretty evasive, but it wouldn't take many hits for this Meditite to put her down. Lowering the accuracy would help with that.

 

Ellen ran towards the Meditite and skidded to a stop less than a foot away. Doing so kicked up a cloud of sand towards the fighting type's face.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Quick, Bullet Punch!"

 

Merida coughed as her eyes smarted from the attack. Collie had never told her what an expert aura warrior is supposed to do when she gets sand flung in her face. With one arm she blindly struck out at where she thought the Eevee was while her other arm served both to shield her eyes from any more sand that might come flying at her as well as to hide the tears that had welled up.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Ellen

 

Ellen ducked, feeling the Bullet Punch pass close enough to ripple her fur. Xander winced. "Tackle, Ellen!" The Eevee nodded, jumping forward to try and slam her weight against the Meditite.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

Still half-blinded from the sand, Merida was unable to dodge the Eevee. However, the Tackle had the additional effect of bringing Ellen right up to the Meditite. Zoe realized this at about the same time Merida did. "Force Palm!" she cried. And so right after the ball of fluff collided with her, Merida struck back with an open palm, aiming to knock her opponent back.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Ellen

 

"No!" Ellen flew back from the hit, rolling along the sand limply. After a moment, she tried to rise, but ended up collapsing again. Xander flinched, pressing the button on Ellen's ball. "Return. Good effort, Ellen."

 

He scratched his nose, nodding to Zoe. "And, sometimes, you'll lose after just a single attack. Force Palm is a good move." He smiled. "So, one more round? I've got a Staryu that I haven't gotten to use yet."

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

"A second Evan . . . Lord Helix, save us." Kyle loosed an exaggerated sigh. "No, Esen's fine. If anything, she has a better outlook on how that went down than I do, so . . . Nothing to worry about."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Knights in Shining Armor

 

There was near total silence in the ruined testing arena. The only noise came from the bug who was incapable of reading the mood. The man in ivory armor walked in with the bearing of a convict heading to his execution. He knew what the outcome was going to be. There was some comfort in the certainty of it. He had faith that Lancelot wouldn’t kill him, but other than that he couldn’t be sure.

 

Arthur had committed many sins that needed punishment.

 

The crimson armored knight betrayed no information from his countenance and merely stood motionless, waiting. The eyes of his fellow knights were on Arthur, judging. It was clear that Lancelot was going to let Arthur have the first blow. Arthur, for his part, was grateful. He needed every advantage he could get against Lancelot. If he buckled too quickly, it wouldn’t be satisfying to watch.

 

Arthur decided to start by testing how the armor’s attacks would stack against Lancelot’s armor. The right arm of Arthur’s shifted into a gun-like implement. He fired off three rounds of Barrage at Lancelot.

 

Lancelot did not even blink. He knew the difference in power between him and that armor. The bullets slammed into him before falling into the ground, their impacts ignored. Arthur knew Lancelot’s strength, but he felt himself stumble back slightly with shock.

 

Arthur’s grace period wasted, Lancelot fired forward. This was the first time that Arthur had ever been on receiving of Lancelot’s assault. Though he activated Protect in time, he was completely unprepared for when the Bullet Punches collided with the barrier for three reasons.

 

1. Weight

 

Lancelot was heavy. Behind every single movement of Lancelot’s arms was incredible weight. Arthur knew the effectiveness of Lancelot’s punches, but never the true underlying force behind them. Each time Lancelot’s gauntlet smashed into the barrier, Arthur felt himself being knocked back and losing ground. Sensing this, Lancelot started smashing the barrier downward to try and force Arthur to the ground. Arthur had to activate Mega Kick to keep himself from being knocked to the floor.

 

2. Ferocity

 

When Arthur decided to block Lancelot’s Bullet Punch with Protect, he assumed that he would block his attacks and then counter-attack after Lancelot had worn himself out. But Lancelot never gave him on opening. As soon as Arthur first gave a little way, Lancelot committed to his assault. If Arthur lowered the Protect to try and counter-attack, he would have been pummeled by the raining punches.

 

3. Durability

 

But the greatest disadvantage Arthur found himself with was that between the crimson armor and the ivory armor, Lancelot’s crimson was far more durable. Even the Protect that the ivory armor raised would shatter when Lancelot brought both gauntlets down with one Superpower and smashed through the barrier to pieces.

 

With the adrenaline granted by horror, Arthur activated Extreme Speed to run while Lancelot recovered from his own attack. While Lancelot used Swords Dance to compensate for the drain that Superpower took on him, Arthur began to recalculate his strategy. Defense had proved ineffective in holding off Lancelot, so Arthur tried offense again.

 

Using Extreme Speed to close the gap, Arthur activated Mega Punch and shot his arm towards Lancelot’s side. Lancelot allowed the hit to connect, before using Counter to smash Arthur’s face using his own arm. The pain in Arthur’s face informed him that his idea had been terrible.

 

The bug who had no knowledge of Arthur laughed at his pitiful assault on Lancelot. Mordred joined in with a snigger.

 

“I am glad you can take happiness in my misery,” Arthur muttered inaudibly. If those words had been uttered by anyone else, they would have been sarcastic. But that had been the whole purpose of this fight.

 

Lancelot had to glance towards his arm. The very moment his gauntlet connected with Arthur’s face, for that brief moment, he remembered who Arthur had been and who he was and that he was more than just an opponent to defeat. And for that moment he had been filled with emotion, but as quickly as it came, it snuffed itself out. On the sidelines, Galahad sensed the emotion but its transience denied him the chance to decipher its meaning.

 

Arthur activated Recover protocols as he reconsidered his approach. His first plans showed a fundamental lack of understanding of Lancelot. If he wanted to even make an attempt at fighting his champion, he had to use every piece of knowledge he knew about Lancelot.

 

-

James had been told growing up that Pokémon battles were how Pokémon and trainers learn about each other. He had never before put too much stock into it. Yet the situation was like that in a way.

-

 

Arthur calmed himself and considered every experience he had with Lancelot. From the day they met until now, every time he gave Lancelot advice on how to improve his skills, every time Lancelot proved his skill in Arthur’s defense, he considered every strength and failing Lancelot had. Lancelot had intended to not give Arthur a chance to recuperate but the look Arthur held in his eyes stopped him. Something about them gave Lancelot an odd feeling.

 

Déjà vu.

 

The feeling was subsumed by the warrior’s desire to hurt, and he rushed towards Arthur. Arthur, however, had come to a decision, and activated the ivory suit’s functions. As there were three strengths that caught Arthur off-guard, there were three weaknesses he would exploit to return the favor.

 

1. Range

 

Before Lancelot could connect his Bullet Punch, a large Whirlwind came from the ivory armor preventing the attack from connecting. Before Lancelot could push through the wind to attack, Arthur had created a large gap between them and activated Tri Attack. The crimson knight evaded the tri-color beam and tried to close the gap between himself and Arthur, but speakers from the ivory knight’s armor produced a Hyper Voice while Arthur moved backwards, widening the gap Lancelot sought to close.

 

2. Predictability

 

This was only a weakness in this specific fight, but Arthur knew every move that Lancelot knew. The same could not be said for Lancelot. The ivory armor provided Arthur with more tools than he could exhaust if they fought the rest of the day. When Lancelot was finally able to outpace Arthur’s retreat, the latter dropped a Smokescreen. However the smoke was not thick enough to prevent Lancelot from seeing Arthur’s figure. But when Lancelot attacked the figure, he found only a substitute.

 

3. Weight

 

That same weight that put so much force behind him also gave Lancelot an unstoppable momentum. Unstoppable, even to Lancelot. In most cases, Lancelot had such fine control over his movements that this weakness appeared not to exist. But Arthur knew there was interval in which Lancelot could not change direction. Right when the smoke dissipated Lancelot heard a noise from behind him. As Arthur was not in Lancelot’s field of view, Lancelot launched himself as he turned towards the noise, hurtling himself towards Arthur. The ivory armor performed calculations, doing its best optimize Arthur’s moment of action. Arthur held one arm forward and charged another Tri-Attack. As Lancelot’s Bullet Punch was inches away from connecting, the ivory armor carried Arthur out of the way with Extreme Speed, while Lancelot crashed into the Weather Ball that Arthur’s other arm had been sustaining behind his back.

 

It almost seemed that Arthur had taken the advantage. But Lancelot was not some novice who could not adapt. When Arthur actually released the Tri-Attack his arm held, Lancelot sidestepped. He began walking forward towards Arthur, who responded by launching whatever projectile he could muster at Lancelot. In turn the crimson knight focused on evasion. He was confident in his ability to reach Arthur if he kept evading. Sidestepping everything Arthur threw at him, he slowly made his approach. Arthur responded by trying to blow Lancelot away with Whirlwind, but Lancelot was prepared this time. He leaned close to the ground and dug his gauntlet into the floor. When the winds began to recede, Lancelot charged. Before Arthur had a chance to devise a counter-measure, Lancelot's gauntlet had dug into the armor's chest launching the white knight back. Lancelot chased after as he prepared for a follow-up.

 

The flicker that Galahad felt earlier had become a small flame that refused to die. The emotion was beginning to fill Lancelot, and Galahad decided to try to figure out what that emotion was.

 

In desperation, Arthur directed full power to the arms and activated both the Encore and the Disable protocols. Lancelot felt himself unable to use any of his moves. However he still had three weapons left: durability, ferocity, and weight. While he could only run at normal speed, while Arthur was focused on preventing him from attack it would be enough. Lancelot tackled Arthur to the ground and grabbed Arthur’s left arm and squeezed with his steel gauntlet. While Arthur tried to push Lancelot off of him, the crimson knight repeatedly smashed his other gauntlet onto Arthur’s helmet. The cacophony of steel smashing into metal was the only noise any could hear, dwarfing out the sound of Arthur’s struggling. Arthur had only one resort left. Driving full power to the armor’s speakers right after Lancelot hit him, the speakers exploded with sheer volume, the Boomburst knocking Lancelot clean off.

 

After some effort, Arthur managed to reroute power enough to help stand up. He could feel blood trickling down his face, and he wasn’t sure whether the armor or he would break first. Lancelot however got up, surprised but still very ready for battle.

 

The bug still seemed to be having a little fun, except the mood was unnerving him. Mordred wasn’t laughing anymore. No one was comfortable anymore. Least of all Galahad, who was horrified. The flame had become an inferno of emotion. Galahad was finally able to tell what emotion was in Lancelot’s heart.

 

 

 

It was joy.

 

Not for the thrill of combat, or for the glory of victory, but for the pleasure of hurting someone else.

 

 

 

As Lancelot approached, violence in his eyes, Arthur got back up with tremendous effort and pushing the white armor to its limits. He had very little left, it was about time for the climactic moment. Activating Horn Drill, the right arm of the armor transfigured itself into a lance.

 

Lancelot halted. The white knight walked in front of him. He raised his lance in a gesture of salute, then pointed with it to a place behind Lancelot’s back. Lancelot saluted with his gauntlet and turned round to go to the place. The two knights faced each other from opposite sides of the arena. Then, although neither of them had spoken a word, they leveled their weapons and began to charge.

 

The rest of the team could hardly hold their dread. They knew what was going to happen to the white knight, as Lancelot already knew. The bulk of his gauntlet took the white knight under the stomach at exactly the right place. Lancelot had reached his top velocity while the white knight was still accelerating. As Lancelot passed by, he could see him sprawled on the ground, with a piece of the knight’s broken armor on the ground.

Edited July 21, 2016 by Minun of the Fourth Choir

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

"Well at least someone has some level of confidence." Ryan chuckled as he leaned against the table. A silence fell between the two Liberty agents for a moment before Ryan looked back at his friend. "By the way, you still owe me a story."

 

IC: Zoe

Just as Zoe couldn't believe she had lost to Vixen, she couldn't believe she had won so quickly. It took several moments before the girl let out a whoop, scooping up Merida and pulling her into a massive hug. "I knew you could do it!" she crowed. "That was so heroic!" Zoe then set the Meditite on the ground and pulled the goggles off her own head. "Here. The mark of a true hero. Aura Goggles!"

 

Merida giggled as she slipped the goggles over her head. The straps were too big for the goggles to sit on her eyes or forehead, but Merida was content to let them dangle around her neck as she went off to the sidelines to pose dynamically.

 

Zoe grinned at her Pokémon before looking back at Xander. "A Staryu?" Her grin widened. "Perfect!" With as much enthusiasm as she'd displayed in the cafeteria (if not more), Zoe once again grabbed Xander by the arm and dragged him further down the beach, to a spot on the shoreline. "Did you go fishing for your Staryu? Collie says fishing is a very important part of aura training. She got me a pole for my birthday once and that's how I got Eilonwy!"

 

Her last few steps splashed in the shallow water, soaking the bottoms of her shoes, but Zoe didn't seem to mind. With an excited giggle she threw another Pokéball up in the air, sending her tattered Feebas into the waves.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"That's not really what I'm worried about." The girl frowned, as she scratched her head. "I'm not certain how it'll turn out, but there's other things that I'm more worried about." She didn't outright say it, but the unsaid words were that her worries were regarding the discussion from earlier. She hoped that everyone could get along, but wondered how any tension might interfere with the process. However she lowered her voice, as she thought of something else. "What do you think the chances are that we manage to find her aura? I'm not an expert on this stuff, but... I get a feeling that it might not be as easy as everyone's thinking, or hoping..."

 

-==IC: Stacy==-

 

Stacy smiled at the two, and nodded. "I hope you enjoy yourselves here, it may not be too much, but we try to treat everyone like family here." The woman scratched her head. "Admittedly, this is the most visitors we've had in a while, but don't let that make you feel uneasy. We're well stocked on food every day, and if there is anything you cannot have, just mention it and we'll make a note of that."

Edited July 21, 2016 by Destined Blade

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

"You sure you wanna hear that right now?" Kyle asked. "I can almost guarantee that the full story's going to take longer than this Aura thing will." It wasn't that he was trying to avoid recounting his misadventure in Kalos. It was simply . . . Well, no, the more thought about it, the more he realized that yes, he was in fact trying to avoid recounting that ordeal.

 

Unfortunately for him, Ryan merely shrugged, grabbing his arm for a moment to pull him in the direction of the infirmary. "That's fine," he said. "We can walk and talk."

 

After stumbling for a few steps, Kyle righted himself and pulled his arm away from Ryan, rubbing his shoulder. "Alright, alright . . . Jeez, where to even start . . ." Not with the dance--if he talked about Silvermind's 'mission,' then he would have to get into Esen, and he did not feel comfortable sharing that information for her. Then again . . .

 

"So, Silvermind 'asked' me to do some recon in Kalos . . ."

 

By and large, he accurately recounted the entire trip--meeting Esen on the plane and their subsequent decision to travel together. How they had landed in Lumiose, where they met Cero and participated in the Battle Expo before traveling to Dendemille Town. He had to take several breaks with his inhaler as he began to tell Ryan (and Chloe, as she had followed their group) about his discovery of the captured Noibats--how he had been taken prisoner by the Signs and what had occurred from that point onward, including his meeting with Victoire Coleman. It was clear that the memories were stressful, though he did his best to hide it. Finally he admitted to being unconscious for the last portion, though related what he knew about the rescue effort by Esen and Cero and how Victoire had managed to break them free.

 

Throughout all of this, however, Kyle made sure to omit a few details--the Gothitelle lady; Esen's strange behavior in Lumiose City; and most importantly, what had happened when she had been hit with Shift's toxin.

 

He let the story hang in the air for several moments after finishing, allowing Ryan and Chloe to absorb it. After a generous break--in which he took another breath of medication--he smiled, mimicking one of Evan's more-subdued Saturday Morning-style poses by placing his fists on his hips. "The moral here being, don't get involved in foreign affairs--it's not worth it!" He relaxed, rubbing the back of his head. "Does that answer your question?"

Edited July 21, 2016 by Parugi

[Konuju]

IC: Theodore/Ava

"Thank you," Ava said.

 

"Oh!" Theodore hesitated a moment. "One last question before you show us to our room... Er, does Shannon have... visiting hours? I know she needs her rest, but we'd both love to talk to her more..."

 

IC: Jayron

The executive fell silent for several moments as he pondered Colette's words. "It will be easier with five of us, that's for sure..."

 

But is it really wise to give everyone false hope? Lucario asked, keeping his telepathy limited to Jayron and Colette. We should make sure their expectations are realistic. There are a lot of auras out there... even with five of us, locating this girl will be like finding a needle in a haystack. Not to mention, the three of us have never met Ellen. All we have to go on is what residual aura might be on that scrap of cloth. They're treating us like we're a pack of Houndoom, able to pick up a scent and follow it...

 

"You know, there's enough pessimism in this group without your help," Jayron muttered.

 

Hey, I'm just being realistic, Lucario retorted. Or need I remind you that this is Ford we're dealing with?

 

"I know," the executive said darkly, clenching a gloved fist. "It's a long shot, but it's the only hope we have of finding Ellen, and thus getting a shot at Ford. If we can't find her aura...." He fell silent again, deep in thought, until they finally arrived at the main desk of the infirmary. Jayron put on a calm expression as he asked the head nurse if they could be permitted to see Aspen Seaton. Although he wouldn't admit it to Colette, he had no idea what they'd do if they couldn't locate Ellen or the others.

 

IC: Ryan

It took Ryan several moments to absorb Kyle's tale. Poachers, kidnappings, toxin drugs... "And here I thought I had it bad." He shuddered for a moment as he thought back to Gluttony. Given the choice, he honestly wasn't sure if he'd rather face his Sin or those eerie Signs Kyle had spoken of. Both seemed to have had lasting effects on their victims. Regardless, Ryan managed a smile. "Glad to hear your inhaler's not a permanent thing. Though it sounds like you and Esen have some experience with rescue operations. I take it Cero and Victoire weren't interested in our little group?"

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Halls, The Alamo:

 

"Not that, so much as I don't know how to contact either of them," Kyle admitted. "Victoire's with Team Rocket and Cero's . . . around, somewhere. I haven't actually seen him since we got back." He paused, rubbing the back of his head again and looking away. "I, uh . . . I do have to tell you, though . . . since you mentioned the inhaler . . ." Of the words that could be used to describe his expression, 'extremely uncomfortable' were perhaps the only two that could accurately capture it. "That, uh . . . that toxin . . . It's put me . . ." He paused again, thinking very carefully about what he actually wanted to say. ". . . in a very awkward position . . . with my dad . . . because I don't think he's, like . . . actually my dad."

 

That was, at least, true.

 

Still, Kyle felt like his face was on fire.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan's brow furrowed in confusion. "Mr. Eston? Er... Richie? What's that got to do with the toxin? I'm not sure I follow..." The embarrassment evident on Kyle's face told Ryan his friend hadn't gone completely crazy, but he still failed to see how a toxin or inhaler could lead Kyle to believe he was adopted.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

For a moment, Chloe had giggled at Kyle's joke and pose. However, when Kyle mentioned about the inhaler and had gotten more uncomfortable, she looked confusedly at him. As he continued on, her confusion turned to a frown, and she scratched her head. Something seemed odd about how the toxin could make that happen, but... at the same time, she didn't doubt it. She had experience with people being not who they seemed, twice over, though not quite to this extent. At the same time, she wasn't sure exactly what to say. She wanted to give her own experiences about her mother, but wasn't sure if this was a good time for her to speak up or not.

 

"Did... something happen regarding the toxin?" Chloe tentatively asked, an uncertain look on her face even as she asked about it.

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Halls, The Alamo:

 

Kyle gave the pair a dubious look. "I guess I left that part out," he said, appearing to relax somewhat--perhaps from the change of topic. "That 'toxin' was a hallucinogen. Shift made a pretty big point of bragging about how he made it himself. But one of the things I saw--one of the last things--it was like . . ." He struggled for words. "I don't know . . . Like, repressed memories coming back to me. From before my mom died, and from when we first got involved with Liberty . . ." Kyle's hand twitched. "I don't know. I've been trying to talk to him about it, but he's avoiding me. Last night he gave an excuse about some sort of 'public forum.' Before that, it was cleaning up R&D." He rolled his eyes, and then looked at Ryan. "Speaking of, do you know what happened over there?"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie

 

Jamie was speechless. Not just out of awe, though that was part of it. But mostly because what Evan said was so far out of her realm of mind that she was incapable of putting any reaction into words. Several times she opened her mouth but no words came out. The Heracross wasn't much better, he immediately wanted to tell Jamie that this hero thing had to stop, but he had been so stunned that he couldn't even say that.

 

Eventually a question finally came to Jamie to break her from silence. "What's it like? To have to make that call? I have been through a lot, at least, I feel like I have. But I don't think I have ever had to make that kind of decision. To be honest, I don't think I have made very many decisions in my life at all."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

Xander followed the enthusiastic girl, grinning softly as he saw the new locale for their battle. "Seems like a good choice! I actually caught it when a bunch of water type pokémon attacked the boat we came in on. It got past Sylph and hit me, but Ellen and Vixen . . . subdued it, I guess? I don't think it was knocked out. Anyways . . ."

 

He tossed Astraea's ball into the air, letting the Staryu free in the surf. "Astraea, you're up!" The star pokémon landed lightly in the shallow water and proceeded to . . . stand there. It gave no sign of anticipation or eagerness for the battle, nor did it show any anxiety or nervousness. It just . . . stood there.

 

Xander frowned softly. He probed at it telepathically and found his mind slipping along the edges of its thoughts. "O . . . kay then. Um . . . Let's get this started! Rapid Spin!"

 

Astraea's gem flashed orange, and it surged forward, quicker than Xander had been expecting. Right towards Zoe. "Zoe, down!" he shouted, even as he reached out mentally to try and grab the Staryu or push Zoe out of the attack's path.

 

IC: Jared/Lachina/Payton/Vivian

 

The next morning, Jared walked into Payton's room, wearing his trench coat and backpack. His hands were shoved into the deep pockets, and his eyes were bloodshot and baggy from a sleepless night. He gave a small nod to Vivian.

 

Lachina followed him in, arms crossed. She had gotten some sleep, but images of Mercury surrounded by bodies had haunted her dreams. She glanced around the room, sighing. "So . . . Our boat leaves at noon. We're going to actually be on it, this time." To tell the truth, she wasn't sure how good of an idea it was. Them helping had led to people getting hurt and dying the day before.

 

Vivian watched in silence, but nodded back. She didn't seem to be too trustful of Jared after the night before, but didn't seem to be holding too much of a grudge. She looked over as Lachina mentioned about a boat, but did not respond.

 

 Jared looked down at Payton, frowning. "How's she doing?" he asked quietly.

 

 "Better..." Vivian looked toward Payton. "She woke up a bit earlier, but fell asleep again after. The doctors say she'll be fine eventually. I'm going to hold off on bringing up what happened, though, for a little while."

 

"Probably a good idea." He nodded softly. "If we're not here when she wakes up again . . . Tell her I'm sorry, for the way things turned out."

 

Lachina scowled softly. Jared still hadn't spoken with her about what was going on. She had left him alone the night before, and the mansion had mysteriously burned down with the bodies inside. Once they were on the boat, though, he wouldn't be able to avoid it.

 

Vivian nodded absentmindedly, and turned her attention back to the sleeping girl on the hospital bed. "At least things might get back to normal around here..." She mumbled quietly, seeming to be as guilty about what had happened.

 

The silver-haired trainer sighed lightly. "We do have a couple hours to spare. Do you need anything to eat or drink? We can make a cafe run for you."

 

Vivian glanced back to Jared, and frowned slightly. "I wouldn't mind some tea." She held out some money, seeming to not care too much about it at that moment.

 

As the aura user took the money, his hand brushed against Vivian's. He flinched, almost ripping the money from her hand. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead turned and stalked out of the room.

 

Lachina sat in the extra chair across the bed from Vivian. "So . . . how'd you get wrapped up in this business?"

 

"..." Vivian stayed quiet for a moment. "My daughter's in trouble; and Mal had said he would help. I guess he was just looking out for himself there." She grit her teeth. "I've been troublesome myself before that, but... even this sort of stuff has been... out of my league. I don't feel like I can be forgiven by Payton, though, not after this."

 

"Your daughter? Is she sick or . . .?" Lachina bit her lip. She wanted to help, but they didn't have much time.

 

Vivian nodded. "She's been getting treatment, and has been doing better, but... really, Mal was footing the bill until now. I don't think that will be possible now, however..." The woman sighed, however, and smiled very slightly. "Nothing much that you can do, though..."

 

The ranger sighed, looking down at the floor. "I'm sorry to hear that . . ."

 

Jared came back in, holding two cups. He handed one to Vivian with her change, and took a deep swig from his own. "Do you mind if I leave you my number for Payton? You can call if you need anything. If we aren't too busy, we can swing by for emergencies or whatever."

 

Lachina nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

 

"That might wo-" Vivian was nodding when movement caught her eye. A groan from the bed followed, as Payton opened her eyes in slight confusion, glancing around at the occupants of the room.

 

"Hello..." Her voice sounded rather weak still, as she winced from even that bit of effort, and simply gave up, and looked around, as if wondering what had happened after she had been shot.

 

Jared nodded to her. "Good to see you awake. Things got kind of out of control last night."

 

"That's a bit of an understatement," Lachina said. "You--"

 

"She doesn't need to hear the details right now." Jared scowled at the ranger. "We'll talk about it later, like I said."

 

Payton frowned slightly, but appeared to know better than to press details. "Things... done...?" She looked between the three present - the presence of her sister indicated that things had gone well, but she had to confirm. Even she knew better than to move around like she was currently however, even if things were still not right in the city.

 

Jared shrugged. "They're taken care of, as far as we can tell. Lachina and I need to get moving soon, or we're going to miss an appointment we need to keep."

 

Payton nodded as best as she could, seeming a little more content. "Thanks..." Her face seemed uncertain still, but the woman definitely seemed calmer than before. "Sorry..."

 

"Don't be. I should be apologizing, honestly." He looked away. "So . . . sorry." He sighed. "Sorry we couldn't do more to help before things went the way they did."

 

Lachina frowned, putting her hand on Jared's arm.

 

Payton shook her head, but winced. She smiled a bit through her pain. "Don't worry... you helped." She closed her eyes again with another wince, and managed to resist the urge to chuckle. Vivian watched with a frown, but didn't interrupt the discussion, feeling it wasn't her place to.

 

Jared sighed. "If you say so." He rubbed at his eyes, fighitng back a yawn. "I was gonna give Vivian my number, but I'll just leave it with you, instead. Call us if you need any more help, or if you just want to talk, I guess."

 

Lachina smiled softly. "Please, do. After we're done with our mission, we can come back and see you."

 

Payton nodded. "Okay..." She opened her eyes slightly, and looked over to the others. "Write it on... some paper... and I'll get it later..."

 

Jared grabbed a notepad from the bedside table and jotted his number for her. "For now, I think we're going to get a move on. You two probably have some catching up to do."

 

Payton nodded. "Yeah..." She closed her eyes again. "And sleep... that's good..."

 

Vivian smiled slightly at her sister's actions, and looked over to Jared with a cautious nod. "Thank you." She mouthed, and seemed a little more at ease herself, having seen her sister back to her old self a little.

 

 

Jared nodded softly, offering a small smile before turning to the door. He walked out with Lachina following.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Now it was Ryan's turn to feel uncomfortable. "R&D?" he stammered. "Um, no, not really..."

 

It was technically true; his visit to the Garvens' house had only raised more questions than it had answered. But the looks he got from Kyle and Chloe told him his answer was hardly convincing.

 

"Well, I don't know too much..." He took a deep breath. "Okay, remember how right before Opelucid, Evan brought Jupiter over here? Well, Team Galactic's base was destroyed by some girl calling herself Envy. Apparently two more girls showed up in R&D. Mela-- er... Lust and Greed." Ryan scratched the back of his head. "They had the whole area quarantined off the day after the dance. I guess it's a good thing we didn't go the way of Team Galactic and the damage was just isolated to R&D, but still..." He let his voice trail off. "James Arthur and Meghan Vert might know more. Last I saw, Vert was also in the infirmary..."

 

IC: Zoe

"Wha-?"

 

Something slammed into her, knocking the breath from her lungs. Staryu-shaped stars exploded in front of her eyes as she found herself laying face up in the shallow water, staring at the bright sky. A frantic splashing came from somewhere to her right. She blinked, and as her vision focused she was able to make out the source of the splashing: Eilonwy had somehow pushed Astraea to shore and was now flailing around with all her might in a small puddle, doing her best to keep the Staryu at bay.

 

Zoe tried to catch her breath. Back on the beach, Merida was frantically shouting, apparently upset over the turn of events. Slowly, Zoe stood up, stumbling slightly from the added weight of her waterlogged clothes. She wasn't sure if she was more dazed or confused, but she was content to stare blankly at Eilonwy and Astraea while she waited for the world to stop spinning.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"It was incredible, to say the least." Evan said, his eyes aflame. "I would do it again and again, no regrets." He then rubbed his brow a little as he prepared to continue. "The life of a Hero is fraught with many tough decisions like that." The Hero continued, smiling gently. "Jenny had to make one such hard decision. While you say 'Heroes shouldn't fight other 'Heroes.', they also shouldn't brutalize those in a weaker position. I wish Jenny didn't do that, but I also understand she had no choice."

Evan sighed after giving that long spiel, stretched his left arm and then cheerfully added, "Now c'mon, Little Miss Stopwatch, I think Jenny and I should treat you to quite a show! A battle between heroes, if you will!"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander

 

Astraea, after missing and being knocked off course, remained face-up on the beach. The Kalos trainer rushed roward to scoop Eilonwy up and put her back intto water she could swim in. He turned back to Zoe, sighing. "Sorry about that. I guess it didn't see who the opponent was." He frowned, kneeling to pull Astraea back to its feet.

 

The Staryu's gem pulsed lightly, which Xander felt was meant to be an apology. He patted what passed for the creature's head. "I don't mind if Zoe doesn't. You alright, Princess?"

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Halls, The Alamo:

 

"I remember the stuff with Jupiter and Envy," Kyle said. "Lust and Greed, though . . . That's three different people . . ." He frowned. "Have there been any others?"

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Yeah, I... I'm fine," Zoe muttered, still trying to figure out what had happened. Upon seeing her trainer was relatively unharmed, Merida calmed down a bit. Eilonwy skirted through the deeper water, splashing her fins to beckon Astraea out away from the shore, and hence away from Zoe. Zoe took notice of the splashing, and her confusion cleared up enough to realize that the battle was still going on. "Go, Eilonwy!" she cheered. "Tackle that Staryu!"

 

The Feebas stopped splashing and rolled her eyes. A tackle would involve returning to the shallower waters, and while Astraea seemed to have realized its mistake, Eilonwy couldn't be too certain Zoe wouldn't get caught in the crossfire again. Instead, the fish waited for the Staryu to come to her.

 

IC: Ryan

Ryan nodded, counting the Sins off on his fingers. "Let's see, Wrath... Pride... and Gluttony." He tried his best to keep his expression neutral, hoping Kyle didn't press him for details. After his less-than-stellar leadership of the team as evidenced by the arguments at breakfast, the last thing Ryan wanted was to tell Kyle of his other mistakes.

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Halls, The Alamo:

 

"Wait, what? Holy--" The rest of Kyle's sentence could not be recorded. "How have I not heard about any of these?"

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

"Probably 'cause you were busy in Kalos," Ryan said with a chuckle. "You know, Xander's from Kalos. I imagine he'd be interested in hearing about those Signs you took care of." It was a poor attempt to change the subject, but with a fair amount of hallway still to go before the infirmary, Ryan didn't want to risk getting asked about Gluttony.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe frowned as she gave Ryan a look - especially for the sudden subject change. "I don't think everything was total public knowledge, either... I was there when that Wrath guy attacked, and I remember Aspen telling us Pride was while we were in Celadon, but I was busy in another part of the city at that time..." She scratched her head for a moment, but turned her gaze between Kyle and Ryan, thinking about how for as much as both knew that secrets hurt them the last time, both seemed to be keen on keeping secrets, from how they were acting.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie

 

Normally the prospect of watching heroes fight each other would immediately brighten Jamie's spirits. Even a normal Pokemon battle would perk her spirits on a normal day. But today wasn't normal. At least it didn't feel normal. At least to Jamie anyway.

 

"You know, it is not that I like what Aria did. But Jenny -did- have a choice, didn't she? I was there. I wasn't being quiet about having a Pokemon that could use 'Disable'. She could have called to me. I could have stopped Aria without hurting her. Without hurting anyone. That is what I did, in the end."

 

Wasn't it? she thought as she remembered Xander's accusation.

 

"And what Aria did. There was a sense of justice in it too, right? Jack, while defenseless at that point, can't be considered an innocent when he was the aggressor to begin with. I just... I couldn't sit there and let them, especially Xander, pick on Aria when Aria was doing what she felt was the right thing, y'know?"

 

Lucan came floating up towards Jamie and Pelleas, but slowly so as to not interrupt her.

 

"It's just... I can't support and it's hard for me to forgive attacking a friend under any circumstances. Even when she was defending herself, I didn't want to see Aria hurt Gnip either."

 

Jamie sighed and broke eye contact with Evan, her own feelings of guilt rising.

 

"Is this all my fault? Was it because I didn't act quick enough? Even without Disabling Aria, I could have put Pelleas and Lucan between her and Jack. If Pelleas grabbed him from behind and Lucan stood in front of him, Aria wouldn't have been able to attack Jack without hurting an innocent. Surely that would have given her enough pause that I could have convinced her that he would punished for all his actions here. And if he kept up that attitude, it would only make things worse for him. Doubly so once we dismantle Ford's group, and we're the only one's who can decide his fate."

 

As much as she tried, the young heroine couldn't bring her eyes back to meet the elder hero's again.

 

"I am sorry. I really can't bring myself to face Xander or Jenny right now, as much as I need a battle." Jamie gave a brief hollow laugh, "Heh, I guess -I'm- the coward here after all."

 

IC: Merlin, the Knights, and the bug

 

The bug had figured out by the demeanor of the other Pokemon that there was a lot more going on than just a couple of blokes fighting. The outright mess the white bloke had left was also a dead give away. His teacher had been ignoring him, his eyes were on the floating other white bloke, clearly perturbed. That one had been shaking the whole time until they left that arena they were in. The bug didn't know why, sure the battle was harsh but such was life, wasn't it? The purple knight was looking off to the side, deep in thought, while the blue knight was taking deep breaths in and out, his face obscured by the fact he was leading the group.

 

It was silent until somebody joined them. Some green fop who came floating by like she owned the entire island.

 

The bug heard words in his own head, the feeling of telepathy that the others were so used to was foreign to him. So, did y'all have fun?

 

They all glared at her for a moment.

 

Yeah, didn't think so. Her face grew more serious as she then asked, How bad were his wounds?

 

Not one of the knights made eye contact with her.

 

That bad, huh? Guess I better make sure he's okay then. By the way, what are you all gonna do now?

 

That was the question, wasn't it? Trust was not easily replaced once lost, and James hadn't proved yet that he earned it back. But, what he had shown was how dedicated he was to getting it back.

 

And that counted for a lot.

 

They four knights deliberated among themselves for about a minute at the end of which they came to a unanimous consensus. Complete fresh start, no strings attached.

 

Glad to hear it! she said with the sly smile back on her face. I'm pretty sure that Lance and Jimmy there need their alone time, so how about we all take a few minutes to shake off that fight and meet back at his office, 'kay?

 

Well one string attached then, they all agreed. Everyone needed a few more minutes to themselves to come to terms with their choice. The bug's teacher signaled for his student to follow as the four knights split up. Only Gawain remained behind for a moment.

 

Don't worry, I'll check on 'em. By the time you leave, I'll have already been there, sorta the time traveler said before giving a more genuine smile. And I'll check to see how much he's learned too. Put it out of your mind, by tonight you'll have a king worth serving again.

 

Gawain looked at Celebi for a few moments longer, nodded and left.

 

IC: A King and His Knight

 

Executive James Arthur had only been semi-conscious as Lancelot carried him to the infirmary. His wounds weren't as bad as they looked, though because of the mess the armor was in where Lancelot's final assault hit, the wounds looked pretty dang bad. James only fully regained consciousness a few hours later. The first thing he noticed when he regained cognition was that his lower chest hurt like a Rhydon stepped on it and that it felt like was covered in bandages. The second thing he noticed was that his face was cold and when he opened his eyes, he saw that there was an ice pack on his nose. The third thing he noticed, was that Lancelot was holding the ice pack and gently applying pressure.

 

"I suppose I lost then. Not that the fight could have ended in any other fashion," James remarked.

 

Lancelot merely kept applying pressure to ice pack on James's nose. He was waiting and James knew it. James also knew how bad he was at things like this. To actually admit his mistakes was something he was not used to doing. They stayed as they were for several more minutes before Lancelot moved to change the ice pack. After Lancelot removed the ice, James felt the bruise on his nose and it snapped him back to reality.

 

The longer he delayed, the harder it would be that was a fact.

 

"There was not a thing I was not willing to betray was there, Lancelot?" James said with a melancholic smile on his face.

 

Lancelot shook his head solemnly.

 

"Team Rocket, Team Liberty, Roderick, you... myself."

 

Lancelot again was silent and motionless.

 

"You though, you never abandoned me. Even when I sank to my lowest, when I hurt you the most, you refused to leave me to my just desserts... I do not think I tell you enough how much I appreciate.. how much you mean to me."

 

That got Lancelot to turn. Who was this man and what had he done with James. The Scizor he hadn't hit James on the head too hard.

 

"I would react sarcastically, but the worry is valid," James admitted upon seeing Lancelot's incredulity.

 

James, with some pain, sat up. Lancelot moved some pillows to provide James some support. James nodded simply and said "Thank you, Lancelot."

 

Once he was sitting up, he began to think of what to say next. His mind flashed back to the battle and everything he thought Lancelot in that time.

 

"You know, I have not seen that look you had on your face in that battle since the day we met."

 

Lancelot look surprised again, this time because he had the same thought towards James. When he realized the source of Lancelot's surprise, James chuckled.

 

"Me as well? Well I guess we both had very different reasons back then despite the same expressions. I was not appraising you for the sake of defeating you, we both know that. Yours though..."

 

James sighed and shook his head, "I am getting off-track. But there is one thing I need to know."

 

Arthur swallowed his saliva, his worry and his pride so he could ask, "Do you regret it Lancelot? Choosing to follow me, I mean. I have not-"

 

Lancelot cut James off. He looked James dead in the eyes, made sure James was staring back, and shook his head softly. He had been angry, hurt, sad, but never once did he actually regret the choice he made those years ago.

 

"T-Thank you, Lance. I- I am -I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I have waited too long to say that to you, I-"

 

Neither king nor knight were good with being emotional, so Lancelot did what he believed Guinevere would do if she were there instead of him, and threw his arms around James's shoulders. James had been so caught off-guard that he couldn't help but return in kind. And while he would later deny that the next part ever happened, Arthur let out some rather... unrefined sobbing.

 

"Thank you Lancelot," James said regaining his composure the best he could, "I am not very good with... being emotional, I must looked like a complete fool."

 

Lancelot suppressed any reflex he had to laugh, but James could tell from where he sat that Lancelot found that hilarious and extremely accurate, and his cheeks turned red as a result.

 

"Ha. ha. ha," James remarked dryly with eyebrow raised. "Suppose we should keep this whole venture between those of us here. I think Guinevere would just berate us for being foolish."

 

Lancelot nodded vigorously in agreement, and without the laughter. If Guinevere found out, their heads would roll.

 

The merriment raised the mood in the room in general. Some affection restored, James decided he had no time for rest and needed to get working as soon as possible.

 

"Can you get the nurse?" James said to Lancelot, "I need to be cleared to leave... actually wait, could you first go and bring me a change of clothes from my office?"

 

Lancelot gave James an incredulous look. The human, whose chest was only half-covered by bandages was blushing.

 

"I do not feel decent leaving without a shirt."

 

IC: Celebi

 

Celebi closed the window in time she was looking through three hours later. She shook her head smiled. As she flew away she said, They've got nothing to worry about.

 

And then she chuckled at the image of James's face all the way back to his office.

Edited July 23, 2016 by Minun of the Fourth Choir

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander

 

The psychic smiled as Astraea made its way into the deeper water where Eilonwy was waiting. "Alright! Let's try this again. Astraea, Rapid Spin!" The gem flashed acknowledgement, and the Staryu took off again. This time, it was aimed at the correct target.

 

IC: Sylph

 

The Gardevoir sighed as she walked out of the cafeteria. Dahlia had politely declined more training with the Reverse powers, so Sylph was left to her own devices for a while. With a small smile, she reached out to find the mind she had touched in Lilycove. Humming softly, she took a glance through Chloe's sight and then teleported to stand near her.

 

She cleared her throat to announce her presence before speaking. "Hello."

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Halls, The Alamo:

 

"That explains the accent . . ." Kyle muttered, then did a double take at Chloe. "Wait, what happened in Celad--hello!" Sylph's sudden appearance had thrown him off. Not wanting to lose this train of conversation, however, Kyle regained his composure and clapped his hands together, taking a deep breath. He looked between Ryan and Chloe.

 

"I think," he said, slowly. "that you two owe me some stories now."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan frowned, shifting his weight uncomfortably. Hadn't he already told his story the day before? Most of it, anyway. He gave a brief nod to Sylph and then looked over at Chloe. "Um, you first."

 

IC: Zoe

As Astraea spun out to sea, Eilonwy met her opponent head-on with her Tackle. The two vanished under the waves, leaving Zoe and Xander staring at nothing. For a few moments, all was silent but the sound of the surf on the beach. Then Zoe jumped up and punched the air. "Go get 'em, Eilonwy!" she cheered, despite not knowing if her voice could travel all the way to where the fight was happening.

 

IC: Eilonwy

Under the sea, far from the sound of Zoe's voice, Eilonwy was in her element. Here she did not flop around, but instead swam gracefully, dancing back and forth around Astraea's attacks. Unfortunately the Staryu was also in its element, and with its five-pointed body still rapidly spinning, Eilonwy couldn't risk another Tackle or Flail without getting hit herself. Instead the Feebas distanced herself from her opponent and let loose a Dragonbreath.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"Why are you worrying about what you could have done?" Evan said kindly. "Don't be distracted by the what-ifs, should-haves, and if-onlys. A Hero looks forward." The Plasma Agent then ruffled Jamie's hair playfully, chuckling a bit. "I'm pretty sure Jenny is as conflicted herself, honestly." The Hero of Space spoke again, smiling. "But I know she'll be fine. Don't worry about a thing, Stopwatch, because what you did on the boat, was cool anyway."

Evan then stepped away and added. "I'm gonna go see if I can find Jenny, and maybe get things set up for what we have planned today." He then gave Jamie a small piece of paper with some badly written numbers on it. "That's my Pokegear's number." The Plasma agent spoke sheepishly. "Writing left handed isn't my strong suit. Use that to hit me up if you wanna watch!" Evan then struck a subdued pose and walked off, giving Jamie a sincere salute.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe looked at Ryan with a raised eyebrow. She had assumed that from the sounds of it Kyle had been caught up on everything - evidently, that was not the case. She sighed, and took a deep breath. She waved briefly to Sylph, but then began to explain about the craziness that had gone on since they had last seen each other. From the time spent helping search for Dahlia and trying to recover from what happened in Unova, to revisiting Unova by accident, and then to the battles in Sootopolis and Celadon. She took a breath before describing the things that had happened when Gerald crashed the Celadon fight as well, and the different revelations from when Cassie showed up.

 

"I'm still a bit confused by what all that means, admittedly." The girl sighed, and scratched her head, but continued on her story, briefly explaining how the two groups met, but skipped over the incident in Lilycove for the moment. She intended to get back to that with more context, and just explained about how they had gone to visit Snowpoint for a little while to check up on her cousin.

 

After that, she finally stopped to catch her breath, and smiled sheepishly. "Umm, any questions? I'm sorry that was so long-winded. A lot has happened, really, and it was honestly a nice thing to get some rest... but, I guess that's not really possible." She giggled awkwardly for a moment. Chloe waited for the others to respond, as she didn't want to really overload anyone with information, especially since a lot was rather confusing.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Astraea

 

Attack? Miss.

Stop?

Stop.

 

Astraea stopped spinning.

 

Wait.

Move?

Wait.

Attack!

Wait.

 

The Staryu felt its opponent move, felt the heat rushing towards it from the attack.

 

Move?

Move.

 

It turned itself slightly, letting the Dragon Breath glance by.

 

Attack!

Attack.

 

It propelled itself forward again, curling its points together to form a Gyro Ball.

 

Orders?

None. Attack.

Attack.

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston - Halls, The Alamo:

 

"I'm sure I'll come up with a question later," Kyle said after a moment. "In the meantime . . . I'm starting to feel like we should all just stick together again. Seems like we run into . . . well, fewer crazy things, if nothing else."