JiMing

IC: Aspen/Dahlia Seaton

As the others around him began to applause and praise the battle, Aspen couldn't help but break out in a wide grin. "Thanks! Honestly, it doesn't even really feel like I lost just then!" he exclaimed in response to Ryan. The youngest Seaton began giggling uncontrollably, cutting it off with a sigh. "Oh man, oh man, that's one of the most intense battles I've ever had. It was so cool, too! Thanks for agreeing to it, Xander!" 

Dahlia stopped taking footage shortly after Ryan officially declared the match to be over and looked over at the sheer enthusiasm of her brother. The gardener hadn't seen him this giddy in a very long time, especially after the incident with Pride... "Congrats, Aspen, you were great out there!" she said, rushing over to her brother and hugging him tight. "You did so well!" 

Aspen yelped a bit at the choking grip his sister placed on him, but smiled anyways. "Thanks, Dahlia..." he managed to croak, chuckling somewhat even as he was finding it difficult to breathe from the hug. The trainer blinked as he saw someone else interacting with Evan, but he couldn't say much in that situation due to his position. 

Aria looked over at Paul, and at the scrap of cloth in his hand. "Hmm? Oh yes, the search. I had been trying to keep quiet about that." the Lucario said. "It would be in your best interest to still head to Four Island for a few reasons... Which I shall explain once my injuries are healed." she muttered, wincing at bit as blood dripped past the fingers of the hand she kept over her shoulder. 

OOC: These fools have no idea I wish to take over the world by flooding it with jam... Ehehehe. Ehahahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-wait am I saying this all out loud.

"Thing?" Payton cut in with a slight frown. "You mean there's something you still haven't used, even after everything today?"

"It's a dangerous pokémon," he replied. "If I send it into battle, it won't stop until I've returned it, even after it's killed its enemies."

"That does sound dangerous." Payton agreed with a frown. "Definitely sounds like a last resort to me... But why would it do that?" She frowned more, as she tried to puzzle it out on her own.

Lachina frowned as Mercury began to explain things more. "The corrupted Absol, right? The one whose aura is all... Wrong?" she questioned, frowning. "You did talk about how dangerous it would be to release... But is there anything anyone can do about it? From what you told of me it's not that way by choice..."

Mercury chewed his lip. "I can attempt to control it with my own aura, but there's not a guarantee, and it will require a lot of my concentration." He glanced to Payton. "If I slip, it could be bad for anyone nearby, but it will be an extra body on our side."

Payton frowned. "A corrupted... Absol?" She frowned more, but nodded. "That makes sense, though. But if there's no guarantee, it might be more dangerous to us, than to them."

Payton bit her lip. "That's an unknown as well. But, I have hope still... plus, it's six; Nadia probably will join us if we mention it." She explained, and sighed. "I know it seems like the odds are against us, but... we have to do something. At least find out what they're planning. Eliminating anyone who investigates? That's dangerous, and if they're left alone, your friend could be in danger too."

"How I'm going to explain this to the Ranger higher-ups, I don't even know where to begin." Lachina muttered, shaking her head. "Well I suppose that's that. If there's anything we've overlooked we should probably go take care of that now, if not, well I suppose we have to head out, don't we?"

Payton nodded in response, as she stood up. "Yeah... the more time we waste, the closer they become to fulfilling whatever plan they're hatching."

Mercury nodded softly. "Alright then, it's settled. Let's get... Nadia? And go to this mansion."

Well, the way Pokken Tournament handles things could potentially provide some interesting options.

In that game, each trainer has a Synergy Stone that allows for some sort of connection between each trainer and Pokemon. Once enough power is built up during the match, they can activate something called a Synergy Burst. For Pokemon who have one, they Mega Evolve, but without the requisite stone from the home series. However, other Pokemon get some sort of powered up form that doesn't drastically change their appearance, such as Machamp's body turning red-hot or Weavile who looks like its body is covered in some sort of powdered snow. NFE Pokemon like Pikachu and Braixen also get access to this power up.

Perhaps if no one can figure out good original Mega Evolutions, other Pokemon can get access to a more general powered up state that doesn't affect appearance very heavily or so? It would at least level the playing field a bit between each Pokemon to some degree.

OOC: Dramatic Battle! Excited Title! Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

IC: Aspen Seaton/Aria vs. Xander Cruize/Sylph. 

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNwOC9cMO4Y/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H40VmHwc5Y0

IC: Dahlia/Aspen Seaton

"Huh? Oh! That's not a problem at all, Xander, I can handle filming duties." Dahlia said, taking the Holocaster and stepping back to get a better view of the field. When Paul and Evan arrived behind her, she smiled and nodded at the both of them. "The battle looks like it's just about to start, once everyone gets into position and Ryan calls the start of the match, that should be go time!" she explained with a wide smile. 

"You need not worry about me. I will demonstrate the full extent of what I am capable of." Aria replied to Sylph. "Prepare yourself for a difficult battle, Sylph, I'll be doing the same."

Aspen cracked a grin at the arrival of Evan and Paul, not noticing that Ray had snuck onto the premises as well. "Don't worry Evan, I plan on going all-out. I'm going to prove what I'm capable of, and take the win!" he declared in a confident tone. He and Aria then moved further away from the Kalos Duo to put some space between them. "This should be a decent amount of space to start with. Aria?" 

"I've no objections, though a more precise measurement would possibly lead to better performance on both ends. But I believe all parties involved are just eager to get started." the Lucario said, turning to Ryan. "If there is nothing more that needs to be modified, then the battle shall begin on your signal."

IC: Aspen Seaton

Aspen blinked, and rubbed the back of his head. "Well... Alright. I'll take whatever audience I get, any stragglers could see the recorded footage a later time maybe." he decided, and shrugged. "I guess what I should really be focusing on is the battle, and how to beat Sylph however I can. You're probably doing the same for Aria anyways." the youngest Seaton noted, gripping Aria's Pokeball and taking it off his belt.

Dahlia walked alongside her brother on the way to the field, looking over at Aspen. "Besides, didn't you challenge Hugh that one time? He's Opelucid's Gym Leader. Doesn't that count?" she asked. "So you did fight a Gym Leader once..." 

"Well, that was more of a sparring match than an official league challenge... Not to mention I lost." he said, adjusting his glasses awkwardly. "Maybe I really should have taken him up on his tutoring offer... Maybe after Ellen's found I can think about that." the trainer muttered, shaking his head. Right now he had to focus on the battleground provided by Ryan, and sent out Aria to also look around. 

"I believe my presence has been requested in a fight with a certain Gardevoir." Aria said flatly, turning her head to the field. "Hmm... Yes. I can make this work to my benefit. Not bad, Liberty boy." the Lucario replied to Ryan, even as she still scanned the environment. Soon after she turned to Sylph and held a paw up to her chin. "This should be spacious enough for you to use the full extent of your abilities, yes? I myself think this would make a decent stage for our match, you?"

OOC: Too much jam, toast is now soaked, sadface.

IC: Olivia Seaton/Chloe Hikari

IC: Dahlia/Aspen Seaton

"I guess that was a pretty silly question..." Dahlia admitted, chuckling a bit with a subtle awkward blush on her face. "I dunno, sometimes I don't think through some things like that. But a field near the Pokemon Center? That sounds like it might work!" the gardener said, turning to her brother. "What do you think?"

Aspen nodded at his sister, but rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Oh, uh, I sorta wanted it to be something of a spectacle..." he admitted. "I mean, I've never challenged a Gym Leader, and I kinda just want to prove that I can keep up with everyone here, so I was hoping to get everyone... I-I guess that's not happening then." the trainer said with something of a disappointed tone. However, he still had to answer Xander's question on who he would challenge Sylph was. Flare was a solid choice and the Pokemon he had known for the longest, but he wondered if it was smart to fight a fully-evolved Pokemon with one in the mid-stage, especially one as powerful as Gardevoir. Torrent would be up for the battle, but the Seaton boy found he was much more hot air than a fierce opponent most of the time. Perhaps Meadow would show off a bit, but the type disadvantage as well as difference in power would leave a one-sided match. Jet was fully-evolved, but lacked restraint during a good battle to the point he found it difficult to command the Braviary. Saya was not an option by any means. But if he couldn't use any of those Pokemon, then...

"...I think I'll lead with Aria for the match." he decided, nodding. "She's still a very recent addition to my team, actually a gift of some sorts from another trainer. I think she has the power to compete with Sylph though, and it'll give me more of an idea of how the two of us interact during matches." Aspen explained. "That sound like an alright choice?"

IC: Aspen Seaton

Aspen looked down at his feet and chuckled while he saw Xander's Pokemon dart through his legs, but turned his attention back to Ryan. "Yeah, I'd like to see what Sylph can do when she's not on a boat and stuff, and also give me more experience in battling tough opponents. She's right too, we were just about to go looking for everyone." he explained. "So uh... You mentioned something about Ray wandering off, right? Any idea where he went, or where the others could be as well? I'd like to get the same audience, I wanna prove myself." the youngest Seaton said, nodding. "I wanna prove that I keep up with the rest of you."

Dahlia was about to further protest and apologize to Ryan until she heard her brother's words. Is he worried about not matching other's standards? Like me? she wondered. Dahlia also thought back to what Ryan had meant by wandering, and if things were still alright. However, she quickly turned back to Ryan with a pleasant smile. "Yeah, should be a nice way to spend our time before it's time to leave again. You wouldn't happen to know a good battlefield, would you?" she asked with a bit of a nervous giggle. "I, uh, forgot to look up a map on my Pokegear, and thought you might know the area a bit better than me..."

Torrent looked over confusedly at the waving, and shrugged, lazily waving back. Flare asked how the Typhlosion was doing, moving out of the way for the incoming Eevee and Fennekin. Meadow looked over and considered reprimanding the two, before shrugging. The Roselia figured playful sparring was a form of training in it of itself, and she was still doing her job by looking over them. 

IC: Aspen/Dahlia Seaton

Dahlia didn't see Ryan until the two of them had nearly collided, and yelped when he suddenly came into view. "S-sorry! I should have paid attention to where I was going!" the gardener exclaimed quickly, catching the Liberty agent's question at the end. "Huh? Oh, Xander and Aspen were trying to train Vixen and Ellen and I was gonna try to get in some practice with reverse. We wanted to head back to the Pokemon Center though, cause the two of them have other plans." 

Aspen nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "Xander and I were kinda hoping we could have an exhibition match. Yaknow, the kind that he and Evan had on the boat? I think I tried to send a message to you just now, actually..." the youngest Seaton said, chuckling. "I dunno, that sound interesting to you? Oh, and what brings you over here, anyways?" 

Flare looked up at Quil and barked back, giving a friendly smile to the Typholosion. Torrent crossed his arms while sizing up the final-stage Pokemon, and Meadow simply waved and looked over her shoulder at the two young foxes to see how they were holding up.

IC: Olivia Seaton

Rose slowly beamed, and pulled Chloe into a gentle hug. "Don't worry, I'm not going to fly into a rage and shun you or anything like that. I mean, yes I'm caught off guard, but I'm not angry at you." she said reassuringly. The older woman pulled back, still smiling gently. "Though I would have preferred you be a bit more direct. I'm too old to be playing guessing games, and I've only just now started to see you again after a few years. But it's all good, why don't you twp come on in?" the gardener offered, stepping out of the doorway. 

Olivia smiled and looked over at Chloe. "And you were so worried. What did I tell you? I knew Mom would be alright with this." she said with a grin, leading her girlfriend through the door. "Now come on, Poppy hasn't met you yet!"

IC: Lachina Adaon

The Ranger walked over to where Mercury and Anubis were situated, turning to the Lucario. "I assume he's gonna be alright, then?" she asked, sitting down and sighing. "Payton's up ahead, working things out with her coworkers. She seems really disturbed by all this... And here I sit and wonder, what have I gotten myself into?" Lachina muttered, sighing. "If I could have just helped a bit more, maybe... I-I dunno."

IC: Olivia Seaton

Rose looked even more confused after Chloe's explanation, rubbing the back of her head. "O-oh, really? I don't remember meeting a 'Chloe' before, though. Do... You come from one of Olivia's PE classes from middle school, maybe?" the Seaton mother guessed, chuckling awkwardly. "Sorry. I guess my memory's gone off over the years."

Olivia looked over at Chloe, and sighed. "Maybe this would help you remember." she said while grasping the other girl's hand. Then the eldest Seaton looked back to her mother with a small smile, gesturing with her free arm. "How about this?"

"Not... Particularly?" the older gardener admitted. "Not sure what you're trying to accomplish there, Olivia. Seems like something you would have done with Za-" she began, before pausing. Rose blinked, and turned to Chloe with a stunned expression. "...Wait. If she's doing that, then you're...?"

IC: Aspen Seaton

Aspen laughed at the enthusiasm of both Ellen and Vixen, finding their excitement over the potential battle to be infectious. "I mean, we'd probably have to gather everyone up again so we have an audience, but yeah! If we can do that, I'd love to get the chance to battle against you and Sylph!" he said with a grin. "That battle you had with Evan's Excadrill, oh man, that was amazing. I might not be as experienced as Evan, but I would like to think I'd be able to put on as much of a show. I mean, I dunno about Dahlia, but I don't think the duo of cuties are really in the mindset to train anymore, so uh, yeah." 

Dahlia turned around, and blinked. "Oh, our trip's over already?" the middle Seaton asked. "Hmm, but you wanted an audience, right? Maybe you should like, contact anyone you can and try wait and see if they reply before heading back?" she suggested. While she was smiling at Aspen's newfound enthusiasm, she had wanted to train her Reverse powers a little more, to the point where she could activate it on command at least.

"Hmm. Good point. I'll take care of that right now." Aspen said, taking out his Pokegear. He quickly typed out a message to the others in the group whose contact he had, asking if they were free and mentioning his plans for another exhibition match with Xander.

IC: Olivia Seaton

The door opened, answered by an initially confused Rose. The older woman's eyes slowly widened however, when she saw Olivia standing on the porch, causing her to look back in stunned silence. "...Olivia? Olivia! You're safe!" the Seaton mother exclaimed, drawing her daughter into a crushing hug. "Your father and I have been worried beyond all belief! I saw the news the other day, and saw you in Sootopolis, and we just, oh thank heavens you're alright..." Rose said, sighing in relief as she held her daughter close. "Where's Aspen and Dahlia though? Are they still okay?"

"Y-yeah, things have been crazy, but me and the others are alright." Olivia responded, returning the hug to her mother. "Aspen and Dahlia are traveling with some new friends to rescue a little girl we met back in Sootopolis. Sorry we didn't contact you more, only now have I really gotten a chance to slow down, but I'll get the two of them to talk to you again soon." the red-haired trainer promised.

Rose smiled wider at that, moving back. "That would be excellent, thank you..." she replied. Up until then, it seemed the gardener did not notice Chloe at all, but that quickly changed when she turned her head over at the other girl. "Oh...! Have we... Met each other?" Rose asked. Her face's expression shifted around, and the Seaton mother blinked when looking at the person next to Olivia. Something seemed familiar to her, but she wasn't sure what it was...

IC: Lachina Adaon

Lachina bit her lip for a moment, not sure what to say. "...Y-yeah. We should get Mercury some medical treatment first, but then let's regroup and figure out where to go next." she said. The Ranger frowned at the current state of Payton, but knew her attempts at reassurement wouldn't reach the woman in this state...

IC: Aspen/Dahlia Seaton

Aspen couldn't help but burst out into laughter when Xander quickly put out the embers on his pants, nodding. "Yeah, though it seems Ellen's much more of a lover, not a fighter." he pointed out. "Not sure how well my Pokemon can handle that, but they can figure something out. But yeah! That battle you had with Evan was amazing, I'd love to take part in a match like that too!" the youngest Seaton said enthusiastically. "Heck, maybe we can figure out something today? Rope everyone up and have a spectacle out on display again. I mean, if we can do it, why the heck not?"

Dahlia breathed deeply, reaching down to pick up a rock. She closed her eyes and tried to follow what Ryan had advised her to do, and empty her mind of everything but the sensations she wanted to feel. The weight of the rock in her hands, the roaring waves beyond the shore, and the cool breeze running by. Then the gardener quickly flicked her wrist, with the rock sailing afterwards into the water, dropping in like a stone.

"...This is going to take a while." she said, and sighed.  

IC: Olivia Seaton

"Tell me about it. Meeting Anna was nice and all, but this is much more like it." Olivia replied. The red-haired girl looked around and cracked a smile at the familiar surroundings, grinning at Chloe. "Good thing we changed out of our heavy winter clothes, otherwise we'd be cooking. Anyways, Amethyst didn't drop us off too far from the house. Follow me, the streets should look familiar soon." she said, locking arms with her friend as they walked through the city. 

Soon enough the two of them walked in front of a small blue-gray door. "Alright Chloe, be sure to be smiling when Mom and Poppy answer the door." Olivia reminded Chloe, ringing the doorbell.

IC: Aspen Seaton

Flare nodded approvingly and complimented Vixen for getting the hang of things so quickly. The Quilava went on to advise the young Pokemon to not become frustrated by a lack of progress at first, and reminded her that mastering moves took time. He explained how even his Eruption was untrained, and not at all perfected, reassuring the Fennekin that one day her moves will be as powerful, if not superior in strength to his own. Then he repeated his advice from earlier, encouraging Vixen to keep trying.

Meadow turned to Eevee and reminded her to keep her encouragement from providing direct aid. Torrent scoffed, telling the Roselia to let Ellen do whatever she pleased. using the moment to continue bragging about his prowess. The Buizel quickly stopped when Meadow primed a Magical Leaf attack, hastily turning his speech into an encouraging message for the young Pokemon. Pleased, the Thorn Pokemon dissipated the attack, smiling at the Eevee.

"They're getting along well, huh?" Aspen noted, chuckling. "Well, yours are, mostly. Mine... Well, they've got their own dynamics." he said, shrugging.

IC: Lachina Adaon

Lachina blinked when the mysterious gunmen just walked off. However, the Ranger turned to Payton, wordlessly placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm... I'm sorry I allowed this to happen. If only I had done something else..." she muttered, shaking her head. "I'll make this up to you, somehow. That I promise." 

IC: Lachina Adaon

Aolani burst into the room with a piercing screech, eyeing her opponents. The Altaria narrowed her eyes at the Exegcutor, opening her mouth to charge a sphere with dragon energy and fire the resulting Dragon Pulse, going to charge another one immediately after launching the attack.

Lachina looked around the scene, attempting to take in as much as she could. Her eyes widened at the state Mercury was in, how he seemed to be lost in rage despite being wounded. "Mercury, you're wounded!" she called out, running to behind him. "Please, you have to stand back and get treatment, before the injury worsens!"

IC: Olivia Seaton

Olivia blinked and was nearly about to speak up when Anna went on her tangent, breathing a sigh of relief as the girl quickly caught herself. "Y-yeah, we're heading back. Probably to Olivine so I can visit my parents again." she explained. "Anyways, it was nice meeting you! You don't have to thank us for anything, we were just at the right place at the right time." the red-haired trainer said with a smile. She nodded towards Chloe's cousin to wish her good luck in the future. 

Amethyst released herself from her Pokeball, an action she rarely took, but felt the need to in this moment. "Yeah, glad to see you're doing well, Anna. I know my Mom'll be great for company, she probably needs you as much as you do her, really..." the Gardevoir said, looking over to Rakel. "Well... I'll be seeing you, Mom. Sorry I have to leave so soon after we just met up again, but hey, these things just seem to happen... Thanks for everything, still." 

Rakel walked over by Anna, looking back at her daughter. "Oh, don't worry! I understand, you've got other responsibilities to attend to. I'll be fine, I'm just a silly little Gardevoir who worries too much!" she replied, giggling. "Both me and Anna agree that your trainers are welcome to call or visit at any time from now on, so I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on. But you'd best be going soon! Good luck, my daughter, I hope that Gallade takes good care of you from now on. See you all another time!" the older Gardevoir said, waving goodbye. 

"Well then, that's our cue." Olivia said, waving back before turning back to Chloe. "I guess we're off then. To Olivine?"

IC: Lachina Adaon

The Ranger turned to Payton and began to whisper. "Things aren't looking good. Mercury's been shot in the shoulder and David's... Not with us anymore." she explained, gripping her shoulder in frustration. "Gah, think Lachina, think! How do we defuse the situation?! There's only one way I can think of right now, but it could disturb Mercury and Belle just as much as the two gunmen in the room..." Lachina muttered, shaking her head. "If Aolani used Hyper Voice, it might give us an opportunity to get in and defuse things, but it could juts as easily backfire..."

IC: Olivia Seaton

"Uhh, lemme check..." Olivia replied, rummaging through her backpack. She looked up and shook her head. "Everything's there, from what I can tell, and I also don't think Bree's running around at all... We should be good." she chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. The girl smiled as she looked around the room, and back to Chloe. "Your cousin's really nice... Maybe we should quickly say goodbye to her? Or maybe leave a thank you letter behind. I wanna get to Olivine soon too, but you know, being polite, and all."

IC: Lachina Adaon

The gunshot jolted Lachina, causing her to take deep breaths to control her rising heartbeat. "Keep a cool head..." she reminded herself, wincing at the second gunshot not soon after. She and Aolani ran to where the source of the noise came from and stood just off to the side of the doorway. There was Mercury, clearly injured with what seemed to be a dead David, and two women she didn't recognize. The Ranger pulled back to the side quickly while cursing under her breath, trying to formulate a course of action as quickly as possible...

IC: Olivia Seaton

"Uhhh, I'm not sure. Don't really know what's fast or slow in this situation." she admitted, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Still, I'm going to help you out however I can, just move at a pace your gut tells you too, alright? And besides, things are great so far, right? I think it'll stay that way." Olivia said, smiling reassuringly at Chloe.

IC: Olivia Seaton

"...Huh?" Olivia said, noticing something really was off about Chloe's behavior. "What's wrong, why are you worried...?" she asked, reaching for her friend's hand. The red-haired trainer thought, and looked into Chloe's eyes, sighing. "...It's about Mom and Dad, isn't it? You're worried about how they'll like you?" she asked, pulling her grip into a hug. "Well, we won't know till we try, but I'll do everything I can to get them to adore you. I mean, if they don't from the moment they see you. that is... I have faith in them." she reassured Chloe, smiling. "They're very nice people, after all, and I'm pretty sure always loved you like they do me and Dahlia and Aspen... I don't think you'll have a problem at all."

IC: Olivia Seaton

Olivia paid no mind to Chloe's words, and just spent time getting ready as usual. "Think I'm done, guess we can do things now?" she said as she walked up to Chloe, still brushing her hair. She noticed that Chloe seemed to be a bit too happy however, and raised an eyebrow. "Someone's cheery this morning... Did I miss something?" the eldest Seaton asked, very confused. "I mean, I only just woke up, and still out of it, did I just not pay attention to something...?"

IC: Olivia Seaton

When Chloe kissed her a second time, Olivia finally regained some semblance of consciousness. "I'm awake, I swear! Urgh..." she said as she attempted to get out of bed in her exhausted stupor. "Morning already...? Bleh, why didn't morning wait another hour or five?" she mumbled tiredly, going to get dressed for the next day, not at all realizing her first initial response to Chloe.

IC: Olivia Seaton

"Five more minutes, Mom..." Olivia muttered tiredly, only barely registering the things Chloe said to her. The exhausted redhead yawned again and slumped over, hair hanging in front of her face. It was extremely clear in that instance that Olivia Seaton was very much not a morning person.

IC: Olivia Seaton

"Oh come on, I wasn't that obvious about my tiredness." Olivia replied, grinning. "You are right though, we kinda talked for a long time with that group... They're just having dinner now, but it's a lot later over here." the red-haired trainer pointed out with a stretch and a yawn. "Today was eventful, huh? Might be time to start winding things down."

IC: Aspen Seaton

"Don't worry, even if Vixen tries to burn anything down, I can have Torrent put out the fire." the trainer responded, grinning a bit. Aspen walked over to his room, setting both Pokemon on the bed and rubbed their heads. "Alright, so it seems like dinner's gonna start soon, so I'll have to go get food for me and you two and whatnot. But before that, how about you meet some of my Pokemon? And Ellen, you get to see Saya again." he said, releasing Flare, Torrent, Meadow, and Saya.

The trio that formed an elemental triangle turned their heads and greeted Xander's Pokemon, with Meadow twirling around while Torrent posed. Saya on the other hands, looked around quckly, before locking eyes with Ellen. The small Eevee paused for a moment, before giving a small greeting, though obviously feeling less trepidation around Ellen.

IC: Olivia Seaton

"I get that same feeling, really." the eldest Seaton said, chuckling at the scenario. She reached down and pet Heather and picked up the Pikachu. "Welcome to the team, hopefully you enjoy your stay." Olivia said, putting the electric mouse on her shoulder afterwards. She looked over to Chloe, chuckling. "So, whaddya think? This look good?"

IC: Olivia Seaton

"Huh? Oh, uh, sure." Olivia replied, watching as Chloe released Heather. "Hello there. I uh, dunno if you were listening earlier, but Chloe and I were thinking about having you train under me for just a bit so I can keep up with her and the others... How's that sound? she asked the Pikachu, rubbing the back of her head. "I mean, seems like you'd get along with the rest of my team, and Chloe thinks you might see some more action under me, but yeah."

IC: Olivia Seaton

Olivia hung back as Chloe decided to talk with Ryan personally. This was very obviously a personal situation for the two of them to work out, and so the eldest Seaton chose not to say anything, also partially due to the exhaustion of talking during the roundtable not long ago. And so she simply let the two of them reconcile and wish each other luck on their journeys, stretching as the call shut off. "Well, that went pretty well, didn't it?" the red-haired trainer said, grinning at Chloe. "Kinda got into a battle to see who could apologize more for a bit, but in the end it all worked out. Honestly, I'm surprised you don't have more friends, you seem like such a natural at making them..." she told her girlfriend.

"On another note, didn't that Ryan guy mention Dahlia and cooking? So she's become the chef of the group, hasn't she? I'm not too surprised." Olivia chuckled. "She's always been a talented cook. I wonder how well she'll fit in with that group, though... Never really was much of a fighter. Now she's chosen by Giratina and helping them look for Ellen..." she muttered, rubbing the back of her head. "Hopefully she'll be alright... She's got a lotta people looking out for her, but for some reason, I still can't help but worry..."

IC: Aspen Seaton

Aspen kept petting Ellen all throughout the roundtable, contented by the Eevee curled up in his lap. When the call ended, Aspen quickly picked up the Pokemon and held her comfortably before standing up to exit the room. It was at that moment that Xander approached him, and explained his lack of sleep, finishing with a request for the trainer to also take Vixen back to his room.

"Oh, she wants to stay at my room too? No problem! The more the merrier, in this case." he replied, chuckling while looking down at the Pokemon in his arm. "Sure thing, I'll take 'em back to my room and keep an eye on them until morning. I'll also make sure they're comfy and happy, alright? Cute little fellas..." the youngest Seaton said, scratching Ellen behind the ear while looking over at Vixen.

IC: Dahlia Seaton

Dahlia quickly left the room to go to the kitchen, her mind racing on what to do for dinner. Her thoughts were paused for a moment when Terry approached her, with Paul explaining the Herdier's newfound fondness for her poffins. "Hmm, I ran out of poffins last time, I'll have to make some more, alright?" the gardener asked, kneeling to pet Terry. "Thanks for the offer, Paul, I'm not sure if there's anything in specific I need from you, but more hands when cooking is always nice. I still don't know what to make for dinner right now, but I'm going to add in another batch of poffins for this sweetheart." she said, scratching under Terry's chin.