Flipz

Ooh, are we talking stop-motion or more along the lines of the retrospective we already got (i.e. clips from the movies/commercials/etc.)? Huh...for me, it was the huge Technic vehicles (well, okay, and also the huge Technic vehicle prices ) that ended up turning me off of most of the 2008 sets. I think I got the Av-Matoran and Toa from the first wave and then gave up on it after seeing the vehicles and their prices (though I did get Toa Ignika because Mask of Life ). *nods* Did you end up singing the words on reflex the first time you listened too?

Dear LEGO: I thoroughly enjoy the concept and style of the LEGO Elves theme, I really do. But seriously, whoever you had write that song, fire them, and then go hire Daniel Ingram. PLEASE. >_<

IC: Amelia Zann (outside Olivine Garden) Amelia nodded in response to Madison, reaching into an bag pocket for a particular Pokéball, when at once, three things happened: Amelia registered the extent of Shannon's injuries, Zach and Ryan released their Pokémon, and the first of a horde of opposing Pokémon and their Team Rocket Trainers began to descend from the skies. Amelia's reaction to the shift in events was immediate, if illogical... ...she smirked. "Amateurs," she muttered, tracking a Fletchinder-Mantyke duo descending towards Willows. The spy sensed rather than saw Sina tensing up in preparation to follow her Trainer's earlier orders, but at the last moment she called out an alternate command: "Beat Up!" Sina began to glow slightly, a dark aura surrounding her while three more emerged from her Trainer's bag, coalescing into the forms of Pokémon before charging forth alongside the Sneasel that had summoned them. First Sina struck, followed by the shades of Harvey and Van. The Mantyke was staggered, its attack interrupted by the blows of the dark duplicates--but the Fletchinder still flew, the Acrobatic Ember Pokémon unfazed and intent on eliminating its weakened quarry-- --and in that moment, the fourth shadow shot forth, intercepted and joined in midair by a diving, Drill Pecking violet-black blur from above. More distracted than diverted, the twin attacks were just enough to send their target off-course, its aerial Acrobatics just barely enough to keep it from crashing into the pavement. Amelia's grin only grew. "How nice of you to join us, Crowe. How about giving us a nice Tailwind to keep up the momentum?" Crowe cawed, then began flapping her fuchsia-feathered wings in compliance. As she watched her Pokémon in smug satisfaction, Amelia spotted a particularly wealthy-looking Rocket agent descend from the skies, clinging to a Protect-projecting Sigilyph. Amelia mentally swore in disappointment. If only I could've shown these rubes how we hit against that sucker, she complained to herself. She watched the agent signal, summoning the two Pokémon who had attacked Shannon, and saw her slip at least one a shimmering gem of lustrous lavender. Smart, the spy grudgingly admitted, before considering her options. "Sorry, Madison," she said grudgingly, "much as I hate it, Dack's gotta wait." Amelia directed Crowe and Sina to form a defensive circle around Shannon Willows, working in tandem with the Tyranitaur and Furret already in place. "Sina--" she began, but the Sneasel had already anticipated the command to Hone her Claws while she waited for the enemy Trainer's next move. Even as she nodded in approval, Amelia scowled that the Rock-type in this equation wasn't her own. Where in heck is Harvey when you need him? If that lousy lizard doesn't show his face soon, the two of us are going to have to have a talk. Still, she had sent him on an important mission, and if she had to admit it, she was far more concerned with its outcome than the results of her current battle... IC: Harvey (Larvitar; T:Amelia Zann) Harvey had not coped well with the cold. Much as he wished other wise, the cold did bother him--and anyway, why was it snowing in the middle of summer? So occupied was he with his questions that he didn't register the sound of several Thunderbolts streaking from the skies until it was almost too late. At the last moment, the Larvitar looked up, giving himself just enough time to brace himself-- Impact. The electricity itself didn't really hurt--as a Ground-type, he ate attacks like this for breakfast. The launch, however--that was another matter. The lime green lizard hit the ground hard and skidded to a stop, shattering the surface of the pavement even more than the lightning strike already had. Slowly rising to his feet once more, the Larvitar looked up to see dozens more attacks raining down from the heavens, wreaking havoc upon the city. Harvey stood spellbound for several seconds, before remembering his mission. Even he couldn't take much of that sort of punishment, which meant he needed to act fast if he wanted to complete his mission. The resolute reptile quickly used Sandstorm--not truly trying to change the weather, but merely to add his own brand of complexity to it, allowing him to sneak stealthily through the sand where other foes could not see. Under the cover of the combined weather, the Pokémon made it safely to his destination: the Celadon City hospital. In the chaos currently controlling the emergency room, it was easy for the Larvitar to make his way to his quarry's room, though he did make a mental note to somehow tell Amelia how poorly managed the place was--it was clear that the cooler heads were all on other floors. Still, it had given him cover, and for that he was grateful. Harvey opened the door of a particular room, but hesitated at the strange mechanical noises he heard behind it--a strange whine like nothing in the world he had ever heard of. The lime Larvitar quickly opened the door, but by the time he it swung open whatever had caused the noise was already gone. He sniffed warily around, but the only thing of note he smelled was the bandage-bound Carvanha he had come in search of. He sighed sadly, remembering what had brought Van here in the first place... -----Earlier----- "Van!" Amelia shrieked, half-sobbing as she rolled off her faithful companion. "I'm so sorry..." she whispered. The first step in any emergency was to analyze one's surroundings. Knowing he couldn't do so properly from the confinement of his Pokéball, Harvey forced his way out, sensing rather than seeing Sina do the same beside him. It took just a brief scan of the surroundings to tell him they weren't out of the woods yet--literally, in this case, though the woods were like none he'd seen in Hoenn. Sina, too, seemed to have come to a similar conclusion, but she had sighted something more important: the two hostile Pokémon that had accompanied them. Having recovered from their teleportation disorientation, the Ralts and Murkrow resumed their fight, launching leaves and feathers everywhere. Without a word, Amelia's two Pokémon agreed on their course of action: Sina shooting a Shard of Ice at the Murkrow while Harvey expressed his Outrage towards the Ralts. The Murkrow, too busy dodging its other opponent's Magical Leaves, flew straight into an Ice Shard, its wings freezing and sending it straight to the ground, landing next to Amelia with a thud--the sound of impact also serving to stir the spy from her stupor. While the purple-black bird struggled against its bonds, the woman fumbled for a Nest Ball and clicked its button before throwing it, the device shaking once, twice, thrice before finally sealing in the half-frozen Pokémon. Amelia sighed in relief, knowing that at least one of the creatures that had harmed her partner would not be getting away. Taking another moment to ensure Van's safety, Amelia finally turned her attention to her other foe. In that time, much had transpired. As Harvey thrashed wildly, the Rock Skin Pokémon hit air time and time again, as his opponent's Double Team successfully diverted him from his actual target. Meanwhile, Sina showered the battlefield with an Icicle Crash, but the move did little good against the Feeling Pokémon, as more and more and more doubles appeared. Almost laughing now, the blue-capped Ralts began to glow once more-- "Sina! Hone Claws!" Amelia ordered, knowing the Sneasel would need an advantage in order to strike true. "Harvey!" she ordered. "Pursuit!" Both Pokémon complied, but Harvey, Confused out of his Outrage, managed to trip on his own two feet, hitting the ground hard. With Sina busy honing her claws, this left no one to keep the Ralts occupied. In a last-ditch effort, Amelia threw a Premiere Ball-- --and it was gone. Amelia swore, but retrieved the device before picking up the other ball she had thrown--the Nest Ball containing her newest team member. After waiting a moment for Harvey to shake off his Confusion, she summoned the shiny Murkrow inside. "Hello," she said coldly, the ice in her tone far chillier than the ice binding the bird's wings. "My name's Amelia. Standing above you right now are Sina and Harvey. Normally, I'd be very pleased about capturing you, and about all the wonderful opportunities we'll have as a team. But right now, something has made me very, very unhappy." She pointed to the wounded Carvanha laying helplessly a few feet away, the Murkrow turning its head to follow. "This is Van, another member of my team. He is hurt. Badly." The Murkrow's eyes grew wide as she saw the blood running down the creature's side, the unnatural angle of its fins. The Flying-type looked to her new Trainer in dismay. Amelia nodded. "Yes. You did this, you and your friend. And you are going to help her." The Murkrow nodded fervently, gnawing feverishly at her wings. With a nod, Amelia directed Sina to sever the icy bindings, freeing the Flying-type to flutter skyward once more. She looked to Amelia for instructions. "Find a doctor," she said simply, and though the Murkrow cringed at the thought, she nodded and soared off. Amelia sighed, releasing her stern facade, and then collapsed to the ground once more. Burying her face in her hands, she began to sob uncontrollably at the fate of her first friend. Sina whined soothingly to her trainer, laying loving claws upon her shoulder. Harvey was disturbed. He had never seen his Trainer like this--so disturbed, so unguarded, so...vulnerable. He saw Sina nudge the spy, who stirred and glanced up. Staring at the lime-green Larvitar through bleary eyes, Amelia softly whispered "return" and held up a Premiere Ball, the beam of light claiming Harvey and returning him to confinement. -----Present----- It was only after arriving in this hospital room that Harvey had heard the details: how the Murkrow--unwittingly dubbed "Crowe" along the way--had returned with an unlikely-looking doctor and his assistant, who together with Amelia and Sina rushed the injured Van here for treatment. He hadn't heard the prognosis for the Carvanha's injuries, but he knew it couldn't be good. Sighing softly as he stared helplessly at his teammate, Harvey was roused from his reverie by the sound of more explosions outside. Peeking his head out into the hallway, he saw two women followed by a Heracross-riding Eevee and several other Pokémon racing towards the hospital entrance. As he listened to the sounds of panic, Harvey knew one thing: he couldn't leave Van here. It just wasn't safe. There was only one solution, he decided, and with a stubborn glint in his eye he set himself to accomplishing it. ??? (Team Rocket Trainer, skies outside Olivine Garden) "Another one? Really?" The Agent clucked her tongue disapprovingly at her Fletchinder for missing its initial attack. "Be more careful, then. And keep the purple ones between you and the rock-lizard-thing, I don't want a repeat of what happened the last time Agent Tyler sparred with us." The Fletchinder shrieked its compliance before accepting the Flying Gem from its Trainer, while the Mantyke chirruped inquisitively. "Yes, yes, all right, go on and Scald it," the woman ordered impatiently, slipping the Kite Pokémon a sapphire-hued Gem before sending it towards Ryan's Tyranitaur with an exasperated sigh. At this rate I'll be bankrupt by morning. I do hope those bonuses she promised are worth it. Tapping a finger to her headset before directing her Sigilyph to resume its Protective field, she signaled to the rest of the force. "This is Agent Ashley Tango. We have a large group of icky hostiles outside that tacky garden restaurant thingy. Can we please have some more reinforcements sent this way?" Not bothering to wait for a reply, she directed her Sigilyph lower, hoping to be the one to find Shannon Willows by picking her out of the crowd. OOC: And we are now all caught up on Amelia's flashbacks! I've been waiting for just this moment to pull everything together. (Crowe's profile is on Page 9 of the Discussion Page, and is on Amelia's wiki page as well. ) EDIT: And I should probably start including these as well, oops! :] Current actions: Sina: Hone Claws -> self Crowe: Tailwind -> self Fletchinder: Positioning -> self Mantyke: Scald (Water Gem-boosted) -> Ryan's Tyranitaur Sigilyph: Protect -> self (also protecting Agent Ashley Tango)

IC:Amelia (+Sina/Sneasel) Amelia shook her head at Aspen's lack of athleticism. Sometimes I wonder if some people would even survive without their Pokémon, she thought to herself. Directing Sina to keep up the barrage, the spy raced through the streets with the others, until finally arriving back at the Olivine Garden. "This is our base of operations? ...Not bad. Be better if we had more altitude, but beggars can't be choosers I guess." Seeing Dack take fire and then take to the skies, she quickly barked orders to Sina. "Sina, switch to Ice Shard, but try and wait for a definite target!" she directed, not wanting to catch the allied trainer in the barrage. She swore, then ran to Madison's side, ignoring the Rocket agent who had just landed. "Madison. One to ten it for me, how important is it we get someone up there with him?" she asked the other woman urgently, ready to alter her commands in an instant should Madison make pursit a priority.

"I'll second that, but first we need to draw some fire, see if we can get a bit of a fix on them. That'll make it easier to dodge their attacks, and hopefully free a few other folks up to make it to the rally point at the same time." Amelia's tactical mind clicked into gear as she kept pace with Dack, Sina still blowing blue-tinged wind into the clouds as part of her Icicle Crash as she ran. "Would be even better if we could travel by rooftop all the way there, but I don't know the city's layout well enough to tell if that's an option. Any natives who might would know?" she asked, staring pointedly at Shannon.

IC:Amelia Amelia looked up at the army in the sky-- --and grinned. "You didn't tell me there'd be presents. Sina!" she called, throwing the Sneasel's Dusk Ball into the air to release her. "Hone Claws, then see how they like an Icicle Crash." Sina nodded, then began to sharpen her claws. "And Sina?" Amelia interrupted, the pink Sneasel pausing briefly. "Pick a hard one. Wouldn't want the fight to be over before Harvey's had a chance to join our fun." She winked at Sina, who merely rolled her eyes and continued following her Trainer's commands.

Question about Beat Up: in RotR, would it only summon the Trainer's full team, or would it just make all the allied Pokémon on the field attack the target? Just curious, since massive amounts of Pokémon on the field could be a thing in Celadon.

Well, first of all, you'll want to make a Wikia account so you can keep track of your edits and make use of other features (if you don't have one already). Next, try editing one of the simpler Trainer pages (like the ones for my characters) without saving your changes, so you can see how it's put together (use the preview button so you can see your changes without saving the page). Are we allowed to post videos here? I made a guide to the Pokémon profile template a while back, which should still apply even after the layout changes. With regard to wiki text and links and the like, there's an excellent guide here. One last tip: if you want to use the spiffy infoboxes like a lot of us use, use Template :Infobox Trainer instead of the default character infobox; ours is both simplified and modified for RotR use. If you need more advice, feel free to hit me up on the wiki chat, I'm usually online in the afternoon and evening of Pacific Standard Time.

OOC: And jam with Blade and Minun! IC: Lucia Zyther, Jamie Arthur, Didi/Dedenne (T: Alex Zyther), Blissie/Blissey (T: Alex Zyther) Blissie's eyes snapped open as she sat up suddenly in her chair. Two humans had entered, and unfamiliar ones at that. She leapt to her feet, ready to defend--only to see Didi at their feet. The two Pokémon chittered at each other in their own language before the Blissey reluctantly let the visitors in. The sight awaiting them was not a pleasant one. Before them lay a young man--or at least, the shell of one--withered and frail. A multitude of tubes extended from the body--many of them ordinary, like the standard IV, but some more specialized, like the one emerging from and taped securely to his mouth, and, most noticeably, the blood-filled one in particular attached to the man's skull. The sound of the beeping monitor combined with the whirring of machines could mean only one thing: those machines were the only thing keeping Alex Zyther alive. Muffled footsteps approached from the hall, and soon the doorframe was filled with a tall, wide-built man in a doctor's coat. He seemed none too pleased with the unexpected visitors. "Excuse me, can I help you?" he asked sternly. Lucia stood in shock, as she noticed the person who was laying in bed. But, what? Lucia thought, as she whirled around, at the doctor's comment. "What is the meaning of this?" Lucia asked, a frown on her face; as there seemed to be no way that Alex could be there. ... But, he wasn't at Aunt Stacy's place. Lucia reminded herself, as she seemed just utterly confused by the situation. I thought he might have headed to uncle Joe's, but... "I could ask you the same question," the doctor asked, crossing his arms. "The ICU is a restricted ward. How did you end up in my patient's room?" Lucia looked down at Didi to show that, and then glared up. "This is my adoptive brother, so would you kindly explain what's going on?" Lucia asked, as she mimicked the doctor's pose, not entirely too pleased at the fact that the doctor wasn't saying anything. "Di di di!" Didi piped up, none too pleased herself with the way the doctor was treating Lucia. Blissie sighed, not really understanding Didi's protectiveness of the Rocket agent, having only met her a few days earlier. The doctor paused. "I'm sorry--adoptive brother?" He looked back to his patient. "Hm. Normally I'd ask for identification, so we could compare it to the records for his next of kin. In this case, though, we don't have the latter, which complicates the matter." The doctor stroked his chin, trying to decide if he believed Lucia or not. "Can you tell me his name?" he finally asked. "We should be able to compare his filed records to the ones we have for him here, see if we can get a match. I'm afraid I can't discuss his condition until we can confirm your relationship to the patient." Lucia was still annoyed at the way the doctor was behaving, however, she knew better than to get upset at him. "Alex Zyther." She said shortly, as she was still annoyed enough to not be able to mask the slight emotion in her voice. The doctor whipped out a notepad and wrote down the name quickly. "And your name?" "Lucia Zyther," Lucia replied, showing the man her ID. The doctor nodded. "This should only take about an hour to run, if that. In the meantime, I'll need you to wait in the waiting room." With another pained back-and-forth between Alex and Lucia, Didi followed the three humans out of the room. The Doctor led Jamie and Lucia--and, unwittingly, Didi--down a different set of hallways than Didi had taken them, these ones much more trafficked and obviously more intended for public use. As they walked, the two Rocket Agents could see patient after patient, some surrounded by family, others surrounded by scientists and doctors, all of them hooked up to heavy medical machinery in various configurations. A few Pokémon were there as well, a rare sight in a long-term care facility considering the overall efficiency of Pokémon Centers. Upon seeing the Pokémon, Jamie thought of Tristan. The Metagross withstood far more pain and damage than it would normally take to make him fall unconscious. Long story short, it was good news that Team Liberty had as good medical facilities as they did, otherwise... well, being out of commission might have been the least of his worries. Then again, the clone supposed she would know what good medical facilities were. She was hooked up to many medical devices for one reason or another growing up, though she never had it as bad as looked with Alex. That last thought snapped Jamie out of her thoughts and back to the present. Lucia's adoptive brother was in the hospital and Jamie guessed that Lucia would need comforting, though what to say? "How are you holding up?" was the best she could come up with. Lucia looked up with a blink, and scratched the back of her head, unsure herself. "I'm... Not sure, this is kinda a bit surprising. Not like this week hasn't been surprising in itself." Lucia admitted, as she frowned. "But it's odd, like, he said he was fine before we left..." ------------------------- Celadon City Department Store, right after the downfall of Team Zephyr It took a few minutes of searching, but Jamie and Lucia finally located their quarry: Alex Zyther, Trainer of the Dedenne Lucia had inadvertently borrowed just a few hours earlier. The young man leaned shakily against the wall, steadied by his Blissey. The Happiness Pokémon was too distracted to notice the two Rocket Agents' approach, but her Trainer was not; he perked up at the sight of the Dedenne. "Didi!" he cried happily. "I'm so glad you're safe." The pallid Trainer looked up at Lucia, who had been carrying the Electric-type until a few moments earlier, and then Jamie, who still held his specialized crutches, recovered from the fifth floor of the building, which was still an active crime scene. "Where did you find her? And, ah, how did you know those were mine? If you'll...erm...forgive my asking..." Alex trailed off quietly, blushing slightly and looking down at the ground as he did. "In the department store." Lucia said, and then pointed at the name on the crutches. "Your name was on it." Lucia said, and smiled slightly. "Oh," Alex said shyly, taking the crutches from Lucia's companion. "Um, thank you." He paused. Didi suddenly leaped from Alex's shoulder and danced around Lucia excitedly. "Di dididi didi!" Alex smiled, opening up a little and thus drawing a little more attention to his injuries--namely, the scratch running down his right arm and the light bruise on his forehead, among other injuries. "Didi really likes you," he said, apparently oblivious to his appearance. "If...erm...if it wouldn't be too much trouble, do you think you could give me directions to my Aunt Stacy's house? I was supposed to come stay with her for a while but I had to stop here first." Alex looked down at his shoes again, embarrassed he had to be asking for help yet again. Lucia looked at Alex in slight confusion, as she noticed the injuries. "Sure, bro, but uh; what happened to you?" Lucia asked, as she wondered what had happened. "Er...bro?" Lucia smiled amusedly, and nodded. "Yep; though, hm, I don't know how long Gavin and the others are waiting, because I'd take you there." Lucia said, as she rubbed her chin. Alex stared at the strange woman. "Do...do I know you somehow? I'm...I'm sorry..., I feel like I'm supposed to know..." The poor guy seemed extremely embarrassed by the whole situation. "Um... Lucia," Jamie piped up, "you should really introduce himself... especially if he is who you think he is. He looks really confused." You really ought to, a telepathic voice entered into the heads of those present. The first thing gentlemen and ladies should do when they meet is courteously introduce themselves. The Metagross who spoke walked up behind Jamie with a tank full of Shellder and Clamperl being pulled behind him. I am Tristan! A pleasure to make your acquaintance! he shouted as he extended a foreleg to be shook. "Didi! Didididi!" Didi squeaked, jumping up to grab Tristan's outstretched claw. She tried to shake it, but only ended up shaking herself. Alex stared at Tristan, unconsciously taking a step back. "Wow! A Metagross? You must be a really strong Trainer." Alex blushed at Jamie, then decided to look at Tristan, more to be able to look away from Jamie than anything else. "I'm Alex--Alex Zyther, but you already knew that..." The Trainer let go of the handle of one of his crutches, leaning his weight on it to try and support himself while still reaching out to shake Tristan's claw. At the last moment, however, the crutch slipped, with Blissie instantly reaching out to grab him--the sudden fall and change in position now highlighting the Trainer's badly skinned knees. With Blissie's help, Alex took another step forward and clutched the Metagross' claw. "Bliii..." Blissie crooned to Tristan in introduction, glancing apologetically at her own hands, both of which were occupied holding Alex. The ribbon-clad Eevee named Sylph peeked its head out from behind Alex, opening his mouth to speak to the Metagross before getting distracted by and chasing the ribbons tied to his own tail. Lucia turned to Jamie with a pause, and then awkwardly scratched her head. "Oh; good point there." Lucia admitted sheepishly, and then turned back to Alex. "My name's Lucia Zyther; your adoptive sister." Lucia said with a smile. Alex's eyes nearly bugged out of his abnormally pale (and bruised) head. "You're...?" He cocked his head. "You're not...you're different. Than I expected. But not in a bad way." He looked to Jamie awkwardly, trying to find the words, but only managed to make himself blush again, forcing him to look down at his shoes again. He reached up to brush a lock of hair out of his face, but winced and drew back when his fingers made contact with his bruise. Jamie looked back at Alex puzzled. She thought that his focus would have been better spent on the step-sister he literally just met as opposed to the random stranger he also literally just met. However, her brother had raised her to be polite (even if Lucia's influence sometimes overcame that), and so she returned a soft smile. "If the two of you wish, I can send a message to Ethan to tell him to wait up for a while. Then the three of us can continue to your 'Aunt Stacy's house. If it would make it easier for you, Tristan can ferry you on his back." "Nono," Alex protested, "That's...that's okay..." He went to brush the hair out of his forehead again, and winced again. "I'm fine..." he repeated unconvincingly. Lucia seemed unconvinced, and frowned slightly. "Are you sure?" Lucia asked, as she caught a glimpse of the bruise. "That doesn't seem too healthy, there..." Lucia noted, and between that and the other things, she wondered just what had happened in the meantime. Alex waved Lucia back. "It's...I fell. I'm fine..." Suddenly, the Trainer reached down somewhere within himself, drawing up a courage that had not been there before. "I can do this," he said earnesly, his earlier shyness still present but clearly suppressed. "I need to do this on my own." And just like that, it was gone, and Alex was back to his usual self. "I mean..." he paused awkwardly. "Not that I don't want to spend time with you, or get to know you, or your friend, or anything like that...it's just..." Alex dipped his head in premature apology for his perceived future bluntness. "This is my journey. I have to prove I can do this." To Mom...and to myself. Lucia frowned slightly. "Are you really sure...?" Lucia asked, but sighed, and shrugged. "Well, the helicopter's probably waiting for us anyway, and Ethan seemed extra giddy for some reason after we left the building, so we probably don't wanna leave him alone with Gavin, or he might end up killing Gavin with puns." Lucia said with an amused smile. She could see how Alex wanted to prove himself, and knew just how much she had wanted to have her own independence as well. However, the injuries still seemed a bit odd to her... Yet, she got this feeling that he wouldn't change his mind about this, and sighed again. Jamie was confused by Alex's response but relented, "Gavin hangs out with so many Ghosts, Ethan may already have and we didn't notice..." Alex watched hesitantly as his sister and her companion departed, wondering to himself about the strange machinations of fate... ------------------------- The Present. Just outside the Olivine Garden, Celadon City In an otherwise-ordinary bag belonging to an anything-but-ordinary woman, Stacy Trilan's PokéNav Plus began to ring.

OOC: Jam with Konuju! IC: Amelia/Madison Amelia nodded. "Good to know." She walked in silence for a minute, then leaned in conspiratorially to Madison. "You don't have to worry about Dack, you know. M'not after his heart or anything. Just interested in seeing what makes the man tick." "What makes him tick?" Madison repeated, looking suspiciously at Amelia. "Why would you be interested in that?" Amelia shrugged, her casualness belying the serious nature of the question. "The first one should be fairly obvious," she said, her gaze squarely on the Ultra Ball clipped to Dack's belt. "Should probably get used to that, by the way. News got a clear shot of his face. Everyone and their grandmother's gonna know 'bout him, and it won't go unnoticed. I'd say 'enjoy the fame' but from what I've heard it's not that great." The spy let out her breath as she considered her next answer. "T'be honest, it's just what I do. In my line of work, everyone you meet's an asset. You, Dack, everyone." Amelia smirked. "Even the ones that mostly embody the first half of the word," she added, jabbing her thumb unsubtly at Aspen. Madison bit her lip. She was not sure how well known Dack was within Team Rocket, but she herself had always lived the quiet life of a skier in a remote town. She wasn't sure how she felt about the publicity they were sure to get for their actions in Sootopolis, not to mention the inevitable battle in Celadon. Upon hearing Amelia's explanation, she frowned. "So you really are just out for your own gain," she muttered. "What could you possibly need Dack's help for in the future?" Amelia shrugged. "Won't know that for sure 'til I've seen more of him. But even from just what I've seen, he's the kind of Trainer every Trainer wants to know, and all the better to have owe you a favor. He's got pull just by virtue of personality alone, and he's about to get a whole lot more. Maybe I'll need him to put in a good word to shift public opinion, or to get me face time with an important player--or maybe I'll just need him to help me scare off some persistent, uppity creep who doesn't get the meaning of personal boundaries. Whatever it is, I now know one of the most interesting people in the Kanto Regions, and more importantly he knows me. That goes a lot farther than most people think." "So what've we got?" Amelia asked, raising her voice to address the entire group. "We have any idea of the enemy's means of approach? Targets? Timeframe?" As the group drew near to the Olivine Garden, Amelia couldn't help but stare at the tall structure in which two-fourths of her team currently resided... -----Earlier----- Some men, Amelia thought wryly, really can't help but relish bossing people around, no matter how dire the situation. She was in the water, along with the Nurse who had ultimately accepted her help. They each clung to a fin of Amelia's Carvanha, Van, amidst a long line of other Water-type Pokémon, from Swampert to Surskit to Sealeo to Seaking, along with many, many others. A lone Lapras hung back, preparing to ferry those refugees too weak for what they were about to attempt, while dozens of others adjusted their grips in preparation for the trip. It was a dangerous attempt, but it was the fastest way off the island, the fastest way away from the Continent Pokémon still rampaging through Sootopolis. At the front of the formation, an Ace Trainer issued orders, clearly feeling more than a little self-superior. "Now Whiscash, I want you ahead of Wailmer...good, good, you there, Sealeo, you stay just a little behind Seadra...perfect. All right, now everyone, prepare to use Surf on my command. 3...2...1...now everyone, let's GO!" The wave of Water Pokémon surged slowly forward, then began to rise, an enormous tidal wave forming beneath them. For her part, Van simply did her best to keep up, the weakened Savage Pokémon occasionally using her Aqua Jet to contribute to their forward momentum, but otherwise unable to assist in the effort. Amelia and the Nurse shared a look. It would have to be enough. Naturally, of course, it wasn't. The group had propelled the wave westward, hoping to reach the eastern shores of the mainland as well as the eastern terminus of Route 123. Given the overall risk of the attempt, it was a miracle that they made it as far as they did. But miracles didn't last forever, and this one was no exception. A wayward Walrein first succumbed to exhaustion, and from then forward the fight was on to maintain the formation's fractured stability. One by one, Pokémon began to fall back, the lucky ones merely losing pace while the less fortunate spun out, slinging themselves and their unlucky passengers into the waves below. Van, for her effort, maintained a valiant effort to keep riding the massive tidal wave, but it was clear her strength was flagging, and once she gave out, both her and her passengers would be stranded at sea-- "There! I can see the shore!" Amelia followed the Nurse's gaze, and sure enough an expanse of sun-kissed sand awaited them. "Atta girl," Amelia congratulated her Pokémon, "just a little bit further." Perhaps she was spurred on by her Trainer's praise, or perhaps her perception was simply clouded by weariness--either way, the Carvanha lurched forward under the power of another Aqua Jet...unwittingly launching herself in front of the wave. The next few seconds seemed like hours, seeming hours of panicked confusion. Air, water, sky--all were one in an endless, swirling expanse of blue. Fingers slipping, grips expiring, one last, desperate push--freedom--! Something snapped. Not her. The Nurse? No, she sat safely on the sand, next to-- That sound not one a Trainer ever wanted to hear. "No.." The Nurse had heard it too--already searching, feeling her patient. "I can fix it. But we need to get to a Center now--" A blur of purplish-black feathers. A blast of glowing blue leaves. A shriek of pain. Blood. Blood. None of this was helping her head. It took a few moments for Amelia to register that she, the Nurse, and Van had shot free of the out-of-control tidal wave, and into the middle of a fight between two oddly familiar wild Pokémon waiting ashore--a deep violet Murkrow, furiously fleeing the frenzied attacks of a blue-topped Ralts. "Magical Leaf," she realized, naming the attack that had, through the unlikeliest of circumstances, actually drawn blood from her beloved companion. No one hurts my partners. Amelia was enraged. For a moment, it appeared she would attack the offending Ralts herself, and the Nurse swiftly stood up to stop her--but then the Spy threw her arms out as she interposed herself between Van and the battling Pokémon. "Enough!!!" The Murkrow, which had angled itself for yet another pass through the trio to try and shake the Magical Leaves trailing it, suddenly swooped skyward, the majority of the leaves missing Amelia by millimeters. The pursuing Ralts skidded to a stop, sliding on the sand before gently leaning against Amelia's leg. The Psychic-type chirruped in confusion at the collapsed Carvanha, having finally realized something was amiss. A shriek from the sky showed that the same was not true of the Flying-type. Screaming out of the sky at breakneck speed, the Darkness Pokémon started spinning into its strongest strike, the Drill Peck. The Ralts cried shrilly and attempted to Teleport-- --too late. Ralts was thrown back into Amelia, and Amelia into the already-injured Van-- And then they were gone.

Sweet, thanks for the link! I'll see about getting a field for these added to the Pokémon Profiles template as soon as I can. Also, is Konuju a ghost? Because the wiki thinks he's a ghost. EDIT: some of my characters overall voices and personalities have changed a lot since I first thought them up (particularly Alex, though I can definitely identify the source of his change ). Has this happened to anyone else? Any characters of yours change between concept and execution?

IC: Amelia Zann Having remained decidedly silent--if a bit smug--during Dack and Aspen's argument, Amelia sidled up to Madison. "Sheesh," she confided quietly, "I know I joked about the kid before, but seriously. Is he always like this?"

Thank you very nice. I was starting to think I killed the area with my building a dirt ramp idea. Out of curiosity, where do you get the Pokéball icons you use in your signature and posts? It'd be really cool if we could use them on the wiki, I might even be able to alter our Pokémon Profile template to include them as an option.

IC: Adam Zynthic (+Pippi/Piplup, +Charlie/Chimchar) Adam stomped his way through Eterna Forest, more than a little frustrated. "I don't know why she won't listen," he muttered, mostly to himself but still audible to the little blue bird ambling along beside him. "They were my friends, too--practically my family. And now we're the only ones left, which means we're supposed to support each other, help each other rebuild." He looked down to his Piplup. "I'm not crazy for thinking that, am I?" Pippi shrugged, the concerns of her human utterly foreign to her. For her part, the Piplup found the conflict between the two humans boring, and she wished the two would just settle things with a flat-out Pokémon fight--a fight she would win, naturally. Adam's Grotle, Wiggy, would likely have something to say about her assertion, but he wasn't here, having been left in his Pokéball after lumbering away from one of Adam's earlier rants. Pippi knew better than to make the same mistake, but privately she thought the Grass-type was right--though she'd never admit it, even to him. She sometimes had a complicated with him--and with her Trainer, for that matter--but deep down, she knew she wouldn't trade either for the world. She knew one thing for sure, though: if her human continued stomping angrily through the grass, he would almost certainly-- Sure enough, the sharp sound of pained clicking was heard as the patch of grass Adam was trampling through turned out to be a Grass-type Pokémon--a Seedot, specifically. Pippi prepared to defend her Trainer, when an angry jingling rang from the treetops, a particularly aggressive Kricketot climbing down to defend its friend. Though she wouldn't show it, Pippi was worried. Her Peck would severely weaken one of her opponents for sure, but which one to target? In the end, it was Kricketot whose fangs began to glow in a Bug Bite attack, so it was the Kricketot to whom she directed her attack. Pippi paid dearly for her decision, however, as the Seedot managed to channel its Nature Power into a devastating Energy Ball that launched her across the path before Peck could connect. "Pippi!" Adam called, finally having recovered from his surprise. I hate surprises, he thought to himself as two angry Pokémon advanced on him, the Kricketot beginning to glow red in preparation for a Struggle Bug while the Seedot sent its energy skyward to bring about a Sunny Day. Suddenly, Adam heard the sound of a Pokéball releasing a Pokémon from within, and the next moment the Kricketot was batted away amidst a nimbus of fire. In its place stood a Chimchar, its fist wreathed in blue flame. Charlie stood leering in rage at the opponents for a moment, before launching himself once more at the Kricketot, which by some miracle had managed not to faint. The Kricketot, for its part, recognized its own imminent demise, and Growled as menacingly as it could at its opponents. At first it appeared the attack would be successful--if ineffective at stopping the Chimchar--when Pippi leaped in front of Charlie, absorbing the attack and shaking it off with a smug sneer. Unfortunately for her, Charlie had already launched into a Thunder Punch that couldn't be stopped--a fact that Adam noticed just a second too late. "Charlie, no!" he cried, just in time for the blow to connect with Pippi, who in turn collided with Kricketot. If the unintentional Peck hadn't been enough to finish off the Bug-type, then the arcs of lightning leaping from Charlie to Pippi to it certainly were; they were also, however, enough to down Pippi as well, the little blue bird falling to the ground amidst minor convulsions. Charlie, for his part, had intended to turn his momentum into another attack, this time on Seedot, but between his Trainer's call and the sudden appearance of Pippi his momentum ground to a halt. "Chi-ii?" he inquired, chirruping in soft concern for the Piplup. Seedot wasn't about to let its opportunity go to waste. While the other Pokémon had been distracted, it had concentrated on Growing its power in the harsh sunlight, and it was more than ready to use its newfound energy. Drawing once again on the Nature Power of its surroundings, it swiftly launched a hail of Energy Balls upon the Chimchar that still opposed it. Adam called out for Charlie to dodge them, and he did--one, two, three--before leaping into the air to deliver a finishing sun-boosted Punch of orange Fire. The Seedot's Chlorophyll made it too swift to strike, however, as the Acorn Pokémon simply rolled out of the way, leaving Charlie to scorch soil. Charlie rolled and tried to perform a Scratch with his other hand, but the Seedot simply soared above him, landing directly behind the Chimp Pokémon. That's when the tide turned. The Eterna Forest had always been a dark place, but the darkness always seemed even more looming and oppressive as it settled back in after a brief moment of glorious illumination. That was the case now, as Seedot's earlier Sunny Day came to an end. Both Adam and Charlie smiled, the Pokémon executing the move precisely the same moment his Trainer uttered it: "Taunt!" Striking an arrogant pose with one hand on his hip and the other pointed straight at the opposing Pokémon, Charlie performed a "come hither" gesture, followed by a few quick vocalizations whose translation would probably be unprintable. The Seedot stamped its shelled feet in frustration, then did something completely unexpected--it evolved. The Acorn Pokémon's body began to glow with a bright white light, its form begining to grow and morph. Both Adam and Charlie wished they could attack, but the blinding radiance from the Grass-type was simply too much to even look at, let alone aim an attack towards. In a flash of brilliance to match that of the Seedot's evolution, however, Adam gave an utterly incomprehensible command. "Charlie, jump!" Doing a double-take at its Trainer, the Chimchar nonetheless complied, leaping into the air despite the move doing nothing to counter the aim-inhibiting glow. However, a moment later Charlie recognized the wisdom in Adam's plan, when said glow immediately cut itself off as Seedot's transformation into Nuzleaf became complete. Charging up a fistfull of orange flames in one hand, the Chimchar brought them down upon the now-Nuzleaf hard as the newly-minted Grass-and-Dark-type countered with a cutting Leaf Blade. Both attacks flared out, an aura of smoke and singed leaves surrounding the two combatants, but when the dust settled...there Chimchar still stood, the clear (if battered) winner. Adam scooped Charlie up into his arms--as much out of concern as out of congratulation--and then quickly swooped down upon Pippi, who was only just regaining consciousness. After a thorough check to ensure she was alright, Adam placed both Pokémon upon his shoulders and set out back to the city for which the forest was named. ------------------------- Adam's journey back to Eterna City was uneventful. The same could not be said about his arrival in the city itself. Just minutes after his return, an unfamiliar face appeared in a burst of light in front of the Pokémon Center, a man of military bearing clad in green and gold accompanied by a Claydol. He stumbled and wavered, eventually having to lean against the wall of the Pokémon Center for support. Adam quickly increased his pace to meet him. "Are you all right?" Adam asked, sounding for all the world like the Ranger he'd once tried to be. He instinctively set Charlie and Pippi on the ground to free up his arms, prepared to help as best he could. "...first chance I get, I'm asking a Move Deleter to help you forget Teleport..." "Excuse me?" It took the disoriented man a moment to realize he was being spoken to. "Oh! My apologies. I'm...not the biggest fan of--ulp!--teleportation." Adam observed the man with concern. "Are you sure you don't need help?" "No need, I'm--ulp!--fine." Despite nearly having lost his lunch twice in as many minutes, the man tried to put on a brave face. "Don't suppose you could tell me where someone named Jupiter lives?" "Jupiter?" The familiar name struck a familiar chord within Adam. "I know her well. She's the Ad...I mean, she's the new Gym Leader in town." "Really? That's strange, I thought she'd be--ulp!" This time, the man had to put a fist to his mouth to stop himself from unleashing the human equivalent to Sludge Bomb. "I don't suppose you'd mind taking this to her for me?" the man asked weakly, waving a letter sealed with the Team Liberty logo. "Of course," Adam said, carefully keeping his expression neutral. "Er--feel better." "Thanks--ulp!" Throwing both hands over his mouth, the man ran into the Pokémon Center as fast as he could, his concerned Claydol right behind him. Shaking his head, Adam started for the Eterna Gym--but not before sliding a nail beneath the letter's seal... ------------------------- IC: Jupiter, Clemont, and Adam "Hello? Is anyone here?" The man stepped through the open glass doors into the Gym of Eterna City, which already seemed a mere shadow of its former self. Clustered around the door were numerous plants and trees in cheap plastic pots, many of the holes in which they had been planted still fresh. A number of shovels and other tools rested along the wall next to a red dolly, along with two enormous metal panels that must have originally been the petals of the Gym's famous flower bridge. In fact, the crater the bridge had once crossed now lay barren, a shiny metal axle in the middle the only remains of the original clocklike structure. Above, an enormous blue tarp covered the shining skylights that had once brightened the space, while dangling pipes and cables hung down from the numerous removed ceiling and wall panels. Clemont was fascinated. His own takeover of what was now Lumiose Gym twenty years ago had not required nearly as much alteration, and even the rennovations he had made in the intervening years had not been as extensive as the project Gym Leader Jupiter was undertaking. As he admired the handywork of the former Team Galactic Admin--much of which she had likely accomplished herself, he realized--the voice of the newly-minted Gym Leader beckoned from the back. "I'm in the back--past this last row of trees." Clemont heard a beeping noise, followed by his fellow Gym Leader dictating a voice note. "Note to self: ask tomorrow about getting the big trees removed, I'm tired of not being able to see who's coming into the Gym." As Clemont made it past the barrier of obscuring foliage, the purple-haired woman adjusted the reading glasses she currently wore. "If you're looking to challenge the Gym, I'm afraid we aren't accepting challengers. As you can see, this place is in no state for a battle, even if we weren't experiencing technical difficulties." Jupiter looked up to the ceiling, as if expecting the lights to go out on cue, but to her relief they remained lit. Thank Arceus for small blessings, she thought to herself. "Huh?" Clemont asked, momentarily confused, before chuckling. "Oh, no. I'm not here to challenge your Gym, Miss Jupiter. My name's Clemont, I'm the Leader of Lumiose Gym in the Kalos region." The inventor sheepishly drew his hand out of the pocket of his lab coat and extended it to Jupiter, who politely accepted the gesture. "I was in the area when I heard there was a new Gym Leader in town, so I thought I'd drop by and offer you my best wishes." Clemont adjusted his own glasses, the lenses momentarily shining opague in the light. "You mentioned you were having technical problems?" Jupiter crossed her arms and shrugged. "Power problems, mostly. The previous Gym Leader was a Grass-type trainer, so she relied a lot on sunlight and solar power. That's not going to cover what I have in mind, so in order to accommodate a real generator I have to re-wire the whole place. I was thinking about contained singularity core technology as a centerpiece for the Gym, but with the necessary components being so rare now--are you all right?" Jupiter leaned back from Clemont in both confusion and concern. "So amazing..." the man mumbled, his glassy gaze and silly smile making him look for all the world like he had lost his marbles. "Excuse me?" Jupiter asked, raising an eyebrow. "Huh?!" Clemont shook himself to his senses, blushing beet red in the process. "Ah! This is so embarassing! Why does this keep happening to me?" Clemont cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I'm so sorry. Er, you see, I'm a bit of a technology buff myself, so when you start talking about all your cool Team Galactic gear..." The Lumiose Gym Leader scratched the back of his head awkwardly before self-consciously smoothing his goatee. "Uh-huh," Jupiter replied, unimpressed. "Well, unfortunately for you, that's all gone now, so I have to handle the matter myself--" "Oh, please don't say that!" Clemont cried, clinging to the ex-Admin. "I know I might be a bit awkward, but surely there must be something I can do to help you out!" "Well," she said, considering her options. "I have to admit I could use some help. And you seem pretty harmless--" Just then, to the Eterna Gym Leader's dismay, another unexpected visitor arrived. "Jupiter?" Adam asked, "Admin Jupiter, you need to see this." Climbing carefully across the central crater, Adam made his way to where Jupiter and Clemont stood. "It's a message from Team Liberty." "Who's this?" Clemont asked, the Kalos native taking in Adam's disheveled appearance in a glance. "A former...business associate," Jupiter answered annoyedly. "He's normally only in town for a few days. I'm not sure why he hasn't moved on yet," she added pointedly, glaring at the meddling ex-Galactic sympathizer. "And where exactly am I supposed to move on to?" Adam retorted, "It's not exactly like I can count on the team for a good reference." "It's not my job to figure that out. Pokéworld Daily said Team Magma's having personnel problems, maybe you should go consult for them." Turning her back on the Trainer, Jupiter grabbed a wrench and went back to working on wiring. "You know, you really shouldn't trust tabloids like that, they really don't check their facts very well," Clemont interjected, apparently clueless to the insult. Adam set his jaw. He had the information, this time he would make Jupiter listen to him for once. "You could say they're having personnel problems...namely, their personnel are all dead." As he'd hoped, this got the reaction he wanted out of Jupiter and Clemont. "They're WHAT?" Jupiter asked in shock, closely overlapping with a "No way!" from Clemont. Just then, the lights went out. Jupiter swore, shaking her now-empty hand in pain. "How shocking," Clemont continued, completely oblivious to his own pun. It was fortunate that the dim blue glow of the sun through the tarp-covered skylights was insufficient to illuminate the space, as it prevented the Lumiose Gym Leader from the twin stares of disgust aimed his way. "Mr. Clemont--" "Just Clemont, please," Clemont corrected. "Clemont," Jupiter asked, calm despite her diminishing patience, "could you please go in back and help me fix this? I think I just tripped the breaker box, with luck it won't be anything worse." "Of course I can help!" the man exclaimed, clicking a button on the side of his glasses to activate a miniature flashlight beam. "The future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic gear on--" "I'm...sorry, Mr. Clemont, but could you maybe just...fix it?" "--Oh. Ah. Right, of course." Chuckling nervously, Clemont made his retreat into the back room. Jupiter wheeled on Adam. "Why would you tell me this?" "Well, for starters--" "Nova was only two weeks ago, what makes you think it would be a good idea to bring up--" "Well, for ONE thing," Adam yelled, then winced at his own loudness. "For one thing, the message was for you, from someone named Blackskull. I'm guessing he's important?" At that moment, the lights came back on, momentarily distracting both participants in the conversation. "Somewhat important. Continue." "For another...they need us." A pause. "What." "They need our help--your help." Another pause, this one much longer. "...Explain." Adam took a breath, both to steady his nerves and to compose his thoughts. Just then, Clemont started to walk back into the room, but stopped at the threshold upon perceiving the tension between Jupiter and Adam. Unnoticed by either of them, he decided not to interrupt, and waited listening in the doorway. Adam released his breath, then began. "Team Magma...they're just like us. They've lost their leader, their team, their home. If you're so set on moving on...well, maybe they deserve the chance to move on, too." Jupiter stood silently, considering. Adam grunted in frustration. "For Arceus' sake, there's six of them, total, is that really such a huge deal?" "...Do they have any Poison-type Pokémon?" Adam's jaw dropped, as Clemont let out an involuntary "What?!" Jupiter rolled her eyes at both men. "So I know if I need to go catch some for them. They're welcome to come here, but I need them to put in the proper effort if they're going to work in my Gym." While Clemont seemed unconvinced, Adam took a step back. "That's...fair, I suppose. Do you want me to send a message to Blackskull?" "No, you've helped enough, I'll do it. Now, if you would just leave me--" For the third time that afternoon, the Gym doors opened. Jupiter suppressed a sigh, but spotted a familiar-looking Piplup leading Officer Jenny up the edge of the crater. Adam took one look at them, saw the blue-stained Chimchar the officer was carrying, and blanched. "Sir, do these Pokémon belong to you?" "Oh Bidoof...yes, they do." A slightly scorched-looking chef covered in blue berry juice leaned out from behind Jenny and glared at Adam. "What did they do?" "I'll need you to come with me, sir." Adam reluctantly left the Gym, shrugging helplessly at the Gym Leaders. Jupiter allowed herself a small smirk of satisfaction, though she quickly resumed her ordinary demeanor. "I'm sorry, Mr. Clemont, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut your visit short. Is there anything else you needed?" "Well, actually, I did want to give you a little advice about being a Gym Leader. You know, things I wish I'd known back when I started, that sort of thing." For a moment, it appeared Jupiter would decline, but the next she sat down on a stump and prepared to listen. "Very well. What advice do you have for me?" Clemont nodded, then held up his fingers. "There are three rules I follow in leading the Lumiose Gym. First rule: Be modest. It doesn't matter how many Badges a challenger has, everyone deserves the chance to learn. Second rule: Be kind, even while you're being tough. And don't forget to give the challenger constructive advice after the battle! And the third rule: Be thoughtful. Try to help challengers grow their skills." Clemont smiled, remembering the day he had devised those rules for himself. "These are rules every Gym Leader needs to follow," he concluded. Jupiter waited for more advice, but none was forthcoming. "Is that all?" "That's all." "...I'll keep that in mind." Clemont bowed respectfully and turned to depart, a little disappointed his idol didn't seem very enthused. "Please, come see me next time you're in Kalos. I'd be happy to have a battle with you." As he reached the sliding glass doors, however, Jupiter called to him once more. "Clemont?" "Yes, Miss Jupiter?" "Thank you." Clemont smiled. "Any time, Miss Jupiter. Until next time!" The Lumiose Gym Leader departed Eterna Gym, heading out into the world once more as his adventures continued.

IC: Amelia/Harvey(Larvitar;T:Amelia Zann) Amelia locked eyes with Dack before firmly clasping his hand. "I wouldn't have it any other way." The Trainer knelt down next to Harvey, gently murmuring to it--a strong contrast to her most recent tone. "Go check on Van, then come find me. Bring our newest friend." The Larvitar nodded, and tottered away towards the city center while its trainer rose to her feet, falling in step with the rest of the group. "So, we have a plan yet, or is this a seat-of-our-pants sort of thing?" While her face betrayed no hint of discord, her mind was elsewhere--namely, on the one Pokémon in her team she couldn't count on to help her. -----Earlier----- Amelia emerged from the tunnel, one of the last of the refugees fleeing Sootopolis for safer shores--or at least, last in this group, anyway. The spy had no doubt there'd be many others to come. A rookie might see this as an opportunity. But this...this is a disaster. Like a chessboard upended in rage, the pieces scattered to the four winds, there could be no going back. Sure, one might rebuild, might gather back much of what was lost...but never again would the game reach the same state, its particular combination eternally lost. Sootopolis may have been a piece in a much larger game, but a Wurmple caught amidst a battle between Aggron must note even the tiniest movements...and this is anything but tiny. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw her faithful Larvitar Harvey waiting anxiously for her by the tunnel mouth. The lime-green lizard had been one of the first Pokémon to start digging, so it would make sense that he had been one of the first out. He had obviously worked himself to the limit and beyond, as had many of the other Pokémon who had been sent out to aid him. Amelia knelt down to Harvey's level. "You did well," she said with genuine gratitude as she fished a Premiere Ball out of the pocket where she'd hastily jammed it, "now return." Amelia stared down the steep slopes of the extinct volcano, seeing a line of good Samaritans helping their fellow civilians maintain their footing. A man reached out to steady her as she took a few steps forward--she drew sharply back, nearly taking a tumble as she stumbled over an exposed root. Only the timely assistance of a nearby Nurse kept her from careening down the mountain face. "Whoa, there!" the woman said, her trained eye giving Amelia a once-over for injuries. "You all right?" "I'm fine," Amelia replied, her tone both less acidic and more shaken than she'd intended. As soon as the woman released her, the spy adjusted her footing and began a swift but controlled slide down the mountain face. At the bottom, the group of...the word 'refugees' came to mind even though none of them knew what fate ultimately awaited the city. Regardless, the crowd had encountered another obstacle--in this case, the sapphire shores of Route 126. Some of the citizens felt content to wait there for the calamity to cease, while others milled about in fear and uncertainty. A few of the more level-headed among them had already begun polling the people, asking for those who had aquatic Pokémon to volunteer their efforts in the evacuation. After a few minutes of careful surveillance, Amelia nodded in approval and stepped forward to the nearest inquiring individual, displaying a red-ringed Dive ball for the Ace Trainer before sending out her Carvanha, Van. "Wait a minute!" a voice cried out. Amelia turned her head, spotting the Nurse from a few moments earlier, the woman having apparently followed her down the hill. Amelia admired the woman's tenacity, though her interference was coming at a particularly inconvenient time. "Something I can help you with?" she inquired. The Nurse pointed at Amelia's Pokémon. "That Pokémon is unfit for battle. It's in no shape to travel long distances. Just then, a deafening roar shook the ground beneath them. Children began crying, their families crowding closer to them in a vain attempt to provide comfort. Amelia scowled at the added noise. "I agree. But we don't exactly have a choice, now do we?" she asked bluntly. The Nurse paused, clearly seeing the truth in Amelia's statement even if she didn't like it. After a few moments, she reluctantly withdrew a large spray canister from her bag. "At least let me do this," she said, and at Amelia's nod of acceptance, she sprayed Van with the contents of the canister. "A Full Heal won't work properly on a fainted Pokémon. But at least it should help keep him from further injury. DON'T push him. He can take one Trainer--maybe two, given the circumstances." "She," Amelia corrected automatically. "And all right then. I choose you." The Nurse and Ace Trainer waited patiently, expecting Amelia to pull out another Pokéball and choose a different Pokémon to provide transport. It took them a minute before they realized Amelia was referring to the Nurse herself. "What--me? But why--?" "You cared enough to say something. Reason enough for me to peg you as a decent human being. Plus, you don't seem like the type to volunteer yourself for a shot at getting off this island, so I'm volunteering you for you." Amelia turned to the Ace Trainer and pointed at him. "And before you say anything, my Pokémon, my rules." The man raised his hands and backed away defensively. "Wasn't planning to," he said in his most conciliatory tone, before quickly diverting his attention to someone else in need. Amelia looked back at the Nurse as Van launched herself into the water. "Well? You coming?" The spy extended a hand to the Nurse, who, after some consideration, finally took it.

OOC: Jam with Konuju inbound! IC: Amelia/Dack/Madison (+Harvey/Larvitar, T:Amelia) The red-haired spy listened intently as Dack explained the situation, mixing feigned surprise at the things she already knew with genuine interest at the details she hadn't yet overheard. She took another half-step back, this one uncalculated, to collect and analyze her thoughts. "So. A corrupt Rocket executive, leading her army against a civilian city for the sake of a personal grudge?" A shiver passed through her unrelated to the current cold. "How...interesting," she murmured, almost to herself, her gaze glassing over momentarily as she considered the possibilities. She was rudely snapped back to reality, however, by the grating growl of the gruff grunt accompanying the group. Amelia smirked, infusing her tone with a patronizingly saccharine sarcastic sweetness. "Such a lovely child," she remarked, rolling her eyes slightly towards Dack and the others just in case her sarcasm had been missed. She allowed her voice to go halfway back to normal. "Listen, kid, I don't know what your problem is, but if you jumped in the air like you jump to conclusions, you'd be Rayquaza bait right about now." She tilted her head and put a finger to her lips in (mostly) mock consideration. "Although..." Harvey looked suddenly up at Amelia's deviation from script. "I guess the boy makes a good point. I'm not even from Celadon, I'm just passing through. Maybe I should want something else..." Amelia locked eyes with Dack, an intensity and drive within them that hadn't been present before. "All right, here's the deal. Fighting off armies isn't really my forte, but I'll do you a favor--if you agree to do a favor for me. Deal?" Dack frowned as he considered the woman's offer. Madison quickly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dack, no," she insisted. "We're here to recruit people to fight for the city, not hire them like... like mercenaries." The Snowpoint trainer brushed Madison's hand away, looking just as intensely back at the woman that stood before him. "I'm not going to walk into a blind deal," he said. "What's the catch?" "No catch," Amelia replied, "just...a favor. To be repaid at some future date." She waved her hand airily, almost dismissively, as if banishing any thoughts of the future. She dropped her hands to her thighs, getting serious once more. "I promise, I'll ask no more of you than you do of me." On this, Amelia was crystal clear--showing the exact same honesty she had every single time she'd previously uttered those thirteen words. Amelia Zann was serious about her job. And this time was no exception. "Still," Dack said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I'd like to know just what it is I'm walking in to. What exactly is this favor that you're asking of us?" Amelia laughed, a wistful memory of innocence long since passed. "A favor." Seeing her target still did not understand, she quelled her amusement. "A favor. Right now, you're in trouble. You need my help. One day, I'll need yours. Then it's your turn to help me." Amelia shrugged, as if the idea was the simplest thing in the world. Dack still seemed unconvinced. "Why?" he asked. "Why would you need our help specifically?" "Because I'm the best." She paused, considering whether or not to play her trump card, then went for it. "And maybe--just maybe--you might be as well." Amelia half-bowed, half-curtsied to Dack. "Amelia Zann, at your service--if you wish it." She maintained the pose, incling her head upward towards the other Trainer as she waited for a response.

IC: Amelia Zann (+Sina/Sneasel;Harvey/Larvitar) [Ellen Time] The moment the five Trainers stepped through the gate, Amelia stopped. At her own Trainer's nod, Sina began digging aimlessly through the snow-covered planters on the parkway, making a show of being animalistic about her actions. Amelia, meanwhile, crossed her arms and leaned against the archway over the gate, hooking a lock of hair over her ear--and at the same time, activating the over-ear hearing aid she wore subtly tucked away out of sight. Her hand dipped to her pocket, extracting a PokéNav Plus from her pocket; from there, she adjusted the volume and began to eavesdrop. Though she hadn't overheard everything in the Olivine Garden, what she had heard matched up with what the Trainers were saying now: this "Hannah" individual was prepping an army to flatten Celadon, apparently out of revenge for the actions of just one person. Even I can tell this lady is bad news, and that's saying something. Just then, the youngest member of the group lunged forward and slammed the poor woman's door open. Amelia rolled her eyes at the young Aspen's antics. "This kid," she muttered to Sina, "has an ego so big it makes Groudon look like Roselia." For a moment, the Sneasel abandoned her cover and stared pointedly at Amelia. "What?" the Trainer replied. Shaking her head, Sina returned to rummaging in the grass. It was pure misfortune, then, that Harvey chose that precise moment to return to his Trainer. The Larvitar pumped its stubby legs to run to her as quickly as it could--not loudly, as even her clumsiest Pokémon had been taught the importance of silence, but an overgrown lime green lizard tottering down the street toward her was not the most subtle sight in existence. Momentarily muting the feed from her microphone, she hissed at the Larvitar as it approached. "What are you doing?!" Amelia demanded. Harvey hissed and mumbled and gestured, before the Pokémon's Trainer stopped him. "Harvey--the signals. Use the signals." Nodding, Harvey made a series of gestures indicating available work, then pointed back in the direction Amelia and her quarry had just come from. Amelia stifled a groan. "Are you talking about the Olivine Garden?" The Pokémon nodded. "Harvey...! That's where Sina and I were just at--" The door closed. Amelia shoved Harvey behind her, then chanced a quick glance at the house--it appeared that all six of them were distracted by watching the woman lock her door. "We'll talk later," she warned Harvey, before fixing her hair--palming and pocketing her eavesdropping device in the process--and whistling to Sina, knowing the sound would be heard by the small herd of humans now walking towards the street. "Sina," she crooned, speaking to the Sneasel more like a pet than a partner. "Come on, Sina, you've had your fun. Come back." The Sneasel poked her head up from the grass, deliberately displaying her razor-sharp claws, before Amelia retreated her to her Dusk Ball. "Sorry," Amelia apologized to Dack, "you know how they can be sometimes." She flashed the Trainer a smile, before feigning shock at the group's appearance. "Wait...you wouldn't be...you are! You're those Trainers from Sootopolis, the ones they're showing on the news! If only I could have helped--but no matter, no matter." As she mentioned this last part, Amelia deliberately took a half-step backwards, exposing Harvey to the others' line of sight. The spy allowed herself a small smile as she expertly wove the threads of her half-truth together, both verbal and somatic. "But what brings you to Celadon? Surely there's no rampaging monster on its way here--well, unless you count the snow, I guess." Amelia allowed some of the artificial sweetness to leave her tone as she cocked her head at Dack. "Unless there is something I should be aware of?" she inquired, her concern, for once, genuine.

IC: Didi (Dedenne/T:Alex Zyther) Didi the Dedenne was not happy. As she considered how things had come to this, she began to pounce from one end of her perch to the other, over and over and over. At first, the other Pokémon in the room were content to tolerate it, but at last a soft but dangerous growl from the Blissey convinced her to stop. Chittering angrily at the much larger Pokémon, Didi leaped from her soft, warm perch to the cold linoleum floor below, ignoring the ribbon-clad puffball named Sylph curled up in the basket next to her as she stomped out the door. The moment she left, however, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She had been left with a charge, and ended up abandoning him. But the woman she had helped...she was family, too, wasn't she? Still, she hadn't been there for Alex when he needed her--he himself had told her as much--and she couldn't just let that go. But now...how to help? Sylph had worked himself into exhaustion multiple times already trying to solve this problem, and even Bliss had been unable to assist her faithful Trainer. She knew no way in which her own powers could help the situation, and so the glowing rodent found herself pacing pensively up and down the halls. Suddenly, however, a new scent drifted through the air. No, not new--familiar. It's her! Didi was conflicted. Did she go, again, and leave her master undefended? Or was searching out his family not worth the risk? The Dedenne made her decision. And then skittered furiously towards her destination. OOC: Amelia post as soon as I'm done with it.

IC: Amelia Zann (+Sina/Sneasel) [Ellen Time] As Amelia casually trailed the bickering bunch, she had to turn her face momentarily away from two men--well, a man and a boy--who had also decided to follow Majors. Unlike her, however, these two knew her quarry, and had quickly adjusted their pace to catch up with him. One she didn't recognize, but the other... "Is that the kid from Sootopolis?" she quietly murmured to herself. She swore mentally, remembering the Trainer's choice of Pokémon, and her own small part in that battle... -----Earlier----- Thud. Thud. Amelia's eyes shot open prematurely, for the second time in as many days. "Blast it, why won't anyone let me get some bloody..." An instant later her eyes nearly bulged out of her head, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. Shoot. I liked this dress. Already, a group of trainers had clustered around the feet of the Continent Pokémon, preparing to fight off the looming menace. Good luck to them, she thought to herself. Her next thought was: good luck to me, actually. Scooping up her pack, she observed her first obstacle--the wall surrounding the grounds of the Rugissement mansion. Leaping it to get in had been easy enough with the aid of a nearby dumpster, but getting out would be an issue. After a moment's thought, the spy unclipped a Pokéball from its fastening and released its contents as she ran towards the wall. "Harvey, gimme a fast Stealth Rock, quick!" The lime green Larvitar immediately complied, commanding a spike of stone to rise from the ground directly beneath his Trainer's feet to launch her into a somersault. As she cleared the wall, she uncurled in midair, spinning and holding out the Pokéball to retreat the Pokémon. A few moments later, she landed on the sidewalk with catlike grace, using her free hand to steady herself a moment before taking off in the direction of the large red Legendary Pokémon. It's surprising how fast someone can cover fifty yards when they're running on adrenaline. What's also surprising is the sight of three Legendary Pokémon in the same place, two of which apparently under the command of Trainers. "What in Arceus' name--?" Amelia barely had time to register a few faces--wait, is that Ellen?!--before two more things happened: one, enormous hailstones began to pour down from the sky, and two, a crowd of angry citizens began barreling down upon Rugissement Manor. The Trainer turned around to see an enormous shield of Protect decending upon the mansion and its grounds. Well...glad I got out of there then, she thought to herself, somewhat rattled by the rapid pace of the events unfolding around her. She slowed her pace, allowing herself to be caught up in the crowd for a moment so as not to be trampled. By the time she worked her way to its edge, however, something else had begun to fall from the sky: magma. "Welp. Time to be somewhere else." Swiftly slipping away from the crowd--alongside more than a few others, she noticed--she began running full-tilt toward the western edge of the crater in which the city sat. Realizing that she--nor anyone else running with her, as far as she could tell--would be able to make it over the edge in time, she sent out her Larvitar once more. "Harvey, Rock Slide!" Following her lead, a number of other people sent out their own Pokémon, and with surprising speed they started to smash a small tunnerl through the upper edge of the crater, through which the throng fled. Amelia's last sight of Sootopolis before the darkness swallowed her was that of a shattered city shrouded in soot, ash, and ice. -----Present [Ellen Time]----- The memory of the past bled into the present--or at least, that's how it seemed, as a chill wind blew through the town, storm clouds coating the city in a soft sheen of snow. "What the--?" she said, her fingers instinctively dropping to her Pokéballs before she remembered that all but one were already empty. Sina looked to her Trainer, perhaps confused by her apprehension, as the snow didn't seem to bother the Ice-type--not visibly, anyway. Amelia shook her head to indicate she was fine, though she still did a quick scan of her immediate area for signs of another looming Legendary. "Would be just my luck to get caught up in two cities attacked by Legendary Pokémon in the same day," she muttered darkly, but seeing nothing she relaxed long enough to unsling her pack from her shoulders. She reached inside, slipping out a silky, see-through sweater that would look fabulous but be hardly better than what she was already wearing for warmth. She sighed. People in this city really need to learn to dress better, she thought to herself. Perhaps partially more suitably garbed, the woman re-shouldered her burden and continued following the Trainers she had been tracking since her arrival in Celadon.

OOC: Permission granted by Parugi to control Jupiter for this storyline. IC: Adam/Jupiter "What the Yomi is this?" It had been nearly a week since Adam's arrival in Eterna--nearly a week since he had stumbled across the ruins of Nova, had been reunited with the sole known survivor of the Team he had once counted as family. It felt more like a year. Even now, it was hard to believe it was all...gone. Not if I can help it, he reminded himself. Jupiter didn't even bother turning to look at the disheveled man who had just stepped through the sliding glass doors behind her. "This," she replied, "is me moving on." Adam stayed silent for a few moments, slowly surveying the sizable space. "This isn't what I meant," he finally said. Jupiter sighed and closed the binder she'd been writing in, before turning to meet her visitor. "I know that. But I am not about to start taking orders from some man who just shows up out of the blue after 'moving on' from Galactic for seven years." "It wasn't like that--" "I don't care. You didn't have to stand there and...and watch..." She clenched her fists and rolled her eyes at her own momentary weakness. "I cared about them, too, you know!" "...Just shut up, Zynthic. Before you make things worse for yourself." Adam paused. When he spoke again, his tone was apologetic. "Admin Jupiter--" "No. Stop." The Admin of the former Team Galactic massaged her forehead. "You've already said your piece. You had your say, Plasma had their say, Liberty and Rocket had theirs. Now I'm having my say, and I say I'm done. Now leave." Refusing to give the man any more of her time, Jupiter turned back to her work, putting a pair of reading glasses on before opening the binder once more. Adam hesitantly nodded, then left the Eterna City Gym to its new Leader.

IC: Amelia Zann (Ellen Time) What have I gotten myself into? the woman wondered to herself. Clad in a red tank-top, a frilly white skirt, and, most incongruously, hiking boots and a straw bug-catcher's hat, the red-haired spy scanned the booths of the Olivine Garden over the tops of her green-rimmed sunglasses, frowning at the break in concentration the Cresselia's and Gardevoir's psychic power had caused her. Not like I needed to see that all over again, she grumbled to herself, and where...? She spotted him, just barely, stomping out the door, several of his friends in tow. She weighed her options. Lunar Pokémon that can look at thoughts, or Lava Dome Pokémon that can immolate entire cities...? Yeah, no contest. Pushing her way past the perplexed patrons, she emerged outside, blinking briefly as her sensitive eyes adjusted to the change in illumination. A pink Sneasel wearing a fedora awaited her, leaning lazily against the building exterior. "Snee," the creature offered, nodding at Amelia by way of greeting. "Hey yourself. You catch their scent?" At Sina's nod, Amelia mimed tapping a watch. "Then let's go. We're not getting any younger, are we?" Snorting derisively, the Sneasel began sniffing her way through the streets of Celadon, in subtle pursuit of a most interesting individual...one Dack Majors.

Precisely. ;-) EDIT: Summarizing some stuff from the chat tonight (last night probably by the time anyone reads this ): *Groudon in Sootopolis was approx. 3-5 days after the Celadon Department Store *Havok occurred immediately after Celadon Department Store (Final Rockets went from Celadon to Havok) *The fallout from Groudon in Sootopolis is approximately synchronized with current events in Celadon; this is the "zone" of time we've dubbed "Ellen Time" *"Ellen Time" is about a week (give or take) ahead of most of the rest of the game. Please feel free to correct me if (when?) I am horribly, horribly wrong.

Posting pre-emptively for approval--this will be caught by Amelia at some point (still working it out): Species: Murkrow Nickname: Crowe Gender: Female Trainer: Amelia Zann Appearance: Carries its shiny coloration, though the violet is dark enough that it's often mistaken for black. Personality: Though prideful and mischevious like most Murkrow, this particular one prefers the company of wild Pokémon to that of trained Pokémon and humans--with a few very specific suggestions. Especially distrusts scientists. Is also very Careful. Ability: Prankster Speciality: Exceptionally skilled with use of Drill Peck, despite its overall lack of experience. Its signature move. Known Moves: Tailwind, Torment, Mean Look, Taunt, Roost (egg move), Drill Peck (egg move) And yes, this is the one Adam and Pippi battled all the way back here.

OOC: Living situation is unstable. Konuju, feel free to post our jam at your desired pace--I won't be able to. :/

-==IC:Amelia==- Amelia looked at Ellen with a mixture of bemusement and pity. "Listen, kid. No--Ellen. The difference between trying to 'live in the white' and living in the gray? There is none--or rather, it's just how well you sleep at night. Because sooner or later, something's going to happen, and to tell you the truth, I'd rather not be around when it happens." Amelia knelt down and gave Ellen a serious look--one far more vulnerable than she'd shown to anyone in a long, long time. "One day, someone you know, someone you trust to help you find your path and live in the 'light' is going to reveal their true colors. And that's when you'll realize that everything you stood for, everything you thought was 'good' and 'right' in the world is a complete and utter lie. When that happens, you'll realize something: the gray isn't a middle ground between 'good' and 'evil'. It's the middle ground between two evils. And the only way to keep yourself safe from both is to seek the Balance between the two." Amelia stood back up, still looking at the girl, concern in her eyes--whether for Ellen or for herself it was impossible to tell. "I hope you can find that out the easy way rather than the hard way. But no matter how you find out, I hope it doesn't happen for a long, long time." Amelia looked out over the water. It was peaceful, calm--but she knew that beneath the serene waves any number of wild Pokémon would be at battle below. Once upon a time, such a thought would have filled her with wonder. Now, though, after nearly a decade of hard experience, she knew better than to expect anything different. All that was left was the why... Sina was about to query Chrono further, when her keen ears picked up a change in her mistress' tone. She whined and glanced at Amelia, before cocking her head at Chrono. She whimpered a brief apology, then looked Chrono straight in the eye, jerking her head gently towards her Trainer as she whined a soft but firm opinion to the Purrloin. Sina turned to go, but only took a few steps toward Ameila before stopping. Glancing over her shoulder, she murmured a quiet statement to Chrono, and then walked over to stand next to her Trainer, offering a small whine to the silent spy. Amelia said nothing, didn't even look down to acknowledge her Pokémon's presence, just rested a hand softly on the Sneasel's pink head. OOC: Adam post soon TM