Blessed Blade

-The Promise in the Summer- I groaned as I closed my eyes tighter. The light poured in through the window from my half-closed blinds and though I attempted to use my arm to block out the light, I could feel the dream I'd just had slip out of my grasp. I sat up with a frown as I racked my brain to try and recall what it was, but it was to no avail. With a sigh, I got out of bed and glanced around the room. Everything was just as it had been, but something still just seemed out of place. I shook my head, and walked over to the calendar. The day was finally here - a time that I had been anticipating for ages. . . had it already been ten years since I last saw her? I snapped out of my reverie and grabbed my clothes after I quickly circled the date. I had been staying at my aunt and uncle's place in Mahogany Town for the past month or two. I thought that maybe I could find work at the Lake of Rage, but no-one wanted to hire a 24-year old who didn't have experience with the finer aspects of fishing. I knew that there wasn't really any way I could argue that, and I also knew that I would likely have better luck in a bigger town - but there was another reason I wanted to be here this summer. I walked downstairs slowly after I finished changing and noticed that my aunt and uncle were talking amongst themselves. I thought that I could just walk by without bothering them, but their attention turned to me. I gave a small smile at them and they quickly returned the gesture. Though they were smiling, their faces seemed to hold an odd sadness. I wondered if they had gotten some bad news about one of their jobs, but kept quiet. "How are you today, dear? Are you going to try again?" My aunt gave me a warm smile, but I could tell that something was wrong. If she was worried about me, though, I was fine... I didn't need the two of them to worry about me, and gave a small chuckle as I shook my head. "I'm fine - I'm not gonna go looking today. I've got some other plans, so I'm gonna head out after this. Not sure how long I'll be, but I might be a bit late." I fixed up some breakfast for myself as I talked, as I felt that it would make things go faster. I could tell that my vague answer was creating more questions than it solved. I tried to make it as obvious as I could that I wasn't wanting to actually elabourate as I began to eat. I tuned out the worried looks I was being given - I figured that they were likely scared about me getting disheartened by striking out with jobs. . . but I wasn't. I'd go back to it whenever I could try again, even if it meant I had to beg and grovel. But today was too special for me to actually want to take up time with that. I stood up and brought my cereal bowl to the sink when I finished. No-one actually spoke, though I could tell they wanted to. "I'll be back later!" I gave a wave as I walked out of the kitchen and down the hall. I thought I could make out some whispering as I got my shoes on, but I just couldn't understand why they were so focused on me. As I walked outside, I shielded my eyes from the bright shining sun. I took a deep breath of the summer air, and gave a smile. I was reminded of the times when I played outside so much. When I didn't have a care in the world. Recent times had drastically reduced that time, but I still craved this type of day so much - a day where I can just throw all my worries in the air and run. Run I did, too, as I headed toward the eastern part of town. I used to play just outside town every time that I came here to visit - near the beautiful pond and the large tree. It was a perfect view of the fireworks from the Lake of Rage too. . . I remember that I used to sit on a blanket at night every time the fireworks were on. I had gone and ruined my outfit a few times by playing right beforehand, but it hadn't been an actual issue in the end. She was there too, often thinking up stories to brag about. But even though Shannon had been a little tough to agree with sometimes, she was a good friend. We had met in school, when I managed to somehow befriend her. She was a year younger than me, but it just felt like we just... worked as friends. I didn't always like her bragging, but I had to admit that it kept things interesting. Plus, I feel like a bunch might have been made up anyway. She still just felt like she was nice, though. We played together a lot, and while she criticized my. . . choices of how to play from time to time, I could tell that she had fun in the end too. "I'm going to win if you don't hurry up, you Slowpoke!" A fond memory of mine is when we raced from time to time. Sometimes I'd get lost in thought, and she'd pull me back to reality. She stuck up for me a few times too, when bullies tried to pick on me. I still can't figure out how she managed to get some of them to stop, but I'll always be thankful about it. I'm certain that it saved me from getting into trouble a few times as well. . . Until she moved away ten years ago, we were very close - almost like we were family. I visited from Goldenrod every so often too. But we had made a promise to each other before she left, though it was originally meant for after we graduated. That no matter how far either of us went, we'd meet back here as soon as we could. Though I had broken my promise to do my best in whatever I tried, I still wanted to make sure I would keep my end of the deal here. I took a deep breath as I walked down the path that led toward the park. It was a warmer day than it had been the last week or so, but I didn't let that get to me. I took my jacket off and tied it around my waist as I continued forward. I slowed down, as I thought about how much had changed since the last time I had seen Shannon. I didn't know what she might look like now, but I was sure that she would be just as amazing as ever. I listened as the wind rustled through the leaves of the trees lining the path, and glanced up to see some clouds in the sky. I hoped that nothing would interfere with the fireworks that night. . . that was tonight, wasn't it? I shook my head, and tried to focus on what mattered instead. I frowned a little, as I felt like I had forgotten something. I reached the tree where we used to play all the time and then looked around. No-one was around except for little kids out near the pond. I sat down against the tree as the clouds began to gather overhead. I stared up toward the sky, as a melancholic look began to grow on my face. The last time we had talked was when she told me that she was leaving, wasn't it? I had said something to start the conversation - what was it? Whatever it was, she responded by saying that she was moving. I was such a brat wasn't I?? I just ran off and didn't talk to her, did I? Shannon's not going to be here, is she? I stood up uneasily, as I quietly laughed to myself - a hollow ring to the sound that reached my ears. I wondered if my dream had been related to this at all. As the sky began to get darker, I walked over to a little section of grass before the forest. No - even if Shannon actually wanted to see me, she wouldn't be here. Because. . . She already was here. Under the stone that I had just fallen to my knees in front of. Maybe I had thought that if I believed hard enough, she would be waiting for me - that maybe she had somehow survived. The day she had left... there had been a landslide on the path back to Ecruteak. Shannon and her parents had been headed to Goldenrod to catch the train that would take her away from me, but they never stood a chance. Their car was instantly crushed. . . even though I knew that she was in there, I must have still kept hope that maybe our promise would be fulfilled. But I was just naive. A naive fool who held on to childish hopes. I could feel my tears falling to the ground, but I didn't feel like I had the strength to wipe them away. My little sisters counted on me so much, but I let them all down when this happened. Just like now, I couldn't find the strength to help at all. . . "I'm so, so sorry..." I felt like my throat was as dry as a desert, but it didn't matter. I pushed myself to my feet and wrapped my arms around myself. If I couldn't meet her again, then I would at least keep her in my memories forever. I turned around and began to head back to town. The clouds were going to cause the fireworks tonight to be canceled, and there was nothing here for me anyway. However, I let out a surprised shriek as my foot got tangled underneath one of the tree's roots. I winced as I landed on the ground hard, thankful that I didn't fall on the nearby rock. I sat up and rubbed my head for a moment. I sighed as I knew that my clumsiness was probably just another punishment. I winced as I stood up and wondered if my ankle had been twisted. "Annie! Annie! You made it! I knew you would keep our promise!" I let out a surprised squeal as something tackled me from behind and wrapped a pair of arms around my waist. The voice seemed familiar, but. . . wait- it couldn't be... I glanced behind myself and then froze. I knew that blonde hair, though I wasn't used to seeing it from above. The girl glanced up with a happy smile for a moment, though seemed confused when I just stood there in shock. She hadn't changed at all. . . but how...? "What's wrong, Annie?" "S-sorry, I'm just... a little shocked..." That was certainly one way to put it. I brushed the dirt off my shirt and skirt as I looked at Shannon. How was this possible at all? Was this a dream? It felt too real, though - and her touch was just as it always had been. I looked up and saw that the clouds were beginning to clear up. I smiled slightly as I let out a sigh of relief. Maybe this was just the miracle I had been hoping for. Here was my best friend, who had helped me since I was a little girl. Who, even though I was rougher than most of our friends, put up with a lot of my shenanigans. "You haven't changed a bit..." Shannon giggled at my answer, and smiled smugly. "I should hope not! You seem a bit quicker to give up than I remember, though. I suppose it has been ten years, but still!" She paused as if she were recalling something, but looked over at me happily. "Still... I'm glad to see you again. It's too bad that it won't be for long, but. . ." With a shake of her head, she grabbed me hand and took off running. I was caught off guard and barely managed to not fall over at the start, but laughed as it felt just like old times. The way she phrased what she said confused me, but I decided to just enjoy the moment. After running for a while, we made it to the Lake of Rage. I found it odd that it was so quiet, but figured that we might have just gotten lucky. Shannon led me around as if she had been navigating the paths for ages, and I just looked up at the early afternoon sky happily and without a care. "Say," The girl caught my attention, as the tone in her voice seemed a little hesitant. "Do you remember what you asked me that day?" I noticed that she continued to stare forward after she spoke. After I took a while to answer, she looked back expectantly with a look of concern on her face. I shook my head and Shannon smiled sadly. She focused on the way forward again, and I paused for a moment. I began to explain what I did remember about all our adventures before she left. I mentioned all the sleepovers we had, and that time that we fell in the pond by accident because I tried to catch a Goldeen while we were tangled up in ropes. Shannon giggled at the recollection, but still seemed. . . distant, almost. "Then there was that time we..." I trailed off suddenly, as Shannon suddenly stopped. I looked where she was glancing, and paused as I noticed that we had reached the western gate of Mahogany. When had we circled the lake? When had we gotten back to town? Had I been that engrossed in my stories. . .? I looked at Shannon with a sudden uneasy feeling, and then followed her gaze. We were staring at the remains of a landslide on Route 42. Shannon turned to me with a sad smile. That had been cleaned up years ago - I had not heard of anything since then. What was going on. . .? "I think I want to help re-enact that day. . . The day before I left started off as nice as today, didn't it? Although, now the sun and the moon are playing in the sky..." The young girl took my hand again. Was it just me, or did she look paler than before? "We were just having fun playing, and then when we got back, I heard about the news that I was going to be moving..." That was right. . . we had started to play by our hiding place near the tree, and then visited the Lake of Rage to see if we could help out with anything there. We were probably old enough to help, since both of us were over 14, but... I think the adults knew that they probably shouldn't trust me to help out with most stuff. So we just helped set up the booths. Once we got back, my aunt took Shannon aside and gave her the news, though I didn't find out until later. But then what happened? I know I asked something- Oh. Shannon walked over to me, as I recognized that we were back in my aunt's house now. I had a bad feeling that something weird was going on now, but Shannon looked up and gave me a smile that had sadness hidden behind it. I closed my fingers around my wrist, as I remembered what happened. I knew now what she wanted me to reenact, but maybe it didn't need to go that way? "Um, I-" "No! That's not how it went." It felt like Shannon could see right through me for a moment, as I hesitated. What would happen if I followed things exactly? I didn't want to run off again... I bit my lip, as Shannon looked uneasy at my silence. "Unless you changed your mind?" She asked quietly. I winced as I heard the tone in her voice, and then shook my head. "Then let's try this again. . ." I felt torn, but I felt stuck. Shannon wore an urging look on her face, and I sighed. "I... want to ask you a question." She feigned turning to me despite already having been looking at me, and gave me a curious glance. "Would... you ever consider. . . going out with me. . .?" The silence seemed to almost echo through the house as I got a pit in my stomach just like the last time I asked. We were both girls, but... I just felt like I was closer to her than anyone else. I just couldn't be sure that she held the same feelings. "I have to go soon." Shannon finally said with an uneasy look on her face. This was just how it had gone last time. She had responded by saying that she was leaving the next morning and. . . I just made it about myself. I can tell now that I had probably just made her departure harder. I looked down at the ground with a look of guilt on my face. Why had she forgiven me now? I looked back up, and nodded. "Alright. I'm sorry for last time. . ." To my surprise, she giggled with a smile. What was up with that? The girl motioned to the window, as I looked outside. It was the day that Shannon had left - the last time I ever saw her. Had I been watching from this window then too? The girl looked sadder than I had ever seen her before... Even as she walked toward the car slowly, I could tell that she just wasn't enthusiastic about it. I paused however, as I saw a girl with long back hair run up toward the car. Shannon and her parents both looked over in surprise at the panting girl. With wide eyes, I ran outside to see this for myself. . . "I hope you have a good time! We'll never forget you - I think I speak for everyone!!" I watched the tears flow down the black-haired girl's face, even as Shannon smiled widely. "Besides, let's meet back here as we always planned! No matter what - ten years from now! That should give us enough time to finish college, right?" I laughed as both me and my younger self grinned confidently, despite the tears running down my younger face. "Ten summers from now! Promise?" "It's a promise!" Shannon cried happily and climbed into the vehicle with renewed enthusiasm. Her parents looked at me graciously, and I waved fiercely to keep my composure as the family drove off. My own face felt damp as I turned around. "Do you remember now? You gave me a reason to have hope about the move." Shannon said finally, as she walked up to me. The twilight sky began to grow dimmer, as the girl took my hand once again. "Even up toward the accident, I wasn't scared. I just... I wish I had been able to meet my end of the bargain too." We were back at the tree, and I wrapped my arms around my friend to comfort her. I looked up at the dark sky, and smiled. I looked down at Shannon, but she stepped back with a sad smile. I felt uneasy, like that was a bad sign of things. Before I could say anything however, the blonde put her finger in front of her mouth to quiet me. "I have to go soon. I just wanted to be able to see you one last time like this." I tried to protest, but she shook her head. "This is a world that is fueled by dreams. Neither of us can actually stay here, and we might see things that are better left unseen. Those like that who wander too far should wake up, or move on." Shannon sighed, as I felt my heart sink once again. "You have to live for the future. I'm... I'm just a fragment of the past. Maybe... maybe one day we might meet again, but..." I could tell she was feeling uncertain, and I wondered if she would fade away in front of my eyes. . . but I knew I had to say something. "I... I don't want you to go..." I looked down toward the ground, but then sighed, as I looked back up. She seemed almost surprised that I looked up, but I gave a wide smile, even as I felt my tears running my face. "But... I know this can't last forever. This kind of goodbye is the truest kind anyway..." I gave a laugh, as I tried to force my smile to stay strong. "Let's make a promise. I don't know if it's possible, but if it is... let's meet again in ten years." Shannon seemed caught off guard by the proposition, but I could tell her eyes were getting glassy from tears as the sky lit up with fireworks. Lost for words, she nodded with a happy smile, as we both looked up to the sky. "Maybe then, we can..." . . . I opened my eyes slowly, as I stared at the ceiling in confusion. ". . . that's not my ceiling..." I groaned, as a woman in a white coat ran over and began to ask me questions, like what my name was. Later, I found out that I had been found unconscious, after my head hit a rock. I guess I hadn't been so lucky when I tripped after all... There were more questions, but I didn't feel in the mood for them. A few days later, I got released after they had finished running every imaginable test to make sure that it wasn't the sign of something bigger. I'm not entirely convinced that they actually were satisfied, but they finally relented after my aunt and uncle. . . persuaded them. I felt like a weight had been lifted since I woke, however. I remembered what had happened in that dream of mine, and while I still feel a little sad from time to time, I know that I need to make the most of the time I do have. I spent the next couple of years doing what I'd wanted. I managed to get a temporary job at least, delivering packages to people who ordered them. I eventually married a wonderful girl, and I'm also expecting a child soon enough! I still feel like something's missing, but I actually feel like I'm content for the first time in a while. Oh, I should get some things on my way home so Rhea doesn't yell at me. . . ---- Eight years later, a young girl with light brown eyes sat alone on a swing in the playground at her school. She sighed, and ran a finger through her wavy red hair. A few of the bullies in her class targeted her a lot due to her hair and also her tendency to be both fidgety when alone and rough when playing. She wished that she could actually have a friend that would help her out when needed, and wouldn't judge her over petty things. The girl glanced longingly over at a group of her classmates, but then yelped out and glanced away as one of them looked over at her. "Hiya, whacha up to?" The redhead glanced up nervously, and saw the other girl walking up to her. She began to swing a little to preoccupy herself, but looked over in surprise as the girl with the light brown hair sat down on a swing next to her. "I've seen you around in class a lot. But you always seem so lonely just sitting there by yourself... Do you have any friends?" "No..." The eight-year-old stopped swinging and pulled her legs up onto the swing. She looked rather sad at the moment, but awkwardly glanced over at her classmate. The brunette seemed like she had enough people to look out for, with her group of friends. Why did she seem to want to interact? "My mommy says that a lot of friends are made the first day of class, but that was two years ago... I dinnt know how to make friends back then, and a lot of people teased me about my hair..." "Do you want to be friends with me, then?" The redhead nearly fell off the swing and looked over incredulously. She paused for a moment as she reached for the necklace she wore. This was something she had wanted so much, but. . . she couldn't figure out why. Yet... something seemed okay to her. Like this would go just as she'd wished it would when she got a friend. The young girl recalled what her mommy had told her about making friends. "Um ok... umm... my name is Nana... my mommy says it reminded her of my other mommy who is up in heaven..." Nana tapped her fingers together, as she still seemed a little nervous. It was a very big event for her to get her first friend, and she hoped it wasn't just a trick. The brunette simply smiled happily as she nodded. "That is a very cute and pretty name, Nana!" The brown haired girl hopped off her swing, and smiled happily at Nana as she walked over to her. The girl's deep blue eyes shimmered almost as if she was going to cry, though that never happened. "I found you..." She mumbled, as she took hold of Nana's hands with a wide smile on her face, much to the younger girl's confusion. "My name is Shannon!"

-==IC: Lucia==- Lucia had to admit that she had not expected to be chosen to spar against Skye. Nonetheless, after she donned her Power Suit, the healer walked over toward the former Fifth Child. "Long time no see!" The helmet prevented the other girl from being able to read her expression, but there didn't seem to be any malice within the tone of Lucia's voice.

-==IC: Chloe==- Chloe stayed quiet as Ford explained his thoughts on the matter, and then gave a nod as the shadowed man mentioned that this would likely be a determining fight. The psychic girl chewed on her lip for a moment as she contemplated how to go about the conversation. This all was information that the people going on the mission could really use, and now they needed to pin down things. "Before I actually continue with questions, I want to explain the context we fought Raymond in. A month ago in Goldenrod, a man named Wrath attacked me and my brother - targeting my brother as a 'Sin'. This symbol appeared as he was defeated," Chloe held up the paper with the symbol of Wrath once again, and then ruffled through the papers to find the other drawings that looked like they would be Sin emblems. "I don't know too much about these things, but we were also attacked by Sloth when we were on our way to you the other day. I have to admit that I have no clue what the function of these Sins are, but maybe if we have more info, we could figure it out. . ." She held up the rest of the papers one at a time, wondering if Ford had any more ideas about them.

-==IC: Chloe==- Chloe nodded for a brief moment as she heard what Ford said about Shift, and then paled a little as the shadowed man described exactly who she was afraid of. "No sir. . ." The girl said as she strained to think back to that fight. "I might have maybe seen someone like him, but. . . my brother and I actually fought him roughly a month ago." The look on the psychic's face was grim as she closed her eyes, recalling what she had overheard during the fight with Wrath. "You said that 'Raymond' was a simplification. . . Raimundo - is that what it actually was? Raimundo Rojo?"

-==IC: Chloe==- Chloe froze as she picked up on some details that unnerved her, to say the least. Her hands trembled, as she gripped the iron bars to steady them. She hoped she was wrong, she just hoped so. But. . . "What... did Raymond look like? D-did. . . he have red hair?" She was positive it was impossible with what Ford had said, but. . . With a shake of her head, she began to pull out the pictures that Sonja had made, and held two of them up - one of the ones that Kyle identified as belonging to one of the Signs, and one of the sigils. She recognized it now as the mark that had been tied with Wrath. "Do you recognize any of these pictures; this one specifically?" Chloe raised the hand that held Wrath's emblem, and tried to keep herself calm. If Warren had been absorbed, there was no way that he could have been who she was thinking of - right?

-==IC: Chloe==- Chloe seemed surprised by the mention of an original Fifth Child, and thought over what he said. "Who was this Thomas Warren person, and what happened to him?" Something about what Ford had said had gotten her curious, too, but she wasn't sure if overloading him with questions was a good idea in the slightest at the moment. "After you're done, do you mind going into detail about how you got involved in this in the first place, out of curiosity? I recall you mentioned something in the egg, and. . . it could be relevant."

Aren't those games both over 3 years old now...? And for systems that are pretty much on their way out?

-May Time Remember- -Three and a half years ago- The sun shone down on the region of Johto, as the clouds moved peacefully through the air. People busily moved around Goldenrod City, going about their daily lives as normal. The top of the Global Terminal glowed dimly in the light of the day, its beacon a sign of hope to people in the city. The billboards on the side of the department store and the malls that surrounded it shifted images between different advertisements. The marquee sign on the radio tower showed what program currently was on, and what would be on next. As it was, the normal and peaceful chatter of people was only interrupted as footsteps clattered against the ground, echoing throughout an empty alleyway as a Pidgey flew happily overhead. An 18 year old man used the alleyway in question as a shortcut to get to his destination faster as he rounded a corner again. The young man ran back onto the streets with a laugh, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Ryan Hikari looked to his feet and skidded to a stop, as he panted. The man's black hair blew in the late May breeze, as he looked up with a smile. "I'm getting better at that..." He mumbled to himself, as he chuckled, as stood up straight, his blue shirt making his eyes seem brighter than usual. He looked over to the different stores, as he began to walk further in the direction of the shopping district. Every time he walked by, he was more and more amazed. Once again cranes were present, construction making the town fill out more and more ever time; though the top of the Global Terminal could always be seen. As Ryan continued to walk, he heard a vague giggle, and then stopped in confusion. However, before he could turn around, hands covered his eyes from behind. The man fought the urge to accidentally elbow the practitioner of anticology, and then smiled in amusement. The person that the hands belonged to giggled once again, seeming rather joking even then. "Guess who..." A high pitched voice said, and Ryan pretended to think for a moment, as there was only one person the voice could actually belong to. "Hmm..." Ryan teasingly pondered the question a bit more, as he felt the hands shift a bit, as if disappointed by no guessing. "Is it... Jessica?" He asked with an amused smile, as the hands were removed from his face, and the girl in question stepped into view with a wide smile, as she nodded happily. The young man's smile melted into a warm one as he looked at Jessie happily. Ryan chuckled slightly, as he scratched his head. "So, what are you doing here on a Sunday?" He asked with a tilt of his head, as his friend giggled in amusement. "Well, I needed to stop by the department store to pick up something for my mom..." Jessica said, and then narrowed her eyes in playful suspicion. "What about you, though?" The girl asked, as Ryan paused for a moment with a furrowed brow, unsure what exactly she was getting at, until she spoke again. "I mean, I know you go here all the time, but you didn't invite me, and that question seemed like you didn't expect me here..." She pointed out, and Ryan sheepishly smile. "W-well, I was just, uh, going to look at the new Pokegear model..." Ryan said, as he tried to smile innocently. However, he could tell that Jessie wasn't falling for his cover story, and scratched his head awkwardly. "S-sorry, guess I should've asked you to join me, huh?" He asked to try and hide his true reasons for being at the mall, but the girl smiled in amusement. "Well, so long as it's nice, I don't mind." Jessica said, as she chuckled and teasingly smiled. "You're not really good at hiding things, you know that, Ryan?" She giggled, then shook her head teasingly and began to walk toward the department store. "See ya later! Don't forget!" The girl then ran off with a wave and left Ryan standing there. The man blinked for a few moments before he smiled and nodded, and then continued toward the malls. Ryan walked through the mall's interior, and looked around in amazement at the stores as usual. After a little while of looking around, he chose one store, and walked into it, as he considered what he had to find. He paid little attention to the bustling people in the accessory shop, as he looked around for a good gift for Jessica's 16th birthday. It was a month and a half away still, but since he tended to procrastinate buying gifts for anyone, Ryan figured it was a good idea to find it now. He thought back with a smile, as he examined a particular bow. He recalled how he had asked about whether Jessie had wanted to go out with him, and how she had said yes. I can't believe that it's already been a week... The black haired man walked to the front of the store to buy the bow with his saved up money, still lost in thought. Ryan happily walked back through the city with the bag in his hand. Had it really been ten years since they had first met? He had Alistair to thank, he guessed. Alistair. The man stopped walking, and then looked to the sky with a rueful smile. What would have happened if he hadn't messed up? The young man closed his eyes for a brief, and then gripped the Pokeball, and looked at the Larvitar in it when he opened his eyes again. The Larvitar gave a cautious look back, as if even after all this time, the Pokemon still didn't totally trust him. Ryan shook his head, and placed the Pokeball back on his belt. He began to walk forward once more with a sigh. I just have to keep moving forward. That's what Alistair would have wanted. The man thought, as he knew it wasn't a good idea to dwell on the past; no matter how much he wanted to do so. ---- "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Ryan called out, as he opened the door to his house, and walked inside. There was no response at first, so he closed the door behind him, and began to walk up the stairs to his room. He closed his door so no-one would walk in, and then took the bow's box out of his bag. The young man opened the box, and smiled at the bow that was inside. I hope Jessica likes it... He thought, as he closed the box back up, and then placed it into a pouch on his backpack for safe-keeping. Ryan began to take his workbooks out of his bag, when he heard the front door open again. He stood up and placed the book in his hand on his desk, and opened his door to go see who it was. As he looked, he noticed his 15 year old brother Zach walk in. The auburn haired teen looked up the stairs with a blink, and then waved awkwardly for a moment, and then went to go put his stuff away. A little while later, as Ryan was working on his homework, he could sense a presence just staring at him. "Don't you have anything better to do than watching me?" He sighed, as he tilted his head back to look at his brother, who was watching him intently with an amused smile. Zach had returned to Ryan's room after putting his stuff away, and must have guessed at what he had gone to do that afternoon. The black haired trainer noted that there were a lot of times that had happened recently, and thought to ask about that later. For the moment, he tried his best to pretend to be a bit annoyed at his younger sibling. "Not a thing at all. Finished all my homework yesterday." Zach giggled, and Ryan raised an intrigued eyebrow, since they usually never saw the kid on the weekends. The younger brother promptly sat down in a swivel chair with another giggle. As he stared at the ceiling, the young teen used a foot to spin the chair around for a moment, stopping only to look at Ryan teasingly. "So, you went and got a present today, didn't you? For Jessie? Did you have a mini date with her too?" Ryan's face turned bright red, and turned away for the moment, as he struggled to think of a retort. "That's none of your business." Ryan simply replied, as he grimaced slightly upon something catching his eye. He noticed the box was sticking out of his backpack a bit, and made a note to fix that later. "Besides, don't you have your own girlfriend to pay attention to?" He retorted as he looked back to his sibling, recalling how much time Zach spent over at his friend Olivia's house. The elder brother softened his look, however, as he noticed how awkward Zach was being about the teasing. Ryan looked curiously at him, and sighed. "When are you even going to say something? Everyone can see how much you care for Liv; so why are you...?" The black haired teen stopped, as Zach looked up nervously, and fidgeted slightly, which made Ryan wonder what was wrong. "Tomorrow. I'm going to ask tomorrow, I mean." Zach said finally, much to Ryan's surprise. "I... I'm going to see if she wants to go to the festival in Olivine with me, after school." He stayed quiet for a moment, as Ryan seemed shocked at the awkward certainty his brother seemed to have. "I've been... trying to build up my nerve for the past couple months, since I heard about it. But I... I worry. What if she hates the idea...? She's my best friend, and I don't want to ruin that." He looked to the ground with an uncertain expression, and Ryan smiled softly, as he shook his head. "She won't. The way Olivia looks at you... she cares, even if she can't say it." The black haired man smirked a bit at the memory of the red haired girl bickering with him after being teased. "I know it's scary, but... If you have to, then just treat it like another day. Because with you two, I'm certain you could make even the most ordinary day be something special." He chuckled for a moment with a genuine smile. The younger brother looked up slowly, as if that wasn't everything. He nodded slowly with a slight smile, but then began to get up. However, as he was about to head to the door, Ryan stood up, and ruffled Zach's hair with a soft smile. "It's about time. Good luck." The younger sibling seemed surprised, as he shyly fixed his hair, but smiled back with a giggle. With a slightly awkward pause, the younger kid left the room. Ryan stood at the door for a moment, and then looked over at a picture taken the last time both his family and Jessica's had all gotten together. Ryan, Zach, Jessica, and her brother Ray all were smiling at the camera. Zach and Ray were acting goofy in the background, and Ryan and Jessica acted like the only two sane people in the picture. But despite the goofiness, it just seemed so nice. The man glanced over at another picture of just his family, and frowned slightly. While Ryan, Zach, and their mother were all smiling widely, Ryan's father just seemed cold and distant, and was looking away. Ryan sighed, and wondered why their father couldn't be as nice as the others. He set that picture face down, not wanting to look at it. ---- That night, Ryan had stayed quiet. His mother was chatting with Zach a little way away, though they were whispering too much for the black haired teen to catch most of the discussion. A little ways away, their father sat silently, focused entirely on his food. Ryan bit his lip, as he looked down. He wondered what might have made the older man so distant almost all the time. He opened his mouth to mention about how his day had gone, however, when he looked up, he noticed his father standing up. Ryan quietly watched Gerald take his plate to the sink, and sighed when the man had left the room. "Don't take it too hard, Ryan." His mother walked over, as Zach looked over worriedly as well. "He's had a rough time for a while, but... I'm sure he will come around sometime." She smiled reassuringly, as Ryan nodded. However, their mother giggled after that, and placed her hands on the older sibling's shoulders. "You can tell us about how things went, though. If you had a good day, then it's always good to tell others." Zach sketched in a notebook for a while, as the three that remained in the kitchen talked with each other even as the kitchen began to grow dark. Their mother seemed intrigued at the plans that Ryan had, and nodded with a small smile as she went to turn on the light. "I hope everything goes well there, Ryan... I'm sure that Jessie will appreciate the gift, as always. Good on you for not waiting until the last minute like usual..." The embarrassed teen awkwardly chuckle for a moment, however, he nodded with a smile. The three continued to talk for another two hours, until everyone needed to go to bed. The two siblings continued to discuss things, as they made their way up the stairs back to their respective rooms. However, as they were about to part ways, Zach followed Ryan, much to the older brother's confusion. Zach seemed a little awkward, and also appeared to be having trouble figuring out how to say something. However, as time passed, Ryan cleared his throat, to try and figure out what to do. "Did you want to talk about something else, or...?" Ryan still seemed confused as to what the younger sibling's thoughts were. However, he smiled as he sat down on the bed. "If so, then I'm all ears." Zach hesitated, as he seemed a little uncertain still. "Um, well... what do you think of stuff that dad might not like?" At Ryan's continued confusion, the younger sibling fidgeted a little. "Like... I mean, if dad didn't like something... happening, or things I wear, or stuff like that, would it be... bad?" Ryan raised an eyebrow slightly, but smiled, as he stood up, and walked over to the uncertain trainer. "I'd say, if you really feel it's something for you, go for it. Our absent father can't really stop you from doing anything. And if he has a complaint, he'd have to go through me anyway." Ryan gave the younger teen a thumbs up, but paused for a moment, as he noticed that Zach still seemed uncertain. "I'm serious." He said after a second, an attempt at a reassuring smile on his face. "For all I tease you, I would stick up for you no matter what." "I..." Zach stayed quiet for a moment, auburn hair obscuring his eyes as he smiled. Ryan was surprised, however, as the younger teen suddenly hugged him, dropping the notebook in the meantime. He was a bit confused by the sudden outburst of emotion, but smiled as he hugged back. "Thank you, Ryan. That means a lot to me..." Zach stepped back with a smile, and then scratched his head. "Well, um, good night..." As Ryan watched, the younger trainer scurried off. Ryan spotted the notebook on the ground shortly after Zach had left. "Hey, you forgot..." As he bent down to pick the book up, he noticed it had fallen open. Curiously, the black haired teen looked at the page, and seemed a little surprised, but smiled, as he closed the book up. Not long after, the auburn haired sibling's head popped back in the doorframe. "Here, you dropped this just now..." Ryan handed the book to his brother, who seemed embarrassed about having forgotten it. Zach smiled, and quickly thanked Ryan, before quickly heading back out of the room again. Ryan sighed, as he laid down on his bed after changing into his pyjamas. He thought how that day had gone, and glanced over where the gift laid hidden in his bag. The young man smiled, as he thought of what the reaction when Jessica received the gift might be. With a yawn, Ryan closed his eyes, wondering what the next day would hold. However, that night, he tossed and turned restlessly. He however, passed it off as excitement. --Monday-- As Ryan groggily opened his eyes, he glanced at the time, and noticed that it was an hour before he needed to get up. The teen attempted to fall back to sleep, however, after he couldn't manage to start dreaming again, he reluctantly pulled himself out of bed, and began to get ready. Twenty minutes later, he made his way downstairs, fully dressed and ready for the day, despite looking exhausted. He noticed his mother at the table, and that Gerald was once again absent. "Your father had to leave for work early today. He said to say hello, though." The mother smiled as she noticed Ryan staring toward the empty seat. She sighed with a shake of her head, seeming to realize what Ryan was focused on. "I'm sure that he'll come around some day. I know I say that a lot, but I really do believe in him, and everyone, really..." Something about what his mother said, however, didn't seem to match with the distant look she wore for a moment. Before he could question it, however, it was like the look was never there. The black haired man finished eating his breakfast, and glanced toward the stairs as he stood up. Although it was still early, he noticed that Zach was still not yet up. He sighed, but decided that he wouldn't wait. He thought that by getting an earlier start, he might be able to catch up with Jessica on their way to school. As Ryan walked outside, he noticed that it was still rather dark out, and sighed, as he walked toward the road that Jessica usually took on her way to Ecruteak. Something was wrong this day, however. Ryan looked around with a frown, not seeing any sign of Jessica in the dim early morning light. He shouldered his backpack, as he wondered if he could have mistaken when she left for school. He knew it would take a while to get to Ecruteak, and wondered if she had already passed by there, or if she had even left yet. As he was about to head off on his way, however, a commotion to his right caught his ear. The black haired teen frowned, as he didn't think that it was usual for this hour of the morning. "Stay in there!" Ryan hid behind a nearby dumpster, as a harsh voice rang out in the morning quiet. He peeked around the corner of it, and noticed three people dragging a protesting young girl to an open metal container. The young man thought he barely recognized the girl's voice above the commotion, but her face was blocked by the other three. Before he could try to move to a different position to see who it was, the man who had spoken earlier grabbed the container's door and slammed it shut. "Now, think about what you've done, Liberty scum." The girl's protests were drowned out in part by the wall in between her and the rest of the world, and also by her fists pounding on the steel door. Ryan moved back behind the dumpster, as the three black clothed people walked off. As soon as they had left, he sprinted out, and headed to where the container was. Something didn't feel right to him about what had happened, and he wanted to find out what. "Keep quiet, I'll get you out!" The teen said, and the protesting and pounding suddenly stopped. Ryan strained against the bar, trying to get it open. However, when he opened the door, he noticed Jessica standing inside. She looked just as confused as he currently did, and suddenly a lot of things clicked... why she had been late, and why the voice had seemed familiar. "What are you doing here?" Ryan asked with a confused frown. The girl shook her head, an uneasy look on her face. Something seemed to be wrong here, but he couldn't tell what was up. Nonetheless, he knew that there were more important things at that moment. "You can explain as we run - we have to get out of here." "Okay. . . I wanna stop by my house, though. I think I forgot something." The man looked over at Jessica, as he noticed that she had bit her lip. "After this, I... I don't know what this means. If I have to hide for a bit, then I will need whatever I can get. So, I... want to try and get whatever I can." Ryan wasn't sure if his friend was telling him everything at that moment, but nodded slowly. "Alright. It's not that far, and if we get blocked, we can try to escape to Azalea." The thought of hiding out close to Azalea brought back bad memories, but he couldn't think of anything else to do at that moment. The girl nodded, and then began to run back toward her house. On the way, she explained how the Rockets had approached her. They had mentioned how they got a tip that someone fitting her description was sympathetic to Liberty and planned to join them. Despite her protests, they had decided to arrest her - though the method they used was. . . odd. "I don't get why they did that. Like, they could have taken me with them, right? So why. . .?" The girl seemed uneasy about why they did that and Ryan had to admit that it felt almost like a trap. His hand reached for his Pokeball as they approached her house. However, the girl stopped, a puzzled look on her face, as she looked around. ". . . Did you hear something?" "Hmm, I don't think so. The air feels more tense somehow, but-" A loud roar cut him off, as he saw a Dragonite appear above the skyline. Ryan's eyes widened, as he looked over to Jessica. "Quick! Get your stuff as fast as possible; I don't know if that's wild or not!" The girl nodded, and ran into the house as Ryan sent his Larvitar out quickly. He knew that there was no way that he could possibly damage a Dragonite, but even Larvitar seemed almost... determined to help. They would be the last bastion of help if that was necessary. The Pokemon rampaged throughout the skies as it launched off deadly beams of energy at points in the city. The alarms that were going off to get people to safety identified the threat as being from Team Liberty. Ryan felt sickened by the possibility that people could be that desperate to win a war that they must target innocent people. He shook his head as he noticed the Dragonite was flanked by other flying Pokemon that were attempting to defend the Dragonite from attacks. If nothing else had shown that the Pokemon was owned by a trainer, that cemented it - he had faith that wild Pokemon wouldn't team up for devastation like this. A cry from Larvitar prompted Ryan to look up. The Dragonite had approached their direction and began to charge up a Hyper Beam. The man's eyes widened in fear, as he held his hand forward. Jessie, hurry up, please! I'll... I'll hold this off as long as I can, but I don't know if I can... I don't know if I can survive this. Ryan knew his chances were slim, and had a feeling that he was the Dragonite's target since he was one of the only people who had not taken shelter. "Larvitar, Hyper Beam!" The charge-up wasn't as long as he wished, and the man knew that it was a lot weaker than it could have been, but maybe this could work. Maybe he could prevent any more destruction. . . The two Hyper Beams clashed in mid-air, and for one brief moment Ryan had hope that he could stop the attack. That moment passed in an instant, however, as the Dragonite's beam engulfed his own, continuing on its path. The trainer braced for the impact and was knocked back by the concussive force of the beam hitting its target. He rolled to a stop, facing to the north and laid on his back while everything hurt. Ryan stared blankly at the sky, positive that he was hurt more than he was. However, he sat up when he noticed that Larvitar was poking him with a worried look. The buildings in front of him were untouched so far, though he had a sinking feeling that the Dragonite might attempt to raze them soon. Despite the impact of the Hyper Beam, he felt better than he should. He wondered if maybe he had softened the blow with his counter attack. . . one second later, Larvitar urgently tugged on his sleeve. Ryan turned his head and glanced behind him. "No. . ." His eyes widened and the scene before him blurred. Where a magnificent house had once stood now felt like a scene out of a horror movie. Ony rubble remained in the spot where Jessie's house had once been, the ground around it cracked. The man scrambled to his feet with a strangled shout, and ran over to the ruins. "No, no, no, this can't be happening, Jessie!!" Ryan cried out, as he tried to dig through the ruined house to find any sign that she might have survived somehow. Yet, all that he could see had been burnt beyond recognition. . . until he found a pendant and the breath caught in his throat. The metal had been warped from being melted and the string was likely part of the rest of the ash circling the street, but. . . he could still recognize it. It was Jessica's favourite pendant, and what had prompted him to get her something to go along with it. Had she been wearing it? Did it matter? Everything else was just a hint - no-one could have lived through such a blast. If he had been hit directly like this. . . Ryan collapsed to his knees, tears flowing down his face. What even mattered now? One of the only people who he truly trusted had just been murdered for no reason. . . The man clenched his fists, as he looked up with a fire in his eyes. "Those ######## will pay. . ." The trainer snarled as he called his Larvitar back. Despite his shaky legs, he pushed himself to his feet, and glared up to the sky, where the Dragonite still flew. Headed to the mall. His thought was short and to the point - and if he could think of something else, maybe he wouldn't hurt so bad. He ignored his aching body as he ran toward the Department Store. If he could get enough height then maybe he could fix this personally. It was a stupid idea, but he did not care in the slightest at this point. Ryan stumbled slightly as he ran up the stairs in the Department Store two stairs at a time. A grave determination was in his eyes, and the Larvitar that watched was quite honestly very worried about his trainer at the moment. The man cried out in pain as he put his foot down wrong, but pushed on regardless. His own injuries didn't matter as long as that Dragonite still flew. As he burst onto the roof, he could see the Dragonite hovering nearby. "I'LL KILL YOU!" Ryan roared out, as he dashed toward the Dragonite with a broken look in his eyes. A Staraptor slammed into him from the side and sent him tumbling across the roof. He thought he might have broken something, but stood up regardless. He staggered a moment, but gripped his Pokeball in his hand. As he was about to throw it however, he noticed the Dragonite charge up another Hyper Beam. He prepared himself for what he felt was the inevitable attack. . . however, he noticed at the last moment that it was facing the wrong way. With wide eyes, Ryan walked over toward the railing to see what was hit by the attack. He felt a dizziness as the wind and colour drained out of him. He knew the area that was now in ruins. He felt tears running down his face once again, and even his pure rage could not keep him standing any longer. The target had been his house, and he knew for a fact that everyone would be home still. It had not even been half an hour, and he had lost everyone he cared about. He didn't notice the attacks from the Rocket agents that disabled the Dragonite and its followers before they were recalled by the unknown trainers who had sent them out in the first place. He didn't even notice when the agents picked him up to bring him to safety. Ryan Hikari had not just been broken, he had been shattered. ---- Over the course of the next few months, Ryan enlisted himself in Team Rocket. He struggled with the training program a lot, especially with how intense the person in charge of his training could be. However, he just couldn't bring himself to do anything except what he was told to do. He had become a hollow shell of his former self who was used as a puppet for the ones commanding him. He kept silent and to himself, though deep inside himself, he wished that he could find the people responsible for that attack. One day, the drill sergeant called Ryan into his office. The older man smiled, as the black haired Rocket took a seat. "I'm so glad you could make it. I wanted to give you some news. We have located who killed your family." Ryan looked up in shock, his eyes regaining a tiny bit of the light for the first time in months. The balding man knew he had Ryan right where he wanted him, and nodded. "Yes... it is interesting; it appears that there was a traitor within our ranks the entire time. Sadly. . . he won't ever be locked up." The man smiled cruelly, as he smugly looked down on Ryan. "Because it was me." The man watched as the colour drained out of Ryan's face, and continued. "I read your file - you were destroyed by the deaths of your family and of a 'Jessica Hakuda', and a Dragonite was responsible. I was the one who commanded that Dragonite. I have no love for Liberty or Rocket. . . I just like seeing people panicking and dying. And you. . . you were one of the best of the victims, and you didn't even die." The man chuckled to himself, as he looked at a knife on the table. Ryan's eyes followed, the light gone from them once again. "Of course, since you know this now, you will be meeting a similar fate. And it will be blamed on one of those goody-two-shoes here in Rocket." As the man reached for his knife, Ryan reacted with surprising speed. He snatched the knife up, a look of sheer darkness and anger on his face. "You..." Ryan managed to snarl, as he gripped the knife with both hands and pointed it at the murderer. "You made a horrible mistake. This room isn't big enough for your Dragonite. I'll end your reign of terror here and now!" The trainer's eyes flared with a feral look, as he grit his teeth and dashed toward the Rocket. All it would take, would be one quick stab. . . A flash of light distracted him, however, and he suddenly found himself in a different place. . . . "Where... am I?" Ryan looked around in confusion as he lowered the knife. An Alakazam stood behind him, but this place was not familiar to him. It appeared to be the middle of night, and there were no lights on in the room, which looked better furnished than most buildings he had been in. "Do you want to get her back? Do you want to get Jessica back?" A booming voice surprised Ryan, and he nearly dropped the knife. He felt as if he recognized the voice, but. . . no. It couldn't be - hadn't he been at home? The broken trainer paused, as gears turned in his head. Gerald Hikari had not been at home, and as Ryan turned around, he saw his father giving the black haired trainer a warm smile. "There is a way to bring her and everyone else you care about back." "But you will need to follow my instructions."

Happy birthday, Alku!

-==IC: Chloe==- "Then what are ways to fight it?" Chloe frowned as the imprisoned man had casually pushed that to the side. "That Mewtwo was fighting the things, I heard. Plus, you seem overly knowledgeable about them, more than us. There must be something that you don't seem to be telling us - something that McKinley probably would want you dead for. He specifically targeted you and the others. . . there must be a reason for that, no?" The psychic girl calmed herself - even if she was getting frustrated at how Ford seemed to be dismissing the questions(and at how they seemed to be continually asking the wrong ones), there had to be something that was missed. Something that Ford was overlooking in his apparent surrender. She wanted to threaten him, but at the present moment that would be counter productive. But what else were they overlooking. . .?

-==IC: Chloe==- Chloe frowned as she considered what the shadowed man said. Deciding not to answer the counter question, she nodded at his non-answer as she could tell that there would be no further information from him about that, and decided to take the next question. She wanted to bring up the drawings, but had a feeling that could wait for a tiny bit longer. What she wanted to know now, was the most important bit. The perfect follow-up to the last question. . . "Tomorrow, there will be a team that is going to fight off that thing from the egg, and its..." Chloe paused for a moment as she tried to think of the best word to use. "Offspring. Do you have any information, any at all that could help them fight these things? Anything about its fighting style, or what drives it to attack us, or anything like that?" She bit her lip as she tried to think of anything else to add, but decided to leave it there for the moment.

-==IC: Jenny Hakuda==- After not much longer of talking with the group, everyone left so that Jenny could get some rest. As she yawned, she heard Feral's voice inside her head. "Ray and the others did, yes. . . including my mom. Apparently Ray wasn't quite right when he said she was dead." Not even a moment after, however, the voice proceeded to effectively tell her off for worrying him. The girl shook her head, and looked out the window to her left. "It's not like I meant to fall or anything. I didn't actually realize doing what I did would cause that." Jenny sighed again, but then chuckled. "Will take maybe under advisement, though." The girl laid back in bed, as she thought over the dream she'd had after she fell unconscious. She knew this wasn't the first time, but couldn't remember any times recently- Wait. There was that one time a month ago after I was taken to that place on Cinnabar... Was that all, though. . .? -==IC: Ray Hakuda==- After they reached the lobby again, Ray sighed and looked at everyone. "Well, that went pretty well in general." The man paused, and looked at Jamie with a slightly guilty look on his face. While he had locked in his choice of suit while waiting for Jamie to return from talking to James, he wasn't sure if the woman had done so or not. "I'm sorry for taking up so much time, Jamie. Have you registered your suit yet?" Ray asked, despite the inquisitive look from Colette that he ignored.

-==IC: Ray Hakuda==- "I'm her brother." Ray said after a moment of wondering what this was all about. The nurse gave a small smile at that, and nodded for a moment. Colette looked up at the nurse uneasily, as the two of them wondered what the nurse would said about Jenny's condition. "Alright. Right this way, then - you too, Ms. Llyan. Ms. Hakuda asked for you two specifically when she woke up. Anyone else who wants to visit too are welcome." The nurse's words seemed to bring a wave of relief with them. Ray nodded, as he motioned to the other two. He noticed Jamie had followed, but didn't blame her for being curious. The Separatist wondered just why he had been so worried in the first place, and had a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something crucial. . . The trip to the girl's room didn't take too long, and when the door opened, Jenny glanced over in surprise for one moment, and then broke out into a large smile. "You're all here!" As she spoke, Ray noticed a bandage around his sister's head, and wondered if she had hit it when she fell. Colette hadn't mentioned it but considering the state she had been in when explaining, Ray didn't blame her at all. Jenny's eyes trained on the newcomer to the group, however. "Huh? Who are you?" The redhead asked, as the black haired woman stepped forward with a smile. Ray noticed that the nurse wasn't around, and nodded to his mother, indicating that it was okay to explain. "I'm your mother - my hair might be different, but-" The woman gasped as Jenny threw her arms around Alana quickly. It was obvious that she had not been expecting such an upbeat reaction, and Ray let out a small chuckle at the sight. After a few moments, Jenny leaned back with a wide smile, and laughed. "Ray told me you were dead! I'm glad to see you, though. I'll admit that my memories are still a little fuzzy, but, I'm really glad you're here too." Ray looked over and noticed Alana giving him a skeptical look, which then melted away as she laughed too. "It's a long story, but to everyone that being dead would matter to, I am. To those I care about, I am still here. I may not be here forever, but now that the family's being reunited again, I intend to make every moment count. . . even if it could be under better conditions." The woman sighed for a moment, but then frowned slightly as she looked at Jenny closely. "Changing the subject quickly, are you alright? How bad was the fall? Were you hurt badly?" Jenny waved her hand dismissingly with a smile. "I'm fine! It wasn't bad at all; I'm up and at 'em already, see?" She giggled slightly, as Alana seemed to relax a bit. "I think I just overdid it in the heat and all; plus, everything's been stressful and such. . . but I'm fine now, alright?" Ray noticed that she looked away for a moment before saying she was fine the second time. "I probably should get some rest just to make sure I'm 100%, but I'm okay otherwise~" Alana smiled, and nodded. "All right. . . I was just a little worried that your anemia might be acting up. I'm not sure how things were when you had disappeared, but I'm glad it kept away." Ray noticed that Jenny seemed a little confused about that, but she quickly hid it with a smile and nod. "Especially since its cause. . ." The mother trailed off before she could continue, and shook her head. "That doesn't matter. What matters is you're okay."

-==IC: Ryan Hikari==- Ryan grit his teeth as he watched Shannon run out of the room. He turned back to Theodore and Ava with a pointed look on his face. He didn't know why he felt this was his concern, but. . . no. He did know - it was because Shannon was one of the only people who refused to lose hope in him, even if he didn't deserve it sometimes. "And where was this concern last month?" Ryan said with an edge to his voice. "Where was it when you were responsible for taking her away from her friends, and then attacking the very town you used to live in? Where was it when Celadon was under attack?" He struggled to keep his tone under control as he felt like their attitudes themselves were starting to get him angry. "I don't like it when people try to micromanage every single aspect of someone's life, and then turn around and say it's for their own good. Coming over and starting to yell at someone like that and making a scene. . . how do you think the target of that would feel? How do you think Shannon feels right now? Have you ever actually considered her, or even gotten to know her?" Ryan stopped for a while, and then turned away. "I may not know her well even now, but at least I listen and don't try to make excuses. You've just proven that you don't." Without waiting for an answer, and thinking that he heard someone protesting his last sentence, Ryan began to walk toward the exit. -==IC: Ray==- The trio walked quickly through the halls toward the last place Ray had seen Jenny. He had been sending off messages to his sister since they had left the room, but not a single one of them got a reply. Alana seemed uneasy as they walked but Ray didn't feel comfortable with asking what was wrong. As they reached the hospital wing, he spotted the girl with beige hair from before. "Wait here for a moment, I'm gonna talk to her for a moment." The separatist knew that Colette had been one of the last people to talk to Jenny. He also considered that Evan might know, but. . . he had a bad feeling for some reason, and didn't want to worry anyone if it really was nothing. Shaking his head to clear the thought, Ray approached the girl and felt uneasy as she looked up. Her eyes were redder than when he had last seen her, and she looked almost worried. What was causing this feeling. . .? "Heya." Ray said simply, but the girl averted her gaze. He bit his lip as he tapped her on the shoulder. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" He felt as if he didn't want to know the answer to that question. . . and from the looks of the aura wielder, she felt similarly. He watched as she took a deep breath. "Jenny fell. It. . . it was sudden, and I didn't know what to actually do, so I called for the doctor and such, and they rushed her here. I-I haven't heard anything yet, but I don't even know what caused her to fall. One second she was okay, then I turned around and she was just laying on the ground." Ray stood there in shock. Was this what his mother had meant. . .? He focused further and noticed that Colette seemed to be shaking. "Don't worry." The young man smiled even as Colette seemed surprised by that response. "Jenny's tough - she wouldn't let a simple fall get to her." It was false bravado - Ray knew that the girl could tell, but. . . "Don't worry. Everything will be okay. It'll be... okay. . ." Maybe if he repeated it enough times, it would be true. Movement out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention. He turned his head and saw a nurse approach the two of them. "Hello. Are you a relative of Jenny Hakuda's?"

-==IC: Chloe==- As the group approached the cell where Ford was being kept, Chloe thought over everything she had heard. For every good thing she could think of, she could pick out the bad things that she'd heard. Despite never actually having run into the man personally, she had run into the after-effects of his actions. From Bluefalcon, to Blackskull's apparent death before he'd reappeared at. . . some point while they were in Unova apparently... Chloe definitely knew that the man was not all good. She knew he was their only hope at this point, and hoped that it was worth it. Something about the atmosphere of the group felt. . . different too. As if though the group contained a good number of the same people they in Unova, that something wasn't unified about them still. Their escort left them at the entrance to Ford's cell. Chloe felt apprehensive about the idea suddenly, but knew she couldn't just back out, as she tapped the record button on her Pokegear's sound app. It was now or never, and she felt that she needed to muster up even a tiny bit of the courage she had obtained in her travels in Unova. "Hello, Mr. Ford? We have some questions for you - we wish to help get info to better prepare everyone for the fight against those things from Two Island."

-==IC: Jenny Hakuda==- Jenny could see that Colette was struggling to come up with an answer for what her motives for fighting were. However, as she was about to open her mouth to give advice, the aura wielder finally spoke up. "Well, I obviously fight for my family. I have to protect them, after all. But I also... I'm also fighting for Lucina." The younger girl was smiling as if she was recalling an old memory. However something in the tone of Colette's voice and something in the expression on her face made it seem to Jenny like there was something else to that. "She was my teacher back in Kalos. She's why I wear my hair the way I did until things went bad." Colette's face turned more melancholy after that. "She sounds like she was nice. Did you like her?" Jenny asked with a smile, as she leaned against the wall of the hallway. She wondered if there might be something about her teacher that might be causing her unease. Colette nodded after a moment, but then seemed to pause. "I liked her, but she was rather tough at times, and between her and my aunt, I spent more time with my studies than I did with anyone else my age." Colette hesitated for a moment after she finished speaking, and glanced around uneasily. "I. . . might have driven some of my possible friends off too when I was young. We were playing around with testing out how accurately I could read auras, and I kinda spilled the emotions of a couple people." The blush on the girl's cheeks raised Jenny's curiosity, but she never got a chance to ask, as Colette continued to speak. "To be honest, I now wonder if their reactions might have just been on-the-spot ones. I probably will never find out now, since I won't have a chance to see them again likely; they're probably scattered all over Kalos by now." "That doesn't sound like it's fun. . ." Jenny agreed, but scratched her head. "I'm not sure if that's totally related to what worries you, though. Can you tell me some more about your teacher? What sort of training did you do?" The resulting answer was just about the wrong thing to say. They began to walk again as Colette began to go on and on about her training, and what sort of things it consisted of - though the girl also began to explain about unrelated details like how she caught some of her Pokemon during her training. Jenny didn't have the heart to stop her, and simply continued to listen and nod. Finally, after what seemed like over half an hour, Colette finished her explanation and sighed. "I mean, it was a cool time. But..." "It was still tough and time consuming, wasn't it? What did you do when you weren't training?" Jenny noticed that Colette seemed shocked once again, but the girl thought for a moment. "Well, there were exams. Some special surprise trials to learn things on the fly too. And the relaxing type of fishing before bed sometimes. . . which was also training, actually." The aura wielder sheepishly grinned for a moment before it faltered and was replaced by a slight frown. "I guess I never actually had any time off. Most of the time I got off, I had to sneak off to get. But I knew I couldn't slack off, because if I did, then I probably wouldn't be able to see Zoe. . . since I'd be too busy otherwise. I liked learning things, but I almost feel like I was pressured too much." Jenny nodded, as she wondered if they had found the answer. As they came to a stop, the redhead noticed that they had reached the entrance of the Alamo. "Come on, I have an idea." Colette seemed uncertain about what was in mind, but nodded as she followed the other woman outside. Jenny stretched her arms for a moment, and glanced back to the younger girl. "Let's run to the beach and back - not for any reason at all, just for fun." "What?!" Colette looked at Jenny as if it was the weirdest idea she had ever heard. "But we haven't warmed up or anything! Lucina always said-" "So?" The redhead gave Colette a warm smile. "Let's break some rules so we can relieve some tension; I know I would in your situation. Who knows, it might even clear your head. Sound like a plan?" With a reluctant nod, the two began to run down the path to the beach. Partway in, Jenny yelled out with laughter mixed in to try and get everything that was bothering her off her chest. Colette seemed surprised by the noise, and looked around uneasily to see if anyone was watching. . . however, it seemed like the path was empty. Jenny turned her head to watch as she saw Colette with red cheeks, yelling out as she ran to try and get ahead. Once they got back to the Alamo, Jenny chuckled in between pants, as she looked at the smiling aura wielder. "So? Feel any better?" The Plasma agent felt tired after the run, but the younger girl seemed almost ready to go for another run. With a nod, Colette put her hands behind her head. "Yep... I'm beginning to feel a bit better. I also wonder... what's the real reason I feel so uneasy? I don't really feel like I'm scared of my powers anymore - I'm more scared of the situation. But something still doesn't. . . feel right." Colette stayed quiet for a moment as Jenny looked over, a curious look on her face. "I... have a theory. I think I feel as if I'm just a puppet at times. Of Liberty, of Lucina, and of my mom and dad. And while that's not true obviously, I think I still feel like I'm almost following a path without actually knowing it. Like, even when I tried to have my own hairstyle, I did it exactly the way Lucario ears are, because of Lucina. So I just, I wonder if I really even have my own identity. So, because of feeling like that, and feeling like I still have to perform excellently for Lucina, despite her not being here, I. . . think that's what this is all about." Jenny blinked as Colette finished speaking and nodded twice. "That's good insight, honestly. I can't say whether that's the actual thing or not, but, that might be a good thing to try first. What would you want to do to try and get that started? I might be able to help depending on what it is!" The woman leaned against the wall to the building as she kept trying to catch her breath. Colette thought for a moment, and then slowly smiled. "Well, actually..." -==IC: Chloe Hikari==- "Right." Chloe nodded in agreement as Ethan and Sonja suggested to go, since she didn't figure there was any more talking that needed to be done. "Can someone lead the way? I've been down in that area all of once, and don't know it very well..." -==IC: Ray Hakuda==- After a moment, Ray stepped back and smiled. "So, dad's around too, then? Where is he now? Does anyone else know?" "Whoa, whoa, slow down the questions." Alana laughed, but thought for a moment. "Your father survived too, yes, as far as I know. As for where he is, I honestly have no idea. We. . . became strained after Jessie died. Things were getting better, but a few months ago I simply lost contact. No-one but us knows we're alive, though." As he heard that, Ray sighed with a nod. One thing bugged him, though. "Wouldn't he like it if he heard that Jessie's alive, though? I mean, she chose a different name now which he might not like, but..." Ray didn't expect the look of shock on his mother's face. "She's alive?! But. . . the house. . ." Alana paused, and cursed. "That monster must have pulled a similar stunt to what we did. But why...?" "I don't know." Ray admitted, but recalled something that one of the others had mentioned and paused. ". . . It's not the first time he's done something like this either. My friends were mentioning that Alistair is aliv-" "He's what?!" How the tables had turned - now it was Alana's turn to be utterly stunned at what Ray was saying. "That. . . I hope some time we get to see him..." The tone in her voice sounded to Ray like she was having a hard time staying composed. He couldn't say he blamed her, what with losing over 15 years worth of time. However, she shook her head. "Jessie is alive, though? Do you know where she is? What she's doing? What she's been doing all this time? How did we not find out about her?" Ray held his hands up to stop any further questions, and then explained about what had happened, and everything they knew about Jenny since she lost her memory. At that little tidbit, Alana's hands went to her mouth, as she listened intently to everything else that Ray explained about. When he finished talking, the woman stayed quiet for a long while. Ray thought that it might have been too much for her, but instead, she grabbed his shoulder with surprising intensity. "You say she's here? Right now? Please. Please take me to her; she might have forgotten something critical. Something we all might have after all this time. Please take me to her now." -==IC: Colette Llyan==- Colette looked in the mirror as she admired the way her hair looked. It hadn't been cut, but Jenny had helped her hair be put into a ponytail held by a bow, and she had to admit that it looked very nice to her. At the same time, though, she felt weird looking at herself but seeing a different hairstyle. She hoped that was a good sign. "Thank you!" Colette said to Jenny, as she gave the older girl a thankful hug. Jenny beamed back in return, as she chuckled. "I'm glad you like it. It's not much, but I figured that it would be something very helpful. I'm glad I had that laying around; I think I was gonna use it at some time, but well, things happen and I don't really need it anymore. Or was it a gift for something?" Jenny furrowed her brow, but shrugged. "Either way, it hasn't been touched, so, enjoy!" Colette giggled happily, as she turned away. "Maybe now we should go try to find something else. Maybe a new outfit? I know there's that thing, but isn't Evan and Ray looking into it? Haven't met Sleepyhead much, but he seemed reliable today, so um, if you don't mind, do you think you could help with that too?" Colette paused in her plans as she heard a dull thud. Confused, she turned around. Her eyes widened. -̶̡̛=͠=̨͡͝Ì̡̨͟C̴̴:̨͝ ̵̢J̵̨ȩ̵s̸҉̷̧s̵̨̢͝i̵̧͠e̶ ̵̢̀͟H͜͡ą̵̛̀k̸̢̡͘u҉̴d̷̢á̸͝=̵̢̛͜=̷̛̀͜͟-̛҉ The room seemed odd to the young girl as she ran through it happily. Despite that, it also seemed normal enough to her. The biggest thing was that it just didn't seem -right- to her. She shrugged it off as she continued to run around and play. "Jessica! What did I tell you about running in the house...?" A man's voice called for the young girl. Jessica. . . was that her name? Why was she feeling confused about that? "All right!" The girl called out in her sing-song voice, as she promptly continued to run around again, this time on the way outside. Her happy smile turned to one of confusion, however, as an odd feeling fell over her. "Huh. . .?" A few moments later, she blinked and saw that she was laying on her back, with her mother and father surrounding her. The girl slowly sat up with a blink. "Did I fall?" The room oddly shifted before the girl's eyes, as she felt different. She looked down and saw that she seemed older, maybe eight years old now. The girl shook her head, as she felt like the environment looked... off somehow. Like pieces were just wrong, though she couldn't tell what. "Jessie! Hurry up, or we're both gonna be late!" "A-alright!" Was that her name? Why didn't it feel right? Who was that black haired boy? The girl began to run after the boy with a smile. She opened her eyes in confusion, and saw a white ceiling. She glanced around, and noticed the boy from earlier. He saw that she was awake, and smiled widely. "Jessie's up!" He called out, and looked over at her. "You just fell down so suddenly that I didn't know what to do." Words spoken that the girl couldn't understand. Situations that didn't make any sense. But something seemed like it was being pieced together. But what? The scene changed again. This time, she looked to be in her teens. She was standing near an older version of that black haired boy. He was saying something, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. She thought he asked if she was alright. "I-I'm fine." She said, although she didn't feel fine. She walked over to get some water, and. . . She opened her eyes. Her bedroom? She glanced over to see her mom and dad smiling in relief. So this was what she needed to piece together. . . "Oh. So I fell again."

-==IC: Ryan Hikari==- Once upon a time, Ryan would have at least had skepticism that Shannon's parents were that bad. That moment had passed. He grit his teeth as he looked straight at the man who was yelling about all this, and was suddenly reminded of how his own father had acted back when things were more normal. That was not a good comparison. The Rocket thought back to the chaotic time when Shannon had explained about her parents. There was something that was relevant to the situation, but what was it. . .? "My parents are Liberty agents." He felt as if there was something else, but this was what he'd focus on for now. "So. . . does Liberty think this mission is that dangerous, that you feel the need to forbid someone from going? How exactly does that reflect back on them then?" Ryan's tone was controlled as he tried to keep his face neutral while contesting Shannon's father. "Is your motto 'anyone but me'? Because it sounds like it. You're perfectly fine with anyone going, but not Shannon; correct?" -==IC: Chloe Hikari==- Chloe was stunned for a moment as Sonja responded. Even if Sonja thought it sounded like a non-answer, to Chloe it was the exact opposite. The psychic girl looked up with a smile. She hid her shaky hands behind her back, as her nerves began to calm down. "Thank you. . ." The girl was honestly very relieved by that answer. It was rather to-the-point, but it served its purpose very well. "You're right; now's not the time to dwell on the past. Gerald's been locked up as of a few weeks ago, and now we have something bigger to worry about. But. . . thank you." Chloe smiled, as she felt like the weight that had been hovering over her had finally been totally removed. She adjusted her bag as she headed toward the door again, but paused. "Maybe when things aren't quite so hectic, everyone could make an effort to get to know each other better? I tried once a little while ago, but things kinda got hectic, and, well, not everyone was around then." Chloe chuckled softly at the thought of how crazy that week had been. -==IC: Ray Hakuda==- Alana nodded with a smile. Ray stood still, entirely speechless. No matter what he tried to think of to say, nothing came to mind. Here was the person he'd continually wish that he could see one more time, yet he couldn't find the words that he wanted to say. Nothing felt genuine at all. Ray felt happy, yet betrayed; excited yet angry. Something else seemed odd to him too. Alana was obviously not lying, he could tell that much. Yet for some reason, he felt uneasy. As if this whole situation was too. . . easy. He wanted to voice that too; but couldn't find the words. ". . . Welcome back." Ray finally said with a warm smile. Despite all his uneasiness, this was still his miracle. A situation that he never expected; the chance to see his mother again. After he took a few awkward steps forward Ray wrapped his arms around Alana, still shocked at the fact that this gamble had paid off. He wondered again why now, but didn't pay it any mind as he simply enjoyed the hug. -==IC: Olivia Seaton==- "I dunno. . ." Olivia admitted with a sigh, as she tapped her fingers together. "I'd bet toward the center of the buildin', but I dunno. All I've seen is the outside, trainin' areas, an' the dorms. But, tell ya what, let's pick... this way!" With a smile, she began to quickly walk to the left at the fork in the path. She had no clue if this was the right way to head, but it wouldn't do to just mope around about it, or stand around all day.

-==IC: Lucia==- "Um, you're welcome!" Lucia called out after the executive. She was half puzzled at how that conversation, if you could call it that, had gone. . . but also understood it a lot. With a sigh she turned back to the data pad, which currently listed off four choices. The first was invalid, and as she read through the details about it, two of the other three just didn't seem like they were good fits. That left the Grass suit, which did seem right up her alley. With some quick work, she submitted her formal request for the Grass type suit, and smiled slightly.

-==IC: Lucia==- Lucia was surprised as Jamie's "brother" appeared before her, and that surprise soon turned to slight unease. "Well, she's still back in Celadon to my knowledge. She gave me this, however, in case I ran into you." The healer dug into her bag, and then pulled out an envelope that she then handed to James. "If you ask me what's in it, I have no clue; she wouldn't - or couldn't - give any hints." She didn't add that the expression on the Gardevoir's face didn't really bode well for the letter's contents.

SV, since at this rate, there's no stopping the bandwagon... =/

-==IC: Gerald Hikari==- Gerald sat against the wall of his cell as he glanced up at the ceiling. For what it was worth, his plans had not gone that horribly. Sure he was stuck in a prison cell probably for all eternity. Sure, he had Thundurus and Tornadus taken away before he could even try anything, all because they'd go and searched out Landorus for him. Sure, he had met and lost his daughter again in the course of half an hour or less. But things weren't all that bad- Who was he kidding?! Gerald snarled, as he suddenly stood up and paced around angrily. Things had gone that badly, and now he was stuck in this Arceus-forsaken cell. It was designed to be heavily protected - both against harm to the prisoner, and to prevent those from getting in. Both parts were grating at Gerald's nerves at the moment. If he knew people outside, then he could get help from those. . . and if the cell wasn't padded enough to prevent any sort of harm, then he might be able to at least end his own suffering. As it stood, he was simply reduced to waiting out the rest of his days. Or so he thought. With a buzz, the door opened. Gerald paused and looked over as a guard entered the room. He was wearing the protective combat suits that anyone who came to take him somewhere wore - the Plasma crest clearly visible on the left side of the suit's chestpiece. It was clear that they were taking out all the stops for something. Gerald turned his full attention to the guard, as another guard entered. "Your presense is requested in the visitation room. I would recommend that you do not keep us waiting." The guard's voice was distorted behind the helmet, as if through a filter. Gerald considered how he would approach the situation. This was most certainly an unusual prospect for him; someone wanted to see him? He half wondered if it was one of the Sages who wanted to admonish him. But. . . this could be a chance. "You will let me go free instead. This guest will then be forced to come to me." Gerald's eyes glowed purple as he attempted to use his hypnosis on the guards. What he earned in return, was a smack from the first guard, who looked thoroughly unamused. "I think not. Now, if you will stop attempting to use your demon powers on me, we will go this way." Gerald let out a low growl at the nerve of that man. Once he was free, he would make that man pay first. Gerald held his hands in front of himself as he was fitted with a straitjacket that would prevent him from trying to attack someone. As it was put on, he felt an odd 'pulse' like he had felt a few nights ago when the light happened. He found that his powers did not work, and guessed that the jacket had a sort of dampener in effect so he wouldn't even try to use his powers on anyone not trained against them. ---- The man was led to the visitation room, as he could see a formally dressed man sitting in the visitor's seat. Gerald took his seat, and stared expectantly at the man. Something about this meeting seemed odd to the criminal, but he knew he wasn't in any position to actually question it. The guest smiled creepily as he opened up a briefcase. "Hello, Mr. Hikari. I am here to discuss things with you, that could potentially result in good things for everyone. But let us cut to the chase, and say that you would be able to possibly get released on, ah, good behavior. At the very least, I could... put in a good word." Gerald gave the man an intrigued look. He did not care at all if anyone else benefited, but if he were released, then that could mean that his plans could be put back into action again. That, above all else, made him interested. "Tell me more about these things of yours." Gerald gave a cruel smile, as his the gears in his mind started turning once again. As they talked, the hourly change of the guards took place and one of the guards started to listen in on the conversation. He did not understand much of what Gerald and the guest was saying, but he heard something about a 'special technology' in Kalos that needed assistance. A few minutes after, however, the prisoner agreed to the terms that the guest said, and the guest promised to get him started within the week. As the guards escorted Gerald back to his cell, the one on the left noticed that the prisoner was whistling a theme of triumph. He frowned at Gerald and shook his head as he wondered just how someone could be that arrogant. He knew it wouldn't be long however, and simply bit his tongue. He wondered again about what that Kalos thing was about, and made a note to check into it later. For now, there were other things to check into. The guard's other friend who had just gone off shift agreed about Gerald, but knew nothing could be done. The door to Gerald's cell opened, and the trio walked in quickly. "Well, it was a pleasure, but I could use the use of my hands again. I would appreciate if you could untie me." The guard could just hear the bitterness in Gerald's tone about the straitjacket, and nodded as he turned to his fellow guard. "I got this from here, you can go. No need to worry 'bout me or the prisoner." The other guard seemed hesitant, but left the room quickly. The man closed the door behind her, and then turned back to Gerald. He slowly walked around the silver haired man, who turned to follow the guard with a quickly increasing look of annoyance. "Well? What exactly are you waiting for, me to grow older and die? Well you'd be waiting a long time; I ain't dying any time soon. In fact, I might be getting out soon. Then I will make sure to remember every last person who crossed me. And you know what I'll do? I'll kill them. Some in their sleep, others right in their face. And no-one will be able to stop me, especially if I get my hands on those things that company is working on." Gerald seemed smug. Too smug. The guard wanted to wipe it off him so badly, but knew he had to be careful. But not for much longer. Instead, he laughed, which Gerald sneered at. 3... "As if killing anyone has worked out for you so far. How many have you actually killed? How many have stayed dead?" That got Gerald's attention. "More than you, you little worm. I have rid myself of my worst rivals, too. The ones that I hated the most. And I enjoyed that moment, when Patrick Hakuda died the most." 2. . . "Care to be a little more presumptuous?" Gerald snarled. "How dare you act snarky to me?! Who do you think you are?! I demand you release me this instant." 1. . . "You know. It's too bad that the jacket hinders your powers. It might have even worked on me. You want to know who I am?" The guard reach up and began to undo his helmet. Gerald gave the haughty guard a glare for a few moments, not noticing that the recording light on his room's camera had turned off. "Your worst nightmare." Gerald's look of terror gave the guard an oddly satisfying feeling. The helmet fell to the ground with a loud clank as Gerald tried to back up as fast as he could. The guard watched, piercing blue eyes looking down at Gerald in contempt as the coward fell to the ground. "No... n-n-no... It can't be... IT CAN'T BE!!" The inmate's screams of terror were music to the guard's ears even as he drew a silenced pistol from his belt. How long he had waited for this moment of justice. . . The guard's burnt orange hair fell over his eyes a bit as he knelt down, a triumphant smile on his face. "Yahahaha..." The man let out a fake laugh to mock Gerald, as the terrified man looked to be ready to die of fright. But after all the stuff that he had been through? Everything that the criminal had pulled, and everything he destroyed? He deserved more than to die of terror. "I got you." Patrick Hakuda raised the gun to Gerald's forehead, and pulled the trigger. OOC: . . . Gerald Hikari: Dead. -==IC: Ryan Hikari==- Ryan thought that over for a second, but then frowned. She wasn't right in this case, especially not after what they had seen. As the two were handed the data pads, the man silently put his Pokeballs into the device so they could be read. After a few moments, it displayed that Normal was the highest with a mention that it was invalid and that Dark type was the runner-up. After he finished looking at it, he turned to Shannon. "Look around. If I don't go, then that means that everyone else will be one person short. There's not enough people here to afford that." Ryan frowned as he shook his head. "I have to go, or I'll let everyone else down. And if this mission fails, then that means that the entire world might be in danger." -==IC: Olivia Seaton==- "Dunno. If we were goin' some place in particular, then I might have an idea, but I don't have a clue where to start." Olivia frowned slightly, as she contemplated what to do. If they went to the dorms, they might be able to find someone, but the fact that the cafeteria was empty indicated people were elsewhere for whatever reason. Anywhere else, Olivia didn't actually know where to check for lack of an idea of what all was in the Alamo. "This'd be a lot easier if this'd been Chapel or Paradise. . ." The Rocket mumbled, as she glanced around uncertainly. "We might hafta do with some good ol' trial and error. I doubt anythin' outside would work, but we could wander around inside until we found somethin'. . ." -==IC: Ray Hakuda/Jamie Arthur/Mimi White==- Mimi smiled at Jamie as the girl made her way back. Ray glanced between the two for a moment, surprised at the sight of the new Metagross tagging along behind Jamie, but didn't say anything about it. "Alright, right this way." Mimi led the way back into the hallway, and then into an unoccupied room after walking a little way. The woman looked around, glancing around for something before she nodded. "This will do. I'm sorry, but I couldn't discuss things with everyone else around. I'll answer any questions you have, though." Jamie reluctantly had to retreat Tristan as she entered through the doorway, as he was too big. She wanted to stay with him for a while, considering she hadn't seem in what felt like forever, but she needed to advance. "Alright, to start with, why can't you discuss things with everyone else around?" Mimi looked as if she expected that question, and nodded. "I have to be careful with how I explain things. What you're about to hear is confidential information, and does not leave this room, all right?" Ray wondered what the woman could be talking about, but nodded his agreement with the terms. Jamie grumbled a bit, but nodded. "Okay. The reason there needs to be secrecy, and why I have to be careful, is because. . . I'm not who I said I am. For all intents and purposes, I am Mimi White; but that is an assumed name. It is because I am undercover as a Team Plasma spy." Mimi let that hang in the air for the moment, before she continued. "It is not out of malice, however - it is simply a job, and the best that could be done under the circumstances. My best skills other than what I do as a hobby are in the technical field. So it was thought that I could be sent here to keep an eye on things while also laying low." "Laying low?" Ray repeated with a small frown. He had an idea where this was going, but didn't want to get his hopes up. "Yes. I was forced to do so by circumstances beyond my control. It was also thought that by being in this position, I could try and gather intel to fix the situation. However. . . it was already solved recently, without even having to do anything myself." Mimi smiled at that, and sighed. "Despite that, I cannot afford to risk having things compromised, which is why I need to be so secretive about this, and I apologize." "A spy?" Jamie asked, confused. "Like secret agent, Bond-type spy?" she asked, her eyes sparkling a little. Mimi chuckled a bit with a smile, caught off guard by that a bit. "Well, you're not entirely far off from that. I'm sadly not quite so Bond-like, but my husband, gosh, you should see him in action sometime. . . or, well, maybe not since that typically would imply you're his target. We don't quite have all the fancy gadgets, but what we do get, we do make use of sometimes." She pulled out her Xtransceiver, and showed it to the two. "This has a few secret features; nothing really fancy, but it does allow connection to another device so others can listen in on a call for like, if someone tries to make some sort of demand or something. There's some other things, but I'm not sure if it'd bore you or not. . ." "Ooh!" Jamie eyes lit up as she nearly jumped to take a closer look. But she caught herself and shook her head. "Wait a second, I'm getting distracted. What was that 'situation' you were talking about?" "Oh, right." Mimi nodded as she thought about where she left off. "Right, so, I don't know how much you know about the man, but, the reason I was placed into this situation was because of Gerald Hikari. One night a few summers ago, he attempted to kill me and my husband. We had set it up beforehand to try and lure him into it, and. . . for all intents and purposes, he succeeded. He 'killed' some cadavers that we had set up as decoys, so we effectively faked our own deaths. Sadly, that meant that we couldn't contact anyone who knew us." Mimi turned to Ray, who was absolutely speechless at the moment. "Which actually leads back to the original question. . . I know Ray, because I am his mother - my actual name is Alana Hakuda."

OOC: Half-jam with Minun due to post advancement reasons. -==IC: Ray Hakuda/Jamie Arthur==- "I recognized her face. I think it's my apparently dead mom. It's possible that she isn't her, but. . . I need to find out." Even as he was being handed one of the tablets for scanning, Ray focused on the technician instead. He knew this was borderline creepy, and knew that it was a very likely chance that this woman was just a look-a-like, but. . . "I'm gonna go talk to her." Even with his mind made up, the Separatist hesitated. No matter the outcome, there would still be a lot bigger answers. "I..." Jamie wasn't quite what normal was, but she was pretty sure this wasn't it. But at the same time, it wouldn't do to leave such a question unanswered either. She needed to enter in her data, and James was currently looking towards her, but... "Alright. I'll follow of you if you need me," she said. There wasn't much she could actually do to affect the outcome but she was willing to be their for moral support. Ray nodded in response as he started to move toward the technician in question. As he approached, he noticed that the device in her hand was an Xtransceiver, and looked almost... foreign made. Ray reached up and tapped the woman's shoulder, a pit in his stomach due to anticipation as the woman turned toward him. A glimmer of recognition seemed to flash across the face, before going back to a neutral look. "May I help you. . .?" The technician glanced at the two present, a slight look of confusion on her face as she slightly raised an eyebrow. Ray could tell that the look was warranted, considering how the two had just up and walked over to this woman. He pushed it out of his mind and simply focused on what mattered for the moment. "Yeah. I was just curious who you are?" Ray studied the woman's face as he waited, but for every sign he saw just as many doubts appeared in his mind. The edge of the woman's mouth curled into a small smile, as she returned his gaze with an almost knowing look. "White. Mimi White, level 2 technician on duty for Team Liberty." Ray's eyes widened at the response. No. . . That name, he recognized it. No; specifically the first name. Memories of a time long past flew into his mind - a time when things were much simpler to him. He remembered the stuffed animal he used to carry around before he could have an actual Pokemon. Mimi. The technician seemed almost amused at the man's shock. "Why do you ask. . . Agent Ray Hakuda?" "Hold up, hold up," Jamie interceded before Ray could respond. "How do you know his name?" Jamie questioned with a quizzical look on her face. Mimi glanced between the stunned man and the hero of time as she seemed almost to mull things over in her head. "Because I have met him before, you could say." The woman let out a soft laugh. "I'm afraid here isn't a good place to explain further, but if we could head out of this stuffy room, I think that I could tell more about how I know Ray." -==IC: Chloe Hikari==- That wasn't entirely how Chloe had pictured things going, but after she thought about it for a moment, she wasn't quite sure what else she was expecting. No matter, she still felt suddenly nervous again. "Um. . . Well, there's honestly a few things." This was it. "Well, first of all, I'm Chloe. I decided to stop hiding myself a few weeks ago, but only just recently got to actually tell people." The psychic girl let out a slightly nervous laugh, as the biggest thing was still yet to come. She fell silent for a good few moments, as she struggled to get an idea of how to approach the next subject. "I. . . I'm sorry, for everything. For ditching everyone in Unova, for letting that monster and Kyurem take over my mind, for not helping against the Darkrai... I'm sorry for everything. I've come a long way since then, and I want to say that I'd never let anything like that happen again. I've been trying my best to make up for what happened, and I know there's not really anything I can say to actually help things there, but I want to at least try." Chloe's gaze slowly turned down to the floor as she ran through imaginary situations in her mind. "I know that you're one of the ones in our group who was affected most by what happened. So. . . that's why I wanted to apologize. If you want to say anything, then feel free." OOC: Other ICs tomorrow.

I'll vote Taka - no hard feelings, just going based on past evidence this time. ^^;

-==IC: Yugo Doseki==- "What is this place...?" Yugo mumbled out loud as he suddenly appeared to be back outside behind Ruth. Uncertain, he sent out Spitfire and Airazor just in case. "Keep watch guys, I don't like this at all." The teen walked forward, eyes scanning across the surroundings in case the group was ambushed by something - maybe more of those cultists? They hadn't encountered anyone for a while, but he was still troubled by them. . . -==IC: Olivia Seaton==- After lunch ended, the redhead led the younger girl around the Alamo. "Jus' gonna warn ya, I have not a single clue where we're goin'. I hope that's alright with ya." Olivia knew her way around better than Lachina did because of having been there longer, but that didn't make her an expert either. She knew the basics, but especially not where they needed to go right now. Where would they even find out info. . .? Her hand moved toward her PokeGear for a moment, but she thought better of bugging Chloe with this for now.

-==IC: Ray==- "I don't know." Ray admitted, as he bit his lip. "I thought I saw someone who died a few years ago, but..." The man faltered, as he seemed uncertain. Was it just his hopes? If so, then why now? He wondered for a moment if he was just seeing what he wanted to see to give him hope for the mission. . . Suddenly, he saw someone moving off to the side, a communicator in hand. Ray's eyes widened for a moment. "There. Do you see her?" -==IC: Ryan==- "I am." Ryan said with a grim look on his face. "Something feels odd too, but I also feel almost like there's something about these things that. . ." He trailed off as he seemed to be lost in thought. Was it just the designs that was triggering this odd sense of deja vu? Or the part about the fact that it sounded to run on Pokemon's power? Nonetheless, there was no backing down now. "It's the only chance we have right now. I'm going. I have to." -==IC: Chloe==- "Tomorrow morning...?" The psychic was caught off guard by how soon it was, but silently realized that it made a lot of sense. With how urgent the messages were, it only followed that there would not be much time to work. "That gives more time than I was expecting... but we do need to move quicker than I was hoping..." Chloe looked over at Sonja after that and bit her cheek. While she wanted to settle things like she had with the others, she wondered if this was any time to do that. She turned her head away, and glanced down at the table. It's too crowded here anyway. . . "Um, I think we should leave now, then." Chloe looked up and glanced around at the group that would be joining her. It was a little intimidating, and reminded her of the last time- No. She stopped herself suddenly as she knew that train of thought could not go anywhere good. The psychic girl glanced over at Sonja after a brief pause. "Do you have a moment before we go, though?" -==IC: Olivia==- "I guess. . ." Olivia had to admit, that probably was a lot of the issues with this whole situation, and how out of things she felt. "Once we finish, we should go check things out; whatcha think?"