Konuju

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Warehouse Interior, Keturi City It was less Evan adding his power's to Dahlia's and more Evan taking over the task. At first Dahlia tried to resist, but even she had to admit she was far too weak to actually do anything here. She kept her powers activated just enough to supplement Evan doing the heavy lifting. When the man was finally free, Dahlia retreated to the far corner of the room to rest, casting a weary, regretful eye on Sylph. The Gardevoir had been shot in the shoulder, and Xander would probably want her to reverse that wound too. Even if she wasn't already miffed at the Kalosian, she wasn't doing anything to Sylph until she had a few days to recover from her overexertion. It had been a long time since Ryan had seen a Capture Styler in action, but he was familiar enough with the process to appreciate Lachina's profound skill. She expertly sent the Capture Disc into a wide arc around the captive Pokémon, gradually narrowing the loop as she exerted her feelings of friendship. Even with the Ranger's expertise, Ryan could tell she was struggling to connect to that many Pokémon at once. After a few minutes, the captive Pokémon at least seemed calm enough to not immediately flee. Lachina made a final slashing motion to call back the Capture Disc and nodded at Ryan. Ryan slowly approached the cages, beckoning to the two Chespin. The Grass-Types hesitantly stepped out of their cage, drifting over to Lachina as they quietly took in the scene. Ryan inspected the other cages to find they were all locked. "No one saw a set of keys around here, did they? Or a rock we could use to break these locks?"

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Warehouse Interior, Keturi City Dahlia pulled away from Xander, looking in horror at the man he had just reduced to a vegetative state. Losing control over one's powers was one thing, but Xander looked like he knew full well what he was doing. "Was that really necessary?" she chided with a disapproving glare aimed at the Kalosian. "You could have probed his mind without ripping it to shreds. We're not supposed to be the monsters here." Without waiting for a response she turned away and knelt by the remains of the man stuck in the concrete, making a point not to stare directly at the gruesome mess. "Evan's right, a proper burial is the least we can do for someone we murdered so brutally." She glanced over her shoulder at Xander, her eyes beginning to glow with power. "You're sure you have no clue how he ended up in the middle of the floor?" For a moment it looked like she was going to use her powers against Xander, but she turned back to the dead trafficker and began the tedious process of unfusing him with the concrete. A wave of dizziness made her lurch to the side and she screamed in pain but she caught herself before she hit the ground and continued to pour forth her dwindling energy. Was it worth it? Overexerting herself for the sake of a dead trafficker? The others probably thought her a fool, but if Xander refused to show any form of common decency then Dahlia would just have to work extra hard to make up for it. With every scream Dahlia uttered, Ryan felt a pang in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to tell her to stop, but he knew she wouldn't listen. Xander's unnecessarily brutal method of interrogation was most likely what had set Dahlia on edge, but Ryan knew better than to hash it out right there. They still had a mission to finish, and heightened emotions would only devolve the situation further. Pushing his feelings aside, he focused on the facts. "If these Pokémon are being shipped to someone within Team Liberty, and they were important enough to be at the mission briefing, then we can't risk going straight to Liberty leadership with this information. Until we can find sufficient evidence for whoever's behind all this, we can't let anyone besides Kyle and Esen know about this. Understand?" Ryan chewed his lip as he looked back to the caged Pokémon and pulled his Pokégear out of his pocket. "Lachina, do you think you can use your capture styler to calm these Pokémon down enough that we can take them back to the Alamo without much fuss?" He hastily typed out a discrete message to Kyle. IC: Paul Burks - Cafeteria, The Alamo Paul did not talk much as he followed Sonja back to the cafeteria. Here was a girl who had been with Ford just as long as his daughter had, who had been working toward the same goal, and had experienced the same betrayal. On top of all that, she had traveled with Ellen across the Unova region. He should have had a million questions for her, but nothing sprang to mind. And so he continued in silence. She probably didn't want to talk about it any more than Ellen or Levi did. The cafeteria was largely empty, which made it easy to pick out the small crowd that had gathered a table away from Kyle. Ellen had sent out her full team and seemed to be in the process of introducing them to Levi: Terry, Artemis, Isabella, Solo (Duo now, he corrected himself), her Grotle, and that unruly Purrloin. Levi meanwhile seemed to listen closely to whatever Ellen had to say about each of her companions while Kyle's Houndour pranced between them. Paul couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was as if the entire fiasco with McKinley had never happened and Ellen was just a normal kid playing with someone her age. He decided to let them be and instead walked up to Kyle, who seemed focused on the live feed on his laptop. He took a seat across from the Liberty agent and cleared his throat to get his attention. "How's it going?"

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Warehouse Interior, Keturi City Ryan solemnly nodded his respects to Kamina, surprised that Chloe was so well composed after having just witnessed the death of her trusted partner. Then again, focusing menial tasks was one of the best ways to distract from processing painful emotions, something Ryan knew all too well. "I'm so sorry." He moved toward the filing cabinet to console the girl, but hung back far enough to give her space, which left him standing awkwardly in the middle of the room in indecisiveness. His eyes moved past the filing cabinet to the cages that lined the wall. Most of the cells were empty, and the few poached Pokémon that remained trembled at the bloodbath they had just witnessed. Setting them free would just invite them to run wild in an unfamiliar land, but Ryan didn't like the idea of them hauling heavy cages back to the Alamo. He knelt down to observe the occupants. Most were Pokémon he didn't recognize: a trio of pink puffy clouds, a pair of what looked like minuscule Raichu, a lone panda cub. One cage seemed to just hold a handful of colorful flowers at first glance, but a closer inspection revealed tiny Pokémon clutching some of the flower pistils in fear while a different Pokémon dragged several flowers behind it on its thin, almost serpentine body. He recognized a pink bird as the same type of Pokémon Kyle had gotten in Kalos, and a pair of Chespin timidly poked their heads out of an open cage next to a sleeping Hippopotas and a Carbink. Ryan glanced back up at the others. "Any idea what to do with all these Pokémon?" Meanwhile, Dahlia shakily got to her feet, leaning against Xander for support. "Th-that guy in the ground . . ." She made a brief glance in the general direction of the man but quickly averted her eyes. "It's a long shot, but I might be able to reverse what happened to him." Between the fierce battle, her efforts to save Kamina, and her bullet wound, Dahlia did not look to be in any condition to be reversing anything. Still she steeled herself. "We can't just leave him there to die, and he or his friend might be able to give us some more information on this poaching gig they've got going."

IC: Ryan Sanders - Warehouse, Keturi City Ryan let his captive lead the way through the warehouse. Colette followed close behind, and he trusted Lachina and Evan were bringing up the rear. A scream echoed from the other side of the maze-like interior. "This better not have been a trap," he muttered. "Trap?" The man scoffed. "You're the ones who made the trap. No one was supposed to know we were even here! How did you -- Oh my God, what did they do to you?!" The man froze, and Ryan was about to push him forward when he rounded the corner and saw the horrifying image of a man's torso sitting in a pool of blood. At first he thought the victim's legs had been chopped off, but as he drew closer he realized the poacher had somehow fused with the concrete. He brought a hand to his mouth as a sickly feeling rose in his stomach. That sickly feeling only got worse when he reached the man and looked past him into a large room. Dahlia was laying on the ground covered in blood, Chloe and Xander kneeling on either side of her while Jared looked on from a distance. A thin trail of blood led from the gardener to the disfigured remains of a Serperior, suggesting either someone had dragged Dahlia away or the Serperior had slithered away. Ryan felt weak in the knees and could only stare from the room's entrance as Chloe worked to bandage Dahlia up. "Guys . . . what happened?" Ryan asked weakly. "Is Dahlia hurt? Whose Serperior is that? What happened to that guy in the ground?" IC: Dahlia Seaton - Warehouse Interior, Keturi City From the moment Xander had begun his telekinetic extraction, Dahlia had not let go of his hand. She screamed in pain as he pulled the bullet out, and even when Chloe began dressing her wound she continued to squeeze the Kalosian with an iron grip. When at long last Chloe finished her work, Dahlia pulled herself up into a sitting position, gingerly touching her bandage with her free hand. She still felt woozy, and she was still in terrible pain, but the worst of it was over. Ryan appeared at the end of the hallway and began asking a million questions. Dahlia slowly loosened her grip on Xander and let her hand slip out of his. She turned to look at the Liberty agent, to reassure him everything was fine, but her eyes fell on the man stuck in the concrete behind him. The nausea she had been fighting overwhelmed her, and she leaned over to add vomit to the puddle of blood that surrounded her. "S-sorry . . ." She wiped her mouth and looked over at Chloe, somehow managing to give her a grateful look despite her trembling. "I'll . . . I'll be alright." Her eyes fell on the cages that lined the wall behind the fallen Serperior, and she managed a weary smile. "Hey, at least we found what we were looking for. R-right . . . ?"

IC: Ryan Sanders - Shipping Yard, Keturi City "You're monsters! All of you!" The man refused to take his eyes off his Pidgeot even as Ryan fumbled about with some rope he had in his backpack to tie his hands together. Quil had helped Samurott overpower the Tauros, leaving the battlefield eerily quiet save for their captive's hysterical screams. "Who in their right mind lets their Pokémon eat their opponent?!" "Unless you want Gnip to take a bite out of you next, I'd advise you shut it." Ryan pulled the man to his feet and pushed him toward the warehouse, offering his extra rope to Colette to help in restraining the other shooter. "You're going to lead us to those Pokémon you're holding captive." The man eyed the fallen Pokémon scattered throughout the yard. "B-but what about--?" "Now." IC: Dahlia Seaton - Warehouse Interior, Keturi City Dahlia was too weak to resist when Chloe pulled her away from the Serperior. "I'm sorry . . ." she said as the psychic girl laid her down on her back. "I didn't get here fast enough. I'm so sorry . . ." She suddenly found her role reversed as Chloe and Xander debated how best to treat her wound. She would have laughed at the irony, but even the slightest movement sent waves of pain through her torso. Their voices sounded like they were getting farther and farther away, and she thought she heard Jared's voice in the mix. Then Chloe was leaning over her, speaking in a reassuring voice. Her wound wasn't bad, she said. Then why did it feel like a hot poker pressed against her side? It's important to stay still. Dahlia took several shaky breaths as she tried to calm her trembling nerves. She wiped her tears on her arm and nodded at Chloe. "I-I'll try . . ."

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Industrial District An aura sphere tossed the gunman off his mount moments before a giant landshark devoured a wing. The Pidgeot screamed in pain as it batted its remaining wing to get away from the voracious Garchomp, releasing its grip on Ryan in the process. Ryan's stomach lurched as he tumbled toward the ground, only for Togie to swoop in and catch him. Barely managing to catch his breath, Ryan wasted no time in steering the Togekiss towards their next target. He reached out a hand and grabbed the screaming gunsman before he could hit the ground. The added weight threw Togie off balance, and they tumbled rather unceremoniously in front of Colette. "Thanks for the save." Ryan smiled gratefully up at the aura wielder before moving to pin the poacher to the ground. The man had lost his gun in the fall, and Ryan wasn't about to give him the chance to reclaim it. He needn't have bothered, however, for the poacher was too busy staring in horror at the bloody remains of his one-winged Pidgeot. The crippled bird crashed to the ground with enough force to render it unconscious. Ryan turned his head from the gruesome sight. Even if they were fighting dangerous criminals, he would have to have a talk with Evan later about battle etiquette. Dahlia, we need you in the warehouse! Now! The urgency of Xander's message frightened the Heroine of Reverse. She skidded to a halt and made a beeline for the warehouse. The sudden change in direction made the Tauros careen into a forklift, but the snorting bull quickly found its bearings and resumed its pursuit. None of her Pokémon were powerful enough to hold their own against the Tauros, so she would have to find some other way to keep one step ahead of those razor sharp horns. She drew close to Ryan and a brilliantly glowing Colette. "Ryan!" she yelled. The Liberty agent seemed to be busy with one of the poachers, but he wasted no time in tossing a Pokéball behind Dahlia. She heard the cry of his Samurott bracing itself to hold off the Tauros, but she didn't dare look back. Next she approached Jared and Anubis. They had felled all but one of the remaining poachers. That would have to be enough. Desperate to come to Xander's aid, the mental image of the warehouse burned into her mind, Dahlia pushed her way past the aura wielder and raced towards the door. The remaining guard raised his gun and fired. Dahlia raised an arm to reverse the bullet, but she lost her focus when an intense pain erupted in her side. Balling her hand into a fist, she cried out and reversed punched the man to the side before clambering through the door. Once inside, she allowed herself only a brief moment to catch her breath. She brought a hand to her side and when she pulled it away it was covered in blood. That was enough to convince her she needed to keep going. Ignoring the searing pain, Dahlia navigated her way through the shelves that lined the warehouse interior. She turned a corner and brought her clean hand to her mouth at the sight of a man sticking halfway out of the concrete floor. At first she thought that was what Xander had called her here for. When she approached, she saw Chloe, Xander, and Sylph a little ways past the unfortunate man, kneeling around a bloodied Serperior. Dahlia doubled over in pain as she forced herself to run faster. She fell to her knees before the unfortunate Grass-Type and instantly began to activate her powers. "I can do this," she told herself in a panicked voice. "It's just like un-crushing a can. Only b-bloodier. A-and with a time limit. No pressure." Fighting off an intense nausea, her eyes burning with tears, Dahlia desperately laid her hands on the serpent's long body as she worked to reverse the damage that had been done. It was far more taxing than anything she had tried before. Blood slowly seeped back into open wounds, only to pour out again when she tried to seal the skin shut. "No . . ." She focused harder and managed to close one wound, but the blood only poured that much faster from another tear. "No!" With a furious scream she grabbed ahold of the second wound and tried to force it shut with her bare hands. "Come on, you stupid powers! Why! -- Won't! -- You! -- WORK?!" The world started to spin as unbearable pain gripped at her side, and she felt utterly powerless to save the Serperior.

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Industrial District The culmination of attacks targeted toward the Nidoking weren't enough to tear through its thick hide, but their combined efforts managed to throw the Pokémon into a daze. The purple beast lashed out blindly in Kammy's direction, not caring who it hit. One of the remaining gunmen widened his eyes in panic as his comrade fell at the hands of Anubis. He tossed two Pokéballs into the fray, releasing a Pidgeot and a Tauros. The gunman climbed onto the former's back, taking to the skies to give himself a better vantage point while the latter barreled through crates and pallets to assist the Nidoking. The battlefield had long since erupted into chaos. When Ryan had been fighting the Vigoroth one-on-one, Dahlia had been able to lend her assistance. Now with so many people ganging up on the Nidoking, the gardener didn't know where to turn. Xander's fight with the Tyranitar was too far away for her to reliably help, and the gunmen didn't seem to be giving Jared any trouble. Her indecisiveness made her a prime target for the Tauros. The bull lowered its horns and charged with a ferocious bellow. Before Dahlia could react, a Pokéball dropped from the skies and opened in a shower of light. When Dahlia could see again, a Typhlosion had caught the bull by the horns, keeping it at bay. "Good going, Quil!" Ryan called as he flew by on Togie's back. "Don't worry, Dahlia! I've got your--" A Pidgeot swooped out of nowhere and snatched Ryan off of his Togekiss. The poacher atop the falcon laughed at Ryan's futile attempts to free himself of the Pidgeot's sharp talons. "I wouldn't struggle if I were you," the man gloated. "It's a long way down, and no one wants to deal with the mess you'd make when you hit the ground. Your friends won't attack me either, if they know what's good for you. Now . . . which one should I take out first?" The man scanned the battlefield before leveling his gun on Jared, who was currently preoccupied with the other gunmen. "Time to snuff out his lights!" The Pidgeot suddenly lurched forward, sending its passengers into a downward spiral. The giant bird screeched as it struggled to right itself. It was all Ryan could do to grip the large talons and hope the Pidgeot didn't decide to let go. From her hiding place behind Quil, Dahlia cried out as she reversed the air currents around the Pidgeot. It was like flying a remote controlled helicopter, only ten times harder and with Ryan's life on the line. Every time the Pidgeot managed to right itself, Dahlia would reverse another current, sending it back into a falling frenzy. The sky swam before Dahlia's eyes as she started to feel lightheaded, but she refused to falter, pushing the Pidgeot lower and lower. The ground trembled at the struggle between Quil and the Tauros, the latter starting to take the upper hand. Quil barked a warning to Dahlia, and she released her hold on the air currents just long enough to get a head start. Moments later the Tauros broke free from Quil and started to chase after the gardener once more. No longer struggling against Dahlia's powers, the Pidgeot quickly leveled out, its trainer shaking off the vertigo. "Just how many dang powers have you guys got?"

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Industrial District Ryan was sure he was dead. He had lost his crowbar when the Vigoroth had smashed him against the forklift, and he was too stunned to move out of the way. That was when a hero clad in brown and his trusty Gliscor jumped to his defense, protecting him with mighty shields of Space. Ryan was speechless as the Vigoroth continued to pummel Evan's spacial shields until Lachina divebombed the sloth-monkey on her Altaria. As the Vigoroth grappled with Aolani, Ryan fumbled for another weapon. Ripping a plank of wood off of a shattered pallet, he swung at the wild monkey with a sharp battle cry. The splintered edge of the weapon dug into the Vigoroth's fur, eliciting a cry of pain from the Pokémon. A moment later Aolani sank her talons into the Vigoroth, drawing blood. The sloth-monkey swung about in a wild rage, but its energy was quickly draining. Dahlia rushed in from behind, wielding the crowbar Ryan had dropped, and smacked the Vigoroth upside the head. With that final blow, the frenzied creature collapsed. Dahlia panted, handing Ryan back his weapon as they took advantage of the brief reprieve. Their rest was short-lived, for a monstrous roar signaled the appearance of a Tyranitar. Before the collected group could think of running to Xander's aid a Pokéball sailed through the air, depositing a Nidoking into their midst. "They just don't stop, do they?" Ryan swallowed as he stared up at the hulking beast. A squawk diverted his attention as Togie came flying to his aid. Ryan gladly hopped onto the Togekiss' back and took to the skies with Lachina. The higher altitude granted him a better scope of the battlefield. Jared was busy fighting the guard dogs, Xander was taking on the Tyranitar, Colette was doing her best to keep the guards at bay, and Chloe was nowhere to be seen. Ryan cursed as Togie swerved to avoid a gunshot. "We're prime targets up here!" he called to Lachina before urging Togie into a nosedive. As they sailed past the Nidoking, Ryan reached out with his weapon to strike the beast in the back. Unlike the Vigoroth, the Nidoking was a much sturdier Pokémon, and the crowbar did little more than bounce off its thick hide. Ryan gulped as Togie narrowly avoided getting grabbed by the Nidoking.

IC: Lyre Play/Moment Record - Theodore Willows/Ava Willows/Dack Majors/Madison Morrow/Jayron Aaron vs. Terminite/Maniakoll/Fraygrins/Venophage/Ireknight (x2)/Devagore (x2)/Plite/Cerebeuron/Dramalgon (x2)/Samurloch/Chimerate (x2)/Driprown (x2)/Maulice - Kotahi Village, Beach Jayron wanted to rush to the aid of Dack and Madison, but the giggling, grinning dragon rushing towards him wasn't about to give him that chance. The executive stood his ground, scanning through his moves to try and determine the best counter for the childlike monster. He had just settled on Dragon Claw and was about to activate the protocol when Amanda blinked into view and shoved him to the ground. Jayron hit the sand hard, but he wasn't about to let the unexpected save keep him out of the fight. Raising a hand, he switched to another Aura Sphere -- an attack he was far more comfortable with than any of the Dragon Suit's capabilities -- and fired at the cooing Dramalgon. Dack's eyes widened in horror as he saw Madison laying motionless in the sand, the Ghost-Type suit badly charred. He scrambled to his feet and raced toward her, only to fall back to the ground, overcome with a sickly vertigo. He forced himself to get up -- slower this time -- and shakily stumbled forward. His suit flashed warnings of his own condition, but he ignored them. When at last he reached her, he fell to his knees, resting his trembling hands on the scorch marks of his own doing. "Madison . . ." he whispered. She did not respond. "Madison . . ." He gently shook her. No response. Fighting back tears, he moved a hand up to her blackened visor and carefully pulled it back. Her eyes darted open and she gave a feral scream, her hand darting forward to plunge her Shadow Claws into her assailant. Dack grabbed her arm and held it at bay. The dark claws were inches from his neck and it took all of Dack's strength to keep them from moving any farther. "Madison. Madison! It's me!" With his free hand he retracted his own visor. "It's me." Their eyes locked and for a brief moment the world around them was still. Madison let out a shaky breath and her claws dissipated into a ghostly mist. Then she wrapped her arms around Dack, tears pouring forth as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry . . ." Dack held her close, his vision blurring as the acrid scent of melted metal reached his nostrils. "I'm so, so sorry . . ." "Hey I'm talking to you, Sammer-Guy!" Theodore's decoy waved its arms in a futile attempt to redirect Samurloch's attention away from Goldhawk. "Theo, look out!" Ava's voice yelled over the comms. Theodore tore his attention away from his decoy just in time to see a Sludge Bomb headed his direction. He dove out of the way, cursing as he looked over his shoulder and saw the melted remains of the stone wall he had been hiding behind. Beyond the melted stone, venom dripped from the Venophage that had launched the attack. "How did it find me?" "It's smart," Ava said, running to her husband's aid. "Smart enough to ignore me after I tried to engage it in battle. Hang on, Theo, I'm on my way!" Theodore scrambled to his feet as the alien creature scuttled toward him on its impossibly thin legs. "Yeah, you might want to hurry, honey. This thing is creeping me out!" He activated the Baby-Doll Eyes protocol, although he had serious doubts that the Instance would fall for the cute facade. Holding out his palms and taking several wary steps back, he created a Crafty Shield that would at least keep him safe from getting poisoned. He just had to bide his time until Ava got there. "Alright, Daddy Long-Legs," he muttered. "Let's dance." OOC: Jayron (+1 Atk, +1 Spd): Aura Sphere -> Dramalgon Dack (Poisoned, Turn 3): Comforting Madison Madison: In shock Ava (+1 Atk, +1 Def, +1 Accuracy, +1 Sp. Def): Running to Theodore's aid Theodore: Baby-Doll Eyes -> Venophage, Crafty Shield -> Self

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Industrial District Gunshots echoed throughout the shipping yard. From their hiding place, Ryan and Dahlia had a clear view of Sylph. They saw her keel over even as Xander teleported to her side. The pair vanished, but the blood that remained where the Gardevoir had stood did not bode well. "I have to help them," Dahlia said in a frightened whisper. "S-sylph's been shot . . . I . . . I can try to Reverse the wound . . ." She started to crawl out from behind the crates, but Ryan pulled her back. "If you go out there now, they'll just shoot you too," he said. "We don't even know where Xander's hiding. We have to find some way to get rid of their guns first." His knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on the crowbar and tried to run through different scenarios in his head. None of them ended well, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to think with that thrashing ruckus growing louder and louder. Jared yelled a warning about another flash of aura. Then the crates behind Ryan and Dahlia exploded as a vicious Vigoroth burst through. Dahlia shrieked and Ryan tried to shield her from the heavy debris. The gardener's eyes glowed as she extended her power to the falling crates, reversing their momentum and repelling them away. They were safe from being crushed, but that still left a wild sloth-monkey to deal with. Hooting and hollering in a primal bloodlust, the Vigoroth barreled toward them. Ryan raised his crowbar against the sloth-monkey's swinging arms, crying out as his muscles strained against the powerful blows. He wanted to go on the offensive, but the Vigoroth refused to let up its wild swinging. It was all he could do to keep from getting hit by its whiplike paws. Dahlia meanwhile had crawled away from the ruckus. She desperately wanted to run to Xander and Sylph's aid, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Ryan's fight. Every time the Vigoroth swung a hit that would have connected, Dahlia activated her powers to push the wild Pokémon's arms away or make Ryan dodge in a different direction. Her heart pounded and her head throbbed; she was not used to using her powers with such short notice, and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep this up for very long. But even with Pokémon powers gone, one mistake could leave Ryan fatally wounded. The bright glow from Jared's aura faded, and Dahlia caught sight of the poachers. The crates they had been hiding behind were in pieces, stripping them of their cover. Her blood froze as she saw one of the poachers level a gun in their direction. "Ryan, get down!" she cried as she threw herself to the ground to hide among the debris. Ryan ducked as another gunshot echoed through the lot. The Vigoroth took advantage of the distraction, casting a devilish grin at Ryan before its long arms connected with the trainer's torso. The breath was knocked out of his lungs as Ryan found himself pummeled against the side of a forklift. He fell to the ground, his head ringing with the hooting cries of the Vigoroth that moved forward to continue its assault.

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Industrial District Togie spread his wings and dove in front of Colette and Felicia, shielding them from the guns. With a desperate squawk, he started to herd them behind a pallet stack. Dahlia had just crawled through the opening in the fence when Xander gave his shout. Her blood froze at the sight of the small army of men, guns pointed at the intruders. Then she leapt into action, grabbing Ryan and dragging him behind a stack of crates. "So much for a quiet entrance," Ryan muttered. His eyes fell on a crowbar and he quickly reached out to grab it before ducking back behind the safety of the crates, glad to have some way to defend himself. "They have guns," Dahlia pointed out. "You got any better ideas?" The gardener brought her hands to her head. She wasn't used to making quick decisions under such duress. She had managed to silence the initial Houndoom with little thought, but the situation had greatly escalated. A mistake here could mean someone losing their life. "I don't think I'm fast enough to be able to Reverse their gunshots," she said, fighting the panic in her voice. "Find them!" one of the men shouted. Dahlia heard the sound of a Pokéball opening, followed by a ferocious hollering. Pallet stacks toppled left and right as whatever Pokémon had been released thrashed about in search of their hiding place with little heed for the destruction it left in its wake. Ryan swore under his breath. "Well if we can't do anything, someone else better think of something fast!"

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Industrial District As if on cue, a ragged Houndoom walked out from behind a stack of pallets to investigate the source of the noise. The moment it laid eyes on the party, it let out a single bark. Then its voice seemed to catch in its throat. It tried to bark again, but no sound came out. "Hurry!" Dahlia grit her teeth, her arms stretched out toward the silenced hound. Beads of sweat lined her forehead. "Someone knock it out; I can't keep it quiet much longer!" The Houndoom realized that calling for help was no longer an option. Baring its fangs in a soundless growl, the canine charged toward the broken fence, intent to destroy the intruders itself.

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Four Island "Felicia, huh?" Ryan grinned. "That's an adorable name for an adorable little Togepi." He looked back up at Colette, showing her the map of the city on his Pokégear. "It shouldn't be too much farther." Felicia might not have been able to use any of her abilities, but as it turned out her adorable nature made the journey to the city's industrial district seem to pass by in the blink of an eye, at least from Ryan's point of view. As colorful shops and advertisements gave way to pale factories and warehouses, so too did Ryan's enthusiasm fade to a more serious tone. "We're close." He stopped walking and turned around to face both Colette and Jared. "Think the two of you can work together to point us in the right direction?"

IC: Zoe Llyan - Edge of the Forest, Four Island Zoe curbed her enthusiasm and nodded solemnly. "Do you think Collie went home? I hope I didn't hurt her too much. I don't want her off crying somewhere with us unable to find her." IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Four Island "We figured the industrial district was the best place to start looking for those poachers," Ryan said as he started leading the group away from the café. "We were going to have Jared here use his aura to try and detect the captive Pokémon, but maybe you could help out, Colette." As they walked, Ryan stuck by the girl's side, unable to keep himself from smiling down at the Togepi in her arms. Togie hovered over the pair, his bliss only dampened by the fact that Orihime wasn't there to greet their child. "So what's her name?" Ryan asked. "I don't know if I'd label you a brooder," Dahlia said to Jared as they walked. "But it wouldn't hurt to learn a thing or two from Evan. These are grim times we live in, and sometimes we need that hammy spirit to keep us going."

IC: Paul Burks - Conference Room, The Alamo Paul nodded, still wary of Lohe. "An escort is an excellent idea. Meanwhile, I have to get back to my daughter and make sure she hasn't been scarred by your attempts to dredge up horrible memories." IC: Zoe Llyan - Edge of the Forest, Four Island Zoe pondered that for a moment. Then she smiled, leaning closer to the Space Princess. "You know what I think? I think you should talk to your brother. Just like I'm gonna go talk to Collie. You can make everything better, and remind him of the good old days! If anyone can do it, you can!" Esmeralda yipped happily and Zoe jumped to her feet to perform an Evan-style dynamic pose. "Don't let your brother outshine you -- prove to him that the Space Princess is the brightest star in the sky! Make him regret ever growing distant from you!" IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Café, Keturi City Ryan reached out to pet the pouting Togepi's spiked head in an attempt to cheer her up. "Kyle had run into some Pokémon poachers while in Kalos." Although his words were directed to Colette, his focus appeared to be dedicated solely to the newborn. "He found evidence that their victims were being shipped here, to Keturi City. We were planning to look into that and see what we could find. After all, someone's gotta uphold justice on the streets while everyone else is off fighting the giant jello monster."

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Café, Keturi City Ryan had to bite his tongue to keep from lashing out at Xander. He was just as eager as everyone else to get to the poachers, but the Kalosian was something else entirely. It was a miracle Xander didn't just up and teleport them all back to the industrial district then and there. Chloe and himself were doing just fine sharing co-leadership in this group; they didn't need Xander taking matters into his own hands every time he got frustrated. He followed the group out of the café, intent on giving Xander some choice words, but paused when he saw the new arrivals. Evan Tierra was just as hammy as ever, and it still took him a moment to recognize Colette with her new look and the Togepi she held in her arms. Togepi? Ryan forcefully pushed his way past Xander and Sylph and knelt in front of the girl, placing himself at eye level with the baby Pokémon. "Is that who I think it is . . . ?" he asked breathlessly. A wide smile formed on his face as he let Togie out of his Pokéball, heedless of the fact that they were still standing in the already crowded entrance to the café. The Togekiss spread his wings and hovered in the air, chirping blissfully at the sight of his child. Then he swooped down and enveloped both Colette and the Togepi in a soft, feathery embrace. Ryan couldn't help but laugh. For once, all his worries about the Missing Zero, the poaching situation, and everything else melted away. It was a rare moment of pure joy. "When did it hatch?" he asked eagerly. Dahlia let out a soft giggle at Ryan's reaction, then nudged Jared. "That's my senior, the Hero of Space," she said pointing to Evan. "And the girl with the Togepi is an aura wielder like you. I think they'll both be very helpful in our mission. Looks like it's a good thing we took this little detour after all!"

IC: Paul Burks - Conference Room, The Alamo "Wait a second." Up until now Paul had managed to maintain his composure. Now he was starting to grow agitated again. "What do you mean, a more 'permanent' solution? You do realize that if the Missing Zero spreads far enough, we won't have any solution. We're in no state to be picky about the slim chance of Pokémon losing their powers a second time." IC: Zoe Llyan - Edge of the Forest, Four Island Zoe pulled back and sat down on the ground, finally giving Jenny a chance to catch her breath. "Your brother isn't as much fun nowadays?" she asked curiously. "Did he used to be better? What happened between you two?" Esmeralda curled up in Zoe's lap, and Merida sat by her side, both Pokémon listening expectantly, eager for Jenny's tale. IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Café, Keturi City "Looks like your shopping went well, too," Dahlia said, eyeing Xander and Chloe's new clothes. "You both look great!" She briefly summarized the results of her and Lachina's excursion. "Great, are we ready to go now?" Ryan tried not to sound too impatient, but he was itching to get on with the true purpose of their mission. "We'll have to take extra care not to alert those poachers off our presence with these bulky shopping bags." IC: Lyre Play/Moment Record - Theodore Willows/Ava Willows/Dack Majors/Madison Morrow/Jayron Aaron vs. Minotore/Phantashade/Chimerape/Sinystal/Terminite/Maniakoll/Fraygrins/Venophage/Ireknight/Devagore/Plite/Cerebeuron/Dramalgon/Samurloch - Kotahi Village, Beach It was a horrifying embrace: the Phantashade's arms held her close, restricting her movement, while her own claws were buried deep in the place where the Instance's heart should have been. Digging her claws deeper meant leaning into the monster's kiss of death. Madison's breath caught in her throat. She had lived through horrible nightmares courtesy of the Ancient Darkrai, but nothing could have prepared her for this. Her heart pounded against her chest, as if it were trying to break free of its confines and escape her inevitable end. Struggling vainly against the Phantashade's embrace, Madison closed her eyes against the ghastly tendrils. It did little to help, for a moment later she could feel the tendrils forcefully groping the outside of her helmet. Whereas rage had fueled her actions before, she was now driven by pure fear. She screamed in terror, in defiance, in desperation. She was not ready to die. Not like this. Straining her muscles, she forced her arms outward in a last-ditch effort to kill the Phantashade before it killed her. The Shadow Claws dug into to the walls of the Instance's chest, widening the cavity she had already dug . . . Still reeling from the effects of the poison, Dack knew he couldn't outrun the spinning Sinystal. An indicator popped up on his HUD, and he turned his head to see Madison struggling against the Phantashade a few feet away. Injured and under attack as he was, Dack knew there was no way he'd be able to reach her in time to help. But that didn't mean he couldn't do anything at all. The Ice Suit user also seemed to have noticed Madison's plight and fired a pair of Ice Shards at the Phantashade. The assistance wasn't about to deter Dack from doing everything in his power to destroy the monster assaulting his girlfriend. Abandoning all thoughts of the Sinystal, he activated the Lava Plume protocol. An inferno of scarlet flames erupted from the suit, encompassing the Sinystal, the Phantashade, and Madison. He wasn't sure if the Ice Suit user had been caught in the blast, but the Ghost Suit's indicator in his HUD told him Madison would be able to survive the hit and that was all that mattered. And instant later the Sinystal slammed its weight into him, and Dack found himself flung across the sand. The force of the Lava Plume had slowed the Instance's momentum slightly, but Dack still felt like he'd been hit by a steamroller. Warnings flashed across his HUD and confirmed that yes, he really had been hit by a steamroller. With a groan of pain he looked over his shoulder to see if Madison was alright. Jayron couldn't keep up with the names and typings of the eight new Instances. He turned around to call on the rest of Moment Record for backup, and paled when he saw his teammates were in serious trouble. Dack had tried to save Madison and ended up getting tossed like a ragdoll for it, leaving him defenseless. The executive ran forward, a ball of energy already forming in his hand. His suit's draconic energy was powerful, but it was nowhere near as refined as his own aura. With a shout, Jayron fired an Aura Sphere at the Sinystal to keep it distracted until Dack could recover. Ava cursed as new Instances popped up left and right. It was a miracle the IMC was able to keep up with all of them, and it would take a far greater miracle for their ragtag group of volunteers to keep up. "I'll take the Poison-Type," she said, firing an Acid Spray at the Venophage. "I'll keep the big guy busy." Ignoring Ava's protests, Theodore detached another decoy module and ducked behind the wall. A moment later, a spitting image of the Fairy-Type suit raced across the sand, charging up a powerful attack. "What happens when one of us needs help and you're stuck hiding behind a wall away from the fight?" Ava spat. "Good point," Theodore said. "If anyone needs help, lure your Instance back here and I'll fry 'em. Until then, I think it's best if we see what our new friend Sammy can do without the risk of him hurting anyone." The decoy waved its arms at the hulking samurai. "Hey, big guy! Nice costume, but I think you're a little lost. The cosplay convention's down the street!" "Really, Theo?" Ava rolled her eyes. "Cosplay's the best you can come up with?" "Hey, let's see you do better." OOC: Madison: Shadow Claw -> Phantashade (outward slice from inside chest) Dack (Poisoned, Turn 2): Lava Plume -> Sinystal/Phantashade/Madison/(Ray?) Jayron (+1 Atk, +1 Spd): Aura Sphere -> Sinystal Ava (+1 Atk, +1 Def, +1 Accuracy, +1 Sp. Def): Acid Spray -> Venophage Theodore: Decoy Module #2 deployed, distracting Samurloch

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Outside Café, Keturi City Mall "Yeah, we got some training equipment and such, and Jared gave me a few tips on punching." Ryan motioned at the shopping bag the aura wielder carried, casting him a curious glance. He wasn't sure what the deal was with this 'Mercury' nickname, but it was clear Jared didn't want to talk about it. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Dahlia's eyes darted between Jared and Lachina and she instinctively stepped between them to diffuse the tension, something she was used to doing between Aspen and Olivia. "Lachina mentioned it by mistake, and I just thought it was a cool nickname you went by. I didn't know it had bad memories attached to it." Desperate to change the uncomfortable subject, the gardener approached Ryan. "So you're learning how to punch, too? I told you Jared was the best. Maybe we can all do our training together!" Her bold approach caught Ryan off guard, and he fumbled around for cohesive words. "Oh, I, uh . . . he really just gave me some suggestions. N-not that I was really good or anything, but . . . yeah." He felt his face redden and looked away. Jared's other words of advice remained fresh in his mind, and he really wasn't sure what to make of them. Regardless, he knew he'd need more training than the discount lesson he'd gotten in the store, and if doing so gave him a chance to bolster Dahlia's confidence at the same time, then he might as well knock out both Pidgeys with one stone. "Sure." He scratched the back of his head. "Training together will be good."

IC: Zoe Llyan - Edge of the Forest, Four Island "It is the rule of the vampires that their victims must do whatever the queen commands!" Zoe cried out in her raspy voice. "And I order you . . . to become the Vampire Queen's sister!" Her face paled as she realized what she'd just said. "Uh . . . honorary sister, of course! Not to be mistaken with the Vampire Queen's actual sister. You'll just be performing sisterly duties. In her stead. Temporarily." The more she tried to dig herself out of her hole, the more agitated she became, until she finally threw her arms around the redheaded girl. "Don't tell Collie, but I think your siblings are super lucky to have a cool sister like you, Miss Space Princess!" IC: Ryan Sanders - Sporting Goods Store, Keturi City Mall Ryan pondered Jared's words. It was true, with Jared's support Dahlia exhibited a confidence he hadn't seen from her since before the incident on the boat. But then he thought back to their talk the night before, to his overwhelming desire to keep her safe. Could such emotions be trusted? He had already seen -- and Jared had proven -- that while his intentions were noble his actions ended up doing more harm than good. And Jared didn't even know the half of it . . . or did he? Pushing the unsettling thoughts aside, Ryan followed the aura wielder to the cashier. He kept silent as Jared paid for the equipment and led the way back towards the café. IC: Dahlia Seaton - Camping Supply Store, Keturi City Mall "So that's why he was in Sootopolis and Two Island . . ." Dahlia made a mental note to ask Jared about the list later. Returning her focus to the task at hand, she helped Lachina pick out a few more items: Repels, meal kits, and a couple pocket knives. They split the cost of the goods and shared the load carrying their bags back to the café. As they approached the rendezvous point, they saw Ryan and Jared coming from the opposite direction. Dahlia broke out into a wide grin and nudged Lachina before waving at the two boys. "Hey, Mercury! Ryan!" she called out nonchalantly. "Looks like perfect timing!"

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Camping Supply Store, Keturi City Mall "Mercury?" Dahlia raised an eyebrow. "Is that his codename or something? But wow, it really is a small world. My siblings and I were in Sootopolis trying to help stop the Groudon. We followed the assailant to Celadon, so we weren't able to do much with the cleanup. That's crazy to think you two were there." She shook her head in amazement. "What was that about a list? I don't think Jared's mentioned anything like that." IC: Ryan Sanders - Sporting Goods Store, Keturi City Mall Regardless of Jared's intent, Ryan still felt criticized for effectively abandoning Dahlia. "You didn't see her lose control," he said softly. "It was like she'd become an entirely different person. After she nearly destroyed the boat, I thought it would be best if she took it easy for a while, at least until we had solved the current crisis of rescuing our friends from McKinley. Of course, we all know how that turned out." Tucking his thumbs under his fists, Ryan turned back to the dummy and threw a series of punches. Each impact was accompanied by a solid twack! but they still jolted his fists like before. Dissatisfied, he paused to catch his breath and wipe his brow. "I know she didn't like it, but it was for Dahlia's own safety as much as everyone else's. I'm lucky I was able to snap her out of it on the boat, but if something like that happened again . . ." He let out a heavy sigh. "She might not come back from it. She could lose herself entirely. Call me spineless, but didn't want to be responsible for that."

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Camping Store, Keturi City Mall Dahlia idly scanned the shelves as she struggled to come up with the best way to describe how she met Jared. "He kind of just . . . happened by." She picked up a water canteen and studied her distorted reflection in the curved metal. "I had been training on my own, practicing my powers. It . . . didn't go so well. After I cut my hand, Jared happened by and helped bandage me up. That was when he offered to train me." She ran her free hand across her bandages, lost in thought. Then she smiled over at Lachina. "What about you? Jared says you two have been traveling together for a while now, but I don't think he mentioned how you met." IC: Ryan Sanders - Sporting Goods Store, Keturi City Mall The question caught Ryan off guard. "I'm not a former Hero of Reverse or anything like that," he said sheepishly. "I'm guessing Dahlia told you. The Hero before her, Kinali, granted me a small portion of his power once to help in the battle against those Ancient Darkrai that were trying to take over the world last year. It wasn't much, and has long since faded. But I guess it was enough for me to give Dahlia a few pointers on how to use her powers." He shrugged and busied himself studying a training dummy. He clenched a hand into a fist and twisted his wrist like Jared had said, then threw a punch aimed at a point behind the dummy. Pain shot up his knuckles, forcing him to bite hit tongue before he could cry out and reveal his blunder. He played it off with a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Of course, those pointers never included physical combat." IC: Zoe Llyan - Edge of the Forest, Four Island Deciding that Jenny'd had enough of the Vampire Queen's torture, Zoe called off her Fennekin and stepped back to give the Space Princess room to breathe. "That'll teach you to mess with the vampires of the dark forest!" she said with a triumphant smirk.

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Camping Store, Keturi City "I haven't camped a whole lot." A nostalgic smile crept onto Dahlia's face as she scanned the shelves, kneeling next to a row of tinderboxes. "My family would go on a few trips back when we were all younger. Of course, that was back before Aspen and Olivia joined the war. Our father's work kept him busy, but those occasional trips gave us all time to spend together as a family. As you can imagine, three kids trying to put together a tent was always an experience. Olivia would insist she knew what she was doing, Aspen would pull out the instructions, tell her she was doing it all wrong, and father would have to break up the fight . . . but somehow no matter how irritated people got, s'mores always managed to make everything better." The girl wiped away a tear and looked back up at the ranger. "Sorry, I was just reminiscing. Um . . . tinderboxes might be useful, cause our Pokémon can't light a campfire with Ember anymore, right?" IC: Ryan Sanders - Sports Shop, Keturi City Ryan was inwardly grateful that it had been Jared that had decided to break the wintry ice between them. If he hadn't, the awkward silence between them would have likely been enough to kill them both. He smiled and shook the man's hand. "Ryan Sanders. Glad to meet you, and I apologize again for earlier." He left it at that, and started to walk around the store. "So . . . Dahlia tells me you know how to throw a punch. Think you could give me a few pointers sometime?"

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Shopping District At Dahlia's urging, Ryan opted to join Jared in picking up training materials. Ryan half-expected her to accompany them, but Dahlia remained by Lachina's side. "It's best we go in pairs. Or trios," she said with a nod to Xander, Sylph and Chloe. "You know, buddy system and all." Ryan looked over at Jared. "Guess you're stuck me, then." He glanced back at the rest of the group. "So when we're each done with our shopping, let's say we rendezvous over at that little café across the street. Sound like a plan?" IC: Zoe Llyan, Queen of the Vampires - Edge of the Forest, Four Island Zoe let out a very un-vampirelike yelp as Jenny toppled over. It took her a moment to realize that she had her enemy perfectly pinned. Shaking off the disorientation of the fall, Zoe grinned and bared her fangs. "At long last, the Space Princess is defeated! Sic 'er, Esmeralda!" The Fennekin charged up to the fallen Jenny and began to ferociously lick her face in the most ticklish way possible.

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Four Island Ryan hadn't actually expected the others to overhear him. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound that way. I just . . ." He let out a sigh, knowing the others would come up with a counter for any point he tried to make. "Nevermind. Let's just find the shops." As they continued to walk, Dahlia slowed her pace to walk next to Ryan. "Remember when we first met?" She offered him a smile. "I felt just as powerless as you do. Perhaps even moreso; as the Heroine of Reverse I'm expected to do great things. I know how it feels. I may have powers of my own, but I'm a gardener, not a soldier. We're in the same boat here; we've always relied on our Pokémon to do the fighting for us. Now we have to pick up the mantle ourselves. You were the one who instilled confidence in me back then, so don't you dare wimp out on me now." Just like a ray of sunshine, the gardener's words pushed through Ryan's gloomy demeanor, prompting a small smile. "Too bad I never asked Evan to show me how to punch." "No problem!" Dahlia grinned as Coco started punching the air with her ears again. "Jared can teach you. Neither of you seemed interested in shopping anyway, so this'll give you both something to do!" That was the last thing Ryan had expected. From what he'd seen, the aura wielder seemed short and to the point, and Ryan feared he wouldn't put up with any nonsense. Still, he couldn't refuse Dahlia, not when she seemed so enthusiastic about helping the person who had once helped her. Not unlike Chloe and Ellen, now that he thought about it. He looked over at the gardener with a smile. "Sounds like a plan." IC: Zoe Llyan, Queen of the Vampires - Edge of the Forest, Four Island "Nooo, not the sun!" Zoe pushed on the shoulders of her makeshift mount to try and steer her back into the shade of the trees. "The Vampire Queen requires darkness to thrive! Darkness and blood! Come, my loyal servants! Apprehend the Space Princess!" Esmeralda yipped happily at Jenny's stumbling feet. She would play her role as servant to the Vampire Queen, of course, but she was just happy to see Zoe's usual energy return. Merida, on the other hand, found Zoe's enthusiasm to be contagious and leapt onto Jenny's leg in an attempt to keep her out of the sun.

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Keturi City, Four Island "Well, I don't know about muscle, but I think Asriel can still fight with his scythe." Dahlia sent out her Absol, who seemed to have calmed down since the Lohe's appearance in the cafeteria. The Disaster Pokémon nodded stoically; he might have lost his ability to sense disasters but that didn't mean he couldn't prevent them. With another explosion of light, Dahlia's Buneary popped out of her ball and began punching the air with her ears. "Looks like Coco wants to help, too." Dahlia laughed as she picked up the feisty bunny. "That said, we definitely can't rely on our Pokémon as much as we used to." The gardener's words traveled back to Ryan and loomed over him like a curse. He kept forgetting that his Pokémon couldn't fight like before. Outside of the Ranger girl he was the only one in the group without powers, and from what he'd seen of capture stylers Lachina might as well have powers of her own. What did he have? Togie could fly, Quil might be able to utilize the flames on his back, Missy could go through walls . . . not exactly the ideal powerset. Ryan felt hopelessly outclassed next to everyone else, a liability more than a team player. What could he hope to contribute that someone else couldn't do ten times better? He glanced over at Chloe and the confidence she carried in her abilities. "At least you actually have powers . . ." he muttered. IC: Ellen Burks - Cafeteria, The Alamo Play. It seemed like a foreign concept to Ellen. How could she play when others were fighting the monster she had helped summon? How could she act like nothing was wrong? Sure, it wasn't her fault Tyler had turned out to be a monster, but that didn't change the fact that people were out there risking their lives to stop the Missing Zero. Her eyes lingered on the laptop screen. Although it pained her, she felt an obligation to watch the battle unfold. But then Levi's laughter reached her ears. It was a blissful, innocent laugh; the polar opposite of the boy who had been crying into Kyle's arms just moments ago. It was a laughter that could very well have come from her own lips in a time long forgotten. Perhaps that laughter could be hers once more. Tearing her eyes from the screen, Ellen slowly approached the adjacent table. "U-um . . ." She fumbled with her Pokéballs for a moment before finding the one she needed. The Herdier emerged in a burst of light and calmly walked up to Levi to greet him. "This is Terry. He's been my guardian ever since I was a baby. I . . . I didn't have him when I got taken, but he's with me now." IC: Zoe Llyan - Edge of the Forest, Four Island Jenny's words sounded almost foreign to Zoe. So lost in thoughts of her sister was she that the idea of playing vampires at a time like this felt foolish. However, as Zoe shielded her eyes against the harsh sunlight, she realized that her disheveled hair and muddied clothes probably did make her look slightly vampiric. As she looked up at the redheaded girl, she came to a very important realization. While the heroic Space Princess could never truly replace Collie, she could come pretty darn close. A mischievous grin etched itself onto Zoe's face. "Alas, you thought you were helping a poor girl out of the dark forest," she said a rasping voice as she slowly circled around behind Jenny. "But the truth of it is . . . you've just brought the Vampire Queen her finest meal! Hyah!" With a sharp hiss, Zoe leapt onto the older girl's back, wrapped her arms and legs around her and pretended to bite her neck. "The blood of a Space Princess is a rare delicacy indeed!" IC: Madison Morrow vs. Phantashade - Phantom Plane The dark wind tore at Madison's suit and were her Shadow Claws not buried within the Phantashade's chest she might have been knocked back. Her HUD alerted her of the super effective damage the suit was taking. The pain only told her she needed to defeat her enemy quickly. Planting her feet in the ground to brace against the ghostly gale, Madison dug her claws deeper into the creature's chest with a feral cry. Adrenaline fueled her actions and a single goal drove her forward. She had to keep the Phantashade away from Dack at any cost. IC: Lyre Play/Moment Record - Theodore Willows/Ava Willows/Dack Majors/Jayron Aaron vs. Maulice/Leopyred/Harpreak/Minotore/Fraygrins/(Phantashade)/Chimerape/Sinystal/Terminite/Maniakoll - Kotahi Village, Beach Jayron knew even with his aura-boosted abilities, there was no way he could dodge all those feathers. And he was not about to find out how much they hurt. Thinking quickly, the executive activated the Dragon Tail protocol and waited for the projectiles to approach. When he felt they were close enough, he whirled around, letting his suit's draconic energy lash out with what he hoped would be enough force to dispel the pointed feathers. Even while surrounded by twin Solar Beams and staring into the face of certain death, Theodore never lost confidence. He casually glanced at the solar powered death rays as if they were a simple party trick. "That's pretty impressive for a knockoff Roserade. Ever consider going into clean energy? Way more rewarding than this world destruction thing you've got going. I hate to rain on your little sunshine parade but it'll take more than that to ȟ̴̢͕i̶̗̭̠̍̈̇̑͠t̷͚̰̀̂͜͝ ̷̡̛̼͖̊ͅm̶̞̖͚̎ͅe̵̥̼͇̋̈́!̶̡͖̲̱̔͑ͅ" The intense heat appeared to make Theodore's body waver, and Ava had to shield her eyes from the bright glare. When the blast subsided, the only thing left of the Fairy-Type suit was a charred chunk of metal that wavered briefly in the air before plopping into the sand. Ava could only stare in stunned silence at the spot her husband had once stood. "Psych!" As if to counter the blasts of sunlight, a concentrated beam of lunar energy arced its way across the beach toward the Fraygrins. From atop the city's seawall, Theodore shot his wife a reassuring thumbs-up. "I told you not to worry, honey!" Ava struggled to find her voice. "Wh-wha-? Th-theo-?! When did-?" She shook her head. "Don't you ever do that again!" "Yeah, my bad," Theodore said sheepishly. "Vert's gonna kill me for frying her decoy module. To be fair, she should've known they'd have to take a beating. Anyway, a little help here? I wouldn't want to get hit by one of those blasts for real." Still grumbling about causing unnecessary worry, Ava turned her sights on her husband's would-be killer and fired a Sludge Bomb. Dack barely had time to process the new arrivals before the rock-like creature, which his suit identified as Sinystal, threw a large crystal at him. He quickly side-stepped, and the crystal crashed to the ground in an explosion of sand and dust. Dack allowed himself a smirk. "You'll have to aim much better than that if you want to--" He suddenly doubled over in a fit of coughing. Warning lights flashed in his HUD, and through watering eyes he saw his own suit's status indicator gain a purple outline. Poison now coursed through his lungs. Trying not to dwell on the implications of his affliction, Dack raised a hand and shot a Flamethrower at his attacker. "Those evacuations better happen fast," he wheezed through the comms. OOC: Madison (in Phantom Plane): Shadow Claw -> Phantashade (chest) Theodore (1 Decoy Module destroyed): Moonblast -> Fraygrins Ava (+1 Atk, +1 Def, +1 Accuracy, +1 Sp. Def): Sludge Bomb -> Fraygrins Jayron (+1 Atk, +1 Spd): Dragon Tail -> Fiend's Feathers Dack (Poisoned): Flamethrower -> Sinystal