Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

**Dr. Hidaka** · November 13, 2015

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan noted how things were going further south as time went on. At this rate there would be more damage wrought and lives lost. Evan was tired of nothing every going right, but he was going to change that.

"All right, let's focus on protecting the people, first of all." Evan said, his expression serious as he drew Monstro's Poke Ball. "We'll deal with Zach when we get to that! Monstro, Wide Guard!"

Evan's prized Swampert appeared in a flash of light and roared. At his behest, a wall of light began to expand outward, the debris hitting it but not breaking it. Evan clapped as Monstro's Wide Guard expanded over a good deal of the area, but soon frowned when he realized it was at it's limit in what it could cover. There was no way Monstro could expand it further, without sacrificing durability. So Evan had to watch as more debris flew about.

"You two, gimme some back up here, huh?" Evan yelled to Jenny and Dallior. "We've gotta work together to fix this!"

Konuju · November 13, 2015

IC: Paul

It took several moments for the world to stop spinning. Paul was starting to regret his decision; the moment he'd agreed to help he had been whisked away to what looked like the department store, only to jump straight to the middle of a street. He barely had time to register some commotion a few blocks away when that feeling of weightlessness returned. Next thing he knew he was on a roof.

In his disorientation, Paul only faintly heard Xander's command to get people to safety. Then the boy and his Gardevoir were gone, presumably with the Fennekin and Eevee still residing on his shoulders. Once his head was clear, Paul took a good look at the situation. Waves of psychic energy were emanating from Zach, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake. Further away, the sea of people became a chaotic storm of either running for safety or wondering what was going on.

"Alright Scar, let's go." Paul tossed up a Pokéball and sent out his Skarmory. The metallic bird screeched and allowed Paul and Terry to climb on his back before he took to the skies.

IC: Ryan

Ryan and Togie were high enough in the air to avoid Sylph's sudden teleport. But as they quickly found out, this did not mean they were out of danger entirely. Zach was firing psychic blasts in all directions, and it was all Ryan could do to hang on for his life as Togie danced around the blasts aimed their way. He heard Xander's instructions, and glanced back to see curious civilians starting to wander down the streets.

"We need to get them out of here," Paul said as he approached on the back of a Skarmory.

Ryan looked back at Zach, feeling flashbacks to Castelia when he had also been instructed to help civilians instead of saving his friends. But it looked like Evan and Jenny were already there with Zach's friends, and Xander was on his way. Zach's powers were escalating, and Ryan was afraid the safe distance would soon be more than just a half mile. If nobody warned the civilians, people were going to die.

"We can't let this be a repeat of Southeast Unova," Ryan muttered. He nodded at Paul. "You take care of these people, I'll see what I can do about the other side."

"Sounds like a plan!" The Déoza blacksmith directed his Skarmory toward the nearby civilians, yelling at them to seek cover. With a flash of light he sent out a Bisharp to help direct the crowd while Terry barked wildly.

After making sure Paul had things under control, Ryan urged Togie to fly over Zach in order to reach the civilians on the other side. As they approached the epicenter, the psychic blasts became stronger and more numerous. Togie tried to maneuver through the arcing waves, but he couldn't avoid everything. A few blasts struck his wing, singeing the feathers.

The Togekiss forced himself to ignore his pain as they sailed through the storm. The moment they were out of the worst of it, Togie made a beeline for the nearest group of civilians he saw: three teenagers that looked like they were returning from a morning at the beach. "You three!" Ryan cried. "Keep away from here; it's dangerous!"

"Why should we listen to you?" one of the teenage boys asked.

"I'm a Liberty Agent," Ryan said, digging through his pockets for his badge. "Trust me, you don't want to stick around here. Get somewhere safe and find cover."

"Liberty?" the boy spat. "Wasn't Liberty responsible for what happened in Sootopolis yesterday?"

"I heard it was Team Rocket," a second boy said.

"Rocket, Liberty, it doesn't matter," the girl in the group spoke up as she narrowed her eyes at Ryan. "We don't take orders from anyone but ourselves."

"Listen to me," Ryan urged. "If you don't move, you're going to get hurt. These psychic blasts are getting stronger. We're trying to stop this, but--" He was cut off by what sounded like a series of explosions behind him. Ryan turned around to see a psychic wave cutting through the ground, sending chunks of concrete flying everywhere. The wave was traveling straight down the middle of the street, heading right towards them.

There was a flash of light as the Ultra Ball on Ryan's belt opened on its own. Entei materialized in front of the group and instantly summoned a Protective shield. The Legendary Beast staggered back as the psychic blast slammed into the shield, and it was all he could do to keep the Protect up long enough for debris to stop raining down. With the immediate danger taken care of, Entei turned to face the three teenagers, his commanding voice echoing in their minds.

RUN!

JiMing · November 14, 2015

IC: Dahlia/Aspen Seaton

Aspen fumbled around for a Pokeball, trying to help contain the situation. When he glanced down at his pocket, he flinched, seeing his hand was over a Luxury Ball. "No, not her..." he muttered, but heard something rush past the air, and lifted his head. A blast of psychic energy was heading right at him, and Dahlia, causing his limbs to freeze. "D-Dahlia!" he cried, trying to capture her attention.

The gardener looked up when Aspen said that, and cried out in shock, seeing the psychic blast head towards them. It was too large to evade, and running would have been of no use against it, so Dahlia quickly wrapped her arms around her younger brother, and turned her back towards the blast, closing her eyes while bracing for the impact...

The Absol watching from up above saw what was happening. His crimson eyes widened, seeing that a psychic blast was on a crash course towards the girl with the sunhat. He tensed, and leaped off the building. Now there was no more time to hesitate. Now, the Pokemon had to act, scythe glinting in the sunlight as he fell...

KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZHING!

...But there was no impact. Dahlia slowly opened her eyes with a shaky breath, to see Absol standing in front of her. His scythe glowed with a dark energy, as he slashed apart debris that was in their direction as well, giving Dahlia a chance to see his paw. "...No, it's... H-he came back...?" Dahlia muttered in disbelief.

"W-what's happening right now?" Aspen asked, confused at his sister's reaction. Unlike her, he didn't recognize this particular Absol, but was now particularly grateful for his arrival.

Dahlia opened and closed her mouth, unsure of how to response. She saw the Disaster Pokemon turn his head and bark at the two of them to move back, and shook her head. "I'll explain later." the gardener said, smiling appreciatively. "For now, we have to help out as much as we can..."

The middle Seaton released Dracos from his Pokeball, the Dragonair frowning at the scene. "Safeguard!" Dahlia called out, with the serpentine Pokemon creating a barrier surrounding them in response. Dahlia continued to watch the Absol deflect the projectiles from the storm with awe, her smile widening. "...Thank you..."

IC: Olivia Seaton

Olivia clenched her teeth, and forced herself up onto a knee, breathing heavily. The headache kept growing stronger, to the point it was difficult to even open her eyes, but she pressed on, standing up fully. The red-haired trainer kept a grip on her head, and began to slowly drag her feet over to her best friend... No matter how much pain she was in, Olivia knew she had to do something...

"Zach... Please, if you can hear me... You gotta..." she began, stopping in her tracks. The pain had overloaded her once more, but she shook her head, and kept moving forward. "Please... It's me, Olivia... Stop... G-get a hold of yourself..."

The red-haired trainer used all her strength to run forward, and embrace the out-of-control psychic, breathing heavily. She breathed heavily for a while, tightening her hug around her friend again. "Zach, I... Please..." the eldest Seaton pleaded desperately, starting to cry a bit. She leaned forward, and gently pressed her lips against Zach's, as the psychic storm continued around them...

Edited November 14, 2015 by Temmie

MELON LORD · November 14, 2015

IC: Xander and Sylph

As soon as he felt the tug, Xander started running. Before he was even fully aware of his surroundings, he was pushing his way into the maelstrom around Zach, sidestepping psychic blasts and keeping his distance from the glass nearby. Vixen and Ellen were perched carefully on his shoulders. The Eevee was focusing, using Helping Hand on Vixen as the Fennekin launched her own Psybeams at nearby debris.

A few seconds later, he was in the center of the chaos. He paused for a moment as he saw Olivia embracing Zach, and shook his head. "Are you alright?" he asked, glancing around. Turmoil was still happening outside of this small radius. He hated to interrupt a moment, but Zach still seemed insensate. At that moment, in fact, Xander was launched a few feet backwards by another wave. He landed on his feet, skidding for a second before pushing forward again.

"It's too dangerous to be this close to him! We have to get away before he kills us!" His chest hurt now, and later he would find a bruise there. He had a feeling the girl was not paying him any attention, but he kept trying. "Come on; once we're out of his radius we can figure out how to calm him down."

Sylph watched from the rooftops, occasionally sending out a Psychic or Dazzling Gleam to redirect dangerous objects. Mostly, she focused on negating the blasts that came her way. If I survive this, she thought, I need to learn Protect. She had noticed Tierra and his Swampert holding off a wide area from the destruction. She also noted, with amusement, that Ryan had finally showed his trump card.

So that's an Entei. Impressive, in its way. She looked back down to Zach and Olivia. Fighting back the urge to roll her eyes, she tried to get a grasp on the psychic's mind.

Edited November 14, 2015 by Flowey the Flower

Parugi · November 15, 2015

IC - Esen Windred/Malvolio Rask/??? - Signs Compound:

The alarm blared around them, a resounding drone that filled every corner of the garage until the very air became a reverberating ocean of lifeless noise. But that was it. No thudding footprints responded to the call. No shouts of worry or confusion drew closer to the source. There was no response.

Why was there no response?

"How many more guards do you have?"

Puzzle floundered at the question. "What--?"

"How many?" The woman before him took a step forward, clenching her fists to emphasize her words. They framed her face on either side, and from between them, one dark green eye--covered by neither arm nor fringe--glared out at the him, alight with a burning, barely-contained rage.

"I--Well . . ." Puzzle cleared his throat. To his credit, he stood his ground, and now that the initial shock of the attack had worn off, he appeared to be regaining his composure. "Aside from this group and the ones that ran off into the forest--three, not counting my compatriot." He held his free hand up, palm outstretched. "But I'm sure you won't have to worry about them--they really aren't anything out of the ordinary, more of the same, really, although if I'm being completely honest--"

"Stop talking." He did. "Where's your 'compatriot?'"

"I don't know," Puzzle said. "He wouldn't answer when I tried to call him right before your attack started. The silly fool's probably tied himself up at this point, with how things are going here . . ." He pulled a handkerchief from his coat and used it to dab at his forehead. "Not that I don't enjoy playing the part of the bumbling villain being interrogated, but might I presume that you're here for Mr. Shift's 'guests'?" Although she didn't answer, the look in her eyes told Puzzle everything that he needed to know. "I told him this wouldn't end well for us . . ."

"How many people have you kidnapped and brought here?"

Puzzle gulped, feeling the underlying threat in her voice. "Just two--a boy--your friend--" He felt the color beginning to drain from his face as he moved to take a step back, and found that he had run out of room to do so. He held up his hands. "The other is just--just someone we picked up in Dendemille--a girl--"

The room fell very, very silent as Puzzle realized what he had just said, as he realized how his words might have been interpreted, and as he realized that the woman had jumped to that very conclusion. In a matter of seconds, she had covered the distance between them and taken hold of his collar, pushing Puzzle back so that he hung off of the platform, suspended only by the woman's grip and his own meager footing on the metal plates. In his haste to avoid being knocked over, Puzzle dropped his Symbol, sending it clattering against the solid concrete awaiting him twenty feet below.

"Wait!" he yelped. "It's not what you think!"

"I doubt that." She tilted her head, her glare never leaving his face. "You traffic Pokémon. Why not people?"

"I swear, that's not what we took them for," Puzzle pleaded. "The girl attacked us, and the boy crossed a line with Shift. But I would never allow him to do something like that as revenge." He carefully raised his hands off of her arms, holding them up again. "Listen, we've got a small meat locker towards the east that we've repurposed for storage space." He gestured to the door at the end of the garage. "That's where they're being kept. If you go now, you can find them before Shift does."

The woman studied him for several long moments, her cold gaze searching for any indication that he was lying. When at last she appeared satisfied with what she saw, she stepped back, swinging Puzzle around and throwing him to the ground behind her. He yelled in pain, though inwardly thanked Arceus for the act of mercy.

She walked past him, headed toward the ramp. "He had better hope that you're right."

Esen stopped at the bottom of the ramp.

Noivern and Scor--both of whom had stopped to roost while Esen dealt with Puzzle--had risen to their feet, ears alert and their bodies turned to the same door that Puzzle had indicated and that Cero had vanished through. They dared not move any closer to it, instead merely remaining in place and growling at what they sensed approaching. Esen moved to stand by her Pokémon, prepping herself to fight alongside them.

For several moments, nothing happened.

Then, the door opened.

At a glance, she could have mistaken the figure for Cero. Like the Magma Agent, this man--weary-bodied and of a damaged stature--wore tattered robes over equally unkempt clothes, along with a hood that obscured his face. Unlike Cero, he carried a strange staff in one hand, and bore a graying beard upon his chin. White Coat--Shift--lay draped over his shoulder, unconscious.

The man paused in the door frame, taking a moment to survey the devastated garage. His gaze swept over the broken boxes, the shards of glass where numerous containers had been shattered to free the Pokémon contained within, the unconscious men and women who had served as Puzzle's and Shift's workforce. He looked up at Puzzle's platform, where the man himself sat, still recovering from his few injuries, then down at the dropped Symbol below him. Finally, the man came upon Esen, where his steel eyes remained for a brief moment before he took several sure, but uneven steps forward.

He stopped, stooping briefly to set Shift down.

His gaze never left Esen's face.

"Don't think."

But . . .

She did not like this.

She did not like this one bit.

She did not know whether it was the man's gaze itself that made her uneasy--the way that his eyes tore through her like bullets through silk, peeling away the layers of fiery fury building within her blood until there was nothing left but cold--or whether it was some unseen force hidden within them. She suspected it was a mixture of both, not entirely due to the way that Scor and Noivern appeared to bear an instinctual aversion towards his existence.

They felt it.

She felt it.

"Don't feel."

I . . . I can't . . .

She was moving without conscious thought, her instincts taking over again.

Before her was not a human being. It was a target.

"Act."

Noivern and Scor scrambled, flying ahead of her. She ran beneath them, darting to the side. The figure hardly reacted.

She saw something fall from his sleeve--a paper, bearing a pattern that she did not recognize. It dropped to the floor. His staff moved, and he slammed the end of it down in the middle of the patterned parchment.

The open circle at the top of the staff glowed.

Esen felt herself pressed down as if by a blanket, as the force of gravity increased around her, Scor, and Noivern with a swing of the man's staff. She stumbled and fell against a pile of debris, left to struggle against the sudden, invisible weight on her body.

The man approached, each step punctuated by the sound of his staff clicking against the concrete at his feet.

She turned her head, watching him as he grew closer and closer. Her hand touched sharp metal, cutting her fingers. She closed them around the duller side, gripping the make-shift knife tightly.

He stopped next to her, stooping down.

She forced herself around, swinging the blade in a wide arc.

He moved back.

The metal caught his cloak, barely missing his leg and hip and instead slashing open a pellet linked to his belt.

An explosion of white powder erupted from it, burning Esen's eyes and lungs as she breathed it in.

s t r u g g l i n g

s t o p s t r u g g l i n g

s w e e t h e a r t

t h i s i s f o r t h e b e n e f i t o f u s a l l

She crawled away from him, blind to the world around her but knowing that she needed to move away from whatever menace had overtaken her vision and thoughts. He followed slowly, lowering his hood. Grizzled hair fell in unkempt knots around his face. He reached into his pocket, pulling out another card. It bore a flame-like symbol, which glittered in the light as he dropped it to the ground at his feet.

"Impressive," he said, his voice as gravelly as the broken shards of rock that covered the garage floor. "Not many can overcome the paralysis that comes with Fear." He frowned. "What a waste of spirit . . ."

He raised his staff above the charm.

A clatter of steps came from behind him as Puzzle stumbled down from the platform. "Gethin! Leave her!"

Gethin paused at Puzzle's order.

"I do not believe that would be the wisest course of action."

"The alternative is having whoever else is associated with these people coming after us because their burned corpses were found in our territory," Puzzle said. He grunted as he lifted Shift, supporting his unconscious partner by the shoulders. "We've suffered enough of a set-back just from separating two of them from the others. I'm not interested in seeing what happens when they're killed. Leave them."

He observed her, watching as she clutched at her throat and heaved, eyes wide and beginning to go bloodshot. He lowered his staff, setting the end off to the side of the charm. He stooped down to pick it up, and then turned back to where Puzzle waited with Shift, walking toward them.

"As you wish."

e s e n

d o n ' t y o u w a n t t o m a k e m o m m a p r o u d ?

**Blessed Blade** · November 15, 2015

-==IC: Jenny==-

Jenny frowned, as she sent out Gnip to try and somehow help. She was worried for everyone; she wasn't sure what was causing this to happen, but it seemed bad. But she had no way to actually help stop this. So instead, she put all her hopes on the fact that everything would turn out right...

-==IC: Ryan==-

Ryan grit his teeth, as he looked down at what was going on. He wanted to just leap down and help... But he couldn't. He was too paralyzed by what was unfolding, and he had no way to actually get down. However, he refused to believe that things would go wrong. They couldn't... if they went wrong... Ryan forced himself to stay strong, and tried to focus. He had to keep hope. He had to believe that everything would go okay. He had to stay determined, for Zach's sake.

-==IC: Zach/Ryan==-

Zach felt himself falling in and out of consciousness, but still the storm raged on. It was obvious that if this didn't stop, then he would die, and probably take things out with him. But yet, things just didn't... seem like they would be able to be fixed. Zach numbly felt someone throw their arms around him, and tried to focus. The world almost seemed to shimmer to him, as if he were losing his grip on things. He couldn't make out the person in front of him... He could barely hear what the person was saying either, but felt as if it were important somehow. But he just couldn't pull himself together enough... He felt it was the end.

-BUT IT REFUSED-

At that moment, Zach felt as if something pressed against him more. He couldn't tell what... But it felt familiar. "H. . . e. . ." The word seemed to die in his throat. He couldn't make out any of the people in front of him, though they seemed familiar. One moreso than the other... But he didn't know how to focus enough. He just wanted... this to stop... He felt tears starting to run down his face from everything, as he continued to fight the psychic storm, and lose.

-the entire world is ending-

"_Is^th-t_whe-e^you-re_go-ng^t^-_gi-e^up...?" Zach's eyes widened, as he could barely make out a voice. It seemed so distant and distorted... But yet, something seemed so close. He tried to focus again. He had to focus... He had to! "^{Don't... _give up...}" Zach tried to focus on the bluish figure he could barely make out. The figure seemed so far off, but so close. So familiar, yet in a different way. And with a nod, the figure seemed to vanish.

-But perhaps something else could be saved-

_{"Please... It's me, Olivia... Stop... G-get a hold of yourself..."} The voice... He couldn't tell if it had been repeated or not. He wasn't sure what was happening at all. He couldn't tell whether his perception of time was growing corrupted. But this time, he heard it. He tried to speak again. But it didn't work. He tried to move. But it didn't work. He tried to stop what was happening... But it failed. _{"Zach... Please, if you can hear me... You gotta..."}He was growing desperate. He didn't want this to happen, he didn't want a repeat of anything, and he didn't want anyone to die. It was at that moment, that things almost seemed to turn on their head. _{"You're better than this... I-I believe... You c-can stop it... Just please, try harder..."} He tried to focus again. He felt lips press against him once more...

-But the world refused to die-

Zach's eyes widened, as he felt... clearer, almost. He could make out more of the person in front of him, and managed a very weak smile as he noticed who it was. "_Liv..." His voice was still shaky and hoarse, but the psychic was showing progress. He focused more, as he tried to breathe in and out. He leaned against Olivia more, as he began to feel weaker. However, he wasn't going to give up. He felt everything begin to slowly grow clearer around himself once again, as the glow slowly dissipated from his eyes. He tried to stand more on his own, as the destruction was stopped, however, as he gave Olivia another weak smile, he fell forward with his eyes closed, breathing a bit raggedly, but mostly softly.

-==IC: Ryan==-

Ryan seemed stunned at what had just taken place, and breathed a sigh of relief, as he leaned against the wall of the roof's ledge. He looked back down at the ground, and noticed the immediate danger had seemed to have passed. He frowned worriedly, as he glanced at the unconscious psychic in Olivia's arms; however, he didn't know any way down at that moment. He hoped that things weren't bad, but as he glanced around for the exit to the roof, he had to hope that it would at least wait until he could get there...

-==IC: Jenny==-

Jenny breathed a sigh of relief as well, as she fell to her knees. As the adrenaline began to wear off, she just felt a bunch of sadness for what had happened. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, smiling a bit, as everything seemed to have worked out well, but worriedly ran over to where Xander, Olivia, and Zach were. She wasn't sure why the psychic storm had stopped, especially with his collapse, but hoped that it wasn't a bad sign. "Are... are you okay...?" She asked the two still present, failing to keep her worry off her face. She had seen Olivia be pushed away by some of the psychic energy after the first kiss, but noticed that she had just stayed determined, and tried again before seemingly getting through.

-==IC: Guy==-

Guy was shocked, as he noticed what had happened. By all means, that should have been impossible. The kid hadn't the control that was necessary for calming that... Calming? The man paused, as he seemed even more shocked, as he realized a possibility. Did... Did the kid actually... use that advice to go with the flow? He stood silently, as he gazed over the collapsed Hikari. Redirecting the energy... That would... He stayed quiet, as he shook his head, a flabbergasted look on his face. I hope the kid survives this. If he does, then I need to do something so that things come to a close. But redirecting the psychic energy like that... it'd allow it to slowly fade out, instead of being destructive. I hope it works.

**Dr. Hidaka** · November 15, 2015

IC: Evan Tierra

"Monstro, lower your Wide Guard, but be ready to put it back up." Evan said, shaking as he headed over to where Jenny was. "I need to check on what happened."

Evan quickened his pace. He knew Zach had power, but not that much. He had to make sure Olivia and Xander were okay. Zach seemed like he was just out cold, but he had to make sure he was all right as well. The Plasma Agent reached the group, his stride nervous. HE just wanted to go one day without worrying about something bad happening. Was that so much to ask for?

"Is everyone ok?" Evan asked, weariness and worry crossing his face as he spoke to Olivia. "Will you and the others be ok? Please tell me that at the very least, things will be ok......."

Konuju · November 15, 2015

IC: Paul

The psychic pulses were getting stronger. Tiles were flying off roofs, streetlamps were uprooted, and entire buildings were shaking under the stress of the psychic storm. Bisharp was doing his best to block the blasts headed their way, his dark-type body able to absorb the energy with little-to-no harm. But even then he could do little to stop the hundreds of projectiles flying through the air. Most sailed over their heads, so at first Bisharp thought they were relatively safe.

Then a scream pierced the air.

Terry took off at a run toward the scream, scampering through piles of debris and barking wildly. Paul followed as fast as he could, but what he saw made him freeze.

A young child, a boy probably no older than five, way lying on the ground, pinned by a fallen streetlamp. Beside him a woman Paul could only assume was the mother was screaming hysterically while the boy cried in pain.

"Hey, hey," Paul said as he ran up to the boy. "Don't worry, we're gonna get you out of this."

Terry gave a soft whine and gently licked the boy's face. The boy stopped crying for a moment and looked up at the Herdier with wide, wet eyes.

"That's Terry," Paul said while he tried to get his hands under the streetlamp. "He's a good dog. You just keep playing with him, and we'll have you out of this mess in no time. Bisharp, a little help here?"

Bisharp nodded and began slicing through the concrete streetlamp with his blades. It was slow going, but eventually he managed to cut through, leaving Paul to lift the remaining slab off the boy's legs. The two barely noticed that the psychic blasts around them had stopped.

Paul gingerly rested a hand on the boy's legs, causing the child to wince in pain. "Sylph!" the blacksmith called out, his cry echoing across both the physical and the mental plane. "We need medical attention over here!"

IC: Ryan

The three teenagers took one look at Entei and ran as fast as they could in the other direction. "I had things under control," Ryan said. "There was no need to pop out like that and scare them."

Sure, you did, the Legendary Beast replied with a smug look on its face. If I hadn't made my timely appearance I'd be scraping you all off the side of the road by now.

"Yeah, thanks for that. Just try to keep a low profile. We don't want people asking too many questions, especially after what happened last time I was in Lilycove."

You should tell that to your friend Zach.

Ryan glanced back and noticed the psychic pulses had stopped coming. "Looks like someone already told him," he muttered. "It's too far away to see what happened, but it looks like that redhead friend of his managed to subdue him."

With a sigh of relief that the disaster was finally over, Ryan urged Togie back to where Zach and the others were. He tried not to look at the destruction that lay around him.

"One day, just one day, I'd like to visit a city and not see it get utterly destroyed."

MELON LORD · November 15, 2015

IC: Xander and Sylph

Xander stared as the other psychic started to relax in Olivia's arms. He hadn't believed it possible to go from waves of destruction to calm in such a short span of time. Yet, here it had happened. Zach was now unconscious. Xander collapsed onto his knees, relief flooding him. He became vaguely aware of Evan and Jenny approaching, and just nodded in response to Jenny's question.

The adrenaline rush was fading, and he felt the pain his chest spreading over his sides and back as well. Looking up at Evan, he smiled. "That was a wild ride, huh?" The whole ordeal had lasted maybe five minutes, but it had been an exciting five minutes. "I never had adventures like this in Kalos, that's for sure... Nothing interesting or super exciting until I met Ellen." He was rambling, he realized. Was that shock? No, he hadn't been hit that badly. Had he?

He shrugged it off, content in the knowledge that if he were injured, Sylph would take care of him later. Vixen and Ellen hopped off his shoulders. Ellen moved to curl up in his lap, and Vixen trotted towards Olivia and Zach, barking softly.

Sylph had just started to relax when Paul called out to her. Without wasting a beat, she teleported to him. Glancing warily at the Bisharp, she approached the boy. Hello, she said gently. You're going to be alright. I'm going to see how bad your ouch is and do what I can to make it better, alright? Along with the words, she sent a soothing feeling through the mental link. She glanced at the remains of the street lamp, and nodded in satisfaction. He had been pinned near the base of the lamp, which wouldn't have as much falling power as the top part.

Slowly, she located the ball of fire that was his injury and winced. Nothing vital had been damaged, but it had definitely broken a few ribs. His lungs were lucky to be in tact, and she was glad to see that his spine hadn't suffered any injury. As much as it didn't seem like it, he was one lucky kid. Focusing, she used the move Heal Pulse. For Paul, it had fixed up old aches and pains for a little while, relieving him of the burden of years. For the boy... Well, the pain would get a bit worse before it got better.

Ribs shifted back into place before fusing. The skin over the area would be bruised, but she could at least advance that to some degree. She noticed with concern that he had hit his head on the stone path. You'll want to take him to a proper doctor once I am done here. He may be concussed, and I don't trust my abilities to fix that. No hemorrhaging, though, which was always a blessing. I'm fixing some broken ribs and helping the blood vessels beneath the skin to repair themselves so the bruising won't be too bad. He may have shortness of breath for a while afterwards. If it lasts for more than a week, I would suggest a doctor's appointment.

She smiled gently, feeling the pain disappear from the boy's body, to be replaced with a calming sensation. There we go. I wish I had something to give you for being so brave and not fighting against me. She stood, gently lifting the boy and handing him to his mother. As i said, you'll want to get him checked by a doctor as soon as possible. She offered a short curtsey before turning to Paul.

We should go check on the others. Zach might have need of her abilities as well, now she thought of it. And maybe start helping with cleanup.

Konuju · November 16, 2015

IC: Paul

The young boy, groggy from his pain, managed a smile as he looked over at Sylph in a daze. "Thank you, Miss..." he said. "You too, Mister."

His mother hugged him close, tears running down her face. "I can't thank you enough."

"No need for thanks," Paul said. "I know what it's like to have a child taken from you. Thought I might spare you the pain of losing one permanently." The blacksmith gave a small nod before looking back at Sylph. "Is it over? We'd better make the cleanup fast. Remember, we still have a boat to catch."

IC: Ryan/Entei

Being a Legendary Beast, Entei made it to Zach and the others long before Ryan and Togie did. What happened? he asked, looking up at the unconscious Zach. Are you all safe?

When Togie reached the area, he swooped down to land next to Evan. Ryan hopped off his mount and strode over to where Zach lay in the redhead's arms. "Please tell me nobody died this time," he said. "I really can't take a repeat of Unova."

JiMing · November 16, 2015

IC: Olivia/Aspen/Dahlia Seaton

As suddenly as it had started, the storm dissipated. Olivia no longer had a pounding headache, and breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, given that Zach was now slumped unconscious against her, and the attacks that struck and pushed her away had knocked the wind out of her and left her rather exhausted, the red-haired trainer nearly collapsed, but refused to let her legs buckle, holding on with sheer willpower. She held onto her friend, hugging him even tighter now that things were over.

From behind came Evan and Jenny making sure everyone in the epicenter of the storm was safe, and even a small Fennekin attempting to get her attention. "I'm okay, don't worry about me..." the eldest Seaton turned around and mumbled, giving a weak grin. "Just... Got the wind knocked out of me, and could probably lie down for a while. I-I think Zach's okay too..." Olivia said, breathing heavily for a bit.

When the conflict ended, Dracos dropped the Safeguard barrier, much to the relief of Aspen and Dahlia. The former walked up to Olivia, clearly a bit shaken at what had happened. He looked at Zach slumped limply against his older sister. "...H-he's not dead, right...?" he asked, frowning. The attack was so powerful, and it didn't seem completely impossible for him to have been drained entirely...

"He doesn't feel dead, no..." Olivia responded, groaning. "I think all we need at this point... Is some rest, really. At least no one got hurt too badly..."

Dahlia looked over at Olivia for a moment, smiling appreciatively that it didn't seem as though anyone had died. However, something made her frown, as there was something that most people seemed to be ignoring at the moment. The gardener turned her head to see the Absol from earlier, breathing heavily from the attacks. She slowly stepped towards him, without the white-furred creature noticing her. "Hey." she called out, just as the Disaster Pokemon prepared to leap away. He turned around, locking eyes with the trainer once more. The two of them stood there silently, the wind blowing through the area.

"...Thank you. You saved me back there, and helped a bunch of people stay safe." the middle Seaton said gratefully. The Absol's eyes widened at that, looking around warily. No human had ever taken the time to acknowledge his presence to this extent, much less thank him for his efforts. While he was looking off into the distance, Dahlia knelt down and wrapped her arms around the Pokemon's neck, resting his head on her shoulder. Tensing up instinctively, the Disaster Pokemon's surprise turned to confusion. The blue-eyed girl with the sunhat was certainly more empathetic than anyone else he had met prior, but he didn't expect it to this extent...

"...You've been hurt before, haven't you...?" Dahlia asked sadly, running her hand comfortingly over the Absol's back. Even though she was unable to communicate with him and hear his thoughts like a Psychic-type, somehow, she could feel the inner melancholy. She sighed again, and held the Disaster Pokemon in her embrace for a while longer, before standing up. "...You don't have to keep being alone, if you want. I... I'd like to keep you company. I'd like to be your friend." Dahlia offered, smiling softly. The Absol still seemed shocked from everything, and looked back hesitantly, not sure how to respond. The gardener watched him for a bit longer, and blinked, biting her lip. "...I-I understand. Maybe... Maybe I can see you in a better time."

The middle Seaton walked away slowly, unable to take her mind off the Absol. She had wanted to help the Pokemon so badly, especially after he had risked his safety for hers... Dahlia held her head down, as she walked back to her friends. From behind came the sounds of something bounding towards her, and she turned her head to find that the Absol had began to walk by her side. He stopped, and looked up with a neutral expression. The gardener looked down in surprise, but smiled and knelt down again to hug him. "We're going to be great friends." she said, patting the Pokemon on the back, and standing up again. The middle Seaton walked over to where Olivia and the others were, as did the Absol, who, bizarrely enough, didn't fear for what was to happen next.

**Blessed Blade** · November 16, 2015

-==IC: Jenny==-

Jenny smiled, and hugged the other couple, taking care to be gentle because of their injuries. "I'm glad you're both safe. Don't worry us like that again." She giggled, as she stepped back, her worry melted away luckily.

-==IC: Ryan/Ray/Guy==-

Ryan panted, as he ran up to the scene. "Sorry, wasn't able to get down fast enough..." He glanced over the present members of the group, and sighed in relief. "Glad you're all okay..." He smiled slightly, and glanced behind him, as he saw Ray following. He noticed that Ray seemed surprised as well, but also was sighing in relief. Ryan looked back to Olivia, as he suddenly remembered something, and scratched his head. "Not exactly the best time for this, I guess, but..." He reached into the bag he had, and pulled out the gift-wrapped package. "I put your name on it, because I figured you probably could use the help... Didn't ever think it'd end up being basically a 'get well soon' gift, though..." He said, and sighed. "Don't worry about giving it to Zach until everyone's alright, though."

As the group was gathering and talking, however, another person walked up, and looked at them with a frown. "Hello. I am Guy. I'm the one who triggered this." He didn't want to say this without actually explaining how it had been a mistake... But he knew that the girl wouldn't believe him anyway. And he needed focus, and maybe this was the best way to do that. "I have a challenge for the kid. In a week, meet me at Relic Castle. If you don't come, I will return, and force you to come." He felt bad for this, but knew this was for the best. "I'm sorry that you had to go through this." He said, a pained look on his face, as he stepped back, his Pokemon ready to teleport him as soon as he did so, leaving the air empty just as suddenly as he had appeared.

"... The heck was he?" Ray asked with a confused blink, as he had absolutely no clue what had just happened.

MELON LORD · November 16, 2015

IC: Xander and Sylph

Sylph teleported Paul and herself over to the rest of the group just in time for Guy's proclamation. With a snarl, she launched a quick Psychic, only for him to teleport away. I am starting to get really sick of people doing that. She huffed, turning to the others. As she was about to speak, she noticed the pokémon by Dahlia's side. She flinched, instinctively teleporting to put Xander between herself and the Absol.

The Kalos trainer sighed a bit, rubbing the back of his head. "That's what we need right now, of course." He looked to Ryan, shrugging - and gasping in pain as it caused pain to shoot through his chest. "Um... Not a clue. Maybe Olive will know?"

Olivia, Sylph corrected, scratching at her nose to conceal a smile. I believe her name is Olivia. So saying, she turned to the girl. Not to intrude, but may I take a look at your friend? I can fix minor injuries, and I might be able to see what just happened here if I can get into his mind. She wasn't really willing to leave it up to debate. As soon as she said it, she was probing for injuries. There was nothing new; he hadn't injured his physical self with the outburst.

She was irritated, however, to find his mind too slippery to probe into. She caught only surface thoughts, images from his unconscious mind. Honestly, none of it made any sense to her. Well then, I suppose we'll have to wait. Until then, shall we move him somewhere safe and start cleaning up a bit? We do still have a boat to catch, so we should not linger too long.

And, she added silently, it would be bad for the townsfolk to find out they were behind the destruction.

IC: ??? - Alamos Power Plant

As the door swung open, a deep voice echoed off of the walls, "And now, I commend this soul into the eternal slumber, that she may meet our Master and bring nourishment to him, so he may once again appear in the realm of wakefulness, and take all into that deep sleep."

The room was large, and candles were scattered haphazardly about. In the middle of the room was a wooden table, about waist high, with five dark-robed figures standing around it. The only one facing towards the door was holding an oddly shaped stone above his head; as the group pushed open the door, he brought it down.

There was a wet crunching sound as he bashed in the skull of the woman tied to the table. Judging from the dark stains around the table, she was the latest in a line of victims. The man in the robe raised blood stained hands, a chilling laugh echoing from the walls. "My friends, truly we are blessed this day. Our master Sombra has gifted us with four more servants to send to him, that he may come and claim us all the sooner!" He tossed a pokéball into the air, releasing a Houndoom.

"Don't let them escape, my pet!"

JiMing · November 16, 2015

IC: Olivia/Aspen/Dahlia Seaton

Olivia watched helplessly as Guy appeared, and disappeared before she could even throw a single punch. Cursing under her breath, the red-haired trainer closed her eyes. She turned around to see the armless Gardevoir from before ask to see Zach. Olivia frowned a bit, and sighed. "I-I mean, yeah, that'd help, but..." she replied while looking around, failing to see a place to lay her best friend down. "If you can look at him and heal when he's sort of flopping around in my grip, maybe... But otherwise I think I need a place to be dropped off, or something..." the eldest Seaton muttered. "Today was a real mess, huh... Hope everyone can get on their boats on schedule..."

Absol flinched when he saw the Gardevoir teleport away. He saw it in the split second their eyes met... The look of terror and fear. The look that he was an abomination. He found it difficult to take another step, and hung his head low. The optimism he had built up was now challenged by doubt, and old doubts began to resurface...

"Hi, everyone. I'm glad to see people are alright." Dahlia replied, smiling a bit. She was about to say more, until she noticed that the Absol had paused, causing the gardener to turn around in worry. She knelt down again, placing a hand tenderly on the side of his cheek. "H-hey, I'm... Not sure what's wrong..." she started, biting her lip. "But... You're a hero, alright? I believe in you." the middle Seaton declared, smiling happily.

"...Wh-who's that Absol, anyways...?" Aspen asked, a bit confused still. The Absol had came to their rescue earlier, and was now next to Dahlia, and he wasn't sure how that happened, either. "Didn't it show up not long ago?"

Dahlia looked up at her brother, and nodded. "He's a new friend." she said, smiling. She then hugged the Absol again, stroking his fur reassuringly. It was paying off, as the Disaster Pokemon began to calm down, his breathing becoming steadier. Tentatively, he looked upwards, seeing the others there, and how they would react to his presence.

**Blessed Blade** · November 16, 2015

-==IC: Ryan==-

Ryan looked over at the Absol as it was brought more to attention, and then walked over, and knelt down beside him. "Heya... So, you helped out? Thank you for that..." He said with a thankful smile, and tried to scratch under his chin, to attempt to calm him down a bit more. As he focused more on the general conversation, however, he glanced over to Xander and the others. "I want to go with you guys. I want to help find Ellen. I know that family's important, but I trust the others to figure out what's happening in Snowpoint. I just feel as if everyone who could help is needed... and I want to help."

Konuju · November 16, 2015

IC: Ryan/Paul

Ryan took a step toward the newcomer. "You say you're responsible for this?" he snarled, a hand already reaching for a Pokéball. "You've got a lot of nerve showing up here after messing with Zach, you rotten piece of--"

The man teleported away without so much as a second thought at Ryan's threat.

The Liberty agent turned to face the others with a look of both annoyance and confusion. "Who was that guy?"

Paul wasn't entirely sure of the context regarding what had just happened, but he knew that guy was bad news. "Doesn't matter who he is," he said gruffly. "What matters now is attending to Zach and making sure this area's as good as we can make it before our boat arrives."

At that moment Sylph teleported to Xander's side, drawing everyone's attention to the Absol in their midst. The Pokémon seemed uncertain, almost as if it were afraid its own life would end in a disaster.

"One of my friends has an Absol," Ryan said, cocking his head at the dark-type. "They're said to be able to sense disasters." He took a step towards Dahlia, locking eyes with the Absol. "I'm not one for superstitions, but my friend's Absol helped us out of more than a few tight spots. Were you just here to warn us about Zach's little light show? Or is there something more...?"

"We've had enough disasters already as it is," Paul muttered. However, his eyes widened when Terry started padding up to the Absol, sniffing curiously. The Herdier barked a greeting. "Do you know this Pokémon, Terry?" Paul asked in surprise.

"Wait a second," Ryan said. "Does that mean it's met Ellen?" He looked back at the Absol. "We're trying to find our friend; she's been kidnapped. I don't know how these premonition powers of yours work, but tell me... do you think we'll succeed?"

**Dr. Hidaka** · November 16, 2015

IC: Evan Tierra

Everything happened so quickly, Evan had no real time to react to it all. He felt a bit lost as to what had all happened. All he could recall was the name of the man who claimed responsibility for all of this, and that he got away, just like every other villain he'd come across. At Ryan's question, Evan's ears perked up and he turned towards the Liberty Agent.

"I think he said his name was Guy....." Evan spoke, trying to keep his cool. "Of course he gets to teleport away before we can do anything about it. Like that isn't getting old."

Evan then turned towards the Absol, his eyes full of wonder. He hadn't seen an Absol outside of Sinnoh in a long time. They were a likeable species if a tad isolated. Only problem was they weren't as liked as one would like. The ones around Mt. Coronet were regarded by some citizens of Sinnoh as signs of bad things to come. Evan knew bravery when he saw it though......

"It's quite a treat to see an Absol, especially when it helps save the day....." Evan said as he walked towards the Disaster Pokemon and Dahlia. "Most people in Sinnoh regard Absol with disdain, due to their 'unsavory' rep. But those of us in the know in Eterna City and Celestic Town, we tend to view them a little more highly. Did you know what was going to happen? Did you think you could play the part of hero? Well, if you did........"

Evan then reached his hand out, and started to pet the Absol gently."Then you deserve this." Evan spoke softly. "I don't care about your rep. You at least helped fight, and that is worth something. So thank you."

Edited November 16, 2015 by Hades

MELON LORD · November 17, 2015

IC: Xander and Sylph

Sylph nodded agreement to Evan's first sentiment. It had only happened to them once before, but it was already aggravating. She glanced at the Absol, chewing her lip. My apologies. Her 'voice' was shaky as she communicated to the Absol. I have a... small phobia of dark types like yourself. Thank you, though, for helping our friend.

She then addressed the group at large. Was anyone else injured badly enough to need healing? I can manage a few more times today. She added a mental note to work on her Heal Pulse as well. In Kalos, she had hardly needed to use it, since she had been Xander's sole pokémon. That was not the case now, and it was proving to be invaluable in dangerous situations.

So, that's healing, teleporting, and protection that I need to learn. Wonderful.

Xander shook his head. "Nothing that can't wait til we get onto the boat. Anyone else?" He started to stand, moving to let the Absol sniff his hand before patting its head. "And yeah; good job on the help."

He grinned softly, looking around. "I think we did the best we could, given the situation. No deaths, a minimum of injuries. Not even a whole lot of collateral damage, given the circumstances. I'm just glad we were all here, or it would have been worse."

Edited November 17, 2015 by Flowey the Flower

JiMing · November 17, 2015

IC: Olivia/Dahlia/Aspen

Olivia sighed, closing her eyes. "That Guy person said he was Zach's uncle, earlier..." she said, a frown on her face. The red-haired trainer wasn't sure if Guy was honest, and if he was, why he was doing all this... However, she turned her head down, looking down at the Absol being mentioned. "Oh, hey..."

Aspen listened to what Dahlia and the others said, walking towards the Absol. "Well, wherever you came from, you kept me and Dahlia safe, so thank you..." he said, rubbing the Dark-type's back, smiling. "Things could have been much worse, yeah... Thanks to everyone for stopping that from happening."

The Absol braced himself for a few possible reactions, but this was not one of them. He was pet, scratched, and commended for his efforts. He couldn't have seen the humans reacting to him so positively, even ignoring how he was usually treated, the Gardevoir's fearful reaction had set him up for what to expect. Even the Herdier greeted him with a friendly disposition. All of this left the Absol a bit uncertain of how to respond, but he barked a quick greeting to everyone, sending his thoughts to Sylph as well. He reassured the Psychic-type that his feelings weren't hurt, as her reaction wasn't far off from how he was usually treated.

Dahlia beamed at the positive receptiom the Disaster Pokemon was getting, and hugged him again. "See? Nothing to be worried about. You're just fine." the gardener said, listening to what the others said. Ryan spoke up, inquiring about Ellen. Dahlia's eyes widened, and she thought for a moment. "R-right... He was there in Sootopolis, to warn us, and Ellen mentioned seeing him before... D-do you have an answer to the question...?" the gardener asked.

The Absol's crimson eyes turned towards everyon there, filled with a sort of... Uncertainty? He had picked up on how the young girl from before was not a part of the group, and didn't have a straight answer for Ryan Sanders. However, he frowned solemnly, and looked down with a sympathetic gaze, closing his eyes afterwards. No matter the outcome, their journey to find Ellen wouldn't have anyone experiencing a good time...

**Blessed Blade** · November 17, 2015

OOC: Slight minor timeskip incoming.

-==IC: Ryan==-

Ryan stood up, as the talking began to go quiet once again. "Xander's right... But I think the rest of us are okay; most of us were far enough away... Let's just get going. I feel exhausted after all this, anyway." He said with a sigh, as he began to walk toward the docks, to go get the tickets.

During the wait, Ryan tried to help clean up as best as he could. Most of the stuff were things they just couldn't help with because of the sheer scale, but he still wanted to do his best. However, after about an hour, he met back up with the group at the docks. He helped Olivia carry Zach onto the boat those two were going on, and walked over to the other boat. As he approached, he raised an eyebrow. He was told that while he was helping out, Dahlia and Aspen had volunteered to join the search for Ellen. He smiled slightly, but glanced over in confusion at an unfamiliar kid who seemed to not want to leave Evan and Jenny's side. Shaking his head in confusion, he simply ignored the person, as he walked onto the boat.

He didn't really care much about what the others were doing right then, as he waited for the boat to actually get going. Due to the size of the group, he found out that the entire boat basically was theirs, which suited him fine. He chose a random corner, and just sat down in it, and pulled out his Pokegear. How would he explain this thing... He sighed, and began to dial a number, feeling a little guilty for having to do this. As he waited, he felt the boat start to move, and figured that everyone was on, probably including that unfamiliar kid.

OOC: Let's get out of Lilycove finally!

Liv and Zach's boat is on its way too.

MELON LORD · November 17, 2015

OOC: Incoming Jam

IC: Xander Cruize/Evan Tierra - S.S. Coral

As the boat rolled gently on the waves, Xander Cruize leaned against the railing. He had spent two weeks on a boat from Kalos to Hoenn, and had only gotten a day to recover from that ordeal. That didn't matter, though. The mission right now was more important than... well, than anything. Comfort could wait.

Straightening, he glanced around, trying to find a certain brown-haired trainer. After a moment, he closed his eyes and focused. He couldn't see Evan, but he could still speak with him. Evan? he asked telepathically. It's me, Xander. I need to ask you something, if you aren't busy.

The brown-haired trainer in question had retired to a large room to rest due to the events of the past few days finally taking effect. Evan felt the thoughts reach his mind. They seemed contemplative and confused. Evan let them flow into his mind and calmly replied. "What's up, kiddo? Somethin' bothering you?"

Xander chuckled softly at being called "kiddo." His mother hadn't even called him that since he was six. Shaking it off, he continued projecting his thoughts, leaning casually against the rail and looking at the waves. You said that you're an ex-Hero, but... is there more to that than a title? Do you think of yourself as a... well, a hero?

Xander heard a mentally projected laugh. It was warm, like one that recalled wonderful times of days past.

"I, Evan Tierra, consider myself a hero, because I have tried to do the right thing." Evan's thoughts rang out cheerfully. "So far I've done an all right job. But enough about me, what about you? Why do you ask?"

There was a short pause as Xander considered this response. He let out a sigh. Is that what it means to be a hero, then? Doing the right thing, no matter what? Or does just trying also make you a hero?

He paused, considering. I want to be a hero. Or, at least, I want to do the best I can. It's hard, though. I already feel like I messed up once. It's one thing to want to do good, and another to actually be able to, isn't it?

He thought of his years in Kalos, hearing about the "evil" Team Rocket and wanting to help defeat them. He didn't want glory. He couldn't care less if people remembered his name. I just want to change the world for the better. Were you already a hero when you were... chosen, or called, or whatever? Did you seek it out for yourself, or did you wait until you were picked?

"It.....just came naturally to me, kiddo." Evan shot back. "I wanted to change the world. I wanted to do it my own way though. Trying to do the right thing is the first step. Failing is the second step. Doing it right is the third step."

Evan thought for a moment and added, "I didn't wait to be picked. I jumped without needing a call to action. Some require a push. I pushed myself."

Xander was quiet for a time, almost enough to make one think he was done with the conversation. Then, he spoke again, to Evan and aloud so Sylph could hear him.

"In that case, I'm going to be a hero. I'm going to do what's right, and when I fail, I'm going to do it again until I get it right. I'm not going to wait idly until someone chooses me. I'm not going to watch the dakness come. I'll find the darkness in the world, and leave it nowhere to run. That... was pretty cheesy, but that's my vow. I'm going to be a hero."

He thought of Ellen, thought of the aftermath of Sootopolis, thought of when he was a kid hearing about the war. Thanks, Evan. I appreciate the talk.

"No problem, kiddo!" EVan said warmly. "Gimme a shout when/if you need more advice. But for right now, I'm gonna rest up. I haven't slept in a while...."

Evan then added, "But remember, even the darkness needs a chance to turn to light too."

Parugi · November 18, 2015

IC - Esen Windred:

e s e n

d e a r e s t .

e s e n . w a k e u p .

How can I wake up when I am not asleep.

How can I focus when the world is flitting about me, d _{i s t o}^{r t e d} l i k e ~~d a m a g e d~~ f i l m ?

N o t h i n g c o n n e c t e d .

in place Nothing its proper.

Nothing clear.

Nothing real.

I remember.

A rapid knock and a shout. An order to enter.

An explosion of wood.

A dozen men and women with guns and armor.

A single muzzle flash.

The drop of a dead body.

My dead body.

"Daddy?"

Reality ended that day.

It continued to end the day after, and after, and after that. It never came back. I never woke up.

He never woke up.

And the body . . .

Not even a glimpse, a second look, as you carted me away, kicking and clawing and screaming for him to

"Help me!"

You left him.

You took me.

i t ' l l b e o k a y .

i t ' s f o r t h e b e s t .

y o u ' l l s e e .

s t o p s t r u g g l i n g.

And her . . .

My friend . . .

You separated us. Left her alone.

Gave me enough time to say the words:

"I'll see you tomorrow."

. . . and none to make them true.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Never a greater lie.

s t o p s t r u g g l i n g.

n o w .

Did you even

think

about what you were doing?

Did you

consider

what was going through the head of the child you were strapping down

cutting open

sticking with needles?

Augmenting.

Bettering.

Changing.

Your words. Not mine.

They mean nothing.

You wanted me to help you. You wanted me to serve you. And when he would not let you--when he took me from you--you couldn't stand that, could you?

You struck.

Like a meteor, you struck ground.

Who could stop you?

you know what i saw, lying there on that table

blinded by the white lights and the white coats

by the two doctors beside me and, before me,

you, standing there, 'motherly,' you claimed?

i saw demons

i saw monsters

i saw smiling, distorted grins that would have driven any stable person to the brink, faces friendly and horrifying in the pleasantries that they presented whilst simultaneously working, actively, forcefully, to create something that on a deeper level would likely never again be seen as a h u m a n b e i n g and you

y o u

e n c o u r a g e d

i t .

i should have never taken it

i should have never let you do what you did, mother

i should have sprung from my restraints, broken them with the sheer force of my hatred and grabbed something, anything with which to fight my way to freedom

how might you have smiled then

when the doctors would fall at either side, bleeding from open chests that could only imitate what i had seen and felt upon myself

falling, bloody, dying

and in front of you, bloodied and vengeful and crying, you would see your very flesh and blood rise up to face you

the very controlled ferocity which you had so carefully bred turned against you and used as the springboard from which i would lunge forward

into you

a tight embrace that,

for the briefest of moments,

might have been seen as an act of reconciliation

until the hands

the bloodied hands

would close around your neck

and we would fall back

amidst the scattered rock and metal

and the fear upon your tired visage, within your bulging eyes, would show itself

and you would whisper the name you had forgotten in your desire for victory against your enemies

"esen . . ."

fighting futilely to live

your hands clenched around my own

"Esen . . ."

tugging

pulling

failing

"p-please . . ."

rising . . .

caressing my face . . .

bringing me back . . .

revealing that you

were not you . . .

because you

are already gone . . .

"K . . . Kyle?"

The garage was back, its edges frosted by a dense fog that clouded her vision.

Victoire and Cero lay to either side of her, both knocked backward and bearing shallow slashes across the chest from where she cut them. The blood-tipped blade lay beside her, abandoned in favor of her hands.

They were wrapped around Kyle's neck.

The injured boy lay still, shallow breaths and an earnest gaze the only active signs of life. His hands, linked together, rested on her face.

All had fallen silent. Her face burned with tears, and her heart with receding rage.

She stared back at him for a long time, frozen in horror by the realization of what had happened.

His lips shifted into a small smile.

She blinked rapidly, overcome with emotions. Guilt, anger, horror all threatened to break her down.

What managed to was the sense of relief that washed over her at the simple gesture of forgiveness.

A sign of understanding.

Esen cried.

"Let's go home."

Edited November 18, 2015 by Parugi

Konuju · November 18, 2015

IC: Ryan/Paul

Paul was pleasantly surprised to hear that both Aspen and Dahlia had decided to join in the search for Ellen. They had a third newcomer to the group as well, a headstrong youth who seemed insistent on following Evan and Jenny around. Paul didn't mind his presence; the more the merrier, he figured.

The blacksmith stood at the side of the boat as it pulled away from the dock, granting him one last look at the bustling city. He turned his gaze to the west, where his Déoza workbench in Mossdeep had sat unused for the better part of a week. He knew the consequences of abandoning his job, and he had a feeling his punishment would be worse if his superiors found out he was planning to infiltrate the base of one of Déoza's top clients. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but getting Ellen back.

Off to the side Ryan was also looking out over the ocean, although his gaze was directed further south. Paul walked up to him, Terry happily following at his feet.

"It's hard to believe that spit of rock houses so much devastation," Ryan muttered.

It took a moment for Paul to realize that Ryan was looking at the peak of the island city of Sootopolis, just barely visible on the horizon. "I saw it with my own two eyes, and I still have a hard time believing it," he said.

Ryan nodded sadly. "Opelucid, Havoc, Sootopolis, Celadon, and even Lilycove. That Absol may be on to something, it seems nowhere's safe from disaster, even with this ceasefire. Even the Alamo got attacked last week."

"Opelucid got attacked?" Paul turned his head. "That's disturbingly close to home. What happened there?"

"Oh, nothing much," Ryan said. "Some guy named Kane thought it'd be a good idea to brainwash everyone in the city. Turned out to be working with one of the Ancient Darkrai. It was over pretty quickly, with no casualties. Unless you count Evan's shadow-self getting impaled."

"I see." The blacksmith looked over the ocean at nothing in particular. "Do you do this sort of stuff often? Rescuing people from danger?"

Ryan laughed. "I guess you could say that, although half the time it seems we're the cause of the danger. Case-in-point, what you saw today in Lilycove."

Paul nodded and fell silent for a moment, letting the sea breeze wash over him. "My being Déoza isn't going to be a problem, is it? When we get to the Liberty base, that is?"

"Shouldn't be," Ryan said. "If there is some issue, I'll make sure we deal with it. You're not with us as a representative of Déoza, you're here as Ellen's father. If anyone has a right to be in this group, it's you."

**Blessed Blade** · November 19, 2015

-==IC: Ray==-

Ray glanced around, and sighed, as he went to walk around the ship. For some reason, he just didn't seem to be able to get comfortable; like he wasn't supposed to be there. He shook his head, as he tried to keep his mind off things. As he walked around, he noticed Xander, and walked up to him. "Yo." He said with a slight wave, and glanced out over the waves.

MELON LORD · November 19, 2015

IC: Xander and Sylph

Xander nodded as Ray approached. "How's it going?" He still leaned against the railing, smiling. "Feeling restless, huh? I know what you mean." He glanced at Sylph and his eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, geeze, sorry..." He sighed, removing his cap and scratching his head. "I didn't mean to... I'm still getting a handle on this, so sometimes I accidentally use it when I don't mean to."

He replaced his cap, looking at Ray. "So, I'm gonna try that again. How's it going?"

Konuju · November 19, 2015

IC: Shannon
Leaves crinkling underfoot. A golden sunset painting the rest of the sky beautiful hues of pink and purple. A delicious scent in the air... is that Cheri pie?

Footsteps.

A familiar face.

Hannah.

"So you thought you could just show up here like nothing ever happened?"

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me. You left us with almost no warning, then your parents came back to destroy us. And now you just waltz back into Ecruteak like we're still best friends!"

"B-but we are-"

"We are not friends. Not after what you did. Alice, Lauren, Caroline, they all agree. We're better off without you."

"No, I never... It was my parents' fault, not me!"

"Then why do you stand defending them?"

"What? I'm not..."

Arms outstretched. Destruction all around. Hannah is pointing, commanding her Starly to attack.

Half a glance back reveals Mother and Father. They're holding each other. Scared. The Starly's coming. He can't be stopped.

This scene is incredibly familiar.

Why do I stand defending them? Why won't I move?

The Starly is upon us.

I must defend them.

Selena cries out in defiance, a desperate Hyper Voice. Her voice is loud, upbeat, cheerful... She's singing. Why is she singing?

Why is Hannah attacking?

Why...?

Shannon jolted awake, her hand reaching for the ringing Pokégear on her nightstand. Her vision was blurred and she misjudged the distance, accidentally knocking over a lamp. The lamp clattered to the floor with an echoing clang that made her wince.

The Pokégear had stopped ringing, and she had to squint to make out the fuzzy words on the screen:

Missed Call. Ryan Hikari.

"What is going on over there?" The nurse came scurrying over as if summoned by the fallen lamp.

"I-I'm sorry," Shannon said sheepishly as she slipped her Pokégear under her bedsheets. "I was having a bad dream and must have hit the lamp somehow."

"Hm, probably a side effect of the painkillers," the nurse said, carefully replacing the lamp on the nightstand. "I hate to have to give you sleep medication, you're already drugged enough as it is, but you need your rest. Let me know if these bad dreams continue, alright?"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

The nurse left and Shannon closed her eyes, trying to recall the exact details of her dream. It was slipping through her mind, like water running down a slide. Each droplet of detail lost its form and collected into a stagnant puddle at the bottom that did nothing but wet the seat of your pants. But as she lay there she felt incredibly comfortable, with the warm sun on her skin. Perhaps she might just float away here at the bottom of the slide...

Wait a second.

She had something to do, didn't she?

Groggily she pulled her Pokégear out from under the covers. That's right, she had to return a call. Her one link to the world outside her hospital bed.

Propping herself up slightly on the head of the bed, she dialed the number. It rang for a moment, then she saw a pixelated image of a face against a brilliant blue backdrop, hair billowing in what looked like a strong wind.

Shannon broke out into a grin and waved at the screen. "Morning, sleepyhead. What'cha doing up so early?"

"Not really morning, still." Ryan chuckled slightly, as he leaned against the guard rails on the boat. "Though, from the sounds of it, maybe it is for you." He teasingly added, as he smiled in amusement at her antics.

"Maybe it is..." Shannon looked over at the barren walls of her room. "Time passes so slowly when you don't have any windows." For a moment she felt restless and longed for the outdoors. Then she looked back at her Pokégear's screen with a giggle. "Looks like you're stealing all my sunshine."

Ryan chuckled in response. "Guess I am. How you doing?" He seemed a bit amused still, but smiled at the fact that she was at least keeping in good spirits.

"The nurse says I'm on my way to recovering, it'll just take time." The girl gave Ryan an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I know I should just be happy to be alive, but it gets awfully boring in here at time. Ms. Stacy brought the bag of books you helped gather, and I thought it might keep me entertained, but my mind just seems to lose focus halfway through a page. Instead I have staring contests with the ceiling. Other than that I'm either sleeping or dreaming. Or sometimes both."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound too fun... but hey, at least you have someone to talk to, even if it's over a phone, right?" He chuckled and leaned against the guard rail some more. "Glad to hear you're okay, though." Ryan paused, as he tried to figure out a way to bring up the change of plans that had happened in Lilycove.

"Better you than the nurse," Shannon muttered. "All she tells me is I'm not getting enough sleep or I'm not taking enough medication. The way she acts you'd think she wants me bedridden for life. At least you have cool stories to share with me, right? Maybe it'll keep me more entertained than my books. How have you been in the past... how long has it been? It must be close to a week by now. What've you been up to?"

Ryan scratched his head. "Ironically, given everything that's happened, it's been only like... hours, if that." He sighed, as now was the best time to explain. "Well, first off, we stopped in Lilycove after a brief time in Vermillion." He chuckled, as he held his Pokégear out a bit, and raised his hand holding the bag with her gifts. "Got some things for you; get well soon gifts." He smiled slightly, though admittedly had absolutely no clue how he was going to get them to her.

Shannon tilted her head in confusion. "Hours? It feels like it must have been at least a few days. Is your gift a Celebi? Then I could just time-travel to when I'm fully recovered."

Ryan chuckled in response, and seemed rather amused. "Don't think time travel quite works that way..." He sighed. "Not sure when I'll be able to give it to you, though; plans kinda changed a bit..."

Shannon tried and failed to mask her disappointment. "What...?"

Ryan sighed, as he wished he could've figured out a better way to phrase that. "When we were in Lilycove, we met up with some of Zach's old friends. On the bright side, they didn't try to kill me or arrest me or anything like that, that was nice. On the downside, they explained that a couple of their friends were taken by an evil group that I'm not really too fond of." He sighed again, and scratched his head, as he seemed to be having similar trouble. "I want to help them, but..." He looked away from the screen for a moment, as he seemed to be a bit split on what to do.

"Don't worry about me." Although it pained her to say it, Shannon couldn't help but smile. "Your friends need your help more than I do right now; I'll be stuck in this bed with or without you, so you might as well go. Go and help your friends like you helped me, and your friends will be glad they can call you their... friend... I-I'm sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I? I'm probably boring you with all my talk, it's just there's no one to talk to around here."

"I'm not bored at all." Ryan looked back to the screen with a slight frown. "Not that they really can, anyway... I'm... not even totally certain why they let me come. They didn't really say anything about it either, but after... what I did..." He frowned slightly. Why were any of them even trying to be nice to him, anyway? "... Are you sure you don't want me there? I mean, there's like ten people here, if not more... I'd probably be in the way, anyway." He wasn't sure what to do at all, and scratched his head. On one hand, she had a point, and she wasn't exactly going anywhere anyway... But he couldn't make up his mind, or figure out why the others even let him on the boat.

Shannon's voice grew quiet. "I... never said I didn't want you here..." She looked away shyly. "I just... Would you really abandon ten of your friends just to keep me company?"

Ryan went quiet, as he looked away from the screen. "I don't even know half the people here... One guy just randomly showed up, in fact. Plus, I don't know if I can actually call any of them 'friend', other than Aspen, Dahlia, or maybe Ray... But he's usually a wildcard anyway." He sighed slightly, as he didn't want to give up and prove everyone right... but really, why was he here, when half the people probably didn't want him around? Even if the other Ryan didn't hate him, he'd probably be a lot more comfortable if he wasn't here, after all.

Shannon frowned. "I... don't know... I'd feel bad if everyone was relying on your help and you left them for my sake. But if you did manage to get away, I certainly wouldn't mind a visit..."

Ryan fell quiet again, as he sighed. "... I'm sorry, things just keep getting more and more complicated." He closed his eyes, as he still just was torn. "I'll... I'll at least keep phoning and messaging you, either way. And maybe I'll try to get the gift to you when possible..." He scratched his head, and sighed again.

"They're only complicated if you make them, silly." Shannon giggled. "Life's pretty simple for me. Eat, sleep, and talk to you. That and sit through the nurse reconfirming her diagnosis for the umpteenth time."

Ryan chuckled, as he smiled in amusement. "That's true. Though, really, it's just been... weird the last few days. Did I mention Zach got caught up in some sorta weird psychic thing too?"

"Oh, that sounds fun..." Shannon's voice was starting to drift, and she was finding it harder to focus her attention. "What did the psychic thing do when it caught him?"

Ryan chuckled. "It didn't really catch him, silly. Someone, apparently his uncle, triggered his psychic powers, and they nearly overwhelmed him and the city. He seems okay now, but was still out cold when we left."

"So catch and release." Shannon giggled.

Ryan glanced at the screen with an amused smile. "I get the feeling someone's feeling sleepy again."

"N-no... I can... stay awake..." Even as the words left Shannon's mouth, her eyes became glassy. "Did you know in Kalos they count Skiddo instead of Mareep...?"

Ryan chuckled again, and sighed. "Nice trivia..." He said with a smile, as he chuckled again. "Want me to call you later? I don't want you to get in trouble and have your Pokégear taken away or anything."

Shannon gave a pleasant smile. "Yeah... that'd be nice. The calling me later thing. Not the Pokégear getting taken away."

Ryan smiled in response, and sighed. "Well, I'll talk to you later, then." He said with a slight wave, and seemed to do something else, but her screen cut out before she could make out what it was.

With a small wave in response, Shannon carefully placed her Pokégear back on the nightstand before allowing herself to finally succumb to her growing exhaustion.

Once more she drifted off into the world of dreams...

JiMing · November 19, 2015

IC: Olivia Seaton

Olivia thanked Ryan Hikari for helping her get Zach on the boat, her knees feeling like they could buckle at any time. She wasn't expecting to hear Aspen and Dahlia had chosen to help everyone else look for Ellen, but the news didn't surprise her. After all, they didn't really know Zach's cousin, and both definitely didn't take the news of Ellen's disappearance very well. The red-haired trainer nodded tiredly, and wished her siblings good luck, the boat setting out soon after.

Olivia dragged her feet to a small cabin, walking in. It was nothing fancy, but that didn't matter, as she had focused her attention on the mattress. The eldest Seaton gently lay her best friend on the bed, and groaned tiredly, laying down next to him. She closed her eyes gently, and soon drifted to sleep, next to Zach.

**Blessed Blade** · November 19, 2015

OOC: Read Parts 1 to 4 of Fade to Grey first.

-==IC==-

I groaned slightly, as I opened my eyes slowly. My head still felt rather sore, but it seemed the rest had done me well. I glanced around to try and get an idea of what time it was, but the only thing I saw, was a sleeping Olivia. With a smile, and a slight giggle, I tapped her on the face, to try and wake her up. "Psst. Liv!" All I heard in response was a bit of groaning and gibberish. I even thought I heard 'five more minutes' in response to one of the pokes, but just giggled more. "Liv... Liv! You awake?" I asked, and sighed, but smiled more, as I noticed her moving, seeming to recognize the talking.

"Yep... totally..." Olivia replied with a tired yawn, as I noticed she could barely seem to keep her eyes open. On the bright side, she was looking at me. On the not-so-bright side, I think she was just looking past me into space. But I was going to be persistent.

"Liv..." I giggled slightly. Why was I starting to feel so nervous about this now? I shook my head. "This might seem random, but could... I tell you a secret?" I asked with an awkward smile. However, it faltered slightly, and was replaced by a mock pout as she didn't respond. I noticed she still seemed to be spacing out, and sighed with an amused giggle. "Liv... Liv~ Hello? Can I tell you something?" If nothing else, I was persistent for sure, but that got her attention.

"Wha...?" She blinked sleepily, and tried to register the words. "O-Oh, right. S-sure, sorry; still... still not exactly awake yet." Olivia explained, as she punctuated that with a tired yawn that made me giggle again. But I wasn't wanting to wait. I was simultaneously excited and so nervous. I grabbed Olivia's hands to try and calm myself, a very nervous smile on my face.

"O-Okay. So, um, where to begin... I had a like. Nightmare dream sorta thingy... but I think it helped me sort myself out a little bit. It was still freaky, and weird, and I don't get a ton of what happened, but..." I took a deep breath, as I was starting to ramble. "But it made me realize I haven't been true to myself." I switched to a slightly different tone of voice. "I... I've been considering something for a long time. One big 'what-if'... I never actually said anything to anyone, though, because I just... I was scared, to be honest. I didn't know if anyone would understand. For a while, I didn't even really know it was a thing..." I paused there for a moment, seeming to get nervous again. "... But I have to tell you. I can't keep lying to myself and trying to hide away myself. I... I'm a girl, no matter my current body shape or anything like that. S-so..." I took a deep breath again to try and keep myself from hyperventilating from this. How funny, I can go through deadly situations, but this makes me so scared... But I put on a brave smile. "Hi. My name's... Chloe."

Edited November 29, 2016 by Destined Blade

JiMing · November 19, 2015

IC: Olivia Seaton

"My name's... Chloe."

The red-haired trainer looked over, those words perking her up and giving her some more energy. She thought for a moment, brushed some hair out of the way, thought again, scratched her nose, thought some more...

"...So.... That mean you can take that dress off of my hands, then?" Olivia finally said, yawning. "Ugh, that stupid thing... Hi there, by the way. I'd introduce myself, but you know everything there is to me, don't you?" the eldest Seaton said, an amused grin on her face. She yawned some more, and her eyelids started drooping once more. "Sorry. I'd be more enthused than this, but ya kinda woke me up a bit early... Hope you don't mind if I nap a little more."

The red-haired girl lay down on the bed again, gently closing her eyes. Her lips curved into a small smile, as she gently whispered one last message. "It's very nice to meet you, Chloe."

Edited November 19, 2015 by Ajna the Muffin Daughter

**Dr. Hidaka** · November 19, 2015

OOC: Let's take the jammin' world by storm, yet again with JiMing!

IC: Dahlia Seaton/Evan Tierra

Dahlia knocked on Evan's door, waiting for a response that didn't come. She tested the doorknob, and to her surprise, it wasn't locked. The middle Seaton walked into the room, smiling.

"Hey! So, um, you're looking tired, huh...?" the gardener said. "You need anything taken care of for you? Clothes to be folded, luggage to be organized, Pokemon to be fed? If you need something, just say the word." Dahlia offered, chuckling a bit nervously.

Evan had taken off his brown longcoat and Garchomp-scale coat, revealing a black short sleeve shirt with a star on it. So his surprise at Dahlia's knocking and sudden entry was not unwarranted. When she started asking if she could do anything for him, it mentally exhausted the Hero of Space.

"What's up?" Evan asked, as he sat on the bed in the room. "You didn't just come in here to help out, did you?"

Dahlia's smile faltered for a moment, and nervousness crept onto her face. "O-oh, I... I-I was just trying to be nice..." she replied, brushing her hair out of the way. "Since, well... I'm going to be needing your help sometime soon. Just figured I might be helpful somehow too, you know?"

The gardener stood awkwardly, not really sure what she was planning to do. Luckily, Evan didn't seem mad about it, but... She figured that she didn't handle her entrance right. The brown-haired girl looked down. Dahlia saw something on Evan's arm... Scars? What?

"Oh my..." she muttered, taking a few steps forward. "Your arm... Wh-where did you get these? Do they still hurt?" the gardener asked with concern, taking a maternal tone with her voice.

"Oh, these?" Evan said, smiling tiredly as he held his arm up. "These are from a fatal battle with Zekrom. The creature managed to unleash an electric strike on me, which left me with these scars on parts of my body. It also injured me fatally, which led to my fall in the battle against Black Kyurem. I have Dialga to thank for helping me come back when I perished. They don't hurt, though."

"Oh, that's a relief..." Dahlia said, sighing. However, she went over Evan's words in her mind, and her eyes widened again. "W-wait, you died?" she asked, tilting her head. "W-wow... You've been through a lot, h-haven't you? Can't imagine the strength needed to bounce back from that and still be like this..." the gardener muttered, taking off her sun hat to scratch the back of her head. Inwardly, she began to wonder if that was a legacy she could live up to, and the doubt crept subtly on her face, though she tried to hide it. "Y-you really are a hero, huh...?"

"Dunno about that, Dahlia." Evan said as he rose up from the bed and walked towards the gardener. "A hero doesn't need to die to be a hero. A hero needs to carve their own path, not live up to someone else. After all, if that were the case, I'd have to live up to the previous Hero Of Space, who has probably done more than I have."

Evan then added with a huge grin, "Gimme a smile! Show some glee! You're gonna do great things! You'll be fine, trust me on that!"

"O-oh." Dahlia muttered, not really expecting that response. But she slowly broke out into a small smile, nodding. "Okay... If you believe in me like that, then I'll do the same! Yeah!" the gardner exclaimed, more enthused than ever.

She bowed politely, the smile not fading from her face. "I might not know where I'll be going with all this, but... I-I'll do my best to make everyone proud. That much, I promise." Dahlia said. "I'll be the best hero I can be!"

"Attagirl!" Evan said, smiling warmly. "You'll do the best you can do and then some! Is there anything more I can help you with? I haven't exactly had the time to rest lately, but I am happy to help if you need something more?"

Dahlia blinked, and shruggged. "Uhhh... I don't think so. I was here to help you, after all... I'm okay." she said, smiling. "Though... You wouldn't happen to have any berries with you, would you? I was thinking of maybe cooking some Poffins for our Pokemon, and all... Not the greatest at making 'em, but it's the thought that counts, right?'" the gardener offered, giggling a bit nervously. "But if we're traveling together, might as well celebrate a bit, right?"

Evan drew out his berry pouch and handed it to Dahlia, smiling. "I have a few sitrus berries remaining in here. Do your best with the cooking. I've every faith you'll do fine."

Dahlia took the pouch, bowing again. "Thank you... Oh! I've been taking up your time, haven't I?" she said, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, I'll give you your space again. Thanks for the talk!"

The gardener waved, and turned around, opening the door. She exited Evan's room, and closed the door behind her, walking down the hall, away from the Ex-Hero's dwelling.

"Not a problem, Dahlia!" Evan said. "Let's talk when I am more rested, eh?"

As Dahlia left, Evan made a beeline for the bed. While Dahlia's entrance was welcome, it distracted him from getting the sleep he needed. He was, however, glad that he got to share a snippet of his story with Dahlia, as well as encourage her. The Ex-Hero yawned as he flopped back onto the bed, hoping for more rest.......

**Blessed Blade** · November 20, 2015

-==IC: Jenny/Evan==-

"AHA!" The door to Evan's room once again swung open, as a certain girl stood in the doorway. "I knew you had to be here somewhere." Jenny said with a smug look on her face, as she smiled with a sort of twinkle in her eyes, and walked in, oblivious to Evan trying to get rest. "So, 'sup?"

"What is up with people and interrupting my attempts to sleep?" Evan said as he laughed, remembering how mischievous Jenny was. "I've been trying to get some rest, Jenny. What about you?"

"I'm bored." She said bluntly, as she sighed, and went to flop out on the bed. "Being cooped up on a ship, not my idea of fun!" Jenny laughed slightly, and then looked around, wondering what the room was even like, since she hadn't been inside any of the rooms yet.

"Bored, huh?" Evan said, smiling. "I think things have been a little too exciting as of late, what with everything that's gone on. I think a little boredom is not the end of the world, Jen."

Evan flopped his head back onto the pillow, but could not shut his eyes. He felt a sort of second wind come over him. Though in this case it would be an umpteenth wind.....

"Oh yeah? You sound like someone out of Garchaman." Jenny teased back with an amused smile, as she felt the room was rather boring and plain itself. Evan had a point about all the excitement, though, she wasn't quite sure why everything was going so weirdly all of a sudden.

"......Did you just mention Garchaman?"

Evan's umpteenth wind became an umpteenth hurricane as he rose up slowly, a fire in his eyes unlike any other. He recalled watching the show when he was a kid. He even remembered the salute the main characters did when they saved the day. The thoughts reminded him of his childhood and how he'd imagined if he were a hero.....

Jenny raised an eyebrow, as she nodded. "Yep! That I did." She said with an amused smile, as she began to get the feeling that she wasn't the only one who'd seen that show.

"Oh my gosh, have you seen it?" Evan asked, a small grin forming on his face. "That was my absolute favorite show when I was a kid......."

"Same here!" Jenny said, as she posed in a certain way. "I even remember the poses and such!"

"Oh yeah!" Evan said as he got out of bed and struck a certain pose of his own. "I loved how each Garchaman had their own unique pose and saying! I loved how optimistic the show would get at times!"

Jenny nodded with a smile. "Yeah! There was never too dark a moment, even when it seemed all hope was lost... Because they'd just get back up, and keep going for more!"

"Especially the main character!" Evan said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He hadn't been able to talk with anyone about this show in ages. "She was the absolute best. She just wouldn't stay down, no matter how bad things got! It helps that her Garcha-form was amazing!"

Jenny nodded with a giggle. "Yeah, I think she was my hero when I was younger! Probably why I can shrug off so many things myself, actually..." She giggled again, smiling in amusement as she poked fun at how insane her life had been.

"And now, I think I can say............" Evan said, his smile growing bigger as he drew closer to Jenny. "That you are like her in more ways now. You're smart but crazy. You're cheerful but not a fool. You're as bubbly as she is. You also, have a Garchomp like her too!"

Jenny laughed at the last part. "You helped there." She said teasingly, as she still seemed rather amused at the whole thing. "You do have a point, though..."

"I think that Gnip would agree with me, Jen." Evan said warmly as he finally got close to Jenny. "I think she and I would agree that you are like her in every sense of the word. I'm not sure if I am like the other main character, but that's just me, you know?"

"I think you are. I mean, look how upbeat you are and such." Jenny smiled back genuinely, as she chuckled. "I'm pretty sure you help keep us all inspired a ton just as much as I do."

"Yeah, but I've had a lot on my mind as of late, Jenny." Evan said, trying to stay on topic. "It's been getting a lot tougher to keep optimistic, considering all that has happened. Sometimes, it feels as though the world is working against us."

"Even if it is, we've gotta just persevere and keep going!" Jenny stretched slightly as she said that. "I mean, isn't that exactly what they did that one time, when like the entire world was against people who didn't agree with things?"

"And how the main character almost gave up her life to settle things?" Evan said, smiling as he put his arm around Jenny. "In the end, they managed to win the day. Shame the bad guy didn't get what was coming to him."

"I have hope that maybe that happened in a part that wasn't shown! I mean, not everything can be shown, right? They'd even put a big scene into the re-runs of the series, that explained the ending of the first season, remember?" Jenny giggled, and sighed. "Maybe it just happened offscreen."

"Oh right, that did happen!" Evan said. "Maybe he got arrested for his role, ya know?"

"It's possible! After all, he was arrested once before. And with everything else happening, maybe the corrupt people got replaced!"

"And you can't escape the good guys forever!" Evan said. "Considering he made the main character do such a thing, I really do hope he got caught."

Jenny nodded with a giggle. "For sure. Was so reassuring when she was shown to be alright, though!" She said, and paused, as she glanced around for a clock, feeling as if they had been talking for hours.

"What are you looking for, huh?" Evan said, smiling. "I know you're bored, but I'm not that boring."

"Oh, sorry, it just feels like we've been talking for so long..." Jenny said with a sheepish smile, as she giggled a bit.

"It's only been a little while." Evan said as he leaned closer to Jenny. "I think we need to talk more often, you know?"

"Definitely." She said with a mischievous smile, and then proceeded to lean forward herself. She aimed to kiss him before he could realize what was going on, finding that a rather amusing idea.

Evan was caught off guard, by what Jenny did and how suddenly she did it. He wasn't unpleasantly surprised. The Hero of Space let her get closer as he embraced his wonderful girlfriend.

"That's the second time we've kissed, and the second time you did it before me." Evan whispered into Jenny's ear. "Reminds you of Nimbasa, huh?"

Jenny giggled, and nodded. "Before the craziness of this week." She said in amusement, and hugged back, definitely finding it nice that she caught him off guard again.

"I love you so much." Evan said as he continued the hug. "I wish this would never end. I wanna forget all the bad stuff that's been going on. I wanna forget what may happen to me. I just wanna be with you through everything."

Jenny nodded with a smile. "I agree..." She said with a chuckle, and didn't seem to mind. "All the bad stuff has to end sometime, though, and I'm positive it will."

"I think one bad thing will end tonight." Evan said, smiling. "I may need your help with that. But, until then, wanna keep on talking, til we both fall asleep?"

"Sure." Jenny said with a nod, finding that a little easier said than done, as the day was finally starting to drain her energy.

"If you want to, you are welcome to join me for sleep." Evan said. "I've been having nightmares as of late, and I think having you with me, will allow me to overcome them once and for all."

"Sounds like a plan to me, then..." Jenny yawned in response, as she giggled slightly. "Would be nice for no-one to have nightmares..."

Evan then held his right fist over his heart and replied "Garcha!" and laid down into the bed, waiting for Jenny to follow suit, making sure there was room for her.

Jenny giggled, and did a pose of her own again. "Gaaarcha~!" She said, as she followed, and proceeded to close her eyes, feeling her exhaustion hit her all at once.

-==IC: Ray==-

Ray chuckled, and smiled slightly. "You remind me of the last time someone was learning to use psychic powers. Except better." He leaned against the guard rail slightly. "No worries though. I just..." he trailed off slightly, as he glanced out over the water. "I guess I can't tell if anyone actually trusts me or not. Can't say I blame them, though." He looked to the side after saying that, as it was pretty obvious why he thought that, even if he couldn't outright say anything.

JiMing · November 20, 2015

OOC: Hello, darlings! Isn't collaboration just beautiful? Well, I've got a treat for everyone. Here's a jamming post, sponsored by the MTT Brand! ROMANCE! DRAMA! ...More romance? No action or violence unfortunately... Hmm. BUT WHO CARES?!

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES~!

IC: Olivia/Chloe

Chloe smiled, wider and wider, as Olivia continued to reply. "I don't mind you napping at all..." She said with a slightly relieved sigh, and moved to hug her friend, and kissed her cheek. "Thank you..." She said quietly, as she closed her eyes again, drifting back off to sleep, though this time a lot less eventful than the dream she'd had moments before.

Olivia slept peacefully for a while, a smile on her face as she was embraced by her friend. After dreaming peacefully for a while, the red-haired girl opened her eyes slowly, yawning. She turned her head to see Chloe nearby, grinning ever so slightly, and moved forward to kiss her softly. Olivia also reached for her girlfriend's hand, squeezing it softly. "Hey..."

Chloe stirred slightly, groaning a bit. "Five more minutes..." She said with her eyes still closed, snuggling against Liv a bit more. Despite what she said, though, she was starting to wake up a bit more, and then opened her eyes sleepily, and smiled.

"Ha ha. Very funny." Olivia replied, her mouth curving into a smirk. She waited however, for Chloe to wake up, as the two sat up afterwards.

"Well for someone who's been taking a way longer nap than me, you like to take your time, huh?" the red-haired girl asked, grinning still. "Come on, dork, you do want to say some more stuff, don't you? Well, I'm waiting."

Chloe giggled, but blushed slightly. "S-sorry, I got into a deep sleep there, I guess." She said with an awkward giggle, but smiled, and blushed, and then explained about her dream from the first time, it still being rather vivid in her head. After she finished recapping that, however, she giggled awkwardly, and began to explain some other things from the past that had gotten her to thinking about this all, and hugged Olivia at one point in it. "I'm glad you don't mind me..." She smiled widely, and leaned forward to kiss her again.

Olivia listened, chuckling, especially as Chloe moved to kiss her. "Hehe, dreams are pretty strange, at least yours are. I actually had one myself, but it's not as... Involved as that one." she said, shrugging. The red haired trainer yawned a bit more, giggling. "Thanks for being honest with me. To be honest, I think I kinda liked how you looked cause you looked like a girl in some aspects... So yeah."

Chloe blushed and giggled shyly, but smiled. "You probably liked me regardless." She teasingly said, but rubbed the back of her head a bit. "Though, really, I liked those things too... I don't know how I got lucky in some ways, but I'm not really complaining, to be honest..." She smiled a bit sheepishly at that, but still seemed happy. However, she got a little curious, and smiled in amusement. "You had a dream too, then?"

"Oh, it wasn't anything special. All I can remember from it was me holding two kids in my arms. Really cute kids, too, with a hair color close to yours, but a bit brighter..." Olivia explained, smiling. "Yeah, I was smiling at them, and heard my name get called. I went to turn around my head, but I don't remember if I actually made out who it was. Seemed familiar, though." the red-haired trainer said, smiling. "Even though I can only remember that much, the memory of that dream still makes me feel warm inside..."

Chloe smiled with a giggle, and hugged her. "That sounds pretty nice..." She said with a happy smile. "Definitely sounds like you had a better dream than my first one." She teased with a poke, but was glad about that still.

"Yeah, that first dream of yours just sounds awful..." Olivia said, looking over apologetically. She returned the hug, and pat her friend's back. "Glad to see you got a happy ending out of it... Though, I would have liked it if you had told me this stuff earlier, really." she said, sighing. "I'm sorry for not recognizing all this earlier, Chloe..."

Chloe smiled, and hugged back. "It's alright. I was scared still... even if I shouldn't have been, I still worried. And then when we met up again, everything just got so chaotic, that there were just no chances to say anything, especially after we admitted our feelings..." She seemed a bit amused, though. "It all went as I'd hoped, though~." She smiled happily, but looked down curiously at a box. "Oooh, what's that?" She asked with a teasing smile, wondering if Olivia had gone and gotten something while the other girl had been unconscious.

Olivia looked down at where Chloe had pointed, blinking. "Oh, that? Something from Ryan, apparently. I don't really know what." she explained with a shrug. "Haven't really taken a look at what's inside, for all I know it's a half-eaten sandwich."

Chloe looked up mock suspiciously, as if not buying that, and then read the tag. "It has your name on the 'from' field... Didn't know you were such a romantic." She said with a teasing smile, as she pointed out how it said 'To my lover' on the tag. Despite joking around, however that same tag made her believe Olivia's story, and giggled, as she began to open the package.

Olivia blinked, and looked at the tag. "...Really? Ugh, of course he'd make it say that, the smarmy idiot..." the red-haired girl muttered, but looked at what was in the package. She raised an eyebrow at what she saw, not expecting Ryan to pick out... "Bracelets? Pink bracelets? Okay, didn't see this one coming." she admitted, awkwardly scratching the back of her head.

Chloe seemed surprised, and blushed slightly. "Maybe I kinda was a little too obvious this morning..." She said with an awkward smile, blushing more, as she wondered if Ryan had actually seen right through her before she realized it fully. "Umm..." She looked around at the one set, and noticed that both of them had the ability to make their names. "This looks cool..." She said with a smile, as she began to assemble the bracelet curiously, setting out the letters to her new name in the process.

"Well this is more thoughtful than I ever expected from him." Olivia said, shrugging. She also assembled her name onto the bracelet, and put it on her left arm. She wasn't sure what else to say, but the remembered something else. "Wait... This seems familiar too, somehow..." the green-eyed girl said, thinking. Suddenly, her eyes widened, as she remembered. "W-wait... We used to have friendship bracelets when we were younger, right...?" she asked Chloe, seeming curious. "...Wonder what happened to those..."

Chloe blinked in surprise, as she thought about the bracelets as well. "Hmm..." She smiled slightly, and then began to dig around inside her backpack, thoughtful for a moment, and then smiled widely, as she pulled an old bracelet out. "This?"

Olivia's eyes widened, as she took the bracelet in her hand. "...That's the one, yeah... Wow, it's really old now... You really held onto it for this long?" she said, looking at the object in her hand thoughtfully. Olivia thought back to try and remember where hers went, and sighed. "...I think I left mine at home in a drawer. Can't believe it's been so long since we used to wear these sorts of things..."

Chloe giggled, as she smiled. "Of course I kept it... Though, well, I kinda almost forgot it was there, but for a long while, I used to look at it to remind me of the old days..." She giggled, as she placed the new bracelet on her arm, after making sure it would fit right.

Olivia watched as the bracelet still fit, and looked at her own wrist. "Maybe when we head home, I should go look for that old bracelet. You had the right idea, remembering the old days..." she said, closing her eyes when thinking back to their childhood. "Going out to eat ice cream every weekend, staying up late to study for that test, working the the garden together, going to see the latest movie... Well, that's in the past. I think we're gonna make new memories together, now." the red-haired trainer said, hugging her friend.

Chloe giggled, as she hugged back, and smiled. "Maybe we should do that after we finish up in Snowpoint... I mean, we probably could use a break for a while..." She giggled some more after that, and thought for a moment. "If so, we could probably do some of those things then..."

Olivia nodded, scratching the back of her head. "Yeah, not actually too sure what we'd be doing after Snowpoint... I would love a breather too, though." she said, sighing. "You had to deal with this kinda insanity for a month, right? I can barely stand a week. I'd really love a chance to just spend quality time together, like normal couples get to..."

"Yeah, same here..." Chloe giggled slightly, and then wrapped her arms around Olivia. "I'm glad you support me..." She said with a happy smile, as she thought for a moment. "Though, I'll definitely have to think about outfits and such..."

Olivia hugged her back and kissed Chloe, grinning. "What, you already forgetting the offer I made earlier?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Remember that dress? Yeah, I don't really see myself wearing it often. You can use it when I'm not dancing, or when we have our marriage." the red-haired trainer offered, poking her friend teasingly.

Chloe thought about that for a moment, but giggled. "Well, yeah, that's one option, I guess..." She amusedly smiled. "Is the height difference too much, though?"

Olivia shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should find out." she said, smirking. The red-haired girl reached for her backpack, and pulled out the dress and sash she had worn to the dance, and handed it to Chloe. "I'll turn around while you try, room's still sorta cramped though, sorry."

Chloe paused for a moment, and scratched her head. After a few moments, she finally managed to get it on, but she was clutching the front of the top to her, a little red in the face from being unused to this. It was a little bigger on her height wise, and probably not something she'd wear every day from the looks of it, but still looked kinda nice on her. "W-well...?" She blushed more, as she felt a little embarrassed about how the front was at the moment.

Olivia turned around, and looked over Chloe. She put a finger to her chin, and walked around to see her from all angles, raising an eyebrow amusedly. "It's not perfect, really... But I like where it's heading." she said, grinning at her friend. "It's sort of a nice benchmark for how things could be later, when we pick out clothes specifically for you... But yeah. This isn't bad at all." she replied, smiling.

Chloe smiled, and nodded. "Thank you..." She said with a slight blush, and thought for a moment. "I should probably get changed..." She still seemed a little awkward, and seemed about to say something, but hesitated for a moment, and went to change.

----

Olivia waited again, and turned around to take a look at Chloe once more. "Uh huh, that's definitely an improvement there." she said, nodding. She looked up at her friend's hair however, and thought for a moment. "Hmm... How fast does your hair grow, would you say? I think I might have an idea for a gift when we reach Snowpoint, depending on that..."

Chloe finished adjusting her shirt and such, and then examined herself a bit, but paused, as she glanced over at Olivia again. "Huh? Umm... It grows pretty fast, though it probably needs a bit of cleaning up..." She grabbed some of the hair from the side of her head, and giggled awkwardly. "I may have been avoiding the haircutter's for a while." She said teasingly, but scratched her head. "Not quite shoulder length, could probably be longer, but..." Even with what she was saying, she glanced over at Olivia again in amusement. "A gift, huh?"

Olivia shrugged. "Well. As you said, your hair probably has room to fill. So... I'll be taking a look at some of the stores in Snowpoint, see if I can find something that can tide you over till it catches up." she said, winking at Chloe. "After all, I'm the cool friend who always tries to help her best friend in whatever she needs, right?"

Chloe smiled, and giggled slightly. "The cool best girlfriend." She corrected slightly with a smile, and hugged with a slight blush. "On another bright side, I don't have to use excuses for my clothes anymore; even if it was true what I said."

Olivia nodded, and smiled some more, blushing as well. "Wanna go shopping when we reach Snowpoint in general? I mean, our winter clothes are pretty much set, but maybe they've got a cute outfit here or there? ...Not that I'd know what exactly constitutes a cute outfit." she admitted, grinning. "After all, you know my fashion sense..."

Chloe giggled. "Yeah, might be the other way around..." She said with a teasing poke, but then leaned against Olivia with a happy smile, glad to be able to be happy.

Olivia smiled a bit more, and hugged Chloe, just holding her close as the boat rocked and swayed gently. Nothing seemed like it could go wrong... Which is why when Olivia suddenly remembered something, she first had an expression of shock on her face, and then put a finger to her chin, worried about... Something.

Chloe looked up curiously, as she noticed the worry. "What's up...? Something bothering you?" She seemed a bit worried herself, as she wondered what could possibly have been thought of so randomly.

Olivia bit her lip, and looked at Chloe. "...Your uncle came back. He said we'd have to fight him at Relic Castle in a week's time. Otherwise he'd go after you himself." she replied, clenching her hand into a fist. "What kind of rotten person is he?? I swear, I'm going to beat the living daylights out of him next time we run into him..."

Chloe mused over that for a bit. "Hmm..." She dd the strangest thing, however, and smiled. "We can beat him, I'm sure of it. Something seemed odd, though..." She put a finger to her chin, as she tried to figure out why things seemed to be weird to her regarding Guy, but just couldn't place it.

Olivia blinked at her confidence, but smiled, nodding. "Oh, it's not that I don't think we could totally trash him, we really could..." she said, and rubbed the back of her head. "I just don't get how he's thinking that any of this is helping... He admitted to setting you off back in Lilycove, and for what?" the red-haired trainer growled, shaking her head. "Some uncle he is..."

Chloe thought for a moment, as she frowned slightly. "I'm not sure..." She scratched her head slightly, and sighed. "Maybe he was trying to help, but something went wrong...? I don't know, I'm trying to think of how he had given those tips..."

Olivia sighed, shaking her head. "Trying to help or not, all he's done is hurt us, and you. I don't want to see his face ever again, else I'm going to punch it."

The eldest Seaton took a few deep breaths, and relaxed. "Ugh, I just wanted to relax... Maybe we should head up above deck, see the ocean and feel the breeze? It might help de-stress us..."

Chloe nodded, and hugged her a bit more, but then went to go head up to the deck, holding out her hand to Olivia with a smile. "That sounds good..."

"Alright... You really do look great, by the way." Olivia said, kissing Chloe as they stepped out of the room, and moved up the deck, with the couple being greeted the ocean horizon stretching out, and the sea breeze rushing past them...

Chloe breathed in the breeze, as she looked out over the water with a smile. "This is so beautiful..." She said with an awed look, as she thought for a moment. "You know, this is odd, I thought it wouldn't take too long to get to Snowpoint; we were sleeping for a while, weren't we?" She wondered, a little confused, but sent out Alvis to take in the air as well.

Olivia noticed Chloe release her Gallade, prompting her to let Amy out as well. She turned her head to Chloe as the Gardevoir turned away, blinking. "Oh, uh... Not exactly sure how long we've been sleeping. I don't think long enough to reach Snowpoint though? Then again I'm not sure..." the red-haired trainer admitted, shrugging confusedly.

Chloe scratched her head. "Yeah, but it just feels like we're not even close to Sinnoh at all..." She paused for a moment, and then promptly checked her Pokegear.

Olivia blinked, looking at Chloe. "Uhhh... Do I wanna know, or...?" she asked, beginning to sweat a bit.

Chloe bit her lip. "... I may have made a mistake in where we were supposed to go." She turned the device around to Olivia, to show her that they were closer to Kanto than to Sinnoh at that point.

"...Oh." Olivia replied, blinking. "Now that... That's a problem." she said, sighing. "Welp. You're never booking any tickets to anywhere ever again."

Chloe sheepishly smiled for a few moments, and sighed, as she looked down, a bead of sweat rolling down her face. "... well, at least we get to relax a bit, right...?" She weakly giggled as she looked up, but sighed again.

Olivia shrugged, and looked around. "...Yeah. I suppose so. You're off the hook for now." she said, stretching. "Welp. Let's get to that whole relaxing thing, shall we?" she offered, holding her hand out with a grin.

Chloe nodded with a smile, and took her hand. She then proceeded to hug her arm, and closed her eyes happily. "Thank you..."

"No prob, Chloe." she replied with a smile, kissing her best friend once again, as they walked on the boat...

Edited November 20, 2015 by Ajna the Muffin Daughter

Konuju · November 20, 2015

OOC: Everybody's doing jams now. Guess I'd better jump on the jamwagon.

IC: Ryan/Aspen
Ryan walked down the hallway below the deck, searching for a room to call his own. He approached one with an open door, and was surprised to see one of Zach's friends from earlier sitting on the bed. The kid looked deep in thought, his eyes trained on the Luxury Ball held in his hand. Ryan softly knocked on the door to announce his presence.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I don't think we've officially met. I'm Ryan Sanders."

Aspen took a moment to process someone was talking to him, and quickly turned his head up. "Huh? Oh, uh, you're one of the friends that Ellen talked about before, right?" he asked, scooting to the edge of the bed. "Yeah, I'm Aspen Seaton. No need to worry about intruding or anything like that, I was just... Y'know. Thinking about stuff." the youngest Seaton said, trying to keep his voice casual and cool.

"You met Ellen in Sootopolis, didn't you?" Ryan sighed, leaning against the door frame. "She never should've been there on her own. It was stupid of me to leave her in Fortree."

Aspen listened, nodding a bit. "Yeah... She seemed happy enough to see Zach again at least, and meet me and my sisters." he said. "Then the false Groudon came onto the scene, and she tried to help out then. Everyone did their best to help, really, but... I don't know what could have happened to her afterwards." the young boy sighed, shaking his head, his eyes drifting back to the Pokéball in his hand. "She told me she would wait for you and the others, and she had seemed okay then... I guess none of us saw any sign of her just disappearing like that."

Ryan nodded. "From what her father said, it sounds like she would've found me, too. Maybe not in time to do anything about the situation in Celadon, but she would've found me nonetheless. But none of us could have known Ford was tracking her."

"Wait, Ford?" Aspen exclaimed confusedly, looking up again. "That name... I've heard Liberty agents mention him in passing. Some leader for some terrorist group, right?" he asked, frowning. "I heard Ellen was kidnapped, but... It's even more serious than I had thought, then."

"'Terrorist group' is putting it lightly," Ryan said darkly. "He had Bluefalcon, one of Liberty's leaders, assassinated. He's also responsible for the bombing of Castelia last year and, more recently, the decimation of Team Magma. He has political power too... Hoenn's President Pierce seems to be one of his pawns. There's no telling what he wants with Ellen."

Aspen went silent, before hanging his head. "That... Well, I was worried before, now I'm really worried..." he muttered, closing his eyes. "She was so nice to everyone, even me, when I was... Pretty much a jerk. Heck, even when a building was on fire, she rushed in to save an Eevee inside. I wonder what would have happened if I didn't chase after her..." he sighed, running his thumb over the Luxury Ball. "I wish I could go back to say sorry, and make amends. But before that can happen, we gotta find her, huh?"

"Right." Ryan gave Aspen a kind smile. "Believe me, I know that feeling of regret all too well. There's too many things I wish I'd done differently. But if there's one thing I've learned these past few days, it's that sitting around and feeling sorry won't help anyone. We will find her, even if we have to search to the ends of the earth to do it."

Aspen listened to Ryan's words, nodding slowly. "Sounds like we've come to an understanding with each other. Thanks for stopping by... Looking forward to working with you in the future." he said, with a small smile. However, he soon seemed curious about something...

"H-hey, uh... You're pretty good with Pokémon, right?" Aspen asked, biting his lip. "I've been thinking about getting help for something... Now seems like an okay time to ask."

Ryan was about to head out the door, but paused, looking back curiously. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm an expert or anything," he said sheepishly. "But yeah, I guess I've won my share of battles. What's up?"

Aspen shook his head, trying to figure out how to explain things. "Well, I mentioned Ellen chasing after an Eevee, right? Well... I captured said Eevee to keep her safe. Her name's Saya." he explained, holding out the Luxury Ball. "But... She seemed afraid of us. She didn't want Ellen near her, even when her leg was pinned by a support beam, and scratched at me when I picked her up to rescue her. So... I'm a bit afraid as to what'll happen if I release her now..." the young boy said, seeming conflicted.

"Hm, that is a predicament." Ryan slipped back inside the room and closed the door behind him. "If Ellen had trouble gaining her trust, I doubt I could do any better... But have you tried getting her to interact with another Pokémon? She might react better if she was approached by something, well, non-human." He grabbed a Pokéball from his belt. "I've got a Mareep here named Ampere. She's pretty docile. It may sound like old Plasma propaganda, but I don't think you'd be doing Saya any favors keeping her cooped up in that ball."

Aspen closed his eyes at Ryan's last remark. "Believe me... I know." he muttered. "Okay. I'm going to see how she is without Ampere first, okay? Okay."

Aspen released Saya from her Pokeball, the Eevee ending up curled on the bed. The Pokémon was smaller than the normal Eevee, and her fur was rather scruffy and messy as well. She slowly opened her eyes, to see where she was. Immediately, Saya's eyes widened upon seeing not one, but two humans in the room. She quickly leaped off the bed and backed into a corner, as a defeated Aspen hung his head down.

"...Might be a good opportunity to introduce your Mareep to Saya..." the youngest Seaton muttered sadly, as he watched the Eevee stare back at him fearfully...

Ryan crouched down so he was closer to eye-level with the Eevee. "Shh... it's alright, Saya..." Being careful not to make any sudden movements, the Liberty agent slowly extended his arm and clicked the release on his Pokéball.

Ampere appeared in a burst of light. The Mareep gave a soft bleat and slowly walked toward Saya's corner, giving the Eevee a reassuring smile.

Saya backed away some more when Ryan approached, still panting. She let Ampere approach however, and looked back at the Mareep for a bit, before flattening her ears down against her head and turn her head around sadly.

Aspen followed suit with Ryan's example, and slowly crouched, moving closer to the Eevee. "Saya..." he muttered with a melancholy in his voice. He slowly reached out a hand, doing his best not to be too sudden or threatening about it. Saya didn't look up, not even as the youngest Seaton's hand brushed gently across her head. This didn't help the young boy, as despite the fact he had actually managed to pet her without being scratched, she still seemed frightened and distant...

"Well, it's a start," Ryan said. "You know, Xander has an Eevee with him. Maybe she'd react better to them."

Ampere made a scoffing sound. She wasn't ready to give up her efforts just yet. She walked up to the frightened Eevee and gently rubbed against her, trying to convey to Saya that she was among friends.

"Maybe so... I'll have to ask him about that soon, then..." Aspen muttered, sighing.

Saya turned towards the Mareep who gently rubbed her against her fleece. Saya blinked a bit, and looked sadly at Ampere, whimpering an apology to the Mareep. She trembled a bit more as Aspen continued to pet her, seeming nervous about him still...

"...Saya, I-I don't know what you've gone through..." he started, looking at her with a sadness in his eyes. "But whatever it was, I'm sorry. I'm sorry you're so afraid right now, too... But please. Will you listen to me?" he asked, to no response. "...I won't ever hurt you. I want to help badly, and... And it's my hope, one day, that you are able to smile." the young boy said shakily, sniffing and holding back his tears as best he could. "O-okay...?"

Saya curled up, not making it clear whether she was listening or not. The small Eevee seemed to be looking into space, seeming just as melancholic as Aspen...

"Poor thing," Ryan muttered. "She looks traumatized. I wish I knew how to help."

Aspen nodded, and backed off. "I think I'll give her some space..." he said quietly, moving to the door, opening it very slightly. "It was nice talking to you, Ryan. Thank you for your help." he said, nodding and giving a small smile.

Ryan took the cue and recalled Ampere before following Aspen to the door. "Anytime," he said, returning the smile.

"Alright. Let's see what everyone else is up to..." he said, shutting the door gently behind him. He walked away from the room with Ryan, to where the rest of the group was above deck. Meanwhile, Saya curled up again, and closed her eyes, unsure of how anything would go now...

IC: Paul
Paul found a quiet corner of the boat and closed his eyes, listening to the waves crashing against the ship's hull. Then he took out his Xtransceiver and called his wife.

"I didn't expect you to call this early." Anna's face appeared on the screen, smiling up at him. "Good news, I hope?"

Paul couldn't help but chuckle. "There's the optimist I know and love. Thankfully you're right, I do have good news. We found Ellen's friends."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Anna continued to smile, but Paul could tell she was forcing it. Her lips curved too sharply, and her eyes lacked the glow they had when she was truly joyful. She was trying to keep herself happy for his sake. She'd probably hoped the good news had been that he'd found Ellen already.

"We have a plan," Paul said. "We're heading to Team Liberty's headquarters. One of their agents is an aura reader. If she can track Ellen's aura, then we can find her and get her back."

Anna chuckled. "Who would've thought you'd ever set foot in a Liberty base, let alone their headquarters?"

"We'll be at sea for a few days before we reach the base," Paul continued. "After that, who knows how long it'll take for us to track Ellen's aura. But I'll keep you updated."

"Sounds good," Anna said. "How are you getting along with Ellen's friends?"

"Surprisingly well." Paul glanced across the deck at Ray, Xander, and Ryan. "We've had our disagreements, but it's clear that everyone here feels protective of Ellen. It's kind of amazing to see how she's touched so many lives."

"That's our girl." Anna giggled, a hint of genuine happiness shining through.

Paul smiled. "You know, one of the kids I met was with Ellen in Sootopolis. He says she helped rescue an Eevee from a burning building. Little stories like that, hearing how much our girl has grown... that's what keeps me going."

"She rescued an Eevee?" Anna leaned closer to the screen, her interest perked. "Tell me about it."

"Well, I don't know the full story," Paul said with a laugh. "But from what I heard..."

Paul continued to talk, and Anna continued to listen. The stories, secondhand as they might be, seemed to fill her with peace. It was the same peace Paul had felt when talking with Aspen or Xander. Ellen might be Ford's captive now, but it was clear her life for the past six months had been enjoyable, and in turn she had brought joy to others.

The Unovan couple talked until the sun was low in the sky. Yet even as the sunlight dwindled, their hope shined strong.

MELON LORD · November 20, 2015

IC: Xander and Sylph

Xander shook his head. "Sometimes just feels like the power's too big for me." He glanced at Ray, frowning. "After what they found out -- and I'm still sorry for outing you that way -- I can see how trust might be a little bit difficult. On the other hand, Ryan and Jenny and Evan are your friends. They've known you for how long?"

He smiled slightly. "And you didn't fly into a rage and attack me when I sold you out. That says a lot to me." He straightened. "If you want my opinion on it... Do you think you'd be on this ship with us right now if no one trusted you? You're here for the same reason we are, and that's all we need to know."

He stretched, feeling his neck and shoulders pop. "Until you give us a good reason not to trust you, and I doubt you will, then don't sweat it. Unless someone's been giving you grief? Lemme know , and we'll set the record straight."

Sylph, who had been silent, nodded. I sense nothing but good intent from you. Anyone who says otherwise can answer to us.

**Blessed Blade** · November 21, 2015

-==IC: Ray==-

Ray thought over what Xander said for a moment, but then smiled. "Gotcha. No-one's been causing trouble yet, though." He said with a slight laugh, but smiled in amusement. "That said, Paul's a wild-card. But, it seems like he's getting better with us anyway, so hey, the more the merrier." He leaned against the rails a bit more. "Also, I've known most of the people here for about six or seven months; though it feels like much longer... Though, I've known Jenny all my life, since she's my sister, and I hung out with Aspen and Dahlia a bunch of times when we were all kids; but I'd definitely say that the Hikaris know them a lot better." He smiled in amusement at the memories.

-==IC: Alvis/Amethyst==-

Amethyst looked around at the boat she found herself on. The Gardevoir first saw as Olivia walked away, arm in arm with Chloe, then turned in the exact opposite direction. She walked up to the boat's edge, and leaned an arm against it, staring out into the ocean's horizon. The other arm she used to support her head while she looked, seeming to be deep in thought about... Something.

"Something wrong?" Alvis asked, as he walked up to Amethyst with a slight frown on his face.

"...Oh, it's you." she replied, not turning her head to face Alvis. "Don't see why you'd want to know, but I'm just thinking back to earlier events... And where we're heading." Amethyst said, closing her eyes again. "...Never thought I'd see the snow from home again..."

"Ahh..." He nodded, as he recalled about her home. "I'm sure it'll be okay." He offered a slight smile, but then looked over curiously. "Earlier events?"

Amethyst sent memories of her battle with Lurelite, focusing on a scene where she struggled to get up at the end. "Pathetic, huh? Even now after I've come so far, I'm still a weakling..." the Gardevoir said, sighing. "Everyone around me has become so strong... And I'm still just Amy the pathetic Ralts in comparison..."

"I don't think it's pathetic." Alvis replied, as he looked over at her with a bit of worry on his face. "You can't rush things... But you're not pathetic."

"Of course YOU'D say that, of all people... You, who have eclipsed every one of Olivia's Pokemon after what... Six months of training, is that right?" she questioned, turning to face Alvis with a scowl. "Especially me... Hmmph. Of course you chose to be a Gallade against all odds. Being a Gardevoir would have been a death sentence for you, as it's been for me, huh?" the Gardevoir said with contempt, clenching her fist.

"You knew the stigma.... How Gardevoir are looked down upon for their fighting abilities, how Gallades are the one who are respected. So against all the odds, you became a Gallade, through sheer determination. You simply wouldn't allow. the alternative." Amethyst continued, hanging her head down. Then there's those like me... Who simply didn't have a choice in the matter, and just had to live with the eventuality of who we had to become."

"You think that was why I wanted it?" Alvis said with a piercing frown. "It wasn't because of fighting abilities. You've proven that when you beat me every time we spar. It's because I had it beaten into me, time and time again, that it wasn't 'right'." Alvis looked away at that, as if there was something left unsaid.

Amethyst didn't reply for a moment, but then narrowed her eyes at Alvis. "You do realize that the only time I've won against you was because you had been weakened before, right? And last time we sparred, the battle didn't even finish..." she pointed out, her steely glare faltering for just a moment before she regained her composure. "You're also still only proving my point, that you can't get respect unless you're a strong, powerful Gallade. Kids mocked me incessantly, and trainers would give Olivia looks for why such an aggressive, strong-willed person would choose someone like me... Or call me a cheater for fighting from a distance." the Gardevoir said, scowling once more. She noticed that Alivs was holding back information, raising an eyebrow at that, but then kept on talking.

"Look. I've tried to prove myself. But in most cases, it's a lost cause. Only close friends of Olivia have ever treated me with any sort of respect." she continued, closing her eyes once more. "You? You don't have to worry about any of that. You punch. You get close. You're the amazing Gallade. Of course they'd love you. Of course they'd laugh at a useless, pathetic Gardevoir, like me..."

Alvis gave Amethyst a look. "It isn't that Gallade are any stronger. My clan didn't even think there was a difference in the skills; just different focus ranges. But what they -did- think, was that males should only be Gallades, and otherwise they'd be disowned. Not for a power reason, but just because we -can-, therefore we -should-. Which I think is wrong... but it was drilled into my mind so much." He frowned some more, and shook his head, as the Gallade wasn't impressed with this. "Honestly, I'd say none of us get the respect we deserve; but of everyone I've seen, most of the people who have others like us on their teams, have Gardevoir. Do you think that's because they're weak?"

Alvis shook his head again, and frowned at Amethyst piercingly again. "You are not weak. How many people have you encountered? From what I've been told, the humans known as 'teenagers' are ruthless and will pick on anyone. Kids are the same. You might not have picked your fate, but I'm positive you can work with it, all the same. Giving up, just because of what some people might say, or because you think you're too weak to do it, is an excuse I'm not really fond of. Because I know you can do so much more than you're admitting to yourself right now."

"Oh, I didn't say I never got praise. Most of it was about how pretty I was though, and how good I looked next to Olivia. As if I was some sort of doll, or ornament." Amethyst said, a bitter frown on her face. The Gardevoir glared at Alvis for his words, raising an eyebrow. "If your excuse for being so afraid of being a Gardevoir was because of what had been drilled into you into your childhood... Then how do you think I felt? When my father struck me like some sort of training dummy, screaming over and over about how pathetic I was, how I would never amount to anything, because I would never be a Gallade???!" she questioned, her eyes flashing purple for a moment, before she took a few deep breaths.

"...Don't act like it's because I never tried. I did. I did everything I could, even when I was a timid little Ralts, to be stronger, and become someone Olivia could be proud of. But... I still carry the scars of my past with me, and it didn't help that practically none of the humans around me... Even the adults, took me seriously. It's hard, some days when things just seem to go wrong one after another... It makes it hard to give it my all." the Gardevoir explained, doing her best to maintain her composure, even as she shook slightly. "Call it a poor excuse to be lazy as much as you want. I'll just ask you this. What person out there who knows me well will actually care about me...? Show respect, and genuine kindness, a-and love...? If there's someone besides Olivia out there like that... Well, I'd really want to meet them." Amethyst replied, closing her eyes, before turning around, hiding the strained flow of tears running down her face.

Alvis kept quiet for a moment, but then placed his hand on the Gardevoir's shoulder. "If Pokemon count... Me."

"...Wh-wh-whaaaaaaaaaaat...??"

Amethyst's eyes widened in surprise, not having expected that answer at all. She slowly turned around, still in shock, but seeming a bit curious. "...Y-you... You're being honest...?" she asked, breathing slowing down. The emotions she could detect from Alvis all pointed to his words being completely genuine. The Gardevoir had thought the Gallade was just annoyed with her by this point, and would have eventually given up, but now...

"And... What was meant by that, even...?"

Alvis raised the Gallade equivalent of an eyebrow. "I'm being honest. I care about you, and I'm worried about the way you are right now. It's because I respect you, that I want to show that you're not weak or anything like that. And, well, if you still feel you are, then I'll let you train against me as much as you need, to realize you aren't. Because strength isn't just punching things; otherwise some other Pokemon might not be considered powerful when they are. You've strong in your own ways, and you're very strong."

"...I-I see..." Amethyst replied after a few moments of silence. She blinked and looked at Alvis some more, contemplating something, looking down afterwards. "...I... Umm, I think I'll be thinking for a bit longer, and uh... Be seeing you I guess." the Gardevoir said, walking away slowly. However, a few steps later, she turned around again, wearing a mixed expression.

"Umm, thanks for your words, then..." Amythest said, her expression softening. She stepped forward a bit, as if consdering something, but then stopped herself. "I'll.. I'll see you later." she muttered, before turning around again, walking away from Alvis...

Alvis blinked slightly, as he watched her go, and then looked around. ... What exactly just happened there? He wondered, as he totally did not expect that sort of reaction.

JiMing · November 22, 2015

OOC: Yep, I'm including Pokemon again in this IC, just like the last jam I was involved in. For a pretty good reason, too, since you know. Giratina can talk and all.

IC: Dahlia Seaton/Giratina

Dahlia hummed a bit, as she organized the berries she had with her, and had acquired from the members of the boat such as Evan who she had talked to not long ago. The gardener placed the berries into a pot and turned up the heat and stirring. She hummed a quick tune, keeping a close eye on mixture to make sure it didn't burn, so much so that when she had finished the batch and went to prepare a second one, she didn't expect to see shimmering on the pot next to her. She blinked in surprise, and tried to focus on what she was seeing. There was a Pokemon, surrounded by an empty void. She blinked, and as the image focused, she could tell it was...

"...Giratina?" she inquired, staring straight at the pot. Suddenly she was rather thankful there was no one else around to see her speak... They would have thought her insane otherwise, likely.

Just as soon as it appeared, the Renegade pokemon flew away in the reflection, it's red eyes leaving a slight afterglow. It swooped "closer", just as fast.

"Dahlia, I see you've met the Hero Of Space. Your thoughts?"

"Oh, Evan? He's an interesting fellow." the gardener replied, choosing to ignore the strange circumstances of this conversation. "For as loud and bombastic as he is, Evan is pretty genuine about his faith in everyone around him. Even in an ordinary girl like me... Well, not so ordinary anymore, but you get what I mean." she said, shrugging.

"So then Mr. Giratina... Any particular reason for this checkup?" the middle Seaton asked. "And is this gonna be some sorta recurring thing, from now on, maybe?"

Giratina swooped around the reflection, it's serpentine body coiling and contorting, the tendrils that made up it's "wings" swirling around as it moved about.

"No real reason, but to see how you are faring." The Renegade pokemon spoke sternly. "This may go on for some time, due to how unfamiliar you may be with this...."

Dahlia nodded her head, smiling gratefully. "Yeah... I'm new for sure. But thanks for checking up on me, even if I'm sorta busy right now..." she said, going to prepare another batch of Poffins. The gardener thought of what to say, as she stirred.

"So far, things are good. The incident in Lilycove was resolved pretty fast, and the Absol from Sootpolis agreed to join my team..." the middle Seaton explained, smiling. "All he needed was people who would care about him, really. I think we'll both have learning to do... But anyways, the others are pretty nice too... We all really want to find Ellen." she muttered, looking up for a moment. "Poor girl... Hopefully we can find out where she is soon..."

Giratina slithered around in the reflection, not distracted by what Dahlia was doing. She wasn't like Klim Prizak, that was for sure. The Renegade pokemon then recalled an idea that needed to be spoken....

"Dahlia, next time you speak with Evan Tierra......." Giratina spoke cautiously. "Ask him about the Griseous Shard and what happened to the other two Heroes. I feel it is necessary that you learn the story from him and him alone."

"Griseous Shard... Other heroes... Okay. I can do that." Dahlia said, blinking at the forboding tone Giratina's voice had taken. The gardener was slightly concerned at what the tale would ensue, but didn't let her worry creep onto her face. "Perhaps I'll talk to him when he's not tired. Seemed on the verge of collapse last time I talked to him... Must have chronic insomnia somehow." she guessed, thinking some more.

"Say... Mr. Giratina, if you don't mind me asking... When do you think I'll be getting the powers you've mentioned before?" the middle Seaton asked politely. "I mean, I haven't felt any change so far, so if I already have them, I wouldn't know. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, I just figured it might be something to bring up."

"Evan Tierra developed his when he possessed the Lustrous Shard...." Giratina spoke softly. "You may be a different case, seeing as you are of a more recent band of Heroes. I suspect Evan Tierra may possess the Adamant Shard, and maybe the Griseous Shard. There is latent power in those gifts to the last Heroes of Creation......"

"...Okay. Get those Shards you mentioned, and it might happen? Got it." Dahlia said, nodding. She stirred for a while longer, not really knowing what else to say.

"Well. I don't really have any more questions." she admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head. "Do you have any last few suggestions or things I should know maybe? This batch of poffins is almost done, so it might be good to get those in soon, if you could?"

"I believe there is nothing left to discuss." The Renegade pokemon spoke. "Remember Dahlia Seaton, if you need more advice, You can always call upon me."

"Well alright then. I'll be talking to you later, Mr. Giratina." she replied, looking over to see Giratina's reflection fade away. That was... Interesting. Dahlia thought, now that she was facing an ordinary metal pot. The middle Seaton shrugged, and went on to keep cooking for a while longer, even as the sun slowly set.

Eventually, the young gardener walked up onto the deck of the boat, where it seemed there were people gathered. "Hiya, everyone." she said, smiling. "I kinda got some poffins done for our Pokemon, and I'm going to start getting dinner ready too. Mind telling the others around here, if you can?" the middle Seaton asked politely, telling them where to gather to get the poffins. "Thanks and have a good evening, everyone!" she said, walking below deck once more.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Ajna the Muffin Daughter

MELON LORD · November 22, 2015

IC: Xander and Sylph

"I'm glad that I could help out." He smiled. "And, again, if anyone does give you issues..." He shrugged a bit, still smiling. "For now, though, I'm gonna take a page out of Evan's book and go get a nap. It's been a crazy day." He waved and started to walk away. Sylph followed, smiling softly at Ray. We're happy to lend an ear if you need someone to talk to in the future. And maybe I can try getting rid of that mental block, some time.

Xander nodded to Dahlia. "Thank you. Just let us know when, and we'll come eat." He continued walking, ready to collapse into bed. Sylph still needed to tend to his ribs, and that would leave him even more worn out than he already felt. They walked into the first empty cabin they found, and Xander unzipped his jacket. Pulling his shirt overhead, he winced.

His chest was one big bruise, mottled red and purple. His ribs stood out as darker stripes along the skin. Laying down, he closed his eyes and prepared for Sylph to start working.

Konuju · November 22, 2015

OOC: I've been JaMing with JiMing.

IC: Ryan/Dahlia
After picking out a room for himself and stowing his backpack in it, Ryan had returned to the deck and was simply relaxing in a seat, watching Togie and Orihime fly through the air above him. He glanced over when Aspen's sister poked her head out from below deck to announce dinner plans.

"We have an actual cook with us?" the Liberty agent muttered in surprise. "Good, I was starting to get sick of those boxed dinners we've been having."

He looked back to the skies and started to close his eyes when he heard the soft padding of paws approaching him. Another glance down revealed Terry walking up to him.

"What's up, Terry?" Ryan asked. Terry took a couple steps away from him, towards the stairs that led below deck.

Ryan looked over at Paul, who was deep in a conversation on his Xtransceiver. For the briefest of moments he thought the Déoza agent was contacting Ford. But no, if Paul planned to betray them, he would've made such a call in an empty room where there was no risk of anyone overhearing. He looked back at Terry, and suddenly it dawned on him.

"Oh, you wanted some of those poffins, didn't you?"

The Herdier barked excitedly.

With Paul busy on his Xtransceiver, Ryan was the next best person Terry knew on the boat. He had a feeling the Herdier was probably feeling lost without Ellen. "Alright, let's see what that girl cooked up for you," Ryan said as he stood up with a stretch.

Terry bounded happily down the stairs, leading the way to the kitchen. Aspen's sister was busy chopping up vegetables with one hand while stirring something in a large pot with the other hand. Ryan stood in the doorway for a moment, stunned at how effortlessly she seemed to be multitasking. Finally he gave a small cough to announce his presence.

"Um, hi. Sorry to interrupt, but Terry here was interested in some of those poffins." Ryan scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

Dahlia had been humming to herself as she cooked, carefully observing both her stations while she worked. She blinked and turned off the stove when she heard someone speak up, turning around to see who was talking. The gardener's mouth curved into a smile when she saw Terry next to him, and walked over to pet the Herdier.

"Oh, it's no problem at all! Ryan, right?" she asked, standing back up to look at Ryan. "You and Terry wait just a moment, alright?" the middle Seaton spoke, pouring a bowl of poffins for the Loyal Dog Pokemon, scratching behind his ears. "Enjoy, sweetie!"

Dahlia stood back up and went to wash her hands. However, she saw a reflection in one of the pots next to her ripple again, as the form of the Renegade Pokemon appear once more. "G-Giratina...?"

"Just one more thing, Dahlia." the legendary spoke. "You may want to speak with that Ryan boy. He has experienced using the powers of Reverse... Albeit a limited version. Nonetheless, he may give some insight as to what to expect."

The gardener blinked some more, and turned back to face the brown-haired young man. "H-he used them, huh...?" she muttered to herself, not sure if he had noticed what had just happened. If he didn't, he's probably wondering what I was doing, talking to a pot... she thought, embarrassed by that possibility...

Ryan was too busy watching Terry happily munch on his poffins to notice the girl's apparent conversation with her cookery.

When he glanced back up however, he noticed she was staring at him in an awkward manner. It was a stark contrast to the friendly attitude with which she had poured Terry his poffins. The Liberty agent shuffled uncomfortably. "Um, if we're disturbing you, we can go back up to the deck to eat..."

"What? O-oh, no! It's not like that at all!" she replied, a reassuring tone in her voice, as she rubbed the back of her head. "It's just, that, um... I heard you used the powers of Reverse once? You know, the power granted by Giratina?" Dahlia asked, pausing for a moment. "That's interesting, cause not that long ago in Vermillion, I actually got contacted by Mr. Giratina... And I'm now his chosen hero and all. Yeah."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Mister Giratina...? And I thought Klim was the chosen hero? But you're right about me using the powers of Reverse. Did Ellen tell you about that, Miss...?" He looked away awkwardly. "Um... I just realized I never caught your name."

"Dahlia. Dahlia Seaton." she said, bowing slightly. "It's very nice to fully meet you. Let's see... Umm, no, Ryan, Ellen didn't tell me of your using the powers... Giratina did. Just now." she explained, looking towards the pot, only to see no reflection. "So... How were the powers like? And who is this... Klim?"

"Just... just now?" Ryan stared at the girl. He found it hard to believe such an innocent-looking girl would be chosen to wield such an otherworldly power. "Well, to answer your second question, Klim is the Hero of Reverse... or I guess he was until you showed up. I'm, uh, not entirely sure what happened to him, but the last I saw of him was about six months ago when he gave me a portion of his power to help in the battle against the Ancient Darkrai." He leaned against the doorframe, recalling with a slight shudder the unusual feeling of the Reverse. "My powers were limited to reversing the effects of status conditions on my Pokémon in battle. But from what I recall the powers manifest themselves differently in everyone, so what Klim or I were able to do isn't necessarily indicative of what you can do." Ryan paused for a moment, looking at Dahlia curiously. "Um... what can you do, if you don't mind me asking?"

Dahlia shrugged awkwardly. "Nothing yet... I don't really have any powers whatsoever, yet. Apparently I'll have to ask Evan later to see if he has the Griseous Shard, then I'll be able to get them." she explained, taking a deep breath. "Well! Interesting to note, then. Even if I might do something different later, mind explaining a few more things? Like what Klim could do, and what he was like?" the gardener asked, looking over curiously. "He sounds like an interesting person... I wonder what happened to him."

"Well, to be honest I didn't really know Klim that well," Ryan admitted. "Evan would be the best to ask about that. Klim traveled with us for a bit in Unova, but he mostly kept to himself or kept close to Evan. Sort of makes me wonder why he chose me to inherit a portion of his powers." He thought for a moment. "I remember he had a lot of ghost-type Pokémon on his team, which sort of reflects Giratina. Not sure if that's supposed to be a requirement or something. Probably not, seeing how none of Evan's Pokémon are related to Palkia, unless you count Gnip being a dragon..." Ryan's voice trailed off as he realized he was rambling. He glanced at the counter where the half-chopped vegetables laid untouched. "Say, while we talk, should I help you with dinner or something? I mean, these are good questions you're asking, but you did kind of tell everyone the food would be ready soon."

"O-oh, good idea! Right." Dahlia said, clearing her throat while she turned back towards the pot. "Could you please cut the vegetables that are still there? Thanks." she requested politely, turning up the stove again.

The gardener looked down thoughtfully at the stew she was cooking, contemplating several things. "I know what you're thinking, you know. It's really weird how a girl like me could be chosen by Mr. Giratina... And trust me, I couldn't have seen this coming either." she said, shrugging. "But when I asked him about it, he said he had watched me, and decided I was the most worthy of being a Heroine of Reverse. Because my will was strong, and I didn't give up hope for what I believed in. I don't know how I compare with Klim, but even though I might be completely different, I trust Mr. Giratina's judgement..." she said, smiling slightly. "Even though I'm new to being a hero, I've got the support of my siblings and Evan, so... I'll do my best to fulfill my new responsibility. I think that's reasonable, right?"

Ryan couldn't help but smile as he chopped up the vegetables. "With an attitude like that, I think you'll go far. I'll admit, at first glance you don't seem like my first choice wielding a power as strange as Reverse. Maybe powers just feel weird in general, but when I was granted my limited Reverse powers it just felt... unnatural. Like something from another world entirely." The Liberty agent fell quiet for a moment, punctuating the silence with the rhythmic chopping of a carrot. "It's not that I don't think you can handle the power, you certainly seem determined enough to take on the responsibility. I guess it's just strange to see someone as kindhearted as you with such a power. The Reverse is also sometimes called the Void, and that Void can feel... empty. Like it lacks any feeling at all." Ryan shrugged as he gathered the chopped vegetables into a bowl and handed them to Dahlia. "But who knows... maybe Mr. Giratina needed something different. Maybe he wanted a friendlier envoy. Not to say that Klim wasn't friendly, he was just... distant."

"Maybe so. I'll admit it that Mr. Giratina looks sort of otherwordly and is pretty mysterious. But he's been nothing but kind and supportive to me, not what I'd call 'empty'." Dahlia said, scooping up the carrots and dumping them into the stew. "Maybe he wanted a different person to wield the power like you said, but we won't know till I get them, right? I doubt I'll turn distant like Klim when I get them like that, you know?"

The gardener tasted a bit of the stew, nodding. "Looks like it's just about done, by the way. We can talk a little longer, but do you mind telling the others to come down after a bit? I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for your help, also!"

"No problem." Ryan grinned. "And I wasn't trying to imply you'd grow distant or anything. And I certainly didn't mean to offend Mr. Giratina. But yeah, you'll have to let me know how it goes once you do get your powers. I might not be able to help much, my experience being limited as it is, but I'd be happy to offer what advice I can." The Liberty agent scratched his head with a slight chuckle. "Helping seems to be what I do best; I was helping your brother earlier today in trying to bond with that Eevee he helped rescue."

"Oh, you helped Aspen out? Wow, you're pretty nice." Dahlia said, smiling appreciatively. She reached out her hand for Ryan to shake. "Zach chose good people to travel with. I think we'll be great friends at this rate! Maybe I'll be able to help you too, someday." she wondered, nodding at the thought. "Though... Maybe now you should go get the others below deck. Seems like dinner's almost done."

"Oh, it was nothing," Ryan said, shaking Dahlia's hand. "Stew smells good, by the way. Mind watching Terry for a moment while I get everybody?"

"Oh, that's no problem." Dahlia replied, gesturing for the Herdier to go over beside her. "Thanks for the compliment! It was nice talking to you... See you later!" the gardener said, waving goodbye to the Liberty agent, before turning around to get the stew ready for dinner.

**Dr. Hidaka** · November 22, 2015

IC: Evan Tierra, Hopes of Then and Now (Room Of Space)

"What makes a hero?"

As Evan finally gave into his exhaustion, his eyes opened to a hallway that he knew too well. There were doors on either side, some had symbols on them, others had plates denoting where they led to. Evan walked around, viewing each door with curiosity. One door had an intricately detailed heart on it. As Evan approached the door, the symbol glowed in the same shade of violet that the Power of Space manifested. Evan had a feeling what said door contained, but relented. That wasn't why he was here.

"What? What? What?"

Evan spotted what he was looking for: a trio of doors, each with a symbol that corresponded to a member of the Heroes of Creation. Evan made a beeline to the door that had his symbol on it, and entered, knowing he would enter the other two doors when the time was right. What he entered into was a large desert, with sand whipping about every which way. The Ex-Hero looked around, smiling broadly. There was going to be no more running or suffering. Things were going to end this time......

sonyaxe · November 23, 2015

IC: Jake

Jake saw the stone come down, seemingly in slow motion. He watched with a horrified gaze, unable to look away from the murder he saw in front of his still glowing eyes. The trainer barely noticed the Houndoom being released; his sight was locked on the once-living body. He had felt her death, on some level beyond what he could see with his eyes.

Somehow, Jake yanked his sight away from the gruesome scene, but even without it in his vision he still could not rid himself of the feeling of death this room held. With a shaking hand, he managed to snag Squirtle's pokeball and enlarged it. His breath shook, but it was with a clear voice that he called, "Squirtle! I need your help here!" The tiny turtle pokemon appeared in a flash of light, focused completely on the Houndoom snarling at him from across the room.

Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

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