Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie - Cafeteria.

 

"Mrgrgr, that coward..." Jamie seethed as Xander left. "He yells and then leaves without letting me respond."

 

Jamie promptly sat down and began wolfing down food, "All I did," she ranted between bites, "was stop the fighting." She swallowed a sweet that tasted bitter from her anger. "Nobody was going to get hurt from -my- actions," she said to nobody but whoever cared to listen. "And least of all, a friend."

Edited July 13, 2016 by Minun of the Fourth Choir

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"Do you know how much this tears me up inside? Do you really think I'm not boiling with emotions as well?"

Evan's words didn't echo with scorn, but understanding."To protect everyone, and to save the day." Evan said, a determined look in his face. "Having to do both at once is what makes being a hero so tough. I have to consider how everyone is feeling." Evan sighed as he rubbed his forehead, before continuing on.

"The girl I love is being looked at with scorn, for doing what she thought was right." Evan said, trying to keep his emotions in check. "My fellow hero believes that Aria was doing what she thought is right, and I'm here in the middle, unable to make a decision without siding with either of them. Being a hero, means I have to make tough decisions, and this is the toughest yet."

Edited July 13, 2016 by Hades

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

Xander sighed, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. "I just . . . I couldn't sit there and let her pick on Jenny when Jenny was doing the right thing, y'know?" He shook his head. "Being neutral is . . . hard. But you don't even seem fazed. How you could just sit there without taking someone's side or defending Jenny . . . You really earned your place, didn't you?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe/Jenny/Colette==-

 

Colette frowned, wincing slightly at the outbursts, as she looked around at the table. Already, everyone was ignoring what had just been said, and the aura wielder frowned. She noticed that Jenny was quiet after what had been said, and frowned more at that. She wondered what was going through her head, and noticed the redhead's aura contained a mix of contrasting emotions; but definitely seemed... off. And yet, she was still there, a neutral look on her face. Colette was a little confused, and made a note to ask about that later as well.

 

Chloe also was uncertain, as she looked around with a helpless look on her face as Xander stormed off, and the tension seemed thicker than ever. She rubbed her arm awkwardly - there was one thing she could have tried, but she wasn't sure whether it would work. It had outright done nothing the last few times she had tried it... though the last time had seemed a little better. For now, however, she watched in concern and a little anxiety at things already starting to go wrong.

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred- Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

Esen watched Jamie with a careful eye, letting her hands rest in her lap. "Jamie, right?" she said. "What did you mean when you said you'd fought them before?"

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"Oh, believe me, I wanna yell about Jenny being picked on." Evan said, laughing a little nervously. "I want to come to her aid so much." Evan held his hand behind his head. The Hero of Space paced a little as he looked at Xander, laughing a little jovially. "She's as tough as my Garchomp, Xander." Evan continued, smiling a bit. "She has a breaking point, but this isn't it."

 
Evan then gave Xander a hearty slap on the shoulder and spoke kindly to the Kalosian. "A True Hero, does not believe what others think is right or wrong. They only go with what they know is right in their heart. Not their mind."
 

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

He scowled still, hands going back to his pockets. "Murder isn't right, no matter how justified you feel. Gnip wasn't going to kill Aria. Aria was going to kill Jack." He sighed. "But it's not worth it, is it? I should just . . . should I apologize? Say I'm sorry, even though I'm not?"

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"You should at least apologize for storming off like that, for starters." Evan said, smiling. "And yeah, murder's not right, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Evan ruffled Xander's hair playfully, laughing as he did so. "You can't be serious all the time, man!" the Hero spoke. "Take some time to think from other viewpoints. It'll help you so much with things like this!"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

He sighed and nodded. He pushed off of the wall and started back. "Evan? Thanks. For, y'know, coming after me and talking it out." He chewed his lip as they approached the cafeteria again.

 

Once they entered and made their way over, Xander sat by Sylph. Sorry, he said so everyone could hear. I shouldn't have walked out, that was out of line. Did I miss anything?

 

Sylph put her hand in his, moving closer. "Are you alright?" she murmured to him.

 

I'm fine. Just . . . lots of memories. It's not important right now.

Edited July 13, 2016 by Carbevoir

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

The Liberty agent quickly filled with despair. Xander was acting like he hadn't even listened to his speech, and the Kalosian's storming off had only prompted Jamie to try and defend herself. Kyle was right... if they couldn't even come to terms in the middle of a cafeteria, how were they supposed to work together on a battlefield?

 

We don't need wild cards. . . .

 

In his frustration, Ryan was half-tempted to label Xander himself as a wild card. If the Kalosian trainer wasn't willing to work with others and keep his emotions in check, perhaps it was him that should be staying behind. But Ryan kept quiet. Xander returned after a moment and, most importantly, apologized for his actions. Ryan gave him a weary smile. "You didn't miss much. Jamie's had some past experience with Ford's group, it seems. Give her a chance to explain herself before you go jumping to any conclusions."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie – Cafeteria

 

Jamie paused in her binge eating when Esen asked her a question. Piece by piece of information began replaying itself in Jamie’s head. She seemed unusually focused as her memories replayed and was completely silent. Her silence was broken after Xander came back and Evan followed after.

 

“Yes, I have. Actually, you could say that my friends and I were on, what’s it called? Task… task… task-force, that’s it. A task-force, assigned by Joker, to track down Quincy Adams, one of Ford's "Children". During that time, I’ve ran into Ford’s people, on different occasions.”

 

Jamie grabbed a piece of fruit, placed it in her mouth, chewed and swallowed.

 

“My first encounter with them, I watched Déoza agents blow themselves to smithereens.”

 

Jamie swallowed a donut hole.

 

“I was there when Quincy decided to warp a train to I can’t even describe where, causing the deaths of I don’t know how many. –And- she got away.

 

Jamie swallowed a donut whole.

 

“I’ve had to help kill my boss’s beloved Golurk, because Quincy decided to destroy his Poké Ball when he went berserk in a city full of innocent people. And she got away.”

 

Jamie grabbed a caramel apple, but she suddenly tensed up immensely and crushed the apple in her hand.

 

“I’ve followed a literal trail of corpses to Quincy Adams.”

 

She bit through near to the core of a second caramel apple with one chomp that made a deafening “CRUNCH”.

 

“We had to corner her while she was in the middle of betraying her own allies.”

 

She opened a small bag of candy and deposited the entire contents into her mouth.

 

“I was there when Quincy dropped three people into a volcano.”

 

Jamie chugged an entire can of soda.

 

“And then following that, she disintegrated her own men for losing a battle with us. And then she. Got. Away.”

 

Jamie stuffed as much chocolate as she could into her mouth. She had to let it melt before she could swallow.

 

“Oh, and let’s not forget how they keep stealing our friends, like how McKinley took Ray from us, on –my- watch, and he got away…”

 

For a few moments, it seemed that Jamie finally lost her appetite.

 

“And do you know the one thing about of all of those things that they share? I couldn’t stop any of it. Nobody stopped any of it. And any time Adams, or McKinley or anyone else that got away kills someone else, it’s going to be on –my- head!”

 

Jamie at this point was shouting, tears pouring out of her face, while she continued to shovel food into it.

 

“So yeah, I’m familiar with Ford’s people! I’m familiar with Déoza! I’m familiar with how cruel and heartless they all are! I’m familiar with how many people are dead because nobody would do what was needed to stop them! I’m familiar with how they should all just… just…”

 

Massive consumption whilst thinking about truly nauseating subjects was not a good combination. Jamie ran out a different door than the one Xander re-entered from. She was looking for a Women’s Room but it was too late and she just parked in front of the nearest trash can. In moments all of her binge eating and Pelleas’s careful choices in diet were undone. Those nearby that exit could hear the horrible process.

 

Jamie’s father flew after her. He found her leaning over the trash can and continuing to spew but otherwise alright. There was not much the Heracross could do but try and comfort her and wait for it to pass.

 

Let it out, get it out of your system.

 

He wasn’t just talking about the bile.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe blinked, as she stared at the girl in slight shock. She had been about to interrupt and confirm that the Golurk thing was the same incident that had happened in Goldenrod; however, the Rocket agent had just continued to talk, and Chloe wisely kept quiet. When Jamie ran out of the room, Chloe put her head down, as she wished that there was something that could be done. But right now, she figured that all that could really be done, was give her space.

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

The sheer voracity of Jamie's response certainly caught Esen off-guard. It had surprised the other cafeteria patrons, as well, as many of them had fallen silent and began to nervously look over to see what all of the commotion was about. Conscious of them, Esen brushed her bangs aside, looking around the table for a follow-up. When none came, she clasped her hands together beneath the table.

 

"From what it sounds like, Jamie may be the most qualified person here to say what Ford's people are capable of," she said at last. "Aria may be brutal, but if Jamie thinks that kind of brutality is needed . . . It would be wise to take that into consideration."

 

"I agree," Kyle said. "I've only had one run-in with Hayes, but she almost destroyed a city by the end of that encounter. Not to mention it took five or six of us to beat her. We're lucky we . . ." He paused, as if caught on whatever sentence he was going to say next. ". .  . That we were able to limit our losses as much as we did. We can't afford to go easy on them."

Edited July 14, 2016 by Parugi

[Konuju]

IC: Theodore/Ava

"L-let me see!" Theodore turned away from Lucia and rushed over to Stacy, taking the tablet in his hands to read through the report. The expression on his face turned to once of horror as he read through the descriptions of Shannon's injuries.

 

Ava let her husband's face speak for the report and she instead turned to the nurse. "Ava Willows, Shannon's mother," she said with a short nod. "I had a few questions for you. What treatments have you been giving Shannon for her injuries? Is there an expected recovery time? And how much do we owe you?"

 

"Miss Willows is quite the popular patient," the nurse muttered, shaking her head. "Right now her greatest medicine is bedrest. We've sewn up her cuts, kept her fluid levels relatively normal, and done our best to isolate the bruising to let her body heal on its own. Barring anymore unexpected incidents and assuming she actually gets the rest she needs, Shannon should be released within a week or two. And, um, as for your last question, I'll defer you to Ms. Trilan."

 

IC: Ryan/Paul/Zoe/Jayron

Zoe's eyes grew wider and wider as she watched the Hero of Time stuff pastries, candies, and more into her mouth all while spewing out what made Ford a villain. She was like a human vacuum. It was fascinating to watch, and had Jamie not been so emotional in her ranting, Zoe would have challenged her to an eating contest. When Jamie finally raced out of the room, Zoe turned to her sister and tugged on her sleeve. "Do heroes always argue this much?" she whispered. "Also--" She jabbed a finger in the direction of the exit Jamie had taken. "--is she gonna be alright?"

 

"Ford is definitely a force to be reckoned with," Paul said. While his job as a Déoza blacksmith didn't give him too much insight into how Ford operated or what he was capable of, Paul decided to keep what experience he did have to himself. The last thing the group needed right now was another person to argue about. "Like Kyle said earlier, Ford won't give us a second chance at this. We need to hit him with everything we've got. It would be foolish to leave Aria behind on account of her wonderful personality."

 

Jayron slowly chewed his croissant, taking in everything that was going on. "I have to agree," he said calmly. "I could add my own stories to Jamie's... Bluefalcon's assassination, an attempt on my life, recent happenings on Seven Island... Trust me, you do not want to underestimate Ford. This mission will undoubtedly be more difficult than anything any of us have ever experienced." For a moment the executive's eyes shot to Dahlia and Paul, the civilians of the group, before focusing on Esen. So this was the friend Kyle had mentioned. Jayron gave her a smile of recognition. She certainly knew her way around in a fight, but even Ace's daughter would have to be on guard against Ford.

 

Ryan nodded in agreement and looked at Evan, Jenny, and Xander in turn. "Please reconsider. I know you have your misgivings, but we need all the help we can get."

Edited July 14, 2016 by Konuju

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

Xander watched as Jamie ate, and talked, and ate some more, and talked some more, culminating in the Hero's own exit from the room. He sighed and shook his head. Fine. If you guys want her to come, then I won't argue. I will say this, though. The moment, and I mean the moment I feel like she's going too far, threatening innocents or low-level people who have surrendered, I'll make sure she doesn't get the chance to do it again. If we stoop to the same lengths as Ford in this, then why are we fighting him?

 

Sylph nodded softly. "Agreed. And it's not a matter of losing control, like Dahlia did on the ship. Aria seems like she's always aware of what she's doing and just doesn't care. If she comes with us despite Aspen being here, who will have her pokéball? Who will give her orders? Because that person will also be held accountable if Aria hurts someone that she shouldn't have."

 

That's neither here nor there right now, though. For now, I need to train my team, and maybe get in some target practice. If there's nothing else to discuss, I'll be taking my leave. He paused, glancing at Ryan. Sir.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Stacy==-

 

"You don't owe anything, really." Stacy kept her face neutral, as she glanced around. "What are you planning to do for living accommodations, I must ask?" The woman raised an eyebrow, as it had already been mentioned that their home had been destroyed. Logically, there was no place for any of them to stay, and Stacy felt as if Ava was in the mood to leave as soon as it were possible.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared "Mercury" Winters/Lachina Adaon

 

The Ranger took a second to compose herself before speaking, and her voice still shook. "We need to get Payton to the hospital. I can't take her alone, so I need your help. We can talk later."

 

Mercury- no. Jared nodded softly, turning back to her. He still saw the fear and betrayal on her face and in her aura, but she was willing to stay beside him for now. He paused, glancing back. "Anubis, Payton's sister is--"

 

The Lucario nodded, moving forward to pick up the limp woman. She was alive, breathing, at least for the moment. He cradled her in his arms and started downstairs. Jared helped moved Payton onto Aolani's back, then went out to return the two twisted pokémon he now owned.

 

As the group left the mansion with injured companions and the few captives they'd taken alive, Jared paused and glanced back. "Anubis, hold on. Lachina, go ahead without me." The Lucario raised an eyebrow. The ranger girl hesitated, then decided she was too tired to argue. "You'd better catch up quick," she said.

 

A while later, the trainer and his companion left the grounds with Vivian.. Behind them, the flaming mansion shown like a beacon as the sun finally dropped below the horizon.

[Konuju]

IC: Theodore/Ava

"We... haven't planned that far," Ava admitted. "Finding Shannon was our first priority, and we weren't counting on our house being utterly demolished."

 

IC: Ryan

Ryan was caught off guard. He had done his best to keep the details of Dahlia's incident on the boat quiet, both to not scare everyone as well as to prevent Dahlia's embarrassment at her loss of control. It had probably been unintentional, but Sylph had just spilled the secret to everyone present. He saw Jayron eyeing the gardener curiously, no doubt investigating her aura.

 

And then before this first shock could sink in, Ryan was caught off guard again. Xander had called him 'sir.' The Liberty agent was clearly uncomfortable with the formality. He was leading the group, but he didn't want to be placed on a pedestal above everyone else. That was what had gotten him in trouble back in Fortree. Regardless, Ryan nodded at the Kalosian. "The aura wielders will be trying to locate Ellen, but you don't need to be present for that," he said. In fact, he silently added, it was probably best if Xander wasn't anywhere near Aria. "We'll let you know when we find something."

[MELON LORD]

OOC: Bunnying of Zoe approved by Kon

 

IC: Xander Cruize

 

Xander flinched a bit at the thought that bubbled in Ryan's mind. With a sigh, he stood. Alright then. Sylph, you wanna go help Dahlia train? Sylph nodded, and he smiled. Okay. I'll see you here at dinner, then. Be safe.

 

He then turned, offering a bow and an upturned hand to Zoe. Your Highness. I believe we need to find a place to battle. Zoe laughed, taking the hand and jumping to her feet.

 

"Yes! I know the perfect spot, c'mon!" She half-dragged the Kalosian out of the cafeteria.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette/Chloe==-

 

Colette glanced around at the uneasy silence that had fallen after Zoe had left. She wasn't sure what to think at that moment, but figured it was wise to keep quiet. She didn't really like how there had already been a divide between two sides in the group, and looked at the others, attempting to gauge whether they might do the same. However, the aura wielder couldn't detect any real dissent among the rest of the group - a little uneasiness considering how things had already gone, but seemingly no-one planning to leave because it hadn't gone right. She frowned slightly, but looked around.

 

"Well... is that it, then? Since you let Xander head off, I am guessing that we probably are done talking." Colette said, as she glanced around some more. She looked to Jayron, to see what his take on the matter was overall, and what they would need to do for the aura tracking.

 

Chloe scratched her head, as she felt uncertain about what to do. She decided that she would at least tell one person about the things she thought might be necessary later, but for now, she wasn't too sure what to do, as she finished eating the last piece of food on her plate. She looked over to Kyle, wondering whether he was planning to stay for whatever was happening with the locating thing. She was now a little more sure that he was the one who wanted to talk with her, but now wasn't sure what about, or if it was to invite her to the group.

 

"Umm..." Chloe spoke up shyly, as Colette turned her head. "If you need aura wielders... do you think you might need Luke's help too? Or are you already good for that? I'm not sure how that works, so I just thought I'd ask and offer, just in case..."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan nodded absentmindedly, his thoughts still on Xander and the argument. "Yeah. Once we're all done eating here, we can probably grab Aria and try to locate Ellen and the others. Mr. Burks said he had a scrap of Ellen's shirt, which from what I understand you can use to get a sense of her aura." He glanced at Paul, who confirmed the statement by producing a frayed strip of pink cloth from his pocket. He then looked at Chloe and her Lucario. "If Luke is willing to help we'll gladly accept his help. From what Aria tells me, the more aura wielders the stronger the... signal, or something." He gave Colette and Jayron a questioning look to see if his explanation made sense.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette/Chloe==-

 

Colette nodded, as she recalled what had been taught about that. "That is the basic principle, yes. More simply, the more aura wielders that can focus on it and help scan; the higher the chance we can actually get an idea of where the origin of the aura currently is. It's a bit more complicated than that, but... really, that's about it. We just link our auras, and then search." She felt a bit uneasy in terms of linking her aura with anyone, since that would mean she would be unguarded, however, she knew it was a necessary step if they were going to find Ellen.

 

Chloe nodded as she listened to the explanations, and sent Luke back out, who nodded in agreement as well. "Sounds good to me." The Lucario chuckled with a smile. "I may not like Aria that much... but I think this time's an emergency of sorts. Plus, I feel like if she tries anything for any reason, she wouldn't get too far with that right now."

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

I’m familiar with how many people are dead because nobody would do what was needed to stop them!

Those words rang in Evan's ears as he watched Jamie run off, after eating food in such a way that would make Gnip blush. Her words definitely sounded like someone who has had enough. Feeling concerned, the Hero of Space rose up and followed Jamie's path, to find her retching into a garbage can, with a Heracross nearby. Evan smiled a little worryingly and started. "That doesn't seem like a very heroic sight, Little Miss Heroine of Time... It's not exactly healthy for us humans to eat like a Garchomp! Mind telling me more about what happened, so that may not happen again?"

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"This way!" Zoe could barely contain her excitement as she led Xander out of the Alamo and down a path leading toward the beach. All the while her mouth was running as fast as her legs, spewing stories of how the place she was taking him was a Whismur's favorite practice spot, of how the super-star dragon had crashed down there with the True Hero and his Space Mistress, and how they had valiantly fought against a monstrous Swampert and had a dance battle with a Monkey Metronome.

 

The girl was just beginning to describe the subsequent feast the bard's friend had cooked up for them when they arrived at the legendary location. In one smooth motion Zoe let go of Xander's hand, ran a few feet away and spun around to face him, a Pokéball in her hand. "Don't get too cocky, Kalos boy!" she cried, slipping her goggles up to her forehead and striking a dynamic pose. "You're about to witness the power of the Superhero Warrior Princess! Hiyaaaa!"

 

IC: Ryan/Jayron/Paul

"Sounds easy enough," Ryan said, not picking up on Colette's uneasiness. He smiled at Luke. "Thanks for helping. We greatly appreciate it."

 

Jayron looked around the table. "Chloe, Colette, you two done eating? I think we can head down to the infirmary now. Paul, you too, along with anyone who wants to watch, I guess. It shouldn't be the most exciting thing in the world."

 

"You're locating my daughter," Paul said with a grateful look at the four aura wielders present. "I couldn't think of anything more exciting."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

The teen grinned at the girl's excitement, and he unclipped a ball from his belt. "Alright then! Let's give it our best shot, I'm not holding back!" So saying, he tossed the ball high into the air. "Vixen, come on out and show her what we're about!"

 

The orb opened, pouring forth blinding white light that coalesced to form the Fennekin. Vixen landed, barking eagerly. Her first real battle! Time to show her trainer just how capable she was.

 

"I'm also gonna let Ellen out of her ball, if that's alright. She won't battle this round, but she'll wanna watch."

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

The girl's voice rang with laughter. "Oh, this is going to be perfect! Esmeralda, come meet your new friend!" Zoe threw her ball with all her might, and with another explosion of light a second Fennekin materialized on the sand. Esmeralda eyed her opponent curiously, yipping a friendly greeting. "Ellen can watch, no problem," Zoe said. "...wait, Ellen? Isn't that the girl you're trying to rescue?"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

Vixen barked a greeting at the other fox, bouncing lightly in anticipation. Xander pulled Ellen's ball, releasing the Eevee in front of him. "She is, yeah. I named my Eevee after her. They've got similar personalities."

 

Ellen looked up at her master, yipping softly. Xander grinned. "Ellen, I know you like helping out, but you can't use Helping Hand during this battle, understand? It's a one-on-one fight, and that would be cheating."

 

She nodded her agreement, and Xander smiled at Zoe. "So, Princess, how do we want to do this? Best two of three, or just go until one of us is done?"

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Like any honorable battle, we fight to the death!" Zoe declared. Esmeralda looked over her shoulder at Zoe and coughed a small Ember into the ground. "...er, to the faint!" the self-proclaimed princess quickly corrected. "And we won't be pulling any punches! Esmeralda, let's start out with an Ember! Show your new friend your real firepower!"

 

The Fennekin turned back to face her opponent, an eager grin on her face. Then she leapt up into the air and spat flames into the other fox from above.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize, Vixen

 

"Ember, huh? Let's fight fire with fire. Ember!" He cast his arm out dramatically as he ordered the attack. Vixen launched her Ember upwards, scattering Esmeralda's attack around her. "Now, hit her with a Psybeam!"

 

Vixen focused, sending the mental blast out where she hoped her opponent would be landing.

 

Ellen cheered from the sidelines, tail twitching merrily.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Esmeralda, look out!"

 

The fox yelped. Try as she might, she couldn't 'look out' for a mental attack. There was no way to see it coming until the beam struck her just as she touched the ground, sending Esmeralda sprawling.

 

"Fighting fire with fire, huh?" Zoe grinned. "Well we'll fight psychic with psychic! Esmeralda, counter with Psybeam!"

 

Despite the fact that Vixen's attack had already passed and there was nothing to truly counter, Zoe's Fennekin picked herself up and concentrated on a mental blast of her own, aiming it at her opponent's current position.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize, Vixen

 

"Flame Charge!" Keep the opponent guessing, and you would always have the upper-hand. Vixen rushed headlong, fire pouring from her mouth. She flinched a bit as she ran headlong through the Psybeam, but she didn't stop. She leaped forward, letting the fire surround her as she lunged for Esmeralda.

 

Honestly, Xander wasn't expecting this battle to last long. The combatants were low level, not very used to taking damage. He just had to make sure that Vixen was dealing more than she was receiving.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie - By an innocent trash bucket that never did anything to her

 

Jamie was still finishing throwing up the last bits of her breakfast when Evan came up to her.

 

Once she fully deposited her breakfast in the trash can, she managed to say, "Yeah, I don't mind." But upon closer inspection of her self, she noticed she had some gunk left on her face. "Actually do you mind if I go and wipe this off in a restroom? I don't want to use these clothes, they are borrowed."

 

Evan of course, didn't object to Jamie and the trio looked for a restroom. They found a single-occupancy unisex restroom and Jamie and Pelleas entered. The Heracross grabbed several paper towels from a roll and wiped the filth off her face. Jamie went to the sink after he was finished and splashed some water on her face before looking into the mirror.

 

"I don't make a very heroic sight, do I?"

 

Pelleas objected, but Jamie was lost in thought.

 

Shrugging off her worries best she could, she tried to put her best smile on her face. She failed however and was left with a half-hearted one, as that was all she could muster. Once she finished her best effort to make herself look as hero as possible, she left the room with Pelleas.

 

"Sorry about making you wait. So... what, more specifically, did you want to ask me about?"

 

OOC: Small bunnying approved by Alku.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"What you said in the cafeteria, kind of struck a chord with me." Evan spoke genially. "It sounds like you've been through a lot, Jamie Arthur, and know a lot as a result. But, do you know how hard it is to be a hero?" Before Jamie could respond, Evan continued to talk, not missing a beat. "It's very hard, because being a Hero, is about more than just fighting the bad guys, saving lives, and winning the day." Evan spoke calmly and gently. "It's about doing the right thing when others can't or won't. It's standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves. Even.....if it costs you your life, like it did cost me mine."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie

 

Jamie knew that being a hero couldn't have been easy, but to hear that Evan had died was beyond the pale. Even Pelleas was shocked at that one. It also didn't assuage any of Pelleas's worries. He was really not liking this hero schtick. He needed to talk with Tristan about it.

 

"Died? Like the stopped living kind of died?" Jamie said with a shocked expression. "But you got better? That's not... something I was told was possible."

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

Vixen was coming in hot. And fast. Zoe barely had time to shout out a desperate command of "Block it!" in time to give Esmeralda a chance to respond.

 

The Fennekin quickly threw up a Light Screen... only to have Vixen crash into her, the physical move unaffected by the special wall. Esmeralda gave a bark of surprise as she found herself flying through the air once more.

 

"Alright..." Zoe frowned as Esmeralda picked herself back up. "Let's try and trap her, like we did against Collie. Fire Spin!" Esmeralda spat more flames, this time sending them into a spiral around Vixen, limiting both her sight and her movement.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize, Vixen

 

Vixen looked around in panic as the fire swirled around her. It wouldn't hurt her much, but it would hurt. Xander smiled. "Fire spin, huh? Neat trick. Vixen, break it with a Psybeam, then follow up with a scratch attack!"

 

Vixen calmed substantially as her trainer gave orders. She focused, letting the beam surge forward to make a small hole in the fire around her. She jumped through quickly, unsheathing her claws.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

Zoe couldn't believe Vixen had made it through the Fire Spin so easily. It wasn't until Esmeralda gave her a worried bark, inquiring instructions, that the girl decided their opponent really had escaped the trap. "Scratch back!" Zoe cried.

 

Esmeralda met Vixen head on, and the two Fennekin entered a scratch-fight, kicking up sand as each tried to gain the upper hand.

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

Long, slow breath in.

 

. . .

 

Long, slow breath out.

 

"That," Kyle muttered to Esen. "could have gone better."

 

"Could've gone worse," she said with a shrug. Esen stood, answering his responding sigh with a flick to the back of the head. "Come on--spirits up! It's not over because of one bad meeting."

 

"I mean, this meeting isn't the only thing I'm worried about . . ." Kyle said, rubbing his head. "I guess you're right, though--no use getting moody over it." He pushed himself up. "Where are you headed?"

 

"I think I'll stick with the Aura group--try to see if I can help keep things from blowing up." Esen glanced at Jayron and the others, then back at Kyle. "How about you?"

 

"Well, Ryan said he wanted to talk about my 'condition' yesterday, so I figured I'd get that out of the way," Kyle said, playfully rolling his eyes, and then followed Esen's gaze to the Aura group. "Might be good to catch up with Chloe, too. I haven't talked to her since the thing with Kyurem . . . One of the last few times I talked to Richie, too . . ." He trailed off.

 

Esen eyed him. "Have you talked to him yet?"

 

"No." Pause. "I think he knows I know." Esen frowned, though Kyle managed to smile. "Don't worry about it--sooner or later, he'll have to stop avoiding me, right? In the meantime, we should focus on what's important."

 

"Right," Esen said. She did not seem convinced. "Alright, well . . . I'm going to join the practice battles later. You should come." As she walked past, she nudged his shoulder. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

 

"I'll try." As soon as she had turned her back to him, Kyle frowned, looking at his Pokétch. Any day now, dad . . . He shut it off. Any day . . .

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe/Colette/Jenny==-

 

Chloe gave a slight stretch, as she stood up, and glanced over at the others. Colette had also finished eating, and seemed to be getting ready to leave as well, placing her blue jacket in her backpack. The psychic glanced around at the rest of the group, but couldn't see Jenny at the table for the moment, and frowned slightly. She scratched her head, as everyone seemed sort of ready to go.

 

"I'm ready now... Shall we go, then?" Chloe glanced around, hoping that everything would go alright this time. She also glanced over at Kyle, who seemed almost distracted by his Poketch.

 

-==IC: Stacy==-

 

"Hmm..." Aunt Stacy thought for a little bit, as she thought over things. "What if you stayed here for a while, then? There is a lot of space for you to stay here, though you would have to be careful to not bother any of the patients we have here." She hoped that the attitude with Ava was simply a stressful first impression, but something gave her a sinking feeling about that.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

Xander frowned, watching as the two Fennekin traded swipes of their claws. Vixen was taking more damage than she should, so he called out. "Distance yourself, then hit her with another Psybeam!" Vixen barked agreement, swiping one last time before springing away. That Fire Spin had singed her on the way out, and the attacks afterwards had left her ragged. She fired another mental blast, glad that Esmeralda wasn't yet psychic type.

 

The attack would deal its full damage, without any pesky resistances getting in the way.