Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[MELON LORD]

IC: Belle LaDonna and Alma Mason

 

Belle cursed softly, seeing that the battle was going poorly. Still, they weren't exactly losing. They just weren't winning, either. As Cyanide missed his attack, he came to a stand-still, while Hemlock instantly lashed out to try and catch the Porygon-Z with her Dragon Tail attack. As Garnet and Shadow tried to keep Harmonics and Roderick busy, Belle decided that whatever was going on with that thing in the chamber couldn't be completed.

 

She rushed forward and kicked as hard as she could at the Servine -- or was it a Serperior? She always got them confused. -- in the hopes of disrupting the . . . purification? Was that what this was?

 

Garnet's eyes flashed, a Confuse Ray directed at her current opponent, before she lunged forward to try and grab Roderick again. Shadow released a ball of dark energy at the Beheeyem, snarling softly as he did. He wanted that Psychic gone. As he attacked, he reached out for his mistress to let her know that nobody was looking her way.

 

Alma had finally cleared her vision. She pulled her pistol from its pocket and stepped into the doorway, raising the gun easily. She smirked as she saw a clear line of sight to Roddy, no more than ten feet away. There was almost no way for her to miss. Taking a deep breath, she squeezed the trigger, smirking as the explosion rang out in the already noisy room.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny took a step back in surprise as Sylph and Xander randomly appeared in front of her, but then quickly regained her composure with a smile. "Let's have a good fight!" The trainer sent out her Gyarados with a quick flick of her wrist. She took on a battle stance, as Gyaralite looked toward Gnip, and roared out a challenge. The Gyarados appeared to be anticipating this battle, a glint in her eyes indicating that she was excited. Jenny nodded, as she glanced around for a moment. "Well then, let's go!"

 

The girl slashed her left arm to the side, as she smiled. "Let's take this nice and easy to start with, Dragon Dance!" Jenny knew what Gnip was capable of. That was not in question at the moment; however, she needed a little time to gauge how exactly Evan would fight under these circumstances. As the wind blew across the field, no doubt fueled in part by the twisting of the sea snake, the red haired girl knew that caution was to be taken in the first moments of this fight...

[Parugi]

IC - Goldhawk/Bounty/Miriam Shields/President James Pierce - Hoenn Conference Place, Ever Grande City:

 

The term "political arena" had never felt quite so accurate. The descent of Goldhawk's helicopter toward the Ever Grande Capitol Building allotted him a full view of the perfectly round, half-dome structure, around which hundreds had gathered in protest. Whether this was to express disagreement with Team Liberty and Team Rocket's presence, or with that of President James Pierce himself, he could not tell. All he knew was that, as the helicopter touched down on an elevated platform outside of the building, surrounded by over a dozen guards, numerous cameras turned toward him, flashing at and nearly blinding him as he made his way down the designated walkway toward the building. The din of the crowd, too, rose the further he walked, drowning out the voice of the aide who had departed the building to meet him.

 

The crowd's voices fell completely silent as the lobby doors closed behind Goldhawk. He spent little time taking in the sights before the aide began to usher him forward, toward the entrance to their arena. If it weren't for the Liberty insignia clipped to her coat, he might have yanked his arm free of her grasp with a little more force.

 

"You're late," she said. "Very late."

 

"I'm well aware of that," Goldhawk said, struggling to keep up with her frantic pace. His briefcase swung with each step, almost threatening to burst open. "Are Bounty and Team Rocket's representative here yet?"

 

"Yes," the aide confirmed. "They're all set up. President Pierce, as well. You're just lucky they were able to get an extra few minutes for you before he called the whole thing off."

 

"Lucky me." Goldhawk adjusted his tie as they arrived at the door. He nodded to the aide. "You'll be managing security from here?"

 

"Yes, sir," she said. "I wish you the best of luck."

 

"Same to you." With that, he pushed the door open.

 

 

 

The term "political arena" was, in fact, accurate. It seemed that they would be verbally sparring in what was, essentially, a gladiator ring. Raised seating surrounded the wide field of tiered desks and seats, where--in the very center--the political forces of Team Liberty and Team Rocket had gathered, facing across from those of James Pierce. The President's seat was raised the highest, save for that of the presiding forces seated on either side. Altogether, they formed a square, spaced apart from each other to allow room for steps leading down into a square pit between them all. The entire conference would be televised via the numerous cameras installed around the building.

 

As Goldhawk approached his seat at the desk, he nodded to Blackskull and the woman who had come to represent Team Rocket. "I take it things are going swimmingly right now."

 

 

IC - James Arthur/Richard Apollo/Gero Ward - Ward's Office, Heaven's Cloud University:

 

A very strange song filled James's ears as they entered the office. It was a warm room, with creme-colored walls and uniformly dark brown furniture that created an atmosphere altogether evocative of a café. This stood in contrast to the man seated at work behind the desk. Thin-bodied and thin-faced, with close-cut, bright red hair that stood out against his comparatively messy suit, he exuded an air of harried urgency. At the moment, President Ward squinted at and fussed over a letter of some sort on his computer, verbally dictating it as he went along. He did not immediately notice James's entrance.

 

"'. . . Thus, Mr. Winchester, it is with great sorrow . . . that I must inform you . . . we cannot accept your application at this time . . .'" he muttered, each word spoken with a noticeably non-Unovan accent--what one might call a Yorkshire accent. "'Please feel open to . . . sending any concerns or questions . . . to Mr. Edgar Frost . . . as they emerge--'

 

James knocked on the door frame. "Pardon me?"

 

"Oh, hello, there!" The President whipped off his glasses and straightened up upon noticing James. As if on cue, the music came to a screeching halt. "You must be Mr. Arthur. Pleasure to meet you." He held out a hand.

 

"The pleasure is all mine" James assured as he accepted President Ward's offer of a handshake with a warm expression hiding his urgency. "You appear busy, so I shall get to the point. Are you familiar with President James Pierce, leader of the Hojohsin League?". James did not stop for a response from President Ward, but merely removed his phone from his pocket and slid it before President Ward. It's screen was showing an article that had President Pierce's face on it. "I have reason to believe that he is ruling illegitimately under an alias and that furthermore he was an alumni of this school. I need access to your school's records so I can prove everything."

Edited August 7, 2016 by Parugi

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan's gaze became focused at the sight of Jenny's Gyarados being sent out, many thoughts of how to deal with her racing through his head. He knew that Dragon Dance would make it harder to withstand Gyaralite's already impressive power. "Nice and easy, eh?" Evan commanded in a fiery voice, pointing forward as he did so. "I guess we'd better do the same! Gnip, use Earthquake, and then follow up with a Sandstorm!" At her master's command, Gnip took a powerful step forward and unleashed an earth-sundering roar, cracking and splitting the ground in the makeshift arena. Despite the impressive damage done to everything else, Gyaralite was undamaged by the attack.

Yet it wasn't Gnip's intention to damage her.

Thanks to her first action, the ground was now loose enough for her ext attack. The Mach Pokemon roared yet again, making a sweeping motion with her right claw, causing a good deal of sand to rise up and be carried by the wind. With a sweep of her other claw, more sand was swept up and the wind intensified, causing a slight twister of sand to engulf the two pokemon and their trainers. "Now that the stage is set, use Dragon Claw!" Evan commanded, striking a dynamic pose. "Let's see how tough she's gotten!" Gnip growled as she rushed forward, her claws gleaming with power, as she prepared to strike Gyaralite......

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

"Now! Counter that move with Aqua Tail! Then... you know what to do!" The Gyarados coiled up and then lashed out with a spinning tail slam at the Garchomp, intending to parry away the Dragon Claw attack more than anything. It was after that, that the Gyarados was truly prepared to strike. Her eyes gleamed, as energy began to gather around her. The flying sea snake roared out, as she intended to slam into Gnip multiple times in Outrage, knowing that it would be more useful than many of the other attacks.

 

"And then keep that up, we can do this, Gyaralite!" Jenny smiled, as she considered her options. She figured that this would be the best idea for the moment, but was uncertain how exactly this would work out. She didn't know, either, if she could snap the Gyarados out of her berserker state, but believed in the fact that she could. The sand continued to beat at the two of them as they continued to fight; however, this was one of the things she had insisted on working toward. It still damaged them, but her Pokemon were more intent to work through this disadvantage...

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Gnip's Dragon Claw was intercepted by Gyaralite's Aqua Tail, which wouldn't faze Gnip in any other situation. It was the Outrage afterwards that made the Mach Pokemon's eyes widen as she was slammed into the ground by the rampaging Atrocious pokemon. Evan noted Gnip's surprise and kept his cool. She simply needed room to breathe, and so she would get it. "Gnip, let her strike you, and burrow underground!" Evan said confidently. "After that, I trust you know what to do!" If this was anything like what happened back in Hearthome City way back when, with Seth's Milotic and the trainer's Excadrill, Gnip would understand what he had meant.

Gnip grit her fangs as Gyaralite struck struck her once more, using the force behind her foe's Outrage to force herself deeper into the ground. Gnip then roared as she began to quickly submerge herself underground. The Shooting Star Dragon had disappeared from the surface, thanks in part to the sand whirling about giving her cover. Gnip cut through the ground, attempting to use the vibrations on the surface to zero in on the Gyarados' location. When she felt she had figured it out, the Garchomp hastened towards her target, eyes shining furiously as she prepared to unleash a Dragon Claw powered uppercut when she surfaced....

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe
Once Eilonwy and Esmeralda had a chance to rest and Zoe had managed to tell her parents her tale of wonder, the young girl once again found herself with nothing to do. Naturally, she turned to Colette's room and barged in unannounced. Breakfast aside, her morning had been largely Collie-deprived, a situation that badly needed remedied.

"Come on, Collie, let's go play!" Zoe pulled at her sister's arm, but only managed to elicit a sleepy grumble. "Not again," Zoe moaned. "Don't tell me you're gonna sleep for another week!"

"Sorry..." Colette mumbled. "I'll be better tomorrow. Go find your other friends to play with..."

Zoe sighed, doing little to hide her disappointment. "Fine. I'm holding you to that promise, Collie. You'd better get up tomorrow!"

IC: Ryan
The first thing Ryan had done after parting ways with Jamie was head back to the cafeteria. The missing members of their party, namely Evan, Jenny, and Dahlia, were nowhere to be seen. Not that he'd exactly expected them to remain at the buffet cart all that time.

Evan and Jenny, according to a message on his Pokégear, were having a battle on a nearby islet. That still left the Heroine of Reverse unaccounted for. Ryan felt bad after what had happened at breakfast; in hindsight, his insisting that Dahlia wait to practice her Reverse powers came off as rude and condescending. To make matters worse, Sylph had flat-out told everyone about how Dahlia had lost control of her powers. It was no wonder she had rejected the Gardevoir's offer to train her.

As Ryan wandered in the direction of Dahlia's temporary room, he realized that he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to do when he did find her. Apologize? No doubt. Tell her what the aura wielders had found? Probably. Offer to continue her training? It would be the right thing to do, despite his promise to start strategizing for Two Island. Although after she'd turned down Sylph, who knew if she even wanted to train right now.

The Liberty agent debated back and forth in his mind until he found himself back where he'd started the morning, in front of Dahlia's door. Steeling himself, he knocked. There was no response. He tried again, but to no avail. Either Dahlia was ignoring him or, more likely, she had simply taken to wandering about the unfamiliar Alamo on her own. Ryan walked away with a heavy sigh, feeling all the more concerned.

His wanderings took him outside the Alamo, where he was greeted by an energetic Togie and Orihime. Rather than staying cooped up in Ryan's dorm, the pair of Togekiss had taken to the skies; from what Ryan could gather, Togie had given Orihime a tour of the island, giving special emphasis to the small battlefield where he had evolved into a Togetic nearly a year ago. In spite of his heavy heart, Ryan smiled at the Jubilee Pokémon and filled them in on the latest news. At the mention of Two Island, Orihime appeared ready to fly off to the island that instant, and probably would have if Ryan hadn't told her of their plans to leave in a few days.

"Of course, in those few days I've got to come up with a battle plan," the Liberty agent muttered. "And I don't even know where to begin." While his words were true, Ryan chose to withhold the other reason he was having trouble forming a good strategy: the arguments at breakfast and Dahlia's disappearance weighed heavily on his mind. Try as he might, he just couldn't focus.

Ryan was suddenly both literally and figuratively pulled from his thoughts by the sudden presence of Zoe tugging at his arm. "Play with me!" the girl demanded. At first Ryan thought it was a joke, perhaps a prank pulled by one of the others to try and get him to lighten up. But the look in Zoe's eyes told him that she was dead serious -- at least as serious as she could be with her doleful attempt at dog-earing her hair.

"Wh-what?" Ryan cried in shock as he struggled to keep his balance with the girl's unexpected weight on his arm. "Zoe? What are you doing here? Where's your sister?"

"Collie's a big sleepyhead," Zoe said, pursing her lips in an almost comical pout.

"Okay..." In his already distracted state of mind, Ryan struggled to process this information amidst the constant tugging. "What about your other friends? Surely they'd love to play with you."

Zoe rolled her eyes in exasperation, as if she were trying to explain a simple concept to a two-year-old. "I couldn't find the True Hero or his Space Princess, our Kalos friend is probably still wringing out water from his clothes, and I haven't seen Mr. Spoony or Mr. Bard in forever!"

It took Ryan several moments to realize she was talking about Evan, Jenny and Xander -- although he had no idea who the other two were. For a brief instant he considered sending Zoe to the coordinates Evan had sent him. That idea was quickly snuffed out by the memory of a furious Colette veiled in a brilliant yellow aura. Ryan bit his lip and looked down at Zoe. "Well, it's not like I was being super productive or anything," he muttered. "Alright, I'll humor you. What sort of games do you normally play?"

The young girl's eyes gleamed as she let go of Ryan's arm and donned her Go-Goggles on her forehead. "The Spectacular Aura-Girl!" she declared, striking a dynamic pose. "Heroine of Truth and Justice! Lone Defender of Four Island!"

Ryan couldn't help but chuckle. "Evan's really got you going on this whole hero shtick, doesn't he? Alright, and what sort of adventures does this Spectacular Aura-Girl go on?"

Zoe narrowed her eyes as she pointed an accusatory finger at Ryan. "Aura-Girl faces her greatest enemy ever," she said in a low voice. "Her arch-nemesis: the supervillain Shadowman Ford!"

Ryan balked at the idea of roleplaying as Ford. "Wait, hold up. Aura-Girl's the lone defender of Four Island, right? And her Aura Master sister went off on a journey to stop Ford, right? So if Aura-Girl is facing Ford, doesn't that mean that her sister failed?"

Zoe contemplated this for about two seconds before her face contorted into a scowl. "I didn't ask for your logic!" she cried. "Do you have a better story? It doesn't get more epic than this!"

"Hm..." Ryan grinned as an idea struck him. "You've got your standard good-versus-evil plotline, but wouldn't adding a bit of mystery make it more exciting? How about this: for years the Remarkable Aura-Girl--"

"Spectacular."

"--the Spectacular Aura-Girl has been the lone protector of Four Island. Her amazing superhero work has caught the eyes of two great Aura Guardians, Togie and Orihime. One day they came to her with a request: that she accompany them to the distant land of Unova to capture a deadly criminal on the loose."

Togie looked at Ryan in surprise. Orihime took her cue and fluttered down toward Zoe, spreading her wings in a graceful bow. Zoe's eyes lit up as she dutifully bowed back to the Togekiss. "It is a grand honor to be chosen by a powerful master such as yourself," she said solemnly. "I accept your request, but on one condition. Make it be in Kalos."

"...What?"

"Unova's boring. Make it happen in Kalos."

"Y-you can't just do that, this story's about--" Ryan stopped his stammering when Zoe shot him a death glare worthy of her sister. "Fine, the criminal's on the loose in Kalos."

Zoe grinned. "Then I gladly accept."

"Alright. So you travel to Kalos, and arrive in... um... a port city." Ryan gave the girl an apologetic smile. "I don't really know Kalos that well. But you arrive, and as you begin your journey you come across a young girl named... you had a Fennekin, right?"

"She's named Esmeralda!" Zoe grabbed a Pokéball and sent out her Pokémon, clearly pleased at the Fennekin's involvement in the narrative.

"Er... yes, she's named Esmeralda." By this point Ryan had learned not to argue with the girl. "Esmeralda has been visiting her aunt and uncle, but now she's ready to go back home for Christmas. The problem is, she lives on the other side of Kalos, so she wants to travel with you, since you'll be going across the region in pursuit of this criminal."

"And who is this criminal?" Zoe asked.

"The criminal you seek is none other than the mighty, fearsome... Samurott." Ryan sent out his own Pokémon, who gave a slight growl of annoyance at her antagonistic role, especially since she knew why she had been chosen for it. The symbolism was not lost on her. "Come on, Samurott," Ryan pleaded under his breath. "Just play along." The water-type shrugged and bared her fangs at Zoe with as menacing a growl as she dared.

"Halt, villain!" Zoe cried. "You shall not-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a minute!" Ryan protested, recalling his Pokémon. "Samurott's not here yet. But the person who is here is the Shooting-Star Dragon himself, acting on behalf of the Kalos government to help stop Samurott." Ryan quickly swapped Pokéballs and sent out his Garchomp, who immediately got into character and struck Evan's trademark dynamic pose.

Zoe appeared unamused. "The Shooting-Star Dragon's a girl."

Ryan bit his lip. "Er... this is the... True Hero Dragon," he corrected. "Filling in for the Shooting-Star Dragon."

"Cheap knockoff," Zoe muttered under her breath.

"Anyway, the True Hero Dragon, who for simplicity's sake is not anyone's envoy, agrees to join you in your quest. And because I'm suddenly missing key characters, you're also joined by Quil." He sent out his Typhlosion, who joined the ever-growing party. "Eventually you come to... um, Lumiose City (that's the big one, right?) and you suddenly encounter Samurott!"

"Halt, villain!" Zoe cried. "You shall not survive the day! For you are outnumbered six-to-one! Fall before the might of the Spectacular Aura-Girl!" With a fierce battle cry, Zoe ran toward the materializing Samurott, who apologetically knocked her aside.

"Oooh, looks like Samurott was tougher than you anticipated!" Ryan said in mock horror. "But what's this? She appears to know Quil! They were long-lost siblings, and now they're fighting!"

"What?" Zoe gasped. "No, stop fighting, you two! You're supposed to love each other!"

For a brief moment Ryan wondered if his reenactment might be too violent for Zoe. But she was too invested in the story for him to quit now. Not to mention, Samurott and Quil were already at each other's' throats in mock battle. "And, with a sudden Aqua Tail, Samurott gains the upper hand and seemingly kil- er, knocks Quil unconscious! But what's this? It appears Samurott is not alone! No, she's been working closely with a dark terrorist, Missy!" The Mismagius cackled as she rose into the air behind Samurott.

"...Missy doesn't sound like a very threatening name for a terrorist," Zoe said.

"Well she doesn't take very kindly to you making fun of her name," Ryan retorted. "In fact, she uses her powers to kidnap Esmeralda and Orihime, and bring them to the top of the highest tower in Lumiose!"

"The Prism Tower?" Zoe gasped. "We have to go after her! What's she planning to do?"

"You don't know," Ryan said as Missy led her captives off into the nearby undergrowth. "But we have to stop her!" Zoe needed no prompting. She ran with all her might after the fleeting ghost, Garchomp and Togie following in her footsteps.

When Missy decided the girl had enough exercise, she slowed down enough to let her catch up. Although tired, Zoe put no less bravado into her roleplay. "Stop in the name of truth and justice!" she cried. "I am the great Aura-Girl, and I will apprehend you! I call upon my trusty sidekick, Merida!"

Missy gave a sinister laugh as she floated between Zoe and the captive Pokémon. A haunting melody escaped her lips, eerily similar to Hayes' piccolo. "That's Perish Song!" Ryan warned. "You're on a time limit now! If you don't defeat Missy soon, she'll destroy the whole city!"

At that point Ryan decided to pause in his narration and let the resulting battle play out. He trusted his Pokémon enough to throw the fight in Zoe's favor without making it an easy win. Missy's Perish Song -- for it really was a Perish Song -- added an unexpected suspense to the fight. Or rather, an inevitability. Sure enough, shortly after Zoe's imaginary Aura Sphere blasted through Missy, all the combatants collapsed, succumbing to the power of the melody.

***

When Zoe groggily awoke, she was surrounded by Togie, Orihime, Esmeralda, Garchomp, and Merida. "Wha... what happened...?" she mumbled.

"You managed to defeat the terrorist Missy," Ryan said. "And saved Lumiose. But you also took a heavy hit from Missy's Perish Song. How are you feeling, Aura-Girl?"

Still groggy, Zoe's mouth curved into a goofy grin. "That was the most epic battle ever!" she cried. "It was so intense! But we won!"

"Oh, the journey's not over yet." Ryan chuckled as he ruffled the girl's hair. "Remember, Samurott's still on the loose."

And so the adventures of the Spectacular Aura-Girl continued. Under Ryan's narration, she reunited with Quil, chased Samurott across Kalos, and had an interpretive dance break with Garchomp. Zoe was wrought with fear when Garchomp was defeated in the mountains of Anistar, but cheered when the landshark barged in unexpectedly to lead them all to the final battle against Samurott. Ryan slowly grew more comfortable as a narrator, and by late afternoon he was just as excited about the epic tale as Zoe was.

For the finale, Ryan summoned his two remaining Pokémon: Ampere, revealed to have been pulling the strings behind Samurott the entire time ("I knew Samurott would never really fight her brother like that!" Zoe declared), and the Legendary Entei, who became Ampere's unwitting pawn and the story's final battle. But Zoe saw through the Legendary Beast's tough demeanor and won him over to her side. By the time Ampere had been defeated once and for all, the sun was low in the sky.

"We won!" Zoe cried, hugging each of Ryan's Pokémon in turn. "That was so amazing! Spectacular Aura-Girl saves the day... with the help of her friends!"

Ryan's grin was as wide as Zoe's. His previous worries had melted away; for the first time in a long while he had truly enjoyed himself and had fun. And so had his Pokémon. It was a catharsis they had all desperately needed after everything that had happened in the past few weeks. But the best moment came when Zoe pulled Ryan into a tight hug, thanking him over and over for making her day so fun. "I had fun too, kiddo." Ryan gently patted Zoe on the head.

Zoe pulled away and stifled a yawn. "I'd better head home. Mom'll be mad if I miss supper."

It was then that Ryan noticed the sinking sun. He smiled sheepishly. "Time really flies, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it'll be dark by the time I get back to Vier Village."

"You have to go all the way to Vier Village?" Ryan frowned. "Tell you what. I'll walk you home and explain to your mom that we just lost track of time."

Zoe instantly brightened. "That'd be great! And on the way we can talk more about the adventures of Aura-Girl!"

Ryan laughed. "Sounds like a deal."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny frowned slightly, as she glanced around the field after Gnip dove underground. Her and the Gyarados looked around for the place where Gnip would reappear. For a moment, it looked like they had lost Gnip... however, her eyes turned to a spot on the ground that seemed to be displaced. Her suspicions were confirmed, as the spot in question began to rapidly move, and Jenny nodded.

 

3... 2... 1...

 

"NOW!" Jenny cried out, as the Gyarados quickly spiraled out of the way. The water snake winced as the Garchomp fueled Dragon Claw still connected, however, Gyaralite righted herself quickly, and rapidly moved toward Gnip, attempting to catch her before the Garchomp could regain balance from the attack.

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan sighed, as he waited on the bed while waiting for Chloe. He could hear her get excited every so often in the other room, but couldn't make out much of what they were saying. Feeling a little bored, he looked around at the room. Its contents surprised him a bit, but shortly after, he admitted to himself that he wasn't sure what he was expecting. Different pictures were taped to the top half of the surrounding wall, nearly obscuring the pink paint underneath. Some were very very rough drawings, but others were photos that Ryan had not seen in years. He noticed that the bottom half of the walls were green, and that there was a sort of screen that could be pulled down to cover the top half of the walls. The rest of the room didn't seem that exciting, but Ryan noted that it reminded him a lot of Chloe's room back when their home was still around. He heard the water running for a bit, but wasn't sure what was up.

 

Not long after, Chloe walked back into the room with a smile after ending the call with Taylor, having ended up washing and fixing up her face. She looked over in surprise as Ryan seemed curious about her room, and walked up uncertainly. "So... admiring my room?" The girl asked with a slightly awkward smile, as she wondered how much he had seen of her room.

 

Ryan simply nodded, and scratched his head with his free hand. "I like the walls; nice idea with the two-toned paint job. But... how long has it been like this? And... where did you get all those pictures from?" The latter question was what bothered him the most. A lot of the photographs that he actually recognized, seemed like they were from their old home, but he knew that the damage would have taken their toll on the majority. He seemed more confused, as Chloe scratched her head in response to the questions.

 

"Well..." The girl paused as soon as she started, and seemed uncertain how to explain. "I've had this painted this way for... about as long as I've been here. I think the pink was here from the last person who stayed in the room, but I kept it because, well..." She giggled awkwardly, and decided to just move on. "Anyway, I just painted the bottom part, and put up the curtain thingies to just keep things hidden if someone came over. Probably not the best idea, but... I'm kinda the queen of bad ideas sometimes, huh?" Chloe still seemed to be stalling in terms of giving her explanation, and it didn't go unnoticed.

 

"What about the pictures? I'm not sure why you're staying so quiet about that... Were they from the house?"

 

Chloe fidgeted for a moment, but she sighed. "No. I... Do you remember that old camera I used to have?"

 

"Isn't that the one you used to use to take pictures of everyone for fun? I remember telling you to turn it off more than a few times." Ryan chuckled at the memories, but wondered what it had to do with why she seemed so reluctant to share the story.

 

"Well..." Chloe shuffled slightly, a frown on her face. "It turns out... when I took a break from taking pictures, I left it in my backpack. So, of course, as my luck would have it, I managed to keep those memories safe, but not the PokeGear that would help everyone else out." The girl sighed, seeming rather disappointed about that fact. "I managed to get the photos printed out, and just started to line my walls with them. Some I roughly drew a replacement if there wasn't an equivalent on my camera." She glanced over to her desk, where the device in question sat. "I haven't touched it in years, though. I figured that there wasn't really much use for it. But I also didn't want to get rid of it. I don't know if it would even still work now, but I think my Pokegear probably could take pictures anyway."

 

Ryan nodded in understanding, but smiled. "I think it's nice that you managed to have something to remember us by..." He looked at one of the older pictures and seemed rather nostalgic about it. He saw their mother(Or Chloe's at least), and themselves. He marveled at the fact that his own hair was so short in the picture, and made a mental note to look into working on his hair sometime in the future. Chloe's, however, he noticed was longer than it was even now, and chuckled. "Mom really didn't care too much about your hair, did she? Was that because of Liberty?" He glanced over at his sister, who shook her head.

 

"No... that was a bad decision that I made myself when I was entering Liberty. I thought they would make me, and I didn't really want to take a chance when I was by myself. Turns out they didn't really care anyway..." Chloe sighed, but giggled at the memory of her messing up like that. "I kinda like how my hair looks now anyway... so maybe it worked out on its own?"

 

The two siblings laughed about things for a little bit, until Chloe suddenly froze. "... Wait..." Chloe slowly looked at her PokeGear, and scrolled through her messages, an awkward look on her face slowly growing more and more embarrassed. "Evan... kinda invited us to watch a battle that started like... five minutes ago." An exasperated sigh was all that really followed, as Chloe sent out Alvis quickly, and rapidly compared the co-ordinates and the accompanying image to try and teleport the two trainers to the island in question. As luck would have it, there was actually no mishaps, and they managed to appear not far from Xander and Sylph, as Jenny's Gyarados was in the middle of an attack on Gnip.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

A few hours, Colette woke up with a still-tired yawn. She groggily looked at the time, and frowned. Why do I still feel so tired...? Did that search drain me that much? With a puzzled look, the aura wielder shook her head, and pushed herself out of bed. She walked to the bathroom, and splashed her face with some water to try and wake up more. She sighed, as she felt a little more awake now, but still felt that tired feeling on the edge of her consciousness. She walked back into the hallway, but stopped with a confused look on her face as the door opened. She pressed herself against the wall of the stairway; she could hear Zoe's voice, but the one replying wasn't anyone in her family. In fact, it almost sounded like... She looked around the corner, and her eyes widened.

 

"... Ryan...?" Colette nearly fell the rest of the way down the stairs in her surprise, as she seemed confused. "What... are you doing here?" She didn't add that it felt like this was now the unofficial hotel for the group. Any further questioning, however, was cut off, as her mom showed up from the backyard.

 

"Oh! We have company tonight? Zoe, Colette, you should have told me! Luckily, we make enough food for the next day, so you are welcome to stay for dinner." The mother seemed, to Colette, to flit around as soon as she walked in the door. "Now, where are my manners? My name is Molly Llyan, what is yours?" The woman held out her hand to Ryan, and smiled.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Zoe

"I..." Ryan managed to give the stumbling Colette a sheepish half-grin before the girl's mother introduced herself. "Er, I'm Ryan Sanders," he said, shaking the woman's hand. "I'm, uh, sorry Zoe got back so late. You see, the two of us were playing, and we both just lost track of time..."

 

"Oh, can you please stay for dinner?" Zoe begged, grabbing the Liberty agent's arm in an attempt to drag him into the kitchen. "We could tell Mom and Collie all about the adventures of the Spectacular Aura-Girl!"

 

Ryan stammered as he stumbled after Zoe and gave a flustered look to the two older Llyan women. "W-well, I... I don't mean to intrude..." Even as he spoke, his stomach growled. The savory scent of spaghetti and freshly baked croissants made his mouth water. As awkward as he felt about barging in on their home, Ryan had to admit he was starving. After all, he hadn't eaten since breakfast.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette/Molly==-

 

Molly chuckled at Ryan's apologies. "Oh, why it's no worry, dear! She gets back late all the time." A sharp glance from Molly to the younger daughter accompanied that - it appeared the excursion around the Alamo to find her backpack had not been forgotten. "As long as she was alright, then it's all fine. And it sounds like Zoe had a good time! I'm sure we'll hear all about it soon enough."

 

Colette was positive that at that rate, neither Zoe nor her mother would accept no for an answer in regards to Ryan staying for dinner. She gave an apologetic look to Ryan, who seemed way out of his comfort zone at that particular moment, and mouthed an apology while the others were focused on Ryan. "I don't think we'd mind... Mom always has that extra table in case we have extended family over, or company..."

 

"Then it's settled!" Molly said with a clap of her hands. "Come, I'm certain dinner will be ready soon enough. Sit, sit, make yourself at home." The mother had appeared behind Ryan rather quickly, and was both encouraging him to take off his shoes, and to head over to the dining room to sit down. Colette, meanwhile, watched on with a subtle frown on her face. She couldn't understand why her mom was being so welcoming, but she shook her head. Perhaps she was just missing something...

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Zoe

Before Ryan knew what was happening his shoes had been kicked off and he was being ushered into the dining room. He barely had time to take in the room, complete with a baby grand piano sitting in the corner, before Zoe directed him into a seat next to hers. Mrs. Llyan appeared appeared happy for the company, but her tone of voice seemed to imply that Aura-Girl's adventures might not be the best topic for dinner conversation. He sat awkwardly as Mrs. Llyan flitted about setting the table. "Um... is there anything I should do to help out?" he asked in a hesitant voice.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra/Gnip

For just one second, time seemed to stay still for Gnip. Not due to shock or fear. Rather, it was more excitement that seemed to make time stop for the Garchomp. Excitement at the prospect of having a very good fight. No sooner had the Gyarados made contact with the Garchomp, that she realized she hadn't hit Gnip at all, just making contact with thin air. Looking around, the Atrocious Pokemon was caught off guard as the Garchomp rushed towards her from behind and attempted to slash at her with her right fin. That is until Evan called out to her. "All right, that's enough!" Evan exclaimed proudly. "You've had a taste of battle, now let the others have their fun! You'll have another turn at the end!"

Gnip growled a little as she returned to Evan's side, looking back at Gyaralite, and barking out as if to say "Thanks for the fight!". Evan smiled at Gnip's antics and sent out Monstro, the Swampert smashing his hands together as he eyed Gyaralite warily. "Start off with a Curse and then act accordingly!" Evan ordered, striking yet another pose. "Show Jenny what you are truly capable of!" A sinister aura surrounded Monstro as he crouched down and growled, his body becoming stronger and heavier as a result.....

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny frowned, but nodded. "Right then, give a quick leer, and then return as well!" The Gyarados roared out, as she gave the Swampert a startling look, and then slithered back to Jenny's side as well. The girl contemplated her choice, and then nodded, as she sent out her Chandelure.

 

"Lurelite, use Shadow Ball, then Ember. Keep up the pressure as long as you are able!" The Chandelure wasted no time with those orders. She flew up into the air, and launched off the shadowy sphere toward the opposing Swampert. Not giving it a chance to react, the ghost then began to pepper the ground leading up to it, and around, with bursts of Ember, trying to catch the Swampert off guard if he attacked. It only would take one carefully placed Ember to burn her opponent...

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette paused as Ryan asked his question. Her mother hadn't actually asked anyone to help out, but after Ryan's suggestion, she figured it might turn out to be a possibility. The aura wielder shook her head with an overly friendly smile.

 

"No, no, it's okay, I'll help..." Colette offered to help instead; she was trying to hide it, but she did not want her mother to volunteer a guest to help instead. She wasn't sure if that happened, but considering Ryan's offer, she wasn't about to take the chance. With a subtle frown, she began to flit around, helping move things into the correct spots for dinner...

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Zoe

Ryan returned Colette's smile with an awkward half-smile of his own. He watched the two women work to set the table, feeling bad that he wasn't at least doing something to help out. Well, outside of keeping Zoe entertained by listening to her repeat her adventures of the day, although he wasn't sure if that counted as helping.

 

Once the table had been set a tall, slim man walked in from the other room -- Colette and Zoe's father, no doubt. "Well, what do we have here?" the man said in surprise. "I didn't know we were having company."

 

"Zoe brought home a new friend," Mrs. Llyan said in a tone so cheerful Ryan was sure there was some hidden subtext he was missing.

 

"I'm Ryan Sanders," Ryan said, standing up to shake the man's hand. "Zoe and I were playing in the afternoon and we both kind of lost track of time." He chose to leave out the part where Zoe (with the help of her mother) had more or less pressured him into staying for dinner.

 

"Arthur Llyan," the man said, shaking Ryan's hand with a friendly smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And how are my girls doing?"

 

Zoe saw this as an opportunity to restart her story from the beginning. To Ryan's surprise, Mr. Llyan listened to his daughter with interest -- although it was impossible to tell if he was being genuine or simply pretending to enjoy it for Zoe's sake.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan

Monstro broke his stance as he saw the Shadow Ball and the myriad wisps of Ember flying towards him. The Mud Fish pokemon locked his jaw, trying to figure out how to deal with this problem, "Monstro, you look a little confused!" Evan shouted cheerily. "You know exactly what to do! You've done it in the past, and I know you'll do it in the future!" Monstro's eyes widened as he realized what his master, no, friend, was talking about. In his current sluggish state, the Swampert couldn't hope to move fast enough to avoid the onslaught that approached him. So what could he do?

He didn't need to move, period. Why waste energy moving, when he could do something that fit his style more?

With a fire in his eyes, Monstro roared loudly, summoning a massive array of what appeared to be rock slabs. The Shadow Ball passed through the array, hitting the Swampert dead-on. Monstro, while damaged by the attack, growled in satisfaction as the falling Ember strikes were blocked by his Wide Guard. "There you go, buddy!" Evan said, slashing his arm to his side. "Now, show that Chandelure what you can do! Blast at her with a Hydro Pump!"

Monstro nodded as he unleashed a deluge of high pressure water at Lurelite, making sure to give the attack his all. He wasn't gonna be taken down that easily. Not when his friend was cheering him on.

 

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

"Dodge it!" Jenny cried out, as the Chandelure attempted to spin out of the way in an attempt to avoid the deluge of water. Unfortunately for the fire/ghost type, however, she was still struck by a good portion of the attack. Most of the left side of her body was doused, the flames becoming mere embers, as the Chandelure seemed uneven in the air, clearly having taken a good chunk of damage from the attack. Jenny was worried for a moment, but then smiled as the Chandelure righted herself enough to stay hovering.

 

"Well, we can't just leave this as it is... Let that Swampert have some retribution of your own... Full power Heat Wave!" Jenny knew that Lurelite would not make it through this next round with all that damage, so she wanted to make sure that Monstro took as much damage as he could in the meantime. The Chandelure over-charged the remaining flames on her body, and then launched them toward the Swampert rapidly. As they traveled, they combined into one long wave of flames, which the Chandelure hoped could break through the opponent's wall. She never got to see the result, however, as she fainted from the effort, falling toward the ground as Jenny recalled the poor ghost type, waiting to see the result of the attack before choosing her next fighter.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette listened as well, as she worked to get the table set. She seemed curious about how things were being described, and glanced over at Ryan quizzically more than once. She wondered how this story had come about, as it sounded different than what had happened with Xander earlier, and somehow a bit different than what Zoe usually came up with. She also knew better than to ask her sister, however.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Xander watched, enraptured by the spectacle of two heroes fighting with everything they had. He gave a brief wave to Chloe, Ryan, and the Gallade, but a proper greeting would have to wait until the show was over.

 

Sylph, however, could multitask, and bowed to the trio. "Hello again. Chloe, Xander is too focused right now, but he wants to ask you to train with us later."

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Monstro took on the full brunt of the Heat Wave, his eyes aflame with ferocity as he crossed his forelimbs in front of his face. He knew eventually he was gonna fall down, but he wasn't about to insult his friend by falling to such a measly attack. After the flames vanished, Monstro lowered his arms, noting that they were indeed very badly burned. The Mud Fish maintained his inner fire, stifling the pain he was feeling. He would not go down without a fight.

"There you go, Monstro!" Evan exclaimed fiercely, as he pointed to Jenny. "You may be lazy and do stuff at your own pace, but you can do it if you try, my friend! Show me what you've got next for Monstro, Jen-Jen!"

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Zoe

Ryan caught Colette's quizzical glances and returned them with a sheepish, almost apologetic look. There was no doubt that Zoe was fascinated with her story. But now that Ryan stopped to think about it, a little girl-slash-Fennekin getting kidnapped by a terrorist scheming to blow up a city wasn't exactly the most family-friendly plotline. Sure, Ellen had actually lived through it, but that didn't mean that Zoe should experience that same trauma secondhand.

 

Mr. Llyan, on the other hand, smiled and congratulated Zoe on her story. "It sounds like you had a big day, pumpkin." He looked over at Ryan. "And I think we have you to thank for it."

 

Already feeling awkward about the violence in the story, Ryan felt the color rush to his face. "W-well, I..."

 

At that moment Mrs. Llyan shuffled into the room with a ladle and a large pot of spaghetti. "Dinner's ready!" she announced, scooping generous portions into the bowls that had been set at the table.

 

"It smells wonderful, honey," Mr. Llyan said, giving his wife a small kiss. He sat down at the head of the table and glanced over at Colette. "And what about you, flower? How was your day?"

Edited August 7, 2016 by Konuju

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe blinked, as she looked over with a slight smile. "Oh, um, okay then. I'm not really too sure what I could teach, but I might be able to help..." She giggled slightly, as she looked back to the fight, amazed at how the battle was going.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette scratched her head at the question, as she poked at her spaghetti for a moment. "Umm... Well, I had a pretty good day. I helped out with finding someone with my aura powers... It was very tiring, though, since it took a while, and yeah." She giggled a bit, uncertain how exactly her mom would react, and took a mouthful of her food to try and have an excuse to not answer for a little bit at least, as she felt watchful eyes staring at her, but no real question yet.

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny smiled, as she grabbed the next Pokeball, and tossed it forward. The flash of light as it opened signaled the appearance of Sandlite, and the girl smiled further. "Alright... Now then, take advantage of the weather! Sand Tomb first!" She called out, as the Krookodile grinned, and began to gather the sand in the air around her hand. She leaped around the broken ground, and attempted to gather as much as she could, before finally attempting to trap the Swampert in the sand as she heated it with ambient heat from her Fire Fangs...

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Monstro, despite his burned condition, and scowling expression, couldn't help but enjoy how things were playing out. Noting the hardening glass attempting to entrap the Swampert where he stood, Evan gave a very sly grin as he pointed skyward. "Monstro, Hydro Pump the ground, and take flight!" Evan exclaimed. "Then, as you plummet back down...........Hammer Arm." Evan then gave his friend a thumbs up, to show that he knew Monstro could do it.

Monstro nodded, and let loose a Hydro Pump at his feet, the high pressure blast of water sending him a decent height off the ground. The Mud fish then clasped his hands together into a two handed fist, and started to fall back down, fists glowing white with power. He wasn't sure if this was going to work, but he had to at least give it a shot!

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Zoe

Mrs. Llyan appeared impressed with her elder daughter. "Wow, it certainly sounds like you've taken on that role of Liberty Agent," she said.

 

Zoe perked up at her sister's accomplishments. "Yeah!" she said through a mouthful of spaghetti. "Collie's gonna go save the world!"

 

"Well that's certainly something," Mr. Llyan said with a laugh. "I bet the girl's parents were really glad you found her. Where was she, out of curiosity?"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie - Four Island

 

Jamie walked down a path through a forest on the island. She was flanked by Pelleas, who was enjoying the environment, and Lucan, who was trembling in fear of hidden enemies that didn't exist. She was quickly running out of ideas on who to fight. Jamie couldn't find half of the others. Ryan had just said no, she couldn't show her face to Xander or Jenny yet. Evan was fighting Jenny anyway. Jayron had been open to the idea but, she couldn't let herself fight him without Tristan.

 

Man, she missed him right now. He'd know what to say to snap her out of the funk she was in. Pelleas and Lucan did their best to help her out, but nothing seemed to be working. She needed to fight someone or something to snap out of the funk.

 

It was the one thing she knew, after all.

 

That funk wasn't helped by her location. She had been raised to expect to fight Team Liberty. The amount of times she actually fought any of their agents could be counted on one hand, but it had still been drilled into her head.

 

Eventually, she could no longer take it and shouted, "Come on, Team Liberty! I am a Team Rocket agent at your home base, somebody fight me!"

 

IC: Gero Ward/James Arthur - Ward's Office, Heaven's Cloud University

 

For a man of such hurried demeanor, it took a moment for President Ward to fully process what James had said. "President Pierce--Hoenn . . .!? Ah . . . what?" He scooped up James's phone, squinting at the picture of Pierce for some time before realizing that he needed his glasses. After fumbling with them, he managed to set them back on his nose. "Ah, Pierce . . . Pierce . . . Illegitimate? Insanity, just insanity . . ." He shook his head, a disbelieving expression fully occupying his face. He glanced at James. "Um . . . not in the sense that I don't believe you, just . . ." President Ward trailed off, peering at the still image of Pierce's face more closely.

 

"Ah . . . What?" he said again after a moment, setting the phone down again. "Er, which is to say--I of course recognize the man, and if you say--well, h-here's the thing, Mr. Arthur." President Ward tapped the screen--momentarily freezing as he realized he had turned off the phone--and whipped his glasses off again, leaning forward. "Er, the affairs of the other regions are only of concern to me insofar as what they mean for Unova as a whole, but, ah, the thing is that--I mean, the files you're requesting are, um, confidential, you see? Legally speaking, even the, uh, the federal government can't access them without a permit, so I'm not really at liberty to give them away just willy-nilly, so, uh . . . I can't do that . . ."

 

He frantically began slapping his desk with the palm of his hand, as if possessed by an important thought. "But! But! There, uh, there is something I may have--um, this man? Y-You're sure he's--his name is Pierce? So far as you can see, that's the name?"

 

The Executive honestly didn't expect any other reaction from Ward. His story was pretty wild, and he actually had no evidence to back up his claims. James's face stayed neutral as President Ward mentioned his inability to legally give him the files. He had to at least try to get them legally and hope that Unova wouldn't want to risk an international incident if he got them through other methods. That or hope that they merely disliked Pierce enough that they wouldn't mind that one school's files were stolen. It was to his great relief that Ward asked his question, an avenue of hope was still open perhaps.

 

"As far as I know, this man is named 'Pierce'," James replied, his face still neutral. "Though of course, it is my job to prove that it is not. Why? Have you met a man that looks like him but goes by another name? Perhaps a student?"

 

"Aha! So the cat--I mean, that is to say, you're a mind--anyway . . . uh . . ." Ward sucked on the end of his pen for a minute, thinking about how to broach the topic. "So, uh . . . Well . . . Suppose, Mr. Arthur, that I did believe you--that perhaps there was no reason not to believe you, y'know--ah, there may be such a . . . I cannot, of course, legally, say that there is in fact someone here that I can name, but, uh . . ."

 

President Ward reached for the handle of one of his desk drawers, hesitated, and then opened it, pulling out a pad of paper. He peered over his shoulder, then over James's head, as if searching for any hidden cameras or other parties that may have been eavesdropping. He began to absentmindedly scribble on it, before writing any sort of actual writing on it.

 

"You, uh, you didn't hear it from me," he continued, innocently drawing out the last syllable of his sentence. "But, ah . . . There is--that is, there may be someone at Heaven's Cloud University who, uh . . . See, we've a rather well-known, very educated Religion Department--Ethics and Religion, particularly, rolled together in some cases--and there's, ah, one particular professor--member of faculty, you see, someone with a very, uh . . . I believe you may get something from there, uh . . ." President Ward handed a slip of paper to James--again, hesitating precisely once before doing so. On it, he had scribbled the name 'Piers Ebner.' He leaned back in his seat, tapping his pen against the desk. "Uh . . . Yes, Professor Ebner, he, uh . . . Very intelligent man, very intelligent--might be able to have a good conversation with you about . . . I think he can, uh, help you, so to speak."

 

Religion and Ethics... Does God provide for me yet again? James thought as picked up the piece of paper.

 

"I think a good discussion on Religion would prove... enlightening," James said his neutral expression turning into a contented smile. "Thank you very much for your assistance, President Ward. That is all I needed to discuss. If you feel the same, I will get out of your hair. Good day."

 

President Ward shifted his gaze to the ceiling. "Mmm dunno what you're talking about," he said in half sing-song. "But, uh, yes, I believe that's all. So sorry I couldn't be of more assistance, but, you know . . ." He gestured to his computer. "Duty calls and all. Cheerio, then!"

 

 

IC: Miriam Shields/Bounty/Goldhawk/President James Pierce - Hoenn Conference Place, Ever Grande City

 

"Perfectly, Team Liberty Leader Goldhawk," Representative Miriam Shields said with sarcasm dry enough to suck the rain out of a typhoon. "Our prospects improve with your arrival."

 

Miriam would have lectured Goldhawk about his tardiness, but considering that he was the leader of an technically-enemy organization, and that taking time to further lecture Goldhawk would only further delay the start of the 'debate' thus risking cancellation even further, she decided against it. They had enough problems as it was.

 

The bureaucrat's investiagtion had been cut short by Pierce's influence. The main result being that she had compiled a record of all knowledge on Pierce that Team Rocket had collected for the 'court' that day.

 

"As you can see, President Pierce, we are all here now. We can start when you're ready," Miriam called out across the arena to their opponent.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

The Krookodile was certainly startled by the move being used in that way. She took a step back for a moment, uncertain how to combat this as the Swampert approached. "Don't mind what they're doing! Stand your ground, and strike back as Monstro's falling!" Sandlite snapped out of her shock at those words, and nodded with a confident smile. She clenched both her fists, and attempted to punch out with Foul Play in the moments before she was hit...

 

Sandlite flew back not long after, having been hit by the attack after all. She was knocked out fairly easily, but hoped that she had dealt even a little damage. Jenny nodded, and recalled the fainted Pokemon, but then sent out her Emboar to replace the Krookodile. She knew this was a risky move, but it was risky no matter who she sent in at this point. "Start with Smog! I trust in you, Boarlite!"

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette frowned slightly at the question, as she scratched her head. "Well... we technically haven't physically found her yet... we mostly just found where her aura is, and people are preparing to actually find her, probably as we speak." As she said that, however, she gave Ryan a funny look, since he had said he was going off to do that planning stuff before they left for dry clothes. "She's apparently on Two Island, though..." She trailed off slightly, her frown a little more obvious, as what Aria said about Ellen's aura rang in her ears again. She rubbed her arm absentmindedly, wondering whether everything was as clear cut as everyone believed, and what could have caused everything to happen.

 

-==NPC==-

 

As Jamie yelled out, the trees rustled. Although it might have put them on guard for a moment, moments later an older woman with a yellow ponytail appeared through the trees, a puzzled look on her face. "Umm... what's all the commotion about?" The woman asked Jamie, as she noted that she seemed... agitated. "I don't think it's really best to say things like that, I mean, isn't there a peacefire or something like that now?" She gave a small smile. "I mean, you don't really look like you're here to cause trouble..." As she spoke, a Pikachu appeared and poked her head around the legs of the woman, giving Jamie a curious look. As the Pikachu watched, she smiled, and went over to the Rocket agent, squeaking out a greeting to the trainer and her Pokemon.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Zoe

Colette's pointed look served to deliver a pang of guilt to Ryan's conscience. "Y-yeah... that's my fault, actually." He sheepishly raised a hand.

 

"Your fault she's on Two Island?" Mrs. Llyan asked.

 

Ryan reddened. "No. Well, kind of. Not rea- er, that... that wasn't what I meant. I meant it's my fault Colette got wrapped up in all this."

 

Mr. Llyan's eyes darted between the two young Liberty agents. "Now this sounds like an interesting story. Probably not as interesting as Zoe's, but... well, let's start at the beginning. You never explained how you two know each other."

 

"Ah. Yes, well... Goldhawk recommended Colette for a mission. Because of her aura tracking abilities. But something more important came up when that little girl went missing, so I figured Colette could help with that."

 

"You also danced with her," Zoe piped in as she slurped her noodles.

 

Mrs. Llyan raised an eyebrow. "Really? You don't look like those two who brought Colette and Zoe home from the Liberty Ball."

 

If Ryan could have sunk lower into his seat, he would have. "Well, she, uh, was probably dancing with other people," he said, desperately wishing everyone could just forget that dance and the argument that had broken out afterward.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette shrugged, as she gave Ryan a raised eyebrow. "Nah... Ryan just had other stuff to do, and someone else to talk to. So the other two offered to help us get home, since it was late and Zoe was like, half asleep." It wasn't a lie; she just wasn't up for explaining the rest, or why any of that had happened. "Ryan's probably just trying to not make it seem too embarrassing for leaving us to walk home ourselves." She wasn't entirely comfortable talking about that night either, but... she also figured that it was better to explain at least a little, to try and get the subject away from what happened after, for the benefit of both of them.

 

"Besides, it was probably for the best; I think Ryan said his other friend needed some help? And judging by the sleepless state he'd been in earlier that day, I don't think it was a horrible idea to prioritize him." Colette shrugged again, as she went back to her food.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

When the dust settled from Monstro's impact, one could definitely tell the Mud Fish Pokemon was very due for a knockout. The Swampert's breathing was labored and harsh, yet he still aimed to go on. He was having way too much fun to let it end now. He let the Smog attack from the newly sent out Emboar hit him, a defiant look on his face. He then felt his arms become coated in what appeared to be water. "Looks like Monstro's gotten very serious now!" Evan said, clearly amazed at Monstro's tenacity. "You may not have much left Monstro, but it's not the end just yet! Hydro Pump Boarlite!"

Monstro roared as he blasted off one last Hydro Pump, making sure to give it every thing he had left. The jet of water rocketed towards Boarlite, but before he could see if it hit, the Swampert collapsed, finally succumbing to his injuries....

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Zoe

"...Yes." Ryan took no argument with Colette's explanation and simply nodded as he took another bite of food to avoid being questioned further.

 

"So what is this mission you were talking about earlier?" Mr. Llyan asked curiously, not realizing he had asked his question precisely when Ryan had stuffed his face with food.

 

As Ryan struggled to chew his spaghetti quick enough to deliver an answer, Zoe came to his rescue. "They're gonna find the lost girl and save the world!" she declared. "And they're going to stop Ford once and for all!"

 

Mr. Llyan laughed at what he assumed to be another one of Zoe's exaggerations, and looked to Ryan and Colette curiously for a more proper answer.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette paused as Zoe answered, and pre-occupied herself with food for a moment. However, when it was obvious they were waiting on her, she swallowed, and tried to figure out how to answer. "Well... she was half right..." The aura wielder nervously chuckled, getting a feeling from her mother that she was not amused.

 

"Go on..." Molly said, a raised eyebrow at the answer. It was pretty clear that Colette would need to phrase her next reply very carefully.

 

"Well... um... we are going to find the missing girl... and, um... we are going to fight Ford. I think."

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

"Flame Charge away, quickly!" Jenny frowned slightly, as she hadn't quite expected Monstro to lead with a Torrent boosted Hydro Pump; but admitted that it made sense. "Put everything into dodging; fast!" The Emboar didn't waste any time in following those instructions. From the word go, she had already been acting to move; the addition of the command simply added an additional way to do so. Fueling her flames to power her own speed up, the Emboar leaped out of the way, feeling the high pressure water clip her shoulder, forcing her to stumble. It was lucky for her that her flames had displaced the water's pressure just enough to not badly damage Boarlite's shoulder, but she let out a sigh as the Pokemon fell in response. The Emboar, however, was a bit disappointed at not being able to do more.

 

Jenny let out a sigh of relief of her own, but smiled to Evan. "Alright, what do you have for us next?" She hid a worry about how this would go, with the disadvantage she now held; but continued to keep her faith. She still had Gyaralite in the game, and she trusted in Scizlite as well. She wasn't as certain as to how Eelite would do, but kept hope that the Eelektross could keep up even with a disadvantage of not being able to hit with her toughest attacks.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Sylph smiled softly at Chloe. "He's hoping to just compare notes and maybe trade some techniques." She turned back to the battle with a grin. Xander was still wrapped up in watching, though he had taken note of what was being said. Honestly, Sylph had handled that better than he probably would have.

 

IC: Jared Winter and Anubis

 

The two had their own cabin on this ship, separate from Lachina and Aolani. It was at once a relief and a burden. On the one hand, it meant Jared could avoid Lachina for just a bit longer. On the other, he never knew when he would have to face her and explain everything that had happened.

 

The disappointment and fear he'd seen when she looked at him had been obvious, and he wasn't sure he could bring himself to face her again. He had to eventually, though, and it was tearing him apart. Right now, he and Anubis were meditating, trying to bring their auras into sync. The day in Vermilion had felt like months, and the way things had progressed had left his aura almost as chaotic as Styx's. They were tempering it now.

 

On the upside (or as much of an upside as one could have after all that), Jared had relearned an aura technique. Unfortunately, he had just killed someone with it, and was therefore a bit hesitant to utilize it. Anubis, however, wasn't having any of his hesitation.

 

If you don't, you will find yourself limiting everything you do with your aura. You cannot do that, or you will weaken yourself. You need to be strong, especially with that menace loose in your mind again.

 

That was another thing they'd discussed. Anubis had helped him seal Mercury away, but it had been a weak seal and had taken from Jared's own energy to use. They couldn't attempt it again just yet; his escape had damaged parts of Jared that needed time to heal. Luckily, the voice was staying fairly quiet for now.

 

Their meditation was finally interrupted by a knock on the door. Dreading what was to come, the silver-haired trainer stood to answer.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Carbevoir

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan returned Monstro to his poke ball in a flash of light, beaming at both Jenny, and at his Swampert's wonderful show of battling. "Things look like they could get a little heated around here, Jenny...." Evan said as he unholstered another poke ball. "Let's try and chill out with Behemoth! It's your time to shine!" The ground shook, as a Mamoswine appeared from a flash of light, snorting ferociously as he glared at Boarlite. Evan pointed forward as he shouted a command with fire in his voice.

"Ice Shard to start things off, then Take Down!"

The Mamoswine focused as he chilled the air around him, creating many chunks of ice, which the massive pokemon launched with incredible force and speed. No sooner had they been fired off, that Behemoth had started to charge headlong into Boarlite's general direction. The gargantuan pokemon lowered his tusks, aimmong to make impact with them just slightly before his Ice Shards hit his opponent....

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Zoe

Ryan slowly nodded in confirmation. "The little girl... she was more or less kidnapped by Ford. So I've been assembling a team to rescue her."

 

There was a long pause, interrupted only by Zoe reaching for another croissant. Mr. Llyan appeared shocked by this news. Mrs. Llyan peered closely at Ryan with such intensity that Ryan had to wonder if she too had the ability to read auras. "Is this an officially Liberty sanctioned mission?" she asked in a quiet voice.

 

"W-well, I..." Ryan bit his tongue. While they did have Executive Aaron's approval, that did not mean the Liberty leaders had given their blessing. "...It is not," he admitted, suddenly feeling like he was going behind Goldhawk's back.

 

To Ryan's surprise, Mrs. Llyan did not accuse him of breaking protocol or insubordination. Instead, she turned to her daughter. "I don't know what you're thinking with all this 'we' business," she said calmly. "But you will not be going anywhere near Ford unless I have a written command from Goldhawk himself. You're a Liberty Agent, Colette, not some vigilante. You can't just go out on whatever missions you choose."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"Excuse me?" It didn't take aura powers for the others to realize that the temperature had just dropped to a chilling degree. Colette was currently looking straight at her mother, a very unamused look in her eyes. "So, you mean to tell me that I get given powers, and I'm then forced to just sit back and watch when I'm needed the most?" She was somehow managing to keep calm enough for that moment, however, it was obvious from the tone of her voice that that would not last too long.

 

"Or is it because I'm supposed to be a weapon; and no-one can have weapons that think for themselves?"

 

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

"Well... that might work." Chloe scratched her head, but nodded. "I can't really guarantee I'll be that good at doing that, but I think I might be able to help." She awkwardly giggled, but glanced over at the fight, surprised at a lot of the techniques used in the ways they were. They're really going all out, aren't they...? They're using those techniques in a lot of ways I would never consider...

 

OOC: Jenny IC next post.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Destined Blade

[Parugi]

IC - Goldhawk/Bounty/Miriam Shields/President James Pierce - Hoenn Conference Place, Ever Grande City:

 

Pierce offered a charming smile at Miriam. He turned to his associates, quietly conferring with them. Every so often, he would cast a look at the opposing group, a hint of a smirk present in his expression. Whatever it was that pleased him, Goldhawk figured they would find out soon enough--although no doubt it had something to do with his and the others' convenient lack of notice regarding the adjusted date for this meeting.

 

"Don't forget who our enemy is, here," Bounty murmured to Miriam, placing a hand over the microphone in front of him so that his words wouldn't be broadcast to the world at large. "Let's try to get along at least until we're done with him, shall we?"

 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Coleman," Pierce said. "But do you have something to share with the rest of us?"

 

"In due time, President Pierce," Bounty replied.

 

He met the Hojohsin President--no, the Ford Agent's eye from across the arena, holding his ground. After a moment, Pierce smiled, breaking eye contact with the older man as he stood up. He slowly descended the steps to the field, adjusting the headset on his ear as he moved. At last, he came to a stop between the four sets of figures, addressing the presiding judges.

 

"Honorable Representatives of Hoenn," Pierce began. He cast a look to the nearest camera. "Loyal patriots of our beautiful region. Today, at the request of Team Liberty, Team Rocket, and those Separatists previously associated with the latter, we gather to discuss a new, and potentially terrifying prospect regarding the future of our region's safety."

 

He gestured toward Bounty, Goldhawk, and Miriam. "In the wake of Team Liberty and Team Rocket's ceasefire, these fine representatives have arranged this meeting to request--in my understanding--safe passage for members of both organizations within the region of Hoenn." He frowned. "Now, obviously, to allow such a thing carries heavy risks, the most pertinent being the distinct threat posed by the tenuous nature of their ceasefire. Nevertheless, I and my cabinet are nothing if not reasonable, and so . . ." Pierce moved back to the steps leading to his seat, turning back only to address Miriam, Bounty, and Goldhawk. "Please--explain why such a privilege should be granted to you and your fellows."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie - Four Island

 

Lucan made an 'eep' upon seeing the Pikachu pop out and hid behind Jamie. In contrast, Pelleas moved to gently pet the fur of the electric mouse. Jamie smiled slightly at the cute sight, before taking a deep breath to try and clear her head.

 

"Yeah, I know." The lady was right, she wasn't here to actually pick a fight with Team Liberty. And her better judgement knew that. "It's just... Some things just do not make sense right now. I need a battle with someone, anyone really, to make sense of things."

 

 

IC: James Arthur/Richard Apollo - Heaven's Cloud University - Bishop Hall

Richard followed James once again through the University, going the bard knew not where. The latter had found the former practicing quietly with his instrument while his Sableye held the violin case. They were simple exercises, yet James supposed there was a certain grace about the bard. Supposed, Guinevere was more the one with an ear for music. He never had the time to simply appreciate music. Including then, so James had told the bard to wrap it up unless he could do it while moving. So Richard went back to following James through the University, going the bard knew not where, while practicing the violin.

They ended up in an old-looking building that James guessed had been built around whenever the school first opened. Richard continued to play the violin inside the building, to the distraction of anyone was trying to actually get work done. James was too busy wondering what they would learn from Piers Ebner to be tell Richard to stop annoying the other occupants of the building. Ward's reaction prompted a vague guess, but he'd have to meet with Professor Ebner to be sure.

"We have arrived," James said as stopped outside a room that was labeled "Piers Ebner".

"Wait outside again?" Richard asked as he leaned against a wall and slowly sat down, the violin's pitch slowly sinking with him.

"No, you can come with me this time," James said and Richard stood back up and the violin's pitch shot back up with him. "Just let me do the talking. And please, refrain from playing the violin while we are in there."

Richard whined slightly as he grabbed the violin case from Hades. As James made sure the bard put his tool away, he knocked on the door.

 

Several moments passed before James got a response, in the form of the door slowly swinging open. When he did, it took a moment for the sight before him to fully settle in.

 

The man standing in front of them was the splitting image of James Pierce. Intensely-red eyes stared out from beneath his neatly-groomed head of dark brown hair. He wore a maroon tie underneath a brown coat--an expensive one, at that--and khaki pants with black dress shoes. A black cane topped with a red handle rested in his left hand, the head of which he tapped in a four-beat rhythm with his pointer finger. He took a moment to size up the pair of Liberty Agents in front of him, clearly surprised--and perhaps a bit agitated--by their unexpected visit.

 

"Hello," Professor Ebner said. "Can I help you?"

 

It might as well have been Pierce himself talking.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Valorous Angel Minun4

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Llyans

The room grew deadly quiet. For the first time Ryan wished he was invisible not out of embarrassment for himself, but out of embarrassment for the family feud he was playing witness to. Not that anyone was paying any attention to him at the moment. All eyes were on Colette and her mother. Mr. Llyan was silently pleading with the two to remain calm, casting worried glances at wide-eyed Zoe.

 

Mrs. Llyan appeared to struggle with forming her next words. Like her daughter, she seemed to be just on the verge of flying into a rage yet somehow managed to keep her emotions as contained as she could. "Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young lady." Suddenly Ryan knew where Colette had inherited her death glare from, for the look in Mrs. Llyan's eyes was as powerful as any aura sphere Colette could have conjured. "You're a Liberty agent now; you know full well the sacrifices you were making -- that we all were making -- when you chose to undergo training. I will not have you throw all that away because some kid asked you to find a lost girl!"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette's jaw seemed to tighten, as the temperature seemed to drop even further. "... That I chose?" The aura wielder stood up, still staring coolly at her mother. "I'm sorry. I don't recall ever having any say in the matter. I seem to remember you were the one who chose everything for me." Colette appeared to have more things to say, but simply shook her head, and turned around, as she walked to the door and grabbed her jacket. "I'm sorry. I can't pick and choose who I go to save and who I don't. Isn't that exactly what started this in the first place?" She gave one last glare to her mom, and then opened the front door, and went outside, the door slamming behind her on her way.

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

"That seems like a challenge, doesn't it, Boarlite?" Jenny grinned at the sight of the attacks, a plan in mind already as the Ice Shards flew Boarlite's way with a charging Mamoswine not far behind. "Now, why don't we show him the results of our training?" The Emboar nodded, as she engulfed herself in flames once again. "Now!" As the Mamoswine and the pet icicles got into the correct range, Boarlite charged forward, heedless of the attacks headed her way.

She hoped that Evan would not have seen through this already, as this was admittedly a bit of a gamble to get working. The Emboar gathered energy in her right fist as she charged through the icicles. Bits hit as they melted through the flames, but Boarlite paid no attention as she unleashed the full power of a Super Power on the Mamoswine, in the form of a very mean right forward straight punch.

 

-==NPC==-

 

"Hmm..." The woman seemed to be thoughtful to Jamie's vague explanation, but she nodded. "I could see that. Do you do that often, then?" She seemed almost curious about it, but looked down, as her Pikachu squealed with a smile. "Chuchu seems to have met some new friends! I'm glad about that..."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Llyans

Mrs. Llyan jumped to her feet, her face contorted in an expression that reminded Ryan of an angry Tauros. "Colette Natalie Llyan, you get back here this instant!" she yelled through the closed door. She looked about to charge after Colette but her husband held up a hand.

 

"Honey, please," he said calmly. "Just... let her have a moment." He subtly nodded toward Zoe, who was staring at the door in disbelief, tears starting to well up in her eyes. Mr. Llyan looked back to his wife. "We can discuss things later."

 

Ryan, meanwhile, desperately wished he was anywhere else. He stared at his half-eaten bowl of spaghetti; suddenly he wasn't very hungry anymore. Zoe's soft sniffles were like a punch to his gut. In a roundabout way, this was all his fault; after all, he had been the one to ask Colette for help, and he had been the one to devise this entire mission without permission from Goldhawk. It was reckless, dangerous, and probably a little selfish. No wonder Mrs. Llyan was so adamantly against it.

 

Slowly, Ryan got to his feet. He felt all eyes in the room on him, likely silently accusing him as much as he was accusing himself. The Liberty agent took a deep breath. "I... Let me talk to her." Hesitantly, awkwardly, he made his way around the table, almost tripping over the piano bench. Nobody said a word; the only acknowledgment was a small nod from Mr. Llyan.

 

Ryan gently opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. It was a warm night, and the breeze felt nice after the heated emotions in the dining room. Colette was sitting on the steps of the porch, her face buried in her elbow. Her shoulders were subtly shaking. For a moment, Ryan did nothing but stand there, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment.

 

 

Then he sat down on the steps next to her, wrapping his arms around his knees. He sat in silence; although he had said he would talk to her, he found that he really didn't know what to say. After a long moment, he finally spoke in a soft voice. "I'm... sorry about what happened in there."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette said nothing for a while, at first seeming as if she had not heard the other Liberty agent. "Not your fault..." She finally mumbled out, the words muffled by her elbow. She didn't look up, but appeared to be trying to get a little more composed. She didn't say anything else, but inwardly kept going over the fight, wondering how the older woman could act like that. She knew that she had said a bit too much; but also knew that it didn't matter, because she felt it needed to be said. At the same time, however, she didn't even know how much she believed that, at that moment.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

"...I know." Ryan sighed. "I'm just... sorry that had to happen to you." He stared down at his knees, falling back into silence. When he spoke again, it was in an even quieter voice. "You know, this was the first family dinner I've had since I spent Christmas Eve with Ellen's family. It was... nice." His eyes gained a melancholy look as he, too, reflected over the dinner. "Although I suppose after breakfast I should be used to fights breaking out over meals."