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Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets


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IC: Dahlia Seaton/Zoe Llyan/Alex Lockwood - Shabboneau Castle, Camphrier Town

The argument caught Zoe's attention, as did Jamie's mention that she was a member of Team Rocket. Slamming both hands on the table, Zoe stood up to contribute to the argument. "As a Team Rocket agent listening in on the top secret meetings of a Team Liberty mission, it is imperative that we add a record of your presence should you do anything with that knowledge to turn the tide of the war in Team Rocket's favor! You claim to be on vacation, but we all know that deep down all you Rocket grunts are a bunch of rotten, stinky-- ow!"

 

As Zoe reached down to tend to her throbbing ankle, Dahlia turned to her fellow Hero and spoke in a calm yet serious voice. "Jamie, listen. Don't you think you're overreacting a bit? They just want a record of your involvement. No one forced you on this mission against your will, but it is a Liberty-sanctioned mission, so we have to play by their rules. And on top of all that . . ." She leaned closer, looking straight into Jamie's eyes. "Shouldn't a Hero want others to know of her involvement in saving the world? You can't be a Hero while hiding in the shadows."

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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IC: Jamie Arthur - Shabboneau Castle

 

Dahlia may have been standing right in front of Jamie, but she was not where Jamie was looking. Jamie had been flabbergasted, stunned even, for a moment. If her emotions not been raised by the conversation, she might’ve ignored what Zoe had started to say. But her emotions had been raised in just such a way that it took all her willpower to not deck the small human, let alone ignore her comments. As such, Dahlia's words fell on deaf ears. When Jamie regained control of herself, she dodged around Dahlia, so she could get a clear view of Zoe.

 

“You got something to say about Rocket agents, shorty?!” she yelled, glaring at Zoe, 

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IC: Jared Winters/Isabella Fontaine/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood

 

A hand slapped onto the table hard enough to rattle dishes and draw attention. Jared was glaring at the arguers, his eyes as cold as ice. Though most couldn't see it, a red tinge had formed under the silver of his aura.

 

"Enough. This squabbling is pointless.""

 

"Excuse me," Isabella butted in. "I'll just go ahead and list 'Team Rocket Agents' as part of the mission group, and call it good, alright? No names, but a record showing that Team Rocket had more than one person traveling with the team in the event that something happens. That way, your superiors won't find themselves suddenly missing two agents and not knowing what happened to them."

 

Lachina was scowling softly as she silently agreed with Jared. From what she understood, Jamie and Lucia had been invited along to help, but Jamie seemed to be arguing just for the sake of arguing. What did it matter if her name was on the record or not? Still, Lachina was relieved when Isabella offered her compromise.

 

"Yes, let's everybody calm down," Emily said. "There's no need to get so bent out of shape over something like this when we're all working towards the common goal." She cast a sidelong look at Lucia, subtly motioning for the woman to rein in her friend.

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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IC: Ryan Sanders - Ford's Room, Vertrag

Ryan looked from the portrait to Sonja's drawings and back again. Someone was clearly sending her these images; his first suspicion was her psychic sister, but he wasn't sure if Hayes even knew about the Signs. Could it have been Ford planting the images in Sonja's mind? Or one of the remaining Signs? With a troubled frown Ryan stepped forward to get a closer look at the portrait. "Puzzle, Shift, Riddle, Clue," he muttered, absentmindedly tracing the letters engraved on the plaque with his finger. "Roots. Do you think it holds a second meaning? He could have just as easily said 'Origins.' What's the connection . . . ?"

 

As he wondered aloud, Ryan saw that the plaque had started to loosen. The Liberty Agent quickly took a step back, not wanting to damage what was surely one of Ford's cherished possessions. The plaque hung slightly askew, as if it was simply toying with the idea of falling off entirely. Ryan tilted his head at the same angle, the gears turning within his mind. When he stepped forward again, he gave the plaque a gentle pull. The metal piece popped right off, revealing what looked like a circular key hole.

 

Ryan's breath caught in his throat as he ran a finger over the hole to make sure he wasn't imagining it. "Guys!" he called out. "I think I found something!"

 

IC: Shannon Willows/Dack Majors/Madison Morrow/Luke - Hotel, Vermilion City

Shannon and Aori had loaded up a number of plates with enough food for themselves and Ryan. They were in the process of carrying it all back to their room when they caught sight of the Snowpoint trainers they had met at the Rocket outpost. With her hands full, Shannon waved her entire arm to get their attention. The moment Dack saw them he walked up to them, a suspicious look on his face. "Recall your Pokémon," he said with an urgency that worried Shannon. "Then send them back out."

 

"Dack, please." Madison came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. "They're our friends. You don't have to--"

 

"That's exactly why I have to," Dack snapped. "We can't be too careful."

 

Throughout this exchange Shannon just stood in confusion. Selena, who had been curled around her neck, began to squeak angrily at Dack, while Salix just watched from his perch on top of Shannon's head. "I'm sorry, you want us to do what?"

 

"Put your Pokémon back in their Pokéballs," Dack repeated, ignoring Madison's protests. "You can send them back out after that. Hurry up."

 

"Hey, they did the same thing to me," Luke said. "It's nothing personal, just a little precaution."

 

With an exasperated sigh Madison walked up to help take some of the plates so Shannon and Aori could recall their Pokémon. Once they sent them back out, Dack nodded approvingly. "Alright, we can trust you."

 

"Could you not trust us before?" Shannon asked as Salix crawled back onto her head.

 

"Not after what happened yesterday." Dack glanced around. "Where's Hikari?"

 

"He's still sleeping," Shannon said. "We were bringing him some food."

 

"You shouldn't have left him alone," Dack said. "From now on you can't let anyone out of your sight. After yesterday, there's no telling who could be an Instance in disguise. They can't mimic the act of sending out a Pokémon, so that's how we know who to trust. You should be careful when you go back into your room. The first thing you should do is ask Hikari to--"

 

Shannon had been in the process of taking back her plates from Madison. At Dack's words she left the food in Madison's arms and stalked up to the Rocket agent. "Excuse me?!" she asked in a shrill voice. "Are you seriously telling me Ryan could be one of those things?" Without warning she slapped a hand across his face. "I think I'd know if Ryan was suddenly a mindless drone! Don't you dare try and tell us who we can and can't trust!"

 

Blinking back her tears, Shannon furiously snatched the plates out of Madison's arms. "I-I know it's a little extreme," the skier said. "But it wouldn't hurt to at least double check. It's for your own safety."

 

Shannon brought her face close to Madison's her voice dripping in fury. "It wouldn't hurt to consider Aori's feelings, either," she seethed. "Ryan is her hero and all you're going to do is make her paranoid." Without waiting for a response, Shannon stormed off, a jerk of her head beckoning Aori to follow.

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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-==IC: Lucia -- Shabboneau Castle==-

"Jamie..." Lucia placed her hand on the other Rocket Agent's shoulder gently, then shook her head. "Even if Zoe's acting like this, that doesn't mean that you should do this. It's one thing for her to be like this, but retaliating the same way is just going to be seen as picking on her - and she's younger than you." The look in Lucia's eyes indicated a slightly different meaning to her last words than what she had actually said. "Picking on someone younger than you doesn't feel that heroic to me. So... please, don't go down that road, alright?"

-==IC: Chloe -- Vertrag==-

Chloe glanced around at all of the monitors that littered the center. "Tough to say; better question is if they even had the time to search all of them."

-==IC: Ray -- Vertrag==-

"Huh? Oh wow, neat!" Ray let out a quiet whistle as he saw the keyhole Ryan found. "Do we have a key, though? I don't recall seeing anything like that around, but if this is where that book is..."
 

-==IC: Jenny Hakuda/Kris/Evan Tierra - Ula'ula Beach - [7]==-


As the tires were being tied to the poles, Jenny had asked for one of them to be held off on for a moment until she got to see how the training with the tire worked. After she saw Evan work on catching the tire, Jenny thought over the situation.


"Do you mind if I just like… haul this around instead? I don't think that I can actually like… catch it right now." The redhead chewed on her lip a bit, but tested pulling the tire around a bit.


"That sounds good." Kris nodded as she glanced back at Evan to see how he was handling the tire catching training.


From how Evan was doing, one would have thought he was a natural, based on his first catch. “I can say this is definitely new to me, but…” The man laughed as he threw the tire away.

"You should focus more, Tierra. Heroes shouldn't lose their focus, or they might pay for it." Kris said with a frown, as she eyed the tire having the force of gravity slowly affect it.


“What do you mean ‘focus’ I’m doing jus-OOF!” Evan gasped out as the tire made impact on his chest, knocking the air out of him, and knocking him onto onto the sand. “C-correction, I -w-was- doing just fine.”

Jenny snickered as she slowly pulled the tire along the beach, slightly surprised by how much the weight of the tire affected her movement. Still… "Hopefully your focus returns. Because right now I think it went focus pocus."

”You’re telling me, girl.” Feral said, howling with laughter at Evan’s failure.
 

Evan leapt to his feet, panting and grinning as he threw the tire back, and waited for gravity to do it’s magic. When it began to come down, the Hero steeled his stance and breath, and waited for the perfect moment. 3. 2. 1. Let’s go! The man caught the tire with minimal effort and threw it back again, smiling as he did so. When it came down, he caught it again just as deftly.

"Nice!" Jenny said with a thumbs up as Evan caught the tire twice in a row. She put one foot in front of the other as she continued to move circles around the training area. She noticed Kris watching them intently with a proud smile.


"So far so good. How are you two feeling so far?" The blue-haired woman asked as she crossed her arms, her hair blowing in the ocean breeze.


Evan was knocked back by the tire yet again, but he got up again, chuckling as he did so. “I feel great! This is definitely helping my right arm quite a lot, Kris!” The man said as he tossed the tire back again and caught it.

"Err, your what now?" Kris paused, her stance loosening slightly as she confusedly raised an eyebrow at Evan. "What about your right arm?"


“I broke it when the boat I was riding on got attacked by Water-Type Pokémon!” The man said cheerfully. “One of them slammed into it real hard. Couldn’t use it for a good long while after that.”
 

"... What?"

"Yeah, and I can't catch tires because I have anemia!" Jenny said just as cheerfully as she continued to haul the tire around, before falling flat on her face not a moment later.


Kris stood in silence as she just watched the two of them. There were no words for her to describe what she had just heard. Slowly, she just brought her hands up to her face with an audible groan. "Alright. Let's… let's take a small break." She said, as she more nervously eyed the two heroes. "I… would rather you two not die on me, or get hurt, or anything like that!"


Evan caught the tire one last time happily, before tiredly walking over to where Jenny was, and plopped down into the sand hard. “A break sounds lovely.” The brown-haired man muffled in the sand.

"We definitely have to work on that stamina." Kris mumbled, as she walked over and dragged the couple to a spot on the beach with shade. The three of them sat in the shade and observed the ocean for a moment, before Kris got up to get the three of them something to drink.


"Kris is an amazing teacher! I can't wait to see what else she has in mind." Jenny said with a wide smile as she hummed happily. "How are you liking this so far, Evan?" The woman turned her head quizzically, as he did seem to have been exhausted by the tire-ing training.


Evan turned to Jenny, breathing quite heavily and smiled. “My arms are aching, my lungs feel like they are on fire, and there’s sand in my shoes. I love it!” The man said. “Kris is so awesome at this! Whatever she has planned next is gonna be good, I can feel it in my achy bones.”

Jenny nodded as she glanced up to the top of the nearby Berry tree. "This feels familiar almost. Not like this, but like… I don't know. It's a good familiar, though." She glanced over as Kris as she returned with the ice cold drinks.


Evan saw Kris come back and waved to her, eyeing the drinks she brought back with her. Gratefully the man accepted the hard-shelled container and peered at the light-green liquid inside, and took a sip with the straw. Almost instantly, the Hero was amazed at both the taste of the liquid, and at how he felt more…...energized and raring to go again. “Kris…...what is this? It’s amazing…”

"It's a regional specialty." Kris replied as she took a seat nearby. "A man from one of the nearby islands thought it up. It's become a hit on the beach especially, though he refuses to actually give out the ingredients. He pops by every week or so to restock - more times in the summer as it's more popular then."


Evan thought about what Kris had said and looked back to the ocean. “Alola is certainly something else. Not even Sinnoh’s Battle Zone has something like this.” Evan said, and then shook his head and had some more of the beverage. “What do you think of Alola so far, Jenny?”

"Hm…" Jenny thought for a moment as she sipped on her drink. "It's pretty nice. It has a different feel than other places, yet somehow I almost feel a sort of… energy around the place. It's hard to explain exactly what I mean right now."


Evan mulled over his girlfriend’s words, and couldn’t help but feel she was right. “Energy, huh? You’ve got a point there. I haven’t really felt anything like this anywhere else I’ve been, even Mt. Coronet.” The man took another swig, and faced Kris. “What about you? Why do you think your home just feels like this to us, Kris?”

"I can't really say, honestly. It is an odd sensation, admittedly." Kris said as she looked to the sky almost longingly. "I've felt this kind of sensation as well, and from what I can vaguely remember of my time in Johto, it didn't feel like this. I have a feeling it could be the… atmosphere of this place. Like, how everyone's hopes and dreams seem to almost meld together as people head out on their personal island challenge."


Jenny nodded intensely as she paid attention. She gave off the impression that if she had a notepad and pencil in hand, she would be furiously writing things down. "I definitely get that."


Kris stared at the sky for a little longer. "Why do you two want to get this strength? I know you answered about being a hero, but… what then?" She looked down to focus her gaze on Evan and Jenny. "Saving the world is an admirable goal. But what then? What drives you? What pushes you on and on, even past that? What will you do if there's nothing else that needs to be saved?"


Evan thought long and hard about Kris’s question. For once, he didn’t have an answer he liked. “What if the world has no need for me anymore? What then?” Evan asked the blue-haired woman, a note of uncertainty in his voice. “I’ve…….never really given ‘after’ much thought. I could move on from it, but the truth is, beyond my personal goals after this is over, I don’t know….”

Evan’s face then grew determined. “As for what drives me…..this may sound boring but, it’s the love I have for my friends and this world. There are so many people who have shown me kindness and love, and I want to protect that and the bright future I hope is awaiting us….”


"That's an admirable drive." Kris looked down, as she saw Jenny was still deep in thought about it. "How would you put that drive into other things? You don't need to have an answer right now," She hastily added, but bit her lip. "But it could be that finding that out is your own personal island challenge. What will make you tick, if things become that peaceful." The woman shifted her position to look at Evan more.


"I don't have much actual experience with this hero stuff, I'm not going to lie. But I know the idea of losing your purpose. I know how that feels, and how… empty things feel when that happens. In my opinion, a true hero is more than just that. A true hero has something other than just what's in the moment. It may take time to figure out - but that's okay. I'll help as best as I can." Kris said as she gave a kind smile.


Evan was floored. The entire time he’d been a Hero, he’d never had someone, aside from his family and Jenny, consider stuff even close to what Kris was saying. “A true Hero….” The man put his drink down and smiled at Kris, a tear falling from his left eye. “I’d appreciate what help you can give us, Kris. I…..want more than just to be a Hero, but a true Hero. I don’t think I could handle losing my purpose, so….I welcome the chance to find more than just that.”

Jenny nodded. "I'm not really that sure what my purpose would be either, but I want to find out. I might have a job now, but I want to know what I want to do even past that. I want to know who I can be, without just leaning on one thing." The redhead grinned. "I know we can do this! So let's give it our all, and maybe we'll get inspired somehow."


Kris seemed pleased to hear both responses. "Good. We'll definitely work on that as well as the rest of the training." After she finished speaking, she paused for a moment, before she grabbed her head. "Urgh… little too much sun today. I'll stay here while you two get back to your training, alright?"


With that statement, the couple nodded, and went back to their stamina training, a new desire burning within them, to find something beyond being Heroes...

 

-==???: ??? -- ???==- (??? years ago)

 

"How could this have happened..." I wiped my eyes as I briefly stopped running. I panted as I felt my heart racing. So much had happened in the past couple weeks, but why? One of the people dropped the name of who was responsible. I didn't believe it at first, but now... I clenched my fists, an uncharacteristic anger burning in my chest. I shook my head for a moment, then took a shaky but deep breath.

 

I can't, not now. I need to keep focused. I need to find her, then we can fix what happened... I steadied myself, as I bent down to pick up a feather amid the rubble. "This was recent..." I reached down to my belt and sent out my Pidgeot, trying my best to keep my worry off my face. "Pidgeot, can you track this, one way or another?" A caw answered my request, as the bird spread her wings triumphantly. I let my Pidgeot study the feather for a moment, then once she had enough of an idea of what trail to follow, I hopped on her back.

 

"Let's go. We might be able to catch up to her this way!"

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OOC: So, disclaimer, this post has been written up and queued for months; you'll know why I'm clarifying that when you see it. xD

 

IC: Amelia Zann/Belle LaDonna (Reflection Cave, Kalos)

 

Belle sighed, slowly standing. “We should go check--” She cut herself off as footsteps echoed into the cavern from one of the corridors. The purple-haired woman moved to crouch again, frowning as four people walked into the room.

 

In the lead was a white-haired girl wearing a flowing pink dress. Close behind her was an androgynous person draped in green sitting side-saddle on a floating broomstick. Two women brought up the rear, their hands intertwined. The girl hummed. “Over there.”

 

The body still lay near the wall, draped in Belle’s tattered cape. The group that had just entered didn’t have trouble spotting it. As the purple-haired woman released her partner’s hand and started towards it, Belle rose from where she’d been crouched and said, “Don’t.”

 

The doubles all looked at her, and she glanced back at Amelia for help.

 

Amelia stared back at Belle uncomprehendingly through eyes shot tear-stain red, before belatedly coming back to reality. “Wait, yer askin’ me what t’do?”

 

“Yeah, I’m askin’ you what to do! Yer the problem solver here--” Belle was interrupted as her double snorted. She turned, blinking at her double. “What’s funny?”

 

“No offense to anyone in the room, but if Amy’s yer problem solver, then y’all screwed up somewhere.” The other Belle turned and placed a quick kiss on her friend’s cheek. “Love ya, hon.”

 

Amelia reflexively flinched at the diminutive form of her name.

 

Other-Belle turned back to . . . Belle and raised an eyebrow. “So, what brings y’all here? And who’s under the tarp?”

 

“We’re, uh . . . lost.” Belle shrugged. “Best way to explain it, I guess. And the person under the cape . . .”

 

“It’s you,” the pink-dressed Alma said. She gently lowered the cape again, frowning. “Belle, I’m sorry, I can’t imagine what that must be like, watching oneself die.”

 

Belle nodded slowly, eyeing the girl warily. It was definitely some variation of Alma, but there was an oddly peaceful air about her. “It was . . . definitely somethin’. Alex and Alma -- ours, I mean -- had to go get some air.”

 

“I can’t help but notice the lack of attempted medical care or healing,” the girl stated. “May I ask why?”

 

“The woman was ****ing shot!” Amelia glared at the alternate Alma with fiery fury.

 

“Yes, and a stomach shot like that would have taken quite some effort, but a skilled healer--”

 

“I’m an assassin, not a doctor, Jim. It’s not like I coulda healed her with ****ing magic or some **** like that.”

 

The other Amy raised her hand for a moment, but hurriedly dropped it when Belle’s double cleared her throat. “Hey, d’ya mind watchin’ the language? Alma’s eleven, and Alex is Alex.”

 

Alma waved a hand dismissively. “I thought you said there was another version of me with you? Why didn’t she do anything?”

 

“Her interaction with life is more about takin’ than savin’,” real-Belle said. “Yer a doctor, then? We got a bit scraped up comin’ through the mirrors. Again.”

 

“Oh, yes, I can look you both over, if you wish.” Alma stepped forward, smiling serenely.

 

Amelia gave the girl a nonplussed look. “Yer eleven.”

 

“So’s ours,” Belle interjected.

 

“Killin’ people’s easy. An’ I mean, c’mon. Assassin. What, does this one use malpractice instead’a freaky ghost stuff?”

 

The girl huffed. “I would never abuse my authority as a medical professional to-- no, just . . . no.” She glared a bit, but still walked over to them. “Which of you should I tend to first?”

 

Belle nudged Amelia, who was staring at alt-Alma in disbelief. “This one. She got taken by some nasty folk, and who knows what all they did to her?”

 

The healer stepped around Amelia, who could be heard to mutter the words “oh sweet Rayquaza she actually has a medical license???” as she was suddenly bathed in white light. Alma hummed and closed her eyes, her hands hovering over Amelia as she focused.

 

“There appears to be no life-threatening injury,” she said finally as the white glow faded. “I can probably patch up your smaller abrasions and bruising with a simple spell, but--”

 

“Wait, spell?” Belle piped up. “You mean, y’all actually have healing magic here?”

 

“Nope,” Amelia proclaimed. “This is it. Ah’ve finally lost my marbles. This is what being insane feels like, good to know.”

 

Alma tilted her head. “I couldn’t tell you, honestly, mental disorders are outside of my field of study. But to answer your question, Mrs. Parfum, yes, we do.”

 

Belle opened her mouth to object, but Alma kept talking. “As I was saying, though, the smaller wounds will be easy to attend. However, I would like to take a closer examination of the wound on your back.”

 

“Yer back?” Worry laced Belle’s words. “What happened to yer back?”

 

Amelia paled. “No,” she said in an uncharacteristically small voice. She cleared her throat several times before she managed to speak again. “Nothin’ -- ehr, nothin’ I’d...particularly like t’ recall.”

 

Belle was about to argue, but a look from Alma silenced her. The girl place a gentle hand on Amelia’s shoulder. “I will not ask what happened, but I would like to examine the wound and see if I can’t staunch the bleeding. We can go somewhere more private, if you wish.”

 

“No, it’s…” Amelia tried and failed to swallow the dry apprehension welling up within her. “I...if they--” She cut herself off and tried again. “I can’t let them--”

 

“Pond, are you…?”

 

Alma squeezed Amelia’s shoulder gently, eliciting a wince from the older woman. “It is alright, Mrs. Parfum, you do not need to speak of it.”

 

Something hardened in Amelia’s eyes. “No… no. I can’t let ‘em win. Ah won’t.” She affixed Alma with a steely stare, though the edge was still somewhat dulled by fear. “All right. Here’s what happened…”


 

Me: *has idea*

Blade: "I'd say too convoluted, and I know too convoluted =P"

 

"Dangit, I shouldn't have gotten ambitious."

--Merc, RE: our plotting

 

Pokémon Rise of the Rockets Profiles: LINK

3DS FC: 3625-9584-9417 (Pokemon X Friend Safari: Electric-type, Pachirisu, Electabuzz, Zebstrika)

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IC: Alma Mason/’Alma Mason’/Amelia Zann/’Belle’/’Alex Zyther’/’Amy’/Belle LaDonna/Alex Zyther

 

After exploring the immediate area, Alma and Alex returned back to the cave. Alma led the way, never hesitating in the turns she took to get back to the chamber. As they approached, a girl’s voice echoed from the chamber.

 

“... appears they rubbed salt into it. I am sorry, but the scar will remain for the rest of your life.”

 

“Pretty sure that was th’ point,” Amelia growled, her hate thankfully not focused on the child treating her.

 

“Guess we were lucky,” the alternate Belle said. “We sorta nipped Flare in the bud here.”

 

The person draped in Lilligant-green robes frowned solemnly.  “I’m not entirely sure we can call it ‘nipped’ when there’s cases like this out there…”

 

The wispy woman at Belle’s side took a step over to poke the Lilligantly-dressed witch in the shoulder.  “Hey,” she gently sniped, “stop that. Lord Zyther doesn’t like it when you try to save the whole world by yourself.”

 

The witch made a face at the pale woman, but the expression softened into a rueful smile.  “Yeah, okay.”

 

“‘Yes’,” she ‘corrected’ in obvious imitation of someone else.  The two giggled at their private joke as the alternate Belle affectionately rolled her eyes.

 

Alma stepped into the chamber and raised an eyebrow at the assembled group. “I must say, this is an interesting assortment we have here.”

 

Belle smiled a bit. “Hey, kiddo. How’re you two doin’?”

 

Alex bit his lip, then shrugged.  “Can’t complain. Well, no, actually, I definitely can complain, but that honestly seems counterproductive right now.”  Behind the others, Amelia’s alternate seemed to be mouthing something suspiciously similar to ‘oh no, there’s two of them.’

 

“We are alright. The surrounding area seems normal enough.” Alma smiled. “At the very least, nobody tried to murder us.”

 

Belle chuckled. “Well, that’s a nice change of pace.”

 

“Speaking of a change of pace…”  Alex ducked reflexively as all eyes turned to him.  “You… you all seem awfully nonchalant about… well. Us.”  The Kalosian finished with a gesture encompassing the four world-hoppers.

 

The green witch -- who upon closer inspection seemed to be Alex’s counterpart -- shrugged.  “After the whole thing with Clemont and that Ketchum kid, a lot of us started doing research.  Those of us in the know have always understood there were other versions of ourselves out there, it was just a matter of whether or not our paths could actually cross.  The Reflection Cave incident proved it was, in fact, possible… and well, now here you stand.”

 

While Alex nodded pensively, Amelia shot the witch an odd look.  “Ketchum? Like the boy from that one children’s anime?”

 

This time, it was Amy’s turn to be confused.  “What’s an anime?”

 

Even across universes, the horrified expression on Alex and Amelia’s faces was well and truly without peer.

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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IC: Executive Arthur - Aether Paradise
 
James took a few steps. He stopped right in front of the table and placed a hand on the laptop. He took a short shallow breath before opening it. Moments passed with James pressing keys and clicking the mouse. When it was ready, James turned the computer towards Lusamine and offered it to her.
 
The information only related to the data on the replication of Pokemon types. There was nothing regarding the power suits themselves. Even still, plenty of the information was redacted. What he chose to leave in was specifically catered to catch Lusamine’s interest, but without the necessary details to allow one to replicate the experiments done. Some of what wasn’t redacted were requests and suggestions for follow up experiments. Places that might spark an idea in Lusamine’s mind about how the foundation might help in the collaboration.
 
James chose to stay silent and allow Lusamine to make what conclusions she would from the data before her. If he had done his job right, the data should speak for itself.
 
 
IC: Jamie Arthur - Shabboneau Castle
 
Jamie paused when Lucia put her hand and her shoulder. She rarely got subtext, but she was aware of how bad her sense of age was. She wasn’t quite sure if Lucia meant literally younger or if Zoe simply appeared to be, but she got that everyone else thought that Zoe was younger. 
 
“Ah,” she said, pointedly not making eye contact with anyone in the room.
 
She continued to stare at the wall for several more moments. The thought about her age prevented her from thinking through Isabella’s words.
 
“Lucia," she said quietly. She only wanted Lucia to hear. "If I accept what she just said, does that mean if asked I have to tell people I was on this mission? Does it mean, I'd be working with...”
 

 

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IC: Zoe Llyan/Dahlia Seaton/Alex Lockwood - Shabboneau Castle, Camphrier Town

"Shorty?!" Zoe got to her feet and stretched herself up to her full height, even going as far as to stand on her tiptoes. "You take that back, you little--"

 

"Come on, Zoe," Alex said with a belabored sigh. "It's not worth it. So what if you're working with Team Rocket? Isn't it better for us to work together to stop Team Flare?"

 

Zoe glared angrily at her bitter rival (a title she had just given Jamie in the past thirty seconds) before sitting back down and distracting herself with her pancakes. While she chose not to speak further, she attacked her breakfast with a ferocity that would have otherwise been directed towards Jamie.

 

Dahlia found herself looking over at Jared. His outburst had been a little extreme, but it had gotten the job done, hadn't it? Was that what it meant to channel one's anger? She herself had tried to stop the fighting, but she had been too timid. Was anger truly necessary at times? What would Evan say if he were here? These questions plagued the Heroine of Reverse as she waited for Isabella and Jamie to come to a resolution.

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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-==IC: Evan Tierra/Jenny Hakuda/Kris -- Ula'ula Beach -- [8]==-


When he got back to catching tires, Evan noticed that the tires felt easier to catch. Each time he threw it back, he caught it deftly. He pondered the idea of catching it with one hand, but then recalled the last time he got cocky. Despite that, he could help but chuckle at how much fun he was having. “It feels so light now! That drink worked wonderfully!”

Kris hid a smile at that, as the light from the sun did well to hide the brief glow of the tires each time they began to slow down slightly. "That's good. Now keep it up a little longer, then we'll take another break before the next activity."


“Will do!” Evan said as he focused back on the tire-catching, and what Kris said during the first break. Each time he caught the tire, his desire to find out what to do to go beyond who he was grew. He was so absorbed into his thoughts, that he didn’t catch the glow of the tires. After a bit, he was panting, but grinning nonetheless. He caught sight of Jenny and shouted as he walked away from his swinging tire.. “How’s it going, Jenny? You getting a good sweat going on?”

Jenny seemed to not hear Evan at first as she slowly made her way in a circle around the tire swing. At last, however, she gave a thumbs up. She looked to have very literally have worked up a sweat, but seemed determined to keep going. After a few more minutes, however, she stopped to pant and wipe the sweat off her forehead the best she could. Unlike last time, however, she didn't collapse afterward.


"Well done so far." Kris smiled as she walked forward, drinks already in hand. These looked to be more water than anything this time, but Jenny seemed to almost teleport from the spot she was at to get the water, even with the tire still being dragged along behind her. The redhead downed the water quickly, though she took care to not drink it too fast. "How are you feeling?"


Evan zoomed to Kris, a fire in his eyes, towards the delicious water she had. The man drank down the water, making sure to, despite his thirst, not appear rude towards his gracious master. “I feel as strong as a Machamp and as light as a Joltik.” The man said after he downed about half of his drink. “Those tires packed a wallop before, but now I think I’m getting the hang of this.”

Kris chose to not comment on that. Instead, she seemed lost in thought. "Have either of you two ever surfed before? Or any similar activity?"


Evan frowned, as he couldn’t exactly recall doing anything like surfing in a good long while. “I…..can’t say I have. I’m a bit of a landlubber, so I haven’t tried it in Undella Town before……”

Jenny shook her head as well, which prompted Kris to think for a moment. She walked away for a moment, then returned with some wooden planks that she set up on the sand in a way that would mimic the balance required. "Here, you should test this first before setting foot on the water."


Evan gulped, then stepped onto his plank, assuming a stance on it, before falling onto his back in the process. “Well, I can tell this is gonna be a -fun- time.” The man said, chuckling as he got back onto the plank. “Well, I won’t be beaten by a piece of wood!” This time, he had a much better balancing act on the plank. He looked at Kris, keeping his stance low and relaxed. “Like this, Kris?”

"That's better, yes. You still have a way to go, but that is a very good start to not falling off instantly." Kris said with a nod. She looked over to Jenny, who was having a bit of trouble as well, but noted that her stance was a lot more… refined than Evan's. The blue-haired woman walked over with a curious look on her face. "A little more like this, dear." Kris said, as she placed her hands on Jenny's arms to try and help guide her.


***


Jessica stepped on to the board that was in front of her with a wide but nervous grin. She looked back to her mother to make sure that it was alright. When the older woman nodded, the young girl hopped onto the skateboard. She wobbled somewhat as she tried to balance on the moving board, but tried her best. Despite that, she fell backwards with a wince as she stepped on the wrong part of the board.


"Here, more like this." Another woman's voice called out from behind Jessica. The young girl looked up to see a smiling woman whose face was otherwise covered in shadow because of the sun behind her. "You have to have your feet planted like this, and your arms like this…" The girl was helped up as the woman placed her hands on Jessica's arms to try and help guide her.


***


Evan watched Kris help Jeny’s posture and began to imitate the redhead. He then noticed that the two were spacing out. Taking a moment to think about this, the man then decided to find out if things were OK. “Hey, um, you two doing alright? You seem to be zoning out..” The Hero said, giving the two a confused look.


Jenny blinked confusedly as Evan spoke up. As the woman looked up, Kris appeared to be just as confused. The redhead thought for a moment as she tried to gather up words to explain what just happened. "I think I just suddenly remembered something, but it was really… weird how it happened. It felt like that time back on Four Island, Evan, before the Darkrai."


Kris looked over in intrigue at the mention of the Darkrai, but stayed quiet about that for the moment. However, she chewed on her lip slightly. "Was it something about how similar this situation was to the thing you remembered?" The blue-haired woman questioned slowly. When Jenny nodded, the mentor frowned slightly and took on a contemplative look. "Just now, I had that same sort of… dream?"


“Before the showdown with the Darkrai….” Evan said, recalling how he shared his memories of the final battle with Kyurem, and inexplicably knocked some of Jenny’s memories loose. What perplexed him even more was how Kris had the same dream. He looked at the blue-haired woman curiously. “I’m not sure what is happening, but it seems that you two may be connected in some way that we don’t understand yet…” The brown-haired man said, still a little boggled at this turn of events.

The two women seemed equally confused. "I can't say I remember much about my time in Johto…" Kris started to say slowly as she looked over at Jenny. "But I also can't say that she looks familiar at all. Maybe… I only allowed her to retrieve that memory, then got sent it because I was standing next to her?" The woman's frown deepened. "It could have been my powers activating without realizing it."


“.....Powers? What powers, if I may ask, Kris?” Evan said, looking even more confused at what the woman was saying. “I’m beginning to wonder if you are someone…..special like us, if that makes any sense?”


"I have psychic powers." Kris said simply, as she held out her hand toward the tire nearby that Jenny had been dragging around. It floated into the air with a faint crystal blue glow, until it hovered between the three of them. "I don't often make them known, but I figure that a hero of Space should be safe to tell this to." She glanced at Jenny as she mentioned that, however, as if she realized that it wasn't just Evan with those powers.


Evan thought about what Kris said. “A Psychic user, huh?” The Hero said, his thoughts turning to another person as he spoke. “Not the first we’ve known, and certainly not the last.” Before he could go on, the man realize he was still balancing on the board, an action that had taken a backseat to the far more interesting discussion the blue-haired teacher had to offer. “Well, your secret is safe with us, Kris.”

Kris nodded, then cleared her throat. "Right then. Shall we get back to work? We still have a lot to do, after all, before your training is complete."

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-==IC: Kris/Jenny Hakuda/Evan Tierra - Ula'ula Beach, Alola - [9]==-


As the training moved onward, Kris felt herself lost in thought. She tried to figure out why that memory had shown up when it did. The woman looked out over the beach as Jenny and Evan prepared for the surfing part of the training. Absentmindedly, Kris pulled out her phone and flipped the case open. She stared at the picture on the backside of the case, though it felt distant, as if she didn't even know why she had it. The words written on it only frustrated her now.


"You can't forget. Don't forget."


Although she had seen the picture many times before, she studied it once again. It was hand drawn, and depicted what looked like a happy family. But when she stared at the picture, she didn't feel happy.


"Kris! Over here!" Jenny called out to snap the woman out of her thoughts. Kris quickly closed her phone as she walked over to watch as Jenny and Evan began to swim out to the waves.

The pair swam out into the Alolan sea, the salty water lapping at them with each stroke. Evan  and Jenny each had a Mantine swimming alongside them, who seemed pretty laid back, despite everything. When the two had gotten far enough, Evan carefully climbed on the back of his assistant Mantine, and assumed the crouch Kris had taught him, and then faced the redhead. “You feeling ready?”

Jenny was already on the Mantine before Evan even asked, a confident smile on her face. "Of course." The woman said back, as she shot the Hero of Space a mischievous look. "Aren't you?"


Evan shot a resplendent smile back at his partner. “As I’ll ever be! It’s my first time, but I’m gonna do my best!” As he spoke, he saw a large wave swell up, capturing his attention. “Surf’s up, Mantine!” The moment his rider said that, the Mantine jetted towards the rising wave, the brown-haired man rising up into the stance his teacher helped him refine.

Jenny focused as her Mantine sped forward through the water as well. She adjusted her stance as she watched the waves carefully. As the waves seemed to be highest, she steered the Mantine toward it, then held her breath as they spun into the air. Jenny was amazed, as even through the times she had flown before, something about this just seemed even more magical, what with the sun reflecting off the water and the spray from the ocean glistening in the air. After a couple more spins, Jenny regained her focus, intent on landing properly. The Mantine crashed back into the water a little roughly, but the redhead kept her footing, a wide grin on her face as she sped forward once more.


Evan watched as Jenny and her Mantine flew the air, the sight taking his breath away. Focusing on the waves, the man urged his Mantine towards the waves, aiming to hit them while they were at their highest. As he drew closer, the Hero of Space took a deep breath as man and manta reached for the sky. He felt entranced by the rush that overcame him, as he saw the beautiful Alolan sky. “Mantine, let’s flip!” The Pokémon cried out as it nodded itself and Evan downward. As they did so, time seemed to slow down as the Hero held on for dear life. After righting itself, the surfer made it clear he wanted to do it again. Two more front flips, and the man felt gravity taking effect. He directed the Kite Pokémon to land as smoothly as it could as they approached the wave once more. The Mantine landed roughly, without it’s rider falling off. He gave Jenny a thumbs up as he jetted forward, smiling giddily.

Jenny watched in surprise at the tricks that Evan pulled, but focused on the water ahead with a grin. She didn't try any actual tricks from that point on, but still continued to focus on keeping her balance while staying near the top of the waves.


Meanwhile, Evan practiced spins and flips, trying to figure out how to integrate his posing into them, with varying degrees of success. After a while, he just focused on enjoying cruising around on the waves, the sea breezing blowing in his face.

Kris watched with a smile as it appeared that both of her trainees were doing a good job with the surfing. She let herself simply focus on watching the two heroes surf for the moment, instead of trying to think of the memories. Still, she couldn't help but wonder… Kris shook her head a moment later as she waited for the duo to come back to shore.


The pair returned to shore, Evan smiling as he felt the morning’s training, and the surfing take their toll on him. “That….was….amazing!” The man whooped and hollered out. “It was so cool being up there!”

"That's good. Surfing can really help out with limbering people up, so enjoying it is the best way to really get in shape." Kris explained with a smile. "How do you feel your balance has gotten through that?"


Evan pondered for a moment. “It’s certainly much better than it was before, especially since I didn’t wipe out while on Mantine, so that’s something!”

"That's pretty good." Kris chuckled for a moment, then pondered something. "Do you feel ready to learn the proper poses for the Z-Moves? I don't think we should chain them together yet, even without power, but… it would still be good practice."


The man’s fatigue faded away almost instantly at the mention of practicing poses. “I feel very ready!” He then turned to Jenny. “What about you, Jen-Jen? You feeling up to it?”

"I think I'll sit out this first one, but I'll join in next!" Jenny replied cheerfully, as she took a seat on the sand, but looked up to watch curiously.

Evan then focused his eyes on Kris. “All right, let’s get started then. Let’s strike a pose!” He said, striking one of his trademark poses. The Hero’s mind raced with what possible flashy poses would trigger such amazing moves, his excitement growing by the second.

Kris smiled at that, then held her arms forward in front of her in an X-shape. "I'll show the activation pose first; the key pose that's needed before any of the other ones." She then swung her arms around quickly in a way that seemed arbitrary to Jenny.


Evan, meanwhile studied the way Kris moved intently, making sure to capture every detail in his mind. After she swung her arms, Evan mimicked her pose, crossing his arms in an x-shape, and swung his arms, adding a flourish to it, since it didn’t seem to matter at the moment.

Kris raised an eyebrow. "Huh, that's a different way of doing it. Keep practicing, though, that wasn't quite it." The woman seemed curious, however, as if she had never seen the move performed that way before.

Evan nodded at what Kris said, and repeated the gesture, but this time neglected to add the flourish, figuring that the time to spice up Z-Moves would come along later on. He struck the activation pose more on the dot, and finished with a swing of the arms like the blue-haired woman…..

"That worked pretty well. There's some things that could use some touch-ups, but you got the hang of that pretty quickly. I'm not too surprised considering how much you seem to like posing." Kris said with a smile. "Alright, let's work on that a bit more, then get to work on the actual poses."

 

-==NPC: Lusamine - Aether Paradise, Alola==-

Lusamine leaned forward with a small frown, as she read over the data that was displayed on the screen. Moments passed by without any word as the woman stood in contemplation.

"I see." She said finally, as she stood up straight once again. "Very well. I'm intrigued by that research, if I may be honest. You have a deal. We might have a chat later though, if you don't mind, about how you found out about Silvally..." The woman kept a calm expression despite that, as she smiled in a friendly manner.

 

-==ERROR: ERROR - ERROR - [ERROR]==- [ERROR] years ago...

 

I felt like collapsing. I glared forward at the two people responsible. Every step felt like it took forever, and it felt like my body was slowly being torn apart. I tried my best to keep a grip on everything.

 

I thought back to my family; to my mother, who did all she could to protect us and support us and comfort us when we got sad. Who kept hope alive even when it felt like there was none at all. To my sister, who brought light to everywhere she went. Who didn't like to fight, even when it was absolutely necessary. Who wished the war would just stop. To my father.

 

I took another step forward and stumbled slightly. I couldn't make out the words the people were saying. I think that if things had been any different, I would have just laid down by now. But I took another step forward defiantly. I was losing my grip on the Poké Ball in my hand - if it even was still there - but I wasn't going to stop here.

 

"THIS IS... ...NOT... ...GO"

 

The voice was not my own. Despite its booming nature, I could barely make it out. Even those two people were confused. I tried to take another step, but fell.

 

"... SHALL NOT... ...IT PASS... ...GO"

 

I couldn't fight it any more. I closed my eyes, not even feeling able to cry anymore. I tried to call out, but my voice refused to work... And then...

 

Everything felt normal again.

-==IC: Lucia Zyther - Shabboneau Castle, Kalos==-

Something about what Jamie was saying felt out of character to Lucia. She chewed on her lip for a moment as she thought it over. "I... do you mind if we like, go somewhere else to discuss this a bit more?" The Rocket quietly thought things over for a bit longer as she pieced things together a bit more. "I don't think he's on the mission anymore." She said, barely audible to even Jamie, as she wanted to return the privacy.

-==IC: Colleen - Shabboneau Castle, Kalos==-

"Zoe." Colleen had been trying to stay out of the fighting up until now, but with Zoe now involved, doing so was out of the question. "That isn't helping. This isn't one of our games anymore; getting mad at people who are helping us isn't going to solve anything." If she had gotten a little more sleep, the young aura wielder probably could have found a way to be less blunt about the phrasing, but she still didn't want this to keep up like it was. She looked around at the rest of the group with an apologetic look on her face for how her little sister was acting - though was also curious about why Jared's aura changed once again.

 

-==IC: Jenny Hakuda/Kris/Evan Tierra/??? - Hau'oli City Center - [???]==-


"Ahhh! Finally, we're off the boat; I didn't think it was ever going to reach land!" Jenny giggled as her foot touched the ground. She had been on longer boat rides, but wanted to practice hamming it up a little more. "So, what's the first thing we're going to do?"


"Hmm…" Kris thought for a moment, as she glanced around the area. "Well, we should keep an eye out for like, observing how people work at some point. But when we get a bit further into the city, we should start practicing our battle techniques first. Sound good to everyone?"


“I’m pretty sure our Pokémon could use some stretching out after their tutoring yesterday!” Evan said, grinning. “So practicing our techniques and such would be a good idea, especially if we want to fire up the people of Alola.”

"Alright." Kris grinned, as she led the way into the city more. Jenny paid attention as the people passed by; there weren't many differences in how people acted that she noted so far, though she did see a bunch of shops that didn't seem like anything back home.


----


Unbeknownst to the three, however, a young woman with sunglasses and a black-and-red baseball cap was eying them from the entrance to the ferry terminal. Her hair was concealed within the hood of the hoodie she was wearing, but a frown covered her face.


"What is she up to…?" The woman wondered out loud, as she glanced around the area. "First that notice she put out about the Battle Royal, and now… whoever these people are?" She glanced down at the device in her hand briefly.


----


After a little while of walking, the trio reached what Jenny presumed to be the middle of the city, next to the Pokémon Center and what a sign called the town hall. "Alright, I'll be right back. There's something I need to quickly do. You can begin training in the meantime, though." Kris said as she turned to the other two.


"Alright!" Jenny said cheerfully as the blue-haired woman walked off into the building. The redhead turned to Evan with a grin. "So, what do you think we should do first?"


Evan thought for a moment, and shot Jenny a grin of his own. “Well, I think…..since our Pokémon don’t have their special moves right now, thanks to the outage……” The man said, a sly look in his eyes. “We should come up with theatrical moves for them to make the crowd go wild!”

"That sounds like a good idea!" Jenny said enthusiastically. However, she paused long enough to catch Evan's attention, as she noticed someone approaching them. "Um, hello, can we help you?"

"Maybe." The hooded woman replied, a slight frown on her face. "I couldn't help but hear you were planning theatrical moves for something. Are you by any chance involved in that reopening of the Battle Royal that I heard about?" She asked with an even tone in her voice.


“Sure am!” Evan said proudly. “We’re gonna make a splash in the Alolan battling scene and set their spirits on fire!” The man eyed the newcomer. “Are you a fan of the Battle Royal who’s come to size us up or something?”

"You could say that." The woman said, as she looked off toward the Pokémon Center for a moment. "You're training with Kris, huh?"

"Yeah! She's a pretty good mentor. She taught us a lot!" Jenny replied. The hooded woman gave a smirk that was nearly hidden by the shadows on her face.


"I see." The hooded woman reached down to her belt and threw out two Poké Balls, containing a Cranidos and an Espeon. Even from behind her sunglasses, the look in her eyes seemed to be fiery. "Then I'll be your challenger here! The wicked flame of anomalies, Blaze Dark!"


Evan inwardly laughed at the admittedly edgy name, and shot the woman a grin. “So be it!” The Hero said hammily, throwing out a Poké Ball. “I, Terra Incarnate accept your challenge! Monstro, come on out to play!” From the Poké Ball came forth a Swampert, who eyed his opponents warily.

"Oh, we're using our made up names? Then I, Princess of Peril, will accept your challenge too!" Jenny laughed as she sent out her new Litten, who stared down her opponents. Jenny noticed that despite the edgy look the other woman had, she had a wide grin on her face. "Alright, Tenlite, time to shine!"


The hooded woman wasted no time, as she nodded to her Pokémon. "Cranidos, use a combo attack! Espeon, send them into the air, and Cranidos use your head!" The two nodded and hurried forward quickly, as if they had practiced these moves hundreds of times. The Psychic-type bounced the fossil Pokémon into the air, then the Cranidos used their momentum to effectively fly toward the Swampert. They seemed to intend to land hard on the Swampert with their head, even as the Espeon dashed toward the small Fire Type.


Seeing this combo attack, Evan thought quickly about what he could have Monstro do and flashed a grin. “If they’re gonna use their head, USE YOURS IN KIND!” Evan said, confident that Tenlite could handle the Espeon until Monstro wasn’t busy. The Mud Fish Pokémon focused on his rapidly incoming foe, and smashed his head against the rapidly approaching Head Butt Pokémon’s own skull, hoping he could send them flying away.

The Cranidos was caught by surprise as Monstro stopped their attack and flung them back into the air. The rock-type crashed to the ground with a yelp, but rolled out of the way not long after, keeping an eye on the Swampert to make sure they couldn't be caught off guard again. The hooded woman glanced over the the Espeon, who was dancing around the Litten with ease. Tenlite had trouble keeping up with the pace. Despite an attempt to dodge out of the way, the Espeon still quickly and nimbly struck the Litten and knocked it back out of the way.


“Evan saw how much trouble Tenlite was having with the Espeon, but smiled. “You can do it, Tenlite! I know you can!” The Plasma Agent said as he looked back at the Cranidos. “Monstro, hunker down and watch out for that Cranidos’s next attack.” Monstro took a deep breath and assumed a defensive position, eying his foe with anticipation.

The hooded woman watched for a while, then snapped her fingers. The dance of dodging had left Monstro with his back to the Espeon, and she took full advantage of that. As the Cranidos stepped forward to keep Monstro's attention on them, the Espeon sped toward the Swampert and attempted to slam her whole weight into the water-type's back. The Cranidos then ran forward as well and tried their best to add their head to the chorus. Tenlite also then ran over and jumped onto the oncoming pile, though she was attempting to instead attack the Espeon.


Monstro was knocked onto his face as the Espeon slammed into his back, which in turn allowed the Cranidos’s attack to smash into the Mud Fish’s head. Monstro growled at the pain and attempted to slap the Fossil Pokémon away with his right arm, a fierce look in his eyes.

The Cranidos stumbled back from the force of the slap. They were about to try to attack again, when a whistle caught the attention of the Espeon and Cranidos. They glanced back in confusion, and saw the hooded woman kneeling down instead.


"Alright… that's good enough… too hot to continue…" The woman grumbled as she tried to keep up the fight, but shook her head. "We'll… we'll have a rematch! And next time it'll be my victory, fair villains! For I am Blaze Dark, and I am overheated!" The woman pushed herself back to her feet, then recalled her Pokémon before running off.


"Alright! That was a good fight, Ms. Blaze!" Jenny called after the woman, who simply waved a thanks in return.


Monstro growled, having lost his chance to continue the big fight. He was tempted to chase after the woman, before he felt a hand on his head. “Easy now.” Evan said, as he looked towards 'Blaze Dark'. “I assure you, Blaze Dark, you haven’t seen the last of us! Muahahahahahaha!” Evan said, doing the best evil laugh he could muster and giving her a thumbs up for the performance. Monstro however, had a realization. For once, the Mud Fish didn’t faint in battle! The thought was enough to dispel the ire that he felt towards his foes, and to make him jump for joy.

"What's up?" Kris asked a few moments later, as she walked toward the two trainers. "I heard you laughing all the way inside. Were you practicing a performance for the…" Kris glanced around, as she saw a crowd starting to disperse with murmurs. "... fight?"

“I guess you could say that, Kris…..” Evan said, smiling. “Someone just up and challenged us on the spot when we told them we were going to be battling in the Battle Royal. She was definitely theatrical and silly, but also a good battler.” The man then added, grinning. “I do hope we can do battle again.”

Kris frowned slightly for a moment, but then smiled as she could tell how excited Evan and Jenny seemed to have become by the battle. "I'm sure you will. If the person's a local, then I'll try to see what I can do after the Battle Royal is over." With a small chuckle, she grinned more. "Ready for training, then?”

Edited by Blessed Blade
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IC: Jamie Arthur - Shabboneau Castle
 

In Jamie's distraction from the argument, she never had a chance to fully process the fact that Xander had been detained. Lucia's words forced her to rethink that.

 

"Wait, he is not on the..."

 

Jamie ran the new information through her head. If Xander was no longer on the mission, then did it mean that it didn't matter if she joined the mission for real? Would it count as working with Xander if she joined the team now? And if she did join the mission, then had she just been arguing for nothing? The girl felt her face become a shade redder than a tomato.

 

"Yeah, let's not... be here right now."

Edited by Metal Gear Minun

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IC: Zoe Llyan/Dahlia Seaton/Alex Lockwood - Shabboneau Castle, Camphrier Town

"I know it's not a game," Zoe said through a mouthful of pancake, sparing her sister only a brief moment of an irritated glare before focusing back on her breakfast. "I'm not a kid, you know," she muttered.

 

Alex looked exasperated. "Zoe, no one's calling you a--"

 

"I'm almost thirteen," the girl declared. "So stop treating me like a baby. I know how dangerous this mission is . . . and I know how dangerous Team Rocket is. We may be working together one minute, but that doesn't mean they won't stab us in the back the next."

 

With a sigh, Alex looked over at Colleen, silently letting her take over the task of reigning her sister in.

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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IC - Kyle Eston/Emmerich Coleman - Command Center, Vertrag:

 

"Considering the sheer reach of the Shadowed Man's operations," Emmerich said. "I'd be amazed if they managed to get through everything on even a single one."

 

"That's fair," Kyle said. "Well . . . I guess we should come back to this."

 

He looked around again. All three of the other doors leading out of the Command Center had been left open. Those to the left and in front of the one they had just come through were completely silent. Through the right-hand door, they heard an audible click and then what sounded like a mechanical hiss. He nodded to Emmerich and Chloe, heading toward this door.

 

 

IC - Sonja Baron - Ford's Room, Vertrag:

 

A circular keyhole hidden behind--or beneath--the Signs. Sonja stared at it for a moment, and then looked down to the cane in her hand. Involuntarily, she let out a soft chuckle. It couldn't be that simple . . . could it? This was Ford's work that they were dealing with--nothing he did was ever simple. And yet . . .

 

"I . . . think we might have one already . . ."

 

She stepped forward, past Ryan and Ray. The keyhole was about even with her hips, so she stooped down to meet it at eye level. Lifting the cane, she inserted the make-shift key. It was a match. The handle of the cane meshed with the indents of the keyhole, forming a sort of inset handgrip. Adjusting her grip, Sonja turned this. It required a surprising amount of force to do so, but her efforts appeared successful--the handle rotated halfway to a full circle, and then clicked, prompting a hidden drawer to pop an inch out of the wall beneath. Sonja stared in disbelief for a moment before turning the handle back to its original position and extracting the cane, which she set beside her.

 

A soft light seemed to spill out of the edges of the drawer. Something else leaked into the air around her--not a light or a smell, but simply a sensation of weight and pressure. It felt similar to the presence of certain Legendary Pokémon that she had encountered--tense, powerful, and perhaps not meant for her to witness. She placed her fingers on either side of the drawer; the metal was cool to the touch. With a steadying breath, Sonja pulled the drawer outward. It slid smoothly on its rails, almost hissing to a stop. It was obvious now that the glow was coming from the drawer itself, emanating light the same way that the rest of the base did. Inside, a rectangular object wrapped in a thin, purple cloth rested within a black, cushioned interior.

 

Part of Sonja did not want to proceed. The weighted feeling had increased, and now she found herself perturbed by the covered object's very existence. She had not even had a good look at it, and already every muscle in her body felt ready to snap into a full-on sprint in the opposite direction. But why? If this was a defense mechanism, it was an incredibly . . . odd one. Was it the mere presence of the Grimoire that was causing this? Or was this perhaps the result of the secrets and power it contained?

 

Either way, Sonja had to put all of her effort into even making herself reach for it. Gently, she ran the fingers of one hand over the surface of the cloth, daring not to actually lift it. She could feel the leathery texture of the book underneath, rising in patterns across the cover. In each corner, she could vaguely make out some sort of symbol that had been inscribed. Each corner bore noticeable differences; she was not certain what to make of that. In the center, she could feel a four-point star--two limbs reaching up, the other two sideways across the front. In the center of this was some sort of rounded gem. The entire thing was bound closed with two thick, leather straps.

 

Carefully as she could, Sonja wrapped her fingers around the sides of the grimoire, lifting it out of its resting place. It was much lighter than expected, particularly when she realized that the book was easily three inches thick. She couldn't begin to understand why, but as she held it safely in her grasp, it seemed that the heaviness in the air began to lift--not entirely, but certainly enough that it no longer felt oppressive.

 

"Okay," she said at last, her voice a little bit shaky. "I don't want to assume, but I think this might be it."

Follow me on YouTube!

 

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~ Rise of the Rockets (I II)/Discussion Topic/Side Stories ~

 

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IC: Isabella Fontaine/Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood

"I'm going to call that resolved," Isabella Fontaine said. "If you'll all excuse me, I need to go take care of some other duties. Minor updates can be sent in a text or recorded message, but call me for major updates like a change of destination or a big lead."

Jared nodded at the technician. "Will do. When you can, let us know what's going on with Xander?"

"Once I'm allowed, sure." Isabella gave the entire group a look and nodded before ending the call.

Lachina looked over at the youngest member of the team and nodded slowly. "You're right, we have been treating you like a little kid. This is your first mission, right?" Zoe nodded. "So you're excited. We all saw that excitement as immaturity, as not being ready to be here. But, honestly, I was the same way during my first field assignment back in Almia." She paused. "The thing is, my excitement kind of led to the whole thing going sideways. It was sort of a disaster, but the stakes weren't too high."

Jared was opening his mouth to say something, but Lachina shook her head at him and continued. "The stakes here are high, though, Zoe. Inattentiveness, distraction, or even something as small as being a bit too loud about our goal in a public place, those can all lead to bad things happening. To you, to us, and maybe even to the citizens of Kalos. So when we say or do something that seems like we're patronizing you, understand that we're trying to keep everyone safe. We don't know who might be an enemy, so if we let our guard down, even for a second, we could all end up--"

"I think she gets it," Emily cut in tersely. "This is hardly the conversation to have over a breakfast table. We should discuss our travel plans for the day, then go pack our things, shouldn't we?"

Jared nodded. "So," he began, "The goal is to get to Cyllage City tonight, but it's a bit of a walk, and we may find ourselves camping out. Any complaints or questions?"

Edited by MELON LORD

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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IC: Lucia/Jamie - Shabboneau Castle

 

The two made their way quickly to anywhere else in the castle that was unoccupied. Lucia glanced over at Jamie a couple times as they walked, kinda worried about what was going on, but didn't want to say anything until they could talk in peace. She wondered what had happened, however, to prompt these kinds of reactions to this Xander. Jamie’s face was still quite red. She was looking towards the floor and was walking with a lead foot.

 

"So…" When Lucia was certain no-one would hear, she stopped and looked at Jamie. "I can get if you don't really want to talk about it, but I think I at least need to know what's going on… maybe not anyone else, but I can't help out if I don't know anything." The healer bit her lip slightly. "What happened between you and this Xander guy to make you so unwilling to be associated in even the slightest way?"

 

Well Lucia was right about one thing. Jamie really didn’t want to talk about it. She refused to make eye contact with Lucia. The floor looked really good right now anyway. And the floor didn’t ask questions she didn’t want to answer. The silence was long and awkward. Lucia’s patience won out though, and Jamie began to speak.

 

“I… guess you missed a lot while you were taking care of Shannon and Guin.” Jamie still wasn’t facing Lucia. “I… do I have to talk about it?”

 

Lucia bit her lip slightly. "I… I feel like it would help… I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but it feels like if it's just let sit, things will just get worse."

 

Jamie looked at Lucia for the first time since they left the cafeteria. The expression on her face wasn’t quite a frown. It was tired and clearly not happy. “Yeah. You know better than I do. I just spent all that time arguing not to be associated with someone who isn’t associated with the mission any more.”

The girl felt pretty small at the moment. “Xander and I got into an argument. And he said stuff that really got under my skin.”

 

She was glad that she didn’t eat anything in the dining hall. The memory of the argument made her feel queasy again.

 

“I really don’t want to talk about this,” Jamie said breaking eye contact with Lucia.

 

"...Alright…" Lucia said after a few moments hesitation. As much as she felt that things would be better if they were talked over, the redhead could tell that Jamie was extremely uncomfortable with the conversation already. She felt conflicted, but decided to leave it there for the moment. She felt extremely out of her element, as she rubbed her arm uncertainly for a moment while waiting for Jamie to reply.

 

Jamie didn’t make eye contact again. “I… I am gonna go pack.” Jamie ran off in the wrong direction. She would find her way to the room, but right now she wanted the conversation over.

 
 

IC: Executive Arthur - Aether Paradise

"I am glad to hear that," James said. He had a smile that was pleasant, if not entirely genuine. “I will gladly tell you everything about my information on Silvally… after we have finalized our new partnership of course.”

James packed up his stuff. Lancelot got out of his seat and hurried over to him.

"I will contact you again. I must bring the news of your acceptance to my superiors first. Then we can finalize our arrangements.”


"Alright." Lusamine nodded, as she pulled out a tablet and began to tap some things on the screen. "I will await the contact eagerly, Executive Arthur."


James casually walked out of the room, while Lancelot moved with heavy stilted steps. The Scizor’s movements only regained their natural confidence when they were well away from Lusamine’s sight. If one had very good hearing or sight, they might have noticed James let out a very shallow breathe that James didn’t know he was holding. And they might have been moving just a bit slightly faster than normal. Stopping only long enough to make sure his team would be waiting for them by the time they made it to the boat.


When the boat disembarked, Lancelot and James finally, truly relaxed.


“Things are looking up. Are they not Lancelot?” James said, smiling. It was a bleak time, but good things still happened on occasion.


Lancelot clacked his pincers. He took some practice swings, and bounced left and right while flapping his wings.


“Agreed. I want a rematch too. We are much stronger than we were then.” James said. “Who would have thought our first battle together would become so relevant now? Maybe we should have stayed long enough to find out if he was still there. Fighting that Silvally again would have likely triggered that evolution again.”


The Scizor was taking more punches. James continued talking.


“Of course, I would rather not let the President find out how much lying I just did,” he said leaning over the edge. This trip had been bringing back a lot of old memories.

 

 

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-==IC: Kris/Evan Tierra/Jenny Hakuda - Ula'Ula Beach, Alola - [10]==-


Training on the posing took longer than it was expected to. Evan seemed to have a grasp on the basics of what was needed for most of the moves they were taught, but Jenny was having some slight trouble with repeating the exact poses for the ones she had been assigned.


"Well, we can take a break there." Kris said to the two of them as she took a seat. "It usually is tough to get the idea behind it down the first time anyway; I've seen people take a good couple of weeks to do that before."

Evan nodded and took a seat himself. “I’m thinking that too.” The man said, as he looked like he was doing some deep thinking. “Each pose reflects the type of move that’s being powered up. It’s not just something you do, but something you feel, I think…”

"That is correct." Kris nodded as she smiled. Jenny seemed to reflect on that quietly as Kris explained about the history of Z-Moves for a while. "It is said that the Z-Moves were considered to be something akin to how in fantasy materials, you sometimes make a rune to channel magic. I've only heard rumours of that sort of talk, though, so I can't judge how accurate it is."


“So…..in essence, the pose is the conduit the channels Z-Power into the Pokémon using it…..” Evan said, smiling. “If we wanted to be silly, we could say Posing in itself is a kind of magic. Joking aside though, you definitely know a lot about how these moves work, Kris, but…….how would one get the necessary things needed to make the power real? I don’t think they’d give away something that powerful for free….”

Kris frowned slightly. "Hm. That's tough to say." She reached into a bag she carried with her, and pulled out a small black bracelet that glimmered in the sunlight. "I was given this a while back for completing a personal trial, because I'd been here for a few years and everyone knew me. I don't quite know what would have to be done to get a Z-Bracelet or Z-Crystal at this point, though…"


Jenny looked at the bracelet with intrigue. "What was your trial?"


Kris glanced over at Jenny in surprise at that comment, as if she had not expected it. "Oh. I helped out a girl who was visiting the region. It was a weird situation; it felt like she knew me, but I didn't recognize her at all. Well… it was more than just that, we hiked up to Wela Volcano and I saved her from some thugs in the process, but it's a long story that I don't remember all the details of. In the end, we both were awarded Z-Bracelets… I think…?" The woman looked back down at the bracelet, staring at it in confusion. "But, wait, that doesn't make sense, I specifically remember my bracelet being silver, and hers being gold… did I get mine replaced at some point and forget?"


Jenny seemed confused about the oddities that Kris noted, but stayed quiet for a few moments. "Well, maybe it just got upgraded or something? Like how a Poké Gear does?"


"Maybe…" Kris didn't look too convinced as she kept just staring at the bracelet for a few moments. "Either way…" She looked up to Evan and Jenny. "I feel like a big thing could get you recognized. It might take you time to complete your own personal trials, but… I believe it can happen."


“A big thing……..” Evan said,mulling over what Kris had said. “If there’s anything big in Alola, would it be the Battle Royal? You said ever since Pokémon lost their power, it’s been closed.” The man thought for a moment, before adding more to his train of thought. “Tell me, have the people of Alola been feeling not as fired up since it closed?”

"Hm." Kris thought for a moment as she caught the drift of what Evan was planning. "Sorta, yeah. There's been some uncertainty for sure, especially with the people around Royal Avenue and Heahea City."


“Well, we were planning on fighting in the Battle Royal, right?” The Hero asked. “Well, provided we raise the spirits of the people with a heated and showy match…….maybe that’ll be cause for them to grant us Z-Rings.”

"Hmm… I mean, I wouldn't rule it out, but you might need to catch the attention of one of the islands' Tapus too, plus also draw the attention of one of the Kahunas. It's hard to say what would work exactly." The blue-haired woman frowned in deep thought. "It's still a good idea regardless, though. If nothing else, then at least it was tried, and at least the spirits were raised."


Evan smiled. “We can only try.” The man said cheerfully. “It’s a hero’s job to not only protect the people, but to raise their spirits. If I can make the people happy, then my role is complete, regardless if I I get a Z-Ring or not.”

Kris nodded. She pulled out her Poké Gear to begin to send a message to someone, but as she did so, the drawing held in its case fell out.

The man frowned. He looked at the drawing. It appeared to be a badly illustrated drawing of three girls, it appeared, with the words "You can't forget. Don't forget." written on it. “What’s this from, Kris?” Evan asked, genuinely curious about it. “Is it a keepsake of some sort?”

Kris bit her lip as she finally realized the drawing had fallen to the ground. She hesitated before she went to pick it up. "I don't remember exactly." She finally said with an uncertain look on her face. "All I remember is some blonde girl gave it to me. I don't know why she did, but I keep it because something just feels… familiar about it."


“Well, I guess you screwed up not forgetting, but…” Evan said mischievously, aiming to bring some amusement to otherwise serious discussion.. “Maybe…….this girl was looking out for you?”

"But… why?" Kris frowned, but then shook her head. "It's not really anything to worry about right now, but… I don't understand what that girl would have wanted me to not forget." She sighed slightly. "But maybe I only can't understand because I don't remember what it was."


“Well, I think you’ll figure it out eventually.” Evan said, facing his girlfriend. “Jenny here had a case of amnesia, but she’s managed to remember quite a lot.” Evan then faced the blue-haired woman. “So if she can do it, with as bad as it was for her, I know you can do it!”

"I just worry about why I can't remember anything. Especially since it almost… feels like that's not the first time I've had this happen to me. What if my memory is just that badly damaged?" Kris bit her lip, as she looked down and to the side.


Upon seeing his teacher look so forlorn, Evan rose up and started speaking. “I may have not gone through what you have, but I know that there’s always a way to make things work.” After saying his piece, the man assumed the Psychic Z-Pose. “You’ve definitely have the willpower to do that, Kris!”

"Yeah! You've just gotta keep pushing through, right?" Jenny added cheerfully, though she still wore a slightly worried look on her face, as she knew exactly how the older woman felt. "One way or another, we'll try our best to help get you to a point where you can get your memory back."


Kris listened for a few moments, but then nodded with a smile. "Thank you, you two. I'll do what I can to try and get my memory back, even if I still don't know why it's gone in the first place."


Evan sat back down, smiling. “I’m sure you’ll find that out yourself eventually. After all, Jenny found out her amnesia was because of a madman who sought the ruin of her family, I think.”

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-==IC: Ray - Vertrag==-

 

Ray felt like he had to remember how to properly breathe as he blinked, focused on the book that Sonja had picked up. "Well... if it's not the Grimoire, then it makes a pretty good impression of feeling like it." Ray managed a nervous chuckle, slightly winded from the pressure he had felt as well. He turned his head in surprise as he heard footsteps entering the room, but relaxed with a smile as he noticed that it was just Kyle, Emmerich, and Chloe.

 

"Yo!" The Separatist gave a friendly salute to the other three, though still seemed to be affected by the pressure. "How'd the search go? We found a bunch of neat stuff here, including this entire room and this neat old book we were looking for."

 

-==IC: Kris/Jenny/Evan - Ula'Ula Beach, Alola - [11]==-


"What?" Kris looked over in surprise at the mention of why the woman had lost her memory. "That's… that's awful." Jenny nodded solemnly, but then noticed that Kris seemed to have an almost… sadly reminiscent look on her face.


Suddenly, an idea popped into Evan’s head. “Jenny, recall what I did on Four Island, before we all went to fight the Ancient Darkrai? The memories I shared with you, and then the ones you shared with me? Do you…...think we should try that?”

Jenny and Kris both looked over in surprise at the mention of the memory sharing. Jenny in particular thought it over for a few moments, mulling over whether it could work. "It's worth a shot, I think. Maybe it might work better if I tried it? It seemed like we already sorta had a little luck knocking something loose earlier, so maybe this might like… work best if I try it?" Jenny suggested, as she had almost completely forgotten about that idea.


“Seeing as though you and I are linked with the power, maybe it -is- best you you try it yourself.” Evan said, as he started to faintly glow pink. “Here it comes!” With a look of mild exertion, the man focused on Jenny, the pink aura surrounding him suddenly vanished and was suddenly around the redhead.

Jenny nodded, as she walked toward the surprised blue-haired woman. "Alright… here goes nothing." With a reassuring smile, Jenny held out her hand to Kris. After a moment of hesitation, the older woman reached out her ha


-̴̭͛-̷̨͆-̴̭͛-̷̨͆


The surroundings seemed almost broken. People stood around, attacks flying everywhere. A blue-haired woman stood behind a Meganium - a young blonde girl at her side commanding an Espeon. The scenery was unfamiliar. Broken pillars scattered around a mountain top and an altar. A woman raised an object. Then blackness.


The scene changed. The blue-haired woman chatted with two red-haired girls, and the blonde girl from earlier. One of the two redheads looked to have black streaks - but on closer inspection, that seemed to be her natural hair colour. The four stopped talking as an older-looking black-haired man with a stylistic "G" on his coat pocket walked into the room. Even while the man was talking - silence filled the room.


The scene changed…


Kris watched out the window as the blonde girl ran out the door to meet up with the younger of the two red haired girls. She opened her mouth, seeming to call up to someone, but no words came out. Seemingly satisfied, the woman left the house as well and headed off toward the market. A few blocks later, a Dragonite flew overhead, as screaming began to ring out through the streets.


"A coup! It's a coup!"
"Team Liberty?"
"No, they were stomped out three months ago."

Kris froze on the spot as she became hyper-focused on the Dragonite, beams of light shooting out at different buildings. She dropped her bag, as she turned back, running as fast as she could back home. She braced herself as a nearby house was struck by a stray attack, crumbling instantly. She made it back to her house, panting and alarmed.


"Mom?" The redhead asked, as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. Kris seemed relieved, as she stopped to catch her breath for a moment, but then motioned toward the door to the bunker. The blue-haired woman made it to the door, and yanked it open. She looked back to hurry her daughter there. A flash of light filled her vision. Kris screamed out, as the house began to collapse around her.


The scene changed…


Kris was battered, bruised, and exhausted as her and her Pokémon took out the final agent in their way. She opened the door in front of her and stepped through. The first thing she saw was red, and the glint of steel.


"I… had to…" The blonde girl looked at her - a broken look in her eyes. Kris looked down at the ground, and saw the man responsible for everything on the ground, dead. She did not feel pity for the man, and simply nodded.


The scene changed. Kris opened her eyes. Where was she? It was so bright. With a groan, she sat up. She felt… younger, but didn't know why.


"How are you…?" Kris confusedly looked up and saw a blonde girl - she looked to be around 14 or so. The girl offered her a hand that Kris accepted. The blue-haired woman slowly and uneasily stood up with the young girl's help.


"I… don't know. I'm having… trouble remembering anything. I feel like I should be sore… but I don't feel hurt…" Kris raised a free hand to her head, which felt like it was going to break in two. "Who… are you?"


The girl faltered. "I'm…" There was some hesitation. "My name is Marianna. I'm… I'm a local here, though I'm probably going on a trip soon."


"Where is… here?" Kris asked, not noticing the girl's fidgeting. "I don't know where I am…"


"You're in Alola. Melemele Island right now. I sent someone for help a little bit ago when I saw you washed up on the beach." There was an odd tone to the girl's voice, but Kris couldn't focus on anything through the headache.


"Thank you… Marianna, you said? That's a nice name… I bet your mother is proud of you for helping, too."

"... Yeah…"


----


Jenny and Kris were both left breathless as they stared at each other blankly and speechlessly. "Oh… Arceus…" Jenny finally managed to say, as she covered her mouth.


“What happened?” Evan said, worry in his voice. “What did you see? Was it…...bad?” The man recalled the memories that he’d received from others and recalled how tough a few of them were to swallow.

Jenny bit her lip. "I can't exactly say what happened for sure, but… Kris has been through something almost exactly like what I went through." She stayed quiet for a bit longer, and simply passed the spacial powers back to Evan.


All of a sudden, Evan’s mind was filled with the same visions the redhead had seen. The man’s mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide from the sheer weight of the visions. “What…..in Palkia’s name……….WAS THAT?” The man exclaimed, sweating a little. “Was that…...what both of you saw?”
 

Jenny thought for a moment. "It might've been, if you're that shocked… we can share the memory stuff too?" The Plasma agent seemed surprised at that, then bit her lip for a moment.


"I don't mind if you saw too." Kris said, though she still seemed troubled, taking a seat in the sand for a moment. "So those were my… memories…"


Evan took some time to process what he had seen, then realized something. “Was…..that Spear Pillar I saw?” The man asked. “I recognized the G on the uniform of one of the people in the vision. That had to be Galactic, but going by another thing, that means this was after Team Rocket took over, and so….” Then it dawned on him. “That woman was one of the Galactic Admins, but Team Galactic never came to Spear Pillar when we were there, so…..” Evan then looked at Kris, bewildered. “Are you…..really from here?”

Kris and Jenny stayed quiet for a moment. "Can I… see that drawing for a moment?" Jenny asked hesitantly. The blue-haired woman nodded, and Jenny took the paper and looked at it closely. She noticed that, despite the drawing being rather simplistic, the hair colours of the three girls stood out, as if they were meant to be focused on. The tallest woman had blue hair like Kris'. The one to Kris' left was slightly shorter, with a mix of red and black hair, like the girl who had been caught in the attack.


The shortest girl, to Kris' right, had dirty blonde hair, like the girl who had introduced herself as Marianna. Still. "Evan…" Jenny slowly began to say, as she glanced over at the other Plasma agent. "Did you feel like you recognized anyone in that vision?"

“Yeah…...one of them…...looked like you, Jenny.” Evan said, as he considered everything. “What about you? Did you recognize anyone in that vision?”

Jenny bit her lip. "What's more troublesome is that while I kinda vaguely recognize some people… I know for certain that I don't recognize that blonde girl. And that day, the one that had the Dragonite; that's not at all how that day went." The redhead looked at Kris, an uncertain look on her face. "You… must be from a different world, I think."

 

-==I̷̼͓̟̒̈͌C̵͚͕̼͊͊: C̷̡̧͕͚̖̉ ̸̡̢̑ ̶̳̙̼̽̾̔͑̄ ̵̛̬̐͌̈́̈́ ̴̣̰̍̄ͅḙ̸̛̫̰̮̲̈́̆̋͝ - T̷͈̹͖͕̊̈́̊́̾ͅ ̵͇͝ ̷̢͚͖̰̞̋͒̎͂̕m̵̢̟̦̀́̒̈́͜ ̴̙̾G̵̢̯͖̻̀̀͋̍ ̷̰͓͉̟̝̀̿̉ ̷͙̘͎̦̖͛a̷̞͘͝ ̵͉͊́̒ ̵̧̐í̷̡c̷̛͖̀̈͠ ̴͕̩͆B̴̤̙̫͆͌̕ ̸͍̲̆s̶̨̤̳͠è̸͍̳͌́̚͜==-

 

It's time now. It's time for things to finally be settled. I wish it didn't have to come to this, but it's all up to you now. And you stare down the monster who did this. The monster gave a roar of protest as you defeated the last Pokémon.

 

"Come now! Don't you know this is useless? Why fight against me?" The monster roars out, but you aren't listening. Your hair covers your face as you take a step forward, hand trembling slightly. The monster's fangs have already been dealt with, so there's nothing to worry about. You hesitate, and so do I... is it really worth this? The monster notices your hesitation and grins, face contorted into a savage look. A hand shoots out at you, claws seeming to shimmer in the dim light of the room.

 

Your eyes widen as the monster grabs you by the neck. I want to help, but I can't... You realize you can't hesitate anymore.

 

The sound of metal cut through the air, as you swung the knife in your hand up. You are dropped and gasp for air, as you watch the monster stumble back. The roars of the monster echo throughout the room as you can't tear your eyes away. You watch the monster collapse to the ground. You then look down at the stained knife in your hand, trembling more at the realization of what just happened. The monster of a man was slain.

 

Behind you, the sound of a door opening catches your attention. You turn around, and see a look of shock on her face... was the nod of approval? You can't tell anymore... The knife slips from your hand and clatters to the ground. You turn away, noticing a broken mirror to the side of the room. You walk over to it, and examine your reflection despite the broken shards. Your blonde hair and brown eyes shine back at you - you feel like the weight of the entire world is on your shoulders. Your eyes have a look no-one should have, let alone someone your age.

 

But... don't forget this. No matter what, you're still you, Marie. No-one can take that away from you. Just keep moving, and one day you'll find your peace.

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IC: Octavyn Nowarei (Team Liberty Detention Center, The Alamo, Four Island)

 

*THOOM!!!*

 

The door to the interrogation room slammed open as if hit by Thunder, the sudden loud noise startling the guard off of his seat.

 

“Why?” the bespectacled agent asked, her grim demand undercut by a momentary voice crack.

 

“Wha…?”

 

Octavyn pointed at the blonde-haired man on the other side of the glass. “Why is he here?”

 

The guard regarded the communications officer with confusion. “…Because he was arrested?”

 

The answer failed to satisfy her. “Why was he arrested?” She turned her head to confirm the prisoner’s state, giving him a small smile in reassurance before resuming her scowl at the guard. “He is the one injured.”

 

The guard frowned, giving the man a glance of his own. “A black eye, a split lip, a couple of scratches and bruises. He’ll be fine.” The prisoner shifted as if in protest, but the guard’s attention had already diverted back to Octavyn. “If it were serious, we’d move him to a cell with medical, but since it’s not there’s no sense wasting the space on a spy for Team Flare.”

 

Octavyn reeled as if slapped. “He… a what?!”

 

The prisoner dragged himself forward, straining to speak. “Octy…” he near-whispered.

 

Were she anyone else, Octy would have missed the message. “Cam… Cameron?” she asked, her voice the small, frightened tone of a lost child.

 

The DJ swallowed several times, wincing in pain, before managing to rasp out a response. “Not… fine,” he said, his ragged voice earning a flinch from both people on the other side of the glass.

 

“Dear Arceus…” the guard swore.

 

Octavyn swelled with outrage. “Who did this?” she asked, her quiet calmness an order of magnitude more threatening than her earlier shouting.

 

“Xan… der.”

 

Octavyn’s hands clenched into fists as she turned her fury onto the guard once again. “You see? He is the spy, not Cameron. I hate it, but it’s true.” She looked back to Cameron. “That is why you went after Xander, correct?”

 

Cameron’s pause was a second too long. “…Yes,” he croaked.

 

Octy’s eyes widened behind her thick, pink-framed lenses. “You… you thought he had followed in his father’s footsteps, correct?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And that… that is why you wanted to keep the Shadow Sneasel out of his hands?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Octy stared at her friend in disbelief. “…Are you lying to me?”

 

Cameron’s mask slipped, for a mere moment, from desperation to despair. “I… could… ne-ver…”

 

Octy made her voice hard, even as it shook with emotion. “That… is true. You cannot lie to me. It does not work.”

 

The communications officer could see the last light of hope drain from Cameron’s eyes. “Oc… Oc-ty…”

 

Agent Nowaryn held up a halting hand. “You will tell me the truth. Is Xander Cruize a traitor to Team Liberty?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Her red eyes narrowed. “Is he specifically a member of Team Flare?”

 

“…He… could--”

 

“Do. Not. Lie.

 

The traitorous ex-Team Liberty agent slumped in shame. “Wish… he… was.”

 

“Explain.”

 

“So… we… could… be… on… same… side.”

 

“You are a spy for Team Flare.”

 

A long pause, but then the truth. “Yes.”

 

“How long?”

 

For a few moments, Cameron struggled, but at length he finally managed an answer he could rasp out. “Years.”

 

Octy could not quite suppress the small sob that escaped her. Unbidden, a memory rose to the surface, a memory of the first time she’d seen Cameron defeated.

 

 

 

“Wow, Cruize, you’re really showing your violent nature here. Maybe we’re seeing a darker side of your personality that’s only ever been hinted at before.” Cameron grinned. “But your dark moves are nothing compared to ours. Fennekin, Foul Play!”

 

Octavyn held back her small sigh. For all his determination, Cameron really lacked the skills to back up his bravado -- with words or in battle. Still, she had promised to hold her tongue, and she valued her word too much to break it for this.

 

"Sylph, Confusion once more if you will."

 

Cameron's Fennekin flipped into the air...and promptly faceplanted in front of Sylph, leaving it wide open to the Ralts' retribution. Taking care this time to twirl its tail toward her this time, Sylph repeated her earlier maneuver, finally finishing the Fennekin.

 

"Hmpf. Seriously? Is that all you've got, Cruize? Fennekin--"

 

“Is unable to battle.” Sycamore stepped forward, gesturing to the fox lying still on the ground. “This match goes to Xander and Sylph.”

 

Cameron frowned and pressed the button on the Pokéball, before shrugging off his own gesture. “Y’know, Xander, you’ve still got a long way to go before you’re ready to challenge me.” He returned Fennekin and flipped his hair. “Maybe learn some actual strategy before battling people.” So saying, he turned and walked away, leaving everyone else save Octavyn staring after him in shock.

 

She alone saw what the others could not. She alone knew why Cameron would not, could not admit his loss. Not to Xander -- not ever. But he meant as much to her as Xander meant to him, and so she would leave the two to form their friendship on their own.

 

“But . . .” Xander said before thinking better of it. Octavyn saw in his eyes the seeds of hate, and her heart fell for her friends -- but still she stayed silent. “Sylph, come on,” Xander said, “If we hurry we can get to Santalune before it gets dark.”

 

The Ralts nodded, and they walked in the opposite direction of Cameron, heading for Lumiose City’s south gate.

 

As Cameron and Xander both went their separate ways, Sycamore looked on with undisguised concern. Of the four friends--or possibly former friends, if that battle had been any indication--only Octavyn still stayed behind.

 

"Miss Nowarei, I have to ask. Is Cameron...really always like this? Even at home?"

 

The quiet Trainer considered the question carefully.

 

"No."

 

And just like that, it was time to leave. Octavyn set on her way, leaving only her concerned and confused mentor behind in Lumiose.

 

 

 

“Oc… ty…?” Octavyn was startled out of her reminiscence at the sound of Cameron’s ruined voice. “Do… you… hate… me…?”

 

Octavyn whirled. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

 

The disgraced DJ slowly shook his head.

 

“You have betrayed the Team I dedicated my life to, who has protected my family for years, for the sake of a tyrant who would have had me and countless others executed because we don’t fit his twisted idea of a perfect world!”

 

It was the longest she had ever spoken in Cameron’s presence. He barreled past for his own objection. “He… would… not.”

 

Octavyn glared. “Oh?”

 

“I… would… not… let… him.”

 

“…And you think you could stop him.”

 

“Of… course.”

 

Octy didn’t know when, exactly, her beloved friend’s pride had twisted from that small, injured spark she’d worked so hard to heal at Sycamore’s summer camp into something monstrous. Maybe it had been there the whole time; Isabella certainly had not granted Cameron the same leniency she had. She had never seen the vulnerability beneath the ego. But that vulnerability no longer mattered. Cameron was willing to work with monsters who would kill her without a second thought, would kill millions with neither hesitation nor remorse, and saw nothing wrong with helping them. The one thing he valued, the one thing she thought could keep his worse impulses in check -- her -- had done nothing to dissuade him. For the first time, she saw Cameron’s insane assertion that he could stand up to anything in the world, could do anything he wanted without consequence, could have anything he wanted no matter what, for what it was: a delusion. Fitting, perhaps, to finally recognize it alongside the delusion she herself had borne for just as long.

 

“We will never meet again.”

 

“What--?”

 

“Shut up. I refuse to see your face as long as I live. You will not contact me, or attempt to contact me, through any means.”

 

“Oc-ty--”

 

“You will not use that name for me ever again. You will answer fully and truthfully any questions Team Liberty asks of you. You will not try to mislead them. You will obey my demands, or I will contact Team Liberty leadership and recommend for your immediate summary execution. Do you understand?”

 

Wordlessly, Cameron nodded.

 

Without hesitation, Octavyn whirled and left the room. Just as she was closing the door behind her, she hesitated, giving her former friend one final glance. “To answer your question…”

 

Cameron perked up for one small moment.

 

“…Yes.”

 

*SLAM!*


 

Me: *has idea*

Blade: "I'd say too convoluted, and I know too convoluted =P"

 

"Dangit, I shouldn't have gotten ambitious."

--Merc, RE: our plotting

 

Pokémon Rise of the Rockets Profiles: LINK

3DS FC: 3625-9584-9417 (Pokemon X Friend Safari: Electric-type, Pachirisu, Electabuzz, Zebstrika)

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IC: Ryan Sanders - Ford's Room, Vertrag

By the time Sonja had picked up the book, Ryan realized he had subconsciously stepped away. Once the indescribably pressure had ceased, he stepped closer for a better look at the Grimoire. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out; he simply stood in awe at the tome that had exuded such a meaningful presence.

 

He was still at a loss for words when Chloe and the others came in, greeted by an uncharacteristically enthusiastic Ray. Ryan cleared his throat. "What Ray meant to say," he said with a sidelong glance at the orange-haired trainer. "Is that we've found the Grimoire." He motioned toward the book in Sonja's hands. "Hopefully this brings us one step closer to finding an answer to the Missing Zero."

 

Somehow, voicing the words made them real. He looked back at the Grimoire. It was hard to believe that all their hope rested in this 'neat old book' as Ray had called it. Hard to believe, yet not so far fetched considering the overpowering pressure the book had given off. It wasn't just an answer to the current crisis, it was the source of Ford's magic. A powerful tool, indeed. Or a powerful weapon. His eyes darted to the others in the room, lingering on Emmerich, the one he knew the least. Should anyone choose to misuse the power held in this book, the results would be catastrophic. The loss of Pokémon power proved that already.

 

After the Missing Zero was dealt with, they'd have to find a safe place for the book. The realization scared him. Biting his lip, Ryan spoke a question to distract himself from his own thoughts. "What about you guys, find anything of note in those rooms?"

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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IC: Emily Lockwood/Lachina Adaon/Jared Winters

 

"Yes," Emily said. "Why would we need to camp? We're literally sitting at the table of one of the three wealthiest men in Kalos; surely we can take a car from here to Geosenge. It would take us maybe five hours."

 

Lachina grinned, leaning forward. "Yeah, I bet he has some cool super car that would fit all of us and then some!"

Jared sighed and looked to Lionel. "Well, Mr. Zyther? Do you have a car we could use?"

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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-==IC: Shabboneau Castle==- (Morning of August 8th, 2017)

 

“That was the plan, yes. We keep a large van on-site, and Chalmers has a D1 for it.” Lionel attempted to smile reassuringly, though it came off more self-satisfied than anything else. “I asked Chalmers to ready it last night, so once he’s off the phone…”

 

“Ah. About that…” Chalmers re-entered the room, a plate for Lionel in hand and a troubled expression on his face. “I’m afraid the van is currently inoperable. While it would not normally be a problem for my mechanical abilities, I was just informed that the required parts will be unavailable before the thirteenth. I’m dreadfully sorry, sir.”

 

“It’s all right, Chalmers.” Lionel’s brow furrowed. “I presume the closest supplier would be Cyllage?”

 

“To my knowledge, yes.”

 

“Which would defeat the purpose of driving there; Cyllage is a day and a half by foot, closer to two if you’re not exhausting yourself. By the time we made it there and back, we might as well have just walked all the way to Geosenge.”

 

“I do apologize, if I had realized sooner--”

 

“Chalmers, enough.” Lionel shook his head. “This is not your fault.”

 

The butler stopped to consider that. “Perhaps not,” he granted, “but at the same time I can’t help but feel some level of irrational responsibility.”

 

Lionel chuckled. “Well then, maybe you can put some of that irrational responsibility to work getting the rest of our guests fed.”

 

“Of course, sir. You may rely on me.”

 

Once the butler had taken the remaining orders and departed, Lionel sighed and shook his head fondly. “That man. All right, so this is going to change things. Day and a half to Cyllage, but call it two for safety -- you don’t want to cross the river mouth at night, the currents aren’t safe if someone falls in. Then it’s a bit less than a day’s walk from Cyllage to Geosenge, assuming nothing goes wrong. Will that work for everyone?”

 

 

 

IC: Belle LaDonna/’Belle LaDonna’/Amelia Zann/Alex Zyther/Alma Mason/’Alex Zyther’/’Amelia Zann’.

 

By the time Belle had stopped laughing (much to Alex and Amelia’s annoyance), the two groups had settled on the less-bloody side of the cave, the two Almas a short distance away preparing Donna’s body for burial.

 

“So what do you watch?” Belle asked the alternate trio.

 

“Disney,” her counterpart said. “Lots. And lots. Of Disney.” Belle snickered a bit at the tone that said she’d seen those movies too many times to count.

 

“Y’all got a favorite?” Amelia asked teasingly.

 

“Amy’s a big fan of Beauty and the Beast. One of our helpers nicknamed us after it, but it didn’t really stick.”

 

“Well, it’s sticking now. I guess, uh, ‘Amy’ is the Beauty?” Belle said with a small grin.

 

“Pft, no. My name’s Belle, so obviously I’m Beauty.”

 

“Forgive me for saying so,” Alex said, “but she doesn’t really seem the Beastly type.”

 

Beauty chuckled. “Believe me, she definitely has . . . an aggressive side, let’s say.” She wrapped an arm around a suddenly red-faced Amy.

 

Alma tilted her head and shrugged as she turned to the alternate Alex. “What about you? What sort of things do you like?”

 

“Nimbasa,” the witch replied, “and so help me, if I hear one joke about it…”

 

“I see.” Alma nodded. “Then what if we called you Elphaba, since you are all dressed in green?”

 

Amelia smirked at the alternate Alex. “How ‘bout it, Elfy?”

 

The glare leveled at Amelia could have corroded steel. “I will not be called that.”

 

Amelia winced at the note in the witch’s tone -- one she’d used herself many a time. “Sorry,” she quickly amended.

 

At the alternate Alex’s cold nod of acceptance, Amy picked up the slack. “Alex tends to attract more… rudeness… than the rest of us. They’re a phenomenal magical scholar, and an equally excellent Practitioner, but there are still those who refuse to accept them, particularly given the traditionally… traditional Shabboneau lineage.”

 

Alma frowned. “What do you mean?”

 

Beauty shrugged. “Most mages focus on one specific tradition of magic, devoting their lives to its practice and letting its teachings dominate their worldview. Divination, El Naipe, Pact Magic, big players like that. Alex… doesn’t.”

 

“They’re basically a Red Mage,” Amy interjected, “so they’ve got a little bit of everything -- offense, defense, and healing.”

 

“Please,” the witch in question objected, “there’s a bit more distinction than that.”

 

“Shh,” Amy admonished. “Let me pretend the real world’s a JRPG for just one night, okay?”

 

“No.”

 

Anyway,” Beauty pointedly interrupted, “the point is, people get a bit… touchy when you mix traditions like that, particularly when those traditions have conflicting histories, objectives, moral judgements…”

 

“They also don’t like my gender identity.”

 

Beauty winced at the witch’s bluntness, but nodded nonetheless. “…and there’s that, yeah. Hopefully we’re not a bunch of superstitious barbarians compared to your world.”

 

Amelia snorted. “Relax. We ain’t nowhere near close to perfect ourselves.”

 

“We are getting better,” Belle added, “but we aren’t there yet.”

 

“Well...well, uh, I mean, it’s not all bad here?” Amy glanced back and forth between her counterpart and Belle nervously. “It’s a big world. We’re stuck in the stuffy circles, but like… it’s not that bad everywhere.”

 

“Small comfort to Alex,” Beauty pointed out.

 

“I know.” Amy cast her eyes downward in sadness. “But it’s still… hope, you know?”

 

Beauty gave Amy a reassuring pat on the back in reply.

 

Alex the Green caught their counterpart brooding from across the conjured campfire, the occasional stare clueing them in to the source of the other Alex’s discomfort. “Something wrong?”

 

“What?” The traveler started, then looked away guiltily. “No, no. I’m fine.”

 

The green-clad witch gave a long suffering sigh. “Come on. We’re going outside. I’m not going to put up with getting stared at all night, I get that enough at Father’s parties.” The involuntary flinch made it clear this was an experience both counterparts shared. “Let’s get some fresh air, shall we?”

 

With only a moment’s hesitation, Alex took a deep breath and nodded.


 

Me: *has idea*

Blade: "I'd say too convoluted, and I know too convoluted =P"

 

"Dangit, I shouldn't have gotten ambitious."

--Merc, RE: our plotting

 

Pokémon Rise of the Rockets Profiles: LINK

3DS FC: 3625-9584-9417 (Pokemon X Friend Safari: Electric-type, Pachirisu, Electabuzz, Zebstrika)

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IC: Zoe Llyan/Dahlia Seaton/Alex Lockwood - Shabboneau Castle, Camphrier Town

Zoe wasn't even given a chance to tell Lachina she could handle the mission before the conversation shifted gears to talk of vehicles and service delays. So instead of arguing the point she simply poked at her remaining pancakes. It wasn't like her opinion mattered, anyway. For as much as the Ranger tried to tell her otherwise, it was obvious no one was going to take Zoe seriously.

 

Unintentionally proving her point, Alex didn't even notice Zoe's brooding as he answered Lionel's question. "Well it doesn't seem we have much of a choice," he said with a shrug. "But we were able to walk here from Lumiose with no problems, so I can't imagine the journey to Cyllage and Geosenge would be too bad. Just as long as we steer clear of any Pokémon turf wars." He cracked a smile, but after all the drama of the morning no one else seemed to be in a joking mood. Dahlia in particular seemed to grow pale at the thought of yesterday's battle, her expression unreadable.

 

Shrugging off the humorless reaction, Alex got to his feet. "Well, I'd better go pack up. Sounds like we've got a busy couple of days ahead of us."

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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IC - Sonja Baron/Kyle Eston/Emmerich Coleman - Ford's Room, Vertrag:

 

At Ryan's question, Kyle's expression dropped. His eyebrows knitted, and he ran his fingers through his hair, resting his hand against the back of his head. "Yeah . . . We found a few things," he said. "I actually wanted to talk to you and Ray about something that I found. Maybe Sonja and Chloe, too." He sighed, looking around. "That can wait a bit, though. Are you finished with everything here?"

 

"Not everything," Sonja said. "I don't know that we'll find anything else of value in here, but we haven't gotten a chance yet to see what's down that stairwell at the end of the hallway."

 

From his position at the door, Kyle could lean back and peer down the hall. He nodded. "Alright," he said. "I say we check out down there, then move back into the main room and go over everything that we've found here."

 

"I'm fine with that," Sonja said. "First, though . . ." She slipped her bag off of her shoulders and to the ground, stooping down to open it. Carefully, she placed the Grimoire inside, and then closed the bag. She shouldered it as she rose back to her feet. "Should be safe in there until we can sit down . . ."

 

Emmerich nodded. "Well, good job on finding it," he said. "If it's fine with you all, I'm curious to find out what is on those terminals in the other room. Perhaps I could try accessing them while you search the next floor?"

 

 

IC:

 

A light arced across the sky and descended. It made landfall.

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~ Rise of the Rockets (I II)/Discussion Topic/Side Stories ~

 

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IC: Ryan Sanders - Ford's Room, Vertrag

Taking one last look around the room, Ryan slowly nodded. "Yeah, we didn't try much with those computer terminals," he told Emmerich. "Knock yourself out. Hopefully you'll find something worthwhile there." He moved past Kyle, pausing in the middle of the hallway to wait for the others. The dark stairwell loomed ahead of him like an enigmatic shadow, simultaneously inviting and foreboding. They already had the Grimoire, so just what could they find down there? He glanced back at the others. "Shall we be off, then?"

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood

 

After everyone had eaten and gathered their things, the group set out. Sometime during the night, the castle's butler had found time to gather some more supplies for everyone and divided it into manageable packages for each person to stow in their bag. Jared and Colleen led the group. The Froakie still sat on the silver aura user's shoulder, looking around quietly as they walked.

 

It was several hours into the walk alongside the river before the group caught sight of a structure rising over the water, a grand mansion sitting on its own island amidst the rushing water. An opulent bridge spanned the breadth between the river's bank and the house. Lachina tilted her head. "What's that?" she asked, sure that the Kalosian natives would answer her question.

 

Sure enough, Emily spoke up. "That is the Battle Chateau. It's, well, a place for people to battle one another. As you battle, you gain new titles; for instance, I am a Viscountess, the second rank out of six. Sometimes gym leaders will even show up for friendly matches."

 

Jamie's eyes widened and gave Lucia a pleading look. The healer looked towards the people at the head of the group. "Would it be alright if we visited for a couple of hours or so?"

 

Jared sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, sure, alright, why not," he muttered. "Let's go check out the Chateau for a bit." Not like we've done anything else in this country without getting distracted, he thought snidely.

 

IC: Isabella Fontaine/Octavyn Nowarei

 

Isabella Fontaine was somewhat irritated as she worked. She had woken up to a message saying that she was now running a mission over in the Kalos region -- a mission that one of her friends should have been running, but that stupid idiot had gone and gotten himself arrested so now she was in charge. She had received the morning call-in, but she hadn’t been able yet to make her way down to the detention center in order to see just what Xander had done.

 

And she was not about to have that conversation during the thirty minutes she was allotted for lunch.

 

The door to Command slammed open, revealing a rather ragged-looking Octavyn, tearstained trails running down beneath rose-framed glasses, her electric blue hair for once taking a frazzled appearance befitting its color descriptor.  “THAT TRAITOR!” she screamed, sobbing.

 

Isa quickly closed out of her terminal and stood. “Yep, alright, lunchtime.” The blonde girl made her way over to the bluenette. “You, me, your room, now.” She took Octavyn’s arm and half-dragged her out of the command center.

 

Octavyn briefly struggled, but eventually acquiesced.  A few minutes’ walk saw the duo arrive at Octy’s quarters.

 

Isa closed the door and scowled, crossing her arms. “So, I’m assuming this has something to do with Alex.”

 

“How could they do this to us?  How could they do this to me?”

 

“Slow down, Octy. How could who do what?” Isa frowned. “Hon, tell me clearly what happened.”

 

“I loved him!  And he betrayed me!”  Octy broke down briefly into unintelligible sobs before pushing up her glasses to wipe away her tears.  “He used me. He used us. And he would have let the world burn.” She broke down sobbing once more.

 

Isabella blinked, somewhat surprised at her friend’s breakdown. Octavyn was normally so grounded. “I mean, I don’t have all the dirty details yet, but . . . You talked to him, then?”

 

Octy tearfully nodded.  “He couldn’t lie to me. He confessed everything.  I told him that if he tried to lie, I would recommend his execution.”

 

What did he confess, Octy?”

 

Octy stared at her friend, gaze hazy with tears.  “That he is a spy for Team Flare.”

 

Isa slumped against the wall in shock. “No. No way, that can’t possibly be true!”

 

“I heard it from his own mouth.”

 

The blonde girl sighed, closing her eyes. “I . . . I have to go talk with him. If I’m not back before your shift starts, apologize to the higher-ups for me.” She opened the door and strode out, frowning.

 

To think that Xander Cruize of all people was working for Flare . . .

 
-==Richie Eston==-
 
The Executive of Investigations walked into the Alamo's daycare center and retrieved a ball that he had given to them earlier that day. He made his way back to a secure area and released his own Charizard and Tyranitar before he pressed the button on the ball and let the Sneasel out of its confinement. As it took a defensive stance, the executive sat behind his desk. "Relax. I have some simple questions I'd like to ask you."
Edited by MELON LORD

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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-==IC: Chloe/Ray - Vertrag==-


As Chloe descended the stairs, she found herself thinking about what they had discovered so far. Most of it was stuff she had already thought about, but she glanced over at Kyle and Sonja as she wondered how they would handle the stuff they would be most interested in. She was jolted from her thoughts as she felt her belt rattle. With a confused look, the psychic pulled Alvis's Poké Ball off of her belt.


"Alvis? What's wrong?" Chloe asked out loud for a brief moment as she looked at the Gallade through the glass top. She reached out with her telepathy as the Gallade motioned to his mouth.


Ray glanced behind himself as a flash of light briefly lit up the stairwell - he could see Chloe's Gallade now walking alongside the group, and it looked like the two were talking over telepathy. He saw Chloe glance over after a moment.


"Oh, if I'm distracted, then sorry; I'm discussing something important right now. Just like, try to get my attention if it's super super important, alright?" Chloe gave an apologetic smile, but Ray nodded with a grin.


"Gotcha. Just don't get too distracted that nothing will get your attention and we'll be fine." The orange-haired separatist focused forward once again, as he left the two to their discussion.

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IC: Ryan Sanders - Vertrag

The group walked in relative silence down the staircase. Kyle it seemed had a lot on his mind from whatever he'd found, and Chloe was in the midst of a conversation with her Gallade. If he had to guess, Ryan would say Sonja's thoughts were likely on the Grimoire in her bag, and Ray was just taking it all in. The darkness closed in around them, yet somehow the stairwell never grew too dark to see their immediate surroundings. Five sets of footsteps echoed softly and inharmoniously, the only sound to pierce the silence.

 

At the bottom of the stairwell the light illuminated a short hallway ending in a set of double doors. The doors looked gave off no indication of what might lay beyond; they were as plain as all the other doors in the base. After pausing to make sure everyone had caught up, Ryan pushed the doors open, wondering just what they might find inside.

 

Immediately he found himself at a loss for words. The doors opened up to an enormous arena, much like the ones he had seen at various Pokémon Leagues. The lines marking the battlefield itself glowed with the same soft white light they had seen in the rest of the base, giving the stadium a somewhat somber tone. A set of bleachers ran across one wall, and in the center of the front row sat what appeared to be some sort of pedestal for an emcee. The ceiling of the arena extended far into the darkness above them, unsurprising given how far down they'd come.

 

Ryan had gone a decent way into the arena before his words caught up with him. "This must be where Ford's Pokémon trained." He turned back to face the others, his awe giving way to a huge grin. "You know, it'll probably take Emmerich a while to go through those computers. What do you say we let our Pokémon have a little sparring practice while we're down here? It looks like Chloe's already got her Gallade out, anyway."

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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IC - Sonja Baron/Kyle Eston - Arena, Vertrag:

 

After everything else they had seen in the base, Sonja quickly got over her surprise at the sheer size of the arena. At Ryan's suggestion, she pulled a Poké Ball from her belt, thinking. "You know, without powers, Loki might actually stand a chance against a Psychic-Type like Gallade . . ." she mused. "Sure, why not?"

 

 

IC - Emmerich Coleman - Command Center, Vertrag:

 

There were a lot of options to choose from; General Coleman was not sure where to start. It did not help that he had no idea what any given terminal would provide access to. Was Ford's operation set up in such a way that each computer specialized in specific intel? Or were they all connected to the same network, and thus it wouldn't matter where he logged in to access the information? If that was the case, then why have so many access points at all? And how, exactly, would he get into the network to begin with?

 

He sighed. So many questions, so relatively-limited time . . .

 

In the end, the logical choice seemed to be the middlemost console. In any given Rocket base--and from what he had seen of several Liberty outposts--the central console was where command operations were led. Presumably, Ford's designs would follow suit. He approached the circular platform, moving up the small flight of steps and opening the gate. A chair stood in the middle, able to rotate toward any of the given keyboards, switches, and screens set around it. He took a seat, letting his instincts guide him on where to start. To his surprise, the computers--which had appeared so vacant until now--lit up when he sat down. One bore a login screen.

 

Emmerich sat still for a moment, simply staring at the screen. There was no possible way that Ford would set this system up so that just anyone could access it; indeed, a quick input of a random password quickly snuffed out that suspicion. So, he was going to have to either figure out the password from what he knew of Ford, or try to force his way inside. Neither option was going to be easy. Frowning, he pressed a set of keys, opening a command prompt and beginning to type out a string of code.

 

He was not sure how long he had been at it when he noticed a soft, flashing light on the next screen to his right. Emmerich glanced over, turned his attention back to the first screen, and then jerked his head back to the right. It was a message. He pulled his hands away from the keyboard, somewhat alarmed--even more so when he clicked on the screen, opening and reading the message:

 

 

Are you authorized to access?

 

There was no indication of who this message had come from; on the screen, its sender information simply read 'System.' But this was not phrased the way any other computer would phrase it. And there was no means that Emmerich could see of responding.

 

It sent a follow-up:

 

 

I see.

 

A pause.

 

 

Would you like access?

 

Emmerich's palms were sweaty with discomfort, but the tone of the messages made him calmer. It did not feel as if he was being threatened, only inquired to. He looked around for an associated keyboard. Finding none, he took a breath, shook his head, and spoke: "Yes."

 

Another pause.

 

A sudden noise like muffled banging erupted from the main room. Emmerich jerked his head toward the door. Another flashing light caught his eye, only this time, it seemed more urgent--much more urgent. He opened the message.

 

 

Secure this place.

 

A light glowed above Emmerich. Before he could react, a muted sensation washed over him. The lights went out; sound became muffled, but not gone. He felt as if he were floating. Though his body seemed to have vanished, his mind was still there, and through the darkness, he became aware of the noise nearby. A creaking, groaning of metal erupted from the doorway; he could only assume that something had torn the door down. Voices spoke that sounded as if they were underwater, a man and a woman. He heard a sniffing sound, like a hound tracking a scent. Another eruption of metal, and then silence.

 

A moment later, General Coleman returned to the center seat of the command center. It took him a moment to regain his bearings. Once he did, however, he saw the results of what he had heard: A gaping hole stood in the wall where once had been a door, destroying the only wall between the command center and the main room. More concerning: A similar hole leading down the hallway where Ford's room, the library, and the stairwell were located. The dim light illuminated the fleeting figure disappearing down the stairs.

 

Emmerich jumped to his feet, moving as quickly as he could after them. He pulled his comm from his pocket, calling a message over his radio, stern and clear: "Unknown entities in the facility, I repeat, unknown enemies in the facility. They are headed your way. Secure your position."

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~ Rise of the Rockets (I II)/Discussion Topic/Side Stories ~

 

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IC: Emily Lockwood/Colleen Llyan

 

As everyone else went to explore the Chateau and watch supposed battles, Emily quietly excused herself and made her way out onto the front steps of the grand building. As she ruminated on the loss of power, she found herself wondering what would become of people whose careers relied on it. She held Spitfire’s Pokéball in her hand, and the world grew blurry as tears formed in her eyes.

 

"Hey, you okay?" Colleen popped up next to Emily, leaning against the railing as she looked at Emily with an expression of concern on her face. Even though she could tell that the performer wasn't at all okay, she also wasn't quite sure what else she could say. Still, she was--

 

The aura wielder paused in her thoughts as a gust of wind blew her hair right into her face. She took a brief moment to brush her hair out of the way, but still looked at her new friend with concern.

 

Despite her tears, a soft giggle escaped Emily as the wind ruffled Colleen’s hair. “I am fine, dear.” The performer pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes softly with it. “I was just wondering what I would do if I were unable to perform again.” She sighed softly, looking down at the ball in her hand again. “I suppose I could still go into fashion, but that’s a rather hard field to do well in these days.”

 

Colleen didn't have that much of an answer at first, and took a couple moments to think it over. "It is a tough question, honestly… I kinda know what that feeling's like too, honestly." She thought a little longer and glanced over at Emily curiously. "Say, you make your own clothes, don't you?"

 

The younger girl nodded. “I do, that’s how I can match my clothing so well to my Pokémon. Why do you ask?” She looked up again, smiling softly.

 

"Oh, um, well…" Colleen hadn't been prepared for the follow-up question, but scratched her head for a moment. "Well, I didn't really have any real reason, like, you had mentioned about fashion and I remembered that, and it's super cool to me that you can do that." She gave a smile in return. "Plus, you do honestly seem pretty good at it… how difficult of a field is it?"

 

“Well . . .” Emily hummed softly as she thought of the best way to explain. “How many designers can you name, do you think? Most people can list somewhere around ten or eleven of the more well-known names. I myself can say about fifteen before I have to pause and think.” She straightened up, turning to fully face Colleen. “For every person who gets their own label and makes it big, there are easily a thousand working to try and get there. They’ll apprentice or work under other labels for a bit and hope that their design gets recognized and accepted for the runway. And then it’s luck if they get the credit for it the first time, or even the tenth.

 

“You have to be good enough to get your clothing seen a lot before you can start your own brand. Then you need money, and you have to go with the trends that the big names say are in style, but you have to do it in a way that makes you stand out.” She shook her head. “It’s certainly not easy.”

 

Colleen nodded as she listened thoughtfully. "Those are good points, I definitely see what you mean now… it doesn't sound easy at all." She thought it over a bit more. "Have you done the apprenticing before?" The girl seemed genuinely curious about it, as she leaned against the railing a bit more to get comfy.

 

“Sort of. Every year, a bunch of kids in Laverre go to study under Valerie, but most of them only ever meet her once or twice as she passes through. A handful will get to work with her for about a week straight, learning all the little tricks and tips she has, but then they get sent back to the rest of the class. Valerie is not unkind or impersonal, she just has a very busy life with gym duties in one hand and a fashion empire in the other. I worked with her directly during my classes, but a week isn’t time to learn enough, and nobody counts it as a real apprenticeship, since they were classes that we paid for.”

 

"That makes sense yeah, a week is really short in the long run… it's not bad, but…" Colleen trailed off slightly as she sighed. "I definitely know from experience that it takes way longer than a week to learn things like that." Despite that, she smiled again. "Still… considering that, you've done pretty well at your outfits in my opinion."

 

“You flatter me,” Emily said with a small grin. “Not that I mind flattery, of course.” She looked back towards the Chateau and sighed. “I don’t want to go back inside. Would you care to wander around a bit with me?”

 

"Sure, I'd be glad to!" Colleen leaned away from the railing as she stretched for a moment. She glanced back to Emily with a smile. "Anywhere in mind that you were thinking? I'm fine with anywhere you pick."

 

“Nothing in particular. I just don’t find the thought of watching Pokémon hit each other with claws and fists all that appealing.” Emily began making her way down the steps. “We’ll make an adventure of it.”

 

"Sounds good to me." Colleen nodded, quiet otherwise as she agreed with that thought. She glanced down to her belt for a moment, eying the Pokémon that usually would be eager to take on something like the Chateau. Still… she had hope that the power would return - both because of what she'd heard and because of what the other group was looking into. But for right now, none of that mattered. The aura wielder followed Emily with her hands in her pockets, as she wondered what they'd find.

 

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina was outside as well, flying around on Aolani's back to pass time. She had never liked the idea of battles outside of necessity or training, so the "Battle Chateau" held no appeal for her. The Altaria screeched, and Lachina glanced down to see what she'd spotted. She smiled a bit as she saw two girls walking down from the steps leading up to the Chateau. "Alright, let's go then." So saying, she rolled off of Aolani's back and plummeted towards the ground.

 

IC: Isabella Fontaine/Xander Cruize

 

A storm made its way through the halls of the detention center, blowing away anybody who dared stand in its path. Isabella strode from the corridor into the booking area and slammed her hands on the intake desk. “I need to speak with Alexander Cruize, please.”

 

The intake officer jumped a bit at the girl’s approach and started stammering something about visitation hours and number of visitors per day and how you were really supposed to make an appointment ahead of time.

 

“I don’t have time for this. I took over control of a mission from him, and the first call-in made me aware that I hadn’t been properly briefed on the mission’s parameters. That prisoner has vital information that could mean the difference between 12 people living and dying.” She leaned in, blue eyes blazing with anger. “So, let me talk to him. Now.”

 

The officer nodded and stood. “Follow me, then.” He led the girl through the quiet halls and into a large cafeteria-like room with several tables scattered around. She was seated at one and informed that Xander would be in shortly.

 

He entered, looking better-rested than she could ever remember seeing him. His black hair was messy as usual, but it looked like he’d at least attempted to comb it. The dark bags under his purple eyes were mostly gone, and he seemed to be wearing a set of new clothes -- the jacket was familiar, she had seen him wearing it during their day in Keturi. She scowled at the thought.

 

Xander sat, scratching lightly at the collar-like device around his neck. “Isa, hey, came to--”

 

“Shut. Up.” It was a true wonder that the room didn’t frost over at her tone. “I can’t believe you, Xander Cruize.”

 

Xander sighed. “I know, I’m sorry--”

 

“I told you to shut up,” she interrupted. Xander’s mouth shut with an audible click. “What the **** were you thinking?” As he opened his mouth, she glared, and he closed it. “I don’t want an apology, or an explanation, or anything. I just can’t believe that you would do something like this. You could have done so much with your life, and you’re throwing it away! How could you do this to us?! To Octy, to Cameron!”

 

Cameron,” Xander said, “is the whole reason I’m in this mess in the first place! If it weren’t for him, I would have gotten the Sneasel and been out the door before Octavyn even knew I was there! Instead, he and I both got caught.”

 

“Wait, what?” Isa leaned forward. “You got Cameron caught, too?!”

 

“No! He got me caught, weren’t you listening?!”

 

Isa glared. “Why would Cameron be there?”

 

“Because . . .” Xander sighed, looking down. “I’m sorry, Isa, but Cameron’s working with Team Flare. Apparently he has been for--”

 

“Shut. The ####. Up.” Xander’s head snapped up; he had very rarely heard Isabella curse before. “You’re unbelievable, you know that? Alexander Cruize, whatever else you say, do not lie to me about this, I know that you’re the one working with Team Flare.”

 

“I-- What?” Xander shook his head. “Isa, you’re--”

 

Don’t lie to me!” Isa slammed her hands on the table as she rose up. A guard made his way over, and Isa glared as she sat back down. “Don’t. Octy told me everything.”

 

“Octy?” Xander frowned. “What did she tell you, exactly?”

 

“She told me about your talk, about how you confessed everything.” She closed her eyes sadly. “I’m going to see what I can do to get Cameron out of here.”

 

Xander’s eyes widened. “Isa, no, listen to me! Cameron’s the Flare agent, not me! I never talked to Octavyn, she didn’t even pay me a visit, there’s no way I could have confessed anything to her!”

 

Isa stood, scowling. “You know, Xander, I used to think you were charming. You were open, and honest, and you couldn’t lie to save your life.” She leaned in. “And, you know what?” Xander shrugged, not sure how to respond.

 

Isa snorted. “You’re still a terrible liar.” She turned and stormed back out, leaving the stunned boy behind.

Edited by MELON LORD

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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-==IC: Chloe Hikari - Vertrag==-


"Alright, what did you want to talk about, Alvis?" Chloe asked over the mental connection she opened with her Gallade. The Pokémon looked away for a moment, as if uncertain whether or not to talk after all. However, after a moment, the Gallade turned back to Chloe as they descended the final steps.


"I wanted to… explain things that I've let go unsaid. You've opened yourself up over the past month, and I've… not. I say that I trust you fully, but yet, I can't tell you any of the truth." Alvis looked down at the floor as the group walked down the hall. "… I want to fix that, however. I want you to know my past just as much as I know of yours."


"Alright, sounds good to me." Chloe gave a smile to the Gallade, who took a deep breath.


"Okay… I can do this." Alvis clenched a fist as if remembering something difficult. "I was born to an extended family in Icefall Cave. We kept hidden in the deepest parts most of the time. We only ever wanted to be seen when times were right, to protect the weak members of the family. We held the family name 'Brand', based off of the legendary hero who first came to Four Island and established our family."


"Legendary hero?" Chloe asked with a curious look on her face. By now, they were in the room past the stairs - Chloe only gave it a passing look to see that it was a giant battle arena of some kind. Alvis was her primary focus, however.


"Let me explain…"


-==Legend==-


"Long ago, there was a Gallade from a far off country who was named 'Albrecht'. They had fled their home with their trainer and his family, but Albrecht and the trainer suffered grave injuries in the process. Although Albrecht fought valiantly to keep their trainer alive, in the end, they could not succeed.


"Grief stricken, the Gallade wandered from then on. Although their trainer's family survived, Albrecht felt only guilt toward them. Assured that they could make it on their own, Albrecht left to explore the new country they had reached. They traveled far and wide across the unfamiliar regions. The journey was dangerous, but the Gallade constantly learned new ways to deal with their foes. They developed a fighting style and began to realize they had an affinity for fire attacks.


"The Gallade reached a faraway island on their journey, though the humans did not take too kindly to the visitor at first. The Gallade kept to themself as best as possible, sticking to the Icefall Cave. However, a grave threat fell over the island one day, and the Gallade took charge. With their fiery swords, they drove the threat away. For a time, Albrecht was heralded as a hero across the entire island, though over time, that simply faded away to only legend in Icefall Cave.


"Following the threat, they continued to stay in the cave and decided to make a family. Over the years, they passed down their fire skills to their direct descendants. Eventually, Albrecht fell into legend, and others took over as leaders of the family. But stories continued to be passed down about them via paintings and word of mouth."


-==-==-


"Oh wow…" Chloe seemed impressed by the story that Alvis told. She had no idea that something like that was critical to Alvis's past. She stayed quiet for a little while, waiting to see if Alvis was going to continue. "What… was your family like?"


Alvis glanced to the side. "My immediate family was good. The rest of them… not so much. I looked up to the legendary hero; they were an inspiration to me. I aspired to be like them when I got stronger and evolved; I learned and practiced and memorized their fighting style as best as I could. But…" The Gallade let out a sigh. "They didn't like that. They constantly mocked and belittled me. Insulted me because I wanted to become a Gallade; because it's a rarity among my family for a Dawn Stone to react."


"Why is it so rare?"


Alvis let out a quiet laugh physically. "That's another thing I've been keeping secret. I was, hm, what's that term, I remember hearing it when you were talking with that person back in Olivine City… AFAB, was it?"


Chloe nodded, but then paused as the phrasing dawned on her. "What, what??? Really, really???" The psychic asked out loud in her surprise and excitement. With a small blush, she opened the connection back up to Alvis only. "So, wait, are you...??? Wait, what should I use to call you? Have I been doing things okay?"


Alvis eyed Chloe with a smile. "Hm… I think you've been doing fine. I don't know about anything else… All this time I never really felt… like anything was really out of place. It all felt more out of necessity than anything. I don't know. I like this name that you gave me better than my old one… I was Millicent Brand, daughter of the current leader. I was supposed to exclusively learn the fire moves, but it never fit my style. Neither did my old name." The Gallade thought things over for a moment. "I don't know exactly still. I don't think I'm transgender exactly, though I might need to consider this a little more at some point. For now, though… I think I want to try the old pronouns I had again, to see if they feel better."


"Alright!" Chloe smiled and tapped her fingers together. "I'm glad you told me, Alvis… would you want me to call you Ally, then?"


Alvis smiled, as she mulled the nickname over in her head. "'Ally'... That feels right. I want to take on that old last name too. I'm not like I was back then; I'm stronger now. I feel like I'm worthy of it now. It reminds me more of the hero Albrecht; Ally, you could say; than the pain I felt back home." The Gallade grinned, as she looked at her clenched fist. "Thank you. I've been wanting to let you know for a while, but I just… couldn't think of how to bring it up, even when you had opened up to me too. Let's keep doing better."


"Right!" Chloe nodded in agreement, then gave Ally a quick hug before she took a step back. She glanced around the room, finally focused on it. "Whoa… to think that Ford had a place like this down here. This is cool! I wish that we had more time to like, try this place out, it feels like it would be fun."

Ray chuckled, as he glanced over at Chloe. "Well, what you missed while you were talking was that we actually are planning to have a little friendly battle. I could be referee if anyone wanted--"

"Unknown entities in the facility, I repeat, unknown enemies in the facility. They are headed your way. Secure your position."


The message hung in the air, Emmerich's voice ringing loud and clear. Ray and Chloe both paled slightly as the two of them exchanged looks with the rest of the group.


"How…?" Ray was the first one to speak, but instead of freezing into inaction, frantically began to look around the room. "Does anyone see anything that might be able to reinforce the door? We need to act now, what could we use…?!" The separatist seemed legitimately scared by what Emmerich said. Chloe gripped her arm to stop it from shaking.


"L-let's keep calm. I'm sure we can figure out some way to secure ourselves if worst comes to worst… we just…" The psychic took a deep breath, as she glanced at the door. She ran through all the options in her mind that she could think of, but none of them seemed like they would work. She gripped her arm tighter as she held her other hand up, trying to see if she could reinforce the doors slightly.


Chloe realized, though, that unless the room had another exit, they were effectively trapped if teleportation wasn't an option. Her stomach sank, as she took a step back. However, Ally placed her hand on the Liberty trainer's shoulder and simply nodded. Chloe looked over at the Gallade for a couple minutes, then slowly nodded back. She knew that Ally was trying to reassure her - she just hoped it would be enough.


-==IC: Olivia Seaton - Around the Battle Chateau==-


This… isn't battling. Olivia groaned as she crossed her arms. She didn't want to say anything to the others, as she had to admit that some of the fights did seem cool in spite of power being out. But the majority of the fights just… lacked something. It didn't spark her interest like normal. Her gaze fell to the ground slightly with a frown. What was her interest in battling? She hadn't actually tried to have a normal battle since she first got to the Alamo - and even then, she couldn't actually remember the last time she fought for fun. The only times she could think of were the fights alongside and against Chloe… when had she fought casually before then?


The redhead sighed as she tried to think of anything else, then leaned her head against the wall. Despite the atmosphere of the building currently, she still had to admit that everything else was pretty cool. The decorations and design of the Battle Chateau was super fancy. Maybe not as fancy as over in the literal castle that they had stayed in the night before, but it came pretty close. Olivia walked forward, dodging around behind the trainers that were sparring, then leaned against the windowsill. This was a view that she could enjoy much better.


The view of the river and the rolling hills past it was soothing in a way. She gave a small smile as she just peacefully watched the clouds pass by. For a moment, she thought she saw one of the clouds flapping away, but passed it off as just her imagination. Olivia fidgeted for a moment, then turned away with a sigh. After how busy the last few years had been, she wasn't used to things being so quiet - even if they were in a battling facility at the moment. She scanned the room, then dodged around more trainers as she made her way over to where Dahlia was.


"Heya, sis." The Rocket gave a small wave to the gardener, as she smiled slightly. "How ya doing?"

Edited by Blessed Blade
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IC: Ryan Sanders - Arena, Vertrag

The grin dropped from Ryan's face. Looking around, he came to the same realization Chloe had: there was only one way in or out of the arena. If these unknown enemies cornered them here, there'd be no way out. "Chloe!" he called out. "Do you think you can teleport us out of here?"

 

The girl nervously sized up the group. "Maybe, but I don't really have that much control over teleportation. Plus we'd be leaving Emmerich behind . . ."

 

Ryan cursed. "Then we'll just have to hold them off." There was no telling how long they had before the intruders got to the arena, so every second counted. Snatching a Pokéball from his belt, Ryan sent out Quil. The Typhlosion stretched on all fours before standing up on his hind legs and looking for his opponent. "Sonja, can you have Loki help Quil move that pedestal over to the door? It looks like that's the only thing we've got to barricade it other than Chloe's powers." Even as Quil turned to Sonja expectantly, Ryan grabbed his comm to further assess the situation. "Emmerich, what's your status? Are you hurt?"

 

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Somewhere in the Battle Chateau

Dahlia had watched the battle for a little bit before wandering off on her own. As much as she wanted to support her fellow Hero, she much preferred the peace and quiet of the chateau's outer hallways. Her wanderings brought her to a halt in front of a suit of armor. The medieval architecture of both the chateau and Castle Shabboneau reminded her of the fairy tales she'd read as a child. In those stories she'd always wanted to be the princess: a kind and gentle spirit who nurtured life. While her siblings had gone off to fight in the war, Dahlia had stayed home.

 

But her powers seemed to give her the role of the knight: a fierce and disciplined fighter who would give his life to defend the throne. She didn't need reminding that her fellow Hero Evan was an actual Knight within Plasma. Her hand gripped the Griseous Shard that hung from her neck. Giratina was nurturing in his own way, but he also knew how to fight. Zoe's outburst at the breakfast table only served to emphasize how dangerous this mission would be. While Zoe was clearly a fish out of water, no one else in the group seemed to bat an eye at Dahlia.

 

She had missed Jared's morning training. Was that something she could really afford to do, given her circumstances? Giratina had given her immense power, so it wasn't a question of whether or not she could defend herself, but if she didn't start focusing on her training then the next fight would just be a repeat of the berry fields.

 

The sudden appearance of her sister pulled Dahlia out of her thoughts. "I'm fine," she replied with a soft smile. "Just enjoying some peace and quiet. How about you? You started to miss Bree yet?" She nudged Olivia with a teasing giggle, letting her banter mask her worries.

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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IC: Jared Winters/Anubis

 

The group had split up, everybody wanting to explore the Chateau and see what few battles people were having on their own. With a shrug and a sigh, Jared made his way over to the reception counter. "I'd like to enter into a battle, please." The receptionist handed him a few papers to review and sign, then was handed a card and he was directed to another room. Inside were hung several cloaks of different colors.

 

The attendant of the room took the card and quickly looked Jared up and down before retrieving a white cloak from one of the hangers. "here you are, sir," she said. "This denotes your rank as a Baron. You are allowed to battle only other Barons. Once you win ten battles, you will attain the rank of Viscount."

 

Jared nodded. "Makes sense. Am I allowed to take part in battles myself?"

 

The attendant seemed confused by the question. "Of course, how else would you reach the next rank?"

 

He shook his head. "No, I mean, am I allowed to fight? Like, with my own skills?"

 

"Oh! Well, I've never heard of any rule that says you can't, though you should probably make sure your opponent does not mind before you do. May I ask why you would do that?"

 

The silver-haired trainer shrugged as he took off his coat and replaced it with the white cloak. "Pokémon make good sparring partners." So saying, he turned and walked out to find his first opponent.

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron - Arena, Vertrag:

 

"I'm fine--on my way now," Emmerich's voice crackled back. " it, how far down do these stairs go?" A pause, then a metallic sound as, presumably, his hands gripped the railing. "I can't even see them anymore . . ."

 

With Loki's Poké Ball gripped tightly in her hand, Sonja snapped her eyes from the pedestal to the door, then back again. Throwing it as high and far as she could, there was a chance--a chance--that Loki could materialize near enough to the pedestal to grab it. But he would also have to carry it from there back to the door, and with his usual speed, she doubted he would be able to manage it. But the fact remained that there was nothing else else to block the doors with--

 

Sonja hurled Loki's Poké Ball into the air--towards the door.

 

As the Conkeldurr materialized, Sonja called his attention. "Loki!" She pointed. "Barricade the door!"

 

With a devilish grin, the Fighting-Type stretched, and then gripped the two slabs of concrete that had appeared alongside him. With a great heave he lifted them into the air, and then hurled them diagonally toward the entryway. They struck the ground, skipping across the artificial floor and landing with a solid thud, one against each of the now-dented doors, effectively bracing them from the inside. It was just in time, too, as the doorknob jostled barely a moment later.

 

"Nice," Kyle said. "We should probably tell Emmerich to head back--"

 

A loud banging sound cut him off. Something large and heavy struck the doors; they bulged and groaned under the weight, pushing hard against the concrete blockage that stopped them from opening. Once, twice, thrice they were struck, warping more and more with each hit. A silence fell as the attacks ceased. And then, a sudden explosion of sound and debris. A massive . . . thing, almost like a tree stump, bone-white and four-pronged, had obliterated the heavy doors. The force of the hit was enough to send Loki's concrete slabs rolling back twenty feet along the floor, finally skidding to a halt. A thick cloud of dust covered the air, forcing the Liberty Agents (and Ray) to cover their mouths and eyes.

 

As the cloud dissipated, two figures strode forward, their glowing eyes cutting through the dirt. One was a tall, young man with brown hair poking out from a red headband. A tan scarf billowed in the wind behind him as he raised his arms and hands up high in a mocking greeting betrayed by the loose grin on his face. A vague, orange outline surrounded him, matched by the orange aura emanating from his irises.

 

"My, my, my . . ." Gluttony said. "Mr. Sanders . . . Mr. Hakuda . . . This is rather an unexpected reunion, isn't it?"

 

But as shocking as it must have been for Ray and Ryan to see this man again, their surprise paled in comparison to the stunned horror that fell upon the group as they realized who was with him.

 

"No . . ." Sonja said, her voice quiet. "I thought . . . They killed you . . ."

 

"I found a new purpose, Sixth Child."

 

From beside Gluttony--no worse for wear than when the group had last seen her, save for her eyes now aglow with a dark green light--stood Quincy Adams, the Third Child.

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~ Rise of the Rockets (I II)/Discussion Topic/Side Stories ~

 

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IC: Ryan Sanders - Arena, Vertrag

Ryan did not believe in ghosts. Ghost Pokémon were one thing, but the spirits of the dead stayed dead as far as he was concerned. And so when two apparitions came forth to haunt him, he naturally assumed he was hallucinating. Sonja's reaction proved otherwise. These ghosts were very, very real.

 

The first was more than enough to chill Ryan to his very core. Albero DeLargo. Gluttony. The orange glow around his Sin reminded him of dying leaves, and his fighting spirit began to wilt at the memory of his misdeeds. Why had Gluttony returned? And why now of all times? Hadn't he already been conquered? Ryan's stomach twisted into a tight knot as he realized he already knew the answer.

 

Nothing should have been more terrifying than the first ghost. And yet there stood Quincy Adams. The one Ryan had left to die in the darkest depths of the Egg. He could have saved her. He should have saved her. Xander had thrown himself headlong into danger to save his friends, and all Ryan could do was run away to save himself. He was the one who had made the final call. Adams' death was on him. Nothing could change that.

 

"Y-you shouldn't be here . . ." Ryan's voice shook as the color drained from his face. He took an involuntary step backward, eyes darting back and forth between the two apparitions. His eyes were wide in pure horror. It was becoming difficult to breathe. Clenching his chest in a futile attempt to quell his pounding heart, Ryan found himself unable to form any further comprehensible words. Quil rushed to his side, offering a shoulder in support. Even as Ryan clung weakly to his partner, the Typhlosion uttered a warning growl at the intruders who haunted his trainer.

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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-==IC: Ray Hakuda/Chloe Hikari - Vertrag==-


Ray paled at the sight of Gluttony and Adams. On one hand, this could kinda explain how the two got in. On the other… he knew both of them had died. The implications of that. . . The orange-haired man took a few shaky steps back. Before, he had prepared to send out his Zangoose and Bisharp just in case the enemies had gotten in. But now… as the man stepped back, he dropped the Poké Balls, which sent out his Pokémon as they hit the ground.


The Zangoose and Bisharp quickly looked between the two foes and Ray, both in shock and to make sure he was okay. Ray couldn't manage any words, however, as he just felt a sinking feeling, especially with the group being effectively trapped in here. While he didn't want to take his eyes off of Gluttony in particular, the separatist looked over to Ryan. The Liberty agent seemed even more frightened than he did, which was both completely understandable considering the last encounter and what had happened. Ray didn't have a clue what could be done, as he felt himself start to shake. Could they even escape from this situation?


Chloe was less affected by Gluttony's appearance than Ray or Ryan, but she was still super scared by the sheer ease that the thing broke the door down, even with it being reinforced. She had only caught a glimpse before the dust cloud forced everyone to cover their faces, but… the thing that had broken through did not seem like anything she had ever seen. The psychic girl was frozen to the spot. She wasn't sure what she looked like to the others. But yet…


Chloe glanced at the others. Everyone looked afraid in some way or another. She was scared too, so she knew that the others had to be affected, especially with the dead woman that was with them. But they couldn't just… give up… Chloe closed her hand around her arm as she clenched her fist. She took a small step forward, despite her own fear.


"We can't stop here…" Chloe said, almost a whisper, as she looked at Gluttony and Adams. There had to be something they could do. She reached up to her purse strap and grabbed the Poké Balls for her Typhlosion and her Luxray. "Sharla, Ren…" The psychic hesitated for a moment as she thought back to what happened in Keturi. She wanted to hesitate more, but then she glanced up at the enemies they had to face.


"... I'm counting on you two and Ally…" She let the two spheres drop to the ground, opening up in front of her, as the two Pokémon took up a protective stance in front of her.


-==IC: Olivia Seaton - Battle Chateau, Kalos==-


Olivia rubbed her arm, an uneasy look on her face at Dahlia's question. "A lot… I know it's going to be good for her, and I know it was her choice, but it's still tough, ya know? It's very weird not being woken up at 6 AM by the little rascal too…" She seemed to focus on the wall more than Dahlia for a moment, but then shook her head. "I don't know… I'm worried, but I trust that she'll be fine, you know? I just hope that she's doing alright…"

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IC: Jared Winters/Anubis

 

Jared's first opponent had agreed to a double battle where he and Anubis would fight two of her own Pokémon. As the opponents appeared, Jared chuckled. Standing before him was a beefy Machamp and an even beefier Conkeldurr that reminded him of his battle with Lafoyae a few nights prior.

 

"Are you sure about this?" his opponent asked. "You can still switch in a second Pokémon and battle that way."

 

"Nah," Jared said. "I haven't had a good workout lately."

 

"Suit yourself."

 

The ref called for the match to start, and Jared and Anubis both rushed forward. Machamp and Conkeldurr were both burly Pokémon who could afford to take their time with opponents. Jared and Anubis would make sure they couldn't stall much. Jared's own style usually involved letting the opponent come to him and redirecting their momentum, but he could be as aggressive as anyone.

 

He tapped into that aggression as he smashed a fist into the Conkeldurr's slab of concrete. As his fist connected, silver aura laced with maroon exploded outwards, and the stone flew from his opponent's hand. Using the momentum from the punch, Jared spun and brought his foot up in a back-kick that met squarely with the Muscular Pokémon's stomach. The Conkeldurr didn't even flinch, which came as little surprise to Jared. Still, as its hand came around, he wasn't in a good position to dodge.

 

Anubis, meanwhile, squared off with the Machamp; a lack of fighting type moves meant that this was down to pure hand-to-hand(-to-hand-to-hand) skill. The Machamp attempted to grab Anubis as he drew close, but the Lucario deftly weaved between his opponents grasp and jumped, bringing his knee up into the larger Pokémon's chin and causing it to stagger back.

 

As Jared reeled from the mighty blow the Conkeldurr had delivered, he nonetheless grinned. This was the workout he'd been missing.

 

IC: Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood/Colleen Llyan

 

There was a screech, and then a shadow passed overhead. Emily looked up, shielding her eyes, and gasped as she saw a Pokémon Ranger falling towards them. At the last moment, Aolani swooped down and caught Lachina lightly on her back, pulling up to hover in front of Emily and Colleen.

 

Emily smiled. “Miss Adaon, have you ever thought about being a Showcase Performer?”

 

“Nah,” Lachina said with a shake of her head. “I just like practicing aerobatics in case a situation calls for it.”

 

Colleen bit her lip as she thought of the possible heights that the aerobatics might be needed for. "What… what's the maximum height that you practice at?"

 

Lachina hummed, looking up and considering. “I’ve only started, so I’m keeping it kind of low, so only like ten meters or so?”

 

Emily grinned. “‘Only’, she says, as though that’s not very high.”

 

"... Th-that's pretty high." Colleen replied with a nervous laugh as she eyed the sky, as if trying to figure out exactly how high that was. "W-well, that's pretty impressive though." She tried her best to save face and pretend like she wasn't already turning a bit green from the thought.

 

Lachina scratched the back of her head, chuckling lightly. “Well, thanks. Anywho, what are you guys doing out here? Is it time to go already?”

 

"Oh, we're on an adventure." Colleen grinned, as she glanced over at Emily. "Dunno where, but basically, to anywhere. Wasn't a good vibe back at the Chateau anyway."

 

“Yeah, the battles are really… not, huh?” Lachina sighed, shaking her head. “But, hey, adventure! As long as we don’t have to fight a bunch of berry thieves or something, I’m down.”

 

Emily delicately raised one eyebrow. “Berry thieves?”

 

“Long story.” Lachina shook her head. “Nothing to worry about.”

 

Colleen gave Lachina an inquisitive look for a moment, but then nodded. "Sounds good to me, yeah. Taking on another bunch of Frogadier doesn't sound like a fun time either, but I don't worry about that too much either." The aura wielder chuckled as she began to set off to anywhere. She glanced back to Emily for a moment, then to Lachina.

 

"So, either of you been around here often?" The older girl paused for a moment as she realized that was not the smartest way to phrase that question. "I mean, like, um, well, Lachina, have you ever been here to Kalos at all in the past? And Em, do you like, visit over here usually?" Colleen decided to simply keep quiet for a bit after that, keeping her focus ahead.

 

Lachina shook her head. “Before flying over to Sootopolis, I hadn’t left Almia; I’m seeing a lot more of the world than I ever expected, honestly.”

 

Emily smiled and shrugged. “I come to the Chateau on occasion, when I feel like cutting loose in a battle, or if Ronin or Spitfire get antsy and need to relax.” She opened her mouth as if to continue, but paused and looked around. “Do you all hear something?”

 

Colleen frowned and looked around curiously. "Hmm… not particularly." Even still, the aura wielder had the feeling that someone saying that never ended well. To be safe, the girl decided to search around for any hiding auras that might have caused the noise that Emily heard.

 

There were several auras around the island, but three stood out to the aura wielder. The first two were terrified, withdrawing in on themselves; one of those two was also panicked, spikes of emotion shooting through the aura. The third was an enraged aura, roiling like an ocean in a storm. As Colleen noticed it, three figures came flying around the corner of the Chateau, barreling straight for the girls.

 

An Elgyem was the first, the alien-looking Pokémon looking relatively normal outside of the purple lines that glowed across the psychic type's forehead. The second was a Shinx whose eyes were wide with terror as it ran. A moment after they appeared, they were followed by a large, extremely angry Pangoro.

 

"Huh?!" Colleen was caught off guard for a moment as the Pokémon barrelled toward them. She fumbled for a Poké Ball with one hand, as she pointed forward, a plan already coming to mind quickly. "Lachina, try and calm those two that are being chased; Em, let's try and get those Pokémon away from the Pangoro."

 

To punctuate the plan, the Aura wielder threw the Poké Ball forward, Kammy roaring into action to stall the Pangoro's approach. Colleen jumped up, aiming to land past the two smaller Pokémon as an Aura Sphere began to charge up in her hand. Her biggest goal before things got any further was to get the Elgyem and Shinx out of harm's way so they didn't run off and get into more trouble; stopping the Pangoro itself felt like the best way to do that right now.

 

“Right,” the two other girls said. Emily lobbed two balls, Ronin and Spitfire appearing in flashes of light. The Talonflame’s cry pierced the air and it swooped in to harass the large dark type. Ronin also flew forward, his blades flashing in the noon sun as he attacked from the side.

 

Lachina, meanwhile, extended her capture styler. She had calmed down fifteen distressed Pokémon just a few days ago. This would be no problem. The spinner of her styler made wide circles around the Shinx and Elgyem, causing them to stop as it crossed their paths. The Shinx turned as if to run away from it, but the styler spun tighter, keeping it from getting away. The whole time, Lachina thought soothing thoughts, sending calm and peaceful energy to the two Pokémon. Finally, the light turned white, and the spinner device returned to her as the two made their way over to her.

 

The Pangoro growled in annoyance as the Talonflame and Scyther pelted her with attacks alongside the Wartortle. She swiped out at the three, but then took an Aura Sphere to the side as Colleen circled around the bear.

 

What's causing this Pokémon to attack this time? This doesn't feel right… Colleen frowned slightly, as she tried to read deeper into the dark-type's aura, trying to get an idea for what could have caused this.

 

The Pangoro staggered back as she took the hit, and more attacks continued raining down on her. As her aura spiked with annoyance and anger, Colleen saw one thread trailing away, back the way the three Pokémon had come from, a connection that showed she was thinking on something else.

 

“Keep it up, you two!” Emma shouted. “Keep it distracted!”

 

"Huh…?" Colleen mumbled, as she distractedly looked off in the direction of the faint trace of aura. "Something's wrong. Maybe we should--" The trainer was cut off as, with a roar, the Pangoro took a step forward amid the attacks. She brought her arm back, then swung it forward with all her force. The arm slammed into Kammy and Ronin and sent them flying backwards for a moment, before gravity caught up and sent the Wartortle rolling across the ground.

 

"Kammy…!" Colleen inhaled sharply as she turned to look at her injured Pokémon. With gritted teeth, her golden-yellow aura flared to life. She glared back at the Pangoro. "Okay - new plan. Let's make sure the Pangoro can't hurt us before we figure out what's going on."

 

Ronin had caught himself before rolling too far. With a loud cry of his own, the Scyther flew forth again. Emily nodded. “Spitfire, Ronin, take it out!” Spitfire’s screech joined Ronin’s cry as the flying type circled around. It swooped, and its talons flashed as it attacked the Pangoro’s face. Few creatures would continue to fight instead of protecting their eyes and head. Ronin’s scythes slashed simultaneously, slicing into the soft skin of the dark type Pokémon’s legs.

 

As the fight continued, Lachina knelt in front of the two Pokémon she had calmed down. “Hey, you guys. You both look a little beat up.” The Shinx mewled softly, and Lachina nodded. “Yeah, good thought running from her, huh? Listen, I can get you guys healed up, but I think I might have to put you into Pokéballs to do that; is that alright?”

 

Kammy pushed herself to her feet, as she took a few steps forward. She watched as the other Pokémon and Colleen continued to trade hits with the Pangoro, and let out a low growl. The Wartortle began to run back toward the fight despite the rough tumble she took, her footsteps seeming to become heavier as a bright light enveloped her. When it vanished, a Blastoise had replaced the running Wartortle.

 

The Pangoro looked up in surprise, only to see a Blastoise body check her into the wall of the Chateau. Colleen looked surprised as well, but then grinned. "Good job, Kammy! Congrats on evolving!" The Blastoise stepped back and posed proudly, a wide and confident smile on her face.

 

Emily grinned wildly. “That’s amazing! Quick, Colleen, see if she can use attacks to end this!”

 

"Hm, what attacks would Kammy have now…" Colleen thought that over for a moment. "Hydro Cannon!!" Kammy shook her head. "... Hydro Pump!" Another shake of the head. "... uhh… Hm, okay, stick with what you know; Aura Sphere!"

 

The Blastoise focused, as she attempted to channel her aura in any way; but could not. Out of curiosity, she tried the Water Pulse that she did know, but that also didn't work. The water-type sheepishly shrugged to Colleen.

 

"That's fine! It was worth a shot at the least." The aura wielder thought for a moment. "I know one of my friends' Pokémon got their power back just the other day, but maybe it's not a normal evolution that does it…"

 

Emily tried not to let her disappointment show. “Alright then. Ronin, finish it!”

 

Meanwhile, Lachina pulled out two Pokéballs, quietly glad that she had decided to buy and pack some on the off chance she needed to rush a Pokémon to an emergency room in one. Quietly, she expanded them and tapped them lightly against the two creatures’ foreheads. Both were encapsulated and easily captured. Lachina stood and pulled her styler out again.

 

Colleen felt as if she were forgetting something. With a start, she realized that her earlier comment about the Pangoro's aura had gotten cut off. With the dark-type still stunned from the Blastoise's powerful hit, this was a better time to look into that.

 

"Wait, wait, I forgot to mention something!" Colleen held up a hand, in hopes that Ronin would halt long enough to explain. "During the fight I looked into her aura; there was a trace of another aura from back in the forest. I'm not sure what it's all about, but it could be an important thing…"

 

Ronin paused, his blades just inches from the Pangoro, who was still against the wall, panting softly as her anger slowly subsided. Lachina made her way over. “Mind if I figure it out?” she asked.

 

Emily smiled. “I’ve never seen a ranger use one of those devices before. Please, this should be interesting to watch.”

 

Lachina nodded and sent out the styler again. The spinner swirled around the Pangoro, and soothing feelings washed out. The Pangoro visibly relaxed, and Lachina walked over to her. “Why were you so angry?” she asked. The dark type grumbled something, and Lachina tilted her head. “I’m getting emotions of fear, and danger. Protectiveness, maybe? It’s hard to tell. Colleen, you mentioned another aura?” At the aura wielder’s nod, Lachina chewed her lip. “I think . . . I think the Shinx and Elgyem got too close to her cub. Is that right?”

 

The Pangoro nodded, growling again. “She thought they might be predators, since things have been kind of crazy without the power. The thought enraged her, and she chased them here.”

 

"Hmm, that makes sense, yeah." Colleen had to wonder how the confusion had happened, but had heard about similar things in the past from Lucina, so she relaxed slightly as her aura faded back to not being visible. "Well, I guess this was all a big misunderstanding, then."

 

Emily nodded, silently impressed by Lachina’s skill at understanding Pokémon’s emotions. “Yes, I suppose. It happens, from time to time. Ronin, Spitfire, come back.” She returned the two Pokémon, allowing the Pangoro to stand fully upright once more.

 

Lachina patted the bear’s arm. “Go take care of your cub; try not to overreact like this in the future, though. You could have seriously hurt those two.”

 

As the Pangoro ambled off, Lachina stretched. “Man, Kalos sure is an exciting place.”

 

Colleen chuckled with a small smile. "That's definitely one way to put it. It's weird though… it still feels like there's a different feeling since I visited some of these places. Like, between that fight yesterday and now… can the power being gone really affect this much?"

 

Lachina nodded. “Pokémon rely heavily on their abilities to protect themselves and to find food and the like. Without powers, they all feel in danger. Even a big Pangoro can panic if she thinks that her family is in danger and she doesn’t have her normal techniques to scare off threats.”

 

"That makes sense… you never really think about how crucial it is, but putting it into perspective like that, it really does make sense." Colleen sighed slightly, but then looked over curiously. "Did you learn about all these kinds of things when becoming a Ranger?"

 

“Yeah, they were part of my training.” Lachina smiled. “We have to have an understanding of wild Pokémon’s habits and how they think if we want to help them. Oh, speaking of helping!” She held up the two Pokéballs. “I’m gonna go get these two healed up and figure out what I’m gonna do with them.”

Edited by MELON LORD

"So Alku, happy 'was that a firecracker or shotgun?' day!"

"Hard mode: I'm in the south."

 

"Planning was never Zac Blazer's forte." - Blade, mastering the art of the understatement.

 

"We'll have to change the initials of the RPG from RotR to PTSD." - Me, discussing Rise of the Rockets.

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IC - Sonja Baron/Kyle Eston/Quincy Adams/Gluttony - Arena, Vertrag:

 

The pressure in the room was unbearable; fear, dread, anger, horror, all of these emotions and more weighed heavily in the air, suffocating rational thought. Ryan felt it; Ray felt it; Chloe felt it. It was obvious from their movements, sluggish, uncertain, feeble. Sonja felt it. Loki had moved back toward her, never letting the two enemies out of his line of sight. When he reached his trainer, he held an arm out to his side, doing what he could to shield her. But he could not hide her from them completely. Sonja could not find words to speak, only managing to stare, petrified, at the two creatures before her. Unconsciously, she dragged her bag around to her front, gripping it tightly against her chest. The Grimoire seemed to pulse in rhythm with her racing heart.

 

A sharp laugh erupted from Adams at Ryan's words. "We shouldn't be here?" She shook her head, grinning as if to revel in his discomfort and confusion. "This was my home, Sanders. If anything, you're trespassing." She tilted her head back, running a finger down her jawline, eyes glossy. "Wait a second . . .Isn't that kind of like what you told the Second Child? How ironic."

 

"Come now, everyone, let's just calm down," Gluttony said. His words spoke peace, but it was clear from his tone that he reveled in the tumultuous atmosphere. "This isn't what we came here for, this isn't . . . what I want . . ." He closed his eyes and sniffed the air, first in short breaths and then one long, deep intake. "I think . . . Yes, it must be . . ." The orange light pierced the world again as Gluttony glanced between each of the five trainers in front of them. He gave them all a toothy smile. "This will be easier if you submit without protest."

 

"What, and let you turn us into more of Missing Zero's . . . things?" Kyle demanded. His fist shook at his side; at this point he wasn't sure if it was from stress, nerves, anger, or some combination of the three. What he did know was that Adams hadn't been in a situation she could have survived in the Egg; what they were looking at now was not a ghost, but a puppet, one mutilated and transformed from the original thing--likely against her will. The sight disgusted him. He clenched his fist tighter, and then released. Though his hand still trembled, he managed to keep it steady enough to pick through the Poké Balls lining his belt, though he never took his eyes off of the pair of Instances. "No thanks."

 

Suicune . . . He recalled the Zapdos in Ecruteak City against what he now knew to be the incarnation of Wrath. Not an option . . .

 

"Heh . . ." Gluttony leered at Kyle, then Chloe, and then slowly turned to Adams. "You know these ones?"

 

Taia and Torith . . . Completely out of the question . . .

 

Quincy glared. "No. Not personally." She cracked her knuckles, and then placed her hands on her head, cracking her neck, licking her lips. "I like that defiance, though . . . Reminds me of me."

 

Daiga . . . Ruj . . . Rodax or Vailian . . . The hand through the door. The creature in the night. Kyle closed his eyes. I've seen what it can do to Ground- and Rock-Types . . .

 

"Mm hmm . . ." Gluttony inhaled again. He rested his hands on the back of his head, turning back to Kyle. "But you're all talk . . . I can smell what you're hiding . . . I can smell the fear . . ." He gripped his hair with both hands, pulling his arms in opposite directions. Gluttony's human form tore in half like paper, face and body and clothes all shredding apart into specks of green and black shadow. A creature stood in his place, easily nine feet tall and thin as a month-starved hound. Gluttony's glowing eyes stared forth from the dark sockets of a skull-like face bloodstained at the mouth, topped with branching antlers. It leaned forward in a hunch on its massive, trunk-like forelegs; at its angle, blood seeped from exposed guts.

 

"T-That's what we saw . . ." Sonja stammered. She stepped backward, toward the bleachers.

 

Kyle opened his eyes, instinctively grimacing at the sight. Lyxek, Kovian, and Sanshou aren't strong enough without their powers . . .

 

"Oh, Sixth . . ." Adams shook her head. "You haven't seen anything yet." With a loud crack, she twisted her head sharply to the right, instantly drooping. Her body dissolved, and like Gluttony, revealed something much more monstrous beneath her humanoid exterior. This was something that could only be described as a dragon, though one much more monstrous than what any of the group had ever witnessed before. Golden wings attached by thin limbs stretched from its back, the weight of its upper body pulling it down into a permanent hunch. Its head stretched out from its torso, eyeless, like a great, white worm broken into a permanent grin. The creature salivated, stretching its claws as it looked from Kyle to Chloe and back again. It opened its mouth, loosing a vicious roar.

 

In response, Kyle pulled Jaeda and Kitheu's Poké Balls from his belt, releasing them in front of him. Though his entire body had begun to shake, he returned Gluttony and Adams's glares with his own.

 

"Alright, then . . ." Gluttony said. "We'll make this quick for you."

Edited by Parugi

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~ Rise of the Rockets (I II)/Discussion Topic/Side Stories ~

 

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IC: Ryan Sanders -  Arena, Vertrag

It was like something out of a nightmare. Just like McKinley had torn off his skin, Albero and Adams had discarded their human forms in the most terrifying way possible. The two Instances loomed above the powerless trainers ready to devour them. Ryan's knees trembled. His breathing grew unsteady. Every fiber in his body was screaming at him to get out of there. His mind flashed back first to the Egg, then to his battle in Fortree.

 

Even as Quil took up a defensive stance, roaring a challenge to the monsters, Ryan stumbled backwards. His legs gave way and he fell to the floor, pain shooting up his back. Quil immediately leapt into action, baring his fangs as he charged towards Gluttony in an attempt to keep the creature at bay.

 

IC: Dahlia Seaton - Hallway, Battle Chateau

"I'm sure she's fine." Dahlia smiled gently. "It can be tough to let loved ones go, but they always come back better than before, right? That's what happened with you and Aspen, after all."

Konuju: Kopaka and Nuju meet the Spear of Fusion

 

Quotes from throughout the years:

 

2001: "Your past is forgotten, and your future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer." --Nokama

2002: "Mata Nui faces perhaps its greatest challenge -- one that will test our courage, our strength, and our belief in each other." --Tahu

2003: "So... it has begun, my brother. But soon, it will also end..." --Makuta

2004: "Your journey must end." "By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" --Makuta and Vakama

2005: "Our destinies are not written in stone, set in place. They are something we have to find for ourselves." --Vakama

2006: "Don't you realize you're fighting for a lost cause?" "Maybe. But don't you realize those are the only ones worth fighting for?" --Axonn and Brutaka

2007: "Sometimes a hero has to do something else besides beat the villains and come home covered in glory." --Hahli

2008: "Dive into the darkness, Ignite the flame within. Now, there is no turning back. Make the future... begin." --Narrator, The Final Battle Animation

2009: "It is said that all endings are merely beginnings waiting to be born." --Mata Nui

2010: "All journeys must come to an end, but this time, there is a new beginning as well. ... All that has gone before, my friends, has only served to give birth to this new day. Let unity, duty and destiny be your guides." --Mata Nui

2011: "Not dead. Just frozen. They’ll thaw out … eventually. I’m tired of villains spouting gibberish." --Kopaka

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  • 2 weeks later...

IC - Kyle Eston (Jaeda, Kitheus)/Sonja Baron (Loki)/Chloe Hikari/Ray Hakuda/Gluttony/Quincy Adams - Arena, Vertrag:

 

Quil charged forward. Kyle couldn't blame the Typhlosion; tensions were high, and Ryan . . . He couldn't imagine what was going through Ryan's head right now. But a head-on attack was suicidal, and they couldn't let Quil take that kind of risk without help.

 

"Kitheus! Jaeda! Go!"

 

As the Magnezone and Charizard kicked into action, Gluttony and Adams shifted to respond. The white, dragon-like creature that had taken the Third Child's place swept her massive, golden wings back and forth, sending dirt and dust flying in all directions as she hovered above the ground. Meanwhile, Gluttony stood his ground, the sickening, blood-soaked grin never leaving his face as his eyes swept around to gaze at each of their opponents.

 

Quil was the first to reach them, the Volcano Pokémon baring his fangs and lunging at the wendigo-like creature. Gluttony did not even move, and yet Quil found himself slamming into a spiked energy barrier that seemed to drain his power the longer he stayed in contact with it. As the Spiky Shield dissipated into the air, Gluttony jerked his head to the side, raising a foreleg up and clamping down on Kitheus, who had attempted a flanking tackle. As the Magnet Area Pokémon struggled against his grip, Gluttony reared shoulder back, bringing it forward and hurling Kitheus straight into Quil's midsection to knock them both back.

 

Above, Jaeda loosed a roar and swerved downward, spinning to slam her tail into Gluttony. She had moved hardly five feet before Adams tackled her in midair, easily overpowering the Charizard with her much larger frame. Adams pulled Jaeda tightly against her chest, matching her shocked gaze with a wide, toothy grin, before spinning and hurling Jaeda into the ground below.

 

She landed beside Gluttony, taking a step toward the enemy trainers. "So much for your survival."

 

Kyle froze. Four moves. That was all it had taken to neutralize the first wave of attack. And as far as he could tell, only one of them had actually been a powered move. 

 

"It seems your spirits were not strong enough, after all . . ." It was strange to hear a sigh from such a monstrous creature, accompanied by a short shake of the head. Gluttony paced back and forth in front of the group, ignoring the groans of the downed Pokémon as they recovered from his and Adams's counterattack. "A shame. You truly seemed to have promise. But I suppose that is how it always goes with these things . . ."

 

 

Ray seemed stunned as the entire wave of attacks were stopped cold in their tracks. He wanted to act, but what could they even do against foes this strong and monstrous?

 

"We can't give up!" Chloe's voice pierced through Ray's uncertainty. Despite the unsettled look on her face from everything that had happened, she looked even more determined to stop them, if that was possible. "This doesn't look good at all, but we can't lose hope. Come on, everyone, let's keep giving it our best shot!"

 

The psychic girl grinded her teeth together as her eyes glowed a slightly brighter shade of green than normal. With her psychic powers, she focused on Loki's concrete girders - though the look on her face seemed like she was wishing it had been something else she could have used. They began to shake where they lay . . .

 

 

If Sonja was trembling before, she was straight-up shaking in fear now. The Grimoire in her bag seemed to sense this, as it emanated an equally shaken pulse.

 

Something gave them pause. Gluttony stopped mid-pace, tilting his head. Adams tilted her head back, drawing in two short breaths. Her lips peeled back, enlarging the grin already present across her mouth. She turned toward the stands, toward Loki and Sonja. Sonja clenched her fists tightly around the straps of her bag, taking a step back at the unwanted attention. Adams chuckled and lurched forward, dragging her claws along the ground.

 

"What are you hiding, Sonja?" Adams asked. She made a show of taking another breath. "You can't keep secrets from us . . . You should know that."

 

Loki uttered a guttural growl that transformed into a shout as he charged toward the Instance. He swung a right-hook, which Adams dodged, before transitioning into a left-swing. She raised her hand, catching his fist in her claws and squeezing. Undeterred, he swung with his other fist, catching her lip as she moved her head back. Adams raised her other hand, grabbing his arm and forcing the Fighting-Type to the ground with a kick to the stomach. She laughed, extending her wings.

 

"Stop toying with the food," Gluttony called. He turned to face the confrontation between Adams and the Conkeldurr. "Or at least do it quickly."

 

Adams chuckled. "Ironic that you say that." Her golden scales began to glow. "This will only take a second. Hold still."

 

In reality, Adams should have listened to Gluttony's warning. As she advanced on Sonja, she and the Sinner suddenly found themselves on the receiving end of a slab of concrete each. The massive blocks slammed into them, staggering both and freeing Loki, who pushed himself back and away from the pair of Instances. They quickly regained their composure--Adams more swiftly than Gluttony, it seemed. She whipped around, baring her teeth at Chloe, Kyle, and Ray. 

 

The sight, strangely, pulled Kyle back to reality. He took a breath, steadying himself. "Jaeda, you okay?" The Charizard huffed, slowly rising to her feet. She returned Adams's look of rage. "Kitheus?" The Magnezone elicited a series of beeps and whirs before managing to float haphazardly back into the air. Kyle nodded to them, and then to Chloe. "Okay . . ." He turned back to Gluttony and Adams. "We're not giving up. You can keep knocking us down, but we're going to get out of this, no matter what."

 

"Still as confident as before . . ." Gluttony chuckled. He rose to his full height, each movement accompanied by a sound akin to branches creaking. "Perhaps Mr. Sanders could tell you how well that might work out." His eyes shifted to Adams. "Or, perhaps we could show you ourselves."

 

Adams said nothing in response. Instead, her frown shifted back into a grin, and she spread out her wings to their fullest extension. Massive gusts of wind flowed as she beat her wings, rising high into the air. She clenched her fists as her wings began to glow, and with a shrill cry, she unleashed a blinding flash of light against the five opposing trainers . . .

Edited by Parugi

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~ Rise of the Rockets (I II)/Discussion Topic/Side Stories ~

 

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