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Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets


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IC: Flint Conley - Lazy Pidgey Cafe, Blackthorn City

 

The tension was thick enough you could cut it with a knife -- or a sword, in this case. Flint set his tea cup down, a bit harder than necessary, tea sloshing over the side. Ozai moved quietly from where he'd been leaning against the wall to stand behind his trainer.

 

"That was my master's name, yes. You seem familiar, but I've seen so many faces in my time... Who are you?"

"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: Yu Changgong - Lazy Pidgey Cafe, Blackthorn City

 

There it was. That was all he had to hear to confirm everything he had been suspecting up to this point. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. 

"Up until a few years ago, people around me referred to me as Yu Changgong. Ever since I left the remains of the dojo to begin my journey, I've become but a nameless wandering blade." he said at last. Yu opened his eyes, his solemn gaze boring into the man standing before him.

"Long have I wondered what became of those who had escaped the massacre at the dojo as I had. What they had become, what they had done with the teachings of Master Zhang..." Yu leaned forward in his seat. "Never did I think I would actually meet one of them face to face. I wasn't sure at first, but I can only remember one other student at the dojo who had taken up the art of dual-wielding... Flint." 

 

Draco watched the scene unfold and whispered to his sister. "What's goin' on here, does Mr. Conley know this whackjob?" He received another elbow to his side for his troubles. 

Edited by JiMing

Haven't seen one of these in a long time...

 

 

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IC: Jamie Arthur - Kalos Route 7, River

 

The amalgamation of Pokemon that Jamie had assembled could be best described as an out of control pitching machine. The metaphorical machine was set up so that regardless of which direction a Carvanha would be approach them from, somebody would be there to intercept the Carvanha and send it up to Tristan. Tristan was the arm of the pitching machine. His massive arms were enough to toss any fish that was unfortunate enough to end up in his claws clear to the riverside where they flopped around uselessly.

 

This was a good thing, because they had certainly caught the attention of a number of Carvanha.

 

At first, about four Carvanha approached. Whoever they were about to target, when Tristan plucked one from the water and launched clear to the shore, they all decided to converge on Jamie’s amalgam. The other three lasted about as long. Tristan grabbed two of them out of the water at the same time. He grinned as he leaned back, before sending them on a collision course with their fellow on land. The fourth circled back around. If it thought it was being clever though, it had another thing coming. Two hands phased into existence and grabbed onto each side of the Carvanha. The Carvanha might have been able to struggle out, but all Palomides had to do was push every so slightly. As soon as it hit Tristan’s hindleg, its fate was sealed. Tristan tossed it to the opposite shore, without even needing to look in the direction he was throwing.

 

When the first four were gone, six more decided to take their place. No problem. The same protocol. Focus on getting the targets up to Tristan. Get him to toss them away. It was more likely dumb luck and needing space, rather than strategy, that caused the Carvanha to come from all different directions. This was Lucan’s time to shine. Having two heads was proving quite beneficial right now, he could keep one head underwater to scope out the enemy while the one stayed above water to breathe. The below water head sent a signal to his above water half. The above water head looked at the Buizel. The Buizel’s tails did overtime, pushing them faster. If they could reduce the spread of the angle of attack by even a few degrees, it would make Lucan’s job that much easier. Despite the weight of the human, the Buizel was able to to make some headway getting away from the group of angry fish. Not a lot, but enough to give Lucan a little more leeway. As Tristan reached to grab the first of this group, Lucan dived under. He slammed into the first Carvanha. It recoiled slightly, not away from Jamie, but towards her. Towards her and straight into Palomides’s loving hands. Those hands that tossed the fish up to Tristan. Tristan caught the Carvanha a single beat after he tossed the one he had caught first. Lucan kept the rhythm going. He ducked beneath a Carvanha that nearly caught up to the Buizel and pushed up. Both the Vanilluxe and Carvanha breached the surface of the water. The Carvanha was caught by a hindlimb before it could fall back into the water. Jamie saw another target approach from the other side. Still fueled by the energy she had earlier, she shouted “Time will freeze!” at it and time obeyed. The Carvanha froze in place, Palomides scooped it up and gave it to Tristan as a present. One tried to jump over Tristan. Whatever it thought it would accomplish, it failed. The Metagross barely needed to shift his body to be able to catch it. With that two more Carvanha became land dwellers. The last one of the group was the first one to actually land an attack. It bit into Lucan. The Vanilluxe cried out, but as long as they were attached, he delivered it straight to Tristan. With two arms, the Metagross wrenched the Carvanha’s jaw open, forcing it to let Lucan go. When the Vanilluxe sank back into the water, the Metagross hurled the fish clear across the river onto the shore.

 

Jamie was keeping count of the flying fish. That was ten. The blob of fish that could be seen from above the water didn’t seem to be shrinking. No matter, she just took out ten. She could take on the next wave. Then the next wave came.

 

Twenty. Double all the Carvanha that they had faced were barreling towards Jamie and her crew. Jamie’s emotional vessel took on a flood of emotion. Her eyes widened with that emotion. It was hard to tell if that emotion was fear or ecstasy. 

 

Once again, space considerations gave a roughly uniform distribution of Carvanha. However this time there was a more three-dimensional spread, a hemisphere rather than a circle. This would present a problem.

 

The plan was simple. It was the old plan. Charge one of the edges with Tristan. Force the others to stream behind them by swimming in one direction. Divide and conquer. Unfortunately it was a plan mired in two dimensional thinking in a three dimensional battlefield. Tristan did successfully grab the first Carvanha, but in the same direction they picked was another Carvanha. It was easy to miss, it had been hidden in the shadow of the first. An accident, born of the Carvanha spacing themselves. But it was enough to give the Carvanha a shot at Jamie. The Carvanha nearly got to her too. But the Buizel carrying her saw the exposed angle of attack and changed course to dodge. The dodge did give Palomides a chance to pass the Carvanha up to Tristan, where Tristan made it the twelfth member of the “Moved to Land Club,” but it also meant that the whole team had to slow down.

 

Remember the plan was to outrun the horde. And with the Buizel holding Jamie, the margin for outrunning the Carvanha was quite small. And when they weren’t outrunning the Carvanha, there was little reason for the group to attack as a whole. Group cohesion didn’t immediately collapse. Lucan stopped focusing on any notion of passing them up to Tristan. Crying and swirling, the Lucan moved from side to side, up and down. He gave a good show for it, he kept several away while Tristan grabbed a third Carvanha. He took a bite for his efforts, but he kept the early rushers away. Problem was, he eventually needed to surface for a breath. His earlier tactic of having one head breathe might’ve worked had he more experience in this sort of combat, but as he didn’t he needed to rise up. And during the moment he did that, that was another layer of defense down. 

 

Palomides could probably have been more help. He did make some token efforts to protect the group. He even succeeded in turning some of the Carvanha around. But never once in his undeath had he ever been at risk at being torn to pieces by a horde of Carvanha. Could he even be torn up without Pokemon power? Didn’t matter, he was risking too much just be being there. What little he did do bought enough time for two more to be plucked out of the water by Tristan, who got lucky when two Carvanha bumped into each other.

 

That still left fifteen Carvanha in the moment that Lucan surfaced for air. Still, not a problem. Because Jamie still had her ace in the hole. Power over time itself. It had worked once, it had worked twice. Third time would be the charm. She had already sucked in air the moment before Lucan surfaced. The moment he surfaced, she yelled.

 

“Time will freeze!”

 

It didn’t.

 

Not a one froze.

 

Fifteen frenzied fish all rushed towards Jamie. She looked stunned that the power failed her in her time of need. She watched as the fish rushed towards her, a wave of teeth, without any way to protect herself.

 

At the last moment, Jamie felt herself being pulled. The Buizel forced himself between Jamie and the horde. The fish tore into him. They pulled and bit. Lucan acted quickly, slamming into more than one fish. But as Lucan chased some away, more continued to bite at the Buizel’s chest. The Buizel squealed in agony, as Lucan desperately tried to force them away and Jamie made cries for time to stop.

 

Tristan yanked Jamie and the Buizel out of the water. He cursed himself for his weakness in letting Jamie try this. It wasn’t the most gentle treatment of either, but they needed to escape immediately. Lucan followed after making sure that Jamie and the Buizel had cleared. He took a bite for his efforts. But he was not going to let anyone hurt Jamie or the Buizel. Palomides had already fled. Where he was nobody knew.

 

Tristan rushed to the shore. As he laid Jamie and the Buizel on the coast, he began to glare. He began to look at the hostiles still in the area. If any of the opponents even tried to get near his daughter right now, they would meet a grim fate.

 

Jamie looked at the body of the Buizel. There was blood seeping from his body. Not a small amount either. Jamie’s face paled as she stared. She eventually broke eye contact to search for her allies Where was Lucia? She was a healer, she had to know how to bandage him up. It would be okay, she told herself. It would be okay.
Edited by Metal Gear Minun

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IC: Flint Conley - Lazy Pidgey Café, Blackthorn City

 

"Yu..." A twinge shot through Flint at the name. A friend, a rival, somebody who had tried to best him numerous times during their time training together. Flint reached down to grab his tea again, but his hands were shaking, and he just succeeded in spilling more of the drink on the table.

 

What was the best course of action, here? Yu had been more reserved than Flint could ever hope to be, but finding out about Zhang's death -- finding out who had killed him -- could change that. Flint really didn't want this chance encounter -- or maybe it was fate, rather than chance -- to escalate into a battle. For one thing, he liked this cafe. For another, he had liked Yu while they were training together.

 

"I am so sorry about hwat happened to our master," he finally said. "It's a tragedy."

"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: James Arthur - Heahea City

 

James stepped out of a store. He was wearing a freshly bought suit. It wasn’t up to James’s standards. It was a cheap, white suit that came with a blue and white striped shirt. Gawain convinced him to pair it with a tie that had a Scizor pattern on it. He’d put up with it until he got his suit jacket repaired.

 

He made sure of a number of pressing issues were taken care of in the morning. Both before and after his boat trip he had been making phone calls. He relayed coded messages back to Four Island to have them keep tabs on ‘Lohe Mahina’. He informed the authorities of people who tried to attack Tapu Bulu. And most importantly, he arranged an appointment with his tailor. He needed that suit.

 

James checked his watch. He still had a little time to show up. He smiled. James had worked quickly to get everything done. The place he chose to meet was just up ahead. The same hole in the wall coffee shop that he had the encounter with the assailant. Lancelot and Percival were already waiting for him. He smiled at the two of them as they Gawain and him arrive.

 

Percival looked to be in much better health than he had the night before. They had pretty much driven through the desert to the Tapu Village Pokemon Center before they had dragged themselves to Kris’s trailer for sleep. Percival had slept until the boat ride was over. After the boat ride though, he wanted to spread his arms and fly around a bit. Lancelot had been keeping an eye on him.

 

The group went inside and sat near a table. James ordered a coffee. As he began to drink the hot liquid, he pondered the fact that he couldn’t remember the first time he drank coffee. How long ago must it have been.

“Good day to you, Executive Arthur.” A calm and friendly voice spoke to James, as Colress sat down near where James was sitting. “How are you this day?”

“I am in a rather good mood, Doctor. Things have been going well. There have been some interesting developments since last we spoke,” James said smiling pleasantly. How one could forget how much danger they were in when they were in a good mood. “How has your day found you?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited, Executive.” The blonde-haired man said, his smile meeting with James’s. “Today could lead to a breakthrough in my research, the likes of which I’ve never experienced. Will your developments help your case?”

James tilted his head from one side to the other. “Yes. And no. But I think I can give you the proper context to make the correct choice. Oh. First there is the matter of our arrangement. Percy?”

Percival liked the sound of the name Percy. Until he could get him that wax bath he wanted, James decided to call Percival by a nickname he wanted. The Chandelure floated over to James. Percival smiled as he floated over.

 

James brought to mind the victories Percival had brought him. The shaming of Pierce, the assailants. He recalled how Percival had protected him, and just in case, wielded his secret weapon. The power of hugs.

 

He pretended that it was not in fact the last one that triggered Percival’s explosion into the spider now stood in the cafe.

 

“I think this demonstrates that I have indeed mastered this transformation ability.”

 

Colress's eyes widened at what he had just witnessed. “Was my theory correct, then?” The scientist inquired, sounding quite excited. “Was it the bonds between Trainer and Pokémon?”

 

“The evidence would support it. I will let you and the scientific community decide what qualifies as sufficient proof,” James said, as he stroked the cage of Percival’s fire. He went silent as he did. He didn’t know Colress well enough to say whether he would honor the arrangement, especially if he had come to the same conclusion about Pokemon powers that James had.

 

“I must say that this is encouraging news, Executive Arthur.” Colress said, smiling. “When may I join your group, sir?”

 

James smiled. He had nothing to worry about. “I will make the necessary preparations. I would be ready to move within the week.” He offered his hand to Colress, “It will be good to be working with you Doctor.”

 

Colress took James's hand shook it gently. “It would be my pleasure, Executive Arthur.”

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IC: Yu Changgong - Lazy Pidgey Cafe, Blackthorn City

 

Yu closed his eyes again. "I had left for a period of several weeks to travel and meditate at shrines across the mountains. I returned to a ransacked dojo filled with the corpses of those I had come to see as family." The swordsman gripped his cup and stared at the gentle swishing of the tea inside. "After I buried everyone, I had nowhere left to call my home. So I discarded my name and became a wandering blade, traveling the land on a journey to find myself and be there for the powerless, those who lost hope."

He paused for a moment, deep in thought. "...Master Zhang wouldn't have wanted me to dwell on the past. And yet, I find myself wondering almost every waking moment if I have been honoring his memory alongside all those who perished. I do not think I will ever have an answer to that." Yu lifted his head, looking at Flint. "You however, left the dojo long before that massacre. What path have you walked all this time? I can infer some sort of position in the government due to those agents with you, but it would be nice to hear it from you. We have a lot to catch up on." 

Haven't seen one of these in a long time...

 

 

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IC: Flint Conley - Lazy Pidgey Cafe, Blackthorn City

 

Flint's heart was beating a million miles an hour. He nodded once. "I agree. After I left the school, I joined Team Rocket for various reasons -- too many, really, to get into. I'm an Executive in the organization. Despite the rumors you hear, Team Rocket is a noble organization, and they treat their operatives well. We actually visited the school shortly before the tragedy to try and recruit someone to teach Zhang's art to our agents. I would do it, but unfortunately I don't seem to have a knack for teaching."

 

He shrugged. "What about you? You said you've been traveling and helping people. Have you had any interesting encounters in the last few years?"

"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/Emmerich Coleman/Vertrag - Command Center, Vertrag:

 

A general murmur of agreement followed Sonja's suggestion. The plan was set, then: They would teleport the base to Dendemille Town, locate the windmills where the Signs had been staging their poaching operations, the warehouse where they had been taking prisoners, and see what they could find. Prior to the search, they would stock up on any supplies they would need in case of an emergency. At Emmerich's suggestion, they would prepare two emergency messages for Vertrag the AI to send out in case the mission went poorly--the first to inform the other group of Agents in Kalos, and the second to send back to Liberty and Rocket.

 

The Signs were a largely-unknown threat, and Shift in particular seemed unpredictable. But at least this way, if they ran into trouble, they would be ready.

 

"Sounds like we're all set, then," Sonja said. She turned to Vertrag. "So, how does this work?"

 

You are prepared to relocate now? Vertrag asked.

 

Sonja looked between the members of her group--from Kyle, to Chloe, to Ray, to Emmerich, and finally to Ryan. Between the five of them, she saw no signs of hesitation, and so she addressed Vertrag again. "We're ready."

 

Understood. The Jirachi's eyes glowed. Thin lines of light spread from the central console all throughout the rest of the control room. Although they did not feel any movement from the base, they could all sense the energy permeating throughout it, as the massive teleportation field warped the fabric of space around the facility. Initiating facility relocation. Destination: Dendemille Town, Kalos.

 

All eyes, whether inside or outside, would have seen no indication of any movement as Vertrag disappeared from beneath the base of Mt. Silver. But they would have felt the conspicuous ease of the air as something much more powerful, hidden away as it may be, removed itself from the area, reappearing thousands of miles away on the outskirts of a new town in a new region.

 

The Vanguard had arrived in Kalos.

Edited by Parugi

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

 

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IC: Miriam Shields/Ryan Hikari - Vermillion City

 

“And cut!”

 

Ryan let out a sigh as he relaxed. He looked over at his Tyranitar, who he had successfully transformed into the mysterious state again with a good dose of enthusiasm. It had been a long day, and the stuffy costume based on the Power Suit he had worn during the fight was super hot by this point.

 

"How was that?" Ryan asked, as he glanced over at where Miriam was stationed. "Do we need another take?"

 

Miriam turned to the director. He was speaking with one of the crew. When he saw Miriam looking at him, he flashed her a thumbs-up.

 

“That’s a wrap,” the man he was speaking with called.

 

“No, Mr. Hikari,” Miriam said smiling. “Your job in this is done. It will be up to the editors now.”

 

She pressed a few buttons on her tablet that brought up pictures. Pictures of the monster that could impersonate people. “...Mr. Hikari, I have a question actually.”

 

"Yeah? What's up?"

 

“We’ve collected enough video from the security cameras in the base that we could recreate the scene for this. I was wondering if you thought we should add it in. We wouldn’t need you for this, mind you. But I’m conflicted on it,” Miriam said.

 

"Hmm…" Ryan thought for a moment as he considered everything. "On one hand, it would be a good showing of us winning against one of those creatures, but on the other hand, it might be…" He paused as he tried to find the right word. "A little bit too much, too risky, to show off that these Instances can mimic appearances." The man fell quiet for a few moments. "I think the footage should be kept to be analyzed, but I don't know if it's a good fit for this."

 

“The video doesn’t show it mimicking appearances,” Miriam corrected. “That seems to be its weakness.” Miriam took a moment to lean back as she closed the tablet. “But I understand the sentiment. And without revealing that fact, the footage itself is not that special. And I can only imagine how the public will deal with that information,” Miriam said.

 

She pulled up a different file. “I did have something to ask you before you left. I did some digging on your background while I was setting up this shindig. I was wondering if you could tell me about this,” she said handing the tablet over to Ryan.

 

Ryan seemed slightly confused as he took the tablet and began to leaf through the information on the tablet. "This is that incident at the Ferris Wheel in Nimbasa. I remember seeing it just collapse from what seemed like an energy beam - and if I recall, there was a portal that opened in the sky around the same time." He glanced up at Miriam. "What are you bringing it up for?"

 

“So you were there,” Miriam said, as she stood up. She scrolled down to show a picture of someone. “This is a picture someone took of the suspect. Seem familiar?”

 

Ryan stared at the picture. "Wha…" He was looking at a picture of himself with his Pupitar in hand, though there were some details that seemed odd to him. But the picture seemed to have been perfectly taken to capture him walking away from the collapsing ferris wheel. Ryan looked back at Miriam in confusion. "Wait, I was on the route nearby at the time, coming back from the forest, I wasn't near the ferris wheel itself, and I don't…" He stared back at the picture in complete confusion.

 

“I believe you,” she said. It was much more convenient truth to believe than what the picture suggested. “If you know who might’ve wanted to frame you, we could have the matter... quietly investigated. It would be rather counterproductive if this went unaddressed.”

 

Ryan frowned slightly as he shook his head. "I don't know, honestly." He paused slightly. "Well, actually, there's one person I can think of that might be worth looking into, though last I remember he didn't have the ability to disguise himself to that degree." He tapped his fingers together as he tried to recall the name of the person. "Right, now I remember. Darien Grant."

 

“Darien Grant,” Miriam said, picking up a pen and writing the name down on a sheet of paper near her. “Anything you can tell me about him?”

 

"I didn't know much about him other than what he let me know as part of his plans. He was the person in charge of my training the first time I joined Rocket, and has had a grudge against me since I tried to attack him." Ryan paused for a moment. "It's a long story, but long story short, he killed my mother, I tried to attack him for it, and we haven't liked each other since." He went on to describe what the man looked like.

 

Miriam lightly began to hit her forehead while she frowned. Another Rocket. The political fallout of either possibility was going to suck, putting it lightly. It was a step up from ruining all the work she had just done, but this was going to suck.

 

“We’ll look into him,” Miriam said to Ryan. “I’ll contact you about this later.”

 

***

 

A little while later, after taking off the costume, Ryan headed back to where Miriam was, planning to mention he was headed out. However, as he approached her desk, he noticed that she was staring intently at her computer's monitor. The black-haired man approached curiously, noticing that the monitor was displaying a picture of the Nobuddy, right before Tyranitar landed the finishing blow.

 

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked with a frown, the things that the Nobuddy said coming to mind once again. "Is it about what happened?"

 

Miriam had been lost in thought. She shook slightly as she heard Ryan speak to her. “What? No? There’s nothing…” she started but quickly realized that even she didn’t buy the words coming out of her mouth. “Alright fine, you caught me. I was thinking about what it showed me right before you…” Miriam paused for a moment, the image of the girl she had seen came to mind. “Before you did your job.”

 

Ryan nodded, the frown still on his face as he stayed quiet for a couple moments to see if Miriam was going to continue. "Who was she?" He finally asked, though he wondered if there might have been a better way to approach the subject.

 

Miriam stared at Ryan for a while. She wasn’t sure whether she actually wanted to tell Ryan this. Showing any emotion towards that image had been a mistake. And yet, she wanted to tell someone. Anyone really.

 

“She.. isn’t anyone per se. At least, if she actually looks like that, then it’s a coincidence. I don’t know what she actually looks like now. That creature showed me my best guess.” Miriam knew she was dancing around the issue. She swallowed. “I suppose the word for it would be my… daughter. I’m not sure I have the right to call her that though.”

 

Ryan stayed quiet after the explanation, not having actually expected the answer he'd gotten. He tried to think of something that he could say to that, feeling like he might have gone a little too far - he didn't even really know Miriam, after all. "Would you rather not talk about what happened with her?" He looked to the side awkwardly. "I mean, like, I kinda feel like I'm overstepping things now; if you don't want to talk about things any further, then that's fine." Ryan trailed off for a moment as he waited for Miriam's response.

 

Miriam rested her face on her hand. “I don’t think I want to talk about it, to be honest. I’d been doing just fine burying these emotions. And then this creature comes and dredges them all up.”  While she had been speaking, she had picked up a pen. Without thinking, she’d been pressing on the pen. It was on the verge of breaking, but hadn’t yet broken. “And yet, I don’t feel like holding it in either.” She set the pen back down. “If you don’t mind listening to an old woman vent for a bit, I’d be willing to tell you.”

 

"I don't mind." Ryan said with a nod, as he moved to sit down. He didn't want to say anything too presumptuous or anything that could be considered rude, so he simply stayed quiet while he waited for Miriam to speak.

 

Miriam sighed for a bit as she began to drown in memories. “It was my last year of college. We had just finished our finals. Some friends and I went out to celebrate. We went to a club with bad alcohol and even worse music. But we were together and we were dancing like idiots. My best friend in college and I got especially hammered that night.”

“Next thing either of us knew, it was morning and our clothes were off.” She said, the phrase perfectly clear to Ryan. “I wasn’t ready to be a mother. All the plans I had for my career were going up in smoke. My friend and I had a talk. We agreed that he would take the child.”

She paused for a moment. She wondered she had chosen now to talk about this. This creature must’ve affected her worse than she had thought. “She was born and just like that she was out of my life. My friend had already planned to leave the Kanto regions. At the time, I was grateful for it. I could write that chapter out of my life entirely. But as you get older, well, you begin to feel regret. You begin to wonder what might have been,” Miriam said feeling quite old.

 

Ryan nodded, as he began to understand what was meant earlier. "I get what you mean… not quite in the same way, but…" His voice became distant for a few moments, although he seemed to return to focus not long later. "Did your friend keep you up to date about anything about her?"

 

Miriam shook her head slowly. “We pretty much immediately cut off contact. I can’t even honestly say I know she’s alive. She’d be fifteen now. But other than that I don’t know anything about her.”

 

Ryan stayed quiet, but nodded in response again as he tried to think of something that he could say to that. "Would you ever want to like, try to meet up and at least get closure if nothing else? I can't say that I can actually help, as I don't know the first way to go about doing that, but…"

 

“Honestly? I don’t know,” Miriam said. She wasn’t sure if she wanted closure or to be part of someone’s life she had no right to be a part of. “I doubt there is much you could do, anyways. But… yes, even though I’m not sure if I actually want to meet her, I want to know where she is.”

 

Ryan checked the time on his Poké Gear and bit his lip slightly; he wanted to help more, but he figured that Shannon and Aori might be wondering where he was soon if he stayed any longer. "I don't think I can help right now, but maybe I can return after I help Aori find her parents - if they didn't have any luck with that today." The man made a few notes in his Poké Gear about the situation - reminding himself to return for information on Darien and listing down the details Miriam mentioned about her daughter and that he needed to return.

 

Miriam was quiet for a moment. She didn’t exactly expect much out of the agent. But still to hear the offer to help meant something to Miriam. She muttered a quiet ‘thank you’, too quiet for Ryan to hear. After another moment she said, “Alright, you can go, Agent Hikari.”

 

"Alright." Ryan stood up and turned toward the door, but paused for a moment. "Oh, out of curiosity, do you think it would be too much trouble to arrange like, a car or something to Celadon?"

 

Miriam shook her head slightly. “No, that shouldn’t be a problem. Do you have a license? If so I can have a car sent over to you immediately.”

 

"Yeah, I do."

 

“Then it will be here for you in five minutes,” Miriam said pressing a button. In the brief moments in between Ryan starting to ask and confirming he had a license, Miriam had sent a request for a car from the base. “You will need to sign some paperwork. I’ll send it to you later.”

 

"Alright." Ryan nodded as he gave Miriam a smile. "Thanks, and good luck with everything."

 

Miriam waved goodbye as Ryan left. She held her posture until the moment the agent was out of sight. At that moment, she slouched in her chair and sighed.

Edited by Metal Gear Minun

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IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon - Kalos Route 7 river

 

The leader of the Frogadier glared down at Jared as she pulled another stone knife from... somewhere. As she was raising her arm to strike, Jared surged upwards and grabbed her arm tightly. As she struggled, Jared focused. Silver light poured off of him, bathing the river in the glow of his aura.

 

"Enough!" the silver aura user cried, grabbing the Frogadier's other arm as she tried to swiped at him. The silver light intensified. "Enough," he repeated. "I am not your enemy, we are not your enemies! What happened before, that was a mistake, a loss of control!" The silver light pulsed, lines of maroon shooting through it.

 

"But even with that loss of control, I managed to restrain myself! The Scrafty lived, and so did everyone else! I didn't set out to kill anyone, and I didn't kill anyone!"

 

He glowered, and the lines of red in his aura grew thicker, bolder, more menacing. "But you. You come after my friends and me while we're trying to travel, and you roped in other Pokémon who had no part of it! Did they know that they might die? I doubt it."

 

Mercury's aura waned, and Jared looked down at the Frogadier with eyes as cold as ice. "I want you to leave. I've held back both times we've encountered you." The aura shifted again, the silver light turning almost completely to red. "Next time, I won't hold back at all. Do you understand me?"

 

The Frogadier, previously cold and calculating, gave a quick, fearful nod. Jared released his grip on her, and the light of his aura dissipated. "Call them off."

 

She croaked something, an order. The other Frogadier began to retreat, casting wary looks at the humans as they did. The Swanna took a few moments to disengage from those they were harassing, but they eventually did so, squawking and honking the whole time.

 

The two Hawlucha that had still been in the fight took off, retreating back upstream to retrieve their injured friend.

 

Finally, the Dragonair realized it was the last one left, and that there were several people giving it wary looks. With a growl of frustration, it flew off.

 

Jared sat back down on Oggie’s back and sighed. He looked over at Lachina and shook his head at the questioning expression on her face.

 

He looked back at the rest of the group and sighed. "We're past the cave, everyone!" he called. It was true; They had been almost there when the fighting had begun, and in all the commotion, they'd ridden the current past it. He could see a city in the distance.

 

"Let's make for land and tend to any injuries, then we'll see if we can still make it to Cyllage before sundown!"

"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: Belle LaDonna/Belle "Beauty" Parfum/Amelia Zann/Alma Mason/Alex the Green/Alex Zyther/Amy "Beast" Parfum/Alma Mason

 

After Alma had changed and everybody had their supplies, they made their way once more to the crystal cavern in which they had arrived. The young assassin seemed uncomfortable as she walked along in the pale blue dress she had been gifted.

 

Belle cleared her throat. “Thanks,” she said to her double. “For everything. Really, you have no idea--”

 

“Hon, I’m you, I think I have some idea.” Beauty chuckled and shrugged. “Y’all just think about what you’ve seen here, y’hear?”

 

“I will,” Belle promised, blushing as she cast a look towards Amelia.

 

Amelia gave a noncommittal grunt. “It’s… been a thing, for sure.”

 

Alma scoffed. “It certainly has. You said sunset?” She looked to Alex the Green as she asked for maybe the dozenth time since that afternoon.

 

Alex the Green gave a glance to their counterpart, who was busily skipping along staring at the sky with the incubator clutched to their chest, humming a chipper melody all the while. The green witch shook their head in amusement. “Indeed. The crystal in question should only be a short ways inside, but as usual its resonance won’t alter until the end of the proscribed cycle.”

 

Amy leaned out from behind Beauty. “They mean that the mirrors are on a cycle they can’t change.”

 

“Yes, quite.”

 

Alma nodded softly. “So… sunset.” She looked up at the sky, as if willing the sun to go down faster. Her double, silent to this point, chuckled.

 

“Do you really want to go back to your world? You could stay here and feel the joy of helping people--”

 

“No,” Alma nearly growled. “I do not wish to become some altruist who does things because it benefits others more than oneself. I do not need the warm and fuzzy feeling one feels when somebody gives them heartfelt thanks.” She twirled a knife that no-one had seen her draw. “I just need to go home.”

 

“Amen, sister,” Amelia tossed over her shoulder.

 

Belle cleared her throat. “Try not to encourage her, Amelia,” she said quietly enough so that the albino wouldn’t hear.

 

“Ah, she’ll be fine.” The mercenary shook her head, letting her blood-red hair drift in the breeze. “I was.”

 

“I wouldn’t call either you or me ‘fine,’ hon. We’re a bit screwy, and I want to try and get her off the path to screwy-town.” Belle scowled; Alma was her responsibility right now, and she would do her best to keep the kid off of a dangerous, deadly track.

 

Amelia shrugged. She felt… well, honestly, she wasn’t sure how she felt. This place didn’t feel right to her -- or rather, it did feel right, which didn’t feel real. The whole thing felt like living in some sort of saccharine children’s anime, full of love and friendship and determination, with little sign of reality or consequences. Alma seemed to have run into that herself, judging by the scene earlier and her current discomfort, and Amelia didn’t blame her. Suppressing a sigh, Amelia wandered near the edge of the cliff they currently stood atop.

 

It was Alex who picked up on her discomfort first -- or at least, Alex was the first one to approach her. The androgynous trainer shared a worried glance with Raleigh, the latter gingerly accepting the incubator that had been cradled at Alex’s chest. “You okay?”

 

“Yeah.” Amelia stared out at the landscape before her, and sighed. “No.” She dropped with a huff, letting her legs dangle freely off the edge. “I ain’t got a flippin’ clue.”

 

“Mm.” The Trainer frowned, thinking. “I don’t suppose talking it out would help?”

 

Amelia spread her arms wide. “Who knows? I certainly don’t.”

 

“Maybe start from the beginning?”

 

This provoked a raised eyebrow. “What is this, storytime with Amelia? Sheesh, didn’t y’all learn last time what my past was like?”

 

“Is… this about the other Amy?”

 

“Yer danged right it’s about her. Her an’ the other Belle.”

 

“They’re cute together.”

 

“Bah.” Amelia shook her head. “It’s weird.”

 

“Weirder than your last set of doubles?”

 

Amelia gave Alex a hard glare. “An’ whddaya mean by that?”

 

“Oh, right… you barely even met her. She was… devoted to Donna. Er, that is, her Belle. They were… obviously close.”

 

Amelia laid back on the ground and closed her eyes. “An’ here we’re married.”

 

“I mean…” Alex blushed slightly. “I kinda assumed it wasn’t a new thing for the two of you.”

 

“Great. Fantastic. Wonderful.”

 

“…I’m detecting a non-zero amount of sarcasm there.”

 

“Tch.” After a moment’s irritation, however, Amelia failed to suppress a grin. “It’s… complicated. We’re--” here Amelia gestured to indicate herself and Belle “--complicated. Back when we first met, she was so… innocent. Untouched by the world. It woulda been weird.”

 

“And since then?”

 

“Never really considered it. By that point she never really fell into the group of potential options.”

 

“What about now?”

 

The woman went suspiciously silent. After a long pause, she diverted the discussion. “So, what traumatic realization did your double put ya through?”

 

“Hmm? Oh, right…” The Trainer went quiet, speaking through steepled fingers. “So… I… might have an answer to your question now.”

 

“Question?”

 

“You know… the one you asked me last time… before the whole caves and universes stuff?”

 

It took Amelia a bit to remember. “Ah… that one. Listen, I already told ya--”

 

“I know, and apology still accepted. But… I actually know now.”

 

Amelia regarded Alex warily, taking several more seconds to see the excitement amidst the apprehension. “Ah. So…”

 

Alex merely tilted their head, waiting for her to ask.

 

“Are you a boy or a girl?”

 

“Sometimes.” The Trainer grinned like a Cheshire cat, the grin growing wider in proportion to Amelia’s irritation.

 

“Whaddaya mean, ‘sometimes’?!” she shouted. Across the clifftop, the other Alex snickered.

 

Alma walked over, smiling softly. “Congratulations, Alex. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard her use quite that tone of indignation.”

 

“I mean,” Alex elaborated, “that I’m sometimes a boy, and sometimes a girl, and sometimes neither. I’m gender-fluid.”

 

“…I see.” She didn’t, but she wasn’t going to let a little thing like that stop her. “An’ that means…?”

 

“Practically speaking? I’m a ‘they’, not a ‘he’.”

 

Amelia took a moment to mentally memorize the change. “I can do that, sure. Anythin’ else?”

 

Alex shrugged. “Not really. Kinda still just excited is all.”

 

“All right.” She still didn’t quite get what was going on, but she liked Alex enough to respect their wishes. Her attention was diverted, however, when her counterpart approached Alex.

 

“So I hear you used the ‘sometimes’ line. I take it that means you’re…?”

 

“Like your Alex, yes.”

 

“Congratulations.” Amy took a moment to look into Amelia’s eyes. “Could we have a word?”

 

“Y’mean in private?” At Amy’s nod, she shrugged. “Sure, guess so.”

 

As the others left, Amy knelt down delicately beside Amelia. “So.”

 

The silence stretched. After a while, Amelia began to suspect she’d failed to keep her conversation with Alex from carrying. “Listen, about you two, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to--”

 

“Oh. Good. I wasn’t sure how to bring this up.” Amy bit her lip and looked down to avoid looking Amelia in the eye. “Listen. You’re me, and I’m you, right?”

 

Amelia had several objections to the comparison, but decided not to voice them. “Sure, kinda, I guess.”

 

“So… so it stands to reason we’re more similar than we are different, yes?”

 

To her credit, Amelia tried to keep the disbelief out of her voice, though it was still writ large across her countenance. “Uh-huh.”

 

Despite her gaze still being fixed firmly upon the ground, Amy still turned her head aside. “I know how ridiculous that sounds. I’m shy, not a fool. Give yourself some credit.” She shook her head. “Anyway. I wanted to… look. We share… a lot more than I think either of us realize. Things that go… well, pretty deep. Stuff neither of us would be willing to share after just a day together.”

 

Amelia thought back to how much she’d shared with Alex, compared to Alma or even Belle. “Yeah, listen, I don’t think we--”

 

Amy waved her off. “Alex is special. Practically family, even, the non-sister I never had. But they’re the exception that proves the rule.”

 

Amelia stared at her counterpart. “How did you…?”

 

“Like I said. Similar.” She smiled softly, sinking slowly back into sadness. “Anyway, the point is. You’re… the better version of me. Stronger. Braver. You actually take risks, face your fears… live your life. Me… not so much.”

 

“That’s… you have a wife. An’ a family. An’ everythin’ ya could ever want. How do you call that not livin’ yer life? Yer best life, even?”

 

“Because I didn’t do it. Any of it. Belle… Alex… my sisters… all of them did things for me because I was too… me… to do it myself. And because I was me, I just sat there and let them. And everything worked out, I have a home and siblings and a wife who loves me but it’s… it feels wrong. Like I cheated, like I let everyone else do the work in living my own life.”

 

“I mean… that seems kinda harsh, ain’t it? Maybe y’all oughta be the one givin’ yerself credit.”

 

“Maybe. But I just think…” Amy paused. “Meeting you… it’s inspired me. I realized I can be so much more than who I am. More like Alex. More like Belle. So I’ve made myself a promise to start living with determination, making my own choices and accepting responsibility for them. And I think… if I could make that mistake, have been making that mistake all my life, then maybe it’s the same for you as well.”

 

“Nah.” Amelia leaned lazily back. “I ain’t nearly so… passive…” Even as Amelia spoke, she heard the lie upon her lips. How much of her life was by her own choice, compared to just following along to whatever was happening around her? Lilycove, Celadon, this… “Hm. Anyway, I know myself just fine, an’ I’m fine with stayin’ exactly how I am.”

 

“Maybe so,” Amy admitted, “I just… if you’re leaving, and I just discovered this about myself, I should tell you, just in case, before…”

 

“Yeah, I getcha. S’fine. Now, stop overthinkin’ an’ go be happy with yer wife.”

 

“Right. Thanks.” She stood, paused, and smirked. “Er… you too.” With one last blush, Amy dipped her head and fled.

 

Amelia shut her eyes and shook her head. “I am fine,” she grumbled. “Don’t care what anyone says.” Why am I here? a rebellious corner of her mind complained. What’s the point of me?

 

The disc of the sun started setting, its lowermost point meeting the horizon before slowly melting below. “It’s time,” Alex the Green called.

 

“Oh thank Rayquaza,” Amelia mumbled to herself. “Let’s get outta here.”


 

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: Belle/Belle

 

Everyone else was having private conversations with their double, so it seemed only fitting that Belle do the same.

 

Except her double was staying quiet, watching her with a sad look that Belle couldn’t explain. Finally, Belle spoke. “Well? You dragged me away from the others, are you at least gonna--”

 

“You’ve got no patience,” Beauty interrupted quietly. “Even when you’re after something you want, you rush in half-cocked and screw it up.”

 

“What--”

 

“I used to be the same way. I’m gonna tell you three things, now, and you’re not going to listen to any of what I have to say until it’s too late, probably.” The double sighed and leaned back against a tree.

 

Belle waited a few seconds before prompting. “Well?”

 

“See, that’s what I’m talking about. First thing, kiddo: patience is a virtue. How many times have you almost had the target, but you acted too soon and it got away from you?”

 

“I-- I spent days hunting some of my Pokémon!” Belle protested.

 

“I haven’t spent more than a day on any of my team. And that’s not what I’m talking about anyways.” Beauty sighed and closed her eyes. “So, patience. In everything, not just Pokémon hunting.”

 

“Fine. What’s the second thing?”

 

Her double opened her eyes. “I saw the Snag Machine you’ve got Alex lugging around. Don’t think I don’t know exactly what that means, or how you got it.” Belle winced, and Beauty scoffed. “So, that’s the second thing. Be careful. That thing ain’t no toy, and if you tick off the wrong people, you’ll find yourself looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. What do you plan to do with it, anyhow?”

 

“I dunno,” Belle admitted. “For the longest time, the Snag Machine was my entire goal.”

 

“Awful goal to have. A device like that, it’s a tool, a means to an end. It shouldn’t be an end unto itself.”

 

“So, what’d you do with yours, then?”

 

“Once I got over the high of having it? I added to my collection, almost got got by some people who were mighty ticked that I’d taken some of their best Pokémon-- and then I gave it over to Mom and Pop to use. They said they’d give it back if I asked and promised to only use it for good afterwards.”

 

“You-- I-- wait, there’s a lot to unpack there--”

 

“No time.” Beauty pointed at the sun, which was slowly sinking towards the horizon. “About five minutes, I’d say. So, the last thing.”

 

“But--”

 

“The last thing is evaluate what’s important to you. Who’s important to you. The path you’re on, I don’t need fancy magic to see disaster on its way.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Alma, Amelia, Alex, they’re all important to you, more important than anyone else has been since you were a kid, am I right?”

 

“Y-yeah… Alex less so, but darn if the kid’s not growin’ on me.”

 

“If you continue acting the way you act-- impulsive, reckless, not thinking ahead, and trying to pretend you only live for your own ends-- you’re going to lose them. Can’t say how for sure, but… the way you lose them might mean you can’t get them back again once you do. Even if they do come back to you, it won’t be the same.”

 

Belle swallowed and nodded. “Right. I… understand.”

 

“I doubt it.” Beauty straightened, and unclasped her cape. “Here. One last gift, from me to you.” She handed it over and Belle nearly dropped it.

 

“Heavy,” she murmured, and her double nodded.

 

“Those are real Skarmory feathers, so it’s a decent bit of weight and armor. You’ll need to get used to moving with it, but I think you’ll appreciate it if someone ever tries to attack you from behind.”

 

Beauty began to walk away, and Belle grabbed her wrist.

 

“Yer givin’ me advice-- which i appreciate, by the by-- but I have to ask: what’s the difference between you and me, that you can advise me?”

 

Beauty took a shaky breath. “The difference is that you haven’t lost everything-- not yet. When you hit rock bottom, there’ll be nowhere left to go but up. It’s a long, hard climb, and you’ll think you can never make it, but you can. You will. I did.”

 

“When?” Belle asked, still gripping her counterpart. “When did you lose everything, how far back did our worlds diverge that you’ve experienced that and I haven’t?”

 

Beauty was opening her mouth to respond when Alex’s call of “It’s time” rang out. Beauty shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you haven’t gotten there yet, and you might not ever. I hope you don’t.” She pulled her arm free. “You go. Tell Amy and Alex and Alma that I went back to the cottage. I hate goodbyes.”

 

“Yeah,” Belle said quietly as she watched her counterpart walk away. “Me, too.

"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: Alex Zyther/Coralie/Alex the Green

 

As the sun slipped slowly toward the horizon, Alex heard their counterpart calling out to the rest of the group.

 

“It’s time.”

 

“Oh thank Rayquaza,” Amelia mumbled to herself, probably still grumpy from earlier. “Let’s get outta here.”

 

“Oh… right.” Alex picked up their incubator, then carefully checked for the rest of their Pokémon as well as their belongings. They felt for Raleigh’s ball, stashed safely in their pocket, as well as Coralie’s… the one she hadn’t been registered to yet. They looked to the sun, its descent signalling the end of both this day and their journey as a whole. “Wait… wait a second. Er, please.” The Trainer looked around, spotting the Diancie sticking close to her fellow Fairy-types. “Coralie, do you have a second?”

 

Coralie came forward, curious as to what the human wanted. She cocked her head, waiting patiently for an explanation.

 

What Alex gave her, instead, was a small, oddly-shaped red ball with black detailing. It was a gift neither of them had quite expected.

 

“She’s a special Pokémon,” Alex the Green volunteered in response to Alex’s questioning glance. “She deserves a special home.”

 

Alex nodded. “So…?”

 

Coralie considered the offer. She had heard stories, good and bad, about the devices in which Trainers kept their Pokémon. Did she trust her Trainer enough to accept that level of control? She thought back to the pain she’d experienced in her very first battle, the searing burn a pain worse than anything physical she’d ever had to endure… a pain salved by Alex’s near-instant move to help and comfort, even if it did cost them the battle. The rescue in the cave, the comfort in the mansion… Yes, she decided, I do trust them enough. With a nod, she touched the button on the front of the capsule, letting its crimson light sweep across her.

 

She barely had a moment to acclimate to her new residence before the ball was thrown into the air, releasing her to reemerge at her Trainer’s feet. A moment after that, Alex was on their knees, wrapping her in their embrace. “Thank you, Coralie. For everything you’ve done for us.”

 

Everything? she silently wondered.

 

As if reading her mind, Alex nodded. “Everything. The things I’ve learned on this journey… I might never have made those discoveries if it wasn’t for you. I can’t wait to see what awaits us together.”

 

Alex’s counterpart coughed quietly. “Speaking of which… are you ready to go home?”

 

Trainer and Pokémon nodded in unison.

 

The Green Witch smiled. “Then lead the way, Princess.”


 

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: Belle LaDonna/Amelia Zann/Alex Zyther/Alex the Green/Alma Mason/Alma Mason

 

“So this is it, then?” Belle asked. “For real? It seems like we’ve been traveling for years, jumping from place to place, setting right what once went wrong and hoping every time that the next leap would be the leap home.”

 

There was silence as everyone tried to figure out what Belle was talking about. The purple-haired woman sighed. “Beauty woulda got it…”

 

“That’s ‘cause y’all are nerds,” Amelia teased.

 

“Speaking of which,” Alex said, “where--?”

 

“She went home already,” their counterpart explained. “Amy took that as her cue to leave as well.”

 

“Oh…” Alex turned their gaze downwards, disappointed.

 

Alma the healer smiled. “It was good meeting you all. I’m sure that Alex got a lot of usable data from this, and it was interesting seeing what could have been different.”

 

“Er… yeah. That.”

 

Amelia stretched her arms lazily above her head. “As much as I adore a sappy farewell, I’d like to make it home before tomorrow’s sunset.”

 

“Right.” Alex turned to their newly-caught companion. “Coralie?”

 

With a fierce look of determination, the Diancie put her hands to the mirror Alex the Green had indicated. The mirror responded to her wishes, a white glow expanding slowly outward.

 

Belle nodded, smiling a bit. “Let’s go, then. Amelia, you and me first, just in case?”

 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

Belle hesitantly held her hand out, and grinned as Amelia took it. The two stepped forth together, vanishing into the light just as they had several times before.

 

Alma started to step forward, but paused. She turned to her double and wrapped her in a hug. “Thank you,” the assassin said quietly. “I will consider what we’ve discussed.” Without waiting for a reply, the albino girl turned and practically jumped through the portal.

 

The last to depart, Alex also appraised their duplicate. “Hey…”

 

Alex the Green smiled serenely. “I know. I’m just glad I could help.”

 

Alex nodded, blushing in embarrassment. “Thanks.” They turned to Coralie. “Come on,” they said, let’s go home.”

 

Coralie nodded. <”Together,”> she added in her own tongue. Alongside the rest of Alex’s Pokémon, they left the magical world behind, as their journey continued.

"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: Yu Changgong - Lazy Pidgey Cafe, Blackthorn City

 

“Oh, nothing grand. I mostly help people with physical tasks or stand up to those with an empty pit of a heart who would exploit others. I guess the most interesting story would be what happened with Yinyue here.” Yu said, gesturing to the Jangmo-o. She glared at Flint and hissed, looking ready to pounce at any moment. “Apologies. After the circumstances I rescued her from she doesn’t like most humans very much.”

 

“You see, she had been smuggled to the Johto region from poachers who wished to harvest her scales for use in illicit jewelry, alongside several other Pokemon from other regions. I tracked a group of lackeys down to a hidden base in Ilex Forest. I was nearly too late, and even so I couldn’t stop them from damaging her scales in the confusion.” The swordsman cast an apologetic look at Yinyue, who turned away annoyedly. “Later on as I was checking the news I heard that my intervention in that operation caused a chain reaction of exposing a larger criminal ring that local law officials had been bribed to turn a blind eye from. Still. what I did could hardly be considered truly heroic. I had no such grand ambitions as to fell a criminal empire. I just couldn’t bear to see Pokemon suffering at the hands of the greed of humankind.” Yu Changgong took a sip of his tea as he finished speaking and reflected on his memories of that event. He chose not to mention how he had effectively stolen Huo away from a circus, considering Flint’s executive position in the governing body of the region.

Edited by JiMing

Haven't seen one of these in a long time...

 

 

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-==IC: Kris Homura/Jenny Hakuda/Evan Tierra/James Arthur/??? - Royal Avenue, Akala, Alola - [24]==-


The day had come. Kris glanced around nervously as she tapped her foot on the ground. The crowd was slowly trickling into the building, but despite that, there was not nearly as many people gathered as she had hoped. The blue-haired woman anxiously looked around as the small crowd of people began to make their way toward the stands. To the side, she saw the three people that she had been training, who would be partaking in the match an hour from then.


"So, those are the people in this event?" A masked man grinned as he glanced over to Evan, Jenny, and James. "They look strong! Strong enough to take on the Masked Royal."


"That's my hope. I think this could inspire everyone again in these trying times." Kris smiled at the wrestler, as she thought over the events of the past few days. "It's possible that this could end up surprising, depending on how things go, too."


"Oh? Really now?" The Masked Royal asked as he glanced over with a raised eyebrow. Kris was about to respond, when she caught a glimpse of a blonde woman. She didn't stand out among the crowd, but as their eyes met, something felt… familiar. Kris unconsciously took a step forward, even as the younger woman averted her eyes intentionally, moving to vanish into the crowd further.


"Who…?" Kris mumbled as she shook her head, trying to focus back on the conversation.


"Is something the matter?" The wrestler asked with a frown, as he noticed how distracted Kris seemed to have gotten in the matter of seconds. Kris shook her head again, though wore a frown as if something was still on her mind.


"No, I thought I saw someone I recognized, but I don't know how I recognize them, as I don't know who they are." There was silence for a few moment, but the Masked Royal grinned.


"Well, it's something to think about! Maybe they're a big fan and you'll get some answers after the match! If you think the match will be surprising, then I'm as fired up as a Flare Blitz! We should start to get ready - you should gather the others to the dressing rooms." The wrestler laughed heartily, then walked off toward the private waiting areas to prepare.


Kris watched the Masked Royal go, then searched the crowd once again. There didn't seem to be any sign of the woman she had seen, so she gave up for the moment and walked over to where the other three were.


"Oh, hey Kris! How are the preparations looking?" Jenny asked cheerfully, as she noticed her mentor approaching.


"Pretty good." Kris replied with a smile, as she tried to not seem either worried about the current crowd or distracted by the mystery woman. "We should be all set-up soon, so it sounds like it's time to get our costumes ready in a moment."


“I’m feeling ready. A bit nerved up, but the stage awaits us!” Evan said, flashing a grin. He wasn’t sure what to expect from his costume, but was sure it would be fit for the man who would call himself Terra Incarnate.


“Costumes…” James said, also wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into. Although, after being seen by Vert in THAT piece of extremely vintage, highly prized among collectors, monstrosity, he wasn’t sure how embarrassed he could be.


"Alright, I'm ready too!" Jenny grinned, as she seemed curious about what her costume would be like. With a pleased look on her face, Kris led the way to where the dressing rooms were, leading Jenny into the women's room, while Evan and James were led into another room by an assistant.


***


Evan was suiting up into his costume, making sure that every detail was all right. Given how it looked, at least to the Hero of Space, he’d probably ask to keep it. He looked over at James, after adjusting his mask for the last time. “How you feeling, sir?” The Plasma Agent inquired. “Costume fitting ok?”


James was still getting dressed. He had requested a few… alterations. There was getting into character, and then there was abandoning all your standards entirely to wear something ridiculous. It was still pretty ridiculous by modern standards, but on the stage it would do. “It will do,” James said at last. Thankfully they were all wearing masks anyway.


***


"Are you nervous?" Kris asked Jenny as the younger woman checked to make sure her costume was okay for about the tenth time in a row.


"A little… I haven't really done anything on this scale before, and I hope I can manage to fill my role properly. Then again, I think anything at this point would do well to help." Jenny chuckled, as she abandoned her attempt to adjust her mask again.


"Well, that's definitely fair. I mean, I feel nervous and I'm not even the one fighting--" Kris's reply was cut short as the door to the dressing room opened again. A masked woman was outside the door, trying to enter despite one of the attendant's protests.


"I'm here officially; check your records if you need to." The masked woman said as she held up a piece of paper to the attendant. After a moment, the protests stopped, and the woman entered the room. Jenny looked curiously at the blonde-haired woman, though she also noticed that Kris was just standing there, eyes fixed on the woman.


"Kris, are you okay?" Jenny asked, though she got no reply. The redhead poked her mentor in the shoulder, but again got no response. The only indication that she was still awake, was her head moving as the blonde-haired woman approached.


"Princess of Peril, isn't it?" The newcomer asked with a grin. Jenny's eyes widened behind the mask as she recognized the voice and outfit from the day before. A subtle shake of the woman's head stopped Jenny's question before she could ask it. "Hope you'll put on a good show today." Jenny spotted a bag on the woman's shoulder, but she began to walk off with a grin. However, after a moment, the masked woman turned around, a concerned look on her face as she stared at Kris's back.


Kris turned around, then, a troubled look on her face. "... Who are you?"


"Sure you want the answer to that question…?" The masked woman asked with a frown before turning her head down to the ground.


Kris said nothing for a moment, as she began to hear the five minute warning get ready. "... Jenny, you go ahead. I… need some answers here. I'll catch up when I can."

"Alright… I hope you have good luck with those!" Jenny gave her mentor a smile for a moment, before she headed off to the waiting room where Evan would be headed to.

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IC: Zoe Llyan/Dahlia Seaton/Alex Lockwood - River, Kalos Route 7
A flash of light. Red intertwined with silver. And like that, the battle was over.
 
Dracos tried to pull up, but his momentum carried the Seaton sisters into the water with a resounding splash. Dahlia coughed up water and watched the enemy Dragonair fly off. It wasn't until the dragon was out of sight that she turned her attention to the young girl she had tried to rescue. "Are you alright, Zoe?"
 
Finding herself out of danger, Zoe's confidence returned like a tidal wave. She shot Dahlia a thumbs up. "I had it handled. A couple more seconds and I would've punched that big old Dragonair in right in the nose!" As the girl climbed up onto her sister's Blastoise, however, Dahlia noticed her legs were trembling. She couldn't help but smile.
 
"It's okay to be scared, you know."
 
Zoe pursed her lip as she wrung out her hair. "Hey, who said I was scared? It takes more than a wild Pokémon to scare me!"
 
Choosing not to press the issue further, Dahlia turned back to her own sister. "You alright, Liv?"
 
The redhead wiped the water from her brow and nodded. "Maybe a little warning, next time."
 
Dahlia failed to suppress a grin. "What, and miss the look of sheer terror on your face?" Laughing as she ducked under Olivia's playful punch, Dahlia turned her attention to Jared. Her expression grew serious when she realized the man had singlehandedly forced the enemy retreat. Meanwhile, she had been caught up in her own anxieties. Her inability to act had nearly cost Zoe her life.
 
The gardener stared down at her rippling reflection in the water, her mind drifting back to her conversation with Evan. As a chosen hero, she couldn't afford to hesitate in battle. If that meant losing control every now and then like Jared, maybe that was alright. A maimed Dragonair, after all, was better than Colleen losing her sister. Dahlia's expression hardened. Next time, she would be ready.
 
 
In her concussed state, Lucia had been unable to form a command to give to Alex before the battle was over. Perhaps it was for the best; Alex didn't really feel like embarrassing himself in front of someone he barely knew.
 
As the frenzied waters calmed down, Alex felt a tug on his sleeve. Lucia pointed out towards Jamie, who had made it to shore with a bloodied Buizel. "Need to . . . help . . ."
 
With Alex's affirmation, Empoleon steered the group towards Jamie. "Aramau, make sure she stays there," Alex said as he hopped into the water and waded the last few feet. Ignoring Lucia's groan of protest, he approached the other Rocket girl. "You doing alright? Here, take this Super Potion." He handed the orange bottle to Jamie. "It might be best to put that Buizel back in its Pokéball once you've applied the potion. The medicine will help with the more critical injuries, but it'll still need some time to rest." Alex glanced back at his own Pokémon. "Speaking of rest, your friend Lucia got a concussion when she fell earlier. She's a little out of it right now, but still insisted on helping you. You're lucky to have her as a friend."
 

IC: Ryan Sanders - Command Center, Vertrag (Kalos?)
Ryan visibly tensed as he prepared for teleportation. Being warped from one point in space to another had always made him feel a little motion sick, and the idea of teleporting an entire base made his stomach do backflips.
 
Several seconds passed. The lines of light faded away as if they were never there to begin with.
 
"Are we . . . there yet?" Ryan forced himself to relax as he looked around. It certainly didn't feel like they'd teleported. Then again, their surroundings had teleported with them. Vertrag had said something about the base residing in a mobile pocket dimension. Ryan wasn't even going to pretend he understood half of the explanation, but from what he gathered, the dimension's exit point had simply been changed from Mt. Silver to Dendemille Town.
 
Affirmative. The spectral Jirachi regarded Ryan with a mysterious smile. Facility relocation complete. Welcome to the Kalos Region.

 

Ryan gave a low whistle. "Not half bad. Is there any way we can see what's going on outside? Probably not a good idea to have six people just pop out of a wall or something."

 

One of the computer screens flickered to life with a camera feed overlooking several buildings resting on the slopes of what seemed like a small mountain. We are approximately halfway up the hill on which Dendemille Town was built, Vertrag explained. I chose a discrete location to mitigate the risk of discovery.

 

Ryan observed the town on the screen. In many ways it reminded him of Blackthorn City. He glanced over at Kyle. "Do you know how to get to the Signs base from here?"

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/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Command Center, Vertrag (Dendemille Town, Kalos):

 

"If by 'base,' you mean their warehouse, then . . . Yeeeah . . ." Kyle said. He approached one of the computer consoles. "Vertrag, could I get a map of like . . . this whole section of Kalos?" The AI complied; the screen lit up with a map of of Dendemille and the outskirts of the nearest towns. "Thanks. So . . ." Kyle studied it closely, zooming in. "The northeast part of Dendemille is home to a bunch of abandoned windmills; that's where I ran into them the first time. Their warehouse was north of there. Not sure exactly where, but close enough that we'd be able to fly there, and big enough that we'd see it from the air."

 

Sonja marked the areas of interest in her Pokétch. "Okay," she said. "That's a good starting point." Switching over to her main menu, she frowned. "Ah . . ."

 

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked.

 

"In all the excitement and being stuck in an extradimensional base," Sonja said. "We should probably rest for a few hours. It's a little late." She did not need to specify the time--it was clear from her tone that they should have gone to sleep a long time ago.

 

I can prepare rooms for each of you if you would like, Vertrag offered.

 

"That would be great," Sonja said. "Ray and I are obviously both set, but I'm sure everyone else would appreciate not having to use any of Ford's rooms."

 

It will be done.

 

"Thanks." Sonja turned to the rest of the group. "We'll rest until morning and then head out to the windmills first thing. We can stop by the Poké Mart for supplies on the way there."

 

As the group filed out toward the living quarters, now fully conscious of the fatigue that had finally caught up to them, Sonja cast a final look around the Command Center. Kyle remained at the computer console, staring intently at the map, one hand resting at his mouth. Behind him, Vertrag watched him with evident curiosity. "Everything okay?" Sonja asked.

 

Kyle glanced at her, before returning his gaze to the screen. "Yeah, I'm good . . ." he said. "Right behind you guys . . ."

 

"Okay." Sonja was not entirely convinced. "Don't stay up much later."

 

He didn't respond, nor really move until he heard the door close behind her. When it did, he took a breath. "Vertrag?"

 

Yes?

 

"I have a question for you . . ."

 

 

 

The sun peeked out over the top of a nearby hill, casting an orange glow across the valley. The light warmed the group as they made their way down the old dirt path. Ahead of them lay the split path where Kyle, Esen, and Cero had gone their separate ways not long ago. As they came to the fork, they stopped. Kyle tapped his foot on the ground, peering first down one path, and then the other.

 

"This way," he said. He took the left-hand path, leading toward a windmill in somewhat better condition than the others. As they neared, he could still see the power lines leading down into the building, as well as the lock that Sanshou had broken. The door stood ajar. It occurred to him that, aside from the police presumably investigating the place, it was unlikely anyone of note had actually returned to the site since it had been compromised. Still, they had few leads at the moment, so they had to check it.

 

He stopped about ten feet away from the door. "There it is."

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

 

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IC: Jamie Arthur - Kalos Route 7

 

Jamie absentmindedly took the Super Potion from Alex. She was about to demand to know more about Lucia’s condition, but her brain decided to take ‘a little out of it,’ to mean ‘in no immediate danger.’ Which was in stark contrast to the still bleeding Buizel. The blood was beginning to pool underneath the Buizel. She hurriedly turned the Buizel onto his back, upon which she saw the damage to his body.

 

One Super Potion was not enough for this. Jamie began to force herself to think what Lucia would do right now as she began haphazardly spraying the many wounds the Buizel had, beginning with a large hole that had been torn in the Buizel’s side. There was still blood loss despite the medicine. The Buizel was convulsing as he covered the hole that was in his side.

 

“We need band-aids. Get me some band-aids,” Jamie ordered Alex. It was the only thing she knew about first-aid. Bandage the wounds.

 

"R-right." Up close, Alex saw the Buizel's wounds were much worse than he'd thought. He frantically dug through his bag for a first aid kit. Setting the small box on the ground, he grabbed some gauze and placed it over the wound. "I'm going to wrap the bandages around its torso, so I'll need you to lift it up for me." Jamie complied, and with shaking hands Alex started bandaging the Pokémon. By the time the process was complete, both Alex and Jamie's hands were covered in blood. "This is only a temporary fix," Alex said, staring down at his hands. "You need to take that Buizel to a Pokémon Center as soon as we get to Cyllage."

 

Jamie stared at the blood on her hands. She bit her lip and cursed her weakness. They had to fight to protect the others from the Carvanha. Yet she hadn’t been strong enough. She hadn’t seen what caused the battle to end, but she owed whoever caused it to end a great deal. Because of her weakness, Lucia could’ve been killed.

 

The Buizel stopped convulsing from the pain for a minute. The medicine was doing its job, but the grimace on his face revealed the agony that he was still in. The Buizel weakly looked around for something. His head eventually began to focus on something. The Buizel began to roll over when Jamie spotted him.

 

“Wait, don’t move!” Jamie said as the Buizel turned onto his belly. “You need to stay still,” Jamie said.

 

The Buizel ignored her. Using his arms, he began to crawl forward. Jamie traced the Buizel’s line of sight. He was heading straight for a Carvanha. She wondered for a moment if the Buizel was forcing himself to move out of anger, until she took a second look at the Carvanha. It was flopping helplessly into a ditch it had fallen into. It lacked the strength to make it back to the river.

 

“E-even though they hurt you,” Jamie began to say as she realized what the Buizel was trying to do.

 

Jamie started to cry.

 

“Tristan!” Jamie yelled in between sobs. “Go rescue the Carvanha. Our fight with them is over!”

 

The Metagross took one look at his daughter’s tears. He needed no other motivation to rescue his former opponents. As Tristan ran off, the Buizel visibly sagged with relief. For only a brief moment however. The pain was still taking its toll on him.

 

Jamie was still crying, but she was smiling. It was a shaky smile, but it was one nonetheless. This Buizel was a true hero. It pained her to see such a hero in pain, but she couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with inspiration mixed with her pain.

 

“Lucia has Heal Balls,” Jamie said. She turned to Alex. “Lucia has Heal Balls in her bag. I need you to get me a Heal Ball, now,” she said while she tried to comfort the Buizel.

 

Alex quickly ran over to where Lucia lay. He washed his bloody hands in the river as best he could before he started digging through her bag. "Lucia," he said urgently. "Jamie says you have Heal Balls in your bag. Do you know where?" Lucia mumbled an incoherent response. "Right, thanks," Alex muttered. After he had practically emptied the entire contents of her bag, he found the pink and yellow balls. Grabbing one, he hurried back over to Jamie.

 

Jamie snatched the ball out of Alex’s hand.

 

“This will help you,” Jamie said. “You’re going to be alright. I am going to get you to a Pokemon Center and you will be all better.”
 

The Buizel eyed her. Jamie couldn’t tell what emotion the Buizel had right now, but he was too tired to protest. Jamie pressed the ball to the Buizel and the Buizel entered the Heal Ball. Inside of it, the Heal Ball would do its best to heal the Buizel, but even still it would need separate medical care.

 

Jamie was silent for a moment longer. “Go make sure Lucia is okay,” she said to Alex. “I will catch up after I make sure the Carvanha are okay.”

 

Alex obediently ran back to his Empoleon. The rest of the group was starting to come ashore now. The Liberty agent quickly scooped Lucia off of the penguin Pokémon and laid her down on the shore, using her bag as a pillow. The girl looked confused, and if Alex didn't know better he'd think she was stuck in that half-asleep state right after one wakes up. "Hey, Jamie!" he called out. "I think she'll be alright. She just needs rest."

 

Jamie turned around upon hearing that. She visibly sagged with relief. She nodded to Alex and then ran to help Tristan.

Edited by Metal Gear Minun

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IC: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood - Kalos Route 7, Evening August 9th

 

Jared leaned against a tree as he watched people patching up wounds and recovering from the fight. Despite the wounded -- because of one of them -- Jared stepped forward and walked over to Colleen. "We need to get to Cyllage tonight," he said quietly to her. "Jamie's new friend might not make it the night, even with a Pokéball, and if Lucia suddenly starts having unforeseen complications, I'd rather be in a city than in the wilderness. I know everyone is tired--"

 

He cut off as Colleen raised a hand and nodded. "I agree," she said simply.

 

Jared nodded and turned to the rest of the group. "Alright, everyone, let's pack up and keep moving! We can make Cyllage before it gets dark if we hurry. Jamie, can you take Lucia on your Metagross?"

 

Slowly, wearily, the group proceeded to the town nearby.

 

IC: Colleen Llyan/Emily Lockwood - Cyllage City, August 9th, After Jared’s Training

 

Colleen took a deep breath, as she sat opposite Emily. "So, we've been basically doing things pretty normally with this training recently; just like, meditating and such. Well, that's fine and all, it gets you in touch with your like, inner strength and all that." The aura wielder grinned as she glanced at her friend. "But that is only the very basic first step. You need to hone it too. Both in terms of forming anything like aura stuff, and in terms of your strength. How good are you at stuff like, well, running or fishing, or any sort of fighting?"

 

Emily hummed softly as she thought, placing a finger on her lip. “I’ve never really tried fishing, and running and fighting I wouldn’t say are much in my wheelhouse.” She shrugged and smiled. “I do think that I’m fairly athletic, though. I perform alongside my Pokémon on-stage, mostly simple gymnastics with the occasional difficult thing like a standing backflip or some such. Fairly regularly, too. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, but I’m certainly no slouch.”

 

Colleen grinned wider as she nodded. "Alright, we can fix that! Being athletic is a super good start, though, that means you've likely got a better well of stamina to begin with. That's good, especially for practicing to wield aura, since you tend to run out of energy when you're forming and firing spheres for the first time. Maybe less so if you've learned how to like, make barriers or things like that, but considering how much the aura spheres can dissolve with the slightest loss of focus at first, it's definitely a plus still." The beige-haired girl took a deep breath.

 

"We can get you to join the morning training too; it's always good to know how to fight. Not just for self defense and such, but for like, refining different techniques and finding new ways to actually optimise things like movements and such." Colleen thought for a moment as she considered that. "That's actually a good thing too, as like, it would help out no matter what use you use it for; using an aura blade to chop vegetable? Optimising is good. Using aura for performances? Definitely useful to not tire out faster. Outright fighting? A quick and powerful charge for an aura sphere is definitely good."

 

Emily nodded, giggling a bit at Colleen’s enthusiasm. “Sure, I’ll take part in the morning training, it only makes sense to do. However, let’s try not to rush things too much. I’m not even sure if I can learn how to use aura or not, and apparently another aura user can’t tell just by looking, right?” At Colleen’s nod, she shrugged. “That said, I’m happy to meditate. It’s good for collecting my thoughts, if nothing else.”

 

"I mean, that's true, but we can also like, try our best to warm up for aura stuff too." Colleen closed her eyes as she focused. "Like, we could always like do a lap or so to warm ourselves up, do some more mediating, and then you could like… try to maybe try to summon your aura for the first time? Or try, at least?" The girl shrugged slightly. "Not quite an aura sphere, but something like that."

 

Emily nodded softly. “If you want to, I’m up for it.” She smiled, taking Colleen’s hand. “I want to train, and I want you to train me. Whatever you say to do, I’ll do it, understand?”

 

"Gotcha." Colleen stood up with a fired up grin. She pulled Emily up as she did so, chuckling in excitement. "Right, so, two laps to warm up! Let's go!"

 

---Three Laps Later---

 

Emily panted as they came back around to where they’d started once more. “I didn’t . . . realize . . . how hard that would be,” she said through gasps of breath. She bent over, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to suck in as much air as she could.

 

"Here, try to breathe like this, it'll help a lot." Colleen said, as she tapped Emily's shoulder to get her attention. "Breathing like this will be a lot better." She continued before she explained in more detail the exact technique to use for breathing.

 

Emily copied Colleen’s pose, standing straight and placing her hands on top of her head. She nodded a bit. “That does feel a lot better, thank you.” She smiled. “So, everyone’s aura is a different color, right? Jared’s is silver,or red, yours is gold. What color is mine?”

 

Colleen thought for a moment as she stared at the other girl's aura intently for a moment. "Hmm… A kinda reddish…" The beige-haired girl thought a little longer. "It's sorta reddish-orange. Kinda like your hair, almost."

 

Emily nodded, humming. “So, what else should we be practicing? How would I focus my aura?”

 

"Hmm… Well, first, I think what might help is like, holding your hands out in front of you, like this." Colleen held her own hands in front of her, creating a sort of triangle shape with her fingers and thumbs. "So like, this is a slightly more advanced technique, but it works the same way as anything else, it's just more, let's look toward the cliff just in case." She turned slightly, but grinned. "Though, you can watch for now, since I've practiced this one a lot, it's more just in case your sphere gets sent flying.

 

Regardless, Colleen summoned a small orb of aura in between her hands, the aura energy swirling into visibility as she did so. "So basically just focus on concentrating your aura into one spot in between your hands. It might take some practice, but I'll definitely root you on. I feel you can do this."

 

Emily nodded a bit, copying the pose once more. “I’m not sure how I focus something that I can’t see or feel, but I’ll give it a shot.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Colleen could see the shift in focus, and the aura did move slightly towards the performer’s hands, but nothing concrete came of it.

 

"You're doing good, that's a good start!" The girl with the golden aura couldn't entirely tell if it was completely working, but it was still an excellent start. "Keep it up, you can do it! Feel the aura flowing through you, as if energy is moving to your hands and being concentrated in one spot."

 

The younger girl frowned softly as she tried to focus on the feeling of energy flowing through her. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Focus,” she muttered. The scarlet aura around her swirled, and Colleen could see a definite change as it raced towards the girl’s hands. The aura didn’t solidify into a sphere, but it definitely moved with Emily’s will and tendrils of it now weaved around the girl’s hands.

 

She opened her eyes and scowled. “Nothing.”

 

Colleen grinned instead. "Not nothing~ You had a start there; it didn't quite get to a sphere, but… you did make progress there." She briefly explained what she had seen, a beaming smile on her face as it was pretty obvious that she was impressed.

 

Emily beamed at the praise and the description. “I can use aura,” she said as if she didn’t quite believe it. “I always wondered if I had any sort of gift like that -- I’d heard, of course of psychics and the like, but I never imagined . . . Me, an Aura Wielder.” She giggled and hugged Colleen tightly. “Thank you so much, Colleen.”

 

Colleen was surprised by the sudden hug, but her smile simply changed to a softer one as she was happy with how amazed Emily seemed to be. "You're very welcome, Em." The older girl said, not really minding the extended or tight hug. "Anything else you wanna practice tonight?"

 

Emma shook her head. “I’m worn out, and we have to be up in something like nine hours for Jared’s morning training. Let’s head back and get some sleep.”

 

"Alright! Sounds good to me." Colleen grinned at Emma as she stifled a yawn herself. "And honestly, after how today's been so far, we've probably earned our sleep."

"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/Ray Hakuda - Dendemille City, Kalos==-


"Seems pretty unsuspecting…" Chloe said, as she adjusted her outfit. She had opted to go for the same outfit she'd used during the other Signs mission back in Keturi, though there were still some parts of the outfit that were already pretty damaged thanks to the fighting there. Among other things, that is…


She shook her head, as she approached the door cautiously, Luke's Poké Ball in hand in case the Steel typing would offer than any help. "Is this how things were last time?" Chloe whispered to Kyle with an uncertain look on her face. What would they find this time? Instinctively her left hand clenched into a fist at the thought of the last mission, but she took another step forward just in case.


"Are I the only one who hasn't yet actually had a run-in with these Signs?" Ray whispered to Sonja, a small frown on his face. "I didn't quite catch everything that happened while I was on One Island, but I think Chloe or someone mentioned that there was some kinda investigation and that's where that Rowlet came from or something…" He absentmindedly rubbed the back of his head, worried about what they'd find given the tension in the air. His hand brushed against the very short twintails he had put his hair into, but he didn't give it much thought given the situation they were currently in.

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IC: Ryan Sanders - Dendemille Town, Kalos

Ryan readied his Typhlosion's Pokéball as he stood next to Chloe and Kyle. Even after resting in Vertrag's specially prepared rooms, Ryan still felt the effects of the sudden timezone shift that accompanied their instantaneous teleportation from Johto to Kalos. Stifling a yawn, he looked the building up and down. "Hope we're not fighting windmills here." He cracked a grin, then glanced over at Kyle. "So this is where you found those poached Pokémon? Looks like they abandoned the place."

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/James Arthur/Masked Royal - Battle Royal, Alola - [25]==-

 

 

As Jenny entered the waiting room, she immediately noticed Evan in his fancy new costume. With a grin, she approached with a small wave.

 

 

"So! Ready to beat up some weakling goodie two shoes?" Jenny asked in her best attempt at a tough, evil voice. However, the attempt simply resulted in her laughing. "Okay, okay, maybe I could use a bit of practice there, but still! The Princess of Peril is ready for action!"

 

 

“Terra Incarnate is ready to shake things up” Evan said, grinning. “I'm not gonna lie, playing a villain is kinda new, but I'm sure I can pull it off!”

 

 

Jenny was about to reply, when a voice over the speakers in the room announced that they were to get ready to head onstage. "Right! Let's give everyone here who's watching a show they won't ever forget!"

 

The villain grinned fearsomely. “By the time we're done here, the memory of our fight will be burned into their minds!” Evan said menacingly.

 

 

The four combatants were called to the stage slowly. First, the Masked Royal was called to the stage to many cheers. Then, suddenly, the bright lights all cut out.

 

 

"Here come the challengers… here to take advantage of the power outage…! Could they be the ones responsible? Was this all a ploy to steal the Masked Royal's title…?!" At that prompt, Evan and Jenny stepped onto the stage with menacing auras, as their best attempts at an evil grin didn't completely succeed. Still - the stage was set, with this seeming to be a 2 v 1 fight.

 

 

"The Masked Royal seems to be backed into a corner…! Can anyone help him fend off these two villains?!"

 

 

“It seems you are in quite a bind, Masked Royal,” a voice called out from the final corner.

 

 

The spotlight came down to the final corner. James stood there in his costume, the upper-half of his face hidden by his mask. He was holding a prop sword in his right arm, as he stood at attention.

 

 

“I will not allow you to fight this battle alone. I have come to lend you my aid!” James shouted, shifting his stance to point his blade towards Evan.

 

 

"Oh!" The announcer sounded surprised by the sudden appearance of James, but Jenny could tell it was just them acting like the rest of them. Still, she grinned as she looked between the two.

 

 

"I'll take the Masked Royal, sound good?" Jenny whispered to Evan, as she chose her Emboar's Poké Ball with an excited look on her face.

 

 

“You've got it, Princess.” Evan said, eying James with anticipation.

 

 

"Right then." Jenny didn't pay any more attention to the announcer - things were all ready, now it was simply time to fight. It felt like forever, but the bell finally rang out to signal the start of the fight. The redhead threw Boarlite's Poké Ball forward, as she grinned. As she did so, the Masked Royal met that with an Incineroar. With powers out, this felt like it would be even more evenly matched than normal.

 

 

Evan faced James as Jenny sent out Boarlite. The Executive was a truly magnificent fighter, which made the man excited. “Well, while my Princess fights the Masked Royal, IT FALLS TO ME TO DESTROY YOU!” Terra Incarnate roared as he sent out Monstro, who flexed fearsomely at James.

 

 

James made a long sweeping motion of tossing his hair with his hand dramatically. With a flourish, he tossed an Ultra Ball to the ground. Lancelot appeared and adopted a defensive stance from the get go. Was this to be powers or no powers? It barely mattered to Lancelot, but both had their special flavor of pain to give.

 

 

“I swear on the name of Avalon, that the Masked Royal shall not be bested this day.”

 

 

“We’ll see about that!” Terra Incarnate as he made a powerful flourish of his own. “Monstro, strike this fool down with your mighty body!” Monstro growled as he rushed towards Lancelot, aiming to use his weight to slam into the Scissors Pokémon.

 

 

“The dance begins,” Avalon replied. “Respond in kind my champion!”

 

 

The Scizor spread his wings. He kicked off the ground and flew towards Monstro, one gauntlet being pulled back, ready for a punch. Monstro slammed into the knightly Pokémon, aiming to pin him from the get-go. He had been told by Evan to not exert -all- of his effort into this, saying that the crowd wanted a spectacle, and that was what they were going to get.

 

 

The two bodies flew back towards Avalon a brief distance, but the moment Lancelot’s leg touched the ground, the Scizor shifted his weight and jabbed his gauntlet straight into Monstro’s face as hard as he could. James may have told Lancelot not to use his moves unless Evan did, but he was not going to hold back in any other regard.

 

Monstro felt the heavy impact of Lancelot’s gauntlet on his face and flew back a ways, down, but not out. “My dear Monstro, are you really going to let this puny bug stand in your way?” The Villain asked his Swampert. “I know you are definitely more than able to stomp him!” The Mud Fish thought about how hard Lance had hit him. Despite what Evan had told him, this show would be a flop if he didn’t exert more effort into this fight. That thought in mind, Monstro attempted another slam, this time putting his all into it.

 

 

Lancelot hopped backwards, leading the Swampert towards the boundary of the stage. As the Swampert attempted his slam, Lancelot hopped up onto the ropes. Using his wings to grant himself just a bit of extra height, the Scizor leaped over the Swampert and attempted to slam his gauntlet onto Monstro’s head.

 

Yet again, Monstro was struck on the noggin, and was getting quite annoyed with Lancelot’s acrobatics. “No time to dawdle, Monstro!” Terra Incarnate yelled fiercely. “Bat him away with your mighty arm!” Monstro roared as he turned around, a little dazed from the attacks to his head, and using the momentum from his turn, the Mud Fish slammed the entirety of his forelimb into Lancelot, joyful to have finally struck his worthy adversary.

 

Lancelot slid back from the force. He grabbed onto the rope to slow himself down. For a brief moment, the Scizor internally compared Monstro to Gawain. The Swamperts moved differently in combat. But both were quite fun to hit. And they could both pack a punch. Lancelot considered cheating at that moment. He could’ve Roosted with no one the wiser, but this was a show. And if the hero didn’t take a battering, it wasn’t a show was it?

 

Meanwhile, the two fire types rushed toward each other, a wide grin on each of their faces. Boarlite did her best to make her grin seem evil, but as the Emboar and Incineroar circled each other, it was obvious that she was enjoying the situation a lot more for just an evil Pokémon. The two grappled each other briefly, both trying to overpower the other. After a couple moments, the two broke out of their mutual grasp and backed up, eying down the other's stance.

 

 

As the two continued to stare each other down, the Masked Royal's Incineroar dashed forward, aiming to grab for Boarlite. She was caught off guard by the sudden move, and was unable to dodge as the Incineroar grabbed onto her and threw the surprised Emboar against the ropes. The Emboar thought it was a tactic to catch her off guard to the point where she didn't expect to see a flying tiger's feet headed right toward her face the next moment.

 

 

Boarlite tumbled to the ground for a few moments, stunned after the unconventional-to-her attack. The Emboar got up, a puff of smoke emanating from her mouth as she growled. The crowd cheered on the successful hit by the Masked Royal - but it was her job at the moment to get the crowd even more pumped up. Roaring out, she ran forward toward the Incineroar once more, pulling back her fist in the process. The Emboar stepped to the side quickly as the Incineroar tried to grab her once again, then planted her fist right in the side of the fiery tiger's face. She was getting booed now - but that was all part of it.

 

 

Boarlite grabbed for the Incineroar, then leaped up and tried to body slam him from above, starting to catch onto the fact that in this arena, any sort of unconventional attack was considered proper. The Incineroar took the attack due to his own surprise at how quickly his opponent caught onto the Battle Royal's fighting style. However, he quickly kicked Boarlite off of him, then jumped up and got into a fighting stance with a taunting growl, waving his hand toward himself.

 

 

"Well well, excellent play, Princess of Peril… But I won't go down that easily! Thank you, my masked friend!" The Masked Royal called to James with a smile. "Let's show them what the power of good can do!"

 

 

“Those who have justice on their side shall never lose,” James said smiling. Lancelot was having a blast. He didn’t know what would come of Evan and Jenny’s plans for this battle, but to see Lancelot happy was reason enough for this battle.

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IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Abandoned Mills, Dendemille Town:

 

"Are I the only one who hasn't yet actually had a run-in with these Signs?" Ray whispered to Sonja, a small frown on his face. "I didn't quite catch everything that happened while I was on One Island, but I think Chloe or someone mentioned that there was some kinda investigation and that's where that Rowlet came from or something…"

 

Sonja shook her head. "I actually haven't, either," she said. "Guess that might change soon, though." She reached for Atum's Poké Ball. To her surprise, another opened. The Noibat Kyle had given her materialized from within, taking form right in front of her. The Sound Wave Pokémon chirped, confused, flapped about a bit, and then immediately hissed at the sight of the windmill, scampering through the air and perching on Sonja's shoulder to hide behind her head. "Ow--careful, Neith!" Sonja raised a hand, pressing reassuringly against his head. When he eased up, she glared at the windmill. "You remember this place, don't you? It's alright--I understand. We'll keep each other safe, okay?" After a moment of hesitation, the Noibat nodded. Sonja pulled Athena's Poké Ball from her belt and tossed it into the air, summoning the Pidove, who sung happily to her trainer. "Athena, why don't you take Neith up to the top of the windmill and keep watch? If you see or hear anything, drop straight down to us. Can you do that?"

 

The Flying-Type nodded. With a brief chirrup to Neith, the two took to the air, settling side by side on one of the stationary windmill turbines.

 

At the front of the group, a more intense conversation was underway.

 

Ryan readied his Typhlosion's Pokéball as he stood next to Chloe and Kyle. "Hope we're not fighting windmills here." He cracked a grin, then glanced over at Kyle. "So this is where you found those poached Pokémon? Looks like they abandoned the place."

 

"Seems pretty unsuspecting…" Chloe said, as she adjusted her outfit. She shook her head, as she approached the door cautiously, Luke's Poké Ball in hand. "Is this how things were last time?" she whispered to Kyle with an uncertain look on her face.

 

"Well . . ." Despite his efforts, Kyle could not conceal his discomfort as he thought back to his original outing here. "It's definitely how I left it . . ." He steeled himself and walked forward. Carefully, he slid his thumb along his belt, counting the Poké Balls that lined it. When he found Kitheus's, he unclipped it, holding it close to his chest. At the door, he stopped, whipping around and staring blankly at the group. "I'm sorry--I don't know if I told everyone this already, but if not it's better now than never. I'm not sure if he can still do it, but Shift caught me off-guard last time with something that forced my Pokémon back into their Poké Balls and it wouldn't surprise me if he managed to do it again. That and . . . and he has a taser built into his cane. And he has that gas--'it' or what he called it. Do not inhale it--it will knock you out in seconds and worse."

 

He'd stalled for as much time as he could. Only when he stopped talking did he realize that he was shaking. He turned back around as quickly as he could, hoping that no one else had noticed, and proceeded to push the busted door of the windmill open, scanning the room with rapid visual sweeps. It was almost exactly as he had left it, sans the cages that had held the captured Pokémon. Large cords and plugs hung limply from the ceiling, devoid of the containers that they had previously connected to. Against one wall, the table where the ledger had resided remained, though it now bore nothing but a dried spot of blood on the edge. Underneath it, a similar spot of dried blood stained the floor. The authorities may have investigated the place, but if so, for whatever reason, they had not cleared it out.

 

The emptiness of the building should have relieved Kyle. If it did, that was not obvious. With movements that could best be described as stilted, he forced himself to sit down on a lone crate. His hands shook as he brought his inhaler to his mouth, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes as he rested his head against his cupped fists. He breathed out, trying hard to steady himself. They're not here . . . They're not here . . . Shift isn't here . . .

Edited by Parugi

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IC: Ryan Sanders - Abandoned Windmill, Dendemille Town

Between Kyle's warnings and the eerie interior of the windmill, Ryan found himself on thoroughly edge. The mass of cords dangling from the ceiling reminded him of Missing Zero's Instances, and it looked like Shift could jump out of every shadow. He hardly dared to breathe, lest some inkling of the hallucinatory gas remained.

 

Oddly enough it was Kyle's reaction to the place that brought Ryan out of his initial panic. His fellow Liberty agent looked deathly pale, and his condition only seemed to worsen the longer he stood in the abandoned mill. With a sharp pang, Ryan realized this was probably how he had looked when Albero had shown up in Vertrag.

 

Forcing himself to ignore the foreboding bloodstains, Ryan knelt down next to Kyle's crate. "Hey . . . you feeling alright?" he asked gently. "I can't claim to know exactly what you're going through right now, but I've got a pretty good guess. The painful memories you tried to bury . . . that desire to get as far away from here as possible . . . I've been there. It's okay to be scared. But don't forget that we're right here with you.

 

"You guys were there for me during the battle in Vertrag when I was lost in Adams' hallucination. I promise to do the same for you." A smile found its way to his lips. "After all, we're Vorhut now. When one of our own is in danger, the rest of us form a vanguard around them. Don't worry, Kyle. We won't let Shift anywhere near you."

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/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Abandoned Windmills, Dendemille Town:

 

It took a moment, but Kyle finally seemed to relax. He rocked slightly in his seat, before slowly sitting up straight, his eyes closed, and let out a long, shaking breath. It was clear that he was still trembling, but he managed to give several nods in reply, as much to acknowledge Ryan's words as to silently reassure himself.

 

"I'm . . . I'm fine," he said at last. Though his voice still wavered, he meant it. Kyle brought a hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose, wiping at his face and looking away--not to avert his gaze, but to gather his composure. "A part of me expected to run into him here." He stared at the table for a moment and then shook his head. "I'll be . . . I'll be okay. Thanks, Ryan."

 

"You can sit tight while we look around," Emmerich offered. The Rocket General was the only member of the group who hadn't heard the story of what had happened, but he was quickly piecing it together. Kyle nodded, resting his head against his hands again. With his actions out of sight, Emmerich peered at the blood on the table and the floor, glancing at Kyle. "Anything in particular we should be looking for?"

 

Luckily, Sonja answered before Kyle had to. "There was a ledger here the last time Kyle was," she said. "I doubt we'd be lucky enough to find anything like that, though. Basically, just look for anything that might be useful." It was clear even from a cursory glance that there wasn't anything of use here, but still, they had to try. If they could get a clue to the Signs's whereabouts without having to go to the warehouse . . .

 

With a glance at Kyle, Sonja suppressed a sigh. Something told her that particular hope wouldn't come to pass.

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IC: Ryan Sanders - Abandoned Windmills, Dendemille Town

Giving Kyle a gentle pat on the shoulder, Ryan stood up and joined the others in their investigation. Not knowing what to look for, along with the general barrenness of the windmill's interior, made it a difficult task. He found a few patches of slime on the floor and walls, which could have indicated the presence of a poison-type Pokémon or a simple mold problem. The table, despite its ominous blood stain, didn't seem to hold any secrets.

 

The only other feature of note Ryan saw was the sea of cables that hung above them. It was like he was staring at the underside of a massive Tentacruel. "Hey, Chloe . . ." Although he had walked a fair distance away from Kyle, he still spoke in a hushed voice. "Those cages we found in Keturi, wouldn't they be about the right height to fit under those cables?" His eyes followed the long cords up into the rafters of the mill, where he could just barely glimpse one of the turbines and a patch of sky through a window. "Kyle mentioned the cages here had been electrified. You don't think they . . . ?"

 

He left the sentence hanging as an icy chill ran down his spine. Ford may have done some terrible things in his attempt to stop Missing Zero, but there was no justification for the atrocities the Signs had committed. Hands clenched into fists, he turned away from the dangling cables, his gaze resting on the hunched form of Kyle. The thought of asking the same people responsible for this to help them in the fight against Missing Zero left an aching pit in his stomach.

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: Chloe Hikari/Ray Hakuda - Dendemille City, Kalos, Windmill==-


Chloe stayed quiet as she peered at the cables that Ryan pointed out.


"... maybe." She finally said, hand clenched into a fist at her side. "Makes me glad that we got all the Pokémon that we did out." She shook her head as she turned away for the moment. She glanced around the rest of the room, but nothing really seemed to stick out to her. With a sigh, she turned back to the others.


"Anyone have any luck here?"

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IC - Lafoyae Belrose/Executive Scott Stone - Streets, Lavender Town:
 
Lafoyae was already wide awake and raring to go. She had showered, dressed up and done her morning stretches. Her rest had been less than ideal, and she only had her mission to blame for it. With a soundless sigh, the Rocket Agent grabbed her Pokégear and sent him a message asking if he was ready.
 
It took only a few seconds for Scott to reply: "Waiting in lobby."

 

With the Executive's reply, Lafoyae hurriedly packed what few belongings she had brought with and exited her hotel room. The woman made her way to the lobby, where she saw Scott Stone. "My apologies for my tardiness, sir." The assassin projected to the Executive. "I had to make sure I was ready for the next leg of our investigation."

 
"Don't worry about it." Scott shouldered his bag. "Next is Vermilion, right? Did you want to grab something to eat before we go?"
 
"If that isn't a problem, then I'd have to say yes." The woman projected to the Executive. "After we are on our way, we should review the facts of our case, just so we have them for the Vermilion Branch's assistance."
 
"Sounds like a plan." Scott pulled his notepad from his pocket, flipping it open as he followed Lafoyae back into the buffet area. "They've got some quick options that you can grab to go, so just let me know when you're ready."

 

With Scott's OK, the woman grabbed a Miltank Breakfast Pizza, smiling as she did so. She made sure to grab some Oran Berry Juice as well. With that settled, Lafoyae headed over to Scott. "I think this will tide me over until we make our next stop, sir. Shall we then?"

 
Scott nodded and led Lafoyae out of the hotel. In theory, daytime should have dispelled some of the inherent eeriness of Lavender Town; in practice, the morning mist served to make it just as unsettling as it had been the night before, hardly helped at all by the sun shining through the clouds. It reminded him of something out of a long-forgotten video game or horror movie. With a barely-contained grimace, he turned down the road heading south, taking note of the signs around them. Eventually they would need to start heading west. He wasn't sure exactly how long it would take to reach Vermilion on foot, but he knew for certain that it would not be a short trip. He held up his notepad. "Alright," he said, reading through what he had written down up to now. "Where to even begin . . ."
 
"Well, we could start with the fact that someone appears to be targetting Team Liberty agents." Lafoyae projected, as she enjoyed her pizza slice. "....and that there have been six murders of such individuals committed thus far."

"Right." Scott flipped the page. "Jeremy Anton, Jason Hemming, Virden Kennings, Tim Vandius, Kai Stone, Drake Masters, and Roderick Krane. Six murders across Rocket territory, all performed in locations with virtually no witnesses--until Masters." He flipped back. "Method was extremely barbaric in nature, to the point where initial assumptions indicated that feral Pokémon were responsible. But we now know that that isn't the case."

 

Lafoyae nodded."The killer appears to be a young girl with an affinity for ghost-types." She projected into Scott's mind. "Drake and his Pokémon's bodies showed signs of electrical burns and shadow damage, suggesting an Electric or Ghost-Type's involvement, or both."

 
"And in a great twist of irony, one of those very ghosts confirmed her involvement. Additionally, surviving records from Masters's Poké Gear seem to indicate that she is acting on behalf of the deceased Shadow Admin Ace." Scott flipped the notebook closed. "Are we missing anything?"
 
Lafoyae thought for a moment. "I believe that's what we have for now." The psychic projected. "We're heading to Vermilion to hopefully find out where she went after Lavender Town, with the aid of Team Rocket's surveillance system. Hopefully they can provide us with a clue or two..."
 
"Am I safe to assume that you have access to said surveillance?" Scott asked.
 
"Of course, Executive Stone." Lafoyae answered. "I've got the proper clearance, seeing as I've used it for my missions."
 
Scott nodded. "Then I guess all we've got left to do is . . ." He held a hand out in front of him, gesturing to the road and falling into silence. This did not last; before long, Scott glanced at Lafoyae, sighed, and shook his head slightly. "So, I have to know . . . Why is an assassin, who is often hired for hunting Team Liberty Agents, now going after another assassin hunting Team Liberty Agents?"
 
"I've been hired by James Arthur." Lafoyae projected, a little caught off guard. "Ever since the ceasefire I've been more of a hunter of rogue Team Rocket Agents. However, as an assassin, I, like the rest of my family are for hire in times like this."
 
"A family of assassins, huh?" Scott whistled. If he was alarmed by any part of this conversation, he wasn't showing it. "Not sure what to think about that."
 
"It's not as cruel as you'd believe, Executive Stone." Lafoyae replied. "The Belrose family is like any other family in Kalos. We just prefer to get our hands dirty so no one else has to."
 
"If you say so." He did not sound convinced. "Are you all telepathic?
 
"I'm the only one of my family who is telepathic." Lafoyae projected. "I was born mute, but gifted with psychic abilities. However, my family had me focus on telepathy, so I could still communicate."

 

"So, theoretically, you could do other things with your abilities?"
 

"Of course. I just haven't had the time or training for other applications." Lafoyae projected to Scott. "Though, with how things are going, I may need to fix that. I can't just rely on my martial prowess against.....those things."
 

"Yeah. Now if Pokémon powers came back, that might be a different story. Who knows when that'll happen, though." Truthfully, he was not holding out hope that that would happen anytime soon. It'd been, what, two weeks since they had first gone out? And still, nothing had come back yet. The closest they had seen was the Gengar, but even then . . .

 

"Well, at any rate, I'm sure there are some psychics back on Four Island who might be up for training with you," he said. "But for now, we'll still got this walk ahead of us."

 

 

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IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Abandoned Windmills, Dendemille Town:

 

The resounding answers were unanimously negative. The windmill had been a long shot from the beginning, but it truly seemed that the foot traffic prior to them had wiped out any clues that could have been gleaned from it. Silently, the group filed out. As they emerged back onto the dirt pathway, Neith and Athena fluttered down, landing on each of Sonja's arms. They appeared more calm, confirming that, at the very least, they had not spotted any danger.

 

"Alright," Sonja said at last. "To the warehouse, then." She glanced at Kyle, whose gaze had fallen toward the ground. "Do you want to wait in town for us?"

 

He shook his head. "I'm the only one here who knows where the warehouse is and what it looks like," he said. Kyle sighed, shaking his head and glancing, tired, at Sonja. "I'll be fine."

 

"Okay . . ." She was not convinced, but did not press the issue. "Where to?"

 

With a look to the sky, and then a moment of silence as he did the math, Kyle pointed north. "That way," he said. "We could walk there, but flying would be a lot quicker."

 

"Easier to spot it, too," Sonja said, repeating his thought from the previous night. Kyle nodded, smiling slightly. "Okay. Then we'll fly."

 

"I'll need to piggyback off of someone," Emmerich reminded them. "Fighting-Types don't fly very well. And I'd prefer not to be carried this time." He directed a pointed glance at Sonja, recalling the incident in Blackthorn.

 

"I've got you covered," Kyle said. He pulled out Jaeda's Poké Ball, releasing the Flame Pokémon. She had recovered well from the fight against Gluttony and Adams, shaking her hide in the early sun. With a soft pat on her neck, Kyle climbed on her back, helping Emmerich after him.

 

Sonja, too, reached for a Poké Ball. Before throwing it, however, she made sure to take a couple of steps away from everyone else, for reasons that immediately became obvious. The dragon that emerged in front of her huffed at the sudden interruption to his nap, and then uttered a growl that turned into a roar as he saw Jaeda. The aggression sent Athena and Neith into the air with a startled flutter. Sonja stood her ground, however, and stared the Druddigan straight in the eye as she snapped her fingers.

 

"No," she said, her tone loud and stern. "Ares, stop." The Dragon-Type stared back at her for a moment, but finally relented. Sonja approached him slowly, petting his head. With the dragon somewhat calmed, she climbed on his back. "Save the aggression for the people we're after. Okay?"

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IC: Ryan Sanders - Abandoned Windmills, Dendemille Town

Ryan tossed a Pokéball in the air. Togie emerged in a burst of light and soared through the air, trilling blissfully. When he had done a couple laps above the group he fluttered down to Ryan and nuzzled him. "Glad to see you're feeling better," the trainer said as he stroked the Togekiss' feathers. "I never got a chance to thank you properly for our last fight. I may not have seen you in action, but from what I heard you and the others performed admirably."

 

Togie, just as happy to see his trainer back on his own two feet, wrapped his warm wings around Ryan. They held the embrace for a few moments before Ryan swung onto Togie's back and looked around at the rest of the team.

 

"Everyone ready to go?"

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: Chloe Hikari/Ray Hakuda - Windmills, windmill everywhere???, Dendemille Town, Kalos==-

 

"Shotgun." Without much warning outside of a cautionary glance to Ares and recognizing that the second seat of Jaeda was taken, Chloe hopped onto Togie's back. After a moment, she gave a thumbs up to Ray, who hid a small smile of amusement. The orange-haired trainer sent out his own Togekiss and hopped onto her back with a nod.

 

"We're ready, I think." Ray replied as he glanced back over to Kyle, still worried about how he had reacted at the windmill. Is he going to be okay at the warehouse...?

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IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Signs Warehouse, Kalos:

 

The flight from the windmill did not take terribly long. Compared to Esen and Cero's flight in the near-dark weeks prior, Vorhut at least had the benefit of the sun on their backs to warm them against the rushing winds. Before long, they came upon the tell-tale thinning of trees, opening upon a large clearing where a large facility lay tucked amongst the trees, set against a small mountain on the north side. The sight caused Kyle's stomach to flip, though he said nothing. The group descended, following as Jaeda began to drop toward the building.

 

They landed outside the fence and gate enclosing the warehouse. Ares landed beside Jaeda, followed by the two Togekiss. Sonja, Chloe, Ray, and Ryan disembarked, all observing the warehouse with a mixture of apprehension, disgust, and intrigue. Emmerich slid off of Jaeda's back, glancing up at Kyle.

 

The Liberty Agent stared ahead, frozen where he sat. The warehouse still retained the damage from Esen and Cero's rescue attempt--the large service door at the front side of the building was blown off of its tracks; several empty barrels had come to rest at random spots inside the garage and around the yard. Scorch marks dotted parts of the earth. Though the entire clearing was deathly silent, Kyle felt as if Shift's laughs had melded with the wind down on them from the icy mountain above, forever tainting the place with his . . .

 

Well, 'evil' seemed a little trite, but Kyle could not presently think of another word to describe it.

 

Kyle gripped Jaeda's shoulders tightly, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. This was perhaps a worse idea than simply keeping them open; through the darkness that encompassed him, he saw the storeroom where he and Victoire had been kept, felt the burning in his lungs that had plagued him ever since, saw Shift himself staring down at him with that smile . . .

 

Someone gently placed a hand on his shoulder and he jumped in surprise. Sonja lowered her hand, watching him closely. "How are you feeling?" Kyle did not respond immediately. When he did, he merely shook his head. Sonja squeezed his arm. "Okay."

 

She broke away, grabbing Emmerich and returning to the rest of the group several yards away. Sonja placed her hands in her pockets, taking a deep breath. "I don't trust this place at all, and I know we need to, but he can't go in there," she said quietly. "There are enough of us that Emmerich or I could stay out here with him while everyone else looks around." She glanced back at Kyle. "I just don't want to leave him out here alone."

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

 

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IC: Ryan Sanders - Signs Warehouse, Kalos

Ryan solemnly followed Sonja's gaze. Kyle looked even worse than he had in the windmill. He nodded softly. "I agree. Since you two are the only ones without a powered Pokémon, it only makes sense for one of you to stay behind. As for who does it, you two can decide amongst yourselves." He peered through the front gate of the area. It was clear a large battle had taken place here. "As for everyone who's going, I don't think I need to remind you all to be on high alert. Superpowered Pokémon won't guarantee us the upper hand when the enemy has magic at their disposal. Be ready for anything."

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: Professor Elaine Alderson/Lionel Zyther==- (Kalos Route 10, August 11, 2017, evening)

 

As the group rounded the latest bend, a rectangular array of stone obelisks appeared from behind the trees, the path itself winding awkwardly through the claustrophobic gaps in between. It wasn’t until the group passed between the two at the entrance, however, that Elaine spoke up. “Oh, the standing stones…” the Professor belatedly noted, “we’re almost there.”

 

Lionel glanced around at the enigmatic structures, looking back and forth between them and the road traffic overpass just visible on the other side of the treeline. “You know, I think this might be the first time I’ve actually seen the standing stones in person. It’s odd for the road and the Route to be separate.”

 

“That’s because it’s a war memorial. Originally, people weren’t sure whether to move the Route after the battle that took place here, but they decided to leave the path through the memorial so they’d always be forced to remember the terrible price of war. Later, though, when modernization reached Geosenge and the roads were built, the citizens of the town decided to build the overpass out of respect for the dead.”

 

Lionel found himself taken aback. “You really know your history, Professor. I’m impressed.”

 

Elaine did not seem proud of the praise, instead deliberately facing away from the others. “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” she paraphrased, her morose tone more akin to her state at the start of their journey than the quiet but encouraging Professor she’d been along the way.

 

Lionel nodded solemnly. “…Right.” He looked to the others. “I called the warehouse from Cyllage last night. The technicians made a few… questionable choices during the preparation stage, things turning on when they shouldn’t have, that sort of thing. Just to be safe, they’re running a full sweep, so we’ll have to wait until morning to start digging through Lysandre’s old things. I took the liberty of arranging a cottage for us, so there should be plenty of rooms for everyone to stay until the investigation is complete.”

 

Elaine’s gaze remained downcast. “I… If you want, I suppose I can take you to my lab after dinner. Let you get your inspection done.” The professor’s tone was thoroughly resigned.

 

Lionel shook his head. “Sorry, Elaine, but you and I have an appointment with a drawing board, remember? Time is off the essence for our little project. Your tour will just have to wait.”

 

Elaine looked to Lionel with gratitude. “Right, I’d forgotten. Thank you, Lionel.” She bit her lip as she considered the rest of the group. “I… suppose I’ll see the rest of you tomorrow, then?”

 

“Tomorrow,” Lionel confirmed. “I’d prefer to move quickly, so if there’s nothing else…?”


 

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 - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Emmerich Coleman - Signs Warehouse, Kalos:

 

"Right." Sonja looked at Emmerich. "If it's alright with you, I'll stay out here. My field experience is pretty limited, so I'm not sure how much use I'd personally be if there is something in there. Plus, you have a gun."

 

The General nodded. "Of course. Probably better for him to have a friend close-by, as well." 

 

"That's settled, then," Sonja said. She turned back to Ryan and everyone else. "I'll keep my Pokétch ready in case of an emergency. Don't hesitate to call if you need back-up--I think he'll be ready to jump in if you do."

 

Ray waved his Poké Gear. "Got it. I'll be on standby if you guys need anything."

 

The group exchanged 'good lucks' and went their separate ways.

 

 

 

Ryan, Ray, Chloe, and Emmerich (followed by the latter's Machamp) entered the compound with cautious trepidation. The fence gate rolled noisily along its rails before crashing to a halt against the guard beam. Nothing stirred from the noise, no alarms sounding nor any guards arriving to investigate. Even so, they moved through the yard as if it were a war zone, picking their way closer to the warehouse behind pallets and barrels. The closer they moved, the closer they watched, searching for traps on the ground, movements in the windows, anything.

 

There was nothing.

 

Finally, they entered. The massive door to the facility had been blown off of its hinges some time ago; splinters of metal and wood still littered the garage. Inside, the warehouse looked much worse for wear. The place had been utterly decimated by some sort of large-scale force--possibly an earthquake--that had caused concrete to crack in some places and to totally collapse in others. A truck lay buried beneath some such rubble, abandoned save for the efforts that had been made to clear out its back compartment. Some tall scaffolding remained, overlooking the rest of the warehouse; below it, smashed pallets spread out across several yards. Burn marks haphazardly painted the walls and floor. Dried spots of something dark remained in numerous places throughout the warehouse. Tire tracks marked where multiple trucks had once been parked, though all were long-gone. A control room overlooked the garage from the top of the eastern wall; directly beneath it, a metal door led deeper into the warehouse. Two other doors were placed along the northern wall.

Emmerich's gaze swept over the room several times before he finally stepped in, pistol primed for any surprises. He lowered it, letting out a breath. "Clear," he said, signaling for the others to file in. "Looks like they cleaned this place out before they left." He looked at Ryan. "Where to first?"

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

 

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IC: Ryan Sanders - Signs Warehouse, Kalos

Ryan looked around at the large room. The place looked like a disaster zone. Or a crime scene. He made a mental note to thank Esen later for trashing this place. "I'd be very surprised if anyone was still hanging around here," he said in a low voice. "But we can't be too careful." At Emmerich's question, Ryan studied the three doors. The two on the north side appeared smaller, as if they might lead to side rooms or closets. "Let's check those two first," he said, pointing to the doors in question. The one on the left stood slightly ajar, as if its previous occupant had left in a hurry. That was the one Ryan chose to cautiously approach, signaling the others 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: Jared Winters/Lachina Adaon/Emily Lockwood - Geosenge Town

 

"Sounds good," Jared said. "We just need directions to the cottage from here."

 

"Actually," Emily chimed in, "could we maybe get some dinner first? There's a lovely little diner here that has some good dinner specials."

 

Jared shrugged and looked to the rest of the group. "Sure, sounds good. Just send me the address, Lionel, we'll find it."

 

IC: Flint Conley

 

Flint nodded slowly. "I can understand that," he said. None of his Pokémon had been affected by anything like poachers or hunters, but, as part of Team Rocket, he had stopped a fair share of people who would exploit Pokémon like that. "You two," he said, looking to the siblings. "Head on back to base, tell them I'll be a bit delayed in returning. If they ask, just say I'm taking some of my accrued personal time."

 

He turned back to Yu. "You... haven't been looking for the people who destroyed our dojo, have you?"

"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/Ray Hakuda - Signs Warehouse, Dendemille Town, Kalos==-

 

The two followed slowly as they glanced around, Poké Balls in hand. So far there was nothing, but Chloe was uneasy about the fact that there was so much that seemed untouched - for an organization with so many ties to criminal activities like poaching and whatever they did to Kyle, this felt a little weird.

 

"Let's keep cautious." Chloe said as she pursed her lips, eyes darting around. "I've seen this kind of thing before, we take one false step and bam, we've gone through time and shown up in another dimension where we have to fight cat people."

 

Ray gave her a look of disbelief. "I, uh, don't think that'll happen."

 

"Hey, can you say for sure that it won't?"

 

Ray chose not to respond to that.

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IC: Zoe Llyan/Dahlia Seaton/Alex Lockwood - Geosenge Town, Kalos

"The brave warrior princess . . . finds herself trapped in an endless maze of stone towers!" At the back of the group, Zoe dragged her feet along the route, voicing her complaints through her own personal narration. "It's been two weeks since our hero first stepped foot in this fiendish labyrinth. Being forced to scavenge for food and water, she now finds herself at the end of her energy. With no hope of rescue, she can only trek onward and wait for the wilderness to claim her life . . ."

 

Two stone obelisks marked the entrance to Geosenge. As the rest of the group gathered to discuss her plans, a weary smile grew on Zoe's face. Leaning heavily on one of the towers, she rasped for breath.

 

"What is this . . . ? Just when our fearless warrior is about to give up all hope, from out on the horizon comes a sign! Civilization! At long last, she has found the lost city of stone! Our hero cries tears of joy for a sight she thought she'd never see outside of her dreams. At long last, her life's goal is complete!" Zoe stretched out a shaking arm toward the nearest building and took a stumbling step toward it. "Where will she go first? What adventures await our hero in this ancient city? The answer will have to wait, for the tireless warrior princess has expended all of her energy just getting to this mythical town! Exhausted beyond all measure, she collapses in the dirt, sure she has breathed her last . . ." Her narration was accompanied by a very believable fall. Zoe continued to lay face-down in the dirt, waiting for someone to notice.

 

The two adults prepared to go off somewhere else, with the rest of the group preparing to go to some cottage. Nobody seemed to notice the seemingly half-dead girl on the ground behind them. Or perhaps they were simply ignoring her. Other plans were discussed, but Zoe didn't pay any attention. She was just about to demand that Collie carry her the rest of the way when Emily spoke up with the suggestion of dinner. Her previous exhaustion forgotten, Zoe bolted upright and injected herself in the middle of the group.

 

"I vote dinner first!" she cried, her enthusiasm accompanied by a raised hand. Specks of dirt clung to her face and arms where she had been laying down.

 

Alex leaned toward Colleen and whispered, "Is she always like this?"

 

"Pretty much," the aura wielder said with an amused smile.

 

"Dinner sounds good," Dahlia said in agreement. She waited for Jared to get directions to the cottage from Mr. Zyther, then turned to Emily. "I think you'd better lead the way, before we're subjected to more of the Melancholy of Zoe Llyan."

 

IC: Jayron Aaron/Dack Majors/Madison Morrow/Luke/Adam Shaw - Jayron's Office, The Alamo

Madison and Luke immediately sprung into action, each grabbing Dack by an arm and holding him back before he could strangle Adam where he stood. "He's not worth it, man!" Luke hissed. "We're on enemy turf here."

 

"Don't make a fool of yourself, Dack!" Madison pleaded. "This is the only way we can help your friend!"

 

"No!" Dack glared at the man who stood calmly before him. "Anyone but him!" Adam Shaw had bullied Dack ever since he was a kid. The man had picked on other helpless children as well, but Dack's resilient nature gave him special treatment from Adam. No matter how hard he had tried, Dack had never managed to defeat him. The day Adam left Snowpoint to join Team Liberty, Dack had signed up for Team Rocket, vowing to defeat his rival on the battlefield of war.

 

He had encountered Adam one other time since joining Team Rocket, on a mission in Jubilife. Adam had defeated him just as easily as when they were kids. Being forced to work alongside his tormentor was the very last thing Dack wanted to do.

 

A frown crossed Adam's face as he surveyed the trio. "Wait a second, one's missing. What happened to the little ninja brat?"

 

"That does it, bucko!" Luke let go of Dack's arm and ran towards Adam, hand clenched into a tight fist. "Don't you dare--"

 

A blast of light shot between Adam and Luke, stopping the latter in his tracks. Jayron stood at his desk, gloved hand extended. "I hope this isn't going to be a problem," he said in a warning tone.

 

"Oh, not at all!" Adam folded his arms and directed a smile at the blackbelt before him. "These three and I go way back. We practically grew up together. Lukie and I just wanted to go a few rounds, like old times. I see he's gotten as buff as a meatsack. Maddie hasn't changed a bit, still clinging to her little boyfriend. And Dack here's practically jumping out of his seat to greet me!" The Liberty agent laughed good-naturedly. "Gotta say, I never thought I'd see you at The Alamo of all places. Rest assured, Executive Aaron, we'll be getting along just fine."

 

"Good." Jayron continued to cast a wary eye on the four of them. "Because as the leader of this mission, it falls on me to report any insubordination or hostile behavior to your respective supervising officers. In the case of Madison and Luke, Dack will be held responsible for their actions. Due to the joint nature of this mission, if you cannot work together the operation will be suspended until further notice. Neither Rocket nor Liberty will be allowed to pursue Brendan Ruby, Agent Dunkeld, or the Sanders. Do I make myself clear?" The executive accented his words with a brief glow of aura around his hands.

 

One by one, Adam, Madison, and Luke nodded. All eyes were on Dack as he weighed his hatred toward Adam against his debt to Ryan. In the end, he knew the choice was obvious. As much as he hated to do so, he hung his head in defeat. "We'll work together." The words tasted like poison on his lips.

 

Jayron nodded. "I've arranged a ship to depart in a couple days. I suggest you use this time to get ready for several weeks out at sea."

 

"Several weeks trapped on a small vessel with you three." Adam rolled his eyes. "I can't wait."

Edited by Konuju

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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