Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

"Cool! Now that we have that all sorted, I think we should head through Oreburgh Gate, if only so Jacob can stock up on some supplies at the city." He stuffed everything semi-neatly into his backpack in preparation, then returned his Pokemon after snagging back his hat from Pikachu, dusting it off, and putting the head wear back on his head.

Edited June 3, 2014 by sonyaxe

[Ehksidian]

OOC: sony remember everyone knows him as "Jacob", not his actual name.

IC:

"Yeah, might as well head out. That was good, though. Didn't expect it to be, but I liked it." He turned to Eyes and Hexcalibur. "Did you enjoy your food?"

Hexcalibur turned and chimed happily. Eyes simply stared her normal stare.

"I take that as a yes from both of you."

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron/Kyle Eston - Four Island: "Uh . . . you all right there, Ryan?" Sonja asked, surprised by his sudden collapse and clearly uncomfortable about supporting him. As things stood, Ryan was lucky that she had never really had any adverse reactions to instantaneous transportation, otherwise the situation may have wound up worse than it was now.

 

Still, she did know the effects that it could have on other people. Hence her next statement: ". . . please don't throw up on me."

 

IC - Greed - R&D Testing Site: Eelektross was utterly finished. Though the electric eel attempted to fight back against Gawain's assault, it was all for naught: With its own power weakening alongside that of its trainer, the most it could do was flail and scratch away ineffectually, its glancing blows doing nothing to harm the Swampert. With a weak, dying shriek, the Electric-Type ceased all movement, simply collapsing on the ground in defeat.

Greed stared, wide-eyed, for several moments, her eyes glued to his face even as the darkness reclaimed the Eelektross. Try as she might to search his soul for the overpowering greed that she had first sensed in him, she could find nothing--nothing that she could take advantage of. The unhealthy self-preservation, the desire of power, the plays he had made in an attempt to protect his own skin . . . None of it could be used as leverage again. James had overcome his Sin.

As this realization dawned on her, a glowing, yellow symbol appeared on Greed's right palm. She looked down at it, feeling the rumbling of the building around her grow stronger and stronger with each pulse of the emblem. Before her eyes, the darkness appeared, gear-shaped shadows that materialized around her shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, knees, and ankles. They began to rotate, slow and silent, every movement accompanying the growing disintegration of her body and mind back into the darkness from whence she had come.

"You beat me, Jamesy . . ." she said, her tone softer than it had been at any other point in their encounter. "I hate losing. But, I guess there's nothing I can do about it now, is there?" With a sigh, Greed smiled, resigned to her fate. She looked back up at James. The majority of her body was gone now, Claimed by the darkness; even her face had begun to disintegrate. Her last words were spoken in a dangerous echo, accompanied only by the dwindling image of her eyes. "You can have this victory. Just be ready to accept the consequences that come with it . . ."

 

Now wholly consumed, the gears shattered into darkness, leaving nothing where Greed had once stood.

 

IC - Meghan Vert/Lust - R&D Testing Site: Vert could not help but watch as Greed vanished, her Eelektross finally taken down by James's Pokémon. Though she was stunned by the nightmarish vision of flesh-eating darkness, the Executive found herself even more surprised by the complete and utter lack of a reaction from Lust, whose attention remained firmly fixed on Vert herself. As a matter of fact, she seemed almost glad that her sister was gone--or content with it, at the very least.

 

She addressed this in short notice. Come now, Meghan--our fight's over here, not over there, Lust said. Nice work with the Thunder Wave, by the way--catching me off guard like that is truly impressive. Too bad it won't happen again.

 

You . . . You aren't even remotely concerned that your sister just died? Vert asked. Her opponent shook her head.

 

It's unfortunate, but I didn't exactly expect anything less, Lust said. Dear Greed is a little greedy, as you might've noticed--not like she didn't want death, just like everything else she could get her hands on. She smirked. Besides, not like I have to worry about that happening to me, at this rate. I've already laid out the reasons why you can't beat me; why not just accept it and make it easier on yourself?

 

Vert took a deep breath, clenching her fist. Because, it's not true . . . she replied. Not all of it. Not the part about me taking pleasure in other peoples' pain . . . and certainly not the part about me wantonly sacrificing others in the name of my experiments.

 

Lust straightened up in surprise at this. Say again? she said. Do you mean to tell me . . . that I'm wrong about you?

 

"That is exactly what I'm telling you," Vert said, her tone completely flat. "You claim to have access to my mind. In that case I DARE you to actually read it." Her fist began to shake. "Do you honestly believe that the sacrifices I've made--the lives I've taken--have been lost purely for my own enjoyment? How dare you imply such a thing? I can name every cloned Pokémon that I have killed for the sake of Project Harmony--for the sake of stopping people like Ford, or Team Rocket, or you--and not a single day goes by that I don't feel their combined weight on my shoulders." Vert adjusted her glasses. "And if nothing else, Lust, I can tell you this much: I'm not about to beat you just because I can, or because I want to, but because you need to be stopped, lest you bring more pain unto someone who has had a little less time to come to terms with their actions."

 

Lust's eyes widened as she felt the mental connection between herself and the Executive snap. Vert looked to her Galvantula, her expression more determined than her Pokémon had seen it in a long, long time. "Galvantula, for all of our sake's, please hit that Milotic with as many Thunderbolts as it takes to faint it."

 

The Electric-Type complied. Body crackling with energy, Galvantula unleashed beam after beam of electricity upon Milotic, each one causing the Water-Type to cry out in pain. It did not take long for the damage to accumulate past the point of the Milotic's endurance; weakened as it was by Lust and Vert's broken bond, it was soon left alone, squirming in place for several moments before falling still.

 

Arcs of electricity danced along Milotic's unmoving form, yellowish-white lights that soon turned to black. Lust bowed her head, feeling the effects of the lightning as it turned into black, shadowy bolts that quickly disintegrated the Tender Pokémon's form wherever they touched. As they worked to Claim the Water-Type, Lust's attention was caught by the glowing, dark blue symbol that appeared on her left palm. Soon enough, her own body came under attack by the shadowy electricity, the whips of lightning dealing the same damage to her body that they had done to that of her Pokémon.

 

As she started to fade into darkness, Lust began to laugh. It started as a chuckle, quickly growing into a sharp and wicked sound that echoed throughout the room, before slowly dying back down into maddened giggles. The action startled Vert more than anything else, particularly as Lust straightened back up again.

 

With random pieces of her face gone, and more disappearing everywhere on her body, Lust smiled at Vert, not at all disturbed by what was happening to her. "Well played, Vert. I guess you aren't as far gone as you appear . . ." She linked her hands together behind her back, taking a deep breath and raising her chin to look at the ceiling. "Still, the game's not up just yet--I think you know that. You've done your part; now all that's left is to see how the others do with theirs." She chuckled, blinking slowly and lowering her gaze again. "And, believe me . . . It will be a game worth watching . . ."

 

The lightning slowly died away as the last pieces of Lust vanished into shadow, leaving no trace of her behind. All that remained were the sisters' thrones, the only evidence that the two had ever stepped foot in Team Liberty's testing facility.

 

 

Vert sighed. "Thank goodness that's over," she murmured. The Executive held up an Ultra Ball. "Galvantula, return." As the EleSpider Pokémon disappeared into its container, Vert approached James, visibly struggling to maintain an even rate of breathing, let alone remain standing. "Excellent work, Mr. Arthur. Now, do you mind teleporting us out of here? Or perhaps breaking the door down?" She pressed her hand harder against the wound in her side. "I could . . . really use a doctor right about now . . ."

Edited June 5, 2014 by Pears Nivans

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette was slightly confused at what had all happened, but accepted the napkin, looking at Claus and Zoe in confusion, wondering what had even just happened.

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray raised an eyebrow at Ryan, finding his behaviour rather odd, considering he'd said he was ready not long before then.

Drama queen. Ray thought, looking at him skeptically, as he didn't notice Aizen snickering before disappearing into its Pokeball.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan
Ryan closed his eyes as he felt the wave of nausea start to pass. "I think I'll be alright," he muttered. He remained in Sonja's arms a moment longer, still recovering his strength. Slowly, Ryan became aware that both Ray and Kyle were probably staring at him.

His pale face suddenly became full of color as he stepped back, bringing a hand to his head to fight the dizziness that came from the sudden movement. "Er... sorry about that," he said sheepishly. "I'm not terribly fond of teleportation."

IC: Ellen
Ellen was glued to the window as the submarine-ferry departed from the harbor. She caught a brief glimpse of the Lilycove shoreline before the boat went underwater. It was as if they had entered an entirely new world. Schools of Remoraid roamed the sea, accompanied by the occasional Mantine. Further down, Ellen spotted Chinchou and Lanturn, and off in the distance she saw the distinct form of a Wailord. At one point a Milotic swam right in front of Ellen's window, dazzling in its beauty.

Although she was mesmerized by the underwater world, Ellen desperately wished she could have shared this experience with her Pokémon. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do, as the sailors of the sub required all Pokémon to be kept in their Pokéballs. And so Ellen could only watch the aquatic Pokémon swim by in solitude as the submarine made its way to the island city of Sootopolis.

Eventually, the submarine approached what appeared to be a huge underwater mountain. The sub started to dive deeper and deeper, until the sunlight at the surface offered only a dim glow. The boat made a sharp turn and entered into a cave. Then they quickly started rising to the surface. Ellen's mouth dropped open as they broke the surface and she had her first view of Sootopolis.

A rocky formation lined the perimeter of the city, with dozens of houses built into the side of the mountain. A few spits of land jutted out into the lake, and Ellen spotted people fishing at one of the piers, as well as several children splashing in the shallower parts of the water. The submarine made its way to a nearby harbor.

As soon as Ellen was off of the submarine, she sent out her Pokémon, embracing them all in a warm hug. "Oh, I hope we never have to do that again!" she cried. "You have no idea how much I missed you all."

We were right beside you the whole time, Duo reminded her. We just couldn't see anything.

"You know what I mean," Ellen laughed. "Now come on, let's go explore the city!"

IC: Paul
Paul Burks made his way through the crowds of Mauville, his Bisharp at his side. The blacksmith entered the Pokémon Center and walked right up to the nurse. "Excuse me, I'm looking for my daughter." He pulled out the same picture he had shown the waitress in Fortree. "Her name is Ellen. Have you seen her around here lately?"

The nurse shook her head sadly. "I can't say that I have. However, if you have a Pokégear, Pokénav, or similar device, I can give you a call if I do see her."

"Thank you," Paul said, giving the nurse his Xtransceiver number. Carefully placing the photo back in his billfold, he silently walked out of the Pokémon Center.

As soon as he was outside, the blacksmith gave a cry of anguish and kicked a nearby trash can in frustration. "How long must I keep up this search?!" he cried. His Bisharp placed a hand on his shoulder as Paul fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. "All this searching and searching, from city to city across the Hoenn region, and what good has it done me? What man am I, that my own daughter would abandon me? Where did I go wrong?" People in the streets started to give odd looks to the bawling blacksmith, but Paul took no notice. "I just want my daughter back," he wept. "Is that too much to ask?"

Kimber and Scar emerged from their Pokéballs to comfort their trainer. Even the little Oddish, Ellen's undelivered birthday present, popped out of its ball to help out in any way it could.

Paul looked up to see the concerned faces of his Pokémon. "Thanks, guys," he said, managing a smile as he wiped his tears away on his arm. "I know -- it does no good to sit around and pout. What kind of father am I, that I would give up after one or two failures? The only thing we can do is to keep searching... and I will continue to search to the ends of the earth until I find my Ellen, no matter how long it takes."

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

As she walked towards the Center, Olivia tried and tried to rationalize recent events, but was met with only one thing-confusion. Scowling, Olivia kept her gaze focused on the ground in front of her, relentlessly attempting to move past her clouded thoughts and emotions.

"You know, these events aren't as confusing as you make them out to be." a familiar voice called to Olivia in her mind.

"Amethyst?" Olivia responded mentally, surprised the Gardevoir wished to converse at this very moment. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"I am trying to tell you that you that Zach has not been causing you as much distress as you make him out to be." Amethyst responded simply, Olivia scowling further in response.

"What are you talking about?" she responded with a hint of anger. "You can read my emotions, can't you see all my frustration about what's been happening lately?!"

"Of course I can." replied Amethyst. "You are confused, but you have little reason to be."

"And what makes you say that?" Olivia snapped in response, frustrated by the Gardevoir.

"Because your frustration comes from your unwillingness to see the reality of both the situation and your emotions." Amethyst said bluntly. "Honestly, I think if you were willing to listen to your true emotions, you'd find the answer to be much simpler than you thought." Olivia obliged not to respond, as she had just come across the Pokemon Center. The trainer sighed and shook her head as she walked in, doubting her friend for what felt like the first time in forever.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach scratched his head, as he tried to figure out a rational reason for why Olivia was acting this way.

Does she really not like me anymore...? If so, why...? Zach wondered, as he thought over things; the last time they met, she'd seemed normal, right? So then why was she so confusing now...? Zach walked on, oblivious to the mental conversation going on between trainer and Pokemon, as he looked at Olivia curiously; though he didn't see much of an explanation on her face either.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Jamie)

Just to make sure that their newly captured prey did not escape, Grummore actually did something useful and Yawned at her and the fallen Fletchinder’s face to make the pair fall asleep. At least that’s what Jamie would like to believe. Maybe he just yawned.

 

Jamie looked at the shirt of the sleepy Zephyr agent, “What does Team Magma X Team Aqua mean Lucia?” she asked of her compatriot as the Yawn took effect.

 

Pardon me madam, but we have more pressing matters.

 

“Right sorry. Hmm, what else to do to make sure they stay put?”

 

Grummore (after a brief discussion on whether breaking bones would have been ethical there or not) activated Disable on both trainer and mon.

 

“Wow, I didn’t even know you had that move… actually considering I’ve hardly seen you use any of your moves even when in battle, that's a reasonable sentiment.”

 

The Slowpoke looked a little indignant to her upon him registering that she said it. Woulda been nice if she were still looking at him. His trainer was currently discussing was Lucia how best to hold on to their prisoner while riding a Metagross across a mall at Bullet Punch speed.

 

With one of Tristan’s forelegs raised to hold down the Zephyr agent and serve as a way for both Lucia and Jamie to hold on “Alright, then charge, Sir Tristan!”

 

At once, milady! he yelled activating Bullet Punch to carry the two in pursuit of the grounded Zephyr agent.

 

One floor down, they found the tracks of the Steelix leading away from the giant hole in the wall.

 

“Well he’s been here,” Jamie stated the obvious, as they followed the giant tracks.

 

It wasn’t exactly hard to follow Steelix tracks, though to miss the giant hole in the restaurant they followed them to, would have required complete blindness. Inside there was one Team Zephyr member and a Steelix, both chowing down of the fancy cuisine that had been left behind.

 

Looking up from his meal, he noticed the two Rocket Agents “Um… Hey guys!”

 

IC: “Train him to do that? I need to train him NOT to do that, when everyone’s not expecting,” he said giving a pseudo-evil eye to the Monferno.

 

To that the Monferno simply gave his trainer a hug.

 

Claus sighed, “He knows I can’t stay mad at him when he gives me a hug.”

 

IC: James activated the Normal Suits Heal Bell function. It might not have been able to heal the wounds, but perhaps it would be able to slow the bleeding a little.

 

“Teleporting is out of the question,” he said quietly as he thought of the barely conscious Guinevere who was being guarded by the still conscious members of the team.

 

James looked around at his team to see who would even have the strength left to break down the door. Lancelot was utterly beat though rest helped somewhat, and he could not ask anything more from Gawain at the moment.

 

“Galahad, Percival. Please destroy this door.”

 

Silently, leaving Mordred to take care of the hardly conscious Guinevere, the pair floated to closer towards the door, before unleashing a combined Aura Sphere and Overheat upon it.

 

Poor door.

 

With the door utterly destroyed, James silently motioned for the exit, staying near Vert in case she needed help standing, while looking back to Lancelot (who was now back on his feet due to Roosting his wounds) and Mordred carrying Guinevere.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Claus Von Minun the 4th

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

"So you've said." Ray mumbled, still looking at Ryan oddly, as he glanced away, wondering where on the beach they had ended up this time.

We never actually take much time to look around when this happens, do we...?

[Dr. Hidaka]

OOC: Adding in lyrics from Rules of Nature to this post. Time for ridiculousness.

 

IC: Evan Tierra, Route 4

 

"Bold, brave, and cold hearted!", Evan said as he sent out most of his pokemon, "The distance grows closer, little by little, wow! The power we possess is incredible! YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE! Finish that Hydreigon off, Gnip! The rest of you, help her!"

 

Clacking his pincers, Vlad spun around to give Gnip a Tailwind to help her momentum. Gnip roared and started glowing red, signaling she was going to use Outrage. Behemoth charged Gnip, sending her flying towards the Hydreigon.

 

"RULES OF NATURE!

And they run when the sun comes up
With their lives on the line
Alive!"

 

As Gnip was sent flying Bertha's Hippowdon roared and whipped up a giant sand twister to give Gnip even more of a speed boost. All the while, Draco Meteors fell around Evan's pokemon team. Roaring, Gnip spun around in the twister, gaining more and more momentum, until she flew out, ready to attack Gerald's Hydreigon.

 

"With their lives on the line
(No choice)
Out here only the strong survive"

 

Gnip was then struck by a Draco Meteor and lost her momentum. It was then a large rock formation rose up towards her as she fell. Gnip, landing less than gracefully, roared as she saw Landorus descend from above. Landorus raised more "platforms" for Gnip to leap onto.

"What’s done is done
Survived to see another day
The game of life
The hunter and the agile prey
No guarantee
Which of them will succeed
Strong or weak!"

 

Roaring, Gnip leapt from rock to rock, as each one collapsed from a meteor striking. As Gnip drew closer and closer, she could see the Hydreigon looking more and more panicked. As she reached the last rock, Gnip made a slashing motion with her right claw. The Hydreigon was knocked down by the Outrage. Gnip then roared triumphantly as a show of victory.

 

 

"Rules of Nature
Rules of Nature!"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Gerald==-

 

Gerald watched in horror as his Hydreigon fell to the ground, fainted, and then scowled.

"No matter... Flygon! Finish the job." Gerald said, and looked in shock at where the Flygon had been, most of it covered in rubble, as it was also fainted.

"This... This is impossible!" Gerald said with wide eyes, as he took a step back and shook his head, unable to believe that he had just lost, as he glanced to his last Pokeball with a scowl; realizing that one Alakazam couldn't take on all of Evan's Pokemon.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"You can't deny, he's a pretty cute Pokémon," Zoe smiled. "By the way, I don't think we ever introduced ourselves. I'm Zoe." The younger sister extended a hand to the trainer.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Route 4

 

"Well, it would be impossible, in your dreams.", Evan said, advancing forward as he talked, "You were outclassed in almost every way. You stood no chance from the beginning."

 

As Evan walked towards Gerald, he recalled all of his pokemon to their poke balls, glaring at Gerad the whole time.

 

"You wanna know why you lost?", Evan asked coldly, "You treat your pokemon like slaves. You forced your will onto them, not allowing them to think for themselves! You abuse their power for your own selfish desires!"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Gerald==-

 

Gerald began to laugh coldly, as he simply glared at Evan with a slightly menacing look.

"In the end... isn't that just the reality for everything?" Gerald asked, shifting his glare to Jenny with a scowl.

[Konuju]

OOC: I think I've fallen in love with Sootopolis City's theme.

IC: Ellen
Ellen closed her eyes as the ocean air filled her lungs and her hair fluttered in the breeze. Out of all the places in Hoenn she had seen, Sootopolis was probably the most unique. The city was nestled in the crater of an ancient volcano, and the rocky slopes of the volcano rose around the city in what could only be described as a natural version of the wall that protected Black City. And with her Pokémon at her side once more, Ellen couldn't be happier.

Eventually she opened her eyes and started to look around at the houses built into the sides of the crater. "The berry lady said we should look for a large house," Ellen recalled. "She said we can't miss it."

There's a big building over there, Duo suggested.

"That's the Gym," Ellen shook her head with a sigh.

Terry gave a bark and pointed his nose toward a large house on the other side of the lake, close to the top of the crater.

'Large house' was an understatement: the mansion was enormous, taking up a sizeable chunk of the face of the rock. Even from this distance, Ellen could see that the entire mansion was surrounded by a thick wall, the entrance marked by oversized gates that gleamed in the sunlight.

Not exactly a subtle guy, is he? Duo remarked.

"It sticks out like a sore thumb," Ellen agreed as she started to make her way around the rocky perimeter of the city. "But hopefully this guy can help us find his cousin -- that woman who can read Pokémon memories."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

"Huh... While that was the last time everyone was around together... She was right all along, wasn't she?" Ryan mumbled, pausing, as he reflected on that. Every time so far he had thought himself to be the cause of many bad problems, everything had turned out alright.

But not this time. This time, I can't be forgiven... Can I? Ryan thought, the one doubt as to his seemingly certain fate making him think for a bit. If he could be forgiven by Ray and Jessie for seemingly accidentally killing their brother... Could he be forgiven for what happened in Unova?

I need to get out of here even more now. Ryan decided, a renewed thought in his mind; as even though doubts still circled around in his brain, this was a bigger deal for the moment. However... How was he going to get out? He had no teleporting Pokemon, nor a way to fly or any of that.

I need to focus. Ryan thought, as he calmed his mind down as much as he could, and looked around the forest once more.

 

"Wow, he's just like me!" A shrill voice called out, seeming to echo around Ryan's head, as he grew alert, and looked around, confused.

"Who's there!?" Ryan yelled, as the voice gasped.

"What? Someone can hear me? That's a surprise!" The voice stated, as Ryan gripped his head for a moment.

"Who are you, and where are you?" Ryan asked, as the slight headache passed. He raised an eyebrow, however, as a Natu hopped along different branches, tilted its head at Ryan, and then hopped in front of him.

"People gave me the name 'Natu', though I like to be called Anna. It has a nice ring to it." The tiny bird said, as Ryan blinked.

"... Anna huh..." Ryan said, as he looked at the Natu, who tilted her head at Ryan.

"That outfit is... odd." The Natu said, as Ryan paused, and frowned with a sigh.

"Really now, a Natu giving me fashion advice, now that's a first..." Ryan mumbled as he thought for a moment, and smiled.

"Alright; if you can faint one of my Pokemon, I'll take your advice." Ryan said, and the Natu smiled.

"And if so, I'm joining your party." The tiny bird said bluntly as Ryan looked at her in surprise, but nodded.

 

"Alright then..." Ryan said, as he gripped the Pokeball that contained his Porygon 2, and sent it out quickly.

"Let's go, Dis-" Ryan called out, however, before he could finish the command, the Natu sent a burst of psychic energy at the Porygon 2, which scrambled its artificial mind,and knocked the in-progress Discharge upwards, focusing it into a Tri-Beam instead.

"Wha-? That's okay, we're just getting started. Signa-" Ryan began his second attack, as the Natu smiled, and shone a confusing light into the Porygon 2's eyes, confusing it further, and the Porygon 2 miscalculated its trajectory... Sending the Signal Beam right into its own face. Ryan blinked, as this went on for a few more minutes, the Natu continuously deflecting the Porygon 2's attacks, before Ryan simply closed his eyes.

"Do what is best, Porygon 2." Ryan said, as it was an inevitable defeat anyway. However, after that happened, the first Discharge hit, and the Natu squawked out in protest, as it tumbled across the forest ground. Ryan opened his eyes in surprise, and then nodded in understanding.

"Keep it up, Porygon 2!" Ryan said, a new confidence on his face, as he understood now why his attacks wouldn't work earlier. The Porygon began to charge up a Hyper Beam in retaliation... However, at that moment, a sudden burst of Psychic energy attacked from nowhere, fainting the Porygon 2 instantly.

"... What?" Ryan asked, as the Natu laughed.

"Fuuuuuture Siiiiiiiiight~" The Natu said in a sing-songy voice, as Ryan sighed.

 

"Alright then, you proved yourself." Ryan chuckled, as he smiled, and held out his arm, which the Natu hopped up onto. Digging out a spare Pokeball, Ryan held it close to the Natu, who nudged the button with its beak, and was caught after three twitches. Ryan sighed, as he felt a presense in his mind again.

"You want to go somewhere, right? I can get you there!" Anna said, as Ryan nodded, and was about to say something, but then closed his mouth and smiled.

"Alright... Anna. That name might take some getting used to; I don't usually rename stuff..." Ryan admitted, as the Natu giggled. Ryan sent the small bird out again, who then focused, and teleported them away; back to Goldenrod City.

 

-==IC: Cassie, Flashback==-

 

Two years later, Cassie was laying on her bed with a frown, staring up at the ceiling, as no-one seemed to have time anymore to see each other.

"No-one eats together anymore... Even Stacy has grown cold and is acting like Mom's apprentice..." Cassie mumbled, as she turned herself to the right side, supporting her pillow with her right hand, as she looked at a picture taken not long after they moved into the mansion, where everyone was happy and laughing and just plain joyful. At that moment, however, the door burst open, causing Cassie to scramble to sit up, surprised at the sudden entry, as Christopher strode in.

"Hello, lady Cassandra." Christopher said with a bow, as Cassie just looked at him with an unimpressed look on her face.

"I told you not to call me that, 'Cassie' will do just fine. And didn't I say to knock as well?" Cassie asked, and Christopher paused, and then bowed.

"My deepest apologies, lady Cassandra." Christopher said, and Cassie laid back on her bed with a sigh, as she grabbed a pillow and placed it on her head, giving up trying to explain.

"You're hopeless, Chris." Cassie said, her voice muffled through the pillow.

 

She was, however, pushed up suddenly, as she let out a squeal of surprise as the pillow fell off her face, even as she looked over at Christopher, who had decided to move from getting her to sit up again and instead dashed around the room.

"The masters are returning today, so you must head off to school, and your clothes will be prepared when you get back, lady Cassandra." The butler said, and Cassie blinked, as he held up some of her clothes, tried to judge them, and then laid them on the bed, as he began to tidy up her laundry, causing Cassie to go redder and redder.

"I, uh, can gather my own clothes, thank you very much." Cassie said, as Christopher stopped halfway through laying out potential clothing sets, and looked at Cassie.

"But the masters said-" Cassie held up her hand to stop Christopher before he could explain further.

"No matter; I think I can choose a good enough outfit on my own. Thanks, now, please, just leave me alone for now." Cassie said, and Christopher paused, but then bowed.

"As you wish, lady Cassandra." Christopher said, and looked up in time for the pillow from earlier to be flung into his face.

"I said stop that." Cassie said, a look of annoyance on her face, as she pushed the butler out, and then closed her door. She then sighed, as she looked over at her Bellosom, which was currently staring at her, dressed like a hawaiian tourist and with random articles of clothing on its head, and Cassie simply shrugged.

 

School was normal, up until lunch. Cassie munched on her food, and looked over at one kid, who seemed to be grandstanding. However, he was odd, as his hair was most definitely not normal. Cassie looked over in curiosity, however, intrigued for sure despite him just being the typical arrogant person. However, she was drawn out of her curiosity, as one of her good friends sat down. The two of them often joked that they were twins, as it really did seem like they were long lost twins, as they looked just about the same, except for a mark on their shoulders that were often not seen. Cassie nodded to her friend as they began to talk, before noticing a fight breaking out between the guy from earlier, and a guy with spiky orange hair; the odd hair guy sending out a Larvitar, and the other guy sending out a Pawniard. She focused on it, but couldn't figure out the reason, and before long, it was broken up by others.

"What was that all about?" Cassie's friend wondered, echoing her own thoughts, as Cassie simply shrugged, and continued munching on her food. The rest of the day seemed to go as originally planned, however, she wondered why the two had been fighting earlier, and who they even were. Cassie yawned as the bell rang, and began to walk home, before noticing Christopher running up to him.

"Alright, your parents shall be home any minute, lady Cassandra, you must hurry!" Christopher said, and Cassie sighed, but nodded.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Claus chuckled slightly as scratched the Monferno's head, as well as that of the Tepig that climbed onto his lap.

 

"Claus, Claus Diamond," he said putting a fair bit of emphasis on his last name as she shook the hand extended to him.

 

Upon breaking the handshake, he extended his hand to the other girl saying, "And what's yours?"

 

OOC: I'm dropping the whole von thing. I've spent five minutes with this guy and already I can't imagine him doing it. His attitude towards his name however will not change.

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: So, you gonna change your name to remove that too? =P

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"Colette Natalie Llyan." Colette responded, as she shook the other trainer's hand, realizing she probably wasn't going to have enough time to finish her meal.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

Zoe looked at Colette, who seemed to be the only one who hadn't finished her food yet. "We haven't got all day, Collie, there's still plenty of the tour left," she kindly reminded her sister.

[Metal Gear Minun]

OOC: Of course not, I had the name first and I LOVE IT!

 

IC: Claus finished swallowing a bite as he heard what they said. Flint looked at him as if he was expecting him to say something.

 

"You know," he started at the Monferno's request, "if you haven't been yet. I'd suggest heading over to the band hall next."

 

Finishing the last item on his plate, he wiped off his face with a napkin.

 

"It's where I am heading, so at the very least, we could talk a little more on the way over."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"Uh, sure!" Colette said, unsure of what else there was to do anyway, as she suddenly stood up, nodding, as she grabbed the tray,and frowned.

"Though, it's too bad it wasn't all finished..." Colette then paused, and thought for a moment.

"Do you know where we can find that Snorlax?" Colette asked, as it was probably a silly idea, but...

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"Ooh, the band hall," Zoe said in response to Claus' suggestion. "That sounds fun. I don't know if I've ever been there."

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron/Kyle Eston - Four Island: ". . . Right," Sonja said, choosing to continue ignoring Ray and Ryan's behavior. Looking around to hide her own burning face, she frowned, unable to recognize the buildings further up the beach. Barely visible over their rooftops, and the trees mixed in with them, she could make out parts of the Alamo, though they were quite far off. "Kyle, do you happen to know where we are . . .? I've never been to this part of Four Island before."

When he did not answer, Sonja turned to look at him, finding the Liberty Agent staring off toward the ocean. "Kyle?"

He blinked, looking at her. "Yeah?"

"I asked if you knew where we are," she said, brow wrinkling with concern.

"Oh." Kyle turned, scanning the town behind him. "Yeah, give me a sec." He made his way further toward the back of the beach, so as to get a better look at the buildings facing them. After studying them for a moment, he returned. "This should be Vier Village, which means we're on the north-east edge of the island. The Alamo's not that far off--we just need to cut through town and follow the main road."

 

IC - Meghan Vert - R&D Department: Nodding her thanks to James, Vert exited the destroyed training center. Upon reaching the stairs, she stopped, pressing her free hand to her collar. "Tatsuro, this is Vert," she said. "Do me a favor and send a team to the training center ASAP--Executive Arthur and I just had a run-in with a pair of E.D.A.s and I need to know whether they left any usable power signatures behind."

 

"Will do, ma'am," the R&D aide replied. "But, uh, for future reference, this is Koichi Tetsuro, ma'am. I think you have me confused with Koji Tatsuro, your other assist--"

 

With a roll of her eyes, Vert let go of the button on her comm, placing her hand instead on the railing for support. "Never can keep those two straight, even on a good day . . ." she muttered, beginning to arduous process of limping up the stairs.

 

For some time, she did not say anything else. As she and James neared the top of the stairwell, she glanced at him through her cracked lenses. "Good work back there, by the way, Mr. Arthur," she said. "I'm not sure I would have been able to overcome that girl if you hadn't been there."

 

"Yes, of course," James replied. "Though I have to wonder what Goldhawk is going to have to say about the damages."

 

"Oh, dear . . ." Vert sighed, reaching to press a shaking hand to the 'open' button. James spared her the trouble. "I am not looking forward to having to explain any of this to him . . . Let's just hope that doesn't happen for a whi--"

 

She let the word die in her mouth as the door opened, revealing a none-too-amused Goldhawk leaning against a nearby wall, as if waiting for them. Though visibly angered by something, his expression quickly became softer and more surprised as he saw the state that Vert was in.

 

Vert, equally surprised, raised a hand. "Markus," she said, almost pleading with him. "I can . . . explain everything . . ." She stumbled forward, the blood loss finally catching up to her. Without a moment's hesitation, and with the utmost care, Goldhawk moved forward, catching and supporting her.

 

"I'm sure there's a story behind this, and I expect to hear it in full as soon as possible," the Liberty Leader said, both to Vert and to James, his tone somewhere between plainness and exasperation. "In the meantime, let's get you to the medical center."

 

With the barely-conscious Vert leaning on his shoulder, Goldhawk headed toward the department's exit.

Edited June 11, 2014 by Pears Nivans

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

"Vier Village, huh?" Ryan said, still holding his hand to his head as the last of the queasiness passed. "I've been with Team Liberty for over a year now, and don't think I've ever seen this place." He glanced up at the humble village. "Certainly a far cry from the Alamo, wouldn't you say? If I didn't know better, I'd say we teleported to the wrong island. How long has this village been here, anyway?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray looked around in awe, surprised that a village like this even existed on the island, and then smiled, realizing that this really was a peaceful island, despite what the Alamo would suggest in regards to that.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Claus)

"In the band hall, probably with his trainer trying to teach him how to play the tuba or something,” he said standing up.

“Anyway, it’s a pretty nice place and, it’s not that far away, only a couple minutes.”

IC: (Richard)

Richard at this moment was not trying to teach Dionysus the tuba. Or the drums that he had almost coaxed the Snorlax into playing. Almost, before the giant decided it would be too much effort, and fell asleep. Trying to teach all his Pokemon how to play instruments had proven harder than he had thought.

Hades was cooperative enough, being used to Richard’s antics. But every single instrument that Richard offered he just didn’t like for some reason or another. Eventually he settled just to play the triangle to keep Richard happy for the moment until he can find something worth playing.

Erebus took to the percussion section, but was still trying to decide which among the many that he would like to learn how to play. He promised he’d be done by the end of the night.

Oceanus was exempt until such time he could have arms to help him play the guitar, though at least looked at some of the other string instruments.

Nyx was the least cooperative of the group. She wouldn’t even go near any of the instruments, much less try any that Richard suggested. He eventually gave up and promised to try again later.

His one true success seemed to be with Ponos, which was oddly enough because he thought Ponos would share the same problem as Oceanus. But the Diglett just went “I got this” (according to Hades anyway) and went into the brass section, eventually selecting a trombone. When Richard handed the trombone,, Ponos promptly dug underground with it. Richard then prayed slightly that no one would notice the hole in the floor. Looking down the hole, he saw the bell, and part of the rest of the trumpet and heard a rough, but steady sound.

“Are you… manipulating the earth, so as to push and pull the slide?”

The Diglett popped out of the hole and nodded.

“Why that’s genius!, we’ll have to work on you being able to play above ground, but this is a huge step!”

For the rest of the time, though with most of his team following Dionysus’ lead and falling asleep themselves, save Ponos who was practicing some warm-ups suggested by the band director. Richard satisfied that some progress had been made, decided to spend the rest of the time studying new pieces of music. He flipped through a few until he found one that looked beaten up, because for some reason those are always the ones he wants.

“Hmm, Moon Princess, eh?” he said before his words turned into mumbles before he rested the violin on his shoulder.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette nodded, and picked up the tray.

"Might as well not let this go to waste then. Let's go, then!" Colette said, looking between Zoe and Claus, hoping one of them really did know the way, and she wondered who even had the wish to have a Snorlax like that.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

"A Snorlax playing the tuba?" Zoe giggled. "This I've got to see!" She let Claus lead the way, as she was still unfamiliar with where the band hall was, although she suspected it was near the auditorium to allow for ease of set-up when the band had performances.

 

OOC: Just going to officially state that Colette and Zoe are currently a day ahead of the group that just got back from Opelucid.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia thought for a moment about two things, as she turned to her good friend Jamie.

"Hey, don't you notice something odd about this guy? Why does he has a Steelix?" Lucia asked Jamie, and then thought again, as she looked around, and then turned to the Zephyr Agent.

"Where do you see guys? All I see here, except for you, are girls!"

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron - Four Island: "A while," Kyle replied. "At least as long as I've lived on Four Island . . ." He looked back out to the ocean. "Regardless, we ought to get moving--looks like there's a storm brewing . . ." He nodded to the dark clouds in the distance, which hovered menacingly over one of the far-off islands.

 

"Doubt it'll get here anytime soon," Sonja said, though began walking inland nonetheless. After pulling his gaze away from the ocean, Kyle followed suit.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

"Foreboding," Ryan said as he watched the dark clouds roll through the sky. He walked a few paces behind Sonja, hands in his pockets, trying to look anywhere but at his fellow Liberty agent. All throughout Vier Village, the townsfolk were preparing for the storm to come. Street side vendors were cleaning out their shops, mothers were taking down their clotheslines, and children running through the streets were hastily called home.

 

A powerful gust tore through the village, causing some of the taller trees to sway. Ryan picked up his pace, a little sad that he didn't have time to see more of the quaint village. But he was glad they had settled on this brisker pace, for no sooner had they reached the Alamo's doors than the first few raindrops started to fall from the shadowy sky.

 

"Whew," Ryan sighed, turning around to make sure the others had all made it inside. "Glad we left when we did."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

"Yeah, that was pretty lucky." Ray said, looking back as he saw the rain start to come down, with a frown.

"Definitely appeared sooner than we thought, though..." Ray said, surprised at that.

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach frowned, as he waited for Olivia's Pokemon to be healed, and then checked his Pokegear, seeing no new messages. Zach sighed, and then idly scrolled through his contacts, noticing Aspen's right at the top, but paused as he scrolled down and didn't see Dahlia's.

That's... odd... Zach scrolled down further, and gasped, as he didn't see Olivia's contact there either.

"Well, that's not good for now..." Zach mumbled, as he tapped Olivia on her shoulder.

"Hey, uh, Olivia, what's your Pokegear number? Apparently I don't have it, which is odd to me..."

Edited June 12, 2014 by Tiz Arrior

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

"Hm?" Olivia said, as Zach tapped her shoulder. "My Pokegear number? I swear I gave it too you a long time ago...." she mused, bringing out her Pokegear as she told him his number.

"That's odd.... I seem to have your number here in the contacts? Can't remember the last time I called it though....."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach was confused, and looked over her shoulder as she mentioned the contact, and frowned.

"That is odd..." Zach said, as he put the number into his Pokegear, and then paused, as he examined the casing of his Pokegear.

"I wonder..."

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

"Here, let me try to call the number." she offered, pressing the contact and waiting for the call to connect. Instead, she got a message saying the number was no longer available.

"That's odd.... That number apparently isn't in use anymore?" Olivia asked, slightly puzzled.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach's mouth opened to an o shape, and slowly nodded.

"Okay... that confirms what I was thinking..." Zach said, as he showed his Pokegear to Olivia again.

"I hadn't even thought about it when I registered Aspen again, because we had other things on our mind, but... A while ago, my old Pokegear got broken beyond repair. Happened about when my mom was killed, so..." Zach looked away as he mentioned that with a wince, having forgotten about that for a moment.

"Yeah... Now i remember. I had to get a new device and a new contact ID... Which obviously comes with a new number. And i think..." Zach thought for a moment, as he tried to recall what had happened there.

"I couldn't remember your number, because every time I had called you I had just used the built-in contact feature..." Zach frowned, as he sighed, and then paused, wondering how long that phone number had been kept...

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (James)

The walk to the medical center was virtually silent, at least among all parties that James currently cared about. He could hear other sounds from sources around him, perhaps from people commenting on the scene, but at the moment he was more focused on his present situation and more importantly what was to come next. But thankfully the walk was not a long one, though the silence and a fair amount of injuries on him and Vert did not exactly help.

James considered for a moment how beneficial it might have been to have a Pokemon that could heal, but that was a problem for another time.

At the medical center James sent all of his Pokemon go to receive healing, considering there was not one that was fully okay, as Vert took care of herself and hers. James on the other hand felt his injuries were of minor consequence in comparison, due to wearing the Normal Type suit, and thus waited in the lobby once everyone else was taken care of.

Of course that meant, that if he so chose, James would be the first one grilled by Goldhawk.

[Konuju]

IC: Ellen
The rocky path around Sootopolis was not as straightforward as it seemed. As Ellen ran up and down hundreds of stairs built into the rock wall, she wondered if it wouldn't have been easier to just travel across the lake. Artemis gracefully led the way, while Terry trotted alongside Ellen, with Maturin riding on the Herdier's back. Chrono followed at a distance, the scowl on his face growing deeper and deeper as they drew closer to the mansion. Bringing up the rear was Duo, who was constantly sidetracked by some odd aspect of the city and quickly found himself lagging further and further behind the rest of the group.

When they finally reached the gates, Ellen felt exhausted. "Even though we've traveled across Unova, that walk was enough to wear me out," she panted. Maturin pointed a foot at the rocky slopes, where Duo was doing his best to catch up. "Yeah, this place is certainly more mountainous than Unova," Ellen agreed. Turning to face the gates, she hesitantly knocked on the metal, which did nothing more than create a dull echo.

What did I miss? Duo asked as he finally caught up.

"Nothing, really," Ellen said with a frown.

Just then a tall man with white hair approached from the other side of the gate. He was wearing a black suit, and peered at Ellen suspiciously as he held is hands behind his back. "If you're selling cookies, the master has made it very clear we don't want any."

"No, that's not it," Ellen said, taken aback. "I just had a few questions for you. Or... for this 'master' you mentioned. I'm not really sure -- which one of you has a cousin from Kalos?"

"If you have a survey, leave it in the mail slit and we will either fill it out or ignore it." The man, who Ellen assumed to be a butler, pointed toward a thin metal hatch in the side of the wall.

"I don't have a survey," Ellen shook her head. "I just wanted to find out--"

"What have we here?" a loud voice cried enthusiastically. "The tours don't start for at least another couple of hours!" A second man approached the gate, dressed in a decorative suit that blazed red and gold. This newcomer was much younger than the butler; Ellen guessed he could be no older than her own father.

"Master Rugissement!" the butler said in surprise, giving a hasty bow. "This girl claims she has some questions for us. I tried to turn her away, but she insists."

Rugissement glanced at Ellen and her Pokémon before giving a boisterous laugh. "Little girl, you may have been able to fool my butler, but I see through that act of yours!"

"What?" Ellen said, confused at this sudden turn of events.

"I know what you're here for: you want the grand tour, but you don't want to wait until the official tour starts! You're a persistent girl... you won't stop until you get what you want. In many ways, you remind me of myself when I was young." Rugissement clapped his hands together with a wide grin. "For that, I think we can arrange a personal tour. Lucky for you, I happen to be not that busy this morning."

"Master Rugissement," the butler cried. "Are you sure this is a good idea? We're expecting a call from the water company today."

"That's what servants are for, my dear butler," Rugissement replied with a wave of his hand. "Now hurry up and open up this gate."

"W-wait a second," Ellen cried as the gates swung open. "This is all just a big misunder-"

"Quickly now, child," Rugissement said in his booming voice. "Prepare to be amazed by the beauty and elegance of the Noble House of Rugissement!"

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron - The Alamo: Though the others appeared to have suffered minimal water damage, Kyle had not. Just as he was about to enter, the downpour accelerated, utterly drenching him in water before he could make it inside.

 

"You know," he said, shaking his head. He frowned as his bangs fell into his eyes, forcing him to move them to the side. "I'm starting to think I might need a haircut . . ."

 

"Just now realizing that, huh?" Sonja chided, playfully ruffling his hair. "I can see how this would be a problem."

"Hey!" Kyle laughed, pushing her away. "Weren't you the one who was saying the rain wouldn't catch us?"

"Should've walked faster," she replied with a smirk and a shrug. "Don't be such a Slowpoke next time."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

As Ryan chuckled at Kyle's misfortune at getting caught in the downpour, he was suddenly overcome with exhaustion. "It's been a long day," he said tiredly. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to take a long nap." He gave a glance at Ray. "Did we ever manage to find a temporary room for you?"