Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Konuju]

IC: Ellen
Eventually they entered the mansion's library, which contained thousands of books. "My collection is more extensive than the Canalave Library," Rugissement declared. "From A History of Kalos to Johto Folk Tales, we have it all. Famous works, lesser known ones... we even have a copy of Professor Oak's original thesis paper."

As Rugissement went on about the overwhelming amount of books he owned, Ellen glanced at the titles of some of the nearby books. Many were ones she didn't recognize, but a name emblazoned on a small purple book caught her eye. "Oh, you even have some books by Shauntal," she said. "She's very well known in Unova!"

"Who's that?" Rugissement asked, raising an eyebrow. "Anyway, we also have some of the classical studies of Pokémon migration. And down this aisle, an old copy of The Once and Future King..."

"...You haven't actually read any of these books, have you?" Ellen asked accusingly. Now that she looked closer, she saw that although none of the books had a speck of dust on them, they all looked brand new, as if their spines hadn't been cracked open even once.

The Kalos noble appeared shocked at the criticism. "Now look here, little girl. I'm a very busy man... I simply don't have the time to get through all of these books. Most are just for reference, anyway."

"For reference, or for show?" Ellen frowned. "Look, if you're done showing me around your... your unbelievably expensive house, can I ask a simple question?"

"Ask away, dear girl," Rugissement said.

"I hear you have a cousin in Kalos," Ellen said. "A cousin who can read the memories of Pokémon."

"Why, I believe I do," Rugissement nodded. "Her mother -- my aunt -- married outside the nobility, so we don't keep in touch a whole lot."

"Do you know where she lives?" Ellen asked hopefully. "Is she still in Kalos?"

"As I said, I've lost touch with her," Rugissement shook his head. "Last I heard, I think she was in Anistar City. But that was years ago. What makes you so interested?"

"It's my Purrloin," Ellen explained. "No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to bond with him. I was told that your cousin might be able to read his memory to see if there's something in his past that's preventing him from befriending me."

"Sounds like it's more trouble than it's worth, if you ask me," the noble said gruffly. "If that particular Purrloin is giving you trouble, there's plenty of other Purrloin out there that will surely be friendlier. Or perhaps another feline, like a Meowth, or an Espurr."

Ellen's mouth dropped open. "Did you really just suggest I replace Chrono?!" She had become increasingly frustrated at Rugissement's insistence at showing off his ridiculously wealthy home, but now she had reached her boiling point. "I can't believe you! Pokémon aren't spare parts you can just replace on a whim like the books in this library!"

At that point the butler entered the library. "Master Rugissement, your scheduled tour will be starting in twenty minutes. I suggest you make yourself ready. And as for you, young lady, seeing as the tour will be beginning shortly, I must escort you outside, where you will gather your Pokémon from the gardens. If you wish to return, you must register for one of the scheduled tours."

"Fine," Ellen fumed, turning away from Rugissement in disgust. "At least I got what I came here for."

"May I ask what is upsetting you?" the butler asked as they left the library and began heading down the stairs. He listened as Ellen heatedly explained Rugissement's dreadful suggestion of replacing Chrono. When he responded, it was with a calm, confident voice. "Master Rugissement has a tendency for speaking his mind, regardless of whether or not it comes off as rude. That said, he does have a point, you know. He wasn't suggesting that you simply abandon your Purrloin. Surely you are familiar with the concept of trading? If you were to give or trade your Purrloin away, it might be happier with another trainer."

Ellen stopped as the words sunk in. "Well, Evan did give me Maturin," she thought aloud. "But that wasn't because he had given up on it... was it? No, I couldn't... but what... argh!" She fell silent for the duration of the walk to the gardens, but Ellen's mind was racing as frantically as Duo's often did.

Edited June 21, 2014 by Konuju

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

Amethyst watched as the Gallade rushed at her blindly, smirking while sending off a Hypnosis wave directly into his path. Right now, the battle was in her favor.... "Though the can't be said for him." she thought, having glanced at the Gallade's predicament.

"I have to admit, that girl is doing much better than I thought she would." Aria noted. "In fact, her Gardevoir is holding its own remarkably well, moreso than the other Gallade...."

"Well then," Aspen spoke up. "All that's left to see how long she keeps this up."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

The Gallade promptly fell over in the middle of its charge, put to sleep at least temporarily by the Hypnosis, even as the burn damage continued to build up. However, that meant that the sleep condition was more strained than normal, and the Gallade could theoretically wake up at any moment.

 

Blade, on the other hand, charged at the Metagross for the final time. The Metagross wound up, and unleashed a Meteor Mash on the Gallade, however, Blade vanished and reappeared above the Metagross. Blade unleashed one final Close Combat on the Steel type, sending it to the ground finally, as Blade panted. Caitlin nodded in intrigue, as she returned her Metagross, and then sent out a Gothitelle.

"Shadow Ball." Caitlin commanded, as the Gothitelle reacted quickly on the unsuspecting Gallade, not having expected the opponent to attack so quickly after being sent out, and the Gallade was sent flying back, and fainted. Zach fumbled with his Pokeball, and recalled Blade quickly.

"Ren... Let's go..." Zach said quietly, as he sent out the Luxray, who dashed forward with a Wild Charge to intercept the Gothitelle, who had turned her attention toward Amethyst until the Luxray crashed into her with an electrically charged body.

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

"I never thought of it that way." Lucia said, as she smiled again, and then watched amused as Jamie agreed about what should be done about Skyle.

"Let's go, then!" Lucia said, calmer than she was a little bit ago; although still slightly shaken up, but not enough to be worried about.

Edited June 21, 2014 by Colette Llyan

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

Amethyst quickly used Dream Eater on the sleeping Gallade while she could, when she noticed that Blade had been knocked out. The Gothitelle seemed focused on her for a second, but Ren had charged into it before anything could happen. "Hmm....."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

The Gallade woke with a start, as the dream was eaten; feeling the damage from that and the burn. The Gallade panted, as it was starting to be worn down, and one strong attack might just knock it out, finally.

 

The Gothitelle attempted to focus on Ren, as the Luxray nimbly dodged around the Shadow Balls it prepared. The Gothitelle got hit by a quick Ice Fang attack, before throwing Ren of it, and then firing off a Psychic at the Luxray, which staggered it, but not long enough for a second hit, as the Luxray sped off again.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Raising her arm, Amethyst's eyes glowed purple once more as she sent off one last Psychic wave to finish off Darach's Gallade. Taking a chance, the Gardevoir quickly sent off a Hypnosis towards Caitilin's Gothitelle, who was currently engaging Ren.

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

"Well, I still don't know how to read maps." Ruth said, shoving the map in Arius' hands. "You're the one buying the stuff Jacob, you figure it out." she told him with a shrug.

[Ehksidian]

IC:

Arius fumbled with the map, and opened it up. "It looks like we're...uh...Oh, here's we are. And the Pokemart is right over this way..." He began dragging his finger along the map, and stopped.

"Well, I think that's where it is, at least."

He folded up the map, and began heading to the Pokemart. Before he made his first turn, however, he paused.

"You guys going to come along with me?"

[JiMing]

IC: Ruth Fishers

"Well why not?" Ruth shrugged, walking over to Arius. "We're all going to the Gym afterwards, a few more minutes together doesn't hurt." she decided, reaching out for the map again to put it away.

[Ehksidian]

IC:

"Alright, it's right over this way." Arius held out the map for Ruth to take, and started down a nearby side-street. "Should be just a little outside this alleyway..."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

The psychic wave paid off, as the Gallade collapsed finally; the injuries all adding up, as Darach recalled his Pokemon.

"Don't you know you should never turn your back on an opponent?" Darach asked, impressed by Olivia's fight, as he sent out his Empoleon, who sent a Hydro Pump toward Amethyst right off the bat.

 

Meanwhile, the Gothitelle, being distracted by Ren, was surprised when the Luxray jumped back; and then realized why as the psychic fell to the ground, asleep, and Ren smiled sloppily, knowing it was time to just attack all out; so it focused its power, and tackled the Gothitelle many times while asleep, taking advantage of the fact that the psychic was unable to dodge or counter.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Amethyst barely had enough time to turn around as the Hydro Pump slammed into her, sending the Embrace Pokemon back quite the distance. While being pushed, she managed to use a Teleport and appear behind Empoleon, launching off a Will-O-Wisp at the Empoleon. "Perhaps that was not good for me, but for your partner?" Amethyst retorted. "Not good either."

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

"Coming!" Jake said as he jogged to catch up to the two trainers. He remembered Oreburgh; the Pokemon Center was supposed to be right next to the Mart, so he could pop in there while Jacob shopped.

 

"So... Were you guys going to challenge the gym again? I kinda forgot.." Jake asked, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

The Empoleon took the Will-o-wisp, but didn't seem to care much at all, as it attempted to use Flash Cannon on the Gardevoir quickly. It seemed like it just wanted to show off its moves at that moment, maybe trying to slowly wear the Gardevoir down.

 

Meanwhile, however, Ren simply got bored of the still-sleeping Gothitelle, and ran at the Empoleon wildly. As it approached, it launched into the air, and then slammed into the water/steel type with Wild Charge, dealing a lot of damage, but not knocking the Pokemon out yet, as Ren smiled happily.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Amethyst crossed her arms and braced herself against the Flash Cannon, somehow managing to not get sent flying on impact again. Goving off an approving nod to Ren who had charged into the Empoleon, Amethyst simultaneously took advantage of the sleeping Gothitelle's state and used Dream Eater.

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

"I think we should both be taking the challenge." Ruth said to Jake. "I managed to convince the other Jake to just go for it. I mean, it's still experience, whether you actually get the badge or not." she shrugged. "Plus, it might give you two a chance to see my other Poke on in action! Which I think is pretty neat." she finished with a chuckle.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Somehow, the Gothitelle still did not wake up as its dream was being eaten, as Caitlin simply sighed, not too pleased with the Gothitelle's wish to sleep so much right at that moment.

 

The Empoleon turned its head to Ren, as the Luxray hopped around, waiting for the Empoleon to move. The Empoleon, on the other hand, leaped into the air and then slammed down to the ground. Sadly for it, Ren took that opportunity to jump up into the air right before the Earthquake hit; and then launched himself at the Empoleon, slamming into it with another Wild Charge, damaging the water penguin further.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Amethyst looked down as the ground started shaking, stumbling for a bit until finally teleporting in the air, launching a Psychic at Empoleon. Right now, the Gardevoir was feeling winded, unsure of how much longer she could keep this up.....

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

The Empoleon was staggered backwards into Ren's third Wild Charge, as the emperor penguin finally fainted, as Darach sighed with a dramatic shrug, as he recalled his second fainted Pokemon. Meanwhile, the Gothitelle finally woke up.

"Caitlin, it appears your Gothitelle takes after you." Darach said with an amused look on his face, as Caitlin simply sighed in response. The Gothitelle looked around and noticed it was not two against one, and frowned, sending a Shadow Ball at Amethyst, as Ren charged it with Quick Attack.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Amethyst looked at the Shadow Ball and simply didn't try to evade it, instead deciding to fire off parting Magical Leaves, as the Gardevoir was struck and fainted at last. "Good job, Am." Olivia said, recalling her, and decided to send out Toxin.

"Sucker Punch." she directed, Toxin closely following behind Ren, launching forward a quick, sneaky jab at the Gothitelle.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Ren dashed forward, as the Gothitelle was struck by the Sucker Punch on its way to launch a Psychic blast at Toxin. Before the Gothitelle had a chance to re-target the Croagunk, Ren charged the Gothitelle and knocked it off balance, even while it used Ice Fang. After all that, the Gothitelle finally fell to the ground, fainted, as Caitlin looked shocked for a moment, but then smiled.

"Well then... Your talent exceeds my expectations." Caitlin said, definitely impressed by the two trainers, as she recalled her fainted Gothitelle.

"As we said; we will now explain what went on..."

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

After the Gothitelle was defeated, Toxin simply stared blankly at the spot it had been, inflating his cheeks over and over. "Good job too, Toxin." Olivia said as she recalled the Croagunk, a pleased smirk that her Pokemon had fared so well. Then she turned around to listen to what Caitilin and Darach had to say....

"An entertaining romp, I suppose." Aria spoke up in a sarcastic tone, rolling her eyes. "But wholly unnecessary. What is it with you humans and having a battle before everything, it wastes valuable time...." she muttered.

Aspen glanced over at Aria and put his finger up to his lips to tell her to shush, getting an eye roll in return. Sighing, Aspen quietly looked on.

While this was happening, Willow, the Nincada was staring wide eyed at the area that had taken place. The battle was impressive, she thought, and soon started wondering if her abilities could ever go that far....

[Ehksidian]

IC:

"And it should be right out here!" Arius explaimed, emerging from the alleyway. Directly across from them was...an apartment complex. He paused for a moment, then scanned the street. A little ways down, he saw the Pokemart and Pokemon Center.

"It's right down this way, guys!" Arius started heading towards the Pokemart, careful to stay on the sidewalk so no crazy car driver would run him over.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach leaned on Olivia's shoulder, as Caitlin began to speak.

"Earlier last year, I saw a vision of the world being devastated by an ambiguous Pokemon. The destruction appeared to start in Unova, so I made the assumption that it had to do with something from the region itself. However, at the beginning, I saw a young-looking person with a stone and the DNA Splicers, who stood before a crossroads; typically meaning that they would need to make a choice. I was skeptical of what, however. When I told the Gym Leaders, they interpreted it to mean that the person, you, would need to make a choice to save or destroy the region. I went along with the idea at first, but something seemed wrong when I watched your fight against Lenora." Caitlin started to explain, and Zach breathed in slowly, a look of realization on his face.

"So, you were the one I sensed..." Zach said, and Caitlin nodded in confirmation.

"I began to ponder about what the vision could mean, but even after another vision, of the three Unovan dragons, I had no idea what it could really mean. However, I figured it out that fateful day, after one last vision of the situation. I realized then that the choice had already been made. By you getting so deeply involved, and all the precautions your group had taken, the vision had changed. It was not the best outcome... But the world was not destroyed." Caitlin explained, and Zach thought about that for a moment.

"... And what about the people..." Zach said, recalling what Aspen had said before the two showed up.

"I was horrified when I heard about how many people were killed because of my folly. I'd tried to give warning to your group, but you had already gone to the top of the Dragonspiral Tower when I called Hugh. I wish I could've spread word about what was going to be so heavily damaged; but that was not part of my vision..." Caitlin said, as she looked at the ground, finding this to be her fault as well.

"However, I believe you really are a hero, Zach. Maybe not in title; maybe not in actions, but in your heart." Caitlin said, and Zach simply frowned to that, not believing that after what he had read on the monument.

"The biggest thing, is to not just mope around about being used as a tool for destruction like that. Do something; you did very well against me, so you should challenge the Elite Four. I hear Grimsley is anticipating a rematch too." Caitlin said, handing Olivia a map since Zach wasn't about to accept it at that moment, as Darach simply shook his head.

"It's not a coincidence you wound up here, so you should try and get back to normal soon." Caitlin enigmatically told Zach, as she and Darach began to walk off, Zach being forced to try and understand all that Caitlin had just said; even though Zach didn't believe what she said.

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

Jake barely controlled his urge to facepalm at Jacob's exclamation. Instead, he asked Ruth, "So, after we get our Pokemon healed up, do you want to have a quick battle? I know you said that Fuerte probably wants to battle Machop, and it would be a good warmup for the Gym."

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

Olivia accepted the map, and decided to lead Zach away from the two, nodding her head and muttering a quick "Thanks." Dahlia started moving as well, but something seemed wrong, as Aspen continued standing in place, looking at the ground.

"......A hero, huh?" Aspen finally muttered, his gaze lifting up, as the tone of his voice started raising. "A hero. Zach. Forgive me, if I don't feel inclined to believe your words, oh great and powerful judge of humanity." he growled in a bitter tone, his fists clenching. "Don't spew useless fluff about how his heaaarrt contains the heroism, you sound straight outta a every melodramatic sequence from a movie or book!" he ranted, the pitch of his voice steadily raising. "Don't tell me that his heart is heroic, that is fairy tale junk that doesn't work in real life! Where was the hero when my sister got kidnapped for six months????!! Oh, he arrived alright, but AFTER the kidnapping happened and to make things better, obviously I must have been the perpetrator, if you go by his logic!" he laughed. "Well, is THAT your hero, Miss Know-it-All?! Is that a display of his 'heroic heart'??!"

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

Ruth looked over and nodded. "Yep, Fuerte really gets competitive against other Fighting types.... But yeah, sounds great. Warmup is always nice. And I might have a tactic or two up my sleeve...." she muttered with a smirk.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach noticeably flinched, as Caitlin turned around, and gave a stern glare at Aspen, before looking at Zach.

"I have just compared your stories. He had no clue what was happening, and his mind had been clouded with doubts to himself directly before the incident. He arrived on the scene and saw a Pokemon fly off, with no clue who was responsible for taking Dahlia. You questioned him right after and the way you phrased things, to his still healing mind, made it sound odd. While it was simply him mishearing the phrase, he was trying to figure out what was going on, and reactions just didn't make things go well." Caitlin stated, and then paused.

"And unless he was knowledgeable of everything that happened at every point in time, he could not have gotten there any faster, despite trying." Caitlin said, and walked toward him a couple steps.

"He had just had his mind almost broken to pieces before, he was racked with guilt for not being able to stop what happened, and to make matters worse, one of his friends from his past was battling an unknown threat. He searched for six months straight after that,and was the one who found the clue." Caitlin reminded Aspen, as she shook her head at the young trainer.

"If wishing to do good above anything else is not heroic, then I don't know what your definition of that is."

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron - The Alamo: Sonja did not answer immediately. In fact it took several minutes of walking before she actually said anything, and not in a tone particularly enthused by the topic that they were discussing. "Yeah, he did," she said. "Granted, so did everyone, to an extent."

 

IC - Gavin Braner/Skye - Celadon Department Store: The Rocket and Zephyr Agents did not move far from the store. As it happened, there was enough floor space between the balcony and the wall that they could effectively hold their battle where they were, with either trainer standing about eight feet away from one edge of the store entrance. Gavin turned around first, preparing to send out Talsim once Skye had chosen her own team.

 

"All right," she said, reaching into her coat and producing two Poké Balls. "I guess we should get started, huh?" Gavin nodded. With an excited beam stretched across her face, Skye tossed the containers into the air. "Let's go, Spinarak-Man, Human Torchic!"

 

Twin beams of light emerged, forming into the shape of a Spinarak and a Torchic. Gavin couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise course through his veins as the two Pokémon appeared. After battling Skyler, he had expected to see a pair of fully-evolved Pokémon, ones that did not necessarily reflect the nicknames they bore. Skye's team, however, appeared now to perfectly reflect the superhero identities she had associated with them.

 

On the one hand, that made things rather easy, in theory--Talsim or Dothe could easily sweep through the pair on their own, let alone as a team. On top of that, assuming the other superhero-themed Pokémon that she had mentioned were also on her team, Gavin now knew what else he could expect if the battle progressed beyond a two-per-person battle. Yet, at the same time, using that information to his advantage--or even using either of his strongest Pokémon right now--made him feel . . . oddly guilty.

 

Noting his hesitation, Skye tilted her head. "Is something wrong?" she asked, her tone carrying genuine hints of concern.

 

"Oh--no, it's all good," Gavin said, putting on a friendly smile and waving his free hand. Discreetly, he moved his other hand off of Talsim's Poké Ball and onto Kora's, unclipping it from his belt, doing the same with Vel's. After taking a moment to stare at the two spheres, Gavin looked back up at Skye. The corner of his mouth lifted into a small smile. "Vel, Kora, let's do our best!" He tossed the Poké Balls into the air, releasing the Vullaby and Poochyena onto the field.

 

"Whoa, a Vullaby!" Skye whispered, staring in awe at the Dark-Type. "Hey, Spinarak-Man, it's one of your arch-nemeses!" The String Spit Pokémon looked back at his trainer, clicking his mandibles excitedly. Skye smiled. "You said it! Let's wrap him up with String Shot! Human Torchic, use Ember on Poochyena!"

 

"Try to dodge it, both of you," Gavin said. "Kora, try to get in close with Bite. Vel, get a Tailwind going."

 

With a howl and a caw, his Pokémon acted. Vel flapped her wings, carrying herself safely out of the way of the sticky strings, and then flapped them further to create a strong current of wind. Kora used this to her advantage, dodging deftly around the fireball and running at the enemy Torchic, barring her fangs as she got close.

 

"Oh, no!" Skye threw a hand over her mouth, letting out an exaggerated gasp. "Spinarak-Man, your partner's in danger! Quick, use Electroweb!"

 

Why not just have Torchic dodge? Gavin wondered, tilting his head in confusion. He watched the scene more closely, noting that the Fire-Type was acting . . . oddly. A lot like Skye, in fact . . . Not really attempting to dodge--more like, it was pretending to be in more danger than it was . . . Huh. He looked at the Spinarak again, noting how seriously it was treating the situation in comparison--frantically threading a web, scuttling forward to throw it at Kora, tripping over itself as it move . . .

 

And that was when everything made sense.

 

"Kora!" The Poochyena stumbled and slid to a stop, looking back at her trainer in confusion. Skye, Vel, and the Torchic all watched, too, wondering what he was doing. A moment later, the Electroweb attack struck her, ensnaring the Dark-Type in a net of what should have been painful electricity. She found, however, that the charge was . . . surprisingly weak. Almost intentionally so.

 

"Break out with Ice Fang, Kora!" Gavin ordered. The Poochyena did, using her cold fangs to tear effortlessly through the threading, receiving small shocks as she did so. She gave her trainer another confused look, only to receive a quick, sideways glance toward the Spinarak and a wink in response. She "arooed?" in response, though seemed to get his intention. "Now use Tackle!"

 

Almost halfheartedly, Kora ran toward the Bug-Poison-Type, leaning in and nudging him with her body. It fell back, acting heavily damaged, prompting the Torchic to run over to him and help him up.

 

Skye smiled, nodding at Gavin. "You can do it, Spinarak-Man!" she called. "Don't let that baddie get the better of you!"

 

Spurred by his trainer's encouraging words, the spider righted himself, staring down Kora and Vel alongside the Human Torchic. The two Dark-Types slowly edged toward each other, maintaining eye contact with their opponents the entire time. As soon as they had moved within a couple of inches of each other, Spinarak-Man reared onto his back legs, and then threw himself forward. He managed to catch the pair by surprise, leaving little room for response before a golden web flew over both of them.

 

And with that, Vel and Kora were captured, wrapped in an electrified net of web.

 

"I can't believe we won!" Skye exclaimed, hugging her Pokémon tightly. The two of them, though exhausted, echoed their trainer's enthusiasm, both chirping and clicking happily. Skye eased the hug, fondly rubbing her face against their heads. "Great job, friends! Now how about you two get some rest?" She set them down, recalling them to their Poké Balls. Once they had disappeared, she looked at Gavin. "Your Pokémon did really well, too! And I can't thank you enough for playing along--Spinarak hatched pretty recently, so he really likes pretending to be an actual superhero. Torchic, too, but he's a bit older."

 

Gavin chuckled. "Glad I could help," he said. The Rocket Agent looked to his Pokémon as they freed themselves, neither of them appearing terribly damaged though both bearing highly pleased expressions. Gavin stooped down to pet them. "I'm glad you both had fun, too. Return." Once they had disappeared into their Poké Balls, he stood. After a brief pause, he rubbed the back of his neck. "So, then . . . A deal's a deal, right? Ten more minutes of comic browsing, wasn't it?"

 

"Oh, right," Skye said, jumping up. "Thanks for reminding me--I won't take long!"

 

"Sure," Gavin said. After a few steps, he called to her. "Hey--I expect a real battle at some point, too. Just so we're clear."

 

"Duly noted!" Skye said. "It might not be as easy as you think, though! Just remember that!"

 

With a smile and a wave, she scampered back into the store, humming to herself as she settled back into her search. Gavin watched her, unable to put a word to what he was currently feeling--something almost like happiness, but not quite. Something he had not truly felt in a long, long time. Contentment, maybe . . . He shook his head, turning his attention to the balcony. It occurred to him that it had been some time since the group had split; how were the others doing in their hunts?

 

This question on his mind, Gavin activated his Poké Gear, dialing in Ethan's radio number. "Hey, Ethan, this is Gavin," he said. "I've got one Zephyr agent under wraps here and another on the run. Any luck on your end so far?"

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

Aspen paused, looking at the ground, his rage only increasing with every passing second. ".....First of all, why does everything have to be MY FAULT???!!" he shouted without any warning, "It was MY fault for getting Zach to accuse me, huh?! Add that on top of failing to get my sister kidnapped, I must be the worst person in existence!! You really like Zach a lot, don't you?" he said bitterly. "'The way I phrased things'? Oh, sorry that my word choice isn't the ABSOLUTE CLEAREST EVER, ESPECIALLY when my sister got kidnapped! But of course it was my fault, everything is........" Aspen growled, glaring at the Elite Four member with no hint of respect. "Secondly, I don't believe in 'wishing' to do good. If you want to be a hero, DO heroic things! Like I said, I don't believe in fairy tales, and if Zach is really our savior as you make him out to be, he'd better do something that SEEMS heroic. Otherwise, I'd MUCH prefer staying away from such 'heroes'."
Dahlia simply looked on and sighed, unaware that her brother had been harboring such anger. "Aspen.... Please, drop it. We have to go." she pleaded, worried about how Zach was reacting currently.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

"No-one blames you. That is exactly what I meant." Caitlin said calmly, as she looked at the much younger trainer.

"Both of you were under duress,it was natural you both would have misinterpreted and forgotten about each other. I don't recall saying it was either of your faults, either." Caitlin pointed out, as she held a hand up to Darach, who was growing more impatient with Aspen by the second.

"I also never said anything about being a savior. People can have heroic traits without saving the world. Apparently, you have lost sight of that, however." Caitlin said, as she turned around, done with this conversation.

 

Zach, meanwhile, simply stayed quiet with his head down, unable to figure out how to truly respond to any of that.

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray paused, as he noticed Sonja's tone, and nodded.

"Yeah.... I guess you're right..." Ray said, as he looked to the side, realizing he probably wasn't in her good books either...

"Sorry, I just, I guess I just..." Ray started to try and say, and then closed his eyes.

"Nevermind... I guess, I'll see you tomorrow...?" Ray asked, too confused about things at that moment to actually think of anything to talk about that wouldn't get her mad.

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

Aspen turned around after that, waiting for Darach and Caitilin to go outside of earshot before lifting his head at Zach. ".....So, must feel nice huh? Getting people decades older than you to reduce themselves to spewing jargon about how important and unique you are, getting far more respect than anyone your age ought to...." Aspen muttered bitterly. "I never knew that having special powers turned you into the main character of the world. I for one, refuse to become a side character in your narrative. Don't expect me to join them in spewing exposition and marvel your might. You wanna know why? Because I'm a person. Oh, I don't have any standout talents or flashy powers, but strange as it might sound, I matter too, no matter how world-flatteringly important you are." Aspen said bitterly. "As for heroes? I'll pass. The only one I can truly rely on is myself." he finished, his cold gaze cutting through Zach.

Dahlia held her head down and sighed, not sure how to respond to her brother giving off such rage. Aria on the other hand, stood to the side, raising an eyebrow, curious about Aspen's tirade.

Edited June 22, 2014 by Phoenix Zero

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

"..." Zach said nothing, just winced at it again.

"... I never... said I was a hero... I never wanted this..." Zach mumbled, not sure what to do.

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

"Awesome! I hope Machop can stand up to you. He's strong, but I've never battled with him before, so we will see. It should be good training." Jake replied, before following Jacob to the Pokemart.

[Ehksidian]

IC:

Arius pushed opened the doors of the Pokemart, and stepped inside. He felt a blast of cool air hit him in the face, and glanced around inside. He saw aisle after aisle of goods, from food, to pokeballs, to camping supplies, to electronics, and even a pharmacy. He wasted no time, and walked into the store to buy some things.

After around 30 minutes or so of shooping, Arius emerged once again from the store, a large backpack in his hand, and a smile on his face.

"I have things, now!"

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"Ah, trying to play the humble card now, huh? Well guess what? You've got powers, they made you stand out and get a ton of attention! But that doesn't make you a hero in my eyes...." Aspen growled, adjusting his glasses which started slipping off during his tirade. Before he could open his mouth again, Dahlia cut in desperately.

"Aspen! Please, stop at least for now." she  pleaded. "We have to go. I understand you're mad, and I promise to talk about them with you later. But now, we have to go...." she finished, Aspen finally becoming silent.

"Speaking of which...." Olivia started. "Where to, anyways?" she asked, giving an apologetic look and shrug for Aspen's behavior.

 

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

Ruth exited the store as well, smirking towards Arius. "Things you likely didn't need to wait till the first town to get. Anyways," she started, turning towards Jake. "Practice battle, Fuerte vs. Machop, right?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach frowned at what Aspen kept saying, but sighed.

"... Well, I never have been to Opelucid... Maybe while we're here, that is an idea...?" Zach suggested, still doubting himself a bit more.

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"Opelucid, huh?" Olivia muttered in response. "Seems as good of a place to go as any, really." she decided with a shrug.

"Oh, that place? I've seen pictures before.... I really like how they blend the new with the old. Very inspiring." Dahlia said with a smile.

Aspen on the other hand, turned away from the group, saying nothing. However, his relative silence was an indication that he didn't care where they ended up whatsoever.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

"Alright... Though I've never actually been there myself, so we'll need to stop in Iccirus." Zach said, and the others either didn't react or nodded in agreement, as he sent out Blade again, who sighed, and teleproted them to Iccirus finally.

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

After being teleported, all three of the Seatons looked around. "Iccirus, huh?" Olivia muttered, looking around. "I remember reading that this place is usually pretty cold...."

"It might be because it's summer?" Dahlia suggested, shrugging. "Anyways, it's great for us it isn't cold, because I myself did not pack any heavy clothes....."
Aspen remained as quiet as always, simply glancing around the area slowly, seeming to avoid eye contact with any of the others as much as possible, which worried his Pokemon gathered around him....

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

"It was definitely colder six months ago..." Zach said, remembering the last time they had been there, with a slight frown, as he shook his head.

"Let's go, then..." Zach said, still obviously unnerved by everything that had already happened.

[Ehksidian]

IC:

Arius rolled his eyes. "Better late then never, like I already said."

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

Olivia and Dahlia started walking forward alongside Zach, only for Dahlia to turn around and see that Aspen was still standing facing away from them, staring into nothing. Sighing she walked over to her brother. "Aspen.... I've already told you, I know you're mad and I WILL talk to you about it later, like always." she said, discouraged by his lack of response. "...I never said you have to stop being angry, but can you at least respond?" 
Once seeing that Dahlia was occupied with Aspen, Olivia walked faster until she was next to Zach. "....Look, I'm sorry about Aspen raving and ranting at you, saying those things.... But remember, I don't hate you." she muttered. "In fact, there are two people who I hold dear to me, and both are nearby." she finished, looking at the ground while speaking.