Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan bit his lip at Blackskull's words. "I'd like to be there when you cut those strings, sir," he said. "Hoenn is my home, and I can't stand knowing its president is one of Ford's." He turned to Sonja and Ray. "Right now, though, I think we should try and speak with Vert. If there really are three more of those things running around, it might be useful to know how we could stop them." His eyes passed over Black and the gathered Rockets before he abruptly turned away and started walking down the hall. "In any case, I think we're done here."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray nodded in agreement, however, he frowned, and looked over at the other Ryan with a hesitant look, and shook his head, and then looked over at Sonja to see if she was going to follow the same idea.

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia crossed her arms at the rudeness of the one Liberty agent, but then frowned, and glanced over at their new recruit.

Unova? What happened there? Lucia wondered, as she had heard of something vaguely that happened in Unova, but the guy who stood before them didn't look like the person she had seen. She then glanced over at Skye for a moment, and sighed.

She was basically thrown into that fight with no real expectation of what would happen... I think that we need to help her out at some point. Lucia decided with a smile.

"So... When should we leave, anyway?" Lucia asked, as she retrieved her own Pokemon from the healers.

[Parugi]

IC - Blackskull/Sonja Baron - The Alamo, Hallway:

 

She was. After giving Blackskull a short "Thank you", she turned to follow Ryan. As she moved, her eyes swept over the group of Rockets, lingering for a moment on Ryan, and then settling on Ethan, a silent challenge evident in her gaze: Prove that you're right.

 

Without an actual word, Sonja left the scene.

 

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner/Skye Hall - The Alamo, Hallway:

 

The group watched Blackskull and the others depart, the former heading back into the command center and the latter proceeding, presumably, to the infirmary. After a moment, Ethan shrugged. "Now would probably be fine," he said. "I think they've likely got a handle on Hojohsin, and they definitely won't want us tagging along with them about these Sins."

 

"Alright. Where to?" Gavin asked.

 

Again, Ethan shrugged. "Wherever," he said. Then, after a moment, "We never did get a chance to actually look around Celadon, did we?"

 

"I guess we're headed back to Celadon, then," Gavin said. He sent out Talsim, and then--with only a brief, questioning look at Black--instructed the Alakazam on what to do. Moments later, a psychic field enveloped the group of Rocket Agents, carrying them away from the Alamo in the blink of an eye.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan's head was still spinning from all he had learned as he led the others toward the infirmary. Black was out of prison and apparently joining Team Rocket. Ford held Hoenn in his clutches. A pair of people named after sins had attacked The Alamo and seemed to be at least three more of them out there. And then there was the whole fiasco at the dance, which had been placed on the back burner with all these other revelations. Ryan remained quiet as he walked. He gave a sidelong glance at Sonja, wondering if she was still mad at him or if her worry about what Blackskull had said clouded her resentment for the moment. In any case, he knew the dance would be the worst thing to bring up at the moment.

 

So lost in thought was Ryan that he nearly walked past the infirmary. Instead he abruptly stopped walking, turned around and opened the door. "After you," he said to Sonja, forcing a friendly smile that masked his scattered thoughts. I'm going to need a really long nap after today, he thought.

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron - The Alamo, Infirmary:

 

Sonja nodded and smiled her thanks, walking past Ryan. The smile immediately disappeared as she entered the lobby of the infirmary. She wasn't sure why--perhaps it was just the general feel of hospitals--but she did not particularly like the place. It seemed too clean, yet simultaneously far too glum. Very disturbing, all things considered. Suppressing a shudder, she led the way to the receptionist's desk, where a young man sat, reading a magazine. He appeared to be chewing on one end of a toothpick.

 

"Excuse me," she said. The receptionist glanced up at her. "We just got clearance to speak with Executive Meghan Vert. Can you tell us where to find her?"

 

"Can you prove you have clearance?" he asked.

 

Sonja raised her eyebrows, looking at Ryan and Ray. "Uh . . ." she said. Just then--as if it had been meant to be--her Pokétch beeped with a message from Blackskull. She opened it, and seeing what it was, held it forward for the receptionist to look over.

 

He frowned, though nodded a moment later. "Surprised they're letting you in, considering she's pretty much on lock-down," he said, throwing a dirty look down the hallway. He tilted his head slightly. "Down that way, take the first left-hand hall. She'll be the second room on the right."

 

"Thank you," Sonja said. She turned, shooting a confused look at her companions, and then headed for the designated hallway. Once they were out of earshot, she glanced back behind her. "I know Vert's not that popular, but he seemed a little . . . upset about her, I guess? Wonder what that's about . . ."

 

IC - Esen Windred/Kyle Eston - Lumiose City, Streets:

 

The streets were not familiar. Esen had no idea where she was going. The people did not help, not with their hustling and bustling and going in all different directions. It almost made her dizzy--dizzier than she had been following her conversation with Victoire. Putting distance between her and the Ground-Type trainer had helped somewhat. Esen did not know why. She didn't even know why she had felt so strangely in the first place. That had never happened before--she was not one to get sick. She couldn't remember a time when she had . . . Had it been that long . . .?

 

A train station lay before her. Somehow, it seemed quieter here. She wasn't sure why. Esen supposed it didn't matter--she and Kyle had been planning on exploring Kalos, anyway, and what better way to do that than by train? But he was probably still in the middle of his match . . . He had been when she had passed by, anyway. Perhaps it would be better to just leave without him . . .

 

Esen sighed. No, she couldn't do that. Something like that might break his heart. Seemed like it was always that way with boys. But she also didn't want to be alone. Not again.

 

She sat down on a bench and opened her Poké Gear, writing him a message. As soon as she sent it, Esen realized that she felt very tired. So, she leaned her head back, closing her eyes, letting her mind wander in the empty train station . . . 

 

Sinnoh . . . She opened her eyes, staring up at the lights above. Why was I in Sinnoh . . .? Why did I leave? Esen rested a hand over her eyes. Why can't I remember . . .?

 

 

 

As the battle raged, Kyle's Pokétch suddenly buzzed. He quickly opened it, reading the message. It occurred to him that it had been almost two hours since he and Esen had split up. How had he not realized that before . . .?

 

He sighed. Kyle did not enjoy ending matches early, but it seemed as if Esen wanted to go, and he couldn't keep her waiting. So, he threw his hands up. "Time-out!" he called. The referee stared at him quizzically, though nodded, blowing his whistle. The crowd groaned in disappointment and bewilderment. An official approached him. Kyle stooped down to talk to her. "I know this is sudden, but something's come up and I need to get going."

 

"Are you asking to forfeit?" she asked. Kyle nodded. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Any way you can finish this battle up first?"

 

"I don't think so," he said. "I'm really sorry."

 

"Don't apologize to me," she said. The official signaled the referee, who nodded and stood up straight. "Unfortunately, that means you lose your chance at the big round prize." She handed him a small package.

 

"I'm sure I'll live without it, thanks," Kyle said as she walked away. The referee declared his forfeit. The Liberty Agent did his best to ignore the crowd's reaction as he recalled Sanshou. He dropped onto the field, figuring he ought to apologize to Cero, at least. Kyle approached as another official came to give Cero a page containing both a victory and a participation prize. The Liberty Agent waited until they were gone before waving him down. "Hey, sorry to end things like this. I'd be more than up for a rematch sometime."

 

IC - Eileen Alaric/Jackson Sang - Alaric Estate, Kitchen:

 

Breakfast had been made and served when Sang arrived in the kitchen. His Pokémon had all been given small plates and bowls to eat from, and the four had thus scattered themselves to various spots on the floor while they ate. Eileen, meanwhile, sat at the perfectly-square, dark brown table that Sang presumed was made from some sort of fancy wood. What he was more interested in, however, was the large plate of--for lack of a better term--designer omelettes, each one masterfully crafted with its own unique combination of vegetables and meats. Before Eileen lay a plate with one such food portrait, which she appeared to be more interested in poking with her fork than actually eating. The maid, Alexis, was nowhere to be found; he assumed she had gone on to do other maidly things around the house.

 

Sang took a seat at the left side of the table, prompting her to glance up at him for a brief moment before going back to her plate. "Do you always dress so nicely?"

 

He adjusted the collar of his button-up shirt, not unlike the one he had worn the previous day. He had never given it much thought before, but now that someone else mentioned, he realized that his wardrobe was, in fact, a certain step higher on the fashion scale than the average person's. Slacks, polished dress shoes, button-up shirts, sometimes sweaters over said shirts . . .

 

A shrug. "Force of habit, I suppose," he said, placing two omelettes onto his plate. "I come from privilege, too, you know."

 

"And now you're a freelance hit-man?" Eileen asked. "Seems like a step down, if you ask me."

 

Sang grimaced uncomfortably. "Things changed," he said, though did not elaborate. Luckily, Eileen did not push the subject. They sat in silence for a while as Sang ate his food, savoring the taste with every bite. It was not often that he could actually sit down and enjoy a meal, particularly not one as well-prepared as this. He made a mental note to give his compliments to the chef at some point . . .

 

At some point, he glanced up from his plate. Sang noticed several things as he did this. First was that Eileen still had not touched her food. All things considered, he realized that she looked incredibly sad. She had done a good job of hiding it when they had faced each other, so he figured that the only reason she wasn't trying now was because she had not noticed that he was looking at her.

 

Or, more accurately, past her. That was the second thing he noticed--and the last.

 

Outside, the sky seemed to have darkened. The area around the Alaric mansion had become pitch-black. From his position, it seemed almost natural--almost. But as he peered more closely, he could tell something was wrong. It was too dark. Even if it hadn't been a sudden darkness during the day, that would have been cause for concern, so thick was this blanket of shadow. It was odd enough that he felt as if it was playing with his vision, causing wisps of black to swirl around the edges of his field of view. Sang forced himself to look away.

 

He set down his fork and knife. "Mrs. Alaric." She looked up at him. "What time is it?"

 

She glanced at her watch. "Ten fifty-two," she said. "Why? We still have to wait for whatever Elijah asked us to wait for, so there's no rush to go."

 

"That was my other question," Sang said. "That message from Sleight . . . Was it a call?"

 

Eileen furrowed her brow, frowning. "No," she said. "Just a text message. He tends to send those when he gets busy. Unless it's . . . important--what are you looking at--?"

 

She turned to the window.

 

She froze.

 

She looked back at Sang. And then they both looked to the middle of the kitchen as a chill wind swept through the room.

 

Darkness was gathering in the center of the kitchen above the island, links of shadow that slithered along the ground and coiled together in the air. The strands were many, yet few--they gathered far too quickly for the number of them that Sang could count. Slowly, they formed the somewhat-upside-down-triangular shape of a black Pokémon with a red necklace and flowing, grayish-white hair. As the last few strings disappeared into its body, the Pokémon opened its eyes.

 

Bright green lights seemed to shine forth from the Darkrai's face.

 

Eileen and Sang both leaped back from their seats, just in time to avoid the Shadow Ball that crashed into the table a second later. Sang felt himself land against something squishy, though it vanished a moment later as the impact sent it flying out the door. He did not think much of this, instead rolling backward as his chair landed on its back. He wound up on his feet, several feet behind his three Pokémon, all of whom were now raring for battle. He knew he would not need to order them, though he also knew that he could not personally engage due to the space constraints in the room, so the freelancer instead hung back as they charged forward.

 

It was a bad move, and Sang was shocked to see the speed with which this became evident.

 

Walker attacked first. He bounced from surface to surface, finally shooting straight toward the Darkrai with a Drain Punch. The Legendary Pokémon did not move to retaliate, so much as it merely raised an arm to grab the Grovyle. A quick Detect allowed him to dodge around this. However, the second arm was not so easily dodged--nor was the Dark Void that launched from it, immediately engulfing the Grass-Type and sending him into a deep sleep.

 

Next was Claire. She came at the Dark-Type from behind, launching herself from the kitchen sink and aiming a Jump Kick attack at its back. She succeeded in landing a hit, though soon found herself pinned down as it shifted its body around. The point-blank Dark Void was a guaranteed hit. Claire flopped like a rag doll as she was thrown back at Sang, landing at his stunned feet.

 

Tracer was the only one left. He Transformed, becoming a perfect duplicate of the Darkrai. Theoretically, this would put the two on roughly even footing. But something was wrong, and this fact become obvious immediately following the transformation. Sang could not begin to guess what caused it, but as Tracer began to charge one of the Darkrai's attacks, he suddenly stopped, gripping his head and jerking about in pain. He was so preoccupied that he could do nothing to avoid his enemy's next Dark Void, which swiftly left the Ditto-Darkrai passed out on the floor.

 

All of this took place within the span of roughly fifteen seconds.

 

"What . . .!?" Sang said, freezing with astonishment. "That . . . There's no way . . ."

 

Elton. Ash. Chapel.

 

The feeling was coming back.

 

Helplessness.

 

Near the window, Eileen pushed herself to her feet. She had to pause for a brief moment as she witnessed what occurred to Sang's team, though quickly pulled herself together in order to combat the shadow. Reaching behind her back, she unclipped a Poké Ball and held it forward. The ball opened, sending forth a burst of white light that briefly cut through the shadows, blinding the Darkrai. A Blastoise appeared, the Shellfish Pokémon growling in challenge as she spotted the intruder.

 

"Blastoise, Aura Sphere!" she ordered. The Water-Type planted her feet against the ground, aiming her cannons and firing. Spheres of energy shot forward, homing in on her target. The Darkrai blocked one with a Shadow Ball, though was knocked back against the wall as the second struck. In retaliation, it raised a hand, launching a powerful Ice Beam at Eileen and Blastoise.

 

The Water-Type turned around, shielding her trainer from the attack. It struck her shell, dealing minimal damage. Once it subsided, she turned, launching another Aura Sphere volley. The Darkrai phased backwards through the wall, allowing the attacks to strike it in its place. Seconds later, it reappeared from the ceiling, sending forth a flurry of Shadow Ball attacks. Again, at Eileen's order, Blastoise defended, retreating into her shell as the attacks continued.

 

With no sign of anything changing, the Darkrai stopped. But instead of going in for a more direct assault, it drifted backward. Eileen and Sang both watched it closely, uncertain of what it was doing. And for several moments, nothing happened--it merely watched them, breathing deeply.

 

But perhaps that was the point. For the next moment, it took a deep breath, and leaning forward, unleashed a powerful roar, one unlike anything that either of the trainers had ever experienced up to that point. The brunt of the attack appeared to be aimed at Blastoise, as the Water-Type gripped her head in pain and soon fell, unconscious. But it affected Eileen and Sang, too, causing visions to swim before their eyes. Neither knew what to make of what they were seeing, but it appeared as if hundreds of places and people were colliding around them--forests ablaze, cities bustling with people, children lost in the woods, an abandoned lab, a crystalline sphere, a bloodied beach . . .

 

And then it stopped. Both trainers collapsed.

 

The attack had weakened them. They could do nothing now but watch--barely--as the Darkrai floated forward, peering down at them. It approached Eileen first, studying her face. It seemed to pause for a moment, before placing a hand over her face. The Dark Void engulfed her within seconds.

 

With Sang, it did not hesitate. It merely put him to sleep.

 

All became black.

 

 

 

A sphere of shadow lay over the mansion when Sleight appeared alongside Guardian, Joker's Claydol. The Shadow Admin of Kanto froze as he stared at the sheer darkness. It had been six months since he had seen anything like that, seven since he had actually traversed it. Back then, it had been the entire regions of Hoenn and Sinnoh--much more widespread than this. Yet, somehow, those shadows--or, at least, his memories of them--paled in comparison to the sheer blackness that greeted him.

 

"Eileen . . ." Sleight uttered. "Please be alive . . ." He recalled Guardian. In its place, the Shadow Admin sent out his Charizard. The great beast narrowed his eyes upon seeing the current state of his home, briefly turning his head to meet Sleight's eyes. The Shadow Admin returned the look for only a moment before moving, hurrying to the very edge of the darkness. Here he slowed, allowing Charizard to lead him with the flame of his tail.

 

It hardly helped. In truth, it was only Sleight's knowledge of the area that allowed them to navigate their way to the house without injury, though even that proved to be a difficult task. Soon enough, however, he had entered the building. The place was utterly silent. Was Eileen even here? Perhaps she had escaped before the attack had come . . . The shadows were merely a side-effect . . . She couldn't have been attacked . . .

 

He searched as quickly as he could. At first he found nothing. The lobby, the lounge, the library--all were empty. As he approached the kitchen, however, he heard a noise, something moving beyond the closed door. He and Charizard tensed, though continued to move without hesitation. Finally, he stopped in front of the door, listening. Someone whispered frantically beyond.

 

Sleight opened the door.

 

The voice stopped.

 

"Who's there?" he said sharply.

 

A breath of relief came from beyond the dark. "M-Mr. Alaric!" He recognized the voice as that of Alexis, their maid. A small globe of light appeared, cutting through the dark. "Please--come quickly! They're not waking up!"

 

Sleight's eyes widened as he hurried forward. Alexis was crouched over three unconscious bodies--a Grovyle, a Mienshao, and a Ditto. All looked as if they were sleeping, though not peacefully. Above them, an Elgyem floated, providing the light. Sleight furrowed his brow in confusion. "Whose are these?"

 

"I-I think that Sang fellow's?" Alexis stammered. "I'm not s-sure. But they were here, and the Elgyem . . . and Sang is there . . ." She pointed. "And . . . And . . ." She sounded on the verge of tears as she tried to direct Sleight to the other unconscious body. He knew what she was trying to tell him long before she ever managed to get the words out. He felt numb as he pushed himself to his feet, using the Elgyem's light as a guide to find his way to the unconscious woman on the other side of the room.

 

He dropped to his knees next to her, staring down at Eileen Alaric. Her skin was pale. A small line of blood trickled from the nose, down the side of her face. Her black hair was ruffled underneath her head. He eased a hand underneath, gently easing her into his arms. Eileen breathed softly; were it not for that indication of life, she might as well have been dead. But it wasn't enough. Sleight gently placed a hand on her wrist, needing to know for certain . . .

 

A pulse.

 

It made him feel slightly better. Given how he felt now, however, that was not very much. Sleight rested his cheek against her forehead, closing his eyes tightly. First Levi . . . now this . . . He felt numb. Very numb. All the rage he had felt in his office--everything he had wanted to direct at Ford--and now there was nothing but a hole where his heart should have been.

 

"Alexis," he said quietly. She felt rather than saw her worried gaze. "Find a phone . . . Call for help . . ." She nodded, and he heard her ease herself onto her feet and through the dark. Behind him, Elgyem stared, and then followed after her.

 

The house remained silent.

Edited January 10, 2015 by Parugi

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

"Maybe he's just having a bad day," Ryan shrugged. "Or maybe Vert did something she regrets." He gave a small scoff and added under his breath, "She wouldn't be the only one." It didn't take long for them to reach the second room on the right. Ryan paused at the door. "Whatever happened, those 'anomalies' as Blackskull called them were clearly powerful enough to put Vert in the hospital, even if she managed to defeat them. One thing that still doesn't make sense, though, is that even if Goldhawk and Blackskull don't know what those anomalies were, there's no reason why they should keep the whole situation under wraps.... right?"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (James)

 

Mr. Arthur thought about Silvermind's plan over in his head. He mostly spent the time comparing it to his personal experience with Pierce in his head. To say the other James had been confident about his word choice was putting the situation mildly. However, there was no pressure on the Presidential James when the snooping James had come along. Considering the situation as it was now however, the metaphorical shoe may be on the other foot.

 

"The fun thing about politics, is that regardless of his choice, I would bet that there will be more supporters of his that will blame him for making the 'wrong' choice and cease their support for him, than dissenters who will come around for his 'correct' choice. At the very least, I believe that this course of action will continue to crumble his position further. I suggest we try it."

 

Not to mention, that it will be rather fun to be on the attacking end of the Public Relations war for a change.

 

IC: (Richard)

 

"Since when does everyone but me get to say what my monkey does," Claus muttered in a metaphorical corner.

 

"Smooth as Honey eh?"

 

Richard recalled back to his days of wandering, remembering that fabled café for bards, Café Sonata... or its relocation at the very least. Suffice to say, he'd done his best to absorb every sheet of music in there. The song 'Smooth as Hoeny' had been among them.

 

So we'll have to skip the bickering part, ah well.

 

"Smooth as Honey isn't a song best played by a violin... but I'll give it a shot. You sing, and start," the bard said taking his position as Gawain took his own.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Claus Von Minun the 4th

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Four Island beach

 

"Anyone can play it on a violin." , Evan said, smiling a bit, "But only a Bard can play it well! Show me what you got!"

 

Evan then struck a sorta solemn pose, tapping his foot down rhythmically as he did so. Gnip stuck a similar pose, growling softly.

 

As Flint started acting like a metronome, Evan started to sing, starting to dance a little....

 

 

There comes a time
when every man
must make a decision:
To just stand there like a wallflower
or hit the dance floor
Do you know what I mean?
So, can you dig it? (Use Draco Meteor! Come on!)

 

As Evan issued the command to Gnip, she broke her pose and roared to the heavens above, summoning a flurry of meteors to strike Gawain hard. Amidst the falling meteors, Richard started to play to the tune of the song.....

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Richard)
 
The monkey's metronome grew slower with the as the first verse ended, leaving Richard's response to come slower. But thankfully due to a question about Gawain's movest, that totally didn't come out of nowhere in the time in the brief span of time that Richard had even to ask the question that stunned Gawain for a moment... he had a good response to this.
 
"Ha ha!"

 

The meteors were growing too close for comfort for Gawain without a command from Richard, and the Swampert began to lose his funky feelings.

"So Bide for now. Ah, c'mon!"

 

The Swampert solidified himself in the sand, focusing on keeping to the rhythm to block out the pain as the destructive force of the meteors fell upon him. He wanted to know Gnip's strength, and boy did he learn it. Many Pokémon would have fallen to such a move alone, but Gawain was a step above. But he was glad that Draco Meteor weakened it's user. Taking two of those would have not been fun. Not at all.

 

"Uh-huh! Bow-chicka-chicka...
Bow-chicka-chicka. Earthquake"
 
Gawain's stored power unleashed from his fists, smashing them into the earth, right on the downbeat for the second verse as measured by Flint.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Claus Von Minun the 4th

[JiMing]

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

The small band of trainers and their Pokemon reached the power plant in short order after following Jake's directions. It was certainly a tall power plant, with the added challenge of no entrance being open, and no one to help them open the door.

 

"Hmm...... I think we should go around the building, maybe see if there's another way to get in." Ruth suggested.

[Konuju]

OOC: Been waiting for a Smooth as Honey reprise.
 
IC: Zoe
Zoe grinned as the song began and she bobbed her head to Flint's beat. Gnip's Draco Meteor was impressive, but Gawain took the attack with equal impressiveness, then responded with a massive Earthquake. It was truly a battle of titans. "The score is tied!" Zoe cried out above the shaking of the earth.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that while Claus was busy passing out food, Jenny and Hades had nothing to do. This simply would not do -- and the warrior princess in all her wisdom sought to remedy the problem. "New rule!" she said. "The Space Princess and Hades must act as cheerleaders for Ex-Hero and Bard, respectively!" She thought for a moment. "No, not just cheerleaders -- backup dancers! Support your partner or they will lose points!"

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: And so it begins, slowly.

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach stayed quiet for a moment, but then nodded.

"Celadon is indeed going to be under attack..." Zach said grimly, as he scratched his head. "The person behind it isn't exactly in her right mind, either, as all she wants is revenge and destruction, basically, and a reason to stupidly restart the war..." Zach explained, from what he'd interpreted from everything before. However, as he did so, he very quickly sent a message to his brother, trying to see if he could spare any time to join in against Hannah...

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

"Space Princess? Me? Alright!" Jenny said, as she first began to do like a hula dance of sorts, and then paused, and thought for a moment. "Hm, no..." Jenny mumbled, and proceeded to tap dance, and then paused. "Too tiring." Jenny tried the Can Can. "Too theatrical." Slow dancing. "No partner right now." Jenny thought, and then smiled amusedly, and attempted... to disco.

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray followed just as silently as everyone else; if he was being honest, he didn't absolutely trust Black either... But everything seemed to be pointing in his favour. And as that Rocket had said, there were bigger fish to fry at that particular moment. The mention of the sins was definitely bad news, but he reserved total judgement on that until they heard more from Vert... However, when they entered the hospital wing, and he noticed the receptionist's reaction to Vert, Ray thought for a moment. And when Ryan pointed out about keeping the situation under wraps...

"... What if there's a secondary reason for keeping it under wraps? Either for panic, or..." Ray had an odd feeling about why there'd be any secondary reason, but he couldn't put his finger on why... But this was definitely not normal, no matter what.

 

-==IC: Ryan/Lucia==-

 

Ryan stumbled slightly with a shake of his head, as they arrived in Celadon City.

"It's been years since I've last been here..." Ryan mumbled, and Lucia smirked at that, as she looked at the other five.

"Heh, not quite so long for us." Lucia said, as Ethan waved his hand, as if to say not to brag.

"We're here. We're cool. Now what?" Ethan asked, as Ryan thought for a moment about just that, and then looked up, and noticed the sun slowly setting.

"Well... We should probably find a place to stay." Ryan mused over the possibilities of where to stay, and then a lightbulb went off in the back of his head. "I know where we can stay." Ryan said... however, Lucia piped up about the same thing at about the same precise moment, which slightly surprised him. Ryan looked over at Lucia, skeptically. "How do you know a place where we can stay?" Ryan asked, and Lucia shrugged.

"I've lived here on and off for years, it comes with the territory." Lucia said, as she walked off to lead the way. Ryan watched her go with a slight frown, and looked over at Ethan skeptically.

"Is... she always like this?" Ryan asked, wondering what he got himself into.

"Sometimes," Ethan said. "Depends on what's going on." He started after her, followed by Skye and then Gavin. Ryan scratched his head, and then sighed. He followed, as he noticed the other girl following as well.

 

After a little while of walking, they eventually reached the north part of town,and Ryan stopped for a moment, and frowned in puzzlement, as Lucia approached a certain... mansion.

But that's... Ryan seemed totally confused, and started walking again, as an older woman with black hair answered the door.

"Yes?" The woman said for a moment, and then noticed who the people at the door were. "Oh... Why hello! You can call me Stacy, come right in!" The woman said, and Ryan stood dumbfounded for a moment, as the two exchanged glances for a moment. Ryan could've sworn she gave him a 'keep quiet' sorta look, but couldn't understand why. Stacy led the group of six inside, and had them sit down on the couches.

"Alright, are there any refreshments or so, that you would like?" Stacy asked the group, and Ryan scratched his head, still confused about what was going on, but let the others choose first.

No one was quite sure what to make of this swift and sudden meeting. Ethan, honestly, would have preferred an introduction of some kind, but it seemed that that would have to wait, at least for now. "I'll take a glass of water, thanks," he said, adjusting his sunglasses.

"Uh . . . Same here, I guess," Gavin said, throwing an uncertain glance at Lucia.

"Me, too," Skye said. "Please."

Lucia was just as baffled. She gave her aunt a look as if to question why she was acting this way, however, Stacy wouldn't meet her eyes. "I'll... take some tea, if it's an option..." Lucia mumbled, utterly confused, and Stacy nodded.

"I'll have water, please." Jamie added, and then everyone looked at Ryan.

"Uhh... Well, I guess it'd be a waste to just boil water for one tea, I'll take one too, I guess." Ryan said, and Stacy nodded once more.

"Alright, I'll be back when everything's ready, then!" Stacy said, and gave a glance to Ryan and Lucia once more, and then hurried off out of the room.

 

Ethan watched Stacy as she left, his face stuck in a very pleasant, though somewhat obviously plastered smile. He glanced from the doorway to Lucia and back, finally turning his head. "So . . . Lucia . . ." he said. "That was . . . interesting." The Rocket Agent tapped his knees with his knuckles. "So . . . Who is she, exactly?"

"And is she always like this?" Gavin asked, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. "That's what I wanna know."

Lucia frowned, as she shook her head. "No... She's usually more, uh, serious and business-like. She's never like this." Lucia said, as she half mumbled the last part. Ryan looked over, and subtly nodded, but was confused as to how Lucia knew her. "As for who she is, she's my aunt." Lucia explained, and Ryan blinked for about thirty seconds.

"Well, that's weird," Ethan said. "But also cool." He fell silent, and then glanced at Gavin--before playfully punching him in the arm. "You never took me to meet an aunt."

Gavin rubbed his arm in pain, glaring. Eventually, he rolled his eyes. "I can only wonder why . . ."

"Wonder why she would be acting so differently," Skye said quietly, ignoring the bickering going on beside her. She suddenly looked worried. "Maybe she recognizes me from when Team Zephyr took over the department store?"

"Oh, c'mon," Ethan said. He fell back against her, grinning as he tilted his head back to look at the former Zephyr Agent. He held a struggling Gavin in a headlock, though acted as if this were a perfectly normal conversation to be having. "If she recognized anyone, I would think it'd be Windy. Or Skyle. That guy was a creep."

Skye could hardly stop herself from laughing at what she was seeing. "Thanks," she said. Then, "Are you alright, Ethan? You seemed a lot less chipper before we left."

Ethan finally released Gavin, who fell onto the floor before their chairs. "Yeah, I'm good," he said. "Can only brood for so long before it gets old. Right, Gavin?" Gavin was too busy catching his breath to answer. Ethan smiled, looking at Skye again. "Gavin agrees."

 

Lucia giggled in response to the entire scene, and smiled, since they definitely did seem to be in better spirits, and nodded. "Yeah, gonna back it up, Skyle was most definitely a creep, and auntie's not really that type of person. Besides, she works in one of the big corporations downtown." Lucia explained, and Ryan shook his head to clear his mind.

"So, wait, back up the bus a tiny bit... She's... your aunt?" Ryan asked, a definitively confused look on his face. Lucia looked over, and tilted her head, and then nodded.

"Yeah; who's aunt would she be otherwise?" Lucia replied, as she scratched her head, unsure of what was meant. Ryan scratched his head, and sized up Lucia a bit more, just as perplexed.

"... She's my aunt too..." Ryan said, and skeptically looked at Lucia. "... You're not Joe's daughter, correct?" Ryan asked, as she looked only a couple years younger than him. However, the nod that was returned did not help anything.

The room fell into silent surprise. Ethan looked between Ryan and Lucia. "Well, that's spooky."

Ryan stared at Lucia in just stunned surprise, as Stacy returned, with the refreshments. "Here you go, everyone!" Stacy said, and then handed out the mugs and glasses to everyone in the room.

 

"So..." Ryan said, eventually breaking the silence once again, after a couple minutes passed. "How about we introduce ourselves?" Ryan asked, as he looked right at Lucia as he said that.

It seemed everyone was waiting for everyone else to go first, so Ethan took a sip of water before waving. "Well, I'm Ethan Worth," he said. "Pleased to meet you! And thank you for your hospitality." He gestured with the glass, realizing just how thirsty he was. The day had been long, indeed . . .

After glancing at the older Rocket Agent, Skye held a hand up, smiling sheepishly. "Skye Hall," she said.

"Gavin Braner," Gavin said, with little more than a nod. He had moved away from Ethan and taken a window seat, now sitting with one knee pulled up.

"Jamie Arthur." The other Rocket replied, and Lucia and Ryan proceeded to stare at each other, daring the other to go first. Finally, Ryan sighed.

"I'm Ryan Hikari." He said, and Lucia shrugged, not knowing who he was.

"Lucia Zyther." The girl replied, and Ryan looked over intrigued; he had never heard of any relatives with that last name before...

"And I'm Stacy Trilan." The aunt finished, and nodded to the others. "I apologize for how I acted just now, I just don't get... visitors like you lot, often." she said, looking at Ryan and Lucia while she did so; though neither could tell which of them she was looking at.

"Not a problem," Ethan said. "Sorry to intrude like this. Lucia just suggested we stay here for the night. I guess a call forward would've been a better idea than just stopping by, eh?"

"Oh, it's not a problem!" Stacy said, and nodded. "A call probably would have been nice, but I probably would've been surprised regardless..." Stacy continued, her glance drifting over to Lucia and Ryan once more.

 

After a while more of talking, eventually everyone was shown to their rooms; since there were only six people, and the guest rooms were large and had multiple beds in them, they were able to fit three of the group into two rooms; Ryan, Gavin, and Ethan in one room, and Lucia, Skye, and Jamie in another. After Stacy left, however, Ryan frowned, as the group met up in the girls' bedroom.

"So... 'Lucia'..." Ryan said, as he thought for a moment in confusion. He had been thinking about everything since it had been brought up, but still couldn't place a finger on it. "You're not Joe's kid, and you're obviously not Stacy's..." Ryan paused, as he shook his head.

No, there's no way at all this could be possible, right? Ryan thought, but... something made him pause and doubt that. Things I didn't... realize... Ryan recalled that message from his Pokegear from a couple days before, and then quickly checked it again... only to find nothing there. Ryan's frowned deeper, as he looked up to see Lucia furrow her brow at him.

"No, I'm neither of their kids, but who are you? Uncle Joe is too young to have a kid your age; and I'm an only child." Lucia said, as she seemed very suspicious of Ryan, just as Ryan was suspicious of her. Ryan was tired of her mindgames, however, and gave a piercing look to her, tired of secrets in any way.

"I am Cassandra Hikari's eldest child, and Zach Hikari is my younger brother. I have no other siblings, and the only person who you could possibly be related to while having Stacy as your aunt is Joe, and we both know that's not the case, so tell me now; who are you?" Ryan demanded, and Lucia looked absolutely stunned, and stayed quiet for a few seconds.

"... Hikari...? But... That's not... her last name..." Lucia said, and Ryan narrowed his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked, certain she was lying about something; and that this probably was why Stacy had been acting strange for a while.

"Her name... was Cassie Mikazuki, before she married and took the last name Zyther." Lucia said, and Ryan paled slightly, but frowned further.

"Th-that's her..." Ryan shook his head, and growled. "Stop lying! Mom's last name was never Zyther." Ryan yelled out.

 

There was a knock at the door before anyone could respond, however, and a morose Stacy walked into the room. Ryan and Lucia kept staring at each other, considering the other to be lying.

"Aunt Stacy." Ryan said through clenched teeth, as he didn't take his eye off of Lucia. "Please tell this imposter that mom's last name was Hikari." Stacy sighed, and gripped her forehead, anticipating a big headache coming on.

"... Cassie's last name was Hikari, and Mikazuki." Stacy confirmed, and then paused, as she tried to figure out how to handle this. "... It also recently has become Zyther." Stacy said, and both Lucia and Ryan turned to the aunt in stunned surprise, for very different reasons.

"What are you talking about?! We were both there for the funeral! You know she couldn't have ever taken on a new last name, because she died!" Ryan yelled out, unable to understand any of this. Stacy kept quiet for a moment, and Lucia glared at Ryan.

"Then you must be the imposter here, because my mother is most definitely still alive, and currently in Kalos." Lucia said, and Stacy simply added another hand to her forehead.

"Quiet, both of you." The aunt ordered, and despite the glares continuing, both Ryan and Lucia kept quiet. "... You're both right, and both my niece or nephew. You... are also both directly related by the same mother." Stacy said bluntly, and Lucia and Ryan both looked at her as if she had suddenly grown two extra heads.

"We're...siblings?" The two said in unison with a totally stunned and skeptical look.

Edited January 12, 2015 by An/A Blade

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

Gnip was shaken incredibly by Gawain's Earthquake, but maintained what balance she could. She liked what Gawain had started with, but she too, was only getting started! Evan, meanwhile, smirked at Zoe's new rule, and smirked even more when he saw Jenny attempting to disco dance. So it came to be no surprise, that as he sang, he started to dance as well, trying to match Jenny's odd but awesome choice in dance. The monkey's metronome went faster, and as it did, so did Evan's dancing.

 

When I'm next to you, there is nothing I can do
for you give me a buzz that is more than enough
I don't really care if the others start to stare
as long as we're together like birds of a feather
Wow, baby, you are looking so fine
Wow, this is such a beautiful night
I will cherish this all my life
So, please, can we Dragon Claw one more time?

 

Gnip roared at the command, and rushed at Gawain. When she got close enough, the Shooting Star Dragon, in perfect time with the rhythm, unleashed a flowing barrage of Dragon Claws upon Gawain, almost appearing to be dancing herself.....

[JiMing]

IC: The Seatons

 

"You wouldn't have happened to check the news in the last hour or so?" Dahlia asked. "Because all of us at this table, not long ago we were in Sootopolis. The same person who wants to destroy Celadon sent a Ditto tansformed into Groudon to attack Sootopolis.... We were there to stop the city's annihilation, but......" the gardener stopped, not sure how to finish off her sentence right....

 

"Apparently her name's Hannah." Olivia said. "Dack knows her, and apparently was her partner at one point, what a great judge of character." she explained, muttering the last part under her breath. "Maybe he can tell you more about what a lunatic she is."

 

"From what I can tell, she's a murderous psycopathic idiot with an army at her fingertips." Aspen said. "She values her ego more than millions.... No, billions of lives that'd be lost by restarting the war. That's why we need to stop her."

 

"But a ragtag group who barely gets along is unlikely to hold out forever against an organized army." Aria pointed out. "That's why you were asked if you could join our efforts. I understand that you're terrified beyond belief. Fear is a natural response. But it won't do you any favors when the army comes." the Lucario said gravely. "You must take action now-if you wish to fight back, then come with us. If not, gather your loved ones and get out of the city and possibly region as quickly and efficiently as you can."

Edited January 11, 2015 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

"I... I haven't seen the news recently, no," Natalie stammered. Upon Olivia's request, she turned to Dack, but her question seemed to die on her lips.

 

"Hannah's psychotic, sure," Dack said. "But she's also deceptive. For the longest time everyone thought she was the perfect Rocket agent; she never put a toe out of line. And that's what makes her dangerous. No one ever suspected she'd had a plan like this up her sleeve."

 

The waitress nodded silently, her hands shaking. "It'll be okay," Madison said with a reassuring smile. "If you choose to flee, we'll be sure and get you someplace where Hannah's army can't find you. And if you choose to fight, we'll be right beside you."

 

Natalie closed her eyes, taking deep breaths and trying to remain calm. "P-Phil needs to know..." she said. "No... everyone needs to know. Perhaps I should tell the manager. I'm -- I'm sorry, this is all just so sudden..." As she spoke, she suddenly noticed the shattered salad bowl at her feet. bending down, she mechanically started to scoop the remains up in her shaking hands. She turned her head aside, but she couldn't hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

 

"Hey... Lady," Luke said. "It may seem like the world's falling apart, but that's what we're here for. We stopped a disaster in Sootopolis; Dack, Palmer, and I helped save Sinnoh from the Darkrai; surely we'll be able to stop a lunatic Rocket agent and her evil scheme. So -- and I mean no offence when I say this --" he gave a quick glance to Dahlia. "Chill."

 

Natalie sniffled and wiped her eyes with a small nod before looking at each person at the table. "I'll fight," she said, her eyes landing on Zach. The fear in her eyes still lingered, but it was slowly being replaced by a look of determination. "I may not be a Pokémon Master, but I know a thing or two about battling. And if Celadon is in danger, it's my duty as a citizen to defend it as best I can."

[Makuta of Time]

IC: Dandy

 

"Hey man, that's great. The more info the better. Plus it would tell me who specifically killed my parents."

 

As the pair walked along he began to wonder about the island. "So why exactly is this place called Seven Island? Is it because there are seven islands here?"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Richard/Hades/Gawain)
 
Hades was going to object to Zoe's new rule and declare that Richard could lose a hundred million points for all he cared. That is until, Richard turned his head, an almost unhealthy angle to face the Sableye. A look on the bard's face that seemed like his normal cheerful face, but with a heaping ton of promises of eternal pain unless you dance.
 
The Sableye temporarily managing to forget that such a promise from Richard was empty, and that he could pretty easily beat the bard up, started to dance like Michael Jackson in that video where was a zombie.

"Baby, he can sweep you far
He can toss across the stars
'cause there is no limit to suds. yyyeeeeah"

 

Gawain couldn't dodge, much less dodge to the beat, so he had to hold his own. At this point, he realized that the feisty she-dragon was the probable stronger warrior of the two. And yet it would be unknightly to fall before the last inch of his strength was gone.

 

Heh, now even I'm getting caught up in the game of being a knight.

"Baby, just take his hand
and soon you shall understand
why they say he's smooth as muddy... yeaaaah!"

 

The Swampert took the lyric as a command to try and turn the tide with Muddy Water. A wave emanated from with him at the epicenter, the frequency of the waves of smooth yet dirt-filled water matching with the tempo of the song, as it hopefully beat down the Shooting Star Dragon.

[Parugi]

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner/Skye Hall - Celadon City, Aunt Stacy's Mansion:

 

No one was really sure what to make of this argument, and thus an uncomfortable silence quickly fell over the room--or at least it did for Ethan, Skye, and Gavin. The three glanced between Stacy, Lucia, and Ryan, uncertain of what to do.

 

"Maybe it'd be best if we left for now," Skye suggested to Ethan, Gavin, and Jamie after a moment. "This . . . really seems like a private matter, don't you think?"

 

IC - Sonja Baron - The Alamo, Infirmary:

 

They came to a stop in front of Vert's door. "Maybe it's not the Sins that they're trying to keep hidden," she said. "Blackskull was pretty open with us about it, wasn't he? So maybe they just haven't had a chance to send any information out yet." She raised a hand to knock. "But in the meantime, if they're making people get permission to speak with Vert, then maybe she--"

 

The door opened before Sonja's knuckles struck the metal door. Executive Danielle Ladon stood before them, her placement suggesting that she was purposefully using her body to block both the view and the way into the room. She studied the three trainers with a careful eye. "Can I help you?"

 

It took a moment for Sonja to gather her bearings. "We're here to speak with Executive Vert," she said at length. "Blackskull--"

 

"Meghan Vert has been relieved of her Executive position," Ladon said.

 

"Oookay," Sonja said. Blackskull had not mentioned that tidbit of information. "Either way, ma'am, Blackskull gave us clearance to speak with Vert."

 

"Can you provide evidence of this clearance?"

 

For the second time, Sonja opened the message that the Liberty Leader had sent and held her Pokétch forward. After several moments, Ladon nodded, stepping aside. Sonja glanced uncertainly at the Executive of Black Ops. as they passed by, only easing up when they had fully entered and the door had closed behind them. Meghan Vert sat in a hospital bed, her back resting against the headboard and her head bowed toward the book she was reading. She had swept her hair over one shoulder, and the glasses she wore now were not the ones that she had been wearing a few days before. Those sat, cracked, on her bedside table.

 

Ladon resumed her station by the door as Sonja, Ryan, and Ray came to stand in the middle of the room. Vert briefly glanced up at her visitors before returning her gaze to the book. "Agent Sanders," she said. "What a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe this visit?"

Edited January 12, 2015 by Parugi

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan
Ryan was silent for a moment as he tried to gather his swimming thoughts. He could feel Ladon's eyes drilling into the back of his head, oozing with a deep hatred of Vert. Ryan found it distracting. He felt like he, Sonja, and Ray were intruding on some private conversation, although the conversation was likely nonverbal and largely one-sided. Ladon's attitude alone wouldn't have raised suspicion, but Ryan found it strange that the secretary at the infirmary's front desk had acted the same way. At last the Liberty agent took a deep breath and started to speak.

 

"Executive Vert." He heard a sharp intake of breath from Ladon. "Er... Agent Vert, I guess," he quickly corrected himself. "We came to learn more about those... Sins. Anomalies, as Blackskull called them. The ones that attacked you in R&D. Blackskull thinks there may still be more of them out there. If he's right, we need to know how to combat them. What were they like? How did you defeat them? Anything that could give us an advantage if we came across them. Tell us everything you know."
 
IC: Zoe
Zoe giggled wildly at the sight of Jenny and Hades dancing. "The Space Princess looses points for taking a while to come up with a dance," she declared. "But Ex-Hero gains some points back for synchronizing his dance moves with his Princess. That brings Ex-Hero right behind Mr. Bard in terms of points!" She grinned at Richard. "Better keep it up, Mr. Bard. Otherwise your next song will be lamenting your defeat at the hands of an Ex-Hero and Space Princess!"
 
IC: George
"There's seven main islands in the region," George explained as they entered the canyon. "At least, seven clusters of islands that people live on. Technically speaking there's a lot more -- Seven Island, for example, is really two islands. Three if you count the old Trainer Tower up north, although that's more a tourist attraction than anything." The policeman chuckled. "We like to joke that the guy who surveyed these islands started running out of ideas for names."
 
George paused, glancing at the canyon map he had taken with him from the meteorology lab. "Hmm, it looks like this might be the place," he said, motioning toward a small path in the canyon that branched off to the right. "The energy surge was strongest around here." The pair of trainers continued down the branch, which quickly led them to a small cave carved out of the rock. "Looks like I was right," the police captain said quietly. "There really is a cave."
 
George cautiously entered the cave. He had expected to find a massive cavern, perhaps a long tunnel. Instead, the cave only stretched back about fifty feet. A number of large, smooth boulders rested on the floor. George glanced at each one in turn. They seemed too smooth and polished to be a natural occurrence. He pulled out a small device he had taken from the lab to measure electromagnetic waves. He couldn't tell if the device had gone haywire like the radios had, but the signal the device read was off the charts. The captain of the police slowly moved about the cave, looking from his device to the boulders. He didn't notice the small crater in the floor of the cave until he stepped into it, causing him to lose his balance and fall flat on his face.
 
"Oof!" George grunted as the device he'd been holding clattered to the ground. "Guess I need to watch where I'm going." He picked himself up, then paused. Six other craters dotted the floor, forming a pattern not unlike the boulder formation. "Interesting," he muttered. "Seven craters. And seven boulders." He stepped out of the hole he had stumbled into and gauged its size. "It looks to me like those boulders would fit perfectly into these craters." He glanced at Dandy. "I don't know, it almost feels like it's a puzzle of some sorts. It seems clear that someone placed these boulders here for a reason. Maybe it's a key to a secret passage or something. Think your Barbaracle could help us?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray looked at Ladon with a frown before she moved, and even after, wasn't entirely sure of what he thought of her.

Is everyone here as uptight as her and that secretary? Sheesh. Ray thought, as he stayed quiet and let Ryan do the talking for that moment.

 

-==IC: Colette/Jayron==-

 

Colette was surprised by the hypnosis beam, and then tried to close her eyes and shield herself, however, even with that, she slowly felt herself starting to become hazy. Gripping Kammy's Pokéball, she quickly sent out the Squirtle, before she fell to her knees, and then collapsed to the ground, fast asleep.

Jayron similarly tried in vain to block the attack. "This is why we shouldn't have left at the crack of dawn..." he said, falling to his knees. "Come on, Colette. We need to fight it. For Alexa....." The Liberty Executive, too, succumbed to the effects of the hypnotic wave, leaving only their Pokémon to defend them.

Kammy looked back in concern, and valiantly looked forward, trying to figure out how to handle this new threat, as it tried to size up how a Munna could be that powerful...

Follow my lead, Lucario said to the Squirtle, Extremespeeding away from another Aura Sphere and launching a Dark Pulse at the Munna. Behind them, Absol slowly climbed to her feet. She saw the Dark Pulse hit the Munna. But the floral-patterned Pokémon paid no heed, instead aiming a Charge Beam at Kammy. Ignoring her own pain, Absol rushed in front of the tiny turtle, using Detect to block the attack.

 

Kammy frowned, but nodded, as she ran forward quickly, and attempted to launch off a close range Dragon Pulse quickly.

The Dragon Pulse struck the Munna, knocking it back slightly. It was obvious the Munna was starting to weaken. Lucario moved to fire off a Dark Pulse, but the wisps of aura surrounding the pink Pokemon moved to block the attack as Munna eyed the sleeping forms of Colette and Jayron. The Munna started to glow. It's using Dream Eater! Lucario cried. We have to stop it -- now!

Kammy thought for a moment, and then quickly dashed over to Colette and Jayron, and then used Bubble on both of them in turn.

The two aura wielders coughed and sputtered. "Ow, what happened?" Jayron groaned, looking up at the battle still raging. The Munna responded with a powerful Rock Tomb, aiming to cut off its opponents from each other. Although the Dream Eater had been interrupted, it was clear that it had managed to regain a little health from its victims.

Kammy then quickly dashed forward with new determination, and attempted to unleash another Dragon Pulse on the Munna. Colette shook her head, as she stood up quickly, and fired off an aura sphere at the rocks the Munna was generating, aiming to quickly destroy them.

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny frowned for a brief second at the verdict, but then smiled more, and spun as the song continued, getting into the groove fully now.

[Konuju]

IC: Jayron/Colette
Jayron's head ached from the interrupted Dream Eater. He shook his head to clear it, then quickly took in what was happening. "Absol, Double Team! Lucario, Heal Pulse!" As Absol darted around the fallen rocks, Lucario aimed pulses of healing energy at Absol and Kammy. Jayron and Colette caught a bit of the Heal Pulse as well, easing the pain the Munna's Dream Eater had caused.

The Munna grimaced against Kammy's Dragon Pulse, then narrowed its eyes at the sight of Colette destroying the rocks. It launched a powerful Psychic attack at the girl, hoping to catch her off guard as she was focused on the Rock Tomb.

Colette yelled out in a mixture of shock, anger, and pain, and sent off an Aura Sphere at the Munna in annoyance, as she gripped her head with her free hand. "This just isn't our morning..." she muttered.

"Night Slash!" Jayron cried. From behind one of the remaining rocks, Absol struck out at the Munna, taking it by surprise as it dodged Colette's Aura Sphere. The floating Pokémon fell to the ground in shock. The wisps of aura that surrounded it suddenly darted every which way, creating a flurry of aura spheres. Jayron quickly brought up his aura shield, moving next to Colette to protect her as well. Absol found herself pelted by the attack, forcing her to retreat rather than finish off the Munna. Lucario too was starting to succumb to the spheres, forcing him down to one knee. "The Munna's almost down," Jayron said. "If we can take it down, we should stop these aura spheres!" Even as Jayron spoke, the Munna started to crackle with electricity, taking aim at Kammy.

Kammy, however, did not back down, and launched off another Dragon Pulse at the odd Munna once more. The Dragon Pulse hit at the same time as the Thunderbolt, knocking both Pokemon back. Kammy was flung against a wall, barely holding onto consciousness. The Munna disappeared into the thick fog. However, the vanishing of the aura spheres signaled the Munna's defeat.

Jayron lowered his shield with a heavy sigh. "That was intense. You alright, Colette?"

Colette panted, and looked over to where Kammy had been flung, and recalled the Squirtle for the moment. "Yeah, somehow... Got a kinda splitting headache, though..." Colette muttered, as she shook her head.

Lucario approached the trainers and bathed them in another low-level Heal Pulse. The wave also reached into Kammy's Pokéball, restoring its strength as well. The Aura Pokémon turned and healed Absol as well before Jayron recalled the Dark-Type. "Well, with any luck, Alexa should be just beyond that next tunnel," Jayron said. "The question is, was that a wild Munna, or is its trainer around here somewhere?"

Colette frowned, as she considered it. "Maybe... The better question is, what was with that Munna? It just had an odd feeling to it in general..."

Jayron nodded. "An aura wielding Munna. Something like that's not unheard of; after all, my Absol can use limited aura. But that Munna was like a master at it."

Colette nodded. "Yeah... Can Munna even use those other attacks...?" she wondered out loud, but shook her head. "Let's just focus on getting to Alexa..."

"Right," Jayron said. Lucario led them to the tunnel, which was surprisingly not far from where the Munna had been. The tunnel entrance was another drop similar to the last one. The two aura wielders jumped down and began walking, hoping to find Alexa on the other side.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

Gnip was not only pushed away by Gawain's Muddy Water, she was outright knocked back. But, rather than fall down, Gnip had an idea. She let the wave of Muddy Water push her, and started to ride it. It was not as graceful as she would have liked, but she didn't need to be graceful to win. Seeing Gnip take an attack and use the momentum to her advantage only served to make Evan dance with even more flashy moves, altering the speed to stay with the metronome.

 

"Uh-huh!
Uh-huh!
C'mon!

Uh-huh!
Nana-nana-nana-nuh-huh!

Quake it up now, y'all!"

 

As she rode the wave to a halt, Gnip unleashed an earth-sundering roar. Louder and louder, her mighty roar bellowed, in time with the beat, out to show Gawain what power she truly possessed. The beach shook violently with the fury of the land brought forth by Gnip....

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron/Meghan Vert/Executive Danielle Ladon - The Alamo, Infirmary:

 

Vert looked back up at Ryan. Then, very slowly and deliberately, she marked the page she was on and closed her book, setting it aside. The former Executive straightened up, studying Ryan and his companions. "Executive Ladon," she said, shifting her gaze over. "I understand that you're supposed to supervise me, but would you be courteous enough as to stand outside for the remainder of this conversation?"

 

Ladon raised an eyebrow, though said nothing in response. Instead she merely shook her head in annoyance, moving to the door and heading into the hallway. Vert and Sonja watched her all the way until the door had closed behind her. Then the scientist looked at her visitors. "Before I answer, may I ask who your friends are, Agent Sanders?"

 

"Sonja Baron," Sonja said. She gestured to Ray. "This is Ray Hakuda."

 

"I see." Vert adjusted her glasses. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but the two of you were involved in the Unova mess as well, weren't you?" She rubbed her chin. "Unfortunate how that whole ordeal turned out, really. So much lost potential . . ."

 

"I feel like that's a bit beside the point."

 

"Oh, I'm sure," Vert said. "It's just that I prefer to know for certain from what context I know a person's name. Besides . . ." She closed her eyes as she began messing with her hair, slowly styling it into a bun at the back of her head. "For how dangerous the Sins are, they are not a threat unless they specifically come after you. And even then I question just how big of a threat that is unless you avoid playing their game, like Mars did."

 

"Aren't they the ones who put you in the hospital?" Sonja pointed out.

 

Vert shrugged. "That wasn't a direct attack on me," she said. "That was just to get me onto the field--as well as stop anyone else from interfering." When Sonja still looked skeptical, Vert sighed. "The Sins are not interested in killing those whom they target. At least, Greed and Lust did not appear to be. They target people--specifically trainers--who bear their Sin, or some variation of it, with the intent of allowing that person to overcome their impurity and thus defeat them. If you can't, or if you flat-out reject them--that's when they go all-out and destroy you--just ask Team Galactic. It's not a physical battle as much as it is a mental or spiritual one." The former Executive adjusted her glasses again. "Does that make sense?"

Edited January 13, 2015 by Parugi

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan frowned. "So their goal is to help people overcome their impurities?" he asked. He motioned to the hospital bed Vert lay in now. "I still don't see how you can say they're not a threat to those they target." He bit his lip. He was used to enemies like Ford and the Darkrai, who were clearly antagonistic. But it seemed these Sins were far more complex than that. "Surely they must've had some ulterior motive. You can't tell me the only reason they wrecked the R&D department was to cleanse you from your lust and greed. According to Blackskull, they disappeared after you defeated them. Does that mean they were destroyed? Or do you think they could still be out there somewhere, waiting for another target?"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Jamie)

 

Out of one awkward situation and into another. James had been too busy reporting the events of the recent battle for the two Arthur's to have interacted much. However immediately upon leaving technically enemy territory and the presence of her template that betrayed her organization, they were warped to her supposed hometown to find out Lucia had a long lost sibling.

 

This is not a normal situation, is it Tristan? Jamie asked to the Metagross, the Psychic picking up on her thoughts.

 

No Milady. No it is not.

 

"Well, I will go, but only if Lucia does not want me to stay."

Edited January 14, 2015 by Claus Von Minun the 4th

[Makuta of Time]

IC: Dandy

 

When George said if he could let his Barbaracle help in moving the boulders, he immediately reached for the Pokeball and threw it out to which Razorface exited out. The Pokemon looked at Dandy and asked in grumbles what was needed. "Move these boulders into the proper craters that they fit in."

 

The Barbaracle went to work by grabbing the boulders uo easily as if nothing but a normal rock. He then moved to where the proper crater was that fit the boulder and dropped it in. Razorfave continued to move each boulder into the proper spot until the job was finally done. "Alright! Excellent job, Razorface." The two then gave each other a high five at the job well done.

[sonyaxe]

IC: Jake

 

"Ok, sounds like a plan." Jake said. "So... Should we split up, or stick together? I am personally for staying as a group, but what do you guys think?" Jake asked.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Lucia==-

 

Lucia was still reeling from what was said. She didn't believe it any more, but... she took a look at her aunt, and nothing on Stacy's face seemed like she was lying or joking at all.

"I-I..." Lucia frowned, struggling with whether the group should stay or leave, but her aunt frowned slightly.

"It's probably best if you all listened to this. It probably is going to be useful to know all this, especially now. However... Your mother should probably explain some of the things herself." Stacy said, and Ryan sighed.

"Guess you guys can stay if you want." Ryan said, and Lucia nodded, as she looked over at Jamie. Stacy nodded, and breathed in, as she tried to figure out where to begin...

 

"My sister wanted so desperately to get our family to just act like a family again... But she was naive." Stacy said bluntly, as she seemed sad at the memory. "She always put on a smile for everyone, but she'd always just seemed lonely even when the family was truly together. I was the only one there for her, from her point of view, and even then, it was right when I was getting busy with things, and just had no time for her." Stacy continued, and sighed. "After a while, she'd just started to hang out with her friends almost exclusively; Christina, Alana, Trisha, Patrick, and..." Stacy paused on the last name, as she put on a look of disgust, as if the very taste of the word made her want to be sick. "Gerald Hikari. That smooth talker with an anger problem is the cause of all of this. Cassie's best friend was Christina, but that silver haired freak just..." Stacy looked as if she would yell out in anger, and Ryan frowned.

"Yeah, I know first hand... Though..." Ryan looked over at Lucia with a frown, as she seemed utterly confused about the guy they were talking about. "No-one else knows, so do go on."

Stacy nodded, and took a deep breath again. "Patrick and Gerald fought constantly back in high school. Before she got to know them better, she thought their fighting silly. After she got to know them better, though, she seemed like she understood more, but instead of leaving well enough alone, she tried to break all the fighting up. Gerald was a rich kid, you see, so he kept getting invited over to parties thanks to his father being a businessman. It would have been much better for us all if he had never been introduced, because although she hated having to get dressed up and everything, Cassie just seemed to get a crush on Gerald. I guess showing off constantly by levitating whatever you can find helps out somehow..." Stacy muttered the last words, and Ryan seemed ever so slightly amused, but still seemed a bit upset at the idea that Gerald seemed so normal.

But, the smooth talker thing implies that he was still manipulative back then. Ryan reminded himself, and continued to listen with a frown.

 

"Mom was just as against the idea of Cassie being in a relationship that was likely just for spite as I was. But, Cassie wouldn't listen, and because Patrick was dating Alana, and Cassie spent more or less all her free time with Gerald, she figured that she was the reason why Pat and Gerald had stopped fighting. After a few months, and again ignoring mom's warnings, Cassie married Gerald. Everything seemed fine for the first while, and she began to seem genuinely happy again. She had her first child; you, Ryan." Stacy explained, and Ryan nodded.

"About 23 years ago, in March, yeah." Ryan confirmed for the rest of the group, and Stacy nodded.

"You were the light of her life for a good while, and she just couldn't be separated from you. However, one day, she walked in on Gerald having a heated argument over the phone. Apparently the fighting between Gerald and Patrick hadn't ever stopped, and their relationship was very strained by that point. This was about when you were a year old, Ryan; he took you and began to try and teach you how to fight... However, that was the last thing that you or your mother wanted, and you began to cry, and everything was just tense for probably a good week, and Cassie came to visit me during that time, as I was helping to look after Joe for the summer." Stacy took a deep breath, and then scratched her head, as she tried to figure out how to continue.

"When I saw her next, she was pregnant again, and soon after, you were born, Lucia. However, Cassie was extremely jaded by that point, and was trying to work out some sort of plan with Christina right after she was born, when Gerald wasn't anywhere nearby. It turned out to be a necessity after about a month. Gerald was aggressively attempting to push Ryan to be strong, despite both his and Cassie's protests, and then attempted to start his rough training regiment on Lucia as well. However... she could barely even crawl at that point, and he just pushed her nearly totally past her limits, and she was in the hospital for a good two days because of overexertion. Cassie tried to play off the fact that it was nothing; but with her son constantly under strain, and her daughter nearly dying, she put the plan into action." Stacy said, and Ryan frowned, listening closely to the story.

 

"Her first step, was to get Lucia away. She explained things to one of the few doctors at the hospital who had gotten mental training, and the doctor agreed that she needed to be taken away, and that her plan was the safest. The doctor, slightly reluctantly because of the trouble that could have been gotten into, announced to Gerald and Christina, who was posing as Cassie, that Lucia had passed away, and that they needed to examine her further. Meanwhile, Cassie herself made her way to Viridian to hide Lucia from that madman that called himself her husband. Cassie shed her taken last name, and reverted back to her maiden name, giving that maiden name to Lucia, so that she wasn't put into danger. Gerald, on the other hand, was grief stricken more than probably was to be expected. He wasn't totally right in the head after that, and kept blaming Patrick for Lucia's death, despite the fact that if she had've actually died then, it would've been his own fault, and no-one else's." Stacy stopped and took another breath, and then continued again.

"Cassie and Christina continued to switch places, as Ryan was pushed further and further each training session; it might not have actually done anything to help him get stronger, but it certainly had messed up his memories, and all he recalled for a while, was constant pushups and running and the like. The year after, Zach was born, and Cassie, Christina, and myself all confronted Gerald about him pushing Ryan; and luckily, we managed to get him to stop before Ryan and Zach were affected by all the things that had happened. However, since Ryan had forgotten and Zach was just born, everyone stayed quiet about Lucia, to prevent mourning a long-lost sibling to their knowledge, and to help keep her safe in case anyone slipped up while talking about her. The only thing that kept the plan intact, was Gerald's refusal to use his psychic powers on his wife, and the inability to focus long enough to read Cassie or Christina's minds when the two were in one place." Stacy sighed, as the tale began to come to an end, and Ryan nodded.

 

"After the past week.. I shouldn't really be all that surprised." Ryan admitted, and scratched his head. "I mean, it was only just a few days ago that I found out my best friend from when I was a kid was alive, and that Gerald had engineered his faked death. And of course, now apparently my mom's alive, and Jessie's alive, and just..." Ryan gripped his head, as he shook it. "I've lost so much time with so many people... and it's all his fault...?" Ryan mumbled, and Lucia stayed quiet.

"Wh-why didn't you tell me...?" Lucia asked, and Stacy sighed again.

"Because you probably would have insisted on meeting everyone, and the entire plan to keep you safe would have been ruined. As time went on, Gerald honed his psychic powers more and more, and once threatened me with the fact that he could probably take control of someone, in enough distress." Stacy said grimly, and Ryan looked to the side in shame.

"... Something I let happen because I was too blinded by my own misplaced hate..." Ryan muttered, and Stacy looked over at Ryan first in confusion, and then a look of sudden understanding dawned on her face.

"That... incident six months ago..." Stacy said, as she slightly paled, and Ryan nodded.

"... Zach was taken control of... And all I could do was watch, because I was too broken and defeated to realize Gerald was the true enemy..." Ryan said, and leaned backwards, staring at the ceiling, and Stacy sighed.

"Then the news I have probably won't help anything." Stacy said, as she looked away.

 

"After I heard the news about what happened in Goldenrod, and that your family home had been attacked, I visited Cassie right away. However, when I got there, she looked like a wreck, and as soon as we got inside, Cassie just burst into tears on my shoulder. It had taken a while for me to get her to calm down enough to explain what was wrong... And then she told me something that made me just about lose my composure then too. Basically, Christina had been in her place that day, since Lucia had been sick for the month earlier, and Cassie needed to be with her 24/7." Stacy began to explain, and Ryan closed his eyes, knowing where this was headed.

"... And I had seen mom that morning... ... B-but, Zach made it out..." Ryan said, but Stacy's grim look shattered his false hope instantly.

"Christina's Pidgeot had shown up just before I had gotten there. All it had, aside from a look of pure sadness, was a charred bracelet; one that she always wore. It was one of two charm friendship bracelets; and Cassie had the other matching one. ... Christina was the one who had died that time, and I'd needed to stay with Cassie for a good week or two, she took her best friend's death really hard. We never did hear from her brother after that either, but it's probably safe to say that he took it about as badly, after we told him." Once Stacy finished, Ryan kept quiet.

"... I... I see..." Ryan said, a somber look on his face, as he slowly stood up.

"L-Look, it's late, can... we maybe talk about this in the morning?" Ryan asked, and Stacy nodded, as Ryan hurried out of his room.

 

Lucia watched him go, and felt totally guilty about what a plan to keep her safe, and her alone, had cost.

"... You guys can head off too, if you want..." Lucia said to Ethan and Gavin, as she just felt suddenly very mentally drained from everything that had been dropped on her at once.

"Alrighty." Ethan said with a slightly worried nod, as he and Gavin walked out of the room. Lucia flopped down on her bed as Stacy left the room, and the girl sighed.

"It's... it's been a long day... I'm just gonna... sleep..." Lucia said, as she closed her eyes and quickly fell off to sleep before anyone could even say anything.

Her dreams, however, were not very pleasant. She dreamed of shadowy faced silver haired mad men, maniacal laughter, burning hot volcanoes and explosions everywhere, and battles just going on everywhere. She twisted and turned on the bed, as she imagined what had been described in what Stacy had said; even though she either hadn't been there, or could not remember. And then came the moment of dread, as she realized in a moment of 'awakeness', that this entire dream could all be caused by psychic meddling, and she opened her eyes, noticing the lights were now off, and breathed heavily for a moment, shivering out of the sheer terror she felt toward this unknown criminal who was apparently her father.

Why did she lie...? Lucia wondered, as she wrapped her arms around herself. She... She said she was certain he was a good man... A-am I... one step away from being like that guy...? Lucia's lip quivered slightly, as she tried to close her eyes and get back off to sleep...

 

-==IC: Ryan/Alistair==-

 

Ryan was having similar trouble sleeping. Ryan simply stared at the dark ceiling for a little, and then reached for his Pokegear, before covering his head and typing under the covers, so as to not wake the other two.

"Yo, Alistair, you there?" Ryan typed, and then waited.

"... Ryan, it's 3 AM. How'd you even get my Pokegear number?" Came the response, and Ryan half-smiled in amusement.

"Go home Alistair, you're drunk, you left it on the ground for me to find after the battle the other day." Ryan typed, and waited once more, as there was a bit more of a pause.

"Huh. Don't remember that, but that day was kinda a whirlwind..." Alistair replied, and Ryan nodded to himself.

"Yeah... Getting a bit of that right now; huge battle, then I find out that I have a kid sister, and that apparently my mom's alive but a friend of hers was taking her place, and augh..." Ryan wrote out, and watched the 'Alistair is typing' notification.

"Ouch. I told you, though. I'd remembered my mom and dad talking about some sister of yours for a little bit, and then absolutely nothing after a while. Thought I was remembering wrong for a while, lol." Alistair replied, and Ryan scratched his head.

"Huh. Guess you're right." Ryan sent, and then paused. "On a side note, have you seen anything out of the ordinary lately?" Ryan queried, as he recalled those Sins that were mentioned.

 

"You mean aside from you and the others? Nope. There was this one girl who thought I was trying to attack her, but, she was just weird, and it was more a misunderstanding than anything." Alistair replied, and Ryan resisted the urge to slap himself in the face.

"I can't leave you alone for two minutes, can I?" Ryan quietly sighed, and continued typing. "Regardless, keep a look out; apparently there's bad things going around; four things have already appeared, one attacked me in Goldenrod before we found you, and two others were apparently recently defeated too... And the other is unknown for now. I'm not sure what's going on, but, it's best to be safe." Ryan said, and then waited, as another new message came in.

"Understanding, and fully understanding, are two totally different things." Another Unkwown Sender message. Who kept sending Ryan these things, and why? Ryan frowned, and then looked as Alistair replied again.

"Aww, you're worried about me, aren't you? =P I can handle myself. After all, look at the last time you underestimated me, I show up alive and shock you all!" Alistair replied, and Ryan sighed.

"Alistair, it's no joking matter, these guys mean business, and I barely defeated the guy I fought..." Ryan knew what Alistair said was true, but he still had a very bad feeling about everything that was going on.

"Yeah,yeah, whatever. I need sleep, unlike you apparently." Alistair replied, and Ryan sighed, and put his Pokegear back into sleep mode, before he headed off to sleep as well.

 

-==IC: Ryan/Lucia - Dawn of Celadon==-

 

Ryan yawned, as he slowly opened his eyes. He glanced over at the time, and noticed that it was about 10:40, and sat up with another yawn, and looked around. No-one was in the room; probably because they'd already gotten up to get ready. Ryan quickly changed, and then headed downstairs.

Lucia was sitting at the table, absentmindedly eating some cereal; though right now, she was more just playing with it than anything. At the sound of Ryan walking down the stairs, however, she looked up, and managed a slightly small smile and a half-hearted wave for a moment, and then looked back down at her cereal awkwardly. Ryan sat down at the table, and scratched his head.

"S-so, where are the others....?" Ryan asked, and Lucia thought for a moment.

"I think they're getting the grand tour of the place by Aunt Stacy." Lucia said with another very small amused smile, and then stayed quiet for a moment, as Ryan did too.

"... Look, I'm sorry that I doubted you..." Ryan said, and Lucia looked up slowly, an unsure look on her face.

"I... I still can't believe you're my brother... It's not anything against you, just..." Lucia started to say, and Ryan nodded.

"Yeah, I know; all my life I thought it was just me and Zach. And now, boom, hi sis." Ryan said, and Lucia's smile widened slightly, as she smirked a bit.

"Okay, that does sound kinda nice. It's still gonna take some getting used to, though." Lucia said with a shrug, and Ryan nodded. However, his face then turned slightly grim.

"... To think, this was all because of our father..." Ryan shook his head in disgust, as Lucia winced slightly, but nodded, and seemed to turn absentminded again.

"Y-yeah..."

 

A while later, Stacy and the others walked into the downstairs living room, as Ryan opened an eye while laying on one of the couches. Lucia, meanwhile, simply read a book, as that way she could get out of talking for the moment.

"Have a good tour?" Ryan asked with an amused smile to the others.

"It's a very big house," Ethan said. "Which makes sense considering we're in a very big city."

"Heh, that's very true, yeah." Ryan nodded, as he paused for a moment. He looked down as his Pokegear went off, and checked the message.

"Hey, Ryan, we've got a big issue here, can you come to the Olivine Garden and help out?" Ryan noticed that Zach sent the message, and frowned slightly.

What could this be about...? Ryan wondered, and sent off a reply...

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach nodded,and smiled slightly.

"Alright." Zach said simply, as he tried to help out, but didn't know how to really say anything helpful. However, either way, he was interrupted by his Pokegear beeping.

"... Can I explain the situation to my brother?" Zach asked, as he looked up from the message, which was basically 'need more info'.

 

OOC: Alana is Ray's mother, and Patrick is Ray's father.

[Parugi]

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner/Skye Hall - Celadon City, Aunt Stacy's Mansion:

 

"At any rate," Ethan said, taking a seat at the counter. "Seeing as how you've woken up late, and we've already eaten, Gavin, Skye, and I are probably going to head out soon and see about training a bit." He rubbed the back of his head. "To be completely honest, I've got a Combee who hasn't seen any sort of battle since I got her, and I don't think she appreciates that."

 

"And I would like to try and get a third Pokémon," Skye said excitedly, and then settled down with a bashful smile. "On top of wanting to see Celadon without the hassle of . . . you know . . . being involved with illegal activity . . ."

 

"I'm sure the police would appreciate that," Gavin said. "As would we." He looked at Stacy, Lucia, and Ryan. "Know any good areas around here for battling and capturing?"

 

IC - Silvermind/Goldhawk/Blackskull - The Alamo, Command Center:

 

"Alright," Silvermind said, looking to Goldhawk. "Then I suppose we had better start preparing."

 

"I agree!" Blackskull called as he approached the central platform. "Just one question: What's the plan?"

 

Goldhawk chuckled. "We'll fill you in while we start getting things ready," he said. The Liberty Leader looked back to James. "That should be everything for now, Arthur. Check back with us soon and we can see about getting this under way. In the meantime, I suggest you rest and get your team healed up."

 

IC - Sonja Baron/Meghan Vert - The Alamo, Infirmary:

 

The ex-Executive rubbed her temple. "One thing at a time, Agent Sanders . . ." Vert fell silent for a moment. "They are only formidable foes up until the moment at which you recognize what they are trying to do and overcome their influence," she said. "As I said, it's a game, and they make no attempt at treating it otherwise. It is a sadistic game . . ." She took a sip of water. ". . . but a game nonetheless."

 

Vert fiddled with the damaged glasses on her bedside table. "At any rate, they were very clear about their fates once they are defeated," she said after a moment. "Both in their words and in what happened to them. It's as if they lose control of their powers and are disintegrated into nothing--Lust, for instance, was electrocuted by her own powers when she vanished. And as far as I know, that's it--once they are gone, they're gone. So I do not know what their true motivations are, nor how essentially committing suicide benefits them in any way, and I cannot begin to speculate what the point in any of it is. But you're probably right in that there is something behind it all."

 

"You keep on mentioning that they talked to you," Sonja said. "Did they say where they came from?" Vert gave her a look. "It just seems odd that they're just now appearing and attacking people, completely out of nowhere."

 

"They are not totally unnatural, if that's what you're getting at," Vert said. "At least not in the sense that they come from another dimension, or another time, or anything like that. Lust and Greed said that they used to have names--human names--so something happened to them to make them what they are now."

 

"But we don't know exactly what," Sonja said. "And we won't know where these potential others will appear until they appear." She sighed. "I guess this means that we don't have to worry about them ourselves unless we start acting sinful. Or can't worry about them, really, seeing as there doesn't seem to be anything we can do about them to begin with."

 

IC - Joker - Blackthorn City, Moreno Estate:

The land was quiet. It was always this way on the outskirts of Blackthorn City, on the hills that overlooked the city, here where the home of the Moreno's dwelt. And here it was that Joker appeared, just on the fringe of the gates and iron-wrought fence that surrounded the mansion. The Shadow Admin ran forward, gripping the metal of the gate and peering through the bars. The day's early sun shone down upon the building, reflecting off the windows and obscuring all that lay within. A chilly calm lay over her home; and from here, it seemed that all remained intact. Had Ford's attack not yet come?

 

"Seer, stay close," she ordered her Alakazam. The Psychic-Type nodded and moved to her side as she walked briskly to the keypad, swiping her key card and entering the unlock code for the gate. A mechanical grinding sounded as the gates opened, rattling all the way. Joker wasted no time in moving through them, immediately coding for the gates to close and lock behind her.

 

The cobblestone path stretched from the gate to the mansion's front entrance. Joker and Seer followed this at a swift pace. The path seemed to stretch on forever, no matter how much time they walked. And so she shifted into a light jog, and then she was running. The greenery passed by on either side without so much as a glance; all Joker could focus on was the house in front of her, the building that silently overlooked the city, the place that slept through unknown danger. She felt as if she had left Seer behind, so frantic was she in her approach.

 

Finally, she was there. Joker panted as she came to a stop at the door, fumbling for her key. The gauntlets she wore were too cumbersome; their cold exterior did little but hide her clammy hands. So she pulled them off, discarding the devices. Without them, the key appeared within seconds, and in half that time, she had unlocked the door, throwing it open and jumping into the main lobby. The Moreno estate remained as quiet as ever; not a soul stirred within her sight, and not a sound traveled that did not arise from her own actions.

 

"Sam!" she yelled, her voice reverberating on the high walls and ceiling. "Will!" No one answered. Her face was pale. She knew it was, even without the worried look that Seer was giving her. Joker's boots clattered on the floor as she ran to the stairs, continuing to call out her children's names. The Shadow Admin was not entirely certain of what to do. Certainly, finding them like this was not that efficient. She needed to send out her team, have them search the entire building, find her children and get them out.

 

At the top of the stairs, a hallway door opened. Joker came to an abrupt stop, reaching for another Poké Ball on her belt in case she needed it.

 

But she didn't.

 

A young boy of eleven emerged from the room. His hair was ruffled from a sleep that had clearly just been disturbed, judging from the pajamas he was wearing. He rubbed a set of purple, almond-shaped eyes with one hand. After coming to a stop in the hall, he looked at Joker, scrunching his tired eyes as if trying to focus on her. "Mom?" he said, barely stifling a yawn. "What're you doing home?"

 

Joker sighed and ran forward, pulling him into a tight hug. "Will! You're okay," she breathed.

 

"I mean . . . yeah?" he said, confused. "Why wouldn't--?"

 

"Where's Sam?"

 

"I don't--?"

 

Joker let him go. "I'll find her," she said, looking past him. "Get dressed and get a bag packed. We need to go." The Shadow Admin was already moving to continue down the hall.

 

"Wait, what?" Will asked, stumbling as he turned to follow her. "Why? What's--?"

 

"Do as you're told," Joker called back sharply, prompting the boy to wince. "I'll explain later. Sam!"

 

"But--"

 

The sound of rapid footsteps on stairs cut him off again, followed by the sudden opening of a door at the end of the hallway. A girl of around sixteen emerged, fully dressed with black slacks and a green button-up shirt. Her short, messy hair--almost the same color as her shirt--hung partially in her face, and did nothing to hide her own confusion. "What's all the shouting about?" Said confusion was quickly replaced by surprise as she saw Joker, and returned to her as the Shadow Admin ran to embrace her. "Mom! You're home for once!" She struggled against her mother's grip. "And a lot more physical than usual!"

 

"Don't say that as if I'm never here," Joker said. She leaned back so that she could look at the girl more directly, her expression changing. The girl almost shuddered at how serious her mother looked. "Listen, we need to go. Pack a bag--just one--then help your brother, and then meet me in the lobby. Understood?"

 

All of the mixed emotion at seeing her mother vanished from Sam's body and face, replaced by a deep concern. "We're going away?" she asked. "Did something--?"

 

"Yes, and I'll explain what's going on once we're out of here," Joker said. She stepped back, dropping her hands from Sam's shoulders. "Stay calm and trust me, and we'll be fine. Okay?" Sam nodded. "Good girl. Now go."

 

Sam turned and hurried up the stairs. Joker turned and started back down the hallway, where Will still stood. As she passed by, the Shadow Admin ruffled his hair, reminding him to get moving before heading downstairs herself. She saw him go back into his room as she descended, returning as quickly as she could to the lobby. Seer had not moved, having taken up a position near the entrance in order to scan for any approaching threats. He peered uncertainly through the windows.

 

"Anything yet?" Seer shook his head. Joker frowned. She strode to the next window, staring out at the expansive walkway. The silence hanging on the air was thick enough to cut. It made her uneasy, and she silently pressed the two adolescents upstairs to hurry.

 

At that moment, directly above her position, a crash sounded.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Parugi

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

"So they're just ordinary people who obtained powers and adopted the Sin moniker?" Ryan scratched his head, trying to piece thing together. He glanced at Sonja. "At least now we know a little more about them," he said. "Even if they don't target any of us, if we happen to come across someone facing them, we could at least prevent another disaster like what happened to Team Galactic." He gave Sonja a reassuring smile, hoping to convince her this conversation hadn't been completely pointless, before turning back to Vert. "Any idea who these people were before they started calling themselves Sins? I mean, if they were all from the same town or something, that might give us a clue as to how they became... whatever it is they are now."

 

OOC: George IC will come later when I have a bit more time.

Edited January 15, 2015 by Konuju

[Parugi]

IC - Sonja Baron/Meghan Vert - The Alamo, Infirmary:

 

Team Galactic had an entire organization at their disposal, Sonja silently pointed out. Somehow, I don't think we'd be of much help if whoever was attacking decided that they didn't like how things were turning out . . .

 

Nonetheless, she nodded, looking away.

 

"I haven't gotten a chance to look into their backgrounds," Vert answered. She glanced at the door, behind which Executive Ladon still lurked, and sighed. "Somehow, I don't think I'm going to get a chance to anytime soon, what with my Executive access removed and all." The scientist glanced at the three trainers in front of her. "And yet, perhaps you could . . ."

 

"If you give us the names, we'll look into them," Sonja said. "It needs to be done."

 

Vert remained silent for a moment, contemplating this. "All right," she said, lips easing into a smile. "Melissa and Melanie Garven. If I remember correctly, Melanie was Lust, Melissa was Greed. Unfortunately, that's all I can give you."

 

Sonja opened up her Pokétch and wrote down the names. "That's fine," she said. The Liberty Agent looked back up at Vert, pausing. "Out of curiosity, why aren't you an Executive anymore, Vert?"

 

The smile vanished, replaced with a flat, almost annoyed expression. "Let's just say that Team Liberty's leadership is uncomfortable with pursuing unordinary methods of combat," she said. The former Executive sighed. "It seems odd, considering the lengths they were willing to go to not even a year ago--convincing Ho-Oh to abandon its purpose just for the sake of using its power against Team Rocket, for instance--but I suppose the finer lines of hypocrisy are only visible from an objective point of view. At any rate, I'm beginning to tire, so unless there is something else that you need answered, I think I would like a return to almost-solitude."

 

IC - Joker/Sam Moreno/Will Moreno - Blackthorn City, Moreno Estate:

 

It seemed the attack had come at last, the assailant having somehow gained access to the upper-floor in order to directly assault her children--just as Ford had threatened. Joker and Seer thundered up the steps, the Shadow Admin already pulling two more Poké Balls off of her belt. If the Shadowed Man thought that his men could so easily break into her home and injured her family . . . Well, needless to say that she would allow neither of those transgressions to pass by unpunished. The instincts to kill had not been this powerful since her initial contact with Adams. And now, with the threat of loss once again looming above her, she would not hesitate to put those instincts into action.

 

She slowed at the top of the stairs.

 

The commotion had come from the end of the hall, in the doorway of the staircase that led up to Sam's room. The door stood wide open, and Sam rested against several of the steps that it had previously concealed, grimacing in pain with both hands clutched around her right knee. Will kneeled in front of her on one knee, hands held over her ankle. A soft, pink glow surrounded his palms, a concentration of psychic energy that he appeared to be directing toward her. Joker, coming to her senses, hurried forward, leaving Seer to guard the stairs. She replaced the Poké Balls on her belt again, coming to a slow stop beside her son.

 

He did not so much as glance at her, so focused was he on his task. "She fell down the stairs," Will explained, his usual airy tone completely nonchalant. The boy appeared more awake now than when Joker had seen him before, and yet he seemed no more energetic than he had then. "Again."

 

"You act like that happens all the time," Sam muttered through gritted teeth. She appeared to be handling the pain quite well, all things considered; if anything, the nervous glances she was throwing to her bag seemed to indicate that she was more concerned with the safety of her laptop than her own health.

 

"It doesn't?" Will asked. He eased his hands away from her ankle, the pink glow dissipating into the air. "That should help until a doctor can look at it."

 

Sam sighed. "You could at least make it sound like an occasion . . ." she said. "But, thanks." She looked up at her mother, noticing just how pale and utterly agitated she looked. Sam dropped her gaze to the ground. "Sorry. Those steps are slippery."

 

"It's fine," Joker said. "We only need to get outside the gate, past the field. Are you good to walk?"

 

"I'm not that good, mom," Will said. "I wouldn't advise it."

 

"I couldn't stand on it even if you did," Sam agreed, then quickly added another "Sorry." She began rummaging through her bag. "Cacturne should be able to help me out--I really just need a should--" She abruptly cut herself off as Joker gently took her by the arm, offering her own shoulder and helping her up. Sam awkwardly slid her other arm through the straps of her backpack, dropping it down to her back and holding onto it as she struggled to maintain balance on her good foot.

 

"Are you all packed?" Joker asked Will. The boy nodded, adjusting his own backpack. "Then there's no time to lose. Come on."

 

She led the kids back toward the stairs, where Seer waited for them. The Alakazam led the way down, followed by Will, and then Joker and Sam. It was slow-going, and Joker could not help but count every second they spent on the steps. She continued to glance about, watching for any sign of approaching danger. Grimly, she noted that if this were a situation involving only herself and her Pokémon, she might not be as concerned. But as things stood, the weight of having to protect two kids who had previously never had to worry about any such danger . . .

 

It was the unfamiliarity of the situation that was getting to her, and she couldn't help but note that Sam was noticing it just as much as she was.

 

Finally, they reached the lobby. And it was there--three steps behind Seer and Will--that the danger finally revealed itself.

 

A blanket of shadow was descending upon the building, rapidly obscuring everything beyond the front porch. As it began to take hold, so, too, did wisps of darkness begin to seep into the house, converging in the middle of the doorway. The shadows piled and twisted together, forming the shape of something Joker had hoped to avoid seeing again. Before long, blackness gave way to color, revealing red and white beneath the darkness. And as the Darkrai opened its eyes, a bright, sickly green joined the mix.

 

Will and Sam froze at the sight--not that the latter had much choice, given that her mother had all but stopped moving. She stared, dumbstruck, at the Nightmare Pokémon, only forcing herself to look away from it and at Joker after several moments. "Mom?" she said. "Is . . . Is that . . .?"

 

"The reason we're leaving," Joker said. "To get you two away from this." She eased forward, gently helping Sam move further down the steps until they had joined Seer and Will on the lobby floor. Will backed up until he was standing beside his sister, gripping her free hand for support even as he continued to silently stare at the Dark-Type. Joker glanced down at him, and then back at Sam.

 

Ahead, the Darkrai floated forward a foot, silently raising a hand. Shadows gathered in its palm; a moment later, a blanket of darkness swept forth, aiming to consume the Moreno family . . .

Edited January 17, 2015 by Parugi

[otter]

IC:

 

"I think splitting up would be a bad idea," Elijah said, his Pokemon nodding vigorously along with him. "If only because we don't know the place, and we don't know what's in there. Safety in numbers, y'know?"
 

[Ehksidian]

IC: Arius Jacobson

"Yeah, especially with the so-called 'nutters' running around. I really don't think splitting up would be a good idea."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Jamie)

During the time after Jamie had successfully sunk into the background a fair degree. She had desired this for two reasons. Reason one was so she could debate with herself in her head about which family had the stranger situation, Lucia’s or her own. In the end, Jamie decided that the Arthurs’ would have to concede. In truth, Jamie would have preferred to have the gap either be widened so that she could have a relatively normal family life (as much as one gets with a clone), or the Arthur’s to have won so that Lucia wouldn’t need to be pulled into what sounded like quite a mess. At the same time, she felt awful that she was not more help in being comfort to Lucia.

The second reason was that, as her cover story held, was that she was back in Celadon, which she still knew about as much as she did about computer hacking, which was that James knew both like of his hands. However, considering that she was supposedly back home, if she volunteered no information, she considered that equally likely to be suspicious, and thus opened her mouth to speak.

“I know that some of the more… filthier parts of the city are famous, or rather infamous, for their populations of Koffing and Grimer. Especially some of the ponds on the,” she paused for a moment as she racked her brain for what James had told her of Celadon and what she read on it, “west side, south of the…” she paused a second time, because the main landmark she knew to use to navigate Celadon was the one where present company had started a criminal career “Department Store.”

[Franco]

OOC: Funny how the OOC-IC boundary works; IC I am receiving an apology, and OOC I am apologizing to you. I can only say that I've been inundated with applications the past few weeks. 

 

IC: Cero retrieved the wounded Lillipup absently, taking the prizes with a quiet "thanks." On the plus side, he had done well, and if the prizes had any financial significance he would be better off. But he did not know if he would have won that fight. And that was a completely bad thing. Assuming his mistakes and his opponent's were equal, then he would have said his team's performance was mediocre. Both him and his companions had to improve more, as Leviathan and now this showed. He needed to do well enough. Only then would he honor the name of Team Magma, or his own...

 

Kyle snapped him out of that thought. "Yes, it's fine," Cero replied abruptly. "A rematch would be nice...sometime." A thought struck him. "Say, where are you going?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette/Jayron==-

 

Colette picked up her pace as she continued down the tunnel. She was hoping that this would be it; that they'd found her. But yet, she had this gut feeling that she was wrong about that hope, and as they climbed up into the next chamber, she understood why.

"Alexa!" Colette called out, and then frowned, as there was no response. "Not here either, huh...?" Colette grimaced slightly, as she looked to where they'd expected the markings to be.

'WEEPTH'

"Whoever named these places were both crafty and yet... not." Colette mumbled, as she used her aura sphere to light up the rest of the chamber more, wondering if there was anything odd about this place.

"Monean, Liptoo, and Weepth," Jayron muttered. "Each name is as incomprehensible as the last. The chamber itself was roughly the size and shape as the last one. "At least the fog is gone," the executive said. He extended his aura for a brief moment. "Still can't sense anything out of the usual. Well, usual for this place."

Colette nodded, as she slowly moved the light from the aura sphere over the rest of the room. "I get this feeling like we're not alone, though." Colette frowned, and paused, as she refocused the light to one spot, and then looked more confused, as she noticed a Growlithe in about the center of the room. "... Are you seeing this, Jayron...?"

"First a Munna, now a Growlithe." Jayron readied an aura shield. "Careful, this one might have aura powers, too." The Growlithe, however, remained sitting in the center of the room, completely motionless except for its head, which turned as it followed the aura wielders across the room.

Colette frowned, as she looked at the Growlithe closely. "Hmm... Does it seem almost... familiar to you?" Colette asked, confused as she couldn't place why it seemed so familiar. However, she tried to look around more, wondering if there was an exit nearby that they could bypass without a fight, since the Growlithe didn't seem to be making any attempts to attack the two of them.

"I don't know," Jayron said as they started walking in a wide circle around the silent Pokémon. "I mean, it's a Growlithe, they're certainly more common around here than Munna, but I don't think--" The moment Jayron stepped halfway across the chamber, the Growlithe opened its mouth and sent a stream of fire toward him. The executive quickly stumbled back, causing the Flamethrower to stop. Jayron glanced at Colette in surprise. "Guess he doesn't want us to go that way."

Colette frowned, as she thought about that. "Well, it's certainly kinder than that Munna, that's for sure..."

Unfortunately, it looks like our next tunnel is on the other half of this chamber, Lucario said. Got any ideas?

Colette thought for a moment, as she considered that. "... Well, we could make a mad dash for the other side, using the pillars as cover..."

 

Jayron stared at Colette like she was crazy. "We need a better strategy than that."

Works for me, Lucario said. You can use your aura shields to help if the pillars fail.

Jayron stared dumbfounded at Lucario. "Not you too!"

Colette pointed to the edges of the walls, and then to the Growlithe. "If we stick to the walls, then it'll take longer for the flames to reach us. If we run quick enough, assuming it has a subtle reaction time delay, then we might just make it."

Jayron shrugged. "Better than nothing, I guess."

The Growlithe watched unmoving as the trio of aura wielders inched their way to the back wall. Colette gave a count of three, then they all made a mad dash for the other side.

Jayron quickly tossed up an aura shield as they neared the halfway point. The Growlithe shot another Flamethrower, but the flames licked harmlessly against the other side of the shield.

"See?" Colette grinned. "That wasn't so--"

A bolt of lightning narrowly missed Colette's head, causing her to shriek. As the Growlithe inched closer, its flames still pressing against Jayron's aura shield, a Manectric stepped out of the shadows, fur crackling with electricity.

Colette took a step back, as she frowned. "Okay, wasn't expecting that..."

"Aqua!" Jayron cried, sending out his Swampert. The water/ground type blasted the Growlithe with a Waterfall before it could get any closer, slamming the canine against a wall. "Where are these Pokemon coming from?" Jayron asked, focusing his shields at the growling Manectric.

Colette frowned. "I'm... not sure. That seemed to be from like the shadows, almost..."

As the Manectric shot a Thunderbolt at the aura wielders, Lucario leaped out in front to take the hit. He countered the attack with a Bone Rush, but it was clear the Manectric's attack had done some damage. Find the next tunnel, Lucario grunted. Quickly!

Colette nodded, and quickly dashed forward again, as she headed in the direction she anticipated the tunnel to be.

[JiMing]

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

"Alright, as the self-appointed leader of this group, I say we won't split up until further notice!" Ruth declared. "Now follow me around the building, we'll find a way inside eventually..."

A trip to the back of the building revealed that one of the windows high up was left open. "Oh hey, a way in!" the trainer said. "Hmm... Now we need to figure out how to reach the window and get inside... Megan, how powerful is your Scolipede? We might need him to do some heavy lifting-err, pushing..."

IC: The Seatons

 

"Don't worry about not being a Pokemon master." Dahlia said, smiling reassuringly. "I'm just a gardener, but every little bit of effort helps. What are you gonna do about Phil, though?" she asked.

 

"We've got people who've been in these situations before, like Zach." Aspen said. "I think as long as the rest of us follow their cues, we should be alright.... Although, we're still gonna need some dumb luck on our side too..." 

"Ryan responded, then?" Olivia asked. "If you need to explain things to him, then yeah, do that.... We need more people here who know what they're doing..."

 

"You've chosen to fight." Aria noted, using her psychic powers to pick up the shattered salad bowl and discard it for Natalie. "And yet, you are one person. Perhaps you could convince the management to send a message over the intercom, but that still wouldn't reach many people..." the Lucario muttered, turning to Palmer. "How great are your Cresselia's abilities? Perhaps she could broadcast a message to most individuals of the city, and you could use your celebrity status to convince the rest."

Edited January 20, 2015 by Toru Acura: The Saboteur

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan
Ryan barely heard Vert's explanation as to why she was no longer an executive. Her and Sonja's words sounded like they were coming from somewhere far away. The Liberty agent slowly backed up until his back was against the wall next to the door, the color drained from his face. In a shaky voice he repeated the names Vert had given him. "Melissa and Melanie Garven... That... t-that can't be."
 
He suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. He brought a hand to his head as he nodded his thanks to Vert. "W-we'd better get going, actually. Um... get well soon." Without waiting for Sonja or Ray, he quickly slipped out the door and started walking briskly down the hall, muttering to himself. "Melissa and Melanie... there's no way... how could they..." He paused, leaning a hand on the wall for support.
 
IC: Dack
"Go ahead," Dack said to Zach. "The more help we can get, the better. When you're done with that, we should decide what our newly-recruited waitress here should do."
 
Natalie nodded. "Phil... he needs to know." She pulled out her Pokégear and began sending a message to her fiance. She glanced at Zach. "If Phil wants to fight, I ask that he be allowed to fight at my side."
 
The Ultra Ball on Palmer's belt shook as the Lunar Pokémon made her presence known. You and I could work together, Lucario, along with Amethyst, to inform the citizens of Celadon.
 
"Cresselia has a good point," Palmer said. "She may be legendary, but she's not that good."
 
 
IC: George
George watched as Dandy and Razorface effortlessly moved all the boulders into their spots. "That was fast," he said. The moment the words were out of his mouth, a low rumble shook the chamber, causing dust to fall from the cracks in the ceiling. A portion of the rock on the farthest wall fell away, revealing a single word carved into its face:
 
'TANOBY.'
 
"Interesting," George said, walking up to the carving. "Tanoby... that's the name of the ruins at the southern tip of this island. I wonder if they're related." The policeman frowned. "I'd have hoped to find something here, but it seems whatever happened when you solved that puzzle happened at the Tanoby Ruins. But why would the energy surge have come from here, I wonder?"
 
IC: Jayron/Colette
Jayron and Colette were desperately trying to find the tunnel when a sudden earthquake knocked them off their feet. Aqua was able to hold her ground, but the quake shook Lucario into another one of Manectric's Thunderbolts. Jayron picked himself up, sure the sudden tremor must have knocked the Manectric down as well. Instead, it seemed almost rejuvenated. Brimming with energy, it aimed a Zap Cannon at the fallen aura wielders. Jayron quickly rolled away, just in time to see the Growlithe dashing toward Colette with Flame Charge. As the flames enveloped the small pup, a white glow enveloped it as well.

Colette stepped back in shocked, as she rolled to the side. "Tell me it's not about to do what I think it's about to do..." Colette said with a frown, as she quickly sent out Myriam and Kammy to help.

The Growlithe leapt into the air, its form changing into one three times its former size. The newly-evolved Arcanine directed its attack toward Colette and her Pokémon, its movements becoming even faster despite its larger body.

Colette frowned, as she jumped back. "Yep. It did." She sighed as she summoned an aura sphere quickly, and then flung it at the new Arcanine, even as Myriam and Kammy focused their attacks on the same target; Kammy using a Bubble, and Myriam a Force Palm.

The combined attacks were enough to deflect the Arcanine's attack. But it quickly retaliated with a Fire Spin, the flames that once enveloped its own body moving to encircle its three opponents.

Meanwhile, Aqua struck the Manectric with a Hammer Arm before it could stampede over Jayron. The executive scrambled to his feet, helping Lucario up as well. "Did they just get a boost of energy from somewhere?" he asked. Finding its electric moves ineffective, the Manectric resorted to Crunching the Swampert. Bad idea. Aqua swung her arm -- Manectric still attached -- right into Lucario's waiting Aura Sphere. The combo sent the Manectric flying across the chamber.

Colette barely rolled out of the way of the flames; but Kammy and Myriam were still trapped inside. "I think so... But from where?" Colette frowned deeply, as she quickly sent out Vivian, and had the Clauncher send off a Water Pulse at the Arcanin, intending to try and take the Pokémon down before it could do any further damage.

The Arcanine growled at Vivian, backing away from the Water Pulse. But even as it did so, a Thunderbolt struck the Clauncher from behind. Before Jayron could react, the Manectric had rammed into Aqua with Take Down, sending her tumbling into the Arcanine's Fire Spin. "Geez, that thing is fast!" Jayron cried. "I thought it was down!"

Colette focused, as she tried to figure out a plan. What do we do, what do we do...? Colette looked around in exasperation, and had no clue right then, since she seemed hard countered no matter what she did. "Any ideas, Jayron?!"

Jayron whirled around, trying to follow the lightning-fast Manectric. "We have to match its speed," he said. Taking the cue, Lucario used Extremespeed, following right behind the Manectric.

What now? Lucario asked.

"Um... try and use its speed against it," Jayron suggested. "Colette, your Pokemon may be trapped, but you can still keep the Arcanine busy."

Colette nodded, as she thought for a moment. "Alright, keep it up, Kammy, Vivian, Myriam!" Colette called out, as the three used their best attacks that could counter the Arcanine and its Fire Spin.

Lucario and Manectric were little more than a blur as the two rushed around the chamber. The Manectric started to glow as it charged up another Zap Cannon aimed at Vivian. Lucario quickly changed his course, grabbing the Arcanine and throwing it between the Manectric and its prey. The Arcanine howled in pain as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through its body. Even as the Manectric realized its mistake, Lucario hit it with a volley of Aura Spheres, attempting to take it down as well.

Colette took her chance, and quickly acted, as she attempted to fling two Aura Spheres at the two opponents; hoping this would take them down for good this time.

The Manectric fell to the ground, stunned. The Arcanine whimpered, looking down at Colette with big puppy dog eyes before dragging its fainted partner into the shadows.

Colette looked over at the Arcanine in confusion. "... That..." Colette watched, shocked at what happened, as she watched the two go into the shadows, and then looked over at Jayron with a grim frown. "How can this be? How?" Colette asked, half in confusion and half utterly stunned. "... Was that... Amber...?"

Jayron frowned, recalling his Pokémon as Colette did the same. "That's impossible. Amber was still at the house when we left, remember? It was just another Growlithe who happened to look like Amber."

Colette nodded, but frowned. "The look it gave me, though; and the familiarity I got from it, I just..." Colette was at a loss for words; she knew Amber had still been at the house, but yet she was positive this was her, and... Colette shook her head, as she frowned. "Something odd's going on, but that likely was just another similar Growlithe..." Colette mumbled, but yet, she still didn't totally believe it.

"Don't let it get to your head," Jayron warned. "Here, this is the next tunnel. Let's hope Alexa's in this next one; I can't take too much more of this." Colette nodded, as they headed toward the next tunnel.

[Parugi]

OOC: Mangs: Understandable. Sometimes I forget how young you actually are. X3

 

IC - Sonja Baron/Meghan Vert - The Alamo, Infirmary:

 

No one quite knew how to react to Ryan's sudden departure. Sonja and Vert both stared after him, completely different emotions present in their faces--one very concerned, one idly intrigued.

 

"I wonder what that was about . . ." Vert muttered. "Agent Sanders never struck me as someone possessing such extreme reactions to such small stimuli . . ."

 

"You haven't hung out with him enough recently," is what Sonja wanted to say. Instead, she merely looked at the ex-Executive, a small frown on her face. "Thank you for your time," she actually said. "And I hope you have a speedy recovery." Sonja turned on her heel and followed after Ryan, gesturing for Ray to follow. Outside, she offered a quick smile to Executive Ladon as the passed, who offered a short nod in turn before resuming her guard position inside of Vert's hospital room.

 

"Seriously, though," Sonja said quietly to Ray as they walked. "What was that? Ryan!" They turned the corner to find him leaning against the wall, evidently barely able to support himself. "What's wrong?"

 

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner/Skye Hall - Celadon City, Aunt Stacy's House:

 

"Sounds like as good a place as any to start," Gavin said. He nodded to Ethan and Skye, and then gave a short wave to the others as the trio moved to leave. "We'll catch you all later."

 

Gavin wasn't sure about Ethan or Skye, but to him, it didn't sound like Jamie was very confident in her answer. Was that because she hadn't been to Celadon for any significant amount of time in the near-past? He didn't know. Either way, he felt no need to voice this thought. If they really ended up needing directions or suggestions, there were always maps that they could look at . . .

 

IC - Kyle Eston - Lumiose City, Streets:

 

"Glad you're not bitter," Kyle said, lips twitching with the threat of a smile. He glanced down at his Pokétch again. "Where are we going? That's a good question . . ." He rubbed his head, thinking. "Right at this moment, I'm going to the train station. But beyond that, I don't know. Neither Esen nor I have been to Kalos before, so we're sort of playing things by ear. She might be deciding that now, to be honest."

Edited January 20, 2015 by Parugi

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray watched as Ryan reacted to the names, and then followed as Sonja left the room.

"Seriously though? What was that?" Ray heard Sonja say, as they found Ryan trying to keep himself standing against the wall. Ray frowned at Ryan, as he crossed his arms.

"You knew them, didn't you?" Ray asked Ryan, as there was no other reason that Ray could think, that Ryan would react so badly to the names of the two of them.

 

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach nodded, and then quickly sent off a reply to Ryan, and then looked up at Natalie, and nodded.

"Sounds good to me. We'll all protect Celadon... Together." Zach said with a smile.

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan stayed quiet, though looked over as Jamie seemed hesitant. However, before he could comment or think about it, his pokegear beeped, and he noticed that another reply had come through.

"Celadon is in trouble. We're at the Olivine Garden; but we need all the help we can get." Ryan looked up, as Lucia seemed to be intrigued about what Ryan was reading.

"What's up?" Lucia asked, as ryan's expression was more grim than he probably expected.

"Apparently something's up. Zach says there's trouble or something; I was gonna go check it out." Ryan said, as he stood up, and Lucia scratched her head, and then sighed with a shrug.

"Well, trouble seems to follow us anyway, so, I might as well come. Jamie, what about you?" Lucia asked, as she looked over to the other girl.