Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

Ryan paled when the Gardevoir suggested teleporting, his stomach already feeling queasy at the mere thought. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when Ray shot down the idea. As important as it was to reach Colette as soon as they could, Ryan was not willing to go through the disorientation of teleportation, especially after the Gardevoir had listed off all the reasons it could go wrong. It was Evan's dynamic pose that brought Ryan back to his senses. The trainer chuckled, watching Xander's reaction in amusement.

 

"Well then," Paul finally said. "If we're all ready, let's not waste anymore time."

 

"Agreed." Ryan nodded and headed to the door, Togie hovering at his side.

 

***

 

Two days ago the group had ridden from Lilycove to Fortree on the backs of their Pokémon. This time they chose to walk, for two reasons. The first was the reason he told Xander and Paul: he had checked the docking times, and the boat to Four Island out of Lilycove wasn't scheduled to leave until that afternoon, so they had time. The real reason, however, was that he didn't trust Paul, and to an extent, Xander, with the fact that the Pokémon they had used previously were Legendary Pokémon. A pair of Entei, to be exact. If they ever got into a tight situation, those Entei would be their trump card. He couldn't afford to reveal them just yet. Evan, Jenny, and Ray seemed to understand.

 

The unintentional third advantage to walking over riding was that they had more of a chance to appreciate the natural beauty of the route. Tall grass spread up all around them and the sunlight reflected off a crystal clear lake as Ryan led the group over a wooden bridge. The Liberty agent allowed himself a brief smile as he took in the fresh air. For once, it seemed they had a glimmer of hope.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

A click behind them showed that there was in fact a problem. "Tried to meddle, huh?" A fifth person asked. Zac whirled around, and frowned, as he took a defensive pose, noticing the black haired guy behind them.

 

"... Any ideas...?" Zac asked, as he stepped closer to the other two, to make sure they weren't separated.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury

Mercury sighed. Why couldn't anything ever be easy? "A couple ideas. They mainly involve us all being incredibly talented fighters." Well, he and Anubis at least covered that, and he didn't doubt Aolani and Shadows' capabilities at all.

 

As he thought of it, he let his aura flow into his hands, ready to form into spheres at need. "We aren't meddling," he said to the guy behind them. "We don't even know what you're doing, so how could we meddle?" Frankly, it would be easier to go outside, still. They could fight through one guy easier than they could fight five in an enclosed space.

 

He just wished he could communicate with the others the same way Anubis could. As it was, he would end up shouting orders and leading by example if it came to a real fight.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny smiled, as she looked around at the scenery. "Everything's so pretty here..." She mumbled, as she sighed. Why did things always seem so pretty when the situation was dire? The girl looked up confidently, however, as she was certain nothing worse could happen.

 

Ray, on the other hand, was distracted through and through. He was looking down at the road, and seemed temporarily lost in thought every so often, but kept frowning over seemingly nothing...

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"Isn't it just?" Evan said as he walked alongside Jenny, his smile tired but warm. "Despite all that has happened, the view has never looked more beautiful. Especially when you are in it."

 

"It really is, isn't it, Evan? Landorus spoke into Evan's mind, trying to keep himself from being detected by the newcomers. Evan nodded in reply, making sure not to lose what footing he had at the moment. The Hero of Space looked around in awe of how much there was to take in, still smiling.....

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

The undercover Ranger paused. She, Mercury, Zac, and their Pokemon had just been found out, and were stuck at the moment, with a strange man holding them up. Lachina desperately thought of a way out of the situation while keeping her breathing steady... Until she realized that a) she wasn't in her Ranger outfit, and b) looked slightly younger than she actually was.

"What meddling...?" she asked in a confused tone, blinking and seeming in shock. "We were just passing by the Gym, and saw the door was open... Why are you glaring at me like that?" the undercover Ranger asked, eyes widening. "Are you... M-mad at me...?" she muttered, feigning being upset.

Edited September 6, 2015 by JiMing

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

Xander nodded softly, smiling. "I've never been outside of Kalos, so this is pretty amazing." He had been awed upon seeing the houses built in Fortree, hanging in the canopies of trees. Out here was even more gorgeous.

 

However, one thing distracted him from the beauty. That was Sylph finally piecing together the very obvious thing they had missed. The Gardevoir had politely ignored Ryan's secretive thoughts. She had smiled at what she called the 'Donphan Conundrum.' Tell someone not to think of Donphan and they would think of nothing but Donphan instantly.

 

However, there was someone in the group who was better at shielding his thoughts-- or had had them shielded. Either way, Sylph came to a stop, tugging on Xander's arm and telling him the secret. The Kalos trainer chewed his lip, wondering how to go about this. It would require tact, and he certainly didn't want anyone to overreact and start another fight.

 

He finally sighed and called out mentally to Ryan. I know we just started, but I think we need to stop for a moment.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

 

"Aww..." One of the other four seemed genuinely worried as he stepped forward. "Was the outer alarm accidentally tripped? I'm sorry, little girl, we didn't mean to sca-" The guy was cut off, as the black haired man furrowed his brow.

 

"Don't play innocent with me, kid. You think I didn't see you all snooping around before you walked in here?" The guy smirked, as he walked forward. Zac took up a defensive position, as the guy turned his glare to him. "You're the rat we ran into earlier! Bumped into us, and said it was an accident..." The man scoffed as he narrowed his eyes. "They know too much; they've already seen us here. We have to get rid of them." He said, as he sent out a Bisharp quickly.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury and Anubis

Mercury sighed. "If this is the way you want to do it." Anubis spun to face the Bisharp, baring his teeth. He had a double type advantage against the Sword Blade pokémon, so this fight should be easy. The Lucario moved in front of his trainer, launching a pure Aura Sphere at the Bisharp. As the blue ball homed in on the opponent, Anubis moved forward, cocking a fist back for a Power-up Punch.

 

Seeing that Anubis did not need his instructions, Mercury turned on the other thugs, stepping between them and Lachina. Silver fire swirled around his hands, forming into two smaller Aura Spheres. Without giving them time to reach for pokéballs, he flung them forward, aiming at the two closest to him.

 

If it was a fight these guys wanted, they would get more than they bargained for.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

Upon hearing Xander's voice in his head, Ryan stopped suddenly and turned around, prompting Paul to nearly run into him. "What is it?" the blacksmith asked gruffly. "Why'd we stop?"

 

Ryan held up a hand for Paul to be quiet, as he looked directly at Xander. "What's wrong?" he asked with a frown. The concern in the boy's mental voice had worried him. Reaching a hand toward the Pokéballs resting on his belt, Ryan quietly scanned his surroundings, wondering if they were walking into an ambush.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny/Ray==-

 

"Yeah..." Jenny paused with a blink, and then giggled as she realized what Evan was said, and smiled amusedly at him. "Oh, you. Same when you're in it, though." She replied, but then paused, as she noticed the group stop. "Is something wrong?" She asked, as she frowned, and wondered just what caused them all to already stop.

 

Ray frowned as well, as he tilted his head. He didn't think there could be an ambush, but something seemed odd about what had just happened. Why did we stop...? It doesn't seem logical... COuld there actually be enemies? Did the Gardevoir sense them? Or is it just... for nothing?

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

Evan blushed at Jenny's reply as he smiled warmly at her. He was going to say something, when he noticed the group had halted. There was no real danger that Evan could see that would require them to stop. Nothing as far as he could see, anyways.......

 

"What's up?" Evan asked, mild concern creeping across his face.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander

Xander rubbed the back of his neck. "I've felt like I was missing something all morning, and now i realize what it is. Paul either missed it, or is graceful enough to let it drop." Doubtful, he thought. "Yesterday, when we were under the bridge... Well..." He really couldn't think of a tactful way to say it.

 

Sylph sighed, closing her eyes and sending out a short memory. Tyler McKinley, talking under the bridge. "I can tell you one thing," he said. "Sonja and Ray had that same reaction until they heard my side of the story. And now they're both on board to help us out. Sixth and Seventh Children, respectively" Sylph looked at Ray. You've been deceiving your friends. Perhaps you think it's for the greater good. Perhaps you would have told them if you were able.

 

She shrugged. Either way, we feel that this matter should be resolved now, instead of it coming to light later on. Let's try not to solve it with slaps to the face, though, she added with a glance towards Evan.

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

"...Well it was worth a shot." Lachina sighed, as the battle started. She turned to Aolani, whose eyes lit up at the prospect of being able to fight once more. The Ranger sighed, and nodded, covering her hands with her ears, and quickly shouting for Mercury and Zac to do the same.

A moment later, the Altaria let loose an earsplitting screech, directing it to the Bisharp. During the aftermath of the attack as Aolani charged the Bisharp, Lachina dashed forward quickly and reached out for a goon's arm, tossing them on their back if she was capable of doing so

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

Ryan stared at Ray in shock. Very slowly, he walked up to the Separatist and looked him squarely in the eye. "Is this true, Ray?" he asked quietly. "Did you make a deal with that devil? Why didn't you tell us?"

 

"That's right," Paul said as McKinley's words came back to him. "I don't know what your reasons for joining Ford were, but I hope you realize it was your decision that influenced Ellen to follow in your footsteps."

 

"Sonja, I at least can understand," Ryan said, trying to remain calm. "She has her sister. Even Ellen, I get that she wanted to end the war. But why you? What could you possibly hope to gain from helping Ford?"

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan was shocked. He really did not know how to feel. How to feel about one of his best friends, being on the side of the enemy they had to fight. How to feel knowing that, as Ryan said, Ray may have made a deal with the devil. However, despite his shock, he also knew that Ray didn't have a chance to explain himself....

"Ryan, before you act like a Rhyhorn and charge into this blindly....." Evan said sternly as he walked between Ray and Ryan. "I think we should give Ray a chance to talk to us. There has to be a reason for his actions. He may be a hot-head, but Ray's also our friend. I have a feeling, that nothing is as it seems right now."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie - Celadon City
 
The word "decrypt" caused Pelleas to perk up. He knew that word, it was one he'd only heard from his old trainer, but he knew he heard that term before.
 
"Right," Jamie said as response to both Ethan and Gavin's statements. "We should meet up at the Chapel later. Maybe someone there can decrypt it. Until then," Jamie started to wave her hand to say goodbye when something caught her attention.
 
Pelleas was jumping up and down and making a ton of noise with his wings, trying to catch everyone's attention. When the four Rockets' eyes were firmly upon him, he started to trying to depict the elder Arthur at his computer, but a Heracross trying to portray a gentleman typing on his computer was harder than it sounds. As it was, it looked more like he was trying to do the safety dance.
 
"You can dance, if you want to," Ethan said. "But I'm not sure what we're supposed to be getting from this."

"What is the matter Pelleas? You are not offering to decode our mystery information for us, are you?" Jamie jested.
 
The Heracross face-palmed, he was apparently terrible at charades. Good to know. Jamie took pity on her poor dad and sent out Grummore to serve as translator.
 
Grummore looked a little grumpy as he got sent out of the Pokeball. Jamie pointed him towards the Heracross, who was thankful for the help.
 
Pelleas keeps insisting that a 'James Arthur' was a 'total whiz' with computers and 'tech stuff' and had knowledge on decryptions, Grummore transmitted via telepathy to the three other agents.
 
Gavin and Ethan exchanged looks, before the latter turned to Jamie. "Thoughts?"
 
"This is the first I have heard of it. Though as much as I hate to admit it, Pelleas knows my brother better than I do. So it is fully possible. What do you think? Should I try and have him take a look at the data?"
 
"Yeah--here," Ethan said, passing Jamie the drive. "See if he's at least willing to give it a shot. If not, let us know and we can come pick it back up. Lucia, you ought to go with her." He nodded to Gavin. "In the meantime, we'll head back to Chapel and report what we've learned to Joker or Sleight or whoever else is around. The sooner we can get them updated, the better prepared we'll be to finally sort out this Ford business."
 
"Fair warning," Jamie said as she took the flash drive. "My brother is a defector to Team Liberty, just so you are aware."

 

"As long as he shares whatever information is on that flash drive, I'm not too concerned about whether he's Rocket or Liberty," Ethan replied. "At this point, I'm not even sure they can really be considered separate groups anymore." He fell silent for a moment. "Regardless, we'd all better get going before something else happens."

 

Jamie nodded, "We will see you at Chapel then," she waved farewell to her two fellows and turned to head towards the general direction of the Pokemon Center.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zac Blazer==-

 

Things were going fine up until the Bisharp was about to be hit by the Aura Sphere. As the sphere was about to connect, the Bisharp ducked under it, and leaped forward in a swift and fluid motion as the Altaria let loose a screech. The Bisharp winced as he felt the damaging effects of the Hyper Voice hit him, but still shot his fist out in a Sucker Punch toward the Lucario. The Bisharp may have had the disadvantage in typing; but it appeared there was more to it than met the eye.

 

Two of the thugs were hit by the aura spheres, and sent flying back, but that still had left three, two of whom sent out a Volcarona and a Walrein. As the young girl grabbed the arm of the person in question, he looked surprised, before ending up on his back. As he groaned, the black haired door guard walked up closer to them, not seeming to care about what was going on.

 

Zac grit his teeth, as he sent out his Z-Pup. The Growlithe looked around the situation, and growled as he noticed the situation. However, he also realized that at the moment, there was no way for him to attack without hitting others, and looked worriedly between his master and his new friends.

 

-==IC: Jenny/Ray==-

 

Jenny whirled and looked at her brother in surprise. This seemed all too weird and sudden, but yet, something seemed off. Something seemed not right. Why would he be so upset, if...

 

Ray seemed surprised for the first few seconds, but that appeared to change, as he simply seemed resigned, and the look on his face appeared as if he was not happy about the stuff he had been roped into. However, as he opened his mouth, he would find he was not able to piece together what he wanted to say. He tried his best, but even as he tried to think about it then for more than a moment, he found his thoughts to just be blank. His face turned to one of pure confusion as he tried and failed to explain.

 

"... That's why, isn't it?" Jenny said finally, as something popped into her mind. "That's why you vanished, isn't it? Back when we first got back to the Alamo. And you seemed extra angry at that guy when he showed up to take Sonja... What was his name again?" The girl slowly asked, as she tried to test her theory.

"McKinley can die for all I care." Ray said, as his confusion turned to one of annoyance toward the Ford agent. However, he again turned to a resigned look, as he realized McKinley really had done what he said to prevent him from talking. "... I'm sorry..." Ray said, as he walked over to Evan. "In case anything happens... please look after Byakuya and Magma." He said, as he tried to use a codename for the Entei he had actually given Evan to hold onto, so that nothing could go wrong there.

 

Jenny watched what had happened, but frowned slightly. Something seemed off about that. She figured he had given two Pokemon to cover up the Entei... but why Byakuya? She recalled now that Zangetsu was his starter; the Pokemon he had gotten the year before she was taken away. So why didn't he try to save him? Why Byakuya? No matter how much she puzzled it, though, she just couldn't make sense of it. However, after he had finished talking, Ray had once again fallen silent. Something was just off about all this.

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia waved to Ethan and Gavin as she stayed lost in thought. Why had all this happened? So many things were going wrong, but she just didn't know what to do about it. She also didn't know how to bring up James' abilities; she was surprised at the fact that he was a computer whiz, but agreed that he might have been a good person to ask to decrypt the key if Pelleas was right. But something seemed off, and she got the feeling that asking more right now wouldn't be a good idea. So, instead, she just stayed quiet for a moment.

 

"Heya..." She finally said, as she looked over to Jamie with a small smile. She wasn't sure what to say, but didn't want to actually keep up the silence, wondering if Jamie wanted to talk at all.

Edited September 6, 2015 by An/A Blade

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

Much to Ryan's surprise, Ray's reaction was not one of anger or retribution, but rather anguish and resignation. When the Separatist gave two of his prized Pokémon to Evan to hold onto, Ryan's eyes slowly widened as realization dawned on him. "You didn't have a choice, did you?" he asked softly. It made sense; if Ray was going to be an unwitting ally to Ford, giving Evan Byakuya and the newly-codenamed Entei would strip the Shadowed Man of two powerful Pokémon. Not that it would likely make much difference in the long run, but every little bit counted.

 

Paul wasn't so quick to accept this vague explanation. "Nine willing children," he muttered. "That's what McKinley said. Whatever your reasoning for it, you agreed to help Ford out of your own free will. As did Ellen." Paul furrowed his brow, the pain of his loss seeping through his steely eyes. "Why he'd take her as soon as she agreed but leave you for later is beyond me..."

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

As Evan took the two poke balls from Ray, many thoughts swam in his head. Why would Ford take Ellen and Sonja so soon, but leave Ray for later? Why would Ford need nine willing children for his plan? But the question that burned most in Evan's mind was: what would sway Ray to join such a thing willingly?

 

"I'll take care of them." Evan said as he holstered the poke balls to his belt. "I dunno what you got yourself into, Ray, but I want you to know that I'll hope things continue to work out, ok? I still trust you enough to hope for that much......"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury and Anubis

Anubis growled as the Bisharp lunged in for a quick sucker punch. He took the hit and retaliated with his readied Power-up Punch. As he felt his muscles starting to warm up, he hopped away from the Bisharp. The Aura Sphere in the air doubled back on its target, ready to slam into its back.

 

Mercury glared at the new combatants, reaching for his belt and grabbing Oggie's ball. She wouldn't be very maneuverable, but she had a few good moves. He hesitated, however, as he felt something pulse near his hand. The Absol in its locked ball still somehow felt a fight going on. Mercury clenched his fist and pulled off Oggies ball, tossing it into the air and releasing the Lapras.

 

The Absol would make for an unpleasant surprise to their opponents if things went poorly here. As he sent out the aurora pokemon to act as a shield, he moved towards Lachina, kicking her guy in the gut while he was down. He would rather have the guy vomiting than fighting. "So much for saving the excitement, eh?"

 

IC: Xander and Sylph

The Kalos duo watched quietly as everyone reacted to the news. The group seemed to be taking it in stride, and Ray seemed legitimately upset that he hadn't been able to tell anyone. He even handed two pokéballs to Evan, with orders to keep them safe.

 

Still, it would be hard to trust the guy's motives. As Paul said, it took nine willing people. Who was to say that Ray wouldn't turn on them before they could rescue Ellen? Still, if the others were willing to risk it, Xander wouldn't press the matter.

 

He stepped towards Ray, hands shoved in his pockets. "Sorry for doing it that way," he told the redhead.

 

Sylph nodded. We don't normally dish out secrets, but this seemed like pertinent information.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

"I still don't like this." Paul said with a frown. "If he's helping Ford, then Ford essentially knows we plan to try and rescue Ellen and Sonja. Our entire strategy will be compromised the moment Ford takes him away."

 

Ryan stepped between Paul and Ray, Togie perched on his shoulder. "What are you going to do?" he asked Paul. "Send Ray away? Leave him for Ford to pick up whenever he pleases?"

 

"He knows enough already to put our entire mission at jeopardy," Paul growled. "You have a better idea?"

 

"We're not abandoning Ray," Ryan said in defiance. "And we won't let him get taken, either. Think about it. If Ray stays with us, there's a pretty good chance McKinley's going to show that smug face of his again. And I know I'm not the only one who wants to give him a piece of my mind." The Liberty agent turned to face Ray, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We won't let him get you," he said with a confident grin. "Not if I can help it."

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

"Gotta do what we have to in order to not die." Lachina muttered, kicking the sprawled-out goon's temple. She turned her head, and frowned at the black haired main who had locked the door approach them, and held her ground for the moment, looking around as to ensure she wasn't ambushed.

Aolani cried out upon seeing more Pokemon be released, and turned to the Volcarona and Walrein, charging up a Dragon Pulse, and blasted the two of them. The Altaria wasn't very occupied with ensuring their trainers wouldn't be struck, and so made no effort to prevent the goons from ending up in the crossfire.  

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Mini-jam.

 

-==IC: Zac Blazer/Lachina==-

 

Zac grit his teeth, as he slowly backed up more. He didn't like this situation one bit; even though they were doing well so far, they were still outnumbered. He kept hold of his Pokeball that contained his Gallade, but wasn't sure if going all out would actually work in this situation.

 

The black haired man continued to slowly walk toward the three. He nodded to the one remaining person still standing, even as the two who had been hit by aura spheres began to slowly stand up again. The remaining person, however, gripped an object, and threw it toward Lachina.

 

Lachina registered the object hurtling towards her head, and leaned her torso back, the object hurtling past her. She moved back to a neutral position afterwards, splitting her attention between both sides of her.

 

The man had been waiting for this chance. He had positioned himself so the object would fly past, and as Lachina turned, he tried to grab her by the collar of the shirt and lift her up. "What should we even do with these kids? They've seen us, after all. They might go blabbing to someone."

 

The Volcarona and Walrein took the Dragon Pulse head on, and shielded their trainers in the process. The Walrein launched off an Ice Beam to counter, as the Volcarona attempted to launch off a Flamethrower at the Lucario.

 

The Bisharp, however, took the two consecutive hits, and fell to a knee, as he let loose a Metal Sound against the others present.

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray stayed quiet, but nodded. Something bothered him about the mention of the strategy. He couldn't figure out what, but something did. However, it was Jenny who figured it out first, having already been going over every time they saw, or could have seen, the sinister Ford agent.

 

"Xander, Paul, what happened when Ellen was taken?" The girl asked, as she motioned for them to start walking again. As they did, though, Ray stayed toward the back, away from Paul. He didn't like McKinley, and the guy had already broken his promise... But he wasn't sure he could back out now... and if fighting endangered the others... He let his thoughts turn away from his negativity, however, as he thought about the dance, and how everything had gone so wrong so fast.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Anubis and Mercury

Anubis flinched at the Metal Sound, but pressed on in an attempt to knock out the Bisharp. All it would take was one more Aura Sphere. As insurance, he stepped right up to the sword-blade pokémon before releasing the attack point-blank.

 

As he turned towards the rest of the fighting, he roared. A fire attack had just hit him. Normally,he would have taken the hit well, but the Metal Sound had lowered his defenses against such attacks. He staggered forward, clutching at his chest. The fur their had been singed, and he could feel the skin beneath starting to blister.

 

Mercury stepped forward as the black-haired man grabbed Lachina. Holding the ranger girl in the air left him completely exposed. Fool. Mercury came in with a low side-kick towards the side of the guy's knee. If he connected, the knee would likely break.

 

Oggie was on the ground. This was certainly not her natural environment, but her trainer had summoned her, so she would do what she could. First, she decided to moisten up with a Rain Dance. Small clouds formed up at the ceiling of the gym, a light drizzle pouring down on everyone. She then turned and opened her mouth to spray a blast of water at the Volcarona.

 

IC: Xander and Sylph

Xander shook his head. "I met Ellen in Slateport as I was getting off a boat. Seeing her, I could feel that she might need some help, at least someone to talk to. She asked me if I could help her get to Fortree to find Ryan, and I agreed. While we were walking, a really bad storm hit, and we went to take shelter under a bridge. Then Paul showed up."

 

He glanced at the Déoza employee. "The rest is yours, Paul."

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

Unfortunately, the Ranger did not see the black-haired man coming, and promptly got lifted off the ground, struggling against his grasp. Lachina was rather sick of being called a kid then, and yelled out, headbutting the man gripping her, trying to force him to let go. 

Aolani didn't take the Metal Sound kindly, even as she used Cotton Guard to defend against the Ice Beam. She let out another Hyper Voice, and held it for a long time, before preparing another Dragon Pulse for later.

[Konuju]

IC: Paul/Ryan

The blacksmith frowned as he recounted the tale, picking up where Xander had left off. "I wanted to bring Ellen home. Especially after seeing the look on her face. That destruction in Sootopolis... no kid should have to go through that. She refused, and we had a battle. I managed to defeat her, but I agreed that we'd go to Fortree to find Ryan and see what we could do to help the situation in Celadon. That's when McKinley showed up, and told Ellen all about how Ford wanted to end the war, but needed nine willing children to do so." Paul clenched his hands into a fist as his brow furrowed in anger. "He promised it would only take a day, and Ellen agreed. But the moment she looked into his Xatu's eyes, she fell into some kind of trance. That's when McKinley told us he forgot to mention the day he needed her wasn't until the end of the month. Then he teleported away, with Ellen in tow."

 

"The teleporting could be a bit of a problem," Ryan said, bringing a hand to his chin. "But from the sounds of it, this McKinley guy isn't just going to pop up and whisk Ray away in the blink of an eye. If we can take out that Xatu of his, we'll cripple his exit strategy." He turned to Ray in a half-joking manner. "As an added precaution, Ray, maybe you should avoid looking anyone in the eye."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny/Ray==-

 

Jenny frowned slightly, as she glanced over at Paul, not actually reacting to his story. However, she nodded slightly. "So... He has a Xatu? Did any of you see him show up?" She wondered, as she recalled how suddenly he had shown up before.

 

"No... we didn't," Paul said, glancing at Xander to confirm. "He just came out from somewhere under the bridge. He'd been watching us for some time, though I'm not sure how long."

 

Jenny nodded in response. "I don't like the idea of mentioning it, but I don't think it would matter. From the sounds of it, this guy happens to show up when it's most inconvenient? Like when we were battling, or when you had just finished battling..." Jenny pointed out, as she frowned, and glanced over at Ray, recalling when he had suddenly run off for seemingly no reason.

 

Ray, on the other hand, just kept quiet, though he nodded with a slight smile to Ryan's plan. However, even then, he still seemed as distracted as he had before.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

Xander nodded. "That's right. Came out of nowhere. Sylph didn't feel their minds when they appeared, but she was distracted by the fight, so..."

 

I believe I still would have felt them under normal circumstances. As for how he knows where to go and when... Well, he does have a Xatu. The moment we see him again, we attack the Xatu and don't let it escape.

 

Xander nodded again. "There's a department store in Lilycove, right? If I have the money, I can get a Thunderbolt TM and teach it to Sylph." Even without the extra damage from sharing its type, the Gardevoir would be able to use the powerful electric move to devastating effect. 

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

"We still don't know his other pokemon." Evan said carefully, yawning while he spoke. "If he has any, anyways. We've gotta exercise caution, especially since he's a Ford Agent."

 

As Evan spoke, he couldn't help but feel the two nights of unrest finally catch up with him. He felt like he was going to fall over like a ton of bricks. He teetered and tottered noticeably while waiting for a reply from everyone else regarding his warning.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

"Evan does have a point," Ryan said. "As he and Ray can attest, it took at least five of us to battle Hayes in Castelia, and even then she still managed to get away." The Liberty agent frowned, running through the scenario in his head. "If we can all strike hard and fast, at least we'll have the element of surprise. But in any case, this isn't a battle to be taken lightly."

 

As he spoke, Ryan started to lead the group onward. If they were going to discuss strategies, they could at least keep moving toward Lilycove.

 

"McKinley has made one mistake," Paul growled. "He's made us all very desperate... and very angry at him."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

If the others listened closely, they would hear Jenny mutter something about a 'cheating Kricketune'. It wasn't totally certain what they were talking about, but considering the people at Coeur Tower, and at Fortree, it wasn't hard to guess.

[Konuju]

OOC: What do you need when you want to spread jelly on your toast? A blade with jam.

What do you need when you want to have a conversation between two characters in a single post? A Jam with Blade.

IC: Ryan/Ray
As Evan and Jenny took the lead on the route to Lilycove, Ryan fell to the back of the group, where Ray was trodding along with a downcast look in his eyes. "Hey," the Liberty agent said. "Don't worry about it, you'll be fine. And if McKinley does manage to take you, we'll make every effort to get you back, just like Sonja and Ellen."

Ray nodded in response, although he didn't seem so certain. He thought for a moment, then looked up at Ryan in confusion. "... Wait, did... he say Sonja was that..." The Separatist struggled to recall the Gardevoir's words, as he hadn't totally been focusing on them.

"One of the nine children?" Ryan said with a scowl. "Yeah. Sixth, I think." At that moment, the Liberty agent realized what had been troubling him, and his mouth curved into a deep frown. "I don't remember Evan or Jenny saying Sonja actually agreed to help with Ford before that Xatu got ahold of her. Sounded to me like she just wanted to travel with them. Or am I missing something?"

Ray glanced at Ryan with a look to remind him of who he was talking to. However, his expression turned into a frown not a moment after, as he mulled over Ryan's words. "... Isn't that a low number?" he asked, looking at Ryan, uncertainly. The Separatist had a sinking feeling that something wasn't right. And what Ryan had said was not helping that feeling at all.

"Well, sixth out of nine is actually in the upper half of the group..." Ryan said, scratching his head. "But wait a second, aren't you supposed to be Seventh? How'd you get a higher number than Sonja?"

Ray frowned. "That's the question... and didn't Jenny say something about Hayes being called 'second'?" He went quiet, leaving the implications of the higher and lower numbers hanging in the air. The Separatist silently cursed McKinley for preventing him from saying what he wanted to say. "There's something else, though, unrelated to this mess..." he muttered with a sigh as he scratched his head. "How are we going to convince dog ears to join us?"

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Who, Colette?" He shrugged. "I figured we'd just ask her. I mean, Goldhawk did recommend her for a search-and-rescue mission. With any luck, she'll agree. Not to mention, she has a little sister, so she can probably relate to us being worried about Ellen." The Liberty agent fell quiet for a moment, before quickly adding, "...Maybe we just won't mention Sonja to her."

Ray looked at him skeptically. "That's not the problem, or have you forgotten already, hothead?" He wasn't sure exactly how well she'd react to the two of them requesting help, after how things had ended after the dance.

"You don't seriously think she's still mad about that, do you?" Ryan asked irritably. "Maybe I'll mention that we're also trying to rescue you; think that'd make her feel better?"

Ray remained calm as he looked at Ryan with a frown. "She seemed upset when she left, remember? And we kind of haven't seen her since. Being irritable won't help anything, either."

Ryan sighed, slipping his hands into his pockets. "You're right. I keep trying to forget that ever happened, but you're right. I'm probably not the one best suited to ask her. Maybe we should have Mr. Burks ask. Or Evan, he's pretty charismatic."

Ray shook his head. "Ignoring the problem will only make the situation worse. You should be the one to ask, but like... try and show you're sorry or something. Try to make it up to her or so."

"...Why should I have to be the one to ask?" Ryan grumbled. "Evan and Mr. Burks are perfectly capable of explaining the situation."

"Because you were the one who pushed things too far." Ray rolled his eyes. "I'll apologize too, if I'm still around. But you pushed her to doing that lightshow, you hurt her feelings and made her run off, so you owe it to her to not pawn off things to others."

"Look, I know I have to apologize to her," Ryan said. "But right now we need her to help us. Let someone else do the recruiting; I'll apologize to her later."

"And you really think that'll work?" Ray said hotly. "Trust me, it won't. Maybe you should try actually listening to my advice for once."

Ryan looked as if he were about to say something, but then he bit his lip and stared at his feet. "Fine. But what do we do if she doesn't accept my apology? What if she doesn't want to help?"

"I don't think you screwed up that badly, to be honest. But..." Ray smirked for a brief second. "I could give you some pointers. After all, an apology without any meaning behind it is kinda... just empty words. So why not, like, give a peace offering or something?"

"A peace offering?" Ryan raised an eyebrow. "You mean like a bouquet of flowers? I think she might get the wrong idea..."

Ray shrugged. "I was thinking more like a Pokédoll or something. Besides, you could always explain how it isn't meant as anything more than an apology gift."

"A Pokédoll?" Ryan looked up at Ray. "Don't you think she's a little old for dolls? This is Colette we're talking about, not her little sister."

"I know," Ray said with a hint of a smile. "I wouldn't say she's too old for it. Besides, it's the thought that counts, and if she doesn't want it, she'd probably let her little sister have it anyway. So why waste a possible chance to help out?"

Ryan shrugged. "I suppose." For a while he was silent, taking in the scenery as the path brought them alongside a small body of water. The darkened slopes of Mt. Pyre lay half-hidden in the low-hanging clouds to their right. The group was making good time; they'd likely have a few hours before they had to catch the boat to Four Island. Ryan glanced back at Ray. "I'm guessing the department store in Lilycove would be the best place to get something like that, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah. They should have something there." The orange haired trainer followed Ryan's glance, but sighed. "... Why did this have to happen...?"

"What, McKinley stealing everybody away one by one?"

Ray nodded silently.

Ryan shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine. But one way or another, I'll make sure McKinley pays for everything he's done."

Ray nodded again. "Hopefully he won't make it tough."

"Hey." Ryan grinned. "We stopped the Ancient Darkrai, remember? McKinley will be child's play."

Ray chuckled with an amused smirk, and then sighed. "Thanks, Ryan..."

"Anytime," Ryan said. "And... thanks for your advice on what to do with Colette."

The Separatist nodded. "Although... Aura. I guess we should've known, from that light show. But still, it's pretty surprising, and kinda cool."

"Yeah," Ryan chuckled. "I'll have her give McKinley an extra aura sphere to the face for you."

[MELON LORD]

OOC: Premature posting is a serious problem that affects numerous men throughout the nation

 

IC: Xander and Sylph

The duo walked along in silence, subtly listening in on other conversations around them. This was easier for Sylph than Xander, of course, but she relayed anything important to him anyways. They were new here, in a group of unfamiliar people. Any information they gleaned here could only help them in the future.

 

The trainer only showed mild surprise upon learning of the legendaries this group had. He had heard the stories of Xerneas and Yveltal, had even seen the small shrine to the lost in Geosenge, but he'd never actually seen a legendary or met someone who kept one in a ball. They were practically gods, deified by the people who believed the creation myths.

 

Knowing these people had that sort of power was both comforting and unnerving. On the one hand, they could deploy that power against people like McKinley. On the other, they could turn it on Xander if he angered them. Not that he felt they would...

 

Okay,not that he thought Ryan would. Ray was brash and hotheaded, and Evan seemed quick to go on the offensive. He wasn't sure who held what, but if this group decided that he was useless or, worse, a threat, then they could be rid of him in one or two attacks. Sylph might have time to teleport them to safety, but then they would have these trainers ready to attack them on sight.

 

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the images. He hadn't done anything to anger them, and he had no plans in that vein. He looked over his shoulder at Ryan and Ray. "So," he said to the redhead, "is there anything you could tell us about McKinley that we don't already know?"

Edited September 11, 2015 by Unown Mercury

[Parugi]

IC - James Pierce - Mossdeep City, Hoenn Presidential Office:

 

The day's light shone through the office window, dazzling and bright against the glass and the waters beyond. Normally, he might have enjoyed the sight. Today, however, Pierce found himself more preoccupied than usual with his thoughts, filled with concern and nerves as they were for what lay ahead--and, too, what he did not know and did not fully understand.

 

Wrath and Envy . . . A skirmish in Celadon from out of the blue . . . President Pierce steepled his fingers, resting them against his mouth and closing his eyes. Recruitment finished on all fronts, all ranks fulfilled, and all pieces necessary to move forward acquired . . . Yet still no word from Ford, Mewtwo, or Nine, and without that, no moving forward. He opened his eyes, frowning at something that did not stand within his vision. I've done my part, Father . . . Just what more do you need from me? His brow furrowed in thinly-veiled annoyance, disgusted at the disloyal thought that crept into his mind. What more are the two of you hiding from me, I wonder . . .?

 

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Pierce spun his chair around to face it, nodding to the Déoza Agent that entered. The woman offered a salute before approaching and coming to a stop in front of his desk. "Sir," she said. "We've just received this from Team Liberty." She held out a tablet, on which a message was displayed.

 

"Thank you, Dejana," Pierce said. He read over the message as the Agent exited. Within moments, a smile crept across his face. Interesting . . . Perhaps this is my final test . . .? He set the device down on his desk, pressing the button on his desk's intercom. "Get me a messenger."

 

 

IC - Drake Masters - Lavender Town, The Memory House:

 

The room had become deathly quiet while he stood before the grave marker, eyes closed as he sent silent thoughts to whatever great beyond now served as the home of Ema Black, the Liberty Agent housed within the grave in front of him. She had been his partner in crime, once upon a time, his close ally during the more active parts of the Rocket-Liberty War. Almost a year ago, they had worked together to bring down a small Rocket facility in Cherrygrove City, where a Diancie had been held captive. Freeing it had proven a successful and satisfying endeavor. The loss of Ema's life in the attack, however . . . He couldn't help but question whether it had been worth it, especially given the establishment of the ceasefire not long after.

 

He sighed, steeling himself to leave and once again fighting to bring down the burning dislike of Team Rocket that perpetually manifested itself in his chest.

 

"Excuse me." Drake's eyes snapped open in surprise at the voice to his left. A girl--very pale, with even lighter hair--had approached from his right, with nary a sound to alert him to her presence. She peered at him with a peculiar look, one that unnerved the Liberty Agent without much effort. "Are you Drake Masters?"

 

He stared at her for a moment before adjusting his jacket and turning back to Ema's grave. "Who's asking?"

 

"I am," the girl said. She said it with a very plain and simple tone; yet something about it rubbed Drake the wrong way. He stared back at her for a long while, neither of them moving. Then, with a soft smile, the girl spoke again. "I've been looking for you."

 

 

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner - Celadon City, Streets:

 

Ethan and Gavin offered a short wave to the retreating forms of Lucia and Jamie, pausing for several brief and silent moments to watch their departure. When they had gone, Gavin glanced at Ethan. "Are you okay?"

 

"Yeah," Ethan said after a moment. He flashed a reassuring grin to the younger Rocket Agent. "Totally cool, as always."

 

Gavin chose not to voice his doubt at this, nor the fact that he could tell the smile was very, very forced. "All right," he said. "You mediate and play psychiatrist all the time, you know, so maybe sometime you ought to let someone else help you out. If you ever need it, anyway."

 

"Thanks, pal. I'll keep that in mind," Ethan said, fist-bumping Gavin. "Onto Chapel, then. Got a Teleporter on you?"

 

Gavin nodded, pulling Evris's Poké Ball from his belt and holding it out. The Claydol appeared from within, materializing before them. After a quick set of instructions, the Clay Doll Pokémon's many eyes began to glow, enveloping the pair in a field of psychic energy. The next instant, they were gone.

 

 

IC - Victoire Coleman/Kyle Eston - Signs Compound, Hallway:

 

The lack of windows in this hallway was beginning to weigh on Victoire. She wasn't sure how long they had actually been moving, though no matter that actual time, it felt like it was taking much longer than it possibly could have. Part of that she blamed on general fatigue, part of it again on the lack of windows, and certainly part of it on the fact that she could only move at a slow pace with her passenger in as bad a condition as he was. Thankfully, with Golem around, she at least knew they were safe.

 

"Come on," she whispered--more to herself than to Kyle, whose weight was certainly beginning to take its toll. "Not much farther . . ." They had come to a fork in the hall, prompting her to pause before deciding on a random direction to go.

 

She had not taken many steps before a distant alarm sounded. Victoire froze, staring down the hallway towards the source of the noise. Either someone else is here besides us, she mused. Or Shift's awake. Without a second thought, she turned and began down the other hall, followed closely by Golem. Either way, we need to get out of here, quickly . . . She glanced over her shoulder at Kyle. And I'm really going to need you to wake up pretty soon here, pal . . .

 

IC - Goldhawk - Message:

 

A message beeped on the Pokétchs and Poké Gears of a select number of Liberty Agents--most notably that of Executive James Arthur. It read as follows:

 

"Public forum between Liberty, Rocket, and Hojohsin has been approved. Date set for July 24th. Ensure all preparations are completed before then.

 

~Goldhawk"

 

 

IC - Esen Windred - Signs Compound, Main Garage:

 

Esen watched Cero go, mentally ticking down the clock. She had promised him five minutes to advance and hide before the start of the engagement. She intended to spare neither a second more nor less than that.

 

She turned to Noivern, raising a finger to her mouth as an indicator of silence. The intent was clear: Wait for a signal. Though Noivern tilted her head, it was clear she understood this. Her confusion seemed instead to be directed at Esen herself, and the almost glossy, emotionless expression that had entered her eyes--an unnatural, almost frightening condition for which the Sound Wave Pokémon knew no explanation. She had no time to inquire into this, however, for in one moment she had been joined with a subdued flash of light by Esen's Gliscor, and in the next, Esen herself had slipped away, vanishing into the garage.

 

The large boxes made it easy enough to maneuver without being spotted, and with the eyes and ears of the men occupied as they were with loading their cargo into their vehicles, Esen found the task far too easy--boring, almost. With two minutes to spare, she had already positioned herself in a point of ambush, and thus sat, crouched in the dark, waiting for the next two minutes to pass by.

 

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. The metronome sounded in her head again and again. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. The men chattered. They were concerned, rightfully so, about what had transpired outside--what had drawn their numbers away and, thus far, prevented their return. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. One man--she could not see him--pressed them to keep moving. The question arose--"Where's Shift . . .?"

 

Tick. Tock.

 

"Who knows, man?" Esen reached into her pocket, removing a marble from it.

 

Tick.

 

"Probably still egging on those kids." A footfall before her.

 

Tock.

 

She bounced the marble.

 

The garage door exploded inward from the force of Scor's Guillotine attack. Shouts of surprise erupted from all around the garage, and soon turned into cries of pain as the Tailwind-sped Noivern and Gliscor rocketed forward, striking all nearby targets. The man in front of Esen made to grab and hurl a Poké Ball containing some unknown adversary. Without a sound, she slipped forward, bringing his arm back and twisting it with a sharp crack with one hand, the other leading her arm around as neck as one of her feet kicked forward to knock his knee out from under him. He gasped for breath, but could not breathe, and soon fell into darkness.

 

She let him fall, slipping backward amidst the confusion.

 

The garage shook from Scor's starting Earthquake, knocking their opponents off balance. In the chaos, Noivern let loose a powerful Boomburst, the force of which immediately befuddled and bowled over the two men closest to her. The others fell under assault from the rain of debris--rock and pieces of wood uprooted from within her blast radius. In mere seconds, Scor had slammed her tail into one's head and a claw into another's, knocking the two of them out of the fight. That left only seven conscious, only three of whom remained in a position to actively engage the two Pokémon. The others had been buried by debris, and with their arms trapped, they had effectively been removed from the equation.

 

The three left? Two who had fallen back to defend Puzzle, and Puzzle himself, all of whom stood now on the tall platform from which the Signs leader had been issuing his orders to begin with. Unfortunately, for all the cool-headed confidence that he possessed, even Malvolio Rask could be surprised. And it was for this reason that he could not immediately give directions to these last two Signs Agents, both of whom could only manage to send out one Pokémon each--a Scrafty and a Hawlucha--before they, too, came under assault. With a screech from Scor, he and Noivern shot forward, barreling into the Hoodlum and Wrestling Pokémon, respectively, and dragging them away from their trainers.

 

Said trainers turned to follow, though only managed to catch a glimpse of the two pairs and hear them slam into the trucks before Esen appeared in front of them. Immediately raising her arms into a fighting stance, she thrust a series of quick jabs into the first guard's gut, before stepping back to avoid a fist from the second's. As the first reeled from the assault and attempted to regain his breath, the other followed after Esen, pulling a baton from his belt and taking a sharp swing at her. She ducked under it, training her eye on the weapon. As it came around again, she ducked and charged forward, shoulder-checking the man's ribs and knocking him back. Esen took the opportunity to use the momentum of their impact to swing around, yanking the baton from his hand and--in one, smooth motion--connecting it with the backs of his knees. He toppled off of the platform and into a pile of wood below, landing with a heavy crash.

 

The first guard had regained his strength now, and charged at Esen with a shout. She moved almost effortlessly around him, shifting her grasp on the baton so that she could jab it into his back as she came around. At that moment, a crackle of electricity sounded from her left. With a glance, she managed to move a step back just in time to avoid a pair of electrical nodes that had shot forward from Puzzle's cane. Esen offered him only an annoyed look before returning her attention to her original opponent, who by now had begun to prepare another assault on her. Wordlessly, she straightened up and tossed the baton to him, catching him by surprise. As he reached for it, she lunged forward, quickly shifting into a dropkick that sent him toppling over the edge of the platform after his ally.

 

Esen rolled to her feet, and turned to Puzzle, fists raised again. The Signs leader stared at her, dumb-founded at what he had just witnessed. She studied him for a moment, as if waiting for something. Then, she said something that he would never have expected: "Raise the alarm."

 

He did not hesitate to do so.

 

 

IC - Sleight/Eileen Alaric/Jackson Sang/Jessica Ortrune - Viridian City, Hospital:

 

"Thank you for coming on such short notice."

 

"It's not a problem at all, sir," Captain Ortrune said. For perhaps the first time in months, she was dressed in straight-up civilian clothing, with not a hint a her usual Rocket attire. She nonetheless saluted Sleight as she entered the hospital room, and in another moment, had produced the Ultra Ball containing Team Rocket's Cresselia. "My apologies for not coming sooner--Cresselia's injuries turned out to be more serious than I had initially thought."

 

"As long as she's alive," Sleight said. He shook his head as Ortrune offered the Ultra Ball to him. "As much as I'd like to use her power myself, I don't believe I've had the chance to truly earn Cresselia's respect yet." The Shadow Admin gave the Captain a grave look. "Please--I'm trusting you to get this done."

 

Ortrune appeared genuinely surprised by this. She nevertheless nodded. "You have nothing to worry about, sir."

 

The Rocket Agent approached the unconscious form of Eileen Alaric. It had been almost two weeks since the incident at the Alaric Estate that had rendered her comatose, plagued by incessant nightmares as a result of the attacking Darkrai's power. In a nearby bed, a similarly-affected Jackson Sang rested, attended by an Elgyem that sat at his head, seeming to be deep in a trance. Ortrune pushed the odd sight out of her mind, returning to the task at hand.

 

Holding out the Ultra Ball, she released Cresselia. The Lunar Pokémon's presence immediately lightened the atmosphere of the room, her glimmering form also literally making the room significantly brighter. Two marks had been left on her left side from the battle that she had partaken in alongside Ortrune two or so weeks ago, all healed now save for the scars that endured.

 

Paying as little attention as she could to the scars, Ortrune nodded to the Legendary Pokémon. "Good to see you again, Cresselia," she said. "I hate to ask this of you, but we need your assistance." Cresselia looked at her in silence. Ortrune gestured to Sleight. "This is Shadow Admin Sleight. His wife, Eileen, was recently attacked by a powerful Darkrai, along with a man named Jackson Sang. We need your help to awaken them."

 

Cresselia projected a mental frown. A powerful Darkrai? she repeated. Surely not another Ancient? I thought they were all defeated?

 

Ortrune glanced at Sleight. The Shadow Admin shook his head. "We don't know," he said. "It would appear that it was one. If not, then we can't explain why they haven't woken up yet. In any case, you are our only option." His expression turned desperate for a moment, a pleading look appearing in his eyes. "Please. I'm begging you."

 

The Lunar Pokémon fell silent. I will do it, she said after a moment. But I can only wake one of them for now. Unfortunately, I do not know when I will be able to help the other.

 

"I understand," Sleight said. He glanced at the unconscious pair. "Sang's Elgyem hasn't left his side since the incident, and appears to be doing what it can to help him, so I think it's safe to assume that he'll be fine for a bit longer." The Shadow Admin looked back at Cresselia. "But my wife doesn't have that luxury. And I've lost enough of my family to Ford without adding another name to that list."

 

For several moments, Cresselia did not respond. It was as if she was weighing Sleight's words in her mind--almost judging whether the plea was worthy enough to be granted. In the end, she appeared to decide that it was. She moved to Eileen's side, closing her eyes and focusing all the energy that she could muster into the pink aura that emerged from her form. A similar aura appeared around Eileen, alongside another, darker energy that immediately began to push back against Cresselia's power. Had she not taken the time to gather her strength beforehand, the Lunar Pokémon may have been blocked out completely; however, she found that she was able to maintain a hold on her target.

 

The nerve-wracking spectacle unfolded in moments that felt like an eternity. As the shadows struggled more and more, so, too, did Cresselia push back, placing them into a deadlock that seemed as if it would never end. Soon the effects on Eileen began to become obvious, as the heart monitor linked to her began to beep more and more, signaling the dangerous and tenuous position that she had fallen into. Sleight started forward, barely containing the panic that he felt at the sight, but stopped as he felt Captain Ortrune's hand on his arm, silently imploring him to wait. Soon, Cresselia's eyes flashed, and she began to speak.

 

Awaken in peace, from long-suffered dreams,

Shadows, disperse, from light which Moon brings.

Darkness, begone! and no more cast fear,

Awaken, I say! The nightmare ends here!

 

And with that, the shadows broke, vanishing from around Eileen. Her heart rate began to drop back to normal. Cresselia collapsed to the ground at the same moment that Sleight and Ortrune ran forward, the former placing his hands on Eileen's shoulders and the latter kneeling before Cresselia. Sleight frantically rocked her, whispering her name--"Eileen? Eileen!"--searching for any sort of response.

 

Slowly, Eileen opened her eyes. "Elijah . . .?"

 

Sleight stopped in his tracks, a rush of emotion washing over him--relief, thankfulness, the last vestiges of terror that had come to possess him. "Eileen . . ."

 

He pulled her into a tight embrace.

 

 

IC - Kyle Eston

 

if i didn't know any better

i would say i was dying

yet i am not

for it is not yet time.

what a vivid hallucination.

4. n. the destruction or permanent end of something.

 

 

 

 

Saline scent, thick in the air. Ebbing, flowing, washing waters slinking up the sandy bank, retreating back to the depths of the ocean. Rivers of red running down the sides of breathing hills, pooling into lakes of crimson on either side. Arms spread wide and out, palms raised toward the endless expanse of blue above all else. Thunderous sounds deafened by loss of feeling echoing in the distance, dull and there yet not entirely, truly there. Lonesome, lying, dying, save for the other lonely and dead away and near, already gone and some soon to come along.

 

Crunching sand elicits an awakening. The world is how I dreamt it, though my eyes, unfocused, take a moment to register this. Red intermingles with the colors. It is dried and wet in equal parts around me, everywhere that I can feel it that is not simultaneously frozen with unbearable pain. Altogether the sensations merge into a cacophonous confusion, joining with the sounds and the smells of death and battle to overload my senses. Here I want to sleep, to rest; but is to rest not to remain, and thus to die?

 

The colors separate and focus, the blues into blues and the grays into grays. And amidst them, peering down at me from a visage cloaked in black and flanked by crimson, shine two red orbs, fiery and bright. They glower. They prey. They wait and inquire. And I can only stare back, waiting in turn for some change in their expression, some action to make this creature reveal itself.

 

Who are you?

 

White joins the black and red, within the former and beneath the latter. It is as if it relishes the sight of me, bloodied and tattered, lying before it. "Am I forgotten?" And it shifts an arm. I see the silhouette move, joined by another object--another object, the weapon that has broken me.

 

You . . .

 

"I am remembered."

 

It's been so long . . .

 

"Yet, it feels so recent."

 

Every day . . .

 

"As if it were yesterday."

 

Why . . .?

 

"So fell the order, so it came to pass." A frown. "Mostly."

 

What . . .?

 

"You lived."

 

I lived.

 

"I failed."

 

You failed . . .

 

. . .

 

How does that make you feel?

 

"I am livid." Pause. A grin. "But, it's all the same. Time ticks, the gun clicks--so the moment comes, fee-fi-fo-fum."

 

A laugh.

 

When . . .?

 

"Now, if I could tell you that . . ." A chuckle.

 

. . . Have you finally done it?

 

"Tick-tock, tick-tock."

 

Have you killed me?

 

A broader grin. "No." The shifting of the gun, level with my face. "Not yet."

 

And the pull of the trigger . . .

 

 

 

 

4. n. the period between the birth and death of a living being.

if i didn't know any better

i would say i was alive

and so i am

but for how much longer?

what a frightful thought.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

Ray leveled his eyes on Xander, giving him an exasperated look as he shook his head.

 

"Something seems to be preventing Ray from saying anything about his involvement with McKinley or Ford," Ryan offered.

 

"Under ordinary circumstances, I'd say that sounds like a convenient excuse to cover up his betrayal," Paul said. "But I know we have to work together. All I know is, when McKinley shows up, my Bisharp will be ready with a Night Slash."

 

Ryan sighed as he saw the outskirts of Lilycove on the horizon. "It might not be that simple," he warned. "He's strong, if Hayes is any indication. We can't let our guard down for a moment."

[Ehksidian]

IC: Arius

 

He was at the bottom of the stairs, standing in front of the wooden door. The candles...the "religious" candles kinda spooked him.

The ominous voice scared him far, far more.

Arius froze in place, too scared to react beyond that. In fact, he couldn't even remember what the voice said; it scared him silly. He didn't even reach for his pokeballs, or react beyond freezing.

Oh god oh god ohgodohgodohgodwhatwasthatohgod

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"We'll be fine." Evan mused tiredly. "As long as we don't act foolish, we will win."

As Evan spoke, the group grew closer and closer to Lilycove City. The place was lively with the hustle and bustle of city life. The air was crisp and clear, thanks to the nearby sea. People came and went about their business as usual. Evan felt slightly more at peace, but still tired.

"Hey, mind if I sit at that bench quickly?" Evan said, pointing at a nearby bench. "I just need to give my legs a rest. Jenny, mind sending Gnip out? I'd like to pet her a little bit."

Jenny nodded as she sent out Evan's prize pokemon. Evan sat down and started to pet the Mach Pokemon's smooth scales, not noticing the Torchic that was heading towards them.......

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Get your jam here, folks. We got strawberry, blueberry, and horseradish.

 

-==IC: Zach/Olivia/Dahlia/Aspen/Ryan==-

 

Zach took in a breath, as the teleportation finished. With a slightly disoriented blink, since he had not been to Lilycove before now, he glanced around, trying to figure out where they needed to go. "I think we need to go... that way, to get to the beach. Let's let our Pokemon out, and go." The trainer said, as he sent out his Gallade, not noticing that they were just outside the Pokemon fan club.

"Yeah, that's a great idea." Olivia replied, releasing Bree from her Pokeball while she did so. As the redhead picked up the tiny chick with both arms, she looked around, and upon seeing where they were, raised an eyebrow at Amethyst.

Dahlia released Laurel and the Turtwig from Erika, noticing the building behind them. "Oh! Isn't that the Pokemon Fan Club? You've been here, Olivia?" the gardener asked her older sister, tilting her head slightly.

Zach blinked, and looked over to where everyone was looking. "Pokemon... fan club?" He asked with a slightly confused look on his face, as the auburn haired trainer looked over at Olivia curiously, as he wondered what it was, and why she had been there.

"You... Don't seem the type to go to a place like that?" Aspen said, blinking, as he released Flare and Aria. "Is there something we've been missing or-"

"I-it doesn't really matter." Olivia replied, blinking and stammering somewhat. "Just wanted to see what it was about. Maybe we can get a move on now?" she asked, sighing.

Amethyst looked behind awkwardly at their destianation, and nodded her head in agreement with her trainer. "Yeah, no real reason we're here. Nope." the Gardevoir said. "I mean, the Pokemon Center thing's sorta overdone wouldn't you say? Just a change of pace, yeah."

Zach blinked, and scratched his head, but shrugged after a couple seconds, and began to lead the way toward the west, slightly curious about what that was all about.

Dahlia blinked some more, only to see that the Turtwig had already began running off into the city, with Laurel panicking and chasing after her. "Oh geez..." she muttered, holding onto her sunhat as the middle Seaton ran after both her Pokemon.

Ryan frowned, as he watched Dahlia run off. "She needs to learn to keep hold of her Pokemon more..." He said, as he left his Pokemon in their Pokeballs for the moment, since they were more likely to just get in the way of things.

"I'm sure she'll get better at that soon..." Zach said with a slightly amused smile, as he watched Dahlia chase after the Turtwig.
Aspen shrugged, and looked at the Hikaris. "Well she kinda just got that Turtwig last night so that might have something to do with it?" he said, scratching the back of her head.

The eldest Seaton watched as Dahlia finally caught up with the Turtwig, who seemed to be running circles around the feet of the gardener. "We should go help her out." Olivia said, clearly using the incident as an excuse to get into the inner city.

Zach nodded, as he wanted to help with both, and took a step forward. "That definitely has something to do with it." He giggled, as he glanced over at Bree, wondering if things would be alright for the young Torchic.

Bree was in awe at the people around her, and chirped excitedly with a wide smile on her face, turning in Olivia's grip. The trainer looked down and giggled, rubbing the young Pokemon's head affectionately. "The big city's pretty cool, huh? Cute little rascal you..."

Zach giggled again, as he walked over to Olivia and the Torchic. "Yeah... she seems to like the cities a lot, doesn't she?" He seemed amused at that, as he pet the tiny chick's head. "Like, that was how we met her..."

Dahlia and Aspen looked behind them, both seeming to squee at the sight of the baby Pokemon, doting on the Torchic. So much so, that they didn't notice a very particular trainer sitting on a bench, not very far away with his Garchomp, and several others...

Bree did not miss that sight, however. And upon seeing the blue, red, and yellow land shark, the tiny fire chick's eyes widened even further. She chirped some more, and leaped out of Olivia's grasp, running right at the Garchomp, leaving behind a flabbergasted Olivia, and very surprised siblings.

Zach blinked, as he opened and closed his mouth at the Torchic escaping. He ignored the obvious smirk on Ryan's face at that moment, and chose to instead run after the young Torchic, but as he approached, he nearly tripped, as he paused and slowed down. He chose to focus on the people on the bench; a girl, and a very familiar man.

Olivia skidded to a stop when Zach seemed to pause, and looked over confusedly. "Huh? What is it, something up?"

Amethyst caught up to her trainer, and put a finger to her chin. "There's a familiar presence for sure on that bench. Not sure who that guy is but... That's definitely-"

"Jessie??!" the eldest Seaton exclaimed, blinking at the two that were on the bench. "And... That's that Evan guy you kept mentioning..."

"Wait what's happening?" Aspen asked, seeming confused. "Jessie's here, and something about that Evan guy??"

Zach blinked, unsure what to even say. He seemed confused as to why they were there, but smiled slightly, as he began to walk forward toward the bench.

"They're in Lilycove...?" Dahlia said, blinking curiously at the people on the bench. "So that Evan person is Jessie's boyfriend now or something?"

Olivia looked over at her sister, sighing. "Since you said it that's probably the case..." she replied, and walked towards the bench, waving to get their attention.

Bree ran up all the way to Gnip's legs, and hopped up and down while chirping to catch the Garchomp's attention. The young Pokemon seemed in awe at how strong and pretty said Garchomp was, and relayed that excitedly, rubbing up against her leg, asking if cuddles were okay too.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Gnip and Evan

Gnip felt the reassuring hands of one of her master's rubbing across her back, the sensation was enough to make her feel at peace with how things were. It'd been a while since the Mach Pokemon just took in the scenery. Gnip felt another sensation, this one a feeling of feathers rubbing across her leg. She growled softly at the newcomer Torchic, not to warn or drive away, but more to gauge it's reaction.
 

"Whatcha growling at, Gnip?" Evan asked as he stopped petting Gnip to investigate. "Make a new friend?"

As Evan caught sight of the Torchic, his expression changing from that of curiosity to absolute adoration. With a lightning fast motion that could rival Gnip's speed, Evan snatched up the Torchic and started gently scratching it beneath the beak. Gnip looked slightly surprised, but shook it off and laid her head back down, not too shocked by Evan's actions.

"Well ain't you the cutie?" Evan said excitedly. "Not as much of a cutie as Gnip, but still a cutie nonetheless!"