Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[MELON LORD]

OOC: Bunnies, bunnies everywhere.

 

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

We're still here. The Kalos duo had been sticking fairly close, and had come over once Ray and Ryan went to the elevator. "Are we checking out the TM shop, now?" Xander asked.

 

IC: Belle

 

Belle watched, arms folded, as her team sparred on the beach. Cyanide and Hemlock were launching attacks that left the beach looking like a battle field. Arsenic and Buckthorn, by comparison, were just slamming into each other at full force, with the occasional Dragon Breath thrown in.

 

They all felt their trainers' displeasure, and were channeling that into training as hard as they could. Belle occasionally glanced towards the gym. She had made a living off of listening to her instincts, and right now she felt like something was going on. Her gut was proven right when a teenage girl came out of the building, half-dragging a boy a bit older. Belle whistled, and her team stopped fighting.

 

Quickly, she returned Buckthorn and Arsenic, then hopped on Cyanide's back. Along with Hemlock, they made their way up the beach towards the supposedly-abandoned building. "Hey!" she called out to the girl.

 

IC: Mercury

 

Oggie was still glaring down the  Walrein and the last standing trainer. Mercury was about to question the black-haired man, and Oggie would not let him be interrupted.

 

Mercury watched his captive, his eyes cold and blank. "You know,"  he said, "last time I did this, I had a knife, and my Lucario hadn't just been knocked unconscious. It made things incredibly clean, and the person I was interrogating eventually was let free with minimal scarring."

 

He grabbed the man's wrist in a tight hold. "I don't have my knife or my Lucario now. It means I have to get... creative, with my aura. I can't guarantee that you won't walk out looking like chopped meat. So how about this. I'm going to give you ten seconds to start talking. We'll count using fingers."

 

There was a hollow snap as Mercury grabbed the man's index finger and pushed it backwards without pause. "One, just to show I'm not kidding." He then grabbed the next finger, ignoring his victim's screams and struggles.. "One-and-a-half..."

 

IC: Alma Mason and Drake Masters - Lavender Town, House of Memories

 

Drake looked at the girl and saw the pokéball in her hand. Luckily for him, he had just found his Poké Gear, so he straightened. This seemed to pacify the albino, who let the ball rest in her lap.

 

He had to keep her talking. "So if you're not working for them... who is your master, and why does he want me dead?" He discretely pulled up the audio recorder on his Gear. If he could get her talking, it wouldn't matter what happened here. She would be found out and, hopefully, captured.

 

Dragalge took the Hex and started to fall. As a last act, it released one last Hydro Pump. The water attack hit Shadow, knocking him to the ground. With both pokémon unconscious, it was just Drake and Alma now.

 

Alma sighed. "His name is not important, nor why he wants you dead. I do as my master bids, and do not ask questions." She sent Freq into the open. "Discharge." The attack came before Drake had time to register what had happened. The dragon trainer was sent flying back, slamming against the rear wall of the house with bone-breaking force.

 

He was still alive, however, and conscious. As he slumped against the wall, he spoke. "Humor me." He could have grabbed a ball from his belt, continued to fight, but something seemed inevitable about this.

 

To his surprise, the girl started talking.  "My master once loved a woman. He took me from my father's home in order to go work for her; apparently, she had been my father's mistress as well. My master loved her completely and utterly. He would have done anything for her."

 

Drake listened, confused. What did this have to do with anything?

 

"And then, her superiors disposed of her. They found her weak and useless, and sent her into exile. Shortly thereafter, my master stopped hearing from her. She is presumed to be dead." Alma hopped off of her perch, wading through the water. Drake noticed the flash of a knife in her hand. "But, since he had loved her, he wanted to continue her work. Thus, I am still alive, and my master sends me to dispose of enemies. You've been digging into things that she would want kept secret."

 

Digging? There was one project that Drake had been working on in his free time, trying to find the truth on certain matters...

 

As she stood over him, knife in hand, she spoke. "From me, from my master, and from her." She stabbed him through the chest, her blade slipping between ribs.

 

The child soldier, the perfect weapon who killed without remorse... It all clicked, and Drake managed to speak through the blood filling his throat and lungs. "Ace-" he coughed, blood splashing across Alma's face and dress. "He... worked for... Ace..."

 

"He still does. And she sends her regards." Alma twisted the knife.

[Dr. Hidaka]

OOC: Incoming jam with Blade!

IC: Evan Tierra and Zach Hikari

"We'll be back before you know it." Evan said as he beckoned Zach to join him. "Let's go.......you dummy."

Zach giggled at the repeated comment, but nodded as he followed Evan. "So, what did you want, anyway?" He asked curiously, as he followed behind Evan, uncertain what this was all about in the first place.

"Well, it's about Unova." Evan said, as the two entered a rather large park. There were people walking about and kids were playing. Everything seemed fine and dandy. At the far end of the park was an area for pokemon battles. "Specifically what happened during our little......disagreement."

"What about it?" Zach asked, as he seemed a tiny bit cautious, but overall mostly seemed curious at that moment, since he seemed to recall that Evan had accepted the apology.

"Well, turns out after that little fight........" Evan said, sighing. "I lost my ability to manipulate the power Palkia granted me."

"Really?" The trainer with auburn hair seemed surprised about that, and scratched his head. "Why did you lose it?" He asked, but then paused, as he wondered whether it was because Evan had died.

"It was part of the cost of bringing me back." Evan said as he subtly lead himself and Zach to the  attleground. "The other part was giving up a good deal of my later lifespan."

"Really? That seems odd..." Zach said, as he seemed confused about why that would be a thing. "But... hm, I wonder why it was part of the cost?"

"Because to bring back something, no matter how small, has to have a great cost." Evan said. "It's unnatural, even for the Creation Trio."

"It just seems odd. Especially after what we heard today." Zach frowned, as he wonderred if there really was a new hero of space out there, or... he couldn't figure out what else was going on.

"I still had the power after I came back and could share it." Evan said, feeling a little nostalgic about the fight against Sombra. "I shared it with Ellen and another person during the fight against the Darkrai. I suspect it's vastly diminished by now though. Probably not enough to share now."
 

"Hm. So it's possible...?" Zach didn't want to give false hope, but wondered if the power could actually be returned.

 

"I really don't mind losing it." Evan said, smiling a bit to himself. "I voluntarily gave up their use to stop that Kyurem. I regret absolutely nothing about becoming an Ex-Hero."

 

Zach nodded, but seemed a bit skeptical about that. "Is that why you wanted to talk to me, though?" He asked curiously, as he still didn't know the exact reason.

 

"I wanted to know how you were doing." Evan said as they got closer to the battleground. "Especially after my cruel words to you that battle. I've been worried that I may have had a bad lasting effect on you."

 

Zach shrugged at that. "Eh, I kinda was a bit down for a little while, but that was also partly because of making those mistakes in the first place. That said, I still don't really consider myself a hero; I'm just not... made for that role. And that's fine with me; I mean, I'm not bad either way, and I like helping, but I just don't want to let pressure get to me; you know?"

"I think you have the potential to be a fine hero." Evan said warmly. "More of one than I, I believe. Heroes aren't made for their role, they shape into it at their own pace. If anyone isn't fit to be a hero right now, it's me."

"Why do you think that?" Zach frowned slightly, as he tilted his head. "I mean, I heard from Gerald what you did, and you pretty much stopped him from being a threat, especially when he came to cause us trouble. It could've been a lot worse, if he had've had his full team." He giggled slightly at the relative ease the madman had gone down, and wondered why Evan seemed to be not considering himself a hero.

"Well, my purpose as a hero has been completed, and the Darkrai are a done deal." Evan said, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean the prospect of new Heroes is good. I'm just not certain if I am fit to lead them."

"Well, if you think me to be a hero, then why do you think there needs to be one singular purpose?" Zach put a hand on his hip, still seeming a bit confused. "I mean, it just doesn't seem to make sense... you are a hero through and through; and what is a hero's job, first and foremost?"

"To protect and help people, no matter the cost." Evan remarked, smiling as they approached the battleground. "I know that. I know it very well. Thing is, my purpose as a Hero of Space is a done deed. I dunno what else to do, besides the obvious."

"Then sometimes the obvious is what's needed." Zach said, and looked up toward the sky. "I know the struggle though. I wanna tell Liv something secret. But I'm not sure how..."

"Well, I dunno what to say about that, besides...." Evan said as he playfully punched Zach. "Just tell her. No use hemming and hawing about anything, now is there? Now then, shall we?"

Zach smiled slightly, as he wondered if it was just as simple as it seemed. "A battle, huh?" The trainer thought, as he chose his Gallade. "Blade, you know what to do."

 

"What a plain name." Evan remarked. "I mean, plain isn't bad. But that name could be better, you know?"

 

Zach and Blade both paused slightly, as they both looked at Evan with a blink. "Could be better?" The trainer asked, a curious look on his face, as he wondered what Evan had in mind, if anything.

 

"Blade sounds too plain, you goofball." Evan remarked again with a smile. "I was thinking such a powerful pokemon should have a cooler name, ya know? I was thinkin' Alvis."

 

"Alvis...?" Zach blinked, as he was caught off guard by the suggestion. However, he thought about it, and quickly conversed with the Gallade in question, who nodded. "Sounds like a good name to us." The Liberty trainer smiled with a nod of his own, as he began to think a bit as well.

 

"Excellent." Evan said as he drew a poke ball from his belt and cast it into the battleground with a flourish. From the light of the poke ball came forth Bertha's Hippowdon, who roared proudly at being sent out. "Let us begin This should be nostalgic for this Hippowdon."

"Nostalgic?" Zach seemed curious about that. He recalled hearing something about the Hippowdon being from somewhere else, but wondered if Evan meant that the Hippowdon had been in Lilycove before.

"Your Gallade will remind her of one of her old friends." Evan said as he approached the elder Hippowdon and petted her. "This Hippowdon belonged to Bertha, one of the Sinnoh Elite Four and one of my relatives. She happens to be her strongest, too."

 

Zach seemed a bit surprised, but smiled. "That's pretty cool!" He sighed, and walked up to the Hippowdon to pet her as well. "I hope she doesn't mind that we'll probably go all out in this fight..."

 

"I think she will welcome the challenge!" Evan remarked as he took his place at one end of the battleground. "Won't you, girl?"

The Hippowdon roared loudly at this. She hoped that this look-alike would give her a suitable challenge. Heaven knows how long it had been since she had an actual fight. Zach smiled, as he nodded, and headed to the other side of the field, his Gallade standing nearby.

 

"Let's get started!" Evan said, smiling as he crossed his arms. "Sand stream, activate!"

Roaring, the Hippowdon released a whirling storm of sand from the ports on her body, engulfing the entire arena in a sandy tornado.....

[Dallior]

Username: Dallior: Rahkshi Lord

Name: Dallior

Faction: Team Plasma

Hometown: Nimbasa City

Age: 14

Appearance: Male, red baseball cap with black Pokeball emblem, black messenger bag, black jeans, blue track jacket, navy blue scarf. Caucasian, shaggy brown hair.

Personality: Very adventurous, headstrong, loves Pokemon

Background: Lived in Castelia City before the Ancient Darkrai attack, escaped to Nimbasa via the Train. Trains in Driftveil City where he found a stray Pignite. He captured a Timburr, which recently evolved into Gurdurr, and an Axew.

Equipment: Pokedex from his late mother, Town Map, Fishing Rod

Pokémon: Pignite, Axew, Gurdurr

 

Species: Pignite

Nickname: Porky

Trainer: Dallior

Appearance: A normal Pignite, one scar on its left ear

Personality: Very headstrong, wants to beat every challenge, trust issues

Ability: Blaze

Specialty: ?

Known Moves: Ember (egg move) Arm Thrust, Flame Charge, Defense Curl

 

Species: Axew

Nickname: Axew

Trainer: Dallior

Appearance: A cute little dragon.

Personality: Very loving, reluctant to fight, but will defend owner at any cost

Ability: Mold Breaker

Specialty: ?

Known Moves: Scratch (egg move), Dragon Rage, Dual Chop, Assurance

 

Species: Gurdurr

Nickname: Punchichu

Trainer: Dallior

Appearance: A typical Gurdurr who just evolved

Personality: Very aggressive and willing to fight

Ability: Sheer Force

Specialty: ?

Known Moves: Bide (egg), Low Kick, Rock Throw, Wake-Up Slap

 

 

Also, what is a specialty?

[Parugi]

OOC: Hey, Dallior. See my response in the Discussion Topic. =)

 

General: IC to come soon, hopefully today--it'll be a big one.

[MELON LORD]

OOC: Welcome to the roleplay, Dallior! Glad I can stop being the new meat =P

 

IC: Alma Mason

Four days later, she entered Vermilion City.

[Konuju]

OOC: Jam with Minun and Parugi incoming.

IC - Dack Majors/Madison/Luke/Miriam Shields/Emmerich Coleman/Aulus Rufius/Bounty - Chapel, Communications Center:

"You do know where you're going, right?" Luke frowned at Dack as the Rocket agent led them through the dark, twisting, and all around confusing halls of Chapel. "Cause I sure as heck don't know. It feels like we're going in circles."

"Then you obviously weren't listening to the secretary's directions," Dack muttered as he continued to lead his companions at a brisk pace.

"Well, she wasn't exactly the most enjoyable person to listen to," Luke said with a scowl. The blackbelt thrust his hands into his pockets and trudged on, resisting the urge to ask if they were there yet.

"Dack knows what he's doing," Madison insisted.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Look, Madison, just because you like him doesn't mean everything he does is per-"

"We're here." Dack cut Luke off as he abruptly stopped in front of a solid door.

"Communications Center." Luke read the sign engraved next to the door and raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Is this where Bounty's supposed to be?"

"We're about to find out." Dack quickly knocked on the door before opening it up and peering inside.

The Communications Center bustled with activity, though it seemed as if it had calmed down significantly compared to what it must have been like during the situation in Celadon. Numerous consoles had been abandoned while their operators took breaks or otherwise assisted with other areas of damage control; those that remained continued to send out messages or answer calls and redirect information to their necessary recipients.

From where Dack, Madison, and Luke stood, they could see the main platform at the back of the room. There, Bounty, Miriam Shields, and General Emmerich Coleman stood, backs turned to the door. The Shadow Admin appeared to be speaking to someone whom the Snowpoint trainers could not see. As they began to approach, Bounty shifted slightly on his feet, apparently dismissing the others involved in the conversation, and in the gap that appeared between him and Miriam as he did so, they caught a brief glimpse of a familiar face being led away.

The trio froze in shock, for the person standing before them was none other than Hannah Wright. It only took a split second for Dack to register this before he strode up to the defected Shadow Admin. "Bounty, sir."

At the sound of his voice, Hannah turned her head, her dark brown hair falling over one eye. For the briefest of moments the other eye dilated in something akin to surprise. But as Dack met her gaze, he saw not the hardened look of a criminal brought to justice, but a hollow, defeated visage, as if she were nothing more than an empty shell. All traces of Pride had been beaten out of her, and with it, all sense of purpose.

It took a great effort for Dack to turn his eyes back to Bounty. "My name is Dack Majors, sir. I worked under you in Sinnoh for a time. I see you've already apprehended Executive Wright; I was with her in Celadon, and I want to make sure you know the whole story."

"Hold on a moment," Miriam spoke up as she switched to an app on her iPad to record what Dack was going to say. "I apologize. Please continue."

"While it's true that Executive Wright launched unwarranted attacks on both Sootopolis and Celadon," Dack explained, "she wasn't in her right mind at the time. She was being manipulated by someone called Pride. This 'Pride' made himself known to us in Celadon City and explained how he had used Hannah. It wasn't until we -- me, Hannah, and another kid -- overcame our pride that Pride was destroyed." The Rocket agent looked from Miriam to Bounty. "In short, sir, Hannah is not as guilty as you think."

"Hannah, a kid and I," Miriam corrected, "and you'll have to elaborate further. What sort of miscreant was this 'Pride', and what do you mean by overcoming your pride?"

Dack shot Miriam a glare of annoyance at her correction. "It's hard to explain what sort of being 'Pride' was," he said, turning his attention back to Bounty. "He had the ability to teleport Hannah, the kid and I to Celadon's Central Park." Dack shot another glare at Miriam before continuing. "That could have been the powers of one of his Pokémon, but Pride himself seemed almost... inhuman. As I already described, he had the ability to manipulate Hannah, and had been doing so for some time. He claimed we were too prideful for our own good. We each overcame our pride in our own way, by realizing that our vanity did not define us. For example, I looked back on the bonds I share with my friends. Hannah and the kid had similar internal revelations."

Throughout this exchange, Bounty studied Dack carefully, as if weighing the truth in his words. He tapped his finger against the handle of his cane to a regular beat, only shifting his eyes from the Rocket Agent when Emmerich spoke up. "Whether that's true or not, Wright is still responsible for what happened today," he said. "We will not let her walk free from this simply because of the involvement of some other party."

"We will also not be throwing her in jail with a life sentence without a proper trial," Bounty added. "Though, as the General has said, she's looking to be staying there for a very long time, regardless." He spun his cane in his hand against the floor, the movement an unconscious mimicry of a drill digging into stone, seeking what lay buried within. "This Pride individual is of interest, however, there's no denying that. Their existence is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility, all else taken into consideration." He looked at General Coleman and Miriam. "Something worth looking into, perhaps, between now and Wright's official indictment?"

"Consider it done, sir. I will find all information that can be found on this 'Pride,'" Miriam responded before creating a new file on her tablet dedicated to her new investigation. "By the way, Mr. Majors, we received anomalous weather reports from Celadon concerning snowfall. Is this weather phenomenon connected to Pride as well?"

"I believe so," Dack said with a nod. "The snowfall started a while before Pride took us... maybe an hour or two, I'm not sure. But it cleared up the moment Pride was destroyed." He closed his eyes with a visible shudder at Pride's grotesque, almost porcelain-like features. "I mean that literally, ma'am. Pride was encased in ice -- his own ice, it would seem -- and completely shattered."

"Noted," the bureaucrat responded. "Would you be willing to testify at Hannah's official trial, or if not, do I have your permission to use a recording of this conversation as a sworn statement?"

"I would be more than willing to testify at Hannah's trial," Dack said. "If for whatever reason I am unable to make it, you may certainly use your recording, but I would like to be there myself if at all possible."

Up until now, Hannah had silently watched the exchange with minimal interest. Her initial surprise, if it could even be called that, had long since worn off. She merely stared at the group with an expression devoid of emotion. Upon hearing Dack's words, however, the captive executive could keep quiet no longer. "Why are you doing this, Majors?" Her voice was a quiet mumble, barely above a whisper. Had anyone else been speaking at the time, her words would have been drowned out. She lifted her head ever so slightly as she focused her gaze on Dack. "What do you hope to gain from helping me?"

Dack looked over at his former partner and was taken aback by how defeated she seemed. An uncomfortable silence filled the room as the two targets of Pride met each other's gaze. Finally, Dack spoke, after what felt like an eternity. "Because... When I look at you, at what you had become, I see... myself."

The thin line of Hannah's lips twitched in what seemed like a feeble attempt at a smirk. "I see," she said. "You think that if you can save me, you might somehow prove your own innocence. Did you learn nothing from Pride? We're all guilty. You, me, that Aspen kid. It's not my pride that got me here, it's how I acted on it. You should save your breath, Majors. I deserve my fate."

"But how much of that was really you?" Dack asked. "You can't be held responsible for Pride's influence."

"Guilt's a funny thing..." Hannah muttered. Her eyes shifted toward the far end of the room, where Madison and Luke still stood by the door. "You don't have to prove yourself to them. Don't waste your time on me."

Dack couldn't believe how resigned the executive had become. He took a deep breath as he looked back at Miriam. "Even if she doesn't want it, I'd still like to testify at her trial."

"The defendant's wishes are of little importance when it comes to who testifies at their trial, save for the defendant themselves," Miriam said, looking towards her tablet, "Your wish, however, has been noted."

"Thank you," Dack said. Hannah stared at him for a moment before looking away, her long hair obscuring her features once more. The Snowpoint trainer glanced at her before turning to face Bounty. "Is there anything else you need from me, sir?"

Bounty rubbed his chin. "Unless you have anything further to report regarding Pride, I don't believe so," he said. "Anything else will undoubtedly find its way to me, eventually, I'm sure."

"Excuse me, sir--not to interrupt, but did I hear that right? You said 'Pride,' yeah?"

The group looked toward the stairs. Two new Agents had arrived at some point during the conversation, hanging around near the back of the group. Bounty did not recognize them, but the taller of the two had stepped forward and appeared to be the one who had spoken up.

With a look to Miriam, Bounty nodded in their direction. "I did. I take it that means something to you?"

"It does, sir," the man said. He held up his badge. "My name's Ethan Worth. I've been working closely with Joker for the past few weeks along with a number of other Agents. Like this guy!" He gestured to his companion. "And . . . Well, Gavin will explain."

"Gavin Braner," he said, not bothering to produce his badge. "What Ethan means is that we've been helping Joker track a Ford Agent--a woman named Quincy Adams. And in the process of doing that, we've picked up some information that relates to what you're talking about." Gavin crossed his arms and looked at Dack. "Meaning, Pride's not an isolated incident. And as a matter of fact, he's at least the fifth of his kind to appear so far."

Convenient, Miriam thought as the two recently arrived Rocket Agents told their story. "Could you elucidate further? Do you know any details on the others of Pride's kind? Do you know the individuals they've targeted or any incidents they've been involved with?"

Gavin and Ethan exchanged glances, silently debating where to start. "Nothing super detailed, I'm afraid," Ethan said. "The other four that have appeared, we primarily learned about from Team Liberty--which is another matter entirely," he added as an aside to Bounty. "And we'd like to discuss them and Adams further after this conversation, if you have time."

Bounty nodded. "That, I do."

"Great," Ethan said. He pulled out his Poké Gear, looking back to Miriam. "I compiled all of our notes the other night, so I can make a copy for the records, if need be. But to begin with, we've got . . ."

"Envy, Wrath, Lust, and Greed, in that order," Gavin cut in. "And now Pride. Which leaves Sloth and Gluttony unaccounted for, assuming they're going to appear."

Ethan nodded. "As for the specifics that we do have . . . Liberty Leader 'Blackskull' said that Envy was a woman and that she had attacked Team Galactic," he said. "That's all we know about her. She's the one responsible for Galactic's destruction, for better or worse."

"It sounded like she hasn't reappeared for some time, so I think it's safe to say she's gone," Gavin said.

"Wrath," Ethan continued. "We personally encountered him in Goldenrod. He targeted a man named Ryan Hikari, whom we made contact with later on at the Alamo following our most recent encounter with Adams. We can confirm that he was destroyed. That battle also resulted in the destruction of Joker's Golurk, a mass disturbance in Goldenrod due to a very angry crowd of civilians, and our 'recruitment,' so to speak, of Joker into helping us follow Adams."

"As for Lust and Greed, they attacked Team Liberty together and wound up destroying their Research and Development Department," Gavin said. "Both were female, and both targeted a pair of Liberty Executives--Arthur and Vert, I believe." He looked to Ethan for confirmation, which he received in the form of another nod. "Both were confirmed destroyed. And just like Wrath, they vanished after they were defeated."

Ethan closed his Poké Gear. "That enough of a rundown?" he asked. He looked to Bounty. "It's my understanding that you're working pretty closely with Team Liberty these days, sir, so I'd perhaps check in with them for more specific information--maybe get an official communications channel set up between Team Rocket and Team Liberty so that we can work together against these people from now on, in addition to the efforts already in place against Ford and his Agents."

"Keep in mind that Shadow Admin Bounty is not officially working with Team Rocket anymore, Agent Worth," General Coleman cut in. He cast a look at his father. "As it stands, a technicality is the only reason we were able to rely on him to help combat the situation in Celadon--that and a certain degree of desperation. Anything of a cooperative nature would have to be approved by Shadow Admin Sleight or Shadow Admin Joker."

"I think at this point, a little bit of flexibility wouldn't hurt, sir," Gavin said. "Besides, Joker has already agreed to help Team Liberty in their efforts against a Ford Agent currently in a position of power in Hoenn. She agreed to let them in on a mission against Adams in Team Magma's base and helped them save a number of injured Magma personnel when we were forced to retreat."

"Which actually leads into what we needed to talk about regarding Team Liberty, funnily enough," Ethan said, his tone suggesting that he was sliding in between two physically-fighting parties. "John Ford is on the move again. And he appears to be honing in on his big finale, if what we've heard within the past day is any indication."

"Sounds like these... Sins... have a tendency for causing large-scale destruction," Dack said. He looked over at Hannah, who gave no indication she had taken any interest in the two Rocket Agents' explanation. "It wouldn't surprise me if those other four had also lain dormant in their targets, subtly influencing them before choosing to reveal themselves." The Snowpoint trainer glanced at Bounty, hoping the Shadow Admin would take that information into consideration, before turning his attention to the newcomers. "What's this about Ford?"

"I don't know about that," Ethan said. "But you're right about them being centers for destruction. Whether or not they all intend to do as much damage as they can to as many others as possible, one thing is for certain: They like their individual targets. On a larger scale, though . . . I think the situation with Ford is more pressing."

Bounty shifted his stance slightly, adjusting how his weight was distributed on his cane and feet. He watched Ethan closely, a deep frown present on his face. "I take it," he said. "that what you're referring to is not the situation with James Pierce."

"No, sir," Ethan said. "We encountered an individual named Tyler McKinley in Team Magma's headquarters who thwarted our attempt to capture Quincy Adams. He reappeared in Celadon City not long ago, as Gavin, myself, and an agent named Skye Hall were attempting to find out what was happening in Central Park."

He proceeded to explain the details of their encounter--McKinley's partner, how he had recognized Ethan's group and another, unidentified group as 'worthy opponents.' Ethan described what McKinley had said, from the 'rules' regarding Ford's Children to their forceful secrecy, finally telling how after all of this, McKinley had convinced Skye to go along with them and how McKinley had offered them a means of information on where Ford's finale would be held--and how he had wanted the information spread to as many others as possible. He also covered, as well and as briefly as he could, what they had encountered in Havoc and what had led them there in the first place, as well as additional information regarding their previous engagements with Adams.

When he finished, the group fell silent for a moment, processing this. Ethan let them contemplate his words, before speaking up again. "It may be difficult to believe all of this," he said. "But something is happening. And as soon as we get those coordinates, we need to organize a response."

"It seems more important than ever, then, that we get this business with Pierce rolling," Bounty replied. "The more we can weaken Ford's forces before he's finished setting up, the better." He looked to General Coleman and Miriam. "Where are Joker and Sleight?"

"Both are in separate hospitals, sir," the General said. "Sleight is attending to his wife; Joker to her children and a broken arm."

"Seriously?" Gavin said. "We just saw Joker the other day, and she was perfectly fine. What happened to her?"

"A Darkrai attack," Coleman answered. "We're still investigating. But it appears to be the work of a powerful one." He paused, as if realizing something.

"Is something wrong?" Bounty asked.

Coleman straightened up, steeling himself. "There's a strong possibility that it was Ford's work, though we can't confirm it at this time," he said. "An unknown person made contact with Sleight and Joker immediately beforehand, identifying himself as John Ford, but the methods that he used to breach Chapel's security were . . . unusual, even by his standards. Assuming, however, that he needs time to finish his own preparations . . . It's possible he sought to slow Team Rocket down by attacking its leadership directly."

At the mention of the Darkrai attack, Madison felt the color drain from her face. Up until now, she and Luke had been standing somewhat awkwardly by the door, uninvited guests in a political discussion over things they had no business in. As a simple civilian, she had a hard time following the conversation, but she had managed to gather that something big was about to happen regarding this John Ford. That, and apparently the government's two remaining Shadow Admins were both in the hospital following attacks on their families.

Madison remembered all too vividly the nightmares she had suffered through six months ago. They had taken a toll on her mentally and emotionally. She couldn't bear the thought of more people suffering like she had. The skier took a hesitant step forward, a subconscious tremble making its way through her body. "I... I thought the Ancient Darkrai were defeated." The moment the words were out of Madison's mouth, the color rushed back to her face in a brilliant red. All eyes in the room seemed to focus on her, the civilian girl who had dared speak out of place.

"A Darkrai, not necessarily the Ancient Darkrai," Miriam insisted, glancing towards Madison. "Our preliminary reports suggest contradictions to the modus operandi of the Ancient Darkrai. Factoring in the fact that the call took place nearly immediately before the attack in addition to Ford's known association with a Darkrai equates to our Ford theory sounding likely. Though we'll need Shadow Admin Sleight or Joker to confirm our hypothesis."

"S-sorry." Madison felt incredibly small under Miriam's stern gaze. "You mentioned a powerful Darkrai, and I just thought..." The skier fell silent as she began to slowly retreat. Ancient or not, she wouldn't wish a Darkrai's nightmares on anybody, least of all the Shadow Admins' families. Behind her timid blush, the girl's quivering lip and the sad look in her eyes betrayed her worry. She wished there was some way she could help, but she felt utterly powerless against something that had so many high-ranking Rocket officials concerned.

"Don't get too upset," Ethan said. "If I didn't know first-hand how strong even a normal Pokémon on Ford's side is, my first assumption would've been that it was an Ancient, too." He looked at Bounty, Miriam, and General Coleman, and then back at Dack, Luke, and Madison. "Sorry to change the subject, but I don't think we ever caught your names."

"Madison," the skier said quietly. "I'm a friend of Dack's..."

From his spot at the door, Luke gave a small wave. "And I'm his other friend, Luke."

Dack nodded a greeting to Ethan before walking over toward Madison and putting a comforting arm around her. "Madison and Luke have had some firsthand experience with the Ancient Darkrai," he explained. "Madison especially. Speaking of which, we're friends with Palmer, one of the Frontier Brains of Sinnoh. His Cresselia was able to help us when the region was covered in the Ancients' shadows. The two of them are still recovering from the battle in Celadon, but they might be able to help the Shadow Admins' families."

At Dack's words, small smile appeared on Madison's face as she nodded in agreement. "It's the least we can do to try and help the situation..."

"I believe Shadow Admin Sleight has already put in a summons for Captain Ortrune and her Cresselia, so that won't be necessary," General Coleman said. "That being said . . ." He looked at Ethan. "Considering you're already working with Shadow Admin Joker, perhaps it would be best if a few of you checked in and updated her on the current situation. My understanding is that she and her family were not affected like those attacked at the Alaric estate, but they may appreciate Cresselia's calming powers, in any event."

"Will do," Ethan said. "In the meantime, I take it you'll be working with Team Liberty on Pierce, sir?"

Bounty nodded. "Hopefully by the time we're ready, Joker or Sleight will be, as well."

"I guess we'll keep an eye on the news, then," Ethan said. "Alright. In that case, we're off. Thank you for holding an audience with us." He saluted, and as soon as the official dismissal had been issued, turned and began back down the stairwell.

Gavin gave Hannah a brief look of what might have been irritation, before turning and following after Ethan, saying nothing as he went.

Ethan looked at Luke, Dack, and Madison as they walked. "Nice to meet you, by the way," he said. "You can tag along with Gavin and I if you want, but don't feel obligated if you already have something you need to get done."

Dack glanced at Madison and Luke to gauge their opinions. The latter gave a shrug; it didn't matter to him what they decided to do next. Madison didn't respond for a moment, her eyes growing distant as she appeared lost in thought.

At last she nodded. "Anything I can do to help, just say the word."

With a smile, Dack looked back at Ethan. "I think we'll take you up on that offer."

"Mr. Majors," Miriam called out, "just before you leave, I wanted you to know that when you referred to Hannah, the kid, and yourself the second time, the proper grammar would have been, 'Hannah, the kid, and me,' because the three of you were part of the object of that sentence."

With that the bureaucrat shut off her iPad and stored it inside her purse. "That is all. You are dismissed."

[JiMing]

OOC: so, frisk told me to help them put this up. apparently their fingers are too tiny to work the keyboard, but they really wanna help their buddies. i dunno what's so cool about an internet role-play, but i can't say no to them. 

 

SANS? WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO? AND WHAT’S A ROLE-PLAY? ! CAN I ROLE-PLAY TOO??!!

 

that's my cue to go for now. gotta stop papyrus before he gets in over his head... again. welp. bye.

 

SANS??! WHO’S THERE? CAN I TALK TO THEM MORE!!! HI! I’M PAPYR-I MEAN COOLSKELETON95!!! I AM VERY POPULAR ON THE INTERNET ANDFDSJIKADSOID

 

IC: Olivia Seaton/Jenny Hakuda

Olivia sighed, not looking behind her after she walked away from Zach and Evan, their conversation turning into background noise. She moved briskly back to the restaurant, where the others were waiting outside of, and went to stand next to them. Aspen and Dahlia seemed to be conversing about something, but the eldest Seaton was rather distracted at that moment.

 

"Hmmph... Idiots. Couldn't even give me enough of a warning." she muttered to herself. Olivia stared at her hand, and frowned, shaking her head. For some reason, Zach not being there to hold it made her feel... Naked. Incomplete. But she shook off that feeling, repeating Zach's words, saying he would be back soon enough. Instead, she chose to look at Amethyst, who had been practicing her Shadow Ball ever since the trainers went inside to eat. The sphere of dark energy fizzled out, and the Gardevoir growled, agitated at that, before trying again.

 

"What's up?" Jenny asked, as she walked toward Olivia curiously. "You ran off pretty quickly just now..."

 

"Oh... Not much." Olivia said, attempting a more casual tone. "Just pretty annoyed those two decided to run off so quick, especially since I've only been around Zach again for a few days. Nothing to worry about." she said, sighing again. "Don't get me wrong, that Evan person seems nice and all, but he kinda just butted in and made off with my boyfriend in the blink of an eye, instead of giving me any sort of warning. I hope he's not always like that."

 

"Eh, he can sometimes be a bit hasty, but it's not like..." Jenny paused, as she blinked. "Wait, huh? A few days?"

 

The red-haired trainer blinked, and shrugged. "Uhhh, yeah? Met up with him again less than a week ago while we were looking for Dahlia after she had been kidnapped. Long story. Long, long, long story." Olivia said. "And we've only been dating for about two days, on top of that, so..."
 

"But, when did...?" Jenny seemed a little confused, as she hadn't been around to know that it was the incident right after she'd gone missing that had caused everything to go wrong.

Olivia paused, realizing Jenny was still out of the loop. "...After the incident in Goldenrod four years ago... Zach and I lost all contact." she said slowly, looking down. "Apparently, his Pokegear broke and he didn't remember my number. So I didn't have any idea of his whereabouts until recently. Let's just say I was in a... Pretty dark place, without him." the eldest Seaton muttered, the flaming green color of her eyes dimming.

Jenny stayed quiet for a moment, but then walked up to give her a reassuring hug. "I'm sorry to hear that. If you ever wanna talk about it, I could help!" She said cheerfully, and tried to give Olivia some courage back. "Besides, knowing you two, you'd always find each other again, no matter what. Though, it's admittedly a little surprising and amusing that it took you that long... but you did it, right? And you've always been close, so you might as well have been dating." She said with a slight giggle, and thought for a moment. "Think a battle might help?"

Olivia was admittedly surprised at the hug from Jenny, but took a deep breath, the tension slowly melting away "You keep saying that..." she muttered, smirking a bit at the repeat comment from lunch. "Maybe a battle could be interesting, I mean, Am's trying to practice her Shadow Ball. Maybe she'd learn better while fighting." the eldest Seaton said, shrugging. "And maybe afterwards we could talk more, since I think I've got a lotta questions for you..."

Jenny thought for a moment, and glanced around, until she noticed a Gardevoir. "Oh! That's Amy...? Very nice! She's grown a lot since I last saw her, and she looks strong and amazing." She said with a wide smile.

"Yep. That's Amethyst. She's come a long way from how she used to be." Olivia agreed, and grinned. "I would bet she could give someone from your team a run for their money... But we'll just have to see, won't we?"

 

Amethyst turned around, hearing her old nickname being called, out, and looked in surprise at Jenny. "Oh... Jenny, that's what you go by now, isn't it? What do you need me for?" the Gardevoir asked, not having really paid attention to what was said.

 

"We were thinking about having a match... You up for it?" she asked, smiling. "I like the progress you've made on that Shadow Ball in such a short time, too."

 

"Thanks..." Amethyst replied distractedly, nodding afterwards. "Sure, why not? A match would probably help me."

Jenny nodded with a smile. "Here, I'll use Lurelite, since she can use Shadow Ball as well! The fight might help you out even more, but you're definitely doing well with it!" She agreed, though she did seem curious as to why Amy had seemed so distracted.

Olivia blinked at Jenny's suggestion. "Lurelite...? That's not someone I remember. Recent addition to the team, I'm guessing?" she said, before looking around. "Hmm... Evan and Zach seemed to be headed to the park... How about we head to the field behind the Pokemon Center? Hopefully it's not being used."

"That'd be a good idea." Jenny agreed with a nod, and giggled. "Yeah... you'd probably only recognize my now-evolved Tynamo..." She said with another giggle. "The past few months have been a little... hectic and good for my team. Though, two of my team were rescued from Gerald..."

"Gerald... Hmmph. He's nothing to worry about now." Olivia muttered, and shrugged. "'nother long story, but you got a half-sister from the sounds of things. But that's for another time. I think the Pokemon Center's around the street corner..." the trainer muttered, looking up the location on her Pokegear. "Yep. Let's head over, shall we?"

Jenny blinked at what Olivia had mentioned, but giggled, as she began to head in the direction that the other girl was pointing out. "This will be fun! It's been a while since I saw Amy involved in a fight... She was always so nice, I really missed her; though I technically didn't realize it until just a while ago when I began to unlock my memories again."

"Thanks for the compliment." Amethyst replied, still half-distracted from trying to make a Shadow Ball. "Everyone really missed you too... Even Olivia, after remembering a little detail from earlier on."

 

Olivia rolled her eyes at the comment, but turned to Jenny. "Hm? Your memories got locked away... Lemme guess, Gerald. He seems to have been causing everything wrong lately, except for Sootopolis and Celadon..."

"Not sure exactly how, but yeah. I got them back with a little help six months ago, though." Jenny replied with a giggle, and thought for a moment, as they reached the battlefield.
 

"Well either way, glad to see you're back again. It'll be fun to have you around." the eldest Seaton said with a smirk, not noticing Jenny thinking. She and Amethyst walked over to the other end of the battlefield, the latter crossing her arms. "Ready when you are." Olivia called out, waiting for Jenny to send out Lurelite.

 

Jenny nodded with a smile, as she sent out the Chandelure. "Alright. Just gonna say this once, Lurelite, as it'll get a little repetitive otherwise... Shadow Ball!" She giggled slightly, as the Chandelure prepared a Shadow Ball quickly, and fired it off at Amethyst. "Good luck, Amy!"

Edited October 23, 2015 by Temmie

[Dr. Hidaka]

OOC: Starting and finishing this battle with Blade! For best results, try listening to GATCHAMAN Make My Day for the read. =)

IC: Evan Tierra Vs. Zach Hikari

Zach seemed surprised, as the sandstorm raged around the four present. He seemed to be contemplating what was going on, and nodded to his Gallade. "Right then, Close Combat!" The trainer yelled out, as he pointed forward. Alvis leaped forward, and attempted to slam his fist into the Hippowdon quickly. Zach wasn't sure exactly how this would actually work for the moment, and was mostly testing attacks for the moment.

Evan grinned at Zach's reaction and subsequent command, placing his Go-Goggles over his eyes. This was going to be a good fight. He wouldn't let this end too quickly.

"Earthquake, then erode the ground with your sand!" Evan shouted. "Show them the might of an Elite Four's pokemon!"

Roaring, the Hippowdon took the punch dead on, and started to stomp the ground. Sand began pouring into the gaps created by the Earthquake, causing portions of the area around the Heavyweight pokemon to be reduced to sand and chunks of rock by the grinding of the sand.

Zach and Alvis seemed to be surprised, as the Gallade was staggered and winced from the feeling below his feet. Alvis eventually managed to kick off from the ground, and land on a more solid patch of ground nearby, and Zach frowned, as he tried to consider what to do. "Now, Shadow Sneak!" The trainer put his hand forward once more. Alvis' shadow shot out at the Hippowdon, and he vanished after that, before appearing behind her. He tried to launch off a quick Psycho Blade after that; one arm glowing with shadow energy, and one with psychic energy.

The mighty Hippowdon roared, being too slow to face Alvis' attacks head on. She didn't know how this Gallade compared to Lucian's. All she knew was that this fight was going to be one of her finest. She took the attacks, grunting in pain.

"Submerge yourself into the sand!" Evan commanded. "Then, start throwing rocks from below! You've got no time to just stand there and keep taking his attacks!"

Rumbling, the Hippowdon started to descend deeper into the sand, leaving no trace of where she could be. She then started to move at a faster pace upward, towards the closest rock, roaring, the elder Hippowdon launched it upward, aiming for where she thought the Gallade would be.

 

Alvis frowned slightly, as he tried to weave around slightly; however, he got slammed back by the rock, and took a moment to stand up again. "Attack again, quickly!" Zach shouted out, as the Gallade nodded, and attempted to run forward once again, launching off two ranged Psycho Cuts at the Hippowdon, trying to stay in control despite the last attack.

The Psycho Cuts struck Bertha's Hippowdon as narrowed her eyes at the Gallade. Did he honestly think such paltry attacks like that would harm her? She would have to teach him a lesson. Without waiting for Evan's command, she burrowned deep under the sand again.

"Impressive, isn't she?" Evan said, grinning as the sand whirled around him. "I did a bit of studying about Hippowdon''s capabilities, and this is the end result combined with my great grandmother's training of this Hippowdon!"

"Yeah!" Zach agreed, but was still intent on keepingin the fight. "Evasive moves!" The trainer called out, as Alvis nodded, and jumped into the air to the side. The Gallade focused as he scanned the area, mostly waiting for a time to actually strike. He just hoped that would be possible.

The Hippowdon rose up and unleashed a mighty Ice Fang where Alvis had been. When she noticed that her attack had missed, the elder Hippowdon roared and started burrowing into the sand again.

Alvis attempted to attack with Psycho Cut before the Hippowdon could burrow underground fully, but frowned as he noticed the attack missed. Instead, the Gallade landed, and waited for a moment. He prepared himself to counter attack as the Hippowdon rose up again, pulling his arm back for a charged up Close Combat punch.

Bertha's Hippowdon lunged upwards again, this time with electricity cloaking her mouth. As she prepared to chomp down on Alvis, she was hit on the snout by Alvis' fist. Roaring in pain, the Hippowdon backed away from Alvis' location and waited for Evan's order. Seeing as working on her own wasn't going to work, she'd trust her new master to give her the best command, huffing sand with all the energy she had exerted previous.

"Awwww, you've taken so much damage, girl..." Evan said sympathetically to the Heavyweight. "Maybe you should Slack Off!"

With that command, the Hippowdon shut her eyes and dozed off slightly, feeling the pain fade away, little by little.

Zach felt bad, and waited for the moment, allowing the Hippowdon a little chance to recover. "How long we going 'til anyway, until a faint?"

"Til a faint seems all right." Evan said, observing his Hippowdon's resting. "All right, girl. Time to get back to work!"

The Elder Hippowdon unleashed a hearty Yawn at Evan's words. She knew what to do, and she would do it well.

Zach nodded, as Alvis ran forward again. The Gallade yawned in response to the Hippowdon, and frowned slightly. He knew the signs, and had to get prepared, as he tried to unleash a Close Combat before anything happened.

"Thunder Fang!"

At Evan's command, and as Alvis approached, Bertha's Hippowdon opened her mouth, electricity enveloping her mouth. She then started to slam her mouth shut as the Gallade's fist was about to connect with where her snout was.

Alvis winced out, as he felt the lightning charged jaw bite down on his hand. Trying to block out the pain as best as he could, the Gallade attempted to punch out with his other fist, but felt himself slowing and weakening rapidly as things were going on.

The Hippowdon continued to bite down on Alvis' arm, making sure to keep the pressure to a point where his arm would not be broken. This was a good battle thus far. She knew what Gallade were capable of, especially their ability to somehow see her thoughts. She knew that most don't use this ability. So she decided to leave a loud and clear thought for the Gallade to possibly read.

"You are an excellent fighter, yet you don't have something that I seem to have plenty of." The Heavyweight pokemon's thought hopefully echoed. "I've fought many battles in my life alongside my former master. A few were against one like yourself. But most of the time, fights between us were even......"

Alvis winced, as his eyes glowed to read the Hippowdon's thoughts, as he detected a strong thought emanating from her. Alvis nodded with a smile, trying to cover his pain. "You are a very good fighter as well... You're definitely one of the stronger fighters I've fought..." However, the Gallade wasn't about to give up, and his eyes glowed further, as he attempted to slash out with Psycho Cut; not wanting to hurt her badly, but to get the Hippowdon to let go.

The Hippowdon loosened her bite on Alvis' arm as she was struck by his Psycho Cut. She held her mouth agape again, as if to show how far the Gallade had to go before he'd beat her down. More sand poured from the ports around her body as she began to submerge herself yet again.

"I must say, that Gallade is quite talented." Evan said, trying to keep his rapidly growing fatigue from showing. "But I have a feeling this might be what ends it. Prove me wrong!"

Alvis leaped back, as his eyes began to truly glow. Zach winced slightly, as he gripped his arm, but his eyes glowed as well, as he smiled. "Alright!" The trainer called out, as he clenched his fist, and then shot it forward, as Alvis ran forward once more. The Gallade had a feeling this wouldn't end well, but wanted to give it his all before he fell. The Hippowdon was right; she had more experience. But that didn't mean Alvis couldn't do a lot of damage still. So he attempted to launch off one final Close Combat...

As Alvis got close to where she had submerged, Bertha's Hippowdon roared. She lunged towards the Gallade from another angle in the sand, aiming to chomp at his legs with an Ice Fang. With one meaty bite, her jaws closed around them. She then flung him away, with enough force to hopefully knock him out cold when he hit the ground.

Alvis' eyes widened, and the glow faded right before he was bitten. The Gallade tumbled across the ground when he was flung away, and tried to stand up again, but then fell back to the ground, out cold.

With a wince, Zach recalled Alvis to his Pokeball, but smiled. "Good fight!" Zach said to the other Trainer and Pokemon, as he walked forward to go to shake Evan's hand.

"Agreed!" Evan said as he shakily held out his hand. "That Gallade is quite impressive. I wonder if he would be able to take on Gnip...."

Evan knew that his fatigue was finally winning the struggle to show. That last battle, while exciting, really drained his energy, and he knew that he was going to need a rest soon....

Edited October 25, 2015 by Hades

[JiMing]

OOC: Greetings. Papyrus and Sans are busy at this moment... So it falls to me to aid Frisk with this. 

I am still new to using this 'internet'. It seems similar to texting, however. Hmm... I will have to try this again another time.

 

IC: Olivia Seaton/Jenny Hakuda

 

Amethyst sidestepped the Shadow Ball, before teleporting away. "Thanks, but you're the one who'll need luck." the Gardevoir said, firing off a weak Shadow Ball at Lurelite, scowling a bit afterwards how it didn't seem to be very effective....

 

Olivia frowned. "I think using other moves would be better for the fight, Am..." she said. "The time for Shadow Balls will come later, for sure."

 

The Chandelure took the hit, and flinched slightly, but didn't seem to be damaged much. However, she quickly fired off a counter one to Amethyst once again. Jenny scratched her head, but smiled encouragingly at the Gardevoir in response.

 

Amethyst this time threw up a psychic barrier to block the Shadow Ball, throwing it into Lurelite's direction afterwards. As the Chandelure was hopefully distracted, the Gardevoir prepared a Hypnosis to fire off soon. Olivia grinned knowingly, encouraging her on through thought. Am saw her chance had come, and fired off the sleep-inducing ray.

 

The Chandelure felt herself slowly starting to grow drowsy. However, she wsn't about to just give up, and fired off two Shadow Balls; one in an arc to the sky, and one forward. Trying to manipulate the arc, the Chandelure tried to get the Shadow Ball to hit herself, so that she might just get woken up more again.

 

"Huh, that's sorta tricky." Olivia muttered, raising an eyebrow. "You're not some basic, by-the-books opponent, are you? But don't get cocky. Am and I also have some strategies of our own. Psychic!" 

 

Amethyst crossed her arms while closing her eyes, and attempted to sidestep the close range Shadow Ball. Unfortunately, she was still struck in the shoulder, but she stopped herself from being flung back too far, and quickly recovered. The Gardevoir's eye snapped open, glowing purple, as she flung her right arm down, taking a psychic hold on Lurelite. Said arm then stuck out to the right, dragging the Chandelure across the ground, and into a nearby tree. 

 

"Here we go."

The Chandelure attempted to right herself as she was slammed into the tree, and fired off two Shadow Balls quickly at Amethyst, as she tried to focus on her next attack, knowing that a chance of pace would be necessary.

Amethyst fired off two Will-O-Wisps to counter the Shadow Balls, and teleported once more, this time in front of Lurelite, with a point-blank Psychic blast. Meanwhile, she held her other arm out, letting it slowly accumulate energy for the Shadow Ball she would fire soon, still annoyed at her inexperience at handling the move...

 

The Chandelure was pushed back by the blast, but unleashed a Heat Wave attack in return. She wasn't about to hold back for this fighter, even if her trainer knew who the Pokemon was. Lurelite simply wanted to fight with her full strength; even as it was draining.

 

Amethyst jumped back, and fired the Shadow Ball through the Heat Wave in response, even as it was still underpowered. Scowling, the Gardevoir teleported once more, to the side of the Heat Wave, firing yet another Hypnosis. Her options were limited this match, but Am was going to make the best of it, and fight to her fullest no matter what.

This time, the Chandelure was more prepared. Lurelite moved away from the Hypnosis, as she prepared another Shadow Ball, and fired it off at where Amethyst was currently. From the Chandelure's calculations, the Gardevoir was burning through her power faster than her... So it was a simple matter of outlasting, Lurelite reasoned.

Amethyst frowned again, sidestepping the Shadow Ball, while preparing her own. She decided to put much more power into it this time, even while teleporting above and behind the Chandelure and fire a Psychic blast downwards, having the vantage point advantage. Even though the sphere of dark energy was already much larger than it was before, the Gardevoir kept pumping in power to it, as much as she could...

 

The Chandelure attempted to turn around after the attack, but paused as she noticed the power going into the Shadow Ball. Lurelite frowned slightly, as she looked back to Jenny nervously. The Trainer frowned as well, as she noticed something seemed off about what was going on with the Shadow Ball too...

Amethyst saw her chance, and fired off the Shadow Ball immediately... 

 

Only, the attack didn't work. The moment the sphere of dark energy left her hand, it exploded, sending the Gardevoir flying back with a startled yelp, tumbling across the ground. Olivia gasped, not expecting that result at all. The red-haired trainer immediately asked Am if she was still alright.

 

"I'm... I'm fine..." Amethyst replied, wearing a much more frazzled expression than the one beforehand, but she looked down. "Let's keep going. Until one of us faints." she declared, charging yet another Shadow Ball....

Jenny's frown deepened, as she took a step forward. However, she paused, as she noticed the look on Amethyst's face. However, Lurelite still refused to make a move. She wasn't liking this situation, and was willing to stop this if everyone else agreed.

Amethyst looked up, and saw Lurelite wasn't reacting still. She frowned herself, and clenched the fist of her other hand. "What are you waiting for...? We're supposed to be fighting!" she said annoyedly, not sure what was going with things lately.

 

"Am... I think we should stop." Olivia said worriedly, frowning at her Pokemon. "This... This was just supposed to be a friendly match but-"

 

"Then I'll KEEP fighting!" the Gardevoir replied in a sudden outburst, attempting to fire off the Shadow Ball again, with the same result. Amethyst got back up, more scuffed than before, and starting to pant. "I... I'll show you... I'm strong... I can... I can..."

 

"Amy..." Jenny looked worried as well, and glanced at Olivia for a moment, before running out onto the field. She knew this would probably be a bad idea, but couldn't stand seeing this. Even as she quickly approached, she just did not want to see Amethyst hurt like this. "Amy, stop, please. We know you're strong, but pushing yourself isn't a good idea!" She said, as she tried to wrap her arms around the Gardevoir to calm her down. "Just, take a deep breath. Is this worth it? You've become a lot stronger than ever, and I'm glad to see you do so... But you're rushing your training, I don't want you hurt because of it!"
 

Olivia walked onto the field as well, ending up behind Amethyst. "Something seems to have gotten into you and I just don't know what... But no matter what, you don't have to do this. We all know you're powerful, we all respect you here..." she muttered, placing a hand on Amethyst's shoulder. "So... We forfeit the match. This... This can't keep going on.

 

Amethyst panted and looked around her, closing her eyes. She grit her teeth, and then teleported away from Jenny's embrace. "NO! You don't... Get it... I have to do this right. I have to prove myself more!!" she exclaimed, once more trying a Shadow Ball. Predictably, she was thrown back tumbling across the ground, and got up on her knees, clutching her shoulder. "I can't... Give up... I won't... I can't..." she muttered, before charging another Shadow Ball. 

 

"I ' L L S H O W Y O U , I ' L L P R O V E M Y S T R E N G T H, I-"

 

The Gardevoir was cut off mid-speech, and returned to her Pokeball. The red-haired trainer looked down silently, not sure what had happened. "...Good match..." she muttered flatly.

"I'm sorry that happened... What's wrong with Amy...?" Jenny asked worriedly, as she walked up to where Olivia was.

"...I just don't know..." Olivia sighed, still looking down. "It seems like she's become a lot more... Charged, in the past few days... Especially after fighting Zach's Gallade."

 

The eldest Seaton shrugged sadly. "Well... Let's go heal our Pokemon." Olivia said, turning around and walking back indoors to the Pokemon Center.

Jenny nodded, and followed quietly for a moment, but thought about something as they walked into the Pokemon Center. "So... who did the makeover?" She asked with a smile, as she tried to make it a little obvious who she was talking about, without mentioning names.

 

Olivia chuckled. "Well, I was the one who started the process, but they improved on it." she said, shrugging. "Turns out they have real talent for makeup. Probably more than I do."

Jenny nodded, as she hadn't actually expected that Liv would keep up the mystery, but smiled. "They look good with it." She commented, as they reached the Pokemon Center's desk.
 

Olivia placed Am's Pokeball on the Counter for the Nurse to take it, and smiled knowingly at Jenny. "I know, right? It'd be nice if that stuck." she commented, before trying to think of something to ask the Hakuda.

Jenny smiled slightly, but thought for a moment. "So, what have you been up to since I disappeared, anyway?"

"Oh... Not much, to be honest." Olivia replied, shrugging. "I mean, sometime after Zach disappeared, I joined Rocket, but I didn't really do anything until the last few days. In which I had to rescue my sister from being kidnapped, fight off a Ditto impersonating Groudon in Sootopolis, fight off a rogue Rocket army in Celadon, and see Gerald get arrested." she said.

"Oh wow... That's been a pretty busy-sounding past few days!" Jenny said with a surprised look on her face.

Olivia shrugged again. "Yeah. Pretty much. But... You've probably had an even busier time than I have overall." she said, rubbing the back of her head. "Considering what I've heard about Unova, it must have been crazy and a wild ride for everyone involved... I hope Zach did better without me than I was doing without him, though..."

"I'm not sure... I only met up with everyone while they were in Unova, so I couldn't really tell you... Plus, technically, I still had 3 years to myself, to just chill out and be part of Plasma." Jenny giggled at that, but looked at Olivia sadly, wishing things had've gone better for everyone.

"Oh, you're part of Plasma then...? That's neat, is Evan Plasma too?" she asked, smiling slightly. Internally however, Olivia began to worry slightly, about a detail seemingly everyone had been overlooking for the past few days...

Jenny nodded, and giggled slightly. "Really, our group is an odd assortment if you stop to think about it; I mean, we've got Evan and I as Plasma Agents, Ryan S. as a Liberty agent, Ray as a Rocket or separatist or something, an unaffiliated person, and Paul. I think it shows well just how things have progressed since last year." She said cheerfully, not even seeming to care that Olivia was a Rocket.

Olivia nodded, and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, funny how that works, huh..." she said. "Even if Rocket people are really hated and all... Especially by Liberty agents mostly..."

"I dunno, they might be a little bit still, but I think the ceasefire's helped that a lot. I mean, look at Ryan and Ray, they're pretty close now. Admittedly, that's after they had some... disagreements; but that wasn't over their faction." Jenny explained with a chuckle, and smiled. "Everyone's really fighting for the same thing, they just don't realize it... that's something I've realized over the last little while."

Olivia listened, and smiled a bit more, but still seemed uneasy. "Well... That's fair, but the ceasefire could end at any moment, and..." she muttered, sighing. "I've been thinking about dropping out of Rocket. I... I don't want to make his friends not trust him because of me, or end up on opposing sides if the ceasefire is dropped and the war restarts..."

"That could work." Jenny nodded, but scratched her head. "It has been six months, though... But I guess you're right about being so worried. But, if there is fighting, we'll all probably try and get a peaceful solution, right?"

Olivia listened, and nodded. "Yeah... You're right. If anything happens, we'll try to stop it, like how Celadon went. Thanks for listening, Jenny..." she said, smiling. "You're a good friend. I'll talk about it with Zach when he gets back from spending time with your boyfriend, doing whatever they're doing."

Jenny giggled, and nodded. "You're welcome!" She said, and smiled. "I'm sorry things haven't been the greatest, but they'll get better, I'm sure of it!"

"Well, things have already been going up for me lately... Guess you're right!" Olivia replied, holding out her hand for Jenny to shake. "I wish you luck, Jenny. It's great to talk to you again."

"Same for you... I hope Amy gets feeling better, too." Jenny said happily, as she shook Olivia's hand, and then gave her a reassuring hug again. "Come on, let's go back to the others; maybe they're back by now."

"I would hope so, unless they've decided to go on exploring the city without us..." Olivia chuckled, taking back her Pokeball from the Nurse, and walking out of the Pokemon Center afterwards...

[Dallior]

IC: Dallior

 

Dallior took the first step off of Rt. 121 into Lilycove City. He had heard down the proverbial grapevine that a pair of Team Plasma agents had come here recently, to find the person in charge of the terrorist attack on Castelia City... Dallior had been in the city when the attack took place. It almost cost him his life. He fingered his scarf nervously. 

 

As he walked past the Pokemon Center on the way into the city, he saw two trainers walk out. He decided to try his luck with them. "Hey, excuse me?" he asked the pair (OOC: Olivia and Jenny). "Do you have any idea where Evan Tierra and Jenny Hakuda are? I'm looking for them... from Team Plasma."

 

OOC: First post in RotR woot; and Dallior talking with your characters, Temmie.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Dallior: Rahkshi Lord

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Just a subtle thing to point out, but they didn't come there to find out who was responsible, since they'd already known. It's a bit more complicated than that. =P

 

Also, Jenny's my character; we just 'jammed' that out because it would've been too many posts worth otherwise, and would've taken too long.

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

As Jenny was about to say something to Olivia, she paused, as a new person walked up to the two of them. Her brow furrowed slightly, as he explained things a little. "Looking for what? What about Team Plasma?" She asked, as she hadn't heard anything about anyone wanting to find them, and was a little cautious about this new person.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie (Pokémon Center)

 

The two Rocket agents managed to talk about a whole bunch of absolutely nothing on the way over to the Pokémon Center. Compared to all the somethings that went on during the day, a bunch of nothing was refreshing. A stabilizing return to ordinary from a crazed rollercoaster of an unordinary day.  A day that was not done until they did one final thing. The conversation continued when they entered the Pokémon Center, though Jamie was distracted by looking for James’s Pokémon. However the entire team was absent from the lobby where she had seen them last time she was there.

 

The worried clone sighed, she was hoping to get a clue from them how James and Guinevere were. They were going in blind and Jamie could only hope for the best. Jamie led Lucia down the halls of the Pokémon Center from memory (and only went the wrong way twice!) and they found themselves in front of Guinevere’s room.

 

“I’ll wait out here if you want,” Lucia offered, fidgeting awkwardly.

 

The other Rocket shook her head, “No it is alright. I would rather you came with.”

 

The subtext of Jamie’s words was not lost on Pelleas. She was nervous and wanted as many other people with her, just in case of the worst.

 

Jamie swallowed before opening the door. The last shield from the truth, good or bad, was gone.

 

James was sitting on a chair staring silently at his phone (which was decidedly neither a Pokétch nor a Poké Gear) while Lancelot leaned against a wall, his eyes shut. And there was Guinevere, lying still on a bed, in apparent deep sleep. The first of the three turned towards the door upon hearing it open. He looked surprised as his clone entered the room.

 

“Jamie…It’s… It is a relief to see you unharmed," James started quietly, being careful not to wake the Pokémon on the bed.

 

“We made it back in one piece, somehow. How is Guinevere?"

 

James put away his phone and sighed, "She is sleeping much better now. She finally came to a couple hours ago. She has…. been confined to this bed for the near future. But the medical staff has informed me that they expect a full recovery… with time. I am sorry for leaving you back there with that madman. Please tell me he has been safely arrested.”

 

Jamie hesitated a moment before speaking, “He has not. We brought him here for treatment, but he is not a danger to anyone. …I’m almost certain that he’s a clone… and being manipulated by his ‘brother’.”

 

“A clone?” James questioned, shocked that Jamie would bring up such a topic. “Well, even if that is true, he still needs to be brought in. I cannot imagine that Team Rocket would just let the participants in this travesty off the hook.”

 

“No…” Jamie started wistfully, “You are right. We will take care of him before we leave.”

 

“Well, it is your prerogative. I suppose I have little authority to tell you how to do your job but…” James paused as he clenched his fists. “I am rather… displeased about today’s events. I would rather seek justice myself, but I will have to trust Team Rocket to find it for me. I… have orders that need to be completed.”

 

“Wait, you're leaving Guinevere by herself?" Jamie asked incredulously. 

 

“I know.” James was visibly uncomfortable. “To be fair to Goldhawk, he does not know my circumstances, so I cannot blame him for giving me this mission now. But personally, I am split on the matter. I would rather stay here with Guinevere and tend to her needs. But this mission is of vital importance, I cannot leave it to the wayside. The best I can do, is stay here and do what I can do from here before taking her back to Four Island. Theoretically, leaving her there should be the safer option. But I need to find information on James Pierce."

 

"Pierce.... Wait! That reminds me. Would you take a look at this? Apparently it has data from Tyler McKinley on it," Jamie stated holding out the flash drive she received from Ethan.

 

"McKinley?" James asked quietly as he took the flash drive from Jamie.

 

James walked over to a counter where his effects had been placed. Using the laptop that rested in his briefcase, he observed the flash drive's contains. Inside was a single file labeled:

 

Play Date.txt

 

Jamie looked at the text on the screen and tried to make some sense of it, but all she saw was a bunch of randoms letters.

 

"Do you think you will be able to decrypt it?"

 

James tried not to smirk, but he failed miserably. He wanted to say ‘who do you take me for?’ but felt a modicum of modesty was best.

 

“A simple enough cipher if I can find the key, surely. Depending on what the encryption mechanism was, I might be able to crack it easily, even without the code. At any rate, I will make a copy and hand you back the flash drive,” he said as he saved a copy of the text and handed back the flash drive. "At any rate, I will be here a while longer, I can start my information hunt on the internet, which means I can stay here for the time being. I will be here if you need me."

 

"Well, alright then," Jamie said softly walking over to Guinevere's sleeping form.

 

"Sleep tight, Guin," Jamie said before laying a soft kiss on the Gardevoir's cheek. She walked over to both James and Lancelot, bowed politely and walked towards the door.

 

"Jamie, wait."

 

Jamie paused and turned around. She saw James carrying the same look of discomfort that he had earlier. 

 

“I...I would like to apologize. I know I haven't... have not been the best older brother. I did not mean to leave Team Rocket so out of the blue, the way I did. My plans were... rushed due to circumstance, but that is no excuse. I know you must despise me. I left you alone and I am sorry."

 

Jamie was silent for a full ten seconds before opening her mouth, "You know for a time, I was lost when you left. I had spent my whole lifetime in your shadow, and when it was suddenly removed, I had no clue what to do. But I was never alone. Tristan and Pelleas have been the best dads I could have hoped for and I never would have met them if not for you. I may have been shocked and had to adjust, but I never despised you."

 

"Jamie... You can't possibly know how relieved I am to hear that," James said, briefly remembering the end of his battle with Greed.

 

A moment of awkward silence passed before James returned to the present. "I am sorry for holding you up, I know you are busy, and I do not mean to delay you any longer."

 

Jamie nodded and said, "Goodbye James, Lancelot," before walking towards the door that Pelleas was holding open. Lucia followed and then they were gone.

 

"'Goodbye James' huh?" James recited to himself. "I have not earned a 'love you big brother' yet..."

 

James sat back down in his chair and ignored the quizzical look his champion had for him, "Well, one step at a time."

Edited October 25, 2015 by Totally Colette; Not Minun

[Dallior]

OOC: I know they know who it is. I meant physically finding *insert name here cuz I don't know it since I'm a noob here*. 

 

IC: Dallior

 

Jenny's body language told Dallior she didn't trust him. He decided to tread lightly from here. "I'm from Plasma, here to join you on... whatever you're doing. I heard in Fortree that you guys knew something about the terrorist attack on Castelia... I want in. That maniac almost killed me and..." Dallior stopped to choke back his tears. 

Edited October 23, 2015 by Dallior: Rahkshi Lord

[Konuju]

OOC: Popping in to give a bit more of an explanation on the Lilycove situation.

 

Evan and Jenny are more or less on leave or vacation from the Plasma duties they've been doing for the past six months or so. They came to the Hoenn region with Ryan (Sanders), Ray, and Sonja to try and find Ellen Burks, a young girl they had traveled with during their adventures in Unova six months ago. They found Ellen was missing, and instead they met Madison Hayes, the Ford Agent they had encountered in Castelia. Hayes was also looking for Ellen.

 

After a small skirmish another Ford Agent showed up, Tyler McKinley. McKinley convinced Hayes they had more important things to do and they teleported away, but not before Sonja agreed to accompany them to learn more about what they were up to. Evan, Jenny, Ryan and Ray spent the next day asking around Fortree for Ellen's possible whereabouts.

 

Two days after the encounter with the Ford Agents, Ellen's father Paul showed up along with neutral trainer Xander Cruise. Paul and Xander had found Ellen, only to witness McKinley show up and essentially kidnap her. After hearing this, the group immediately set out for Lilycove to catch a boat to Team Liberty's base to try and find an aura wielder who could help them locate Ellen (as well as Sonja).

 

So they've only been actively seeking a way to get to Ford for about half a day at most. However, I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to say that when asking around Fortree about Ellen, Evan and Jenny might have also mentioned the terrorist from Castelia to try and figure out how long Hayes had been looking for Ellen. So while Dallior might not know for sure that they're trying to get to Ford, he could've at least heard that they had been asking about the terrorist.

 

If anything's still unclear, don't hesitate to ask. We're all more than happy to help.

 

Edit: Just wanted to add that while the higher-ups of Plasma might know Evan and Jenny are somewhere in the vicinity of Kanto/Johto/Hoenn/Sinnoh, they wouldn't know they're specifically in Hoenn, nor would they know of their current mission. My thought was that Dallior could've heard about their whereabouts from talking to people in Fortree. Sorry for the confusion.

 

IC: Ryan

"Well, I'm not sure where the other Ryan disappeared to, but I'm sure he'll catch up with us eventually." The Liberty agent shrugged as he pushed the button for the elevator. "Yeah, we'll head down to the TM shop. I might not buy anything, but it wouldn't hurt to look." The elevator doors opened and the group squeezed inside, finding it a little less crowded thanks to the missing Hikari.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Konuju

[Dallior]

Gotcha. Edited to make more sense.

[Dr. Hidaka]

OOC: Jam Session with Blade! Let's rock!

IC: Evan Tierra and Zach Hikari, Lilycove City

"Maybe... One day we should find out." Zach replied, but then looked over curiously, as he noticed Evan seemed to be acting a bit oddly again. "You alright?" The auburn haired trainer asked, as he tilted his head slightly.

 

"Just tired is all." Evan said as he petted his Hippowdon. "Haven't really had the best sleep lately."

 

"Oh yeah?" Zach seemed curious about that, and wondered if there was any reason for that. From what he'd heard about the group, it sounded like a ton had happened, which might be related to this, but... At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if there was something else.

 

"It's been going on for three days." Evan said, still trying to focus on keeping steady. "I think it may have something to do with what happened in Unova sometime ago."

"How so?"

"Well in Opelucid, I managed to defeat something that looked like me." Evan, deciding to sit down to make it easier on himself. "Soon after that, Jenny and I met Gerald. I managed to trounce him......"

Evan remembered the nightmares he'd been having since that day. How they tortured him so. How they made him fear for his own thoughts on who he is. Ever since that day, he considered himself less of a hero....

".....But then I started having nightmares." Evan stated, a slight note of fear in his voice. "The same one, every time. It was in the desert of Route 4, but instead of sparing Gerald.....I killed him in cold blood, due to him or the "bad guys" getting away all the time. The first time I passed it off as a one time thing, but the second time and after, I began to get so scared of sleeping. Each time, the nightmares got worse, to the point where I decided not to sleep."

Zach frowned slightly, as he put a hand to his chin. "Sounds like..." He mumbled slightly, and looked up. "You and Ryan should talk later; but right now... uhh... hm." He scratched his head, as he tried to figure out a way to help right then. "I'm not sure how to help right now. Maybe I could use my powers somehow, but I'm not sure how, other than like, giving some sort of temporary hope or something." The trainer sighed, as he shrugged, unsure of how else to help.

"But... I don't think you should let it get you down. Talk to Ryan, I honestly think he's been having the same problems since yesterday, but I don't think that getting fed up with people getting away is something to worry about too much." Zach tried to give a reassuring smile, but wasn't sure how much that would actually help.

"You really don't get it, Zach." Evan said, looking down. "I'm worried about something greater than that. I'm worried that, eventually, I'll do something terrible. I mean, talking to Ryan sounds like a good idea. But will whatever power you have, make the nightmares go away? That's my question."

 

"I don't know. I'm not really used to my powers yet." Zach awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, but smiled. "I don't think you will do anything terrible, though. The fact that you're so worried shows that. I'll try my best to do something, but... I'm not sure what, honestly."

"Well, maybe I should help you figure that out. " Evan said, looking up. "Before I woke up from each nightmare, I hear this horrible, mocking laughter. It sounds so familiar, yet I can't pin it down for the life of me. Maybe possibly find the source of that and maybe the nightmares will stop?"

"Hmm... That might work." Zach tried to think of something. "What happened before Gerald, though? I mean, he's crazy, but it seems a bit odd that..." He frowned slightly. "Anyway, any info would help..."

"Well, we fought this odd person in Opelucid and...." Evan explained. "We also fought something that you could say was my....dark side. He was merciless, but eventually, I managed to defeat him, but he was still alive. I then eliminated him while he was still barely alive. Then Jenny and I left for Route 4, where we met Gerald."

Zach mused over that. "Your dark side?" He seemed a little uncertain of what Evan meant, but something seemed odd to him.

 

"Something that claimed to be that, at least." Evan stated. "He had my power of Space, and what appeared to be shadowy clones of my pokemon."
 

Zach thought for a few more moments. "Could you try to... mimic that laughter?"

"I could, but I would rather not." Evan said, shaking his head. "What are you thinking?"

"Just had a theory." Zach said with a chuckle to try and lighten the mood. "I'll try something, though." He took a breath for a moment, and then his eyes began to glow, as he began to try and use his psychic powers on Evan.

Evan felt the presence of Zach in his mind, and opened all the doors in response to his entry. The Ex-Hero felt a little more relaxed, making it clear to Zach that he was permitted entry to anything that could help him zero in on his problem.

IC: Evan Tierra's Mind

Zach mentally glanced around, as he tried to figure out what could be the issue. Unlike the night before, he wasn't trying to synchronize, more as find the issue, and try to deal with it.

As Zach glanced around, there were many sounds echoing. Some sounded like Evan making some hot-blooded speech. Some were the sounds of his pokemon roaring and showing off. At one point, there was nothing but the sound of a heart beating incredibly fast, yet incredibly softly. Each doorway had a symbol over it, possibly to denote what "room" lead to what.

Zach seemed intrigued, but continued to look around, as he tried to figure out what the symbols on the doorways might mean.

Some of the symbols looked familiar, while a few looked very odd and otherworldly. Three doors had the symbols of Dialga, Palkia and Giratina. The door for Dialga had appeared to be boarded shut, while the Giratina door looked like it had been recently refurbished. Zach seemed curious, and moved toward those doors. Why would there be three like that...? Zach wondered, as he tried to keep moving toward it.

The door with Palkia's symbol looked aged and worn, yet looked like it would last for a good length of time yet. As Zach drew closer, the symbol of Palkia started to glow a soft violet, as if to show Zach which door to enter.

Zach frowned slightly, as he wondered what the other door held, but walked toward the door with Palkia's symbol, and tried to open it.

The door opened softly and quietly, as if it were inviting Zach in. The room had various words scrawled on the walls in various fonts and sizes. Every so often, Zach would see what appeared to be.......claw marks on the walls, usually where a word was.

Zach frowned further, as he noticed that the claw marks seemed to correspond with some sort of hopeful word, like 'peace', or 'dreams', or 'love'. "Is someone here?" Zach called out cautiously, as he continued to make his way further into the room.

There was no response as he went forward. As he moved forward, he noticed more and more claw marks on the walls, some being outright holes in the wall. Even more curiously, there were more negatively inclined words, such as 'hatred', 'fear' or 'cowardice'. Each of those words looked like they had been carved out by the same thing that slashed out the hopeful words from before.

Zach didn't like the look of that. Ignoring what was carved into the walls, he kept going forward. He had a bad feeling about what was going on, but wanted to bring peace to here. As he reached the end of the room, the words became less legible, and the claw marks even more numerous. There were bits and pieces of broken tables and chairs all around. There was only one piece of "furniture" left intact. A small stool, about two feet tall. There was nothing special about the stool, save for the numerous claw marks on it. There were what appeared to be lengths of chains lying nearby, but why, Zach did not know.

Zach took a few more steps forward, but as he progressed, he just kept getting an unnerving sense from everything he had been seeing. What could be causing this?

"Like what you see?"

A voice rang, loud and menacingly throughout the room. Zach could not tell from where it came from. It echoed with cruelty and menace. Some of the chains almost appeared to move.

"What's this?" The voice rang out again, as if it were mocking Zach. "If it isn't the murderer of Evan Tierra and many Unovan citizens! What brings you to this place?"

"And who are you?" Zach asked, as he let the comment just run off his back. Something seemed... familiar about the voice.

"And why do you wish to know.....killer?" The voice rang out, laughing as it spoke. "Why should you care? After all, I could just not tell you and you'd gain nothing......."

"Because whoever you are, you don't belong here... And I'm not leaving until it's solved." Zach smiled slightly, still not letting the voice get to him.

"You, stop me?" the voice rang out. "You couldn't stop me if you tried, so why even try? The only who could stop me is so wounded from what I have done, that it's hopeless for him to fight me now."

As if to emphasize the statement, one of the chains lashed out at Zach, aiming to wrap itself around his leg. As this was happening, the voice continued to howl with crazed laughter.

Zach's eyes glowed, as the chain seemed as if to be rejected. "That's false, and he knows it. I'm going to help him, and I won't let you stop me."

"Look at him, fool." the voice said, dropping the humor that was in it's voice before. "He's teetering on the edge. All he needs is one little push, and then he's mine."

More chains lashed out at Zach, each one rejected by the auburn haired trainer. Despite all of this, the voice howled with laughter.

"You can't help him." the voice laughed. "His friends can't help him. That girl he loves so much can't even help him. He's too worried about hurting them, and that is why you cannot stop me."

"You're wrong." Zach smiled, as he took a step forward. The 'field' that was rejecting the chains seemed almost to grow, as he pointed his finger forward. "The fact that he's so worried is exactly why I can stop you! Because it proves he's better than you."

"Yeah, no." the voice hissed. "You can't exactly help.....IF I LOCK YOU IN OR OUT."

With those words, Zach heard the door start to shake. The voice continued to howl with laughter as something began to take what appeared to be the form of Evan Tierra.

"Surprised?" the look-alike asked. "Now you have two choices: Leave or stay. Leaving will allow you to live but unable to help this person. Staying will not only get you killed, but it will be futile, because only Evan Tierra can stop me. Start deciding."

The shadowy doppelganger of Evan started making ticking noises, as if this were all just a game to him.

Zach, in response, took a step foward toward the doppelganger again, as his eyes simply glowed a brighter green. "I knew it." The trainer with auburn hair smiled ever so slightly. "So... What's your name? Evan mentioned you. I had this feeling it was this, but I just don't get it. What do you even care whether Evan's broken or not? If he breaks... He'll likely not just hand control to you. You'd just be doing this for nothing." He shook his head slightly. "I don't think you can kill me, though. I might be on your turf; but you're playing my game."

"You don't seem to get it, Zach Hikari." the shadow stated. "Once he's utterly broken, I'll just seize it from him. It'll be especially satisfying, because he saw fit to destroy my body."

"To answer your question, name's Feral Tierra." the shadow answered Zach's question.  "Now what's your decision?"

Zach shrugged. "That assumes it gets that far." He smiled, though, as he turned to walk out of the room. "Alright, Feral, was nice talking with you. Ciao." As the trainer left the room, however, he promptly dropped his powers, and opened his eyes for real.

IC: Lilycove City

"Well... that didn't go quite as well as I had initially thought..." Zach sighed, as he scratched his head. "Got some answers, though."

"What did you find out?" Evan asked desperately. He just wanted to have some peace for once. "What's going on?"

Zach sighed, as he wondered what to mention. "Well... first of all, try and focus on everything that's good, even when it's not there. There is peace, and hope, everywhere." He mentioned that first, as he recalled the scratched out words. "Secondly... 'Feral Tierra'... That is the person you fought in Opelucid, is it not?"

"Yeah, it is." Evan said, wondering what Zach saw. "That's the thing that attacked us in Opelucid. As for your first thing, I've been trying, but every time I do, something worse happens. I just have no idea what to do."

"Just keep focusing on it. I don't think it's just all the things that are happening, which is working against you. Feral, apparently, is in your mind." Zach smiled slightly at that. "He kinda threatened me, otherwise I would've tried to deal with him... But honestly, I don't trust my powers too much, despite my bluffs to him. But..." He chuckled slightly, and put a hand on Evan's shoulder. "You, however, can deal with Feral. Take him down, and your worries should go with it. And don't be afraid, even as odd as that may sound. Just face him with all your hopes and dreams."

"Right, you make that sound so easy..." Evan said. "I'll try, but I am not so sure I'll succeed. What if I lose? What if that monster beats me? What then?"

Zach sighed, and then pointed a finger at Evan's face, a confident smile on his own face. "Don't worry about the 'what-if's. Your worry is exactly what's giving him power, according to him; you have to just believe in yourself. You're a hero; you can't lose, unless you have to. And sometimes having to lose is just a step toward winning... especially if it shows you something about yourself."

"I'll try." Evan said, sounding a little more confident. "You do the same, kid. I think there is still something you must do. What it is, I dunno. But I do know you must do it."

Zach scratched his head with a sheepish smile. "Maybe so... but, I guess, right now we should probably head back?"

"Well, before that, I have one thing to say." Evan said, smiling a lot more broadly now as he began to strike his signature pose beside his Hippowdon. "Go as far as you want, and don't let anything hold you back. You're a hero too, and heroes have no limits, right?"

Zach smiled, and chuckled slightly. "Same to you... And yep!"

With that and Evan returning his Hippowdon to her poke ball, the two heroes walked back the way they had came. Evan felt truly inspired and raring to take down the foe that he had been unable to finish off.....

Edited October 26, 2015 by Hades

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach/Jenny==-

 

Zach walked toward the Pokemon Center, to heal up Alvis before heading back. However, he paused for a moment, as he noticed Olivia and Jenny outside the Pokemon Center. He also noticed an unfamiliar person talking to Jenny, and frowned confusedly, as he walked up to the three.

 

Jenny frowned slightly, as she heard what was said. "But didn't Castelia get evacuated in time? Though, we're also not actively looking for her; we're looking for a young girl named Ellen. I mean, I guess it still ties in together, since the boss who ordered the attack basically has Ellen now, but... I'm not sure whether it'll be as easy as that, and..." The girl paused, as she glanced over and noticed Evan and Zach approaching. "Heya, you two." She smiled for a moment, but something still seemed odd about his story. She thought sure she'd heard that everyone had been evacuated... but, it was possible that some people were overlooked. She just hoped this was all the way it was.

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

"Yeah, I'm up for that. Plus, I think Ryan said he'd meet up with us; probably as we leave. I get the feeling something caught his eye on the ground floor; considering we've only gone to those places." Ray shrugged, but inwardly hoped that it wouldn't take too long here, as he got an anxious feeling all of a sudden...

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

As Lucia and Jamie walked out of the Pokemon Center, the former began to lead the latter girl to her aunt's house. "It's been a long day, huh...?" The redhead mused, as she glanced over to Jamie. She had been through a lot that day; both of them had. But the way Jamie had been in the hospital... it looked obvious that she had been both relieved at Guin being alright, and pained at the state she was in. That, alongside the other girl's nervousness, had caused Lucia to be worried for a bit, but Jamie seemed to be kinda fine now. She still wanted to try and cheer her up a bit more, however, especially as Jamie had seemed a bit uncomfortable with having to report the boy they'd fought before. The redhead really wanted to point out that it wasn't them who were going to arrest him, but she didn't think that would help out any.

 

-==IC: Vermillion Incident==-

 

"Knock it off!" One of the other people said, shakily standing to her feet. She looked pointedly at Mercury, as she took a wobbly step forward. "How can he talk, if he's unconscious, or too in pain to do so?!" The girl growled, as she shook her head. "He may be a jerk, but you don't need to be so evil in response. His name is David... if you really are intent on this, leave him alone, and go after me."

[MELON LORD]

OOC: Flashing forward a bit with the Department Store crew, if that's alright.

 

IC: Xander and Sylph, Lilycove City

The Kalos duo walked out of the department store with a pack full of fresh supplies, but no new TM. Thunderbolt apparently wasn't sold here, and Sylph was unable to learn the more powerful Thunder, so there was no point in dropping cash on it for now.

 

They were only slightly disappointed by this delay, however. They were in good company, and they would be able to find the TM eventually. Until then, they would just train with what they had.

 

IC: Mercury, Vermilion Incident

Mercury looked up at the woman, a wicked grin on his face. "His name is David, is it? Well, I'm Mercury and I'll be your interrogator today. Tell me your name. While you're at it, put your hands on your head and get on your knees so I know you're not trying any funny business." 

 

He wasn't too worried about the woman. He'd fought worse than her before, surely. As for David... Well, he was pretty indisposed. "I'll ask you questions, instead. I didn't even realize you were conscious. So, tell you what. If I ask you a question and you lie- and I'll know if you do, believe me- then... David is the one who will suffer for it."

 

Torture was ineffective most of the time. It either got false positives- that is, people told you anything you wanted to hear to make the pain stop- or they passed out, or their mind broke before you could get the informations. Sympathetic torture, however... Most people would do anything to protect those they cared about, even if it meant ratting those people out.

Edited October 26, 2015 by Flowey the Flower

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray/Ryan==-

 

As the group began to leave the Department Store, Ryan walked back up to the group, with a couple shopping bags in his hand. One was smaller, and if someone looked into it, they would see a wrapped gift. The other bag had a couple of things in addition to what he'd gotten before, but none of them were wrapped up. "So, we all ready, then?" Ryan asked, as he joined up with the other three, even as the group began to walk outside again.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan nodded to the other Ryan before following Xander outside. He had taken no more than twenty steps from the building when he was promptly divebombed by Togie. The Togekiss chittered indignantly as he pulled his trainer into a hug, clearly torn between whether to feel happy to see him again or irritated he had been left on his own in the first place.

 

"Uaghpth!" It took the Liberty agent a moment to realize what was going on. By the time he finally managed to free himself from Togie's glomp, he noticed Orihime was also hovering in the air, greeting Ray in a much more civilized fashion.

 

The pair of Togekiss had been hovering above the group all morning, just far enough away that Ryan -- and probably Ray -- had completely forgotten about them. Of course when the trainers had entered the crowded department store, Togie and Orihime found themselves unable to follow. Evidently the two had taken to waiting nearby, watching the shoppers coming out the door and waiting for their trainers to reappear.

 

"I'm sorry, Togie." Ryan laughed as he ruffled the Jubilee Pokémon's feathers. "Come on, let's head to the harbor. That's where we said we'd meet the others."

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

"Sorry miss, bit busy getting medical attention for my friend." Lachina said without looking towards Belle, Zac Blazer slung over her shoulder. The Ranger held out her wrist with the Capture Styler, and began speaking into it. "Where's the nearest hospital?"

"Since you asked so nicely, I'll give the coordinates to you straight away." a voice from the Styler replied, flashing directions on its screen. "Now it's up to you to follow them."

"I can read maps, you know." Lachina sighed, having expected being told off by the Voice Nav. She shrugged it off, taking in the directions, before taking off in the necessary direction. 

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Olivia didn't exactly know how to handle this gibbering Plasma agent coming from nowhere who appeared to be on the verge of a breakdown, and so was very happy when Evan and Zach returned. "H-hi again, Zach." she said, smiling, and walking over to his side, and away from the new person who she was instead leaving to Jenny and Evan. She reached out her hand, hoping that his instinct had returned and he'd grab it, while quickly shooting him an unamused glance for how quickly Zach had gone off not too long ago.

IC: Dahlia Seaton

Dahlia Seaton walked alongside her brother in the park, looking at the sights around them. The sea breeze was cool, the sun was shining, Pidgey flew overhead, the atmosphere overall was very pleasant, even if there was farwaway battle noises... Perfect weather for a stroll through the park. 

"...So. This is nice after the last few days, isn't it?" Aspen said, attempting to break the silence. Of course, he did so by stating the very obvious...

"I think I said that a few minutes ago." Dahlia replied. The gardener however, was busy admiring the flowers in the park, smiling as she looked down to observe them. 

"...Right. Sorry." the boy muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets awkwardly. The two of them walked for a bit longer, before Aspen paused again. "Huh... Maybe we should go back to the others. They're probably waiting for us."

The middle Seaton turned her head to reply to Aspen, before she paused mid-turn. Further ahead from her, bright crimson eyes shone brilliantly above a bush. The Absol's pure white fur blew ever so slightly to the side with the wind, as Dahlia locked eyes with the Pokemon.

"...Dahlia? You there?" Aspen asked, blinking. He tried to follow her gaze, but he didn't see anything. "Something up?" 

"It's nothing. You go catch up with Olivia, Zach, and the others. I think there's something I have to check out." Dahlia replied, smiling at her brother. After a moment, he slowly nodded, and turned around, leaving Dahlia in the same spot. 

Dahlia made her way forward, walking briskly along the path. When she reached the bushes, the gardener pushed through them, coming face to face with the same Absol from before. Once more they locked eyes, the wind gently rushing by. Neither moved watching each other. 

"...Why aren't you running away?" Dahlia asked, half-expecting the Pokemon to bolt the moment she opened her mouth. However, the Absol did not react in the slightest, its blood-crimson eyes still shining with an aura of mystery. The gardener tentatively took a step forward, and then another. She continued to watch the Absol, for any details. Her eyes widened when she noticed the Pokemon was unbalanced, leaning to its right, its right paw barely holding steady. 

"You're hurt..." she breathed, taking out her backpack. The gardener pulled out a bag of Sitrus Berries, and held one out to the Absol. "Here. Your leg need attention..." 

The Absol's gaze moved back to the berry, blinking quickly. After a moment of hesitation, the Pokemon snatched the Berry from Dahlia's hand, and chewed slowly, turning away. Not a moment later, it looked down, and felt Dahlia gently lift its paw, wrapping a gauze bandage around it. The Absol looked back at Dahlia confusedly, as she finished wrapping its paw, looking up with a frown. 

"It feels better now, right?" she asked. Dahlia watched as the Absol tentatively lifted its right leg, and place its paw down, seeming to stand taller now that it was fixed. She smiled, but turned thoughtful, still paying attention to the Pokemon. "You... You're the same Absol from Sootopolis, aren't you...? And Ellen said something about seeing you back here, too..." she muttered, the Pokemon turning its gaze away. She gently placed a hand on the Absol's face, wearing a sadder expression. "...That's right. The Luke fellow's Machoke hit you so hard, and you... Well. At least you feel better now, right?"

Absol turned to Dahlia, the intensity of its glare fading ever so slightly. Dahlia thought more, and realized something. "...If you were there for Ellen to warn about the attack in Sootopolis, and you're here... Something else is going to happen, isn't it?" she asked. Again, there was no response. Hesitantly, the girl backed off. She looked again into the crimson eyes of the Absol, the expression seeming oddly... Sympathetic? Before she could ponder anything, the Pokemon turned away, and dashed off deeper into the trees, leaving Dahlia looking in the direction it ran, the breeze gently blowing her hair to the side. 

Edited October 29, 2015 by Temmie

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph, Lilycove City

"Right," Xander said with a nod as he started walking. Sylph walked alongside him, looking around in silence. As they passed people on the road, she gently brushed across their minds, skimming information and funneling it to Xander.

 

For his part, Xander seemed to drift off as he thought about plans and the near future. They had a good group here, even if Ryan -- the second Ryan, what was his last name? -- and his friends left. They were going to collect an aura wielder who sounded pretty powerful, and, according to Sylph's info, they had at least one legendary pokémon and possibly more with them.

 

The only hard part would be tracking Ellen down, and the aura user could apparently help with that, too. Finding Ellen wouldn't be easy, but it might not be as difficult as he'd once imagined.

 

IC: Belle LaDonna, Vermilion Incident

"Hey! I'm trying to help, kid!" The collector flew up to  move beside Lachina. "You're jacking up his leg like that, put him on Cyanide's back." She patted the Metang. "We'll get him to a hospital, no worries."

 

"Cyanide's faster than you dragging him along the ground, anyways." Belle was not usually one to help people, and she was beginning to remember why. This girl had just brushed her aside without a second thought, and that grated. Still, she had already committed to helping, and she wasn't going to change that.

 

IC: Alma Mason, Vermilion

The girl sat outside a small diner, happily eating lunch as she watched the varied people of Vermilion City. She had her ticket to the Islands, and only had a few more hours of waiting before she could get on with her mission.

 

Shadow stuck to her shadow, conferring with her between bouts of her talking to and about new people. He felt uneasy about going to the Sevii Islands; There were dangerous, powerful people there who would strike out atany who disrupted their peace.

 

And, they both agreed, going after Roderick Krane would definitely disturb the peace.

 

IC: Mercury?, Mindscape

He watched silently as his body did horrible things. He had removed himself from the situation, for fear he may be sick. It had been extremely easy to step back and let his mind and body go on autopilot.

 

Worryingly easy. Had he done this before? Let instincts guide his actions? Except, this was more than instinct. The memories, the casual dialogue, the ease with which he manipluated bodies and words.

 

Something intelligent was controlling him right now, and he did not have a name for it. However, as he looked around the mental plain he was drifting on, he noticed disturbing changes. The flowers covered in blood, for instance, or the ruins of some sort of wall or building, its rubble scattered in a small area.

 

Whatever was in control of him had been trapped at one point. Was that his doing, or someone else's? Where did this second entity come from?

 

The most important question, though: which one was the real Mercury?

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"Heya yourself." Evan said, smiling warmly at Jenny. "What's up?"

Evan looked at Olivia and Zach, then at this new person. He pondered what was going on, as well as what to do next. There was nothing else for him to do here. He and Jenny were more or less waiting for the word from the others on when to go.

"Hey, Jen, maybe we should get going before the others leave us behind, huh?" Evan stated, letting his exhaustion show a little as he turned towards the newcomer. "You can come with us. I get the feeling we should leave these two alone."

[Dallior]

IC: Dallior

 

Dallior took a deep breath, and turned to Evan. "Thanks." He started walking with Evan. "So, are you with Plasma? *beat* Sorry about my manicness back there. I just joined Plasma, and you guys are dealing with something very dear to me... the monster involved in the bombing."

 

OOC: Sorry about the hiatus, guys. Life stuff always in the way.

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

"Um, excuse me Ms., but I'm not 'dragging his leg along the ground'... That would just be unprofessional. I'm no kid, either, alright?" Lachina replied, frowning slightly. However, she looked at the Metang, and back to Zac, sighing. "You do have a point about the speed thing... I really hope there's no catch here." the Ranger muttered, gently laying the injured trainer on the Pokemon's back. 

Lachina looked at her Pokegear again, and brought up the coordinates to the nearby hospital again. "These are the directions, since you probably didn't catch them before. I'm Lachina Adaon, by the way." she said, nodding quickly. "Pleasure to meet you."

IC: Olivia Seaton

Olivia looked over at Evan, and turned back to Zach. "One moment." she said, before briskly walking to catch up to the Ex-Hero, as he had already began walking with the newcomer. The red-haired trainer tapped Evan on the shoulder, and crossed her arms.

"Hey, I don't think you've officially answered for dragging Zach away from me so quickly. Well, guess who's not happy about that still?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "You could have gotten more of a warning, that would have been nice... You really don't know how long it's been since I've been able to be around him regularly for any amount of time..."

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan was about to reply to Dallidor's statement when he felt Olivia's hand tap him on the shoulder. As she spoke, Evan felt his fatigue grow more. It wasn't as if he didn't understand Olivia's reasoning for not being happy with him. It was more he didn't need to know everything. Evan then turned towards her, his expression showed a glimpse of how tired he was.

"Listen, I know it was wrong to take your boyfriend away from you for a short while, without much notice." Evan stated, trying to keep a yawn in check. "I can understand why you would be upset with me. Thing is, I had to tell him something for his ears only. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't want to be away from Jenny."

Evan then leaned in close and whispered, "Because I didn't want to worry her, I had to get away from her so I could speak with Zach about something."

Evan then drew himself away from Olivia and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I'm sorry I did what I did. If you still feel otherwise, we could have a quick battle to show you how serious I am."

Evan directed his gaze at Dallidor. "We'll talk in a bit, if this dispute isn't settled." the Ex-Hero spoke kindly. "Til then, hang tight."

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Olivia was caught off guard by Evan's reaction, and raised an eyebrow. She had prepared a small speech going over why she was displeased, but... Didn't seem like she'd get the chance to use it now. So the red-haired trainer thought over his words for a moment, putting a finger to her chin...

"Alright. I had a practice match with Jenny, but that didn't exactly go well... I'll fight you, sure." she replied, crossing her arms. "You're supposed to be a strong trainer, right? Zach speaks highly of you in a lot of regards... If you really are that strong, that's something I'd really want to see." she said, seeming intrigued. "I mean, if Jenny's gotten as tough as she has, I wonder... How would you compare?" 

[Konuju]

IC: Paul

Lilycove was almost as bad as Undella in summer. Paul suspected it was only the city's gigantic shopping center and contest hall that kept the beaches from becoming more crowded than they already were. It was a perfect day for swimming, and it seemed everyone in the city knew it. Paul counted at least half a dozen volleyball nets as he walked through the sand.

 

Behind him, Terry trotted along faithfully. The Herdier's eyes were filled with something between excitement and melancholy. He had been through Lilycove just a few days ago, and he knew Ellen would have loved the chance to explore the city further. Not to mention, hadn't Xander said something about there being someone here who could help Chrono? Terry wondered how that Purrloin was doing. He hadn't expected the little cat to jump after Ellen at the last minute. Perhaps Chrono really did care for his trainer?

 

Paul stuck to the less-crowded sands, the ones furthest from the shore. He had never been fond of large crowds, which was partly why he had moved from Accumula to Village Bridge. He had felt out-of-place in the diner, and he felt out-of-place here in the city as well. He had been more than happy to let Aspen and Dahlia go off on their own. Right now, he just needed some quiet.

 

Leaving the sands behind, Paul wandered toward an old lighthouse at the end of a long pier. The sounds of the city gradually faded until there was nothing but the rolling of the waves. The blacksmith stood at the edge of the pier, overlooking the vast sea.

 

"Ellen's out there somewhere," he said softly, smiling down at Terry. "When this is all over, we'll have to have a big picnic. You, me, Anna, and Ellen, along with all her Pokémon. Maybe she can tell us about her adventures. It sounds like she had a lot of fun."

 

Terry barked in agreement.

[Dr. Hidaka]

OOC: Time for another jam! This time with JiMing!

IC: Evan Tierra vs. Olivia Seaton

"Let's find out how I compare!" Evan said as he sent out his Gliscor. "Vlad here should help prove how strong I am."

The Gliscor danced in the air, pincers clacking in a rhythm that probably existed only in the his head. He eyed Olivia, curious as to whom he would be facing this time. Whoever it was, Vlad would show them a good fight.

Olivia raised an eyebrow at Vlad, and thought over her current team. "Hmm. A flying ground type... I got it." she said, grabbing a Great Ball. "Dune! It's your time to shine."

The red-haired trainer tossed the Pokeball, releasing the Vibrava. Dune looked around for his opponent, seeing the Gliscor. He was a bit surprised at how strong the Pokemon seemed, but smiled, and greeted Evan's Pokemon enthusiastically.

Evan's eyes widened at the sight of the Vibrava. He hadn't seen a Vibrava in so long.. He had to actively resist the urge to run over and hug the Vibration Pokémon. The one thing that didn't seem right was it's name. Vlad swayed gently in the wind, waiting for the stage to be set for this most excellent fight.

"Dune, eh?" Evan said, a slight frown on his face. "That seems a tad plain for such a majestic pokemon-to-be, don't you think?"

Olivia's smirk faded, as she blinked. "...I-I'm sorry...?" she said, looking at Dune and thinking over Evan's words. "Hmm... Well, I thought the name worked back when he was a Trapinch, at least... Do you have anything better then, or?" she asked, blushing very slightly. She had never been the best at names...

"How about Jhen?" Evan said, smiling helpfully. "It inspires awe and wonder at such a creature fighting on the battlefield! Like Pokémon, nicknames can evolve too!"

Olivia put a finger to her chin, and looked to the Vibrava. "Well... What do you think, is that a good name?" she asked to her Pokemon. He looked over, and nodded, seeming to like the name a lot. "Okay... Then Jhen it is. I guess thanks for the rename? Maybe I need to rename my other Pokemon too..." she muttered, shaking her head.

"That's for another time, though. You ready for battle, Jhen?" the red-headed trainer asked, crossing her arms. The Vibrava nodded again, and reared back, waiting for Evan and Vlad to confirm that they were ready as well.

"I see that you're ready!" Evan said, striking one of his poses. "Then let's get this show on! Vlad, Tailwind!"

The Gliscor conjured up a Tailwind by dancing through the air, his pincers clacking rhythmically. He waited for Jhen's response with anticipation....

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Xander paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "Actually, you guys go on ahead. I'm gonna go find Paul, and we'll catch up, alright?"

 

He waved, turning towards the beach- where Sylph told him Paul was- and running off without waiting for a response. Sylph followed quietly, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. It wasn't often that Xander surprised her, these days. She followed just to see what he was up to.

 

They got down to an isolated part of the beach. How had Paul even made it over here? Xander had to climb over a group of rocks and nearly fell into the salty water below. The only thing keeping him from taking a bath was Sylph acting quickly to catch him. With relief, he set foot back on sand and smiled softly as he saw the blacksmith.

 

The man looked... peaceful. More peaceful than Xander had seen him,  in any case. The teen hadn't been spotted yet, and he took a moment to watch Paul before approaching. "Ray and Ryan are heading towards the docks. You get sick of the others?"

 

He rested a hand on his belt, feeling the pokéballs on his hip. "I wanted to tell you something. Before I told the others, I mean. I thought you would want to know first." He gently grabbed the two orbs that were currently occupied. "You met my whole team a couple nights ago, but didn't really get an introduction. You know Sylph, of course."

 

He released the other two pokémon, letting the Fennekin and Eevee rest on his shoulders. "I've been thinking over nicknames for these two, since I didn't think to do it back when I got them. I was thinking Vixen for Fennekin." The fire-type barked cheerfully. "You like that?" He smiled, petting her.

 

"But I was having trouble with names for the Eevee. Nothing really seems to fit her." The fox in question tilted her head, watching her trainer curiously. "I mean, what's a good name for someone who's gentle and kind, who cares deeply for her friends?"

 

He swallowed and cleared his throat. His eyes watered, stinging with salt. He tried to play it off as just the ocean spray. "And I realized, just now really. I'm going to name her Ellen. If that's all right with you."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan had barely registered Xander's words and opened his mouth so speak when he saw the Kalos trainer had already disappeared. "Well that was fast," he muttered, wondering what could have made Xander run off like that. He turned to the others. "Guess we'll meet him at the harbor."

 

IC: Paul

The blacksmith turned at Xander's approach. Out of everyone he had met these past two days, Xander was the one he got along with best, which was ironic given he was also the one Ellen knew the least. Perhaps it was because they were both outsiders in a large group of friends, perhaps it was because Xander was unaffiliated with any team, Rocket, Liberty, or Plasma. Either way, Paul was glad Ellen had come across this young man.

 

Xander's suggestion of a nickname took Paul by surprise. "That's..." He blinked his suddenly watering eyes. "I would be honored if you named her after my daughter." Terry happily barked his approval. Paul stepped up to Xander and laid a gentle hand on the Eevee. "I don't know you as well as your trainer does. But if what he says about you is true, you are certainly worthy of Ellen's namesake. You have that same thoughtful look in your eyes that I've seen in my daughter so many times."

 

A smile crept onto Paul's face. "Take good care of her, Xander. Her and Vixen both. You've seen how my daughter treats her Pokémon like family, and I know she wouldn't want you to do any different." He looked back at the Eevee and gently stroked its fur. "It's nice to meet you... Ellen."

[JiMing]

OOC: Y'all will be stuffed soon after the amount of jams this topic has been getting lately. 

IC: Olivia Seaton/Evan Tierra

 

Olivia raised an eyebrow at the Tailwind, thinking. "Hmmm... Take the the air, and Dragon Breath." she decided on.

 

Jhen leaped up, wings fluttering quickly. The Vibrava faced Vlad, and opened his mouth, firing a thin, blue beam, to see how the Gliscor would react.

"Mitigate the damage with a Swords Dance, then show them your aerial prowess!" Evan shouted. "A little show of Acrobatics will be the perfect thing for that!"

 

At Evan's command, Vlad spun around gracefully, clacking his pincers to his unseen beat. The spinning didn't outright negate the damage, but did it's job of raising Vlad's fighting spirit and reducing the damage the Fangscorp took. Vlad then swooped high into the skies above and performed several loops before aiming for Jhen.

 

Olivia sighed at the theatrics of Vlad, and shook her head. "Too bad for you, you're playing right into my hands. Feint Attack."

 

Jhen flew straight towards Vlad, seeming to go for a head-on collision. However, before impact, the Vibrava veered to the side, letting his opponent to fly into empty space. He then flew above the Gliscor and dived from a diagonal, grinning all the while.

 

Vlad was struck by the Feint Attack, but shrugged it off. He admitted this Vibrava was clever, but it would take more than this to put him down. 

 

"Don't be so sure!" Evan said, grinning widely at the chance he saw. "Vlad, grab that Vibrava and use Ice Fang on his wings!"

 

Before Jhen could zoom away from Vlad, the Fangscorp lashed his pincers out towards Jhen, his fangs glistening with cold energy. He was not going to let this slip out of his claws.

 

Olivia frowned, crossing her arms again, wincing as Jhen was caught in the Gliscor's grip. "That won't do, you gotta get out of there. Rock Slide!" 

 

The Vibrava struggled against Vlad's pincers, wincing as well when his wings were bitten and frozen, but obeyed his trainer's command. Ripples of energy appeared above the skirmish the two Pokemon were facing, and out of them dropped a rain of small boulders. It was inevitable that Jhen would be hurt as well, but hopefully it would knock the Fang Scorpion Pokemon off. If that happened, he would no longer be at Vlad's mercy...

 

Vlad was knocked away, but regained his composure. The Fangscorp was beginning to enjoy fighting this Vibrava. He wondered what other tricks he had up his sleeve.

 

"Vlad, exit stage left!" Evan shouted at Vlad. "We've done enough!"

 

The Gliscor was surprised at what Evan said, but swooped to his side anyways. He was curious as to why Evan would call him back, just when things were getting interesting.

 

"Wait, huh?" Olivia called out, standing awkwardly for a second. Jhen was also caught off guard, as even though he had taken a very significant amount of damage, didn't feel as though he was completely out of the fight yet. Nontheless, he shakily flew back to his trainer, the ice on his wing not really doing him any favors in that regard. 

 

The red-haired trainer blinked, and crossed her arms again. "So the battle's already over, then? Hmm. Well, at least it was pretty interesting." she said, seeming impressed. "I think I can see where Zach's respect for you comes from now. Nice job with the Ice Fang, you caught me off guard on that one." the eldest Seaton said, tipping her cap. "Kudos for getting my blood pumping."

 

"Always a pleasure to let my Vlad show what he is capable of." Evan said, grinning tiredly as Vlad struck a pose in response. "Both pokemon performed well. I look forward to the day when that Vibrava is a majestic Flygon. Good match!"

 

"Ehehe. Yep. That day might be a bit far off still, but it'll come. I have confidence in that." Olivia replied, chuckling as Jhen's eyes seemed to light up from that. She rubbed the Vibrava's head for a moment, recalling the Vibration Pokemon. "Thanks for the match. Maybe one day, those two will be able to have a full-on battle, going all out... Hmm. Yeah, I'd like that." the red-haired trainer contemplated, smirking. "Alright, you're off the hook. See ya later. Gotta heal my Pokemon up." she said, turning around and walking back to the Pokemon Center.

 

"I'd like that too." Evan said, recalling Vlad as he turned back towards his two fellow Plasma agents. "I'd better get back to working with these two. 'Til we fight next, see ya,"

 

"Good work, Vlad." Evan thought happily. "Even when you aren't going all out, you still put on a magnificent show."

Edited November 11, 2015 by Temmie

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Another jam, with JiMing!

 

-==IC: Zach/Olivia/???==-

 

Zach walked into the Pokemon Center with a smile. He was pretty impressed by the battle that had happened, and waited while Olivia got her Pokemon healed up. "Good fight!" He said, as he walked up to her afterward. "I'm not sure if the others are ready or not, but do you think we should start to head to the docks? Seems like Evan and Jenny might be a bit, after all..."

 

"Hmm, I guess that could work, yeah." Olivia said, taking back her Pokeballs. "That battle with Evan was actually pretty fun, though. I'm just a bit disappointed we didn't get to finish the fight, but oh well..." she muttered, shrugging. The eldest Seaton walked out of the Pokemon Center, hand-in-hand with Zach, seeming contemplative. "Hmm... He was also really dang strong. Jenny's team also seems to have stepped it up, and then there's you... Hmm. I guess I've got a lot of catching up to do." the red-haired trainer said, sighing.

 

Zach smiled, as he squeezed his friend's hand in a slightly reassuring way. "You'll get there. I could help, but I'm really still not that strong yet." He sheepishly smiled in response, but chuckled, as the two of them kept walking through Lilycove.

 

Olivia raised an eyebrow at Zach's last comment. "You say that, but the few times I got a win against you were complete flukes. If you're weak, then what am I?" she asked, still walking through the streets. "Really, it's kind of amazing how much farther than me you've gotten in these few years. You're almost like a completely different person when it comes to battles, now." the red-haired trainer said. "Though, it's a good thing you're still that cute little dork from school, I'd say."

 

Zach giggled slightly, but shrugged. "You've come a long way yourself. I could still help you out, though." He said with a teasing smile, but got an odd feeling suddenly.

 

"That'd be pretty nice, I don't like it when you're better than me, after all." Olivia replied with a teasing smirk. She noticed a shift in Zach's expression however, and frowned. "Huh? What's up? Was it something I said?"

 

Zach shook his head and frowned slightly. "No, it just felt like..." He then paused, as he turned around to see someone walking up to him.

 

 

"Heya. Sorry for the randomness, but, you have psychic powers, don't you...?" The new person asked with a seemingly friendly smile.

 

Olivia turned around to see the person talking to them, and frowned. "Umm, that's not something you just walk up and ask strangers." she said, glaring at the new arrival. "We're trying to get somewhere, alright creepo? Bye and see you never." the trainer said, walking away, tugging on Zach's arm to follow her.

 

"Who says I'm a stranger?" The person said, the smile still on his face, as he chuckled, and followed. "I know how to perfect the powers. If it helps you, then I don't care if I seem creepy or not." The guy said with a shrug, as he looked to see how Zach would react.

 

Olivia growled in frustration. "You're a stranger to me, at least..." she muttered, and walked at a faster pace. "Come on, Zach, don't look at him. I have a bad feeling about that guy..."

 

Zach, however, seemed curious. "How?" He asked, a little skeptical as well. But the possibility that his powers could have progress made, after what he'd lost by ignoring them for six months...

The guy looked at Olivia with a skeptical frown, but then looked back to Zach. "Well, for one, you have to calm yourself, and try to be true; if you have any worries, it'll just be counter productive. Secondly, actually using them can work. A friend of mine had to go through this once, and had a little help; and I got to learn about the different techniques."

 

"Okay, first of all, who the heck are you??? Secondly, what are trying to gain, here??" Olivia demanded, an exapserated look on her face. "We've got somewhere to be, so if you could please leave us alone so we can do that..." she muttered, seeming uneasy. Zach had already seemed enraptured by this stranger, and it made her worry what was to come...

 

The person looked over at Olivia again, a slight frown on his face. "I'm your friend's uncle. Guy Trelvatti. I'm Christina's brother. As for 'what I'm trying to gain'; I just want to help." The guy, fittingly named 'Guy', shrugged, as he began to walk away. "You can always think over those tips."

 

 

 

"...That's your uncle, huh." Olivia muttered, leering at Guy as he walked off. Despite everything he said, she was still feeling very uneasy on what was going to happen later, and turned to Zach. "...You okay...? You're looking... Really nervous." she asked, a concerned look on her face.

 

Zach looked back in surprise, but giggled sightly. "I'm fine." He said, and sighed. "I just, if it really could help, it would be nice, since I wasted like six months..." He shrugged slightly, and smiled a bit. "Come on, let's go." He said, as he continued to walk toward the docks; though his mind wandered a bit to what Guy had said about the steps.

 

Olivia held Zach's hand and leaned close against him, even though it didn't seem like he would react at all from then on. "Come on, your powers can't be all that bad, can they? Have you already forgotten last night...?" she asked, a concerned look on her face. She decided to stop talking, and test something quick...

You made it so we have a sort of mental connection now, right?" she asked telepathically, smiling slightly. The red-haired girl moved in front of him, and gently kissed Zach on the lips. "S-so don't worry. You're coming along just fine."

 

Zach seemed a bit surprised when he heard Olivia's thought, but smiled a bit, and giggled slgihtly. "Well... that's really why. I mean, who knows what else I could do if it weren't for that." He thought back, as he smiled again, and kept walking, as they got closer to the docks...

Meanwhile, Guy looked with a frown from a nearby alley. Musharna... Think you can help? He thought to the floating pink elephant, as he sighed. He knew interfering like this wouldn't help anything... But he had to do something. He just didn't trust... And if his theory was right... Now.

Zach suddenly stopped in his tracks, as his eyes began to glow suddenly. Something felt off; something was... off... And it was after that, that a wave of psychic energy blasted around the area in an arc, as windows shattered upon the wave hitting them, people screaming out in fear of the unknown.

 

-==IC: Ryan/Ray==-

 

"Yeah, that was kinda odd..." Ryan agreed with a frown, as he scratched his head. "Everything go well with you two, then? In terms of getting everything?" The trainer with the black hair seemed curious, as he wondered what had been chosen in the end.

 

"Ryan got a Squirtle doll; should work." Ray said with an amused smirk, as he looked back over to Sanders. He wasn't sure how the reaction would be, but he had a feeling it would be good. However, he paused, with a frown. "So, do we head there anyway already? I mean, we all agreed to meet back there, right?" He seemed even more confused about why Xander ran off after thinking about that, but instead shook his head.

 

As he started walking, however, Ryan paused suddenly, and looked into the distance with a deep frown. "... Uh, you two...? Does that seem like... a wave of breaking glass...?" He glanced uneasily at the other two, and proceeded to pick up his pace.

 

-==IC: Payton/David/Derek==-

 

The woman glared at Mercury, as she knelt to the ground, and put her hands on her head. "My name is Payton. We're a group of friends who have been concerned. Something's happened to the generator in the gym; it's been flickering on and off for the past month or so. And Lieutenant Surge has been missing for even longer. So we wanted to find out just what was going on. But if it was someone purposely sabotaging it, we needed some sort of plan. So we got David to help; he's an undercover officer, or at least was a while back, dunno if he is now. He was mostly just supposed to scare people, but obviously no-one could do their job right. But the thing is, the generator's not broken. That's the oddity of all this." Payton shook her head with a frown.

 

"The six of us just wanted to figure this out, and then go. But apparently that just wasn't supposed to happen. At least tell us if you're the ones responsible for whatever's going on." She grit her teeth, as she spoke... but yet, something was off, wasn't it? Something was... wrong...

Edited November 11, 2015 by An/A Blade

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander

The Eevee nuzzled into Paul's hand, and Xander smiled. "Thank you, Paul. It means a lot to us that--" He was cut off by a strange sensation, almost like a push. Simultaneously, the sound of shattering glass reached their ears, and Xander spun to see the light glinting off of deadly shards.

 

"That looks bad! Sylph!" He turned towards the Gardevoir.

 

I can teleport us back up the path. Paul, are you coming? She prepared to Teleport, draping the psychic energy over everyone in the vicinity. Or we could drop you elsewhere on the way.

 

OOC: "That looks bad!" Thank you, Xander, for that kernel of wisdom.

 

IC: Mercury? - Vermilion Incident

 

The person controlling Mercury's body raised an eyebrow, watching Payton. Her aura betrayed no lies, which was a shame. He wouldn't have minded roughing up this David a bit more. A cop? Well, that certainly didn't make him a friend. "If we were the ones responsible, do you think we would have been asking what you were up to?" He scoffed.

 

He was scowling, trying to figure out what was wrong with what she had just said. "Six?" He paused, taking a mental headcount. Suddenly, he shot to his feet, aura springing into his hands, silver intermingling with purple and maroon. "Six! Are you hiding someone from me? There are only five of you here." He was being generous in counting David right now.

 

But six? Could there really be someone here capable of concealing their aura? Or was Payton just bad at basic addition?

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan rolled his eyes at Ray's comment about the Squirtle doll. He was debating whether to snipe back or simply ignore the tease when he heard the sound of shattering glass. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered as the other Ryan started to jog ahead. "Togie! I need eyes in the air!"

 

The Togekiss swooped down to allow Ryan to hop onto his back before rocketing into the air. The Liberty agent scanned the skyline. Glittering shards on the ground told him the sound had indeed been the shattering of glass. And a few blocks away, he spotted the redheaded girl from before and Zach, whose eyes were glowing with a strange energy.

 

"Zach's in trouble!" he called down to Ryan and Ray before urging Togie onward. "This way!"

 

IC: Paul

"We'll go with you," Paul said. "I might be able to help."

 

...And that's what Ellen would want me to do, he added to himself.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

Sylph did not waste a second, teleporting back to the front of the Department Store. Before they had even touched the ground, she saw the others in the distance and teleported again. There was a loud pop as they appeared behind Ray and the Ryans. Xander rushed forward, stumbling slightly from the rapid-fire transport.

 

"What just happened?" he asked as he ran to catch up. "Are you guys--" He cut himself off upon seeing the destruction, with Zach and Olivia at the center. Zach's eyes glowed eerily, and Xander winced as he felt the energy surrounding the older teen. "Take cover!" he shouted to the others, dashing towards an alley-way as he felt a wave building. If anyone got caught in the next blast, the glass could rip them to shreds.

 

Sylph wrapped her energy around the others. It would be a short range teleport, so she was not too worried. They just had to get out of the way. Offering a mental apology, she teleported the group to the rooftops, out of the path of destruction.

 

IC: Belle

 

Belle started walking alongside Cyanide, nodding. "Call me Nightshade. So, what happened to your friend here?" That leg looked brutal. Belle glanced back at the gym. Had someone just screamed in there?

 

Whatever, better to ignore it and go on with her life.

[Dr. Hidaka]

OOC: Doing some mild bunnying here, moreso because this is big.

IC: Evan Tierra

After the battle, Evan had regrouped with Jenny and Dallior. The Plasma Agents had discussed what was going on. Evan had explained what their current objective was, and that it wasn't official Team Plasma business. The brown-haired trainer had just finished his part of the explanation to Dallior, when he heard the clattering of glass nearby. Evan wasn't sure what had happened, but he had to ensure things were all right

"Well, this will have to wait another time!" Evan said, suddenly worried about what had happened. "Let's get going, you two. We can talk more later, but right now the safety of the people is our concern, Plasma or not!"

With those words, Evan led the way where he thought he had the explosion of sound had occurred. As Evan passed by many people running away from where it had, he kept wondering where the others were. The Plasma agent had reached where he thought the epicenter was, and saw Zach, an unsettling glow in his eyes.......

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Just as Olivia was about to reassure Zach further, he stopped in his tracks, an eerie glow in his eyes. "...Zach, what are you-" she began to say, before the chaos ensued.

 

The eldest Seaton wasn't very able to process the screams of terror or the windows shattering, though. Suddenly, she was hit with an unbearable headache, causing her to grip her head, stumble back, and shut her eyes tight. The red-haired trainer then stumbled into a psychic wave, causing her to yelp and collapse onto the ground. "...Wh-what... Nnnnghh..." she groaned, reaching an arm out to try and prop herself up, seeming to have great difficulty with that...

 

IC: Dahlia/Aspen Seaton

 

Aspen walked along the edge of the park, waiting for Dahlia to return from whatever she was doing. However, he also seemed deep in thought, so much so that he didn't notice Dahlia was right behind him until she tapped him on the shoulder. "Oh, there you are." he said after turning around. "Where have you been?"

 

"Oh, you know, just thought I mighta seen something." the gardener replied casually, starting to walk out of the park with Aspen following. The siblings walked through the city towards the docks, not saying much of anything, as they both were deep in thought. However, the distant sound of shattering glass and people screaming both caused them to look around in alarm.

 

"Wh-what the...??!" Aspen said in alarm, turning towards the docks. "No... Why here too, I... We have to make sure everyone's okay!"

 

Dahlia nodded. "Right. Something's not right about this, though..." she muttered, a concerned frown on her face. The Seaton siblings picked up the pace, sprinting to the dock. Eventually, after passing by dozens of screaming and crying civilians, they caught up with Evan and Jenny from earlier, along with someone they didn't recognize. "What's going-Oh... Oh no..." Dahlia said, her worry turning to horror. Zach was giving off waves of energy, an eerie glow in his eyes. Meanwhile, Olivia was on the ground, struggling to lift herself up.

 

Aspen, along with his older sister turned to the others. "U-u-uhhh... What do we... D-do..." he asked meekly, unsure of how to approach this situation at all. They had to stop Zach, yes... But how?

 

Meanwhile, on a rooftop, sunlight reflected off of an Absol's scythe, looking over the chaos. He had forseen this coming. The panic, the fear, the crying... He knew, before any of the humans there. What could he have done with the knowledge, however? Trying to warn the humans had all but a select few ignore his presence, due to the superstitions against his kind. Going to help could also be effective... But more often than not, it caused the others to lash out against him out of fear, anger, and distrust. The Absol held his head low, wanting to aid those below, but feeling resigned to his fate.

 

Howver, looking across the area, he caught sight of one person in particular, a young woman with a straw hat. His crimson eyes widened at the sight. Could it be? The girl who had mended his paw, and treated him so gently...? The Absol brushed his bandaged paw against the rooftop, tempted to leap down and urge her to run. But... No, that wouldn't work. What would her friends say, knowing such a terrible creature associated with her? No. That would only create problems for the girl with blue eyes. And yet, the Absol still looked in her direction, feeling reluctant to turn away....

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Zach==-

 

Zach yelled out, as he clutched his head. He didn't know what was going on, this wasn't right; this hadn't happened before, why was this happening? He staggered around for a bit, as he tried to get back into control of his powers. Something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what, or why this was going on...

 

Meanwhile, Guy grit his teeth, as he tried to have Musharna stop whatever she had done; but it seemed like an impossibility. This isn't good... But there's no stopping it now. It... will have to run its course. The guy shook his head, a pained look on his face, as he started to step back...

 

The psychic waves slowly began to get strong and more prominent; no longer going straight out, they began to go in an erratic pattern. Objects began to levitate, and were thrown around randomly, as more dangerous blasts were shot out in random directions. One blast, in particular, was directed toward the group that included Dahlia and Aspen, some of the only ones who were still on the scene after the initial mass panic.

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

Ryan grit his teeth as the group ended up on the roof. He wasn't opposed to them being saved, but... "We need to do something. Anything." He glanced around at the group, and frowned. Ray didn't seem to be any help, and he couldn't tell what Xander or the other Ryan were thinking. "We can't just stand here, someone is going to die at this rate, and I'd prefer that not to happen!" Ryan said, and growled a bit. But yet... What could even be done? He had no clue what to do, and Zach was right at the center of all this. So what could he do...?

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Xander staggered as he hit the roof; he hadn't expected to be teleported from the alley way. Shaking his head, he approached the edge of the roof. "Alright, here's what needs to be done!" He stepped back as a blast of psychic energy came a bit close for comfort. "We need to get people away from Zach and into cover!" He looked down the street. "Safe zone is about half a mile from him. If you have fast, ridable pokémon--" Like an Entei, he thought. "then send 'em out and saddle up! Tell people to move under cover. If they're injured--"

 

Call for me if there are injured. I'll do what I can with Heal Pulse, and teleport the rest to the Pokémon Center. Sylph looked down at the destruction, shaking her head. In the mean time, I'm going to try and contain this. If you have anything that can help, please call them out immediately.

 

She reached out with her mind, trying to find the other Gardevoir she had met earlier. Amethyst, if you can hear me tell your trainer and friends that there's trouble near the docks. Some sort of... psychic breakdown. If they have something that can help, bring them. If not, keep them at a safe distance.

 

Xander glanced at Ray and Ryan, not sure if they would listen to him. They really didn't have time for arguments here. "As for me... Someone has to get that girl away from Zach before he turns her to paste. I'm... somewhat psychic, so I can hopefully avoid the blasts." He turned. As soon as he braced himself, Sylph prepared to teleport him down. She couldn't get him right beside Zach and Olivia; the energy around them destroyed her attempts to try.

 

Xander would have to move fast to save her life.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Flowey the Flower