Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[MELON LORD]

IC: Kalos Team

 

Xander let go of the thread he'd been tugging, slowly releasing the tension instead of snapping it back. He opened his eyes, blinking slowly against the light. It's morning? he asked Sylph, confused. They had started meditating after dinner the night before.

 

Sylph nodded, looking out the window. Seems to be, she replied. We'll all nap after the call with Chloe. Xander smiled and nodded.

 

He slowly moved Ellen and Vixen off of his lap. The two foxes had joined in the meditation, but had drifted off at some point during the night. Unsurprising, as they were still young. The mental exercises would help them, though. Vixen was destined to become a psychic type, and Ellen wanted to have an understanding of the abilities, even if she evolved into something else.

 

The young pokémon stirred as he set them on his bed. "You two can go back to sleep. Sylph and I are just going to talk with friends." Ellen sat up, barking. She wanted to see Saya! Xander laughed as she jumped into his arms with the force of a Tackle. "Alright then, let's go." He scooped up Vixen.

 

It had been three sleepless nights in a row, but Xander didn't mind. He could feel himself growing stronger already. With a weary, triumphant smile he walked towards the lounge.

 

IC: Mercury

 

The aura user nodded quietly, silently taking his team back from the nurse and clipping them back in place. "Alright, then it's settled. We'll head back to the hospital, see how Zac and David are doing, and then go search around a bit more." He cleared his throat. "I don't think I'll lose control again, but it helps knowing you'll be there."

 

He hesitated, mulling over what he was about to say, then let it out in one quick breath. "You're a good person, Lachina. I consider you a good friend."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Ray/Jenny==-

 

As the group was gathering, Ryan met them in the hallway. "Everyone else heard too, huh? Let's see what this is, then." The black haired Rocket simply walked into the lounge after that, and noticed that Evan was already there, the Pokegear set up to the monitor like the last time. As he glanced back at the entrance, he noticed Ray and a ragged looking Jenny enter. Although curious about why Jenny looked so tired and like she'd run a mile, he turned his attention back to the monitor, as the picture turned to Chloe and Olivia on the screen.

 

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

"Hi, everyone." Chloe offered a smile, trying to not show how nervous she was about this. "I'm sorry the last talk, um, went a little wrong... but afterward, I talked with Evan and Olivia, and we thought that it would be a good idea to, like, talk about ourselves. Like, a point kinda had been brought up last time about how little we knew each other, and we all consider ourselves friends; so I thought, why not fix that?" She scratched her head for a moment. "Oh, right! We also ran into Palmer again today, but that's probably something to wait until we actually start and such..." She sheepishly smiled, as she already could feel her nervousness start to creep up again a little, as she took a small glance to where Ryan Sanders was.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Kalos Team

 

Xander frowned as he walked through the hall towards the lounge. The light seemed wrong for it to be morning. As he walked into the room and saw Chloe on the screen, he waved. He moved to sit by Ryan Sanders, letting Sylph have the seat close to him. Ellen and Vixen were on his shoulders, looking around. Xander yawned. "Good morning, everyone. How's it going?"

[Konuju]

IC: Paul

As per Jenny's suggestion, Paul had spent the past day and a half mostly on the deck of the boat. Jenny herself had taken to training her Pokémon, but Paul chose to inhabit the other side of the ship, where the gentle waves churned the boat in a rhythmic, almost hypnotic pattern. Much to the blacksmith's surprise, it was incredibly soothing. The golden sunset and the subtle rocking were enough to lull him to sleep.

 

That is, until Evan's voice cut through his dreams like a foghorn in the night.

 

Terry barked for Paul to get up, noticing Jenny and Ray heading below deck. Paul wearily rose, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "Oh, I must've dozed off there," he muttered. "Where'd everybody go?" With another bark, Terry led the blacksmith to the lounge just in time to hear Chloe's statement.

 

IC: Ryan

Ryan had enough experience with video chats to know there was often a disconnect between the camera and the screen. That is, when one looked directly at the screen, they weren't always looking at the camera, and so to the person on the other line they would appear to be looking down or to the side. But there was no mistaking that Chloe's gaze was directed at him.

 

Their eyes met for a brief instant, and Ryan saw an air of uncertainty in those green orbs. He tore his eyes away, feeling his face turn a light shade of red.

 

At that moment, Xander and Sylph sat down next to him. The Liberty agent jumped at the prospect of a change in subject. "Morning?" he said with a nervous laugh, trying to ignore the giant screen in front of him. "Where've you been, Xander? It's almost night!"

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia/Dahlia/Aspen Seaton

 

"Err, excuse me, Chloe." Olivia's voice cut in, as she quickly moved in front of the Pokegear to sit next to her friend and provide a little bit of comfort by putting an arm around her waist. "...So... Hi. I'm Olivia Seaton, sister of Dahlia and Aspen." she said, following up with an awkward pause. "...Err. Yeah. I'm here too, I guess. Nice to meet you?" the eldest Seaton vocalized, definitely at a loss for what to say. 

"Hi, you two! Say, you both were headed to Snowpoint to check on Chloe's cousin, right?" Dahlia asked, trying to help out her struggling sister. "How's that going? Apparently you ran into Palmer again too? That's pretty nice." she said, smiling. "How's your stay been, so far at Snowpoint? I know you don't really like the cold...."

"Oh, right, right!" Olivia exclaimed, nodding. "Yeah, that's why we're here in Snowpoint, wouldn't really be here if I could help it and all..." the red-haired trainer said with a chuckle. "Well, Anna's been mostly okay, save for the fact her legs got injured six months ago somehow and she now has to get around on crutches." she explained, shrugging. "Though, now Amethyst's mom showed up not long ago and offered to help and keep her company. I think they're like, best friends now? Yeah."

Aspen raised an eyebrow at that last part, and sighed. "Already sounding like another long story here, you've been busy." he noted, and shrugged. "But it sounds like things are still going okay for you both? That's great to hear. We at the boat have been doing fine ourselves, though, we've also got a bunch of long stories to share and stuff." the youngest Seaton said, looking around him. "So... Who talks first about what, then? Is anyone on either side of the screen burning to just share something cool maybe?"

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina blinked slightly, her lips curving ever so slightly into a smile. "Don't worry about it. It's why I'm a Ranger, and all." she said, holding her hand out for Mercury to shake. "We'll just have to see how things pan out, don't we? But first, yeah, let's head back to the hospital." the Ranger noted, rubbing the back of her head. "They should be okay, but it's nice to check anyways."

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan's eyes gleamed at the mention of Snowpoint. "Snowpoint, you say?" The Plasma Agent said excitedly. "Haven't been there since I left Sinnoh back in the day. It's really a wonderful city, full of warm-hearted people. I don't think most anyone knows, but I'm actually from Sinnoh."

Many heads turned at Evan when he mentioned that last bit. Not breaking a sweat, the Hero started to speak again. "Yeah, you see, I'm from Eterna City." Evan said, smiling at Jenny, who looked very tired. "A city where the past and future collide. Some would say it's losing it's old charm, but I just think it's growing pains from the development in the city."

Evan went on about how there were festivals held to celebrate the heritage shared with it's sister town, Celestic town. The Plasma Agent mentioned the statues of the Creation Trio that stood in Eterna City, as well as how everything there seemed so timeless.....

"Though, there's also where my mother is from..." Evan said, wanting to break off the topic. "She's from Floaroma Town, a rather small place, where she learned how to garden. She's grown a great deal of plants and knows much about berry gardening there. To be honest, the garden she has at home is amazing."

Evan took one last breath to add in his next contribution to the topic. "My father is from Oreburgh City." the Plasma Agent remarked. "He is a foreman at the mines there. He's learned at lot from his work, and tried his hardest to make sure that I learned the same. Oreburgh pretty much just has the mines, but it can be a good place for history buffs due to all the fossils they dig up."


Evan then added one last thing. "Maybe if you feel like it, next time, I can tell you about some of the better places in Sinnoh to go to. It is a wondrous region to explore......."

Edited January 19, 2016 by Hades

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

Ryan turned his head at Evan's exclamation. He had forgotten the Plasma Agent hailed from Sinnoh, but now that he thought about it, it did make sense, being Palkia's Envoy and all. Not that Sinnoh heritage was necessarily a requirement, as evidenced by Dahlia. The Liberty agent managed to relax, relieved that it seemed like the others would pick up the conversation themselves. He was sick of that cursed spotlight.

 

"A Plasma Agent from Sinnoh," Paul muttered to himself, recalling his conversation with Jenny. It seemed the Sages had indeed gotten more lenient in recent years on who they allowed in their ranks. As he stared at Evan, he noticed a striking parallel between him and Ellen. Both had left their families to travel to a region overseas, where they had joined a local faction -- if McKinley's kidnapping could be considered a recruitment. The blacksmith cocked his head, idly wondering what Mr. and Mrs. Tierra thought about their son going overseas. Granted, Evan was a lot older than Ellen, but still it must have had some impact on his parents.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Kalos Team

 

Xander was reeling. Night time? He'd meditated since dinner the night before. No wonder he felt tired. He shook his head, turning back to the call at hand. He smiled as Evan spoke about his origins. "Sinnoh, eh? Pretty cool." He chuckled. "Hey, Chloe,when did you first realize you were psychic?" It was a question meant more to break ground with the girl than anything. He doubted the others would be interested in them talking shop about their abilities.

 

He glanced at Sylph and smiled. "Sylph says hi, again."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe smiled at what Evan had said about Sinnoh, but then had to blink at the question Xander asked. She smiled and waved back first, as she stopped and pondered it for a moment. "Had to be like six or seven months ago, now. I'd been showing subtle signs before, but they were too subtle for me to actually know about. It really took me being prodded to be checked as to whether or not I did have them to actually unlock them, and even now, I'm not that good at using them properly. But, they're a lot more under control than they were." She awkwardly giggled a bit. She had subtly noticed Ryan's reaction earlier, and seemed curious and confused as to why it had been the way it was.

 

-==IC: Jack==-

 

As the conversation was getting underway, the now-infamous Captain wandered down to the lounge curiously. He had heard the ruckus kicked up by the yelling, and was intrigued as to what was going on. With the ship on auto-pilot, he wouldn't have to worry much. I wonder who that person is, that guy mentioned... He mused that over, as his coat swished for a moment to reveal three Pokeballs hidden on the back of belt; covered up once again the next second. As he walked into the Lounge, he smiled. "Well, well, well; no-one mentioned that there would be two lovely ladies on the conference screen." Jack smiled his smug-like smile, as he kept his hands in his pockets.

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia/Olivia/Aspen Seaton

 

Dahlia listened to Evan's anecdote of his parents curiously. "Eterna City, you say? That sounds like a place mom would love to visit." she said, smiling. "She loves gardens and would probably love the atmosphere that you described. Poppy might prefer Canalave, I think?" she asked, tilting her head. "I think that's the port town, right?"

 

Olivia quickly kissed Chloe on the cheek while her friend answered Xander's question. "You've really become impressive, though. Never could have seen you getting superpowers, but now you can like, talk to me through your mind. Even when we're asleep!" she exclaimed, chuckling. "And it'll only get cooler as time goes on..."

 

The red-haired trainer blinked however, when someone she didn't recognize from Lilycove walked onscreen. "Excuse me?" Olivia asked incredulously in response to the captain's flirting. "Whoever the heck you are, buzz off. My girlfriend's trying to have an nice conversation and learn more about her friends, not deal with nonsense from jerks like you." she said angrily. In the background, Amethyst turned her head with a similarly annoyed look, clearly not fond of Jack from his first impression.

 

Aspen turned his head, his eyes narrowing. "Oh. It's you." he growled, a scowl on his face. "Bothering one of my sisters just wasn't enough for you, wasn't it? Nice job just butting into our conversation, by the way. It just wasn't complete with Captain Jack, the annoying flirt who can't keep his mouth shut, wasn't it?!" the young boy said, obviously very ticked off. "Look, if you cant talk to others like normal human beings, can you please just leave us alone??!"

 

"Um, that is to say, this is Jack, he's the captain of our boat." Dahlia explained, a worried look on her face. "Um, Jack, we're trying to have a quick discussion between close friends right now, please understand... Now might not be the best time for your, uh, colorful personality." she told the captain, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry for the inconvenience..."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

Terry uttered a low growl at Jack's flippant attitude. Paul narrowed his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest. "Shouldn't you be navigating the boat instead of barging in on other people's conversations?" he asked in a stern voice. "Last I checked, being captain was a responsibility, not a free pass to do whatever you please."

 

Ryan was taken aback by the juxtapositions of Aspen and Dahlia's reactions to Captain Jack. They were so extreme of opposites, it was almost hard to believe they were siblings. He cast a curious glance at Dahlia, recalling what she had told him earlier about Jack's shenanigans. Whatever uncomfortableness the gardener had, she was hiding it well, seeming more worried about the growing conflict than the captain's attitude. Aspen, on the other hand, was clearly not the reserved person he had evidently become after Pride. Was this what the youngest Seaton had been like before? Ryan chose to remain quiet. The others had this handled, and the captain didn't need yet another person telling him to leave them alone.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Konuju

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe/Everyone else who's there==-

 

The captain glanced at Paul, as he seemed to ignore the others for the moment. "Oh, the ship's on auto-pilot; sky's as clear as it could be, so I thought I'd come investigate the racket, in case it was anything interesting like the battle the other day." He shrugged, as he turned his attention to the others. "Oh? Girlfriend? Well you two are mighty lucky then. My apologies." Jack smiled in an odd manner, as he raised his hands apologetically. An odd air still hung over him, though, but he didn't seem to really care.

 

Chloe blinked quietly, as a bunch of voices rang out after the Captain walked in. The psychic girl noticed the room start to grow tense, as her brother and Ray made a subtle move as if to act. She quickly focused on the main complaint as she tried to listen, and rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "Umm... it seemed like just a compliment, to me..." She smiled slightly with a bit of a giggle, as she looked over at Olivia. "I mean, shouldn't we accept compliments? I think they're pretty nice." She didn't add on that she was rather pleased by it for multiple reasons, and instead thought for a moment, a bit disappointed that the talk about powers had been interrupted. However, she noticed that Ray and Ryan seemed to be relaxing, so she was glad for that at least. "You're the captain, though?"

 

Jack nodded, as he smiled at the screen. "Yes ma'am. I might not look it; but I could sail the seven seas, blindfolded." He continued to smirk confidently, even as the black haired Ryan mumbled something about not believing that. He glanced around the room, and sighed, though. "Looks like I'm not that wanted here, though, and if you're just discussing stuff, then I'll just leave you." He turned as if to walk to the door, but looked back for a moment. "Unless someone has something else they want to say?"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander

Xander scowled at Aspen and Olivia's reactions to the captain. The man was a shameless flirt, but they seemed to take it as an insult. Before he could say anything, however, Jack and Chloe had a small dialogue, diffusing the tension. Xander sighed, relaxing a bit. He grinned at the captain as the man turned to walk out.

 

"Yeah," he said.  "I'd like to thank you for taking us aboard and not making a fuss about our noises and messes." He smiled. "It's really appreciated." He shot a look to the others, waiting to see how they would react.

 

He glanced back towards their captain, then smiled. "I'm Xander, by the way. I don't think I'd introduced myself to you when we met before."

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia/Aspen/Dahlia Seaton

 

Olivia blinked and looked over at Chloe. "You... Wow, you really don't mind things, not even a little? ...I shouldn't really be surprised." she said, shaking her head with a sigh. "Yaknow Chloe, I know you're excited for compliments and attention, but you probably should avoid flaunting yourself for everyone to see. I mean, you did become my girlfriend for a reason." the red-haired trainer continued, hugging her friend amusedly. "You gotta save your beauty for me, alright?" 

 

Aspen shook his head, raising an eyebrow at Jack still. "Sailing the seven seas without sight probably isn't difficult for you, know. You know, what with your autopilot system you got going on here. Modern technology's pretty amazing, huh?" he muttered with a flat tone, shaking his head. "Yeah, pretty sure your biggest 'talent' is acting like a fool in front of women and men alike." 

"I don't have anything else to tell you, no." Dahlia replied, and smiled politely back at Jack. "Have a nice rest of the day! We'll still be down here talking for a little bit, in case you need us." the gardener said, looking back at Aspen and motioning for him to speak as well. 

The youngest Seaton sighed silently and adjusted his glasses. "Y-yeah. See you around, captain." he muttered, turning his focus back to the conference screen again. Dahlia blinked, and shook her head, but said nothing, as she turned back to Chloe on the screen while waiting for the others to speak to either the captain or to the screen.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

Ryan balked at Aspen's comment. Acting like a fool in front of everybody? Somehow that felt like his biggest talent, too. He kept quiet about it though, not wanting Ray or Dahlia or anyone else to think that their efforts to cheer him up had been in vain. At the very least, Chloe hadn't started biting his head off, so that had to count for something, right?

 

The Liberty agent decided to take a leaf out of Dahlia's and Xander's books and try being nice to the captain. After all, he knew all to well how bad it felt to have everyone attacking you. "Yeah, thanks for putting up with all of our shenanigans, Captain," he said, managing a smile. "I know we can be a crazy group at times, but believe me, I don't take it for granted that you offered us this ride."

 

Paul bit his lip. He knew it was important that the captain like them, otherwise he might decide to just drop them on One Island and be done with them. But Jack's flippant attitude, even in the face of Aspen and Olivia's remarks, still left a bad taste in his mouth. He gave a curt nod to the captain, choosing to keep his mouth shut lest his tongue outpace his caution. The way he saw it, Jack was just one more reason he couldn't wait to get to Four Island.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jack==-

 

Jack nodded at the thanks and the introduction by Xander. "No worries." He said, as he ignored the criticism again, and looked over at Xander. "I don't want to take up any more of you guys' time, so let's save the introductions for later, alright?" He chuckled, as he walked out of the room, giving Paul a nod in return, with the hint of a smile on his face.

 

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

As the captain left the room, Chloe sighed. "Well, that was certainly an unexpected event. Shall we continue?" She asked with a smile, as she looked around the room on the other end of the camera to see the reactions of the rest of the group.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Xander smiled, turning back to the screen. "Anyways, as we were saying, Chloe? Yeah, powers are . . . fun to figure out." He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "I destroyed my cabin door a couple nights ago." A thoughtful look crossed his face. "Hey, now that I think of it, Dahlia and Evan have special abilities, too." He looked towards the two Heroes, smiling. "Evan, you've been the Hero of Space for quite a while, haven't you? Any tips for us newbies?"

 

Sylph giggled a bit at her trainer's attempts to rope Evan into the conversation as well. Yes, Evan, regale us with your mishaps and exploits. I'm sure they would be most enlightening!

 

Xander smiled, lightly draping his arm over Sylph's shoulders and leaning back in his chair. With Evan Tierra in the spotlight, the tension would defuse quickly enough.

 

IC: Mercury and Anubis

 

Mercury nodded, leading the way out of the Center. Once they were on the street, he unclipped Anubis' ball from his belt, releasing the him. The fighting-type stretched, growling softly. That burn had hurt.

 

The Lucario turned to the humans and frowned. I missed something? he asked via aura.

 

"Yeah," the trainer replied. "Zac is in the hospital, and so is the guy we were fighting. We're teaming up with them to investigate the gym." He left out the part where he'd been away from himself, not sure how the Lucario would react to this information. With a sigh, he started walking again.

Edited January 26, 2016 by A Conversation

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan grinned at Xander's question, and clapped a bit when Sylph chimed in. The Plasma Agent thought of what he could talk about, when it hit him. None of the others really knew about what he did before Unova. "Sure, why not?" The Hero replied cheerfully. "I'll start with when my former compatriots, Klim and Seth, dared to challenge Giratina, for a 'favor' for Team Galactic. Bear in mind, I didn't know I was a hero at the time, and I was a lot less powerful to boot.."

Evan went on to explain how the fight had gone. How Giratina managed to fight off of their assault. He added that by acknowledging that there was no beating Giratina, that they managed to win it's trust. The Hero went on to explain the raid on Team Galactic's Veilstone HQ, how he had acted like the bait so his pals could retrieve the Lustrous and Adamant orbs. "It was a lot of fun, ya know?" Evan said, beaming at everyone. "Just running around causing as much trouble as I could. But, I think I should mention the moment I realized what I was........."

Evan then went on to explain about Shade, a Rocket Executive who had, at one point, had taken control of the Creation Trio at Spear Pillar. How he had intended on gaining greater power through them. He went on to explain how his fellow Heroes and himself took on the Creation Trio, as well as how Shade was finally beaten down. Evan then reached into his coat pocket and took out what appeared to be a chain necklace. Attached to it, was a small pink pearl. Despite it's size, the gem gleamed beautifully.

 

"This was what I received from Palkia, for saving it from Shade." Evan explained. "It is the Lustrous Shard, and it supposedly has a measure of Palkia's incredible power. The others received their shards that day as well. Though, I should really wrap this story up. Most of the others know about how we fought off the Ancient Darkrai, but not all of us were there, you see."

Evan then explained about the Ancient Darkrai, and how they sought to control the world. Evan remarked about how he and his fellow Heroes were chosen to fight them. He went into detail about the final showdown, and how Seth gave his life to finish off their leader, Sombra. "And that's my story." Evan said, as his smile flickered for a moment. "At least, of what I can tell right now."

Edited January 26, 2016 by Hades

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia/Dahlia/Aspen Seaton

 

Olivia blinked as Captain Jack left as quickly as he had arrived, turning her attention to Evan's story readily when he began to speak. She listened, intrigued at the story, making a mental note to think up a new nickname for her Weavile somewhere in the middle. When the bombastic Hero of Space wrapped up his tale, the red-haired trainer turned to Chloe. "Hmm, was your journey anything like that, Chloe? Like, running around, challenging legends, having great powers awakened inside you? Well I mean, you were always a psychic from what I gathered, but you know what I mean." the eldest Seaton said, shrugging. "Though, obviously things weren't the same... Evan had his powers granted alongside two other people. You're pretty much on your own in that regard. You did have a charm of your own, though, right?" she asked, smiling, her eyes looking downwards at the green bracelet on her friend's arm. "His is to symbolize his power over space... Yours as a memento of our friendship. Similar in some ways, but also very, very different."

"Oh wow, that's your story?" Dahlia muttered, still processing the entire tale. "Sounds pretty eventful, you and your buddies running around from place to place, fighting legends and saving the day... You mentioned a Klim, right?" she asked, pausing for a moment. "...Ryan told me about him, Sanders, that is. He told me Klim was the one with reverse... What was he like? Ryan said he was distant..." the gardener said, looking down a bit afterwards. "Um, I-I'm sorry if it's weird now that I'm the chosen hero, I-I'm not out to replace him or anything like that... But maybe if I understood what he did it might help me and my new powers develop faster? I could barely use them for a few minutes without nearly passing out, and I don't want to be completely useless, s-so um..." 

 

Aspen listened quietly, thinking back to his own experiences in the last few days. He thought it was hectic and absurd to battle both the psuedo-Groudon back in Sootopolis and survive in the warzone that Celadon had become... But Evan's achievements far eclipsed anything he had done so far. Hmm. Looks like it'll be more difficult to keep up than I thought... he thought to himself. Better hope I'm useful for more than drawing fire in whatever crazy situation we inevitably get thrust into. 

Edited January 27, 2016 by Noriaki Kakyoin

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

Ryan listened with interest to Evan's tale. He had heard bits and pieces of his life before becoming a Plasma agent, but he'd never realized just how much the Hero of Space had done before he'd met him. A nostalgic smile crept into the corner of his mouth when Evan mentioned the Ancient Darkrai. He recalled how he had fought alongside Ellen, in her first true battle. Oftentimes he forgot how brave that little kid was.

 

Dahlia's mention of his name snapped Ryan out of his thoughts. He nodded at her description of Klim, and looked curiously at Evan to see what more the Hero of Space could explain. But the gardener's stammering caused Ryan to look back at her with a pang of empathy. He knew her powers were still new, but he hadn't realized just how worried she was over them. The poor girl seemed almost in tears.

 

"You aren't useless, Dahlia." Paul reached over and put a comforting hand on the gardener's shoulder. "Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. You were amazing during that fight with Evan's shadow-self, I've never seen anything like that. Plus, Evan tells me my own daughter was able to stand up to the Ancient Darkrai with only a portion of the power of Space. You're stronger than you think."

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia/Aspen/Olivia Seaton

 

Paul's hand on her shoulder immediately jolted Dahlia out of the nervousness that had crept up and paralyzed her. She turned her head to look at him for a moment, stammering quietly some more before finally taking a deep breath. "...Th-thank you. I'm sorry for all that, I just, um, got worried again like usual." the gardener said, putting a hand on her neck. "Evan must have been very good friends with Klim, and he was a powerful Reverse user for sure, s-so I'm just hoping I can live up to the expectations that are set for me... I'll try my best, but I-I'm still mostly just a gardener..." 

Aspen turned around and hugged his older sister. "It wouldn't make sense to compare you to anyone. You're a completely different person than Klim for sure." he replied reassuringly. "No one's expecting you to be super great from the get go. But we all think you're going to do just fine."

Olivia nodded in agreement to what Paul and Aspen had said, but then blinked confusedly. "Wait, huh? Shadow-self?" the red-haired trainer repeated. "That sounds... Weird. What happened?"

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan blinked at Olivia's question and decided that he may as well tell the story. "Sometime after Spear Pillar, but before Unova, I had worked for another organization." Evan replied. "When I discovered what they were actually doing, I lost control of myself, and my shadow-self was born. Lemme tell you, he wasn't pleasant at all."

Evan then took a deep breath as he explained what this creature sought, and how it would stop at nothing to make Evan suffer. The Hero explained what had happened in Opelucid, as well as the recurring nightmares he had since after those events. "I hadn't been able to sleep for a while due to them." Evan explained, hiding a smile for the next part of the story. "That's why I asked Chloe to help me out with them. She couldn't do everything but....."

Evan then went on to explain what happened the night they left Lilycove. How Feral had been revealed as the one who had been causing the nightmares, as well as Evan's subsequent beatdown of the Spacial Horror. "He manifested on this ship, where I believe everyone here took their time in beating him down." The Hero said in between chuckles. "At least until Jenny and I made the scene, then things got worse for him. We didn't kill him per say, but we did subject him to a fate that he deserved. I think Jenny could explain it better than me." As Evan finished, he heard the voice of Feral Tierra uttering curses at him.

As Evan ignored the insults directed at him, he winked at Jenny, as if to say "Your turn!"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

Jenny snickered slightly, as she heard the voice as well. "Well, I'm not gonna make it a long explanation... But basically, somehow, I trapped him inside me. He's quite bitter about that, really, but I'm doing my best, so far-"

 

As she was talking, the others could hear an interruption in it. "LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!" The voice could be recognized by the ones who had gotten the pleasure of meeting Feral, but it seemed odd in a way.

 

"Well, that right now if the worst of it, really. He's tried to influence me, but he's rather harmless other than incessantly talking." Jenny finished the explanation with a giggle, as Chloe blinked in surprise.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia/Dahlia/Aspen Seaton

 

"...Well. That is very weird." Olivia said, blinking confusedly. "If that thing is screaming inside your head all the time, do you even get a chance to sleep anymore? Geez..." she continued, looking to her side at Chloe with an incredulous look. 

 

Dahlia looked over at Jenny worriedly. "Hmm, it's good that he's not bothering us anymore, but that does seem rather hard to deal with." the gardener said. "I mean, he's harmless, yeah, but someone shouting in my head all the time doesn't sound pleasant. Surprising how you're taking it all in stride..."

"Okay, that's a weird thing to have happened, I wondered where that shadow-Evan had gone..." Aspen muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, I wasn't there for most of it, so a lot of this is news to me. Kinda wanted to keep Saya completely safe, and all."

"You have very odd friends, Chloe." the eldest Seaton noted, grinning at Chloe. She kept quiet otherwise, waiting for the next topic of discussion that was to be brought up.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe thought for a moment, as she listened to Jenny explain how she did get sleep, while Dahlia worried. But when Olivia went quiet, and there seemed to be an opening, she smiled. "I believe someone wants to properly introduce themselves." She said loud enough to catch the group's attention, and poked Olivia. "Alright, just like we went over this afternoon, k?"

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

"H-huh??!" Olivia exclaimed, blinking at Chloe confusedly. She started to sweat nervously, facing the screen as she stammered. Dahlia gave her a patient smile while Aspen just waited for his sister to say something. "...H-h-h-hi..." the eldest Seaton managed to stutter, becoming very clearly nervous. The practice from the afternoon had vanished from her mind, and now she was stuck, with all of Chloe's friends waiting for her to just say something...

"...I... I'm Olivia..." she muttered, closing her eyes soon after. "A-and, um... I'm Chloe's best friend. We met about ten years ago, and we only just started dating... We always ate at the ice cream shop down the road every weekend and stuff like that." the eldest Seaton said, unsure of where she was going with this. "I like sports, running especially, and I still play video games after Chloe got me into them so long ago... I also train my team of Pokemon on the side, though I think only Amethyst is really anywhere comparable to her Pokemon, and probably the people on board too? I-I don't have any crazy powers or ridiculous stories to tell, things only really started to get absurd when I met up with Chloe again..." she continued, taking a shaky deep breath. "...A-and I like red. Think that's it, dunno what I could be forgetting at this point... Hi, friends of Chloe."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

"You are very much like your sister," Paul said to the eldest Seaton with a wry smile. "You both compare your skills in battle to those of us on this boat. But I should think a humble gardener and a flustered girlfriend should stand on equal footing with a weary father. What power I thought I had was stolen from me the moment my own daughter defied me and ran away from home. And as for stories, the only one I could tell you is one filled with sorrow and fruitless searching." He looked first at one Seaton girl, then at the other. "You think you're unworthy to stand amongst this crowd... but aren't we all just ordinary people trying to find our way in life? And trying to set things right?"

 

Although Ryan stayed quiet, he was surprised by the blacksmith's words. Indeed, if Olivia was to be believed, he was some sort of war hero. As much as he would have loved to accept that undeserved praise, he knew he was about the least qualified hero among the group. After all, what sort of hero leaves a ten-year-old girl all alone in a city for a week? His mistake was the reason they were on this journey to begin with. He almost opened his mouth to say something, but though better of it and instead looked away from the screen, lost in his own thoughts.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Kalos Team

 

"It's nice to meet you, Olivia," Xander said, smiling. "I'm glad to get a chance to talk to you when things aren't exploding around us." He nodded at Paul's words. "What he said. Even those of us with special 'extras' are just trying to do the best we can."

 

He glanced at Sylph and laughed. "Sylph wants me to tell you to tell Amethyst 'hello' for her." The Gardevoir smiled, waving again. She looked towards Ryan briefly, a small frown tugging at her lips, before looking back to the screen.

 

Ellen hopped down from Xander's lap, walking over to Aspen. She yipped softly to get his attention, her tail flicking playfully.

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia/Aspen Seaton

 

Olivia waited for the replies, nodding at Paul and Xander. She was a bit surprised that Evan didn't reply, but figured that was him figuring out the right rousing speech to say. "S-sorry, I, um, I never learned how to talk to people right." she admitted, clasping both of her hands and rested them in her lap, squirming around nervously. "Barring my Pokemon, I-I only really have one friend, being Chloe, and we got separated for four years until recently... And I heard about how crazy she had become and how her friends did so many crazy things, and even though I'm also an agent, I've done nothing special, and I'm no one special either... I-I still feel out of my depth." the eldest Seaton said, looking off to the side. "It's silly, I know, I'll be working on that... Oh right, Amethyst? Sylph says hi." 

The Gardevoir looked up from in the background, and waved quickly in the screen's direction. "...She said hi back." Olivia said, giggling a bit. "Apparently she was in the middle of talking to Alvis, something happened the other night that I don't fully get, but they're close and all now. But yeah, I'll try to improve how I think and learn how to talk better. Probably can't happen right now, so I'll be working on it in the future..."

Aspen looked over towards the side, beaming as he saw Ellen look up at him. "Well hello there, little cutie." he said adoringly, petting the Eevee on the head for a little. The young trainer then picked her up and put Ellen on his lap, scratching behind her ear. "Might be in a roundtable, but I always have time for fluffy friends. What's up?"

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan had been thinking of what to say to Olivia, considering everything that she said. He'd been figuring out what to say. Normally he'd show off his hot-blooded side, but felt that would only nerve up Olivia further. The Hero had pondered over what he could say, and managed to strike gold. Evan gave Olivia a two-fingered salute and spoke. "Nice to finally 'meet' you, Olivia!" the Plasma Agent spoke, his tone kind and warm. "Nice to finally get to know a little more about you. Especially since in our last meeting, you really didn't speak much."

Evan then pointed at Olivia and spoke. "You really shouldn't compare your deeds to what some of us have done." the Hero spoke softly, smiling a bit. "Even the most ordinary people can do wondrous things. At my core, I'm just a simple trainer who bumbles around from one destination to another. No more, no less. Evan Tierra's my name, and that's my game. Worry about living your life how you want, not as a comparison to others', all right?"

[JiMing]

IC: Olivia Seaton

 

Olivia listened to Evan's words, admittedly surprised to see he wasn't going with full bombastic energy. She looked to the side and put a hand on her neck awkwardly, nodding. "I-I get that, I try not to compare, i-it's just something I can't help but completely shake the feeling of..." she replied, sighing. "Even barring the whole superpowers thing, I don't have nearly the amount of experience Chloe does on the field, and my team's not that great either, so I just feel like I have a lot to catch up on... That's what happens when you're missing from someone's life for a few years. Some things just change." the eldest Seaton said with a nervous chuckle. "T-thanks for your kind words, though... Nice to really meet you too. I'll just try to get better at everything I do, battling, talking, stuff like that. I think that's a good plan, right?" she asked, turning to Chloe with an anxious smile. "Especially the latter part..."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe smiled back reassuringly, glad at how well things had went overall. "Definitely. And you did great..." She gave her friend a quick hug; long enough to be helpful and try to cheer her up, but also not long enough to become awkward. She nodded to Olivia, and looked to the camera, knowing that she'd probably welcome some time away from the direct spotlight. "Well... I might as well mention stuff, too. Well, not too much is really cool, but..." She scratched her head for a moment. "I just remembered something cool, actually; me and Liv used to get into mischief at the movie theatre a lot back a while ago... Like; one time, we got lost from each other for a good fifteen minutes after the movie was over because of the crowds... another time, we decided to pretend the crowds were like a maze. We used to have all sorts of fun with that sorta stuff." She giggled a bit, as she glanced over at Olivia at the memories of back then.

[JiMing]

IC:Olivia/Dahlia Seaton

 

Olivia nodded as Chloe recounted the story, nodding and giggling all the while. "Gotta admit, sometimes I had more fun after movies were over than when they were playing. We definitely had a ton of fun when we were younger..." she reminisced, smiling at her girlfriend some more. "Just the two of us, playing games and laughing... Those were the days."

 

Dahlia nodded at the story, smiling. "Yeah, I remember hearing about these stories. Whenever you two got bored during a movie, you would pelt each other with popcorn." she added. "Some people would get pretty annoyed at both of you, but most of them thought you were too cute and endearing to get mad at..."

 

"Ehehehe, we were pretty cute then, yeah." the eldest Seaton said, grinning. "Still got it, I'd say."

Edited February 1, 2016 by Noriaki Kakyoin

[MELON LORD]

IC: Kalos Team

 

Xander listened as the others spoke, smiling lightly. Sylph glanced around he room, very aware of Xander's arm around her. Seeing none of the others reacting, she leaned gently against him.

 

Ellen barked again as Aspen picked her up and scratched her. Her til flicked, and she tried to reach out to communicate to him. She was unable, and seemed much put out by it. Sylph glanced over and grinned. She wished to see Saya, the Gardevoir said so just Aspen could hear, not wanting to interrupt the conversations at hand.

 

The Kalos trainer continued listening, still smiling, though he was stifling repeated yawns from his sleepless night.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

As Chloe and Olivia turned the topic of the conversation to their youthful antics, Ryan let his mind wander. Talk of movie theaters and puppy love disinterested him. Or perhaps it just made him uncomfortable. Or both. He could not be sure.

 

His eyes settled on what he considered a far more endearing scene than two youngsters hurling popcorn at each other: the sight of Xander's Eevee curled up in Aspen's lap while the Seaton boy liberally scratched behind her ears. Ryan allowed himself a small smile: he found it very heartwarming, if not a little ironic, that the boy he knew to be struggling through the aftermath of a battle with Pride was not so prideful as to consider himself above succumbing to the cuteness of adorable Pokémon like Ellen. Perhaps that meant there was hope for them yet. Hope for all of them.

 

Paul, too, had his attention grabbed by the sight of Aspen and the Eevee. Like Ryan, the blacksmith gave the pair a small smile, but for a different reason: the playful interaction of human and Pokémon reminded him, with a sharp pang of longing, of the Eevee's namesake. He was sure that if Ellen were here right now she'd be right next to Aspen, fawning over the Eevee. Her bond with her own Pokémon was one of her strengths -- perhaps the very reason she had managed to survive the dangers she had faced since joining up with the group in Unova.

 

Terry, reading the bittersweet smile on his master's lips, nuzzled himself against Paul. He tried to remind the blacksmith that a bond worked both ways: the Pokémon must trust the human, but the human must also trust the Pokémon. Friendship and trust could be traced back like the branches of an expansive family tree. Ellen learned her trust from Terry, who in turn learned it from Paul. Mr. Burks had influenced his daughter more than he thought. He had every reason to be proud of her... and therefore all the more reason to get her back.

[JiMing]

IC: Aspen Seaton

 

Sylph's explanation caused Aspen to look over in her direction, missing how both Ryan and Paul had saw him holding Ellen in his lap. "Oh, you want to meet up with Saya again?" he asked, looking down at the Eevee. The youngest Seaton chuckled softly, gently petting Ellen's head. "Aren't you sweet? Don't worry, I'm sure she wants to see you too." Aspen said. "Right now probably wouldn't be the best time, though. I mean, it's a roundtable with a bunch of people talking... Do you think you could wait a little longer till we can head back to my room before you hang out with Saya?" the trainer requested, smiling as he rubbed her back. "Just until Chloe and Olivia say everything they have to say."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe nodded back at her best friend, as she grinned widely. For the rest of the evening, the group talked about all sorts of different things. They went over their pasts, and the things they had been through. Chloe wore a small smile on her face for a good portion of the conversation, as she had a good feeling that just perhaps, they might have all grown a bit closer for it. She noticed that not everyone talked quite as much, her brother Ryan being one example. That did not change her confidence. But as the conversation drew toward a close, the girl noticed a slight uneasiness on Ryan Sanders' face. She could hazard a guess as to why the young man was seeming to be distant, and felt that was not a good thing. Try as she might, however, she couldn't think of anything to say.

 

At last, Ray sighed. "I guess we've run outta things to talk about. I've told that Pidove story for like the tenth time now." His impromptu gift to Sonja had been one of the many topics of conversation that evening, and one that Jenny, having been filled in at one point, insisted on teasing him about. Of course he had only been trying to help Sonja out, why would anyone assume an underlying message lay in the innocent gift? Ray's constant denial only served to add another layer to Jenny's theory: the separatist refused to admit his feelings even to himself. The orange haired man stood up with a sigh. "I'm starting to get hungry, too; Chloe, couldn't you have picked a better timezone? One that would've resulted in a call after we ate?" Ray sighed, but chuckled. "Nah; don't worry, I was mostly joking, was a cool chat. Anyone else hungry?" He made his way to the door, as Ryan Hikari quietly stood up and followed him.

 

Chloe felt like there was something missing. The girl had swapped phone numbers with Xander, after the latter had wished to talk more about the psychic powers they both had. She watched Jenny wave goodbye, as she left the room. But as the room slowly cleared out, she paused, and glanced around the room, as if trying to figure something out. The beige-walled room seemed much emptier and open, and somehow, she felt like she had been in it a thousand times before. She noticed as the remaining Ryan began to stand up, and knew she couldn't keep hesitating. "Wait, Ryan." The girl with the auburn hair paused for a moment, as the words seemed to hang on the air. "Do you mind if I speak with you, before you go...?" She seemed uncertain, as if not sure how to put what she needed to say into words. "If it'd be easier alone, then I doubt Evan would mind much if you returned his Pokegear afterward..."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Kalos Team

 

Xander walked out of the room, stretching. As he started making his way to the galley for a late dinner, he glanced to Aspen. "Since Ellen wants to see Saya, would you mind keeping her for the night again? I haven't slept in, uh . . ."

 

Thirty-seven hours, Sylph supplied. We're going to eat dinner and then go to bed, but Ellen wants to play. If it's not too much trouble, we would certainly appreciate it, Aspen.

 

Ellen barked, tail flicking. As much as she hated separating from her alphas, she understood that this would be the best arrangement. Xander needed to sleep, and having to wait to retrieve Ellen would only make that worse.

 

Vixen, on Xander's left shoulder, sent one of her unfocused thought-blasts to Aspen. There was a general sense of loneliness and exclusion, of wanting to be included. Sylph smiled. Sorry, she's still learning. Would Vixen be allowed to join you as well?

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan saw everyone leaving the room, be it for dinner or their own thing. He heard Chloe's request and smiled. "Yeah, just return it to me, all right?" the Hero spoke. "I'll be in the galley to fetch some food. You folks have fun, all right? Stay well, Chloe and Olivia."

With those words, and a two-fingered salute as he turned towards the door, Evan left the lounge, thinking his own thoughts about what had transpired. Especially with how things were in the past, it was nice to relax with those he called his friends.....

[Konuju]

IC: Paul

Paul followed Ray and the others into the kitchen, Terry trotting along at his feet. The Herdier went up to Dahlia and barked happily, inquiring if she had anymore of those delicious poffins.

 

"Sounds like Terry really enjoyed your cooking," the blacksmith said with a chuckle. "Back home, my wife did most of the cooking, but I'd like to think I know my way around a kitchen. If there's any way I can help, just say the word."

 

IC: Ryan

Seeing most everyone else leave the room, Ryan was about to follow suit when Chloe called him out. He froze, poised in a half-sitting, half-standing position, unsure what to do, until Orihime helpfully nudged him back into his seat. As Evan left, Ryan realized that he truly was the only one left in the room. There was no getting out of this.

 

He twiddled his thumbs, growing more anxious by the second. He had managed thus far to avoid drawing attention to himself, but it seemed this conversation truly was inescapable. Resigning himself to the inevitability of his situation, Ryan took a deep breath. Better to get this over with now instead of dragging it out even more. "L-look," he stammered. "I'm sorry about the other day. It was stupid of me to jump to conclusions like that, and even worse to attempt to convince your friends you weren't trustworthy. I've already talked with Xander about it, and Ray, and I understand how vulnerable I must've made you feel, but I'm really sorry about that, and, and..."

 

The Liberty agent looked to the side as his words escaped him. He was rambling again, and decided to end things with a feeble "Sorry." He glanced warily at the screen, hoping Chloe and Olivia weren't too angry with him.