Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

The Liberty agent gave Aspen a curious look. "You don't need everyone here to prove yourself," he said not unkindly. "And if anyone who doesn't see your battle has any doubts, well, you can always have another sparring match." What had Aspen said his Sin was? Pride. The kid still had a bit of a prideful streak, just as Ryan still occasionally caught himself longing for attention. Their battles with their respective Sins had opened their eyes to their biggest flaws, but there was a huge difference between realization and sanctification. Awareness of a stumbling block doesn't make it any less painful to trip over.

 

"Anyway, Lucario versus Gardevoir. Sounds exciting; I can't wait!" As he turned to lead the group toward the field, he worriedly glanced at Dahlia, wondering if the gardener had also picked up on her brother's prideful tendencies.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"Let's get back to the others then!" Evan replied happily to Paulas he turned to Landorus. "Good fight, my friend!"

With a dynamic flash of the Reveal Glass upon Landorus, and hop onto the now quadrupedal Abundance Pokemon. Landorus couldn't help but wish the battle had lasted longer. But considering how much energy he had exerted, it was still a fun fight. Growling softly, Landorus, with Evan atop him, rose towards the sky, waiting for Paul and Scar to join him and his friend.....

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

As Xander headed towards the field, he nodded. "I was hoping that you would use Aria. She seems like an experienced battler, and we want to cut loose." He smiled. "We'll probably attract some sort of audience, but maybe not everyone. I'm going to set up my Holo-Caster, too, and get a video of the battle."

 

Sylph was silent, mentally preparing herself. Aria was a Lucario. Her fighting-type would normally leave her vulnerable to most of Sylphs repertoire, but the dual steel-typing took that vulnerability away. It would be a fairly even match, slightly in the Gardevoir's favor, since she was resistant to fighting attacks, but that was only if she kept her distance and played carefully. Lucario were known for hitting hard and fast, and if Sylph wasn't ready . . .

 

Aspen had seen her battle against Lazengann. He would be looking for her to Teleport and come in from surprise angles. He might even have a counter for . . . She raised her hand to the sensitive bundle of flesh at the end of her arm. Even then, she hadn't poured all of her strength into that attack. She had wanted to leave the boat as undamaged as possible. Here, she could really let loose, if she needed to. She worried, however, that she might go too far.

 

She would have to fight without the uncontrolled blasts, if she wanted to avoid stepping over that line.

 

She was shaken from her reverie as Xander called out. "Alright, I think we're just about ready. Maybe give another minute or two for people to trickle in, and then we'll get started. Ryan, you wanna play ref?"

Edited March 17, 2016 by A Conversation

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe/Olivia(Jam)==-

 

The couple walked inside and sat down on the couch, while Rose went to fetch her husband over. Olivia smiled and held Chloe's hand some more. "I'm sure Dad'll love you, Mom sounds like she's gonna explain things." she said. "Come on, smile wider, this is going to go great!"

Benedict walked in as if on cue, and looked over at Chloe. "So... From what Rose told me, I got a daughter-in-law now? That's something I didn't see coming." he admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. "It's all good, though! You're welcome to be a part of the family no matter what. Quite honestly, I'm just glad and you and the other kids are safe..." the sailor explained. "Have things been alright, aside from the stuff on the news?"

 

Chloe turned deeper red, more at the comment about her being his daughter-in-law than anything. Giggling awkwardly, she smiled. "Things have been pretty alright; we've so far managed to stay out of big trouble..." The girl scratched her head, as she thought over everything. "The other two went off to try and help find one of the people who was in Sootopolis with us, as things happened after we had parted ways... but, so far everything's sounded like it's worked alright." She smiled more, and sighed. "Of course, Celadon was a bit exciting too, but somehow we more or less stayed alright there too."

 

"Oh, so that's why Aspen and Dahlia aren't with you." Rose said, putting her finger to her chin. "Well... I'll just have to message them soon. I hope they're alright... Good to see that everyone survived that chaos though, Ben and I were worried for the longest time..." she muttered.

Benedict nodded, sighing. "Yeah, when we first saw the news, we were worried sick, even when we got messaged that things were alright. But it's not the same as having you two here in the flesh." he said with a smile, chuckling softly. "What brings you two here, though?"

"Oh, uh, we came back from Snowpoint where we went and visited Chloe's cousin to see if she was holding up alright." Olivia explained, looking to her friend. "Is there any reason in particular we returned home, other than to see Mom and Poppy again?"

 

"Well..." Chloe scratched her head, as she tried to think. "Well, that was mostly it, admittedly... and to like, change up what we have packed and such..." She thought things over for a bit more. "I was also wanting to find out how to, um, really begin things, too... So hopefully I can figure that out while here, too." She giggled softly, not seeming too sure other than that.

 

Olivia saw the blank and confused stares of her parents, and shook her head. "I think she means transition." she said, rolling her eyes as her parents suddenly got what was meant.

"Oh, is that so? I'm sorry to tell you this, but uh, me and Ben don't really know a whole lot about that..." Rose said with an apologetic tone. "We could schedule a doctor's appointment if you wanted though, and then help hash out all the details as they come, though!" the gardener offered, smiling.

 

"That would be nice..." Chloe smiled, and nodded at that plan. "With luck, everything will just work out..." She giggled, as her mind began to wander to thinking about outfits.

 

"Yeah, we can handle that. Good luck on this transition of yours, kid!" Ben said, grinning. "Obviously it'll be very good for you. Don't think I'm getting grandkids anymore, but ah, what the heck. By the time it'll really matter, I'll be some wrinkled, grumpy curmudgeon anyways!"

 Olivia rolled her eyes again with a subtle blush at how embarrassing Poppy was acting, but turned to her friend with a wide smile. "And there you go. Things are turning out well after all, right?" she asked, punching Chloe in the shoulder lightly. "And still you were so worried..."

 

Chloe blushed at that, and scratched her head with an awkward laugh. "I just feel nervous all the time..." She said with a sheepish smile, and sighed, giggling a bit after that.

 

Olivia chuckled, and kissed Chloe on the cheek. "It's sorta hypocritical to harp on you over that given how I act towards myself, but still, there was no chance anything could have gone wrong here." she said, smiling. "I mean, Mom's over on the phone trying to figure out who to call right now. I doubt she's gonna get anywhere without a bunch of help, but it's the thought that counts." the red-haired trainer pointed out, chuckling. "I think things are going to go just fine for you, from now on..."

 

Chloe nodded with a smile, and giggled more at that. "True enough... Think we'll have time to revisit the town, then?"

 

"Yeah! We could get ice cream, see movies, go to the park, it'd be just like old times." Olivia replied, smiling. "Err, well, not exactly like old times, like old times but better? You get what I mean." she said with a shrug.

 

Chloe giggled, and smiled. "I know exactly what you mean." She said, and nodded happily.

 

While the couple kept giggling and smiling, Rose walked over with a somewhat embarrassed expression. "I, uh, think I have someone on the line who could help? Do you girls mind helping me out with all the details and stuff? I'm not sure what to say to the other person on the end of the line."

Olivia grinned a bit, and nodded. "Sure Mom, me and Chloe can help." she said, squeezing her girlfriend's hand as she took the phone and handed it to her best friend.

 

Chloe smiled, as she began to talk and help sort things out. She was nervous, but excited that things were finally starting to go right for her...

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

A nostalgic smile crossed the Liberty trainer's face as he thought back to the last time he had reffed a match. "I'd be more than happy to ref," he said, walking over to position himself in roughly the center of the field.

 

The field itself was far different from the site of his last reffing match. This was no groomed Liberty training field; the terrain was uneven and slightly hilly, and the ankle-length grass likely hid a small number of sizable stones. Ryan had chosen the center of the field at the crest of a small hill, and in as clear of a spot as he could find. Even so, a few alder trees dotted the landscape around the small hill.

 

"Alright, this look like an acceptable place?" Ryan nodded toward the dirt path they had left several hundred feet away, which led to the Pokémon Center. "That path marks the boundary of the battlefield. Behind me, you can go as far as that line of trees. To my left, the boundary is a bit more vague; imagine an invisible wall extending from the front of the Pokémon Center. And to my right... um... the boundary is that gnarled oak. Any objections?"

 

OOC: Fun fact, the last time Ryan reffed a battle, it ended up going on for about 2-3 months OOC, and only ended because of the last-minute recruitment of people for the Manaphy Mission.

[JiMing]

IC: Aspen Seaton

Aspen blinked, and rubbed the back of his head. "Well... Alright. I'll take whatever audience I get, any stragglers could see the recorded footage a later time maybe." he decided, and shrugged. "I guess what I should really be focusing on is the battle, and how to beat Sylph however I can. You're probably doing the same for Aria anyways." the youngest Seaton noted, gripping Aria's Pokeball and taking it off his belt.

Dahlia walked alongside her brother on the way to the field, looking over at Aspen. "Besides, didn't you challenge Hugh that one time? He's Opelucid's Gym Leader. Doesn't that count?" she asked. "So you did fight a Gym Leader once..." 

"Well, that was more of a sparring match than an official league challenge... Not to mention I lost." he said, adjusting his glasses awkwardly. "Maybe I really should have taken him up on his tutoring offer... Maybe after Ellen's found I can think about that." the trainer muttered, shaking his head. Right now he had to focus on the battleground provided by Ryan, and sent out Aria to also look around. 

"I believe my presence has been requested in a fight with a certain Gardevoir." Aria said flatly, turning her head to the field. "Hmm... Yes. I can make this work to my benefit. Not bad, Liberty boy." the Lucario replied to Ryan, even as she still scanned the environment. Soon after she turned to Sylph and held a paw up to her chin. "This should be spacious enough for you to use the full extent of your abilities, yes? I myself think this would make a decent stage for our match, you?"

OOC: Too much jam, toast is now soaked, sadface.

 

IC: Olivia Seaton/Chloe Hikari

 

A few days later, Chloe was in a similar state, as her and Olivia were walking on their way to the clinic. She tugged nervously on the pink shirt she had chosen for the day, trying to make sure everything was all in order, despite having done that about ten times prior.

 

Olivia rolled her eyes while grinning, and kissed Chloe gently in an attempt to calm her nerves. "I've been hugging and kissing you ever since we got out of the house today, and I wont stop if that'll calm your nerves." Olivia informed her, gently hugging her arm to drive the point in. "Cheer up, these last few days have gone excellent. There's no way any of this could be different, right?"

 

Chloe giggled, and nodded. She still fidgeted nervously, but seemed to giggle more. "I know... I'm jst so excited I'm nervous, to be honest... I mean, you're right... things have gone perfectly. This isn't a dream, right? I am awake?" She giggled more, teasing her friend a bit, as she smiled more, as the building came into sight.

 

"Well if this is a dream, I must be connected to your mind again." Olivia pointed out with a giggle, going so far as to pinch herself. "Nope, feels like reality. This really is happening..."

 

Chloe smiled more, as she giggled. "That's good enough for me...~" She continued to walk, not realizing that her pace was beginning to be a little faster than before.

 

Olivia kept up with Chloe's increased pace without saying a word. Eventually the two of them reached the front door of the clinic, which Olivia pulled open. "After you, dork." she said with a grin while squeezing Chloe's hand again.

 

Chloe nodded, and quickly walked up to the receptionist, and quickly rhymed off the necessary information she had memorized over the past few days. "I was told the results might be ready by now...?" She seemed hopeful, and her smile just brightened as the receptionist looked through and nodded.

 

"The doctor should be ready in just a little while, if you could have a seat, that would be great." The receptionist kindly said, watching the happy girl go off to sit down.

 

Olivia turned to the receptionist with a grateful expression and thanked her, going to sit down besides Chloe afterwards. "This day only gets better, doesn't if?" she asked happily.

 

Chloe nodded. She wasn't able to keep still, but giggled like a schoolgirl, the nervousness seeming to be replaced by sheer excitement.

 

"You silly dummy. The doctor's not even here yet and you act like you've eaten a hundred candies." Olivia teased Chloe, hugging her tight afterwards. "I don't say it enough, but I love you. I'm proud of how far you've come..." she said honestly, smiling contentedly as she wrapped her arms around her best friend in the entire world.

 

Chloe smiled more, and hugged her back. Her attention was drawn away a little while after, however, as she heard the door to the inner office open, and looked over to see a woman in a white coat, holding a clipboard.

 

"Chloe?" The woman asked, as the girl in question stood up with a smile. "Right this way, please." The doctor smiled, and began to lead the way to the office, after the two caught up.

 

Olivia nodded, and stood close by to Chloe, smiling widely at the possibilities that were opening to her. The eldest Seaton was grateful moreso than ever to  be at her side.

 

An hour after, the two girls walked out of the clinic. Chloe was beaming even more, as she held a prescription bag in her hand. She had no real words to say anything at that moment, but was just plain happy. Everything about Unova and her father, at least for the moment, had been forgotten.

 

"Well then, it's official." Olivia said, smiling proudly at Chloe. "It's your new start, after every thing that's happened. How's it feel?" the red-haired trainer asked as they walked down the street once more.

 

"I'm excited..." Chloe giggled, as she looked up at the sky. "The pace's admittedly a bit startling, but... it's nice. I like that everything's finally going well..." She breathed in the air, and giggled.

 

"Yeah, though for a second you looked like you were gonna faint." Olivia pointed out with a grin. "Before the doctor gave you the injection, you had an expression of just pure fear and horror. Funny how you made it through this last week and the thing that still horrifies you the most is a needle." she teased with a giggle.

 

Chloe giggled awkwardly with an awkward smile. "I wanted to go that route, though; just to show I could even get through that, if it mean things would work."

 

"Someone's brave... Though, you now kinda have to conquer your phobia of needles every week from now on." the red-haired trainer pointed out, shrugging. "So uh, good luck with that. Maybe it'll be not so bad after all?"

 

Chloe nodded, but giggled. "I hope so. Besides, I can do it!" She paused, however, as she looked around. "... I think I left my bag at the office." She said with a sheepish smile.

 

Olivia blinked, and shook her head. "Some things just never change..." she said with an amused grin. The couple proceeded to turn around and walk back to the clinic, with Olivia hugging Chloe's arm tight.

 

Chloe smiled, as they walked back to the clinic. Before she could open the door, however, her Pokegear started to beep. "Oh, it's Ryan; maybe he's calling to say how Shannon is, or something." The girl giggled. "Knowing my brother, he'll take like half an hour to talk my ear off, you go ahead."

 

Olivia rolled her eyes at that, chuckling. "Yeah, of course Ryan would call in to let you know how his girlfriend's doing... I'll go get your bag for you then." she said, opening the door to the clinic. Fortunately, Chloe's bag was right where she had last seen it, and so the red-haired trainer lifted it up over her shoulder, heading back to the front to meet up with Chloe again.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan smiled at Aria's comment, then turned to Xander and Sylph to await their response. He noticed the Kalos trainer was holding his Holo Caster in his hand, and a sudden idea struck him. "Say, maybe Dahlia should take the video. That way Xander won't be hindered trying to focus on the battle and the recording at the same time."

 

IC: Paul

As they were no longer searching for a decent battleground, the journey back to the Pokémon Center was a lot faster than their initial flight. As they descended toward the expansive network center, Scar's keen eyes caught sight of Xander and Sylph. The metallic bird made a beeline for the trainer, and Paul soon recognized Ryan, Aspen, and Dahlia were also with the Kalos pair. From the looks of it, a battle had just finished... or perhaps was just beginning.

 

Scar landed on the sidelines near Dahlia with a soft clang of his steel feathers. "It looks like I wasn't the only one fired up by that battle on the boat!" Paul cried as he dismounted. "I hope we're not too late for the spectacle!"

[MELON LORD]

IC

 

Xander surveyed the area, using his device to record the boundaries. "Huh?" He glanced up at Ryan's suggestion. "Oh, yeah probably a good idea. Dahlia, would you mind?" He smiled at the Seaton girl.

 

Sylph shook the Lucario's hand, smiling. I think it will be an excellent stage for us, yes. Promise me you'll hold nothing back. I certainly will not be. A small lie, for reasons she'd already thought over.

 

Xander waved as Paul and Scar arrived. "You're just in time, Mister Burks." He smiled. "You'll get to see what we can do when we don't have to worry about wrecking a boat with our fighting." He looked around, seeing if anyone else would show up. He really wanted Evan to see this; he had come to think of the older trainer as a sort of mentor, and wanted him to witness their abilities unhindered.

 

"I think we can just about start."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe smiled, as she walked to the side of the building, and answered the Pokegear. However, her smile turned to a puzzled frown, as she was met with just static. "Huh...?" She mumbled, and looked around. She paused, however, as she noticed a man in the shadows, that she hadn't noticed before. Curious, she walked over toward him. Unbeknownst to her, as she did so, a Claydol appeared behind her and teleported her and the man to another point in Olivine. Chloe managed to catch herself before anything bad happened, and looked up at the man cautiously, now recognizing him as her supposed uncle, Guy.

 

"Hello again... What's your name, again?" The man smiled disarmingly, as Chloe stayed on guard for the moment. After a couple moments of not receiving an answer, Guy recalled his Claydol, and looked at the girl again. "Come, now, don't be like that. I mean no harm, see?" He raised his empty hands to show that, although Chloe stayed wary for a moment.

 

"... Chloe..." She said with a slight grimace, disappointed that this had to happen. "And you're... Man, right?" There was a moment of silence, as a pin drop could be heard if one fell.

 

"No, no, no, it's Guy, not..." The man sighed, and scratched his head. "Anyway... I'm glad to finally meet you, Chloe." He said with a smile, and held out his hand. Cautiously, Chloe took it, but he merely shook it like normal. "I'm really sorry for all of this. But it's a necessary thing, your girlfriend hates me now. I don't blame her at all." Guy frowned darkly, but sighed again. "I have an opportunity for you, however... and a request in exchange."

 

"Oh?" Chloe took a step back, just to be cautious. She didn't trust the man still, and both of them knew it.

 

"I wish to help you master your psychic powers with the help of my friends... And I'd like you to help me with a wish of mine." Guy turned around, and looked out over the city. Chloe followed his gaze, and noticed they were on a rooftop, overlooking the city. "I want to... restore the glory of a city. But I can't do it without your help. Long ago, there was an ancient civilization in Unova. Time has not been kind to it, as it has sunk into the sands... But I believe that it's not forever lost." He turned around, a pleading look in his eyes.

 

Chloe thought for a moment, conflicted over this. The girl closed her green eyes, and sighed. "... Alright. I'll help you as best as I can..." She said, and looked up. "But, my stuff is still-" She was cut off, as Guy held up her backpack.

 

"You had stuff packed anyway, just in case you and Olivia went traveling again, right? With the borrowed clothes from her sister?" The man slid the backpack to Chloe, and turned around again. "Everything should be all set; you just need to give the word."

 

Chloe seemed uncertain once again, and shivered slightly from the fact that he had gotten her backpack, but sighed. She didn't see a way out of this, and had the feeling that things would go badly if she refused. She'd had too much experience with towns being leveled, or people getting hurt because of her... she did not want that to happen again, especially not here. "... Okay. When do we leave?" She asked, as she placed her prescription bag into her backpack, and picked it up.

 

"Now." Chloe barely had a chance to register what he said, before he sent out the Claydol again, and the two were teleported away from the city.

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

Ray had been walking back to the port, when his communication device went off. He glanced at it with a puzzled look, and raised an eyebrow. He continued to walk in the direction of the port, but then paused, and ducked behind a rock when he noticed the others approaching. Making his way around, trying to keep out of sight, he watched as they began to set up the battlefield, trying to make his way to a place where Ryan couldn't see him. He figured the Liberty trainer didn't exactly wish to see him, after everything that had happened before.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan had noticed Paul landing towards a plot of land, where he noticed many of the others gathering nearby. With a slight motion to descend, Evan made his way down to the area. Without warning, Evan leapt off of Landorus' back, and made a three point landing on the sideline. The Plasma agent recalled Landorus, thinking he would heal Landorus further later one. He noticed Aspen and Xander standing across from each other, with Pokemon sent out.

"Seems like I''m not the only one who was itching for a battle!" The Hero exclaimed. "I wish both of you luck! Give us a real spectacle of a fight!"

Evan sat down after letting his thoughts out, aiming to enjoy what the coming battle would bring.........

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia/Aspen Seaton

 

"Huh? Oh! That's not a problem at all, Xander, I can handle filming duties." Dahlia said, taking the Holocaster and stepping back to get a better view of the field. When Paul and Evan arrived behind her, she smiled and nodded at the both of them. "The battle looks like it's just about to start, once everyone gets into position and Ryan calls the start of the match, that should be go time!" she explained with a wide smile. 

"You need not worry about me. I will demonstrate the full extent of what I am capable of." Aria replied to Sylph. "Prepare yourself for a difficult battle, Sylph, I'll be doing the same."

 

Aspen cracked a grin at the arrival of Evan and Paul, not noticing that Ray had snuck onto the premises as well. "Don't worry Evan, I plan on going all-out. I'm going to prove what I'm capable of, and take the win!" he declared in a confident tone. He and Aria then moved further away from the Kalos Duo to put some space between them. "This should be a decent amount of space to start with. Aria?" 

"I've no objections, though a more precise measurement would possibly lead to better performance on both ends. But I believe all parties involved are just eager to get started." the Lucario said, turning to Ryan. "If there is nothing more that needs to be modified, then the battle shall begin on your signal."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Paul

"Two battles in one afternoon," Paul said with a grin. "You kids sure know how to keep things lively."

 

Ryan looked from Xander to Aspen, and nodded as he stepped back toward the line of trees that made up one of the boundaries. He cleared his throat and stretched out his arms, trying to recall the protocol of reffing. "This will be a one-on-one single battle, between Xander Cruize and Sylph, and Aspen Seaton and Aria. The battle will continue until one side is unable to battle or forfeits. We will begin on my count. Three... two... one... Go!"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie & Lucia - Celadon City

Jamie and Lucia had walked around most of Celadon, accompanied by Pelleas and Megana. The first place they had chosen to stop was the sight where the church that Arglos bombed once stood. The place was important to James; even though Jamie did not know why, she decided that she needed to know where the place was too. After that, she followed Lucia around to various places around the city. After that, they headed back north to where the Rocket Game Corner was. The place had been re-branded to profit from the success of their former owners, including a tour of the old hideout that once belonged to Giovanni. Their next stop was the Celadon Department Store... which they spent about two seconds at, because they were already way too familiar with that building. And finally they went south and stopped near the Celadon City Gym.

They started heading east to begin making their way back towards Stacy's mansion, when they came across a pond. The area was oddly clear of debris or any signs that it had been disrupted at all by the attack on the city, and yet it smelt like dead people...

Okay, that one was in bad taste.

"Lucia, where are we? Most of Celadon is mess, but this place just smells wrong?" Jamie asked while plugging up her nose.

 

"I'm..." Lucia frowned with a slight grimace on her face as well. "I'm not sure. I don't really remember this part of the city too well..." She didn't add the fact that if this place always smelled like this, she probably had found the reason why she didn't remember it.

 

Wherever they were, it was not on the good side of Celadon. Even without the chaos caused by the attack on the city, the place seemed dirty enough. Graffiti and litter marked the streets and the air felt dirty. Neither Rocket knew anything about the area, but Pelleas had an inkling, however. He had only been there once before, with James. Tristan, Lancelot and himself were there.

Jamie started coughing and decided it was time to go. "Alright, if you do not know where we are, then I can safely say we really need to know where here is. Let's head back towards the-"

Jamie was interrupted by the loud barking of a Granbull. Both Rockets turned to face the source of the barking and saw the Granbull at the head of a group of men, all of whom had unpleasant expressions. The man who was standing in the center of the group of men and behind the Granbull stepped forward.

"Hey youse guys! My boy here tells me that that bug of yours messed up his nose," the apparent leader said, gesturing to the man beside him.

The man in question pointed at his nose, which was covered in a cast, while having a glare fixated on Jamie. Jamie, upon recognition of the man, returned the glare and began trembling, with her hands made into fists.

"He's been in constant pain, and fixing a face ain't cheap. How are you gonna make it up to us?"

"Make it up to you?! Your 'boy' punched me in the face first!" Jamie shouted back.

"[shud ub [insult], I dink you need a leh-shin in wespect.]" the man with the broken nose shouted with an incredibly nasally voice.

Upon hearing nose guy's response, Jamie paused. Her scowl faded, despite her best efforts to keep the angry look on her face. Her cheeks began to puff as she held her breath in. She placed one hand over her face . She didn't know why, maybe it was just the juxtaposition of the with the ridiculous voice, but she could . Her efforts finally failed completely as she broke out into laughter. She bent over half-way trying to inhale enough air to match that she was exhaling. The young Rocket Agent laughed so hard she gave herself hiccups and burst into tears.

The gang members were all dumb-founded to various degrees (though four had a pretty good inkling of why she had started laughing to their embarrassment) with one certain member reacting with complete indignation, "[stob laugh-phig at meh]!"

"I'm-ppbh-sorry. That voice is just-HaHaHa!" she said before her voice became nothing but laughs and hiccups.

The gang leader's face was as red as his 'boy's'. To have someone mock one of his own in front of him was unforgivable, "Get them!" he yelled dropping two Poke Balls on the ground, releasing a Tropius and a Honchkrow.

Catching her breath, Jamie released the only other Pokemon she had on her, Palomides. "I'm sorry -hic- Lucia. I really got us into a mess," she said as she wiped her eyes.

 

Lucia sighed, as she had done a better job at keeping her laughter in check. "No worries; let's handle this guy, then get back." She said with a slight smile, as she sent out her Pokemon to fight. The Meganium and Gothorita appeared, and gave a brave look at the opposing Pokemon. "Let's do this! We can manage!" The Meganium nodded, as she and Gothara took the initiative. While Gothara focused on the Tropius for the moment with Psybeam, the Meganium attempted to use Poison Powder on the Honchkrow, realizing that actual attacks wouldn't be very effective on the Dark type.

 

Pelleas, being the physically strongest among all of the Pokemon fighting for the Rockets there, took point. Going on the offensive when they were so badly outnumbered, and he was Jamie and Lucia's first line of defense, was deemed a bad idea. Instead he focused on turning away as many attackers as he could via Counter and his own skill in close combat. The Heracross was currently focusing on the Simisage that had ran ahead of the others. If he could take out the speedy grass monkey, that'd fulfill some priorities though. If he could take out as many of the quick opponents, that wouldn't be a bad result. If push came to shove, they could outrun some of the slower Pokemon. He deflected as many of the Simisage's punches he could while looking for an opportunity to  use Megahorn.

 

Palomides, not being as durable as Pelleas, took up a position of harrying as many opponents as he could from a safe distance above the rest. He tried to Disable attacks that were aimed at Pelleas to reduce the number of combatants that the Heracross had to contend with at once, and decided to ironically use Hypnosis on Hypno. It worked, to the Haunter's grim delight.

 

The Honchkrow decided that risking poison was worth a chance to attack Palomides and flew through the mist of Poison Powder to try and use Night Slash on Palomides. The Haunter ducked out of the way with only moment's to spare, disappointed that his safe spot hadn't worked out well.

 

Lucia bit her lip, as she saw more of the gang members sending out their Pokemon. "Jamie... perhaps it's best to use the Rocket secret technique..." She mumbled to the other girl, as she watched the Gothorita fend off attacks, unable to actually get a chance to attack back, between the attacks and the lack of attacks she could actually use in general, thanks to the varying types of the opponents.

 

If it were anybody that was not Jamie, they probably would've figured out what Lucia meant. But Jamie had a completely different idea about what a "Rocket secret technique" would entail. "Secret techniques" were what heroes used to defeat the bad guys, and running away wasn't how one beat up the bad guys, so she never would've come to that conclusion. She hadn't heard of any ultimate attacks or anything. If all Rockets had one and she had not heard, then she felt cheated. The only effective tactic she'd seen up to now involved punching things in the face. Well, may as well give a shot.

 

At that moment, Pelleas chose to strike at the Simisage with his Megahorn. He launched the Grass-type with tremendous force, but had been so focused on the timing that he didn't realize he had flung him right at Jamie.

 

Jamie was ready, she felt it in her soul. She knew exactly what to do.

 

"Rocket Punch!" she yelled and thrusted her fist into the Simisage's face.

 

Now the Megahorn had done absurdly high damage to the Simisage, but it hadn't quite knocked it out. The grass monkey was still hanging on if only by a thread. Jamie's punch had only just managed to sever said thread, but to her at that moment, she felt invincible.

 

"Yes! Great idea Lucia!" Jamie yelled with the biggest smile on her face.

 

Pelleas sighed as he stopped a Donphan's Rollout. He'd scold Jamie later for recklessness. Right now that felt pretty awesome to watch. Unfortunately, while he was distracted, a pompadour-wig wearing Krokorok blindsided him, bashing him away into the range of a Beedrill's Poison Jab. As he was recovering from being knocked around, he saw a Grimer next to a Muk behind all the gangsters.

 

Fear crept onto the Heracross. He didn't know, right? There was no way he could've known.

 

A large bellow cried out as a swarm of Muk climbed out of the pond and surrounded them.

 

He knew. Ah dear, Pelleas was afraid of this. He was shelled.

 

The Simisage and Krokorok's pompadoured trainer, who was riding on the back of a Bouffalant (whose hair had also been styled into a pompadour), noticed too late that a Muk had climbed aboard his mount.

 

"Hey what are you-" he said before the Muk Belched in his face. The trainer collapsed in shock while the Bouffalant ran off in surprise, with the trainer still on him.

 

The rest of the gang turned around to see the Muk that had gathered.

 

"[scwew getting even. I'm getting out of heh!]" nose guy yelled before running off, being followed by his Pokemon. 

 

This had become more than a broken nose to the leader though. The two Rockets had disrespected him and that deserved to be repaid with blood."Hey get-" the leader tried to yell before he noticed all of his men had already ran away and both his Granbull and his Tropius has been knocked out by repeated Sludge Bombs from the crowd of Muks.

 

"We'll get you two next time!" the leader yelled as his Honchkrow lifted him to safety.

 

One Muk, larger than the rest came forward, a warm welcoming smile on his face.

 

He did not trust that smile for a moment. He knew from that bellow earlier that this Muk was mad. The Heracross knew that he was not the one that the Muk was mad at. But considering that James was who knows where, he was gonna get the brunt of the rage.

 

I was wondering. Do you know a fair punishment for those who let those entrusted to them come to harm?

 

Pelleas knew the answer to that. Protecting someone entrusted to him had been his whole life with Jamie after all.

 

Punch them straight to the moon of course.

 

The Muk patted the Heracross on his head. Good idea, he said gently before uppercutting the Heracross, launching him ten feet in the air before he came crashing back down.

 

Pelleas didn't deserve that.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Maya Tierra/Jenny Hakuda

As the wind blew through Eterna City, Maya Tierra was tending to her garden, taking care to make sure her garden was weed-free. As the woman worked, her thoughts wandered to those about her son, who she hadn't seen in a while. She was pretty sure he was doing all right, but couldn't help but feel curious about how he was doing with things.

Maya reached into her pocket and pulled out her pokegear and dialed the number of the woman who had stayed with Evan, Jenny Hakuda. As the dial tone rang, the gardener focused herself on what she should ask.

Jenny paused in her training, taking a moment to take a breath, before answering her ringing X-Transceiver. "Hello?" She asked, trying to not make the fact that she was out of breath too obvious.

Maya's eyes lit up as she heard Jenny's voice. She noted that she sounded slightly out of breath. "Jenny, it's me, Maya." the woman replied. "I wanted to call you to check on you and Evan."

"Oh, hi." Jenny smiled, and waved slightly. "We're doing pretty good; we're trying to help find a friend of ours, actually." She explained, and chuckled a bit. "How have you been doing?"

Maya waved back, smiling warmly. "I've been fine, same old, same old." the woman replied. "It's been very quiet around here, especially since Alexander has been very busy as of late. What sort of friend are you two looking for?"

Jenny thought for a moment, and then explained about Ellen, and how she had gone missing. She didn't add the reason that Ellen was missing, as she didn't want to worry Maya, and scratched her head. "I'll admit, I don't know her as well as Evan or the others... but from the times we've met, she's very nice, and I think we're really seeing a difference in the atmosphere without her around..."

"That's a shame to hear that such a sweet girl like that has gone missing." Maya said, furrowing her brow. "Besides that, what's happened with you? Do anything fun since you left here? I'm all ears, Jenny."

Jenny scratched her head. "Not really too much... Oh, I finally evolved my team, though!" She smiled at that, and turned the screen to where Boarlite and Sandlite were training with each other, each trying to get a step up on the other. "They've gotten pretty strong already... But I want to push past even that." She turned the screen back to herself after that.

"That's great, dear!" Maya exclaimed happily. "It's good to want to get stronger, especially nowadays. My boy would try to push himself when he could. It's sad that I couldn't witness him become better. Speaking of, do anything with Evan as of late, besides what you told me of?"

"Well..." Jenny blushed slightly, as she explained about what had happened in Nimbasa. She didn't add in about the darker parts, but focused on the happier ones. She also didn't quite mention that she had his dark side trapped inside her.

Maya's expression went from joy to dumbfounded in the blink of an eye. She hadn't expected news like that at all. Maya chuckled to herself knowingly. "My boy certainly knows how to pick them, doesn't he?" Maya spoke. "I had a feeling he would fall for you, Jenny. I just wasn't sure of when it would happen." At those words, Maya gave Jenny a very warm smile.

Jenny chuckled, and smiled back with a nod. She was at a loss for how to actually respond, but didn't want to be impolite about it.

"You don't need to say anything, dear." Maya spoke softly as she noted Jenny's lack of response. "I may have spoken out of turn, but I think he deserves someone like you, to set his heart on fire. That's what he needs. It reminds me of how myself and Alex fell for each other........."

Jenny giggled with a blush, but nodded, as she smiled. "I'd like to think I manage that. Plus, we're helping each other to get better, in a way..." She turned the camera again, to where Gnip was watching the battle, and coaching on the other two. "We temporarily traded so that Gnip could help me out with the finer arts of things... And so I can help out Gnip in return. With luck, part of that should be put to the test shortly."

"She looks like she's having fun!" Maya said as she noted the Garchomp. "I think you can go as far as you want, to take some words from my grandmother..."

"Thank you..." Jenny said with a smile, as she turned the camera back to herself again. "I like to hope so too. I've done pretty well so far, but once everything can settle down, I hope for it to get even greater."

"Dear, I have faith that both of you will reach greater heights than I could dream of..." Maya replied, a note of concern in her voice. "Just don't push yourselves too hard, all right?"

"I'm sure we'll try our best to not do that." The girl said cheerfully, as she stretched with her free hand. "I have faith in that just as much as reaching greater heights."

"Well, I'd best let you get back to doing that, Jenny." Maya spoke happily. "I have to get back to what I was doing. It was lovely to talk with you again. Tell Evan I said to take care."

"Alright! It was very nice to talk to you again as well... I hope you have a nice day!" Jenny replied, and smiled with a wave. "See you later~"

With that good-bye, Maya hung up her pokegear and continued her gardening, a newfound vigor in her movements. She too, had to reach higher, for everyone around her.....

[Parugi]

IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner - Chapel, Arena:

 

Certainly a dedicated little fellow, Ethan mused, smiling at the spectacle that Teddy was offering. "That's fine by me," he said, unclipping a Poké Ball from his belt. "As it happens, I've got someone on my team who could use some training, too." Ethan held the ball up, releasing the Combee within. Baya materialized on the field, her three faces all smiling as broadly as her trainer. She fluttered in front of Anzu and emitted a deep, rhythmic buzzing that could be interpreted as some sort of greeting.

 

Gavin showed less outward enthusiasm. Instead, much like Dack, he was busy carefully considering his options. With Ethan taking advantage of Teddy's involvement to train his Combee, Gavin figured that he would have to pick up the slack in order to give them a real chance in the fight. Given that Froslass possessed a Type advantage over both Ithes and Evris, that meant he would have to choose between Vel and Irest.

 

Decisions, decisions . . . He picked Vel's Poké Ball from his belt. Might as well make things even . . .

 

With a skyward toss, Gavin released Vel. The Mandibuzz emerged from her container and into the air, suspending herself above the field with careful flaps of her wings. She spent a few moments there before descending and landing in front of Gavin.

 

Gavin replaced Vel's Poké Ball. "Ready when you all are."

 

 

OOC:

 

Baya and Vel's profiles, for ease of reference:

 

Species: Combee.

Nickname: Baya.

Trainer: Ethan Worth.

Appearance: A typical female Combee.

Personality: Baya is a an extremely cheerful and jolly Pokémon--she is always seen buzzing around happily, indoors or out, no matter how serious the situation around her may be. She enjoys the company of those around her, whoever they may be, and appears even more delighted than usual at the prospect of traveling with a human.

Ability: Hustle.

Specialty: Baya does not have a specialty to speak of, really. Her abilities are all fairly equal to one another.

Known Moves: Sweet Scent, Gust, Bug Bite, Swift (MT,) String Shot.

 

 

Species: Mandibuzz.

Nickname: Vel.

Trainer: Gavin Braner.

Appearance: Standard Mandibuzz.

Personality: Vel is, for the most part, a calm Pokémon--unless she is injured or otherwise severely stressed, she is capable of maintaining an impressive cool about herself in the face of troubling circumstances. Noticeably patient and clever, her general personality is one of technician versus performance--she prefers to wait out problems and use situations to her advantage, as opposed to getting directly involved and attempting to speed up the process of whatever is occurring. Perhaps because of the circumstances of her evolution, Vel has become noticeably darker and more willing to utilize force, particularly to protect her teammates.

Ability: Overcoat.

Specialty: Vel's specialties lie in her defensive abilities. Those, coupled with her support capabilities and fairly impressive speed, generally allow her to outlast her opponents, causing them to wear themselves down with minimal effort on Vel's part. When she gets angry, she is also fully capable of putting all of her power behind an attack, to devastating effect.

Known Moves: Flatter, Defog, Tailwind, Foul Play (EM), Air Slash, Mirror Move.

 

 

IC:

 

". . ."

 

". . . um . . ."

 

"Sorry. It's just, I wasn't expecting to see anyone my age here."

 

". . . I-I'm sorry I surprised you . . ."

 

"N-no, it's alright . . ."

 

". . . Aren't you scared . . .?"

 

". . . Yes. But we'll succeed. W-we have to. Otherwise . . ."

 

". . ."

 

". . . Um, best not to think about it."

 

". . . I didn't mean that . . ."

 

". . . Oh. Scared about what, then?"

 

". . . McKinley."

 

". . . Why would I be scared of Tyler?"

 

"He . . . He d-doesn't care . . ."

 

"But . . . if he doesn't care, why would he go to such lengths to recruit us . . .?"

 

". . . H-He has a mask . . . He s-said so . . ."

 

"A . . . mask? I don't understand . . ."

 

"No one does . . ."

 

". . . Is it like that mask you're holding? Does everyone here get one?"

 

"D . . . Do you want one . . .?"

 

"N-not really . . . Not if I don't need it. What's it for, anyway . . .?"

 

". . . He gave it to me so I'd stay . . ."

 

". . ."

 

"I . . . I'm sorry . . . I-I'm upsetting you, a-aren't I . . .?"

 

"N-no . . . I'm just wondering . . . He gave me this Pokéblock case once . . . Was it so I'd stay as well . . .?"

 

". . ."

 

". . . Do you have family waiting for you back home?"

 

"My mom . . ."

 

"Same here. My daddy even came looking for me. My one regret about being here is that I had to leave him behind . . ."

 

". . . Are you close . . .?"

 

"Y- . . . I . . . I don't know anymore . . ."

 

". . . You should sleep. That's how I feel better . . ."

 

"Y-yeah . . . That'd probably help . . ."

 

". . ."

 

". . . What's wrong . . .?"

 

". . . I'm tired . . ."

 

"Maybe you should sleep, too. Definitely don't want to be tired when the big day comes . . ."

 

"Yeah . . . I'll try, Miss . . . Um . . ."

 

"Oh, I'm sorry . . . I should have introduced myself. I'm Ellen. Ellen Burks."

 

"I-it's okay. Um . . . I-I'm Levi Alaric . . ."

 

"Well, nice to meet you, Levi. Hopefully your mommy isn't too worried about you being gone . . . But you'll be able to tell her all about it when this is over."

 

"Y-Yeah . . . Y-You, too, Miss Ellen . . ."

 

"You don't have to call me 'Miss' . . . We're pretty much the same age . . ."

 

"Oh . . . S-Sorry . . ."

 

"Don't worry about it . . ."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize and Sylph vs Aspen Seaton and Aria

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNhyVTg5MfA / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnhvQ9V-dXo

 

Xander smiled. "Let's hit hard, Sylph! Psychic attack!" Sylph slung her arm forward, letting a wave of energy rush from her fingertips. Theatrics, grand gestures and shouted orders. They were for the benefit of the assemblage -- and Aspen and Aria. If they started with spoken commands, it would throw the opponents off when they switched to silent plans, or when Sylph improvised.

 

And she would improvise, when it came time for that. Aria was clearly experienced enough to keep Sylph on her toes, even if Aspen wasn't a fully-seasoned trainer. The question was, who had more experience: Sylph or Aria? Even more, where had that experience been garnered. Sylph's was in the arena, fighting top-notch fighters -- but holding back each time as they rose to higher and higher ranks.

 

As the Psychic attack left her hand, she slashed her hand down, following with another, more concentrated blast that would hit a little to the left of the main attack. She was counting on Aria to dodge the first attack and run right into the second.

 

Aspen nodded, figuring that a Psychic-type would start off the battle with Psychic. "Dodge and counter, Aria!" he commanded. The Seaton boy wasn't always the best with coming up with specific plans but felt that the Lucario from Alistair was capable of taking a framework and constructing plans around it, so it would not be as big a detriment in this battle as normal. The battle would still need to be hard fought however, and Aspen began to brace himself for what might be to come.

 

Aria wordlessly pushed herself to the left to dodge, reasoning that Sylph's attacks would be primarily from the right due to the left arm being lost. At the same time however, the Lucario drew her hands back and quickly charged up a dense ball of aura and let it loose. To her surprise however, the sphere collided with another attack that had been launched when she began to dodge. Both attacks exploded upon contact, with Aria barely avoiding anything more serious than a graze to her shoulder guard. Ultimately she landed while leaning on one of her paws, quickly springing up to face her target Pokemon. Aria raised an eyebrow at the tactic, quickly adjusting mental plans that had already been set into place.

 

"Alright, Swords Dance!" Aspen called out. That move had caught him off guard, and he figured it was best to play it safe for now and not commit to any risky approaches. While Aria closed her eyes and began to move her arms and legs in a flowing manner to raise her power, her turned to his foes once more, squinting as he waited for what their next move might be.

 

Xander grinned as the two attacks collided. That had been an impressive opening, and he felt it would set the tone of the battle. "Swords Dance? Let's put an end to that! Magical Leaf!"

 

Sylph nodded. She would save her more powerful attacks for important moments in the battle. Psychic energy formed into hundreds of small leaves, whipping towards Aria. As she launcehd the grass attack, she planted her feet. She would let her opponent come to her, and stay ont he offensive in the meanwhile. Though, those Aura Spheres would be a bit of a problem.

 

Xander watched Aspen quietly, trying to figure out the younger teen's thought process, but not tapping into his thoughts. That would be cheating, in a way that psychic orders and plans weren't. They would have to tire out the Lucario. Let her approach, weathering attacks all the while, and then Sylph would teleport as far as she could and continue the assault. This had worked well against just about every melee opponent they had battled, with Evan's Excadrill being the rare exception.

 

Aria could be an exception as well. Lucario had a few moves in their repertoire that could close distances or let them play the distance game. Xander recalled his fight with Korrina. Her Lucario had definitely been a challenge, but they'd prevailed in the end.

 

He smirked. Lucario was a familiar opponent, and that gave him a bit of confidence.

 

"Dodge and retaliate!" Aspen cried, gritting his teeth. Already they were in an unfavorable spot. Gardevoirs had a repoitore of projectiles to keep opponents out, and already they were in the process of being walled. He had to break through that, and fast. 

 

Aria seamlessly went from her Swords Dance into a leaning duck, letting the Magical Leaves shoot past her into the alder trees behind her. The Lucario then looked up immediately and rocketed forward, aura shooting from her hands to propel her forward quickly in an ExtremeSpeed. Once in her run, Aria charged her hands with aura yet again. Rather than simply shoot it forward however, she jumped up and split the energy of the Aura Sphere into two series of smaller energy bolts, swinging one arm down after another from different heights to cover both Sylph's immediate position, the space in front of her, as well as the sides. Once her attack was done, The Lucario swung her arms behind her and propelled herself downwards diagonally in order to retaliate should Sylph have attempted to teleport in front of her to get free shots in from the air. The small bursts of aura jetting her forward would be some form of defense from attacks behind her, but not something Aria could rely on most likely.

 

 Aspen blinked, impressed at this display. She had not used these tactics during her time with Alistair. Is she not holding back because of Sylph's power...? Is... Is this what she can really do? the youngest Seaton wondered, shaking his head. This was going to be just as much of a surprise to him as it would be to Xander and the rest of the audience.

 

Sylph wastched Aria dodge and run forward, and still she did not move. She whipped her hand across her body, using another wave of Psychic to deflect the Aura Spheres. As they exploded, she launched a ball of pink energy, trying to predict where her opponent would land. The Moonblast shot forward, slipping past Aria.

 

With her opponent much closer, Sylph waited for Xander's next orders. He gave them quickly, knowing they had to land at least one hit before Aria closed in. It would just look bad if they didn't. "Give her a Dazzling Gleam, then either fall back or follow up!"

 

Sylph nodded, a burst of light radiating from her body and lashing out at Aria, tearing up clods of dirt and grass as it did.

 

Aspen gritted his teeth, trying to figure out how to to get around this attack. "Don't give up, you're so close!" was all he could muster evidently, and the young trainer slapped his forehead. If he was going to ad lib a line like that, he should have done something less cliche... 

 

 For Aria, time suddenly came grinding to a halt as she went over the information in her brain. There was a Dazzling Gleam headed straight for her, and the distance between her and Sylph was around ten feet. Dodging was an option, but by the time the Lucario could retaliate, Xander's Gardevoir may very well have already fallen back or teleported, not to mention it would be predictable given her last few actions. She could try to counter the attack with a projectile of her own, but it would give Sylph even more time to reset the situation back to a neutral state. But there was one way Aria could approach this situation. Fairy type moves were resisted by her steel type, though she would not be unscathed by any means. The potential benefits however...

 

It was time for a calculated risk. 

 

The Lucario grit her teeth and reared back her arms once more to charge up aura in her hands, waiting for the right moment to act. Once the Dazzling Gleam was approaching fast, Aria suddenly thrust her hands behind her and propelled herself forward, shoulder first into the attack. She sustained enough damage to make her grimace, but Aria still barelled through the attack and threw out a fist at the Gardevoir, preparing to launch a Close Combat.

 

Of all the possibilities, all the maneuvers they had expected, this was not one. Sylph was caught off guard as a Lucario emerged from the light of her Dazzling Gleam. Pain radiated up her body, and she staggered away, gasping for breath. Mindlessly, in a panic, she lashed out with Psychic, bathing the area in the attack before teleporting to the far side of the 'arena.'

 

She inhaled deeply to steady herself, and narrowed her eyes at Aria. That had been bad. Couldn't let the Lucario get that close again. Xander nodded thoughtfully. Time to change tracks

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke
"Combee and Mandibuzz," Dack said, his mind already racing ahead to try and reconcile a new strategy. "This will be an interesting battle for sure." Anzu smiled at the Combee and returned her greeting with one of her own; a graceful, almost haunting sound akin to someone blowing across a glass bottle. Teddy waved excitedly at his opponents.
 
"Come on," Madison said as she set Teddy on the ground next to her Froslass. "Let's not put this off any longer. Anzu, see if you can send a Confuse Ray at that Combee!" The ice/ghost's smile transitioned from friendly to apologetic as she emitted a series of pulsating lights aimed at the bee.
 
Dack nodded, giving Madison a smile of approval at her strategy. With any luck the Confuse Ray would keep the Combee busy, allowing them to focus their attacks on the far more dangerous Mandibuzz. "Teddy, show that vulture your adorable charm!" Despite his attempts to keep this battle serious, Dack couldn't help but break out into a grin as the bear cub waddled up to Gavin's Pokémon and looked up at it with the cutest face he could muster.
 
OOC:
 
I'll throw Teddy and Anzu's profiles here too for ease of reference:

Species: Teddiursa (male)
Nickname: Teddy
Trainer: Dack Majors
Appearance: His eyes are a light blue instead of black
Personality: Still a young cub, Teddy is a very jolly Pokemon. He will not hesitate to run up and hug anyone he comes across, which often results in the unfortunate victim getting covered in the slobber and honey that coats his paws.
Ability: Quick Feet
Specialty: He is fast and energetic and with his high physical attack he can also pack a punch when hes not busy licking honey from his paws.
Known Moves: Lick, Fury Swipes, Charm, Rest, Snore, Night Slash (egg move)

Anzu: Froslass (Snow Cloak) - Hail, Ominous Wind, Wake-Up Slap, Confuse Ray, Ice Shard, Destiny Bond
 
IC: Ryan
Ryan thought he had stepped back far enough from the two combatants. The explosive start to the battle proved otherwise. Putting up an arm to shield himself from debris kicked up by the colliding attacks, the Liberty agent stumbled backward several paces, all the while wondering what the mortality rate was among official refs.
 
After their initial display of power, Aria and Sylph seemed to be sizing each other up, each attempting to strike quick before falling back. Ryan wasn't sure how much commentary he was supposed to add to the battle as a ref, but he soon forgot any and all reffing duties as he became absorbed in the heat of the battle. The two sides moved back and forth as if in some fast-paced, explosive dance.
 
Ryan felt a thrill he hadn't felt in a long time, and he realized how much the group needed a battle like this.
 
IC: Selena/Sousa
Selena was not aware they had made it back to the lounge room. Her entire world had fallen apart; she stood on the brink of nothingness, with only the strong arm of Ryan Hikari to keep her from falling into the void of despair. Tears poured down the Furret's face, collecting in a pool on the surface of Ryan's shirt. A soft something touched her side, causing Selena to lift her head up. Though blinded by tears, she could make out the distinctive yellow, blue and white of Sousa's body nuzzling against her. The irony was not lost on the Furret. Too often it was she who had to comfort the timid Dunsparce; now it was he who was comforting her. With a small smile she wrapped her tail around Sousa to let him know she appreciated him just as much as Ryan.
 
Sousa did not know how long Selena had lain there shaking in Ryan's arms. But eventually her movements slowed and her breathing calmed to soft, even inhales and exhales. The Dunsparce glanced up at Ryan, though he needed no confirmation.

 

Selena had finally cried herself to sleep.

[Metal Gear Minun]

OOC: While we are still in the room we're gonna start in, go ahead and listen to this.

 

IC: Guinevere/Jamie/Pelleas/Lucia - Stacy's Mansion

 

Guinevere's room had turned into a complete mess, courtesy of the multitude of Muk and Grimers gathered in the room in what most would call a toxic waste dump and what Guin would call a family reunion. The room was filled with both laughter and stench. Turns out blobs of mostly pollution make for good storytellers. Who knew? Not that Jamie could actually understand what any of the stories that Guinevere was supposedly laughing about. She had tried retelling one to Jamie and Lucia but then broke down into laughter where Grummore had to use Psychic to get her to lie still again, gosh darn it.

 

The Gardevoir's surprise when the Muk and Grimer all entered the room was large but nowhere near the surprise she had when the large Muk from earlier made his entrance. He entered with giant streams of of sewage that Jamie could only guess were tears and widespread movements. The Muk made his way over to Guinevere and sort of bent down gently took the Gardevoir's arm and sobbed into it. Jamie had no idea what the Muk's words were, but considering the giggles coming from the Gardevoir, she guessed it was actually meant to make sense. He finished his performance with a large cry to the heavens, before backing off to a corner and letting a bunch of young Grimers swarm her, a contented smile on his face.

 

Needless to say, the experience looked very much over-the-top and was a long-winded way of saying "I'm so glad you're alright."

 

Pelleas had told Jamie and Lucia in a very lively game of charades that that large Muk was Guinevere's sort of father figure, so they lead him and his cohort to the mansion so he could visit Guinevere. They didn't feel bad about that itself... but the stench that they left in doing so... that they felt bad about.

 

The younger Rocket tried taking their minds off the stench situation, "Well that was a surprise to be sure," Jamie said falsely confident that no one but Lucia and Pelleas were paying attention to her, "James never told me that Guinevere was raised by a colony of Muk."

 

The large Muk called out, his mood, Guinevere raised a hand and the Grimers called for their father. He turned towards Guinevere who, with her Telepathy, opened Jamie and Lucia's minds to the words of the Muk.

 

You can get us to talk to humans now? Heh, sending you with him was such a bad idea after all. Now where was I? Ah yes. Bah! Figures. That little snot never changes. You can dress snot up in a nice suit, but you'll always be snot. Am I right my family?

 

A general call of what Jamie guessed was approval came up from the Muks standing close to him. To Jamie's surprise, Guinevere and the Grimer around her also joined in.

 

I thought so, the Muk said with a smirk.

 

Of all things that Jamie has heard James described as, 'snot' was never one of them. 'Snot' was a kind of filth, and not something she'd associate with James. There were other things she'd heard him called in hushed whispers by some of his former co-workers who saw her walk by the first few days after his 'departure'.

 

"Why do you keep calling James 'snot' Mister um-" Jamie paused when she remembered she was talking to a wild Pokemon. "Do you have a name?"

 

The Muk spat at the mention of names, hitting another Muk who integrated the filth into his constitution. Bah, names. So the snot comes in one day with my princess here and they tell me that he's named her "Guinevere". Some queen from some fantasy. I thought it was cute and it made her happy so I let it slide, the Muk told the two Rockets before letting his face fall into a grimace. Then the snot thinks he can assign -me- a name. "Leodegrance" he calls me. Something to do with Pyroar or something. I was this close to socking the snot for his arrogance. Course then he tells me that Pyroar would burn up all of Erika's Pokemon in seconds. I'll give him credit, that was outright slime-smooth way of convincing me. So yeah, you can call me that. I prefer "Don Leodegrance" though. Personal reasons.

 

"Huh? What do you have against Gym Leader Erika, Don Leodegrance?" Jamie asked naively, forgetting about her earlier question.

 

All the Grimer, Muk and Guinevere froze at the asking of that question. If there was one thing that they never talk about around Don Leodegrance, it was Celadon City's Gym Leader. For his part Don Leodegrance did not appear too angry. Though he had to spend a lot of energy restraining his scowl to achieve this.

 

What do I have against Erika? You mean what do I have against the human who wants to destroy our home! To drive us from our city! Claims our home is destroying 'the beauty of nature' Don Leodegrance spat out mockingly. Bah! Miss Floral Perfume wouldn't know nature if it bit her on the- the Muk kept talking for a second before he realized that his words weren't transmitting.

 

I am sorry, I cannot keep this conversation longer the still recovering Gardevoir said, having realized she had over-exerted her body that still needed rest.

 

Don Leodegrance seemingly decided that any conversation could wait and began shooing Muk and Grimer, and eventually Jamie and Lucia from the room so that Guinevere could rest. The door was gently closed behind them as the two Rockets were expelled. The Grimer and Muk that were expelled from the room found a nearby restroom and promptly climbed down the drain to head back towards their home.

 

"Well..." Lucia finally said after a few moments. "That was eventful." She was at a loss for words otherwise. She had wisely decided to keep quiet and let Jamie handle things, figuring that she'd be better suited for it, with James being involved one way or another. She scratched her head as she tried to make sense of what had went on, but then noticed Ryan coming out of what she had found earlier in the week to be a lounge room for Pokemon.

 

"... Ryan?" The black haired trainer turned at the sound of his name, and Lucia's hands instinctively went to her mouth. His shirt looked rather scary looking, with the addition of some blood stains. "What happened? Did you get hurt? Or..." Lucia trailed off at a thought. "... What happened?"

 

Ryan relayed the tale of what had taken place in Shannon's room not long beforehand, and the red haired girl leaned against the wall with a sigh. Ryan, however, simply scratched his head. "Luckily, the nurse was there, so she'll probably be fine. Wish it had've gone differently, but... I think everything will be okay, in the long run." He scratched his head again for the moment.

 

"Yeah I think so too. I hope so anyway; I'm sorry that it happened," Jamie said awkwardly, not having forgotten how Shannon was hurt in the first place and not wanting to drag Ryan's feelings down further.

 

Ryan smiled, and nodded. "Thanks; I think she'd be glad to hear." He said, and sighed. "Even if I wanted to stay, though, I've gotta get back soon anyway... Evan and the others are probably waiting for us."

 

"Evan?" Lucia repeated with a confused look, as she tilted her head. "Can't say I've heard you mention him before; is he a friend?"

 

"Well, we've kinda gotten to that now, I'd guess..." The black haired trainer scratched his head. "He's Evan Tierra, though I doubt that'd help with recognition. He was one of the people in the group in Unova last winter... it's kinda a long story, though, and I'm timed by the boat that hopefully isn't about to leave without me..."

 

Jamie became very alert upon the mention of "Evan Tierra" and Pelleas was alerted by Jamie's alertness. "Wait," Jamie started. "Lucia that's who I was asking about earlier. Ryan would this Evan Tierra also be known as 'The Hero of Space'?"

 

Ryan blinked at that. "Yeah, how'd you know?" The trainer asked curiously, as he seemed a little dumbfounded that Jamie actually recognized his name.

 

"It's... a hard to explain story," Jamie said sheepishly, "I need to speak with him though. Did you say you know where he was?"

 

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, he's part of the group I joined to help find a friend of theirs. I might have gotten distracted from my original trip." Ryan ignored the sound of Lucia's hand hitting her face. "If you need to speak to him, though, I could probably bring you two with me. I'm sure there's a room or two open on the ship, after all."

 

"Yes, that would be great," Jamie said, relieved that she found a lead on Evan. "Though I would feel bad if we left Guinevere here on her own..."

 

A Grimer who was one of Don Leodegrance's closest confidants opened the door just then, and gave a wave and a sound that Jamie thought meant "Don't worry about it," but he didn't stay long enough for her to figure it out.

 

"Well those guys are something, but even with their help, it would still be a good idea if we could find someone to look after her."

 

Lucia scratched her head for a moment, as she seemed to be considering something, then spoke. "I could help look after her... I'm sure she'd appreciate it... and while I'm at it, I could help Shannon too, when I get a chance. I mean, from what I've seen of that room, no-one's visited her outside of when Aunt Stacy did yesterday... and yeah..." She felt bad, as she looked over at Jamie, not really wanting to have to do this... but considering that Lucia had been one of the main ones to look after Guinevere, she felt as if the Gardevoir would be in better hands with her around.

 

As much as Jamie wanted Lucia to go with her, she had to respect the sacrifice of adventure just for her sake, "Oh thank you," she said before drawing Lucia into what someone more experienced at giving hugs would qualify as a bear hug "Thank you, Thank you!" she said and kissed her on her cheek.

 

Lucia's face flushed slightly, but smiled. "You're welcome... hopefully everything works out; if I can, I might try to catch up, if Guin's able to get better or so. Alright?" She smiled a bit more, though her face indicated not everything was being said. "... Keep me updated, okay? I'd love to hear about how this goes."

 

Jamie smiled brightly back, "Everything that happens, you will be the first to know!"

 

Pelleas coughed.

 

"Okay, after you Pelleas. Then Lucia, then Tristan, alright?"

 

Pelleas nodded.

 

Ryan chuckled slightly at the scene, as Lucia nodded back. "Alright then, we all ready?" Ryan asked, as he scratched his head. "I think Natu's teleportation should work right with just one extra person. Any more might have required more trips." The black haired man admitted as he sent out the psychic bird in question. Lucia nodded again in understanding, not having anything else in mind to say right then.

 

Jamie let go of Lucia and checked the Pokeballs on her to make sure she had retrieved everyone. Pulling out Pelleas's Pokeball and retreating him. She looked at her clothes for a moment, the one's that she borrowed from Lucia and decided they looked suitably heroic enough. Lucia didn't seem to mind her borrowing them, at least, she didn't make any objections to her leaving on that regard.

 

"Yes, I guess I am."

 

"Right, then... let's go." Ryan nodded, as the Natu began to prepare the teleportation. Lucia looked over at Jamie, as if she had something to say, but bit her lip about it for a little longer.

 

"Um... bye, Jamie..." Lucia smiled at the other girl with a slight wave. She noticed Ryan glance at her, and paused slightly, seeming a bit awkward after noticing how curious he seemed.

 

Jamie's smile faltered only slightly as she realized that they were really separating. This was the first time she would be without Lucia in a long time. But she get her spirits high to hopefully infect the medic with them. "Yeah, I will be back soon. See you later until then."

 

Lucia smiled a bit more after Jamie's goodbye. "Alright..." She stayed quiet for a bit more, as she closed her eyes, trying to keep the scene in her mid as long as possible. "I..." She opened her eyes, however, and the two had already left. Lucia's smile remained for a few moments more, before her head fell a bit.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Jamie(Jam)==-

 

Ryan managed to catch himself as the teleportation succeeded. "Well... Welcome to One Island. Can't say I know the place that well." The black haired trainer said sheepishly, as he glanced over at the Pokemon Network Center behind them. "Everyone was supposed to meet around here sometime soon, though, and I haven't gotten angry texts asking where I am..." He scratched his head, but heard the faint sounds of battling in the distance.

 

One Island, that's one of the Sevii Islands... Jamie thought as she realized that she -technically- was on enemy territory.

She heard the sounds of battle coming from some direction, "Where there is battle there are trainers maybe?" Jamie said optimistically.

 

"Yeah, I think that's a good sign." Ryan said with a chuckle. He started to walk toward the sounds of the battle with Jamie... However, he paused, as he caught a glimpse of a seemingly worn out Jenny in the corner of his eye, as the other girl seemed to have a knowing smile on her face. "... I'll catch up with you guys later... I have something to deal with first." The man said, as he suddenly remembered that she had requested a battle before he had gone to Celadon.

 

"Hmm? Oh, alright," Jamie said as Ryan left her. She was distracted by the view of battle coming into play. The battle was between a Gardevoir and a Lucario. The Gardevoir being one of few that Jamie had ever seen, reminded her of Guinevere, making her feel a bit guilty for leaving so quickly. And the last time she had fought a Lucario, Tristan had been defeated rather quickly. Thinking of Tristan made her feel guilty for not stopping by to tell him what she had been doing.

After this, priority number 1, go get Lucia. Priority number 2, go see Tristan.

She became entranced upon watching the battle, wondering who was gonna win and wondering how she herself would match up against them. She had wandered near other people watching the battle, but forgot to introduce herself because she was too busy watching.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan was in awe of the battle unfolding before himself. Both competitors seemed to be giving it all. Even he had had trouble keeping up with all the moves being thrown out. The Hero felt his blood burning with spirit at how excellent the fight was. So much so, he didn't notice the newcomer join the audience.

"Keep it up, you two!" Evan shouted excitedly as he fist pumped. "Show me more of your power!"

Edited March 22, 2016 by Hades

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ryan/Jenny==-

Ryan followed Jenny, as they made their way along a winding path leading around the left of the Pokemon Network Center. Jenny mentioned that it was the path she had found on her way back to the main town. She had not yet mentioned what she had been doing, but from the looks of things like her torn clothes, she had been training hard.

"So..." Jenny said after a little while of silence. "Is that the Shannon girl you keep talking to? Did she get well enough to join us?" A hint of a smile covered Jenny's face, moreso when Ryan's face turned red.

"No! That's Lucia's friend, and one of the people she's teamed with. They're pretty nice people. Gavin can be a bit of a downer sometimes, but he's cool." Ryan shrugged a bit, and scratched his head, and proceeded to explain in more detail about what had happened in Celadon to cause Shannon to be bedridden in the first place. After he finished that tale, he went on to explain about the incident with Selena. Jenny stayed quiet for a little after he finished explaining.

"It's too bad that evil man could cause so much damage to so many people. But... I'm glad she has the support of those who care. I'm sure you talking to her will help raise her spirits... and you said that Lucia girl might help there too? Knowing that will probably help even more..." Jenny paused, as she looked ahead, and smiled. "Here we go; we've gotten to our arena."

----

The battlefield-to-be was a plain in the middle of a canyon. It was situated between the two mountains, and was far enough away from the landmarks that nothing was likely to be damaged in the fight. "We can fight at full strength here." The girl said, as she took her place at one end of the Canyon. "Let's fight with our full teams! I'll take a handicap of one Pokemon, since not all your Pokemon can fight... With the exception of that one, we'll both switch out after a Pokemon faints, alright?"

Ryan nodded, as he took his place at the other end of the Canyon, and gripped his Pokeball. "I'll start with my Tyranitar." He said simply, as he sent out the Dark/Rock type. The Tyranitar let out a roar that shook the canyon, trying to intimidate his opponents. In the meantime, Ryan prepared himself. He knew that Jenny had been training, but she had kept it a secret to how... Ryan knew he had to be ready for anything. When he saw the girl's smirk, however, he suddenly got a feeling that he was not prepared at all.

"Alright then... Let's make this fitting... GNIP! Time for you to shine!" Jenny knew that her opponent had been caught off guard as she tossed the Pokeball. The Pokeball opened to reveal the glorious Garchomp in all her glory. Meanwhile, Ryan and his Tyranitar stood nearby, suddenly feeling rather outclassed. The Tyranitar slowly and uncertainly looked back at Ryan as if to ask whether this was for real or not. A moment later, the Garchomp in question knocked him back with a normal 'tackle'. Ryan's eyes widened, as he realized that wasn't a true attack.

"She means business..." Ryan mumbled, as the Tyranitar stopped himself from sliding back further. The Tyranitar growled in agreement, as he walked back up. "Right, let's not take any chances, then; Stone Edge!" The Tyranitar roared out, as a jagged rock was summoned, and sent flying toward the Garchomp. Ryan was hesitant to use the attack from the start, especially after what had occurred in Celadon... but he knew he couldn't hold back against this opponent.

"Dragon Claw!" Gnip roared out, and swiped at the flying rock, as her claws began to glow. The stone was shattered from the attack, and Gnip came flying through the debris. A burst of wind caused Ryan to shield his face, as the Garchomp sliced the Tyranitar's chest. The Tyranitar roared out in pain, but then used the focus to attack with Payback afterward. He hit Gnip in the face, and succeeded in knocking the Garchomp back a bit, dealing damage that allowed them to reset their positions.

"Now, Hyper Beam!" Ryan wasn't sure quite how well this would work out, but the Tyranitar began to charge up for his ultimate attack. Jenny's look bothered the black haired trainer, as if she were expecting it... His suspicions were proven a moment later, when the Tyranitar launched off the typically deadly attack.

"Right! Now then... counter it!" Jenny smiled, as she nodded to Gnip. It was stronger than what she had used to practice with... but, she was confident it could work in a similar way. It wouldn't diffuse the attack entirely... But if her calculations were right... The Garchomp charged up a Flamethrower quickly, and kept it focused on the Hyper Beam, to try and weaken it. It seemed to work for a few minutes, but then broke through, and struck the Garchomp head on.

Ryan held his breath for a few minutes, but to his dismay, the Garchomp stayed standing. The Tyranitar panted from the effort, unable to move for that moment. And that moment was all it took, for the Garchomp to break into a puppy-like run. "GAAAR!!" Gnip pulled back her arms, as she drew close, and her eyes seemed to be as if a fire had been started in them. "CHA, CHA, CHA, CHA, CHA, CHA!" With each hit, the Tyranitar regreted the battle more and more. The final attack launched the bulky rock type away. He fell to the ground, but slowly and unsteadily stood up, wondering how the dragon was still steady on her feet. However, as Ryan focused on Gnip, he could see her chewing on something. He seemed surprised, and looked over at Jenny, who simply smiled in amusement at his shock.

"Right... We have to go all out, now... Earthquake!" Ryan said desperately, as he was quickly running out of ideas. Even the Hyper Beam hadn't actually worked, and it was quite obvious that the Tyranitar had taken the worst of the fight so far. The Tyranitar roared out, intending to shake the canyon itself this time. Gnip was ready. With an equally loud roar, the ground shook even worse. Jenny and Ryan both covered their ears quickly, attempting to find a way to keep on their feet, as the two Pokemon seemed to weather out the attack. "And now, Stone Edge!" Ryan felt as if this would work. He had outplayed it, by having Gnip use her Earthquake to cancel out the other. It also dislodged stones around the cliff, which the Tyranitar grabbed, and used to try and embed in the ground where Gnip was; if she didn't faint, then she would be left so damaged, that a second earthquake could finish her off. The stones hit the ground, as the Tyranitar reached the center of the canyon.

As the sandstorm began to slowly fade off, Jenny's grin widened. "Huh... whatever will we do..." Jenny mused, and looked at Ryan directly. "Now!" She laughed, as she pointed forward. The Garchomp launched out from behind one of the stones, unharmed from the all-out attack with the jagged rocks. "You next line will be, 'But how?!'... over to you!"

"But how?!" Ryan protested, inhaling, as he realized he had been read like a book. The Garchomp's location had been obscured by sand for that one moment. He thought he had known where the attack should have been... but had missed by inches. The Garchomp landed in front of the Tyranitar, and prepared her claws. Ryan didn't have a chance to issue any commands, nor did the Tyranitar have any opportunity to react even if he had. Gnip knocked her foe to the ground with a Dragon Claw, and then jumped back.

"Now... DRACO METEOR... STAR FALL!!" A piercing roar came from Gnip, as she called down a rather large meteor. However, as it fell, it began to split. The Tyranitar could only watch, as the 50-foot area directly around him began to fill with a shadow of the meteor and its fragments. More and more it split, until it was like the single meteor had just been a container to hold the normal meteors, which all proceeded to hit the targeted area, Tyranitar right in the heart of the storm.

Ryan was filled with awe, even as the meteors barely missed him. After a minute at most, the meteors finally cleared off, and the dust began to settle. The ground had been rather marked by the attack, and the Tyranitar seemed heavily damaged, but not past the point of recovery. The rock type began to try to get up again, but finally fell, panting heavily. Ryan sighed, as he recalled the Tyranitar, and smiled at him. "You did well, buddy." He said, as he quickly sprayed a potion on the fainted Tyranitar to heal him back up. He glanced up at Jenny, and smiled. "Good job. I'm gonna send out Anna now." He said, as he did so.

The small bird looked up at the large dragon that was making her way across the battlefield, and promptly turned around, to see if Ryan was crazy. Anna braced herself, as Gnip approached. As the Garchomp nudged the Natu with one of her claws gently, the bird let loose a shrill scream. "Blood! Guts! Death..." She promptly fainted. Ryan sighed, and recalled the Natu, mumbling something about good help being hard to find.

----

Ryan watched, as Gnip went to Jenny's side after her rampage, and the girl sent out her Krookodile to fight next. The black haired trainer raised an eyebrow at that, recalling when she had fought against him with the Sandile a while back. "Then I'll use this." He finally said, as he sent out his trusted Porygon-Z. The digital Pokemon beeped and clicked, as it felt like it could easily handle this fight. Jenny smiled, and nodded.

"Start us off with a Fire Fang!" The Krookodile heard Jenny's command, and quickly ran forward. The jaws clamped around the data Pokemon; however, it glitched and appeared a little ways away, damaged a bit from the attack. The Porygon-Z beeped at Ryan to confirm something, and the trainer nodded. In response, it looked back to Sandlite, and focused. A moment later, the Krookodile was surprised, as a beam of light slammed into her, hitting a critical part of her shoulder, and badly damaging her in general. Sandlite looked as if she were about to cry or faint for a moment, but then roared out, as her anger point activated. She had -not- come this far, just to be taken down in one hit by a Porygon-Z! If anything, she'd rather two!

Sandlite stomped the ground hard, as a shockwave from her Earthquake was sent toward the Porygon-Z. Caught off guard, the Porygon-Z barely even had a moment to register the sheer damage, before being taken out with that one blow. Ryan was surprised just as much, as he recalled the Pokemon.

"How did you... get this strong...?" Ryan asked, looking at the fainted Porygon-Z. He knew the Anger Point was a very potent ability, but... he had not expected this. He thought over his options. He was saving one for the moment, but could handle whatever was next with his Excadrill, he was confident.

"I trained a lot." The reply was expected, but... Ryan was still surprised. Jenny watched, as the wobbly Krookodile walked over to what was now acting as her bench. The Krookodile weakly gave a wave to Gnip, who happily yelped, and gave Sandlite a congratulatory pat on the back. Sadly, this was just enough to knock the Krookodile out. Gnip yelped an apology, and seemed a little sheepish, as she went back to looking at the field, as if nothing had happened. With a sigh, Jenny recalled the now-fainted Krookodile, and sent out her Chandelure.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Destined Blade

[JiMing]

OOC: Dramatic Battle! Excited Title! Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

 

IC: Aspen Seaton/Aria vs. Xander Cruize/Sylph. 

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNwOC9cMO4Y/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H40VmHwc5Y0

 

Aria grit her teeth in response to the panic Psychic, raising her arms to briefly hold her ground and leaped backwards and to the side in order to escape the attack. She hadn't been too badly damaged yet, but Sylph likely was only marginally more injured in the worst case scenario. The battle was still in no one's favor, and the teleportation would cause problems if the Lucario didn't figure out a counter to it...

 

"Alright, keep up the offensive. Extreme Speed and Aura Sphere as needed and try to get closer!" Aspen called out. He narrowed his eyes at Xander and figured it would be more difficult to get in on his Gardevoir. But he and Aria had to try nontheless if they were to take this fight.

 

The Lucario nodded and shot forward once more, continuing to run after the initial burst of speed. She swerved to the left suddenly in order to have a larger window to dodge ranged attacks. Aria quickly charged yet another Aura Sphere and shot it at the Gardevoir without breaking her run. She ran around and towards the Gardevoir in order to see where her blindspots were to come up with a plan of attack.

 

Sylph launched another Psychic in an attempt to disrupt the Lucario's Extreme Speed, and growled as her opponent swerved left and dodged. She lashed out with a burst of psychic energy to block the Aura Sphere. Aria was trying to move around her. Sylph turned to keep her in front, not wanting to get hit from behind or from her left side.

 

She launched another blast of purple energy, leading Aria's movements just slightly to try and hit where she would be, not where she was. Xander nodded. "Keep it up, Sylph! She's tiring herself out running around! Once she's worn down, we'll employ the Teleport plan!"

Aria scowled as she saw the attacks leading her movements. She attempted to halt her run then and there but only ended up skidding right into the side of the blast, grunting as she was sent flying back. The Lucario quickly regained composure and dug a paw into the soil to halt her slide backwards. She stood up afterwards with a deep breath, eyeing her opponent warily.

 

"New plan, hold your ground too!" Aspen cried, growling. If Xander and Sylph kept forcing Aria to approach, they would surely dictate the pace of the match. And once they did, it seemed the pair had the perfect strategy to take the win... He had to take back the flow of the match, especially against a teleporting opponent...

 

"I'm not so sure you understand what it takes to leave me exhausted. Nevertheless, a change of pace might just be what is needed for our audience." the Lucario said. Aria then held her arms back against her side with blue energy charging between them. "Let's give them the spectacle they came for. I propose that on your count of three, we fire at one another. Not a bad idea, no?" she asked, the ball of energy between her hands becoming more condensed. "Give it all you've got."

 

The Kalos duo grinned as Aria stopped moving, knowing that they had the upper hand now. "Wanting to make it more dramatic, huh? Sounds like you just wanna give us an easy target!" He grinned.

 

Sylph nodded. If that is how you wish this to go, she replied as another Moonblast came to life in her hands, then I will gladly accept! Just remember that this was your idea!

 

"Ref, wanna count us down?!" Xander addressed Ryan. "Only to keep it fair so neither of us can jump the gun!"

Edited March 23, 2016 by JiMing: Joining Sectors

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe/Guy==-

 

Chloe wasn't quite sure what to expect of Guy's house. A building that looked like it belonged in the technological part of Black City was not what she expected at all.

 

"The exterior needed reinforced steel to hold up against the constant sandstorms here." Guy explained, as he unlocked the front door, and opened it up. "The inside should be a bit more normal. My colleagues helped me with this once; but now it's more or less abandoned, with just me around." He walked into the house further, leaving Chloe to wonder what this place was all about, and whether it was connected to what Guy wanted her to do. She followed Guy into the house, and looked around. Everything seemed normal inside, as her uncle had said, but something just seemed odd about it. Guy led her to where her room would be, and the girl sighed, and laid down on the bed, as she went to write a message to Olivia that explained what had happened. However, she tried to downplay it, to not worry her friend.

 

A few hours later, a knock on the door woke Chloe up again. She sleepily rubbed her eyes, and walked out of her room. She looked around some more, but it was a very normal house, aside from the training room that she was headed to at that moment. When she got into the room, Guy looked up. "Ah, good, you woke up. That took like three times to wake you." The uncle commented with a slight smile on his face. "Anyway... I'll be blunt. You need to train your powers more. Especially for what I need help with." Guy looked back to what he was reading. "I've found some things that could help with that. They're research notes from other psychics I've met. They couldn't help with this, because they don't believe it will work... but, the notes could be helpful for mastering your powers. Give it a read, then we'll see if we can work out something when I get back."

 

Chloe watched as Guy walked out of the room, and then sighed. How do I manage to get myself in these situations...? She thought to herself, before opening up the bound book to read through it...

 

-==IC: Ryan/Jenny==-

"So, wait, does that count as a tie...?" Ryan asked regarding the previous round, as he sent out his Excadrill. He was trying to buy time for a moment to think up a plan against the fiery ghost, other than 'Earthquake, Drill Run, repeat'.

"No, shush." Jenny sighed, as he held her hand forward. "Heat Wave, then Flame Bursts!" She called out, as she knew the Chandelure had the speed behind her attacks to pull off the combo. She was impressed, however, when the Excadrill nimbly dodged around the flames with his spinning, and drilled underground for a moment with Drill Run to avoid the wave. As the Excadrill popped up again, he landed on the ground, and then went to slam into the Chandelure with a Drill Run directly.

Ryan watched, as the ghost floated back to try and get further out of the way of the attack. However, he frowned right after, as he noticed that the Excadrill had been burnt in the process. He knew that had just put a time limit on the fight, but wasn't about to just give up because of it. The mole began to dash around on the ground, trying to get the Chandelure to fall for the trap. However, all the ghost would do, is fire off weak embers at key spots. They nearly hit the Excadrill a few times; however, after one too many of those, he used Drill Run to make another tunnel.

Ryan got an idea. "Keep that up!" He called out with a smile. He had a feeling, and if it would work, then this might turn to his favour a bit. The mole nodded, and continued to dodge around. From time to time, he'd use a minor form of Rock Slide, by launching a handful of small rocks at the Chandelure. However, they didn't do well, and just made the Excadrill a target that he needed to drill away from.

"Okay, Lurelite, he's up to something... now, while he's underground! Use Heat Wave on the tunnel entrance!" Jenny called out with a triumphant smile. The Chandelure gathered her flames for a moment, and then sent them throughout the tunnels, washing over everything inside. The flames began to rise out of each tunnel as they passed over the openings. However, the duo had missed one critical point... As the Chandelure was focused on the one opening, she was open to other attacks. Jenny realized it before Lurelite did, but was unable to actually point it out in time.

The Excadrill leaped out of the unaffected tunnel behind Lurelite with a grin. He looked a little extra toasty, as if he had gotten hit while underground, but was still able to fight. And fight he would, as he spun into the Chandelure quickly. "Now... Earthquake!" Ryan smiled, as the ghost was knocked down to the ground. As Excadrill landed, he let loose a roar that both damaged the grounded ghost, and sunk the tunnels. This managed to bury the Chandelure enough to be helpless for the moment while trying to get out. Excadrill quickly slashed out with a Metal Claw, and knocked Lurelite back down. After a few times, however, he leaped back, pleased with himself, as the Chandelure wobbled a bit while pulling herself further into the air. However, she then fell toward the ground, fainted.

With a sigh, Jenny chuckled, and recalled the ghost before she could hit the ground. "Well done; that's three rounds now..." Even she wouldn't talk about the Natu incident. "Hope you're still able to keep going... this is fun!" She giggled slightly, as Ryan recalled his Pokemon, and nodded. They each sent out their respective next Pokemon, Ryan's Simisage, and Jenny's Eelektross. Both wouldn't admit it, but they were having trouble figuring out a real strategy for the fight, due to the moves known.

----

"... Acrobatics!" Ryan called out, as the Simisage bounced around quickly. However, when the attack landed, the trainer was surprised to note that there had not been very much damage dealt. He grimaced, as he recalled that most of the damage was likely absorbed by the eel's type. However, he was lucky when the Simisage managed to leap away from the Crush Claw that she tried to use. The grass monkey struggled to think of a way to get more attacks, and tried to throw a knot of grass at the electric type... However, even that wouldn't work, between the grass being more dried out where they were, and the electric type again.

"Alright... our turn!" Jenny smiled, as she pointed her hand forward. "Let's start off with a Thunder Wave! Then, let's follow that up with a Headbutt!" She called out, as the Eelektross nodded. Eelite quickly shot out a pulse of electric energy, which managed to paralyze the monkey enough. Taking advantage of that, she rammed her head into the Simisage's chest, causing him to stumble back uncertainly. He attempted once more to try and throw more knotted grass at the Eelektross, but Eelite still took very little damage.

"Leer, then Bite!" Ryan was running out of ideas. Jenny could see that. However, as the Simisage managed to leer at the Eelektross without ruining it with a wince, she had to wonder if this might end differently than she thought. The Simisage slowly ran toward the eel, and managed to force her to predict the wrong direction, before he bit onto the eel's fin. With a yelp, Eelite attempted to knock the Simisage away, to no avail.

"If you can't get the Simisage off, then mimic what it's trying to do... Crunch!" Ryan had a bad feeling. The eel's mouth glowed, as it bit down on the annoying monkey's leg. As predicted, the Simisage opened his mouth to howl in pain, which allowed Eelite to fling the monkey away. The grass type laid on the ground for a little longer. Ryan knew he was outmatched here, but had hope that the Simisage had a little energy left. He was not let down, as the monkey stood up, and rushed as best as he could toward the Eelektross.

Three minutes later, the grass type finally got to Eelite, after the electric type feigned a yawn. The monkey attempted an Acrobatics again, but didn't do much again. Eelite attempted to use a Crush Claw instead; however, this time, Simisage was ready, and bit down on the Eelektross hard. The electric type squealed in pain... however, this time, simply used Headbutt on the opponent, which worked pretty well in this case. The Simisage finally fell, fainted.

Ryan called the Pokemon back, and seemed uncertain about the last Pokemon he could use. He stared at the final Pokeball for a bit, as Eelektross went to go visit Gnip. Jenny sent out her Gyarados for the final battle, but looked up curiously.

"What's the matter?" She asked with a slight frown, as she wondered why the black haired man was just staring at the Pokemon, instead of sending it out. At the same time, Gyaralite seemed to be having a conversation with Jenny's own final Pokemon, and shook her head at Jenny, opting to sit with Gnip and Eelektross instead.

"... My last Pokemon is Samurott." Ryan finally said, as he sent out the Unovan water starter. The Samurott seemed confused for a moment, but then went quiet, as she noticed what the situation was. Jenny stayed silent as well, as she sent out the Emboar she had rescued instead. She understood what he had meant, and nodded at Ryan.

"Let's get started."

----

The two starters traded attacks quickly, as the battle began. The Emboar seemed even more fired up than usual... but yet, the Samurott's spark seemed to be doused. Neither of them appeared to truly be giving it their all however. Perhaps they recalled a time together in Professor Juniper's lab. Or perhaps, the Emboar simply held out hope that the Samurott may one day return to Jenny's party. Whatever it was, as the Aqua Jet and Flame Charge collided, the two simply stopped and stared at each other.

"It's hard to believe it's been six months." Jenny said finally, as if breaking the silence for the trainers would allow the Pokemon to do so as well. She thought back to when she had first rescued the Tepig from Ryan. Back then, she had thought it was her duty to get her Oshawott back, and keep both. However, after meeting up with Ryan again for the mission, she started to wonder if perhaps she had just been trying to be selfish. The Pokemon that was now a Samurott seemed mostly happy. But something about her right now seemed as if she were purposely not giving it her all.

"Yeah..." Ryan couldn't help but note the coincidence of where they were fighting. Although there was much less sand than Unova Route 4, after the battle with Tyranitar, it now resembled the desert route more. He glanced up to the sky, and wondered just how things might have changed if he had recognized her that first time they had fought. He looked down at his Samurott, and felt a pang of guilt. Jenny had already mentioned that he didn't need to give the starter back, but...

"Let's stop this." He said suddenly. The Samurott looked back at him in surprise, as the black haired man seemed more melancholy all of a sudden. Jenny raised an eyebrow at him, as he walked to the middle of the field. Jenny walked forward too, curious to what this was all about. When she reached him, however, he held out the Pokeball for the otter, and sighed. "It's obvious she wants to be with you. I can't deny that, when she doesn't want to battle to her full extent..."

"Hmm." Jenny thought it over for a moment. "If it weren't for that, do you think you two like each other?" Ryan nodded slightly, unsure what this was about. "And do you think you two trust each other?" Another nod. "Then... what is your nickname for her?"

Ryan paused for a moment, with a frown. He scratched his head. "I... don't know. I didn't actually manage to give her one... The only Pokemon of mine that has a nickname is Anna, and she pretty much insisted. Though, I might have given her the name Sammy or something." The black haired man didn't actually know where Jenny was going with that, but she wordlessly took the Samurott's Pokeball.

The Samurott curiously walked up to Jenny, confused at what was going on. "Your name... is Sammy now, alright?" The Samurott seemed surprised, and furrowed her brow in confusion, as Jenny set the Pokeball that belonged to Boarlite on the ground. "Could you pick that up, Ryan?" She asked with a smile.

Ryan seemed equally confused, but nodded. As he picked it up and turned around to face Jenny again, however, he noticed her holding out a Pokeball to him. "Let's trade. Your Boarlite, for my Sammy." Jenny said cheerfully. It took Ryan a few moments to realize what was meant, but he seemed surprised. He uncertainly held out the Emboar's Pokeball for Jenny to take, and took back the Samurott's... but all the while, he wondered what that was about. Jenny walked over to the newly nicknamed Sammy, however, and smiled. "You've found a good home, Sammy... I hope you enjoy things. I'm sorry you had to find it the way you did, but don't regret it... Now, let's battle all out, alright?"

The Samurott suddenly seemed to understand, and smiled, as she nodded. She ran back over to Ryan's side of the field, and happily barked out a mention for the stunned trainer to hurry back. The Emboar smiled slightly, glad to see her friend in good spirits again, although a little disappointed they didn't truly get to be on the same team. However, the spark had been reignited for both.

"Now... Razor Shell!" Sammy leaped forward, as she drew her two seamitars. The Emboar roared out, and caught them in her hands. She threw the Samurott away, who righted herself in mid air. Sammy landed on the ground, and dashed back toward Boarlite, an Aqua Jet crashing into a Flame Charge once again. The two continued to trade blows fiercely, as they didn't seem to show any signs of stopping. At one point, the Samurott was hit by Super Power. She felt herself growing a little weak, but not enough to worry about it. She slammed her body into the Emboar to Retaliate, which sent the Emboar staggering back.

"Let's finish this..." Ryan nodded to Sammy with a smile on his face. "Razor Shell!"

"We'll be the ones to finish this! Heat Crash!" Jenny laughed, as the Emboar began to fiercely glow, the flames around her neck growing brightly in the process. "Now! Blaze; activate!" Jenny could tell from the look in Ryan's eyes that he had not considered that option at all. The two approached each other, and collided in a explosion of energy and steam. As the steam cleared out, however, the two were still barely standing. Sammy seemed to have taken the worst of the damage, as the extra power behind the Blaze had made the attack more dangerous. However, Boarlite wasn't doing that well herself, after that attack. However, Jenny and Ryan nodded to each other. Both Pokemon seemed to pick up on this, and grinned at each other before starting their final attacks. Boarlite cloaked herself in flames, and Sammy in water...

----

The two trainers laughed, as they walked back to the PokeNet Center. "You may have won overall... but we totally had a draw that last round." Ryan finally said, an amused look on his face. Jenny thought for a moment, but smirked.

"Oh, did we? I could have sworn I saw Boarlite fall last." She said, the amused look now belonging to her.

"We're not going to be arguing over this, are we?"

"We most definitely are." Jenny's expression didn't match what she said, however, and a giggle finally won out. As they walked, Ryan looked up to the sky, and smiled.

"I'm glad things are going a bit better..." He mumbled, but winced, and looked over at Jenny. "Sheesh, you said you've been training all day today? And is the fourth trip? How are you not sore?" All he got in response was a chuckle.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

The sudden change of pace caught Ryan off guard, but he nodded as he held out his arms, trying to keep a watchful eye on both combatants. "You will both launch your attacks on my count of three, and not a moment before!" Even as he spoke, Ryan took a small step backward. The combined attacks would have an explosive outcome for sure, and the last thing he wanted was to be caught too close to the epicenter.

 

"Ready? One... Two..." The Liberty trainer braced himself. "Three!"

[MELON LORD]

IC:  Xander Cruize/Sylph vs. Aspen Seaton/Aria

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMNLy67ihY4

 

"You already think you've won." Aria began to say as Ryan started the countdown. "And that would be your biggest mistake. Never think you've bested me while I'm still standing." she continued in a low voice, the energy between her hands suddenly turning a vivid violet color. The Lucario thrust her palms outward and fired off two beams that began to spiral around one another, circling past the Moonblast as the two projectiles neared each other. Afterwards, the beams began to coalesce, ultimately colliding and forming a dragon's head with an open maw. Once close enough, the Dragon Pulse went to clamp its 'jaws' down on the opponent Gardevoir, shimmering a brilliant violet shade as it did so.

 

Aspen's eyes widened at the maneuver, having expected a mighty clash along with everyone else watching. He winced however, as Aria was unable to recover from her attack in time with the Moonblast slamming into her at full force. The youngest Seaton looked towards Xander and Sylph's side of the field, crossing his fingers that the surprise factor had once again kicked in and the fast-moving Dragon Pulse had made its mark on the Gardevoir.

 

Sylph cried out as the Dragon Pulse slammed into her. That had been . . . unexpected. She smirked, wiping dirt from her cheek. That was a surprise. She wondered if the Lucario had any other surprises. Sylph had used her entire offensive repertoire to this point. If Aria had other devestating moves . . .

 

They might lose this. Her face went hard, and she prepared another Moonblast. Alright then, enough games. With a cry, she launched the attack. As soon as it left her hand, she initiated a Teleport, aiming to appear just behind Aria and unleash a Psychic.

 

Aspen grit his teeth, knowing the fight was really on now. "Sylph's gone!" he shouted in a warning tone to let Aria know of the Gardevoir's disappearance. 

 

Aria narrowed her eyes and stepped to the side quickly, though she did not have time to step out of the Moonblast's path entirely. In a single motion, the Lucario turned her body to face the opposite direction and attempted an Extreme Speed boosted shoulder check into the teleporting Gardevoir. Usually teleporters liked crossing up foes from behind the first time, though even if she guessed right this time, she knew it would become more difficult to read the teleportation patterns afterwards...

 

As Sylph appeared, Aria's attack connected. SHe staggered back, still managing to unleash the Psychic, and then teleported away again. It was time to start using guerilla tactics.  She reappeared just outside of Aria's range to her left and launched another Moonblast before attempting to teleport again.

 

Aria growled and jumped up to avoid the Moonblast. Her options for landing safely were limited at that moment, but that could be mitigated with proper usage of Extreme Speed. The Lucario closed her eyes for a moment, her perception slowing down as she began to search for everyone's aura on the battlefield, and waited for the moment that Sylph's came back into view. The moment she felt the faintest hint of aura, she launched an Aura Sphere in that direction, choosing to Extreme Speed diagonally downwards again to close the gap.

 

As Sylph reappeared near Xander, she was hit with an Aura Sphere. With a cry of anger, she lashed out at the approaching Lucario with a Dazzling Gleam. She was taking far too many hits in this fight; she wouldn't last much longer. I'll admit that you are good, Aria! She smirked. But not good enough!

 

She stopped moving her arm. She didn't need it to direct her attacks, that was largely just for show. Waves of Psychic energy emanated from her,  furrowing the ground in front of her as they launched at Aria.

 

Aria growled and held up her arms to guard against the Dazzling Gleam. Her stance was immediately broken however and the following Psychich knocked the Lucario to the ground. She got up with a groan, staring intently at Sylph. Her stamina was running out, and it was clear the battle was winding down. She scoffed at Sylph's cocky comments however, shaking her head even as the Lucario panted.

 

"There you go again, thinking you know me..." she replied, walking forward. As she did so, she closed her eyes and mentally sought out several rocks behind Sylph and grabbed three psychically. "Word of advice, Gardevoir. Never, ever say I am done until I'm done." Aria said, opening her eyes to reveal they were glowing a bright blue. At the same time, she sent the rocks hurtling at a high speed towards Xander's Gardevoir from behind, aiming for her back...

 

Sylph gasped as she felt the energy shift behind her. She spun in an attempt to deflect the rocks. Two grazed her, but the third slammed into her and sent her reeling. She dropped to one knee as she spun, and brought her hand up to her head.

 

Unexpected... she said. You are full of surprises. Definitely an interesting challenge. She reached for energy and winced as she felt how low her reserves were running. Two, maybe three more attacks, and then she'd be finished.

 

She just had to make them count, then.

 

Aspen was taken aback by that attack. His cheeks flushed as the youngest Seaton wondered how he had forgotten Aria could use Psychic... Nevertheless, he clenched his fist and grinned at Xander. "Alright, what say we end this demonstration?" he asked, while mentally telling Aria to use Psychic once again. "Let's see who comes out on top!"

 

Aria nodded. "You're no slouch yourself. Come! We have one final skirmish to decide who comes out on top." the Lucario said, punching the ground to release a forward blue pulse of psychic energy running along the soil and grass. While her eyes still glowed blue, she dashed forward with an Extreme Speed, holding onto several rocks in the area to use likely very soon.

 

Xander nodded, his face set in grim determination. He had felt those last few attacks on a level not quite physical. Sylph's pain radiated through him, and he wasn't sure if he could take much more. "Agreed!" he yelled, giving Sylph the order to go wild.

 

The Gardevoir sidestepped the psychic energy rushing towards her, rather than deflect it. As Aria charged at her, she decided to let loose with one last all-or-nothing attack. For the second time in a week, she channeled energy into her left arm. This time, instead of just letting the psychic flow through the stump, she built the energy inside, holding it back until the pivotal moment.

 

As Aria came closer, Sylph's left arm started glowing vibrantly.

 

Aria paid no attention to the energy charging up in Sylph's left arm. In fact, she barrled straight towards the Gardevoir, only to stop at the very last moment to hold out her arm. Suddenly the Lucario's opponent was caught in a psychic hold, her eyes glowing blue once again.

 

"You put up a great fight, but I would say that this cofrontation... Is over." Aria declared. She swept her arm backwards in a dramatic yet wholly unneccessary fashion, slamming Sylph backwards into the ground.

 

As Sylph fell back, she released the attack. Telekinetic energy shot from her arm like a cannon. She missed, for the most part. The blast grazed Aria, shearing fur and cutting into flesh. It dug into the ground, tearing up chunks of dirt and rock. When it reached the far edge of the field, it still had enough momentum to strip chunks of bark from the trees and leave them raining leaves.

 

She landed on her back and cried out. Xander tensed and gasped in pain as he hit his knees. Sylph's pain, combined with his own recent injuries, left his vision black for a few seconds. Sylph rolled to her hand and knees, attempting to rise to her feet.

 

Aria's eyes widened at the sharp pain in her shoulder as she gasped. The Lucario fell to one knee, and gripped the wounded area tight. Despite the highly concentrated pain, she held on, and pointed her injured arm directly at Sylph, charging an Aura Sphere once more. For many tense seconds, energy gathered at her palm and her dreadlocks billowed all the while. 

 

However, the ball soon dissipated and instead Aria stood up slowly, holding out her arm to Sylph. "Get up. I can't forfeit if you stare at the grass." she muttered in an exasperated tone. The Lucario breathed heavily, but her expression was unreadable in that moment.

 

Aspen was shocked Aria threw in the towel at the very last minute, but shrugged. "That's that, then. Good battle, Xander!" the youngest Seaton called out to the Kalos trainer.

 

Sylph took the offered hand, standing slowly. You... forfeit? This didn't make sense. Aria could have won. She was too tired to argue, however and just nodded her acceptance. I... accept, then. You were very good. She bowed softly, smiling.

 

Xander smiled. "I guess that's it, then. Aspen, Aria, fantastic fight!" Despite the words he spoke, he didn't attempt to stand until his back stopped spasming. He looked to their audience, smiling. "Thank you all for coming! We're glad you got to see us go all-out!"

 

He managed to stand and walked over to Aspen, extending his hand.

 

"Thank you. Same goes to you. Not often I have to fight on the level I did just then." Aria replied, nodding. Despite her words, the Lucario's expression was as vague and unreadable as ever. "I believe both of us could use a trip to the nearby Pokemon Center, though."

 

Aspen shook Xander's hand enthusiastically, grinning at the others watching. "Thanks to all who came to watch us! I hope you has just as much a blast seeing the fight as I did!"

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan had expected the dual attacks to end the battle one way or another. So when the momentum of the fight began anew, he was shocked. He tried his best to follow the combatants, but Sylph's constant teleporting made this a difficult task. He was so caught up in the fight, that it was several moments after the battle ended that he realized it was over.

 

Quickly trying to recover from his mistake, Ryan held out his left arm, declaring in as authoritative of a voice as he could muster, "Aria has forfeit, so the winners are Sylph and Xander!" He could no longer keep a straight face, and broke out into a wide grin, losing all formality. "Although honestly, I think Aria and Aspen deserve equal praise. That was an amazing battle!"

 

IC: Paul

The blacksmith had considered his fight with Evan to be a fantastic fight, but the energy with which the Gardevoir and Lucario had fought was even more astounding. When the battle was finally over, Paul was the first to applaud the combatants. It had been a very intense battle, pitting Sylph's psychic abilities against Aria's use of . . .

 

Paul's heart skipped a beat.

 

With shaking breaths, he stepped out onto the battlefield. "That was truly a great battle," he said to Xander and Sylph, before turning to face the Lucario. "Aria, you utilized the power of aura during that fight, correct?" Paul's heart was pounding within his chest. If his hunch was correct . . .

 

Not taking his eyes off the Lucario, Paul reached into his pocket to pull out the scrap of Ellen's shirt he had found what felt like an eternity ago. "I don't know why we never considered this before . . . But we might not have to go all the way to Four Island after all."

[Parugi]

IC - Ethan Worth (Baya)/Gavin Braner (Vel) - Chapel, Arena

 

Dedicated and adorable, Ethan thought, shaking his head to hide his smile. He raised a hand. "Baya, dodge it!"

 

"Vel, help her out with Tailwind!" Gavin added. Although put off by Teddy's expression, Vel managed to pull her attention away from the much-smaller bear for the time being and instead focus on flapping her powerful wings. The ensuing wind current allowed Baya to dart out of the way of Anzu's Confuse Ray, sparing her from the debilitating disorientation that the attack would have inflicted.

 

As good as it would be for Vel to take out Teddy, I don't think she's going to get much in the way of experience from him, Gavin thought. He set his sights on Anzu. Her, on the other hand . . . "Vel, get in close and hit Anzu with Foul Play!

 

From her position on the field, Vel took off, darting forward and taking to the sky. She flew above Anzu before falling into a diving attack, talons raised and engulfed with a dark energy.

 

"Switching things up already, huh, Gavin?" Ethan called. "Fine by me! Baya, use String Shot on Teddy!"

 

Seeing that her initial opponent was occupied, Baya turned to face Teddy. With a huff of air, she began to spit thick strands of sticky strings at the Teddiursa.

 

 

IC - Kyle Eston/Esen Windred/Cero - Keturi City Airport, Four Island:

 

The plane ride back to Four Island was nothing to speak of. Victoire had accompanied them to the airport, only to take a different plane to another destination--Kyle hadn't caught that information and wasn't sure whether she had even mentioned where she was going. Seated in a row with Cero and Esen, he had tried his best to simply sleep through the trip, but found the venture quite difficult given both the continuous murmurs of his fellow passengers (of which there were surprisingly few, he noticed), the rumbling of the engines, and the constant barrage of Shift-filled memories from his brain. Try as he might to put those events behind him, he found that he couldn't do it--not yet. And with each resurgence, his injuries ached more and more, as tender as if they had just been inflicted.

 

Thus it was with tired eyes and stiff movements that he led the others through the airport. Outside, at least, he figured he could get some fresh air and take a few moments to stretch--anything to help feel better.

 

He paused at the door.

 

If it weren't for the fact that there were so few vehicles and people around, he might not have seen her at all. If he had, he felt he would have had a fairly easy time of simply sneaking by. At this very moment, however, the thin crowds were working against him: Silvermind leaned against a car in the pick-up lane, clearly waiting for them--obvious from her instantly-straightened posture upon seeing him through the window.

 

Kyle wouldn't have been nearly as disconcerted if they hadn't had to change their original flight plan.

 

The wells of knowledge must run very, very deeply with this one, he mused. Granted, I guess she was the head of security for a while . . .

 

He jumped, and then relaxed as Esen put her hand on his shoulder--a reassuring gesture, even as she began to push him forward. Kyle glanced at her face. Esen's expression was surprisingly--chillingly--calm, considering how much rage he could sense behind it. If it weren't for the tightness in her jaw, and the livid flames dancing in her eye sockets, he might have written the sensation off as a trick of the mind.

 

For his part, Cero seemed extra quiet, evidently as aware of the tension around him as Kyle was.

 

They came to a stop in front of Silvermind, the two parties separated by little more than five feet of sidewalk. Team Liberty's Leader took a few moments to survey the trio, barely managing to conceal her surprise at Cero's presence and the injuries that Kyle and Esen still bore. She seemed to write them off after a moment, however, as she merely nodded and straightened up. "Welcome back."

 

Kyle was taken aback by her greeting. He raised an unsteady hand to his head to salute her. "T-Thanks, ma'am."

 

Silvermind gave him an odd look. "You seem very on edge, Eston," she said. "What happened? You were supposed to get back three days ago."

 

"Uh . . . We had . . . issues." Kyle glanced at Esen, and then back at Silvermind. "The first day was fine, but after that . . ."

 

"We had a rather severe run-in with a criminal group called the Signs--mainly Quentin Dallas, one of their leaders," Esen took over. "They kidnapped and drugged Kyle, we rescued him, and they got away. All in all, it was a bit of a distraction from everything else we were there for." She crossed her arms and raised a knowing eyebrow at Silvermind.

 

The Liberty Leader appeared to catch on to Esen's implications. She matched Esen's cold stare. "Yet still you came back."

 

"Not for Team Liberty. And certainly not for you."

 

This prompted Silvermind to fall silent for a few moments. Seeing an opportunity to defuse the situation, Kyle cut in, stepping between the two women. "Esen can still help us out, even if she isn't committing to Team Liberty," he said, looking at her. "She's already done that for me. We don't have to worry about her." Although she made no explicit indication that she agreed, her jaw did seem to relax somewhat. Kyle turned back to Silvermind. "Regardless, I saw one of the Signs' log books. They've been poaching Pokémon for a client here in Keturi--mainly Fairy-Types, although we botched a Dragon-Type shipment for the same person."

 

This seemed to catch Silvermind's attention. "Did you file a report yet?"

 

"No," Kyle said. "Not an official report, at least." He felt as if his appearance alone would indicate why.

 

"Alright . . ." Silvermind closed her eyes, thinking. After a moment, she nodded to the car. "Come on--I'll give you all a lift back to the Alamo. Get some rest, and put together a report as soon as you're feeling up to it. I'll get someone on it as soon as I can."

 

Kyle nodded. "Understood, ma'am."

 

Esen helped Kyle into the back seat of the car before taking a spot herself. As she closed the door, Cero moved toward the passenger door, though Silvermind held up a hand to stop him.

 

"Really quick question," she said, pausing for a moment. A flicker of recognition sparked in her eye, though disappeared a moment later. "Who are you?"

 

"Cero," the bandaged trainer answered. "From Team Magma."

 

Silvermind stared at him for a long time. "You and I are going to need to talk, then," she said at last, though did not elaborate any further.

 

Cero watched as she moved around to the other side of the car and climbed in, before following suit and taking a seat himself. As soon as he was buckled in, the engine rumbled to life and they were off, headed toward the Alamo . . .

Edited April 3, 2016 by Parugi

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan applauded at the end result of the battle, a grin on his face as he clapped. The battle was certainly a spectacle, and a treat to watch. The Plasma agent would have to toughen himself up even more, as to not fall behind. "Good show!" Evan remarked kindly. "You certainly showed your stuff!"

Evan raised an eyebrow at Paul's statement, wondering what the blacksmith had meant. Could the solution for finding Ellen be closer than they thought?

[JiMing]

OOC: These fools have no idea I wish to take over the world by flooding it with jam... Ehehehe. Ehahahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-wait am I saying this all out loud.

 

IC: Mercury/Lachina/Payton

 

Silver eyes opened, and Mercury stretched as he straightened. He had fallen asleep in the hospital's waiting room, it seemed. Anubis was resting on floor near him, and opened one eye as he awoke. The pair stood, and Mercury looked around, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he tried to find Lachina and . . . the woman? Things had progressed too quickly for him to reliably remember names.

 

"Nice time to take a nap, sparky." Payton said, as she looked over at him. "Ready to move?"

 

Lachina looked over at Payton with a raised eyebrow. "He was shot, you know. Non-lethally of course but a gunshot wound is something that at least takes some sleeping off." she said in Mercury's defense before turning her attention to the trainer in question. "Speaking of gunshot wounds, are you feeling better after that rest? Better hope that doesn't happen again anytime soon."

Mercury smiled a bit. "I'm fine, yeah. The bullet only grazed me, she had terrible aim." He brought his other hand up to touch the place the bullet had hit. It would probably leave a scar, but that was nothing new. "I . . . needed to think some things over, and I fell asleep, I guess. Sorry for holding us up."

 

He locked eyes with Payton. "Before we continue, I think you need to explain a few things. Your sister shot me? How'd that come to pass?"

 

Payton frowned grimly at that. "That's something I want to know too. I don't know what this stuff's about, but, apparently, my sister's gotten wrapped up in all this." She glanced over at Lachina for a moment. "Now, then, if your boyfriend's ready, we found some information about that group. Well. Key word being 'some'. We know where they're hiding. That's about it, considering the tablet Matt was using got a virus that... well, let's just say we won't be using that tablet for anything but a paperweight any time soon. And even that's sketchy."

 

Lachina blinked quickly and looked at Payton strange, turned to Mercury, and then went back to the woman. "Oh, no, we aren't like that, bit hard to explain what exactly it is but it's not that." the Ranger replied, taking a quick breath to maintain her composure, even as a subtle red lingered on her cheeks. "Well if they know we're after them, then that's no good. Still, getting the location is already pretty darn good. We should come up with some sort of plan to make sure no one gets shot at this time." she muttered. "Payton, where is this base your colleague found?"

 

"It's near the outskirts of town. Apparently, there was a mansion there about forty years ago, but over time it was torn down and rebuilt." She explained, as she thought for a moment. "Not quite sure on that plan... But I have a feeling I might be useful there."

 

Mercury nodded. "We'll need all the help we can get, I think." He paused. "Lachina, do you remember that thing we discussed earlier?" Was that only today? It seemed so long ago, after all that had happened. "I may have to use that, if things get bad."

 

"Thing?" Payton cut in with a slight frown. "You mean there's something you still haven't used, even after everything today?"

 

"It's a dangerous pokémon," he replied. "If I send it into battle, it won't stop until I've returned it, even after it's killed its enemies."

 

"That does sound dangerous." Payton agreed with a frown. "Definitely sounds like a last resort to me... But why would it do that?" She frowned more, as she tried to puzzle it out on her own.

 

Lachina frowned as Mercury began to explain things more. "The corrupted Absol, right? The one whose aura is all... Wrong?" she questioned, frowning. "You did talk about how dangerous it would be to release... But is there anything anyone can do about it? From what you told of me it's not that way by choice..."

 

Mercury chewed his lip. "I can attempt to control it with my own aura, but there's not a guarantee, and it will require a lot of my concentration." He glanced to Payton. "If I slip, it could be bad for anyone nearby, but it will be an extra body on our side."

 

Payton frowned. "A corrupted... Absol?" She frowned more, but nodded. "That makes sense, though. But if there's no guarantee, it might be more dangerous to us, than to them."

 

Anubis nodded, speaking up. It could be, but I have fought and beaten it before, when it had the advantage of surprise. I believe we may use it as an effective weapon. Just point it towards the enemy and let it go.

 

Mercury nodded grimly. "If it looks like I'm losing control, I'll return it."

 

"Just be careful and don't let the Absol out at the wrong time, then." Lachina said, rubbing the back of her head. "If it's really that risky we can only really use it when there are no other options left... I get what you mean about how effective it can be, but would you really be able to return it when it's gone into a complete frenzy?"

 

He hesitated, then nodded. "If it comes to it, I can. We need all the help we can get, even if it is a lunatic Absol." He looked to Payton. "Don't suppose your friend got a layout of the place?"

 

"And I suppose you wouldn't happen to have any other spare computers to get around that fact... Well. Going in blind is probably not to our advantage." Lachina said, sighing. "Already fighting a losing battle, hmm... Well, how do we plan on even getting inside? There must be some sort of security to get past, right?"

"Probably. Not the toughest thing. Derek can likely distract-"

 

"Derek?" Matt repeated with a sigh. "We're all doomed."

 

Mercury scowled. "I don't really know him, but I think I have to agree. He didn't really impress at the gym."

 

"... He wasn't that bad..." Payton mumbled, and sighed. "Besides, at the least, he acted as a pretty good distraction. If he can pull that off again without getting shot, then we probably can sneak in. Or maybe not sneak, but we don't really need to care about that one much."

 

"Better for him to distract than me. I'm not very good at acting like a scared child." Lachina pointed out. "We have to work with what we've got, and cross our fingers that things still turn out alright. Which they should, I hope."

 

Mercury sighed, nodding. "Alright then. Five of us, plus pokémon against . . . Do we even know how many people we're dealing with aside from the w- Your sister, and the other two we saw?"

 

Payton bit her lip. "That's an unknown as well. But, I have hope still... plus, it's six; Nadia probably will join us if we mention it." She explained, and sighed. "I know it seems like the odds are against us, but... we have to do something. At least find out what they're planning. Eliminating anyone who investigates? That's dangerous, and if they're left alone, your friend could be in danger too."

 

"How I'm going to explain this to the Ranger higher-ups, I don't even know where to begin." Lachina muttered, shaking her head. "Well I suppose that's that. If there's anything we've overlooked we should probably go take care of that now, if not, well I suppose we have to head out, don't we?"

 

Payton nodded in response, as she stood up. "Yeah... the more time we waste, the closer they become to fulfilling whatever plan they're hatching."

 

Mercury nodded softly. "Alright then, it's settled. Let's get... Nadia? And go to this mansion."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie - One Island

 

Without really thinking, Jamie burst out into applause upon the seeing the battle finish. It seemed to have ended with both Pokemon still able to fight, but it would have been tough to finish it with a bigger climax so Jamie understood. Before the referee said their names, Jamie had to wonder if one of the two combatants was actually Evan. The ending of the battle was suitably awesome enough for a hero. But alas they were not. It was still a prime example of a battle, though.

 

"Bravo!" Jamie called.

 

OOC: Short post is short.

[Konuju]

IC: Dack/Madison/Luke

The change in opponents caught Madison off guard. "O-ominous Wind, get out of there!" she stammered as the vulture descended on Anzu. Having taken the hint from the Mandibuzz's own Tailwind, Anzu summoned a chill breeze aimed not primarily to inflict damage upon her opponents, but rather to aid her in moving swiftly out of the way of Vel's attack.

 

Madison let out a sigh of relief as Anzu just barely managed to avoid being hit. She may not have been as experienced a battler as Dack, but she knew her Froslass was not the most defensive Pokémon. A hit from that Foul Play would have taken a considerable chunk of Anzu's health. On the other hand, Anzu also held a type advantage over the vulture. "Don't let up, Anzu, Ice Shard!"

 

Before the Ominous Wind had died down, Anzu whirled around and flung a sharp dagger of ice at her feathered foe, hoping to make Vel think twice about taking to the skies again.

 

"Great work, Madison," Dack said as he watched the exchange between Anzu and Vel. Unfortunately, this meant he wasn't paying attention to his own side of the fight, and when he looked back he saw that Teddy was covered in a number of sticky strings. "Don't let it slow you down, Teddy; you're used to having sticky paws from all that... honey." A mischievous grin broke out on Dack's face as he pointed dramatically at Baya. "Teddy, Lick!"

 

Teddy had smelled the sweet aroma of honey the moment the Combee had been released from her Pokéball. And now he was getting orders to do what he'd always wanted to do: eat on the job. With his mouth growing wide with excitement, the little bear cub darted over to Baya as quickly as the sticky strings would let him, aiming to pull the honeycomb Pokémon into a massive bear hug.

 

IC: Ryan

Paul's words confused Ryan for a moment, but his attention was quickly drawn to the applauding newcomer. He did a double take. For a moment, it looked like Executive James Arthur had joined Evan and Dahlia on the sidelines. But no, this person was clearly a lady. Ryan tilted his head as he peered at her. A week ago he would have dismissed the uncanny resemblance as a coincidence, or perhaps a sister he had never heard James mention.

 

But after the fiasco with Chloe, he couldn't be sure of anything. Against his better judgement, he cleared his throat and called out to the lady. "...James?"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Jamie Arthur - One Island

 

Jamie gave a quizzical look in response to Ryan's one word question. She wasn't surprised that someone on One Island knew who James was. After all, James was a member of Team Liberty and the Sevii Islands were their home turf. But, seriously, how could anyone mistake her for James? They didn't even look -that- much alike (Pelleas and Tristan would have had to disagree, but they couldn't hear her thoughts at that moment).

 

"I'm sorry, but I am not him," she said as she shook her head.

 

Before Ryan could respond, Jamie suddenly asked the group near her "Excuse me, but is there a Evan Tierra here? Also known as the Hero of Space?" she added awkwardly, Dialga not having informed her if other people would of known of his identity.

 

Evan turned at the mention of his name and title. "Who's asking?" Evan said as he approached Jamie. "I am Evan Tierra, but how do you know about who I am?"

 

Jamie took one look at the person claiming to be her fellow hero and suddenly felt very under-dressed. A coat made of dragon scales. A coat -literally- made of dragon scales. That had to be the most heroic piece of clothing she'd ever seen.

 

"I-I'm Jamie and," she began to stutter out.

 

This was awkward for Jamie. She had to convince somebody in -Dragon Armor- that she was a hero chosen by Dialga. Not a chance in Abyss.

 

Get a hold of yourself! she shouted at herself mentally. If anyone was gonna believe her, it would be Lucia, but she was not there right then. Fellow Hero had to be second most likely. Well here goes. "My names is Jamie Arthur," she stated more confidently. "And I know who you are, because I am the chosen Heroine of TIME!" her words building up in a climactic shout. That felt good to finally get off her chest.

 

"...........You're the other one?" Evan asked, feeling genuinely surprised by both the announcement and the intensity with which it was delivered. "I knew, somehow, that there had to be another Hero, but I didn't expect the other to appear so soon!"

 

Jamie smiled relieved that her faith was not misplaced. "You can thank Dialga and Mr. Hikari... wherever he is," she said as she remembered that Ryan had wandered off just before she arrived at the battle. "It was kind of a coincidence, though. He had just happened to mention your name, I did not actually know that he knew you were acquainted... By the way, you mentioned an other one? Dialga mentioned the Hero of Reverse but didn't give me any details."

 

"Yeah, she's here with us." Evan stated, trying to contain himself. "We'll have to introduce you, when things are a little more quiet."

 

It was at that moment, that Evan could not take it anymore. He'd spent the last half a year feeling lonely, due to the events before. With fluid movement, the Plasma Agent started to pose. "Let me introduce myself!" Evan spoke powerfully as he posed. "I am Evan Tierra, Plasma Agent, and Hero of Space!"

 

Outwardly Jamie was trying to pass off as a calm collected Team Rocket Agent but inwardly she was freakin' out. This Hero was everything she'd pictured he'd be: wearing awesome armor, making epic poses, now they just needed to beat up bad guys and the picture would be complete! The fact that she was muttering "Yes! Yes!" really detracted from the calm persona she was trying to project.

 

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Jamie said while trying to restrain the size of her smile.

 

Meanwhile at Abyss, Tristan was feeling a disturbance. As if someone was trying to ham it up in front of his daughter that wasn't him. The feeling did not leave him happy. Someone was stealing his job.

[JiMing]

IC: Aspen/Dahlia Seaton

 

As the others around him began to applause and praise the battle, Aspen couldn't help but break out in a wide grin. "Thanks! Honestly, it doesn't even really feel like I lost just then!" he exclaimed in response to Ryan. The youngest Seaton began giggling uncontrollably, cutting it off with a sigh. "Oh man, oh man, that's one of the most intense battles I've ever had. It was so cool, too! Thanks for agreeing to it, Xander!" 

Dahlia stopped taking footage shortly after Ryan officially declared the match to be over and looked over at the sheer enthusiasm of her brother. The gardener hadn't seen him this giddy in a very long time, especially after the incident with Pride... "Congrats, Aspen, you were great out there!" she said, rushing over to her brother and hugging him tight. "You did so well!" 

Aspen yelped a bit at the choking grip his sister placed on him, but smiled anyways. "Thanks, Dahlia..." he managed to croak, chuckling somewhat even as he was finding it difficult to breathe from the hug. The trainer blinked as he saw someone else interacting with Evan, but he couldn't say much in that situation due to his position. 

 

Aria looked over at Paul, and at the scrap of cloth in his hand. "Hmm? Oh yes, the search. I had been trying to keep quiet about that." the Lucario said. "It would be in your best interest to still head to Four Island for a few reasons... Which I shall explain once my injuries are healed." she muttered, wincing at bit as blood dripped past the fingers of the hand she kept over her shoulder. 

Edited March 29, 2016 by JiMing: Joining Sectors

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

The trainer from Kalos just smiled at the applause and Aspen's cheerful mood. "It was a really good battle. You did great, Aspen." He tried to form a thought, to quietly tell Aspen that he and Aria deserved that win, but he couldn't focus. The world seemed suddenly hazy, as if everything were happening at some great distance. "I . . . think I'm gonna go lie down."

 

Sylph gently put her hand on Xander's shoulder. Yes, agreed. We should all make our way to the center, so Aria and I can be healed. She smiled weakly. I would offer a patch job, Aria, but I am completely drained.

 

Xander nodded and took Sylph's hand in his. "You did excellently." The two made their way across the field, supporting each other as much as themselves.

[Konuju]

IC: Paul

The blacksmith sheepishly replaced the cloth into his pocket, suddenly ashamed at having overlooked the Lucario's injuries. "Ah, yes," he muttered. "Of course. I didn't mean to be so upfront... you should certainly take the time to rest up first."

 

IC: Ryan

If Ryan hadn't believed the girl when she said she wasn't James, any doubts would have been erased by the enthusiasm of her proclamation and her barely restrained excitement. Far too undignified for the Liberty Executive. Instead, her outburst only served to reinforce the fact that she indeed was not James, despite sharing his surname. He would have inquired further, but the self-proclaimed Heroine of Time seemed preoccupied with talking to Evan.

 

Instead, he turned his attention back to Paul and Aria. "I must admit, the thought of using Aria's aura powers didn't even cross my mind," he said. "Perhaps we should follow them. It's not like we have a need to stick around here." Like Paul, he was eager to hear Aria's reasoning, and he glanced over at Evan and his new protégé. "We're gonna go with the others to the Pokémon Center," he called out. "You're welcome to join us if you're not busy."

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Mordred/the bug)

 

Mordred and the bug lay on top of a pile of loot. The bug had proved an adept student and accomplice and between the two of them, they had stolen almost every treasure they decided was worth stealing. Teaching him how to properly hide himself had been a pain, but now he was… decent at it. He was nowhere near as good as he was though. He was so good at hiding that he bet that those fools would never-you’ve got to be kidding me.

 

Galahad appeared above the Weavile with an emotionless expression on his face as he looked down to face him. The Togekiss' eyes were glowing a pale white that only creeped Mordred more.

 

Mordred spat out a berry he’d been chewing. It figured that Galahad would be the one to find him, budding young aura wielder that he was. Show off. How the Togekiss came across Aura ability was beyond him. Some Pokémon get all the luck.

 

The Togekiss had not broken eye contact since he arrived, his eyes still glowing the same cold white.

 

Galahad had always kinda unnerved Mordred, at least since he evolved from a Togepi, but something about him using his aura felt off. James never noticed, Lancelot never noticed it, but he noticed it, and it had only gotten worse after James had tried to off Lancelot. It used to be a bit weird, but after those events, it grew… colder.

 

The Weavile stood up, and tried to not look nervous in front of the bug. The bug had dug into the loot to hide himself. The Weavile made a show of bravery and demanded to know why he was here.

 

The Togekiss made his reasons known.

 

…

 

Mordred grinned.

 

IC: (Gawain/Percival)

 

Gawain was resting on the seashore, while Percival was waiting nearby. They were silent but enjoyed each other’s company well enough. Gawain was glad for the silence, he needed a chance to think.

 

Lancelot had offered him his place in the upcoming fight. Gawain declined, he wasn’t the one directly betrayed. Not in the sense that Lancelot had been. Watching the Scizor get justice would be cathartic enough.

 

The Swampert tossed and turned in his nap. He didn’t like the fact that he wanted to see James hurt. What he actually wanted was to see was the James who refused to let a Mudkip be abused, not the one who would kill a friend. But the betrayal that James committed against himself invoked such anger in Gawain that he couldn’t suppress it. It tortured him that he had given into his anger so easily. That he had attacked innocent people and Pokémon. It was part of the reason he was willing to give James a second chance, the fact that he wasn’t perfect either.

 

The Swampert got up, deciding he couldn’t actually sleep. Hopefully this battle would prove the one piece of growing James still desperately needed.

 

IC: (Lancelot)

 

Lancelot waited alone at the site of the battle against Lust and Greed. The battlefield was still wrecked with testimony of the battle. The Scizor was pinching the throne that Greed had made. He considered how easy it would have been for –him- to have blamed everything on her. To claim that it was her influence that made him do everything. Not once did he try to blame Greed for his mistakes. Maybe soon he would be able to forgive him.

 

The Scizor smashed the throne into scraps with one backhanded blow.

 

But there was something he would have to do before Lancelot was ready to forgive. And it was more than the catharsis that was about to ensue.

 

Not that he wasn’t going to enjoy this.

 

One by one the others filed in. Only -he- had not yet shown up. He hadn’t heard Galahad come in, but the footsteps he heard following not too far behind caused him to turn around. The Weavile came in, the first time he had seen him in weeks. They briefly made eye contact before Mordred plopped himself near a wall. Trailing behind Mordred was a bug that he had never seen before. The Scizor decided that it was of little consequence. The bug wasn't part of this; all he would get was a good show.

 

Then Gawain, who was soon followed by Percival, arrived. Lancelot thought of offering his place one last time, but decided against it. Gawain had been pretty clear. The Swampert stood near the others who had shown up. Likewise, Percival floated close to them. Outside of the Chandelure's combat skills, which were impressive, the Scizor had very few impressions about him.

 

The room was filled with silence, it occurred to Lancelot that he had never built up any sort of camaraderie with the others outside of battle. Guinevere was the only one he truly interacted with on a daily basis. Maybe that was a mistake he should fix.

 

The Steel-Bug seemed to give a sigh. That wasn’t important at the moment. Only one thing was.

 

And that would be the man in mostly shining armor that finally entered into the room. All eyes (except the bug’s, though Lancelot took no notice) were on him. Percival’s eyes were full of concern. Gawain’s were full of self-loathing. Mordred’s were full of disrespect and Galahad’s held nothing.

 

As for Lancelot’s eyes, he merely closed them and breathed deeply. He channeled all his repressed anger into cold fury. When he opened them again, he no longer saw his master, just another opponent.

 

And he would crush him like the rest.

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia/Aspen Seaton

Dahlia continued hugging her brother for a while until she heard more discussion occurring, resulting in her letting go of her brother and walking closer to Evan and Jamie. "Oh, I didn't realize you were here... Are you another Hero of Legend?" she asked curiously, her mouth quickly curving into a friendly smile. "I'm Dahlia Seaton! Mr. Giratina made he his chosen champion of Reverse! What's your name?" the gardener asked. 

 

Aspen quickly gasped for breath after Dahlia released him from her iron grip. He looked and saw people were reacting to a newcomer in the group, who had at some point arrived while the battle with Xander was going on, and he had been so invested in the fight he legitimately didn't perceive her until now. The young boy went to call out to her, but saw Paul interacting with Aria and walked over. "What's up?" 

"Paul took notice of my aura capabilities and wishes to have me search for Ellen." Aria explained flatly. "I would respond to that right now, but I would like a trip to the Pokemon Center if that is alright..." she said, breathing heavily from her injuries and exhaustion. 

"O-oh, right, right. I'll get on that." Aspen replied, hastily grabbing Aria's Pokeball and recalling her. "So, I'll see you all at the Pokemon Center then?" the youngest Seaton asked, looking around. He then turned in the direction away from the field, and in the same direction Xander and Sylph were heading towards, with the former somehow seeming as winded and injured as the latter...

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

 

Ryan's statement reached Evan's ears, but there were more pressing matters at hand. "I'll catch up with you in a bit, k?" the Hero replied kindly. "I need to speak more with our new friend here."

 

 

Evan could tell that Jamie was about to explode with glee. The way she had been muttering under her breath and he noted that her grin seemed more restrained. The Plasma Agent noticed Dahlia walk up and introduce herself to Jamie. "So these are the others who I will have to work with, huh?" Evan thought deeply. "With polish, these two will make extraordinary heroes. I just hope I am up to the challenge."

Edited April 1, 2016 by Hades

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

As the two reached the main part of the island, Jenny noticed the group nearby. It looked as if a battle had just wrapped up nearby. She didn't really pay attention to the new girl that Ryan had brought, however, and instead went to Evan.

 

"Gotta borrow you for a bit." She said with a smile, as she grabbed his arm, and led the way back to the ship. She didn't care if anyone else had objections there, she wanted to explain about what had happened, and had a feeling that waiting wasn't an option there.

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Claus/Richard - Pokestar Studios

 

If it wasn't obvious already, Richard liked to sing.

 

This is why Claus and Hades were really regretting taking Richard to see The Pyroar King. They still hadn't received any order from Team Liberty since the before's Gym Battle so they continued to sight-see. And Claus had gotten the bright idea to go see a movie. At Pokestar studios, you could pretty much guarantee yourself the chance to see almost any classic movie at some theater or another. Claus had guessed (correctly, and with severe underestimation) that Richard would've wanted to watch a musical. So he took Richard and Hades along with Flint to go see The Pyroar King.

 

As soon as Hades realized what sort of movie they were watching, he knew that Claus had made a mistake.

 

"From the day we arrive on the planet" Richard started for the Arceus knows how many-th time.

 

Claus was still trying to keep a facade of not being completely aggravated by the singing. Hades dropped it before they even left the theater. The bard's expression alone was enough to tick the Sableye off. And Flint dancing and clapping along didn't help either.

 

Hades's patience finally broke however, when he got to the chorus again. This time, Flint and Richard had the bright idea of playing the parts of Rafiki and Simba respectively, where Flint would hold up Richard and "present him". Despite Richard being quite thin, Flint still ended up collapsing under the weight of the much taller human. Both Claus and Hades thought the whole ordeal looked pretty stupid but then they just kept laughing, while Richard never lost the beat.

 

Shuuuuuuuut uuuuuuuup! Hades finally yelled at his trainer, teeth bared.

 

Richard and Flint paled looking towards the Sableye.

 

Shut! Up! Shut up! Shut up, Hades continued to shout as he calmed himself down.

 

"I think Hades has had enough of that song," Richard said meekly as Flint backed away.

 

"Y'think?" Claus said sardonically. "Come on, let's just go..."

 

Richard noticed Claus's negative disposition and realized that Claus at least wasn't down because of him. Hades, he felt he would have to apologize to later.

 

"You alright? Claus," Richard offered with concern.

 

Claus shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I'm still down about earlier. It just felt like it that coming here was a total waste," Claus said with a sigh.

 

"Come on! It wasn't a total loss," Richard said trying to cheer his friend up. "Roxie herself came out and talked to us afterwards. She gave you that TM for being a good sport with the bad audience."

 

Claus pulled out the TM for Venoshock that the Gym Leader had given him. Roxie had told them that it used to be customary to give out TMs as a congratulations for victors. That had stopped a long while ago and it had just been one of the few left.

 

"Besides, you did well. I think so and Roxie said so too. You just needed a bit more strength and you would have gotten her. And that's what we're here to do right? Build strength while we can so we can help out our team?" Richard said with a grin.

 

Claus had to admit, when he wasn't singing the same song over and over, Richard's positive moods could be quite infectious.

 

"You're right," Claus said as bucked himself up as best he could. "Tomorrow we head out towards Aspertia City. We'll try again at the Gym there after training along the way."

 

"That's the spirit!" Richard said slapping Claus on the back, "Hey tell you what. I'll let you choose the music. Tell me whatever kind of music you want and I'll play it," Richard said, holding up his violin case.

 

"Y'know," Claus said as he gave a sly smirk as Flint climbed up his back, "Right now, the sound of silence sounds golden," Claus said to Richard's crest-fall but consent.

 

Hades couldn't agree more.

 

OOC: Let the jam train roll.

 

IC: Jamie Arthur/Dahlia Seaton - One Island

 

Right before the Hero of Space was dragged away, the Hero of Reverse came and introduced herself to Jamie. Her features were less heroic than the Hero of Space's but her introduction was suitable.

 

"My name is Jamie Arthur, chosen Heroine of Time and loyal Team Rocket Agent."

 

As Dahlia and Jamie exchanged greetings an idea was born in Jamie's head. "Wait a second. A fellow Hero, chosen at the same time as me..." The obvious completion of the story clicked in Jamie's head. "We must be destined to be rivals. Dahlia Seaton!" she called getting caught up in her own ideas, "I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" she shouted as she rummaged through her Pokeballs. She passed over Pelleas's Pokeball (much to the Heracross's disappointment) and chose Lucan (much to the Vanilluxe's fear).

 

The Ice-Cream Sundae began shaking immediately upon being tossed back out into the open, out of fear and anticipation (but mostly fear) of whatever Pokemon that the other Hero would choose.

 

Dahlia was taken quite aback by this turn of events. She figured the new arrival was as bombastic as Evan himself, but was still not prepare for Jamie's declaration of a rivalry between the two. The gardener blinked a bit while trying to think of a suitable response.

 

"O-oh... You want a battle, is that it?" the middle Seaton asked. "That might work then, h-hold up a sec... Not sure who to pick yet..." Dahlia said. Just before she was about to check the Pokeballs clipped to her belt, one in particular containing a brow figure began to shake, with the Buneary inside hopping up and down in a mannner clearly communicating Me! Pick me!

 

"Oh? You wanna take this one, Coco? Well alright then." the Heroine of Reverse decided with a bit of a shrug. She released Coco from her Pokeball, the bunny hopping up and down in anticipation. She sized up the Vanilluxe in front of her with a hint of curiosity, and nodded. The Buneary walked a fair distance away from Jamie and her Pokemon and waited patiently for the fight to begin.

 

"That's that then." Dahlia said, walking over behind Coco. "Does this work then, Jamie?"

 

"I think that will work just fine," Jamie responded as she made room for Lucan and Coco.

 

Jamie had to admit that Coco looked underwhelming compared to some of the things she'd seen, but looks weren't everything. Coco was the Pokemon of the Hero of Reverse after all. And the Hero of Reverse was her rival, chosen by the Creation Trio themselves.

 

"Lucan, start this off with Ice Beam!" she called, way too excited for this battle.

 

A solid safe start, Lucan reasoned as he calmed himself down. After a deep breath, he began summoning the power of cold. A blue beam that originated betwixt the two heads of Lucan. After a brief moment of charging, the beam of freezing power shot towards the Buneary.

 

"Dodge, and Jump Kick!" Dahlia called out. The middle Seaton was admittedly not used to battle still, so she was thankful for the opportunity to practice. Jamie was a full-time Rocket agent however, so she was worried about how the results might go for her...

 

In an instant, Coco's happy-go-lucky smile disappeared, steeling into a determined expression. Using Agility, the Buneary temporarily disappeared from view, the Ice Beam missing its intended target. From the side, Coco shot diagonally downwards at Lucan with a Jump Kick, giving a fierce cry during her attack.

 

The Vanilluxe hadn't expected the bunny to be so quick and was unable to even throw up an Acid Armor in time, much less dodge. Lucan reacted the foot boring its way into him the way that he always reacts to pain, by crying as loud as possibly can. Jamie out of instinct at this point, covered her ears and awaiting Lucan's obvious response. Causing an Uproar always tended to make the pain go away (or at least the source of the pain at any rate), so he began shouting, creating intense waves of noise.

 

Coco winced and backed away from the Uproar, curling both of her ears to protect against the noise. Of course, there was the actual physical damage that was also a major issue, and with Dahila being busy covering her ears, the Buneary had to deal with this loud, crying Vanilluxe herself. She hopped back from the noise while still wincing from the acutely loud noise and jumped up in the air, hoping Lucan was busy with his attack. She flipped around quickly while airborne, and attempted to Bounce on top of the living dessert's noggin, or at least whichever one Coco happened to be closer to given her positioning.

 

The Bounce connected on to Lucan. Specifically on to his left head, which was in great enough pain that he couldn't even continue his Uproar, his right head however felt nothing of the attack and focused on stopping them from slamming in to the ground. Lucan realized (and simultaneously didn't as he was also focused on the pain) that the same thing from Havoc was happening.

 

It clicked for Jamie right about then exactly what she had from Lucan as they left Havoc. It had not however clicked how she could best utilize this power. For the moment she simply called "Lucan, Icicle Spear!"

 

The right head spat out two spears made of ice at the Buneary who was still airborne.

 

Coco gasped at the massive, pointy icicle heading straight towards her. In that scenario, there was only one, very stupid option for her to take, but it was better than nothing. She wound her fist back, coated it with ice, and slammed it straight into the Icicle Spear.

 

The Buneary's clash with the attack still left her sprawling backwards in pain, causing Dahlia to wince. However, the trainer raised an eyebrow at the duality of Lucan, how one head was in pain, and yet the other one was able to continue attacking without an issue. "Coco, don't use Bounce from now on, not unless you can hit both heads!" she called out, frowning. "Agility, get closer for close-quarters combat!"

 

The bunny hopped to her feet and nodded, launching herself towards the Vanilluxe. She turned the run into a quick strafe for a moment, before the Buneary curled back both ears and dashed towards Lucan again. As she drew closer, Coco unfurled both ears at a high velocity, both charged with electricity.

 

Lucan was better prepared this time for Coco's attack and the Vanilluxe had begun using Acid Armor on hearing Dahlia's call. The Acid Armor helped but the Thunder Punch to both faces still hurt. Lucan was clearly wearing himself out quick. However it finally clicked then for Jamie and Lucan as they realized the implications of their last actions. Both heads can engage in different activities, meaning they should be able to use moves independently.

 

With renewed inspiration and her blood boiling from not wanting to lose to her destined rival, Jamie called out, "Right Lucan, use Mirror Shot in bursts! Left Lucan sweep with Ice Beam!"

 

Lucan's right head began firing balls of Steel Energy in slower moving spheres. This was more of a distraction or rather something to limit Coco's movements. The goal was to finally land a hit with Lucan's powerful (if not full power) Ice Beam. The left head began to sweep through the field of Mirror Shots in an attempt to freeze the Buneary solid.

 

Even though Dahlia had picked up on the duality of the heads, she did not forsee it being used in such a manner. "Watch out for the Ice Beam!" the gardener called out, biting her lip at this sudden revelation.

 

Coco's eyes widened and she quickly sidestepped two of the Mirror Shots, hearing the Ice beam get closer to her position. The Buneary threw herself against the ground at just the right moment, the laser of concentrated cold passing over her head. Just as she got up though, a Mirror Shot slammed into her side and caused the bunny to go skidding to the side.

 

The middle Seaton winced at that, feeling that Coco was running low on strength to keep battling. "Alright, Quick Attack, get in there, one more effort!" Dahlia cried. She wasn't sure how this would end, but trusted that her Pokemon could seal the match quickly.

 

The Buneary's expression steeled further, with Coco taking off towards Lucan once more, ears curled up. And yet she continued to run forward after reaching optimal punching range with her ears. Rather, she slammed right into the Vanilluxe, taking hold of Jamie's Pokemon. She crouched for a single moment and then leaped high up in the air with a Bounce, flipping over during the apex of her leap, sending both her and her opponent on a collision course with the ground as Coco tightened her grip on the deluxe snowcone during the admittedly absurd suplex.

 

Jamie had to admit she had been impressed that trick worked at all. With more training, Lucan's ability could become the force of winter fury that she knew he could be. There was no shame of losing against a stronger opponent. But Jamie didn't care about that in the moment; she didn't want to lose. She had to think of a counter-attack in the brief moment that she had left. There was only one thing that she could do. Lucan's fail-safe that had worked so far pretty dang well for her.

 

"Lucan, Panic!"

 

If there was one thing that Lucan knew how to do in any situation, it was panic. And that's when it isn't warranted. Now that he was in a situation worth panicing. The one mistake that Coco made was keeping her body in front of Lucan's faces. The left head began shouting with Uproar while the right head through every single Ice-Type attack it could at the bunny, from Icicle Spear to Ice Beam in desperate hopes of stopping Coco, even though their fall was inevitable.

 

The pair finally came to earth, and while dust obscured the view, Jamie could feel that Lucan could move no more.

 

In the last few seconds before impact, Coco was battered in every direction by a multitidue of different attacks. And yet the she held on tight, ensuring their impact on the earth was at full strength. When the dust finally cleared, Dahlia saw a dazed and unconscious Buneary off to the side of Lucan, flat on her back.

 

"You did well, Coco." Dahlia said, recalling her Pokemon. Then she turned to Jamie with a smile, holding out her hand. "You and your Vanilluxe were also great that fight! Congratulations for doing so well. I hope you got what you wanted from that battle."

 

Jamie knew how the battle was gonna go at those last moments but was still kinda disappointed that Lucan didn't win. She figured she was lucky for that tie in the end.

 

I guess this shows how much I still need to grow as a hero, she reasoned.

 

But then again, this was her chosen rival. Remembering that put a smile back on her face, "Thanks. You and yours did well likewise. Giratina sure knows how to pick a champion. Our future of being rivals looks bright," Jamie said as she accepted Dahlia's handshake.

 

Jamie then pulled out Lucan's Pokeball and said "You did well Sir Lucan. We will defeat them next time," and she recalled the Vanilluxe into his Pokeball.

 

"Alright, I think someone mentioned a Pokemon Center before our fight. Do you know the way?" Jamie asked.

 

"Yeah, should be this way." Dahlia replied, walking away from the field. She wasn't sure what to make of the sudden rivalry she was now a part of, but knew her time training under Evan was about to become a lot more interesting...

Edited April 4, 2016 by Minun of the Fourth Choir