Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

The Kalosian trainer, after entering with Kyle, was mostly content to lean against the wall and talk silently with Sylph. No sense in him interrupting the reunion, after all. Still, as he listened to Ryan and Kyle - and Evan, once he came into the room -`he couldn't help but realize how much of an outsider he was. They'd known each other long before he came along, even if he had given Sanders a bit of advice on leading.

 

As they said their good-byes, Xander just gave a brief nod, not really sure what to say. He pushed off of the wall. He mumbled an excuse about taking a walk before heading out the door himself, shoving his hands into his pockets. Sylph followed along quietly, frowning.

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Mild bunnying approved by Kon on the basis of Zoe's dog ears looking more like bunny ears.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette looked around as most of the people present agreed that going to rest was a good idea. However, when that one guy, Xander, was it? walked away, she watched him go with a curious look. He looked almost as out of place as she did. She looked away for a moment, but when she turned back, he had already made it a good ways down the hall. "See you then." The girl said to the remaining people present, as she glanced over at Zoe. Her sister seemed like she had made some new friends, and while she was reluctant to pull her away from talking, the aura wielder figured that everyone might need a break, even Zoe.

 

"Alright, let's get home, alright Zoe? We'll be back tomorrow, so you can talk with your new friends then." Colette said, as Zoe pouted for a moment, but then, as quickly as her mood had vanished, it returned in full force, as the young girl gave a rather exaggerated and melodramatic farewell to the others. Colette smiled to herself, and looked over at Jamie, and mouthed 'Thank you' to her, for entertaining Zoe like that.

 

With another wave, and more grandness from the Warrior Princess-turned-Superhero, Colette and Zoe started on their way back home. Near the end of their journey back home, Colette thought about what had happened, and frowned slightly while Zoe wasn't looking. What a group... these people sure are something else. But first impressions aren't everything, are they? They all seem nice... though that Lucario worries me slightly... The aura wielder paused in her thoughts, as she noticed the two of them were beginning to approach their house. I wonder what the others will be like, though? If everyone's joining, I just hope there's enough space... and I wonder why that last guy gave the injured man such an odd look...? As they walked up to their door, Colette noticed that her mom had just walked out to meet with them.

 

"Hello, dear... did you two have a good day?" The mother smiled sweetly, and Colette scratched her head, wondering how she could even begin to describe it. She decided to get ahead of Zoe in explaining tales, however, feeling that the way Zoe would exaggerate it might get both of them grounded for protection.

 

"Well, it was an interesting day, to say the least... we played for a while, and then we met up with some friends, and met some other people. It was pretty busy, really." The aura wielder left out the fact that three of them were emissaries of creation and had weird auras, and the reason for meeting the people. She figured it was for the best, what with how her mother tended to overreact about things like that.

 

"That sounds like fun... well, I made your favourite meal tonight, though we already ate since you were a little later than usual." Colette gulped, as she had not paid attention to the time at all, but to her surprise, her mother didn't seem to be that upset. She followed her mother and sister inside, trying to make sense of everything that was happening at that moment.

 

OOC: Feral's appearance approved by Alku on the basis that Feral is like an annoying bunny.

 

-==IC: Jenny==-

 

*Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep! click*

 

Jenny looked over the message that she had received, and seemed a little surprised at it. She sat down on a rock, and read through it with a giggle.

 

"Sounds like you've all been having fun... Sorry I missed things; I got distracted, and ended up exploring. On that note, I might be a bit late... I'm not quite sure where I am right now, admittedly. Will try to make it back as soon as I can, though!" The girl sighed, as she finished sending the reply, and puzzled with herself, as she glanced around, trying to figure out where she was. On her way back to the Alamo, she had figured that everyone would be a while still, and had gone off to explore the island for a bit to kill some time. However, as she wandered, she quickly realized just how big the island really was. Now, she was hopelessly lost, and her X-transceiver was not much help either.

 

"Yeah, let's wander off! Yeah! That sounds like an excellent idea to get utterly lost!"

 

Jenny sighed again. Perhaps if she focused enough, the little voice in her head would just vanish. Despite this, however, her mouth curled into a grin as she worked on typing up the message to Chloe. The artist formerly known as "Spacial Horror" definitely knew how to pick the teasing right, when he wanted to.

 

"WAY TO GO, AIRHEAD. FOUR POINTS TO YOU."

 

"I don't see you doing much better!" Jenny said in response with an amused smile, as she finished the message and sent it off. She stood up and stretched with a chuckle, and scratched her head. "Besides, all we have to do is ask the locals, right? It should be easy."

 

"Yeah! The locals we don't know!" Feral Tierra was obviously just as unsure where they were, as she was. That's what Jenny figured, at least, as she walked down one of the streets toward the middle of whatever town she was in. "Maybe I should use my non-existent power to home in on hero boy!"

 

"You go and do that..." Jenny smiled, as she noticed a person walk out of one of the houses nearby. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna go talk to that girl. She should be able to help us." The girl in question closed the house's door behind her, and began to walk in Jenny's direction. To Jenny, the girl looked to be focused on something, but she didn't figure it would hurt to ask.

 

"Excuse me!" The girl turned and gave Jenny a confused look, as the trainer approached. "I'm kinda lost, and... do you happen to have any idea where on Four Island I am?" Jenny smiled to the girl, who she could tell still seemed to feel really nervous and confused.

 

"Umm... well, you're in Vier Village... if you want to know more, someone else might be able to help..." The girl began to walk away again, which left Jenny a bit confused. She wondered if the other girl was acting so aloof for a reason, or if it was just the suddenness of being approached like that. Of course, Feral had to get his two cents in too.

 

"HARK, A NATIVE GIRL HAS DECIDED TO HELP US. WE'RE SAVED!" There was a long enough pause, before he continued. "OH WAIT, NO, THAT HOPE IS FLYING AWAY LIKE A LITTLE BIRDIE... WHERE THERE WAS ONCE HOPE, ONLY DESPAIR REMAINS!" Jenny rolled her eyes at his antics, and continued to walk forward.

 

"I'm sorry if I was too sudden before! My name's Jenny... what's yours?" Even with her smile, the other girl kept on walking. Jenny frowned slightly, and stood there for a moment, unsure what was wrong. She furrowed her brow in confusion, and if Feral could appear near her, she knew he would have at that moment.

 

"I know her type. Doesn't seem to trust people easily. Hero-boy knew a few of them." Feral whistled slightly, seeming to be watching what was happening as well. "They usually are nice people, if you give them time to adapt to you."

 

Jenny sighed, but started to walk toward the other girl again. "I'm sorry to bother you so much... but I'm kinda lost and don't have a proper map." She noticed the girl stop and seem to sigh as she turned around. Jenny gave a smile, as the girl slowly walked back.

 

"Why me, though...?" The girl paused, and looked around, as she suddenly realized the streets were a lot more empty than they had been a couple hours ago. "... Okay, that's a good reason..." With a bite of her lip, the girl looked at Jenny cautiously. "Where do you need to go?" She asked, and seemed curious. "And how did you end up out here? If you were trying to get to Keturi, you made a very wrong turn..."

 

Jenny scratched her head. She didn't know how much this girl knew about the Alamo, or whether she could tell the civilians on the island about it. She figured they probably would have to know, but... She sighed, as she tried to think of how far she had walked. "I think it's across the island, to be honest. That's what it felt like, at least." Jenny seemed puzzled. "I honestly don't know the names of this place, other than that the island itself is called Four Island. I was supposed to meet people on one of the shores, but they didn't really give me any directions, which is really no help at all."

 

The girl eyed Jenny as she raised her X-transceiver, and frowned. "Hmm... I'm not really sure how to help, then... I mean, I could point you to some of the landmarks, but... otherwise, if you're aiming for the shore, but don't know which one, the only best idea is to just go around the whole island. But since it's so late, it'd be a better idea to just find some place to sleep tonight, and contact the people you need to meet tomorrow." The girl shrugged, as she wondered what gathering the other trainer might be involved in at Floe Island. She seemed to be getting less nervous, however.

 

Jenny sighed, but nodded. "I was afraid of that... Alright miss no name, hope you have a good night, then... I'm sorry for bugging you so much!" The energetic trainer started off down the street, and the other girl uncertainly called after her.

 

"Umm... my name is Colette!" The girl called out, which caused Jenny to turned around half in surprise, and half with a smile, walking backwards in the process.

 

"It's nice to meet you then, Col-" Jenny, however, was not the best person to attempt doing that, having not quite gotten the skill required to try something like that. Her heel clipped an upraised portion of the stone sidewalk, and caused her to stumble. To her credit, she managed to spin around to try and rebalance herself. On the other side, however, she still fell. The girl grit her teeth, feeling the stones slide against her knee, the fabric of her jeans that were covering it ripping in the process. Jenny winced, as Colette ran up to check on her. "I'm fine, really..." The girl giggled reassuringly, and seemed to stand up fine, but winced, and stumbled, as she did not seem that fine.

 

----

 

"You're hurt... I can't just leave you here." Colette frowned, as she sighed. Something troubled her, however, as the stumbling didn't appear to be from the other girl's knee. The aura wielder took a moment to glance at Jenny's aura, and detected more pain than she thought possible to be just from the cut on her knee. She glanced curiously at the other girl for a moment, but went to help her stand. "Come on... I'll bring you home. Maybe my mom can figure out something to help."

 

Jenny looked over with a smile, wincing as they started to move, but sighed. "This isn't quite how I expected the day to go..." She scratched her head with the hand not holding onto Colette's shoulder, as she looked ahead. She wondered if this girl was the one who they were here to find. It would make sense; though she hadn't expected they'd find her in the village on Four Island.

 

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Colette asked suddenly, as she looked over at Jenny. The girl seemed to be caught off guard by the sudden question, and Jenny awkwardly stayed quiet for a moment, as she recalled what Feral had mentioned. She nodded slightly, as Colette sighed. "Well, that definitely matches the look you have, then."

 

The rest of the trip back was a short and quiet walk. When Colette's mother had seen Jenny was hurt, she quickly ushered the Plasma agent into the house. Her knee was quickly looked at, while Colette went and got a spare pair of shorts for the older girl to use temporarily. Jenny seemed both embarrassed by the attention she was getting from those who were pretty much strangers to her, but also thankful for the help. Colette's mother finished up with bandaging Jenny's knee, and smiled, as she nodded to Jenny.

 

"There you go... that should be better." Colette's mother beamed, as she busied herself cleaning up the mess that remained. "Poor dear, though... how did this happen?" She looked over between Colette and Jenny curiously, as she picked up Jenny's jeans and put them into the laundry so what was left of them could be washed.

 

"Um... she tripped. She was trying to be fancy and walk backwards, and tripped over a combination of her feet and the sidewalk..." Colette noticed Jenny turn a bit redder in reaction, and smiled apologetically, even as her mother 'tsk'ed to herself.

 

"You have to be more careful!" The mother walked back, and patted Jenny on the back reassuringly. "My name is Molly, by the way. What is yours?" When Molly heard Jenny's response, she smiled for a moment, but then frowned in confusion, as she noticed Jenny wincing...

 

----

 

An hour or so later, Jenny laid on the bed upstairs. She glanced at the ceiling, curious as she thought about Molly Llyan, and how much she reminded her of Maya Tierra in a way.

 

"Why are you just walking around with a bruise like that, again?" Jenny turned to look as Colette walked into the room with a frown, closing the door behind her. "Seriously... that looks like someone hit you over and over. What sort of stuff have you even been doing?" The aura wielder sighed, as she glanced at Jenny with a hint of worry on her face. "Well... even if you won't say, it seems like it's dangerous to me. And don't try to adjust the bandages, if they're pulled any tighter, they'll hurt you, and any looser won't work to let the healing leaves do their work..."

 

Jenny groaned as she was about to move the bandages that had been applied. She realized now that Colette most definitely was the aura wielder they were looking for. She moved her hand up from around her ribcage to behind her head, and sighed. "True." The two stayed quiet for a few more moments before Jenny looked over at the other girl. "Your mom is pretty nice, though."

 

"You think so?" The tone behind that indicated that Colette didn't totally believe that. "I mean, I guess you have a point.... but... we also get into arguments a lot. So I can't really tell what's really her, and what's just being hidden." A look on the aura wielder's face indicated that she didn't wish to continue this discussion, so Jenny chose another subject. If she was right, this would cheer her up.

 

"Do you have any siblings? My younger brother and I get along pretty well, though we've had our rough spots. He... went missing a little while ago, though. Apparently my older brother's around too, but I haven't seen him for years..." Jenny scratched her head a bit, before she realized that Colette was looking at her.

 

"I'm sorry to hear..." Colette's face fell for a moment, but then brightened up. "I do have a sister, though! She's amazing, though she can be a bit silly at times. She really likes to play, and has her head in the clouds a lot, but she's still pretty awesome. She kept coming to visit me when I was still living in Kalos, and we used to hang out together, and..."

 

Roughly an hour after that, Jenny smiled awkwardly, as Colette finally started to yawn. "I'm sorry... I haven't really given you much of a chance to talk, have I...?" The aura wielder seemed a little awkward about that as well, but chuckled. "What can I say; I really like to talk about Zoe and all the awesome things she gets up to. It's too bad I haven't gotten to spend that much time with her overall, but hopefully that'll get to change sometime soon." Colette fell silent for a bit more, and sighed. "I should let you get some rest. I need to be up earlier than normal tomorrow anyway, so I need the sleep too..." She opened her mouth as if to say something else, but then shook her head. "Nah, nevermind." She smiled at Jenny's inquisitive look at that. "Was about to say something, but then lost it." Colette wasn't telling the truth there exactly, but Jenny left it at that, as Colette quietly left the room, to not wake anyone on her way.

 

Jenny sighed, but then giggled, as she began to write out a message to Evan, saying that things had accidentally come up, and that she was staying the night at a place in Vier Village. She did, however, leave out the fact that it was Colette's house she had stayed at. If Evan's typical reactions to people were any indication, and if they had already met, it would be way too amusing to not let them find out themselves. With a yawn of her own, Jenny sent off the message, and then laid on her back with the lights off for a little bit.

 

A few minutes later, a message flashed onto Jenny's X-Transciever. "That's fine, Jen-Jen. I'm pretty sure you needed a breather after everything that happened on the boat. I'll swing by tomorrow to catch you up on everything, and maybe just relax." A few seconds later, barely after Jenny had a chance to read the first, another flashed onto the screen. "The stars look absolutely wonderful tonight. I hope you got to see them. See you tomorrow!" The girl giggled at the messages, and sighed as she closed her eyes, contemplating things before finally going to sleep.

 

OOC: Mild bunnying of Olivia approved on the basis that Olivia's sister has a Buneary.

 

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe stretched for a moment, as she finished listening to Olivia's explanation of everything that had happened. The girl had already explained about how her training had gone, and how things seemed to be working well there, despite how much the living conditions could have used some improvements... as could Guy's cooking. But Chloe had salvaged that as best as she could. Olivia's explanation, however, hadn't been quite so fun, as she heard about what happened on the boat with Aspen, Evan, Ray, Ryan, and Xander. Chloe frowned, as she considered it all.

 

"Well... this isn't good." Chloe mused over the events that had happened, and then sighed. "I mean, at least they all got to Four Island alive... that's... that's kinda the only bright side I can really see." The girl laughed nervously, and frowned slightly. "Hm... think we should go see everyone tomorrow, then? I mean, I doubt they'd leave so soon after this sorta setback..." As she finished saying that, however, her Pokegear beeped. She curiously flipped up the lid of the device, and read the message.

 

"Heya; dunno if you've heard, but bad things happened with the crew. Just wanted to update you, and oh, someone wanted to talk to you here! Plus, well, I figure you haven't been here in a while... So, maybe come visit? If you're not busy, that is. If so, meet here..." Chloe blinked at Jenny's message, as she sighed.

 

"She seems like she's bored or something." Chloe chuckled, and looked over at Olivia, who read the message and chuckled in agreement. "Sounds more like a plan, though, now. But I wonder..." Chloe looked perplexed, as she tried to figure out who wanted to talk to her. She wondered if it was an official request for a moment... but then realized that they would probably send their own message. She also considered whether it was one of her friends, and if so which one. The only one that she really thought it could be, however, was Kyle.

 

"Well, whoever it is, I'm sure it'll go well." Olivia said with a kiss to Chloe's cheek. The psychic girl giggled, and nodded with a smile. She couldn't disagree with that sorta thinking... especially since pretty much everything had gone a lot better than she had ever expected so far.

 

----

 

The next morning, Chloe had woken up earlier than most of the people. She shook Olivia awake with an apology for every shake, and seemed about as on edge as before they had left for Olivine the first time days ago. Chloe made sure that everything had been repacked(and was most definitely free of sand), and then quickly ate breakfast. By the time it was mid-morning, Chloe and Olivia were ready to go. The two waved goodbye to Rose and Poppy, and with a nervous Chloe sending out Alvis, the couple teleported to the Alamo...

Edited July 4, 2016 by Destined Blade

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, The Next Day, mid to late morning

Snoring of many varieties could be heard echoing in the living quarters, some light and soft, some rough and growly, Amongst them all was the gentle breathing of Evan Tierra. A rather calm sounding alarm played, as a new hour rolled by, rousing him from his slumber. The Plasma Agent yawned and stretched his left arm out, having had a wonderful night's rest. Slowly but steadily, the snoring in the room grew less and less, as the pokemon Evan could let out of their poke balls were waking up.

As they rose, Evan walked past a rising Gnip and patted her on the head, as he went about getting ready for the day ahead. "It's gonna be a wonderful day, all of you!" Evan said cheerfully. "I've got to go find Jenny, and take it easy today." Evan passed by Scizlite, who gave him a content look and what appeared to be a high five....with her right claw. "Ha ha, very funny, Scizlite." Evan said, winking as he began to dress in what appeared to be a much more casual style of dress.

----

After he had gotten all dressed up and ready for the day, the Hero returned all but Gnip to their poke balls. "Since Jenny forgot to give my your poke ball, you can walk with me, Gnip." Evan chuckled as he lead the way out of the room. He locked the door and began to walk down the hallway. After reaching one of the entrances, Evan stopped at the receptionist's desk, and asked for the way to Vier Village. Gnip followed along cheerfully as they exited the building. Evan took a deep breath as he looked at Gnip, a sly look in his eye.

"Let's go see Jenny."

Evan mounted his Garchomp carefully, making sure not to fall off as he did so. When he felt secure, the Hero of Space let out a wild, but jovial yell as Gnip started to jauntily run in the direction of Vier. Evan marveled at how beautiful the island was. How much color there was in the scenery as Gnip trotted along. Eventually, the Mach Pokemon and her master made it to Vier Village. Evan drew out his Pokegear, and read the message Jenny sent him, scanning for any building that looked like the one she described. They made it to near the center of town, when Evan's eye caught a house that matched what Jenny said, and smiled.

Gnip approached the house, and let Evan dismount, growling softly as she did so. Evan approached the door, took a deep breath and knocked at a reasonable volume.

 

Colette groaned, as she blinked her eyes open at the sound of the knock. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she got up and walked to the door, still in her pyjamas, figuring it was one of her mom or dad's friends, who wouldn't care. When she opened the door and saw who it was, however, she paused, and then closed the door.

"Nah..." She finally decided. "I have to be seeing things." She opened the door, feeling more awake, and then stood there with another blink, as the great garchomp hero, Evan Tierra, was standing at her door. "..." Colette was rather speechless at that turn of events. "What... are you doing here?" She finally managed to ask, unsure what else to even do.

Evan stared blankly at Colette, before acknowledging her question. "What am I doing here?" Evan responded in a tone of amused disbelief. "What are you doing here? I'm just here to pick up my girlfriend!" Gnip growled in an amused way, as she always loved to see her master clown around with people.

Colette tried to piece that together, yet failed in her still half-asleep state. "I live here, you dork. And I'm pretty sure, whoever your girlfriend is, she's not... here..." That, however, got the gears in her head turning, as she paused, slowly starting to remember the night before. Wait.

"You sure?" Evan said, ignoring the dork remark as he frowned. "She said she was staying at a building like this last night." Evan rubbed his brow a little, before continuing. "She's got red hair? Kinda short? Seems to have a smile at all times? Does that ring any bells?"

Colette stood stunned, as she suddenly connected all the dots. I -knew- it. She inwardly cursed herself for looking like a fool, and felt even more awkward than standing there in her pyjamas. "Ah..." She paused for a moment. "Wait. She's your girlfriend?" The aura wielder blinked incredulously, wondering how that happened, but sighed. "She's probably still upstairs sleeping. You shouldn't wake her too soon, though. Though when you guys were talking about her yesterday, I wasn't expecting a klutz who was this nice." Colette paused for a moment, and sighed. "Sorry, too... that's a nice thing you did. I just... was not really expecting to be woken up like this, and yeah." She awkwardly scratched her head. "Uhhh... why don't I... go wake Jenny up? Yeah." With a hint of red in the younger girl's face before she turned away, she scurried up the stairs before she could look even sillier.

Evan chuckled a bit as Collie scurried away, making sure to not sound unkind. The Hero of Space was glad that Jenny had somehow managed to end up staying the night with the person whose help they sought. She definitely has a very nice personality beneath all that awkwardness. Evan continued to wait outside, making sure to shut the door that Colette had left open, whistling cheerfully as he did so,

 

A few minutes later, Jenny came down the stairs in an orange t-shirt and black shorts that were definitely not hers, a bandage visible on her knee. "Heya." She giggled with an amused smile. "I hope you two had fun... though Colette seemed a bit awkward when she woke me up. What'd you do?" She asked, a teasing look on her face.

"Well, I guess she felt a little silly when I told her you were here, and she said stuff that pointed otherwise." Evan said, chuckling a little as he noticed the bandage on her knee. "Seems like you had your share of fun last night, silly. And without me? I feel slighted!"

Jenny sighed, and scratched her head with a sheepish smile. "I might have fallen." She didn't mention the bandages. "That's why I had to borrow some of Colette's clothes for now..."

Evan laughed as he caught notice of Jenny's change of dress. "Well, at least her family was kind enough to help dress you and your wound up." Evan said, as he got close for a hug. "I figured you needed a break from the others and me, what with you've been through lately."

"Well, I'm fine, aren't I?" Jenny chuckled, as she returned the hug, though tried to not make it too obvious that she had been injured even still, not wanting to worry Evan.

"What'd I miss?" Colette asked, as she walked into the room again, dressed in her actual clothes this time, as she had her jacket slung over her shoulder. She was still fixing her hairband, however, and her hair was still fully down.

"Nothing really!" Evan spoke as he continued hugging Jenny softly. "Jenny was telling me what mischief she was up to last night." Evan said happily. "I must thank you for letting her stay with you. She, among others, has been through a lot the past few days." Evan gave Colette a warm smile of gratitude as he finished.

Colette finished fixing her hairband, but seemed a little modest. "I mean, I didn't.... that is to say..." The aura wielder rubbed her arm awkwardly, but smiled a bit. "You're welcome... it wasn't a big deal, though, and really it was my mom who helped the most..." Colette, however, looked at Jenny curiously, looking between her and Evan, as if confused about something.

Evan noted Colette's behavior and decided to act on instinct. "Something up, Aura Princess?" Evan asked. "You seem a bit distracted. Loop us in....."

Colette looked up, startled by the question, and scratched her head awkwardly. "Oh, nothing; I just got lost in thought, and still was surprised that Jenny knows you guys. Now it makes more sense, though, since you kept talking about her, and yeah..." The talking grew more to mumbling as it went on, still feeling awkward about her mishap earlier. Something felt off to her, however, but from the looks of it, Evan didn't know about Jenny's bruises. Colette decided to keep that quiet, but also decided to ask her later about it.

"Well, let's not dilly-dally!" Evan cheerfully said, as he stopped hugging Jenny, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "I promised Jenny we'd take a little breather today, since we both need it. I think you had something to do at the Alamo, or something of the sort?"

Colette nodded. "Yeah... shouldn't we all meet up with the others? I mean, unless we want to explain to... uhh... the others why there are now two people missing." Inwardly, she was congratulating herself on managing to save herself from having to admit she didn't remember most of the people's names.

"I see what you mean, Aura Princess." Evan said, striking a dynamic pose as he spoke. "That seems most wise. Yes, I can see why your sister calls you as such!" Evan grinned at Colette, clearly trying to make her feel less awkward.

That had about the opposite effect for the first little bit. However, Colette smiled slightly, and thought for a moment. "I should probably go get Zoe, anyway. Not absolutely sure how she didn't wake up already, but she seemed exhausted last night after the big day." What the aura wielder didn't mention was that she had felt the same way for a bit. "I'm sure she'll wake up quickly when she realizes you're here, though." She smiled a bit more at that, and walked off once again to go wake up her sister.

"She's definitely an odd person." Evan remarked kindly to Jenny. "But, Jenny, after we meet up with the others, I thought of something we could do, before goofing around here." Evan grinned slyly as he motioned to Gnip, who looked at Jenny with glee, her tail wagging slightly.

Jenny looked over curiously, as she wondered what Evan had in mind. "Petting Gnip? I'm always up for that." She said with an amused smile, as she went over to pet the puppy-like Garchomp with a soft smile.

Gnip growled gently at her other master, her tail wagging more as Jenny started to pet her smooth scales. Evan walked over to Gnip, giving her a loving bop on the head, which elicited a playful bark from the Garchomp. "I think Gnip's in the mood for something exciting. I can feel it in the way she's been looking around." Evan said, smiling a little. "I think she's trying to tell us something...."

"Do you mean..." Jenny smiled amusedly at that, as she looked up at Evan. "A battle, later on?"

"I think that's reasonable." Evan said, smiling down at Jenny. "I know you've been training and trying to better yourself. Who better to test you, than me?"

Jenny chuckled with a smile. "Sounds like a plan to me. We'll figure out the details later..." The girl giggled, and turned around as she heard the footsteps of Colette and Zoe heading down the stairs.

"You've got it, Jen-Jen." Evan spoke as he prepared himself to greet the Llyan Sisters again. "We'll have to see, if we can get some of the others to watch. But for now, let's have some fun."

Jenny nodded with a smile, as Zoe excitedly ran up to greet them. Colette watched from a little ways away with a smile on her face, and Jenny caught her eye with a kind smile. The aura wielder still seemed to be a little more distant than most people, Jenny noticed... but she knew that she probably had her moments like anyone; the night before had proven it with Colette helping her, and with her going on and on about Zoe.

I think rescuing Ellen and the others will go well...

Edited July 4, 2016 by Hades

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Partial bunnying of Olivia with JiMing's permission.

 

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe stretched her arms as she led the way to where the infirmary was, figuring that would be where Aspen currently was. She wasn't sure what state he or Ryan would be in when her and Olivia got there, but was a little optimistic that it wasn't totally bad. The girl glanced over at Olivia, and smiled sadly. She wasn't being obvious about it, but Chloe could tell that the red-head was a bit worried about how Aspen was. When they reached the room, Chloe opened the door, and stretched again.

 

"Alright, I'll leave you two alone, since I figure you need it... I'll go find where I need to talk, alright? I'll be back when that's done, trust me." Chloe said with a smile. She saw Olivia give her a teasingly skeptical look, but the girl nodded.

 

"Okay... but try not to be too long." Olivia smiled in amusement at Chloe. The shorter girl nodded back with a smile of her own, and waved for a moment into the room in case Aspen was awake.

 

"Gotcha... I don't think it'll take that long, but we'll see!" The psychic giggled, and left the hallway not long after, and rubbed her arm nervously, as her smile slowly started to fade. She wasn't sure what to expect out of this talk, but didn't want to just run away. Chloe felt that she had the courage; she just wasn't totally sure how this would turn out. She wandered in the direction of where Jenny had mentioned to meet, and looked around nervously. She checked her Pokegear again, just to make sure she was in the right spot.

 

OOC: Some slight bunny ears with Zoe once again.

 

-==IC: Jenny/Evan/Colette(Jam)==-

 

"Well, since everyone's all dressed up and ready to go, I think the Warrior and Aura Princesses should hitch a ride onto our faithful Wishing Star Dragon!" Evan said, giving a dazzling grin to the Llyan sisters. "Care to take us up on our offer?" Gnip wagged her tail expectantly, as if she really wanted to give them a ride, her eyes shining with joy.

 

Although Colette was initially a bit uncertain, Zoe hopped up onto Gnip's back with a wide smile. The aura wielder sighed, and climbed onto the Garchomp as well. She was intrigued by how Gnip seemed to be acting, and how her aura felt. She had to admit, though, that although Evan was... enthusiastic, he didn't seem that different from the others after all. She just wondered why he barely had a spark of an aura.

 

Evan grinned and patted Gnip on the head as she wagged her tail, seeming just raring to go. "All right. unless you have any thoughts otherwise...." Evan said, stepping away from Gnip. "I think I'll have her move with a little less haste than usual. That fine with you two?"

 

Colette paused. "Wait... what do you mean?" She cautiously looked at Evan, unsure what was meant. However, Zoe began to cheer for things to be fast, and even Jenny didn't seem to be disagreeing with that sentiment. Oh no.

 

"Gnip, you heard the Warrior Princess! Go fast!"

At those words, Gnip let out a joyful roar, and started running, her feet stamping on the ground as she did so. Evan laughed heartily as he motioned for Jenny to follow him, grinning amusedly at what was going on. He felt a little bad for Collie, but was sure Gnip would do her best to make sure the ride wasn't hazardous.

 

Colette seemed surprised as the Garchomp took off, and held on, to not fall off or anything. She closed her eyes, as she didn't want to tell Gnip to slow down, since Zoe would likely be disappointed. This, however, was not quite the aura wielder's exact definition of a good time.

Jenny watched, as she shook her head with a chuckle. "Those two are something else... let's go, though, we shouldn't let them get too far ahead." The girl giggled, as she began to follow the speeding Garchomp.

 

Gnip roared as she continued her inexorable rush towards the Alamo. She felt Collie's hands wrap around her tightly. The Garchomp took this as a cue to try and make things less harrowing. She didn't want to make the little one disappointed, but she also didn't want her new friend to feel unsafe. The Mach Pokemon picked up a little speed, but made sure to steer clear of any trees that would be in her path.

"Definitely." Evan said, jogging slightly behind Jenny. "Hopefully, Gnip doesn't terrify Colette! She didn't exactly seem thrilled!"

 

Jenny watched as they continued to run. "Hmm... I'm not sure if that's a 'scared' look, or..." The girl shook her head, as she chuckled. "Either way, if we think about it too much, we'll probably be left far behind in the dust."

 

"Well, we'd best kick it into overdrive then!" Evan said, picking up his pace. "Let's make it a race, huh? Loser buys the winner lunch!" Evan ran past Jenny, laughing maniacally as he did so, as if to make fun of how slow she was going. Feral added his own two cents.

 

"WELL, HERO-BOY SEEMS TO BE CHALLENGING YOU, AIRHEAD." Feral howled. "YOU'RE NOT GONNA WIN BY BEING AS SLOW AS A MUNCHLAX!"

 

"A Munchlax? That's clearly no-one we know, then." Jenny smirked, as she picked up her pace as well. A little while later, the group arrived at the Alamo, even as Jenny panted from the exertion of the pace. Colette, meanwhile, seemed a bit shaky as she hopped off of Gnip, but seemed to be putting on a brave face for Zoe.

 

Evan caught up, his panting turning to laughter as he looked at the scene before him. "Well, enjoy the ride, Colette?" Evan spoke, adding a slight teasing note to his voice as he turned to Jenny. "Looks like I owe you lunch, Little Miss Rapidash."

 

"It was something..." Colette managed to smile, and took a deep breath, as she noticed Jenny laughing in response to Evan's joke. "Should we get going, then? I'm betting the others are probably waiting on us by now..."

 

"By all means, lead on!" Evan laughed. "It's your turf, after all, Aura Princess!" Evan gave a "Go on!" gesture to Colette, as he caught his breath. Gnip growled kindly at Colette, clearly happy the aura wielder took a chance.

 

Colette nodded, and made her way toward where they had been planning to meet...

 

OOC: Editor's note: The time of the Colette IC is a little while after the Chloe one.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

"Alright, time for a break. Let's stop focusing on me for an hour or two and work on you."

 

The Gardevoir sighed. Must we? I don't feel like--

 

"If you say you're not getting better, then I will make us start over."

 

She grimaced. Very well. How does it go again?

 

"The issue--"

 

"Yes, yes. The issue . . . in Isshu . . . is you." She shook her head. It's so slow and--

 

"You'll get quicker with practice. In fact, how about we make a game of it? You go a whole day without using telepathy, and I'll go the whole day without speaking out loud."

 

Sylph grinned softly. You'll break first, so I think I'll call it a deal.

 

Xander chuckled. Sylph was more competitive than she'd admit, and he knew how to leverage that. Alright, then. The moment we walk out that door, we'll see how far you've come.

 

Shadow

 

The flesh-bound girl had asked him to scout, and scout he did. He was shadow, moving under tables, between walls. It was easy to get around in the derelict lab, and Shadow quickly found his way into what appeared to be the main chamber. Standing there was the man, the target on the photograph.

 

Shadow's usual grin turned to a small frown as he saw the two pokémon flanking the target. The pink and blue creature would be immune to most of Shadow's repertoire, and the creature with the headphones, while weak to his attacks, would also be able to damage him effectively as well. This was not optimal.

 

And then, there was the creature nearby, a beast with a twisted presence . . .

 

He reached out across the ether to nudge that annoying ball of static they'd picked up in Lavender Town. The creature had its orders, but was taking its time sapping the wires. Useless thing. He pushed down, imposing the Alma-girl's will on it, and felt it concede.

 

As he watched, the lights dimmed, flickered-- Then remained steady. He heard shattering as lights in other part of the lab were overcharged, and the building's decrepit PA system started blasting static with a hint of a melody.

 

Not subtle, but it would work for now. Shadow retreated back through the building to report to the fleshy mistress.

 

IC: Alma Mason

 

"He has a shadow pokémon in there now? Blast! Belle, circle around until you see Shadow. Go in through the window closest to him." The girl herself went in through the front door, moving low and quiet between ancient machines and crumbled walls. She couldn't be seen. Not if she was going to shoot Roderick Krane before he finished purifying . . . Whatever it was he was purifying.

[Konuju]

OOC: This accidentally turned into a jam about jam.

 

IC: Zoe

"Now this is certainly a way to wake up!" Zoe cried. The Garchomp ride was as exhilarating as riding on a shooting star and Zoe was absolutely thrilled. It was almost enough to make her forget they hadn't had breakfast yet.

 

Almost.

 

"Where are we going, Collie?" Zoe tugged on her sister's shirt. "The cafeteria? If we get there early enough they'll have pancakes! And biscuits with rawstberry jam, that's the best part!"

 

Colette paused, weighing the possibilities. She scratched her head for a moment, and sighed. "I guess we have enough time to eat first... I don't think anyone else has, have they?" Colette gave a questioning look to Evan.

 

Evan chuckled as he hung his arm behind his head, realizing that he really hadn't considered eating, until just now. "I haven't really had a chance." Evan said, smiling a little. "I wanted to pick up Jenny before we got together....." Evan hung his head a little at his forgetfulness, chuckling a little.

 

"Then it's breakfast time!" Zoe cried, grabbing Collie's arm and leading her toward the cafeteria. "Maybe we'll even meet the bard and his friend, like last time! You remember them, don't you, Mrs. Space Princess?" Zoe was ecstatic that the elusive mistress of the True Hero had finally shown up. Her clothes looked suspiciously similar to something out of Collie's wardrobe, but Zoe shrugged it off as a mere coincidence, the fashion sense of heroes.

 

Jenny giggled, as she noticed Zoe eyeing the clothes for a moment. "Maybe so... that seems like so long ago now." The girl smiled, as she followed the two toward the cafeteria.

 

"Ah yes, the Bardly Bard!" Evan said, raising his head with a huge grin. "How could I forget my showdown with him? I wonder how he is faring?" Evan laughed as he followed the others to the cafeteria, wondering what he could get there.

 

Zoe made her top priority loading her plate with a stack of pancakes and biscuits drenched in syrup and rawstberry jam. When the girl had a plate she could barely carry for fear of its contents spilling she made it her second priority to scan the crowd for any familiar faces, bardly or otherwise. She recognized no one, which unfortunately left the girl looking almost lost as she stood in the middle of the crowd with her huge breakfast.

 

"Not seeing anyone?" Colette asked, as she walked up to her sister with a less sizeable plate of food. "Well, I'm sure we'll get a chance to meet your friends later."

 

"That's just how it works!" Evan said, holding up a medium sized plate with pancakes with Haban berry syrup. "Let's just sit down and enjoy our food, huh?"

 

If Zoe was disappointed by the lack of friends, the abundance of pancakes more than made up for it. "Yeah, let's eat!" she said with a grin, carefully making her way to a table. "On second thought it's a good thing Mr. Bard isn't here. That Snorlax of his would've eaten all the jam!"

 

IC: Ryan

Ryan wandered the halls of the Alamo. He had woken up early and found it impossible to go back to sleep. After laying awake in bed for a while he got up and started to roam the hallways. He didn't have any particular destination in mind. It was still a while before everyone was supposed to meet. In the back of his head he considered checking in on Aspen and Ryan Hikari, but his mind was in too much of a fog to tell his wandering feet which direction to go.

 

Kyle had told him not to worry, but worry was precisely what he had done since everyone had parted ways the night before. They had found Colette, they had Jayron on board, Kyle had one or two friends who might join... things were looking up. But the responsibility of leading this group against Ford was an unbearable weight upon his shoulders. There were so many ways this could go wrong. Kyle claimed the inhaler was only a temporary thing, but if he wasn't a hundred percent ready then there was a very real chance Aspen and Hikari would be getting a new hospital buddy. Or worse.

 

Perhaps that was what Ryan feared the most. He had seen Jake Soren die before his eyes, and he had been helpless to stop it. But never before had he been responsible for someone's death. Ryan wasn't sure if he could handle that responsibility. If anyone died on this mission, that would be on him. He'd never be able to forgive himself.

 

The Liberty agent slowed his walk. The hallway he was in had dorms on either side. He looked at the room numbers: the late 400s. Walking a little farther he came to one room in particular. Room 487, where Dahlia had taken up temporary housing. He stopped in front of the door, hand poised to knock. He hadn't talked much with her since the incident. What was there to talk about? Bringing up her powers would just be awkward, and he wouldn't dream of talking about the incident again. But those delicate topics were at the forefront of his mind. Dahlia's powers were a wildcard. A loose cannon. An undefined variable in an already volatile formula. As much as Ryan hated to admit it, he was scared.

 

Ryan bit his lip. He couldn't bring this up to Dahlia, it would just upset her again. But as the leader of the group, he had to address his concerns. With a sigh, Ryan turned away from the door. He'd spend the morning writing a script. By the end of the day he'd talk to Dahlia about her powers. Maybe.

 

He took one last look at the door before walking away. But he had taken no more than a step when the door suddenly opened and a sleepy Dahlia stared at him in surprise.

[JiMing]

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Lachina's pupils shrunk. Her stomach churned. Everything had happened so suddenly, she couldn't process it. 

Blood... Those Pokemon... Blood everywhere...

She almost lost her balance. GET OUT echoed inside of her head, over and over.

I HAVE TO GET OUT NOW HOW DO I GET OUT I MUST GET OUT

 

The Ranger placed a hand on the wall. No, she couldn't let this happen. She couldn't let her fear rule over her. She was a Ranger. She had to maintain composure. 

Payton's wounded. Mercury(?) is in the way. What do I do?

 

Lachina stepped forward towards Payton cautiously, looking dead ahead at Mercury... If he still was even Mercury.

"What are you... What are you doing?" 

[MELON LORD]

IC: Mercury

 

The look of horror--

 

Jared

 

The look of horror was a punch in the gut. Anubis shot him a look past Lachina, and he looked around. He'd done this. The carnage in the room. The man slumped over on the desk, the broken woman against the wall . . .

 

He looked at his hands, saw the red aura there. He clenched his fists and his own aura reasserted itself. Red washed into grey washed into silver. He looked at Lachina, his eyes no longer hard and hateful. Rather, she could see the fear behind them, the terror that there was something inside of him, that he had little control over.

 

"I'm sorry . . ." He had killed someone. He'd told her he wouldn't and he had. "I'm so . . . sorry." Apologies would not be enough for this. They wouldn't bring the people he'd killed back to life.

 

"Get away from me, Lachina. Just get away." He turned. He could feel his whole body trembling. He must seem a monster to her -- and what a monster he was! He hadn't even noticed the transition, there was no mental escape he'd made this time. One moment, he'd been on the stairs, pulling Styx's ball from his belt. The next, he'd been here, with blood on his figurative hands.

 

When had that creature, that being that called itself Mercury, taken control? How had it been so easy for him to slip?

 

"I'm . . ." No. No more words. He needed her to leave. He gestured at Payton, not looking at either of them. Had he done that? No. No, he didn't have a gun.

 

Not this time.

 

Mercury

 

Close, so close! He had almost killed Payton, and that would have been enough to solidify his power. But then the girl had interfered, and that accursed Lucario. Now, he was falling down a well, watching the light grow dimmer. The boy was pushing him away, and he may never see the light of day again.

 

That is, until, Jared turned away. Mercury landed hard, back on the mental plane they shared. The boy had, for the moment, stopped rejecting the idea that he could be a monster. Good. One step forward, then.

 

And only two steps back. No more stepping then. He would start bounding forward, towards his ultimate goal.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Carbevoir

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia Seaton

 

Dahila turned around and waved goodbye to her brother, saying she'd see him again soon. Dahlia walked with the group silently until they decided that rest was the best idea, and nodded in agreement. Eventually she managed to find a room to stay the night at, one Room 487. 

 

The gardener sighed as she sat down on the bed. Everything was still quite muddled in her brain, and she still didn't know how Kyle's addition to the team would go, especially with his strange look at Ryan Hikari. More aura wielders were a good thing to track Ellen, but Colette seemed aloof while Jayron was solemn. And then there were her own powers, which she had difficulty controlling. There was no telling what would happen in the future.

But she thought back to her conversation with Giratina, and allowed herself to crack a wide, confident smile. The unknown was still frightening, but that wasn't going to stop Dahlia. I'll face the future with a smile. I'll take on whatever it throws at me and carve a better path! I might stumble, but that can't stop me, won't stop me! I'll create a better future, one step at a time...

 

Several hours later, Dahlia awoke, yawning tiredly as she prepared for the rest of the day. When she opened the door however, she was flabbergasted to find Ryan Sanders already walking away from the room. "R-Ryan?" the middle Seaton called out curiously. "You headed somewhere?"

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan froze in place, then backstepped until he was standing in front of the door again. "Y-yeah, uh, I was just heading to the... the..." As he stammered, he motioned down the hall. "...the meeting. You know, the one we have this morning?" He gave Dahlia a sheepish smile. For a moment the two stood in awkward silence as Ryan inwardly debated whether or not to mention that he'd been standing in front of her door for the last few minutes. Ultimately he opted not to, as that would likely only raise more questions. Instead he chose to break the silence with small talk. "So, uh, did you sleep well?"

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia Seaton

 

"Yeah, I did. Doesn't look like you did, though." Dahlia noted, frowning at Ryan's current state. She could tell his status as self-appointed leader was eating away at him inside.

 

"...That Kyle seems like a nice enough fellow. You know him from your last group, right?" she asked. "I-I'm sorry for what happened to your friends... You at the very least, still have him, though..."

Edited July 8, 2016 by Chroma Champion JiMing

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, Kyle was with us in Unova. So was his father, for that matter. If it wasn't for Kyle's Suicune, we'd have all been bits of dust scattered about the ruins of Castelia." He cracked a bitter smile. "But you're right, I should look on the bright side... half my friends have been captured by Ford, but that means half my friends are still around, right? Glass half full? A little less than half when you weigh in that inhaler Kyle's toting around, or Evan's broken arm. Not to mention your brother's broken leg."

 

His bitterness faded away as his eyes grew distant and he became lost in thought. Then his focus returned to Dahlia for a moment before he looked away, staring at a spot on the door frame. "Sorry..." He sighed, shaking his head. "It's just... I... I don't want to lose anyone else..."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

They walked out of their room, hands linked. Sylph chewed her lip as they walked down the hall and approached Ryan and Dahlia. Xander frowned softly, feeling irritation rolling off of the agent. He didn't want to interrupt their conversation, and the irritation was fading. Still, he greeted them.

 

Hey, guys. Ryan, could you point me towards the cafeteria?

 

Sylph cleared her throat before speaking, enunciating carefully. "We . . . skipped dinner last night."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Before Dahlia had a chance to respond, Ryan turned to face Xander and Sylph. "Yeah, the cafeteria's over by..." His voice trailed off as he cocked his head at the duo, the confusion evident on his face. "Wait, did... did Sylph just talk? Like, not telepathy, but actually physically talk?" He shook his head in disbelief, glancing at Dahlia for confirmation. "Either that or I'm more exhausted than I thought."

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia Seaton

 

Dahlia looked to be just as flabbergasted by this development as Ryan was. She shrugged her shoulders confusedly in response. "I guess she did? I'm pretty sure I'm awake by now, so uh. That's... That's something." the gardener said, scratching the back of her head. "But um, yeah I don't know where the cafeteria is so maybe ask Ryan again? I guess? Oh, and um, good morning, and good luck and yeah..." 

Edited July 9, 2016 by Chroma Champion JiMing

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Xander laughed softly as Sylph flushed. "Um . . . Yes, I can . . . It's not something that's come up before, really." She shrugged, chewing her lip. 

 

So, Xander said, cafeteria? We're pretty hungry. Better yet, you guys should come with. Most important meal of the day and all that.

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

"Looks like Sylph isn't the only one full of surprises," Ryan said, nodding at Xander. "But anyway, yes. Unless your telepathy lets you read my mental map, it's probably easier for me to show you the way to the cafeteria instead of giving directions." He looked back to the gardener. "Dahlia, I take it you'll be joining us? If everyone's ready, then..." Ryan took a step backward down the hall as he began to lead the way.

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia Seaton

"U-uh huh. Breakfast's the most important meal of the day, right?" the gardener said, chuckling a bit awkwardly. She followed behind Ryan, blinking curiously. "...You still seem to be pretty shaken up about things. Umm... Are you sure you still don't need anyone's help? Being the leader is already tough, and so many people are joining, you... You sure you can handle yourself?" the middle Seaton asked, a worried frown on her face. "You shouldn't be afraid of going to us for help. It's okay to be vulnerable for just a little bit, that way we can build each other back up, stronger than ever before. You get what I mean?"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Xander frowned, raising an eyebrow. What she said. If you ever need someone to advise, or even just an ear, you can come to us. He remembered the boat, after Chloe's coming out. I told you I'd be there to pick you up off the ground if you needed it, remember. Better if I can keep you from falling there in the first place, right?

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

For a moment Ryan and Dahlia locked eyes. Then Ryan turned around to continue leading the way to the cafeteria. "Thank you," he said softly. "Both of you. I... I've just had a lot on my mind lately." The Liberty agent bit his lip. Suddenly he stopped walking. "Xander, have you ever fought in a war? I'm not talking regular Pokémon battles for sport, I mean actual fights where the enemy doesn't care if your Pokémon live or die. Or you, for that matter. What about you, Dahlia? Aspen tells me you're the neutral sibling, stuck in the middle between your Rocket sister and your Liberty brother. Have you ever experienced combat?" Ryan hung his head low, his hands starting to tremble. "And here I am, leading you against Ford. I might as well be leading you into a death trap. I... I don't want that on my conscience."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

The two were silent for a moment, then Sylph shook her head. "Nothing . . . quite like that, no. We did live in the wild for years, fighting for our territory against wild creatures that were . . .  vicious."

 

We're making this decision on our own, Ryan. Better that we have someone seasoned like you to lead us into it than to go in half-cocked. He put a hand on the other guy's shoulder. And better that you have people backing you up than you go in on your own, too.

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia Seaton

 

Dahlia closed her eyes, sighing. "...It's true. I've always been the neutral one, refusing to choose a side between Liberty or Rocket like Aspen and Olivia did. I avoided fighting... That is, until recently." she muttered, her blue eyes turning towards Ryan. 

"You've heard about the attacks on Sootopolis and Celadon. I was there on the frontlines, doing my best to help each city survive. I won't lie. I was out of my depth and terrified. But something in me didn't want to see these people continue to have everything taken away from them. That something drew Giratina's attention and endowed me with powers beyond my wildest dreams." the gardener said, her eyes beginning to gleam. "This is all new to me. I'm learning all this by the edge of my seat. But I can't give up. Not when I have the power to make a difference. I want to help, Ryan. I don't care about the war, but I do care about the people who are losing everything they hold dear. And I've got the power and responsibility to do something about it! Won't you let me help you?" she requested, a tranquil power in her voice. 

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan inhaled sharply at the mention of Giratina. He took a deep breath. "L-look, I... I know you both want to help. I just... I don't want you biting off more than you can chew. I know it's your choice, but you're still placing your lives in my hands. I'm still responsible for keeping you safe. For keeping us all safe. Ford is far more dangerous than wild Pokémon or... or rogue Rockets in Celadon. It's not that I doubt your abilities, I just... I-I'm scared..."

 

Even with Xander's comforting hand on his shoulder and the tranquil resolve in Dahlia's deep blue eyes, Ryan couldn't help but tremble at the weight of his responsibility. Before he knew it, tears had welled up in his eyes. "S-sorry..." he muttered, looking away in an attempt to hide his tears. "I'm supposed to be leading the way to the cafeteria, aren't I...?"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize

 

He tightened his grip, pulling Sanders into a sudden and tight hug around the shoulders. "It's okay, man. You're allowed to be scared. You're allowed to show us you're scared. The situations we're going into, and the burden you've put on yourself, you'd be crazy if you weren't scared. You just don't need to be scared of us, alright? We're your friends, your allies." He released Sanders, smiling.

 

"And don't forget, we're all watching each other's backs, too. It's not just you, and you need to look out for yourself as well." He patted the older teen's shoulder.

 

After a few seconds of continued walking, Sylph spoke. "So, does that count as me winning, Alex?"

 

"What? Augh, no!"

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan remained silent for the remainder of the journey to the cafeteria. But if one could see his face, they'd find the faintest of smiles on his lips. He felt at least slightly more at peace. True, half his friends were missing or injured. But he still had the other half, and right now he needed their support more than they needed his protection. He forced himself not to think about any of the thousands of ways this mission could go south, about Dahlia's powers, or about Kyle's inhaler. He'd have plenty of time to worry about that later. Right now he had a more important mission: ensuring his newest friends received the most important meal of the day.

 

The scent of fresh fruit and pastries wafted through the air as Ryan held the door open for Xander, Sylph, and Dahlia. "Here we are," he said with a soft smile. "Bon appétit."

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra/Gnip

"Another."

Evan Tierra was many things, but at this moment, he was not just hungry. He was voracious. The Hero, after finishing his first plate, drew forth a plastic card of some sort, and approached what appeared to be a register, and spoke with the attendant. The attendent looked shocked at what Evan may have said, but soon looked relieved when he spoke again.  Evan swiped the plastic card, and the attendant gave him a most genial expression. The Hero of Space came back to the table, grinning as he put the card back into his wallet.

Not a moment later, a rather large cart, pushed by a rather sunny-looking cook, approached the table, as Evan and Gnip looked on with very apparent hunger in their eyes. The rest of the group looked on in bewilderment as the cart drew closer. "Thanks to the generosity of this Plasma Agent...." The cook spoke to the group. "We have been given the go ahead to allow you to eat from this cart, as much as you can and wish. Grazie and buon appetito!"

No sooner had the cook left, that Evan grabbed his plate, and shoveled what he could fit onto it, setting another brimming plate on the ground for Gnip. "Let's dig in, Gnip!" Evan said gleefully as he turned to the others. "You guys too. My treat!" Evan then started to ravenously devour the food on his plate at light speed. Gnip was doing the same, with the both Hero and Garchomp savoring each bite of food.....

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

They walked into the cafeteria just in time to hear Tierra's declaration. Xander grinned, wasting no time. Sylph barely even had to do anything, and they were suddenly standing directly to Evan's left.

 

Don't mind if we do! Xander said as he started loading two plates.

 

Sylph giggled softly. "Good morning, everybody," she said shyly. Her red eyes looked around at the assembled people and she bowed. "We didn't properly introduce ourselves last night. I am Sylph, and this is Xander, my human."

 

Xander, who had been stuffing a croissant in his mouth, sprayed crumbs as he laughed. Sylph! That's--

 

"Is that not how you introduce yourself and your team?" she quipped.

 

Fair enough.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette looked up in surprise, as she blinked. She swallowed the mouthful of food she was eating, looking at the Gardevoir all the while. "... Did she just talk?" The aura wielder asked uncertainly, as she glanced around at the others. A cursory reading of the others' auras found that she had indeed spoken, but now, Colette once again wondered if she was actually still dreaming or not.

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

Lucia felt exhausted. The healer leaned against a wall with a pant, as she grabbed for her water bottle, and began to drink it quickly. The last few days had been even more hectic, as in addition to helping out with Guinevere, she had been checking up Shannon every so often, and, as she was doing now, had decided to spend what little free time she had volunteering at the Pokémon Center after getting a request for help. She has happy to be of service, but providing help to the Pokémon Center turned out to be a lot more draining than she had ever anticipated. Even with the neighboring cities of Saffron, Cerulean, and Vermillion providing aid, it seemed the work to be done was endless.

The girl swallowed the last little bit of water she had, and frowned, as a commotion started up at the front desk. It as a scene Lucia had seen countless times over the past few days: two people inquiring about whether anyone had seen their child. Countless families had become separated during the attack, and not all the deceased had been identified yet, leaving hundreds, if not thousands of people pleading with anyone who would listen to help them find their sons, their daughters, their spouses, their siblings. The Pokémon Center, having been turned into a refuge for the hurt and homeless, had also become a popular spot for people to search for those lost family members. At this rate, Lucia figured there weren't enough Moomoo Milk bottles in the world to cover all the missing people in the wake of the attack.

This particular couple was desperate. Inquiring turned into arguing as the nurse tried to explain that there simply weren't enough resources to locate every missing person. The man slammed his hand down on the desk in anger, his words carrying all the way to Lucia's corner. "You don't understand, she's my daughter! She's lost somewhere, alone and afraid! She may be hurt!"

Lucia shook her head as she got up and strode over to the desk. "Sir, you need to calm down," the redhead said, a slightly concerned look on her face.

"Calm down?!" The man retorted. "How can I be calm when my daughter's missing?!"

"Because panicking and getting upset will only make things worse." Lucia frowned as she looked at the man sternly. She tried to not show her annoyance at the attitude she was getting - she was here for a reason, and despite the growing headache she was starting to get, was going to be professional. Even when others couldn't be expected to do the same. "If you would give some information, there may be a way to find her - she might be here, even. Jumping to conclusions will not help anyone."

"The girl's right, Theodore." The woman crossed her arms over her chest, giving her husband a stern look. "I'm just as worried as you are, but it's best we keep our cool. Yelling won't let us find her any faster. You still have that picture?"

"Y-yes..." The man stammered as he dug through his pocket, producing a crumpled photo of a girl in a bright yellow shirt. He handed the picture to Lucia. "Her name's..."

"Shannon." Lucia stared down at the picture. She blinked for a few moments, as she recognized the girl in the photograph right away. Cautiously, she looked back up at the man and woman, trying to keep the look of surprise off her face.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

Zoe clapped her hands in delight, first at the cart of food Evan had provided for them, then at the novelty of a talking one-armed Gardevoir and her hungry human. Their antics were almost like a comedy act. "Nice to meet you, Sylph and Xander!" the girl said, getting up to grab some of the food from the tray before the ravenous combination of Evan, Gnip, and Xander depleted their supply. Once her second course was secured, Zoe took the Go-Goggles handing around her neck and put them up on her forehead, striking as dynamic a pose as she could with her plate full of food. "And I am Zoe Llyan! Innocent girl by day, defender of the island by night! And innocent girl by night too. And this is my sister Collie! I guess she's also my human? My human sister!" Zoe giggled as she wrapped an arm around Collie, half-hugging her, half-choking her with her enthusiasm.

 

IC: Ryan

"What the--?" Ryan's mouth dropped open as suddenly Xander and Sylph were gone. It didn't take long to find them, it was about as difficult as finding a giant landshark devouring a plate of food in the middle of a cafeteria. Ryan shook his head in disbelief. "I should have known Evan would be involved in this. He's certainly a character. And he's certainly had an influence on that Zoe." He glanced back at Dahlia, who was still standing in the middle of the doorway looking just as shocked as he was.

 

"Well," Ryan said, motioning through the door. "After you."

 

IC: Theodore and Ava Willows

Mr. Willows could hardly believe his ears. "Wh-why, yes, how did you...?" His mouth dropped open in a strange expression between surprise and pure joy.

 

His wife took a calmer approach and simply raised an eyebrow at the redheaded volunteer. "I take it you know our daughter," she said. "However, I cannot say that I know you. But the more pressing question: do you know where our Shannon is?"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

It took Colette a moment to actually register the fact that Zoe's arms were hugging her. It was only when the older sister was dragged down a bit, that she really took notice of the enthusiastic girl being there.

 

"That's true... Maybe you could go a little easy on your sister...." The aura wielder coughed out, as she awkwardly chuckled, surprised at that much enthusiasm at the scene.

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

The redhead nodded at the woman, and scratched her head. "I do. My brother helped her out while the fighting was going on, and she's at my aunt's place right now. She was hurt in the crossfire, but has been doing pretty well over the last little while. I have been helping out a bit, as has my aunt and mother, so Shannon's been doing pretty well at least." Lucia wasn't too certain how much to actually say, but figured that might help.

 

"My name is Lucia, by the way." The girl held out her hand to the two, and looked curiously between the two; she wasn't sure whether to ask for their names or not, but she at least could guess their last names, and recalled that the woman called the man Theodore not long ago.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

The two sat down, laughing at Zoe's antics. Good to meet you, Xander said. Seems like I'm meeting more and more heroes lately!

 

Sylph giggled softly. "Speaking of heroes, Xander--"

 

Right! Evan, I was wondering if you might be interested in helping me train Vixen, Ellen, and Astraea. There aren't many weaker pokémon for them to battle against, so I was thinking. What if they battle tougher pokémon who are holding back a bit?

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan paused his onslaught upon the food in front of him, laughing kindly at Xander's request. "I'd be happy to!" The Plasma Agent said jovially as Gnip continued gobbling up food. "My pokemon haven't really held back, so this would be new to them. But I'll have something else to attend to before that. Something that requires my pokemon to be in peak condition." The Hero of Space then pointed at Jenny, giving her a confident smirk. "Jenny Hakuda, I challenge you to a battle!" Evan said, adding a tinge of bravado in his voice, as he could feel all eyes face him. "Not as your boyfriend, but as your rival! I want see if you have what it takes to beat me into the ground I so cherish!"

Evan then struck as much of a pose as he could while sitting, continuing to smirk at Jenny. "Do you accept my most daunting challenge?" Evan said, making sure to sound as theatrical as he could, without drawing a lot of attention. "The choice is yours!"

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: (Jamie) - Four Island

 

Jamie had woken up and found her way to the cafeteria, conveniently on time for food. Her eyes widened and her mouth began to water at seeing the food.

 

"Well, heroes need hero-sized meals," she told herself out loud with before charging towards the food.

 

Jamie's plate had been filled with mostly nothing but pastries and sweets and that was the way it would have remained if not for the intervention of Pelleas who grabbed healthier foods and stacked them onto her plate. He'd find appropriate food for himself after making sure that Jamie had a balanced breakfast and not a glorified snack.

 

Lucan was in the midst of cannibalizing a whole ice cream sundae. Upon seeing the Vanilluxe attack the bowl, Pelleas came to the conclusion that they'd been travelling with a complete savage, who needed lessons in manners and not being a cannibal. Unfortunately, he had no idea about how to teach him manners. Fortunately, Pelleas was very experienced in not being a cannibal.

 

Then there was declaration of battle. Battles were even better than food. She was excited enough to forget that her mouth was full of food and called out.

 

"Wayg, oy whoa to wot" which roughly translates to 'Wait! I want to watch!" in English.

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe

Zoe was kind enough to release her sister from her lung-crushing hug, but she was not about to let Evan have all the fun. She swallowed her mouthful of food before standing up to resume her former pose. "Worry not, Xander, for I, the great Warrior Princess, shall accept your challenge! If it's a sparring match you want, then I shall be your opponent!" The girl's eyes glistened behind her goggles as the corner of her mouth curled into a smirk. "A word of warning: I can't promise I'll hold back."

 

IC: Theodore and Ava Willows

"Theodore Willows," the man said, hurriedly shaking Lucia's hand. "You said Shannon was hurt? What happened? Is that why she hasn't answered our calls?"

 

"Ava," the woman said with a short nod to Lucia. "Perhaps it would be best if we saw our daughter for ourselves. Would you mind taking us to her?"

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander and Sylph

 

Xander paused, looking at Zoe. Oh, um . . . I'm not sure that that's--

 

"It's a fantastic idea!" Sylph interrupted. "We'll get them trained up a bit, and the Warrior Princess will get to battle somebody with plenty of experience!"

 

Well, I guess that settles that then. Alright! After breakfast, we'll see what you've got!

 

Not exactly how he'd been expecting that to go, but he would certainly take it.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

Lucia tried to hide her hesitation, but smiled. "Alright... I'll explain on the way. Just one moment, I need to refill my water bottle." The girl said, an apologetic look on her face as she quickly made her way to the kitchen. She was quick in refilling her water, but seemed uncertain. Something seemed weird; Shannon had not mentioned her parents at all, but yet the parents didn't seem to be that bad. A bit overbearing at times, but not bad. She pushed the thoughts from her head, and walked out with a smile to the Willows, as she approached again. "Okay, I'm ready if you are."

 

Lucia led the way through the crowded Pokemon Center on the way out. She weaved through the crowd, looking back a moment or two to make sure that the Willows were still following. When the three had made it outside, Lucia began to explain what had happened; she mentioned how the girl had been hit in the shoulder by unforeseen debris, and how Ryan had insisted on her getting that looked at. She also continued on, by explaining how Shannon had gotten caught in the crossfire of an attack. She quickly added that her sister stepped in to help prevent things from getting too bad. The girl finally got a chance to stop and catch her breath when they reached the front door to the mansion.

 

"So, um, any questions?"

 

-==IC: Colette/Jenny==-

 

Colette blinked at the things that all happened randomly. She somehow managed not to jump when the Hero of... Time showed up in a flash and started to grab all the sweet food she could find. She also noticed that Evan's aura almost seemed to be able to be seen... it was still like a flicker, but, she could tell there was something there better now, even if she couldn't read it. But she was more focused on the other person. She could guess now that he was a psychic, which made her a little wary; however... he didn't seem bad. Not like that Lucario, at the least. And then there was the accent...

 

Jenny, on the other hand, was more focused on the challenge issued by Evan. "You're on." She said with a smile. "Guess we'll put that training to the test, huh? This oughta be pretty fun." She giggled, and was about to open her mouth to respond, but got cut off.

 

"Are you from Kalos?" Colette asked, as she looked at Xander with a curious look on her face. It was more of a formality than anything; the accent gave it away. But, she was curious about where he was from. She didn't think that she knew him, but she didn't want to take a chance. She tried to recall the name he was introduced by the day before, but couldn't do so, due to how cluttered that had turned out to be. She hoped that he wasn't one of the people who she made a fool of herself in front of as a kid, however.

[JiMing]

IC: Dahlia Seaton

"Quite the gentlemen, aren't you Ryan?" she said with a giggle, walking through the door. The gardener waved at those who had gathered around, and found a place to sit.

 

Dahlia was admittedly surprised at the sheer volume of food before her, but shrugged and got a plate. It wasn't really worth questioning how Evan got the buffet prepared in advance and perfectly timed it to their arrival. She sat down and released her Pokemon, who turned to the banquet and took several food items for themselves. 

The middle Seaton couldn't help but grin at the close bond Zoe shared with her sister, and the general atmosphere of the banquet was pleasant. The topic turned to battles, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "Wow, you guys seem eager to spar. Want to start off the morning strong, I suppose." Dahlia noted. "I mean if anyone wants to battle me I'll see what I can do, but that should be saved after I have a meal and such..." 

Coco looked up from the pastry she had been nibbling at the talk of battling, her eyes lighting up at that proposition. Dahlia looked over and pet the Buneary with a chuckle. "Coco's definitely up for it, though I think a few of my other Pokemon could learn a thing or two."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan/Zoe

"You won't be disappointed!" Zoe said with a grin to Xander. Then Collie recognized the man's accent, and Zoe's mouth dropped open. "Another Kalosian?" she gasped, her eyes as wide as the pancakes on her plate. "You wouldn't happen to have trained with Lucina too?" Suddenly Zoe felt like challenging this man and his one-armed Gardevoir might not have been the smartest choice in her life.

 

"Training's a good idea," Ryan said as he approached the table and took a seat with his own plate of food. He cast a cautious glance at Dahlia. While he admired her determination, he hoped she was willing to stick to Pokémon training for now. The last thing they needed was another incident like what happened on the boat. "At the same time, we don't want to overwork ourselves," he added as he took a bite of his kolache. "By the way, looks like we've got almost everyone here. Want me to send a message to Kyle to have him meet us here instead?"

 

IC: Theodore and Ava Willows

"Just one question," Theodore said. "Is our daughter going to be okay? It sounds like she got hurt pretty bad."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize and Sylph

 

Lucina? I'm not familiar with her; is she a trainer? He smiled softly, sensing the girl's sudden unease. I actually trained under Sycamore for a few years before setting out on my adventure with Sylph.

 

"Dahlia, if you want help learning your limits, let us know. I never got the chance to monitor your mind while you used the Reverse powers."

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan

Ryan tensed. "I-I'm not sure that's such a good idea..." He stared down at his plate, aware of the eyes focused on him for shooting down the idea of Dahlia training. He shifted uncomfortably. "A-at least... not right away."