Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Landorus, Guardian Of The Fields


Landorus flew gently to a forest, his mind utterly focused on his task. Once there, the strong pokemon started digging a hole, hoping to make one deep enough for the deceased Serperior. As he dug, he noticed that the denizens of this forest had started to aid him with his grave digging, many of them grass-types. The Abundance pokemon could tell that they knew who he was, that their volunteering was to honor the sacred bond that he shared with them.

When a deep enough hole was made, Landorus gently laid Kamina's body into it, a soft look in his eyes. He noticed that those who had helped him out, had hung around, possibly hoping for him to give some heartfelt words for the fallen. Not wishing to disappoint those who had helped him, the Abundance pokemon growled gently about the fragility of life, of how the Serperior would be missed by all, but most importantly how he wasn't truly gone. That he would live on through the land, adding his own energy to the cycle of life, as it was meant to be. When all was said, the pokemon and Landorus covered up the grave, after which, his undertaker broke the branch off a nearby tree, and stabbed it near the grave, a solemen look upon his face. Nodding in appreciation to the pokemon who had helped, he flew away.....


IC: Evan Tierra

Along the way, Evan had given the grievously wounded Pidgeot to the Keturi Pokemon Center, stating that he had found it in that state, and urged them to take care of it. While surprised at the damage that had been done, the Nurse stated they had the capabilities to deal with such an injury, and told him not to worry. That weight off his mind, he remained silent most of the way, waving at Landorus before returning him to his poke ball. He then decided that he had to get the conclusion of Colette's story......

"Hey, Aura Princess, mind me tagging along?" Evan called out, smiling a bit as he tried to catch up to Colette. "I could use some good vibes right now, and I am sure you are just the person whose got some in store!"

[Parugi]

IC - Kyle Eston/Sonja Baron/Levi Alaric - Cafeteria, The Alamo:

 

A lot of time had passed. A lot of things had happened. It was clear from Kyle's expression and the pale color in his face that whatever had transpired while everyone else had been gone had not been good. To his credit, he had hid it well enough that Ellen and Levi had not noticed anything amiss. As soon as Paul asked, however, Kyle couldn't help but shake a little, barely managing to pull his focus away from the computer screen for long enough to acknowledge Paul and Sonja's return.

 

"Are you okay?" Sonja asked. Kyle could only shake his head with a forced smile. "What's wrong?"

 

"Nothing good," he said at last. "I mean, everything went wrong." Just then, his Pokétch buzzed with a message from Ryan. Kyle took a moment to reply in the affirmative, before setting his messaging device down and taking a deep breath to steady himself. "I think this mission was a really bad idea."

 

The explanatory summary that followed, all the way up to the loss of Goldhawk's feed and the subsequent blaze that engulfed him, certainly seemed to support his opinion.

 

 

IC - All Squads - Goldhawk/Sleight/Jackson Sang/Esen Windred/Skye Hall vs.

Chimerape (x2)/Terminite/Maniakoll/Maulice/Fraygrins/Ireknight (x2)/Devagore (x2)/Dramalgon (x2)/Driprown (x2)/Leopyred (x4)/Samurloch - Kotahi Village, Beach:

 

An Ireknight found itself hurtling through the air from Lafoyae's Focus Blast. It crashed back into the beach, its armor pitted and singed from the force of the attack. As it rose back to its feet, the second Ireknight and a newly-dispatched Cerebeuron approached from behind it. While its allies came to its aid, the first Ireknight aimed its lance at Lafoyae, steeling itself and launching toward her with incredible speed, aiming to impale her through the midsection. It glowed with energy, signaling an increase in speed from its attack.

 

 

Despite some resistance, Jamie's tug launched the Maniakoll back into the air toward her. Instead of attacking this time, however, the Normal-Type Instance wrapped its arms around itself. A mark made of energy materialized in front of it, similar in shape to a "13". It appeared to focus this on Jamie, and a moment later, a similar shape appeared on her breastplate. Almost immediately, two of the newly-summoned Leopyred shifted course toward her, as well as the previously-summoned Chimerape, peppering the field around the Steel-Type Power Suit with fire and earth attacks in a group effort to destroy her.

 

On the plus side, the Maniakoll was now in attacking range.

 

 

Richard's attack knocked the first Devagore to the ground. It crashed into the sand, immediately emoting what could only be described as tears at the Water-Type Power Suit. Meanwhile, its Nasty Plot hatched in its mind, and the second Devagore approached from behind Richard, charging a Night Daze attack.

 

 

 

"This is Executive Aaron speaking. Do not press the advantage. We have at least five people badly injured; we need to use this opportunity to retreat while we still can. I also need someone who can heal poison to assist Dack Majors."

 

"Valley Watch, follow that order. Provide covering fire as you are able."

 

The force of (and surprise of being hit by) Skye's Signal Beam knocked the Fraygrins off balance, giving Sang enough time to turn his full attention to the Terminite. He dug his feet into the bottom of its carapace, and with a yell, kicked off, sending the Bug-Type Instance flying into the Grass-Type. He breathed heavily, holding an arm out to block Skye from advancing. "Fall back."

 

"But . . ." She shook her head. "Yeah, no, okay." As the two Instances struggled to get back up, she held her hands out, tucking her middle two fingers in on each hand. A spray of webs washed over the Instances, slowly but surely cocooning them and slowing them down. She offered Sang an unseen smirk when she was finished.

 

"Nice," he said. The assassin pointed to a spot further up the beach. "Your friends are up there. Let's go."

 

Skye followed him up the beach, skidding to a stop where Esen and Lucia were standing. If she had not heard the fighting over the comms, she would never have guessed that Esen's suit had been damaged--Lucia's healing module had done an excellent job of repairing the damage. Still, there was little cause for celebration. From the looks of it, at least three suits were down for the count, even more were on their way there, and Executive Aaron had ordered a retreat. Even with the sudden appearance (evolution?) of three new . . . Pokémon? They had to be Pokémon. They were turning the tide, but not enough.

 

The question was--

 

"What do we do?" Skye asked.

 

Esen remained silent, scanning the battlefield. Sang shook his head. "Our best bet is just getting back to the helicopters," he said. "Evacuations should be close enough to finishing that they can handle the rest on their own. Besides that, we got what we came for."

 

"We can't just leave," Esen replied. "We've got two people down that we need to extract and multiple suits afflicted with damage." She chewed her lip, and then pressed her comm button. "Executive Aaron, Essence Ponder is acknowledging your order. I'm sending the Grass-Type and Bug-Type Suits to assist with retreat of the injured."

 

"Wait, what?" Skye looked from Esen to the Instances dotting the beach. "You aren't coming with us?"

 

"Goldhawk and the Willows need to be secured," Esen said. "Our new allies can hold off the samurai and the other Instances while the rest of us work on retrieving our fallen agents. But you two--" She glanced between Skye and Lucia. "--would be better-used helping the others get out of here. Aromatherapy should be able to heal whoever is poisoned, and then you two can focus on defense with Aaron."

 

"What about you and me?" Sang looked elsewhere. "And everyone else you aren't sending away?"

 

"I need you to focus on getting Ava and Theodore out of here," Esen replied. "I'm going to grab the Ice-Type Suit."

 

"And?"

 

"And we're going to get Goldhawk." Esen couldn't quite hide the exasperation in her voice. "I figure between our equipment, we should be able to get in and out in a flash. Now go--we don't have anymore time to waste."

 

She sent out Krow, hopping onto the Honchkrow's back and taking off. Sang watched her go, before nodding at Skye and Lucia. Without a word, he took off in the direction of Ava and Theodore. Skye, meanwhile, hesitated for only a moment before beginning the trek toward Jayron, Dack, and Madison's position.

 

 

Esen clicked her comm. "Flying-Type to Ice-Type Suit. What's your position?"

 

 

Whether because of Amanda's survival or Magenezone's arrival coupled with its transformation, the Dramalgon did not appear to be equipped to deal with the Zap Cannon. It screamed with pain, falling to its knees but not quite to the point of destruction. Behind it, the second Dramalgon approached, loosing its own screech as it directed a Dragon Pulse at Amanda and Magnezone.

 

 

 

Samurloch vs. Lancelot/James and Tyranitar/Ryan

 

A column of fire, twenty feet tall. A torrent of heat erupting in every direction. The sadistic pleasure of pain unto others, amplified by the screams of agony from the man caught within the flames. Sand crackled and popped at his feet, and at those of the samurai. Specks of glass glittered in the sun, super-heated in an instant and mixing amongst the grains. The samurai grinned. Only when Goldhawk's screams stopped, bringing an end to one source of bliss, did Samurloch clench his fist, ending the personal Ragnarok he had unleashed upon Team Liberty's golden bird.

 

The flames dispersed, smoke clearing and giving way to an unimpeded view of Goldhawk. His suit had turned from a glittering yellow to a burnt gold, completely devoid of the polished sheen it had boasted not but a minute ago. For a second or two, he remained standing--whether out of sheer willpower or because he was too stunned, too injured to register the blinding numbness in his body that demanded death, was unclear. Soon enough, however, he fell, first to his knees and then on his stomach, the LED eyes on his helmet black and lifeless. Was it the same for the man inside the suit, or did he yet linger?

 

This, Samurloch intended to decide for himself. The samurai strode toward his target, a ghastly grin returning to his mask. The suit moved--barely. It shifted with labored breaths, minuscule adjustments that indicated that something remained within. Samurloch stood now beside the fallen man. He flipped his sword around in his hand, shifting it into a reverse grip. With his boot, he kicked Goldhawk over onto his back, exposing the faceless helmet of his prey.

 

Samurloch clicked his tongue. "Disappointing."

 

He raised his sword.

 

A blinding light erupted in the distance. At first, the samurai ignored it. But when two of his Instances fell within seconds of each other, he could not justify ignorance. It was fortunate that he turned when he did. His eyes shifted, a clear display of his confusion, as a red creature shot toward him like a bullet. It wielded its own blade, one composed of light and energy, and it had used this weapon to quickly and effortlessly fell the Cerebeuron and Plite meant to destroy the enemy snipers. Now, it had turned its attention to him.

 

He lifted his own sword just in time to block the attack, though could not halt the force that pushed him back almost a dozen steps from Goldhawk's body. Now he was face to face with the entity, and it enraged Samurloch to realize that he did not recognize his foe. This creature, so much like a Scizor bearing a version of his own armor and yet still something entirely different, pushed off, landing across from him in the sand. The two warriors glared at each other from across the field, both of their armor shining like bloody diamonds in the sun.

 

Samurloch swung his sword back around in his hand, clenching it with both fists. "No human . . ." he growled, giving but a glance to James atop the distant roof. "A Pokémon . . .? Impossible . . ." Flames erupted from his sword. "Destroy you all the same."

 

The samurai raised his sword to attack, only to cover his eyes as another light erupted behind the Scizor. When it faded, another creature had appeared--this one like a Tyranitar. Samurloch grit his teeth. What is this . . .?

 

He swung his blade as a Stone Edge shot toward him, deflecting the attack. Despite his own type advantage, he noted the force behind the attack with some degree of respect for his opponent. But that was no matter. As the pseudo-Scizor and pseudo-Tyranitar approached, Samurloch spun his sword around, before pointing it at his opponents. Flames erupted from it, splitting off into two streams that pursued each of his opponents.

 

 

OOC:

Missing Zero: Summon x6 > Cerebeuron x1, Venophage x1, Leopyred x4

Ireknight 1: Sturdy > Survive Focus Blast; Skate Joust > Lafoyae (+1 Speed)

Maniakoll: Unlucky Number > Jamie > Directed help: Leopyred (Flamethrower), Leopyred (Incinerate), Chimerape (Mud Bomb), Chimerape (Bone Rush)

Devagore 1: Nasty Plot > Self; Fake Tears > Richard

Devagore 2: Night Daze (hold)

Dramalgon 1: Stunned

Dramalgon 2: Dragon Pulse > Amanda/Magnezone

Samurloch: Flamethrower > Lancelot, Tyranitar

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Butler - Old Chateau
 
The butler nodded slowly upon hearing the reply of the four trainers. "Very well then," he said and stepped through the open door.
 
The group of confused trainers, reluctantly or not, followed the butler out of the room. Waiting for them outside were a line of maids waiting on either side of the hall.
 
"It is good to be fully staffed again after so long," the butler mused as he walked past the line, maids curtsying as the group passed. "I do have to thank the clown for helping us with that."
 
They walked down a large corridor, the well kept condition of the room belying the image of a ruined mansion they had seen before falling asleep.
 
What appeared to be halfway through the hall, they saw a great door as tall as the large corridor they were in. As they approached the door, the group noticed that the building was shaking. Rhythmically. In a consistent pattern.
 
They hardly had time to process this as the butler spoke once again. "The party is in the grand ballroom, through these doors. To be honest, I don't know what the clown expects of you. Keep an... open mind," he said with hesitation as he opened the door.
 
 
 
IC: The Party
 
There's was plenty to take as the group stepped through the door. 
 
What they might have might have taken in was first the disco theme that was being played might have taken their notice. Or maybe the three massive orange speakers with faces and electric plasma extending from each of them in the back of the room playing the music. Bouncing up and down to the beat of the very song they were playing. The combined noise causing the same shaking they had felt on the outside of the room.
 
Otherwise they might noticed a strange Chandelure spinning from the ceiling. It's shiny, mirrored appearance casting patterns of light all over the the otherwise darkened room.
 
Perhaps the columns of ghostly wisps descending around the center stage would be the first. Wisps, spirits, ghouls and Ghost Pokemon of every kind responded to the music, seeking partners among themselves. All socializing, dancing, talking and plotting.
 
Or maybe the grand box that overlooked the grand ballroom, with a young woman in a fine dress, laughing heartily at the grand display might have been the first thing they saw, the exuberance contrasting her pale appearance.
 
But what they probably noticed first, was the grand stage that towered over them in the center of the room. The raised platform's extravagant decoration only matched by its size. On top of it, the total center of attention, with spotlights providing illumination dwarfing the Chandelure's soft light, was a man with a massive red and white afro dancing wildly, standing behind a purple plumed bird and flanked by two Ludicolo. The ghosts descended according to their combined dance. Ghouls would rise in response to their groove and spirits sauntered in to their swingin'.
 
"Stop the music," he called as the trainers entered the room, stopping his feverish dancing, shocking his ghostly audience and the Rotoms screeched the music to a halt. 
 
"What?" the girl called from the stand, the butler suddenly by her side, despite the trainers not seeing him move. "Why are you stopping?" he called to which the afro'd man held up a hand asking for patience.
 
With all eyes on him, he pointed towards the group of trainers at the door with his other hand. "Ladies and gentleghosts, I present to you all tonight's main event!" he called and a spotlight lit up the group of trainers and a staircase was rolled out before them, giving them a way up to stage.
 
"Welcome darlings to our grand party!" he called to the trainers below. "I hope you don't mind that we started without you, but I had to help this crowd work up their ectoplasmal perspiration. I am your host, the star of our little show, the elegant Miror B!"

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: Jam with Minun.

 

-==IC: Taylor/Claus==-

 

“Someone?” Claus asked vaguely curious. “What was he like?”

 

“Hmm, I’m not honestly too sure.” The girl scratched her head as she tried to think about the man. “He overheard me when I was talking about Four Island while I was back elsewhere. He asked me about it and I gave him some info. I think he said he was from Alola?”

 

“Alola?” Claus asked with a bit of incredulity, as the Diglett practiced near underfoot. “Haven’t met anyone from there before. Doesn’t sound like he’s from Liberty, either. Did he say why he was coming here?”

 

“He said he had business with Liberty, but wouldn’t tell me anything else.” Taylor appeared perplexed, however, as she struggled to recall something.

 

“Well that’s certainly not suspicious,” Claus said sarcastically. “You let him go with you? Not saying it was a terrible idea, but why did you agree to go together?”

 

“I… don’t know.” The girl’s face fell into a frown as she wore a puzzled look. “I remember agreeing, but for the life of me, I can’t remember why.”

 

Claus raised a hand and opened his mouth but all that fell out was, “Uhhh….”

[Metal Gear Minun]

IC: Full Moon

 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lohe said walking over to Jenny. “Glad you at least had a good time with her though. What’s she like?” he asked as he offered a hand towards Jenny.

 

“She’s pretty fun. There were some things that got her upset today, so I followed her and talked for a while. I haven’t actually talked with her since she got back home, she was supposed to have a discussion with her sister about things. I hope that turned out well.” Jenny giggled slightly as she took Lohe’s hand to stand up. She felt like a walk would be good after sitting for so long too, but continued to talk.

 

“But really, she’s fun. She’s just as energetic as me, if not moreso, and is really creative. I actually used that to my advantage to cheer her up earlier, too!”

 

“Heh,” Lohe let out a soft chuckle as he pictured it. “Sounds like more energy than I can deal with. I’m not what you’d call a ‘high energy’ kind of guy, even at the best of times.” He was looking right towards Jenny now. “Is she about your age?”

 

“Nah, she’s a lot younger.” Jenny chuckled at the thought. “I think I’ve become her honorary big sister, though. It’s a nice feeling really! I feel like I’m older than a lot of people here that I’ve met, though sometimes it’s the other way around. . . I can’t really tell sometimes.”

 

Lohe nodded, “Yeah, I understand the feeling. Sometimes you can feel like the oldest person in the room, sometimes you feel like the child. Speaking of,” he paused for a moment, “tell that girl to enjoy her youth while she has it. Children are so full of imagination, make sure she cherishes it.”

 

The woman giggled as she nodded. “That’s a good point, honestly! I agree wholeheartedly, though I think she already knows to cherish it. The amount of games and imaginary stuff she can think of rivals me! Like for instance, earlier when we finally left the forest, we pretended that it was home to vampires!”

 

“Vampires?” Lohe responded with an amused look on  his face. “Oh, this I gotta hear about,” he said leaning back on a tree.

 

“Yeah, we started by having her pretend to be a vampire queen, and then she tackled me and taught me to be wary going into the woods in case there were any!”

 

Lohe laughed slightly once more, “That’s funny.”

 

“Huh? What’s funny?” Jenny tilted her head in confusion as she glanced at Lohe to make eye contact.

 

“You didn’t learn your lesson.”

 

Jenny’s eyes widened for only the briefest of moments. She couldn’t move, she felt completely was frozen in place. She couldn’t yell. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t even form coherent thoughts. Across from her, Lohe’s eyes glowed blood red, the full moon clearly reflected in them. She stumbled but didn’t fall to the ground.

 

“There you go, stay in that trance,” Lohe said as he caught the uneasy girl. “Just stay like that, I promise you won’t feel a thing.”

 

Lohe fished around in his coat pocket and pulled out a first-aid kit. From it, he pulled out disinfecting rubbing alcohol from the kit, as well as a roll of bandages. He rolled up Jenny’s sleeve and opened the bottle of disinfectant. He applied the alcohol to Jenny’s arm with an experienced arm.

 

“I’ll make it up to ya later. You’re gonna feel hungry after this. I’ll buy you lunch tomorrow. I’d advise something full of sugar,” he said as he faced her directly in her eyes again. His eyes glew again as he added, “You’ll remember that I promised to pay tomorrow right? I pay when I can.”

 

Lohe stroked his stubble as he considered what the story should be. “Alright, if anyone must know, you were attacked by a wild Pokemon and I helped fight it off. Otherwise, keep your lips about this whole next bit, will you please,” he asked both rhetorically and sarcastically as he kept his glowing eyes fixed in her own.

 

He placed the rubbing alcohol back in his kit and placed a hand on her forehead. She had begun to dream in her trance. The seasoning had been prepared. The meal was ready. He opened his mouth and let an ethereal stream come from her head and trickle into his mouth.

 

“Well, thank you for the meal,” he said politely and sank his teeth into her shoulder.

 

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Lafoyae Belrose

She could see the knightly Instance zoom towards her, lance aimed for her midsection. The Assassin considered her options: take the attack and use Counter or take a page from her worthy foe's book. Opting for the latter, she ran the Detect protocol in her suit, and readied a Mach Punch, after her defensive measure took effect. She had heard the call for a retreat, and saw more Instances appear, but she couldn't leave such a sped up foe alive, lest it snipe the group while they were trying to run....

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

"I'm up for that." Something gave Chloe an oddly bad feeling about the idea, but she couldn't actually find a flaw in any reasoning, so she shrugged. "I'll head back when I can."

 

The young woman gave a smile before she headed off with Sylph, hoping that her being outside her Pokeball with that injury wasn't causing issues.

 

-==IC: Ray==-

 

As Ray heard the call for retreat and saw the Dramalgon approach, he began to head back toward the city.  As he ran, he heard his comm link buzz to life.

 

"I'm at about the middle of the field, Esen. I'm retreating back toward the city, we're beginning to be overwhelmed here. What's your position?"

 

-==IC: Lucia==-

 

"But--" Lucia began to protest the order with a desperate look on her face that was hidden by her visor. She stole a glance back toward Jamie and grit her teeth as she quickly ran toward where Dack and Madison were, hoping she could get back to help Jamie after quickly healing up who was needed.

 

"Jamie, stay safe! Retreat if needed!" She called out over a comm link to the Heroine of Time. As she approached the two suits in question, she was shocked to find the damage to the Ghost suit. Lucia quickly activated the suit healing function before she activated Aromatherapy on Dack to try and heal him. However, her true wish was made clear as she kept stealing looks over to where Jamie was fighting.

 

-==IC: Ryan==-

 

"Press the attack! Stone Edge again!" Ryan called out as he decided not to question how this was possible. If Tyranitar could use his powers again, then so be it. The Mega Pokemon roared out as he summoned a stone to block the flames as best as possible. The Tyranitar was still affected, but timed the launching of the Stone Edge to best counter the Samurloch's attack.

 

"Wrath! I don't know how you returned, but I'm not going to let you just get away with this!" Ryan didn't know if the Samurloch could hear him through the suit, but he didn't care. He approached cautiously to stay out of the way of the two Pokemon that were also fighting, but then used the Embargo and Torment protocols on Samurloch, to try and force an advantage to their side.

 

-==IC: Cassie==-

 

The headlights nearly blinded Cassie compared to the darkness of the night. She shielded her eyes, thinking that she had been caught by officers that had circled around back.

 

". . . Cassie? What is going on?" The familiar voice caught the woman's attention however. She squinted through the bright light as the driver's door opened. As the man stepped out, Cassie finally recognized him as her investigator friend, Mac. She ran to the car despite her legs beginning to feel like jelly, and grabbed onto the side of the door.

 

"Sh-she's dead. He killed her. He killed her." The reality of the situation was starting to sink in as she spoke much louder than intended. She barely noticed the nod from Mac as he walked around and gently helped her into the passenger's seat. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a Gardevoir as they began to pull away.

 

"Well, this is a fine mess. . ." Mac sighed, as he glanced over at the quiet and unresponsive Cassie. He noticed she had fallen asleep yet still wore a troubled look on her face. "I hope ya have a plan here, 'cause this sure doesn't feel like the last time we looked into stuff."

 

----

 

Jumbled thoughts, clouded minds. People running, people laughing.

 

Happy children, wailing children. Hidden in sight, spotted in hiding.

 

A loving chill, a chilling love. Triumphant times, traumatic times.

 

An excited fever.

 

A sickly fever.

 

People loved.

 

People lost.

 

Cassie looked up.

 

----

 

"STACY!" The woman cried out as she suddenly sat up, wide awake. She breathed rapidly as she looked around with wide eyes. She slowly calmed down as alarm turned to confusion. Cassie rubbed her eyes as she struggled to understand where she currently was. The last she remembered was a car. . .

 

"Awake, are ya?" Cassie scrambled to look behind her as Mac yawned in the doorway. "Sounds like ya had a rough night there. I recommend some tea. Always helps me out when I have nightmares." The woman furrowed her brow and looked down. She noticed a chair that had clattered to the ground and that she was still wearing what she had on the night before.

 

"Where are we? What happened to the police?" She saw the man shrug at the second question.

 

"We're in Saffron. It should keep them busy long enough - they likely will expect that you're still somewhere around Celadon for a day or two. We should do our best to try and keep a low profile, though. Maybe hole up somewhere else after a while." Cassie tuned out after the first couple of sentences, as the gears in her head started to turn. Had Patrick mentioned that this was the start? Was he going to try to kill someone else?

 

"I need to warn Lucia..." The woman mumbled feverishly as she grabbed her Pokegear and rapidly and unsteadily dialed the number for her daughter. After a few rings, there was no answer. Panicking slightly, she tried again - same result. "Lucia, please, answer..."

 

"Why don't ya try a different approach? Didn't ya mention that black haired kid of yours was traveling with your daughter? Ya should try him instead." Mac sighed as he watched the woman rapidly type out a message that, when he looked, seemed only half coherent. He noted that the main message of "Is your sister okay" at least was legible. "Ya should take it easy and get cleaned up. I'll try and fetch a change of clothes, but no guarantees it'll fit. Should work until those can be cleaned though."

 

Cassie nodded absentmindedly, but stared at her phone.

 

Why won't you answer. . .?

Edited November 2, 2017 by Blessed Blade

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Medical Wing, The Alamo

After handing their poached Pokémon to Lachina, clinging to the confidence that the Ranger would be able to manage them all on her own, the trio headed down the winding halls that led to the Alamo's medical wing. Dahlia remained perched atop her Absol, the two boys flanking her on either side with the vigilance of retainers sworn to protect their darling princess from the evil clutches of gravity. The humble gardener failed to hide her embarrassment at the noble procession, especially when their conspicuous presence garnered the curious eyes of passerby.

 

Ryan noticed her flush and promptly ignored it. He had seen her and Jared talking on the way to the Alamo, and he knew there had to be a reason Jared had requested him specifically to accompany them to the medical wing. Even now the aura wielder was probably scanning his surface-level emotions, and so Ryan made a conscious effort to push Dahlia as far away from his mind as possible. It was a task far easier said than done when she was sitting right next to him burning in silent humility. Still, he managed to distract himself with thoughts of their upcoming missions.

 

At one time Team Liberty would have given anything for the location of Ford's base. They probably still would, and it felt simultaneously surreal and exhilarating to think that he would soon be surveying that very base without the knowledge of the narrow-minded higher-ups. Of course if they managed to find the tome they sought, they would still need to seek the help of the very group that had kidnapped and tortured not only Kyle but countless Kalosian Pokémon. Which through some great irony tied back to Team Liberty. There was clearly some key element he was missing here and it infuriated him to feel so close to fitting all the pieces together and yet so far away.

 

He was pulled from his thoughts as they reached the doors to the far-too-familiar lobby of the medical wing. How many times had he been here in the past month alone? With instinctive steps formed by recent habit Ryan strode up to the front desk to speak with the receptionist. "Hi, um, my friend here has just been shot."

 

The receptionist cast a scrutinous eye on Dahlia before handing Ryan a clipboard containing a sizable amount of paperwork. "Fill this out and a doctor will call her back as soon as possible. Expect a wait time of over an hour."

 

Ryan couldn't believe his ears. "I don't think you understand. Dahlia's been shot. She needs immediate medical attention."

 

The receptionist gave him a bored look, as if she was used to dealing with overdramatic patients. "She's not bleeding to death, I'm sure an hour of paperwork won't kill her. We've got far more pressing matters to attend to."

 

"More pressing-- There's no one else here!" Ryan made an exasperated motion toward the empty waiting room.

 

"Not yet, there isn't." The receptionist regarded Ryan with a thin frown. "But our entire medical staff is currently on call to prepare for the arrival of a number of patients, and if recent reports are to be believed they are in far more critical condition than your friend there. So unless your friend is in immediate danger of death or permanent injury, she will have to wait until a doctor is able to see her."

 

In a huff of anger Ryan snatched the clipboard off the desk and walked back over to Dahlia and Jared. "Unbelievable," he muttered. "If we hadn't patched you up they would've seen you right away but now they're making us wait."

 

"I'll be fine." Dahlia offered him an assuring smile which turned into a wince as she tried to climb down from her Absol. She gratefully accepted Jared's help, then recalled her Pokémon before moving to the nearest seat.

 

"At least they gave you something to keep you busy." Ryan took a seat next to her and handed her the clipboard. "Mindnumbingly busy."

 

The stack of paperwork made Dahlia pale. "Well, if all else fails," she said with a glance between Ryan and Jared. "At least I've got the two of you to keep me company."

 

 

IC: Dack Majors/Madison Morrow - Kotahi Village, Streets

A wave of fresh-scented relief washed over Dack as the Grass Suit user silently healed each of their afflictions. The poison was expunged from his body, freeing him from his immediate afflictions. Unfortunately the Aromatherapy couldn't undo the damage that had already been done, which left him feeling frustratingly weak, like the tail end of a bad illness. Madison looked far better than he felt, the black scorch marks on her suit vanishing before his eyes, but she failed to hide her fatigue upon voicing her thanks.

 

The Grass Suit user, whom Dack recognized as one of Ethan and Gavin's friends, regarded the couple with . . . not quite irritation, but more a distracted indifference, as if the two were barely worth her time. "Thanks for that," Dack said, narrowing his eyes at Lucia's apparent eagerness to be elsewhere.

 

"We're heading back to the choppers," Madison explained. "You should come with us; we could certainly use your help if any Instances manage to catch up."

 

"They're calling a tactical retreat." Dack continued to peer at the healer. "Whoever you're worried about should be close behind us, but we need to keep moving."

 

 

IC: Jayron Aaron - Kotahi Village, Beach

Making use of his Dragon Dance-boosted speed, Jayron charged back into the fray to Amanda's aid. Not that it looked like she needed it with her Magnezone (at least, he thought it was a Magnezone) crackling with an energy that still eluded most Pokémon, but after what had happened with Dack and Madison Jayron couldn't be too careful.

 

A second Dramalgon had joined the fight while he'd been distracted, and with the first one stunned it was the second that Jayron turned his sights to. His legs pumped with energy as he activated his Dragon Rush technique. The previous Dramalgon had swallowed psychic and ice attacks like they were nothing, so he couldn't say how well his attack would work, but he hoped at the very least to blindside the cooing creature.

 

OOC:

Dack: Healed from Poison

Jayron (+1 Atk, +1 Spd): Dragon Rush -> Dramalgon 2

[MELON LORD]

IC: Ruth Fishers

 

Ruth could only stare in mute horror at the display before her. Did these people not know that disco was dead?

 

The man with the afro seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. Everything here seemed so surreal. She put a hand to her head. "What's going on here?"

 

IC: Jared Winters

 

The silver-haired trainer sighed as he sat with Dahlia. "So, any thoughts on missions? Either the one we just finished or the one coming up?" He worried at his lip, concerned. "I know Xander made me one of the leaders, but how do you guys feel about that?"

 

IC: Sylph

 

Sylph began walking towards the Center, casting a glance at Chloe as she did so. "Are you alright?" In spite of everything else, Sylph's eyes showed nothing but concern for the psychic woman. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now, but I'm here if you want to talk about it."

 

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

Herding fourteen Pokémon to the daycare was easier than she'd imagined. Most of them were sticking together for fear of their unfamiliar surroundings. With a small smile, Lachina walked into the building. She could see the attendant's eyes widen, and she stepped up. "Hi, um, we messaged earlier. Or, I hope we did. We found a bunch of Pokémon in need of a place to stay."

 

IC: Xander Cruize

 

Xander made his way through the halls carefully, knowing how easy it was to get turned around in this place. Hesitantly he raised a hand and knocked on the door of the office. There was a brief pause, then the door opened. Richie Eston stood there, smiling. "Agent Cruize, excellent timing. Come in. Have a seat, son."

 

“Please don’t call me son.” Xander winced as he stepped in and sat. The Executive of Investigations closed and locked the door before sitting in his own chair.

 

“Sorry. Do you mind if I call you Xander, then?” Richie smiled warmly, folding his hands on the desk.

 

“Yeah, that’s fine. It’s what everyone calls me.” The fluorescent light was just a bit too bright. Xander could feel his head starting to throb.

 

“Do you know why I called you in here, Xander?”

 

“I mean, not really. Does it have to do with the cafeteria?” Xander looked aside as he said it. In retrospect, he had been a bit harsh with Kyle.

 

“That’s right. You were asking Kyle about the Signs, weren’t you?”

 

“Yes,” Xander admitted. “There’s a mission in Kalos that starts tomorrow, and I need my team to have as much information as possible.”

 

“Well, that information is on a need-to-know basis, and I don’t think you need to concern yourself with it.” Richie typed something on his computer and nodded. “The Signs are too dangerous for you to be dealing with.”
 

“All due respect, sir, that’s why I was asking about them. The mission is to look into Team Flare, but we’ve been informed that the Signs are also acting out of Kalos, among other things.”

 

“Keep your team away from them, son--”

 

“I’m not your son.” The words left his mouth before he could stop them. Xander scowled, looking away. Richie sighed.

 

“Agent Cruize, you seem . . . distracted.”

 

“It’s been a long day,” Xander said with a shrug. “I’ve got a killer headache.”

 

“Does that have anything to do with the blood on your hands?”

 

Xander looked down. Sure enough, his hands were fairly covered in dried blood. Sylph’s, Kamina’s, Dahlia’s, his. He curled them into fists. “No, sir.”

 

“Then what made today a ‘long day’ for you?”

 

“Some friends and I went down to Keturi city.”

 

“What did you do there?”

 

“That’s none of your business.”

 

“On the contrary. I’m the Director of Investigations, remember? Tell me what happened.”

 

“Nothing. We shopped, then came back here.”

 

Richie said nothing for a moment, then sighed. “Xander, I’m only trying to help you.”

 

“Then tell me about the Signs.”

 

“They’re monsters who kidnapped and tortured one of Team Liberty’s agents. I don’t want that happening to you and your friends.”

 

“My team can take care of themselves, and so can I. We’ve been in a few situations, Executive.” His head was really starting to ache now.

 

“I don’t doubt you have, but all it takes is one mistake.”

 

“We just need to know enough about them that my team can avoid them.”

 

“If we give you even that much information, you become potential targets.”

 

“Then just tell me--”

 

“No--”

 

Xander kept talking. “So I can know where they need to stay away from, I’ll take the risk--”

 

“We don’t want our agents taking risks like this. We prefer you alive, son, and I--”

 

Xander jumped up, slamming his hands onto the desk as his chair toppled backwards. ”Your son isn’t in here right now, I am!”

 

Richie looked at him sternly. “Get some rest, Xander. Consider that an order from the Commanders.”

 

Shaking, Xander turned and fled through the door.

Edited November 4, 2017 by MELON LORD

[Flipz]

OOC: Dragon Rush autohit granted.

 

IC: Amanda Zarth

 

Amanda and her Magnezone saw the attack coming, but it failed to phase them. As the dragon-shaped wave of energy washed toward them, Amanda launched herself into the air in perfect synchronization with the Magnezone, latching onto the Steel-type Pokémon and letting it fly her over the attack. The pair turned--the wave had washed up into the air and began a slow bank back around toward them. Amanda glanced at Jayron--his move was bringing him in X direction with Y velocity, and upon impact with a creature of roughly Z mass would cause B knockback in C direction--

 

She patted the Magnezone's core twice with her free hand. The Pokémon began backing up, moving closer and closer to the stunned Dramalgon...

 

Here.

 

She patted the creature again and dropped down to the ground, signaling the creature to fly into the sky and spread out its nodes so as to disengage the Dragon Pulse's target, leaving the full focus on herself.

 

3...2...1...

 

The wave was inches away. The attack was surely going to hit and demolish her, as she just stood there--

 

Until she wasn't. At the same instant, Jayron's Dragon Rush connected, throwing the second Dramalgon into the Dragon Pulse's path as well...

 

---------------

 

Amanda appeared, by coincidence, next to the Willows, her eyes blazing with amethyst light. For the first time, she noted that the two allied combatants seemed to be down. 'Keeping the Power Suits out of Missing Zero's hands has to remain the highest priority,' Silvermind had stated. "Remain here," she mentally ordered her Magnezone, before grabbing the two suits' shoulders, this time activating her suit's power to Teleport the three of them away.

 

---------------

 

While awaiting Amanda's return, Magnezone turned its attention to the yet-unengaged Instances approaching the battlefield. While it was in no way prepared to battle all of them, it did not have to. Using its newly-returned power to Lock On to a large cluster of cords (including those of the most recently summoned Instances) from above, it launched another Zap Cannon to sever as many of them as possible.

 

---------------

 

Amanda and her passengers materialized in the passenger compartment of Echo Order, to the surprise and consternation of the pilots. "Start the engines," she ordered, unaware of the existing retreat order, "the need for retreat appears imminent."

 

"No duh," the copilot grumbled, "when even flipping Goldhawk is down..."

 

Amanda's eyes widened with surprise. "What??" The death of General Goldhawk would result in increased instability in the Kanto regions, which is detrimental given their position on the front lines, particularly given the threat that Missing Zero represents. Additionally, the reduction in Plasma confidence would--

 

Another thought overrode her momentary panic. 'Keeping the Power Suits out of Missing Zero's hands has to remain the highest priority,' She nodded to herself. Even if Goldhawk had perished, there was one protocol she could still use to prevent further complications...

 

She vanished, leaving the pilots alone with the two Willows warriors.

 

 

OOC:

Amanda (+4 Def, +2 SAtk, +4 SDef, +2 Speed, 1 HP): Teleport (Psionic) to cause Dragon Pulse->both Dramalgon, Teleport (suit) both Willows to helicopters, ??? (action next Round)

Magnezone: Lock-On->newest Instances' cords, Zap Cannon->newest Instances' cords (prioritizing Venophage)

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Medical Wing, The Alamo

"I think you'll make a fine leader," Dahlia said warmly. "You're quick on your feet, your fighting skills are phenomenal, and you're an excellent teacher. And if things do start to go out of control, you know the rest of us will be there to help you. That trust is what will lead us to success." Her eyes met his and seemed to convey some hidden meaning that was entirely lost on Ryan.

 

The Liberty agent chewed his lip and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. This was the very same confidence Dahlia had given to him back on the boat after McKinley had taken Ray. So how could such encouraging words feel like daggers when they weren't even directed at him? Deep down he knew the answer, and he brashly brushed the thought aside.

 

"You need to work on that trust." Ryan looked over at Jared in a cold soberness. "I saw you fighting in Keturi -- you took out three guards by yourself while the rest of us struggled. Dahlia's right, you are a phenomenal fighter . . . but you have to be more than that." His expression softened. "I know what it's like, having leadership thrust upon you. That heavy burden of responsibility, the impossibly great expectations laid before you, I've been there." Ryan closed his eyes and sighed, his lip stretched thin. "In a Pokémon battle, the Trainer doesn't try to take down the opponent himself. He stands back from the danger, analyzes the situation, and uses his intimate knowledge of his Pokémon's abilities and limitations to command them to victory. Now, a really good Trainer will fight alongside his Pokémon, but he's still the one calling the shots. Dahlia, Colette, Lachina . . . you need to know them as well as you know your own Pokémon. Keturi went the way it did because we didn't have a well-defined leader. You can do better." He looked back up at Jared in desperation. In his lap his hands clenched into fists. "You have to do better. Or else your team will end up like Kamina."

 

IC: Zoe Llyan - Vier Village, Four Island

The Saturday had become as lazy as it began. The Space Princess had taken her leave, and Zoe had the entire empty house to herself. Normally she'd pass the time watching television or playing video games, but her anxiety was too great. Dreams of vampire queens faded back to the harshness of reality, and Zoe wanted nothing more than for Collie to come home.

 

Pacing the living room proved exhausting, and so Zoe chose to retire to her room. When she reached the top of the stairs, however, she paused in front of her sister's room. The door stood ajar, offering a look at the messy interior. Collie had holed herself up in here for days, and frankly it looked the part. Her pajamas lay in a pile amidst a number of unwashed clothes. Countless hair accessories littered both the dresser and nightstand. She had neglected to make her bed, and the disheveled sheets suggested she had dragged herself up in a daze. A lone Squirtle doll rested among the sheets, a faint indent around its torso indicating where it had been hugged tightly.

 

Yesterday, Zoe would have regarded the sight as the room of a girl growing increasingly lazy in her heroic duties. Today, for the first time she felt she understood what had led her sister to seek asylum here. With an exhausted empathy Zoe climbed into the bed, not even bothering to pull the twisted sheets over her. She stared up at the ceiling Collie must have stared at countless times. Blindly she reached for the Squirtle doll and held it close. Esmeralda curled up by her side, Merida and Eilonwy opting to nap among the sheets. Silently Zoe waited for her sister to come home.

 

She never even realized she had dozed off.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

"I'm... not sure." Chloe bit her lip as she considered everything. "I don't know what to say, but I feel like if I hadn't let my guard down, this would've turned out better. I just. . . don't know what else to feel right now." She felt conflicted as she admitted it, even as she noticed that they were approaching the doors to the Pokemon Center area.

 

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette quietly closed the front door behind her as she looked around. There were a couple lights on in the rooms coming off the front hall, but the fact that no-one was in them and nothing else was on suggested that whoever turned them on didn't stick around. The girl frowned slightly as she wondered what that meant, then continued to walk through the house. Eventually, after finding no sign of Zoe anywhere else, she decided to check the bedrooms. Colette was about to skip over her own room, but paused as she heard rustling in there.

 

The girl peeked her head through the doorway, and was surprised to see her sister curled up on her bed. The only light in the room was the ever-fading evening sun desperately trying to filter in through the blinds. Colette disdainfully looked at how much of a mess her room was as she wondered if the past week had really been that bad. She quietly tiptoed toward the napping Zoe to try and pull the covers up, but in the process stepped on a particularly squeaky floorboard. The older sister made a rather quick mental note to get that fixed ASAP.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters

 

The aura user nodded softly as he considered the advice. "You're right. The team we had did well, given the situation. Having some cohesion and organization would have helped a lot."

 

Every company needs a Captain. You have the military experience, and we both know that Croaker was grooming you for leadership.

 

Grooming you for leadership. I was just a passenger.

 

To-may-to, to-mah-to. You have the practical knowledge, and anything that you're missing is made up for by my presence.

 

"One thing I don't get, Ryan, is why Xander didn't make you or Chloe leaders. You guys will be more trusted by the others than I will."

 

IC: Sylph

 

Sylph nodded thoughtfully. "It's easy to blame yourself for what happened, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should." They walked through the door to the Center, and she sighed. "I am deeply sorry for your loss. I'm sure you need time to process everything, but once you're ready to talk, I will be willing to listen."

 

She set her Pokéball on the counter and nodded to the nurse. "Hello, again. Please release me back into the lobby once the healing is complete."

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

He had followed Colette, after she had voiced her approval for him to join her. Evan needed to wash out the bad taste the Keturi Mission left him with. When they had managed to get to her home, he noticed that a few of the lights had been left on.. They had entered, and upon seeing her parents weren't home, the Plasma Agent was told to wait in the living room. He nodded as his host had walked off, deciding to sit down and watch something. He flipped the channel about, until he got to a program that definitely caught his interest. It featured a tall, muscular, blonde-haired man, with a refreshing on his face, saying words that seemed oddly......familiar. "Hahahahaha! There's no need to fear, for Justice is here!"" The Hero watched on, his attention focused on this while He waited.....

 

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Medical Wing, The Alamo

Ryan looked at him in surprise. "Nobody told you? Chloe and I . . . won't be joining you on this mission, at least not at first. We've got another quest on our hands. We'll try and rendezvous in Kalos, but until we do you guys are gonna be on your own."

 

Dahlia looked up from her paperwork to shoot the aura wielder an apologetic look. "Sorry, I should've mentioned that. Don't let it worry you, though. With Ryan and Chloe backing your leadership, the others will trust you just fine."

 

IC: Zoe Llyan - Vier Village, Four Island

The covers started to move over her. There was a soft gasp and the covers stopped at her stomach. Eilonwy fell out of the sheets and flopped on the floor. Zoe groggily opened her eyes, smiling at the sight of her sister. "Collie . . ."

 

The smile faltered. Memory flooded back and she realized she had fallen asleep in her sister's bed, clutching her precious doll. Her face reddened in a panic and she scrambled out of bed, only to find her legs tangled in the sheets causing her to tumble to the floor with a loud thud. Esmeralda squeaked as the sudden movement dislodged her and Merida from the bed, the Pokémon landing at Colette's feet.

 

Zoe had fallen off the opposite side of the bed, and she instinctively curled into a fetal position and hugged the Squirtle doll tight as she desperately wished she could be anywhere else right now. "I'm sorry, Collie!" she cried. "I didn't mean to go into your room, I promise I wasn't snooping, please don't be mad at me!" Amidst her scatterbrained panic, Zoe realized she was still holding her sister's doll. Thinking quickly, she blindly tossed the plush over the bed. "Here! I didn't drool on it, I swear!"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette attempted to hold back a giggle - it utterly failed. The aura wielder quickly caught the flying Squirtle doll and gently sat it back down on the bed, before she walked over to Zoe with a smile. She gently patted her sister on the head and held out her hand to help her up.

 

"I don't mind." The girl simply said, though she still looked rather amused at the situation. "I'm not mad at you; if you did get curious about my room, honestly, I wouldn't blame you." Colette assessed the messiness of the room again. "Though, I do have to say, I'm rather surprised you could sleep here. I'm surprised I could."

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe Llyan - Vier Village, Four Island

Zoe accepted her sister's help and sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed. "Th-that's . . .  that's not all I'm sorry about," she mumbled, twiddling her thumbs. She silently cursed herself for her ineptitude -- she was supposed to have this big emotional speech all planned out by the time Collie had gotten home, but she had dozed off instead, Collie had caught her by surprise, and now she fumbled around with her words like a toddler trying to play with a Pokéball.

 

Esmeralda hopped back onto the bed and gave her an encouraging nudge, but Zoe could only hang her head in embarrassment as she struggled with what to say.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette/Zoe(Jam)==-

 

Colette sat down next to Zoe and looked over at the younger girl with a soft smile. She nodded with silent encouragement, as she knew that whatever Zoe wanted to say was very likely related to their argument earlier. It also seemed like something that Zoe needed to do by herself.

 

For a long while the two girls sat in silence, one moment stretching long into the next. After what felt like an eternity, Zoe took a deep breath and forced herself to meet Collie's eyes. "Remember when we were kids?" she asked quietly. "I'd always visit you on vacations; we'd do nothing but play all day. I'd sometimes follow you around for your aura training, but I know now that Lucina didn't push you as hard as usual when I was around."

 

Colette giggled at that memory. "Those were good break times, honestly. Scheduled breaks from my actual training, which I needed sometimes." She closed her eyes with a smile at the memory. "Not that the actual training wasn't fun at times, but it was definitely pretty tough."

 

Zoe nodded, a sad smile on her face. "I never got to see your actual training. I never understood how hard you worked. I only got to see the fun part of you, that part that was a sister. So when you came here, and started going on the missions you were trained for, started hanging out with people other than your sister . . . I guess it was like you were a totally different person. And I hated you for not being the cool Aura Princess that did nothing but play with me all day. I feel like I've been a terrible sister . . ."

 

"If you have, then I have too." The aura wielder dug in her pocket for the broken pendant and held it up. "I honestly haven't been doing that good a job. I've been stressed out a bunch and caused you to get upset too." The new locket around her neck glimmered in the reflected light for a brief moment. "I think. . . I want a do-over."

 

Colette let the broken pendant drop.

Edited November 3, 2017 by Blessed Blade

[Konuju]

IC: Sisterly Bond
Zoe stared at the ground where her locket fell. Tears started to well up in her eyes. "I'm really sorry about that," she said, unable to look at her sister. "I shouldn't have broken it, I was angry, I . . . d-do you think we'll be able to fix it? I have a bit of money saved up, it's not much, but maybe . . ."

"It's broken. I had a look at it earlier, and got some outside opinions, but the chain's too far gone to be fixed." Despite her words, however, Colette still smiled at Zoe. "It's okay, though. . . it's not something that's absolutely necessary. It's a nice thing, but it's only a gift in the end. Our real bond is unbreakable -- you carry it right here." She reached over and placed a hand over Zoe's heart. "Nothing can get in the way of a bond like that."

Zoe lip quivered in a tearful smile and she threw her arms around Colette. "I love you, Collie. I promise to be a better sister from now on."

"I'll try to do the same too . . ."

Time stood still as the sisters held their embrace. All the guilt and anger that had pent up over the past few days gave way to love and forgiveness. Neither Colette nor Zoe seemed to want to let go, and they let their tears flow freely.

When they finally did separate, Zoe wiped her eyes with a sniffle and glimpsed an unfamiliar locket around her sister's neck glittering in the fleeting rays of the setting sun. Zoe sniffled and reached out to touch the locket in confusion. "When did you . . . ?"

Colette giggled with a mischievous smile. "Like I said, I got some outside opinions. . ." The girl moved back slightly as she rummaged through her bag. After a moment, she pulled out an identical locket and held it in the air.

Zoe's mouth dropped open. The silver locket caught the sunlight and cast the entire room in a warm glow. Unlike her previous hexagonal box-shaped one, the new lockets were in the shape of a heart. Hesitantly, hardly daring to believe it was real, Zoe reached out to cup the symbol of their strengthened bond in her hands. She carefully swung the locket open, revealing a picture of her that had been taken last month and a brand new picture of Colette in her ponytail.

Tears sprung to her eyes anew and she looked up at her sister with the biggest smile she had ever worn. "Th-thank you, Collie. This is . . . it's perfect!" She leaned forward to hug her again, this time also giving her a grateful kiss.

Colette smiled brightly as she returned the hug. "I hoped you'd like it. I picked it out earlier with some help from Evan. I didn't let on much about why, but yeah." The girl giggled happily, as she felt things had finally gotten somewhat back to normal.

"Evan? You mean Mr. Space Hero Guy?" Zoe's face lit up as she slipped the new locket around her neck. "That reminds me, I met his Space Princess earlier today! She chased me down into the Vampire Woods, it was a harrowing adventure!" As Zoe leapt into recounting an exaggerated tale of her encounter with Jenny, things did indeed seem like they were finally back to normal. No, they were better than normal. Both girls had made a vow to each other, one they promised to uphold until the end of time. Nothing would ever come between the Sisters Llyan.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

After the tale of the Vampires ended, Colette stretched and got up off the bed. "Let's head downstairs for something to eat. Not sure if mom'll be home soon or not, but..." She walked toward the door happily, but paused for a brief moment as she heard the TV, momentarily forgetting that Evan was still in the house. "That reminds me, I have another thing or two to say, but it can wait until after we're downstairs."

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe Llyan - Vier Village, Four Island

Zoe happily followed her sister down the stairs, but she froze midway when she caught a glimpse of the man in her living room. "Wh-what's he doing here?!" she stammered, feeling her face flush. "Has he been listening to us this whole time?"

 

"Oh, I don't think he's been listening to us. I told him to wait in the living room, and he seems to have been doing that well." Colette noted how entranced Evan seemed to be from where they could see, cheering at certain parts of whatever show he was watching.

 

Once Zoe got over her initial fright, a mischievous grin spread on her face. She motioned for Colette to remain quiet, then slipped the rest of the way down the stairs and snuck behind the couch Evan was currently sitting on.

 

"I hate to break it to you, but your girlfriend is in grave danger," she said in her rasping voice. "She has been slain by vampires! Raaaagh!" She leapt up and tackled Evan from behind with the same energy she had used earlier to attack Jenny.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Vampire Victim

It was so sudden, so sneaky, that the Hero of Space howled out as he was tackled. When he realized it was Zoe who tackled him, Evan Tierra couldn't help but play along. "Oh me, oh my!" He said melodramatically, as he played up his struggling. "The Vampire Queen has caught me by surprise! Whatever shall I do? Maybe....if I put on this ring, I can ward off this mistress of the dark!"

At that moment, all the bad things that had happened in Keturi seemed so distant to Evan.

He was thankful for that.

Edited November 4, 2017 by Dr. Hidaka

[Konuju]

IC: Return of the Vampire Queen - Vier Village, Four Island

"Nooooooo!" Zoe rasped. "My one true weakness, the Legendary Z-Ring of Power!" She struggled against Evan a few seconds longer before rolling off the couch and falling limply to the floor. "Darkness . . . gives way . . . to light!" A grin spread on her face. "But if you kill me now, brave vampire slayer, you'll never hear what became of your precious Space Princess!"

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"Tell me, and mayhap I'll spare you, formidable Vampire Queen!" Evan said as he stood triumphantly and posed. "Tell me what became of the love of my life!" He couldn't help but think this was a new high for hamminess, even for him.He couldn't stop beaming on the inside. No matter which sister he was with, it just seemed like it was always a good time....

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

Colette giggled in amusement as she descended down the stairs, hands behind her back. She was really glad to see Zoe back in her playful mood again - Evan playing along just helped to drill in how good this was. As much as it would be correct for Colette to step in, she didn't feel it was right. Instead, she simply leaned against a wall at the bottom of the stairs and watched the shenanigans unfold.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters

 

Jared nodded. "Alright then." He paused, chewing on his lip. "I don't know if I fully trust myself, but I'll give it a shot." He glanced at Dahlia, then away. "You should get that paperwork filled out. And we should work on a story for how you got shot, in case someone asks."

 

IC: Lachina Adaon

 

An Altaria circled the Alamo from up high, a girl mounted on its back. Lachina leaned against Aolani's neck and sighed. "What am I gonna do, girl?" The Altaria screeched in response, and the ranger winced. "I know you don't like him all that much, but you don't like anyone all that much."

 

This was met with a nod from the cloud bird. Lachina continued talking. "I mean, he just met her yesterday. Why does he trust her so much already? Is he . . ."

 

She swallowed. "He's so happy when she's around. I never saw him like that before, and we practically lived together on the boat."

 

The Altaria crooned softly, and Lachina clenched her fingers in the ruff around Aolani's neck. "Is it because of her powers? Or is it just that she doesn't remind him of everything else?"

 

They started to descend. "It's not fair." She dismounted and slumped against the wall. "It's just not fair."

 

"Lots of things aren't fair." She looked up and frowned as she saw a boy on crutches standing there with a Lucario. "Sorry, I'm . . . well, I was here first, so I guess I'm not really intruding."

Edited November 7, 2017 by MELON LORD

[Konuju]

IC: Ryan Sanders/Dahlia Seaton - Medical Wing, The Alamo

"Would our previous alibi suffice?" Ryan suggested. "We went shopping in Keturi, and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We don't even have to mention they were trafficking Pokémon, we just ran into a bunch of ruffians on the streets."

 

IC: Zoe Llyan - Vier Village, Four Island

"She serves the undead now," Zoe said with a sinister grin. "Once I recruited her to my cause, she escorted me home, so I could . . . talk . . . with my sister." The vampiric facade slipped, and the girl fell into a fit of giggles. "It's too bad she left," she said in her normal voice. "Then you could've duked it out and tried to save her from the Vampire Queen's clutches. Maybe next time."

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

"Yeah, maybe next time, Vampire Queen!" Evan said, chuckling a bit before turning to Colette, smiling. "Looks like I will have to see if I can break her free of your thrall!" The Hero thought about how much the Llyan sisters had helped him and Jenny, and vice versa. "Well, I'm glad I could help the Aura Princess with her sister, in my own special way!"

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe Llyan - Vier Village, Four Island

"No!" Zoe giggled as she reached up to grab Evan by the arms to prevent his escape. "You will never break free . . ." Action-packed music from whatever show was on the television demanded Zoe's attention. She had never seen it before, but it looked like something right up the Space Hero's alley. "What's that?" she asked curiously.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

He was gonna let her grab his left arm, but when Evan saw Zoe reach for his crippled (and still bound) right arm, he couldn't let it happen. In a quick motion, he broke his left arm free of Zoe, and wrapped along her midsection and lifted her, trying not to be rough. "The Hero of Space always breaks free!" Evan said triumphantly. "You underestimated me, now you are in my grasp!" Breaking character once more, Evan began to explain the show was called "My Heroic University" and the plot about how one student at a superhero university would become the greatest hero. "Kinda cool, huh?"

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe Llyan - Vier Village, Four Island

Zoe initially squirmed to break free of Evan's grasp, but stopped when he started explaining the show. A grin broke out on her face. "That sounds awesome! So if we were all in a school like that, which one of us would be the greatest hero?" She giggled at her own question. "Would it be the infallible Aura Princess? Mr. Ex-Hero Guy who helped the Aura Princess in his own special way? The Aura Princess' adorable little sister the Vampire Queen? Or . . ." A grin broke out on her face. "Would the greatest hero be the elusive Space Princess that saved the Vampire Queen from the brink of destruction and stole the heart of her Ex-Space Hero?"

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra

Evan chuckled as he thought through Zoe's choices, before coming to a satisfying idea. "I'd say, in the end, all of us would be the greatest!" The Hero said, smiling broadly. "When it comes to heroism, everyone but the bad guys win!" He laughed as he watched an action-packed scene on the TV, before turning to Colette. "Wouldn't you agree, Aura Princess?"

Edited February 14, 2018 by Dr. Hidaka

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette==-

 

"Sounds about right." Colette giggled in amusement at everything that happened as she approached the two. "But what if there were an unheroic moment in the mix? What if. . ." With a mischievous smile, the girl quickly lunged forward and grabbed for Zoe's foot before she began to tickle it in amusement. "There was a tag team?!"

[Konuju]

IC: Zoe Llyan - Vier Village, Four Island

Zoe howled with laughter as she tried in vain to kick Collie's hand off her foot. But with Evan holding her in place there was no escape from the tickle torture. She tried to admit defeat but her words were marred with chronic laughter. "N-no . . . ! You've found . . . my true weakness . . . N-not . . . fair . . . !"

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Colette/Zoe/Evan(JAM)==-

After a few more minutes of tickling, which included Zoe's other foot being brought into the fray, Colette decided that it was a good time to return to why they had gone downstairs in the first place. Her victim was freed from the ticklish torture and set down to the ground again.

"So, we got really distracted, but what should we have to eat? I think mom and dad are gonna be late tonight, there was a lot of stuff going on when I talked to mom earlier."

At the mention of food, Evan had realized he hadn't eaten since the cafeteria. Helping Colette, and dealing with Keturi, had really done a number on his hunger. "Hey um.......mind if I join you two?" The man asked sheepishly. "Kinda......skimped on food today."

Zoe curled up on the couch to defend herself against more tickles, but it seemed Evan and Colette were more concerned with food. It was only then that Zoe became aware of the gnawing pain in her stomach. Her breakfast plans had been cut short when she'd run from the cafeteria, and she'd been too nervous to eat lunch, so she hadn't actually eaten all day.

"I demand a feast!" she declared. "A big steak dinner with roasted potatoes, garlic bread, steamed corn, and rice balls! Oh, and ice cream! The Vampire Queen spared the Space Princess' life so she never had a chance to eat earlier."

Evan looked at Zoe, then Colette, then back at Zoe, and finally back at Colette. He, while looking a little stupefied, mouthed the words "Can you make any of that?" to the Aura Wielder.

The girl in question shook her head subtly while Zoe wasn't looking. She thought about other types of food that they could have, but if Zoe hadn't eaten at all, Colette felt that it would be best to not take hours to make something to eat.

Zoe brought a hand to her head and groaned loudly. "What are you waiting for, get to cooking already! Or do you want to be the one to tell Mom and Dad you let your little sister starve to death?"

Evan smiled sheepishly. "My employers taught me how to keep the peace, and nothing else." The man said, thinking of ideas. "Plus, I dunno if I could cook so much food......."

"I got taught aura wielding for 12 years... none of that training included cooking. Sorry, sis." Colette sheepishly scratched her chin, as she thought about something else they could do for dinner instead. "How about pizza? Sounds like a simple enough idea for tonight and it'd be filling enough for a starving young girl."

"Pizza's fine, I just need food!" Zoe moaned. "I feel like I'm withering away like an Oddish left out in the sun too long."

"Frozen or Take-out/Delivery?" Evan inquired. "Take-out would get us more at once than frozen. Know anywhere that delivers in a hurry, Aura Princess?"

"I think Zoe has more of a grasp on what's around here than the girl who's lived in Kalos until a month ago." Colette seemed amused, but looked over at Zoe with hopes that she had an idea.

"Mach Punch Pizza," Zoe said faintly. "You go into town and take a left at Maple Street, and it's in that little shopping center. They hold the record for the fastest deliveries on Four Island."

"It sounds like we've got a solid decision from the Vampire Queen." Evan said, turning to Colette. "Let's dial them up, and get an order going. Hopefully we've got enough money to ensure that we get a good sized feast!"

Colette whistled innocently at the mention of money and simply nodded. "I'll let you handle the talking; is this the number?"

"There goes what I had left after the ring......" Evan thought as he looked at the number. He punched in the number on his Pokegear and made his order, making it a point to order a Castelia-style pizza and two regular pizzas, which would fill up Zoe nicely after her day of starvation. Colette approached him as he took out his card and brandished a card of her own with a hint of a mischievous smile on her face. After getting the payment using Colette's card settled, the man hung up, smiling at Colette gratefully. "Thank you, Aura Princess." He mouthed.

[MELON LORD]

IC: Jared Winters

 

"I think it might, but then we get into the question of how we got away, did we call the police, stuff like that." He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "We'll figure it out, I'm just overthinking it."

 

IC: Sylph

 

After the healing, Sylph was released and handed her ball. She smiled and started leading Chloe to the room. The Gardevoir stayed quiet, allowing Chloe the option to continue conversing or not.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan, Colette, and Zoe

"Alright, I think that's all ready then... all we have to do is wait now." Colette headed to the kitchen quickly and searched around for a brief moment. A few seconds later, she returned with a small bowl of snacks for her sister with a smile. "Here, this should help until the pizza shows up."

Zoe began ravenously consuming the snacks with little regard for proper table manners. "So how was your day, Collie?" she asked between mouthfuls. "I mean, besides the obvious."

"It was... different." Colette giggled awkwardly. "I don't even know how to explain some of it, but... I did talk with mom earlier. I'll explain once we get some more food than just this in us." The aura wielder glanced over at Evan, however. "Though, Mr. Space Hero; what was your day like? I seem to recall it was rather interesting."

Evan laughed nervously. "Your sister decided to take me along with her to Keturi City." The man said, thinking of more to add. "I decided to get something for my princess.........after I sold off my jacket. Looks like I'm due to make a new one later on!"

Zoe nodded but only seemed to be half-paying attention as she continued to down the contents of the snack bowl. At the mention of Evan's jacket, however, she looked up in horror. "You sold the noble jacket of heroes?! That's like Zubatman selling his crusading cape! Did you at least sell it to the toy store so they could use it to make Evan Tierra Action Figures?"

At Zoe's exclamation, Evan smiled, and then proudly brandished the ring he got. "I'm not famous enough for that.....yet." The Hero said hammily. "But I feel it was worth it to get the Space Princess a symbol of her power, don't you think?" The man then hastily added. "Hopefully, I can make a better coat later on!"

Zoe's mouth dropped open, revealing the disturbing sight of half-chewed snack-mush. "Is that an engagement ring?" she asked with a wide grin. "Are you gonna ask the Space Princess to marry you? Now I feel even worse for not insisting she stay here!"

"She saw right through me." Trying to not be daunted by Zoe's correct guess, Evan began to explain, blushing a bit as he spoke. "I was thinking about maybe giving this to her......and getting married after we triumph against this crisis." The Hero said. "Something to look forward to."

"You should invite her over for pizza!" Zoe cried in excitement. "Then we can all see the reaction on her face when you have your big hammy moment!"

"Maybe tomorrow." The man said, smiling. "It's been a wild day, and I'm not sure if a bigger audience would help things." At that, Evan chuckled at the irony. He, the loudest of those he knew, wanted things to be quiet....

Colette seemed utterly surprised, but smiled widely. "Congratulations! I hope that goes well! Maybe you can catch her tomorrow before she gets out of the hospital!" The girl hesitated for a moment, and then covered her mouth.

"Hospital?" Zoe echoed. "But that's impossible. I was playing with her earlier today and she was perfectly fine!" Her lip curled into a small frown.

"Oh, that must be my mistake. I think I was thinking of a dream or something." Colette laughed nervously, as she did not mean to actually say that after making a promise not to say anything. "I'm sorry, it would be impossible that she's there if she was with Zoe today." The girl smiled in a way that seemed like it really had been a mistake. "But, seriously, congratulations!"

Evan thought for a moment, making a note to stop at the hospital anyways to get his arm checked up on. "I'm sure if she was fighting the Vampire Queen earlier, it wasn't too big a deal." Evan said, his smile returning. "Thanks, both of you. It means a lot to me."

"Y-yeah. There's no way she could've been in the hospital." Zoe turned suddenly quiet, seeming to focus intensely on the snacks in her bowl, but she had stopped eating them. The momentary silence was broken by the sound of the doorbell.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

Chloe stayed mostly quiet as they walked down the hall, but did nod in thanks to Sylph. She knew that the Gardevoir wanted to help; she just didn't know how that help could happen at that precise moment. So she kept the thoughts to herself as they approached Xander's room.

 

-==IC: Of Sisters and Heroes==-

"I'll get it." Evan said, as he headed for the door. "I made the call, so it only makes sense." A few minutes later, Evan returned, with three pizza boxes, one of which was subtantially bigger than the other two. "Here's dinner!"

"Finally!" Zoe hopped off the couch, all thoughts of Jenny abandoned in favor of the substantially delicious if debatably nutritious meal. "Mom and Dad need to work late more often, Collie's the best babysitter I've ever had!"

Colette giggled, as she went to get some of the slices of pizza onto a plate for herself. "Now, now, we all need to have treats every so often and I can't cook. I'm sure they'll be right back to healthier meals tomorrow." She smiled in amusement as she walked over to the table with the plate before sitting down.

Zoe stuck out her tongue in a face of disgust. "Spare me, Collie! I'm pretty sure Mom's broccoli is laced with poison!"

Evan had waited until Zoe and Colette had grabbed their slices, then grabbed his own. The man munched on the fine tasting food. He laughed at Zoe's remark, not being a fan of broccoli himself. "I'm sure that's not the case, Vampire Queen." He said, winking at Zoe.

The aura wielder, however, shuddered. "I might have to agree with Zoe. I may not know how to cook, but I'm pretty certain broccoli shouldn't taste like it's been drenched then dried a thousand times..." She giggled slightly. "I like mom's meals sometimes, but that definitely isn't my favourite."

"At least they don't put broccoli on pizza." Zoe grinned and took a big bite of her slice of cheese pizza. "So Collie," she said through a mouthful of stringy cheese and tomato sauce. "Now that we're back to being best friend sisters, I'm thinking we should hang out with your new friends tomorrow. I've met some of them, but I saw a lot of new people in the cafeteria today. I think it'd be fun to introduce me to them."

"Hmm, that might work! Might have to be a little early though." The girl thought for a moment while she took a bite out of one of her slices. After swallowing, she continued. "Apparently they're going on a trip or something. Something about looking into a dead group in Kalos or so - and I got roped in because I know the place." Colette sighed slightly, as she took another bite of her pizza.

"A dead group? So like zombies?" Zoe took another bite as she let that sink in. "Wait, what?! You're going back to Kalos? Tomorrow?! When were you gonna tell me?"

"Around now. I was gonna mention it last night, but you were in your room or something." The aura wielder sighed. "I wonder if I should, though... like, it goes right back to what we were saying before, right? I've been basically abandoning doing stuff with you because of this sorta stuff."

"But, have you considered...." Evan said, pointing at Colette. "That you are doing this, so that you can do more with Zoe in the future? I don't know what you two have been through, but it's obvious your bond with each other has made things bearable."

Zoe bit her lip and stared down at her plate. She hated the fact that Collie had to leave again so suddenly. But hadn't they just had a talk about how Zoe needed to be a better sister and let Collie do her own things from time to time. "Evan's right," she said, trying to wipe away her tears without anyone else noticing. "Someone needs to teach those zombies it's not nice to take over Kalos. Go out there and be a hero, Collie. I'll be rooting for you back here." She smiled sadly. "Just promise you'll be okay, alright? No more hiding away in your room when you get home."

"I'll be fine." Colette still seemed uneasy, but gave as good a smile as she could. "I'm sure it won't be too long... and here, I'll call every chance I get, sound good?" She giggled slightly at a thought. "Maybe I could live stream kicking zombie butt to you or something."

"That'd be awesome." Zoe laughed as she reached for another slice of pizza. "Put it up on the internet and you might even become famous. Then I can prove to all my classmates that I'm not crazy!"

Colette giggled at the idea. "We'll definitely see how it goes. I'll see what I can do about your classmates too; maybe I could be your Show and Tell one day."

Evan grinned. "See? What did I tell you?" He said assuringly. "You've got a bond stronger than a Steelix!" The man couldn't help but feel touched at just how close these two were, especially considering the situation.

Zoe reddened slightly, but clasped a hand around her new locket with a smile. "Nothing can break us," she said softly. "Not even a trip to Kalos."

Colette smiled slightly and took a deep breath. "I. . . also want to try and make a sort of vow to that. To being a better sister. I've brought up earlier a bit, but never actually mentioned what Mom and I talked about..."

"What's that?" Zoe looked over at her sister curiously.

"Well..." The girl bit her lip slightly in nervous apprehension. She wasn't sure how this would go over, but at this point she just had to put her trust in Zoe. "Mom and I were discussing how I might be able to help things get better. She was the one who suggested getting you a replacement locket, but. . ." The aura wielder hesitated for a moment before continuing. "She also reminded me something I had long since forgotten. When I left to start my aura training, she gave me the Kalosian name Colette so I could fit in and like, feel like I was really meant to be a hero. It was a name befitting for an Aura master. But. . . that wasn't my birth name. . ." She leaned forward, her lip trembling as the truth stood poised at the tip of her tongue.



"My real name is actually Colleen."

[MELON LORD]

IC: Xander Cruize/Sylph

 

As they neared the room, Xander himself came around the corner. His eyes, ringed with red, still glowed a faint purple color. He gave a weak smile as he approached. "Hey, girls. Everything alright?"

 

"Yes, I got healed. Chloe and I were just coming to grab the things from our shopping trip."

 

Xander nodded and opened the door. "Sorry for snagging them away like that, by the way."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Chloe==-

 

"You could've at least given a little warning so I could take my clothes out." Despite the tone that suggested she was annoyed, the young woman did wear an amused look on her face now that she was close to getting the bags back. "No worries, though, no permanent harm done."

 

As Chloe glanced over at Xander, however, she furrowed her eyebrows slightly. ". . . Xander? I'm not thinking of something different am I? You had blue eyes earlier, didn't you?"