Pokémon: Rise Of The Rockets

[Konuju]

IC: Dack
Dack's eyes narrowed when he noticed the Darkrai near the Pokemon center. "I thought the Darkrai were supposed to be in Hoenn," he muttered. "Luxray, Wild Charge!"

His Luxray dashed toward the Darkrai, his body crackling with electrical power.

IC: Ryan
"You know, Ellen mentioned buying all of us Christmas presents," Ryan said as he continued to eat his French Toast. "I hadn't even given a thought to buying anyone presents. What about you, Sonja?"

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"I've got it!" Ellen cried as she ran down the stairs.

Although Ryan couldn't see the front door from the kitchen, he heard it open, and heard Ellen's gasp.

"Ray!" she cried in delight. "Gold!"

Edited May 4, 2014 by Konuju

[ZTG]

IC: Zac and Shadows"Digger come out!" Zac yelled as he sent out Excadrill to nullify the attack. He was hit by the attack, but nothing happened due to him being a ground type, "Shadows isn't one of the Ancient Ten!" Zac said as he approached Dack, "He is my friend, and I would prefer you not to harm him right now, he crashed into a mountain by accident earlier- wait hold up! How are you guys awake?"

[Constructelf]

IC Vincent"We arrived after the Darkrai waltzed in and put everybody to sleep. As for your Darkrai, how are we supposed to know? Although it could work the other way too." I unsheathed my katana and got into a finding stance but made no move.

[Parugi]

OOC: Hey, Dralcax, just a correction to your last post on page 82--much of Castelia was actually destroyed several months ago IRL/days ago in-game. Probably should have said that earlier--and I do need to find a way to make that clearer...--but, you know, just for future reference. =)Konuju: I am also ready to move on.Minun: A'ight.IC - Kyle Eston - Iccirus City: "Sanshou, Detect," Kyle called. As the Flygon flew forth, claws creating a glowing arc of energy with a swing towards Sanshou, the Mienfoo's eyes flashed, and she jumped out of the way--grappling onto the Dragon-Type's neck and swinging onto its back. "Nice job, San! Now, use Force Palm!"Spinning with ninja-like speed, the Fighting-Type's fist glowed as she aimed to slam her palm into the small of the Flygon's back, which would hopefully stun or paralyze her opponent for a moment."Hey, Mr. Brycen!" Kyle called as this was going on. He held up his broken arm, tapping the cast encasing it as he smiled broadly. "First signature? I'm a big fan!"IC - Sonja Baron - Burks' House: "It crossed my mind," Sonja said to Ryan, sitting down across from him again. "It'd definitely be nice... might even make things feel a little bit normal again, but..." Her expression seemed to drop slightly as she glanced away, staring at a spot on the floor. She twiddled her thumbs erratically, as if something was bothering her. By now, it was only Sonja and Ryan in the kitchen; Ray and Gold had not yet arrived. "Can I tell you something? I... really am not a Christmas person. I mean, it's fun--I don't dislike it... It's just that, without much of a family around anymore, I don't know how to act around people this time of year, honestly. Especially after Castelia..."She stopped talking abruptly, continuing to stare flatly at the floor. Her hands clenched slightly, though relaxed after a moment. The sound of a knock at the door, along with Ellen's exclamation as she answered it, seemed to bring Sonja back to the present."Well... regardless," she said, looking at Ryan now and brushing her bangs behind her ear. A slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. "I can't even begin to think of what you all might want as a present, anyway. But, I guess we'll see... Or, you guys will. Maybe you'll get a surprise or two, if I can afford it--prices in Unova tend to be a bit crazy compared to Kanto."IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner - Strange Forest: A soft whistle escaped Ethan's lips as he looked back over the edge of the cliff, staring out at the forest below them--an eyebrow raising slightly when he noticed the large, black circle in the middle of the clearing they had come from, where Mewtwo was. Brief flashes of light indicated the release of attacks by several entities whose identities he couldn't discern from this distance. It had to have been either one of the assassins, their Pokémon, or those... things.Once again, he could not tell."Quite a view," he said to the others as they arrived, carefully stepping up onto the rock from the path. He looked to the side, where, around the corner, would lie the entrance to the cave. Looking at the others, he tilted his head briefly, pointing them in the direction they needed to go. As he did, Gavin's Dusknoir moved to the front of the group, acting as their vanguard."Careful, Dothe," Gavin said quietly, following close behind the Ghost-Type. Dothe nodded, turning the corner and moving into the mouth of the cave, staring into the dimly-lit darkness. His eye narrowed slightly, spotting the glimmering pool, as well as a short movement that made him pull forth energy for a Fire Punch--only to be stopped by a burst of icy wind that launched forth, blinding him.The others jumped in at this, each of them sending out Pokémon of their own as the Masked Man--Pryce--revealed himself. He stood in front of the pool, blocking it from their view as it lit up, illuminating the cave further, giving them a clearer look into the dwelling of the former Gym Leader."Humans... Pestilence... A plague on this world..." he said quietly, glaring them down. "Yet, you come to me, saving me the trouble of hunting you down... Perhaps it has touched your hearts as it had touched mine..." The Masked Man spread his arms out wide, in a sort of sickeningly welcoming gesture. "Perhaps... you wish to join us...? The Children beckon for more family..."IC - Jackson Sang/"Mewthree" - Train Crash Site: The best they could do was hold them off while the Rocket agents worked; that was how Jackson saw it, more or less. Lacking in firepower, it was doubtful that they would be able to kill or even seriously harm one of these things--though that did not mean Jackson wouldn't try. As one of the snake-creatures charged him--he had to note again that they were much farther ahead than the rest of the group; perhaps they acted as an advance force of some kind, due to their more moderate, more manueverable size?--he spun around, slamming his boot into its crested head. If it was at all possible, surprise seemed to come across its face as it was knocked aside--it having made the same mistake as many before it, regarding the amount of power Jackson could put into a hit given his size.Still, there were others, and the first was not out for the count yet. Lafoyae's Conkeldurr shot forward, slamming a cane into one. It seemed to slow down for a minute, before the hair-like tendrils spilling from the back of its crest shot forth, the jellyfish-like tentacles wrapping around the Fighting-Type's arms. The Conkeldurr pulled, tearing several of them, and managed to free himself when Claire Jump Kicked the thing in its side, falling into a fit of maniac laughter as it was thrown into a tree. She was caught by surprise--though this only seemed to drive her fit further--when a phantom-like thing appeared from the ground behind her, bony finger grabbing her and lifting her up, bringing her level with the thing's one-eyed, skull-like face. The Mienshao merely chuckled, whip-like paw glowing as she slammed a Drain Punch into its mug.At least, that's what she had been hoping for. For possibly the first time in her life, Claire's joviality disappeared as her hand passed straight through the phantom's face, her Fighting Type move having no effect on it. It seemed to consider her briefly, before grabbing her other arm with its free hand, mouth opening unnaturally wide and slowly bringing her muzzle toward its mouth, from which a number of purple tendrils began to spread forth. Claire began to struggle madly against the thing's grip, fear and horror encompassing every ounce of her being."CLAIRE!" Jackson shouted, panicking at the sight of what was occurring. As he started running toward it, however, a glob of shadow shot forward, exploding against the side of the creature's head. The thing's face twisted sideways, forcing it to release its grip on the Fighting-Type, who, upon landing, scurried off as quickly as she could. Jackson sighed in relief, looking at the source of the Shadow Ball.By now, Mewtwo had closed the portal, everyone having gone through safely. Now, he stared at the attacking creatures with a cold, psychic fury that showed itself in the purple aura around his eyes. The phantom turned toward him, its tendrils retracting into its mouth, the jaw snapping closed behind them. Twisting its head slightly, it shot toward the Psychic-Type--at the same time that Jackson's opponent renewed its attack.Rolling away as it slammed into the ground, Jackson aimed Claire's Pokéball at the shivering Mienshao, returning her to him and removing her from danger. Pocketing it, he turned back to the snake, nodding at Walker as the Grovyle jumped down beside him."Let's bring these things down."OOC: Hm... two things just came to mind...First, veteran players, I think I've mentioned this in the past and haven't actually done much with it, but I think the RPG could benefit from a large-scale summary of the events of the game so far--at least the recent events, with the earlier stuff being filled in as time goes on. PM me if you'd be interested in helping with that.Second, I never actually posted Sonja's Totodile's profile, so here it is:Species: Totodile.Nickname: Neptune.Trainer: Sonja Baron.Appearance: Same as a typical Totodile.Personality: Though it may come as a surprise to some, Neptune is a very gentle and loving Pokémon--he loves being around people, jumping up and hugging them as soon as he sees them and very rarely being intentionally harmful. Even so, he is a strong battler, capable of holding his own in most situations, and is willing to do whatever it takes to win a battle--save for dirty tactics, of course.Ability: Torrent.Specialty: Neptune specializes in physical attacks, and has more endurance than most other Totodile, allowing him to better handle physical defense.Known Moves: Water Gun, Ice Fang, Scratch, Dragon Dance (Egg Move,) Headbutt.

Edited November 18, 2012 by Parugi

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Lafoyae BelroseAt the sound of those words, Lafoyae nodded, then, to her Conkeldurr's surprise, put away her Emei Piercers. Her Conkeldurr's eyes widened with joy, as his master only did this when she got serious.She was going to punch their lights out."You gonna stand there or are you going to help me?", Lafoyae said to her Conkeldurr mentally, smiling, "We've got work to do!"Lafoyae then rushed towards a serpent, and promptly jabbed it with lightning speed. The creature lunged forward, aiming to attack Lafoyae, when she dodged her rapidly advancing Conkeldurr's Mach Punch. Her Conkeldurr then took a flying leap, aided by the speed boost, and brought down his cane onto the creature's eye, smashing it down to the ground."Nice work, Conkeldurr.", Lafoyae said mentally, "We've still got plenty to fight, so let's get really serious, for our sake."With that, Lafoyae rushed towards another serpent, her Conkeldurr trudging behind her.....

Edited November 18, 2012 by Hades

[Konuju]

IC: Dack
Luxray growled, prepared to leap at the Darkrai again should it try and attack. "So much for no one coming in or out of Snowpoint," Dack muttered. He glared at the kid and his Darkrai. "What brings you here?" he asked. His hand moved toward the Pokeballs on his belt, ready to grab one if the situation got out of hand.

IC: Ryan
Sonja's confession caught Ryan by surprise, but he returned her smile. "Yeah, it must have been forever since you've had Christmas with your whole family," he said. "I know it's tough for me... and this is only my first Christmas away from my family." He wanted to say more, but found himself at a loss for words. "Anyway," he said, standing up. "Let's go see Ray and the others."

Meanwhile, at the door, Ellen welcomed Gold and Ray into her home. "Wait a minute," she said. "Where's Evan?"

***

After Gold and Ray explained the situation, Ellen showed the group around Village Bridge. They had lunch at the Village Sandwich shop, then split up so they could go Christmas shopping.

That evening they all returned to Ellen's house for a Christmas Eve dinner.

OOC: Do you want to do the present exchange on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Either one works for me.

And I just realized what an incredible pun "Gold and Ray" is. "Gold-n-Ray." I'm hilarious.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Konuju

[ZTG]

IC: Zac and Shadows"Shadows and I came here to finally so what we intended. Awaken Sinnoh. But my lunar wing wasn't enough, so we decided to start getting a cure going, but when we were about to leave, we were attacked by this guy who had these dark powers! He nearly killed my Gallade, Bladesman,""And the bigger problem is we don't know where he headed off to, so he could be anywhere," Shadows said as finally got up,"So we came up to Snowpoint to try to head back to Unova, but then we encountered you guys,"

[Constructelf]

IC VincentStill holding my sword, I nodded slowly. "The lunar wing didn't work? It's that strong? Perhaps an overdose of full restore would do it? I heard that it can be toxic if you drink too much but it might be our only option."

[Dralcax]

OOC: Ok, fixed, so is Porygon approved?

[Blessed Blade]

OOC: I approved it in my last post. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough. ^^'-==IC: Ray//Village Bridge==-Ray, although relieved to see everyone alright, was still not in the greatest of moods, and seemed to be growing more and more agitated. Finally, as they were walking toward Ellen's house to eat, Ray stopped suddenly."... Although your hospitality is amazing, Ellen, I think we should go now." Ray said, rather bluntly, as he wanted to get a move on, and actually get going. The shopping trip was admittedly fun; however, Ray still had the sinking feeling that they needed to get moving, and fast.-==IC: Zach//Iccirus City==-Brycen nodded, fairly impressed at the resilience of the two challengers."Alright. Icy Wind, Both targets." Brycen said in reply, as the Cryogonal attempted to quickly chill both of it's opponents, as Blade was slowed by the attack. Meanwhile, Hugh considered the damage the Flygon had taken from the attack, which had paralyzed it in the process. He then nodded, as he figured out the best plan."Flygon, use Dragonbreath!" Hugh yelled out, as he commanded the Flygon to attack the Gallade as well. However, the slowing effect of the paralyzation allowed Blade to barely dodge the attack, catching some of the damage on his left arm, which caused Zach to slightly wince."Psycho Cut on the Flygon, Blade." Zach said, figuring it best to actually call out his attacks, for fairness.-==IC: Lucia==-"As if." Lucia stated coldly, as she shook her head in disgust."You say that humans are a disease? Take a look in a mirror; you're just as much a human as us. Or, at least, you were at one time." Lucia said, as she gripped the Pokeball that contained her Audino."No... We're not here to join you; just the opposite! We're here to end this scourge of yours, once and for all!" Lucia yelled out, showing more emotion here than she had so far, over the course of the mission.

Edited November 18, 2012 by BZP Blade

[Dralcax]

IC Kaito:Now that Porygon was weak, Kaito threw a Poke ball. The ball wobbled once, twice, and Porygon was caught! Now that the various errors Porygon had caused had ended, the ship finally arrived at Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh region. Leaving the boat, Kaito looked around.OOC: Open for interaction!

[Constructelf]

IC Vincent"And there's more. I thought that my boat was the last one." I looked over to the incoming ferry, tapping on the head of my staff.

[ZTG]

IC: Zac and ShadowsZac was confused at what Vincent was looking at. He turned and saw a boat...but...wouldn't it being AROUND the island insted of into it?"What the...."

[Constructelf]

IC Vincent"Kid, Snowpoint City has dock."

[Dralcax]

IC Kaito:Kaito noticed a pair of trainers and a Darkrai. He approached cautiously, not knowing if they were friend or foe.

[Constructelf]

IC VincentTapping the head off my staff, I saw the trainer step off of the boat. "Greetings," I said. "What brings you to Snowpoint?"

[ZTG]

IC: Zac and Shadows"Really, no kidding," Zac said sarcastically, "I was here before the Darkrai, I'm saying baits would typically go around than rather dock into an island that's asleep,"Zac approached the trainer as well, "Yea didnt you know about what's happening?"

[Dralcax]

IC Kaito"No, but I'm guessing it's something bad, am I right?" Kaito replied sarcastically. "I heard something was going on here, but nobody told me exactly what."OOC: Want to battle?

[Constructelf]

OOC Possibly. My character has a weird fighting style thoughIC Vincent"According to the people I've talked to, 10 extremely powerful Darkrai are rampaging through the regions, putting nearly everybody to sleep. They've completely taken over Sinnoh and from what these people have told me, they're starting to attack Hoenn as well. Where did you come from?" Lulu peered out from behind me. "Lulu," she said nervously.

[Dralcax]

IC Kaito:"I came from the Unova Region after finding the utter devestation at Castelia City. And now that I'm here, I challenge you to a battle." Kaito said, challenging Vincent.

[Konuju]

OOC: How about a double battle, Dack and Vincent vs. Zac and Kaito?

IC: Dack
"Geez, where are all these kids coming from?" Karen frowned. "It's like they're just popping up one after another!"

Luke shook his head in amazement. "Literally nothing's happened here for the past several weeks. Then you guys show up and suddenly everyone's coming here."

Dack stepped forward. "What Vincent says is true," he said. "We're trying to find a way to wake these people up. If you want to join us, that's fine, but if not, I'd suggest you turn back."

Edited May 4, 2014 by Konuju

[Constructelf]

IC Vincent"Hey, Dack, we may want to cancel our trip to the Battle Zone. The bird rider said that Lunar Wings don't work." Then I heard the new kid challenge me to a battle. "Really, what's with kids and Pokemon battles? In my day-" "You're a kid yourself you know," the voice of Mikaruge called out from my staff. The Odd Keystone on my staff glew but the Spiritomb didn't come out. "You ruined my grandpa impression," I said coldly. "Don't.""Lulu?" I asked. "You up for this?" My Riolu stepped out into the light.OOC this is my first battle so you'll have to explain how things go.

[Konuju]

IC: Dack
"A Cresselia would be a lot stronger than a single Lunar Wing," Dack shook his head. "But if it's a battle you want, count me in. What do you say, Bird Boy?"

IC: Ryan/Ellen
"Aw, why do you have to leave now?" Ellen frowned. "It’s Christmas Eve!"

"C’mon, Ray, don’t be a killjoy," Ryan shook his head. "While I do agree that we need to get moving, I think we should at least stay for Christmas Eve. We can leave first thing in the morning."

Edited May 4, 2014 by Konuju

[ZTG]

IC: Zac and ShadowsZac was about to answer, but a red flash of light came from one of his Pokeballs, and out came Z-pup, his Growlithe, who was wanting to battle,"I guess it's a yes,"

[Constructelf]

OOC Can somebody give me a rundown of how battles go?Also, how realistic in terms of damage do we have to be compared to the BZPRPG?

Edited November 18, 2012 by Constructman

[Konuju]

OOC: As far as how battles work, it's pretty similar to in the games, but feel free to use moves in creative ways. For example, in one of the PNT battles a few pages back, a Tentacool used "Toxic Spike" to make a single, giant toxic spike to protect itself.Also, be sure to not make your moves auto-hit. Give your opponent a chance to react. That said, keep in mind that someone will inevitably lose. Your Pokemon will gain experience either way, so if the odds are against you, just bite the bullet and take the loss. When neither side refuses to lose, battles can stretch on for an agonizingly long time.

IC: Dack
"Alright, then," Dack said. "Shieldon, let's go!" His Shieldon materialized from its Pokeball, ready to fight.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Konuju

[Constructelf]

IC Vincent"How many pokemon are we bringing out?" I asked. "All of our's? I have two." Lulu stepped out from behind me and assumed a fighting stance.OOC can somebody give me the link of the profile post in my sig? I'm on mobile right now and I need to check my pokemon's moves.

[Dralcax]

IC Kaito"I think we'd better send out one Pokemon at a time. All at once would be too crazy." Kaito almost sent out his Volcarona, but, noticing the Rock-type Shieldon, he sent out his Heracross instead. "Go! Bo!"OOC: http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=282&st=3160&do=findComment&comment=451605

Edited November 20, 2012 by Dralcax

[ZTG]

IC: Zac"Ready Z-pup?" Zc asked. The Growlithe brakes with glee and then shifted into a battle position and readied for attack,

[Konuju]

IC: Dack
"Shieldon, use Metal Sound on Heracross!" The Shieldon rubbed the shield on its head, creating an ear-splitting scraping sound.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Konuju

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray//Village Bridge==-"... Whatever... Fine, we'll leave in the morning, first thing." Ray said, not entirely appreciative of the fact that they'd be staying, but figured nothing that bad would happen."... When we do go, however, you're not coming, Ellen." Ray stated, not exactly wanting to put anyone he didn't have to in danger.

[ZTG]

IC: Zac"While he is doing that, Flare Blitz!" Zac said, Growlithe nodded and cloaked his body in red hot flames and charged at the Heracross

[Dralcax]

IC Kaito"Bo! Close Combat!" Bo jumped in close, and away from the Growlithe's Flare Blitz, and began pummeling the Shieldon.

Edited November 18, 2012 by Dralcax

[Constructelf]

IC Vincent"Flank the two of them and then unleash a force palm on Growlithe," I said. The riolu complied, darting around the combatants.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: ?, Village Bridge, Eastern GatehouseA figure walked out of the gatehouse onto the Village Bridge. He looked around, seeming to be in awe of how peaceful it was. He could faintly hear music playing in the area. Smiling, the figure walked towards the bridge itself, his eyes faintly glowing violet.....

[Professor Ecketzal]

IC: Roderick. Orange island arechipielago, a few hours later.Roderick slowly stepped out of the boat, after some hours of traveling by ship, he had finally arrived at his destination: Southern Mandarin Island. The southernmost island of the Orange archipielago."Well, it makes sense that Viper's hideout is here. There are several parts of the island that are deserted, and there is also a lot of cities, meaning, more people to keep an eye on, and more possible recruits".A voice sounded in his glasses/transmissor"What are we waiting for Roderick. Let's go". Said the ever so rash Genesect.Rolling his eyes, Roderick started walking towards the main city. "We still have to wait for James instructions before we acces the base. Doing it now would be quite suicidal... and don't try to contact him. Because he still doesn't know you are with me"."Although, knowing James, he probably already has found out through hacking reports":

Edited November 19, 2012 by Professor Ecketzal

[Parugi]

OOC: Konuju: Doesn't matter to me.Also, thanks for the battle explanation--better than I could have given at the moment. XD I would like to emphasize one thing from your post though, for everyone's notes:

OOC: As far as how battles work, it's pretty similar to in the games, but feel free to use moves in creative ways. For example, in one of the PNT battles a few pages back, a Tentacool used "Toxic Spike" to make a single, giant toxic spike to protect itself.Also, be sure to not make your moves auto-hit. Give your opponent a chance to react. That said, keep in mind that someone will inevitably lose. Your Pokemon will gain experience either way, so if the odds are against you, just bite the bullet and take the loss. When neither side refuses to lose, battles can stretch on for an agonizingly long time.

I feel like that isn't said or acknowledged enough, so thanks for mentioning it. =)IC - Sonja Baron - Outside, walking to Burks' House: Sonja was rather surprised by Ray's bluntness, even given his less-than-happy mood. "I think she knows that, Ray," she said after a moment. "The plan was to drop her off here, after all. No need to be rude about it..."IC - Kyle Eston - Iccirus City: "Sanshou, use U-Turn to dodge it!" Kyle called as the Mienfoo landed, having jumped off of Flygon's back following her previous attack. She nodded, dashing to the side as the Icy Wind shot toward her, jumping and bouncing off of a wall to move out of the way of the attack. Flying over the cloud of cold, she summoned a set of energy stars around her, spinning and sending the Swift attack toward Cryogonal as she landed, making sure to keep on the move.IC - Jackson Sang/Mewtwo - Strange Forest Clearing: As Jackson dodged an attack from his opponent, he saw Lafoyae's Conkeldurr crush the head of the serpent that she was fighting, evidently killing it: it stopped moving as soon as its crest was destroyed, the ubilical cord-like projection stemming from the back of its head disintegrating into nothingness. Walker slammed into the thing's back, knocking it to the ground, though a moment later became ensnared in its tentacles. Jackson ran forward, jumping up and drawing a knife from the inside of his jacket, cutting through the tentacles and freeing the Grovyle. As the two landed, he looked back, raising an eyebrow as the severed appendages liquified, before merging with the snake and regrowing.Interesting, he thought. Regenerative abilities... Perhaps total destruction of their heads is necessary to stop them...Mewtwo grappled with the phantom, using his psychic powers to augment his strength as he pushed back against it. The thing continued to stare blankly at him with its single eye, mouth opening slightly on occasion as if it were snarling at him. Narrowing his own eyes, Mewtwo released a psychic burst, throwing it back and momentarily dazing it. Recovering with surprising speed, however, it launched a barrage of dark energy at him, causing the Genetic Pokémon to fall back in pain, allowing it to close in on him in a heartbeat. Closing its hand around his neck, the creature lifted Mewtwo, bringing him to eye level as it had done with Claire before, observing him for a moment before unhinging its jaw, allowing the purple tendrils to spew forth once more.Mewtwo stared at it in shock, seemingly helpless. Then, he smiled, beginning to mentally laugh, the sound projecting around him as he thrust his glowing hands forward, pressing them against the thing's stomach.Got you.Drawing his fists back, he threw them forward again, lodging them in the thing's stomach. It seemed to notice this, looking down as Mewtwo released his Psystrike attack. Looking back up, it opened its mouth, mentally roaring in outrage before the energy tore through its body, ripping it apart from the inside out and causing it--and its cord--to dissolve.Mewtwo dropped to the ground, moving toward the others as the fighting continued, launching another Shadow Ball at the edge of the forest as a group of wolf-like creatures--again with one eye, who seemed to be made out of snow and ice--erupted from the brush.IC - Ethan Worth/Gavin Braner/Mask of Ice - The Cave: The Masked Man merely cocked his head at this, staring at Lucia. Slowly, he raised a hand, releasing another Icy Wind. This time, Dothe moved in front of the blast, taking the brunt of the hit to protect the Rocket Agent. After a moment, the man lowered his hands, placing both at his sides."I am... beyond the confines of humanity," Pryce answered, lowering his hood. Cold eyes stared forth at them from the bluish-white Mask of Ice on his face; through its semi-clear surface, they could faintly see the distorted outline of his face, though it was no longer the color it should have been: prolonged exposure to the icy apparel had turned it black, something that was evident even from this distance, thanks to the discoloration of his balding head. "Two decades... perhaps more... perhaps less... confined in this place, I have seen the truth... and I have melded with it... We are one..." He took a step forward. "The ultimate fate of humankind... of all living things... I will not let you destroy this future...""Wait," Ethan said, stepping forward, one hand on his belt, the other stretched out before him. His eyes were on the marks on Pryce's head, where the mask was in contact with the skin. "Pryce, sir, you're injured, aren't you? Let us help you--we can bring you back, get you and your Pokémon help-" He was silenced by another blast of wind, forcing him to shield his eyes."You know nothing..." Pryce said. "You cannot help anyone... You are envoys of destruction... and we are your salvation..." His hands glowed with cold energy, raising them. At that moment, the pool behind him seemed to rumble slightly, catching his attention. He turned to look at it, seeming mesmerized by its light...

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Lucia==-Lucia frowned, as she attempted to look beyond Pryce, toward the pool. Her Audino waited for her command; however, she still wasn't sure what to do. Her target wasn't a Pokemon after all; but if it came to that, she would attack directly. However, she was currently more interested in the pool."What's... That?" Lucia asked, more to herself than anything.-==IC: Ray==-"You don't think I know that?" Ray snapped back, though he winced with a slight scowl after he said that as he realized it was a colder response than he had wanted."... Evan's dead. The danger is just going to increase as we go. Even if the plan was to drop her off here, I want to make sure that it goes that way. I don't want anyone else dying." Ray said, as he shook his head, not registering the knocking at the door."If I need to go by myself to make sure they're all safe, so be it..." Ray muttered under his breath, it being barely audible.

[Dr. Hidaka]

IC: Evan Tierra, Village BridgeEvan knocked at the door three times. He could hear what was going on on the other side. Apparently, he was dead! Evan chuckled under his breath as he opened the door."Sorry to bust in like this, but it is quite cold outside and Plasma HQ is not exactly that close.", Evan said politely, adding a bow, "So it seems I am dead now, eh? Sorry to burst your bubble, but it'll take more than a cave-in to take me down. Merry Christmas!"With those last words, Evan punched Ray in the face."If there is one thing I can't stand, it's when one is rude to a woman.", Evan said, "Especially when she is being nice to ya. Sorry for the violence, Ellen."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Ray//Village Bridge==-If the dramatic entrance wasn't enough of a surprise, the punch to the face sent the message through. Ray stumbled backwards with a look of shock on his face, blinking as he tried to figure out what the heck just happened there."Wait... what... huh?" Ray asked, as he rubbed the point where Evan had punched him, not entirely sure what was going on there, as he leaned against the wall to try and get his balance, and figure this out.-==IC: Zach==-Brycen seemed intrigued, as the attack slammed into his Cryogonal, finally knocking it out."Very nice..." Brycen stated, as he sent out a Weavile next."Now, then, show me your power." Brycen calmly said, but was rather surprised, as Zach's Gallade shot forward, and unleashed a Close Combat on the Weavile before it could even react, nearly knocking it out... Although the Weavile shielded the hit with a Chople Berry."Ice Punch." Brycen stated, as he took advantage of the Gallade's close proximity, and lowered defences, to counter attack the opponent, and fainted it finally. Zach raised an eyebrow, and recalled his Pokemon, sending out a Typhlosion, as the Flygon attempted to use Dragonbreath on the Mienfoo once more.