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 Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 2:20 pm
Forgoing the drum solo for now, Sasha hustled her way down the street, the safety and dignity of the interns fresh in her mind. As she walked, she recalled that Celeste had mentioned how much she admired the Sphinx last time they had spoken, which only made Sasha go faster. She clicked along, stopping only once to check herself in a nearby tinted window. Obviously they touched you up before each shoot, but walking in looking like a scarecrow was something only amateurs did. No smear, no straw, no running, parfait! She didn't just look good, she looked great! With such a beauty in sight, it was hard not to flirt a little. She blew the reflection a few kisses. 'Call me.' she mouthed, adding a wink and giggling at her own silly antics before moving on, unaware of the glare she had just earned from one girl inside the coffee shop on the other side of the glass, whose boyfriend's gaze lingered just a little too long on the pink-haired girl as she bounced away. While Sasha may not have heard the resulting slap from inside the shop, she did hear the angry “HEY!” that followed once the girl had stepped outside. Sasha turned to the source of the noise, wondering just who was about to get punched, judging from the tone. Turns out it was her, as the dark haired girl in an equally black sundress stomped towards her, fire in her eyes. Sasha jumped slightly and looked behind herself, wondering if it really was her that this angry girl was glaring at.
“Yeah, you! Pinky!” she, pointing aggressively at Sasha. Her nails were painted black. There seemed to be a theme, here.
“Uh, do I know you, chérie?” Sasha said, backing away as she eyed the girl's clenched fists.
“My names not Sherry,” she sneered. “And no, you don't, but that didn't stop you from making kissy faces at my boyfriend!” Boyfriend? While Sasha didn't exactly recall seeing this girl anywhere, she had made a lot of kissy faces at a lot of boys (and girls for that matter) in her day, so this wasn't an unlikely happenstance. “Just now? At the coffee shop?” the girl said, 'helping' as she saw Sasha struggling to recall. “Hellooo? Any of this ringing a bell?” That was a coffee shop?
“Désolé, chérie,” Sasha said nervously, reaching for her phone. “I did not know z'hat z'he-”
“My name is not SHERRY!” the girl repeated, now yelling. Yikes. How embarrassing it must have been to be a part of this whole situation. “It's Kathy! And I challenge you to a match! Or do you have somewhere else to be?” The fact that the last part of that sentence was said through grit teeth hinted to the fact that she actually didn't care that she was holding up the pink-haired girl, but Sasha was optimistic.
“Uh-oui! Actually, I do, and I am running a l'eetle b'eet late.” She said brightly, trying to put on a happy face to defuse the situation. Any other time, Sasha would have gladly taken a moment to explain herself, but when she was cutting it this close with a shoot with Celeste, time was something she didn't have. Maybe Kathy would have a change of he-
“Good! Go Meowth!”
Merde.
15 minutes.
------
Kasiya listened intently as he spoke, as always; cutely nodding every other sentence or so just to let him know she was still paying attention. Not that Mike was concerned otherwise, but it was a sweet gesture nonetheless. After his little narration, she replied less with words and more by draping herself over him. Once again, this was not a problem. “Okay, okay,” Mike said with a smile, catching the message loud and clear. “We can stay a little bit longer if we must.” With an entirely serious sigh of frustration, the boy plopped them both back down on the pillows and wasted another hour or so 'aggressively cuddling'.
Mike woke up from the post-'snuggle' nap with his face buried in golden hair. It smelled nice, but oh god it was everywhere. Everywhere! “Help I'm drowning!” he flailed, shaking his way free from the mess as he felt a sneeze coming up from the hair tickling his nose. Not wanting to, you know, make his girlfriend bald, Mike leaned over the side of the bed and in a shower of sparks and smoke, sneezed into his arm. “Well that was pleasant.” he said, both laughing and coughing. Now that Kasiya had been properly startled awake, Mike rolled over and gave her several apology kisses. “You awake?” He smiled at the hair-beast that was his girlfriend who once again had lost her clothes. Just how did that keep happening, the captive audience asked. “You caught me in your Bind, but thankfully I know Rapid Spin so I get to live.” Other than showcasing Mike's ability to be a honkin' dork, the last sentence the boy said also gave him quite the idea. “You know, I know just how to get us both out of bed.” Unable to hold back a smile, he leaned in. “I challenge you to a battle. Let's get dressed. love. It's fightin' time!”
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 2:44 pm
Falkner said nothing as he watched the Pikachu start to dart around the gym floor. It was fast, sure, but with its keen eyesight, Pidgeotto had no trouble tracking the bright, yellow rodent's movements. It came in quickly, and Falkner narrowed his eyes. "Brace yourself, and counter with Aerial Ace," he said calmly. Pidgeotto gave a trill, flapping its wings slowly as the Mouse Pokemon jumped forward. The Bird Pokemon grunted slightly from the impact, but immediately struck back in midair with its powerful Aerial Ace, slashing at the Electric-type viciously with its sharp, glowing talons. Even with the type resistance, Pikachu weren't known for their incredible stamina and the blue-haired gym leader continued to watch with a tight-lipped expression.
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 3:10 pm
The boy's closeness and willingness to show her everything about himself was touching, and she only wished she could have returned the favor. However, Googling herself would probably yield no results... it was almost as if she did not exist outside the Kimono Dance Theatre. Actually, that was exactly how it was -- her life, her purpose, her experiences, they were all dictated by that place. They all belonged to that place. Shaking the dark thoughts from her head, she instead focused on Jaeshan's Google results, sympathetically wincing at every disappearance article they scrolled past. After a while, there seemed to be other results, the first of which being his trainer profile. It seemed Jaeshan Devereaux was quite the experienced trainer, which six badges under his belt, though none from Johto. It would have strange to think, if he'd earned the Fog Badge from Morty in Ecruteak, that they would have been in such close proximity and never known it. To have so many badges, he must have had a lot of strong Pokemon, and she wondered what kinds there were. Maybe she would get to see his new team meet his old one; that would certainly be a fun experience. Though the thought felt a bit intrusive, since she was already placing herself with him when he returned to his parents, who thought he was dead for quite a while. Would he want her there? A quick glance at the boy reassured her that hopefully he would, or at least, he might bring her to Littleroot and could introduce her after he and his (small, as they would later discover) family had their big reunion. The thought made her smile.
She suggested off-handedly that he should print out the important stuff, so as not to forget again, and the boy actually took her seriously, printing his trainer profile out. After that, they rediscovered his Twitter, and her smile quickly faded when she read the most recent one. "Geez," she murmured, although she couldn't help but relate. Every step forward these days only made her more nervous. @jae_devereaux had taken the words right out of her mouth. Reading the rest of his tweets was more humorous (she wasn't sure what to make of this Keegan, but she would hate him for Jaeshan's sake) and then finding the information about his family was at once hilarious and sad. She had always pictured as small, rich families in their big, rich houses as being lonely, but she was sure that since he had turned out so kind and well-mannered, his parents were good people. However, Jade's favorite part of this entire rediscovery of self was them happening upon the Youtube videos of Jaeshan playing violin and piano through the years. A thousand dry remarks came to mind when she heard the violin playing, but the videos of the blonde on the piano stunned her into silence. "That was beautiful," she said quietly when the video finished, turning to the boy only to find his hands trembling and his face on the computer desk. "Hey, hey, it's all right." Her voice was soft and almost sweet as she grabbed his hands, waiting until the boy lifted his head to look at her to continue. "It's a lot to take in at once. I, for one, am ecstatic that my boyfriend is rich and knows how to play piano. And he's one hell of a trainer to boot, judging from all of those badges." She hadn't noticed that she referred to him as her 'boyfriend' until after she was finished speaking, and her cheeks reddened. "But um. Maybe you should lay down; you aren't looking too good." Not taking no for an answer, she pulled the boy to his feet and continued down the hall, prepared to take him back into her room until he stopped at his -- which was right next door. As soon as they got inside, she kicked off her shoes and led the boy to the bed.
After a few hours of downtime, during which the two spent talking until the both of them had fallen into a light doze, Jae first and Jade a few minutes later. Unfortunately for them, this light doze fell into a heavy nap, as the emotional stress of admitting/remembering your dark past was downright exhausting. By the time they both woke up, Jade groggier and grumpier than the blonde, it was late afternoon. They paid the time no mind and headed down to the lobby, healing up their Pokemon from the battle with the bikers earlier. After that, it was time for a very late lunch/pre-dinner mealsnack (they debated for a few minutes over what the their inbetween meal should be called and finally agreed on that hefty name), filling their bellies and those of their Pokemon. After that, the dark-haired girl complained about wanting to train today, as she still intended on challenging Gardenia in the near future, and Jaeshan suggested that they go out to the forest to train some more. It was agreed upon, and the two set out, walking leisurely back to Eterna Forest. Jae made some vague comments about some haunted mansion he found, a story the girl wished she could hear, but he promised to tell her later.
Training did not go as well as Jade had hoped -- she was both extremely jealous and extremely upset that Sigilyph could now hold his own against a majority of her team (you know, all three battle-capable members). Chloris, the sweet thing that she was, did not fare well even when she was just dodging Razor Leaf attacks from the patient Grotle. After getting hit once, she rested on the ground and cried until Jade relented and let her float around, collecting berries for everyone from the high branches. Since she was so light-weight and floated around like a cloud, the Cottonee was perfect for the job. The dark-haired girl would make it up and spend some quality time with her tomorrow, training and practicing her moves. She was definitely not ready to challenge the gym leader yet, even with Solaris and Cirrus. Perhaps she ought to catch another Pokemon -- maybe a Flying-type would do nicely. When the sun had set and their Pokemon were sufficiently exhausted (Jade's significantly moreso than Jae's -- she had no doubt that he would win his gym battle without breaking a sweat, and told him so several times), they agreed to go back. "I wonder what time it is," she said, recalling her team, which now consisted of a barely conscious Solaris and a very conscious, very energetic Chloris. The girl looked over at Jaeshan, grinning. "What do you think we should call the meal we're having when we get back?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 5:26 pm
"Polly, use Hypnosis!" cried Donnie, who seemed to be growing more and more frustrated with the battle as he went on. The Poliwag's little mouth turned upwards in a cute smile as the pattern on her belly began to move, swirling around faster and faster in order to draw the snake's attention. Jett frowned lightly, ordering for Naja to not look; the Ekans squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away, just in case. Viy grumbled at his side -- that blasted snake was taking her sweet time with getting a solid hit in. He would prefer that she ended her battles quickly and decisively.
"Bite, again." The raven-haired boy was also growing tired of this battle, and wanted to move on. Naja slithered quickly, this time twisting behind the Water-type in order to land a solid Bite attack. Polly squealed in pain, little legs flailing, and the snake seemed to thrive on the fear. Donnie, concerned, called for a Water Gun; the Poliwag scrambled away and spun on her heel, spouting another jet of water that the Poison-type avoided. "Poison Sting," Jett called lightly, not all too concerned. He had assumed that they had the advantage of being a higher level, and if not, whoever he chose next definitely would. Again, Naja rushed towards the tadpole, her fangs glowing purple as she bared them. With a shriek of terror, the Water-type began to run again, but this time toward the purple snake. Naja's Poison Sting was cut brutally short when one of those tiny little feet stomped her head into the ground; in her panic, Polly ended up running atop the snake's body, unintentionally kicking her head into the dirt. She stumbled and rolled back onto the ground, almost afraid to look back. Jett and Donnie seemed equally concerned, and for good reason. When the Poison-type's head rose and turned back to find those wide, frightened eyes, her gaze and the accompanying hiss promised nothing short of murder.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Amy finally began to feel the weight of her heavy day when she returned to the Pokecenter, beginning to feel drowsy as she turned in her Pokeballs to the ever-cheerful Nurse Joy. While she waited for them to be healed, she sat down on a couch in the near-empty lobby, musing on what Surge had said and on what she planned to do next. She had no idea when the next contest was, really, but she could prepare for that while training and earning badges (if she decided she wanted to) at the same time. And now that Karrigan had left (the thought of the redheaded girl made her smile, and she quickly texted her the news of her gym victory, wishing her well), she was all alone. She could do anything she wanted.
As the bespectacled girl glanced around, she caught sight of the same hallway where that detective had spoken to her. Detective Argent, wasn't it? The memory made her nervous; she recalled how the man urged her to change regions because of how dangerous they expected the situation to be. "But he's seen you. He knows you. We aren't sure how he would handle a familiar face. But you might very well be in danger, Amy." With her gym battle done and without Karrigan, the girl really did have no reason to stay. She could catch news of the next contest from anywhere, and she could train her team anywhere. Should she really change regions? Where would she go? The Pokecenter itself seemed to be full of suggestions: since Vermilion was a port city, the walls were plastered with posters advertising regions, both old and new. She saw the poster for Unova, for a region called Sinnoh, for Hoenn... even for Johto. Amy stared at that poster the longest, frowning thoughtfully.
"Your Pokemon are ready," the pink-haired nurse informed her, breaking the girl from her thoughts. Amy stood back up, almost smoothing out her dress out of habit but then remembering she had changed her outfit. She collected her Pokeballs and attached them back to her belt, thanking the nurse. Before she could think of what to do next, her stomach rumbled, and the nurse told her that the cafeteria was still open, if she wanted any food. The bespectacled girl couldn't help but thank her again, heading to the cafeteria, figuring a meal would do everyone some good. And give her some more time to think.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Tessa smirked at the sight of the confused Gastly; it seemed that luck was on her side today! Oh, she still had a chance to show this ghost kid something, but despite his silent demeanor that she interpreted as rude, he was proving to be quite the battler. His unflinching calm was only exacerbating her annoyance, but she couldn't deny that he was skilled. He may be worthy after all, but that didn't mean she would just lay down and give up! She would not fail Brawly that way! When he commanded for another attack (his voice actually raised; she was getting to him! She knew it!), the battle girl looked at her Meditite, who did not seem to want to move an inch.
"Stay strong, Meditite," she said coolly, and the meditating Pokemon did, barely flinching as the Night Shade hit her. "Show them your Hidden Power." Tessa looked over at Leon, grinning. "Watch closely. We've just perfected this move." The Fighting/Psychic-type remained silent as ever, her body beginning to quiver and shine. When a white glow completely surrounded her, she directed her stolid gaze toward the confused Ghos. The glow dispersed immediately, forming several dark-colored orbs that fired right for the Pokemon -- it seemed that, much to Tessa's luck (or exactly as she planned; who knows?), this Hidden Power was Dark-type.
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:01 pm
Leon had to admit that he was surprised, but pleased, when Ghos' Night Shade had, by some miracle, still managed to hit the talkative girl's Meditite. They quickly responded with an attack of their own, but as the Meditite prepared its attack, Ghos' vision seemed to clear suddenly, and he got a strange look on his face, eyes widening very slightly. The air in front of him seems to quiver, and a large, ghostly fist developed in front of the Gastly, launching straight for the Meditite just as it was releasing its Hidden Power. Leon had noticed the new move when he had looked at the Gastly species for the first time on his PokéDex, but he had never seen Ghos use it before. It seemed that this was how Pokémon discovers their attacks on their own; once they were capable of performing it, they became almost overwhelmed by the urge when the time was right and it just erupted from them.
The fist slammed right into Meditite as the dark orbs were released from its body, and Ghos did not have time to react as his body relaxed from the sudden use of his newest naturally-learned move. The Ghost- and Poison-type was sent spinning backwards, and if it hadn't been already, it was obvious as he righted himself and glared slightly at his opponent that he had snapped out of his confusion. He appeared a little winded, and though Leon was not completely aware of the Dark-typing that Meditite's Hidden Power had taken on, he could still tell that it had done more damage to his Gastly than it probably would have in most circumstances. "Giga Drain," He commanded now, as he was not about to let him girl think she had bested him with these strokes of luck.
Ghos followed the command rather quickly, and he sent his own set of orbs (only these were green) flying towards Tessa's Meditite.
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 8:02 pm
There were only a few other people in the cafeteria -- a couple who talked amongst themselves and a boy with a Pidgeotto who occasionally pecked at his food while he wasn't looking. Amy was happy to collect enough food for herself and for her Pokemon, picking a table far away and releasing her team one by one. Most of them were cheered by the fact that they had won -- Lee looked a little sour for having lost his round, but after Amy's reassurances that he had done his part well and that she couldn't have won without him, he got over it. Brutus the Sandile didn't understand what any of it meant, but he looked happy enough to see actual food that he was allowed to eat. When Amy offered it to him, he dug in ravenously, making a mess. The bespectacled girl smiled a little as she sat down and watched her team eat. Though it was strange to see Castamere and Brutus; she didn't know much about either Pokemon at all, as one had been a strange, spontaneous capture, and the other had literally just materialized in her hands.
Well, with no plans for the future as of this moment, she certainly had all the time she wanted to get to know her team better. Amy watched Flora eat, suddenly excited to the Grass-type evolve into a beautiful, graceful Meganium. Or for Castamere to evolve into a sleek Persian. There was so much for her to do that she was sure it would not take long for them to decide. After they all had finished their dinners, Amy brought everyone back into their Pokeballs and cleaned up. She was pleased to find out from Nurse Joy that yes, there were still some rooms open; usually, with so many people coming and going, this Pokecenter must be booked up a lot of the time, but that was also why there were so many inns around Vermilion. Amy happily headed to her room after using the bathroom to brush her teeth.
The girl felt a bit more relaxed when she changed into her pajamas, happy to snuggle into bed. The exhaustion returned then, and the girl yawned loudly. She hadn't decided whether or not she wanted to stay in Kanto by the time she fell asleep, but that was all right. It could be a decision left for the morning.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The Sucker Punch hit the Meditate Pokemon hard, making her actually cry out in pain -- it was a strange sound, one not heard by Tessa before. After regaining her composure, Meditite released the Hidden Power she had been storing, only to lose it right afterwards by slumping forward. This battle had taken a lot out of her, and her defenses weren't so great. Tessa frowned at the sight of her Pokemon's fatigue. The results of the battle were clear to her now, but that didn't mean she would allow herself to be disgraced like that! They would go out with a fight!
"Meditate," she said, preparing for one last blow just as the boy ordered for another Giga Drain. Well, thanks to Gastly's nasty super attack abilities, the orbs drained more of her Pokemon's health than she anticipated. "Don't give in, Meditite! Let the fires of your passion keep you going -- we mustn't lose like this!" But it seemed that was exactly what they were going to do: after swaying for a moment, the meditating Pokemon fell forward, sprawling out on the floor. Before Tessa could say a word, Leon's 'light' widened, giving him a wider berth. "Fine," she murmured, recalling her last Pokemon. Tessa glared at the boy, stepping aside to allow him to pass. "Go on; you've won this round. But don't think that just because you beat me, you can beat Brawly. He's on a whole other level." With that, the trainer retreated into the darkness, off to heal her Pokemon and then to get stronger. One day, she would find this ghost boy again and she would defeat him. Tessa promised herself that.
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 8:13 pm
It actually hadn't been the sneeze that had awoken Kasiya from a happy, warm and peaceful slumber, but the fact when Mike had flailed around, trying to free himself from her ensnaring, golden locks, he'd given them a pretty good yank which had turned out to be rather painful. The sneeze it self had startled her a second time, and her nose wrinkled a little from the smell of smoke filling up the room. "Ow, ow, ow," she murmured, pretending to shy away from Mike and bury herself under a blanket. "I'm not awake," she mumbled defiantly, though the playful edge to her voice gave her away as she sat up quickly. "Rapid Spin this!" she shouted, whacking him in the face with a pillow.
He had that thoughtful look in his eye, however, and she ceased fire, leaning back as he wore that cute smile she'd come to adore. "Oh?" Soon, however, her smile matched his and she sat up again, giving him a quick kiss on the end of his nose. "Well then, I guess I have no choice but to accept. You know, trainer tradition and all." She wasn't exactly sure what kind of battle he meant, but the prospect was exciting nevertheless. He was right, however, as it did get them out of bed and ready to start their day, even if it was well past noon now. Well, whatever, it wasn't like they didn't deserve an easy day for once! Mike mentioned meeting outside of the Pokemon Center and she agreed, as she wanted to take another shower. After making herself somewhat presentable enough to at least dart down the hallway to the showering area she hastily threw her stuff in a corner and washed up quickly, though her hair had become a virtual Rattata's nest and it took a while to work through it enough to make it all smooth and silky again. After drying off she dressed, her clothes still smelling dryer-fresh, and this time she only towel-dried her hair before putting it up into her usual (current) style, making doubly sure that she hadn't forgotten anything as she headed outside to meet Mike, squinting under the bright sun.
=-=-=-=-=
The piano melody from the last video was still stuck playing in Jaeshan's head, and he could still feel his fingers twitching as they attempted to play along. How is it that I can't remember anything useful yet somehow I could probably play the piano perfectly if I sat down in front of one? he thought angrily, resisting the urge to smash his forehead against the computer desk. "This was a stupid idea," he grumbled, feeling Jade's hands tugging at his, and after a few moments of (mostly feigned) resistance, he slowly raised his head to look at her, his distressed expression softening as she listed off his newly-discovered qualities. To be fair, he did sound pretty awesome - not that he was bragging or anything - but it was too bad that he really couldn't remember any of it. It wasn't until he saw Jade go redder than a Tamato Berry that he realized that she had called him her boyfriend, and despite the flood of comments he could have made at her expense he held them back, mostly because she looked pretty damned cute when she was all embarrassed like that. So instead he just smiled at her like the great goof he was, allowing her to yank him to his feet as she had apparently decided that he needed to lie down and take a rest.
It was a little odd that regardless of how different everything was now, it all still seemed to feel the same. They wound up in the room that Jaeshan had used the night before, and he sort of stumbled over his footwear rather than kicking it off. He barely had time to throw his leather aviator jacket over a nearby chair before Jade had led him over to the bed, and he didn't really get too much of a chance to ponder the idea of what it felt like to have a beautiful girl in bed with him as they'd spent the first little while talking. That didn't last long, however, as they dozed off a short time later. About the only thing Jaeshan was really aware of when he finally awoke much, much later was that for the first time since waking up on the beach in Sandgem Town, he didn't have a single nightmare, which he was fairly certain was due to the girl that had slept snuggled up against him. With some difficulty he managed to not provoke his already-grumpy girlfriend, as he knew from experience it was akin to poking a pissed-off Ursaring (whatever that was). Their late lunch/pre-dinner mealsnack (Jae had tried valiantly to convince her to shorten it to "LUPREDINMESNA" but Jade was having none of that nonsense, though her choice of words had been a bit more colourful) was satisfying but uneventful, and he rolled his eyes as Jade had complained about the fact that she hadn't done any training today, but suggested they return to Eterna Forest regardless (so long as they stay away from creepy, haunted mansions and their ghostly inhabitants) as he'd grown rather familiar with this end of it over the past few days.
They all learned very quickly that Magnemite made for a very lousy training partner, as the words 'this is just for practice, you're not trying to kill them, omfg Magnemite stop electrocuting everyone' did not exist in the Magnet Pokemon's vocabulary and thus spent the whole time confined to its Pokeball. Jaeshan felt as though they'd accomplished a lot while Jade obviously thought the opposite, shrugging off his comments of "you're being too hard on yourself" and "don't worry" and "there's always tomorrow." Once the sun had set, they made the choice to head back to town. Even if Jae's Pokemon weren't quite as tuckered out as Jade's, he knew he was tired enough for all them put together, as his memory continued to relentlessly assault him with flashes and images all day and evening long. The blond stretched his arms over his head as the pair walked at a leisurely pace along the well-worn path, looking thoughtfully up at the starry sky as Jade posed a very important question. "Ooh, that's a tough one," he murmured, giving his neck a slight crack and feeling some of the tension in his head and shoulders start to ebb a bit.
"How about the 'by-the-time-we-get-back-everything-will-be-closed-and-we'll-have-to-raid-the-candy-machines feast? Because I am in no hurry to get back to civilization right away," he chuckled, slowing their pace as he slid his arms around her waist in order to pull her closer to him. It had been at least twenty minutes or so since he'd last felt the softness of her lips against his and that was just plain unacceptable. Oh, it was safe to say he was becoming addicted to this part of their relationship. "Or maybe the perfect end to a crappy d-" his voice trailed off into a sharp and abrupt grunt as something hard had suddenly struck him in the back of the head, a severe pain quickly spreading out from the point of impact like a wildfire. He was vaguely aware of Jade calling his name and he tried to reach for her; his vision had gone blurry, making it appear as though she was far away. His whole world suddenly vaulted sharply to the right; the ground rushing up painfully to greet him and the last thing he saw was a strange, brown creature watching him carefully from afar - a Pokemon, probably - its tail and ears looking like lush green leaves.
And then, darkness.
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 9:44 pm
"Oh, I bet you aren't," the girl teased, grinning in response to his lack of desire to get back to public places. "Not with all of those damn kids running around..." She had been prepared to say more, but he kissed her then, softly and sweetly, and she couldn't help but respond. It was like instinct now. And her smile broadened even more at the mention of a perfect ending, which was what this was beginning to feel like. She had been so preoccupied, so comfortable with his arm around her waist, that she didn't notice the brown blur of a stick moving out of the corner of her eye. She didn't even hear the solid thwack -- all she felt was his dead weight, all she saw was him falling. "Jaeshan!?" Jade yelled, her brain slow on the uptake, her ears ringing. Was there something wrong with his head? Was he having a seizure? She couldn't remember him doing anything like this, not in all the time they've been together. Jade's breathing grew erratic and her whole world seemed to grow blurred at the edges. All she saw was his body, so still, so frighteningly still. She fell beside it, trying to say something, trying to call for help, but the only noise that came out of her was a series of short, panicked gasps that sounded mysteriously like 'jae'. It was only when someone else speak that she was alerted to the presence of a threat.
"How uncouth." The first thing she thought was, I know that voice, and then she immediately stopped breathing. Her hands were hanging over the back of Jae's head, which had begun to bleed, shaking and twitching like pale spiders. Slowly, the dark-haired girl looked up to find two women wearing kimonos. The younger of them brandished a large stick, which Jade guessed had been her weapon of choice, although a Leafeon sat beside her, observing the boy with slight concern from a distance. The girl had a lot of freckles, and her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Jade made a sound that was a mixture of a moan and a sob, tears springing to her eyes.
"They were never going to leave each other, that much was obvious," the blonde girl drawled out, slinging the stick over her shoulder. "And their Pokemon are all exhausted now, so I figured we better hurry up!" She looked down at the dark-haired girl with disdain. "Bet you didn't recognize us outside our uniform, huh, Kyoko?" The sound of that name made the girl want to retch; her stomach convulsed painfully. "We even tried to catch your attention earlier, so that way, it wouldn't be such a scene when we brought you back home. Guess you didn't get it, huh?" She could barely get a grasp on what the other girl was saying, her head hurt so much. Impossibly, she thought of running. Would she be able to carry Jaeshan's body that far? Where could she go that they wouldn't find her? Jade tugged uselessly at Jae's shoulders, trying to stand as she did so. Either the soil was too loose beneath her shoes or her balance was too unsteady, because she fell then, dropping the boy and landing harshly on her face. When she rose, she felt it burn, as though she had been cut. "How disgraceful," the blonde girl remarked coldly. "I don't know why we bothered getting you back when--"
"That's enough, Sora," the older woman said quietly, making the blonde stop within an instant. The look she gave Jade then was almost pitying. "I'm sorry about your friend. We were told to retrieve you using any means necessary. It's time to come back, Kyoko." The older woman, Jade remembered in a startling burst of clarity, was something akin to an instructor to them. Her name was Ren. The dark-haired girl wiped away the moisture on her cheek, finding her her hand to come back red. She felt as if she was stepping in and out of her own life, unable to get a hold of herself, unable to comprehend the full extent of what was happening. She saw herself crouched there, a wounded animal trapped by predators. She saw the women in the kimonos looking back at her. She felt nothing but the cold abyss of fear, a constant pressure on her heart. Through all the muddle of her mind, she deciphered one clear thought: I want to live.
Jade was up on her feet in an instant, hurling a Pokeball into the air. "Solaris!" she yelled, voice frayed. The fox appeared, visibly exhausted from training but alert upon sensing her trainer's stress and seeing Jaeshan on the ground like that. Jade looked wildly from the two women, gaze finally settling upon Sora and her Leafeon. Ren did not have her Pokemon out, whatever it was, but she could handle it. She could do this. "Fire Spin," she choked out, and the little Vulpix turned upon the Grass-type, a dangerously large amount of flames bursting from her mouth.
"Espeon," Ren's voice rang out sweetly, although it sounded almost sad. A light purple blur appeared in front of Leafeon and then the flames seemed to run into a wall, rippling and distorting until they dissipated. Jade and her Pokemon looked at the tiny Psychic-type in shock, and before she could think of another move, Ren said, "Psychic again, please." The gem on the Sun Pokemon's head glowed and the air distorted around Solaris before she was knocked back. She cried out sharply and landed at Jade's feet, knocked out. "I assure you, Kyoko, bringing out that Grass-type of yours will only yield the same results," Ren warned. Whereas Sora's expression was twisted with disgust and contempt, her own was impassive. "Please, put a stop to this violence and come with us. It's time to put an end to this tantrum of yours. You should not have involved outsiders, and now this boy has paid the price." She looked down at the blonde boy before her gaze returned to Jade, her eyes cold and clear. "Will pay the price. He could be arrested, Kyoko. For aiding and abetting a wanted fugitive. Or for kidnapping a poor, innocent girl. They would believe us, either way. There are dozens of ways to put this boy in jail for a very long time--"
"Stop," Jade gasped, tears beginning to run down her cheeks. Ren paused, her eyebrows raising. The girl's gaze fell down to Jaeshan and she remembered when he first saved her, back in Jubilife. How could kindness be a crime? she thought, choking back a sob. How could I let that happen to him? She knew what she had to do. Numbness spread through her limbs, and for a single moment, she did not feel anything. Then, all she felt was resignation. Jade had lost. "Promise me that you won't involve him. Promise me he walks away from this -- no jail, no trial, nothing. It was as if he was never here." She needed a moment to collect herself, to stop crying, before she continued. "Promise me that, and I'll come with you peacefully." I'm so sorry.
Both Ren and Sora considered the thought for a moment, exchanging a glance. And then Sora smiled. "Deal."
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 10:05 pm
It was late afternoon now. Time to move on back to the forest so they could be on the road to Pewter by tomorrow. Hopefully, barring any distractions be it weather, wild pokemon, battles, or some emergency. He had an eventful journey so far, so the chances of travels to Pewter city getting interrupted were fairly large. Specially with Beedrill simply swarming in the forest.
Regardless, he had one more stop to make before he left. He told the Professor he would visit him and show off his Krabby once he caught it. He meant to do just that. With his team back in the pokeballs the way up was quite save for the sounds of a few flying and bug types. It was nice to enjoy the sounds of nature after such intense battles.
After several more minutes of climbing he reached the lab and knocked on the door to see if the Professor was still there and not about on the grounds.
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Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 12:33 am
Ben's teeth clenched as the Pidgeotto came out with the vicious strike against his Pikachu, sending the yellow mouse to the ground with a pained cry. But Pikachu wasn't done, yet. As he got back onto his feet with a grunt, Ben knew that it was now or never. "Pikachu, Thundershock! No holding back!" he shouted, his fists clenched and sweaty with his anticipation. He had to beat Falkner! He just had to! He owed it to his Pokemon to make this first major milestone in his journey! The eleven-year-old was very nervous, though he tried not to show it as his Pikachu leapt up into the air and let loose as big a jolt as he could muster, the electricity scattering through the air.
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Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 7:36 am
The Thundershock was inevitable, Falkner knew that much, and even as the jolt of electricity (hey, at least it wasn't a Thunderbolt) arched through the air and struck his Pidgeotto, the gym leader's cool reserve never faltered, evident by the fact that he was already in the process of giving his next command before the mouse's attack was even over. "Stay strong. Aerial Ace." He glanced past the Pokemon to the young boy, clearly able to see that Ben wasn't nearly as calm or collected as he was. The boy was still young though, and it was only to be expected that the kid be a little nervous. After all, it was probably his very first Gym battle, and the kid would grow into his confidence as he gained experience and knowledge. Falkner was sure of that much, and for the briefest of seconds, a small smile was visible on the Bird Master's face. The blue-haired Gym Leader looked back as Pidgeotto fought off the stray electricity that clung to its body, and it gave a loud, warbling cry before speeding off toward the mouse like a tan and gold comet, talons at the ready.
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Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 7:32 pm
The redhead rolled his eyes at Dante's comments about explosions and being 'blown away', turning back to look at his sarcastic friend. "Wow Dante, you're so clever and original. How long did it take you to think of those?" he grumbled, refraining from saying anything further, possibly due to the young Pokemon that were still within earshot. While it was true that his patience often quickly wore thin from the other boy's constant sarcasm (a bit hypocritical of him, yes) he found that this time it didn't seem to bother him as much. Calling their friendship odd would be a massive understatement, as they could go from co-existing in complete and comfortable silence to going above and beyond the call of duty getting each other into hilarious and often humiliating situations within a matter of minutes. Deep down though, he knew that Dante was a good kid and would always have his back, and for whatever idiotic, sentimental and cornball reasons, it was eerily comforting. It was also all he could seem to think about at the moment, making it irritatingly difficult to come back with his own sarcastic remarks to counter and he sighed, partially annoyed with himself but also partially grateful that Dante wasn't a mind-reader.
He'd almost forgotten his parting remark as they moved between the Defense and Attack Room, and he groaned when he heard a shrill voice yelling at him already. "What do you think it means?" Quickly scanning the room, his gaze came to rest on another girl, wearing a similar uniform to the one Alexia had on. Whether she'd heard the ruckus from the previous room or not he did not know, but it was apparent that she was determined to stop him from advancing any further. As the redhead glanced at the door that waited just behind her, however, he could see that the sign posted above it was framed differently. That's probably Norman's room, he thought, ignoring the obviously pre-planned speech the girl was giving him, though he did pick up on the fact that her name was Jody. He lazily waved his hand at her to show that he'd more or less understood her prattling on, waiting almost impatiently for her to send out Pokemon. When she did, it was a white, catlike Pokemon with red markings on its body, a long white tail and long, dangerous-looking claws protruding from its front paws.
Zangoose, Keegan thought, not caring nearly enough to consult his PokeDex and he once again took up Artemis' PokeBall in his hands, figuring the Swellow was still energetic enough to battle. The Flying-type would not disappoint, appearing in front of her trainer and glaring ahead at the Cat Ferret Pokemon, and Keegan wondered if she sensed how important this battle was. "Ladies first," he offered, motioning to the female trainer across from him.
"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing," she sneered. "Zangoose, Crush Claw! This guy isn't going anywhere!" Her Pokemon gave a vicious snarl before darting forward, the claws on its front left paw taking on a white glow.
"Aren't we feisty," Keegan grumbled, watching closely but clearly not worried as the white and red Pokemon closed in on Artemis. Not yet. Not yet. Yes, perfect. "Artemis, Double Team!" The Swellow trilled loudly, her body undertaking a faint glow of its own before she was moving swiftly upward, and left, and right, and seemingly in all directions at once. The cheekily-smirking Swellow that remained behind was quickly taken out by the Zangoose's claws, and the feline Pokemon then whipped its head back and forth, trying to discern which Swellow was the real one.
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Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 11:58 pm
"Blorf!" Mike so eloquently said in reply to getting beaned across the cheek with a pillow. He spun comically, complete with the necessary 'whee!'. "I know? Isn't it just such a wonderful joy of our profession? To be held to an endless cycle of unavoidable battles to which we cannot deny? You know, it sounds kinda barbaric when put that way,,." Rambling aside, Kasiya wished to take another shower before the fight, which was fine by him. He could deal with a little clean-up himself. However, his manner of sanitation was a bit less...conventional. Throwing on his clothes (which now smelled very much like a certain blonde he knew), Mike grabbed his things and ran outside the Pokemon Center.
While Pewter City wasn't the most inhabited city in Kanto, it was lunch time and the streets were a-bustlin'. This will certainly make things interesting.
"Oh yes." Mike smiled. "But think of the fun!" He looked around, accompanied by a few shadowy figures.
Alleyway. Alleyway. Which way is an alleyway?
"That way!" the boy rang out, pointing to a secluded spot between two local shops. "And look, they're made of stone. Even better!" While it was immensely enjoyable for Mike to surround himself in a fiery inferno as often as possible, innocent business owners didn't fit his usual list of people to arson. "Be that as it may," he said to no one in particular. "I've got a date! And it would be rude of me not to freshen up." He skipped along, unhooking a Pokeball from his strap and letting it fly. "Let's have a little privacy. Vesuvius, Smokescreen!" The Torkoal appeared, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. After a dim sounding cry, the tortoise opened his mouth and spewed a curtain of black smoke, stopping any curious bystanders. "Alright Vesuvius. Now don't...open your eyes any more than you usually do." Mike said, disrobing.
Which is not at all. a phantom added, helpfully.
"You too, guys. Turn around."
This coming from the guy who spent a week running around in rags.
"So I'm inconsistent. Sue me." Remember? Insane? Now fully naked, Mike commanded for his Pokemon to douse him in a sea of flames, but not before posing in such a way that the soot left for a very amusing silhouette; think Pompeii. The fire bath was marvelous, if not a bit brief. And hot, can't forget that. Soon, he felt like a million bucks. Mike threw his clothes back on, laughed at his masterpiece, then ran back to meet up with Kasi.
Aren't we forgetting something?
"Whoops." Okay, he went back, recalled his Pokemon, then ran back to meet up with Kasi. "I mostly challenged you just so we'd get out of bed," he shouted once she was within eyesight. "So why don't we have a fun little match just to limber up?" He raised his hand, which still held Vesuvius's ball. "Who knows! Maybe we'll figure out what in the world we wanna do today." He released his Torkoal once again. After all, thirty seconds of rest was enough, right?
"Tor!" Vesuvius grunted, wearing a dopey grin.
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 12:45 am
Ben watched as Pidgeotto delivered another unfailing attack on his Pikachu, the electric type letting out a weakened cry as it was struck by the bird's fierce talons. "Hang in there, Pikachu!" Ben cried out, starting to become concerned for his Pokemon. 'No,' he thought to himself, his fists clenching with resolve. 'I can't give up. If I'm confident, Pikachu will feel it and be confident, too.' His expression taking on as much strength as possible, he gave a clear shout. "Pikachu, use more thunder! Don't stop until that bird is on the ground!" Pikachu, panting, registered Ben's command, and with as much strength as he could muster, let loose another one of his Thundershocks. Ben watched on eagerly, knowing that the bird couldn't withstand a whole lot of electricity, and hoping that the match would be over soon.
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Melphaligal the Challama Crew
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:55 am
"Oh Keegan your remark has stung me deep. How will I ever recover?" Came the overly dramatic and theatrical reply from Dante. Shifting the children into one arm Dante fanned himself as if he was about to swoon. "Darlin'" He drawled doing a pretty good impression of his mothers accent." I don't think I will be able to stand your cold shoulder. Promise me you will take care of the children when I am gone!" He leaned against the wall behind Keegan watching as the next battle started. Adjusting the little monsters in his arms again so they wouldn't fight from being to close together Dante watched as Keegan sent out Artemis again, this time on purpose.
If Dante had any idea on Keegan's thoughts he probably would have teased him, been embarrassed then pretty happy about the whole thing. The thing was sure Dante had meet quite a few people along the way but he didn't really know or trust any of them as much as he did Keegan. He was well aware that the other boy had plenty of other friends in Kasi or Mike and a few of the other people he had seen the redhead hang out around. Maybe Dante didn't make friends as easily as the redhead, which was pretty sad considering it was Keegan and him being nice to people. Still there were a few reasons why he was down here to visit the redhead and evolving Kenny wasn't the only one, though it was the most fun one.
In Dante's arms the baby Turtwig watched with wide eyes as her favorite human sent out a strong looking flying bird thing. She didn't really know what it was but if the redhead sent it out then it must be super strong! Much stronger then that white cat thing. Oh if only she could do battle with it to show how tough she was!
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