|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 8:31 pm
"My life goal, my dear Mary-Anne, is to capture every variation of human emotion that I can think of, in my work. Each work is named aptly thus, after the emotion it represents. Sometimes, I am inspired by the concrete. Like this. This one is called, the The Fearfulness of Verisimilitude. Verisimilitude meaning that which has the appearance of truth," Milton added, noting that lack of understanding that had painted itself on her face.
For, you see, the human face was a canvas in its own right. Milton had a whole collection dedicated to the human face's exterior; the reflections of anger, of embarrassment, and so forth. But the inside was much deeper, much more complex; there wasn't a great deal of difference in a face between astonishment and dismay many times, but the feeling, of course, is far different. He explained all this to Mary-Anne (and by extension, Diego and Daemyn), and she nodded, somewhat awed by his genius in his work. His painting named The Interior of Peace brought true peace upon her soul; The Interior of Laughter made her heart bubble with joy, the sensation of laughing without laughing. Meanwhile, Daemyn remained glued to M.A.'s side. He had been on edge ever since they left the hiking path, though he was always in a bad mood around strangers anyways. M.A. would have recalled him if he had allowed him.
Eventually, he had shown M.A. more or less the all that he had painted in the last year, a stunning amount. M.A. felt a little dazed after having experienced so much. There was one last room, but that was under lock and key. "That exhibit's not quite ready for the public," Milton said sheepishly, with a faint attempt for a smile. "Actually... it's just incomplete. This year and a half or so, I have more or less painted at least one work a day, as much as five, but this last week I've been stuck," he said, warily. "I just have had no source of inspiration... I cannot think of any other emotion I have left to paint, from the inside or outside. Providence has brought me you and Diego, however..."
M.A. smiled. It seemed like a time you were supposed to smile.
Milton took this sign as encouragement for his next request. "Say. Would you stay here a day or two? Just for me to evaluate your relationships with your Pokemon? Maybe you can give me something fresh to work with. But aaaaah. I apologize. If you have some other pressing engagement, I'm sorry to have..." Milton stuttered, apparently embarrassed.
"No, no, we don't." Daemyn growled. "Pardon him. But I'd hate for you to need to extend your hospitality to us? If it's any trouble..."
"No, no, no, you'd be doing me a favor. Plus, why not delay a good-bye with Diego? He seems to have grown quite fond of you, too," Milton said, with a soft smile. "Diego used to hate humans, outside of myself; but he's let you in, too."
"Well, if it's of any help to your work... We'll stay, then," M.A. decided lightly. "I hope we can be of any slight aid!"
Daemyn sulked. Was he the only one who wanted to get out of here ASAP? Diego was staying here, they weren't, it was time to bizzzz-ounce.
The little girl from earlier appeared again. "Pardon me... I made some tea," she chirped robotically.
"Ah! Rebecca, you didn't have to. I would've done it myself," he said, patting her shoulder paternally. "I believe you've met Rebecca... she was the child who survived the accident." M.A. had subtly let Milton know that they knew the details of the shipwreck, more or less. "After her father... well, after that tragic incident, she hadn't any place to go, so I took her under my wing. I don't know that this -- " he glanced about his messy abode -- "is the best scenario for a growing child, but it seems that she's too afraid to go into society again. Or have you changed your mind, my dear? Would you like school?"
Rebecca's stoic disposition suddenly dissolved into a terrified palor. "N-n-no please. The outside scares me."
"Well, until she's good and ready, I suppose," Milton sighed. "It's still early. She's but five."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 8:36 pm
There was one thing Jett noticed about his training session on this fine, fine day: it wasn't working. He once more checked the progress of his Pokemon.
River's tree was still standing. Its trunk was just really bald now. She scowled and looked to Jett, as if to say 'Hey, this isn't working.'
Aerosmith was having as much luck as River. The same exact rock had not budged in the least, and he finally gave up when he watched Jett stand up.
"So, this might be a bit extreme," Jett said, carding a hand through his hair. "And it obviously won't accomplish much. And I feel a little bad, because I shouldn't have assumed you needed to practice your moves. You seem to have a handle on your attacks. I trust that you give it your all when you battle." He paused, staring at the ground. "I don't have any other exercises planned out. You've been working all day."
The two were quite surprised to find that they had indeed been working all day, watching the sun melt into the horizon.
"Let's just call it a day and go out and explore," Jett offered, smiling some. "Might as well relax, because tomorrow, you two are gonna battle each other!"
River and Aerosmith felt considerably less relaxed now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
thunderbolts_and_sunshine
|
Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:40 pm
Riza giggled and nodded at Shiro's comment, turning the ribbon case over in her hands a few times to admire it. She clicked it open, her eyes tracing over the five empty slots where she could put her ribbons if she were to win, no! Where she WOULD but her ribbons WHEN she won. She snapped the case shut, a determined expression on her face as she tucked it neatly into her backpack. Her thoughts had casually drifted back to potential outfits though she wanted something that would look great to wear for contests as well as something she could wear all the time. As much as she liked her current black tanktop and skirt she was starting to grow tired of it. "Here you are, your contest passes are ready, and you're all registered for tomorrow's competition," the receptionist said, sliding two cards across the desk for Riza and Crenu to take.
"Thank you," Riza said, examining the card happily. She turned back to the woman. "You should get a radio in here or something," she said, prompting a lazy shrug from the receptionist. "Whatever, it's your sanity." She turned back to Crenu, realizing she was starting to feel a little lightheaded from the lack of eating. "We should get something to eat," she said, now stifling a yawn as well. She had been hoping to get a bit more training in before turning in for the night, as she wanted to go over her appeals and combinations, leaving a good portion of tomorrow for shopping, and even more preparation.
* * * * *
Katie was actually a little surprised when Gardenia sent out a Turtwig next, and her memory quickly flashed back to that day in Professor Rowan's lab, when he'd presented her with a choice of her first Pokemon The Turtwig there had been kinda lazy and lethargic, but Gardenia's Turtwig was very much the opposite. She winced at the command for a Bite, not sure poor Seraphim could withstand an attack like that. But, if the Roselia was going down, she'd go down in style. "Get ready, Seraph," she said, watching the grass-type Pokemon as it drew nearer. "Wait for it," she whispered, her heart racing with anticipation.
Seraphim braced herself, already sure she knew what was going to happen. Turtwig lunged, jaw gaping open to bite, and Katie gave her command. "Now, Seraph! Stun Spore, go!" The Roselia cried out when she felt Turtwig bite into her but she fought against the crippling pain and swiftly brought her free arm up. "Rose!" she cried, unleashing a burst of golden spores directly into the Turtwig's face, and she only caught a glimpse of his surprised face before the pain got to her and she succumbed to unconsciousness.
* * * * *
Fantina had been unusually quiet once they'd finally reached Cerulean though she had slowed her blistering pace by quite a bit. Her eyes sparkled with delight at the sights and sounds of the city, and she turned to Ryka as she asked her final question. "Battles with style," she repeated, her accent almost undetectable for a fleeting moment. "A contest battle iz not like regular battles," she said, nodding. "I should have explained zis part sooner, je suis désolé. Ze opening round iz for appeals, where your Pokemon combines several of eets moves to create dazzling effects. Every coordonnateur est graded and given points, and les huit meilleurs candidats move on to ze next round. Wit z'ees battles, you must demonstrate your Pokemon's grace and elegance, though z'ere iz a catch here. Each candidat starts with a certain quantité of points, and ze goal is to knock away as many of z'ees points as possible within ze time limit. Ze coordonnateur wit ze most points left when time iz up iz ze winner, although you can also win si votre adversaire est devenu incapable de bataille."
She stopped as they reached the front doors of the Contest Hall. "I am sure z'is is all very confusing, ma petite fleur, but it is much easier to watch z'en to explain. Perhaps if you were to rent yourself a video of contests past, it might aider à expliquer?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 10:11 pm
Eztli waited as a few hours past, the sky now completely dark. She checked her cell phone for the time. It was 1:30 a.m. The ferry was scheduled to leave at 2 am, arrive in Cinnabar by 3, and the ferry to Canalave was to leave at 6 am. That meant she had three hours of down time. She expected to be sleeping on the ferry, so she planned to stop by the Pokemon Center on Cinnabar, get Zolin healed and get a change of clothes. She cringed at the thought of dying her hair. She felt her ponytails, which were sleek and shiny. If she dyed and cut her hair, it would become dull and lifeless. Eztli was not normally a vain person, but she still prided herself on looking her very best when possible. Eztli wondered if she should also powder her face to make it lighter, but she was already very light skinned, so she decided against it. She checked her cell phone again.
'Oh...my Twitter account.' Eztli frowned. It would be an easy way to track her, and her appearance. She considered using it to mislead Mix's captors, but then she decided to just delete it. She deactivated the account, then wondered if perhaps she was being too paranoid. Then she remembered how she had been swiftly taken hostage then sedated, and decided she could not be too paranoid with this group. 'Mix, what have you done....?
When the ferry arrived, Eztli hopped aboard, still thinking about her brother, and her plans. 'Once I reach Canalave, what should I do from there? What if I can't find where Mix was taken? What if they killed him? Or what if they capture me?' She stopped herself, focusing on a mental picture of a lotus, finding her inner peace. 'One step at a time. Disguise. If I am going to have a new look, I might as well get a new name. Eztli is very distinctive. I'll have to become a new person, an untraceable, invisible, person. But what?' As the ferry departed, Eztli paced the deck several times, too focused on the job at hand to sleep. The few other passengers had long ago fallen asleep below deck. This was a very short trip, so the tiny ferry only had a few couches to sleep on. Eztli tried to think of names that she felt comfortable with that wouldn't attract too much attention. 'I can't use any family names. No Atzi, no Citlali, no Lillian...But I still want a nice name. One that isn't entirely common, but still common enough that I won't be pointed out if someone came looking for me. Think...Think....What about something only Mix would recognize? Did we ever have a game we played when I was little?' Eztli thought hard, but she came up blank. Mix had never played games with her, he had always remained cool and distant to her, always the strict teacher...Except...Eztli remembered once, right before Mix had left, they had been reading literature. Eztli had loved the name Alice, but Mix had told her it wasn't from her heritage. So he had told her she could be Alixandra if she wanted. Alixandra. It meant "man's defender" and it was Greek. It was unique enough that Eztli was happy with it, and the normal spelling was common enough that she wouldn't attract too much attention. Eztli was liking the idea of becoming Alixandra more and more. But for a last name....Eztli wasn't too familiar with Greek names. But she supposed it didn't have to be Greek...She was left to her thoughts once more.
'What am I doing?' she thought suddenly, 'Becoming an entirely new person, just to save my brother...My brother...who never loved me. Why? Putting myself in harm's way...Losing who I am...It's wrong. Why would I do this to myself?' Eztli gazed out onto the ocean, unable to come up with an answer to her question, yet she knew she had to rescue Mixcoatl. She sighed and went back to her naming process. 'What sounds good with the name Alixandra?' she asked herself, running through a list of last names in her head. 'All the Greek names I can think of are long...and complicated. Very unique too. Except...Harris? It's actually really Welsh, but does it matter? It works. Alixandra Harris. Eztli leaned away from the railing, satisfied she had come up with her new name. She went below deck to rest for the last half hour of the trip. She was not looking forward to her makeover. She fell asleep for a few minutes.
--------
When she arrived in Cinnabar, she disembarked quietly, not wanting to attract attention. She didn't know when they would, but Eztli knew that Mix's kidnappers would soon be coming after her. She could just sense it, a deep sense of danger and foreboding. She quickly made her way through the ravaged island to the Pokemon Center, remarkably untouched. As she dropped off Xipil and Zolin's Pokeballs, she asked for a room key, and made her way to the bathroom. She realized she didn't have scissors or hair dye with her, nor did she have a change of clothes. 'Now how will I become Alixandra?' Would it be too strange to ask Nurse Joy for all the necessary items? Eztli returned to the front counter, trying to figure out a way to receive all the necessary items here on Cinnabar. She approached Nurse Joy. "Excuse me..." she said quietly, trying to sound meek and scared. "Is there anywhere I can pick up some essentials for my trip? Like clothes and a hair brush and such." The Nurse Joy nodded, smiling widely.
"Oh of course! What with the volcano erupting all the time, we have to keep a veritable grocery store in here!" The Nurse Joy disappeared for a moment before coming back, motioning for Eztli to follow. "Come come, we've got everything in the back here! Go ahead and pick out whatever you like. I'll be taking care of your Pokemon." Eztli thanked her, then proceeded to the back storage room. The room must have extended for a long while into a mountain or something, because it was huge. Eztli found that it was still organized nicely, so she quickly picked out new shirt, shoes, and pants. She still picked out red, unable to part with the fiery color. She found scissors down what looked to be an office supplies aisle, and found some brown hair dye down a beauty products aisle. She also grabbed a plastic shower cap, a few hair clips and ties, and a comb.
'Wow...it is like a store down here...Amazing...' Eztli headed back out, sneaking back to her room, placing everything on the bed. Eztli didn't want the Nurse to see what she looked like when she had changed. Again, she wondered if she was being too paranoid, but dismissed it again. She strode back out, and waited for her Pokemon. When the Nurse was finished, Eztli thanked her, then headed back to her room, stating explicitly that she was going to catch up on her sleep. The Nurse wouldn't be expecting her to leave anytime soon. Eztli was surprised by how easy she found it to be sneaky and deceptive, and she was ashamed. 'This is a horrid situation' She stood before the bathroom mirror, scissors in one hand, and hair dye in another. She put the hair dye down, and brought the scissors to her head. She had taken her pigtails out, and her hair flowed down her back. She cringed as she made the first cut around shoulder-length. Black hair fell all around her. She tried to cut as evenly as possible all the way around, leaving it straight and fluffy. Eztli frowned at herself in the mirror. The haircut looked horrible, she already didn't look like herself. But she supposed that was a good thing. She picked up the hair dye once more, reading the directions. She decided to leave her normal clothes on, though she hated to ruin her good shirt. She mixed the bottle thouroughly, then ran the gunk through the hair, surpressing the urge to throw it against a wall. She worked it through her roots, and made sure it stayed even. She then wrapped the shower cap around her head, with the hair contained inside, and clipped it in place. She waited a half-hour, then hopped in the shower and washed it all out. When she jumped out, she could hardly face the mirror. When she wiped away the steam, she gasped. Her hair was brown! An almost light brown! She glanced to her ruined clothes and the hair littering the floor. 'I'll have to burn those,' she thought idly, as she pulled on her new clothes. She gathered up all her belongings, putting the ruined clothes and cut hair into a disposable paper bag. She snuck out of the Center, out of the Nurse's view, and headed away into the night. She went far away from the Center, pulling out her lighter she always had with her. It had a red teardrop embossed on it. It would be the only identifying thing she would keep. She crumpled the paper bag tightly, and lit it, throwing it away onto some dirt. It burned away to nothingness as Eztli, now Alixandra Harris, headed for the harbor to catch the ferry to Canalave.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 12:53 pm
Jett and his two Pokemon continued their way through Rustboro, slightly overwhelmed by the city, but unsure of where to go. Finally, Jett lead them straight ahead, smiling all the while.
"I heard this place is beautiful," he explained as they happened upon a small route. Almost immediately, the air got cooler, and the sound of waves collapsing on the shore echoed gently. He sighed contentedly as they continued onto a small beach, watching the sunset and the horizon flirt with the ocean.
"Beautifly," Aerosmith said, perching upon Jett's head. He merely stared, admiring the vastness of it all.
River happily leapt into Jett's lap and watched the waves, giving into a smile.
"Gotta enjoy the little things, right?" Jett said absently, smiling. "It really puts everything back into perspective..." The trainer's smile faded, leaving quite the astonished look on his face.
"Fly?" Aerosmith demanded, fluttering around the two now. "Fly, fly!"
Jett's smile returned as fast as it had vanished, and his lips moved, but none of the Pokemon could hear what he said.
River nudged Jett, quite surprised by this sudden sense of tranquility that had overtaken him. Was he sick? Was he giving up? She nudged him again.
"It's nothing," Jett murmured, giving his Ralts a little squeeze. "Nothing at all. Cmon..." He pulled Aerosmith beside him, and they listened to the Wingulls in the distance.
"Let's just watch the waves."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 2:16 pm
[ i love fantina's french, and accent. ]
Mock Battle, Take Two.
Roy released a Grotle, a turtle looking thing with foliage sprouting from its back. Jun wondered if Roy had ever considered trimming Grotle's bushes into little shapes, like people do with their gardening. Like, how adorable would it be to have to make the twin bushes into little bunnies?
"Alright, Jun! Gardenia's a Grass-Type Gym Leader, so Grotle'll be an accurate depiction of what will work and what won't. Your move first," the hottie said.
Jun looked at his Pokedex, scanning his Jynx's possible attacks. Dear Prada, Lick? How absolutely unsanitary! Hmmm... those big hands might be good for this, though!
"Demi, use Doubleslap!" Jun commanded, hoping the Jynx would know what he was talking about. I mean, were Pokemon programmed to know how to carry out an attack? ... Apparently they were, since, much to Demi's surprise, her mind flashed with an inherent knowledge of how to Doubleslap, and half-confused, she found herself rushing to her opponent with her hands out.
"Jun, you need to consider distance. When your Pokemon come closer without attacking, it leaves them open! Grotle, use Razor Leaf!" The Grove Pokemon complied readily, letting loose a wave of attack, paper-thin and deadly sharp leaves. Demi put her hands up to cover her face in the face of her attack (protecting her hair, of course), and cried, having been thrown back and unable to use Doubleslap at all.
"Oh! Sorry, darling, sorry. I've forgotten how battles work, Demi, have patience with me," Jun said, frowning a little. He'd forgotten that there were techniques to battles; you didn't just pick a blind move. But he was starting to regain the feel for this. "Powder Snow!" he said, figuring that attack could be used from afar. And he was right. Demi opened her mouth wide, sucked in a grand amount of hair, and breathed out a blizzard that danced and dazzled in the sky; how pretty! Jun thought.
"Bravo! Ice-types are good against Grass-types. Your Jynx will have a one-up on Gardenia. And... it looks like your Powder Snow Froze my Grotle. It doesn't always happen with Powder Snow, but I guess you got lucky. Go ahead! My Pokemon's immobile, you can still attack."
"But that's low!" Jun blinked, his dojo morals suddenly appearing after years of absence.
"All is fair in Pokemon battles, save for other Pokemon intervening. You can't get soft, of your Pokemon will too!" Roy instructed sternly. "Don't worry about Grotle, he'll be fine. Give it to 'im!"
"Alright then, Demi... Ice Punch!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 2:35 pm
"Flaa," Sparkle said cheerfully, sensing Sam's sadness. Not that Sam have any way of knowing it, but Sparkle would never purposefully electrocute her, especially without good reason. But the good-natured Flaaffy probably wouldn't go so far then. And then she smiled brightly before she stood up on tiptoe, gently bumping her head against Sam's hand. She could tell that the girl meant well, and the electric type wanted nothing more than to make her feel better. "Flaaffy, flaa," she said, the bulb on her tail starting to glow. The shine grew brighter and brighter, quickly attracting the attention of everyone in the Pokemon Center.
"Sparkle, stop that," Miharu said quietly, though her tone was a bit sharp. She never was one to enjoy having the attention on herself, and she scrambled for the Flaaffy's PokeBall to recall her, but stopped when she saw that the light had suddenly overtaken the small pink and woolly Pokemon. "...Sparkle?" She took a step forward as the white light continued to blind them, though in the center of it all Sparkle's vague shape could be seen, warping and shifting and definitely shooting upward. A weak wave of static electricity seemed to signal that it was over then, and once everyone's eyes had adjusted, the Flaaffy was no more. Now, standing before the two girls, looking happier than a Clamperl was Sparkle: a fully-evolved Ampharos.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 3:33 pm
Sam had felt strangely happy when Sparkle had reached up for her hand, glad that the Flaafy had been so kind to her. But when she had started to glow, Sam had backed away, a bit frightened. Had she done something wrong? But once the bright glow had enveloped the entire Pokemon, Sam knew that the Flaafy must be evolving. She waited expectantly, excited for Miharu. Sam had always loved Ampharos, they were so adorable! As the Flaafy grew in size and shape, Sam glanced to Miharu, who seemed a little wary of the attention she was garnering from the Flaafy's evolution. As the static faded, Sam could see that Sparkle was ecstatic with her new evolution, and Sam stepped forward. She impulsively hugged the new Ampharos, feeling a small current of electricity running through her. Sam released her, a bit surprised and "shocked". She laughed, and turned to Miharu.
"Congratulations, Miharu! Sparkle sure looks happy! Sorry I got a little carried away," she said sheepishly, "I love Ampharos. Always have."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 3:48 pm
Amy and her team began to wander the streets of Cerulean, having found everything all too easily, and now Amy had a habit of checking her Pokedex once an hour. She always thought that something would happen if they simply strolled about, as if Flora enjoying the sunshine would bring her levels up.
Apparently, Amy noticed with a double-take, it did.
"Whoa, whoa!" Amy stopped, staring at her two confused Pokemon. "L-level boosts! Flora, you're level 15!" Flora stared at Amy expectantly, waiting her explanation for the excitement. "W-we can officially compete in the contest tonight! Let's go register!"
They rushed without a word towards the Contest Hall, Amy smiling brightly as they neared it. Finally, they entered the cool building and Amy rushed to the counter, placing her box on it. "I-I'd like to register for tonight's contest, please!"
"Very well." The same exact woman typed something in, produced a small box, and placed it on top of the box holding Amy's outfit. "Your Ribbon Case..." She produced a clipboard, sliding it beside the case. "Fill this out, please."
Amy happily filled in all the information asked for before handing it back. "Thank you," she said, checking out her Contest Pass from earlier. "Thank you so much."
The woman merely nodded, scowling.
"Have a nice day!" Amy called as she rushed back out, before she officially showed Flora and Marshall her Ribbon Case and Contest Pass, which did, in fact, have her name on it. She was going to make her debut as a coordinator tonight!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 3:57 pm
The dinner table was a long, overly eloquent thing. Milton explained that the previous owners of the house had abandoned the place approximately ten years ago (according to what the artist had gathered from the Rangers in the area), and that he had bought the property dirt cheap since no one else wanted it.
Within the house, it felt as if time was not passing. The artist had no use of clocks, and sunlight was sparse through the thick foliage of the forest. The interior was always lit by candles and the warm, orange light of the hallway lights. Since nothing was particularly bright, however, shadows flitted from all the corners of the rooms, from painting to painting, as if giving whispering secrets to each and scheming.
Daemyn continued to sulk.
M.A.'s PokeNav vibrated loudly against the quiet and pleasant conversation that Milton was carrying with both Diego and M.A. The girl, slightly embarrassed, excused herself to outside of the dining room, Daemyn on her heels. It was Connor
"Hey, M.A.! I've been calling you, I guess reception sucks up there. But anyways, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks," she said, infusing her smile into her voice since he could not see it.
"U-uh, I'm glad." He sounded like he wanted to ask more questions about the manor, but decided against it. "Well anyways, I've found your Donphan, but it seems that the Rangers have blocked the trail due to a rock-slide somewhere. They're not letting anyone through until they clean it up."
"Oh, dear."
"But I'll keep an eye out on your Donphan until the trail's up again."
"Could you? Gee, I feel like I'm asking a lot of you, and we've just barely met. I'm sorry," she said, her tone truly apologetic.
"It's okay, I don't mind having an extra Pokemon on my team. Plus she seems like all she wants to do is battle for fun, and considering that I'm training my Pokemon at the moment, this is definitely a plus," Connor replied.
"Alright..." M.A. responded, a little dubiously. "Thanks so much, though! I owe you one."
"Just let me take you out to lunch after, how about that?" Connor said, his face flushing after this comment. Thank goodness that girl wasn't there. He hoped he had made himself sound casual, worried that his anxiety had showed through.
It didn't, though M.A. was confused as to how his taking her out to lunch would be repaying him. Whatever, she wasn't going to argue.
Meanwhile, back in the room, Milton leaned back in his chair, looking almost too tired to lift his thin arms to drink any more tea. Diego looked at him worriedly. "It's nothing, old friend. Just life-weary," Milton said. "Here, let me take a look at your sketches from the last year. Won't you?" he said, when Diego seemed reluctant.
The Smeargle's cheeks flushed; of course he didn't mind if his master investigated his work. Didn't he used to always?
Milton flipped through the pages quietly, his sharp eye ravishing each work. It made Diego unusually nervous; must be the nervousness an apprentice feels upon being appraised by the master. Diego didn't remember being so nervous before, but after a year, it was to be expected, right?
"Here. You must have joined Mary-Anne's group after this portrait, yes?" He asked, pointing at a specific painting. "The volta of your work. Before this, your landscapes, even the portraits you did of beautiful things, seemed cold and distant... This feels a little warmer. There's some hope. And your paintings from then on grow gentler and gentler. She changed you, didn't she?" he asked quietly.
"And this one, this Pokemon here appears quite often. Could it be --"
Diego shook his head, blushing to the extreme. He wrote in the sky, 'I just haven't been able to capture her in entirety, I just cannot be satisfied with the paintings I have done for her thus far, they are not complete!' His words were unusually agitated and messy, and dissipated very quickly.
Milton smiled lightly, looked like he was about to say something, but M.A. came back in. "Ah! Was that of any important business?" Milton asked, his countenance brightening to greet his guest.
"No, no, just a friend. A Pokemon of mine is stuck at the base of this mountain, but we'll meet up later."
Milton nodded, disinterested. "Shall I show you the garden? It'll be a nice place to lounge after our little tea and biscotti. I'd love to see your other Pokemon, too."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 4:40 pm
Eztli stopped at ticket vendor, buying her ticket to Canalave. It was about 5 am, and people were already loading up onto the ferry. This ferry looked more like a luxury yacht or a small cruise ship, though Eztli reasoned it would have to be larger to be able to make the voyage between regions, especially between Kanto and Sinnoh. Eztli immediately headed below deck, and holed up in one of the rooms, locking the door behind her. She dropped her pack on the bed, and retrieved Zolin and Xipil's Pokeballs. She released them, immediately motioning to them to be very quiet. Zolin nodded, but Xipil grinned, inhaling. Eztli knew she intended to either A.) Set fire to something or B.) Make a ton of noise, neither of which Eztli could allow her to do. So Eztli held up Xipil's Pokeball, her hand on the button.
"Stop," she commanded Xipil, threatening to return her to her Pokeball. Xipil let out the huge breath dejectedly. Xipil loved being a troublemaker, but there was no way she wanted to go back into her Pokeball. As she gazed at her trainer, she realized Eztli looked really different. Scarily different. If Xipil hadn't been around Eztli for so long, she wouldn't have recognized her. The only reason Zolin recognized her was because he had a deep connection with Eztli, one that could see through her disguise.
"Mag?" Xipil questioned, a doubtful expression on her face. Eztli would have never willingly dyed her hair. Something was wrong.
"I know. I have to look different in case we run into Mix's kidnappers." Xipil rolled her eyes, and started badmouthing the kidnappers, Mixcoatl, hair dye, and any other thinly connected item she could think of. Xipil enjoyed badmouthing things. But when she caught sight of Eztli's stern gaze, she immediately stopped. Eztli sat on the bed, exhausted, and Zolin crawled up next to her, tapping her with his club. She picked him up, surprised by how little he weighed, and hugged him close. She lay down on the bed, fully intending to nap through the voyage. But then Xipil, jealous and angry shot a tiny flame up towards the fire alarm. It fizzled near it, sending smoke into its sensors, and causing a blaring klaxon to erupt and sprinklers to shower the entire room. Eztli sat bolt upright, still holding Zolin, and recalled Xipil, holding down her anger. 'I need to get out of here first...This is going to attract attention,' she thought as she exited the room, quickly and randomly moving down the hallways. She found a room and entered it quickly, quietly closing the door and locking it. She flopped on the bed, and Zolin squeaked in protest. Eztli hadn't even realized she was still carrying him. She was so tired. She let him go, allowing him to hop onto the floor. He grabbed Xipil's Pokeball, pointing to it and chattering. Eztli shook her head. "No Zolin, I can't risk letting her out if she is going to cause trouble." But he kept on insisting, so Eztli finally pressed the center button. Before Xipil had even fully emerged, Eztli had put her head on the pillow, and was halfway asleep. Zolin quickly clubbed Xipil over the head, and made a "shhhhh" noise. Xipil crossed her arms, irritated that she couldn't wreak any more havoc, but complied. She could recognize sense. Zolin told her to watch Eztli and make sure she was okay, while he guarded the door. Xipil grinned in response, and clambered on the bed, settling in by Eztli's face. She poked it several times with her claws, leaving tiny red marks. Eztli caught her hand the next time, and pushed it away. "Xipil, enough. Let me sleep." Xipil pouted for a moment, but then lay down and proceeded to watch her Trainer calmly, her eyes heavy, as Zolin sat by the door, away from Eztli and Xipil. He still didn't like being around other living beings, but at least it was only 2 of them. He yawned, also pretty tired from the eventful day. Soon, Zolin, Xipil, and Eztli were all asleep, danger forgotten, before the ship had even left port.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 4:51 pm
In the manor's small backward, framed by the surrounding greenery, Milton Stephanides showed M.A. and Diego the neat garden that he had been tending. The order that his house lacked was reinstated full-force here; the flowers sat neatly in every row, as did the carrots, the tomatoes, and so forth. "I need a break from painting here and there," Milton explained. "And some of my paints I need to make myself, from my plants."
M.A. admired the peace of the forest, although she almost wished Tora was around since it was so quiet. Though she definitely would not have been delicate enough to watch where she stepped, and so maybe her rolling down the hill was a good thing. Per request, she released Ulani to sit on top of Daemyn's head, explaining that besides these two and the elephant down the mountain, these were the only Pokemon she owned. It occurred to her that most people had more and that she hadn't been looking for another to add to her team, but ah well. Maybe later, when some new friend would catch her eye.
Milton had long ago disregarded the snarling Daemyn, and so turned his attention to Ulani discreetly. Cute little bird, yes. Admist their casual conversation, the artist abruptly asked if he could paint a family portrait of the three, and M.A. figured why not, though she cautioned -- half-jokingly, half-seriously -- that Milton not be too disappointed, that she wasn't very comely, that Daemyn would probably not behave, and that Ulani would probably not sit still. Milton dismissed these concerns with a wave of his hand as he got his easel.
Diego watched his master at work. There, M.A.'s face seemed to materialize, then a gentle smile that merely lifted the corners of her lips but did not exaggerate enough to distort the rest of her face; here came Daemyn, still sulking, laying on the bench with his head on M.A.'s lap, glaring warily at the artist yet at the same time thoroughly enjoying the ear rub he was receiving; and Ulani, floating above them all, water color gently swirling from her beak like the cascade of music that she was indeed trilling quietly. Diego's faced burned with shame, somewhat. He was far from competing with his master. Here, he had transformed such a typical scene into a scene of gentle serenity, contrasted slightly by the half-angry look in Daemyn's eyes.
He got a pen, signed his name, signed the date he thought it was, and thought for a moment before giving it a name. Diego looked at the name and didn't quite understand what Milton meant, but who knew upon what frequencies Milton operated on as he had always been somewhat eccentric.
'A Fleeting Illusion.'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 6:06 pm
Mixcoatl stared with disdain at his new partner. The man had just kidnapped him and tranquilized his sister, and now he was expected to work with him and let him murder his sister? Mix kept his face especially neutrual. He turned on his heel, and began walking towards the Armory. The one good thing about Doulos HQ was that no matter where it was set up, it had the same layout for maximum defense and easy access for it's agents. The Armory was not far from the two Guard Stations that flanked Andrew's office. Mixcoatl entered, pressing his thumb against the scanner, with his partner following behind, smirking. Mixcoatl was surprised his thumbprint was in the database, but he shrugged it off. He quickly began selecting surveillance tools and a few miniaturized dart guns. He also selected a few different dart clips. Each was a derivative of Pokemon secretions, and each had different functions, much like Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, and PoisonPowder. Mix chose the Sleep, Stun, and Poison darts, but also chose two others, a blue dart that held a truth serum, and a red one that held another concoction. Mix did not know how this one worked, but he knew that when injected, the mixture would reduce a man's inhibitions, much like a hallucinogen would. But the difference between the dart and shrooms was that the dart was an automatic overdose. Normally, on psychadelic drugs, it was very difficult or impossible to overdose. But with the mixture contained in the dart, it had all the effects of a psychadelic drug and it guaranteed death in less then 30 minutes. It was also primed with a tiny explosive that would detonate upon injection. No trace of the dart would exist. Mixcoatl grabbed three clips of that dart, certainly for then necessary. Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind. He dropped all his supplies, and he couldn't reach the weapons attatched to his belt. His attacker was his new partner, who quickly attatched an invincible wrist bracelet.
"You may be allowed on this mission, but we don't trust you. This monitor will secure you." Mix immediately knew what it was. The bracelet was wirelessly connected to a heartbeat monitor on his partner. If the man died, or if Mixcoatl left the bracelet's 500 feet radius, a timer would begin to countdown. Once it reached 0, the bracelet would inject one of the tiny blue darts into him. If Mix re-entered the field radius, the timer would reset. Doulos was certainly taking no chances with Mixcoatl this time. Mix pushed away from his partner, and gathered his weapons up once more. The thing he liked about his specialty dart guns was that they were so small, they were very easily concealed. And as a bonus, they were plastic. Mixcoatl couldn't help smiling at the amazing technology. Doulos had to be years ahead of all competitors. If only they weren't evil. His partner glanced around the room before picking up a variety of compact weapons. He would need to be discreet for this mission, a word Mix was sure was not in this man's vocabulary. He picked up a Sig Sauer handgun, a Derringer Pistol, a few small frag and stun grenades, and finally a Taser. Mixcoatl rolled his eyes. The guy should be wearing bullet belts, and perhaps a rifle slung across his back. Hell, why not throw in a katana for good measure? Mixcoatl walked out of the armory, heading for the exit. He had no possesions to gather up, Quetzal's Pokeball was already clipped to his belt, so he was ready to leave. Ready to go on a mission to murder his own sister. Out of sight of his partner, he shuddered and tried to breathe deeply. He wanted to channel Eztli's deep-seated calm, but it was impossible. He was always the impulsive, fiery sibiling. He heard his bracelet beeping, and he backed up into the radius, giving himself a few extra feet for good measure. Mix glanced down at the bracelet.
'After this...There is no going back. I'll be hunted, I'll be Most Wanted...I'll be an even bigger monster then I am now.' He wanted to break down, and sob, but it was impossible. His partner was coming up behind him, clapping him on the shoulder.
"So should we get going partner? No time to waste, sisters to kill and all that," he said, grinning toothily. Mixcoatl nodded, not shrugging the repulsive man's hand off.
"What's your name?" he asked instead, figuring he might as well get some background on the guy.
"Kai. Now let's go, big guy." The guy strode out the doors of headquarters, cocky as ever. As Mix stepped out into the darkness of night, he noticed he seemed to be in a port city. A large drawbridge was before him.
'I hate water' he thought to himself, before he jogged to catch up to Kai.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:45 pm
There was a certain silence that hung in the air as the flames faded to reveal Cable lie unconscious on the ground. Both Pokemon and trainer blinked, doing a simultaneous double-take. Wait... A thought rang out above all the others. Did I just...win? With Napalm? Did Napalm just win? The Magmar was still standing. He looked great in fact; a little tired, but overall fine. He'd only taken a few hits, but dished out a considerable amount of a** kicking.
"That was..." Mike said after a moment of internal confirmation. "That..." a smile quickly squirmed its way to his face. "WAS FAST AND EXHILARATING AND INCREDIBLE!" He grabbed his sides and laughed, wriggling in such a way that he fell off of Proton. He hit the ground, his laughter interrupted only momentarily as he caught his breath. "AND WE WON! I thought we were going to be locked in an endless stalemate for all of time! We finally saw a clear victor! Me! Napalm! Kya-HA-HA-HA!" The boy rolled on the ground in joy, flopping on the ground like a Magikarp out of water. "It was so much fun!" he shouted, spinning around and lifting himself up. He raced over to Kilik and practically pounced on him, grabbing the boy's shirt collar with both hands. "WASN'T IT JUST SO GREAT!?" His smile was practically ear to ear as he pressed his forehead against Kilik's.
"You can heal up in my laboratory." said Blaine, who hadn't missed Kilik's question like Mike had. "Right beside the main door when you first walk in there will be a machine you can use to fix your Electabuzz right up. That was a great fight."
"I kn-oh-ho-ho-ho-how!" Mike chuckled, releasing his grip on the boy. "Man those two are really something." Without so much as a second thought, the boy ran at top speed and tackled his Magmar, who was still taking in the fact that he had just ended their previously even record.
"Mag!" the Pokemon cried in surprise as he was quickly taken down.
"You're the best Pokemon you are, yes you are!" Mike said, wrapping his arms around the flaming Pokemon and squeezing him in a grip similar to an iron maiden torture device. "I just knew you could do it! Hm-hm-hm! You're so warm!" he cooed.
"Maaar!" Napalm squeezed out a response. His lungs, they were being crushed.
Sasha let out a small gasp when Mike knocked his Pokemon over. "Mike watch out! Magmar are walking campfir-" she stopped herself for two reasons. One, the boy was from Lavaridge, and a known trainer of fire Pokemon. If Sasha knew something about a fire Pokemon, chances were pretty good that Mike did too. The second was because, despite Magmar still being completely on fire, the boy continued to nuzzle him like a dog. "What iz..." she said, leaning closer. "Kasiya, are you seeing z'his?" As Mike pulled his face away, the girl was amazed to see that he wasn't burned. She had only caught a glimpse of him when he was laughing up smoke, but figured that was just a trick of volcano, angles and the like. Smoke was coming from everywhere. And when he was shooting flames from his hands, he had those gloves that...
...his hands were bare. No gloves.
"What in z'he hell iz going on!?" Sasha screamed.
"When Moltres brought him back. Something must have...stayed." Blaine said, his voice quiet as to not startle the girl.
"Stayed? What do you mean?" the girl asked, her head nearly tearing open from all that was going on.
I believe I can answer that for you, Miss Sasha. interjected Portabello. Pardon my intrusion Blaine. I normally wouldn't interrupt, but I feel she deserves a straight answer.
"Go ahead." Blaine said, motioning for the Pokemon to continue.
When my master...met his...unfortunate end in the recesses of Mt. Ember and was resurrected by Moltres, he mentioned that since he was so far gone, the Breloom paused, recalling the horrendously mangled state that Mike was in after falling down the cliff. That he had to impart a bit more of his essence than normal to bring him back. At first we didn't know what it meant, but it would seem that master now carries within him some of Moltres's flame.
"So, what you're saying is..."
With effort, my master can conjure flames, withstand raging infernos, even be healed by them. What else he is capable of I am not certain, but I do know that it is an incredibly painful process. It is like his body is...changing. Portabello looked down at his trainer as he wrestled with Napalm, unaware of the conversation they were having. I am not sure if this makes him more dangerous, more vulnerable, or both.
Sasha looked down at the boy, her eyes wide in both fear and amazement. Mike had...abilities like this? Her mind flashed back to the damage he did at the party. He'd burned Kirsa's wrists, and charred that other girl's arm. That was with limited fuel. With powers like these, what if Mike snapped again? What could stop him? "Kasiya." she pulled the girl beside her close, her eyes not leaving Mike. "I'm scared. I'm really scared. Say something sweet and inspirational that makes me feel better. You're good at that."
Back down on the arena, Mike unhinged himself from Napalm, who breathed a sigh of relief. The Magmar just laid down there, content on resting there after such a pitched fight. "What I mean by 'breaking s**t' Kilik is very simple." He walked back over to his friend, his eyes closed gently as he spoke. "Tomorrow morning, on the third year anniversary of the Lilycove tragedy, me, you, and hopefully a good amount of people in this room are going to storm the Team Magma base in Mt. Chimney..." he paused, opening his eyes. He looked straight at Kilik with a frightening glare, like he was the object of his anger. "And leveling it. I don't want a single thing left standing. I'm taking Maxie down for what he did to me, to all of us Hoenn natives. He's going to find out the hard way just what kind of person he's messed with." Mike felt another laughing spell coming, but tried his best to suppress it. Just talking about taking that b*****d down was so...exciting he could hardly contain himself! "That is of course-hee-hee-if I can rely on your cooperation, my friends." he looked at Keegan, knowing full well of their history. "I need your help to do this, guys. I can't expect to survive on my own." Although he was speaking to everyone, he made sure to stress with continued eye contact that he was speaking to Keegan most of all.
"So, what is your answer guys? Will you help me correct my mistakes, or will you back down?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 8:10 pm
Watching the receptionist type away, Crenu contemplated the upcoming event. This was official now, he was a contestant in tomorrow night's contest and was officially now a coordinator. This became more true the moment the receptionist handed him his contest pass, complete with his picture and name. Shiro just nodded, no verbal thanks to the woman after receiving his pass, it didn't really seem like she cared one way or the other. He smirked a bit when Riza suggested she get a radio, which wouldn't have been a bad idea really, but clearly the advice fell on def ears. There was no helping the helpless it seemed. It wasn't the lifestyle for him but maybe she really enjoyed sitting there bored out of her mind. Either way, the two of them had no reason to be there any longer and Riza was right, it was getting late and they needed to get some food before they turned in for the night. "Yeah, let's go." Taking her hand he lead them out of the contest hall, back outside where the sky had grown orange from the setting sun and was starting to gain a tint of the encroaching darkness that would soon take over. As they walked through the Cerulean streets in search of a place to eat, Crenu slowed down, almost to a stop, looking at his bandaged hand. His left arm was bandaged, and his right hand was bandaged, there was a serious lack of symmetry here that was starting to annoy him. Maybe, for now at least, he should banged up his other hand and arm so that each appendage at least matched. But that's not what he slowed down for in the first place. Shaking the thoughts from his mind for now, though he was seriously considering it, Crenu turned to look at Riza. "I'm sorry...about earlier. You never seemed to mind it before whenever I would deflect your questions, I didn't think you'd get so worked up over it this time." By now Crenu had come to a complete stop. He would have preferred to forget about it completely, but he knew it would resurface again eventually and the next time it might blow up bigger than it had earlier.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
