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A quick and sudden thump on the ground nearby caused Keegan to startle, and he slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, rubbing his temples with the thumb and index finger of his right hand. His heart was racing and he felt strangely flushed and warm, but those things were quickly forgotten when he looked over and saw that Loki was staring at him, his mouth upturned in a sly sort of smile. "What are you smirking at?" Keegan grumbled at the Cobra, realizing then that it had been the Arbok's tail thrashing against the ground that had woken him up. As he recalled the large, purple serpent into his PokeBall, the sudden realization that he'd fallen asleep hitting him like a slap to the face.

How long was I asleep? he thought dully, fighting off the grogginess as he groped around his wrist for his watch. He frowned when he saw that in actuality only a few minutes had passed, and if he strained his ears, he could faintly hear Mike and Flannery's voices from nearby. Lacking any interest whatsoever in their conversation he got to his feet and headed out of the gym, not hesitating for even a second to light up a cigarette. A few people passed by him, but none paid him any real attention, though once they were gone he could vaguely make out two figures heading in the direction of the PokeMart. One of them had bright pink hair, and all at once Keegan knew it was Sasha, and that it was probably Kasiya at her side, seeing as Kilik and Mitsu were seated on a bench nearby. Figuring that he ought to see if he was in need of any supplies or medicine he tagged along after them, stopping only to put out his cigarette on the stoop out front.

The familiar store hadn't changed at all since he'd last been inside, and Keegan gave a slight nod to the shopkeeper as he looked around. Kasiya and Sasha had gone over to the medicine aisle, but Keegan didn't really feel like following the two of them around right now. He slipped down the aisle next to it, finding himself among the various TMs being sold. A sign with "NEW" printed out in big, bold red font caught his attention, and he studied the shelves for a moment before he realized that the section which carried the Town Maps and other helpful books and literature had been moved to make way for what appeared to be many more TMs. Of course, not a lot of the new selection remained in stock, and Keegan sighed as he picked up a dark-coloured disc labeled TM63 - Embargo, though as he put it back he noticed there was a dark disc that did not share the same TM ID number as the rest of them. He picked it up and examined it, raising an interested eyebrow when he saw that it was TM79 - Dark Pulse. It wasn't too costly and the name sounded pretty neat, but he wasn't sure any of his Pokemon could use it. He'd been just about to put it back when he remembered the shiny new PokeDex he'd picked up from Professor Birch, and with an annoyed sigh he took it out of his pocket and typed in his own trainer ID, prompting the device to bring up his current party. After a quick search, it was revealed that both Helios and Loki could learn the Dark-type move, but he figured it would be of little use to the Arbok as he already had his Bite and Crunch attacks. Grinning somewhat cheekily, Keegan took the disc up to the counter to pay for it, not bothering to look around again for the two girls before he headed outside to teach the Ninetales his new move.
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Miharu gave a nod, trying to keep her relief to herself. While a part of her felt happy for setting foot in her hometown once again, another part couldn't forget how much she'd never really wanted to come back here. Her father had tried nearly everything to get her to leave home, and though she now understood that he'd only been trying to get her to get out and see the world, and grow as a person and as a trainer. Once again she thought of the pale green egg he'd given her as she'd headed out the door to meet with Professor Elm in New Bark Town, and she knew that someday she needed to introduce him to the Pokemon that had hatched from that egg, Lily.

She followed after Sam, deciding to allow her energetic new friend to lead the way. She'd stopped at the first ledge and was looking down, and Miharu smiled. "If we jump down from these ledges, it'll cut down a significant amount of travel time. Not only that, but we'll avoid the grassy areas, and trainers, too." She still didn't feel much like battling again so soon, but she hoped that would pass as she took a bit of a running start and leaped from the ledge, and it wasn't until her dress was fanning out all around her that she realized she wasn't wearing her comfortable old jeans with the rips in the knees, and the moment she landed she quickly jammed the hem of her dress down as far as it would go, blushing madly even though there was no one but Sam in the immediate area. She rose back up to her full height, her skin still a comical shade of pink, and she made a mental note to remember her current attire unless she wanted to give panty flashes to the entirety of Route 29.
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Falkner gave a slight smile at the sight of his newly-rejuvenated Spearow, and also Jett's irritation, even though it didn't seem to last very long. He enjoyed using Roost to annoy his opponents, even though it was one of the newer moves in his repertoire, much like this Spearow. The bird was still relatively young, but it was already showing much potential. That, and it had been born with a move not known to many of its kind, a move that Falkner planned to use right now.

Both he and Spearow watched as the Owl Pokemon darted forward, intent to strike with her beak. "Wait for the right moment and use Quick Attack," the blue-haired gym leader said calmly. Spearow nodded, eying the Owl carefully as she sped towards him. He'd trained against many of his master's Hoothoot before, so he had a good understanding of how they moved and executed their attacks. The Tiny Bird braced himself, digging his claws into the wooden planks of the floor. When Athena was close enough he sprang up into the air, extending his short wings just long enough to help him build up momentum as he did a small aerial somersault over his opponent, and he tucked them in again, a streak of white light trailing from behind him as he prepared to strike the Hoothoot from behind.

((Stupid computer... crashed, burned, died, and took my first attempt at these posts with it. *cusses repeatedly*))

Jett found it increasingly frustrating to get one simple hit in on this Spearow, and if he ever happened to, then Roost would take care of any damage given. Soon enough, Athena would be too fatigued to fight and Jett would be angry and nothing would be good and nice.

"Behind you!" he called to Athena, who turned just in time to get hit by a quick little bird. "Shove 'em back and hit 'em with Hypnosis before they can stop!" Being that Quick Attack was pretty much full-body contact (for a Hoothoot, anyhow), Athena shoved herself forward and hopefully had enough force to throw the Tiny Bird Pokemon back and keep it land-bound for just enough time.

The hypnotic rings aimed right for Spearow, and Jett and Athena both waited to see if their quick tactics could help at all. Hopefully, Spearow would fall right asleep and suffer from brutal damage from an irritated Hoothoot and her trainer. Jett wasn't planning on leaving this gym without a badge.

Laichi shudders at the thunder and the trainer smirks as he realizes she is attempting to appear cool and strong. He notices her muscle tone is tough for such a young girl, she must work out; he assumes. He stands up and holds Laichi.

Laichi's eyes shoot open in mixed feelings. This handsome man is holding her. He doesn't hate her for knocking him out. She looks up and notices he's looking at her. Her eyes, with no hesitation redirect themselves.

"My name is Frederick, Frederick Bombay. I am a psychic pokemon trainer. ...And you may be lil lady?"

Laichi blushes a bit. This scene feels like a western she watched when she was young, and his vocabulary did not hide this.

"I'm Laichi Ningyo. I'm lost. I'm cold. I lost my Zii!"

Laichi does not comprehend why she would tell him this. Maybe behind that tough exterior she does have a girl's softness. But, nobody else should know about this.

"Zii is you pokemon? Is he white, fluffy, with an aggravated look as he notices you being held by a stranger?" Frederick asks.

"Yes! That sounds like him, why?"

He turns Laichi around to look at Zii standing in a tall tree. Although his face shows feelings of relaxation of finding his master. It also shows anger that this man is holding his Laichi!

Kasiya ambled along beside Sasha quietly, nodding along as her friend spoke even though she wasn't sure she really heard her. Her hand had started to sting now, but she ignored it, focusing silently on their destination, which was evidently the Poke Mart. It looked like every other Mart she'd ever been in, and she idly wondered if she needed anything, giving a small nod as her pink-haired friend went off to find the medicine section. Kasiya thought she saw Keegan enter the shop a moment or so later, his bright red hair able to give him away in most crowds, but he'd disappeared down one of the aisles so quickly that she couldn't be sure. She was leaning off to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of the redhead, but before she knew it, Sasha had returned to her side, holding a Burn Heal. "Thanks," she said, placing her her hand on Sasha's, palm up. She lightly bit her lip as Sasha then coated her hand with the medicine, refusing to acknowledge the tears that stung in the corners of her eyes. It didn't take long for the stinging to recede though, and when Sasha was done, she looked at her palm. It was still pinkish, and slightly tender, but the medicine had done it's job. "All better," she said, smiling up at the pink-haired vixen, but then wondered if perhaps it would be a wise idea to pick up a few more Burn Heal, just in case.

She looked to her left as someone walked by her, though this time she recognized more than just a mop of red hair. Keegan had bought something, though she couldn't see what, and he didn't so much as give them a second glance before leaving the shop again. Kasiya couldn't help the disappointed, hurt feeling that shot through her, even though she knew that he was probably just focused on the task before them. Keegan may have been a world-class cynic and grouch, but when he had his sights set on something, it was difficult to pull his attention away. She linked her arm with Sasha's and led her down the aisle the redhead had been browsing, soon discovering it held the TM section.

Kasiya went over her team quickly in her mind, trying to figure out which of her Pokemon were most in need of new moves. After a few moments of thought she withdrew her PokeDex from her pocket and flipped it open, quickly scanning through a few pages before she came upon the one she wanted. She hummed slightly to herself as she checked the discs stockpiled on the shelves against the entry she was looking at, and finally settled on an indigo coloured disc. Not sure if there was anything Sasha wanted to pick up or not, she gave her friend the chance to browse as she took the TM to the front desk. She didn't quite have enough money on her to pay for the disc, as she soon found out, but as she dug hopefully through her pockets for extra change her hand closed around a cool, metallic object. She pulled it from her pocket and looked at it, realizing it was the gold nugget she'd found the night before that had caused that Muk to attack her in a rage. After a bit of wheeling and dealing with the clerk, Kasiya had a new TM for Hiro and a bit of extra money in her pocket, and she quickly applied it (and the Overheat TM she'd won from Flannery) to the Arcanine's Pokebal as she waited by the door for Sasha.

=-=-=-=-=

Needless to say, there wasn't much of a chance for Siren to dodge the sudden Flamethrower from Genki, as neither she nor Mai had been expecting the Monferno to know such a powerful attack. The flames scorched her pretty badly and she floated back, though despite the pain she felt she refused to cry out in pain.

Mai narrowed her eyes, slightly annoyed that her Pokemon had taken such a hit. "It's time to use Pain Split," she said, deciding to keep her cool in front of the young trainer. Siren nodded and closed her eyes. The largest gem on her necklace glimmered brightly, and soon the same glow encompassed both the Misdreavus and the Monferno. Both of the Pokemons' remaining health totals were added together and then divided evenly between them, easing Siren's fatigue and adding to Genki's. "Your move," Mai called over to Katie sweetly.

=-=-=-=-=

Without meaning to, Flannery had started holding her breath as she listened to Mike explain his plan. In all honesty, she wasn't that surprised by it, and in fact was a little ashamed of herself for having not guessed it on her own. Anybody who knew Mike well enough would know that this sort of thing was right up his alley. She slowly exhaled, trying to imagine that group of kids infiltrating and bringing down the entire Team Magma base, but given all their previous exploits, it wasn't that difficult to imagine. She also wasn't surprised that Keegan had agreed to lend a hand with this, as the redhead had never been one to turn down a good brawl or seven.

Flannery ran her fingers through her bangs, and lightly touched the six Pokeballs set in her belt. She couldn't say that she thought it was the most brilliant idea Mike had ever come up with, but at the same time, she did like the thought of Hoenn being completely free of Team Magma. "All right," she said finally, placing both hands on her hips and giving a curt nod. "Let's do this then. And don't try to talk me out of going with you, because I've already made up my mind. This is something that I have to do, too."

=-=-=-=-=

The cheers of the audience were deafening, but that didn't stop Lilian Meridian from striding confidently into the spotlight on center stage, waving at the thousands of cheering fans. This signaled the start of the Cerulean Contest, and the cheers quieted as she raised her hand. "Ladies and gentleman, it's showtime!" she said, her voice echoing loudly throughout the stadium. "I'm glad you could all join me for what should be a very exciting evening. In a matter of moments, our contestants will do their best to amaze and awe our three judges and hopefully land themselves with high scores. Remember, folks, that only the top eight will advance to the second round, and will each have a shot of one of these - the highly coveted Cerulean Ribbon!" At this point, Lilian pointed to the large monitor on the wall behind her, displaying three simple, yet charming ribbons of blue done up in the tones of bronze, silver and gold, each gleaming brightly. "Only the Coordinators whose Pokemon shine the brightest can take home these babies, and remember that every ribbon counts towards an entry in this year's prestigious Grand Festival!" She paused to let the crowd erupt in another uproarious cheer. "Now that the boring stuff's out of the way, it's time to get this party started! I'm told we have a lot of first-timers in our competition tonight, so let's be sure to give them all a warm welcome! Now for the words you've all been wanting to hear! Let's get busy! First up is a coordinator all the way from Ecruteak City, Johto! Let's give a big hand for Shiro Crenu, a newcomer to the contest circuit!"

((So Crenu will go first, followed by Amy, then Ryka, and then Riza. Don't you guys worry about the other coordinators, we'll figure that out when we get the appeal round done.))

And once more, the idyllic scene of the normally completely hyperactive battle freak quietly sitting on a bridge enjoying a silent fishing day with his best friend. Cindy quietly stared at the bobbing floater, while Scarlet enjoyed the peaceful movement of clouds in the bright blue sky. And once more, the bobber sank under the surface, and Cindy let an excited bark. Scarlet blinked, tugging up on the rod handle, only to find that one Magikarp staring him in the face again.

“… This is so awkward. Um. Look, I’m not really in the market for a Magikarp right now, so…”

“Karp.” It was so sad.

“… It’s nothing personal! Really! I was just hoping to find a Poliwag! You know, cause they turn into Poliwrath, and those can punch stuff really hard?

“Karp.” Like, a concentrated black hole of depression and sadness.

“I-I mean, if it wasn’t for the fact that I was specifically looking for that one pokemon, I’d totally catch you and take you with me for my epic adventure, but we - Cindy and me – we really had our hearts set on the poliwag, so…”

“Karp.” The poor thing looked absolutely devastated.

“… But, I mean, I guess we could… Get the poliwag later… And you could come with us…?”

“Karp.” Scarlet could swear it smiled while it hung there on the bobber. With a slightly confused blink, he scooped up the Magikarp under his arm while Cindy just stared at him with a look that screamed “What just happened?”

“Um… We’re gonna stick with this guy instead of the poliwag… I-I mean, Magikarp can jump mountains, right? That’s special! He’ll be totally useful!”

Cindy just stared at her trainer for a minute. A full sixty seconds. She sharply inhaled, then sighed, shaking her head and trotting off toward Violet City’s pokemon center. Scarlet frowned a bit, looking at his new fishy companion, who stared back up at him with a face any other observer would’ve called expressionless. But Scarlet thought the poor neglected Fish Pokemon looked positively ecstatic. He flashed a smile and trotted off after Cindy. They needed to figure out their new ally’s gender, after all.

Something was behind Zii, Laichi noticed as the rain hit a spot behind him. It's as if the rain is hitting something invisible. But, Laichi stopped caring about that. She ran toward Zii as he also jumped from limb to limb down the tree to get ready to be punched.

Zii flinches as Laichi runs into a... hug. Zii is caught a bit off guard from Laichi's actions. Through all their training, she has never shown weakness. Zii looks to the man, and back at the tree he was in. He nodded, and the legendary pokemon seemed to phase out of existence, even though it was not visible.

"Zii, don't you run away from me again! I was so scared! If it wasn't for this man keeping me company I don't know what I would have done! Zii don't scare me!" Laichi exclaims.

Zii smiles and pets Laichi's head as he understands. He can not grasp the situation at all right now. He does not know if Laichi is crying or if the rain is hiding a strong exterior.

The Zangoose pushes Laichi away from him and kicks her in the side. Laichi naturally blocks the kick and slides across the mud to a defensive stance.

"H..hey!?" The man questions.

"Stay back, Zii is just telling me to compose myself and to stand strong. He is my best friend and he knows when I've become weak."

Zii nods and crosses his arms as if saying, 'That is right!'

Now, any other trainer who was now well on their way to getting their first badge would be pretty excited that Muuma's attack had gone through. Now, this wasn't to say that Leon wasn't glad that her attack had hit; he simply didn't show it. "Dodge it this time," He commanded dully, knowing that she should be capable of it. Unfortunately for Nosepass, she was, and this time around she managed to avoid the rocks, save for a few scrapes.

"Good job. Now, Confuse Ray." Muuma's turned and faced straight at Nosepass, her necklace beginning to glow. The ray shot out at her opponent, hopefully--for Leon, anyway--hitting and confusing it.