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 Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 5:24 pm
For a split second, Karrigan's shy little smile widened ever so slightly, but it soon reverted to its normal size, and she nodded. "Thank you," she said, spotting a large sign advertising a new movie; something called 'Rise of the Planet of the Ambipom.' Her stomach rumbled again, but this time it was more out of excitement over the Celadon Gym rather than hunger. If Erika specialized in floral arranging, it meant that she probably was a user of Grass-types, which meant that Ikouma and her new Vulpix would be at advantages. Aegeus would not fare well in a gym full of plants, though she wagered that if any of them were part Poison-type, Lennier would also have an advantage. Well, she hoped that she and her Pokemon were ready, in any case.
"What about you, Amy?" she asked, still quietly thrilled that the bespectacled girl wanted to tag along with her to the gym. "I know you're more of a coordinator, but have you given any thought to challenging gyms?" The question seemed a little silly, but Karrigan was curious. Many trainers dabbled in both fields, and she herself wouldn't mind competing in a contest or two sometime in the future. It was quite easy to find the famous Celadon Department Store, and around that there were numerous restaurants and patios that were serving food. Delicious smells of all kinds filled the air and Karrigan felt her mouth water slightly. "And do you have a preference for lunch?" she added, suddenly happy with anything that was satisfying and tasty.
=-=-=-=-=
His curiosity practically ripping a hole through his skull, Jake kept his gaze fixed forward, not glancing back even though he really wanted to. His brain was certain he'd met her before, though it was confusing for when he'd met Robin, she certainly knew him, and obviously he'd known her before his little... accident? He didn't know how to classify it. Regardless, he didn't get this feeling when seeing the redhead, and for some unknown reason, it bothered him on many levels. He chanced a look at Jade, who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. She almost didn't hear his sad little comment about the weather, and he'd been about to repeat it when she spoke up. "Oh, not really," he admitted. "Perhaps a Flying or Electric-type, I'm not entirely sure."
It was easy to see that something was bothering her, as well, and Jake had a feeling that it was more than just the woman and her powerful-looking Pokemon back there. He knew she'd probably snap at him, and he knew it wasn't really his business, but he decided to ask anyway, bracing himself for any flak that Jade may have thrown back at him. "Hey," he said, already feeling like a tool, "are you all right? You seem kind of... down. Is it something I did or said? If so, I'm really sorry." The last two sentences came out a lot faster than he would have liked them to, but at least he'd got them out. He figured if they were gonna travel together, it would be best if they got along at least moderately well.
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Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 6:48 pm
A smiling and happy Fantina gracefully danced out on stage, waving to the cheering fans and stopping in front of the coordinators to award them their ribbons. "Félicitations, mon cher!" she said, moving from Hannah to Jerome, her smile growing even wider once she reached Riza. "Votre match m'avait collé à mon siège! Quel régal! Félicitations, Riza! Je savais que tu pouvais le faire!" Her gloved hand held a beautiful ribbon that reminded Riza of the ocean. The middle was gold and there was an engraving in the center which looked like a raindrop.
"Thank you, Fantina," Riza said, accepting the ribbon, her own smile wide as could be. At her side, Akima and Yula beamed happily, very proud of themselves and their trainer. "I couldn't have won this without your help. And I'm not being glib... if it wasn't for that claw-thing you gave Akima..." She couldn't finish her sentence as the crowd had started up again, so she slapped on a happy smile and waved to them, proud to have her two Pokemon at her side. The trio soaked up the spotlight, the cheers, and they knew that this was where they were meant to be.
When the ribbon ceremony was complete, Riza headed backstage, both her Pokemon still out of their poke balls. The Weavile was looking very tired, which was to be expected considering she'd done all the battling today while the Gardevoir had only worked the appeals round. Regardless, without them, and of course, Fantina, Riza wouldn't have gotten anywhere in this contest, and she sighed with relief once she was backstage and out of the public's eye. Her Pokemon waited outside a change room as she changed back into the outfit she'd worn before hand, the simple black, tiered skirt and leggings. She brushed out her hair and washed off her makeup, reapplying it so that it was at its normal level. Satisfied with her appearance she stepped back outside, recalled her two contest superstars and began to look around for Shiro, hoping very much that he'd stuck around.
* * * * *
Katie wasn't entirely sure she liked being shoved around by some Team Rocket thud, and she considered sprinting off ahead and trying to reach Eterna City before Mai could catch her, but she knew it would be pretty stupid, seeing as Mai could simply sick her Aerodactyl on her and snatch her up before she took ten steps. Feeling defeated and somewhat nervous, Katie walked along, staring at the toes of her stylish boots as they walked. Mai had started to talk again, and Katie had started to roll her eyes in response, but soon she was listening with rapt attention. Mai liked her? Surely that couldn't be the only reason she wasn't lying dead in a gutter, all her Pokemon stolen away. She continued to listen, noticing then that it was starting to get very late.
She had about to tell Mai to spit it out already when the Rocket got to her point, and the orange haired girl froze in her tracks. Had she heard her properly? "Join you?" she repeated, the words feeling bitter on her tongue. "That is...I mean...uh...I don't know what to say," she managed finally, her heart pounding with excitement for no reason she could determine. There she was, a rookie trainer with only two badges under her belt, but she'd just been asked to join a rather infamous criminal syndicate. "Wait, you're joking, aren't you?" she asked finally, narrowing her ruby eyes to glare at Mai, forgetting that she was supposed to be afraid of this woman.
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 11:44 am
The thought of watching Karrigan and Erika battle excited Amy. A real gym battle, right before her eyes. She had never gotten to see any before, and it might help her scrounge up the courage to battle on her own. But I'm not alone, Amy reminded herself, fingers brushing over the Pokeballs in her bag. We're going to work together to get stronger. Right, Flora, Marshall, Lee? She smiled to herself. Her smile widened a little when Karrigan posed the question of challenging a gym herself. She didn't need to worry or be afraid, she knew.
"I've been meaning to challenge gyms, actually," Amy said calmly, remembering how experienced Riza had come off as with just one badge. "I think it's what I'll be doing for a while, to get stronger and more experienced. For the time being, I'm done with contests until I'm a much better trainer in general. As for specific gyms... my friend mentioned that she won a badge from a man called Surge, I think. I wanted to look him up, but he sounds interesting enough." She paused, looking at the restaurants around them. "Let's go to this one," Amy decided, pointing to a nice looking place that seemed to serve a wide variety of foods. After they were seated and given menus, Amy began to browse hers, finding several nice looking burgers and sandwiches available.
"Do you have anything specific in mind that you're going to look for?" she asked, nodding her head to the Department Store looming over them.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
She felt a pang of guilt; Jake was far more interested in the blonde woman than she was, and if he was alone, he might've approached her. Still, the girl didn't pause in her walking, an excuse that they were wasting daylight on the tip of her tongue. She didn't know what she was so scared of; so what if the woman was more powerful than her? A lot of people were, sadly enough. Jade scowled.
She only offered a nod to his decision about the Pokemon thing, curt and indifferent. But then he decided to approach the real problem head-on, and Jade sighed, trying to suppress the annoyance that bubbled up. She had no right to snap at him for caring; he was the one who got her the badge case and the one who let her travel with him. Jade forced a smile and glanced at Jake.
"I'm fine," she lied easily, waving a dismissive hand. "I was just worrying about your poor knee, is all. And what kind of Pokemon I was gonna get, I guess." That had been easier than she thought. The girl shrugged and made her muscles relax as they walked farther and farther away from that woman. You'll have to tell him eventually, a small voice inside her whispered. Jade's smile faltered and she thought of the old kimono woman again. They'll find you eventually, and they'll take you back to where you belong. The girl fell in beside Jake, gaze set dead ahead to where Pokemon frolicked and they seemed to be heading up to a cave.
Not if I can help it, she told the little voice.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 4:35 pm
Now that she knew a gym battle with Erika would happen at some point today (hopefully), her hunger was almost forgotten and if it hadn't been for Amy pointing out a nice-looking restaurant, Karrigan probably would have gone on without eating. "Yeah, that looks nice," she said, thinking about what her new friend had said about getting more experienced. The gym leader's name didn't ring a bell, though she thought there might have been a gym back in Vermilion City. She couldn't say for sure because she hadn't stuck around long enough to really explore the place. She'd gotten off the ship and pretty much headed straight on up to Bill's Lighthouse up in the Cerulean Cape. What kind of a name is Surge? she thought to herself as they received menus, and Karrigan idly flipped through the laminated pages, noting they had quite a selection too choose from, though sadly no sushi.
"Hmm?" she murmured, looking up as Amy spoke, and she too looked in the direction of the Department Store. "Oh, nothing in particular," she answered. "I wouldn't mind picking up a new scarf, or perhaps some gloves." She was aware that it was drastically warmer here in Kanto than it was in Sinnoh, and especially her northern hometown of Snowpoint, but she felt a little awkward without it, and a pair of gloves, even light ones, would help to protect (and hide) the injury on her hand while it healed. "I won't know for sure until we start browsing," she added, finally choosing a Greek salad and an iced tea as her lunch. "What about you? Anything you're looking for specifically?"
=-=-=-=-=
It occurred to Jake several minutes later that he didn't even know any Pokemon of the types he said he was interested in, and he frowned at this. It seemed he was indeed a Pokemon Trainer before... whatever had happened to him had, well, happened, though he seriously wished that his subconscious would quit keeping it from him. He coughed nervously, his gaze drifting to the dark-haired girl walking beside him. What would Jade think when (and if?) he told her that he had amnesia? Would she believe him? Would she laugh at him? Would she think he was a crazy stalker person with a fetish for axes? He didn't know, and suddenly the thought of telling her seemed like the stupidest idea ever. She didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with him (he didn't include her earlier snide and sarcastic comments toward him), and he figured he could probably go on pretending to be normal, though he silently prayed his memories would come back to him soon. Constantly looking back and seeing nothing but black and the occasional blurred fragments was more than just sad - it was downright depressing.
If there was one thing he did know, however, it was that when a girl said 'I'm fine' she really meant the exact opposite, though he chose to go along with it, chuckling and rolling his eyes in an exaggerated fashion as she mentioned his knee again. He hadn't even broken the skin, but he moaned loudly and threw in a fake limp before looking at her with wide, blue eyes. "But it hurts so much," he said, his voice sounding as though someone had just kicked his puppy. "I don't know how I'll go on." He wasn't sure she heard him though, noticing that her smile seemed to fade for a moment, and he stopped. "Seriously, though," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and eying her with a serious expression. "You don't wanna talk about it, that's all right. But if you do, I'm here, got it?" He smiled then, feeling like a walking, talking paragon of hypocrisy. I guess at some point I should tell her, too... he thought, his own smile faltering a bit.
=-=-=-=-=
Seeing Katie's reaction made it feel like Christmas for Mai, but she held back her gleeful laugh at the girl's shock, and then disbelief. As a general rule, Mai very rarely recruited members on her own, and especially not children, at that, but when a member was hand-picked by the admin, no one questioned it, not even Giovanni. "I'm not the joking sort, so no," she said plainly, quickening her pace. "Go ahead and think it over if you want, but the offer is only on the table for a limited time. You've got until we get to the Pokemon Center, and my Pokemon are rested. I'll be expecting your answer then, and if not, well, you're on your own."
There, the Rocket thought, flipping a lock of pale blonde hair over her shoulder. If that doesn't spur her into making a decision, then that's it, it's her loss. Mai sighed, massaging the back of her neck with her gloved fingers. Initializing the takeover of an entire region certainly was quite stressful, but if successful, would mean big things for the team. The thought of every citizen of Sinnoh cowering at the very mention of the words 'Team Rocket', the infamous crimson 'R' covering every square mile. The admin smiled, glancing once more at the wary girl beside her. They'd since entered the city limits, and the realization that she'd skipped lunch hit her as pangs of hunger jabbed at her. "How is the Pokemon Center food these days?" she asked, the tone of her voice indicating that this wasn't a change of subject, just a simple question. After all, if it was as bad as she remembered it to be, then she would take herself to a restaurant to eat, and possibly Katie as well, regardless of her answer. She hadn't been lying when she said she liked the girl.
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:20 am
Katie stared at the ground as they walked, feeling a bit stupid for asking if Mai's offer had been a joke. Her eyes narrowed when Mai mentioned that this was a limited time offer, and she nodded curtly to show that she understood. They weren't far from getting back into the city limits, and Katie's mind raced. Having a time limit didn't seem to be helping her thought processes any.
'Join Team Rocket,' she mused, now looking up at the sky. It had started to turn shades of red and orange as the sun made its journey below the horizon, and she sighed. 'They're supposed to be the bad guys. I've read about the stuff they've done over in Kanto and Johto and even Hoenn, and now they're trying for Sinnoh?' She looked up at Mai striding along beside her, so tall, and brimming with strength, and confidence. Katie's ruby eyes sparkled, and she smiled. She wanted to be that elegant, that confident. She wanted to strike fear into the hearts of others just by looking at them. She wanted that kind of power.
"Oh, the pokecenter food? It's all right," she said, shrugging. "Though it varies from place to place. The one in Jubilife was really good, but the Oreburgh one wasn't." They were well into town now, and it didn't take long for Katie to spot a sign pointing the direction to the pokecenter. She sighed and adjusted one of her ponytails as it had become loose during their last battle. Time to choose was growing short, but Katie was pretty sure she'd made up her mind. When she'd woken up this morning, she never would have guessed that by dinner time she'd be invited to join Team Rocket. The red roofed building was in sight and she smiled, quickening her pace. She stopped directly in front of the sliding doors, blocking Mai's path even though she knew the woman could easily remove her if she wanted to. "All right, I'm in," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "So what comes next?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:59 pm
Miharu felt her confidence waver as she watched the Houndour stagger to its feet, teeth bared as its apparently timid nature melting away as it began to evolve. Within a few moments it had transformed into a grownup Houndoom, its mouth curled into a twisted snarl. On Lee's command it unleashed a fearsome Flamethrower that caused Petunia to temporarily disappear in a blaze of flames. Miharu let out a small cry, and when the flames died down, the Pinsir had dropped down to one knee, bracing herself against the ground with both of her clawed hands. Her shell was charred and blackened and it was painfully obvious that she'd suffered massive damage. The Houndoom looked ready to attack again, flames already beginning to spill from its mouth, but before it could unleash them, the Dark-type was slammed from behind by a pair of hooves, resulting in a critical-hit and near instantly rendering the canine unconscious. Startled, both Miharu and Petunia looked up to see Mori standing nearby, her normally gentle expression changed drastically by her narrowed eyes. Her Double Kick had been timed perfectly, and easily saved her partner from being knocked out.
Lee's smile vanished as he saw his newly-evolved Houndoom slump to the ground, and he grumbled lightly to himself as he recalled it. Didn't see that coming, the boy thought as he clipped the Great Ball to his belt, and switched it with a regular Poke Ball. "All right, Banette, you're up," he called out casually, releasing the Marionette Pokemon with a swift flick of his wrist. The Ghost-type hovered several inches above the ground, grinning at Miharu and her two Pokemon with its creepy, zippered mouth. "Shadow Ball and Flamethrower, let's go." He snapped his fingers, and his two Pokemon moved quickly to obey. Octillery's face puffed out as it sent out a narrow torrent of flames toward the already-weakened Pinsir while Banette formed a shadowy sphere between its hands and lobbed it at the Ponyta. Both attacks hit their mark, though while Mori was still able to stand, Petunia was definitely down for the count.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:10 pm
"That was a nice contest outfit." Shiro said as he stepped around the corner of some lockers. "But I think you look better like this." He said plainly as he approached her. Arms crossed, he had a slight smile in the corner of his mouth as he came up next to her. "You really turned it around in the end, good job. I couldn't have done it better myself...in fact I probably couldn't have done it at all. You're a natural at contests." It wasn't easy for the blond to admit but this was really the best outcome, this was never his contest to win. The whole scene that had played out not long ago when they had their match was still fresh in his mind, and he was sure it was in hers as well, but for now Crenu decided it might be best to pretend it didn't happen, or at least not mention it for now. After all, Riza had just won her first contest and had her pokemon evolve as well. It was a time of celebration and congratulation. He slowly shifted his arms, uncrossing them so he could give her a loose hug, still testing the waters a bit.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jason was oblivious to the passing boy that had caused Lucario to become unnerved, though he did notice the pokemon's reaction. He was such a strong cool pokemon, something powerful had to be at work here. But what was it? Before Jason could try to delve deeper into this in his own mind Cynthia was talking to him again, whatever it was it seemed to have passed and he just smiled. "Heehee, thanks that means a lot from the champ. Ok Poseidon lets keep on rocking. Up next, use...ZzzzZZzz" Arm flung forward as he was about to give a command, Jason fell silent as his head went limp, snoring happily moments later. Poseidon who was rearing to go and had a fierce look on his face was about to take off, but when he heard nothing the gaze turned to confusion. He turned around, looking at Jason with concern and curiosity as the boy in the hat slept.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There was nothing Julio could do as the thundershock send a jolt through his body. Were it not for partial plant typing it would have been much more devastating, but combined with the feeling of paralysis it was effective none the less. The Lombre shook his body as he fought off the electricity in him, and cried out ready to battle more. "Ok Julio lets go again, there's not much we can to to hurt this type of pokemon. Adaptación!" Julio started to glow as he absorbed the energy around him. Nature Power turned into Tri Attack and he let the powerful beam shoot out towards the little Magnemite. ((super short.....ewwwww))
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 6:52 am
Past the welcoming red roof of the Pokemon Center was the opening to Union Cave, and Jasper stopped and looked up at it. It didn't seem to be as dark as he remembered, but that might have been because he was in good company. On his shoulder, Ditto made a little chirping sound, and Jasper reached up and patted it. "Hey pal, you okay?" he asked as the Transform Pokemon slithered down into his arms. The blue blob nodded, and its body shimmered as it transformed into its favourite Pokemon to imitate, Pikachu. The fake mouse gave Jasper a thumbs-up and scampered up onto its trainer's head, causing his bandanna to slip a little. With practiced ease Jasper fixed it, ignoring the few sparks straying from Dittochu's cheeks. "Maybe it's because there's three of us," Jasper commented, knowing for sure that he felt more confident with Jett and Scarlet along for the ride. He too heard the roars and crashes coming from deeper within the cave and he frowned, not really wanting to battle all that much. 'I'm going to have to step up at some point,' he thought. 'I can't rely on these two to do all the battling while we travel.'
As if summoned by his thoughts, a loud screech echoed from overhead, and Jasper and Ditto looked up in time to see a Zubat swooping down toward them, mouth agape and wings spread wide. Jasper ducked and the bat Pokemon just missed hitting him, and Ditto's ears twitched as he felt the wind rush by him. "Think you can handle that one?" Jasper asked the mouse, and it nodded. "All right, take it down with a Thundershock." The area around the trio of trainers was lit up with the brilliant flash of electricity that followed, and Ditto landed gracefully on the ground in front of Jasper, grinning as the Zubat flopped down in front of them. "Nice," Jasper said, looking to Scarlet and Jett with a smirk. "Anybody want a Zubat?"
* * * * * * * * * *
Hayley let out a happy shriek when she saw that she'd made a new friend, and she nearly fell over her own feet as she ran over to collect the Pokeball containing her new Pokemon. "I'm going to call you Tisyphone!" Cynder quirked an eyebrow at the name but didn't question it, and he stood up and trotted over to Mya, who had plopped down on the grass and was taking a break. The Rattata eyed the Charmander warily, expecting him to scold her but he simply smiled a toothy smile and gave a nod of approval. Hayley was still celebrating her capture, forgetting that her skill at throwing Pokeballs was a little more than lackluster, and she held it up. "Woohoo! I caught a Nidoran!"
Once her celebrating was through, Hayley returned her Charmander and Rattata to their respective Pokeballs, and headed back to the Pokemon Center. Cynder still needed rest, and she wanted to make sure Mya and Tisyphone were healthy as well. She was all smiles when she greeted the nurse again, and all three of the Bennett girl's Pokemon received another round of healing through the machine. Cynder got another checkup and the nurse removed his bandages, though warned that he needed to take it easy. Hayley knew this would be virtually impossible, but she would do her best to make him follow the nurse's orders. She did know now that she should be moving on, but she didn't know where to. North of town was the imposing Viridian Forest, and south of town would take her back to Pallet. She had no need to be heading there. "Right, Viridian Forest it is," she said happily, gathering all her things and heading out the door.
A strange thing happened then; for a split second, Hayley could have sworn she was walking into the entrance of a cave. The image lasted only a moment but it made the girl pause in the doorway, blinking in confusion. 'What was that?' she thought, looking around to see if anyone else had noticed. The only other person in the lobby of the Pokemon Center was a young boy with a Pidgey perched on his shoulder, and he apparently hadn't seen a thing. Hayley frowned and left the center, noting that her bicycle was still parked and locked to the rack outside. Sighing, she unlocked it and climbed on, her mind quickly going over her inventory and what she'd need before heading into the forest. Her first stop would be the Poke Mart.
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 7:02 am
A few minutes later, Hayley parked her bike outside of the blue-roofed Poke Mart, stopping to check how much money she had before going inside. She'd earned a bit from chores at home and selling a few of her sketches, and she could by no means go on a shopping spree, but at least she had enough money to buy some medicine. It didn't take her very long to go inside and find what she wanted, which was three Potions and two Antidotes. Her purchases totaled $1,100 and her wallet felt quite a bit lighter, but she felt better knowing she could deal with injuries and poison if they were to run into trouble on their way to Pewter City.
"Heading up through Viridian Forest?" the sales clerk asked as she counted out Hayley's change.
"Yep," Hayley said, nodding. "I'm hoping to find some interesting Pokemon to watch and study."
"You won't find much in the forest," the clerk said, now putting the vials of medicine into a paper bag. "Mostly bug Pokemon, and Rattata and Pidgey and Pokemon like that. But, if you're lucky..."
Hayley's heart skipped a beat. No, she was by no means a lucky person, but that didn't matter to her. "What?" she asked, nearly bouncing up and down. "If I'm lucky, what??"
"You might see a Pikachu. They're native to the forest, but they're not seen very often by people these days."
"Oh, a Pikachu, they're so cute!" the Bennett girl beamed. She knew the chances of finding one were low, but she could hope. She thanked the clerk for both the information and her purchases and headed out the door, carefully packing the Potions and Antidotes into her backpack before she mounted her bike once again and headed off towards the forest.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:09 am
((I hope nobody minds, but I've chosen to move Kasiya along. For my (failed) attempt at NaNoWriMo this year, I decided to write out a bit of stuff for her to do, as once the Magma plot finishes, that group will be a least a day behind. These posts pick up after the group has finished their mission and broken apart, with Kasiya choosing to head over to Fortree City with Winona. If there are any questions or inconsistencies, please feel free to ask them/point them out. :3 ))Shortly after landing in Fortree City, Kasiya and Winona went their separate ways: the blonde headed for the Pokemon Center while the Gym Leader chose to return to her gym. Kasiya guessed that she had her own Pokemon healing facilities there, like many other Gym Leaders she'd met, and that Winona was probably tired and wanting to rest up as well. It was near supper time, and though she felt as though she hadn't slept well in days (actually, she really hadn't slept well in days) she was actually feeling pretty awake. She was also ravenously hungry, yes, but definitely awake. Fortree City was vaguely familiar to her, as it had been the place where she'd battled that boy in order to win the freedom of an abused Skitty. Those memories were bittersweet, as she could still picture Ariel and Shocker working side-by-side in perfect unison; Ariel had summoned a torrential downpour which gave Shocker's devastating Thunder attack perfect accuracy. They'd won the battle and saved Allegra, and Kasiya idly wondered how the kitten Pokemon was doing with Ryka, and of course she wondered if Shocker was all right for the umpteenth time that day. How she'd managed to get through today while being so distracted was a mystery to her, but she'd somehow gotten through another day. Hold on, Shocker, she thought, closing her eyes. I'll come save you, I promise.
Kasiya's stomach had tied itself up in knots and tears had started as she entered the red-roofed building, one of the few not nestled high in the treetops, and placed the six Pokeballs (or rather, five Pokeballs and an Ultra Ball) into a tray and set it on the counter, slowly sliding it forward until she was noticed. The center was currently very empty save for one boy sitting at a table with what appeared to be a Linoone, but other than that, there was no one. The sweet, pink-haired nurse turned to Kasiya, her smile fading when she saw the condition of the weepy trainer in front of her. "Um, hello," she said, somewhat worriedly, as it looked as though the girl had been through quite the ordeal. "Would you like me to heal your Pokemon? And are you all right?"
Kasiya blinked a few times to clear her tears and looked down at her clothes, which were somewhat tattered and very filthy, but that was to be expected when one had just spent the better part of their day infiltrating the secret base of an evil organization bent on expanding the landmass and reducing the oceans. "Yes please," she said, putting on a cute smile. "And yeah, I'm just fine. I did… a lot of traveling today. Um, is it okay if I get myself cleaned up while I wait?" she asked, and the nurse nodded, taking the tray of Pokeballs for treatment. Glad to know that her team was in good hands, Kasiya removed her backpack and let it drag along behind her as she headed for the restrooms. Picking the girls' side she dumped her stuff on a chair and stripped out of her clothes, realizing rather quickly that they were beyond repair and she tossed them out, glad to know that she had at least one clean and unharmed outfit in her backpack remaining. She grabbed a clean towel from the stack that had been set out for traveling trainers and picked the closest shower stall, slinging her towel over the door before closing it behind her, not hesitating even a second before turning on the hot water and adjusting it so that it was just below scalding. Despite the fact that she'd longed for a cool shower back at the Team Magma base, which had been absolutely sweltering, the flight from Lavaridge had left her feeling a bit chilled, and she hoped the hot water would help her to relax.
=-=-=-=-=
Mai stifled a small yawn, walking silently alongside the younger girl. She was oblivious to Katie's inner thoughts, of course, but she was at least glad to see the girl was putting some thought into the offer. Team Rocket were the bad guys, yes, but they had no room for rashly behaving members that could potentially disrupt their operations. She took into consideration what Katie had said about differing Pokemon Center foods, deciding that she didn't want to take a chance on the Eterna center. She was contemplating what style of meal she'd like for herself when the small, orange-haired girl stopped in front of her, managing a somewhat intimidating glare as she crossed her arms over her chest. Mai smiled, and gave a single nod of approval. "Good, I'm glad I didn't waste my time," she said, now pushing past Katie and through the sliding doors. "And as for what comes next, we heal and feed our Pokemon, and then we go for our own dinner, yes?"
She flashed a genuine little smile at Katie as she strode up to the front desk and grabbed two trays. She passed one to Katie and filled the other with the spheres containing her Pokemon, unable to suppress a feeling of pride. Her Pokemon were strong, yes, but they hadn't always been that way, and knowing how far each and every one of them had come (even Siren, the newest member of her roster) seemed to make it all worthwhile. She passed the tray to the nurse, who smiled politely even though Mai could see how nervous she was, and without waiting, the Rocket headed over to the cafeteria to prepare meals for her team. She was more than certain that Katie could handle being by herself for a little while.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:32 am
Feeling much better now that she'd washed away all the gross-feeling sweat and grime, Kasiya changed into her clean clothes and brushed out her hair, which seemed to be already starting to grow out again. She sighed and tied the majority of it back in a semi-tight braid and let some frame her face. She made the chain that held her silver lighting bolt pendant was securely fastened around her neck before pulling on her boots. Her outfit now consisted of a plain white top with somewhat puffy sleeves and a green skirt with straps that looked almost like a pair of overalls at the top. She also wore black leggings that went down to just above her knees and white, high-rise socks underneath a comfortable pair of green hiking boots. Her new look was complimented by a pair of green wristbands and a brown leather fanny pack, though just thinking about the convenient little bag made her giggle like crazy. Last but certainly not least she clipped her belt around her waist, though it looked funny without any Pokeballs attached to it. More than certain that her Pokemon would be fully healed now, she made sure she had all her things as she headed back out to the lobby.
"Your Pokemon are all in great shape, though they do seem to be a little hungry," the nurse said, almost not recognizing Kasiya as she stepped up to the counter. Kasiya thanked her and returned the spheres to their designated slots on her belt. She too was hungry, but now that she was refreshed and clean, fatigue had settled in and she wanted nothing more than to laze about for a little while. She made a silent promise to get everyone some much deserved dinner later, and again her backpack hit the floor as she climbed up onto one of the couches and lied down, falling asleep with ease for the first time in quite some time. She opened her eyes some time later, checking the clock to find that she'd been out for about an hour. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, but didn't sit up just yet, instead watching quietly as the Nurse had walked into the lobby and turned on the television. "I hope you don't mind," she said without looking at Kasiya, "but there's a contest on and I would like to watch it."
That certainly got Kasiya's attention. "Oh, no, I don't mind at all," she said, now able to hear chatter from the TV. She propped herself up a little, watching the screen with rapt attention. She'd never paid contests any attention before, but since that strange dream she'd had, she'd wanted to learn more about them.
=-=-=-=-=
Certain that Lucario could handle himself for a few moments, Cynthia had watched the two young trainers until they were nearly out of sight, wondering where they were headed. Though she couldn't say for sure, she knew they'd find some sort of adventures ahead of them and she smiled, turning back to Jason and his little Mantyke. The boy was still quite eager to continue, thrusting his arm forward as he gave a command. Only, no words came forth and only a quiet snoring could be heard from across the field. It took Cynthia a moment to realize the boy had fallen asleep again, and she sighed, shaking her head. "Well, we might as well use this to our advantage," she said, winking at Poseidon. "Lucario, let's make sure our little friend continues to be full of energy and life."
Lucario had looked as confused as Poseidon did when Jason suddenly fell fast asleep, but the Aura Pokemon chalked it up to simple human quirks as he raised a paw and pointed it at the Mantyke. For a moment it looked as though he were initiating his Force Palm again, but instead a sparkling teal energy had built up and was now pulsating out and surrounding the Mantyke, restoring any energy the little guy may have lost and healing any wounds he may have received from all his bouncing and sliding around. Cynthia smiled. Heal Pulse was an amazing technique.
=-=-=-=-=
Surge seemed quite happy that his Magnemite was landing attacks, and even the Magnet Pokemon appeared to be buzzing around happily, its single eye moving from Lombre to Carlos as though it were trying to anticipate their next moves. By now Surge was sure that funny move the Pineapple Man was calling for was Nature Power, considering Lombre was part Grass-type (a saving grace indeed for its other typing was Water), and he narrowed his eyes as the tri-coloured beam sped towards Magnemite.
"Fight back with Spark!" Surge barked, mildly annoyed the Lombre's confusion hadn't held it back from attacking this round. The Magnemite buzzed and started forward, electricity sparking from its magnet ends and quickly covering its whole body. The Tri Attack smashed directly into it, but thanks to its Steel-typing, damage was greatly reduced. Its single eye narrowed in concentration as it charged at Lombre, eager to slam it with an electrified tackle.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:39 am
"This one's currently being held in Cerulean City," the nurse had told Kasiya, an almost dreamy tone to her voice. "I hope they hold a contest here in Fortree someday; I'd love to participate as a judge."
"I'd love to participate as a coordinator," Kasiya said, her tone equally as dreamy as she watched the emcee introduce the judges. It panned through the coordinators partaking in the event, and even though Kasiya wasn't paying full attention to them, she swore she saw a few faces that she knew among them. "Wait… isn't that Ryka?" Sure enough, her blonde friend was standing among the coordinators, wearing a pretty purple dress and a wide smile. "Cool… I didn't know she wanted to be a coordinator!"
After a quick commercial break, the contest's appeal round began, and Kasiya watched, now even more awed, as a tall young man dressed in a silvery, sparkling tuxedo stepped out onto the stage, first to make his appeal. Kasiya wouldn't have known that it was Crenu had it not been for the information being displayed on the bottom of the screen. "No way," she said, giving a light-hearted little laugh. Seeing him there on the stage was far more surprising than seeing Ryka, and she watched as his Froslass performed their appeal, tempted to applaud them even though only she and the nurse were there in the center, watching the screen. My friends are just full of surprises, she thought, thinking that the stunt with the silver rose had been a very nice touch. Next up had been an almost-shy looking girl, but once she started her appeal, she seemed to relax. Her partner was a very sweet, very well-trained Bayleef that made Kasiya almost squeal with glee - after all, she did have Rosemary, who herself had recently evolved from a Bayleef. The girl and her Bayleef performed well together, and though their performance was relatively simple, it was still beautiful. Kasiya didn't hold back her cheers as the bespectacled girl and her Pokemon left the stage, giving way for the next trainers.
Kasiya didn't pay too much attention to the next bunch of coordinators, wanting only to see what Ryka would do when her turn came around. She was certain that her friend would use her lovely Espeon, Iris, or her energetic little Pikachu, Blitz, for this round, but when Ryka's turn finally did come around, she was shocked to see Ryka release a familiar pink kitten. It was Allie! After making their entrance, they began their appeal, which seemed to be a rather cute juggling act. Kasiya watched, amazed at how skilful the little Skitty had become, oblivious to what Ryka had planned. She didn't at all see the surprise evolution coming, not even when the Moon Stone and Allegra met in mid air, triggering her evolution. Kasiya scrambled for her PokeDex, still very much in awe. "Who's that Pokemon?" she murmured, cycling through until she found the proper entry. "Delcatty, the Prim Pokemon," she read. "It is highly popular among female trainers for its sublime fur. It does not keep a nest." Kasiya smiled, closing the device as the next set of appeals began. She was without a doubt certain that both Crenu and Ryka would make it to the next round.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:41 am
As the appeals wound down, Kasiya was certain she wouldn't see any more familiar faces, but of course, she had to be wrong. The very last coordinator in line happened to be a girl she knew, and in fact, wasn't overly fond of. "Riza," she murmured, remembering back to the Beach Party. Riza had said something about becoming a top coordinator, and it seemed like she'd decided to go right after that goal as soon as possible. Kasiya wasn't sure why, but she didn't really like the dark-haired girl, mostly due to her attitude. It wasn't normal for Kasiya to instantly dislike someone, but after seeing her with Keegan at the Breeder's Gala (yes, some jealousy was definitely still hanging around), Riza was far from her favourite person in the planet. Annoyed thoughts were still sifting through her mind as Riza took the stage, though Kasiya's eyes did light up when she saw the gorgeous Gardevoir appear as well. Knowing well what her friend's Gardevoir, Karri, was capable of made her sure that Riza's appeal would be a good one, and Riza and Yula did not disappoint. Kasiya didn't want to be glued to the television screen, but the way the Psychic-type controlled her Swift and Confusion abilities had her mesmerized. "Okay, I hate to admit it, but she's really good," Kasiya grumbled, flopping back on the couch and folding her arms.
"Oh?" the nurse asked, glancing at the blonde curiously. "You seem to know some of the coordinators that are competing, yes?"
Kasiya nodded. "Yeah, Ryka and Shiro are friends of mine. I'm not really friends with Riza but I do know her." She sighed and wrapped the end of some of her blonde hair around the end of her finger. "So now that these fancy appeals are all done, what happens next?" she asked, eager to push the subject away from Riza.
The nurse smiled. "Well, now the judges have to decide which eight of the contestants move on to the battle rounds," she said. "It's far easier to watch than to explain."
During the commercial break, Kasiya got herself a bottle of apple juice from a vending machine, still not feeling hungry. As she sat back down, Seto released himself from his Pokeball and hopped up on the couch next to her, purring loudly. Kasiya smiled and wrapped her arms around the Persian, loving the feeling of his velvety fur against her cheek. "Hey Seto, I bet you'd be good at contests," she said, prompting a bit of a haughty scoff from the feline. "I mean it!"
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:43 am
When the commercial break was over, the emcee lady, Lillian, once again introduced the judges, though Kasiya realized that Cerulean City's Nurse Joy was serving as one of the three for tonight, and that was probably why the Fortree City Joy wanted to give it a try. Judging a contest must be difficult, she thought, absentmindedly scratching Seto behind the ears as the top eight coordinators were revealed. Kasiya wasn't surprised to see that Ryka, Crenu, and of course, Riza had moved on to round two, as did a couple of other trainers that had performed well, and the sweet girl with the Bayleef. The trainers were then shuffled and matched up for the battle rounds, and Kasiya frowned when she saw that it would be Crenu facing Ryka. Sadly, the Bayleef girl - Amy - lost to a boy with a creepy Cacturne, and Crenu's Poliwhirl, whom Kasiya remembered helping to evolve, managed to take out Ryka's Pikachu, Blitz, mostly by sheer force. She didn't pay too much attention to Riza's match, aside from the fact that she'd won, and now it was on to the semi-finals. The boy with the Cacturne won again, landing himself in the finals, and the next match would be interesting as it had pitted Crenu against Riza. Though most people seemed to be cheering for Riza, since Crenu had been so rough on Ryka and Blitz, Kasiya had sided with Shiro. Unfortunately, Shiro seemed to have some sort of episode as he just stood there, doing and saying nothing while his Poliwhirl, a much different Pokemon than the timid Poliwag he'd once been, relentlessly and viciously attacked Riza's Sneasel over and over again. Luckily for Akima, she was far too quick for Poliwhirl and kept out of harm's way, but even Kasiya knew that this wouldn't end well for Crenu.
It ended quite abruptly when Akima smashed Poliwhirl's fist, possibly breaking it, and to add insult to injury she removed the last of Crenu's points with a nice counter to the frog's Bubblebeam. It should have been over then, but Poliwhirl had tried to attack Riza, and only then did Crenu snap out of it long enough to recall the rampaging Pokemon. Kasiya breathed a sigh of relief. She may not have liked Riza, but she didn't want to see the girl get hurt. How about that, Riza's in the finals, Kasiya thought, stifling a yawn as she snuggled up against her soundly-snoozing Persian. It was obvious that Seto could care less for contests, even though his trainer seemed to think he'd do well at them. Kasiya wasn't sure what the outcome of this contest would be, but it didn't start out well for Riza. Everything she did was quickly countered by the boy and his Cacturne, and she was sure it was all over until Riza's Sneasel suddenly evolved. Again Kasiya raced for her PokeDex, being as awestruck as Riza by the transformation. She hadn't known that Sneasel could evolve into Weavile, though she didn't clue in to the use of the Razor Claw. From then on Riza and Akima stole the show, quite handily defeating Jerome and his Cacturne by way of KO, and Kasiya found herself smiling as the dark-haired girl was awarded a gorgeous, cerulean blue ribbon. Don't get too comfortable, Riza, she thought, yawning again. I'm going to become a coordinator too, and then we'll be rivals.
With the contest over, it was now very late, though Kasiya did remember to keep her promise to feed her Pokemon. She was thrilled with each and every one of them, and very proud that they'd stuck by her through this last adventure. Once their meal was done, she was able to pick out a room and have it all to herself, as there was virtually no one else staying at the Pokemon Center that night, and after brushing her teeth, letting down her hair and changing into her pyjamas, Kasiya crawled into bed, almost asleep before her head even hit the pillow. For the first time in a long time, she slept deeply, and thoroughly, and when she woke up the next morning, she felt awake, energetic, and completely refreshed. She went about her morning routine and made sure she and her Pokemon all had a hearty breakfast, even though she planned to switch her party around (yes, again) before she set out today. She had almost all of her strongest Pokemon with her at the moment, and she really wanted to continue training with some of her newer, less-experienced Pokemon like Alphonse and Nova, and Rosemary, too. At one point, Leviathan and Rosemary were around the same level, but in the past while, Kasiya had admittedly been relying on the Swampert much more than the Meganium, and now she wanted to fix that. She made another futile attempt to have Ariel rejoin her, but was rejected again, so for now her party would consist of Fang, Adamantine, Rosemary, Twilight, Nova, and Alphonse. She remembered what Keegan had once told her about keeping a few strong Pokemon with her, and that's what the Crobat and Pupitar were still doing on her roster. That, and she wanted to keep up Ada's training, as she knew that if the Pupitar evolved into Tyranitar, she'd be even more of an asset to the team. Aside from that, seeing Nitro always seemed to make her want to work with Nova, as the Charizard's feisty baby sister definitely had potential.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:44 am
Kasiya's feelings were somewhat mixed as she headed south from Fortree City. While she enjoyed this city, with all of its treetop houses, she still felt a little down, and she knew it didn't really have anything to do with yesterday's events. Yesterday had been very exhausting and trying, but now she felt sort of empty. Hollow, almost. As she moved away from the center, she stuck her hands in her pockets, and realized that her PokeNav had been shut off for the better part of the past two days. She turned it back on, and it beeped to life. The little indicator light was flashing, showing that she had at least one new message, but before she could get the chance to check it, the device dimmed out and died, as it had been drained of battery power. Grumbling in annoyance, she returned to the center and found a place to charge it, but she didn't feel like waiting around for it, so she headed back outside.
She sighed as she walked down a cobblestone path, counting the stones she stepped on, one by one. Naturally this meant that she wasn't watching where she was going, and that particular foresight did not hit her until she walked into someone from behind, not hard enough to really harm them, but definitely hard enough for her to ricochet off the back of them and land hard on the ground. "Oww," she whimpered.
"Hey, watch where you're going… oh, it's you!" A familiar voice rang through the air, and Kasiya looked up, more startled from the voice than from when she'd fallen. "If it isn't my favourite Moon Princess."
The older girl that was speaking to her was definitely familiar. She had short, wavy blonde hair that curled up and very expressive eyes that seemed to be smiling at her. It wasn't until the last comment that the girl's identity clicked into place, and Kasiya practically jumped to her feet, grinning. "Haruka!"
Haruka continued to smile down at the younger girl. "Are you all right? I hope you didn't hurt yourself when you, well, ran into me."
"Oh no, I'm all right," Kasiya answered quickly, though it was a bit of a white lie. Her hip ached slightly, and that caused random echoes of pain to radiate from various places on her body. She didn't know what it was from, but if she had to guess, she would assume it was from the exertion of yesterday. She had climbed a mountain (in actuality it was a volcano) and helped her closest friends defeat an evil organization, and that had been on little sleep and food. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I haven't seen you since…"
"Lavaridge," Haruka finished, nodding. "And yes, that was a while ago. Fortree City is my hometown. I just got back from a trip overseas to the Sinnoh region. You should visit it sometime," she added. "There are many interesting Pokemon living there."
"I have," Kasiya blurted out before she could stop herself. "That is, well, it was only for a few days. I want to go back, though. I didn't get to see many Pokemon, though I did meet one Pokemon there."
"Oh really?" Haruka said, grinning. Kasiya instantly knew what that grin meant. "How about we show off our Pokemon in a battle?"
"Three on three sound good?"
"You're on!"
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