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 Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 12:03 am
As expected, the cave wasn’t exactly the most threatening place. Jasper had a good point. Three people together in that ‘terrifying hell’ made it more like a walk in the part. Having a Pikachu in the face of all those Zubat? It would’ve been downright boring if Scarlet didn’t find lightning bolts pretty and Ditto to be reaching near physical god status to him.
It didn’t take long for one to swoop down with a meal on its mind. Scarlet flinched when the thing screeched and dove down, while Cindy bristled, her teeth gnashing as she growled. But before anything was necessary, Jasper called out for a devastating electric move from his Pika- Ditto. When the poor vampire bat it shot with its thundershock collapsed to the ground, Scarlet was almost amused. “Heh, don’t tempt me, Jasper. Supersonic spamming would probably never get old.”
They kept moving through the cave. Scarlet noticed a few Hikers, but the giant old dudes definitely deemed to be enjoying battling each other with their Geodudes, ordering mudslap after mudslap after mudslap. Scarlet turned to watch a couple of times, but for the most part, he stayed on task. After all, a battle with Bugsy was far more interesting a proposal than fighting a rock type with fire.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 12:58 pm
For a moment, both trainers just stood there, staring at their Pokemon but finally they smiled. Haruka was first to recall her Pokemon, mostly because it would reduce the badly-poisoned status to just poisoned. Kasiya, meanwhile, knelt down beside her fallen Umbreon and kissed his head. "You're amazing, Twilight," she told the Dark-type before returning him to the safety of his Pokeball and she stood up, trying not to let the nearly overwhelming feeling of defeat get to her. "Okay, okay," she said, managing to keep her tears from forming, "you got us! You won't be so lucky next time, though," she warned.
"Next time?" Haruka laughed, walking up to the younger girl. "What makes you think we'll battle again?"
"Basic mathematics," replied Kasiya. "We've both got one win each. We can't leave it all tied up like that, can we?"
"No, I suppose not," reasoned Haruka. "All right, it's settled. For now, however, it'd be best if we returned to the Fortree Pokemon Center." Kasiya quickly agreed, as by now her PokeNav was probably fully charged again, and the two trainers began to walk back into the heart of the city, talking about what they'd been up to since the last time they'd seen each other. Haruka spoke first, explaining that she'd left for Sinnoh pretty much the following day after their first battle and been taxied to the distant region via jet. She'd traveled around some and caught a handful of Pokemon, though the primary reason for her trip to the Sinnoh region had been to visit the breeding center/Pokemon daycare to pick up a special egg that she'd commissioned several weeks ago. Kasiya's guess was correct; it was the Piplup egg that had since grown into the powerful Prinplup it was today. Haruka had even picked up two of the Sinnoh League badges and after much prodding from the younger girl, showcased them.
"They're so pretty," Kasiya marvelled, the sparkling badges reflected in her bright blue eyes. It had been a long time since she'd last won a badge (which, in fact, had been Flannery's Heat Badge, back in Lavaridge Town a few days before the Beach Party) and she was suddenly filled with a feeling of freedom combined with an anxious energy. It had taken a few days to finish up the Team Magma business, and though she'd been eager to help her best friend out, it felt nice to be finished with it all. "The Coal Badge, and Forest Badge?" she questioned.
"Yep," Haruka said, snapping her Sinnoh Badge case shut. "Those two gym leaders weren't pushovers, either." She put the silvery case away and stretched her arms overhead. "So what have you been up to then? My story is pretty boring."
=-=-=-=-=
The fox sniffed at the bowl of food in front of her, clearly unimpressed, and she looked up at her new trainer, both ears flattening slightly. Her six tails were motionless until she looked over at Amy's Tyrogue. If she hadn't thought it to be petty and unrefined, she would have growled at him, but instead she scoffed and stuck her nose in the air, deciding the small Fighting-type wasn't worth her time. "Um, hello," Karrigan said, sensing the tension between the Vulpix and Tyrogue, and hoping the two could keep themselves under control while they were inside. "My name's Karrigan, I'm your new trainer," she said. The Vulpix stared at her blankly, as though to say 'Duh'. "It's nice to meet you," she went on, feeling as though she were being judged by her own Pokemon. "I'd like to call you Amber, if that's okay with you." For the first time since being released from her Pokeball, the Vulpix actually looked pleased, and she gave a nod. The name was nice; it seemed her new trainer wasn't that pathetic. Her belly grumbled and she glanced down at her food again, deciding that it was much better than scavenging for her own food out in the wild. She began to eat slowly, her appetite increasing with each bite she took.
Ikouma, meanwhile, hadn't touched a morsel of his meal until he knew the Vulpix wouldn't start anything, and even then he ate quickly, unsure of if he liked his new job as peacekeeper. He was also still a little angry due to being taken down by that puny little fox, but he was weak to Fire-type moves so he tried to get over it. Zaira, meanwhile, was oblivious to all of the tension in the room and ate every crumb of her foot before bounding over to Flora and Marshall, hoping to get someone to play with her. Lennier kept close to Karrigan, saying nothing and watching over everything with silent contemplation. When they got closer to finishing feeding everyone, Karrigan left Lennier in charge of watching the remainder of her Pokemon so she could go outside and give Aegeus his meal. Ikouma was incredibly offended by this, though he didn't let it show.
=-=-=-=-=
Jake took a quick step back, as Jade's irritated tone caught him by surprise. His surprise was quickly replaced by annoyance, and then anger, and his blue eyes narrowed. "Well, fine then!" he shouted back, looking over at Grotle, who had everything under control with the Geodude. "Sorry for giving a damn about your well-being, next time I won't!" His angry tone felt bitter and unfamiliar on his tongue, but he didn't care. He'd been genuinely concerned for Jade and that was how she treated him in return? His feet pounded the rocky ground heavily as he reached Grotle's side. The Grass-type had just finished draining the Geodude's health away with an Absorb, and the creature weakly sank to the ground before slowly retreating. The ruckus from Jade's fall and the small battle had caused a lot of noise, and now Jake could hear the sound of many wings beating in the distance. Still fueled by anger, he yanked Bibarel's Pokeball from his pocket and threw it, releasing the Beaver Pokemon. She instantly glared at Grotle, but Jake's angry voice caused her to stop in her tracks. "Knock it off, you two," he growled. "We've got bigger problems."
Well, in theory, the problem wasn't in itself a big problem, just a bunch of smaller problems all rolled into one. About a half dozen Zubat soon made their appearance, and Jake pointed at the closest pair. "Razor Leaf and Water Gun, go!" he shouted. For a moment, the two Pokemon exchanged glances, deciding it in their best interest to work as a team, and soon a flurry of sharp, green leaves were racing through the air, followed by a quick, narrow blast of water. The two attacks hit their mark, though the Razor Leaf was resisted by its intended target, and would take more than one hit to bring down. Jake called for his Pokemon to attack again, hoping they could scare them off and get out of here before anything else happened.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:44 pm
Wordlessly, Miharu recalled her fainted Ponyta, silently thanking the fiery pony for doing her best. She really was quite tough, and she switched the sphere for a different one, eying the Banette and Zangoose warily. She really wished she hadn't sent Tingle to stay with her Aunt and Uncle, as it would be difficult for the Zangoose to inflict any damage on the Metang, but unfortunately that wasn't the case, so she'd have to settle for different tactics. "Aska, you're up now," she called. The Pidgeot appeared in a flash of light, her wings already spread wide as she crowed loudly. "Aska, douse Zangoose with your Featherdance, and Sparkle, you use Charge!" The speedy Pidgeot flew into action, her wings shimmering as she unleashed a snow of downy feathers that fluttered down and clung to the paralyzed Zangoose's body. It snarled and tried to shake them off, but couldn't help but feel weakened by both the feathers and the paralysis.
Lee raised an eyebrow when he saw the Pidgeot, and he frowned. "Counter the Featherdance with Swords Dance," he called. "Banette, Will-o-Wisp on Ampharos!" Snarling, his Zangoose jumped to its feet, ready to try and power up, but it could feel the static gripping at its spine and it faltered, dropping back down to its knees and panting heavily as a result. The ghostly Banette gave a cackle and jumped up, seemingly paralysis-free this round as a ring of bluish flames, resembling tiny spirits, appeared above its head. It directed the flames and they traveled in a line before swirling around Sparkle, who had been busily drawing in and storing up a large amount of electrical energy as the Will-o-Wisp closed in on her, and she let out a pained cry as her body became covered in dozens of painful-looking burns.
Miharu knew Sparkle would be hurting a lot now, but the Ampharos glanced back at her and put on a brave face. The green-haired girl smiled back, and gave her Pokemon the nod. "All right, now give Banette a Thunderbolt," she said decisively. It might not be enough to bring it down, but it would weaken it significantly, and she didn't want it burning any more of her Pokemon. Sparkle fixed her gaze on the Banette, the gem in her forehead glowing. She brought her arms up, and a small ball of electricity formed between them, centered at her forehead. It grew in size and she lobbed it forward, watching as it spun and whirled, shooting of arcs of static before it smashed into the Marionette Pokemon, knocking it to the ground where it was slow to get up again. Miharu quickly found her PokeDex, and was elated to find that her Ampharos had learned how to use Electro Ball.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:46 pm
Boring, but normal, Kasiya thought somewhat enviously, looking at the ground as she'd walked. "Well, my friends and I went to that big beach party they had in Slateport, and then to the seminar given by that Professor Rowan guy," she started, remembering how nicely the day had started. Everyone had been smiling and hanging out together and there and there had been fun battles and games going on all over the place. "It's also the day my Charmander, uh, I mean, my Charmeleon hatched from her egg."
"Slateport," Haruka said, her voice rising an octave. "Isn't that where Team Rocket made that big attack?" Her eyes widened when Kasiya gave a meek nod in response. "And you were there for that? It must have been terrifying."
"Not really," Kasiya admitted, touching a finger to her chin. "I mean it was scary at first, but a lot of the trainers there chose to fight back, including my friends and me. And the Champion from Sinnoh had been serving as Professor Rowan's bodyguard so she was able to fend off the Rocket's stronger members." She could have mentioned the part where Giovanni revealed Mike's secret to all the world, but Haruka didn't seem to know anything about it, or him, so she chose to leave her friend/rival in the dark.
"So that's where Cynthia was," Haruka mused, seemingly lost in her own thoughts for a moment. "I can't believe you were there for that, it seemed so surreal, even just watching the TV reports." Talking seemed to make the walk go by that much faster and soon the two had arrived at their destination. Haruka let Kasiya go in to the Center first, though something seemed to click and she looked around curiously. "Hey, where's that feisty Raichu of yours?" she asked, looking around as though the electric mouse would magically appear. "I thought you two were inseparable or joined at the hip or something like that."
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:48 pm
Kimiko ran to keep up with her new friend, she felt her heels dig into the ground with every step "w-wait!" she cried, "I'm in stilettos!!"
She scooped up Kadaj in her arms as she noticed his little legs couldn't keep up. As they entered the gym and squished into the little room, it made her feel a little disappointed that a gym would be this... lame. "What is this? is this all there is?"
Before getting an answer to her snarky comment, Robin opened up the door to a forest. "Oh my! This is different...." She let Kadaj down to play in the grass, "Are all gym's like th-AHH!"
Two girls jumped out from the bushes and startled her. "What the hell!?"
She started to wonder if all gyms where like this, before she could ask what the hell was going on, they where thrown into battle. "what? woah! huh?" Kadaj acted faster and was primed for battle, he gave a yip.
The girl to the left of her narrowed her eyes at Robin, she released a Bonsley from her pokeball, "you're not getting past us gingers!"
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 5:32 pm
"Oh." Katie was mildly disappointed to hear that they'd have to leave already, and she sighed, wondering if she'd be allowed to keep earning badges. She hadn't even thought of being given missions and her mind raced with possibilities as she watched Mai's Pokemon. Her own team of six were behaving quite well for once, though she could see her Monferno and Staravia giving each other nasty looks. Kord had finished eating and wandered over to his trainer, wrapping his arms around her leg and hugging it, and Katie smiled and knelt down to pick him up. The baby Pokemon was looking quite tired and she put him into his poke ball for a nice rest, and soon followed up with Genki and Noa as well, before the two started an all out brawl. Miles and Nell were doing their best to look tough while Seraphim kept to herself. Katie sighed, and smiled. They were quite a group of Pokemon, that was for sure.
"Okay, then," she said, walking over to the window and looking outside. It was starting to get dark, and they hadn't eaten anything yet, but one thing came to mind. "Wait, what?" she asked, looking back at the woman. "We're going back to Jubilife tonight? By flying? Do we have like a company jet or something?"
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:39 pm
"Yes, I prefer it like this as well." He said after a moment, his heart starting to pump blood faster when she tightened her hug. This was...this was ok. "It's alright, contests aren't my strong point, I did just get into it after all." He stopped hugging Riza at this point, but but hands slid down her arms to hers, wanting to keep some form of contact with her. "Froslass worked hard on that appeal, it was nice to see her pull it off in the end. Yours was really good though, using swift like that, giving the appearance of the stars in the sky was genius. You did a very good job." After that Crenu didn't say anything for a bit, not wanting to talk about the contest much more for fear of them getting to what happened on the stage between the two of them. He was sure Riza wanted an explanation, but he wasn't ready to give one. But this wasn't his usual brand of not wanting to talk about things on his mind, the truth was he wouldn't be able to give her an explanation because he didn't even have one for himself. Just what happened back there, what came over him and what made him act and react the way he did, it was a mystery to himself. Mild paranoia didn't go that far. Not ready to really ask himself that question either he had to find some way to keep the subject out of conversation and out of his own head. "We should celebrate. To the evolution of your pokemon as well as your victory over that cactus thing." He finally said out of the blue. That was pretty much the last thing he expected to come out of his own mouth, but for now, with Riza at least, it seemed alright. "What do you want to do?" The answer didn't really matter, not to him. All he knew was that he wanted to leave this contest hall and the foul air that had come about it thanks to his own mental instability, and that he wanted to leave with her. She was probably the only thing keeping him together right now, even though she was part of the reason he'd gotten broken up in the first place. Relationships were....complicated it seemed. Further analysis was required on this subject.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Poseidon looked around, a bit annoyed and concerned at the same time as the big blue pokemon raised a paw at him. This was it, this was the attack he had been holding back all this time! Poseidon braced for a hard hit, but instead of pain he felt a warmth wash over him. He opened his eyes to look at the Lucario as the teal aura surrounded him. It was so pleasant, so gentle and caring. The warm energy filled him with energy as the scrapes on his stomach from sliding against the dirt vanished. Poseidon looked at Jason, who was still sound asleep, and pouted, fire a light stream of weak bubbles at him, the light sting and splash from the attack finally rousing Jason from his slumber. "Eh who wha? Oh um um um, do...that thing. That.." He yawned rubbing his eyes, starting to nod off again. Seeing this Poseidon blew more bubbles in his face, and Jason continued. "That's it actually. Thanks a lot Cynthia. That practice helped us a lot, but I think Poseidon's reached the limits of what he can do for today. Practice only leads to growth if you take the time to invest what you've learned and toss your feet up on a chair now and than. That's what my dad says." He said grinning as he leaned down to hug Poseidon. Even though he was just in the moment of battle, Poseidon quickly changed back to the cheery Mantyke he normally was and tickled Jason's face with his antenna as the trainer picked him up. Jason laughed and tried to tickle him back, but alas he had no antenna of his own.
+++++++++++++++++++++
"That's one sturdy magnet. ok Julio get ready to counter attack con...Julio?" It was no use though, the confusion was too much to hold off. Julio was wobbling bad, and even though Carlos hadn't given an attack Julio thought he had, and swiped at the charging Magnemite. However he only managed to smack himself in the face, and just as he did the steel electric type slammed into him with his electrically charged body for a good hit. The Lombre went down, and was way to out of it to get back up. "Ah man, you did you best Julio. Come back, vamos a tratar otra ves! Javier, es tu turno! With one motion Carlos recalled his lombre, at teh same time whipping out his third pokeball which opened up on the field to reveal Javier, his Kricketune. The red bug pokemon started to play a tune with his blade like arms, and got into fighting position. "Ok then Mr. surge, get ready to feel out bite! Cortefuria!" he strummed out an attacking melody as Javier rushed forward, scythes aglow as he swiped at Magnemite, the fury cutter rather unimpressive at the moment.
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 4:27 pm
The sound Kasiya made in response to Haruka's seemingly innocent question resembled what one would get if they stuffed a Meowth's mouth full of marshmallows and then had a Golem stomp on its tail, and her pace slowed considerably, causing the trainer that had come in behind them to bump into her, though Kasiya ignored his annoyed "Hey!" and waved him past her. "I… uh… well… she's…" the girl trailed off, feeling as though Haruka had just punched her in the stomach, and she struggled for air as well as the words to explain the awful experience.
Immediately sensing that she'd hit a sore spot, Haruka's expression softened. "Hey, it's all right, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she said gently.
Kasiya gulped. "No, it's not that," she said, already preparing the Pokeballs of her three Pokemon that needed treatment. Taking a cue from the younger girl, Haruka did the same, taking a tray and setting her own Pokeballs on one side while offering the other half to Kasiya. Once the tray was in the nurse's possession, the two trainers went back to the common area. Haruka had purchased a bottle of water for each of them and they picked an empty couch to sit down on.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kasiya could see that the TV she and the nurse had watched the contest on last night was now on a news channel, and they were once again running the story on Jaeshan's disappearance. Another painful stab hit her chest and she clutched her water bottle tightly, as it was all she could do to keep herself from starting to sob. Haruka watched the screen for a moment, her face somewhat stoic as she read the scrolling marquee along the bottom. "So what happened with your Raichu?" she asked, looking back to Kasiya again, oblivious to the fact that the missing boy on the television had been a close friend of Kasiya's. It was obvious, however, that losing her beloved Raichu had been a difficult experience for the younger girl, but she was also quite curious as to what had happened to separate them.
"It was at the beach party," Kasiya said glumly, unable to tear her gaze away from the TV, which was currently showing a picture of her missing friend. She remembered how nice it had been to see him, and how she'd thrown her arms around him and nearly knocked them both into the sand, and both of them turning beet red upon the realization that they were only wearing their swimwear. Her heart ached so badly from the memory, regardless of how fleeting it was, the pain radiated from her chest, down her arms and out through the palms of her hands. "We'd fought off most of the Team Rocket grunts, but a few of the higher ups and admins remained. One of them roughed me up a bit, and Shocker's Pokeball came loose from my belt, and she took it. I begged for her to give it back, but she just laughed at me…" the girl sighed, sipping her water slowly.
"That's awful, but it's to be expected," Haruka mused. Confused, Kasiya looked at her as she continued her thought. "Don't get me wrong, it is horrible that she took your Pokemon, but that's what Team Rocket does, right? They steal Pokemon. In fact, it makes me wonder how many other trainers had their Pokemon taken from them during that attack."
=-=-=-=-=
Mai quickly recalled each of her Pokemon into their Pokeballs, and turned to look back at Katie, an eyebrow raised. "Yes, flying," she answered with a scoff, shaking her head. "Sadly we haven't mastered the art of teleporting our agents around the world without the aid of countless Psychic-type Pokemon, and no, we don't have a company jet." They did have several large fleets of sleek, black helicopters, and yes, one jet that Giovanni rarely used, but for the most part, Team Rocket members utilized their own means of transportation when assigned to missions.
"For your information, we'll be flying with Giggles. Hope you're not afraid of heights. Or him," she added the last part a moment or two afterward. Deciding they'd lose too much time here, Mai then opted to get herself a small meal from the Pokemon Center cafeteria, choosing a wilty-looking salad and a carrot muffin. She sat down and began to eat, giving Katie a stern glare that said if she wanted a meal this evening, she'd better start now, or go hungry until tomorrow morning.
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 5:20 pm
"Other trainers…" Kasiya repeated, a pang of guilt shooting through her stomach. In her despair, she hadn't even considered that there might have been other trainers, just like her, that had their Pokemon taken from them, and not by an accident or a loosened Pokeball. Other trainers probably had theirs taken by sheer force, as Kasiya had seen firsthand just how ruthless those Team Rocket grunts could be. "I-I didn't even think of that," she admitted, burying her face in her hands. "I'm so selfish! I was only thinking about myself, and my own Pokemon! I didn't even think…" her words became garbled and her voice trailed off as she broke down, no longer able to keep up her strong front. Just like that, her emotions boiled over, and everything that had happened over the last week came rushing out all at once. Losing Shocker, Mike's breakdown, the revelation that Sabrina's death had been greatly exaggerated, the Magma Base invasion, Jaeshan's disappearance. Her tears now flowed freely and there was no stopping them, at least any time soon.
A startled Haruka, among others, could only stare at the girl as she sobbed uncontrollably, clutching one of the couch's pillows tightly to her chest. The older trainer was at a loss for words, and almost a little bit embarrassed as she took in the wide-eyed looks being thrown in their direction by the few other patrons of the Pokemon Center, as well as the nurse, who had the two girls' Pokemon ready to be returned. Not knowing what else to do, Haruka reluctantly reached out a hand and placed it gently on the girl's shoulder, amazed to see that it seemed to work. Kasiya's sobs quieted down and soon she was only sniffling, her head turned slightly to the right and her eyes, red and swollen from all her crying, were gazing longingly out the window. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice a little more than a rasp.
"Mm, don't be," Haruka said, glad the breakdown had passed by. "You've obviously been holding that in for quite a while. You know, it's not healthy to bottle your emotions up like that."
Kasiya nodded meekly. "I know. I don't usually do that. Things have been, well, complicated lately, and it wasn't really the appropriate time to be letting myself be ruled by my emotions." She sighed and had a large drink of water, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't know what to do now," she said finally.
"Isn't it obvious?" Haruka retorted rather quickly. "You need to go get Shocker back."
Kasiya stared at her. "Well, yeah, but-"
"But nothing! Your Pokemon was stolen from you, and now you have go get her back. Nothing to it."
Kasiya shook her head. "I'm not strong enough."
=-=-=-=-=
Cynthia watched with mild amusement as the little Mantyke attempted to wake his trainer with a spray of bubbles. Lucario wasn't overly impressed, simply crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. It took a second round of bubbles to fully wake Jason, and not surprisingly, he decided they'd had enough. "That's very wise of you to say," Cynthia said, thanking Lucario for his efforts and recalling him into his Pokeball. It was very sweet to see Jason and Poseidon playing around together, and she was certain that someday, the little Mantyke would grow into a powerful Mantine. "What do you plan to do next?" she asked the boy curiously. She herself wasn't presently busy, but it was always interesting to find out where trainers, especially younger ones, planned to go next.
=-=-=-=-=
"A'write, that's two down," Surge barked loudly when he saw the Lombre fall, and Magnemite hovered back toward him, its single eye blinking in what could almost be described as happiness. Its magnets spun and it prepared itself as Carlos sent out his third and final Pokemon, a red, insect-like Pokemon with tall antennae and two long blades for arms. Carlos didn't hesitate to order a command, but again Surge didn't understand it, and he narrowed his eyes, deciding that the attack ordered had been Slash (or something like it). "Magnemite, get outta the way," he called, but the Kricketune covered much ground very quickly, and it lashed out with its glowing blades, clanging somewhat lightly against Magnemite's head. Confused, the Magnet Pokemon drifted back a little. It had been expecting a somewhat harder hit.
Maybe that wasn't Slash at all? Surge thought, eyes narrowed. It kinda looked like Fury Cutter, but he wasn't too familiar with Sinnoh-native Pokemon and their attacks. "Magnemite, fight back with a Sonic Boom!" he shouted. Still confused by the light hit, Magnemite drifted forward an inch or two, its magnets rotating and causing a small sonic wave to shoot through the air, aimed for the Kricketune.
((Cynthia's post is laaaaaaaaaaaaame))
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 5:22 pm
"Then get stronger." Harkua's response was stern, sharp, and practically instantaneous.
"I… I can't…"
"Yes, you can. What happened to that resolve you had back when we battled? And what about those badges in your possession? I know they didn't just get up and walk out of their respective gyms and hop into your badge case. You worked for them. You and your Pokemon made yourselves strong enough to earn them. You earned them. And it's up to you to rescue your Pokemon. Only you can do it."
With that, Haruka stood up and walked back over to the counter to retrieve their Pokemon. Kasiya watched her for a moment before burying her face in the pillow. I can't get Shocker back, not by myself, she thought, Haruka's words echoing in her mind. She wasn't strong enough to take on Team Rocket by herself, or more notably, Giovanni. After all, Keegan had told her that Mai no longer had Shocker in her possession, and she didn't doubt that the Rocket boss would want to hold onto her Raichu. Shocker was quite powerful and she'd be an asset to him, but Kasiya couldn't imagine the Raichu would obey him, at least willingly. The thought of her beloved Pokemon confined to a cage or whatever Giovanni might be holding her captive in enraged her, and by the time Haruka returned, Kasiya's sadness had given way too sheer anger. "You're right," she told the older girl, throwing the pillow on the couch and standing up. "This is something that I have to do. Not only for myself, but for my Pokemon, too. Though I'm not ready to go after Team Rocket just yet, I know now that I have a lot of work to do in order to prepare for that day."
Haruka nodded, unable to imagine what the poor girl must be going through. She hadn't a clue how she'd be able to cope if one of her Pokemon was taken, no - stolen from her, and not just any of her Pokemon, one of the ones she was closet too. The older girl shivered, taking her own Pokeballs from the tray before handing it over to Kasiya. "Does that mean you have a plan, then?"
Kasiya grinned sheepishly. "Well, no, not exactly, but I am feeling a little less hopeless than before. Thanks, Haruka."
"No problem, Moon Princess."
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 5:31 pm
Hanging out with Haruka had been fun, but now it was time for them to go their separate ways. Haruka needed to visit with her family, and Kasiya needed to formulate some sort of plan. If the redhead's information was correct, and Mai had passed Shocker onto Giovanni, then it could only stand to reason that the Raichu was being held at one of his bases. Kasiya knew several of them - the Game Corner in Celadon, the one in Mahogany Town, Johto that Sabrina had informed them of when she used her psychic powers to tell her story, the warehouse on Five Island, and of course, the gym in Viridian City. Last she knew, the Celadon and Five Island bases had sustained far too much damage (thanks to a certain brown-haired pyromaniac and his talented yet destructive Pokemon), and she could see no reason for the Rocket leader to be holding Shocker in Mahogany Town.
"Of course it would be Viridian," the girl murmured with a sigh. After collecting her PokeNav and its charger, she'd since wandered back outside and was turning the device over in her hands as she walked. As it booted up, the indicator light flashed again and she opened up the messages center. She had one new voice mail, and that was it, and for a hopeful moment she was certain it was Jaeshan calling her to tell her that he was all right, and that the news people had gotten everything all wrong. Her fingers fumbled to input the right commands and she put the device up to her ear, chest nearly bursting from excitement, then profound disappointment as she heard Ryka's voice on the other end of the line. She gulped, unable to swallow the hard lump that had formed in her throat as she listened to her friend, unable to make out most of what was being said due to the garbled words. It seemed Ryka had gotten word of what had happened, as well, and even though she didn't think it was even possible, her heart cracked yet again. She remembered how close Jae and Ryka had become during their travels together and she breathed a heavy, painful sigh as she turned the PokeNav off. She wanted to call Ryka back, and try to comfort and console her, but how could she do that when she couldn't even console herself?
That's a lame excuse, she told herself, shaking her head. After all, she'd already hidden her grief from the rest of her friends (Keegan aside, of course, as he'd been with her in the Pokemon Center the other night when they saw the news report) and Ryka had been very close to Jaeshan. Not only that, but it would be good to hear her friend's voice, and not as a recorded message, as well. She took a deep breath and composed herself, eyes closed for a half-minute before she opened them again, and selected Ryka's name from her list of friends. Her heart began to pound with that sadly familiar ache as she pressed dial, and she could already feel the tears forming in her eyes as the line started to ring.
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 10:04 pm
"I'll pass," Jett laughed quietly as he eyed the fallen Bat Pokemon, wondering how many more there were going to be. He guessed plenty, and he wouldn't exactly be wrong. In the spacious cave, the air was never silent; there was always the fluttering of wings, that tell-tale screech, or the sound of the hikers yelling out for another Mud Slap. I really don't want to battle them, he thought, knowing that it wasn't the right attitude to have. I just want to get to Azalea before nightfall. Maybe one of us can challenge Bugsy and the others can challenge him in the morning. It had been a long day, and there was still much to do. But first, they needed to get through this cave.
They continued onward, finding the path to be much simpler than Jett had originally anticipated. No Onix concealed on the ground, prepared to choke the life out of them. No hikers demanding a rousing battle with three youngsters. The Zubats fluttered overhead, mostly keeping to themselves though there were always some that ducked too far down for Jett's comfort. And the raven-haired boy kept glancing over at his friends, wondering if any of them were eager for battle. Am I rushing them? I don't mean to be... His pace didn't slow either way. If they wanted battles, they could surely get them at Bugsy's gym.
"So," Jett said after a while of traveling, running a hand through his hair. "Uh. Were there any places in particular you guys wanted to go? Like, in other regions..." Jett trailed off quietly, ducking his head out of embarasment. What a dumb question. But if he was lucky, it would spark some conversation between the three that would make the time pass by faster. Jett checked around them. While there were plenty of them waiting in the shadows, there were no wild Onix or Geodude to speak of. So far.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The arrogance of the Fire-type set Lee on edge, the Scuffle Pokemon glaring hotly at Amber and her pompous air. His fist clenched, crushing the piece of Pokemon food he had picked up, but he hadn't noticed. Amy did, however, and she knelt before him, adjusting her glasses some.
"Amber is our friend, Lee," she said softly, so only the Fighting-type could hear. She imagined that he wouldn't like being called out in front of everyone. "It's okay. Maybe one day, you can battle her again." She offered him a small smile, but the Fighting-type only scoffed a little and continued his eating. Well, Amy thought to herself as she sighed and stood back up, at least he stopped glaring. That's a start. She exchanged looks with Flora and leaned against the table, watching her Pokemon eat.
Marshall, of course, was the first done with his food, having barely paused to chew his food. He looked up from a spotless bowl with a wide smile and a full belly, quite content. Zaira had come over to play with him and he gleefully acquiesced, gently bumping heads with her before hopping back, as if inventing some form of armless tag. Flora and Lee were finished not too later and Amy waited quietly while Karrigan fed her Onyx outside. Lee had sat cross-legged on the floor, closing his eyes. He seemed to be meditating. The Dojo might've taught him that, Amy realized with a blink, wondering how it helped. To achieve balance, maybe.
"I wonder what you'll evolve into," Amy mumbled to no one in particular, studying her newest Pokemon curiously. She hadn't battled with him at all, but she'd need to, soon. Then she could find out how the Tyrogue fought. He seemed to be on the offensive and a bit headstrong with Marshall, before. She dwelled on it until her redheaded friend returned. Amy smiled at Karrigan. "Ready to go?"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Jade felt a sting of pain when Jake retaliated, but she supposed she asked for it. Whatever, she thought to herself with a scowl, he can campaign hard for year's best drama queen all he wants, see if it makes any difference. Wasn't like I was screaming and begging for his help. She contemptuously tossed her hair back over her shoulder and watched the Psyduck charge her Vulpix with admirable enthusiasm.
"You're going to want to avoid that, Solaris," she called out dryly, eliciting a glare from the Fire-type. Isn't everyone just pissy today. Solaris already knew she was going to dodge, thank you, and that she did, leaping to the side to avoid the swipe from that little yellow arm. She growled in response and, unbidden, used Confuse Ray on the Water-type. It hit at such close range, and Jade smirked, despite being annoyed that Solaris was taking charge.
"Fine, then, see how you battle on your own. Show us how clever you are," Jade growled, still crabby from that woman on the road behind them, her fall, and her own lack of tact. She could've just told Jake she was okay. She pushed it from her mind and leaned against the wall, watching Psyduck stumble back as Solaris initiated a Quick Attack, slamming into the Duck Pokemon with force. He paused and didn't do much in response. Solaris, being the eager little fox that she was, went for another Quick Attack, but this time her opponent side-stepped, letting her ram right into the stone wall with a dull thud.
"Solaris!" Jade cried out, worry springing to her mind, but there was another glare from her hotheaded little Vulpix. Solaris was mad now. She had fallen for that stupid trick twice now, but she wouldn't let it happen again! She would beat this stupid little duckling if it was the last thing she did.
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:54 pm
"You've got friends like us now," Jaeshan said to Ryka, watching her look around. "You don't have to feel left out anymore."
"I know. and I'm thankful for every friend that I have." Ryka flashed a smile at him.
A Vaporeon ran towards the couple, calling for them to follow. Ariel. Kasiya had to be somewhere up ahead. Jaeshan and Ryka walked, and walked, and walked, together in silence. They followed the Vaporen until they were swallowed by the imposing mouth of the cave. Engulfed in darkness, the duo frantically looked around, though unable to see. They both reached out to feel their way around, and for a brief moment their hands touched. That small touch created a spark that illuminated the space in between them. Shyly, Ryka looked up at Jaeshan's face with a smile. That glowing, familiar face smiled back at her, and in that moment, everything was peaceful.
But something felt wrong. As if on que, the spark began to flicker. The ground began to crack. Instinctively, Ryka reached out both arms to hold onto her friend, to protect him, to save him. The ground underneath his feet gave way, and down he fell. Down, down, down into the black abyss, falling with no end in sight. This was wrong. This wasn't supposed to happen. She fell to her knees, reaching into the hole as Jaeshan quickly disappeared from her view. Everything else began to fade as the flickering spark dimmed, with each flicker announced by a loud beep. With one last glimpse of the sandy blond head, Ryka shouted out his name as the cave around her turned into a pitch black void.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Ryka's eyes flew open. No longer was the world black, but bright. Sunlight streamed through the windows of the Pokemon Center and shone on her face. The Pokenav that was still clutched in her hand, next to her heart, seemed to be the source of the beeping. She sat up to get a good look at the device, giving it a hard stare for a moment as the name on the screen began to come into focus. Kasiya. Ryka gulped, remembering the message she had left for Kasiya the night before. She took a few seconds to breathe before she brought the device up to her ear and pressed the talk button.
"...Hello, Kassie." Ryka said in a gentle voice. She hugged her knees to her chest and took another breath, as if it would hold back any tears that might form. "I-I'm sorry..."
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 6:48 am
No one was more proud of Ditto's handling of the Zubat than Ditto itself, and the copycat perched itself atop Jasper's head, nose pointed toward the sky. It seemed the wannabe-Pikachu would get more than one chance to fry some winged nuisances, and it didn't hesitate to do so, even when the creatures weren't even going out of their way to be near the trio, as word seemed to spread quickly that there was a dangerous, lightning-bolt flinging rodent roaming free. "Don't you think you're overdoing it a little?" Jasper mumbled, though grateful that the mouse was keeping the Zubat population at bay. Besides the overly-eager Ditto, the trip through the cavern was relatively uneventful, save for the sounds echoing from all around them. Jasper couldn't understand what the hikers found so exciting about sending out Geodude after Geodude, as he'd become bored rather quickly if he stuck to training only one, or rather, an entire herd of the same species of Pokemon.
Shortly after they passed by another pair of hikers deadlocked in battle, Jett decided to break the silence that seemed to fall on them every now and then. "I wouldn't mind visiting Hoenn or Sinnoh at some point," Jasper said, his voice a bit flat. "I've heard there are some interesting places to see." 'And no doubt plenty of gullible people, just like here in Johto,' he thought to himself, a bit of a coy smirk appearing on his face. Since he'd taken on this role as a trainer, his usual hobbies had taken a back seat, but it'd be rather difficult to pull off any cons with his new travel partners in tow. "For the most part, I'm fine right here," he added, not really in a hurry to go anywhere at all.
* * * * * * * * * *
Hayley pedaled at a moderate pace along the northern stretch of road beyond Viridian City, enjoying the fresh breeze rolling down from the forest as it rushed through her wavy brown hair. She still felt a little down about losing the battle earlier, but she did her best to put it out of her mind and concentrate on the good things that had happened today. Despite her loss, both Mya and Cynder had learned new attacks and were both much stronger, and she'd captured a cute new Pokemon, as well. "Oh well, winning isn't everything," she sighed to herself, though she didn't fully believe it. She knew she couldn't become a successful and respected Pokemon Watcher unless she could actually win battles, even though Watchers didn't go out of their way to look for fights.
Speaking of which, as Hayley rounded a corner, she came upon two trainers, both several years younger than her. They had just started a battle, and it looked as though neither of them had even ordered an attack yet. Excited, Hayley jumped off her bike and whipped out her notebook, deciding it would probably be a good idea to take notes and see how these trainers interacted with their Pokemon. The girl trainer, a tiny, adorable thing with long blonde ponytails that ended in perfect ringlets had sent out a tiny little bluish Pokemon with a big bulb on its back, a Bulbasaur. The boy she was battling, a dark-haired kid wearing a backwards baseball cap with the Silph Co logo on the front had sent out a Squirtle, and Hayley quickly wondered if the two had just received their Pokemon from Professor Oak. They both seemed hesitant to call out a move so Hayley made quick sketches of each Pokemon, being sure to try and capture the determined looks on their faces. She was busily darkening her baselines of the Squirtle's shell when she realized the two trainers still hadn't ordered any attacks yet, and she looked up to see them both staring at her, unimpressed. Confused, Hayley stared back. "What?" she called, unaware of anything she could be doing wrong.
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 7:02 am
For some reason, hearing the compliments from Shiro seemed much nicer than coming from anyone else, and Riza smiled. It meant a lot to hear him say such nice things, and though she'd won the contest, she was more than certain that he'd be able to defeat her in a regular battle. She still had a ways to go with those. "Thank you," she said, looking around their surroundings to see that most of the people backstage had cleared out. She had the feeling that Shiro didn't want to stay here any longer, and she had to agree. She couldn't wait to get out of here, and hopefully not set foot in this contest hall for quite some time. As much as she wanted to leave, she really didn't feel much like celebrating anything, so she thought for a moment before answering. "Actually, I'm kind of tired," she said, taking a step back. "It's been a long day. I sort of just want to go back to the pokecenter and rest." Riza didn't think that would be too much to ask, and she gathered up her things, making sure all her pokemon were safe and secure before she looked to Shiro. "Ready to get out of here?"
* * * * *
Katie narrowed her eyes and recalled the rest of her Pokemon, not entirely sure she was appreciative of all these sarcastic comments. Instead, she simply nodded and looked around, opting to grab herself an egg salad sandwich which she ate rather quickly. She washed it down with a bottle of water, and she was ready to go. She hadn't imagined going back to her hometown so soon, nor did she ever think she'd be going back for a reason like this, but she allowed herself to be excited. Yes, she was joining 'the bad guys', but the more she watched Mai, the more she realized that it was really just another job. She was sure Mai had done bad things in the past yes, but was she really evil? Katie didn't believe so.
Luckily for her, she wasn't afraid of heights, and the thought of being able to use Fly was highly appealing to her, and she couldn't wait to teach it to Noa. The Staravia wouldn't be able to carry her anywhere until she evolved again, and she also had to defeat the leader of the Veilstone Gym to activate it, but since that was the next gym she had to go to, it wasn't that big of a deal. It would mostly be a matter of when and if she could go off and continue challenging gyms. She'd finished her small dinner very quickly so she walked over to Mai, arms folded over her chest. "I have a question," she sad, deciding to not wait for an answer. "Will I still be able to earn gym badges?" There was no sense in pondering about it when she could have just asked it in the first place.
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