|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 12:04 pm
While listening to the much younger man speak, Andrej took a few more steps into the room. With every word that left the Terrian's mouth, the kind face he normally bore fell farther and farther away. The wrinkles and lines etched into his face from age hardened. His brows lowered and furrowed into a hard stare. When he finished speaking, Andrej shook his head slowly and moved nearer the bed. Vuk moved with him, electricity beginning to crackle off of his quills. Kolega remained near the door, eyes fixed on the man in case he tried to make a quick escape or, even worse, he tried to hurt Andrej.
"You know what, Mr. Terrian, I do remember you. I remember you as a zealous and determined young scientist. I remember you as being determined, but foolish. I remember when, for at least a short time, you and I worked very closely on a few projects. I remember helping you and helping you develop as a scientist. I remember when the scientific community at large began to mock you for your ideas, and I remember trying to help you at that time." He shook his head again, exhaling sharply through his nose. "And now, you show up here to take Elian away without a single god damned word to me?"
He walked toward the wall, clenching and unclenching his fists slowly. Kolega moved near the bed, cracking his knuckles. "There are a few members of the Minutemen that constantly keep guard on this hospital. I could have you arrested and killed for what you've done. You sneaked your way into my clinic, but, more importantly, you removed a patient that was still in need of care." He paused for a moment as he folded his hands behind his back, breathing deeply and slowly to calm his breaths. Having him at least arrested seemed highly appealing at this moment, but it was in no way the correct choice.
"Fortunately for you, that would be a violation of my person." He turned back to face Terrian, his eyes boring into the younger man's head. "And I have too many questions that need answering. Where did you send Elian, and how is her removal from my care going to protect the lives of so many innocents?" Vuk growled loudly, his personal charge beginning to affect the machinery in the room. "Are you going to tell me any of that, Mr. Terrian?"
((Siber, if you need me to change any of that for plot continuity sake, let me know.))
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:29 pm
After some squinting, Ulysses recognized three active pokéballs on the man's belt. Then he noticed the gun. Old habits die hard? A held a short-lived smirk before taking a deep breath and approaching the man. Slowly, he lowered the shotgun from his shoulder and held it in one hand. His thumb tripped the safety off, just in case.
Junior's fear gently reverberated in Shonevsky's mind, and he did his best to calm the young pokémon. Gloria was at his side the entire way, and Djinn wasn't far behind, jogging to catch up now that they were moving in the exact opposite direction they intended to.
Ulysses stopped a good 6 yards from the stranger-- was he a stranger? Shonevsky couldn't tell-- and spoke firmly. "There's no need for that kind of language, sir. Please, lower the gun and tell me what I can do to help you." And perhaps explain to me why everyone loves calling me a geezer. I'm only in my fifties, for love of ether. He would never request that last bit from someone not in their right mind, and this stumbling figure was obviously not set straight. The dark-loving gengar had finally caught up and dropped his pack, possibly crushing or breaking some of the more delicate items. Ulysses would have to remember to check later. Remind me, Junior.
Pack! Okay. I'm getting down. If it wasn't the abra's demeanor, it was his thought-voice that made the retiree smile. Junior teleported a few seconds later, sitting beside the discarded backpack. Slowly, the pack unzipped at Junior's will, and his tiny clawed hands began rummaging. They never dragged anything out, but instead felt the surface of each item, searching for cracks, leaks, or spills. Junior told Ulysses, It's clean.
Good. Now what in the world was this man's business?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:10 pm
Lexi frowned at the directions she was given. She wasn’t sure the best way to go about finding the kid and another question was vying with the possibilities for attention: So was the spearow hers or not? It sounded like she needed the pokemon’s help with finding this boy, and then would have to give her up to him, which she wasn’t happy about but could accept… However, up until now, they seemed to be talking like she was the one who was supposed to recieve it …not your customary pokémon for not your customary young girl, right?
Then Mr. Howard spoke up and Lexi shook her head to clear it. Hers forever or just for now, she was just given a pokemon and she definitely wanted to meet it. She smiled as he started to tell her about his weedle, and then wondered if he would ever be able to get a full idea out over his wife, though he didn’t seem to mind being interrupted…much. Seeing the couple cleaning up, she put her dishes in a pile to help before standing up. She then headed outside, but not before catching the glances going back and forth between the couple, her face turning to a questioning grimace as her back turned toward the scientists…Hopefully there would be more explanation over dessert…
As Lexi headed outside, her thoughts switched from thinking about the mess she was now involved in to wondering about the creature in her hand. What kind of personality would it have? Would it like her? Ignore her? She re-expanded the sphere, studying the reflections on it as she almost ran through the doorway and out into the yard, though she stopped before reaching the edge of the illusion. It had never seemed to mean that much to her, but today she knew it, this was it, the moment part of her had been waiting her whole life for. She raised her arm high above her head, pointing the ball skyward before letting her fingers brush the big white button on the front.
The sphere unhinged, revealing a smaller glowing red one within that quickly melted into a beam that shot outward. Above her head the beam gathered, then fractured out into smaller rays that took the form of a moving head, tail, and wings. Then the glow died, leaving a spearow flapping upwards into the evening sky with Lexi having fallen back to sit in the grass and watch. For a second, Lexi worried that it might break out of the illusion and not be able to see her to come back, or just not want to come back, but its upward path soon bent into another that spiraled back to earth. Lexi smiled broadly as she watched the pokemon hop between every pole-like object she could find in short flights, obviously happy to be out, and started laughing hard when the bird chose her head as a stop at one point. The spearow flapped off again, but the landing encouraged Lexi and she held out her hand to make a good perch.
Lexi was surprised when the bird landed, for she really didn’t weigh much for being the size of her new owner’s head, though the sharp beak chewing at Lexi’s thumbnail and needle-like talons that bit into the human’s wrist dispelled any doubts about the bird’s capability in a fight. The head, covered in brown feathers that stuck out like spikes, buried itself for a second under a reddish wing that faded almost to white at its tip before reappearing to meet the eyes of the human holding it. Lexi, remembering something the spearow around her house frequently liked, found the bag of chocolate chips she kept in her pocket for snack purposes and put one on the palm connected to the perched-on arm, which the bird first nibbled at tentatively, then went at with gusto. Using the creature’s distraction, she reached up with her other hand and rubbed the black feathers on the bird’s back. The spearow started at first, making Lexi pull her hand back, but when the human tried again, the bird just kept at the chip and enjoyed the back-scratch as Lexi enjoyed her new companion and the delicious smells coming from the house.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:59 pm
Evening of the first day, in Riverdale...
The man in black twitched at the word "help." "Help me?" he growled, matching the jolteon's ferocity with his own. He waited for the old man to finish speaking, then screamed, "Help me? You didn't help me, Andrej. You didn't join the rest of them, that's for sure, but you didn't help me." He shook his head in a disturbed manner, his voice much louder than it needed to be in the small room. Luckily, it was as though there was a sound barrier erected around the place; no one outside was disturbed.
"No, you didn't. Whether you were laughing or not, you stayed right out of the action." He sobered and quieted with unnatural swiftness, staring again into space. "But I appreciate that; I do. One less person telling me I'm worthless; I can appreciate that. And I thank you." He stood, trying very hard to act as though he was ignoring Vuk and failing.
"As for your questions, I didn't say a 'god-damned' word to you because... oh, come. on. Andrej; you should know better: you're a scientist, too. There are protocols where if something goes wrong, you don't have time to ask questions. You just have to get a move on and go. And honestly, there is no way, at this juncture, to know how much time is left. So I moved her, so that she can infiltrate a religious cult whose goal, as far as I can tell, is the annihilation of the human species." Terrian knelt down in front of Vuk, ignored his staring, black eyes and bristling quills, and touched a finger to the amber set in his chain. He whispered, "She left you with everything, didn't she?"
---
In Glenville...
Sigmund grinned at Elian comfortingly. "Oh, we shouldn't laugh at your plight - I'm sorry."
"We're sorry."
"We're sorry." Despite his expression, Sigmund did seem somewhat concerned by how thoroughly Elian was convinced of Terrian's words. He knelt down beside her wheelchair and looked in her eyes, then Aislin's, then hers again, trying to remember out of which pair she was seeing him. Finally deciding on the human ones, he said, "Elian, trust me when I say that we both know how convincing Terrian can be when he believes in something. Before he got into the really crazy stuff, I was with him the whole way; he has a... I dunno, he has some sort of power with the way he speaks. It's hard to ignore. And who knows? Maybe he's really on to something, this time. But I wouldn't worry about it. The Exterminant is probably a word he saw in some science fiction novel."
Edward walked towards the two, to get their attention. He had just gotten off the phone with Randy. "Hey, guys. I just called Randy Sheppy - he's a veteran in this town's defense, a really trustworthy guy - and he said he can be over here pretty soon. I thought you might not want to spend the night all by yourself after a shock like that, so we can put him up in a room nearby yours, if you want, Elian." He seemed a little anxious to get back to work, more so than his brother, and Grimstrip had already started typing away at one of the consoles. At the other console, keys seemed to be rapidly depressing and releasing themselves; Charlesworth's eyes were closed in concentration. The only sounds were the clicking of keys and the whirring of computer fans, until Grimstrip called: "Hau, hau," with a beckoning claw.
Both brothers immediately stood and went to the console with little more than an apologetic look at Elian. "Oh, you're right... Sig, the CD activated something in the building, but... oh, whatever. I'll go check the rattata cages - you stay here with Elian."
Sig didn't argue, and sat down at the console to type in a few queries. "Eh, nothing seems to have changed," he murmured. Without turning, he asked amiably, "So how's Andrej doing? Still his old self? Oh, and how are his pokémon? Ptica and... Vuk? Is that right?"
---
The morning of the second day, in Glenville...
The brothers watched the three youths play around with their pokémon for a while with pleased expressions while the other adults present either shook their heads or guarded the sets of their faces. If their was a great deal of tension in the air, though, it went unnoticed.
"If you would like, you can train your pokémon against some rattata we keep for testing; there are a lot of them, so don't worry about hurting them. Remember that normal pokémons' ether levels are slightly below others', but also that they are usually a little physically sturdier." Edward pointed to a metal door across the room. Above it were painted two, stylized, orange roses, and the words "Beatrice Oak Pokémon Physiology Lab."
---
Some hours later, near Cliffshire...
The crazed man looked fearfully at the pokémon that seemed to him to have come out of nowhere to protect this man. "N-no!" he shrieked. "You're a heathen! You're a... you're a ******* heathen!" He put both hands on the gun, ignoring the shotgun at Ulysses' side. His wide eyes flashed insanely, and he spastically took one hand off the gun to reach into his belt and snatch a pokéball. It expanded at a frantic touch of his finger and he released the pokémon within.
As the scintillating light appeared to solidify into a thickly-armored, gray hide with a lowered head and stamping, wide-toed feet, Ulysses recalled who this was. Kent Gholm, a lab assistant from his days in an ethereal physics laboratory. He had never stood out very much, but had seemed to adore his presiding professors with a quiet, but firm, respect. Now... all of that had been twisted, somehow, into a bitter hatred that had taken the form of four hundred pounds of a decidedly over-large, charging rhyhorn that itself had seen the darker side of the psyche and failed to return; one eye was red more with disease than genetic disposition, and the other was nearly covered over by a disease of the plating on its eye ridge. No matter its wastes-ravaged appearance, though, it had no intention of slowing for the "old man."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:33 pm
Vuk pulled back, snarling. After all of these years, he knew better than to attack a person without Andrej's permission unless the person was acting dangerously. Still, there was an air about the man that the electric Pokemon didn't like. He seemed...almost unreal as a person, but he had a scent. He had an energy. Vuk backed up more, coming to stand at Andrej's side. Kolega, however, remained behind the man. There was no way that he would be able to stop both of them if it came down to problems.
As his Pokemon moved, Andrej scowled. His well trimmed beard began to bristle much the same as Vuk's quills. "So. You've taken her off with the express goal of her to be kidnapped and taken by a fanatic cult." He smiled and shook his head slowly. "Alex, you were once a very promising young scientist. Have your own ideals taken you over?" He crossed his arms slightly and shook his head again, the smile entirely gone. In its place was a pitying frown. "If this cult is as real as you claim, why not tell me? Why not let me know so that Elian could be put somewhere properly safe? Or, if you did in fact have to act so quickly to protect her, why not come to find me immediately afterward?"
He sighed again and stepped toward the window. With a gentle push it opened and he stepped back, knocking on the glass three times, almost absent mindedly. "If you are not willing to give me those answers and you have no further information for me, I would ask that you leave this clinic immediately."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 3:34 am
Elian’s eyes remained unfocused as the brothers apologized for their behavior, and listened quietly to Sigmund’s explanation for Terrian. Sighing softly, she couldn’t help but feel foolish for being so gullible, thinking that the two Oak boys were probably right. Elian had never heard much from the science community until she had entered the hospital; being from a Pokemon ranch wasn’t necessarily a gateway to the intricacies of the scientific community. Elian knew about Pokemon, how to take care of them and what kind of bonds can be formed, but she had no real grasp of the technology and advancements the Oaks and other scientists have made in the past twenty years, or even before that; it wasn’t necessary.
Elian looked up towards Edward as she heard his footsteps approaching, blushing at the offer to have a “bodyguard” for the night.
“It’s not necessary… Really. I’ve already troubled the both of you enough by being here. You probably have more to worry about than my encounter with an unstable scientist.”
Whether or not she believed Alex Terrian to be “unstable” was still undecided, but she would rather side with the Oaks for now and avoid more explanation than was needed. It seemed as if their story made sense, yet she still couldn’t help but feel that what she had heard, and what Alex had told her, had some weight of truth to it. Even if the boys thought Terrian was a half baked, run down man with a past for nonsense, Elian knew that she never felt that vibe from him, he didn’t “feel” crazy.
“Strange…” A voice whispered in her mind. Elian knew quite well who the soft voice belonged to as her pale eyes slowly looked down towards the Espeon. Aislin was gazing up at Elian with her dark eyes, feeling her thoughts and feelings as they shared their connection. “He was… Strange… Not crazy.” The soft voice spoke slowly, careful to pronounce everything carefully. Elian was inclined to agree with Aislin, but neither of them really knew what he was about. It was as the Oaks said, he had some sort of power with his words.
And apparently, more power than either Elian or Aislin could understand.
Once Elian was addressed by Sigmund, Elian snapped from her focus and turned her attention towards the Oak boy. Aislin did the same as she shared her vision with Elian, giving her a sense of where everyone was in the room and where they had moved to while she was distracted. Once satisfied with their location, Elian allowed her vision to grow dark once more, not wishing to exhaust Aislin any more through the effort. Even she understood somewhat the movement of Ether, even if she wasn’t knowledgable of the science behind Pokemon.
“They’re fine… Andrej is still on three legs, and Vuk is getting older, but the two of them are rather timeless for their age; I think Andrej and Vuk could still run a mile if they felt like it.” Aislin spoke softly, as if still lost in her mind. “And I haven’t seen much of Ptica, but Kolega is fine as well. That Tyrogue is rather young, and he helps Andrej get around more than he would like to admit.”
Deciding to pull her mind back into the room, Elian told herself to focus and quietly cleared her throat. “Andrej tells me of your work, as much as he can anyway. How have things been going?” She asked as she slowly pushed herself from the wheelchair, only walking a few steps before deciding to remain still; the boys probably wouldn’t feel comfortable about a blind girl stumbling around their lab (even if she could manage to get around just fine). “I know that’s a rather strange thing to hear from someone you barely know, but I might as well get to know the people I’ve intruded upon.”
Meanwhile, Aislin stood from her spot from the wheelchair and stretched, her dark eyes glancing around the room as she found herself unneeded once Elian decided to remain blind. Eventually, her gaze locked onto the keyboard Grimstrip had manned, her tail swishing back and forth as she watched the Pokemon type. Once finished stretching, Aislin trotted over to the Haunter, sitting down by the chair and simply staring up at it. With Elian constantly in the hospital up until this point, Aislin had little chance to experience other Pokemon, at least not for a long time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 9:02 am
Juno was slightly curious as to why Evie was so affectionate - yeah, they just met each other, but she didn't need to continue licking Juno's face! "I'm happy to have you too, but you don't have to keep snuggling against me or licking me." Evie didn't stop cuddling, but she did refrain from licking Juno's face. I guess it must be lonely being stuck inside a pokeball.
When the brothers mentioned the possibility of training, Evie jumped out of Juno's arms. "Hmm? You wanna go train?" Evie barked and started walking that way, only stopping to see if Juno was following. A surge of protectiveness flowed through Juno, "Okay, okay. If it'll make you feel better, then we'll train." Evie's tail wagged, which made Juno giggle. "You're too adorable, you know that?" she muttered. Juno could have sworn she saw/felt Evie smirk, but a second passed and Evie was innocently looking at Juno.
After entering the Physiology Lab, both had found a lot of rattata in cages. Juno carefully retrieved one of them and walked over to a huge space (probably meant for endurance testing). "Okay. Rattata, I want you to run as fast as you can away from Evie. Evie, I want to see how long it takes for you to catch him." Evie was already stretching, and the rattata didn't seem to be paying attention; she guessed it wanted to run away regardless. "After we see your speed, we'll work on dodging, 'kay?" Juno had brought her slingshot and a couple of rubber balls - she didn't know what they were going to be doing. Juno released the rattata and saw it fly off away from Evie. "Now go catch that rattata!"
After a while of chasing, Evie had caught the rattata. She had trapped the mouse-like creature between her jaws. "Good job!" Juno had run up to the pair and gave them each a little treat (she took a few crackers from the pantry without telling Naya). "Heehee, you think you can do it again?" Evie harrumphed/sneezed, which Juno supposed was her way of saying 'of course I can!' The rattata was already running before Juno could say, "then you better go after it!" Each time Evie had caught the rattata, it was at a faster time than the one before.
She gave the two a break. "Evie, you're doing amazing!" She fed the two another cracker - they deserved a bit of food. "Now, we're gonna work on your dodging abilities." Juno had brought out her slingshot and a few rubber balls. "Let's see if you can dodge my shots. I'm not gonna shoot them hard, but you still need the practice." Juno smirked, "I'm not going to take it easy on you - that wouldn't be practical. So let's hope you don't get hit. Now dodge!" Evie started running - she knew that she'd need to run in order to dodge Juno's scary accuracy. 7 out of 10 times Juno hit Evie.
Evie whimpered at the slight sting from getting hit. "Hey, this is what practice is for. We'll keep doing this until you get the hang of it. Then we're going to see if you can chase the rattata AND dodge these balls," she grinned. Evie seemed to glare at her. "Would it make you feel better if I trained as well?" Evie barked.
"Fine. I'll do some exercise too. AFTER you get better at dodging. I want you to be able to dodge at least 5 before the day ends." Evie barked again. "...if you'd like, you can do the same to me. You can chase me to make me faster." Evie rubbed against her - Juno had a feeling Evie was going to get her revenge later on during Juno's turn to exercise. It was slightly disconcerting to see how easily Evie understood her; or maybe it was just Juno's imagination.
As Juno kept alternating between teaching Evie to run faster and dodge, she wondered how they were able to communicate so well. Evie knows the difference between me telling her to run and dodge...Well, eevees are very adaptable creatures, and they do possess the ability to be psychic thanks to their evolutionary cycle...I guess Evie can somewhat tell what I mean to say due to that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:42 pm
"Thank you, sir. I'm going to wait a little bit to name him. I don't want to saddle him with an ill-fitting name, I want to get to know him first." He explained, nodding politely. He'd never liked the way trainers did that, just throwing random names onto their pokemon. It felt to him like it should be more personal.
Jacob listened intently as the old man explained the situation. Someone to fight? That didn't make a lot of sense. Sure, there were other trainers, but those weren't foes to be vanquished, they were friendly rivals. The way this man was talking, this trainer was a genuine bad guy. "Yes, sir. I'm ready." He said with a nod.
I think I'll hear this other trainer's story before I fight him. He thought to himself, still stroking his fingers through swinub's long, shaggy fur. He reached out and took the card, inspecting it slipping it into his pocket. I get the feeling this man's not telling me the whole story... I need to get this card looked at, as well. He finished in his mind as he turned back to the old man.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 9:57 pm
"Well I'll be damned!" he swore under his breath. It had been a long time since he had seen a pokémon attempt to charge him. Reflexes kicked in, sending Ulysses into a rough roll to the right. A backpack and shotgun made the maneuver very difficult, and it pained him, but that was nothing at the moment. The old surge of excitement was coursing through his veins, pushing the retiree to embrace the moment. If only he were younger...
Gloria, the nimble fox she was, had long since vacated the rhyhorn's path and began circling far to Kent's right. Junior also had no need for commands: his natural instinct to flee served him well in this scenario. The small brown psychic simply collapsed on top of the backpack before teleporting, the proceeding rush of air swirling the dead grass around a bit. He popped back into existence beside Shonevsky's right boot, still sprawled across the pack.
Whilst everyone else began their evasive maneuvers, Djinn approached his opponent with a rather sinister glee. With a gentle lunge, he lifted off the ground and flew toward the rhyhorn head-on. Before the two could ever collide, though, the gengar pulled a rather impressive last-second barrel roll to the right and seemed to disappear into the grass. While this may have confused either Kent or his rhyhorn, Shonevsky's quartet fully understood what had occurred: Djinn had merged with the rhyhorn's shadow.
The ether professor could only imagine what sort of mind games the prank-deprived ghost had in mind. He could even feel the faint chill that served as Djinn's aura as the two passed him by. However, that was not his main concern. It was that pistol in Mr. Gholm's hand. He raised his shotgun, aimed for Kent's weapon arm, and fired. At this range, Ulysses would have to be blind and his target would have to have God's will on his side for the buckshot to miss.
Ulysses was certainly not blind, so it seemed up to God or some random chance whether or not the situation would be defused as easily as the retiree hoped. Without awaiting the results, he pumped the loader, the spent shell spinning a wild arc to land in the grass harmlessly. He wasn't going to take any risks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 10:23 pm
((Didn't think I was gonna post, then decided to, anyway. Schedule got a little backed up, though - next post won't be until after this weekend, but I promise it'll be extra-special to make up for it. Please do not panic! I swear this is not one of those things where I say, "Well, I'm busy," and you say "Well that's okay; I'll see you when you get back" and two weeks later you're like "Where in *** ****** *** ******** did that ** ****** ******* * * * go?" [and the censor beep, naturally, has just sent a Morse code message to the Chinese that their mothers smell like sour milk] and I'm like, "Well, it looks like it might be a little longer" and then I disappear forever, making you doubt the stability of the space-time continuum. This is instead one of those things where I ramble too long in the OoC and I'll see you Monday night. Until then: ))
Evening of the first day, near Woodmount...
When Lexi next looked towards the house, she noticed the Howards watching her proudly from the front porch, waiting patiently for her to notice them. Once she did, Billie clasped her hands together and said, "Oh, you're getting along so well! I expected as much; Bea always produced only the best. Have you thought of a name for it, yet? Oh, come on in, too - apple pie is served!" She bustled back through the door past her husband, but neither of them left without giving what seemed to be almost habitual glances around the premises. Then, she came back outside and set a plate of pie down next to Janis before once again smiling at Lexi and vanishing into the house with a call of, "You can leave that bird out of her pokéball if you want, dear."
Once everyone was inside and situated, Allan started talking. Billie seemed to have no problem with this as she set on her own pie, for a change. It was as though the presence of desert had made her totally content with things; they do say that age is second childhood.
The old man's deep, slow tones came out with but the hint of the deterioration of age. "We said something wrong a moment ago, Miss Alexis, and we were just talking about it while you were outside. We didn't mean to imply that you might have to give up your pokémon; she is yours to keep. We meant to say that we need you to bring the boy you're meeting - Gerard, if I recall - and the data he should have with him. We would go ourselves, but we need to keep our peace here, and we have faith that Bea would not have chosen you or Gerard without good reason.
"Now, when you finish with that pie, we have a little present for you that might help you out a little on the way. Do you have your computer with you?" He chuckled to himself softly, remembering the past. "Ah, children these days, always with their personal computers. Billie, do you remember when a pokédex was still a rolodex with some blank cards with some numbers and maybe a few colors?"
Oddly, she didn't interrupt him, and even nodded in response. "I do. We'd hide in the bushes and scribble things down that we had to learn for class. Oh, everything has just sped up, hasn't it?"
---
In Riverdale...
Terrian stood when Vuk backed off, smiling reminiscently. He nodded. "That's what I've done, Professor; she will be Humanity's spy. And I have told you - you're here, aren't you? I wouldn't dream of taking away a scientist's project." He put a thoughtful finger to his chin. "I don't dream much at all anymore, actually. I kind of liked dreams." He brightened in a grin and looked the doctor in the eye. It was an odd grin, because it was real. In a man so apparently lacking in emotional control, to see a solid, sincere expression was likely disconcerting. "I guess that when you're living in a reality that shouldn't have happened, everything is really a dream, isn't it? So I shouldn't worry about it."
He walked to the plant by the window and touched its leaves gently, still lost in thought. "My ideals, Andrej, and others' ideas. They have taken me over. Not entirely, though. Don't worry; I still know how to step out of protocol and improvise when necessary. I have to leave now, though; there are things that must be prepared, still." That grin flashed again. "Solutions to be mixed. Materials to be measured. I must leave you. If you still want answers, I suggest you head north. Not yet, though; there are dire things afoot. The Pack is moving on Glenville." With that, he snapped his fingers and was gone with a pop and a rush of wind that put those in the room off balance for a second or two.
---
In Glenville...
"Eh, it's fine." In truth, both brothers were absolutely ecstatic to talk about the discoveries they had made. But they weren't going to show that, of course. "We've been mostly working on something our mother left to us when she died. Couldn't even open the program until two years ago, and then it stumped us until a few days ago. Things sped up fast."
He trailed off as he typed in a few commands and brought up a graphical display. On it, a cursor blinked in front of a background of millions of soft, purple characters, some Arabic, some Russian, some Japanese, and others totally alien. Most of them were Arabic zeros, seeming to mock the amount of progress that had been made, and the much of the rest were threes. "We've learned that the zeros tell us how many correct numbers we've entered, and the threes tell us how many tries we have left. And there is no way to crack this program; we just get this." He switched to another monitor and typed quickly, his fingers flying gracefully over the keys until a voice boomed out of the speakers. It was that of an old, scolding mother. "Sigmund, I can recognize your hacking, and that is simply unacceptable - play by the rules."
Sig smiled sheepishly. "She knows when it's Edward, too - she hasn't missed except the one time we copy-pasted some code from an old website. That made her take away three of our guesses - we've had ten, so far. This is really just a parallel routine, if you think about the way things..." he wandered off into the gibberish of computer programming, his excitement only showing in how much he was talking. It was apparent to Elian with how few people he had spoken besides his brother, but not for how long that had been the case. It was not apparent, though, when he was going to manage to shut up.
---
Afternoon of the second day, in Cliffshire...
The old man nodded understandingly at the boy. "That's a fine decision. Remember that the person you are to combat believes they also are in the right, but also that I would not send you to the most important person first. I urge you to fight with him, even to just train your swinub."
For a moment, the gaunt man frowned, as though in deep thought. He lifted a finger and tapped his head with a slow, self-deprecatory smile. "My, my. Oh, I probably frightened you with that card. All you have to do is hold it and activate it, if you wish. My old trainer habits got the best of me; I once played in a tournament where a card such as that one would put a dye on the defeated's hide, to discourage cheating. If you want, you can put it on your hand, instead; with those tournaments no longer going on, we can change it so the dye means 'triumph' rather than 'defeat'.
"Now, then, if everything is clear, be on your way. To the northwest, you will find your opponent." He pointed in that direction, indicating the cracked, paved road that led out of Cliffshire. "If you have no bicycle, there will be one in the treeline that may help you. I would not want you to have to walk such a distance. Thank you so much, Jacob; we need more like you in the world." With one more fatherly smile, the man walked away and vanished into the trees, as before.
---
Elsewhere in Cliffshire...
While Ulysses recovered from his roll, Kent had emptied another pokéball, this one containing a beedrill, with a screamed, "KILL HIM!" The tremendous wasp looked like one of its legs was broken and one antenna was missing, but this didn't seem to bother it in the least. It narrowly evaded the shotgun blast and flew up high in the air, ready to come down hard and heavy on Ulysses.
Kent was hurled violently backward, blood pocking his entire left side and quickly drenching it as he shrieked with pain and dropped the weapon. "No! No; one more! One more!" He reached for his final pokéball, writhing as he did and hardly able to concentrate through the fire ripping through his shoulder, arm, and chest. If Ulysses shot at him again, it was an undeniable possibility that it would end the man's life.
Meanwhile, the rhyhorn was stamping and bucking wildly as it twitched and shivered from Djinn's invisible grasp. It was losing health fast; its actions were becoming rapidly less energetic, and the shakes of its head as it fought the other pokémon were swiftly just to keep it awake. Suddenly, it stopped and let out a low, rumbling wail at its own shadow. The sound compounded upon itself to the gengar's senses, and he suddenly felt his own strength swiftly declining.
*Djinn is CURSED; 4 turns until knockout
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 11:06 pm
A rather giddy cackle came from the shadows as Djinn disconnected the ether-bind keeping him attuned and in control of the rhyhorn's shadow. As he emerged, the purple ghost launched all of his vaporous weight at the rock-type to sock it in the jaw with a ghostly punch, passing straight through. Where the forms of the gengar and his opponent overlapped in space-time, ether surged, trying to tear free of the physical restraint that was the rhyhorn's skull. Djinn, sporting his race's trademark sadistic grin, spun in mid-air and maintained his altitude just a yard off the ground. He watched, measuring the damage and determining whether or not the rock-type bull needed another hit.
With the rhyhorn out of her way, Gloria saw her moment to shine: the arrival of a beedrill that was conveniently looking in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, it was also targeting Ulysses, and so she had to act fast. Sprinting toward the insect, she opened her mouth, emitting a chilling bark that seemed to be heard more in the beedrill's mind than with its ear-holes. As its mouth opened, it also summoned a surge of ether that was embodied in a pillar of flame that appeared to eschew from her gaping jaws.
Dropping his backpack, Ulysses picked up Junior and slung the small psychic's arms over his shoulders, as if the abra himself was a backpack. Its thin legs locked loosely around Shonevsky's middle and he called upon his powers of teleportation. With another minute whirlwind, the pair reappeared on the other side of Kent. Without hesitation, Ulysses stomped a boot on the hand groping for the pokéball with great gusto. The shotgun barrel was pressed painfully to Kent's other forearm, positioned to obliterate all the muscle beneath the skin should the retiree choose to pull the trigger. "Kent..." He sighed. "Kent, I don't want to kill you, but if you don't put down that pokéball and gun, you are requiring me to use force." For the time being, Ulysses was assured of his safety, Junior watching silently for any signs of trouble from the rhyhorn or beedrill.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 2:11 pm
((Apologies for the long absence; I missed the post concerning my guy.))
Gerard hefted his new pokeball thoughtfully, looking at its gleaming surface in deep thought. He ran a finger along the axis upon which the ball would split open, then rotated it around in his hand so that the exit faced out into the room.
He tossed the ball and released the Pokemon within. The little emerald larvitar looked up at him, nearly perfectly matching Gerard's own skeptical gaze. After a moment, Gerard hunkered down.
"Hello there," he said quietly. The larvitar nodded slightly before Gerard continued. "I'm Gerard. And in the interest of making you something to be proud of, I have decided that you shall be called Justice. Provided, of course, that you agree."
The larvitar thought for a moment, walking around in a small half-circle and observing Gerard from several angles. After a little while, the larvitar stepped into the V shaped by Gerard's legs and, looking up at the young man, nodded slowly before nuzzling his knee.
Gerard smiled and looked up at the Professors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 9:24 pm
((Short post is short and exists mostly to inform you that I have updated AP. Sorry, but telling you the specifics of the "why"s and "how"s of point-earning would take away the spontaneity ^^ See you in around 24 hours.))
Morning of the second day...
Edward nodded at Gerard, pleased that he and his pokémon had bonded quickly. Over to the side a bit, Talia and her pikachu seemed to be getting along well. For the first time in nearly ninety hours, things were running smoothly. "Ah, good. Go on ahead with Juno to the rattata cages if you want some practice; Sig and I need to go-"
"-get breakfast," his brother finished before he could. "You have a few hours; make good use of them." They mock-glared at one another for a while before grinning, nodding again at the children, and inviting the adults present to join them for brunch in the dining hall. The young-uns were left to train if they wished. Talia made her way downstairs with Juno and went about letting out a rattata at a time for her pikachu to spar with. It generally didn't take more than a minute or two of hard fighting to take one out, and Talia was sociable enough to keep the talking lively with the other girl. Her face was flushed with excitement the whole time - it was the same with most first-time trainers. This was phenomenal.
---
Somewhere north of Cliffshire...
"All right, you lazy ********, getcher asses up and make breakfast. We're set to raid the Cliffs as soon as we can-"
"Vivian?"
"The HELL thinks he can interrupt me?" The meaty woman swung her shotgun so the muzzle was capping a rider's nose. "Whaddaya want? Spit it the ****** out!"
"I... I think somethin's up with the Pack. I have... the last photos Zibzib brought back." A ledian was buzzing its wings irritatedly and stuffing a camera into a satchel on its back. Its master handed his mistress a series of Polaroids. In response, she kindly lowered the barrels to his groin as she snatched them.
Vivian started sifting through the slick papers, trying to make out the pictures despite the background radiation that still slightly obscured them in patches here and there. "****** uranium from a ******* freak-a** pokémon ****** dreamin' of God knows what ******** kin'a ******..." she mumbled as she flipped from one to the other. She looked back at her subordinate, suddenly understanding. Her confusion and fear came out in her quick movements and how she immediately dropped her sunglasses onto her face, totally obscuring her eyes. "The hell are these?"
He shrugged nervously, trying to take his eyes off the gun that hadn't changed direction. "I dunno."
"The ****** you 'I dunno' me," Vivian growled quietly, slamming the photos against his chest so hard that he fell over. She walked to the center of the camp, her gait swift despite her chubby legs, and shouted, "You slugs can go kill yourselves in Glenville if you want; I'm outta this state. I've had enough a this." Vivian didn't even wait for a response. She threw a few armfuls of cans in a bag, strapped her gun to her motorcycle, revved it, and cleared out to the east, leaving her gang scrambling for their things and wondering if Glenville was worth checking out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 12:31 am
((Siber you horrible person. You said you wouldn't post until Monday!))
Aislin, now sitting up on her back legs, nearly batted at the Haunter with her paw until she realized that she was needed. Turning from the Pokemon, the Espeon quickly trotted over to Elian, brushing against her legs before turning around and sitting by her side. Blinking, the pair focused their eyes onto the display that came up, Elian looking over the numbers and various calculations that she would never have any chance of comprehending. Still, it was fascinating.
Elian flinched as the booming, scolding voice rang from the speakers, Elian having to pause for a moment before letting out a quiet giggle. It was cute, in a way, that a program created by their mother could still scold her children, even after death... Elian smiled as Sigmund explained his mother's program, hearing the slight excitement in his voice and the eagerness that sat behind each word. Perhaps this was all something he needed more than Edward to hear.
As the young professor continued his lecture, Elian realized how naive she had become. She could barely understand anything he was talking about, and it made her feel embarrassed, as she desperately wished she could relate or at least comprehend what he was explaining. Not wanting to interrupt Sigmund's explanation, Elian politely kept quiet and listened closely. Perhaps she wouldn't understand all of the science, but at least she could pay attention.
But how long would this boy talk?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 12:50 am
((No problem about the long wait, I ended up getting sick and having my own overload issues anyways...))
Lexi didn’t catch when the Howards first came out, but she was happy to hear Mrs. Howard say she thought she was getting along well with the spearow. Maybe if they got close enough, she wouldn’t have to give her up, even if that was the original plan. Mrs. Howard announcement that the pie was ready was even better. Finally she was going to get to try the dessert she had smelled since its delicious scent first broke through the illusion around the house. Hearing that the Howards didn’t mind if she left the spearow out, she tried to get the pokemon to hop onto her head or shoulder so she had both her hands free to get up off the ground, but as she twisted her hand to encourage it to get off, the bird’s talons just found new positions to hold on from. She still was able to get up, and once she got back to the table, she found out the bird’s ulterior motive when it hopped off her arm and onto the table next to her slice of pie and then started nibbling at the dessert. She shook her head and chuckled. Smart Bird…
Lexi quickly started on the pie herself, not wanting the pokemon to eat it all, but she froze again mid bite when Mr. Howard, who finally got his chance to talk, told her that they had said something wrong earlier. Her startled face quickly grew a smile as she found out the bird was hers after all, though a little confusion remained as she remembered she still hadn’t solved her other issue—how to get the boy, Gerard, here. She could understand why the older couple wouldn’t want to go find the kid themselves though, they got around well enough, but even her dad started complaining about his body falling apart after a day spent on the broken back roads around Woodmount.
At Mr. Howard’s question, Lexi reached back into her bag, which she had hung on the back of her chair when she got here, and pulled out the sleek black device that had cost six months of lunch rations to get her hands on. Ever since Prof. Oak called, she had wondered why he wanted her to bring her computer with her, and it was looking like she was finally going to find out. She set the device on the table, not wanting to hurry through the rest of the delicious pie, but anxious to find out what other present the scientists wanted to give her, as if the electric-ether-using spearow wasn’t cool enough. As Lexi and her new helper finished and the couple talked, a thought went through the girl’s mind about how big a rolodex would have to be to hold all the information that was on her computer…She then realized that she was probably one of the few kids her age that even knew what a rolodex was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
