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 Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 12:21 pm
For a few horrifying seconds, all Keegan could feel was his father's judgmental gaze bearing down on him, and the fact that Helios was looking more hurt than angry didn't help. The redhead closed his eyes, and sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, pal," he said, placing a hand on the fox's head. "The past week has been pretty crappy, and I'm taking it out on the wrong people. I probably would have broken my neck if it wasn't for you just now, so thanks. And please, continue to save my sorry a** in the future, if you'd like." The fox's expression softened and he nuzzled his trainer's hand affectionately. Keegan hadn't forgotten that his father was still there, either, even if he hoped that if he ignored him long enough, he'd go away on his own. Unfortunately, that was never the case.
"You didn't answer my question. Idiocy aside, what were you doing up there?" Todd repeated, seemingly unfazed by the fact that his son had just fallen off the garage roof, though it was likely he would have shown more concern had he not been saved by a psychic fox.
Keegan pointed upward. "The roof was leaky. I fixed it."
"Yeah, I get that. Why?"
Keegan blinked a few times, not entirely sure he understood the question. "Uh... because it needed to be fixed?" He didn't know why, but at this point, he was certain that no answer was the correct answer. That was often the case when conversing with his father.
Todd nodded. "Yes, and that's appreciated, but don't you think you have more... important matters to attend to?" Helios padded over to the older man's side and sat down beside him, nodding sharply to emphasize his point.
Keegan couldn't help but feel like he was being ganged up on, especially when Themis, his Manectric, joined the party. "I... uh... don't think so?"
A rare smirk appeared on Todd's face, and Keegan wasn't sure if he should be afraid or not. He wouldn't get much of a chance to dwell on it, however. "Here, boy, think fast," he said, suddenly tossing a metallic, rectangular shaped object at Keegan's head. The scene was very reminiscent of the time Keegan had so eloquently returned Kenny to Dante by means of tossing the auburn-haired boy the Duskull's PokeBall, complete with the words "Think fast." Keegan was far too surprised to do anything but stare at his father stupidly, and karma was definitely in full force as the object struck the redhead right between the eyes before clattering to the ground.
=====
Miharu was reluctant to allow herself to feel relieved as the Magneton was finally defeated, and she cringed a bit upon seeing the gym leader's anger. Jasmine had seemed very calm and reserved, and even almost a bit mousy, but when provoked, the gym leader was proving she was not one to be trifled with. The Electric/Steel-type was recalled, and the green-haired girl refrained from taking a step back as Jasmine announced that it was time for her secret weapon.
She shouldn't have been surprised when the Steelix appeared, causing the entire gym to tremble and shake. It was by far the largest Pokemon Miharu had encountered thus far, larger than any of the Onix she'd battled previously. It was unsettling to watch it dive into the ground, leaving only a massive hole in its wake, and Miharu found herself trembling slightly. She knew she had to do something in the meantime, and after a moment of staring fearfully at the ground, a small, almost devilish smile appeared on her face. "Tingle, use Earthquake," she said simply, knowing full well that this attack would deal extra damage to a burrowing opponent. Jasmine must have overlooked Tingle's ability to use Earthquake in her anger.
The Metang had no qualms about complying with the command, as even though it could not see its opponent, it knew it was somewhere below the ground. Tingle buzzed loudly and threw itself toward the ground, smashing both arms down and causing the ground to shake and tremble harder than it had before.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 2:16 pm
Kressen moaned as the newborn revealed that it had already learned vine whip. "Our little bundles of joy sure are fast learners! Odin couldn't dodge because of the paralysis so he took the hit and gave an annoyed grunt as the vines struck him. Even with slightly lower defenses the vine whip was still only half as effective against the dark steel type. Still enough of those and they'd be in trouble.
Since it was no use trying to chase the quicker Pokemon while dealing with paralysis Kressen yelled out as the vines whipped Odin, "Counter with Psycho Cut Odin!" With another annoyed grunt the little blade Pokemon sent two slashes of energy curving towards the Snivy as it whipped him, hoping to end the battle then and there with one good hit.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 3:02 pm
"Ow! Dammit!" the redhead shouted, clasping one hand to his head while the other flailed about wildly in a desperate attempt to maintain his balance. "********! That hurt!" he groaned through tightly clenched teeth, doing everything in his power to top himself from losing his temper. While Keegan losing himself to rage was by no means a rare occurrence, rarer still was the fact that Todd Summers had cracked a huge smile and was currently busting a gut laughing. The sound was so strange that it caused Keegan to stop his temporary cussing tirade and stare in awe. The Ninetales and Manectric were laughing as well, but that wasn't exactly new. "Yeah, thanks," the redhead growled, stooping down to pick up the object he'd just been assaulted with.
"Keegan," Todd said, his voice nearly serious once again. "You do know that the phrase, 'think fast' actually means you have to think fast, yes?" And just like that, the older man was laughing his a** off again, much to Keegan's annoyance. It was probably also due to the fact that he'd said pretty much the exact same thing to Dante upon smacking him in the face with his own PokeBall. At the very least, Keegan had the reassurance that his jerkass, snarkier side came from honest descent.
"Yeah, yeah, you're hilarious," Keegan grumbled, refusing eye contact once more and studying the metallic object in his hand. It appeared to be a case of some sorts, and his first guess was that it was for cigarettes or cigars. Upon further inspection, he realized it was a bit too big for that. It was also far from being new, as it was quite scuffed up and scratched. "What's this?" he asked finally, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Open it up and see," Todd said, having regained his serious demeanor fully.
Somewhat apprehensively, Keegan found the latch and clicked it open, almost certain the thing was going to blow up in his face. It didn't, however, instead opening up to reveal eight vacant slots. It took the redhead a few minutes to clue in. "It's a badge case," he said, snapping it shut and tossing it back to Todd. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"I thought that much would be obvious," Todd retorted, catching the case and instantly tossing it back. "Go fill the thing up."
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 4:20 pm
Keegan caught the case on its return trip, and sighed. "I've got five badges already," he said, turning it over in his hands. "Four from Hoenn and one from Kanto. But I really don't see what the point is. I'm not really cut out for the whole famous Pokemon-trainer-champion shtick."
Todd raised any eyebrow. "Just what do you mean by that? You're not cut out for that sort of lifestyle, or you're just not good enough?"
Keegan shrugged, shifting his weight a little as the conversation began to venture down an avenue that he was not overly comfortable with. "A little bit of both, I guess. I mean, sure, I guess it'd be cool to be the champion or whatever, but at the same time, I really don't think I'm good enough to get that far."
The words were barely out of the redhead's mouth when a jet of fire was blasted at his feet, followed quickly by a bolt of lightning. Keegan was only just able to jump back and avoid being burned and shocked, and he glared at the two offending Pokemon. "Guys! What the hell?!" he shouted, now eyeing the pair warily. The Ninetales and Manectric only growled in response.
"I don't think these two like your answer very much," Todd commented. "Basically by saying that you're not good enough, you're also saying that they aren't good enough." The two Pokemon nodded in agreement.
"Whoa, now wait just a second. That is not what I said," Keegan said defensively, waving his hands. "I said that I wasn't good enough. Me. I never said anything about you guys, or any of the other Pokemon, for that matter." Unimpressed, Helios jumped to his feet, eyes shining with that familiar blue aura. He gave a bark and in the blink of an eye, he'd launched his trainer back several feet.
"Oww..." Keegan groaned from the ground about twenty feet away, and he sat up, pointing an accusing finger at the Ninetales. "Okay, Helios, you're clearly abusing your Extrasensory now, you know that, right?" He pulled himself to his feet, but found himself already backing up again as the Fire and Electric-types were closing in on him.
"I think it's a fair assumption that Helios and Themis here don't agree with you, boy," his father said. "You've already got four of this region's badges, so you're already halfway there. I don't think I'm being unreasonable when I say you'd be an idiot to quit now. Your Pokemon didn't win those badges themselves, y'know. At the very least, think about it. Getting out there and seeing the world will do you a lot better than sticking around here, fixin' leaky garage roofs." With that, the older man turned and left his son alone with his two Pokemon.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 7:03 pm
So now what? a phantom pondered, resting his shadowy self on the boy's head.
"Now," Mike started, turning to the reception desk. "We heal up, then head for Kanto. But not Vermillion this time!"
Vermillion. hundreds of voices chanted in unison. Mike found himself repeating it as well.
"Anyway." Mike said, shaking his head clear. "Let's get to it." The boy walked up and greeted the nurse at the desk, who clearly recognized him from a few days back judging from her expression, but elected to just let whatever she was planning on saying go by the wayside as she accepted his Pokemon for treatment. "Please take extra care of them!" Mike called out as she turned to leave. "They've been working so hard."
"Not a problem!" Joy said with her trademark smile before disappearing into the back room.
Mike sat down on the couch, not able to remember the last time that he had just relaxed in a Pokemon Center. Even though it was only a few weeks ago where he would be laying down with Kasiya or Mitsu for a nap, it felt like years had gone by since he had last had normal trainer friend company.
Hopefully that will change. the perched ghost stated, rapping her fingers on his head.
"Me too." Mike sighed. Once again he found himself missing the simpler days. But the phantom was right to hope. Things, however slightly, were beginning to look up. He had his license back, he wasn't getting his Pokemon taken from him, his friends were helping him out, and then the development with Kasiya.
Speaking of, another phantom chimed in. Are we to just rush in and play hero as per usual? What is the plan?
"Not this time." Mike replied, much to the surprise of the ghosts. "I have nothing but faith and pride in Kassie's skills as a trainer, but I know her. She doesn't. I don't want her to think that she needs me to hold her hand in everything that she does."
But...
"But that doesn't mean I won't help her." Mike continued. "Help is different than coddling."
That isn't to say you won't want to do some literal hand holding later.
"Without question, but I want her to feel about herself the same way I do about her. She's an incredible trainer. And while this is the sort of stupid reckless mess that usually I get myself into, she can do this. I will just be there for backup in case things go poorly. Even if you have all the skills in the world, you can't win every battle."
Always have a backup plan. the lofty ghost said in a distant voice.
"Exactly." Mike replied. "And this time, the backup plan is me." The ghosts all nodded, turning their heads to their left as the Pokemon Center bell chimed, signaling that Mike's Pokemon were all healed. "I'll discuss it more on the way." he said, rising from the couch. Mike graciously accepted his Pokemon from the nurse, and made his way outside. He released his ever reliable Charizard, Nitro, grabbing the dragons cheeks and planting a kiss on his nose before being playfully swatted by a flaming tail. "You love me and you know it!" Mike teased, hopping on Nitro's back. "We're going to help out, Kassie in Viridian okay? The Charizard looked back at his trainer with concern. "She's not in trouble...yet. Maybe not even at all!" Mike said, waving his hands. "She is just taking a page out of my book and charging into a Rocket base to save Shocker, is all. And I want to be there just in case."
His trainer's casual description of the scenario did little to ease the dragon. Hearing that not only Kasiya, a human he liked quite a bit, could be getting into the same dumb trouble that Mike did on a regular basis was bad enough, but now Shocker was apparently missing? Nitro wasted no time waiting around for more details, and took to the skies en route to Kanto.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 9:59 pm
Keegan stared down at the scuffed up old badge case in his hands, and sighed. The thing seemed somehow familiar to him and he turned it over a few times. The bottom right-hand corner felt odd beneath his fingertips and he brought it closer to his face. These marks weren't scratches at all, in fact; they were engravings of letters. They were a little bit difficult to make out but after studying them closely, he realized what they were:
T.M.S.
Todd Montgomery Summers. Keegan's father; one in the same. "Dad had a badge case?" the redhead murmured, clicking it open again. Helios and Themis crowded around him to get a better look, and Keegan glanced up at them, completely intending to tell them to back the hell off until he recalled that they were already pretty pissed off with him, so he let them be. "It's been used," he went on, running his fingers along the crushed-velvet. The grooves were well-worn with the obvious impressions of something that had been there before. "Guys," the redhead said, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. "There used to be badges in here. He had..." he paused to scan the grooves again, "seven. He had seven out of eight badges. He was one away from having enough to enter the Pokemon League. He could have... he should have... but, he stopped. Why did he stop?"
The redhead snapped the case shut and leaned back, looking up at the sky. There could have been any number of reasons as to why his father had stopped after obtaining seven out of the eight required region badges for the league and Keegan knew that he could easily waste several hours trying to figure out why his father had stopped his own gym challenge, or, he could just cut right to the chase. As the redhead stood up, he noticed that Loki, his Arbok, had decided to join them, and even though he wasn't sure the large snake had even heard any of the exchange between him and his father before hand, he still managed to give his trainer the chills just by looking at him. Themis and Helios still appeared to be quite angry with him as well, and he frowned. "Stop judging me," he said, stuffing the empty badge case into the pocket of his jeans. "I haven't made any decisions yet, so just leave me alone."
Naturally, the three Pokemon would refuse to listen and followed after their stubborn trainer as he made his way across the yard, looking around to see where his father had gone. There wasn't much left to be done out here, so the logical thing to do would be to check on the house. Luckily for Keegan, only Helios was really allowed to follow him inside, as his mother wasn't overly fond of giant, poisonous Cobra Pokemon in her kitchen.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 7:26 am
Kasiya spent the remainder of the afternoon and early evening doing some serious training, specifically with Ada so that she could get a handle on the Tyranitar's new strength. It was safe to say that the results were quite satisfying, and for perhaps the first time in her life, she felt truly prepared for something like this. Her party had been switched around appropriately, every Pokemon fed and healed, and now the only thing left to do was wait until morning. The professor had no problems with allowing the girl to spend the night at his manor as he had an abundance of extra rooms, and though she had turned in at a reasonable hour, she still had trouble falling asleep, which was to be expected. Shortly after Adamantine's unexpected but awesome evolution, she'd started to check her PokeNav almost obsessively, waiting for a message from Mike, and even as she lay in bed, dressed down in her pajamas, the device was clutched tightly in her hands.
Now, Kasiya wanted badly to believe that the lack of reply from her firebrand meant that he was following the doctors' orders and resting, but somehow, she was almost certain that it wasn't the case. They wouldn't have let him leave the hospital already, though, she thought, frowning at the machine. Her message had been quite vague (at least, that's what she let herself believe) and then again, she wasn't even sure if he'd received it yet. He'd been through so much in such a short time that it would take his body a while to recover fully. Finally, she got out of bed and stuffed the PokeNav deep into her backpack, resolving not to look at it again until tomorrow morning, even if she heard it beep with the telltale sound of a message being delivered.
She crawled back into bed and snuggled down under the covers. She was still quite wide awake, despite how tired she felt, and as she yawned, she couldn't help but feel like it was deceiving her. What she wouldn't give for a Pokemon with the ability to use Sing or Hypnosis right now. The door to her room creaked open and she sat up a bit. Through the moonlight, she was able to see a fluffy grey mouse-like Pokemon making its way across the floor, and she smiled. A few moments later, her Minccino hopped up onto the bed and padded across the blankets, looking at her trainer with wide, sleepy eyes. "Okay, okay," she said, pulling Pepper close and tucking her down under the covers with her. In seconds, the young Chinchilla had dozed off, making the most adorable sounding little snores. "Showoff," Kasiya murmured, though her own drowsiness was quickly growing. The warmth of the soft, fuzzy Pokemon in her arms was easily a deciding factor in her ability to fall asleep, and soon after that, trainer and Pokemon were both sound asleep.
=-=-=-=-=
The trouble with pummeling a sleeping Pokemon over and over again was that eventually, it was going to wake up, and that was just the case with the icky Muk. Crenu was quick to capitalize on the fact that his Pokemon was awake now, ordering a Disable. Tangrowth gave a cry and brought his two hands to the sides of what could be his head, shaking back and forth. His knowledge of the move Ancientpower was temporarily erased from his mind.
Erika just offered a polite smile in return. Sure, their best attack move had been taken away, but that didn't mean she didn't have other tactics in mind. "Let's see now..." the gym leader pondered, touching a delicate finger to her lips. "Use Stun Spore." Tangrowth shook off his feelings of amnesia and gave his body a shake, sending up a large cloud of glittering, yellow spores that began to rain down on the battlefield in Bubbles' area.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 8:05 am
"This is how it's gonna go!" the braver of the two boys announced, standing tall in front of the Rattata he commanded. "If we can beat you, you'll tell us where you found that Pikachu!"
"We?" Jasper repeated, looking at the boy with the Pidgey. "Does that mean you're both challenging me at the same time? Like, a two-on-one, sort of deal?"
"That's right!" the first kid shouted. His Rattata gave a cry in response.
"That's a little unfair, don't you think?" asked Jasper. "Two of you, one of me. You've clearly got me backed into a corner, here."
"Then just tell us where you got your Pikachu," the second boy said, his Pidgey having landed on his shoulder. "We wanna catch one, too."
Jasper exchanged glances with Ditto, and smirked a bit. "Yeah, well, that's just the thing. I don't actually have a Pikachu," he admitted, giving a shrug.
Neither of the boys were convinced, or impressed, for that matter. "Look, if you're going to lie about it, at least hide your Pikachu," the first kid said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm not lying," Jasper said, nodding. "This here's isn't a Pikachu."
"Prove it," said the second boy.
"Gladly," answered Jasper, holding out his arm. Ditto-chu sprinted down the appendage and jumped off, doing a pretty nifty little flip before it shimmered into its normal, blue amorphous form. It shimmered again and as it landed on the ground, it had taken on the form of the kid's Rattata, although instead of being bright purple, it was kind of a brownish-gold. "See?" Jasper grinned. "It's a Ditto, not a Pikachu."
* * * * * * * * * *
Hayley marveled over how awesome her Snivy's Vine Whip was, even if it wouldn't be all that effective against a steel type, and it was taking pretty much all of her willpower not to whip out her sketchbook and start drawing the scene. In the meantime, however, the young Snivy retracted her vines, looking warily at the Pawniard. She would never admit it, but she was starting to feel very tired, and the pain in her tail from Odin's blades was not making her life any easier, either. Before she knew it, however, Odin had sent another Psycho Cut her way, and it was moving far too fast for her to dodge. She was struck by the first blade and then the second, the impact of it knocking her back and to the ground where she lay, too weak to continue.
"Oh no, Ivy!" wailed Hayley, her excitement forgotten as she rushed out to take care of her injured Pokemon. She carefully cradled the Snivy in her arms, smiling brightly. "That was pretty good for your first battle, especially considering that none of your attacks are very effective against a steel type like Odin." Ivy managed a weak smile, but it was far from genuine. She was too weak to show it, but she was furious that she had lost to that walking can opener. The next time she battled Odin, things would be different; she'd see to that. It was time for sleep now and she allowed Hayley to put her inside her Pokeball for a well deserved rest. The brunette put the sphere away and looked over to Kressen and Odin. "You've got yourself one tough little Pokemon!" she beamed, apparently unfazed by the loss. "Can't wait to see what he's capable once he's got more experience under his belt."
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 4:22 pm
Riza grit her teeth as she watched her brother's Heracross begin to repeatedly pound its fists and horn up against Diemia's Protect, and she knew it wasn't going to end well almost right away as the green light had started to flicker and fade with each strike. With one final smash from the bug and fighting-type, it shattered, causing the Crawdaunt to stagger back. "Brick Break right back at it!" the raven haired girl called. It was becoming difficult to mask her panic. Diemia swung her claws around for her own attack, catching Heracross in the side of the head.
Jaden gave a sigh, and closed his eyes. "It's over," he said, giving his head a small shake. "Heracross, Close Combat. Now." And in a flurry of horn jabs, swift punches and jabs, the beetle Pokemon unleashed its Close Combat, striking Diemia in what both looked and felt like (to the lobster at least) every place at once. The bug delivered one final uppercut and the Crawdaunt collapsed to the ground, unable to battle. "Are you satisfied now?" Jaden shouted over at his sister.
"You just got lucky!" the girl screeched right back. "Her-Heracross just got a critical hit, is all!" Her hands were shaking pretty badly as she held up the water and dark-type's pokeball and recalled her. She felt sick to her stomach and she wanted to turn and run but her pride wouldn't let her.
Jaden sighed and shook his head again, recalling his Pokemon as well. "Diemia is immune to critical hits," he told his sister matter of factly. "Her ability is Shell Armor and it blocks them. You'd know that if you trained and studied more." He stopped himself then, knowing that he'd said a bit much and it wasn't entirely true. Riza had come a long way from the whiny, spoiled and entitled brat he'd grown up with. "We'll have a rematch someday, all right?"
Riza just huffed and looked away from her brother, still fuming. A contest ribbon and two badges under her belt and yet Jaden still managed to make her feel like a rookie. "Whatever, just go away," she snapped. Jaden said nothing else and turned and walked away, leaving an angry Riza all by herself.
* * * * *
The little Happiny tried its darndest to look intimidating and scary as it rushed toward where Darla floated, its little fist curled and raised up high. The Solosis wasn't exactly thrilled by the attack and drifted up and away, shooting the little pink pudgy Pokemon a scornful glare as she did so. Katie couldn't help but chuckle a little as the Happiny's face contorted into a sort of frown, though she still managed to look pretty cute in the process. Now, Darla didn't have many attacks to choose from and Katie knew that only one of them would actually be effective. Regardless, she wanted to have the Solosis use Reflect first as it would protect her from the Happiny's Pound attack. "Use Ref-" but she was cut off as the little psychic blob gave an angry cry and rushed at the pink Pokemon, attempting to smash into her with an Astonish attack. Katie sighed and rolled her eyes. This wasn't going to end well.
The Solosis bumped up against the Happiny, though both Pokemon looked rather confused as nothing actually happened. "Ghost-type moves don't affect normal-types," Katie said, giving her Pokemon a stern look. "And I'd appreciate it if you waited until I told you to actually attack."
Thea laughed at the display, as she could say that her Happiny was just as hot headed. "Okay, Happiny! Let's give your Copycat a try," she said, adjusting her little nurse's hat. The pink Pokemon whirled around and threw herself into the psychic-type, and much to Darla's surprise, it was actually effective. Super effective, in fact, and she flopped to the ground, bouncing once or twice before she was able to drift upward again.
* * * * *
It was very true that Jasmine had completely forgotten that the Metang could use Earthquake, but she wasn't about to let that stop her. She knew her Steelix was tough, and that she was very lucky that Tingle hadn't yet evolved into a Metagross otherwise this battle would be over right now. "Stay strong, Steelix!" she shouted. "Hit it hard!" The attack would still be very damaging, but at the same time, it was very easy for the burrowing Steelix to pinpoint Tingle's location. Ignoring the pain from the Metang's powerful attack, the Iron Snake Pokemon burst from the ground, roaring savagely as it threw itself into the smaller steel-type. Jasmine couldn't help but feel a little better because of this, as her Steelix was not the kind of Pokemon to give up so easily.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 9:05 pm
Night had descended upon Goldenrod since Sasha had last been outside, the moon and stars sparkling in the sky, refusing to be chased off by the bright city lights. The girls looked up with wide eyes and wider smiles at the twinkling display. A light evening breeze whipped up around them, coming with it a biting cold that made Sasha regret her current outfit. That is, until her partner clasped tightly to her side for their combined warmth. Worth it. she thought with a smirk. The two started walking down the sidewalk, Sasha leading the way.
"So," Sasha spoke up, breaking the silence. "Do you live around here?"
"I live in Johto, yeah, but not Goldenrod" replied Doe Eyes. "I'm from Len Town south from here."
"Len Town? Never heard of it."
"I'm not surprised." Doe said with a tilt of her head. "It's practically hidden by the forest surrounding it. It's a nice place. Very quiet. What about you?"
"I live in Celadon in Kanto. My grandfaz'ther moved there to start up his hotel business and my family has been z'here ever since." Doe perked up at the mention of Sasha's family business.
"Hotel business?" she asked. "What's it called?"
"Hotel du Beauchamp." Sasha replied very matter-of-factly, surveying one of the street signs.
"You're family owns Hotel du Beauchamp?! One of the biggest hotel chains in the continent?!" Doe practically screamed, clasping her hand over her mouth in immediate embarrassment. Sasha smirked at her reaction, causing the girl to shrink slightly. "I-I'm sorry." Doe said. "I just had no idea."
"Pas de probleme, ma chere." Sasha said sweetly, planting a kiss on the top of the adorable girl's head. "I guess I kinda forget my place sometimes."
"So..." Doe fidgeted in the cold. "You're pretty well off then."
"I get by, but we have our struggles." the pink haired girl replied in false-sincerity. "Like sometimes we actually have to use wood in z'he fireplace when we run short on money." Doe snickered at the joke, then looked around, for the first time noticing that she had no idea where they were.
"Where are we going?" Doe inquired, looking around at the street laid out before them.
"Well," Sasha smiled, raising the pointer finger on her free hand. "No date of Sasha Beauchamp z'he Four's will be forced to spend the night at just any place." As the pair turned the corner, the bright lights of the tall building before them illuminating their faces. Doe's eyes lit up almost as brightly as the sign as she read the elaborate sign that read: Hotel du Beauchamp. She looked up at Sasha expectantly, to which Sasha replied by leaning in and giving her a tender kiss on the lips. Unable to provide any sort of coherent conversation anymore, Doe elected to simply latch on to the pink-haired girl's arm in bliss as the two walked through the revolving door into the hotel.
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 9:21 am
A moment after the Snivy fell Odin plopped down on his backside as the paralysis continued to trouble him. It was a close battle. Kressen gave a whoop, after winning his first Pokemon battle. Running up to Odin, mindful of the blades he gave his Pokemon a hug,. "You did t Odin! You were awesome!"
Odin puffed out his chest tiredly, but still looked very pleased with himself. Kressen did feel a little bad for having the advantage of typing in their first battle, but Hayley seemed to be alright with it. "Thanks Hayley, so do you. That Glare and Vinewhip combination will take you really far, especially against water, rock, and ground types. We would have lost without Psycho Cut."
He pulled out Odin's Pokeball and let the newborn get some rest.We'll have to battle again sometime Hayley. So where are you heading to next? I'm going to Pallet Town to visit Proffesor Oak and get a Pokedex. I'll probably visit the beach too, see if there are any cool water types i want out there."
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 5:08 pm
Nina buried her face in her hands; her face was deep red with embarrassment and, resultingly, it was emanating such a great deal of warmth that she was relatively certain she could heat the entirety of the Johto region with it for at least a year. She kind of just sat slumped in her chair, neither moving nor speaking for a period of time-- it felt like forever that she remained like that but in reality was only for a few minutes. "Aww," Whitney said, "c'mon, Nina, don't be that way. I'm sorry!" Nina made some sort of noise but her hands muffled it. "Wha? What'd you say?" Nina grumbled again, but got the same response from her sister. "I said," she began, taking her hands away from her face and sitting up in her chair, looking at her sister, "that you didn't need to announce that to everyone in here. That's... well, that's really private business, you know!" Whitney waved her hand dismissively. "Nina, don't worry. First off, the music's far too loud for anyone who isn't two inches away from us to hear what I just said. Secondly, it's not a big deal!" The girl looked affronted. "Not a big deal?" she echoed. "To me it is! That's a really personal matter and I don't want it broadcast to a bunch of strangers!" Whitney could tell that her sister was getting upset. "Okay, okay. Calm down," she said. "Look, if that's the case, why don't you and I go outside and talk about this for a little while, okay?" Nina contemplated the proposition for a moment. "Fine." She looked to Science and then to Anna. "You two stay out of trouble while we're gone, okay?" Science buzzed a few times while Anna replied that they would. "I'll keep an eye on Sabrina in the meantime."
Nina exited the building, her sister in tow. The two of them walked along the road leading away from The Chrome; the girl kept her arms folded over her breasts as she walked.
"Look, Nina," Whitney began, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was such a touchy matter for you."
"Of course it's touchy! Like I said, that's really personal and private! I know that nobody around us could hear what you said, but what if someone did? Do you know the looks and snickers I'd inevitably get?"
"So? Who cares if people know or what they think?"
"I care! Whitney, there's no freedom from the standards that society has set for a woman's sexual activities since the dawn of time. Girls are practically defined by their virginity and sexual prowess-- if you don't have sex by a certain age, then you're either a prude or you've got something wrong with you. If you're overly sexual, then you're a harlot. There's no happy medium whatsoever, and I don't want people to be judging me on such shallow criteria!"
"Nina, if you crack under those stupid pressures, then the only thing you're doing is further perpetuating those damned views! There's nothing wrong with being a virgin, and there's nothing wrong with going out and enjoying yourself! Nobody seems to realize that and they're all too freaking worried about what everyone else is thinking about them as opposed to what they think about themselves! If you're a virgin, that's fine! If you're abstinent, great! If you're sexually active and enjoying yourself, then good for you! Just-- ugh! God, just do what you want and stop freaking worrying about what everyone else thinks and wants and expects! Sex is a part of human nature, and it's nobody's right to judge other people based upon what they do with their bodies and who they do it with and how frequently they do it!"
Nina was taken aback at her sister's reaction. "Jeez, I didn't realize you were so passionate about the topic."
"Of course I am!" Whitney exclaimed. "What, am I not supposed to have an opinion? Should I be quiet just because I'm a woman? People have called me a b***h because I've spoken what's on my mind, and I know it'd be a million times easier for everyone else if I just sat and smiled and kept my mouth shut, but that's not going to happen. It doesn't matter what people think of me or what they call me though, because their words don't mean a thing to me. That's what I wish every girl would keep in mind, but like I said, everyone's too preoccupied with everyone else's opinions that they don't bother doing for themselves what they want to."
"Still though, you can't tell me that if you see a girl dressing promiscuously and flaunting her sexuality to everyone that she comes in contact with that you won't mentally judge her, even a little."
"Well, of course I would; anyone who says they wouldn't is a liar. The difference is that I try to keep my mind as open as I can and dismiss those judgmental thoughts as quickly as I can, because nobody likes to be judged. It isn't my place to do that to others."
Well, this conversation had escalated quickly. "I can't help but feel like you were making fun of me before, though," Nina said. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I was generally interested-- I guess I had just assumed that you and Raimundo had gotten together when you were-- well, together." The girl couldn't help but to laugh at that, thus lightening the mood. "This is probably going to disappoint you, but the farthest we even went was making out," she confessed. "It just... it never progressed past that point." Whitney raised a quizzical eyebrow and grinned from the corner of her mouth. "Huh, no kidding. I mean, I know he was just using you and everything, but I'd have expected him to try to get into your pants at least once. Maybe he's gay?" Another laugh from the psychic. "Don't say that!" she exclaimed. "After all, you wouldn't want to insult the gay guys; he'd give them a bad name." It was the pink-haired girl's turn to laugh now. "We wouldn't want that." She paused for a moment; "I do wanna apologize, Nina. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable before. That was kind of a party foul." Nina shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she replied. "It's done and over with-- and plus, if you didn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You wouldn't have told me that stuff about sexuality, and it wouldn't have given me something to think about. You can be pretty deep sometimes, you know." Whitney shoved the girl a little. "Hey, shut it. Just because I'm not walking around all prim and proper with a super extensive vocabulary like you and Sabrina doesn't mean that I'm dumb, y'know. I just think that's way too stuffy an attitude and I like carrying myself more freely. But hey, I mean, to each their own." She grinned. "Anyway, we should be getting back. Anna's probably sick of babysitting Science-- I know she feels pretty uncomfortable around him." Nina nodded. "Mm, good idea. We should collect them and Sabrina and head out before it gets too awful late." Whitney nodded in agreement, and the girls began making their way back to The Chrome.
"Hey, Whit?"
"Hm?"
"Out of curiosity... what was it like? For you, I mean."
"What was what like?"
"Well... your first time. Was it scary? Exciting? Was it what you thought it'd be?"
"I've never had a 'first time,' Nina. I'm a virgin, too."
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 4:44 pm
Nina stared on in stunned silence as Whitney's words rang through her mind. "You're--- you?" she sputtered. "You, of all people? You're--?" The girl nodded, almost enthusiastically. "I am!" she replied. "Ironic, isn't it? I'm the girl whose identifying trait is her often overt sexuality, and I'm a virgin!" She giggled a bit. "But you know what? I could care less! I like being sexy, I like playing around, flirting, teasing, whatever-- and I'm totally comfortable with the fact that I haven't had sex! I've never wanted to, to be honest. Or--- well, that's not true. I've wanted to, but I've never met a person that I've connected with who I've wanted to be with in that manner. To be honest, I've never progressed past second base. There've been different reasons for that, but it always comes back to the fact that I just didn't feel a connection with the other person to the degree that I wanted to. It's kind of difficult to explain, I guess." Nina blinked a few times, still reeling from the news. Considering their previous discussion, she shouldn't be taken aback as much as she was, but she couldn't help it. "So, wait," she said finally, "are you-- do you have a princess complex or something? Are you waiting to be swept off your feet by some perfect guy before you'd be willing to do that with him?" Whitney contemplated the question for a moment. "No," she replied, "I don't think so-- not necessarily. I think what it is is that I can flirt with anyone, but I want the more intimate part to be shared with someone that I deem worth my time. I don't see anything wrong with people that don't hold themselves to that same standard, but it's just my own personal preference. Does that make sense?" Nina nodded. "It does, yeah. I think I'm the same way-- in regards to the act itself, I mean. I wouldn't want to do it with just anyone because I think that it wouldn't mean as much to me that way, and I guess I wouldn't view it as being as special." The girl shook her head a little and chuckled. "Maybe I'm the one with the princess complex." The pink-haired girl shrugged. "So what?" she asked. "Nothing wrong with that, right? It's just your preference." With a smile, the girls continued their trek back to The Chrome, arriving there a short time later.
Sabrina smiled as she put her phone away, returning her attention to Damon. "Very suave," she said dryly but teasingly, grabbing her drink and finishing its contents. "So, Mister Salvai, what plans do you have after you leave here tonight?" Finishing off his own drink with a little smile, the boy thought for a moment. "Beyond going home, you mean?" he asked. "Natalia and I will be spending some time together; we haven't had 'sibling bonding time' in a while-- and by a while, I mean like, a week. What of you, Sabrina?" Sabrina shrugged. "My time is spent with Nina and Whitney; it's likely that the three of us will be travelling, though I'm not entirely certain as to where. Whitney had mentioned that she wanted to stay in Goldenrod for a time, but I can't imagine that will be for very long; they're both pretty restless and we never seem to stay in one place for an extended period of time." Damon tilted his head. "Are you okay with that-- moving around constantly, that is. I imagine it must get tiresome." Another shrug. "If nothing else, it keeps things relatively new and interesting; it's pretty rare that there's ever a dull moment for us." Sabrina quickly reflected on some of the events that had transpired since she had been travelling with the girls and couldn't help but to roll her eyes and chuckle, even at the ones that proved life-threatening. The boy wore an expression that indicated he wished to say something, but he refrained from doing so. "I see. Well, it seems like it might be a while before you and I have the opportunity to visit with one another again." Sabrina shook her head and wagged a finger. "Oho, not true," she replied. "Have you forgotten already? We agreed to test one another's strengths in battle at a future date. That's insurance that we'll have to see each other again." She smiled playfully; she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to see the boy again. "Well then, shall we call that a date?" The girl contemplated for a moment; "I believe we shall." She smiled again.
Whitney approached Sabrina's and Damon's table, a broad grin on her face; she was trailed closely by Science, followed by Nina and Anna. "Hello, lovebirds!" she chirped, receiving a dark glare from Sabrina; Damon, however, merely chuckled at the girl. "Hello again, Whitney. Nina." The girl fidgeted for a very brief moment. "Umm, I really don't mean to be a Debbie Downer," she began, "but it's getting kinda late, and Nina and I were thinking that we all should probably head out kinda soonish." Sabrina nodded a little reluctantly. "Mm, I know; that thought had crossed my mind as well." She paused for a moment before turning to look at Damon; she shrugged a little, getting to her feet. "I suppose it's time that I take my leave, then." Damon rose as well; "That's okay," he replied, "I understand. I should be heading out soon too. I have to say, Sabrina, it was very nice to have spent this evening with you." He took the girl's hand and kissed it, looking up into her eyes and then smiling for a moment. He turned his attention the other girls briefly; "Nina, Whitney. It was nice to have met the pair of you, as well." Redirecting it back to Sabrina, he smiled once more; "I'll be in contact with you regarding the battle." The smile played on his lips a moment or two longer, before he turned around and made his exit.
Sabrina stood there speechless, her mouth hanging open; Whitney covered her mouth, giggling joyously. Meanwhile, Nina rolled her eyes and a smile of her own began to form. "Come on, you two. Let's get to the Gym and call it a night."
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 7:42 pm
As the screen door slammed behind him, Keegan looked back and smirked at the Manectric and Arbok, both of whom were not allowed to follow the redhead inside. Helios, on the other hand, trotted in, completely welcome due to the fact that he was so well-behaved and proper, and also Maggie simply adored the Ninetales, doting on the Fire-type as though he were also her child, though that may have been because she knew how close he was to her son. Keegan missed the mischievous glimmer in the fox' eyes, and he ignored the glares now coming from Themis and Loki through the screen, fully aware of the fact that they would likely dole out some sort of revenge later on, when he was least expecting it. He tried to put it out of his mind as he kicked off his shoes and looked around the kitchen. His mother's back was to him as she was busy preparing her 'famous' meal, and Keegan shuddered. "Hey, Mom," he said, trying not to sound as skittish as he felt. "Did Dad come inside?" He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans as he felt that all-too familiar craving for nicotine begin to claw at him, but he ignored it as best he could, considering that neither of his parents approved of his habit.
"Why yes," his mother answered, turning now to look at him. "He's in his study."
Keegan's resolve faltered a little, and he sighed. "O-oh, okay then," he murmured, slowly pivoting around to head back outside while pretending that he didn't see the devilish grins being worn by his two Pokemon.
"Wait, Keegan, dear," Maggie said, and Keegan glanced back at her, a little confused by the quirky smile she had on. "He said you'd come looking for him, and told me to send you along when you did. So go on ahead, dear. He's waiting for you." Her sweet expression and tone were almost cavity inducing. "But first, did you want to try-"
"No thanks, not hungry," Keegan said abruptly, scratching the back of his head and turning to dash out of the kitchen as fast as possible so that his mother did not have a chance to protest. The opposite was in fact true, as he was actually quite hungry after all the work he'd done today, but his stomach would have to wait.
=====
It wasn't like Miharu was expecting for the Steelix to succumb to one attack, right then and there, but the fact that it burst from the ground, just as raring to go as before, was a little disconcerting. It was very strong, judging by the way it smashed into Tingle, and for a moment, the Metang seemed to be unable to regain its control. Jasmine's Steelix was also frighteningly fast, something which Miharu decided she would put an end to, right now.
"Tingle, recover and use Scary Face!" she called out. She was so close to her badge that she could taste it, and she wasn't about to let it go now. The Metang stopped itself from spiraling and slashed the air with its claws, both eyes now glowing a fearsome red as it cast a harrowing stare in the direction of the massive Steelix.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:06 am
The mixture of confusion and surprise on the boys' faces was quite priceless as the Pikachu transformed in mid-flip to a blue blobby thing and then into a brownish-gold Rattata. "But... how?" the first boy asked, still looking quite perplexed.
"It's a Ditto, I think," the second boy answered, though he didn't sound very sure of himself. "I mean it looked like a Ditto and Ditto is the only Pokemon that can Transform like that, but aren't Ditto supposed to be pink?"
"Yeah, they are," Jasper replied, unable to suppress his grin. "But my buddy here, he's special. I am sorry to disappoint you guys, though."
The first kid perked up again. "That's okay," he said, looking down at his Rattata. "I still wanna battle with you. What about you, Jules?" he asked, looking over at his quieter friend.
"Well, I dunno, I mean, I guess I could battle, but my Pidgey and I are still very new at this and we're not very good." He looked up at Jasper, eyes wide and imploring, as though asking for the older boy to save him.
"You guys wanna know a secret?" Jasper asked, after a few moments of thought, and both boys nodded. "I'm new at this, too. I've only been out on the road for a few days now and believe me, if anyone knows what it's like to be a rookie, it's me."
Jasper's confession gave Jules pause, and he looked back at his friend. "I guess we could battle. We're not going to learn anything if we don't try, right?" He looked over at his friend. "But, you can go first, Billy."
Billy laughed. "Yeah, you bet I'll go first," he said, but then he looked toward the Ditto uneasily. "Hey guy, do uh, you have any other Pokemon?"
Jasper considered the question, and then nodded. It seemed like the perfect time to give Koffing her debut. "Okay, Ditto, take five. Let's let Koffing have the spotlight." Reluctantly, the copy-mouse backed off, shimmering back to its Pikachu form. It took another defensive step back as Jasper released the Poison Gas Pokemon from her confinement.
* * * * * * * * * *
The brunette blushed a little at Kressen's praise, and then gave a bit of a modest shrug. "Well, we'll have to see about that. I'm not all that good at battling," she admitted, though she decided not to mention that she had yet to win a match. Hayley figured that would change eventually, as her Pokemon were getting stronger and stronger, and so what if she sucked at battling? She wasn't aiming to be a Champion or Top Coordinator. She was working toward becoming a well-respected Pokemon Watcher and was an assistant to Professor Oak. Lost in her thoughts, she almost missed the comment about Kressen only winning because of Odin's ability to us Psycho Cut. "I don't think that's entirely true," she said, dismissing the notion. "Ivy had no attacks that could damage him effectively, so even if he had only Scratch to rely on, he probably would have won for that reason alone."
She picked up her bag and made sure her sketchbook was carefully tucked inside, suppressing a sigh. She looked over at the redhead as he recalled his Pawniard. "Gladly," she replied, beaming her megawatt smile over at the other trainer. "Especially when Ivy and Odin are stronger. I'm pretty sure Ivy will want a rematch for that. And there's our other Pokemon, too. I think a match between Cynder and Gigas would be fun!" She paused to ponder her destination, giving a small nod as though to confirm it with herself. "I'm going through the forest," she said decisively. "I may have missed out on that Pikachu once, but I'm not going to miss it again! After that, I'll probably stop over in Pewter City before deciding what to do next."
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