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 Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 3:12 pm
At the Pokemon Center, Ben contents himself at the snack bar while he waits for his Pokemon to be restored. 'They really did a great job,' he thought. His Pidgey, especially, had held out really well against successive battles. When he hears the bell at the counter, he returns to pick up his Pokeballs with a smile to the nurse. "Thanks a lot, miss," he says as he clips the two balls back onto his belt.
His business in the Center finished, he decides to head back to the Trainers' School. After all, it wouldn't hurt to learn all he could while he prepared for his Gym match. 'Even though I don't think Flying types inflict status problems,' he thought. Either way, when he walks back into the school, he heads for the blackboard to do some more reading -- but -- "Hey! It's blank!" he groans, hanging his head in his hands. "How will I learn anything now?"
Looking up, he sees a large, round man coming toward him, his spine shivering when the guy does a little pirouette across the floor. "'Ello! You are Pokemon Trainer? Battle Gym Leader? Win you did?" Ben's mouth gaped open slightly in an uncomfortable shock. This guy kind of gave him the creeps. "... Uhhhmmm.... No.... Not yet..." The man piques up, grabbing his arm and dragging him back to a corner of the building. "Ooh, la la! You will study here! Earl will teach you all there is to know! Come, come!" Yelping slightly, Ben struggles to keep up with the portly teacher, nearly sprawling onto the floor when he is released near a large shelf of books. Earl gives him a big grin and starts pulling books off the shelves, piling them one by one into Ben's arms. "Here, here! You read, and learn lots!" Teetering under the weight of the books, Ben gulps a little uncertainly. "Uhm... Thanks, I guess.." The big man chortled and waved, taking off again with a spin across the floor. '.... Weird....'
Shrugging, Ben takes the books to a table to look them over. '.. Status Problems.... Type Advantages.... Trainer Basics.... Special Moves.... Creating a Winning Team... Wow,' Ben thought. 'This has about everything I need to know.' Pulling a journal out of his bag, he flips it open to take some notes. He might be here a while...
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Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 5:09 pm
Kasiya watched the newly-evolved canine's trotting with a huge smile, suddenly missing her own Arcanine terribly, even if she had only just seen him a few short hours ago. She had a feeling that Hiro would really love Eithne and vice-versa and she wondered if the two would ever meet someday, and a deeper part of her wondered if they'd ever meet on the battlefield. She continued to smile as she watched the redhead with his Pokemon, still finding it incredibly endearing just how good he was with them, especially the baby Axew. "Oh, you mean Bubbles?" she said, grinning as she recalled the look on Crenu's face when she told him the Muk's nickname. "I traded him yesterday. But he's doing well, I'm sure." She could hope the Muk was holding up all right, as she knew that Crenu wasn't the kindest trainers out there. Watching Keegan "use" the TM on Pan, however, reminded her of the ones she'd picked up and she touched Rosemary and Twilight's Pokeballs. She'd use the TMs at the Pokemon Center later, as the Umbreon had been weakened and Rosemary was asleep.
She hadn't missed the look Keegan had sent their way and she quickly averted her gaze, only to find herself staring at the end of Mike's finger. "I did no such thing," she retorted playfully, swatting it away, but even she had to admit that their personalities had rubbed off on each other quite a bit over time, and she quietly chuckled to herself. They really were quite a pair. The sound of ripping leather made the blonde glance back at cute little Hades, and she made a face when she saw the state of Keegan's poor jacket. "Ooh, yeah, he looks hungry," she giggled, though it was hard to be sure if she was amused by the Axew's cuteness, or the expression on the redhead's face.
She looked right back at Mike as his stomach decided it agreed with little Hades, and she smiled. It was nice to see him behaving normally again, or at least as normally as one could expect. She herself wasn't overly hungry, but after the gym battle she found herself craving something sweet and the thought of a giant bowl of ice cream was quite enticing. It was after lunch time now, and she looked back over at Keegan. "We could all go get something to eat," she offered, trying to sound polite yet casual. To be honest, she was thrilled that they all seemed to be getting along so well and she wasn't in a hurry to split up just yet, but she liked to think she'd gotten to know him pretty well in the last little while and it was likely that he was only putting on this good behavior for hers and Mike's benefit. "But, um, you don't have to if you don't want to," she added.
=-=-=-=-=
"What's going to happen now?" Jake murmured, partially to himself, partially to Madison as they were standing on opposite sides of, well, him, as Jake was still having trouble believing this had actually happened. His Pokemon hadn't left his side yet either, which was both comforting and heartbreaking. "Guys, I'm so sorry," he said with a sigh, prompting Sigilyph and Grotle to turn his way, but neither of them seemed to see him.
"What happens now?" Madison repeated, having crouched down next to Bibarel, and she was trying very hard to pet the Pokemon but failing. "I dunno. That's up to you, I suppose."
"Up to me?"
The girl nodded. "Yep!"
Jake frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
The girl looked up at him, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. "What do you think it means, Jaeshan?" Jake could only gape at her, unsure of why it felt so familiar when she used that name. He'd heard it before - that cute redhead, Robin, had called him that when they met. Obviously she knew him and the thought made him frown. He wished he'd thought to ask her more questions when they traveled together, but then again, she hadn't seemed to notice anything was wrong.
"I don't know what it means," Jake admitted finally, walking small circles around the room. "And why did you call me Jaeshan?"
The girl smiled cheekily at him. "Well, that's your name, isn't it?"
=-=-=-=-=
Karrigan had been staring down in the spot where Gastly had disappeared and when Damien spoke, she looked up at him curiously. She'd only been partially serious when she asked if he could understand the Ghost-type. She was starting to think that the constant cleaning of his glasses was some sort of nervous tic, but she listened attentively as he spoke. Her eyes widened and she looked around frantically when he mentioned the ghost behind her, but of course she couldn't see anything. It seemed a little - no, a lot crazy - but it made all of Damien's one-sided conversations suddenly make sense. "Okay," she said, nodding slowly, even if she wasn't entirely convinced just yet. Questions? Sure, she had questions, but so many had piled into her brain that they were having trouble forming an orderly queue. "If you can talk to them, that means you can see them, too? Ghosts, I mean, because obviously you can see the Pokemon." She paused, wondering if her questions were annoying him, but given his lack of emotional expression, it was hard to tell. "So, what does that make you, some kind of spirit guide or something?"
=-=-=-=-=
Erika raised an eyebrow at Sasha's comment. Clearly, she had quite a story to tell, and she couldn't wait to hear it. As the two went about setting up the table, it was easy to tell that Erika was rather fond of the entire process, carefully polishing each piece of her cherished tea set before putting it into place. It was true that the entire process was tedious, as Erika often went through the scenting process numerous times, but she loved doing it. She was never short of things to do around the gym to keep her busy, whether it was tending to the Grass-type Pokemon, caring for the indoor plants and other greenery, mixing up batches of exotic perfumes or making delicious teas.
She wasn't exactly talented in the baking department so she left that up to some of the other trainers in the gym, but she had developed quite a talent for decorating cookies and cakes in the meantime. The two were seated around the finely set table now, waiting for the tea to cool. Erika picked up a lovely sugar cookie decorated like the petals of her trademark Vileplume and nibbled the corner as Sasha sampled the tea. She simply smiled at the comment before having a sip herself. It was nearly perfect, though the gym leader thought that perhaps the black tea could have steeped a little longer.
She listened attentively as Sasha spoke, nodding when appropriate and asking questions when given the opportunity. She'd heard a lot of what Sasha described on the news lately and it was hard to believe that her friend had been through all of that. Obviously she was all right, at least physically, but Erika still felt the need to ask. "Are you all right? My goodness." The gym leader poured them each another cup of the jasmine tea, trying to process everything that had happened. "There is no need to apologize, Sasha," Erika said kindly, laying her hand over Sasha's. "You've been through a lot, but you're here now. That's the important thing." The gym leader smiled warmly as she sipped her tea.
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 6:41 pm
"One more Vine whip ought to do it," Riza called, rubbing her hands together. She really wanted this battle to be over with already as she couldn't wait to get to Pewter. She wasn't sure she'd challenge the gym right away, but just getting there would be enough for now. Selena gave a cry, feeling quite confident at the moment. It helped that her trainer was confident, and making Riza happy made the Snivy happy. She darted forward, her vines once again making an appearance as they whipped out and struck the Geodude again.
"Geodude, no," Daniel grumbled, watching as his Pokemon was knocked back and then out. He was quick to recall it back into its poke ball, looking back at Riza. "All right, all right, I can play rough too," he chortled, holding up his second and final poke ball. Riza didn't like the look in his eye. With a flick of his hand his second Pokemon was on the field, hissing fiercely at the little Snivy.
Selena narrowed her eyes and glared right back, not intimidated by the Ekans the hiker had just sent out. Her trainer was another story, however as Riza's grey eyes had gone wide. A small whimper of fear escaped her as she stared down the snake Pokemon, and for a fleeting moment she realized that compared to that horrible Ekans, little Selena was nothing to be frightened of. "S-snake," she said, her voice a hushed whisper.
The hiker blinked, as the raven haired girl's reaction to his Ekans had taken him by surprise. "What's the matter? Don't like snakes?" he asked. The Ekans gave another hiss in reply.
"N-not particularly," Riza answered shakily, though seeing that her Snivy was unshaken helped to calm her down some. 'Okay we can do this, it's just a stupid snake, all the better to beat it, right?' she told herself. "Selena, Vine Whip!"
* * * * *
The silence that followed Katie's threat was almost deafening and the orange haired girl stood still as a statue, her hand gripping Genki's poke ball so tightly that her knuckles were turning bone white. The grass rustled slightly but it was most likely because of the wind. Katie's eyes narrowed as she scanned the area, practically daring whatever it was to come out and attack her. "Come on!" she yelled, growing impatient. "Show yourself!"
Katie's challenge would soon be met as the grass began to rustle again. Very suddenly there was another flash of green, and this time Katie cried out as she felt a sharp pain in her leg, just above her left knee and once again she fell to the ground, losing the grip on the poke ball she'd been holding and it too fell to the ground, rolling just in to the edge of the tall, tall grass. The orange haired girl uttered a quiet swear word as she took in the damage, finding a very straight and clean but shallow cut on her leg. She heard a cry from ahead of her and she looked up to find herself staring into the face of a very angry looking Pokemon. It was about as tall as she was, green and winged, but the scariest part of it were the two long blades it had for arms. ".....Scyther!" she cried, frantically looking around for the Monferno's poke ball. 'Why is it so mad at me? Did I intrude on its territory?' she thought, grabbing a different pokeball instead and she flung it.
Miles the Floatzel appeared in front of the Scyther, eyes narrowed as he stared down his new opponent. Katie frowned slightly as she wasn't sure Miles was the one she wanted out there, but the water-type was strong, fast and confident, and she trusted him to defend her against this bladed and winged menace. The Scyther had focused on the Sea Weasel Pokemon instead of Katie and it let out a low growl, dragging the tip of one of its scythes across the ground. Then, it was flying at Miles, scythe raised high. "That's a Slash attack! Miles, dodge and get around behind it with your Quick Attack!" Miles was no Slakoth and he raced into action, feeling the rush of air past his body as the Mantis Pokemon tried to slice a wedge out of him. He managed to get around his opponent fairly easily. "Now Sonic Boom!" Katie shouted, and the Floatzel gave a cry as he spun around, whipping his twin tails and sending out a blast of sonic energy at the bug-type target.
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Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 10:11 pm
It took about an hour of wandering to finally arrive at the lovely beaches of Pallet town. It wasn't like the spectacular beaches of Cinnabar Island or the other coastal towns, but it was still a welcome sight. The scent and sounds of the crashing waves was very calming after having that fight with the Rockets. "Now this is a nice change from Viridian City."
He found a changing stall and came out a few minutes later clad in blue bathing shorts and his pack over his shoulder. He simply sat it by a picnic table and called out his trio of pokemon. Gigas was on the table instantly as if the ocean would suddenly grab a hold of him. Odin simply stared out across the blue sea and Mateus simply glared at Kressen. "Gigas buddy. Chill, just stay up here and play in the sand. You don't have to get near the water. I just want you guys to relax a bit while I look about for a new friend. So you three stay within sight of me while I look about, but you can play around if you want to."
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 10:10 am
Selena gave another cry as her vines once again lashed out, one of them snapping up against the side of the Ekans while the snake dodged the second. It didn't appear to be overly hurt by the one that did hit it and it rose up, hissing loudly at the Snivy.
"Those vines aren't going to do you much good," the hiker chortled, pointing a grubby finger at Selena. "Ekans, Poison Sting!" The snake Pokemon slithered forward, mouth gaping open as it spat out dozens of tiny poison needles. The Snivy gave a fearful cry and raced back and forth in an attempt to dodge them, but more than a few of the needles hit their mark.
"Selena, let's slow it down with your Glare," Riza called, her voice a little less shaky than before.
"Oh no you don't, not that again!" the hiker called back. "Ekans, you use Glare too!"
Both Pokemon's eyes had begun to glow with an eerie crimson at the same time, and they locked gazes and tried to stare the other down. Neither Pokemon was willing to give in it seemed.
"Ekans, switch to Leer!" Daniel shouted as clearly all this glaring was going nowhere. The Ekans' tongue poked out and its eyes grew wide, causing the Snivy to break eye contact and gasp out in fright. Suddenly the snake lunged forward, ramming its head into Selena's stomach and knocking her back several feet. Wincing, the grass-type managed to get back up again, breathing heavily. Riza clenched her fists, having had just about enough of this nasty Ekans.
* * * * *
'Now Scyther is a badass Pokemon,' Katie thought as the Mantis Pokemon easily sidestepped Miles' Sonic Boom, and in turn it slashed its scythe through the air, sending out a wave that headed right for the Floatzel. It was Miles' turn to do some fancy foot work and he too avoided the attack, giving a toothy grin to the Scyther as the two faced each other again. 'I should totally catch it,' the orange haired girl thought, already getting an empty poke ball ready. 'It'll make a great addition to my team!'
Katie couldn't help but feel excited as she pointed at the Mantis Pokemon. "Miles! Water Gun!" she called, and the Floatzel quickly moved forward as he fired off a concentrated stream of water at the Scyther. The bug-type gave a snarl and raised a scythe, deflecting the water gun and sending drops of water spraying everywhere. It continued to leer at Miles, undaunted by its opponent's attacks. "Now use Swift!"
Miles gave a cry and spun around again, a cascade of sparkling stars trailing from his twin tails which quickly zoomed toward the Scyther. Again it tried to block them but many of them got through, each doing small amounts of damage. It gave a sharp growl and sped forward quite suddenly, using its wings to skim across the ground. Miles tried to dodge but the Quick Attack outran him, sending him to the ground. The Floatzel quickly got back up and sent a retaliatory spray of water, but he missed by a good foot or so. This was going to be trickier than Katie thought.
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:39 am
"My name..." Jake repeated, scratching his chin. "Jaeshan." The more he said it, the more familiar it sounded, and there was something about the way Madison said it that made it seem that much more real. He gave a slight chuckle, and looked back at the girl. "It is my name."
Madison giggled. "Yep, it is! You're making progress!"
Jake managed a weak smile and looked back at his body, feeling a twinge of sadness shoot through him. Progress, sure, he thought glumly. Progress toward what? It's not gonna matter now... He sighed and watched his Pokemon for a few moments, wondering how long they'd stay here with him and he couldn't help but hope that they'd soon wander off and hopefully meet another trainer that could take care of them. "I can't stay here anymore," he said suddenly, standing up and walking out of the room. He flinched as his shoulder bumped against the door frame, but there was no impact or pain as he passed right through it. "Right, forgot," he sighed.
He wandered about the ruined mansion for a while before finding himself back at the place he'd fallen through the floor. He didn't have the heart to peer down through it, however, so he sat up against the far wall near the bookcase, hugging his knees to his chest. He didn't know how long he stayed that way, but a strange cry caught his attention and he looked up to find himself staring at the oddly-shaped red and blue Pokemon again. "You," he grumbled, peering at it from just over his forearm. "If I hadn't chased you, I wouldn't be in this position right now."
The Pokemon hummed quietly and drifted over to him, a few sparks of electricity flaring from its body. It didn't look sorry in the slightest as it nuzzled up against Jake. The contact made the boy jump, and he sat straight up, staring wide-eyed at the little creature. "You can see and hear me?" he asked, and the little Pokemon nodded. "And I can touch you, too. You must be a Ghost-type Pokemon, then," he concluded with a little smile. The Rotom gave a cry and drifted around in circles, its whole body crackling with electricity. "And an Electric-type. My one friend adores Electric-types and she'd get a kick out of you," he said with a laugh, but then paused. He had a friend that loved electric Pokemon? He wasn't sure how he knew, but he was more than certain of it. He couldn't place any names or faces with the memory, but it was something, at least.
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 7:13 pm
'I hate snakes, I hate snakes,' Riza thought over and over again, watching with a look of indignation as the Ekans rose up and unleashed another volley of poison sting at Selena on hiker Daniel's order. The Snivy cried out in pain and collapsed, too weak to continue and Riza was quick to recall her, frowning at the poke ball as she clipped it back to her belt. 'I'm sorry Selena, I should have called you back sooner,' she thought, instantly reaching for Akima's poke ball as she was sure the Weavile could quickly deal with the snake. She quickly remembered her plan to work with her newer Pokemon, and she selected Eris' poke ball instead.
The Quilava appeared in a flash, pawing the ground eagerly. The moment her gaze fell upon the Ekans her flames flared up, and she gave a sharp growl. It always pleased Riza to see how fired up the Quilava could get, and she hoped the fire-type would make quick work of the Ekans. She really wanted to get to Pewter City already. The hiker called for Ekans to use Acid and the snake Pokemon opened its mouth and spit out a yellowish liquid at the fire-type. "Eris, dodge it," Riza called. The Quilava snorted and charged forward, her whole body becoming cloaked in flames. "Eris, no! I said dodge, not Flame Wheel!" the raven haired girl shouted angrily.
The Quilava showed no signs that she'd heard her trainer, and if she had she was blatantly ignoring her as she rushed the Ekans. The Acid splashed down on her, some of it burning away in the flames and some getting through but that didn't slow Eris down as she threw herself into the snake Pokemon with a fiery tackle. The poison-type was knocked back, hissing and writhing in pain and despite the strong hit, Riza was fuming. Eris was hotheaded for sure, but that didn't excuse the Quilava's disobedience.
* * * * *
The Scyther was proving to be a relentless enemy, after dodging Miles' Water Gun it went right back on the attack, coming in after the Floatzel for a Wing Attack. As fast as the Floatzel was he couldn't avoid this strike either and he hit the ground again, breathing heavy. Katie narrowed her eyes. 'Was that a critical hit?' she thought, glancing down at the cut on her leg. It was only bleeding a tiny bit, but it was stinging a lot, but Katie ignored that and instead focused on the Scyther as it was still a real threat. Miles had only taken a few hits and he was already starting to look a bit tired.
"Sonic Boom!" the girl called as the Mantis had come around for another Wing Attack. Miles gave a growl and whipped out his tails, sending out the wave of energy. It slammed into the Scyther's chest and while not being exceedingly powerful was enough to knock the bug-type off balance and cause it to abort its attack. Miles squared his feet and gave a sharp growl, showing the Scyther that he hadn't given up just yet. "Good work, Miles, I know you can do it," Katie said, also glaring at the bug. She continued to hold the poke ball at the ready but the Scyther was nowhere near weak enough to be captured just yet.
'Gonna want to stay away from those sharp blades,' Katie thought. "Miles, now use Swift!" The good thing about swift was that it couldn't miss, and once again the orange coloured Floatzel spun around, this time sending out a swarm of sparkling stars. The Scyther gave a cry and darted forward, ignoring the stars as they smashed up against it. It raised a blade and initiated a scary looking Slash attack, causing Miles to cry out as he hit the ground once again. This wasn't looking so good for the Sea Weasel Pokemon.
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:47 pm
Crenu didn't bother to fold his clothes or place them neatly anywhere, he used to do it out of habbit, he had a small thing about order and such but lately he was caring less and less about little things like that. He just let his clothes lay where they fell as he stapped into the shower, just sort of standing there for a moment. He was about to turn the water on when he caught sight of his arm, bandaged up and covered in dried blood. His mind had been in such disarray the night before he hadn't even realized his cuts had opened up during the battle with Erika. He thought the dizzy feeling was from having recently awoken mixed with lack of sleep, but now he was starting to suspect it was due to blood loss. He couldn't really judge if he looked paler than usual, he never really took the time to look at himself very carefully after all. For all he knew he actually looked full of life right now, though probably not. But the bandages were dry now so at least the bleeding had stopped at some point. He was going to have to get an IV of blood pretty soon, he did a good job of hiding things but even he couldn't deny that he'd lost way too much blood over the past few days, and didn't show any sign of stopping anytime soon. But there was no way he was goign to a hospital...he was just going to have to deal with it. At least his left arm and right hand weren't bleeding, burning the wound shut was the right call. But the ones on his hands were too small and numerous to do that, and the ones on his arm...he couldn't seal those up. He just couldn't.
Undoing the bandages slowly, he cringed as the bloody ones pulled at his skin as he lifted it, the cuts bleeding again once they were in the open air, but only slightly. This was a good sign, perhaps his body was starting to heal after all. And his hand wasn't that bad after all, Ken's stitch job was holding well, only a few of them had re opened. Crenu's mood quickly changed though when he looked at his arm...it made his skin crawl as he stared at it. There they were, clear as day. He was glad Riza hadn't seen this arm yet since he insisted on treating it himself. This arm had the marks...the marks of his failure. Clear as day, the tally marks that he'd cut into his skin to mark every loss he'd encountered so far. But...there were more than he remembered...they littered his arm and came up nearly to his shoulder...so many losses. He'd almost forgotten that he'd lost it that day and started to recall every loss he'd ever had even as a child. And as he stared at them all, he recalled every single one. It made him sick, one was missing now. He'd lost to Riza at the contest...that was a loss. His first since he marked himself. He'd a few ties since then...but those weren't losses. At least the opponent went down too. But no...this one...this was an utter defeat! His Poliwhirl was crushed by her! Made into some play thing for her Weavile! Such a harsh defeat, his bare skin burned with failure! Crenu's jaw clentched tight, he was burning up with the sensation of his defeat, and then suddenly, a sharp feeling of relief cut through the flames and brought him peace. He hadn't noticed, but the entire time his nail had been moving back and fourth against his arm, right next to two other cuts, the next tally in that new set of five. He sawed back and fourth making a scratch and digging it deeper and deeper until blood spurt out slightly and trickled down his arm, staining his thumb nail as he made it deeper, until he was satisfied that it would leave a good mark. It hurt a lot...but it made the burning sensation go away. It cleansed his failure...and all was right. Or at least, as right as it could be. With the deed done and feeling better, he cast aside the remaining bandages and turned the knob, letting the ice cold water flow from the shower head and wash over him, a swirl of red pooling around his feel and lightening as the blood was washed away.
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 6:54 am
"Your Quilava needs more training," the hiker commented from the other side of the battlefield, a small smirk on his face despite the fact that his Ekans had just taken a lot of damage from Eris' Flame Wheel.
"Nobody asked you," Riza snarled back, causing Daniel to look shocked, but the raven haired girl didn't care. "Eris, use Smokescreen!" Her tone of voice was harsh and even the Quilava was a bit startled, but regardless she gave a nod and let her flames dwindle, causing a thick hazy smoke to spill out and flood the area. "Now use your new move!" Riza called once the field had been blacked out. Eris gave a nod even though no one could see it and quickly burrowed into the ground, already knowing that this would likely become one of their favourite tactics to use in battle.
"Poison Sting, Ekans!" Daniel called, sounding worried. "Spread it out and make it as wide as you can! We'll find 'em!"
'I don't think you will,' Riza thought in a sing song fashion, a grin curling her lips. "Do it, Eris!" she called. Eris had gotten the hang of her Dig technique pretty easily and she burst from the ground beneath the Ekans in a spray of rock and dirt, slamming it hard with her shoulder and sending it to the ground a second time. It was slow to get back up again, shaking and looking around fearfully as it tried to pinpoint where the Quilava had gone.
* * * * *
"Water Gun!" Katie called as Miles weakly pulled himself to his feet. He'd barely started to fire the jet of water when the Scyther bowled him over again, this time with a Quick Attack. The orange haired girl had no luck in locating Genki's poke ball just yet as it was hard to do a careful search and battle an angry Scyther at the same time. Miles was hurting and she didn't want to risk him getting seriously injured so she recalled him into his poke ball and quickly threw out a second one to replace him. 'Scyther's also part flying-type so he should be weak against electricity,' she thought as her eager little Elekid appeared in front of her.
The Elekid's eyes went wide when he saw the threat he was facing, and he glanced back at Katie, quickly noticing the bleeding cut on her leg. "Biii!" he shouted, already starting to whirlwind his arms to generate electricity. "Biibiibiiii!"
Katie couldn't help but laugh as she watched the spirited little electric-type. "That's my boy, Kord! Don't let me down, okay? Hit that overgrown bug with your Shock Wave!" The Elekid gave a cry and the electricity raced out in all directions before converging into one concentrated bolt that sped toward the Mantis Pokemon. The bug narrowed its eyes and tried to dodge, but the Shock Wave chased right after it, coming around and striking it from the side. It screeched out in pain and staggered back. Katie stared, impressed. Kord's electric attacks were really starting to pack a punch, and she grinned as she thought of Kilik and Cable. 'Battles like this are just what we need,' the pigtailed girl thought excitedly.
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 10:13 am
"He's always hungry," Keegan replied, glancing down at the tiny dragon. Hades, unaware that he'd even done anything wrong, squirmed cutely in his trainer's arms, a lone piece of frayed thread dangling from the corner of his mouth. It was difficult to remain angry for even a few seconds with the little Axew, and the redhead sighed, not at all surprised by Kasiya's offer. His own stomach was rumbling, though quietly as it virtually silenced by the growls coming from Mike's, and he grinned a little. "Nah, not hungry," he lied, taking up Eithne's PokeBall and recalling her, as she'd started to wander away from their little group and he didn't need the playful Arcanine getting herself into trouble. Even he had to admit that he was a little reluctant to part with his friends, even if seeing the two of them together-together felt like an Icicle Spear to the heart at times, but he thought again of the distant Petalburg Gym, and a surge of adrenaline found its way into his gut, completely eradicating any traces of hunger. "Besides, I've got a gym leader to defeat." He returned little Hades to his white and red Premier ball and clipped the sphere to his belt. "Seems like I've got some catching up to do," he added with a bit of a sly smirk.
He'd been considering lighting up a second cigarette but decided against it as he pulled The Dame's PokeBall out of his jeans pocket, once again quite grateful that his father had trusted him enough to take the Charizard in the first place. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about the overly-sour Skarmory, but perhaps a few days confined to his Great Ball would be good for him. The redhead craned his neck as the motherly Charizard appeared, seemingly studying the three humans before giving a soft snort. Of course she recognized the boys, but it had taken her a moment or so to place the girl and she suddenly wondered how well her other baby was getting along. She glanced to Keegan, who nodded, and she crouched down so that the redhead could climb up on her back. "Coolest loan, ever," he said with a laugh, patting the dragon's scaly neck, and The Dame grinned a little, evidently in agreement with her temporary rider and suddenly she wondered why the boy's father had never given him one of her eggs. Humans were strange beings, indeed.
"I guess this is goodbye for now, then," Keegan said somewhat awkwardly from his lofty perch, and he scratched the back of his head. "So, uh, good luck and keep in touch and cheerio and all that. We're off to Petalburg." The Dame spread out her large wings and rocketed up into the sky, unaware of the fact that her rider was peeking down over his shoulder until Mike and Kasiya were no longer visible. "That could have gone worse," he muttered, prompting a quizzical grunt from the Charizard. "Well... it could have!" Keegan protested, thinking back to the TMs he'd bought. Now that he wasn't so distracted, he realized he'd forgotten to pick up a Roost TM for Artemis, which was something he'd planned on during their training the previous evening. He hadn't gotten a replacement jacket, either, and he sighed. "We gotta go back, but uh, no rush," he added, and The Dame chortled a little. He figured the two weren't likely to stick around long, but he still felt the need to exercise caution as the Charizard touched down on the Department Store roof yet again.
=====
The captain's expression was a fairly sour one as he allowed Miharu's story to sink in, and he removed his cap and shook his head. "Despicable," he grumbled, allowing his gaze to fall on the poor girl yet again. He wanted to say he couldn't believe a person was capable of such things, but the proof was sitting right there in front of him, and he sighed, massaging his temples with his thumb and index finger. "There isn't much that can be done now," he said finally, giving Miharu's hand a little pat, "but the moment we arrive in Castelia City, we will contact the authorities. In the meantime, I am considering you to be my personal guest. If there is anything any of us can do for you, don't hesitate to ask, all right?"
The faintest trace of a smile creased Miharu's lips, and she nodded. "Th-thank you, Captain." The older man gave a curt nod of his own and excused himself, and Miharu sighed, slumping back against the pillows. Her head continued to pound and she felt utterly exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and sleep, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to.
"Get some rest, my dear," the kind nurse said, dimming the light over Miharu's bed. The girl nodded again, and despite everything, she felt her eyelids steadily growing heavier and before long she'd fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep.
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 10:58 am
It was always an interesting thing, watching someone as they processed the concept that Damien could communicate with ghosts, and the dark-haired youth was wearing an almost impish smirk as he studied Karrigan's expression. He was relieved that she didn't immediately jump to the conclusion that he was a liar or a lunatic, but he was sure that she'd probably want some sort of proof, which was almost always difficult. He too looked off in the direction that Gastly had gone, realizing that so long as the Ghost-type had found the right girl to eavesdrop upon, relaying that story to the redhead before anyone else on the ship knew (aside from the crew and medical team, of course) would be all the proof he'd need.
"Spirit guide? Not a chance. My grandmother uses the term 'medium' though," he answered with a shrug. "And yes, I can see them. Sometimes it's like they seek me out on purpose. It's actually quite annoying." As he spoke, his eyes scanned the area, but nothing seemed to stand out as abnormal, at least for the time being. "Gastly should be back soon, did you want to go get something to drink? I thought I saw a canteen back there somewhere."
Gastly, meanwhile, remained hidden until he heard the Captain leave sickbay and he sighed, shaking his head. "The poor girl," he murmured, leaving his hiding place so that he could get a peek at her. She was sleeping now, which the Ghost-type thought was a good thing, and he drifted back down into the floor to return to Damien. He had quite the tale to tell, after all.
=====
Falkner had watched the challenger advance through the gym from a semi-hidden platform high above the main one, and when the youth called out his challenge, the blue-haired gym leader made his presence known, hopping deftly onto the back of his trusty Pidgeot and riding it down to where Jasper waited. He had to admit that this kid was hard to read, as one minute he seemed to be a bit clueless and then the next, he was laying the smack down on Rod and Bridget. He'd have to have a word with his two gym trainers, but it'd have to wait as it was his turn to test out the bandanna-clad trainer.
"Welcome, Jasper Bennett," Falkner said calmly, studying his newest challenger carefully. "I am Falkner, and I gladly accept your challenge. We will battle one on one, with two Pokemon each. No items may be used, and there will be no time limit. When both of one side's Pokemon are unable to continue, the match will be over. If you can defeat me, you shall be awarded this." He held up his hand to reveal a glittering silver badge shaped like a pair of wings - the Zephyr Badge.
Falkner took his position opposite Jasper, already in the process of releasing his first Pokemon - a fierce looking Spearow. "We're ready whenever you are, Jasper," the gym leader stated coolly.
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 1:01 pm
"I think we're just about done here," Riza said, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back on a heel. "Eris, finish that thing off with your special move." Now Riza couldn't see the Ekans nor could she see her Quilava, but the Volcano Pokemon's eager cry was enough to let her know that Eris was already on it. The smoke around the two Pokemon began to clear, giving a good view of the Quilava poised on the ground, her face set in concentration while a pinkish aura spread out from her to the Ekans. The snake Pokemon was currently being suspended in the air, struggling against the Quilava's psychic powers. Eris gave another cry and swung her head, sending the poison-type for a spin through the air until it came crashing down on the ground in front of the hiker. "What was that about needing more training?" Riza asked, her eyes gleaming.
"Nothing, geez, sorry," Daniel grumbled, quickly recalling his Ekans and backing away. Once he was far enough he almost started running back up the route toward Mt. Moon. Riza wasn't really all that sorry to see him go, even if she was thankful for him returning her phone. That reminded her that she'd received a call and she motioned for Eris to follow her as she continued toward Pewter City.
"Shiro... of course," she sighed, smiling a bit as she saw the candid photo of him she'd snapped shortly after they'd started traveling together. He was actually sort of smiling in it and she was glad she'd taken it. Granted she wasn't quite sure what to expect as she hit the call button, raising the device to her ear as she walked. Eris trotted proudly at her trainer's side, quite happy with her performance in the battle, even if Riza was still a little annoyed by her refusal to listen at the start of it.
The line rang and rang, which Riza found odd because it wasn't like Crenu to not answer his phone right away, so she figured he was probably sleeping or something and waited for it to go to voicemail. She smirked at his grumpy voice stating his name and demanding the caller to leave a message. "Heya, it's me," she said a bit nervously, twisting a lock of her dark hair around the end of her fingers. "I'm returning your call. Celadon, huh? Doing some shopping, I hope, because you are in desperate need of some new threads. Anyway, I'm on my way to Pewter. Call me back....if you want. Bye!" Her message seemed weird, at least to her, and she sighed as she ended the call and placed her phone back in her bag. At this point she wasn't even sure if he'd call her back, and her thoughts were quite gloomy as she finally found herself heading into Pewter City. The pokecenter would be her first stop, but first she'd have to find it.
* * * * *
Being hit by Kord's Shock Wave didn't seem to make the Mantis Pokemon any less angry and it gave a fearsome screech, practically seeing red as it charged at the tiny Elekid. "Kord, it's coming in for a Slash!" Katie cried fearfully. "Dodge it!" The Scyther's cry got louder as it closed in on the little electric-type, and in a flash it had swung its bladed arm, leaving a deep gash in the little plug's side. Kord cried out painfully and staggered back, holding his wound, finally falling down on his rear. That had been a critical hit for sure.
Feeling as though the little Pokemon had been neutralized, the Scyther turned to Katie and began to stalk forward, its face twisted into a scary looking snarl. Katie took a step back, her heart starting to pound as the green Mantis Pokemon advanced toward her. She'd taken Noa's poke ball into her hand, ready to throw it when she heard a cry from Kord. Both she and the Scyther turned to look as the little Elekid had gotten back to his feet, glaring harshly at the Scyther. "Biii!" he shouted, now taking big steps towards it. "Ele biiii!" Katie let out a quiet gasp as the electric-type's body began to shine a brilliant white, and even the Scyther took pause, having been startled by the Elekid's sudden evolution.
"Kord?" Katie asked, as the light faded away and the electric-type continued to stomp toward the Scyther, no longer a puny Elekid but an impressive Electabuzz. The Mantis was still a bit taller than he was, but Kord looked a lot more formidable now and the Scyther was having second thoughts. "Get 'im, Kord!" Katie shouted, and the Electabuzz broke into a run. His fist was held low to the ground as it became wreathed in crackling electricity, and he gave a loud cry as he swung it in an uppercut fashion, smashing the surprised Scyther under the chin and sending it flying through the air. It hit the ground some twenty feet later and slowly pulled itself up, giving Kord one final glare before it turned and fled, leaving Katie and her newly evolved Electabuzz in peace.
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 4:52 pm
The few awkward moments that passed while Jasper stood, waiting for some sort of response to his challenge felt like hours, and he was starting to suspect that Falkner wasn't even in the building when he caught the sound of wings from up above him. Having figured out by now that the theme of the Violet Gym seemed to be "look up", he did just that, mouth curving into a little 'o' at the sight of the large bird flying down toward him, carrying whom he presumed to be Falkner. 'If I have to battle that Pidgeot, I am so fubar'd,' the trainer thought, taking a cautionary step back as the bird touched down. It was a little hard to believe that those little bitty Pidgey could end up growing so big, and he made a mental note to have Ditto learn how to transform into one. If the Terrific Transformer survived this battle, that is.
And just like that, Falkner was in business mode, introducing himself and giving a quick rundown of the rules. Jasper continued to stare quite stupidly at the Pidgeot, managing to nod now and then to show that he understood how things worked around here. `Two on two indeed,' Jasper thought cynically, already imagining the looks on Scarlet and Jett's faces when he told them his first gym match had ended with his Croconaw and Ditto being eaten by a giant bird. And then something magical happened, and Jasper found himself staring at a less-than-magnificent Spearow, though he had to admit that this one looked a lot more formidable than Bridget's had. "Oh, okay then," he muttered, looking to the Pidgeot once more as he grabbed Toto-Croconaw's Pokeball. Obviously the giant flying type was only there for looks, or to scare the living hell out of Falkner's challengers; Jasper wasn't sure.
The gator made her appearance, already snapping her powerful jaws as she eyed her opponent. She too looked toward the larger Pidgeot and gave a slight hiss, but when the Pidgeot actually turned to look at her she was quick to avert her gaze. "Croconaw, Dragon Dance," Jasper called, silently applauding himself for calling the gator by the right name for a change and he was starting to understand why many trainers gave their Pokemon nicknames. Croconaw huffed, having now fixed her gaze on the Spearow and began to move her feet to a rhythm that only she could hear, drawing upon the power of dragons to increase her speed and power.
* * * * * * * * * *
For a solid minute, Hayley stared at the statuesque Pokeball, afraid to even blink as though the mouse would burst forth and make a daring escape. It wasn't until Tisyphone was pawing at her leg did the brunette allow herself to exhale, and she hopped up and down on the spot, pointing at the sphere. "I did it! You did it! We did it!" she cheered, grabbing the startled Nidoran and dancing around with her. "We caught Pikachu! Best day ever! Well... except for the part about being attacked by a swarm of angry Beedrill, but still! And it's not even lunch time yet!" Still giggling, the pajama-clad girl scooted over to the Pokeball and picked it up, staring at it with wide, green eyes. "A new friend," she said to herself, clutching the Pokeball to her chest and giggling again.
She clicked open the sphere, and the mouse appeared in her arms, initially wearing a rather smug smirk, at least until Hayley looked directly at her. She pretended to look fatigued, giving the girl a weak thumbs-up and snuggling up against her. Hey, if she could get a free ride to the Pokemon Center, she'd take it! "Sorry about that Double Kick," she said, the Nidoran on her shoulder giving an apologetic chirp as well, "but that's all in the past! We're all gonna be the best of friends and we're going to have awesome adventures! But first, you need a name." Hayley pursed her lips as she studied her newest Pokemon, the mouse looking back at her with painful anticipation. She'd heard some pretty wonky nicknames before and she really hoped her new trainer would think of something more clever than Sparky. "Kaylee!" Hayley announced finally, holding the Pikachu out at arms' length to gauge her reaction. "I'm gonna call you Kaylee!"
The newly-dubbed Kaylee pondered this a moment before giving a nod - hey, she'd heard worse! She positioned herself on Hayley's other shoulder, giving Tisyphone a quick wink - which went right over the little Nidoran's head - and got herself comfortable. Hayley, still under the impression that her new Pikachu was in dire need of healing began her trek back to the Pokemon Center. She didn't get very far before she spotted a rather tall girl, dressed mostly in black (there was some white, after all) and she had rather long and rather lovely jet-black hair. She was presumably around Hayley's age and seemingly looking for something. She didn't appear to be lost, but Hayley was a friendly creature by nature and she wasn't entirely sure, so she sidled right up to the girl, wearing her zillion-megawatt smile. "Hey!" she said cheerfully, the two Pokemon positioned on either of her shoulders looking a tad embarrassed. "Are you lost? Can I help you find something?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:44 pm
One of the first things Riza had noticed about Pewter City was how awfully dull it was in compared to the other Kanto cities she'd visited so far. It didn't have the seaside ambiance of Vermilion or the rustic, lovely landscaping of Cerulean. Everything seemed to be made of dull grey stones, and while the craftsmanship was something to be admired, Riza found herself wanting to leave this pace just as soon as her gym battle was over.
She'd been on the lookout for signs that might point her in the right direction when suddenly someone was right beside her, wearing a blinding smile. The first thing Riza noticed was the girl's long, wavy brown hair, but immediately after that, she saw the Pikachu and ...little blue Pokemon sitting on her shoulders. "Hi," she said tentatively, taking a step back to try and preserve her personal space. "I'm not really lost, I'm just new in town and-" she stopped as she got a good look at the girl and she frowned, touching a slender finger to her chin. "No offense but, you do realize you're in your pajamas, right?" she asked, a little taken back by the sight and she wondered if this girl lived around here. Otherwise, why would she be so comfortable roaming around in just her pj's?
* * * * *
For a moment or so, Katie just stood there, only mildly aware of the slight stinging of the cut on her leg as her attention was completely focused on Kord. The Electabuzz was breathing slowly, his gaze fixed on the section of grass where the Scyther had disappeared. When he was certain that the Mantis Pokemon wasn't coming back, he turned to look at Katie, flashing a toothy grin and a thumbs up.
"Ohmigosh Kord! You're amazing! I can't believe you're an Electabuzz now! And that Thunderpunch was... wham!" The orange haired girl reenacted the hit, even mimicking the sound of crackling electricity as she did so. Kord beamed at this, flexing his newly lengthened arms and sending static rippling over his muscles. He felt stronger, though oddly, not quite as fast as before. Trading speed for power didn't seem to bother him though and he gave a laugh as Katie threw her arms around him, the static causing some of her hair to stand on end. "You protected me from that Scyther. Thank you, Kord, you're the best." She gave him another big hug before the two started back to Solaceon Town, but then Katie remembered something SUPER important and she ran back to the tall grass, dropping to her hands and knees in order to search out Genki's dropped poke ball.
After about twenty minutes of minor panicking, Kord produced the missing sphere which resulted in another hug from his trainer, and now feeling much better the duo made their way back into town. Katie was a little worried about Miles, as the Floatzel had taken a few nasty hits, but she was also worried about his pride. It was like that Scyther had outclassed him in every way.
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 9:01 am
Mike smiled knowingly at Keegan's fib, his feelings not as hurt as one might assume. The redhead had handled him basically crawling over him like a champ, and honestly, it felt weird seeing him so composed. It was abnormal, but as long as he was around Kasiya, he was sure they could all do without an argument. "Norman won't stand a chance against you." Mike added, fully confident in his friend's ability. His warmhearted reassurance morphed quickly into jealousy as he saw, of all Pokemon, The Dame materialize before him. "Aw, what?" Mike whined. "He let you use her?" He had been not-so-subtly asking (begging) Mr. Summers for years to use the mommazard. "I guess beating up your old man has more than a few perks to it." he said, rebounding back to pride. He waved at the Charizard and said his goodbye to Keegan before the two disappeared from view. "That could have gone worse." he said, leaning over and resting his head on Kasiya's.
Still quite hungry, Mike offered his lady the very best Pokemon Center vending machines had in stock, and the two enjoyed a quick lunch, refueling their Pokemon as well. The conversation was the standard fare, with plenty of Mike fawning over Kasiya's performance in the gym battle, and making sure to throw in at least two apologies for the interaction with Keegan, even though it was completely out of his control that he was even there. While there, Mike decided that it was time to switch up his party a bit, and against every instinct he had, deposited Portabello for the first time since his capture. He immediately regretted his decision, and even reached for the ball as it disappeared into the machine, but wasn't quick enough. "It's for the best. It's for the best." he assured himself. "He needs his rest. I can do this." He took in a deep breath and calmed himself, knowing if he even thought he needed anything, Kasiya would already be there. "Okay. Now the rest." Titanium, Napalm and Xanthos were next to be deposited, and Mike withdrew Pumpkin, Vesuvius and Camerae, figuring it was about time they got some training. He would keep Nitro until they made it to Pewter, but then he was giving his poor Chairzard a break, too.
His party now all changed up, Mike waited for Kasiya to do the same before departing for Mt. Pyre. His stomach already bundled up inside of him, he felt it would shoot out of his feet when Nitro began to drop down on the fog-filled mountain. The outline of an all-too-familiar pedestal coming into view as they descended. Mike swallowed the lump in his throat, and grabbed onto Kasiya's hand for courage.
------
Normally, having a lovely girl's hand on hers would be grounds for Sasha to start laying on her charm, but Erika was different. Her concern was so genuine, so heartfelt, that the thought of soiling it never entered her mind once, even after she found out that she enjoyed the company of girls along with boys. "I'll be fine." Sasha replied softly, accepting the gesture by turning her hand over and holding her friend's in hers. "But I don't s'hink I will be joining up on any more crazy missions like z'hat anytime soon. Z'his is apparently normal for them. I don't know how they can do that without going insa-well." she caught herself. "Without some of z'hem going insane." Sasha didn't necessarily regret joining up with everyone, but for a lady of refinement (as she claimed to be), it was oh so exhausting; really it was.
Sasha refilled her cup and took a sip, smiling widely at the refreshing flavor Deciding that she had talked plenty for the moment, she turned the conversation to her friend. "What about you? Have any exciting challengers lately? Who was z'hat intense boy that was here last? Meet any cute boys lately?" she leaned into that last question. Erika had always been exceedingly reserved when it came to romance, and it often took a lot of prying to even get her to even admit she thought a boy was cute.
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