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 Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 9:52 pm
"You messed up, didn't you? A terrible fate has befallen you. And now you're going to bare the weight of the world you created on your shoulders. A pity. But then again, who will pity you?"
The haunting voice of an unseen tormentor echoed out into the endless abyss that was its home. The shadowy figure of the tormented looked around frantically, nearly crumpling to the non existing floor as a gigantic sphere appeared on it's back, instinctively the figure reached up to try and support the crushing weight in a desperate act of survival. Despite the feeling of muscles tearing and shoulder blades cracking and crumbling like bread, the figure held firmly and started to lift the weight. Almost to the point of shaking it , however before salvation could be grasped the body less voice laughed as heavy chains suddenly wrapped across the figure's body, securing the weight to its back and sealing its fate. Brought to its knees, the figure trembled and suffered in silence, but never gave in to the punishment that it apparently deserved. Unable to speak, unable to move, it sat there in a lightless, soundless, infinite abyss. Not even the voice from before made a sound as the figure knelt there feeling the constant crushing sensation on its back, and a greater sensation burning from within its core. And yet, who would know? Who would care? There was no one to pity this creature. There was no one to care about this creature. There was no one. Only it, and the weight of the world it created. And yet, it knew this was how it should be. The burning grew hotter and hotter, and started to radiate through its whole boy. The shadow screamed a silent scream, its vision went white, this was the end!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ah, you're awake. You must have been having quite the nightmare. You looked so very restless. Plus people don't shoot upright like that breathing heavily when they're having good dreams." An older woman said in a soft voice as she sat by the bed, soaking a rag in water and placing it over the forehead of a nearly unidentifiable figure. A few patches of slightly damaged skin peeked through here and there, eyes, severely damaged lips, and nothing else were visible thanks to the bandages that covered the torso of a person sitting up in the bed she sat by. It was covered by a sheet from the waist down but from the looks of it, the rest of their body was probably covered in bandages as well. She placed the rag over the person's forehead, easing them back down onto the bed. There was resistance of course, she'd been fighting this person practically the whole time she's been rendering care, but she was patient. Anyone would be in excruciating pain after having gone through what they could only assume this person had gone through, and she and her family were determined to help them recover and find out what happened. A gentle voice echoed out through the room as a pink and white pokemon sang gently to the person in bandages, and despite their best efforts to fight it off the struggling mummy soon fell back into a dead slumber where the very real burning pain was blocked out and turned into one that existed only in the dream. The older woman sighed as she began to change the person's dressings, applying ointment to the damaged flesh underneath. The spots that weren't black and blistering were raw and exposed, little good flesh remained anywhere it seemed. "This one still has a long painful road of recovery ahead. But we can only fix a tattered body, a broken mind is considerably more difficult to heal." The Audino looked at the woman with a sad expression, staying close by and continuing her soothing songs to do what little she could to help their patient.
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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 12:36 pm
A familiar feeling of annoyance filled Kasiya as she watched her Luxio stagger about on the platform. Confusion was easily her most hated status ailment - even though it usually did wear off eventually - but right now, she just didn't have the patience for it. Not only that, but the thought of a confused Zaira stumbling right off the raised wooden area was quite alarming - she didn't actually have any Flying-types on her right now (she wasn't sure if she trusted her floaty Duskull enough to help) and she wasn't sure if the gym had any sort of polices about saving Pokemon that were about to plummet to their doom.
When Zaira jumped head-first at the floor in front of her, Kasiya knew it was time to switch her out (and maybe investing in a Thunderbolt TM for her wouldn't hurt either) and end this now - she was ready to face Falkner! She held up the Luxio's Pokeball and recalled the Electric-type, very nearly snatching up Shocker's in return as she fully intended to have her Raichu Thunderbolt that bat into the middle of next week. She stopped herself, however, and breathed out slowly. No overkill this time, she decided as she released her feisty Charmeleon. Yes, she'd have to settle for roasting her opponents rather than zapping them, at least this time.
Tessa's smug smirk at having confused the Luxio faded as her challenger simply decided to swap Pokemon, and she knew right away that the Charmeleon would be a lot more troublesome than the feline-like Electric-type. "Zubat, quick! Use Supersonic to confuse it!" Tessa called, hoping to quickly swing the tide of battle around in her favor once again. The tiny bat's wings flapped rapidly as it opened its mouth to blast another round of noise at its opponent.
"Not this time," Kasiya said quietly. She smiled and nodded at Nova, and nothing more. The Charmeleon's toothy grin would spell the end for Tessa's little Zubat as the Fire-type opened her mouth and loosed a ferocious stream of flames, stopping the Supersonic before it could even really start and ending the battle right then and there. Nova didn't even have to take a step to return to her trainer's side; she just folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head a little as her blackened opponent was returned to its Pokeball - psh, too easy!
=-=-=-=-=
Bibarel, no! Jaeshan grit his teeth, watching helplessly as Bibarel's energy was sucked dry, and as Georgia's Carnivine relinquished its hold on her, the Normal/Water-type Pokemon slumped to the ground, unable to continue. Jaeshan gave a heavy sigh as he recalled Bibarel to her Pokeball, and turned to Lisa, who was still standing next to him, looking only slightly worried. "Now can I use my dragon?" he asked, more than half serious. Lisa giggled, but shook her head. He made a face and looked back to the grinning Carnivine. He didn't want to send out Sigilyph, not yet. He nodded to himself, having made a choice. "Okay Magnemite, you're up," he called, releasing the Magnet Pokemon onto the grassy battlefield. "A new subject for you to experiment on; use Thunder Wave!"
Georgia breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the Bibarel disappear in that telltale beam of red light - at least she could say she'd taken down at least one of this tall (and kinda cute, in a dorky way) boy's Pokemon. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to see sent out next, but it most certainly wasn't a Magnemite. She frowned as it loosed a weak burst of electricity, knowing full-well that none of her Carnivine's attacks would be effective against it, but decided then that she was going to go down fighting! "Carnivine, use Sweet Scent to draw it close to you!" she called. It seemed like a good idea, since it had just been paralyzed by the magnet's Thunder Wave and all their best attacks were close-range.
Jaeshan tilted his head when he heard Georgia's request - would a tactic like that even work on an inorganic Pokemon like Magnemite? Evidently, it would - Magnemite was drawn to the suddenly sweet-smelling Pokemon almost instantly. "If that's how they want to play it, then hit it with your Thunderbolt," Jaeshan said quickly. For once in its life, it was in agreement with its trainer, the bolts on its body spinning wildly as it generated a powerful burst of electricity that it directed at the Grass-type.
"Dodge it, Carnivine!" Georgia called, urgency in her tone. Carnivine tried valiantly to float out of the way, but the paralysis was having none of that and the bolt struck it right in the back of the head, causing it to shriek out in pain. "Hang in there!" the ginger-haired trainer called. "Use Bullet Seed!" Georgia couldn't help but feel like she was grasping at straws now, but it was an attack, at the very least. Carnivine's mouth gaped open and it shot out several rapid bursts of hard-shelled seeds at Magnemite, each one making a loud pinging noise as they rattled off the Steel-type's body.
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 12:42 pm
"Hey, ow! Easy on the merchandise," Keegan protested, as he hadn't even had a chance to look around the room before he was manhandled into a hard-backed chair. The forced movement made his head spin, and he probably would have fallen had one of the officers not quickly cuffed his right wrist to the table. After taking a moment to regain at least a small portion of his equilibrium, he tugged on his restraint, but of course, it held fast. "Okay, is this really necessary?" he asked bitingly. He could hardly sit up in the chair under his own power, so he wasn't quite sure as to why the cuffs were needed. Of course, no one answered him, and he placed his head on the table, though that proved to be a bad idea as it felt as though it would roll right off and onto the floor.
"I'll give y'all a few moments while I go 'an get your paperwork in order," the officer said, nodding to the boy's parents. He shot a particularly long and judgmental look at Keegan before he turned and left the room, the door closing behind him with a final-sounding thunking noise.
Keegan groaned and closed his eyes, turning head until he was looking at the floor. His shoes were decorated with splotches of ick and at the moment, he wanted nothing more than a precision meteor strike to come and wipe him off the face of the planet. He made a few other unpleasant sounding noises, fidgeting uncomfortably in his chair. Maggie watched her son's antics with silent concern, finally making a quiet 'ahem' sound as she reached into her bag and set a bottle of water loudly on the table. The noise made the redhead jump, and it took him at least a full minute to figure out what had happened. He eyed the water bottle almost distrustfully before he decided it would likely make him feel at least somewhat better. "What, no Aspirin?" he asked dryly.
Todd narrowed his eyes, and leaned back in his seat. "Fresh out of Aspirin, boy, but how about a boot in the a**?"
Keegan scoffed as he fought to unscrew the cap - apparently everything was going to be exceedingly difficult today. "My a** has been through enough already, thank you very much," he grumbled, now taking an apprehensive sip. He wasn't even sure the water made it all the way down his throat before being absorbed by his body, kindly reminding him of how dehydrated he was. He muttered something about pink ponies under his breath before proceeding to drain half the bottle in one long swig.
Maggie had made a face at the boy's comment, while Todd raised an eyebrow. "...Don't want to know, don't care to know," was all he had to say on the subject.
The next while consisted of the three of them sitting in a deafening, awkward silence, punctuated by the occasional jingle of Keegan's chains as he continued to drink his water. He could already feel his headache starting to recede a little, but he quickly learned that this wasn't a bad thing as his focus shifted to how awful he felt to the awful situation he'd landed himself in. Worse yet, neither of his parents had opted to say a single word in that time, making the silence all the more dreadful. He'd been fully expecting for the yelling and shaming and speeches to begin the moment the door had closed, and the longer the silence wore on, the angrier Keegan could feel himself getting. He shifted around in his seat, openly and obnoxiously testing the strength of his restraints as he attempted to prompt some sort of reaction from his parents, but they never did. The two of them sat across from him, hardly blinking as they continued to give him the silent treatment.
=====
It was still fairly early in the morning by the time Miharu decided to head away from Juniper's lab; the grassy hill that she and Emile had wasted most of the day on yesterday being her destination of choice. This time she'd found her bike, which had somehow miraculously survived the past few days without so much as a dent or scratch, and she was in the process of wheeling it down the cobblestone path, an confused Oshawott waddling along behind her, when she heard her name being called. Her first instinct was to flinch, and panic quickly built up in her chest over anything she could have done wrong in the past 24 hours, but the gentle tone of Juniper's voice made her realize just how silly that was. She exhaled slowly and turned to look at the professor, her bike rattling a little as an oblivious Emile had walked face-first into the rear tire.
"Miharu, are you heading out already?" the kindly woman asked, the smile never leaving her face.
"Oh, um, not really," the green-haired girl answered meekly. "Just... exploring the area." It wasn't quite the truth, but not quite a white lie, either.
"That's good to hear," Juniper replied cheerfully. "I'm glad I caught you, though. I have a favor I want to ask of you - and a pretty big one, at that."
Miharu felt the colour drain from her face, and wondered if the professor could see it, too. Meanwhile, Emile had picked himself up off the ground, and was now glaring angrily at the offending bike tire. The girl swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded quickly. "O-okay?"
If Juniper was aware of Miharu's apprehension, she wasn't showing it. "In the next town over, Accumula - I'm sure you remember it - lives a young trainer that is ready to receive her first Pokemon. However, she's a little... nervous and hasn't quite mustered the courage to come all the way here. Normally, I'd make the trip over myself, but I've got far too much to do around here. I'd like for you to go in my place, Miharu." Again, Juniper's smile never faltered, not even for a second.
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:21 pm
The silence in the hall was awkward and long after Violets statement and the two of them sat there as the sounds of the small police station echoed through the concrete halls and cell. The auburn haired teen let out an unhappy groan as he placed his hands over his ears in an attempt to stop the hammering in his skull, the longer he was awake the worse it seemed to get it seemed. Perhaps it was just the hysterics from waking up in prison tangled up with Keegan and his a** hurting for reasons he wasn't quite sure about. Now that he was calmed down his body was telling him that it hated him and wished he was dead. Chewing on his bottom lip Dante sat there in his corner of the cold cell his mothers words echoing through his head. "Your right, the kind of power it would take to control my life would be to much for me. I never cared much for responsibility anyway." He chuckled slightly, and regretted it immediately before looking away his eyes not even really focusing on the cement wall across from him. "Besides, I tend to ruin everything I touch, how many times were child services called on us? How many boyfriends did you go through with me around? Oh how about all those times we ended up skipping town for a while because I broke something or other?" A small self depreciating smile appeared on his face before he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger a heavy sigh escaping from his lips. "God I am depressing aren't I?"
"Oh honey, you aren't depressing." Ok so Violet was lying, her son could be a real downer at times. That didn't stop her from trying to cheer him up. "You just don't have a good pattern recognition skills."
He chuckled at that the smile turning a bit warmer before he ran a hand through his hair and watched his mom fingers stuck in some sort of knot or whatever a small grin was on his face. "You don't need to sugar coat it Mom, I have worse luck then someone who grabbed all of Ninetails tails." He paused wishing he had a smoke, the nicotine would help his nerves and maybe make his head stop pounding. "Can you believe I was starting to think that my luck was turning around on this journey? I long ago learned that fate loves to make me her whipping boy. I guess ignoring it doesn't really work anymore does it?"
"I told you it wouldn't Dante. You can't just go through life in the haze you left in before. You need to actually do something, have goals. Heck it could even be to make it to the next town, don't just blow where the wind takes you." This was an argument that had been trotted out a hundred times before the battlegrounds were drawn and both of them could repeat what the other would say verbatim by this point. Violet thought that Dante was just being a teenager, and Dante just didn't even care, which was the problem in the first place.
"This again? Look mom, how many times do I have to prove to you that any plans I make or anything I try to participate in goes to s**t?"
"That isn't true! You have won gym badges! You won that reaper cloth for Kenny! Yes I heard about that, you wanted something so you set out to get it done, and honestly you never really put to much effort into anything either. Imagine if you did put effort into something? You could do anything."
Rolling his eyes, in a typical teenage manor Dante just cast a dark look her way. "Mom I only got those things precisely because I didn't really care all that much if I won or lose. I mean it would have been nice or whatever if I won but it wasn't the end of the world. The moment I really want something I won't get it and I will get punished for wanting something. Remember the Burnt Tower incident with Ho-Oh?" Dante ignored his mothers curses about him losing his gorgeous long hair there. "That one almost killed me. All sorts of little things happen all the time as well, the ********' weirdos I battle on a daily basis? The stalkers that follow me around? I mean geez, Keegan is probably the only person who can stand being around me and as much as I like the guy he isn't exactly a calm point in the sea for me. He just tends to scare the bad luck away, or punch it." He hid a small smile at all the fun memories he and the redhead had created during their travels. Hell he would have been a great addition if he could remember really any of it. "I am just used to not wanting things I guess. If I don't want anything or have any goals my life can't get any worse now can it?"
"It can't get any better either." Violet countered watching her son with worried and sad eyes. It was always like this. You couldn't really have a conversation with someone who was so apathetic about almost everything around him.
"If it takes s**t to make bliss, well I guess I feel pretty blissful." He countered, it was also a sign that this argument was over, ending like it always did, Violet frustrated and her son still living in his grey world of apathy.
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Melphaligal the Challama Crew
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Melphaligal the Challama Crew
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:23 pm
Lately though Violet had come across the one thing that made her normally distant son to spark up like a Slugma left in a haystack. The whole affair had actually convinced her that her son could do anything he wanted to if he actually wanted something. It takes dedication to avoid someone so thoroughly you thought they might be some heretical plague bringer set to destroy your entire life and way of living. To be fair to Dante though that is exactly what this whole thing was.
"Well, there is one thing you can't escape from, you are going to meet him today." She declared a gleam in her eyes as she watched his thin body seem to stiffen. "After all, you can't get out of jail until I sign you out now can you?" She watched her son just sit there in silence his dark eyes seeming to stare into her soul. "Oh no don't even think about getting out of this. He has been trying to meet with you for over a year now! You manage to escape every time, well that ends today, he is waiting outside and we are going out to breakfast so you can get to know him."
A frown marred Dante's face as he stared at her. This was something he had been dreading. For the past two years his mother had been actually steadily dating someone. From a young age Dante had learned to avoid each and everyone of his Moms boyfriends. Most of them never lasted more then a week and the ones did hardly ever wanted to meet him, the few that lasted longer and wanted to meet him could be counted on one hand. This one though, this one had stuck around longer then any of them, his Mom actually seemed to like him as well. The past year they had been trying to get Dante to meet him much to the teens steadfast refusal, they had even attempted to trick him into seeing him, he had hid in places, Dante had slept in a cave hidden on the ranch for two weeks instead of going home during a particularly persistent bout from the two. In face a huge reason he had caught Apollo in the first place and left was simply to escape the two of them. "I will stay in here thank you very much."
"That is fine, he will just come in here to speak to you. Not like you are going anywhere." Violet smirked at him. Even though this whole thing with her son being in prison was irritating she was getting way to much from it to be to angry at Dante. "I don't know why you are so adamant against this. He is going to be a huge part of my life weather you like it or not and he wants to know the most important person in my life."
Dante felt like puking, he had no interest in meeting this man. His mom could date anyone she wanted, she just had to keep him out of it. No matter how much it would make her happy he was steadfast in his decision of never meeting the then boyfriend and now... Dante shuddered as the thought, and the now fiance. "Nope. Not happening."
"Yes, it is happening, you know you are going to be a big brother to when all this is over. He has two kids from his previous marriage you know. So get used to the idea. You can't run away from this forever. So sit tight and I will get the paper work filled out." With that the frustrated, but still sure of her victory Violet left the room her heels clicking smartly on the hard concrete.
Dante just glared at her back as she disappeared, his head was killing him and now this s**t was being laid on him? Nope, this was not happening. He was not meeting whoever it was his mother had convinced herself that she was in love with now. He was not meeting some snot nosed brats and he most certainly wasn't going to be anyone's big brother. The group of them could play family all they wanted as long as he was kept the hell out of it. Just the thought of it caused him to grind his teeth in irritation as hot anger seemed to seep through him. Dante couldn't say why he got so worked up on this, it really was one of the few things that genuinely got him mad, and mad he certainly did get. Cursing he forced himself to his feet.
As he got up, probably for the first time in a while he heard a small clacking sound echoed through the room as something hard hit the ground. Calming down a bit Dante looked down towards the sound and his eyes widened almost comically as a silly grin appeared on his face. "Well, I guess I can't complain about bad luck." Dante mused as he bent down and picked up a Pokeball he would recognize anywhere. Little did Dante think as he made his escape that luck never played on his side and escaping might seem like a good idea now but things never did end well for him.
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 6:42 pm
Pidove pecked at the ground, moving dirt and grass around as they searched for their next snack. Their soft cooing broke the silence of an otherwise quiet morning. As they hopped around from one spot to the other, the small flock all gathered in one general area, a majority of them were perched on the only bit of landscape that was clearly out of place. A perfectly still figure wrapped in bandages sat with legs crossed in the grass and as the small birds fluttered away and landed all over it, the figure remained still as a statue. Only a few meters away was an older man, presumably the owner of the little nearby house, walked about scattering seeds which the pidove that weren't sleeping on the ineffective scarecrow quickly made disappear. "So you're not allergic to sunlight after all." The old man said in a joking tone as he approached the scarecrow. "Since you're up and moving now, does that mean you're ready to talk again too?" The bandaged figure remained still, and the small birds flew off as the old man approached. Even as he placed a hand on its shoulder, the figure did not move and remained silent. "I didn't think so. Had to ask though right? You were really torn up when we found you you know. But the wife tells me there was a lot more damage than just the surface. You've been having bad dreams it seems. We can't know what you've been through if you don't tell us." The old man wore a face of genuine concern, but still there was no response. "Son, you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to. We don't mind. But you're gonna have to confront your demons eventually."
"...I've tried. But I'm not strong enough." The bandaged man spoke suddenly, the old man nearly fell over from sheer surprise. "They continue to defeat me no matter what. I am too weak. I can't face them, I can't face the people I've damaged. This body...this body is fitting. Tattered flesh and spreading decay, I deserve less than this. You should have left me where you found me. I didn't ask to be saved." The man did not move, he didn't even open his eyes, he simply sat there as he spoke. It was as if he was trying to become a part of the scenery, trying to fuse into the background and disappear. Maybe then his torment would end.
"Hmmm. That's a rather selfish notion isn't it?" The old man said as he sat next to the mummy man, stroking his beard as he appeared to be deep in thought. "Suppose we left you there. It would weigh heavily on the conscience of both myself and my wife. And what of your loved ones? You clearly have special people in your life, otherwise you wouldn't be haunted by whatever it is you did. They are waiting for you to set things right I'm sure. Imagine the devastation they'll feel. Waiting their lives to see you come in over the horizon, straining their eyes in vain. Don't be ungrateful. And don't be wasteful. Look son, I can't tell you everything you need to hear. Nor how to live your life. But it sounds to me like there are a lot of "I"s and not a lot of "thems". Want to face your demons? Don't live for yourself. Try being a bit more selfless. Give yourself to others, help who needs helping. Once you've given all of yourself away, you'll find that there is actually more of you left over. And you'll be stronger. Whatever you've done can't be erased. You can't get rid of those demons, you'll have to carry them with you always. But you can make them lighter." The old man stood up and smiled, tapping his back as he walked way back towards the house.
The bandaged man said nothing as the old man walked off, there was nothing he could say. He simply sat there for a while, the hours passed as he sat, his mind ticking away with what was said. He was confused, he was angry, and eventually, he was calmed. His body groaned as it was stiff from sitting as he brought himself up to his feet, his flesh burned with intense pain. But he ignored it, and stared out into the vast desert that lay before him. This small house by the water had what little vegetation existed in the area, planted by them most likely, he didn't even know where he was. He looked at his hands, up his arms, down t his torso and to his legs and feet. Bandages everywhere, from head to tow he hardly showed any skin. There was no identifying him now, even he didn't know the man that stared back at him when he looked into the mirror. Perhaps this was for the best. Clenching his fist, he made for the house. The old couple were wrapped in their own business as they talked in the kitchen, and the mummy made his rounds as he gathered what he needed. Nothing here was his, but that didn't stop him. This old couple didn't mind him staying there, he was sure they wouldn't mind his borrowing of a few things. Namely clothes. The old man's taste in outfits was less than modern, but that suited him just fine. A plain set of brown working trousers and a plain shirt. Brown working boots to match, and a large grey trench coat with a large brimmed grey hat. He threw on a pair of sturdy work gloves, and looked one last time in the mirror. A mummy gone farm hand or something of the sort. He didn't much like the coat, and it was hot, but he needed the protection from the sand if he was to cross the desert on foot. Sweating was going to be an issue in all those bandages, so it would have to be slow going until he figured something out. While the couple were occupied the now thief tried sneaking out through the back, and as he walked away from the house he stopped cold as he heard the clearing of a throat.
"I haven't seen my John wear that in years. It probably doesn't fit him anymore, he'd be lucky if he could move a single bale of hay before having to take a break, the lazy bum." The older woman said with a laugh as she called out to the bandaged man. "We figured you'd be leaving soon. You're not very smart, going out there with no provisions." She spoke as she approached the man, an old bag clutched in her hands. "I packed you a few things. This should last you a few days, it's not terribly far to the nearest city. Nimbasa lies north, Castelia to the south. Castelia is closer, and it's a much larger city. I don't know if that's what you'd prefer." The woman handed the man the bag she'd prepared, and smiled. "Take care of yourself dear... We never did get your name."
The bandaged man took the bag in silence, not really sure what to make of all this. They were being so kind. They didn't even know him. They didn't owe him anything. And now they were just giving him things. Why? It didn't make sense. Was this what the man had been talking about? What were they atoning for? But it didn't matter, he wouldn't pry. They hadn't done so to him after all. "My name..." It was a difficult question to answer. He didn't have a name to share. Not anymore. Whomever he was before was no more. A new life, a new name. After much thought and too long of a silence, he answered. "It's James." With that, he turned away from the woman and her home, making for the desert. He had a long road ahead of him. And he had a lot to atone for before he could lighten his sin.
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Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 7:16 am
Tessa looked less than pleased as she rolled her Zubat's Pokeball around in her fingertips. "Fine, all right, you win already," she huffed, glaring at the blonde and her Charmeleon before she stepped aside. "You can go now, but I hope Falkner teaches you a lesson!"
Kasiya blinked a few times in surprise at the hostility coming from Tessa, but shrugged it off as she figured that it was because she had lost, and nobody liked losing. "Okay!" she said, her voice as cheerful as ever. "Thanks for the fun battle!" she added, motioning for Nova to follow her, as the Charmeleon was currently against being returned to her Pokeball. The pair made their way along the wooden platform, and Kasiya could feel her excitement growing with every step she took. Sure, it was only the first gym in the Johto region, but it would (hopefully) be another badge to her name, as she was sure that Mike must have defeated Brock and claimed that Boulder Badge by now, and the sort of unspoken-ish rivalry they always had only added to her anticipation. She also couldn't help but wonder if Keegan had finally gotten around to winning his fifth badge from that Norman guy, but she stopped herself right there as just thinking about the redhead was enough to send painful stabs of guilt shooting through her stomach, so she tried to focus on her own upcoming battle instead.
"I know Al can do it," she said to herself, prompting an indignant snort from Nova. Kasiya smiled and placed her hand on the lizard's head. "Oh, stop that, you," she scolded playfully. "Alphonse needs to build his confidence somehow. And besides, we all know who I'll be calling on if he gets himself into trouble, right?" Nova pondered that thought for a moment before nodding and snorting out a small puff of smoke. She was really more annoyed that she hadn't had a gym battle virtually hand-picked for her, at least not yet, but she could understand her mama's wishes, and maybe a good fight like this would be just what that little blue pest needed to not be so annoying.
Kasiya stood up a little taller as she and Nova then found themselves facing the blue-haired gym leader. "My name is Kasiya DeLuca, and I'm here to battle gym leader Falkner for a badge!" At her side, Nova squared her shoulders and stood a little taller as well before baring her teeth. They were ready!
=-=-=-=-=
Jaeshan winced a little as the seeds pinged sharply against his Steel-type's body, but Magnemite easily shook it off, and the tall blond smiled. Sure, that Pokemon drove him crazy sometimes, what with all the zapping and shocking and generally just being a pest, but at the same time, it was fairly tough and liked to battle, at the very least. "Sonic Boom," he called, wanting the match to end soon. A part of him was almost regretting his choice to come here and have this gym battle first, rather than returning to Hoenn with Lisa and reuniting with his parents. He glanced at the blue-haired girl, who smiled warmly in return. He grinned as well, suddenly happy that Lisa had found him, even if their meeting had turned his world upside down (not that it wasn't already pretty messed up to begin with). He couldn't help but wonder how different things might have been if Lisa hadn't found him - would he have found the courage to tell Jade the truth and vice-versa? Would she still have been taken away by... whoever it was that had taken her? His thoughts were grim as he watched Magnemite bombard the Carnivine with blasts of sound waves, causing the Grass-type to shrink back.
"Carnivine! Get it with your Giga Drain!" Georgia called, panic beginning to settle in. She looked across the field at the boy, and seeing the pensive look on his face didn't help to calm her much. The Flycatcher Pokemon opened its mouth, but soon found itself unable to move as paralysis took hold on it, and all it could do was flail its tentacles a bit and drool. Seeing an easy opening, Magnemite took the opportunity to lay into Carnivine with another Thunderbolt Georgia grimaced, certain she could hear her poor Pokemon's brains sizzling. "Ack, come back Carnivine! Rest up, okay buddy?" She sighed, and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "You win, Tall-Guy! You win! I'm sure you'll give Gardenia a run for her money - oops, don't tell her I said that! Just, um, follow the narrow path behind me and make a right when you reach the big maple tree. That should take you straight to her!"
Lisa gave a little cheer, and Jaeshan sighed happily, reaching into his bag for a Potion as Magnemite drifted back to him. The Steel-type wasn't overly hurt, but Jaeshan wanted to be sure it could be used in the next battle. "Thank you, Georgia," he said, smiling up at the ginger-haired girl as he dosed Magnemite with the healing medicine, "for the battle, and for the help, too." Georgia grinned broadly and waved as she stepped aside. Jaeshan had to rush to finish administering the Potion and return Magnemite to its Pokeball as it had turned its sights on Georgia.
"Some things never change," Lisa smirked, giggling as they started down the narrow trail Georgia had indicated. She giggled harder as Jaeshan gave her a curious look. "Still the nicest guy under the sun."
Unsure if he should take that as a compliment or not, Jaeshan chose not to say anything and instead trekked ahead, having to take his time and watch each step as the going wasn't as easy as he would have liked. Despite being careful, it didn't take too long for the pair to reach the large open area that was most likely the gym's main battlefield, as noticed by the white lines painted over the lush green grass. Lisa steered herself off to the sidelines, leaving Jaeshan alone in the challenger's box. He gulped, and tried to catch his breath as his heart had started to race. "I'd like to challenge the gym leader, Gardenia," he called out, just managing to keep the quiver out of his voice. From the sidelines, Lisa gave him a thumbs-up, and he forced a small smile in return. How come it had seemed easier to do this back in Oreburgh?
=-=-=-=-=
Karrigan breathed a small sigh of relief as Damien gave a favorable answer to her question, and also began the somewhat tedious task of setting up her own bike, and just like that, the unlikely duo were soon pedaling their way through Nacrene City. It wasn't much after that before they left the city limits, the gatehouse serving as the border. Karrigan had liked it in Nacrene City, as it wasn't nearly as busy or loud as Castelia had been, and she had liked the way all the warehouses and buildings had been painted and decorated by local artists. It was unlike any city she'd been in before.
Route 3 opened up into a large, widespread area, and Karrigan could see expansive fields and large bodies of water, many of which had wooden bridges for travelers to use for crossing. A small flock of tiny birds flew above them, and after a moment Karrigan recalled that they were called Pidove. She glanced over at Damien, as unsurprisingly, they rode in silence. As much as she still wanted to ask him questions about his abilities, she decided against it. She'd opened her mouth to ask him where he was from instead when she spotted two young people on the road in front of them. They were standing side by side and as they got closer, were easily identifiable as a boy and a girl. They looked alike, and on closer inspection were wearing matching shirts - the boy's read 'Little Brother" and the girls, "Big Sister." It was rather curious considering that they appeared to be the same age.
"Stop right there, travelers!" the girl shouted, holding up her hand. Her brother pointed at the Pokeballs displayed openly on their belts as she went on. "You shall not pass until we deem you battle worthy!"
"Oh, great," Karrigan mumbled, having slowed her bike to a full stop. Of course, the siblings had chosen the perfect place to confront their challengers - they were blocking access to the very first bridge. The redhead sighed, and ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing the flyaway strands. "Well... I suppose we have no choice?" she asked, looking to Damien.
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 10:33 am
'Why on earth did I agree to three on three?' Riza thought to herself, a hard look in her eye as she watched her Quilava evade an attempted Wing Attack by Eva's Swellow. Riza was sure the bird didn't have much left in it, as Plua had hit it hard several times already. "Hold your ground, Eris, and wait for an opening. Then, use Extrasensory to bring that Swellow down," she told the spirited fire-type. Eris' fiery quills bristled and she looked back at her trainer, eyes narrowed. What on earth did Riza mean, hold her ground? Sit back and wait? Yeah right, those were coward's tactics! Giving a sharp cry, the Quilava raced forward and vaulted up, tucking into a roll as she did so. Her quills blazed and her whole body became a fiery, flaming sphere as she veered through the air and crashed hard into the very surprised Swellow in a shower of sparks and wisps of flames.
A second later, the Swellow fell out of the sky but was recalled by Eva before it could hit the ground. Eris, meanwhile, landed gracefully on all fours and grinned smugly at the opposing trainer. Her smug grin faltered when she looked back to Riza for approval but instead was met with a disapproving glare. "Huh, how about that," Eva said, chuckling to herself. "I was expecting Extrasensory but that Flame Wheel totally came out of left field!" Her giggling grew louder as she looked for a second poke ball. "Aha! Here it is! Okay Vira, you're up next!" She tossed the ball and a small Pokemon appeared. It appeared to be a flying-type, though it did not take to the skies at all, and instead hopped around on its clawed feet and flapped its tiny wings excitedly. It appeared to be wearing a skull of sorts around its bottom like a diaper.
"What the...?" Riza temporarily forgot her annoyance with her Quilava as she once again reached for her pokedex. "Vullaby," she read, "the Diapered Pokemon. Their wings are too small to allow them to fly. They guard their posteriors with bones gathered by Mandibuzz. As they approach evolution, they discard these bones." The raven haired girl pursed her lips as she as she placed a hand on a hip. "A flying-type that can't even fly?" she asked incredulously.
"Oh, that doesn't bother me," Eva said, laughing. Her Vullaby didn't appear to think the same way as it was pouting now that Riza had pointed out its major flaw. "Besides, she'll evolve into a cool Mandibuzz someday, and then she'll be able to fly, just like the others!"
"Mandibuzz," Riza repeated, ignoring the angry cries coming from the diapered Vullaby and looking that up in the dex next. It wasn't exactly a pretty Pokemon, but it had a look of ferocity to it that Riza couldn't help but like, even if its pre evolved form was a bit of a whiny brat.
* * * * *
'Yep, definitely glad I sent Nell home,' Katie thought, frowning at the cracked floor board thanks to the Croagunk's missed strike. Sending her poor normal-type Buneary against all these fighting-types would have just been cruel. She couldn't help but admire Miles' fighting spirit however, as he seemed a lot more eager for battle now that he'd evolved from a much smaller Buizel. Katie felt a spark of excitement jolt through her at the thought of how strong all of her pokemon were becoming, and everyone but Miles hadn't even reached their final stages of evolution just yet. "Fight back with Sonic Boom!" she called eagerly having forgotten the martial artist's amusement at her choice of pokemon. The smirk that never seemed to leave Mile's face widened and he took two fast steps forward before pivoting. His twin tails whipped through the air and sent a powerful soundblast flying toward the Croagunk.
"Dodge it!" the martial artist cried, but the poison/fighting-type wasn't quite fast enough and it staggered back from the hit. It glared at miles, inflating its cheek sacs to try and intimidate the sea weasel pokemon. "Faint attack!" the martial artist called next. The Croagunk moved forward, ducking and weaving almost like a professional boxer would before it vanished completely.
"Don't try to dodge it, Miles!" Katie called quickly. "Fight back with your Water Gun as soon as you get the chance!" The water-type wasn't too happy about his vanishing opponent, but before he could really do anything it reappeared behind him and jabbed him in the side with a powerful strike. He whirled around and tried to fire the point blank Water Gun, but the Croagunk had quickly put some distance between itself and Miles and it missed by a wide margin. Katie growled and clenched a fist, wanting this fight to be over already. She didn't want to waste her time with underlings anymore, she wanted Maylene! "Aqua Jet," she commanded firmly, pointing at the frog like Pokemon. "Now!"
* * * * *
Normally Gardenia was quite aware of any and every challenger that entered her gym, but today her focus was on the magazine she was currently reading, so she didn't notice the tall blonde haired boy and his blue haired girlfriend until he was shouting at her. "Oh, hi there, hello!" she called, finally looking up from her copy of Better Gyms and Gardens. She'd been leaning against the sturdy trunk of a tall tree and she stood up and stretched, the magazine forgotten on the ground. "Ooh, you guys are here bright and early, aren't you?" she giggled.
"Um, Miss Gardenia? It's one o'clock in the afternoon," a pale skinned girl with light brown hair pointed out as she walked by, carrying a small yellow Pokemon that looked like a seed in her arms.
"Ehehehe, yeah, of course it is! I was just testing you, of course," Gardenia laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "How time does fly. Anyway, you're here for a battle, then? That's good, because it's my duty to accept!" Just like that, Gardenia's demeanor shifted and she was in gym leader mode. "We'll each use three Pokemon. No time limit, no items, no switching out! If you can best me and my grass-types, you'll earn the Forest Badge!"
She held up her first poke ball and threw it, revealing her sturdy looking Turtwig. He pawed at the ground and narrowed his eyes, looking eager for battle. "Say, challenger, you haven't told me your name," Gardenia called out loftily, her smirk matching her Turtwig's. She was just as eager to battle as her Pokemon was!
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thunderbolts_and_sunshine
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