In Her Image: a Pokémon RP

[CrazyBlaze]

"So... that just happened. Where the hell did Matt disappear to? And who would you two be?"

Kayla, still caked in mud from the neck downwards, stepped forward, stood up straight, hands on hips and declared, "My name is Kayla Denit! I am the one who will enjoy life to its fullest! I don't want to catch them all. I don't want to be the best there ever was. I don't want to be a pokemon master. I just want to enjoy life with my partners and friends," nodding her head, arms now folded across her chest, "I enjoy crab cakes and rice balls. I like to snack on Rage Candy Bars, though I also like Lava Cookies. I enjoy biking and hiking and sleeping until noon. My favourite pokemon is Growlithe though I think Pichu is the cutest pokemon EVER. My favourite town is Olivine City. I love the view of the sea from there. Not to mention the boat is the best!"

Kayla took a step back and bowed, "Please take care of me." As she stood up again, her stomach growled loudly and she went beet red.

 

[Redryhno]

"PSY-!"
"SLASH!"
"-DUCK!"
"SAN-!"
"PSYDUCK!"
"SANDSLASH"
"DU-!"
"-SLA-!"

The two had continued their little brawl until they both had a hand(or claw, in as the case was) on the fan, completely oblivious to the grunts that had taken the fortunate(for them) time the pokemon had chosen to fight over a fan that was more a stick with the remnants of what might have once been the symbol of the Johto gym circuit. Neither willing to give up their grip on the prize, they began a tug of war game, albeit one that had followed three battles and their own little scuffle. In essence, each felt incredibly drained, and the measly tugs they used reflected it.

"PSY-PSY-PSY!!"
"SAND!"
"-DUCK PSYDUCK!"
"SANDDUCK!"
"PSYSLASH?"
"SAND?"
"DUCK?"
"SLASH?"

The fight stopped as suddenly as it began, as both began to ponder the linguistic implications of what they believed the other had just said. The fan was dropped and both held their heads in confusion, though in Daffy's case, it was a mix of confusion and an oncoming migraine.
[hr]

Darius stumbled up the steps to his pokemon again, Whismur having jumped out of his arms due to his treatment of her earlier with the Garchomp, and she was suitably angry over the whole ordeal. Unfortunately, her small body and legs were barely able to keep up with her trainer as the two ascended the stairs, and he was in no condition to bend over to pick her up again. He was barely standing as it was. Reaching the top, he found Daffy and Knuckles looking around the area in confusion, the grunts long gone, and Darius not caring, as his head was still ringing from the stadium.

"What are you guys doing?,"He asked as he plopped down on what was left of a stadium bench, which broke from the force, sending him sprawling down onto the wet floor. Not that it mattered, he was still soaking, and it was still drizzling. Go figure...
[hr]
The debrief had completed and Darius was in better shape and spirits. He'd waited for the meeting to be over before going to his room and retrieving another pack of tobacco. His other had been on him in the stadium, and for obvious reasons, it was unusable now. Returning back downstairs after he'd packed his pipe, he lit it and sat back down, just as Kayla finished her introduction. Daffy and Knuckles sat to his left on their own chairs, Whismur, who was still ignoring him, sat on another table nearby, and Numel was busy staring at the fireplace.

"Darius,"He waved to Kayla and the new kid,"Breeder in town for a bit of fun and some stuff you can't get in Kanto. Got roped into this mess because...I really don't know now that I think about it,"He clicked his teeth against the stem of the pipe,"Anyways, good to meet ya. There's probably some food around here somewhere."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Caleb watched as a group of International Police agents to apprehend and took away the grunts who he and his Pokémon had been keeping at bay. There was a few suspicious looks when the agents noticed the sword, but decided not to pay it any heed, as they had bigger problems to deal with at the moment. He soon sheathed the blade, and looked around at what was left; the arena, once a proud and elegant building, had now become a sort of wasteland from all the battling.

Raiden had decided to lie down in front of Caleb, still feeling worn out from the battle. The electric type was soon joined by Sebastian and Auron, who thought that Raiden deserved some company. Raphael meanwhile stood beside Caleb, observing the aftermath of the confrontation. Angelique was roosting on a nearby railing. A little while later, Caleb could make out the forms of Ryan and his Mightyena, who was limping behind its trainer.

"G-glad that's over with..." Was all Ryan could muster for the moment.

"Indeed, it is good to see that at least some of those hoodlums have been brought to justice at least, and that peace can once again reign over this arena. No doubt it will be a while before it can be restored to its former glory." Caleb remarked, commenting on the outcome.

"It is good to see that you and your Mightyena have come out of this relatively safe. We should probably reconvene with the others, and return to the Sleeping Sunkern. There is likely much that needs to be discussed." He then added, before looking at his team with a smile, before returning them to their Pokéballs. Today they had all done well, even the newcomer Auron had shown his mettle, he was certainly going to be a welcome addition to the team, of that Caleb was certain.

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*DING, CHATOT, DING, CHATOT, DING, CHATOT*

The bell had just tolled 3 o'clock in the morning for the patrons of the Sleeping Sunkern, and around the lobby, everyone was looking tired with regards to what they had just been through. Looker had just finished his debriefing, along with a thank you to the whole group; but made mention that they may still need help from a group like them. Both he and Silver soon made their leave, with Silver turning to look back at the trainers.

"He is right, you know. That was too much for you kids to handle. If I were you, I wouldn't bother showing up at all tomorrow. Goodnight." Silver said as he soon left the Inn as well. That last comment annoyed Caleb somewhat.

"Children? You listen here Silver, just because you've had years of training, doesn't give you the right to tell us what to do." Caleb said to himself, calming himself down soon after.

Raphael, Raiden, and Sebastian had joined Darius's Numel by the fire. Raiden simply wanted to get some sleep in someplace comfortable, Raphael was simply watching the fire, as it always helped him relax after a long day; whilst Sebastian was hoping the fire would help dry his fur off. Auron was up on the counter with Caleb, looking at all the new faces, seeing if they would be friendly or not. Angelique was back in her ball, not wanting the place to be overcrowded.

One of the two new people to this collective 'group', was a lady who had introduced herself as Kayla Denit. Darius had already made his introduction, Caleb thought it was time to do the same.

"Greetings Miss Denit." Caleb said with a friendly wave. "The name is Caleb Grey, a native of the Hoenn region, more specifically Lilycove City. It is also a pleasure to be making your acquaintance. I was in town mainly for the tournament, though given current events, thats put a monkey wrench in the works. Hmm, I seem to recall that you were the one that our currently displaced colleague Matt Seras was to supposed to do battle with. Unfortunately, we've seen hide nor hair of him ever since that Smokescreen appeared. Wonder where he got to?" He then asked rhetorically, sounding concerned for the trainer.

 

[Pappytech]

"Where the hell did Matt disappear to?"

[hr]

The streets of Goldenrod were all but deserted, thanks to a combination of terrorism, panicking citizens, and the unrelenting deluge coming from on high. Aside from the occasional police officer or courier, the usually bustling thoroughfares and boulevards were devoid of human life, though a few Rattata and the occasional Hoothoot had taken to the streets in their place. The billboards, neon signs, and brightly flashing advertisements that typically boasted Low, Low Prices and various brands of lemonade were tucked away or turned off; they didn't really seem to be appropriate, not when the city was under a threat such as this. Even the streetlamps, normally stalwart bastions of light, were dim and muted. Still, it was to be expected, what with the power plant under repair.

Without fail, the city's roads had been converted into tiny streams and rivers. The pouring rain had continued to fall for the last few hours, running off of awnings and racing down gutters into the streets below. Luckily, though the clouds overhead were dark and heavy, they were mostly silent; aside from the occasional, far-off peal of thunder, they were content to merely drop water onto the metropolis below.

Anyone with any amount of sense stayed inside where it was warm and dry, or rushed to their next destination wearing hoods and clutching umbrellas. They had no desire to stay outside, not tonight.

Well, one soul did.


A slim, haggard looking lad, his clothes and backpack soaked beyond belief, staggered along aimlessly, mindlessly putting one foot in front of the other. Even with his jacket's protection, the boy's shirt was sticking to his chest like a second skin, its chilly dampness forcing him to shudder uncontrollably. His shoes had long since been saturated with water; his socks were soaking wet as well, and he could feel his toes pruning up more and more with every step he took.

The youth's arms hung lifeless by his sides, streams of water running down their sleeves and pouring off of his slightly curved fingers. His legs moved forward mechanically, again and again, each mindless step sending up a small splash. His shaggy brown hair had been plastered to his brow and face hours ago, almost like some kind of garish Halloween mask; it was a wonder the lad could even see where he was going. Tiny rivulets of liquid, possibly rain, ran down his cheeks, their trails almost instantly being erased by the pattering rain.

A quartet of Pokeballs was strapped to his waist. All were occupied.

Soundlessly, with neither an umbrella or companions to make the journey easier, the boy wandered through Goldenrod's streets, some part of him silently rejoicing in the solitude that had swallowed him.

It was going to be a long night.

 

[CJ1145]

Daria Pace was unusually quiet as Looker and Silver took their leave. The circle of trainers gathered in the lobby were all looking a little rougher than they'd started. Jet, Spiegel, Slagger and Gemini were clustered together in a little ball by the fire, all contentedly asleep. The only one who looked uncomfortable was the Charmeleon, whose heavily lidded eyes observed the crackling flames. Their trainer was on the opposite side of the room, hunched down against the wall, chewing on a large bite of apple. The blood had coagulated and the wound on her forehead had scabbed over, leaving her a little unsightly, if only for how casually she carried the scar.

The others spoke back and forth, introducing themselves to those whom they had not yet met. And in the midst of it all, as said before, Daria was strangely silent. Her eyes were trained on the back of the Charmeleon in question, who was slowly wriggling his way away from the others. Silently the lizard slipped between a few legs and was up the stairs with no one the wiser. Pace braced her back against the wall, rising up to her feet and feeling the slow burn as her aching muscles revved back into gear. As it happened, as she stood Caleb took a look and noticed that one of their number was gone.

"Wonder where he got to?"

Daria stepped past him, moving for the stairs with a noticeable limp. "Who knows," she muttered back. "If I run into him I'll let ya know."

[hr]


Spiegel's face was pressed against the cool glass. It felt good on his injured flesh, still reeling from the day's blows. He could feel the tiniest percussion as a thousand raindrops pattered on the other side of the windowpane. Goldenrod City was dark outside. A few golden lights illuminated the wet streets below, but not many. After the night's terrifying events, life had died down. People were snug and snoozing back in their beds, happy to forget the scary world outside their doors. Spiegel was supposed to be afraid of the rain, but it soothed him on nights like this. It felt peaceful and relaxed, like this was all their was to the world. Just him, sitting in an alcove with a window watching the world dream. He felt good, letting his mind relax into numbness. His thoughts did not feel like wandering on this evening, and kept coming back to the same place.

UUUUUUUUUUUURRR... SSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRHHHHH!!!

A single, brutal impact. That was it. No struggle, nothing.

The Charmeleon cringed, and buried his face further into the glass until his eyes were pressed up so close he could no longer see.

Useless.

He heard a doorknob turning behind him, and could feel a slight draft as the door from the hall was opened. Quiet, cautious steps intruded into the room, but he didn't bother acknowledging them. He felt no right to. A warm weight on his back told him of her presence, he could feel his trainer's eyes on him, pleading for him to just turn around and look at her. He would do no such thing. He felt no right to look her in the eye. Useless.

In the silence, all he could hear was the rain. Not even his trainer's breath was audible over the snarls of the ursine monster in his head. But one small noise reached out and caught him, the shifting of weight and stress on the floorboards beneath the carpet. He could feel his trainer step closer, crawling into the alcove beside him.

And then he heard a click as the lock was removed from the window. The cool glass was slowly pushed away, and the gentle sound of rain on a lonely street brushed by his ears. He looked up at Daria, who was crouched beside him with the hood of her jacket drawn up over her head. Her smile was as gentle as it had ever been, and her hand was extended out to his.

"C'mon. I know what'll cheer you up."

If Spiegel's face could have reddened further, it would have. By his pride as a Charmeleon, there was no way on earth he would--and before he could even complete his thought, he found himself clinging to Daria's back as she threw herself from the window and began to scale the side of the hotel. Cool, refreshing rain splashed on his face as they ascended, Daria's legs swinging back and forth from outcropping to outcropping. She moved up the building as gracefully as the water came down it from on high. She reached the roof, grunting in exertion as she pulled herself up and swung her feet to the top. She stood up quickly, taking a few quick breaths as she chuckled. Spiegel clambered a little higher, sitting on her shoulders as she laughed at him.

"You really have grown, Spiegel. It was never this hard to carry you before."

Spiegel frowned for a moment at the comparison to his old weight, but he stopped mid-thought. Old memories he barely knew he carried came back to him. He began to cringe at the thoughts of those days. But then a strange warmth overcame the embarrassment. It hadn't really been so awful then.

[hr]

"Chaaaar! Chaaaa-haaa-arr..."

The little lizard began to cry as it fell back onto its rear, its aching feet able to carry it no farther. They'd been walking for hours, and the creature could no longer stand it. He was tired, and hungry, and... and the pricks on his face told him that it was starting to rain, too. The little infant began streaming tears as his trainer stopped mid-stride and looked back at him. The girl dwarfed the little lizard. And to tell the truth, that wasn't even the part that scared the Charmander. The moment he'd seen her smile, he'd desperately tried to crawl back into the arms of the loving old man who had been there when he hatched. But the tree man had just handed him right back to her. Told him she was his trainer now, and that she'd take care of him.

But she was a demon. A terrible fey mood overtook her in battles, and he feared that she would start fighting other Pokemon herself. She'd tried to train him herself, and nearly knocked his head off with her first kick. How was something like this supposed to--

"Aw no, what's the matter little Spiegel?"

The Charmander stifled its tears for just a moment, sniffling as it stared up at Daria. His trainer was crouched down in front of him, face so low that she was looking him near in the eye, wearing the warmest smile he'd ever seen on her lips. She'd named the little salamander "Spiegel". And Spiegel, as he was named, watched in surprise as Daria's face creased with worry, picking him up and cradling him in her arms as she inspected him for injuries. She frowned, cringing as she got down to the bottom of his feet, bruised and tender. "Oh, poor widdle guy. Ya can't walk like this, can ya?"

Spiegel yelped in surprise as Daria scooped him up and set him down on her shoulders. He clung for dear life to the back of her head as the water came pouring down. His trainer just made a small huff of laughter at his panic. "Don't worry, little guy, I gotcha! Now hang on tight, okay? I'm gonna show ya something cool."

The little creature wondered what she could mean, but found out almost instantly as she shot liked a rocket for the nearest tree. Sputtering and screaming in terror, the little Charmander dug his claws into Daria's hair as she shot up the trunk of the tree. He clamped his eyes shut, begging for it all to stop. He felt like crying again... and suddenly, he felt his body lose momentum. A finger prodded his side. "Open your eyes, Spiegel, take a look!"

He did so, reluctantly at first, only inching his eyelids apart a millimeter. But as he opened further and further, he felt a sense of awe overtake him. The little creature was dumbstruck as he realized they were at the very top of the tree, balanced on the highest branch. And stretching in every direction, all of Viridian Forest was beneath them. The little Pokemon's mouth dropped open as Daria crossed her arms, admiring the view of the horizon. She glanced over her shoulder at her little companion. "Pretty wicked, huh?"

"Chaaaaaar..." Spiegel was so amazed he couldn't even articulate a response. Daria took that to mean he agreed.

"All right now, keep holding tight. This is where the real fun starts."

She stretched her arms out to either side, and without a moment's hesitation took a swan dive off the tree and began to plummet. Spiegel was screaming in terror again. Daria was either deaf or ignored him, because after descending maybe half the distance to the ground, she extended her arms forward and grabbed hold of a branch. She did a full flip around the limb once before releasing and somersaulting forward. She landed feet-down on yet another limb, crouched down, and used the release of the muscle tension to propel her even further. She began swinging from branches like a Mankey only wished it could, swinging her feet up to the point where she was horizontal in the air, parallel with the ground beneath and slammed her feet into a tree trunk. She began skipping from tree to tree like this, pure power and agility keeping her in the air. The little Charmander on her shoulders was no longer scared, no longer shutting his eyes. He could hardly even blink as he was now. He was entranced by this impossible feat, feeling the force of ever-shifting motion as his trainer carried him high above the trail.

And then, uninvited at first, little fits of giggles roiled in his stomach. First a little burst he forced back down. Then a stronger one that he could not resist. And then they grew longer, and more pronounced, until the infant was lost in a fit of giddy laughter that Daria couldn't help but join.

"Haha! Having fun yet, Spiegel?"

"Chaaaaa-ha-ha-har!"

"What's that ya say?! Faster?! Well, okay!..."

Daria clasped her hands in front of her face and stretched out, diving out into the open air...

[hr]

...And began to holler as the clothing line she'd re-appropriated drew taut, sending her and her passenger flying high into the air.

"WOOO!" Daria released her grip, spinning up into the air with little visible control of her trajectory.

"Char! Char Char Char!!"

"I know, I know!" Just as the trainer began to descend, she shot her hand out and caught the corner of a building, pulling herself onto the roof. Letting out a big puff of air, Daria collapsed onto her front and started laughing wheezily. Spiegel climbed down off her shoulders, woozy as he fell onto his back, laughing as the rush spun his head around like a loose joint. Daria, still panting for air, beamed as she shook a finger at the lizard. "Theeere's the Spiegel I remember! Told ya it'd cheer you up!"

The Charmeleon looked down at his feet bashfully. Having none of that, Daria grabbed his chin and moved his eyes up to look at hers. She smiled the same smile Spiegel remembered from the Viridian Forest. She told him, "You did great today. No question. Okay?"

"...Ch-Char!" Unsure of how to respond, her Pokemon nervously threw up a salute of all things. Daria just laughed and hugged the little lizard. "Lighten up!"

After they separated, Daria held up a finger, digging into one of the pouches on her side. "Hold on, check out what I've been working on." She retrieved two grooved batons, holding them tightly in her hand as she showed off her handiwork. "Eskrima sticks. Something to give me a little edge in the future, so... today doesn't happen again, ya know? But I was thinking they might have other uses." She nodded her head over at the corner of the roof, where a line of cables ran from a pole down across the street to another building, and from there to yet another. "Whaddaya say, Spiegel? Up for some ziplining?"

The little lizard couldn't nod quickly enough, clambering back onto his trainer's shoulder as she dashed off into the rain once more.

 

[JdaS]

The pouring rain was relentless in its assault, as if Mother Nature had decided to give Johto one more thorough shower before the summer. Wandering around the city aimlessly, Matt cut through main streets, with their neon signs, elaborate shop facades and 24h convenience stores, dodgy back-alleys with seedy bars where the women upfront tried to offer the young man a "really, really good time at the Lusty Jynx Massage Parlor". Matt ignored all of it. All he could think of were the events that led to his desertion.

The Violet City native turned another corner onto a plaza of some sort, pacing around the centerpiece, a statue of Celebi for a while, before suddenly being snapped out of his depressing trance by a voice that seemed to pierce the deafening sounds of the pouring rain.

"So, uh... Why the long face there, man?"

Matt instinctively turned around to face the source of the question, who would be outside in this weather? At this hour?


What Matt saw was a scene beyond words. It was a man. A young man, probably in his mid 20s, LAID comfortably on one of the plaza's many benches. He was wearing a red hoodie with black shorts that reached past his knees. His hair was black, shoulder length and a bit scruffy, to be honest. His eyes were a bit lazy and his face sported a five o'clock shade.

But hands down the most peculiar thing about this man was the fact that, while resting on that bench, in that heavy deluge, he wasn't getting wet! Matt could only speculate at this point, but he was reasonably certain this had something to do with the Typhlosion standing next to the laid back fellow, the intense heat generating from its back instantly vaporizing the pouring water in its vicinity.

Matt didn't need a PokéDex to tell him that this particular Typhlosion was tremendously powerful. By association, its Trainer must've been too...

 

[nuba km]

Lee started thinking about tonight's attack, something about it just didn't seem to add up, entrenched in thought he just about heard the others talking 'I am lee, also hear for the tournament, I rely more on strategy then power when it comes to a fight.' he said obviously rushing it and using it more as a segway to his point 'Is anyone else wandering what the point of their attack was, I mean a organisation able to plan and execute an attack like that should be well aware of silver. So why would they attack the stadium if they were doomed to loose the fight. It had to have been a distraction or an attempt to demoralise people'

 

[Anayna]

Tom and Rupert were standing side by side, looking over the aftermath of Silver's introduction. That's when Tom excitedly spoke up.

"Its better than the calvary! That red hair, that Feraligatr! Do you know who that is? That's Silver, One of Johto's three legendary trainers!"

Rupert could only stare at the bespectacled boy. Legendary trainers? But then... does that mean... it's over?

STTTTEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLIIIIIXXXXXX!!!

*BRABABABABROOOMMM*

That seemed to be the gist of it as Eres pulled out his Steelix and promptly fled. The guy with the seemingly indomitable Garchomp fled. It was over.

Pin?

Pineco spoke up as his trainer fell over backwards and splayed himself out on the concrete. It was really over and Rupert thought he had never felt relief like this before. He just let it wash over him as it knocked him off his feet. Rupert wasn't used to dramatic hijinks like these and indeed actively avoided them. The calm he now felt was palpable. A few nervous laughs escaped his dust caked lips.

"Heh... ha ha. It's over. It's really over. For a minute there I was ready to fight to the end... ha ha... Tom, Pineco, it's over. By the trio, we made it."

After a few seconds to compose himself Rupert sat up again. This wasn't like him. He was being silly, and right in front of Tom too. Rupert put a hand on Pineco reassuringly.

"H-hey, Tom? T-thanks. I-I mean really. If you hadn't come running when y-you did... I-I don't even want t-to think about what would have happened. S-so thanks. Thanks a lot."

Rupert had trouble getting the words out, but he meant every one and more. He directed a bashful gaze downwards as he wondered if he was ever going to be able to repay Tom for all he had done for him over these past few days. Rupert's other hand came down to rest on Cubone's dented pokéball. It had taken both the Ground-type and Tom to rouse Rupert out of his fright when the attack happened. He honestly didn't know what he was going to do about Cubone and what he had learned about their relationship in this fight just now, but that was a problem for another time.
Right now Rupert was just happy that they had all made it.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*DING, CHATOT, DING, CHATOT, DING, CHATOT*

Rupert was glad to be out of the rain as the group reconvened at the Sleeping Sunkern. It was good to see that everyone had made it out of the stadium okay, although the sight of Daria made him wince. The trainer was still wearing her own dried blood, but although alarming enough on its own that wasn't what disturbed Rupert. It wasn't even the thought that there was someone out there capable of physically hurting Daria of all people. No, it was the startling realization that blood suited her that freaked Rupert out. Somehow the trainer wore caked blood the way other women might wear various head ornaments. Rupert did his very best to avoid her eyes.
Having discarded his greatcoat that was heavy with rainwater he listened to Looker's debriefing of the night's events.

The Kanto trainer couldn't help but feel that Looker was somewhat disappointed with the results. No one of any great importance had been apprehended, and it seemed doubtful if they were any nearer catching the masterminds behind the group.

"Now, rest, as tomorrow shall bring us new challenges, no doubt. Tonight... Tonight was dangerous. Maybe too dangerous for you, even?"

Ouch. That stung. Rupert felt familiar guilt rise up within him, replacing his previous joy over just having made it through the ordeal. Was there something more he could have done? Or even worse, was he simply woefully out of his league? Silver seemed to be believe the latter.

"He is right, you know. That was too much for you kids to handle. If I were you, I wouldn't bother showing up at all tomorrow. Goodnight."

That really stung. Hearing it from a trainer of Silver's caliber just made it even worse. Rupert couldn't even bear looking at him as the red-haired man and Looker stepped out, leaving the group alone.

Well, the group plus 2. There were two new arrivals, the girl who had jumped onto Eres' Garchomp and a quiet young man with blonde hair. The latter was cradling a hat that seemed oddly familiar. At Remy's prompting the girl introduced herself. And what an introduction it was.

"My name is Kayla Denit! I am the one who will enjoy life to its fullest! I don't want to catch them all. I don't want to be the best there ever was. I don't want to be a pokemon master. I just want to enjoy life with my partners and friends. I enjoy crab cakes and rice balls. I like to snack on Rage Candy Bars, though I also like Lava Cookies. I enjoy biking and hiking and sleeping until noon. My favourite pokemon is Growlithe though I think Pichu is the cutest pokemon EVER. My favourite town is Olivine City. I love the view of the sea from there. Not to mention the boat is the best! Please take care of me."

It seemed that Kayla was as direct in her address as she was in pokémon battles. As the rest of the group introduced themselves to her, Rupert felt that he had to do the same when her eyes eventually fell on him.

"Oh, I-I'm Rupert. I... I..." he trailed off as he wracked his brain for what to say. Kayla's deluge of personal information had thrown him off, more so than usual. Did he have to reciprocate? Wasn't it enough to just say 'hi, how are you'? What did he have to say about himself?

"I... I don't like nail cuticles."

God damn it, Rupert.

 

[Belmarc]

"So... that just happened. Where the hell did Matt disappear to? And who would you two be?"

"My name is Kayla Denit! I am the one who will enjoy life to its fullest! I don't want to catch them all. I don't want to be the best there ever was. I don't want to be a pokemon master. I just want to enjoy life with my partners and friends," nodding her head, arms now folded across her chest, "I enjoy crab cakes and rice balls. I like to snack on Rage Candy Bars, though I also like Lava Cookies. I enjoy biking and hiking and sleeping until noon. My favourite pokemon is Growlithe though I think Pichu is the cutest pokemon EVER. My favourite town is Olivine City. I love the view of the sea from there. Not to mention the boat is the best!"

"Please take care of me."

Aeden sighed, and muttered something about just wanting to get it over with, before he addressed the group full on. "You can call me Aeden. My likes and dislikes don't really matter, so I'm not going to bother listing them off. I'm only here to return this hat." He held up the sogging headwear like a badge of identification. He let his arm drop and looked out the door. "He was right, you know? Silver, I mean. You guys were brave and all, but this was... is over your heads." He avoided looking in any of the trainers eyes. "Not that you'll listen anyways. But if you continue like this, you'll end up getting hurt." He paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Nevermind. It's none of my business what you all do."

 

[JokerboyJordan]

Savannah stood by the edge of the arena, watching as the International Police came flooding in, apprehending the thugs scattered around the grounds, which included the one which she and Milotic had soundly thrashed.
Unfortunately, the thug who seemed to be the ringleader managed to evade capture, summoning a colossal Steelix with which he used to Dig to freedom, before either Silver or the rest of the force could catch him.

Sav collapsed to the ground exhausted, all she wanted to do was sleep. Milotic seemed to understand, coiling gently around it's trainer, offering itself as a pillow for the trainer's weary head as well as a source of warmth.

"You know, after I first got you, I didn't know what to do with you. You were always this tiny little fish, unassuming, benign. But I could tell that there was more to you. You had something that few pokemon ever have the chance to express, I could tell by looking in your eyes- your inner beauty."

"Now that you've evolved, you've finally been able to express that. So I think it only fair to properly reintroduce you to the team"

Sav dictated for Milotic to uncoil from around her, before reaching down and retrieving the other two occupied pokeballs from her belt. Each one in hand, she sent out them out in turn; Sprig and Sutekh appearing in a flash of light. The pair looked and their trainer quizzically, wondering why they had been summoned. Their eyes wandered and became fixated on the form of Milotic, finding her strange yet somehow familiar.

"Grove...?"

Savannah motioned for Milotic to come to her side, before giving her a friendly stroke on the top of her silky smooth head.

"Sprig, Sutekh, this is someone that you two have met before, she's just a little different. Since we never quite got around to it before... Now that we have the chance, I'd like us to all take this opportunity to officially welcome the newly-evolved Mizu to the team"

Milotic felt a sudden pang as something within gave resistance to the sudden change; however this was short lived. As her resistance crumbled, Mizu took her place amongst her fellow party members, happy to be part of the team

"Grovyle!" chirped Sprig, as he offered his hand high in the air-only to slowly lower it, instead giving Mizu a welcoming pat on the back. Sutekh gave a resounding "Pinch!" before devolving into what can only be described as joyous yapping, the kind iconic to small dogs. This was made slightly unnerving however by motions of it's large maw.

This joyous occasion was finally cut short when the International Police finished herding away the thugs, Looker himself gathering the group of trainers including Sav into transport back towards the Sleeping Sunkern.


[hr]

After being escorted back to the Inn, Looker proceeded to fully debrief the group on the night's events, thanking them for all of their help (whilst questioning their safety), before finally bidding them adieu.

Silver took Looker's exit as a sign that he should follow. As he got to the doorway, he stopped in his tracks, turning to face the group that had gathered in the lobby.
"He is right, you know. That was too much for you kids to handle. If I were you, I wouldn't bother showing up at all tomorrow. Goodnight."
And with that line of advice, he was gone; leaving behind him a mood of general uncertainty and ingratitude.

The party sat in silence, both out of exhaustion from the chaotic series of events which had unfolded, until eventually Remy was the first one to break the uneasy silence.
"So... that just happened. Where the hell did Matt disappear to? And who would you two be?"

Savannah herself had been wondering where Matt had gotten off to, although she had far more pressing thoughts on her mind right now, as well as her own focus being on the two newcomers had had not yet introduced themselves.
Still, she hoped that Matt was okay.

Sav studied the two strangers, although she looked more closely at the girl. She was tall, about her age, with light brown hair and an atheltic physique, most noticeably in her thighs.

A cyclist maybe? That'd be great! Finally someone who I run laps with!

The girl seemed to notice that Sav was looking at her, but didn't seem to care. After all, she was covered almost head-to-toe in mud presumably from the stadium. She rose from her chair with extreme exuberance, hands on her hips, announcing seemingly to the world.
"My name is Kayla Denit! I am the one who will enjoy life to its fullest! I don't want to catch them all. I don't want to be the best there ever was. I don't want to be a pokemon master. I just want to enjoy life with my partners and friends"

She's sooo sweet! I like her, I'm sure we'll get on just fine...

Savannah's trail of thought took a backseat however, as Kayla's introductions were far from done. She rambled on for a noticeable length of time, mentioning details that you wouldn't normally tell strangers, although Sav guessed she was particularly trusting.
After her lengthy introduction neared it's end, Kayla took a step back and bowed, "Please take care of me."

Oh well, she may get a little bit carried away, but being talkative is always better than being the silent-type! Plus, I suppose that's good, as it just means more gossip!

Savannah, eager to introduce herself to the only other female in the room, began to rise from her chair quickly in spite of her aching body. However she was pitched to the post.

"...a pleasure to be making your acquaintance..."

Sav rolled her eyes at Caleb's eagerness to introduce himself to Kayla. Sheesh, can't the guy make it five minutes without making advances on anyone of the opposite gender?
She quickly manoeuvred herself over, offering a friendly hand to Kayla.

"Hi! My name's Savannah and I'm a Pokemon breeder by trade, although I planned to participate in the tournament to advertise my services. I can't tell you just how glad I am to have a girl in the group, and especially one that's acts like one... *cough*[small]Daria[/small]*cough*. Anyways, I'd just like to welcome you to our little team, and hope that we can be friends!"

 

[Redryhno]

"I was in town mainly for the tournament, though given current events, that puts a monkey wrench in the works..."

Darius gave an inner chuckle and a cough from the inhalation of smoke from his pipe, causing a cloud to billow from his mouth a moment.

As if he even knows what a monkey wrench is. Guy probably hasn't left Lilycove on anything less than a Waillord or a chopper in his life, much less had to fix something of his or anyone else's own.

"Hi! My name's Savannah and I'm a Pokemon breeder by trade, although I planned to participate in the tournament to advertise my services. I can't tell you just how glad I am to have a girl in the group, and especially one that's acts like one... *cough*Daria*cough*. Anyways, I'd just like to welcome you to our little team, and hope that we can be friends!"

"Nevermind. It's none of my business what you all do."

As the smoke cleared from his face, his hand not holding the pipe attempting to wave it away, he smiled in amusement at Sav's introduction.

"Nevermind Sav, she's still a bit upset about continuing on in the - now cancelled - tournament,"He took another puff on his pipe, exhaling a duo of smoke rings that quickly disappeared into the air,"As for your little comment, don't worry about it. The grunts out there are just like any other PokeSyndicate trying to take over the world. Just a little bit different in gimmick. They've all got 'em,"He inhaled again, this time the smoke simply being expulsed in one cloud,"The Rockets had their little gambling corner, Team EarthSea in Hoenn apparently had some kind of affinity for the surface, and these guys simply mechanically zombify their Pokemon. More than a bit creepy, but nothing we can't handle,"He clicked his teeth against the pipe,"But you have to admit that Dragon-type was well trained, and the Steelix,"Darius' eyes rolled back into his head, pipe held in one hand while he gestured and air-drew with the other,"Superb I tell you. Did you see the way the sun hit the steely scales of that monster? Absolutely beautiful! Each segment perfectly smooth, and I admit I didn't see the spikes closely, but I'd bet they had four PERFECT edges leading up to a perfectly ratio'd point in relation to the tail....."

 

[JdaS]

Remy watched in awe as Kayla made her introduction.

Wow! She sure has spunk. Quite the looker too...

The self-proclaimed ladies man decided to hold off on the proclamations of love at first sight for now. At least until she'd have a chance to clean up, anyway.

The kid with Matt's hat introduced himself as well. Aeden was his name, and he had no kind words for the group either.

"Nevermind Sav, she's still a bit upset about continuing on in the - now cancelled - tournament. As for your little comment, don't worry about it. The grunts out there are just like any other PokeSyndicate trying to take over the world. Just a little bit different in gimmick. They've all got 'em. The Rockets had their little gambling corner, Team EarthSea in Hoenn apparently had some kind of affinity for the surface, and these guys simply mechanically zombify their Pokemon. More than a bit creepy, but nothing we can't handle. But you have to admit that Dragon-type was well trained, and the Steelix, superb I tell you. Did you see the way the sun hit the steely scales of that monster? Absolutely beautiful! Each segment perfectly smooth, and I admit I didn't see the spikes closely, but I'd bet they had four PERFECT edges leading up to a perfectly ratio'd point in relation to the tail....."

The guy with the pipe was clearly very adamant when it came to Pokémon's pedigree, and while most of his guff flew right over Remy's head, he agreed with the Kanto native's views on what they had just faced. Grabbing his Premier and Lure Balls and pressing some Revives against them, he spoke up, introducing himself and offering his opinion for the people in the room to consider.

"Name's Remy Olivier, Sinnoh native, Veilstone. A day ago, I would've agreed with ya, kid. I thought these guys were complete screwballs for wanting to meddle in IP business, fighting well prepared terrorists and whatnot... But after today..."
His mind wandered back to his bout with Anton. How despicably evil the bastard was, even by Remy's standards.

"Seeing what those bastards were capable of... Stealing people's Pokémon, brainwashing 'em like that, KILLING them?" Remy switched his gaze to Darius.
"I disagree with you about them being like the Rockets or Team Galactic, Darius. These guys are dangerous. But... That's all the more reason to do whatever we can to help Looker and his men with this."

The red haired man turned around and started making his way down to the training room.

"Aeden, you say we're in over our heads. That we shouldn't stick our noses in this thing, lest we get hurt. But you came too, didn't you? You could've stayed in the sidelines but you didn't. Why's that?"

Remy's laidback demeanor then came rushing back as he smiled and made his way down the stairs.

"Anyway, Matt's probably going to be back soon for that hat. Call it a gut feeling. I'm gonna go check on my guys, see if I can improve on someone for tomorrow. If you need me, I'll be downstairs. Hope to see y'all tomorrow."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Once downstairs, Remy grabbed Zangoose's Premier Ball. He looked at it for a good while, as he lost himself in thought.

In a murky basement, a badly beaten, red haired young man sat tied to a chair. Two burly looking thugs stood in front of him tending to their raw knuckles as a short, bald man in a tacky suit came forward. The man grabbed Remy by the hair and looked at the boy, puffing cigar smoke into his face.

"*cough* *cough* *wheeeze*"

"Ah Remy, Remy, Remy... I must say I'm really disappointed in you, son... Running off like that, disobeying your boss... Me, who gave you a home, food, money. *sigh* I'm afraid I can't let this slide, son. Before we throw you into the harbor, I just wanna know... Why? Why'd you do it?"

"*cough* Why? Hell boss, I dunno. Maybe I'm just not the kinda guy who's gonna kidnap a 6 year old girl to get her rich parents' ransom money. I joined you to do what I do best, but doing that kind of shit? I haven't sunk that low just yet! I'm afraid I have to hand you my letter of resignation... 'Daddy'."

"You son of a... GAH!"

ZANGOOSE!

"Za-Zangoose?!"

"Damn it! GET THAT DAMN CRITTER!!"

ZAN! ZANGOOSE! ZANG!
______________________________________________________________________________________________

ZAN!

*SMACK*

"OW! Huh? Oh! Sorry about that, Zangoose! Guess I zoned ou there for a while, huh?"

Zangoose...

Zangoose, who by now had let himself out, had smacked Remy out of his entranced state. His partner's explanation didn't work on the keen Normal-type. He knew Remy was wallowing in some not-so-glamorous chapter of his past. That was years ago. Time to focus on the present.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry buddy. Come on out guys!"

Sneasel came out in a dark flash, immediately running off to his shenanigans. Tentacool came out and slowly moved to a quiet corner of the room to follow the action from afar. Primeape was eager to smash something before Remy motioned for the rambunctious Fighting-type to stay put, much to his dismay.

"Come here, you. Time to teach you a little something to give you an edge in a scrap... Uhhh... Here we go!"

The Veilstone native dug out a reddish brown disc. A TM, containing Brick Break, and gave it to Primeape to study.

"Let's try that on for size, eh?"

 

[nuba km]

"He was right, you know? Silver, I mean. You guys were brave and all, but this was... is over your heads."

Lee felt Aeden couldn't have been more wrong and after waiting for remy to finish talking he said smugly 'Also last I checked we won, some of us had it tougher then others but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. We have two choices either stick together and fight these thugs or let them pick us off one by one.' at that point he let his snover who straight away went around handing out berries to everyone in the room, he thought snover might cheer some people up and lighten up the situation 'And the sooner we take out these guys the less people will get their pokemon zombified'

 

[CrazyBlaze]

"Darius,"He waved to Kayla and the new kid,"Breeder in town for a bit of fun and some stuff you can't get in Kanto. Got roped into this mess because...I really don't know now that I think about it,"He clicked his teeth against the stem of the pipe,"Anyways, good to meet ya. There's probably some food around here somewhere."

"Greetings Miss Denit." Caleb said with a friendly wave. "The name is Caleb Grey, a native of the Hoenn region, more specifically Lilycove City. It is also a pleasure to be making your acquaintance.

Kayla waved back, "Pleasure to meet you Darius and Caleb."

"Oh, I-I'm Rupert. I... I...I... I don't like nail cuticles."

"Who does though? I mean dirt gets all under them and then you have to clean them. Not to mention that when you have to scratch and they are too long they cut you."

"Hi! My name's Savannah and I'm a Pokemon breeder by trade, although I planned to participate in the tournament to advertise my services. I can't tell you just how glad I am to have a girl in the group, and especially one that's acts like one... *cough*Daria*cough*. Anyways, I'd just like to welcome you to our little team, and hope that we can be friends!"
Kayla took Savannah's hand in both her hands and stared into her eyes with a creepy look in her eyes. "I would love to be friends! I absolutely love having friends!"

You can call me Aeden. My likes and dislikes don't really matter, so I'm not going to bother listing them off. I'm only here to return this hat." He held up the sogging headwear like a badge of identification. He let his arm drop and looked out the door. "He was right, you know? Silver, I mean. You guys were brave and all, but this was... is over your heads." He avoided looking in any of the trainers eyes. "Not that you'll listen anyways. But if you continue like this, you'll end up getting hurt." He paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Nevermind. It's none of my business what you all do."

Kayla let go of Savannah's hand and turned to face Aeden.

"You're wrong. We may be in over our heads but I can't just stand by and watch other people take away people's pokemon and then brainwash them. I don't know about you but when I bonded with my first pokemon I vowed to stand by him for life and I know he thinks the same way. I can't let people break or corrupt the bonds we have with our pokemon. If King or any of my pokemon were to be taken away I would be devastated. I know there are many other trainers out there who believe the same," Kayla looked at Dariu.

"Your comment proved that fact Darius. Someone took time to train that Dragon, some took their time to get that Steelix like that. It wasn't those grunts. They didn't care. So someone they took them from loved them that much and they are now missing their pokemon. I meet the same group back in Honnen. They were doing to same thing but to kids. Kids who were crying. Kids who were angry and hurt. It was more than I could bare to watch. I'll be here in the morning because I want to help. I don't want to see those kids cry or those pokemon lifeless. No matter the cost."

As Kayla finished her speech a realization hit her, "Um. Does anyone know if this place have any spare rooms. I kinda forgot to get one a place to sleep when I got in town today."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Caleb listened as the others made their introductions to both Kayla and Aeden, along with their thoughts about the organization that they faced. Hearing the stories of other groups reminded him of Team Aqua and Team Magma back in Hoenn; and how, roughly ten years ago, they tried to use the legendary Pokémon Kyorge and Groudon to either raise the sea level or expand the land mass. He remembered seeing some members of Team Aqua snooping about Lilycove City when he was younger; chances are they had a base there, or maybe it felt familiar it having a port there, he wasn't sure, nor did he care at the time.

"He was right, you know? Silver, I mean. You guys were brave and all, but this was... is over your heads." Aeden said as he avoided making eye contact with the other trainers, possibly afraid of the response he would get. "Not that you'll listen anyways. But if you continue like this, you'll end up getting hurt."

"And how would you know Aeden? Where were you when the fighting began?" Caleb asked. His next words were targeted more towards the group as a whole, in response to what Lee said.

"Lee is right, we did win, albeit by the skin of our teeth. I say we prove Silver wrong, prove to him that we can help in vanquishing these venal and virulent vermin who would seek to indoctrinate the hearts, minds and souls of Pokémon the world over. I mean, how can we stand idly by whilst these villains make their moves and play their games. Who knows, maybe we will become heroes like the trainers of old along the way." Caleb then looked down to see that Snover was offering everyone berries, and when he received his, gave Snover a smile in response.

"Why thank you Snover. How very kind of you."

"Now, if everyone will excuse me, I shall probably join Remy in preparing for forthcoming events." As he said this, Auron tapped his Pokéball, and disappeared in a red beam of light. Caleb decided to leave the rest of his team be, as it had been a long day for them, and they needed a rest. He saw where Remy had headed down to and followed.

As he arrived at the doorway to the training room, he saw Remy just standing by himself, staring longingly into a Premier Ball. After a while, a Zangoose appeared, and smacked Remy, no doubt the boy was day dreaming. The Sinnoh native then let the rest of his team out and pulled out a brown colored disk, and gave it to his Primeape. Caleb recognized the disk in question as the TM for Brick Break, as Raphael had learned the exact same move.

"With such a powerhouse of a Pokémon like Primeape, Brick Break will certainly deal a hefty amount of damage." Caleb said as he entered the room proper.

 

[Shakomaru]

"Anyway, Matt's probably going to be back soon for that hat. Call it a gut feeling. I'm gonna go check on my guys, see if I can improve on someone for tomorrow. If you need me, I'll be downstairs. Hope to see y'all tomorrow."

Tom waved as Remy went off to the training room. He was still giggling over what Rupert had said,and almost forgot to introduce himself to the two newcomers.

"I guess it's my turn then? I'm Tom, I came down here from Sinnoh, but I'm from around here originally. I've done the first couple of gyms here and another few over the pond. I might be the youngest here but I like to think I know what I'm doing." His trademark grin seemed to increase in intensity.
"If we're gonna do introductions, then I guess I've gotta get this over with huh?"

Tom took out the pokeballs of his team, and released his pokemon next to him. Kusari, naturally, had already been curled up on his shoulder.

"You guys already know Kusari, and Kalmia, and Trapic, but I.. Kinda had to keep my last one secret for a bit. Anyway, this is Aeolus, he's been my partner since I started off, I just felt like using him off of the bat would be... Unfair. But those goons didn't deserve a fun battle."

Tom paused a bit to take a breath.

"Anyway that's me I guess. Nice to meet you two!"

 

[Belmarc]

"Aeden, you say we're in over our heads. That we shouldn't stick our noses in this thing, lest we get hurt. But you came too, didn't you? You could've stayed in the sidelines but you didn't. Why's that?"

'Also last I checked we won, some of us had it tougher then others but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. We have two choices either stick together and fight these thugs or let them pick us off one by one.'

"You're wrong. We may be in over our heads but I can't just stand by and watch other people take away people's pokemon and then brainwash them. I don't know about you but when I bonded with my first pokemon I vowed to stand by him for life and I know he thinks the same way. I can't let people break or corrupt the bonds we have with our pokemon. If King or any of my pokemon were to be taken away I would be devastated. I know there are many other trainers out there who believe the same,"

"And how would you know Aeden? Where were you when the fighting began?"

"Tch." If they wouldn't listen to Silver, he didn't know why he expected them to listen to him. "Like I said, it's none of my business what you do. But face it, no matter how well you were doing on those grunts, there were more, and those officers were far beyond what you could have handled. You got lucky that Silver showed up. There were even more enemies than you ran into. I found a whole group taken out by Silver's Gengar, all on it's own. You could barely handle what was thrown at you."

He would have shrugged off what they were saying, but something about it hit deep. Perhaps it was the underlying accusations of cowardice. So what? At least he was being smart about it! Or perhaps it was the memories the entire situation reminded him of. "Losing your Pokemon... you can't imagine what it's like." He glared angrily at Kayla, and though he knew it was misdirected, he couldn't help himself. "Better someone else than have it happen to you." He knew it didn't matter what he said anymore, and likely they wouldn't want him around at this point anyways. "Whatever. Good luck. You're going to need more than I can offer you." With that, Aeden stormed out of the hotel lobby, hunching his shoulders to the rain. He was halfway back to the daycare when Aeden remembered that he'd forgotten to return the hat to it's owner. That could be left for the morning, he guessed. He'd have to make sure he talked to the red-haired man about it. His words had been different than the others. Almost kind and understanding. "Aeden, you say we're in over our heads. That we shouldn't stick our noses in this thing, lest we get hurt. But you came too, didn't you? You could've stayed in the sidelines but you didn't. Why's that?" He'd questioned him, but didn't really expect and answer, did he? He'd left after asking it, after all. The trainer bit his lip and picked up the pace. Even by the time he'd returned to Lyra, soaked to the bone and sneezing, he still hadn't come up with a satisfactory answer.

 

[Pappytech]

"So, uh... Why the long face there, man?"

Matt turned his head slowly and mechanically, not quite making eye contact with the stranger. Had he been in any normal state of mind, he might have been surprised at finding someone else out in the rain, but as it was the lad couldn't muster the energy to express much of any emotion at the moment.

Still, the sight of the laid-back trainer, accompanied by a giant of a Typhlosion, was enough to raise a curious eyebrow.

"I..." The lad cut himself off mid sentence. Did he really want to talk to somebody that he had just met, on the streets of Goldenrod no less? "It's nothing," he muttered, turning away from the trainer and Fire-type, "sorry to bother you."

 

[Anayna]

Aeden, as the blonde haired young man was named, introduced himself and instantly established himself as a bit of a pessimist.

"He was right, you know? Silver, I mean. You guys were brave and all, but this was... is over your heads. Not that you'll listen anyways. But if you continue like this, you'll end up getting hurt."

Rupert's mood, which was already only two shades brighter than the inside of a Golem's stomach, darkened further. What Aeden said was a bit cynical but it wasn't untrue. What happened this evening was only a prelude for what was to come. These pokémon gangsters, whoever they were, weren't going to surrender without a fight, and even if the 12 trainers came out on top in the end they would not do so without losses.

Ryan, Caleb, Kayla and Lee argued against Aeden's view immediately, pointing out how Eres & Co. had to be stopped one way or another and that it was their duty as pokémon trainers to prevent any more pokémon zombification.

Is it though? Rupert found himself thinking. Shouldn't I be thinking of my own pokémon first? I think I might have enough trouble with my own team. His left hand was resting on Cubone's dented pokéball. Can't even take care of my own. What am I supposed to do for the entirety of pokémon kind?

His head sank down in defeat, only to snap up again as his eyes unexpectedly met another's. Lee's Snover was standing by his feet, looking up at him and patiently waiting for Rupert to accept the berry he was holding out.

"OH! D-didn't see you t-there... Um, t-thank you."

Having delivered his berry Snover contentedly trudged onward, leaving Rupert to stare at the cool, white berry. Right. Snap out if it. Sitting here feeling awful is not going to accomplish anything. "Do right by the team", remember? That's what it comes down to. So do what's right.
Having said that Rupert just didn't know what to do. He was an awful trainer, it turned out that his lifelong partner hated him, and he was given the responsibility to save the world. Rupert didn't know where to go from here.

This was however not true for Remy or Caleb. They knew exactly where they were going. They were going downstairs to train. As the two exited the room Rupert was struck by clarity and all new waves of self-loathing. This was how proper trainers did it. They engaged with their team, rather than turn from it. This was what Rupert had failed to do throughout his career as trainer. Here he was, sitting by himself, wracking his little brain for what to do about the team, when what he should be doing was engaging with the team. Rupert felt shameful. He shouldn't even be thinking of his pokémon and himself as a team. They were separate entities precisely because Rupert was constantly doubting what he should do, rather than looking to his pokémon to see what needed to be done.

Well, he knew what needed to be done now. He had a problem that wasn't going to go away until he addressed it. He had to talk to Cubone.

Rupert rose and headed for the stairs. He turned and muttered a 'Good night' to whoever cared to listen, and was about to say "see you tomorrow" before deciding against it. Considering Looker's instructions Rupert was not sure if he was going to see them all tomorrow.

 

[JdaS]

That's the ticket, Primeape! Let's try it once more!

PRRRHHIIIIMMEE... AAAAPE!!

*CRUSSHH*

Primeape's palm came crashing down, splitting the concrete blocks laid before him cleanly in half.

"Hah! YESS! That's awesome, Primeape!" Remy yelled enthusiastically, with Primeape joining him in jubilation, jumping up and down with a content look on his face.

Prime! Prrrhime! Ape!

"With such a powerhouse of a Pokémon like Primeape, Brick Break will certainly deal a hefty amount of damage."

Remy quickly turned around to see Caleb come down the stairs into the room. Primeape turned serious, being weary of the new human in the room. Zangoose who had been practicing his newly acquired Crush Claw, and Sneasel who'd stopped his fooling around also converged on their Trainer, keeping an eye on the gentleman.

"Easy fellas, Caleb is on our side." Remy said, appeasing the suspicious trio. Turning his focus onto the man in front of him, Remy continued, "Heh, thanks man. I'm not exactly a Fighting-type specialist so training him hasn't been easy, and his species' temperament doesn't help much. I'm more into Dark-types myself."

Remy motioned for his team to go upstairs to their room to get some much deserved rest before continuing to address Caleb.

"So... What's your stance in all this? I meant what I said about continuing to help Looker and the IP with whatever they need."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"I... It's nothing, sorry to bother you."

Matt turned to walk away from the peculiar man, he didn't want to bother him with his problems.

"Really? That was quite the situation you were just in, man. And by the look of you, it don't look like you're handling it too well, now are you?"

Matt stopped in his tracks. Was there ANYONE who didn't know of his new heights in the field of cowardice?

"C'mon now, you made a choice then and there. The question now is whether you're gonna wallow in it for the rest of your life, or get over it and make sure it doesn't happen to you or yours ever again."

The young man the sat up on his warm and cozy bench and called Matt over.

"Now come on out of the rain, dude. You'll catch a cold soon."