In Her Dominion - A Pokémon Roleplay (Closed, Started)

[Anayna]

"Sir..."

"No!"

"Please be reasonable, sir..."

"I will do no such thing, you harlequin!"

The young police officer really didn't deserve this. It had only been days since he earned his badge. He'd never been trained for this. He was about as well equipped for the situation as a Metapod was for a rock-paper-scissors contest. How did one move a surly old man from a hotel doorway, when said old man refused to let anyone touch him? Seriously, how? He desperately wanted to know.
People were getting annoyed. The white-bearded man was just lying there, straight as an arrow and with his arms crossed over his chest, smack-dab in the main entrance of the hotel. Visitors couldn't get in, hotel staff couldn't get out. If anyone tried stepping over him he stared hurling abuse at them. And so the police was called. And what with the influx of thousands of visitors to Goldenrod, all the police could spare was the young man fresh from the academy. And he was hopelessly out of his league.

"Sir, if the hotel has no room for you then there is nothing that can be done..."

"Don't give me that, you mameluke! You cannibal, you! This is the fourth hotel I've been to in this thrice-damned city and they can't spare a cabin anywhere! I won't stand for it! It's a conspiracy and you're all in on it!"

"Sir, that's ridiculous..."

"RIDICULOUS?! Ridiculous, am I now? I was wrestling Tentacruels before you were a glint in the milkman's eye, you gangster!"

"I... I apologize, sir. That may have been a poor choice of words..."

The officer was coming apart at the seams. The crowd around the two; he couldn't handle it. They were watching, judging. He needed to get the old man out of here, fast.

"You're a poor choice for an officer, that's what you are! Don't even know the first thing about your job! Your job is to protect and serve loyal taxpayers such as myself! To serve, you hagfish!"

"T-that's not strictly speaking true, sir..."

"I don't wanna hear it! I want me some quarters! I want a hotel! So come on then, you fancy-dressed fascist, SERVE ME!"

"..."
______________________________________________________________________________________________________


One hour later the old man, captain Herman Wash, was walking through a relatively quiet alley. In the end, there was nothing for the young officer to do other than find the captain a room. After an hour of networking with hotel staff and a lot of phone calls he had found Wash a place to stay. As Wash went over the instructions to find the place in his head, he felt just a bit satisfied with himself. Felt good seeing those fancy city-goers cave. As well they should. Spineless, those young folk.

Now, where was this Sleeping Sunkern? Should be close.

 

[CrazyBlaze]

King was confused. He hadn't mean to bump into the Combusken, he just wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Now he was being challenged by this intense pokemon. He tried to apologize but then the Houndour at front of the line let out a loud howl, making King's fur stand on end. The old woman behind the desk was telling them to calm down and King was still trying to apologize despite all the commotion. He finally started to make headway when a Tauros walked in through the door, stomping and snorting as its trainer rode, looking like he was about to fall off at any second. King was forced to jump aside to avoid being trampled in the small, filling up quickly foyer.

"Combusken, Bus-Busken Com.", he told them, and it was clear what he meant: "We'll settle this later.".

King's mouth just hung open as the Combusken seemed intent on fighting no matter how long they would have to wait. It was exhausting. King just hung his head and wandered back to his trainer, who scratched his head as they waited for the old lady to get them keys to their rooms.

 

[Pappytech]

Eventually, the old woman made her back to the front of the desk, a collection of old-fashioned keys, each with a numbered plastic tag hanging from it, in her hands. There was easily over a dozen of them, enough for each room on the inn's top two floors, and then some. Still smiling, she leaned forward as best she could, holding the keys out to the confused looking Mel. "Here you are, dearie," the receptionist said, her voice warm with that strange sort of kindness only the elderly could muster. "I think this should be enough to get you and your friends all settled in. Do pass them out, would you; you'd probably have an easier time of it than me."

Climbing back up into her chair, the old lady sighed in relief as she took her weight off of her legs. "Now let me see here," she muttered, half to herself and half to the foyer's other occupants, "dinner is served at seven, and breakfast at eight. We don't provide lunches though; you'll have to take care of yourselves for that. The recreational area is downstairs. It might look a little sparse, but I think you can come up with some way to enjoy it. Ice machines are at the end of each hallway, though you might have to give the one on the second floor a good whack sometimes. It does enjoy getting stuck..."

Her cheery grin unfading, the receptionist seemed perfectly content to prattle on about the Sleeping Sunkern's various features. Whether or not she was aware of Mel's inner-conflict, the quite physical conflict developing between the Pokémon, or the recent intrusion of a full-grown Tauros into her (now quite cramped) foyer was unclear. If she was aware of any of the above, she apparently wasn't too perturbed, if her monologue was anything to go by.

"...and of course there was no way I could turn an old friend down. I even offered the rooms for free, but you know the old geezer; could never stand accepting generosity! Bah, but we like him anyway, even if he is a bit of a idiot. Don't let all his fancy degrees fool you, he's still..."

[hr]

"Names Trevor, by the way. Pleased to meet you."

Thomas allowed himself a pleased grunt. It seemed that he guessed correctly; this arrangement would benefit the both of them. Reaching out, he took Trevor's hand and gave it a few quick, sturdy shakes. "Thomas," he replied, nodding his head once, "Thomas Meminger."

Releasing his new compatriot's hand, Thomas took one last look at the map that had given him so many troubles, adjusting his glasses ever so slightly as he did so. "You were able to decipher it so fast?" he asked, a slight hint of awe seeping into his words. "Impressive."

Then, glancing back towards Trevor, he continued. "But anyway, I'll just follow your lead, shall I? Personally, I've had quite enough of all this hustle and bustle for now."

 

[Mush]

"Thomas, Thomas Merminger."

The handshake was solid. Thomas seemed like a decent sort.

"You were able to decipher it so fast?"

And apparently not very good with maps. "I've had a lot of practice recently."

"But anyway, I'll just follow your lead, shall I? Personally, I've had quite enough of all this hustle and bustle for now."

"It is pretty busy, isn't it? Come on then, the sooner we get there the sooner I can register for the tournament." He paused. "Probably should've done that earlier too, now that I think about it."

Trevor began heading down the street, directions in hand, periodically looking back to make sure Thomas was keeping up. He wasn't moving all that fast but it's pretty easy to lose someone in a crowd. As he did this he began to wonder about his new companion. What was he here for? He obviously wasn't a local and he didn't look like your typical trainer either. Spectator maybe? No, there was something decidedly untouristy about him.

Spose I can always ask him.

"So, I guess you're here for the tournament too, huh?

 

[Texas Joker 52]

=HARLEY=​

As Fahrenheit sidled closer to Harley and away from the Tauros, giving it a wary look, Harley watched for the old receptionist lady, and smiled when she pulled out a small group of keys, handing them to the first girl who had come in.

"Here you are, dearie, I think this should be enough to get you and your friends all settled in. Do pass them out, would you; you'd probably have an easier time of it than me.".

Well, despite the fact that there may have been a minor misunderstanding, Harley saw no reason to waste an opportunity. So she reached over and plucked one of the keys from the girls hand before anyone else could object.

"Thanks! Though, I still have no idea how much a room is...", she said, even as the elderly woman continued listing off the features of the hotel itself.

She was a little worried about the receptionist's lack of concern regarding the myriad of trainers and their Pokemon, particularly since they had already threatened to start a fight. But, perhaps she simply didn't mind, as nothing had happened just yet.

It was at the mention of offering the rooms for free that Harley perked up a little, her eyes narrowing as she glanced between both the receptionist and the girl who had come in before she got there. Someone had connections, though she had a feeling that it was someone else that was scheduled to arrive.

After a few moments, she simply shrugged and started to sidle past the various Pokemon and their trainers. She figured there was no harm in staying until it got sorted out and she had to give up the room, and on the off-chance there was no problem with her staying, she'd simply keep the room for the duration.

If worse came to worst, she'd simply pay what she could for the old lady's trouble. After all, just how much could one room be?, she thought as she started to search for the room that went along with the key she snatched. Fahrenheit simply followed behind her, only giving a single backward glance at the other Pokemon still in the foyer.

 

[Terratina.]

"Thank you." Mel said the old lady, almost on reflex.

The girl frowned a little when the Team Rocket associate nabbed of the keys, however there were plenty there, so it wasn't a catastrophe. She took a few for herself, so that if she came across the correct recipient, she could at least give some to them. Well, it was probably someone or a group with connections with Professor Oak, but the Professor had met a lot of people, from the lowly novice trainer to other professors. Still, there was the possibility that she had taken keys reserved for a rather important person. Then again, she did have keys to give them if they turned up. Mel hoped that they wouldn't turn up; not out of spite, but because she didn't want to go through the ordeal of explaining the situation and dealing with a person who had a very good reason to be angry with her. Kero led the way as the girl walked out of the foyer, and out to a nearby eatery.

"Please... help yourself." Mel declared to the other trainers as she left.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

"Come on Sprig! If we don't find a room now, we never will!"

"Grovyle!"

The two voices came from a young woman and her pokemon, both of them hurtling down a crowded market street at breakneck speeds, towards what seemed to be an ill-defined destination. They were ostensibly oblivious to the plight of everyday pedestrians as they cut a swathe through the crowd, the trend of people moving aside helping them to avoid any serious collisions.

At one point Alisia accidently careened a lone wagon, sending its full content of cruciferous vegetables falling across the ground. She stopped for a brief second to issue a few quick words of apology to the wagon's mortified merchant, promising to pay him back after she 'made it big', only to quickly return to sprinting off down the road.

"Grove[/small]"

Alisia immediately stopped in her tracks upon hearing her partners call, turning at the crossroads to see Sprig gesturing her down a side road on the left-hand side. Whilst normally eager to trust her starter's sense of direction, it had been no easy trip making it to Johto, with an unfortunately long delay for the Magnet Train making her doubt where she was going. Nevertheless, she was here in Goldenrod now, and that's what counted. She was finally going to participate in her first truly difficult test as a trainer, and to see if she has what it takes to go all the way.

If she could find a place to stay that is...

It seemed that everywhere in the city was jam-packed due to tournament, something that Alisia really should have foresaw now that she came to think about it. It was only natural for the sudden influx of competitors and spectators to place a heavy strain on accommodation in the area and it was only her naivete that lead her to think that Goldenrod would have enough rooms for everyone.

I've got to at least 'try' this place that that old man told me about. If it ends up as another dead-end I can always sleep rough for one night right? Until the tournament starts at least... After the first few rounds there's bound to be a few beds that'll open up, when people go home disappointed...

She briefly pondered over the thought of one of those people going home being her, before tutting to herself over even considering that prospect. She was here to win. She knew it.

"If you're sure this is the way Sprig, then let's go. There'll be hot food and warm beds before you know it!" she wishfully encouraged, before setting off once again. Though this time, emboldened by the promise of home comforts, Sprig blazed across the front of Alisia, determined to be the first one through the door.

"Aurooooo!"

From out of nowhere, a lone Tauros charged in through the front door ahead of the Grovyle, narily avoiding breaking down the door by the sheer luck of others leaving it partially open.

Alisia stood dumbstruck by the event. What kind of city was this?

"Well well well. Looks like the Sleeping Sunkern is pretty awake right now... " she mused.

She cautiously stepped inside the inn, not knowing what to expect.

 

[Pappytech]

"So, I guess you're here for the tournament too, huh?"

Thomas had been able to keep up with Trevor thus far, despite the seemingly omnipresent crowd. The going was tough, sure, but it was still going. Better that than simply standing still.

"You could say that," he replied, half-shouting so he could be heard over the background chatter of a thousand different conversations. "I'm not here to participate myself, just strictly to observe."

His motives explained, Thomas lapsed into silence for a few seconds. Then, after thinking on it for a moment, he continued the conversation. It wasn't like there would be any harm in it, after all. "I'm sure that you'll still be able to sign up in time, but yes, generally it's better to prepare for these things ahead of time. Is this your first tournament, Trevor?"

As he spoke, the researcher noted that the going was steadily getting easier. They'd turned off the main streets and onto the smaller, and less packed, side ones. Probably a sign that they were getting closer to their destination.

"Do you think your Pokémon are up to the challenge? I know it's an event for official amateurs, but that doesn't mean the competition won't be steep."

 

[Mush]

"I'm not here to participate myself, just strictly to observe."

That's a weird way to say he's here to watch. Sounds like a job or something. Hmm. Ah well, its probably not important.

There was a brief pause in which Trevor considered asking something else but Thomas beat him to it.

"Is this your first tournament, Trevor?"

"Yeah. Well no. I mean, I've competed in a few beginner level things but this is on a whole other level."

"Do you think your Pokémon are up to the challenge?"

"It's hard to say." Trevor's brow furrowed as he thought about how to phrase how he'd been feeling. "I've only been training for about a year. I feel like my team is pretty strong but I don't have the big picture right now. I think this tournament will let me see how we stack up."

Being able to talk to someone about this stuff was actually quite refreshing. Friendly conversation was something he'd had a lot less of lately. As he became more comfortable his cynical side began to show.

"And if we happen to get beaten to a pulp inside of the first round..." he said, grinning "then I'll just have to go back to basics. It'd be just my luck to get paired up with a child prodigy or some crap like that."

He was going to continue but he realized he was starting to ramble so he shut his mouth. Plus, he had just spotted the Sleeping Sunkern, dead ahead.

"There it is, no sweat." There seemed to be some kind of commotion near the entrance. "Hm, if you don't mind I think I'll let you take the lead from here." Whatever kind of trouble it was, Trevor didn't really have time for it.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

=HARLEY=​

As Harley moved down the first floor hallway, she glanced at the little plastic card that hung off of the key she snatched away, and looked back up to find the room that it went to, looking from number to number until she finally found it. As luck would have it, it wasn't too far off from the foyer. Once the door was unlocked and both trainer and Pokemon stepped inside, she stood in the middle of her room and nodded.

It was rather cozy, really. The room itself wasn't very large, all things considered, with a single offset bathroom. As for the amenities, there was a handy PC as well as a single TV which, when she turned it on, was already tuned to local news. She turned it off before sitting back on the small bed, and watched as Fahrenheit looked around on his own.

"Not bad. And probably loads better than the other vacant hotels in the city.", she said.

Fahrenheit turned at that and nodded approvingly. Shrugging off her travel pack, she quickly put away everything that she wouldn't immediately need, such as her potions and the like, before slipping it back on. She stood, then stretched, before stepping back out and locking the door.

And as she started back down the hall to the foyer, hoping that at the very least, the Tauros was gone.

 

[Anayna]

Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. Wash let his heavy stow bag drop to the pavement. Here he was outside the Sleeping Sunkern, having finally located the sleeping quarters that he had rightly earned, and what did he find? That some jackass had blocked the only entrance with his big fat Tauros. And said jackass was riding the beast! Wash couldn't comprehend what kind of inconsiderate dolt would just bar entry to an inn like this?

"Aurooooo!"

"Heeeeey..."

And the rider was just chatting away to someone Wash couldn't see on account of the enormous Tauros's equally enormous hindquarters! Oh no. This wouldn't do. This bull and its long-haired delinquent owner needed to be told what's what.

"Oi, easy rider! Would you kindly move yourself and your overgrown rib steak out of the way?"

There was a faint recognition in the back of Wash's mind that he must look positively ridiculous to the outside spectator. Yelling angrily at a bull's behind wasn't particularly dignified. This only added to the captain's righteous indignation.

 

[CJ1145]

"Eh, wha?"

Rather than bothering to turn around, the droopy Simon shifted his weight around and tucked his head beneath his left arm to get a peek at the man complaining behind him. Something that sounded old and snippy was trying to get his attention. He caught a glimpse of the geezer, and his face twitched. Being upside down as it was, from Wash's perspective it wasn't quite clear if the expression was a smile or a terrifying grimace.

"Oi, easy rider! Would you kindly move yourself and your overgrown rib steak out of the way?"

Simon snorted, clearing out his sinuses as he considered the request. With a grunt of effort, he threw himself back to sit up straight, and twisted himself around to sit backwards on his mount, facing the old fellow. With a salute he said "Hey, I'm Simon."

A moment of silence. The light of remembrance sparked in his eyes. "Oh, right, the bull. Uh, one sec."

He held up a finger and with the other hand fished around the back of his belt, plucking a Pokeball off of it. He patted the flank of his Pokemon gingerly. "Sleep time, Max."

"Oruuuuu!"

Simon tapped the ball on the bull's hip, and in a flash of red light the whole thing was sucked inside. With a loud thud, Simon fell to the floor rear-first, and cringed. Carefully dusting his end off as he stood back up, the Trainer nodded resolutely to the captain. "Sorry about that. Maximum Bison enjoys meeting new people." The smile on his face said that he got a lot of pleasure out of saying that name. He casually plucked a second Pokeball and tossed it to the ground. "This one's smaller, promise."

A flash of light produced a Treecko.

"...Ko?"

"This is our hotel, Seiba. Look around, go meet some people."

The little lizard hardly seemed happy to do so, but she surveyed the room quietly... until she spotted the Grovyle that had just entered. Her eyes narrowed, and her little hands clenched into fists. Her whole body shrunk up, retracting into a fighting stance as she sidled up beside her trainer for safety. "Treecko, tree!"

Simon gave her a sideways glance. "...Really?"

 

[Pappytech]

"I think this tournament will let me see how we stack up."

"Mmmmm," Thomas grunted in response, doing his best to edge through a particularly dense cluster of restaurant patrons. He would've liked to give Trevor a slightly more articulate response, but decided that actually keeping up with his guide was of more importance than keeping a conversation. Besides, Trevor didn't seem to take any offense to the lacking reply, if his continued speech was anything to go by.

"And if we happen to get beaten to a pulp inside of the first round... then I'll just have to go back to basics. It'd be just my luck to get paired up with a child prodigy or some crap like that."

Despite his companion's somewhat defeated tone, Thomas couldn't help but chuckle, albeit stiffly, at his remark. That was one of the occupational hazards with Pokémon training, after all; 10 year olds with enough talent and willpower (not to mention a generous dose of luck) could be just as effective as seasoned veterans. "Yes, well," he said, his voice returning to its standard, neutral air, "I suppose that's always a possibility, isn't it? Still, it's not like worrying about such an eventuality would accomplish anything. You could just as easily be defeated by an older, more experienced trainer, yes?"

After a moment's thought, Thomas drew up short. In hindsight, that last sentence hadn't exactly been encouraging. "Wait, that came out wrong..."

"There it is, no sweat. Hm, if you don't mind I think I'll let you take the lead from here."

...Perhaps Trevor hadn't heard that last bit. Probably for the best, all things considered, Thomas mused, especially considering the chaotic scene awaiting them inside (and dangerously close to spilling outside) the inn.

"...Huh," the man muttered, blinking in surprise as he counted the people and Pokémon that had managed to squeeze inside the Sleeping Sunkern's entrance. Was... was that a full-grown Tauros stuck halfway through the door? "And here I thought the Professor said this place was somewhat obscure..."

[hr]

It had taken quite a hunk of time to get everything cleared up and everybody squared away. Thanks in no small part to Mrs. Nanba's, the inn's owner, manager, receptionist, and, on some occasions, repair-woman, mysterious aversion to paperwork and bookkeeping. After some discussion, however, it was eventually revealed that somebody had checked into the hotel in Thomas' place, and had freely distributed rooms to the other guests.

Under other circumstances, Thomas probably would've been quite annoyed. But given the current circumstances, he honestly couldn't find a good reason to hold onto his irritation. The Professor had apparently reserved an entire floor's worth of rooms ahead of time, likely to give the Sleeping Sunkern some much needed business, which meant that there was more than enough space for both his assistant and anyone else in need of a place to stay.

After securing keys for himself and Trevor, Thomas had seen no reason to horde the rest of the rooms for himself. Anybody in the foyer who hadn't checked in yet found themselves the recipient of a room for the next few days, entirely free of charge.

With that whole mess finally put behind them, the inn's occupants went about their business. Some decided to venture out into Goldenrod again, looking for food, souvenirs, or whatever else they needed. Others, like Thomas, simply took the time to unpack and unwind, taking a few hours of quiet time to ease all the stress and anxiety of travel had left on them and their Pokémon. A few simply explored the hotel and its facilities: Though each room came with a small bathroom and shower, there was a nice bathhouse out back, decorated in a classic, antique style. A sizable basement area was outfitted with work-out equipment for both humans and Pokémon, sported a small arena for Pokémon battles, and even had a PC with a connection to the tournament's registration service. A small gift-shop sold a few trinkets, mostly postcards, snacks, and cold drinks, at prices that could only very slightly be considered highway-robbery.

The last of the Sunkern's features, however, would not see any activity until later that evening, when the sun was finally setting and stomachs were beginning to growl...

[hr]

"Hey there," a young, uniformed woman exclaimed as Thomas made his way into the dining room. Though her smile was certainly bright enough, its sincerity was a little on the dubious side. "I certainly hope you're hungry; we've got a good menu tonight, with dishes for both you and your Pokémon. Of course there's the standard Pokéblocks and Puffins, but if you're looking for other stuff there's..."

As the waitress began to list off a few potential courses, only rolling her eyes a little bit as she did so, Thomas took a second to glance at her nametag. Marie Nanba it read, in blocky, easily readable text. "Uh, thank you Marie," Thomas said, cutting her off halfway through her clearly rehearsed speech, "I'm sure I can find something."

The young woman gave him a look that was half-grateful, half-annoyed, but didn't verbally respond to his interruption. Instead, she merely nodded towards the moderately sized room and its array of tables and serving stations.

"Come on, Farady," Thomas said, glancing back at the Magneton floating behind him. "Let's go find a seat."

The electric-type whirred happily in response and hovered after its trainer as they made their way towards one of the tables in the corner. "Bzzt-zzzzt."

 

[Anayna]

"Eh, wha?"

Despite himself, Wash was just a bit startled at the young man. It wasn't just the oddly lethargic way in which he carried himself; if Wash wasn't entirely mistaken the Tauros rider had just smiled at him. People never smiled at him! At the very least no one that wasn't trying to gain favor with him, and they usually quickly realized how futile an errand that was. Was this young man some sort of deviant in addition to being a delinquent?
Perhaps he was one of those socialists Wash had heard of.

"Hey, I'm Simon."

"Humph! And I'm Captain Wash. But then I never asked for your name, boy."

It took young Simon a few more seconds to remember what had initiated this dialogue, upon which he fished out a pokéball and retrieved the Tauros.

"Sleep time, Max."

"Oruuuuu!"

And then immediately fell to the floor, as the dissapearence of the enormous Wild Bull pokémon left him stranded in midair.

Yes. Definitely a socialist.

Mumbling and grumbling about frivolities, delinquents and political philosophies Wash then pushed his way to the front desk so that he might finally get the room he so richly deserved. There he was, however, met with confusion as some girl-child had been given all the keys to the hotel rooms. The situation wasn't made much better when this scrawny guy came by claiming that he had an entire floor of the hotel reserved, and that everyone present was free to take a room, completely free of charge. Always one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, Wash demanded to know what was wrong with the room, and also what kind of fool these people took him for.

__________________________________________________________________________________

"Phew!"

Wash sat back on the bed, and the springs gave a reassuring squeak. He'd inspected the room from top to bottom, and aside from its cleanliness not living up to his standards (there was dust underneath the cabinet!) Wash couldn't find much to complain about. It seemed that there was nothing wrong with the room. He had really been given a perfectly serviceable room for free. This made Wash hugely uncomfortable. He had never been indebted to anyone in his life and he didn't intend to be so now! Did that scrawny guy in the snappy clothes expect something in return? Or was he just soft in the head? Something was wrong about this; that was for sure, and it made the captain itch all over.

"Bah!"

Wash rose to his feet and decided not to stop there. An old instinct from his life at sea kicked in. A captain needed to know his vessel in and out. These were foreign surroundings. Wash stepped out into the hallway and locked his room behind him. It was time to check the premises.

 

[Mush]

Trevor wasn't exactly sure what had happened but the short of it was he'd gotten a free room for a few nights. It had something to do with a timid purple haired girl, a cranky old man and, purportedly, a member of team rocket. The whole thing sounded vaguely like the setup to some corny joke and he hadn't really been listening all that well. Not one to sweat the details, Trevor thanked Thomas for the room and went to ditch his bag. He then went down to check out the basement where he discovered you could register for the tournament from any PC. Somewhat embarrassing but at least that was done with. He briefly considered challenging someone to a battle but quickly decided against it opting instead to have a nap. Sitting on a train for an hour was oddly exhausting. He made sure to get up for dinner though.

The dining hall was mostly empty when he arrived. It seemed he was one of the first there. His pokemon needed to eat, though. He hoped in vain they'd behave themselves. The waitress had a whole spiel lined up for him. He couldn't find a good time to interject so he just let her go through the whole thing, nodding at the appropriate times and thanking her afterwards. Scanning the room he saw Thomas in a corner but he figured that food took precedence over socializing. Taking a place at the nearest table he sat down and considered what to order and the best way to feed his pokemon. The facilities were designed with pokemon in mind, that much was true but they weren't designed with Jagg in mind and that worried him. Maybe it'd best to take some food with him and feed him somewhere else. If there was something he couldn't afford right now it was to pay for damages. Ice would be fine, though. Sickle wouldn't destroy anything but he felt like she'd probably prefer to eat alone. He sat there thinking for a lot longer than the problem called for.

A quick flash of red and the charmeleon was sitting besides him. "Charrr..." Ice let out a relaxed sigh and a yawn as he lazily inspected the room. "You hungry?" a slow nod was his response. "We'll find something to eat here and take some with us for the others." Trevor began browsing the menu, letting Ice see it in case anything piqued his interest.

 

[Belmarc]

Geez, the city was big. Tyler had been wandering around for what felt like an eternity. He wasn't exactly in a rush, but eventually the sites got boring. Everywhere he went, there were crowds of people, and they filled up each and every place to stay. He supposed he could have called up his parents and they could have bought out anyone staying in one of the fancier hotels, but if he was going to call them for money anyways, he'd rather keep it small. Even if he did win this tournament, if they had paid and equal price for him to get here, it likely wouldn't mean much. So he continued to look, his Swinub nestled into his arms. It seemed he was to never find a place to stay. It was just as suddenly that he'd given up that Colossus leapt from Tyler's arms and took off down the street. "H-hey! Wait up!" Ty could only think of one reason his partner would act like this: he smelled food, and it smelled delicious. "You better not eat it all without me!" He weaved through the crowd in time to see the small ball of brown fur dart around a corner, and he followed after it, stopping short at the door to a small storefront, called humbly "the Sleeping Sunkern." His Pokemon sniffed at the door.

"Swin! Nub," it squeaked excitedly, so Ty opened the door and ducked inside, the Swinub running along ahead.

"Hello? Got any rooms?" His stomach growled, reminding him of why they'd come here in the first place. "I'll settle for food."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

=HARLEY=​

When Harley got back to the foyer, the Tauros was in fact gone, and in its place was a Treecko, which she considered a massive improvement. After all, a Treecko couldn't take up the entirety of the semi-cramped entryway even without the other trainers and their Pokemon, much less its own trainer. And, apparently, the Tauros was retrieved just in time for another possible trainer to step inside, this time a bad-tempered old geezer, one she hardly paid attention to as she started to wander the hotel itself.

Overall, it was a rather cozy place to stay, and it wasn't long before she found out that the person those room keys were originally meant for had arrived, and didn't mind letting the other trainers use the extra rooms. At that point, she took the time to go down to the basement at at least check on the recreational area. As it was, it suited her needs well, though she had no plans to use it just yet. Instead, she walked up to the PC and made sure she was registered to the tournament, then made a quick detour to the bathhouse in the back.

It was a small indulgence, yes, but she enjoyed the time to get herself, and her Pokemon, clean before joining the others for dinner in the dining hall. She made her way down the hallway with each of her Pokemon in tow, with Godmother and Oracle in the air just behind her, while Fahrenheit was at her side, with Celsius not far behind him. And, just before she turned the corner into the dining hall, she could hear the bustling sounds of eating people already seated. So she saw no reason to waste an opportunity.

Reaching at her side, she flicked on her phone, which was already handily connected to the speakers on her belt, so that music blasted out to announce her arrival [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p09hhXbsB9c] as she turned the corner and stood just in the entrance.

"PREPARE FOR TROUBLE, AND ON THE DOUBLE!", Harley announced, making sure that her timing was perfect as she struck a pose.

She didn't even notice as all of her Pokemon just ambled past her for the food.

"TO SCORCH THE WORLD WITH THE FLAMES OF AMBITION! TO TAKE IT ALL OVER HAS BEEN OUR MISSION!", she continued, sweeping her hand before her.

"TO TRAIN THE STRONGEST OF POKEMON! TAKE IT FROM ME, IT WON'T TAKE LONG!", she sang while waving a dismissive hand right on cue.

Then she jabbed her thumb into her chest and grinned in challenge. "HARLEYS THE NAME, AND TEAM ROCKET BLASTS OFF AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT!", she started to sing the final verses, before she finally noticed her Pokemon, "SURRENDER NOW, OR -- What are you guys doing?! I'm in the middle of my motto here!", she growled, glaring at each Pokemon in turn.

Fahrenheit himself merely glanced over as he stuffed a spicy Pokeblock into his beak and shrugged with a muffled squawk. Celsius was snuggled up against him with her own Pokeblock, and she didn't seem to mind Harley's ire. "Sneas, Sneas!", she called, before going back to nibbling on her treat.

As for Godmother, the Murkrow had settled down near the other two and was currently preening. Only Oracle seemed to be concerned in the slightest, as she took the time to float over, positioned herself above Harley's head and did her best to look as scary as possible.

"MIS-DREAVUS!", Oracle sang admirably, only for Harley to deflate and sigh.

"Forget it, go ahead and dig in.", she murmured as she turned off the music, before going to sit down and eat herself.

She couldn't blame them really. Besides, it wasn't as if they were at the tournament just yet, and she knew they wouldn't let her down then, during her motto or in-battle.

 

[Mush]

The music pounded on Trevor's thoughts but he didn't really notice it until the he heard the voice that followed. Startled by the sudden noise he dropped the menu he was holding on the floor and snapped his head around to get a look at the source. A short red haired girl had entered the room, belting out a bizarre song as loud as she physically was able. Trevor simply stared on, a bewildered look on his face, incapable of looking away. As the song reached its conclusion she looked as if she was expecting something and noticing the absence of her pokemon, barked at them only receiving support from one at which point she sighed and gave up, bringing the performance to an abrupt end.

The whole thing was ridiculous to a point where Trevor couldn't help but start laughing although he did his best to hide it. He glanced at her again and her abject disappointment set him off laughing in earnest, still trying his best to stop. He knew it was pretty seriously rude but he couldn't help it. Something about her wildly disparate mood, going from hyper enthusiastic to deflated was just too damn funny.

"S-sorry" he managed to blurt out between fits of laughter "Its just, pff, the look on your face..." and he broke into laughter again, but quieter now. He looked at her again and managed to control himself this time. He looked down as he thought about what just happened and murmured "sorry". He hoped she wasn't too angry with him.

Ice for his part completely ignored the loud intrusion, picking up the dropped menu and putting it back on the table, looking through the pictures.

 

[CrazyBlaze]

Kayla was grateful for the free room. She didn't have a lot of money so anything that would save her a couple of dollars was a good thing. She threw her things down in her room, leaving them lying around haphazard. She pulled out a couple of gym clothes and went downstairs to the gym. Her pokemon and her were not used to battling so she wanted to give them a little bit of training first before the tournament.

She let out Vis first who went straight to the weight machines and started lifting. Adelpha set up a slalom around the room and started to race through the course, slowly at first and then faster and faster as she made her way around the room. King and Milan both faced each in the arena.

They circled each other, eyeing each other up as they prepared to attack. Milan made the first move. Sparks fly as the Luxio let loose two streams of electricity, trying to paralyse King. Rolling out of the way King gathers flames around his mouth and lets an Ember at Milan. Milan ducks under it and starts to charge King, a trail of white light appearing behind him. King not one to sit back gathers flames around his body and charges at Milan. The two meet in the middle of the ring, Milan'ss Quick Attack knocking back King, who's Flame Wheel left a scorch mark on Milan's side. They circle each other again preparing for another attack.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

Alisia was glad that the somewhat absent minded trainer chose to withdraw his Tauros to its pokeball, it's sheer size was clogging up the lobby and making the simple task of getting to the front desk a chore. However she never could have guessed what would happen next, when in another flash of red, Simon would produce a Treecko in place of 'Maximum Bison'.

"Treecko, tree!"

She saw the newly released lizard glare at Sprig, who had nary a care in the world for it's pre-evolution, whether a female or not. He was too focused on Alisia's promise of food and lodging to return the feeling of animosity, although he noticed that she wasn't too bothered with being prompt about the matter.

"Vyle!" he chirped impatiently.

"Yes Sprig, I know. Just give me a sec okay?"

She was just about to negotiate the price of a room with the receptionist when before she knew it the kind old lady had appeared right in front of her, offering a room key to Alisia with a smile on her face. Whilst initially reluctant to accept the woman's seemingly innocent gift, upon seeing everyone else in the lobby heading off without paying she couldn't help but go with the crowd. Surely someone must be covering their expenses, as not this many people would be willing to take advantage of this woman's hospitality, right?

[hr]

Quick to inspect her room, Alisia found the bed immediately to her liking. She would have fallen asleep right then and there, if it weren't for Sprig's anxious poking to remind her of dinner. Before she headed off to the dining room however, Alisia took the opportunity to use the PC in the corner of her room to check her emails and register for the tournament.

Hmmm, I wonder if everyone else that I saw in the lobby are also registering for the tournament... Maybe I should challenge some of them to a battle here... get a feel for their abilities.

A resounding rumble from her stomach reminded her of a much more pressing matter at hand- the issue of dinner. Sprig's eyes lit up at the suggestion, eagerly heading off down the hallway in pursuit of the enticing aroma of Pokeblocks and Poffins. Meanwhile Alisia slowly made her way to the dining room, curious to the exact source of the music that was emanating from her destination...