The Road to Indigo (Pokemon RP (Closed): Chapter 7: Dead Living On The Radio...)

[CounterAttack]

The two new people... Rochelle recalled speaking with both of the newcomers earlier that day. At different times of the day, of course. "They're Eileen Weismann and Alan... something. Never got his surname during the introductions," she explained with a small grin. "Alan's a reporter, apparently... 'Eileen's personal shadow,' he calls himself. I wonder if he's writing an article or something focusing on her," she continued.

The lack of knowledge about the new additions to the group gave Rochelle pause for thought. She realised she didn't actually know very much about most of the people with whom she travelled: their home cities, life before taking on the Kanto Gyms, and more besides. Rochelle immediately resolved to learn more about her friends, starting with Simon since he happened to be there at the time of her revelation. "So, umm... if you don't mind, Simon, I'd like to learn a bit more about people in our little group, starting with you. Please, tell me a bit about yourself. Whereabouts are you from?"

Rochelle hoped she wasn't being a little too forward in her request: it made sense for people travelling together to get to know one another.

 

[Mookie_Magnus]

Mika got up as he saw his Pokemon ready to retrieve from the Nurse. He went to the front desk and took back his pokeballs, thanking her and calling out his team for a little pep talk over on the couch.

"Good job guys, Bones, Take... You did so well today. I'm very proud of you two." He smiles and pets them both, avoiding rubbing too hard on the Paras' mushrooms and accidentally releasing some spores. He looks to his other team-mates and smiles at them as well. "Claw, from what I hear, the next Gym is an Electric type... You'll need to train hard so we can get you ready."

All of his Pokemon seemed happy and excited, all of them healthy from their rest and recovery. "Alright, let's get you guys something to eat. You look famished." Mika finally said, taking them over to get some food.

 

[RBMidknight]

Simon recalled the friendly though hyper Totodile Alan had been with. Shadow had liked that one...

"...tell me a bit about yourself. Whereabouts are you from?"

Simon leaned back in his chair, a bit surprised by the question. "I'm...from Slateport City." he replied. "It's on the southern coast of Hoenn." Simon's tone changed to mimic an advertisement he'd seen often as a child. "Slateport City contains the Oceanic Museum, Stern's Shipyard, and Hoenn's own Pokémon Fan Club branch. Of course there's also the Slateport Harbor." Simon's voice returned to normal and he gave a light smile. "There's been some debate as to whether Pewter's Museum of Science is smaller or larger than our Oceanic Museum." Despite both museums having public records of their size, the debate was a form of friendly competition. Joking comments about expansions to 'keep up with that other place' were not uncommon.

Talking about his home city was not uncomfortable for Simon, it was a question many curious customers had asked. But he wasn't sure he wanted to say anything else. Anything personal. So he returned Rochelle's question. "What about you, where are you from?" Simon asked.

 

[CounterAttack]

Simon's voice sounded a little odd when he described his home city: it sounded a little more formal. Nonetheless, Rochelle listened appreciatively, wanting to know more about the place.

"Goldenrod City is my home, over in Johto," Rochelle answered when he asked, warming up to the conversation. "There's a fair bit to see over there... the Department Store, which has pretty much everything a Trainer could use, the Magnet Train station for quick travel to Saffron City, and the Gym, which is the third one in the Johto League." She remembered watching battles in the Goldenrod Gym when she was younger: Whitney, the Gym Leader, used Normal-type Pokémon. It was an odd choice of type... and Whitney turned into a whiny brat when she lost, which was often. She often refused to give the winning Trainer her Badge after the battle.

"Oh, and there's also the Radio Tower. Though since the... the Team Rocket attack a few years ago, security's tightened considerably," she finished up. At her mention of Team Rocket a shiver went through Rochelle: she could feel goosebumps on her arms as she remembered the previous day's events. That nightmare she'd had hadn't helped matters either.

 

[RBMidknight]

The department store didn't interest Simon. Shopping, while a necessity at times, was not a hobby of his. However the Magnet train sounded interesting. Ships, boats, and bikes had been the main modes of transportation for Simon for almost all of his life. Only recently had that changed. He'd walked more the past few days then he ever had while working. He wondered how fast 'quick travel' truly was compared to say a speedboat. A speedboat driven by a cousin who'd just gotten it as a birthday present. 'Scariest ride ever.' And that included the 'Ghost Ship' Halloween event when he was seven.

Simon frowned at the inclusion of Team Rocket into the conversation. "That group is ruining a lot of places." he muttered. 'I hope we don't run into them again.' Simon noticed only then that Rochelle looked uncomfortable. Much like she had earlier. They'd gone full circle and that hadn't been his intention.

"How fast does the Magnet Train go?" Simon asked. He couldn't manage to sound energetic so he went with curious. He did want to know. "I've never been on a train before." he added.

 

[CounterAttack]

Rochelle jumped on the new topic instantly, wanting to put her memories of Team Rocket behind her as best she could. "Neither have I, though my parents have both used the Magnet Train... apparently it can travel at speeds upwards of five hundred kilometres per hour. That's over three hundred miles per hour," she explained, unsure which system Simon used: imperial or metric. The thought of such speeds amazed her: the train was faster than any Pokémon she had heard of. And some of them were rumoured to be invisible due to their speed.

"Quite honestly, I think that's a little hazardous to the health of the passengers based on the speed alone. There must be more to it than simply boarding and letting the acceleration flatten you into a two-dimensional version of yourself." The idea was somewhat strange, now that Rochelle thought about it. People wouldn't use the Magnet Train if it wasn't safe... what technology did they have to allow it to move at such high speeds and keep the passengers comfortable during the ride? Whatever it was, it was beyond her knowledge.

 

[RBMidknight]

'A two-dimension version? Simon found himself quietly laughing at the thought of paper-thin passengers. Notebook paper cut-outs with rubber bands for seat belts. "I'm sure there's more to it than that." he said.


"Si...on...dock..." Simon's mirth faded and he frowned his name was mangled by the intercom system. "Excuse me." he said to Rochelle. Simon stepped around the magazine table and made his way toward the front desk. His Pokémon were waiting on a small tray held by a nurse. Simon picked up the minimized Pokéballs. "Thanks." he told the nurse. Her name tag read 'Patience'.

"This too." The nurse handed Simon a stack of paper held together by a large staple. He flipped the stack right side up to read the top page. 'Blood work' was the bold title at the top followed by an italicized 'Drowzee - 33296007'. The rest of the pages were filled with graphs and chemical notations that Simon didn't understand. "What's this?" he asked, holding up the stack.

"Those are your copies of our reports. For your records. Sign here, please" The nurse handed Simon a pen and waited while he signed and initialed on the dotted lines. When he was finished she made a 'tsk' sound. "It's nothing bad, dear, our technicians found an unidentified marker in one of your Pokémon's blood samples. The Drowzee. We've kept your file flagged for observation so you may get another set of reports next time you visit one of our Centers. Okay?"

Simon nodded slowly. 'Just an unidentified marker? What?'

"Is it dangerous?" he asked. Was he supposed to do something? Had he done something? What if...

"Our technicians ruled out known diseases and viral infections when they treated the Drowzee's wounds. They just want to run some more...tests." The nurse's tone was meant to be reassuring but the pause at the end of her sentence worried Simon. He placed three of the Pokéballs into their proper locations on his bandolier. The last Pokéball he kept out. A small fleck of black paint fell to the ground as he turned the minimized device around in his hand.

"Thank you." He told the nurse again. The woman nodded briskly before turning to get the next trainer's tray. Simon walked slowly back to his chair. He avoided looking at Rochelle, the graphs and 'tests' still on his mind. Pulling his pack onto his lap Simon slid the reports inside. He had to tilt his pack for the papers to fit. Stray potion bottles slid against each other with quiet sounds of impact.

"Does it. Um-" Simon secured his pack with a bit more force than necessary. "Does it cost anything to ride the train?" he asked Rochelle. Simon dropped his pack onto the floor then snapped Drowzee's Pokéball in place while he waited for a response.

 

[socialtangent]

"Okay, who's next?" Misty asked as she impatiently tapped her foot.

Might as well try, Tyler thought with a shrug before he stood from his spot at the bleachers. "I will," he said to Misty. He made his way over to the challenger's side of the pool and cleared his throat. "I'm Tyler Page from Saffron and I-"

"Look, I really don't care," Misty interrupted as she rubbed her temples. "Let's just get this over with, alright?"

"Uh...okay then," Tyler replied, momentarily caught off guard by her snappy response. "Is one on one okay?"

Misty produced a Pokeball. "Fine by me. In that case, my first Pokemon will be Staryu!" She hurled the device into the air, which opened at the apex of the throw and projected white energy onto the platform below. Out of the energy formed a creature shaped like a five-pointed star with a glowing red pearl in the center of a gold casing.

"Heyah!" it cried.

Tyler quickly pulled out his Pokedex to scan the Pokemon.

120 Staryu
Star Shape Pokemon

HT 2'07"
WT 76.1 lbs
An enigmatic Pokémon that can effortlessly regenerate any appendage it loses in battle.


Huh. That's pretty handy. He readied Blitz's Pokeball. Electric attacks in a battlefield surrounded by water were bound to give an advantage. "Alright, Blitz, let's go!" he called as he released his Pikachu onto the platform in front of him.

Misty appeared to smirk slightly. "Been a while since I've seen a Pikachu. But having an Electric Pokemon won't guarantee you a victory with me! Staryu, Tackle now!"

"Heyah!"

The Staryu complied, flinging itself into the air and spinning like a shuriken straight at Blitz.

"Blitz, dodge it!"

Blitz jumped out of the way of the hurtling Pokemon, landing on one of the other floating platforms on the pool. Unable to change its trajectory in time, Staryu whizzed through empty air and splashed into the pool. Tyler shielded himself as stray water splashed over him. Shouldn't there be a splash zone warning or something? he thought.

"You should expect to get wet if you're this close to the pool, kid," Misty taunted. "Staryu, Tackle again!"

Staryu merged from the pool at full speed and struck Blitz in the side with a spinning tackle that knocked him off the platform. The Pikachu cried out in pain before hitting the water. Sailing through the air like a boomerang, Staryu flew around for another pass, which gave Blitz enough time to climb back onto the platform and face his opponent.

"Blitz! Use Thunder Wave!" Tyler called out.

"Pika!" he replied.

From the red spots on his cheeks, sparks of electricity began to form. After briefly charging, Blitz unleashed twin arcs of energy that raced towards the oncoming Staryu. The arcs collided with it, running over its wet body and halting the movement of its limbs. It was now effectively paralyzed. Crackling with electricity, Staryu dropped like a stone onto a platform in front of Blitz.

"Heeeeh..." it groaned as it tried in vain to move.

"That's more like it," Tyler said with a grin. "Finish it off with a Thundershock!"

Once more, electricity gathered in Blitz's cheeks. "Pika...chu!"

Two yellow bolts struck the immobile Staryu, running even more voltage through its system. It shouted out in agony until Blitz relented, stopping the flow of electricity. The red gem in its center began to flicker on and off while it struggled to rise to its feet. Finally, the gem ceased to blink and Staryu collapsed.

Misty growled. "Staryu, return!" The defeated Pokemon was called back into its ball. "Not bad, but it's time for me to end this. Starmie, you're up!"

She tossed a second Pokeball, releasing a Pokemon that resembled Staryu, but with a violet body and a second star attached to its backside.

"Coooo..."

Tyler scanned the new combatant with his Pokedex as well. The more data he filled out, the better.

121 Starmie
Mysterious Pokemon

HT 3'07"
WT 176.4 lbs
This Pokémon has a geometric body. Because of its body, some people suspect that it is an alien creature.


Alien? Kinda creepy.

"Let's go, Starmie! Water Pulse!" Misty commanded.

"Coo..."

Starmie bent its top 'arm' down, pointing straight at Blitz. A powerful jet of water gushed forward from the tip of the arm at an alarming speed. It was accompanied with a pulsing sound that almost resembled a submarine's sonar. Blitz jumped out of the way of the attack in time for the stream to harmlessly fly by.

"Use Thundershock!" Tyler ordered.

The bolts of electricity launched from Blitz's cheeks and solidly hit Starmie, who stumbled backwards into the water. The electric assault had done a number to the Pokemon, who remained underwater as Staryu had done before.

"Starmie, use Recover!"

Recover?

Starmie leaped out of the water, glowing with a faint white shine. By the time it landed on the platform, the shine was gone, and it looked no worse for wear than before Blitz had attacked it. Somehow, it had recovered entirely from the Thundershock attack. Tyler wondered if it was even fair for a Pokemon to use a move like that.

So it can recover...this makes things a bit harder

"Hit it with another Thundershock, Blitz!"

This time around, Starmie nimbly dodged the attack by leaping into the water again. The energy harmlessly struck the platform and dissipated.

"Starmie, Water Pulse again!"

Starmie launched out of the water again, this time pointing its top 'arm' down towards Blitz. Another torrential blast of water shot out, straight for him. Blitz had no time to dodge before the attack struck him in the face. The Pikachu was forced backwards, stumbling as he tried to maintain his balance.

"Blitz! Shake it off and use Thunder Wave!" shouted Tyler

"Piii...kaaaa..."

Sparks haphazardly formed on Blitz's cheeks as he began to list to the left and to the right. The Water Pulse attack had severely disoriented Blitz, to the point where he couldn't properly concentrate electricity.

Misty didn't hesitate to capitalize on this. "Finish him off with a Rapid Spin!"

Starmie, using its rear star as a propeller, launched itself in the air and dived straight for Blitz, striking him with a full force blow. The Pikachu was sent flying off the platform and out of the pool, where he crashed into the ground a couple feet from Tyler. Although still breathing, it was obvious that Blitz wouldn't be doing any fighting.

"Looks like your Pikachu is out for the count. Choose your next Pokemon. And make it quick."

Tyler returned Blitz to his Pokeball and put it in its place on his belt. A trip to the Pokemon Center would be direly needed after this, that was for sure. He reached for Geist's Pokeball and enlarged the device. Right now, the Abra was Tyler's most powerful Pokemon. Hopefully he would be able to defeat Starmie...as long as he avoided the Water Pulse and Rapid Spin.

"My next Pokemon will be...Geist!" Tyler announced as he released his Abra. When the white light faded, it revealed Geist sitting cross-legged on the platform.

Misty suppressed a laugh. "Your last Pokemon is an Abra? You might as well forfeit now! Teleport yourselves back to the Pokemon Center! It'll save both of us a little bit of time."

Tyler clenched his hands into fists. Insults directed towards his best friend were getting rather old. "Brock said the same thing. There's more to this Abra than what meets the eye, I promise you that."

"You know, it doesn't take much to beat Brock. There's a reason why that pig is the first Gym Leader. But if you insist, let's do this. Starmie, use Water Pulse!"

"Geist, Teleport!"

The jet of water passed through thin air as Geist teleported away and reappeared on a nearby platform.

"Water Pulse again!"

Once more, Geist teleported away and reappeared. With every attempt at hitting Geist with a Water Pulse, the Abra simply moved somewhere else. The sequence repeated itself several times as every attack cleanly missed. Misty was becoming visibly frustrated with the tactic, which made Tyler grin somewhat.

"Come on, Starmie!" Misty barked. "Stop the damn thing! Swift, now!"

Complying with its orders, Starmie stopped its attempts at Water Pulse. Its jewel-like core began to glow. Bright white star-like projectiles shot forth at a very high speed, aiming straight at Geist. The Abra vanished once more and reappeared on a platform to the left. Starmie fired more projectiles, but they too missed. But before Geist could teleport for a third time, the stars hit their mark, causing him to stagger

It was Misty's turn to smirk. "Rapid Spin! Get that Abra out of my pool!"

A spinning Starmie flew in and collided with Geist as he tried teleporting again. The impact was brutal, flinging the Abra skyward just it did to Blitz.

Tyler watched in dismay as Geist soared lazily through the air on a collision course with the ground outside the pool. Game, set match, he thought. Challenging Misty was a stupid idea, especially with how inexperienced his team was compared to hers. What was he thinking? He should have waited until he trained a little more. Misty was way out of his lea-

What?

In mid-air, Geist's body turned into radiant white energy and began to rapidly change. He grew taller, and his tail began to increase in size. His hands and feet became more claw-like and an object of some kind spontaneously formed in his right hand. By the time Geist landed feet-first, the white glow had subsided completely, revealing his new mustachioed form.

"Kadabra!"

Tyler was momentarily lost for words. "G...Geist? You...you evolved!"

Geist nodded affirmatively with the approximation of a smile.

Misty's exasperated sigh could be heard throughout the Gym. "We seriously need to come up with a rule against evolving Pokemon mid-battle. Alright, bud, are you gonna keep fighting or not?"

"You sure you're up for it?" Tyler asked his newly evolved Kadabra. Celebration would have to wait until after the battle with Misty was done and over with. And now that Geist was a Kadabra...they had a fighting chance.

"Kadabra," Geist replied with another nod.

Tyler was positively beaming. "Alright then. Let's get back in there!"

Geist teleported back onto the starting platform, ready for action.

"Starmie! Hit 'em with another Rapid Spin!"

Repeating the previous maneuver, Starmie took off at Geist. The Kadabra teleported away, dodging the attack. The momentum from the attack was sufficient to allow Starmie to swing around like a boomerang and make another pass at Geist as he re-materialized. After man successive teleports, Geist was beginning to feel fatigued. Times in between teleports became longer and longer until finally Starmie landed a glancing blow along his shoulder.

We can't keep this up for much longer...we need to strike, Tyler thought. Starmie was just too fast and hit too hard. They needed to halt its momentum and defeat it before it could recover the damage taken. An attack had to be made...and it had to be decisive.

"Geist! Hidden Power! Stop that Starmie dead in its tracks!"

Aiming his newly acquired spoon at the oncoming Pokemon, Geist's eyes and body began to glow with a faint purple aura. A ball of concentrated purple energy emerged from the light and traveled up to the spoon, from where it catapulted at Starmie. The projectile hit it dead-on and entirely killed its forward momentum. Starmie was sent tumbling backwards when the energy ball detonated. The Ghost-type attack was devastating to the partly Psychic Pokemon.

Sensing victory, Tyler pumped his fist. "Hit it one more time!"

A second Hidden Power attack launched at the airborne Starmie, hitting it directly in the jewel center. The Pokemon unceremoniously dropped face-first onto a floating platform below it. Despite the considerable thrashing, Starmie managed to get back onto its 'feet', but its core was erratically blinking.

"Shake it off, Starmie, Recover!"

Oh, great.

Starmie began to glow white, but it was visibly struggling to perform the move. The effort was in vain, however, as its core blinked off and it collapsed onto its back, defeated.

They had won. Tyler was absolutely ecstatic. "Geist! C'mere buddy!" The Kadabra levitated himself off the ground and glided over to his Trainer, enthusiastically embracing him. "Hey...look at you," he said, scratching behind the ear. "You're a Kadabra now! Remember when everyone made fun of us? Man, they're gonna be in for a shock when we get back to Saffron..."

Misty groaned as she returned her unconscious Starmie. She descended from her side of the pool and rummaged through a locker behind her. Producing a badge and a CD, she approached Tyler. He met her halfway with Geist following close behind.

"You defeated me, so here's your Cascade Badge. And here's a TM for the move Water Pulse. It can sometimes confuse your foe and yadda, yadda, yadda."

Tyler put the items into his backpack. "Thanks. Great battle, by the way."

By then Misty had already turned around and started walking away. "Whatever," she replied bluntly, going back to rubbing her temples again.

What's up with her, anyway?

Tyler shrugged and exited the Gym with a fresh spring to his step. It was time for a trip to the Pokemon Center. His stomach was quick to remind him about food as well. "Hey, Geist. You up for something to eat?"

"Kadabra!" he replied happily.

"Glad to see your appetite didn't change a bit," Tyler replied with a laugh as they approached the Center.

 

[Mookie_Magnus]

Mika watched Rochelle and Simon chat on about Goldenrod and the Bullet Train... He'd ridden on it a few times. Growing up in Lavender Town, he often visited Saffron City with his friends and/or family... Going across to Johto occasionally during the summers was a fun thing to do, since the beaches in Kanto were always too crowded.

He fished out his wallet, and took out his Bullet Pass, the lifetime boarding pass he'd gotten when he left for his first Pokemon journey. It was a bit faded, but the magnetic strip on the back still worked perfectly.

Bones nipped at Mika's leg playfully, causing him to look down at the Dark-type Pokemon. Mika smiled, leaning down and petting the smooth black fur of his partner, and kissing him on the forehead. "Love you, Bones..."

I love you too, Mika... We all do. Bones responded with a lick to Mica's face.

Mica wiped the Pokemon slobber off of his cheek, and smiled, letting the Pokemon finish eating before returning them to their spherical capsule homes... "Mmm, I think a little training is in order..."

 

[CounterAttack]

Rochelle didn't answer Simon immediately because she was carefully watching him, studying his face. He looked troubled... he had refrained from looking at her as he returned, and the falter in his question told her something was up. Had the healing process gone wrong somehow? That was unlikely. Pokémon Centers were renowned worldwide for their medical technology capable of curing any injury, whether it had been in battle or otherwise.

Simon had held onto one of his Poké Balls as he sat down and fitted some papers into his backpack, rather than fitting it into his bandolier like the other three in his possession. Looking at it now that it was in its place, Rochelle didn't recognise its design: there was a large amount of black paint covering its usual colouring, and the standard red and white that she could see was covered in little scratches. She could pick those out even in the Ball's miniaturised state: how had those gotten there? The paint seemed to disguise the Poké Ball: it seemed like it had belonged to someone else and Simon had wanted the paint job removed. She resolved to eventually ask him about it.

"It costs a little bit, and you have to register for a special pass at either of the two stations," she answered his question. Unsure of what else to say, she was a little hesitant to ask if there was something bugging him. Rochelle's indecision caused silence to fall around the two of them... it was somewhat awkward. She wanted to break the silence, but was too nervous to ask.

Eventually - it felt like a long time, but a quick glance at her Pokégear told her only about twenty seconds had passed - she spoke up again. "Are you alright? You seem kinda bothered about something. Is it, uh, anything I might be able to help with?" Rochelle was curious, wanting to know what was up.

 

[RBMidknight]

Simon nodded as Rochelle explained the train ticket system. The gesture was automatic, an ingrained habit, because Simon wasn't really paying attention. There were words. Something about a pass and something about registration. Then the words vanished leaving only silence. Silence that Simon didn't notice. He was busy thinking about trying to find one of the technicians. But then the silence was broken.

[color=505050]"You seem kinda bothered about something."[/color]

Bothered? He was a bit bothered. Mostly he was concerned. He'd been told his Pokemon had something wrong with it. Something 'not dangerous'. But unknown. Which to him meant potentially harmful.

[color=505050]"Is it, uh, anything I might be able to help with?"[/color]

It was the offer for help that bought Simon's gaze up and pushed his thoughts aside. He focused on Rochelle, trying to gauge her sincerity. Not that he could really tell. She had asked, though. That meant something. Simon's surprise was as genuine as the hesitation in his response. "...It's not-" But he stopped himself. He couldn't call the matter unimportant. It was important. And he couldn't bring himself to be rude either. Simon's hand rose and he set his index finger against his temple. Where the hinge of his glasses would normally be. Simon tried again.

"Sorry. Thanks. But, I don't think you can help. To be honest I'm not sure I can help." Simon dropped his hand to his pack then tilted the same hand to point at the front desk. He glanced around the waiting area as he withdrew his hand. There was one trainer Simon slightly recognized but it appeared most people were busy with their own conversations.

Simon lowered his voice anyway. "The nurse said they found something in Drowzee's blood. Some marker? They don't know...what it is." Simon frowned and shook his head. "How could they not know?" He mumbled the rhetorical question.

 

[CounterAttack]

Simon wasn't making much sense to Rochelle. She didn't know he had added a Drowzee to his team, having seen none of the Psychic-types herself. And what did he mean by 'marker'? Did it have some sort of disease? If so, that would be something that the Pokémon Center staff would be able to identify and treat... she had never heard of a nurse not knowing what was wrong with an injured or otherwise afflicted Pokémon. That didn't seem right somehow.

Simon then mumbled something under his breath that Rochelle didn't quite catch. She ignored it, though, focusing on the part of his answer that she heard. "Damn. That doesn't sound good. Hopefully it's nothing serious, though," she said, trying to be a little sympathetic. Simon didn't seem too happy with the topic, though, so she changed tack slightly. Maybe talking about his Pokémon team, or Rochelle discussing hers, would cheer him up a little.

"If I may be curious, when did you get a Drowzee? Actually..." Rochelle trailed off as she double-checked the number of Poké Balls in Simon's bandolier. "You have two more Pokémon than I remember. Last I checked, you had Mightyena and Pidgey. Drowzee is one of the ones I don't know: what's the other one?"

 

[RBMidknight]

Drowzee, his nameless and possibly afflicted Pokémon had been rescued from an abusive Team Rocket member. 'That damn Grunt.' Simon frowned at the memory. He didn't want to talk about that particular fight. But...he could...he could talk about his 'other one'. That was a safe topic.

"Brynn. She's my Sandshrew." Simon answered. He took a slow breath after the brief introduction. 'Wait. What if Grunt did something? No. Focus, Sy." he instructed himself. 'Talk about Brynn.' Simon dropped his hand to the side of the chair, lightly gripping the metal where his seat met the next in line. "She's a stubborn one", he gave the adjective an affectionate note, "and rather protective." Simon was both grateful and amused by that trait. He shifted some of his weight to his hand and idly tilted his foot. The slashes he'd received from the angry Sandshrew in Mt. Moon had almost healed. He'd decided to leave the bandage off of his calf this morning. After a quick blast of disinfectant. Simon recalled Brynn trying to 'protect' him from Tyler when her trainer had been busy applying the first bandage. It had been an interesting sight.

Simon's gaze shifted to notice Rochelle still had her Pokémon, safe in their Pokéballs, set in her lap. "Do you have any new acquisitions?" he asked. Simon tried to recall which Pokémon belonged to Rochelle.

 

[CounterAttack]

Rochelle smiled when Simon mentioned the characteristics his Sandshrew exhibited. She knew what it was like to have an overprotective Pokémon: Natalya was quick to assume that people were unfriendly, unless Rochelle told her otherwise. Thankfully the little bird recognised the people her Trainer hung around with, and didn't freak out every time someone came along. She wasn't sure what she would do if that were the case; Natalya would need some coaching to quell her paranoia.

She noted a few holes in Simon's pant leg, glancing down at them when he moved. They looked like they had been put there by claws of some description... the thought that Pokémon could do a considerable amount of damage to humans or each other was reinforced a little in Rochelle's mind. Not for the first time, she reminded herself to be careful.

"Do you have any new acquisitions?" Simon's next question interrupted Rochelle's train of thought. The most recent Pokémon to join her team was Iskra, whom she had caught just before the group entered Mt. Moon. The little Electric-type had proven himself to be a powerful asset when facing off against Damian and Kimmy... even if he was the one that had gotten Rochelle into that whole mess. Her mind began to wander back into the day before.

Iskra running off in pursuit of a wild Pokémon... the tunnel leading to the two Team Rocket members... Rochelle waking up alone in the near pitch-black of the supply closet... tears running down her face as she hammered on the door, panicked and wanting to go back to the safety of her home in Goldenrod...

Rochelle stopped there, having no desire to relive her memories. She didn't want to go back to them, even though they had only happened yesterday. She could feel both of her hands shaking ever so slightly, and a cold sweat beginning to form on her forehead. To give her hands something to do, she picked up Iskra's Poké Ball from her lap and showed it to Simon. "I caught Iskra, my Mareep, a little while before - after we left Pewter," she answered, cutting herself off in mid-sentence. She didn't want to say, 'before we got to Mt. Moon.'

Her voice was quiet, almost subdued. She hadn't liked revisiting even the basics of her ordeal.

 

[RBMidknight]

"Iss-k-ra" Simon repeated the name carefully. It didn't sound like a very common name. He repeated the name silently while leaning forward to look at the offered Pokéball. It looked to be in much better condition than the Simon's own. Probably from being new, the trainer reasoned. Or maybe Rochelle just took better care of the them.

Iskra the Mareep. Simon remembered seeing the Pokémon very briefly during Rochelle's fight with Misty. Before it was forced to sleep. That had been a rather quick fight. There hadn't even been a chance to see many of the Mareep's moves. Whatever they might be.

"Would you mind if I scanned Iskra sometime, for the Pokédex record?" Simon asked. He started to reach for his pack but then stopped. Surely Rochelle would know what he was talking about. Without him needing to dig out the device. Other than gym battle opponents Simon hadn't been scanning many Pokémon. He was missing a lot of entries that he could have gotten on day one. "I've been meaning to ask the group." he explained. Which was sort of true. He'd asked...Tyler so far. That counted.

 

[CounterAttack]

Rochelle briefly considered the available options. She could agree and let Simon scan Iskra later on, when he was out of his ball in the middle of training; or she could let him out now and make sure he was alright after the battle, in addition to allowing Simon to check him with his Pokédex. The latter seemed to be the better option: two birds with one stone, as it were. She doubted that the Pokémon Center staff would object to Iskra's presence.

"Tell you what, you can scan him right now, if you'd like," she suggested to Simon, opening Iskra's Poké Ball as she did so. The Wool Pokémon materialised in the usual ray of white light; he took a moment to look around the Pokémon Center before turning his attention to Rochelle. "Maa?" he said quietly, looking up at his Trainer as he nuzzled at her leg with his nose.

"Hey, buddy," Rochelle answered, her tone of voice changing to one of affection. "How're you feeling? You got banged up pretty bad back at the Gym."

"Maa. Mareep, maa," Iskra answered after a few seconds, looking down at the floor. He had what sounded like dejection in his voice. The little guy seemed to be down about the loss. Rochelle reached down and began to scratch him behind the ear to comfort him.

"It's okay, Iskra. We'll go back sometime, and we'll show Misty how much we've improved since we lost," Rochelle answered. Iskra seemed to perk up a little, though she had no idea if he understood a word she was saying. A small smile on her face at her Pokémon's reaction, she looked over at Simon to introduce Iskra to him. Off in the background, the double doors to the Pokémon Center slid open, and a familiar-looking figure walked in accompanied by an unfamiliar Pokémon, brown-and-gold in colour.

"Iskra, this is Simon, a friend of ours. He's with the rest of the group... and there's Tyler, remember him?" she added, giving the other Trainer a wave as he walked past with his strange Pokémon. It bore similarities to his Abra, Geist... had Geist evolved? She made a note to ask Tyler later, turning her attention back to Simon. He hadn't recognised the name Rochelle had given her Mareep. The Pokémon in question was regarding Simon with a somewhat inquisitive look. He wasn't sure whether to investigate the new person or not.

"The word 'iskra' means 'spark' in Russian," she explained. "I learned a fair bit of the language from close friends of the family who spoke it. They began to teach me when I was younger. It's not often you hear foreign languages, I think, and Pokémon seem to understand them just as easily as English."

 

[NeoAC]

Jordan watched as Tyler walked off following his victory. He was going to offer some congrats and ask what the heck happened in the middle of the battle, but he was gone too fast. He looked around, he appeared to be the last one to face off against the ginger leader.

"OK, is there anyone left? Are we done here?" Misty asked, hoping the answer was yes. She would not be as lucky.

"Uh, I'll go, I guess. Might as well right?" Jordan asked rhetorically. He moved over to the official challenger's platform. "Uh, so yeah. I'm Jordan, and like, I challenge you, and stuff."

Yes! That cutie from last night is going to battle. And he sounds really stupid. Just how I like them. At least if he's not stupid enough to see what I'm trying to do. How do I make sure I get him to take me out though... "Hey Jordan, how about we make this battle a bit more interesting, huh?"

"Uh...what do you mean?"

"Well, if you beat me, you're going to get all this great stuff for winning. Don't you think it's fair that I should get something if I win?"

Jordan was still unfamiliar with the whole gym procedure that dictated that leaders had to give out prizes regardless, so this made some kind of sense in his mind. "Yeah, OK, I guess."

"OK then, so how about if I win, I get to pick something from you that I want?"

Uh, that's kind of weird. Like what does she want? My frying pan? "Um, but what do I get if I win?"

"How about I double your prize money?"

Jordan understood money very well. "OK! Yeah! Let's do it!"

Misty smirked. Haha! Perfect. Even if I lose this match, I'll just say he should use his new found earnings to take me out. I can't lose! "All right, let's make this quick then. Go Goldeen! Corsola!"

Misty tossed two Pokeballs into the air, as flashes of light filled the pool. One materialized in the water splashing around a bit before revealing a fish that matched the color of the light with orange blotches all over it. It would have looked silly if not for the intimidating horn on it's forehead. "Goldeen!" it cried. The other Pokemon appeared on top of one of the floating platforms in front of Misty. It didn't look like it was done when the face appeared attached to a pink and white blob, but the spikes that jutted out of its head showed that even if it didn't look like it, it would be a tough opponent. "Corsola! Corsola!" It cried. "Choose your two Pokemon then!"

Jordan fumbled around in the pockets of his sweatshirt, before pulling out two of his three in use Pokeballs. "OK bros! Let's do it up!"

He through out his own Pokemon, one landing right on the platform in front of him. The raised arms and roar as the green came into focus revealed his starter, Vince. "Scyyyyyther!" Awwwww yeah!. The other flash of light remained suspended in the air, fluttering back in forth before Vicky emerged. "Zubit-BITzubitbit!" What's going-SUN, not dealing with sun!

Jordan looked at the pool confused. Where is Spike bro? I was going to have him come out, since he's like crazy and stuff. I gotta label these dang things, like-AH! Jordan's kiddie train of a thought process was derailed by the sound of something smacking into the back of his head. Zubitbit! Getting away from sun!

Jordan grabbed his default second choice and brought her in front of his face. He looked into its....ears, since eye contact was not possible. "Vicky, broette, you gotta like, get out there! Sun or that won't stop you. You can totally do it, k? Make me, like, proud and stuff, OK?"

Bit! Fine. Vicky flew out of Jordan's hands and back onto the battlefield. "OK, so like bros, Attack!

Meanwhile, Misty was trying not to let her amusement crack her gym leader's facade, but it was hard in her hungover state. This is great. He doesn't even know what he's doing! I'm going to win this one for sure!

Vicky unleashed a Supersonic wave towards Goldeen, while Vince took off from the platform, flying across the water to get a Quick Attack in on Corsola.

Even with the faint pounding in her ears from the cries of the combatants, Misty knew that this would not end well for her opponent. "Goldeen! Dive underwater!"

As the Fish Pokemon followed it's command, Vince arrived at it's teammate, ready to deliver a blow to the Coral Pokemon. However Corsola held its ground, and Vince connected, then seemingly bounced off the pink Pokemon. Vince landed on a platform near Corsola's, wondering what went wrong there.

Misty chose now to go on the offensive. "Goldeen! Show Jordan a real Supersonic on his Scyther! Corsola! Rock Blast his Zubat!"

Goldeen leaped out from beneath the surface in front of Vince, and once facing the Mantis Pokemon, shot it's own Supersonic wave at him as it fell back into the pool. It smacked Vince straight in the face, leaving him just as confused as his trainer. But that salvo was tame compared to what Corsola had in store for Vicky. Orbs of light began forming in circles around the growths on it's head, rotating around, shining brighter as they hardened before being fired at Vicky. Vicky tried to fly around them, but between the sunlight and her relative inexperience in battle, she had no chance. Vicky got slammed by the flying orbs, sending her spiralling towards the pool. She managed to pull out in time before hitting the water, but it was clear that it was a struggle for her to remain in the air.

"Dude, like what just happened there?" Jordan asked, not sure how things turned this badly this quick. He had been living a semi-charmed life in his battling career and now it was all catching up to him at the hands of the more experienced Water user. "Come on Vicky! Do that Supersonic thing on them! Vince bro, try that Pursuit thing you did before, at Rock Bro's gym!"

Vince tried to shrug off the Supersonic, but his world was spinning right now. Up was down, right was left, apples were rocks and he was his own worse enemy. He held up one of his scythes, trying to hit his head into staying still, but all he accomplished was dealing himself a nasty cut across the face. Vicky meanwhile tried to follow orders, but staying aloft was challenging enough. It finally got a weak Supersonic blast off but the only thing it would confuse is anyone who was expecting an attack. Goldeen didn't even have to move.

The sunlight was still getting to Misty, so like her other battles there was no mercy in this one. "Let's finish this now! Goldeen! Hit Zubat with a Water Pulse! Corsola! Use your Rock Blast on Scyther!"

Goldeen struck first, it didn't even have to jump considering how low Vicky was flying. A ball of water formed in it's mouth growing to about the size of a softball. It lobbed it towards Vicky and connected sending the Bat Pokemon crashing into the pool, and one didn't have to be a genius to know that a flying Pokemon that wasn't flying wasn't going to be battling. "Vicky, come back broette." Jordan said dejectedly as the red beam enveloped Vicky, returning her to safety. This left Vince in a dangerous 2 on 1 situation. However, it wouldn't be in this situation for long. Corsola had charged up another batch of blasts. These ones rocketed towards Vince and hit it twice as hard as they previously hit Vicky. Just one hit had Vince crying out in pain, but they kept coming. After the fourth hit, Vince couldn't take anymore, and he fell backwards onto the platform, unmoving.

"I think that's the end of this one!" Misty said, raising her hand in victory despite the pain it caused in her head from the effort.

"Dude, weak..." Jordan returned Vince to the Pokeball. It was his first ever loss and he couldn't feel worse about how he did. Barely even scratched his opponent's Pokemon.

While he was busy taking this defeat in, Misty had returned her two Pokemon and made her way as quick as possible without letting the sunlight get pass her sunglasses over to where Jordan was standing. "Well now, seems I won. Now what should I take from you?"

Jordan reached into his bag and pulled out his frying pan. "Here. It's the most valuable thing I got."

"Ummm, I've got enough frying pans thanks," Misty told him. "Hmmm, how about you just buy me dinner instead? That sound fair?"

"I guess so-"

"Great. You can meet me at the door in the back around 7:30. I should know what food I'm in the mood for by then."

A loud crackling pierced the air in the gym and sent Misty's hands up to her ears. A loud voice boomed over the intercom. "ATTENTION! THE CERULEAN CITY AQUARIUM IS NOW OPEN! PLEASE FILE INTO THE BUILDING IN AN ORDERLY FASHION FOR TODAY'S AQUATIC SHOWS!"

"Ah the hell! Damn it Lily!" Misty's hands were not leaving her head. "Ugh, my head. That's it. No more battles today! I'm done! I'm going to the back!"

Fary heard this and stood up. "But wait! I wanted a rematch!"

"DON'T CARE!" Misty shouted on her way to the back. "COME BACK ANOTHER TIME!" She threw one of the big double doors in the back of the pool area open and headed out to the safety and relative quiet of the inner sanctum of the gym.

Jordan headed over to where Red, New Guy, New Girl and Fary were. "Well that sucked. Should we like head back now? To the Center? I think my bros are hurt to the max."

Spoiler: Insanely Long-Awaited Roster Update! (Seriously 3.5 months. Got really bad at this. Thanks for sticking it out guys.)

Jordan: Vince (Scyther) - Lvl 17 - (Quick Attack, Leer, False Swipe, Pursuit)
Spike (Mankey) - Lvl 16 - (Karate Chop, Leer, Low Kick, Fury Swipes)
Vicky (Zubat) - Lvl 14 - (Leech Life, Supersonic, Astonish, Bite)

Mika: Bones (Houndour) - Lvl 18 - Learned Bite, Forgot Howl (Ember, Smog, Snarl, Bite)
Toxina (Nidoran F) - Lvl 14 - (Poison Sting, Scratch, Tail Whip, Double Kick)
Artemis (Hoothoot) - Lvl 14 - (Uproar, Foresight, Hypnosis, Peck)
Claw (Sandshrew) - Lvl 12 - (Scratch, Defense Curl, Sand Attack, Poison Sting)
Take (Paras) - Lvl 12 - Learned Leech Life, Forgot Scratch (Stun Spore, PoisonPowder, Leech Life, Bullet Seed)

Rochelle: Kirsten (Horsea) - Lvl 14 - Learned Focus Energy, Forgot Leer (Bubble, Smokescreen, Water Gun, Focus Energy)
Phoenix (Spearow) - Lvl 14 - Learned Pursuit, Forgot Growl (Peck, Leer, Fury Attack, Pursuit)
Natalya (Murkrow) - Lvl 15 - Learned Wing Attack, Forgot Peck (Astonish, Pursuit, Haze, Wing Attack)
Iskra (Mareep) - Lvl 13 - (Tackle, Growl, Thundershock)

Aeris: Blaze (Charmeleon) - Lvl 22 - Learned Scary Face, Forgot Scratch (Metal Claw, Ember, Dragon Rage, Scary Face)
Tristan (Butterfree) - Lvl 20 - Did not learn Supersonic (Tackle, Sleep Powder, Confusion, Gust)
Ekans - Lvl 17 - Did not learn Screech (Wrap, Poison Sting, Bite, Glare)
Xal (Geodude) - Lvl 14 - (Tackle, Mud Sport, Rock Polish, Rock Throw)
Sonya (Venonat) - Lvl 14 - (Tackle, Supersonic, Confusion, PoisonPowder)

Fary: Rogue (Zorua) - Lvl 16 - (Leer, Pursuit, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes)
Phileas (Pidgey) - Lvl 11 - (Tackle, Sand Attack, Gust)
Horny (Nidoran M) - Lvl 12 - (Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick)
Raven (Murkrow) - Lvl 11 - (Peck, Astonish, Pursuit, Haze)
Cleo (Ekans) - Lvl 10 - (Wrap, Leer, Poison Sting, Bite)
Shroomy (Paras) - Lvl 11 - Learned Leech Life (Scratch, Stun Spore, PoisonPowder, Leech Life)

Simon: Shadow (Mightyena) - Lvl 21 - (Tackle, Sand-Attack, Odor Sleuth, Bite)
Pennant (Pidgey) - Lvl 11 - (Tackle, Sand Attack, Gust)
Brynn (Sandshrew) - Lvl 12 - (Scratch, Defense Curl, Sand Attack, Poison Sting)
Drowzee - Lvl 14 - (Disable, Confusion, Hypnosis, Headbutt)

Tyler: Geist (Kadabra) - Lvl 17 - Evolved, Learned Confusion (Teleport, Hidden Power (Ghost), Confusion)
Tank (Nidoran M) - Lvl 15 - (Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting)
Blitz (Pikachu) - Lvl 14 - (Thundershock, Growl, Tail Whip, Thunder Wave)

Eileen: Hughes (Growlithe) - Lvl 22 - Learned Flame Wheel, Forgot Helping Hand (Bite, Roar, Ember, Flame Wheel)
Ari (Exeggcute) - Lvl 12 - Learned Leech Seed, Forgot Reflect (Barrage, Uproar, Hypnosis, Leech Seed)

Alan: Croc (Totodile) - Lvl 18 (Able to Evolve)- (Scratch, Water Gun, Rage, Bite)
Spike (Beedrill) - Lvl 15 - (Poison Sting, String Shot, Harden, Fury Attack)
Donna (Bellsprout) - Lvl 14 - (Vine Whip, Growth, Wrap, Sleep Powder)

 

[Lambi]

Aeris watched as the others battled against Misty. She felt sorry for Rochelle because of how badly she'd lost, and the same was applied to Jordan. She was happy for everyone else who had battled and won. She still didn't let go of the feeling that she had won against the Water type gym leader. She just felt so good with herself. Blaze was happy as well. Tristan too, though perhaps not as happy as Blaze. It was a considerable accomplishment for a Fire type to win against a Water type. And a powerful one, too, like Starmie had been.

Aeris nodded her head at Jordan's question. "Y-yeah, lets get back t-to the Pokecenter. B-Blaze and Tristan require some h-healing, after all." She returned Blaze and Tristan back to their Pokeballs, having forgotten to do so earlier because of her victory. She headed off for the Pokecenter before the others could have a chance to follow her. She just wanted to get out as soon as possible, though she had stuck around to watch the rest battle.

Outside was still a bright, sunny day. Perhaps she should have let Blaze be outside her Pokeball? But she needed healing, plus she'd be let out of it shortly after the healing. She headed inside the Pokecenter, walking straight to the counter. "Good day. What can I do for you?" Nurse Joy asked Aeris. "My Pokemon need healing. Just finished battling Misty..." Even when saying it, she couldn't believe it. She couldn't stop smiling as she thought over the battle. She handed over all her Pokeballs, because it didn't hurt for her other Pokemon to get a healing as well. "Congratulations on that. I just need your name, then you can go and take a seat." the nurse told her. "Aeris Crimson." Aeris answered. "Alright. Just give us a moment or so and your Pokemon will be all healed and ready." Aeris nodded and turned around to look around inside the center.

In one place there was Mika sitting and doing bugger all. And in another place there were Rochelle and Simon, and she noticed Tyler was in there as well, not in the same place as the other three were, it would seem. I feel bad for Rochelle, and Jordan too... They fought their hardest, but it wasn't enough. And Misty's Pokemon hit so hard...

She took a quick look at Rochelle, and she didn't seem as down about her loss as Aeris would have imagined. Perhaps she and Simon had been talking? Whatever the case was, she decided to go over to Mika. She sat down beside him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I am so glad that's done with. Got a neat badge, a TM and some money out of it too." Aeris knew those weren't the only things, though. She felt that this might be just the first step towards getting over her fear of water. She would need to battle other Water Pokemon eventually, and it wouldn't do to just cover in fear and hope the Water Pokemon would leave on their own. Sometimes, battle was inevitable. Right now, though, she wasn't concerned with that and just snuggled close to her boyfriend.

 

[Mookie_Magnus]

Mika smiles as Aeris goes over to him, the blond teen giving his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek as she embraces him. He lets out a happy sigh, snuggling up against her and wrapping his arm around her waist.

"I'm proud of you, Aeris... You battled great, and you did it in a Water-Type Gym of all things." Mika complimented and praised her, wrapping his other arm around her and just enjoying the cuddling. "So, who do you think you can use your new TM on..? Wait... none of us have any Water Pokemon, do we? I mean other than Rochelle's Horsea..."

Mika ponders a bit, then pulls out his Pokedex, looking for any Pokemon in their group that can learn it, giving Aeris a kiss on the cheek as he snuggles closer to the girl who was taller than he was. He looked up the TM number for Water Pulse, and checked... mostly Water Pokemon, with a few exceptions... including Nidoran and their evolutions.

"Mmm, I love you Aeris." He says as he puts his 'Dex back in his jacket pocket, snuggling closer to the older girl and wrapping his arms around her, not caring that he probably looked even younger when he was snuggled up to her like this.

 

[Lambi]

Aeris didn't want to think about the TM she got from Misty at the moment, but since Mika brought it up... "I don't think I will be using it right now. I'm going to at least hold onto it. It might be useful for later, and perhaps in the future I'll have gotten rid of most of my phobia, so I would be able to use it then." She snuggled closer to Mika.

And then, to her surprise, Mika said something that startled her a fair bit. She let go of him for the moment and sat up. She didn't know how to respond to him. However, she didn't know if she felt the same. She wasn't sure since she'd never been in love herself.

There were a few moments of silence from her, then she turned back to Mika. "I'm sorry, but I can't say back that I love you. I can say that I really like you, and that I would like to continue what we have. And I would really like it if I am able to say in the future that I love you. But I can't lie to you and tell you something that isn't true. I hope that doesn't hurt you. Because I don't want to hurt you." She was practically on the verge of tears, but not quite about to cry. She put her hands over Mika's and looked him in his eyes, trying to smile. "Lets just continue with what we have and see what the future has in store for us, okay?"