Choice, a Pokemon Shifters RP

[TehUltimateMage]

Lambert shielded his face with his arm to protect against the shards of glass flying his way, seconds before the group managed to actually arrive at the gym. He was about to signal to Rhapsody to ignore the commotion and the crowds that always seemed to gather whenever there was anything remotely interesting going on in the city, but the wild woman pointed out that the limber middle aged woman they were looking at was the Gym Leader herself.

 

He froze, still, his brow furrowed. She looked incredibly familiar, and when he had a good look at her face Lambert a moment of revelation as a relatively obscure bit of information was revealed. He never had that much interest in celebrities and so he struggled to remember her name, though he was pleased in the fact that he knew at all. It made the world feel less strange.

 

There was no point in asking her if she was alright, so Lambert went forth and right into business. "You're the Gym leader, correct? ...Say, weren't you pretty famous back in the day?"

[PureDark006]

"The one thing I told you to do," the woman scolded while taking out her cellphone, her words answered by another grunt from the inside of the building. She had sent a quick 'broke window #014' text when a man spoke to her; tourist, since she didn't recognize him, and sporting the kind of built and look that could be mentally catalogued as 'middle-aged biker with a secret soft side only revealed to the child character'.

 

"Jackpot," she replied with a grin, offering a handshake. "Fastfall City Gym Leader Tae at your service. I was Zara in Vendetta and its sequels, but nowadays I'm more or less retired."

 

 

 

"What do you mean by that," Rhapsody questioned Gaes, distrustful of whatever it was she was implying.

 

As Lambert struck up a conversation with the Leader, a blue Pokémon came out of the building, a black mark on its face making it look perpetually annoyed - a Sawk. The Fighting-type took a look at them (Rhapsody held the stare just in case) and marched towards Tae, tapping her in the arm until he got her attention. Then, with a glance at their direction again, it started making weird hand gestures; making fists and curling or raising one or several fingers. Whatever it was, the Leader seemed to understand, as she clicked her tongue and did something that looked like she was wiping her forehead, which made the Sawk cross his arms.

 

What the hell.

 

"Sorry if this seems out of the blue, but can I ask if any of you happen to own a Noivern?" Tae asked, eyeing Valda's hearing aids.

[Moonlight_Eevee]

“Pleasure to meet ya as well,” Zoey said. “And I thought I recognized what Frost was.” She looked down at Frost and smiled at him. “As for the other question, yes. I've seen Rap and Gaes in action, they're quite powerful, even though Gaes got hit with a status condition, making her fall asleep during last gym battle.” She turned to Rap with her eyes really wide. “You mean I get to fight as well!?” Zoey asked with awe in her voice. She returned Tama and Globbers before she turned to Lambert. “Oh, please say you'll let me battle! I know the moves Charm, Assist, Pursuit, Scratch, Sand Attack and Torment.” She then frowned. Was she supposed to know four moves or six? “Just pick four if you want me to battle.”

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

Zoey walked with the group to the gym and she felt like a kid in a candy store. She was hoping Lambert would indeed use her in a Pokémon battle, especially against a gym leader! She gave a small snort of bemusement as the gym leader suddenly got Seismic Tossed out the window before a Machop proceeded to faint. Zoey tilted her head when a new species came out from the woman's mouth. Sawk. What was a Sawk? Zoey wanted to laugh as Rap turned and asked “is this normal?” while Gaes’ response about him flying out the window was brilliant.

 

It was then Zoey felt a bit out of place with these shifters. She had a feeling they were together from almost the beginning and her she was, finding them in the previous town. She breathed sharply, hoping she could prove she herself in this gym amongst the more powerful shifters. She cleared her throat before looking at Lambert again, awaiting his response once again, but he seemed rather busy talking to the gym leader, which made Zoey highly curious. A gym leader and an actor? Her grin couldn't get any wider before a blue Pokemon with a white robe wearing a black belt came out. Now which Pokemon was that? She watched the Pokemon gestured something to Tae, wondering what it meant, before The turned and asked about a Noivern. Another Pokemon she never heard of.

 

=============

 

Feathers nodded at the Weavile before it was returned. “Not a peep,” she said, lying completely to the Togekiss. It wouldn't matter to her if she did speak, they can understand all Pokemon anyway, not like she was going to spill the beans. Chompers looked at Emil, wanting to sigh as they offered a battle for more information. He could easily crush their Pokemon, wanting desperately wanting to turn into his Tyrantrum form. “Easy,” Feathers muttered as Sine sent out her Omastar. “I'll battle as well,” Chompers grunted taking out Driller’s Pokeball and sent him out. “Oh boy,” Driller said nervously, his wings fluttering nervously. “I agree Aster, this isnt a good idea.” Driller wanted to hide from the two men who had much more powerful Pokemon. He hoped Chompers wouldn't repeat what his previous trainer did!

[DuskOfTheStars]

Chespin covered his face, grunting and stumbling backwards as the Swift struck. "Why does it seem like your trainer doesn't know a thing about you?" Chespin questioned, frowning at the Eevee. "And -," he paused, eyes widening. "You're talking to him! Like, having an actual conversation!" he exclaimed. "Kim! Wait! The trainer's just like you!"

 

He was bouncing, waving his arms and turning to face his trainer, no longer caring about getting the battle over with. "Are you listening to me?" he sighed.

 

Kim scowled at the grass-type. "Yeah, yeah, I'm listening," he grumbled. "Ma-a-an! Why can't ya just shut up once in awhile and actually finish a battle?" he groaned. Rubbing his neck, Kim glanced at the other boy. "So you can talk with your Eevee just like I can talk with Chespin?" he pressed.

Before Dammerung xould say a thing, Eevee chimed in.

 

"He can understand me. Not like the human who put me in that ball."

 

Damerung muttered, "He was asking me."

 

Eevee didn't pay any attention, more interested in Chespin.

 

"I was in a ball for a looong time, but I got bored and came out and he was there, but last time there was no one there, and then he was alone-"

 

Dammerung tuned out Eevee after some more gab. Well... so Eevee had come with him a bit quickly, but what akternative did he have?

 

Shrugging, he reponded to the other boy. "She already said it, but I can understand her. What did your Chespin mean, 'just like you'?"

 

((Thanks Pi for the reminder.))

[PureDark006]

The girl seemed interested enough, even if her Omanyte didn't seem like it wanted to come out of its shell. The shorter of the two men had different plans though, as he basically told them to piss off and left.

 

Leonard's offended expression was enough to make Jeff snort.

 

"I don't see what's so funny in someone being that ill-spoken, especially to a lady," the redhead complained.

"Someone dissing you will always be the highlight of any of my days."

"Rude. And I don't cheat."

 

Jeff rolled his eyes in an implied 'sure you don't' motion, taking out a Cherish Ball of his own. As the tallest man confirmed he was going to participate and sent out a Dunsparce, Jeff took a step forward and threw the ball at the same time as his partner.

 

The twin bursts of light released a Bibarel and a Tropius. Both Pokémon were wearing collars; the Bibarel's grey with a matching nametag reading Bead, and the Tropius' black and reading Tropicana. The Tropius instantly got ready for the battle, wings spread and neck lowered, but the Bibarel started looking around with a confused expression.

 

"...Why am I out? There's no water or rocks nearby..." they asked.

"We're going to battle," Tropicana whispered.

That made Bead pale several shades. "Battle!?" They all but screeched. "But I've never battled before! What am I supposed to do!?"

"Follow commands and stick close to me. I don't think we're expected to win, but we have to try not to make it too easy," the Grass-type reassured.

[Felixr2]

The man named Rhapsody asked March and Zoey if they knew how to fight. No, he didn't, he didn't even know how to control his limbs as a Metagross. Hell, he didn't even really know how to turn into a Metagross in the first place.

 

"No, not really. I don't really know how to fight." He muttered softly, so soft that it didn't seem likely anyone would hear it. And if someone would, it'd be difficult to properly hear what he was saying. Zoey seemed a lot more enthusiastic about the idea of battling.

 

He let out a smile. "I honestly don't know how to properly move in my Metagross form, it's just so... different. I do remember, from the first - and yet only - time I shifted, my moves are... Bullet Punch, Iron Defense, Hone Claws, Meteor Mash, Psyshock, Earthquake and Magnet Rise, but I don't really remember how to use them."

 

This, he said loud enough for the other shifters to clearly hear, but not so loud that others might've heard it as well.

 

~~~~~~

 

A woman got blasted out of the window of the gym. Apparently, this woman was the gym leader. Lambert, Rhapsody were doing the talking already and March saw this as enough of a reason to not interfere; these guys had already beaten two gym leaders(!), sure they could handle this by themselves.

[TehUltimateMage]

"Fine, I'll fight!" Making as determined an expression as he could with globulous eyes and main tentacles, Aster wiggled out of Sine's grasp to take his place on the field.

 

Sine put a hand to her chin. Sounded like the brown buck-tooth was a rookie, but in experience and type advantage the Tropius could spell trouble. Chompers chose Driller, which seemed like a safe bet since the pokemon had a previous trainer and that might have been enough to offset the Tyrantrum's inexperience.

 

"Tickle, grass, go!" She commanded. Figuring that she wanted target the green one, Aster propelled himself foward with a jet of water, his appendages waving.

 

~~~

 

Lambert paused at Zoey's plea to fight. He considered it, especially since she had some useful moves, though in the end he considered it too risky. "If it was any other gym, then probably. Fainting means the end of a challenge, and it's just too risky to play around with. Maybe start with the contest hall?"

 

~

 

The older man had no idea what the pokemon Tae was mentioning was. The gaps in memory came in the form of many new pokemon, and in hindsight a pokedex might have been immensely useful to acquire. (But then again, you needed a Trainer's ID for that.)

 

He did remember Vendetta. The movies were pretty big back in the day, even if they were released a decade before he watched any of them.

 

Lambert followed the gym leader's gaze to Valda. "What kind of pokemon is a Noivern?"

 

[PureDark006]

"A Dragon/Flying black and purple bat with white fur on the neck, around this size," Tae explained as she held a hand at chest height. "One sneaked into the filming area a few days ago and made a car explode before Medicham chased it away. There are no wild ones around this area, so we think it might belong to a traveling trainer. I asked because Noivern ears look like those headphones," she clarified.

 

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The Omanyte latched onto Tropius' neck, wiggling tentacles making her release a loud laugh (that for some reason seemed to spook Bibarel). "Starting out with a move that lowers status, hm? A good choice since we can't use a varied strategy with these two," Leonard thought with a grin.

 

But wasn't that precisely what made this challenging?

 

He waited until Jeff commanded a Surf and Bibarel raised their tail, a column of water starting to appear under them. "Grab Bead and Fly!"

 

Tropicana shook herself, trying to dislodge the Omanyte to not carry an extra passenger, as she bit on the back of Bibarel's neck and flew up. Bibarel screeched at the sudden action, the column of water raising with them until Tropius slowed down, at which point it crashed down into the signature wave of the Surf attack.

[Moonlight_Eevee]

Chompers froze at the site of the collars on the Pokémon to where he couldn't think of what to do. "Command," Feathers hissed, trying to gain his attention back on the battle. He watched as Aster launched himself as the tall winged pokemon before it shook him off. It was then he heard told Bead to use Surf.

 

"Driller, use Dig on the brown one," Chompers said, clearing his thoughts, not knowing what else to do. Driller nodded before quickly drilling a hole and disappearing, hoping to resurface and hit Bead.

 

=======

 

Zoey frowned at Lambert at his response. She huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at the man. Next time she could shift, she was going to give him some nice claw marks on his face. Not even the contest hall sounded interesting. She looked over at that new lady as the gym leader described what a Noivern was. Now that was curious, part of her was wondering why she was wearing those.

[hazeh]

Valda remained off to the side a few feet from Lambert. Her yellow eyes were bright as they watched the gym leader, but the moment the Sawk appeared, her eyes narrowed. The hand motions of the Pokémon were unfamiliar, but Valda could tell what the subject of the conversation was about-- this was, after all, the woman Valda had annoyed by destroying portions of her "set up." The burn mark on the adjacent building was enough reminder of Valda's earlier escapades.

 

As soon as Tae's gaze flickered over to the ear pieces snugly fit on either side of Valda's head, Valda appeared to relax visibly. A small, coy smile upturned at the corner of her smoky-purple lips. She said nothing as the gym leader explained the situation to Lambert, but at the woman's mention of white fur, Valda appeared to absentmindedly touch her fingertips to the fluffy white scarf wound around her neck. I'm taller than that, she mused, a slim eyebrow arching over a yellow eye. The remark about the headphones did not trigger a reaction, though Valda made note of the name; it didn't sound quite right-- she knew what a phone was, at least, and it resembled nothing of the equipment attached to her ears-- but she nonetheless figured the human would know more about human accessories than she. Valda tapped her ruby-colored nails against her mouth as if considering the gym leader's comments.

 

Her smile grew wider until the whites of her teeth showed through. Somehow, it was not a menacing grin, but it was tainted with a dark mischief that suggested she found the entire thing amusing. Valda spread out her arms, revealing the slim figure of her dress, and thus no Pokeballs attached to her belt. "No Noiverns here," she purred. Oh, demolishing this gym was going to be so much fun.

[ValidEmotions]

"Oh! But now that you mentioned it! Lambert, didn't you just trade for one? Like, less than an hour ago?" Gaes piped up. She'd watched the interaction between him and Zoey, noting the sour look on the girl's face. Honestly, she was glad the girl wasn't going to be part of the battle; too much of a loose cannon who thought herself pretty smart when she really wasn't.

 

As much as it excited her, having the crazy dragon-type join their group, she did not like how this might go once Tae had revealed the problematic Noivern. And, let's face it. The group already knew that Valda was a shifter; it wasn't a big hop-skip-and-jump to connect the dots between that and the woman's interesting choice of fashion. Clasping her hands behind her back, Gaes shifted her weight to her heels, humming faintly. "I don't suppose the Noivern you were traded could be the same one that caused issues earlier?" she questioned, frowning and looking worried.

 

It wasn't a difficult thing to fake.

 

~~~

 

Kim rolled his eyes. "Okay, since you need everything spelled out for you..." he sneered. "'Just like me', as in you not only understand Pokémon but can also turn into one," the boy explained, speaking slowly and enunciating every word as if the other boy was either dumb, hard of hearing, or didn't speak the same language. "Does that help clear things up?" he grumbled.

 

"Kim! Don't be so mean!" Chespin whined, looking apologetically at the other boy.

 

"Well, then don't ruin a perfectly good battle!" Kim hissed, glaring at the grass-type.

[Moonlight_Eevee]

Jack looked with interest as the guy did a slight little bow and introduced himself. They didn't miss the smile forming on Driemen's lips and couldn't help but give their smile at the man again. 'Wonder if he'll nickname me.' Jack thought hopefully. 'Jack, please don't give them the old razzle dazzle!' Sark pleaded. They tilted their head, wondering what Sark meant. 'Razzle Dazzle?' Jack asked. 'It...sounds familiar.' Jack snapped out of their thoughts as Sark made a whimpering noise. "Of course," Jack said, coughing a bit.

 

It was then Driemen mentioned how ghost types have a grudge against humans, especially children. "What are ghosts?" Anhew asked a bit scared as her hands gripped Gogurt's horns tighter. Jack looked over at Anhew as Gogurt was trying to keep Anhew calm. "Ghost Pokemon are one type of Pokemon," Jack replied to Anhew. "They mostly live in abandoned dark places using their ghost type abilities to pull pranks on people. They really don't mean any harm, they're just looking for a bit of fun." "O-oh," Anhew said a bit nervously.

 

Jack looked over at Driemen again. "Do you happen to know what type of ghost type Pokemon that are terrorizing the woods?" Jack asked a bit concerned. "I happen to love ghost type Pokemon and well...I'm a bit concerned what drove them to do this." They then looked at the glass of apple juice on the counter. "Apple juice!" Anhew exclaimed happily. Jack smiled as they picked the glass up. "Alright little one," Jack said, carefully placing the glass in her hands. "Be careful not to drop it." Anhew nodded and after instructions from Jack, she happily started drinking the glass of apple juice.

[TehUltimateMage]

Lambert's heart dropped from being put on the spot. So that woman's a Noivern... "It... it might not have been the same pokemon," he told Gaes and Tae, but mostly to convince himself. "And I assumed it would be useful against the Gym, though now I'm not too sure." He deliberately stopped himself from giving Valda a long stare. "But yes. It appears that I do have a Noivern."

 

~~~

 

The Tropius' shake dislodged Aster and the Omanyte retreated into his shell, which bounced once before rolling into the grass. Barely half a second before the pokemon regained his bearings, a wave crashed down thanks to a Surf attack. Sine realized it was too late to call Protect, and instead ordered, "Swim through it if you can, then Bubblebeam!" Probably not very effective on green, but it was the only thing that even had a chance of reaching that high.

 

Aster struggled against the current but was ultimately washed backwards, but countered with a concentrated spray of bubbles.

[PureDark006]

That woman definitely was giving a vibe that wouldn't be out of place in the main antagonist, confidently treating the main character like they were nothing more than a waste of her valuable time before turning her back and walking away, letting her subordinates do the dirty job.

 

But that was that and this was this and Tae had to remind herself to stop seeing everything like it had been scripted. Though she had to say she was rather surprised the black-hared woman wasn't a trainer; that getup was exactly the kind of thing that one could see in the Contest Hall.

 

She hummed as the woman in a yellow dress exchanged some words with the man that had first talked, holding her elbow and tapping on her lower lip. By the look on the short cutie's face, they probably didn't have anything to do with the earlier attack. "I have Medicham with me right now. Could you show me the Noivern to check? She should be able to tell if its the same one." She composed her expression into a friendly one, not wanting to intimidate the other. "If it is, and what you're saying is true, I'd need a description of the trainer you traded with. But you won't be in trouble since you didn't know anything," she added reassuringly.

 

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The Dunsparce dug a hole, avoiding the waves of Surf, but the Omanyte was hit. 1 out of 2 would have to do. The fossil shot a Bubblebeam, but by that point Tropicana had gained enough height with her Fly for the bubbles to lose strength and dissolve before reaching either of them.

 

Leonard exchanged a quick look with Jeff. With one of the opposing Pokémon hiding underground, the most convenient tactic right now was to concentrate on the one they could reach.

 

"Waterfall to the shelled one!" Jeff commanded. Leonard didn't have to say anything as Tropicana understood there was only one possible target, green wings folding against her body as she dived down to complete the move against Omanyte. Atta girl.

 

From where they were, he couldn't see their Pokémons' faces, but judging by the constant screeching he was 110% sure the sudden loss of height had just given Bead a mini heart attack. At least he could spot water starting to drift like a comet tail behind the pair as they flew down at breakneck speeds, so Waterfall must have been called, even though it looked like the accuracy of it would be lacking.

 

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"Don't mean any harm... I'd usually agree with you, but this particular group seems to be different," Driemen mused, again ignoring Seviper as the tail reappeared and placed the now empty jug back in the counter, followed by a very-satisfied-looking snake head peeking at the group to see what they were talking about.

 

At the man's next question (Jack, he thought his name was), the Leader's smile turned slightly rueful and apologetic. "From what I've seen, Trevenants, members of the Litwick family, and, I'm afraid to admit, members of the Gastly one. When reasoning didn't work, I attempted to drive them out by force, but they always return after some time. Most likely, there's someone leading them, though I have not found out yet who that might be."

 

"Human most likely," Cedric hissed. He eyed his trainer for a second, expression unreadable, before lazily flicking out his tongue as he regarded the humans in the group. "No offense, but whenever Pokémon start acting like remorseless sadists, it's always someone of your kind behind it all. Plus, there weren't that many Ghost-types until those troublemakers appeared, so it's obvious someone brought them there. And it must have been for something."

 

Driemen crossed his arms, thinking, as he eyed the silver Fennekin and the Aerodactyl by the door; proof that at least one person in the group was a trainer, since he didn't think they belonged to the child. "If you happen to specialize in Ghosts, it might be a good idea to try and see if you can find why they're acting that way. I could make a special exception and grant admission to the forest - but only on one condition."

 

He let his smile gain a faint challenging edge as he rested a hand on his Seviper's head. The Poison-type's eyes acquired a worried look for a second, before he flicked his tongue again and tried not to stare at anything in particular. "I'd hate for harm to befall civilians. I'll only make that exception if any of you can prove to be able to defend yourselves in battle. Would you be willing to show your strength by challenging my team to win a Badge?"

[hazeh]

And just like that, her fun evaporated into thin air.

Oh, how she longed to throttle that damn woman.

The smile on Valda's face became hard, as if she were gritting her teeth in a barely controlled effort not to snarl like an animal. The amusement in her eyes had vanished along with it. Her sharp gaze swung over to Gaes and Lambert. If it wasn't for Tae and her Medicham, Valda might have launched herself at Gaes right then and there.

But, alas, Flooey was the voice of reason. The little ghost balloon drooped low from where she'd been bobbing along above the group's heads. "Battle first, strangle later," came the whisper, and Valda just managed to contain the twitch in her lip when Lambert locked gazes with her.

"Yes, Lambert, let's do see that Noivern of yours," Valda said, though the fake enthusiasm sounded more like a threat than anything else. She resisted the urge to curl her fingers into a fist, and instead turned to stare over at Tae's pokemon. The Medicham would pose an issue, if it came to it. Would the gym leader even allow Valda to fight if Tae knew she was the same Noivern? Valda internally scoffed. One way or another, she was going to fill that gym with a raging hurricane and blast that Medicham straight back into its stupid Pokeball. With or without the gym leader's permission.

 

--

 

Cass smiled at Jack and Driemen's exchange. The bartender-- no, gym leader, he'd said-- was so polite and gentle. After days of having Allison as company, being in the presence of such a genuinely lovely person was like getting to roll around in warm, silk sheets of goodness after sleeping on cold, gritty asphalt. He was pretty easy on the eyes, too, which made the encounter all that much more pleasant for Cassandra. Her blue eyes were bright as she watched, but when he began to address them all again, her smile faded slightly in the wake of his new information. Ghost pokemon, was it? Given the fact that she herself was part Normal-type, it would have been a piece of cake to stroll on through. But the others, especially Anhew-- Cass looked to the young girl at the mention of children-- would be in danger, if that was the case. She frowned thoughtfully at them, nearly missing Jack's odd episode.

 

Allison, however, didn't seem surprised in the slightest. She resisted the urge to glare at Anhew from the corner of her eyes; even if the kid couldn't see her, Allison had little desire to unload the full brunt of her distaste on a young blind girl. Despite that without her, they might have gotten much farther ahead by now. Still, this development made her pause. As much as she would have liked to steamroll her way through the forest, hot on the trail of Team Helix, part of her wondered if the sudden influx of Ghost-type Pokemon had anything to do with the mysterious building that the other gym leader had spoken of.

 

Cass tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and smiled back at Driemen as he made eye contact with her. She felt ridiculously girlish in that moment, and attempted to hide the rising color on her cheeks by reaching down and kissing the top of Dagaz's silvery head. The Fennekin fluffed out his fur and wiggled.

 

The snake pokemon spoke again, and Allison's gaze flickered over to him with complete disinterest. The Seviper had a point. Pokemon tended to react strongly to human intervention, and she would not argue that this would be any exception. Perhaps, if anything, it was a stronger case that Team Helix was somehow involved with the Ghost's appearance. Allison considered this for a moment, still watching Cedric. She didn't know too much about Ghost-types, she realized after a moment, but something did stand out to her about the ones Driemen mentioned in particular. With a slow, measured pace, Allison lifted her head again to look back over at the bartender. "Have there been any disappearances lately? Deaths, in particular?" she asked. She didn't appear particularly bothered with bringing up the subject, despite the young girl sitting only a few feet away.

 

Cass blinked in surprise at this question, and shot Allison a look of pure puzzlement. "What about Team Helix?" the redhead asked, glancing briefly over at Jack, and then Anhew. The girl's nervousness brought Cass to reach out and rub her on the backside between her shoulder blades with a gentle touch of reassurance. "Ghost types aren't any more scary than any other type of Pokemon," Cass said softly. She smiled warmly at Jack when they placed the apple juice in Anhew's hands. "Some are nice, and some aren't. We just have to be careful and respectful. If it comes to it, you've got us and Gogurt to keep you safe."

 

Allison pursed her lips, but then returned to Driemen and said, "Yes, about Team Helix as well. We learned they have an old site somewhere in the forest. Your rampaging ghosts-- they wouldn't happen to congregate around there, would they?" As much as she didn't want to trust this man, she found it easier this time to feign interest in the Team Helix's old base under these new circumstances. Pretending to be a Team Helix enthusiast had been much more banal than considering the ramifications of the group's impact on the surrounding environment when the rise of Ghost pokemon was involved.

 

The mention of a gym battle made the sunny smile break over Cassandra's face again. She'd hoped that their encounter with the gym leader would fall to this, even if Allison absolutely hated the idea of wasting more time. But, looking down at Dagaz, she was struck with a dilemma: allow Dagaz to fight and grow stronger, or battle as herself under the guise as Allison's pokemon? On one hand, Dagaz knew a Psychic-type move, which would be advantageous considering this must have been a Poison-type gym. If it was anything else-- except perhaps for Dark-type-- Cassandra would have been seriously dumbfounded. On the other hand, if Cass fought as herself, she could have Arrow on her side as a back-up. If the Aerodactyl would be so inclined to fight, anyway. She also didn't know any moves that was particularly more useful against Poison-types. Oh! Or maybe---

 

Allison leaned close to Cass and hissed in a low voice, "I am not fighting for you."

 

"What? Why not? I don't have another--" Cass whined back, but the look Allison gave her was so severe that even Cass didn't feel tempted to continue to conversation. Besides, Allison wouldn't have been any more useful anyway. Clearing her throat, the redhead smiled back up at Driemen. "I understand there are levels involved with gym battles here, right? What level do we have to win to get access to the forest?"

[ValidEmotions]

Damn, this wasn't going as smoothly as she had hoped. Well, Gaes guessed she should have figured this would happen. Thinking fast, Gaes frowned slightly, looking thoughtful. "You put the Noivern in the PC at the Poké Center. And, Valda, you have a Noivern too, right? Given your sense of style," she started, the lie rolling off her tongue as she noticed the woman's subtle change in expression. "You two go ahead and get your Noiverns so we can figure out which one was causing trouble," she went on, waving dismissively at the pair.

 

Now for something distracting...

 

Plucking a Poké Ball off her belt, Gaes parted her lips again. "In the meantime, Leader Tae, could you tell me about the Contest Hall please? I was thinking about entering Annie," she diverted. As she spoke, she clicked the button and released the young Phanpy from her capsule. Upon materializing, Annie shook out her blue body and hummed in content. "She's a very cute Pokémon and I think I remember seeing there was a Cute category?"

[octopi]

Z stood stiffly off to the side as the others talked, hands clasped tightly behind their back and eyes fixed on the ground. They didn't know if Valda was the Noivern that had attacked the movie set (although her knowledge of the gym leader was certainly suspicious), but either way, there would be some awkward questions at the very least if Tae found out that most of their little group wasn't exactly human. As Tae began describing a Noivern, they bit their lip and stared harder at the concrete, trying to think of a plausible excuse for Lambert to own a Noivern and not know about it - but Gaes beat them to the punch.

 

They let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding. Traded for one - yes, that would make sense. And she'd delivered the line with such confidence, too; maybe it would be better to leave the lying to her, for now.

 

When she proceeded to change the subject, though, Gaes asked about contests. They looked up and blinked at her. They'd pretty much accepted by now that Lambert was determined to waste time doing gym challenges wherever they went, but now contests, too? Well, Z wouldn't mind spending a bit more time in Fastfall themself, but the mission was higher priority right now. Maybe they should say something to keep everyone on track. They'd have to explain where they were going to the two newcomers eventually, anyway.

 

They shuffled a bit more to the side so they weren't half-hidden behind Rhapsody, and hesitantly raised a hand. "Er, we were... we were also wondering if you could give us a ride. To Taismog. A-after Lambert's gym battle, I suppose." They tried to keep the annoyance out of their voice, but weren't sure if they succeeded. "It - we, uh - came here from Vertia, and Laren said you could?"

[Moonlight_Eevee]

Jack nodded their head in response. Trevenant was an unfamiliar name to them, yet the name Litwik gave them a pause. It sounded familiar, but they couldn't place their ribbon on it. Gastly was a name that was commonly known to them. They froze as the lady in black and white spoke about people dying. 'We’re good, aren't we?’ Sark whispered sadly in the depths of their mind. Jack glared at the lady, rubbing their right arm to help soothe Sark. 'It’s okay Sarky,’ Jack said in a dark voice. 'No Jack, no Jack, no Jack,’ Sark begged. 'Do-don’t start a-anything! Please!’ Jack looked over at Anhew, who was now shaking.

 

“D-death?” Anhew asked in a hushed whisper. “Oh please don't tell me I’m going to become a ghost!” Anhew calmed down somewhat as Cass touched her on her back. She felt like that word, death, was familiar to her somehow. “I suggest you don't ask that again!” Jack hissed at Allison, glaring at her. Oh how they wanted to shift right there and teach her a lesson about ghost types! Unfortunately for them, Sark was pleading not to battle and two, they were in a public place.

 

'They know about Helix!’ Sark exclaimed in awe as Cass brought up the mysterious group. We already knew they were shifters,’ Jack muttered back to Sark. 'Cass talked directly to Regina, remember?’ 'Oh yeah,’ Sark said a bit embarrassed. Jack turned their head to look at Driemen again, ignoring the little squabble between Cass and Allison.

 

Before they can say anything, Cass asked about the level in which they needed to access the forest. “I happen to have two Pokemon if you let me borrow one of yours,” Jack said, leaning over to Cass. “I have more reason to enter the forest. I know you have you're own reasons, but I think you need to hang back with Anhew until I solve the problems with these ghosts.” Jack looked back over at Allison. She was going to maybe more problematic then Cass. “Then again it's your decision. I don't want the child to get involved, she doesn't look really powerful in my opinion.”

 

 

Anhew rubbed the top of Gogurt's head gently as she tried to calm herself down. The apple juice was quite tasty. She then heard a slurping noise come from the glass and she couldn't taste anymore of the drink. “Can I have some more apple juice Mr. Driemen?” she asked a bit shyly.

[PureDark006]

"If I hadn't checked the abandoned building already, what kind of Gym Leader would I be?" Driemen answered easily. "No, they don't seem to have a particular place they congregate around, inside or outside the building. To be certain, I destroyed all the equipment I could find; nothing was working in the first place, but I thought wild Electric-types living there might have accidentally turned something on. It didn't change anything, so the chances of that being the cause are extremely low."

 

"As for your earlier question, there have been no deaths in or around the forest that I know of. A mother and child got lost a few days ago, but I'm glad to say they both have been successfully rescued. I talked to them before they got taken to a hospital in another town, and the only thing they knew was that it had been the Ghosts that had gotten them lost."

 

He tapped his chin, considering if there was anything else he had yet to tell the group. One other thing came to mind. "If it might help, some Helix members arrived shortly before yourselves to pick up a shipment of coffee. If you want to talk to them, they should still be near this establishment."

 

"Guy and girl, both wearing some kind of horrible green uniforms. Can't miss 'em," Cedric spoke up.

 

With that taken care of, Driemen stepped to the side, where a part of the counter could be lifted to allow the staff to go through. "Indeed, here in Lamorak the Gyms have difficulty levels to allow trainers to challenge them in the order they wish, with 'one' being the most effortless and 'five' the most demanding. But rather than raw strength, I'd like to test your Pokémons' endurance and skill in fighting multiple opponents, so... Double or Triple battle, with me using a full team, and no lower than Level 2. Those are my conditions. And of course, the three of you are welcomed to participate at the same time."

 

He bowed at them, smile widening as his eyes lingered on the pink ones belonging to the man and the blue ones owned by the fire-haired woman. Those two were the most likely to challenge, by the look of things. "I'll be waiting in my Gym then. Cedric, if you would hand the little miss one of the juice bottles, since the jug's contents have mysteriously vanished."

 

The Seviper flicked his tongue guiltily but not apologetically, watching as his trainer left using the door for the staff. "Well, that went better than expected," he mused, hooking his tail in the fridge door to open it and get a bottle of apple juice. He might not be able to read, but the bar was like a second home to him and his teammates, and he knew perfectly well where everything was.

 

Closing the door with his body, he slithered over the counter and offered it to the man so he could help the girl with it again. "I recommend you guys pick Level 2. Dunno about Silverfox, but that's about right for Aerodactyl," he suggested. He had a good grasp on judging the strength of Fossils, considering the Rock Leader used them all the time when they had 'friendly' matches.

Edited December 12, 2016 by Puredark006

[hazeh]

Cassandra placed a hand on Anhew's head and stroked her hair at the girl's fright. A small smile quirked at her mouth. "No one's going to become a ghost here," she said gently. "The gym leader wouldn't let something like that happen, now would he?" She glanced over at him, as if to make a point, even though Anhew wouldn't have been able to tell. It was a peculiar question to ask, though; maybe it was her inexperience with ghost-types, but Cass hadn't really ever considered the origins of ghosts before. At least, not the Pokemon variety. She cast a half-questioning, half-scolding look at Allison, who looked to have bristled at Jack's suggestion.

 

Annoyance flashed over Allison's face, and her lip curled in a sneer. The urge to fire off loud comments about death flared within her, and the snide words danced just on the tip of her tongue. But then, she caught Cassandra's eye, and after a moment her irritation with Jack simmered down until she was able to swallow the words back. In their place, the briefest jolt of guilt twisted in chest. Without saying anything to either of them, Allison slowly reached out a hand and touched Anhew's shoulder with the most fleeting brush of apology. Quickly after, she turned back to Driemen.

 

Her fist clenched slightly at the mention of destroyed equipment. There went her chance of scrounging up any data left over from Helix's experiments. Paper records might still be around, littered around the floor, but that would only be the case of Helix closed up in a hurry and didn't take their data with them. Which seemed unlikely. Even more so if the gym leader had already been poking around in there-- anything of use would have been snatched up and locked away for evaluation. Allison tried not to let the scowl of disappointment cloud her face, but still her brow drew together and her vivid blue eyes narrowed as she thought. Perhaps, then, the abandoned building was not their goal? If there were actual Helix members here, in town, what would be point of wasting time in a haunted forest?

 

"Time to see the green people!" the joltik sang, having been freshly encouraged with the lack of an Aerodactyl glaring down at him.

 

Cass straightened herself from where she was leaning over Anhew. "I'm not sure how these levels work," she admitted, as soon as Driemen left the building. "It doesn't sound like a system I'm familiar with. I think we should take the Seviper's advice and go with the second level." She nodded at Cedric and continued, "but a Triple battle seems like a fun challenge."

 

As Jack drew closer and spoke, Cass smiled at him. "If we triple battle this gym, all of us can participate. The more Pokemon at our disposal, the better chance we have. Unless you feel like challenging on your own? We do have our reasons for going into the forest, so I'm afraid staying behind won't work." She glanced down at Anhew, musing something over in her head. Jack was right about one thing-- Anhew was too young, and an easy target for mischievous Ghost pokemon looking for trouble. But, perhaps that would only be the case if Anhew was as she was now....maybe the Ghosts would be less inclined if Anhew were a Pokemon.

 

"We should be talking to the Helix members first," Allison cut in, folding her arms. "There's no point going into the forest if we can find out the answers from them instead, or have them lead us somewhere we can obtain them."

 

Cass pursed her lips at this. "A couple of grunts might be a dead end, though. If there's something in that building-- something maybe Driemen looked over, or didn't think was important-- it could be just as useful. Besides, everyone else was planning on going over there anyway."

 

"I don't care what everyone else is doing. This is the best lead we've got."

 

"They're part of this too," Cass said, shaking her head. "We should explore all of our options. Besides, if we're supposed to destroy Helix's research, I doubt you'd find it in a bag of coffee beans. An old research facility seems more useful."

 

Allison was silent for a moment. She had a feeling that Cass's insistence was not fully comprised of concern about the abandoned building and Team Helix. Her traveling companion was, after all, more than thrilled to be a Pokemon-- much unlike Allison herself. She suspected Cass really did want to challenge the gym, whether to prove something or just because she could. Part of her began to wonder if Cass wanted to return to her previous life at all, where the chances of them being able to transform into Pokemon was slim to none.

 

Cass, whose expression had become distant with contemplation, brightened suddenly. "Pardon me, I need to have a quick chat with my...friend for a minute," she said to Jack and Anhew, giving the latter a gentle squeeze to the shoulder before whirling around and grabbing Allison by the arm and dragging her outside, right beyond the door they'd come through. Dagaz barked with confusion in the sudden hurry.

 

Arrow snorted down at them, but remained silent as Cassandra leaned close in an excited whisper, "If we do the triple battle challenge, I think I should be part of it. As a Pokemon. I mean, you have Arrow, and you can use Dagaz too since he knows a Psychic move, but I have some battle experience that could definitely help us win--"

 

Allison lifted up a hand to interrupt her. "Slow down. Are you asking me to take over for you as a trainer? I don't know anything about fighting gym battles!"

 

Cassandra frowned. "Wait, really? I thought maybe you were a trainer before, in your past life."

 

"Maybe I was a trainer, I don't know," Allison growled. She gestured in the direction of the Gym. "But I don't know the first thing about fighting against a gym!"

 

Disappointment blossomed in Cassandra's expression. If Cass remained back with Allison, she could coach her and give her pointers, but that meant Cass couldn't fight as a Pyroar. She'd have to stay human and hope that their combined forces behind their own Pokemon would be enough.

 

Allison noted how Cass's face fell. She exhaled loudly, puffing out her cheeks as she contemplated her options. After a long moment of hesitation, she said through clenched teeth,"I...I suppose I could try."

 

It took Cass a moment to register what she'd said. Her eyes blew wide, and a bright grin stretched over her face. "REALLY?" She launched herself at Allison and wrapped her arms around the white-haired girl's neck in a giant, appreciative squeeze. Allison staggered back at the force of it and wheezed slightly at the intensity of Cassandra's grip. "Thank you!"

 

When Cass let go, Allison stepped back and rubbed at her neck, grimacing. "You owe me, though," she said pointedly, just as Cass unshouldered the small backpack and dug out Dagaz's white Pokeball. Cass placed it into Allison's hand, and Allison muttered, "Big time."

 

"Just tell the others that I-- uh, I went to find the Helix people," Cass said, "In case Driemen wonders why I'm not there." Allison looked unconvinced; it seemed like a lame excuse, since Cass had been the one who wanted to challenge the gym in the first place, but she wasn't that worried what Jack and Anhew thought of it, especially since Anhew would know Cass hadn't left at all. Cass paused for a second, and then placed a hand on Allison's forearm and smiled. "Don't worry. I think you'll do great." With that, she hurried off around the building, fingers crossed that none of Driemen's Pokemon would be following behind.

 

Allison stood in front of the bar for a moment more, still holding Dagaz's Premier ball. The silvery fox was sitting at her feet where Cass had placed him. He was very quiet in Allison's presence, and thankfully Arrow didn't seem entirely interested in the little fox cowering at his trainer's boots. With a press of a button, the Fennekin returned back into the ball, with Arrow following shortly after into his Quick ball. Then, placing both pokeballs into the bag, Allison strode back into the bar.

 

"Cassandra's gone to track down the Helix members," she said easily, betraying nothing except feigned (or was it real? Who knew) annoyance at the situation. "She's lending me her Pokemon for the time being to challenge the gym." As if on cue, a lion with a brilliant crimson and gold mane came padding up to the bar. It shouldered its way through the front doors and circled around the people still inside, taking a moment to push its large nose against the palm of Anhew's hand. Allison rolled her eyes. "Let's go."

 

She didn't wait for Jack or the others, but the Pyroar took a few steps before looking back over her shoulder, as if beckoning them to follow.

 

--

 

The Gym was close by and surprisingly...ordinary. Allison glanced up at it for only a brief moment before entering. The building itself looked as standard as they came, and Allison only faintly felt something akin to familiarity. She might have seen and passed by gyms before in whatever kind of life she led prior to this, but entering into the gym prickled a sense of anticipated anxiety that flushed just beneath her skin that was certainly not familiar or welcome. She slowly approached the court, keeping an eye out for Driemen or any other individuals.

 

"This better be quick," she hissed low under her breath as the Pyroar came to a stop right beside her. "If we miss our chance to talk to the Team Helix members because of this, it's your fault."

 

"Relax," came the growled response. "Worse case scenario, get on Arrow's back and fly around until you find them again."

Edited December 13, 2016 by Shiny Hazard Sign

[PureDark006]

Thinking about it, the Drifloon was acting as if it was with the woman with the headphones. She really didn't look like she was carrying any Poké Balls, but considering Ade once actually managed to hide 17 prop knives under a form-fitting dress for the party scene in V2, maybe she was just very good at space management. The one in the yellow dress didn't look like she was lying, so...

 

First they said there were no Noiverns, then that they had one, and now that they had two. Suspicious. Very suspicious.

 

Making a sound with her tongue, she tapped one of the Ultra Balls on her belt. The white light came out, materializing into a Lucario. They shook their head and looked around, the black appendages on their head quivering slightly. "Finding the Pokémon Center and getting back here will be faster if you're with someone who knows their way around the city. Lucario here will escort you two to make sure you don't get lost," she said in an easy tone, nodding at the man in the jacket and the woman with the headphones as she placed her hand between the Fighting-type's blue ears.

 

Lucario sniffed and looked at Sawk, who narrowed his eyes. Twitching an ear, they turned to regard the two humans Tae had nodded at, raising a paw in greeting.

 

Tae clapped her hands together. "Now, with that out of the way... Yes, there's a Cute category. In fact, there's going to be a Cute contest in a little less than an hour, if my memory isn't failing me. The Contest Hall is over there," she explained, pointing at the building across from the Gym as she smiled at the Phanpy. The categories she was interested in were Cool and Tough, so there was no problem in having a challenger now.

 

A pink-haired kid that she was just noticing now spoke up (had they been there all the time?). Her eyes sparkled at the question, small wrinkles appearing around them. "Of course! I take every chance I can to pilot the helicopter."

 

This, finally, got a reaction from the stoic Sawk, as he did a double-take with eyes wide as saucers. He urgently taped his trainer on the leg, signing furiously while hissing, "You don't have a license yet."

 

Tae just chuckled and waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, I'll take Ade as co-pilot."

 

Sawk covered his face with his hands, letting out a long groan. Lucario pat him on the shoulder.

 

Tae ignored her two Pokémons' reactions (drama queens, both of them). "So, how many challengers, what kind of battle, and what Level?"

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

To be fair, Leslar had lasted a record eighteen minutes and thirty-six seconds before he bolted out the doors of the Pokémon Center. It had been the longest Vaila had seen him staying still, so when he declared he'd go out to scout Taismog again, she had let him go without too much of a fuss. His new Pokémon had a good head on its shoulders; a few minutes shouldn't be enough time for the hyperactive man to get in trouble.

 

...Maybe that was wishful thinking, but he shouldn't get in too much trouble.

 

Anyhow, he deserved the small break after not complaining when they picked up the order with almost half an hour to spare. Then again, it might be because she had evidence of how he lost to an 11-year-old yesterday when he rushed off on his own, and he didn't want to give her any excuse to use it as blackmail. But she digresses.

 

After making sure the three stacked boxes were still there, Vaila checked the messages in her phone. The ones at Alqind weren't making much progress, though that was to be expected; that city had a severe Ditto problem, and no one could do anything because most of them had trainers. Looking for a single someone in the middle of all that had to be an exercise in frustration, especially with that particular Gym Leader in the vicinity.

 

She didn't pay attention to the glass doors opening, knowing Jules wasn't exactly the punctual type (on the contrary, she was fully expecting to have to wait another fifteen minutes); just threw a cursory glance in the newcomer's direction. Then a double-take when she realized she recognized him - short blond hair, the left bangs framing his face slightly longer than the right ones, blue eyes, pair of small golden earrings, formal clothes and tie under a white lab coat.

 

She immediately locked her phone and put it away, standing up. "Good afternoon, Storm."

 

"Good afternoon," he replied with a nod, careful to not jostle the Natu dozing off on his shoulder. "You seem surprised."

 

"I was under the impression I would be meeting Jules."

 

Storm made a small grimace, as if remembering something particularly frustrating. "Jules and Coral are banished from the kitchen and from anything remotely connected to it for three months."

"That seems excessive."

"They involved Sidley."

"Ah." Trust Coral to not fear the consequences of messing with that particular man in front of Storm. She idly wondered if Sid's Volcarona had tried to fry them for it, before deciding that since it didn't involve her she didn't care much.

 

"Vaila! I'm back!"

 

Impeccable timing for once, she thought as Leslar jogged inside, looking like he had run all the way here while starting to talk about how 'everything had seemed normal' and 'didn't find any of the targets'. She mentally started counting the seconds, and reached seven by the time Leslar noticed who was there, eyes widening like saucers as he suddenly stopped his word waterfall.

 

"Good to see you, sir!" he yelled loud enough for even some people outside the Center to hear, standing straight and doing a military salute. "Forgive me for not noticing you!!!"

 

Storm looked mildly taken aback by the volume, but composed himself. "No need to apologize. Or shout inside a building."

 

"Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!" Leslar exclaimed, though at least he tried to use his indoor voice. Seems he still was worried about being disrespectful on that one phone conversation back at Kusba.

 

Natu opened an eye, throwing a half-hearted glare at the source of the noise before ruffling its feathers and dozing off again with a quiet peep.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[[Information on NPCs has been updated. Unlocked: half of Storm's character sheet]]

Edited December 18, 2016 by Puredark006

[Moonlight_Eevee]

Out of the corner of their eye, they noticed the other lady about to say something, making Jack turn to her. If she started sprouting stuff right there and then, they had to close their eyes and focus on not shifting. It was then Sark gave the slightest whimper forcing them to relax. Anhew had relax but felt surprised as Allison briefly touched her shoulder. She was just glad there wasn't any fights about to go down. Jack tilted their head. So the ghosts didn't have a hangout out in or around the building. Best case scenario they could shift and talk to them. They were, after all, part ghost type so they could easily get in if needed. They relaxed and felt Sark do the same as they heard a mother and child getting lost before being found. That was a typical ghost type Pokemon for you.

 

Jack had to ponder after the gym leader said something about the Helix members. How did Helix fit into everything? Driemen had mentioned he had destroyed the equipment, which wasn't too concerning for them. They'll always be another chance to learn about Helix. Anhew looked up slightly concerned at the mention of a gym battle. Was this going to be different then from what Cass and Allison were doing with Arrow and Dagaz a couple days ago?

 

Jack gave his signature grin to Driemen once again as he noticed the man's attention was back on them briefly, all but ignoring Cass and her friend's argument once again. ‘You think we can pull it off?’ Sark asked. 'Yes,’ Jack mused as he rubbed their chin. ‘I’m just glad it isn't us who is going to be battling,’ Sark sighed a bit relieved. 'Not directly,’ Jack corrected. 'We’re still going to have a battle, just with our Pokemon.’ 'Right,’ Sark said.

 

Anhew was grateful that Cedric handed her another thing of apple juice. That was the best thing she ever tasted! “I'm down with a triple battle,” Jack said as Cass started talking to them. They gave a small worried glance at Anhew again before nodding. If anything were to go wrong, they would end up trying to protect the child. Maybe they would get enough money to buy another Pokeball and catch one of the ghosts. They raised an eyebrow as Cass had to excuse her and her friend for a moment before stepping outside.

 

“You feeling better dear?” Jack asked as they helped Anhew with the jug. “Yes, thank you Jack,” Anhew answered in between drinks. “Sweetie, do you mind if I borrow Gogurt for a bit?” Jack asked softly. “If we're doing a Triple Battle- although I'm not sure if Cass has three Pokemon, if she does- then I'm going to need a third Pokémon as well.” Anhew gripped one of the horns of Gogurt rather nervously.

 

“I don't know,” Anhew said softly. “I promise I’ll make sure he’ll do well,” Jack said softly, rubbing Gogurt on the top of his head. Gogurt tilted his head slightly at Jack. “Master Anhew,” he said. “It would help me out to gain some more experience to help defend you better.” “O-okay,” Anhew said nervously.

 

Jack turned their head and frowned as the lady in black and white came back without Cass. It was then she said that Cass was lending one of her Pokemon to her. With that cue, a huge Pokemon came padding in. They gave an amused smile at the new Pokemon. They didn't know what Pokemon she was but judging by that it padded over to Anhew, it must have really been Cass’ 'Pokemon’.

 

Jack followed the woman towards the gym with Anhew and Gogurt close by. Everyone was super quiet on the way to the gym. Both Jack and Sark felt a twinge of regret as they stared at the rather plain gym. Why were they feeling this emotion? 'You okay Sarky?’ Jack asked, his left hand automatically rubbing his right arm. 'I...guess,’ Sark replied rather quietly. 'Do we still have to do this?’ 'I’m afraid we must,’ Jack replied. The emotion of regret remained with them and they felt another emotion dwell within them. Lonliness perhaps?

Edited December 23, 2016 by Raptor of Dragons

[PureDark006]

Cedric watched as the two women stepped out of the building - well, more like one of them grabbed the other and forced her outside for their chat. He wondered if they were long-time friends to act with that level of familiarity. One of them returned soon enough, though, announcing that Cassandra had gone off to find the Helix guys.

 

Mm. Wonder what the group wanted with Helix.

 

That aside, he pressed his head against the blind girl's side to catch her attention. "I can stay with you while your Gogurt battles if you want. Can even do commentary," he cheerfully added, flicking his tongue. That way the two trainers and Skiddo could do battle without having to worry about her.

 

It didn't take long to enter the Gym. They passed the normal entrance and opened the wooden door to get to the battling area, Cedric entering as fast as he could. He liked it in there. The temperature was always warm thanks to the fireplace by the left, and it smelt like berries. The floor was warm too, all covered by red carpets that matched the wallpapers.

 

Driemen was on the opposite side, sitting on the red armchair. On the table next to him were three boxes and eighteen Timer Balls, separated in groups of three. Usually,Cedric would have coiled around the armchair to watch the battle, but for this challenge he stayed in the group's side to watch over Anhew.

 

 

Driemen didn't comment on Cedric's position and stood up, easy smile on his face as he regarded the challengers. "Welcome to my Gym. If you would, please state your names and the kind of battle you wish to have."

 

Triple battle, huh... he had been prepared for either that or a Double, though he had been sure the challengers would include the red-haired woman. Well, it didn't matter. Taking the first six Timer Balls, he switched them with the ones already fastened to his belt.

 

"Let's begin," he instructed, letting out a Salandit flanked by a Haunter on each side.

 

Time to see how the challengers would fare against the types they'll be encountering at the forest.

[ValidEmotions]

"Are you sure we should just leave them alone? The boy can shift just like you!"

 

"He'll only slow me down, Chespin. Besides, he wanted to go a different way and I'm going this way," Kim grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Now, shut up," he hissed.

 

Chespin frowned, looking away when his trainer shot a glare in his direction. "Sorry," he murmured. Glancing back a few moments later, he started to perk up. "Hey! I know what'll be good! Let's get some rest. I'm kind of tired from that battle and, when we're ready, maybe we c-"

 

A red beam of light struck the Pokémon, sucking him into his Poké Ball before the sentence could be finished. Kim scowled, stuffing the Ball into his bag. The Pokémon Center was just around the corner. Admittedly, he liked the idea of getting some rest and eating some of the goods he had managed to pilfer.

 

As he neared the doors, a man in an odd uniform jogged past, shouting to someone as he went inside. "Who wears snot-green clothes?" Kim muttered, scrunching his face as if he tasted something unpleasant. Following the weirdo inside, he spotted a woman in a matching outfit with a man dressed like a scientist.

 

Stopping near the three, he tilted his head slightly. "Hey, where can I meet a blind fashion designer like yours?" he asked, scuffing his shoe against the floor. "What sort of nut-jobs dress in snot-green anyways?"

 

Scratching his jaw, Kim studied the trio, eyeing the man in the lab coat. "You some sort of authority figure? Say, who are you guys anyways?" The more interesting people were always dressed weirdly in cartoons, weren't they?

[hazeh]

Humans were seriously the most annoying creatures. Valda didn't even attempt to hide the irritation that flashed through her expression as the Lucario was released from a Pokeball on Tae's hip. She scrunched her nose at it, as if it had a particularly bad smell. It wasn't just the fact that they were being handed a damn guide to the city to babysit them to the nearest Pokecenter, but that somewhere in the recesses of her memory that continued to slip out of reach, a flash of familiarity occurred to her just at the sight of the Lucario. She knew this kind of Pokémon. Or, similar to it. The smaller, less pointy versions of it. The kits, perhaps? Valda tilted her head, thinking. A sudden wave of desire flooded her before settling in her stomach. Without thinking, she ran her tongue across her lips, curious about the hunger that built in her belly. Something was particularly appetizing about this Lucario, and Valda's eyes shone at the idea of getting her hands on it alone in a dark alley. She licked her lips again. Regardless of the violent thoughts churning around in her head, the fact that she still couldn't quite grasp the memories she knew should have accompanied those thoughts bothered her greatly.

 

Valda snorted and turned on her heel. "Fine, let's go," she said, jerking her head toward the street while her yellow eyes trained on the Lucario. She waited for it to start forward before turning to Lambert as soon as the Pokémon was several yards away. "That thing's going to know who I am the second I get out of the Pokémon center," she growled at him, lowering her voice to barely just about a whisper. "And not for the wreckage. Those things on its head can tell the difference between individuals." Valda shot a glance toward the Lucario in front of them as they walked. She folded her arms. Her first instinct-- besides to eat it-- was to rip its facial sensors off, but mauling the gym leader's Pokémon probably wasn't going to earn her any favors for following Lambert's team to those Helix people. She scowled at it for a long moment before muttering, "I'm going to ditch it. Can't promise it'll come back if it ends up following me." It still might not work; there remained the chance that the aura would read the same, but hopefully the Lucario was too stupid to put the pieces together and would pass it off as a simple mistake.

 

Valda slipped the ruby-toed heels off her feet and stretched her ankles. Then, without hesitating, she took a step back and ducked into a small, narrow space between the buildings where the smell of old garbage and sewer rose from the corners and grates hidden in the pathway. She ran on the balls of her feet, springy and light, cursing the genius who thought up the design for her outfit as her pace leveled off into a brisk jog. Another path revealed itself and she darted into it, dodging around corners and tucking herself under broken chain link fences until the hem of her dress was dirty and torn, and several of the pins in her hair had fallen to the ground, letting loose the black curls to bounce at her shoulders and backside. At some point or another, something dirty managed to smudge across the white fluff of her scarf. She made a noise of disgust and unwound it from her neck to deposit it into a puddle.

 

There were only a few Trubbish and Rattata around after a while. Valda slowed, pausing down a particularly dark alleyway. A lonely Trubbish inched its way over the floor toward her, curious.

She bared her teeth at it. "Beat it, trash bag."

"I-- what?" It stared at her, dumbfounded. "Wait, what are you--"

"I don't have time for this," Valda snapped, and the Pokémon recoiled slightly at her tone. Before he could manage anything else, Valda relaxed her shoulders and a shimmer of light rose from her core and expanded outward until her entire being was encompassed in the glow. The Trubbish watched, wide-eyed, as the human woman's silhouette morphed into something much less friendly.

 

The Noivern broke free of the light and screeched at the Trubbish still sitting in the alley. She jumped into the air and gave a fierce stroke of her wings, and from them a massive gale erupted down the alley, knocking the Trubbish back as if it were a piece of paper in a breeze. Several bags of garbage-- the non-Pokémon variety-- ripped open at the force, and all sorts of debris blasted through the pathway as if a small tornado had just rampaged by. Valda ignored the aftermath of it all and rose higher until she was clear above most of the buildings and looking out over the expanse of the city.

Now, if she remembered the layout well enough, the PokeCenter that Lambert would be travelling to was a few blocks away. She drifted over the air currents and watched the residents of the city below. Most of them didn't notice her up there, though occasionally her shadow would flit over the face of an unsuspecting passerby and they'd glance up to see a long, pointed tail disappearing over the roof of a glossy office building. It didn't take long for her to find the PokeCenter in question. This time, she would make sure her entrance wasn't so...grandiose as earlier that day, if only because she had ulterior motives that meant leaving her enjoyment of destruction for another time. But what made it worse was that she had to act like a trainer's Pokémon just to make sure she had a chance to fight the Gym leader. How degrading.

 

Valda landed by the dumpsters in the back of the Pokémon center and huffed. Lambert, and possibly the Lucario-- if she was lucky to have lost the dog in her efforts-- should have been approaching soon. Gritting her teeth, she slunk out from the shadows along the side of the red-roofed building until she could station herself at the doors of the Center, looking as expectant as she could possibly manage and snapping her teeth at only a few of the humans that reached their hands for her head. There seemed to be no end to the idiocy of the human race if that many of them felt patting an unknown Pokémon on the head was in any shape or form an intelligent decision. Especially one mere moments away from roasting them in the face with a Flamethrower.

 

When Lambert did finally materialize, Valda tilted her head to the side and put on the best expression of recognition and-- ugh-- excitement that she could muster for a human. The twitch to her snout suggested she wasn't controlling the suppressed distaste as much she might have tried (which, to say, was very little effort to begin with). "Finally," the Noivern chirped, swinging the point of her tail at the face of a Rockruff that began to sniff too close. "You're back. Fantastic. Great. Let's go."

 

If there was anything Valda hated more than smiling at a human like he was her best friend, it was having to shuffle beside him on her wing claws under the pretense that she was going to be well-behaved enough to follow him like a good, obedient Pokémon. The only thought that kept her sane enough to continue the façade was her chance to demolish Tae's gym, and then finding those Team Helix freaks and forcing them to change the stupid rules put in place that kept her from staying as a Pokémon for longer than a few hours at a time.

 

Valda was glad to see the Gym after that. She stopped by the doors and looked back to Lambert, the same half-sneer, half-smile still stretched over her muzzle. "After you," she bit out.

 

 

Allison gazed at the scenery of the gym with a slightly raised eyebrow. It was ridiculously posh for the style that Driemen seemed to incline towards. Though cozy, she couldn't help but feel they were all painfully out of place there.

 

Cass, however, looked quite comfortable. The Pyroar almost purred at the warmth coming from the fireplace, and she would have given anything to go curl up right in front of it for a nice long nap. But she was here for a battle, and when Allison announced her name (leaving Jack to announce themselves) and the battle format, the lioness began to flex her large talons into the carpet with excitement. She was just about to step forward into the indicated arena when Allison suddenly hissed, "Hey! Come here!"

 

Blinking, the Pyroar trotted back over to Allison. "What's the matter? Backing out already?"

 

Allison rolled her eyes. "No, you idiot. I don't know what moves you use."

 

Cass felt a twinkle of relief in her chest. After a quick glance toward the others, the Pyroar leaned forward to whisper, "Heat Wave, Crunch, Snarl, Overheat, and Hyper Voice. Oh, and Wild Charge."

 

Allison gave her a thumbs up, and the Pyroar turned to lope onto the court where Driemen released two Haunter and a...whatever that was. The Pyroar's nose twitched slightly as she sniffed in its direction. Huh. She barely recalled seeing that Pokémon before. Maybe it was really rare.

 

A beam of white light shot out to Cass's left, and a second later Arrow materialized on the battle floor, stretching out his massive, scarred wings. He yawned and blinked down at the three opposing Pokémon, unimpressed.

 

A Haunter and a--Salandit, was it? Allison felt she'd heard of it before, though it still seemed rather unfamiliar to her. Must have been a poison type, though, if Driemen was using it. She frowned at the backside of Arrow and Cassandra. Pokémon battles were likely not her hobby back wherever she came from. She had no idea what the move "Snarl" did, or even what type it was. Well, might as well go with that one to see what it did.

 

She glanced to the side for Jack and their Pokémon, and then waved slightly at Cass in the center. "Snarl, on that Haunter to the left," she called out, surprisingly more confident than she felt. "Arrow, rock slide on the Salandit."

 

Cassandra burst forward at the order, looking entirely excited. She had cleared several paces, cutting across the path of Arrow, before opening her maw to loose a loud, raucous roar that blasted out toward the Haunter, as well as the Salandit. In that moment, a ring of white energy appeared above Driemen's side of the field. Large, bulky, more-or-less round objects grew from the ring until decently sized boulders had materialized overhead. Not a second later, the stones hailed down on the Pokémon, and Cass made a meow of alarm as a boulder slammed down into the floor of the gym just inches from where she had placed a forepaw. She had to jump out of the way of a second, and shot an irate look over her shoulder at Allison in the background.

 

Allison shrugged. She didn't know.

Edited December 27, 2016 by Shiny Hazard Sign