Choice, a Pokemon Shifters RP

[octopi]

"Sure," they responded to Rhapsody's nickname choice, pulling up their empty name variable and entering the single letter. The other shifter wasn't exactly their trainer, but whatever this game was had already thrown all the rules out the door anyway. If they were going to travel together, might as well make it official to minimize confusion.

 

His second question caught Z off-guard. "Yes...?" They blinked, reviewing their language settings. "Several languages, in fact. They were... just there when I checked. I suppose." Come to think of it, that was strange, wasn't it? They'd done it almost without thinking, but the standard Porygon model didn't come with language capabilities at all, let alone anything this extensive. A third-party modification, perhaps. Or... yet another effect of this game?

 

A stray branch lightly tapped them in the face. Wincing, they ducked under it and turned their focus forward, filing away the language issue to think about later. A flash of orange caught their attention, past the trees. They floated up to get a better view and the distinctive logo of a Pokemon Center came into view, surrounded by wooden roofs. "Hey, is that - over there - the place you were heading for?"

[ValidEmotions]

What happened to her?

 

She felt a hard, uncomfortable, surface against her side, a rough substance digging into her cheek and arm. Something scratchy tickled her nose and she scrunched her face, groaning as she rolled onto her back. Sound filtered into her ears, taking moments for her to realize it was rustling leaves. Blearily, she opened her eyes and waited for her vision to clear.

 

A... forest?

 

The woman remained where she was, staring up at the thin canopy created by the handful of trees clustered around her. Her arms and shoulders itched from the blades of grass rubbing against her skin but she either ignored it or wasn't aware of it just yet. Gradually, the realms of unconsciousness fully left her and a frown began to form on her round face.

 

Something wasn't right.

 

Abruptly, she sat up, panic causing her heart to race. How did she get here? Why was she here? She couldn't remember anything! Only... only a set of rules for some game? The lack of memory troubled her and she quickly looked around. Her head felt light and, for some reason, it distressed her. Think! What do you do in an unknown situation? she asked herself. Check to make sure everything works as it should. Right?

 

Shifting forward onto her knees, Gaes picked herself up off the ground. At first, she was wobbly, teetering dangerously from a displaced center of gravity. Though, try as she might not to, she fell forward and hit the ground, smacking her forehead on the forest floor. Whimpering faintly from the pain, she sat up and rubbed at her head. Oh, I hope that doesn't leave a mark!

 

Okay, no standing just yet. Once tears no longer welled in her eyes, the woman examined herself where she sat. Pretty much the first thing she noted was the yellow sundress she wore and the extra weight on her chest. Should that be there? Quickly, she pressed gloved hands against the lumps on her chest, discovering them to be made of squishy flesh. This feels so wrong. Frowning again, she shook her head and chose to ignore the strange blobs.

 

Black boots, long hair held up with a tie, long black gloves, and a dress. That's all she had on her. No bag of belongings, no coat, nothing to possibly help Gaes figure out who she was. Examining her surroundings yielded the fact that she was alone. A pang of hurt wedged itself in her chest at that bit of knowledge, her throat tightening faintly as if she might cry. Furiously, she shook her head, shoving the undesired feeling down. She couldn't cry or wallow in some unknown pain. She had to figure out what happened to her.

 

Trying again, she climbed to her feet. Before, she'd been leaning too far forward. Maybe she should lean back this time? No, wait! Too far back! With a yelp, she stumbled backwards, her attempt at correcting her balance resulting in a backwards fall. Her foot got caught on a bush and her stumble turned into a spill. The wind was knocked from her lungs and she grunted with pain, coughing and gasping as she tried to roll over. Frustrated with her predicament, she repeatedly kicked her foot until it was free from the bush, several of its branches snapping.

 

Once she was done floundering and able to fill her lungs with air again, she scowled. Third time's the charm. Right? This time, she held her arms out, swaying back and forth on her feet until she discovered where her center of gravity was. Her head was another matter though. It felt like her neck was too fragile, ready to snap if bent too far in one direction or another. For some unknown reason, she wanted to lean her head forward but, doing that only resulted in her gaze directed at the ground. Though it felt weird at first, she accepted the idea that she didn't need to lean her head forward or back in order to look straight ahead; she just needed to keep her head up.

 

Okay, that achieved, it was time to start walking and finding someone who could tell her where she was. The first few steps were shaky as she had to focus and keep her balance well enough to avoid falling. It seemed like her body was telling her that her present balance wasn't correct, that she needed to lean a little more forward to avoid toppling backwards. Eventually, she was able to ignore it and, several trips and stumbles later, she was managing just fine.

 

It only took a few minutes before the trees thinned out significantly and a road could be seen, benches lining the sides at regular intervals. A few buildings could be seen as well, shabby in appearance with their simple and small designs. Beyond them and above the low rooftops, she could make out two larger buildings. They had to be important. As Gaes walked, she began to dust off the dirt that she had acquired, making herself look as clean as possible. More from curiosity, she swept her hair forward and over her shoulder, combing her fingers through her hair and examining the dark locks.

 

The town was a quiet place, inviting to the passing traveler or the lost - as was her current label. For a moment, Gaes hesitated, uncertain about proceeding forward. She was lost and in need of help but, would they ask her a lot of questions she didn't have the answers to? Because, try as she might, she couldn't recall anything except her name and those rules.

 

What did I get myself into?

 

Sucking in a deep breath, she pressed onward, following the curve of the road along the forest edge to better gage the state of the town. Eventually, she began to hear voices. Voices meant people and people meant help! A surge of excitement fluttered in her chest and she quickened her pace, stumbling here and there until the source of the voices came into sight. Though, she guessed they weren't what she expected. Pausing after her slightly noisy entrance, she eyed the man and the strange pink creature floating before him. "Uh... Hi! I'm, uh, lost. Can you help me?" she asked, her red gaze lingering on the pink thing as her body angled towards it. It had to be a Pokémon. What else could it be in this world? And, despite the strange appearance of it, it oddly felt more natural to approach it simply with words than the human. Maybe she should have thought about that subconscious act more but, for the moment, she didn't trouble her mind with it.

Edited November 1, 2015 by Narvix

[PureDark006]

The town looked pretty big, even when only a few people and Pokemon were outside the houses. Then again, the last town Rhapsody had visited had been a similar size; maybe all human settlements were supposed to be big. Figures, with their need to have a cave for each one of them. Why band together if they wanted privacy was something he wasn't sure he could understand.

 

The kid spoke up, and sure enough, he could see something red sticking out between the rest of the buildings. Pooch had said centers had red roofs, so that should be the correct one. "Yeah, that's it," he confirmed with a nod, picking up the pace. He couldn't help being glad to be out of that damn forest.

 

He hadn't taken two steps when someone was already approaching them. A girl around the same size Z had been when human, with black hair and black and yellow clothes, who wasted no time in talking to the kid. "If she's a friend of yours tell her to talk while we walk," he told the floating one.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Puredark006

[octopi]

Before the two of them could approach the town, they were interrupted by a stranger in black and bright yellow, who proceeded to direct a question straight at Z. They flinched and darted backward, inadvertently hiding behind Rhapsody in their hurry to break eye contact. "Friend of - n-no," they squeaked quietly at their travelling companion, baffled at how he could possibly have come to that conclusion when he knew they'd woken up in the forest just an hour ago. And why was this human addressing them instead of the other - er, currently human-shaped person on the scene?

 

Still, if Rhapsody wanted them to talk to her, they had little choice but to try. Floating out from behind his shoulder (but gaze still fixed firmly on the ground), they addressed the stranger. "We - we're in a, a bit of a hurry, actually... If - if you have something, er, t-to say, could you... possibly do that while w-we're on our way to the Pokemon Center?"

[ValidEmotions]

Well, it wasn't quite the response she was looking for. However, she supposed it worked well enough. Trying to look as friendly as possibly, Gaes smiled, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning forward a little. "Sorry, did I scare you?" she inquired, looking past the man at the pink Pokémon as it hid behind him. Straightening up at the request, she nodded. "Sure, I can walk and talk," the woman replied. "Are you heading into the town? Do you know where we are?" Gaes continued.

 

"My name's Gaes. What're yours?" Trying to interact with the man as well, Gaes glanced his way and started gesturing, pointing to herself as she introduced herself and then pointing at the pair when she asked for their names. The duo hadn't given much of a first impression, something she had been looking for. If the exchange kept going at this rate, she'd probably still know next to nothing about them in an hour.

 

The pink thing seemed shy but had an unusual ability to speak English. Truthfully, it surprised Gaes but, at the moment, she didn't think today would be an average one. What given that she had no memory at the moment. "You said you're going to the Pokémon Center? Would you mind if I joined you?" she asked. It was probably a good place to start if the pair before her couldn't help her. "Well, lead the way," Gaes stated, curling a small portion of her hair around a gloved finger.

[PureDark006]

Rhapsody raised an eyebrow at Z when they hid behind him. For some reason, it was slightly irritating, and he was half expecting the Pory to start whimpering. At least they didn't take long to float away again, talking back to the woman.

 

She got that they weren't stopping, and was matching their pace. Bit too talkative though. "This is Kusba," he answered, repeating the name Pooch had told him. He had no way of knowing if it really was or not, so he was betting that if there was another town around besides the one the Houndour had been leading him to, she'd have said something about it. The kid looked again like they wanted to become invisible, so he decided to answer the rest of the questions too.

 

"I'm Rhapsody. Floating pink Ducklett here is Z." He had to say Gaes' wild gesturing was entertaining, as if she thought one of them was deaf. That reminded him, he had been letting his arms hang down without doing anything; it felt natural since having them in his standard 'raised so the other heads can see' position tired him out, but humans seemed to use them a lot while speaking. He'd have to watch carefully and learn. Meanwhile, placing his hands inside his pockets should do the trick - he had seen it before so it shouldn't look weird. Just in case, he made a mental note to ask Pooch later when they were out of town.

 

"Yeah, going there to heal my Houndour." She wasn't being annoying so he shrugged, adding with a grin, "You can come if you want. You a trainer? We're new to the area too so can't help ya if you want complicated directions."

[Dorchadas]

Elizabeth looked up at him and blinked. Then blinked again. "You're joking, right?" She shook her head. "Yet it does make some sense. I don't see any other explanation for lighting up like that... but it shouldn't be a problem. I can keep it under contr-"

A flash of light lit up the room and Liz was replaced by her Glaceon form, standing and blinking in confusion. Tentatively, she tried to walk forward, raising up her right hind leg and trying to step forward. She felt her left hind leg start slipping and started to try and regain footing, all four legs scrabbling at once. She nearly regained her footing, feeling triumph surge through her, when the blanket slid off the bed and she fell on her face. Muffled by the floor, she spoke. "I wanna go back..."

 

Rennaj narrowed his eyes in suspicion, smiling internally. There we go, suspicion I can do. None of this smiling crap. "Why don't you let the umbreon go back to the trainer itself? You could give it her wallet and be on your way without any trouble. I think you're following it because there's something you want for yourself. Do you even have this supposed wallet?"

[MidnightStar89]

Kage stood behind the counter, biting his lip impatiently. What if something bad happened to Shima? What if he was actually dead or-

He noticed that a pokeball was almost pushed into his face. He grabbed it quickly, and happily thanked the nurse, who smiled at him as a respond.

 

He held the pokeball for a moment in his hands, but let the Gastly out. Shima turned towards his owner, and glared for a moment. Kage gave a wide grin to him and wanted to hug, but the Gastly started floating outside with a surprisingly fast pace. Kage stopped smiling, and ran after him. "Shima!!!" he yelled, and sped up his pace too.

 

His ghostly companion turned around when flying literally through the door. It showed its tongue, and continued flying backwards, until it was outside. Kage went through the doors, and tried to grab Shima, only to remember that yeah, it was gas, kind of hard to grab. "Shima come back right now!!" he yelled, and the pokemon froze in place. It slowly turned around, as he walked up to it. "You can't just go like that, what if something attacks you again?!" he complained. He then looked behind the ghost, only to notice three people very close to them. Shima grinned. "Don't you dare..." Kage frowned, but the pokemon quickly floated towards the tallest, navy haired one, and attempted to Lick him.

 

((Okay, edited hahah))

Edited November 3, 2015 by MidnightStar89

[PureDark006]

Umbreon nodded and shrunk even more behind the girl after her words, still distrustful of the two uniformed strangers and the other male. Her ears were pointing back, posture hunched to make herself look smaller as her eyes wandered between the four humans.

 

"So... so what if we don't have the wallet, that doesn't mean we're lying!" Leslar said, glaring at the other man even though he wasn't doing anything to shorten the distance.

 

The woman shot him a look, which made him huff. "You can't possibly expect-" she started saying, when she was interrupted by a beeping sound coming from her left wrist. She clicked her tongue in slight annoyance, raising her arm so she could check the watch-like contraption there. "Leslar, handle things for a moment, I need to read this."

 

"Huh?" The man looked at her in surprise, but the woman was already tapping on the gadget, which was projecting a holographic screen with words on it. He nervously glanced back at the other two, crossing his arms to prevent himself from fidgeting. "We... don't have it because we didn't ask for it," he said, though he didn't sound as sure as his companion had. "Because... er... well, it doesn't belong to us. So the shopkeeper has no reason to trust us with it!" he finished, perking up at the end, proud of his logic.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Puredark006

[TehUltimateMage]

((A quickie before bed. Now would be a good time for Rap's gang to walk in, if Midnight's last post is redone.))

 

Lambert frowned. The light returned -- he thought again about the advantages of getting sunglasses -- as the girl's shape changed and she tumbled into a heap onto the floor. At least, he sourly noted, her pokemon form had the correct number of limbs present. How did he shift back before when his transformation was accidentally triggered? "Relax, alright? Think about changing back."

 

Just then he heard a commotion in the main lobby of the pokemon center and, apologizing to Elizabeth, he stepped out with a quick trot to check what was going on. A man in dark clothing and brilliant eye makeup seemed really agitated about his pokemon (his clothes rivalled both his and Hygre's in terms of an edgy style, and he figured that this really was what kids were into this days) though the nurse at the reception seemed to have it under control. Lambert watched, unaware that he might have been staring too intently, as the strange man waited, strangely panicked, as if his pokemon were undergoing a complex operation.

 

[Dorchadas]

Liz managed to get to her feet and tried to go after him, but still wasn't able to walk properly. She called after him "Wait don't leave me! I don't know what to do! How do I control this?!" The door shut behind him and Liz went to call out for him- and suddenly the room was filled with raging icy wind. Huddling up, she placed her front paws over her ears. MakeitstopmakeitstopMAKEITSTOP The wind dissipated and Liz almost calmed down when chunks of ice started to fall from the ceiling. I really hope this wish is worth it.

 

Rennaj laughed coldly at the man. "You expect me to believe a lie as obvious as that? You're more of a fool then I took you for!" He slowly wound down laughter and stepped towards the grunt, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Now, this is how I see it. You want to supposedly take the Umbreon back to the shop where this girl left her wallet, and find her from there. Why don't you just tell us what shop it is and we'll do it for you!" His grip tightened ever so slightly. "We wouldn't want to have an incident, would we?"

Edited November 3, 2015 by Dorchadas

[PureDark006]

They had almost arrived to the building with the red roof when a floating ball of black and purple gas passed through its transparent doors in their direction, followed closely by some guy with hair like a Zoroark's mane and black things hanging from his ears. Rhapsody's original plan had been to ignore them, since they didn't have anything to do with him. The gas Pokemon had other ideas though, as he quickly turned towards Rhapsody while sticking his tongue out.

 

Rhapsody quickly moved to the side to dodge the move. It didn't hit him, but now he had a problem; that, apparently, his reflexes were tuned to his other form (and again, he was going to eat his shoe if he hadn't been an Hydreigon in his past life), and they hadn't gotten the memo that humans did not have wings and thus used their legs instead of non-existent appendages to maintain their balance.

 

So when his upper body moved to the side, the sudden momentum and shift in center of gravity made him fall on his ass.

 

He didn't move for a second. Then, he slowly stood up, radiating pure anger as his attention focused on the guilty Pokemon. "You," he growled, tone low and feral, sounding like a predator about to rip apart its prey.

[MidnightStar89]

Kage glared at his Gastly, as it was laughing its ass off when the man fell down, while dodging it. He soon noticed, that the man got really upset about that... Very upset. It was basically radiating from his movement and face.

 

Shima just stared at the man, until the guy simply said 'You'. Then it backed off a little bit, but not much. Kage walked a little closer, and cleared his throat. "Shima ain't from the nicest end, so sorry 'bout that." he said, with his voice calmer now. He was still giving the death-stare at his pokemon. "...He just won't do what I say." he added, and sighed. "Feel free to make him pay..." he chuckled, and it gave a blank stare at him. "Seriously?" Shima asked with his haunting voice.

 

---

Sarah looked at the two people. "...You don't look like basic trainers. Do you work for some kind of a team or something?" Sarah asked after the lucario-guy stated his opinions. She petted the Umbreon's head, trying to make her feel more safe.

 

((Soz, my roleplaying for Sarah was so short, idk what to do with her right now... D:))

Edited November 4, 2015 by MidnightStar89

[PureDark006]

((Don't worry, we get that sometimes a character doesn't have enough of a reaction to write much about it. Feel free to do stuff like drop in chat saying it's okay to skip your turn if you feel there's nothing to say ^^))

 

 

"It's not a lie if you can't prove it to be one!" Leslar exclaimed when the man started laughing, thoroughly offended his logic wasn't being taken seriously. He noticeably paled when the other approached, sending a nervous glance at his companion (that was ignored in favor of scrolling down the holographic text).

 

Pressure was starting to be applied to his shoulder, and he gulped. "Yo-you can't do anything to me or we'll r-report you to the authorities and you'll be a-arrested!" he forced out, arms raised in front of his chest. Didn't even notice the girl had asked a question, panicked as he was with getting hit.

 

The woman sighed and tapped something on the gadget, making the hologram disappear. "Sure, why not."

"V-Vaila!?"

"Something urgent came up. We need to go, so what happens from here on doesn't concern us. Now recall Rufflet."

 

Leslar didn't look happy about it, but he'd have welcomed any chance to put some distance between himself and the other man. Vaila's Buneary didn't wait for her Pokeball to be taken out, instead running up to her trainer and placing a paw on her leg. Something like confusion flashed through the woman's eyes before she pulled her sleeve down to cover the contraption again, not taking any ball out to call the Normal-type back inside.

 

"It was back at the bakery in Kusba Village, to the Northeast of here. I don't remember the name, but it's the only bakery in town, so it's impossible to miss. In either case, I presume Umbreon can guide you there." She glanced at the two men out of the corner of her eye before looking at the girl again. "As for your question, we are part of Helix. It's a famous research group in this region. Now, if you excuse us, we have business to attend to."

 

 

Umbreon's ears had flattened to allow for better petting, as she nuzzled slightly the girl's hand before focusing on the other three humans in case they tried to steal her little box again. Her posture relaxed somewhat upon hearing they were leaving, but she didn't leave her place behind the white-haired girl.

 

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

 

[[Information on NPCs has been updated. Unlocked: most of Leslar & Vaila's character sheet]]

Edited October 11, 2016 by Puredark006

[ValidEmotions]

"Kusba, huh?" Gaes echoed, tilting her head and mulling over the name. She was hoping she'd heard it before but, as figured, no bells were rung. Mentally sighing, she pushed aside the disappointment and made note of their names. "It's nice to meet you, Rhapsody, Z." Smiling brightly, the woman's expression gradually changed with the man's next string of words. "Is your Houndour injured? Or sick?" she asked slowly, idly wrapping her arms around her stomach.

 

Should she avoid his question? She couldn't tell him if she was a trainer or not because she couldn't remember that. But, she couldn't let on that she had no memory - he might think of her differently then. "I... was. A trainer, that is. I mean, I'm kind of a trainer. I used to actively train Pokémon when I was younger but I gradually stopped," she lied. Had her voice wavered? No. And it felt like she'd been rather convincing. To be fair, she sort of believed her own words. Had she been a trainer before ending up here? It seemed possible.

 

That probably explained why she was comfortable with approaching Z more than Rhapsody. She had noted, while addressing the man, her gesturing seemed to become more natural, a little faster even to keep up with her words. Instead of seeming like she was trying to figure out the simplest way to convey her thoughts.

 

But, something still felt... weird. Why wasn't Z talking to her much more? Had she done something? Said something? Or was the "pink Ducklett" just really timid? She assumed they were just overly shy. That was it.

 

Gaes was disappointed that Rhapsody or Z couldn't help her though, being new to the area just as she was. That made two strikes, the first one belonging to the question about her status as a trainer (a type of question she'd been wanting to avoid altogether). Oh well. Beggars couldn't be choosers. Right? At least they were willing to let her walk with them to the Pokécenter.

 

Speaking of the Pokécenter... One of the large buildings was in a clearer line of sight now, its bright red roof and logo certainly distinct against the backdrop of the small town. Leaning sideways to look around Rhapsody, she raked her red eyes over the building and whistled slightly. "Pretty huge. You know where to go to heal your Houndour in there?" she asked, more at the air than the man. Before she could get a response, however, a new voice caught her attention and she hummed quizzically, shifting her eyes on the approaching stranger.

 

He was certainly an entertainment for the eyes. His clothing shouted "trying too hard to be a rebel" and he was making an unhappy face at the ball of purple gas coming towards Rhapsody. "Oh, hey lo-" Her warning was cut short as the man dodged out of the way. Except, the action didn't seem to go as likely planned since Rhapsody fell onto the ground rather than simply sidestep. Then he was getting up again and looking very much ready to break something. "O-o-o-oh... Someone's in trouble..." Gaes snickered beneath her breath, smirking as she watched Rhapsody direct his anger at the gas ball.

 

Of course, Mr. Try-Hard had to ruin the promised fun by interrupting and giving a lame excuse for an apology. The woman almost started to get excited again over the idea of the floating sphere - Shima, as the man called it - still being punished. She was... Until the gas Pokémon spoke (as one naturally should) but she understood it as clear as English.

 

Her expression fell away, replaced by a wide-eyed, blanched, stare. "D-D-Did..." she breathed, promptly clicking her mouth shut and glancing away from the strange duo. Flicking her eyes towards Rhapsody, she tried to gauge his reactions, trying to glean if he heard what she did or if she were simply imagining things.

 

Or maybe I'm some kind of freak! Maybe that's why I have no memory! Somehow, I seem to know what Pokémon are saying and someone found out so they kidnapped me, experimented on me, wiped my memory, and then dumped me here!

 

A wild theory but the only one she'd come up with so far that gave any sort of reasoning. Plausible or not. Trying to compose herself, she gave a strained smile, attempting to pretend she wasn't losing her mind. "I'm sure... Shima, was it? I'm sure Shima meant no harm. It looked like an accident to me," she tried, wishing to head inside the building and leave the duo behind.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Narvix

[octopi]

Z followed Rhapsody in silence, squirming under Gaes' gaze every time she decided to glance over. So, she was a trainer, or at least had been in the past... The same strange anxious feeling they'd gotten when they'd first met Rhapsody rose in their chest again. What was this, and why did it keep happening? It was perfectly normal for any given human being to be a Pokemon trainer. It shouldn't evoke this much of an emotional response. Their gaze flicked from house to house, examining everything in an attempt to ignore the feeling. At least she was only asking for directions; with any luck, she'd be leaving soon, once she realized neither of them could help with that. The amount of people around the town was only making matters worse. They knew, on a theoretical level, that this population density was nothing unexpected from a small town, but they still couldn't shake the gut feeling that there were just too many of them. Where were all these preconceptions coming from? They shouldn't have any memories stored from before an hour ago. They'd checked. And yet -

 

Movement at the edge of their vision snapped them out of their thoughts, and they looked up just in time to see Rhapsody lose his balance and fall straight at them. With a surprised squeak, they scurried backward, just managing to get out of the way before he slammed into the ground. In front of him was a Gastly, accompanied by a human with a mass of black and red hair and matching clothes. Another trainer - and now Rhapsody was getting up, growling a single word at him in a tone of unmistakable anger.

 

The uncomfortable feeling escalated into full panic. What had happened when they weren't paying attention? What was the proper course of action here? They could try to intervene, but if they did, could they risk offending Rhapsody with their current arrangement in place? They faintly took note of Gaes' voice off to the side, but found themself lacking enough processing power to devote to deciphering her words. They began twitching in place as they hovered uncertainly, head and limbs making odd jerking motions that would have been impossible for any organic creature.

[PureDark006]

The Pokemon stopped laughing when he saw Rhapsody's expression, and backed off. Good. If there was a thing he hated the most, it was someone belittling him. The trainer was also fully blaming the ball of colored air and apologized, which made Rhapsody go from angry to just pissed off.

 

He could hear Gaes to the side, but only caught the end of what she was saying. Accident his ass, that thing was trying to cover him in drool. He couldn't exactly hurt the Pokemon with this body though. Damn, one of the first things he'd need to do when he had the time was definitely sitting down and trying to remember everything he could about how Fighting-types fought. He was starting to see he never would be truly comfortable in this form without the ability to break things properly.

 

Even then, the ball of air was most likely a Ghost-type, judging by how he had gone through the entrance earlier. So Rhapsody didn't have much of a choice besides glaring at the trainer. "If he doesn't behave, keep him in his damn ball until he does. Next time I'm not letting you off unscratched," he threatened, heading towards the center without waiting for an answer. Thinking of ghosts and how to beat them had reminded him he needed to get Pooch healed as fast as possible, if only to set her against annoying people. She'd refuse to attack a human, but another Pokemon was fair fight.

 

The thick glass moved to the side with a whirring sound as he approached it, and he'd have been startled by that if he wasn't busy being irritated. He had ignored the ball of air, he had ignored Gaes, he had ignored Z, and he would damn well ignore the moving glass too. There were only two people he could see inside, and only one of them was near the weird machine Pooch had described, so he went towards the female without stopping to take in the inside of the building.

 

The female looked up when she noticed him, her greeting interrupted as her eyes immediately went wide when noticing something behind him. "Welcome to the- ah? Is, that behavior normal for that species?"

 

He raised an eyebrow and followed her line of sight. Z was making some kind of weird twitching that by all means should have snapped their limbs and head right off. They weren't screaming in agony however, so he just looked back at the female with a neutral expression and said "Yes."

 

She didn't look very convinced, but at least she didn't ask anymore and took the Pokeball Rhapsody had placed on the wood in front.

[TehUltimateMage]

Lambert didn't look too convinced either at the display of flailing limbs of the man's pokemon companion -- but if there existed pokemon that could appear human, there damn well could exist pokemon who could do… whatever it was doing. Figuring that it was still a slow day -- the only two visitors to the counter having only one pokemon each -- Lambert figured he would leave the fuming guy alone. After seeing that spectacle outside through the window, he would rather avoid getting into a fight, whether it be through fists or 'mons.

 

He retreated into the back room, and the first thing he noticed was a sudden drop in the air temperature, as if he walked into a refrigerator. A layer of frost covered the walls, and Elizabeth was curled up into a ball as hailstones began to fall from the ceiling.

 

His intuition told him that he needed a Psyduck to stop weather created by other pokemon, but currently, he didn't have any Pokemon on hand. At least weather effects only lasted a few minutes unless the move was used again, and so Lambert thought the appropriate response was to throw a heavy blanket over the Glaceon in hopes that the ice would fade away.

 

He didn't have a pokeball, so catching her in a blanket was the next best thing.

[Dorchadas]

Liz felt the room growing colder and felt somewhat... safer in the dropped temperature. And then everything went dark and got warmer, causing her instincts to kick in as if she were being attacked. The blanket was blasted off of her as an icy gust ripped through the room. She stood and growled at the man, but it sounded somewhat ridiculous when she shifted back in the middle of it. Noticing she was human, she sheepishly stopped. "Um... sorry about the mess...."

 

Rennaj stopped, thinking for a second. Helix... the rules said I'd get my memories back once their research is destroyed. So I have to figure out what it is. I can do that. He dashed forward, grabbing the front of the male's shirt and yelling at him. "Where is this research kept?! I demand you tell me!!!"

Edited November 6, 2015 by Dorchadas

[ValidEmotions]

Gaes didn't get a response from the unknown male. As her smile faded, Rhapsody stormed into the Pokécenter, Z following behind. The latter seemed to be twitching here and there, making the woman frown in concern. Were they alright? Quickly, she walked past the gas ball and Mr. Try-Hard-To-Be-Cool in order to catch up. At the counter, she examined the nurse and shifted her gaze to Z when it was asked if their current state was normal.

 

Well... if Rhapsody says it is, I just gotta take him at his word. Still, it made her nervous to see the thing spasm occasionally. Tentatively, she lifted her hand and started to stretch her arm out, very much aiming to poke Z's side. However, she refrained, pulling her hand back a moment later. She got the uncomfortable feeling that she might want to leave them alone.

 

Shaking her head, Gaes waited for the nurse to return with Rhapsody's newly-healed Pokémon. "Excuse me? Do you have a map I can use? I'm lost, you see, and I'm trying to find my way back home," she inquired.

 

The nurse nodded, looking sympathetic. "Yes, it's over on that wall. I'm sorry but, we don't have smaller copies to pass around for people. If you're trying to get back home to one of the other regions, you're going to want to go to Alqind City; it's Lamorak's only coastal city and the only place where you can get transportation to the other regions."

 

Thanking the woman, Gaes hurried to the indicated wall and scanned the large sheet, colors popping in contrast. Her eagerness dwindled quickly, her gaze passing over the map several times. What do the strange symbols mean? Why wasn't she able to understand anything on it? She should be able to. Right? After all, the nurse spoke the exact same language as she did. So, why didn't the map use the same language?

 

Unless it did and this meant she couldn't read.

 

Panic blossomed in her chest for a few moments, fear nibbling at her thoughts. Did the loss of her memory also take away her ability to read? If so, what else did it take away from her? What if she couldn't remember several skills, all of which could be important to her survival? Biting her lower lip, she rubbed at her eyes quickly.

 

Relax. Now's not the time to lose your head! So, you can't read. No big deal. You can still play it cool and get people to help you. Just stick to playing the sweet woman who's lost... Glancing over her shoulder towards the others she had accompanied, she frowned. Easy to do. Isn't it? I am lost after all. Aren't I? A sigh escaped her lips before she walked back.

 

"Is there a place I can temporarily stay?" she asked the nurse.

 

Again, the woman nodded and pointed in another direction. "We have a set of bunk beds in the other room for trainers and visitors who're staying over night. Please, make yourself comfortable."

 

Walking away from the counter, Gaes headed towards the room the nurse pointed at and wrapped a gloved hand around the doorknob. The metal felt rather cold but she didn't bother to linger on that fact, lightly knocking on the wood before easing the door open. Hopefully she didn't end up waking someone from their nap or something. Instead of entering a silent room, she stepped into a frozen one. "Whoa!"

 

Frost and ice covered most of the walls and ceiling, the cold temperature piercing her flesh and causing her to shiver. "What happened here?" she breathed, her breath fogging. Her eyes fell upon an intimidating man and young girl further away from the door. Maybe they got into an argument earlier and somehow froze the room? Though, wouldn't there be more destruction from a Pokémon battle? Was such a thing even allowed inside the Pokécenter?

Edited November 7, 2015 by Narvix

[MidnightStar89]

Kage took a deep breath, and walked up to Shima. "Hey, y'know what you promised. I'll let ya wander around me freely, if you don't cause trouble." He complained, looking straight into the pokemon's huge eyes.

 

Shima glared at him for a moment. "Well sorry." he answered, and slowly floated backwards. Kage grabbed the gastly's pokeball from his pocket, and threw it at him. "Next time ya behave."

 

Kage then put the pokeball back into it's spot, and walked into the pokecenter. I have to find a place to stay, don't I? I can't sleep outside anymore, I can't be a Zoroark for long... He saw a huge paper on the wall, with weird markings, but also something else. He walked up to it. There was a dark red dot on top of a red square. This building has a red roof, does it mean that? So what's the dot for? He let out a frustrated sigh. He can't read, can he? He walked up to the nurse. "Uhm... Are there any tents I could use for the night? I don't like sleeping inside... strange buildings."

 

The nurse shook her head. "Sorry, but we only have the visitor room, so you can stay there over night."

 

Kage frowned, but thanked. He saw the earlier victim of Shima's attack. "Hey, sorry 'bout the earlier. Shima doesn't listen to me very well yet..." he apologized, while putting his hand into his pockets.

 

---

 

Sarah looked at the two starting to leave. Team Helix? Isn't that the one... in the rules... She urged to say something, but she didn't really do anything but take a step forward, when the other shifter grabbed the man. "Woah..." she said, and took out Teccy's pokeball. "I would like some info too." she grinned.

 

With that, she sent out her trusty Noibat, who let out a happy screech, and landed on Sarah's shoulder. "What is it, Sarah?" he asked, and nudged against Sarah's head. "We're going to get the information we need." she whispered back. She shouldn't talk loudly to her pokemon, at least not if she answered something to their questions.

 

The noibat investigated the humans with his eyes, looking at the guys with the same costumes. "Those two?" he asked, and got a nod as an answer.

Edited November 7, 2015 by MidnightStar89

[PureDark006]

Leslar flinched when yelled at, making a distressed sound. "Ru-Rufflet!!" he shouted, his Pokemon answering by flying towards the aggressor, intending to force him to release his trainer.

 

Vaila had taken a step back upon the man's sudden threat, hand going into the pocket on her shirt as Buneary moved to place itself between her and the other humans. "What are you two even talking about?" she demanded, though her tone was uncertain and worried.

 

The sudden commotion made Umbreon take a step back, wide eyes focused on the bat Pokemon that was just released. She quickly shook her head and grabbed the white-haired girl by the hem of the pants to get her attention, ears and tail drooped. "Let's go away," she implored, looking up to hold the girl's gaze.

 

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

 

The nurse took a moment to answer Gaes' questions as she deposited Pooch's ball in front of her. Rhapsody took it and let Pooch out, the Houndour materializing in a flash of light next to him.

 

Pooch blinked, confused for a second as she looked up first to Z and then to Gaes, who was by now back to ask the other female about places to stay. When she was gone, Pooch looked back at Z, then at Rhapsody, then let out a resigned sigh. "You better explain later," she whispered.

 

He shrugged, mentally repeating Alqind's name to remember it in case it should prove useful later. Pooch glanced at the nurse before pointedly glaring at Rhapsody until he remembered to turn to the human and say "Thanks," to which the nurse replied with a simple "You're welcome."

 

Rhapsody wasn't exactly fond of human settlements, and now that Pooch was back on her feet and ready to annoy him, he figured there was nothing else to do. He was about to exit the building when the guy with the Zoroark mane from before addressed him. His words confused Pooch further, who tilted her head, one ear perking up as she looked at the other male.

 

"Like I said, then keep him in his ball until he does," Rhapsody answered, shrugging again. The trainer looked sorry enough though, so his words lacked the bite from before. "As trainer, you're the leader. So you hafta make sure your Pokemon listen when it counts, and take responsibility if they don't."

[TehUltimateMage]

As if they were in a magic show, the sheet went over the Glaceon and when it was lifted through a sudden gale, out crawled a girl. Lambert was sweating despite the freezing temperatures of the room. He half-expected to get yelled at, or scratched, for that stunt. At least Elizabeth was human again, though they would have to wait until the ice melted before they could be in the clear--

 

A knock on the door. Lambert's head snapped to the direction of the noise. Neither of them had the time to really react before the person on the other side pushed the door open. A little rude to have simply barged in -- what was the point of knocking, then? The woman looked shocked, or at the very least mildly surprised, at what Lambert assumed was the sight of his... compromising situation. With his back to the door and a girl on her knees (nevermind the icebox), she could have easily jumped to conclusions. On the bright side, no one would suspect that they could both turn into pokemon.

 

"This isn't what it looks like...!" Lambert hastily gabbled, and followed up with a half-truth he spun in half a second. "One of my pokemon went out of control and iced the room, sorry. We'll just have to live with the cold for a bit, unless you have a fire type with you."

[Dorchadas]

Liz hastily stood up and smoothed her dress out, feeling somewhat embarrassed and rapidly talking to cover it up. "Yeah, uh, what he said. Not what it looks like. Unless it looks like what it is, in which case this is exactly what it looks like. I'll just be quiet. Over here. Out of the way." She winced at her pitiful attempts to be smooth and went to the furthest bed to sit and calm down.

 

Rennaj dodged the annoying bird instinctively and glared at the other woman, trying to think of a good excuse for asking. "I want to know where you keep your research. Because of... um, curiosity. Naturally." He smiled inwardly. He was such an excellent liar.

Edited November 8, 2015 by Dorchadas

[MidnightStar89]

Kage heard the man's advise, and nodded. He then looked at the confused-looking Houndour. "Oh, you have a Houndour," he said, surprised. He thought of petting it, but maybe petting a confused hellhound wasn't a good idea. He turned back towards the room that the nurse pointed at earlier.

 

"There has been a lot of people here lately, it might be a bit noisy to sleep there," the nurse said with a happy tone, as if she was joking.

 

Kage sighed, and walked to the door. He grabbed the doorknob, it was very cold. Maybe this material is just cold... Or then that room is a glacier... He opened the door, and his eyes opened wide. "Uhm..." he just mumbled, when he saw the room was full of ice.

 

He smacked the door closed behind him, as he saw three other people in there. The man in the middle looked a bit shocked. He looked at a woman, who apparently had just crashed in here too, because she didn't look as cold as the other two. Although the other woman was sitting on a bed, looking a little embarrased. I hope this is not what it seems like... Or do I?

 

"Should've knocked..." Kage said, as his breath got foggy from the cold air. Definitely a glacier...

 

---

 

Sarah looked at the bird attack the man, but she didn't react in any way really. She stood there, gently stroking her noibat's fur. She then felt someone pull her pants' sleeve, and glanced down at the worried-looking umbreon.

 

The umbreon asked, if they could go away, and Sarah nodded. Teccy looked very confused, but hopped into the air, flying next to them. "Why on earth aren't we fighting?" he asked with his batsy voice.

 

Sarah started to walk backwards, waving her hand in a motion that implied the black-yellow pokemon to follow. Maybe it's a good idea to just leave those guys to battle afterall...

Edited November 8, 2015 by MidnightStar89