Showgan -- Standing On Edge (Invitational)

[Random Plushie]

OOC:

..Melissa?

My gawd. No way. Melissa, you are back~! Plushie missed you-ou~! ;__;

*official glomp* Not just me! Everybody missed you and your awesome nice-ness and friendly-ness and pwnage RP skills! Nyah, my homework can wait for a little bit, I have to at least give you a proper welcoming back, Melissa, you wonderful person! *second official glomp* Glad to have you back. SO glad. Because.. y'know.. the RP section just isn't at its best without ya.

*deep breath* Okay. I let all that out. Now I have to actually post an IC before I run out of time again. And hey! Maybe I'll draw ya a picture, Melissa! To celebrate and all. You just inspired me. xD


IC:


Not sure about Silver? We didn't lock the door? What? The thoughts threatened to repeat themselves over and over again, plauging Kayley's mind without end, when a knock on the door cleared her head. As Jena went to answer the door, Kayley got out of bed, smoothing down her wrinkled clothes as best she could--she would have to change out of them when she found the time. Now left with nothing to do, the girl surveyed the messy room with worried eyes. And it was then, as she noted the unfamiliar sloppiness of it all, that a sudden thought struck her--Where's my stuff?

A wave of panic surged through her body, building up in her stomach. Fishy was safe--that was a good thing--but if her bag was missing, then so were her other Pokemon.. as well as her trumpet, which would easily cost her a fortune to replace. Avoiding the household items strewn all over the floor, Kayley frantically circled the bed, peeking behind dressers and nightstands and poking her head into the bathroom, before finally realizing that her stuff was under the bed.. duh.

"But...are Kayley and Silver here as well?"

At the sound of her name, Kayley turned toward the doorway, finally seeing that Jena was talking to Rai. The mention of Silver brought Kayley's earlier worries back to her, sending another wave of nausea through her body. She gulped, wandering toward the door only when Jena gestured for her to come. She left Fishy to wake up at his own pace on the bed, not liking it when she noticed concerned voices coming from the hallway.

"I'm here." Kayley said, arriving at Jena's side. "But.. Silver.." She trailed off, taking a few minutes to come up with the right words. "We don't know where she is. Her stuff is right where we left it last night. Have you seen her around?" At the last question, a new thought struck her, and she immediately voiced it before she could get a reply. "And the room is a mess--like someone broke in last night and trashed it! Only.. nothing was taken. It doesn't matter though, Silver is missing.."



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


Meanwhile..


A pale little girl stood alone beside the Pokemon Center's entrance, a look of indifference dominating her expression even as the sounds of screams, wails, and worried voices poured out of the building's windows. In one hand, she held the arm of a Humpty-Dumpty doll. In her other hand, a small piece of paper. She stared at the distant sunrise with little more than an ounce of wonder in her eyes, adamant and unmoving. The wind picked up, tussling her dark, braided hair, but still, she did not move, nor give any indication that she cared about the chaos taking place behind her.

A few moments later, after a quick yawn and a look around to make sure that no one was watching, she stuck the small note to the glass door in one precise motion, revealing the message to all: Daven Springs. The words were handwritten in a messy, childish type of writing, but the little girl didn't seem to show the slightest interest in it. She was already walking away, swinging her doll as she went.

She hadn't even taken two steps when a Shedinja suddenly materialized behind her, bobbing up and down in the air as if he knew something that everyone else didn't. He spoke, his voice carrying a surprisingly light tone.

{Ah, Doru-chan,} he said, moving forward as she did, {I will remember this moment always. You, of all people, showing compassion toward others.} A disturbing laugh seemed to resonate outward from the center of his body, which should have made the little girl cringe. However, it didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. She kept walking, as if it were perfectly normal.

"Just.. stop talking." She spoke, a flicker of annoyance in her voice. "I'm doing this because those other Trainers will appreciate it. Whatever happens to the townsfolk, I don't care--I'm not doing anything for them." As she continued speaking, her tone quickly lost most of its emotion, to the point where her voice could have passed off as that of a robot. Shedinja didn't say anything of this, pausing momentarily before changing the subject.

{So why do you think they did it?}

The reply came almost immediately.

"Why would I know anything about their intentions? All I know is that they're from that tribe in Daven Springs. None of the Ghosts in these woods would have the guts to do such a thing, what with that Gym Leader and his giant head." She stopped there, and for a second it seemed as if Shedinja was going to come back with another comment. She whirled around to face him, sharply snapping at the Ghost-type before he could say anything. "I answered your question, now stop bothering me!"

And with that last, forceful sentence, she left Shedinja where he was, dumbly floating in the air without knowing what to say.

In a few moments, she was gone.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Nyah, just as a heads up: I've got school 'til four, followed by a driving lesson which is followed by Jujitsu practice so I probably won't get back on before like 7 or 8 PM after I leave school today. Little comp time = little posting activity, so yish. Just know that you aren't forgotten.

By the way, I love Doru (Not that way, I hope o.O), the creepy Shedinja girl is definitely one of the most pwnsome NPCs ever. ^0^

IC:

'Not here and the room's a mess?' Rai's expression became decidedly more worried as Kayley spoke up and effectively confirmed his fears. Now that it was established, though, it was his duty to explain it to them, the only problem was how he should do it.

"No..." the boy began in answer to Kayley's question, "No, I haven't seen her, and-" he took a deep breath, "She's most probably gone. Things like this..." he gestured towards the mess the room was in, "...have been happening all around the center. Nothing is stolen, but..." he had to take another deep breath, trying to will the words out, "But some people have dissappeared...and Zachary wasn't in the room when I woke up either."

His sentence completed, Rai fell into an awkward silence, suddenly finding it difficult to look his friends in the eye. Just then, however, a voice from behind them thankfully shifted attention away from him.

"S'cuse me." one of the pokémon center trainee's had suddenly appeared behind Rai, this one a rather skinny girl with matted brown hair and an expression which, in contrast to the others around her, seemed strangely undisturbed - slightly bored, even - "Ye'r tha' guy from room 57, righ'?" she continued, adressing Rai.

"Yes." the boy replied, "That's me, but could you tell-"

"Dunno', dun' care." the trainee replied bluntly, "But Gwendolyn wants a word with ya', and ye folks, too." she nodded towards Kayley and Jena, "Especially arseked for it, so ye'd best get crackin'. She'll answer yer questions and whatever." with that, she turned on her heels and walked off again, only to pause and add a remark over her shoulder, "Oh yeah, do any of ya' lot know this clumsy oaf of a trainer? Worn clothes, brown hair, shouts fer 'elp real loud?"

"I-" despite the less-than-flattering description that had been given of his friend, Rai felt relief surge through his mind as he realized that Zachary wasn't gone after all, or was he? "Yes." he continued, "Yes, I do know him. Where is he?"

The trainee grinned slightly in a rather malicious way, "Bathroom window, ground floor. Ya might wanna' go yank 'im out if i's no' too much o' a bother. 'E's making one heckuva' racket and we've got more 'an enough o' that wi' all 'is other bussiness, ya' know?"

"Yeah..." Rai replied, unable to resist smiling just a little. 'Only Zachary...' he thought for himself, now considerably relieved, '...only Zachary could manage something like that.', "I'll go and do that."

"Much 'preciated." the trainee replied dispassionately, resuming her walk down the hallway and soon dissappearing out of view.

"Well, that's a relief..." Rai remarked after a while, turning back to face Jena and Kayley, "Let's go help Zachary out before we figure out the rest."

 

[Light_Azumarill]

OOC: Hiya Plushie!! Yes, I am back, and glad to be back too. ^^ Thanks for the glomp! *glomps back* Poor Alter had a spaz attack when he saw my first post back... I wonder what other members of his household thought when they saw that? XD

Anywhoo, figured I should make another post. And I agree, the little girl Doru-chan NPC is very 'pwnsome'. =D


Zachary
============

"Where the heck did that stupid girl go?" Zachary said through gritted teeth, just now realizing how chilly it was outside in the morning air. A small breeze was blowing and he was in the shade. That girl was finding someone, right? What if she forgot, or didn't care, and was just going to leave him here?!

Furthermore... where was Ron? He'd be with the others, right? Something had been going on this morning in the Pokemon Center, that much he knew. From the lack of laughter and happy cheers, he was guessing that it wasn't good. Well, sitting, or laying, or whatever dangling out a window like this would be called, was not helping him find out any sooner.

"Umph!" he grunted, wiggling his body a bit. However, this only caused his upper body to move out of the opening farther and knock him off balance. "Waah!" he said unsteadily, eyes widening in slight fear. He hadn't realized it in the dark last night, but those tree-like bushes did not look fun to fall into. One of them, he had noticed, held what appeared to be spiky black berries. Some sort of pokeberry no doubt, but they looked painful to swallow.

Then he heard it... a strange buzzing sound that was oddly familiar. His head whipped around in an effort to locate it. "Magnemite?" Zachary said aloud, still searching, his hazel eyes darting back and forth, "You here?"

{Correct,} came a monotone, computer-like voice.

{Correct? Why can't you just say: 'yeah'?} came a second, this one more familiar, as it was Ron's!

"Ron!" replied Zachary, a smile appearing on his face, "Where--?"

{Down here of course! What am I; floating?} the pokemon replied with a smile under his metallic helmet. Zachary peered down to the ground as well as he could without falling or scraping his head on a rough branch. There was the little Aron, standing between two trunks of tree-bushes, and floating slightly above him was Electron the Magnemite.

"Ron what are you doing out here? What's going on? How are the others? Did you see what happened last night?" he asked quickly, wanting answers to all of them as quick as possible.

Ron stood on his two back feet and put up two stubby arms. {Whoa there! All in good time Zach!} he paused, eyeing his trainer with an eyebrow raised, {I've got a question or two for you myself.... Anyway, we were out here hiding. I'm not entirely sure what's goin' on. I haven't been in the Pokemon Center since last night, so I don't know how the others are, and I saw some of what happened last night, but not much.}

Zachary nodded, "Yes, yes, well out with it! What happened to you?"

{I was woken up a little when you moved me to go to the bathroom last night,} the small pokemon began.

"How'd you know I had to go?" the boy interrupted, frowning a little.

{It's the only thing that would wake you up from a deep sleep! Plus... your position at the moment,} Ron said with a chuckle, pointing at the window, {Now, if you please? I thought that you'd be okay with doing your business, but you didn't return right away, so I got off the bed to go look for you. Then I heard some shuffling, and saw that something weird was going on! I thought maybe you were in trouble, so I started looking around. But then something tried to take me! So I ran off out through the lobby out here and hid, hoping nothing bad was happening to you.}

{That is precisely when I found him,} Electron buzzed in, causing Ron to give him an annoyed look, {I took him to a safe place to hide himself away, and when we were sure the danger had passed, we emerged.}

Ron cleared his throat, {A-hem! So as I was saying, then we heard you yell for help and went looking through the bushes! And here you are!}

Zachary frowned at this odd information, "What did they want? Pokemon?"

{Let's hope that was all it was about,} Ron said gravely, {They sure were stealthy.}

 

[Random Plushie]

OOC:

Driving lessons? Ooh, make sure you get a car with an awesome horn attached. Then blast the ears off of any fool who decides to run a red light in front of you! Blast them, I say! >O

Anyways, thanks for the hug, Melissa.. and also for appreciating Doru. ^-^ You, too, Alter. As for that picture, I'll make sure to get to that some time soon. xD


IC:

To put it quite simply, Kayley was very uncomfortable with Rai's reply. Nothing stolen, but people missing? Not only that, but all over the Pokemon Center to boot? That sort of thing didn't really happen. Only in nightmares. Nobody broke in to a place like this, and then left all the material valuables that thieves so often sought. Kayley took a big gulp and clenched her fists, forcing herself to believe that it wasn't true.

"S'cuse me."

A sudden interjection from an unfamiliar Trainee shifted Kayley's attention, and within a few minutes of listening to the Trainee's unwilling explanation, her worries were pushed to the back of her mind. Finally, Nurse Gwendolyn will explain. As soon as we get to her, anyway. We'll get Zach--from some sort of window, wasn't it?--and then this whole thing will be cleared up. Then we'll continue on to Koverike City as planned. A sudden scream from somewhere down the hallway interrupted Kayley's train of thought, and with a good deal of fright now present in her eyes, Kayley continued. And that.. came from some girl who just found out that her friend--no, not friend--that her hair brush is missing. Or something trivial like that. Yeah..

Kayley's thoughts and fears drained away, when at last the Trainee left them and Rai made the first suggestion of what to do. "Let's go help Zachary out before we figure out the rest." he said, obviously relieved that the boy wasn't missing. Kayley eventually managed a small smile, nodding in response.

"Sounds like a plan." She said, simply, before turning around to grab the door handle. She closed it, then, hoping that Jena would have the sense to step out of the way before she was hit in the back with a door, or something. Without a moment to spare, Kayley retrieved the room key from her jacket pocket (had that been there all night?) and locked the door, testing the handle once to make sure that it was really locked.

{Kay-Kay~!} A sudden, familiar voice penetrated the silence, and Kayley looked down to see Fishy at her feet. {You almost forgot me and locked me in the room~! How shameful~} he cried in a sing-song voice, putting a paw over his heart as if his world had just shattered to pieces. {But Fishy supposes you didn't mean it.. you and your forgetfulness~} he continued, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, of course I didn't! I'm sorry!" Kayley instantly exclaimed, wishing that that--of all things--hadn't happened in front of Rai and Jena. Of course, they probably didn't know that Fishy was saying (or so she hoped).. so perhaps she was in the clear for now. "Um, it won't happen again. It's early in the morning, you know, and I'm not quite myself, yet."

 

[Ibuberu]

OOc-

Yay, Doru chan! XD

We're required to learn tent-pitching and many, many knots and lashings in school now.DX Who would've thought that there would actually be a knot known as the '10 Guy Knot'? Yes, not mans or persons(No, really. Some people make that mistake). But, guys. XD


IC-


"But some people have dissappeared...and Zachary wasn't in the room when I woke up either."


Jena blinked in response to Rai's statement, unable to fully comprehend the information as she staggered, leaning against the wall to regain her composure, straightening her posture before sighing. 'What a way to start the day..'she bit her lip at the thought of unknown people who had broken in, not in search of valuable items, but people instead? Was that what had happened to Silver and Zachary? Jena certainly hoped not. The girl couldn't bear to imagine such strange, weird going-ons, as well as question her friends' safety.

The Coordinator turned to face the fairly unfamiliar Pokemon Center trainee, who looked rather bored despite the current tension in the air. The young girl glanced to her left as Rai spoke with the brown-haired trainee, seeing other rather tired-looking trainers holding conversations with one another. Jena listened quietly as the nurse explained that Nurse Gwendolyn would answer their questions to what had happened, allowing some portion of her worries to dissipate. The news about Zachary being trapped in a window helped the girl manage a slight smile at what the boy had gotten himself into, "Ehh, sounds like a plan to me,"she nodded once in agreement at Rai's suggestion for them to go and fetch Zachary, moving out of the way before Kayley closed the door.

Jena watched on as Kayley and Fishy had a small exchange, letting out a short laugh as the small mudfish placed a paw over his heart, as if heartbroken by his trainer's previous action. She could barely understand the Water type's words, as she had yet to master her own companion's language, but by the Mudkip's actions, she could more or less decipher what had happened. Cassie could have never been as interesting as Fishy, but he had such a free-spirited air about him... Jena decided against letting the mentioned Mudkip out of his pokeball, not wanting him or the others to get worried. They were probably still sleeping soundly in their pokeballs, oblivious to what was going on beyond the realm of dreams.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Urgh...stupid cold...*Grumbles* can't type properly because my fingers are still defrosting. >.<

Anyway, I'll keep that horn thing in mind. Still, I've got to learn how to handle steering wheel, pedals, and observation all at the same time first. xD

IC:

"I'm sure Zach will see it that way too." Rai replied to the confirmations, retaining a slight smile as Kayeley proceeded with her rushed preparations. The boy's mind was too preoccupied with the various scenes playing out in the hallway to notice Fishy's act, however, the little argument being largely overshadowed by the Oddish-boy getting into some kind of argument with one of the girls in the hallway. Rai distinctly heard the words 'pervert' and 'hairbrush' but the specifics were lost to him.

A moment later, with the group having advanced at a decent pace - at least considering the chaotic shape the hallways were in - finally arrived at what Rai assumed was the right place. The muffled sound of a male voice from the other side of the bathroom pretty much confirmed it, although it certainly didn't sound as panicked as the trainee had described it.

"Umm..." the boy added, suddenly realizing something as she turned to face Jena and Kayley, "No offense, but maybe it's best if I go on my own from here on." he shifted uncomortably, "You know...this being a boys' bathroom and all?"

Hoping that there would be no objections raised, Rai turned around and tried the handle. Or rather...he would have tried the handle had it not been currently located on the floor beneath the door, leaving a small hole in the door. He gave the door a tentative push, but it remained quite firmly shut. Apparently Zachary had managed to efficiently lock himself in.

"Now I really want to know what happened here." the boy remarked, "You...might want to take a step back." he added to the girls, doing so himself as he reached for one of his pokéballs. Somehow, the boy had the distinct feeling that Gwendolyn wasn't going to appreciate what he was about to do, but at the moment he didn't really care. 'Besides...' the more reckless side of his mind assured him as he tossed the pokéball towards the floor, '...they'll probably just think the intruders did this too.'

{Raistlin...} Ashura muttered, her eyes opening somewhat slower than usual. Apparently yesterday's battle had taken its toll on the mantis pokémon, {What is the matter?}

"Well..." Rai began, unsure of where to begin, "It's a bit of a complicated matter, Ashu, but...Zachary has gotten himself into a bit of trouble and I need you to break down this door to help him."

{Zachary.} the Scyther echoed simply, as if that explained the whole thing, {Do I want to know what that one-man disaster area has done this time?}

"Probably not." the boy coneeded.

Ashura nodded, taking up a fighting stance and eyeing the door critically to determine the best point of attack, {I figured as much.} she remarked, {Stand back, then.}

With that, the mantis pokémon suddenly lunged forward, disappearing ina blur of motion, soon accompanied by the sound of wood being cut by something extaordinarily sharp - so high-pitched that it was barely audible - as cut after cut appeared on the door, after which Ashura settled down again, landing beside Rai with an expression that didn't betray anything out of the ordinary having happened at all.

For a few moments, the door simply stood there, as if this sudden change of state had happened too fast for it to comprehend. Soon enough, however, there was enough of a disturbance for the frail balance to be broken, the whole door crumbling into a pile of debris and a thick cloud of sawdust briefly filling the vacated doorway.

Coughing lightly, Rai brushed past the cloud and into the bathroom, hoping that Kayley and Jena would have the decency not to peek in after him. After all, there was no telling how...presentable Zachary was, and he had been around the unfortunate boy long enough to know better than to take such things for granted.

Fortunately, Zachary seemed to be in a decent enough state. Well, as decent as you can be when all people can see are your dangling legs and posterior, anyway.

"Zachary?" Rai began carefully, moving closer to assess the situation, "Are you allright? Consdering the situation, I mean." he added, realizing how stupid that question was on its own.

 

[Light_Azumarill]

OOC: Pitching tents always sounds fun to me until I actually have to do it. >> Then it stinks. XD Good luck with the knots Yibber!

Anywhoo, time to post!


Zachary
===========

"Well, at least my butt is warm," Zachary said stiffly, still hanging in the bathroom window. When the heck was that help going to arrive? It had probably been only a few minutes since that girl left, but to a person who had been hanging in a window for the whole morning, it seemed like ages.

{Be patient! Hey, should we stay here or what? I mean, do you want us to go inside?} Ron asked, looking around the bushes.

Zachary shook his head, "No way! Wait until I get some help and find out what's going on. Then we'll know if everything's safe."

It was a few more seconds of silence before Zachary's rescuers began to burst into the bathroom. He heard some sounds on what he guessed to be the door, and quickly spoke up to Ron and Electron.

"Hey! Someone's trying to get through the door!" he said excitedly to them, "Let's cross our fingers that it's Rai!"

{Um... Zach, we don't have fingers,} Ron said, rolling his bright blue eyes.

Electron merely floated near them, blinking curiously. {Forgive me, but what good would crossing fingers do?} he spoke in his buzzing, electric voice.

Suddenly there was a crashing sound, and then a bit of coughing. Zachary turned his head, for all the good it did him since it was hanging outside. Rai's voice came forth then, asking about Zachary's well-being.

"I'm... sore. Would you be so kind as to open this damned window?" he said gruffly, the momentary excitement of being rescued evaporating quickly. What the feeling was replaced with was a burning embarrassment for having gotten himself in such a situation. These things always had to happen to him, didn't they? None of the others had probably gotten stuck in a window!

 

[Alter Ego]

"Oh, of course." Rai replied, feeling slightly dumb as he walked over to Zachary, placing one hand on the boy's back - as far from the posterior as circumstances would allow - to lessen the risk of Zachary tumbling down the moment the window was opened before reaching for the actual window and - after some minor difficulty - opening it with the other, quickly taking a firm grip around Zachary's waist with both arms at the initial precarious shift in the wrong direction and pulling him back into the room, stumbling slightly under the weight but managing to leave both of them standing.

"Well, that's better, right?" he confirmed, offering the embarassed boy a smile, "To be honest, it's a relief to see you're safe, Zachary. There have been some things happening here..." he paused, "But before we get into that, dare I ask how you ended up stuck in a bathroom window? No, why am I wondering about that?" he added, realizing that Zachary was wearing the same clothes as last night "Would you like to stop by our room and change? Gwendolyn wants a word with us, and I thought you might want to play it safe with her."

OOC: Nyah, I just realized...someone with a suitably...ahem, open mind could take this as fodder for Rai x Zachary. I wasn't aiming for it when I wrote, though, honest. o.o

 

[Light_Azumarill]

OOC: Don't encourage anyone Alter! I've already had to see enough SoraxRiku pictures while browsing through Deviantart to fill a large room! XD

Not that there's anything wrong with it. ^-^;


Zachary
============

It was both uncomfortable and relieving as Rai helped him out of the window opening. Uncomfortable because clamoring out of a small opening was never very comfortable, and relieving because it no longer felt like he was being slowly pinched in two.

"Ah, thanks," he said awkwardly, still quite embarrassed. Rai asked him how he had gotten into the situation, but then dismissed it. Zachary felt that some explanation was in order, but if Rai was okay with it like that, then so was he.

Dusting himself off, and straightening out his clothes, Zachary nodded in approval of Rai's next statement. "Yes I would," he said confidently, "I've already managed to break a chair, knock over a couple of things, have a small hand in one of her trainees quitting, and now I've ruined her bathroom door." The boy was quite curious about what was going on, but those questions would have to wait until Gwendolyn had her talk. Surely there wasn't any present danger, or Rai would have made that clear by now.

He was about to walk out of the bathroom, when he stopped. "Oh!" he said, as if he had just remembered something, "Hey Ron! Electron! You guys can come in the center now. But I guess Electron doesn't... he's not really my pokemon."

Ron's small voice came from below the window, {OK Zach!}

Zachary nodded, and then turned to Rai. "I'll hurry and get dressed then," he said, racing out of the door. He paused for a moment to say a brief "Hi!" to both Jena and Kayley, then hurried past them to the room he and Rai were in.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: I see what you mean about the amount of Sora x Riku, but how did you draw the parallel to this situation? Nyu, on second though...maybe I don't want to know that. Anyway, I'll just blame it all on you because you were the first to bring up disturbing shppings and taint my poor, innocent mind. xD

Really, though, the KH writers gave a lot more basis for Sora x Riku than Sora x Kairi, particularly in KH 2 and CoM. o.O Silly writers...not even supporting their own official ships. xP

IC:

Rai smiled at Zachary's decision, glad to see that his friend was actually paying attention to appearances for once. Now Zachary was a great friend to have and posessed many traits that Rai admired - and on some level even envied - no doubt about that, but spend a day in his current clothes? Not unless he would be allowed to give them a proper wash first. Still, he told himself off, that was probably natural for one who had grown up in the...less priviliged area. It wasn't fair to judge him for it.

"I think that's a good decision, Zachary." he replied, pushing the thoughts out of his mind and nodding, "I'll just lend you my-" he paused key in hand, Zachary already having rushed off down the hall, "Key." the boy finished, shaking his head and grinning. That was Zachary for you, always in a hurry. He sincerely hoped that the boy hadn't gone and lost his key, though, as that too would have been just like Zachary.

"Well..." Rai concluded as he stepped out of the bathroom, offering the girls a smile, "That's our Zachary, allright. He went to change, but he should be back soon."

 

[Light_Azumarill]

OOC: Yes, erm, you don't want to know. XD And wow, I'm a bad influence on someone's mind! I don't think that's ever happened before. ^^;


Zachary
============

"Aha, here we are," Zachary said to himself, reaching the door to he and Rai's room, "Now where's my... key?" He remembered where his key was. It was in the room, sitting on the table near his bed, to the right of his sunglasses.

Slumping a little in posture, Zachary sighed, figuring he had better go back and tell Rai he was without a key.

{Hey Zach! There you are,} came Ron's voice, as he ran up to the boy, Electron at his back. He looked at Zachary and smiled from under his helmet. {Forgetting something?} the metallic pokemon said in a knowing voice.

Zachary blinked, "Huh? Oh... yeah, my key."

That's when Ron shook his little head as if Zachary had it all wrong. {No, no! You've been a good guy too long Zach! You can always forget a key, but you can never forget a skill,} the Aron concluded, an odd look in his eyes.

Zachary frowned slightly. "No. I'll just go back and ask Rai for the key. There's no reason to break in to my own room," he said sternly. A few people passing by began to look over, hearing the words 'break in'. Zachary smiled at them and they walked away looking a little concerned.

{It's not breaking in!} Ron protested, looking a bit put-out, {Come on Zach, I know those were really bad times, but lock-picking isn't going to turn you into a--.}

"Alright!" Zachary hissed in a hurried whisper, trying to get Ron to quiet, "Not so loud, you know?! Or have you forgotten the other knowledge we have about being quiet?" Ron did have a point. He was supposed to be hurrying, and going back to find Rai would take up more of Gwendolyn's valuable time. He bent down to the doorknob of the room, pulling out a rather bent up paper clip from the right pocket of his jeans. It was just a lock picking to get into his own room. What was so bad about that? It was just a handy skill like juggling, or singing, or hacking... no wait, hacking was a bad thing!

Electron's half-closed eye opened wider momentarily. {I am at a loss to understand... this is illegal?} he said, a strange tone of uncertainty mixing with the electric, monotone voice.

Ron shook his head again, {No, not if it's his room! I think....}

At these words Zachary turned around abruptly, "You'd better keep a lookout, Ron, just in case." He then turned back to his work.

{You're usually faster with these things,} Ron said, peering around the corridor. Several people were about to come up by them.

"Sorry, I just haven't done it in a while!" Zachary said frantically. A few seconds of silence passed, the people in the corridor got closer, and then a small clicking noise was heard. "Aha!" Zachary said triumphantly, "Finally! Now let's get in."

The three went into the room, and the door closed nicely behind them. After putting on a new, clean, light blue shirt and a new pair of jeans, Zachary grabbed his sunglasses and headed out again. Well, new was a bit of an overstatement; all of his clothes were rather old and had worn down quite a bit. This blue shirt was a little frayed at many of its edges, and the jeans he wore didn't look much better than his previous ones. One would really not have been able to tell that he had actually changed into new clothes this morning with the few permanent stains that garnished his jeans. At least his shirt was lacking any of that particular garnish.

"Electron," Zachary said as they walked through the hall, "Why are you still here? Was there something you wanted?"

The electric pokemon blinked, {I still have not regained my memory. I thought that perhaps....}

Zachary smiled, "Say no more! Sure, you can follow along if you'd like." He was actually quite happy to accept the pokemon's invitation, something from deep within him seemed to think it was important.

After a few more seconds, they came up to where the others were. Zachary nodded a hello to them. "Okay then," he said with a half-smile, "Let's go see Gwenie."

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Ehh...looks like the boys are getting the silent treatment from Kayley and Jena. xD Anyway, I'm posting again even though I was - technically - waiting for you two wonderful people *Pokes Yibber and Plushie* but I'll be moving this along slowly before we get bumped down to the second page. ^-^

IC:

Were it not for the change of shirt and the sunglasses, Rai would probably have thought that Zachary had gone and forgotten the key as he had suspected. Those clothes...they looked almost as worn as his original set, although at least they didn't have a day and night's worth of sweat on them which, the boy supposed, was the best he could expect at the moment, although he did make a mental note for himself to give Zachary a crash course in caring for clothes when time would allow it. Come to think of it, maybe he should even offer to buy him some new ones if he could think of a diplomatic enough way to present his case. Surely such lack of care for one's clothing could only come from never having gotten to experience the feeling of being properly dressed?

{Raistlin...} Ashura hissed in his ear, {You're being adressed.}

Rai blinked, "Oh, right..." the boy mumbled in response, slightly embarassed to have spaced out like that, "I agree." he replied to Zachary's suggestion, taking up a fair walking pace, "But just to be on the safe side, Zachary..." he added, briefly turning his face towards the boy, "...you might want to avoid calling her 'Gwenie'."

 

[Ibuberu]

OOc-

*poked* Ahem, sorry, can't post in more than one RP for everytime I manage to get on the computer. XD Well, anyways. Happy Valentines Day, guys!

I got some chocolates and a paper heart, but they were all from girls, so it doesn't really count. XD I remember one of my friends getting a mug, a rose and a flower plushie as well as CANDY! Feebas, she has a lot of fangirls. XD


IC-


Jena acknowledged Zach with a short nod as he said 'hi' and rushed past them to get changed, raising an eyebrow in disbelief as he ran down the hall, wondering how on earth could the boy have gotten trapped in a toilet. Still, Jena knew Zachary well enough to expect that he could get himself into any situation.

The girl soon realised that she herself hadn't bothered to change her attire, neither had Kayley. She brought her hands behind her back as she quickly decided that seeing Nurse Gwendolyn had taken top priority. Jena watched as Zachary returned in a new change of clothes, though they were as tattered as the ones before, the girl wasn't in the place to judge another's clothes. She examined her own shirt and pants awkwardly as they began to walk, rubbing stray dirt off the edge of her top garment before resuming a relatively normal position, hands swinging on either side of her. Making sure to chuckle at least once about the 'Gwenie' comment.

 

[Light_Azumarill]

OOC: Valentine's Day piccie!

*eats chocolate*

Oh, and by the way, the Chocolate mousse I made was very yummy! ^-^ So rich and chocolately...! @_@


Zachary
===========

"Well of course I won't call her that to her face!" Zachary said, sounding a little shocked about the idea of Gwendolyn hearing him call her that. She could be very scary, and he wasn't about to willingly test that scariness. He was walking at his usual pace, which even though it was his usual one, it still managed to look somewhat clumsy and awkward. As they walked on, he couldn't help but feel a stab of annoyance at the staring going on that was directed at his clothes. Didn't they know he was poor? He felt bad enough about it already without having to endure looks.

Hadn't he been the same though? He remembered staring at Maxie earlier. He hadn't meant to, but what difference did that make; he still did it. Besides, these were his friends that were doing this. They weren't looks of revulsion and judgment, they were looks of slight concern and overall uncomfortable feelings. In fact, it was a little humorous really. Zachary imagined Rai's thoughts on his attire, seeing as the boy had been the one to suggest the change. Not to mention Rai himself was always so clean; Zachary's idea of cleanliness must scare the boy.

Thankfully these thoughts helped bring Zachary into a better attitude, for he would probably need one to look appealing to Gwenie.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Aww...I already said it in the actual topic, but I'll say it again: that piccie is cute. Love the Ivysaur's expression. ^^

Anyway, yay for chocolate! I actually got one from my finnish teacher, but before anyone (Melissa of the dirty mind in particular) gets any weird ideas, it was primarily to celebrate our last lesson. What really sucked, however, was that there were only like two students there. I mean seriously, our finnish teach is nice, the least they could have done was show her some respect and come to say goodbye, but nooo...they couldn't be bothered to move their lazy posteriors from home (most other lessons were canceled for the day). <.< Oh well, that's their shame and their loss of chocolate. =P

Anywhoo...

IC:

"I know you wouldn't, Zachary." Rai replied, vaguely noting that they were rapidly nearing the lobby, "But you know how Gwendolyn has a tendency to just appear out of no-" he paused, noting that the afforementioned was currently right in front of him, her eyebrow already raised in preparation, "-where." the boy finished, quickly masking his shock as he spoke up again, donning the most charming smile he could muster - it rarely hurt, after all - "You wanted to see us, m'am?"

"Quite right." Gwendolyn replied levelly, eyeing the group, her eyebrow still ready to spring back up at the first provocative remark. "I was just on the way to the meeting room myself, so follow me." it wasn't a request, it was an order, and Rai really didn't see any reason to argue in this instance, merely nodding and following after the head nurse as she wandered across the crowded lobby, the masses of confused people retreating before her, probably driven by some primitive survival instinct, and granting a fairly unobstructed path.

 

[Light_Azumarill]

OOC: Yes! Ivysaur cuteness. :3 That reminds me of this one, lonely Ivysaur plushie that was the only old pokemon plushie left at out Toys R Us here. It was so sad and lonely, and I watched it sit in the clearance section for a few months before I picked up the cutie and vowed to scrimp up the two bucks it was worth to save it from being lonely! So I hid the little guy in the board games section and came back two days later with the money. And now there he sits with an honored spot on my bed. ^-^

I don't project feelings into non-living objects!! XD


Zachary
===========

Zachary let out what sounded like a squeak when Gwendolyn suddenly popped up next to them. No matter how cool he acted about having to face that woman, he always crumbled like a pile of sawdust! Well, at least maybe he'd get to see a bit of Amelia at this 'meeting'. Surely she hadn't left yet, had she? With all of the chaos in this place, she had probably stuck around to help. Yes, that seemed like the girl; so caring and kind and... Zachary's face began to go a little slack as he began to get lost in his own thoughts.

Ron tried to make a coughing sound to bring the boy back to reality, but it was no use. {Zach... Gwenie's here you idiot! Snap out of it! You can't possibly go through a meeting like this,} he whispered to his friend. It didn't seem to penetrate him though.

Electron just watched curiously, unsure of what exactly was going on.

 

[Random Plushie]

OOC:

Wow, Melissa.. your artisitic talent knows no limit. o.o I love that pic~! ^o^ *cute Ivysaur* Speaking of pictures, I actually finished the one I promised I would make, but Photobucket is giving me troubles with uploading it because it is so big. xD

Sorry I missed Valentine's Day, by the way. Just thought I'd say.

As for this..

I don't project feelings into non-living objects!! XD

Neither do I, Melissa. Neither do I.. *cough*


IC:

After gaping awkwardly at the sheer power Ashura managed to display (for breaking down the door, of course) without breaking a sweat, Kayley found herself in several more situations in which she could not say a thing. First of all, judging by the conversation that had floated out of the bathroom between Rai and Zach, the latter had been trapped in some sort of.. window. Don't say a word.. don't say a word.. The thoughts repeated themselves continuously, helping Kayley remain some sort of control over the comments threatening to be released from her throat.

Needless to say, the situations that followed didn't really call for any contributions on Kayley's part. Zach briefly returned to his room to change, at which point Kayley glanced down at the Mudkip at her feet, just to make sure he was doing alright. Sure enough, Fishy's attention span had shifted to a nearby sofa that had been graciously removed of its cotton filling through a tear in its fabric. Quickly, Kayley removed Fishy from the floor, allowing him to sit in her arms before he managed to find a reason to wander off.

Several moments later, Zach had returned (looking pretty much the same, actually), and the group was on the move. Kayley couldn't help glancing back at the ruined sofa for a few moments, just missing the first part of Rai's comment about 'Gwenie.' Or was it Zach who had mentioned it?

"What about Gwenie? Actually, I.." Kayley abruptly stopped talking, becoming a bit confused when Zachary let out an unusual sound that somewhat resembled a mouse's squeak. Of course, the reason for his yelp was but a few feet away.. Nurse Gwendolyn, who obviously wasn't looking too cheerful as she asked--no, commanded them to follow her, probably sounding more sharp than she had actually intended. Or was that even possible, anyway?

Kayley gulped, tightening her grip on Fishy as she kept up with the group.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Nyu, of course you don't project. I'm sure no-one here would do something silly and irrational like that. *Clings to old plushie that has now passed twelve years of existence* xD

Anyway, it's no big deal about V-day, Plushie, it's not like we had some grand master plan in mind for it anyway. Hope you had a good one, though. ^-^

IC:

At Kayley's mention of her unwanted nickname, Gwendolyn's expression seemed to become even more strained than before, but fortunately she still kept her temper relatively reined, continuing to navigate a path for them across the room.

Rai, meanwhile was quite preoccupied with other matters, namely Zachary.

"Hey, Zachary." he whispered, forcefully pulling the younger boy by the arm as he started straying in the wrong direction, "Please, pay a bit more attention we're about to-"

"They're here."

Gwendolyn's curt announcement snapped the boy's attention back to where it belonged, just in time to notice Gwendolyn walking in through an opened door. Embarassed to have lagged behind, Rai quickly hastened his pace - not as easy as it seemed as he was still dragging Zachary - not letting go of the other boy's arm until they were straight in front of the door where not even Zachary could get lost.

Taking a deep breath, Rai collected his calm demeanor and stepped in.

"About time." a familiar male voice remarked as the boy stepped in. Surprised, Rai quickly turned towards the source of the voice - handily located on the other side of the meeting room table - staring nonplused for a moment before he finally found his voice.

"You?"

"Excellent deduction, goldilocks." Railey remarked dryly, leaning back in his chair and giving the group a dismissive glance, "Didn't think I'd ever have to bother with you lot again."

 

[Ibuberu]

OOc-

Gah, that Ivysaur picture is pwnsome! =D And you all must not misunderstand, I remember a few years ago, I loved my blankie so very much, and she loved me too. Yep. She just pretends to be non-living. Either that or I had a real imaginative mind back then. XD

Oh, and, yay for this year's art class! They're teaching us how to draw mangas! >D The teacher even wants us to draw out an original or anime character to show him next lesson. I might be using Jena, yes.. I'll show you guys the small project when I'm done with it. For now, I have a Maths test to study for. GAH.


IC-


Jena was taken by surprise as Nurse Gwendolyn seemingly appeared out of nowhere, ordering them to follow her to the meeting room. At least, that was what she gave off when she said that sentence. The lady seemed as stern as ever, and the girl didn't really have anything to comment on, so she decided to stay silent for the remainder of the walk, noting that a Magnemite had joined them. Though it seemed rather lost. A bit like how Zach looked at that moment, what was the boy thinking about anyway? Jena restrained the urge to snap him out of his trance before they all got into trouble with Gwenie but Rai took care of that, grabbing him by the arm and leading him back on the right track.

The girl walked into the meeting room after Rai, surprised to hear the boy's less than favourable nickname. She realised that Railey was in the same room. 'Him again?' Jena had least expected this to happen, she had only seen the guy just yesterday. Something serious must have taken place if they had to call on their town's gym leader. The Coordinator shuddered at the thought. What could have become of Silver?

 

[Light_Azumarill]

OOC: Oh good, so I'm glad we all agreed that we don't project into non-living objects. XD

And that sounds awesome Yibber! You must definitely show these manga art stuffers to us! ^-^

BTW, thanks for the kind words about teh piccie folks! ^^


Zachary
============

"Hm?" Zachary mumbled, vaguely aware of Rai having to lead him to their destination. He then glanced over to the room they were entering, briefly wondering if perhaps the person of his affection would be on the other side.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, as it was that lame and very annoying gym leader, Railey. Zachary blinked and then snapped out of his foggy daydreaming state, which must have looked quite odd considering his expression changed from a pleasant smile to a dangerous glare. He didn't have to like this guy; so what if he was a gym leader. He was a jerk in Zachary's mind, and he wasn't about to learn to get along with anyone who mistreated pokemon.

And after all that had happened at that gym, the idiot still had an attitude. Zachary folded him arms, "The feeling's mutual, and quit calling Rai 'goldilocks' already, you pathetic--!"

{Zach!} hissed Ron, knocking his trainer's leg with his helmet to shut him up. Zachary really needed to keep his emotions in check sometimes. It was one thing to be angry about this, and as much as Ron would love to see Zachary lay a punch on someone like Railey, with Gwendolyn having invited them all here, that probably wasn't the best idea.

Electron had noticed Jena's glance at him, and blinked back in mild curiosity.