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[PKMN FULL] Counting Stars .:* (IC)

37,467
Posts
16
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  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
you always thought that you could be so much more, didn't you?

you always felt like your full potential was yet to be unlocked?

you always knew,

that you were not complete.

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Counting S t a r s

< click here to go to the OOC thread >


p l a y e r list
Kanto - Kagura by Dragon
Johto - Kakujiby PastelPhoenix
Hoenn - Cecilia / Ia by Songbird
Sinnoh - Vladik by gimmepie
Unova - Alys by Astronaut
Kalos - Zachery by Sapphire Rose
Alola - Juliet by Magnificent Magilou

 
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37,467
Posts
16
Years
  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
S.S. Vermuda, docked at Vermilion Harbor, Kanto region
Monday, Spring


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The screens on the wall turned off, almost simultaneously, to display a static Pokémon League Association logo. The room was once again silent, the two men at the table taking in the decision that had just been made by the World Council.

"I'll call up my Champion, then," Koga said. The Governor of Kanto was a calm and calculating man. "I'm sure Kagura is up to the task."

The President of the PLA nodded slowly, looking as if he was staring through the wall at something far in the distance. Perhaps deep inside his own thoughts. "Thank you," he said after a moment.

"But, of course. We can't ask the gym leaders to leave their own districts unprotected, and we can't really ask other trainers to volunteer. The Champions are the only logical choice."

They both got up from their seats.

"Mr President," Koga began, more carefully. "I'm sorry that not all PLA regions wished to send their Champions."

"Hopefully, we won't have to hope that they had. If it's just a rampaging pokémon, I'm sure seven Champions can take care of it easily. If they all accept the task, that is. Besides, some regions have their own legitimate problems to deal with right now."

Koga chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, fore example, it will surely be interesting to see what becomes of the Galar situation..."

The President sighed, but smiled. "So, the other Governors will request that their Champions meet us here tomorrow at noon. That is enough time for them to get here even from Alola and Unova. Pray that we won't have another incident before then."

--

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His prayers didn't appear to have been heard. That night, parts of Fallarbor Town in Hoenn were vandalized by a terrifying creature, spoken of as an unknown pokémon by the locals. Several pokémon and humans were hurt, thankfully none seriously. Mostly, there was property damage, and the population was frightened.

Glacia, the Governor of Hoenn, asked the Council if their Champion could be allowed to remain in the region, and go directly to Fallarbor Town to investigate. But it was decided that Ia should better meet up with the other Champions on S.S. Vermuda first, rather than charge in alone towards an unknown danger.


((OOC: You're en route to the PLA flagship S.S. Vermuda in Vermilion City, or perhaps you are just arriving in Vermilion or on the ship itself - up to you exactly where you want to start your intro post. Run into another Champion for some initial interaction fun, or make your way all the way to the central meeting room on the ship for mission briefing which starts at noon sharp. It's totally ok to be creative when describing the ship, and read the other player posts before you to make sure you don't break what's been established! :) You can always discuss in the Discord channel or OOC thread.

Assume Vermilion is quite anime-like; definitely more buildings than in the games, and a proper city with a bustling harbor.

Lt. Surge is the gym leader, and feel free to make him make an appearance, but the other gym leaders will have stayed in their own cities in order to try and protect them if the unknown pokémon should get there. Misty, especially, is on high alert since Cerulean City got attacked first (thankfully also without casualties).

Trivia:
Spoiler:
 
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PastelPhoenix

How did this even happen?
453
Posts
8
Years
  • Age 29
  • Seen Nov 20, 2022


1-1: Vermilion City


Something about Kanto always made him want to smoke. Maybe it was the air, or most likely it came back to bad habits again. Back when he still visited the region, Kakuji had no problem lighting up a cig, or a pack... or three while he went about his business. He was only allowing himself to carry one at a time now, and Kanto wasn't going to be the thing to break his clean streak.

Boss landed him in a park somewhat near the docks. It was probably the closest he could get without making a scene. At least Kanto was close enough to just fly; it had that going for it. A burst of air nearly messed up his hair again as the Fearow at the source of it dropped off the whole reason he was in this mess.

"Remind me why we're here again?" Kakuji said as he finally withdrew his tired Crobat. From the sound of it, Reiko was doing the same with her Fearow. "I swear I can smell Saffron City already."

"Rampaging Pokémon is what the Governor told us; PLA was a bit cagey with the details from what he said." The secretary said, beginning the short walk to the Vermillion Port. "Plus I can smell the salt, so I guarantee we are nowhere near Saffron right now."

Truth be told, Vermilion did seem different since the last time Kakuji had visited. Surge seemed to keep a good grip on things, personal opinions aside. He felt out of place among the tourist traps and glitzy stores that littered the area around the docks. He noticed a few of the fancy bars he once visited seemed brighter and less hollow, even if just a little.

But who knows, he barely had any sober memories of Vermilion anyways.

"Why go through the kid though? A rampaging Pokémon should be something a local champion can handle." The boat was in sight now, but the closer he got, the odder the request seemed. "She didn't seem incompetent. What's her name…? The Kanto Champion."

"Kagura," Reiko corrected. "It seemed urgent, and the Governor wasn't taking no for an answer. I could stop filtering these requests and let you decide what's important, if you'd prefer. I did seem to recall you being excited that you had your chance to 'show up Kanto' when I told you the news, though."

"I get it, I get it. Sorry."

Streets turned to piers as the city reached the limits of available land. The kitschy shops grew less and less frequent as the local bar clientele shifted from "wealthy tourist" to "dock worker". This was the Vermilion to which he was more accustomed; The dirt behind the glitz. He could probably duck into one right now and just drink until this request was a distant memory like everything else he did in this city. He probably wouldn't have to pay for a drink all night. People tended to be generous when a Champion showed up. Hell, he'd probably just have to introduce himself as Sho for some of these workers to start breaking open bottles.

"I had our things sent early, so they should be already in our room." Reiko's voice broke his chain of thought, causing Kakuji to realize they had finally made it to the boarding area. Even if he wanted to just go home, he couldn't do so now. There were likely a few PLA employees watching for the Champions to arrive, and he no doubt just walked past several of them. There was no escape, the work was going to pile up while he was away, he's probably lost the leads on the Slowpoke Tail case, and worst of all, he was stuck in Kanto for the foreseeable future.

"Any plans once we're on board?" Reiko asked.

"Finding the bar."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

The PLA had way too much money lying around. That's the only way to justify the fact that this boat had two different pools. Not that he was complaining; the pool was nice, and he didn't feel like he was about to walk in on an illegal gambling ring under the deck. Although, having a bunch of powerful trainers alone at sea and praying no one gets smashed and decided to defend their ego might be a little more worrying than gambling.

Oh well, they have to be doing something right if the boat is still here. With a view like this, he understood how some people were comfortable staying here for weeks at a time. The transparent hull of the VIP pool section gave a clear view of the sea, and the shallows were brimming with life. Instead of the Grimer and Muk he expected from an industrial city like Vermilion, the seafloor was alive with Krabby and Kingler migrating back to the surface, and disturbing a few territorial Seadra and their young Horsea. A rock in the distance looked oddly like a Cloyster, but he couldn't tell if it was actually moving or not.

He finished off his second glass of rum while debating the odds of a wild Cloyster being this close to the city. The VIP booze selection was far better than he expected, and he didn't even have to leave the hot tub to get a refill. None of the bartenders gave the cautious look he was used to about his tattoos either; or they were paid enough not to care. The light snoring next to him stopped for a second while the bartender swapped out Kakuji's drinks, but the warmth of the hot tub was enough to put the little Magby back to sleep.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to bring Akihito along?" Reiko asked from the pool. She took no time at all to get comfortable when they arrived. She in the pool and ordering a cocktail before Kakuji had even changed. I knew she was only in it for the vacation. "Might have been better to bring Ami or Toshiko."

"He needs more experience, and there's probably going to be all seven of us here. If a rampaging Pokémon can beat over forty Champion Pokémon, then I doubt me having my full six will help much." He took a swig from his new drink and decided the Cloyster-looking thing was probably just a really funny rock after all. He'd have to ask what brand this was. The rum felt like a Hoenn rum, but he couldn't shake an Alolan feeling either. "Besides, Ami doesn't like water and would probably blow a hole in the deck to get away from it. As for Toshiko, I lent her to Elm. He thinks he's onto something and needed an artificial Pokémon to test it."

"Really, Elm couldn't get a Porygon himself?" Reiko turned to face him, her expression a little sour for being kept out of the loop.

"You've seen the state of his lab." Kakuji liked the professor, he really did. However, the man could not secure funding if his life depended on it. "I practically had to force him to take her. The man probably couldn't afford both a Porygon and his only assistant with his budget. He said I'm free to take her back at any time, too."

"Alright, so long as she's available if we need her." Reiko seemed abated for now. He really needed to remind himself to keep her in the loop when it came to his Pokémon. She nearly had his head when he lent Manzo out the day before the Ursaring was needed for a photoshoot. "You think we should leave yet? Between the flight and this pool, I think I'm going to fall asleep."

"Ehh, what's the worst that can happen?" He sank lower into the tub, letting his shoulders dip beneath the bubbling water's surface. "We checked in, so they know we're here. They'll send someone to find us before the meeting."​

 
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Songbird

Tonight, the marigolds bloom for her.
554
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10
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  • Seen Mar 19, 2024
Ring.

That wasn't her alarm tone. "Hey Lexi, what time is it?"

"It's like, six. Just pick it up."

Ring.

"Ugh, fine."

Ia slipped out a noisy, waterproof flip phone that she had been keeping in her bikini top, checked the caller ID... considered throwing it to voicemail.

Ring.

Then she flicked it open with her thumbnail, and brought it to her ear. "Ia speaking. Do you realize what time it is?" She couldn't keep herself from giving a little attitude.

"Do you?" The caller was female, didn't sound happy.

"Ten AM, Kanto Standard."

"And where, pray tell, are you right now?"

"Undella Town." In other words, in Unova.

"How long do you think it'll take to get over there on time?" The woman on the other end of the line was almost growling, but she didn't care. Ia already cut her vacation short for this, and she agreed with Glacia about prioritizing the Fallarbor incident in her home region. She could have gotten more done if she'd just stayed and exchanged information with Kanto.

She glanced up from her nails to spy one of her Pokémon, a Latios, enjoying some playtime in the water with the rest of her and her friends' teams. Ia herself was relaxing on an inflatable Stunfisk raft big enough for three (and occupied by one other), still soaked from joining the fun earlier.

They all managed to get some private time on the beach just as the sun was rising over Unova; arranged it with the local mayor after the news broke. And now the PLA were trying to rush her. It's not like she had grown arrogant in her time as champion, but she was annoyed. She wished it was just an intern who didn't know any better.

"About an hour, I think. Weather's nice."

"Are you ser—whatever. I'm not even going to. Look, just don't be late."

Click.

Ia gave off an exasperated sigh, slinking back against the raft and drawing Latios to her side as she returned the phone to its temporary storage space. He nudged against her, getting her to giggle. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm gonna go get changed, so get everyone ready to leave. They want us there early." Resigning herself to her fate, she hopped off the raft and took a quick swim back to shore.

It didn't take her long to clean up, gear up and get back to the beach to set off. Within half an hour everyone except Latios was back in their Pokéballs, and the trainers were proceeding with casual farewells or promises to meet up again after things died down. She counted herself lucky that she'd already had all of her purchases sent home and captures to storage.

Latios rose into the sky, taking some time to reach an altitude Ia felt was good enough to not wake half the region before they started flying for Kanto. Ia waited until they couldn't see the beach anymore, then moved on to the next phase of her plan.

"We'll have to push for this one, Latios." He gave her an affirmative chirp, and she held her left hand forward, bracing herself with the right. When she did, a blinding light engulfed the two of them. It was followed by a glass-shattering boom, and left only a purple streak in the sky that chased the sun.

Just as Ia guessed, they made it to Vermilion City in nearly an hour flat, slowing down as soon as they spotted the Vermuda. It was by no means a small boat; a good medium-sized cruise ship, easily big enough to spot it from miles away. And the closer they got, the clearer it was that there was quite the pretty penny put into the ship, making her wonder who foot the bill for it.

For one, it was impeccably clean from bow to stern. Up on the top deck, underneath a retractable roof, Ia spotted a fancy-looking pool of respectable size and a pair of hot tubs, likely fully featured. She took note of that for after the meeting, still wearing her swimsuit under her clothes. There were plenty of tables and lounge chairs as well, and a Pokémon walking carefully between a bar counter nearby and an occupied hot tub.

Around front was a stage and dining area, and a second bar and buffet area to go with it. The tables looked easy to move, so the deck could likely even accommodate Pokémon battles with room to spare. After that there wasn't much else left for her to see from above, so she focused on finding a spot to land.

"Take a good nap. Thanks for working so hard." Latios returned to his Pokéball for some well-earned rest after he deposited his trainer at the end of the pier, leaving Ia to check herself in. An easy process. All she had to do was show her trainer ID to the dockhand and he told her exactly where to go for the meeting.

But first, a little self-gratification. Ia made her way to the deck, pulling a sleek-looking smartphone out of her purse on the way. She took a moment to sit up against the railing, made sure her hair wasn't a mess; and snapped a quick selfie overlooking Vermilion's harbor, complete with smug grin and fingers held up in a V.

Time sent: 11:34 AM.
 
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11
Years
Vladik Arsov
Sinnoh League HQ // S.S. Vermuda, Vermillion City, Kanto

"What does this have to do with me?"

Vladik was standing in front of a computer screen in his office, the stern face of Bertha displayed in front of him. The elderly governor was known to respect Vladik's more pragmatic nature as she herself was quite practical and straightforward, but she had also been heard complaining about his apathy on numerous occasions. Given that she was currently glaring at him, Vladik was pretty confident that this is one of those times where irritation was outweighing respect. Oh well, her emotions weren't really his problem. He had no interest in flying off to Kanto to spend time with a bunch of glory-hungry fellow champions on a hunt for a rampaging Pokemon.

"Like I said," Bertha replied, making no effort to conceal her exasperation, "the PLA has requested champions to convene in Vermillion City, Kanto to combat this threat."

"So, I don't have to go then. I fail to see why this is a problem? If the Pokemon attacks Sinnoh I will respond accordingly but I have no interest in running off to Kanto to play Pokemon Ranger when I could be here doing research or dealing with my champion duties. It's not my concern."

Bertha let out an irritated sigh, dragging a hand down her face. This was not the first time that she and Vladik had argued over extending himself beyond the bare minimum of his champion duties. She had suggested that he step down if he was disinterested in the past, but Vladik had refused. He couldn't bring himself to just walk away from something he'd worked hard to achieve.

"An unknown Pokemon - if that's even what it is - is attacking cities all over the world and all you have to say is that it's boring and none of your business? That's callous even for you, Vladik."

"Unknown Pokemon?" Vladik questioned, his expression shifting slightly as Bertha finally managed to say something that captured his interest.

"Yes," Bertha responded, diving on the chance. "We don't have any idea what it is or where it came from. All we know is that it's aggressive. Some elements of this line up with some of Professor Burnet's research in Alola - you're familiar with her recent overtures into Alolan mythology in search of connections to her wormhole theory I assume? It was a hot topic with the PLA for a while. Of course, those similarities are small, the scale of these attacks is much more wide spread for example. We suspect that it is something different."

Yes, Vladik knew of Professor Burnet. She was a leading expert in his field after all. He'd taken a great deal of interest in her work and that had only increased since recently meeting her himself at a conference. If there were similarities to her inferences and predictions, even small ones, it could mean the discovery of a lifetime. Suddenly, this little escapade had gotten a lot more interesting.



Thus it came to be that Vladik found himself onboard a helicopter as it slowly descended towards the helipad at the top of the SS Vermuda. The ship was enormous, built with state of the art technology and design that allowed it to be built to an almost obscene scale despite it having a comparatively low weight. To Vladik, it seemed like a waste that such incredible engineering had gone towards frivolous luxury instead of human progress.

A pair of large pools could be seen on the deck of the ship. Pointless extravagance for what they were there to do, but he supposed he would prefer the luxury of the cruise ship to cramped bus or something. As the helicopter got progressively closer to the helipad on the ship's uppermost deck, he noticed that the pool was actually occupied and than a handful of people were already enjoying the amenities offered by the Vermuda.

"How professional," Vladik sighed to himself, starting to somewhat regret that he agreed to put up with his fellow champions. He wasn't unaware of the fact that this mission, while potentially interesting, could also easily turn out to a wild goose chase surrounded by people he didn't really want anything to do with. He had to go though, he couldn't pass up the potential for this to be something much more exciting than a regular rogue Pokemon.

The helicopter touched down and Vladik exited the vehicle with his bag slung over his shoulder. One of the boat's staff members was waiting for him at the door into the ship's interior.

"Welcome to the Vermuda, Mister Arsov," the man in the white uniform suit said. "My name is Damien and I have been asked to escort you to your quarters. After that you will have the run of the ship until the rest of the champions have arrived. A few are already here if you'd like to seek them out. I believe two are on the pool deck."

"Lead the way," Vladik responded cordially.

Meet the other champions on the pool deck? Not likely. He was going to put that unfortunate part of the endeavour off for as long as humanly possible.​



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865
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13
Years
  • Age 38
  • Seen Feb 24, 2024

Juliet Armstrong
Vermilion City
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IN RESERVE:
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Chapter 1-1 | Waiting Game

"Zis is a total waste of my time..."

An annoyed sigh escaped Juliet's lips as she reclined back in a hot tub on the deck of the S.S. Vermuda. While the young woman was not exactly against taking a vacation of sorts, she knew there were far better places to go than a backwater region such as Kanto. Of course, she wasn't actually there on vacation. Rather she, along with the other Pokémon champions of various regions, were called to deal with some kind of Pokémon related threat... At least, that was what Juliet seemed to recall it was. To be honest, the Alolan champion couldn't have cared less. It wasn't as if this creature was a threat to her own region yet, and if the gym leaders and other trainers of Kanto were unable to deal with the task here, then perhaps there was an issue that needed to be addressed in regards to the weakness of their trainers.

"At ze very least zey could 'ave put some effort into arriving on time, no?" Juliet questioned, her eyes narrowing as she gazed up towards the sky. "I am a very busy woman, and I demand to 'ave some sort of compensation for my time... or at least a better drink."

The Alolan champion shifted her attention to the margarita she had been nursing since she arrived. While it wasn't the worst thing she had ever tasted, it lacked the rich flavor of those she enjoyed back home. At the same time however, she figured she was lucky to even have this much.

While the ship was intended for use by people such as champions, Juliet expected that the ship would have been something along the lines of a small dingy or even that rust bucket that Professor Kukui called his most prized possession. Granted, it was still a bit small for her tastes. There was only one bar in immediate view and the two hot tubs looked as if they were only big enough for ten people each. Juliet determined that when this whole mess was over, she'd have to get in contact with the PLA president and discuss these accommodations thoroughly. If they expected her to use this ship again in the future, there were definitely going to need to be some big changes.

The sound of her glass emptying out snapped the young woman from her thoughts. Juliet glanced down at her glass, frowning before looking over her shoulder at the Decidueye who was standing close behind. The champion merely raised her glass, shaking it gently as she grabbed the owl Pokémon's attention.

"I am empty, Artemis. Fetch me another," she ordered.

Juliet's Decidueye carefully took the glass with the end of his wing before he promptly made his way towards the bar. She watched him for a moment, until the distant sound of a violent explosion far offshore made her turn her head to the sky.

Everything looked clear at first, long enough that most people would just continue about their day, but Juliet kept staring. Not like she had anything better to do. A short wait later a soaring blue Pokémon came into view, carrying a person on its back. Rather fast, too. Another cool few seconds passed, Decidueye obediently returned with her refill, and Juliet got a better look at what flew in. "Is zat...?"

Before she realized it, she lost sight of the Pokémon and its rider on their way to the docks. No matter. She already figured it out. She may not have been familiar with legendary Pokémon outside of Alola and Kalos, but one trainer she was aware of gave her reason to recognize this one. Juliet pushed it out of her mind as one more champion accounted for, and returned to her margarita, the next few minutes passing by in silence.

"Alola's champion, right?" An unfamiliar voice rang beside her. Juliet expected it to be the help and was about to complain about how long she had been waiting for a massage, but a sideways glance was enough to recognize the voice's owner as the girl who flew in not long ago.

Now, she was aware of this girl. That did not, however, mean that Juliet remembered her name, and she wasn't about to wrack her brain for it. "Yes. And zat was quite the noisy entrance out of you, no...? If 'ou are trying to wake ze dead, I believe Lavender Town is somewhere in zat direction," Juliet stated flatly, pointing over her shoulder.

The girl looked surprised, as though she didn't realize just how loud she was, then shrugged it off. "By the way, you sure you should be drinking so close to the meeting?"

"How close are we talking?"

"Twenty minutes, give or take."

"Perfect. Zen I 'ave ze time for another drink. Artemis." Juliet handed off her glass to her Decidueye again, a chuckle escaping the girl's lips as she sat down next to the tub. She complained about the flavor earlier, but she had no such qualms with the alcohol content. It was strong stuff, and the hot tub only helped it hit her harder. She turned her attention back towards the girl before her. "And who might 'ou be...? Ze name, anyway. I can already tell 'ou must be Hoenn's champion, no?"

"Ia. Pleasure."

"Yes, I'm sure it is," Juliet replied, taking the refilled glass from Artemis as he returned to his trainer's side once more. She took a long, satisfying sip of her margarita before continuing. "My name..."

"I know. You're Juliet Armstrong."

A smug grin was quick to grace the Alolan Champion's lips. "I see 'ou 'ave already heard of my name."

"Hard to find someone in Kalos who hasn't."

"I suppose this is true... After all, ze Armstrong family 'as been one of Kalos' most prominent for generations." The young woman placed her glass within arm's reach of the hot tub. Raising her sunglasses to the top of her head, she eyed Ia carefully. The alcohol must have been kicking in, because she caught herself staring before resuming the conversation, apparently embarrassing the girl a little in the process.

"Zis meeting... Do 'ou 'ave any idea what it is to be about? I'm sure 'ou can imagine zat I am quite the busy Combee, and I 'ave other zings to do besides lounge on zis... rustic liner, waiting for people who may not even need to show up..."

"Tell me about it. Got the same incident to clean up back home, but they made me come here like Kanto's trainers can't take care of their own region. Something about an unidentified Pokémon going wild, but that's all I know." Ia's displeasure, a match for Juliet's own, was evident in her tone.

Clearly, neither of them wanted to waste their time on this. The subject immediately changed to the girls' time in foreign regions, lasting until someone finally came to retrieve them for the meeting.
 
37,467
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16
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  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
Alys Tabeba (Unova Champion)
White Forest

Monday, Spring


When the blue above grew darker, twinkle after twinkle started appearing. Carefully, as if wanting to make absolutely sure that it was safe to come out, they slowly filled up the sky. Alys smiled and put her arms up under her head where she lay in the grass.

"Did you ever try to count them all?" she asked out loud.

When nobody answered immediately, she turned her head towards Reuniclus. He noticed her shifting and gave out a happy squeal from the attention. That earned him a lovingly rub on the oddly rubbery head.

"What about you?" Alys asked and turned her head to the other side.

Starmie lay silent in the grass next to her, not giving any response. Its bright core pulsated calmly - always more intensely at night, and especially under starlight. It was beautiful, Alys thought. Pokémon were fascinating creatures. Gingerly, she put a hand on one of the purple pokémon's solid arms.

"Of course you have."


S.S. Vermuda, docked at Vermilion Harbor, Kanto region
Tuesday, Spring

The ship came into view, at the far end of the harbor. It wasn't as big as the S.S. Anne liner that usually frequented Vermilion, but it still towered above every other structure in the harbor now.

"See that, Solo?" she smirked.

The Reuniclus that was always at her side narrowed its eyes to gaze ahead, and let out a positive squeal when it spotted the Vermuda.

Naturally, security guards with imposing pokémon of their own eyed her as she boarded, and she was asked to show ID. From the look on their faces when they saw her though, she was sure it was mere formality. Even if Unova was far from Kanto, anyone who read the news or followed pokémon entertainment at all would recognize the iconic, enigmatic woman who had won and defended her champion title four times. Only one other current regional champion matched her in that, yet they had so far never crossed paths before. She was looking forward to measuring Sho Kakuji up, see what he was really like off the cameras.

After having been shown to her temporary quarters, she decided to wait for the meeting to begin somewhere with a less claustrophobic atmosphere. She found her way up to the swimming pools on deck, and nodded in appreciation for the luxury, even if she had the decency to stay away from the bar before an official meeting with the PLA President.

A few passengers were socializing in the pool area up on deck. Alys recognized them quickly enough as Armstrong and Ia, Alola's and Hoenn's respective Champions. Not wanting to swim nor drink nor break up their conversation, Alys continued exploring the ship and came upon the VIP area below. It was much quieter, and quite breathtaking. The hull here was transparent, giving a view of the bay outside. Several water pokémon could be spotted through the depths. There was a more luxurious pool here, and some hot tubs. One was occupied by a man who appeared to have taken advantage of the open bar, and who didn't seem entirely entertained at the moment. A cunning smile flew onto Alys' lips. It was Sho Kakuji.

Moving in from behind, Alys did her best to remain silent until she was standing right next to the man in the hot tub. She spoke up then, and hoped a smug smile was audible in her tone.

"I see some are taking good advantage of the luxuries of this place. Even with only ten minutes left to an important meeting."

"If the league decides to drag me all the way to another region to deal with 'rampaging Pokemon', then I feel the least they can do is let me have a few drinks and relax," Kakuji replied.

He glanced over towards Reiko for some method of escape, but from the looks of it she had finally fallen fast asleep in her lounge chair. For a blissful moment he had deluded himself into thinking that the whole situation would blow over without him or, hell, not even exist. Sadly, the woman staring at him was the unfortunate evidence that sunk his 'overworked secretary and governor trick their champion into a vacation' theory.

With ten minutes left he had enough time for yet another drink. It would be kinda fun, if more than a little spiteful to the PLA, to order one. He'd probably be expected to remember whatever they discussed in the meeting though, and he absolutely did not want to have one of Reiko's 'study sessions'. He'd rather play along for now. "Just think about it this way: you could have slightly tipsy me, or I could go into that meeting both nicotine deprived and irritated about having to drop all my projects and pick up another region's mess."

"That's how you see it?" Alys asked, raising an eyebrow. "Each region´s mess to their own? What happened to the mighty champion's pride of being one of the strongest trainers in the world, having millions of people looking up to you as a hero?" She sat down on the corner of the hot tub. "Not saying we are heroes, mind you."

The Reuniclus hovered above the water, giving Johto's champion a big grin. It was suddenly startled by a loud PA through speakers somewhere in the ceiling.

"All champions, please proceed to the meeting room on deck four as soon as possible. Crew and staff will show you the way if you need directions."

Alys sighed and gave Kakuji a sideways look. "Saved by the bell, huh."
 
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The meeting room wasn't the biggest on the ship, but perfectly adequate for the seven champions, governors Koga and Glacia, and the President of the Pokémon League Association. An oval table reached through most of the long room, and the champions were motioned to take seats around it. On one wall was a series of display screens, and on the other were various decorative art pieces, as if to force an air of beauty into an otherwise very serious, windowless setting. Clearly, this was where secret things could be discussed, without the risk of being spied on from the outside of the ship.

When all were present, Koga and Glacia came to stand next to the screens, silently, while the President leaned his hands on one of the ends of the oval table and looked every champion in the eye one after another. Some of the powerful trainers looked eager. Others looked annoyed, or even bored. Figures. He had not counted on even getting seven on them to answer the call for aid. He had also expected the governors to want to full on enlist a squad or battalion of League Security Corps rather than ask civilian trainers for help. But here they were, ready to do what hey could. The fewer lives spilled, the better, after all. And to send a few strong trainers would be better than to startle whole communities with military marching in. Hopefully.

"What I'm about to show you is classified until otherwise stated," he began.

Koga turned on the display screens on the wall. The same clip was played on all of them, so that all champions could see properly from where they were sitting. It seemed to be filmed by a shaky hand camera, and showed a view of nature, overlooking rocky hills and rice fields, presumably with an early morning sun looking down from above. Near a cliff stood a young woman with fire red hair, some ten meters away from the camera.

"Flannery!" the voice holding the camera called out. It sounded like it belonged to a teenage boy. "Please wait for the others! Don't go in alone!"

"Keep filming, Bert!" the woman called back and walked up to an opening in the mountainside. "We can't let it escape without some picture proof. Besides," she added and turned around to wink into the camera, "I'm strong, you know! Don't you have at least a little faith in my power?"

With that, she disappeared inside. After hesitating for a while, the cameraman only took a few steps closer to the opening, before an unnatural shriek was heard. It seemed to freeze him in the spot, because he stopped. The next second, a light shone up from the inside, reminiscent of fire from pokémon attacks. Not long after, something fast flew out from the cave, startling the cameraman so much that he couldn't keep it aimed at the object. When he finally got focus again, it was too late. The object had zoomed off into the sky and was too far away for the viewer to make out any distinguishing features.

"Flannery!" the boy cried out, and the clip was cut.

The President stood up straight. "This was filmed just this morning near Meteor Falls in Hoenn. Gym Leader Flannery is currently in intensive care in Rustboro City, but not for physical injuries. It seems like she has sustained some form of major psychic trauma. Gardevoir and Musharna are used for therapy but so far we have had no luck reviving her nor reaching into her dreams or memories."

He paused to nod towards Koga again, who turned on a different view on the screen. A frozen frame from the clip they had just been shown. The cave was there, a fiery light illuminating its entrance. And in the middle of the picture was a very blurry, stretched out figure. It had been moving too fast for the camera to catch a good shot of it, but the freeze-frame showed a slim brown or reddish body, with what looked like tentacles or arms flowing behind it as it took off. It was too blurry to make out any kind of face, or more color details.

"Thanks to Flannery, we have learned that this is likely not the same entity that disrupted the Kanto region," the President said. "While we still lack footage of that, recent eye witnesses describe it as human-like and purple. We don't know if the Hoenn entity is a pokémon either. It did seem to battle Flannery's pokémon inside of the cave, and there are attempts to use Hypno or Musharna with them as well to produce visual confirmation on what they saw. However, they seem too worried about their trainer to be responsive at this current point in time."

The President looked at each and every one of the young champions again. "So where does that leave us? Two anomalies are causing trouble in two different regions. Most Gym Leaders are keen on staying and defending their towns. We can't ask normal civilian trainers to investigate. Sending in military with pokémon containment measures was the next option, unless the Champions of the regions were willing to investigate the situation more quietly first. On behalf of the Pokémon League Association, which granted you the title you all wear and have deserved as wise individuals and strong trainers, I hope that you still are willing to do this."

He folded his hands behind his back. "We would split you into two teams. One goes to seek out the Kanto entity which was last seen heading west from Cerulean City. One team goes to seek out the Hoenn entity which was last seen heading east from Fallarbor Town. We don't know their exact positions. It will be your mission to find the entities, make contact and communicate if possible, and if not..." He cleared his throat. "Capture or eliminate the threat. We tried to acquire Master Balls for you all, in case the entities do turn out to be pokémon. However, with such short notice, there were not many available. We acquired only one, and not easily. As such, only one team can bring it."

The president made another pause that seemed to draw out, until Glacia finally took over.

"It is up to you to discuss who should go where. Who will come with me back to Hoenn, and who will stay with Koga in Kanto. And are there any questions?"


((OOC: It would now be easiest if we took turns making short posts in this thread, and of course discuss OOC who should go where. We could also make one Mega JP if that is preferred, and build onto it over a few days! But then everyone has to be available to at least pitch in and have their character say something, even if they're not actively discussing.

Note: we're all still in the meeting, unless you are the type of character who would just leave for one reason or another.))


 
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Sapphire Rose

[I]Only thorns left on this rose.[/I]
3,433
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12
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Zachery Harisson
Kalos Champion // Audience chamber

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Sometime earlier...

"Zach, are you in there?"

"Zach!"

"Are you for real?! You overslept! Wake up!"

Zach felt a a strong tug on one of his arms and a lighter one on the other. It didn't take long before he also felt something jumping up and down on his chest. "... hm...?" He murmured as he slowly opened his eyes.

"It's like I'm being woken up by angels." He jested with a sheepish smirk across his face. Before him he saw Fey, Korrina and his little Oshawott called Mira. Although Fey and Mira seemed happy and content with theirselves that they were able to wake him up, Korrina seemed less so.

"You are late! You were supposed to catch the boat hours ago!" Korrina yelled, getting around his room and throwing his clothes at Zach as he was getting up. " Oh really~" Zach replied as he yawned. "Yes! Really! Get up!" Korrina threw his pants across his face. "When you still hadn't called me before taking off, I had a feeling I'd find you here. I was just hoping that feeling wasn't correct but here we are." Korrina sounded annoyed. "I'll be downstairs." she sighed as she left so that Zach could change himself out of his pyjama's. They contained a gray shirt and dark blue shorts. "Well... Isn't she noisy so early in the morning." Zach stretched his arms and gave both Fey and Mira a small pat on the head. Kaden in meanwhile, across the room, held an alarm clock in his arms that he was pointing to. It was 10 AM.

---

"Here, take this with you." Korrina pushed some Poké food in Zach's back while he had just gotten downstairs. "Oh and this." She mumbled as she pushed an unknown object into his backpack. Zach meant to ask what it was but got distracted by a Mira that tried to get into his luggage. "Come Mira, don't do that." Zach reached out to her and pulled her away from the luggage. "You're already making this hard on me. Don't make it even harder." He spoke softly as he booped her cute little nose. Mira, however, only looked up sad at him before changing her gaze to Korrina as to get approval to come with him.

Korrina took Mira over from Zach, holding her in her arms so she couldn't go anywhere. "Your mom already left to get groceries. She probably thought you were already on your way."

"I figured as much. I'll make sure to call her before going into the meeting." In comparison to Zach's sluggish behavior just now, he seemed much more serious.

"I'll take good care of Mira while you're away so don't worry too much."

"Easier said than done." Zach rubbed the back of his head. "but you're right. I really need to go now." he sighed. It wasn't like he didn't want to search for the unknown creature causing havoc, especially not when Professor Sycamore asked him so kindly, he was just too worried something similar would happen within the Kalos region. What's worse, he was afraid something would happen to those he cared for while he was away. He's not sure if he could handle something like that again.

Once outside, the Charizard of his mother was already waiting to carry him to the location. "I got him ready so you could leave immediately." Korrina exclaimed proudly.

Zach smiled faintly and put his backpack on. "I'll leave everything here in your capable hands." he pulled himself on Charizard's back that was currently equipped with a saddle suitable for activities like these.

"Oh and, Korrina?" Zach said as he stared at Korrina's face for a little while. "Yes?" Korrina's gaze met his almost immediately. Zach was silent for a few more moments. "Actually... Never mind." He smiled. "Take care!" He yelled and gave Charizard the sign to fly up, so he did. Zach could see both Korrina and Mira waving as he was gaining altitude.

"I wasn't able to say it in the end , huh...?" He whispered, slightly disappointed.

---

Zach arrived just in time for the meeting as he jumped off Charizard's back upon arriving at a huge ship that looked like the description professor Sycamore had given him. He had just heard an announcement stating that they needed to go to the meeting room on deck four. Zach thanked Charizard and gave him some Poké candy before he took off again, back to Kalos to the daycare his mother owned.

 
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16
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  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
Everyone
S.S. Vermuda, docked at Vermilion Harbor, Kanto region

Tuesday, Spring


After what can't have been more than a second or two, the Unova champion straightened up in her seat, at the furthest side of the table from the President.

"I offer my help in either location, but I think I would rather haste to the Kanto case. That… Thing here has been loose for longer and might have gone into deeper hiding. My adept psychic pokémon will be crucial to seeking it out," she said, before adding, with a faint smirk: "I should also be taking the Master Ball, seeing as I am the most experienced of the champions assembled."

"Put me on the next flight to Hoenn," Kakuji said, figuring anywhere was better than staying in Kanto and stewing in his own misery. "Monster hunts" were his favorite kind of Champion work anyways, so long as they weren't just wild stories or straight up lies. "And someone seems to forget that she also isn't longest defending champion in her hurry to dismiss everyone else. I've got more direct experience with this kinda thing. Give me the Master Ball. I'd make better use of it than someone who only cares about making themselves look good."

Before Alys and Kakuji could get into it, Hoenn's champion looked toward Glacia and spoke up next. "Don't have to tell you where I'm going." Her chin resting on her hand made clear Ia's discontent. It was all she could do to not have already left.

"And about the Master Ball?"

"Let the rest of them fight over it." Then she got up and left.

Alys' smirk only widened as she glanced at Kakuji. "You would be more responsible?" She turned towards the leaders. "Mr President, I'm afraid the judgment of the Johto champion is a bit skewed. I saw him drinking alcohol not 20 minutes before this meeting."

The Kalos champion felt a bit out of place between these people. "Come now guys. Does it really matter how long someone has held their champion position?" Zach waved his hand towards the Johto and Unova champion with a sheepish smirk. "Although I would feel reassured if the one receiving the master ball would be someone a little bit more responsible. Which I am definitely not so I'll leave that up to you guys." His eye fell on Juliet who was originally from his own region. There was no one in Kalos who did not know her.

"Oh, and I'll go to Kanto if that's okay." Zach added quickly. Kanto was the region his father was born into. He would like to see it with his own eyes.

"I will stay in Kanto as well," Kagura then spoke, with obvious hints of worry in her tone. "Kanto is my home region. I have family here, and the spiritual disturbance around the region is great… I'm not sure how much I will be of use, but for now, I want to help out the best that I can."

Vladik would have gladly remained silent and avoided this discussion altogether if that were an option, but the Master Ball provided a very useful tool for potentially furthering his research and, loathe as he was to get involved, he couldn't pass that up.

"I'll go to Hoenn," he added. "It sounds like whatever this is has had less time to settle in and go into hiding than the one in Kanto. Besides that sounds less… bothersome than the Kanto group at this point." He made that last comment with a very unsubtle glance in the direction of Alys and Zachery.

"I'm also going to make a bid for that Master Ball," Vladik continued with a sigh, resigning himself to the inevitable debate that was about to occur. "I don't really care about bragging rights or drawing comparisons between us. I don't want to get involved in their petty squabbling either. The fact of the matter is though, a guaranteed catch of this thing would provide me with an excellent research opportunity that all of humankind could potentially benefit from. That outweighs any other point here."

"Squabbling?" Alys said, a clear tone of disapproval in her voice as she raised an eyebrow at Vladik. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm merely stating facts. From what I've heard about you, you should appreciate such candor."

"Now, now," Glacia said with a smile. "There is no need to argue."

"Isn't that what I just said?" Vladik said, shrugging. "So, debates aside, who gets the ball?"

"Why not just battle over it like ze civilized savages 'ou are?" Juliet stood from her seat, deeming whatever seemed to be passing for discussion here beneath her, and moved to leave the meeting room. "Miss Glacia, let me know when 'ou've arranged our transportation to Hoenn. I expect ze accommodations to not be lacking."

Zach shaked his head with an indignant smirk and shrugged his shoulders. He didn't expect anything less from the daughter of one of the richest families in Kalos… before they moved to Alola anyway.

Koga sighed loudly and was about to speak up, when the President motioned to silence him, before he stood up again himself.

"Vladik, you may have the ball," he said calmly, "on certain conditions. If it is a pokémon we are facing, and if you do capture it, you will agree to let the PLA handle the pokémon and run any tests or interrogations they deem necessary before they release it into your eventual custody."

"If that's what it takes," Vladik sighed.

"Good," the President nodded.

Koga came forward and handed him a small package. When opened, it revealed the unmistakable purple top of the one pokéball that would capture any pokémon without fail. So far. Vladik took it without much fanfare, and an evanescent shadow of bitterness flew over Alys' face, but she didn't say anything further.

"Alys, Zach and Kagura, I suggest you make your way to Cerulean at once," the President continued. "Unless you have ideas for how to find the entity in the wild, it might be a good idea to speak to eye witnesses there."

He glanced towards the door, and then to the remaining young men at the table. "Kakuji, Vladik, I hope you wouldn't mind converging with Ia and Juliet and travel to Hoenn as fast as you can. You could start your search in Fallarbor, but it might be urgent to search for clues and eye witnesses to the entity's recent escape further east."

"And what if others try to get their hands on the entity?" Alys then asked, as people got up to leave. "Like Flannery, or… Others. We can't really try to stop them, can we?"

The President gave her a curious look for a moment before he responded. "I suppose it's never been illegal for any trainer to attempt to capture a wild pokémon, no matter how powerful. I have to admit, of course, that I hope our champions will get there first."

With that, the briefing was over.
 

Songbird

Tonight, the marigolds bloom for her.
554
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10
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  • Seen Mar 19, 2024

Team Hoenn... Eh, it's a team.

A young woman reclined against the back of a hot tub on the deck of the Vermuda, taking a slow drink of a Long Island Iced Tea. Kanto was probably the worst place to be taking a vacation, she thought. Thankfully, she was here for work. Not so thankfully, that work was completely pointless.

"I should've gone back to Hoenn and just taken care of this myself. What a waste of time."

It didn't take long for her to polish off the glass—her second drink at this point—kindly asking her Gallade to get her another.

At least the drinks are pretty good, and I've got time to kill now. Even Flygon could keep up with Glacia's private jet. (It was true. She tried. She and Glacia got quite the scolding for using the jet for a race.) The dragon in question was lounging on one of the nearby beach chairs, as was most of the rest of her team. Only Latios remained by her side, taking a nap on a towel beside the tub.

When Gallade made it back, Ia's next drink wasn't the only thing he delivered. He also brought her next meal with him.

"Should ze champion of Hoenn really be drinking right before her flight home?"

... The alcohol was hitting Ia harder than she expected. She shouldn't have skipped breakfast. Too late now.

"Never gotten motion sickness, so I should be fine. They decide who's going?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. Zat smug bitch wanted Kanto, so all I care about is not having to deal with her."

"Lucky you, then. You get the fun region." Not that she really had any way of knowing, having been in Kanto for less than half a day in total. She just liked to think her home region was more fun than one whose main form of entertainment was... gambling? Or was Pokémon battling the only thing worth doing here? What was popular in Kanto? She had no idea.

Back to reality. Juliet was saying something about a guide or something while she stripped down to her swimsuit and stepped into the tub, Ia wasn't really paying attention to the part where her mouth was moving. Even had a drink for herself. Looked stronger than what Ia had, but she couldn't tell how much alcohol these had anyway. As long as it tasted good, it could've been all alcohol for all she cared. It's not like she wasn't any good at holding her liquor; the conditions were just stacked against her this time, of course to no fault of—it was totally her own fault.

"Are 'ou just going to ride Latios again?" While Ia was repeatedly getting lost in thought, eyes drifting between Juliet's lips as they talked and the alcohol in their hands, the conversation shifted to how they were getting to Hoenn. More specifically, Juliet lamented her subpar options for transportation.

"Why not? Gives me time to do this without having to worry about catching a flight."

"I wish I could say the same." Juliet took a long drink of whatever she had in her glass, then continued. "Alas, I have no Pokémon zat can fly me across the ocean."

"Maybe I could lend you Flygon then?"

"Hm?"

Ia turned her head toward the lounge chairs and called to her team. "Flygon, you up for giving our new friend here a lift?"

Flygon lazily returned an affirmative chirp and what approximated a thumbs up, then resumed his nap and let the girls get back to talking. His tail wagged a little. He was probably eager to finally carry someone again, which she thought was kind of cute.

"So, how about it? He's no luxury jet, but Flygon's a smooth ride; and unless they take off right after the meeting's over, we've got a while before we even have to leave to keep up."

After a little hesitation—that is, weighing between an open air flight with someone whose company she doesn't seem to despise, and a probably-comfortable plane with people she may rather shove out of said plane—Juliet took her up on it.

The problem of transport dealt with and getting some bonus free time out of it, Juliet appeared to relax a little more, downing her drink more easily than a moment ago and sending her owl Pokémon to get her a refill.

"So what are you into? I can show you the best Hoenn's got while we're there." Ia decided to change the topic to something a little less work-related. She already committed to getting Juliet there, so why not go all in?

Soon enough they just started talking about... well, anything that came to mind. The things they liked; shops that Ia recommended; shops that Juliet recommended when Ia brought up going to Kalos again; some mockery of the other champions; what drinks they should get from the bar next; complaining about paparazzi...

It never seemed to end.

Still, at some point during Juliet and Ia's increasingly lengthy conversation, the other members of the Hoenn team made it to the deck to find and interrupt them. "There they are. Ladies? We'll be working together for the foreseeable future, so I believe now that we're all together, it would be best that we discuss our flight arrangements to Hoenn?"

Despite Vladik trying to grab their attention, the chatter continued unperturbed.

"Um, guys? Going to actually get moving soon? Just going to stay there? Alright then... Reiko? Little hel—oh, for the love of..."

While Vladik and Kakuji were attempting to cut into the conversation (to no avail, of course), Kakuji's secretary instead saw fit to join them, discarding her legwear to sit at the edge of the hot tub and dip her feet in.

In no time at all (which felt like an excruciatingly long time to the men), she returned to Kakuji and informed him that Ia and Juliet already had their arrangements taken care of, adding that her Fearow could clear the distance to Hoenn with little difficulty. Reiko then shooed the men away and rejoined her own species.

For Vladik's part, he was fed up, turning to leave the ship. "If they say they already have their own transportation taken care of, I have no need to waste my time here any longer. Perhaps this means a quieter flight for me, as well." All the better in his eyes. He left to talk to Glacia about securing a plane.

Kakuji, however, could only groan, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Guess I'm stuck with the nerd then."
 
37,467
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16
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  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
Someone
Somewhere, Hoenn

Tuesday, Spring


It was dark here. The noise from nature wasn't as deafening as before. As she leaned forward, she could catch a glimpse of the water again. It made her feel strange. She had never seen liquid water before.

But then again. Had she ever seen anything, before?


Someone
Somewhere, Kanto

Tuesday, Spring


It was bright here. The sounds around him were maddening. He wasn't alone anymore.

He had to flee again. Fast.
 
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