Like Reaching for the Sun

[Scarlet Weather]

Alex frowned. For an experienced trainer, this kid seemed to really be struggling. What was with him anyway? Alex didn't have time to ask, however, because before he knew it the kid had done something remotely useful- in this case, summoning his Butterfree to help guide the group through the cave. Alex smirked as he followed after the Butterfree, which for some reason reminded him slightly of Fore, the Murkrow whose Pokeball he felt his hand unconsciously moving towards.

THWAM!

A sudden tremor shook the ground under Alex's feet, causing him to stumble backwards. Thankfully, Dreave immediately rushed in front of him and fired a burst of dark energy towards the figure that had attacked, or a follow-up would probably have come too quickly for Alex to react. Alex gaped at the sight of a large, rock-skinned creature with a drill-like horn, which was roaring in anger after receiving a Shadow Ball to the face. Worried, his hand immediately shot to Zetta's Pokeball, before bringing it up. Alex was no genius, but it didn't take one to realize that this Rhydon hadn't been in the tunnel before. "That proctor..." Alex muttered, "...He sent this thing after us." Still, he realized with a grin, even if the challenge had just become exponentially more difficult, it really wouldn't have been much of a challenge if all they had to do was follow a Butterfree around until they tripped over a few bones. And if this Rhydon were wild... before the Rhydon could gather itself to attack again, Alex barked "Dreave, hammer it! Shadow Ball!" The Misdreavus obeyed, compressing its ghostly energy into a sparking black orb before firing it directly into the opponent's midriff. The attack didn't damage the Rhydon much, but it paused to roar again, giving Alex the feeling that this Pokemon hadn't been well trained if it was indeed owned by an actual trainer. He flipped the Pokedex open and pointed.

-Pokemon Readout: Rhydon
Commencing Scan:....
....
...
...

No Pokeball signature detected. Wild Pokemon confirmed.

Alex smirked. Even if he couldn't use it during the tournament, a rock-type of this size would be a great addition to his team. And even if he decided not to capture it, a point was a point. He whirled to Laure. "I'll be fightin' here for a bit," he shouted over the angry Pokemon's roars, "Get yer ass out of here an' find the fossils! I'll catch up with ya! Go!" With that, he moved closer to his Misdreavus, who continued to squeeze off Shadow Balls in the hopes that they would keep the angry rock Pokemon from coming closer. "Dreave, Zetta an' I will handle this," he muttered, "Go on ahead an' make sure that kid brings back two fossils. I don't want 'im double-crossin' us."

Dreave sighed as he moved down the tunnel. I'm going, Alex, but you had better not get yourself hurt. You're already in over your head.

"Which is exactly where I wanna be," Alex quipped as the ghost type moved closer to Laure. "Alright, let's go! Zetta!" he called, launching a Pokeball towards the rock type.

The flash of light spilled from the ball, and re-formed into a tan, fox-like creature holding a spoon with a pink star on its forehead. Whoah, whoah, whoah! What gives! This ain't the tournament prelims! Zetta shouted telepathically, causing Alex to nearly jump back in surprise.

The trainer held his ground, however, and pointed to the Rhydon which was now charging. "I'll explain later, but right now we gotta ice this guy!"

The Kadabra grinned, revealing exactly how evil he could make himself look. Gotcha. One iced yoctogram coming up, he said, raising his twisted spoon as he was surrounded by a purple aura, But you owe me big-time for keeping me out of the loop.

The Rhydon charged, bellowing, until he was directly in front of the Kadabra. As the rock-type beast pulled back his arm to take a swing, however, he felt a strong force begin to push at his body, as if a giant hand had grabbed him and was crushing him. Desperately, the Rhydon thrashed as he tried to free himself from the Kadabra's psychic grip, but it was no use. With one final push of mental effort, Zetta sent his opponent skidding down the tunnel, head-over-heels.

Alex smirked. "That'll learn ya."

To his dismay, however, the Rhydon began to pick himself up from the tunnel floor, and unleashed another ear-piercing roar. The trainer grimaced as Zetta took up his battle stance again. "Tch, tough cookie, en't ya?"

 

[Alter Ego]

"It's...a fossil!"

Contrary to his usual gloom, there was a distinct tinge of mirth and - indeed - even triumph in Laure's cry, the boy quickly dropping down to floor level and scooping away the sand and dirt surrounding the little claw-shape jutting out of the ground to make sure it wasn't damaged while Irie lunged for another outcropping, this one lodged in a nearby wall, and began tugging at it with all her might. The boy barely had the time to rise up in triumph, cradling his discovery, before a sudden shockwave knocked him off his feet, sending him crashing back to the ground. Stella had been slightly quicker on the uptake, leaping back at the last second and landing gracefully, her spikes bristling as she fired off a Thunderbolt at the mystery assailant, only to have the attack hopelessly fizzle. Ground type, not good.

"What-" Laure stammered as a thunderous roar crashed through the cavern, sending Irie tumbling backwards in the air and nearly causing her to drop the second fossil, "What was-?" well, that question never needed to be finished as a sizable Rhydon stepped onto the scene, staring them down in what was hardly a friendly manner by any stretch of imagination. Before the startled blonde even managed to conceive a proper strategy, however, Alex had already beat him to the punch, gruffly telling him to go on ahead.

"B-but..." the younger boy protested, feebly holding up both fossils for examination, even as Stella quite determinedly tugged his pant leg, a clear sign of 'let's get the heck out of here', "...I already found..."

With the persistent tugging and shoving of a Jolteon on one side and the equally persistent lack of response from Alex on the other, the boy finally sighed in forfeit, realizing that there was no way his frail voice would ever become audible over the Rhydon's constant roars and thrashing, and so, after one last, hesitant glance at his recently discovered partner, he finally set off towards the invisible barrier, holding up his discovery for the proctor to examine.

"This...this is what you were looking for, right?" he panted out, still fighting to calm his frantically beating heart. After a few painfully long moments of silence, the whirr of barrier-moving machinery finally confirmed the answer, accompanied by a cheerful 'ping' from his pokédex to indicate an earned reward. Just as he was about to pass forward, however, Laure came to an abrupt halt, Stella butting into him in surprise.

{Now what?} the Jolteon growled irritably.

"Alex's fossil." Laure cast an unsure glance at the neatly fossilized form of a spiral shell in his palm, "Did-did that proctor already count him into this, or-?"

{Who cares?} Stella retorted tartly, despite knowing perfectly well that her words would go unheeded, {He was nothing but a freeloader to begin with, I say we let him dig up his own fossil after-}

"Umm...Mr.Misdreavus, sir?"

The electric type paused in mid-rant, rolling her eyes at the annoyingly servile way in which Laure was holding out the spare fossil to the tag-along's conspicuously clingy sidekick. Of all the gulible people...

"Could you...look after this for Alex, please? And-and tell him I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." feeling that it was appropriate, Laure gave a hasty bow of appology before finally setting off into the tunnel ahead.

{You got what you wanted.} the Jolteon snarled with obvious distaste, looking at Dreave very much like something unpleasant she had just brushed off her pelt, {So why don't you just scurry back to your leech of a trainer? Laure may be a naive fool, but if I catch you stalking us again, there may be....an accidental discharge.} at her words, a tiny jolt of electricity cracked off the Jolteon's furr, striking the wall right left of the Misdreavus, {Tournament excitement, you understand.} the electric type continued evenly, as if the little show of power had never happened, {Now if you'll excuse me.}

And with that, Stella turned on the spot, her nose held up in the air as she caught up to her trainer in a few brisk strides.

"Oh, there you are, Stella." Laure cried out in a relieved tone, "I was afraid that you may have gotten lost and-"

"GRAIIIRO!"

The Rhydon's roar may have been more impressive in volume, but this one had the unpleasant advantage of coming from mere meters away, its source - a compactly built but strong-looking, lizard-like monster covered in thick, steel plates - finally lumbering into full view from behind a bend, giving a nearby rock a meaningful bash with its head and pulverizing it.

{Brilliant...} Stella mumbled, taking a few steps backwards while Irie - more focused than usual - clung firmly to the equally terrified Laure's shoulder for protection, {The brute thinks we're here to chew up its rocks or something.}

"I-I thought these prize routes were supposed to be safe!" Laure moaned. The Lairon didn't seem to care much, however, this time slamming its thick tail against the ground as it let out another deafening roar, obviously preparing for a showdown.

"I..."

{Oh for goodness' sake, get a hold of yourself!} Stella spat out disdainfully, not bothering to wait for any kind of attack order as she let out an impromptu roar of her own, the sound - already bizarre coming out of such a lithe body - gaining more and more volume as it rebounded from the tunnel walls and effectively leaving both Laure and the Lairon in stunned silence for a moment. The former was quickly snapped out of his daze by the urgent nudging of his pokémon, a message perfectly conveying the words she formed, {We run, now!}

And they ran.

Lairon might not have been the greatest sprinters of the pokémon world, but what the creature lacked in speed, it made up for in sheer tenacity, tirelessly lumbering after them at the fastest rate its chubby legs would allow, its frustrated roars ringing in Laure's ears as the boy struggled to keep up his pace, stumbling over rocks and outcroppings that the steel type simply ran through. He had no idea how many tunnels he ran through, nor how much time it took, or even where he was going, but when he finally collapsed to his knees, truly and utterly spent, he suddenly noticed something. And it wasn't just the absence of aggrevated Lairon in the area.

"Light..." Laure panted, staring in awe at the ground in front of him, illuminated not by the artificial sheen of electric lighting or a flash attack, but real, proper, honest-to-good sunlight, "We...we made it."

{Well, looks like you don't need me anymore then.} Stella remarked, striding meaningfully towards the vacant pokéball on the boy's belt.

"Of-of course it's thanks to you, Stella." the boy added hastily, misinterpreting his pokémon's intentions, "Without you, I wouldn't have been able to see a thing. You did great too, Irie, real-" he was never allowed to finish his statement as the electric type let out a displeased little snort, butting the pokéball with her head and vanishing inside in a flash of red.

"She's not in a very good mood, is she?" Laure asked with a concerned frown on his face, only to receive an indifferent shrug from Irie before the Butterfree fluttered off towards the brightly shining exit up ahead.

"Hey!" the boy called, scrambling back up onto his protesting feet and setting off after the whimsical bug type as best he could, "Don't just head off like that! Who knows, there might be some other dangerous wild pokémon out there or-!" despite not having been conditioned to the full darkness, Laure's eyes were still momentarily stunned by the full glare of the sun, the boy raising an arm to shield his face as tears streamed out down his cheeks, "...or-Zenith Town?"

As the boy's eyes finally adjusted to the light, he could hardly believe the sight in front of him: a tranquil, grassy upward slope, and beyond it...yes, those were definitely houses, beautiful with their quaint little pastel colors, and there were cobbled streets too, planted trees, he was even pretty sure that that was the red roof of the pokémon center out in the distance.

"We made it!" Laure exclaimed, rushing forward with newly found vigor at the sight, "Irie, we really, really made it!"

"Not quite."

"Huh?" Laure practically leapt into the air as yet another voice entered his ear from a source far too close for comfort, tripping over his feet and landing face-first on the grass.

"Hey, easy!" the moment the male stepped forward from his waiting place beneath the grassy turf, Laure truly found himself wondering how he had managed to miss this guy. The wild mass of spiky, crimson hair that seemed to be just about all over the place was already a badge of identification, and if this wasn't sufficient, the bizarre combo of white shirt, marroon vest and regular jeans certainly was, not to mention the gold earring.

"Geez..." huffed the tanned male, probably about eighteen or so, his expression betraying mild annoyance as the pair of light green eyes focused on Laure, "What am I? Jack the ripper?"

"Sorry!" Laure squeaked, bowing his head repeatedly, "Sorry, sorry, I just didn't see you and you shocked me, that's all. I'm really sorry, Mr...um..."

"Alex." the boy filled in. Had this been an anime, this would surely have been the point where a large sweatdrop would have appeared on his forehead, "And what's with that look?" he asked rather poignantly, "Name caught you by surprise too?"

"...umm...sort of..." Laure confessed, his face now beet-red as he brought the tips of his index fingers together. Oh, how to explain the whole partnering with an equally named person thing? "Sorry, umm...what-what did you mean by 'not quite'?"

For a moment, Alex merely stared in disbelief, making Laure feel even more awkward than before, "You know what, kid?" the older boy asked at last, "You really are something else. How about you take a look over there, hmm?" he jerked his head in the direction of Zenith Town, and the moment Laure let his gaze travel that way again, he immediately realized just how stupid his question had been.

Yes, there was Zenith Town, already within visual range, but there was also a huge, gaping gorge, apparently a straight plunge right down to the bottom, with no bridge in sight.

"Now do you see?" Alex asked, "You might be at the right altitude, but you're on the wrong peak."

 

[Ibuberu]

"Basil, relax! You aren't in any mortal danger now." Adel folded her arms crossly at her timid Sandslash, who hesitated for a moment before uncurling from his protective form and bowing slightly to apologise to his trainer, <Ah! I am sorry, I really am! It's just that.. Oohhh, I don't know!> He scrunched his eyes together and twiddled his claws in distress, unsure of how to give his owner a proper explanation. The girl sighed, patting the Sandslash's head softly, "I understand, but anyway, look," she pointed out the gigantic boulder looming overhead, "We need to get over this within four minutes." explaining it briefly and simply so that the Ground type could catch on quickly. Basil's posture weakened, as he stared up to his trainer with big, clear eyes. <Will there be Pokemon to fight over there?> Sounding very much like a child as he gestured with his claws. "Don't be ridiculous!" Adel scoffed in an all-knowing tone, running up to the large rock with her Sandslash in tow.

"Try to see if your claws can at least make a dent in the boulder." She knocked the boulder with her fist. Basil merely mimiced the action, poking the rock with the tip of his claw. Adel frowned, causing Basil to flinch, he tried once more on his own account, bringing back his left arm and smashing it into the huge obstacle, causing tiny pieces of rock to chip apart from their parent.

Opening his eyes, the Sandslash was astounded to see that he had indeed created a small crack, his claw firmly wedged into the rock. Holding his breath, Basil gave a forceful pull and managed to free himself, a smile playing upon his features at his display of strength. Adeltruat clapped her hands in encouragement, glad that her plan was coming together. Shooting a gaze at her open Pokedex in one hand, she instantaneously ordered the Mouse Pokemon to perform the Swords Dance technique. The quiet Sandslash obeyed without question, closing his eyes in concentration before unleashing the attack, breaking out into a frenetic dance.

When the stat-boosting attack came to an end, the Ground type wore a determined expression on his face, looking more poised and confident. Adeltruat grinned, rubbing the Sandslash's head assuringly before telling him to carry her up and over the large boulder. Though slightly taken aback, Basil's fighting spirit had been awoken and it would not be easily quelled. <C'mon! Let's do it quick and easy!> He spoke with in a fiery tone, scurrying back a few feet, before dashing towards the boulder, jumping and latching onto the rock with his claws. Adel ran up to her Pokemon, linking her arms around his neck as they began to ascend with every large action the Ground type made with his two claws.

"We're almost there, don't give up just yet!" Adel cried half a minute later, repeatedly reminding herself not to look down as they had come a long way's up from when they had just started. They were only about three feet away from the pinnacle. She could feel Basil's whole body heaving as he struggled to maintain his hold, a tired expression had replaced the initially assured one he possessed. It seemed that even though Swords Dance was an ingenious way to boost both Basil's fighting spirit and strength, due to his personality, it wore off faster as compared to other Pokemon. <I'm sorry, I really am, Adel! I'm such a useless Pokemon!> the Sandslash began sniffing and wheezing at the same time, his whole body beginning to shudder as he started tearing. "You have one minute left." a computerized voice chirped from within the depths of Adel's bag.

"Basil! If you start breaking down now, I swear I am going to put you through a combination of confidence and physical training like last time!" Adel threatened franticly, her legs kicking in frustration as the Sandslash began to lose his grip on the boulder. "Only, it'll be a hundred times worse than whatever doubts and pain you're experiencing now! Trust me!"

<NOOO! The memories!>Basil cried out in alarm, striking out a claw and hoisting them up a considerable length. "Last one, Basil, use Crush Claw!" Adel shouted, eyes shut as she clenched tightly onto the Sandslash. He reacted instinctively to the command, his former worry dissipating as his claws glowed a distinct white as he performed his final effort, lunging forth and gripping onto the top of the boulder, his whole body surging with him, Adeltruat along with it. However, the backlash proved too violent for the girl to withstand, flinging her up and overhead the exhausted Mouse Pokemon. The girl waved her arms grievously, calling out in a poignant tone, "BASIL~! Save me!"

Crawling atop the boulder, the Sandslash regained full conscious of his surroundings, noticing that his trainer seemed to be plummeting to her death as a frantic Wilson ran back an forth on the ground below, arms outstretched in a fruitless attempt to save the falling girl. The Ground type hopped off the boulder, legs propelling himself forward as he curled into a ball and gained astounding speed, grabbing the girl bridal style before she had a chance to have a meeting with the ground, landing lightly on the ground in front of a slighty calmer Wilson. Her hands around the Sandslash's neck, head leaning against the lethargic Pokemon's shoulder, Adeltruat thanked that fact that Basil had just learned Gyro Ball not too long ago.

"Well, what'dya know, you made it with just enough time to spare." Wilson checked the seemingly invisible watch on his left wrist, flashing the weary duo a smile. A beep sounded from the Pokedex, signaling the completion of the challenge.

 

[Kogenta]

The thundering of rushing wind filled Roz's ears as she leaned forward into her guardian, her arms half-hidden beneath his fur and reaching as far around his neck as she could reach. At each jump, the noise would flicker and a blue glow would edge the Natu on the girl's shoulder, indicating Melanie's use of her psychic abilities to prevent herself from falling off her perch. Over time, Vulcan's breathing grew heavier, but his strides continued in their tireless rhythm.

("The terrain seems to be changing,") the white Arcanine observed. ("I suspect we're getting closer to the top.") He felt momentary pressure against the back of his neck and knew that Roz had nodded.

Turning her head sideways, Roz watched the scenery fly by. The cliffs were starting to smooth into bumps and boulders, while bumps and boulders shrank on the gradually leveling landscape. Soon plants began to appear--first a few hardy, almost leafless bushes; then scatterings of grass with a couple rock flowers. As the grass thickened into a carpet, the air began to grow clearer, making the sun's admirable attempts at frying Zenith Island's inhabitants a little more bearable.

"Look. Zenith Town. Or at least, I assume it is."

At this prompt from Melanie, Roz straightened to see over Vulcan's head. And, indeed, Zenith Town lay in view. It was the type of town one might expect to find white picket fences in, where every Saturday someone in the neighborhood was watering his lawn while he chatted with the mailman about the latest news. Or, at the least, the town was more friendly than an open, barren mountainside. Brushing a little hair out of her eyes, Roz looked a question at Vulcan. Naturally, the Pokemon could not have seen his trainer's expression. But he seemed to understand anyway.

("I don't know right now, but hopefully we'll see it when we get closer to the town.")

Before long, the trio found themselves not far from the town's edge. As Vulcan ran, all three had watched carefully for signs of the Pokemon Center. Bracing herself against Vulcan's head, Roz pushed herself up slightly and pointed to a red roof that rose slightly above the others.

("Let's try it.")

His fur flowing like white-hot fire, Vulcan blazed into Zenith Town. Though he followed the main street, it being the widest path, the Arcanine still slowed his pace a little to avoid running over any innocent bystanders or other competitors. Here Melanie's eyes filled with light as she tracked the location of the selected building and relayed directions into Vulcan's mind.

"This is your turn."

The canine Pokemon's legs bent and body twisted, allowing him to face the side street without quite stopping completely. He brushed past a mailbox before bringing himself to a halt in front of a building that bore a large "P" on its front. ("Roz.")

The girl slid off his back and started toward the Pokemon Center, glancing back over her shoulder as she returned Vulcan to his Pokeball.


[OOC: Eheh . . . The post is a bit short and rushed.

Also, I was not sure exactly how to describe Zenith Town. If what I said was inaccurate, I will edit.]

 

[Phanima]

There it stood, its sturdy timber frame rising from the rocky ground with it patented "P" symbol gracing its front, overlooking one of the many trails that led up to its plateau. Gasping for breath, the little girl immediately fell to her knees the moment she reached level ground, embracing the more than welcome breeze that followed her. Mai, her pet Elekid also arrived moments later, falling flat on his face in exhaustion from the steep trek. Her head hanging, the city trainer managed to glance a sideways look at her partner, a faint smile pressing her lips. The pair of them had just spent the last twenty minutes scaling a near vertical climb to the top after an even more than challenging ordeal with one of the tournament officials. But alas, they had made it, and with a fair bit of time to spare too, surprisingly. What wasn't surprising however, was the number of trainers and pokemon that were already milling around the designated destination. It was safe to assume that many of them were more than capable for having made it so far and so quickly, so there was no doubt that the tournament was only going to get harder from now on.

The thought didn't exactly sit well with the brunette, considering the trouble she had gone through just to get through the first round, but at least for the time being she could look forward to some very much wanted rest and recuperation.

"Haah..." Kaoru heaved, her face still red but adorning a much more relieved expression, "We made it Mai, hah... Good work."

His face still buried, the Elekid raised an approving claw before returning to regaining his breath through mouthfuls of dirt. Giggling at the sight, the girl slowly rose in her place to take a better look around, although remained seated as she was still quite flustered from her journey up the mountain. Speaking of which, now that she had arrived at what she assumed to be the plateau, the view that now spanned all around her was nothing short of breathtaking. She hadn't noticed it during her climb for obvious reasons but now she could really appreciate the marvelous sight.

"Wow..." she breathed in awe, taking in the entirety of the island's southside, the small plaza from whence she and all of the other competitors had started from now sitting miles below her, appearing no more than a spec in the distance, "We're so high up... Oh! I should let Kat and Kao see this too."

Retrieving the said pokemon's pokeballs, the pair were soon joined by their other partners in crime, Kato the Claydol and Kaoru the Ivysaur, the former taking much joy in being released outside once again while the latter looked somewhat bemused in being summoned so suddenly. It was fortunate for the Ivysaur however, that Kato was now present, being the only one out of the group posessing psychic abilities and now allowed him to communicate with his dimwitted trainer.

'Where are we?' the plant pokemon piped, eyeing their new surroundings with a hint of distaste in his tone, 'It's hard to breathe up here... What did you get us into now Kaoru?'

"Oh shut up Kao!" the brunette retorted, giving the seed-back pokemon a rather inappropriate but extremely wet raspberry, "Look where we are! Don't you think it's awesome?"

'There are a lot of people here too.' Mai chirped, regaining his composure as he brushed himself off in a rather sophisticated manner that was quite out of character, 'They sure look tough.'

'Aww, this tournament's going to be easy!' Kato piped, brimming with enthusiasm, channeling both the Elekid and Ivysaur's as well as his trainer's thoughts through itself, 'I'll just Hyper Beam everyone!'

'Kato... You don't know Hyper Beam.' the Ivysaur spout, falling back onto his hind legs as he eyed his trainer, expecting an explanation, 'But what's this about a tournament?'

The brunette pursed her lips as she received the plant pokemon's thoughts, or rather demands, something she always felt to be very taboo, for a lack of a better word. Turning face, Kaoru sat down with her legs outstretched over the declining path from whence she had come, looking out over the southside of the island and the ocean proceeding it. Following suit, Mai also took a seat beside her as the salt-riddled breeze blew over them. Kaoru the Ivysaur remained in place with his back facing the impressive view, still awaiting the girl's answer, all the while Kato buzzed around with no real direction.

"It's something I thought would be fun..." the girl started, her gaze fixed straight ahead as a sense of calm fell over the group, "You know, to do together, make some memories and all that jazz."

Her Ivysaur frowned at the response. He hated when she acted so innocent, it was hard to pick on her that way.

'Well, whatever...' he grumbled, 'Just tell me beforehand next time. I don't like surprises.'

At that, Kaoru couldn't help but grin, poking her tongue out at the pokemon's sentimentality.

 

[Alter Ego]

"It sounds like he's having...fun."

Iris sighed, poignantly sitting with her back turned to the pokémon center whose roof she was occupying, not paying any attention to the muffled trace of a scream from within - completely inaudible to the others, it seemed - as she slowly rocked her feet back and forth.

"And you're not going to stop him?" inquired a disembodied voice in her ear.

"He's having fun." the girl repeated, as if this settled the matter, her gaze fixed on the ocean in the distance.

"I see."

Silence fell on the duo, the girl continuing to rock her feet back and forth, only sparing a fleeting glance as the next eager competitor disappeared inside, not paying any attention to the child as he rushed inside, a Flareon in close pursuit.

"People are so stupid." Iris remarked to no-one in particular as another muffled scream escaped the building, her dark brown eyes still staring out over the ocean, betraying no sign of emotion.

"And yet you helped one of them." the voice remarked.

"Shut up." came the girl's reply, dispassionate as always.

"A fully selfless act-"

"I said 'shut up'." the child repeated, "It wasn't selfless; I only helped her on a whim."

"A selfless whim."

"Once again, shut up."

"You are waiting for her, aren't you?"

"..."

The disembodied voice sighed, "So that's the way it's going to be, then?"

"..."

"Then I shall contact you again when you are feeling a bit more talkative."

The girl merely shrugged, paying no heed to the tell-tale sign of the apparition's departure. Body or no, people were still stupid. The absence of one of them from her vicinity did not bother her. She wasn't waiting for anyone, not in the way that that obnoxious voice assumed, anyway, she was just mildly interested in seeing if this...Adeltruat had gotten through the round, even with her help. It was just a little game, something to help her whittle away the time between now and the end of this tedious round.

"We made it Mai, hah... Good work."

Iris' glance briefly slid away from the view to acknowledge the arrival of an unusually talkative competitor, but she quite purposefully turned it back to the view. This chestnut-haired ditz would be no different from all the stupid trainers who had passed this point before her, and the moment she had caught her breath, she would just charge on in like any of the others.

Or would she?

In spite of herself, the girl could not help watching Kaoru's exploits with just a bit more interest than usual as the latter chose to sit down and adore the view with her pokémon instead of charging straight inside like she had thought. Iris had to admit to being surprised for once, either this girl had a really relaxed attitude towards the competition or she was simply oblivious to the fact that she hadn't finished yet, which would officially make her the stupidest competitor she had seen. No matter how intently she followed the other's words, however, Iris couldn't seem to deduce which case it was. Not until that one phrase...

"It's something I thought would be fun..."

Without a word, Iris leapt down from her perch, landing softly and noiselessly on the ground below. Curiosity, she had learned, was something best satiated immediately, before it had the time to grow into obsession, and so she strode over to the older girl, completely silent until she had taken up position right next to her.

"Aren't you going to register?" Iris asked bluntly, her voice betraying nothing but the most casual of interests as usual, "You still haven't completed this round, you know."

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​

Laure took a deep breath, still trying to come to terms with the gaping expanse of nothing in front of him, "So this is a challenge point, then?" he asked at last.

"Bingo." replied Alex, now quite thoroughly fed up as he propped his body up against the trunk of a conveniently placed tree, "Now do you want the damn riddles or not? You're running out of time here, you know."

"R-right." the blonde stammered, bowing his head apologetically, "I mean, p-please tell me the riddle, mr.tournament proctor, sir."

"Just Alex will do, sheez!" the proctor rolled his eyes, "Alright, here goes." he took a deep breath, his voice sounding utterly bored as he recited his piece:

"A great chasm lies before you, wanderer, but also a bridge to carry you past it. A bridge fashioned by you as you traverse it, always forward and never back, no greater or smaller and no longer or shorter than you make it, though it will always lead into the chasm in the end, no matter how well you build. For your first trial, wanderer, state the name of this bridge."

"I-"

"Not done yet." Alex interrupted, "So listen up, because I'm not about to recite this tripe twice. You are not alone on this bridge, wanderer, for you have another to accompany you. She has started her journey far before yours, and will leave you far behind when yours ends. Always with you yet never on your side. For your second trial, wanderer, state the name of your companion."

"I'm afraid I don't-"

"Will you shut up, already?" the proctor sneered, "Last part. On this bridge you have built, there are three steps you must take with your companion, and you must always take them in the same order. For your last trial, wanderer, tell me: which step is the most important one?"

Laure simply stared for a moment, confused to say the least. Riddles had never been his strong suit, and the way he saw it, each riddle was even more confusing than the previous. Catching the boy's helpless gaze, the proctor gave a tired sigh.

"Clear as mud, right?" he asked, "Here, you'll probably want to get it in writing." with a quick hand-motion on the proctor's part, Laure's pokédex sprung to life, detailing the recently presented riddles in writing along with a brief summary.

Challenge Point: Riddle of the Bridge
Proctor - Alex
Time Limit - None
Prize - Alternate Route, 5 prestige points
Penalty - 5 minutes added to timer for each incorrect answer.
Rules - Competitors must answer all of the three riddles presented by the proctor correctly or take the detour to Zenith Town. There is no time limit and the riddles may be answered multiple times, but the proctor will not confirm which answers were correct and which weren't and a five-minute time penalty will be applied for each incorrect answer. Furthermore, all three answers must be given simultaneously. The proctor can provide up to three hints, but each hint accepted results in a 10-minute time penalty. Advice from non-competitors other than the proctor is prohibited.

Hints:
1.
2.
3.

"So, you want a hint?" Alex asked, following the blonde's gaze.

Laure bit his lip, casting a nervous glance at the timer before eventually giving a timid nod in response. He only had 47 minutes, but banging his head into the wall with riddles he had no grip on would get him nowhere.

"Right." Alex replied, the pokédex emitting another ping to confirm the decision and dutifully deducting the price from the boy's time counter before a small note appeared in the hints section.

"1. Determining the answer for the first riddle may provide insight into the others. None can cross the bridge and survive."

"Want another?"

Laure pondered the offer once more, but eventually shook his head.

"Puzzle through at your leisure, then." Alex replied with a shrug, settling down in his previous spot, "I'll be taking a nap here until you're done."

 

[Phanima]

"Huh?" Kaoru replied, looking up nonplussed at the girl's sudden intrusion, "Register?"

Kaoru the Ivysaur immediately leapt to his feet, front hunched and bud poised to attack, ready to intercept anything the stranger might pull if she turned out to be hostile, which judging by her appearance and tone, seemed quite likely. Mai also prepped himself just in case, probes surging and claws bared, but just by looking at her he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

'Oh. Who's this?' Kato piped, buzzing around the intruder, its red eyes taking in the girl's form and everything else around it in a 360 degree radius, 'Huu, she looks mean.'

"D-Don't be so rude!" the brunette chirped, pounding the top of the mud doll's head with a gentle fist before turning to the green haired loli to apologise, "Don't think too bad of Kato, she just gets a little excited sometimes."

'"She?"' Mai inquisitively paused, bewildered by the revelation of the pokemon's orientation, 'I thou-'

'Kato is an "it".' clarified the seed-back pokemon, lowering his guard before reciting the stranger's words, 'And what's this about having to register? Kaoru, what have you been doing? Don't you have any sense of responsibility?'

Even if the plant pokemon had shown a rare lapse in his usual stern demeanor, he spent no time hesitating in returning to such a facade, his brash put downs striking the girl's pride dead on.

"You don't have to be so mean, Kaorin." the chestnut cried, clutching her chest in an over dramic fashion before falling to the ground in a feigned fall and looking up at both the new girl and plant pokemon to explain her situation, "But I actually already registered. Well, I think I did, down there."

Raising a blind hand and pointing a finger over the path and in the general direction of the plaza where all of the participants had first registered for the competition, Kaoru glanced a sheepish grin back at the girl who now stood over her.

'She might be referring to the next round Kaoru. Maybe we have to verify that we've passed the first one.' Mai deduced, sitting his non-existent chin in between his claws in a typically thought-provoking pose, 'Check your pokedex.'

"Oh! Good idea." the brunette agreed, rummaging through her sides for the desired device before popping it open to review the first round briefing, "T-There's a lot of stuff here..."

'So we do have to verify our registration.' pokemon Kaoru announced, peering over the girl's lying form as she held the pokedex up to view, 'Damn it Kaoru. Hurry up and go do it. We're probably late as it is already.'

Sitting up, the city girl scratched the back of her head before giving the mobile plant a sheepish smile. "Haha, I guess you're right. Still, aren't you glad we took the time to see all this?" she asked, her pure indiluted innocence plaguing her last few words, the only thing capable of subduing the Ivysaur's aggression.

'Gah...' the pokemon stressed, backing away from his shining trainer, much to the amusement of both Mai and Kato who watched on from the side, 'W-Whatever, just hurry up.'

Seizing the opportunity, Kaoru leapt to her feet before hooking the Ivysaur's stump of a neck up into her arms, such closeness very much resented by the suffocating plant pokemon. "Don't worry about that right now." she persisted, navigating her hands around the pokemon's plump frame so that he sat with his forelegs wrapped over her arm.

Turning towards the edge, Kaoru guided the pokemon's sight towards the oceanic horizon through to the dense shrub surrounding the foot of the mountain below. Then, using her free hand, she cocked a casual arm over the new girl's shoulder before flashing her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks a lot for the help cute little girl." she started cheerfully, her glistening eyes returning to the dirt path leading over the near vertical edge of the mountain trail and to the scenic environment proceeding it, "It's pretty huh? Oh! I'm Kaoru by the way, who're you?"

 

[Ibuberu]

The Pokedex snapped shut as Adeltruat tucked the device back into her bag before turning around and waving farewell to Wilson as she proceeded forth along the path to Zenith Town. She squinted her eyes, fanning herself with one hand as she caught the serene town within her sights, a blurry mass of brown a distance away. Settled on the top of the surrounding cliffs, a slight smile played upon the girl's lips as she noted that the path would lead her straight to the entrance of the city, ignoring the minor obstacle of bumpy ground and small ledges.

Recalling the time she had left, which was about forty minutes or so, the girl decided to quicken her pace, silently chiding the fact that none of her Pokemon were large or strong enough to carry her over the rough terrain, glancing sideways as the all but enthusiastic Basil trudged alongside her. The Mouse Pokemon blinked, noticing her fierce brown eyes hanging onto him as he raised his head from the ground and sniffed, cocking his head in curiosity.

[W-What is it, Adel?] He inquired in a worried tone.

"Nothing," she sighed, turning her head away from him as she motioned for the Sandslash to keep up with her pace, speeding her footsteps into a comfortable jog down the road, ponytail slicing the air behind her as she bounced up and down. The mouse hastily clambered on all fours to catch up to the girl, his round eyes never leaving the ground ahead of him, shooting back and forth in every direction with keen interest. [Don't you think there could be treasure here, Adel?] He posed a second question as the pair carried on towards the looming town, jumping over a large bump in the road.

"We've no time for that," she snapped, "Besides... The real treasure is over there." Adeltruat gestured at Zenith town, which had grown a considerable bit since the last time the duo had looked at it intently. Now gasping slightly between breaths of air, Basil's left eye twitched at the mention of the location of the goodies, [Rea..lly? Let's.. get.. going then..] The Pokemon managed to say between his steals of air, coming to a halt in front of a group of rising ledges that lead up and onto the same level of the mountain that Zenith Town resided on. Bending down and allowing his trainer to climb onto his back and reach for the first ledge. After a few moments of near desperate flailing of hands on her part, Adeltruat hopped off Basil's back, her face a weak shade of red. Clearly embarrassed that her short form did not permit her to reach the ledge as easily as she had hoped, the female wasted no time in calling out another companion to help her.

Kinah gripped her taloned feet onto Adel's shoulders and flapped her wings, hoisting her onto the final ledge growing out the wall, Basil following closely behind as he skillfully used his sharp claws to climb up, making it seem like he was half-Spinarak. The girl wiped her forehead clean of sweat, before giving the Pidgeotto a well-deserved stroke of good performance. [Haha! Don't try so hard next time, lil' munchkin, your height won't allow that! Just call me out whenever you have trouble reaching for that can of soup on the top shelf.] Kinah chuckled as she amused herself with her own statement, while Adel contained her anger, knowing best not to let little squabbles get in the way.

"Not now, at least." The girl quickly got onto her feet, rushing off without so much as a warning, leaving Kinah and Basil behind to catch up as she saw that Zenith Town was closer than ever before.

"Yes, we're finally here!" Adeltruat celebrated as she raised her arms over her head, her Pidgeotto and Sandslash following behind her as she entered the quaint looking town, wandering through the streets and greeting the passer-byers politely when they acknowledged her existence. "Excuse me, but would you point me in the direction of the Pokemon Center?" she asked a group of young boys who had decided to kick a soccer ball across her path.

"Uh-huh, the PokeCenter's that'a way, Big Sis'!" an adorable boy with short black hair nodded, pointing towards his left, his peers following his action before quickly returning all attention to their ball. Adeltruat smiled at the young child, bowing slightly to thank the youth before walking off in the direction he had indicated, Kinah and Basil accompanying her without any comments.

Before long, she spotted the signature red roof of the building, and instinctively ran towards the Pokemon Center, taking out her Pokedex to check the time had left. However, as she neared the entrance of the next registration, she came to an abrupt halt. She noticed a hauntingly familiar girl in a dress, speaking with another young female who was outlandishly dressed(in her opinion) and had an arm around her shoulder.

".. Iris..?"

 

[Scarlet Weather]

OOC: Gah, long overdue post. Curse you, real life! XD

The Rhydon fell.

It didn't fall struggling, or trip, or get thrown to the ground. The moment the final burst of psychic energy hit it, the Pokemon simply stiffened like a board and fell. Alex had been on the receiving end of a low-powered psywave once. He had spent a week in the hospital . Zetta had launched a psywave into the Rhydon that, in comparison, could only be compared to the one Alex had once been hit with on the level that a cherry bomb could be compared to a detonator. Fortunately for the Rhydon, Pokemon could be healed much more quickly an efficiently than a human could be, given the proper attention. As a result, it was way easier for Zetta to go all out. And when Zetta went all out, people tended to get hurt.

Crunch, The Kadabra grinned as his rocky opponent hit the cave floor, all trace of any desire to fight completely removed from it. And that was with only 80.3748239321 percent of Psywave's total offensive capacity, yoctogram.

Alex groaned. If there was one annoying thing about owning a Pokemon with an IQ as high as his Kadabra's it was that anything that could posssibly be calculated to the most miniscule degree imaginable would be, and in no uncertain terms. Aside from that, the Pokemon's arrogant attitude just plain got on his nerves. It reminded him of someone he knew quite well, but he could never put his finger on exactly who it was. Whoever they were, though, Alex knew that if he ever met them in person, he wouldn't like them either. "Nyeh, don't ya go forgettin' that I'm the one who told ya to use Psywave in th' first place!" he pointed out angrily. "An' aside from that, th' only reason we took tall, dark, an' rocky over there out was because ya reflected it off the cave walls an' boosted the power! An' besides that-" Before he could continue, Alex felt a strange, invisible force grab him by his shirt collar and pull him down to the level of the Kadabra's eyes. The Pokemon was bristling with anger, and jabbed his spoon into Alex's forehead in order to punctuate each explosion of thought- Which. Was. My. IDEA!

Alex groaned. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, now let me down 'fore I put ya back in yer Pokeball, ya ungrateful bas-"

You don't want to finish that sentene, meatbag, or I'll-

Oh for the love of God, shut up, both of you! Dreave exclaimed, bursting into the cavern in a flurry of ghostly energy as he held the fossil in his mouth. He spat the rock-encrusted bones to the ground before hovering in front of Alex and glaring. I can't leave you alone for one minute, can I? Ten seconds of waiting and you and that idiot over there are locked in mortal combat! Do you have any shame!?

Alex pretended not to hear his Pokemon- not an easy task, since the words were being downloaded directly into his brain. He couldn't have missed the sentence if he wanted to. "None, really," he admitted. "It's just that I'm more'n a little annoyed that mister 'Yoctogram' over here ain't givin' me the credit I deserve!"

Credit? You want credit? I'll give you exactly what you deserve, you inverse son of a zero matrix, and you will-

"Yeah? Yeah? Then you an' I are just gonna have to-"

Dreave couldn't take it any longer. A bolt of electricity- not too powerful, but enough to give Alex a considerable jolt- knocked the human off his feet and onto his back, where he lay moaning. Before Zetta could react, a condensed ball of dark energy slammed into the ground in front of him, an obvious warning shot. The ghost type floated a short distance away from both combatants before leveling a particularly venomous glare at both. Now, the two of you will play nice from now on, correct? the spirit hissed. Because you know that all of us are in this for the same thing. Zetta, Alex is your trainer. Without him, you couldn't pull off those risky battle strategies you're always throwing out, because you'd get yourself killed in ten seconds without Alex's ability to heal us. And Alex, please remember that none of us actually have to follow your orders. We travel with you because you amuse us and you're a means to an end. You have yet to earn our respect, so do not yet demand it. Are we clear? The ghost type's eyes narrowed as Zetta and Alex slowly nodded. Dreave did not get angry often. When he did, the little ghost type seemed to at least double in power.

Alex pointed to the unconscious Rhydon. "Party vote- who wants to take 'im with us?"

Zetta smiled. Well, he was rather resilient, the psychic type admitted. And we've been looking for a physical powerhouse that won't drain our food supply.

Alex nodded and removed a Pokeball from his belt, before tossing it at the prone Rhydon. He didn't stop to check the ball's status, and simply grabbed the fossil from where it lay on the ground. "Guess it's back t' th' gate fer us," he commented.

Wobble.

Wobble.

Wobble.

Click...

Alex smiled, grabbed the Pokeball, and headed up the tunnel. Wounded pride or not, he was on his way to the top. In fact, he was so consumed with his recent victory, that he entirely forgot about Laure...

-------------------​

"And that's why we aren't passing through th' gate t'gether", Alex explained to a curious Mark.

The holo-proctor nodded, and waved a hand at the invisible wall. "Whatever. Wall down. Knock yourself out."

 

[Alter Ego]

Laure frowned, one bead of sweat following the other down his brow as he went over the clues in his mind, time and time again. A bridge as long and great as you make it, yet always ending the same way, one you couldn't cross alive, that...was life, wasn't it? Yes, given that the last clue was the one that had required payment, he was fairly confident that it was. But...the companion? A lifelong companion who was still never on your side? He couldn't help his thoughts returning to the oldest pokéball on his belt as he pondered this riddle.

"Zynthre..." he whispered, shooting another anxious glance at the timer on his pokédex, "Please...could you...please help me?"

The Alakazam shook his head. Or, rather, he performed the psychic equivalent of this motion, an unmistakable impression at the back of the boy's mind that left him positive that someone had just shaken their head.

"But-"

"You already know my stand on this." Zynthre interrupted wearily, "These trials are yours to overcome, Laure; not mine."

"But," the boy persisted, "At this rate I'm going to lose! I'm going to be so close to the goal and still I'll-"

"If I helped you, you would not have earned the victory. And that," the psychic type retorted in his usual, annoyingly logical fashion, "would defeat the point of entering this tournament in the first place, would it not?"

"Well, I suppose so, but..."

"Then stop trying to convince me and do your best instead."

"I am, but I'm up against time here! You know I can't stand working against-"

"In a greater perspective." the psychic type replied, "One is always working against time, no?"

"That's..."

Laure paused in mid-sentence, a realization suddenly striking him.

"Thank you, Zynthre."

Without another word of explanation, the boy turned to the challenge proctor instead.

"Um...mr.Alex, sir?" he asked, warily prodding him, "I think...I think I'm ready to answer the riddle."

"Mmmph?" the redhead shot him a bleary-eyed glance, "Well go ahead. Bridge, companion and step. You know the drill."

Laure nodded, taking a deep breath in preparation, "The bridge..." he began, gathering his courage, "...is life. Depending on what you do, you can shorter or prolong it, make it better or worse, but it will always end in death. The companion..." the familiar stream of sweat was starting up again, "...the companion is time. You always live in the present, so it's always with you, but time has gone on before you and will continue to go on after you and it's really never on your side. And the most important step..." his body was already trembling, but he pushed on, "The most important step is the one I'm taking here and now. It can be my first step and can also end up as my last, but more importantly: it's the only one I can decide on. The current step is my last answer."

His part said, the blonde finally remembered to breathe again, bracing his hands against his wobbling knees for support, "That's...right, isn't it?" he ventured at last.

"Three simple answers would have been enough, you know." Alex replied, rolling his eyes, "Didn't have to give me your life's story." he pressed in a couple of simple commands on a small, handheld device, Laure's pokédex immediately responding with a cheerful 'ping'.

"Of you go, then." the proctor remarked with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Take your precious current step or whatever."

"Umm..." Laure paused, staring nonplussed at the still impassable gorge, "I thought that if I beat this challenge I'd get to go straight across-?"

"You can." Alex replied.

"But how-"

"Just walk."

"But the gorge-"

"I said just walk." the proctor replied, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration, "Urgh, whatever, this round's almost over anyway so it's not like any poor sucker who still winds up over here would have the time to answer."

With that, the redhead suddenly rose up, walking straight over to the gorger and taking a step over the edge that made Laure gasp. Unlike the scream of terror he had expected, however, no sound was heard, the proctor continuing onwards over what looked like thin air.

"I..." amazed, the boy made a hesitant move to follow his senior, experimentally prodding the air in front of the ledge with a foot, "It's...translucent?"

"Bingo." Alex called over his shoulder, "Don't expect any points for that one, though. Now, unless ya want to fail this round anyway, I'd suggest getting over to the pokémon center in the next...oh, ten minutes?"

Laure spent a few more moments processing this, staring in disbelief at the gorge, but then he came to a realization, swallowing hard and setting off at full speed.

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

Iris responded to the commotion her little sentence had caused with a stare of purest indifference. These pokémon sure were whimsical and uncoordinated, not what she had expected from a tournament team at all. More importantly, however, this girl...she couldn't help looking just a bit more intently at Kaoru than before as she clutched her chest in a ridiculously over-dramatic fashion and tumbled to the ground.

This girl, in all her words, her actions, her mannerisms. She was definitely, without the slightest shade of a doubt...

The biggest idiot Iris had ever seen.

Just as the younger girl was about to leave with another blunt remark, however, the chestnut suddenly pulled a move that had been far from expected, placing an arm over Iris' shoulder and inviting her to adore the view together before introducing herself.

Though her initial reaction would have been simply walking away, perhaps with a remark about already having watched this stupid scenery for hours, something compelled her to just watch all the same, her head eventually bobbing into a reluctant nod. When it came to introductions, however, she was beaten to it by a familiar voice.

"...Iris..?"

Upon hearing her name uttered, the girl promptly turned to face the newcomer, wordlessly sizing her up for a few moments before she finally spoke up.

"Adeltruat Haert." she said in her usual monotone, "You made it here, then. I suppose that means you will both be heading inside." without any further elaboration, Iris disentangled herself from Kaoru, walking off towards the pokémon center, "It would be better for both of you if you didn't, but I don't except you will believe that so go ahead." just as abruptly as she had set into motion, the young girl paused by the corner of a nearby structure, looking both of her seniors in the eye in turn, her expression far more solemn than what one would expect from such a childlike face, "It was...nice knowing you. Maybe if you play well enough, we'll meet again. I...think I would like that."

And with that, she stepped in behind the corner of the structure and was gone again.

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

Laure ran, faster than he recalled ever having run in his life, the scenery of Zenith Town, even the other people in the streets, passing him in a blur, his entire attention focused on keeping both feet in motion all the way until he made into the red-roofed building, where he half-collapsed inside of the lobby, gasping for breath.

It was not until a few seconds later, when the boy's breath finally began returning to him, that he noticed how...off the place felt. It was dark, for starters, the lamps shut off, faint traces of sunlight filtering in through the shutters on the windows, not at all how he had envisoned it. Only a solitary set of lamps was lit, leading down a corridor in the center. And to add to the eerie feel, the place was quiet. Almost...too quiet.

Swallowing heavily, Laure pushed aside the nagging suspicions at the back of his mind, following the trail of lights. This was just a final test, probably, an attempt to scare off competitors just before the finish. The sign-ups desk was surely at the end of this lit corridor, just beyond-

Without warning, an ear-piercing shriek resounded down the corridor, causing Laure to leap back in shock. His natural reaction would have been to run away right there and then, but surely, surely, this was just a trial. And if it wasn't...the person who had screamed surely needed help. In a paniced daze, the boy quickened his steps towards the source of the noise instead, finally reaching the end of the corridor: a room wrapped in half-gloom much like the others, taking up position among a number of other competitors who had already arrived at the scene.

"Are-are you..?"

That was all Laure could manage before his voice abandoned him. The room was filled with people, or rather, Laure hoped that they were still classified as people. Dozens of bodies littered the floor, none of them moving, all staring blankly ahead with expressions of terror on their faces, various unconscious pokémon mingling with them.

"Oh...more competitors?"

Laure simply gaped at the figure who emerged from the shadows. A pleasant-looking black-haired young man who seemed to be in his late teens or early twenties, clad in a tournament employee uniform.

"Congratulations." the man said, clapping his hands politely, the faint noise sounding completely out of place in the silence, "You have reached the end of this round." His manner was the epitome of polite, yet there was something...wrong. None of the body movements went quite right, the smile was just a bit lop-sided, the voice sounding just a bit strained and fluctuating, as if its user was not quite accustomed to talking. And above all that, there was the bodies.

"Wh-why?" Laure began, pointing weakly at the other occupants of the room.

"Oh, those?" the clerk replied in a tone that seemed to aim for carefree but seemed to come closer to sinister, giving a discordant little laugh that sent shivers down the boy's spine, "They are prey, of course."

"...prey?" Laure echoed. He wanted to bolt, he wanted to scream, he wanted to do something, but his feet felt like they were rooted to to the ground, unwilling to obey, his voice stuck in his throat.

"Prey." the man confirmed, his smile gaining a few more degrees of sinister.

Laure's mouth made a desperate attempt at saying something, but his voice remained firmly hidden away, not that the stranger seemed to care.

"The hunt." he continued, "Is where the true nature of beings is brought into the light. Hunter or hunted, predator or prey, these are the only distinctions that truly matter. These..." he made a sweeping motion to encompass the collection of bodies in the room, "...thought themselves predators, yet in reality they were nothing but prey, and so they met the fate that befits them." It was then that Laure realized what had been holding him in place: a Dusclops, staring unflinchingly straight at him with its single, crimson eye, several other ghosts slowly emerging from the gloom, specters in the dark. Gastly, Duskulls, even a few Haunters, there must have been at least a dozen alltogether, all prepared to trap anyone foolish enough to step into the room, and he had fallen right into it.

"Predator or prey." the clerk continued, his smile now reaching manic, "Which are you, I wonder?" he made a small hand-motion towards the gathered ghost pokémon, a number of equally sinister smiles turning towards the few competitors still standing as the ghost pokémon moved in closer, "Let's find out, shall we?"


OOC: So yesh, this is going by the tiny assumption that respective people have arrived at the scene a bit before Laure did. Write your posts in accordance and battle to your heart's content. Just...don't finish off the clerk guy and don't make it too easy for yourselves, but I'm sure I don't have to remind you of that. :3

Also, Thesis, since Alex is a bit behind the lot of them you can have him arrive to the battle later than the rest.

 

[Phanima]

Having put all her weight into her resting arm, it was no surprise that the moment the girl known as Iris seemlessly pulled away, she would come tumbling down. And that she did, with a heavy thud and a very surprised expression, Ivysaur and all. Needless to say, the pokemon was far less amused than his trainer, who seemed much more concerned with the fact that the strange girl was leaving rather than holding her responsible for letting them fall.

Having no idea what she meant, Kaoru simply cried out for the girl to stay after seeing her disappear around the building's corner, her pursuit cut short around the bend. It was perplexing to say the least and despite her subtle warning, the chestnut found herself wanting to go into the center even more. Well, moreso than when she didn't want to before anyway.

"What and odd girl." Kaoru muttered, pursing her lips as she tried to recite Iris' last words. "She said something about wanting to see us again, right?"

Without realising, the little chestnut had turned to the new raven-haired girl who had just arrived, the one she had seen twice during the tournament so far, questioning her about the other girl's statement. Before she could respond however, the answer was revealed by her partner Kaoru, who was still rather irritable in being dropped, 'She said that we shouldn't go in there. I don't know what she was playing at but we should just ignore her.'

'I agree.' Kato chimed in, quite enthused by the prospect of being warned by a mysterious little girl, 'Let's go in!'

'But she also said she wanted to see us again, didn't she?' Mai interrupted, a puzzled look gracing his subtle features, 'It sounds like something'll happen if we go inside...'

Kaoru screwed up her face as she expended every ounce of concentration she had into the issue of Iris' warning and the prospect of advancing to the next round. It was then that it hit her.

"Bing-bong-bang-ba!" she cried, immitating the chime of a typical television quiz show answer, "I got it! This must be another test. She told us not to go in but if we don't we can't register for the second round, right?"

'Right...' Second Kaoru replied reluctantly, quite unamused with where the conversation was leading, seeing as how all he wanted to do now was lie down and soak his leaves.

"So, all we have to do, is...?" she continued, her eyes shining in anticipation.

'Go inside!' Kato finished proudly.

Breaking out her brightest smile and two thumbs up, Kaoru beamed in approval at the obvious answer and made her decision. Realising they were still not alone, she quickly turned to face the other girl, to which she heartily ushered to join them.

"Alldrat right?" she mispronounced with a smile, "I'm Kaoru. Wanna go together?"

 

[Kogenta]

Amidst the dimness of the Pokemon Center hall, Roz's footsteps echoed coldly. Energy pulsed softly from Melanie as she stared uneasily ahead. Aside from the absence of people and unexpected lack of lighting, she felt other forces indicating that all was not well.

"Roz . . . "

Though the girl continued walking, Melanie sensed that she had the human's attention. "Be cautious. I sense fear, a black heart, and powers that would wish you harm. Danger awaits you at the end of this hall." As though to accent this warning, a sudden scream rent the emptiness. Neither of the pair flinched, but both paused to consider the sound.

For a moment, Melanie received no message from her trainer in response to the scream or the premonition. Then, slowly, words formed with careful deliberateness entered the Natu's mind. "What would you have me do?"

The bird Pokemon hesitated. Fighting her natural reply, Melanie instead answered, "I can neither force you to go on nor to turn back. Whatever you decide, I will support you."

Surrounded by the ringing of another scream, Roz walked on.

As she approached the passage's end, Roz heard several objects falling to the ground. Upon arrival at the final room, she saw what the cause of the noises must have been. Bodies of humans and Pokemon almost covered the floor, several twisted into grotesque and unnatural shapes that suggested unendurable agony, while others' skeletons seemed to have lost their effectiveness--those bodies having taken on a ragdoll appearance and gained rather odd positions of their own. All the fallen were still and silent. "Keep your guard up. We're not alone."

At this prompt, Roz looked up, her brown eyes narrowingly faintly as they attempted to pierce the darkness. Before long, another pair of eyes met her gaze. Despite being darker than her own, the two eyes stood out strangely against the gloom. A voice joined the eyes.

"Welcome, miss, to the end." Silence. "The end of the first round I mean, naturally," the voice added after a significant pause.

Before Roz or Melanie could respond to this, another person arrived on the scene--this one from the hallway behind them. The young male(?) hesitantly started "Are-are you..?", then fell quiet as he lost his voice. His shock at the sight of a room full of bodies was understandable, yet something about him made Melanie wonder if he would, in reality, always be nervous and shaken.

"Oh . . . More competitors?" The voice returned.

A face gradually formed out of the blackness, giving appearance to a mouth for the voice to have issued from. This was followed by hair, shoulders, and finally the rest of the person's physical form. "Congratulations," the male told those in the room who were still conscious. The smile he now formed was, perhaps, meant to be friendly. If so it missed its meaning. Although the male did not act aggressively, something threatening lingered about his manner. And while a tournament uniform composed his outfit, it offered no promise of safety.

The new arrival began a dialogue with the official, but eventually seemed to lose his ability to speak. Unbothered by this--if he noticed it all--the man continued on, weaving the tournament competitors into ideas about the relationship of predators and prey.

Ghost Pokemon of varying evolution stages began to materialize, all exuding auras of bloodlust along with the eagerness that accompanies the opportunity to satiate such a desire. A Haunter appeared, hovering dangerously close to Roz. Its grin was pulled as wide as the space on its body would allow. She turned toward it, her face expressionless.

"Predator or prey." the official challenged. By this point, his expression started to remind Roz of the Haunter that was probably deciding how many bites to eat her soul in. "Which are you, I wonder?" He made a signal to the ghost Pokemon that resided in the room. "Let's find out, shall we?"

A Love Ball fell into Roz's right hand as the Haunter that had been circling her with shark-like impatience made its move. Extending its tongue, the apparition attempted a Lick attack. Roz dropped to one knee, one hand releasing the sphere as her other reached into the bag at her side. The room was lit scarlet for a brief moment, and a feminine shape formed. Snatching the Love Ball from the ground with a previously unsuggested speed, Roz passed a command through Melanie to Crystal.

"Ice Shard."

Like a frozen dagger, a glittering projectile shot directly through the Haunter's forehead. The phantom fell back, crying out angrily as its dismembered hands clutched at the area the attack had struck. Roz, meanwhile, stood and moved a few paces back. Slipping her Pokedex from her bag, she pointed it at the Haunter and waited for the data to come. Duskull and Dusclops she had met before. But despite being raised in the Kanto region, she had never encountered a Ghastly or Haunter. She was fairly certain they were ghost types. But whether they were or not, she could not recall much about fighting ghost Pokemon anyway. Unfortunately, before Roz could listen to or read any information her Pokedex chose to offer, her attention was drawn elsewhere.

("Roz! Why have you brought me to this dreadful place?!") Having finally found the opportunity to take in her surroundings, Crystal found herself thoroughly horrified. Being released to find a Haunter almost literally in her face was bad enough. But the more she saw, the less she found herself wanting to be out of her Pokeball. ("All these ghosts are so . . . ugh! And the floor! There's--I mean, look!")

Neither Roz nor Melanie bothered to remind Crystal that she was a ghost Pokemon herself. But the latter did attempt to settle the ice type down. "Listen, Crystal," Melanie told her bluntly. "Unless you want to end up like one of those Pokemon on the floor, you need to get a hold of yourself. We're going to have to fight our way out of this."

Crystal pursed her lips indignantly. ("Well you don't have to be so--") She flitted to one side, releasing an Icy Wind on a Duskull as it went by. ("Listen, whatever you are. Don't interrupt others while they're talking,") she snapped.

"So are you willing to help us through this battle?"

The Froslass ducked a Shadow Ball from the Haunter that had received her Icy Shard. ("'Help'? I'll clear the room of these freaky things. They're ugly anyway.")

Only the fact that her eyes were fixed in place prevented Melanie from rolling them.

By this point, Roz had turned her attention back to her Pokedex and was reading through the information on ghost Pokemon as quickly as she could. Then, as though suddenly realizing something, she turned back to Haunter's profile. Beneath "Type 2" was listed the word "Poison." As the Pokedex loaded its information on Poison types, Roz looked over at Crystal to check how the ice Pokemon was faring. By this point, the Froslass had been forced to devote almost all her attention to only dodging. And with so many opponents, several had already realized that they need not pay her any further notice and had decided to search for new victims.

Roz's first impulse was to release Vulcan. But in a closed room as small as this one, how well could he maneuver? She palmed Euclid's Pokeball.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

"Eh, can you believe it? After all we went through an' all, we're just about an inch away from gettin' past this trial?" Alex asked as he leisurely stepped through the gate that led towards the center. "But... that last trial.... what the hell was with that guy? He was actin' like I was some sorta monster or somethin'."

Behind Alex and his floating companion, a tall, thin man with thick glasses sat shuddering in the corner. "Impossible... impossible... that trial was supposed to be impossible to pass..." he whimpered. "But he simply... closed his eyes and... how could he? He was just a bumpkin... and he went five digits farther. Five!"

Alex's Pokedex beeped, updated with new information.

Trial: Calculate Pi to the Sixty-thousandth digit
Cleared

+13 Points

Door Cleared

Alex, don't forget who actually did the calculating, Dreave pointed out as he floated by his trainer's shoulder. I'm surprised that you weren't caught. After all, this trial doesn't lead straight to the exit for nothing. It's supposed to be nearly impossible to pass for a human. I doubt that letting a Pokemon do the calculating and have the answer relayed to your brain was allowed.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Nyeh, it's they're fault fer not havin' enough security. After all, it ain't cheatin' until ye get caught. Besides, they didn't say I had t' do th' calculatin'. Ain't that right, Zetta?"

The Kadabra, though contained in his Pokeball, heard the conversation. Hmph! If those pathetic fractals couldn't track my brain waves, they don't deserve to catch us. Incompetent Radians like them deserve to face immediate and painful iteration, in the form of a 2.3434535344 billion-

"WE GET THE POINT," Alex and Dreave interrupted simulataneously, cutting off the Kadabra's wild tirade.

The psychic pulled his consciousness out of contact with his trainer and fellow Pokemon. Hmph. Can't expect a pair of yoctograms like you to comprehend the beauty of a flawlessly-calculated attack, he muttered. Now let's see.... based on approximate mass, plus the Sin of the attack's angle over its tangent, calculate in the speed of light...

------------------------​

Alex had walked into the center in high spirits, exchanging banter with Dreave. He had expected to meet a tournament official at some point. Probably one holding out a congratulatory sheet of paper or something, or a polite man welcoming him to the next round and showing him some of the prizes he could purchase with his points. What he did not expect was to walk straight into a room that looked like it had been rented out to a film company shooting a snuff film, but that was exactly what happened.

The first thing Alex did was stop talking. The second was to drop his Pokedex, which he had been carrying by his side, in shock. And the third was to turn pale, and consider running back in the direction he had come. It was too late, however- the ghosts had surrounded him. No way out from the front, and no way out the back. No way except to fight his way out. He peered at the tournament official, a polite looking young man, and caught sight of the trainer from the tunnels. He had made it here too? Well, one thing was certain. This room was about to get a lot bloodier. The kid looked like he was about to piss his drawers, and Alex took some heart from the fact that he wasn't the only one losing his cool. Slowly, he drew back from the approaching ghosts, just in time to hear the official's fateful words. "Predator or Prey... which are you, I wonder?"

Alex stepped back, as the ring closed in. "I... I can't..." he stuttered. "Ain't had time fer th' people t' remember me... I can't... I CAN'T DIE, Y'HEAR?"

BANG!

The smoke ball Alex dropped didn't do much to conceal his position, but it did confuse the ghosts long enough for him to grab his Pokeballs and launch them. "Nag, Zetta, heads up! They're gonna eat us alive if we don't stop 'em!"

As he materialized, Zetta teleported across the room, behind a group of Gastlys preparing to close in on Alex. While he was at a disadvantage against Dusclops and the like, part poison types like this were nothing to him. He held up his spoon, channeling a wave of psychic energy that cut through the group like a knife through butter. 4.23 seconds to execute the manuever. Jeez, I'm getting slow, he muttered to himself, before warping out of the way of an incoming shadow ball.

Dreave launched off yet another pulse of ghostly energy, striking an incoming Duskull head-on. We need an escape plan!

"I'm workin' on it!" Alex yelled back, as a Dusclops started moving towards him. "But I'm kinda in the middle o' somethin' here!"

Before the cyclopean ghost could attack, Nag had launched himself across the room and sunk his fangs deep into its neck. The Bite attack was quick, painful, and definitely didn't do wonders for a half ghost, half psychic type Pokemon. As the attacker attempted to shake off the serpent, Nag released his hold and dug in deeper, not wanting to give his opponent a chance to counterattack. With an eerie moan, the ghost-type sank to the floor. You owe me ssssome lunch for thissss, he hissed to Alex.

The trainer smiled in spite of himself. "Hey, do that to the rest o' them and I'll give ya an entire smorgasbord."

 

[Ibuberu]

Adel raised an eyebrow upon hearing Iris, slightly disturbed by her words, and for a split second, the consideration of listening to the girl's words lingered in the air. However, as Iris chose to vanish mysteriously, just as she had before, Adeltruat was conclusive about her decision to advance to the next round. She had not come all this way to be halted by fear.

<Crazy bird! That little girl just warned us about going in t-there!>

<You're too paranoid! Let's just go and take a whack at it!>

"We're going in, aren't we?" The raven-haired female turned to face her Pidgeotto and Sandslash, eyeing the apprehensive Basil carefully. The Mouse Pokemon frowned, before nodding weakly with a sprinkle of hesitation.

"Bing-bong-bang-ba!" The girl with chestnut hair cried out in a peculiar tone, proceeding to exchange conversation with her Ivysaur and Claydol and coming to the same conculsion Adel had reached moments before. After giving a cheery thumbs up to her Pokemon, the young girl approached her and inquired about entering the building together. Though she had mispronounced her name and was decked out in a queer outfit, the girl, who had introduced herself as Kaoru, was admitedly slightly adorable with her actions. The sixteen-year old felt compelled to rethink her early judgement about the younger female.

"Adeltruat," she corrected the female politely, "... but you can call me Adel." She returned Kaoru's smile with a small one on her part, before accepting the offer Kaoru had proposed with a quick nod.

"Yes, I wouldn't mind that. Come on, let's hurry, I think we've dragged on for long enough." She gestured for both Kaoru and her own Pokemon to follow her into the Pokemon Center. The moment the doors parted to allow them to enter, a sinister feeling enshrouded the girl as she gazed upon the dimly lit corridor. Adeltruat paused her footsteps, shaking slightly at the eerie atmosphere of the entire hallway, and then... she felt something crawl towards her and grab her leg.

"AHH!" The girl jumped back, only to realised that it was Basil who had latched himself around her right leg.

<I really don't wanna go in there..> Basil's trembling squeak reached her ears, and though she partially agreed with her terrified Pokemon, Adeltruat realised that there was no alternate pathway for her to take. She took a deep breath and pried the Ground type's claws off her, handing over the job of calming the frightened Basil to a reluctant Kinah. Moving forward one step, then two, followed by three, the uneasiness inside her building up with every advance. She looked around, curious as to Kaoru's whereabouts.

 

[Alter Ego]

"I..."

Unlike the others, Laure was practically paralyzed as the battle began, standing rooted at his spot while pokemon fought each other all around, Irie flapping furiously back and forth around him and tossing the incoming attackers every which way with whirlwinds. It was all too much...the dim lighting, the disturbing opponent, the ghost pokemon in the gloom, the whole intensity...it was all just too much. But there was more to it than just that...something, he couldn't help thinking as he watched ghost after ghost fall under the assault, only to be replaced by identical comrades in larger and larger numbers, something just wasn't right about this. He had spent a good amount of time at the Pokemon Tower in Lavender, and heard more than his fair share of stories about ghost types, even if he hadn't battled many. Tales of deadly curses which which could instantly drain victims of their energy at the cost of the user's own. Why...why had these moves not been used? There were hordes of ghosts getting mowed down, far more than there were opposing pokemon; why weren't the ghosts simply overwhelming them?

It was only a few moments later that the revelation suddenly struck him, the boy quickly reaching for his pokedex and flicking it open. He promptly ignored the species analysis, however, moving onto techniques instead and pointing the device at the nearest horde of charging Ghastly. And there, on the brightly shining screen of the little device, the answer to what had been bothering him all this time was stated in such a straightforward, matter-of-fact way. The boy's eyes widened.

"Stop!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, raising his hands up into the air in a vain attempt to catch attention amidst the chaos, "Everyone stop! Those are all-"

The blonde's voice failed him in mid-sentence, as if a set of icy cold fingers had suddenly clamped themselves around his throat and started constricting it. Struggling to breathe, he turned his head, only to come face to face with the proctor who had started all this madness. How he had gotten past the line of resistance unnoticed, Laure couldn't say, but now that the man was on this side and the horde of ghosts had swarmed up around the others, they might as well have been alone in the room.

"Now, now." the man - apparently well aware of this - tutted, a smile from somewhere between bemused and sadistic playing on his lips as he tossed his head back and forth a few times, probably has attempt at shaking it, "We can't have you spoiling my little game this early on, can we?"

"You-" Laure gasped as the non-existent fingers tightened their grip, the boy weakly lifting his pokedex and pointing it straight towards the proctor, even as his vision began to blur, "...you're..."

"Clever." the proctor's voice drawled from somewhere within the gloom that was pressing in on the boy's consciousness from all sides, "Very clever indeed, little girl." he brought his face in mere inches from Laure's, and for the briefest of moments, Laure thought he could catch a glimpse of his opponent's true face superimposed on the proctor's. The haphazard movements, the lop-sided grin, it all made an absurd kind of sense, "Too bad you won't be sharing that information."

'...I'm a boy' was the last Laure found himself thinking as the world faded into a carousel of pain and disjointed colors, 'A BOY!'

And the world went black.

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

The proctor maintained his peculiar half-grin as he watched the child's unconscious body slump to the floor next to his felled Butterfree's, his still active pokedex striking the floor with a clatter. That had been...close, he almost felt sorry for having had to end it in such a way.

Almost.

"You really did come close, you know." he remarked, inspecting the small, electronic device with mild curiosity, his grin widening a bit further beyond the bounds of comfort as he came up with an idea that made him laugh out loud in the midst of the heated battlefield, "And we have more guests too?" he asked of the thin air in front of him, "Interesting! Very interesting!" with strength far beyond what his unimpressive frame should have afforded him, the proctor nonchalantly lifted the unconscious boy up and hoisted him over his shoulder with one hand while picking up his discarded pokedex with the other, "We shall play a little more, you and I."

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

"Ah, our last competitors."

The proctor's expression was completely back to its normal, polite self as he approached the two girls still lingering in the hallway, stepping out from the shadows directly behind them.

"Congratulations." he continued, "You have been chosen for a bonus round. Beyond this hallway, a group of trainers much like yourselves are in dire straits, though they may not realize it. Your task is to find a way to help them, and these." he unceremoniously dumped both Laure's unconscious body and his continuously active pokedex by their feet, "Are your clues. Time limit: as long as your comrades in the main hall hold out." his grin widened to its usual slasher proportions as he bowed to the two girls, "You may begin whenever you are ready."

With that, he promptly turned on his heels and vanished back into the shadows, leaving behind him only the unconscious boy and the pokedex, its screen still faithful displaying the message "Banette, Marionette pokemon" alongside a simplified illustration and a split window bearing a single word: "Substitute".