[PKMN OPEN] Pokémon Spear [M] [IC]

Fen-Fen · Mar 4, 2021

Haleigh Windsor
18 | Female | From Circhester

Corey (Male, Blaze) - Flame Charge, Double Kick, Headbutt, Agility

Coraline (Female, Weak Armor) - Tackle, Harden, Astonish, Spite, Ancient Power

Cornelius (Male, Synchronize) - Disarming Voice, Confusion, Draining Kiss, Hypnosis

Orion (Male, Snow Cloak) - Powder Snow, Tail Whip

Cerise (Female, Adaptability) - Covet, Quick Attack, Baby Doll Eyes, Growl

Spoiler: Memories

Eighteen

It was a bright morning out on Route 5, the sun warming up just starting to warm up the chilly air that still hung over the environment, its light glinting off of the Hulbury Channel and dancing around in all sorts of shimmering patterns off of the movement of the water. For all of the trainers and Pokemon camping out on the route, it was just an ordinary February day.

For the purple haired girl who found herself camped out by the Hulbury Channel, however, it was a very big and special day indeed. Today, Haleigh would be turning eighteen.

As she sat by the fire that she had Corey ignite for her to brew some coffee, the thoughts of her birthday made her happy when thinking of making it to eighteen while living her dream of being a trainer. Corey was excitedly conversing with Cornelius, motioning with his feet as if kicking a football. For his part, Cornelius seemed to just be politely nodding along, not really the Pokemon that took after the sport like him or their trainer had. Coraline was happily munching on some poffins that Haleigh had bought for her entire team - though Coraline ended up eating the Pyroar's share of them. Cerise and Orion were playing with each other much like when they first met on Route 4, though this time it was intentional and it was clear that both of them were enjoying it. The sight brought out a warm smile in Haleigh. This was the sort of thing that made it all worth it for her.

On top of her Pokemon team giving the girl joy, Haleigh also had a different sort of journey to work through with Achille. Certain labels were coming to mind to describe her relationship with Achille as she thought of how their last encounter had ended up. Just thinking about it was enough to make her feel a bit giddy and fuzzy inside.

She snorted, thinking back to how Melody had teased the hell out of her about Achille before romance even entered the equation for her. Good ol' Mel, she really did seem to know her that well.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a buzzing coming from her jean pocket. She pulled it out, looking to see that Melody's grandmother had decided to wish her a happy birthday.

Happy birthday, Haleigh! I miss you, it felt like just yesterday you and Mel were here in Spikemuth with me. Hope you're doing good out there, love you! - Gran xoxo

Haleigh felt a pang of guilt at the message. It had been a while since she had contacted her; obviously, not living in Spikemuth made it harder to see her as often. She tried to excuse it since she had been so busy with the journey. Surely, Mel's gran understood that, right?

Like a ton of bricks, a wave of melancholy started to hit her. Her expression faltered from that of contentment to one with a furrowed brow and a frown. Why was she feeling so sad and mopey all of a sudden? It was her birthday for Arceus' sake. It was a time for celebrating and rejoicing, not for being all depressed.

Cornelius was the first to notice Haleigh's shift in demeanor - which was hardly surprising given his empathic abilities. He interrupted his and Corey's conversation, the both of them giving Haleigh a concerned look.

Oh no. No no no. This was not going to be a repeat of Route 3, certainly not in front of her team. She pushed it back down and managed to put a smile back on her face and replied, "It's alright guys, it's just a bit...emotional, turning eighteen and all."

She gave a small chuckle before adding, "I guess you can say it's a bit like evolving for humans."

Cornelius pondered her words. Corey had been a bit moodier than usual upon evolving, so he supposed it could be plausible that Haleigh could be feeling a similar way to turning eighteen. However…

Corey shook his head at him, sensing what he was going to do. The Raboot didn't want to see his dear trainer all sad on her birthday. Cornelius, however, seemed adamant to continue prodding at how Haleigh was feeling. He of all Pokemon understood how much keeping everything all wrapped up inside was hurting her trainer.

Cornelius emphatically cried, "Ralts ralts!" No, Haleigh needed him, to help her with those feelings!

The Raboot started to glare at Cornelius. "Ra. Boot."

Cornelius got closer to Haleigh, positioning himself in a protective stance with one hand on his side, as if he had a blade to unsheath. "Ra-alts!" Tensions were running high already. Each one of them had their own way of protecting their trainer - and neither seemed very eager to back down.

"Oi lads, pipe down already. I…" She gave a deep sigh. "The last thing I want is for you guys to do is fight with each other. Save that energy for the battlefield, okay?"

Haleigh put herself between the two of them and knelt down to pet Corey's and Cornelius' heads. "There isn't any need for all this tension. I really appreciate the concern from both of you, but I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

The two continued to stare at each other, giving each other a hostile glance. However, it was clear to the both of them that breaking into a brawl over their trainer was going to probably make her feel even worse. Corey was the first one to break the ice and offer out his hand to Cornelius. The Ralts stared at his hand, looking up to Haleigh before looking back to Corey, sighing as he allowed himself to cool down. Reluctantly, he put out his own nubby arms and went for Corey's paw, emphatically shaking it.

"There we go, that's a lot better, innit? I ain't got too much in this world, but you all make it worth it to me." Haleigh gave the boys a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, looking more pained than anything. "I'm gonna go and take a little walk for a bit. Got some stuff I need to think about."

Before her Pokemon could object any further, she stood back up and started to walk off in the direction of the Lilypad Bridge.

Cornelius looked as his trainer took off, leaving him and everyone else. He sighed, shaking his head again. He could feel all the emotions with blinding clarity, but frustratingly didn't have all the answers. If she couldn't even trust herself to be open with her team, who could she trust out there? Speaking from personal experience, Cornelius knew that the world was indeed a treacherous place, but he had to be there as the light in it for Haleigh, like all of the knight stories that the other human had relayed to him so long ago.

As she made her way up to the bridge, she felt herself get very tired all of a sudden, almost as if she had been hauling something heavy the entire time. The churning storm of emotions that lay underneath everything were threatening to spill out again, but by Arceus, she had to keep it together.

Haleigh made her way on the bridge a little bit, walking until she found a particular spot that caught her eye. From down below, Haleigh could see the varied landscapes of the Wild Area with the Hammerlocke skyline barely visible in the distance.

She took a seat on the bridge from behind the railing, crossing her legs while she looked off into the vastness of the environment below. "So, it's been a while hasn't it, Mum, Dad?" Haleigh, of course, wasn't about to receive a reply, not unless the light breeze that blew by counted as a response.

"I uh, I've been workin' on that League challenge thing I've yammered on and on about. It's been great, really. Got my first badge a few weeks ago. Maybe you saw it on the news or something…" Her voice trailed off.

"And yeah, it's my birthday today. You still remember, right? Can't imagine you all have gone senile in four years." She chuckled a little bit - though much more sardonically and bitterly than usual.

Four years. It had really been that long, hadn't it? Four long years, not so much as a postcard or a text of "you okay", just radio silence. Nothing more, nothing less than what had been promised to Haleigh upon deciding to become a Pokemon trainer.

"You do anything special for my birthday? Or would you rather forget about me, leave me here as the fuckup daughter you couldn't quite control and wish you didn't have." The bile in her words was rising, almost as palpable as the venom from a Seviper. "That'd sure make it easy, wouldn't it? Cast me aside, treat me like I'm lower than the fuckin' Digletts in the ground, act like my only worth is to be a pretty fuckin' doll in a dollhouse!"

She exhaled, the intensity of her remarks allowed to be swallowed up by the vastness of the landscape around her. Haleigh got herself up from her sitting position, looking one last time out towards Hammerlocke. From her perspective, it was but a small blip of civilization rising up out from the surrounding wilderness - and she, an even smaller blip amongst all of that.

As she walked off back towards her camp, she pantomimed having a glass of champagne in her hand, took an imaginary sip and pointed up towards the sky as if doing a toast. "Cheers, to being a Pokemon trainer, to being an adult, to being me. Whatever it all means."

Sonata · Mar 5, 2021

Poké:

5020 ♦ Pokemon: 5

CHAPTER 7.4 - BUDDING YOUTH PT.2
Dahlia swooped down, carrying the Stun Spore that Zorro released simultaneously with her own Fairy Wind. The Toxel retaliated with an Acid attack, but the blob missed them both completely as its vision was covered by the barrage of spores and wind which knocked it over.

The Cutiefly put distance between them, settling down on a branch a bit higher up as she peppered him with more spores since the first volley didn't seem to have any effect. The Toxel wiped away at its eyes, waddling blindly towards the Roselia before being struck by Zorro's extrasensory attack. However, the attack was too much for the opposing Poison-type. The attack struck it in his blindness, wounding him critically and causing him to be unable to make a proper follow-up.

Dahlia watched the interaction from her branch, slowing in her powdering mission as she witnessed the Toxel struggling to get back up after the last hit. Zorro had gotten stronger since he evolved, but she had no idea just how much difference there was now. She might have been older than the Grass-type, but if they had to go one-on-one against each other… she shuddered, not wanting to think about the chances of her losing to a child.

"Are you okay, Dahlia?" Zorro called out, unable to find the Cutiefly in the time since his last attack. The Pokemon's head turned on a swivel, searching all around him but finding nothing besides the wounded Toxel in front of him. "Here, let me help you!" He called out, throwing out Life Dew haphazardly in hopes of reaching her.

"I'm fine," Dahlia called back, still keeping her gaze on the Toxel. "C'mon Zorro," she said, shaking her head as she left her perch and hovered over the other two Pokemon. "Let's just finish this up. I don't think either of us really need healing, and he doesn't have anything to use against us so-"

"No!" The Roselia replied, watching the opposing Toxel as he Flailed about weakly, trying to get up without being hit as he did so. "He's upset, and clearly doesn't know where he is! It would be mean of me to beat him up just because of that! Look how badly he's already hurt after those first few attacks… he's just a baby, it's mean to pick on him any more than we already did."

"This wasn't fair," The Toxel cried out, the swinging of his arms slowing as he ran out of steam. "Nobody should be forced to go two on one… and flying is definitely cheating!" He called out, pointing towards Dahlia who was hovering entirely out of either of their reaches.

"You gotta use what you've got, right?" Dahlia replied, shaking about a little so her fuzz could blow freely in the wind. "It's not over yet, anyways. Look, there's still a chance for you to make a comeback. I'll sit up here, and let the two of you duke it out. How's that sound?"

"After the two of you already hit me with all that?" He shook his head, looking for anything that could help him win this battle.

"Here, take this and stop crying." Dahlia hovered up to a nearby tree, pulling a berry from it before dropping it in front of the Toxel. "That should even it up, right?"

The Toxel groaned, reaching out for the berry. "You're… really gonna sit it out?"

Dahlia shrugged. "I think we proved our point. All Zorro had to do was hit you one more time with that last attack and you'd have been down and out. But - if you want to keep going, you can take that berry. It'll make it a little more fair at least if all you have to worry about is the kid."

The Toxel shrugged lightly, quickly munching on the berry as he glanced between the Roselia and Cutiefly. He'd had nothing of note to use against them… that was why he was losing. Well, that and the fact that he'd been fighting on an empty stomach. But now, he might stand a bit more of a chance. He rose to his feet and waddled closer to Zorro, holding out his hand towards the Grass-type.

"Let's make it fair this time, yeah?"

Zorro's eyes lit up as he quickly glanced between the Toxel and his outstretched hand. He did remember. He remembered the example that Zorro had set as a big brother. "I'm so… so proud of you." he whispered, reaching out his arm to take the hand of the Toxel.

Toxel grinned, quickly grabbing onto Zorro's arm before he could take his hand. "This'll do for payback!" He shouted as he pulled the Roselia in close and conjured up something from deep within his stomach. "Buuuurrrrrrrr." The noxious gas came from deep within, the berry having upset his stomach enough that he could now use his best move - Belch.

Zorro winced as the gas surrounded and assailed him, causing a few petals from his roses to fall. The Roselia's eyes filled with tears as he pulled his other arm back, revealing the poisoned point within the roses. "I'm sorry," he whispered, too quiet for Toxel to hear. "Accept me!" He cried out, jabbing the Toxel with his Poisonous Stinger repeatedly.

The Toxel took the attack, shaking his head as he built up electricity around him. "I don't know what I'm supposed to accept! Just accept that I want to be left alone you weirdo!" The Toxel pressed his forehead against Zorro's, letting the built up shock travel through to the Pokemon.

"Yeah, that's it…" Zorro whispered, continuing to jab at the Toxel with his weakest attack. "We can learn to understand each other… just like in that cartoon… we'll let our fists do the talking for the story of our hearts!"

Dahlia cringed at Zorro's outburst. They'd only seen the ad for whatever that animation was once in the whole time they were staying at the hotel in Turffield. Just once! But he hadn't let it go since then. He just kept repeating it to himself over and over as he hyped himself up in pretend battles with himself in the mirror. "Sometimes… I wish I wasn't related to you." She sighed, shaking her head. "But I guess I can let it go, since you're still a kid."

The Toxel grinned, finally looking excited as he'd managed to land a few blows on the Pokemon. "Yeah, well, whatever! As long as you two aren't cheating, then I can-" he started, but was cut off by a particularly sharp jab to his side. He let go of Zorro, stumbling backwards as the Grass-type fell forward after losing the wall that he'd been putting all of his weight into. "L-lucky shot." The Pokemon whispered, rising quicker than usual to his feet. "But how're you going to catch this!" He cried out, immediately beginning to swing his fists around frantically as the electricity built up in his cheeks again.

Zorro smiled as he pushed himself back up out of the dirt. Toxel was finally starting to enjoy the fight. Despite all his bellyaching earlier on, he… the Roselia looked down at his 'fists' and smiled. He'd done it. He'd made Toxel understand him a little better through his fists. "Yeah, that's it!" He called out excitedly, considering what he should use next. Nothing else he knew how to use really utilized his flowers… but then there was-

"I'm here!" The Toxel cried out as he started whaling on the Roselia that was lost in thought.

Dahlia perked up, wondering what Zorro would do to counter the attack. He could use just about anything at this point, and Toxel should be finished. But he seemed to be stuck in a certain mindset at the moment, which was affirmed as she watched him pull his arms back again for another exchanging of blows with his Poison Sting. She sighed, shaking her head. "He's going to lose," she whispered to herself.

The Toxel was completely inelegant in his attacks and in his movements. Zorro was useful, and Yzma was… concerning, currently and even she herself was teetering on the edge of usefulness... The other Pokemon that Rosa had didn't seem to be the most practical for performance, but at the least they were able to share in the sentiment for their placement. If they had to place, it should have been at least second or third.

Fourth place was a slap in the face. She'd stayed behind to watch the other performances and through her study had found that Melody's was the only one really worth mentioning outside of their own. The others all lacked something different, but all in all, the majority of them were amateurs. None of them truly had the heart of a performer. None of them truly wanted to be on that stage like she did! She'd choreographed that routine herself while Rosa clumsily got back into the mindset of whatever training it was she'd had.

Now Rosa... that was a star. She'd just gone along with her at first for her enticing aura, but to find that she was born to be a performer was just… wow. She still couldn't get over the fact of how lucky she'd been in that. But her performances were too dignified for such a plebian panel. She'd been giving it some thought herself about how best to modernize Rosa's performances, but really it just depended on what element they could add to the team. The girl seemed fairly set in her ways of performance from what she'd seen, having been turned down several times when she'd offered to choreograph something new. But… that's how stars were. They had to be stubborn, or else why even call yourself a star?

From what she could tell, there was no reason to bring this Toxel onto their side if she too was to become a star of the stage. She quickly considered all of the other possible options that they'd seen along the way which could have been brought in instead to liven up their performances. But… it might keep Zorro happy if they managed to win the Toxel over - even if she knew it wasn't the one he thought it was. Zorro was the next best part of their show for the moment, so it might be for the best to keep him happy and attentive. She glanced down at the two Pokemon, watching as they both grew increasingly and visibly more tired. "Just a little nudge shouldn't hurt." She whispered.

The cutiefly created the tiniest of winds that rushed down and pushed the Toxel off balance just enough that the next Poison Sting from Zorro landed perfectly on the Pokemon's face, sending it falling over the rest of the way. The Roselia looked down at the Toxel, an indescribable look on his face as he regained his breath.

The Toxel breathed heavily, his whole body moving as his eyes slowly turned towards Zorro who was still hovering over him. "You won…" he said hoarsely. "But still… it means nothing if you can't move me. And guess what…" he smiled lightly as he closed his eyes. "I don't have the strength to do it myself, either."

Zorro smiled as he watched the Toxel close his eyes. "I guess we'll see about that… friend." he replied before turning and waddling off.

Dahlia shook her head and hovered down closer to the Toxel. "Hey, I know you're not asleep." She whispered. "The kid's gone, by the way."

The Toxel sneakily opened one of his eyes and looked around before pushing himself up against a nearby tree. "Close… but yeah, not yet." he replied weakly, his eyes moving lazily around before fixing themselves on Dahlia. "So… what do you want? Shouldn't you be… bodyguarding, I assume?"

The Cutiefly shook her head. "He's strong enough now. Besides, I wanted to talk to you about a certain offer I have in mind."

"I told you, I don't want to be like you guys… that's all anyone ever wants to talk about, and I'm just not about it. Now, how 'bout you fly on up there and grab me another one of them berries so I can scurry on out of here before your friend comes back and we can call this even, eh?"

"Even, huh?" Dahlia mused, giving the Toxel a small Kiss on the forehead before Draining away some more of its remaining energy. "What's that make us?"

"Ugh… tired." The Pokemon groaned as it grew flushed and wiped at its face. "What do you want from me?"

"Join our team. It'll make the kid happy if nothing else. I need him to be in top shape so we can win our next contest."

"Contests, huh? So you're… performers? Crazy… as strong as the two of you are, and you're just worried about how pretty you can make your attacks look."

"So you know about contests already? That's awfully weird, coming from a wild Pokemon this far outside of the city."

The Toxel rubbed the back of his head as he turned away from Dahlia's gaze. "Well… that's my secret to keep."

The Cutiefly watched the Poison-type for a few seconds longer, wondering what was going on behind those drooping eyes.

"So, do you-"

"Daaaaahlia! Toooooxel!" Zorro called out, waddling quickly behind the girl that he'd brought back with him. "Guess who I found on my way back to camp!"

Rosa quickly threw herself in front of the Toxel, pulling the sweater up away from her knees so that it wouldn't get dirty as she pulled the Pokemon away from the tree he was propped up against. "Oh no, what happened to you?" She whispered, rubbing the Toxel's head as she looked at the beaten up looking Zorro and Dahlia who despite looking perfectly fine, was also directly beside the injured Toxel.

"Just put me down, girl." The Toxel murmured, his eyes slowly closing now that he'd had a good portion of the energy that was left sucked out by the Fairy-type. "If you don't want to get hurt, then…" he whispered, a small spark bounced off of his head towards the girl's hand, but had no effect on her.

"Oh, oh no!" Rosa whispers, watching as the Pokemon slowly closed its eyes. "I know I have to have something here that can help… oh, I'm so sorry." She whispered again as she placed the Toxel back on the ground and began to dig through her bag. "Come on, come on… I know it's in here somewhere, I just have to… ugh." She quickly shook her hands, wiping the gathered Stun Spores from her hands as the tingling began to set in. "I'm eager to hear your excuse about why you- no, why am I talking like I expect you to be able to explain this?" Rosa muttered, shaking her head as she pulled the sweater off of her back. "I guess for now, I'll just have to do this."

Zorro reached into Rosa's bag, pulling out the last empty pokeball before pushing it towards her hand. "Here, put him in! We can take him back to Melody a lot safer if he's in there!"

"No, I don't think that's the right thing to do right now." Rosa whispered, waving away the Grass-type before quickly putting the ball back in her bag. "Turffield wasn't that far back, and there's still daylight out. If we can get camp put away, then maybe we'll-"

The girl trailed off on a random tangent as wiped the Pokemon clean of the accumulated spores, shaking her head the entire time. Zorro and Dahlia had really done a good job in giving him a luminescent spring coat. Meanwhile, the Toxel rolled over in the girl's arms, cuddling up against the sweater. "Just a few more minutes…" he whispered, peeking up at Rosa momentarily, reaching out his hand towards her. "Oh… sorry mom… just give me a few more... " he yawned wide, curling up into a ball as he took in the unknown yet familiar scent on the sweater. "Dad hasn't transformed from the last trainer yet anyways… you know how hard it is to get his attention when he's not the right type."

Toxel slowly peeled open his eyes and sat up with a yawn. He unconsciously pulled the sweater back up over his shoulders as it slid off with his movement. The Pokemon glanced around the camp, just now noticing that day had passed and the rest of the stars had come out. "Where… am I?" He whispered, finally realizing what he was holding on to as he pulled it away from his body.

"Oh, good." Rosa smiled as she got up from her spot a few feet away. "I'm glad you're doing alright." She pressed her fingers against her lips as she grew closer to the Toxel. "Sorry about Zorro and Dahlia, but I hope you can forgive them. Zorro's still basically a baby, and Dahlia is… well," she shrugged lightly, still smiling in a way that the Toxel had never seen before. "They're both sleeping now, so if you want to you can just come and watch the stars with us? Otherwise… I guess you probably have somewhere else to be, right? You are a wild Pokemon, after all…" her voice trailed off as she began to think about what she was saying.

She laughed lightly, "Sorry. You probably don't understand what I'm saying… I'm glad you're better though, so just hurry off now, yeah? I don't want Zorro to wake up and get upset when he sees you leaving. He'd been standing guard over you all day, so I think he might be missing Melody's Toxel just a little bit." The girl quietly walked back to the place she had been sitting and slowly got back down on the ground, pulling Wyatt's arm back around her as she looked up at the sky.

Toxel watched her from his sitting position the entire time she spoke, not really sure what to make of it. And then, she simply left him, paying no more mind to him or what he was doing. He glanced around slowly at the empty food bowls as he rubbed his mostly empty stomach, and then at the small but crackling fire that she'd prepared. He then looked up at the stars himself, pulling the sweater closer around him as he stared into the void. He really didn't have anywhere else to be… and he had accepted the two pokemons' challenge. This was nothing like that dream he'd had before… nobody was telling him to change, nobody was forcing him into balls… maybe he was still dreaming. The toxel pinched him, and let out a small cry which prompted Rosa to shoot upright.

"Oh no, are you still hurt?" She questioned softly as she crawled over to the toxel. "I found a bunch of oran berries that I managed to mash up into something smooth enough and fed you while you slept, so you should be feeling a little bit better… I honestly should have taken you to the Pokemon Center back in Turffield, but… Zorro just kept throwing a fit each time I tried getting the other Pokemon back into their balls. Eventually I'll have to get him into one too, but... it just feels wrong to coop him up when he's fine as he is."

Toxel was completely bewildered, unsure of what to make of the girl. Dahlia crawled out from the girl's buns and looked down sleepily at the toxel.

"Just come with us you geek." She said quietly.

"Oh, sorry… didn't mean to wake you Dahlia." Rosa whispered, ushering the bug back into her bed of hair.

Toxel shook his head and then stared at the sweater, feeling its warmth before looking back up at Rosa's concerned face. He let out a sigh, wondering what he should do.

"Do you… have anywhere else to go?" Rosa asked after several seconds of trying to force the question down.

The toxel studied her face and then shook his head.

"Would you like to come with us then? I actually know someone that just hatched a toxel a lot like you… we might be able to-"

Toxel cut her off, standing up out of the sweater. "IF you're going to ask me to go with you, at least have some dignity about your decision." He waddled over to her bag where he'd seen zorro digging around earlier before he completely passed out. He pulled out the ball and dropped it at Rosa's feet, pointing between the sleeping zorro, dahlia, rosa, and then finally to himself. "If I'm going to go with you, I'm going to stay with you. This will be… this will be it. The only chance I'm willing to take right now is on the promise I made to those two."

Rosa smiled and nodded, still uncertain of what the pokemon was saying. "Yeah, of course. We'll all go together."

Toxel furrowed his brow, uncertain himself of whether or not his words made it through. "Good enough for now, I guess."

Rosa pressed the ball to the pokemon's head, capturing it instantly.

Rosa's Party

Memories

CHAPTER 1 - WEDGEHURST & ROUTE 2
GOODBYES, AND HELLO TO A NEW JOURNEY
TROUBLE'S ON THE TRACKS
NAMES AND NIGHTMARES!

CHAPTER 2 - THE SOUTHERN WILD AREA
ENTER THE WILD AREA!
NEW BIKING BIKERS!
THE MYSTERIOUS SHINY POKEMON!
RANGER DANGER! PT.1
RANGER DANGER! PT.2
RANGER DANGER! FINALE!
RED-EYES BLACK-HAT!

CHAPTER 3 - MOTOSTOKE
INN FOR A PENNY, INN FOR A POUND
INN FOR A PENNY, INN FOR A POUND PT.2
SHADY SHOPPING
THE OPENING CEREMONY
THE OPENING CEREMONY PT.2
THE OPENING CEREMONY PT.3
INN WITH THE FAMILY
ALL BETS ON BLACK
LATE NIGHT LULLABIES
SNACK ATTACK!

CHAPTER 4 - ROUTE 3
VS SIMON
VS SIMON PT.2
MYSTERY OF MEW
MYSTERY OF MEW PT.2
WINTER FESTIVAL
A TWO HEADED REFLECTION

CHAPTER 5 - GALAR MINE AND ROUTE 4
DAYDREAM OF MINE
DEVELOPMENT AND MISSED CONNECTIONS
BUGGIN' THE COSMOS

CHAPTER 6 - TURFFIELD
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE PT.2
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE PT.3
IS IT TOO LATE TO APOLOGIZE?
TURRFIELD CONTEST PERFORMANCE
PLANNING AND CHALLENGE
VS MILO
GIRL'S NIGHT OUT
FEAR THE BEGINNING

CHAPTER 7 - ROUTE 5
WORK FOR A PROMISE
WORK FOR A PROMISE PT.2
BUDDING YOUTH

Rosa's Journal

Simon Dansen

My childhood friend. Absolute idiot. Can't ever get a read on him anymore. Buttface. Always there when I need him. Always there when I least expect him. JERK. Showed me up in battle and evolved his Pokemon before me.

He came to "rescue" me after I coerced Ruben into protecting me in the underground casino. I told him off... and then didn't apologize until much later. He came to wish me a late merry christmas after Ruben gave me his spare room. He reminded me of our promise from before our journey started, and gave me my christmas gift which was a traditional Johtoan kimono and fan - all to prepare me for the upcoming contests. He also told me I should call his mom and dad since they're so worried about us both now that we're gone, but... I'll figure it out later.

Jasper

An ex-classmate. He took my bait and threw me for a loop when we were fighting a group of Munchlax together. Not as bad a guy as I thought. Because of him, I have to re-evaluate my notes on everyone else just in case. I'm interested in trying a different approach with him when next we meet.

Helped out a wrongfully arrested girl. Really smart. Observant. Kind, but doesn't like to show it. Isn't a terrible cook.

Charles the Biker

An eccentric, but strong man. Indulges in bad puns. Love for bikes. We left on good terms.

Nat the Ranger

A doting older brother to several sisters. A strong trainer who follows their duty. Only spent a day with them. Not sure if I want to meet again or not since I stole a broken styler from his scene of investigation. We left on good terms, I think? Unless he notices that something's missing.

Budew Girl

Never got her name. Apparently she's a challenger like the rest of my classmates. Comes from a family of Budew fanatics. They breed Budew in their hometown and journey around with all three forms of it. She seems endearing. It might be interesting to meet her again in the future. As long as she's not being accused of theft, that is.

Achille Béringer

Rich kid. Pays his debts. Is keen on rich kid things. Doesn't seem much different from how he was in school, but still need to reevaluate.

Melody Argent

Cute and kind. She keeps to herself kind of like I do. Loves music. Feels similar to Simon. Still need to reevaluate because of interactions with Jasper. Kind of maybe, possibly, a small amount of a badass. Finger guns - super corny. Don't harp on the idea of being in contests. If that culty stuff doesn't get figured out by the time we come back to Motostoke, I'll have to remember to find her around town. She's much more attuned to pop culture than I am.

AAAAAHHH! We did so much in Turffield, and even more just after! I still can't believe that she wont that contest and made it look so... so easy! She's just, like, wow. I still don't know what to do with all of my thoughts, but after that delivery we did together especially I just. Wowee. Jeez.

The Family // Damien(?)

Not the family himself, I don't think. I still haven't got his name or what role he really plays in all this. He's a shady motherfucker - pardon my Kalos. I still don't know how much of the stuff I've gone through in Motostoke has been orchestrated by him, but for the moment I'm not planning to try anything. I still don't know enough about him to make any real guesses. The longer that I stay around this town, the further behind the veil that I see. I'm scared even to go to sleep at night so long as I'm here. They have eyes... everywhere.

Buggy Simon

Some kind of freak of nature. I guess he understands Pokemon in some way that I can't; like, he understands what they're actually trying to say when they speak? Kind of cool, but also weird. Him and Simon used to hang out every once in a while at school. He knows about my "secret styler".

Valerie

An absolute ray of sunshine and happiness. She's also a streamer, and earns enough money from it to show it off. Not put off by literal ghosts. Has some kind of dream of meeting Mew.

Aeliana Kekoa

Alolan dance girl. She's supposed to teach me sometime. Pretty much just how I remembered her in school. I didn't get to spend much time with her when we all hung out. Didn't seem too bothered by the ghosts.

Pia McGuire

Pia... definitely is afraid of literal ghosts. I had a few choice words for her, but... after we saw Jirachi, it just felt like the time had passed, so I gave up. She's seen me without my mask, so next time we meet up is probably going to be awkward.

Haleigh Windsor

A friend of Melody's. I intentionally ran into her after failing to catch up with Melody, due to the addition of Haleigh. We had a short battle, and then made a promise for drinks with Melody after I urged her to drag the girl along with her to the contest in Turffield. She seems quite naive, so I may be able to get some more use out of her as long as I stay true to her persona. She's battle hungry, the same as Simon, but her Pokemon are still a little lacking - that coming from someone who still has no idea what she's doing here herself. She might end up being a good sparring partner in the future since she knows a little of what I've got and we're on relatively equal footing.

Mother Priscilla

The leader of the Turffield Sisterhood. I thought at first she was just an escort, but once we got to their hideout, I slowly started to realize what she really was. She's an incredibly dangerous woman who has no trouble pulling a gun on important people or those that she may need. There's still too much I don't know about what's going on to get a good grasp on what her and Damien's goals are, but given what I've already seen I really could do without finding out.

Ruben Sancho

Truth be told, I hadn't cared for Ruben when we went to school together. I thought he was your average rich celebrity who was forced into something he didn't really want to be a part of. After getting involved with the family and finding myself in that gambling hall, and then finding Ruben there as well, I felt that my suspicions were true. I had no second thoughts about what I was going to drag him in to. But as time went on, I found myself feeling more and more regretful with each time that he said Pia's name. And then because of me, news about him and Pia got out before either of them were likely ready to go public. And after all that, Simon attacked him out of the blue... but even after all that, he still offered me a free room at the local hotel. I already apologized to him about Simon, and about lying to get him to go with me. But, I should apologize again. He's not as bad of a guy as I thought he was.

Outfits

Spoiler: Here be a number of large images

Inventory

Spoiler:

Dragon · Mar 6, 2021

Sidequest Start!
Episode: Wishiwashi! Part 1
Players: Valerie Amity, Simon

Press START to begin!

Simon and Aurora were finally approaching the large, towering structure that was the Simonson Studios main set. The massive warehouse-looking building had a large logo on the front that read the studio's name, placed inside of a Wishiwashi silhouette which was their headline show's logo. The studio was located rather scenically beside the ocean, with the mouth of the Hulbury channel providing a fitting backdrop for the fish-themed decorations. All around them, trucks carrying various boxes, props and crates were moving between the different shooting locations. It was unlike any place Simon had ever been to- it almost looked like those depictions of Woollywood in Unova that he saw on the telly.

As they entered the main building, he tried to recount the briefing Aurora had given him at the lab.

"This next job's gonna be a little more 'on the field' so listen up."
"Whoa... What kind of work are we doing?"
"Let's call it... information gathering."
"Yo, sick! You mean like spies? Are we going full-on James Bonsly? I don't even have the suit yet-"
"Focus, Pearburgh! Our target is going to be Ryan Simonson, head of Wishiwashi Studios. Blackspear has an exclusive contract with them when it comes to managing the technicians and lighting."
"I remember that cartoon! What's the issue with them?"
"We've been losing studio contracts to competitors recently, and the suits think Simonson's in part to blame. He's a man with many friends, and he's being suspected of divulging confidential contract information that's giving them the upper hand. My job will be to go and find that information- your job will be to keep him away from me."
"Wait, like a distraction?"
"If you want to call it that. I'm going to be posing as a casting agent, and I signed you up for a role on one of their shows."
"Wait, what?! I haven't voice acted a day in my life!"
"There's going to be a second hire alongside you as well, so you can just follow her lead. She's not Blackspear though, so you keep your mouth shut about this."
"What's her name?"
"I think you might know her."

"Yooo hooo! Someone ordered delivery!" then a cheery voice echoed in their direction. "Someone ordered a Val, extra, extra pog?!" As if it wasn't evident from her self intro enough, the beloved pink trainer, Valerie, had entered the studio with a wide grin. "Get her while she's hot! Oh and, looooving the deco, btw! Soooo chic!"

"Yep, there she is." Aurora checked her watch. "And surprisingly on time, unlike some people."

Simon paid no mind to her comment. "YOOO, VAL!!" he yelled out to the girl as he waved her over. "Over here!"

"Whoa ho ho! Lookin' good, Si-Fi!" Valerie waved back, heading her way towards the two. "Hope you're doing well, brother! Ahhh, and you - Miss Aurora Beam, right? You must be the cutie agent I'm looking for? Right on!"

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Aurora smiled at Val. "I have to say, the demo reel you sent was quite impressive, the studio seems to like you a lot. I'm thrilled to see the jump from streamer to voice actress is doing you well."

"Aww shucks, juuuust happy to please the fans!" Valerie remarked. "This is gonna be triple hype! I'm pumped!"

Simon glanced at his Blackspear colleague; she'd certainly gotten into character quickly. He just hoped Val wouldn't realize she was actually older than her own 'agent'. He then noticed a little peek of fire trailing behind Val as she was approaching, and as it got closer, he realized it was her starter. "YOOO, FLAME!" he exclaimed, running up to the Quilava and crouching down. "I watched the Milo battle! You look even cooler - well, I mean, hotter - in the flesh!"

Flame nodded proudly at the lad. Along with his evolution and the defeat of the powerful Eldegoss seemed to have made a boost to his overall confidence. "Hell yeah, ain't Flame the neatest?! Like you shoulda seen him, he was like, whoooooosh! BANG! KABLOOEY! And the noobs were all like: daaaaang, that Flame sure is the neatest!" Valerie proudly bragged. Flame however still remained the more humble of the two. "But ayyyy, from what I saw on the tele, your Pokémon look like they're not too bad themselves, Si-Fi!"

"Heh, well they don't call me the Joltik King for nothing." Simon puffed up his chest and crossed his arms confidently. He was determined to get that title to stick.

A voice then called to the trio from deeper within the building. "Ah, there you are!"

A tall, slender man wearing black turtleneck, shades and a brown scally cap marched up to them. In his hand was a clipboard with the Wishiwashi Squad logo printed on the back, and around his neck was a lanyard with blue text that read 'Director'. This was with no doubt Ryan Simonson, the peerless wolrd-star director of the hit show The Wishiwashi Squad.

"And perfectly on time, wonderful!" he added, taking off his sunglasses.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Simonson." Aurora said, shaking the man's hand with a smile. "Your reputation precedes you."

"Thank you, I know." Simonson smirked. He turned to the two young trainers who were standing beside her. "And these are my grand stars of the day!" he exclaimed, clasping his hands together. "I cannot begin to express how excited I am to direct such talented individuals." he said, eagerly grabbing Simon and Valerie's hands and shaking them. "You two will bring the much-needed rejuvenation I n- I mean, this show needs!"

"Oh for sure! 100% Val-isfaction guaranteed!" said Valerie, with her wide grin. "But for reals, great to be aboard! Nice to be working with a classmate of mine too!"

"Hah, Val and I have already proven to make a great team." Simon posed confidently. "Back in school they'd call us 'the explosive disaster'!"

"Maaaan that takes me back, bro," Valerie added. "Teach always said, when we're both together, it was always an explosive disaster indeedy! Boom! Rulin' the academy with our awesomeness!"

Beside them, Aurora let out a silent groan of exasperation before giving the director a polite smile. "I can vouch for their effectiveness on-camera, sir."

"Fantastic, I love it!" Simonson clapped his hands again. "Now, follow me- we've got a long day ahead of us, my little starlings."

As the man led them through the studio, the group noticed different sets and props being moved around the large building; gold and jewels from the pirate episode, icebergs from the christmas episode; even the legendary life-like Leon-themed wishiwashi that had been used for the guest special episode. Directing all of the studio workers was an Abomasnow with a little beret hat and a megaphone in its hand. The Pokemon was barking cries through the device and stomping her foot angrily.

"This is my partner Abomasnow." Simonson explained to them as they passed by the Pokemon, "She's in charge of props and costumes- luckily you won't be needing much of that today, she's quite ruthless to work with."

After a few more minutes of walking, they finally arrived in an enormous green-screen room with several lights and cameras placed around it, and a number of devices hanging from the ceiling that stopped at about eye-level. Several crew members were busy setting up the equipment, and as Simonson entered the room he clapped his hands.

"Our guests are here!" he called out, and immediately the crew stopped what they were doing and rushed to Simon and Val.

"Wait, whoa- what are you doing?!" Simon exclaimed as a female crew member grabbed his face and examined it closely, while another took off his hat and scowled at his hair.

"Whoooa, if you want my face, at least buy me dinner first!" another crew member took a good look at Valerie's earring, and also examined and lightly powdered her face. "Hehe, is Valerie's face irrrrrresistable? Gonna melt your knees like chocolate in the suuuuun? Are we… in danger?! Jokes, jokes!"

"Undress yourselves." another crew member ordered, his face dead serious as he spoke.

"R-right now?!" Simon asked, a little flustered as the other two began removing the myriad of bugs from his coat.

Simonson clapped his hands again. "Now, now, let's not be so harsh on our two guests, they're newbies to this business, after all. Simon, Valerie, please head to the dressing room over there and change out of your clothes. My team will provide you with our state-of-the art motion-capture suits. Now, go on! Hup hup!"

Before the two could say anything else, both trainers were grabbed by their respective crew members and taken to their rooms. Aurora watched quietly in amusement as they were hauled away.

"You've got quite the operation running here, sir." she commented.

"Hm? Oh, you're still here!" the director raised his eyebrows as he noticed her. "I never know what to do with you bureaucrats. You can, ah, lounge by the catering table over there, or something." He waved his hand dismissively.

Aurora smirked, this was going to be much easier than she'd thought.

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

A short while later, Simon and Val stepped out of their dressing rooms, now completely changed into their new outfits. The skin-tight blue MoCap suits were covered in little white balls from head to toe, and on their faces were even smaller white markings that the makeup crew had put on them. Simon looked at Val as he waddled forward uncomfortably. "Does the suit make me look fat?" he asked, trying his best not to scratch himself inappropriately.

"Nah, you're good," Val replied, having a fair, yet cozy look at her new outfit. She let out a small giggle. "Ooooh, check it out, skin tight and everything! Hehe, I look like one of those Crobatman villains, rawr!"

"Fantastic, you two look like TV stars already!" their director said, walking over to them. "I hope you find the suits comfortable. Now-" He pulled out two small stacks of paper from his clipboard and handed them to Val and Simon, "Familiarize yourselves with the script. You don't need to memorize it, we'll have it teleprompted through your headsets, but you should still know the general gist of the episode's story. This one shall be a Valentine's Special!"

"Poggers! Now you're speaking my language!" Valerie remarked happily. "You can't have a Valentine without Val after all! Super special awesome hyyyype!"

"Precisely, my dear!" Simonson nodded. "The plot for this one shall be centered around the kidnapping of a character's 'valentine', and it's up to the Wishiwashi squad to save them, alongside this episode's two squad members…" One of the crew members played a drumroll sound from the speakers as two stickers were handed to Simon and Val.

"MEMBERS ANORITH AND LUVDISC!" the director exclaimed.

A moment of silence passed. "...wait, I'm Luvdisc?" Simon asked, confused at the little pink pokemon sticker he'd been given. "I would've thought that-"

"Oh, sorry." The crew member quickly took the stickers away from the two actors and handed them the right one.

"Niiiice! I'm the 'luvly' Luvdisc!" Valerie beamed, she's obviously more energetic about her pink role than Simon seemed to be. "Like, pink is GANGSTER yo - Beatin' up the bad guys with a brilliant pink? Now THAT is pog!"

Simon examined his own sticker from all angles, unsure of what the Pokemon even was, but eventually shrugged and held it up high. "We're gonna destroy king carvanha then, or my name isn't Squad Member Anorith!" he proclaimed.

"We use the word 'tell off', this is a children's show after all." Simonson corrected. "Now, you two starlings read through the script, and I'll go prepare the rest of the crew. Roundup in fifteen, mhm?" With that, the director snapped his fingers again and the crew members rushed back to their previous positions.

Simon looked at Val, "Hey, um, do you have any idea how this whole acting business works? I've never done anything like this before."

"Aw, it's a breeze! You'll get the hang of it in no time," Valerie started. "You just gotta get into your character. It allll starts by learning about em': the character's feelings, their motivations… you gotta put your head into that character and think, what would they do, y'know? It's a breeze! Oh, and most importantly, have fun! That's the most important part of acting. If you have fun, it will resonate with the kids!"

Valerie then stepped back, doing a firm stance. "Example! Remember the champion before Jackson Crane? Cynthia? I'll act as her! Ahem... " she cleared her throat, and swiftly bushed the side of her hair to one side of her left eye. "I'm Cynthia. One good look at you tells me many things about you… as ex-champion of Sinnoh, I accept your challenge! Give me every once of strength you got, because *****, the cold never bothered me anyway."

"Whoa, that's amazing!! How'd you do that?!" Simon clapped excitedly. The instant change in Val's demeanor was incredible, it was as if he was talking to Cynthia herself through her.

"Hehe, I aaaam a streamer after all! Most of them get the whole acting and persona thing down pat," Valerie said with a proud grin.

Simon began flipping through the script. "Looks like there's a lot of lines for other characters, so we could bounce off of them too. There's a lot I don't remember about the show, though…"

"Dude, the show's my jam!" explained Valerie. "The wishiwashi squad are like, this world organization spread across the ocean who helps out everyone! The main characters are wishiwashi who meet new friends every episode, and with their help, they beat down every bad guy! Before their final attack, the kids all chant 'Wishoo! Wishoo! Wishoo!' and thennnnn KABLAM! Super mega Wishi attack!! It's all about friendship and unity!"

"Whoa… we do have our own super attacks!" Simon read through the script with starry eyes. "This is gonna be sick! You wanna practice a bit while we wait?"

"Alrighty!" Valerie replied. "Witness the power of luv!"

The pair continued to practice their lines on each other, the ever-enthusiastic streamer coaching Simon on her techniques as they went. Soon enough, their director's voice echoed through the room through his loudspeaker.

"All actors, gather on main the VR stage!"

A pair of ninja-like crew members rushed towards Val and Simon and dragged them to the center of the green-screen set, where a number of other mocap-wearing individuals were waiting, along with Simonson himself. As he noticed the two approach, he motioned towards the other members of the cast.

"Meet your fellow actors! This is Gwen, she voices most of our Wishiwashi characters, including our main character Blue."

A fairly short woman with a Wishiwashi clip in her hair waved at them excitedly. "A true honour to work with you talented trainers!"

"And this is Trisha, she plays Pink, as well as some of our other minor roles." Simonson continued. The girl he'd mentioned barely looked up from her phone as she gave a lazy greeting.

"And this is Frank! He plays our beloved villain, King Carvanha." He motioned towards the largest person in the room, a towering, muscular man who was glaring at Simon and Val. He took one thundering step towards them and cracked his knuckles.

"You two the guest stars?" he grumbled menacingly.

"Y-yes…!" Simon stammered, taking a step back to hide behind Val.

Frank let out a loud, bellowing laugh. "Welcome to the family, then! Sorry, I was just messin' with yous."

"Nice to meet ya', Franky!" Valerie introduced, unhesitantly. "And thanks a bunch!"

Simonson pointed to a bunch more actors, dressed fully in their mocap suits so that even their faces were covered. "And these are our unsung heroes who move for the rest of the Wishiwashi squad. Kyle, Angelina, Tiffany, Geoffrey, Mark, Sandy, Simmons, Timmy, Henry, Cindy…" The name list continued to spiral off into a dizzying amount of people. "...and that should be everyone! Knowing everyone out of character should help with recognizing them in the simulation."

"The simulation?" Simon asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" The turtleneck-clad director grinned. "You'll find our shooting techniques are quite revolutionary for the industry. We use real-life sets and Pokemon in combination with proprietary VR technology - devised by yours truly, might I add - to immerse our actors entirely within the world of Wishiwashi squad! You will see, hear, feel and breathe - well, not literally - this virtual reality, and we'll be able to track your faces and bodies through the suits. You won't be able to tell reality from fiction - of course, this is what we want our young viewers to feel as well."

"Whoooooa, technology is so cool!" Valerie said in awe. "Not that I understand everything buuut it sounds so-so-so cool!"

"Okay, everyone into position!" Simonson called out as he clapped his hands. Each cast member went to their designated VR headset, each one hanging from a cord that was attached to some supercomputer in the ceiling. He looked at the two trainers. "It may take a little getting used to at first, but don't be too overwhelmed. We'll let you know when shooting starts, so until then try to get a feel for it! For the most part, try to stick to the script that you'll see on-screen, but don't be afraid to give me some of that wonderful flair you've both got!"

"VR Headset on!" Valerie announced. She still didn't properly understand how the VR set works, but her excitement could not be contained - she immediately put on her headwear in anticipation of what she will experience next.

Game Paused!

MurkMire · Mar 6, 2021

Name: Clovis Solanine
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Current Party:

Chapter 7-2: Treacherous Touch of Trouble

Featuring....
Timereaux Nigel Thaumatoff, aka Tim & Xan

"Huff… huff… finally… FINALLY managed to put enough distance between me and the dancing fiends. All four of them," Clovis groaned. Slowly, he walked, allowing himself to slow and enjoy the fresh air, and the sounds of peaceful nature once more. At this point, Clovis stops and leans over to gaze over the majestic, sweeping Wild Area. Water, glimmering in the sunlight. Vibrant foliage and trees, swaying in the pleasant breeze. People and Pokemon, interacting with each other. Truly, a pleasant sight to the eyes. "If only most people weren't idiots… this sight would be… perfect," he muttered, sighing once more and picking himself up, steadying on.

As he did, the occupied Pokeballs on his person clicked together. Each click, Clovis' mind rang with the interactions of his current Pokemon team. Cortex, his faithful, talented partner. Pariet, a… questionable capture, to be sure, but still a valuable asset. Archimedes, brilliant and graceful, a true ace. Id, a trickster, sadistic and passionate for battle. And then, Aneurysm. Clovis' newest capture. "Oh, how will I deal with this one… oh well. At least I'm finally through with any wild misadventures for the time being." A small smile creeped across his face, as he relished the moment.

There was a certain beauty to be had in the sky, even with the rolling grey clouds in the distance a reminder of the storm just passed. A 'behold nature's wrath' kind of appeal, perhaps. For a moment, even this high up, the wind stilled and its absence made Clovis aware of squelchy footsteps approaching the bridge. From around the corner a figure emerged; big coat, helmet on, head down, almost staggering through the mud. An Abra floated a short ways behind, decidedly less tired and yet decidedly more asleep. Breathless huffing entered the soundscape as the stranger approached yet closer, but then they seemed to notice Clovis' presence and immediately made a beeline for the opposite end of the bridge. With some effort they heaved themselves up onto the brickier parts of the bridge railing and sat there, exhausted. Noticing this, Clovis felt a sense of incredible unease. Almost as if his "Shenanigans Senses" is tingling. Immediately, Clovis felt the nausea once more. Please. Not more insanity.

A second figure, a man, rounded the corner as well. If this one weren't dressed so oddly he was still quite ragged in filthy clothes hidden under a sorry poncho. He didn't have a helmet on like the first figure had, but between his opaque sunglasses and bushy mustache, his face was just about as unreadable. "I suppose the storm's gone proper then," he was saying in a deep voice, looking at the sky. "I should—" He stopped abashedly at seeing the helmeted figure's break for the bridge and then muttered something at the ground and moved aside to sit down in the dirt on the edge of the road.

Looking around his surroundings, the addition of… another kooky-looking individual. Nope. I'm done with misadventures. I'm moving on. I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving…. Clovis straightens up, collects himself, and begins to stride off quickly-

*conk*

With a spin too quick of his heel… Clovis spun, and fell face first into the brick-lined ground. Just a typical day. Ouch.

The filthy mustached man was there by Clovis, offering a hand. "Are you alright, Clovis?" he asked. The man apparently knew him.

Giving up to the whims of fate, Clovis took his hand. Slowly, Clovis raised his head, looking at the latest addition to his headache, aside from Aneurysm and a small dance troupe. A haggard, destitute looking guy was what Clovis saw, as he reluctantly let him help. "Uhh… thank you. How do you know who I am?" Clovis took his hand back, and tried with all of his being not to immediately go for his handkerchief.

The man's face was obscured both by his facial hair and his glasses, but his big brows communicated some hurt at Clovis's question. The man looked at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Clovis and saying simply, "You beat Milo."

Thinking back, Clovis did realize that… his name would begin to spread among the Gym Challenge followers. It would only make sense that random people would recognize him as well. A smirk crept across his face. Swiftly, wiping his left hand, and pretended to clear his throat while covering the handkerchief. Careful to not have it touch his person, he then tucked the handkerchief. "Well, of course I did. I *am* Clovis Solanine… Well, as a show of thanks, I can give you an autograph. One moment," Holding up a finger, Clovis turned and grabbed an empty journal out of his bag with a free arm. Tearing out one of the pages, and a pen that was in the spiral binding, he wrote out his name in a fancy, cursive writing.

Still smirking, Clovis felt proud. Once I'm Champion, this will be worth quite a bit of money. I'm sure this will help this poor fellow out. With a dramatic signing, Clovis gave the haggard man the autograph. "Here you are. Be sure to treasure that, now. I bid you adieu."

The man received the autograph with a raised eyebrow and looked at it thoughtfully before carefully folding it and stuffing it into one of his pockets. "Thank you, Clovis," he said politely. He did not however take his leave. "I hate to pester,"—if he hated it so much then why was he doing it?—"but I wouldn't suppose you've come across any of the others lately? It's hard for me to keep track of the rest of you out here on the trails, I was lucky to find Xan at all," he added, gesturing towards the helmeted figure half-laying on the bridge-side.

... Others? He lumps me in with the other trainers as… others? I'll have to make sure I remember to call him out on a "fake" autograph. Tucking away that mental note, he tried to remember a Xan. Then, it clicked in his mind. He doesn't have time to waste on fans. "Uhh, no. I have not. Just been travelling. Alone," Clovis continued to emphasize, as his eyes laid on the helmet wearing individual. Ahh, Xan. THAT individual. Even if Melody was the one who might prove to be a threat, Xan is… no obstacle to me. Sure, they're smart, but I feel that they aren't too motivated to challenge me in the first place. Nothing to be worried about. Clovis mused to himself quietly. Standing there, musing.

"More's the pity," the man sighed, either not catching or willfully ignoring Clovis's hint. "I suppose I'll have to ask you for insight then. I wasn't going to since I gather you're not the talkative sort, but beggars can't be choosers." What was this loon on about?

"Insight on what? I'm a bit pressed for time, s-so… I can try enlightening you on one question," Clovis stuttered, walking around him until he was in front of him, positioned to continue down the rest of the way. He still kept the haggard man in full-view. At this point, he wasn't sure if he was a fan or a strange stalker.

"Well we can walk and talk," the man said, turning to follow with heavy, heavy footfalls. He had big boots on, and his arms were taut with wiry muscle where Clovis could see them. The man actually seemed just a wee bit frightening with his eyeless face and big hands with their claw-like fingers. Clovis wasn't already attracting that sort of fan was he? The sort that …? No, certainly not, not in broad daylight, not with that other person, Xan, right there. But Xan had seemed to be in quite the hurry to get away from this guy. "It's a rather complex issue, it might take some time to talk through," the man said in that deep voice.

"... Uhh. I, uh. I suppose that makes sense," Clovis replied meekly, as he stepped backwards. The nausea, now in full force. Sweat, dripping down the side of his head. Eyes, slightly bulging in fear. I'd rather trade this for a stadium full of Ludicolo right now, Clovis thought as he panicked.

"Thank you for understanding," the man hummed in that sort of deep voice that one might imagine coming from under the bed in the dead of night. "I'd been thinking of your Gym performance, you really carried yourself well." The man's stride was longer than Clovis's, and his footsteps were bringing him dangerously closer into strangling range.

Dear Arceus, why me?! TELEPORT ME TO A STADIUM FULL OF LUDICOLO, I'M FINE WITH THAT, Clovis' mind sputtered in desperation, hoping that some force would take pity on him. Hoping that something would prevent this disturbing fan from getting any closer. He continued to step backwards, but the echo of the man's boots made him quiver in fear. He couldn't backstep nearly as much as this creepy man strode forward. Even if Clovis were to turn and run, he'd just be easy prey at this point. Archimedes, please… I need you to claw out this man's eyes… please help me! Clovis tried to speak, but was choked up in fear. His mind still spun and drowned in various, grisly images. Clovis' hand shakily lowered towards the Pokeballs on his person. At this point, he'd prefer to be electrocuted by Aneurysm than whatever fate was rushing towards him.

"Are you alright?" The man reached a hand out for Clovis's shoulder. What would happen if it caught him? The hand looked big enough to close across Clovis's mouth, and strong enough to stop any peep. Would it drag him away to an unmarked van hidden in the treeline? The hand closed into a fist before reaching Clovis though, with one finger extended, pointing into the air behind Clovis. "Where'd that come from?" the man was asking. Warning flared in Clovis' head from some outside source, like an inaudible alarm bell - behind the tall stranger he spotted the Abra standing alert, and the trainer beside them flopping off of the wall.

Clovis, on top of reacting to the man's odd questioning and the abrupt siren in his skull, caused him to turn, and-

"......."

Eyes. Eyes seemingly everywhere. A black tendril-like appendage, with a striking blue eye, connected to a strange body accompanied by more eyes. All of which were gazing directly into Clovis' own eyes. Menacingly.

"AAHH!" Clovis screamed, fell onto his bum, and tried crawling away, immediately forgetting the stranger danger behind him. "W-WHAT IS-... Wait… wait…." The striking features of this creature made Clovis' mind compose itself, working to remember what those features belonged to.

Ohh, Sigilyph, the Avianoid. It "flies" by using it's own Psychic power, and is quite a capable Pokemon. But, why would it be here in the first place? Pondering the possibility of how this peculiar Pokemon appeared from seemingly nowhere, his mind was now going over his previous findings of Sigilyph. Still unaware of the real stranger danger.

"It's just floating there, Kass," Clovis heard behind him. That other stranger from earlier had jogged over and spoke between huffs. "... the- what do you mean, menacingly?"

"Menacingly, indeed," the mustache was saying, apparently no longer trying to snatch Clovis away to the great beyond. "Sigilyphs usually keep to themselves if I remember right; this one might be looking for trouble. Clovis, perhaps I won't have to bother you after all, I believe watching you deal with this will be all the help I need." What was that supposed to mean? "Xan," the mustache said to the helmet, "would you be alright with that? Kass may still be a bit stiff from earlier anyway."

"I'm tired," was Xan's reply, and their move to go lean on the bridge railing seemed to imply agreement.

"Wh-What… What is going on here? Ugh, nevermind, I don't care anymore. YOU," Clovis barks at the ruffian, an aggressive glare as he points at him. "Just sit tight. Move any closer, and you'll regret it." The ruffian scratched his chin and then backed off a few steps. "Now… the Avianoid," Clovis murmured, as he spun back to meet the wild Pokemon. Still shaken, but able to collect himself. Mostly. If I play my cards right, and deal with the creep, I'll have another fine addition to my roster. One to make up for… growing a literal and metaphorical Aneurysm. Slowly walking up to the Avianoid, Clovis cleared his throat and spoke out, "So, what are you doing here? I know you aren't typically found around here. What is it that you want?"
"...."
"...."

Silence. A familiar sound to Clovis, but one that wasn't quite as comforting as usual. Sigilyph merely floated before him. Eyes, transfixed, expectantly. Or, was it a look of expectation? Because it was such an alien looking Pokemon, Clovis couldn't really tell what this Pokemon was thinking. All eyes continued to meet Clovis' own.

"Ugh… fine. More shenanigans. Fine. I can handle anything that comes my way, no problem. "Archimedes, I need your assistance!" Swiftly unclipping the Pokeball, Clovis tossed the ball above his head, sending out an excited Tranquill. Gracefully, it flew above and around, before landing on Clovis' shoulder with a flourish. "Alright, Archimedes, here's the plan. This… Sigilyph is in our way. We're going to trounce it with your patented style and power. Then," he paused, as he turned and eyed the man behind him. Archimedes, following his gaze, began to look over the man as he listened. The man was regarding the bird with a thoughtful expression. "Then, we'll deal with him." No questions asked, Archimedes nodded.

Sigilyph continued to hang before Clovis, now it's eyes began to shift erratically between Clovis and the Tranquill. "Now, Archimedes, go!" He held out his right arm, signaling Tranquill's attack. But just as Clovis made the command, Sigilyph floated to the left, dodging Archimedes without missing a beat.

"It might be a released mon if it's so far out of the norm here," the mustache said, as if anyone cared what he thought. "Be wary of coverage Moves."

"I'm just going to… be over here," huffed the helmet, plopping to the ground. "Let me know if I'm in the way- yeah, Kass, that'd help actually..."

Not bothering to listen to either of them, Clovis continued his assault. "Archimedes, attack with Air Cutter! Rise above Sigilyph and rain down your attack!" "CrrAW!" Affirming the order, Archimedes flew straight up, before catching itself and glaring down at Sigilyph. Which, of course, continued to hang. Only now, it's eyes were trained on the Tranquill. In response, Archimedes began to flap with more heft, whipping up blades made of the air itself.

"...."

But as the blades began to close in, Sigilyph, wings began to gleam, reflecting bits of light that appeared around the Avianoid. It appeared to become more sturdier, more rigid. It took the attack, unmoving, still keeping it's sight locked onto Archimedes. "Uhh… well. I believe that was Cosmic Power. This will certainly be annoying. Archi-"

*whoosh*

"Crr-AW?!" "...." Before Archimedes, Sigilyph flew up close and personal. "..........." An intense, violet glow emanated from Sigilyph. Struggling, Archimedes tried to keep flight, but it didn't take long before he was sent to the ground, almost as if it was swatted by an invisible hand. "ARCHIMEDES!" Clovis called, shaken by the power Sigilyph displayed.

"That was Gravity, and it localized it," the mustache remarked. "That's not an easy thing to do: this probably isn't just any wild mon. Can your Tranquill fight while grounded?"

"Different from Henj's, right?" The sitting helmet asked, almost too quiet to hear. Were they looking at their phone? "That looked like straight psychokinesis to me - what do you think?"

"Many ways for a Move to come out," the mustache replied. "Henj could do it that way too if he practiced enough to change the way he's used to doing it. Wasn't Psychic or Confusion though, Tranquill didn't glow when it got tugged, see?"

"-I, er, I was talking to Kass, Tim."

"Archimedes, can you stand?" Unable to hear (or care, if he even could hear them), Clovis called out to Archimedes. "Crr-Crr-rrr…." Archimedes struggled to stand, but stood nonetheless. "Excellent. This Pokemon is quite crafty. Archimedes, we'll have to draw out Sigilyph. Use Taunt!" Spreading it's wings wide, and glaring up at the Avianoid, Archimedes cawed repeatedly. Though unmoving, Sigilyph's features began to appear sharper. It's wingtips, more pointed. It's eyes, narrowed now, focused on Tranquill with purpose.

"...!" Suddenly, it's eyestalk pointed towards it's opponent. A brilliant, multicolored beam of light fired from it's eye. "A-Archimedes! Get out of there with Quick Attack!" But Sigilyph's speed, and Archimedes still reeling from the focused Gravity, was struck by the Psychic attack. "No, Archimedes!" Stunned, Clovis could only watch this seemingly unreal scenario, watching as his Tranquill flew towards him. His ace, now, laid before him. "Archimedes… no… are you okay?" Kneeling down, Clovis lovingly stroked his plumage, gently holding up his head. "Rrr… rrr," Archimedes weakly chirped.

"More PK…" Murmured the helmet, unhelpfully.

"Hm, that's not good," the mustache hummed, his voice unwelcome. "Clovis, do you need help?"

"Hngh… just stay back," Clovis hissed, defensively holding his Pokemon. The shame began to creep over him again. The nausea, now making him feel heated and sick. Sweat began to drip, he began to panic, but not out of fear. Out of anxieties long past.

"...."

Sigilyph, flying to ground level, slowly approached Clovis. Until once again, Sigilyph floated before Clovis, less than a foot away. Eyes, trained on Clovis. A look of… expectancy. Clovis began to grit his teeth. Anger welling with the sick feeling, Clovis snapped. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Clovis yelled, confused by the strange behavior of this Pokemon, his voice reaching a volume never made before. A warning rang in his head, just like before, but more came after it. The opposite, an insistence of calm, and a direction - just behind him.

"Kass is prepping port," the helmet supplied from back at the railing. "Don't resist if it happens! I didn't catch it, but the Sigilyph came to challenge. A shouting match doesn't count as rising to it - you've got other Pokémon."

Indeed, Clovis was a bit calmer. However, he was still incredibly annoyed. Looking down, he saw in Archimedes' eye that it wanted to keep going. It refused to be taken out this easily. "This isn't just a battle. It's the principle of the matter. Archimedes, here," Pulling out his last Potion, he treated Archimedes. "Now, Archimedes… we're going to give it a much better performance than before. Alright?" He whispered, as he ran his hands through the silky plumage. "Rrrr," happily chirping, Archimedes nuzzled his head into Clovis' hands. "There, there… now, let's get back in there. Archimedes, fly!" And once again, Archimedes took flight. Sigilyph, following the former into the open air.

As this happened, Clovis awkwardly turned. Over his shoulder, Clovis looked on at the man with unease about what he said next. "Uhh… look, if you want to help, then do whatever it is you can to help. It would be appreciated. If things get bad, we should try to get away safely," he spat, before turning his attention to the battle. There was no response from the mustached man though—maybe he thought Clovis had been talking solely to the helmeted figure.

"Who are you asking?" Said helmet asked - they had gone back to looking at their phone. "Kass is good to port you out if things get messy - ask them for help, for goodness' sake."

Okay, aside from the talking bucket being unhelpful, let's try to make this a swift victory and not get attacked in the process. Looking down, he noticed the small Abra that was at his side. A small smile appeared, as he knelt and patted Kass - the Psychic Pokémon shot him a pair of finger guns. "I'm counting on you to be ready," before again, regaining his attention.

Sigilyph seemed to float off-center, as if it was floating in the ocean. Clearly, mocking both Clovis and Archimedes. "Fine, let's sink this Sigilyph! Attack with Quick Attack! Remember the battle with the Rube!" Flying at a blinding speed, Archimedes struck, knocking down Sigilyph and taking it by surprise. But just as before, Sigilyph didn't take much time to regain itself, steadying their position. All eyes, now on Archimedes again.

"...!!!" Sigilyph's wings spread forth, it's edge appearing razor sharp once more. Slowly, it's wings curled into itself. Before in a single motion, Sigilyph's wings unfurled, and similar blades made of air began to spin, and fly towards Archimedes. "Counter that with your own Air Cutter!" Blades of air, now whipped up by both opposing Pokemon, began to clash, and creating raging gusts with each colliding attack. The winds began howling as both Sigilyph and Archimedes held their ground.

I could use Swagger, but… I want to do this right. I want to take it down, now.

"Archimedes, Quick Attack!" "...!" The eyestalk straightened up from Sigilyph, and fired Psybeam once more. "Archimedes, use your graceful flying abilities to dodge it!" On that command, he ducked under, and began to fly around the Psybeam. It's gaze tried to follow Archimedes, but the Avianoid was quite quick enough with the attack to follow the Tranquill close enough. "CrrrrRRR-" Again, Archimedes struck Sigilyph, knocking it down to the ground with a critical hit. Now, Sigilyph struggled to rise. But still, it rose off the ground. It's form, seeming worn and more beaten from the fight. "Archimedes, can you keep going?" Again, Clovis was met with those same eyes, filled with determination. "I understand. Let's finish this."

In response to those words, Sigilyph took it's stand, it's tail keeping it anchored to the ground as it spread it's wings wide, wind whirling, ready to fly and tear. "Archimedes, Air Cutter! Stop Sigilyph!" "Crraw!" Quickly, Archimedes made a short leap into the air, and flapped his wings with greater resolve. Bending itself back, Sigilyph aimed at Archimedes. Blades of air flew, whistling and howling by, the sounds echoing out into the open sky. Both Pokemon, despite their resolve in battle, were struck down once more.

Silence finally fell, and this time, it was a peaceful silence. It was broken shortly by applause from the Abra beside them, giving Clovis a bit of a start. "Oh, Kass… thank you." He gave the Abra a gentle smile, and another pat of the head before turning to his Tranquill. "Archimedes… you did well. You're the best. Please, return, and get some rest." Holding out the ball, Clovis returned Archimedes, clipping the ball back into his belt. He sighed, realizing that he used his last Potion, and forgot to stock up in Turffield before leaving. If he knew about the misadventures that were ahead, he'd already blow through his available money. Still, Sigilyph needed to be dealt with.

Clovis walked up to the Avianoid, observing it lying on the ground. He knelt down, looked closely. Sigilyph still looked Clovis in the eyes. This time, the look wasn't anywhere near expectant or ominous. It was… accepting. It's eyes shifted down to one of it's black talons. In it's grasp, was something Clovis seemed to not notice before. A Sharp Beak, was what Sigilyph was holding. Is it… offering this to me? Silently, the Sigilyph's eyestalk nodded. As if it could see his thoughts, and know what he was thinking. "Well… alright then." Curiously, Clovis accepted the Sharp Beak. "Now… I'm going to capture you." Again, it nodded. Now, laying in wait. "Pokeball… go," he muttered, as he knelt down, catching the Avianoid as he pressed the ball to their side. One, two three wiggles, and a click. Probably the most obscure catch I will encounter. Oh well… now, to swallow my pride. For a moment.

"Ugh… I don't normally ask but… do either of you have any healing items? I… I'll compensate you however I can," he reluctantly spoke, looking nervously at both stranger danger and bucket head. Dear Arceus, this is not pleasant, but… I don't have a choice at the moment.

"Afraid not," stranger danger said. He turned to bucket head. "Do you have something, Xan?" Bucket Helmet Xan Head groaned, shifting to roll their backpack off their shoulders.

"I should have some things, yes. Er- question," they addressed Clovis. "You wouldn't happen to be psychically gifted at all, would you?"

"Well, I don't have a lineage of psychics, but… I seem to attract a lot of attention from Psychic Pokemon." Confused by the question, Clovis offered a sort of consolation to bucket head.

They sighed, "Great, but- right," unaided by their hands, a potion floated out from their bag and towards Clovis. "Let me put it this way: can you discern the nature of the forces acting on this potion? I'd be very lucky if you could but it doesn't hurt to check."

"Well, not fully. I haven't delved deeply into the study of Psychic power fully. Thinking on it, that might be something to consider," Clovis mused, about to lose himself in thought again, before receiving the potion in his open hand.

"Well, I have - as fully as I can. Keep that consideration open," the psychic bucket assured him. "It's worth it. Learn from your Pokémon if you can. Speaking of: I'd like to, also. If it's all the same to you, it'd help me out if you kept some record of their psychic progress. And your own, if that happens." They exhaled heavily; apparently they were still tired. "If you somehow manage to develop enough to study their powers in more detail, that would also be great - otherwise, milestones are fine. Just dates of newly emerging abilities and all that. If they're also fine with it and you're all open to the idea of helping science like this, I'd more than consider that potion paid for."

Kass appeared at Clovis' side to urge him on. Looking down to notice Kass' gesture, and thinking on the conditions given, Clovis quickly came to a decision. "That… I can agree with those conditions." Shocked to see that someone takes their own studies as seriously as himself, Clovis gained a little bit of respect for this individual.

"Great. All on your honour, I suppose, but if you go back on the deal Kass will break your kneecaps, or something."

The Abra in question pointed two fingers at their eyes and then toward Clovis, in typical threatening 'I'm watching you' fashion, but the fit of giggles they broke into afterwards gave Clovis the impression that they weren't serious.

"That was a splendid performance," stranger danger chimed in, still standing apart, rubbing his chin. "Your Tranquill's second wind was quite something to see. Thank you for letting me observe it, Clovis, it has given me a lot to consider. And thank you again for earlier, Xan. Happy trails to both of you," he added, waving, "and good luck on your ways." The man turned away and started to walk back the way he'd come.

"... Who the hell was he," Clovis sputtered, utterly confused. I'm starting to think that autograph was a wasted gesture. But… anyway. After waving off Xan and Kass, Clovis turned around, now seeing an empty bridge. A beautifully empty bridge. "Finally… time to move forward."

Clovis caught a Sigilyph!

Sapphire Rose · Mar 6, 2021

Pia McGuire & Ruben Sancho
Poké:

5550 ♦ Pokémon: 4

Homecoming | Part 2

Shopping bags in tow, Ruben, Daija and Lesca sauntered through the shopping complex. The little pink grass pokemon had taken a liking to her trainer's sister and the two had made a game of enjoying Ruben's shopping struggles together. Both of them were well aware of the context. There was a girl waiting at home whose fourteenth of February would be made or broken by Ruben's performance here. That's how Daija saw it at least.

The younger girl had to coach her brother on his performance. 'No Ruben, do not buy underwear for a girl you've been dating for three months', 'Yes Ruben, Pia would appreciate flowers on Valentines day', 'Yes Ruben, Pia probably does use foundation, most girls do' were all pieces of advice Daija never assumed she'd be giving her brother, much less her older one. She dreaded to think she'd have to give that same advice two more times. At least Ruben was making an effort with Pia. That much made her smile. Her smile faltered as she noticed Ruben had stopped in his tracks. He was staring at a fine dining restaurant.

"Ruben…" Daija began, confused by what the boy had in mind. "...didn't Pia mention something about a night around the fire?" She enquired, peering over the boy's shoulder as he eyed the menu.

"Yeah but, she'll be expecting that." Ruben mused in response. "Can't hurt to have a plan B." He shrugged, to the bemusement of a very concerned Daija.

Wearing a cut pink apron that Daija gave her, Pia was working in the kitchen while Ruben went on a trip with his sister. With both his little brothers off to school, she was the only one in the house left. Well… not entirely. Milla was out and about and exploring the gigantic house that they had stayed at this weekend. She couldn't blame the electric mouse Pokémon. It was unlike anything else that they had stayed at despite the somewhat expensive hotel rooms Ruben would rent for them.

… And that was exactly why Pia decided to take advantage of this day by doing one of the few things she was good at. Cooking. Valentine's day was a day of snacks and chocolate and that was exactly what the blonde haired girl was trying to make. Batches of chocolate that she could give to Ruben as a "thank you". The thought itself made her blush furiously while keeping a frown on her face. How had it come to this… she seemed like some housewife…

"Chu!" Milla ran back into the kitchen, announcing that she was back and jumping all over the place. She sniffed with her tiny nose. What was this awful stench…?

"No! Not again!" Pia hastily picked up the pan from the stove in which she had been trying to make chocolate and hurried to the sink. From the sounds of it and in the state the kitchen was currently in, this hadn't been her first try…

"How can it be that I can cook at any day of the week… Except today!!" Pia whined. She bent over the pan that she had placed in the sink to cool. Dark brown and lumpy… and this stench. This was not what chocolate was supposed to look like. She knew this recipe from the top of her head. She knew it so well. Yet she couldn't be more distracted today. It had to be perfect. It had to! "I have no choice then… I'll do something that I can do even while being this distracted." Pia let out a deep sigh. It was time for plan B.

It was only moments later that Pia came back to the kitchen with a cooking book that she had found in the pantry. She had looked into it before and found something called "Alolan pancakes". It sounded too interesting back then to just ignore it and although Pia really wasn't one to eat anything remotely sweet to keep her figure the way it is, Ruben might like it. Despite… being a footballer. Maybe just this once. She had to make something perfect. She had to show her appreciation for her…. Er… Boyfriend. Even when that was embarrassing. Her boyfriend… huh…

The distracted Pia started gathering the ingredients for the pancakes while Milla watched, sitting on the counter behind her. What was her trainer making? One look at the picture in the book that Pia was holding was enough. That looked good. Extremely good. So good in fact that her mouth moved on its own the moment the first pancake that her trainer made hit the plate beside her. Was she noticing? No, she was too distracted. She did not notice. That fact brought a gleeful smile to the Pikachu's face as she started chowing down the fresh made pancake. That was delicious… it tasted like more… and more she got. The moment Pia made a new pancake, Milla sneakily climbed up the counter and ate it before the girl could even notice. Three pancakes… four pancakes… it went on for a little while.

"That should be…" Pia turned to the plate that she had been dropping the pancakes on for a while now. Empty. "Enough…?" the girl finished confusedly as she dropped the last pancake she had made on the empty plate.. She was sure she had made at least six by now. She was sure. Was she going crazy?

"Chu….." Milla let out an audible and content sigh, loud enough to make Pia immediately turn her head towards her and discover the pancake that she was still eating.

"Milla!!" Pia yelled through the kitchen, both her hands in her waist and glaring at her little friend. Milla stopped eating for a second and side eyed both her sides to determine which side would be the best to escape into… It was left.

"Get back here!" Pia grasped towards Milla but by the time she had reached out to her, Milla had already jumped away. Half over the counter, she glanced in the direction Milla had gone to. The mischievous little thing stood in the kitchen opening with the pancake in her mouth. She could keep that one, no way Pia could still give that Ruben. What worried her was that Milla was staring at the only pancake left. "No! No, Milla!" Pia tried to catch the mouse Pokémon but as she reached down to the floor, she got away again. It was a game of chase through the kitchen while Pia tried to keep her away from the pancake and Milla tried to get closer. Milla accidentally stepped into the failed chocolate and left behind little Pikachu paws over the floor and counter. It was becoming an even bigger mess than it already was.

As if things weren't chaotic enough, Pia froze in place when the click of the front door told her things were about to get ten times harder.

On the other side of the kitchen door, Ruben stood in the doorway with Daija, who was giving him a low down on everything she'd arranged in order to give Ruben and Pia the perfect valentines. The boys were arranged to stay with a babysitter and she was going to spend the night at Jenny's. That meant Ruben and Pia had the whole place to themselves. The girl was very proud of herself for handling the whole thing. On top of that, she'd helped Ruben with gift buying and food stocking. Despite it all, her older brother hardly seemed concerned at all.

"Pia?" Ruben called through the house. To Daija, that was pretty much her queue to get out of sight. She rolled her eyes before taking her own bags and disappearing behind the door. "Pia, you in here?" The boy called out again, meandering toward the kitchen.

All of Pia's inner alarms went off. She hastily looked around to briefly take in all the mess that was made. This was supposed to be perfect… The stress was getting to her and she had to calm herself to prevent herself from panicking. Her eyes paused on Milla who stared straight back at her, as if she was waiting for her to leave the kitchen. Pia sighed. Milla won this round.

"Ruben! You're back earlier than I expected~" the girl hasted herself towards the boy, intending to block his way to the kitchen and greeting him with a welcoming smile.

"Hey," Ruben said warmly, growing a smile of his own just at the sight of the girl. "Yeah, Daij said she'd rather do her shopping tomorrow so…" he finished with a shrug as he finished approaching her and pulled her in for a hug. After he let her go, Ruben slipped past Pia and made his way for the kitchen door. "It's been a hectic one too, Daija insisted we get frozen foods, so-"

"A-Ah! Actually!" Pia's heart sunk the moment he stood in the kitchen opening and she slipped past him to block his sight as best as she could. "Why don't you put your feet up. I'll bring those to the kitchen." The girl insisted and grabbed for the bags Ruben was holding, guessing those were meant for dinner.

"You sure? You won't even get to eat most of it. It's for the house." Ruben asked with a raised brow.

"Of course. You probably travelled for a while with those. It's fine. Just let me handle it!" Pia gave him a reliable grin. If the boy only knew what had been going on in the kitchen… not that she intended in letting him know. She was smiling but underneath she was sweating profoundly and hoping he'd take the bait.

"Thanks…" Ruben said, his brow still raised. He finally lowered his guard. Once again he found that a happy Pia made for a happy Ruben and on a day like today, he definitely didn't feel like messing with that. That said, 'put your feet up and rest while I do the work' was usually code for 'I've done something wrong' or 'I want something'...though the latter of those was one he rarely got from Pia now that he thought about it. Still hesitant, Ruben turned his back to the kitchen and headed towards the living room, just stopping in the doorway. "Pia...whatchu cookin?"

"H-Huh?" Pia was taken aback by his sudden words. A bit flustered even. "How did you…?"

"The apron…" Ruben responded flatly, still bemused by the girl's behaviour. "It looks good, by the way. Suits you."

As if Pia wasn't flustered enough, he had to point out the pink apron she was wearing and how it looked good on her… Pia's face flushed. She looked away and coughed inside her fist. How could she have been so careless…

"I-It's a surprise…" She eventually said quietly. "So go sit and rest, I'll be done soon." She tried to reassure him. She had to do everything she could to prevent him from seeing the mess in the kitchen. Finally, he relented. With a sigh and just a little bit more pantomime from Pia, Ruben sighed and floated off into the living room.

Pia sighed as well but in relief. She hurried back to the kitchen and the first thing she looked for was the last remaining pancake. Gone. She had expected as much. Milla was still eating it in the corner of the kitchen. This sneaky little… Since when did she have this ridiculous appetite for pancakes? No matter, this meant she had to make a new batch. It also meant she had to prevent Milla from eating the next batch. She put the bags she got from Ruben on the kitchen counter and thought for a little. If they made more noise now, he would definitely hurry to the kitchen. She couldn't chase Milla like she did just now… If maybe she could lure Milla to a different room… It would also give her room to clean this mess up. That's it. Lure Milla to a different room with a few pancakes while she quickly finishes the rest of the batch. Genius. It was a good replacement for Milla's Pokéball that she had left upstairs.

Pia prepared new batter for this so-called "Alolan pancakes". Were they all that different from normal pancakes? Not really. They were just a bit thicker and a little bit sweeter. Perhaps that's why Milla liked them so much. It didn't take the girl long to make at least one new pancake. Making any more than that would cause the mischievous Pikachu to steal them before she could even staple them.

"Milllaaa~~" Pia called out the to Pikachu who only had attention for the pancake that she was holding out on a plate. Slowly Pia backed out of the kitchen towards the hallways, hoping to lure Milla in. It was working. Milla came closer and closer… Pia was prepared to lure her to a different room but… She blinked once and the plate she had been holding was now empty. That was fast.... too fast. "Milla…." the girl grumbled. She was fed up with this childish behaviour.

"Prim, Soma, Cintra, I need your help." The girl whispered as threw up her remaining Pokéballs in the air. In front of her appeared all three of her other Pokémon. Her current full team. A Swablu, a Cottonee and an Eevee. All three of them turned around to their trainer wondering what they had been called for. "Milla is being a pain in the ass. Chase her out of the kitchen." She whispered, nodding towards the living room where Ruben was sitting and placing a finger in front of her lips. "But be quiet about it."

All three of her Pokémon nodded. How understanding they were. Even they knew that if Milla was in a playful mood, no one could stop her. They best work together to get her to settle down. That's what they decided to do… and so the chasing began once again. All three Pokémon and their trainer slowly sneaked up on Milla who was eating the pancake she had just stolen. They were quiet… really quiet…

BAM

Ruben peaked over the back of the sofa. Listening out to hear what the cause of the sudden clattering sound could've been.

"Pia?" The boy called out, refusing to follow up. Another crash and clang forced him to his feet and toward the kitchen. "Pia, you okay? The pasta goes in the other cupboard." He suggested, hoping the girl had just made a colossal but fixable storage error. He turned the door handle and tried to peek inside, but the door stopped. "Pia, what's going on?"

On the other side of the door, Cintra was sneaking on the counter, her tail sweeping away one of the pots. The noise was so loud that it startled Milla and everyone else. Milla, who had now noticed they were ganging up on her, immediately jumped up and ran around the kitchen. Prim retaliated by flying around to catch her. Soma wondered if this was a good idea. Cintra tried to get off the counter but sweeped away some of the tools that were lying around. Within seconds, the entire kitchen was an orchestra of loud noises while pots and pans were flying around and Pia's Pokémon chased after one another. The trainer was putting her weight behind the door, just praying for this disaster to end before she opened the door for the homeowner - her boyfriend.

"I-It's fine! I'm just being… clumsy!" Pia desperately tried to talk her way out of this. For someone as small and petite as her, Ruben was having a bad time trying to open that door. Even when he wasn't putting in all his strength or even really trying, it was still unexpected. That's how strong Pia's conviction was… but none of that mattered when Milla felt like she had been driven in a corner. Milla had to get out of there. Milla must.

The Pikachu made a jump against the door that Pia had been trying to keep closed, opening it and causing Pia to stumble towards Ruben, who was falling over from the sudden door opening up on him. With both of them on the floor and Pia on top of him, this was a similar situation as a while back when Ruben was coaching a bunch of kids. It was just the other way around now. Milla on the other hand had successfully escaped but immediately jumped back into the kitchen while the other three Pokémon were still chasing her.

"Please don't look…" Pia begged Ruben as she buried her face in his chest. The boy couldn't find any words in response. He did his best to comfort the girl, pulling her in as he sat up and rubbing her back, while still peering over her shoulder to get a glimpse of what she could've possibly been going this length to keep from him before the door lost its momentum and stayed shut. He sighed as the havoc continued behind that ever present kitchen door. Ruben let go of Pia and looked down at the girl.

"Milla having a party in there or somethin'?" He asked, in equal parts fear and jest.

"She…" Pia let out a deep sigh before she could bring herself to face the boy. "Milla has a pancake addiction… Everything is a mess…" She tried to explain but felt ultimately defeated by all the recent happenings of today. There was a moment of silence between the two, with Ruben trying to make sense of what the girl was saying. He smirked. It did sound ridiculous after all. The boy couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" He snickered in disbelief.

It seemed that no matter what Pia tried, it was bound to fail today. As if some major force was throwing down all of the negative karma from the past few months. She pushed herself up off of Ruben's chest with hanging shoulders and slowly opened the door to what was currently an absolute kitchen nightmare.

Ruben stood up at the sight of the state his kitchen was currently in. The joke was very much gone now. "Daija is gonna kill me…" he mumbled, taking the first steps into the hell hole his kitchen was currently in. "How did you…" The boy began, his sights set on interrogating the girl before getting another glimpse at how worked up she'd gotten over the ordeal. "Look, Pia, it's fine we can-" He began with a sigh, before being cut off by a flash of yellow that zipped past his face. "Milla, I swear to Arceus!" He called out, caught out of breath by the sudden movement.

"She's been like that ever since I started… If I want to continue or even clean I need her out of here." Pia sighed again. The sight of everyone chasing each other was an exhausting one and although Prim, Soma and Cintra were careful to not make a bigger mess of the situation that it already was, Cintra appeared to be a very clumsy Eevee and Milla wasn't even trying. She took the three empty Pokéballs from her belt and recalled everyone except Milla. "You tried guys… take a rest."

"Wait...so why don't you just do the same thing with Milla. If she's caused all this." He scanned the kitchen again. Sure they had a maid but...this was no easy clean. The woman already hated him. "Should probably spend more time in her Pokéball anyway." He grumbled under his breath. The comment alone made Pia roll with her eyes so badly that even the neighbours next door could probably see it.

"I… I left her Pokéball in the room. She doesn't like being in her Pokéball…" Pia fiddled with her fingers and pouted, giving a quick argument to shoot back at him for that comment. "Can we just confine her in the room next door until she has calmed down…?" She carefully asked. It wasn't the first time Ruben had commented on how often Milla was out and about and she didn't have the moral high ground to be as dismissive of it as she normally was. "I… I'll clean up… I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I'm being a grump, I'm sorry. I'll help you catch her." He shot a glare back at the Pikachu while Pia wasn't looking and earned himself a playful display of the electric mouse's tongue in return. As he watched her chase her tail in excitement at the prospect of a second round, he noticed the Pikachu was very careful to avoid the bags of frozen food that had been left on the counter. She seemed to drift off course specifically to avoid them. "Alright, you think you can make another one of those pancakes then? I think I got a plan."

"Ah, of course." Pia nodded in agreement. She walked over to the stove and reheated it. Luckily the batter she had made was not spilled by the game of tag. While Pia cooked, Ruben and Milla stared each other down. Ruben edging toward the bag and Milla just watching him carefully as she circled the kitchen island. Within minutes, Pia presented Ruben a new pancake. One that was immediately eyeballed by the addicted mouse Pokémon.

"You mark the pancake, I'll press toward the bags." Ruben whispered, forgetting for a moment that he wasn't agreeing tactics for a game of football. In a flash, he vaulted the island, sending the Pikachu on an evasion course towards the fridge. "Pia!"

Pia took the pancake away from Milla, keeping it defended from the lustful Pikachu that had grown a new admiration for her cooking. With a jump against the fridge, she leaped for Pia but the girl ducked and Milla was launched towards the bin. She recovered quickly though.

Ruben dived in to make the save, blocking the Pikachu's path as she diverted to dodge the quickly thawing meats. He was left sprawling on the counter as the little mouse scurried into the pantry. "She's not trynna make this easy, is she?" Ruben sighed. "I've got it this time. Same again."

"She never makes it easy. She loves playing too much." Pia commented as she lured Milla in with the pancake. "Come then, look at the delicious pancake~" Pia cood at her, waving the pancake around. Milla followed the sight of the plate everywhere and as soon as she jumped again, Pia ducked again and called out "Ruben, now!"

Ruben dived in once again, missing the Pikachu completely. This time however, he overcommitted, toppling over the counter completely and sending the pancake flying into the air as him and Pia crashed into each other. The girl toppled to the floor, with the full weight of her boyfriend on top of her.

The flustered Pia was frozen in place for a few moments. It had gotten a normal thing between the two but it still felt embarrassing when these kinds of things happened. They were close, face to face… and Pia couldn't help but look away just so she could catch her breath again.

Ruben reeled, a little hurt by the reaction but he wasn't about to hold it against her. He smiled down at the girl before climbing to his feet, just in time to see the Pikachu washed back by a barrage of mystical petals.

"Lesca?" He questioned, looking at the irritated little Grass type who he had completely forgot fell asleep in the bag filled with vegetables. She scowled at him, then looked back toward the Pikachu with complete indignation. Ruben dived in and grabbed the staggered Pikachu before she had the chance to recover, giving the little mouse an extra tight squeeze for good measure. "Well...I think that's one problem taken care of." Ruben sighed, eying the mess of a kitchen one more time as he poked the Pikachu.

"Finally…" Pia sighed and climbed to her feet. She turned to Ruben and Milla and met the Pokémon on eye level. She could see the Pikachu was pouting but upon seeing the serious face of her trainer she started feeling guilty. This terrible mess… did she make that? "I'll take her to living room. She can cool her head there." Pia felt it difficult to keep glaring at her beloved companion, however, she really had to show her that she did something wrong this time. She took the yellow lightning bolt from Ruben's arms and brought her to the couch. Leaving her behind as she closed the kitchen door. "Thank you… and you too Lesca. Sorry I didn't notice you in the bags." Pia gave Ruben's partner a small smile. Another glance in the kitchen made her heart sink once again and her expression turned back into the face of someone who was obviously upset. Everything was supposed to be perfect today. Instead it was ruined.

"Pia…" Ruben called, making the girl wince preparing herself for the worst. The boy on the other hand was still wracking his brain over how much work it would be to clean the place. "Why didn't you just tell me what happened? Would've made things a lot easier." He finished with a sigh.

"... I…" Pia was surprised by his reaction. It was not the one she had expected. "I wanted this Valentine's Day to be perfect…" she began with a defeated sigh. "I tried to make chocolate but it failed… So instead I decided to make some delicious pancakes. I just… I just wanted it to be perfect…" the tone in her voice made it clear to tell that she was disappointed. It was also his house. She felt terrible that Milla made such a mess.

Ruben scoffed. He almost pitied the girl in front of him, but just seeing the dejection in her eyes, he could tell it would only hurt her more for him to be so dismissive. He sighed again, letting the last of his amusement fall off of him with a final snicker.

"Pia...I've spent this whole weekend just trying to get fifteen minutes alone with you, with no drama, no stress, no expectations or jobs that need to be done...today I've got a whole day of that. How could it not be perfect?" A silent moment fell between the two as Ruben said that. Usually Pia would have some kind of snarky comment ready but no, she was just glancing at him with rosy cheeks. As if she was even more surprised by the words.

As Pia finally regained a smile on her face, the boy looked around the kitchen one more time. They weren't cooking in here. Ruben whistled in thought, shoving the bag of candles and roses out of sight. "Look, I arranged dinner plans for tonight. If you're feeling up to it maybe we can go out tonight."

"That would be great." Pia agreed, noticing the bag that was being shoved away but not commenting on it. Topical for Ruben to have arranged a dinner… but it was fine. This time. It might have been exactly what she needed. As long as they could spend some time together. She reached out to him, kissed his cheek and pulled him in for a hug. "Let's go clean this before Daija murders us…"

Ruben took one last look at the room as he embraced Pia. Part of him wanted to mention how getting a maid would be so much easier; part of him wanted to mention how Pia's status as Ruben's new girlfriend meant she was in no danger of facing Daija's wrath; part of him still wanted to mention that despite everything she'd done Pia was still giving Milla the freedom to roam his living room; but he didn't mention any of it. Instead he smiled and embraced the girl in the hug.

Ruben spared no expense in his choice of restaurant and level of catering. VIP seating? They were both celebrities at this point. Open menu? Well, he wanted to try everything. Rose petal decor? Well it was valentines day. The best of all of it came free. A view from the hills that overlooked the entire city of Wedgehurst and beyond. There was so much greenery down there, it was truly beautiful. It was the perfect scenery to enjoy for a young couple in love as they stood on the balcony of the restaurant to take a breather from all the food they had eaten.

"It's amazing." Pia commented after a short silence between the two as they stood at the balcony railing. "All of this is amazing. When you said you had made dinner plans I definitely did not expect all of this." The girl smiled at the boy. She knew she had said that having dinner near a campfire in the open with just the two of them would be what she would consider a perfect dinner date when Ruben asked but this… she really did not mind this. It was super romantic. As if she was reading this straight from one of the books she always read. As if… she was the main character for once. That is what he made her feel like.

"Yeah," Ruben responded in a breath, a smile brimming on his face. "To think I almost didn't do it too." The lights of the city dotted around the sea of green below as red of the evening took the sky. "I almost feel like thanking Milla."

"Almost." Pia snickered, remembering all the cleaning up they had to do afterwards. "I'm sorry about today… truly. I had hoped to show my appreciation with chocolate but uh…" Pia scratched her chin. "It was not easy cleaning all of that up." She continued underneath her breath. "I… I've got something I'd like to give to you instead." The girl gleamed as she started rummaging on her belt. She detached the fifth Pokéball that had been attached to it despite having only 4 Pokémon herself. She held it out towards Ruben with the brightest smile she could give and a blush appearing on her cheeks, proud as she was on her first actual catch.

"A pokemon?" The boy questioned, slightly hesitant to accept the gift.

"Not just any." Pia responded. His hesitation was clear to her but he couldn't be blamed for that. "Do you know the symbolism behind giving someone an Applin?" The girl asked.

Ruben's heart immediately sank as the girl mentioned the little grass Pokemon. Of course he knew the romantic implications of gifting an Applin. If you give the person you like an Applin, you're showing how much you care about them and it's a signal that the two of you will be together forever. That was a big statement, and one that was clearly felt mutually but...he looked down at the third poke ball on his own belt. Pia wanted the day to be perfect. Imagine her reaction if he rained on her parade now and announced he brought her the same gift. He had to think fast.

"Wow...that's...thank you." He patted himself down, searching for some sort of escape. He even adjusted himself, awkwardly but so that the poke balls were out of sight. "I think I left my gift at home, but this is amazing Pia, thank you. Really unique…" He swallowed his words, knowing he said just a word too much.

The way Ruben was behaving made Pia raise her eyebrow. It did seem to be grateful, she could tell at least that much but… why? Pia's eye fell upon the Pokéballs on Ruben's own belt that he had looked down at only seconds ago. 1… 2… 3… Lesca, Chrome… and?

"Hey… Ruben, what's the new Pokéball on your belt?" Pia asked curiously, trying to keep up the act of being in the unknown. She showed an innocent smile while in truth, the pieces had already slowly fallen together and Pia had her suspicions ready.

The boy turned away even more, to the point of ridiculousness. The jig was up. He sighed.

"Look, I…" The truth was on the tip of his tongue but he backed out. "I caught you a Pokemon too but she's asleep." He lied, wincing in the knowledge that one just wouldn't fly.

"Ruben…" Pia crossed her arms, she was still smirking but it was enough to be a final warning for the boy. Was it really sleeping? Then why was he making such a big effort?

"Okay, okay but you gotta promise not to get upset. I know you wanted Valentines to be perfect so, I guess my gift kinda ruins that." He huffed, holding the pokeball for the girl to take and see for herself.

"Ruben…" Pia started, examining the ball. Rather than looking upset, she actually looked quite happy. She released the Pokémon contained inside the ball, the figure that appeared from the red flashing light confirming her suspicions. Her smile slowly turned into a giggle, then into a laugh as she picked a tear away from her eyes. "Ruben, I'm pretty sure this is the best Valentine's day ever." She declared, holding the Pokémon she got him out to him once more. "That you got me one too… It just makes me very happy, thank you."

"Huh…" was all Ruben could muster in response. As the moment sunk in, his expression brightened to smile. He threw the Pokéball up and from it emerged his gift from Pia. From his… girlfriend. He looked between the two Applin, a satisfied exhale escaping his lips. The words he was building up to seemed to lose themselves as he looked up at the stars that were appearing in the sky above them. "Hey, uhh...not that I wanna get rid of your gift...but what if we release them. Together."

"What?" Pia's confusion was evident in the expression she was wearing once Ruben said that. The two Applin's they had given each other made quick friends of each other. What Ruben suggested… "Why?"

Ruben lost some steam, not really knowing where he was going with the idea, but quickly regained himself in bumbling excitement.

"No, like releasing lanterns. We let them head off into the wild in a sort of symbol that we really like each other. Like a sort of…" The boy rambled away, trying to make sense of his own idea.

"Like… a promise." Pia added to his sentence. "A promise to stay… together?" Pia whispered quietly, a bit surprised by the words that left her mouth on their own without being able to give it a second thought. She glanced at Ruben with her emerald green eyes, a smile still evident on her lips. She was feeling that tiny bit of hope again, that tiny bit of hope she knew she wasn't supposed to feel… but for tonight, she let it go.

"Exactly…" Ruben said with a sigh of relief. He looked at the two Applin, now embracing each other fully. He walked over and picked the two up, interrupting their mingling and handed one to Pia. With the Applin in hand, the boy walked over to the balcony and looked out over the town again. "You ready?"

Pia blinked a few times. They were really doing this, huh? She glanced down at the Applin who seemed more than just excited. If they were okay with this too, then who was she to stop them? It sounded like a cute idea... She moved over to where Ruben was and nodded.

As the wind blew through their hair, the duo released their new Applin and watched as the little grass lizards made their way down the balcony through the vines that were growing beside it. With them turning around one more time before they completely left their sight, the couple stared off into the distance. Ruben smiled, pulling Pia in so the two could watch together. "Perfect Valentines, huh?" Ruben blushed, holding back the urge to admit that he thought they'd fly.

Pia's Party

Memories

STAGE 1: Wedgehurst -> Wild Area -> Motostoke

Wedgehurst
I choose you part 1
I choose you part 2
I choose you Final

Wild Area
Train to Wild Area ft. Raphael & Aeliana
Two birds with one stone
Two birds with one stone part 2 + Bird Brain
Wild Area with Arrietty

Motostoke
Double Trouble part 1
Double Trouble part 2

STAGE 2: Route 3 -> Galar Mine 1 -> Route 4 -> Turffield

Route 3
It's the most wine-derful time of the year | Part 1
It's the most wine-derful time of the year | Part 2
A Festive Fight to the Finish
The Mystery of Mew! | Part 1
The Mystery of Mew! | Part 2
The Mystery of Mew! | Part 3
A Two headed reflection

Galar Mine 1
Galar Mine #1 | Part 1
Galar Mine #1 | Part 2
Galar Mine #1 | Part 3

Route 4
Route 4
Couch McGuire
A failed attempt.

Turffield
Bad Company.
It gets worse.
Shopping shenanigans
A challenger approaches!
Gym battle: Turffield
Here and Now
Performance Post: Dreaming Fairy
New Friendships

Route 5
Homecoming | Part 1

Pia's journal

Arrietty Maverick
Pia and Arrietty met in the Wild Area although the two have shared classes before. It struck Pia as odd that the girl seemed to have no ambitions or goals at all. Although disappointed upon finding out this girl had no fire burning that would light her path, Pia made it her mission to help this girl get a goal and become a bit more social. Arrietty is the closest Pia can consider a "friend".

As according to their promise, Pia helped Arrietty get ready for her very first contest in Turffield. However, the girl ran off from stage when she was up. Pia has been feeling guilty for "forcing her into contesting" ever since.

Ruben Sancho
Pia met Ruben during Motostoke while on a double date with him, Arrietty and Ainsley. The date went disastrous with both Arrietty and Ainsley running off but Ruben and Pia were able to grow just a tiny bit closer during their search for Arrietty. They have been texting since and are on good terms with each other. They both seem to be interested in just a little bit more...

Ruben and Pia are officially dating since the end of the year festival on Route 3 following their "official second date" that went well. Pia knows about Ruben's ankle and that it's still hurting. They're in close contact with each other through calling and texting. They went on another date on Route 4 where Ruben had a gig for a coaching session with kids with the promise to spend time together after that. Both confirmed their feelings for the other by sharing a kiss. Pia likes him a lot.

Their relationship became public knowledge when a picture of Ruben staring down Pia's shirt was shared on social media and all gossip magazines. Ruben has been hiding it from Pia but as they went shopping, Pia got vocally attacked by a group of girls calling her out for being a whore and having no dignity. Ruben stood up for her and made their relationship public knowledge, no longer wanting to submit Pia to such harassment. Ruben publicly announced he likes Pia a lot and that they have been dating as opposed to what he has been saying before. Pia still doesn't know about the picture that's going around.

Despite the situation that had happened in the mall, Ruben insisted towards Raphael that they're just "friends" while Raphael announced to know more about their relationship due to being uncomfortable with the fact of calling Pia his "girlfriend". He has been slowly getting into the idea of being in a relationship with her throughout Turffield. The two of them visited his home in Wedgehurst during the events of Route 5 where Pia ended up meeting his sister Daija and his little brothers. He told Daija to stop calling her the "G" word but he ended up admitting to her he indeed considered Pia his girlfriend. During all of this Pia has been thinking about their time together and has grown quite fond of Ruben, more than she probably realizes herself as she has to constantly remind herself that she shouldn't be feeling the things that she is feeling. She believes that it will all come to an end but has recently started clinging on to a little spark of hope...

The two of them exchanged Applin's during their Valentine's day date where they also decided to release them, promising each other that they would stay together.

They've proven to be currently in love with both of them starting to show effort in their relationship with Pia's big secret that she's trying to keep hidden from Ruben being a ticking time bomb...

Raphael Allard
Pia met Raphael during her train ride to the wild Area together with Aeliana. Thinking that he had a lot of potential in becoming a chamption which would benefit her, Pia approached him thinking they could become friends. Their interactions didn't go as smoothly as Pia had hoped. After their argument at the end of her battle with Aeliana, the girl ran off thinking she had blown her chances. Raphael doesn't harbour any ill intend towards the girl and only hoped to give her some advice.

They have resolved their issues in Galar mine 1 and worked together to battle Oleana in which they were victorious. Raphael brought the issues with Pia's overprotectiveness of Milla back up on Route 4 when Pia was refusing Milla from battling. Raphael spoke some sense into her, prompting her to finally trust Milla. Raphael understands Pia better now and Pia has a better opinion of Raphael now too.

They met again during the events of the Turffield contest and spend some time talking to each other while Pia tried to get Ruben to apologize to Arrietty. Raphael said something similar to what he said on Route 4 and confused Pia in her actions. He seems to know more than he lets on.

Aeliana Kekoa
Pia met Aeliana during the train ride to the wild Area together with Raphael. Although her interactions with Aeliana went a little bit more smoothly than with Raphael, Pia still ran off at the end of their battle in an attempt to distract her since Pia owed her money for losing. Although Pia has declared Aeliana her rival, they haven't spoken since and Pia attempts to keep it that way.

Pia met Aeliana again on Route 3 when she was on her way to the end of the year market. Together with Rosa and Valerie they went into an haunted mansion. Although they didn't converse much, Aeliana made some comments that Pia saw as snarky that were meant well by Aeliana. This indicates that Pia still thinks that Aeliana is out to get her.

Ainsley
Ainsley was Pia's date partner during the double date in Motostoke and is Ruben's best friend. Ainsley pretended to be rich and paid for the date with Ruben's money. Pia saw through the charade and called him out on it after Ainsley suggested they'd book a hotel together and make love. He ran off afterwards, angry that the feelings of lust he harboured towards Pia were not returned. Pia doesn't think highly of Ainsley and told Ruben that he needs "better friends".

Melody Argent
Although Pia and Melody attended the same Trainer school and were in the same class, they never once teamed up for an assignment. Both didn't have a very good impression of the other and avoided them like the plague. It's not until the Festival Fun-time Flurry that they have tried teaming up to win a competition as both of them were interested in the prize. They chased down a cheater together and have a better opinion of each other since their teamwork. They figured out that they're a pretty good team actually. Both of them thinks "the other is not so bad after all".

Valerie Amity
Pia met Valerie on route 3 where they went inside a haunted mansion together with Aeliana and Rosa. They didn't get to converse much but it was enough for them to establish some sort of familiarity. Valerie calls Pia "Lady P" as a nickname. Pia thinks of Valerie as someone with too much energy but not a bad person overall, maybe a little too naïve.

Pia was able to form a friendshop with Valerie in Turffield where she finally managed to catch the girl alone. Pia decided that Valerie's stream and followers could help her towards her goal of becoming rich, one she is trying to head towards to against ever since the events with Catherine. She feels guilty about this though.

Rosa Valdés
Pia met Rosa on Route 3 and went inside a haunted mansion together with Aeliana and Valerie. They were stuck inside a room together where Rosa found golden nuggets and shared one with Pia. Rosa's small moments of kindness seemed insincere in Pia's eyes, someone who is well versed with duality. When Rosa left the end of the year market after they had gotten out of the haunted mansion, Pia followed her and saw her crying. Pia comforted the crying Rosa but as soon as Rosa had gotten herself together again, Pia fell the need to call her out on her duality, telling her that how she was acting now was quite different from before. Rosa denied at first but as soon as Pia had driven her into a corner, she stopped trying. After Jirachi appeared for a brief second, Rosa walked off. They're neither on bad or good terms but both have things they probably need to speak off.

Simon Pearburgh
Pia met Simon in Galar Mine 1. Pia thought nothing more of him than a bug nerd. They partnered up to battle against Oleana and his clever strategies impressed Pia, prompting her to compliment him after their shared life/death situation on Route 4.

Pia considers Simon to be a positive influence and appreciates him cheering her on during the contest in Turffield where he appeared to be the loudest in the room.

Catherine Carlisle
Yeah.... Pia really doesn't like Catherine but she enjoys getting under her skin.

Kit
Pia met Kit in the Wild Area. Kit had been trying to catch a Pokémon for days but had yet to catch one. He begged the girl to help him in exchange for money and a strange rock that he found. Pia taught him how to catch a Pokémon but after hearing that Kit is in search for his father, she decided to only take the strange rock as her reward and left the pouch with Poké behind for the boy to keep. Kit seems to have developed a crush for her because of that.

Daija Sancho
Daija is Ruben's little sister by 2 years. Pia met Daija during her trip to Wedgehurst with Ruben on Route 5. Daija was wary of the girl at first as she is well aware of her brother's "type". She has given Pia her nod of approval when she found the two being silly in the living room after she had left the house for a little bit to cool off. She thinks Pia is a positive influence in Ruben's life.

Trainer ID

Pia McGuire:

Pia was born in the town of Hammerlocke in the Galar region and is part of the first graduating class of the Wedgehurt trainer's academy. Despite having lived in poverty, her mother has been able to pay for her tuition in alternative ways. She's quick witted and rather clever but is sometimes a bit "too" honest. Pia dreams of becoming an actress and does almost anything to get more money. When it comes down to it, what she really wants is to no longer live in poverty and live a bit more happily.

Inventory:

4x Pokéball
Galarian Pokédex
Xtransceiver
Broken Flashlight
King's Rock
Sun Stone
Thunderstone

Outfits:

Daily Outfit:

Spoiler:

Contest outfit:

Spoiler:

Ribbons:

Turffield Ribbon 2nd place:

Badges:

Turffield Grass badge

Shak · Mar 7, 2021

-Ruben Sancho

​

The Twelth Man

@LilBooberOfficial said:
Y'all Galarians really thought I was playin. I told y'all, that's his girl @RS12 #BoltundBlitz #Galariantour #Loveatfirstsight

The studio audience applauded, swooning and simpering as the camera panned over them. Their attention was directed to the stage, where Pia McGuire shook the room with a winning smile. Between her, Ruben Sancho and the talk show host it was the girl that seemed to steal the imagination of the crowd. The girl sat upright in her chair, one leg crossed over the other in the dazzling dress her boyfriend had bought her for valentines day. Well, to call it the same dress would be a compliment to the boy, Pia took a lot of her handiwork to turn the ugly yellow frock into something she'd allow herself to be seen in publicly. It wasn't his fault, really. Pia was just very picky when it came to fashion. Ruben conversely, slouched in his seat, while the talk show host leaned over his desk hanging on the edge of his seat awaiting the girl's next words.

"So, Pia, one thing we've not got the chance to talk about is your sensational performance at the Turffield Pokemon Contest. Excuse the pun, but it was a real barn burner. How involved do the two of you get in each other's endeavours? We know Ruben was at your contest performance, but not your gym battle. When we see Ruben return to the football pitch, can we expect to see Pia McGuire cheering in the stands?" The rambled on, the excitement clear to see in his face.

"I like to think we support each other in what we're doing but we also have our own personal lives. Ruben had a match on the day of my gym battle and I didn't want to have him choose between me and football, so I didn't tell him." Pia answered the question truthfully and with charisma. One wouldn't think she had no experience being in these kinds of things at all. It was both thanks to her acting lessons and Tania drilling her just before the talk show. "But yes, I do intend to cheer him on during his matches." She quickly added, throwing them a charming smile and briefly glancing at Ruben which got the audience a bit wild. The smile of the show host was brimming to the point his lips were touching his ears.

"Now I won't patronise you and ask if you've seen that Lil' Boober posted a chatt about you two. That's the level of celebrity you're reaching." The host swooned as Ruben sank further into his seat. "You've just said it, you're behind each other and the region is behind you. My last question, I want to squeeze in before we run out of time, you're both taking part in the league challenge. Well, jury's still out on Ruben but the question still stands. Are you rivals now? What happens if the two of you have to face off in the Galar tournament? Pia, do you let Ruben win or does Ruben be a gentleman and step aside?"

"A-Ah…" Pia suddenly fell flat, a bit surprised by the question. Of course they were still rivals but she was unsure if Ruben was even still joining the challenge and what would even happen if they had to face off against each other. She didn't want to paint him in a bad light. How should she answer this…?

"We're supporting each other regardless." Ruben finally spoke up, to the surprise of the host, even earning a couple of gasps from the crowd. "There's a lot of roadbumps between now and then, we could end up hitting them a little too hard if we're speeding toward the hill in the distance. For me that's getting fit, for Pia that's beating Nessa. We'll cross those bridges when we come to them." There was a moment of silence as the crowd took in Ruben's response. Many would've wanted more and others may have questioned the meaning behind his words but in the collective body of the studio audience they simply stood, applauding and cheering.

"Aren't they just great?" The host shouted to the crowd, who erupted into cheers in response. The two guests gave a smile and a wave before Ruben took the still uncertain Pia's hand and guided her off the stage and behind the set.

"One down." Ruben said to Tania and Lesca, who stood with expressions of moderate approval. He took the little blue pokemon egg the woman had been holding for him and placed it in his bag. Pia let out a very very deep sigh and even shook a little. That was more intense than she had expected. She glanced up at her boyfriend with a small appreciating smile, happy that he came in to her rescue.

"With that over, I'll probably have to start making my way to Hulburry. My team and I still need some training before we can actually take on Nessa. I'm hoping to get some training happening along the road."

"While you do, you might want to consider what we spoke about," said Tania as walked after Ruben. The younger girl stopped in her tracks and faced the woman bestowing advice onto her. "Your profile's going to start to rise and you're going to be getting a lot of work. If Ruben's involved, I can help you but that's as far as my jurisdiction goes. You need to get yourself a manager." Her words seemed to catch Ruben's attention but the boy thought better than to speak up now. "On the topic, Ruben, we haven't heard from Ol' Dickey recently…"

"Yeah well, I'm working, he gets his ten percent." The boy shrugged, as the egg in his hand wobbled, nearly toppling out of his arms. Pia was quick to rush over to push the egg back into his arms by pressing a soft hand against his and her other hand on the egg. She let go after making sure it was stable.

"Ruben... " She gave him a glare, something that already told Ruben enough. "Please be more careful, there is a living creature in there. It needs care." She reminded him, sighing as she took a step back. "Speaking of care. Remember the promise you made." She gave him a threatening smile.

A vacant expression took the boy's face. He looked down at the egg, then up at Pia.

"What promise?" He asked, causing Pia to narrow her eyes. "Joking. Joking." He smiled, hopping to his feet and approaching the girl with some urgency. "I'll be starting on the bench. Boss'll probably give me like fifteen minutes, tops." He said with a smile, still holding the egg loosely under one arm. Pia looked at him, still unsure but she eventually relented, reached in and adjusted his grip on the egg. The girl leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, to which he responded in turn. The girl lingered for a moment.

"Look after the egg please…" She pulled away, looking him in the eyes. "...and yourself." With that, she let him go and headed for the exit.

"Yo, it's SK the Artist, man's here with MusicOnLockTV and you're watching Behind the Bars. They've invited me here to break down the lyrics to my newest single, 'Bando'." SK the Artist sat with a Silver backdrop behind him. The lyrics appeared on screen next to him as he read through his lines. "I told the girl no clothes in the Bando. If the ***** gimme lip, or her man talk ****, the stick buss shots like Ruben Sancho." As he finished, the words disappeared and an image of Ruben appeared in their place. "The last line is self explanatory. The stick is a gun, hypothetical gun, and it shoots like a bad boy striker, a la Ruben Sancho. Before that though, there's a lot to unpack. Man's a wordsmith, ennit? Firstly, the song's about functionality. This is actually a true story. Hypothetical true story. Us man are in the bando grinding, hypothetically, and this girl's standing there in your nice clothes doing what? Posing and taking pictures? I had to ask her, what do you bring to the table? If you're coming to the bando, hypothetical bando, you're putting out for the mandem, or you're changin out of your street clothes, putting on something you don't mind getting the smell on and getting to work. There's no free rides where us man are concerned. Earn your place, or get the **** out."

"Scarfman, twenty minutes until kick off. Ruben Sanch-"

"Don't even say his name. I'm pissed blud. I'm pissed!" Scarfman slammed the seat in front of him to accentuate his point. Him and Scott were standing in the illuminated stands of Ballonlea stadium, flanked by confused, intrigued and excited Wedgehurst fans. On the pitch below them, the footballers carried out their warm ups, Ruben Sancho practicing his shooting against the Wedgehurst goalkeeper.

"Usually we don't do match previews twenty minutes before the game but...as we've just seen, Taiko Wai-titi has been removed from the training session for what looked like a stomach ache. With Declan Evans suffering the first injury of his fourteen year career in the Motostoke game, we're left with one striker." Both Scott and Scarfman shared a sigh.

"Don't say his name."

"We could be in for absolutely anything today. We're at the home of a resurgent Ballonlea Forest, who have recorded wins over the likes of: Hulbury, Hammerlocke and Circhester; and host a Wedgehurst team breaking records for all the wrong reasons but who could have a returning hero today. It's all happening at the Ballonlea Stadium." The disembodied voice of the match commentator explained as the players lined up. The pure pink of Ballonlea against the White of Wedgehurst's away strip. Only the v-shaped line of green that fell over the player's shoulders signified their allegiances to the little town of Wooloo. Ruben stood at the end of the line, his head hung as the boos from the Wedgehurst fans rained down. Instead Ruben watched the feet of the match mascots as they left the field to the players and the referees. Each and every mascot, a kid most likely aspiring to be the next Ruben Sancho. If only they knew.

As it turned out, it was Ruben who stood over the ball for the kick off. He could hear each and every boo. The whistling voice of an old lager drinker with a few too many teeth missing. The heavy voice of a chubby boy most likely with ala match day pie in his hand. The collective throat testing boos of a bunch of lads who were too scared to dare wear a different tracksuit than the rest of their pals. The croaking voice of a lady so old that every match seemed it could be her last. Ruben could hear every single boo. That small corner of the stadium seemed focused solely on letting him know where he stood. It seemed an age before the whistle finally blew…

"And we're off." The commentator spoke plainly, offset by the roar of excitement from the home fans. "Wedgehurst driving the ball across the turf early, certainly not trying to make the same mistakes they did against Wyndon."

"Yeah, there isn't a team in the league that presses like this Ballonlea side. They don't give you a second to breathe on the ball, and they're so physical."

As the two commentators gave their perspectives, exactly what they described took place on the pitch. The Wedgehurst players passed the ball around, with barely a second to make a decision before a Ballonlea player was nibbling at their ankle or shoving a shoulder into their chest to get between them and the ball. Even when they did create time for themselves, the Ballonlea players marked the white off the pitch, making every pass a fifty fifty race to the ball between a pink and a white shirt. In the background, the commentators waxed lyrical about the incredible work rate, shape and structure of the tireless Ballonlea team.

As the ball fell to Benny Smith, he played it long. On instinct, Ruben made his run. In a flash, Ruben was in behind the Ballonlea defenders with the ball at his feet.

"There's the danger that Ruben Sancho brings. That lethal pace in behind. One pass can split a defence." Again, the visual the commentator painted was picture perfect. Ruben found himself one on one with the goalkeeper. The whole stadium held their breath as… "OH! AND HE'S MISSED IT!"

"Rusty. That's the difference between a player that's played regular football and one that's missed ten months. Any other day, that's tucked in the bottom corner." Ruben, who had jumped over the diving goalkeeper and carried his momentum onto his knees, watched as the ball rolled haplessly past the fair post. A chorus of jeers and sarcastic cheers reigned down from the Away Fans.

"We're seeing the impact Ruben Sancho can have on a game now." The commentator spoke over an eventful twenty minutes of Benny Smith playing a long ball and Ruben running in on goal. Whether it was a save from the goalkeeper, a wayward shot or a last ditch block from a defender, the young striker found himself falling just short at every opportunity.

The Ballonlea players wised up. They soon found themselves staying deep and protecting their own goal. While Wedgehurst kept possession of the ball, nothing about their attack looked to penetrate the Ballonlea defence. "The forest players have wised up to the threat of his pace in behind."

The ball fell to Ruben. He stumbled over it, just trying to get it out of his feet. Once he finally got control, he felt a sharp pain in his back as he was clattered to the ground. He looked up, demanding some sort of intervention from the referee, but saw nothing other than play continuing without him. Again boos. The boy let his face fall into the grass for a moment before pulling himself to his feet.

Time after time, Ruben spent a second too many on the ball and was clattered to the ground. In his eyes, it was foul after foul that went ignored. Ruben found himself practically screaming at the referee, but all he earned was a yellow card and a warning for his troubles. The game continued without a goal. The crowd continued without a cheer.

Ruben was having to run deep to even get a sight of the ball. By the time it fell to his feet, he was standing next to his own defenders. He was taking heavy breaths, and that ankle was throbbing, but Ruben refused to stop. He had to score today. The team needed a win.

Cutting his thought short, the referee blew his whistle. Floods of fans left the stands and Ruben could feel his lungs busting. He looked up at the clock. They'd played forty five minutes. His ankle felt like a brick on the end of his leg. Another forty five would kill him. He sucked it up and joined the other players on route to the tunnel.

As the young footballer was about to enter the team's locker rooms, a loud, gruff voice suddenly called out to him from above.

"OI! CHIN UP, SANCHO! GAME'S NAE O'ER YET!"

Ruben looked up and was met with the sight of a large, bearded man wearing a white coat similar to one he'd seen before. Around his neck was a pink and blue scarf, the Ballonlea colours, but something about the man's tone told Ruben he wasn't just some heckler. He was surrounded by a swarm of other Ballonlea fans, all also dressed in heavy winter coats, most of them young children.

"DON'T GIVE UP YET, RUBEN!" a young girl yelled out at Ruben, her head barely poking above the railing.

"YA BETTER WIN ME THA' 20 QUID, SANCHO!" Another shout from the group, coming from an older man beside the first one, which was then met with a scolding slap to the back of the head by another lady beside him.

Two younger boys among the group were also screaming at him, but Ruben could barely hear their words above them yelling over each other. He made out the words "Legend", "Simon", and "Max Power."

...Simon? As if to answer his mental question, the bearded man spoke to him again, "YA HEAR THAT, LAD? YA GOT THE WHOLE PEARBURGH LINE ROOTIN' FOR YOU!"

The bewildered footballer stood at the edge of the tunnel, soaking up the compliments that seemed to drown out the boos for just a moment. He even staggered back, overwhelmed by the passion with which these people sang his praises. They were Simon's family alright. He chuckled to himself. Despite everything going on, the first thing he could think to himself was 'I wonder if any of them have met Sachiko yet'.

His lethargic smile was knocked off his face by Curtis bumping into him with a snide comment along the lines of 'check out the cheer squad'. Ruben dismissed it and got himself as close as he could to the supporting Pearburghs.

"You guys are awesome, thank you. Simon's a great kid!" He smiled, feeling his shoulders relax for a moment.

Even in the fifteen minute interval, the resentment toward the Wedgehurst number twelve wouldn't let up. Most of the booing fans would have suffered through a montage of the teenagers first half misses, and the expensive lagers and ciders they bought surely didn't make them more unforgiving. Despite it all, the ball fell to Ruben as the second half proceeded and he carried it in his stride. Rejuvenated by the uplifting moment with his league challenge rival's family, the part time pokemon trainer drifted in before laying it off to the right back, Benny Smith. Ruben was knocked down again and left clutching his ankle, but Wedgehurst still had the ball so the referee gave them the advantage to finish their attacking move, with the option to pull it back for the free kick if the play was stopped in the next few seconds. Ruben quickly climbed to his feet and chased the play. Ben switched the ball, with a long pass over the heads of everyone, which fell to the feet of Curtis Johnson.

Curtis took on his man, leaving the defender stumbling as Curtis darted forward with the ball at his feet. He played it into Ruben, Ruben played it back as Curtis ran in behind. Ruben positioned himself perfectly, he was there for the goal if Curtis played it back...!

Curtis went alone.

The Wedgehurst players couldn't believe their eyes. The Wedgehurst fans couldn't believe their eyes. Ruben couldn't believe his eyes. Coach Mills was screaming on the touchline. The curses and profanities he was surely spouting were drowned out by the serenade of boos that shook the stadium.

With Ruben Sancho in pole position to end the team's four-game goal drought, Curtis Johnson had decided to go alone. He was tackled and Ballonlea sprung their counter attack.

"Oooh, it's a sensational counter attack that leaves the Wedgehurst defence in tatters! Still stunned by the opportunity that goes begging, they're forced to work at the other end and Ballonlea make them pay! One nil to the home side! It's against the run of play, but the Ruben Sancho return is going very much against the script!" The commentator yelled as the pink shirted player ran off in celebration. Still in the opposition box, Ruben and Curtis were braving the brunt of the Wedgehurst fan's abuse on the back on an impassioned discussion over why Curtis didn't play the pass.

The two men took their time to walk back, so much so that the referee had to hurry them to their own half so that play could continue. Ruben just snapped.

"**** off man." The young footballer grunted slapping the referee's arm away and earning himself yet another warning.

As play went on, Ruben began to pant harder and harder and limp more and more. The game seemed to pass him by. He threw himself into every challenge, shot from twenty five yards out and demanded the ball from terrible positions until…

"There it is. Ball goes out for a throw in and it's a substitution for Wedgehurst. It's the number twelve on the board." The commentator said, almost sighing at the inevitable removal of Ruben from the game. "He's been poor today. It's disappointing really." The player in question looked up at his number. He told Pia and Daija he'd take it easy. He was supposed to only get the last thirty minutes of the game. Ruben was certain that was more than long enough to get a goal. Yet, here he stood with sixty under his belt, covered in sweat, and he could barely put any weight on his left foot. The ironic cheers of the fans only made it burn more.

He looked up at the stands. That corner of Wedgehurst fans. Scarfman. The Blackspear guy from the Wild Area Inn. Those guys from Wedgehurst station. What was he supposed to do? Prove them right? There was no way he was giving up now. Pia and Daija would make their comments, have their complaints even, but the Boltund Blitz was scoring today! He threw arm in the air and shook his head at Coach Mills. The gesture threw the stadium into frenzy. Even the home fans didn't know what to do with themselves as they watched the player refuse to accept the fact he'd been substituted.

"This is one of the most absurd things I've ever seen in this sport." The second commentator said with a gasp. "Mills is trying to make a substitution, but Ruben Sancho is refusing to leave the pitch!"

"He'll be frustrated, Sancho, this was supposed to be his big return but surely he has to come off. If you're Coach Mills in this situation, you're embarrassed, you're bemused-"

"You're furious. The coach will be absolutely livid. You can see him down there, he's very animated."

Some of the Wedgehurst players even tried to usher Ruben toward the bench but he refused to give in. Coach Mills tossed his clipboard against the ground and stormed down the tunnel, causing confusion around the stadium. "...that'll sure see the end of Mill's reign as Wedgehurst manager."

A somber tone took the field as the confusion settled and the referee gave the ball back to the Wedgehurst players for their throw-in.

Chances were at a premium, challenges, pushes and shoves brewed the tension as the clock ran down, but run down it did. Ruben had an eye on the clock and did everything in his power to create just the tiniest opening. Just five minutes. Again, he found his stride and a plucky ball from Benny Smith found its way to his feet. Ruben was through. One more chance.

BAM!!!

Ruben was sent flying but quickly sprung to his feet. It had to be a penalty, it just had to be. Yet, somehow the ref dismissed him. No. Not this time. Ruben grabbed the ref by the arm and yanked him back, screaming obscenities in the man's face. With no uncertainty, the ref pulled away from him and pulled a red card from his back pocket.

"**** off. No. You, **** off…" Ruben ranted and repeated as the diminutive man gave him his marching orders. Not a single eye of sympathy fell on the teenager in that moment. Not from his manager, not from his fans, even his fellow players could only shake their heads as they watched him try to approach the official one more time. It took Ballonlea's six foot four behemoth of a defender to keep Ruben away before he was pawned off to more familiar diplomats in white shirts. A riled up Ruben was dragged off the pitch with the combined efforts of Curtis Johnson and six foot six Hoenn goalkeeper Dylan Suarez.

The boos were deafening. Some fans in the closer stands were even spitting and throwing coins at him. "**** off…" The young striker grumbled, his head hung, as he walked away from the fans. It was a vitriolic atmosphere, and only worsened the boy's foul words. He ripped the shirt off his back and tossed it behind him with tears in his eyes as Curtis shielded him from the abuse. The explosion of boos that followed practically forced Ruben down the tunnel.

Sick. Ruben just felt sick. Sick to his stomach. Sick in his head. Every limb felt heavy, every joint felt numb. His eyes were sore and his nose was clogged. Ears stuffy, hair heavy on his head. It was pain. Torture. He stared down at Pia's name in his phone. She was the only one he could think to talk to. Daija would be desperate to blame him. He had to avoid Tania's call as long as possible. Simon and Raph were cool but...he scrolled through his phone again. There were hundreds of names in there but they were all a blur now. Any one of those names could've been a face in that crowd. Again, he stopped it on Pia.

Brrrring

All those names disappeared to leave just one.

Caller ID: Ainsley. Ruben smirked at it. The Lil' Boober Chatt. SK the Artist singing his praises on the 'Behind the Lyrics' segment. Finding out he was dating the girl that rejected him in Motostoke. There were plenty of reasons Ainsley could've been calling him. Not that it mattered. Ruben was just glad he was.

Wedgehurst​

Stinging Bea · Mar 7, 2021

Aeliana Kekoa

Route 5

Chapter 7-3 | Shelter

Aeliana's Current Party:

"I should've known it wasn't gonna be easy to just walk over to Hulbury."

Aeliana sits under the protective covering of a large, sturdy oak tree. The pitter pattering of rain splashes against the leaves of the branches of the massive tree, acting as a sort of makeshift umbrella for the pinkette and her Pokémon. Mahina sits in her lap, with Elia curled up by her side napping. Clara was sitting beside Jet, who in turn was sitting with folded legs and crossed arms, watching with a bored expression on his face as Tampa and Fiesta chase each other and run back and forth in the rain. He can't help and think that they're acting like a bunch of children, though at the same time he too finds himself growing restless with all this waiting.

"I know it was cloudy, but it's flat out pouring now. Maybe I should've checked the weather before setting out. We could've planned better so we wouldn't be getting stuck in this mess," Aeliana muses.

As if it had been rehearsed, a loud clap of thunder jolts both Mahina and Elia from their naps. The wind begins to pick up in strength, the leaves and branches of the trees swinging and bucking wildly in the gust of wind. Aeliana can feel Mahina curl up into a ball, as if she's trying to find some way to escape from the sights and sounds of the storm.

"Alright, this ain't gonna work…" Aeliana determines as she climbs to her feet. "This storm is too strong, we're gonna get soaked… or worse, if we keep hanging out here. But we'll get those things too if we go back tracking to Turffield."

Elia climbs to her feet as well. Finally, it seems as though someone in this group is making sense. The Eevee looks around, eyes narrowing as another flash of lightning and clap of thunder echoes out through the area. She puts her nose to the ground and sniffs… Wait, was someone here recently…? No matter, she's got a scent of something that could lead them to said shelter. Might as well follow it, right?

"Eee!" Elia declares, her tail swishing back and forth proudly.

"Hmm…? You've got a scent, Elia?" Aeliana questions. The Eevee in question proudly puffs out her chest. Is there any real need to doubt her? Aeliana smiles, offering some reassuring pats to the Clefairy cowering in her arms. "Alright then, lead on!"

Aeliana recalls the rest of her team and follows her Eevee into the thicket behind them. It almost turns into the trainer wandering through a forest. She isn't how long they travel, but the pink-haired girl and her Eevee soon come across a lone building located deep in a thicket. It's definitely seen better days, with several of the windows broken and the front porch literally starting to rot from years of abandonment. That said, it would likely prove to be better shelter than the trees. Also the foundation must still be somewhat sturdy, given the fact it's still managing to stand after all this time.

Before Aeliana has a chance to debate the dangers of entering the rundown structure further, another loud clap of thunder catches her ears. The rain now seems to be dropping in even stronger intensity, as if it was a monsoon back on Poni Island back in Alola. Without skipping a beat, the trainer, Mahina and Elia all three make a beeline for the door and quickly enter inside. The trainer even went as far as to slam the door shut behind her. She shivers, her clothes dripping wet from the oncoming storm that was already quickly pelting the glass of the abandoned building.

"We should be able to wait the storm out here," Aeliana sighs as she looks down to the Clefairy in her arms. A loud, echoing clap of thunder echoes throughout the room, causing Mahina to snuggle into the trainer's arms tighter. The pink-haired trainer gently pats her head. "It'll be okay, Mahina… We're all here."

Elia takes a look around the room, getting a feel for where exactly "here" is. The room is… filthy to say the least. Dirt and dust clings to all of the furniture, where it has clearly seen better days. The sofa in the room has springs literally popping out of the cushions. The pictures which line the walls, those at least which haven't crashed to the floor, are either cracked or covered in thick layers of dust. The cobwebs only accentuates that this place is one that of her calibur has no place being in, and she silently contemplates on taking her chances back out in the storm. That said, all it takes a flash of lightning to rescind that idea.

"This place gives me vibes of that castle back on Route 3," Aeliana muses as she looks around the room.

She slowly walks over to the pictures hanging on the wall, eyes narrowing as she takes in the scenery of one in particular. She gently shifts Mahina in her arms, before reaching up to take the picture off the wall. The picture depicts an older man, broad smile on his face, as he proudly stands beside two young girls. The first girl looks about ten or so at the oldest in the picture. Her hair is brown, reaching about shoulder length. She's dressed in a pair of denim shorts and sneakers, with a bright red tank top covering her chest. The other girl in the picture is only three or four at the oldest. Her blonde hair long, easily reaching down to her lower back, though it's tied up tight into two twin pigtails. She's got a bright smile on her face as she's holding an egg in her arms.The older man in the photo looks to be the stereotypical farmer of sorts. He's even dressed in a pair of overalls and a flannel shirt, sleeves rolled up with a pair of soiled leather gloves covering his hands.

"Is this a picture of the people who used to live here?" Aeliana questions aloud. "No telling how old this photo is… Could be as old as Professor Sonia's grandmother."

Before she has time to ponder it further, a strange, lighthearted giggle reaches the trainer's ears. Her lavender eyes grow wide as she places the photo gingerly on the wall. Was someone else here? This place was pretty deep off the traveled road, so it didn't seem like it was somewhere many trainers would wander off to.

"Hello…?" Aeliana calls out. "Is anyone here?"

The only thing that greets the trainer is silence. Maybe she's hearing things? It has been quite the long day, all things considered. Aeliana is prepared to simply shake her head at the thought, maybe take a seat on the rather… beaten sofa for a bit, when she hears another giggle, followed by the sound of footsteps running somewhere in the house. Okay, someone is definitely here.

The pinkette instinctively pulls Mahina closer to her chest, "...Elia, stay close."

The Eevee gives her trainer a curious glance. This human can't possibly be thinking about walking around this place, right? The house is creepy enough as it is, and the only place they should be heading for is the exit, weather be damned. Still, it would not be very noble of her to leave her human to her own devices. She needs someone of her refined blood to keep her safe. Very well. Elia decides that she will humor this girl's silly desires for now.

The group slowly begins to make their way out of the den and into a hallway located to the left. It's narrow and dimly lit, with floorboards missing or rotting away. For a moment, Aeliana hesitates about walking on them due to their poor state. However, she doesn't get to think it over long as the familiar giggle reaches her ears. Looking up, Aeliana's eyes widen as she spots a girl staring back at her. A broad smile is stretching across her face as her hands rest behind her back.

"Little girl…?" Aeliana calls out. "Are you here by yourself? It's totally not in your best interest to be here, why not come here to me?"

The girl merely giggles in response. It sounds more than a bit eerie, echoing out through the hallway despite the fact that Aeliana's own voice does not. Still, despite this Aeliana finds herself moving forward. She begins to hold out her hand, reaching out for the child to come take it. However as she nears the young girl, she stops. Her breath becomes short as she realizes something. Her mind slowly drifts back to the photo she looked at back in the den as she analyzes the young girl. Denim shorts… red tank top… shoulder-length brown hair…

"You… You're the girl in the photo…?" Aeliana questions.

Before she can process anything else, the girl laughs and begins to run further down the hallway. Aeliana curses under her breath and begins to give chase. Elia is right on her heels as she runs, the Eevee feeling more than just a bit nervous about continuing on. Eventually, the group comes to a deadend, with only a single room, to her right. That said, the pink-haired trainer knows she didn't see the girl take a sudden turn. In fact, it was almost as if she vanished from plain sight.

Aeliana glances down at her Pokémon. "She came this way… right…?" Mahina nods slowly, her grip tightening on the pinkette's jacket. "Tapu Koko, where did she go…?"

Suddenly, a jarring crash causes the Clefairy in Aeliana's arms to jump. The hair on Elia's backside stands straight, a feral growl as she looks around. Aeliana turns to the right, silently taking a step forward. She peers into the room, the sound of rustling coming to her ears as she steps inside. It's a bedroom. Much like the rest of the house, it is unkempt with thick dust and dirt covering the floorboards and furniture. A stale scent occupies the room, giving sign that no one has been inside of it for quite a long time. The room is so silent, Aeliana is sure that she could hear a pin drop. The only sound that gives her any comfort is the faint sound of the rain pitter pattering against the glass of a window. Despite this however, what catches the pinkette's eyes the most is a desk located just under a broken window. Slowly, Aeliana makes her way towards the desk. Resting atop the surface is a single book. It seems oddly out of place, given the rustic look of the furniture within the abandoned home. The cover is decorated with various berries, and there's even a Pikachu bouncing on a poké ball on the cover. If Aeliana didn't know any better, she'd swear it was something that she had carried back when she was in elementary school.

"Looks like a diary or something…? Maybe that girl's…?" the pink-haired trainer questions.

"Yeah… It's mine," a voice suddenly replies. Aeliana practically jumps out of her skin at the sudden response. She turns to see the young, brown-haired girl standing in front of her. Once more her hands are placed behind her back and a goofy smile graces her lips. "I accidentally left it here that summer. We never got a chance to come back and pick it up. Dad was always comin' and goin', so our time here was always pretty short."

"Your… time here…?" Aeliana asks. Something about this girl is unsettling, but at the same time, the Alolan can't bring herself to just grab her Eevee and book it out of her. "What do you mean?"

"This is my grandpa's house. Me and my sister used to come here all the time in the summer, when we were kids. Dad was always busy durin' those times with his tournaments and stuff, so they'd send us here to visit while he and mom did their tours," the brown-haired girl explained.

"When you were kids…? Aren't you still a kid…?"

"Oh… I guess ya got a point, yeah."

Aeliana's eyes drift down to the diary. She gently picks it off the desk, before handing out towards the brown-haired girl. "No… I don't think that's gonna do me much good anymore… But… there is somethin' you could do for me since your here."

A moment of hesitation. Aeliana is confused about why this journal wouldn't do the brown-haired girl any good anymore. Something about the way she speaks… it doesn't seem to fit with ehr age. In fact, her blunt dialogue almost reminds her of an adult almost.

"...What do you want me to do?" Aeliana finally asks.

A sigh of relief from the child. "I can't remember… I think… there's somethin' here. Somethin' that got left here when we left when we kids. Grandpa was… he did somethin' out back a lot. Maybe it's in the diary. Give it a read." More hesitation comes from Aeliana. The brown-haired girl wants her to read her diary? Even at the young age she seems, despite her claims otherwise, a young girl would normally be adverse to others flipping through their private thoughts. She quickly picks up on it, and gives Aeliana a lazy smile. "Go ahead. I doubt there's too much to really be embarrassed about now."

Aeliana nods in response and turns her attention back to the diary. She opens it extremely carefully, almost as if she's afraid that the book would crumble into dust if she didn't handle it carefully enough. At first, the pink-haired trainer doesn't find too many things of interest to note inside of its pages. Most of it is honestly filled with doodles or detailing how the girl loved Pokémon or how she wasn't too sure about her little sister. However as she goes further into the diary, Aeliana finds that the writing and events detailed within become much more in-depth.

"I think I found something…?" Aeliana questions. She kneels down, holding the diary forward so the brown-haired girl can read it.

July 13th
Dad and mom dropped us off at grandpa's the other day. Avi wasn't too happy about it. She was a baby the past few times we came to stay with him, so she was really sad to see them go this time. She cried a whole lot! But Grandpa was okay with it. He raises Pokémon, so I guess he's used to dealing with babies that cry a lot.

July 15th
Avi calmed down a lot since we got here. She seems to be really happy whenever she gets to play with Pokémon. Maybe she's gonna be a trainer like me! I'm not a trainer yet, but I'll be going into school for it soon! Dad said I'll be really good at it!

Today, Grandpa said he had something really cool to show us! Do you know what it was? A Pokémon egg! We've never seen a Pokémon egg before. When I asked Grandpa about where they come from, all he could say he was he wasn't sure! Grandpa is so silly. He says he does this sort of thing all the time, but he doesn't know where they come from? He told us that we had to be super careful with it, because the eggs take a lot of care to hatch. Grandpa even said he'd let us have what was inside of it! I wonder what kind of Pokémon it is…

A look of shock takes over the child's face. She holds her head, as if she's having a massive migraine. Aeliana and her Pokémon take a step forward. Concern is evident on the pink-haired girl's face as she thinks that the child is going to fall over. The child raises her hand however, as if telling her that she's going to be alright.

"I remember now… I remember why I came back here!" the brown-haired child exclaims. She looks up to Aeliana, a pleading look quickly taking over her facial features. "The egg! When we got picked up, Avi left the egg here!"

"Avi…?" the Alolan questions.

"My little sister. We were playin' with it that mornin' and left it… in the barn…?" she replies, though the child sounds uncertain herself. "We… we went to eat lunch, my parents arrived just as we finished, so… we must have forgotten it in the excitement."

"Well, it probably hatched right?" Aeliana asks. "They don't stay eggs forever, right…?"

The child shakes her head. "No… Eggs require a lot of attention and love. You gotta keep them warm, basically treat 'em like they're already hatched!"

Aeliana presses further. "Your grandpa, though?"

"No dice… He passed away later that month. No one saw it comin', but he was pushin' 80 when we were there," the child explains. Her memory seems to be becoming much more coherent. As to whether or not that's a good thing, Aeliana isn't too sure. "Please… I need you to go check out back!"

Before the trainer can even respond, the brown-haired girl turns on her heel and runs towards the door. She can hear the sound of her rushing footsteps down the hall, which given the state of the house fills Aeliana with dread. She quickly follows, tucking the diary under her left arm with Mahina carried in her right. A sense of urgency even seems to have reached Elia, the Eevee being quicker on the brown-haired girl's trail than the trainer. Aeliana and her Pokémon make a beeline outside, before running around to the back of the house. The rain is still pouring down, but none of the group seems to pay it any mind. Rather, they head straight for a lone building in the backyard that Aeliana can only deduce is in fact the barn that the child was speaking of.

It's in poor shape. The wood is rotting, much like that of the house, with vines of ivy wrapping around it and moss forming on its sides. Aeliana seems hesitant about going inside, but the sight of the brown-haired child quickly reaches her eyes. Throwing caution to the wind, she steps inside.

"Are you okay…?" she asks, gently walking towards the young girl.

The child remains silent for a moment, before slowly turning around to face the pink-haired trainer. She points straight ahead, looking her in the eyes. "It's… It's actually still here."

Much to Aeliana's amazement, the egg is in fact still in the barn. Without even being told, the trainer slowly walks past the child and gently places Mahina down by her side before scooping the egg up into her hands. It's sturdy… cold… yet for some reason, the pinkette can tell that the egg is still alive. The egg is solid white, with several spots of black decorating it here or there.

"Tapu Bulu… this thing is still alive…" Aeliana mutters.

"What is still alive?"

Aeliana freezes up. Her body begins to tremble at the sound of the voice that comes from behind her. She can feel Mahina grip her pants leg tightly, cowering in fear. Elia lets out a small growl, but is quick to join Mahina from behind Aeliana. Slowly, the pink-haired trainer turns and comes face to face with none other than Avril Morris.

"What the hell are you even doing here? Haven't you given me enough grief already…?" the older woman questions. Aeliana can feel Avril's icy blue eye drill into her lavender ones. Her gaze drifts down to the egg in the Alolan's hands. "What… is that? Is that my egg?!"

"N-No! No, I found it here! In this barn!" Aeliana exclaims, she takes a step back as she tries to put as much space between herself and Avril as she possibly can. The barn is small, however. It doesn't take long until the woman is practically on top of her. "Wait, does that mean she never found Ruben…?"

Without warning, Avril snatches the egg from the trainer's hand. She examines it carefully. "No… No, this isn't it…"

"That's what I told you," Aeliana mumbles.

There's a moment of uncomfortable silence between the two. "What are you doing here? How did you even manage to find this place?"

"The storm... " Aeliana replies bluntly. "We came here to wait it out… Wait, what does it matter to you, anyway?"

Avril responds with only a grunt. Without saying a word, she quickly sits on a bail of hay. The blonde woman reaches into her coat pocket, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter. The barn is soon filled with a heavy odor of tobacco and nicotine.

Aeliana keeps the egg close to her body. She watches the woman silently before speaking up again. "About the Wild Area…"

"Shut up…" Avril replies bluntly. Her hand gently rises up to her shoulder, wherein Aeliana notices a rather hastily made, makeshift bandage covering where she had been shot by Anabelle. Alolan finds herself wondering if Avril even had the bullet removed. It was unlikely, given her status. "Where's that boy?"

Aeliana blinks. "Ruben?"

A nod.

"I… I haven't seen him."

"Is that right…?" Avril questions. She turns to face Aeliana once more. Her hand reaches into her coat as she pulls out a poké ball. Memories come rushing back to Aeliana of that day where she and Ruben had to battle Avril almost to just stay alive. While her Pokémon are stronger now, Aeliana doubts she's at the skill level needed to beat her in a battle here and now… much less on her own. "Are you sure about that? I saw that opening ceremony shitshow… You're both challengers, so I'm sure you've battled or something by now, right?"

Aeliana shakes her head. "I haven't seen him since."

More silence between them. Something catches Aeliana's eyes, however. The brown-haired child is staring up at Avril. A look of remorse… or maybe pity, the Alolan isn't sure which, is in the girl's eyes. A sudden realization hits the gym challenger. Her mind races back to the journal entry, as well as the picture from back in the den of the house. Her gaze slowly drifts back to the blonde.

"...Avi…?"

Avril drops her cigarette. Her icy-blue eye shoots in Aeliana's direction. "...What… what did you call me?"

"You are her! You're Avi!"

Avril is up in Aeliana's face before the trainer can even fathom it. The blonde hears feral growls coming from the Eevee by her side. She hears the cries of the trainer's Clefairy. But she pays no mind to either.

"Where the fuck… did you even get that name? No one calls me that name!" she snarls. Aeliana glances down to the book still tight under her arm. She shifts the egg ever so slightly, holding the diary out for the blonde. A look of shock washes over the older woman's features. Without so much as a word, she grabs the book from Aeliana's hand. "...her diary… It was actually still here."

Avril sits down, reading through the book quietly. Aeliana isn't sure how much time goes by. She doesn't say a word as she watches the woman. The cold glare that normally seems to grace her features washes away, being replaced by a look of sadness.

"She… she used to write in this all the time," Avril says, her demeanor suddenly shifting entirely. "She'd get so mad when I looked at it or took it, so… she decided to leave it here where I couldn't get to it."

A moment of hesitation passes. "...Who?"

"My sister… Robin."

Aeliana looks down towards the doorway of the barn, the brown-haired girl standing in the entrance.

"Please… Leave," Avril says. "I… I need a moment alone."

Aeliana doesn't say another word. The trainer and her Pokémon slip past the woman and step out into the yard. The rain is quickly starting to pass, much to the trainer's relief. Her eyes drift down to that of the brown-haired girl. Several questions running through her mind. The child seems to pick up on this.

"Yes, she's my sister. My younger sister," the child begins. "My name… is Robin Morris... "

"But… how is that… How is that possible?" Aeliana asks.

"...The truth is… I died. I died a long time ago," Robin states bluntly. A sad smile comes to her lips. "In Avi's arms, on top of it all." Aeliana is speechless. She doesn't know what to say or how to respond. "It… It broke her. She's not Avi anymore. I mean, she is but… I can't… I don't know how to bring her back. I can tell she's still in there, but… she's done so much… Locked her away, you know?"

"I get what you mean, I think…" Aeliana replies.

"Look… I don't… I don't have a lot of time left. Can you do me one more favor?" Robin asks. Aeliana nods. "Help her. Whenever you see her again, if you see her again… Keep her safe for me, please?"

And then, just as soon as she had appeared. Robin is gone. Aeliana stares at the spot she had been standing in silence, keeping her grip on the egg tight as she looks all over for the girl. All that remains in the spot however, are three Luxury Balls, as if they're some kind of gift for Aeliana agreeing to help.

"...Let's give her space for now," Aeliana says to her Pokémon as they begin to walk away from the barn. "I think… she's gonna need some time before she's ready to talk to anyone again."

TM Case:

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Orx of Twinleaf · Mar 7, 2021

Team:

Rij

Henj

Tim T
"Jouron," Henj complained. The great Stonjourner was flat on his back on the ground.

"Now get up," Tim asked. Tim was sure Stonjourners could right themselves if toppled—wouldn't last so long in the wilderness otherwise, certainly—but he'd never seen it done before. Henj had obligingly let himself be knocked down just so Tim could witness this.

Henj had been deeply embarrassed by his loss to Xan's Abra, Kass. In fairness, Kass's Magic Guard had been a veritable Mankey wrench in that fight. Had it not been for that, Henj likely would have at least put up a noteworthy fight. Henj seemed to realize this as much as Tim did, and so wasn't dwelling on the loss. Rather, the Stonjourner had seemed to take greater interest in Tim's commands. Tim's idea to use Stealth Rock in such a way was admittedly rather neat—even if Tim did say so himself—and Henj appeared to have recognized Tim's intuition.

The Stonjourner kicked at the sky with each leg in turn, the force of it wobbling his whole body until finally he flopped onto his side. With one arm beneath himself, Henj levered up, pushing off the ground a small ways and then coming back down. After a handful of tries, with each gaining a little more height than the last, Henj pushed himself all the back up to his feet. He rolled his arms in satisfaction.

Tim shook his head though: that had taken far too long. There would be virtually no chance of Henj regaining his footing if knocked down in a battle scenario. Henj frowned thoughtfully at Tim's reaction: the Stonjourner seemed to agree. Henj looked past Tim to gauge the reaction of the audience.

Henj might as well have not bothered checking. Rij the Rhyhorn's neutral expression remained as unchanged as it always did. Rij had been staring at Tim and Henj more while grazing since seeing Xan's Abra perform, and Tim considered that a major breakthrough, but Rij still didn't seem particularly interested in what the two were doing at all.

"Back down, then," Tim said. Henj huffed and threw himself backward with another crash, some leaves shaking loose from the nearby trees. Tim wasn't sure why Henj listened to such a demeaning order. It wasn't as if Henj were burning with a desire for vengeance against Xan. And appreciating Tim's ingenuity alone shouldn't have been enough to induce Henj to literally throw himself to the ground when before it may as well have been a coin toss whether or not he'd listen if asked to so much as move to the far end of the clearing. Could the Stonjourner be putting on this show for Rij's benefit? Tim doubted it. There had to have been some other reason that Tim couldn't glean.

"Can you defend yourself like that?" Tim asked the toppled mon. Grunting, Henj heaved his legs up and down in heavy slaps against the ground. Some of them had enough force to even lift Henj's body into the air for a moment. That was likely the best Henj could do, since he didn't have knees. Tim was scratching his mustache, thinking.

Tim was far from soft-bodied—especially after brawling wild animals for months and digging roots out of under the snow with his bare hands—but he didn't really consider himself athletic. There were people out there who could press hundreds of pounds, who could run for miles, who could shatter brick with the edges of their hands. And most such people were fueled by proper diets. Tim was nowhere near the strongest or most agile person in the world. His friend had been closer though.

She'd had a taut body, thick in the limbs, the way Tim imagined he himself might look these days if he didn't live on literal garbage half the time. She hadn't had any martial arts training as far as Tim knew, but she'd been very capable when it came to physical exertion. She hadn't gone around punching animals of course, she had been nowhere near as much a senseless brute as Tim, but Tim felt she very much could have done so, if she'd ever wanted to. Tim remembered clearly how she had been able to get to her feet from being knocked on her back. She would place her palms against the ground behind her head, heave her legs up into the air as if trying to tuck into a backwards roll, and then, by launching her feet forward and pushing off the ground, she'd flip herself upright. Even with Tim's lacking knowledge on such things, he still recognized that to be a difficult and taxing maneuver to perform, one that took a strong body all over and a good deal of practice.

Tim let himself down onto his back on the ground. Henj made a questioning noise. He kicked the air and flopped himself onto his side to look towards Tim. Tim psyched himself up, thought of his friend, and put his hands up by his head, palms flat against the ground. "Hraaaah!" Tim heaved as he sent his legs up. He put too much oomph into it though, and the weight of his boots sent him heels-over-head into a clumsy backwards roll.

Henj was regarding Tim silently with some confusion. Rij was chewing grass, looking at Tim the same way he always did. Tim lay on his belly catching his breath as the pain in the back of his neck faded. Rij had seen this before, but Tim figured the Rhyhorn had since forgotten about it.

"Don't hurt yourself," Tim's friend had said all that time ago, laughing. At the time, her laughter had stung Tim's pride a little. Now he had no words for how much he missed it.

"I'm tougher than that, I'll get it before too long," Tim had said to her, face a little ruddy in embarrassment. After having seen her do it, Tim had asked how she had managed it, and then, of course, had immediately tried to do it himself, to expectable results. "And he doesn't need to laugh at me like that," Tim had added indignantly, as his friend's Rhyhorn coughed in amusement at his bumbling.

Rij didn't cough now though, or snort, or bark. He stood there chewing grass as Tim looked back at him through his sunglasses. Tim wondered if Rij even actually recognized Tim was the same man from the memories Tim wasn't even sure the Rhyhorn still had. Rij had to, right? Well, if Tim was about as important to Rij as a bush or a tree, maybe Rij really didn't make the connection anymore. Tim hated to think Rij might just be stupid, but perhaps that was better than the alternative: that Rij did remember, that Rij did know Tim, and that despite that and their history the Rhyhorn still received Tim with such outright apathy. If Rij were a human behaving this way toward Tim, Tim would have no doubt of Rij's loathing his company and sticking around and defending him solely out of practical necessity.

When Tim's friend had still been around, Tim and Rij had been acquaintances really, if that. Rij hadn't been Tim's mon after all, so there had been no reason to spend alone time with the Rhyhorn without his friend's company. If Rij was happy in Tim's presence before, it was because of her. Tim was an afterthought. Then and now.

"Jouron?" Henj queried, the Stonjourner still on his side expectantly. Henj did not have any such history with Tim. Tim could start fresh with this mon and, in so doing, find it in himself to be someone Rij could be happy with.

Tim looked over at his ragged backpack where it sat in the dirt next to Rij. In that backpack Tim's uniform for the Gym challenge had been neatly folded and carefully placed back into the plastic it had been presented to him in. That plastic shielded the uniform from the elements that made it through the backpack's increasingly-flimsy cover. In that plastic, tucked against the clothes, was a folded piece of paper.

A signature from Clovis. A Trainer who had so confidently defeated Milo, who was so self-assured as to offer a signature, unprompted. Clovis had performed so amazingly against Milo, and then, against a mere wild animal, was nearly trounced. Tim was quite sure Clovis didn't recognize him at all, but regardless having any audience for such a thorough smashing would have been incredibly unmanning. But even with Xan and Tim there, seeing his weakness, Clovis had found a second wind. More, he had breathed one into his mon.

That ability to bounce back meant a lot. That confidence, as far as Tim was concerned, was at least partially earned. The signature Tim had been given was the signature of someone who had great potential. Confidence was contagious when it came to Trainers and their mons. Many of the other challengers Tim had seen against Milo, they too had been able to boost their mons with sheer force of personality. That signature, given so proudly, was a symbol of that confidence. It was material proof of the potential those Trainers carried.

Tim had no potential. He had no chance. He had no confidence. Lacking so much, it was no wonder he could never inspire any in Rij. Tim rolled onto his back again, put his arms up with palms flat again, kicked his legs into the air again. And flipped himself forward. He didn't stick the landing, and he stumbled and crashed face-first into the grass, but he had flipped himself forward. It hadn't been graceful, and there was a shooting pain in one of his wrists as if he'd strained it too hard, but he had flipped himself forward. Tim spat dirt out and felt his knee bleeding a little. But Tim had flipped himself forward. "Try that," Tim said to Henj.

It might take a human a toned body and long training to manage such a maneuver, but Stonjourners were built differently. Their muscles—or muscle analogs, anyway—worked on different principles. Their joints were constructed along different directions. Their bodies were weighted in different ways. Henj levered up his giant legs and launched a little forward. He came some four feet off the ground, his top end coming up even with his falling feet, and he slammed back down on his back with a thud. Henj grumbled in complaint and then tried again, coming a little higher this time. And then a third time, his top end managing to come a little higher than his feet.

Rij had stopped eating now and was watching Henj flail. The Rhyhorn glanced at Tim with that blank gaze. Tim returned it with his own unreadable face and went back to watching Henj.

Thud. Tim was nothing to anyone. Thud. He had nowhere to go, no one to confide in. Thud. He would not force his problems on anyone anymore. Thud. It had been the height of rudeness to intrude upon Xan so far already. Thud. Tim was not the strongest, or the most agile. Thud. Tim did not have confidence. Thud. But, maybe, he could fake it. Thud. He could bumble by just enough. Thud. Just enough to inspire his mons to have the real thing.

Henj landed on his feet, stumbled a few steps, wobbled, and then stood. He seemed surprised with himself. He looked at Rij and Tim with the shadow of a grin on his face. Rij's eyes seemed just a tiny bit more open than they had been.

"Nicely done," Tim hummed, clapping a little. "Now back down, and again."

Henj's face went from satisfied to dismayed. "J-Jouron?" he complained. "Notons ourtoj!"

"We're gonna practice until you can get it consistently," Tim said as he laid down on his own back again. "We both will."

Jay · Mar 8, 2021

Professor Sonia
> Hulbury Gym: Leader's Lounge

"Woah… they're really going at it huh?" Gym Leader Nessa sat on a small cushioned seat in her gyms private lounge, mouth half stuffed with a fragment of wholemeal bagel, layered with a generous amount of cream cheese. She was staring up at a flat screen television slotted into a perfectly sized nook in the wall.

Sonia was still a little in awe of the surroundings, as she looked at the lavish décor surrounding them. Blue carpeted floors emblazoned with the guild logo, stained glass window overlooking the gym trial below, the TV, the luxurious couches she was now sitting one... She never understood why or how the Pokémon League got the resources to fund this sort of luxury. It wasn't like Nessa didn't deserve it, but she didn't think her friend would particularly mind if she wasn't provided with it either. Regardless, that was hardly relevant right now.

Displayed on the screen was a saved vod of the recent Pokémon League challenge live streams, specifically the challenges made to Milo in the past few days. Nessa had seemed eager to watch, since she had been busy with Leader business of her own when the battles took place… and Sonia couldn't lie about how proud she was of her students' performances, nor about how eager she was to show them off.

"They've really improved Sonia, it's impressive to watch the ones who lost to Kabu shine like this, yeah?" She beamed brightly, a smile that magazines would pay tens of thousands of Poké for. "They've bounced back… and for those tackling this for the first time it's a hell of a debut." She continued smiling but eventually it sank into a pout.

"...still, I was hoping my rival would put up more of a fight against these kids, he practically handed some of them the win huh?" Nessa's voice was dripping with light irritation and Sonia could only smirk.

"He was clearly leaving them for you Ness, he must really trust your ability." There was an edge of sarcasm in there that earned a glare from the water type trainer. "...tch, piss off."

After a moment of silence the pair laughed and the final battle tape ended, both smiled contently as the footage reached its conclusion and the media players interface re-appeared on the screen. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you put some of them in their place then?" The professor grinned and her friend smiled gleefully, a devilish smile taking hold of her expression. "Oh I'll be sure to trounce them!"

"Trounce 'em even?" A third voice entered the room and Nessa froze in place, slightly embarrassed, she turned in her seat to see the interloper, ready to scold some gym trainer for interrupting her when she was with her friend. As she did so however, her face, replete with blue toned make-up, began to glow a brighter red than before. "W-Wait… you're..?"

"Champion Crane." Sonia recited with a smile, causing the now panicked Nessa to quickly turn to the Professor with a mixture of disdain, surprise and anxiety. "I'm glad you could make it today, we've not been able to speak much since you came to my aid at the harbor… and I was eager to get an answer to the question I asked that night."

"U-Um… this is… did you guys organize a meeting here? Um, Sonia, did you not think to ASK me, before inviting a Champion to my- ahh, um, that doesn't matter now, hahaha!" Sonia almost snickered, it was rare to see such a flustered side to the calm and collected Nessa. Her emotions usually only flared when on the losing end of a fight, or in a proper good battle. Still she supposed for a gym leader meeting another region's champion, especially one with a fifteen year tenure, was something to be marveled at.

"I apologize for intrudin', Leader Nessa." Jackson responded, assuaging the young woman's embarrassment only slightly. "I needed to speak to Professor Magnolia in private… and we both agreed that the local restaurant was a bit too open. I hope you don't mind if we go about our business here?" Nessa's fluster slowly transformed into a quiet sort of pride, then to a confident façade. "Oh yeah, well, it's fine. As if I'd deny a visiting Champion that, yeah?" She glanced back at him momentarily, as he gave her a tired smile. "Thank you, this won't be long."

Stepping passed Nessa, who still stood a little awkwardly near the door, Jackson slowly lowered himself into a seat across from Sonia. The Professor assessed the man before her once again, now that she could see him outside of the dark of night. He was on the late end of his thirties and paired with the no doubt stressful life he led, that was starting to show. He had a pitch black five o'clock shadow and a somewhat well kept bundle of hair on his head, mostly in the same shade bar a few stray flecks of silver. His face was, well, she would have called it very experienced. A scar here or there, a gaze that always held a small bit of fire and wariness, sharp features in his nose and chin. He was pretty easy to look at for a man so much older than her, he gave off an aura of calm and confidence that made her feel safe when she was near him. That was surely an important quality for any champion to have, Leon had something similar, though what Jackson exemplified seemed wiser and more refined, the benefits of age and experience.

"You asked why I'm in Galar. I decided it's about time I told you. It's not a good idea for a Champion to leave his region unattended for too long, even when Sinnoh isn't in League season." He begins, there's a certain twang to his accent, his voice was an odd mix of dignified and casual.

"I'll cut right to the chase. Tell me, what do you two know about the Shalour Incident?"

Sonia was surprised at the sudden question… and Nessa who was still hanging at the edge of the room was even more so. The pair turned to glance at each other, until Sonia took the lead as Nessa awkwardly edged closer to where the group was sitting. "I know… it was a tragedy. I was still very young when it happened, Nessa even more so." The gym leader settled into the other couch seat, beside Sonia, before speaking up. "Yeah, it's true… but we've always heard the stories. The terrorist organization that caused the Z incident, Team Cinder, they attacked Shalour City with a monstrous pokémon." She picked up the pace, relaying the information, before turning back to Sonia to finish the point. "The class of Aquacorde Academy summoned a nearby Lugia and caused its Primal Reversion, which allowed it to defeat Cinder and drive them away."

There's a pause in the conversation, a moment of silence, before Nessa broke in to address the elephant in the room. "...and, we know you were part of that class, Champion Crane."

Jackson pondered for a moment, their recounting of events, memories of that day flooding back to him. Painful memories, fire, death, destruction. When he finally opened his eyes again he spoke quickly. "The Pokémon Cinder used was one known as 'Shadow Mewtwo'. They stole techniques used by various criminal organizations to create it, cloning technology from Kanto, shadow Pokémon conversion techniques from Orre, just to name a few. The result was more a monster than a Pokémon." He sighed, running a hand over his face gently, it was a difficult thing to discuss.

"...but why would a Mewtwo do such a thing?" Sonia spoke quietly, her own curiosity getting the better of her. "Surely if it was being used it would strike out against Cinder first and foremost?"

"We wondered about that for some time." Jackson responded without missing a beat this time. "Shadow Pokémon… are pokémon that have had their hearts shut off from everything around them. Pokémon gain greater strength by working alongside others, humans in particular, the bonds created by this partnership grants both sides strength, we now know this power is called 'synergy'." Sonia nodded as he spoke, she had heard of this term in recent research papers.

Synergy. It was the energy that linked People and Pokémon together. Some form of synergy was involved in all sorts of growths in power, evolution via friendship, Mega Evolution, even Dynamaxing all relied on this wondrous concept.

"But a shadow pokémon is the opposite of that." Jackson continued. "When synergy is removed, when a pokémon feels they can rely on nobody but themselves… they become filled with anger, hatred and resentment. This lack of synergy changes them drastically in a way that is very difficult to reverse, the lack of synergy draws out a new and darker power at the cost of emotion and self control."

"Shadow Pokémon… you mean if a pokémon is treated horribly and cut off from love, then it gains that evil power?" Nessa mumbled quietly, a lot of this info was going over her head, but as Jackson nodded in response, she was pleased that she was right.

"I don't like where this is going…" Sonia cut in, worry painting her expression. "I'm almost afraid to ask but, Jackson, what does this have to do with you being here?"

A darker tone overtook the Champion as the professor began to catch on to the graveness of the situation at hand. "My wife, Odette, was another member of the Aquacorde graduating class. She seized all of Cinder's assets using her family's connections after the Z incident was over. After doing so we found computers loaded with corrupted data, but there were some things we could salvage." He paused, though the two wouldn't know it, his mind wandered briefly to his family, to his child, but he had to store those feelings away for now. "We discovered a certain energy signature that was given off by Cinder's shadow pokémon, we believe they used it to track them when they were released to cause havoc."

Sonia's eyes darken at that and Nessa too shifts uncomfortable as Jackson continues. "A friend of mine, Professor Kuzunoha of Kalos, began to run periodic scans worldwide for that signature… so that something like the Shalour Incident would never happen again. For fifteen years, thankfully those searches have returned no results."

"Until now." Sonia finished the point and Jackson nodded solemnly. "We can't pinpoint exactly where, but that energy, the energy belonging to those shadow pokémon… is in the Galar Region. That's why I'm here. To find it and put a stop to it." There was a stunned silence between the pair, who were now exchanging worried looks between one another. Nessa eventually responded. "With all due respect, Champion Crane, why come yourself? Why not inform the Galar league and leave them to deal with it? I-I'm not questioning your decisions per say, just, curious…"

"I've already informed your Champion of the situation." Jackson flippantly responds, waving a hand dismissively, to which Sonia raises an eyebrow. 'Leon knows about this..?'

"...as for why I came regardless, well." Jackson pauses for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck with a distant expression for just a moment spreading across his face. "It's a personal matter, after all."

"...I understand sir." Nessa nods gently in agreement. "The Shalour Incident was a tragedy, I couldn't bear to see something similar happen here. There were too many lost, good people no doubt, I've heard that even the region's own Professor Syca-" Before she could finish the sentence, Nessa felt Sonia elbow her quickly in the side, the young leader winced and she turned to glare at Sonia, before returning her eyes to Jackson… whose expression now carried hints of pain.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, you were there and- I didn't mean to be insensitive-"

"It's alright." Jackson cut her off quickly and closed his eyes again, slowly standing up from the cushioned seat he had been resting in. "The Professor and I… were close. That's all. You're right though, such a thing can't be allowed to happen again."

Stepping away from the seats, Sonia and Nessa stood and followed Jackson as he made his way to the door. "It's good you two heard all of this. Sonia if it's all the same I'd like your help in this matter too. If possible I'd like to have Professor Kuzunoha send you over the data we've been using so you can run your own tests. You'd know Galar's layout and structure better than anyone I'd wager." To which the red haired researcher quickly nodded. She had met Professor Kuzunoha only a few times in passing at research conferences, but they'd never spoken directly. Emma Kuzunoha, another surviving member of the Aquacorde Academy and the Shalour Incident too. "No need to even ask Champion Crane, I'll gladly lend a hand."

"Me too." Nessa spoke up, her awkwardness gone at last, if a little late. "I'll inform the other gym leaders to keep their eyes peeled sir. If you don't mind me asking, what's your next step?"

"Simple." Jackson stated, his hand on the handle of the door already. "The black suits that jumped the Professor at the docks seem eerily familiar. I've taken the attacker from that night into custody and I'm going to question him further… see if I can find some more information on his friends. Considering all I've heard about this group, I can't take any chances on them not being involved." He opened the door and stepped outside, before pulling a cigarette from his pocket to smoke once out on the streets again. "No time to waste in that case, you understand."

"We do." Sonia responded with a solemn nod. "Good luck Champion… we'll be in touch I'm sure."

"We will."

With those words, Jackson stepped down the hall and made his way down a flight of stairs to the stadium's entrance, leaving the two women alone once more. They exchanged a shaky glance, before Sonia stepped out the door and called after Jackson one more time.

"Champion Crane!"

He stopped midway down the stairs and looked over his shoulder, the professor in her lab coat was giving him a somewhat pleading look. "I know… that you have to give your full attention to this but-" She pauses suddenly and grips the clipboard in her hand a little tighter. "... but if things are going to get dangerous out there then please, my students, if you come across them… please, keep them safe."

The Champion stared at her quietly for a moment, in her stance, her posture, her eyes… he saw a person he missed dearly. Her request was almost nostalgic. Casually, he turned back and continued to walk, but called over his shoulder as he did so.

"Don't worry." Sonia froze, she almost hadn't expected him to respond at all. "Professor, I'll keep them safe in your stead."

Jackson wasn't entirely sure which Professor he had been talking to with that one, but either way he meant every word.

Sonata · Mar 8, 2021

Poké:

5020 ♦ Pokemon: 6

CHAPTER 7.5 - FEAR THE BEGINNING PT.2
TW: Nightmares / Physical & Verbal Abuse of a Child / Child Neglect / Thoughts of Suicide / Pyrophobia

Rosa was laying on the ground, watching the stars as they peeked out in the coming night's sky. She hadn't been contacted by the Sisterhood, or the Camarilla she was supposed to be meeting up with in Hulbury. As far as she was concerned, there was no need to hurry off anywhere. She didn't know how long these moments would last, so she was hoping to make the best of the time she had.

She looked over at the Toxel which was sitting next to Zorro, wrapped up in his vines as the Grass-type rubbed their cheeks against each other. The Toxel seemed to have slowly been growing accustomed to them, losing that initial irritation towards Zorro's constant affection fairly quickly with all things considered. But Rosa still wasn't certain what she should name the Pokemon.

She'd been watching him for several hours each day, letting him travel outside of his ball for as long as she could since she didn't have to worry about him causing any trouble while out in the wild of the Route they were on. She used this time to study him and take little notes at each opportunity. She hadn't put this much thought into the names of her other Pokemon, but then again, she didn't have anything else to compare them to. She'd captured the same Pokemon that someone else had for the second time now, and she wanted to be sure that whatever she decided on was fitting and unique for him.

Maybe something from one of Simon's metal albums? It seemed to be something she always went back to when she was uncertain on things like this. There was also a sort of comfort there, remembering back to those first days of living with him when he was so eagerly showing off his collection… she could still recall the weight of the records and the smell of the cardboard sleeves.

She started running through some of the pictures in her mind, imagining the stack of plates in her hands as she shuffled through them. "But what were their names?" She whispered to herself, recalling the names of the bands but none of their members. "What was someone he would always talk about… what part of the band was 'hype', as he'd say? Maybe…" she opened her eyes slowly, turning to look over at the Toxel who seemed to be completely disinterested in everything going on around him at the moment. "Ozzy?"

The Toxel turned to look at Rosa, meeting her gaze before shrugging as best as he could while being restrained by his new brother. "Tox."

Rosa smiled and nodded, turning her gaze back to the stars. "Ozzy the Toxel… yeah, I guess that works."

She kept her eyes open, continuing to remember the time she'd spent with Simon up until the start of their journey. They'd been together for three years… she needed to apologize at some point. Because of her, his entire life was turned upside down. But because of him… she was able to live, at the very least. Because of everyone, she-

"Tox!" Ozzy cried out, tumbling over Zorro as he frantically started to crawl away.

Rosa looked over at the two Pokemon, ready to recommend that they calm down and get ready for bed. They'd been so prone to roughhousing with each other since Ozzy joined, but this was different. They weren't playing - they were running. Rosa pushed herself up quickly, feeling her heart starting to pick up its pace as she looked around for whatever it was that had set her Pokemon off.

Wyatt had quickly jumped up, taking on a defensive stance in front of the other Pokemon as it placed itself in front of the creeping shadow. Rosa looked up at the sky, catching the last glimpses of the sun as it set over the horizon. With each passing second, the shadow grew longer, reaching out towards her and her Pokemon. She shook her head, fumbling for her pokeballs before recalling each of her party save for her starter.

"Wyatt, use Disarming Voice!" She choked out, not sure exactly where or what he should be aiming for. But that didn't matter. They had to get away from this shadow, whatever it was.

"Louuuud!" The Pokemon replied, kicking up a cloud of dust as he started to stomp his feet and scream at the top of his lungs.

The sound lasted for only a second before it was cut off by the shadow. The darkness surrounded Wyatt, and then quickly overtook Rosa as she turned to run away. She turned her head, feeling a cold presence hidden in the void. Rosa moved her hands up slowly, feeling as if she were moving through a heavy syrup as it became harder to keep her eyes open. She turned her head back, catching a glimpse of a crimson smile just before her eyes closed against her will.

"No… not again," she whispered to the darkness as she fell against the ground.

Rosa's eyes slowly peeled open, assaulted by the rays of light that creeped through her window. She yawned and stretched, wincing at the pain which encompassed her body.

'Wh-what?' she thought, continuing to wince as she got up off of the bed roll on the hardwood floor. She tried to reach towards her back where the pain seemed to be most concentrated, but for some reason her body wouldn't move. 'What?' she thought again, this time a little more excited.

Her head turned instantly, jarring the girl as her vision readjusted to the sudden change. 'What the heck is going on?' she screamed out, but her lips wouldn't move.

Rosa turned back towards the stacks of clothes on the other side of the room, quickly falling to her knees as she scooted over towards them. The girl hurriedly shuffled through pre-arranged outfits, her pace quickening as the sound of footsteps slowly became apparent coming from outside her door.

"No, no, no," she whispered.

Her voice was a slightly higher pitch than what she'd become accustomed to over the years, startling her as she heard it. If it weren't for the feeling of her lips moving as the words came out, she'd have expected there to be someone else in the room with her- barren as it was.

Rosa quickly pulled on her underwear, struggling to slide a pair of sweatpants up over her bottom before the door to her room was abruptly slammed open. The girl threw herself on the ground, prostrating herself as she inched closer to the person who'd just entered her room. She tried to look up, hoping to see whoever it was so that she could at least confirm her suspicions… but just as with the other instances this morning, she didn't seem to be in control.

The silence lasted for what seemed like an eternity, feeling the cool wind from the open door as it blew gently over her back, she started to somewhat understand the situation she was in. This was her room, and this was her, albeit… some odd years ago. She still wasn't quite certain of when exactly, but judging from the pain on her body, and the fear she felt when the person came into the room…

The young Rosa closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the wood. "Good morning, Mother."
'This can't be real… it's just a dream,' she thinks, considering if it's possible to just will yourself out of a dream. She's never really known when she was dreaming before, so this moment was so… surreal. On top of the fact that this was something she'd actually been through, and not just a bastardization of the events by her own subconscious trying to beat up on her as well… she really didn't want to be here, or to have to experience any of this ever again.

"You ungrateful bitch." Her mother dropped the words on her in a harsh monotone as she slapped her hand with an unseen item that made a whooshing sound.

Rosa tried to look up, but still couldn't manage to do anything of her own free will. But even without looking up, she knew what the woman had. It was a switch. In an instant, years of burning pain rekindled themself across her body as she remembered what it felt like to earn a lashing from her mother. The young Rosa she was trapped in slowly peeled open her eyes, letting her get a good look at herself for the first time since coming into this nightmare. It was just as she'd remembered… seeing that her arms were covered in marks, presumably from the lashings she'd earned from countless times before.

"Are you only going to practice prostrating yourself or are you going to be useful for something else for once in your pathetic life?"

Rosa could feel her skin go clammy. Even after all this time, she couldn't get herself to stand up to her. She screamed at her younger self, urging her to do anything except just sit there and take what her mother kept dishing out to her. She tried to move her mouth, even if just to make a witty comeback at her, but even that was asking too much. She was slowly coming to terms with the fact that it seemed she was just along for the ride in… whatever this was.

"No mother," her voice was soft, and quiet. She was still weak… too weak to do anything for herself. After all, this day wasn't all that long ago. This person grovelling at the foot of their parent was still her, even if she'd been away from it for years. These moments are what stuck with her throughout every day. These moments are the things she would never be able to escape from. "I'll start scrubbing the halls in just a minute after I-"

Whack!

The young girl winced and pursed her lips, feeling the switch wrap against the curvature of her bare back before it retreated. Rosa felt an anger welling up deep inside of her, wishing that she could force this body to move just enough to tear that switch from her hands. If there had been even a single day where she wasn't humiliated in this way as a child, then maybe… But this was her life. If these moments had passed and healed over like her bruises and scars, then maybe she could still be happy. But it seemed that some wounds never healed.

"I don't want to hear excuses." Her mother's voice was still flat, taking no enjoyment in the abuse of her child but not hinting towards any feeling of remorse or disgust either. "The day is dwindling quickly. I have class this afternoon for the pupils that actually want to be shrine maidens." Her mother stepped towards the door, indicated by the creaking of the barren floor beneath them. Rosa looked up, meeting the glare of the woman she had once called Sensei before quickly planting her forehead back against the floor again. Her mother paused for a moment, boring holes into her daughter with her gaze. "Make sure you're presentable when you bring yourself to the shrine later. You know the image I have to maintain."

"Yes Mother. Thank you, Mother."

Rosa waited for several minutes, remaining in her position until long after the footsteps had faded. She reached around to her back, her lips quivering as she traced along the still burning outline of the switch.

Her mother wasn't always like this. If Rosa could have sighed and shaken her head at that moment, she would have. If she could have talked to her Mother with the little strength she had now to back herself, she would have. But, she could not. Whatever this was, it was not meant for her to interject herself now into her past. She simply sat back and watched as things played out… exactly as she had remembered them.

Young Rosa sat in front of her only real piece of furniture - outside of her bedroll - and stared at her reflection in the mirror in front of her. Her arms and chest were covered in welts and bruises from these repeated mornings, and so every day her routine was the same. No matter what time she woke up, her mother would always be there waiting to discipline her.

The girl dipped her fingers into some lotion and began to trace the lines on her skin, covering each welt before rubbing it in. She opened one of the drawers, pulling out a number of products that she set out on the small work area in front of the mirror and began to mix them with her brush. She started at her neck, applying a heavy coat of the mixture on anything visible above her shoulders before moving to her arms.

Even if something so disgusting had to become her routine, it was the only option for the young girl. Even the Rosa of this morning knew that. She'd tried crying out for help before, but her mother… she'd already won most of the city over to her side. Simon and his family were her only solace… and she was thankful for that. Though the boy never got to see the extent of what she went through because of this routine of acceptance and coverup, she was sure he knew. Somehow… he knew.

The girl finished covering part of her bruises, leaving alone whatever would be covered by the clothes she was about to put on. She didn't want to earn additional lashings for wasting time trying to make herself pretty. And besides, it got uncomfortable having that much makeup on under her clothes - especially when it got hot out, since the lotion would make her feel all sticky and gross.

Rosa took the time of the routine to look around her room as much as she could from the reflection in the mirror. It wasn't anything to gloat about… no other furniture, only one window, and piles of folded clothes… that was all she'd had back then to call her own. And it was all held in this tiny room which was barely the size of her mother's own walk-in closet.

Young Rosa finished dressing herself, taking an additional layer of makeup which she quickly blended into her skin around the parts of her outfit that might shift while she performed her chores. She looked herself in the mirror one last time, wrapping her hair up into a small bun before putting her fingers on either side of her mouth. She pushed her lips up, forcing herself to smile for a few seconds before letting her hands fall to her side.

"I love my life," she whispered as quietly as possible, clenching her fists.

Rosa made her way through the estate, having grabbed a bucket and a few towels she turned into the kitchen and opened a cabinet, pulling the floor cleaning solution from within. She squirted the bottle into the bucket for several seconds, building rings up the sides before putting the solution back where she'd found it. She reached up to the faucet, turning the hot water on as far as it would go before sticking her hand down into the stream.

"Cold… cold… cold… warrrrm, warmer, warm, hot…" she kept her hand there, wincing at the heat of the water as it started to steam. "Yeah… that's hot," she whispered, slowly clenching her fist under the stream. "I'll have to turn the heater up a little more later."

Rosa slowly took her hand out of the water, turning it off completely before twisting the hose onto the nozzle. She quickly put the hot water back on and dropped the other end of the hose into the bucket, making her way to a nearby stool as she waited for the bucket to fill.

"Hey, Rosie!" A young Simon swung into the room, gripping at the trim along the wall to keep himself from sliding past the door. "Whatcha up to!"

Rosa smiled gently, turning to look at the boy. He always found a way into the estate somehow. It seemed like he enjoyed the idea of running around and avoiding her mom… almost like he'd made it into a sort of game. "Just chores."

Simon shook his head, kicking his legs out high as he stepped towards her. "Boooo." he smiled, plopping down on the floor next to her. "So, we gonna go watch the stars again tonight?"

Rosa nodded. "Just like every night, Si."

Simon smiled, throwing his arms out wide. "I'll come get you later then, alright?"

Rosa nodded, leaning in with her shoulder which she tapped against his chest. "Be careful… you've got to start coming later, too. Mom's been checking in on me more lately… I don't know why, but-"

From what she could remember, it had gotten worse around this time. Simon started having to come later and later into the night, and their trips up to the burned tower became shorter and shorter as a consequence. It just kept spiraling after her father was announced to no longer be with them… and as much as she dreaded his coming home each time, it always came as a sort of relief. At least with him, she knew what she was getting in to.

"Gotcha!" Simon replied, giving her a thumbs-up as he shot to his feet. "Now I just gotta get back to my own chores before dad realizes I left." He sticks out his tongue and then spins on his heels, rushing out the way he came before Rosa could get in another word.

'He was cute like this… but after what happened with the house… I should have just left. If it hadn't been for me, he could have just stayed like this, forever… It's my fault he was forced to change.' She wanted so badly to tell him to just leave her alone, to not come near her anymore. She wanted him to just be a normal kid, with normal friends… it wasn't like he was unpopular - he just hung around her too often for his own good. Rumors spread in Ecruteak like wildfire, and she was a matchbox.

The day passed painfully slowly, but finally Rosa found herself looking out a nearby window towards the evening sun. She'd changed the cleaning solution in her bucket several times since she'd started her morning chores, and now the entire estate was once again spotless. She rose slowly to her feet, stretching out as she walked towards the shrine. She'd taken slightly longer than anticipated, having lost herself in thought a couple of times while scrubbing, so as she passed by the shrine she found that her mother's classes had already started.

She looked out over the garden where the shrine was located, watching as her ex-classmates practiced the movements that she'd already been forced to master. They still weren't of age to learn anything new, but… it wouldn't hurt, right? Rosa got into position, placing herself at a part of the balcony that wasn't easily visible from where the parents normally waited. The girls were already part of the way through their dances, but she knew the movements by heart, so jumping in was easy enough.

'No, stop… don't join them, please. Just go around back and change.' Rosa pleaded with herself, hoping that she could do anything to spare herself even one misfortune.

Young Rosa spun in place, and followed the steps that the other dancers were performing at the same time. After a few seconds, without realizing it she found herself out in the garden. It was only just barely, but one of the parents had caught a glimpse of her and when their eyes locked, she recognized the absolutely mortified look that had overcome them. The father pointed in her direction, prompting her to jump back towards the cover of the balcony.

Rosa quickly started walking away, hoping that she could make it across the hall before her mother managed to stop her. But… there was nothing she could do to help herself. She'd only made it a short way towards her room, when the doors in front of her slid open and then quickly shut themselves back behind the imposing figure of her mother.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She hissed, striding sinisterly closer to Rosa. Her mother was dressed in the ceremonial kimono she wore every day to her classes, so the speed and way in which she closed the distance between them was even more off-putting than normal.

"I-I'm-" she started, starting to drop to her knees before her mother's hand found its mark across her cheek. Rosa was thrown to the ground from the impact, and the sound echoed through the hall. The girl shakily placed her hand against her cheek, feeling the warmth left behind in the impact.

"How dare you jeopardize my image like this. Go to your room, and don't come out for the rest of the night." Her mother turned, sliding open the doors in front of her before glancing over her shoulder once last time. "I teach proper young maidens, not filthy harlots. This isn't a whorehouse, it's a dance studio. I'll deal with you later before you risk my position any more with your presence, you ungrateful swine."

Her mother slammed the doors behind her, making her exit as powerful as possible. Rosa slowly moved her hand down her cheek and towards her arm, gripping her wrist as tightly as she could while she inched down the hallway towards her room. The girl swallowed the tears that she so desperately wanted to let run down her cheeks. Both Rosa's were shell-shocked, despite one of them already knowing what was going to happen.

'Don't do it… you don't have to do it, don't give up,' Rosa whispered, feeling her own nails as they dug into her wrist.

Rosa kept tightening her grip on her wrist, drawing blood from herself as her entire body shook. She let go of her arm and curled her fingers, having made it to the door of her room. She slouched against it, using the door as support as she ran her hand up her arm towards her throat. "I just can't… just let me go." She whimpered, biting her lip as she felt a single tear break free from her eye.

'I hated this… this feeling of despair. Nothing else seemed to matter - not when everything else is taken from you and you're forced to live simply because the alternative is too messy for everyone else to deal with.'

Rosa closed her eyes, feeling the weight of her hands on her own throat as she started to squeeze. She felt herself choking, struggling to breathe as her fingers dug into her neck. "I'm- Sorry-" she choked out, letting go of her own throat. "I can't even… myself, I…" she shook her head, struggling to express herself as her lip continued to quiver. She lazily pushed open the door and slinked inside, letting it remain open behind her as she crawled over to the mat she called a bed and curled up into a ball on it. "Why's it so hard to just… do it." She whispered, clenching her hands into fists before crossing them against her chest.

What would have happened if she'd had more time? What would have happened if she'd just held her hand there a liiittle bit longer? Could she have actually gone through with it? Was the Rosa of then strong enough to finish it? Was… the Rosa of now strong enough? If her mother was still alive, would she be? So much time had passed, but she couldn't differentiate between her personal growth and the growth she'd come into from the people around her.

Rosa peeled her eyes open. Despite having fallen asleep for a few hours, her eyes were still on fire. She sat up on the mat, looking out the window at the moon which was high in the sky. She looked around, looking for anything to help better indicate the time to her. She shook her head. Not knowing whether it was safe to go out of her room or not, she simply laid back down in bed.

Her mom was most likely still out, given that she hadn't been woken up yet. It was another night without dinner, but nothing she wasn't unaccustomed to. She made it a point to keep the house free of food, since most nights she was taken out to local restaurants by her students' families.

Having any food laying around would likely just go to waste, since Rosa wasn't allowed to cook without her mom there… It had gotten worse since her father passed - since with all the rumors that she'd spread about her daughter, nobody was going to ask why she wasn't bringing her out on the town with her. She could just pretend that Rosa didn't exist and push her to the back of all their minds with the simple notion that there was food she could have inside.

That was typically all that it took; they didn't have to be told twice, since they didn't even care to check in the first place. It was literally the least they could do to act like they were human. She sighed and remembered back to the days when things were different; when they'd happily bake cakes and fancy pastries together… back before everything-

"Hey, Rosie!" Simon whispered at her window, tapping lightly against the glass as he peeked into the room.

The girl rose slowly up from her bed, opening the window just enough to be able to see him face to face. "What's up?"

"You about ready to go? Your mom just pulled in.

"If she just pulled in, it's still too early, Si." she shook her head, closing the window slowly. "Give me like… an hour, I guess. She'll want to check in on me."

Simon stared at her through the glass for a few seconds. He looked uneasy about her reply, but there was nothing to be done. "Alright. I'll be waiting for you up on the hill."

"Promise." Rosa replied quietly, hearing the sound of the front door slamming shut. She pressed her thumb up against the glass, meeting his which had been waiting there since she closed the window. The boy smiled and disappeared from view, presumably making his way up to the meeting spot.

Several minutes went by in relative silence, accentuated by the passing echoes of banging and the scraping of nails against the walls leading up to her room. Her mother slowly pushed her door open, standing there in the entrance for several minutes before walking in, absolutely reeking of booze.

"Hey, you awake?" She asked, lumbering towards her before getting down on her knees next to Rosa. She stared at her daughter, while she stared at the wall away from her. They listened to each others' breaths as the room slowly grew warmer with the added presence in the small space. Her mother leaned in, placing her hand on the side of the girl's head before putting her lips against the back of her ear.

'No, no no. Lalalalalala think of literally anything else. Think of Simon. Think of your dad, think of literally-'

"It should have been you."

Her mother slowly pulled away, waiting to get a reaction out of the girl. The two sat once more in relative silence, broken only with the inconsistent and deep breathing of her mother. Eventually, she slowly rose to her feet and shuffled out of the room, pulling the door close behind her.

That was it. Nothing else. No goodnight, no im sorry… though she never expected either of those things to begin with. This was the only emotional breakthrough she was going to get. Instead of simply watching her from the doorway and whispering it for several minutes on end, she made sure that rosa had heard it this time.

The girl waited, quiet tears filling up her eyes the entire time. But she can't let simon see her like this. She slowly sat up, put in some eye drops, made sure her makeup was as good as she could get it in the dark - she didn't wash her face before bed because she knew they'd be meeting up and she didn't want him to worry. Not to mention the fact she hadn't intended to fall asleep to begin with.

Rosa stealthily crept out of her room, going down the hallway past the shrine dedicated to her father in a nearby room. Her mom was there, just as she always was around this time at night. She was whispering something, as per usual. When she was younger, she never really thought to listen in on what she was actually saying since she was solely focused on getting out of the house. But now… now there were two of her, technically, and for whatever reason. Now she could actually listen in, if she really wanted to.

"It didn't have to be like that, like this," she whispered, reaching out towards the enshrined photo as she clutched at something red and yellow at her side. "It should have been her, then we could have been happy." She paused, her words trailing off as she nudged the object sitting next to her, causing whatever was in it to slosh around. "We could have been happy, right? If it had just stayed between us… if it were only us, if it had been her instead… But I was weak. I was blinded by rage, and then-"

She stopped, dropping her hand from the photo as she pulled the object around in front of her. Rosa creeped by slowly, moving so painfully slow that everything was able to play out right in front of her. Even so, she remembered the fear that she felt in that moment. With each passing second where her mother wasn't speaking, she froze in place, fearing that she'd be caught the second she touched her toes to the floor. Everything was quiet - enough so that a younger Rosa had the mind to focus on her breathing in an attempt to quiet it. This proved incredibly helpful, as only a few seconds later her mother started back in on whatever ramblings she was on about now.

"I can still make this right, I promise… I'll fix this, and then we can be happy again."

It was at this moment that a younger Rosa, not concerning herself with what the other version of her that was tagging along wanted, decided it was time to head out. Her mother was busy with whatever it was she was doing, and Rosa had someplace to be.

'Wait, this sounds… off. Why's she saying it like that? What's in that… wh-wait! No, don't leave yet, I want to hear more! I want to know-"

But she already knew. No matter how hard she tried to fight for the smallest bit of pull from herself, it was meaningless. She had no agency here, not in this time. She opened the door slowly, pulling it shut behind her before trotting off towards the burned tower.

Rosa got to the gated off remains of the burned tower, finding Simon already laying out in the nearby grass. "Hey," she called out, waving towards the boy.

"Hey," he replied, waving back without getting up. "Finally got away, huh?"

Rosa nodded, taking a seat next to the boy before laying down. The stars were out, undisturbed by the lights of the city from this far out. "It was bad tonight… she didn't just wait at the door this time. She whispered it in my ear."

Simon was quiet, most likely just mulling over what he should say. She'd told him about her mother's nightly ritual before, which is why he started bringing her out late at night. There was no telling what she was doing after Rosa fell asleep, so it was safest for her at least to be out of the house until her mom passed out. "How do you feel?"

Rosa shrugged, but stayed quiet. What she hadn't told him, was everything else that she did to her on a regular basis. He'd caught glimpses of her mom smacking her before, but he had no idea about the switch or anything else she felt like swapping it out for. "I'm fine. As long as you're here, I'll always be fine." She looked over at the boy, putting on her finest smile as she grabbed hold of his hand.

Simon nodded his head, wrapping his fingers in hers before inching closer to her. The two stared up at the stars for what seemed like forever, feeling their hands slowly growing sweatier with the passing minutes - but neither wanted to acknowledge it. Things were fine like this. Rosa wished there was something that could be done about her mother, but Simon wasn't the person to bring into the situation.

He was one of her only two friends at the moment, since everyone else had been told to ditch her by their parents over the past year or two. Everything else had fallen away, but Simon was… stable. He was the rock she was anchored to, on a shore where the tide constantly tugged her out further into the sea.

"I got some new records," he said quietly, already knowing the answer to his own question before he even finished asking it. "If you wanted to come over sometime and listen…"

Rosa shook her head, not looking over at the boy. "Mother wouldn't let me - you know that."

"Right… sorry."

The two sat in silence once more, simply enjoying their time together as they watched the stars.

'Please, you have to go back. Tonight is… tonight…' Rosa wanted to scream. She'd only just started to realize what today was. It had started with small clues, that had all built up to this fleeting moment with Simon. She could already smell the smoke, recognizing it better now despite her younger self failing to notice. 'You can still change things… just, please… go back.'

"Hey, what's that?" Simon asked, sitting up as he pointed out over the city. "It looks like… a bonfire? But there shouldn't be any festivals yet."

"No, if there was a festival then mom wouldn't have gone out…" Rosa shook her head, getting up and walking towards the edge of the clearing as she looked out over the city. "What is… n-no."

The girl's face instantly went white as she squinted against the light of the raging fire sitting in contrast against the dark of night. She shook her head again, mouthing 'no' repeatedly as she shakily started to walk back down towards the city.

"Rosa? What's going on?"

"That's where… that's the estate. That's where mom is."

The two started to rush back, passing by the city's fire station as their men started suiting up and collected their Pokemon. They passed by curious neighbors, and elderly townfolk too curious for their own good.

Rosa fell to her knees, finding herself directly in front of the estate. The sky was brightly illuminated with the light of the fire. "No… why?" She choked the words out, feeling the heat of the flames as the wind carried the embers and lashed them across her skin.

"Rosa, I'm sorry!" Simon cried out, sitting on his heels just in front of her. "I didn't know that… I didn't know! I don't know what to do… I'm so sorry… Rosa, please!"

The girl's face twisted and contorted as she struggled to fight the pit that had formed in her chest. Her shoulders inched towards each other as she trembled, rubbing her hands across her cheeks as she tried to figure out what to do with herself.

"Look, it's that demon girl." One of the neighbors she'd passed on the way here had stopped a short distance away, finding themselves with nothing better to do than to gossip in the face of the catastrophe before them

"Did she start the fire?" A parent of one of her old dancemates responded, seemingly disinterested in the possibility of her mother still being trapped within.

"With her mother still inside?"

"I wouldn't put it past the little slut. She has been getting closer with the Dansen boy since her father passed, after all."

"Oh, you don't think… somebody should warn Martin - just in case he doesn't know. I'm surprised her mother didn't say anything."

"Shut up…" Simon whispered, gritting his teeth as he clenched his fists. "Shut up! What do you know! She's not like that!"

"Tch, poor kid. If I was getting that kind of treatment when I was his age, I wouldn't know what to do with myself either."

Rosa clenched at her chest, feeling the pit within it grow heavier. "If it had just been…" she choked on the smoke as it rose, covering her mouth with her other hand as she leaned over and planted her forehead against the ground. "If it had just been me, then…"

"That's not true, Rosa! You had nothing to do with this!" Simon cried out, wrapping his arms around her.

The two watched as the Water-type Pokemon and firefighters they'd passed on their way here finally arrived at the scene. The Pokemon started blasting the house with their Water Gun attacks, quickly quelling the raging flames enough for the suited men and women to inch their way in through the door.

Several minutes passed with nothing to show for it except the salvaged charcoal of the building's once beautiful wooden exterior. A few moments later, one of the firefighters rushed back out, covering his mouth before falling to the ground in a puddle of their own vomit. "W-we need a stretcher! I don't know, it might be too late though!"

Rosa's heart sank as she lurched forward, unable to ascertain what it was that she felt in the moment. The possibility that her mother was dead suddenly became very real to her. Despite all that she'd been through with her since she found out her father's secret, she still loved her mom… even if sometimes she wished she didn't have to be here with her, she never would have wished for her to die.

"It looks like everything else is burnt up in there." Another firefighter called out as he exited the estate, making his way directly over to the first one that had come out. The second firefighter patted the first on the back and shook his head. "These things happen, kid. This won't be the worst of it, either. She supposedly had a kid, so we'll have to-"

"I-I'm here." Rosa whispered, inching forward as she pulled free from Simon's comforting grasp. "I'm the daughter." The second firefighter turned to look at the girl, and then at the crowd that was forming before glancing back at the building.

"See, I told you she did it."

"For sure. If it wasn't her, she'd have been inside too. How'd she know to leave the house tonight if this was an accident?"

Rosa clenched her fists, still unable to process her emotions over what was happening. "S-so you found her?" She asked, unknowingly making herself look incredibly suspicious in the way that she'd worded her question.

The firefighter stared at her for a few seconds and then nodded. "Yeah, we've got a few guys still inside making sure the fires don't eat away any more than they already have… but I'd say it's too little too late. We checked a few of the other rooms before we found her… everything was gone, as far we could tell."

Rosa winced, bunching up the fabric of her pants into her fists as she tried to think about what was most important to her from inside. "Did you… did she have a pendant on?"

The firefighter furrowed his brow at her and then turned away, getting on his radio. "Hey, Timone, you got a pendant in there?"

A few seconds passed of radio silence, before another man called back. "Uhh, y-yeah. We got a pendant here, but I don't think it's going to be too easy to retrieve."

'He sounds more uncomfortable than I remembered. Then again, I was pretty out of it… and anyone would be pretty messed up if they were told to retrieve it from that.'

"So? Can you get it back here or not?"

"Well sir, it's kind of… they're like… fused, I guess? Melded, stuck, whatever. If I try to pry it out from there, then it'll have… is it really necessary to have it right now?"

The firefighter looked down at Rosa and then motioned towards her. "Yay or nay? If you leave it, I'm sure that the coroner will be able to get it back to you in the next few weeks. But if you take it back now it'll-"

"I want it now."

The firefighter shook his head and then got back on the radio, rehashing the girl's desire for the pendant. Several minutes passed by, before another firefighter exited the building with a soot covered chain in his hands. He quickly passed the pendant over to Rosa, not wanting anything more to do with it after what he'd just gone through.

'Just… don't turn it over. Not yet, at least. Let Simon clean it for you. That's all you have to do.'

So far everything had gone just about as she'd remembered it, so she wasn't too worried about herself actually flipping the pendant over now. But still, it was more to comfort herself than anything else. She stepped back, watching as two men rushed in with the gurney dangling between them. It wouldn't be long now. She remembered watching the body being moved from the house to the ambulance, but even then she hadn't actually looked at it. It wasn't her mother, anyways. This was just…

A corpse. Or what remained of it. It was so badly burnt that it was barely recognizable as a person now. Rosa took a few steps forward, trying to do what she felt was most natural in the moment. She had to tell her mom goodbye, since she'd probably never see her again. But no matter how much she wanted to be polite, she couldn't get the words to come out of her mouth.

She wanted to scream, to cry, to slam her fists down on the gurney and shatter whatever was left of her mother. But all she could do was stare with quivering lips. Thankfully, there was a second Rosa who was a little more mature, and who had been expecting this exact scenario for roughly the past hour.

Her eyes darted across the body, taking in as many details as she could. The burning was worse around her face and chest, but her arms and legs seemed to still be in relatively early stages despite the severity of the accident. But what really caught her attention was the molten plastic stuck to her stomach. It was two-tone; red and yellow, and relatively small in size. Though, as far as she knew, red and yellow plastic only really meant one of two things.

Either she really cared about some stolen condiments bottles, or this was arson. She thought back to how her mother had been acting through the day and into the night, and then ran some of the things she'd been saying through her head on repeat. Slowly, the pieces started to fit themselves together.

'It was supposed to be us, for the sake of them.'

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered, remembering how hard it had been for her early in the day. But now… what did she have left? She was alone; an orphan. Ostracized by everyone around her because of the rumors of a woman who was now laying dead in front of her. "It should have been… I should have made it be me."

She slowly moved her hand up her arm, trailing her fingertips across her skin as she reached her throat. It had been so hard to make that final push earlier, but what was there holding her back now? Going out like this would leave no more mess, since she had nobody to leave behind. She wrapped her fingers around her throat, slowly tightening her grip as she felt the points of her nails beginning to dig into her neck.

"No!" Simon cried out, tackling the girl to the ground. "I won't let you just leave me like that!"

"Don't be selfish," Rosa whispered, quickly moving her hand back to her throat with a newfound determination. "What reason is there to stick around now? I was a burden until the end… at least let me decide whether or not to continue down that path."

"No! I won't! I love spending time with you Rosa, so just… just come live with me! Please, I promise it'll work out! I'll sleep on the sofa, you can have my room - heck, my parents already love you despite what everyone tells them!"

"Exactly… everyone already tells them so many things about me. I ran the risk of ruining my mom's reputation every day… I couldn't spit on your kindness like that, not if it meant ruining your reputation as well."

"Stop being stupid!" Simon cried out, "I don't care what people think about me! I don't care what they think about my parents! And I sure as hell don't care about what they think about us! I love you, Rosa! So please, just let me do what I want… one last time."

Rosa frowned, her face contorting as she fought the urge to cry in the face of her friend. "I'm not-"

Rosa shot up, finding herself back in control of her own body. However, she quickly found that she was not where she'd fallen asleep at. Not to mention, she felt unusually weak after that whole sequence of events. She quickly felt around for her pokeballs, something she hadn't been able to do since she'd fallen asleep.

"One, two, three… five. Five. Five? Where is-" she started, turning to see Wyatt in the midst of a night terror of his own. The Pokemon was thrashing about, whimpering as he flailed about wildly. "Wyatt, Wyatt! It's okay, you're fine, you can wake up." she cooed softly, rubbing her palm against the Pokemon's ears.

The Pokemon slowly calmed down, but his eyes remained closed. It seemed whatever demons he was fighting had passed with her touch. She dug around in her pocket, pulling out her pokedex to check the time.

"You can't be serious." She whispered, rubbing her eyes before checking the date once again. There was no mistaking it. She'd been asleep for nearly two whole days. She was stuck in that nightmare for nearly three times longer than it had taken to get through it.

But… why did she have that dream? If she was just there to go along with the ride, why was she able to hear things she hadn't before? There had to be an explanation… but, at the very least, she did get some answers to something else that had been plaguing her for years.

It was her mother - she'd started the fire. It was arson, just like the police reports had said it was, but now she was certain of the culprit. And, worse than that… she was supposed to be in that fire too. Her mother had started it after making sure she was sound asleep, and only after making sure she knew that it was her fault that the fire had to happen to begin with. At least, that was what she'd gathered from piecing it all together as she was now.

Rosa started looking around, seeing her belongings scattered about haphazardly. At the very least, whoever had put her under was considerate enough to not make things harder on her than necessary. She sighed out of relief, simply because that just meant she didn't have to go out using Ranger Scout tracking that she'd not utilized since she was five or six in order to track down her stuff.

"But what is that thing? That smile… is it a Pokemon? Or is it... " She shook her head. "There's not enough to go off of yet."

She opened her notebook, finding a blank page towards the end of it. She started writing out what she did know about her attacker, hoping that she'd find some time to check out a library or just be lucky enough to find a helpful old man along the way. This was the second time she'd been approached by the same entity, after all.

Red Smile
White wispy head
Controls darkness???
Blueish eyes I think?
Hypnosis
Are the nightmares part of its power or is that something else?
Good or bad? Definitely leaning towards bad, but still not enough to know

She still didn't know if this was some malevolent passing Pokemon, or whatever Priscilla had sent to keep tabs on her. Regardless, it was still far too powerful for her to be doing anything against alone. She was at its mercy, for the time being. She had to get stronger… they all did.

For now though, she felt entirely too tired to be doing anything productive. Maybe…. A little nap would be useful.

Rosa's Party

Memories

CHAPTER 1 - WEDGEHURST & ROUTE 2
GOODBYES, AND HELLO TO A NEW JOURNEY
TROUBLE'S ON THE TRACKS
NAMES AND NIGHTMARES!

CHAPTER 2 - THE SOUTHERN WILD AREA
ENTER THE WILD AREA!
NEW BIKING BIKERS!
THE MYSTERIOUS SHINY POKEMON!
RANGER DANGER! PT.1
RANGER DANGER! PT.2
RANGER DANGER! FINALE!
RED-EYES BLACK-HAT!

CHAPTER 3 - MOTOSTOKE
INN FOR A PENNY, INN FOR A POUND
INN FOR A PENNY, INN FOR A POUND PT.2
SHADY SHOPPING
THE OPENING CEREMONY
THE OPENING CEREMONY PT.2
THE OPENING CEREMONY PT.3
INN WITH THE FAMILY
ALL BETS ON BLACK
LATE NIGHT LULLABIES
SNACK ATTACK!

CHAPTER 4 - ROUTE 3
VS SIMON
VS SIMON PT.2
MYSTERY OF MEW
MYSTERY OF MEW PT.2
WINTER FESTIVAL
A TWO HEADED REFLECTION

CHAPTER 5 - GALAR MINE AND ROUTE 4
DAYDREAM OF MINE
DEVELOPMENT AND MISSED CONNECTIONS
BUGGIN' THE COSMOS

CHAPTER 6 - TURFFIELD
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE PT.2
GAMBLE FOR A RUSE PT.3
IS IT TOO LATE TO APOLOGIZE?
TURRFIELD CONTEST PERFORMANCE
PLANNING AND CHALLENGE
VS MILO
GIRL'S NIGHT OUT
FEAR THE BEGINNING

CHAPTER 7 - ROUTE 5
WORK FOR A PROMISE
WORK FOR A PROMISE PT.2
BUDDING YOUTH
BUDDING YOUTH PT.2

Rosa's Journal

Simon Dansen

My childhood friend. Absolute idiot. Can't ever get a read on him anymore. Buttface. Always there when I need him. Always there when I least expect him. JERK. Showed me up in battle and evolved his Pokemon before me.

He came to "rescue" me after I coerced Ruben into protecting me in the underground casino. I told him off... and then didn't apologize until much later. He came to wish me a late merry christmas after Ruben gave me his spare room. He reminded me of our promise from before our journey started, and gave me my christmas gift which was a traditional Johtoan kimono and fan - all to prepare me for the upcoming contests. He also told me I should call his mom and dad since they're so worried about us both now that we're gone, but... I'll figure it out later.

Jasper

An ex-classmate. He took my bait and threw me for a loop when we were fighting a group of Munchlax together. Not as bad a guy as I thought. Because of him, I have to re-evaluate my notes on everyone else just in case. I'm interested in trying a different approach with him when next we meet.

Helped out a wrongfully arrested girl. Really smart. Observant. Kind, but doesn't like to show it. Isn't a terrible cook.

Charles the Biker

An eccentric, but strong man. Indulges in bad puns. Love for bikes. We left on good terms.

Nat the Ranger

A doting older brother to several sisters. A strong trainer who follows their duty. Only spent a day with them. Not sure if I want to meet again or not since I stole a broken styler from his scene of investigation. We left on good terms, I think? Unless he notices that something's missing.

Budew Girl

Never got her name. Apparently she's a challenger like the rest of my classmates. Comes from a family of Budew fanatics. They breed Budew in their hometown and journey around with all three forms of it. She seems endearing. It might be interesting to meet her again in the future. As long as she's not being accused of theft, that is.

Achille Béringer

Rich kid. Pays his debts. Is keen on rich kid things. Doesn't seem much different from how he was in school, but still need to reevaluate.

Melody Argent

Cute and kind. She keeps to herself kind of like I do. Loves music. Feels similar to Simon. Still need to reevaluate because of interactions with Jasper. Kind of maybe, possibly, a small amount of a badass. Finger guns - super corny. Don't harp on the idea of being in contests. If that culty stuff doesn't get figured out by the time we come back to Motostoke, I'll have to remember to find her around town. She's much more attuned to pop culture than I am.

AAAAAHHH! We did so much in Turffield, and even more just after! I still can't believe that she wont that contest and made it look so... so easy! She's just, like, wow. I still don't know what to do with all of my thoughts, but after that delivery we did together especially I just. Wowee. Jeez.

The Family // Damien(?)

Not the family himself, I don't think. I still haven't got his name or what role he really plays in all this. He's a shady motherfucker - pardon my Kalos. I still don't know how much of the stuff I've gone through in Motostoke has been orchestrated by him, but for the moment I'm not planning to try anything. I still don't know enough about him to make any real guesses. The longer that I stay around this town, the further behind the veil that I see. I'm scared even to go to sleep at night so long as I'm here. They have eyes... everywhere.

Buggy Simon

Some kind of freak of nature. I guess he understands Pokemon in some way that I can't; like, he understands what they're actually trying to say when they speak? Kind of cool, but also weird. Him and Simon used to hang out every once in a while at school. He knows about my "secret styler".

Valerie

An absolute ray of sunshine and happiness. She's also a streamer, and earns enough money from it to show it off. Not put off by literal ghosts. Has some kind of dream of meeting Mew.

Aeliana Kekoa

Alolan dance girl. She's supposed to teach me sometime. Pretty much just how I remembered her in school. I didn't get to spend much time with her when we all hung out. Didn't seem too bothered by the ghosts.

Pia McGuire

Pia... definitely is afraid of literal ghosts. I had a few choice words for her, but... after we saw Jirachi, it just felt like the time had passed, so I gave up. She's seen me without my mask, so next time we meet up is probably going to be awkward.

Haleigh Windsor

A friend of Melody's. I intentionally ran into her after failing to catch up with Melody, due to the addition of Haleigh. We had a short battle, and then made a promise for drinks with Melody after I urged her to drag the girl along with her to the contest in Turffield. She seems quite naive, so I may be able to get some more use out of her as long as I stay true to her persona. She's battle hungry, the same as Simon, but her Pokemon are still a little lacking - that coming from someone who still has no idea what she's doing here herself. She might end up being a good sparring partner in the future since she knows a little of what I've got and we're on relatively equal footing.

Mother Priscilla

The leader of the Turffield Sisterhood. I thought at first she was just an escort, but once we got to their hideout, I slowly started to realize what she really was. She's an incredibly dangerous woman who has no trouble pulling a gun on important people or those that she may need. There's still too much I don't know about what's going on to get a good grasp on what her and Damien's goals are, but given what I've already seen I really could do without finding out.

Ruben Sancho

Truth be told, I hadn't cared for Ruben when we went to school together. I thought he was your average rich celebrity who was forced into something he didn't really want to be a part of. After getting involved with the family and finding myself in that gambling hall, and then finding Ruben there as well, I felt that my suspicions were true. I had no second thoughts about what I was going to drag him in to. But as time went on, I found myself feeling more and more regretful with each time that he said Pia's name. And then because of me, news about him and Pia got out before either of them were likely ready to go public. And after all that, Simon attacked him out of the blue... but even after all that, he still offered me a free room at the local hotel. I already apologized to him about Simon, and about lying to get him to go with me. But, I should apologize again. He's not as bad of a guy as I thought he was.

Outfits

Spoiler: Here be a number of large images

Inventory

Spoiler:

Sapphire Rose · Mar 8, 2021

Pia McGuire
Poké:

5550 ♦ Pokémon: 4

An eggcelent situation.

The chilly breezes on a winter day warmed by the rays of sunny yellow globe in the sky. Those were the signs that spring was on the doorstep and ready to knock despite it being just near the end of February. It was almost March. It had almost been half a year since they left on this journey. Half a year in which especially the last few months were quite eventful. That's why Pia took this peaceful moment on route 5 to sit down against a tree. It was brisk outside, it was still Winter after all. Despite that, Pia was covered in her four companions. A Swablu, an Eevee, a Cottonee and her little Pikachu friend. While Soma and Prim were sleeping beside the girl, both Milla and Cintra were taking a nap on her lap. Both of them cuddled up like little, warm blankets to keep their trainer warm as she was reading a book.

Pia adjusted the glasses she was wearing. The letters inside the book were too small for her to read otherwise. Small silver coloured spectacles. Very cheap ones but they made the girl just look a tiny bit smarter. She stretched herself and leaned backwards, resting the book on Milla's back. It was quiet. It was peaceful. Finally no journalists ganging up on her to ask questions about her and Ruben. She had enjoyed the time she had spent with him but she also enjoyed this brief moment of respite. Nonetheless, her thoughts drifted off to the boy that had declared himself her boyfriend. She knew she wasn't supposed to feel these feelings. It wasn't part of her plan. She knew she'd get hurt eventually. That's why she closed off her heart… but what was this? Was she… falling in love?

The girl smiles a tiny bit. Hopeful that their time together would last a little longer… and before she knew it, she drifted off for a moment as well with Ruben on her mind.

That moment only lasted for 15 minutes or so before she felt the brushing of a blanket along her cheek. Milla and Cintra's ears perked up as well upon the discovery that they were being covered.

"Oh dear! I didn't mean to wake you!" A woman, probably in her sixties, stood in front of the bunch. She looked at them with wonder but it was quite easy to see that she was also worried from the expression she was wearing. "You were out in the cold but you were sleeping so silently that I thought I'd at least cover you up." She said with a radiating warm smile. Everything about her screamed "doting grandmother".

"Ah, I thank you. However, you are right. I'll get sick if I take a nap here in the cold. It's fine for my Pokémon but I should've been more careful." Pia replied back, taking her glasses off and putting them back in their case. She also put away her book, being careful to leave an indicator on where she was left before closing it and pushed the Eevee and Pikachu that were resting on her gently towards her side so she could get up. All her Pokémon had woken up at this point.

"I see. You're a gym challenger, right? Why don't you warm up at my place? My husband owns the nursery on this route." The old woman stepped aside to show a building just a little bit in the distance that she had come from. Beside her was a little Zigzagoon. "I can even brew you some tea. I insist." She smiled again. It was hard for the young girl to say no to this. Milla was also not making it easy by glancing at her with sparks in her eyes. She looked so sweet… you wouldn't think this little thing was able to leave behind a pile of destruction when pancakes were involved. "My name is Livia McMiller. What is your name dear?"

"My name is Pia McGuire. I guess I'll take you up on that offer. Thank you miss McMiller." Pia smiled equally warm back at the woman. A nursery huh? She knew there was supposed to be one on this route. Who knew it was here?

"How is this possible? For 40 years I have been doing this. For 40 years have I found a partner for every Pokémon that entered this nursery." An old man, somewhere in his sixties was pacing through the waiting room of his own nursery. A young man behind the desk seemed to be having a hard time trying to find the answer to the man's particular problem. "Chi-Chi has been by my side for 24 years. 24 Years! I found a partner for every Pokémon for 40 years but not Chi-Chi the Chimecho. She hasn't been interested in anyone for 24 long years." He continued, the distress in his voice was very evident. "So how come she's interested now?! Which Pokémon was it that caught the eye of my dear Chi-Chi!" He was with hands in his hair when the door behind him slowly opened, revealing his wife and a young girl that followed her.

"What is it my dear? I heard your shouting from outside." Livia immediately tended to her distressed husband. An old loving couple, it was obvious they had gone through a lot together from the look in their eyes. The old man looked as though he was holding a treasure as he took the hands of his beloved life. The woman had a similar look in her eyes. Pia briefly wondered if Ruben would someday look at her like that as well but as fleeting as the thought was, she was quick to discard it.

"Chi-Chi has laid eggs, sweetheart! Eggs! Two of them!" He announced. Rather than distressed, he actually looked very pleased but the confusion soon returned to his face. "But Chi-Chi has't want for a mate for 24 years! I have no idea which Pokémon changed her mind!" He explained to his loving wife, only glancing at him with a smile. It was happy news but it was indeed very strange. It was only then that he noticed the platinum haired girl beside her. "Oh? And who might you be? A customer?" He greeted her with a smile.

"I found her sleeping down the road. Since it's cold outside I offered her a cup of tea. Her name is Pia." Livia introduced the girl. Pia stepped forward and showed them a small introducing bow with a hand against her chest. Milla doing the same behind her. Pia had returned her other Pokémon to their Poké balls.

"My name is Pia McGuire. I had the privilege of meeting your lovely wife." She introduced herself with a smile. "This Pikachu beside me is my partner, Milla." She held her arm out for Milla to crawl up to her shoulder so she could get on eye level with the company they had found themselves in. Milla introduced herself with a cute "chu". Earning herself an "Aw" from the old couple and the young man behind the desk still while Pia scratched her chin.

"I see! You're a Pokémon Trainer! Maybe one from the Gym challenge?" The old man spoke with a sparkle of hope returning to his eye.

"That is correct." Pia replied as formally as she had done before. She had been thought to show respect to the old folk from her mother after all.

"That's perfect! I'm in need for your skills!" The old man spoke again. "My name is Jovian McMiller. I'm the owner of this nursery. You've already met my life. Beside me is Daniel. He's one of our employees but he's like a son to us." Old man McMiller introduced his small family to the girl. Pia could only smile at the warmth that this home was radiating. It was comforting.

"It is nice to meet you. You said you required my skills?"

"Indeed! You see, my Chi-Chi hasn't been interested in any of the Pokémon that have come here for the last 24 years but she has suddenly been taking care of two eggs! I would like to know which of the Pokémon was blessed with her affection. I've been running this nursery for 40 years but even I can't come up with the answer. I thought that a young Pokémon trainer as yourself could offer me a new perspective. I will reward you for your troubles." The man basically begged her, clasping his hands together while his wife beside him just smiled. Something about this felt like a Deja Vu.

"Well, if it's my perspective that you would like then I will provide it." Pia replied with a sweet smile.

"So you are Chi-Chi." Pia spoke as she squatted beside a motherly Chimecho taking care of two eggs with her long blanket-like tail. She had tactically placed herself beneath a few bushes in the grassy field of the huge Nursery garden to shield herself and the eggs from the harsh cold breezes. One Egg was gray coloured with a cloud pattern decorating it. The other one was mint green with swirly patterns in a darker green colour. One look at both eggs and the Chimecho told Pia that there was not one partner but two partners involved.

"Chiiimmmmm~" Sounded the very pretty voice of the tiny Chimecho, very much like how a happy Chimecho should sound like. Her voice was soothing to the ears and the beady-yellow eyes told Pia that she was very content at the moment taking care of the eggs.

"It's nice to meet you. I am Pia and this Pikachu here is my partner, Milla." Pia introduced herself and Milla to the Chimecho in front of them. The curious Pikachu who had been taking a look at the eggs jumped up and waved instead. With a thumbs up and a reliable grin she announced herself as "Detective Pikachu".

"Your owner is curious to whom you have taken a liking to, could you guide us to them?" Pia asked kindly, a smile growing on her face while in her mind she was already expecting the Chimecho to refuse. Otherwise this could've been solved very easily and Mr. McMiller didn't seem like the sort that wouldn't think of that first.

"Chimm…." The light blue orb shook her head. It was as Pia thought. So was it a secret then? Pia and Milla exchanged glances. Humans couldn't talk to Pokémon so this was going to be a bit hard to figure out but at least Pia had Milla here to try to translate some of it.

"Chu Chu." Milla used her own voice to speak to the motherly Chimecho but she only shook her head again. Pia had no way of knowing what they were talking about but when Milla turned back towards her and shook her head with an apologetic expression on her face, Pia knew that her companion wasn't able to get new info as well. Why was she being so secretive?

Pia rummaged through her back to take out her glasses, notebook and pen. The notebook so she could start writing down the details they have found up until now, such as the eggs being different from regular chimecho eggs and not having the same pattern, and her glasses so she could actually read what she was writing. Despite usually thinking that this sort of thing was exhausting, she was quite enjoying this "detective" work.

The Human and Pokémon duo jumped around the garden of the nursery as they questioned many and all of sorts of Pokémon with the only leads they had, the eggs. It wouldn't make sense for a Grimer to be the father example when none of the eggs showed a pattern remotely like it. Therefore Pia only questioned the Pokémon that could be associated with the pattern. Milla however… She was just having fun pretending to be a detective and was playing most of the time.

"Don't mind the Pikachu." Pia mentioned to the Gallade practicing his fighting moves with his extendable blades in front of her. She wrote down some more notes and adjusted her glasses while Milla was running around behind her chasing after the tail of a Delcatty. Gallade was a viable option for the mint green egg that they had seen with Chimecho but she also had analysed Gastrodon who matched the patterns a little better. Pia sighed. She was at a stalemate. The Gallade in front of her seemed confused at why she was even being here. "Ah don't mind me as well, I'm just analysing you to check if you're a potential father." Pia responded quite stoically. The word "father" didn't quite sit right with the Gallade. He looked extremely uncomfortable and slowly got away while Pia was writing in her notebook. Father? No no no… Not him. Hell no. He ran off as soon as he sneaked away far enough for Pia to not notice and got as far away from her as Pokémonly possible.

"Huh?" Pia hummed as she looked up at the Gallade that was no longer there. "Not you then?" She questioned. She turned around to look at the Gastrodon that she had analysed earlier but as he felt where she was going to go with this he too slithered away, leaving behind a defeated Pia grumbling to herself.

The old couple, the owners of the Nursery, watched Pia and Milla analyse the surroundings of the Pokémon from afar on their balcony reaching out from the top of the building. It had an excellent view over the entire garden that they had created over the span of 40 years to accommodate every kind of Pokémon. It was their home… And they were proud of that. A pidgeot flew over and greeted them before it headed off again. Much like the Chimecho, this Pokémon too had been with them for about 24 years. Both of them were gifted to them by a travelling trainer. Someone that visited once in a few years. An odd man.

"She reminds us of our journey days through galar." Old man McMiller mentioned after a long comfortable moment of quiet between the couple. They had been together for so long that they often needed no words to enjoy each other's company.

"She does, doesn't she?" Livia smiled at her husband.

"Yeah. Remember that slimy bastard of a Christian who was trying to impress you during the league challenge by offering you the league win." Jovian huffed. Livia laughed and soon her husband would join her. They regained theirselves and the silence once again returned with a nostalgic smile forming on Livia's lips.

"Everyday I'm glad that you chose me." Jovian whispered to his wife and pulled her in for an embrace.

"This is frustrating. None of the Pokémon seemed to have been near Chi-Chi." Pia pondered as she paced around the living room of the McMiller's, going back and forth as she kept thinking. Milla did much the same and ponded around beside Pia, pretending to be in thought as well. pretending because we all know Milla was only thinking of pancakes and playing more than the stuff that was currently going on. Milla just wasn't a very serious Pokémon. She was reliable! … but not very serious.

Chi-Chi the Chimecho floated around them, looking a bit apologetic while keeping an eye on her beloved eggs beside her that she had refused to leave alone. She was feeling bad… but for what? No one knew. Pia had been trying to figure that out for a while now and questioned every possible mate that she could have had but none fitted the profile and least of all, Chi-Chi wasn't interested in any of the other Pokémon in that kind of way. A one-night stand then? But no, Chi-Chi also shook her round and chiming head.

"See? This is why I asked for your help. I've tried to find out myself but she just won't tell us." Old man McMillered sat up from his chair, somewhat happy that someone confirmed that he was not crazy but also disappointed that Pia had not been able to figure out who had blessed Chi-Chi with the wonders of motherhood. Daniel and Livia stood beside him, despite the disappointment clearly visible from Mr. McMiller, those two just smiled. Just another day at the Nursery. There was but one conclusion that Pia could eventually come to after some thinking.

"Chi-Chi, are you fostering those eggs? Are they not actually yours?" She asked the Chimecho who immediately turned herself around to hide her face.

"Chi-Chi?" Jovian stood up and walked over towards the dodgy Chimecho who didn't want to answer that question.

"Mr.McMiller, what happens to the eggs that the owners of the Pokémon leave behind?" Pia asked the old man.

"We have a nursery room in the basement where we put the eggs in incubators and take care of them until they hatch. After they hatch we put them up for adoption." Old man McMiller explained to the unknowing girl who nodded at his explanation. This didn't quite explain why the Chimecho was being so secretive about this.

"Has Chi-Chi ever shown tendencies to foster other baby Pokémon?" The girl kept on digging. Sure enough she found a sore spot. Daniel, who had been quiet this entire time that Pia was here, decided to speak up.

"Mr. McMiller and Ms. McMiller are good people. Please believe me." He began. "Mr. McMiller doesn't believe that Pokémon can harbor motherly affection towards other Pokémon if they have not laid eggs themselves." Daniel spoke truthfully and with conviction. It was clear that this discussion had come up before. A guilt fell over Livia and she reached for her chest. "Chi-Chi has tried taking care of eggs before but Mr. McMiller would take them away. Not on purpose I tell you! Mr. McMiller didn't know…" Daniel fell silent after he said that until seconds that felt like minutes went by. Then he opened his mouth again. "But… I did."

Jovian's face shot towards Daniel. He felt betrayed, he felt terribly betrayed. However, he didn't glare. Rather than glaring he had the same guilt coming over him as his wife. He had said those things before. He was convinced of them. For 40 years had he worked like this and for 40 years had his approach with Pokémon been the same. He almost didn't dare to look at Pia who had wasted her time today to help them with such a trivial issue.

Pia rubbed her temples. She could have been in Hulburry by now but instead she got herself involved in this mess. She opened her eyes and looked up at Livia. That was enough to make her remember why she was here in the first place.

"Chu…" Milla tugged at Pia's legs. Shr had seen this look on her trainer before. Many times before in fact. Pia was not pleased and Milla could sense that. Pia sighed, looked away, counted to 10 and found the patience to deal with this situation properly.

"You may think that Pokémon are not able to foster any sort of maternal feelings towards other Pokémon…" Pia removed the glasses from her face as she no longer needed them and flipped them inside her pocket. "But I disagree. I've seen such cases many times before. It surprises me that you hold on to that belief." She turned her attention towards the Chimecho has been slowly turning around again. Unsure of what was happening but Milla was kind enough to explain.

"Chiimmmeeee!!" The blue orb sounded like she hadn't before. Was it angry? Perhaps it was better described as frustrated. It was enough to make the McMiller couple freeze in shock. It seemed as though they had never seen this Pokémon angry before. Or maybe they had and they had just ignored its protests. Did this really take them 24 years…? It was a little hard to believe. Farfetch'd even.

"I'm so sorry Chi-Chi!" Jovian McMiller fell to his knees. Tears dripped from his eyes as he faced the Pokémon that he had taken such good care of for the past 24 years. At least, that's what he thought. Clearly that had not been the case entirely. "I was so afraid you'd never find a partner all you were doing was fostering eggs! I wanted you to be happy like I am with Livia!" He practically screamed through the building. Were all old people overly emotional like that?

"Chiiii…." The Chimecho sounded again, once again a different sound too. It had a whole arsenal of beautiful sounds and Pia was almost certain she had heard almost all of them today.

"Please forgive this old man…" he kept whimpering, clasping his hands together in a prayer. Livia picked away a tear as well. They had fostered Daniel, how could they have denied such a thing for a Pokémon all these years…

Soon enough, the Chimecho smiled and came closer to Jovian, wrapping her tail around his neck and ~~snapping~~ hugging the main in comfort. As long as he now understood.

"Will you allow Chi-Chi to foster the eggs from now on? I've seen her take care of the other two. I'm certain she'd be a great mother." Pia smiled at the sight in front of her. It seemed that this old couple had learned a valuable lesson. One they should have learned long ago but you're never too old to learn. Jovian glanced at Chi-Chi with the brightest smile on his face, turned his face to Livia and Daniel who have him an approving nod and then turned his face back to Chi-Chi.

"She can be foster mother for all the eggs here from now on." He announced with tears in his eyes but a smile on his face. "This gesture came way too late. I'm so sorry Chi-Chi…" Jovian started crying again. So much crying.

However, the room went immediately silent when they heard a crack coming from the eggs.

"No…" Daniel started grinning from ear to ear. "Chi-Chi is about to become a mother!" He laughed happily and pointed at the gray egg with cloud patterns. It had started showing cracks and was rocking back on forth heavily. All for of the humans, yes even Pia, and the two Pokémon gathered around the egg to bear witness to a birth. It cracked again, it rocked again…

And slowly…

Until the egg shells broke completely and revealed a small creature that resembled a plain, gray cloud with a single wisp extending from the top of its head.

"CASTFORM. THE WEATHER POKÉMON.

IT CHANGES ITS FORM DEPENDING ON THE WEATHER. CHANGES IN THE TEMPERATURE OR HUMIDITY APPEAR TO AFFECT ITS CELLULAR STRUCTURE DUE TO ITS CELLS' SENSITIVE REACTIONS TO REMPERATURE.

GENDER: MALE"

"A Castform…!" Pia showed a bright, excited smile and coughed as soon as she noticed how childish she had been looking. "Congratulations Chi-Chi. You're mother to Castform." Pia smiled at the Chimecho who returned her smile with a soothing sound from her wind chime body. Milla butted in with an extended paw to congratulate as well. Chi-Chi wrapped her tail around her tiny hand and shook it.

"Our family has grown just a little bit bigger today." Livia finally spoke again with her soft voice and picked a tear from her sparkling blue eyes as the whole group watched Chi-Chi embrace her new child.

This moment of embracing the new life within their midst continued for a while longer until Jovian, his wife and Daniel started introducing themselves to the Castform, allowing the Chimecho to float up to Pia.

"Hm?" Pia gave the Pokémon a surprised look, wondering what she was trying to do when she wrapped her tail around Pia's wrist and led her towards the mint green egg with darker green swirls. "I think she wants you to have it." Daniel smiled.

"Chimmmeeeee!" Chi-Chi floated around the egg and rested her scarf-like tail on the hand that was now touching her "baby" and the egg. Milla laid her tail on top of it, just to get a little of that attention as well. Chimecho beamed. She was thankful for Pia's interference and wanted to reward her for her troubles.

"I see. Truthfully, I had not thought of a reward yet. Could I offer you this egg as a reward? I can feel there will be something special in it." Old man McMiller took the egg in his arms and nudged it towards Pia who had no way of saying no. To be fair, she was quite curious what was going to be inside this egg now that was not able to find the possible father for it.

With an incubator in her arms and the egg inside, Pia walked down the road from the Nursery towards Hulburry. The sun had started to set and the orange clouds gave a countryside view as she glanced up and felt the wintry breeze against her cheeks. Despite having wasted so much time today, it was a nice change of pace after all the talk shows and media appearances she had had over the past week. Despite it getting dark, Pia had to make up for the time spent and had to travel a bit through the night but with Milla by her side… that was not going to be a problem. Still she had this eerie feeling inside her stomach. A sort nervousness.

… As if something was about to happen.

Pia's Party

Memories

STAGE 1: Wedgehurst -> Wild Area -> Motostoke

Wedgehurst
I choose you part 1
I choose you part 2
I choose you Final

Wild Area
Train to Wild Area ft. Raphael & Aeliana
Two birds with one stone
Two birds with one stone part 2 + Bird Brain
Wild Area with Arrietty

Motostoke
Double Trouble part 1
Double Trouble part 2

STAGE 2: Route 3 -> Galar Mine 1 -> Route 4 -> Turffield

Route 3
It's the most wine-derful time of the year | Part 1
It's the most wine-derful time of the year | Part 2
A Festive Fight to the Finish
The Mystery of Mew! | Part 1
The Mystery of Mew! | Part 2
The Mystery of Mew! | Part 3
A Two headed reflection

Galar Mine 1
Galar Mine #1 | Part 1
Galar Mine #1 | Part 2
Galar Mine #1 | Part 3

Route 4
Route 4
Couch McGuire
A failed attempt.

Turffield
Bad Company.
It gets worse.
Shopping shenanigans
A challenger approaches!
Gym battle: Turffield
Here and Now
Performance Post: Dreaming Fairy
New Friendships

Route 5
Homecoming | Part 1
Homecoming | Part 2

Pia's journal

Arrietty Maverick
Pia and Arrietty met in the Wild Area although the two have shared classes before. It struck Pia as odd that the girl seemed to have no ambitions or goals at all. Although disappointed upon finding out this girl had no fire burning that would light her path, Pia made it her mission to help this girl get a goal and become a bit more social. Arrietty is the closest Pia can consider a "friend".

As according to their promise, Pia helped Arrietty get ready for her very first contest in Turffield. However, the girl ran off from stage when she was up. Pia has been feeling guilty for "forcing her into contesting" ever since.

Ruben Sancho
Pia met Ruben during Motostoke while on a double date with him, Arrietty and Ainsley. The date went disastrous with both Arrietty and Ainsley running off but Ruben and Pia were able to grow just a tiny bit closer during their search for Arrietty. They have been texting since and are on good terms with each other. They both seem to be interested in just a little bit more...

Ruben and Pia are officially dating since the end of the year festival on Route 3 following their "official second date" that went well. Pia knows about Ruben's ankle and that it's still hurting. They're in close contact with each other through calling and texting. They went on another date on Route 4 where Ruben had a gig for a coaching session with kids with the promise to spend time together after that. Both confirmed their feelings for the other by sharing a kiss. Pia likes him a lot.

Their relationship became public knowledge when a picture of Ruben staring down Pia's shirt was shared on social media and all gossip magazines. Ruben has been hiding it from Pia but as they went shopping, Pia got vocally attacked by a group of girls calling her out for being a whore and having no dignity. Ruben stood up for her and made their relationship public knowledge, no longer wanting to submit Pia to such harassment. Ruben publicly announced he likes Pia a lot and that they have been dating as opposed to what he has been saying before. Pia still doesn't know about the picture that's going around.

Despite the situation that had happened in the mall, Ruben insisted towards Raphael that they're just "friends" while Raphael announced to know more about their relationship due to being uncomfortable with the fact of calling Pia his "girlfriend". He has been slowly getting into the idea of being in a relationship with her throughout Turffield. The two of them visited his home in Wedgehurst during the events of Route 5 where Pia ended up meeting his sister Daija and his little brothers. He told Daija to stop calling her the "G" word but he ended up admitting to her he indeed considered Pia his girlfriend. During all of this Pia has been thinking about their time together and has grown quite fond of Ruben, more than she probably realizes herself as she has to constantly remind herself that she shouldn't be feeling the things that she is feeling. She believes that it will all come to an end but has recently started clinging on to a little spark of hope...

The two of them exchanged Applin's during their Valentine's day date where they also decided to release them, promising each other that they would stay together.

They've proven to be currently in love with both of them starting to show effort in their relationship with Pia's big secret that she's trying to keep hidden from Ruben being a ticking time bomb...

Raphael Allard
Pia met Raphael during her train ride to the wild Area together with Aeliana. Thinking that he had a lot of potential in becoming a chamption which would benefit her, Pia approached him thinking they could become friends. Their interactions didn't go as smoothly as Pia had hoped. After their argument at the end of her battle with Aeliana, the girl ran off thinking she had blown her chances. Raphael doesn't harbour any ill intend towards the girl and only hoped to give her some advice.

They have resolved their issues in Galar mine 1 and worked together to battle Oleana in which they were victorious. Raphael brought the issues with Pia's overprotectiveness of Milla back up on Route 4 when Pia was refusing Milla from battling. Raphael spoke some sense into her, prompting her to finally trust Milla. Raphael understands Pia better now and Pia has a better opinion of Raphael now too.

They met again during the events of the Turffield contest and spend some time talking to each other while Pia tried to get Ruben to apologize to Arrietty. Raphael said something similar to what he said on Route 4 and confused Pia in her actions. He seems to know more than he lets on.

Aeliana Kekoa
Pia met Aeliana during the train ride to the wild Area together with Raphael. Although her interactions with Aeliana went a little bit more smoothly than with Raphael, Pia still ran off at the end of their battle in an attempt to distract her since Pia owed her money for losing. Although Pia has declared Aeliana her rival, they haven't spoken since and Pia attempts to keep it that way.

Pia met Aeliana again on Route 3 when she was on her way to the end of the year market. Together with Rosa and Valerie they went into an haunted mansion. Although they didn't converse much, Aeliana made some comments that Pia saw as snarky that were meant well by Aeliana. This indicates that Pia still thinks that Aeliana is out to get her.

Ainsley
Ainsley was Pia's date partner during the double date in Motostoke and is Ruben's best friend. Ainsley pretended to be rich and paid for the date with Ruben's money. Pia saw through the charade and called him out on it after Ainsley suggested they'd book a hotel together and make love. He ran off afterwards, angry that the feelings of lust he harboured towards Pia were not returned. Pia doesn't think highly of Ainsley and told Ruben that he needs "better friends".

Melody Argent
Although Pia and Melody attended the same Trainer school and were in the same class, they never once teamed up for an assignment. Both didn't have a very good impression of the other and avoided them like the plague. It's not until the Festival Fun-time Flurry that they have tried teaming up to win a competition as both of them were interested in the prize. They chased down a cheater together and have a better opinion of each other since their teamwork. They figured out that they're a pretty good team actually. Both of them thinks "the other is not so bad after all".

Valerie Amity
Pia met Valerie on route 3 where they went inside a haunted mansion together with Aeliana and Rosa. They didn't get to converse much but it was enough for them to establish some sort of familiarity. Valerie calls Pia "Lady P" as a nickname. Pia thinks of Valerie as someone with too much energy but not a bad person overall, maybe a little too naïve.

Pia was able to form a friendshop with Valerie in Turffield where she finally managed to catch the girl alone. Pia decided that Valerie's stream and followers could help her towards her goal of becoming rich, one she is trying to head towards to against ever since the events with Catherine. She feels guilty about this though.

Rosa Valdés
Pia met Rosa on Route 3 and went inside a haunted mansion together with Aeliana and Valerie. They were stuck inside a room together where Rosa found golden nuggets and shared one with Pia. Rosa's small moments of kindness seemed insincere in Pia's eyes, someone who is well versed with duality. When Rosa left the end of the year market after they had gotten out of the haunted mansion, Pia followed her and saw her crying. Pia comforted the crying Rosa but as soon as Rosa had gotten herself together again, Pia fell the need to call her out on her duality, telling her that how she was acting now was quite different from before. Rosa denied at first but as soon as Pia had driven her into a corner, she stopped trying. After Jirachi appeared for a brief second, Rosa walked off. They're neither on bad or good terms but both have things they probably need to speak off.

Simon Pearburgh
Pia met Simon in Galar Mine 1. Pia thought nothing more of him than a bug nerd. They partnered up to battle against Oleana and his clever strategies impressed Pia, prompting her to compliment him after their shared life/death situation on Route 4.

Pia considers Simon to be a positive influence and appreciates him cheering her on during the contest in Turffield where he appeared to be the loudest in the room.

Catherine Carlisle
Yeah.... Pia really doesn't like Catherine but she enjoys getting under her skin.

Kit
Pia met Kit in the Wild Area. Kit had been trying to catch a Pokémon for days but had yet to catch one. He begged the girl to help him in exchange for money and a strange rock that he found. Pia taught him how to catch a Pokémon but after hearing that Kit is in search for his father, she decided to only take the strange rock as her reward and left the pouch with Poké behind for the boy to keep. Kit seems to have developed a crush for her because of that.

Daija Sancho
Daija is Ruben's little sister by 2 years. Pia met Daija during her trip to Wedgehurst with Ruben on Route 5. Daija was wary of the girl at first as she is well aware of her brother's "type". She has given Pia her nod of approval when she found the two being silly in the living room after she had left the house for a little bit to cool off. She thinks Pia is a positive influence in Ruben's life.

Jovian and Livia McMiller and Daniel
Pia met the McMiller couple and their foster son on Route 5 when she took a nap outside in the cold covered in her own Pokémon. Livia McMiller invited her at her home with happened to be the Nursery on Route 5. Pia investigated the Chimecho mystery of how she had suddenly laid two eggs. She appeared to be fostering them as trainer's had left those eggs behind. Chimecho have her a mint-green coloured egg with darker green swirls as a thank you for getting her wishes across to the McMiller couple.

Trainer ID

Pia McGuire:

Pia was born in the town of Hammerlocke in the Galar region and is part of the first graduating class of the Wedgehurt trainer's academy. Despite having lived in poverty, her mother has been able to pay for her tuition in alternative ways. She's quick witted and rather clever but is sometimes a bit "too" honest. Pia dreams of becoming an actress and does almost anything to get more money. When it comes down to it, what she really wants is to no longer live in poverty and live a bit more happily.

Inventory:

4x Pokéball
Galarian Pokédex
Xtransceiver
Broken Flashlight
King's Rock
Sun Stone
Thunderstone
Mint green Pokémon egg with darker green swirls

Outfits:

Daily Outfit:

Spoiler:

Contest outfit:

Spoiler:

Ribbons:

Turffield Ribbon 2nd place:

Badges:

Turffield Grass badge

Jay · Mar 8, 2021

.

STAGE 8 - HULBURY

Spoiler:

The journey continues and the next challenge approaches!

As a Champion leaves, future Champions enter!

The port city of Hulbury, also known as Bow Town, is a beautiful and picturesque locale and the center of foreign imports for the Galar region. Known for its spectacular restaurants packed with seafood or foreign cuisine, the dockyard full of sailors and vessels, the gorgeous overlooking lighthouse and the center of operations for the Galar model agency, this might be the busiest city our heroes have visited thus far!

Still, you can't talk about modelling or the wide ocean beyond without mentioning the cities very own Gym Leader. Nessa, The Raging Wave! Known for her confident and forward personality, Nessa is compared less to a serene pond and more to a crashing current striking the shoreline. Many a fan for her can be found in the city, for her skill as a leader, for her beauty and budding career as a professional model, or both. The Hulbury gym awaits at the North end of the city, ready to accept any and all challengers who may approach.

With gym battles to be had, places to explore and the ocean air to be enjoyed, the next chapter of Pokémon Spear begins!

WILD POKÉMON AVAILABLE THIS STAGE

Pokémon available to those with a fishing rod:

Pokémon available to those on Mission 5:

Pokémon available to those on Mission 9:

.

MISSIONS:

[OPEN][GYM] ★ 1:
The Second Gym of the Galar League is here! Nessa is waiting to face the trainers who battled her rival Milo and is prepared to test their skills and see if they're worthy of the coveted Water Badge. If you think you can keep pace with the current, then prepare to face off with the Raging Wave of Hulbury!

GYM BATTLE - VS. Nessa

Spoiler:

The Raging Wave, Nessa of Port Hulbury. A focused, diligent and intense battler with a pletora of different skills at her disposal. She uses her terrain to her advantage, her newly designed stadium being based off of an olympic swimming pool. Hit and run tactics are the order of the day, unless she decides to bring out Dreadnaw, in which case get ready for a full frontal assault! Complete her Gym Mission to challenge Nessa!

Gym Mission:
It takes more than tactics to become a powerful trainer. You need physical fitness and endurance too... and where better to test that than the water? Nessa's Wave Wipeout is the name of the game, an obstacle course focused on waves and water that must be taken on with a single pokémon of your choice. The obstacles are randomized each and every race through, though each one will try to slow you down or knock you down into the pool below (think up three obstacles that take your fancy, maybe some bursting water jets? Spinning pylons to duck and dodge? Small platform to leap across? Two switches to hit alongside your pokémon?) Complete the course within the time limit of 15 minutes alongside your pokémon companion in order to pass the challenge!

Important Note:
From this stage onwards, gym missions will be optional for players to write into their posts. In retrospect these are things designed for in game mechanics and they don't translate very well to writing when everyone has to complete the same challenge in this way. Feel free to write them if you have a cool idea, but otherwise you may skip over them and assume your character succeeded.

Battle!
Complete the Gym Mission and earn the right to challenge Nessa to a battle! Nessa shares her preferred battle type with her rival Milo, a 2v2 Single Battle, i.e. a Single Battle where each trainer uses two pokémon and can switch them around at will. The first trainer to have both of their pokémon KO'd is the loser.

Nessa is a slippery opponent who relies on the natural strengths of water type pokémon. Her gym stadium has been converted to an olympic grade swimming pool. A massive, deep pool of water where her water type pokémon can shine. Dotted around the arena are a number of white, floating platforms allowing water averse pokémon to stand and jump between during the fight, but make no mistake, water type pokémon have the advantage in such an arena. Trainers have designated platforms they can stand upon at either end of the pool.

Nessa utilizes hit and run tactics in battles, utilizing Pelipper or Lanturn, she attempts to set up an advantageous situation for her team by summoning rain and confusing her opponent. Pelipper and Lanturn can also harry opponents with long distance moves, hiding in either the air or the water to weaken opponents further. Her end goal is often to send out Dreadnaw, boosted in the rain by swift swim, to create a surprisingly speedy brute force beast to batter her opponents and bury them beneath her waves.

Whatever tactic she decides to use, will you be able to keep up and keep your head above the water?

Pokémon:

Moves:
- Razor Shell
- Rock Polish
- Headbutt
- Water Gun
- Jaw Lock
- Dragon Tail
Ability:
- Swift Swim

Moves:
- Tailwind
- Supersonic
- Water Pulse
- Whirlpool
- Fly
- Twister
Ability:
- Drizzle

Moves:
- Eerie Impulse
- Electro Ball
- Confuse Ray
- Rain Dance
- Bubble Beam
- Psybeam
Ability:
Volt Absorb

[OPEN] Mission 1:
Hulbury is a town of imports and exports and what better to export from a port city than fish? The local fisherman's guild is one of the oldest branches in all of Galar, but recently they've had a problem. An environmental transport ship from Alola ran afoul of a sandbar and their cargo of Bruxish have infested the local waters. All able bodied fishers are needed to help reel in these ne'er-do-wells.
Reward: Good Rod

Mission 2:
The local modelling agency is pretty devoted to Nessa as their iconic star, but with the new league challenge looming, perhaps it's time to invest in some brand new talent? Young, hot-blooded trainers with beauty, brawn and style! Someone like that, well, they'd be perfect to be put on a pedestal... maybe those Wedgehurst Academy kids? They seem pretty popular!
Reward: 1 x Model Agency License + 1 x Branded Contest Outfit

Mission 3:
Weather or not, it's all he's got! Jeffrey is a Unovan weather specialist travelling the world to determine the atmospheric pressure of every town he can! How... riveting. Well, a little more exciting is a recent problem he's run into. Something is throwing the weather in Hulbury way off recently, it's too early in the year for it to be THIS warm, surely? He's certain a pokémon is spamming some weather altering move and he's not happy about it. Help him deal with the problem and he'll teach you the secrets of changing the weather for yourself!
Reward: 1 x TR Sunny Day OR 1 x TR Sandstorm

[MULTI] Mission 4:
The local lighthouse is stirring with interest... and that's for good reason! A classic fan of lighthouses and port cities is in town. Volkner, ex-gym leader of the Sinnoh region is vacationing in Galar and has attracted the attention of quite a few old fans. He's just trying to relax and enjoy the scenery but things keep getting more and more hectic, this is approaching Team Yell levels of fervor... maybe you could help him out?
Reward:
- 1 x TR Charge Beam
- 1 x TR Waterfall
- 1 x TR Flash

[CATCH CHANCE!] Mission 5:
In a classic turn of events, the lighthouse light has gone out, though this time there's not an Ampharos involved. A trap door inside leads to the lighthouses power grid beneath the floorboards... and strange noises have been coming from down there for a few days now. Still, the lighthouse keeper isn't a fighter... he's at his wits end and needs someone to lend a hand.
Reward: 1 x Light Clay

Mission 6:
The local restaurant scene is alive and buzzing in Hulbury. Plenty of places serving seafood and out-regional specialties are all along the harbors edge. One restaurant in particular has been struggling in recent times. A seafood restaurant near the road leading to the gym received great business once, due to being Chairman Rose's favorite haunt. Things have taken an opposite turn since the Darkest Day... and the business is desperate for some help to drum up more business.
Reward: 1 x Curry Making Kit

Mission 7:
Disaster has struck, out beyond the coast line, lost in a mist in the middle of the night, a small cruise ship has crashed into jutting rocks just off the coast of the city. Trainers with water type pokémon are swimming out in droves to aid local law enforcement and pokémon rangers in rescuing civilians, but the situation is looking grim as wild pokémon begin to approach the wreckage.
Reward: 1 x Heart Scale

Mission 8:
Local law enforcement have been struggling to capture a particular individual for a few days straight. A strange man dressed in a long blue coat with deep purple eyes. He uses ghost type pokémon and is responsible for robbing a number of stores and most recently a local bank. This has gone on long enough but no traces are found at the scenes of the crime bar static filled footage on security cameras. Will you be the one to capture the Hulbury Specter?
Reward: 1 x Trade Evolution Item of your Choice (Reaper Cloth, Metal Coat, etc.)

[CATCH CHANCE!] Mission 9:
A flock of strange bird pokémon have suddenly arrived in Hulbury. Usually not a problem, birds are birds... except when they're pulling off sick wrestling moves on innocent bystanders. Piledrivers, clothes lines, body presses, the works... they never hurt anyone too badly, seems its mostly for theatrics, but it should be obvious why this can't be allowed to continue.
Reward: 1 x Luchadore Mask

Mission 10:
The local fishers market has a unique stall that many a trainer and breeder goes to for assistant. A young woman from abroad sells foreign incense and herbs that can be nigh irresistible to certain types of pokémon. Perhaps a little too irresistible it seems... after an incense spillage wild pokémon from the water are crawling onto land to take it for themselves! Help protect the seller and her product and maybe you'll get yourself some incense of your own? Oh, it's also probably the right thing to do.
Reward: 1 x Incense of your Choice + 1 x Revival Herb

Foxrally · Mar 8, 2021

Squad Member Anorith!

Spoiler: Memories

Squad Member Luvdisc!

Underwater

Simon slowly opened his eyes as the screen on the VR headset flashed on and the headphones clamped themselves into his ears. The sudden burst of light was a little blinding, but after a moment he could see the environment around him more clearly. It looked like like some sort of underwater waiting room, similar in size to the studio, but with several large pieces of coral and seaweed strewn about the landscape. It was as if he'd been transported into a computer wallpaper. He looked around some more, seeing a few fish-like silhouettes in the distance which likely belonged to the other cast members, before noticing a familiar pink Pokemon floating beside him.

"Whoa, Val! Is that you?!"

"Si-Fi is that YOU?!" Valerie replied. At the same time, her gaze was fixed on Simon's new body: a small black Pokemon with eight wings - four on each side. Valerie then had a small peak on her own body. She let out a small delightful gasp. "No. Freaking. Way. Valerie is that YOU, girl?! I'm Luvdisc! Ahaha! Hyyyype!"

The feeling was quite strange. Even though the actors could feel their real-life bodies in the back of their minds, the combination of the VR headset and the connected suits made them feel as if their bodies themselves had shifted into that of their Pokemon's. This was the full immersion the director was speaking about... Simon looked down at his hands, and gasped as he found a large gray claw in its place. The feeling of opening and closing it came almost naturally, and soon he'd also figured out how to move the other parts of his body intuitively.

"Woooohoooo!" Valerie was happily swimming in circles, and in perfect figure 8s around the ocean. "You got this Val-disc! Yaaaas Queen!"

"I see you're already getting the hang of it!" Simonson's voice suddenly echoed out to them from above, as if he was speaking from the heavens themselves. "We're going to be beginning soon, so make your way to your designated spot."

"Let's get swimming then, Val- I mean, Luvdisc!" Simon winked (a movement which surprisingly registered) before swimming off towards their starting location.

As they swam the scenery around then began to change, as coral-shaped buildings materialized before them along with several models of other fish Pokemon. A larger building which read "Wishiwashi Squad Station" sprung out of the ground as well, and as they swam inside, they could tell this was where they were going to start. The building had a simple lobby followed by a larger main room, which is where they were going to start. They just had to wait for their moment to shine in the scene.

"Everyone ready?" Ryan Simonson's voiced echoed again. "Lights, camera, action!"

A soft jingle that was Wishiwashi Squad theme song played through their headphones for a few seconds, before a female voice followed with a recap of the previous scene. "The dastardly king Carvanha is up to usual mischief again! After seeing him steal away squad member Qwilfish's Valentine, the Wishiwashi squad is determined to get her back! But for that, they're gonna need some help…"

The sound of the station door opening altered the two that the scene had begun. "Oh man, what are we gonna this time, Blue?" a voice asked from the lobby.

"Don't worry, Cyan! We've got just the right friends for the job, and they'll help us get back Qwilfish's Valentine in no val-en-time!" The titular Wishiwashi swam into the larger room and greeted their two new partners. "Heya, friends!"

The Luvdisc swam in a quick small circle, winking as hearts poured out from her, before postering herself upright. "Swimming in the pretty blue ocean, covered in a pretty pink! Ready to save the day with her 'luv'! You can call me Luvdisc, Luv-able protector of the ocean!"

Her partner Anorith did a spin as well, flexing his claws like little biceps. "Dashin' and scratchin' across the sea, buzzin' with power! Ready to kick some kiester and save the day! You can call me Anorith, fiercest bug in the seas!"

"Wow, amazing!" Pink the Wishiwashi exclaimed.

"Nice to see you here, Squad! Do you need any help?" Anorith asked.

"Yes! It's Valentine's Day tomorrow and that meanie King Carvanha just stole our friend Errol's Valentine!" Blue replied, frowning.

"That fiend!" Luvdisc shrieked. "And on Valentine's Day, the most luv-able time of the year too?! That grubby king sunk to a new low this time!"

"Don't worry, we'll help you rescue her, Wishiwashi Squad!" Anorith nodded eagerly. "We're not gonna let King Carvanha ruin Valentine's!"

"Thank you, guys! We're so glad we can rely on our friends!" Pink replied, swimming up excitedly.

"Where is he?!" Luvdisc hastily asked. "We'll show him a thing or two!"

"We know just where to look! Follow me, everyone!" Blue said.

The group of fishy friends made their way outside the station, and after a little bit of swimming, the scene shifted to a large, open seafloor. A big, dark cavern materialized in front of them, with a large Carvanha symbol etched in the rock above the entrance.

"King Carvanha's lair." Anorith said, narrowing his eyes.

Suddenly, two fish Pokemon emerged from the cave and stood guard before it entrance. Both were green and black in colour with white spikes running down their backs, but one had a red stripe along its side while the other had a blue one. An evil soundtrack started to play and they glared at the incoming group of friends.

"It's the Basculin Brothers!" Blue gasped.

"Well lookie here, bro! It's the Wishi-washed up squad and their lame-o friends!" Red-stripe Basculin snickered.

"Good one, bro! So kind of the floppy-fish police to pay us a visit!" Blue-stripe Basculin sneered at them.

"Swim aside, you barbaric brothers!" Luvdisc demanded. "We're stopping King Carvanha's nasty plans!"

"Sorry, but we're not lettin' any Wishiwashi Squad Suckers through today!" Red Basculin smirked. "The king has a date to prepare for, and he doesn't wanna be bothered!"

"Well king Carvanha stole his date!" Blue the Wishiwashi replied.

"You can't steal true love!" Luvdisc added. "When hearts connect as one, that is the only true 'luv' that I approve of! King Carvanha won't get away with this!"

"If ya wanna get to tha boss, you're gonna hafta go through us, Wishiwa-chumps!" Red-stripe snarled.

"We're not gonna let you ruin Valentine's Day!" Anorith exclaimed, readying his claws. "Prepare to battle, you love thieves!"

The Basculin brothers snarled and released two jets of water from the mouths, blasting them in the direction of the heroes.

"Feast your eyes on Luvdsic's luv!" Luvdisc announced. She then swam in the shape of a heart again and again until the heart shape glowed.

"Hah, what is this? A cute dance fer' us?" Red-stripe taunted.

"That's so pretty!" Pink commented. "It's one of Luvdisc's special attacks!"

"O'power of luv, wrap my enemies with the beauty of pink! Heart Stamp!!" She then blew a kiss, formed of a shape of a beautiful pink heart towards the brothers of boring. Red-stripe Basculin was struck by the attack full-on, and little pink hearts began swirling around his head as he became dizzy.

"Bro! Grrr, you'll pay for this, twerp!" Blue-stripe growled and readied another attack at them.

"Not so fast!" Anorith exclaimed. "Feel the power of my claws- X-Scissor!" He yelled as he slashed in a cross shape, releasing a wave of white energy at the dastardly villain. The blow struck the Basculin as well, knocking it backwards beside it's brother.

"Drats, we gotta go alert the boss! Let's scram, bro!" Red-stripe said to his brother, and the two goons quickly swam deeper into the cave.

"Yeah, and don't come back!" Anorith yelled back. "Or you'll have to face the fury of our attacks again!"

"Quickly, everyone! Let's go in!" Blue the Wishiwashi said, and led the group into the cavern.

"Right! Errol's Valentine is waiting for us!" Luvdisc announced, swimming alongside them. "Let's swim!"

King Carvanha's cavern was dark and cold, the rocky tunnel dimly lit only by the few glowing gemstones lining the walls. Ominous music played around around them as they went deeper and deeper.

"This is scary, Blue…" Pink said, huddling closer to the group.

"Don't worry, just be brave! We're doing this to save Valentine's day!" Blue comforted her.

After a moment the tunnel broke open into a much larger room, which was seemingly empty… but suddenly, the figures of the Basculin brothers reappeared! The villainous Pokemon blocked their path once more, but this time with their smirks even more confident.

"I thought we took care of you two the first time!" Anorith said, glaring angrily.

"Well, Wimpy-Washi Squad, we've brought some friends of our own this time!" Red-stripe said.

"Get 'em, boys!" Blue-stripe commanded.

Suddenly, the group of heroes found themselves surrounded by a shoal of Arrokuda! The fish Pokemon began circling them and cackling evilly, ready to pounce.

"There too many of them to beat one by one! We're gonna have to work together, squad!" Blue said, turning to his friends.

"Of course! Our teamwork will get the job done!" Luvdisc agreed. "Time to sink these baddies!" Luvdisc winked, releasing colurful hearts. "Feel the true beauty of luv! Attract… GATLING GUUUUN!!" The hearts swarmed around her, and then she released them like gatling guns towards the bad guys. The hearts broke through the Arrokuda's formation and they began swimming more erratically, bumping into each other in their confusion.

"Now to round 'em up! Quiver spin... FURY CUTTER!!" Anorith yelled out, and began rapidly swimming circles around the nasty fish as well as the Basculin brothers, pushing them towards the center with swipes of his claws. The whirlpool this created forced all of them together, and soon they were grouped up in one fishy bundle.

"Now, Blue!" Pink said.

"AQUA RING BIND!" the little blue Wishiwashi yelled, and summoned a glowing cage of water around the Arrokuda and Basculin. "You're not going anywhere now!"

"Gah! How could'ya have beaten us again?!" Red-stripe lamented as they tried to escape the watery trap.

"We use the power of friendship for good, not evil!" Pink said. "Let's go, everyone! King Carvanha isn't far now!"

Meanwhile, King Carvanha, the dastardly villain of the ocean, cackled happily over the capture of HIS valentine, in his own mind. "ShaiShaiShaiShaiShaiShai!" His evil laughter echoed throughout his hideout. "At last, with MY Valentine, my dreams shall come true!" he swam eerie towards his captured Pokemon, the fair, kind and beautiful Finneon. "Smile, Finneon, and rejoice! For your Valentine is me, the King of the ocean, King Carvanha!! You should be honored!"

"You'll never get away with this!" Finneon reassured. "The Wishiwashi Squad will--"

"Not be joining us," King Carvanha interrupted. "Those Finned-fools will not interrupt my plans this time! My minions will take care of them promptly. And even if they COULD defeat them, I've been saving a special surprise just for them. THIS day is certain to be my Valentine's Day victory!"

"I will NEVER be your Valentine!" Finneon warned.

King Carvanha simply grinned. "Oh, you will my dear," he replied. "Soon, you will see things my way. And then you'll thank me. ShaiShaiShaiShai!"

Suddenly, Blue and his friends burst into the room with a triumphant sound effect. "We've found you, King Carvanha!" he yelled out.

"Let Finneon go!" Pink said, shaking her fins angrily.

"The Wishiwashi Squad?!" King Carvanha shrieked. "Bah! So, you took down my minions, have you? Well, no matter. Finneon is MY valentine, and you shall not mess with my plans!"

"We'll see about that!" Anorith proclaimed, and readied himself to battle. "Get ready for my claws!"

"Fool! Do you not realize where you swim?!" King Carvanha boasted. He raised his right fin. "I'm glad you all came by, actually. For now, it is time to bring you all a very special… surprise. SUMMON THE GYARADOS!!" The sounds of a trap door opened from overhead. The vigorous swimming of a large creature could be heard nearby, creeping closer and closer. Soon the squad was met with a terrifying Pokemon, it let loose a deafening roar. "Behold, Gyarados the Mighty! You Wishiwashi Squad members are FIN-ISHED, shaishaishaishai!!"

"Oh no! How are we going to beat THAT behemoth?" Pink turned to the others, panicking.

"There's only one way to overcome this big baddie!" Blue replied, his eyes burning with determination. "It's time to SHOAL UP!!"

The little Wishiwashi swam up and started glowing brightly as waves of energy began radiating from him. "Come on, everyone! Let's all shout the Wishiwashi special signal together!" he said encouragingly. "WISHOO! WISHOO! WISHOO!"

Pink swam up as well and joined in the chant. "WISHOO! WISHOO!"

"WISHOO! WISHOO!" Luvdisc chanted. "Added with the power of luv!"

"WISHOO! WISHOO!" Anorith joined in. "Let's defeat this beast!"

The cries echoed through the oceans like a siren. Wishiwashi all around the ocean heard the Wishooes of the squad; from above the seaweed and below the rocks, through the corals and across the seabed, in the deepest of caverns and brightest of beaches, hundreds of squad members rushed to the heroes' aid. They swarmed through the entrance of King Carvanha's lair and swam through in response to the call, slowly grouping up together to create…

"WISHIWASHI SQUAD SCHOOL!!" Blue's voice boomed through the giant fish's mouth, amplified by the hundreds of squadmates.

"It's time to end this! With the power of our friendship, we're taking you DOWN! Luvdisc, Anorith! We'll need your help too! Ready?"

"Always ready, Anorith!" Luvdisc replied. "The power of friendship and 'luv' are no match for the forces of evil!"

"Ready!" Anorith exclaimed, preparing his own attack. "X-Scissor…"

Luvdisc poised in position. "Attract-Gatling…"

"MEGA ULTRA HYDRO CANNON!!" The Wishiwashi Squad yelled out in unison, blasting the Gyrados with a devastating jet of water combined with the other two attacks.

"Graaaah! CURSE YOU, Wishiwashi squad!" King Carvanha cursed angrily with his breath, as the Gyarados was slammed into the ground, defeated. As for King Carvanha, his only option was to retreat. "I'll get you all somedaaaaaaaaaaay!!" He swam away as quickly as he could, through a secret door of his hydeout. Finally, the Finneon was rescued.

"Thank you, Wishiwashi squad!" she thanked the crew wholeheartedly. "Errol must be so worried about me!"

As the Wishiwashi's form dissipated and the Pokemon split up, Blue swam forward. "Thank you so much to everyone for helping us beat King Carvanha again!" He added, turning to his friends. "We showed that no-good king that Valentine's is all about celebrating real love and friendships, not stealing them!"

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

Suddenly, Ryan Simonson's voice spoke through the speakers above them. "Aaaand CUT! Beautiful!"

The scene of the cave around them slowly dematerialized back into a blank white space as the ending music faded out, and the character models of the other characters slowly began to disappear. "You can take your headsets off now!" Simonson added.

Val and Simon quickly took their VR headsets off, finding themselves in the middle of the greenscreen room surrounded by the actors from earlier. It took a little bit of time to get adjusted to their human bodies again, but after a few stumbles, they were re-attuned to the real world.

"You two did amazing!" Gwen, the actress for Blue, said. Her voice being far less high-pitched in reality was a little jarring after hearing her performance for so long, but even more jarring was Frank, who came over and gave the two trainers a proud smack on the back.

"Ya really shone out there, shaishaishai!" he said, mimicking his character's laugh.

Simon was still trying to recover from the sudden change in environment, but managed to blabber out a "thank you" with a thumbs-up.

"Thanks, boss man!" Valerie said with a grin. "It was a luuuuvly experience!"

"My little starlings, you outdid yourselves!" Simonson said, clasping his hands together. "If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn you were real talking Pokemon! Great shoot, really."

"Th-thank you, sir! I guess we just did what felt natural." Simon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"The kids will love it! With the popularity of gym challenge, this episode is going to be a smash hit with the networks. I really am a genius!" the director has stars in his eyes.

After Simonson had finished congratulating them, the pair went back to their dressing rooms and quickly changed back into their regular clothes, much to Simon's relief. The crew members from earlier also returned their Pokeballs, neatly tied with little wishiwashi-themed bows. As they stepped out of the changing rooms, Aurora approached them.

"Bravo. From what I can gather, Simonson is quite pleased with your performances." she said, clapping her hands a few times. "It was certainly amusing to see your human bodies interpret the fish movements."

Simon blushed a little, "Wait, you were watching?!"

"Of course. What else would I be doing?" Aurora replied, looking Simon in the eyes. He noticed an imperceptible glint in her eye.

"Maaaaan that was so epic!" Valerie cheered, doing a cute pose. "Beat the bad guys with the power of 'luv!'"

"I'm glad you both had fun." Aurora smiled at Val. She checked her watch and raised her eyebrows as if realizing something. "Pardon my abruptness, but I have to take my leave for now. Your shooting for the day should be over, so I'm sure you can find your way out of here without me. I'll be keeping in touch with both of you through email." the girl said quickly, and looked at her Elgyem. The Pokemon gave a soft hum before the two teleported away in a flash.

"Ugh, I hate when she does that." Simon grumbled. "So what are you gonna do now? I'm thinking of hitting the gift store." he asked Val.

"I think I'll start heading for Hulbury," Valerie replied. "The next Gym is there and all that. After my last one, I'm suuuuper hyped!"

"Oh man, I'm definitely gonna be watching that, especially after seeing your quila-migo's amazing fighting skills!" Simon replied excitedly. "We have to battle someday."

"Of course, bro! And I'm looking forward to seeing how you get stronger next time we meet as well!" Valerie stated. "Tell you what: we will be friends, aaaand rivals! Two for one special!"

"Not to mention squadmates!" Simon added, posing dramatically with his arms crossed like claws.

"Haha! Till we squad up and defeat King Carvanha again, Anorith!" Valerie gave him a heartfelt wink, compliments of Luvdisc.

Joint post of Dragon and Foxrally

Fen-Fen · Mar 8, 2021

Haleigh Windsor and Valerie Amity

Spoiler: Memories

Pokemon Ranger Squad, Go!

Haleigh once again found herself on the road, heading once again towards the port city of Hulbury. It was funny how the day after her birthday felt so ordinary. Just another day really. No magical powers that she gained, no sudden growth spurt, no sudden injections of wisdom. Just the same old Haleigh and her Pokemon.

She was approaching the Lilypad Bridge, Corey, Cerise and Orion accompanying Haleigh. The three of them were getting along quite well, with Corey and Cerise acting as older siblings guarding the younger one while he played around. The Alolan Vulpix had been getting bigger as the months had gone on, but he still was very much a young Pokemon. Cerise rolled her eyes at how often Orion would pull her away to play, but Corey simply smirked whenever she'd complain; he knew that she was really enjoying it.

"Hey, hey! Friend-dar is going off!" cried a cheerful, energetic voice, iconically now belonging to one young woman: Valerie, who was just passing by as well. "Wazzap, Haleigh-copter! Was hoping to see you 'round here!"

Upon hearing the bright voice of a certain person, Haleigh perked up when she saw Valerie, smiling widely as she said, "Hey Val! It's been a while, hasn't it? 'Aven't seen you 'round since we were still in school together."

"And the stadium back at Motostoke! Maaaaan that was a ride!" Valerie added. Then her face felt a flash of remembrance. " Ooooh hold on!" She reached for her bag, and lightly tapped it. "Knock, knock, sis! Agent Val reporting, requesting da' goods!"

Bad role playing aside, her Morpeko popped out from her bag, with a small box on the top of her head. Valerie happily accepted it, giving her a light pat on the head. When she turned around, she threw a Oran Berry over her, to her Morpeko, followed up with a 'Incoming Berry! 12o'clock!' announcement. A simple Berry was all the payment this delivery Morpeko needed, as she slinked down back in her bag, with the egg Valerie kept inside.

Valerie, now with the box in hand, went over Haleigh holding the box in front of her. "Lil' late, buuuut, happy birthday, girl! These are all macaroons I made. You and your chums can dig in!"

"You remembered my birthday! Arceus, thank you so much!" Haleigh leapt in to give the other girl a big hug before finally relenting to allow herself to accept her gift. "I honestly wasn't expecting any presents at all, y'know. We're all kinda doin' our own thing out there and we weren't in one of the cities."

"Pshhh! Nothing's too good for my Haleigh-copter!" Valerie proudly stated. "And heeeey, no prob! Hope you had a good time, sis!"

She shrugged. "Eh, I just kinda hung out with my Pokemon, not too much else to do on the road. Speaking of though, you gotta meet the team I've got so far. They're so great and wonderful and awesome!" Her expression beamed with pride, clearly happy to talk about her Pokemon. "I reckon you've got quite a fair amount of friends so far too, being the gal going after a hundred friends and all!"

"Heh! Just went to about 20!" Valerie cheerfully boasted with a wide grin. "All about the hype train, cuz' we're all on board towards 30 friends ville! And heck yeah girl, you tell me about your buddies, and I'll tell you about mine! Like there's this one friend I made--"

"Yo! Val, is that you?!" As if on cue, Valerie turned to see a familiar face… with that familiar hair. And that Zigzagoon. It was good ol' Johnny, who seemingly was travelling alongside the route as well. Ziggy, his Zigzagoon, barked and wagged his tail for a friendly greeting of his own. "Heh, knew I recognized that headwear."

"Johnny! Good seeing you, bro!" Valerie exchanged hi-fives with her friend, followed up with a wider smile. Turning back to Haleigh, she was very eager. "Oh! Haleigh-copter, this is one of my buddies, Johnny! He's a trainer too."

Haleigh gave the boy a wave and offered a friendly smile. "'Sup, mate?"

"Sup yourse—" Johnny suddenly paused mid sentence… but why? Shifting to his perspective, he was stopped by… an angel? A work of Arceus? Her… eyes… He then grabbed Valerie by the shoulder and set her aside, huddled with him, away from Haleigh's ears. "Val. Hook me up. Who is that girl?"

"Oh, you mean Haleigh?" Valerie answered. "She totes rocks! She was also a classmate of mine back in the day and—"

"Nuff bout that!" Johnny interrupted. He then smirked confidently. "Valerie my friend, you're about to see some top percentage magic."

"Huh? Did you change into a psychic type? Can people even do that?"

"Just watch," Johnny turned from Valerie and headed back towards Haleigh. "Oh ah, sorry about that. Good meeting ya— Er, you! Haleigh is your name, right? So um… you look like you're a trainer, huh? That's cool, cuz I am too! Top percentage and all that, but it's a good life!"

Haleigh chirped, "Yup, I'm a trainer! These are my Pokemon. Corey, Cerise, Orion." She gestured to her Raboot, Eevee and Alolan Vulpix respectively. Corey gave the boy a wave while Cerise and Orion gave him a nod. "You're in good company if you're lookin' for a top rate trainer!"

"Heh, just lookin' at you, no doubt!" replied Johnny, as Valerie simply watched on. Could Johnny be… "By the by, this is my partner Ziggy. Top percentage trainer needs his top percentage Pokémon, and there ain't no one better than Ziggy!" Could Johnny be looking for… a new psychic move? Valerie could only think to herself. "One time, Ziggy and I were surrounded by a cult of people wanting to release everyone's Pokémon, but we said, nuts to that! And we wiped the floor with every single one of em' so badly that we changed their minds. A small feat, but hey, a job well done is its own award, yeah?"

His Zigzagoon barked, as Valerie made her way back over. "But I thought you made that up—"

"MAAAADE up with the leader of that goon squad that wanted to blow up everyone? Sure did!" Johnny tried to cover up. He then gave Valerie a flash of a fierce glare that easily read Shut uuuuuuup, you're supposed to be my wingman!

Haleigh giggled at the tale that Johnny was telling. Even she could tell the tale was embellished like hell, but she wasn't about to rain on the dude's parade. "Well damn, sounds like a hell of an adventure you got into there. Any great trainer needs that sense of adventure, y'know what I mean?"

"I hear ya!" Johnny replied. "Oh! Lemme tell you about another time: Ziggy and I went to this hideout, where the boss was all tough and burly on the outside, but once me and Ziggy we're through with em', all he could say was--"

"EXCUSE ME! Hey, you lot there!" The falsified adventures of Ziggy and Johnny were interrupted by a yell of a young woman; but this someone was dressed in a familiar sounding attire, one suited for a ranger. "Ah… you lot seem like Pokemon trainers, yes? I was wondering… have you seen a couple of rare pokemon in this area?"

Haleigh looked up in thought, "Rare Pokemon? Can't say I've seen anything particularly rare. You, Val?

"No not really," Valerie replied, turning to Johnny. "You?"

"Nah, can't say I did," replied Johnny. "Why you ask, missy?"

The ranger sighed. "Well, you see," she started. "We've stopped a smuggling ring some time ago, and now we're looking for a couple of pokemon that escaped from them… There was a Mudkip, but that was happily found, but we're also looking for a Squirtle and a Piplup."

"Smugglers? Squirtle and Piplup, you say?" Johnny inquired. "That's a couple of nifty rare pokemon, they are."

Haleigh's expression glowered upon hearing the ranger's words, growling, "Bloody smugglers, endangering poor lil' creatures like that. Ain't the first time I seen it, unfortunately."

She turned to both Johnny and Valerie, her face deadly serious. "Oi, let's get a move on and get those Pokemon."

"You heard the lady, Val!" Johnny added. But more so, if he went along with this and found the Pokemon in record speed, perhaps Haleigh will be impressed with him so much to like him. With a confident nod from Valerie in response, Johnny decided it was time for a plan. "Top percentage Pokemon like Ziggy have a great nose."

"Oooooh, the nose knows!" Valerie said. "Uhhh, lemme see…" then her Morpeko popped from her bag, twitching her nose. "Ah! Nice sis, you can sniff loads of stuff too! Good thing my buddies are all top percentage too!"

Haleigh thought through who would be the best at assisting in tracking down the stray Pokemon. Corey looked eager to go, but he was probably better at hearing than smelling. Orion probably had a good nose, but immediately recoiled at the idea of the little Pokemon potentially facing more smugglers. That was not a sight she was willing to subject him to again. Cerise, with her head held high, volunteered herself with a declarative cry of "Evah!"

Haleigh said, "Alright, I got my tracker right 'ere!" She took out Orion's Pokeball to put him back and shield him from their mission. "Corey'll be on backup."

"Alrighty!" Valerie started. "Ranger lady, the Pokemon rescue squad is oooon the job!"

"The... Pokemon rescue squad…?" the Ranger blinked, but she strangely knew to just accept it. "Well, alrighty. I'll leave you all to it then. Lemme know if anything pops up. Oh, you all can call me Cindy, by the way."

Despite the levity of the situation, a smile found its way back on Haleigh's face as she heard what Valerie called themselves. She exclaimed, "Alright then, Pokemon Rescue Squad, roll out!"

Cerise turned to the other two Pokemon, gesturing with her head to follow her as she started to sniff the ground below them. Corey stuck by Haleigh's side, tensing up and keeping a sharp eye out for any intruder.

The crew were then on their way, throughout the outskirts of the route. With Johnny's Ziggy and the sensitive noses from Peko and Haleigh's Pokemon, they carefully tried to sense a trail for something. Johnny however, had a more pressing issue in mind. Gotta find those guys… he thought to himself. And then, Haleigh will be impressed with me more for sure!

Just on cue, Ziggy let out a sudden bark. "Hey! Got somethin' boy?" Johnny asked him. With an answer, Ziggy ran upwards through the bank, with Johnny closely following behind. The rest of the crew followed suit, until they made their way to a small area with a bundle of trees, and a small river that flowed through. It was then they saw it: two small blue Pokemon who were seemingly stuck upon a couple of fallen branches and tree trunks. One of them helped to tug the other out, but to no avail.

"Hey, I know those two Pokemon," Johnny started. "That little guy with the shell is a Squirtle, and the one with the beak is Piplup. Looks like they got themselves stuck, though…"

The Piplup huffed and glared at the incoming humans, shaking her head to signify that no, she did not need help from humans. Her compromised position, however, showed otherwise.

Haleigh got closer to the two Pokemon, scoping out the situation. Trying to reassure them, Haleigh said, "It's alright little guys, we're just here to-"

In response, the Piplup decided to take the opportunity to Water Gun Haleigh directly in the face, accentuating it with an angry cry of "Pippip!" The force of the attack was enough to knock her back a little, though not much else. Nonetheless, Haleigh took it goodnaturedly and chuckled, shaking her head as she said, "Well, that could've gone better. I reckon they ain't the biggest fans of humans."

Valerie knelt down. "We're not here to hurt you," she said softly to the Pokemon. "We wanna help ya, and be friends!" The Squirtle lowered its head to its shell. It seemed to also be wary of humans, but unlike Piplup, it was a bit more cowardly. "Well, first thing's first! We gotta bust em' out of there. Pokemon Ranger Squad! Formation: Viva Blue! SAVE THE DAY!"

"Viva what now?" Johnny tried to grasp, but at this point, he tried to figure, perhaps it's best not to question it. He shrugged. "Ziggy! Let's help em' out!"

"Yoohoo, Peko-sis!" Valerie also said, opening her bag. Her Morpeko quickly peaked on out. "You too, kay? Loads of goodies in it for ya'!" The two Pokemon got to work, biting and moving branches and some other mess that formed around there. "What did all this, anyway?"

"Guess it was some kinda storm," Johnny replied. "I dunno. Not some sort of meteorologist, but must have been bad."

"Meteor...ologist?" Valerie repeated. "Sooo, like, can you summon meteors?"

"...How the heck did you manage to pass your school?" Johnny commented, shaking his head with his head on his forehead. The Pokemon continued their rescue. The Squirtle peeped out from its shell a little bit, to meet the friendly smile of the Morpeko.

Taking a cue from Valerie and Johnny, Haleigh commanded her Pokemon, "Alright guys, it's all you. Corey, you go and help Ziggy and Peko, Cerise, try and get the Piplup to calm down."

Cerise and Corey nodded, each headed off to contribute their fair share to the rescue operation. Though Corey wanted to use his flame abilities in some way to burn away some of the branches, he knew better than to start torching and potentially burn the two Pokemon in the process. Instead, he opted to use his hands to get to where Ziggy or Peko couldn't get to.

Cerise, meanwhile, slowly approached the wary Piplup. She started to converse with the penguin Pokemon, seeming to try and relay the same message that her trainer had unsuccessfully tried to relay. Even with a fellow Pokemon, the Piplup adopted a protective stance (or rather, tried to with her feet all tangled up with the branches).

"Pip-lu! Pippip pip!" She punctuated her cries by gesturing to the Squirtle, her angry look mixed with worry at the shier Pokemon at how he was holding up.

Cerise pointed her head over to the other Pokemon, replying with a cry of "Evevah." It was going to be okay. They weren't going to hurt either her or the Squirtle. Slowly, the words seemed to start getting through, the Piplup relaxing a little and allowing the other Pokemon to continue to help them out.

Peko, Ziggy and Corey had finally gotten the Squirtle loose at last. The Squirtle got back on its feet, seemingly relieved. It has brushed itself off. "I'm sooooo glad you're okay!" Only to be quickly met face to face in an up close and personal look with Valerie, only for it to hide in its shell once more. Peko went on by, giving the Squirtle a good light tap. She, in her own language, was also trying to explain that these humans aren't bad at all, especially despite how odd and quirky Valerie might act. The Squirtle peeped out from its shell, wary, yet paying close attention to Peko's speech.

"Ah! You found them!" The ranger, Cindy from before spotted the gang with the rescued Pokemon. She went over to them with a relieved sigh. She then had a close look at the two Pokemon. "I'm glad those poachers aren't around either…"

"What's their story, anyway?" Johnny asked. "The poachers, or smugglers - whatever you call 'em', I mean. It's because of them that these two lil'guys aren't very trusting towards people."

"I can only imagine the sorts of things they did to those Pokemon…" Cindy replied. "Supposedly they're operating within Galar. Ever since a couple of years ago, rangers like us are becoming more and more a dime a dozen. Thanks to that, they went out of seclusion to operate more freely."

"Gee, that really stinks I'll tell you," Valerie commented, turning to the Squirtle. The Squirtle, still wary, met her eyes, yet Valerie gave a wide smile. "But, you're safe now, yeah? No more baddies are gonna get ya'!"

Johnny crossed his arms. "What are we gonna do with em' now?" he asks. "I mean, we can't just leave em' here."

Piplup looked between the humans and the Pokemon, focusing special attention on the purple haired one. After Water Gunning her like that, she assumed the human would be in her face with a glare, angry words...or worse. But there was no such reaction to be seen from her. Haleigh only looked at the Piplup with a warm smile.

"See, I ain't so bad, right?" The girl sighed, squatting down to get down to the Pokemon's level. "I know humans can be pretty shitty. I got an idea of what the humans who had you did, I seen it myself before. But I promise we're not all like that."

She pauses, a glint in her eyes as she continued her spiel and her fist clenched. "Anyone who dares hurt Pokemon, who dares to treat them like some good to make a quick buck off of, they're scum. And as a trainer, I'm here to fight against that. Not only with battles, but how I treat Pokemon. They're our friends, just as much as the human ones we make."

The Piplup listened intently to Haleigh's words. The girl had a clear passion behind her words, a fighting spirit that was very much like her own. The people that had imprisoned her, the Squirtle and many others were still out there. Perhaps...

Haleigh turned to the others, addressing the ranger, "I'm guessing there's nowhere else these guys can go, is there?"

Valerie reached for the Squirtle, giving him a small pat on the head. "Val won't let anyone hurt you either," she said sincerely. The Squirtle looked up at her, still on guard, but now it has… a warm feeling with Valerie. Her smile was peaceful and warm, like someone it can trust…

Cindy turned at the two trainers. She then gave a smile. "It's normally the ranger's job to ensure Pokémon's safety, but…" she started. "...something tells me these two will be safest with you lot. Are you up to the task?"

Haleigh nodded, pointing at the Piplup. "I'm ready for it if they are."

The Piplup looked over to the Squirtle, who looked to be interacting well with the other girl and seemed to be trusting her well enough. She asked Squirtle, "Pip?"

The other blue Pokemon nodded and said, "Squirtle squirt."

The Piplup's face seemed to relax a bit, assuaged by his response. He really did seem to be taking to the girl. His wellbeing up to that point had fallen on her shoulders, but there was only so much she could do as one little Piplup. As long as the Squirtle was in good hands, then her work was done.

That wasn't going to stop her, however, from getting emotional as she bolted over to give the Squirtle a hug. It was like saying goodbye in a way; all they had known up to that point was each other. Now, with an entire team and a human, both of them were going to be facing a new set of challenges.

Nonetheless, the plucky Piplup looked up at Haleigh and gave her a resolute nod. She was ready to give this human a chance and accompany her.

Haleigh got out a Pokeball, tapping the ball against the Piplup's head and enveloping it in a red beam of energy. The ball wiggled a few times before stopping, signalling that the capture was complete.

"Wanna come with us, lil'Squirtle?" Valerie meanwhile had asked the Squirtle. With a small, yet steady nod from his own, Valerie took out a Pokeball and lightly tapped it against it too. With a few shakes, the Squirtle was captured inside as well.

"Nice one," Johnny congratulated Val, with a tap on her shoulder. "Now then, time for ol' Johnny to get a catch of his own."

"Hm?" Valerie questioned. "Are you catching a Pokemon as well? Oooh, what kind of Pokeball?"

"Just stand there and watch." Johnny had made his way over to Haleigh, with his cool demeanor. "So, Haleigh," he said to her. "If you're ever in the neighbourhood, we could, you know… grab a bite? Top percentage people… going on a top percentage date? Eh?"

Oh. So that's why he had seemed so eager to impress her. Haleigh scratched her head, giving him a sheepish, apologetic grin. "Ah, you seem like a nice guy, really, but I got myself someone already. Sorry."

"You…" Johnny began with a sullen heart.

"Do?!" Valerie finished with starry eyes. "Who?! Who's your man?! Someone I know?!"

Haleigh laughed at Valerie's intense enthusiasm over who her date was, replying with, "You remember Achille from the Academy? That's the man!"

"Gasp! GET OUT. No way!" Valerie said excitingly. "You go girl! Hmmm… what to call this… Achileigh? Or maybe… Halchille?! Ooooh, I'm so happy for the both of you; OTP!!"

"Yeah…" Johnny's head sunk low, but soon regained himself. "'Haps this was destiny. The one who's top percentage, rides ALONE! Alone… alone… alone… alone…" The last bits where Johnny's attempts to echo. Always a top percentage man, always fulfilling his top percentage destiny.

Relieved that Johnny seemed to not take her rejection too hard, Haleigh's widened her grin and said, "I believe in ya, Johnny! You're a really passionate guy, really got a spirit some other girl will really enjoy!"

She then turned to Valerie, saying, "We gotta make sure we hang out some more so our little friends can see each other. It was really hype seein' ya." She giggled at the Val-esque terminology that she had sprinkled in there.

"Sure thing, Haleigh-copter!" Valerie agreed happily. "We're buddies after all! Sliiiide me a DM on chatter or text me anytime! And remember: Val loves you!"

gimmepie · Mar 9, 2021

Catherine Carlisle
18 | Female | From Wyndon

Indra (Male, Swift Swim) - Rain Dance, Hypnosis, Bubblebeam, Double Slap, Mud Shot, Refresh

Stampede (Male, Poison Point) - Water Gun, Smokescreen, Twister, Focus Energy, Dragon Breath, Icy Wind

Holo (Female, Lightning Rod) - Tackle, Thunder Wave, Spark, Howl, Flame Burst, Flash

Vessel (Female, Dry Skin) - Fury Cutter, Scratch, Absorb, Poison Powder, Spore

Seriously?!

Catherine sat in the Hulbury Ranger HQ's waiting room across from a dusty television. She was alone apart from the receptionist, a man in his 20s who was reclining with his feet up on the desk and reading one of the outdated magazines that had been sitting piled up on its surface for patrons to take for passing the time.

She herself had no interest in gossip magazines or articles about which actress was temporarily marrying which actor that month. Although she had to admit she had found herself mildly amused when she had seen a rather unbecoming photo of Ruben and Pia on the front cover. She'd nearly missed it since her new glasses hadn't arrived yet, she was glad she'd seen it and given herself something to laugh at for a bit.

If ever two people deserved each other…

Catherine relished in the spiteful thought for a while, but a jolt of pain as she tried (and failed) to get more comfortable in her seat pushed the thought away. She had already given the strange pokeballs to the rangers and was now just waiting for a follow-up interview. Her eyes drifted shut as she listened to soft audio from the TV set.

"A number of challengers have already failed Leader Nessa's new gym challenge, many falling short before even getting a chance against the Leader herself...."

Catherine's eyes flew back open to see a compilation of failed gym mission attempts.

What the fuck is that?!

That had been Catherine's thoughts the day before. Now that she was standing at the edge of the obstacle course with Vessel clinging to her shoulder and upper back, her opinion of the situation had not improved. In fact, it had worsened.

She was still aching from her encounter with the guy in the suit, she couldn't see properly without her glasses and in front of her was, she felt, the single worst configuration her obstacle course could have taken. The first part was a bridge that routinely had surges of water dumped on it from above, the next was a series spinning gear-like constructs at different levels and a series of rings - each easily large enough for her to fit in - dangling over and open watery void that she was going to have to jump across to reach the end.

Worse still, Catherine had quickly realised not a single member of her team was going to make crossing the course easier for her. Yet she still had to travel it with one of them. That was why Vessel was clinging to her. They were the lightest of her team so she could just carry them across relatively easy.

"Challenger 861, are you ready?" A voice came over the speaker.

No.

She signalled that she was despite her feelings on the matter. There was nothing to be done other than just go for it. Not exactly her favourite way of doing things, but what choice did she have?

"Three… two… one… GO!"

Someone more enthusiastic, or stupid, like Simon might have immediately taken off at a sprint at that. Catherine didn't do that. She walked forward at a careful place, watching the timing of the reverse-geysers that would hammer down from above at seemingly random intervals.

She stopped just in front of the first, waiting for it to stop before hurrying across the bridge. Then she waited again, watching for the next. It wasn't the most exciting challenge to watch she was sure, but she didn't much care. She wasn't doing the challenge to grow her fanbase, she was trying to pass first time so she wouldn't have to do it again.

Four more downpours later, Catherine had passed the first challenge of the mission and was looking instead at the rotating gear-arm-things.

"Having taken the cautious approach and using up a lot of her time, Catherine Carlisle has made it through the first part of her obstacle course! Did she waste too much time or has she carefully calculated her passage?!"

"As if you really care," Catherine responded, knowing the announcer couldn't actually hear her. "Just shut up."

Catherine watched the gear contraptions for a moment. They were all moving at the same speed, so, theoretically, if she timed it right, she could just about run straight through.

She took off at a jog, following the curve of the first gear. She changed directions quickly, continuing to follow the pacing around for the second. Then the third. She kept up the measured jog, passing by all five gears and coming to a stop at the narrow stretch of bridge that dropped off into the pool below.

There was no scheming or planning that was going to help her now. She'd just have to take a leap of faith and hope to Arceus that she actually had the physical prowess to cross what looked like a ridiculously large gap to the first ring. The announcer was saying as much in the background, but Catherine tuned it out, mentally preparing herself for the ordeal to come.

"Hold on tight, Vessel. This is going to suck." As usual, Vessel didn't make a sound in response, but they did tighten their grip.

Catherine stepped back as far as she could without getting caught in the gears behind her and took several deep breaths. "Fuck it."

She took off at a sprint, feeling the pain in her ribs from before doubling as she pushed herself to run as fast as she could. She reached the end of the platform and leapt. She slammed into the ring, the pain in her sides and joints peaking as she discovered it was not nearly as soft as it looked. She fought through it, wrapping her arms around the loop and scrabbling back up into its centre.

The gaps between the loops themselves weren't as great as between the first and the platform, but there was no run up now. It seemed unlikely she could make the distance without one.

"If they think that's going to get me, they've never played a platformer," Catherine said defiantly to Vessel. She gripped the edge of the ring tightly and threw all her weight forward. Then back. Then forward again. She repeated the process over and over until the ring was swinging close enough to the next. She leapt across, landing in the middle of the second ring and immediately thrusting her arms around it to prevent herself falling forward.

Doing her best to keep the pace up, Catherine repeated the process for the next several rings. It wasn't long before she was on the second last one, swinging it back and forwards. She took her next jump and landed in the centre of the doughnut shape… and slipped.

Catherine felt a moment of panic as she felt herself falling forward, but felt her momentum suddenly come to a halt as Vessel jammed one claw into the ring and pulled back. It must have taken much of the Bug's strength, but it did so noiselessly nonetheless.

Catherine exhaled the breath that had caught in her lungs as she nearly fell and then hopped from the final ring onto the platform at the end of the course. "Thanks for the save. I owe you."

"With seconds to spare, challenger 861 has cleared her mission!"

Catherine didn't respond to the cheers, she just continued to look gratefully at the vacant-looking Bug type on her shoulder as she caught her breath. She was surprised to find that she didn't feel nearly as worn out as she was expecting to. It still hurt like a bitch though. "Onwards to the real challenge I guess."

Spoiler: Inventory

Fen-Fen · Mar 10, 2021

Haleigh Windsor
18 | Female | From Circhester

Corey (Male, Blaze) - Flame Charge, Double Kick, Headbutt, Agility

Coraline (Female, Weak Armor) - Tackle, Harden, Astonish, Spite, Ancient Power

Cornelius (Male, Synchronize) - Disarming Voice, Confusion, Draining Kiss, Hypnosis

Orion (Male, Snow Cloak) - Powder Snow, Tail Whip

Cerise (Female, Adaptability) - Covet, Quick Attack, Baby Doll Eyes, Growl

Reyna (Female, Torrent) - Peck, Bubble Beam, Pound, Growl

Spoiler: Memories

VS Nessa

It was time again.

Haleigh found herself in the locker room of the stadium sitting on a bench, taking a few deep breaths while she got herself dressed in her gym challenger outfit. Even she couldn't deny the uphill battle that she was going to be facing. It was as basic a disadvantage as she could get: water versus fire.

After she put on the last parts of her outfit, she took out Corey's Pokeball, letting him materialize in front of her. The Raboot sensed the trainer's tense mood, realizing what was in store for the two of them. The time that Corey had tried to directly face water Pokemon had been Haleigh's scrape with Catherine back in Motostoke - and it hardly ended well. To do an entire gym battle with that...

"If you can't do this, Haleigh, what then? What'll happen if magic and hope can't get you there, hm? I really hope you can start seeing some sense, for your sake." An image of Haleigh's father flashed in her head, giving her a glowering, disapproving look. She shivered involuntarily at the intrusive thought.

Corey looked at his trainer, his brow furrowed with worry. Haleigh immediately hid the grimace that was coming up on her face with a quick smile. "I know mate. Ain't exactly the ideal matchup, but I know you can do great out there, water or no water. You're stronger and faster than you were in Motostoke, we've been trainin' pretty good."

Haleigh gave Corey an affectionate pat on the head. "'Sides, you don't have to do it all alone. You're gonna have some backup out there." The Raboot exhaled, trying to find comfort in his trainer's words. "C'mon, let's get ourselves pumped up!"

The purple haired teen got up off of the bench, pointing at him and exclaiming, "Alright Corey, who's gonna get out there, give Nessa a proper beatdown and get us that second badge?"

Corey shouted, "Raboot!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I said, who's gonna get out there, TEAR it up, and get us that badge!!!"

"RAB-OOT!"

"That's what I love to hear!" Haleigh started taking off towards the entrance of the arena, Corey following close behind. "Let's give 'em a battle to remember!"

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

As Haleigh entered the arena, the first thing that struck her about it was that it was that unlike Milo's gym, there was hardly a blade of grass to be seen. Instead, the entire arena was a pool, covered in platforms for Pokemon unable to handle the water to hop on to. On either end were additional platforms for the trainers to stand on to guide their Pokemon.

Haleigh went over to her platform with Corey, looking over the vastness of the pool to face her opponent. She stood in silence for a moment, taking in the scenery and loathe as she was to admit, she was feeling a bit intimidated about it all. The cameras were fixed on her, Haleigh feeling as if every one of her movements was under the microscope.

Nessa broke the silence, the crowd's murmuring quieting down as she projected her voice across the stadium and gave the girl a cool, focused glance. "Greetings, Haleigh. Welcome to my gym. I've got to say, you sure know how to leave an impression. You've got some enthusiasm and spirit behind your battling, but that alone won't be enough."

A small smile worked her way onto her face, remarking, "I don't reckon you'd be able to pull off what you did in Turffield, unless Corey can play water polo."

Haleigh let out a chuckle, sounding a bit more nervous than she was hoping for. "Yeah, I don't think that's in the cards today. But no matter!"

Summoning a wave of confidence, she exclaimed, "I'm gonna be comin' out of this battle with nothing less than a badge! Let's get this show movin'!"

"Bold words. Let's see if you got what it takes to ride out the waves. Pelipper!" She took a Pokeball from a belt on her shorts, striking a pose showing off her flexibility by stretching her leg

Upon the flying Pokemon being unleashed onto the battlefield, clouds started gathering on top of the stadium until they got big enough to start precipitating, soaking the whole arena in rain and quickly getting everyone wet.

Looking back at Haleigh, he cast aside the bubbling doubts he was having about performing in the rain. She was counting on him to do the absolute best he could; she needed him to persevere, make those flames burn all that much brighter.

Nessa commanded her Pokemon, "Pelipper, hit him with a Whirlpool!"

His trainer shouted back, "On your toes, Corey, get on another platform and get some Embers rolling!"

Corey nodded, looking out for the swooping Pokemon's attack. The Whirlpool barreled towards him, but thanks to his own innate speed and quick maneuvering, managed to get himself onto another platform with plenty of space to spare, not even losing his footing as he swiftly cast out a volley of Embers towards the Pelipper.

The quickness of the attack was enough to take the Pelipper a bit off guard, trying for a dodge but some of them still ending up hitting the avian Pokemon. However, to both Haleigh and Nessa, it was very apparent how much weaker the flames were in the rain, the Pelipper barely even flinching as they hit them.

Nessa looked on with silent approval. Just as Nessa wanted. Corey's speed was no joke even with a flying Pokemon, but with his flames neutered and Pelipper being able to outmaneuver direct physical attacks, Haleigh wasn't able to speed up and overwhelm her opponent with Flame Charges in the same way that she was able to with Milo.

In the back of her mind, the limitations of Haleigh's tactic of blitzing the opponent were becoming very apparent, clouding her mind with doubt. She exhaled, forcing those thoughts back down. No, this had to work. She was going to make it work, somehow. "Alright Corey, let's start us off proper with a Flame Charge." The Raboot complied, getting his body covered in flames and looking for an opening to make his strike.

To Haleigh's commands, Nessa retorted, "Get up in the air and strike him down with a Water Pulse!"

"Quick, get away, before he-," Haleigh started. Before she could even formulate a response, the Pelipper was already spouting off the blast of water, giving Corey little opportunity to get out of the way to change his offensive stance to a defensive one. The Water Pulse hit Corey directly and caused him to skid across the platform, teetering dangerously close to the edge.

Haleigh looked on in a mixture of disbelief and frustration. Corey was holding on for now, but he was already looking quite weak by the power of that Water Pulse, the rain making it all the more devastating. One attack and she was already on the ropes! She barked, "Alright mate, shake it off, shake it off! Get some more Embers in the air!"

Corey did precisely that, opening his mouth and getting out some more Embers, upping the quantity of them to make up for the lack of potency they had.

Nessa exclaimed, "Pelipper, get them out of the way with a Supersonic! Get the Raboot with it too." The water bird Pokemon opened their own mouth to unleash the discordant sound waves, helping to direct some of the Embers away from him while dodging the rest with ease.

Unfortunately for Corey, the Embers didn't stop the move altogether and the waves quickly traveled over to him. The harshness of the on his sensitive ears left him with a pounding headache and feeling quite dazed. He turned and walked away from the Pelipper.

"Now, Pelipper, get another Water Pulse on him."

Haleigh exclaimed, her face tense with worry, "Snap out of it mate! Turn around and get some more Embers!"

Corey turned to the source of the command, his gaze bleary and unfocused, taking an agonizing amount of time to register the command before turning in another direction and releasing a scattershot volley of Embers that were nowhere close to hitting the Pelipper.

While the Raboot had failed to get his own attack going, the Pelipper was much more successful, lining up the shot with ease and opening his maw to release another pulsating torrent of water.

"No no no NO!" Haleigh could only watch in horror as Corey was decimated by the second Water Pulse, falling unconscious on the platform. In mere minutes, Haleigh was already down one Pokemon, and hardly even made a dent in the Pelipper.

Looking down, she got out her Pokeball and returned Corey to her. Fuck! It was turning out even worse than she imagined. She could feel each and every one of the spectators looking down at her in pity, disappointment and judgement.

Grimacing and straining to keep her emotions in check, she managed to croak out, "Cornelius, it's all you now."

She got his Pokeball out, the Ralts being thrust onto the battlefield. Her churning, volatile emotions had an immediate effect on the empath Pokemon, a grimace spreading on his own face. He could so viscerally feel her pain, all threatening to spill out at any time.

Nessa looked over thoughtfully at the other girl. Many other trainers might have called it quits already. Through sheer determination and willpower, Haleigh was still there to face her, even with the odds heavily stacked against her. That truly was admirable in and of itself. However, it was just as Nessa had told her from the very start: spirit and determination alone wasn't enough.

"Very well. Pelipper, let's get ready for round two. Get a Whirlpool up and running." The Pelipper complied, spinning around and spouting out some water into a vortex to be unleashed.

Haleigh was trying to formulate some plan, some way she could get the tides turning back in her favor, but all she could see in front of her was Corey's decimation. With her mind distracted, she took longer than usual to think of a counter, shouting over to Cornelius, "Disarming Voice, now!"

The command, even with its late timing, might have been able to be heeded and give him a shot at deflecting the Whirlpool, but Cornelius overestimated how much time he had, opening his mouth to prepare his counterattack only to be shocked when the Whirlpool slammed into him at full force.

Panic rising in her voice, Haleigh exclaimed, "Try it again, hurry, get that Whirlpool off of you!"

His disorientation only grew at being spun around like he was in a washing machine, coming out of the attack dizzy and confused. He belatedly let out Disarming Voice and aimed it up at the skybound Pokemon. Unfortunately, his aim was too wide and the Pelipper dodged it with ease.

"Finish this off Pelipper, use Water Pulse!" With a nod, the Pelipper spat out a barrage of water at the poor Ralts, again being hit before Haleigh could so much as utter a counter to Nessa's Pelipper's attack.

Tried as Cornelius could, he couldn't keep himself on his feet after that attack, collapsing in a heap on the platform. With that, any meager hope that Haleigh could cling to for a victory was obliterated. There was no hoping on a star for a comeback, no miracle to save her from the inevitable.

She lost.

Haleigh stared numbly at Cornelius' unconscious body for a moment as the announcer's voice rang out in the stadium. "Haleigh Windsor has had both of her Pokemon knocked out. The winner is Nessa!"

She held out her Pokeball, returning him to it before crumpling onto the floor and clutching Cornelius' Pokeball tightly against her chest. With her voice barely above a whisper, she mumbled, "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry…"

Everything up to that point that she had held back came rushing forward with the ferocity of one of the Water Pulses that Nessa's Pelipper dished out. Red hot tears came streaking down her face, accompanied with violent sobs that seemed to envelop every part of her being.

She was weak, she was stupid, she was every horrible adjective that she could think of, all rolled into one and currently occupying the pathetic shell of a little girl, thinking she could be anything but other than a miserable little creature that wanted to just run and hide from it all. Just like her parents wanted. Just like everyone out in the stadium wanted.

Her spiraling thoughts were interrupted by Nessa's voice on the other side of the stadium, her calm voice tinged with sympathy. "Haleigh...I am truly sorry it turned out this way for you, but you were simply not up to par to beat me. Work until you can, then you can come back and try again. Go on and get some rest, you deserve it."

Sniffling, the defeated trainer limply made her way back on her feet, her head hung low in shame and shambling off towards the exit. Now all of Galar could see for themselves the weakling that lay underneath all of Haleigh's bluster and bravado, her dirty little secret. It wasn't anything salacious that would sell tabloids, but it consumed Haleigh with shame all the same. She didn't even have the wherewithal to consider picking up the pieces. That was for people who had actual spines to bend down to pick them up with.

gimmepie · Mar 11, 2021

Catherine Carlisle
18 | Female | From Wyndon

Indra (Male, Swift Swim) - Rain Dance, Hypnosis, Bubblebeam, Double Slap, Mud Shot, Refresh

Stampede (Male, Poison Point) - Water Gun, Smokescreen, Twister, Focus Energy, Dragon Breath, Icy Wind

Holo (Female, Lightning Rod) - Tackle, Thunder Wave, Spark, Howl, Flame Burst, Flash

Vessel (Female, Dry Skin) - Fury Cutter, Scratch, Absorb, Poison Powder, Spore

Pollution

"Welcome to the Hulbury Gym!" Nessa announced with a fierce grin, "I remember you. You're one of Sonia's students, the one that beat Milo with the Water types and some bubbles. I'm sorry to say, but the rain won't be helping you today."

Catherine simply sighed at the grandiose remark. She'd sat out in the lobby for hours watching the day's other challengers, just like she had in Turffield and had well and truly already come to that conclusion herself. Besides, Nessa wasn't so much warning her as looking for an excuse to boast. It was all painfully obvious.

"No kidding," she replied, "Can we start already?"

Nessa's grin shifted into a cocky smirk. "I'm going to pretend that was enthusiasm and crush you accordingly."

"You do that."

Nessa expanded a Pokeball and tossed it above the water, it exploded in a burst of light and the blue and yellow fish Pokemon with the glowing orbs dagling from its head that Catherine had seen in previous battles emerged. The Electric type made sense, between its typing and Ability, it effectively countered three out of four of Catherine's team. She certainly did remember her.

"Try and overcome this!"

That was the plan. The posturing was grating.

"Vessel, you're up." The Paras jumped from Catherine's shoulder to land on the nearest floating platform. Nessa wasn't the only one who could make use of an advantageous typing and Ability.

Nessa kept smirking. "Smart, but it won't matter if you can't hit us."

In response to the remark, Nessa's Lanturn sank beneath the water and things went still. Catherine watched and waited. Vessel couldn't exactly go chasing the Water type and she didn't want to leave herself open to a counter attack when she enacted her strategy.

"Psybeam!"

The Lanturn surfaced to Vessel's left, its esca glowing as a multi-coloured beam of light shot from it at Vessel.

Vessel didn't dodge, instead taking the attack without flinching. Catherine and Nessa were both surprised at that. It wasn't that the Bug didn't take damage, they just didn't really seem to care about that fact.

"Are you planning to just hand us the win?!" Nessa taunted.
"Hardly," Catherine replied, making a mental note that Vessel wasn't as inclined to avoid injury as the rest of her team.

"Again!" Nessa commanded.

The Lanturn dived down again, but surfaced in the same place hoping to catch Vessel off-guard. Vessel, however, hadn't moved regardless.

"Absorb," Catherine countered.

Strands of green light shot out from the mushrooms on her Paras' back and met the incoming Psybeam part way. The weaker attack was overpowered and Vessel was struck again, but much of the damage was mitigated. If Vessel wasn't dodging, they'd just have to defend instead.

"Poison Powder," Catherine instructed, pushing the offense herself now. A cloud of purple particles exploded up from Vessel and started falling over Nessa's Lanturn.

The Water type ducked under the water and popped out on the other side.

"Eerie Impulse, weaken its attacks!" Nessa called.

The Lanturn released waves of weak blue electricity at Vessel. The plan there was clear, if Vessel was depending on their attacks to reduce the damage they took too, then lessening their offensive power was simultaneously neutering their attacks and their defenses.

"Ignore it. Poison Powder."

Nessa visibly raised an eyebrow as the electrical waves washed over Vessel, sparking across them. Even as the status move took effect though, another burt of toxic powder erupted up and started falling over the Lanturn.

It dived again, and as it did so, Catherine called for another Poison Powder. The particles scattered over the water again, but the Laturn surfaced in a different spot, the poison falling over the water's surface and not making contact.

"Electro Ball!"

"Absorb!"

The Lanturn swung its head, a sphere of bright electricity forming over its glowing orb and bein flung towards Vessel with the motion.

Vessel countered again, shooting off the thin wisps of green light to meet the Electro Ball, slowing its momentum and reducing its power greatly as it eventually struck an unmoving Vessel, crackling over them.

"You can't keep that up forever! Show me something or else I'll just wash you away!" Nessa taunted from across the battlefield.

Catherine ignored her. "Poison Powder, then Spore."

Another cloud of purple fired up into the air and started to fall over the water above the Lanturn. It submerged once more, surfacing just in time to duck beneath the water again as a golden cloud of spores started falling over it instead.

It came up elsewhere again.

"Confuse Ray!" Nessa ordered.

"Absorb!" Catherine countered again.

Several yellow orbs of light floated up erratically around the Lanturn and fired off towards Vessel only to be blocked by the Absorb, lacking the offensive power to break through. The next move not so much.

As Catherine called for another Poison Powder and Spore combination, Nessa ordered a Psybeam. Her Laturn dived down yet again, avoiding the rain of noxious powders, surfacing again and blasting Vessel with enough force that the Bug type was sent flying off of their platform, landing on another and skidding across it. Vessel just barely avoided being knocked into the water.

"Aren't you planning on fighting back? Or is that the best you've got!" Nessa jeered.

"Haven't you been paying attention? I have been," Catherine replied.

"If you call this a fight, you have no hope of toppling me."

"Are you sure?" Catherine replied, matching Nessa's smirk, "Look more closely."

It was barely perceptible, but the pool water's colour had changed. It's pristine clearness had been tarnished and it was now tinged purple. It hadn't been noticeable before with the Lanturn's constant diving, but now that it was waiting for a command, its head above the surface of the water, changes were noticeable there too.

It looked tired and sluggish. It's eyes were half-shut and it was breathing hard.

"Wait…" Nessa began.

"Your Lanturn's been swimming around in a poisonous soup for most of this battle. Still think your pool is an advantage?" Catherine responded.

"Did you plan this from the start?!"

"What kind of idiot thinks they'll win without a strategy?" Catherine said, "I'm not exactly enthused about being here and I don't want to deal with your grandstanding more than once.

"Grandstanding?" Nessa said, her eyes narrowing. "If you think that's all this is, you're mistaken. You might have put us on a timer, but we have you outgunned. Your Paras had taken damage too. We just have to finish you off first! Psybeam!"

"Into the water, grab the edge!" Catherine ordered.

Vessel jumped into the poisoned pool without hesitation, digging their claws into the side to anchor themselves to the platform. They couldn't avoid the attack though, Nessa's Lanturn adjusted its aim, keeping up its assault.

Catherine didn't order Vessel to move. She trusted they could handle the attack. After all, they were immune to Poison Powder and Spore and while they couldn't swim like Indra or Stampede, being in the water held other advantages for Vessel.

"Dry Skin is a really good Ability," Catherine remarked.

Being submerged as they were, the pool water was triggering Vessel's ability and the Bug was recovering the damage as fast as the gradually weakening Lanturn could dish it out. Catherine watched and waited, the Psybeam eventually dying out as Nessa's Pokemon was left floating unconsciously on the water's surface.

"I have to give it to you," Nessa said, her fierce smile returning to her face as she returned her fallen competitor, "I might have been a little off when I said clever tricks wouldn't help you. This battle is far from over though!"

Nessa tossed out her next pokeball, the light fading to reveal an avian Pokemon with white feathers and an enormous bill.

Spoiler: Inventory

Jay · Mar 11, 2021

Raphael Allard
> Hulbury
> Mood: Relaxed
> Helicopter

..

....

Raphael walked slowly down the cobbled streets of Hulbury. He had arrived fairly early at the city, as he often did. He was more focussed than a lot of his classmates sure, but it still shocked him how much faster he got to these places considering his condition. This time however, he had no intentions of getting to the gym first. He was, well, taking it easy for once. Yes he was on a timer, he realized that now more than ever, but that timer wasn't going away by rushing things. Since his adventure had started, he'd been dragged one place after another. Ever since that first day where Vito forced him to chase after him down the streets. Non-stop.

When was the last time he'd taken a nap?

Stepping off the beaten trail he meandered into a nice park, sandy stones covered a walking trail so near to the beach, while verdant grass grew amidst a brisk and cooling breeze that comforted and refreshed him. It was Spring at last, at least he no longer had to travel in Winter. Settling on a small hillside alone, he basks momentarily in the sun, the light grazing his face and comforting him as his eyes drifted closed. A moment to rest, a moment to relax, finally. Just this once, this first day in a new city was his, to close his eyes and be alone with his thoughts in a way that didn't hurt him. A day of relaxation and rest to balance out the trials now passed and those yet to come.

Jackson Crane briskly paced down the cobbled streets of Hulbury. He had finished his interrogation later than he had wanted, as was often the case. His mind was elsewhere however, he considered himself a more dynamic and straightforward Champion than many of his peers, but it still bothered him that he could struggle so frequently with his words. This time however, he had at least gotten some information that was worthwhile. He had to act on what he had learned soon and get ahead of those that could find themselves in danger, but the tireless hours of work had left them exhausted. Since he had first arrived in Galar, everything had been hectic, ever since that first night where Sonia had found herself in trouble and he had stepped in to save her. Non-stop.

When was the last time he'd spoken to his family?

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the dark purple smartphone Odette had bought for him for his birthday gone by. She said the colour suited him well and that someone of his position should at least carry an up to date model. He smiled at the thought, he had learned that those little quips and remarks were her way of showing she cared. Something that once bothered him had become something he cherished. He needed to find somewhere quiet.

Moving from the harbor docks where he had been patrolling, he steps into a calm and quiet park. Everyone was generally busy at this time of the morning, so it was mostly devoid of people. Quiet and unlikely to have people who recognized him stumble into his path. Perfect. His boots clacked gently against the sandstone paths beneath them and he enjoyed the light breeze sweeping through the blades of emerald grass. Springtime was starting to show its face in full.

He glanced about to somewhere that the reception would be good. He knew a nearby hill that might just-

"...?!"

He spotted someone else, lying upon the hillside, resting in the light. A mess of black hair, bright sapphire eyes, a familiar face. It was someone he recognized. "That's…" His eyes gleamed with realization and he slowly made his way towards the young man resting.

"Excuse me."

Raphael slowly opened his eyes under the gleaming sun. It was hard to see exactly who stood over him as he struggled to re-adjust to the light. A blurry black figure, a taller, older man, watched him from above. He was the one who had spoken, so Raph slowly sits up.

"Oh… hey, sorry, was I in the way?" He mumbled, stretching and yawning soon after and rubbing the sleep from his eyes in turn. The older gentleman said nothing at first, maintaining what Raph thought was an odd level of silence, before speaking a response.

"Naw, not at all, just needed t'clarify, you're a student of Professor Magnolia's right?"

Raphael groaned internally. He finally straightened his vision and stared forward, sitting up and feeling too awkward to turn and look at the man properly, who stood behind him now, just a little out of view. "Um, yeah… you're not a fan or something are you?"

He heard a small, under the breath chuckle in response. "No, not exactly. Not yet at least, but I'm a friend of the professors." Raph's ears perked at that, a friend of Sonia's? "Can I ask your name? 'Gym Challenger' doesn't really roll off the tongue."

He didn't even know his name? Raphael let out an inward sigh of relief. Not so much a worry after all then, just a momentary inconvenience. "Raphael. Raphael Allard mate. Pleasure to meet you miste-"

Raph stood and finally turned with a lazy expression to meet his conversation partner, but as his eyes fell on the man in question, they widened with surprise and awe. The black coat, the sharp features, the shadow on his chin and the cigarette in his hand. Raphael knew… exactly who this was.

"Raphael." Jackson spoke the young trainers name and Raph nearly felt his heart stop for reasons outside the norm. A moment of silence passes between the two, there's a flicker of something in the Champion's eyes, then nothing as he closes them and takes a drag from the small object oozing smoke in his hand. "...it's a good name." He smiles and Raph has no idea how to respond.

"You're going to fight Nessa right? I've heard she plans to give you and your classmates a hard time." A smirk follows those words and Raph opens his mouth to speak, but it takes a moment to find the words to follow. "I-Is that right?" The sheer amazement stemming from this situation was making it difficult to keep his apathy in check or his expression in any way collected.

"It is." Jackson responds, simply and curtly. "Her heart's in the right place, I think, but there are better ways to approach challengers like you than a full frontal assault." He reaches for the satchel on his belt and Raphael watches with curiosity as he pulls a small, circular object from inside. "Galar is a hell of a place kid, on my way here I encountered something amazing. A Tentacruel the size of a building causing havoc. When I took it down, a young man studying the area gave me this."

Raphael raises an eyebrow, still tongue tied for the most part, but slowly regaining his ability to speak. "...what is it?" Was all he could manage, to which Jackson gave a small smirk. "It's a gift." Before Raphael can really react Jackson takes a step towards him and takes his arm, placing the object in his hand and closing it in tight.

As the champion stepped away, Raphael looked down to see that the round object was in fact, a small blue disc. "A TR..?" He mumbles, watching as the reflective surface catches the light shimmering outwards. He stares at it for a moment, this encounter blazing by so fast that he was more than a little overwhelmed. He had watched Jackson Crane since he was a boy, admired his work, emulated his skill. This situation almost didn't feel real. But why was he here? Giving him this?

He looks up to ask more to that effect, but as he does so, Jackson is already halfway down the hill and walking away. "Hey, wait! What is- Why are you giving me this?" Frustrated by the mysterious nature of it all, Raph finally finds his voice, calling after Crane as he continues to meander away… but the Champion doesn't turn to face the young trainer again, only calling over his shoulder in response.

"If what I know about you and your team is accurate, that'll be your ace in the hole! Life's too short to question the good things, Mr. Allard!"

"Life's too… what?!" Raphael felt a little stung at those last few words, if only Jackson knew how true that was for him. The fact that his condition made what the Champion said more accurate and not less, was slightly infuriating. "My ace in the hole… huh?" He looked down at the disc in his hand again, examining how it shone in the light once more. Fragile and easily drained of purpose, a TR was something that had but a single use.

Why had the Champion of Sinnoh appeared to give him such a thing out of the blue..? That was something he couldn't answer, but perhaps Jackson was right, perhaps it wasn't worth his time to question the good things. So be it. "I'll put it to good use then." He mumbles, turning his gaze away from the slowly shrinking black shape of the man to the looming gym at the North side of town.

"...tomorrow." He sighs a little but smiles as he settles back into his spot to rest. Even if the Champion of Sinnoh tried to push him forward right now, he had already promised himself that today was his day to recharge. Old habits died hard, or so they said, so Raph would return to his nap.

A small distance away, Jackson found a quiet spot on the pier, where nobody was around to disturb him. He thought back on his words to that boy, to Raphael. His mind shifted back to a far earlier time in his life, when he sat at a table in a Kalosian lab, the fresh morning air wafting through a nearby window.

He asked the man sitting across from him, why? Why had he tried so hard for the sake of Jackson and his sister?

"Oho, Mr. Crane… to ask such a thing, don't you know? Life is far too short to question the good things."

Augustine.

He held the memory for a moment longer before letting it go, after which he took his phone from his pocket and made a very important call.

"Hello, Odette?..." He smiles, soft, pure and genuine. "It's good to hear your voice."

Turnip · Mar 11, 2021

Oh Thank Heck Finally The People Are All Gone
Featuring Xan. Kass and Jerry are outside.

Finally, some peace and quiet.

Xan was exhausted. By all means, they knew it was for the most part their own fault. The recent interactions of the journey were, if anything, on the more pleasant side. Clovis had certainly seemed like a bit of a slimeball, but direct interaction with Clovis in particular was kept to a minimum and there didn't seem to be any wish on either side to change that. It was far preferable to be on equal footing with a slimeball than it was to be on unsure footing with someone less abrasive. An understanding seemed to have been reached, which was honestly kind of a triumph - speaking of understanding, Tim's incursion was admittedly a drain on Xan's energy, but the level of insight he portrayed gave Xan hope for future interactions, or rather the lack thereof. It was refreshing, certainly, to encounter such awareness in another human being, and by all means Tim deserved credit for that. But credit could easily be given at a respectful distance.

Still, no refreshed feeling could assuage the dull ache in Xan's legs. Tim couldn't reasonably have been expected to deviate from his path, even after the rain had eased up, but his presence behind Xan had pushed the psychic to keep walking at a steady pace for far longer than they would have liked - and they'd been too cowardly to stop when it was necessary, any possible encounter that arose from the act be damned. It shouldn't have been difficult to just pause by the wayside and tell Tim to move on ahead if he asked, but apparently it was. Evidently, they were not quite as unafraid of these things as they thought they were. That would need to be worked on.

Another mental note to take in this particular bout of reflective meditation. Xan didn't necessarily have anything against those who practiced psychic spiritualism, nor against the spiritual aspects of psychic power as a whole, but it couldn't be denied that there existed many supposed psychic practices that Xan felt were little other than a great big waste of time. Meditation was not one of those things, thankfully - though they imagined that the average person's mileage with it may vary. Indeed, focusing one's abilities inward on some cerebral maintenance wasn't an easy concept to grasp, nor was it an easy thing to fit into one's life, nor was it close to the mastery of the mental self that Calm Mind was indicative of. Still, the move's mere existence was a reasonable tidbit of supporting evidence to the benefits of taking some time to ease the mind like this, if you could conceivably get your hands on a nice chunk of alone time. Xan's nature endowed them with a large supply.

So what was next on the agenda? Hulbury was the obvious thing, and Nessa's gym challenge within. They'd put off Milo's challenge in the hopes of finding or creating some kind of new angle, power or strategy to give their team a better fighting chance, but with Hulbury so close now and nothing to show for it in that regard, they were beginning to think they might have to cut their losses. Jerry was improving every day, which was nice - though Xan couldn't take credit, it seemed to them mostly due to Kass' support - but the Psyduck was in a rather disadvantaged position from the get-go against the Grass type gym. Maybe a battle against Nessa would actually be preferable - the recommended order was just that, recommended, and it would certainly be easier on Jerry. He was outside training with Kass right now; if Xan concentrated especially hard, they could sense the telltale thrums of psychic energy from outside the tent. The two were having a relaxed game of what would probably best be described as psychic dodgeball. That idea Xan would take credit for. Training for training's sake was worth it, but training as a game barely felt like training at all. Xan had been doing things like that for almost the past decade - leisure as training, routine as training, daily life as training... Investing in that old phone with the physical keypad was money well spent, as far as they were concerned. Kass certainly seemed to appreciate the extra delegation of their 'actual' touchscreen phone, and the way that having an extra device was technically a boost to the combined charge capacity of their devices was nice, so Xan supposed that everyone was a winner. They could even take notes a little faster on the physical thing.

Notes, right, notes. Need to copy those from the phone to the laptop. Some useful information from that encounter with the Sigilyph - not as detailed as it could have been, they were tired, but eh. Clovis was supposedly on-board as a research volunteer, with the Sigilyph hopefully in tow, so it wasn't as though the opportunity was completely shut off now. Really, it would have been easy to ask Tim if he was interested in helping, too, should have been easy. Yes, Tim's Pokémon weren't particularly psychically inclined, and the trainer didn't seem to be either, but that was an excuse and Xan knew it. That comment had been made about the psychokinetic nature of the Sigilyph's Gravity and Henj's potential to replicate it - ignoring the entirely reasonable possibility of Tim acquiring some other psychic Pokémon in the future, which was a better reason to ask, even. Ah, well... there would be other opportunities. They were all league challengers. The only reason they wouldn't cross paths again - hadn't crossed paths much before - would be Xan's intentional avoidance of them. Or perhaps their aversion to Xan, which may or may not exist but wouldn't be entirely unreasonable.

Another mental note sequestered. Digital notes... tap tap tap tap. It was getting to the point where Xan was better at typing with psychokinesis than with their fingers. They still weren't sure if they were better with the helmet on or off - they never noticed having to look down at the keyboard, but they definitely made a hell of a lot more mistakes when it was fully obscured from them. Obfuscation of the keyboard and to a lesser extent the screen was certainly a factor when it was on, but then the relative lack of psychic focus made their psychokinesis a little messy at their normal speed when it was off. Swings and roundabouts. Presumably at some point their PK should become precise enough that the increased focus would prove a negligible benefit - perhaps they should start doing some typing tests without their helmet on to compare. That would be a digital note to take, in their 'me' section.

It was getting a little too late to be going anywhere else before it was time to sleep. If they were honest, Xan could probably quite easily just lay back and pass out right now - though their neck would hate them for it in the morning. Better to do the responsible thing and make dinner before jumping into the sleeping bag. With a deep breath, they turned off their laptop and began to rise. Have dinner, clear up, get some early shut-eye and then get a quick start on the last leg to Hulbury tomorrow. That was the plan.

Xan exited the tent, and the two Pokémon outside paused their play-training. Kass waved. Jerry tried to quack a greeting while the ball was in his mouth.

Fen-Fen · Mar 12, 2021

Haleigh Windsor
18 | Female | From Circhester

Corey (Male, Blaze) - Flame Charge, Double Kick, Headbutt, Agility

Coraline (Female, Weak Armor) - Tackle, Harden, Astonish, Spite, Ancient Power

Cornelius (Male, Synchronize) - Disarming Voice, Confusion, Draining Kiss, Hypnosis

Orion (Male, Snow Cloak) - Powder Snow, Tail Whip

Cerise (Female, Adaptability) - Covet, Quick Attack, Baby Doll Eyes, Growl

Reyna (Female, Torrent) - Peck, Bubble Beam, Pound, Growl

Spoiler: Memories

All Falls Down

Haleigh exited the Pokemon Center and got back on to the streets of Hulbury, still wiping away some of the tears and sniffling. She had walked the whole way there to heal her Pokemon, feeling as though the entire world was looking at her, judging her for the fuckup that she was. Who could blame them, really, she had just been one of the first challengers to face Nessa, only to be brutally rebuked and put in her place on live television. Let them watch for all she cared.

However, her meager attempt to deflect the reality of it was swiftly met with another pang of anguish that seemed to claw into her chest. She did care what those people were thinking of her. From the corner of her eyes, she felt everyone on the street that had been looking at her, whispering about her, giving her useless pity.

She sped up the pace that she was walking at, desiring only to get away from all these other onlookers. It fit her, running away from it all like the coward she was. Haleigh had been running for four long years, so she reckoned she got quite good at it.

Her path was aimless, her gaze cast downwards and hardly cognizant of the surroundings around her. The people milling about the cafes and shops near the stadium gave way to the Hulbury waterfront, a sight Haleigh might have found beautiful had she not been in the mood that she was.

The purple haired girl found a bench looking out onto the water with some nearby docks offering a mooring place for the smaller boats for fishermen and those looking to cruise the waters around Hulbury.

From a more settled position, her mind once again started the negative spiral that had been unleashed the instant that she had lost that battle against Nessa. Haleigh buried her head in her hands, more sobs coming out as she managed to choke out, "It's not fair! I-I should have been able to handle that, I-I should have been strong enough…"

But she wasn't. She never was strong enough. The incident with the Froslass should have been the first sign. Not only did it obliterate her team like it was nothing, but she had gambled her life - and Achille's life - along with it. She thought back to her encounter with Catherine, who had seen right through her during their battle with the Team Yell guys. Her run-in with Ruben on Route 3, her "triumphant" gym battle with Milo that she barely won with the type advantage, everything that Haleigh did throughout her journey, all she found was weakness. Weak, weak, weak.

The image of her parents being there at that moment, telling her that they were right was enough to channel the despair into anger, red hot boiling anger that coursed through her veins like venom. Taking her face out of hands, she screamed, "You happy, mum, dad? You got exactly what you fuckin' wanted! I failed. I failed so fuckin' well I'm sure you're waiting to see me grovel at your fuckin' knees. That's all I'm good at, isn't it?! IT'S ALL I'M FUCKIN' GOOD AT!"

A flock of Wingull had scattered from her explosive words, having been idly hovering around the piers. Haleigh watched as they flew off, free from any burdens that weighed it down. They could just pack up and leave, going wherever there's food, shelter and whatever else a Wingull might need. Not her though, she was stuck with her failures, her mistakes, her emotional turmoil that had finally come out in full force after being held back for what seemed like ages.

The Wingull, as it turned out, were not the only ones that were stirred by Haleigh's violent outburst. One of her Pokeballs had sprung out of her jacket pocket, popping open to reveal Corey. Thanks to their trip to the Pokemon Center, he looked good as new - physically anyhow.

Haleigh turned away from Corey's gaze, stammering out in between sobs, "I'm f-f-fine."

She was fine? She had just screamed so loud Corey thought Haleigh was going to hurt something or someone, she could barely get her words out and generally looked like something the Meowth had dragged in. He couldn't but feel a bit peeved in that moment. If she was anywhere close to fine, neither Corey nor Haleigh would be in the mess they were in right now.

He exclaimed, "Boot! Ra raboot!"

She buried her head back into her hands, mumbling, "No, I'm fine, stop it."

Now Corey was starting to get frustrated. He was being cast away and shut off from her, like he didn't seem to matter to her. He had fought with Haleigh, traveled along with her as her very first Pokemon and she won't even let him in to what's going on. Hell, Haleigh won't even ask him how he feels. He fought in that accursed battle and could use some comforting words, a hug, something from her.

He let out a frustrated growl, now trying to get her attention by gently nudging her arm. He wasn't going to let it go just like that.

"Stop it, leave me alone," she grumbled shakily, the barely suppressed frustration starting to bubble up.

Corey did not relent. Please please please, he just wanted to be let in, he just wanted to help, to feel like he wasn't utterly useless both in and out of battle.

"Did ya not fucking hear me, I said LEAVE ME ALONE!" Haleigh exploded on Corey with vengeance, seeming unable to stop the torrent of words that were leaving her mouth. "I don't need you botherin' me right now, so be useful and sod off!"

The Raboot looked up at her for a moment, his expression pained and his eyes filling up with tears. He stopped nudging at her, instead opting to hop off of the bench and dejectedly walking away from her while she continued to cry and unleash her woes. Where he was going, Arceus only knew.

He really was useless. Like Pokemon, like trainer.

[PKMN OPEN] Pokémon Spear [M] [IC]

Me but more fabulous

Eighteen

Don't let me disappear

lover of milotics

[font=special elite][color=#FF3399]Toxic Terror[/c

[I]Only thorns left on this rose.[/I]

Branch into Psyche

[font=Brawler][color=#91a8d4][i]Here comes the boi

Don't let me disappear

[I]Only thorns left on this rose.[/I]

[font=Brawler][color=#91a8d4][i]Here comes the boi

[img]http://i.imgur.com/omi0jS3.gif[/img]

Me but more fabulous

Pokemon Ranger Squad, Go!

Seriously?!

Me but more fabulous

VS Nessa

Pollution

[font=Brawler][color=#91a8d4][i]Here comes the boi

Magnificent Turnip

Me but more fabulous

All Falls Down