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Posted by: Haunted Aug 29 2010, 12:51 PM

The buses were not conspicuous – Damian Ramirez had been very clear when he stressed that he wanted his son to travel in secrecy. The road crew didn't know exactly why this time was different – Cameron used to fly into his shows via helicopter – but with their jobs on the line, they complied without a whisper of hesitation.

Anything for Cameron.

Painted a nondescript shade of dark grey, no decals or logos to be seen, the buses trundled along the countryside completely unnoticed. They had started out from Petropolis on the early morning, finally reaching the outskirts of the suburbs sometime around eleven. By noon the familiar cityscape behind them gave way to flat plains and then, at one, softly rolling hills. At this point Holland pulled over Cameron's bus, the road crew's vehicle pulling up just behind them. A few large shade trees blocked them from the road, giving an opportunity for everyone to get a good stretch while they waited for lunch to cook. Shortly before two, ZZ stepped out of the first bus an announced that the food was ready. As Holland herded the hungry crew into what resembled a line, ZZ handed out the large yet simple lunches he'd made in the tour bus' admittedly small kitchen.

In stark contrast to the outside, the inside of the band's bus was lavishly decorated and screamed rock star. The dashboard and driver's seat were behind a large glass door, the kitchen taking up the wall opposite the stairs leading into the bus. Black vinyl seats lined the sides, a flatscreen TV mounted on each wall. Halfway down the bus there was another door, this time wooden – behind that lay the bathroom and the bed, covered in black sheets and kept dark most of the time. As ZZ handed out another box full of sandwich, soda, and chips to the head of the electrics, he turned to glance at the bored-looking teenager lounging on the right-hand seats.

“Sure you don't want anything, Ramirez?”

“I'm fine.” The boy's answer was short and clipped, his light blue eyes never turning from the television screen. Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, ZZ quickly packed up another box. He was the newest member of Cameron's band, and earlier that day Holland had given him a crash course in what to expect from the spoiled star.

“For one, be nice to him. Arceus knows that'll be that hardest thing you'll do in your life, but one bad word from him and not only are we out of business, our reputation's gone too.” The young bassist ran a hand through his short, prematurely grey hair. “Second, don't talk about his old man in front of him. I know the kid looks like a pansy, but he packs a mean uppercut.”

Risking another glance down the bus, ZZ gave Cameron a once-over. Messy dyed hair. Typical “I'm richer than you” clothes. The only anachronism was the bright yellow Pokemon on his lap – the Pichu was holding a bowl of Grepa berries, shoving as many into his mouth as it could. His cheeks comically huge, it turned to poke Cameron in the stomach to show off his awesome skills. For the first time in the short two days he'd known the kid, Cameron smiled. Rubbing the top of his Pichu's head, his gaze wandered up the bus – and caught ZZ staring.

“What are you looking at?”

The drummer went back to making the lunch boxes.

“Why did Damian have to hire such a weirdo?” Cameron muttered, picking up the remote for the TV. Runner shrugged, attempting to shove another berry into his mouth. After a few tries he gave up, swallowing the berries stored in his cheeks before looking around the bus mournfully. Why couldn't they let Shep out? It was boring on the bus with nobody to play with. With a sigh the Pichu pushed the half-empty bowl of berries onto the seat next to Cameron's, sitting on the boy's lap with crossed arms.

“Hey, it's not my fault,” Cameron muttered, flipping the channel. “Holland was the one who said Shep would just mess up the bus. Go complain at him.” Runner sighed again, drumming his stubby legs against Cameron's lap.

After going through most of the channels the bus could get in this hick wasteland, Cameron finally gave up on getting any good TV and hit the PLAY button on the remote, hoping something good was on whatever DvD happened to be in there. There was a slight pause, and then music began to blare from the surround-sound speakers embedded in the walls. The guitar played only for a few seconds before switching styles, but the brief intro reminded Cameron of dancing Ludicolos.

”Is there anybody out there
That wakes up with a bitter taste?
It's the king that we put up there,
And he's a short way to fall from grace...”

“Hey,” Cameron said, startling Runner out of his moping. “It's out live show from last week. Remember that?”

”...hear it from the lost words
They say it's time that you lost your crown

Don't be so greedy
A dollar's a penny to you
When hearts are beating
Say what you want 'em to do!

Wasting away, I see you
When the top of the world falls on you
Finding a day, don't wanna be you
When the top of the world falls on you...”

The Cameron on-screen instantly stopped singing as the Cameron in the bus hit MUTE. The boy's blue eyes watched the recording of himself belt out invisible notes for a few more seconds before hitting STOP then OFF. Not a lot of his fans knew the meaning of the song – a few labeled him as anti-government, claiming the lyrics represented his dislike for how the brass in Diaoh ran the region. In truth, the song was about Damian – Cameron's sleazy, controlling father. Of course, Cameron couldn’t com out and just say that he hated his father; instead, he worked his loathing into the songs he wrote, hoping that someday, someone would get the message.

“Holland!” Cameron yelled, standing up. Runner tumbled off his lap onto the floor. “Holland, get the bus moving. I want to be in Gigarte on time for once.”





Frowning, Holland tapped the dashboard. The blinking light that used to signal that the road crew's bus was within a mile of them had gone out. Pulling the bus over, Holland stood, stretched, and looked outside the windshield. To the right of the bus stood a cluster of buildings, silent and foreboding in the fading light. As he watched, a Gastly drifted out of a broken window, the gases on its body illuminating dead grass and what looked like a puddle of acid. Wincing, Holland stood and turned to go wake up ZZ and Cameron. As soon as he opened the glass door, he was face-to face with Ramirez himself.

“Why did we stop?” Resisting the urge to tap his foot, Cameron gave his best glare to the bassist-slash-driver. He was tired and felt like yelling at someone – ZZ had taken the bedroom with the excuse that he had insomnia and that if he didn't have his Hypno put him to sleep twice a day, he'd pass out onstage. Likely story. Runner was dozing off in his arms, his large ears drooping. “This wasn't planned. We're not going to make it to Gigarte on time if-”

“We lost the road crew.” Holland said, speaking over Cameron. Ignoring Cameron's cry of “Hey, don't interrupt me!” Holland cupped his hands over his mouth and practically bellowed down the bus. “WE LOST THE ROAD CREW, ZZ.” There was a loud thud from the bedroom and the door flew open, ZZ's disheveled hair reminding Cameron of a Sandslash's spines. Holland gave a short nod towards the bus' door before opening it and stepping outside.

“You're kiddin' me,” the drummer groaned later, trying to wipe the sleep out of his eyes. The three were standing a few metres away from the bus, ZZ's Hypno gazing around the area warily. “First the road crew goes missing, and then you park us in Lenolia of all places? This is nuts.”

“...Why is Lenolia so bad?” Cameron asked. Aside from the fact that it looked like a backwater town in bad need of a wash – seriously, he didn't know a town could stink so badly! - it seemed like an average place.

“Not now, Ramirez.” Holland said, waving his hand at the teenager. “Go back inside and sleep. We'll wake you up later. Anyway. We might have to turn around, I think they got confused and kept going south to Daas. You know how Dominic can't read a map.”

“Well, we'd better move on soon regardless. I do not want to be stuck here when the sun goes down all the way.”

Frustrated, Cameron turned and stalked back towards the bus. Who did they think they were, ignoring him like that? And getting lost, too! Bypassing the bus, Cameron made a loop around a gnarled and decaying tree, pulling his light blue cellphone from the Pokeball clip on his pants. Balancing Runner in one hand, he pressed the speed dial and waited for Damian's secretary to pick up. After giving his father a good yelling about hiring a bunch of idiots, he'd ask for a helicopter to Gigarte. Still walking, Cameron didn't notice as he passed the first few abandoned buildings of Lenolia, heading deeper into the city as the sun finally slipped below the horizon.

“Alright. Daas it is.” Holland said, clapping his hands together. “We'll be a few hours late, but maybe if we buy Ramirez something shiny he won't rat us out.”

“Where is the kid, anyway?” ZZ asked, following Holland and his Hypno back into the bus.

“Probably asleep. You know those rich bastards – always need their beauty rest. Besides, he's a terror when he's tired. Just leave him alone and everyone's happy.” Slipping into the driver's seat, Holland started the bus, pulled out onto the road, made a U-turn illegal in every region except Orre and headed back west to Daas.

Glaring at his phone – seriously, what sort of place was this? No reception? – Cameron trudged onward, unknowingly following an ancient, cracked alleyway into the heart of the city. Tossing the offending phone over his shoulder, Cameron turned around. He was expecting the bus to be there – possibly an angry Holland yelling at him.

All he saw was the dark alley, branching off into even darker paths obscured by the dead, looming buildings. As he watched, an enormously obese Stunky waddled across one of the paths, pausing to give Cameron a sleep look before continuing on, tail dragging across the ground. A small chitter from his arms tore his horrified stare from the road to his arms. Runner looked up at him, eyes watering. “Chu,” he whispered, sniffling.

“I don't know where we are, either. Want me to bring Shep out?”

“Chu!”

Reaching down to the Pokeball clip, Cameron pulled out a single Luxury ball, clicking the enlarge button before tossing it onto the stained stones that made up the alley. A puff of green smoke lined with yellow hovered in the air as the Electrike shook his head out, wasting no time in checking the surroundings. While hyperactive and little silly, Shep could turn deadly serious when Cameron and Runner's safety became an issue. Sticking close to Cameron's leg, he constantly surveyed the path as Cameron headed back the way he came.

“Holland!” He shouted, nearly tripping over a loose rock. “ZZ! Holland! Somebody answer me!” Kicking angrily at the rock, Cameron slumped down onto an old lawn chair that had been leaning against one of the half-collapsed buildings. “Dammit!” He swore. “Where is everyone? Shouldn't there be a search party? A helicopter? Something?” Shep and Runner could only shrug, the latter nearly in tears. Holland, at least, should know he was missing. He would tell Damian, and Damian would send half of Petropolis to recover his missing son – if not for the fact he made all the money for Damian, then for Elia's memory. The last wish of Cameron's mother was for Damian to keep her son safe; even if he hated Cameron, his love for Elia was strong enough for him to at least look for him.

Right?

”HOLLAND!” Cameron shouted again, slamming his fist into the building behind him. “HOLLAND! ZZ! COME GET ME!”

Deep within the city, cackling laughter emerged from one of the more intact houses. “Well, looks like we've got a customer tonight.”

Posted by: Tymid Aug 29 2010, 04:26 PM

She was running, running into blackness. Her eyes were wide, and she could hear her own heartbeat, as well as her parent's screams. They were calling her name, begging for help. She had to do something. Her legs felt heavy and sluggish as she ran; as fast as she tried to make them move, they remained stagnant. It was as though she were running through a thick sludge. Ah, but amidst the blackness, there was a light! A small light, but flickering and hopeful, like a glimmering star in the abyss. Time passed slowly as she slow-sprinted towards the light; as slow as her trek was, every step brought her closer to her parents, as well as closer to a way out of the dark.

At long last, the light was in reach. As she reached out to touch it, the world around her became drenched in a warm, luminous red color. Closing her eyes and tilting her head up in sweet relief, she could practically feel the warmth trickling over her body. Only this warmth was...red, and sticky. Opening her eyes in surprise, she peered over her body. Blood was sprinkling like rain from the sky, and as she looked up, she saw the bodies of her parents, as she had seen in the crime scene photos. Screaming, she tried to flee, only to find that she was rooted to the ground. As she continued to be showered in the tiny droplets, she began to feel paper sticking to the sticky ooze on her body, and as she turned her face to the sky again, she discovered that the droplets were transforming into dollar bills, which were flocking, as though magnetized, to her body and sticking to the blood. Immobile, she watched, terrified, as the bills began to smother her, covering her body with layers upon layers of money. Her eyes darted back and forth in terror, looking down at the bills that were now covering her mouth and nose. It was becoming hard to breathe, and her vision was fading. As the world faded to black, she saw the distant flashing lights...was it an ambulance?

No...it was them, the cameras. They neared as her eyes slid shut, and as her consciousness faded, the realization that everyone would see her demise terrified her...

"NO!" she screamed, sitting up abruptly out of bed, clutching her chest and gasping for breath. Her eyes darted around the small room, her breast heaving as she gulped down vast quantities of oxygen. Turning her head, she recognized the sound of her alarm through the sound of her pounding heartbeat in her ears. Slapping it abruptly, her slender fingers traced back across the bed to rest at the pulse point at her throat. Her eyes flitted over to the mirror on the opposite wall, and she observed her haggard appearance. Sweat was glistening off of her bare skin, her pale skin coated in a sheen of glimmering terror. Her green eyes appeared worried, and her dark hair was tangled and matted from all of her tossing and turning.

As she viewed her appearance, she slowly inhaled a deep breath through her nose, and exhaled through her pursed lips, in an attempt to soothe her racing pulse. She closed her eyes, her brow furrowing in angst. The same dream...why did she keep having the same dream? She was used to nightmare, but this was the first recurring dream she had ever had. Used to studying the psychology of others, she began to self-analyze.

She could already determine the fact that, even though her parents' deaths were 9 years previous, she still was lacking a bit of closure in their demise, and was still traumatized by their brutal and senseless killings. This was obvious. Also obvious was the fact that she knew that money had caused their deaths, as well as the fact that through their deaths, she had obtained the same curse that had caused their premature expiration. Running through the dark? Well, that was because she felt like she was doing that on a daily basis, and desired nothing more than to bring her parents back, which was why she was running toward the chaos, instead of away. The paparazzi was just there because she hated paparazzi, she assumed.

Now, the true question came: If she understood the symbolism behind the dream, and all dreams really were were a hidden message from one's subconscious, then why did it continue to rear it's ugly head? There had to be something she was missing...

However, before she could even begin to scrutinize her psyche anymore, it became apparent that her commotion had not gone unnoticed. A rustling at the foot of the bed alerted her that the motley crew had been woken from their slumber, and were attempting to find out what the hell was going on.

Aria, the Shinx, made it up quite easily, worry in her little eyes. "Shinx? Shi-Shinx?" she mewled, pawing at Raven's hand that was now rubbing at her temples. Raven turned her head upwards to view the kitten, smiling gently as she ran her hand over the bumps and scars all over her body. The little shinx was quite sad to look at, her body torn asunder by a hit and run driver, left to fester in the streets. Even though her body was riddled with scars, her spirit was infallible, seemingly always in a chipper mood.

"I'm alright, Aria...just a bad dream." Raven soothed, smiling as Aria began to purr, sending a tingling of warm electricity through her fingertips. Another bit of scuttling was heard, as well as the disgruntled sounds and growls of a something under the bed. Suddenly, a ripping of cloth could be heard, and a very angry looking Totodile successfully used the part of the comforter that was dangling near the ground as a climbing utility, sacrificing part of the comforter to his claws and teeth. Raven couldn't stifle a grin as the Totodile attempted to shake a residual piece of comforter off of his claw.

"Requiem, are you making a mess?" she murmured, reaching over and pulling off the annoyance from his claw. "Dile." he responded shortly, turning his head to study his trainer inquisitively. His white right eye glared eerily from under scratched and scarred scales, and his face did not bear the typical happy smile that was so common of the Totodile breed. He waddled over to her, touching a claw gently to the tip of her nose, then touching his nose, with a reassuring "Toto...totodile." Raven rubbed the dented scales on Requiem's nose, nodding in response. "I know, Req'. I know that you'll take care of me. I just wish you could take care of me in the dream world, too...you'd think there was a rogue Drowzee around here or something." she murmured, looking to the sun rising outside the window. "I suppose we should make a day out of this, eh?" she queried, proceeding to stretch.

"Dile!" "Shinx!" came the excited responses.

Raven moved her feet so that they dangled off of the side of the bed, allowing a toe to touch the dingy floor, shivering as it's coldness travelled through her body like the first cold breeze of winter. Determined, she planted her feet to the floor, goosebumps travelling over her bare skin, causing her arms to wrap around her upper torso, her hands stroking her upper arms rapidly in an attempt to make the cold go away. She took the few steps to the shower, and began to run the water, waiting for the initial surge of dirty, brown, cold water to pass, and then waiting for the water to heat to a tolerable temperature, and then for the water to turn completely clear.

After the waiting process, and then the shower itself, she stepped out, uttering curses as her feet touched the creaky, cold floor again. She meandered, all the while drying off with her towel, over to her chest of drawers and proceeded to dress. She started with the necessary undergarments, then slipped on a pair of torn blue jeans. They slid snugly up and over her slender legs and hips, fitting as though they had been good and loved for a long time. She grabbed at a white wife-beater, slipping it on and tugging it down as far as it was capable of going, which was just below her belly-button. She slipped on some socks, and her black cowboy boots. She sadly noted that her boots were in a state of disrepair, and she would either need to get a new pair, or get these worked on...

Finally, she took her black jacket off of it's hanger, and slipped it on over her white top. She shook her arms a little to settle into it, the soft, pliable leather feeling very reassuring to her goose-pimply skin. She uttered a sigh of content, proceeding to pick up a brush and drag it through her damp hair, taming any tangles that still remained.

Heading over to her bedside table where her alarm, now silent, sat, she opened the drawer and retrieved a pack of cigarettes. Opening the lid, the sweet smell of tobacco hit her nostrils, literally making her mouth water. She was in the process of quitting, you see.

...It was a work in progress.

Removing one of the cigarettes, she tossed the remainder onto the bed and went to the window, opening it so she could lean out and view the early morning smog of Petropolis. The cool morning air was hinting at the faint scent of exhaust, already. She might as well add her own pollution to the atmosphere. Right as she was about to light, the tell-tale tearing of cloth was heard from the bed. Slowly turning around, she saw Requiem on the bed, attempting to pull out a cigarette of his own with his claw-tips. Raven smirked, reaching over and grabbing the pack of cigarettes out of reach of the Totodile. "Hey, Req. We're trying to quit, remember?" she stated, chuckling at the disgruntled look on his face.

She picked him up and put him on her shoulder, lighting the cigarette and inhaling deeply, savoring the taste and the warmth pouring into her lungs. She held the butt towards Requiem, who placed his scaly muzzle around it and inhaled as well, his eyes going half-lidded in relief. Raven couldn't deny him, it obviously helped him with his aches and pains in the morning, while she just liked the taste. Requiem exhaled the white smoke through his nostril-slits, and Raven proceeded to call him a naughty- fire type, to which he scowled. Turning around, she saw Aria sitting in front of the bed, watching the two of them. "What, you want a drag?" Raven asked, holding it to her. Aria sneezed and wrinkled her nose, sticking out her tongue-tip in disgust. "Shinx." she mewed softly, trotting over toward her water bowl. "You don't know what you're missing!" Raven called after her, turning her head to look out at the pink and orange sunrise. The dream still lingered on her mind, slightly deadened by her companion's antics and nicotine. Now, she just had to decide what she wanted to do for the day. Looking down from her 3rd floor apartment to the streets below, she saw that they were fairly empty for this time of day. It was Saturday, after all. It was decided.

Today would be a good day for a walk.



As Raven stepped out the door of her apartment complex, She fingered at the two poke'balls currently at her waist. She dearly wished that she could let them out, however, the public's reaction to such disfigured poke'mon weren't something she handled lightly. All of the rich pricks, with their purebreds and coat grooming and wealth and Contests...they had no idea the calibur of poke'mon Raven had; they simply looked down on them because they looked different. Requiem and Aria handled it fine, of course...Raven just had the strong desire to uppercut someone who looked at her friends in such a manner.

She strolled down the street, nodding at those she knew, ignoring those she didn't. Her hair was still slightly damp, forming into it's shape for the day according to how the wind breathed. She stopped to view the homeless, still sleeping on the streets, trying to escape the trials of that day for a little while longer. For every one she passed, she pressed a large bill amount into their tins, usually $100. She knew how much that seemingly small amount could do when you had nothing.

Her feet led her to an alley where she, herself used to sleep. The sunlight was so far up, now, up in between the buildings. She stopped, looking down at her old nesting place. She could recall how on cold nights, she slept covered up in newspapers...and the restaurant trash can down at the other end of the alley would be where she and the resident Meowth and Shinx would scrounge for food. She stroked the second poke'ball at her waist, smiling sadly, remembering how she found Aria that night, before she could even get a bite of leftover chicken down. It was after she found Aria that she found the apartment complex she now lived in, knowing that while she hated to pay for a place to live, she had others to protect, other than herself.

As she was reminiscing, she felt a heavy, rough hand clap onto her shoulder. Her body went cold, and she began reprimanding herself for falling into a flashback whilst lingering in such a dangerous territory. Her hand was still at her poke'balls, but she would rather risk herself than that of her friends; she knew some people on the streets would just as soon kill a poke'mon rather than battle. "I suggest you turn around, little miss." she heard a gruff voice say, and she breathed deeply, turning around slowly, her face showing no sign of fear. However, her stern face quickly spread into a relieved smile, and all the tension left her limbs. "Alfred Jarvis...you scared me half-to-death!" she stated, her relief evident in the laugh that followed after her statement.

She studied the man. The last time she had seen him, he had been wrapped in rags, starving, living an alley away. His form had filled out, and it was obvious that he had been eating well. His clothes weren't fancy, but he wore them with pride, and you could tell he had bought them himself. A wide smile split his face as he looked upon his old friend. "Well, it's all thanks to you. That little bit of "assistance" you gave me was enough to get me back on my feet...I actually have a house now." he stated pridefully, shifting his weight as he waved a hand towards her. "You look the same, actually. A little more tired than usual. You been sleeping alright?"

Raven's hand reached back and scratched the back of her head, and she shrugged. "Ah...not really. Been having nightmares...same one every night for a good bit, now." she answered honestly, keeping her eyes toward the ground, making it obvious to Alfred that she did not want to talk about it. He nodded with understanding. "Sounds like to me that you need to take a vacation, get out of the big city for a while. I'd suggest Lenolia." he offered, to receive a look of confusion from Raven.

"Lenolia? That's your idea of a vacation?" she asked curiously, crossing her arms and giving him a dubious look. "You either have already gone crazy, or you're a couple steps away. How could Lenolia be a suitable place to take a vacation?"

He shrugged his shoulders, a smile falling onto his lips. "Because I know you, Raven. You like quiet, Lenolia's quiet. Yeah, it's all polluted and what-not, but the surrounding areas are wide-open. You'd be close enough to a Poke'center if something went awry, but far enough away from people to where you could actually breathe and have some time to yourself."

Raven paused. His logic was sound...and it -was- about time that she thought about taking some time to herself. The city was getting to her a little more than usual, and who knows...the silence of Lenolia might inspire her Artist's Block. "I think you just talked me into a vacation, Alfred." she murmured softly, offering a gentle smile to her old friend.

She bid him good-bye, and, being as impulsive as she was, went straight to a Poke'mart, buying a cheap duffel bag, and stuffing it full of potions, a couple of antidotes, canned foods, salted meats and water, and also a map of Lenolia and it's surrounding regions. She paid for it via a check, choosing to keep the last $100 she had for an emergency, should it occur. Her mind was actually excited about the prospect of having some alone-time to herself. She and her poke'mon hadn't done anything truly exciting in a while...except for that time that she went out on a limb and bought everyone a steak dinner. Boy, she could still remember Requiem's face.

Before she knew it, she was at the bus depot. She paid for her ticket, and faster than she could comprehend, she was on the bus. As she took her seat, she rifled through her duffel bag, checking to make sure that she had everything she would need for a nice, long, camping excursion. Requiem and Aria poked their heads out of the bag, looking at her excitedly. "Dile!" Requiem stated with as much excitement as he could muster, before he was shooshed by Raven's fingertip on his nose. "We're not supposed to let you guys out of your poke'balls on the bus...so hush." she whispered, the Totodile nodding his understanding. She felt eyes on her. Slowly turning her head to the right, she saw a little boy who was giving her an odd look for talking to her duffel bag. Her eyes darted around, as though she were looking for who he was looking at, and then leaned over and whispered "You had better be careful. I think some people on this bus are crazy." She nodded sincerely, then turned around to look at the window. She smirked as she heard the boy uncomfortably shift in his seat. This was going to be a long ride.



"GET THIS DAMN THING OFF OF ME!!"

Raven awoke with a start, not knowing she had fallen asleep. She rose swiftly out of her seat to see what was going on, only to hit her head on the overhead bin. She winced, rubbing the spot and swearing under her breath, before her face paled to see the driver of the bus attempting to shake a very stubborn blue thing from his leg. As he swung his leg, she could hear the thing go "DILE...DILE...DILE!!" with every swing. Her eyes widened with realization.

Oh, shit.

"Requiem! Down! ...Off! Le'go!" she hollered, running over and pulling the Totodile from the driver's leg, shoving him back in her duffel bag with gusto. She looked down at his leg, and saw the red bloom from his sharp little teeth onto the driver's white pants. The driver saw this as well, and went pale with anger and fear. "I was just trying to wake you up, lady, when that...thing...attacked me." he stammered, looking up at her, and down at his leg in shock. Raven had a very displeased look on her face. "I'll assume we're here, then?" she asked sarcastically, wanting to take Requiem out of the bag so she could explain to him that she was not mad at him, and that he did not do a bad thing. The bus driver nodded, his face still pale and clammy with his shock. Raven heaved her duffel bag over her shoulder and wandered down the now empty aisles of the bus. She turned to the bus driver, and tossed him a couple of dollars. "Buy yourself a bandaid, or rub some dirt in it or something." she murmured, disgusted at how pitiful the man was acting for a couple of small puncture wounds. She had seen people bleed to death on the streets...you'd think he had been shot.

As she stepped off of the bus, she wasn't surprised to see no one climb on or off the bus; these buses arrived on a weekly basis due to the sheer lack of activity to and from Lenolia. The bus sped off, leaving Raven in a cloud of dust. Waving her hand in front of her face, she squinted through the dust. The eerie silhouette of Lenolia loomed before her. She heard two thuds, and Requiem and Aria were both out of the bag, scenting at the new area they were in. Their eyes were excited, and though it seemed like they wanted to go exploring, they didn't venture too far from Raven's side.

Then, the silence set it.

The rumble of the bus had subsided into nothing, and Raven observed the sheer silence of a dead city. The sound of a Kricketot could be heard far-off, and Aria's ears perked as she heard a pack of Mightyena even farther off. There weren't many poke'mon here, any she heard were far away. She did hear the eerie caw of a Murkrow nearby, but it echoed into nothing. Raven felt a pure delight at the sound of silence...practically laying her head back and inhaling deeply-

"HOLLAND! HOLLAND! ZZ! COME GET ME!"

She literally acked as she heard the young male voice holler, not too far away from where she was. An annoyed scowl fell onto her face, and both Requiem and Aria jumped, bristling with startled expressions. She readjusted her duffel-bag, stalking away from the shrill and annoying sound. The sound of laughter touched her senses, and she started walking toward the poke-center, a gleaming refuge in the darkness of the surrounding buildings.

"What's this? Two customers? And this 'un's a lady..." she heard someone say to her back, followed by a couple of cat-calls and wolf-whistles. She rolled her eyes angrily. They would surely have hell to pay if they thought that she was simply some naive traveller, that's for sure. Her eyes darted to where she assumed the first yell had come from, and she saw a richly dressed boy, looking as though he was about to throw a temper tantrum. He was certainly in the wrong territory to do so, considering these kind of folk would turn his world upside down in a heartbeat.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Aug 30 2010, 03:33 PM

With nothing left for him to do in Petropolis at the time, Taggarty Lee had departed the bustling city behind him and headed east. He hadn't been particularly fond of all the buzzing city life, after all, he found most people infuriating. Now he was somewhat relieved to be back out on his own, strolling at his self-set pace as he made his way to wherever he felt like going. The original goal was Gigarte, where he learned that another pokemon gym waited, but after some thought, the sights lay on Lenoilia. Why? Well, he'd just encountered the "Sons of Lenoilia", having briefly been their hostage at the pokemon center. After a little asking around, he figured he'd check out the place himself.

During his walk, he pulled out an old cigarette case. Within were a flurry of old badges that he looked upon with a stab of sadness. These little relics from his past life were painful reminders of the loss of his former friends, the dragon pokemon. However, as he walked, he took the time to remember each of the battles he'd partaken in to earn these. There were 32 badges, all mismatched and out of order. He'd often just thrown them in there. Surely there'd be some organization to do later, but until then, he neatly deposited his new Twilight Badge

* * *

The trip to Lenoilia had taken a little bit of time, and after a few rest-stops here and there, a wrong turn at Albuquerque, Tag finally arrived at what he figured was Lenoilia. Perhaps it was the morose, sobering atmosphere of a place that was overwrought with pollution and crime. Most of it seemed just like a ghetto now, and it was downright depressing, even for the usually stoic Tag.

As he walked into the 'city' grounds (he didn't think he could even call it that), he noticed a few people shuffle off. Clearly it was, in fact, inhabited. Perhaps the Sons of Lenoilia still lived here? Or perhaps they lived in Gigarte after having been displaced? He had no idea when Lenoilia had fallen into ruin, so the story could've been anything as far as he was concerned.

There did seem to be some rough looking people hitherto. Perhaps they were intimidated by Tag's hardened, tattooed face, but perhaps they were simply wary of travelers.

He had heard tell that there was a lone Pokemon Center there, so that would be his refuge for the night: At the very least it would keep him away from the various ruffians that seemed to be out and about. He was also curious about the black markets that seemed to be out and about, so he figured he'd check one of those out as well.

Naturally, once the thought crossed his mind, he noticed a couple of men moving some conspicuous looking 'crates' about, with a thick black fabric tossed over them. Straining his ears, Tag could just barely make out the sound of movement and noises from within them. Instantly curious, Tag approached the men, who were loading the crates into a building.

"Whaddaya want?" Three men stood there, all wearing rough-ish looking clothes, torn and patched in several places. The lead one, wearing an ankle length black duster cut Tag off as he approached.

Now, Tag was no idiot, so he figured he'd play it cool.

"Your wares. I'm interested." the flat tone seemed to settle the men down a bit. Tag certainly didn't look like an Officer Jenny, but they could never know for sure.

"Whatchya got on you."

"Money. Obviously. What're your wares?"

The three eyed him up, speaking in hushed tones to one another, before signaling him to follow. They indicated for him to go inside of the 'shop', continuing to move the crates in. Tag entered silently, eyed by six more men who were waiting inside the dilapidated building. The place had obviously been abandoned a long time ago, and made for a perfect hideout, with several adjoining rooms, and all the windows boarded up. Tag noted that they all had pokeballs of varying amounts, but they were also armed. Admittedly a bit nervous, Tag retained his stoic face as he leaned against the wall. He scanned the room quietly: Five of them were quite gruff, looking for all the world like road warriors or fallout survivors. The sixth, however, was wearing a business suit and sunglasses, standing out like a sore thumb. He stood there with an Abra, holding its hand as they stared intently at Tag.

"Shopper?" One particularly gruff man asked. The response was a single nod. "Copper?". Tag slowly shook his head.

"S'clean." a voice piped up. Naturally, the businessman had read Tag's mind via the Abra. "What're you in the market for today, sir?"

"Whatever was in those crates earlier. Sounded like Pokemon in there." Tag nodded towards the crates laying on the ground. With one nod to another, two men flipped off the coverings, revealing several carrier cases, each with a pokemon inside. Tag was visibly taken aback. The poor creatures were horribly mistreated, mewling and calling out pathetically as they pawed or bumped against the grates of their portable prisons.

"Which are you interested in today?" Sunglasses swept his hand over them "Today's shipment of freshly caught pokemon."

"Where are their pokeballs?"

"Ah, well these are all pokemon from the shelter in Petropolis. Their pokeballs are here with us" Another gruff man procured a briefcase. Popping it open, Tag noted a whole variety of pokeballs, each with a tag indicating which pokemon went with which ball. Looking back to the cages, he squinted to see that each pokemon had a corresponding tag...stapled to their ears. A sickening feeling gurgled up in his stomach as he noted a Growlithe, a Vulpix, a Bellossom, a Rattata, and a Pikachu, all with staples in their ears with the tags clearly showing. The rest in the carriers behind the front row probably had them too.

"Ah, you want to rescue these creatures?" Sunglasses spoke up again. Tag silently cursed: The abra had read his mind and transferred it to Sunglasses Suit. "Not by force, surely. Money is the only thing that will free them in this building. Lift a finger in violence, and my men will make sure you don't leave this place. Now, Mr. Lee." Of course he knew his name. Stupid Abra. "Kindly take your pick, and we'll settle on a price."

He approached the cages and watched as they all backed away from him, fearful...except for one. In the center cage, he noticed a Vulpix staring calmly at him. For a moment, he completely let down his guard, stooping down in front of the cage. There seemed to be a moment of understanding as he stared into its deep brown eyes.

"How much for this one." He pointed at the Vulpix.

"An excellent choice. This Vulpix is...$5,831." Tag winced. That would leave him with $200 on hand. He had planned on purchasing all of the pokemon so as to rescue them, but that dratted Abra had read his mind yet again. Wordlessly, Tag handed over the money, and was handed the pokeball marked H-7 for the Vulpix. He recalled the pokemon through the bars via return laser, holding the pokeball to his chest for a moment. "Thank you, Mr. Lee. Your business is much appreciated. Please to leave our premises immediately."

Tag cast a long stare over the remaining pokemon, a sad look appearing on his face.

"Touching, Mr. Lee. Just touching. Your concern for these pokemon is admirable. But ultimately, our business is ended. If you dilly-dally any longer, we'll make sure you regret it." Tag's face immediately turned into an angry glare at the boss-man in the suit. However, as he clipped Vulpix's pokeball to his belt, the other five men in the room, as well as the three behind him, all reached for their weapons. They obviously weren't playing around. With a sigh, Tag turned and left, leaving the black market 'store' behind.

* * *

Once a safe distance away from the pokemon center, Tag released the rescued Vulpix from its pokeball, watching as it immediately sidled up to him. Gently petting its head, he removed the little label, leaving just the little loop in the Vulpix's ear, forming something of an earring. It looked up at him, something like a relieved smile on its features. The creature was so unnervingly calm, but it also seemed to understand the situation entirely, which came as somewhat of a surprise. Tag had figured that it naturally would've flipped out and panicked at changing hands so quickly, but it seemed to have realized that existence with Tag was better than existence in a cage. He crouched down next to his purchased comrade, a faint smile etched on his face.

"Boy?" Tag asked, watching as the male vulpix nodded his head. "Then, Vulpix, I'll take care of you...shall I call you...Tobi?" The Vulpix scrunched his face a bit, then made something of an accepting shrug. "Okay then. Tobi. I'm Taggarty Lee. Or just Tag." Newly named Tobi beamed up at Tag lapping at his face. "I'm primarily a battle specialist. Do you enjoy battle?"

Again, the Vulpix made an indifferent shrug. "Well...I battle often, so I hope you get used to it. What moves do you know?"

Tag always preferred to let the pokemon show him what they were capable of, rather than relying on a pokedex or pokegear to tell him. Tobi hopped over a decent distance from Tag, performing his moves in quick succession with surprising grace. However, there were a few times were Tobi simply paused, his eyes glowing with psychokinetic energy with no discernible effects. Flipping out a little device from his backpack, he pointed it at his new Vulpix, reading the screen closely.

"Okay...Those were Disable, Hypnosis, Psych Up and Imprison?" Tobi nodded happily in reply. Slightly perturbed that he had to consult the little doo-hickey to tell him the moves, Tag was still nonetheless amazed that Tobi had such a variety of non-damaging moves, which were obviously the staple of his battle style. "Well then, I think we'll get along just fine." For the first time that day, Tag allowed himself a fairly bright smile as his new Vulpix trotted up to him. He returned Tobi to the H-7 Pokeball.

He hadn't yet learned much about Lenoilia, but at least his trip wouldn't be in vain. He had rescued one pokemon from the clutches of black market trade, surely there'd be time to rescue the rest.

However, his thoughts were interrupted as he heard a voice yelling "Olland! Holland! EASY! COME GET ME." It didn't quite have the weathered, beaten sound of a Lenoilian denizen...in fact, it sounded kind of bratty. His first instinct was to just leave the unnecessarily loud, kid-sounding voice be, but the idiot was sure to attract attention, and most likely of the armed people who were still potentially nearby. Rolling his eyes, Tag moved towards the screamer with all the intent of a grudging good Samaritan.

Sure enough, there was a skinny, platinum blond in "I'm richer than you" clothes looking like someone had just stolen his silly bands...or whatever it was that kids these days were into. For true, he stood out like a sore thumb, and was more than likely going to get himself mugged.

Nearby him, a shorter girl appeared to be approaching as well. She seemed more normally dressed (mostly because she wore almost the same outfit as Tag: White Tank Top, Leather Jacket, Jeans and tattoos. Hers were simply more girly.)

Hands in pockets, he stepped into plain sight of the two. "Hey. Noisy Kid. Shut up." He stated firmly "Keep howling like that and you're apt to get yourself killed."

Posted by: Haunted Aug 30 2010, 09:06 PM

It didn't take Cameron long to realise that while mostly abandoned, there were definitely still people living in the ruins of Lenolia. Now that he was actually listening to the white noise – more to see if there was an answer to his cry for help than anything – he could hear the faint noises of life nearby. Somewhere behind him a Murkrow cawed, sending a chill down Cameron's spine. Something howled in the distance – probably a Mighteyna or Houndoom.

And then there were the sounds of humans. Slow, guttural laughter. The fast-paced banter of an argument. Shep gave a little half-whine half-growl, pressing close to Cameron's leg, his eyes darting around the dark alleyway. Runner had given up any semblance of self-control and was now sobbing into Cameron's shirt, nubby hands balled into the no-sweat fabric. Pulling the Pichu off and fixing his high, blue-lined collar, Cameron readied himself for another shout.

"Hey. Noisy Kid. Shut up."

Startled, Shep let out a bark and dived behind the lawn chair, Runner hurriedly following suit. Cameron shot out of his seat, tossing his head slightly to get his hair out of his face (a lost cause). There was a man standing in front of him – tattooed, wearing leather, very intimidating. The young star felt his voice die in his throat, replaced by an awful choking noise. Oh, shit. This guy's gonna mug me. Or kill me. Or both. Desperately wishing he'd kept that damn cellphone, Cameron swallowed the choke and gave the mugger his best “don't mess with me” glare. It wasn't all that useful, but if worst came to worst he could just throw Shep at the guy and make a run for it.

A slight noise behind him caused Cameron to turn his head, and the last of his bravado quickly crumbled. A pretty girl stood on the other side of the alley, wearing clothes very similar to the mugger. Even worse, there were two Pokemon at her side – a Totodile and a Shinx. A gang. I'm screwed. Shep growled, slowly inching out from behind the lawn chair. Facing the girl, he lowered the front half of his body to the ground, raising the crest on his head. Small crackles of electricity darted around the crest, a Thunder Wave at the ready if needed. Still tearing up, Runner leapt onto Cameron's shoulder with a soft cry and clutched at his neck, looking for all the world like a very small, very yellow Whismur.

"Keep howling like that and you're apt to get yourself killed."

“Listen, I don't know what you want.” Cameron tried to keep his voice level and free of fear – not an easy task with a terrified Pichu attempting to wring his neck. Prying Runner off his shoulder, the teenager took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “My father's a big name in Petropolis. If you leave me alone, I'll put in a good word for you guys. Maybe even a reward. Just don't kill me, alright?” Not the best plan in the world, but Cameron had learned that bribery – especially involving money – was a nice incentive to get dangerous people away from you.

Before Cameron could continue on his plea, A rough voice sounded from farther down the alley. “Well, well, boys! Look here; we got both customers – and a new one!” Perched atop a nearby roof was a grinning man, his face shadowed and gaunt. A mess of stubble layered the bottom half of his face, failing to cover a long, thin scar carved into his cheek. If he did have any hair – which Cameron didn't suspect, and if he did, it was probably a stringy mess – it was hidden under a smudge-grey bandana. There were two more men behind him, both dressed equally as sloppy as the first. A Koffing hung in the air beside the leader, belching a foul-smelling smog into the alleyway. Pulling his high collar over his face, Cameron took a careful step to the side. A branching path was a stone's toss to the left, and if he could just get there unnoticed...

“I'unno, boss.” The shorter of the men muttered, scratching his chin with badly cracked nails. “Th' girly and the big guy don' look like a good catch. Th' kid, though...” An evil grin pulled at his sunken cheeks, sending a tremor up Cameron's spine. Stuck between two different gangs – great. These guys made the howling masses of fangirls back home seem like newborn Growlithes. Where was Security when you needed them?

“We'll get to him, don't worry.” There was a sharp gleam in the leader's eyes, somehow visible in the near pitch-darkness. Runner gave a small wail and clutched at Cameron's shirt again, his red cheeks beginning to spark with nervous energy. The last thing Cameron needed was to be paralysed in this stupid abandoned city with a bunch of muggers. He was definitely going to fire Holland when he got back to Petropolis – if he got back.

Don't be stupid, he chided himself. They'll figure out I'm missing soon – maybe even now – and then Damian will come and get me. Preferably before I get killed.

“Alright. Clem, you take the girl. I'll get the big guy, and Stretch can hold the boy down while we get rid of the chaperones.”

“Uh, Petrol?”

“What.”

“What does 'chaperone' mean?”

The leader performed the perfect facepalm and promptly shoved Stretch off the roof. “Don't worry about that! Now hurry up and – oh, Arceus' crap! He's getting away!”

As soon as the bickering began Cameron had turned and made a beeline for the path, holding Runner close to his chest. Shep barked once and followed, giving Stretch a good Thunder Wave before turning tail. Just before he made it to the path, Cameron's expensive shoes – made for show, not running – found their way into a puddle that resembled what a sleeping Grimer might look like. With a yell he fell, landing rather painfully on his knee. Cursing, he grabbed a loose brick on the adjacent building and hauled himself up, twitching at the feeling of dirt on his pants. Not stopping to think about the dry-cleaning bill Damian was sure to lecture him on later, the teenager quickly started down the alley, yelling over his shoulder.

“Uh, I'll leave these guys to you two. Good luck!”

And he ran.

Both tour buses stood idling at the road's intersection, the crew and ZZ looking on with varying degrees of pain on their faces. They weren't the one getting chewed out, but they could all feel the blistering flood of words Dominic was receiving from Holland. Dominic's girlfriend looked especially worried, absentmindedly chewing on a lock of her coral-pink hair. She turned to ZZ after Holland finished his tirade on directional sense and Dominic's lack thereof and started on where exactly Dominic could shove the map next.

“You haven't seen Ramirez, have you?”

“Uh, no. I think he's still in the bus. Why?”

Anemone frowned, tapping her foot against the ground. “It's just...well, he's really bratty if he gets woken up. And he's a really light sleeper. Unless your Hypno Hypnotised him, he'd be out there giving both of them a reaming.”

ZZ felt a lump form into his stomach. It was true that Cameron hadn't emerged from the back of the bus despite all the screaming – and crying, as Dominic was now doing – and the more he thought about it, the more he frowned. It didn't take much longer for the lightbulb to go off.

“...Oh, shit. I think we left him in Lenolia.”





The alleyways were a maze, tangled with sickly vines and more poison-resistant weeds than Cameron could count. Constantly tripping on stray rocks or loose plants, Cameron's temper was starting to get out of control. After yet another face-to-face with a dead end, the boy finally stopped and hunched over, trying to catch his breath. Shep fell to the ground behind him, chest heaving with the effort of chasing his friend. Runner had long since succumbed to his terror and passed out, returned to his Luxury ball for a rest. After a few moments of heavy breathing, Cameron straightened up.

“There's got to be someone in this town who won't jump at me with a knife,” he muttered, looking around. There was only one path that wasn't collapsed; a small archway near where Cameron had entered the small space. Ducking under the arch, Cameron walked along the path at a much slower pace, his legs already burning with pain from over-exertion. Unbeknownst to the star, only a minute and a half had passed since his mad dash – it was now nearing eleven. One last turn and the passage opened into a wider alleyway...

...The one he'd ran from.

“Damn,” he said, taking in the four people in front of him. The big guy in the leather was standing between him and the thugs, with the girl still farther down the alley. Not good. “Uh, Shep? Do you smell another way out?”

“You're gonna need it, kid,” a raspy voice said behind him. Cameron froze, heart beating fast. Stretch must have had some amazing recovery skills (or a Paralyse Heal) to throw off the Thunder Wave so quickly. Cameron had a feeling the trick wouldn't work a second time.

Sprinting away from Stretch's grabby hands, Cameron dived behind the guy in the jacket. “Don't just stand there; help me! Do something!” Not like they would help after he just left them, but it was worth a try.

Posted by: Tymid Aug 30 2010, 10:31 PM

Raven kept on with her determined march, pausing only briefly to kneel and talk to her companions. Requiem and Aria were both city-pokemon, and were visibly concerned, Aria more-so than Requiem. She turned to the scarred-up shinx who had fear in her eyes, and she stroked back the tattered fur and ears, looking reassuringly into her eyes. "Now, Aria...there's nothing to fear here. I promised I would never let anything happen to you again." she murmured, scratching the Shinx's ears gently. The Shinx offered a sheepish smile in return, the slanted scarring on her face wrinkling up into obvious relief. "Shinx!" she affirmed, mewling and rubbing up against Raven's leg. Raven then turned to the Totodile, who had seemingly raised a brow in disgust at his trainer. Raven chuckled, playfully shoving the intimidating looking 'Dile. "You should know better than to be nervous, Req'. You've been with me for long enough to know how good I take care of you."

Requiem snorted in indignation at the word nervous. It could plainly be seen in his eyes that such a word was never to be applied to such a fearless creature. He reached out his claw and touched the tip of her nose gently, returning the claw to touch his own nose. Raven smiled at his communication of security, mimicking the move right back at him. Something moved in the corner of her vision, and she turned her head to see a rather large man coming out of what she assumed to be one of the famed "stores" in Lenolia. Upon examination of the man's dress, her first thought was: "Wow...didn't know leather and jeans were such a fashion statement nowadays.", to which she looked down at her own clothes, her nose wrinkling. Did she really look that cliche'?
As she continued to study him, her brow furrowed in thought; he seemed to be a rather forboding individual...if not ruggedly handsome.

...She had a thing for tattoos.

As she saw the man pull out a poke'ball, she instinctively pulled her two poke'mon closer to her, watching him warily. It was unlike a trainer to spring an attack unannounced, but from what she had heard about Lenolia, she wouldn't be surprised. However, he seemed uninterested in her, and released the poke'mon from it's captivity. Her hand flew to her mouth as she saw the disheveled, emaciated Vulpix. She had a love for the Fox Pokemon, and had a strong desire to have such an intelligent, beautiful creature as a friend. Aria, being the curious Shinx that she was, started to pull and tug against Raven, wanting to go visit the new fuzzy creature. "Shinx!" she cried in greeting, the shabby-looking Shinx wagging her chipped star-tip tail excitedly. "Hush, Ari..." Raven murmured, anger glinting in her eyes at the state of the Vulpix.

There are many people she would kill to save a Vulpix. She looked over at Requiem, who was staring at the man and the Vulpix coldly, an oddly human, knowing look in his eyes. He, too had been mistreated, practically left for dead at the banks of a polluted river near Petropolis in a trash bag. Since she had rescued the Totodile, she noticed that he seemed to take on the same worried, yet stoic nature when he saw injured or abused Poke'mon that she did. She also noticed that he bore an odd aggression towards other people of the male gender. Requiem's one seeing eye glinted with an inner rage; his unseeing eye shimmering deadly with a cold, white harshness. She could understand his anger, her own was boiling up inside of her like a seething cauldron of rage. How dare he treat a poke'mon that way! How dare-...oh.

Her gaze quickly softened as she saw him kneel and stroke the Vulpix, removing the cruel tag from it's ear and speaking to it in warm, gentle tones. She felt the tension leave her muscles as she realized that he had probably just rescued the Poke'mon from one of the notorious Black Market Poke'mon traders, infamously known for their mistreatment and poor handling of poke'mon. Some of the higher ranked groups were even known to operate Poke'Mills, using poke'mon only as breeding machines and supplying sick and diseased Poke'mon to owners who didn't know any better. However, by the way that the Vulpix was demonstrating his appreciation and affection for the man, she could rightfully assume that he was not one of those kind of people. Vulpix were extremely intelligent and highly perceptive of people, rarely captured by the wrong sort of folk.

She suddenly realized that she was smiling, and erased the tell-tale sign of emotion from her usually stoic visage. She couldn't help it, she enjoyed seeing poke'mon rescued. And now that she knew where the man had gotten it...maybe she could-

Slow, rough laughter filled her senses. Swiftly, she rose to her feet, eyes sweeping the area carefully. She admonished herself for being so foolish, leaving her back exposed in a place like this. How long had she lived on the streets? Her eyes landed on the richly dressed kid again, and her annoyance showed plainly on her face. Was he seriously going to go on screaming like an idiot? Did he -not- know where he was, and what territory he was in? She began walking his direction, her intense green eyes narrowed in slits of tried patience. With the noise he was making, he was going to get himself killed, or worse, endanger the life of her and her poke'mon. As she opened her mouth to speak, she was beaten to the punch by the other she had observed with the Vulpix.

"Hey. Noisy kid. Shut up."

She smirked as she heard the man say what she had been thinking. Actually, she had been thinking something along the lines of: "Why don't you yell louder, the hearse won't hear you. Then what shall we do with your corpse." Instead, she stood back and folded her arms, the Totodile at her side mimicking her movement, and Aria looking very confused and distracted by the quivering Pichu on the boy's shoulder. Raven didn't mask the sneer that fell on her lips as she observed the cowardly poke'mon. Spoiled brat must've paid a fortune for the yellow thing. Or, better yet, he must have had someone else buy it for him.

...That's how she always did it.

Raven's thoughts to her past were thankfully interrupted by the tall man's deep vocals once again. She looked at him with curiosity, shifting her bottom jaw to the side so that it gave her a contemplative look. Again, before she could think too hard, she heard the idiot-boy babbling on about how he would pay them, talking about his father's good name, yadda-yadda. She stepped forward, a seething rage boiling in her eyes. "Listen here, buck-o. You'd better pay a good mind to what this fella's sayin'. I don't give a damn about your money, or how shoved up the media's ass you and your father might be. All I'm sayin' is this: you put me or my friends here in danger, you will have something to worry about." she whispered, slowly inching closer to his face, her livid eyes shooting sparks. Her voice was oddly sensual in it's raspy, angry tambre, but she did not mean for it to be. In fact, there was something about her heavy southern drawl was very intimidating.

Poor boy. Little did he know, offering her money and flaunting his success through bribery was one of the few ways to pique the typically solemn Raven's unexpected temper. She doubted that he knew that she possessed, if not the equivalent, more than he could ever dream of owning monetary-wise, even though most of it had been given away to various rescue organizations and to homeless folks.

It was Requiem's deep growl and the encroaching shadow that surrounded them that snapped her out of her rage, and into a state of subdued caution. Backing up from the boy, she looked up to the rooftop and saw the gaunt man, eerily staring down at her and Cameron. She listened to their discourse, calmly thinking of a plan of action. These guys were nothing but cheap ruffians with no better tactic than to try and intimidate. Battle-wise, they were stupid; she had encountered their type on the streets before. She stifled a yawn with a slender hand, the Totodile and Shinx at her side simply twitching with excitement. Aria's scarred appearance made her appear to be more menacing than she was, the light of the moon casting shadows into the indentations in her fur, particularly into the one over her eye, giving the happy little Shinx an eerie glare. This would be a swift battle.

However, when the electrike used Thunder Wave, she was caught off guard, ushering her poke'mon behind her so she could take the brunt of the attack, if it reached that far. As she squinted her eyes shut, preparing for the shock, she could feel the static electricity tickle the tiny hairs on her face as the wave died out right before it hit her. Exhaling sharply, she opened her eyes to see the boy running off into an alley.

Now she was mad. Not only had he just broken two of her previously stated cardinal rules, he, a young man with poke'mon, was going to run from a battle. Stupid boy. She slid the tip of her tongue over the edge of her top row of teeth, the frustration practically sparking in her eyes. How the hell did she get involved in this ruckus? She was supposed to be here for a damn vacation. She scratched the back of her head, thinking of the irony of it all. She turned to the other, knowing he would probably be just as frustrated as she was for the boy running off. "Don't worry..." she stated, a smirk falling onto her lips. "He'll be back. He doesn't know these alleys." She turned her head towards the direction that he fled, and held up three fingers, eying them knowingly. "3...2...1..."

As if on cue, the boy sprinted out of the alleyway and dove behind the man, pleading for their help. Raven 'tsk'ed over to the boy, keeping her eyes on the targets ahead. "Does the Prince command us meager jesters to do his bidding?" she stated in a syrupy sweet voice, her profile showing that she was mimicking the voice with a simpering facial expression. Whipping her head towards him, she whispered through clenched teeth, her eyes and face now a mask of disgust and malice, "Not for you, kid. I fight for my friends. Not for you. You're the one who got us into this mess."

Quickly turning her head back to the nearing ruffians, she grabbed a poke'ball and summoned Aria back inside, positioning Requiem at her side.

The rough-looking Totodile snarled menacingly, back spikes bristling with aggression. The fun was about to begin.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Aug 30 2010, 11:00 PM

The boy in front of his seemed utterly pathetic. Tag noted that his mere appearance on the scene caused the kid to make pathetic noises, then make an equally pathetic attempt at a scowl. A tiny bubble of pity floated to the top of Tag's brain, making a little pop noise in his head as it burst.

The girl in similar clothing had come into full view, revealing a scarred Totodile and a raggedy Shinx. She didn't seem like the raiders by any means, and the tattoos Tag had noticed earlier were more artful than intimidating. She did look, however, just as peeved as Tag did, and in that sense, he felt an awkward sort of unspoken companionship with this fellow grump. At most, her pokemon did not look like major threats to his: He was convinced that he would be able to dispatch of the two visible pokemon in a short amount of time.

The noisy kid's pokemon were obviously pampered little pets, diving for covering and trembling piteously. It was clear that they weren't used to such terrain. To be fair, Tag wasn't accustomed to polluted, wasteland, ruins of what was once probably a magnificent city.

The Electrike stepped out and sparked dangerously at the girl, just as Tag finished his out-loud speaking. Her response actually drew a knowing smile to his lips. Once again, he felt appreciation for meeting someone with his mindset. She was a bit more outspoken than he was, of course, but her message was in conjunction with his.

"I'm not here to kill you, I'm here to help-" Tag managed to begin. However, three shadowy men appeared on a nearby rooftop, with a Koffing floating between them, its eerie Stepford smile evident as they looked down about the trio of travelers. They had called them all 'customers', and lumped the three of them together as catches. This, of course, was enough to convince him that the girl, her Totodile and her Shinx could be counted on as allies, at least against the trio ahead of him.

"Uh, I'll leave these guys to you two. Good Luck!" Tag snapped his head to the side at the end of the sentence, only to watch the platinum blond idiot teenager hurtle off into an alleyway, followed closely by his duo of electric pokemon. The electrike had fired off a Thunder Wave, briefly paralyzing the one called Stretch. The Leader, Petrol, acted quickly, using a procured paralyze heal on the paralyzed buffoon, who then ran off in pursuit of the kid.

"Stupid." Tag sighed. He heard the girl counting down nearby, and sure enough:

The kid re-emerged from the same alleyway, sans Pichu, and out of breath.
"Stupider" Tag muttered, shaking his head. He watched as the petrified fool essentially dove behind him, away from the man, Stretch, who had pursued him to begin with.

"Don't just stand there; help me! Do Something!" The kid was flailing behind him, essentially blubbering like he was on a shortbus to Hug School. Tag sighed, drawing two pokeballs. Part of him had been rearing to battle since he left the black market store moments before, and now was the chance to test it out.

"Please. Shut up." Tag snapped at the petulant man-child behind him. "I was gonna fight them already, but since you asked oh-so-nicely" he couldn't help the sarcasm dripping from his voice. The kid was already trying his patience, thereby adding to the list of people he'd met in Furoh who infuriated him.

"You. Tattoo-girl" turning his head to the girl, hoping she'd follow his lead on this one, he commanded: "You and your Totodile take the guy Clem, I'll take Petrol and Stretch here."

With that, he procured two pokeballs and held them forward, tossing them forward with a somewhat nonchalant grace. "Kyoko. Bachi." In a flash of light, Kyoko, his Oddish appeared before him, facing up against the grubby Stretch. She hopped about happily on the field, waving her frond to and fro, with her cheerful appearance in stark contrast to the more menacing Requiem nearby. Another flash of light heralded the arrival of Bachi on the field. He stomped the ground as he shook his pins in anticipation of battle. His spiky countenance alone was quite intimidating. He and his trainer watched as the leader, Petrol, descended from the rooftop by holding on to his eerily smiling Koffing as it floated down. In all honesty, he wanted to send out Tobi, to see his battle prowess, but the poor creature was so soon out of crated captivity, that he didn't want to subject him to further pain for now. A meal would have to come first for the Vulpix before training and before battle. For the meantime, he focused in on the battle before him, and tried to keep the sound of the whiny kid clinging behind him in the periphery.

Posted by: Haunted Sep 3 2010, 05:59 PM

Still using the tall man as a means of cover, Cameron scowled. They didn't have to speak to him like that – especially the girl. Was she raised in a barn or something? Man. Cameron was ready to voice his complaints – of which there were many – until the tall man quite politely told him to shut up. “Ugh,” the boy groaned. He had to get stuck with the assholes. Oh, well – soon enough he'd be free of them and this stupid town, on his way to Gigarte. And after the show there was over, he'd fire everyone involved in this stupid mix-up. Maybe even before the show; there were plenty of musicians in Petropolis tripping over themselves to have a chance to play for Ramirez Music.

Petrol smiled at Tag, revealing a gold-capped tooth in the front of his mouth. “Well, well! Someone's got some guts here. Nice to see you're not a sniveling brat. Koffing!” The rotund Pokemon belched even more gas into the alley at his trainer's voice, thickening the already-heavy air. Cameron coughed through his collar. “I'd really rather not battle, but unfortunately my companions and I have fallen into dire straights. That cowering wreck behind you should be enough to pay our expenses, plus more – especially if he's who I think he is. You two will be a nice bonus. Maybe will get Clem a new set of teeth. That sound nice, Clem?”

“Yep!”

“Good.” Petrol turned back to Tag and Cameron, the sinister gleam in his eyes making the teenager’s blood go cold. “Ramirez, correct? Shame you didn't bring that guitar of yours. I heard it's worth quite the pretty penny. Golbat! Supersonic!”

Cameron blanched, slapping his hands over his ears at the last second. The Golbat had probably been waiting in the alleyway from the start, spying on them. Creepy – and dangerous. The gigantic bat screeched, a nails-on-chalkboard noise that made Cameron's skin crawl and sent Shep into a howling fit. Stumbling into the wall, the Electrike shook his head and gazed, unfocused, at the bricks. Cameron didn't bother to see how the big guy's Pokemon were doing – he launched himself to the ground, avoiding the Golbat's wings as it flew through the cramped alley.

“Don't hurt the boy, Golbat. We'll get more cash if he's alive.”

Half-crawling, Cameron quickly grabbed a hold of Shep's tail before the Lightning Pokemon could injure himself further. Wincing as the Golbat's claws grazed his arm, the star pulled Shep away from the walls and back to his post behind Tag- hopefully, the bat would be discouraged by the big guy standing between it and its prey.

On the other side of the alley, Clem was busy staring hard at the Pokeball in his hand. He couldn't remember if it was a Glameow or a Meowth – honestly, what was the diff'rence 'tween th' two, anyways? - and he really didn't want to keep Girly waiting. Or Petrol, for that matter. The boss could get mighty angry if someone messed up, and if Clem messed up here, he'd be in deep crap.

“If you mess up here, Clem, you'll be in deep crap.” Petrol had warned him earlier. They had seen the boy enter Lenolia and after realising who it was, Petrol had assembled the team and told them the plan. Corner and catch; don't hurt the kid. Fairly simple, even for a guy like Clem.

Despite this, he was already screwing up.

“Aw, forget this,” he muttered, and tossed the ball in the air. The resulting flash of light revealed a rather scrawny Rattata. Clem blinked. He didn't even know he owned a Rattata, much less carried it around where he usually carried the Meowth (or was it a Glamoew?). Shrugging, Clem ordered a Quick Attack on the mean-looking Totodile. Hopefully a few hits would get the message across and Girly would surrender without fuss – he really hated fighting girls.

They usually kicked his butt.

“What do you mean, you broke the bus?!”

“I, uh, drove into a ditch-”

“What.”

“- and it, uh, just stopped working-”

“Oh, Arceus. Damian's gonna kill us.”

“- and, uh, I told Anemone to borrow a part from your bus to get it working again-”

“...”

“- and now they both don't work.”

“Dominic?”

“Y-yes, Holland?”

“I hate you.”





The Golbat swooped at Cameron again, completely ignoring the fact that a tall guy with tattoos and a leather jacket was in the way. Ducking and covering his bleached hair with his hands, Cameron nudged Shep with his foot. The Electrike was mostly alright now, with only a slight bruise on his head crest where he'd hit the wall. “Alright, use a Thunder Wave on that.”

“No can do, kiddo!” Pain lanced through Cameron's chest as someone pulled on the back of his collar, jolting his backwards onto the ground and away from the impromptu bodyguard. Dazed, Cameron paled again as he saw the skull-like, grinning face of Stretch above him. “You're fight's with me, not the boss.”

“What? But he was attacking me-”

“Life ain't fair, kid. Yo, Grimer! Go get that dog before it's too much of a trouble.”

A puddle of sludge near a broken television suddenly came to life, dripping bits of itself as it moved surprisingly fast, making a beeline for Shep. Growling, the Electrike sent a multitude of sparks across the pavement at the Grimer...missing it by two feet. Its arm began to extend, the acid sliding from it sizzling on the street.

“Oh, crap,” Cameron muttered, getting to his feet. The Smokescreen was too thick and the bout of Confusion had completely thrown Shep off. Whining, the Electrike sent of another shower of sparks – missing once again. Grinning in a way that made Cameron want to throw up, the Grimer's arm lashed into the mud seeping between the cracked stone, sending a small brown wave at Shep. Unable to dodge in time, Shep fell to the super-effective attack, his bristled fur lying flat.

“You know,” Cameron said, his voice high and petulant. “When I asked for help, I didn't think I'd be the one fighting!” Angrily he grabbed Shep's ball and returned him, pausing to debate if he should send out Runner or not. The Pichu was probably awake now, but if he passed out during battle...”

“Oh, well. What the hell.” A flash, and the Pichu was clinging to Cameron again. With a sigh (inhaling quite a bit of smoke, which sent him into a brief coughing fit) he peeled the Pichu off and held him above the majority of the gas. Stretch laughed, seemingly unaffected by the fumes.

“Got a scaredy-rat, have ya? This won't take long, then.”

I officially hate this tour.

Posted by: Tymid Sep 3 2010, 10:43 PM

Raven didn't utter a word as she heard the tall-man's command, she simply set her eyes to the task. She could practically feel the boy's look of disgust, and had the situation not escalated so quickly, she would probably be laughing at the poor kid. There was nothing she enjoyed more than making rich punks uncomfortable. However, being as the situation was becoming out of hand, she focused her mind on the task at hand. She began reviewing all of her training notes in her head, thinking quickly as to what moves she knew her Totodile maintained at his young age and the thought made her nervous. While she knew Requiem had been through the mill before, in other scenarios, he had never actually been in a battle. The closest to a battle he had ever been in was in playfights with herself or Aria, and while Raven knew first-hand that his Tackle and Water Gun threw quite a punch...the realization now dawned on her that this is all that it came down to; the trust between trainer and poke'mon. She could only hope, now, that Totodile would stay calm under pressure and react to her commands as deftly as he had in practice.

Her heart was pounding in her throat, as she stood prepared to battle. However, the longer she stood, the longer the leader kept talking. She actually straightened up a bit from her battle-ready position to scratch her head in confusion. This...wasn't how battles were described in the training manuals. Then again, she had already established that these were dumb street-punks who understood the gift of intimidation to be better than the gift of intelligence. She could use this to her advantage. She took the opportunity to swiftly kneel, and lock eyes with the Totodile, touching her fingertip to his nose. "We can do this, Req'. Just stay focused, and remember what we've worked for, okay?" she whispered, offering a gentle smile towards his direction. He reached out a claw-tip and touched her nose, his one good eye offering the same, honest glint. "Totodile." he responded, before she witnessed his eye dart towards the Golbat. As she heard the command of Supersonic, her instinct kicked in and she covered the ears of her Totodile, wincing as, though distant, the terrible sound of the confusing screech seemed to tickle her senses. Shaking her head brusquely, she rose to her feet, nodding sharply down at Totodile, who seemed no worse for wear. She threw her shoulders back, looking at the thug to whom she'd been assigned...and she wrinkled her nose as the guy was looking rather confusedly at the Poke'ball.

Oh, come -on-. This was just silly.

Finally, as though coming to a grand decision, he threw the ball, and as the flash subsided, she noticed a rather pizzly looking Rattata in it's place. Immediately, she felt sorry for the creature, who looked simply miserable and emaciated. Ignoring her urge to help the creature, she began running the facts she knew about the Mouse Poke'mon. Well, for one...she knew that they were Normal-type. A good start. Second, she knew that they had wicked speed on their side, and those teeth could deliver a nasty blow. So, even though this Rattata may look simple, she knew that it could still hurt her young Totodile. So, as quickly as the scant facts she knew ran through her head, she heard herself saying: "Requiem, be prepared to side-step or dodge, but also be prepared to take a hit. After he moves, use Leer--we'll see how that shakes him."

"Dile!" came the affirmative, and sure enough, the blur of a Rattata came dashing towards him in a Quick Attack. While Totodile attempted a very commendable dodge, he was no match for Rattata's speed and took a glancing blow to his shoulder. She winced as Totodile grunted with discomfort, but he gave her a glance that told her he was still up for battle. As his eyes locked on his target, Requiem's eyes glinted with Leer. It was truly an intimidating sight, with one, seemingly normal eye glaring with a fierce, adrenaline fueled intensity, but it was a completely different sight altogether with the glazed, pale eye shooting an almost dead glare towards the Rattata. Both eyes looked on with no fear, and Requiem even curled his lip up in a snarl for good measure. Raven felt a smile creep onto her lips as even she, one who had seen his Leer countless times in practice, watched the Big Jaw Poke'mon, send a thrilling chill down her back. She could only guess what the poor Rattata must be thinking at this point.

As Requiem continued to stare down his opponent, her periphery caught the drama going on to her side. It seemed that the tall-man could handle himself alright, and with the aid of that mean looking Nidorino, he should be fine. Her short attention span lingered on the happy-looking oddish, before the rich boy's whine snapped her out of her distraction. It was a complete mess over there, with a Smokescreen and the stumbling Electrike, who was quickly taken out by the disgusting looking Grimer. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the little Electrike...it hadn't really stood a chance. However, when the boy took out his Pichu, she began to worry. She hoped the tall man could handle himself over there, he wasn't sure if Aria and Requiem would last in that corner of the fray.

Turning her mind back onto her own battle, she realized that time seemed to be moving in slow motion. It felt like hours since she had told Requiem to cast Leer, and there he was, still glaring down an increasingly terrified looking Rattata. She figured that this must be the adrenaline pumping in her veins, and she called out Requiem's name. He acknowledged her with a flick of his scarred tail, still Leering at the Rattata. "Requiem, focus. Keep your reflexes at the ready, and prepare to dodge another attack, but brace for a hit. Also, prepare to use Water Gun." she murmured in hushed tones. Despite the noise of the battle, she knew that the 'Dile's disability had inadvertently heightened his hearing, allowing her to be more secretive in her commands and leave more to the foe to guess at. Requiem flicked his tail again in understanding, patiently awaiting the Rattata's move.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Sep 4 2010, 12:02 AM

Intimidation had never really worked on Tag. Factoring in the fact that he'd just defeated a very skilled psychic trainer who knew his name by prodding the ether, then it would easily become clear that the tattooed man was not moved by psychological power plays. In fact, he was usually the one forcing them on others. As the tallest in his motley group of makeshift allies, it appeared evident that he had been placed with the most responsibility. He watched carefully for a moment, studying Koffing, Golbat and Grimer, making no moves as Cameron scurried about like a beetle on fire. The enemy bat's supersonic screech did little to affect his pokemon, as they weren't really the intended targets From what Tag understood, the supersonic sound waves were mostly harmless, just annoying. It was the epicenter of the attack, wherein the thinnest beam of sound would impact with a pokemon's head, rattling the brain and causing momentary confusion. Once the screech subsided, Tag continued to watch Cameron with swiftly waning interest.

“You know, when I asked for help, I didn't think I'd be the one fighting!" The whining. Again.

"No one asked you to fight." Tag cast a frightening glare at Cameron, in hopes that he'd just shut up. "If you'd recalled your pokemon, they wouldn't have anything to attack: They want you unharmed. Weren't you listening?" He watched hopelessly onward as the petrified Pichu appeared, but found himself caught up in just how cute it was.

He heard the tattoo girl nearby him muttering at her Totodile, evidently named Requiem. It seemed a little garbled and unnecessarily long for a command to one pokemon facing a Rattata, so he offered some advice.

"Too many commands" Tag shook his head. Apparently, she was a novice too. "Learn to simplify, that way you can easily adapt to the flow of battle." The advice sounded sage. He hoped it made some sense at least: He needed her to keep Clem occupied. Once he'd mopped the floor with Petrol and Stretch (Yes, he still fully intended to take on Stretch as well), he'd help her turn the tides on Clem, though from his bumbling sort of personality, she would probably fare well. However, the last thing he needed was to be the only viable battler against the three goons.

Then, once the moment was right, Tag went to work. In one swift motion, he un-clipped another pokeball and dropped it on the ground, revealing Suzu, his Ledian.

"Kyoko, Worry Seed on Koffing. Bachi, Horn Attack Golbat, Suzu, Encore on Grimer."

The precision of the attacks was a sight to behold. At once, each of the commanded pokemon initiated their attacks in terrifying tandem. The first thing to note was the powerful leap from Bachi the Nidorino. His legs planted firmly before he pushed forward, slamming with incredible force, horn forward, into the flying bat. Shrieking, the pokemon went reeling back, slamming into a wall with the force of the impact. It shuddered for a moment before returning to the air, incredibly shaken, but still in fighting form.

The next thing of note played on Tag's veritable experience. The worry seed, a seldom used move, impacted the smiling Koffing. Upon impact a small pink flower bloomed, conjuring the image of Koffing the tango dancer, or Koffing in a pretty bonnet. However, with its Levitate ability suddenly switched to the Insomnia ability, Koffing plummeted to the ground, essentially unable to stay quite aloft without the aid of its ability.

Elsewhere, Suzu flashed into view in front of Cameron, buzzing dangerously as the Grimer approached. As her beating wings buzzed in the air, some of the smoke from the smokescreen gently drifted aside, giving Runner and Cameron a little room to breathe. Meanwhile, she clapped her hands enthusiastically, as if cheering on the Grimer. While again appearing to have no effect, a more subtle, unnoticeable one had taken place.

"Golbat, Wing Attack! Koffing, Smog!" "Grimer, Pound!" the commands echoed out in the ruined city, filled with the sound of desperation as the two ruffians had suddenly been put on the defensive by Tag's opening barrage.

The wobbly bat swept forward, striking Bachi with a powerful swoop. However, it reeled back in pain, having evidently done more damage to itself by impacting with Bachi's horns. Bachi, however, did not escape unscathed. He winced in pain as he took a pace or two backwards, reeling from the blow.

Grimer, meanwhile, hastened to obey its master's command, but in lieu of reaching up to slap the opposing Ledian with its slimy hand, it simply hurled another glob of mud at her. The attack sailed gently underneath her and landed in a messy pile at Cameron's feet. Suzu looked quite triumphant, as her encore attack had worked wonders once again. Now with Grimer locked into Mud Slap, she could attack without fear of a counter.

Laying on the ground, the pink flower still in adornment on its poisonous body, Koffing spat out a cloud of thick smoke, arcing towards Kyoko. However, the desired effect clearly did not take place. In fact, as the cloud floated around Kyoko, she calmed down in her dancing, closed her eyes and smiled. A faint "jolt" sound was heard, and suddenly she was enveloped in a white light. Tag watched on with the tiniest of smiles alighting upon his face. Kyoko was evolving. She grew upwards in silhouette, her little plam frond curling downwards, forming several 'balls' of spongy plant flesh. A few other leaves grew out, forming little trailing 'ribbons'. Lastly, her plump little body sprouted a tiny pair of arms, waving about with a new found sense of freedom. Once the bright light cleared, only smog could be seen. Once that gently drifted away, in full bloom was an adolescent Gloom. Kyoko now looked something more like a Rafflesia plant, and had the accompanying noxious smell. Tag's smile subsided for the time being; he would celebrate the evolution after the precarious situation was over.

"Suzu, Comet Punch. Bachi, Fury Attack. Kyoko, Stun Spore!"

Brimming with confidence and all the verve of well trained fighters, the trio of Tag's pokemon once again threw themselves forward. Suzu in a flurry of rapid punches aimed at the Grimer, Bachi with his horn flashing dangerously at the Golbat, and Kyoko's Stun Spore, more potent than before, wafting towards the grounded Koffing. It appeared that Tag's pokemon had gained the upper hand in the battle.

Posted by: Haunted Sep 8 2010, 07:06 PM

Clem's Rattata was trying very hard not to wet itself. This is quite a lot harder than it seemed - after all, a half-blind Totodile was giving it the evil eye. The Rattata was young and knew little about the general ways of the world, but it knew enough to (correctly) guess that the blue reptile in front of it was a little higher on the food chain and that bad things would happen to it if it continued to cower on the alley floor.

"Rattata! Don' jus' sit there, attack again!" Startled, the poor rodent jumped a mile.

"Ra," it squeaked. And then it charged.

On the other side of the alley, Petrol was very close to tearing someone's hair out. He'd underestimated the tall one - he obviously knew what he was doing, and he was doing it well. A short growl, similar to one a Poochyena might utter when deprived of food, escaped his throat and he decided to even the playing field a bit. Koffing was almost done for; Stretch had only the Ekans left when the Grimer went down. And from the sounds over on the girl's side, Clem's Rattata wouldn't be long for the battle. Reaching into a sewn-on rag on his grubby jacket that served as a pocket, he pulled out a Pokeball.

This Pokeball was black and shiny, crossed with gold lines - remarkably similar to the Luxury balls Cameron kept Shep and Runner in. The only difference was the fact that the release button on the front looked cracked, a sickly purple light emanating from within. He was a little wary of using what lay trapped inside - he'd gotten it by less-than-favourable means, even for a thief; and it hated him and everything else in the world with an intense passion - but it could ensure him an easy victory if he played his cards right. Raising his arm, Petrol took careful aim, eyeballing the spot in front of where the rich brat stood. Without fanfare, he threw it into the fray.

Runner had always had a weak constitution; odd for a species touted as brave and loyal. He'd much rather prefer to sit on a couch or bed and eat Grepa berries all day, maybe taking a break to play chase with Shep or cuddle with Cameron. He didn't ask for much and, in return, he simply wanted the world at large to stop trying to scare the everloving crap out of him.

The long, multicoloured Pokemon in front of him nearly knocked the Pichu out when it appeared. Four-inch-long red fangs, a gleaming, poison-tipped tail - every rodent's worst nightmare. Ears pressed close to his head, Runner let out a long, keening wail and tried in vain to dig through Cameron's arms, into the ground, and through the earth to a nice deserted island populated only by Grepa trees.

Cameron, on the other hand, was trying to keep his terrified Electric Mouse from clawing his arms into bloody pulps.

"For the love of Arceus, Runner-" The Pichu tried to dive into the low v-neck of his shirt, both tickling the teenager and giving him a set of scratches. "-get off of me and attack the damn thing!"

Wrenching the Pichu off of him and onto the ground, Cameron felt a pang of guilt at the look of abject terror on his friend's face. "I'm sorry," he muttered quickly. "But the sooner we get rid of these guys, the sooner we'll go home. And you can have all the berries you want, and Terry will give you a nice hot bath." Terry was Cameron's mother's sister - a kind woman, if disapproving of her sister's choice in a husband. After Elia's death she'd left her job as a Nurse Joy-in-training and became more or less Cameron's nanny. She was the only person he actually cared for and he often left his Pokemon with her while he was busy. Runner loved her because she let him have as much food as he wanted.

"Chu," he sniffled, turning to face the Seviper. It glared down at him coldly, no light in its eyes. He's much rather fight the Grimer, but the Ledian seemed to have that particular Pokemon under control. It was slapping somewhat uselessly at the ground, unable to move even as the Bug-type sank her fists into it's soft body. The Golbat, too was getting quite the beating, shrieking as a sharp horn grazed it's wing membrane. Taking a deep breath, Runner attempted to steady his nerves. Think about the berries.

It didn't work.

Before the Pichu could turn tail and hide behind Cameron's legs, the Seviper lashed out with it's gleaming tail, sending a line of hissing purple acid through the air. Thankfully for Runner, the Poison Tail attack missed, spraying the acid along one of the crumbling walls. The blade-tail itself landed with a dull thud in the ground, no expression apparent on the Seviper's face as it tried to wrest it out. Seizing his chance, Runner squeezed his eyes shut and bent double, concentrating hard. Pressure built up in the sacs on his cheeks, creating a halo of sparks around his head. A hellishly impressive - but rather weak - Thundershock zapped from his cheeks to the Seviper, sending the snake into a writhing fit. While young and not nearly as large at it would someday be, the Seviper was still longer than an Ekans and his convulsions both freed its tail and sent Runner flying. Stumbling over himself, Cameron stretched out his arms and not-so-gracefully caught Runner, cradling the Pichu. A dark bruise was beginning to form on his small body. Cameron resisted the urge to bite his lip.

"Can you try another Thundershock? A stronger one?" Runner blinked and sat up, repeating the process from before. "Wait, not in my - ow!"

Posted by: Kamaitachi Sep 9 2010, 02:27 AM

The situation was rapidly changing. The leader of the lot, Petrol, had unleashed a third pokemon onto the field, with his Golbat and Koffing. Thankfully, the chosen target was the terrified Pichu. To be fair, while Tag had the lion's share of the situation under control, he wasn't sure how he could fare the oncoming Seviper on top of it all. He did, however, have to supress a bit of a chuckle as the kid essentially got himself shocked by his own pokemon's attack.

"Idiot kid, have Pichu use Thunder Wave. Remember, Pichu are not adept at their electric attacks: They do some damage to themselves in the process." he essentially barked over at Cameron, attempting to micro-manage that end of the battle as well. The current thought was to summon Tobi to the field to help even things out, but a harsh pang of guilt struck him once more. He surely didn't want to send the newly rescued Vulpix into battle with an opponent as dangerous as a Seviper. He reiterated the thought of a hot meal and a fur combing for Tobi before any battle.

Tag observed closely as his Pokemon beat the living snot out of the Stretch and Petrol's. Suzu's Comet Punch was a nonstop barrage of her adorable white fists into the sludgy body, and ultimately it succumbed, futilely flinging one last patch of mud to no avail. Kyoko had wrapped one of her rafflesia ribbons around Koffing, slowly draining its energy away. Without commands, it simply spewed useless smog at the Gloom, who simply absorbed back any energy from the Koffing with her Mega Drain. All the while, she absorbed some of the smog as well, her stench seemingly all the more noxious. Bachi's horn had wreaked some serious havoc on the Golbat, who after barrage after barrage from his Fury Attack, lay on the ground, unmoving.

Cursing audibly, Stretch recalled his slime pokemon to its ball, releasing an Ekans in its stead. The thought in Tag's head, naturally, was that he hoped a Meowth was in the mix too. Why he thought this, however, eluded him completely. Perhaps he simply imagined that he had to prepare for trouble, then make it double. Upon the arrival of the Seviper, Petrol had recalled Koffing and Golbat, since they bore no more use to the battle at hand. However, the battle took a turn for the worse. The Ekans appeared in the stead of its fallen comrade. Tag made a slight error in repositioning his pokemon. Perhaps his confidence had gotten the better of him this time. He issued the commands for Suzu to aid Pichu against the Seviper, ordering a Supersonic. Hopefully, the Pichu had used the Thunder wave, and between the two, a proper para-fusion combo had taken place. However, the venomous tail had lashed out, slashing Suzu across her torso (Thorax?), and she reeled back, wailing in pain. She took a knee on the ground, and appeared to be shivering from the poison. It was okay, as her quick reflexes had saved her from being vivisected at the waist. However, the poison seemed quite potent, and Tag found himself visibly worried about her condition. Bachi and Kyoko had elsewhile taken up the fight against the Ekans, however, at the issuance of a Glare attack from Stretch, Tag watched as Bachi stood there, more than likely petrified with an induced terror by the Ekans. With Suzu poisoned and Bachi paralyzed, he had only Kyoko in full form, and her forte was inducing status, not dealing damage, especially since the Poison type foes were somewhat resistant to her Grass and Poison attacks.

Hopefully, for him, the para-fusion had taken place on Seviper, which would no doubt be a fine boon to that end of the battle. Not wanting to see his compatriots hurt further, he recalled Suzu and Bachi to their pokeballs. In his mind, the battle would conclude shortly, allotting him time to head over to the pokemon center and heal his friends. In the meantime, however, he drew out the H-7 marked pokeball.

"I'm sorry." he muttered softly as he dropped the ball on the ground. Tag's newest team member, Tobi, appeared on the field, nonchalantly sizing up the enemy Seviper with his deep, calm, brown eyes. "Tobi, Disable. Kyoko, Sleep Powder" Psychokinetic energy flashed upwards as Tobi flared his six tails outwards. A flash appeared from his glowing eyes, washing over the Seviper momentarily. Petrol ordered another powerful Poison Tail, only to find the Seviper not responding. Tobi had shut off access to the attack, disallowing further use for the time. At the other end, Kyoko's pink spores drifted over Ekans, causing its eyes to droop, then ultimately close as it curled up on the ground, asleep. Two major threats currently averted.

Posted by: Tymid Sep 9 2010, 11:41 PM

Raven didn't respond to the tall man, after he offered his advice. That didn't mean that she wasn't listening, it simply meant that she was still focused on the task at hand. Her nose wrinkled in pity at the cowering rattata, but she could not stand to sympathize with this poke'mon, at least not until the battle was over. She had to stay focused. As the Rattata made it's feeble charge, Requiem easily dodged out of the way, the poor poke'mon's feeble attack not matching the Totodile's focus and energy. Before the Rattata hit the earth, Totodile's Water Gun was employed, and the now saturated Rattata went caterwauling into a nearby wall. Raven winced as the thud and squeak of the Rattata ended the short battle.

Clem stared, shocked at the Rattata's immobile corpus. Both he and Raven stared at the motionless poke'mon for a bit. As Raven witnessed the twitch of a tail, she breathed a sigh of relief, but she could hear Clem whisper a "Yes!" as well. Her initial thought that he was joyful that his poke'mon was still able to move was quickly thwarted, the brute reaching over and picking up the dripping poke'mon and laying it back in the field of battle. Raven's mouth literally fell open in shock and disgust, a tear of angst forming in her eye. Her eyes met with that of the injured, emaciated mouse poke'mon, and she gnawed her bottom lip in an attempt to keep her anger inside. The poke'mon's eyes glinted a very human despair, and she couldn't tell if the droplet dripping from his muzzle was a tear or a residual effect of the water gun. The breathing on the poke'mon was weak and haggard, and he couldn't even hold his own weight up on his tiny feet, he simply laid there, splayed on the ground like a discarded doll.

"...Recall him." she whispered, tasting bile in her throat. She could not take her eyes away from the fallen poke'mon, her memories vividly recalling a time when she herself had looked like this...only that time, no one had helped her. As she was brought out of her memory, her vision cleared from it's misty haze, the tears that had built up in her eyes dripping out as she blinked away from the Rattata's limp body. Clem's laughter was what brought her out of it, really...in his intelligence, he was proud that he had made a girl cry, especially one that looked so intimidating. Moreover, he thought he had won, even though his poke'mon was immobile in the field of battle. "Recall him...!" she rasped again, her voice catching in her throat, the nauseated feeling she had felt earlier only being amplified by the rage she was feeling. Requiem almost seemed to look regretful, as he too stared at the Rattata, gnawing on his lower lip with sharp little teeth.

The longer the Rattata laid there, and the louder Clem's laughter got, the more enraged she became, her fists turning white-knuckled, her fingernails digging deep into her palm. Her green eyes glinted with anger, and before she knew it, she hoarsely called out her demand again, unable to continue looking the small poke'mon in the eye. The expected laughter ensued, and with a very inhuman rage, she sprinted over to Clem and knocked him squarely in the jaw, her knuckles embedding deep within the joint between his lower jaw-bone at the rest of his facial bones. Clem's eyes went wide before the impact, his cackling mouth in a small 'o' shape as his fist collided with a very painful pressure point on his maxillofacial bones.

Raven's rage subsided with this very necessary outburst, however unconventional her methods had been. As Clem, whooping and hollering rubbed and clawed at his face, trying to make the pain go away, Raven rushed over to the Rattata, gently picking the Poke'mon up and cradling it in her arms. Her finger reached out and stroked away the tuft of hair that fell into the gaunt Rattata's face. With contrasting caring and softness, she used her deft fingertips to smooth out the ruffled and skewed fur of the rodent, all the while, looking into it's eyes and uttering words of reassurance. Her blood ran cold as, even though she was trying to comfort the poke'mon, she received no measurable response from the creature. He stared at her as blankly as if she were staring into a doll's eyes, and took no comfort in the words or gentle touches. Even when a potion was applied, and a berry given, the poke'mon only tilted it's head in a sort of confusion, as though it was unsure how to react to kindness. Raven had seen this before, but never to this extent. The sadness was reflected on her beautiful features, and as she felt a sprinklet of rain on the back of her hand, she wrapped the poke'mon up in her jacket, nestling against her warmth. Her eyes fluttered over to the man in leather, her distress evident.

"Oy, that poke'mon's mine, girly!" Clem hollered, his hand clasped over the swelling protuberance on his jaw. Her fist had left quite a nice raspberry. This pleased her. She looked down to Requiem, who was giving her a worried stare, and then she looked back at Clem with a heated gaze. "Not anymore, asshole. You have mistreated this Poke'mon to a near-fatal extent, thereby, leaving the Poke'mon in the custody of the Poke'Center, and you to the Police." she stated calmly. She noticed there wasn't a cop nearby, and she knew that she couldn't just take a poke'mon that still belonged to a poke'ball, no matter how dumb the owner of said ball was. She hoped his stupidity will do the rest. Her hopes were realized as Clem, in frustration, looked at the Poke'ball in his hand and proceeded to throw it down and step on it, crushing it into tiny pieces. "Stupid poke'mon! Didn't want it anyway!" he shouted, decimating the very broken ball. Before Raven's heart could lift too high, though, she saw him shake his fist, his swollen jaw making his speech slurred and more intelligent sounding than ever.

"You ain't gonna' make it outta' here girly!" he said with a very confident smile. As he began to pull out his second poke'mon, Raven looked at the Totodile at her side. "You good to go, buddy?" she asked quietly, a concerned look in her eye. Even though the Totodile grunted an affirmative, she could see a stressed and strained look in his eye. She frowned, and pulled out his poke'ball. "Take a break first, Req'." she murmured, recalling the poke'mon before he had the chance to argue. She then pulled out the poke'ball that contained Aria, staring at it but for a moment, and sending out the Shinx.

As soon as the Shinx formed, she eagerly turned to Raven, awaiting a command. It was as though she could sense the seriousness of the situation and instead of her normal, happy stare, she instead offered a very determined, excited look. Raven smiled at the Shjnx's readiness, and nodded. Clem cast forth his poke'mon, and what appeared was a very disheveled looking Meowth. It didn't look as bad as the Rattata, but still showed signs of neglect, and gave the Shinx a weary, intimidated glance. Aria's scarred appearance clashed horribly with her eager happiness, giving her a very intimidating look in her own right. Raven took the man in leather's advice, and dove straight into action. "Aria, Tackle!" she commanded, and the Shinx leapt into action. The Meowth uttered a "Meow?" of confusion before it was slammed into by the Shinx's attack, Clem's reflexes far too dim to anticipate such a change in strategy. As his Meowth was Tackled, he simply blinked a couple of times, scratching his head with a befuddled stare. As Aria returned to Raven's center, the Meowth staggered to it's feet, shaking it's head in an attempt to recover.

Clem regained his senses, commanding the Meowth to use Scratch. The Meowth bumbled forward, claws extended in a very untrained sense. It was almost as though the Scratch Cat poke'mon didn't know what exactly to do. Still, the Meowth's speed after an attack was remarkable, and though Raven called for Aria to dodge, her eyes went wide with the Shinx's cry of pain as Meowth's claws grazed against her blue fur. Raven observed a few beads of blood surface to the top of the scratches, and glared at Clem as he was guffawing his triumph. "Aria, Tackle again!" she cried, taking advantage of Clem's hubris to send another attack into the already struggling Meowth. As Aria, fueled by adrenaline slammed the Meowth into a wall, Clem's glee slowly faded to dread. Raven watched to observe the Meowth's reaction to the attack. The cat struggled to it's feet, it's wobbly legs trying to bear it's weight. It was in no condition to fight, its body beginning to heave with the effort of it's own weight. However, this was something that Clem failed to grasp. "Meowth, Scratch that Shinx!" he bellowed, the Meowth giving it's trainer a look of despair. It was painful to watch the Meowth extend it's claws and limp forward, one paw extended in an attempt to perform the attack.

Aria merely sidestepped the Meowth, looking at it with a sad expression, almost confused. The Meowth, completely exhausted, fell at Raven's feet with a "Mew...", curling up into a little ball of pain. Clem began bellowing in rage, stomping his foot in a very diva-like fashion, telling the cat to get up. Aria nosed at the Meowth, who feebly tried to scratch at the Shinx with a limp paw. Raven knelt by the poke'mon as Clem's eyes darted back and forth, out of available options. Raven's mouth turned in a scowl as she watched the cowardly man trying to think of what to do.

"Looks like you're the one who's down and out, dude." she called over to him, looking down at the shattered remains of Rattata's poke'ball, praying he'd be so dumb to do the same to Meowth's. He did not. Instead, he summoned back the poor cat, who shot Raven a look that plainly said 'Help Me.'. Raven's heart sank as he placed the ball back at his hip. As much as she desired to clock him again, she was sure that he was on his guard now, as well as extremely agitated. At this point, she would have to cut her losses...she had at least helped one life this night.

Clem fidgeted anxiously, scratching the back of his head in reflex to his confusion. Raven was honestly surprised the man didn't have a bald spot on the back of his head. "Petrol...Stretch...problem..." he called over, eying Raven warily, flinching if she even shifted her weight. Raven turned her attention to the man and the idiot boy. Her worry amplified as she saw the Vulpix now on the playing field; they must not be doing too well. However, it seemed that the status-effect of sleep claimed the two serpent poke'mon. She took this time to call over to the man, not really caring about the boy. "Yo, tattoo-guy. I'd help ya', but as you can tell, I don't think my poke'mon are ready for this." she admitted, halfway-tempted to call Requiem out. She knew, however, that her poke'mon were young, and this one battle had tested her enough. She also could barely feel the Rattata's pulse against her breast; he needed help, and quickly. She pulled out the Rattata, rubbing her palm against his fur in an attempt to warm him. As much as she hated to leave the scene of battle, she hoped the man would understand her need to get the Rattata to the poke'center while it still had a chance. "I'll meet you in the poke'center!" she called over, her eyes showing her evident indecision of leaving the man alone in this state.

Recalling Aria, she cradled the Rattata in her arms, nuzzling at it's blank face with her nose-tip. "Don't give up..." she murmured, and for the first time, she saw the mouse poke'mon's pupils dart her direction. The rain she had anticipated earlier quickened it's pace, dots of moisture staining the dusty earth of Lenolia. Her pace quickened to a sprint, her brown hair fluttering behind her, the rain chasing her and plastering the silky locks to her jacket. She shielded the poke'mon with her jacket, the Poke'mon Center nearing with every step. Finally, before it came pouring, and with a dramatic clap of thunder, lightning's tongue licking the sky, she reached the entryway, carrying the Rattata with her. As water dripped down the contours of her face, she looked back at the battle she had left behind, but only for an instant. Walking briskly up to the desk, she laid the Rattata on the counter. Nurse Joy hurried forward, clapping her hand her mouth in shock. "Is he yours...?" she whispered, giving Raven an upset glare.

Raven panted, trying to catch her breath. She shook her head and pointed outside to the battle, managing to get out the words "Thug...ambush...I got 'em...". Nurse Joy's brow wrinkled in understanding, and she sighed, summoning a pair of Chansey to treat the Rattata. As it was wheeled into the back room, Raven tugged loose her two Poke'balls and laid them on the counter, finally able to speak. "These guys need attention too...but their wounds are minor compared to the other fella'." she said quietly, her mature, dulcet tones reaching the concerned Joy's ears. Joy nodded, grabbing the two poke'balls and walking quickly to the back room.

Raven was consumed by worry, and silence. The brightness of the Poke'Center starkly contrasted the flickering lightning and sheeting rain outside in the dimness of the stark buildings of Lenolia. She felt naked without her poke'mon, and began to shiver with the chill of moisture on her flesh. She slowly slipped the jacket from her body, shaking loose a few droplets and hanging it up to dry. She felt even more naked without this jacket, and gooseflesh showed on her slender arms. She looked around, and found a place to sit in the empty Poke'center. She sat with her elbows on her knees, hands clasped under her chin, a strand of soaked hair falling in betwixt her eyes. Her green eyes watched the Meowth clock on the wall, it's happy face and tail wiggling with the slow tick-tock of time passing made her remember how sad the Meowth that had slipped her grasp had looked. Her eyes fell shut, and she sighed through her nose. The silence was deafening. She rather regretted wearing a white tank-top, now...the white cloth gripping her modestly feminine curvature, droplets of water still tracing down her chilled flesh. All she could do now, was wait. Seeing no one around, she dared to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvWnHAhKX6E a song that this moment reminded her of, her humming gradually turning into words, her soft voice quavering with a delicate vibrato, a well-trained, yet all-natural voice. Her tambre was mature and full, and the melody was full of emotion...and her eyes stayed closed, the music making her oblivious to the worry that was fretting her mind. She certainly possessed a voice that one would not expect from one her size.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Sep 10 2010, 01:43 AM

Tag had suppressed the laugh when Cameron had ordered a Pichu to use thundershock while in his arms, but this was too much. The sight of the tattoo-girl punching a man twice her bulk square in the jaw was too much. An almost hearty laugh emerged from his throat, a mixture of pure merriment and his odd, bitter sense of humor. Aware of the strategic implications of tattoo-girl's loss, he had kept just the corner of his eye on her match. Her pokemon had taken down the opponents in a fairly able fashion. The moves were rudimentary at best, but they had done the job against the poorly trained and disloyal pokemon of Clem.

"Yo, tattoo-guy. I'd help ya', but as you can tell, I don't think my pokemon are ready for this." She was honest. It was a more than welcome change from Tag's earlier adventures, wherein two of the first three people he'd chosen to associate with turned out to have lied. One of them, Justin Smart, he'd deemed okay, and now figured there had been a reason behind the deception. He'd overreacted in his attack of the man, and the kid had proven himself to be a decent sort of comrade in the end. This girl however, seemed to be quite an honest and forthright young woman. When she and her pokemon partners became more powerful, she'd certainly prove a fun match. At the mean time, he felt his level to be way beyond hers. A Rattata and a Meowth? Bachi alone would've wiped them out.

However, what truly sold him was her attention and care to the enemy Rattata. The purity there was matched only by the purity of the idiot kid's brattiness. (Yes, it was a purity in and of itself). "I'll meet you in the pokecenter." he heard faintly.

"Won't be long" Without breaking his hard stare at his opponents, he managed to evoke a confident, yet almost jovial tone of voice. This was a rare break from his more usual deadpan. It surprised him. He was probably growing soft. With that, she ran off, her indecision still obvious, but he hoped his words had somewhat of a reassuring effect.

With that, he turned back to the battle at hand. Seviper, paralyzed and confused, and Ekans, asleep, posed little threat to him, and he figured he'd end the battle quickly, before the tides could turn against his favour once more.

"Tobi, Ember. Kyoko, Mega Drain." The two nodded in accord, and launched their attacks. The ember landed squarely on the confused Seviper, who, in spite of the searing pain of the little fire balls, continued to lash itself viciously with its own tail. Just adjacent, Kyoko's ribbon had wrapped around the Ekans' neck, slowly draining its energy. Before long, the battle drew to a close with both serpentine pokemon unconscious on the ground. Growling curses in all the nasty varieties, the trio of miscreants turned tail, recalling their pokemon and fleeing the scene. Tag assumed that for the time being, they were safe. Tobi and Kyoko bounded over, sidling up fondly to their trainer, who met them with fond eyes as he knelt down to pat their heads. He wrinkled his nose a little at Kyoko's new found stench, but out of politeness to his comrade, he said nothing. Tobi, however, seemed quite visibly taken aback at the almost stinging smell. With the silent congratulations over, Tag recalled them, absently placing his hands on the pokeballs for Suzu and Bachi, hoping that their conditions had not worsened while he tidied up the mess of a battle. He muttered a heartfelt apology to his wounded partners, before turning to Cameron.

"You're safe for now." he nodded. "You'd best come to the pokemon center with me and Tattoo-girl. It'd be wise to heal up your Electrike, and get both of your pokemon a nice meal." Regardless or not of whether or not Cameron actually followed him, he turned and headed towards the pokemon center, intent on fulfilling his promise of "won't take long". After all, what was a man if he couldn't hold to his word? Hopefully the idiot kid had some sense to follow him over to the only potentially safe place in the entirety of the slum-polluted city of Lenoilia. Just as the battle concluded, the rain that had began as just the tiniest of sprinkles erupted into full on rainfall. Tag drew from his backpack a small umbrella, holding it over his head and extending it with something of a folding pop. It served to keep him somewhat dry above the knee. Cameron, however, didn't seem quite so prepared, and Tag didn't particularly care enough to hand his only umbrella to the boy who had gone and gotten himself attacked by ruffians.

* * *

His entrance into the pokemon center didn't seem quite so grand as he stopped dead in his tracks, listening to the quavering mezzo-soprano of the tune. He had heard the tune once before, many moons ago, but only one line had stuck with him, which, naturally, he kept to himself. In silence, he walked past the tattoo girl (Whose closed eyes he would hopefully elude for the moment.) He nodded to the sole Nurse Joy, handing over the Pokeballs for Suzu and Bachi.

"My Ledian is afflicted with Seviper Poision. Nidorino is the victim of an Ekans glare." That was all that seemed necessary to state to the Red-headed nurse. She nodded, evidently aware of their conditions.

"Same thug ambush?"

"The very same." Tag nodded. Perhaps the girl had already filled the Nurse in. "Small request. Have you a brush?" She nodded curtly, issuing a gentle order to a nearby Chansey, who disappeared into another room. Regardless of that outcome, Joy immediately retreated to the backroom with the pokeballs for Suzu and Bachi in her hands. Within moments, however, the Chansey reappeared, a soft looking fur-brush in her 'hands'. Tag nodded in thanks to the egg-nurse pokemon, who chirruped happily at him before retreating to join Joy in the other room.

Finding himself a seat near Raven, he procured the pokeballs for his new comrade Vulpix, and for his old new comrade Kyoko who both appeared in a soft display of warm light. Tobi looked expectantly up at his trainer, who merely patted his lap. The fox pokemon leaped up, nestling into Tag's lap. It was a bit wet, but he seemed to enjoy his little perch there. Tag's pants below the knees were a bit wet, but his lap seemed fine. The leather jacket had gotten a bit wet at the sleeves, so he merely took it off and draped it over the bench to dry. As Tobi looked up at him, Tag set about gently brushing the matted fur. He had remembered that Vulpix could be somewhat of a vain pokemon, so he figured he'd ease his new comrade into this friendship with a little grooming. It was by no means salon work, but the soft caress of the brush seemed to work just fine. Faintly, he heard something reminiscent of a purr escape from the fox in his lap. In the meantime, however, he looked to the door to see if Cameron had yet arrived. After a moment, he turned to Raven, whose song came to a finish.

"How's the Rattata?"

Posted by: Tymid Sep 10 2010, 08:08 PM

Raven concluded her song, so lost in the music that she didn't notice the other man come in. With a final, quavering note, she finished the song, pausing a moment to end the piece with a gentle sigh. To her right, she could hear the sound of a brush combing through fur, and she whipped her head to the side, her eyes reflecting a suspicion and studying glance. After living so long on the streets, this action was reflex, and she hoped he could tell this from the way her eyes softened as they fell into his blue eyes and onto the vulpix. She smiled sheepishly, exuding an almost embarrassed look, her cheeks flushing a rosy pink. Her glare was intimidating, and she hoped she hadn't confused the man by her expressions changing as quickly as the weather outside. Her eyes fell to the Vulpix being groomed, and she felt a warmth of longing that was shown on her softly smiling lips. Her ears practically perked as she heard the purr, and somehow, in the back of her throat, she mimicked the sound, followed by a soft chuckle. Raven was quite adept at mimicking the noises of poke'mon she had studied or had been around; she found that even though she was probably speaking gibberish to the poke'mon, the poke'mon she was "speaking" to seemed to respond with an eagerness of hearing it's own tongue.

"How's the Rattata?" she faintly heard him say. Her attention was drawn back to him, and, as her attention span typically did, she was mesmerized by his eyes. She didn't stare creepily, she just paused to look curiously into his eyes, almost studying their deep blue, as well as their gentle sparkle. However, this lapse of focus didn't last as long as they usually did; her longest had been with a laser pointer for 30 minutes. She and her poke'mon had had a great time that evening. Ah, the simple pleasures. It wasn't that she wasn't unintelligent, she just found the simple beauty of something that glittered to be amusing.

"Hm?" she responded, tilting her head to the side. "Oh...I wish I knew, honestly. It's driving me insane...the worry, that is." she murmured, her eyes falling to the floor at their feet. She nibbled on her lower lip, as though nervous--the first true sign of anything resembling fear all evening. "How are your guys 'n' gals?" she asked with concern, turning another glance to the Vulpix in his lap. She smiled, chuckling lightly at the content fellow. "This one seems to be doing alright, at least."

A 'Ding-Dong!' brought her back to her previous worry, and she leapt to her feet, looking at the counter expectantly. Sure enough, the lone Nurse returned, two poke'balls in her hands. Raven trotted over to the desk, brushing her still-damp hair out of her face.

"These are yours, dear." she stated, handing over the poke'balls to Raven. Before Raven could even say thank you, the Nurse offered her a stern stare. "I do have to say, though...I am appalled." she said, waggling a finger at the shocked Raven. Raven's face drained of color, her mouth falling open slightly, a staccato set of 'Ums...' coming from her open mouth. The Nurse's stern visage slowly turned into a clever smile, as she finished her statement. "...These are by far the healthiest and happiest poke'mon I have seen in a long while. Congratulations."

Raven's face flushed a deep pink as she finally exhaled the breath she had been unintentionally holding. She shifted her weight, a shaky chuckle coming from her lips. The Nurse had successfully employed one of Raven's finest tricks, against the master herself. Raven, though still shaken, was impressed. "You had me worried there for a bit..." she murmured, laughing aloud in her relief. Her smile faded, however, once she noticed that the Rattata had not been brought out. "How's the other guy doing?" she asked quietly. The Nurse's fading smile said it all. "He's not doing too well, dear. Not at all. Even if he had a trainer, there's not a very high chance that they could afford the vast amount of treatment he needs. That, and he's going to have to stay here for a long while to even consider being released back into the wild, or even to a dedicated trainer."

The Nurse paused, diverting her eyes from Raven's gaze. "...We're considering putting him down." The Chansey at her side made a mournful sound, it's usually happy face bearing one of sadness.

Raven's face...creased into a smile. "Is that it? Only money is saving this little guy's life? No...you can't. I won't let it happen." she stated affirmatively, reaching into her satchel and pulling out a checkbook. She pulled out her quill, a most unconventional writing utensil, and a bottle of ink. She pulled out the stopper with a 'pop', and dipped her quill into the bottle, writing a hurried amount onto the check. Ripping the check out of the book, she handed it to Nurse Joy, calmly replacing her items as Joy took the check, and placed her hand over her mouth.

"This...this is far too much! There's no way that you could...this is too much! We would only need a quarter of that to save the poke'mon!" she stammered, looking at Raven incredulously.

"Consider the remainder to be a gift." Raven said shortly, offering a gentle smile to the astonished Nurse. "...A gift that comes with a promise from you. Promise me...promise me you'll find him a good home, far away from here. Maybe to a child that will love him and treat him with kindness. He needs that, after all he's been through."

The Nurse looked at her, tears welling up in her eyes. "You have no idea how this will help us...yes, yes, I promise he'll be well taken care of. Bless you. ...But, I figured you would want him?" she queried, wiping away a droplet from her tear duct.

At the comment of 'Bless You', Raven muttered: "Please don't." And to the Nurse's question, she looked down, a sad smile coming to her face. "As much as I would like to, my own hellions take up enough of my time. A poke'mon that's been as mistreated as he has needs constant, individual love and care, and that's something I can't offer. But...you can buy him a toy, and tell him it's from me?" Raven asked hopefully, the sad expression still on her face, a smile attempting to break through the morose visage. The Nurse nodded vigorously, looking again at the check with a disbelieving stare. "With this amount, he'll have many, many toys."

A happy smile finally fell upon Raven's face, as she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. The Nurse turned around, as though to head back into the back room, before she turned, looking at the man who had seated himself next to Raven."Oh, sir...your poke'mon are almost ready; they should be out shortly." she called, before scurrying back into the back room, a Chansey in tow.

Raven took no time to let her poke'mon out of their balls, and as they materialized, she knelt and hugged them both to her, the Shinx lapping at her face and the Totodile growling contentedly. She pulled them both away, after laughing with joy, looking at them with pride. "You both did so well today...I'm so proud of you...and I'm so glad you're okay. Did the good Nurse take care of you?" she asked, a broad smile crossing her uniquely beautiful features. Both nodded furiously. Requiem reached out a claw and tenderly touched Raven's nose, and Raven reached out a fingertip and did the same to him. Aria simply looked up at her with adoring eyes, her cute little scarred face never looking more beautiful to the trainer. She held them both close for a moment, rocking them in a silent rejoice, nuzzling at both of them with her nosetip. She didn't care how silly she looked, sitting in the middle of the floor with the two, rocking them and laughing at their funny noises, making some back at them. At this point, she was happy to be reunited with them again.

After a while, she realized that she had left the man in mid-conversation, and rose to her feet, her confident and graceful step heading back towards the tables. She sat at the chair that maintained her drying jacket, Requiem mimicking her step tempo with his own, waddly gait. As she sank into the chair, she uttered a long sigh of content, her head falling back in a relaxed fashion. She turned her head to the man, a grin falling upon her face. "Sorry 'bout that. Had a little get-together to attend." she said happily, her smooth, easy voice filling the quiet area. "As for the Rattata, he's going to be fine."

She noticed Aria's everpresent curiosity rearing it's head, as she meandered over, looking up at the Vulpix in the man's lap. Raven chuckled, sitting up straighter and offering a gentle "Get back here, silly..." to the Shinx. Aria looked at her, and seemed to pout, as she came back and hopped in Raven's lap, looking at the Vulpix with wide, curious eyes. Raven stroked back her fur gently, feeling Requiem make a nice seat of her foot, considering that leaping was a bit out of his league at this motionless speed. "Looks like Ari' wants to make friends." she murmured quietly, looking lovingly down at the Shinx.

Raven turned to face the man a little more, carrying Requiem with her on her foot. Aria adjusted slightly so that she could keep her eyes on the Vulpix. "I'm glad that you were around out there, Tattoo-guy. I can't imagine what would have happened if you hadn't of been there. That kid better get his ass in here, before something else happens." she said with a smirk, looking outside at the pouring rain, before turning back to the man. "Hope the prude doesn't mind getting a little wet..." she murmured under her breath, chuckling. She offered another smile to the man, her voice changing from it's sarcastic tone, to one of warmth and companionship. "I believe it's about time that we acquainted ourselves. No better time than after a stressful event. I'm Raven." she said, extending a slender hand in greeting.

Posted by: Haunted Sep 10 2010, 09:03 PM

It was wet.

It was very wet.

The battle's end had happened so fast that Cameron barely had time to blink. At the first sign of safety Runner had once again tried to burrow into Cameron's shirt, nearly ripping the expensive fabric in his scramble. After dislodging the Pichu from his collarbone he realised that the girl had vanished, taking the Rattata with her - and, when he turned back, the tattoo guy had gone, too. Clem and Stretch were hurriedly vaulting a wall, the former tripping on a loose brick over the top. A muffled thud, a shout, and a sharp whap soon followed, sending the alley into silence...well, mostly.

Petrol was still there.

"Well." A few steps, and the Seviper was back in its ball.

"Well," he repeated, brushing off his grimy clothes. The gleam in his eyes had gone sour. "You won. Or, should I say, they won." The man crossed his arms and stared at Cameron - a mud-splattered rich brat with a Pichu clinging to his arm. "I'd say you're lucky, but that's just battle-wise. There's always the real world to deal with."

A sickening noise that reminded Cameron of Scyther rang through the alley, as rain began to filter through the clouds. The knife Petrol held was long and sharp, and almost seemed to shine. "There's a Pokemon Centre around the block. That's where your bodyguards went, I'm guessing. Tell you what - I'll give you all night to get some rest. Catch your breath. But once the sun rises, I'll be waiting. I suggest leaving the city while you can - there are plenty of people here nastier than me who need a quick buck. So, you've got...hm, three hours till sun's up. Sounds fair to me." He flicked his wrist, and the switchblade closed. Another flick; it opened. Cameron was rooted to the ground, blue eyes focused on the blade.

"I'd start running."

And so he did.

Ramirez Music's building was not the tallest skyscraper in Petropolis, but it was up there. Thirty-nine stories - all dealing with different aspects of the music industry - and the penthouse apartment. There was a pool, a sauna, and a large garden on the roof, as well as two helipads.

In the official records, the penthouse in its entirety belongs to Damian Ramirez. Any of the maids who worked there could tell you the real story - Damian owned half of the apartment. The rest was Cameron's.

Damian Ramirez was pacing. It was a hobby of his and he enjoyed it immensely. He found it a lot more entertaining than taking calls or doing paperwork, although those things were Very Important and, at the end of the day, needed to be done. But when he wasn't busy, he paced.

The Persain lounging near the floor-to-ceiling windows watched Damian's lanky form move back and forth, humming a song under his breath. It was off-key, but recognizable - to anyone who knew the song, that was.

"...await, where the mighty rivers run..."

"Mr Ramirez?" A knock at the door interrupted both his pacing and the song, causing a scowl to grace Damian's usually placid face. Remembering just in time that running a hand through his hair would mess up the slicked-back style, he made a fist and gently tapped his desk with it.

"Come in."

His sister-in-law slipped into the room, her dark blonde hair held in such a way that Damian had the strong urge to call her Nurse. Before the door shut he glimpsed her Blissey in the hallway, holding a tray and looking fairly upset. For that matter, Terry didn't look very happy, either. She looked like she'd just swallowed a bug; her usual expression when dealing with her dead sister's husband.

"What's wrong, Ter-"

"Eron's gone."

It took Damian a minute to figure out who Eron was.

"Cameron? Impossible. He's en route to Gigarte."

"I just got a call from Holland. The buses got separated-"

"Holland?"

"Mr Novak. Eron's bassist? Anyway, they stopped in Lenolia to get their bearings and when they turned around, he wasn't there."

Damian sat down, tapping the desk with his long fingers. The Persian yawned.

"Hold on. So, my son goes missing on the first leg of his big tour. Nobody thinks of calling him?"

"No reception in Lenolia."

"And they didn't drive back to get him?"

"The buses broke down. I've already called the private corps; they'll organize a search party in the morning and-"

"Lenolia," Damian interjected. "is full of thieves and murderers. Cameron needs to be found. Now. His first show is in three days and if he's not there on schedule we're going to lose a lot of money."

Terry rolled her eyes and sighed. That man was beyond redemption - why Elia had ever fallen for Damian was something she was still trying to figure out. Why she hadn't just taken Cameron and ran after Elia's death was an even greater mystery.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Mmhm." Damian swiveled his chair around and faced the windows. The whole of Petropolis shimmered below him. Damian's ice-blue eyes narrowed.

"You'd better survive, boy."





The Pokemon Centre was a warm spot of light in the dark, rain-soaked ruins. Pausing to catch his breath and glance behind him for the hundredth time, Cameron leaned into the automatic doors and nearly fell over when they parted with a soft whoosh. Blinking as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light, the teenager half-stumbled inside, stopping in the centre of the lobby.

He'd never been inside an actual Pokemon Centre before - if Shep or Runner ever got injured or sick, Terry would take care of them. He did, however, know that Centres probably didn't usually looks so run-down and dilapidated. The night staff looked tired and overworked and the lighting, previously so bright, looked dim and spotty. Glancing around he saw the girl and tattoo guy, talking to each other and to their Pokemon. Just beyond them was a video phone.

Yes! Mentally Cameron leapt into the air, pumping his fist as Runner shot sparks into the air. Physically he walked very fast to the phone, reaching out to grab the handset and dial his way back to luxury.

"It's broken." Mental Cameron promptly fell on the floor and groaned. Real Cameron set down the handset, slowly.

"When's it going to be fixed? I need to talk to someone very important. Now."

The nurse looked a little flustered. "Uh, not for a while. A few months, at least. It's an old phone." The colour in her face suddenly drained as she gave Cameron a closer look, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly. Cameron had seen this reaction before, and it never failed to remind him of a Magikarp.

"You're-"

"Oh!" Cameron said, a little too loudly. "I almost forgot. Here." He unclipped Shep's Luxury ball from its loop and thrust it at the nurse, tugging Runner off his shoulder. "The Pichu's got a few bruises and the Electrike's knocked out. Could you make them better for me?" A flash of his award-winning grin and the nurse almost floated away, holding the ball and Pichu dreamily. Fighting the urge to twitch violently, Cameron wandered closer to his impromptu bodyguards and listened in on their talk.

"...than after a stressful event. I'm Raven." The girl held out her hand to the tattoo guy, her Totodile and Shinx close by. At least I know her name. He'd dated a girl named Raven, once. He couldn't remember if she was the one with the super-small purse or the one who used way to much make-up. They were all the same, anyway.

"Um, Mr, uh. CameronRamirezyourPokemonareready I'myourbiggestfancanIhaveyourautographplease?"

Runner jumped the short gap from the young Nurse Joy's arms to Cameron's shoulder, a set of bandages around his midsection. Joy's face was approximately the same colour as her hair, her face set in burning embarrassment as she held out the Luxury ball. Cameron accepted Shep with a flourish and flashed another smile. "Do you have some paper and a pen?" Nodding rapidly - She a bobblehead or something? - the nurse ran back into the depths of the Centre, looking for the supplies. Cameron tucked the ball back into its slot and inched over to where the creaky chairs were, flopping down with a sigh. He could hear the nurse squealing from the other room in her search for a pen and paper.

Hopefully, the search party would be there before morning.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Sep 10 2010, 09:41 PM

Tattoo Girl was certainly not short on her emotions. She seemed to rapidly flip between every possible one at the slightest provocation. Tag watched closely as her face went from a swift suspicion (and the slight disappointment of having been snuck up on), to a much more curious look as her vibrant green eyes met his own, then lastly into a strange mixture of fondness hinted with a touch of envy as they settled on Tobi in his lap. From just the eye motions (as well as her earlier interactions with the spoiled brat and the ruffians), Tag finally concluded that this young woman was something of a kindred spirit, insofar as she preferred the company of pokemon to that of humankind. It was somewhat refreshing. This, of course, was all studied without the slightest change of expression on his face.

He did, however, allow himself a slight head-tilt as she essentially purred back at his purring Vulpix, who in reply, only increased his purring, somewhat reassured that her presence was, in fact, a safe one. Kyoko, meanwhile, had taken her seat on the bench, nestled up against Tag, her odor very faint now that she felt no danger.

"How're your guys n gals?" That's what it was. A southern twang. In the heat of the moment earlier, he hadn't quite placed where her accent was from, but now it resonated clearly in the relative silence of the pokemon center. "The Seviper poisoned Suzu, my Ledian, and Bachi, my Nidorino, was under some paralysis from the Ekans glare. They're tough, so they'll be fine." She was right in that Tobi seemed to be doing just fine. He hadn't exerted himself too much in his battle, and with the brushing of his fur, he seemed to have regained some of his former luster. At the very least, he was calmly situated in Tag's lap.

Tag, Tobi and Kyoko watched on curiously as the Nurse Joy returned with the tattoo girl's pokeballs. Then, as the events concerning the unfortunate Rattata came into light, he leaned forward slightly, motionless save for the absent brushing of the Vulpix's fur. The checkbook and...quill? How odd. The checkbook and quill came out, and the Nurse Joy's face said it all. Well, then their conversation really said it all. It was a wonder that the girl had so easily parted with what had apparently been a large sum of money. He pondered for a moment if he knew anyone back in Johto or even the people he met in Furoh would want the Rattata. The only person he could think of, honestly, at the moment who would even potentially come close to providing such kind-hearted care would be Malcolm Smith. The kid was utterly clueless when it came to battle, but the affection he'd had for his team of pokemon seemed undeniable. Not to mention, the kid had a team chock full of Kanto specific pokemon, if he recalled. However, he had no idea where Malcolm had run off to since their adventure in Petropolis, so he merely kept quiet.

He did, however, watch on in fascination as the woman reunited with her pokemon. The two scarred pokemon looked at her with such utter adoration and love that it was hard for Tag's heart not to melt for a moment. Not to mention that even despite their disfigured features, they were still undeniably adorable. Perhaps he hadn't realized it about himself, but Tag had a soft spot for intensely cute pokemon. Even his former team of dragon pokemon had all started out as adorable first forms. Dratini, Swablu, Trapinch, Gible, Bagon and Horsea. The mere thought of them, however, brought a resurgent pang of guilt. Deep in his heart, he wished fervently that wherever they were, they were happy.

He took a moment to ponder his current team. Suzu had started as an adorable Ledbya, with big saucer eyes and a comically chubby body. But now, the sleek Ledian, though not intimidating, was a notably cooler looking bug (Her sunglasses-like eyes seemed to be the main testament to this). Bachi as a Nidoran had a rabbit like cuteness to him, but as a Nidorino, he was already downright intimidating. Even Kyoko at his side had been an incredibly cute Oddish. As Gloom, her ever closed, sleepy looking eyes and mouth always full of drool still seemed quite cute to him.

"No need to apologize" he responded, nodding. The he nodded again in response to her statement on the Rattata's well being. He had figured that it would be okay, simply because of the check she'd written, so the confirmation was a bit moot, but he nodded anyways.

As the raggedy Shinx approached Tobi, the fox pokemon's eyes opened, calmly eying the encroaching feline with a look of mild interest. Surely he was much more content at having his fur brushed at the moment, and didn't seem to share the Shinx's friend-making sentiment. Kyoko, however, stood on the bench, as if ready to move onto the defensive should the Shinx attempt to strike. However, a combination of her friendly eyes, and Tag's calming hand on her head relaxed her, letting her slip back into her seat with what appeared to be a content smile.

"I'm glad that you were around out there, Tattoo-guy. I can't imagine what would have happened if you hadn't have been there. That kid better get his ass in here, before something else happens. Hope the prude dosn't mind getting a little wet." Tag wasn't quite sure if prude was the right word, but mentally shrugged for lack of a better nickname. The tattoo woman then leaned forward to introduce herself.

"I'm Tag." He nodded slowly, shaking her hand with his usual firm grip. He figured he didn't want to insult her strength or femininity with a limp handshake. That and after all, he had his rugged appearance to have to somewhat live up to, after all. "If I hadn't been there, you probably would've gotten stomped. Not for lack of skill on your end, or any abundance in theirs, but for their numbers alone."

At this point, however, the idiot kid had finally bumbled in, but Tag essentially paid him no heed. Despite this, the Nurse Joy seemed quite transfixed with the kid. It was actually slightly on the creepy side, with a fully grown Nurse oggling

Before the chatter could continue any further, another pleasant chime indicated that treatment was done on Tag's pokemon partners. (He assumed they were his solely on the fact that there were no other people present, and the Rattata was in for the long haul treatment wise.) The ever-pleasant Nurse Joy reappeared with her Chansey Nurses in tow. She held out the tray of Pokeballs to Tag, who accepted them with a nod.

"They're back to full health, though perhaps a little rest would do them well." She then caught sight of the Vulpix in his lap, most notably his little 'earring'. "Is that..."

"Rescued him from a black market just today." Tag nodded. "He was the only one I could save. The rest are still incarcerated." The grim look on the Nurse Joy's face surprised even Tag. She didn't seem pleased to know that there were more pokemon in pain out there, even though in Lenoilia, Tag was sure it was commonplace. Perhaps it was the reason she'd become a healer in the first place, and after all, knowing that there were still pokemon out there that were actively suffering was probably not good news for anyone sworn under the Hippocratic Oath. "I will attempt to rescue the rest, so please prepare some space tomorrow for them. None of them appeared to be in particularly good condition." She nodded, mouthing a silent thank you to him as she left. Tag never particularly enjoyed playing the Big Damn Hero. But he knew that he could easily trump a few mooks with his level of skill, so long as he prepared a proper strategy.

Before rejoining their boss, the Chansey pokemon set down their burdens: Three trays laden with two bowls of pokemon food each, each one labeled with the pokemon's names on them. How Nurse Joy had known to prepare food for a Vulpix and a Gloom as well were well beyond him, but he figured it had something to do with security cameras. In front of Aria and Requiem, the two bowls were labeled "Shinx" and "Totodile", and the two trays in front of Tag were marked "Ledian", "Nidorino", "Vulpix" and "Gloom."

He set down Tobi in front of his bowl, watching as Kyoko leapt down off the bench, almost greedily slamming her head/body into the bowl to eat. It was odd. He figured that since Kyoko was a plant, she'd photosynthesize rather than eat. Oh well. He opened the pokeballs for Suzu and Bachi, the flash of light essentially summoning them before their bowls. Unlike Kyoko, who'd just dug in, and Tobi, who was already daintily picking at the pokechow (Despite his evident hunger from being underfed), the two looked to Tag for approval first. He nodded, and watched as the two turned to their food, gratefully digging in. Tag eyed the bandage over the Ledian's carapace, clearly where she had taken the Seviper Slash, and grimaced at the thought. His thoughts were interrupted by the odd squealing eminating from the back. Evidently "CameronRamirez" was famous. He didn't care. Famous or not, the kid was an idiot.


"These are my pokemon comrades." Tag swept a hand over his pokemon, indicating them as he introduced them to Raven. "Suzu, my Ledian, has been with me since she was born. Bachi, my Nidorino, I caught back in Johto. The two of them have been my loyal companions since before I came to Furoh. Kyoko, here, had been abandoned by an opposing trainer in a battle arena, so I adopted her there. Tobi, as you know, whom I just rescued today from the Black Market." The pokemon seemed fairly pleased with their introductions, nodding towards Raven before turning back to their meals.

Posted by: Tymid Sep 13 2010, 06:12 PM

Raven greeted Tag's firm handshake with a strong one of her own, adding a polite nod into the mix. She was very glad that he didn't just give her the wimpy, 'oh-you're-a-girl' handshake, and she found it quite refreshing. As antisocial as she was, this man was proving to be quite the thing she needed on this abruptly violent night. As he mentioned the fact that she probably would have gotten stomped without him, she shrugged her shoulders, lifting her brows with an idle 'meh' face. "Trust me, I know, which is why I'm grateful. However, I have to thank you for more than that, you gave me some good advice out there. I 'ppreciate it." she stated calmly, a small smile falling onto her features as she spoke. "I'm no idiot, and since it's already happened, I don't want to think about what would have happened to me or my friends, here." She chuckled lightly, diverting her eyes to the ground. "Though I must admit, I feel that it would have been more pleasant to meet under different circumstances."

The sound of a southern twang mixed with good, full english sentences and big words was weird. Most people seemed rather confused by it, honestly, believing the stereotype of southern=stupid hillbilly. In reality, it only added to her unique character. She looked curiously to the Gloom who had roused defensively at Aria's approach, but through Tag's gentle touch, had calmed. He did seem a lot like her in ways, able to communicate with poke'mon in completely different ways.

She was brought out of her contemplation by the boy's catastrophic entry into the poke'center, actually choking back a laugh as he stood there, mouth gaping like a dumber-than-usual Magikarp. He seemed to be about as wet as one, as well. However, for the sake of his distress, she kept her laughter inside, and only showed the tiniest of smiles, but the glimmer in her eye showed exactly what any intellectual creature could determine; she thought he had finally got what was coming to him. Her head did tilt curiously, though, as she watched the nurse simply go googly-eyed at the boy. She had been so calm and composed earlier...but really. She was being a bit rude, looking at the poor boy like that. It was only after she continued watching the nurse that she realized she wasn't oggling at the boy's disgruntled and damp appearance; she was admiring him. That was very strange.

The pleasant dinging of the notifier sounded, and the nurse brought Tag's poke'balls to him. She felt a sense of knowing relief for the man, knowing how vulnerable and bare you can feel when you're missing a friend..or in this case, a couple. As she listened to the dialogue, she felt her heart touched by the fact that the Vulpix had indeed been rescued, and she also felt a twinge of sadness to know that there was still more. Her ears seemed almost to pique as he talked about getting the rest of them tomorrow. She waited for the nurse to leave, idly turning to watch the boy struggle with the broken video-phone, before she leaned towards him. "That's pretty ballsy of you." she said quietly, turning her green eyes back to his, a mischevious light playing in them. "I like it, and I would be extremely interested in helping you out." she said earnestly. He could probably tell that the gears in her head were whirring, and as an idea for a possible strategy hit her thoughts, she flushed slightly, and chuckled. "If anything, I could serve as a distraction of sorts...and I could fight if you needed it."

She made sure Nurse Joy wasn't nearby, and she wasn't, she was busy oggling the boy creepily, still, and whispered, a hint of sarcasm to her voice: "I'm pretty sure the only girl they've seen around here is Nurse Joy, and from what I've heard, she isn't their type." She chuckled, leaning back in her chair, putting her hands behind her head, shrugging again. "I may not be the best looker, but I might be able to buy you some time...not like you'd need it. Just a thought." she offered, trying to be helpful. She knew he could probably handle himself, but when it came to poke'mon, she was all for rescue efforts, and figured she'd let it be known that she would be at his beck and call...but only in this situation, of course.

The Chansey had already set down the food, and she looked down to find her poke'mon waiting patiently for her to say it was alright to eat. Requiem appeared to be tapping his claw, his scowly face more scowly than normal. "Oh, I'm sorry, guys, you could have said something." she stated innocently, pouting playfully at the two of them. Requiem responded with a growl of a "Dile. Totodile.", but Aria didn't even bother being bitter. Before Raven knew it, the shinx was looking up at her with her cheeks stuffed full of food, food smeared all over her cute little muzzle, and her eyes glinting of innocence. Raven guffawed aloud, bidding that the Shinx swallow so her cheeks wouldn't expode. Slowly, the Shinx nodded and nommed in content, before offering that happy Shinx smile up to her trainer. Raven reached down and ruffled the top of her head. "See, now...you don't have any left. You ate too fast." Raven mock-reprimanded. It was true, the shinx had devoured most of the bowl, leaving behind a few small chunks, and one bigger chunk where her nose had been in the bowl. Aria looked dismayed. "Shinx!" she stated disappointedly, lowering her head to lick the remainder out of the bowl, proceeding to smear the food that was already in her face fuzz even deeper into her face fuzz. Requiem was casually dipping a claw into the food, licking it off slowly, seeming to savor it. His form showed that he was healthy, he was just attempting to be the bigger poke'mon here, and eat nice and slow.

Raven picked up Aria while Requiem was still eating, and proceeded to pick up the paper towel that had been placed under all of the bowls, seemingly for such an occasion. Raven lovingly wiped every bit of food from around the Shinx's mouth, turning it into a game. Every time the paper towel neared the Shinx's mouth, she would mew: "Shhhhiiiiii....", and the volume would rise and fall according to how close or far away the paper towel was. However, Raven, Aria, and Requiem (just now finishing his last clawful of food), couldn't have too much fun, considering that Nurse Joy had just requested an autograph from a Mr. CameronRamirezyourPokemonareready. So, that's where she recognized the face...it was that bratty pop singer, Cameron Ramirez, whose face was plastered all over a lot of billboards in Petropolis.

She wondered if now was the appropriate time to tell him that she hated his music.

However, as she turned back to Tag to see what he thought of all this, she smiled at his grimace. They really did seem a lot alike; that was either really good, or really dangerous. As he introduced his poke'mon, she repeated their names quietly as he finished the introduction of each. She also nodded respectfully back to them, smiling in such a way as to say that she respected them, but was kind enough as to not interrupt their trainer. As he concluded with Tobi, she cast another fond glance to the Vulpix, before turning to her own poke'mon. They both seemed to have been paying attention to the introductions, and were awaiting their turn. "You've got some beautiful friends there, Tag. Let me introduce you to mine." She motioned over to the Totodile, who was obviously attempting to act uninterested. "This is Requiem, my first. I found him on one of the polluted riverbanks on the outskirts of Petropolis, wrapped up in a trash bag and beaten up pretty badly. Don't see why someone would to that to him, he's smarter and more patient than a lot of people I know." she added fondly, reaching down to scratch at the top of his head. She then turned to the Shinx in her lap, who was eagerly awaiting her introduction. "This is Aria, and she's special." Raven began, chuckling as the Shinx shot her a glare. "Well, you are!" she noted, rubbing the Shinx's ears in such a way that the feline sank into a low purr. "Aria got hit by a car in Petropolis, and was left for dead. Obviously, she wasn't, and I found her, and she's beautiful."

Aria's scarred face seemed to smile as she purred, her eyes going half-lidded with content. Raven continued petting the Shinx, continuing on after the feline drifted off to sleep. Raven watched the Shinx's slow, steady breath with a loving gaze, and looked down at the Totodile, who was struggling to keep his eyes open. As the rain cascaded on outside, she too felt a bit weary, but she would let her friends get their sleep first. Usually, she'd let them sleep outside of their poke'balls, but in a place like this, she at least wanted them to sleep peacefully, and not be awakened, so she quietly recalled them back, putting them securely at her hip. She already missed their company, but maybe, even if Tag decided to stay quiet, she would feel a bit less lonely with his presence around. She found that that was how it usually went on the streets; even if you didn't know the person next to you, it was always more comforting to be around someone than to be alone.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Sep 14 2010, 01:27 PM

Tag offered what he figured was a smile, but perhaps it came out more like a smirk.

"At least for now, if you stick with me, you can pick up a thing or two battle wise. I used to be-" he paused momentarily, nearly launching into the brief story of his time as a ferocious Dragon Trainer, but stopped "I used to be quite the expert on battling. I'm readjusting to my new partners here."

"As for a distraction, you'll do no such thing. These men are dangerous, and there are at least eight of them. One of whom is in possession of an Abra that can read your mind. They'd see through your guise in a heartbeat, and then you'll wind up in a sorry state I'm sure." This was very odd. With Justin, Malcolm, and even the brief time with Andrew Harding, Tag had usually confined his speech to one sentence at a time. But here, this girl, was evidently getting paragraphs out of him. It was truly odd. At the very least, like he'd figured earlier, he had a kindred spirit in her, and he was quite beguiled by her adorable pokemon (The scowly totodile in particular seemed to share his normal grouchy sentiments, something he enjoyed immensely. It was made even more enjoyable by the fact that the Totodile did not seem to like him. Smart creature.) "I would much prefer if you fought alongside me. As you can see, I lack a water and an electric pokemon, something that your team can cover.

"Requiem and Aria. They are, indeed, beautiful pokemon. They also appear to be very loyal companions. You treat them well." Naturally, he stated the obvious, but meant it wholeheartedly.

Before long, his pokemon had finished their food and clambered back up onto the bench next to Tag. Tobi resumed his place in his new trainer's lap, looking at the brush longingly, while Kyoko and Suzu settled in on either side of him, nestling up against his flank. Bachi, ever stalwart, plopped down on the ground at Tag's feet, resting his head between his front paws. Resuming the gentle brushing, Tag remained fairly silent from that point on, attempting to piece together a plot to rescue the remainder of the pokemon. Naturally, there was also that Cameron kid to deal with. He'd probably serve as a better distraction anyways.

Posted by: Tymid Sep 14 2010, 09:08 PM

Raven's head tilted at the pause in his dialogue, obviously there was something he was hiding. However, she had a lot to hide herself...a lot of bad, bad memories included. She didn't pry, she just offered him a knowing nod and a gentle smile as he mentioned his so called "new partners". For new partners, they seemed to be quite bonded to her trainer, which was something she already admired about the man. There was...much...she admired about the man, actually, but she wouldn't let that show. No need to feed needless compliments to the fellow, he didn't seem the type to just bat his eyelashes and say: "Oh, do go on." Nah...he seemed more of her mindset. Talk about what's important and relevant, nothing more, nothing less.

"As for a distraction, you'll do no such thing..." she heard him say, and listened calmly, nodding in agreement. He didn't know that she had lived on the streets for a good while before she had poke'mon, and was quite adept at holding her own when things got nasty. Not only that, she was pretty good at reading people, especially those who could barely think for their actions, much less even conceive the notion of hiding them for sake of strategem or convenience. Regardless, she was rather flattered by his comment, and for the moment, she kept that secret to herself. As he finished, stating that he would rather fight alongside her than to use her, she felt a slight warmth in her heart, a very startling and scary difference to the neutrality that typically lived there. The warmth made her smile a very genuine, heartfelt smile, and she shifted from her elbows on knees position to a sitting up, arms crossed position, her hair shifting with the move and enveloping her face, giving her a rather friendly appearance. "Well, Tag...I, for one, would be delighted to fight at your side. I look forward to the experience. You and I both know that those little guys deserve far better than that." she stated quietly.

As he mentioned that her poke'mon were beautiful, she full out blushed. Her normally, slightly rouge tinted, make-up-less face flushed a delighted shade of crimson, and as she felt her ears get hot, she was immediately embarrassed, which only made the situation worse. She couldn't remember the last time she blushed, or even the last time she had been embarrassed. And yet, him calling her poke'mon beautiful was just as good as him calling her beautiful, though she knew full well that was not what he meant. No...her bond with her poke'mon was so profound that they seemed to be a part of her, and she could only imagine what Aria might have done if she had been out of her poke'ball...or awake. Her green eyes glinted with pride, and she shifted her weight yet again, reaching up a hand to push a lock of hair out of her face. "Thank you. That...means a lot to me." she said softly diverting her eyes to regain her composure.

Clearing her throat, she looked up at him again, watching his poke'mon nestle beside him. "So..." she stated, determined to change the subject from her embarrassing moment, "...We have two things to think about here. For one, we need to come up with some sort of plan of action. I'm sure you know this, but rushing in there without a plan would be quite foolhardy."

She paused, her eyes widening with a sudden idea. "Or...maybe that would be the perfect thing to confuse the hell out of that Abra you were talking about. Maybe rushing in there with a clear head and no set-in-stone plan would leave that Abra with nothing to go on...he'd be at the same level of surprise that the rest of them were. Hm." she thought aloud, the hand that had brushed away the hair now coming to stroke her chin. After a moment of pondering, she shrugged nonchalantly, motioning towards him. "That's just my thought, though. Seeing as you're far more experienced than I, I should probably leave the decision making to you, especially since you've actually scouted out this place."

Her eyes drifted over to Cameron, and then back to Tag. "Second thing...what do you suppose we do about Mr. Ramirez over there? He's 'famous', and is liable to get himself kidnapped, if not killed here." she made sure to make little quotation marks with her fingers at the word famous, clearly showing her displeasure at the boy. However, he was just a kid...and regret would end up seeping past her current disgust if she just did nothing. Maybe Tag would help her...maybe he wouldn't, but she hated the lingering feelings of regret that always had a hard time of going away, typically coupled with an annoying array of 'What if?' questions.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Sep 15 2010, 12:48 AM

"Well, Tag...I, for one, would be delighted to fight at your side. I look forward to the experience. You and I both know that those little guys deserve far better than that." Tag was really beginning to marvel at the girl's beliefs. Perhaps it really wasn't much to go off of, because it really was just proper humane views on pokemon ((You know, except for the vicious battles for sport)), but it was rare to see someone in agreement with him on this. He decided to voice this opinion:
"It's rare to see someone in agreement with me on this." This was probably not a true statement. Many trainers probably shared this sentiment, but by virtue of being a loner, Tag had met very few. (This was because he'd met very few people in general, but this was beside the point.)

Upon reception of his compliment to her pokemon, Tag watched curiously as the girl blushed. This was something he found utterly confusing: He had complimented her pokemon, not her. As a result, her blushing seemed almost apropos to what he said. He shrugged in response to her gratitude. It wasn't a callous gesture, as his face implied a non-verbal "no problem".

"Actually, I'd only jokingly considered rushing in and causing mayhem. While it would confuse the Abra, it would definitely serve to get us killed in a heartbeat. The men are armed, after all." Sending Raven in to distract them would definitely fall under one of the 36 Stratagems, but it was not a risk he was willing to take. There would have to be more ingenuity in this approach, but that sort of creativity is something Tag felt he lacked outside of pokemon battle. "I'd be more than happy to have us team up and take them down one by one, leaving the Abra and the suit man for last." He seemed quite happy with that plan. However, his spirits sank when she mentioned Cameron Ramirez. Considering he'd spent some time in a coma, he hadn't heard of this pop star. What bugged him was the fact that Cameron was still very much part of their lives for the time being. Sighing a long, slow sigh, he turned his stare over to the kid, who stood there still sopping wet. Tag blinked owlishly at few times at him before turning back to Raven.

"When you save someone's life, you're indebted to them forever." he frowned. "It should be the other way around. He should be thanking us profusely. However, we stepped in and rescued him. Now we're responsible for him. That's just how it is. Our best bet is to get him to the city outskirts, wherein some rich man's search party will easily find him, then return to take care of our business here. However, if he has a heart, he may opt to join us, increasing our firepower." He ended the thought there. Tag raised his voice a little, calling over his shoulder without removing Raven from his sights. "Mr. Ramirez, a word with you, if you please." He did his best to remove any trace of sarcasm from the forced polite tone, but surely some of it carried across all the same. He knew for a fact, though, that he already dreaded the conversation that was to ensue.

Posted by: Haunted Sep 15 2010, 05:15 PM

Hearing the animated chatter from his impromptu rescuers gave Cameron a chance to space out for a minute. Leaning back in his chair, he exhaled slowly and focused on his breathing, trying to keep it even. Terry had told him about meditation after one particularly stressful fight with his father, and, with nothing else to do but practice guitar or do vocal warm-ups, the teenager had taken quickly to the practice. It wasn't as relieving as a long bath or a good massage, but he'd have to make do until the search party picked him up.

Runner's ears perked as he caught on to Cameron's plan, closing his eyes and flopping in a heap on his friend's lap. Young as he was, the meditation quickly lapsed into sleep; the Pichu's chest rose and fell softly to compensate for the bandage. Peeking at Runner with on half-open eye, Cameron's mouth flicked into a smile. From the way his leg was twitching, he knew the electric rodent was dreaming of Grepa berries. Once we get in the helicopter or whatever I'll phone ahead and ask Terry to get a bowl ready for him, he decided, returning to his concentration. Raven and Tag's conversation (he was thankful that he finally knew their names; tattoo guy and that girl were starting to get old) did slice into his non-thoughts a little, making his focus shift.

Cameron tapped his foot against the dingy floor lightly, beginning to hum to cover the noise. It was an old song that had been sung to him as a child; Terry knew nothing about it and since Damian couldn't sing, Cameron assumed it had been a lullaby from his mother. The words had been lost to time and the grief from Elia's death, but he did remember parts of the chorus. Something about demons and rivers; not really the stuff of lullabies, but the feeling of being safe emerged when he heard it nonetheless. Meditation all but forgotten, he focused on the melody and let it sweep it back to before he realised his father hated him, back to when his mother was alive and he didn't have to worry about public appearances or getting murdered in an abandoned city.

"Mr Ramirez, a word with you, if you please."

Tag's voice broke through the tune, bringing Cameron's humming to a sudden stop. Runner's ear twitched and he complained quietly as the teen stood, holding the drowsing Pokemon carefully. Judging from the looks on his and Raven's faces, they really didn't want to talk to him. Like I care. Come morning and I won't have to look at them, either. Hoisting Runner up – the Pichu had begun to slip from his arms – Cameron looked between the two.

“What is it?” He hoped he didn't sound too annoyed. He'd already made a bad enough impression, and now that he was indebted to these two, he didn't want to make it worse. The thing was, he hated owing people. Especially if they didn't want money.

“If this is about helping me, then...well, thanks.” Now that that was out of the way, he had to think. What do you give people like this? Fame? No, they didn't seem like the type to want news coverage on their heroic rescue. Besides, casting him in a helpless light would enrage Damian, no matter how many sympathy fans Cameron would get. Rare Pokemon? He glanced down at the Pokemon at their feet and crossed that option out. He was still thinking (and probably looking like an idiot, just standing there with a drooling Pichu) when the flustered Nurse returned.

She was holding out a tray with two labeled bowls – one marked 'Electrike', the other 'Pichu' - filled with the same sort of food Cameron had seen in advertisements for PokeChow. Next to the bowls was a scrap of paper and a pen that looked like it was in serious danger of exploding in a shower of ink. Gingerly Cameron picked it up and signed his name with a flourish, turning the tail of the Z into a curved lightning bolt underneath his name.

“Oh, thank you, Mr Ramirez!” the Nurse squealed breathlessly, taking the paper and relevantly putting it into the pocket of her apron. “Is there I anything else I can help you or your friends with?”

“Not right now, thanks.” Cameron said smoothly, hitting the release on Shep's ball. Before the flash had even finished forming the Electrike's shape the Pokemon was gorging his meal, sending bits of Chow everywhere. Cameron stared at him for a second before a thought struck him. “Actually, call me Cameron. You guys, too.” Joy nodded happily and drifted off to help a teenage boy who had just walked in, clutching an enormously fat Stunky. Cameron looked back at Tag and Raven. “I'm not on the best terms with my father. He makes the crew call me Ramirez, even though I hate that name. Anyway, we were, uh, talking.” Runner had woken up and Cameron set him down in front of the tray, watching as he sleepily popped a piece of Chow into his mouth.

Teranika Ingress – better known as Terry – was standing in the middle of Petropolis' Volunteer Rescue Services, colloquially called the corps. She was talking to the leader of the private corps – a more militarised unit devoted to rescuing high-risk people and Pokemon from dangerous areas. Normally Terry would have gone to the normal corps (as Eron was always doing stupid things, although this took the cake), but Damian would have blown a casket if she did. To him, Cameron meant money and a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his aging father, a man so wrapped up in himself it made Damian look like a saint. Terry did not approve of him using her nephew in such a manner, but Elia had specified that once she died, his upbringing would be left to her husband.

If Arezou was here, we'd be having a lot less problems, she thought, smiling as she thanked the squad leader for his efforts. Arezou had been Elia's Gardevoir – Terry had always thought it pathetic that the Pokemon understood Elia better than Damian. Shortly after Elia's passing, the Pokemon had simply vanished. Terry sighed and beckoned to her Blissey, the plump pink-and-white Pokemon following her out of the building and into the night, where Damian's limo waited for them; a sleek black Persian growling softly in the street. Cameron had been close enough to Elia for Arezou's powers to work on him as well; the Gardevoir could prove Damian's neglect and abuse in court and help Terry take Eron away from the Ramirez family.

She'd have to settle for this, though – if Damian did send Cameron straight to Gigarte to continue the tour as she thought, it would be proof enough for a decent lawyer. And if they made a convincing enough case, then Terry could do to Eron what Damian, with all his power and money, could not – protect him, and make him happy again.

Posted by: Tymid Sep 15 2010, 09:09 PM

"...leaving that Abra and the suit man for last." he concluded, and as he had been explaining his plan, Raven's smile only got bigger with the realization that this was actually going to happen...if everything went to plan, of course. "Sounds like a plan to me. Can't wait." she said idly, reaching into her bag to pull out a piece of beef jerky. She liked to nibble when she was content...plus, she hadn't eaten much of anything since she'd gotten off of the bus, and that seemed like it had been forever ago. Her chewing slowed as she watched his face fall at the mention of Cameron. She wasn't too fond of the boy herself, but seeing as to how they seemed to be stuck with him, she'd rather bring it up now, than in the morning. Looking up at the happy, swinging tail Meowth clock on the wall, she realized that it already was morning. Huh. Time had flown. As she chewed the tough, dried jerky and swallowed a piece, she reached into her back, offering a piece to Tag. She rather enjoyed jerky...not only the flavor, but the chewing seemed to ease her nerves. Besides, it was a bit too wet to consider smoking a cigarette...and she was trying to quit. Really. She was.

She listened with a knowing gaze as he spoke about being indebted to someone after a rescue, and cocked an eyebrow at the mention of the increase in firepower. She leaned back, the corners of her mouth creeping upwards in a lazy grin. "Hey, you're preachin' to the choir here about being indebted to someone. You've gotta' think, I do have half a brain in this head of mine." she stated with a chuckle, sarcasm ringing through her voice. She was trying to lighten the man's spirits a small amount; it seemed they had darkened after the mention of the boy. She now crossed her arms in front of her, a small piece of jerky still in her hand. "As for getting him to the outskirts of the city, that's fine by me. Th' only reason I even know who the kid is is because his face is plastered all over Petropolis. That, and you hear his music in every store you could even think about goin' into. As for firepower, I know we could use any help we could get...but I'm kinda' worried about the safety of his poke'mon. I just hope the kid, if he even wants to help, doesn't end up making the ordeal more of a cluster-fu-...mble than it needs to be." she stated casually, showing that she had no qualms to the boy helping if he so desired--he could definitely stand to earn back some points in her book. But, she understood and recognized that Tag had more experience, and she knew that any help, even a very confusing immature kind of help, would still be help. She wouldn't place permanent judgement just yet. She knew better.

As Tag called out to the kid, she could faintly hear the sarcasm in his voice, and she turned to face Cameron, leaning forward, her left elbow resting on her knee, her palm cupping her chin. A bemused gaze rested upon her countenance, and as he responded with a "What is it?" she scoffed to herself, not out of a 'better-than-thou' mindset, but rather, a 'here-we-go-damn-it' type of mindset.

Cameron reluctantly thanked the two of them, and his uncomfortable expression spoke more volumes than he knew. She watched his eyes dart to her poke'balls, to Tag's poke'mon, to their clothes, and then to their faces. He was trying to discern what they wanted from him. Typical. The only reason she knew what he was doing...was because, long ago, she had done the very same thing. A bubbling of regret touched her thoughts, but she wouldn't think about that now. She combed her fingers through her hair, a small, poutish smirk coming on to her face as she recognized his discomfort. At least the feelings of having a long conversation were mutual. She said nothing, considering that this conversation was between him and Tag for the moment, however, she did lift a brow as Nurse Joy came and got an autograph. Her lips pursed together as she tried to decide if she wanted to laugh, or just make an 'Ummmm' sound. She idly watched the Pichu eat the Chow, and watched a piece of chow from the Electrike's ravenous feasting land on the tip of her shiny boot. She exhaled calmly through her nose, picking up the piece of chow and calmly placing it in the Pichu's bowl.

Next, it seemed introductions were in order. Her eyes half-lidded, she listened as he went into the talk about his father. Her parents had known his father. As well known as the Amaranth's had been...when they were alive, they had co-mingled at some top-hat affair at some point. As with most of her other secrets, she kept her last name to herself, shortly stating her name before falling back into silence. She wondered why the boy felt the need to go into a monologue about his name, but she kept her mouth closed, waiting for Tag to speak to the waiting Cameron.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Sep 16 2010, 03:25 AM

Tag watched Raven's slow smile spread across her face. He seemed pleased with her response to his plan, even though it really wasn't much of one.

"I hope you've more than half a brain." It was a rather weak joke, but at this point he was a bit too tired to draw upon the reserves of dry wit he'd accumulated over the years. He raised a hand to gently decline her offer of jerky. Perhaps he was part android, because Tag never seemed to eat anything. (At least on screen.) "It's a risk, unfortunately, that I'm willing to take. His pokemon seem inexperienced at best, but with a little guidance, I'm sure they'll do just fine. What I'm most interested in, is their ability to use Thunder Wave. It's a rudimentary move for most electric pokemon, but it will serve to further our efforts greatly. Combined with Suzu's Supersonic, or Tobi's Disable, we could hamper their counter-offensive..." Tag stopped himself before he got too wrapped up in micro-strategizing. "Tomorrow morning, I will send Suzu out on reconnaissance. She can scout out their location by air, as I'm sure they've moved by now."

He stopped himself once again, realizing that he'd begun to plot with Cameron's pokemon in mind. Once the kid arrived the proceedings unfolded as the two previous authors had described. He half expected for the teen to drop a tidbit about his family life, but was quite surprised when he heard it slip out. He did, however, watch with great fondness as the two pokemon tore into their meal. After their earlier ordeal, it was only natural that they were famished. He listened as Raven once again merely stated her first name, then launched into his own introduction.

"I'm Tag" he blazed through said introduction with all the verve of someone with something more important to say, which he did. Never one to mince words, Tag naturally went straight to the point.

"You owe us." he stated matter of fact-ly. "So I have a proposal. Take a look at Tobi, my vulpix" he indicated the pokemon in his lap "He is clearly mistreated. I rescued him today from black market traders. The condition of the pokemon there are obviously not good. We're going to rescue some black market pokemon tomorrow by force." He looked to Raven and then Cameron, "unless one of you simply wants to buy them all." It was a half joke, but it would be an aversion to the potential harm about to befall all their pokemon. On top of this, the Abra would pull the same trick, meaning any one pokemon would be just within their combined finances. Tag's meager remaining 200 pokedollars seemed mere pittance to what appeared to be their sums, as Tag had obviously eavesdropped on Raven's dealings with Nurse Joy ((Woo retcon)). "My proposal is this: Aid us with your pokemon comrades. You are, of course, free to decline, and we'll escort you beyond the boundaries of the city, wherein you'll be safer and more visible to your search party." He did hope that the kid kept in mind that Tag and Raven had saved his life, and hopefully just the sight of the malnourished Vulpix would tug at his heartstrings. Both of these things were incredibly manipulative, but Tag figured that the ends of rescuing maltreated pokemon would justify the means of manipulating a rich brat. "Your battle style is...panicky...at best. I'm willing to give you a brief tutorial on the art of pokemon battle, if you felt you needed it."

Posted by: Tymid Sep 16 2010, 05:14 PM

Raven nodded as she listened to the plan he had, and as he concluded, she nodded her agreement. "I suppose you're right. Thunder Wave could be very beneficial to us, as well as the other moves you mentioned. As for my guys, Aria's pretty basic, only knowing Tackle and Leer. She is just a kitten after all. As for Totodile, he knows Tackle, Leer, Water Gun and Rage. He was pretty pissed earlier, seeing that Vulpix the way it was; so Rage and Water Gun at least should come in handy. His Leer today worked out pretty well regarding the Rattata." she stated, frowning a bit at the thought of the poor creature. She 'tsk'ed softly, offering a sad smile up to Tag. "It's a small win."

As Tag launched into Cameron, she kind of stopped listening at the words "You owe us." While she nodded in agreement, Tag's words seemed to be becoming hazy and soft in her mind. She wasn't sure if it was because she was tired, overwhelmed, or a little bit of both, but her focus was lapsing. It wasn't that she was uninterested, it's just the looming sounds of the thoughts she usually got to think about by herself were creeping in and assaulting her tired brain. Her ears caught Tag's mention to buying them all, and her head snapped up, her eyes shooting him a harsh glare. She had not wanted the boy to know that she had money...at all. She knew how this caste system worked. Though she did take note of the joking lilt to his voice at the statement, it was obvious that she was affronted by it.

"We will do no such thing." she stated dangerously, shifting her satchel to the side. "For every poke'mon we would buy and rescue, another 40 would be bought and subjected to the same fate as those. This is a pretty poor division in Lenolia, but with our generous "contribution", half of the money would go to the scumbags, the other half would go to purchase more poke'balls, in which more poke'mon would be caught. Do you know what they do with the poke'mon they don't sell? They're transferred to bigger divisions, who use them as training fodder for their poke'mon. They use them so that their poke'mon can sense blood, crave it...and so that their investment will not be poorly spent. I have seen the discarded corpses of these creatures in dumpsters, their sole purpose in life fulfilled, and I would sooner fight them than to give them more means to abuse poke'mon."

Her tone was low, and calm, not in the least bit insulting, but dangerously informative. She had not meant to insult or embarrass Tag, nor did she plan on divulging how she knew this information. She understood the tone in Tag's voice, and knew that he had only been partly serious, but she had wanted to make it clear to Cameron that while it was the easy way out, like she knew would be the choice he picked, it was not the best choice, by a long shot. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a moment, and exhaled through her nose, an obvious attempt to calm the stirring memories...the poke'mon she couldn't save. She would explain to Tag later why she had been so coarse, but for now, she would only say one more thing, in an attempt to let Tag know that she was not angry at him, nor did she think less of him for buying the Vulpix...and that she was not trying to embarrass him (though he seemed quite incapable of becoming embarrassed).

"...Tag is right, however. We could use your...help in getting these poke'mon to a good home. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking: 'How did I get dragged into this? I should be at a show, or at home, being lazy and listening to music.' But what we're trying to say is this: Without our help tonight, your Electrike and your Pichu would be in the same state as that Vulpix had been. You would never get to see them again. You would never know if they lived, or fell to the same circumstances that others have. You're lucky, they would probably sell or be given to a grunt who treated them just as badly as that Vulpix. We don't want to be heroes. We want to help these poke'mon, these potential friends...and get rid of the guys who wanted to kill you, at least temporarily. I, personally, want to try and get Tag's money back, too." she said softly, at the last phrase offering Tag an almost apologetic smile. It was obvious that she wasn't trying to offend anyone, even though she was still miffed at the fact that Tag had divulged that she had money. She liked Tag, so far. He seemed to be a very down-to-earth fellow, and she hadn't been able to find that in a person in a good while. He could be a good friend, if the social climate permitted. Again, even if he was upset at her now, she would attempt to explain why she had said what she said. Maybe he already understood.

The sudden spurn of memories had drained Raven, and in showed as her mouth split in a wide yawn. However, she didn't know if there would be any sleeping tonight, and she was okay with that. She'd spent many nights, dog-tired, unable to sleep. The probability of this being one of those nights was high.

Posted by: Haunted Sep 16 2010, 09:03 PM

Blue eyes wandered down from Tag's face to the Vulpix in his lap. Now that he really looked, he could see that its fur was a bit ragged and it looked quite a bit thinner than Shep. Even next to Raven's beat-up Pokemon it looked worse for the wear. Cameron felt a frown tug at his face - Pokemon were really nothing more than a distraction to him - save Shep and Runner - but the almond-coloured eyes of the Vulpix poked a part of the teen heart that had fallen into disuse years ago. A slight tug at his wet pants alerted him that feeding time was over and that he was still rather damp. He quickly bent over to pick up Runner, watching as Shep wandered over to Raven's Pokemon, tail wagging.

But, still. He needed to get home, fire everyone who'd gotten him into this mess, and get back on the tour schedule, no matter how much he wanted a reprieve. After all, the captive Pokemon were probably like the one he'd seen in pictures of shelters - sad and sometimes a little injured, but mostly fine and always adopted to good owners. And there was the tour problem - as much as he was loathe to do anything aside from going home to rest, Damian would find some excuse to keep him going. He'd invested way too much money into Cameron's tour to simply let his son stay at home to recover from being mugged and nearly murdered. He was about to take up Tag's offer on bringing him to the outskirts (as Petrol was no doubt already waiting outside) when Raven's harsh voice overpowered his.

"We will do no such thing." Her expression was stormy; Cameron half-expected a cloud to appear above her head and start firing Thunderbolts at everyone nearby. He hoped the little cloud wouldn't start any waterworks - he was still mostly wet and not very fond of the fact. Runner tugged at Cameron's collar as the girl ranted, the Pichu looking more confused by the second.

"- I have seen the discarded corpses of these creatures in dumpsters, their sole purpose in life fulfilled, and I would sooner fight them than to give them more means to abuse Pokemon."

"What?" Nearly dropping Runner from shock, he blinked at Raven. "They kill the Pokemon? That's..." ...wrong, he thought. Really, really, wrong. Why haven't I heard about this? I watch TV; I walk around Pteropolis...granted, it's the upper-class neighbourhoods and only pre-selected channels, but I still should have heard something. From Terry...unless Damian's keeping her lips sealed.

Snapping back in time to hear Raven's suggestion that Shep or Runner could be next, Cameron turned and faced the wall, counting to ten. Slowly. Another trick, courtesy of Auntie Ingress. He could hear Shep barking at the Shinx in a friendly way; Runner was squirming in his unconsciously tighter grip, his small tail beating at the hem of Cameron's black-and-blue shirt. True, he wasn't that fond of Pokemon. But killing them? Hurting them without reason? Even he could see that that was wrong, and his father scammed people and used his son for a living. His mind went to where the benefits from his tour would go - the false Save the Wailmer Foundation. A front for Damian to channel more money into Ramirez Music. He hadn't thought of it much before; Damian was always pulling crap like that. But now...

For the first time, Cameron actually began to wonder why the Wailmers needed saving.

It was a tiny thought in the very recesses of his mind; the part that had long since faded when he was told what to think and where to go. Critical thinking was not a skill needed for aspiring pop stars - all they needed was a good voice, some instrumental skill, and the ability to keep popping out senseless lyrics.

It was a small seed of worry, but it was the snowflake that would, maybe someday, start an avalanche.

"...I'll help." Shep looked up from his little conversation and gave a happy yip. Cameron turned back and looked Tag in the eye, dropping his voice back to a semi-apathetic tone. "For now, at least. Once we're done, I want out of the city. And..." A pause. The boy shifted Runner to one arm and ran a hand through his soaked dyed hair, wincing and shaking out his hand. "I guess I'll take up on your training offer, Tag. I don't think I'll make my concert date in time, unless Damian magically bought a Celebi or a really fast helicopter." Maybe you're just jumping to conclusions, he reprimanded himself. It can't be that bad, can it? Raven was probably exaggerating when she said they were killed. He looked back at the older girl - her face was set in stone. ...Doubt it.

"Uh," he began - the sentence never came out. It was at that moment that Raven yawned, and it was contagious. Shep echoed the sentiment from the floor, and Cameron felt one tugging at his throat. Unable to resist he gave into the yawn, his shoulders shuddering. Runner began to giggle, his ears twitching and tickling Cameron's throat. "Stop that," he murmured. The Pichu's frame still shook, but he was simply smiling now. Soon he'd drift back to sleep - something Cameron really wouldn't mind having right now. Even if it was a choppy rest, broken up from the nightmares he knew he'd start having.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Sep 16 2010, 11:58 PM

The slew of events that followed had caught Tag almost completely off guard. He had only half-joked at the thought of purchasing the pokemon, but evidently had touched a very sore chord within Raven. She obviously wore her emotions on her sleeve half the time, but nonetheless, he was surprised when she launched into her monologue. With her voice low and calm, not in the least bit insulting, but dangerously informative, she had managed to stifle the thought once and for all in Tag. However he secretly worried about the stakes of the battle: If they lost, their pokemon would be next on the auction blocks and in those horrible kennels, and the trainers in question would be nothing but distant memories. He couldn't say that he'd dealt with such black market folk before, but he could only imagine that it would be his corpse strung up at the city limits. Tag was, as Raven guessed, not embarrassed. He did, however, take mental note as to not breach upon that subject in the future. It was obviously none of his business, and it would remain that way until she chose to divulge it, if ever. He would later come to understand Raven's aversion to the knowledge of her wealth, but that was another story for another time. He took the moment to read her apologetic smile, offering what appeared to be a nod of pure contrition of his own. He mouthed a silent "thank you" in her direction. Naturally, he couldn't show weakness in front of Cameron; he couldn't have the boy think any less of him at the moment.

That was when Cameron threw him for a loop.

"...I'll help." This alone seemed almost like a monumental blow to Tag; not a harsh one mind you, but rather just a shock. He had half expected the boy to merely retain their services as escorts. To say the least, he was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps there was a ray of hope for the boy after all.

Tag's pokemon all looked at one another, then in unison up to their trainer, the look of grim determination on their faces was enough to soothe his troubled worries on tomorrow's battle. They would not lose with so much at stake. Tobi, certainly wanted to aid his comrades, and his other pokemon, loyal to him almost to a fault, were prepared to throw themselves in harm's way once again.

"Tomorrow morning, I will send Suzu to scout, while I give the two of you a crash course." He looked over the unlikely alliance, Tattoo-Girl Raven, Tattoo-guy Tag and Idol Cameron. They sounded like happenstance opponents in a video game. Yet here they were, banding together for a cause. Life had funny moments like that. "Your pokemon, what are their names?" Tag asked gently, indicating the electrike and the pichu.

* * *

Sleep was an easy affair. With the Chanseys on guard duty, and the pokemon center essentially a sanctuary, they seemed to be quite safe. Tag, unlike his two 'allies' found sleep a simple task. He needed rest for the battle, so his body and mind rested, completely in unison. His pokemon rested next to him, out of their pokeballs for the the time. He could afford them the small luxury in exchange for their full abilities the next day.

* * *

When morning rolled around, Tag had risen just before the others, straightening himself out in the bathroom. He traveled often, so when he had the opportunity for hygeine, he took it. Without touching the other two, he somewhat gently woke them (if they weren't already awake from nightmares, etc), giving them some time to stir and attend to their various needs. He indicated to Suzu with a nod of his head, and she dutifully floated over to him, gently alighting on his shoulders, hanging there like a backpack. Stepping outside, he issued the order to find the black market trainers, most notably a man in a suit. He would stick out like a sore thumb. Returning inside, he would wait until the two were ready before taking up a position at one end of the pokemon center. The Chansey nurses moved about, clearing them a practice space, hurriedly modeling the couches and benches into a cluttered area, not at all open for battle. It appeared to make some sort of maze, though the pokemon would easily be able to move about on top, through, and around. Bachi trudged into the center outside of his end of the array, standing proudly in front of Tag, while Kyoko disappeared into the maze, and Tobi stood almost casually on one of the benches.

"The terrain will never always be an open field." Tag began. "If you're lucky, it will be, but in this case, let's prepare for the fact that it might not be. Your best asset to this battle will be Thunder Wave, a move both of your pokemon should know. However, with so many obstacles, its accuracy will be questionable. Your objective in this match will be to paralyze all three of my pokemon with Thunder Wave. Whenever you're ready." Tag's hands slipped into his pockets as he waited for Cameron to begin. Hopefully, Raven was ready and taking notes as well.

Posted by: Tymid Sep 17 2010, 08:49 PM

Raven nodded at Tag's mouthed Thank You, showing she understood. However, as Cameron said that he'd help, her shoulder lifted, as did her chin, giving her the appearance of her ears piquing with interest. She smiled a tiny smile towards the boy, and even though it was small, it was the closest thing to a genuine smile she had given to him all night. She extended a hand towards him, even though she had already introduced herself. It was meant to be a thanking gesture, more than anything, an extension of the meager introduction she had given earlier. She looked over to Tag's face, noting that he only bore the slightest bit of surprise at Cameron's response. However, as she was beginning to note, Tag didn't show much emotion, she highly doubted that he was as stoic as she seemed. True, she did maintain a variety of emotion, and her lack of a balanced attention span kept her from hiding her emotions as well as most. But she was a rather strong individual, and would probably be the last one to cry in any given situation, unless it involved her poke'mon, in which case, the first emotion would probably rage, then sadness. Regardless, while it was obvious that she was full to the brim with emotion, the only emotions she could recall showing so far was confusion, happiness, mild embarrassment and mild sadness.

She listened as Cameron introduced his poke'mon, then proceeded to rise from her seat, stretching with a groan. She had only slightly dried off, but this wouldn't stop her from getting a good night's rest. Many nights in the alleys of Petropolis she had been rained on with naught but a newspaper to keep her dry, so, being a little damp didn't endanger her any. She picked up her jacket, which had dried out nicely...another reason she liked leather. "Well, fellas'..." she began, tossing the jacket over her shoulder, "...I'm callin' it a night. I'll see you two bright 'n' early. No funny business, y'hear?" she stated with a chuckle, winking towards the two. She turned and walked over to the trash can of all places, recalling her poke'mon from their poke'balls, the two looking just as drowsy as she. As she laid down, facing the wall, her brown hair fell down in front of her face, blotting out the light of the poke'center, and she fell into an easy sleep.

Her eyes snapped open, a bead of sweat trickling down into her eyes. Requiem was growling menacingly, his teeth bared. She looked up to see Tag's face, and offered him a sleepy smile. She would have risen at first light regardless, but she was glad for the awakening anyway. Her pulse was accelerated, and the first light of dawn was creeping through the clear door of the poke'center. She hadn't shifted much from where she fell, and Aria was still dozing, nestled in the crook of her tummy. She sat up, her jacket falling off of her body as she did so. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Aria mewled as she was awakened, but Requiem was already standing at her side. She reached out and poked his nose, to which he happily returned the favor. She needed a bath...or a shower. The rain outside had stopped, the droplets from last night falling like diamonds from the rooftop. She slowly stood up, stretching, creaking and popping like an old house. Aria finally roused from underneath the fallen jacket, sticking her nose out, her mouth in the shape of a sleepy 'o'. Raven smiled, picking up her jacket, and and slowly went outside. There was a water basin outside, for any poke'mon that wandered by needing a drink. While Raven was sure that there were showers available inside, she was acting on instinct. With Requiem looking excited to dive in, she knelt by the basin, placing Requiem inside. He gurgled and splashed happily in the cold rainwater. Picking out a few bugs from the water, Raven cupped her hands and dipped them into the crystalline pool, splashing the water onto her face. She gasped with the chill and shock of the water, but simply tilted her head back to the sunlight, the water droplets trickling down the contours of her face. As she licked the droplets away from her lips, she turned her head over, dunking it, remaining submerged for a while.

As she tossed her head back, her wet hair followed suit, sending droplets of water shimmering into the orange sunrise. She reached her hands back, squeezing out the excess water. With her hair slicked back and shimmering in the sun, chin still dripping water, she seemed quite happy with her current state, a small smile resting on her lips. She then shook her head brusquely, causing her damp hair to splay out, it's natural wavy locks clinging together with the moisture. Her green eyes sparkled spectacularly in the morning sun, and as she reached down to remove Requiem from his bath and place Aria in the basin (who positively squeaked with the cold, her fur bristling on end), she reached into her satchel, pulling out the pack of cigarettes she had bought. Removing the plastic and the foil, she delicately pulled one out, savoring the scent. Placing it to her lips, she pulled out the lighter she had brought, and clicked it. Nothing. Clicking at it furiously a couple more times, she finally got a flame, but made note to let the lighter dry out before she attempted to use it again. The Totodile uttered a grunt of wanting, but she shook her head at him. It really wasn't good for him, after all. The smoke trailed from her lips, snakelike and unpredicatble into the air, and the burn of the cigarette actually woke her up a bit more, and she leaned up against the pillar of the poke'center. Just then, Tag's Ledian, Suzu, she remembered, fly out the door to scout, like had been mentioned the night before. She waited again to inhale, redirecting the smoke away from the sensitve bug poke'mon. She nodded respectfully, a soft statement following the Ledian's back- "Be safe out there, friend."

As she finished the cigarette, she picked up the bedraggled shinx, who still didn't look very happy about her bath, giving Raven a small shock of dislike. "Don't be like that. You were stinky." Raven said playfully, pulling out the towel she had been going to use for herself and wrapping Aria in a tight, warm bundle. All was forgiven as the shinx nestled into the towel, purrs ensuing. Raven then brushed her teeth, covering up the spot she had spit upon with a pile of dirt; no one wanted to see that. Feeling all minty fresh and clean, she re-entered the poke'center, she saw that the whole place had been rearranged. She gracefully leapt onto a couch, the early morning energy filling her body. "I'm just going to watch and take notes, if that's fine by you." she told Tag from her perch, slipping on her jacket. She turned and greeted each of Tag's and Cameron's poke'mon by name, dipping her head respectfully to each. She then leapfrogged from couch to couch, gracefully balancing herself and making dancer like strides, until she was far out of danger. In Raven's mind, she was pretending they were rooftops. She turned to see Aria following her just as gracefully, and Requiem choosing to take the path less travelled, meandering between the couches on the floor. Raven held up a hand until he got close to her, and then picked him up, giving the thumbs-up that all was clear on the field of battle. She turned to Cameron, Aria having jumped up to her shoulder to watch, Requiem still nestled in her arms.

Posted by: Haunted Sep 19 2010, 06:07 PM

"Oh," Cameron muttered. "Uh, the Electrike is Shep." At the sound of his mane, the Pokemon stood and thrummed the floor with his tail, nuzzling Cameron's muddy pant leg happily. After shooing the Pokemon away (the Nurse had cleaned the mud and grime off of his fur, and Cameron really didn't want him to get dirty again so soon) he held Runner up. "And this is Runner. He gets scared easily...but I think you already knew that." Before he could say anything else, he noticed Raven giving him what he guessed was a smile. It was a little too small to tell for sure. When he saw her outstretched hand he yet again moved Runner to one arm and shook Raven's hand, his wrists seeming too small for his calloused hands. Playing the guitar without a pick - like what Cameron preferred, despite the drop in volume - had caused his fingers to bleed and scab over continually when he first learned how to play. He'd tried going to picks at one point, only to break two strings within three notes. He swore by hand picking, even though it caused a great deal more in medical bills.

"Well, fellas'..." Raven said, tossing her jacket over her shoulder. "...I'm callin' it a night. I'll see you two bright 'n' early. No funny business, y'hear?"

Funny buisness. Right, Cameron thought, watching as she moved off...and settled down next to a trash can. He blinked a few times, wondering why she hadn't chosen a couch or something marginally more comfortable than the floor. Still mostly wet, Cameron himself made a beeline for a couch and flopped onto it, scooting over to the end when Shep jumped up next to him. The Electrike was as hyper in his sleep as he was awake, kicking and tossing all night. In stark contrast, Runner looked dead when he slept, unable to be jolted awake from anything less than the sun on his face.

At this point Cameron wished he slept that deeply. He was wet, the couch was threadbare and hard, and there were no pillows or blankets in sight. He'd had some rough nights - the weeks after his mother died had been the worst - but this was definitely going to be up there.

At least I know I won't get stabbed in my sleep in the penthouse. Cameron's head tipped back, his hair splayed behind him. He'd need a haircut soon; his hair always went from bearable to way too long about a week after a trim. The last thought in his head before he drifted off was imagining what the look on Damian's face would be if he dyed his hair black.

The voice was firm but patient, repeating Cameron's name until the teen felt compelled to launch a pillow in its direction. At the last second he realised that the pillow was actually Runner, who was protesting loudly to being thrown. Leaping from his seat the teen quickly grabbed his Pichu, clutching the electric mouse to his chest as he tumbled onto the floor. Expecting to simply roll across the floor (and make a fool of himself in the process), Cameron was not-so-pleasantly surprised when his forehead connected to a long, dented steel-and-wood bench he was pretty sure had been outside last night. Standing up and rubbing his head, he watched as a small army of Chansies bustled around, moving everything in the room in what resembled a very badly-planned maze. Tag stood on the other side of the room, his Nidorino at his heels. Cameron noticed his Vulpix on one of the benches; aside from that, he had no idea where the rest were.

"The terrain will never always be an open field. If you're lucky, it will be, but in this case, let's prepare for the fact that it might not be." Two Chansies pushed past Cameron, grabbing the couch he'd been tossing and turning on all night and carrying it into the maze...with Shep still on it. A sharp whistle from Cameron sent the Electrike rolling off the couch and onto the floor at his feet, wagging his tail. "Your best asset to this battle will be Thunder Wave, a move both of your Pokemon should know. However, with so many obstacles, its accuracy will be questionable. Your objective in this match will be to paralyze all three of my Pokemon with Thunder Wave. Whenever you're ready."

"What, no breakfast?" Cameron said, the word eliciting a very loud growl from Runner's stomach. The Pichu's ears drooped. Cameron quickly placed him on a large, bedraggled potted plant nearby and patted the top of his head. "Remember, when we get home, you get all the Grepa berries you want. Got it?" Runner sighed and nodded, his ears perking as the doors to the Centre opened and Raven entered. So that's where she's been, Cameron thought, watching her acrobatic display as she crossed the maze, ending up not too far from where he stood. He gave her a short nod, briefly wondered why she smelled like tobacco, and turned to look across the maze.

"...Alright. We're ready." With an excited bark Shep launched himself into the tangle, sending off sparks every which way. Runner took a more cautious approach, leaping carefully from platform to platform, soft brown eyes scanning the area.

"Uh, okay. Shep, don't waste so much energy. Look for the Gloom and use Thunder Wave on it. If you miss, uh...try again." A bark issued from the depths and Cameron frowned. How was he supposed to know what was happening if he couldn't see where Shep was? Groaning, he clambered onto a wobbly bench, pretending it was one of the props he used in a show. If I die, I'm going to sue them, he thought.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Sep 19 2010, 08:09 PM

Tag watched closely as the little team assembled. His pokemon seemed quite pleased that Raven had remembered their names, and sounded out in their own replies; Tobi's a short bark, Bachi's a short growl, and Kyoko's a long drawn out, oddly melodic sort of sound. Tag wasn't quite sure if Kyoko would be used to her new form yet, so this would be quite a good training session for her, as well as his newcomer Tobi. He nodded over to Raven, who had taken up a perch a safe way from the battle, which was good. He did not want her to become collateral damage in a training session, nor did he want any injury to befall her two pokemon.

"Uh, okay. Shep, don't waste so much energy. Look for the gloom and use Thunder Wave on it. If you miss, uh...try again." Tag found himself slightly amused at the length of the command. At least with Bachi and Kyoko, he would show how a short command and trust his in pokemon's ability (as well as the pay-off of their hard training) could trump the more descriptive commands. He understood that Raven had such a bond with her pokemon, but was still in the habit of spelling out the commands.

"Kyoko, Worry Seed." That command alone seemed satisfactory to Tag, who stood there, hands in pockets, waiting for the outcome. As Shep rounded the corner of a couch, he was met with the drooling face of the rafflesia pokemon. Surely the Electrike and his finely tuned sense of smell could've smelled the notably stinky pokemon. However, before the Thunder Wave could even initiate, Shep was met with a seed in the face, causing a small, pale white flower to bloom between his eyes. Tag had not seen whether or not Shep possessed the Static or the Lightningrod ability, but had already prepared for it with Worry Seed, making sure that Shep's ability was now Insomnia. As soon as Kyoko had appeared, she ducked away behind the cover of a propped table, the thunder wave fizzing gently on its surface, rather than on the plant pokemon.

"Tobi, Disable." The command echoed out through the room, and the Vulpix swiftly moved over top of the conflagerated maze, hopping down to face the probably irritated Electrike. His eyes glowed a bright blue, indicating that almost nothing had happened. With that, Tobi jumped back up onto the 'walls' of the maze, hopping back with relative grace back towards her trainer. Tag took a half second to admire the ease at which Tobi moved, and the aplomb with which he executed his attacks. This revelry was short lived, however, as Tag returned his attention to the battle tactics at hand. If Cameron attempted another Thunder Wave from Shep, he would find that disable had...well...disabled the use of the move for the time being.

"A simple, fast command is all you'll need." Tag lofted the critique over the battlefield. He had figured that Cameron already knew he wasn't going to go easy on him, but hopefully this was a wake up call. Now the kid potentially only had the cowardly Runner to use Thunder Wave with. Now, Tag had not stated anywhere that Cameron ONLY had to use Thunder Wave, so hopefully the kid would come up with a solution to work around the current paradigm.

Posted by: Tymid Sep 20 2010, 04:32 PM

Raven shifted Requiem in her arms, and Aria calmly sat on her shoulder. The fact that Aria was calm showed that she was paying attention...what a good girl. Raven watched as each party dispersed into the "maze", and already she was thinking what she would do in this position. Now, while Aria was an electric type poke'mon, she possessed the ability Intimidate, which, while greatly beneficial, was a detriment to her current lack of electrical attacks. Raven knew full well that the top bonus of being an electric type poke'mon was it's ability to paralyze opponents, but Raven would simply have to wait for that to happen. Aria would grow, and would be able to use her electric abilities with aplomb. Now, as for Requiem, who had the Torrent ability, he would be able to power-up when close to fainting. However, Raven didn't plan to let him get like that.

She found herself tactically planning against Tag's poke'mon, not really paying attention to Cameron's weaker poke'mon, who were just now beginning to ascend into the maze. As Tag called out commands, she found herself nodding in agreement to his commands. She found it quite unusual, in a good way, that he was using all non-offensive commands at the beginning; she had made good use of both Requiem and Aria's 'Leer' move. She watched the Worry Seed from Kyoko hit Shep, as well as the Vulpix. For a moment, she couldn't really tell what the Vulpix was doing, exactly, until she witnessed the slight brightening of his eyes. Oooh, Disable. Very clever.

To herself, she pondered her Totodile's speed and defense against that of the Vulpix. If Tag and she were to battle, the Totodile vs. Vulpix match would truly be the only one worth watching, at her current level. Requiem's Water Gun, while it would be highly effective, could easily be Disabled by the Vulpix's speed, and then he would have to rely on Rage until Water Gun came back. Nevertheless, she turned her focus to the flowered Shep, who's new Insomnia ability was sinking in, and who's Disabled Thunder Wave was probably becoming apparent. If he had Thundershock, he could use it, she thought. That had a chance, if small, of paralyzing the target. Then again, the Pichu that was cautiously moving through the maze had the Static ability, and if it made contact with either of the poke'mon currently in the maze, could easily paralyze one of them, if not both. That is, if the Gloom didn't plant another Worry Seed. She wasn't sure if the Electrike had learned Spark...she highly doubted it.

Stroking her chin in thought, she noticed the focused look on her Poke'mon's faces, their eyes darting around almost as quickly as hers had been. She was proud of their study, and Aria looked particularly interested to find out how the electric Poke'mon would end up faring. Raven noticed that Bachi was still calmly stationary--Cameron's poke'mon still had to get to the rather intimidating looking Nidorino. As she heard Tag offer the same advice to Cameron as he had given her, she smiled, having already been thinking about ways to direct her poke'mon in a short concise way. In the depths of her mind, the thought was already brewing about non-verbal communication...but that was a way off, yet. She had to make sure she could fight before she could think about more complicated things.

Raven slowly leaned up against the counter, the gears in her mind still turning and whirring, going a million different, but relevant directions. She was learning, yes, but her imagination was also conjuring. As most things did that have to do with her, this could either be a really good, or a really bad thing.

Posted by: Haunted Sep 25 2010, 02:18 PM

Shep blinked, confused. He'd been a little sleepy from waking up; now he was wide awake. To a very uncomfortable degree. Growling, the Electrike sent out a wave of sparks, only to watch them fizzle out harmlessly on a table. With a whine Shep sprinted after the Gloom, remembering Cameron's command to hit it again. As he skidded around a corner he saw himself face-to-face with a Vulpix. He hadn't been ordered to attack it and simply sat there, wondering vaguely why its eyes were glowing. Without a word the Vulpix turned and leapt back onto the walls of the maze, leaving Shep trying to figure out what the heck was going on.

"A simple, fast command is all you'll need." Tag said from across the room. Cameron watched in frustration as Shep was Disabled, most of the action blocked by the twisting walls of the maze. Without Thunder Wave, he couldn't paralyze Tag's Pokemon, and was therefore almost useless. His only moves now were Tackle and Leer, and neither were going to be that helpful in a maze. But still, he had to try.

"Shep, go after the...uh, wait. Use Leer on anything you see." The blond inched himself higher onto the bench, scanning to walls to see where Runner went. He saw the Pichu perched next to an overturned couch, gazing across the room with a look of anxiety on his face. If he stayed like that, he was as good as knocked out. Cameron began to shuffle across the bench; not an easy feat when you only have an inch and a half to use. Using a potted plant as a handhold, Cameron leaned over the bench and let out a soft whistle. Runner's ear twitched and he turned, brown eyes wide with fear.

"It's okay," Cameron stage-whispered. "Listen. Try to get through the maze as fast as you can. Don't be seen." The command's too long. "Uh, Charm and then Thunder Wave the Nidorino if you can." Runner nodded, took a deep, shuddering breath, and disappeared under the couch. Cameron didn't quite know what Charm did, but he hoped it'd do something to improve his chances. Not likely, but still.

Shep, on the other hand, wasn't really worrying about anything. Sure, the thing on his head was annoying, and he couldn't spark anymore, but it was better than last night's battle. His sprint had slowed to a crawl, black eyes searching for any sign of movement. As he entered a small, U-shaped dead end, he noticed a flicker of red above him. Looking up, he saw Tobi perched on a table nearby. Lowering himself to the ground, Shep's eyes began to glow a faint green as he growled, the short fur along his back bristling.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Sep 26 2010, 02:06 AM

First order of business: Further cripple Shep. Tag initiated his next set of attacks without even bothering looking at the field, almost as if to drive his point further home. He made sure to square his eyes over his shoulder towards Raven. As he issued the commands, he could almost imagine seeing the gears in her head turning. Perhaps it was his imagination; she was clearly taking good notes, considering he'd given her the exact same advice just the day before.

"Tobi, Confuse Ray." Tobi reared back a little bit, his fur standing on edge from the chilling leer. However, the Vulpix's eyes swiftly glowed a bright white! Before long, a pair of sinister beams shot out, striking Shep right in the eyes, addling his perception of reality altogether. Now not only was Shep disabled from Thunder Waving any of Tag's pokemon, it was in danger of hurting itself.

Next order of business: Scare Runner. Having taken the Pichu's cowardly nature into consideration, Tag devised a brief little plan. He watched his Nidorino's ears twitching, attempting to locate the the others in the maze based by the sound. Suddenly, the poison pin pokemon emitted a low growl, and Tag's hand sprung up.

"Bachi, Horn Attack." The Nidorino burst forward, slamming its horn into the table in front of it. This essentially destroyed the little 'barrier' between the Nidorino and Pichu, hopefully scaring the living daylights out of the electric rodent. The Charm attack would still launch, the little heart that popped out would pop between Bachi's eyes, causing him to dampen up on his attacks a bit. Tag's great hope was that the tremendous stature of the Nidorino would frighten the Pichu back into the maze. However, Cameron's slightly shortened command had been more effective, an the Pichu managed to fire off a Thunder Wave at Bachi, who stepped backwards. The Pokemon roared in pain as the paralysis overtook his trembling body. With a smile, Tag recalled Bachi to the pokeball.

Perhaps Cameron expected some praise for finishing the first third of the task, but Tag would only offer the following words: "Kyoko, Sleep Powder." Once again the Rafflesia like pokemon would appear from within the maze, shaking her body rapidly in order to release the pink spores into the air towards Pichu.

Posted by: Tymid Sep 26 2010, 08:06 PM

Raven watched the antics with a light smirk on her face. The whole event truly resembled a circus, more than a true battle. While Cameron's poke'mon had managed to paralyze one of Tag's pokemon, the bruiser of a Nidorino called Bachi, the status effect inflicting Gloom and Vulpix were still out there. Worse for Cameron, they were very good at doing what they did, and the poor Electrike was struggling through this whole mess. The eyes of her poke'mon resembled her own, mildly curious. If she were to feel pity for the boy, now would be the time. However, she found it quite a waste of energy to pity those who could help themselves, nor did she know the boy enough to pity him. From what she could tell, he was a boy, trying to teach pets to battle. Not only was he trying to teach them to battle, he was trying to complete an objective against a team of poke'mon that far outmatched his, not only in bond, but in strategy and efficiency. She took the time to ponder if she looked that silly battling, but she shook her head. No...she wasn't a bad battler. The bond with her poke'mon was there, as well as her knowledge of their limits and abilities. She was just used to talking them through it. It was her speed that needed help, not her strategy.

As Kyoko's pink, sleep inducing spores filled the air, she and her two poke'mon yawned broadly. The hazy pink cloud was headed towards the Pichu, and with how discombobulated the mouse poke'mon was, it would stand little to no chance. However, maybe the Pichu would get lucky...or maybe it would scamper over to Cameron, and they would both be put to sleep. Regardless, things were not looking good for the little electric-type team.

Raven was exceptional at unintentionally finding songs that fit the mood; her brain worked in constant shuffle. As she started to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXSgTPX5eqc&feature=related the upbeat tune, her poke'mon seemed smile and nod their heads with the tempo. A smile rested on her lips as she softly sang the tune, mainly for her own sake; she didn't care if Tag and Cameron were listening or not. She was in a good, excited mood, and she sang in accordance to her mood. She obviously wasn't belting to get attention, but the bouncy melody was definitely a better change to the sounds of decimation she was currently hearing.

She continued the song quietly, her pretty voice being the source of head-turns since she was young, but no longer did she sing for people, she sang for herself. Music was still a huge part of her life...but she would never make a career of it again, for reasons that Cameron and Tag had no reason to know, just yet. However, these memories were distant in her mind as the sun peered through the glass, resting warmly on the impromptu maze assembled in the floor. The day was going to get much more hectic from now...so she might as well enjoy the peace at hand by taking the time to savor a melody and taste the sunshine. Maybe this vacation wasn't such a bad idea after all...even though she wasn't doing what she had intended to do in the first place, she had made a new acquaintance, and was slowly coming to understand a spoiled pop-singer. There was hope for him yet, but she would continue to reserve judgement.

She of all people knew that she shouldn't judge. He'd probably been brought up like that his entire life, didn't know any better. She'd been the same way at one point. Unfortunately, it took a moment as traumatic as the one that had happened to her so many years ago to actually change her ways, transforming her into the person she was now. He was still just a kid, she couldn't be too critical. She knew people twice his age that still weren't through growing up. She could only hope that he would find himself before he hurt himself or the people he cared about.

As for Tag, he seemed pretty sure of himself, and Raven liked that immensely. She often pondered if the entire human race had gone completely soft, and here was an exception, much like she was. She already felt a sense of security with the man, which was something she thought was impossible to gain from people anymore. She felt it wholeheartedly with her poke'mon, but people were too manipulative and cruel and selfish...poke'mon were pure friends.

She concluded her song and even though her toe kept tapping to the melody going inside her head, the room fell silent again, save for uttered commands and the sounds of poke'mon battling. She was learning, alright...and she couldn't help but feel excited for what was to come.

Posted by: Haunted Oct 1 2010, 05:37 PM

Grimacing, Cameron unclipped Shep's Luxury ball and returned the Electrike before he could do any damage to himself. He knew that the Confusion and Disability would eventually fade, but he knew how disoriented the Pokemon could get in that amount of time. He'd much rather have him safe in the ball than tearing through the maze, probably injuring himself - and scaring Runner further. Cameron couldn't see the Pichu anymore; he was obviously exercising the belief that if he stayed out of sight, he wouldn't become a target. Something that was not an option, now that he was the last of Cameron's team on the field.

Since Runner was playing the hiding game, Cameron clambered down from his perch atop the bench, letting out a barely audible sigh of relief once he hit the ground. He'd never done well with heights; living in the penthouse was a constant nerve-wracking experience. Terry had all the picture windows in his half of the house knocked out, replaced with smaller, higher panes of glass that let light in without triggering any vertigo. Damian had been furious, saying that it ruined the aesthetics of the building and that Cameron had better have a good concert to repay him for the 'damages' to his beloved skyscraper.

Back in the maze, Runner's heart was beating so rapidly in his small chest that the rodent feared it would overwork and stop. The short battle against Bachi had been a small victory; there was no way Runner would be able to complete the task at hand...especially now that Shep was gone. The Pichu sat down under the upturned bucket that was his hidey-hole and pressed his paws against his closed eyes, shuddering and fighting the urge to cry. He should just go out there and give up - how did he expect to win this?

...Cheer up and dry your damp eyes
And tell me when it rains
And I'll blend up that rainbow above you
And shoot it through your veins...

An ear perked up. Runner's paw slowly slipped from his left eye, the teary brown orb staring at the bucket wall. The sound was muffled, but his ears were sensitive enough to still hear it.

Slowly, his heart began to calm.

...Your nerves gather with the altitude
Exhale the stress so you don't come unglued...

The voice was really pretty; Runner was briefly reminded of a recording Cameron had of his mother, before her illness had ravaged her lungs. He could hear a muted voice ordering a Sleep Powder, but Runner wasn't that scared anymore.

Without a single twitch, Runner tipped the bucket over and shot out.


Cameron groaned as Runner squeaked and dived underneath a bucket. "We're never going to win this," he flatly told Shep's ball. "Not with Runner. I swear, he's a off-coloured Whismur or something, all the other Pichus I've seen at least have some courage-"

A melody had started to filter through the air, seemingly wrapping around the room. Cameron had always prided himself on being fairly accurate at telling how musically talent someone was, but this took the cake. The music hit him almost like a physical blow - Raven hadn't mentioned anything about being able to sing earlier, and he could hear why - people with a voice that good rarely wanted others putting their fingers all over their lives. The strangest thing was, Cameron swore he'd heard her sing before, albeit the song he'd heard had been at a slightly higher pitch. Not from Damian; if that bastard had known Raven, then she would've been tangled in the complicated web that was Petropolis' music industry. Not Terry, either; she didn't listen to anything that Cameron didn't ask her to. Maybe Elia's music collection? Just the thought of the dusty, shelf-lined room next to the nursery sent shivers up Cameron's spine. The room had been abandoned after his mother's death, the vast cache of music left to rot.

A yellow bolt jolted Cameron from his deepening thoughts. Runner had burst out from under the bucket, weaving between the obstacles in the maze with frightening speed. Blinking, Cameron studied the look on Runner's face - not the usual fright, but a weird look of determination. His ears were pressed flat against his head to minimize drag, but Cameron could tell from the way they were held that the Pichu was listening intently to Raven's song. The most shocking thing of all was where Runner was heading - he was going straight for Kyoko.

"Uh, Thundershock!" Cameron managed to shout, watching in awe as Runner leapt onto a potted plant, zooming underneath the pink cloud of spores. The Pichu's eyes began to droop, but he fought sleep. The song had replaced his fear with adrenaline, but he knew it wouldn't last long; he could only do so much before he was utterly exhausted. He'd rest after the challenge was done (but first, he'd try to get Raven to sing again. He hoped she knew how to speak Pichu.).

As soon as he saw the yellow-spotted petals, the tiny electric mouse let out a jumble of sparks. His cheeks glowed yellow as the miniature lightning bolts zeroed in on the Gloom, moving behind a chair without waiting to see the results.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Oct 2 2010, 01:13 AM

Tag seemed, as always, unnervingly calm. He paid the music Raven sang absolutely no heed: why bother with yet another distraction? With Bachi out of the picture, he was down to two pokemon. Of course, he hadn't intended to use a single combat move the entire time, to take it easy on the two electric pokemon. However, this would not be the case when the actual battle occurred. This battle, in his mind, was already won. The real battle, later, would be much harder, and he was already formulating strategies.

For instance: There were at least Nine men. Hopefully the three he had met outside the meeting point were merely transporters, and not involved in the sales aspect. However, he had to plan for the potential of Nine men, each with potentially six pokemon. That meant there was a chance that the 8 pokemon team he'd assembled with Raven and Cameron would be up against what could be Fifty-Four opposing pokemon. Luckily, he had a good stock of healing supplies, and would need to use them generously. But if he could conserve them, especially earlier on, he and his lot would be at an advantage.

What was he working with: Requiem and Aria were spirited, if inexperienced. That would count for something. At the very least, the way the Totodile's protective nature towards fellow abused pokemon was something he'd have to rely on. Aria seemed the far less mature of the two, and Tag figured that a Shinx of her level probably did not know any electric moves to be of benefit. The two would serve as de-buffers. Leer would more than likely be their most helpful asset.

Runner and Shep. Two inexperienced electric pokemon. Tag had already long since decided that their battle usefulness would come in terms of Thunder Wave. Here, he was attempting to teach Cameron how to make use of it, while showing him just how easily it could be shut down. He doubted that the other trainers were as tactically gifted as himself, but even still, the possibility would arise. Something of a grim smile appeared on his face when he heard the command for Thundershock. He had hoped the kid would use Thunder Wave to guarantee the paralysis.

Kyoko merely shrugged as the weak jolt of electricity ran over her. As a grass type pokemon, she boasted a strong resistance to electrical assault. Her pink spores washed over the Pichu, potentially ending the training routine, but the little mouse pokemon seemed adamant in staying awake and fulfilling his duty. A rare moment of courage from the normally cowardly Pichu. Tag's heart glowed at the thought of Cameron's pokemon turning out to be a fantastic battler. Meanwhile, Kyoko showed little signs of the thundershock having any effect whatsoever.

"Kyoko, Retreat. Tobi, Hypnosis."

Tobi, perched up on the maze walls, moved swiftly over to the area where the pink spores had floated up. With a swish of his tails, he fanned away some offending spores, and leapt down onto the ground in front of Runner, on the same side of the chair as he was hiding, covering Kyoko's somewhat...waddly...retreat. His eyes glowed a soft blue, shooting out a ring of blue light. If the sleep powder hadn't taken over him yet, the hypnosis would hit first before those eyes closed, sealing the deal. If not, it didn't matter. The battle would be over either way, and Tag was merely saving his last two pokemon from the pains of paralysis.

With that done, Kyoko leapt into the air, only to be struck by the recall beam from Tag's pokeball, and the Vulpix leapt back up onto a couch to be struck by a similar beam. Tag looked across the field to Cameron and nodded.

"Not bad. Short simple commands are the best. It was a wise move to recall Shep, and your Runner was much braver than I'd given him credit for. Well done."

With that, he handed the three pokeballs in his possession to the Nurse Joy. Tag would reach in and pick up the now more than likely asleep Pichu and hold him in his arms whilst the Chansey Army moved about, returning all the furniture to their original positions. The chair that Bachi hit had not been destroyed, but would more than likely be a little creaky for the rest of its life in the Pokemon Center.

Tag's mind continued plotting a strategy for the upcoming battle...and suddenly an idea dawned on him.

"Nurse." He turned to the Joy before she left. "Do any of your Chansey know the moves Aromatherapy or Heal Bell?"

"...um yes, a few do, actually." Nurse Joy smiled "It's almost required here, since there a many pokemon who get poisoned due to the pollution."

"Allow me to borrow one for the battle. She will more than likely just be a field medic for our own pokemon."

Joy signalled to one of her Nurse Chanseys, who immediately moved over to Tag, smiling brightly and hopping up towards Tag, chiming in her ever pleasant Chansey tones.

Once the 'battle arena' had been cleared, Tag walked over to Cameron, gently handing him the sleeping bundle in his arms "Heal them up. Their main job is to paralyze as many of the oponents pokemon as they can. Runner will work with Suzu, Shep will work with Tobi." He turned to Raven "I want Requiem and Aria to focus on using leer, to lower the enemy defenses. Requiem will pair up with Kyoko, and Aria with Bachi. Suzu will more than likely carry Runner around while she flies, granting him mobility, and generally keeping him from harm. Her Supersonic and his Thunderwave will easily cripple opponents. Shep and Tobi are both swift pokemon. They can inflict the same statuses, but they will have to move quickly on the ground. Requiem and Aria are more mobile than Kyoko and Bachi, so Requiem will leer, Kyoko will inflict Status. They'll have to work together to defend one another. Same with Aria and Bachi. Bachi will protect Aria while she lowers defenses, then let him smash through their guards: He's very good at that. I'll have Chansey on full time Aromatherapy and Heal Bell support, to make sure our team isn't crippled by statuses as well."

He looked to the two trainers to see if they were following. "We are up against, potentially, nine trainers with six pokemon each. That could mean we're facing up to fifty-four enemies. However, with proper strategy, we'll take them down. Not to mention, there's the slight chance that Clem, Petrol and Stretch will be out for revenge too, so we must be on our guard. We'll take them all in as small of groups as we can. If we can catch one or two outside on their own, it would be ideal to thinning them out..." Once again, he paused to see if Cameron and Raven were following along. It was odd. He felt like a general issuing out orders like this before a big battle, which essentially, he was.

"I'm sorry. This was as good of a plan as I can think of. Any thoughts?"

As if on cue, Suzu came floating in through the doors, alighting gently at Tag's feet. She nodded in what appeared to be a grim gesture, indicating that she'd found them. With a pat on her insectoid head, Tag recalled her to her pokeball, tossing it over to Nurse Joy.

"As soon as our pokemon are ready, we head out."

Posted by: Tymid Oct 3 2010, 01:08 PM

Raven continued to sing, all the while tilting her head curiously at the transformation she witnessed from the Pichu. She had known that music was a universal language, but she couldn't help but smile as the yellow blur sent a beam of tiny sparks towards the Gloom, which seemed to bounce off like water off of a duck's back. As the Pichu fell into slumber from the Vulpix's Hypnosis move, Raven came to realize that the battle was over. Shifting the Totodile in her arms, she clapped, moving towards Cameron, just as Tag was bringing over the sleeping Pichu. She weaved through the Chansey-powered furniture to stand next to Cameron, slightly in front of him, so that when Tag made it over, they made a small triangle. "Not bad, not bad at all..." she said, hesitantly patting him on the shoulder. She knew how rough it could be to watch your poke'mon get hurt, and know there's nothing you could do about it. In this case, she was mildly sympathetic.

As Tag began to speak to her, she turned to him with a "Hm?" before listening to what he had to say. Aria was worriedly sniffing up at the sleeping electric fellow above her, but when she heard her name, she responded with a "Shi?" Requiem, with his stoic look, eyed Tag suspiciously as he handed over the Pichu, but snapped up his eyes when he heard his name. A low growl emitted from the Totodile, his top, scaly lip curling back in a leery snarl. Raven stroked the top of his head to calm him, and slowly, the growling stopped.

Requiem had no problem working with other poke'mon...he actually preferred it, other than working with his darling Raven of course. But...here was this...man, presuming he could order around his wonderful, charming Raven with such haughtiness. This man with the oddly marked face should consider himself lucky that his Raven was holding him back.

Aria was preoccupied with a piece of string on the floor. Raven would tell her what to do when the time came. Yup. No need to worry about it now.

Raven listened to the strategy, nodding her head at certain parts she particularly agreed with. Yeah, it sounded like a good plan. Her poke'mon would stay safe, and she'd still be helping. Short, simple, and with a (hopefully) happy ending. She stayed quiet up until she heard "I'm sorry. This was as good of a plan as I could think of. Any thoughts?"

Raven, while setting the Totodile down and reaching for her poke'balls to recall them, seemed to be thinking. She knelt down by her poke'mon, and looked up to Tag, holding up a finger in pause. "Hold that thought." she said softly, before turning to her two poke'mon who were waiting for orders. Both looked at her, each in their own, loving ways. "You guys will do great." she began, smiling at the two of them. "Did you both hear what the nice man said about what to do?" Aria responded with an excited "Shi!", and Requiem, giving her a look as though contemplating about whether nice was the proper word, reluctantly grunted his assent. "Okay, good. Do what he said. I'll be right there with you. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" she said quietly, a very earnest look in her eyes. Both nodded eagerly; they were obviously ready to do whatever needed to be done to help those poke'mon. Raven first recalled Aria, and then pulled out Requiem's poke'ball. Requiem seemed to be shuffling in place, looking quite conflicted with himself. "You've gotta' trust me on this one, Req'." she whispered, reaching out to touch his nose with her fingertip. Without pause, he mimicked the move, turning his head so that his seeing eye was facing her, showing he understood.

Raven recalled Requiem, and rose to her feet to face Tag. She clipped the two poke'balls to her hip, before giving him a placid, calm look. "Firstly, don't be sorry. It's a good idea. Going into battle with apologies is never a good idea. Secondly, I understand everything you're saying, and just so you know, I'm clear on the plan of action. I'll do the best I can." she stated calmly, before walking away from him, without waiting for a response. She stood by the door, looking outside with an air of inner calm that belied her previous emotions. This was the true Raven, the Raven that knew she had to fight, the Raven that knew, somehow, she had to win. After a while of self-contemplation, she finally turned back to Cameron and Tag.

"Ready when you are, boys."

Posted by: Haunted Oct 10 2010, 11:43 AM

Cameron watched rather dejectedly as Runner finally fell into sleep under Tobi's gaze. As Tag recalled his Pokemon the boy had the sudden, intense urge to fire him, even opening his mouth before realising how phenomenally stupid that would be. For one, Tag wasn't even an employee. Force of habit, I guess. Kicking at a pebble on the floor, Cameron thought about what would happen next. Once the nurses took care of his Pokemon - and the maze - they'd probably be off to rescue the captured Pokemon. Although leery to go outside (Petrol was out there waiting, after all), he knew that he'd have to leave the dusty old Pokemon Centre sooner or later, especially if he wanted a decent shower soon.

"Not bad. Short simple commands are the best. It was a wise move to recall Shep, and your Runner was much braver than I'd given him credit for. Well done."

The words tugged at Cameron, bringing a soft smile to his lips. Damian had never had the time to play battle with him, and Terry's Pokemon were more concerned with preventing injury than helping Cameron train. A Chansey not busy moving furniture came over and took Shep's ball, waddling over to where Tag's Pokemon were also being treated. Just a quick touch-up - no extensive injuries; not like the previous night.

Leaning down, Tag picked up the slumbering Pichu and made his way across the rapidly disassembling maze, holding out the yellow Pokemon once he got over to Cameron and Raven.

"Heal them up. Their main job is to paralyze as many of the opponent's Pokemon as they can. Runner will work with Suzu, Shep will work with Tobi. I want Requiem and Aria to focus on using leer, to lower the enemy defenses. Requiem will pair up with Kyoko, and Aria with Bachi. Suzu will more than likely carry Runner around while she flies, granting him mobility, and generally keeping him from harm. Her Supersonic and his Thunderwave will easily cripple opponents. Shep and Tobi are both swift Pokemon. They can inflict the same statuses..."

Holding Runner close, Cameron nodded where he felt it necessary. He was used to being the one giving orders, not taking them, but he had next to no battling experience, and there was a hell of a lot more than an angry audience or a broken speaker to worry about this time. One slip up, and...well, Petrol's knife had looked very sharp. A Nurse - her bubblegum-pink hair streaked with grey - took Runner and handed Shep back to Cameron. He immediately released the Electrike so the electric hound could get in on the plan. Shep panted and wagged his tail, but Cameron could tell from his stance that he was paying attention to Tag. Shep had always been on the dim side (Cameron remembered the time he'd run into the glass door after a romp in the rooftop gardens), but when it came down to the wire, he could almost be a genius. As if one cue, Shep turned and barked at his tail, growling softly when it kept wagging. Almost.

"Here you go, dear." Cameron felt a familiar weight on his shoulder and turned to see the elderly Nurse smile at him before moving off. Tag was just finishing his battle plan.

"I'm sorry. This was as good of a plan as I could think of. Any thoughts?"

"Firstly, don't be sorry. It's a good idea." Raven looked strangely calm, her Pokemon now clipped to her belt. "Going into battle with apologies is never a good idea. Secondly, I understand everything you're saying, and just so you know, I'm clear on the plan of action. I'll do the best I can."

Cameron nodded, absentmindedly scratching behind Runner's ears. "I've got it. And..." He glanced at Raven. "...I'll do my best, too."

The helicopter idea had been scrapped, much to Damian's anger. A tropical thunderstorm had drifted up from the southern coast, effectively cutting off the sky route from Petropolis to Lenolia. Even the buses had been canceled, stating that the safety of their passengers was more important than maintaining their perfect schedules. After an argument that lasted nearly an hour, Terry had convinced Damian to hold off the rescue for another day and that when it was finally launched, they'd use the large, nondescript vans the private corps had commissioned years ago.

"He could be dead by now! Do you know how much Ramirez Music would lose if-"

"Eron is not your pawn!" Terry shouted, slamming her fist on Damian's desk. Her accent, normally hidden by her soft voice, came out in full force. "He's not some puppet for you to make money off of; he's a human and-"

"I don't think you understand, Ingress," Damian hissed, ice-blue eyes narrowing. Terry mimicked the movement - if Damian was using her last name, he was about to go nuclear. "He is my son, and if I remember correctly, Eria assigned me as his legal guardian when she died-"

"Because she thought you'd take care of him!" Terry exploded. "She thought you'd love him and try to make him happy, but instead you use him like a damned toy!"

Damian's Persian paced behind the desk, fur standing on end. Her master's anger subsided, turning into an eerie calm. "Well, then. I guess I'll have to show you that I do care." The tall, gaunt man swiveled around, facing the picture windows that gave him a view of the whole of Petropolis. A flash of lightning lit up the darkened southern sky and a chill went up Terry's spine. Whatever Damian Ramirez was planning, it couldn't be good. Her options were quickly running out.

Excusing herself in the most mocking way possible, Terry left the room and stood in the hallway, taking a deep breath. Her Blissey stood nearby, a worried look on her face. Opening her eyes, Terry stared straight ahead, blue-green eyes narrowed.

"Blissey, go get Togekiss. I need to send a letter."

Posted by: Kamaitachi Oct 10 2010, 11:46 PM

Tag felt a slight surge of hope for the oncoming battle. The training session with Cameron had been brief, but the boy was already beginning to show very rudimentary grasps at how to battle. This remained the main reason why Tag had made sure to pair each of his pokemon with one of Raven's or Cameron's; he could not let the two and their inexperience hinder their plan. He could use their fire power, but only if they could use it effectively.

Nurse Joy returned shortly thereafter with the now healed pokemon and nodded to the party, clenching her fists and giving them a determined nod.

"Knock'em Dead!" Perhaps the Nurse Joy had a lot at stake in this too. Tag figured that the poor Nurse rarely saw any victories in her end of the world; Lenoilia was a depressing place, and surely the Joy had lost her fair share of her own various battles. Not like, Pokemon Battle, but rather battles against infections, malnutrition, various maladies, and downright cruel treatment to pokemon. She needed this to be a victory. It would more than likely be all the worse for her morale if they failed. Tag silently hoped that they wouldn't disappoint her.

Tag summoned Suzu from her portable home, greeting her with an extended arm, hand balled into a fist. The Five Star pokemon fist-bumped him softly with one of her white little hands, then turned, heading out the door. The thought that Petrol and his Motley Crew would be the first thing he saw bothered him, simply because he did not have the energy or time to waste on that fight right now.

Suzu floated forward, buzzing excitedly in the air as she began to lead the team towards their destination. Tag and his temporary Chansey Ally were leading the two, following as close behind the floating Ledian as they possibly could. Hopefully, Raven and Cameron could keep up with the pace...it didn't seem too particularly quick, but it was still something of a light jog.

Before long, they arrived at a fairly nondescript alleyway. Trash lay around everywhere, and probably had been there for quite a long time. Tag gently ignored the stench, the flies and even what the corner of his eye thought were writhing pieces of rice in one particular trash can. These would all be distractions.

"Hmph." He grunted as he stared down the alleyway. Suzu pointed, indicating that the 'enemy' was in the adjoining clearing just at the end of this alley. "How many" He held out an open hand, awaiting an answer. Suzu floated down, alighting in front of him and tapping his hand 8 times. "All in the courtyard?" She nodded. "Any inside?" She held her hands in what was suspiciously an "I don't know" pose. Tag nodded, frowning. "Alright guys, pokemon at the ready, let's try and draw one or two into the alleyway before we engage them."

* * *

He gave the team a moment to quietly assemble, letting them work up their nerve or resolve. In his case, he almost couldn't contain his excitement. The planning of this battle had been rather slap-dash, running almost purely on instinct, and here it was, the culmination of said slipshod planning. He would see if this worked at all, and to be honest, it really got his blood running. This uphill battle with two fairly new trainers would be one of the more challenging things to date. He looked at the four teams assembled, and signaled for Tobi to move towards the courtyard clearing. "Tobi, Ember, then retreat." The adorable fox nodded and bounded forward towards the end of the alleyway.

Fire swirled up in his mouth before he even broke into the clearing. Sure enough, there were 8 men in the outdoor 'courtyard'. It looked like it was once the entryway to an office building, with all sorts of once magnificent overhangs and long dried out fountains overgrown with weeds and tanglebush. The Vulpix let out a little bark, spraying little bullets of fire in all directions. There was a general yelp of panic as the 8 turned to see the Vulpix tails disappeared into the alley. Two of the grunts yelled and gave chase. One wore a blue bandana around his right arm, the other a red bandana around his neck. They each summoned a pokemon as the ran; a Murkrow and a Houndour, both looking rather mean, albeit slightly unkempt. It was clear that they had not been treated much better than the captive pokemon in the cages.

As the two entered the alleyway, Tag motioned with a raised hand. "Let's go. Suzu, Supersonic the Houndour. Tobi, Confuse Ray the Murkrow." His two pokemon sprung into action, firing off their attacks with gusto. The Murkrow and Houndour reeled back, hit dead on by the ambush of confusing attacks. "Cameron, get to work. Raven, remove Houndour."

This would be interesting, issuing commands to both his pokemon, and to his fellow teammates. He had assumed the role of squad leader, and was now determined not to let them down.

Posted by: Tymid Oct 11 2010, 12:12 PM

Raven continued her silence, remaining statuesque until the sliding glass doors opened, and she followed Tag and Cameron outside. She stayed to the rear, following at a close and steady trot, the lackadaisical expression on her face defying her ever-alert senses. From experience, she knew that any sort of expression around this kind of folk would lead to trouble, so naturally, lack thereof would confuse them.

As they arrived at the alleyway, Raven idled by kicking aside a beer bottle, keeping her eyes on the Ledian and her "conversation" with Tag. The smell and the trash didn't seem to bother her in the least; in fact, it seemed that she was moving around a bit more than she had been in the Poke'center. She stopped pushing around a piece of crumpled paper with her toe as she heard Tag speak. Yet again, she did not respond vocally, she simply gave him a clipped nod, before placing her hand at the two poke'balls at her waist. She stroked them gently, before removing each one and releasing the Poke'mon inside.

Requiem and Aria both looked up at her, a glimmering eagerness in their eyes. Requiem looked more serious than normal, and even Aria was resisting the urge to pounce merrily upon a shiny something. They both had a sincere focus in their eyes, and to this, Raven's lips curled upwards in a tiny smile. There was no need to speak, Raven just knelt down and touched Requiem's nose with her fingertip, and he reached out a claw and touched hers. In a soft, low purr, she "spoke" to the Shinx, who responded with what seemed like a nod, and a determined Shinx-smile. This was where she could implement the part of her training that Tag or Cameron had not yet seen, something that she had reserved for just such a tense occasion.

Raven snapped her fingers once, and pointed to Kyoko, the Gloom. The almost silent command sent Requiem over to the Gloom, standing at the ready. Raven then made a clicking noise with her tongue and cheek, and pointed to the intimidating Bachi, to which Aria bounded over energetically. As Tobi dashed and startled the first group of villains, Raven, in the din of the rush of flame, the startled yells, and the shuffling of feet, Raven whistled twice, two, clipped, high pitched sounds that while piercing, didn't draw too much attention to herself. As soon as the last whistle sounded, both of her poke'mon assumed what looked to be a battle stance; they both planted their feet firmly, leaning forward slightly in an offensive stance.

Yeah. This was going to work.

For a while, Raven had been working with non-verbal communication in training her poke'mon. Now, she knew that in a formal trainer battle, this would not be fair to use. However, in emergency situations, she knew that it was better to keep the enemy guessing. It would be a tactical advantage, at least.

As soon as her eyes fell upon the Murkrow and Houndour, she smiled. Not a bad matchup, to say the least. If only Aria had electric moves. Oh, well. She was young. She would learn. Raven snapped, and she saw Requiem's foot stomp to show that he heard. She was still surprised that he could recognize the tambre of her finger snapping; she had tested it a few times with some of her street friends, with them snapping at him. She mixed it up each time, never falling in the same order, and somehow, the 'Dile recognized her every time. Perhaps it was due to his blindness that his hearing was so keen--or maybe he was just that smart. Either way, she had gotten the confirmation that she needed, and proceeded to produce a keen, trilling whistle, followed by a vocal "Houndour!". Requiem launched a powerful jet of water towards the Houndour, the force of it so strong that the mist from the corners of his mouth sprayed gently upon the Gloom's body. This was when she heard Tag state his command to her, after she had already dispatched the attack. She turned her head to him, and hollered "Don't worry about me, Tag! I know what I can handle and what I can't. If I need you, I'll let you know. Focus on your team and Cameron's."

She didn't wait for a response, and instead turned to Aria, making the loud, popping sound with her tongue and cheek. Aria's tail waved back and forth in confirmation, and Raven proceeded to emit a cry that sounded like "He-EY!", with a lower pitched first syllable, and a higher pitched, louder second syllable, followed by a vocal "Murkrow!". The little Shinx narrowed her eyes, and proceeded to Leer menacingly at the Murkrow, baring her little teeth and bristling the fur on her back. Raven smirked to herself as the Murkrow, who had recently been hit with Confuse Ray, shook it's head in confusion before it's rolling eyes settled on the Shinx. With a shaky "Krow!" it staggered back in it's lack of coordination, stumbling over it's own tailfeathers and landing squarely on it's rump. As Raven checked to see the status of the Houndour...well, it simply looked like a steaming pile of...Houndour.

At this slight moment of reprieve, she looked over to see how Tag and his team was doing. She hoped that by telling him not to worry about her, he would actually follow through, considering the fact that simply because her poke'mon were young, she, herself knew how to manage battle tactics very well. Also, she knew about poke'mon battles, how they worked, type balances and other facts, due to hours and hours of studying. She was only limited by her poke'mon's effort and moves. She would continue to stick to Leer, like he had directed, unless there was an obvious type-difference, such as the case of Houndour and Totodile. However, she was knowledgeable enough to know when to use her type advantages, and when to stick to the plan.

Raven's eyes and visage remained focused, directed on the task at hand. So far, so good. She could only hope that they would continue to be so lucky.

Posted by: Haunted Oct 15 2010, 05:47 PM

Cameron jogged after Tag, Shep at his heels and Runner on his shoulder. The Electrike's expression was both serious and excited - Cameron hoped, for Shep's sake, that he wouldn't get confused again. That seemed to be happening a little too often. His thoughts, however, soon turned to scanning every potential hiding place in the area. Cameron had no doubts that if he strayed from his impromptu guardians even for a second, Petrol's knife would be at his throat. Gritting his teeth, Cameron moved closer to Tag, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Raven was still behind him.

Suzu rounded a corner and stopped, wings keeping her aloft. She had led the trio and their Pokemon to a foul-smelling alley. Shep whined softly and covered his nose with one paw; Runner made a small noise and moved closer to Cameron, his short, crackling fur brushing Cameron's cheek and sending a tingle through his body. The teenager cringed - he was rich and famous, why did he have to slog through that crap and battle a bunch of dangerous men?

Because it's the right thing to do, the voice in the very back of his head whispered, soft as snow. It sounded eerily like Cameron's mother's voice. Steeling himself, he nudged Shep in the side and gently brushed Runner's fur down.

"Steady," he murmured. Eight. Eight men and their Pokemon had to fall before they could make their way inside. And even more could join; for Cameron, this was already looking like a no-win situation. If it wasn't for the threat of Petrol, Clem, and Stretch lying in wait, he would've bolted.

"Alright guys, pokemon at the ready, let's try and draw one or two into the alleyway before we engage them."

Then there was a whirl of fire, and chaos broke out.

Raven's Pokemon were already on the attack, and Cameron could tell that Tag's weren't far behind. Blinking, he hung back for just a moment - enough for a knife to come whizzing out of nowhere, slicing through the shoulder of his shirt. Runner, on the other shoulder, gave a start and nearly fell off, clutching at Cameron's shirt tightly. Shep barked and darted into the haze of water and fire, searching for his battlemate, sending out small waves of electricity as he ran. A Buizel rushed to the scene, a small jet of water pouring from its mouth - right at Tobi. Leaping in the way, Shep took the brunt of the attack, the water simply sliding right off his fur. Glancing down at the wet splotch on the ground, the Electrike's mouth pulled into what was a close resemblance to a smirk, and sent a Thunder Wave down it. The Buizel shook violently as his muscles seized, and stood there helplessly as the battle raged on.

"Cameron, get to work. Raven, remove Houndour."

"On it," Cameron shouted, surprised at how shaky his voice sounded. With a nod he felt Runner's paws dig into his shoulder before the electric mouse leapt off, making a beeline for the Ledian.

"Uh, Shep! Stay with Tobi! Watch his sides!"

Posted by: Kamaitachi Oct 18 2010, 02:14 AM

Tag watched quietly as the battle's initial rounds wound down. At the end of their alleyway appeared a man with a Blue Bandana around his right arm, and a man with a Red Bandana around his neck. They had more than likely been the owners of the Murkrow, Houndour and Buizel. This would be an opportunity to remove two of the 8 trainers they faced in one fell swoop. Tag's hands settled into their comfortable position in his pockets as he watched Cameron's pokemon admirably defend his Tobi, but failed, unfortunately, to notice that a knife had struck Cameron.

Upon seeing that the team had essentially dispatched of the Murkrow, Houndour and Buizel. The paralyzed Buizel seemed to be in a bit of pain, so in order to render it unconscious, at least he'd put it down for now: "Kyoko, Mega Drain." Kyoko's little ribbons wrapped around Buizel, sucking out its energy in the course of seconds. This stated to Tag that the enemy pokemon did not have a great will to fight for their trainers, and that his pokemon were much stronger by far. Kyoko's relatively weak Mega Drain should not have dealt such massive damage to the Buizel, even with the Same-Type Attack Bonus, and the Super Effective Typing.

To his right, Raven had developed an odd shorthand for the battle. This was a severe 180 from the long commands she had issued in the first battle he watched her fought, and at least a good 90 degrees from what he had attempted to teach them earlier that day. He found himself fairly impressed at her quick study, and reminded himself to keep an eye on her progress as a trainer.

His two teammates were performing admirably, so now it was time to step up his game. As if waiting for him to make that decision, Blue and Red Bandanas released a small flurry of pokeballs. In rapid-fire flashes of lights, several pokemon appeared, ready to combat the troupe of heroes. Tag immediately took note of a Beedrill, a Trapinch, a growlithe, and the Tropius, and immediately sprung into action. Without so much as moving, he issued the next set of his commands. "Tobi, Ember on Tropius. Suzu, Supersonic on Beedrill, Kyoko, Stun Spore on Trapinch, Bachi, Horn Attack on growlithe."

He looked a little taken aback as the Blue and Red marshalled their pokemon into a surprisingly effective defensive team. The growlithe leaped in front of Tobi's ember attack, absorbing it and powering up its own fire attack, launching an ember of its own over at Kyoko. The Tropius' gust attack gently scattered Kyoko's Stun Spore, the Beedrill swept in and intercepted Bachi's Horn attack with its long, deadly spears, and the Trapinch's faint attack was surprisingly swift as it slammed Suzu backwards. All of his attacks had been ineffective, and that was really quite bothersome.

Tag watched his four pokemon get battered back, and realized that he hadn't stuck to his own plan there. The space was cramped in the alleyway, but it was the easiest way to keep them from getting completely flanked.

"Suzu, Supersonic on growlithe. Tobi, Confuse Ray on Beedrill. Cameron, back them up!" he hoped that Shep and Runner's Thunder Waves would help him turn this skirmish into their favour. On the other side of it, he called out: "Bachi, Horn Attack Tropius, Kyoko, Stun Spore on Trapinch." He then looked over his shoulder to Raven "I trust you." It seemed an odd time to say that, but he was quickly figuring that she really knew what to do in this situation. Without belying too much of their strategy in this, he hoped that Cameron would quickly follow up with a pair of thunderwaves, further crippling the growlithe and Beedrill, and that Raven would have Aria lower the Tropius' defenses so the Horn attack would be more devastating, and that she would use Requiem's Water gun on the Trapinch. He didn't have time to verbalize all of that, so he hoped the team would simply do the right thing in here. If that was the case, then this intial combat would be over, and they'd be 1/4 complete with the first round.

Posted by: Tymid Oct 18 2010, 04:40 PM

Raven's eyes fell upon the Houndour, who was unconscious, dripping, and steaming where it had fallen. She felt a surge of worry for the poke'mon that had not been recalled to it's poke'ball, but as the next assortment of poke'mon flurried towards her, she quickly realized that this was no time to lose focus, even if it was towards an injured poke'mon. She furrowed her brow in a stiff resolve, turning back and studying the group at hand. Requiem and Aria had received little to no damage; in fact, it seemed that the opposing poke'mon were focusing all of their energy on Tag's stronger poke'mon, which worried her. While they were indeed stronger, they could be worn down just as easily as hers could, albeit at a much slower pace.

As the Buizel fell, Raven sounded the two high-pitched whistles, and her small team reconoitered, falling into their offensive, poised stances once again. Raven began plotting her plan of action; Requiem would be very effective against the Trapinch and the Growlithe, and Aria could simply continue using Leer. It was a small role for the young Shinx, but beneficial nonetheless. Aria's poise and defiant stare proved that despite how repetitive the attacks were going to be, she would accept each one as a new, challenging attack, and therefore face it with the same determination as if it were the final blow. Right now, Raven's eyes were darting back and forth between the Trapinch and the Growlithe, seeing which one she would need to take out first. Just as she was leaning towards the Growlithe, she heard Tag's commands, and witnessed the defensive maneuver at hand.

Her eyes widened as she witnessed the Growlithe counter with an Ember attack, and before she could think of what else to do, she snapped her fingers and made the trilling whistle, signalling 'Water Gun' to Requiem, and cried "Fireball!" Requiem wasted no time in aiming a jet of water at the swiftly moving ball of fire, dousing it before it could hit Kyoko, the wall of steam that ensued falling on Requiem's scales and Kyoko's petals like a sheen of silk. The steam was warm, yet harmless, and Raven exhaled the breath she had been holding since she had seen the ball of fire. Looking at Aria, she smiled to see the Shinx still poised and at the ready, and she nodded approvingly to herself. Making the clipped click with her tongue, she waited the half-second to see Aria's tail-flick before she issued the "He-EY!" command for Leer, and then (though she knew Aria wasn't looking) pointed to the Tropius and cried "Tropius!" She had seen how the giant brontosaurian creature's Gust had decimated Kyoko's status ailing Stun Spore, and that could not keep happening. In her mind, while the other poke'mon were more dexterous, they would fall faster if staggered by an ailment. Also, with the Tropius' Gust, if that were to hit the Ledian, or the Gloom, there would be trouble.

Aria responded magnificently towards the command, her little eyes gleaming with an intent desire to slay whatever lay in her path, and it didn't go unnoticed by the Tropius. It was rather amusing as the big creature seemed, if anything, abashed and confused by the tiny cub's Leer, but it served it's desired effect in terms of lowering the creature's defenses. Raven could only hope now that Tag would take notice and take the opportunity in terms of timing of attack.

Meanwhile, Raven had turned her attention to Requiem, who seemed to be silently checking Kyoko over for any injury. However, as soon as she snapped her fingers, she heard a faint "Dile!" from the little lizard, showing he was back in the game. In a split second decision, she decided that the Trapinch would be the way to go in terms of poke'mon to attack first, considering it seemed that the Growlithe was now confused and incapable of doing much more than injuring himself and stumbling. Snapping her fingers once more, she uttered the trilling whistle and yelled "Trapinch!"

Requiem, without a moment's pause, quickly unleashed another powerful Water Gun attack on the Trapinch, just as Kyoko's Stun Spore was settling on it's body. The mixture of water on the startled Trapinch's skin plus the timing of the Stun Spore attack made the spores stick to the Trapinch's body, creating a most desirable effect. The Trapinch began to twitch with the effects of paralysis and exhaustion, and as soon as the jet of water ceased to be, the poke'mon's large chin hit the earth with a dull, tired thud. At this point, Raven couldn't tell if it had fainted or had simply been paralyzed to the extent of immobility, but she could tell by the looks on Blue and Red bandana's faces that she had made her appearance, and was not going to be easily forgiven for her trespasses. Raven could only hope that the sinking feeling their glares gave her weren't a sign that things were going to get a lot harder; they now officially knew she wasn't just eye-candy.

It was at this point where she heard Tag say that he trusted her. This lightened the feeling of dread that Red and Blue had given her, however, there was no time to respond. The smile that it caused, however, should have been all the response he needed. She could only hope she wouldn't let him, or the poke'mon they were to be rescuing, down.

Posted by: Haunted Oct 23 2010, 10:51 AM

The wound on Cameron's shoulder stung softly, but now was not the time to complain about a scratch. The four advancing Pokemon were creating a sort of wall between them and the door, and he knew funneling them into the alleyway - or defeating them outright - had to be done soon, or they'd fail. Pausing to brush hair out of his face, his bright blue eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Shep! Runner! Use Thunder Wave on them all!" A bark and "Chu!" answered his command. Shep raised onto his hind legs, using his tail as a stand, as electricity crackled over his fur. Cameron briefly wondered if the Electrike would be alright - he'd never fired off such a strong Thunder Wave before. He didn't have to worry, however - as Shep's forelegs slammed into the pavement a wave of sparks flew towards the oncoming Pokemon. Runner let loose a smaller, quicker-moving wave from his perch atop a protruding brick in the alley, cheeks sparkling. After a moment's hesitation, Cameron ordered a Thundershock on the Tropius - it looked hard to take down, but Aria's Leer hopefully knocked it down a few notches.

As Runner's body began to glow yellow, Shep raced to the other side of the clearing to stand next to Tobi again. The Beedrill, who hadn't been very affected by the Thunder Wave, was advancing towards the Vulpix. Fur standing on end, the Electrike lowered his head and growled menacingly, his eyes glowing in an impromptu Leer. Cameron quickly caught on.

"Use Leer again and then Tackle it!" Shep yipped and charged, eyes still glowing. The Beedrill's flight became a little dizzy, the Bug-type Pokemon hovering low enough for Shep's Tackle to catch it full-force. Before the Beedrill could retaliate, Runner burst in from behind, sending a Thundershock straight up as it passed beneath the giant bee. The Beedrill twitched as it fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, a flash signaling its return. Cameron heard one of the men swear violently - obviously, the battle wasn't going how they'd expected it.

"What now?" Cameron said, looking over to Tag.


Miles away, Terry Ingress watched as her Togekiss took flight, a pack strapped to its back. A look of determination crossed the Pokemon's face as it veered sharply to the left, flying straight for the black clouds in the distance. Her Blissey and Wigglytuff stood behind her, waving solemnly and wishing their friend luck. Light brown hair stirred in the breeze, carrying the scent of rain.

"Find him soon," she murmured, her whisper carried away in the growing storm.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Oct 25 2010, 01:40 AM

The tides of the skirmish were swiftly changing. Tag watched as Requiem, Aria, Runner and Shep all stepped up to defend his pokemon. Perhaps there was something about watching all eight pokemon work together with surprisingly flawless synchronization, or perhaps it was the rush of the battle, but Tag almost felt a little giddy. A battlefield to Tag was the Candy Store to anyone with a sweet tooth. He even took a moment to smile as some light steam from the Ember/Water gun collision washed over Kyoko, causing the happy gloom to dance about in the steam.

Raven and Cameron had risen admirably to the task at hand. As Tag took a moment to survey the 'battlefield' in the alleyway, he noted that all that remained of the opposing pokemon were the growlithe and the Tropius. Since Raven and Cameron had dispatched of the others, it gave him the opportunity to finish the two off with with a furious salvo.

"Bachi, Horn Attack growlithe." Bachi, determination shining in his eyes, thundered forward with all the gusto of the Bruiser on the allied team. His horn impacted the braced, but paralyzed growlithe hard, tossing the puppy high into the air. "Suzu, Mach Punch growlithe." Tropius had been deflecting the ranged attacks with its gust, so Tag took the opportunity to rush in for some melee combat, and while removing Tropius would've been the obvious initial choice, he chose instead to eliminate the puppy pokemon first, so that they could focus their efforts on the larger Tropius. Suzu flashed dangerously through the air, as if she'd teleported over to the airborne fire pup's location, and slammed her two right fists hard into its exposed flanks. The force of the blow was not overly powerful by Mach Punch standards, but a paralyzed growlithe, having just taken damage from the brute force of Bachi, could not have stood such a blow. The pup sailed through the air, bouncing off of the alley wall before landing with a painful thud on the ground. Red Beams of light lanced out and the all enemies but Tropius were retreating. It was clear that the grass brontosaur would be covering the strategic retreat, however, Tag had already planned for this.

"Kyoko, Acid. Tobi, Ember." The Tropius prepared to summon up a gust in defense, but the Acid attack hit it square in the eyes, causing it to rear backwards, its front legs jabbing at the air. Tobi had carefully timed his ember and landed it square on the creatures underside. It roared and fell backwards, tumbling out of the end of the alleyway, defeated. A flash of light signaled its return as well. This turn of events had not quite been Tag's original plan, but his battle flexibility was a good thing - he only hoped that he didn't confuse up Cameron and Raven too much.

He took a quick moment to survey his teammates and their pokemon. None of the pokemon had been overly hurt, so the first round had been a decisive victory on their end. However, he noted that Cameron had received a wound from some blade, and scanned the area behind them and beyond for any signs of Petrol and his crew. Seeing none, he turned to Cameron. Taking off his jacket, he gratuitously removed his tank top. Handing the jacket to Raven with a nod, he turned to Cameron and lifted the boy's arm. Slipping the wife-beater underneath, he fashioned something of a makeshift bandage/tourniquet out of it and wrapped it tight around the boy's shoulder wound. "Don't want you bleeding out on us here, kiddo." he muttered, his tone mixing concern and irritation in its baritone rumble.

"Alright...out of the alleyway. We'll take on the next lot." He signaled his pokemon forward, moving out of the alleyway into the courtyard where all eight of the men stood, engaged in conversation, rife with excited tones. They turned to see the crew burst out of the alleyway, and immediately drew their pokeballs. With a quick glance around the courtyard, there were several structures and obstacles all over the place - fallen over pillars covered in moss and ivy, a fountain at the center that had fallen into disuse some time ago, several stone benches, and a few sizable chunks of wall that had fallen out of the buildings around them.

Four pokeballs hit the ground, and Tag watched as their charges were released into the makeshift arena. The man with the Pink Bandana around his left wrist had summoned a Starly who took to the sky immediately, chirping excitedly as it appeared on the field. A pidgeotto likewise popped out from a pokeball, belonging to the man with a green bandana around his head. The man with a black bandana tied around his right bicep had procured a slugma, and his counterpart with the white bandana around his left bicep had summoned a Charmeleon. Tag watched as the Blue and Red ran back into the building, followed by men with Yellow and green Bandanas, most likely to warn the boss and fortify the defenses, or perhaps move their contraband. They'd have to work quickly from this point on.

However, they were, in fact, facing some evolved opponents this time. While the smugglers had summoned one pokemon each, this was more than likely out of habit of calling upon one pokemon at the time. Perhaps they didn't realize that Tag and his comrades had all of their pokemon out, causing the numbers of a lopsided 2-1 ratio. This advantage would be played upon immediately. The main worry was that Fire and Flying types were the most disadvantageous types for Tag to face...but he had Raven and Cameron with Water and Electric Pokemon to cover this main weakness, so hopefully this would work out just fine. With a sweep of his hand, he marshaled the team into action.

"Same drill. Pair up and go. Tobi, Confuse Ray on Starly. Suzu, Supersonic on Pidgeotto. Kyoko, Worry Seed on Slugma. Bachi, Fury Attack on Charmeleon." With grim looks on their faces, Tag's pokemon sprung to work, hopefully with Cameron and Raven's in tow. Tobi fired off a Sinister looking ray at Starly, causing it to wobble a little bit in its flight. Tag couldn't help but feel amazingly proud of his newest teammate, noting how quickly the fairly nonchalant Vulpix had galvanized from its earlier torture. Surely it would be taking its toll on Tobi's weariness, but for now, the little fox pokemon had put it behind him. He would deserve a long rest later.

Suzu buzzed up to the larger bird and shrieked her shrill cry directly at its face. The bird pokemon, having taken the Supersonic point blank, gained something of a glazed look over its eyes. She made a brief mistake in turning to see if Runner would follow up with his quick Thunder Wave, earning herself a slash from Pidgeotto's glowing wing right across her bandage. It slammed her backwards violently, and she landed on the ground with a dull thud and a pained cry. Tag stifled the urge to run forward, but in order to protect her urged Bachi along all the more. The Charmeleon saw the fallen bug and immediately began prepping its deadly flames as it rushed towards her. However, he was forced to snuff them and raise his claws in defense as Bachi's fury attack began raining in on him. Forced to fight melee for now, the Charmeleon backed off of its intended prey, desperately fending off the onslaught from the now angered Bachi.

Kyoko's worry seed shot forth from the top of the gloom's head, impacting squarely between the eyes of the Slugma, forming a little pink flower between its eyes. Angrily, it tried to shake it off. Upon realization that it couldn't, it opted instead to launch an ember at its aggravator. Tag didn't at all appear worried, as Kyoko's partner was the terrifying Requiem, who'd nullified all fire attacks so far. Hopefully, he wouldn't fail her.

As Cameron and Raven hopefully initiated their commands, Tag turned to his temporary Chansey, pointing to the grounded Suzu. She waddled quickly forward, sounding her name with dutiful purpose. Hopefully, she'd swiftly tend to Suzu while the rest of the battle raged on. Tag calmly watched, suppressing his worry for his pokemon friend while he surveyed the rest of the battle. It appeared that the enemy trainers were still trying to figure out exactly what they were facing, and hadn't issued any commands. Their pokemon had reacted on instinct, but were poorly organized. This meant that the element of surprise had worked in their favour one more time, but they had to be prepared for the enemy's more coherent counterattack.

* * *

(I enjoy writing battle scenes, even if this isn't my best work.)

Posted by: Tymid Oct 29 2010, 10:37 PM

Raven watched the following events with eyes that didn't waver in width, only in intensity. Time seemed to move in a near slow motion as first, the Beedrill crumpled in a sparking, crumpled heap, her eyes darting over to Cameron's shoulder for the first time since the battle had begun, her eyes squinting to recognize that he was bleeding. From what, she did not know, but a flash from Tag's Suzu as she used Mach Punch on the airborne Growlithe brought her back to the battle. Resisting the urge to wince yet again, Raven turned and did status checks on her own poke'mon while they were busy performing and finishing their commands. Nodding to herself, she lifted her head just in time to see the brontosaur toppling to the earth, it's grassy underbelly being licked by the residual flames from Tobi's Ember. As it was recalled, and the retreat was made, her adrenaline fueled, time warped vision returned to normal. Her shallow, focused breathing was interrupted by a long inhale of rain-tinted air, a flush returning to her cheeks and lips.

With the newfound quiet, and seeing her poke'mon still in offensive stance, even though there was temporarily no enemy to fight, Raven took the opportune silence to call her poke'mon to a casual stance, which was a vocal "At Ease". Almost immediately, they were bounding over to her, a curious desire for approval lingering in their faces. Well, Aria the bounder, Requiem rather scuttled in his lizard-like fashion, throwing cautious glances over the his shoulder, as though to make sure nothing was following him. After giving both a quick pat and scratch on the head, murmuring soft words of encouragement, she made her way over to where Cameron and Tag were. She was somewhat surprised to see how far away she had drifted from them; they were possibly 10 feet apart from each other, and she was more like 16 feet away from them. It didn't seem to detriment the battle too much, but she was partially confused because she didn't remember moving, but did remember making herself equidistant from Tag, who was in the middle. She'd make sure to be more careful in the future; the distance she had put between herself and Tag and Cameron could be a detriment to any sudden change that needed to be made during the course of the battle.

As soon as she made it over to Tag and Cameron, her eyes were still faced towards the ground as she tried to figure out how she had moved without knowing, and a jacket was being thrust towards her. By the time she lifted her head, Tag was now removing his tank top, and Raven felt a very feminine flush come to her face. After her eyes commenced the preliminary glance over his bare torso, she diverted them to the ground again as Tag wrapped up Cameron's wound. After she heard his deep voice resonate in a concerned rumble, she extended her arm, offering the jacket back to him. She looked up at him, knowing the remnants of the flush was still on her face. Instead of the blush returning, Raven diverted the possible awkwardness of the situation by allowing a tiny smile onto her lips, and murmuring "Come on now, what would -you- do if I did a thing like that, hm? Trying to make me loose focus or something?". She chuckled quietly, slowly backing up and putting a fingertip to her brow as though saluting the man, before turning her back, poke'mon in tow.

As she was walking, she heard him issue his command, and slowed the tempo of her walk so that Tag got in front of her and she followed closely at the rear, side by side with Cameron. While they had this brief moment of reprieve, she motioned towards his shoulder and said "Really sorry that happened to you, Cameron. Hopefully it'll be worth it in the end, eh?" she offered with a very tiny smile, but a smile nonetheless. Her green eyes snapped forward as movement caught her periphery; she'd have to see now if any of this would be worth it. Almost subconsciously, she issued the snap and the click command to her poke'mon, who dutifully went to their posts beside their partner poke'mon. Sizing up the competition, Raven felt herself lick her lips, and her mouth was surprisingly dry. This one would not be as simple as the last...no, not at all. She didn't let this show on her face, but she could feel the bandana men's eyes upon her body, could almost hear their whispers, and she confirmed now that the secret was out, and there would be no more leniency.

Even street thugs had a code of mercy, typically applying to women and children. Some chose to follow it, some didn't. Considering most of them had been to prison at least once, there was no question as to why they partially revered women. However, even they had a breaking point, and Raven had struck a nerve, at the very least. Now, they didn't have a woman to go easy on, they had their dignity to uphold...and their jobs. In the world of theft and law-breaking, chivalry didn't exist for very long.

Tag was already launching his attacks, and Raven was preparing to do the same, but yet again, she saw a hurtling ball of fire headed towards Kyoko, and snapped, trill-whistled, and cried "Fireball!" once again. The flaming ball sputtered out into steam once again. Black bandana swore loudly, calling over to his teammates and pointing at the Totodile. Raven was in the midst of commanding Aria to use Leer on the Charmeleon with a click, "he-EY!" and a "Charmeleon!" cry, when she saw a mildly wobbly Starly, wings glowing, hurtling towards Requiem. Without a moment's thought, she issued the command for Rage, which was another whistle pattern, consisting of four 16th notes in a 'do-mi-sol-mi' solfege pattern, and crying "Starly!". Requiem looked up, baring his little teeth and snarling at the little bird, his eyes flashing and glowing as Rage filled his body. He fell into a defensive stance and braced himself, and as the little bird crashed into him, Raven's heart wrenched as she heard his roar of defiance and pain. Requiem skidded backwards, his little claw clutching at a seeping new tear in his scales. As much as Raven wanted to run up and help her friend, she stayed back, watching the confused Starly, while successful in it's attack, thoroughly dazed as it too bounced like a rogue feather duster across the ground. It got up, shaking it's ruffled feathers as though trying to clean off, wobbling on it's little feet in dismay, chirping curiously.

It shouldn't have bothered to clean itself off. Requiem was now following through with the Rage attack, it's attack power thoroughly heightened by the bird's missile-like attack. The confused bird hardly had time to notice that Requiem was hurtling towards it, before Requiem was upon it like a magnet to iron. The startled screel of the Starly sent chills down Raven's spine, and she watched Requiem tear into it with deadly claws and fangs. Feathers flew as Requiem knocked into the fluffy creature, and as Raven watched in horror, color drained from her face. "Off!" she cried, and without pause, Requiem removed itself from the Starly's limp body, a feather eerily dangling from the corner of his mouth. With a flash, the Starly was recalled by Pink Bandana, who was now glaring at the Totodile and his master with a deadly gaze. Raven motioned with a weak snap and a point for the Totodile to go back to the Gloom and to be on offense yet again. As Raven watched the eager, innocent swagger of the 'dile, Raven momentarily had a vision of a full sized Feraligatr standing in his place. At that moment, Raven decided that Rage was only a move to be used in the most dire of circumstances; the small 'Dile had the potential to do some severe damage to opposing poke'mon, not only through his strength, but through his personality and his sheer desire to please Raven.

Raven issued another Leer command to Aria, this time on the Pidgeotto, noting that the Pidgeotto had attempted to attack, but in it's confusion, had merely hurt itself. Raven watched now for Cameron's move, and for Tag's next assault, her face still drained of color but maintaining her focus. The image of the Starly kept flashing in her mind, but she stayed silent, keeping her thoughts to herself.

Posted by: Haunted Nov 29 2010, 08:28 PM

Before he knew it, the first wave was done. Pokemon and trainers alike moved further back into the alley to prepare for the second stage. The adrenaline rush Cameron had gotten from his first-ever battle royale hadn't worn off just yet, and it took him until his arm was lifted to notice that Tag had discovered his wound.

"Just a scratch," he muttered. "I don't feel anything." That was true - he guessed it had to do with the rush. Still, it was bleeding a bit more than it had a few minutes ago, and Cameron was grateful for Tag's help (even though he would never admit it). He did, however, not care for Tag and Raven's casual flirting once she made her way over to them. IT was usually him getting the ladies, not his bodyguard. Runner had climbed onto his uninjured shoulder and made a face, obviously knowing what was going through Cameron's mind.

"Oh, stuff it." he snapped at his Pichu, turning his nose up at the others' interaction. "See how much I care when you have girl issues." Runner snorted and clung to Cameron's shoulder as the boy began moving deeper into the alley, side-by-side with Tag. Shep and the other Pokemon tagged along behind them, and Raven wasn't far off. "Really sorry that happened to you, Cameron." The teen perked up. Finally, some attention. He turned around and flashed Raven a dazzling smile. "Hopefully it'll be worth it in the end, eh?"

Oh, right. They were supposed to be rescuing Pokemon. Cameron took a deep breath and put his game face on, tensing as they rounded the corner and faced the courtyard. As he sized up the competition, he realised that round one had been nothing more than a warm-up; now the real fight was on. A flurry of feathers and fur erupted as Runner leapt off his shoulder to support Suzu, Shep charging in from behind with sparks flying from his paws. Within moments Runner's bravado had almost run dry and he watched as Suzu fell, frozen in place. A sharp nudge from Shep jolted the Pichu from his fear and the Electric Mouse quickly dispatched the confused Pigeotto with a Thundershock. He heard a snarl from nearby and half-turned, not expecting what he saw - Requiem was ripping into the Starly, not just attacking it. Cameron felt his stomach drop - this is what the real world is like, isn't it. He had little time to reflect, though; Shep had reached the Seeded Slugma and was now running circles around it, trying to keep away from the superheated body. From the way it followed Shep's movements with its narrow eyes, its traienr had finally issued a command.

"Uh, Thunder Wave!" Cameron ordered. Shep's only attack was Tackle, and slamming into the Slugma would only injure the dog. As the wave coursed over the pavement Runner joined in, cheeks sparkling with light. The teen star knew that he'd have to depend on Runner until Tag and Raven were free to send their Pokemon over. As the Pichu let off his attack, the Slugma simply moved out of the way, leaving a burnt patch on the ground. Both electric moves sailed harmlessly into the wall. With chilling nonchalance, the Slugma began moving towards Runner, moving faster than Cameron thought a living swarth of lava could.

"Runner, get out of the way!"

"Chu!" Runner wailed, turning tail. He put on as much speed as he could, but the back-to-back battles were wearing him out. The morning's maze exercise had already put a damper on Runner's endurance, and now it was all but gone. Cameorn could only watch in growing horror as the Slugma sped up, its body beginning to glow a deep red. "No," he gasped, taking a hesitant step forward. He wanted to swoop in and save his Pichu, but he could already feel the heat coming from the slug. The two were getting closer, but Runner was slowing down. Cameron had to make some sort of choice soon.

The choice was made for him - a blur of green and yellow exploded from the side, pushing Runner out of harm's way just as the Slugma slammed into where the Pichu had been. Shep's howl of pain filled the air, sending a chill down Cameron's spine. The electric Pokemon wobbled back, the fur and skin along the left side of his body an angry red. The Electrike was still trying to find his footing when the Fire-type launched an Ember at him, hitting Shep's forelegs. The Pokemon crumpled without a sound, the slight, rapid rise and fall of his chest the only thing that convinced Cameron that his best friend was still alive.

"Tag!" he shouted, feeling panic take over. "Tag, where's the Chansey? Shep is...Shep..." Cameorn trailed off as he watched the Slugma turn and face Runner, who had reverted to the fetal position. He was vaguely aware of Pokeballs flying, releasing more enemies into the fray. This was too much. Cameron shouldv'e stayed on the bus; he could be in a hotel by now, watching TV or tuning his guitar while Shep drooled as he slept and Runner stuffed himself with berries dipped in rich chocolate from those stupid little fountains and -

...and...

"Runner! Get on top of the fountain!" The words exploded from Cameron's mouth, startling the Pichu enough to get him moving. Trembling, he pulled himself onto the fountain and collapsed in the lowest section, safe for a moment.

"Please let this end soon," Cameron whispered.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Nov 29 2010, 09:23 PM

Raven's flirtation towards him did not go unnoticed. However, Tag found himself far more focused on the battle. After all, his passion was battle. Women were a somewhat distant second.

"Not much to look at here." He muttered as he slipped the jacket back over his bare torso. It did make him a little self conscious, and he kinda wished he worked out a bit more. He had a naturally lean body, of course, from his years of travel. But he'd only some time ago come out of a coma, and he'd put on a little bit of weight as the muscles had atrophied slightly. He was regaining his physical form, but it was still not back at its peak. For a brief moment, he felt ashamed at his body, but the thought of continuing the battle urged him on, pushing such thoughts to the corner of his mind.

Cameron seemed functional, and to Tag, that was the most important facet of that skirmish. They'd made it through relatively unharmed.

The next segment of the battle was already not going as well. As the roar was met as the eight pokemon clashed fiercely, Tag took a moment to watch Raven's Totodile, Requiem, who had piqued his interest. As it unleashed its Rage attack (Tag had been unsure as to the mature of the arpeggiated third whistle), Tag observed with something akin to horror. The Totodile had spared no mercy in its ferocious attack. While his pokemon were twice as experienced as Raven's, that one attack could potentially wreak intense havoc on his more fragile Suzu or Tobi. Even Kyoko and Bachi would not come out faring well.

However, the battle was starting to turn tide against the motley crew of rescuers. Suzu was down, and the paralysis-confusion strategy was not working at full efficiency. Tag took a quick sweep of the battle again, noting that the Pidgeotto and Starly were down for the count. Charmeleon and Slugma were still fighting under the duress of their respective pressures.

"Tag! Tag! Where's the Chansey!? Shep is...Shep."

The back of Tag's mind chuckled at Cameron's statement. Naturally Shep was Shep. However, the electric...puppy...seemed to be out for the moment. His eyes whizzed back to Suzu, and noted that she was back up on her feet and already floating over towards Runner. "Chansey, tend to Shep. The Chansey chimed happily, waddling with surprising swiftness towards the fallen Shep. "Tobi! Use Imprison on Slugma!" Obediently, Tobi darted past standing between Slugma and his downed ally. His eyes glowed fiercely for a moment, but no discernible effects appeared.

The Slugma, confused at what had happened, tilted its head as its trainer cried "Slugma, Ember that Chansey!" As it reared back to fire off another of its Embers, it found that nothing happened. Tobi had stalled it for the time being.

Tag was prepared to issue another round of commands to Bachi, Kyoko and Suzu when he noticed some red beams streak out, returning Starly and Pidgeotto. Next thing he knew, a Koffing and a Raticate appeared on the field, looking quite fresh and menacing. Tag cursed silently as he looked to Raven and Cameron. The three of them did not have reinforcements, so they had to make do with the best they could.

"Bachi, Horn Attack!" Bachi was wearing down rapidly, but the powerful Horn attack seemed to do the trick against the equally powerful Charmeleon. It clashed heavily against a commanded Metal Claw, and both pokemon fell over, down and out for the moment. To Tag's dismay, the Charmeleon disappeared in a flash of light, and an intimidating Hitmonlee appeared on the field.

"Suzu, Reflect!" Suzu, still floating near Runner, held her four arms out, forming a little square of blue light between them. Within moments, the translucent blue screen enlarged and floated in front of Runner and herself, protecting them for the moment while the little Pichu recovered his stamina a bit. Hitmonlee would be a problem, as its Limber ability would prevent paralysis altogether. However, that left it quite open to other status effects. He watched as a fierce foot lashed out, stretching from the Hitmonlee's position to knock his Gloom, Kyoko, backwards. She did not seem pleased at this, but upon seeing her, Tag formulated another quick tactic.

"Kyoko, worry Seed on Hitmonlee. Cameron, Paralyze that bastard!" Kyoko fired off yet another one of her worry seeds, once again forming a little flower on the top of the Kick pokemon's head.

This was the best he could do this round, protecting their fighting team, as well as creating openings for his allies. Meanwhile, Slugma was quite at a loss of what to do at the moment, with its Ember disabled by Tobi. Meanwhile, the newly arrived Koffing and Raticate launched themselves against Suzu's reflect screen in respective tackle attacks. Tag allowed himself a small smile. Chansey would move to Bachi next and help him out, however, his three remaining pokemon had drawn the main attention of the defending team of pokemon. Hopefully, Requiem, Aria and Runner would make full use of this opening. With another sweep of the battle, he noted that at current, the other trainers had not yet opted to even the field, which was completely in their favour. He prayed fervently that his allies would rise to the challenge. As soon as Bachi was back in the game, he'd have them go straight for the enemy trainers, hopefully disabling them from summoning more pokemon. This was war, and Tag was not about to play honourable and fair, especially with the well being of so many pokemon on the line.

"Keep it up!" he encouraged Cameron and Raven

Posted by: Tymid Dec 1 2010, 06:27 PM

The sounds and cries of her surroundings moved as if in slow motion. She watched friend and foe poke'mon fall to the ground, the red beams of light that brought them back into their poke'balls almost blinding her. The flashing of the beams, the various attacks being called into the air, the dissonance of consonant sound echoing in the depths of her mind. For a moment, she recalled a memory, in which the flashes she saw now were of cameras in the night, the voices and cries were of the paparazzi barraging a young girl with questions she didn't know the answer to. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked at her two scarred friends stood at the ready, willing to protect her with their lives. What had she gotten them into?

She was rapidly brought out of this slow motion contemplation as she witnessed Shep get barrelled over by the Slugma, and both the Charmeleon and Bachi fall to the ground in two matching heaps of defeat. Everything was back in warp-speed now, and as she issued the command for Requiem to use a Water Gun attack on the Slugma, she felt a sense of guilt for getting lost in her own thoughts instead of remaining focused. She knew it wasn't her fault, really. It was a situation closely related to post-traumatic stress syndrome, and Raven would be the first one to tell you that the situation she had been recollecting was terribly traumatic. As the water-gun attack hit the Slugma, she could tell that it's effects were potent. A cloud of steam wafted into the air from where the water jet had struck. As the steam cleared, it was obvious that the distracted Slugma had been efficiently doused. However, as the Slugma was recalled, a Koffing was sent out, scanning the battlefield with it's eerie, pinpoint pupils and it's sinister grin.

The steam was still clearing, and Raven now saw that a Raticate and a Hitmonlee had also taken the field. Wonderful. Raven wiped her dripping brow and tried to mask the look of exasperation on her face. This was a ridiculous situation. Requiem was bleeding from the Starly's attack, and Aria, while generally unharmed, looked to be feeling the fatigue from the strain of battle. Just as Raven had gotten Aria ready to use a Leer attack on the Hitmonlee, who had just toppled over the Gloom next to Requiem, Raven witnessed the Raticate's glare shift over to the little Shinx. Aria was focused on lowering the Hitmonlee's attack, her little eyes narrowed in a lethal gaze. Requiem seemed to notice the Raticate focusing on his compatriot, and growled. He did not leave his position, however, and would not unless Raven commanded him to. The love between him and Aria was strong, indeed, however, his discipline was stronger.

Aria barely had time to defend herself, despite Raven calling out the command to brace herself and giving her notice of the speedy Raticate charging toward her. Aria's eyes widened, and she planted her feet, digging her claws into the moist earth, tensing her muscles in a defensive stance. As the Raticate's big fangs dug into her fur, she let out a cry that brought a tear to Raven's eye, a plaintive screel that expressed agony and distress as the Raticate used Bite on the kitten. The rodent shook his head, allowing a crunching sound to fill the air with Aria's cries, which intensified as her leg was broken. Raven paled once again, and screamed "Call it off! Call it off, now! Please!" to the man who commanded the Raticate. He just watched, his eyes glinting with cruelty.

Raven started to run towards the scene, as the Raticate grew bored and slung it's prey a good few feet. It escaped Raven's grasp by running back to the field of battle. Raven finished her run over to the heap of blue fur that rested in the place where it had stopped, all the while whispering "No...no...". Kneeling down, she attempted to wipe away the blood that was seeping out of the bitten gash on her foreleg. Even though Raven had been around gore before, the sight of the splintered bone sticking out of her friend's leg made her taste bile. However, what killed her most was the way Aria looked up at her with pain in her weakly narrowed eyes.

The look, though mixed with pain and fading consciousness, clearly said: "I'm sorry."

Raven recalled the broken Shinx before more tears could blur her vision and streak down her face. Rising to her feet, she looked towards the trainer who had issued forth the Raticate, who had a triumphant grin on his face. Raven's eyes flashed green sparks, and her body trembled with her own rage. Her chin quivered with her angst, her jaw working with muscles that tensed and relaxed as she ground her teeth. Her fists opened and shut, and her breathing was slow and deep, resonating within her breast like a snarl. She turned to Requiem, and before she could allow her anger to be sated by the look of pain that echoed in his eyes, she clapped 4 times, and pointed to the battlefield. This command meant play it safe, and attack from a distance. "Protect Gloom, as well." she murmured, before turning back to the man who was now mimicking her tears by poking out his bottom lip and rubbing his eyes. Raven unhooked the ball that held Aria, and, catching Tag's attention, threw it over to him. "Take care of her for a moment, will you?" she murmured quietly, before turning her head back to the man who had offended her so.

As Raven walked over into enemy territory, she closed her eyes, and she was back in the streets of Petropolis again, in a dark alleyway lined with trashcans. She recalled everything she had been taught, watched every fight she had been in flash before her eyes like a movie. This wasn't her first rodeo. As she opened her eyes, she noticed that the look on the man's face had transformed from smugness into a curious head tilt. His compatriots were also distracted from the field of battle as this...girl walked over, her head low, and fierceness in her eyes. She did not pause when she got within arm's length of the man, and proceeded to punch him in the jaw, her knuckle falling into a pressure point right behind his earlobe she had been taught long ago. As he clutched his jaw, and stumbled back, she saw the shadows from the men to her left move to action. She was grabbed from behind, delicately, of course...which was a grave error. She reached her foot back in a kick that hit the man who had grabbed her squarely in the testicles, making sure he would let go with a strong bite to his hand. As he howled, unsure whether or not to grab his gonads or his hand, he simply fell over, opting to hold on to his man-parts for dear life. The man she had punched previously was coming to his senses, and fumbling for a knife in his pocket. As he removed the switchblade, Raven smirked, and placed one foot back in a defensive stance. He rushed toward her with the knife in front, and she grabbed his wrist with an agile dexterity that belied her innocent looking appearance.

The knife fell to the ground as his hand was bent backwards and twisted. His mouth remained open in a silent scream as his other hand groped at his forearm. With a slight move, his wrist broke with a small 'pop', and the silent scream turned audible. He fell to the ground, clutching at his arm and hollering curses that would make a sailor blush. She turned around, only to find a fist in her face. As the large fist impacted her cheek, her head whipped right and she staggered back. She could taste blood in her lip, and from the slow trickle that was coming down her lip from her nose. Wiping the blood from her lip, she looked down at her hand to see that her blood was a bright red in comparison to the drying blood from Aria. This spurned her anger, and she temporarily ignored the blood dripping from her chin. "Come on!" she cried, baring her bloody teeth in rage, gesturing to the large man, who she now recognized was the owner of the Starly. He grinned deviantly, and strode toward her, pumping his fists at his sides.

Raven's blurring periphery showed her that the onslaught from the Hitmonlee, the Raticate, and the Koffing had been ceased; they were now confusedly watching what was happening to their trainers. She was honestly surprised that they weren't aiding their masters, but then she realized that these poke'mon had all probably been abused, and didn't know love well enough to understand the concept of defending their owners.

The blow from the man had addled her senses. She did know how to fight stealthily, but she was still small, and unable to take the kind of attacks another man could take. She saw his figure looking toward her, and looked down at her fists that waited poised under her chin. They were stained with blood, hers and Aria's. She looked up again, and his fist was raised, ready for the knockout blow. Raven dodged a bit too late, his fist bouncing off of her shoulder and into the wall that she had been resting against with a painful sounding crunch. Raven clutched her shoulder, gritting her teeth with the pain that throbbed in it. She couldn't help but think: "Street thugs...they're all the same." as the man swore at his bleeding fist. He would recover soon enough...as would Mr. Testicles, and a broken wrist wouldn't keep a brawler down long. Raven, taking the opportunity to grab the switchblade that had fallen on the ground, crawled over to a corner a short ways away, propping herself up and wincing with the pain that followed.

She looked over to Tag and Cameron, who was still in sight, blood dripping down her chin and lip. She could only pray that her actions had given him enough time to dispose of the other poke'mon...and that he could do so in a quick fashion that would allow her to remain conscious. She watched Requiem using Leer over and over...good fellow. She shifted her weight, and grunted softly with discomfort, licking idly at the blood coming from her swollen lip. Actions would need to be taken swiftly now, she doubted she could take too many more blows...probably not even one. She would, however, try like hell to do so.

Posted by: Haunted Dec 22 2010, 07:08 PM

here lies everything
the world i wanted at my feet

Sqeezing his eyes shut, Cameron pulled out Shep's ball and recalled the now-stable Electrike. The Chansey was waddling off towards Bachi now, moving surprisingly fast across the clearing, which Cameron now only saw as a battlefield. More Pokemon were showing up; Runner was all but comatose in the fountain and Shep was covered in burns. Already mentally exhausted, Aria's scream of pain only sent Cameron deeper into the mix of confusion, anger, and fear that had started the moment he'd stepped into this Arceus-forsaken hell. The gash in his shoulder throbbed, dyeing the black of his shirt a colour with no name, seeping into the blue patterns the teen had thought were so cool only a few weeks ago; he'd begged his aunt to let him get them tattooed on his back, but she'd given him the sourest glare ever and he'd settled for the shirt. He noticed a drop of red on the blue band around his wrist and stared at it unthinkingly, blue eyes blank through the curtain of hair. The crunch of shattering bone startled him out of his reverie, causing the boy to jerk back and look towards the Shinx. He could almost feel the pain Aria was in as everything he'd ever known before simply broke, revealing all the ugly things he'd never thought of.

Cameron had once thought avoiding crazy fangirls and fighting legal battles with a greedy father were the worst things in the world. He knew better now.

so your world's benign

"Kyoko, worry Seed on Hitmonlee. Cameron, Paralyze that bastard!"

"Call it off! Call it off, now! Please!"

Whispers turned into thuds, fists colliding with faces.

so you think justice has a voice

"...Runner." the Pichu looked up from his perch on the fountain's edge, shaking and blinking tears from his chocolate eyes. "...You heard Tag. Thunder Wave." The Electric Mouse sniffed, placing a trembling paw onto the side of the fountain, looking as if he'd simply rather pass out than have anything more to do with this battle. More thuds and groans, and then a shocked scream. Cameron felt one of his own rising in his throat. "Please, Runner! Get this over with!"

and we all have a choice

The clang of a knife on the ground. Cameron felt bile in his mouth, his legs wobbling. What had happened to all those Pokemon he'd gotten on his birthdays? Where did they go after they'd bored him? His mother had been alive then, so maybe she'd taken them somewhere safe...

everything you ever

"Chu," the exhausted Pichu muttered, eyes drifting towards the Hitmonlee. The Pokemon stood stock still, eyes wide and stance lax as it watched Raven's assault. Runner guessed it hadn't noticed the Worry Seed yet, or it would've taken a lot more notice of him as he crawled off the fountain onto the hard ground. His legs felt like jelly; not the good kind Teri made from Grepa berries, but the weird imported stuff Damian had that had sent the man into a fit when he'd caught the Pichu snacking on it. He'd told Cameron he'd feed Runner to his Persian if he didn't watch out. The boy had sighed, rolled his eyes, and then proceeded to break one of Damian's favourite vases on the way out of his office. Shep had told him that his mother would've had a good laugh about that, back when she could still laugh without blood coming up. As the Pichu wobbled towards the Hitmonlee, he thought about the mystery woman. Cameron never seemed upset about her when she came up in conversations; it was like a wall had been put up. Sparks flew across the earth, catching the Kick Pokemon by surprise. It tore its gaze from Raven and the knife as its body seized, fixing its glare on the panting, trembling mouse that was facing it.

well, now your world is mine

He watched as Runner and the Hitmonlee fell in tandem; the Hitmonlee from a series of weak but persistent Thundershocks Runner had pelted it with, and Runner from the sheer energy he had used. He hoped Tag's Pokemon and Requiem could fight alone, because Runner sure wasn't going anywhere for a while, and Aria was...just thinking about it made Cameron gag. He turned to look at Raven, propped up against a wall and covered in blood. The guy she'd been attacking seemed like he was in a good deal of pain, but that clearly wasn't stopping his advance on the girl. Everything tumbling inside Cameron seemed to clear out just for a second, and in that moment he strode forward, raising his uninjured arm and pulling it back. The man caught the teen in his peripheral vision and half-turned, putting him in just the right place as Cameron's fist slammed into his nose, blood gushing out the moment he did so. The man howled into the sky, which was beginning to grow dangerously dark. Ignoring the man's cries, Cameron pulled his fist back and punched again, this time glancing off the man's cheek and hitting his shoulder again. He'd never hit anyone before, not like this.

and i am fine

"Ngh," Cameron gasped, staggering back as the man tried to hit him, one hand pressed to his face. At least he wasn't going after Raven - Cameron could take a lot more hits than she could, now. Still, his tied-off shoulder burned, and he was starting to feel funny. This wasn't right; a simple gash shouldn't bleed this much. Maybe he'd coated it in something? Terry had told him about anti-coagulants once, back when Cameron was in his 'reject-everything-and-become-a-doctor' phase. Could Petrol have gotten his slimy hands on something like that?

everything you ever

A blow to his gut sent Cameron into the same wall Raven was up against, knocking his breath out. He struggled to maintain his foothold, feeling something cold sliding down his back. It was raining, and it wasn't the simple drizzle of the previous night - there was something in the wind that sent the hairs on the back of Cameron's neck up. Half the sky was now black, and this gave even the assaulter pause. While he was distracted, Cameron's foot sailed up and caught the man below his knee, sending him to the ground. Cameron shuffled over to Raven and held out his now-bloodied free hand.

"Let's go," he urged.

and i won't feel
a thing

Posted by: Kamaitachi Dec 23 2010, 03:45 AM

(I hope you guys don't mind me moving this along. I'd like to wind up this months old roleplay)

There were really no other words for the melee unfolding before him. Well, 'Chaos' was fairly fitting. He had planned for his pokemon to target the enemy trainers directly, much like one does in a Yu-gi-oh match with the proper cards. What had happened instead was not quite what he'd intended.

Perhaps it was that odd, mothering instinct he'd developed since Suzu hatched, but Tag could not bear to see his two younger compatriots engage in the battle the way they did. His first instinct was to leap into the fray with them; the warrior nestled in his heart screamed for that release. However, Taggarty Lee, cold and calculating as ever, watched as Raven and Cameron both attacked trainers. His heart ripped itself at the seems as he watched the girl and boy engage the two larger men, both miraculously coming up victorious (albeit bloodily so). The violence emitted by both of them made Tag's gut wrench. What had he asked of the two? What deep darkness inside them had he released through this happenstance mission?

However, he really had no time to wax philosophical at this point. Tag dropped Aria's pokeball on the ground, revealing the ragged and severely injured Shinx. "Hold on, Aria." He muttered softly. "Chansey, over here. Emergency". He watched as Bachi stood back up shakily. At the very least, he was standing. The Chansey waddled with surprising urgency over to Tag, and immediately began her work on Aria.

First two crises averted. Bachi was back up, and Aria was being tended to by the Chansey. Tag scanned the battlefield for the remaining enemies. He noted that Koffing, Hitmonlee, and Raticate had stopped to watch the display of Cameron and Raven's physical assault. Clearly no one had anticipated it. Two trainers down with two trainers to go: Tag took the slight lull in the battle to issue his commands. "Kyoko, Acid on that guy!" he pointed to the man who hadn't yet released another pokemon. "Tobi, Ember on that one!" Tag pointed to the final opponent on the field.

Even though Kyoko and Tobi were both newer additions to his team, they both had obviously sensed that the stakes of the battle were very high. They executed their commands without the slightest trace of hesitation. A vicious, viscous gob of Acid flew through the air, impacting squarely on the man's face. It sizzled angrily on the man's skin, as he screamed into it, running about in a pained frenzy. The other trainer found himself at the end of a flurry of brilliant little flames. His greasy clothes caught instantly, and he found himself ablaze. With two trainers down, and the other two running about in a panic, the remaining pokemon swiftly found themselves leaderless. Demoralized and with nothing else to do in their battle, they fled. Those lucky enough not to have been recalled into their pokeballs turned tail, not even once looking back.

Tag gave another quick sweep of the battlefield. Shep and Aria were still out. His four pokemon were still in the game, and he had Runner and Requiem. Unfortunately, the whole lot were incredibly worn out, and there were at least three more trainers to face, and one mind reading Abra, no less. With a look of grim determination, he turned to his allies.

"Raven, Cameron, stay here." he turned to the two remaining pokemon they had between them. "Runner, Requiem, protect them." He wasn't exactly sure as to how Requiem would respond to a command sent by the man who'd essentially led them into a death trap, be he hoped that the little crocodile would find it in his heart to forgive him. Tag cursed the fact that he hadn't taken his full bag with him, knowing that he'd left a perfectly viable first aid kit there as well. It seemed, to his untrained eye, that Cameron's makeshift tourniquet had not quite done its job the way Tag had hoped it would. Either that, or Cameron's constant movement had not helped in its stopping capabilities. Well, that and the fact that the gash probably required a bit more than a wife beater in term of first aid. "Chansey, when Aria's safe, tend to the rest. Suzu, Bachi, Tobi, Kyoko, let's go."

Tag, still hot from the battle, was going to through strategy to the winds at this point and catch the remaining three trainers. He'd hit them hard before they could release their pokemon...if his suspicions were correct, they were covering for the boss' escape, after loading up the contraband pokemon into the same vehicle from earlier. If his suspicions were correct, they'd almost be done. Well. Not if Tag could help it.

Tag burst into the building they'd been fighting so hard to invade, revelling briefly in the moment of that minor triumph. For the moment, he'd have to forget about his injured comrades and simply continue fighting his way through...it was the only way to make sure that their sacrifices weren't in vain, and he hoped that they, too, would forgive him for that.

"Kyoko, Acid. Tobi, Ember. Suzu, If that Abra's there, Bug Bite. If not, go for the boss! Bachi, Take 'em out!"

It was surely an amazing sight to behold. Kyoko and Tobi repeated their same trick from earlier, hitting the enemy trainers hard and fast, despite their weariness. At the same time, both Tag and Bachi charged forward in the wake of the attacks. Bachi charged the man who had acid in his face, ramming his powerful horn right into the man's stomach. Tag, in quite possibly one of the most spectacular moments of his life, punched a man ablaze in the face. His hand stung from punching through Tobi's ember attack, but at the moment, he surely didn't feel it. The rush of the battle had somewhat completely overtaken him as he slammed another fairly powerful fist into his flaming opponent. Out of the corner of his ear, he heard the cry of an Abra in pain, and assumed that Suzu had done her job. With something of a primal battle cry, Tag lashed out with another fist...then stopped.

Another noise pierced the air, and Tag felt something knock him clear off of his feet. He landed on the ground with a thud, a bit dazed and completely winded. This was not altogether unfamiliar, as only recently he'd taken a Breloom punch straight to the stomach. A sharp ache throbbed painfully in his side. However, as he instinctively reached to clasp the damaged flesh, he found his hand moist. "Blood?" he blinked as he looked around the room, utterly obfuscated at how that had happened.

His eyes focused for a moment on Suzu flitting around a man's head...the man in the suit. He was pointing a gun around wildly, trying to take aim at the swift bug pokemon flitting about his head. He'd evidently fired a wild shot at his pokemon, and surely that was the reason Tag had a bullet-wound in his abdomen.

* * *

The sight of their trainer falling over had a far different effect on Tag's pokemon than they did on the enemy trainers. Suzu and Bachi, who'd been with Tag since he departed Johto, immediately grew incensed, and threw themselves onto the man in the suit. Suzu launched her amazingly swift Mach Punch on the man's gun hand, sending the gun skittering dangerously away, past the two downed guards. Bachi let out a mighty roar, his fury attack impacting again and again on the fancy suit (and thus the soft flesh) of the enemy boss. Kyoko watched as her trainer fell, and immediately moved to his side, chirping worriedly at him before running out the door from which they came through. Even Tobi, poor, tired Tobi, was launching himself again and again at the man who'd shot his rescuer. Only when the man was lying unconscious on the ground did they let up, panting heavily at their outburst.

Outside, weary Kyoko jumped up and down repeatedly, almost screaming her name in a plea in the only way she could. One rarely heard a pokemon, much less one who could only repeat "gloom" over and over, make such a shrieking noise. Bereft, the rafflesia pokemon wailed her name over at Cameron and Raven, begging them to come to her trainer's aid.

Back in the room, Tag's three pokemon gathered around him while he stared ahead, breathing slowly and calmly, reserving all the energy he could.

"I'm so proud of you." he whispered. "I'm so proud..."

Posted by: Tymid Dec 23 2010, 06:12 PM

The ensuing violence flashed around Raven's reddening vision as if she were watching it through a camera that had the exposure turned up far too high. First, she saw Cameron, and as she attempted to rise to her feet, she found that her shaky legs would no longer hold her weight. She ducked and dodged through Cameron's and Tag's following attacks, well, more like crawled out of the way, and before she knew it, all was still. Requiem had remained in his spot the entire time, but had been performing extremely accurate Water Gun attacks from his position.

A hand was extended towards her face, and she flinched away from it, her upper lip still curled in a ferocious, battle sneer. She could faintly see Requiem waddling across the field in her blurry periphery, but as she followed the hand up, what she saw surprised her. Cameron, looking bloodied and beaten, was trying to help her up. She stared at him for a moment, the shock that he had actually come to fight still reeling in her mind. After a while, however, she grabbed him by the hand, and pulling with a grunt, made it to her feet. She staggered for a moment, getting her bearings, and about that time, Requiem had made it over to her, and was clawing at her tattered pant-leg. "That's my good boy..." she rasped lovingly, leaning down to pick him up, and holding him close. She turned her head to Cameron, and smirked through her swollen lip. "Not bad for your first street brawl, kid." she stated with a shaky voice, trying to seem unphased by the whole thing. She had been in many fights before, but this one was the first she had been unable to finish by herself.

"Thank you." she whispered, offering him a rare, genuine Raven smile, a pretty sight, even though her typical, sarcastic smirks weren't that bad looking either. She was brought out of her moment of reverie to a familiar sound; Kyoko. As the plant-pokemon beckoned, Raven found it in her to hop/limp/trot over to her, and she could tell that something was wrong. Peering past the shrieking Gloom, she saw Tag, bleeding with his poke'mon around him. Her heart caught in her throat, and as she hobbled as fast as she could over to him, she said the names of each of his poke'mon, to allow them to know that she was indeed a friend, and a friend that wanted to help. She fell at his side, and looked him straight in the eyes, a worried frown expressed on her face. "Cameron, go get that Chansey, will you?" she called behind her, since the boy already looked like he was about to vomit.

Instead of stating the obvious, such as "You've been shot!" or something cliche' like that, the street hardened girl proceeded to remove her jacket, and with another swollen-lip smirk, she looked him dead in the eye, and stated "You're a damn fool, you know that?" in a voice that shook with worry, and the slightest bit of sarcasm. From what she could see, Tag was lucky; the bullet had simply grazed his side, from what she could see. His eyes were responsive, and he was breathing well, but the bleeding had to be stopped. Wrinkling her nose, she realized what she had do to. Much like Tag had done for Cameron, Raven removed her tank-top swiftly, exposing a flat, toned abdomen, that was thoroughly bruised due to the previous fray. She muttered a "sorry", before applying pressure to his wound with the white cloth. She did it a bit roughly, and she knew that he was not going to like the pain very much.

She held the cloth in place with her right hand, and continued to stroke his hair back with the other in a soothing gesture. It was obvious that she was attempting not to look at her exposed torso, and it was obvious as to why. Scars, big and small, riddled her pale, soft skin, from burns to apparent gunshot wounds, to botched stabbing attempts. The scars, painfully obvious against her white skin, as well as the scars to be that had been recently administered, were like crests on a white sea, marring the porcelain perfection that her skin would have been. She did not seem embarrassed by this, she simply seemed to not want to look at them. Her left hand continued to stroke back his sweaty, dirty hair away from his eyes, which she was looking into to see if his pupils would remain stable. In an attempt to break the silence, she quoted a movie from her childhood with a chuckle. "It's just a flesh wound!" she murmured with a smile, removing her hand from his forehead and laying it on his shoulder.

"You did good out there, Tag. You all did." she said, motioning to all of his pokemon, including Kyoko, who had made her way back over to Tag's side. She moved her tank top to a clean, white spot, considering her preliminary application had been soaked with blood. "After we get you patched up, we'll get all of these poke'mon out of here, alright?" she said somewhat lightheartedly, her face, although swollen and mildly disfigured by her assault, showing a painfully obvious smile.

The battle was over.

Posted by: Haunted Dec 23 2010, 06:48 PM

The man seemed down and out - a good thing, too, since Cameron doubted that he'd be able to take another hit. Raven didn't notice him at first, and when she did there was a moment where she seemed to look through him - not seeing him, but something else. Finally, though, she took his hand and h grunted as he helped her up, Requiem coming to grab at her pant leg. Seeing a Pokemon not thoroughly ass-kicked from the brawl gave Cameron pause, but a drop of rain smacking the tip of his nose reminded him that if they didn't follow Tag's lead and get inside fast, they'd be soaked in addition to bloody and tired.

"Not bad for your first street brawl, kid." Raven's voice shook as she picked Requiem, praising his endurance. Even when covered in blood and with her face half swollen, there was no denying that Raven was pretty. "Thank you."

At any other time, Cameron would bask in the girl's words, perhaps offering a date at some point, but even a stuck-up snob like himself knew when to draw the line. He was about to suggest joining Tag in taking down the last two opponents inside when a loud shriek split the air.

"Gloom! Gloom!"

Kyoko was standing in the doorway of the building, jumping up and down and crying in distress. Raven's face seemed to drain of blood and she hurriedly limped over, Cameron following close behind. He froze in the entryway - Tag was on the ground, surrounded by his Pokemon and a pool of blood. Three men, one in a suit, were unconscious on the ground. Raven knelt next to Tag, worry evident in her expression.

"Cameron, go get that Chansey, will you?"

"Right," Cameron mumbled. He then turned and threw up over the cracked and crumbling stones, his good hand pressed against the wall to keep his balance as he emptied out his stomach, dry-heaving once everything was out. The Chansey, obviously concerned, waddled across the courtyard, pulling a soft white hand towel out of her pouch on her way. Cameron gratefully accepted it and then motioned towards the building. "Shot," he croaked, wiping his mouth with the towel. The Chansey eyed his shoulder critically, stubby arms reaching back into her pouch. "No. I'll be fine for a while. Go help Tag." The Chansey sighed and nodded, waddling off to help Raven, who was...taking her shirt off. Blushing a bit, Cameron pushed himself off the wall and away from the lovely little puddle he'd left, clutching the no-longer-white towel in his hands. Runner was still lying in the muddying ground, and Cameron gently picked him up, giving the semi-unconscious Pokemon a hug before returning him to his ball.

On the roof of an adjoining building, Petrol smirked and raised another throwing knife - the boy was alone now, and the position he was in gave Petrol a clear shot. A knife between the shoulderblades, a heart-wrenching story of attempted rescue from the tattooed couple to the kid's rich dad, and the trio'd be set for life. Petrol flexed his arm, and -

- The knife was gone, held in the soft talons of a Togekiss. The bird's smile never faltered, even as it swung back around and nearly dropped the knife right on Stretch's foot before landing in front of Cameron, holding its giant wings out for a hug.

"...Okay, that's it," Petrol grumbled, smacking Clem upside the head as he crossed the roof. "We're done. Let's just go find that kid with the blue Gastly, I'm sure that'll get us something from a shiny hunter somewhere."

The soft white feathers felt like heaven, even if they were drenched with water. "Did you fly all the way from Petropolis in the storm?" Cameron felt a pang of guilt as he pulled away, leaving a smear of red on the pristine wings, which Togekiss didn't seem to mind one bit. Instead, she chirped happily and looked around, eyes passing over the battlefield.

"We're trying to save some Pokemon, and it got out of hand." Cameron explained. "How did you find me? Didn't Damian send a search party?" In response, Togekiss hopped towards the open doorway, peering in to where Raven and Chansey were treating Tag. She chirped again. Cameron shuffled after her, squeezing between the large Jubilee Pokemon and the doorframe.

"Is he okay?"

Posted by: Kamaitachi Dec 24 2010, 01:30 AM

Tag lay on the ground, his eyes simply staring upwards at the ceiling for the time being. Being shot was an entirely new sensation, after all. He heard the sounds of his pokemon descending in their fury on the enemy, and before long, three of them were at his side, peering worriedly at their trainer. He heard a soft, mellifluous female voice call each of his pokemon's name, and then Raven was at his side. Faintly, he heard Cameron in what sounded like a distance, but this was all blurred by the continual patter of the heavy rain.

"You're a damn fool, you know that?"

All his thoughts of needing forgiveness from his allies vanished. Tag felt a slow smile crawl across his face.

"Says the woman who attacked two dangerous men with her bare knuckles." he laughed, but that quickly turned into a grimace and a bit of a scrunch; the bullet wound stung like crazy. He heard Raven utter a "sorry", and suddenly there was the sting of pressure around the bullet wound. With great caution, he turned his eyes over to Raven, noting immediately that she'd taken off her shirt. While his initial instinct was to gawk like a schoolboy, he opted instead to study each of the meticulous scars on her body. If there was any doubt before, Tag was fully convinced now that the woman had lived a rough life. At the very least, it explained her propensity for attacking men with all the ferocity of wild beasts.

"It's just a flesh wound!" Not getting the joke or the reference, Tag merely felt relief. Once again, he'd dodged the ever hungry scythe of the reaper, and he had time again.

"You did good out there, Tag. You all did." He heard Raven's voice drifting around, aimed at his four pokemon comrades. He turned his eyes, suddenly filled with worry, to his fellow trainer. Before he could voice his concern, the brave Chansey had descended upon him, fussing over him as only a nurse Pokemon could. He brushed her off, indicating back outside, where Aria was still laying in the rain.

"Aria. How is Aria?"

Before his question could be answered, he heard Cameron's voice in the doorway.

"Is he okay?"

"Like a million dollars, kid." Tag smiled. "But before we all start patting ourselves on the back, someone get Nurse Joy. We need to get everyone back to the Pokemon Center." With that, Suzu, nodded and moved towards the door, bowing courteously to Cameron and the Togekiss in the door.

Posted by: Tymid Dec 24 2010, 08:21 PM

As she was pushed aside by the Chansey, she rose to her feet, the muscles in her arms and abdomen gently rippling under her pale, exposed skin. She lifted her bare arm and wiped her lip, which still felt wet, but instead of blood, there was only scab-forming plasma. She did, however, continue to suckle on it. A fluttering of wings caused her to turn around briskly, but the sight of the cheery poke'mon in the pouring rain brought a whole new world of ironies to her mind. The battle was over, it seemed as though the rain was cleaning the stain of the horrible people away, and here was a Togekiss, a rare sign of happiness. It was a good omen.

Raven's eyes slowly focused to a small blue lump in the distance; Aria. "Aria..." she said breathlessly, a wave of guilt washing over her as she realized that her little cub was getting rained on. She slowly walked past Cameron, into the rain, the water cascading over her dirtied skin in little rivulets. "Aria?" she called softly, tilting her head, almost afraid of going over to see her poke'mon without the adrenaline behind her; she would probably be sick. From the distance, Raven saw the little blue cub lift her head and slowly lower it. "Aria!" Raven cried a little louder, taking a few steps closer to the kitten. After flailing in place for a moment, trying to get her bearings, the girl finally found her footing and shakily stood. Raven stopped walking, knowing that Aria would want to do it by herself, if she could.

The rain fell harder, and her dark hair stuck in shimmering locks against her bare shoulders. Looking down to her side, Requiem was there, watching his poke'mon companion as closely as Raven had been. Aria took one, slow, shaky step, and Raven smiled lightly. Slowly, and with a few stumbles and falls into the mud, Aria made her way into Raven's open arms, and Raven, without saying a word, enveloped the small Shinx into her arms and held her as tightly as she dared. Tears mixed with the water cascading down her face, and the trio was silent in their reunion, huddled together in the rain, holding on to each other as though there was nothing they had left in this world. In reality, all they had was each other.

Raven finally rose to her feet, cradling the Shinx in her arms, whispering small words of comfort into the kitten's soft ears. As they made their way back to the building that Tag was in, Raven passed by Suzu, who offered her a small nod as she entered. The muddy Raven looked a little comical, drenched with rain, in naught but her pants, shoes, and bra, a sleepy, dirty Shinx in her arms and a disgruntled Totodile at her heels. She looked down at Tag, and slowly knelt by him again. Aria looked at the man, the scarred up poke'mon still maintaining a tiny smile on her face. She licked gingerly at Tag's hand, something that made Raven's heart very happy. "I think she's trying to thank you." she said softly, and chuckled as Aria responded with a soft "Shi..."

Deciding that she was not about to tear up, Raven cleared her throat, and rose to her feet, Aria back in her arms. "Okay, no use standing around here like a bunch of dummies...we've got a crate of poke'balls for each of us, and they're all loaded down with poke'mon. Tag, if you could go ahead and find a few spare poke'balls and round up these caged guys while Cameron and I are taking the first two crates, I'll be back momentarily to come get the third crate along with...those...guys...?" The end of the sentence came out a bit confusedly, as Nurse Joy and another Chansey came swooping in, and picked up a crate, and ran out, the Chansey waddling a bit lower with a large crate in it's hands.

"...Okay, then." she said, using her free hand to scratch her head, contemplating how the small Nurse Joy was a lot stronger than she looked. Then again, wrestling with injured poke'mon all day could give someone a good set of muscles. She turned back to Tag and Cameron, shrugging. Her eyes darted to the last, and third crate, and then back to the two men on either side of her. "Tag, can you still round up the caged poke'mon? You can recover for a bit while you're catching them; I don't think they're in any mood to fight. Cameron, there may be some poke'balls buried somewhere, can you make sure this place is clean?" she asked softly, moving over to the third crate. "As for me..." she began, limping over to Tag and picking up her jacket with a swoop, not even bothering to mess with the bloodied tank-top, "...I'll get this crate." She put on the jacket smoothly, zipping it up as far as it would go. She placed Aria and Requiem on top of the crate, and hefted it upwards. The crate when it was on the ground only stood to about her knees, and though it had to have had at least 100 poke'balls in it, it only seemed to weigh about 20 lbs. As tired as she was, with the added weight of Aria and Requiem, when she started walking, she almost fell forward.

She strode past Cameron and the Togekiss, leaving the two fellows to their own devices. With calm, slow breaths through clenched teeth, she finally made her way to the poke'mon center, where Nurse Joy and a Chansey were opening poke'balls and sorting poke'mon according to injury. Another Chansey, seemingly out of nowhere, took the crate from her hands, along with Aria and Requiem. "Hey, those two are mine!" she called after the Chansey, who paused, looking at the Shinx and Totodile, and nodded with a reaffirming "Chansey!"

Raven bent over, putting her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. After taking a moment to herself, she stood up straight once again, and walked over to the desk. Nurse Joy was hurriedly inputting information, and the balls were being sorted according to piles. An Ekans was called from the nearest poke'ball, and after Nurse Joy gave it a quick examination, it went back into the ball, and into the bigger pile. As though answering the question in her mind, Nurse Joy said: "Big pile is minor care, Small pile is major care." in a hurried voice, as she input information for the Ekans, and quickly withdrew a Smeargle with the tip of his tail missing.

Nodding to herself, Raven's attention was captured by a Great Ball, dusty and dirty, resting in the corner of the room. "Hey, you missed one!" Raven said to a passing Chansey, who looked at the ball, and regarded Raven with a sad gaze before going into the back room. Nurse Joy following Raven's pointing finger, and 'tsked' under her breath. "No, that one can't be helped. We can only help the ones that can be released back into the wild, or adopted. There's no hope for that one." she said quietly, before inputting the Smeargle's information and putting it's ball into the major care pile. Raven's brow quirked, and she motioned a Chansey that was returning from the back room. "Can I see that one?" she asked softly, and the Chansey, ever-smiling, knelt and waddled it over to her.

Raven examined the ball, polishing it a little bit. She slowly moved away from the desk and over to the empty waiting room, and called the poke'mon forth on a medium-size table. Her eyes widened; a Larvitar, shivering and curious, looked up at her with shimmering blue eyes. "What do you mean no one will adopt it? It's a Larvitar, these things are rare!" Raven called over to the busy Joy. Joy, a little annoyed at being bothered by the do-gooder, simply said: "Watch this. You'll see."

Joy clapped loudly. Everyone in the room flinched, including Raven. Everyone...except for the Larvitar. It looked up at Raven with a curious "Tar?" vocalization, and Raven's heart sank. The Larvitar...was deaf. Raven wrinkled her nose, sadly. She would consider adopting him...but she had two poke'mon already. She couldn't keep any more. "I'm sorry, fellow." she said softly, reaching towards the Larvitar's scaly hide and scratching it lightly. He crooned under her touch, a reptilian sound that made Raven smile. Picking up the poke'ball, Raven prepared to capture the poke'mon and return it to Nurse Joy, to which the Poke'mon frowned, and as the red beam was cast forth, he swiftly dodged. Raven looked around, trying to see if anyone had noticed. She tried again, and the poke'mon dodged, looking at her mischeviously and defiantly.

"Whoops." she murmured.

Posted by: Haunted Dec 25 2010, 12:49 PM

"Like a million dollars, kid." Tag's voice brought a smile to Cameron's face. The fact that he was talking hopefully meant he'd be fine soon. "But before we all start patting ourselves on the back, someone get Nurse Joy. We need to get everyone back to the Pokemon Center." Cameron nodded, pressing himself against the doorway as both Raven and Suzu rushed out; Raven to Aria and Suzu to find the Nurses. Togekiss returned the Ledian's bow and nudged Cameron, who turned to watch Raven's progress across the courtyard. Slow, careful steps, both trainer and Totodile watching the Shinx closely. The little blue cub took a few shaky steps, the rain probably not helping her much, before Raven scooped her into her arms. The smile on Cameron's face was beginning to hurt, and a laugh from Togekiss made him realise something. He hadn't smiled like this - a real smile - since his mother died.

"Uh, yeah." He muttered, dropping the smile and turning, hoping Togekiss wouldn't see the blush on his face as Raven brushed by again. As she knelt next to Tag, the two in the doorway entered the building and looked around. Cages lined the walls - most empty, thankfully. There were boxes full of Pokeballs stacked here and there, some marked with red sharpie. Togekiss tilted her head to the side and examined one of the boxes, her ever-present smile faltering a bit. Sitting back on her talons, her chest puffed out and she gave an affronted chirp, eying the unconscious man in the suit. Cameron caught her gaze and pushed the large bird away, back towards the boxes. "We already took care of them. Please don't set anyone on fire."

"Okay, no use standing around here like a bunch of dummies...we've got a crate of Pokeballs for each of us, and they're all loaded down with Pokemon. Tag, if you could go ahead and find a few spare Pokeballs and round up these caged guys while Cameron and I are taking the first two crates, I'll be back momentarily to come get the third crate along with...those...guys...?" Everyone stopped to stare as a determined-looking Nurse, followed by a Chansey, charged into the room and took some of the boxes. A few confused minutes later, and Cameron and Togekiss were combing the corners of the room, searching for any missing Pokeballs. Raven had left with the Nurses, and Tag was in charge of the caged Pokemon lining the walls. Pulling open a desk drawer with his good hand, Cameron frowned as three Pokeballs clattered into each other, surrounded by neat stacks of money. The cash was probably enough to renovate the Pokemon Centre; nothing more than pocket change for Cameron. The difference was that this money had been earned in blood. Taking the Pokeballs out, he put them in an empty box he'd found an stood, grimacing at the pain in his shoulder. It had finally stopped bleeding and he'd taken Tag's shirt off, but he doubted the man would want it back now. Cameron lifted the box, thanking the heavens that it as light as it was - the adrenaline had worn off and he was starting to feel the effects of blood loss. As he turned to call Togekiss, a very familiar smell filled his nostrils.

"Oh, for the love of - I told you, no fire!" Togekiss looked up, her face the picture of innocence. The desk drawer was burning cheerily, the money inside blackening at the ends. At Cameron's glare, Togekiss swept her wings over the pile, putting the fire out and leaving nothing but a smoldering mess.

"Of course, Terry just had to have the pyromaniac Togepi," he muttered, stumbling outside into the downpour. "Mum tried to get her to get the nice, quiet one, but nooo. She just had to have the one who liked burning things." Cameron raised his voice, nearly slipping on a puddle. "Togekiss, stay here and fly Tag back when he's ready. Okay?" The Togekiss chirped, hopping back inside. "And don't burn anything else!"

It took Cameron a while to get back to the Pokemon Centre - he got lost again - but when he finally found the building, he found that he'd never been happier to see something in his whole life. The absence of the thief trio was nagging at the back of his mind, but he decided to just take whatever he got without question. Pushing open the dirty door with his good shoulder, he found the Nurses, Chanseys, and Raven on the floor, separating the Pokeballs into piles. Setting down his box, Cameron wobbled over to a bench and collapsed, not moving an inch when a Chansey waddled by and took his Pokemon's Luxury Balls, making a beeline for the machine in the back.

Lost in a pleasant haze, Cameron started violently when a loud clap resounded in the room, his injured shoulder smacking into the back of the bench. Letting out a yelp he fell off, nearly squashing the Chansey who had come to return his Pokemon. Tsking, she set the balls on the bench and grabbed Cameron's free arm, pulling him into a stark white room behind the counter. The machine that healed Pokemon was humming in the corner, old and wheezing sporadically.

"Note to self," Cameron said, wincing as the Chansey pulled his now-ruined shirt off. "All concert proceeds now go to Pokemon Centre upkeep." As the Egg Pokemon bustled around the room, pulling antibiotics and gauze from various cabinets, Cameron detached the Pokeball clip from his pants. Something about it felt off, rough and paper-y. Looking down he noticed that there was, indeed, a piece of paper wedged in between the clips. He pulled it out and immediately recognized Terry's thin, spidery handwriting. He remembered seeing the bag strapped to Togekiss' back, but he hadn't paid it much attention at the time. "Togekiss must've slipped this in when she hugged me," Cameron muttered, setting the letter down on the counter he was sitting on. He'd read it later, after he'd gotten a nice rest. And some food.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Dec 26 2010, 01:13 AM

Tag finally worked himself up into a seated position on the floor, smiling at the worried faces of Tobi, Kyoko and Bachi. For a moment, it seemed that his smiled melted away all his pokemons' concerns, and they nestled up against him (Bachi a bit more gingerly than the others). Slowly he turned his head to the doorway as Raven entered, wearing little in the way of clothes and drenched in rain, holding the wounded Aria in her arms. He almost couldn't contain the smile that burst onto his face as Aria's little sandpaper tongue scratched over his hand. Both relief and joy intermingled to create a gigantic grin on his face.

"I think she's trying to thank you."

"You did a damn fine job out there, Aria." he laughed "You too, Req." He nodded to the scary looking Totodile, then to their trainer. "And I suppose you did too." He smiled at Raven "Now put some clothes on, you hussy." His voice waved with the playful punch he reserved for friends.

Tag watched a bit dumbfounded as the next events unfolded; Nurse Joy and Chansey swooped in without saying much of anything, disappearing with two of the crates, then Raven attempting to struggle off with the last one. Once they had disappeared into the rain, Suzu floated in, sopping wet. Her sunglasses eyes looked to be dripping, which Tag mistook for rain, until the Five Star Pokemon launched herself forward, clinging to Tag's chest with all four of her arms. Slowly, the tattooed man wrapped his arms around the ladybug, realizing that the liquid in Suzu's eyes wasn't rain after all. Well, perhaps it was, but from the soft mutterings of "Ledi" and "ian" muffled in his chest, he could at least pretend they were.

"C'mon Suzu, rest up." He placed his hand on the side of her head "You've earned it." She disappeared in a flash of red light, retreating to her pokeball. The other three pressed in again, sounding their worries at him, but he merely shook his head. "I'm fine, my friends, I'm fine. You all need rest." With that, he individually summoned them back to their pokeballs and stood up. In comparision to Raven and Cameron, who had physically engaged the other trainers, Tag had come off relatively scot free. Aside from his gunshot wound and missing shirt, he really was in fine shape. He hadn't even done that much running in comparison, having been firmly rooted in his spot most of the battle.

The smell of sulfur grabbed his attention, and he watched as a Togekiss stood perched over a deskful of money, which went up in flames. Tag almost wanted to cry; he couldn't taken back the money he'd used to purchase Tobi. Sadly, it had been reduced to a pile of ashes, and now Tag was just a destitute trainer once again. He'd have to go beat up on some wannabe hotshot trainers and take their money later. Cameron left shortly thereafter, leaving Tag alone with the Fire-Happy Togekiss.

"Uh, pleased to meet you. I'm the aforementioned Tag" he half bowed at the Jubilee pokemon. With the awkward introduction complete, he turned to scan the room once again. Three unconscious men, and several cages along the walls with a few pokemon in there. They looked over at Tag and Togekiss hopefully. After all, they had come in and obliterated their captors...by that logic, they were good, right?

Tag shuffled around a bit until he came across the briefcase from before, popping it open to reveal several pokeballs with various markings. Upon turning his sharp gaze back to the pokemon in the cages, he once again saw that they had each been tagged. Each one had a marker somewhere on its body indicating its identification number. The thought grumbled around in Tag's chest: Each pokemon had been inhumanely marked, simply for convenience. While he was no crusader of Justice by any means, Tag felt a strong urge to find a gun and fill the unconscious enemies with holes. Worse still, he was considering letting Cameron's Togekiss friend give in to its pyromanic proclivity. Ultimately, he settled on simply retrieving the pokemon. He took each pokeball out of the briefcase and painstakingly went through the process of returning each tagged pokemon to its proper pokeball. Placing them back in the briefcase, he then set about procuring the pokeballs from the enemy trainers in the room.

"Here Togekiss." He noted as he looked into its ever-happy face, that its pre-evolution Togepi had an identical Toge-face. It was undeniably cute. "Please take these back to the Pokemon Center. I'll follow on foot." He followed her outside, ushering her back. "Off you go. Back to Cameron" he shooed her gently out into the rain, following suit as she took to the air.

For a moment, he simply paused and tilted his head back, letting the heavy rain wash over his body. The battle rush had faded, leaving him a little tired. The rain, however, felt amazing rolling down his face and down his body. Closing his eyes, he let the relaxing feeling wash over him...as if he were washing the taint of the Lenoilian Air from his skin. He considered for a moment the possibility of this actually being acid rain, due to the copious amounts of pollution, but dismissed it on the notion that he wasn't melting. This also made a good claim that he was not, in fact, a Wicked Witch of any variety.

After the brief moment of silence and even briefer moment of silliness, Tag set about gathering up the pokeballs from the unconscious trainers in the courtyard. While they had rescued all the Black Market pokemon, they hadn't been able to retrieve the mal-treated pokemon they had faced in the melee, which was truly a shame. Tag scooped up as many as he could before setting his course for the Pokemon Center. He had his end of a bargain to hold up, after all.

* * *

Togekiss arrived back at the Pokemon Center easily before Tag. Dripping wet, she floated in through the main doors and neatly deposited the briefcase in front of Joy. Tag arrived shortly thereafter, similarly soaked, and appearing to be his usual grouchy self. The smiles, at the moment, were all but vanished from his face as he placed an armful of pokeballs on the same table where Nurse Joy was working. He then unclipped his own pokeballs from his belt, placing them onto a tray, which disappeared as it was carried off by stubby, Nursey hands. With a bit of a 'whoofing' sigh, he slumped down onto a bench to rest for a bit. He watched curiously as Raven attempted to recall a Larvitar into its pokeball, but other than what he saw before him, he made no attempt to rationalize it further. He didn't attempt any conversation at the moment, opting to simply sit there and take his hard earned relaxation.

Posted by: Tymid Dec 26 2010, 02:49 PM

Jets of red light pinged all around the quick Larvitar, accompanied by Raven's dismayed grumblings. The Larvitar bore a mischevious smile on his reptilian lips, showing tiny teeth as he dodged each jet with a "Tar! Tar! Tar!". Raven stopped the barrage, and scratched her head curiously. As she did so, the Larvitar waddled towards her and looked up at her with his big, strange blue eyes, and knocked the poke'ball out of her hands with it's blunt nose.

"I can't keep you!" Raven said, attempting to gesture at the oblivious poke'mon. The poke'mon saw her open arms, and made a wide smile (or at least that's what it sort of looked like), and jumped into her arms with a loud "LARVITAR!", snuggling against her jacket. Raven looked down at the poke'mon clinging to her jacket, and she couldn't help but wrapping her arms around it as it nuzzled against her. She turned to Nurse Joy, who had temporarily paused her work and was looking at her, brow raised and smiling. "I can't keep him!" Raven insisted, continuing to scratch at the Larvitar's spines.

Prying the little thing loose, she set it back on the table, the creature still sporting a smile. "Staaaay. Stay." Raven said slowly, walking backwards. A Chansey, seeing what was going on, started to sneak up behind the Larvitar, stubby arms extended and her smiling face looking curiously concentrated. The Chansey bumped the table slightly, so slight that the table didn't even move. The smile left the Larvitar's face and he whipped around towards the Chansey, leaping off the table and proceeding to cling to Raven's leg, hissing at the Chansey. Raven looked down at the hissing creature. Apparently, it was sensitive to vibrations. That would make sense, considering that any creature with a disability found it's other senses compensated for that, and Larvitar would already be sensitive to ground vibrations, naturally. She shook her leg, but the creature held fast.

Limping her way over to the bench where Tag sat, the Larvitar hanging on for dear life, she sat down beside the tall man, wiggling her leg futilely for a moment, before resting it back on the ground. As she opened her mouth to say something, she felt a warm washcloth scrubbing at her face. It surprised her, and it stung, and it was wet. Raven spluttered for a moment, seeing yet another Chansey trying to nurse her back to health. Raven sat patiently for a moment, letting the Chansey do what it wanted, before it finally waddled away. She turned back to Tag, and observed him for a moment. She felt oddly connected to the man, who was like her in so many ways, and so different. She couldn't believe that she actually felt an emotion when a good-bye was nearing, or that the good-bye was happening at all.

"Well, it's been real, and it's been fun, but I can't say it's been real fun." she stated, chuckling to herself. "I've had as much of a vacation as I can stand, and the bus should be arriving pretty soon. You, uh, gonna' be alright with getting the kid to where he needs to be?" she asked, wiggling her leg again.

Posted by: Haunted Dec 26 2010, 04:53 PM

With her work done, the Chansey gave Cameron a little bow and waddled out of the room, pausing briefly to make sure Cameron was following her. Giving one last, longing look at his favourite shirt, the teen walked back out into the lobby. The Nurse was still sorting Pokeballs, though Raven was on one of the benches, talking quietly to Tag. A Larvitar was clinging to her leg, nuzzling her pants happily. A soft chirp from behind signaled Togekiss' presence, and Cameron turned to talk to her, very aware that the young fan-Nurse was leering at him from inside a side doorway.

"Was the letter the only thing Terry sent me?" he asked, hoping for a cell phone or a laptop or anything that would let him get back in the loop. Togekiss nodded, shifting the strap around until the pack was lying against her chest. Obviously the letter was meant to be read privately, or else Togekiss would've kept it on her. Cameron excitedly took the pack, making his way over to the bench his Pokemon's balls were resting on, clipping them back onto his pants. He opened it and immediately began to pull the contents out and toss them on the bench, pausing to pull on a tight black undershirt. It had a collar that clung to his neck, and the sleeves came down to a little past his elbows. Wincing a little, he shuffled through the pile until he found a plain white polo and pulled it over his head. He then went back to searching the pile for some sort of technology; after three minutes he finally gave up.

"What is her deal," Cameron muttered angrily, shoving extra Luxury Balls, a blanket, and various assorted clothes - mostly shirts, socks, and boxers - back into the pack, leaving it visibly more lumpy than it had been. "I mean, really. No cell? And what's with all these clothes? I'm gonna be back in Petropolis soon, I don't need my freaking dresser." Togekiss sighed and began to pull everything back out of the pack, neatly folding the clothing somehow. Cameron fumed silently for a while, watching glumly as Togekiss chased a rogue sock across the floor of the Centre. Maybe the letter has some answers, Cameron mused, looking down at the folded strip of paper. Standing up, he announced that he needed to use the bathroom and made a beeline for the dingy room. One of the two lightbulbs inside was blown out, and he honestly did not want to know what was covering the toilet. Gingerly sitting down on the single chair in the corner, Cameron hurriedly opened the letter and scanned it once, fumbling to catch the wad of money that fell out. Taking a deep breath, he leanded back to read the letter again, going slow this time.

What?



Cameron frowned. He did remember a lady stop by after his mother died, but after she'd said hello he'd locked himself in his room. He remembered Arezou, too - the Gardevoir always seemed to be there when his mother was too ill to move. Her telepathy had terrified him at first, and she didn't speak any language he knew, having come from the same distant island his mother and Terry had come from. But still, she'd been there, and when she disappeared it'd hurt almost as much as when Elia died.



"...Wait, so she's kidnapping me?" Cameron whispered, incredulous. Was Damian really getting that bad? And what was all this about traveling? Like hell he was walking all that way. Why didn't she send him a Segway or a Rapidash or something useful, instead of a bunch of clothes? Sighing, he opened the bathroom door and found himself face-to-face with Togekiss, whose smile was slightly maniacal. Cameron yanked his wristband off his arm, looking at the familiar strip of blue fabric. Part of it was an ugly brown now, from the blood he'd gotten on it. Without a word he handed it and the letter to Togekiss. The Jubilee Pokemon clutched the wristband in her talons and blew a thin line of fire onto the letter, watching happily as it crumbled into ash. With one last cuddle she was across the Centre and out the door, spreading her wings into the rain-soaked afternoon.

"Um, so." Cameron said, crossing the room. He faced Tag and Raven, unsure of what to say. "Uh. Thanks for helping me out, and uh...I hope all the Pokemon will be alright. And you guys, too." Even in his head, that sounded lame. If there was one thing the famous Cameron Ramirez hated, it was sounding lame. "I mean. Well. I got a letter, and..." Could he trust them? Looking at Raven's split lip and the gauze on Tag's stomach, he decided yes. "...I need to go to somewhere called Loch Ranch, northeast of here. I was wondering if, uh. If you wanted to come with me. Not as bodyguards or anything, but..."

If not bodyguards, than what? Turning abruptly so they wouldn't see his reddened cheeks, Cameron made his way to the counter and pulled the stack of money out of his pants pocket.

"It's not much, but you guys need it." He separated the stack in half, handing the Nurse what was probably more than a bank teller would make in a year. Leaving her speechless and teary-eyed - and receiving the mother of all hugs from about six Chansey - Cameron pocketed the rest of the money and went to go get his new pack from the bench. Why Terry had given him so much never even crossed his mind - for Cameron, the cash in his pocket was barely enough to buy a new guitar. A solid gold guitar with strings made of diamond.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Dec 27 2010, 01:46 AM

Tag allowed himself a smile as he watched Raven limp towards him, the Larvitar clinging tenaciously to her leg.

"It appears you made a friend." He closed his eyes, nodding his head forward. It made him look a little smug, but he didn't particularly care for appearances.

"Well, it's been real-" Wait. Farewell already? "and it's been fun, but I can't say it's been real fun." A small laugh. "I've had as much of a vacation as I can stand, and the bus should be arriving pretty soon. You, uh, gonna' be alright with getting the kid to where he needs to be?"

"I'm sure I can handle it from here." Tag looked a little miffed. He felt a little miffed. This was odd, after all. Normally he was happy to be rid of people. For a moment he looked almost huffy. Realizing that he still wasn't wearing a shirt, he made an excuse to get away from her, heading over to his backpack, wherein he took off his soaked leather jacket, and pulled out another tank top, identical to the one before, except grey.

He stopped his sulk as he watched the Togekiss leave, his eyes softening as he watched the cute pokemon soar across the center and out the door.

"Um, so" He snapped his head over towards the sound of the voice. Cameron stood near him and Raven. "Uh.Thanks for helping me out, and uh...I hope all the Pokemon will be alright. And you guys, too." "I mean. Well. I got a letter and...I need to go somewhere called Loch Ranch, northeast of here. I was wondering if, uh. If you wanted to come with me. Not as bodyguards or anything, but..." Tag blinked at the wounded Teen Idol. It didn't sound so much like a proposition to travel with him at all. It carried all the awkwardness of being asked to the school dance, or the box social, or whatever it was kids these days did.

"Do you need to leave right now? I, for one, need some food first." Tag crossed his arms, staring at Cameron "But after a meal and some rest, I wouldn't mind a trip to the Loch Ranch."

A gentle 'ding' announced some pokemon were ready. One of the many Chansey waddled out, but Tag instinctively knew her.

"Hey there, Medic." Tag smiled as she handed him the tray "You did good out there, little lady. Thank you for all your help." He reached into his backpack and procured a small bracelet. Just a small trinket he'd acquired in Petropolis. He placed it around her little arm, like one would place a ring on a finger. It was a little green jade stone, nothing special really. Straightening himself back up, he picked up the four pokeballs from his belt, clipping them to his belt once again.

"I dunno about you guys, but saving the day and a buttload of pokemon sure works up an appetite."

Posted by: Tymid Dec 27 2010, 02:31 PM

Raven looked confusedly towards Tag as he walked off. He had seemed a little ticked off, and it seemed to have been something she had said. She could only assume that since her last statement had changed his demeanor, that it was because she had wanted him to take care of Cameron by himself. As she thought more about it, that did seem a bit selfish, but she couldn't just walk up to him and say "Just kidding! I'm staying!"

However, a moment of repreive came across when Cameron told Tag of his intention for a place to go, and asked, plurally, if they would want to accompany him. She attempted to get to her feet, but the stocky Larvitar who was currently nuzzling her kneecap made the attempt a bit more difficult than she had previously anticipated. She walked/limped/dragged her way over to where Tag and Cameron was standing, and crossed her arms, trying to look as stoic as possible with a cooing lizard was on her leg. "I suppose I can drag out my vacation for a little while longer. I might even be able to find a home for Romeo over here." she murmured, motioning to the Larvitar, who simply stared up at her with adoring blue eyes.

At the mention of food, it seemed that the loud rumbling of her stomach answered Tag's question. As her mouth started to water as she envisioned a thick, greasy burger, or a steak, or even some soup, she inhaled deeply, and could almost smell the pleasant aroma. "Yeah, I'm starved." she said slowly, exhaling the words as one would a sigh.

The 'ding' brought her out of her dreamy picnic, and she looked eagerly towards the door, from which a small flood of Chansey were emerging. She saw Tag's poke'mon being returned, but swiftly turned her attention back to the door. Her heart sank as what she thought was the last Chansey came through, but shortly after the door swung shut, it was brusquely opened again by an overexuberant Totodile, who paused only to turn his good eye towards Raven, and waddle toward her. "Dile! Dile!" he cried, bearing the closest to a smile she had ever seen on his scaly lips. He slowed down, however, as he saw the Larvitar attached to her leg, and stared at it. "Totodile?" Requiem queried, asking both Raven and Tymid what the new thing was doing, and if it were a threat.

"He can't hear you, Requiem." Raven said softly, to which the Totodile waddled over, and poked the Larvitar. The green reptilian jumped, and lowered himself from Raven's leg, sniffing and making curious chirps towards the Totodile. Raven almost laughed at the role-reversal going on; Larvitar were typically quiet creatures, keeping mostly to themselves, and Totodile were typically happy and bouncy and social. Such was not the case, here. Requiem calmly looked over this new thing, but there seemed to be no threat at present, so Raven let them get acquainted, since apparently, they were going to be travel partners for a little bit.

Raven looked back towards the door, but she hadn't really expected to see Aria come out right at first. She had been injured pretty badly, and would need a little extra care. Tag's words brought her out of her worrying mind, and she nodded in agreement. Curse her imagination; she could still smell food.

But, what was this? The Chansey who had returned to the back-room were returning again, but no 'ding' accompanied their arrival. They bore trays, but Raven's mouth fell open as she saw that these trays were laden with sandwiches, hamburgers, chips, fruit, and a small assortment of drinks, including sodas, water, and juice. Raven couldn't help but dumbly follow the trays as they were placed upon one of the bigger booths, Requiem and the Larvitar in tow. A couple more Chansey's brought out some Poke'chow, according to specie and name, and set them on the ground by the small banquet table. There was even one labeled "Larvitar" which was set next to Requiem's bowl, and one labeled for Aria.

Requiem waited patiently by his bowl, but from the slaver dripping from his lips, she could tell he was hungry. The Larvitar, also hungry, seemed more confused by Requiem's actions that he was interested in eating, and looked between Requiem and Raven inquisitively. "Go on, eat!" Raven said with a soft laugh, to which Requiem had no problems eating in his meticulous fashion, though she knew he was starving. The Larvitar, seeing Requiem eat, proceeded to dive into his food, managing to get a lot of food in his mouth, but a lot more on it.

Looking at the feast in front of her, Raven grabbed a paper plate and a cup, and loaded it down with a hamburger, which was warm to the touch, and a can of soda. She was mildly upset that there was no milk, but this was totally fine. Lifting the bun on her hamburger, she carefully picked off the onions, and then dove in, chewing with a groan that was almost erotic in voice. Swallowing her massive bite, she smiled at Tag and Cameron, taking a sip of her Combusken-Cola. "Grub's on!" she said happily, before diving into her hamburger once again.

Posted by: Haunted Dec 27 2010, 11:19 PM

"Do you need to leave right now? I, for one, need some food first. But after a meal and some rest, I wouldn't mind a trip to the Loch Ranch."

"I suppose I can drag out my vacation for a little while longer. I might even be able to find a home for Romeo over here."

Cameron smiled, the mention of food drawing a loud, angry rumble from his stomach. Figuring that Shep and Runner must be hungry as well, he let them out - instantly getting a face-full of crying Pichu. While he was busy peeling Runner off of his nose, the smell of hamburgers wafted through the air. Runner suddenly let go and bounded towards the booth laden with food, eyes shimmering as he picked up a bowl of Grepa berries and held it above his head, as if in reverence. Shep gave a joyful bark and darted to the table, eagerly sniffing at the bowl labeled 'ELECTRIKE' and giving Raven's Larvitar a friendly sniff. Cameron winced as Shep dug in - the fur along his side was rough and matted, burn scars winding their way across his muzzle. He looked right at home next to Raven's Pokemon now.

"Grub's on!" Raven declared, already sitting down with a loaded plate. His stomach growling again, Cameron grabbed his own paper plate and loaded it, for once not caring about Damian's special 'starve your aspiring star' diet. At the back of his mind he knew that once he walked out the doors, he'd have bigger problems to face than Pokemon smugglers and thieves.

But for now, he was enjoying a hard-earned rest.

It took them a few days - most spent sledging through mud - but they eventually made their way to Loch Ranch. Cameron would later say that the trip had been one full of exciting adventure and close calls with a crack team of assassins hired by his father (with him as the hero, of course) but in truth, aside from when Cameron slipped and almost drowned in the mud, the journey was fairly boring. It was a relief for Tag and Raven when they finally stood beneath the archway leading to the ranch's main building. Cameron, on the other hand, lamented the fact that the buildings looked old enough to collapse at any time and that they probably didn't have cable - or a TV, for that matter.

After his tantrum was over with, Cameron stood uncertainly on the threshold of the ranch, watching as an old lady pushed open the front door and waved, beckoning them in. Shep barreled on ahead, the lure of fresh breakfast and, maybe, a warm blanket by the stove too much to wait for. The teen idol turned and looked at his friends again, waving; Runner mimicking him from his good shoulder.

Time to start over.