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On EmberWings
Master Houndoom
post Jul 7 2009, 02:54 AM
Post #1


Team Rogue: Houndoom
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From: Austin, Texas
Member No.: 804

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Before we get started... (click to show)


Jaima sighed at the blue haired woman sitting across the table from him. He didn't know how many times he could go over this, let alone how many times she'd ask.

"No, ma'am, I've never met the man before. Yes, ma'am, Tuesday has, but it wasn't exactly pleasant for her."

Jenny tapped her pen on the pad. "And Tuesday is the little girl."

"Yes, ma'am." Jaima's eyes drooped. "Why are we going over this again?"

Jenny smirked. "Mr. Kuonji, if that's your real name," she began, and Jaima's brows shot up. "We recovered three people who claim that you and your little band of... Friends," the last word was drawled out, Jenny's brows raised almost to her hairline, "attacked them."

Jaima sat back. He had to fight the urge to yell, and then the urge to cry. "Weren't you there?"

Jenny shrugged. "I wasn't. One of my cousins was. But I've seen the other three's pokemon. Pretty bad shape. Who would willingly do that to their pokemon?

Jaima's mouth opened, but the door opening interrupted him. There stood a woman in many ways identical to the one sitting across the table from Jaima. The only difference was that her face was slightly older.

"What's going on here," said the new Jenny, with an air of confusion.

"I'm interviewing one of the principals in the Mount Carello case."

The older Jenny looked around. "Cousin... This is an interrogation room." When the younger Jenny nodded the older pressed on, her voice taking on a hint of incredulity. "This young man was one of the victims, not one of the suspects..."

The younger Jenny's eyes narrowed. "Or maybe that's what he wants us to think!"

Both Jenny the older and Jaima stared at her, blinking. Then the older woman smiled at Jaima. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Mr... Kuonji, right?" When Jaima nodded, she motioned him out the door. "You're free to go."

Jaima stood, glancing back at the other Jenny. She looked disgruntled, but pointed at her eyes with two fingers, then at him with the same two. The meaning was clear. 'I'll be watching you.'

He stepped out of the station, blinking in the bright sunshine. There was Tuesday, reading a book, Darryn, looking slightly impatient, and Meiko, looking ready to storm the station.

"What's going on," Meiko cried as soon as Jaima appeared.

"Evidently one of them is convinced we were the bad guys." He chuckled. "We're Team Rogue, or something"

Meiko patted his arm. "Well, let's get some rest. I'm sure our teams are ready now, and I want to use the PC before the night's over!"

"What's next, Jaima," asked Tuesday, quiet but strongly enough to be heard by all of them."

Jaima looked down at her, then shrugged. "Rest, sleep, food, then we'll go scope out the gym. I want to try for another badge."

This post has been edited by Hungry Hungry Houndoom: Jul 8 2009, 11:51 AM


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[align=center]Uprising Mod

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Jaima Kuonji and Meiko Omura||Branwys Muphenz
[spoiler=Jaima's Gym Badges][/spoiler]
PANE


||
Jay Lange||Olivia Prewitt
Uprising


As of January 29, 2010, at approximately 7:50am CST, 2gamers helped me complete my pokedex!

:houndoom: I claim Houndoom! :houndoom: [/align]
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Living Arrow
post Jul 7 2009, 03:22 PM
Post #2


Team Rogue: Pidgeotto
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From: Amazingstoke, UK
Member No.: 814

PANE: Darryn Kellor



"I want to try for another badge."

"Hey, not before me!" Darryn clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "I'm up for this one this time - I'm not going to be left behind! Plus, with all the combinations and practice double battling we've had, I'm bound to be ready for a gym battle. Bring it on!"

Jaima frowned. "Gym battles aren't like other battles, Darryn - they're more difficult and the Gym Leaders train to cover their weaknesses."

"Yeah yeah, but I'm totally ready for this one." Darryn grinned. It was finally time for him to prove his skills in raising Pokemon that were strong and beautiful. After the lengthy questioning from the Jenny who wasn't Jenny, Darryn had been able to get out into the Pokemon Center and ask for clues about the local Gym Leader.

Turned out the guy's name was Otis and he specialised in flying and fire type Pokemon. The Emberwing Badge was the prize but none of the young trainers in the Center had one to show Darryn what it looked like. If it was anything like the Stonebloom Badge from Gigarte then it was bound to be pretty impressive.

"Well, you would be ready if you borrowed Chompwater..." Meiko stuck her tongue in her cheek.

"I said no, didn't I?" Darryn retorted, folding his arms. "My strategy is all I need for my own Pokemon to come out on top. Just you see."

Meiko rolled her eyes. She didn't seem convinced. Darryn rolled his right back. He didn't care.

"Seems like Tsunami is going to have the upper hand in this place." Darryn told Jaima as they all went to retreive their Pokeballs from the local Nurse Joy. This particular woman in white seemed a little quieter than the others Darryn had met in Furoh. She had a timid persuasion and a shy way of missing her conversation partner's eyes. "She and Fang should have no problem at all."

"And Romeo and Zulu would be your best choices, too..." Tuesday piped up, reaching up to the counter to take her own four Pokeballs. "You both get to go in with advantages here."

"Ugh, who said anything about going in with advantages?" Darryn giggled, picking his own Pokeballs and clipping them to his belt. "I've got a plan that will knock this Otis fella right off his feet. Plus, I'm not sure Zulu can be relied on yet for a Gym Battle - he ignored me before when I asked him to do what Nurse Joy asked. Well, I'm sure he even heard me. If he did, he didn't show it very much."

"Now, what did they say about dinosaurs having brains the size of a pea?..."

"Meiko..." Darryn growled.

"Just saying!"

"Guys..." Jaima warned them. Meiko blushed and her mouth closed before another comment could come out. Darryn ran a hand through his glossy hair and a fire lit in his eyes. He could feel it coming. His very first Gym Badge on the road to the Furoh League. And from there, the recognition his needed to put his foot firmly into the world of Pokemon Fashion and Health Care.


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Darryn Kellor ~ ~ PANE Moderator ~ ~ Lori Pardare
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Umbrae Calamitas
post Jul 10 2009, 12:53 AM
Post #3


Team Rogue: Espeon
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Tuesday's Pack



Sleep.

Sleep sounded absolutely wonderful.

Too bad it was a dream she couldn't reach by... sleeping. Yeah, she was too tired to make any sense, even in her own head.

I want to pass out! Tuesday screamed internally. She was exhausted, mentally and physically. Possibly emotionally, too. She wasn't quite sure about that one. She had been more nervous than any of her traveling companions about getting her pokemon back, but she had exercised restraint and waited until she could escape to the restroom and lock the door, before calling out all four pokemon and bursting into tears.

She had been so scared that maybe Tempest and Dante were hurt too bad for Nurse Joy to heal. Sure, of course, the nurse would have said something, but that didn't register to Tuesday until long after her breakdown. She sat on the meticulously-clean floor of the bathroom and hugged her pokemon to her. The room was actually too small to hold a ponyta comfortably, but Wraith hadn't complained when Tuesday wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. The only one she hadn't been overly concerned about was Zorro, but he had remained conscious, unlike her other three pokemon.

To her delight, Wraith, Dante, and Tempest seemed to hold no initial animosity toward the riolu. Tempest seemed aloof and distant, but that was normal for her. Wraith was passive. Dante was the most interesting of all. He'd crossed his arms over his chest and appraised the small fighter pokemon with the eye of a father assessing his daughter's prom date. It kind of freaked Tuesday out a little, until Dante reached over and patted Zorro's head like he was a little child that had just said something cute. Utterly stupid, but cute.

She'd resisted the urge to laugh at Zorro's indignant expression.

Jaima's look of concern wasn't missed when she exited the restroom twenty minutes after she had entered. He had a look on his face like he was waiting for her to break down, and she realized that he probably was. They had just undergone yet another huge ordeal, only this one had connected directly to a rather dark piece of her past.

And that Officer Jenny hadn't helped, demanding to know everything. Thank God for Jaima, falling into big brother mode like an overprotective ursaring. He'd burst into the room when Tuesday was very near hyperventilation. She'd dealt with the memories before, thought a lot about that... day, but something about the way Officer Jenny spoke to her, and the questions she asked... it brought out a dark, foreboding feeling. One that made Tuesday scared. Afraid to be alone, especially in a room with a woman she didn't know, without a single one of her pokemon there for comfort - be it physical protection or mental stability.

But as she exited the restroom, tears dried and Tempest sitting on her shoulder (Zorro, Wraith, and Dante all back in their pokeballs), Tuesday had offered him a soft smile. Not a full-blown grin, but a smile that assured him that it was okay. It was getting better. After some sleep, it would probably be perfect.

If she could sleep.

Tuesday rolled over again, growling softly in annoyance. She didn't know what her problem was!

They were on the floor above the pokemon centre, taking up two of the offered rooms. Tuesday was sharing the room with Meiko, while the room next door held Jaima and Darryn. Her pokemon were all well, the fight was over, the Officer Jennys had let them free at last, and she was lying in a soft, warm bed, begging sleep to claim her.

Maybe it was the adrenaline. She knew she was exhausted, but... why couldn't she sleep?

Sighing, she slipped out of bed and then quietly out of the room. Maybe stepping outside into the cool night air would cleanse whatever lingering fear chose to hold onto her. She moved silently down the hall and through the quiet lobby, before stepping outside. The breeze that blew on her face was cool and gentle, causing her to release what she realized was a pent-up sigh. She was starting to feel better already.

She jumped when a shadow moved just to her right, and a hand laid down on her shoulder.


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Master Houndoom
post Jul 11 2009, 09:22 PM
Post #4


Team Rogue: Houndoom
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Shadow could feel it in the air. There was unrest.

Sensei Jaima was angry and weary, because of the way that the local police had been handling the event of the previous day. He had sat through his own interview patiently enough, but, when observing Little Tuesday's, he'd had enough. He'd charged in, making his unrest known, and gathered Tuesday up to be taken to safety. The One Who Wished To be His Mate had helped him in making sure Tuesday needn't endure any more interviews, mostly by submitting to more extensive ones themselves.

Little Mercury (and how odd it was to think of her as little, when only yesterday she was so much larger than he!) was acting oddly toward Shadow, and he'd thought, at first, it was anger at his being so easily swayed to close his heart. It was decidedly not, and he didn't know what to do about this new developement. Not long ago, he'd harboured seimilar feelings toward Little Mercury, and had been tolerated, but little else. Perhaps she had the right idea. She was still young, and though he had near the same experiences as she, his new form had brought about a new maturity that she couldn't yet match. Perhaps patience and tolerence was the key.

Little Mercury is exceedingly wise, he thought. The answer must be in her actions.

His own body and mind had caused him a bit of unrest, both in it's feel and it's new abilities. He was, for example, quite a bit heavier, much more than it's increased size seemed to account for. The large spikes coming from his wrists and chest seemed to be a clue, as they were made from a dense, metal like bone. But the most amazing part of his transformation was the new sensations he could encounter and interpret. They manifested in his mind as auras around people and pokémon. Where before he could sense ripples or energy coming from people, such as Sensei Jaima and Kohai Tuesday, he could now see them as waves. And Little Tuesday fairly blazed with the energy.

It was surprising. he had been training Sensei Jaima to battle like a riolu, and Sensei Jaima had some affinity for it. He would not have expected wise, quiet Kohai Tuesday to have an ability that seemed rife for combat which Sensei Jaima didn't possess.

It was true, however, and he would have to acknowledge it. It didn't matter. he'd made a pact with little Mercury and the others of his team, not to serve another master, and besides, a riolu of Tuesday's own had made himself known to her. He would make certain the Little Brother trained his Sensei properly.

He felt a sensation, in the back of his mind, similar to the aura that was around Kohai Tuesday. He stopped, at first, in amazement. This was new, this detection, even from behind, and he "watched" her for moments before finally turning.

She was flushed, and her aura was flickering like fire disturbed by a wind. Disturbed, he decided, was a fitting word. He went to her, and lay a hand on her shoulder.

She flinched, and he blinked. She did not know her power, and he was not to be the one to teach her. However, she was a friend, in a way few humans could be with pokémon. In a way Sensei Jaima strove to be, in a way Darryn was trying to be. Even the newest arrival was like them, treating pokémon that weren't even hers with proper respect and kindness.

It was not his place to teach her her power. She had another, and he would do so in time. Or they would learn together. But he had a place, and that was as her friend. He looked into her eyes, hoping that, despite his newly fierce appearance, she would see the affection he had for her. An affection that Sensei Jaima shared, and Little Mercury, and Stalwart Grondir. In fact, many of their party looked at Tuesday with affection. Shadow knew more, though. Shadow knew that she was stronger than they treated her. She had only to accept that.

The girl smiled at him,a nd wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her close, careful not to pull her too hard into the spike protruding from his chest. She leaned to the side to avoid it.

Shadow felt Sensei Jaima, who burned brightly by familiarity and not power, before Tuesday did, but he thought, maybe, she reacted a fraction of a second before he cleared his throat.

"You OK, Tuesy?" Jaima's face was soft, with concern, and his eyes smiled a bit in seeing his pokémon comforting her.

Tuesday nodded, then tilted her head slightly. "How did you know I was out here..?"

Jaima grinned. "I have two sisters. One likes scary movies. I know when a nightmare is imminent." He winked, showing that he was teasing, just a bit. He knelt, coming to eye level. "Truth be known, after everything that's happened, I couldn't sleep either. But I thought you might be out here."

He looked at her, weary and concerned. "Wanna talk about it?"


--------------------
[align=center]Uprising Mod

||
Jaima Kuonji and Meiko Omura||Branwys Muphenz
[spoiler=Jaima's Gym Badges][/spoiler]
PANE


||
Jay Lange||Olivia Prewitt
Uprising


As of January 29, 2010, at approximately 7:50am CST, 2gamers helped me complete my pokedex!

:houndoom: I claim Houndoom! :houndoom: [/align]
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Umbrae Calamitas
post Jul 13 2009, 12:44 AM
Post #5


Team Rogue: Espeon
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Tuesday's Pack



Being near Shadow helped.

Tuesday wasn't entirely certain as to why. She didn't see him as a pokemon. Well... no, that wasn't true. He was a pokemon and that much was obvious, but he seemed to fit into another category, as well. A nameless category. It was more than the fact that he walked on two legs, because so did Dante and Mercury, but... there was something about him that was more human than animal... almost.

But no, he was almost beyond human, even.

She had been surprised when she realized that he'd been the one to lay his hand... paw on her shoulder. Surprised, but not displeased. She liked it when he was around. She felt... safer.

She felt safer when Jaima was around, too, but it was different with Shadow, somehow. Jaima acted like an older brother and reminded her a lot of Brone. Shadow... Tuesday wasn't sure who Shadow reminded her of. Maybe there wasn't anyone, but there was some connection there. It was like they were on a similar level, Tuesday supposed. She was still a human and he was still a pokemon, and they dwelt on separate islands of existence in that regard, but it seemed that these islands met at some point... a point that Tuesday was either standing on, or near.

Nearing.

Things were changing. She could feel it. It probably had something to do with the fact that she was away from home, adventuring. She had made a new friend - a couple new friends - and everyone you meet brings on some change within you. She had been through trials with both Jaima and, for a short period of time, Darryn and Meiko. She didn't know the latter two particularly well, but Jaima did, and she trusted them. She trusted Jaima.

She trusted Shadow.

And she was back to where she had begun.

She had hugged him on impulse. She was actually surprised when he let her, didn't push her away, but utterly grateful. As she had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, however, her body twisted to avoid the spike protruding from his chest, tears abruptly came to her eyes, blurring her sight. She willed them not to fall, but she felt the burning sensation growing and part of her mind wanted nothing more than to sob openly into this lucario's welcomed embrace.

It still scared her, and maybe that was why she couldn't sleep. The nightmare lingered - a memory of something that hadn't been allowed to occur. Something that had been nothing more than a dream from where they now stood, but too sharp and defined to be ignored. It wasn't fading away - her heart wouldn't allow it to leave.

Of all of the things that she remembered from that waking nightmare, she didn't know why Shadow's death stuck with her the most.

Jaima, Mercury, Grondir, Fang, Tsunami, Ember, Tempest... all her friends, her companions, fallen to the merciless hooves of a stampeding herd of Tauros and Miltank.

But watching Shadow stand there and wait to be struck down...

It made her feel cold.

Abruptly, Tuesday shuddered. She felt some of the tears fall loose and slide down her cheeks, but she still bit the rest back, hiding the sob - or was it a scream? - that wanted to escape beyond her lips. Shadow still held her in a willing embrace, for which she would be eternally grateful. Just having him here, in her sights, letting her touch him, made the nightmare fade even the tiniest bit. It revealed to her that it had been nothing more than a horrid, too-real dream.

But she knew it would return in the night, once he was out of sight.

A feeling of eyes on her back, a presence, called her attention away from the memory and her knowledge of the reaction - the nightmare - that would return later. She loosened her grip on Shadow's neck and turned, just as someone cleared their throat, and she saw Jaima standing there.

He looked concerned. Tired... definitely in need of sleep just as much, or probably more, than her, but also concerned. He shouldn't worry about her so much. He needed to take care of himself. Tuesday was used to being on her own for the most part.

But it was nice to have him there, regardless.

"You OK, Tuesy?"

Tuesday nodded, noting the soft smile on Jaima's lips as he took in the scene. He was observant and, trying to be discrete, Tuesday rubbed at her eyes, cleaning the few tears from her face. She yawned - not entirely faked - to try and blow it off as rubbing tired eyes. She didn't think she'd fooled Shadow, but she also didn't think he'd say anything to Jaima.

"How did you know I was out here..?" Tuesday asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. She was probably laying it on a little thick, but blame it on both exhaustion and her desire not to appear weak. At least before a human. Even if it was Jaima, Tuesday had always been more comfortable shedding her tears in front of a pokemon. They judged less, though she knew Jaima wouldn't judge her.

He just might blame himself, which would be worse.

Big brothers. They were so strange.

"I have two sisters. One likes scary movies. I know when a nightmare is imminent." Jaima winked at her teasingly, but Tuesday barely restrained a shudder. He didn't know just how cursed by these nightmares she was, and she hoped he never found out. She didn't want Shadow to know, either. She didn't want him to know that she had nightmares about him following the way of a samurai and allowing himself to fall for his failure. It scared her. She didn't want the idea in his head at all. She didn't want to see it again! She didn't want it to happen ever!

Tuesday tried desperately to control her breathing, but she felt herself beginning to fall into a panic attack. She had always been a quiet person, so it wasn't easily detectable and Jaima didn't notice. His ignorance of her moment of rising fear gave her time to try and calm herself. She drew a deep breath, thinking about calm things. The wind blowing autumn's fallen leaves in a small tornado. Grondir singing a jaunty song without a care. Dante, as a Charmander, dancing from foot to foot in excitement for breakfast. Tuesday's shoulders eased and she felt herself relax slightly, the fear retreating. It didn't fully leave, but she wasn't in danger of hyperventilating anymore.

She could return to that when she was back in her room.

"Truth be known, after everything that's happened, I couldn't sleep either. But I thought you might be out here," Jaima admitting, kneeling down until he was eye-level with her, still none-the-wiser at her near-outburst. She preferred it this way. She didn't like scaring Brone, either. It was hider to hide things from Brone, though - he could read her, even without his eyesight. He kept tabs on her emotions with his powers.

Truthfully, she expected a letter here any day from him. He would be concerned about her. No doubt Cassandra was keeping tabs.

"Wanna talk about it?" The concern was back in Jaima's eyes, but the weariness followed like a lost puppy, lingering at the very edge of your shadow, hoping for some attention. Tuesday stared into Jaima's face, wondering if she dare burden him. Despite her mental ramblings, she knew he was talking about what had happened today... yesterday. The man with the Feraligatr.

He wouldn't have asked if he didn't want to know.

Shadow was still nearby, and that comforted Tuesday more than she thought - feeling slightly guilty - even Dante's presence could have done. Was there something wrong with her? Why was she clinging so desperately to presence of another trainer's pokemon? It was wrong.

She hadn't realized that she'd walked over to one of the tables lined up outside of the centre until she had sat down on the bench. Jaima sat down next to her, not so close as to be uncomfortable, but near enough that if she needed a brotherly hug, he was well within read and willing.

Shadow stood nearby, a silent guard. A protective shade within the darkness. She was grateful.

"I don't know what he was looking for."

What an odd way to start the conversation. Tuesday supposed that one would normally discuss the fears that had lingered with them after they were attacked by a pokemon, or perhaps the hatred of the man who had commanded his pokemon to attack. Feelings... fear, hatred, a seeking for revenge or vengeance. Those made sense, of course, but... Tuesday wasn't like other people, was she?

Yes, she was often ruled by her emotions - she often acted based on instincts that had grown out of her morals. Her views of right and wrong decided where she would stand when a path was forked, but she did not allow her emotions to blind her like some. She was an intellectual. Not a genius, by any standards. She didn't think she was particularly intelligent, even though Professor Oak claimed that she was one of the most intelligent trainers he had ever met. He'd tried to get to skip a few grades in school, but she had refused. She was already judged for her differing views, her bookish nature, and her small stature. She didn't want another reason to be different.

Besides, she wasn't all that smart, despite what people said.

But she lived on wit, as well, learning what she could from any source she could gather. She loved to learn. She was obsessed with knowledge in general, and so when she thought of that day, the first thing that she recalled, other than the fear that rose within her heart at every mentioning of the incident, was why the man had been there in first place.

He had been searching for something, but she didn't know what.

"He was so sure that Professor Oak had it that he was willing to sick his... his pokemon on us." Tuesday voice broke at one point and she shuddered involuntarily. She could almost feel herself grow distant with the present world, as her mind returned to that day. Her eyes were unfocused as she stared off, past Jaima, seeing something that he could not see.

"I was playing with an eevee that Professor Oak was caring for. Her name was Bombularina. You know, from Cats, the musical. She was beautiful. Quick, playful. I loved being around her, and it was nice out, so we were in the pasture when the man showed up." She paled at remembering him, standing there, towering over her like the giant must have towered over Jack up on the clouds. But Tuesday hadn't had a beanstalk to climb back down and escape through. "He didn't have any of his pokemon out at the time, but I remember his fingers were itching toward his pokeballs. It was like he couldn't resist the idea of... of sending them out on us."

Dante and Tempest had been with her, along with Bombularina. It hadn't been too long since Tempest had finally opened up to them, but their trust in each other had been true enough that it might have been the only thing that gave them true strength that day. Even the desire for self-preservation only went so far.

"He'd demanded to know where something was, but... I don't really remember what he asked for. It confused me too much. It made no sense. I knew everything about Professor Oak's lab. I was like a welcomed stalker, following him around as a second shadow that he was more than willing to explain everything to. Nothing was a secret within that place for long with me there, which is kind of sad when you think about it, but I still had no idea what the man was talking about.

"For some reason, he was sure I was lying. That's when he called his pokemon out."

She shuddered, remembering, and goosebumps rose across her arms, chilling her. "The Skarmory appeared first, I remember. I'd never seen one before - a pokemon of metal. It was too strange, too frightening - something... impossible. Illogical. Which is a weird thought for me, because I'm not close-minded in the least, but I think the fear was already setting in. I think I knew... something was going to happen. Maybe Cassandra was trying to channel me a warning and I just wasn't getting it, but it was almost like a premonition of danger. Dread.

"The Feraligatr came next. Huge, blue, with these eyes that were so cruel, and teeth that grinned like... like he wanted to hurt me, and I remember how I nearly fell over in relief when he followed the Skarmory, into the lab. I was worried for Professor Oak, sure, but the man was a genius - far superior to me - and would be able to take care of himself.

"And then the Typhlosion appeared."

She had seen one of these before. Big, beautiful, and drenched in flames. Tuesday had always had a love for fire pokemon. It only grew after this incident, somehow unhindered by the attack of the Typhlosion. Maybe it was because they held their own so well.

"To this day, I've never seen Dante and Tempest fight like they did that day. They're good, of course - better in some ways. But still... it was like there was something else there, that day. Something that joined us, so that we knew exactly what the other was going to do, before they did it, and we flew together. Like a flock of Spearow who all tilt their wings and dive, synchronized. Or a pack of mightyena that attack a flock of mareep on some unspoken signal. We just... knew." Tuesday didn't even realize that she was using the term "we." It never occurred to her to correct herself, that it had been Dante and Tempest who had done the fighting. She, of course, hadn't fought. How could she have hoped to? She didn't notice her use of the word, and so did not catch Shadow staring at her back, aware of something that she hadn't yet realized. Knowing that she had previously tapped into the power that dwelt within her, and swarmed around her.

"We almost had the Typhlosion beat, and I'm sure that's what the Feraligatr turned up again. The man had gone into the lab after them, leaving the Typhlosion with us, so maybe he'd sent his crocodile out after us, but, for whatever reason, he appeared.

"I don't really remember a whole lot clearly after that," she admitted, frowning. "I know that I was surprised when the Feraligatr appeared, coming up behind us. I turned to see him, and that's when he hit me with a water gun attack. He couldn't have been aiming for either Dante or Tempest, or even Bombularina - though no one would have been able to catch her, she was too fast - because the attack caught me too directly. I'm glad for that, though," she said quietly, and didn't see either Jaima or Shadow's look of shock at this admittance, or what followed, "because I'm sure that if he had hit Dante with that attack, he would have killed him, and I'd rather... well, I don't want Dante to lost his flame, no matter the cause.

"Things got blurry after that. I remember, it got really cold." She peered up at the sky, still not noticing the expressions of either Jaima or Shadow, too trapped in the memory that held tightly to her. "I was scared for a bit, but then that began to fade, and everything got kinda dark and fuzzy, like I was falling asleep, though I was pretty sure that I wasn't allowed to sleep. I was supposed to be watching over Bombularina, and she likes to run off."

Her voice had gotten softer as she lingered in the memories more than the present, not realizing that she was reliving verbally the moment of her drowning for her adoptive brother and his most loyal pokemon to hear, to react to. Perhaps she didn't even realize how close she had come to... to...

"I think I heard someone yelling at me, but I don't really remember if that happened or I was dreaming. It might have just been a dream, because somebody kept calling my name, and I was in that sleepy place where you can't answer, even if you want to. But someone was crying, too, which was weird, because I was just sleeping..."

She cocked her head to the side again, like a puppy, curious and lost in a vision of the past. "Brone said I slept for three days. Remarkably, I was still exhausted when I woke up." She grimaced. "I hurt all over, but I remember my throat was really sore and I couldn't hardly swallow. I was really thirsty, but everything tasted kind of funny, and my chest hurt." She looked at Jaima, her eyes coming back into focus for the first time in a while. "You know that feeling you get in your lungs when you're really sick, with some deep cough?" Jaima nodded softly and she didn't notice anything about his appearance, still not truly there. "It was kind of like that, only worse, like I had been hugged by a snorlax." Her mouth tilted up at the corner at this, in a little half-smile, as she remember watching Professor Oak undergo a snorlax hug at one point.

And then she was back on topic. "Brone could hardly be persuaded to leave my side, ever, which worried me a lot, because he has to take his medication and I don't want him getting sick because he's worrying over me. But Cassandra never left me, which was okay. I still had nightmares about being attacked by pokemon, and she was the one who helped me realize that not all pokemon were like that." She sighed sadly. "I hadn't let Dante or Tempest out of their pokeballs for a few days. I was afraid... I shouldn't have ever doubted them, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw that Typhlosion towering over us, or that Feraligatr, snarling... like we were just some appetizer to be scarfed up with little care." She shuddered.

"I'm getting better," she admitted, looking down at the ground, "but it still scares me sometimes. When I first saw Ember, she terrified me. She's such a tiny thing, so sweet and kind, and I was terrified of her, because I remembered that Typhlosion and how powerful she was. But... I was okay after a few minutes, and now she doesn't scare me at all. Skarmory really just kind of weird me out. Steel pokemon..." She shook her head, and then sighed.

"You've seen my reaction to Feraligatr. I stood up to that one, but it was only because we were in the middle of a fight and I was too filled with adrenaline to be smart enough to be frightened. Once the fight was over, I started freaking out of the Feraligatr that had helped save us - Meiko's Feraligatr. It doesn't make any sense! He's never done anything to me and I'm scared of him. Every time I see one of them, my heart starts racing, like I'm expecting an attack. And that's not even the worst of it! Water in general terrifies me! I hate water pokemon, and every time someone even brings up the idea of having me swim, I fall into a panic attack. It's so... pathetic."

Her shoulders fell and she sagged abruptly, heaving a sigh. She felt like a great weight had been lifted from her by revealing all of that to someone, finally, because she had never spoken about it to anyone before - not fully - but now she waited for Jaima's reaction. Maybe he would tell her that she was a coward for fearing water pokemon. Maybe she was rude for being afraid of Meiko's Feraligatr.

Tuesday felt tears prick at her eyes again and she could honestly blame at least half of it on exhaustion, as her thoughts sudden swarmed around the idea of Jaima not wanting her around anymore because she was a cowardly baby who insulted his lifelong friends just by existing. She knew that wasn't really anything more than her own fears and the lingering doubts placed in her mind by neighborhood bullies long ago, but she had come to rely on Jaima's presence in her life, even as she wanted to be strong and independent, and the idea of leaving him scared her. It scared her, she thought, even more than the Feraligatr. Even more than the idea of being anywhere near a body of water when she didn't know how to swim.

She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to be alone...


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Master Houndoom
post Jul 13 2009, 03:52 PM
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Jaima had never wanted to cry so badly as when Tuesday had finished her story. Even when Mecury had 'died', he'd eventually woken up, and it was OK. He'd cried then, but it hadn't been a pressing need.

He was understanding more about Tuesday than ever. Why she was so quiet. What had taken her so long in the bathroom at the pokécenter. Why, sometimes, she looked tired in the morning.

Jaima loved Tuesday, had grown to love her, in a short time, as he loved Mariko and Natsume. She was different than them, but still managed to remind him of them in different ways. Natsume was studious, curious, and the quieter of the two. Mariko was brave and cracked jokes (or tried to), often citing pop culture references, which she had a fondness for.

He hoped, if the three girls ever met, that they would get along. It didn't seem possible, but it hadn't seemed possible that he'd see Meiko, either, after so many years.

And everything they'd recently experienced must have been as suffocating as that Feraligatr's Water Gun attack had been.

Oh, Jaima could feel his heart grow colder and colder as she related the precise events that had occurred when she'd first met that... monster in human form. He'd set his pokémon on a child, unprovoked, and nearly killed her. In the battle on Mount Carello, he seemed not only unrepentant, but proud, claiming that she now "knew her place".

It hadn't escaped him that she'd used "we" as she spoke of the battle, but he didn't entirely understand. He often participated in the battles himself, as much as throwing himself at the opponent trainer, in dire situations, but Tuesday didn't. She thought up engaging combinations and innovative use of otherwise mundane attacks, but he didn't know how involved that was.

Shadow understood. He narrowed his eyes, glancing at Jaima, and nodded. She was one with her pokémon in that battle, and hopefully would be one with them in the future. It now made sense to Shadow; The Aura that she could wield did not have to be a physical force. It could involve her understanding and reading her pokémon, merging with them to make their attacks more affective. In time, even, she may be able to strengthen them with her own force of will.

Despite his misunderstanding, Jaima was impressed. She had fought and nearly won against an evolved pokémon, and with pokémon that were still at their first stage. His mind tried to come up with a dozen ways for this to happen, but in the end, he rejected them all. It was Tuesday's triumph, and he refused to rationalize that away.

Then she described the Feraligatr's attack, and Jaima's heart sank. He hadn't known. He knew she was afraid of them, had seen her reaction to Meiko's Chompwater, but he had no idea what had brought it on. The man's Feraligatr had nearly drowned her. There had, in the past, been a chance for there never to have been a Tuesday.

She described the feeling of her lungs, the concern of her brother and his pokémon, her long recovery, and Jaima's hands began to shake. He could feel his own breathing become harder, as if he had been the one to drown, but knew feeling it second hand was nothing to feeling it personally.

And then the worst came. She thought herself pathetic because she was afraid. Had he made that worse, telling her she could get over her fear? Did she think he meant she had to? Had he made her feel less than brilliant because he wanted her to not be constantly afraid or ashamed of her fear? He didn't know, but he suspected that was, indeed, the case, and mentally kicked himself.

She sagged, seeming relieved, but then began to cry. At first it was simply tears flowing from her eyes, and then it became sniffles. Finally, it became sobs, fearful and plaintive, but so quiet that if he wasn't watching her, he may not have even known.

Jaima didn't think about the way it may look, for a sixteen year old boy to pull a twelve year old girl into his lap and hold her tightly. He didn't bother to wonder if it was appropriate. He'd been comforting little sisters for years, and damn anyone who tried to call him a pervert for it.

He didn't even pay attention to his own tears flowing down his face, wetting Tuesday's hair as she wet his shirt. In the end, he simply held her, and rubbed her back, and let her cry.

When she looked up, there was a look akin to horror on her face, and she began to try to apologize. Jaima waved it off, not dismissively, but with a small smile.

"It's what family does, honey," he said softly, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Sometimes you just gotta let someone cry with you. Grief shared is halved. Joy shared is doubled." He knew he was paraphrasing, but he also knew she'd understand.

He tilted Tuesday's chin up. "Listen now, to oniisan. It's perfectly fine to be afraid. You went through so much, I'm surprised you weren't more afraid. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of for being afraid of water, or feraligatr, or any of that." He stroked her hair gently, pushing some of the curly bangs from her face. "You've made me proud, the way you battled back on the mountain."

He smiled at her, wiping the remnants of tears from her face. "If you want help with the rest, OK, I'll help you. But don't you think I think less of my imouto if you don't want help, understand?"

Jaima exchanged a look with Shadow over Tuesday's shoulder. A grim, angry look. If they ever met that man again... someone was getting hurt.

Shadow nodded. Training with Sensei Jaima was going to need to get more intense.


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Living Arrow
post Jul 13 2009, 04:07 PM
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Darryn listened in silence as Jaima closed the door behind him and headed into the hallway. He calmly drew in long breaths, counting the long seconds of solitude until he decided enough of them had passed to say that his friend was not merely visiting the bathroom.

*He can't sleep either, huh?*

"Vul?" Lady's large brown eyes came level with Darryn's face as he turned over with care and surveyed the room. Jaima's Pokemon, save Shadow, were all asleep on or near the narrow bed where the blonde had been resting a few moments before. After their evolutions, the small dorm was much more crowded than it had been elsewhere on their journey. Darryn peered at them, watching their breathing continue with the rythm of sleep.

"It's alright, Lady." Darryn soothed his only Pokemon that slept outside of her ball, running his hand smoothly over her glossy fur. She arched her back into his hand as it drew across her back, her spine pushing up to receive as much pressure from his palm as possible. That was the usualy signal she gave to let Darryn know she wished to be brushed and to have one of his deft scalp-massages. This time, however, he simply down at her and scooted her out of the way before quietly slipping from the bed and moving to the door.

Lady hopped down from the bed, her cushioned paws making only the very faintest of bumps in the night. Darryn checked that Jaima's Pokemon were still sleeping - he didn't want to wake them after the day they had been through - and clicked the door open before moving into the hall and towards the Pokemon Center's bathroom.

<I know you are awake,> Lady sent to Mercury as she followed her Prince into the corridor, <And I also know you are worrying about them... all of them... I have concern, too... But staying up all night won't help anyone.>

<Seems some dogs do learn new tricks.> Mercury giggled back at her through the closed door. <They have been through too much to simply move on. Their emotions are all over the place right now - even the pretty boy's, though he hides it well. We need to support them while their minds recover as well as their bodies.>

<I am prefectly aware of my Prince's feelings.> Lady sent back snootily, trotting behind Darryn's ankles. <I know him better than anyone.>

<Uh, you've known him all of five minutes?>
Mercury scoffed.

<With hearts as close as ours, seconds are enough.>
Lady snapped, her lip twinging into a snarl even as Darryn admitted himself into the bathroom. Lady followed.

<You might have a small talent with the psychic energies, Foxtrot, but I still see more than you. You really have to watch out for Darryn. His surface might be calm but a torrent rages underneath. He's different from when we departed in the dismal town to the south. Things have scarred him and he is trying to keep it from everyone. I don't know why... maybe he is ashamed? Maybe it's to stop any of you worrying? Whatever the case, you shouldn't be demanding things of him right now - you need to be giving something back.> Mercury's thought-speak was solemn. Almost mothering.

<Keep you opinions to yourself, ChromeDome.>
Lady cut Mercury's telepathic connection off and slammed down a barrier so the Kirlia could not look into the bathroom from afar. That was exactly the sort of trick she was bound to use and Lady did not wish for anyone save herself to look upon her Prince while he bathed.

"Lady, you can just wait by the door for a little bit, ok?" darryn smiled fondly down at his Pokemon. His dark eyes were tired but they did hold happiness - Lady was certain of that. Those eyes were always kind and sparkling - the sort of eyes that made her trust humans once again. True enough, the original female had drawn her towards the group but it was Prince Darryn that had made her stay. She sat on the cold tiles and curled her luxurious tails around her feet to keep them warm as Darryn selected a towel and stepping into a shower cubicle.

As the steam began to billow out into the bathroom, Lady winced slightly. Even steam made her feel uncomfortable - water was not her friend - but she was there to watch over her master and no amount of water could make her stray when he needed her. Why else did he keep her out of the pink Pokeball? Because he was proud of her strength and beauty. Because her presence made his own strength and beauty shine that little bit more. She was certain of it. Certain. That's why he would return to the room with her and clip her nails, brush her tails and massage her muscles.

<Watch this.> Mercury's voice slammed into Lady's conscience like a brick. The Vulpix gave a start and rose to her feet, preparing to give the rude Kirlia a mental battering but she didn't get the chance. What she saw stole her thoughts completely.

Using her superior psychic powers, Mercury had boken down Lady's barrier and forced a vision of her Master into her eyes. It was as though she could see straight through the shower curtain - she could see everything. A blush was her immediate response but her embarrassment gave way in a flash.

<My... Prince...> Lady gasped to herself, drinking in the sight of his perfect body marred by the scars of battle. The water of the shower ran red around the teen's ankles as he gingerly dabbed at the deep cuts in his legs where teeth had found their mark and tenderly tested the pain of the dark bruises on his ribs where fists had slammed their target. She even saw the red-black mess that he spat from his lips where he jaw had been struck by the fat human male in the cave. She had not been witness to the source of some of his injuries but the latest capture had said that the humans battled bravely. Lady had no idea Zulu had meant Darryn was in a fist fight. She had no idea the pain that her Prince had suffered... was suffering.

<Now don't you dare confront him.> Mercury warned, her voice still soft yet strong. <If he wanted to share this, he would. He is dealing with it his way but you must support him. You are not the be-all and end-all of his journey. Return his kindness and he will heal all the faster and be able to share himself more. Selfishness will only cause him to draw further in on himself and that is not healthy for anyone. Just give him what he needs.>

Lady didn't bother to respond. She had nothing to say. Prince Darryn was hurt and that was all that mattered. She would have to protect him from more than just his rivals. She could not feel his pain like Mercury could but she could feel her own for simple knowing he was hurt and that pain stung more than any knife that could pierce her heart.

When Darryn stepped from the shower, enrobed in a dressing gown that hid his injuries, Lady was thankful for the painful steam that clung to her body as it hid the tears that ran freely down her cheeks

<I'll give him more than what he needs.> Lady finally replied to Mercury, her resolve shining through her thought-speak. <I'll give him the world.>



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Umbrae Calamitas
post Jul 13 2009, 09:11 PM
Post #8


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Tuesday's Pack



Tuesday opened her eyes slowly, greeted with more enthusiasm than was desired from the sun. She looked up, bleary-eyed, to see thick rays of light piercing through the parted curtains of the window. Turning her head, she saw that the other bed in the room was empty and made up neatly. Meiko must have already gone downstairs.

Tuesday's stomach grumbled lightly and she rolled her eyes sleepily. Breakfast time, obviously.

Groaning lightly at having to get up, she crawled out from under the covers and barely managed to catch herself before she stumbled face-first to the floor. Yawning widely, she stood up straight and scanned the room aimlessly.

Tempest was curled up on the bed in a tight ball, trying to catch a few more fading wisps of sleep. She always kept her back pressed tightly against Tuesday's, so the pikachu would have been woken by Tuesday's retreating from bed. As it was, the rodent's long ears were twitching lightly, observant as ever.

Dante and Wraith both slept in their pokeballs. Wraith was a bit large to keep out inside of the room, and Tuesday got the feeling that he preferred being out in a place where he was free to move around. Dante's tail-flame was even bigger, hotter, and more exuberant in his new form, so his sleeping outside of his pokeball near anything brilliantly-flammable was just teasing the Fates. His tail flame didn't dim enough for it to be safe for any of them.

Zorro, the recently-caught riolu, was the only pokemon other than Tempest who slept outside of his pokeball. Tuesday, though she didn't know how, didn't even have to look to know that he was balanced on Meiko's bedpost.

Turning, she saw that she had been right, and spared a moment to wonder how she had known that. For his part, Zorro merely perched there, watching her curiously. His face didn't hold that teasing grin as he studied her, and Tuesday wondered at what he was thinking.

Digging through her pack, Tuesday pulled out a set of clothes and quickly changed. She was slipping on her shoes when Tempest finally decided to give up her attempt at sleep. She uncurled herself from a ball and looked at Tuesday.

Her tail twitched. "Pi?"

"What?" Tuesday asked, meeting her eyes. Tempest was studying Tuesday's attire and she glanced down to see what the issue was. Then, she laughed. "Hey, Zorro!" she said, turning to her riolu. "We match!"

She hadn't even thought about it when she grabbed the outfit. Her pants were black courderoy, and her shirt was a navy blue, exactly matching the blue and black of Zorro's fur.

Zorro grinned at her, his eyes closing tightly at the force of his joy. He let out something akin to a yip of pleasure. Tuesday finished tying up her shoes and quickly made up her bed as neatly as she could, as it was pressed tightly to the wall. When she slung her pack over her shoulder, Tempest immediately took her usual place on Tuesday's left shoulder. To her surprise, however, Zorro leapt onto the bed and looked at her with a silent question in his eyes.

Tuesday's eyesight flickered for a moment, and she felt her mind drift off. Like she was daydreaming, her thoughts scattered to the wind, dragging her in various directions at once. She was unfocused and lost, somewhere like that place that she went when she was thinking hard about something. She shook her head quickly, however, chasing away the feeling, and her eyes returned to Zorro. This all happened within a mere second, so it must not have appeared to him as though she had lost concentration at all, except that he had a look of something akin to wonder on his face.

Tuesday blinked at him and, as though he had spoken to her aloud, she knew what he wanted.

"Sure, Zorro," she said softly, her own voice filled with curiosity, "you can sit on my shoulder." She turned lightly, so that her right shoulder faced the riolu and, grinning openly, the jackal pokemon leapt up and landed gracefully on the other side of her head from Tempest.

Tuesday was surprised. She had expected him to weigh more than he did, but his lithe body was surprisingly light and he couldn't have weighed much more than Tempest. It felt right, somehow, to have him there, sitting on her shoulder. It was more than the fact that it balanced her out. It was simply... right.

Tuesday closed the bedroom door behind her as she slipped out into the hall. She didn't remember coming up here to go to bed. Actually, she didn't remember anything after Jaima spoke to her. She had told him about that day, and then he had hugged her, and he had been crying. She felt so bad for making him cry, but he'd said that that was what family - they cried together when they needed to. And she realized that she saw him as that - family. Her big brother. That must have been why it was so easy to fall asleep in his arms while he was holding her.

Someone must have carried her up to bed. Amazingly, she had slept through the night. She couldn't remember a single nightmare, which was perfectly fine by her, but she had a feeling that this was only because she had been so exhausted. She couldn't work herself into teary unconsciousness every night she wanted a restful sleep.

I hope Jaima and Shadow got enough sleep, she thought. She'd feel bad if either of them was still tired because she had kept them up too late.

"Rii," Zorro commented, placing his left paw on the top of her head.

Tuesday smiled. "You're right, Zorro," she said, and headed down the stairs. "Time for a new day to begin." She pushed open the door to the lobby and searched for her traveling companions, her friends.

Her family.


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Master Houndoom
post Jul 14 2009, 02:09 PM
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Meiko was most amused.

When she first saw Jaima, walking with the tiny girl with hair color so close to his she wildly thought the girl was his daughter (silly, yes, but she had been climbing for hours and perhaps a touch of heatstroke was also to blame! Besides, Tuesday was small enough to look eight... still silly.), she had been impressed with how he'd grown. His command over his pokémon and, later, his prowess in fighting only impressed her more. He was smart, and so kind to the girl and even to his friends (a little bossy, but she actually thought he came by that honestly; He did help raise a pair of rambunctious twins!), it reminded her of everything she'd liked about him when they were kids.

He had been her first crush, and even though she'd gotten over it, she wished she never had to.

This, however, was a new side of Jaima; Exhausted. His head was down on the table next to an empty bowl of what looked like rice. Next to him, his kirlia, a pretty blue domed creature, mimicked his posture, face down on the table. It was so cutely miserable that Meiko wanted to giggle.

So she did.

"Sure," Jaima droned into the table, muffling his words slightly. "Laugh at my misery."

Meiko giggled again. "Why are you so tired, Jaima?"

Jaima raised a hand, unwilling or unable to remove his head from the table. "I am not at liberty to discuss it at this time," he said, wearily.

"OK, so why is your kirlia so tired?"

The kirlia in question, Mercury, also raised her hand, also leaving her head on the table. Ditto.

Meiko blinked, then flushed. The mental voice was more than just a voice. It was emotion, and thought, and it held Jaima in a very high regard. And it knew, without prying and without even trying to be nosey, that Meiko cared for Jaima.

"I don't know if I'll get used to that."

Jaima's voice was still muffled, but his hand pulled his bowl down to eat from it from his position. "You get used to it."

Meiko laughed softly.

* * * * *

Shadow watched Little Mercury and Sensei Jaima from the wall, kicked back, leg up to rest a foot on the wall. If he had been human, the pose would have looked either cool or cheesy, but he didn't concern himself with such trivialities. From here he could see Sensei and the one who wanted to be his mate.

It was so easy to read people now. He could see intentions and feeling flickering through the waves that emanated from everyone. Meiko, Sensei Jaima's friend, was happy and amused, and also very effectionate toward most of the humans in her party (including the one who preened like a Persian. Her aura was shot with dark blue spikes of near-malice, but still, there was genuine affection and respect there, too.

He was tired, as was his Sensei and his Little Mercury, but unlike them, he wasn't letting it show. It was a sign of their trust in people that they did. It was a sign of Shadow's diligence that he did not.

Along came Tuesday, blazing in her subtle power. He could read intricacies in it now. There were bonds forming, told by the way her aura interacted with the Little Brother on her shoulder, supported by the way the Pikachu on the other shoulder had a similar connection, stronger, yet harder to notice due to the pikachu's 'normal' sized aura.

Shadow beckoned the riolu. As Tuesday was sitting, it seemed nothing for him to jump down and scamper to its older relative, yet Zorro seemed hesitant.

Shadow almost smiled. Caution to temper his recklessness was good.

Shadow nodded, then motioned for the riolu to follow, outside. Where they could spar, and Shadow could judge the riolu's skill. He was no hatchling, as Shadow had been when Rosie had taught him, but Zorro may not have had the benefit of proper introduction to the art of the Fight.

Shadow would give it to him. It was the least he could do for Tuesday.

* * * * *

Mercury watched Shadow leave, her eyes hooded, her head throbbing, and one word echoed deep down in the recesses of her heart, where she could still hide things, even from Trainer Jaima:

want

She let her head drop again with a heavy sigh.

* * * * *

Jaima had finally picked up his head when Tuesday walked in, offering her a sleepy smile. She looked concerned, but he waved it away, motioning for her to eat first and talk later.

"I woke up when Jaima brought you in, Tuesday," said Meiko, causing Jaima to blush a bit. She winked at him playfully. "I hope you don't mind if I let you sleep in a little bit..."

Tuesday hunched a bit and also blushed, but managed a soft "thank you" before tucking into her chosen meal. Meiko smiled fondly at her, and then at Jaima.

The smile faltered a bit, and she said, over Jaima's shoulder, "Can we help you, Nurse?"

Jaima blinked and turned. And paled.

There was Joy, the young nurse from Lenoilia, standing, wide eyed and flustered.

"Ah... um..." She faltered, and Jaima flushed and looked down. He saved her from having to speak, but in the worst possible way.

"Hi, Joy. Sorry I missed your note."


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Umbrae Calamitas
post Jul 14 2009, 11:22 PM
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Tuesday's Pack



Tuesday didn't pay much attention to the arrival of Nurse Joy. She felt bad for keeping Jaima awake so late. She spared a moment's concentration to wonder why Mercury was so tired, but her focus returned to her guilt at being such a burden. She hated being so bothersome. Brone always worried about her when he should be taking care of himself. Cassandra worried when she should be watching over Brone. Her parents worried about her for all of the wrong reasons.

And Jaima worried about her now, when he should be back in bed, sleeping. Meiko had let her sleep in, but why hadn't Jaima?

Unless he thought he should be awake to watch over her when she woke up.

Sighing softly, Tuesday picked apart her turkey reuben, before deciding she wasn't hungry, and getting up from the seat. Her attention was elsewhere as she walked from the lobby outside, ignoring all else around her, and so not noticing the tension between Jaima and the recently-arrived nurse.

Stepping outside and hearing the automatic doors swish closed behind her, Tuesday walked without thinking, following some pull in her mind or in her heart. She found herself standing outside of some sort of paddock, which was empty save for two familiar pokemon.

Shadow and Zorro were dancing around each other like two musketeers, sans sword. They both moved swiftly, delivering blows to try and strike the other down, but each had an advantage over the other.

Tuesday crawled up to sit on top of the fence and watched them. Shadow was, of course, the larger of the two. He had already weighed more than Zorro did when he was a riolu, and his evolution had brought with it an even greater weight, mostly concentrated in the metal spikes protruding from his body.

Smaller and more lithe than the elder, Zorro was faster on his feet than Shadow. Though the lucario had a greater stride, Zorro seemed to base his movements on agility, dancing around his opponent in a series of dodges and flips, avoiding attacks more than sending out his own.

As she watched, however, Zorro leapt forward to land on his forepaws, before pushing off the ground to send his hindlegs toward Shadow, aimed at his chest.

Shadow, for his part, turned his run into a slide and skidded on his back on the ground. When Zorro came hurtling above him at an uncontrolled catapult, Shadow kicked both of his rear paws against the riolu, sending him flying into the air.

Zorro let out a cry of surprise, but twisted in midair, attempting to gain some semblance of control. He lost the battle with gravity, as was to be expected, but he did manage to land on his feet, which almost had Tuesday applauding, but she didn't want to interrupt them.

Tempest, however, didn't have such qualms.

Tuesday had forgotten that the pikachu still sat on her shoulder, until she leapt up onto Tuesday's head. Zorro was in the middle of dodging a series of punches coming from the swift-pawed Shadow, when Tempest cried out, "Pika pi!!" in what sounded like a mocking manner.

Zorro looked over in their direction, his expression affronted. The distraction, however, was all it took for one of Shadow's punches to land solidly, sending the unhappy riolu crashing to the ground.

Leaping quickly to his feet, Zorro leapt forward with a snarl and started yelling something at Tempest, who was still sitting on Tuesday's head. Grabbing her around the middle, Tuesday pulled the pikachu to her chest, to find that she was making faces at the snarling riolu.

"Rii! Riii oooo!" Zorro snapped back, and Tempest stopped making faces, her cheeks lighting up with sparks and her ears flattening against her head in anger.

"Piiiiikaaaaa..."

"Tempest, stop!" Tuesday yelled, half-wanting to keep holding the pikachu, and half-wishing she could drop her. She'd been shocked before and it was never a pleasant feeling.

To her surprise, it was Shadow who stepped forward and, with a disapproving look in his eyes, swatted Zorro in the back of the head. Startled, the riolu staggered forward and then looked back, rubbing his cranium. Shadow was glaring at him with a look of distaste.

"Cario," he said firmly.

Zorro turned back and looked at the ground. "Lu," he snapped, sounding defiant. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Tempest. "Rii..." His eyes shifted to Shadow before looking back at Tempest, resigned. "Rii lu olu."

Tempest chuffed, sounding unimpressed and slightly indignant. "Chu," she muttered, and turned her head away. Sparks stopped coming out of her cheeks, but it looked like something was left unfinished between the pikachu and riolu.

So much for her pokemon getting along right away. Maybe yesterday was just a fluke. Tuesday sighed.

"Back in your pokeball, Tempest," she said, pulling the ball out and flashing the pikachu back into it. "And stay in there until you're ready to be nice."

Tuesday looked up, sighing. "Shadow..." She tried to think of what to say to the lucario, for being there for her last night, for testing Zorro's strength, for... everything. She smiled softly. "Thanks."

Funny, how words failed her when she was so adamant at using them. She hoped he understood. She got the feeling that she didn't know all of what was going on between him and herself, and Zorro. There seemed to be something else there - something that he understood but which yet evaded her. Maybe he'd realize that she was thanking him for that, too, even before she knew fully what it was.

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Living Arrow
post Jul 15 2009, 03:37 PM
Post #11


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PANE: Darryn Kellor



"Sparring, huh?" Darryn walked up behind Tuesday on the fence and leaned on it next to her. The young girl gave Darry and faint smile but said nothing and instead focused on her new Riolu's training with Shadow. Darryn watched them in silence for a couple of minutes, taking note of the way both Pokemon moved and how quick their reflexes were.

*There's no doubt about it... Shadow is a true expert in this... No wonder Jaima asks him for help to train...*

"Dante and Tempest not coming out, too? Your Ponyta?" Darryn asked Tuesday, trying to stimulate conversation with the girl. He wasn't very good with kids and he hadn't really had chance to talk with the girl alone sine he had met her. In fact, they had barely spoken ten words to each other. Tuesday shook her head but still said nothing. Darryn inwardly groaned. He was useless at this!

"Vul." Lady announced herself as she jumped up onto the face in between Darryn and Tuesday. After being brushed that morning, Lady's oddly scarlet fur shone brilliantly in the sunlight of the morning. She looked to Darryn once before nuzzling the girl's arm with her head. Tuesday almost flinched but, looking down at the fire fox Pokemon, she seemed pleased to be getting attention from Darryn's partner. Tuesday smiled.

"She's lovely." Tuesday offered, stroking Lady's fur softly. Darryn watched in stunned silence as Lady allowed herself to be touched by another person. No-one but Joys had ever gotten so close to her without a warning look or a snap. It was incredible!

"Uh, thanks!" Darryn vaulted himself over the fence and reached over to pat the Vulpix's head. "I've got her on a special diet for fire-types that bolsters epidermal quality and swells their fire-sacs so their fire-type attacks are stronger. It's a recipe I made myself - that's what I specialise in. Looking after the health and beauty of Pokemon is what I've been trained in and coming on this journey has only helped me improve on the practical skills that I was taught at college."

"It's good for fire-type Pokemon?" Tuesday asked, interest sounding heavily in her tone. "Is it something Dante could try?" Darryn grinned.

"Of course! I'm going to mix up some more supplements for all of my Pokemon later today before their gym battle so I'd be happy to make extra. Now, if it's ok, I'm going to get some of my own training in on the other half of this field?" Darryn began unclipping Pokeballs.

"Uhuh..." Tuesday shurgged and smiled.

"Then it's time for everyone to come out!" Darryn announced, throwing all of his Pokeballs into the air. His small menagerie gathered around quickly and listened intently as Darryn set up their training regimes.

*****

"Now, let's practice our speed and accuracy! Ready?!" Darryn called, Bravo and Lady the only pair left to train on the field. They hollered back their preparedness and readied themselves. "Great! Then Bravo use Featherdance! Lady, shoot all of the feathers down with Ember - make sure to hit each target with only a single flame each!."

"Pideoh!!!" Bravoe screamed, spinning himself into a frenzy and scattering swirling feathers far and wide over the field. Lady pounced into action, her Agility allowing her to run rings around their portion of the battlefield while spitting needle-like shots of flame into the air. One by one, flaming quills fell to the ground, each and every one hit with pin-point accuracy.

"Excellent! Now speed it up! Bravo, speed up the feathers with Whirlwind!"

The training continued, Bravo sending more and more feathers into the squall without seeming to actually lose a single one from his body, while Lady's speed and focus shot down each target.

"Let's turn this thing around! Lady use Ember on Bravo! Bravo, repel them all with Whirlwind!" Darryn ordered, watching as Lady's flames were easily sent back down at her as dissipating sparks thanks to the Pidgeotto's roaring crosswind.
"November? Mind giving Lady a boost?" Darryn asked. His Ponyta nodded proudly and trotted out to where Lady was standing. She stood directly over the fox and ignited the surroundings with her Flame Wheel.

"Fool of a Took!" Tuesday cried, jumping right off the fence.

Darryn held out a hand to signal her to calm down. "It's OK. Fire attacks only make Lady stronger. Check it out."
Sure enough, Lady's Ember grew in strength and soon a roaring jet of flame was spiralling out from her lips. Clearly she had not had that sort of power before - her ability was working.
"Y'see, Vulpix have an ability called Flash Fire. Any fire attack used against them is turned into power for the Vulpix to use. It just so happens that my Ponyta has the same ability, too. And, with any luck, it will be a key skill in our gym battle..."

"Wow..." Tuesday's tiny voice piped up. "If anything you really shouldn't throw yourself in next time!"

"O...K..." Darryn rolled his eyes, not really understanding Tuesday's Tolkien reference.

"Umm... that ability stuff is cool and all... but should it be getting that close?" Tuesday asked worriedly.

Darryn looked up. "No.. it really shouldn't... aw crap!"

Flames struck Bravo, Lady's powered Ember engulfing the poor bird in a firey swathe of super-powered heat. Bravo's wings still circled amid the blaze, ripping through the fire faster and faster as he attempted to cast the attack back to its origin.

"Lady, November, stop it!" Darryn cried, racing out towards the battlefield. His Pokemon immediately obeyed and the jet of fire ended, but the firey ball that surrounded Bravo remained.

"GEOH GEOH GEOOOOH!" Darryn's Pidgeotto screamed, the flames slowly beginning to disperse.

"You can do it, Bravo! Put them out!" Darryn urged, unable to lend any other support without the bird coming to the ground. Bravo continued to windmill his wings, the flames being dragged away from his face and neck, crawling slowly upwards away from his tail. The process was slow and painful to watch but eventually only the bird's wings were aflame.

"Something's not right..." Tuesday whispered, standing a little behind Darryn but squinting upwards with analysing eyes.

"Yeah... those flames should have been put out already... what is this?"

[Heat Wave. A fire-type attack of the Special variety. Heat Wave is a powerful move that utilises the the hot breath of a fire Pokemon which may inflict a burn on the foe. It has been recently recorded that certain flying-type Pokemon can learn this technique by generating the heat required for the attack with ultra-fast wing beats.]


"Oh my God! My Pidgeotto learned Heat Wave!!!" Darryn clapped his hands and laughed as Bravo swung his wings forward and sent a crimson jet of intense light into the sky. "Bravo, BRAVO!!!"


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Umbrae Calamitas
post Jul 16 2009, 12:37 AM
Post #12


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Tuesday's Pack



Having watched Darryn train his pokemon while Shadow and Zorro were sparring (up until the point where Tempest decided to be rude), Tuesday decided that now might be a good time to do some training of her own. She didn't intend to attempt a gym battle this time, since she didn't think that she was ready yet, physically or mentally. She also wasn't sure that she liked the idea of forcing pokemon to battle for sport.

Tuesday saw her pokemon as companions and a family, and forcing them to fight for her when it was unnecessary seemed cruel. She knew that Professor Oak condoned pokemon battling and enjoyed watching it as a sport, and Tuesday would never look down upon someone (so long as they treated their pokemon right) for battling, but she just didn't know how she felt about it. The trials that she had already been through had forced her pokemon to battle for their and her lives. That was a point at which it was a necessary evil, but...

She supposed she had a lot of introspection ahead of her, during which she would need to decide her place in various areas. She wanted to be a pokemon researcher, and her first priority was, of course, to learn all that she could about pokemon. Talking with Darryn had been very informative, and Tuesday was excited to have more conversations with him. He was obviously quite proficient with chemistry if he was creating his own recipes to help pokemon based on their specific types. She had no doubt that she could learn a great deal from him based solely on that. It looked like she might even need to buy a new notebook!

And, of course, she would need another sketchbook, since she was running low on blank pages, and she always preferred to do her pokemon research by hand, rather than relying upon a pokedex. She would catch sight of a pokemon, sketch it out, and record what she could on that same page. The information that she had gathered about each of her pokemon, however, had taken up a good deal of her sketchbook space, and she would have to send this one off to Professor Oak soon.

Though, a good way to fill up what was left would be to test her pokemon's strength, and work on some new maneuvers.

"Well, that sounds like a plan," Tuesday muttered to herself. She leapt down from her retaken seat on the fence and grabbed her three occupied pokeballs, tossing them to the ground as Zorro came dashing over to her.

Wraith appeared first, delighted to be free from his pokeball. With a loud whinny, he bolted away, running swiftly across the ground, his black mane and black waving like a victorious flag behind him. Tuesday watched him run, as Tempest and Dante appeared in flashes of red light.

Tempest took one look at Zorro, before crossing her arms and turning her head away with a huff. Tuesday sighed. "I don't suppose you two will cooperate enough for us to plan some maneuvers?" Tempest glared at her. "Fine, then, Pest," she said, emphasizing the nickname in her ire, "you're working with Wraith."

"Pika!" Tempest declared indignantly.

"I obviously can't have you working with Zorro," Tuesday explained, exasperated, "since you're so full of animosity toward him for no reason."

"Ka!"

"And you've worked with Dante before. We need some new maneuvers. So you can work with Wraith, or you can work by yourself."

Tempest, arms crossed tightly over her chest, glared at Tuesday with all of the wrath she could manage to hold in her chocolate-brown eyes. Finally deciding that Tuesday wasn't about to change her mind, Tempest stalked forward angrily and, with a sharp "chu!", pressed the button on her pokeball and allowed herself to be pulled inside. Obviously, she didn't feel very participatory at the moment.

Tuesday sighed. I think I get why Jaima calls them his "kids" now. Children. Huffing, she turned to see that Wraith had finally burned off some of his excess energy and was standing not too far away, watching the proceedings. Dante was standing firmly with his arms crossed, eying Zorro, who was grinning in a mischievous manner that concerned Tuesday.

"Do I want to know?" she asked.

Dante shook his head slowly, and then smacked Zorro on the back of the head. The riolu let out a yelp and rubbed his head, glaring halfheartedly at Dante, but it was clear he didn't show the charmeleon any animosity. In fact, his slumped shoulders and submissive stance revealed not only that he viewed Dante as his superior, but also that he thought the charmeleon was right in... whatever that had been about.

Tempest, no doubt.

"All right, Dante, we've already got a few maneuvers for you, so I think we're just going to have you test out Zorro's agility, and see what we can pull with that, 'kay?"

"Leon," Dante said, nodding sharply.

"Okay," Tuesday said, tapping her bottom lip. "What're we gonna try to-"

"Bulba."

Tuesday turned to see that another pokemon had joined her in the paddock. "Hey, Grondir," she said. "You wanna join the party?"

"Saur." The bulbasaur ambled over to stand beside her. Tuesday continued to tap her lip, thinking.

"Grondir, you know vine whip, right?"

"Basaur," Grondir replied, waving his vines gently around.

"Would you like to help me try something? I don't know if it will work."

"Saur," Grondir said, nodding. He seemed happy with the idea of helping, and Tuesday thought she might have an idea. It wouldn't do much good without Grondir around, but maybe it would come in handy in the future.

"Okay, so Grondir... wrap your vines around Zorro's wrists."

The riolu gave her a curious look, but held out his hands. Grondir, trusting Tuesday, wrapped one of his vines around each of the riolu's wrists.

"All right, now Zorro, I want you to jump up, and then Grondir, pull your vines taut, and see if you can't fling Zorro behind you. Ready, Wraith?"

Wraith whinnied loudly, stomping a hoof impatiently. "All right, all right," Tuesday said. I have no idea where this idea came from, but... here goes. "Jump, Zorro!"

Tuesday was vaguely aware of Shadow's presence nearby, watching them. Her eyes, however, were on Zorro, as the riolu jumped into the air. Grondir hunkered down and yanked hard on his vines, pulling them taut and abruptly jerking Zorro by the wrists. With a yelp, the riolu found the vines around his wrists loosen, and then he was flying forward, the wind whipping back his bandana tassels.

On instinct, hoping to catch his landing, he threw his weight forward and did a flip, until he was falling feet first. Instead of hitting the ground, however, Wraith suddenly appeared beneath him, running swiftly, and the riolu landed astride his firm, cream-coated back. Wraith whinnied loudly in success and raced around the paddock, with Zorro grabbing his mane to keep himself astride the ponyta.

Tuesday laughed in delight and amusement, grinning from ear to ear. "Maybe I should have named you Thunder!" she called to Wraith. She had an idea that her riolu and ponyta were going to work well together.

"All right, let's try something else. Zorro, stay on Wraith's back, but Wraith, come running this way." Obediently, Wraith dug her hooves into the dirt and changed direction. "Grondir, send a razor leaf attack at Wraith." Wraith snorted. "Zorro, you're on guard duty." Zorro gave her a curious look, frowning. "Your job is to use force palm to swat the razor leaves out of the air before they can touch Wraith. Wraith, dodge some if you must, but no ember attacks. Grondir won't hurt you."

"Saur."

"Ready, guys?"

There was a chorus of agreement from the trio. Tuesday stood beside Dante, the two watching as Zorro, astride Wraith, raced toward the sturdy bulbasaur. "All right, Grondir! Razor leaf!"

"Bulba!" A series of leaves burst from the bulb on Grondir's back, slicing through the air like spinning knives. Perched on Wraith's back on his rear paws, Zorro raised his hands and took a downward swing at the first leaf to reach him.

There was something like an electric shock that coursed through Tuesday, when a pulse of bluish light predicted the death of the spinning leaf.

This continued until Grondir had cast razor leaf three times. Wraith hadn't been hit once, though he had needed to dodge a number of times when Zorro hadn't been quick enough to take out all of the leaves in time. Wraith stood with his head bowed, breathing deeply, with Zorra sitting on the ground beside her. Both seemed pleased with themselves.

"You did great, guys!" Tuesday declared, dancing over to them. She patted Wraith's neck and scratched Zorro's ears, before turning to Grondir. "Thanks a bunch for your help, Grondir!"

"Bulba," Grondir said, grinning. "Bulba... saur..."

The white light that enveloped the bulbasaur caught Tuesday off guard, but she found herself grinning. She knew what to expect moments before the light faded, and the form of the bulbasaur was replaced with the larger form of an ivysaur.

"I guess that training session was all you needed, Grondir," Tuesday said. "Come on! Let's go show Jaima!"

She was grinning from ear-to-ear when she bolted back into the lobby of the pokemon centre. "Jaima! Hey!" She skidded to a stop next to the table, her observational skills lacking in her excitement, and so she noticed none of the tension in the room. "Jaima, look! Grondir evolved!!"

This post has been edited by Umbrae Calamitas: Jul 16 2009, 01:29 AM


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Master Houndoom
post Jul 16 2009, 04:18 PM
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Jaima watched as Joy's face fell. She had been stunned before, but now she was saddened. Dammit, he thought, kicking himself. I forgot how much I hate the taste of shoe canvas...

"I had wondered," she said, twisting a corner of her apron. "I had wondered if it even arrived. I see that it has." She was about to turn and leave when the third person at the table piped up.

"Jai-kun..." The voice was pleasant enough, on the outside. No one, however, at the table missed the acidity of tone in the speakers voice. She struggled to keep her face passive, interested, but there was a twitch in her left eye.

Jaima looked down at his knees. "Meiko-chan, meet Joy. She is a nurse-in-training who was recently reassigned from Lenoilia City." He didn't look up, but gestured politely toward Meiko. "Joy, this is Meiko Omura, a friend from my home town. We met when my family and I moved there when I was six."

What Jaima expected, having no real experience with human interaction on a social basis outside of his home, school, or the lab. Even the school interactions were cut short when his hours lessened and then when he finally dropped out. So everything he'd ever seen about girls had been seen on television.

Even he was not so inept as to expect it to be close to reality, but he did not expect what actually happened.

Meiko stood and put out her hand. "A pleasure to meet you," she said, bowing, a short bow. Jaima blinked and glanced up, just in time to see Meiko's glance at him.

She was not happy.

"Thank you," whispered Joy. "It's nice to meet a friend of Jaima's." She looked down, then looked at Jaima. "Can we-"

"Jaima! Hey!" Through the lobby came a curly headed blonde bundle of smiles, being trailed by an ivysaur. Jaima, for one frozen moment, thought that he was possibly going to get another young girl vying for his attention (which was wishful thinking; Joy wasn't looking at him at all, and Meiko was fairly glaring at him, in a way that, if she had the ability, would certainly set his hair on fire).

"Jaima, look!" Tuesday gestured excitedly at the ivysaur strutting behind her. "Grondir evolved!"

Jaima blinked, and for a moment, both girls and the tension were forgotten. Jaima steppd out of his seat, kneeling next to and peering at Grondir. He had nearly doubled in size, and the bulb on his back had sprouted. "Gron! Good job! When did this happen," he asked Tuesday.

"Just now!" Tuesday's grin was just as wide as his. "He was helping me train Zorro, and he evolved!"

Jaima grinned and patted him on the head. "What is it with you and female trainers, huh, buddy?"

"Saur," Grondir croaked, his voice now an octave lower than before. It seemed to surprise him as well. Jaima chuckled.

Tuesday and Jaima didn't notice, and the two girls in question didn't notice it in each other, but Mercury was an observer, and she noticed right away; Both Meiko, who wanted to be mad at Jaima for not even seeing a possibility for what he had started with a *nurse Joy* of all people, and Joy, who was sad and scared to have to talk to Jaima in front of a girl who obviously felt jealous, both had soft expressions on their faces, because Jaima was attending to his pokémon despite his usual discomfort. Joy's expression became wistful; this is what had attracted her to the tall blonde boy in the first place. Meiko's grew stormy. Yet another example of what she had liked about Jaima, flaunting itself when someone had already taken the place she hadn't even realized she'd wanted so soon.

Jaima looked up, smiling at Tuesday, but the smile was not as happy as usual. "Have you ever watched an evolution this close before, Tuesy?" The younger girl shook her head, wide eyed. "Well, why don't you document what happened, and see if you can't find out if there are any differences in Grondir's personality."

Tuesday cocked a wary eye at Jaima. "Are you trying to get rid of me..?"

Jaima shook his head in resignation. "Yeah, I know, you're smart. I am, honey, but only for a little bit, and only so I can try to talk to Joy, who I met before Ember was stolen, and Meiko, who you've met." Jaima looked up. "Joy, this is Tuesday. She's the one who found Ember, and we've become close."

Joy bowed lightly, and Tuesday bowed in return, then looked at Jaima. "Are you all right?"

Jaima smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. I really am interested in hearing your observations about evolution." He actually was, and something must have convinced Tuesday of it, because she nodded, then motioned for Grondir to follow. Jaima watched her go, noting that Tempest wasn't on her shoulder, but Dante and Zorro were following her (tussling like brothers). He'd have to ask.

Later.

"Jaima," Joy said, still very soft. "Is it all right if we take a walk..? I have some things I'd like to say..."

Jay looked at her, then at Meiko. "Ah... it would be rude to Mei-ch-"

"Oh," Meiko said, her voice slightly higher than usual, "Don't mind me. I'll be fine." Jaima looked at her, but she looked away. "Just fine. Go talk."

Jaima's lips pressed together, and he turned, motioning for Joy to lead the way. Meiko waited a few moments before watching him go, then turned on her heel and marched to her room, where she dropped onto her bed unheedful of Tuesday across the room.

"Just... fine."

* * * * *

Jaima and Joy walked silently through a tree covered garden. Joy looked around, and Jaima kept his gaze at the ground, hands in his pockets. Finally Joy cleared her throat.

"I... I'd like to know why I didn't get an answer, Jaima. It hurt to not hear from you." Her voice was shaky, but neither angry nor malicious. Jaima sighed.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Joy. But... it's hard to explain why. I... I didn't get the message right away..." He looked at her, and she looked at him. Her face was impassive. "Tuesday and I had an encounter with... or... or we thought we had an encounter with... a... a pokémon I'd only seen in books. A Celebi. Or we just fell victim to a psychic type... but in the end, time passed, and it was too late to respond."

Joy looked down, unwilling to see the anger and accusation in Joy's eyes. But she put a hand on his arm. "That's actually a relief. You could have contacted me afterwards."

Jaima huffed, part chuckle and part sigh. "To tell the truth, I didn't think you'd want me to. Besides, more stuff happened almost right after. Shadow got taken, and they used some kind of Shadow machine on him, and there was a fight with Team Deception--"

"That was you?!" Joy's earlier sadness and shyness seemed to have evaporated. "Jaima, that Team Deception was very cruel to their pokémon, and I hear they're using more Shadow Machines!" She blushed and looked down. "You could have been hurt."

"I was with my friends."

They walked in silence, and Joy cleared her throat. "Jaima... I'm... glad you didn't answer." Jaima looked up, blinking, and she smiled sadly. "You're a nice boy, and you are very patient and kind, both with pokémon and children. But you're a Trainer. And a good one. You'll be travelling, and I... I want to be a Nurse. A good Nurse." She looked down. "I'm sorry, Jaima, but I don't think we should see each other anymore."

Jaima sighed. "I was thinking something similar after I got into Lenoilia the second time." He looked at her, surprised to find them close to the door of the pokécenter. "I think you're right. But I'd like to be friends, if... if that's all right."

Joy smiled, the first real smile he'd seen on her. "That's good, Jaima. I'd like that."

She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, lingering for a second before dropping down, flushed. "I will see you, then, if you're going to be around."

Jaima nodded, and Joy turned and walked inside, smiling softly.

Neither saw Meiko in the window of her room. And neither knew that, from her angle, it looked as if Joy had kissed Jaima on the lips.

This post has been edited by Hungry Hungry Houndoom: Jul 17 2009, 07:29 AM


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As of January 29, 2010, at approximately 7:50am CST, 2gamers helped me complete my pokedex!

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Umbrae Calamitas
post Jul 17 2009, 09:48 AM
Post #14


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Tuesday's Pack



Tuesday sat on her bed cross-legged, sketchbook on her knees, as she gazed at Grondir. The newly-evolved Ivysaur was testing out his new form, as Tuesday recorded what information she could about the differences since his evolution. She had never seen an evolution up close before. She had even missed out when it came to Dante's evolution, so this was a real treat for her. Plus, Jaima had hit the nail on the head when he suggested her recording any sort of personality changes in his loyal pokemon.

Tuesday couldn't really find any of those, though it didn't really surprise her. Grondir was always a very loyal, serious pokemon. He had a manner about him that was calm, and he tried to project this onto others to solve problems, like when Tuesday had first met Jaima. He stood his ground in battle, firm and even stubborn. He had seemed from the start more mature for his age or evolution, so not seeing an alternation in his personality didn't strike Tuesday as being particularly odd.

POKEMON EVOLUTION:

Bulbasaur --> Ivysaur

Subject's name: Grondir
Trainer: Jaima Kuonji

Having witnessed a pokemon evolution up close, I have taken it upon myself to record the differences that can be found within the subject immediately after said evolution. The subject, Grondir the Ivysaur, is more than willing to help me with my research, and seems to be just as interesting as I am in discovering any changes that have occurred within his person.

This emphasizes a point: evolution is very much like the maturation of a human. We can suspect what we will look like once puberty strikes, but we have no true, set knowledge of what will have occurred. The same can be said for pokemon who have evolved. Grondir is taking his time studying his own body to discover physical differences, having not previously known what it is he would have looked like upon his evolution.

From sight alone, there are only a few significant differences. The bulb that sat closed on Grondir's back has begun to open, leaves fanning out just above his spine, to frame a deep-red flower, still closed. The subject seems to have a wider stance, his paws more capable of gripping the ground, than there was in his previous evolution. This will give him a greater distribution of his weight and possibly make it more difficult from his to be loosened from his stance by attacks such as GUST or WHIRLWIND.

The colors of the subject's coat have not seemed to change, and the distribution of dark spots across his body have made no visible alteration. However, subject seems to have sharper fangs than in his previous form, and his ears seem to be more sensitive than they were as a bulbasaur. At subject's willingness, I examined his vines and discovered that they longer than in their previous form, as well as more maneuverable. This suggests that, as a pokemon evolves, they not only gain more abilities, but also strengthen their understanding of the abilities they had previously.

Unfortunately, until I am able to witness the subject in battle, I will not be able to make further observations based on his abilities or maneuverability as a whole. Such information to come at a later date.

- Tuesday I. Berdison, Pokemon Researcher


Tuesday tucked the report into her sketchbook with the pictures of Grondir as both a bulbasaur and an ivysaur, before sliding the sketchbook into her messenger bag.

For the first time since her arrival into the room, Tuesday looked up at Meiko. The girl had come storming in and gone to the window, but after staring out of it for only five minutes, she had flopped onto her bed and begun to cry softly. Tuesday, who had always tried to keep her emotions quiet and out of the visage of others, had done nothing to bring attention to Meiko's plight. As she looked up now, she saw that the red-headed girl had fallen asleep on her bed, though her face still held a lingering look of pain, with tear streaks staining the flesh of her cheeks.

Tuesday got to her feet, instinctively sliding the strap of her messenger bag across her chest. She studied the sleeping Meiko for a moment, wondering what was bothering the girl, but knowing that it was none of her business. It would work out, she was sure.

"Ivy."

Tuesday looked over to where Grondir was, nudging a blanket with his nose. She smiled softly at him and walked over, picking up the soft fleece material. Grondir had that loyal, caring look on his face as he studied Meiko, and Tuesday wondered if he had met the girl before, or if he was just protective toward anyone (or anyone that was close to Jaima).

Tuesday unfolded the blanket and softly draped it over the sleeping Meiko, noticing how chilly it was in the room. She tended not to notice such things when she was writing or drawing, but of course, Grondir would be more susceptible to the change in temperature.

When Meiko was covered with the blanket (and still asleep), Tuesday quietly opened the door, slipping out behind Grondir. She closed it as softly as she could, and then walked with quiet swiftness down the hall and toward the lobby downstairs. She hoped that Jaima had spoken to Joy as he needed to. He'd looked bothered by something and she didn't like that. She knew everything worked out in the end (or she dearly hoped it), but it still concerned her to see such unsure emotions dancing across her adoptive brother's face.

As she walked, she thought about a couple problems of her own. The first and most bothersome was Tempest's sudden attitude; how she was treating Zorro so rudely and being uncooperative. Tempest hadn't acted like this toward Tuesday since they had first met, and now she was being so... unlike the pikachu that Tuesday had come to know.

Her other problem, and the one she just couldn't figure out at all, was whether or not she should try out for a gym badge. Either way, she didn't think she would fight in this gym, but she couldn't decide if it was cruel or not. Knowing Jaima as she did, she knew that he would never place his pokemon in danger if he could avoid it, but wasn't pokemon battling - fighting for no reason - just as cruel as hurting your pokemon yourself?

Tuesday knew Jaima would never do that to his pokemon, and she supposed that, secretly, she wanted to try battling, but she was unsure. She'd seen cruelty, and Tempest had been the victim of a vicious trainer prior to meeting Tuesday. She was just... uncertain, and she didn't like it.

While Tuesday wanted to be a researcher with every fiber of her being, she also knew that just wandering around wasn't going to get her much information. She needed to join in on activities, and battling was a popular (is there a word strong enough?) form of entertainment and socializing. It would certainly help her, but she didn't know.

She needed a second opinion, and she trusted Jaima.

So when she spotted the blonde boy sitting at the table, with Shadow standing nearby and Mercury in his lap, she let her shoulders sag in relief and wandered over to plop down in the seat across from him. He looked up at her when she sat down and Tuesday gave him a wondering look. "Are you okay, Jaima?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, Tuesy," he said, and then smiled. "I'm all right."

"Good," Tuesday said, and then her grin faltered slightly. "Can I talk to you?"


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Master Houndoom
post Jul 18 2009, 02:06 AM
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"Anything," Jaima said, sitting up a little straighter and leaning on his elbows on the table. He watched as she similarly arranged herself, sitting up straighter, as if changing from a concerned little sister to a tiny pokémon researcher.

Jaima thought better than to blurt out the "tiny researcher" part.

"Well... It's..." She faltered, showing herself still an adolescent, with doubts and fears and worries, and Jaima wondered if he was really qualified to help her. After all, he was still an adolescent with doubts and fears and worries.

"Is battling humane?" Tuesday had blurted it out, and flushed because of it, but she didn't lower her eyes like she usually did when she felt that she was being a little childish or silly. She must really feel strongly about this.

"What do you mean," Jaima asked neutrally, tilting his head.

Tuesday's hands came up, as if they held a box in which was the answer but she couldn't figure out exactly what it was. "I mean... we capture them, and we make them learn moves and do things, and then we pit them against other pokémon in fights that always end in both of them getting hurt. I mean, I know it's accepted, but doesn't it seem..." She struggled for the right word.

"Barbaric," Jaima offered, and Tuesday swallowed.

"I was going to say mean, but your word fits too well..."

Jaima smiled. "You're worried that you're forcing your friends to do something that will hurt them." It wasn't a question, but Tuesday nodded, looking down now. Jaima reached out and put a hand on hers. "Well, I can give you a little history. Pokémon heal faster, and more completely, than humans do. They can faint where most things would die, and while they can be killed, it's harder to do it accidently. But that has nothing to do with what you're asking, really. I'm just mentioning it to show cause and effect." He smiled at her, noting that her eyes, unlike Mariko's, seemed to light up the more he spoke, as if he were a real professor and she was his student. Given how she loved to learn, she was enjoying his little know-it-all speech. "Professor Elm says a lot of that has to do with an unstable molecula structure. They evolve quickly, and can channel energies to a certain degree, so they're... well, tougher than we are."

Jaima leaned back, but Tuesday leaned forward, her attention rapt. "Back to your question, though. I can give you an example of two extremes. First, Ember." He leaned back, revealing the long quilava sleeping at his feet. His hand stroked the soft fur on her back, gently, and Ember squirmed in delight, through her snores. "She was terrified of fighting." He shrugged. "I really wasn't a very good trainer to her. She never fought. And that's fine. A lot of people keep pokémon as pets. But then, suddenly, I was on my journey, and there was fighting involved, and Ember just... she'd do it, because she was loyal to me, but it scared her so bad. So, one day, I decided I wasn't going to make her fight anymore. I wouldn't be able to keep her with me, but... I was going to send her to Mom, to let her take care of eggs or something."

Tuesdays' eyes widened. She'd only ever seen the cyndaquil (now a quilava) when she was valiantly fighting. She hadn't wanted to sometimes, but she hadn't been forced to. Had she really been that timid? And Jaima was willing to send her home, just so she wouldn't have to fight?

As she came out of her concentration haze, she noticed a glum look come over his face. "Then she got stolen," he continued, swallowing. "And you found her, and you brought her back to me." His voice was laced with pride and gratitude, even after all this time. Even after he'd repayed the paltry act of returning a lost pokémon a hundred fold. "I was going to send her home right then, but Mercury says she was against it. If it meant staying with me, she'd learn to fight." He smiled down at Ember, who had woken up and was blinking at him. "And she's pretty good at it..."

Ember nuzzled his hand, then curled up again and began to doze. Jaima smiled down at her, then looked at Tuesday. "On the other extreme is Shadow. It would be cruel *not* to let him battle." He raised a hand, forestalling Tuesday's question briefly. "Sure, there are riolu who would prefer the more controlled battles of contests, or to simply spar. But Shadow's not any of them. His very first battle, almost right out of the egg, was against another riolu. She taught him how to fight, and in the end they knocked each other out. He's never looked back, and I've never had to."

He put his hand over Mercury's crest, and she looked up at him. "Even this one. One of her first battles... well, it was my fault she even got involved. It was for the stonebloom badge. In Gigarte, the leader there uses rock and grass types. So I picked Shadow, because fighting is strong for rock types, and Mercury, because Ember was scared to then, and most grass types were also poison types, which psychic is strong against, right?" Tuesday nodded. "Well, I never thought that there was a plant dark type. Mercury was barely able to form words mentally, but she was terrified." Jaima shook his head. "And she still battled. I don't know if she was onld enough to tell me she didn't want to, but the only thing that she voiced a problem with was the cacturne."

Jaima's brow furrowed, and he chuckled. "All of that has come right around to saying battling is fine... but that's not what I'm telling you." He smiled. "I'm telling you, see what they think. I knw Ember was afraid to fight before Mercury could really tell me. You'll be able to figure it out, especially as close as you are to Tempest and Dante."

Tuesday's head dropped, and Jaima tilted his own. "What...?"

"It's Pest. She's..." Tuesday sighed. "She's being very mean and obstinate lately." She looked up, and her eyes were desperately sad. "I don't know what's gotten into her."

"Well..." Jaima worried his lip. "Sometimes I've seen trainers who's pokémon get strong quickly, and the pokémon loses respect for the trainer until the trainer gets stronger." When Tuesday's face began to cumple, Jaima swallowed. "OK, wait, hold on," he said, quickly. "Why don't you let her out, and we'll see what's going on?"

Tuesday brought her pokéball out and released the pikachu on the table. Tempest looked around, saw Tuesday, and huffed, crossing her arms and turning her back.

"When'd this start," Jaima wondered, peering at the pikachu curiously. Tempest growled at him, and chuffed, pointing her nose in the air.

"At least sense this afternoon, when I was trying to train Zorro-"

At the sound of the name, Tempest's hackles raised. "Chuuuu," she snarled, her lightning sacs iin her chees sparking and flaring.

"See," Tuesday said, worried and sad. She looked as if she were about to start crying.

"Well," Jaima started, earning a glare from the pokemon. "It looks like she resents Zorro."

"Chuuuuu..."

"But why," asked Tuesday plaintively.

Tempest saw her about to cry and chittered at Jaima. "PiKA! Pika pika chu pika..." she darted to Tuesday's hand and returnd to the ball.

"Well, I mean, you and Dante have been her team for exceptionally long time, and then, suddenly, this riolu shows up and seems to snap your attention away before she knows what's wrong.. Maybe she feels like she's lost a chance or lost you or something."

"Never," Tuesday cried. "No, that could never happen.

"Well, that's something you will need to convince Tempest of." Jaima stretched and yawned. "I think I'll go to bed. You OK," he asked, and Tuesday nodded yes. He stood, smiling, and kissed her forehead. "Good night. Hope I helped some."

"Good night, Jaima. You were a great help."

It was only when she was almost back to her room when she realized whst Jaima's explanation reminded her of. She peeked at Meiko, still asleep, and sighed. "Maybe it is jealousy..."


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Living Arrow
post Jul 18 2009, 12:24 PM
Post #16


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PANE: Darryn Kellor



While Jaima, Tuesday and Meiko amused themselves for the evening, Darryn turned his attention to his portfolio. Since starting out with his scabby Caterpie and fat feather deficient Pidgey he had managed to procure a set of impressive and beauty Pokemon that had proven their strength on more than one occasion. His main worry for them was not their skills in battling but whether or not he was actually contributing to his main goal - becoming a Fashion expert.

"OK... so for her next supplements I'll try... Spelon Spicy Poffin with Shuca Berry juice..." Darryn scribbled the next entry into November's dietary calendar and made a note of the changes that the Cheri berries had made to the lustre of her flames and sheen of her coat. With no reference to see what was considered "average" for a Ponyta Darryn had no true idea of how well he was faring with his equine acquisition but he was confident she was improving day by day.

Closing his notebook (which was bulging with inserted cuttings from magasines) Darryn let out a long sigh and relaxed back on the sofa, running his hands through his glossy red-brown hair. At what point had everything gotten so tiring? Back in the beginning everything seemed so much simpler and not one detail of his regime fell out of line. Now, hoever, he was hard pushed to update his progress reports and he hadn't had time to slow down once since leaving Gigarte. He watched Jaima and Joy talking across the waiting area before they split and walked their seperate ways.

*And how long has it been since you had a little romance?* Darryn's conscience laughed at him pitifully.

Shaking his head to himself, Darryn collected his fashion case together and clipped it shut, running a hand over Lady's back where she rested quietly at his side. She looked up briefly, blinked once, then lowered her head to her forepaws once more and closed her eyes.
Rising slowly from the cushioned seating, Darryn left his bags with a snoozing Lady and crossed over to the food court. In the late evening, the food being served was limited to only a few selections but Darryn wasn't hungry. He opted for just a diet coke and waited as the serving girl set to retrieving his order.

"Mawile ma!" A little voice squeaked up from his leg, accompanied by a tugging on his jeans. Darryn looked down to find a cute little tan face smiling up at him with intense happiness. "Wile mawile?"

"Err..." Darryn shrugged down at the Pokemon, not knowing what to say. "You want a drink, too?" He guessed.

"Ma ma!" The Pokemon bounced on the spot and buried her face into his shin. That was when Darryn sa the great dark appendage sprouting from the back of the Pokemon's head. Dark steely grey skin bulged out and down to the ground like an overripe pods of peas only this pod had razor sharp teeth. It was a truly bizarre sight. How could something so cute have such a menacing side to go along with it?

"Diet coke?" The server girl slid the carton across the counter.

"Er, can you make that two?" Darryn tossed some more Poké onto the counter as he bent down to offer the strange Pokemon a drink. She took it gratefully and giggled, sucking on the straw delicately and squealing with delight when she got a taste of the ice-cold drink.

"Thirsty, huh?" Darryn rubbed the Pokemon's head and gasped with pleasure as his hands made contact with ultra-soft fur. "And whoever your trainer is, she must get you the best conditioner on the market!"

"Actually, I make it myself."

"WHA!" Darryn stood up quickly and damned himself for being caught of guard in a public place. "S-sorry! I just found this Pokemon and she wanted a drink so I-"

"It's fine!" A dashing face grinned back and Darryn showing off pearly white teeth and a neat black haircut that screamed good taste. The trainer was a little older than Darryn but couldn't be more than around 20 - youth rang clearly in his features but experience shone through those beautifully bright blue eyes. And he smelled... Oh BOY did he smell! "Not every day a cute guy buys my Mawile a drink!" He laughed - a melodious sound that Darryn could have listened to for hours.

*Cute guy... ME!?*

"Uh, but I-" Darryn stammered.

*Damn! Don't be stupid! Be cool!*

"I think she's taken with you, y'know?" The trainer went on, bending down to lift the yellow bundle of joy into his toned... very very nicely toned... arms. Darryn gulped. "She doesn't just go tugging at the pants of just anyone."

"Uh..."

"And neither do I." He went on.

*Is this serious?! Surely this isn't right?! Me?! Here?! Now?!*

"Diet coke?" The server girl returned, sliding the second to Darryn. He hastily grabbed it and took a long drink, trying to buy any time he could to try and think of a decent reply for the hot pile of studly manliness stook next to him.

"Not going to get me one? Yikes, I must be losing it!" The guy rubbed pensively at his temple with a spare hand.

"NO!" Darryn yelped, almost choking. "I mean, no, I will get one - hang on!" He threw his wallet over the counter and left the server girl to it. She rolled her eyes and moved off once more.

"I'm Troy." The guy smiled again. Darryn stared blankly. "How about we sit?"

"Buh.. duh..." Darryn allowed himself to be led back to where lady was watching them with narrowed eyes. He sat awkwardly and felt bad when the server girl had to follow them over with his wallet and the final order. "I'm Darryn." He managed to get out through almost quivering lips, his heart racing quickly.

*Why now?! And why does he have to be hotter than me? That makes it so much harder!*

<The male lusts.> Lady informed him from her seat, her large brown eyes glittering dangerously.

"Darryn is it?" Troy smiled and drank a little, his icy blue eyes not leaving Darryn's brown. "So, tell me a little about yourself, Darryn."

And so Darryn's night began...

*****

When Darryn finally made it to the rom he was sharing with Jaima it was extremely late. The room was dark but not silent - one human and six Pokemon all rythmically breathing with the sounds of sleep was a rather special sound. Darryn tip-toed into his own bed, Lady joining him on the side of his pillow and curling up instantly, turning her back to him. She was sulking.

<Sleep well... Darryn.> She muttered to him petulantly. <We must focus for our battle tomorrow.>

Darryn heard her but could not listen as his focus was already completely elsewhere - his eyes fixed on a scrap of paper with a string of numbers on, held up to his face.


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Umbrae Calamitas
post Jul 18 2009, 09:47 PM
Post #17


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Tuesday's Pack



Tuesday sat on her bed, curled up in the corner with her arms wrapped around her knees. She was shivering uncontrollably, tears running down her cheeks. It was inevitable, she supposed. After the night that she had kept Jaima and Shadow up late and fallen asleep in Jaima's arms, she had slept as peacefully as a happy persian. Now, however, the exhaustion had been spent on a long night of sleep, and she was back to the original order of things.

Nightmares. Nightmares, and lots of them.

It's funny. You only dream for a few minutes, if that, and everything you dream is nothing more than flashes of images in your brain. Your own imagination and need for logic and an understandable timeline is what makes the series of images turn into a story in your brain. Unfortunately, this is true for nightmares as well as dreams, and Tuesday had the unfortunate bad luck to be equipped with a vivid imagination, and her nightmares were long.

She was having trouble waking up while in the midst of the horrid dream, and this curse upon her mind was keeping her trapped within the depths of a restless slumber, while she suffered through not one, but multiple nightmares.

They had changed, of course. New experiences and worries tended to do that to a person. Oh, the majority were still about Shadow, naturally, but there had been changes. For instance, in her dreams, he was a lucario as he was now, standing with an expression of firm resignation, staring down a herd of charging tauros and miltank.

But then, it wasn't always bovine. The dreams had taken on a serrated edge, and now Shadow was being trampled by a herd of angry pikachu, each of them snarling, fur standing on end as electricity frolicked like crickets through a field across their golden and brown bodies.

Sometimes, Shadow didn't look like Shadow, but like Zorro, and it wasn't a herd of pikachu - just Tempest. And Tuesday was there, trying to convince her rodent friend, one of her oldest companions, her most trusted comrades, that she would never be forgotten or left behind. She was trying to reason with her that nothing and no pokemon could tear them apart. Tuesday could love both Tempest and Zorro, but the pikachu couldn't understand this. She would ignore Tuesday completely, as though the girl had never spoken, and then she would attack Zorro.

The riolu would fight well, of course, dodging more than attacking as was in his nature, but no matter the power he used, no matter the maneuvers, Tempest was always faster, always stronger, and she always won.

And Zorro always died.

It wasn't that he fainted. Jaima had said that pokemon would faint in a situation where a human would be killed, but Zorro didn't have this benefit. Even the tiniest of sparks from Tempest was always strong enough to send him crashing to the ground, eyes lifeless.

Tuesday couldn't recall how many times or how many ways she had seen Zorro die by Tempest's rage. She couldn't remember which times she saw Zorro and which she saw Shadow, because at points, the two seemed interchangeable. Sometimes, she could distinctly tell Zorro apart - he seemed to glow with a faint blue color, like someone was shining a tinted light on him. But most of the time, she couldn't see the difference, and she didn't know if Tempest was killing her friend or Jaima's.

She just knew that Tempest always looked so pleased with herself afterward.

A hundred times, it could have been, that Tuesday watched the riolu, the lucario die. A hundred times, some by a pikachu, some by bovine pokemon, and sometimes... something else. Something that was neither rodent nor bovine, and Tuesday knew it was dangerous, but she couldn't identify it. She couldn't remember what it was, other than that it was bad, and it was coming.

But she couldn't remember, so it didn't matter, because her mind was too filled up with images of death, destruction, and betrayal. Memories, nightmares, dreams, what-ifs, and what-might-have-beens filled her to the brim, and then they spilled out of her in the form of tears, and Tuesday was sobbing uncontrollably, but keeping herself silent so as to not wake Meiko. Because she was being silly. She was being a child. She shouldn't be worried. She shouldn't. Everything was fine. Everyone was okay. No one was hurt.

But was no one hurt? Maybe something had happened. Maybe someone had been hurt and she just couldn't remember. Tuesday's arms tightened around her knees at the thought, and then she silently crawled out of bed and padded to the door in socked feet. She slipped into the hall and quietly closed the door behind her, before quickly moving over to what she knew to be Jaima and Darryn's room.

Tuesday hesitated outside of the room, her hand reaching for the door knob. Wasn't she being silly? Wouldn't Jaima or Darryn be mad at her for being so childish? She was on her adventure, and if not for having met Jaima, she would still be on her own. She shouldn't be acting this way. She should be grown up and act like an adult and stop crying over night terrors. It was a stupid, childish thing to do, and she should be ashamed of herself.

Pulling her hand away from the door, Tuesday slipped back inside her room and climbed silently back into bed. One glance at the other bed assured her that Meiko hadn't woken during her little escapade, and she was glad for it. She didn't need someone else losing sleep over her childish stupidity, and she refused to wake Jaima up and make him lose sleep over it again.

Wrapping the blankets around her, Tuesday pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Tempest hadn't come out of her pokeball since their talk with Jaima, and Tuesday didn't want to call her out, since Tempest was obviously mad at her. She couldn't deny the fact that she missed the pikachu, though, whose presence had always been a comfort when she was sleeping in a strange place, or after a nightmare.

Tuesday felt her eyes start to burn again, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to be home so she could run into her brother's room and sob into a familiar hug. But Brone was miles upon miles away, and with her gone, he could worry about himself, and take the medication he so desperately needed. Cassandra was there taking care of him, making sure that he was healthy and safe, and Tuesday was a big girl and had to take care of herself and stop being a baby.

So she wrapped her arms around her knees and curled into a ball under the covers. She tried to still her shivering and lie still, but not even she had strength enough to will the tears to stop falling. She closed her eyes and let her mind drift, as she begged for a peaceful sleep.

She fell immediately into a nightmare, and throughout the remainder of the night, woke up randomly to numerous nightmares involving Shadow, Zorro, a herd of bovine, and a thousand pikachus with Tempest's angry face.

This post has been edited by Umbrae Calamitas: Jul 26 2009, 09:33 AM


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Master Houndoom
post Jul 20 2009, 02:18 PM
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Jaima awoke, feeling his body jerk as if catching himself from falling, even though he was in the center of the bed and surrounded by pokémon. Grondir and Ember remained on the floor, and Shadow leaned in a corner, eyes closed, arms crossed, snoozing. His body, however, was tense as if any small sound would wake him fully.

Fang lay behind Jaima's knees, large enough now that he fit into the crook fully instead of taking a small space at the angle created. Tsunami lay at his feet, on her back, her massive flippers behind her head. Her wide mouth opened and closed as if she were snoring, but all that came out of her was a light gurgling noise that was almost soothing.

Mercury lay near his head, as she always had, and she was twitching. Her eyes were scrunched closed, and she whimpered softly. She was not speaking or projecting mentally, but her actions showed exactly what was going on: She was having a nightmare.

Jaima reached out a hand and stroked her crest. She twitched away from it on contact, but then stilled, allowing him to touch it gently. Memories flooded him, of when he met her, the little ralts standing on the ground in front of a floating apparition of her gardevoir mother. He wondered about her. Mercury had shown him the event that lead to her death, but did she still live on in spirit, or had finding her daughter been the unfinished business that tied her to this world?

He wanted to send her the good thoughts, but he wasn't certain how. He didn't even know how he communicated with her mentally. It was Mercury that initiated any link that they had, and he always got the feeling that when he spoke to her mentally, it was more that she was listening than that he was making any sort of connection.

Still, he stroked her crest, tried to soothe her, and eventually fell back to sleep.

* * * * *

Meiko woke to the sun shining into her face despite the blinds she had pulled down. Her mind felt just like her tongue: coated in slime and making everything sour. She remembered flashes of yesterday as if it were some kind of repeating loop in a bad movie; it was all Jaima and Joy and that stupid kiss they shared in the garden.

She was beginning to think she never should have come out in the first place. But there wasn't anything left to do for about a month back in New Bark, and she had been struck with a sudden desire to see Jaima and figure out once and for all exactly why the boy had stayed on her mind for so long.

She had built it up in her head without even intending to. She would find him, since his mother had given her the GPS code to track him by. A little stalkerish, but she fully intended to call him before meeting him. It was pure luck that she had been distracted by the commotion on the mountain and he had been part of that commotion. They would talk, and relive old times, and...

This part always changed. He would fall in love with her instantly, or, because that was silly, they would just be really good friends, or something would happen that would make him want her around. He certainly wouldn't be kissing some other girl.

And why a Nurse Joy?! They were everywhere! Meiko scowled into her pillow. Did Jaima have some kind of crush on the nurse family, and was just waiting to get older, or find one young enough? Did she ever have a chance?

She sat up, no longer willing to stew over it. If that's what he wanted, more power to him. She could get Bloodwing to Fly her back to the port, and catch the very first boat to Johto.

The thought caused her heart to drop horribly in her chest, but it was better to get it done with than it was to dwell on it.

Sitting up caused the blanket that had been placed over her to fall to her waist, but is still took a second for her to realize that she had not gotten the blanket herself. She was on top of a fully made bed, and still in her clothing (which included her shoes, much to her disgust). She looked over at the next bed. Tuesday lay there, her back to the room, her riolu perched on the bedpost, watching her.

She walked over and knelt, looking at the riolu for a moment before looking at Tuesday. The girl was so quiet. It was a wonder she had said anything at all, but she was beginning to like the girl. It was definitely nice that there was another girl around. Well, two, if Darryn counted, she thought with a mental giggle.

This one was an enigma, but she was sweet in her own way. Sometimes Meiko didn't know if Tuesday lacked confidence or was simply too smart to speak up sometimes. And she had been so absorbed in studying Grondir that Meiko had been loath to interrupt, even though she wanted to rant and rave about Jaima.

Stupid Jaima...

Meiko reached out and tentatively touched Tuesday's hair. "Thanks, honey," she whispered, then stood to shower and change.

Maybe she'd wear the tank top and shorts today. That would show Jaima.

* * * * *

Mercury did *not* feel good. If one could be nauseous in their head, that would be Mercury. She couldn't even think about breakfast, yet she ate, just to make sure Trainer Jaima wasn't worried.

Shadow, however, was another matter. Every time she tried to steal a glance at him, he was already looking at her, curiously, and concerned. It would have been flattering if not for the concern! Now it was just disconcerting.

She looked over and saw Zorro, who was half watching over Tuesday not eat her breakfast, making a mocking imitation of Shadow's concerned gaze. It was annoying, and she secretly cheered when Dante smacked the riolu in the head.

She felt like she was wrapped in gauze that had been soaked in alcohol. It was hard to concentrate, to think. She knew something was wrong. She knew, for example, that Tuesday was more tired than a full night's sleep should account for, and that Darryn was happy, but she knew by their physical presences, not by their psychic ones.

What if she was losing her powers?

She pushed the bowl away. She wasn't hungry anymore.

* * * * *

Meiko dreaded this moment. How many times had she heard her mother say it. "Tromping about in the wilderness isn't ladylike Meiko! You need to be more ladylike."

Never mind the fact that she was the biggest fan of Clair, who had herself admitted that she spent a lot of time in the wilds before she decided to become a dragon type trainer in Blackthorn city.

Hypocrite.

But she was going home. She'd decided that she simply couldn't stay around anymore. She wasn't eligible for the league challenge because she hadn't completed Johto's league, and one couldn't work on two leagues at once, could they? It didn't matter. There were only four gyms here.

So she made the call, and, in an instant, her mother was on the vid screen. As usual, she didn't let Meiko talk at first.

"Meiko-chan!" Her mother's face was round, but not flabby, and her eyes were squinched tightly shut in glee. Her eyes were narrow usually, so it gave her the look of one of those meowth statues put in Chinese shops for luck. "Are you still on that horrid island? Are you still at Arasam? I've sent you a present, you will absolutely adore it!"

Meiko never liked when her mother sent her a present she would "absolutely adore". For one thing, they invariably were pink or bright canary yellow. For another, they were always girly. Meiko liked being a girl as much as the next person, but her mother thought she should be a princess, or a nurse, or a ballerina. She had no intention of being a princessnurseballerina. She was going to be Meiko.

"It should be at the pokécenter now! Meiko it's perfect! Her name will be Precious-"

"Precious?! Mom, what did you do?" Meiko rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"I sent you a pokémon egg! It's just about to hatch!"

Meiko looked up, mortified. "Hatch? How close is it to hatching, mother?"

Sending a pokémon egg through the computer wasn't necessarily harmful to the egg, anymore than sending a pokémon was harmful to the pokémon. But sending an egg that was close to hatching caused problems, because either the egg could be left in the computer at the other end, which would stall the hatching process, or the egg, rarely, could hatch in transit.

"Don't speak to me that way young lady!" Meiko's mother's face lost its happy look. "I had to get it to you before you tromped off to another town!" She sniffed disdainfully, fully prepared to launch into a diatribe about how "unladylike" her journies were, but Meiko cut her off.

"Mom, you can't send an egg when it's about to hatch! You can cause hatch defects, or personality problems, or even worse, you can stillborn the egg!"

"Meiko, I will not have you-"

"Hello, Omura-sama," came a male voice from behind Meiko. She turned, her heart leaping in her chest, and saw Jaima, then turned back to her mother, trying to school her features. With any luck, her mother would assume that she was still angry about the egg and not at Jaima.

"Jaima!" Her mother had gone quickly from angry to shmoozingly happy at the sight of Jaima. "Meiko had hoped to run into you in Furoh. How is your journey going?" Unlike Meiko, Mother Omura approved of Jaima's journey. In him she say no need to be ladylike.

"It's OK. A few bumps in the road, but pretty good otherwise." Meiko knew better. He'd had two pokémon stolen and something worse had happened recently, but she could hear in his voice that he wasn't being modest. He knew full well if he'd told her, she'd tell Midori Kuonji and worry her needlessly.

"Oh, Jaima, I wish you'd talk Meiko into coming back home. It's so wild out there. No place for a lady..."

Jaima smiled politely. "Oh, Meiko's fine, ma'am. She's an excellent trainer." Before Meiko's Mother could protest, Jaima went on. "What's the problem, though? I heard a commotion."

Meiko blushed. Trust Jaima to be discreet. And he'd complimented her!

"Oh, Meiko's raising a fuss because I sent her an egg. It's almost ready to hatch, and I wanted Meiko to be the first thing Little Precious saw!" She beamed, and Jaima, Meiko could tell, had to fight not to roll his eyes.

"Um... Ma'am, it's not good to send an egg that's about to hatch. Once you feel movement, you should wait until the shell is off. Except with Togepi, because they wear the bottom parts."

Meiko's mother paled. "Meiko... said, I mean... I thought she was just fussing..."

Meiko saw red, which promptly drained from her vision within seconds. "Oh, ma'am, you should listen to her. She definitely knows her stuff." He smiled, genuinely, and Meiko looked at him wide eyed. "We need to go find the egg and see if it's OK. Good to see you, ma'am!"

The connection broke, and Jaima pulled Meiko to the Nurse' station.

"Joy," Jaima called, attracting the attention of his (Meiko felt a surge of jealousy just thinking it) girlfriend over. The training nurse looked down and scurried over. "Is there an egg in the back for a Meiko Omura?"

Joy's lips pressed together, but Jaima raised his hand. "Her mom sent it. She didn't know it was dangerous to send them this close to hatching." Joy's face softened slightly, and she even gave Meiko what looked like a sympathetic look (the hussy!). She went to the back, then came forward, setting the egg in front of Meiko.

As feared, it was bright pink with a red bottom. It was wiggling wildly now, and as the three teens watched, the egg burat open to reveal a tiny egg shaped pink pokemon.

"Happiny!"

Meiko almost groaned in frustration, and Jaima, smiling, had picked up the card that had been taped to the egg. "To Meiko, from kaasan, take care of Precious."

The happiny looked in wide eyed, undisguised revulsion at Jaima, then at Meiko. "Ny?!" It asked, incredulously.

There would have been more from the hatchling, except with a tiny cry or "ratta!" A recently hatched Ratata launched itself at thew baby. Meiko and Jaima whirled, too slow to react, but the happiny spun, raise a tiny arm, and Pounded down on the ratata's head. "HAP! Ny happi ny pi ni!"

Meiko, for the first time, grinned. "Right. You're staying, then!"

* * * * *

A green bird dropped an envelope in a flowery script on Jaima's bed, then fluttered off to deliver a note to, and wait for, his master's son's adopted sister.

This post has been edited by Hungry Hungry Houndoom: Jul 20 2009, 02:38 PM


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As of January 29, 2010, at approximately 7:50am CST, 2gamers helped me complete my pokedex!

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Living Arrow
post Jul 20 2009, 04:46 PM
Post #19


Team Rogue: Pidgeotto
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Member No.: 814

PANE: Darryn Kellor



“I feel pretty! Oh, so pretty! I feel witty and pretty and-”

“Good morning, Daz.” Troy’s silky, firm, melodious voice sounded from behind Darryn as he sang and danced down the Pokemon Center steps. His feet tangled in their desperate attempt to stop him from making anymore of a fool of himself and, as a result, he fell. Arms windmilling, Darryn’s mouth worked circles of shook as the marble entrance way floor rushed up to meet him…

“Urh!” Darryn gasped, the floor halting its assault several feet from his face. He blushed furiously, turning his head up to see that beautiful smile and perfect hair, immaculate teeth and dazzling eyes that he had been appreciating the night before. Those very… very nice arms held him steady – one clasping his elbow, the other wrapped intimately around his waist. Darryn gulped.

“I’ve heard of guys falling head over heels but seriously?” Troy laughed, easing Darryn back to his feet and grinning broadly. Where his hands left Darryn's body, goosebumps remained in their wake. “You’re in a good mood,” the young man continued, “have a pleasant evening?”

Darryn was stunned. There were no words. NO. WORDS.

“What’s that?” Troy peered intently downwards. Darryn gasped.

*NO! NOT NOW!*

Troy’s hand whipped down and Darryn almost died. Almost. The death process didn’t have time to complete as the hand came up just as quickly with a piece of paper held delicately between strong fingers. A piece of paper with a number on it… Now, Darryn had had no idea Troy (or anyone else for that matter) would be around to witness him singing and dancing with the number of a pretty boy as the object of his elation. Embarrassment levels had officially hit a new high for young Kellor.

“It’s nothing!” Darryn yelped, whipping the paper off Troy and stuffing it into his pocket. “Just a new recipe for a scale-conditioner I’m coming up with for reptilian Pokemon… nothing else!”

“That’s funny…” Troy held a finger to his chin. “I could have sworn it was my number… I must have been mistaken.” He stuck his tongue out playfully at Darryn and punched him in the shoulder. “You sad prat.”

“Uuh…”

“Buy me breakfast.” Troy dictated, throwing an arm around Darryn’s shoulders and leading him towards the cafeteria.

*****

“And so I’m going to make it as far as I can in the Furoh League to prove to the world that beautiful Pokemon can be some of the strongest Pokemon around and not just ornaments to put on a shelf.” Darryn concluded, taking the final bite of his French toast and sitting back in the comfy booth chair.

“I see,” Troy shoved another mouthful of bacon into his maw and chewed quickly. Somehow the older guy had managed to eat around three times the amount Darryn had and yet remained just as slim – he would have to lead a very active lifestyle to be able to maintain that sculpted figure. Darryn himself had a strict fitness regime and watched what he ate far more closely but they both seemed twinned for body dimensions. Well, Troy was a little more muscular – especially in the arms. “And your first gym battle is today?”

“Yep!” Darryn ran his fingers over the icy condensation on the glass of orange juice between them. “I wasn’t ready back when I started in Gigarte but I’ve been in a lot of tough battles now to realise that I’ve got to start somewhere and Arasam is as good a place as any.”

“Oh, really?” Troy sat back and raised an eyebrow. “Arasam is quite the pinnacle of Pokemon Training in Furoh – maybe you should try over on Fidona for your first gym?” He leaned closer and lowered his voice with fake dramatisation. “I hear they practically give away badges over there!”

“Pfft.” Darryn snorted and drank the remnants of his morning meal. “The Arasam Gym will give up my first badge – you’ll see.”

“So, you’re inviting me to watch?” Troy surmised, putting his cutlery together. “Such a blatant date request and we’ve known each other less than a day! Wow, you’re forward, alright!”

“Wait! No! I mean I didn’t mean it like that!” Darryn waved his hands. How could he have been so stupid and sound so pushy like that?! He chewed the insides of his cheeks in a futile attempt to stop himself from ever speaking again. It failed. “I’m not forward! But you can come if you like… Only if you want to! I’m not being pushy or anything! And my friends will be there anyway!”

“Friends?” Troy quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, the ones I said about last night – I’ve been travelling with them.” Darryn confirmed, scanning the cafeteria for any of them. “They’re here somewhere…”

“Oh right… This Jaima dude.” Troy stressed the name quite deliberately. “You two close?”

“Uh, sort of.” Darryn arched his neck. Where were they? “We met back in Gigarte and we travelled together down to Lenoilia… Then we split up a little while before he came to rescue me on Mount Carello. I’d say he’s my best friend in all of Furoh, to be honest. We have different ways of training but he’s taught me a lot about Pokemon since I started out – I’m lucky to be travelling with him.”

“Oh, really?” Troy folded his arms. “So you two are… partners?”

“I guess you could say tha-… NO!” Darryn nearly coughed up an entire lung, holding himself back from saying something stupid yet again. “No way! Jaima’s just Jaima! I’ve never even thought of him like that! ‘Sides – he’s totally got the hots for this Meiko girl who showed up the other day. I don’t want to sound like a gossip or anything but there is definitely something going on there.”

Troy’s obvious relief was written in luminescent ink on his lightly tanned, flawless face. Darryn held in a laugh so as not to make the guy feel uncomfortable but inside he was laughing uncontrollably.

“Just as well then.” Troy began to rise from the table. “I wouldn’t want to make you a two-timer, would I?”

“Two-timer?” Darryn quirked an eyebrow.

“Well, duh! First date and all.” Troy rolled his eyes. “Keep up, Daz-man.”

“But I!”

“I’ll see you at the gym. Eleven a.m., sharp.” Troy winked and swaggered towards the door. His Mawile, Mawwie, tottered out from under the table and rushed after him, giggling insanely. Lady watched them all from across the room - she had decided to sit with Tuesday for some reason to eather breakfast of Darryn's specialised canine crunch cereal. “You’ll look good in blue. Wear blue.” Troy dictated once more as he left the Center. Darryn watched him go with longing eyes, already wishing that he new ‘friend’ was on his way back to corner him into yet more embarrassing situations…

“Ooooooh!” Meiko crooned loudly from over Darryn’s shoulder. He jumped practically out of his skin.

“Meiko!” He yelled, holding a hand to his chest. “I nearly had a heart attack!”

“Someone’s got a boy-friend!” Meiko sang, plonking herself down on the seat across from Darryn with an enormous grin on her face.

“Someone’s trying to ha-ard!” Darryn sang right back, casting a very obvious look up and down the female trainer’s outfit. She followed his gaze and immediately began to turn beet red.

“Shut up!”

“You shut up!”


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Darryn Kellor ~ ~ PANE Moderator ~ ~ Lori Pardare
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Umbrae Calamitas
post Jul 21 2009, 11:18 AM
Post #20


Team Rogue: Espeon
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Tuesday's Pack



Tuesday sat at the table, staring down at her bowl of oatmeal. It didn't even smell good. Between the nightmares that continued to wake her up throughout the night and the thoughts that haunted her during her waking moments, Tuesday had managed a whopping four hours of sleep, and none of it seemed to help her at all. She felt more tired now than before she went to bed, and she had a headache that was making it hard for her to concentrate. The only she should could manage to focus on was the memory of the nightmares, which were either growing in intensity or just affecting her greater the more she had them. That was odd, too. You'd think after a while that she would be desensitized.

She hadn't wanted to go back to sleep, knowing that she would only fall into another horror flick in her mind, so she'd followed Meiko downstairs and into the cafeteria. Going through the line, she'd gotten some apple cinnamon oatmeal, but after two bites she'd found it only made her stomach feel horrid. She pushed the slop around with her spoon, but had no lingering desire to eat it, and the smell was starting to get to her, so she pushed the bowl away from her and buried her head in her arms on the table.

Beside her, Zorro and Dante were bickering, and Dante smacked the riolu upside the head again, but when she buried her head in her arms, they seemed to quiet. She could almost feel their concern rolling off of them, but she didn't look up. She didn't have the energy. She was just so tired...

She closed her eyes and, before she could stop herself, slipped into sleep.

~*~


Zorro was getting really sick of being smacked in the head. He turned and glared at Dante. "Stop hitting me!" he snarled.

"Then stop being so disrespectful!"

"I'm not being disrespectful!"

"You're mocking Shadow," Dante growled.

"He needs to lighten up a little and stop worrying so much about Mercury."

"That's none of your concern," Dante said, and poked Zorro lightly in the chest with a claw. "Now back off."

Zorro sighed. "Fine," he huffed. "But you're being too serious, you know. You need to lighten up, which is weird, 'cuz I figured that you fire-types would be all too light and fiery."

Dante rolled his eyes. "Can it, furball. We've got more important things to worry about right now than who's a hardass."

"Language, Dino," Zorro said with a grin.

Dante huffed but didn't reply. Instead, he turned to see Tuesday with her head in her arms, laying on the table and ignoring her breakfast. Reaching out, he touched her arm with a gentle claw, his face a mask of worry. "I don't like this," he muttered.

"The nightmares are getting worse," Zorro admitted, his face falling from the mask of mischief for once, replaced with worry. "Do you know what they're about?"

Dante shook his head. "No. She doesn't say anything to me." He was worried, too, though. She wasn't sleeping enough, and she was jumping at shadows. He didn't know what to do, though. He had no idea what the nightmares were about - just that they were bad. And for whatever reason, Tempest was no longer sleeping outside of her pokeball with Tuesday like she had before. That had always helped, but there seemed to be some distance between the two now.

"I've been watching her sleep," Zorro admitted, seeming to know what Dante was thinking.

"You can sleep with her," Dante suggested. "It might help."

Zorro nodded. "Okay."

Tuesday jerked suddenly and sat up with a quiet gasp. She nearly rocked back far enough to throw herself from the bench, but managed to catch herself in time. Her teeth were clenched tightly together to keep herself quiet, but Dante and Zorro had only heard her gasp because they had better hearing than humans. They didn't look to see if any of the other pokemon had heard her. Dante put his claw on her arm in a manner that he hoped was reassuring and not frightening. Tuesday didn't flinch away, but her eyes held a haunted quality that had become common of late, lingering long after the nightmares were escaped.

Zorro whimpered softly and nuzzled her hand with his head. This seemed to pull Tuesday back into reality, and she rubbed Zorro's head with her hand, scratching his ears. "Hi, pal," she whispered, but her voice sounded weak. "Don't let me fall asleep, okay?"

Dante frowned at this, but said nothing. Zorro just hugged her, which seemed to calm Tuesday more.

~*~


A few moments later, Jaima walked over and Tuesday met his gaze. "Hey, Tuesy, we're heading to the gym. You ready?"

Tuesday nodded. "Yeah," she said, forcing some excitement into her voice, though the nightmare still lingered in her mind. She stood up, with Dante following, and Zorro leaping up to sit lightly on her shoulder. He hugged her head softly, and Tuesday relaxed. She smiled at Jaima. "Okay, let's go."

~*~


The walk to the gym was uneventful. Jaima and Darryn had decided that Darryn would challenge the gym leader first. As they neared the gym, however, Darryn seemed to look a little glum. Tuesday didn't have the heart to ask, though. She didn't think she could concentrate long enough to hear his answer. Shadow was walking beside Jaima, and every time Tuesday looked at him, the nightmare flashed back in full force. So she decided to stop looking around her and simply stared at the ground as she walked, dragging her feet.

She entered the gym without really looking around and didn't watch as Darryn's battle began. She knew from listening that Meiko had sat down near her, and Jaima was adamantly watching the battle, occasionally talking to his pokemon. Trying to push aside both her exhaustion and the lingering memory of the memory, Tuesday raised her head and watched the battle between Darryn and Otis progress.

This post has been edited by Umbrae Calamitas: Jul 21 2009, 11:17 PM


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