[X] My Assistant

[Erik Nolastname]

At that moment, his radio crackled and Richie's voice suddenly caught Daniel's attention. He turned and took it from his pocket and when he looked back at Helena, she had already disappeared once more.

"Richie?" he asked it, both refreshed and surprised to hear his partner's voice. "Where in the world have you been? We need to talk, we have a lot of prob-- Wait, are you crying?"

Daniel heard Richie hold back sobs through the occasional static. He assumed he already knew what happened.

"I'm on my way to our room, meet me there." Daniel finally said. He hesitated to speak of the Rebels or the Rebel HQ through the radio lest somebody was listening.

----

Daniel sat on his bed, waiting for his partner. Looking around him, he felt empty that his Ghosts were no longer circling the air above his person.

[rt117]

Echoes from the outside world slowly began to fill Violet's ears as she heard voices nearby. She slowly came to, finding some pain in moving the bandaged parts of her body. Her vision was a blur as she saw a figure standing nearby, sounding rather solemn as the sparkle of tears caught her attention.
A larger figure was closer to her, gray and unmoving, and she assumed that it was Storm.

She closed her eyes again, trying to remember why she was here. She remembered Sparx running towards her, trails of fire threatening to engulf him before she covered him up. Then the vortex of flame caught them both until she had managed to place her Pichu back into his Pokeball and bring out Storm to get her and Daniel out of there.

Little by little her vision cleared up and she saw Richie, who was speaking into a small device. She caught Daniel's last name in his words, and she snapped back to reality in a slight panic. She rolled her eyes to the side, seeing the bed next to her with the sheets displaced and untidy, and realized that Daniel had gone off somewhere.

Violet groaned slightly as she tried to push herself up, the bandages protecting her wounds restricting this. "Richie...?" she asked rather quietly, causing Storm to shift closer to her in relief of Violet's well-being

[Erik Nolastname]

Helena entered her motel room with tears. Ran and Cha hurried to her side as she closed the door behind her and fell down on the floor, half-sobbing. A woman's distorted voice sounded from a dark corner of her room.

"Well done, Helena," it said, through a flutter of wings. Helena straightened herself and dried up her tears. "Now, there is one last thing I need you to do."

----

A faint scent caught the attention of a Houndour at the old Magma warehouse, causing it to sit up from lying down on the floor. His partner, a Magma Grunt, noticed this and peered outside the guard quarters trying to spot what was wrong.

King and Queen seemed to sense a familiar presence but their glass prison prevented them from knowing who it really is. The guard heard scuffles outside and ordered his Houndours to investigate.

Two small and brown figures scurried out of the corner of one of the crates and disappeared. The Houndour chased them only to find a lone Furret waiting for him. With its little paws, it blew a kiss at the Houndour causing the Pokemon to feel a welcome warmth across its body. For some reason, he became completely infatuated with the Furret that all intentions of hurting the strange Pokemon vanished instantly. From afar, he heard the voice of the Magma Grunt calling him but he couldn't stay away from the Furret. He needed to be with it for as long as he is alive.

"What are you doing?" another Grunt asked. "Get back to your post, reinforcements are coming soon."

"Brawler's disappeared."

"Stupid Houndour, always taking off. Go back to your post, I'll look for it."

The Grunt went back inside the guard shack and was shocked to find the glass pens holding their captive Shuppet and Misdreavus missing.

----

"If you can't find Daniel, then I'll make him come to us." The distorted woman's voice said as Helena returned to her quarters placing King and Queen's containers in a corner of her room.

A lone Chatot flew from out her window and southwards from Noverus.

----

"What's taking Richie so long?" Daniel murmured to himself. His last contact with his partner was almost two hours ago and he was still waiting inside their quarters. "Come on, Richie. We don't have much time left."

Suddenly, he heard static coming from the PokeNav* Helena gave him. Examining it closely, he found out that it was still broken.

"That's weird," he thought. "I could have sworn I heard you click."

The PokeNav vibrated, surprising Daniel who dropped the device on his bed. He took a pen from his bedside table and prodded the PokeNav lightly. Did it move? He wasn't sure. He proceeded to nudge it a little harder with the pen. It moved. It did move!

Daniel tried to touch the PokeNav with a finger and the device moved again, this time sending out a faint electrical charge that shocked the boy, causing him to let out a soft shriek.

Then he heard voices from inside the PokeNav, pre-recorded words from a thousand different people, speaking from the device itself.

"wHaT dO YoU tHiNk YoU'rE dOiNg?" it said.

"Did you just speak?" Daniel asked it, all the while considering the possibility that he might be going out of his mind.

The electronic voice spoke again, "WeLl WhAt Do YoU tHiNk I'm DoInG?"

"I'm sorry, but what exactly are you?"

Back when Daniel Morgan first arrived in Noverus (Looking for Aid), his PokeNav got waterlogged and dysfunctional. He left the device in the Pokemon Center and continued the adventure with his new found friends. During one of Helena's investigations (not told in Looking for Aid), she went to the Pokemon Center and came across Daniel's PokeNav. She took the device and kept it.

For more information regarding Daniel's PokeNav, please check this post. Thank you!

This post has been edited by Daniel Morgan: Feb 9 2010, 12:13 AM

[Protoman]

With a thump from the door opening widely, Richie walked inside the room, breathing heavily.

"Sorry it took me so long," Richie stated, half apologizing, "I had to check on Violet's condition. Anyway," Richie pulled out a blueprint of the warehouse that held the shipment of Secret Potions. "'I snagged this bad boy from a Grunt earlier today. He was tough to convince, but he gave up the goods." Richie pulled out a Dive Ball, tossing it around a little, even bouncing it off of his elbows and knees like a hackey sack.

"wHaT dO YoU tHiNk YoU'rE dOiNg?" A metallic voice called in frustration.

"Practicing one of my ski-whoa!" Richie reacted to the voice talking out loud. Apparently, Daniel's PokeNav was fixed...somewhat...Richie looked at the device, then back at Daniel and simply shook his head in confusion. "Okay, what's going on here? I wanna know now!"

[Erik Nolastname]

"Is that all you can say?" Daniel asked the weird voice from his PokeNav. The device vibrated as if in answer to his question.

He turned and faced Richie. The PokeNav mystery can wait, he decided. He gave his partner a pleased look as he took the blueprints and examined it.

"At least you accomplished more than I did," he finally told him. "You've been to see Violet? How is she? I suppose now you would want to know what happened?

"I tried to gather information about our target yesterday, but everything ended in disaster. I managed to get inside the warehouse but," Daniel paused, his voice cracking.

"Team Magma discovered my stake out and well, I lost King and Queen. I couldn't do anything. If Violet didn't arrive, I would probably be on my way to The Keep by now. She saved me, and I repaid her by putting her on that hospital bed. I don't know how I'll ever show my face to her. I left her a token of my gratitude, I hope she gets it when she wakes up.

"What I did discover was Team Magma somehow developed a new kind of Pokeball. Apparently, it can capture any Pokemon easily, even ones that were already captured by other trainers. We need to warn our superiors about this. As far as I remember, it's not complete yet because I can tell King and Queen were able to struggle, although ineffectively, from inside of it. I don't know what would happen if they manage to mass produce this special kind of 'Magma' ball.

"These blueprints are a great help, although we're going to have a harder time now. I'm guessing Team Magma suspects that people are after their shipment, I remember one of the guards calling for reinforcement. We can say goodbye to the warehouse's light security. I don't know how many guards are added.

"Look, Richie, I want to apologize," Daniel said, turning his back to his partner. He didn't want him to see his face. "I screwed up. My recklessness put the whole operation in jeopardy.

"I don't know yet where King and Queen are but I promise I will put this mission on top priority. I hate to admit it, but the search for my Pokemon will have to wait. I don't know how I'm going to be of any help without them, but you have my word that I will try my best."

The PokeNav buzzed loudly, catching Daniel's attention. Then in the same mechanical voice which was beginning to annoy Daniel, it asked a question which almost made the trainer throw the device outside the window.

"wHo Is KiNg? WhO iS qUeEn? ArE tHeY iMpOrTaNt?"

[rt117]

Violet laid silently on the bed, left to herself with Storm after Richie disappeared, leaving her to her thoughts. She was slowly recovering, able to move her arms now without pain, however she was still unable to move from the bed until she fully recovered.

She spied her Pokeballs on the table, and grabbed one, releasing Sparx. He appeared in a dazzling light at the foot of her bed, glancing around in confusion for a few moments at the change in scenery until his attention turned to her. Violet smiled as she saw he was not badly hurt, though the same could not be said for her.

Sparx carefully manouvered around her while on the bed, until he sat by her head, a saddened expression on his face. It was clear he remembered those events as well.

"Don't worry about me." she told him, noticing his sadness. "What's done is done, and all that matters is that we all made it out." She reached over slowly and rubbed him behind his ears. "I hope now you see why it's important to be able to fight, and not flee from danger." Violet added, remembering his earlier unhappiness to such a situation.

Sparx nodded and jumped onto Storm's back, who only shifted slightly in response to his friend's choice of seating. The sudden electrical sparks that jumped from the Pichu's body brightened the room momentarily, and the Rhyhorn underneath him was unmoved by the discharge as he was immune to the electricity showering him from above.

Violet noticed a cloth from the corner of her eye, and slowly turned her head to see that Nurse Joy had left something on the nightstand for her. It was a piece of cloth, Violet recognizing it to be from Daniel's uniform.

Daniel.

Violet sat up and remembered that he had left, along with Richie. She desperately wanted to find him, to see if he was alright. After all the last time she saw him he was still suffering from the loss of his two Pokemon.

Realizing she was going nowhere anytime soon however, she laid back down on the bed, cursing her injuries. She had a favour to ask Richie the next time she saw him, and hopefully he would accept.

[Protoman]

The following scene has been done within Yahoo Messenger.

Richie noticed how glumDaniel's expression had become. His lower lip drooped down to his chin, causing Richie to begin to feel sorrow for his friend. Out of the sheer kindness in his heart, Richie began to try and comfort his friend.

"wHo iS KiNg? wHo Is qUeEn? ArE tHeY iMpOrTaNt?" The possessed PokeNav blared loudly before getting a cold stare from Richie. Richie sighed deeply as he looked at his friend with concerned eyes.

"Alright," Richie said, trying to comfort his friend as well, "tell me exactly what happened when you lost King and Queen."

"I don't know," Daniel began, his throat beginning to tighten and his words sounded more and more constricted, "All I know was, we were staking out, and suddenly Violet's Pichu came along, and next thing we know, the Grunts are banging at the door."

"Aw man," Richie said, immediately showing interest in what Daniel was talking about. "What did you do?"

"Well," Daniel stated before scratching his lush hair, "I sent King and Queen out first and tricked the Grunts, but when we went out, the Houndours got to them."

"Oh man," Richie shuddered slightly before regaining himself once more, "Houndours? How many of them were there?"

"There were three," Daniel answered softly, his emotions now beginning to get the better of him.

"Three?" Richie questioned with total curiosity. He now knew what their plan was, "shoot...so basically they cornered you first, right?"

"We were about to escape," Daniel began, his tears slightly drying up, "but... yeah, next thing I know, Team Magma's throwing their new balls at King and Queen, and I haven't seen them since." Daniel looked at Richie for a moment before staring at him suspiciously. "Where are you going with all this?"

"They..." Richie breathed out in almost a whisper before finally gaining his composure, "they almost caught Spunky not too long ago."

"No way," Daniel stated in total astonishment, "what did you do?

"In short," Richie said before stretching a little, " ran in front of the ball, preventing Spunky from being hit by it. The jerk-off then tried to kick me in my side, but apparently, he dropped his precious little ball and almost got himself killed for it.

"I had him pinned to the wall, so he gave me the blueprints for the warehouse that you were investigating. Still, I can't do this thing all on my own..."

"What do you mean?" Daniel said before looking back at Richie.

"Look, Daniel," Richie began before giving his pep-talk look. "I know losing King and Queen was hard, but that doesn't make you any less of an asset to this group." He paused and saw that Daniel was watching his every motion, not sure where Richie was going with this. "Not only that, but you're my friend too. So, if you get in trouble, I get in trouble, alright, amigo?" With a pat on the back, Daniel finally began to see things differently. With an extremely wide smile and eyes full of new found hope and appreciation, Daniel gave Richie a hug. Richie, not used to receiving hugs, slightly showed this, making Daniel let go.

This post has been edited by Protoman: Feb 12 2010, 02:01 PM

[rt117]

Violet stepped out of the Pokemon Center many hours later, feeling refreshed and good as new as she was finally released. She was still bandaged on her one arm which stretched from her shoulder to palm, but other than that she was free to walk and move as if she had never been burned.

Sparx stood next to her, still looking slightly worried about his friend's condition, and raced up her other arm to sit on her shoulder. She smiled and patted him lightly with her injured hand and smiled before glancing around the city.
"I wonder where they went off to..." she thought with a frown, hoping to catch up to them before they continued on whatever mission they currently had.

Violet especially needed to talk to Richie, to ask him about joining the Rebellion. Although she already had the ambition to do so when she was kidnapped almost a month ago, the flame in her was sparked again with this recent attack. And this time not only did Magma go after her, but after her friends as well, making her desire revenge even more.

She sat down on a bench near the Pokemon Center, hoping that she would spot one of them if they came to visit her again. She placed a book in her lap which she had borrowed from the Pokemon Center, and opened it up. Inside were illustrations and old stories about legendary Pokemon in the region of Hoenn. Violet had started to read the book while still stuck in bed, and had asked to borrow it for the time being, having become fascinated by these legendary Pokemon.

[Erik Nolastname]

The PokeNav rested on top of his desk, completely still and silent, its mystery kept safe within its small confines. Daniel stared at it as if watching it would reveal to him what it really is. Its green case glowed under the lamp of his light, making it look like it's some sort of valuable gem.

Daniel's thoughts began to swirl inside his head.

Helena was laughing at him while her twin Furrets held him down against a wall. Violet was screaming from afar while her Pokemon were being captured by Team Magma. Richie tried to fight away the increasing waves of Magma Grunts, but was soon drowned by their sheer mass. He saw glimpses of his Riolu and Growlithe as they disappeared into a red ocean of burning magma.

Then he saw his father, the aged Noctowl in his office carrying the old man on its back flying over Noverus. His mother's voice shouted by her Chatot was calling to her. The Noctowl glided down and he saw his father invite him back home.

"YoU'rE sTaRiNg."

"Huh?" Daniel said, his daydream ended abruptly by the electronic voice of his PokeNav.

"YoU'rE sTaRiNg."

"Sorry."

"YoU hAvE oNe NeW mEsSaGe."

"What?"

"aRe YoU gOiNg To MaKe Me RePeAt EvErYtHiNg I sAy tO yOu?"

"No, I'm sorry. Did you say someone is calling me?"

"aM i RiNgInG? nO. i SaId SoMeBoDy LeFt YoU a MeSsAgE."

"Why didn't you just tell me when they called me through Match Call?"

"Do YoU wAnT tHe MeSsAgE oR nOt?"

"Yes I do. Please, what's the message?"

In an instant, Daniel heard Helena's voice sound from his PokeNav. It told him, "Master Daniel, I've changed my mind. I can help you save King and Queen. Meet me tonight at our rooftop." The device clicked and silence wrapped Daniel once more.

"iT's A tRaP."

"What are you talking about? I trust Helena with my life."

The PokeNav didn't answer.

After a few minutes, Daniel changed his clothes and was about to leave when he heard the device call out to him. He hesitated, but decided to take it with him anyway.

"Hey Richie, I'm taking off. Call me on my radio if something comes up, okay?"

Richie nodded in response as Daniel ran off towards their meeting place, half hoping he wouldn't see Violet on the way.

[Protoman]

The following was a conversation between Violet(rt117) and Richie(Protoman).

With a nod for acknowledgment, Richie watched as Daniel darted to the door, soon making a left turn. Richie proceeded to just sit on the bed, finally deciding to leave the room as well. After locking the door, he turned towards the right, proceeding to leave the area. Once he began to leave, however, he spotted Violet, who seemed to be doing alright, minus the bandages on her arm.

"Huh?" Richie began before looking at Violet in total confusion, "Violet? You're better now!" Violet, spying Richie chuckled slightly, weakly smiling at his expression.

"Yeah," Violet said before examining her arm, "I hate being stuck in bed." She paused for a brief moment, trying to move the charred arm once more. "My arm is still in poor condition, though. That means that until it heals, I'm partially a mummy..."

"Eh," Richie shrugged to Violet's statement, finally responding to Violet's problem, "it could have been a lot worse."

"That's true," Violet said before looking at Sparx thoughtfully, "Sparx could have been hurt as well. However, I was able to act quickly and save him."

"Good," Richie said, almost uneasily, "did they get any of your Pokemon?"

"No," Violet responded in relief, "Storm and Sparx were the only two out of their Poke Balls at the time." Violet looked at the Pichu, smiling at the cute young mouse. "It's a miracle that Sparx wasn't captured by the brutes."

Only Daniel's Pokemon were caught? Richie thought to himself out of sheer confusion, "why did they only go after Daniel's Pokemon?"

"I wish," Violet began, catching Richie's attention with this, "that I could have done more to help him. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to do anything." Tears began to well up inside of Violet's eyes, making Richie shocked that she cared about all Pokemon so much. "When I got there, the Grunts had left and Daniel was all alone..."

"Oh man," Richie said silently, "poor Daniel..."

"I'm going to do," Violet said with a new found aggression, "everything I can to help him get them back though. I could never imagine going through what he did, and even though I couldn't help him back there, I'm sure I can help him now."

"Heh," Richie began before looking at Violet, "you know, for a second there, you almost sounded like a member of the Rebellion..."

"Yeah," Violet said to Richie, making him stop smiling abruptly, "that's something else I wanted to ask you. I had considered it before, but wasn't really sure until now... I want to join the Rebellion." Richie said nothing at all, turning his head from Violet. "What's wrong?"

"...I've already had," Richie began to inform Violet, "one of my friends hurt because of them joining..."

"Richie," Violet stated before walking up to him, placing her okay hand onto Richie's shoulder, "it could've happened even if he wasn't part of the Rebellion though. I want to help put an end to the reign of Magma and Aqua in this city, but I can't do it on my own. And Magma took away my father, so I have more of a reason to join."

"Well," Richie stated, placing a hand on his chin, "I dunno..."

"Please?" Violet asked innocently, batting her eyes in a girlish way.

"Firstly," Richie stated boldly, "that trick doesn't work on me. Secondly, I'm not entirely sure that you joining the Rebellion is a good idea...I honestly don't want to put anyone's life in danger, especially one of my friends."

"I'd still be in danger," Violet snapped, causing Sparx to jump slightly, "even if I didn't join. They want to know where my father is, and they think I know. If I didn't join then what? I'd probably be in even more danger because I wouldn't have the help I could get from the Rebellion."

"Violet, please!" Richie barked, rather agitated that Violet had demanded something from him. "You were protected by us before, and I told you that I'd help, but if you joining the Rebellion is what you want, then I'm gonna have to say no. Nothing you do is gonna change my mind."

"Fine," Violet sighed before slumping onto a bench. Almost giving up hope, Violet looks at Sparx sadly. Sparx hops up onto her lap and proceeds to give them both the chibi look of death, better known as Charm.

"Oh no," Richie said in an uneasy manner, "not that...anything but that..." Richie looked away from the Pichu, trying not to fall victim of the Charm technique being used. Sparx proceeded to move from Vi's lap, clambering up his shoulder and staring at him. Violet giggled slightly at the pairs antics.

"I think he wants to join too," Violet laughed as Sparx continued to look at Richie before hearing her statement. Sparx's proceeds to give a salute in response to her comment. With a sigh, he knew that he had given in to both. Richie looked at Violet, slightly cocking his jaw to the left side.

"Okay," Richie said, trying hard not to smile, "okay...just let me check out the warehouse that Daniel went to. Since I have the blueprints, it should be a lot easier. Once I come back with King and Queen, we'll get you all signed up, alright?"

"Ooh!" Violet squealed out of joy, "thanks Richie! I promise I won't let you down. Is there anywhere we should mee- Oh!" Violet stopped herself before she got too excited. "Daniel, is he okay? When i woke up he wasn't in the room and he left this for me." Without another word, Violet pulled out a small blue cloth with a bronze pendant on it. The blue cloth had smudges of soot and dirt on it, and the bronze color had began to dirty as well.

"What the..." Richie began before seeing the Rustboro insignia on the bronze medallion, "no wonder his clothes were so raggedy! He tore this part off." While stifling back a laugh, Violet looked at Richie longingly.

"So where is he?" she asked, ready to bolt to his location, "I really need to apologize to him."

"Well," Richie said placing his hand back onto his chin, "last I heard, he was headed to see Helena." Violet nodded, acknowledging this statement.

"I'll wait for him to return," Violet said before pacing slightly, "is there anywhere we should meet after you check the warehouse out?"

"Meet me here," Richie said, throwing on his hat and cracking his knuckles. "this won't take too long."

"Alright," Violet said, grabbing Sparx before Richie took off, "just don't let them get any of your Pokemon, alright?" With a smile being flashed, Richie turned towards where the warehouse was located and began to run forward. Meanwhile, the shadows flashed slightly, giving off a slight click.

"He's moving to the warehouse," a voice stated, smiling darkly to match its location, "be ready for him."

"Understood," another voice stated, this one coming from a walkie talkie. "What about his Pokemon?"

"They aren't important," the voice responded, "just prevent him from getting the shipment."

This post has been edited by Protoman: Feb 12 2010, 04:34 PM

[rt117]

Violet watched as her friend ran off, feeling slightly giddy inside as she was about to join the group which had the same ideas that she had, mainly the removal of the two tyrannical groups in Noverus.

"Well I guess we have some time to kill before he gets back, so for the meantime..."
Violet tossed her Pokeballs into the air, releasing Storm, Cinder, and Tikal, all of whom were happy to be freed from the cramped space that was their home.

We've got some time before Richie comes back." Violet spoke to them, Sparx jumping down to mingle with his fellow Pokemon. Violet then added, "And good news: we're now helping out Daniel and Richie to try and get rid of Magma and Aqua from this city once and for all!"

Her Pokemon responded with nods and cheers of agreement. They all had their dislikes with the two powers, Magma more than Aqua. Cinder however was probably one of the happiest though, as memories of their kidnapping were still fresh in his mind.

"Anyways, I thought we'd have some time to relax for awhile. Just stay close to here alright? I don't want anything to happen to you guys." Violet finished, before pulling the book back onto her lap and continuing to read.

Violet's Pokemon went to do their own things, with Tikal curled over Violet's shoulders and looking at the pictures while she read, Cinder sitting on her other side on the bench and acting as a lookout, and Storm was helping Sparx with better control of his Thundershock. Violet's Pichu had a nasty habit of hurting himself in the process of trying to zap others, and being the only one in the group who had an immunity to such element, they made a good practice pair.

[Erik Nolastname]

The afternoon sun made Daniel cast tall shadows against the concrete floor of the roof top where he waited for his babysitter. He walked around, unable to contain his excitement from the news he just received - she was finally going to help him save King and Queen, his two Pokemon who were captured by Team Magma a few days ago. Daniel looked down on the streets of Noverus' Rich District, ocassionally throwing glances at the rooftop's door, hoping Helena would come out of it.

From a distance, Daniel thought he saw a small bird hover above a large house before flying off and disappearing behind the clouds. Daniel gave a sigh, as he continued to walk around. Maybe he was too early? Helena did say they were to meet tonight and the sun has barely even set. Why did she change her mind anyway? First she didn't want anything to do with the matter, and now she's eager to lend him a hand.

He saw it again, the small bird was flying in his direction, too far to be recognized, but near enough to be spotted. He thought it was a Pidgey, as the bird glided through the air, disappearing behind a cloud once more.

Daniel remembered his PokeNav's warning. Is this a trap? How could it? Helena would never set him up like this. Besides, who could possibly want him captured? It's not like he's that important enough for Team Magma to orchestrate his kidnapping, and they are the only people he knew could be after him. Still, the little drop of doubt began mobilizing inside his head, increasing in size and strength like a snowball rolling on the side of a hill.

He remembered Helena's words that his mother was in Hoenn.

What was she doing here? Daniel decided to take out his PokeNav and Match Call his mother. The device didn't work and Daniel thought he could make it work by banging it against the palm of his hand.

"YoU sHoUlD rEaLlY lEaRn HoW tO aSk NiCeLy."

"Oh sorry," the boy said, realizing that this electronic device has somehow become sentient since last night. Against his better judgment, and after looking around to make sure nobody would see him talk to a PokeNav, he asked it to place a call to his mother, Josephine Paxton.

The device clicked and in an instant Daniel heard ringing on the other end of the line. A man's voice answered with a thick English accent the boy recognized belonged to Louis, their butler.

"Louis?"

"Good lord, is this Master Daniel?"

"Yes. Is my mother there?"

"Not at the moment. She went on the chopper this morning on her way to Noverus. Are you alright, Master Daniel? Did you escape Team Magma?"

"How did you know?"

"Well news of your kidnapping isn't exactly a secret here. Your parents are pulling all strings to try and rescue you from Team Magma."

"Team Magma kidnapped me?"

"Oh good heavens, please don't say you've joined them willingly?"

"I didn't. Did you say my mother is on her way to Noverus?"

"Yes, she left this morning. She's probably there by now. Helena has agreed to escort her around. Are you finally coming home, Master Daniel? I shall prepare your favorite meal, then."

"No, Louis. I'm staying here in Noverus. Why would you say that Team Magma kidnapped me?"

"It's what your parents have told everybody around here."

"But I wasn't kidnapped. Anyway, why is my mother in Hoenn?"

"She came here on the grand opening of the Lavaridge Paxton."

"I see. Louis, can you do me a favor-"

The device buzzed and ended the call.

"Hey, I was still talking."

"SoMeOnE's CoMiNg."

As soon as he heard it, the door to the roof top opened and Helena's intimidating figure monopolized Daniel's view.

"Are you ready, Master Daniel?" Helena said lazily, her silky voice maintaining its hypnotizing effect.

"Where are we going?" the boy asked, trying to hide the suspicion from his voice.

"To save your Pokemon, remember?"

Daniel's PokeNav vibrated as Daniel stuffed it inside his pocket. "Do you know where they are?"

"Team Magma has moved your Pokemon from their old warehouse to a safer location on the city outskirts. We need to move fast, before they try to transport your Pokemon once more."

Daniel followed his babysitter, the snowball of doubt in his head reaching gigantic proportions. Warily, he stepped off the rooftop and inside the building as he tried his best to remember when he told Helena that King and Queen were captured in the old warehouse. The now huge snowball stopped and shattered as the reality hit Daniel like a sledgehammer: he hadn't told her.

[Protoman]

With the sun being higher than usual, Richie hid behind a pair of crates, trying to spot any kind of opening for him to use. He looked slyly at the doorway, being surrounded by Magma Grunts, each one looking more disgruntled than the last. After swearing under his breath, Richie decided to try going around the back of the warehouse. Not three steps from his original hiding spot did he see one of the Grunts moving to his position.

"Oh crap," Richie muttered under his breath, hoping he wouldn't be seen. "Please tell me he's gonna just turn around." After the Grunt stopped right in front of the boxes, a zipper could be heard soon followed by the trickling sound of...Oh, that's just nasty! Richie thought to himself, preparing for the worst when it happened. This, however, wasn't exactly what he was expecting. With a frown on his face, Richie waited for the enemies to finally leave. Without another moment or idea to spare, he simply sighed and waited for something to come by and assist him in his sneaky mission.

[rt117]

From the rooftops the tiny silhouette of diamond-shaped ears could be barely seen in contrast to the sunlight. Sparx brought his head up over the ledge to look down upon the bustling warehouse, and cringed at the sight of a Houndour. Gripping onto the ledge tightly, he lowered himself back down onto the rooftop, and raced across and down a fire escape to return to Violet.

"Any luck in finding him?" Violet asked her Pokemon as he raced to her side, her other Pokemon safely in their Pokeballs. Sparx began to wave his hands around as he spoke before covering them over his head and hunching down.

Violet had learned that communication between people and Pokemon was a literal game of Charades, so it took her a few moments of thought to understand what he was saying. "So he's hiding there then?"

Sparx nodded in reply before jumping down onto the ground. Violet stood up as well and began to follow her small friend back towards Richie's position. He had told her to wait, but he had taken awhile now, which made her worry if something had gone wrong.

She spotted his crouched and barely visible form from her position, and with a nod down to Sparx, she watched as her Pichu bolted across the gap between her and Richie to tug on his sleeve and point back to where she was hiding.

This post has been edited by rt117: Feb 15 2010, 05:39 PM

[Protoman]

The following is a Dialogue done within Yahoo Messenger.

After seeing a small, black animal scamper towards him, Richie automatically thought he was busted. In a panic, Richie pulled out a Luxury Ball and prepared to open it.

“Who’s there,” Richie asked, slightly worried about being spotted by a Magma Grunt. After looking for a moment, Richie notices that the small animal was actually too small to do much of any harm to him. “What the…” were the next words that escaped from his mouth. The small, blackened Pichu sniffled a bit from the soot that coated it entirely. Finally, it waved its tiny paw towards an alleyway that was a good distance from his current hiding spot. “Are you trying to help me, little guy?” The Pichu shook his head vigorously before pointing to his arm and making a wrapping motion around it. Richie, still utterly confused, scratched his head, while trying to find out where the Pichu was going with all of this. “So,” Richie tried to finally figure out everything while maintaining his sense, “You want me to follow you into the alleyway?” The Pichu shook his head vigorously, running all the way back to where he came. Not too long afterwards, the Pichu returned with a sheet of paper in his mouth, handing it to Richie. Richie picked up the piece of paper and examined it thoroughly, reading the letter that Violet had made for him.

“Do you require any assistance? – Vi,” the note read. Richie smirked at the note and then the Pichu.

“You came all the way from the Pokémon Center,” Richie asked the small mouse, who nodded in response. His extremely large ears twitched slightly, keeping a lookout for any irregular sounds within the air. “Alright, take me to her.” Soon, the small Pokémon nodded and made his way towards the location of Violet, with Richie following close behind him. After finally making it to the alleyway, Sparx stopped, letting Violet step out of the shadows. This caused Richie to show an expression of shock in front of them both.

“I wanted,” Violet began, making Richie frown up slightly, “to make sure everything was going according to plan before I showed up.” Richie flashed a mean look towards Sparx, causing his large, perky ears to droop down in a sorrowful manner.

“Violet,” Richie growled through gritted teeth, “I thought I told you to stay put!”

“You were taking a long time,” Violet responded to Richie’s frustration, “I was worried that something went wrong so I came to check.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Richie hissed angrily, “I told you to stay put!”

“Okay,” Violet stood in front of Richie, trying to show courage in this situation, “and if I did stay and something happened to you, then what? That’s what happened last time…” Tears began to well up within the corners of her eyes, causing Richie to ease up a little bit. "...and because of that Daniel lost his two best friends. I'm not going to stand on the sidelines any longer."

"I'm not the same as Daniel," Richie told her plainly, noticing her beginning to cry softly. He sighed, knowing he was a sucker for tears. He placed his hands on Violet's shoulders, trying to comfort her. "Look, I know you're concerned about what might happen, and I appreciate that. Trust me, I can avoid any negative situation."

"I don't doubt your abilities," Violet said plainly, "but there's always a chance that even with your knowledge of a whole situation the worst possible outcome could occur. Richie, if something happened to you and your Pokemon, I could never forgive myself." Richie could feel the sorrow that she was feeling. He looked at the Luxury Ball and then back at Violet.

"I wouldn't blame you," Richie told her, trying to calm her down, "honestly, I'd blame myself for getting in that situation." Violet sighed deeply, signaling that Richie's attempts at calming her down were failing miserably.

"Maybe," Violet said, still not convinced, "maybe I can go back to where I was hiding. No one can sneak up on me thanks to Sparx's acute hearing." She sighed once more, "I just wanted to help instead of being helped." Richie pondered this for a brief moment, finally making his decision.

"Well," Richie began, catching Violet's attention instantly, "it's too little too late for that, Vi. You're here now, so we're gonna go ahead on with my plan."

"Great," Violet said excitedly, which soon changed to confusion, "and this plan is...what now?"

"A second shipment," Richie stated with a completely serious nature, "of the item that Daniel and I are looking for is headed to the warehouse...which now has a tight security system." He looked in Violet's direction, who smiled sheepishly, "once the truck gets here, we're going to sneak onto it. We're going on a rescue mission for King and Queen."

"Alright," Violet said, putting her hands together, "whenever your ready."

---

After roughly thirty minutes, a truck could be seen stopping near there location. Richie's eyes snapped open and he nudged Violet lightly.

"The truck's here," he said plainly, "look alive, Vi." With a nod, she stood up and prepared to follow Richie's orders. Immediately after the truck stopped, Richie rushed on board and took a knee at the back. He motioned for Violet to hurry and continued to hold his hand out. Violet soon gripped Richie's hand, allowing Sparx to scamper across their linked arms and grab a seat next to Richie. Richie began to pull Violet onto the truck, but as soon as he did, the truck began to move, causing her to fall on top of him as they boarded. The two stared at each other for a brief moment, with Violet getting off of Richie shortly after.

"Sorry," she said plainly, helping Richie sit up straight. He dusted his right shoulder off and adjusted his belt.

"Thanks," he smirked since she helped him back up, "and now we wait."

"Shouldn't we go farther back," Violet asked, trying to give a good idea or two, "you know...to prevent ourselves from getting spotted too easily?"

"Sure," Richie responded, making Violet seem pleased with herself, "I guess so." Without another word, Richie, Violet, and Sparx made their way to the back of the truck, putting their backs against the crates that were back there.

"So," Violet looked intriguingly at Richie, since she knew half-to-nothing about what was going on, "what are we looking for?"

"When we find it," Richie said in a plain manner, "you'll know." Violet nodded and sat back against the crate. Richie proceeded to bow his head to try and get a quick nap in.

"Richie," Violet said, attracting the attention of the Rebel.

"Yeah?" Richie responded plainly.

"Where are you from," Violet asked, which caused Richie to open his eyes and look at her. "I don't remember you telling us that part about yourself."

"I'm from the Johto Region," Richie responded, his heart starting to feel slightly heavy from mentioning it again. "Back when I lived there at first, we were in a time of crisis. Everything's alright now."

"Oh okay," Violet said, interested in what Richie had to say about his home. She would have asked him more, but he looked rather exhausted from his previous escapades.

---

After thirty minutes of riding, Richie and Violet felt the grinding of the brake pads against the large tires of the truck. As it eased to a halt, Richie's eyes snapped open abruptly.

"Hm," Richie mumbled to himself, now noticing the trucks slowing down.

"Hey Richie," Violet said, also noticing the slowing down of the truck, "I think we're..." Before she could get the rest of the words out of her mouth, the truck stopped abruptly. Violet began to crawl out to see where "here" was, but Richie stopped her.

"I'll check," Richie stated boldly, "I don't want your capture resting on my conscious." Violet nodded, moving back against the wall to wait. Richie slowly crawled to the opening in the back of the truck, peeking outside for safety. Once he poked his head outside, two Grunts were seen walking towards the truck. "Oh shi-," Richie quickly moved back to where Violet and Sparx were, putting a finger in front of his mouth to signal trouble coming. Violet, not saying anything, simply nods and puts her back firmly against the crates. Richie pulled out a Luxury Ball, expanding it first before releasing Ryu. The Riolu saluted Richie and noticed them all being quiet. "Ryu, I want you to use your new technique if any Magmas come back here, alright?" Ryu nodded and squatted down next to Richie. Violet tried to conceal Sparx by covering him up, which also caught Richie's eye. "Just put him in the Poké Ball," Richie bluntly stated, with Violet agreeing. The Pichu scowled a bit before cooperating and getting inside his sphere. Soon two Magmas were behind the truck, one looking inside of it rather curiously.

"What's in there," one of the Grunts asked the other, causing Violet to look out of concern at Richie.

"Just crates of the shipment," the second Grunt responded, making her breathe slightly easier.

"Alright," the first responded, tapping the back of the truck, "carry on." Violet had a relaxed look on her face, but Richie was still a little skeptical. Violet noticed this, nodding in recognition. Finally, the truck made its way inside of the warehouse, which was signified by the metal doors closing down loudly. Richie looked to his right at Violet, smiling lightly.

"I think we're safe now," he stated before noticing the concerned look on Violet's face.

"Are you sure," Violet asked, "what if they come back?"

"Don't worry," Richie responded, "Ryu will handle that." With that, Violet nodded once more, leaning back onto the crates listening to the voices outside.

"So now what," a Grunt could be heard saying to another.

"Now we wait until Friday for the chopper to get here," a second responded. As the two held their conversation, Richie and Violet anticipated each move that they would make next.

"Can we go get something to eat," the first one asked, his voice sounding rather whiny.

"I don't care," the second answered, feeling as if he was dealing with a child.

"Great," the first responded, beginning to walk off with the second, "but you're paying." As the footsteps died out, Richie found that this was signal enough for him to get out of the truck. He jumped out of the truck, looking back at Ryu and Violet.

"Should we follow you," Violet asked eagerly, "or stay where we are?"

"Stay there for now," Richie said, looking around out of safety, "I'll let you know if the coast is clear, alright?" Violet nodded, seeing Richie pull out his Luxury Ball and call back Ryu. Richie then made his way towards the cargo as Violet eased her way back to the back. He tried to look inside of one of the crates, in order to find the Secret Potion. However, he saw a small group of Magmas coming his way.

"Did you hear that," one of them asked.

"Hear what," another responded, rather agitated.

"I could have sworn I heard voices," the first one responded.

"Ah, you're just going crazy," the second replied back, laughing as he walked away. Just before they came that way, Richie had pressed his back against the crates, hoping he wouldn't be discovered. Violet sighed, noticing that Richie was safe. Richie also noticed his safety, sighing along with her.

"Find anything yet," Violet pondered as Richie shook his head. "Need a hand?"

"I've got it," Richie replied, "just make sure you stay hidden, alright?" Violet sulked within the back of the truck, making Richie sigh. "I'm just looking out for your safety."

"I appreciate that," Violet responded, "but I just want to return the favor." Richie gave this a brief moment of thought.

"Fine," he said reluctantly, "come on." Violet smiled, making as little noise as possible as she snuck off of the truck. Richie sighed deeply, shaking his head. This is a bad idea, Richie thought to himself, I just know it. Richie and Violet then moved towards an extremely large stack of cargo, concealing themselves behind it. Soon Richie hears mumbles from near their location. "Do you hear that?" He whispered to Violet.

"I'm afraid not," Violet whispered in response, "what is it?"

"Just listen closely," Richie breathed before going back to hearing the voices. Violet instantly panicked.

"Oh no," she began, "are they coming this way?"

"Doesn't sound like it," Richie said lowly, "let's listen to what they're talking about."

"Alright," Violet responded, listening to the conversation that the two Grunts were having.

"I can't believe that both of those Pokemon got away from us so swiftly," the first Grunt said. His partner nodded in disbelief.

"Me neither," the second responded, "what happened anyway?"

"No clue," the first answered, "the only thing I remember was that a Houndour wandered away from its post, and then the two Pokémon wound up escaping."

"Wait," Violet noticed this immediately after it was said, "so King and Queen aren't here?" She frowned up and looked at Richie, "that means someone's already been here." She paused for a moment, thinking deeply to herself. "I wonder if Daniel knows about this..."

"Hang on," Richie remembered about where Daniel was going, "of course. Helena must have saved them. Daniel was going to meet up with her, so maybe I can still get into contact with him." He pushed a button on his walkie-talkie, bringing it too his mouth. "Initiate Morgan, this is Initiate Palmer. Come in Initiate Morgan."

[Erik Nolastname]

Josephine Paxton was a very beautiful and clever woman. If people didn't know she was the heiress to the massive conglomerate that is the Paxton Group of Hotels, she could easily be mistaken for a queen of some faraway and foreign kingdom.

It was very easy to like Josephine Paxton because she was a charming woman. Her kind and concerned face betrays the true agenda going on inside her mind. The people (and Pokemon) who do not truly know her are easily won over by the charm of her soft gentle eyes and beautiful smile.

King and Queen only knew her as Daniel's mother. Had they known that they were the bait to lure their trainer into a trap to get him back home, they would never have allowed themselves to trust her. But trust her they did.

The two ghost types floated around the enormous drawing room where Josephine was sitting in an extravagant chair, feeding Poffins to her Chatot perched proudly inside an open golden cage. A Vulpix yawned at her feet.

"I've missed Daniel so much," said the woman, catching the attention of Daniel's Pokemon. "As I'm sure you have as well. I understand what it feels like to be separated from someone you love as I have felt the same way when Daniel disappeared into this wild city. His father and I feel that it would be in his best interests to leave and continue his studies where he can be safe and protected."

Josephine stood up and began to pace gracefully inside the room. King and Queen followed her with their large eyes.

"Helena has so kindly agreed to reunite us with our beloved Daniel. She is making her way to us with him as we speak. I am so excited to finally see my son again."

She continued to tell tales about Daniel's childhood that kept King and Queen's interest and gained their trust more. It went on for what seemed like hours until a knock at the door interrupted one of her stories.

"Come in," she said and Helena walked inside.

"He's arrived," the other woman said, her usual silky voice torn by what is obviously pain.

"Oh what joy! Thank you Helena, you may leave now. Let Daniel come in."

Helena stepped outside and faced Daniel, who still didn't know why she took him to this grand house when she said King and Queen were being kept in a Magma hideout somewhere in the woods just outside the city.

"King and Queen are inside, Master Daniel."

"What do you mean? I thought you said--"

"I'm very sorry."

Daniel hurried inside the room and saw his Pokemon floating above a woman he immediately recognized to be his mother.

"Daniel Joseph Paxton Morgan III, I've found you at last."

[Protoman]

The following, as previously, is a collaboration post between rt117 and myself to reduce one liners.

"Initiate Morgan," Richie hissed, receiving nothing more than static from the other end. "Dammit!" Violet flinched slightly at Richie's rather upset demeanor.

"No answer," Violet asked with much concern, getting Richie's head to shake no.

"Nothing but static," Richie said, anger beginning to show on his face. With a swift motion, Richie had punched a wall, not feeling the pain at the moment, but knowing it would set in soon. Violet frowned up, rather worried about Daniel and Richie. Richie more so than Daniel.

"Well," Violet stated, trying to get Richie to calm down a little bit, "it looks like we'll have to catch up to him later. Probably after we complete the mission." Richie looked back at her, finally facing her direction.

"Eh," Richie shrugged, honestly believing Daniel can handle himself, "I guess so." With a nod, both Violet and Richie began to search the surrounding crates, still unable to find the Secret Potions crate. After about ten minutes of silence and searching, Violet broke the chain.

"Uh, Richie," Violet said, catching the attention of the Rebel. With a swift turn of his head, he looked at Violet. "You still haven't told me what we're looking for."

"Yeah," Richie responded, returning to his searching, "I know."

"Well can you tell me," Violet asked, smiling widely and innocently afterwards. Richie, still not affected, simply shook his head, causing her to get rather upset. "Why not," she asked, rather aggravated at Richie's response.

"You aren't a member of the Rebellion," Richie answered her, his mind still cluttered with a lack of understanding as to where Daniel was. "Not yet, anyways."

"Then how," Violet, becoming rather impatient, began as she tapped her foot onto the ground, "am I supposed to help if I don't know what we're searching for?"

"Follow my movements," Richie told her plainly, "apparently, the item I'm looking for is within a crate, so continue to search those." Violet, noticing the hint of frustration within his tone, simply ignored it and continued to search.

"What if I find multiple items," Violet asked, causing Richie to stop in his tracks. After a brief pause, Richie looked at Violet in confusion.

"Like," Richie asked, raising his right eyebrow dangerously high.

"Dunno," Violet responded, "just asking..." After looking for five more minutes, Violet came across a small red sphere. "Wait...what's this?" With a swift pulling motion, Violet's hand came out of the crate, revealing the orb. It was in the shape of a Poke Ball, which intrigued him even more. "Is this what we're looking for?"

"What," Richie cocked his head slightly to the right side of his body, "the hell is that?" After shrugging, Violet decides to look at the circular device, almost dropping it from flinching. "What?"

"This," Violet stammered, in almost a total shock, "this is one of those balls that they caught Daniel's Pokemon with."

"How can you be sure," Richie asked his companion, noticing her turn the ball towards him. He saw the large, black M on the front of it, causing his head to be flooded with anger. He growled lowly, almost resembling a Growlithe.

"What's wrong," Violet asked, immediately seeing Richie's facial expression and demeanor change instantly.

"Those jerks," Richie groaned through his clenched teeth, "almost caught Spunky with that ball..." Violet looked at Richie with concern, hoping that his anger would soon subside.

"I'm sorry," Violet said, trying to comfort him. She held it up and examined it. "Should I hold onto this?"

"Yeah," Richie responded, his eyes filled with a new found fury, "I'll need a reminder as to why I'm pounding them into the ground!"

[Erik Nolastname]

Daniel turned around to see Helena but he was faced by a closed hard wood door that he knew led outside, to freedom. He hesitated to look back at his mother mainly because he was ashamed that he ran away from his family, and also because he knew where this conversation is going to lead.

King and Queen zipped past Josephine to Daniel's side, much to the disguised annoyance of the woman. She walked over to Daniel and placed her hand on his shoulders. Daniel couldn't look at her.

"I'm sorry for running away," he said, his voice breaking.

"There, there Daniel. The important thing is you're here now," Josephine reassured his son, an almost undetectable tone of victorious glee lacing her every word. "Your father and I were so worried, especially since this is a very dangerous place. We didn't know how you could survive here."

Josephine placed her hands on her son's face. "Look at me Daniel," she said. The boy looked up to her mother and saw a look that, if it weren't for her glazed cold eyes, could be mistaken for genuine love and concern. "Your father loves you. I love you. Very much. We would do anything to make sure that you get what you deserve and we cannot do that if you remain in this city. We want you back home in Johto, Daniel. We want you to be safe."

"Mother, you don't understand. I can't leave Noverus now," Daniel said. "I'm happy here with my friends."

"Is there no reason that you can be friends if you were back in Johto?"

"No, mother. I wish to be here. I have responsibilities here now."

"No, Daniel," the softness in her voice vanished. "Your responsibilities are at home."

Daniel stepped away from Josephine, while King and Queen floated nearby, fixated at watching the two humans talk to each other.

"I can take care of myself now, Mother. I wish to be here."

"Don't make me laugh," her tone was becoming colder and more cruel. "You can barely take care of your own Pokemon." Josephine stood up straight, and towered over her son who was trying to remain strong in front of her mother. Her Chatot flew over to her shoulder, and King and Queen stood between her and their trainer, in an attempt to shield Daniel.

"I am your mother, Daniel Joseph, and you will obey me. You will return to Joh--"

"No, I will not obey you this time, mother!"

Then it happened so fast. Josephine's open palm landed on Daniel's left cheek, leaving a red mark that shut the boy up. Josephine gasped at what she has done, her Chatot flying away back to her cage. Josephine's Vulpix was awokened.

"I will leave mother," Daniel said through gritted teeth. "You cannot stop me." And with those words, he turned around and walked out of the drawing room, King and Queen following closely behind.

Helena was in the next room and saw Daniel stomp out of the chamber from her mother. She stood in Daniel's way and Josephine called out to her and ordered her to stop him.

"If you do this Helena, I will fight back. I may not win, but I will do my best." King and Queen floated in front of Daniel, their determined eyes staring sharply at the intimidating woman.

Daniel tried to take a step forward but Helena took out two Pokeballs and let out Ran and Cha. Then she said, "This is the last order I will take from you Mrs. Morgan. I will do whatever it takes to give you back your son, but you can consider this my resignation."

In an instant, Ran and Cha darted towards Daniel.

"Queen, Ominous Wind!"

A purple dust storm blew from the Misdreavus' direction and hit the two Furrets who were scurrying towards her trainer. The two Pokemon seemed unaffected as they continued their pursuit. Cha leapt into the air and hit Queen with a super effective Sucker Punch that sent the ghost flying into her trainer, unconscious and unable to battle.

"Do not do this Master Daniel," Helena said as her two Pokemon stopped their assault. King floated bravely, attempting to scare the enemy Pokemon with his stare. She saw Daniel recall Queen back into its Ultra Ball.

"Oh this is ridiculous," Josephine finally decided. She called her Chatot and Vulpix to her side and tried to enter the fray. "Helena, finish this quickly."

"Master Daniel, please." Helena begged, the first time Daniel ever saw her do so. "Just do as your mother tells you."

"You know I can't do that, Helena. King, use Knock Off, now!"

King moved forward and aimed his pointed head at Ran, who evaded the attack with relative ease.

"ENOUGH!" Josephine yelled. "Helena, you are dismissed. Daniel, you will come back to Johto with me tonight, whether you like it or not. Vulpix, Imprison."

The Vulpix moved forward and fired a ray of yellow light from its mouth at Daniel, who suddenly felt unable to move. King moved in retaliation, but Josephine's Chatot blocked his way.

"Chatot, get rid of that pesky ghost with Chatter, at once!"

The Chatot screamed, filling the air with the noise equivalent of an airplane taking off, as it fired blue waves of energy at the Shuppet.

"You're attacking your son?" Helena cried at Josephine, who ordered Chatot to keep up the Chatter.

"Stay out of this Helena."

"No, I no longer take orders from you, Jo. Ran, Cha, attack Vulpix and Chatot."

"Vulpix, Fire Blast! Chatot, Hyper Voice!"

Two Furrets blazed through the air and attacked Josephine's Pokemon. But the opponents were faster and they were thrown back by Chatot's Hyper Voice and finished by the following inferno of Vulpix's Fire Blast.

"Rocker, finish this battle." A 9-foot tall Slaking emerged in a ray of white light from one of Helena's Pokeballs and dominated the room, which was now turned into a messy battle field. "Earthquake, now!"

The Slaking raised its enormous muscular arms and, as they came down on the ground, sent shockwaves of energy that made the entire mansion shudder. The Vulpix, unable to continue her Imprisonment of Daniel, was hit the hardest and got thrown back. Josephine fell to the ground but managed to order her Chatot to Mimic Rocker's Earthquake and return it with equal force.

The second Earthquake completely weakened the foundations of the mansion. Realizing this, Helena called out her Crobat, Robin, and ordered her to take Daniel and King outside immediately, as she continued the battle with Josephine.

A pillar came lose and was about to fall down on Helena, but Rocker disintegrated it into pieces with a swift Dynamic Punch.

Daniel's mind flitted in and out of consciousness as he was dragged by Robin out of the window and into the mansion grounds. The last thing he saw was King calling out weakly to him as he was finally knocked out. The mansion crumbled in the background, with no news of Helena, Josephine, Ran, Cha, Rocker, Vulpix and Chatot. Robin has also mysteriously disappeared.

Daniel's radio crackled, as bits of Richie's voice tried to escape its speakers through the static.

"Initiate Morgan, this is Initiate Palmer. Come in, Initiate Morgan. Damn it, Daniel! Answer the radio!"

[rt117]

once again, same as Protoman's with the post collaborated with myself and him in Yahoo!

Violet nodded at Richie's previous statement, slipping the Magma Ball into her pants pocket.

"I wonder," she began, "how many of these they have."

"Dunno," Richie said, his anger still fueled well, "and I don't plan to find out..."

"Maybe after we get what we're looking for," Violet stated, smiling rather widely, "we can come back and let off a few 'fireworks'." Richie barely replied, simply nodding his head at her suggestion. After this, both returned to seeking what they were looking for.

"Find anything else yet," Richie asked, looking back at his comrade, who looked back at him.

"Other than that," Violet answered shaking her head. "Nope..." Before Richie could complain, three pairs of footsteps could be heard coming towards their location. With a quick look to his right, Richie saw three Magmas: two Grunts and one Elite. He already knew he couldn't battle them at a risk of losing his Pokemon, so instead, he had one other alternative: ESCAPE. "Maybe we should hide," Violet's voice rang within his ears, causing Richie to look at her.

"Well of course," Richie stated, pulling her into a dark corner surrounded by a bunch of boxes. Violet, not even noticing the entire motion, sat there in shock afterwards. Richie glared behind the boxes, hearing that the Grunts and the Elite were at their exact location before they moved. Immediately noticing the crate being open, A look of sheer horror struck Richie's face instantly. One of the Grunts noticed this as well, complaining to his leader.

"Aw man," he groaned in frustration, "one of those Recruits came in and opened the crate early." The Elite heard this and actually frowned up a little bit.

"Odd," he said, his voice able to eerily put anyone at peace, "no Recruits should be down here at all. This level is strictly for Grunts and above." Meanwhile, Violet and Richie were still hiding out, with Violet hoping that Richie had a plan.

"Violet," Richie said, making her listen closely to him, "are you listening?"

"Yeah," Violet responded, keeping a close eye on him.

"I have an idea," he told her plainly, getting her to nod in response to this. Within Richie's mind, a plan began to form, keeping her out of danger.

[Erik Nolastname]

When Daniel came to, he was greeted by King who let out a sigh of relief. Daniel shrugged off the last effects of the Imprison attack Vulpix used on him as he stood up and looked around. He let out Queen from her Ultraball who, despite being significantly weakened from the previous battle, appeared more shocked at what happened to the once enormous mansion that stood in the middle of the grounds. Daniel saw a figure stand up from the demolished ruins not ten meters in front of him, and he started to run out of fear of being spotted. As he turned around, a familiar Chatot, its feathers messed up and dirty, blocked his way. King promptly hit it with a quick Knock Off attack that instantly put the weakened bird Pokemon to sleep.

He turned his radio on and tried to contact Richie.

“Palmer, this is Morgan, come in,” muttered Daniel, walking swiftly away from the site, but the radio only gave him a barely audible static as a response.

King and Queen followed Daniel out into the city where the trainer decided it would be best if his Pokemon rested at the Pokemon Center first, seeing that the two has been through a lot lately. The PokeNav vibrated inside his pocket, startling Daniel who’s almost forgotten that it was there.

“I tOlD yOu It WaS a TrAp.”

The boy ignored it, as he led King and Queen into the Center where Nurse Joy was waiting for them. He sat down on one of the couches in the reception area and contemplated what he needed to do next.

His mother was unlikely to give up trying to get him home, and even though he loved her, he knew that he needed to be in Noverus. But what can he do to avoid her? With the Paxton Group backing up her efforts, she could find him anywhere he hid. This was not going to be a walk in the park, he decided. She could easily just have anyone look for him.

That was it! Whatever happens, his mother would be looking for him. Him. Daniel Morgan. All he had to do was change his name! With a triumphant smile, he looked at his outfit and decided he probably should change his looks as well.

----

Daniel hurried back to his quarters as soon as King and Queen were healed and was surprised to find that Richie wasn’t there. He ran back out into the Rebel HQ’s halls, King and Queen floating closely behind him, and almost bumped into the towering figure of Agent Ramirez.

“What’s the hurry?” the man asked him.

“Agent Ramirez, I’m glad you’re here. I’m looking for Richie. Do you know where he is?”

“He went off to the warehouse for your mission,” Ramirez answered, eyebrows meeting in furrowed contemplation. “Which reminds me, why aren’t you with him? You are his partner, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I was locating my two Pokemon who were captured by Magma. I’m on my way to assist him now.”

“So I heard,” he said, looking at King and Queen who returned the stare with big innocent eyes. “Very well, Initiate. Carry on.”

----

Richie was in the warehouse, and if Daniel’s assumptions were correct, there were bound to be more guards there now. He needed to hurry. If anything happens to his partner while he was away, he felt like he couldn’t handle that. He’s already almost lost King and Queen, he was not going to lose a friend again.

With a sprint, Daniel made his way to the warehouse which looked oddly different the last time he was there. There were now more trucks going in and out of the yard, and more Grunts were patrolling the grounds.

How the hell did you get inside that, Richie?

He pulled out his radio and tried to contact his partner, “Palmer, this is Morgan, where are you?”