[X] My Assistant

[Kranic]

"Things were getting bad...I guess there isn't much to do."

Tal growled as he saw that Phoenix's Pokemon being tripled teamed. He looked over towards his Sneasel and gave it a silent command. The Pokemon nodded and quickly duh underground while the Poochyena was being assaulted. He looked over to the boy standing next to him, Phoenix's laid back attitude seemed to be a bit oblivious to Tal's actions and even if he did happen to notice him leavings, Tal was pretty certain that he wouldn't go out of his way to stop him. Tip-toeing away Tal escaped.

The Charmeleon and Marill both grinned with the victory, but quickly turned knowing that there was more to fight. However, their instinctual guess was wrong. There was no enemy to be found. Castor too looked slowly coming to the realization that both Tal and Sneasel escaped while the two were focusing on the Poochyena.

"...He's gone."

Castor gave a sigh and looked over towards Phoenix.

"What's going on here? Why has he gone?"

Castor moved forward to the boy, ready to take the fight to a much more humanoid level.

Is it okay if I said I made a bad post. I think that's okay.

This post has been edited by Kranic: Oct 21 2010, 11:00 PM

[nuttyjigs]

That coward. He still had some fight in him, but he fled anyhow. In any case, it was his decision. The battle was over, and they won it. Even if Phoenix stood ground, right there, staring. His parter had fled. Why was he just standing there? Castor seemed just as curious as Holly felt, and, judging by the way the two of them paused mid-celebration, so did Frostbite and the Dunsparce.

Holly tried to ask him, but it just didn't feel like him, so she asked by first name. "Phoenix?"

He paused awhile, then sighed. Oddly, followed by a smile. A little smile, but it was enough to raise suspicion. Phoenix to someone else, and back to Phoenix. "I guess he ran off." He looked down to his muddy sneakers, the same way he did five years ago. He was definitely back.

It was a huge relief, as you can imagine. Holly broke out a huge, bright smile, practically springing up from her spot on the ground with Dunsparce and giving her brother the biggest hug she's given anyone in a while. Phoenix blinked, admittedly a little surprised, then returned it, with a wider smile this time.

"What did you do that for?" Holly broke the hug and stared up at her brother. Entrancing blue to electric blue.

"What?" Still clueless. Like always.

"Team up with Tal and blow up a mountain."

"Oh." Phoenix suddenly looked incredibly guilty. "It was a favor."

It was Holly's turn. "What?"

"A favor." When his sister's expression demanded further explanation, he obliged. "I came home to pay Mom and Dad a little visit. You know. Couldn't keep away forever." Five years wasn't exactly forever, but it was a start. "I kind of slipped up a little on the way up, though." Phoenix looked embarrased. With the fact that Arasam was his territory, he should have. Holly almost laughed. He actually didn't change much.

Phoenix continued, "Anyway, Nyx' Pokeball fell out of my pocket. You've met Nyx." He bit his lip a little, still guilty of the assault. "I went around in circles looking for it. I didn't want to lose her. We've been through too much for that."

Holly remembered Phoenix coming home with a gray Pokemon egg one day and their parents scolding them for it. A few weeks later, though, he left with it. Holly never did see what came out of it, but it was obvious now.

"Well, a few rounds over, I bumped into Tal. Just Tal. I met everyone else later." Holly supposed that meant the rest of the rebels. "I ask him if he's seen Nyx' Pokeball, and he had. Except, he wanted something in return. And he wouldn't give Nyx back until I promised." Phoenix paused, seeming to consider risking the next statement, then shrugged it off sheepishly. "I...thought he just wanted me to return the favor. I didn't think he'd have me blowing up caves and battling my sister. But I guessed I owed him one. I thought I did. Besides, I promised."

"And so..." Holly still couldn't believe it. Phoenix could be so shallow sometimes. Actually, all the time. That's what was so loveable about him. "You only realize now that he's been blackmailing you?"

"Y...Yeah." That particular word was noticeably softer. Phoenix didn't want to admit it either, but he'd been duped, the same way he exchanged all those lollipops for a Pokeball his friends claimed to contain a Ho-oh in it back in second grade, as their parents enjoyed telling the tale of. He was just so gullible, but...

He was Holly's brother.

This time, she idd laugh, giving Phoenix another hug. He turned red, mostly from embarassment, then exhaled deeply, grinning. "Nice to have you back too, sis."

No prob.

I tend to go overboard with backstories, even if the facts are all messed up in my head. If I'm right and Phoenix is fifteen, since I usually use that age, then he should have left five years ago, when Holly was seven. I don't even recall mentioning the timeline here. :P

[Kranic]

I like going into character's history, it let's you know a lot more about why they are who they are or if they always have been like they are, or just a lot more about character traits in general. It also let's you relate to a little bit more with examples and such.

Castor stepped back as he came to understand the story. He looked over to Phoenix and attempted to apologize over his attitude, but couldn't word things out in a proper manner. Instead he looked to the interior of the cave and pointed forward.

"We should get back on his trail, he might be able to find some other way outside of the cavern."

Castor looked away from the two. It wasn't his place to intervene in such close family relationships. He called over his pokemon and began to walk. He looked down to his two pokemon and gave a proud smile at his newly evolved Charmeleon.

"I guess you beat Virva in the race to evolution."

His laugh soon faded as he saw his pokemon's attempt to reply. Icuru, despite being inherently happy, moved slowly, obviously in pain from the previous battle. In an attempt to flex his new arm, the pokemon's arm fell limp and powerless. It's adrenaline had died down and the pokemon was definitely tired. The nearby Marill also feel victim to this sluggish status, but continued to push itself on as accordance to Castor's model. Castor sighed and looked over to the two.

"I guess we need to take a break for a second."

Castor then went into his bag and pulled out a few potions and sprayed it on his pokemon. He then took a few berries for his pokemon whom happily grabbed and ate them. Icuru and Azure both then sat down to wait for the item's effects to kick in. The two then partook in idle gossip.

Castor then walked over to the siblings to offer his assistance.

"I have a couple types of potions left... You guys can take them if you want."

[nuttyjigs]

Castor seemed concerned enough, but it looked like he didn't want to get involved. Holly couldn't blame him--It was a pretty uncanny way of having a family reunion. It didn't matter anymore, not really. Tal had run for the hills as of the moment, Phoenix was back, and they were headed back to report to Jake. Things couldn't get much more normal again.

His Pokemon were quite injured (not much of a surprise from the battle with Sneasel), so Castor made the decision to stop and rest for a while. Holly couldn't complain. Icuru and Azure both deserved it.

He seemed to be a little shy about it, or maybe Holly was imagining things, but in any case, Castor offered the siblings his remaining potions.

Holly was a little surprised. It was pretty nice of him. Still, she just couldn't accept them. "Thanks, Castor, but I don't want to be gree--"

"If you wouldn't mind..." Phoenix butted in. Holly only stared as her brother took a Pokeball from his pocket. "Nyx could use one. I mean...you don't need to give me one if you don't want to..." Phoenix felt awkward, since this boy was pretty much against him a few moments ago, and rightly judging, too. "If you want, it's be an opportunity for you to meet hte rest of my Pokemon, too."

[Kranic]

Castor handed over the potions and nodded.

“It’s no big deal.”

Castor then walked off to leave the two to their talk. He looked over towards his pokemon and noticed they were already in a better condition and quickly getting better. He shrugged and thought a little bit about the pass and looked over to the distant cave. Some guilty built up as he thought of the last time he was in an adventure like this and the thing he decided to do. He then compared himself to the kid who had run off previously.

“Am I really that much different than him?”

Castor shrugged off the idea and looked over at the siblings, realizing that it was insignificant. He wondered what it would be like to have an older or younger sibling. Depressing emotions slowly flowed into Castor as he spent some time into his own though, but at the very moment that Castor recognized this negative spiral, he sprang up and brought energy back into his body.

“Alright, I’m going to go after him. Catch up to me when you are ready!”

Castor than ran off, without even considering the other’s opinions. His pokemon followed.

Within only a few moments of his departure, the distinctive sound of explosives could be heard.

In that very moment, only so many yards away. Tal himself could be seen, getting up from a line of rocks. He had a Pokeball in his hand and next to him was an incredibly injured Pineco. Looking down to his faithful servant, Tal said only one word:

“Return.”

A flash of red light then went off and the Pineco disappeared with the darkening cave. The boy then looked over to his right, where a familiar Sneasel was standing, sucking on a vial in order to heal some of its injuries.

"Sneasel, let’s keep going."

The pokemon nodded and the two went into the new hole they blasted into the cave. Stream was flowing out of the hole, showing just how much hotter it was inside. Inside was another path, albeit far more humid and shorter. As the trainer and his pokemon walked down the cave, they eventually reached a large room with a practical pond formed on the inside. Tal took a look at the cave and soon saw a fearsome sight. A fully decayed skeleton lay on the cavern’s wall. Fully clothed but completely depleted of flesh. It could be assumed the body could have been that of an adult, just it’s based on size alone. The body’s greatly worn clothing was fairly simple, a pair of pants, a jacket, a shirt, but most significantly a pair of goggles that hung around its neck and more importantly a belt with six Pokeballs around it. Tal looked at the body and nodded.

“This is it.”

He and the Sneasel looked down to the skeleton. Tal quickly grabbed the Pokeball belt and then searched the deceased pockets. Inside one of the pockets he found a key. A smile grew on the eccentric’s boy face as he pocketed the key and turned away from the body. He then looked at the belt and pulled all the Pokeballs away before discarding it. After pocketing five of them he looked at one in particularly. He pressed the button on the ball. The light flashed and a new creature was released.

This post has been edited by Kranic: Oct 26 2010, 08:29 PM

[nuttyjigs]

Phoenix stared at the potions in his hand. Castor seemed distracted. Not like he knew him very well, but it seemed like he wasn't really like that. Not always, at least, so maybe there was something on the boy's mind. Phoenix shrugged it off and threw three Pokeballs into the air. It was Castor's private life, and he was in no position to interfere, especially after what he did.

With a flash of light, the Pokeballs revealed their inhabitants. First was Nyx, in the same condition as earlier, looking a little spiteful about her loss. Second, an Eevee, looking quite prim and proper, tail curled around her paws, and a silk ribbon in her fur. Third was an Azurill, looking a little meek, especially with that look he was giving Holly.

"Meet my party."

"Aww, they're so cute~" Holly tried to reach out to pet the Eevee and Azurill, knowing full well that Nyx didn't want to be bothered at the moment. The Eevee seemed to enjoy having her soft fur stroked, but the Azurill shied away, running to hide behind Phoenix.

"Eheh...Sorry about that. Isora is a little shy. He'll warm up to you eventually, though..."

"That's alright. It's understandable." Holly continued to pet the Eevee, who was acting like she was having quite a luxury.

"That's Venus. It should be obvious where her name came from. And, you already met Nyx." Phoenix patted the Poochyena lightly as he sprayed some of Castor's offerings on the pup. Nyx continued to give Holly a suspicious glare.

"So, you decided to name them after gods and goddesses, huh?" Holly let go of Venus, much to the Eevee's dismay. Marco, on the other hand, proceeded to greet every one of Phoenix' Pokemon, apparently understanding that they were friends now.

"You noticed?" Phoenix looked a little embarassed.

Holly smiled. "You always were quite the fantasy nut."

Phoenix might have said something if Castor hadn't had a sudden outburst of energy and bolted, gone to chase after Tal. In the end, all he could manage was a dumbfounded blink.

"Sorry about that..." Holly got up, apparently going to chase after him. She seemed a little exasperated with all the running she had to do around the teen. Okay, so she was. "He's peculiar, but he's a good guy."

Phoenix sent his Pokemon back to his Pokeballs, pocketing them afterward. :If that's the case, we should go after them."

"Right."