[X] My Assistant

[Letan]

This is a private RP involving myself and Pumpkin King. Please do not post here if you are not participating. Any perceived bunnying of characters has been discussed VIA private message and approved.

The lock clicked open, giving way to the small confines of Tobias' neighbourhood mailbox. He sifted through the stack of useless envelopes from credit card companies in search of a genuinely important letter. As he thumbed through them, a tiny crimson stamp with a black emblem caught his eye. He ripped the letter out of its nest and slammed the tiny metal door shut and locked it.

Tobias' eyes kept their gaze on the letter as he headed back to his apartment. They never had to specify that this was not exactly public reading material, the emblem alone said it all. He kept looking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. The streets were empty around the neighbourhood at this time of day. Everyone was either at work, at school, or they simply weren't home. Theoretically, he could open the letter now, but he knew that it was foolish to do so with the prying eyes of the elderly sitting at their windows, or with the children at play that seemingly materialized behind the trees.

Once he was safe in his apartment, Tobias shut the blinds and pulled out a chair from underneath the kitchen table. He wedged his finger beneath the envelope's seal and tore it open. The first thing that caught his eye was an opaque red, plastic card with a stylized "M" printed on the left side in black ink. On the right was a dark grey square, possibly a chip of some sorts. The back of the card had a black strip running down the length of it, along with tiny print that Tobias didn't bother to read. He flipped the card back over to the front and admired the engraved "AUTHORIZED MEMBER OF TEAM MAGMA" line of white text.

Next, Tobias went to the letter inside. It was fairly plain letter. White paper, plentiful black text. The only thing remotely colourful on the page was the red and black Magma emblem in the top-right corner above the recipient's address. As he read what was on the page, a smile spread across his face.

This is where it all begins, Tobias thought. This will get me one step closer to finding him.

[Pumpkin King]

A pink, leather-bound notebook lay open on an ornate, almost antique, vanity. On the lineless page were several tally marks underneath the the title, "Days of UTTER BOREDOM," written in an intricate and delicate calligraphy. In the same room, a girl hung off the side of a massive bed, leaving her head dangling as she watched the Twilight Saga for the seventh time.

"Oh come on! Are you stupid?" She yelled at the television. "He left you! Jacob's hotter anyway!" She threw a used tissue at the screen but missed and hit a very patient butler in the face.

"Ms. Victoria, you have a guest," the butler informed her.

"Who is it?" She asked without averting her eyes from the screen.

"It is a man who goes by the name Joel Brightman. He says he would like a few words with you." Victoria narrowed her eyes in suspicion. The name was not familiar at all. The butler continued, "Apparently, it concerns your recent absence from Noverus."

Victoria lifted herself to a normal sitting position, feeling the excess blood drain away from her head. "Tell him that I will not be seeing him today and will not be seeing him at all unless he makes an arrangement in advance. That is all," she said, dismissing the butler.

"Very well." The butler then stepped out of the room and allowed Victoria her privacy.

She walked to her dresser and picked up a copy of a Noverus newpaper she had saved. "Victorious: The Real Story," the headline read. It had been written by a reporter that Victoria's father paid so the rumors would clear up. This article told the Victor/Victoria fiasco as it actually happened, or at least the parts that Victoria thought appropriate. "Having lost Victoria, Aqua went after Victor Bays, who very fortunately escaped on what is reported to be a large flying Pokemon. Bays has found shelter from Aqua far away from Noverus, we are told, but action must be taken. Team Magma is working to stop Aqua's terrorism but can only do so much. Any and all support for Magma will be appreciated and used."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Of course. Father just had to advertise for Magma."

There was a knock on the door and the same butler entered with Victoria's approval. "There is a package for you with a letter."

She accepted the both and noticed the name. "Vitalis Lagos. Now there's a familiar name."

[Letan]

FOR MAGMA EYES ONLY

To whom it may concern,

Congratulations, your application has been confirmed and you have been issued the standard Team Magma uniform. Recently we have lost one of our storage facilities to an unfortunate fire. Your uniform can be picked up at our temporary location off of Pinebrooke Road. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Team Magma
Outfitter's Office

...

"Well this is great", Tobias muttered. He shoved the paper aside and walked over to the living room where his laptop sat on the coffee table. He pulled it open and looked up where Pinebrooke Road was. Turns out, it was inconveniently located in the rural outskirts of Noverus. He sighed and stared at the clock. It was still pretty early in the day. He might as well go out today while the weather was nice.

Tobias walked into his bedroom, feeling like he was missing something. He glanced down only to notice that his pants were fairly loose. Better grab my belt, he thought. On his dresser sat a black belt with a silver clasp. Attached to the belt were six magnets, two of which were covered by red and white spheres that were familiar with almost everyone in the nation. He gingerly pulled them off as if he were picking apples from a tree, and looped the belt around his waist, fastening them back onto the magnets after he was done. He also picked up his tan and white messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder before leaving the room.

Right as he left his apartment, he locked the door and double-checked that it was securely locked. Living on the third floor meant that he wouldn't have to bother with taking the elevator, so he just took the stairs and headed down to where his bike was locked up outside. He fumbled with his keyring until he found the right one, and after quickly unlocking his bike and cramming the coiled-up bike lock into his bag, he mounted his bike and pedalled down the street. It was going to be a long trip to the outer boundaries of the city.

[Pumpkin King]

"Dear Victoria,

I heard about you situation through Facebook. Then I saw a couple reports about it on the news! You made international news! Not that it's a good thing. The exclamation points are for shock and surprise, not excitement. Although, you and Victor sure do seem to enjoy the spotlight. Anyway, I can't believe this all happened to you! And now you're grounded? That sucks. And judging from your Facebook statuses, your dad was really serious. Though I am usually one for rules, I believe that everyone should have a Pokemon or two for company. Here are a couple of mine you can borrow for the time being. I sent Terra and Emphysema. You remember Terra don't you? We do everything together, but I've been spending a lot of time studying in the field, and when I say 'field,' I mean the ocean. As you might imagine, he's not too fond of the water. He's better off with you, at least for now. And as for Emphysema... Keep him away from any tobacco.

Good luck!
Sincerely, Vitalis"

Victoria had mixed emotions about the letter, She was both touched and confused. "Keep him away from any tobacco?" she read again. Still, she was grateful that her friend had thought of her. She ripped open the small package and found two standard PokeBalls. She had an impulse to open them but she retracted them instead and put them in her purse. "The last thing I need now is to get into more trouble." However, with two new Pokemon in her posession, she felt the urge to at least meet them. She would have to leave the house to do so, and why not take a stroll around Noverus while she was already out?

Victoria stepped in front of her full-length mirror and gave herself a thorough examination. Her simple cerulean dress stopped mid-calf. Anything shorter was considered scandalous by her mother's standards. Victoria longed to just wear "normal clothing" for once but she always had to be a lady. And ladies weren't allowed to have fun, or so it seemed to Victoria. Gazing at her reflection, she imagined herself in jean shorts and a tank top but she knew that wouldn't happen. After admiring her golden hair with a gentle curl and new flats for a moment more, she grabbed her Coach purse and stepped into the hallway and out into the courtyard.

Approaching a cluster of gorgeous plants in the courtyard's garden, Victoria checked to see that no one was near. She then reached down and tapped a small budding plant. "It's me," she whispered to it. The plant then sprung to life, revealing itself as a Budew sapling. She quickly returned it to its PokeBall and nonchalantly smelled the surrounding flowers as she heard footsteps approaching.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Victoria, but you may not leave for any reason that is not an emergency," said the oncoming butler.

"I wasn't leaving," she lied. She prepared a reason why she would have her purse but it wasn't necessary. He didn't ask.

"I apologize," he said. The butler walked past her towards the gate.

"Timothy, where are you going?" Victoria called after him.

"I have been asked to pick something up from the PokeMart. I will be returning shortly."

Victoria's lips gently formed a subtle smirk as she found her means of escaping the house that had become her prison. She made her way to the roses, which were conveniently located near the gate. The gate would only open after one had entered a code on a keypad on a nearby pillar. Victoria knew the code but Timothy had been keeping a log on how many times the gate was opened to make sure she didn't leave without permission. She mocked an interest in the flowers, keeping her peripheral vision on the automatic gate that was now opening as Timothy waited patiently. When it opened completely, he stepped out and crossed the street. Victoria waited until the rotating camera was not pointed at the gate and slipped out just as it was closing.

[Letan]

The sun beat down on Tobias' back as he pedalled down the winding streets of the suburbs, zipping past fenced backyards and detouring through parks. Noverus' citizens didn't mind, after all, it was common to see cyclists throughout the suburbs. Sure, this one was going faster than the others normally would, but nevertheless he didn't draw the attention of prying eyes like he had originally feared.

From the suburbs, the surrounding architecture gradually shifted to the old, worn out structures that became a staple of Noverus' "Poor District", as it was bluntly labelled. Tobias stopped looking around and kept his eyes straight ahead. He had always been terrified of this district as a child. It was here where he almost spent an entire month of his early teenager life. He wasn't even that old back then, technically he was still a young kid. As the engulfing shadows of the alleyways flickered in his peripheral vision, he reminisced about his youth.

"Saaaaaayb!" the Pokemon screamed as it lunged towards Tobias, claws outstretched towards his chest. He shielded himself with his arms as the weight of the Pokemon toppled him onto his back. The Pokemon continued to lash out at him as he cried for help. The sound of his voice was muffled out by the passing traffic and he realized that it was pointless. He focused back on the Pokemon in front of him as it continued to rip his jacket to pieces to grab at the shiny coins he held inside his jacket's inner breast pocket. He peered down at his waist, and and an idea surged forth within his mind.

Sacrificing his defence, he lowered his right arm and snatched one of the grimy spheres from his belt. Upon tapping it against the asphalt, a malevolent glow dominated the entire alleyway. With a screech, the Pokemon on top of him was hurled aside by the brunt force of the tiny Rock Pokemon that Tobias had unleashed.

"Come on Hurley, let him attack you and use your Copycat attack!" Tobias shouted. As if it understood what was going on, the Sableye unleashed a bolt of dark energy towards the sturdy little Pokemon. It took the entire hit without faltering, and unleashed the same blast back at the purple Pokemon. The Pokemon was knocked back into the brick wall behind it, limbs sprawled out across the ground. For a moment, it seemed as if they won with a single attack.

Tobias shivered and pedalled faster down the street. A scruffy man shouted profanities at him for almost running over his foot. Tobias kept going at full speed until he dipped down the hill out of the man's sight. Far off in the distance, Tobias could make out one of the city's two bridges.

Sure hope I have some money on me to pay the toll...

[Pumpkin King]

"Tall Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino, please. No whip."

Victoria sat alone at a table for two and savored the delicious frozen drink. However, it just didn't taste the same. She stared pensively at the empty chair oppsite from her, imagining another body filling the seat. That other body was now halfway to Kanto though, and no matter how much she willed it, it would not appear. "Victor..." she sighed.

"Victor, we have to go back. You can't just run away from your problems like this!"

"Why would we go back? Have you already forgotten everything that's happened while we were there?"

"I remember being happy together. Then you ran away and ran straight into trouble! Running away again won't accomplish anything!"

"This time we're running away from trouble. Magma and Aqua don't extend past Hoenn."

"This isn't about just Magma and Aqua! What about our friends? What about your friends? ... What about Ivy?"

"...Ivy said it herself. She hopes I'm happy doing whatever it is I want to do. She even did it in song."

"You broke that girl's heart into bite-sized pieces, Victor. You lied to her."

"You've lied too."

"Which is why I'm going back. To fix things."

The same words had been running through Victoria's head for countless days; nights too. She could relive the argument more vividly in her dreams. Victoria hadn't noticed that she was sucking on air. Now that her mind came back into place, she realized that the cup which used to hold her frappuccino was completely empty. She left the coffee shop and disposed her garbage. Standing just outside the entrance, it occurred to her that she had no idea where she was going. She had walked out of the Wealthy District and her feet were already hurting.

"I should get some shoes that were actually meant to walk in," Victoria said to herself. She continued down the small shopping center where the Starbucks was and found a Payless Shoes. She couldn't bring her self to go inside though. Payless?? Even the name screams poverty! Still, the shoes themselves didn't look half bad and her feet hurt. Walking shoes wouldn't match with my dress. Her eyes averted to the window of the adjacent store and she let out a longing sigh. "Jeans."

Victoria turned her back to the stores however and walked away. One must understand their place in society, as she was taught. She knew she shouldn't wear those clothes. She couldn't help but question her own philosophy though. Which was more important? To understand one's place in society? Or to understand oneself as a person?

[Letan]

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Tobias swerved around the enraged pedestrian that had enough guts to J-Walk right as he was speeding down the hill. Tobias ignored the barrage of vulgarity coming from the man's mouth and continued onward to the enormous bridge far down the street. Upon reaching the next intersection, Tobias stopped for a quick break. He rifled through his wallet to make sure he had enough change.

Within mere moments, a man wearing blue, baggy pants and a black and white, stripped shirt with a peculiar blue bandanna charged right past him and casually picked Tobias' wallet right out of his hands and continued to run down the street.

"Woah, what do you think you're doing?! Get back here!", Tobias shouted as he turned his bike around and gave chase. The man ahead swerved around and tackled other civilians out of his way as Tobias cycled along the bike path on the shoulder of the road.

The miniature demon ran towards Hurley with its claws outstretched. It scratched Hurley's flank, dealing minor damage to the Rock-type Pokemon.

"Hurley! Let's use our secret technique we've trained so hard with!", Tobias shouted. "Skyward Boulder!"

Tobias grabbed onto the top of his Bonsly's head with both hands and swung him back and forth until he had gained optimum momentum. At the peak of his swing, he released his grip, sending the hefty Pokemon into the air. As Hurley angled downwards, he extended his foot out.

To Tobias' and Hurley's demise, upon making contact with the enemy, Hurley simply passed through it. As Hurley came to a complete stop behind the other Pokemon, it swung around and grabbed him. With a swing of its arms, it tossed Hurley into the nearby wall.

"Charizard, Fire Fang", came the voice of an elderly woman.

Tobias' eyes snapped wide open as the thief quickly turned right at the intersection. Tobias turned down the street, contemplating what he could do to catch up to the experienced runner.

[Pumpkin King]

Victoria sighed as she wandered aimlessly down the street. She knew she should be excited to be out and about for the first time in a while and yet she only felt somber. She had so much on her mind and so much to do but she was wasting time in town. She also had to think of a way to get back home without getting caught. She tried humming a happy tune from "The Sound of Music" that supposedly makes one feel better, but it failed.

"And I don't even have Diamant to console me," she lamented the loss of her Pokemon. Ever since she returned home from the fiasco, her father adopted a strict discipline which included the removal of powerful and dangerous creatures like Pokemon from her possession, at least temporarily. He didn't see them as sentient animals with emotions. He once saw them as tools and now a threat. She could only hope that her Pokemon would understand. "Diamant's strong. Sweet as pie and tough as leather. That's why she's named 'diamond'." She smiled as she remembered her Froslass. "I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad," she sang out, actually happy now.

Suddenly, she heard screaming and a crash. Victoria grabbed a Pokeball from her purse, ready to release a Pokemon if necessary. Further down the street, she saw a man collide into a street vendor's stand. Out of the scarves and pashminas flying through the air, a figure donning a blue bandana emerged with a few bruises. A boy on a bicycle skidded to a halt before the shambles of the stand.

Victoria caught sight of an unfortunately familiar symbol on the man's bandana and put the pieces together. As the man darted toward her, she stood her ground and threw a Pokeball into the air. Terra the Cubone materialized in front of her and reacted instinctively, whacking the man's shin with his bone club. The man collapsed on the ground in pain. Through his panting, he released a Totodile and an Ekans, commanding, "Attack!"

This post has been edited by Pumpkin King: Sep 13 2010, 07:08 PM