[X] My Assistant

[Angels Fall Firs...]

A LOST GEM
PETROPOLIS RP

"Finally a day to myself," Liam chuckled as he stepped off the curb. He strutted across the crosswalk with his hands in his pockets and his head held high and confident. He nodded to other walkers as they passed him by, knowing what they thought of him. He would have thought the same things if he was working too. Living in Petropolis was exciting at times, but when something or someone odd came about, all you could do was judge.

The city was beautiful, but beauty and extravagance came at a cost. And that cost was the skies being darker earlier and less smiles on peoples faces because of all the hustle and bustle Petropolis had to offer.

He had made it safely back onto the sidewalk and was now on his way for a fresh cup of coffee. Liam chuckled silently to himself as he walked. Being a bit of a daydreamer he became distracted in an instant and was soon knocked back into reality when he walked into a group of tourists.

"Oph!" He grunted, taking a step back from the hit. "I am so sorry!" Liam shouted, rubbing his cheek with one hand, and patting the person he hit with the other. "I wasn't paying attention and..." He stopped mid-sentence as the person he hit turned around squinting her eyes from the pain.

"Owwwww," the woman cried as she rubbed the back of her head. A tear fell on the side of her face as she bit her lip, "It's okay. Accidents happen, right?"

"Y-yeah," Liam replied, still rubbing his cheek.

This post has been edited by Angels Fall First: Aug 20 2011, 12:09 AM

[Xehanorto]

Kefka was on a boat heading towards the Fiorre region. The boat had been traveling from Snowpoint City and it was the second day of travel. The expected time was three days of travel, due to a delay in bad weather. The boat only had a few trainers on it, as he had took an early ship to avoid the crowd. Kefka was on an important mission to find his father, and he would do whatever he had to do in order to find him. The sun was setting in the west so the heat was on his back and it felt nice. Spending a few days in the snow ridden city had nearly gotten him sick, so getting the refreshing heat on him made him feel good. He decided to retire for the night and went down to his cabin to go to sleep.

I will find you father. Then I am going to get my answers and you will come home with me whether you want to or not.

While Kefka was asleep he was dreaming a wonderful thing. He was at the Pokemon League in Sinnoh fighting the champion Cynthia. He had his fans on his side cheering for him, but otherwise the crowd was hoping for the current Champion. A long and hard battle was fought and when all was said and done, Cynthia was the victor. Kefka did not show any sadness, anger, or disappointment in his loss, but saw it as a opportunity from his mistakes and then try again in the future.

The next morning Kefka woke up bright and early after a good sleep. He walked to the cafe to see that no one was up yet, which did not surprise him. He took the boat that mostly tourists and vacationers use so they would simply relax and enjoy themselves. As he approached the chef, the boat began shake and then slowed down. Kefka arrived at the counter and ordered some bacon and eggs. When he sat down, Kefka glanced over at a clock and saw it was 7:30 meaning that the boat would be docking in a short time which explained the shaking. He took a seat at a table and quickly ate his meal. Kefka took his plate to the dish tray and sat it there.

Kefka made his way to the upper deck and saw the sun rising in the air. In the distance he saw the skyline of the city the boat was heading to. The name of the city was Petropolis and the sight the sun gave was magnificent. The sun was shining at such an angle it made the city shine like a newly polished coin. He went to the edge of the boat and decided to relax before the boat reached the port.

Once the boat reached port, Kefka quickly reached the port and decided to depart quickly to explore the town. As he was walking down the ramp, there was a group of people waiting for everyone else on board. They did not disturb Kefka, when they saw the serious look on his face and his Poke Balls. As he was exploring the town was full with life and everyone was rushing by him. He sighed knowing things would be severely different from Sinnoh, but he could get used to it knowing how long he could be here. Eventually he saw two people bump into each other and decided to introduce himself, seeing someone who was actually kind and caring. "Hello there, my name is Kefka Gama. Its a pleasure to meet you."

[Yzarc Drowsnam]

It had been a week since Jill spoke to her ex husband, and every day she felt more and more rejuvenated. Without the distractions of the stress brought about by his constant calling, she was able to throw herself into her work. This wasn't something of which she was particularly proud, but she much preferred the stress of work to the stress of David.

Anyway, this Monday she had a training seminar in Petropolis. Her and two coworkers, Erica and Matt, had to basically attend meetings on and off all day on Monday and Tuesday, but but they had the evenings to do whatever they wanted and didn't have to show up to work back in Arasam until noon on Wednesday, which meant they could live the night life in Petropolis.

They drove together, a decision which made sense, but had its problems. The drive was only a few hours, but it was Erica's car, meaning Jill and Matt were effectively at her mercy if they needed transportation. Luckily, Erica was a nice enough gal.

They arrived Monday morning and unpacked a little at their hotel (each of them got a separate room) before heading over to the training offices. I'll spare you the boring details and just tell you that the next two hours were boring. Apparently it was necessary to tell professional accountants that details were important. Who'da known?

Lunch time came around not soon enough and the three decided to get some food at what was supposedly a cool burger place Erica used to go to when she was a kid (She grew up in Petropolis, which is why she offered to drive - She knew the city). Jill and Matt agreed, and didn't regret it. They got to sit on the back outdoor patio and the food was great. It was supposedly organic, whatever that meant, but the meat was great, so she wasn't complaining.

As they ate, they saw a man bump into a woman. Well, they heard her yell loudly, which caught their attention. She seemed to perk up, though, when she saw the guy's face who bumped into her. "Wow," Jill leaned back in her chair, pointing out the encounter. "He's so awkward."

Then, as if someone planned to show her that Liam was not, in fact, awkward, at least comparatively, a younger boy just walked up to the two, who could have easily been a couple, and introduced himself out of absolutely nowhere. "Hello there, my name is Kefka Gama," the boy said. "Its a pleasure to meet you."

At that point, Matt, Erica and Jill began laughing, but they made sure not to laugh so hard as to attract attention. For all anyone else around could have been able to tell, they were three friends having a friendly laugh at something someone said, irrelevant of the awkward conversation happening not too far from them. They didn't need to discuss the plan with each other: They were going to watch this hilarity ensue.

[Angels Fall Firs...]

"Hi?" Both Liam and the woman he bumped into said in unison.

The woman was still rubbing her head, but extended her free hand towards the young man, Kefka. "I'm Alexa." That's when a chuckle escaped the lips of Liam, as he shook his head. "Is there something wrong with my name?" Alexa said in response.

"Oh! No, no!" Liam said, chuckling again. "It's nothing, nothing at all. Again I'm really sorry about bumping into you. How about I make it up to you with a cup of coffee or something? I'm on my to get some now actually." Before the woman could respond though, Liam turned to Kefka, still grinning. "I'm Liam, and I guess the pleasure is mine." He was laughing at the fact that some random stranger introduced himself to them after their little run-in, and at the fact that the woman he bumped into had a very familiar name, the name of his ex-wife. Not to mention she kind of looked like her too.

He slipped his hands into his pockets smiling, as awkward silence rose. "Well..." he slurred. "I guess, I'm gonna go get those coffee's now?"

"Ahhh, no! No, it's okay." Alexa said, "You really don't need to."

"I'll be right back." Liam said about ready to dash off, "Oh, Kefka, I guess you want anything?" As if it wasn't odd already, he had just offered to buy another complete stranger something to drink. "It's on me."

This post has been edited by Angels Fall First: Aug 24 2011, 10:34 AM

[Xehanorto]

Kefka had his reasons for introducing himself to the two and this was mainly due to the fact that these two were the first not in a huge rush. The girl had introduced himself as Alexa, while the man introduced himself as Liam. Kefka was more than happy to meet them, but was also interested in testing there Pokemon in battle. The two seemed like they knew each other from the way they were acting, but he had nothing to worry about. Liam wanted to make it up to Alexa for bumping into her and that made Kefka happy. Seeing people trying to help each other made it worth being here. Kefka was also offered a drink and he could not refuse. "Sure I'll take a cup of coffee. Thanks a lot Liam."

As Liam was about to head out Kefka turned to Alexa to talk to her. He needed to test her in a Pokemon battle to see if she could help him. Kekfa had assumed since he began this journey that he would have a lot of people working against him, so he would need all the help he could get. He figured both could be a good help to him so he would challenge Alexa first, then Liam when he returned. "So Alexa, do you mind if we have a quick two on two Pokemon battle. I came here to challenge the league, but I also need to find my father. There are a lot of people working against me, so I need all the help I can get."

Kekfa was really hoping that Alexa would accept the battle request as he needed help and she was the first person Kefka was able to find. He then heard what sounded like laughing, but could not pinpoint the exact location of the laughter. He would ignore it for now, but if it came up again there would be trouble.

Those that mock the suffering of others, do not deserve to be. For now however, it is time for the first steps of my journey to truly begin.

[Angels Fall Firs...]

"A battle?" The woman repeated, "Well, we're in the middle of a city. I don't think it would be a wise choice to have it out here. Plus, I'm not much of a battler either." She bit her lips nervously as she waited for the return of Liam, with their coffees. The woman felt awkward, just as anyone else would have felt, waiting on a stranger for some coffee, talking with another one.

She slipped her hand down into her purse and brought out a Pokeball, smiling now. "And I only have one Pokemon, so a two-on-two battle wouldn't be that fair." Just as she was putting her Pokeball back, she felt another push from behind her. Alexa turned back and was moved from her footing again, going forward a few steps. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry," the man who bumped into her whispered, "Didn't meant too." He bowed and dashed off in a matter of seconds.

Alexa watched as he ran, with her luck, another would be bumping into her shortly. Reaching back into her purse, she fumbled around, trying to find her Pokeball that she just had. "No!" She shouted, "Where is he!? My Pokeball, it's gone! Where did it go!?" She knelt onto the ground and searched as the tourist group she was in all turned back and stared down at her.

"I lost my Pokeball, has anyone seen it?"

The group all mumbled amongst themselves until one finally answered back a definite answer, "Nope."

That's when it hit her, the man who had bumped into her. She had it right before he knocked into her. "Oh my gosh! He took it!" She glanced up at Kefka and then looked down the sidewalk that he ran on. "I have to go get it!" Like a sprinter in a race, she bolted up running down the sidewalk, trying her best to dodge people, and find the man who took her Pokemon.

-

Waiting in line was done in less than a few minutes. Liam ordered and was in the pick-up line for another two before he headed back out of the little coffee shop. Slowly walking, holding three cups of coffee in a triangular form, he made his way back towards his two acquaintances.

Liam walked passed a burger joint, as he smelt the delicious foods of the customers who sat out on the patio section. As he was admiring the smells he wasn't paying attention again, and was knocked off his feet. A man who had been in a full charge pushed passed him, sending him over the small fence, landing onto a table full of guests. But that wasn't the worst of it all. The coffee's that were in his hand, were now gone.

"I. Am. So. Sorry." Liam said looking at the faces around him.

[Yzarc Drowsnam]

As Jill, Erica and Matt watched the scene play out near their table, the man walked into a nearby coffeeshop to, presumably, get some coffee, leaving the boy and the woman by themselves for what was sure to be an amazing conversation. He seemed wise beyond his years, however, because he just skipped any pretenses of introductions or socializing and jumped right into what he wanted to do: A pokemon battle.

The woman tried to be courteous, it seemed, but she clearly wasn't interested in a pokemon battle. She did seem to have pokemon, which wasn't too common for working types in the city, but she also seemed like she was in some sort of hurry. "What is this kid even doing here?" Erica asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Jill asked. "He's the next big thing. He's going to challenge everyone he sees to a pokemon battle until he is the very best."

Matt chuckled. "Like no one ever was?"

"Something like that."

Then, as they spoke, a man walked by and bumped into the woman. After a quick exchange of apologies, he bailed in a full sprint. "Coincidence?" Erica asked.

"No," Jill said. "There's something off about the new guy." As if on cue, the woman shouted that something had been stolen and bolted after the man. "Yep," Jill continued. "We should help, or-"

But then, as if the current state of things was lacking in chaos, the man from earlier, Liam walked out of the coffeeshop and made his way back over to Kefka and Alexa, though he was in the path of the thief and the pursuing Alexa. "Oh!" Erica shouted. "Watch out!"

It was too late. The thief pushed Liam aside, knocking him clean over the small fence near them and ran straight through while Alexa gave chase. Because Erica, Jill and Matt had been watching the scene, they were able to actually avoid most of the hot coffee flying everywhere, but they weren't ninjas, and they were still hit, though Matt got the brunt of the assault. "Son of a ballsack!" he shouted as the coffee spilled right onto the front of his pants. Erica and Jill stood to the side, shocked at Matt's outrage, but mostly shocked at the lack of coherency to his curses.

Poor Liam was not having a good day. He apologized while Jill helped him to his feet and Erica went to help Matt in whatever way she could, which pretty much just meant helping him back to his hotel room so he could change and maybe grab an icepack.

"Hey," Jill said to Liam. "It's okay, don't worry about it. We saw what happened and it wasn't your fault. That guy stole something from your new friend, and she was dumb enough to chase after him. You should definitely try to stop her before she gets herself hurt and I'll try to call the police okay?"

[Angels Fall Firs...]

"Thank you!" Liam said, throwing himself up without thinking. He looked down the crowd and tried his best picking out Alexa's head. He gave Jill a nod of appreciation and began his stride through the crowd. "Oh! Here," Liam said handing Jill one of his business cards. "I owe you one for helping me."

With that he dashed off following Alexa's trail of screams and shouts. "Get back here! Someone stop him!"

Liam did all he could, sliding and dodging people. He didn't catch up until Alexa and the thief turned into an alleyway where the badman lunged over a dumpster and over a fence. Liam caught up to an exhausted Alexa as she was taking a well-deserved break.

"Are you okay?" The man asked, taking a break of his own.

"No." Alexa said, breathing heavily. "He took my Pokemon. We have to get it back."

Liam watched as the thief ran down the alleyway over the fence and then back at the woman he had threw himself to help. "Don't worry, we will. I'll help you out we'll have it back in no time."

[Yzarc Drowsnam]

After Jill called the police, she made her way at a fast pace down the street in the direction which Liam went. She found them in one of the nearby alleyways where the woman looked absolutely exhausted, while Liam seemed to be trying to console her. She got there in time to overhear that he took her pokemon, which changed a lot in Jill's mind.

She sighed as she thought about what she would do if someone stole Pele or Vinyl. Her right hand instinctively fell into her purse as she gripped each of her pokeballs individually, knowing they were basically all she had. Given this woman's hysteria, it seemed she was in the same boat.

"They're sending a car," she said as she approached the two. "I doubt they'll make this a priority. Anyway, you two talk to them, tell them what happened. Tell them that I went after the thief. I'm gonna do that, I think. Where'd he go?"

[Umbrae Calamitas]

"Get back here! Someone stop him!"

Lysander didn't have a great deal of warning before a man nearly ran him down. Had he been standing and able, he would have leapt out of the way. As it was, he cringed, expecting to be crashed into, and slipped his fingers into the wheels on either side of him and let the spokes slam against his taut fingers. It was not a pleasant sensation, and quite frankly hurt like hell. His wheelchair stopped, however, although a bit too abruptly.

The tipping of the wheelchair disrupted Mafdet's nap, and the meowth let out a hiss and leapt from her customary place behind Lysander's neck. She landed on the ground, crouched low, tail whipping back and forth, growling in a steady note in her throat.

A sharp bark sounded and Garm lunged around the wheelchair, slamming his stocky body against the left side and off-setting the chair's tilting. Both wheels fixed themselves steadily back on the ground and Lysander took a moment to ascertain that he was no longer in danger of flying forward out of his chair, before he removed his fingers from where he had dug them into the wheels, flexing them painfully.

"Perhaps I should invest in a seatbelt." Lysander quirked an eyebrow at Garm, who huffed abruptly and gave the wheelchair a fiery glare, as though daring it to try and tip again. Were it not an inanimate object, Lysander was certain it would be sure not to.

The slap of shoes on cement had Lysander lifting his head and he glanced as more people ran by him, this time not nearly running into him, though it was clear they were each, though some distance apart, following the man that had nearly run him down. He blinked curiously, and rolled his wheelchair forward a bit, listening as another girl moved down the alley after them.

"They're sending a car. I doubt they'll make this a priority. Anyway, you two talk to them, tell them what happened. Tell them that I went after the thief. I'm gonna do that, I think. Where'd he go?"

Lysander glanced at Garm and raised both of his eyebrows, which the growlithe did not appear to appreciate, having a good idea what Lysander was planning. The dog pulled back his lips in an expression of distaste, but Lysander ignored him and rolled his wheelchair into the alleyway, addressing the girl as he did so.

"You might have a difficult time finding him now that he's out of your sight." He gave a nod of greeting to them as they turned, smiling pleasantly. "If none of you have a pokemon that can track scents, might I offer my assistance?"

[Yzarc Drowsnam]

Jill turned to see the young man in a wheelchair offer his pokemons' assistance in tracking down the poke-napper. "Uh," Was her initial, though admittedly tactless, response. "Sure?"

Though she was somewhat against teaming up with him, there was some sense in accepting his aid. Little of that sense had to do with the use of a tracking pokemon. Most of it had to do with not wanting to offend him. It did take her a second, but she did get over the idea of a boy in a wheelchair offering to help chase down a thief. She had to admit there was some charm in how unorthodox it was. Then again, a person's physical capabilities were far less important in this world than his or her pokemons'.

"Yeah," she added, firmly. "Yeah, he went down this alley, so I think we should probably cut him off by going around the building? Or something? I don't really know the city too well. Anyway, let's see what your tracker has to say."

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Now, if Garm knew Odor Sleuth, tracking the thief would have been the easiest thing in the world, but the growlithe didn't. Still, a dog's nose was a dog's nose, and Garm's nose was incredible. He had been trained in more than just manners - the dog was taught to use his senses to discern if there was danger and though that didn't make him a super-canine, it did make him disciplined. Once he learned Odor Sleuth, he would be an incredible tracker. For now, his skills were enough.

Lysander gave the girl an easy smile. He wasn't naive enough to think that because he had overcome the fact that he was now wheelchair-bound, that everyone else would simply expect him to be like the rest of them. He was a stranger to her, and he and his pokemon were the only ones here who knew precisely how agile he could be, despite his current state.

With a little help, of course.

"I'm Kirby, by the way," he introduced himself, giving her a small salute of greeting rather than wheeling himself forward to shake her hand. "Garm - find us our thief, would you?"

The growlithe huffed in Lysander's direction, and put his nose to the ground, snuffling about. He chuffed a few times, mumbling to himself in annoyance, before he caught onto a scent that lingered around the girl Lysander was talking to - the scent of someone who had run past this direction not too long ago. Turning to look at Lysander, he muttered under his breath, which came out as the grumbling growl of a dog, before he let out a sharp bark to get his charge's attention.

"Good boy, Garm!" The dog rolled his eyes. "Lead on." Grumbling, the dog glanced over at the girl in boredom, before turning and trotting off. Lysander chuckled to himself and rolled his wheelchair forward. There was a purring sound behind him as Mafdet leapt up to her customary resting place, and went to sleep.

As he wheeled himself quickly around the building, Lysander started pulling something out of the bag he had tucked on the side of his chair. "So, what exactly did this guy steal?"

[Yzarc Drowsnam]

The dog certainly didn't seem quite as obedient as Growlithes were known for, but it did follow instructions, however reluctantly. Jill kept up with Lysander aka Kirby, but wasn't sure whether or not she should over to push him. Certainly that would be faster than him wheeling himself, and it was clear Garm wasn't going as fast as he could.

Then, Kirby decided a conversation was in order.

"Apparently, a pokemon," she replied. Certainly, there was some regret in accepting the guy's help, since the whole situation seemed awkward and she really hated that. "It's the only reason I offered to give chase. I just can't accept the notion of giving up on something like that.

"Look," she continued, sighing. "Can I help or something? I feel bad watching you wheel that thing around. Or maybe, I'll just, uh, run ahead? Let the Growlithe go at top speed. I just don't want to lose this guy. I'm not trying to, uh, offend you. Or anything."

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Garm was being difficult on purpose.

The growlithe realized this fact of himself, though it did mean that he would cease doing as he had been. His charge was being again the thing that he was best - a foolish creature.

His charge, the wheelchair-bound human who was called Lysander but told others that his name was Kirby (a name used by those who named him only when he had done something perceived as fallable in some way to garner anger or fear), was offering his aid to a human whom he did not know. Worse yet, the situation in which his charge has thrust himself - and, therefore, the rest of them - was not a safe one, but one that could quite possibly - probably - land him in danger. This went against what Garm had been trained. He was to protect Lysander; guard him from those that would cause him harm, defend him at all cost from all dangers.

Did that mean, then, that he should guard the human against the human's self?

Such a strange concept. A pokemon would never think to take an action that would place themselves into danger. Self-preservation was key above all else; the continued existence of one's self was the top priority. And yet, despite how long he has been with the human, he is continually surprised by his charge's insistence in thrusting himself into dangerous situations.

Never before has it been one quite like this, as this is the beginning of his journey, and thus, that is to be expected. Still, the growlithe finds the modus operandi of his human to be one of extreme annoyance to the growlithe himself, for he cannot simply phone his charge's parents and demand clarification of his duties. He was told, trained, ordered, to protect his charge, but he is a pokemon, and thus he is told, trained, ordered, to obey his charge. And yes, his duties as a guardian and guide outweigh and come before his duties as a pokemon, but if he were to disobey his charge's - master's - orders, it could place the human in even more danger, for Garm must be there, to guard, to guide, to protect.

And so he stands here, on the line between guardian and pokemon, wondering to which side he should move now, but aware that one takes away a strength he has on the other, and so he straddles his position, however difficult. Reluctantly, he finds the scent of the human his charge-master seeks, fills his nostrils with the smoky sensation of the sought, and moves with purpose and strength around the building, leading, guiding, guarding, and, obediently, awaiting orders.

~*~

Lysander cannot help but grin at the stumble in the girl's voice. Three years he's been duct-taped to this chair, both friend and foe, and he has grown accustomed to the looks and the words, and the not-looks and unspoken-words. And though part of him begs to rise against her words - her near-accusations to his inabilities - he knows his state is uncommon for one on a pokemon journey, and he must admit that he prefers that she speaks her mind that do as most and keep the thoughts and doubts to herself, or speak them when she thinks he is deaf to them. So many try to hide their feelings on the matter, and fail so miserably.

"You're very blunt; it's refreshing." He grinned at her to show that there are no hard feelings for her unsteady words, and that he understands the uncertainty in her face. He will not allow himself to bring the emotions he is so familiar with that bleed from her body language into the light; they are the type that are best left to hide in the shadows, harmless as they are. He has put himself into this situation, after all, offering his help to a complete stranger. What he gets, he gets by his own wishing.

"And thank you for the offer-" He really does try to be polite and not let any of his temper leak through. He thinks he succeeds. The smile, if a little brittle at the edges, remains on his face as he informs her that yes, he is quite capable of manuevering himself around, despite having two very useless legs, thank you very much. "-but Garm would not allow himself to go where he could not see me. And I've had a lot of practice with this."

He pulls from the pack hooked on the side of his wheelchair a long, thick blue lead, the kind of which is often used when training ponyta. This one differs slightly in that there are two hooks, two inches apart, in the center of the long lead, and each end of the rope is a tight loop that can be wrapped around something.

With a whistle, Garm is trotting back to him, all huffs and rolling-eyes and blazzing annoyance, but understanding. The growlithe put his forepaws up on Lysander's unfeeling legs and allows his charge to hook the lead to the harness he wears. The leather harness is custom-made, red and black to match Garm's coat, with metal circles where the lead is hooked. Once the lead is secured to the harness, Garm turns around and breathes deeply, the smoky scent of the sought still burning in his nostrils.

There is a soft noise, as Lysander fits the two ends of the lead around the arms of his wheelchair, and then the sound of an amused chuckle as he speaks to his companion. "You are a fast runner, I hope?" He presumed so from her comment about running ahead with Garm - growlithe were not as fast as arcanine, no, but they were canids, and were quite quick on their paws.

Lysander knew from experience.

"Hup!" he snapped. Garm reacted instantaneously to the command he had been trained to follow, letting out a sharp bark and lunging forward into an immediate run. No resistence came from Lysander other than his weight, and the growlithe had little problem in performing an action he had done many times before. Garm rushed ahead, his nose in the lead as he devoured the ground in the hunt for the thief, his companions and charge trailing swiftly behind.

[Yzarc Drowsnam]

Kirby seemed well adjusted to people being awkward around him, which was probably necessary given his chosen path. The path was an odd choice. He probably would have been better suited, based only on his disability, to work in the sort of environment in which Jill worked. And yet, he was a pokemon trainer, seemingly first and foremost. Jill, on the other hand, felt as though she had all the reason in the world to leave responsibility to the wind and wander the world with Pele and Vinyl. And yet, for some reason, she held on unreasonably tightly to her boring office job. Maybe Kirby was the inspiration she needed.

She watched as he attached his reins as though Garm were a sled hound in the snowy environment a Growlithe would probably hate with piqued interest. Then, they were off. Jill took a moment to go over everything she said out loud once more in her head to make sure she didn't say anything overtly offensive, but then followed.

The answer to Kirby's question was yes, she could run, fairly fast at that. She enjoyed running. It kept her in shape, gave her a reason to get up on the weekends. This was not the kind of running she enjoyed, however. It was difficult to keep up and more importantly, she was wearing a skirt suit and no shoes. Well, she had shoes on, but they were heels, and she knew better than to try to run in them.

So, there she was, running along side the wheelchair, led by Garm, proving that she was clearly the one lacking in mobility in this situation. "So," she began. She wasn't out of breath, just felt uncomfortable running in this attire. "Kirby. I'm Jill. If I may ask, what do you do that gives you the free time to chase down thieves in the middle of the day?"

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Lysander laughed at her question, pulling steadily on the right end of the leash as Garm turned in that direction. The action caused his wheelchair to begin to turn that way, and when Garm's shift in direction finally registered down the long lead, the wheelchair was not knocked over onto its side, but turned the rest of the way and continued in the same manner as it had been.

"Nothing with any set itinerary - at least not yet. I've only been in Furoh a couple of weeks, but I'm here to defeat the gym leaders." He sent a grin her way. "Unexpected, I know, but I want to prove to myself, and anyone who doubts me, that being unable to walk doesn't mean my life is over.

"How about you, Jill? It's not everyday two strangers get together to chase down a thief who didn't steal anything from either of them."

Garm let out a sharp bark to call Lysander's attention. He raised his head forward to see the growlithe had slowed to a controlled trot, and that the wheelchair was gaining on him. The crimson and cream dog was watching the chair with a wary expression, but not running.

Lysander reached to the sides of the chair and loosely activated the brakes on both wheels, allowing the chair to slow. Garm chuffed at him as the wheelchair coasted closer to him, and the growlithe placed his forelegs on Lysander's knees. The action both stopped the remaining momentum of the wheelchair and allowed the growlithe to look right into Lysander's face.

He growled softly, and looked behind him.

Lysander glanced over his growlithe's head. "Hm... Aipom Apartments." He cracked a sideways grin. "I hope they have an elevator. I hate having to monkey up stairs."

Garm just rolled his eyes and let Lysander unhook the lead from his harness, though the boy kept the ends attached to his wheelchair and the rest in his lap. He didn't know if he wouldn't need it again. Growling lightly under his breath and grumbling at the stupidity of their current predicament, Garm followed his nose into the apartment building, with the other two following behind.

"Considering we're actively searching for a criminal," Lysander said conversationally, "it might be wise to ask what pokemon you have that could be helpful in a battle."

[Yzarc Drowsnam]

"I, uh," she sighed when Kirby asked what she did. "Let's just say I'm on my lunch break." She said it with some sort mystique. Then, however, she paused and continued with a sigh. "I'm an accountant here for meetings. I'm on my lunch break. The only reason I'm chasing this guy down is because he stole that woman's pokemon, and I just- You know, it's just wrong. I mean, I don't know what kind of relationship she has with whatever it was the guy stole, but it shouldn't matter, you know?"

As she spoke, she began to question herself more and more. She was inserting herself into this stranger's problems, moving herself towards danger as well as this handi-capable individual. They got there, though, and Kirby asked a simple question about her pokemon, which implied they'd have to battle. Of course they would. It made sense, though she hadn't thought through it that far. Though she was confident in Pele and Vinyl, she had no idea of what the thief was capable. If he was indeed just a thief, he wouldn't put up a fight, because that would make him a robber, which is a much steeper crime. Though, when two strangers come knockin' at your door, demanding you hand over something, an argument could be made for him defending himself. Would that make Jill and Kirby the bad guys?

"I have a Ponyta and a Bellsprout," she said. "Both are fairly competent battlers, apparently, though I haven't been in many situations where it was necessary. If we have to fight, I think we'll be okay, but I'd rather not risk it." She thought about asking Kirby the same question, but decided he seemed confident enough. Garm, at least, seemed more than capable of taking on anyone who crossed him (Of course, confidence doesn't mean everything). "Anyway, let's get going."

Garm led them through the apartments and eventually came to a door on the first floor (meaning, luckily, she didn't have to watch Kirby struggle to get up the stairs and feel like a terrible person for being able to move her legs). "This looks to be it," she said, pulling out Pele's pokeball. "Let's try to be somewhat peaceful about this." Rather than summoning her fire pokemon, she simply knocked on the door.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

"A good diversity, that," Lysander said, in reference to her choice of pokemon. He wheeled himself into the building, following Garm as the growlithe kept his nose to the ground, chuffing and snuffling his way down the hall. "A pity you're stuck chasing down thieves on your lunch break. You're not going to get sacked if we're still running around by the time you're supposed to be back, are you?" He glanced at her and grinned. "Well, running in your case, that is." He rolled himself forward to emphasize his lack of such action.

"I'll agree with you on keeping the peace," he added, "and I hope we have the choice to do so. Considering what type of person we're chasing, though, I wouldn't get my hopes up, were I you."

The sound of Garm's rumbling growl called his attention and they both turned to see someone had come out of an apartment down the hall. It was an older gentleman dressed in a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase. There was a purple cat-like pokemon following lazily on his heels. "Can I help you?" he asked, giving them a suspicious look.

"We're here to visit someone," Lysander replied jauntily. "I'm not sure what he looks like, but he has a penchant for stealing other people's pokemon and running away."

The gentleman gave Lysander a funny look, clearly thrown off by his cheery attitude, but then wordlessly pointed his suitcase down the hall, in the direction of apartment 6 and 8. "Though you're a fool to face him in such a state," the man muttered, walking swiftly past them with clear intentions to be out of the building when they confronted their supposed thief.

"Well, I'm certainly not travelling to Hoenn to wait for him there," Lysander said, and while he smiled at the man, the cheerfulness of it didn't quite meet his eyes. The man said nothing as he left the building, and Lysander didn't add anything. He knew what he was capable of, despite being in a wheelchair. "Garm?"

The growlithe was sniffing at the doors curiously. He tensed in front of apartment 6 and growled low, before letting out a sharp bark.

There was a muffled curse from within the building, and then the shattering of glass as a window was broken. Lysander rolled his eyes skyward and looked at Jill. "Running again, I take it." Garm barked and dashed past, Lysander hooking the lead onto his harness quickly. "And we're off!"

[Yzarc Drowsnam]

"I guess so," Jill sighed. Honestly, Kirby's chipper attitude and constant smiles were beginning to annoy her. She wasn't a fan of overly optimistic people, but she could usually stand to be around them. There was something about Kirby, though, that made it seem even more fake than usual. Rather than being curious about the root of his cheerfulness, she just sighed it off and locked her grievances up in that part of her brain labeled "future tumor."

Garm led the two around the apartment complex and into the courtyard near a pool. It would appear the thief hadn't thought his plan all the way through, as Kirby, Jill and Garm were blocking his primary exit from the area. Maybe he was smart, though, and just wanted a more open place to have a pokemon showdown than in his apartment which was probably filled with expensive/stolen goods.

That said, he turned to face the group and summoned two pokemon. It seemed fair, since Jill and Kirby were two people and each would be battling with a pokemon. It was a 2v2 battle, except, unlike most hero stories, the two good guys were ganging up on one bad guy.

Rather than summoning Pele, the more powerful of her pokemon, she sent out Vinyl, her Bellsprout, in order to complement Kirby's Growlithe, a fire type. Granted, Jill was no expert on pokemon battles, but she had seen a few of them, had been involved in a few, and came across a few discussions, both academic and otherwise, on battling theories and strategies. Basically, she knew the basics. Kirby seemed like a guy more focused on pokemon battling and training, so she figured they'd make a good team.

The two pokemon which he had already summoned but have yet to be mentioned were a cool combination. Magby and Elekid, two pokemon with so much in common. The combination thereof provided him with a particularly versatile offense. He had a third pokeball visible, but there was, apparently, some honor amongst thieves - This one, at least, as he decided not to cast it out quite yet.

There wasn't an easy target for Vinyl. Neither of them were weak to any of his damaging attacks. Both of them, however, were particularly weak against his Sleep Powder. Particularly in the same way that every pokemon is extremely disabled by being asleep on the field of battle. The target of this attack was easy - Magby could deal supereffective Fire damage, but Elekid couldn't do super effective damage (of which Jill was aware, at least) to either of them. Magby, in other words, needed to be shut down.

Unfortunately, both Magby and Elekid are extremely fast pokemon considering how low they were on their evolution chains. Of the four pokemon on the field (Garm and Vinyl included), Elekid and Magby (respectively) were the fastest. "Lemon!" The thief said. "Use Thundershock on Growlithe. Norbury, use Ember on Bellsprout."

"Sleep Powder on Magby," Jill nodded to Vinyl. The three pokemon prepared their attacks, but Vinyl, whose attack would likely be the most influential, would also be moving last, unfortunately. Hopefully Kirby had something up his sleeves.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Lysander grinned at the thief's choice of attack. Or, rather, at his choice of opponent.

Garm moved quickly, dodging to the right. The electric attack from the elekid singed the lead and the tips of the fur on Garm's left side, though he had managed to avoid the majority of the attack. The elekid turned toward the growlithe to attack again, and so was startled by the attack that came from behind him.

"Kiiiid!" the yellow pokemon screamed, as the pale pokemon sank devilish claws into his flesh. The meowth had leapt from the back of Lysander's wheelchair, where she had been feigning sleep, to attack the elekid once its back was turned.

Lysander raised his eyes to the thief to regard him with a smile that held more than a little bit of mockery. "Anyone with sense regarding pokemon should know not to assume who your opponent is." Garm had dodged back to where Lysander was, sitting stiffly in front of the handicapped boy in case he was needed to defend against a more direct attack. "Mafdet, while you're there..."

The meowth seemed to require no further instruction. The muscles in her hind legs coiled, and she left bloody claw marks on the elekid's back as she leapt from him. She sprang upward, twisting with a hiss, and came down, fang-first, on the elekid's head, wrapping her jaws around the bipedal pokemon's cranium like an elliptical vice, just below the prongs of his antennae.

The thief yelled something that was mixed up in the sounds of the elekid's yelling and Mafdet growling low in her throat, but the pokemon apparently heard it. A second later, an electrical charged shot upward, travelling through the meowth's ivory teeth. She jerked at the jolting force of the attack and her hold was shaken. She fell from her position on the elekid and barely managed to twist in the air to land on her feet, but the moment she did, she was crouched and alternating between a near-constant growl, low in the back of her throat, and a wild, brazen hiss as her tail whipped back and forth with the promise of much, much pain.