[X] My Assistant

[Living Arrow]

A little chance to talk before we reach the temple. I'd like for us to "complete" the temple in the next 2 weeks so please check back regularly for updates

Cheers
~LA

Who: Darryn
To: Joey
Where: En route to Ice Temple

Moving out of the main temple, Team Ice did not look like a typical rescue squad or platoon of warriors ready to take on a mission of such magnitude. They just looked like a bunch of tired kids and an even more tired-looking bum trekking awkwardly through an unnatural jungle with uneasy conversation passing amongst them. Darryn inwardly sighed as they altered their course to head straight towards a distant tower topped with a blue dome poking out over the trees of the bizarre rainforest of fossil Pokemon. Things were not going as he had planned - coming to Starfall Field was meant to be a relaxing break from his training (not a crazy adventure that could lead to his death at any moment).

"Let's mingle, guys." Darryn suggested to Meiko and Lyla as they exited the Temple. He was all too aware of how little this 'Team Ice' knew about each other and didn't want for anyone to feel even worse about the situation than they already did. Seeming to agree with him, the girls peeled off to find another party member to talk to, leaving Darryn to walk with Joey.

"So," Darryn made sure that the shorter teen was OK to hobble along with no support from him but kept close in case his help was needed, "looks like it will take us a little while to reach that other temple... You were in a lot better condition when we were at Castle Vonmoto than now... What happened?"

***

Who: Lyla
To: Alex Treinem
Where: En route to Ice Temple

Even though she had survived a meteor storm and ended up in an underground dinosaur land of impossible proportions, Lyla still looked acceptably pretty. True, her hair had streaks of mud through it and dirt streaked her face a couple of times. Her pink and white summer dress was torn in places but not too badly and her arms had a few bloody scratches but all in all she could have been worse. She silently envied Darryn for looking so perfect (he could probably walk through a hurricane and come out ready for the catwalk) but soon discarded those feelings for fear he might read them out of her brain... Could he do that? Who knew? Did he even know? Whatever...

"Um, like, hey." Lyla sidled up alongside the girl that she saw back on the surface of Starfall Field. In their panic, Lyla had lost her in the smoke and crowd but there was no mistaking this tomboy's long skinny frame anywhere. The egg from before was nowhere to be seen - probably in the girl's bag - but Lyla couldn;t help feeling bad for the poor thing. If it hatched in an awful situation like this, who knew what sort of damage that could do to a baby!?

"So, um, my name is Lyla - Lyla Moore - and I'm from Mauville City in the Hoenn region. That guy there is my cousin Darryn. He's, like, totally cool and we don't have to worry about a thing with him around." Lyla hoped her false bravado didn't come through when talking to this girl but Darryn had sent her and Meiko to try and put the others at ease - not work them up. She smiled a toothy white smile. "If you don't mind, let's be buddies like Darryn said?"

[Amissa]

To: Tom Hawk
Where: going to the Ice Temple

"One at a time, please! And supplies are rather low, so I can only give a single potion to each trainer!" Nurse Joy said. She looked a bit dirty and her clothes were somewhat torn, but she was still beautiful. Her chansey walked around among the crowd, finding injured pokemon and handing out potions to trainers who didn't have their own. Nurse Joy took a quick look at Hercules before giving Daniel a super potion, which he used to heal the bruises that his pokemon had suffered from the magnitude attack.

"Thank you, Nurse," Daniel said before leaving the woman to tend to the other pokemon. This sort of situation made him wish that he could do more to help the injured pokemon himself. If he hadn't been so stupid and forgotten where he put his own potions, he wouldn't have to mooch off the nurse and could maybe help out by sharing with the others.

"There, this should keep you together for now. There's a good chance that we'll need your help with this whole ice legendary stuff." Daniel said as he rubbed the potion over Hercule's legs, which were the most sore. The machop leaned back with an expression of blissful relief, and Daniel knew that the potion was doing the job. "All right then, we'd better go before the others get too far ahead." Daniel helped Hercules back onto his feet before calling him back into his pokeball, and the boy hurried to keep up with the rest of the team.

Everyone seemed to be getting to know each other on the way to...wherever they were headed. It made sense, of course, this was the sort of situation that bonded even strangers together. Therefore, instead of wandering back over to Amelia and Delainey, Daniel decided to spend some time talking to someone that he didn't already know. He drifted over to a blonde boy about his own age, but couldn't think of a good way to start up a conversation.

"You know, when I became a pokemon trainer, I never thought that I was going to see a legendary pokemon. Now, we may very well see four of them in one night. Hopefully, I mean, assuming that they don't squash us like tiny insects," Daniel said to the boy and giving him an awkward smile. Behind him, Geb the ninjask continued to follow with his little bug eyes darting in every direction, keeping watch for any nearby danger. "My name is Daniel, by the way. I'm from Gigarte. My friends and I have been helping investigate the grotto disaster down there. What were you up to before all of this happened?

[switzerIand]

Who: Zach and Delainey
Where: To the group.

Ozzy said that Zach was able to use Delainey as a crutch. She also said that she would be away for a while, so I thought it would be nice to keep her involved seeing as neither of us have posted in a while. Keep in mind, she gave me permission to bunny for her.

As the more brave of the survivors split and made their separate ways into the three openings of the cavern, Zach looked down at the ground and couldn't help but to feel sorry for himself. After a failed attempt of trying to kick a small rock with the heel of his foot, Zach gave out a large sigh and laid his head back on the hard wall of the cave, closing his eyes.

"Need some help?" a cute voice said, causing him to open his eyes to see a girl, who seemed to be around his age, looking down on him. She was of an average height, around 5'4", and had a dark red tint in her hair. Her bright, violet eyes sparkled brightly as she looked down on him. She pointed as his leg.

"I couldn't help but notice you're chewed up. It looks like you wanted to get out and explore. I just thought I could help you around, maybe like a crutch!" She took a knee, coming down to eye level with Zach. "My name is Adelaine." The girl said, introducing herself. "But you can call me Delainey. What's your name?"

"I'm Zach," he said, trying to maintain eye contact, but whenever he did he started to blush a bit. "So," Delainey said, "How about I help you get up and going?" Zach nodded nervously as Delainey crouched down, slinging Zach's right arm over her back and was surprisingly able to lift him up off the ground with little effort from Zach.

"Wow, you're pretty string for your size." Zach complimented her, looking at Delainey as she supported his weight. "So, which group are you interested in going to?"

"I don't really care," she said, brushing a strand of hair away from her eyes. "How about that one?" Delainey pointed to a small group of 5 or so people, and turned to Zach. "Is that okay with you?"

"Sure," Zach said as they made their way over to the group.

This post has been edited by Pinsir: Jul 16 2011, 11:11 AM

[Master Houndoom]

Meiko nodded with a slight smile to Darryn at his suggestion to mingle. Picking out a girl she hadn't seen talking to anyone, she made her way to her as the group began to move. "Hey," she said, smiling brightly. Her hair was mussed, her shirt was mussed (and it had been a clean shirt too) but her cute little hat was still in place, and, with a tiny gothita on her shoulder and a happiny in her arms, who could possibly be down?

"My name's Meiko? Some day, huh?" She smiled, rolling her eyes at her own understatement. "You try to relax, and have a little fun, and someone starts through great flaming rocks at you."

She couldn't hide it, though. She was nervous. Since she'd come to Furoh, it seemed, she and the group she travelled with had been beset by one event or another. The forest between Arasam and Petroplois, twice, Mt. Carello, Castle Vonmoto, the list went on and on.

She smiled quietly, looking at the girl, who really hadn't had time to introduce herself. Nervous energy kept Meiko talking. "I just want to say... I know this looks really bad, but I've been in these situations before, and there's four people who I trust to get through them. One's my dad. Another's my boyfriend, who's been through a lot of this with me. A third is Pan, who you heard talking about the temples. The last one, and that's only because I'm making a point, is that guy," she said, pointing to Darryn, who was talking to Joey, "right there. He's brilliant. Remind me to tell you about Mount Carello. You know, after I shut up and let you introduce yourself," she said with a self depreciating grin.

[LittleShadowPoke...]

To: Darryn

Making sure he had all of his Pokémon in tow, safely secured in their Pokéballs in his front pocket, and the wild Raticate by his side, curiously looking around as it padded along on all fours, Joey was ready to set off towards the Ice Temple. While he didn’t know all the details of why they were doing what they were doing, he understood that he had to see Regice and its beautiful reflecting sheen. Just like a prism…but he stopped himself to ask where that thought had come from. It was like dusting off a long forgotten photograph just uncovered in a trunk in the attic.

Joey felt bad not responding much to anyone, but he was still very new at this and had no idea how to communicate. The sudden loss of his hearing made even talking difficult, for he was not sure how he sounded, and doubtful of what he really said. It was like stepping around in a dark house you have known all your life, seeing the path before you in the daytime, but knowing anything could have unknowingly changed during the transition from light to dark.

As they began walking, some of the people within the group started to bunch together and began talking, Joey noticed. He was getting along better on his forearm crutches and actually once he got into rhythm, could keep up a good pace. And then he accumulated some company, in the form of Darryn. Being that close to him again and without other people around to distract him, Joey was suddenly overwhelmed by all the memories from Castle Vonmoto. Flashes of scenes swirled through Joey’s mind: the avalanche, the warm and pervading comfort of heat that washed over him in the form of a Rapidash’s fire, the Haunter, the Ariados, and Darryn, all staple memories of Castle Vonmoto. He most remembered the feeling he got being around Darryn, the feeling of shame and inadequacy next to him, and the vow to be better. But what had he done in the time apart? Surely, this trainer had only gotten stronger. No…, Joey reminded himself. He had been taking steps. He had been concretely seeking out a future for himself. He had been exploring ideas and options, and having just come from the Orre Region (why does it feel like only yesterday?), he should be happy to get this far.

Keeping an eye on Darryn, it seemed like he was talking. Turning his head all the way to make sure, Joey didn’t have to hear to know what the more experienced trainer had just asked. His eyes asked his question for him, glancing furtively and politely at the forearm crutches. Not always being great at communicating otherwise, verbal or nonverbal, the young trainer was surprised he picked up on that piece of nonverbal language.

“Sharpedo attack,” Joey attempted to speak. “Also lost my hearing.” Short and sweet, he wished he could have said more, but he had no idea what to say. He didn’t like expressing that he also couldn’t hear, but he felt it would have been too much work at this point to pretend otherwise if a long conversation were in front of them.

Sinbad, the Raticate trailing along beside Joey, regarded their new company and gave a low hiss. Scrutinizing Darryn, he abandoned the hiss and replaced it with indifference; suddenly busy counting the mushrooms along the side of the trail. Ending at an odd number, he twitched his rat tail agitatedly.

This post has been edited by LittleShadowPokemon: Jul 16 2011, 11:17 AM

[Aureylian]

To: Zach and anyone
Where: To the group

Delainey called Phoebe back into her Poke ball once everyone started filing into groups. I don't need you wandering off. Phoebe was notorious for running off and causing trouble. Ghost type Pokémon loved playing practical jokes on people. Phoebe was no different. Delainey held the Poke ball up to examine it. “You are such an odd Pokémon, sometimes, Phoebe.”

As the pain in her knee subsided, Delainey looked around at the other injured people. She saw a boy with black hair, who seemed to be around her age. He looked as though he was in need of some help, so she walked over to him to offer some assistance.
“Need some help?” She pointed down to his leg. It looked as if it caused him a great deal of pain. "I couldn't help but notice you're chewed up. It looks like you wanted to get out and explore. I just thought I could help you around, maybe like a crutch!" Delainey bent down onto the ground to talk to the boy at eye-level. She felt it was rude to continue to stand while he could not help but sit on the ground. "My name is Adelaine, but you can call me Delainey. What's your name?"

She put an arm around him and lifted the boy, who introduced himself as Zach, off of the ground. He complimented her on her strength. She just smiled, Delainey never really thought she was that strong. Maybe it’s the adrenaline from being in this place…

Zach asked Delainey which group she was interested in joining, but she really had no preference. She pointed to the group that contained her friends and the two joined them. Team Ice. Out of the three legendary Pokémon, Regice had been her least favorite. Maybe this journey would give her more appreciation for the Pokémon. Its body was beautiful, made of ice, but ice-type Pokémon had never been her favorite, even though she had one. She loved Fuy, but fire types had always been her favorite, along with ghosts.

As if she could sense that they were searching for an ice-Pokémon, Fuy materialized in front of her trainer. “Oh, silly Fuy. How are you doing?” The Swinub gave Delainey a weak smile, but refused to return to her Poke ball. “Oh, fine.”

With Fuy in toe, Delainey led Zach over to Team Ice.

[Captain Combuske...]

~Tom

To: Daniel
Location: Following the Ice Temple Road.

Pretty much as soon as he and Alex bid eachother farewell for now, Tom was approached by a young guy of about his age. The boy introduced himself at Daniel, and re-iterated the danger they were willingly about to put themselves up for. Daniel then mentioned his home-town and Tom's eyes lit up like fireworks.

"Gigarte! How the hell did I miss you? I live there! Do you remember me at all? When James Mack visited, and he lost his Bayleef, I was the one who got it back for him of those idiots. I got this guy as a reward..."

Tom threw a Pokeball and Staa, his shiny Staryu, came out, looking... shiny.

"Sta!" said the Pokemon.

[Amissa]

To: Tom Hawk

Daniel laughed out loud when the boy said he was from Gigarte too, and instantly felt some camaraderie with the stranger. How the hell did you miss me? Daniel thought happily (albeit arrogantly) to himself. With all the attention we've been getting in Gigarte, it's like no one else did. "Oh wow! I didn't know that you were that guy!" Daniel gushed enthusiastically even though he had no idea what Tom was talking about and couldn't remember anyone by the name of James Mack. He didn't want Tom to think that he was stupid, or to know that he'd been too wrapped up in his own drama to really pay attention to what else was happening in the world.

However, Tom's staryu was impressive. "Whoa," was Daniel's articulate response. It was a pretty thing, and Daniel admired the glistening blue gem in its center. He wasn't usually one to envy another trainer's pokemon. He was far too proud of his own for that, but seeing Tom's staryu made him feel a bit bitter. Like I haven't done anything cool...I helped save my hometown, and I didn't get a pokemon...not even a regular pokemon. Where do you even find something like that anyway? And just like that, Daniel was filled with the urge to boast.

"Okay, so that is totally cool..." Daniel said. But I've survived car crashes, fires, floods, avalanches, explosions, possessed statues of legendary pokemon, and recently a meteor shower. I've seen a legendary pokemon...and I have the proof! I've helped solve mysteries and fight badguys. "But I almost kissed a girl tonight."

Beat that!

"Yeah, we danced and stuff and then I nearly scored on the ferris wheel." Daniel bragged, carefully leaving out the parts where the meteors began falling from the sky, and the young couple were tossed out of the careening ferris wheel, or when both of her legs were broken, and the fact that he had no idea where she was now or if she made it to somewhere safe. Frankly, if Daniel took the time to think too hard about all the horrible sights he'd seen tonight or all the terror that he'd felt, he'd probably break down and cry. That could not be allowed, not now in front of everyone. He repressed all of those thoughts, burying them deep and keeping his conscious mind just skimming the surface. "She was really sweet, and she loved flying types. What about you? You got a girlfriend or anything?" Daniel asked with a sunny smile, keeping any hint of his darker thoughts well hidden.

[Living Arrow]

Who: Darryn
To: Joey and then all of Team Ice
Where: Approaching the Ice Temple

A Sharpedo attack? Deafness? Darryn very nearly let out a low whistle but realised Joey'd never hear it. Wow, this guy had been through a lot since they last saw each other! To be so beat up that he had been handicapped in more than one way must have seriously taken it out of the other trainer and yet somehow he was still willing to go on for more. What was driving him? Something has certainly changed in the quiet teen he had met in Castle Vonmoto...

<Can you hear this, at least?> Darryn attempted to touch Joey's mind with his Empathic Telepathy but found nothing except for a deadspace between them. He inwardly sighed. His communicative abilities were limited to only those that bore some sort of strong emotional link with him and without knowing Joey a lot better, he'd never be able to speak directly into the other boy's mind.

It appeared that Joey had also caught a Raticate since their last meeting - a Raticate that had a bit of a Beedrill in its bonnet. Whatever. It wasn't exactly the prettiest Pokemon around and a beautician like Darryn had no particular interest in unpretty Pokemon.

"Hey, look." Darryn parted a leafy barrier to emerge out onto a wide lake, holding the broad frond back so that each member of the team could pass through to the shoreline easily. In the centre of the placid lake, a small island stood with a fluted tower standing proudly in the center. Atop the tower glistened a well-polished azure blue dome with a tall silver spike on the top. It was like something straight out of a fairy tale. "We're nearly there but looks like there isn't a bridge... We'll have to swim across or something. Maybe some help from Water-type Pokemon? Please make a start making your way - I'll follow behind in a moment."

[Captain Combuske...]

~Tom

To: Daniel, then Everyone else.
Location: The Lake

Tom chuckled at Daniel's question.
"Nah. I guess I've just been too busy concentrating on Co-ordinating, my Research and my Doctor's basic course to have the time to get a girlfriend." Tom looked at the guy. He looked so smug about his girlfriend.

He's just jealous, that's all, Tom reasoned with himself. After all, I have a shiny Pokemon. But... Even Alex has mentioned something about a girl he met recently. Alex getting a girlfriend? Before me, the more mature and more ready for a relationship? Tom's expression darkened a bit at his thoughts, but like Daniel, he somehow managed to not make it too apparent. He'd mastered the art of not showing his emotions too much.

Maybe he'd mastered it too well. Maybe his lack of any sort of strong emotion showing on the outside meant that nobody wanted to be with him, be it as a friend or as a girlfriend. Tom started to have an Alex moment where he started to doubt seriously that what he was doing now was right for him and that it needed to be changed. Alex was always doubting himself. Now, he turned back to Daniel once more.

"Nah, no girlfriend, but I've had some sweet adventures. I helped rescue a hoard of Pokemon being kept prisoner by a group of evil people, I came second in one of the biggest unofficial Co-ordinating festivals there is, and I met a rare group of Fidonian natives who nobody has ever met before but who can speak immaculate English."

But his talks of his adventures were cut short as the group approached a massive lake. Tom could see that they had to cross the lake. They would need Pokemon to do so. But Tom saw another problem. The Ice Temple was very likely to be freezing cold. If they went into it with wet clothes, they could catch hypothermia or another cold related illness. And it was nice and warm here.

"Hey people, if you have any spare clothes or a Swimming costume handy nearby, change into it! It'll be too cold in the ice temple to be wearing wet clothes."

He then pulled some swimming trunks out of his bag and headed to a nearby forest. He made sure nobody could see him and the changed into his Swimming trunks. he then headed back to the group, wearing just his trunks, Staa still out.

"Well, I'm ready when you are." he said.

[Master Houndoom]

Meiko looked up from the quiet one beside her, hearing Darryn call out that they needed to possibly swim across. She looked at the water, then out at across it. The subterranean forest WAS warm, but since there was obviously more going on here than they could imagine, AND there was a temple of ice ahead, she had no confidence the water would stay cold.

"Hmm... swim or stay behind? I choose Option Number Three!" With that, she called forth her first and most faithful pokemon, the feraligatr, Chompwater.

"Sweety," Meiko said, "Think you can carry more than me on your back?" Chompwater regarded her with a gimlet eye, then snorted, hard enough to blow Meiko's hat off. The girl rolled her eyes. "A simple nod would have sufficed!"

After retrieving her hat, and stood up on the now prone feraligatr's back. "Who needs a ride? Chompwater can carry one more!" Another violent snort caused Meiko to nearly stumble. "Chompwater can carry two more! Three if you're teeny!"

[LittleShadowPoke...]

To: Darryn, Daniel, Meiko (Chompwater)

Now thoroughly embarrassed and only partly succeeding to hide it, Joey and Darryn walked on in silence. He didn’t want the older trainer to think less of him, having gotten himself in so much trouble. Perhaps he should have lied, to carry on the ruse a bit further. There was no way to hide the crutches, but the hearing…possibly. No, he decided. This was for the best. It would make future situations easier, and himself less accountable. He didn’t know how much more he could handle on his shoulders, and he was feeling tired. A type of tired beyond physical means had settled deep on his soul. Yet, he kept moving. He swung himself forward competently on the crutches in a way that could almost be called graceful, and the Raticate trotted faithfully beside him. Joey held onto a feeling of not caring what the Pokémon did, as it was wild and free to do whatever it very well pleased, but he also couldn’t fight a feeling of being comforted by its presence.

Not too much later, Darryn held back a leafy frond for him, and he tentatively stepped through. Why would he hold it that for me…? Joey questioned, until he saw that he was not singled out due to his crippled condition, but instead Darryn was holding it for everyone. Satisfied, he moved forward and turned his head back in front of him, to be stopped dead in his tracks, mid-swing and stumbled, at the awe-inspiring sight in front of him. The shore tapered down to calm and shining water that reflected the magnificent tower that perched on the island, which was a tower as beautiful as Regice itself. Could that be where Regice was? At the sight of the water, Sinbad happily raced forward and crashed through the shoreline, playing and splashing with delight. Clearly, he had missed his life at sea.

The other trainers didn’t wait around to enjoy the view. One trainer that Joey glimpsed dashed off into the forest and came back in swim trunks. Not a bad idea, Joey thought, glancing around for a private place. He hobbled off to a small, uneven, but well-sheltered clearing in the forest and went through his pack, looking for his wet suit. Hoping not to take too long, he somehow wiggled out of his dry clothes and packed them carefully away, and had to wiggle more fervently to get into the black short-sleeved, short-legged wetsuit with bright green trim. Having taken off his baggy black pants, the cast on his right leg was clearly visible now, and it was noticeably cracked in at least three places. His heart sank a little, hoping that wouldn’t affect his recovery. He determinedly decided to favor the leg more than he had been doing.

Slinging his pack back on, he realized his load was a bit light. His tent! It must still be with the Machop, Hercules. Oh, how careless and insensitive to have burdened that Pokémon with his stuff, and he inwardly cursed himself. However, it was much easier to travel that way, but what if the Pokémon suddenly needed to fight? Especially over the water? Would his cargo be dropped and forgotten during a combative situation? Making his way back to the group, he saw they were all getting ready to cross the water, and his tent was safe with the Machop, which he thanked as well as he could, and then unburdened the Pokémon. Looking around, Joey stashed the tent behind a tree, and wrapped the cloth handles of the bag around a jutting root. He would have to remind himself to come get it on his way out. If he got out.

Surveying the situation and the trainers at hand, he saw that one girl had called out a ferocious looking Feraligatr. Another fully evolved Pokémon! And a healthy, strong-looking one at that. Perhaps it could be coaxed into giving him a ride… Joey edged forward, favoring his right be-casted leg in spite of the bruises on his left leg. He hadn’t noticed them before…but they were hard to not notice now. The bruises were big and dark around his shin and little knicks and cuts could be seen all over it. Getting close enough to the Feraligatr to catch its eye and hold its attention, Joey stopped. How could he communicate with it? What was the proper protocol for asking another trainer’s Pokémon for a ride? Does one ask the Pokémon, or the trainer?

Glancing at the girl, hoping she wouldn’t think him rude, he turned to communicate with his favored medium, the Pokémon itself. Bowing slightly and reaching out his hand slowly towards the Pokémon, crutch hanging off his forearm, and he poised himself ready to snap it back at the slightest twitch. He wasn’t sure what he expected the Feraligatr to do: shake his hand, sniff it like a dog, or bite it off, but he couldn’t think of a better gesture, and at least this would show if he could get close enough to procure a safe ride.

The water seemed calm and nothing had eaten Sinbad the Raticate yet, but Joey had lost his “underwater is just like above water, except with water” mentality to a pack of Sharpedo, and he felt edgy about being so vulnerable where he couldn’t readily see his potentially hiding enemies, and what appeared to be a lead weight settled in his stomach every time he imagined trying to cross the water himself, or with only Jet’s help. Plus, he didn’t want to get his cast too wet. It was in a sorry enough condition as it was.

Now, he just had to wait to see if the Feraligatr accepted him.

This post has been edited by LittleShadowPokemon: Jul 19 2011, 09:47 PM

[Jonahman10]

To: Meiko, Joey

Amelia and her Pokemon made outside in time to realize that the building wasn't going to completely shatter to the ground and only made it back in time to make it back into the Team going to someplace nice and cool. They left before she had a chance to see if the stranger and Uncle Sam were unscathed. Figuring she wouldn't see them for a while, she ran to the group with the injured. Upon finding Uncle Sam, she was excited that he was finally conscious.

"Do a good job, Amy."

"I will, I will..."

She briefly gave Uncle Sam a big hug and gave the stranger a half-hearted smile. He just calmly told her that he would look after him.

And somehow she trusted a stranger with her dearest family member...

===

They had made their way to a lake when Amelia caught up to the rest of the group. She was breathing quite heavily as they discussed ways to cross the lake to the wondrous dome in the middle. If her Pokemon were bigger she'd simply fly across, but she somehow didn't think they were up to lifting her wait right now. She also had no bathing suite at all. That is what tardiness got her....

Perhaps they could make a bridge of sorts out of an Ice Beam or a Physic Pokmeon levitating a rock across the water or maybe someone had extra room on one of their Pokemon. Then again, Delainey had a fire Pokmeon that could warm them up if she got too cold. Dipping her hand in the water was refreshing, but not if they were going someplace even colder.

"I really don't have a way to get across, could someone help me?"

Just then, a snort of air knocked her over. Looking up she saw that the Feraligatr, Chompwater was angry that she hadn't thought about her. She was massively strong and could probably take out both her Pokemon in a fell swipe. She slowly approached the beast and apologized for ignoring him earlier then turned to Meiko.

"You wouldn't mind if I rode with you, right?"

This post has been edited by Jonahman10: Jul 23 2011, 10:49 AM

[Master Houndoom]

Meiko looked at the boy, who was cozying up to Chompwater. The feraligatr sniffed his hand with a great intake of air, air which she promptly blew into his face, then turned to face the water.

"That means she'll tolerate you," Meiko said, giggling. The boy did not react, still looking at the feraligatr. Meiko thought it was rude.

"Helloooo~~! Are you there? She won't roll you off if you climb up, you know!" There was still no reaction, and the boy looked like he may give up. Meiko huffed a breath, crossing her arms. "What's the matter, dude, are you deaf or something."

A few moments later, Meiko gave a jolt, as Nightwish spoke for the first time in her mind. He is! He is deaf! It sounded a bit like she was stifling a laugh, but Meiko was certain that it was because she was so young and didn't know better.

Several things ran through the redhead's mind then. The first was absolute mortification at her accusation. The second was how adorable Nightwish's mental voice was. Cute, but not as pretty as Mercury's (the flash of analysis caused Nightwish to scowl and clench what passed for fists). The third was that she should make sure he understood.

She stepped off of Chompwater's back and touched the boy's shoulder, getting his attention. When he looked up at her, she motioned for him to go ahead and get onto Chompwater's back, then for him to wait as she made sure no one else would need a ride, all the while hoping her face wasn't overly red.

Meiko turned at the sound of another voice, and smiled at the young girl. "I don't mind at all. Chompwater's almost ready to go, and she'll get us across safe and sound!"

[LittleShadowPoke...]

The Feraligatr gave a strong sniff and burst the air back at the young trainer, almost knocking him off balance. Bringing both his crutches back to the ground, Joey waited, trying to decipher the meaning of the sniff. The Pokémon looked strong and intimidating, yet held a certain poise that was admirable to Joey. Doubt swirled in Joey’s mind, and he started thinking it best if he just stepped back slowly and tried to get by with just his Seel, Jet.

Next, Joey felt a touch at his shoulder and jumped shortly at the intrusion to his mental debate, but he quickly felt foolish as he saw that it was the trainer to the Feraligatr. The redheaded girl also looked a bit red in the face, and had difficulty meeting his eye. Yet, she communicated perfectly that the Feraligatr could be ridden and that he was to get on.

Nodding to her gratefully, hoping he hadn’t given away that he couldn’t hear, he held his own balance while he folded up his forearm crutches and deposited them into his pack. Slinging it onto his back and securing it, he tentatively touched the Feraligatr to make sure it knew his presence, and reached up and gently hoisted himself up, being careful of his legs. It was a bit wobbly going, avoiding bumping the slim, cracked cast of his right leg and his bruised left leg was throbbing by the end of it, but he did eventually get situated on the back of the Feraligatr and just gave himself a few minutes to relax.

The skin of the huge Pokémon felt a bit smoother than he expected, and he loved the feeling of sitting astride it, feeling the entire power ripple through its muscles beneath him, the pure energy and life force. He didn’t realize riding a Pokémon could be this empowering. He tried to remember back to his early childhood if he had ever ridden a Pokémon before. A Ponyta ride at a fair? A Mamoswine at the circus? He was utterly kidding himself. Those were scenarios he saw in TV and in books. There were no carnivals or circuses for him. There was just desert and lots of it.

Coming back to reality, Joey realized that the Feraligatr had another rider, a girl. So they must be ready to go. Joey focused his sights on the water, hoping there was nothing lurking with malicious intentions. He adjusted his grip and braced himself.

[Amissa]

Daniel shrugged his shoulders when everyone came to the lake and prepared to jump in. When the others changed into swimming trunks, Daniel did likewise. Strange as it may seem, Daniel regularly carried swimming trunks with his regular gear. Part of this was because he rarely imagined himself staying at a place that didn't come with a pool or a beach. Yes, he was a rich snob, but he hadn't yet earned enough experience to know better.

When he rejoined the group, he was clad only in a a pair of green swimming trunks. The rest of his bronze slender body was on display as he made his way over to the water. Daniel had an athletic figure, one that was built from casual play and activity rather than rigid training. While he had none of the muscles of an older or stronger man, Daniel was happy with the way that he looked and felt, and he felt confident in his ability to face any physical challenges ahead on their journey.

"I'm actually quite a decent swimmer. I think I can make it on my own, as long as the water isn't full of rabid gyarados or anything." Daniel sorted his supplies a bit, leaving as much as he could behind next to where Joey deposited his. The rest he left in his bag and handed the much lighter load to Geb. The bug flying type grasped the bag in all six of his arms. He would carry it securely above the water and prevent Daniel's things from getting soaked.

"Okay, I'm ready! Let's go for it!" Daniel said energetically, quickly stretching bouncing in anticipation.

[Master Houndoom]

Meiko hopped up on the feraligatr, recalling all of her pokemon, save for Chompwater, who was to be their ride.. She looked, briefly, at the tall lucario standing nearby, her face at once going soft with affection. Jaima had insisted she take Shadow, his lucario, to better combat the ice types that she might face. She wondered, smirking, if he remembered that steel was also weak to fighting types.

Of course, ice types were also weak to steel, so maybe he only meant to maximize Shadow's usefulness. It was a similar reason she sent Desertdancer with him: He'd be a bit of a detriment against ice types, but steel types would be better dealt with with a ground type in the mix.

Still, Jaima would be fine, but she was starting to regret suggesting they split up. She should have dragged him along with her and Darryn.

She looked at Shadow and gestured him over, clipping his pokeball to her belt without recalling him. He nodded and stepped forward, getting onto Chompwater's back behind the girl. Meiko climbed up between where the boy, who she'd discovered was deaf, to her embarrassment, and the girl.

He'll be fine, you know.

Meiko smirked, starting a bit. She'd gotten a psychic type of her own, and had "spoken" with both Jaima's kirlia and Shadow himself in the past, and it still shocked her, hearing that voice in her head that wasn't hers or belonging to a memory. She tried to answer in kind.

I bet Mercury's telling him the same thing...

Truth be known, she's concentrating on the ten bronzor his group has disturbed-- Shadow closed his eyes tight with a sigh. I mean to say, yes... yes he is.

Meiko smirked, ignoring the fluttering in her chest. He'd be fine. He was an amazing battler, she'd seen him prove that in Petropolis. Tapping her foot lightly on Chompwater's back, she said, in as firm a voice as she could manage, "OK, sweety. Let's get across."

[Captain Combuske...]

~Tom

The group pretty much all looked ready to depart across the aquatic expanse, so Tom went ahead and started his little preparation. He sent out Tweet, his Taillow. The swallow Pokemon was strong enough to carry Tom on its back along with his backpack, but he was tried out from earlier battles. He could still carry the backpack, which was why he was useful to Tom, who didn't want to get his backpack wet.

"Tweet, buddy, meet me on the other side, okay?" take the backpack with ya and keep it safe."

"Low!" cried Tweet, and he grabbed the backpack before flying up into the air and carrying it across the lake. Tom was sure he'd see both his Pokemon and his ever-useful backpack again. It contained everything he needed, from potions to his Pokemon to an on foot researching kit, minus the camera which he couldn't yet afford. He had his Case of props and Accessories in there too. They were vital to his co-ordinating. He also carried his mother's precious cooking equipment. He couldn't lose that. But he wouldn't. It'd be fine.

Now that he was ready and Tweet had flown off, Tom saw no reason not to jump into the lake. He walked back a few paces, before sprinting at the lake. He jumped, his hands in a diving stances, and he carried that arrowhead shape as he entered the water. He'd planned his jump perfectly, and his excellent technique meant that he didn't hurt himself as he fell in. He quickly returned to the surface and gasped loudly.

"Huff... well, it's certainly fresh. I'm not sure about warm, though." he aimed this at all the other members of his Regice temple exploring team, before shouting "Staa!" to his Staryu, who nodded before jumping in the water with Tom.

"Well, I couldn't be more ready, guys!"

[Living Arrow]

Hi everyone. For now, we are leaving some characters behind at the river's edge. Whether it be from exhaustion etc, I don't care but the group isn't waiting anymore.

And Proby? I highly doubt a Taillow could carry a young man on his back! Although we keep battles true to the games, physics of reality also apply and sitting on a 30cm bird would kill it. Right, back to roleplaying!

With Chompwater the Feraligatr leading the way, complete with three passengers (Meiko, Joey and Amelia), the other trainers who would swim made their way into the shallows. Darryn, Lyla, Daniel and Tom slowly edged deeper, hissing at the cold snap that the water made upon contact with their skin with a menagerie of Pokemon around them. Having changed into handy swimming gear, Darryn into his sleek black shorts slashed with icy blue and Lyla into her baby pink bikini, the duo prepared to swim out to the island and the Ice Temple.

Tom with his Staryu and Lyla with her Azurill went first, both strong swimmers were supported by their Pokemon as they went while Darryn held back to speak with Daniel.

"Hey," he smiled and maximised a Lure Ball, "if you get into trouble just call out for my Poliwag." In a flash of blue, the tadpole Pokemon splashed into the water. With a militaristic salute of his tail, he slid through the water to the trainer's side. Alongside Darryn, another Pokeball flashed and Victor, his Squirtle, assumed a similar position alongside the Co-Ordinator. "Let's go!" Above them, a Taillow, Ninjask and Butterfree carried backpacks towards the other side.

*****

While the group of trainers made their way across the lake, none noticed that the glittering walls of the Ice Temple were, in fact, moving. Angular faces of crying souls focused their attention upon the approaching group and as one began to unhook themselves from the Temple walls. Floating down towards the edge of the lake, they would meet the incoming trainers just as the Feraligatr was to reach the shoreline.

In total, six angry Cryogonal descended upon Team Ice!

Everyone can take on a Cryogonal in battle! Work together, delegate a target to another Team member if you don't want to battle etc but whatever you choose, please complete your battles in a single post so that we may move into the Temple right after. ~LA

[Jonahman10]

Amelia carefully stepped onto Chompwater and realized just how sturdy the Feraligatr was. Would her Pokemon ever be this powerful? Sure she wasn't that great at training, but she was getting better at training. It was hard to imagine that the two small flying Pokemon would ever be as strong as Chompwater. Maybe Meiko had some good training tips.

"Meiko, Chompwater is so much stronger than my Pokemon. How long have you known each other?"

As they started moving, the water churned by quickly but the ride was relatively smooth. it was certainly smoother than when she went fishing with her Cousins Brent and Ashley on their Buizels. From the looks on the faces of Daniel and the other people who were swimming it appeared to be nearly as cold as ice. It was much more temperate than the rest of this steamy jungle. Hopefully it wouldn't be too cool inside the palace though.

---

They were nearly to the palace's island when some sort of light reflected into her eyes. To her surprise, something was flying at them from the air! It appeared that some sort of Pokemon made of polished ice at angular angles was welcoming to the island. But would they "Welcome" them just as the Gollets had "Welcomed" them to the Gigas temple? They would just have to find out.

Austin, being protective as usual, landed on Amelia's shoulder. He hissed at the coming Ice types. His intuition on their intent was the same as hers. She called back Hope before they would get here, but it was already too late; one of the Cryognal's had sent a chain of ice to Bind her.

"Hope, try to use you Bug Bite to get free. Austin, help her out!"

Austin immediately launched off her shoulder straight to the Cryognal and Hope. Hope had hurt the Cryognal from her bite, but it still wouldn't let her out of it's icy grasp. Hope was clearly being hurt by the intense pressure from the Crystallized Pokemon. Austin's wing attack hit directly on the Cryognal also, but it would not let go. It simply shouldered the attack and sent crystallized back ice at her Pokemon.

They would have to watch for that; Icy wings made it hard to fly. Hope looked like she was about to feint, and she would if the Cryognal didn't free her. She bit it one last time, but then the pressure was too great. She passed out with the crystals still holding her up. Once again, her weaknesses as a trainer were out in the open.

But she did have Austin, even though he wasn't flying normally he could still fight. With a final Peck, the Cryognal was done. It fell down into the ground. Amelia quickly jumped off Chompwater and ran onto the shore. She kneeled down next to where Hope had fallen and returned her to her Pokeball.

"You'll get them next time Hope!"