[X] My Assistant

[Kishk]

Discussion Topic

The streets were quiet at this time of hour... Perhaps even too quiet for the time. He passed under the shadows of the enormous skyscrapers around him, making his way towards the tell-tale sign of trouble: a large cloud of smoke blossoming above the buildings near the east side of the city. As he walked past various buildings, sweating colder and colder despite the dark and smothering fumes, he noticed hundreds of broken windows, pillaged shops and the smell of burning that seemed to take his breath away with each passing second. Rubble from broken and ruined buildings fell around him, though none made any noise: All that could be heard were his echoing footsteps and the crackling sound of fire.

'I know these sounds... and this silence,' thought Kishk, looking upwards. 'That's a big sky...' and it dawned on him that he was alone in the same night, with the same clothes, crying the same tears he had so many years before. 'I'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE!' he yelled as the skies warped and twisted before his eyes, turning into the mouth of a foul demon whose mocking laughter filled Kishk with dread. Suddenly, the laughter turned into a high-pitched scream, begging for help, but always out of reach. Tears streamed down his cheeks while he pleaded for it to stop, for it all to go away...

Something inside him snapped at that moment, making everything around him swirl and spin, giving him a violent urge to retch. Stumbling in the now extremely dense smoke, Kishk made his way forward, falling over several times. Each time he fell, the contact with the cracked, concrete sidewalk would pain him more and more. Soon he was gasping in agony, breathing in mouthfuls of foul smoke every time. Inside him, the smoke turned into fire, licking at his insides. He screamed as the flames climbed back through his windpipe, out his mouth and around his body. Though the fire enveloping him burned fiercely, it was nothing compared to the pain he felt of being alone in this smoke, literally burning inside out.

When all around him seemed to start flickering and failing, everything gained a vividness unlike anything he had seen or felt before. The flames burned stronger and brighter (though never piercing the smoke), the pain doubled and his eyes stung, a feeling his tears would not relieve. He fell to the ground, limbs beating wildly upon the ground, not knowing what to do. A house in front of him morphed into a demon with a familiar male face. The demon leaned over him, evil words rolling off his forked tongue with deadly hisses: 'You're in ruins... YOU'RE ALONE! THEY'RE GONE... I'M GONE! You'll die alone in this world...' and at the end of each word, he would take shape of different people: Jan... Reeves... Vincent... Paul. The demon then exploded into red and purple smoke, blinding Kishk. 'YOU'RE WALKING BLIND!' said the voice in a menacing whisper. The fear of living in the dark proved too much for him. He screamed out, begging for everything to stop, begging for his normal life to return... But even as he beat his fists on the ground, crying for mercy, he knew that his past life was buried... Burned to a crisp...

Then, buildings around him began crumbling, the rubble burying him between concrete and brick. A void opened under him, into his very soul. He began falling... faster... faster... And the world seemed to rush forward, bringing him to a new location... to his true location: to his real, living nightmare! His sight returned, and the fire vanished along with the smoke, and all he saw was a ruined factory. Its walls were charred, its workers carbonized. Kishk vomited onto the soot-covered street that now lay before him, averting his eyes from the corpses. Though the sight of all the ruined bodies was sickening, his eyes were drawn to the scene. As he looked once more towards the destroyed factory, things rewinded, bringing him to the past. Two familiar faces flashed inside the factory as several explosions ignited the factory, its flames engulfing Kishk's face, mocking his lonely existence. The sound of the last explosion was replaced by a familiar woman's screams before the twisted, laughing sky swallowed him whole.

"NO!" Kishk woke up in cold sweat, pulling at his seatbelt. He breathed heavily for a few minutes, trying to forget the
dream, and instead remember where he was. Looking around, Kishk noticed that he was inside Reeves' car, parked in a garage filled with unfamiliar vehicles. Nothing about the surprisingly cozy garage seemed hostile, so he guessed that it was somewhere safe. Unbuckling himself from his seat, Kishk twisted around, looking for his backpack. Pulling himself over the gearshift and scrambling onto the back seats, he rummaged around several compartments hidden under them. Finally locating his backpack, he shoved his hand inside it, digging through a messy pile of spare clothing, Pokeballs and other items. He was puzzled when he found a bottle of sunscreen and swimming trunks stuffed under a pile of socks adorned with smiling Pichus (don't ask, won't tell).

Just when he thought things couldn't get any more confusing, a terrible feeling passed through his body, making him
momentarily forget his nightmare. Looking down he saw Vitória halfway through his chest, smiling up at him and apparently enjoying the moment. Shuddering, he pulled himself away. "Don't... EVER. Do that again," he whispered, body still tingling. "Got it?" The Shuppet simply smiled and passed through him several other times. On the verge of a complete mental breakdown, Kishk forced her back into her Pokeball, squirming uneasily.

And it was when he looked back at his swimming trunks that he remembered that he was at The Bungalow: the biggest, fanciest, most enjoyable resort in all of Noverus! Pushing both the odd feeling from having Vitória go through his body and the nightmare from his mind, Kishk closed his backpack and shouldered it. Hopping off the car which had made him more than queasy the first time he had ridden it (he wasn't really sure how he managed to sleep through the trip this time), he scanned the lifeless garage for any sign of Reeves. Eyeing a cylinder of nitrous oxide suspiciously, he called out for his partner.

"Oi! Reeves! Get your lazy ass over here and help me with the rest of the luggage!"

This post has been edited by Kishk: Mar 5 2011, 06:03 PM

[Kamaitachi]

Living with Spider turned out to be living with a little brother and owning a pet, except the little brother and pet were one in the same. Magma duties had been pretty light since his first foray into the world of operatives (The party at Mort St. Saens' didn't really count), so he'd taken to spending most of his time with his new flatmate. Teaching Spider appliances such as the toaster had been fairly disastrous. On several occasions, he'd open the fridge to find one of Spider's Bug Pokemon Trio shivering within, having had no means of escape. He even once woke up to find that Theridon had tied him by his feet to the ceiling, and spent the next half hour pondering, in a half delusional state, why the Spinarak hated him so very much.

On the other hand, he was getting along quite grandly with his pokemon. Having now taken the time to get to know them a little better (he'd only had Darkslide and Coco Wheelie briefly before joining Magma), he realized that he really quite liked their company. Helipop would usually have to stay tucked away in his pokeball, mostly because Spider seemed absolutely mortified of the bat. This stood to sense because bats ate insects. To make up for it, he would let the bat out when he went out, letting him fly around and do batty things that he didn't have the opportunity to do in the apartment.

While he had known that Benihana was special, he only recently came to the realization as to just how special he was. He'd let the oddly-coloured Shroomish out once or twice, and each time the little grumpy-face had always drawn attention. Kanoa did a little research and regular Shroomish, and noted that they were completely differently coloured. It was sort of like...Pokemon Albinism, or Pokemon Melanism. Not that he really knew what Melanism was, but it sounded really cool.

Today, his schedule was completely free at the moment. Being a grunt meant doing peon-level tasks here and about, and Kanoa more than often opted to skip out on that all together. He'd pass off his paperwork to people more suited for paperwork, and pass on garbage duty to people who seemed not to mind garbage duty. True, he was assigned these things, but since the tasks were completed, no one really looked his way. In exchange for the favors, he'd buy his delegated 'employee' a soda or a bag of chips, or maybe a magazine to read on the toilet. Tiny gifts to show his appreciation to people who did his work for him. Maybe they minded, but they never showed any indication of such to him. Perhaps they were just talking about him behind his back.

In any case, he opted to leave Spider at the apartment, and go out and explore the city a little more. Magma was supposed to be comprised mostly of Noverus citizens, but he was from another region, a foreigner. It made him feel a little bit like a mercenary, or some sort of hired blade.

Except he was a skinny, skateboarding teenager.

So, with all the spare time to himself, he decided to go skateboarding. With the weather particularly warm, Kanoa had opted to wear a baggy tank top and cargo shorts, complete with the chains leading from the center of the back to the front, near his pockets. He chose not to wear a helmet, but he did put on a his black and white pokeball beanie, keeping the hair out of his eyes, and elbow and knee pads (though they were more of a fashion statement rather than a safety precaution.)

He scooted around the suburbs for a bit, noticing a deplorable lack of skate parks. He'd perform a trick or two here and there, just to make sure he still had the form. Nothing flashy, really, just a nosebone here, a kick flip there. Before long, he decided that it really was warm out, and he didn't even need his tank top. So, without hestitation, he took it off and wiped his forehead with it before stuffing it into his little backpack. Looking down at himself, he realized that the Magma basic training had paid off a little. He wasn't just skin and bones like he was before, no, his body was taking on a little musculature and shape. Rubbing his belly for a moment, he noted he actually had something resembling abs. With this revelation that he was sexier than before, Kanoa set off with a broad grin.

The weather felt really nice as the wind and air rolled right off of him. He whizzed around the suburbs, enjoying the freedom, and taking note, occasionally, of locations of interest that he'd like to visit. He briefly considered dropping the whole faction nonsense in favour of becoming a flaneur. Being a professional wanderer seemed like a pretty cool career choice, and Kanoa already did that on his own time.

His reverie was rudely interrupted as "Pon de Replay" piped up on his Pokegear. He tapped his foot and wiggled his hips a little bit as he pulled it out of his pocket. Shaking with the rhythm, he looked at the caller ID, indicated that Lennox, his superior officer was calling.

"Yo Boss."

There was an irritated sort of sigh from Lennox on the other end of the line. He had chastised Kanoa several times about his informal attitude towards superior officers, and he clearly didn't have the energy to admonish him once again.

"Agent Kaipo, you've a mission."

"Aw bum, Boss. What sort of mission?"

"At the Bungalow." Kanoa's eyes lit up. The Bungalow, or so he had heard, was quite possibly the coolest vacation spot in all of Noverus, nay, Hoenn, nay, the Universe. "It is not a vacation." Kanoa's heart sank, but only ever so slightly. "You'll meet up with two other Magma operatives, both of them recruits. It's their first mission. Since it's your second mission, you'll be joining them. As for the details, you will receive it all upon your arrival. Check in at the Bungalow as a Magma Radio Contest Winner, and you will be shown to your room. In there will be some new gear. Your mission debriefing will take place via tele-comm to the resort's television screen. Head there now and wait for your two teammates before you begin the mission. We've arranged for a transport to pick you up at your apartment in 20 minutes. Best of luck, Agent Kaipo. Lennox Out."

"Kaipo Out!" Kanoa cheered into the static of the Pokegear phone. "By the Hammer of Thor! This has to be the best mission ever!" True, he didn't know what it was yet, but at the very least he was already somewhat dressed for it. Hopefully the "gear" Lennox had mentioned was a pair of swim trunks.

* * *

The transport was a cool looking motorcycle with a no-nonsense looking rider. Kanoa hopped onto the back, snuggling right up against the leather jacket. The rider had a good build to him, but seemed a bit annoyed at Kanoa's lack of a shirt, as well as the cuddled up position Kanoa had taken. With something of he grunt, they rode in silence through Noverus. Kanoa spared no expense at looking around in every direction he could, taking in all the sights he could as they whizzed by. Noverus seemed like a really nifty city. As they crossed the grand bridge back out across the river, Kanoa smiled at the view. He'd seen it only once before, as his bus from Fallarbor town crossed into Noverus, but the view seemed even more impressive on the back of a motorcycle, with the open air all around him.

Before very long, Kanoa found himself disembarking in front of the Bungalow. He blew a kiss at his fellow operative, who seemed offended at the sight of it before speeding off. At least, Kanoa figured he appeared offended, despite the helmet covering his face.

Walking up to the check-in desk, he flashed his lopsided smile at the check in girl. "Kanoa Kaipo, I won the Magma Radio Contest."

"I see." She smiled "Congrats. Here's your room key." As she prattled on about the amenities, Kanoa took a second to take in the huge lounge. It seemed pretty fancy. For a moment he likened himself to a super secret agent, ready to tackle a super secret mission. Those guys always got put up in the snazziest of hotels. He accepted the room key and package and made his way to the room. It was on the second floor, marked room 209. Stepping inside, he saw that it looked like your run of the mill hotel room, nothing at all like the fancy digs he'd expected to stay in. Double bed, night-stand, desk, bathroom, small kitchen, and a big screen tv. On the bed there sat three black duffel bags, marked "Kanoa Kaipo", "Dusk Reanne" and "Megan Scarlet" respectively. He wasn't sure what gender entailed the name "Dusk", but Megan was definitely a girl. Of course, I could be wrong. There was a boy named Sue, after all.

He grabbed his bag from the bed, opening it up. There wasn't anything particularly exciting in there for him. A new pair of fingerless gloves, a pair of black, steel toed boots, a small walkie talkie, a set of binoculars...and some swim trunks, goggles, snorkel and sun tan lotion. A broad grin plastered itself of Kanoa's face as he lifted up the Swim trunks, decorated with ferocious looking Carvanhas swimming around. At least he was right about the swim trunks. It seemed like a disparate set of items, but Kanoa was quite satisfied. He put on his new fingerless gloves, and noted the pads on them. They were clearly there for improved grip, and the black boots seemed very sturdy.

He plopped down on the bed, sprawling out next to the remaining two bags, waiting for his two teammates to arrive.

"This is gonna be great!"

[Dragonwish2]

Rachel rubbed her eyes and blinked, a yawn escaping from her mouth. "Hmm..?" She sat up and rubbed her head. She looked around to realize she had fallen asleep in the small apartment she had rented. Rachel rose from her small bed and looked around. Outside a ship horn blew. Rachel sighed. Now I know why the place was so cheap. She only arrived to the region a week before, and for a long while she had been traveling through Hoenn. Another horn blast blew through the open window. Rachel walked over and closed the window before getting dressed. She put on a white shirt with elbow length sleeves, some skinny jeans, black flats, and her Poke ball belt. Rachel pulled out her pokeballs and let out her pokemon, the balls enlarging in her palm. Four red flashes momentarily blinded Rachel before they died to show her four pokemon. Marcus and Blake lined up, standing straight as soldiers. Togi watched them as if the two were crazy. Jaklyn leapt onto the bed and turned to Rachel.

Rachel smiled. "You guys can relax." The poochyena sat down, his tail wagging and tongue hanging as he smiled up at her. "It's breakfast time!" Rachel walked over to the small kitchen and looked in the mini fridge. Milk, eggs, two cans of tomatoes, some pokemon food packets... She sighed. "Tell you what. Let's eat out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside now with her pokemon fully fed and in their pokeballs, Rachel strolled down the street. It was a nice day out. The sun was shining, a gentle breeze kept her cool- WAM! She had been ignorant as to walk straight into a brick wall. She staggered back, rubbing the bump on her head. "Grr!" Rachel glared at the wall and kicked it. "OWW OW OW!" She grabbed her foot, hopping around for a few minutes until the pain was nullified. She sighed and continued walking. A small buzzing in her pocket came to her attention. She reached in and pulled out her cell phone. "Hello?"

"Rachel? This is your CO, Tyler Smith." Rachel scrambled to catch the phone seconds after she dropped it.
"Really? Hey there. Just a sec'." She glanced around before walking into a nearby cafe and into the ladies room. "So what can I do for you?"
"I'm sending you to the Bungalow Resort for a mission."
"I'm sorry, did you say a resort and mission in the same sentence?"
"That I did. You're to head and find two other Rebels there. They'll teach you the run of the Rebellion. Should be easy enough for you to learn, right? Also, don't worry on the cost for your room, the basics are already paid for."
"....Right. How will I get there?"
"I've arranged a cab for you. It should be there soon."
"Okay. Wait, who-" BEEEEEP. He had hung up. Rachel clicked the phone shut and sighed. "Well, that was sudden." She put her phone back into her pocket and started running back to to her apartment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within half an hour she had her two small bags packed and was outside the building as a small white car pulled up. A man wearing a and a fedora stepped out. "Mrs. Lore?"
Rachel smiled. "That's me." She entered the car and it sped off. It was another thirty minutes before they were on a bridge. She looked out the window. The view was breath taking. A vast amount of water stretched with an air of power, with boats skimming the surface like skipped stones. Minutes passed.
"Mrs. Lore? We're here." Rachel blinked and looked over her shoulder. A large building with multiple cars and people surrounding it was there. She grabbed her bags and stepped out of the car.
"How much do I owe you?" The man shook his head and pulled from his pocket a small wad of money with a sticky note that read, For Rachel Lore's drive. Rachel nodded. "Thank you!" She turned around and headed inside.

[SaphireShadows]

"Quil, quil! Cynda!" A high squeaky voice cried through the blackness.

"Mrrrrhuwat?" Dusk asked groggily, slowly opening her tired eyes. A small Cyndaquil was on her stomach, nudging her to get her to wake up. "All right, all right Cynder, I'm up." Dusk sat up, stretched her arms and retrieved her backpack - and, surprisingly, her Turtwig Silverwood - from under the park bench she had slept on. It had only been a week since she had arrived in Noverus and had gotten abducted by her now-boss Cole Hayman. She had had so little money when she had gotten to the city that she wasn't able to rent a room anywhere. And since she hadn't gotten sent on a mission yet she had recieved no pay from her employer. Dusk sighed as her stomach grumbled angrily, then returned her two Pokemon to their balls and got up from her sleeping bench to start on her daily wander through the city.

She stopped at a PokeMart to buy a meager amount of Pokefood for her two Pokemon. As she purused the shop she silently observed all the differences this 'Mart had from her own back in Canalave. A pang of homesickness touched her heart before an image of her aunt and uncle flashed through her mind. The feeling of homesickness was replaced with anger, and she vented this change by slamming the money she owed on the front counter. The timid looking woman behind the counter flinched, then bagged up the Pokefood and quietly told Dusk to have a good day. Dusk just snorted and stomped away.

She wandered through the shopping district of Noverus and into a little cafe with a picture of a Rapidash painted onto the front window. She walked swiftly through the cafe (to hide her embarrassment) and into the bathroom to clean the sleep off of her face and teeth. After that, she chose a secluded table in the far corner of the cafe, released her Pokemon and set two bowls of Pokefood between them. "Breakfast is served!" she stated as the two started to dig in. A waitress dressed in a pink dress and a black apron came to her table and requested her order. "Uhm..." Dusk started, scanning the short breakfast menu, "I'll have a-"

"Always, I wanna be with you, and make believe with you, and live in harmony, harmony, oh loove!" was heard throughout the cafe. It was her cell phone.

"'Scuse me," Dusk said as her cheeks turned pink. The waitress nodded and walked away so Dusk could answer and spare the cafe from another round of her ring tone. "Hello?" she asked grumpily into the phone as she watched Cynder lick her dish clean, then try to go after Silverwood's remaining food. The turtle Pokemon put his body between the Cyndaquil and his food, and continued to eat.

"Hello, newest recruit," a slimy voice responded from the other end of the line. Dusk inwardly groaned as she recognized her boss's voice.

"What do you want?" she asked, not even trying to be nice.

"Tsk tsk Dusk, no need to be nasty," Cole said. Dusk was certain he was mocking her. "If you're not going to play nice, then I don't think I'll give you this mission."

"What is it? Tell me," she said, trying to make herself believe she was just trying to get some extra cash instead of being genuinely curious.

"Hmm...no, I don't think I will. Not unless you ask nicely," he said, knowing that this would aggravate her even more.

Dusk felt that if she could, she would thrust her hand through her phone all the way to wherever Cole was and throttle him right then and there. Seeing as she couldn't, and she had no idea where he was anyways, all she could do was obey. "Would you pretty please tell me what the mission is?" she asked in a fake sweet voice.

"Hmm...all right. I don't appreciate the sarcasm though," he chuckled a little. A shuffling of papers could be heard in the background as he looked for the invoice. Dusk could just picture him shuffling through his papers while fiddling with one of his three eyebrow rings. "Ahh, here it is," he said at last, "You're to go to the Bungalow. There, you will meet two other recruits and wait for further instructions. And before you ask," he said quickly as Dusk made to interrupt him, "I have arranged a ride for you. So don't say I never did you any favors, precious." She shuddered inwardly at the name. He had taken to calling her "Precious" or "Sweetie" since he found her, which made it painful for her to be in the same room with the man.

"And if I refuse?" she asked, trying to get a rise out of him.

Cole chuckled again. "I wonder," he started, pausing for dramatic effect, "what your aunt and uncle would do if they learned about your wherabouts? Would they drag you back to Canalave and sell your Pokemon on the black market? Who knows?" This time he laughed. Long and hard.

"Damn you Cole...fine, where am I meeting this ride?" she asked grudgingly. She hated being forced into service, but she hated the thought of her relatives finding her more.

"Look outside. I'm sure that the car found the Rapidash Cafe by now," he said. Dusk's eyes widened, then she turned to look out the front window. A black car was parked right outside the cafe.

"How did you-" she started, utterly dumbfounded. Cole ran through her question.

"No time for that. Get in the car and get going to the Bungalow. You've wasted enough time talking already. And who knows, you might have time to actually relax and sleep in a real bed. You know, instead of that park bench that you've decided to call home." Dusk started to ask how he knew where she was sleeping, but a click and a dial tone told her that he had already hung up. She sat in the booth for a moment and shivered. She hadn't told anyone where she had been sleeping - least of all Cole. How could he have known she was homeless?

Dusk recalled her now-full Pokemon to their Pokeballs, cleaned up their bowls, and headed outside. The car door was already opened for her, so she threw her backpack into the back seat and climbed in after it. The driver didn't greet her, but shoved the car into drive and eased into the light traffic. She tried to talk to the driver, asking where the Bungalow was, but he would not respond. So she contented herself with looking out the window as the scenery flashed by.

A few minutes later and the car was driving up to the front of the Bungalow. Dusk picked up her backpack from the seat beside her and climbed out. The driver stopped her just as she was about to close the door and handed her a note. A room number, 209, was written on it. Under the note was an envelope addressed to the concierge of the Bungalow. Shrugging, Dusk shouldered her backpack and went inside.

The lobby of the building was beautiful, with many seating areas, a fireplace, and a fountain. She took this all in on her way to the front desk. As she approached, the woman behind the counter looked up from her magazine and asked, "Welcome to the Bungalow. May I help you?" Dusk said nothing, but handed the envelope to her. The woman opened the envelope and read the contents. Afterwards she nodded and turned to retrieve a key from the rack behind her. "Room 209 is on the second floor to your right. Have a wonderful time Miss." Dusk took the key from the woman and headed towards the stairs.

A few moments later and she was staring at the door to room 209. She slid her key into the lock and turned it, then turned the doorknob. As the door opened she found herself staring into a modest hotel room (which for Dusk looked like a luxurious piece of heaven at this moment). She sighed contentedly, ready to just flop onto the bed and take a good, long nap. However, she found that there was already someone in the room. A man that couldn't have been much older than herself was already on the bed, looking pleased with his circumstances.

"So, is this place awesome or what?" she grinned as she plopped her backpack onto the floor and leaned against the wall, wondering not for the first time that day what they were going to do here.

[Mosica]

Megan, a newly recruited member for Team Magma was currently sitting on one of several benches in a small park located in the wealthy district. She was enjoying her time sitting there, watching as people rushed about their daily jobs. However, the thing that was keeping her there amused were the stares to confusion and wonder people gave her.

She had her Tepig out of his pokeball to enjoy the nice day in the park, even if it was kind of small. Not being native or well known in Noverus, he was quite a site to see, that little fire pig. "You know Chetiri," Megan began. "You are free to run around in the park and play as you please." This he knew already, but her was comfortable sitting on Megan's lap instead.

'Bzzzt, bzzzt' was the sound of her vibrating Poketch. Once putting her arm out in front of her (careful not to whack Chetiri by accident), she pressed a few buttons to answer. "Hey?" Megan voiced in a questioning fashion. Not to many people contacted her this way, so she was curious to see who it was.

"Megan, it's your commanding officer calling."

'What was his name again? Rick, Ralley, Riley... Riley! That's right.' "Do you have important news for me?" She asked him.

"Well, it's important alright. Your first mission actually." Before she could ask what, Riley continued, "You will be paired with two other Magma members, both of which you will meet soon enough. You three are going to be transported to the Bungalow Resort." She had heard of this well known vacation spot, but had never actually payed a visit to the resort. "And as for means of transport, I have already sent someone to get you, so expect them shortly."

"What about my room where I'll be staying?" Megan asked. 'Oh please be a nice room. I'd hate for it to be one of those cheap hotel rooms.'

"That has also been taken care of. You have been called in as one of two guests that could accompany the winner of a radio contest."

In the background, she could have swore someone whispered "but I'm sure she could buy her way in anyway.."

"Sounds great Riley! I'll-" But mid sentence, the line went dead as Megan was hung up on. "How rude," she pouted, ending the call on her part.

It was not terribly much longer when a man in a inconspicuous silver car parked on the curb of the entrance to the park. Megan couldn't see inside the windows for they were tinted, but the passenger window rolled down to reveal an unfamiliar male driver. "Can I help you?" Megan asked when he didn't do anything but stare.

"Yes. I'm hear to pick you up," he told her in a monotonous voice.

"How did you-"

"Just get in the car.."

Firstly, Megan returned Chetiri to his pokeball. Then she did as she was told, but instead of getting in the passenger side, she climbed into the back seats. He man grumbled something as he rolled the window back up, but she payed no attention. He drove off impatiently as soon as she was seated and shut the door behind her. She slide a tote bag over to the next seat that she had nearly sat on upon entering the car. When she peeked inside it, she found a few articles of clothing stuffed inside, which by the looks of them, they seemed to belong to her. Personally belong to her. 'He went through my stuff? At my house?!', Megan fumed angrily in her mind. 'Mother better have packed them instead of him!'

The ride was very quiet. The man was intimidating, but that didn't stop Megan from trying to make conversation. When she asked "How long will this be?" he just replied with "we'll get there when we get there." After that, she didn't say anything more, and settled for watching the city rush by outside her window.

~~~

After going through the traffic of the everyday city, going through the somewhat less crowded suburbs, and then through the ghettos of the poor district, they were finally driving on one of the two bridges leading into and out of Noverus. This was the southern bridge, which would take them to the outskirts where the Bungalow was located. Not much time after crossing over the waters, the car stopped in front of a large hotel building.

"We're here, you can get out now." It was more of an order than anything.

"Thanks," Megan muttered dully. She didn't want to thank him for his rudeness, but it was an unthinking impulse. She pushed open the door and was greeted by the bright light of day. She was momentarily blinded, and blinked a few times to try and get use to it. She made sure to snatch up the tote bag with some of her clothes in it and slide out of the car, slamming the door when she was out. The man immediately drove away, kicking up gravel and dust as he did so.

Before going inside, Megan took a moment to look around outside. It was very beautiful. She could see the calm waters on both sides of the ends of the building, and thought of how nice it would be nice to get a waterfront room. She passed skillfully cut shrubs were placed on the edges of the sidewalks to the entrance of the building.

Upon entering, she found herself in the main lounge room. She approached the smiling woman standing behind the front desk. "Megan Scarlet. I'm one of the few allowed guests for some radio contest," she told the woman.

Sounding a little too happy, the woman spoke. "Ah yes, the Magma Radio Contest. Two people checked in right before you, you're with them? Yes, yes, and I'll assume you are sharing a room? Here's an extra key for yourself." Megan took the key with a nod of her head. Attached to the key was a small, plastic square card with the room number and floor on it. "The floors can be accessed to right of this hall," she said, pointing. "Have a wonderful stay!"

It was easy to find the stairways and elevators to other floors. Megan of course chose the elevator, even though it was just the 2nd floor. It took some looking to find the correct set of numbers at first, but they were found. Megan walked a few doors down the 200s and stopped in front of 209. According to the lady in the lobby, the other Magma recruits had arrived already.

'Please be a big room with a nice view. It better not be small and cramped!' Megan slide the key into the lock and opened the door. She then strode through the doorway like she owned the place. Disappointment was clear on her face when she saw the room. Not near as big as she wanted it to be, though it was an average size, something small compared to her usual living area in her nice big house.

There was a girl and a boy sitting on two beds, but Megan payed them no heed at the moment, still distracted by the scanning the hotel room.

[BlackStarLine]

Daniel had left Kishk in the car as he had fallen asleep on the way up. He was just chatting to the receptionist, who as it happened was extremely good looking, before a shout from the garage dragged him away. Feeling slightly annoyed at being dragged away, Daniel opened the door to the garage and was met with a grinning Kishk.

"Oh so you decided to wake up then? It's about time too. I've already got us a room. So here's your key." Daniel said, handing a door card to Kishk.

He then walked to the car and pulled his bag out of the boot before closing the boot and locking the car. This was going to be a great few days.

Daniel walked behind Kishk as they made their way along the 1st floor and headed to their room. Room 123 was theirs, and once they opened their door they could not believe the luxury of the place for such a low price.

Daniel immediately claimed the bed on the left and flopped on top of it. It was like heaven on earth, or at least, that's what Daniel thought of it.

[Kamaitachi]

There hadn't been much time for Kanoa to enjoy the comfort of the bed. As he sat there, daydreaming, he didn't put much thought into the mission at all. Even though he did little else but relax, he found himself immensely enjoying a mini-vacation on someone else's dime. He'd have to make a habit of getting more missions at cool locations where he could walk in without wearing a shirt, and plop down onto a bed.

He sat bolt upright as the doorknob turned, and in short order, a young woman entered. She couldn't have been too much younger than him. She was a good half a foot shorter than him, by his estimation, and wore her brown hair long. At the very least, she possessed some fashion sense. She looked pretty good in her get up as she surveyed the room.

"So is this place awesome or what?"

"Totally!" He couldn't help the grin that sprang to his face. He was about to hop up and introduce himself when the door opened yet again. In quick succession, another young woman had entered the room. A pale, brunette entered the room, somewhat contrasting the more olive-skinned Dusk and Kanoa. This one didn't say anything; she simply stared at the room. It wasn't a great room, Kanoa agreed, but it was a pretty neat sort of place. Since there were three of them, and only one bed, he immediately made the assumption that he would be sleeping on the floor. A second thought nudged its way into his mind: They weren't staying all that long.

"Well hello, ladies." Kanoa swung his legs around and stood up. "I'm Kanoa, and there are two bags here with your names on them. I'm guessing one of you is Dusk, and the other Megan."

[Kishk]

Kishk stopped in front of the room's door while Reeves ran on ahead and jumped onto the left bed. He glared at the plaque on the door which indicated the room's number, holding his gaze for a few minutes. When the plaque showed no sign of change, Kishk proceeded to Plan B. He stepped closer to the plaque, first sniffing it, then prodding and scratching at its surface, waiting for something to fall off or prove to be half-hidden. The plaque once more defied his wishes. He remained there for another few minutes until he finally accepted his terrible fate.

"I can't believe we got stuck with such a lame number..." he murmured with a small pout.

The sigh that followed was covered by the woosh from his bags flying across the room, narrowly missing an extremely tacky and expensive piece of pottery, slamming against the wall on the other side and finally coming to a rest next to the bed on the right. Kishk released all his Pokémon as he made his way through the room, stripping all unnecessary garments off, such as his coat, shirt, gloves, boots and socks. He enjoyed the cold feel of the dark hardwood floor on his bare feet, and the wind blowing in from one of the several windows around the beds. When he reached his bed, he began analyzing the fancy-looking room and taking in its smaller details.

There were a total of four doors in the room: on the far left side of the room was the first, the entrance, which opened into the room; on the far right, was a large, sliding glass double-door that led to a wooden balcony with a breathtaking overview of the small beach behind the resort; facing the beds were the remaining two doors, both of which were tall and made of heavy oak wood; one opened into the bathroom, while the other revealed a spacious changing room. Between the path from the room door and the balcony, there were two beds made for one person each. They were covered in a heavy white quilt, which concealed light bedsheets of the same color and comfortable pillows stuffed with eiderdown. The quality of the pillows was confirmed by the look of satisfaction on Reeves' face.

Behind each bed was a section of wall devoted purely to drawers. Each of them was made of beautiful, reddened cherry wood. Their handles were made of chromed steel, though they didn't diminish the grandness of the wood; everything about it was in perfect balance. Inside the drawers were several divisions for storing clothing by type: underwear, swimming wear, shirts, shorts and so on. Between the two drawer sections for each bed owner, was a wide window with a view of the verdant gardens of The Bungalow. The enormous room had many other windows, though none had such a beautiful view as the balcony's: there was something about sand and water that attracted Kishk so greatly, especially when paired with groups of beautiful girls splashing each other in the water.

He was about to start organizing the trail of clothing he had left on his way in, when he nearly tripped over something he had not noticed before: a cedar chest under each bed, filled with towels adorned with the large, curly B signature of The Bungalow. All of them had acquired a hint of the sweet scent that the cedar was so unique for. Now that Kishk noticed the smell, he realized that the venetian blinds in the room's windows were all made of the same type of wood, with the same sweet scent.

Smiling, he unpacked his bags and, for the first time in his life, actually organized everything perfectly. All his shirts shared a drawer with his pants and shorts, which were neatly divided into two stacks, while his socks and underwear occupied an entire drawer by themselves. Kishk stealthily hid his Pichu socks under everything else, keeping an eye on Reeves and making sure he wouldn't see them. When he had finished unpacking, he chose his favorite pair of swimming trunks (blue with black abstract details) and entered the changing room, closing the door behind him. After changing into his swimming trunks and applying sunscreen (raw-meat-on-the-sand wasn't Kishk's preferred color tone), he picked up his PokéNav and rushed to the room's door.

"Hey! Sleeping Beauty," he directed this provocation at Reeves, "I'm going down to the beach to... ah... Meet some new people," he put his hand on the doorknob and looked at his Pokémon. "Race you down there!"

Needless to say, Kishk lost to all of his Pokémon.

****

When he reached the beach, he nearly cried out in amazement. It was perfect: fine, light sand; not too many people, not too little; lots of snacks salespeople; and, most importantly of all, lots of beautiful girls and women. Kishk grinned at his Pokémon and charged down the sloping hill of sand towards the shore. Moments later, an out-of-breath Bungalow worker appeared, bearing three folding beach chairs, a beach mat, a small inflatable pool and three parasols. Clearly not enjoying having to run all this way, the man dropped the items at Kishk's feet and sped back towards the resort. Kishk shrugged and set everything up while Jig filled the pool with water.

Jig and Poochyena chose to stay inside the pool while Growlithe and Tesla dozed off on the woven beach mat. Only Vitória and Pidgey accompanied Kishk to the water, where he was interrupted from chatting up a lonely-looking girl of about his age before he could even begin. He scowled and pulled out the PokéNav from his waterproof pocket which had begun playing his metal ringtone.

"We can blame the world forever! We can just escape together! So are we breaking out?! Or are we breaking down!? We can bla-"

"Yeah?" he asked irritably, "Who's this?"

"You have a new mission," said the voice of Tyler Smith, his CO.

"You mean I'm gonna have to lea-?"

"No," his CO cut him off, "But you won't get as much of a break as you thought you would. I'm sending you and Daniel a new recruit. Her name is Rachel Lore." Kishk brightened a bit at this. "Your mission is to familiarize her with the Rebellion: teach her the basics, train her, the works."

"Alrigh-"

"We won't be paying extra for her own room, so one of you is going to have to sleep on the floor," he continued to cut Kishk off, "Any questions? No? Good." and he hung up.

Straight and to the point, as always... Though I won't let him ruin my fun, even if he's sending a girl.

He closed the PokéNav, put it back in his pocket and flexed his muscles, making his way towards the lonely brunnette.

This post has been edited by Kishk: Feb 22 2011, 06:25 AM

[SaphireShadows]

Dusk grinned back at the man. She could already tell that he was a cool person. She was about to introduce herself when the door opened yet again. Another girl came into the room, acting like she owned the place. A few moments later and her face fell. Apparently she didn't like the room, which annoyed Dusk slightly. When you've been sleeping on a park bench for the past week, you get the feeling that people aren't as appreciative of what they have than they should be. The girl completely ignored them for a while as she looked about the room. Granted, the room was probably meant for only two people, but there was still plenty of room for all three of them. Dusk got the sneaky suspicion that this girl was going to claim the bed for herself.

"Well hello, ladies." The man said as he got up from the bed "I'm Kanoa, and there are two bags here with your names on them. I'm guessing one of you is Dusk, and the other Megan." Dusk looked over to the edge of the bed to find two bags full of gear.

"I didn't know we got gadgets for being in this gig!" Dusk said excitedly as she reached for the bag labelled "Dusk Reanne". The first thing that sprang into her mind was a spy movie she had watched back home. The spy had gotten tons of neat gadgets for his mission like a grappling gun, nightvision goggles and smokeballs. However, she opened the bag to find nothing more interesting than a pair of binoculars. Dusk sighed as she rifled through her bag...until she found the swimsuit that had been packed for her.

A small red bikini with a pokeball graphic on the bottoms greeted her, along with a note. Fuming, and slightly red-faced, she unfolded the note and read the sentence on it.

Picked this out myself, hope you like it.

~Cole

"That pig! That slimy, jerk-faced pig!" Dusk squeaked as she crumpled up the note and flung it into the wastebin. Not only was this "gift" completely unprofessional (which was expected), it was totally gross. Cole was ten years older than her, which was ancient as far as Dusk was concerned. She made a mental note to find wherever he was hiding and stuff the swimsuit down his throat. She furiously stuffed the swimsuit into the bottom of her bag and threw it into the closet on the other side of the room, just barely missing the other girl's head as it whizzed through the air. Then Dusk remembered that there were others in the room. "Uhm...my boss has an unhealthy interest in me..." was all she could think of to say on the matter. "Anyways," she said, rifling through her own backpack for her own one-piece swimming suit, "my name's Dusk. It's nice to meet you Kanoa." She pulled out her one-piece suit. It was aqua blue with white blotches at the bottom, reminding one of an Azumarill. Instead of being just a regular one-piece, the bottom also had a little frilly aqua blue skirt. It was Dusk's favorite swimsuit, and the only one she had thought to pack. In her mind, it was much better than the tiny bikini that had been provided for her, and much cuter.

"So," she said to the two, as she slung her swimsuit over her shoulder, "anyone fancy a swim at the beach?"

[Dragonwish2]

Rachel entered the resort and stood in awe at the lounge room. “This is big.” It was a large white room, with a mahogany desk with an attendant wearing a red shirt and pencil skirt sitting at the table. Cream and dark brown chairs sat to the right with flat screen TV’s on cherry wood carved cabinet. Outside people hung out on the beach; salt air blew in. Left of Rachel was a billboard on which was pinned various activities, fliers, and a large map of the Bungalow.
She hefted up her bags and sat down in the lounge room. She pulled out her cell phone and hit a few buttons. It was only a few rings before someone picked up.
“Hello?”
“Smith? It’s Rachel Lore. I was wondering; who exactly am I looking for?”
“Daniel Reeves and Kishk Akrias. Daniel’s eighteen, while Kishk is your age. Just ask the front where they’re staying and head there.”
“Um… Okay.”
“Good? ‘Bye then.” Rachel blinked and closed the phone. She walked up to the front desk.
"Excuse me, do you know where Daniel Reeves and Kishk Akrias are staying?" The attendant looked up from her computer.
"Yes, they came in a while ago. Are you Rachel?" Rachel nodded. The attendant typed something in and handed her a key card. “Room 123, here you go.” Lore took the card.
“Thank you!”

She found the room after getting lost a few times. Rachel paused at the door and pulled out a pokeball, clicking the button and feeling it expand in her palm. She let out Marcus. The Poochyena sniffed and barked softly once. Someone was inside. Rachel looked at the door number. 123. Wow, what’s the next room, 456? Maybe our neighbors live in 789? Rachel used the key to unlock the door and entered the room. The first thing she saw was an eighteen year old brunette sitting on the bed to the left. "...You must be Daniel, right?" Marcus looked up at her and fell to the floor, chuckling as best as a pokemon could. Rachel smacked her forehead and returned Marcus to his pokeball. And they’re boys. I should have guessed by the names.

Rachel looked around. Dark wood covered the floor, and sunshine shone in through the glass door to the left that led out onto the balcony. The bathroom sat next to a large changing room. White quilts and sheetes covered the bed, and dressers made of red wood with steel handles. Windows seemed to be everywhere. All in all, it was a beautiful room.

Rachel shut the door and set her bags down. "So... I'm Rachel. Tyler sent me here." She smiled. "So, I'm headed to the beach. Want to come?"

[Mosica]

Megan was snapped to attention when the boy spoke, introducing himself as Kanoa. He already knew their names because they were labeled on two of the three duffel bags; one for each of them. He called the other girl there Dusk. 'What kind of a name is Dusk? Not a very good one,' Megan thought, though she had nearly said it out loud. While Dusk dug excitedly through her bag, she soon became angry at some guy she apparently knew. She had then thrown the bag at the closet, which just so happened to be near Megan. As the bag flew passed her head, an unnecessary, "Ah!" escaped her lips.

She stared at Dusk angrily before she went over to her own bag. With the flip of her hair, all she said was "hi," but it was directed to Kanoa. She placed her tote bag she was holding beside the duffel bag, and unzipped it. She expected to find a Team Magma outfit, but instead there was a swim suit. The top was a purple, white, black, and gray striped bikini while the bottom was a very short plain black - save a small master ball print on the left leg - pair of woman's swimming shorts.

"Don't you think you're here for more serious matters than to go swimming?" She asked, still leafing through the bag. Megan actually liked the thought of going down to to beach, but she wasn't too happy with Dusk at the moment. Other than the swimsuit she found a pair of bulky binoculars, a walkie-talkie, and sun tan lotion. There sure wasn't a lot of items in the bag. By the size of it, it could have held many more things.

"What are we here for anyway?" Megan asked either of the two. "I wasn't given any specific details." She stopped going through the bag, since there wasn't anything else to find within. She looked forward to show off her pokemon, and now seemed like a good time. She grabbed her two pokeballs and released her pokemon. It only took a few seconds for a Tepig and Ralts to take form from the beam of red light.

They stretched and looked curiously around the room, their eyes coming to a stop on Dusk and Kanoa before resuming their looking around.

[Kamaitachi]

Kanoa had opted not to change into his swimsuit. As much as he liked to think that their mission was one of bonding and friendship, he started to have the nagging feeling that it wasn't. Of course, he brushed this aside. He had put the goggles up to his head, wearing them like a headband rather than for their actual function. Replacing his old gloves with his new ones, he tested them out, noting that the grip was much better, and the leather was much sturdier. There was even a metal plate on the back of the hand, which made him feel a bit like a ninja. The boots were a perfect fit, and he could feel their weight in the toes as he walked around.

The girl who'd taken the "Dusk Reanne" bag proceeded to have a mini-freakout at the sight of her bathing suit, but then seemed to calm down. She introduced herself as Dusk, and Kanoa pretended to be hearing her name for the first time, even though he'd already figured it out.

That meant the other girl was Megan. First impression? She was a real See-You-Next-Tuesday. Kanoa mentally shrugged this off. It clearly took all sorts to make a Team, and since this was their first mission, he was sort of the De Facto leader of the group.

Megan then proceeded to release her pokemon from their little portable homes. One was a pokemon Kanoa was somewhat familiar with: Ralts. The other one looked like a pig that had roasted itself for dinner.

"They're so cute!" Kanoa chirped as he dropped into a crouch. His lopsided smile reappeared as he peered at them curiously. "I'm Kanoa. Pleased ta meetchya." He considered for a moment summoning his own pokemon for a meet and greet, but it would make their already small room even more crowded.

As they mused about what their actual mission was, the TV magically turned itself on. Kanoa jumped a little at the sight, holding a hand to his chest as if he'd had a little bout of cardiac arrest. On the screen was a broad shouldered man with slicked back blonde hair and an Errol Flynn pencil mustache.

"Lennox, you fart-bag!" Kanoa gasped at the screen "I nearly died of shock!"

"Agent Kaipo, I'll ask you once again to be more professional during a briefing, especially one via Magma Telecomm."

"RogerRoger" Kanoa saluted, his voice mimicking a robot's drone. The salute itself was a fairly clumsy imitation of the RAS's very proper motion. Perhaps it was just his slouch that made it seem silly.

"Agents Reanne and Scarlet, it is a pleasure to meet you." He said, as if it really wasn't a pleasure to meet them. "I'm Agent Donald Lennox, Agent Kaipo's direct superior, as well as the Chief Tactical Officer for this mission. It is a fairly straightforward mission. The three of you are now stationed here at the Bungalow during the duration of the assignment, so please, make full use of its amenities. Do attempt to keep Magma Fund Spending down to a minimum.

We have provided you with some very basic gear for the mission, simply because it is a basic mission. From your position there, you are to launch an assault on any Aqua or Rebel members in the vicinity. According to our intel, there are at least two Rebels currently on vacation there. We are unable to ascertain the total number more.

In so many words, you are to launch assaults on all enemy personnel within the Bungalow. You are not disguised as Rebels or as Aqua members, simply because they would figure out that you're not almost immediately.

The merits of this mission are psychological. If you can rout all enemy units from the Bungalow, it will be purely Magma territory from here on out. The upside is as follows: Even if you fail in routing them, the psychological value is that no rebel or aqua will feel safe anywhere. They will learn that Magma can track them and hunt them down no matter where they are in Noverus. Therefore, simply launching the mission is already a blow to morale on all sides.

Begin the mission as soon as you have ascertained as to which enemies are rebels. You have binoculars for spying the grounds through the window from your room. I wish all of you the best of luck in this endeavor. Lennox Out."

The TV flashed itself off, and Kanoa smiled. He straightened his elbow and knee pads before re-clipping his pokeball belt back around his waist. With a deft adjustment, he straightened his new gloves, then scooped his skateboard off the floor, tucking it under his arm.

"Shiny. Let's be bad guys."

[Mosica]

With her fists on her hips, "I know, right?" Megan said, her head high. She adored her cute pokemon, and liked to show them off just as much. Chetiri and Ruhi had greeted Kanoa with only half the effort, now that they were starting to slowly wonder around.

Almost as if they had heard Megan ask the mission, the TV suddenly came on by itself. A man appeared on the screen, introducing himself as Lennox, Kanoa's CO. There must have been a camera and microphone somewhere for Lennox to see the three teenagers in the room, because of his responses to Kanoa's actions.

Looking at the floor, Megan huffed under her breath, "It's just a TV message.. thing. Calm down." But in truth, she jumped and had been startled herself. She snapped her head up when Lennox said her name. He began to give an explanation of their mission. She listened carefully until the telecomm ended and the TV turned off. The whole thing sounded like a spying mission, but a mission was a mission, and this was Megan's first.

"Sounds kinda boring if we're just sitting by a window somewhere all day. Just staring at people with binoculars." Megan paused a moment before blurting, "I call the beach! And a bed while I'm at it." Inside could possibly be stalked by one person, as the outside was a large enough scale for two. Then again, the inside was pretty big too..

Even though Dusk suggested they go to the beach before, and Megan snapped back, this time she announced she wanted to go to the beach. But to look for people. And maybe lay in the sun. Perhaps flirt with cute surfer guys.

She slowly started to inch over to where she left her swim suit. Thinking that if she went at a pace like this, she would really be noticed. The bikini (and swimming shorts!) were laying on the edge of the bag. Everything about them yelled 'beach!' and Megan was all the more eager to try them on so that she could go down to the beach.

[SaphireShadows]

"Don't you think you're here for more serious matters than to go swimming?"

Dusk glared over at Megan while rifling through her backpack for her Pokemon. "Well excuse me for not being that excited to work for an organization that kidnapped me and forced me to join," she said moodily. She then went back to searching her backpack. Of course, her two Pokeballs were at the bottom of her bag (how they got there when she had put them on top was a mystery to her). She was about to let them both out when Megan beat her to it.

"They're so cute!" Kanoa said as a Ralts and a pig Pokemon came out of their balls. Dusk stared at the little piglet for a moment, before a little grin split her face.

"They are quite cute," she admitted as she maximized her Pokeballs. She was just about to let them out again when the other two started talking about what they were going to do here. Dusk was puzzled as well, but she didn't really think much of it. Until the TV came on by itself.

"Lennox, you fart-bag! I nearly died of shock!" Dusk giggled as Kanoa called his CO a "Fart-bag". She listened to the TV, thinking all the while that the man inside it was stiffer than five-year-old stale bread. When the television went off again, Dusk jerked her thumb over to the TV and said, "Well, he sounds like he'd be fun at parties."

It was then that Megan announced that she claimed the beach, and the bed. "Tch, typical," Dusk said as she rolled her eyes and shifted her weight onto one hip. She wanted to explode at her and say "You don't deserve the bed! I've been the one sleeping on a park bench, or on the ground since I came to Hoenn!" but she knew it would be no use. So she kept her anger right beneath the surface, but anyone could look at her and tell she was pissed.

Well, she thought, the beach is too big for one person to search. She's probably just going to work on her tan. Maybe I'll just take a quick walk down the beach and return to the Bungalow and search the pool.

"I'll go search the pool," she said as she grabbed her swimsuit and her Pokeballs. Their introductions would have to wait until later.

[Mosica]

Megan just rolled her eyes with a little "Hmph" as she did so. The corners of her lips twitched up a fraction. Dusk's apparent anger and the way her face looked was amusing.

Suddenly, she stopped smiling at once. What Dusk had said before had finally sunk into Megan's hardheadedness. "Kid..napped?" She spoke the word slowly and in a whisper, not quite grasping the oh-so-confusing sentence that came from Dusk. Her eyebrows came together in a moment of puzzlement as she continued even more quieter than the first, "why would.. would Team Magma do that?"

Megan resumed what she was doing, as what she has asked was her thinking out loud. She held her swim suit, one piece per hand, and looked for the bathroom to change. It was easy to spot; the last door on the left wall slightly opened to show what was inside. She stalked into the bathroom with her suit and switched the light on before locking the door.

Further chat could wait until Megan was done changing, though it would probably just be her and Kanoa since Dusk was going to leave. Talking with Kanoa might actually be nice, since he seemed friendly enough - and he didn't look too bad either.

Her changing into the bikini top and swimming short was quick and easy. Taking off her socks and shoes leaving her feet bare on the cold tile floor was a shock for a while, but Megan got use to it soon enough. She unlocked the door and flicked the light off as she exited the bathroom and returned to the main room. Her heap of clothes and shoes were in her arms until she dumped them onto her tote bag, leaving it buried in a crumpled pile of clothing.

While Megan was changing, her pokemon were wondering about the room. When she called them, Chetiri pulled his head out from under the bed (he was never fully under the bed, he just stuck his head under!), and Ruhi looked over from the windowsill that he was too short to look out of. "Chetiri, Ruhi, we're going to the beach now. C'mon!" She had called.

Megan turned to face Kanoa. "I'm going to the beach now. Are you going to stay here?" She asked him. She was still a bit troubled by what Dusk had said, but she didn't what to dwindle on the silly idea. The beach was more important!

[Kamaitachi]

"I call the beach! And the bed while I'm at it!"

"I'll go search the pool"

Evidently the two coolest of all possible options were immediately taken by his two teammates. Kanoa looked almost glum for a moment, with the realization that he would probably be stuck staring out the window with binoculars.

But then again, with no way to know what he was looking for from their window, how would he spot...well...what he was looking for? This meant that he had to do some field reconnaissance, or however it was one pronounced that word. A smile burst back onto his face as he responded to Megan's question

"I have the best idea." He shot one finger into the air, as if pointing to the imaginary light bulb above his head "Let's ALL go to the beach, then to the food court. Then maybe to the pool."

Unlike the girls, he didn't change into his swimsuit. He already wasn't wearing a shirt (he never bothered to put one on), and had all his stuff at the ready. Dropping his skateboard for a moment, he reached into his backpack and procured a pokeball bandana. He took off his pokeball beanie to reveal a mess of wavy black hair before he wrapped it up in said pokeball bandana. He looked much more ready to tackle the beach with that. Figuring that boots would be a bad idea, he opted to take them back off again, evidently not minding the constant quick changes. Slipping on the flip-flops that had clearly been in the duffel bag the whole time, he wriggled his toes in the open, smiling down at them.

Finally, he was ready. He gently nudged his skateboard next to the night stand and set down his backpack and his Magma assigned duffel bag.

"This is seriously the best mission ever."

* * *

The trio (hopefully Dusk had followed along at Kanoa's behest) made it down to the beach. Upon feeling the sand underneath his feet, he gave a languid stretch, enjoying the feeling of sun on his skin.

He figured that since it was a nice, sunny day, he'd let his two grass pokemon out. "C'mon out guys." He enthusiastically threw the pokeballs skywards, where they popped open. The light shot out from them, striking the ground like twin bolts of lightning. Once they faded, Benihana the Shroomish and Coco Wheelie the Roselia appeared. Coco immediately turned his face towards the sun with a bright grin, while his grumpy looking comrade Benihana hopped up into Kanoa's arms. He turned around and settled in comfortably against Kanoa's bare chest, his eyes, curmudgeonly as ever, scouted out the beach, then the two girls next to Kanoa.

He figured they'd wander around the beach a bit until they met some interesting people. In the meantime, he'd at least get to know his teammates a little better.

"So, you've been in Noverus all along, or did you guys come from somewhere else? I'm originally from Hearthome in the Sinnoh Region."

This post has been edited by Kamaitachi: Feb 11 2011, 01:36 AM

[SaphireShadows]

"Kid..napped?" Megan mumbled aloud, "why would.. would Team Magma do that?" Dusk just rolled her eyes as the other girl slowly walked into the bathroom. While Megan was changing, Kanoa clearly had an idea.

"I have the best idea." Kanoa said, pointing his finger upward in an "ah-ha!"-like fashion "Let's ALL go to the beach, then to the food court. Then maybe to the pool." Dusk thought about it. It did seem like a better idea than splitting up. They didn't even know what they were looking for anyways, so what was the harm in having some fun?

"All right, I'll go," Dusk replied with a grin. When Megan came out of the bathroom, Dusk quickly ducked in to change into her swimsuit. As she pulled it up and over her shoulders, she looked in the mirror and decided that this was definitely the most adorable swimsuit ever. Deciding that her boots would not be the smartest choice of footwear, she walked back through the room and looked through her Magma duffel bag (making sure to fling the bikini into an obscure corner of the room) and found a pair of thin flip flops. She strapped them on, then followed the other two down to the beach.

The stretch of beach owned by the Bungalow was possibly the best beach Dusk had ever seen. It had beautiful white sand, and the water was clear and blue. There were many people on the beach that day, and Pokemon. Mostly Water Pokemon. Many people were swimming in the ocean with their Pokemon, splashing and chasing each other with glee. Kanoa was right. Best. Mission. Ever.

Dusk breathed in a gulp of salty sea air. It was beautiful, almost exactly like home. A couple of red flashes startled Dusk out of her thoughts. Kanoa had released two Pokemon, a Shroomish and a Roselia, who then stretched and smiled in the sunshine. Dusk followed suit and released her Pokemon. As the red flashes passed, her Turtwig and Cyndaquil came into view. They both stretched lazily, then proceeded to greet the other Pokemon. Cynder was quite fascinated with Megan's Tepig, circling around him and sniffing him periodically. Silverwood toddled over to Kanoa's Pokemon and greeted them with a wiggle of his head-leaves. Dusk smiled lazily and moved to find a place to sit on the beach. A man - undoubtedly a Bungalow employee - came up to them with three towels, three umbrellas and three foldable lounge chairs. He set them down hastily, then scooted away without a word. Dusk shrugged and took a seat on one of the chairs.

"So, you've been in Noverus all along, or did you guys come from somewhere else? I'm originally from Hearthome in the Sinnoh Region." Kanoa said.

Dusk started and exclaimed, "Really? I lived in Canalave! How long ago did you leave Hearthome?" This was perfect. She was on a beach with her two Pokemon and two (potential) friends. The sky was clear, the sand was warm, and all was right with the world at that singular moment.

[Mosica]

Megan's question was answered when Kanoa proposed that they all should go to the beach. Her claiming was in vain, except for the bed. They all couldn't share that.

When the trio were at the beach, Megan realized she wasn't wearing any form of footwear. She didn't care though, since the sand felt nice and cool, not scorching like it would be later in the afternoon. Kanoa and Dusk released their pokemon as soon as they got there. Megan's Tepig and Ralts were already released, so they were the ones to be greeted firstly.

Now that the three were warming up to each other - or at least something close to that - Dusk and Megan were asked their hometown. She interrupted their talk of other cities in Hoenn with her own comment. "Noverus," she said with a smile, "wealthy district. Not those horrible ghettos."

The pokemon approached each other, clearly going for similar types. Dusk's Turtwig went to meet Kanoa's grass-types as her Cyndaquil met with Megan's Tepig. Ralts stood shyly behind in to the right of Chetiri.

A moment later, a Bungalow employee dropped off beach supplies. A towel, giant umbrella, and lounge chair for each of them. 'Oh good,' Megan thought, 'now I don't have to be near her.' She really didn't like Dusk, and would gladly keep her distance unless necessary. Then again, making her angry was funny too. Megan would not show annoyance of Dusk, but be the annoyance itself. Hopefully that will drive Dusk to keep her distance instead of Megan trying instead.

She took one of the three towels and flapped it once in the air, then laid it carefully in front of her on the wavy sand. Megan wasn't going to sit on it yet; she decided to take a stroll down to the water first. She had only laid out the towel for Chetiri since he hates water. There was plenty of room for Ruhi too, if he didn't want to go into the water. Megan was about to walk away toward the water (and guys), but before she did so, the pokemon in Kanoa's arms caught her attention.

"Why is that pink?" She asked confusingly, slightly tilting her head to the side. Instead of the dull green color, the Shroomish was pink. It was a shiny Shroomish, but she of course didn't know that.

[Kamaitachi]

Between the three trainers, six pokemon had been summoned to the beach. Kanoa still retained Darkslide and Helipop in their pokeballs. It seemed that at least Coco Wheelie was making friends with the Turtwig that Dusk produced. Benihana seemed more than content to nestle his grumpy little self into Kanoa's arms.

A Bungalow employee provided them with a massive umbrella and several lounge chairs, but Kanoa chose not to partake. He seemed much more happy to be outdoors and in the sun, so it didn't really make any sense to hide from it once again. He could do that later, when they were back in the room.

"Oh, I'm originally from Hearthome, but I kept getting kicked out of schools so I ended up all over the world. I finished up schooling in Saffron City and went back to Hearthome, then left there for Noverus, since it seemed like a pretty cool place to be a pokemon trainer now. Canalave was pretty cool. The top floor of the Library was my favourite make-out spot." He laughed at the memory. "And you're from Noverus. Know any good clubs or discotheques?" He had turned to Megan to ask, but she seemed more preoccupied with the Shroomish in his arms.

"Why is that pink?"

'That' in question wiggled a little in Kanoa's arms, frilling his little skirt in agitation at the impersonality with which Megan had addressed him. Kanoa placed a hand on his little head, patting gently.

"This is Benihana, and he's a Shiny Shroomish. It's kinda like...a mutation? So he's a different color. Pokepedia called it "Melanism" but I'm not really sure what it means." He squeezed the pokemon a little tighter "Just means my buddy here is almost one of a kind."

Around that moment, a young woman approached them, smiling at Kanoa while completely avoiding contact with the other two.

"Hey there." She smiled "You and the cutie wanna join me over at the Cabana Bar?" The woman reached out and tapped Benihana on his forehead. In response, he wiggled uncomfortably a bit more, not enjoying the attention he got from her. She was really quite pretty, and wearing a very revealing bathing suit that was neither sexy nor elegant. Rather it seemed more...slutty, for lack of a better word. Kanoa seemed completely disinterested in her body all together, but flashed her a smile anyways.

"No thanks, lady. I'm with these two pretty girls here." He indicated Dusk and Megan with his free hand. She huffed and walked off, a bit insulted that he hadn't taken any kind of liking to her. In her wake, yet another woman, wearing an equally revealing bathing suit approached, smiling flirtatiously at Kanoa. Before she even spoke, Kanoa shook his head and hugged his Shroomish tighter in his arms. She shrugged, seemingly nonchalant, and followed after the other woman to the bar. Inwardly, Kanoa was pleased with himself. He really was feeling more handsome since he joined Magma, since Lennox had him doing all sorts of endurance and agility drills with his pokemon. All the excersize and the fairly healthy eating habits had done wonders for his body, and evidently it was starting to attract attention. He felt like hot stuff.

"Hey Beni" he poked the Shroomish "All those sexy ladies think you're a really hotty-totty. You lady-killer, you." The Shroomish vocally protested the thought, but Kanoa laughed and held him out on one hand. "Okay, okay, jealous-pot.You're the only one for me, you handsome little devil." The curmudgeonly pokemon's face switched to one of delight, dancing about on Kanoa's open palm. Coco Wheelie, jealous of his comrade's attention, sidled up to Kanoa and looked upwards cutely.

"Oh C-dubs, you know you're my champion too!" He scooped up the Roselia with his other hand, smiling at his two pokemon before turning to Dusk and Megan. A bright, happy smile was etched lazily over his face "My boys here are so starved for attention."

He paused for a moment. Then his face lit up, as if he'd remembered something important:

"Oh, where are my manners? The Shroomish here is Benihana, and this is Coco Wheelie, my dear Roselia friend."

[SaphireShadows]

"Oh, I'm originally from Hearthome, but I kept getting kicked out of schools so I ended up all over the world. I finished up schooling in Saffron City and went back to Hearthome, then left there for Noverus, since it seemed like a pretty cool place to be a pokemon trainer now. Canalave was pretty cool. The top floor of the Library was my favourite make-out spot." Kanoa said, laughing at his last sentence. Dusk laughed too; that was what she (and most of the other teens in Canalave) used the top floor of the library for too.

Dusk ignored Megan when she said where she was from. She didn't really care if she was from Hoenn, Kanto or the Moon, she was annoying and far too girly for Dusk's taste. She instead examined the interactions going on between her Pokemon and the other Pokemon in their group.

Cynder was still fascinated by Megan's Tepig, though she was not as curious as before. She had opted to sit next to him and stare. Dusk could tell that the other Pokemon was getting a little uncomfortable, so she decided to go and collect her Cyndaquil.

"I think you were a little bit overzealous there Cynder," she told her, but Cynder was still staring at the pig Pokemon. Dusk just rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Silverwood.

The little turtle looked like he was having a good time. He was smiling and talking to Kanoa's Roselia while absorbing some of the sun's energy. He looked quite content, and sleepy. In no time he was fast asleep on the warm sand, snoring softly. Dusk smiled and picked him up as well. She strolled over to her umbrella and towel and placed the Turtwig in the shade so he wouldn't get sunburnt while he slept.

"Why is that pink?" she heard Megan say. She turned around to see Megan pointing at a Pokemon in Kanoa's arms. Disregarding the impersonal way she had addressed the Pokemon, Dusk walked over to take a closer look at it. It was a Shroomish, but it was pink. Dusk blinked once at it to confirm that yes, this was a pink Shroomish, and not a trick of the light or something. Dusk listened as Kanoa explained that he was a shiny Shroomish and that he was kind of one of a kind.

Dusk smiled at the Shroomish - Benihana - and waved. Cynder, who was still in her arms, greeted the other Pokemon with an enthusiastic "Cynda!", and squirmed a little trying to get to the Shroomish and take a closer look.

As Dusk was trying to keep Cynder in her arms a woman strolled up to the group. No, to Kanoa; she was completely ignoring the two girls. She was wearing a swimsuit...Dusk thought. Or a poor excuse for a swimsuit. It barely covered anything and was surely not for swimming purposes. Dusk scrunched up her nose at the flimsy swimsuit, then heard the woman asking Kanoa to join her at the bar.

Oh dear Arceus no, don't leave me with that! Dusk thought as she glanced quickly over at Megan. Thankfully, Kanoa told her no (and made Dusk blush slightly in the process. She wasn't used to being called pretty). Then another woman tried to approach him, but he just shook his head and the woman shrugged and turned away.

Kanoa accused the little Shroomish in his arms of being a chick magnet, which it obviously refused to believe. Dusk giggled at the thought, then pictured the pink Shroomish surrounded by girls with it's sour little face frowning and it's little skirt flaring. This just made her laugh even more. She wiped a tear from her eye as Kanoa introduced his two Pokemon. Dusk took a moment to memorize the names. They were certainly unique, and would be easy to remember. She took this time to introduce her two Pokemon as well.

"This is Cynder," she gestured to the Cyndaquil in her arms, then pointed to the Turtwig asleep on her beach towel, "and that lively fellow over there is Silverwood." Silverwood let out a loud snore at that moment and rolled over onto his back. This caused him to wake up and panic, seeing as he couldn't roll himself back over. Dusk grinned. "He's...kind of a dork," she said as she went to help get him turned right side up again.

This post has been edited by SaphireShadows: Feb 14 2011, 04:38 PM