[X] My Assistant

[Master Houndoom]

This RP is already fully staffed and will not accept applications. Furthermore, any bunnying done to characters or pokemon is done with permission by the owner of the character/pokemon.

"And then, Jaima's mother comes home, and no one's there. Well, she's in a towering fury, she says, but she goes out to the back yard, and there they are, with a blanket draped over the clothesline, roasting marshmallows over Ember's behind!"

Tuesday and Meiko burst into fits of girlish laughter, and Jaima smiled, slightly flushed. Darryn also smiled, almost a smirk. "I've heard that before."

Meiko grinned at him, then back at Jaima, winking and pointing at him. Jaima raised a brow, then gave a smirk of his own.

"Well, this one is new to you. It's Meiko's 8th birthday, and it's supposed to be a surprise party..."

Meiko gasped. "Noooooo," she wailed, reaching for Jaima, who dodged nimbly.

The story never actually got told, but things were learned by the traveling companions. For example, Tuesday and Darryn learned that Jaima was actually ticklish, and that Meiko knew where, and vice versa. Meiko and Jaima learned that one should not get into a tickle war while there was a certain mischievous riolu around.

No one understood exactly how it happened, or where Zorro had gotten the rope, but before it could be stopped, Jaima and Meiko had ended up with their hands tied behind the other's back, facing each other, wide eyed and blinking in surprise.

With a laugh, Tuesday scolded Zorro, Darryn moved to untie the pair, and Meiko took the opportunity to drop a kiss on Jaima's nose.

* * * * *

The camp was set up with now expected efficiency, and supper had been eaten. The four trainers lounged around the fire, sleepy eyed, several pokemon (several being twenty, but no one was counting) lounging in different groups, and smiling. The previous leg of their journey, which had ended with the group taking refuge with Tuesday's uncle, had provided a time of rejuvenation, and the group had fallen into a kind of contentment that was the aim of many people, the kind of contentment one would love to look back in their life and say they could feel for the majority of it. The kind of contentment that, usually, preceded a storm or quake.

There was talking, and laughter, and soon the wishes of good nights. The morning would bring more travel, and perhaps a practice battle, but for now, sleep was called for.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

“Ashleigh!”

The houndoom let out a yelp as he was thrown backward, hitting the ground hard and rolling, kicking up a dust as he came to a stop. His chest rose and fell quickly as he panted, and he staggered to his feet with his tongue lolling out. There was a thin layer of foam that dribbled from his mouth as he panted, the intense battle taking its toll.

Shiftry, Tuesday recalled, were especially weak to fire. The fact that this one was still battling at what appeared to be full power seemed to indicate that he was extremely powerful.

Because she knew Ashleigh was no weakling.

The houndoom’s normally jester-like tomfoolery was absent, and in its place there was a keen sense of strength. Those crimson eyes were sharp as they remained fixed upon the shiftry, and Tuesday could see the muscles rippling beneath the thin layer of black fur that coated the lithe dog’s body.

The shiftry let out a sharp snarl, and Ashleigh moved, leaping to the left.

A series of leaves, spinning like shuriken, cut through the air where he had been standing moment’s ago, and impaled themselves in the trunk of a tree.

“Ember!”

Ashleigh raced in quickly, lips pulled back in a snarl as his eyes locked with the waiting shiftry’s. Ashleigh leapt.

“Romeo!” Tuesday cried.

The jolteon leapt out of the shadows, racing like lightning across the earth from behind the shiftry, who had been, to this moment, completely unaware. As the jolteon’s extended spiky fur glittered with electricity, the shiftry turned to face this new, flashier threat.

Leaves burst out, spinning like shuriken, racing through the air at the jolteon. They struck sharply, throwing the electric dog backward through the air… until his form flickered and vanished from sight.

And the ember attack struck his back.

The shiftry howled and spun to face Ashleigh, whose mouth was full of flames. It was the paws of the jolteon that he came in contact with first, however, as Romeo slammed into his face with a fierce Double Kick.

The shiftry reared back with an angry roar, and the wind began to pick up. A sudden rush of air exploded into a funnel before their eyes, as the shiftry used a whirlwind attack. Tuesday let out a cry as the wind buffeted her, her long hair whipping her sharply in the face and stinging her eyes.

Romeo and Ashleigh were hunkered together, low to the ground. Romeo couldn’t use double team successfully in such a wind, and both were trying to keep from being blown away by the whirlwind.

Mercury only had one attack that could even affect the shiftry, so Tuesday did the only thing she could think of.

She grabbed a pokeball off of her belt and chucked it at the tree-like pokemon.

The shiftry disappeared in a flash of red light, and the winds stopped. Both Romeo and Ashleigh looked at the shaking pokeball in surprise.

“Guys, come on!” Tuesday yelled.

The dogs leapt to their feet when the pokeball exploded open, releasing an even angrier shiftry, who snarled fiercely.

And was immediately sucked into another pokeball.

“With me,” Tuesday called, both dogs racing toward her. She turned and started running away. Behind her, she could hear the pokeball burst open, releasing the shiftry, but she didn’t stop. She knew that the pokemon was too powerful for her. Courage was knowing when to run, and now was the perfect time.

Tuesday couldn’t hear the shiftry behind them and took that as a good sign, as she and the two dogs did their best to put as much distance as possible between them and the walking carpet.

~*~

Stepping out from around a large pile of rocks that served as half of bridge across the small creek, a man with rusty red hair watched the young girl race away with two canid pokemon en tow.

The shiftry, growling fiercely, rushed to go after them, but the man maximized a dark orb and threw the heavy ball with an expert hand. It struck the shiftry on the back and sucked him into its depths, collapsing to the ground where it continued to shake until it had done as much as electronically possible to tame the beast within.

Stepping over fronds and twigs, the man picked up the heavy ball and stared at it contemplatively. “You’ll follow to the ends of the earth those you seek revenge against.” He smirked sharply as he gripped the pokeball tight. “And you’re going to help me get that girl.”

[Living Arrow]

“Piii…”

Static energy crackled and sparked off the lightning mouse making strands of glossy brown hair lift ever so slightly away from the quaffed locks beneath them and upwards… upwards…

“Tempest!” Darryn moaned, reaching up to stroke down her unintentional handy-work. “Don’t mess with the do!”

The Pikachu slapped the back of the Co-Ordinator’s head and barked an angry “chu”, her gaze intently staring off into the forest. Darryn hissed back a complaint but looked up to see what the matter was.

“What is it?” Darryn asked, peering through the trees to no avail. “What’s out there?”

“Pika… pi.”

“I’m going guess it’s not a PokéKing?” Darryn snorted, moving to walk towards where Tempest was frowning so intently.

“PIKA!” Tempest smacked Darryn a lot harder this time and dropped to the ground.

“OW! Dammit, Tempest!” Darryn rubbed his head. “If you can’t just stay calm then I’ll put you back in the ball.” A flicker of something flashed through Tempest’s eyes and in a split second everything was decided.

“Chu chu!” Tempest threw herself at Darryn’s leg, pushing him hard to keep walking.

“Wha? Tempest?” Darryn reluctantly began to move, his hair whipping past his face as the wind changed direction. He coughed almost instantly and shot a look back. “Smoke?”

“PIKA!” Tempest pushed harder, urging the trainer to get moving.

“No! Someone might be back that way – we have to go and make sure everyone is alright!” Darryn protested, stepping over Tuesday’s Pokemon and jogging into the faint breeze. He got no further than a few steps before a dark shape flashed out of the trees and stopped him dead in his tracks. Darryn stumbled, grabbing a tree for support to raise his head in surprise, finding a familiar Pokemon’s face looking down at him. Blue and black fur, spikes at wrists and chest, an intent gaze that could shatter stone with one look and raise the spirits of an entire army with another. Oh, and he was wearing a designer backpack that Darryn thought he’d never see again.

“Shadow!”

“Piny!” Eggheart announced herself by popping up at Darryn’s neck.

“Hmmph.” The Lucario grunted and lifted Darryn back up, turning him away from the unseen fire. Tempest shouted something that sounded angry and somehow supportive but Darryn still made an attempt to fight back – easily quelled by the Aura Pokemon.

“But the others-”

Shadow’s ears lifted – a warning. Darryn frowned and peered at the Pokemon’s Emotaglow. He blinked and looked it over again. There wasn’t another way around it… Confidence. Pride. Minor concern. Everything added up to…

“YES! I knew it! I mean, you’re sure, right?” Darryn asked with a grin. The Lucario nodded. Somehow, Shadow knew the others were alright… But how? “Right. Then we’re going. Tempest?”

The Pikachu launched herself back to Darryn’s shoulders as he pulled on his backpack from Shadow.

“And your Pokeball?” Darryn asked the Lucario. The Aura Pokemon took a step back and revealed the small orb concealed under his chest panel. “Are you gonna give me it?” Darryn asked, already knowing the answer. Shadow chose to ignore him. “Fine, let’s move.”

*****

“That’s it, Viper – more Flamethrower.” A cruel woman spoke, her dark-eyed Seviper pouring flames into the heart of the dry forest floor. Clad in a soft leather jacket, tight black jeans and thick soled shoes, no-one would have thought her a member of Team Deception. In fact, to a casual observer she might have been a simple hiker out in the foothills. That was the deception. She was a master of disguises. Or so she thought, anyway.

A floating crimson band darted across the forest floor and in a flash, her Kecleon revealed himself completely.

“Ah, Brooke! You’re back!” She allowed the Color Swap Pokemon to climb up to her arm where he perched carefully, tapping the back of his left hand fervently while watching her through hooded dark eyes. She watched carefully and raised an eyebrow. “Survivors, eh? How interesting… Shall we go and pay them a little visit? Naja! Musto!”

An Arbok and a Linoone emerged from the nearby foliage, their eyes also glowing with a sickly dark light. She smiled.