[X] My Assistant

[Protoman]

The following was a combined post used within Yahoo Messenger to try and shorten the topic

After hearing nothing more that static, barely able to make out what Daniel was saying, Richie turned off his radio and looked at Violet.

"I'm about to start a distraction," Richie told her swiftly, "once I do, I want you to get the hell out of here, alright?"

"But," Violet protested, catching a glimpse of Richie's stern look, "what about you?"

"Forget about me," Richie exclaimed as silently as he could, "you've gotta get out of here and find Daniel. I'll be right behind you anyway." With a frown, Violet simply scoffed.

"You'd better," she responded, making Richie smirk.

"If I didn't know any better," Richie sarcastically stated, "I'd say that you like me." This caused a wave of uneasiness to fall onto Violet, which effected her response.

"It's not that," she told him, slightly edgy, "I just don't wanna be responsible for someone else getting hurt or losing their Pokemon." Richie scoffed at what she said, almost in disbelief.

"No need to worry about me," he told Violet, "just find Daniel." With that being said, Violet looked rather uncomfortable, causing Richie to show concern. "What," he asked in concern.

"Nothing," she lied, giving Richie just the information he needed.

"Look," he began, "if it's about that whole liking me thing, I was just kidding around." She looked at him, with his eyes showing a relaxing side, "take it easy." With a nod, Violet laid back into the shadows, to await Richie's signal. "However," he stated, catching Violet's attention, "if you do like me, then there's nothing wrong with that." With a wink and a smile, he was off, dashing towards the location of the Elite and the two Grunts, catching the attention of all three of them.

"Oh," the Elite acted surprised at his appearance within the warehouse, "an intruder?"

"Yeah," Richie stated proudly, "over here!" With a swift pushing motion, a crate fell to the ground, revealing a large amount of Magma Balls from within. Soon, several more crates crashed to the floor, spilling out multiple Magma Balls. After seeing this, the two Grunts decided to run forward, slipping and falling from the spheres being on the ground. "Heh, idiots." The Elite looked at Richie, smiling.

"How childish," he growled lowly, moving to the side and then charging Richie. In a state of shock only a few words escaped Richie's mouth.

"Oh holy," Richie began before noticing Violet.

"RUN," she bellowed, with Richie ducking underneath a right hook and dashing forward. Both Grunts, now finally on their feet again, charged after Violet, one of which was getting closer to her.

"Heh," the Grunt chuckled to himself. "Gotcha this time, girlie!"

"VIOLET," Richie hollered in anxiety, "NO!!!!!" Right after he said this, she looked back at the Grunt.

"Not this time," she stated, running headlong towards a wall.

"Wow," the Grunt stated with much glee, "can you say 'stupid'?" With a swift sweeping motion using his feet, Violet's feet clicked together, making her land onto the ground.

"VIOLET," Richie exclaimed before attempting to rush towards her. Soon, Richie felt a sharp pain in his throat, making him choke and fall on his back to the floor. Almost not realizing what happened, he noticed the Elite's arm in a V shape, with his forearm and bicep far enough away to hit someone in the throat area. Richie coughed, rolling onto his side after doing so.

"Now what," the Grunt taunted Violet, which apparently, wasn't a wise move. Violet thrusted her leg into the shins of the Grunt, knocking him to the ground with her. After reaching the ground, he grabbed Violet's leg to try and pull her to him.

"GET OFF!" she exclaimed, kicking the Grunt in his face. With the Grunt letting her leg go, she rushed to Richie's side, trying to check up on him.

"I thought," Richie began, "I told you to get out of here."

"Yeah," Violet asked in a panic, "I thought you weren't gonna be too far behind." Without another word, Violet grabbed Richie by his wrist and pulled him up, dragging him to a more discreet area.

"Well excuse me," he said, straining himself in the process, "for having throat pains."

"Now's not the time," Violet exclaimed impatiently, "we've gotta move."

"Hang on," Richie began, having a disgusted look on his face, "I taste blood." With a look to the side, Richie spit onto the ground, revealing red liquid from his mouth. "I thought so," he concluded, "if they hit me any harder, I probably would have been toast."

"Richie," Violet looked, overly worried about Richie's previous statements, "are you gonna be alright to continue?"

"You should have left me," Richie exclaimed, wiping his mouth afterwards, "I'll hold them back until you get help, alright?"

"Not a chance," Violet told him stubbornly, "if that could've killed you, then leaving you there could've gotten you killed. There's no way I would've left you there if they were going to kill you." Without another word, she revealed a Poke Ball, preparing to expand it. Richie, shook his head no to her.

"Would you just listen to me for a change," Richie asked impatiently, causing Violet to just stare at him, "I know you want to help me, but I just get the feeling that I'm not gonna die. Like I have a guardian angel on my side or something like that...maybe I'm just paranoid."

"I am listening," she told Richie, "but they don't have to kill you to get what they want."

""They don't want anything from me," Richie informed her, "unless protecting you is getting in their way, I think we're just screwing with their stuff" With a look of uncertainty, Richie placed his hands on Violet's shoulders, kissing her on the cheek. "Get the hell out of here, alright?" Richie told her. With tears forming in her eyes, Violet gritted her teeth and ran out of the warehouse as fast as her legs could carry her. As the trio grew closer, Richie prepared for anything to happen. With a sigh, Richie smiled to no one in particular. "I guess," Richie began, "he was right when he said I couldn't keep a girl." In an instant, all three Magmas found Richie, noticing his smile. With a wave, Richie bolted in the opposite direction, causing them to chase after him.

--------

With Ramirez noticing that Daniel asked about Richie's location, he automatically knew something was up. Without another word, he picked up his phone, dialing someone's number and placing it to his ear.

"Hello, the person on the other end responded, "is it time, Commander?"

"Yes, it is," Ramirez responded, "I'm headed to the rendezvous point now." With a clicking of his phone, Ramirez jumped into a military vehicle, speeding off towards the warehouse.

--------

After the long hallway finally reached its end, Richie was backed into a corner, staring down three dangerous Magmas. Not wanting to risk his Pokemon, Richie prepared to fight with his hands.

"Oh," Richie began, smiling slyly as if taunting the three of them, "so now you guys beat up on poor defenseless teenagers?"

"Please," the Elite stated, "you're far from defenseless. I noticed your three Poke Balls when I gave you that lariat earlier."

"They're empty," Richie lied, making them laugh.

"What person," the Elite stated with the utmost confidence, "with common sense carries three empty Poke Balls?"

"Oh," Richie said, scratching his head lightly, "well you got me there."

"Make him unconscious," the Elite told the pair of Grunts, who in turn, cracked their knuckles darkly. Richie, not wasting any time, rushed towards the first Grunt, slugging him in the face with a right straight. With this, the Grunt stumbled backwards, examining his face. The second Grunt, without Richie having any time to breathe, punched Richie in the stomach. Hard. Without any air, Richie dropped to one knee at first, finally standing back onto his own two feet. "Give up yet," the Elite asked Richie, who smiled at this question.

"I keep forgetting," Richie began, "you don't know I'm not a quitter!" With a new rage built up, Richie kicked the Grunt in his chest, sending him stumbling into the first Grunt and falling into a crate filled with the item they were looking for: Secret Potions. This immediately caught Richie's eye, as he began to rush for them, getting knocked to the side before reaching them. Richie then forgot about the Secret Potions, more focused on the Elite, trying to attack him again. With a back-fist, soon followed by a roundhouse kick to his head, Richie hit the floor, trying to get up, but unable to.

"I'm not an Elite for nothing, boy," he told Richie, who had found a way to stand up once more, surprisingly. "When they say Elite, they mean by all standards: mind, body, and of course Pokemon." With a side kick to Richie's chest, the Elite automatically knew he had one. Richie fell back to the ground, looking up at him. "Get it now?"

"Aw man," he complained to himself, "I really wish Ramirez was here right about now." Without a moment to spare, Ramirez gripped the Elite by his shoulder, hitting him in the stomach, then the face, and finally, throwing him into the Grunts, before simply staring at Richie. "R-Ramirez?"

"Yeah," Ramirez asked his friend who looked upset with him.

"What kept you," Richie asked impatiently, which made Ramirez lose his polite tone.

"Traffic," he told Richie sarcastically, causing him to smile. "Let's go, before any more show up."

"Right," Richie said, allowing Ramirez to help him up and out of the warehouse.

--------

Violet, with her head in her arms and knees, sighed sadly, highly concern about Richie's condition within the warehouse. Soon afterwards, she hears footsteps and panics, Oh no, she thought to herself, they captured Richie and now their about to get me! Those were her thoughts until she heard the voices that accompanied the steps.

"Violet," Richie called out, searching for his friend. "Aw man! First Daniel now Vi. Who's next, you Ramirez?"

"Don't joke around like that," Ramirez told him, knowing that one day, he would have to face off against Richie.

[rt117]

Slowly Violet rose her head from her arms and stood up at alert. She was too far from the source to recognize the voice calling for her, and in immediate reaction to the panicked thoughts swirling in her head, she pulled out her Pokeball, calling forth her Dratini Tikal.

"If they're coming for me, then there's no way I'll run again." she thought to herself, one of her hands forming a tight fist as she looked down at Tikal, who looked back up to her in slight confusion over the lack of foes.

"If you see any Magma members, then paralyze them with your Thunder Wave, alright?" she asked her friend.

Tikal nodded in response, her attention shifting as she heard the voices call for Violet as well. She then began to slither back into the alleyway with Violet in tow, blue sparks jumping from her serpentine form as she prepared a Thunder Wave on possible attackers. Tikal was obviously worried about her friend's condition, never having seen her so saddened before. She kept close to Violet, trying to give her some comfort in the fact that she was not alone.

As they walked, Violet kept silent, something rather unusual when she was accompanied by one of her Pokemon. Her conscious was still clouded with self anger, having let herself run instead of helping a friend. "I shouldn't have left him there..."
She then fell to her knees, the awful feeling growing worse. "I let him down... as a friend and recruit."

Tikal stopped when she noticed Violet fall to her knees, and hurried over to her side, giving a soft and worried cry before seeing a silvery tear slide down Violet's cheek. Tikal couldn't help but feel saddened as well, eyes slightly watery. Her head rose, the calls for her became louder and clearer as Richie and Ramirez drew close, and almost immediately Tikal let off a Thunder Wave towards the voices. She was almost certain that they belonged to some human working with Magma, making her attack more unprovoked.

However the attack fell short, clashing against the ground and letting off a shower of sparks before the two finally came into view, Richie looking rather beaten from his brawl with the Grunts and Elite. Tikal saw the familiar figure, and feeling rather bad for shooting a Thunder Wave at them, gave a look of apology, before turning back to the hunched figure of Violet.

Violet felt a nudge against her shoulder and looked over at her Dratini with saddened eyes. "Hm?" she asked, before slowly raising her head, eyes still a bit watery. "Richie?"

Slowly she moved from the ground onto her feet, trying to hide her reddened eyes from her friend. While relieved he had been saved by someone more able, she still couldn't help but feel ashamed for herself, even though Richie had told her to leave.

This post has been edited by rt117: Mar 4 2010, 04:39 PM

[Erik Nolastname]

The Elite Magma Officer has been treating the Grunts like slaves all day long - extending patrol shifts, tightening security, even cutting on personal breaks taken by the guards, causing a majority of Grunts under his command to develop a slightly negative opinion towards their superior.

"Who does he think he is, anyway?" a Grunt named Laurio complained to his partner. "I mean all I wanted was a 15-minute break every once in a while, is that too much to ask?"

"Be quiet," Reggie, his companion, told him. "He might hear you. Besides, you know how important these shipments are. We can't let the Rebellion, or anyone for that matter, get to them. Now let's just get on with our round before we're found out."

"Just go on without me, I'll take a short break. He can give me a demerit if he wants to, but I think I deserve this."

"Fine. I'll cover for you, but make it quick."

Laurio walked over to the eastern side of the warehouse, away from the spotlights where he gave a relaxed sigh and took out a cigarette. As the fire of his lighter ignited in front of his face, it illuminated an unmistakeable face of an angry Shuppet, ready to strike.

"What in the-" were the only words he managed to mutter before his world blacked out from a blow that hit him behind the head.

"That takes care of that," Daniel said, pulling the unconscious Magma Grunt deeper into the shadows behind the crates. In minutes, Daniel was wearing Laurio's clothes and asking King and Queen for their opinion. Queen stuck out her tongue in disgust. "I know it's horrible, Queenie. Don't worry, I don't plan on taking this look permanently."

Daniel signaled his two Pokemon who immediately turned invisible. With caution, he tried to walk towards the warehouse, keeping an eye out for Houndours which could blow their cover. King and Queen has been captured once, and Daniel has learned his lesson. This time, he's come prepared.

----

It felt weird to walk past the Magma Grunts without being threatened, but Daniel continued searching the warehouse for any sign of his partner, avoiding guards with Houndours out along the way.

"Hey you!" yelled someone from behind the boy. Daniel froze. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I was just checking out this area," he answered, trying his best not to sound nervous. "The Boss wanted an inventory of the shipments."

"Are you kidding me?" the man said. "That's MY job! Now go on out to Area 14, the Boss and some Grunts were attacked there. They've called for reinforcements."

"Attacked?"

"Yeah, we've got three intruders in the warehouse. What are you waiting for? Move it!"

"Uh, yes sir!" Daniel said, walking quickly away from the Grunt, who called back to him.

"You idiot! Area 14 is the other way!"

"Of course, sir. I knew that."

"Stupid newbie," the Grunt murmured, shaking his head as he continued to count the crates and write on a clipboard.

----

Three intruders? Richie wasn't alone. Daniel racked his mind on who could be with him. Did the Rebellion assign him a new partner? Even if they did, who's the other one?

Violet?

That's impossible. Richie would never allow her to join. Would he? No, that's preposterous. Then again, Violet CAN be pretty convincing. Daniel smiled as he imagined Violet looking very cute as she asked Richie to let her come, the threatening figure of a Rhyhorn throwing daggers at him in the background.

Agent Ramirez?

That's likely. But he just saw him back at headquarters. How did he get here that fast, and without much resistance from the dozens of Magma guards? Something smells fishy.

Daniel reached Area 14 of the building, where there were already five Grunts present, not to mention two more who were injured plus the Magma Elite. There were obvious signs of a struggle everywhere.

They're not here anymore, he thought.

"Seal all the exits! I don't want anyone getting out of this place without me knowing," ordered the Elite angrily.

Daniel felt a slight tug behind his head. Queen was trying to tell him something.

"King, Queen, can you find Richie for me?" he said under his breath. A Grunt looked at Daniel weirdly. Another tug told him his Pokemon's response and somehow Daniel knew it was a yes.

He felt something hold his hand and pull him to a particular direction. Being careful not to let any one notice his movements, he followed his Ghosts to a hidden area far away from Area 14 and was surprised to see a Dratini greet him with large glowing Thunder-Wave-charged eyes.

"Tikal? Is that you?" Daniel said, as Richie and Ramirez lunged at him from both sides, Violet watching them not too far away.

"Guys! Guys! Relax!" he tried to tell them, afraid the two would pound him to a bloody pulp. King and Queen instantly materialized in front of Richie and Ramirez who looked surprised, and Daniel finally pulled down the hood of his Magma disguise. "It's me, Daniel. See?"

[Protoman]

Two things. Firstly, this topic is not dead at all. Secondly, this was a collab post done before my computer screwing up and my college life getting to me. The hiatus is officially over!

"Daniel," Richie said in total shock, Richie and Ramirez both let go of Daniel, slightly dropping him to the ground. Richie was soon after him, collapsing to the soft dirt beneath him. "Well, there goes the last of my energy." Due to the grueling physical combat that Richie endured, he needed a breather or two. Ramirez, on the other hand, looked at Daniel, slightly irked as to the disguise that Daniel had chosen.

"What the," were the first words that came out of his mouth, before his patience kicked in. "Morgan, explain this. All of it." Daniel began to sweat slightly, possibly because the Magma suit was pretty thick and absorbed plenty of heat. Finally, Daniel mustered up enough courage to answer Ramirez's question.

"Richie is," he paused as he put more force behind his words, slowly becoming more convincing as he spoke, "Richie is my partner, sir and this was part of our mission." Daniel swallowed hard and looked at Richie, who was smiling.

"I appreciate that," Richie told Daniel, trying to comfort his partner, "really I do. The thing is I came here for you." Richie, after saying this, saw Daniel's prized Pokémon and sighed to himself in relief. "Apparently for no reason." Richie saw a hand come towards him, this one being Daniel's, extended for assistance to their friend. Richie gripped Daniel's hand, helping himself up and brushing the little bit of dirt on his clothes.

"Thanks a lot," Daniel told his partner, who also received a "thank you" from Queen(this thank you being a kiss on the cheek, causing Richie to gain chills down his spine). After letting the pair fraternize, Ramirez walked up to both, placing a hand on their shoulders.

"Morgan," Ramirez said calmly, "you have the makings of an amazing Rebel." Richie, slightly annoyed by the remark that Ramirez made, elbowed Ramirez in the ribs.

"Hey," Richie said, pretty upset as to how Ramirez had completely ignored his existence.

"What," Ramirez asked, smiling in a taunting manner.

"What about me," Richie asked, a vein popping out of his forehead. Out of nowhere, Daniel jumped and yelled in astonishment.

"Oh my gosh," Daniel cried out, observing Richie's current condition, "you're bleeding!" This makes Richie start to panic. Richie, searching frantically, doesn't even notice the blood from his mouth any longer.

"Where," Richie said, totally confused, "where am I bleeding?" Daniel and Ramirez both put their hands on their foreheads, dragging it down slowly. Without another word, Daniel gave a handkerchief to Richie, motioning towards his mouth. Richie, finally understanding what happened, wiped his mouth clean of the blood that had been spilled. “Thanks, Daniel.” After Richie’s face was clean, Ramirez nodded in Daniel’s direction, showing a sign of appreciation. They soon slowly began to make their way to the vehicle when Daniel finally noticed the meek Violet.

“Violet,” Daniel asked before rushing over to her, no longer supporting Richie. “What…what are you doing here?” After inspecting her closely, he noticed the poor condition she was in: the left sleeve of his shirt was torn, her pants had a long tear in them, she had a cut on her right arm, not to mention the dirt all over her. Daniel looked at Richie, who lightly scratched his head, smiling nervously.

“Funny story,” Richie began, already knowing Daniel would not laugh at all, “remember how you went to see Helena?” Daniel nodded slowly, now turning to face Richie as he explained exactly what happened. “Well, before I got to head to the warehouse, I ran into Vi, and well...” Looking away from Daniel, Richie still pictured Sparx’ antics that pretty much won the Rebel over. Daniel, not wanting to hear anymore, looked at Violet.

“You could have been hurt, captured, or even killed,” Daniel said, slightly irked at this.

“I told her that,” Richie interrupted before getting a cold stare by Daniel. Richie put his hands in the air, trying to claim he was innocent. Ramirez, with his hands on the back of his head, walked towards the trio.

“I know,” Violet said sheepishly, “but I didn’t want anything bad to happen…” She paused and her bottom lip began to quiver. “I would have never been able to forgive myself if I stayed back and let something go wrong.” She sobbed lightly, giving Daniel a sinking feeling.

“I’m just glad I didn’t have two lives to save,” Ramirez said, catching the attention of all three of them, “that wouldn’t have been easy to report.”

“Ramirez,” Richie said, rather irked, “that’s my friend, so be nice!” Ramirez shrugged, not paying attention anymore. Richie shook his head, sighing in frustration. “How about telling her your name?”

“Alright,” Ramirez answered, looking at Violet. “Well, my name is Gregory Ramirez, but in the Sanctuary, I am known as either Agent Ramirez or ‘Wolf’.” Snickering came from Daniel as he attempted not to show how ridiculous Ramirez’s codename sounded. He looked at Richie, giving Richie a “now I know” look, also catching the attention of Ramirez. “You wouldn’t laugh if you knew how I got that codename, Morgan!”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Daniel chimed in, startled by the reaction that Ramirez gave him. Ramirez continued to glare at Daniel. “I-I didn’t mean to…I’m sorry.” He began to look at his shoes, trying not to anger Ramirez even further. To alter the focus from himself, Daniel darted towards Violet to check and see how she was doing. “Are you alright, Violet?” Violet, still staring at the ground, says nothing. As Daniel gets closer, he is able to see tears trickle down her cheeks and crash onto the ground.

“I’m fine,” Violet said, with and unconvincing tone, “but we should start heading back.” Without another word, she turns on her heels and walks in the direction of the Pokémon Center. Tikal, still concerned about Violet, let out another worried cry before she raced up Violet’s back and wrapped around her arm. Ramirez caught a glimpse of Violet trying to leave without them.

“Hey wait a sec,” he shouted, catching the attention of Violet, “you’re Violet right?” She nodded and looked at Ramirez. “I came here in a military vehicle.” She stopped briefly, still keeping her back turned towards the group.

“That’s alright,” Violet replied in a dull tone, “I prefer walking.” Daniel rushed to Violet’s side, trying to convince her to at least take some company.

“At least let me walk with you,” Daniel said, noticing Violet looking slightly agitated. “What if more of those Magma jerks show up?”

“Look,” Ramirez began, aggravated at how everyone began to lose their cool just as they were preparing to leave, whatever’s bugging you, drop it.” Everyone fell silent, allowing Ramirez to clear his throat and commence his speech. “This vehicle will get us there faster than you can say ‘Magma Sucks’.”

“Magma sucks,” Richie stated, causing Ramirez to shoot him a look.

“What the hell,” Ramirez asked, causing Richie to flash a smirk.

“Guess it isn’t fast enough,” Richie chuckled as Ramirez frowned up. Violet stopped yet again, beginning to get flustered with everyone trying to stop her from going on by herself. Eventually, her stubborn tendencies waver, signaling a victory for the others as she sighed.

“Fine,” she groaned as she walked back towards the group. As her Dratini attempts to cheer her up by nuzzling with her, Violet quickly pulls out her Poke Ball. Tikal looked in disappointment as she was sent back into the sphere for safe keeping. Daniel gets closer to Violet, nudging her and pointed towards Richie and Ramirez.

“Besides,” Daniel chuckled, “we’re gonna need to make sure Richie will be alright. What do you think will happen if we leave him alone with Ramirez?” She giggled at this, but still felt remorseful. Violet knew that Daniel had a point, seeing as how they were getting nowhere fast and Richie needed medical attention, regardless of his light, cheery mood.
“I…” Violet pondered this for a brief moment, realizing there was no other solution. Daniel placed his hand on Violet’s shoulder. “I don’t know.”

“Hey Vi,” Daniel said, slightly concerned about her condition, “are you sure you’re okay?” He looked into her eyes, really hoping she wasn’t too upset. “Look, I know it feels like we’re trying to tell you what to do, but the battlefield isn’t really a place for someone like you.”

“I want to be here though,” Violet told her compassionate friend, “I want to help the Rebellion take back the city for the people, not just try and go about life ignoring everything that’s happening.”