[X] My Assistant

[Protoman]

The whirring of a ceiling fan could be heard within the complete darkness of the room. An extremely loud snore rattled the walls, almost disturbing everyone within the area. As the snores grew louder, a voice became more and more clear.

"..al...er," A voice called impatiently. "...ak...up."

"Mmph..." A second voice groaned.

"Palmer," the first voice called again, this time being very clear, "wake up!"

"Five more minutes, please," the second voice called once more.

"No," the first voice replied once more, "NOW!" Right after this happened, the light immediately cut on, blinding all who were within its range. One of which was Richie Palmer, causing him to groan in pain and cover his eyes.

"Aw man," Richie blurted before rolling over, landing on the floor. This apparently wasn't going to be his day. Richie simply laid on the floor, not moving an inch before a shadow drifted over him.

"Get up, Palmer," the figure said plainly to him, "before our commander comes in."

"Which one," Richie said before beginning to scramble to his feet, "the Elder or the Veteran?"

"Veteran, of course," the figure responded, putting a hand on the back of his head.

"Ah, Ramirez," Richie said, not worried about the Veterans within the Rebellion for some odd reason. "What can they to me? Besides make me do push-ups of course."

"Palmer..." Ramirez said with a slightly disappointed tone, "Richie, come on..."

"What?" Richie said out loud, not understanding where Ramirez was coming from at all.

"Nothing," Ramirez stated impatiently, "just get dressed."

"Whatever," Richie responded, totally confused as to why Ramirez was so uptight when it came to the Veterans. He was so close to being one himself, so why worry about what they were going to say? Could they demote him?

---------------------

Five minutes later, Richie had his usual gear on, minus his hat, and was headed to talk to one of the veterans. Luckily for him, there were two of them standing next to each other, discussing a mission that caught Richie's attention.

"Good morning, sirs," Richie said, smiling from ear to ear, "what are you talking about?"

"Initiate Palmer," One of the vets said to Richie, which slightly irked him. He hated being called "initiate", even though that was his ranking at the moment. "We were just discussing how we need someone to grab a Secret Potion from the cargo that has been discovered in an abandoned warehouse."

"Why would it be in an abandoned warehouse?" Richie asked, totally confused.

"It was," the second veteran responded, "a Magma storage center not too long ago."

"Makes sense," Richie said, still slightly confused as to why it would be in an abandoned warehouse instead of taken directly to the base. Nevertheless, he was still just as eager to see what he could do to help. "So, can I go get it?"

"Palmer," the first veteran said before being stopped by the second one.

"You wanna prove yourself, huh?" the second veteran stated before smiling slyly. "Alright. Find yourself a partner, and then I'll let you go."

"Yes sir," Richie responded with glee, "thank you sir!"

This post has been edited by Protoman: Feb 4 2010, 04:38 PM

[Erik Nolastname]

"Ran, circle around and use Thunderpunch," said a tall woman from across the rooftop without a sign of disturbed urgency despite the on going battle. Her Furret immediately ran along the edges of the tall building with lightning fast speed and, in a blinding instant, managed to land a straight attack on its unsuspecting Shuppet foe, sending it reeling in midair in the middle of the makeshift battle field.

"King, are you alright?" Daniel Morgan called out to his Shuppet, who tried to give him a nod in answer. He was both impressed and annoyed at how easy this woman seemed to make battling appear. "Queen, try to get a lock on Ran and drain it with Spite, now!"

A Misdreavus followed the offending Furret with red glowing eyes, trying to sap its abilities to use Thunderpunch again.

"Oh no you don't," the woman said nonchalantly. "Cha, stop it with Fire Punch."

Another Furret zipped through the floating Ghost Pokemon and aimed a blazing punch at the concentrating Misdreavus.

"King, protect Queen! Counter that Furret with your Knock Off!"

Moving fast at his trainer's orders, King darted quickly behind Queen and attempted to block Cha's Fire Punch, his pointed head ready to meet the force of the enemy's blow. The two attacks sent both King and Cha flying in opposite directions in a small but bright explosion.

This sudden event gave Queen a chance to finally catch a pause in Ran's tracks and allowed her to Spite away its ability to use Thunderpunch. Daniel gave a loud yell at this short victory, but his opponent looked unmoved.

"Ran, help Cha with Helping Hand while she uses Sucker Punch at King and Queen," she said, stifling a yawn.

The two Furrets got on their feet and ran around in alternating circles around the two Ghost types, herding them to the center of the battle field. Then, Ran stopped dead and caught Cha's long tail as she past him, sending her rotating in place, adding more momentum to her already formidable strength. Ran flung Cha, her small paws covered in an aura of dark blue, towards King and Queen who were huddled in midair.

The Sucker Punch landed and hit King first which knocked it out cold as it fell on the floor of the rooftop stadium. Queen got a taste too as Cha landed nimbly on its feet on the other side, turned around and Sucker Punched the Misdreavus out of consciousness.

"No!" Daniel cried, running to the side of his two Pokemon. His opponent started to walk towards him looking rather disappointed at his performance.

"You react too slowly, Master Daniel," Helena said, in her familiar silky voice. She stopped and took a seat next to Daniel as her two Furrets scurried around her feet. "Although, I must commend you on your brilliant execution of King's Knock Off attack. It wasn't powerful enough, but I have to admit I was caught off guard when you used an offensive move for defense. That was very clever."

"Thanks," Daniel said, half-smiling. "I try."

"Well, it's getting late. You need to get back to your quarters before your roommates notice you missing. Of course, after you take care of King and Queen's injuries."

Helena stood up and started to walk away, but Daniel called her back.

"Do you have any news from my parents?"

"None at the moment, Master Daniel," she said without turning around. "After all, even I don't have any idea where you are."

Daniel sensed his babysitter was smiling from the back of her head. It was a good training session, he thought. King and Queen started to come to and Daniel gave his Pokemon a short glance. As he looked back at where Helena, Ran and Cha were, they have already disappeared. "Okay, see you next week then, Helena," he whispered.

----

Daniel Morgan sneaked back inside the Rebel Initiate dormitories and found everybody else sleeping. King and Queen floated behind him as he tiptoed his way to his bed, careful to avoid any creaking floorboards. He lied down and tried to fall asleep as his Shuppet and Misdreavus vanished in thin air, invisible while they're resting.

He thought about the past few months and how much he has changed since then. He couldn't believe he used to be a frail looking school boy, but now, after training with Richie for The Rebellion, he managed to grow a little bigger and stronger. He thought about how King and Queen changed along with him, their attacks have grown quite powerful with practice, including the secret battles he's been having with his old babysitter, Helena.

He thought about how King learned a new attack with Night Shade and how Queen strengthened her Ominous Wind and learned Astonish. He smiled recalling the memories of his Pokemon's growth, imagining how much stronger they can become in the future. Battling was still quite a challenge for him, however, he now trusted his two powerful Ghosts to always do the best they can.

If a psychic told him about how things are right now while he was still in Rustboro Academy, he wouldn't have thought it possible, but seeing how his life is with the Rebellion, waiting for his very first assignment, he was proud for being able to get this far by himself.

With these pleasant thoughts, Daniel Morgan fell asleep.

Not long after, he was awakened by a deep voice calling Richie from the room. "Palmer, wake up."

He heard Richie groan and ask for 5 more minutes, causing the visitor's voice to call out with more authority. With a smile, Daniel turned on his bed and promptly fell asleep once more.

[Protoman]

Apparently, the hunt for a partner was on. Of course, it was not going well at all. Richie began to scratch his head in frustration. He had searched every room for a partner, receiving the same answer every time. He was starting to go solo, which, obviously, was against the rules.

"...crap," Richie mumbled before heading to the weight room. He sighed deeply, walking over to a bench pressing weight. He grabbed one twenty-five pound weight, which he found to be rather light, and slid it onto the left end of the bar. He grabbed another weight, this one also twenty-five pounds, and slid it onto the same side. He repeated this process when he went to the right side of the bar. In the corner of the room was Ramirez, putting all of his might into a single punch. A long, thick bag could be seen swaying back and forth after each punch Ramirez through, shaking the whole bag as well as the chains holding it.

"Can't...give up," Ramirez breathed, barely standing from tiring himself out from punching the sand filled cylinder. With the once white bandages hanging off his hands by strands that were left over. Ramirez growled lowly at this, tearing off the rags and standing up straight. He looked at his knuckles, once a brilliant caramel tan, now a bruised purple and blood red from all of the force and strain placed on both of them. Ramirez looked at both of them, barely able to close his hands even partially. As Ramirez scowled at this, he heard a low grunting coming from the weight section of the room. He peeked around the corner to see Richie, lifting 145 lbs. as if it was easy for him. Ramirez decided to drop down to where Richie was, standing behind the bar bell as well as Richie.

"What's up, Ramirez," Richie said, still remaining focused on his work-out, "come over here to spot me, or make eye contact?"

"Actually," Ramirez responded slyly, "I came over here to tell you that you're making too much noise to be working out."

"Shut up," Richie laughed, which of course caused the bar bell to become slightly heavier. Ramirez caught the bar just before it slipped through Richie's palms, which had grown rather sweaty.

"I thought you were gonna work-out," Ramirez stated, chuckling as he did so, "not making eye contact."

"Bite me," Richie retorted, glaring at Ramirez, showing a small sense of rivalry within his eyes. Richie put the bar back onto the holder, listening to it rattle as he slowly put it back to its original resting position. Richie then made his way towards the treadmil, meaning he was going to do a little jogging to pass the time by. Ramirez got on the treadmil beside Richie's and set it accordingly. Both began to jog, starting off at a moderate pace.

"So," Ramirez asked before pushing a button on the machine, making the speed increase slightly, "find a partner yet?"

"Not yet," Richie exclaimed, still determined to find one, "it's not as easy as it looks, either."

"Yeah," Ramirez responded, maintaining the same speed as he had previously set it to, "that always happens when an initiate gets sent on his first real mission."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Richie snapped, turning up the speed on his machine, just to make him focus less on the fact that he had just heard something of that nature.

"It means," Ramirez began before breathing lightly, "that the last mission you went on wasn't a real objective. It was more of a mission for personal gain."

"I don't follow," Richie exclaimed.

"It's simple," Ramirez stopped his machine, leaving Richie to run by himself, "you found a few friends, one of which came here with you. All you really did was recruit a new member and basically found yourself a partner in this faction. Congratulations, Palmer." Richie slowly stopped to a complete halt, pondering everything that Ramirez had said. Now the thoughts were swirling in his head like a blender, forming into what Ramirez was really saying.

"Ramirez," Richie stated, patting his roommate on the back out of gratitude, "you, sir, are a genius."

"Thanks," Ramirez smiled, not knowing how he was a genius until he saw Richie leave out of the weight room without another word.
--------------------

Richie came flying into the room, looking frantically for Daniel, trying to tell him of the good news. A new mission was ahead, giving these two recruits the chance to prove themselves.

"Daniel," Richie called out, unknowing as to where his friend and new partner was located. "Just groan if your in the room, okay?"

[rt117]

Violet stood in the middle of an alleyway, Sparx standing a few meters in front of her with a rather unsure look on his face. Across from him was Tikal, Violet's Dratini, who sat on the ground curled up and watching the smaller Pokemon.

"Come on Sparx, you need to try to at least battle." Violet spoke with a slight frown, slightly worried about her new Pokemon. He had shown a rather strong dislike for fighting, and although Violet wasn't the kind of person who would scold him for such a fear, she was afraid that if he had gotten himself into a battle he could easily get hurt.
"At least try."

Sparx looked back at her with an uneasy look before walking forwards towards Tikal. He paused and gripped his paws, sparks coming from his cheeks before releasing a small Thundershock at Tikal. She didn't move, deciding to give her friend the feeling of glory for the time being and allowed herself to be hit directly by the blast. Sparx stumbled back from the jolt he released, looking a bit shaken.

"There you go." Violet smiled, walking over to Sparx and picking him up. Tikal slithered over to her and cooed, making Violet laugh and pat her on the head before bringing out her Pokeball and sending her back in. Sparx didn't like going into his Pokeball that often, still wild at heart.
"I wonder what Richie and Daniel are up to..." she pondered.

Violet hadn't seen either of them for about a month, and they were supposed to have met up sooner. She figured that their lives were busier now with being part of something larger than themselves. Maybe she should have asked to join up with them, to join the Rebellion and actually do something with her life.
"Let's go see if we can find them." Violet said to herself, before starting off out of the street and began her search for the two.

[Erik Nolastname]

The bunnying on this post has been approved by Protoman. Also, everybody else on this RP can auto my character as well.

King heard Richie call out first and materialized in front of him, startling the trainer a little bit.

"Don't you ever sleep?" he asked it, but King continued to eye him suspiciously. "Oh, of course, Insomnia. Well, do you know where Daniel is?"

The Shuppet turned around and led Richie to a bed where Daniel's sleeping body was sprawled in deep slumber. A Misdreavus suddenly appeared over the bed and gave out a huge yawn. King poked Daniel softly, and the boy began to stir. He turned around and reluctantly opened his eyes.

"What is it, King?"

"Rise and shine, buddy!" was the answer he heard. Richie sat down on his bed as he sat up, his head feeling like it was being split in half. "I got my first mission, today! Isn't it exciting? Finally, a way to prove my mettle to the Vets."

"That's nice," Daniel said through a yawn that nearly rivaled King's Screech attack.

"Whoa, try to contain your enthusiasm," Richie said flatly, a bit disappointed at Daniel's disinterest.

"I'm sorry," Daniel replied. "My head is just killing me. I barely got any sleep last night but I'm happy for you, though. I know you've been waiting for a good mission. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for mine."

"Yeah, about that," Richie started, his voice betraying a tone of sudden excitement again. "You got your mission, too!"

Daniel's eyes widened at Richie's words. King and Queen, seeming to understand, leaned closer to their trainer, trying to listen more to the conversation. Daniel stood up, whatever sleep left in him disappearing completely and instantly at the news.

"That's awesome!" he said, as he started pacing beside his bed. King and Queen's large eyes followed their trainer, moving from one side to the other as if they were watching a tennis match. "Do I have to meet up with my superiors for my briefing? Where are they? What time is the meeting? Oh man, what do you think should I wear?"

"Relax, the meeting happened this morning while you were asleep. Don't worry though, because I'll be briefing you myself."

"Wait, what? Why wasn't I informed? Why didn't you wake me up? Oh no, I slept through my very first briefing. Now, they're definitely going to kick me out."

"I said, calm down. Nobody's getting kicked out. You weren't informed because you weren't originally supposed to be part of the mission. That is, of course, before you became my official partner."

Daniel's mind was ready to explode trying to process all of Richie's news. In a matter of minutes, his head was suddenly full of information he could barely finish one coherent thought.

----

Richie looked impressive in the briefing room as he arranged a handwritten chart showing their mission objectives, and although Daniel and his two Ghost Pokemon were the only members of his audience, he still felt very pleased with himself indeed.

"Welcome to Operation: Secret Snatch, Initiate Morgan," he started. "Your very first objective is a simple one: to intercept a very valuable shipment of Secret Potion imported from Cianwood City before it's transported to Magma's lair in Groudon's Thumb.

"Initiate Morgan, do you know what a Secret Potion is?"

"It's a powerful medicine developed by Cianwood Pharmaceutics. It is known to be able to cure any serious disease in Pokemon. Of course, I know what it is. I'm from Johto, remember? And please, stop calling me Initiate Morgan."

Richie raised an eyebrow and tried to stop himself from laughing a little.

"Very good, Initiate Morgan," Richie continued, to which Daniel, King and Queen rolled their eyes simultaneously. "Now let's get serious.

"The Rebellion has received word that Team Magma has 'ordered' a cargo of Secret Potion from Johto and it is scheduled to arrive in Noverus on Friday. Our superiors have told me that it will be kept inside one of Magma's old warehouses before it is transported to their main headquarters. We need to 'liberate' the said cargo and return it here in our base.

"Recent intelligence suggests that its temporary holding place is not heavily guarded. If we are to accomplish this task, our best opportunity is-"

"-while it's still there." Daniel finished.

"Correct, Initiate Morgan."

"So we have five days. We need to get started then. I'll go ahead and scout the area, and observe the patrol routes of the guards. King and Queen can easily slip in without being detected, they can give us a nice view of the warehouse's floorplan." King and Queen gave him a determined nod. Daniel stood up, his eyes burning with resolve. He was both thrilled and terrified by the whole idea. It was his first mission and he wanted to prove himself, not only to the Rebellion, but to Richie as well.

"What about you?" he asked Richie.

This post has been edited by Daniel Morgan: Feb 6 2010, 02:10 PM

[Protoman]

"Well," Richie said in a rather suspicious tone, signifying something that Daniel picked up on instantly. Apparently, King and Queen picked up on it as well, sighing deeply as they drifted around Daniel like smoke from a cigarette smoker.

"That's just like you, Palmer," A voice called from the doorway, making Richie stiffen up, resembling a statue. Everyone's eyes adjust to the rectangular opening on the wall. There stood Ramirez, having a rather stern look on his face for some odd reason. Once Richie saw who it was, he completely stopped tensing up.

"Oh," Richie sighed in relief. His shoulders fell back into a relaxed state, showing a slight lack of discipline. "It's only you, Ramirez."

"Only me," Ramirez hissed in an angry tone, his fists clenching fiercely, "what does that mean, Palmer?"

"Nothing," Richie exclaimed in a hurry. Ramirez lifted his long, thick eyebrow at Richie, who, for some odd reason, didn't look back. Ramirez simply accepted this and began to walk off. "I was just briefing Initiate Morgan about the mission at hand."

"Ohhh," Ramirez stated with total understanding now of events prior to this, "so that's the reason you called me a genius."

"Pretty much," Richie explained, flashing a smile in Ramirez's direction. Richie's pearly white teeth only seemed to irk Ramirez even more than before.

"Palmer, Morgan," Ramirez began before becoming completely serious and joke free, "this mission is simple, and yet, it will be the biggest challenge you will face as Initiates." Richie looked at Ramirez, his eyes as cold as the midnight sky, causing him to shiver slightly. Ramirez caught a glimpse of Richie shaking in his seat and chuckled at his friend. "Nervous, Palmer?"

"Not really," Richie exclaimed, "I'm actually shivering out of anticipation. I'm so ready to get this mission underway." Ramirez crossed his arms, tapping his long, index finger on his bicep.

"You finished," Ramirez began before looking at Daniel with the same look he gave Richie, "showboating for your little friend over here?"

"Firstly," Richie growled offendedly, "I wasn't showboating for anyone." He flashed a dark look at Ramirez, who, simply gave the same cold look back. Richie's eyes burned with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns, stopping the frostbitten gaze of Ramirez in its tracks. "Secondly, not only is Daniel my friend, but he's also my partner." Richie's hands curled themselves into fists, showing his serious level of agitation, "and if you underestimate either of us, we'll knock you flat." Richie scowled at Ramirez, who in turn, smiled widely. After unfolding his arms, Ramirez put his two long hands together repeatedly.

"That's more like it, Palmer," Ramirez stated to his friend and possibly new parnter soon, "That's what I like to hear,"

"Fine by me," Richie stated, turning from Ramirez for a moment and looking at Daniel. He walked over to his new partner and stuck his hand out.

"You ready," Richie began to ask his new partner, "for our first mission?" A twinkle appeared in Richie's eyes, making him resemble a school boy.

[Erik Nolastname]

"It's been almost two months since I sent you to find Daniel," a man's voice said over the phone. He sounded more anxious than disappointed. "You had him and you let him slip away. This is unacceptable. You've never failed us before, Helena."

"I understand sir, but your son has somehow gained an impressive ability to disappear everytime I spot him. It's as if he's deliberately avoiding being hunted down."

"I don't care about Daniel's talents at hiding, I just want my son back. I've been hearing news about that place, and it's not good. His mother and I are growing more and more worried every day."

"With respect sir, I believe Daniel is more capable at handling himself than we give him credit for. After all, he was able to escape me. Nevertheless, rest assured that I'm doing my best to locate him, and I think I know where to begin," Helena said, looking at a surveillance photo of Violet in one hand, and Daniel's old PokeNav in the other.

"Do your best, Helena. And please make sure my son is not harmed."

"Understood, sir."

----

"You ready for our first mission?" Richie asked Daniel, holding out his hand, his eyes twinkling like an excited little schoolboy.

"To be honest, I'm a little nervous," Daniel answered. King and Queen looked at each other and then at their trainer.

"It's perfectly normal to be nervous," Ramirez said, giving Daniel a pat on the back. "I have no doubt you'd do fine. That's more than I can say for your friend over here," he said, giving Richie a taunting look. He left the room chuckling at himself.

Daniel stood up and said, "I don't know why you're like that to Agent Ramirez. He's actually a pretty nice guy."

Richie looked disbelievingly at his new partner and told him, "Trust me. You don't want to know."

Daniel shrugged his shoulders and started to walk outside the briefing room. The glass door slid closed behind him but King and Queen just went through it as if it weren't there at all. He was scared, but he knew what he needed to do.

----

Daniel made his way through Noverus' poor district, disguised as a homeless person while an invisible Shuppet and Misdreavus floated behind him every step of the way. After an hour's worth of walking, he finally arrived at an old warehouse with a dilapidated sign showing what was once a bright red letter M.

"We're here," Daniel said under his breath, loud enough for his Pokemon to hear. "Queen, you know what to do."

Although he couldn't see her, he felt Queen brush past his head and into an old guard shack, where a Magma Grunt was sleeping on the job. Queen looked around and saw nobody else inside. She shuffled around some documents lying on a small table, took everything and went out. She floated back to Daniel and gave him the 'coast-is- clear' signal- a slight tug at his hair..

"Nice work, Queen," Daniel said, taking the papers from the Misdreavus. His Pokemon gave a soft whimper of pride in response to her trainer's comment. Daniel examined the papers: order forms, entry logs, doodles, and shipment schedules. He found out that this is the right warehouse where the cargo is going to be kept for temporary holding. He gave the papers back to Queen who returned them inside the guard shack.

"Alright, King, you're up."

King, completely willing to upstage Queen, zipped quickly into the warehouse grounds. He made his way to a bunch of Houndours guarding some trucks on the eastern side. The Houndours smelled his presence but were unable to see him. Agitated, they began barking, catching the attention of all nearby guards who rushed to the commotion.

Daniel used the opportunity to slip in unnoticed and found a rusty fire escape on the western side of the building. Quickly, he climbed up and inside one of the open windows where he positioned himself out of view of anyone from below. Daniel took off the homeless disguise and turned it inside out, revealing an all-black camouflage suit perfect for night hiding. He found an old office on the second floor of the warehouse that nobody uses and decided to hold his stake out there.

"All we need to do now is wait for night time to cover us and we'll make our move," he said to Queen, who suddenly appeared in front of him. "I think you need to go get King now."

The Misdreavus closed its eyes and used a weak Psywave attack to communicate to King their whereabouts. King arrived shortly, looking completely pleased with himself. Daniel smiled and patted him on the head, "Thanks for the distraction, buddy."

It was almost dark, but Daniel stayed inside the abandoned office patiently waiting. He wondered where Violet might be and if he'll ever see her again. Will she recognize him if she saw him? What would she say to him? What would he say to her? Then his thoughts wandered about what she named her new Pichu and how she's training the little guy. It was these thoughts that occupied Daniel's mind during the slightly long wait.

King and Queen played a staring contest while Daniel lied there, covered in all black, waiting for the moon to rise. "We still have one hour before darkness falls," he said to himself. "Now we wait."

[rt117]

Violet walked out from the Pokemon Center, having made sure her friends were all in good health before she heard barking in the distance. Sparx's ears perked up at the sound and he raised his head, hopping down from his perch on Violet's shoulder and running towards the noise

"Sparx, wait!" Violet called, running after her Pichu. He darted through zig zaging alleyways, constantly turning his head to look left and right until he skidded to a halt by a rather large warehouse. Violet quickly grabbed hold of him and backpedaled as she spotted the large red M and realized that this wasn't a good place to stay, on their own at least.

"Now what made you run?" Violet asked, still holding Sparx who was looking at the building. She had thought that if he heard barking he would've run the other way, not towards it. As if on cue Sparxs jumped down again, waving to her before running towards the compound. Violet was frozen in place, refusing to go any closer to the building as she watched Sparx disappear.

Sparx pressed his nose to the ground and sniffed before heading in a different direction, following a familiar scent. He hadn't realized Violet wasn't following as he came across a small room with a window, allowing dim light into the dark room. He scurried towards it and jumped up onto the sill, peering inside to see King and Queen staring at each other, looking almost like statues. He tapped on the glass and waved, happy to see his friends again.

[Erik Nolastname]

A small yellow rodent tapped on the glass windows making Queen look and lose the staring contest. King gave a soft laugh of triumph as Queen pouted at the cause of her defeat. She floated to the window and stuck out her tongue at the Pichu waving excitedly from the other side of the glass.

Daniel noticed Queen and moved closer to her.

"What's the matter?" he asked, keeping his voice down. "Stay away from the windows, Queenie." Daniel looked at the cause of Queen's disturbance and saw a Pichu dancing outside the windows. He quickly opened it up to let the Pichu in and closed it quickly before someone could notice.

"Hey, little guy," he said to their visitor. "Are you lost?"

He had a feeling he has already seen this particular Pichu before but couldn't believe it was possible. He peeked out the windows to try and see if they've been spotted but the growing darkness of nightfall made it difficult for him to see anyone.

King and Queen moved towards the Pichu and took a closer look at him. In an instant, they began flitting excitedly at Daniel.

"Do you know this Pichu, guys?" the trainer asked his Ghosts which nodded enthusiastically in answer. Daniel looked at the Pichu and said, "It can't be. Are you Violet's new Pichu?"

----

"Just let them go, they're probably bored being tied here all afternoon," one of the Grunts told his partner. The Houndours continued to bark madly at nothing and the guards has had enough of the noise. Finally, they decided to untie the Dark Pokemon which immediately ran towards the western side of the warehouse, following the scent which disturbed them in the first place.

[rt117]

Sparx nodded and gave him a thumbs up, or as close to one as a Pichu could give. He then turned and nodded outside, signaling that Violet was outside the compound. It took him a few seconds however to realize that she hadn't actually followed him, and had instead stayed where she was the whole time.

Violet spotted more moving figures, and took cover behind some crates. "Why did I even come here?" she thought in a rather unhappy mood. "Even if they were here, they'd probably be busy with something."
She poked her head up again, seeing the Houndours run by towards the direction Sparx had gone to. She followed them in the shadows silently, the Pokemon already busy with the current scent to notice hers.

Sparx's ears twitched and he looked nervously at the window. He could hear the steadily increasing volume of the Houndours' barks, and he was now less brave than he had been earlier. Glancing around, he squeezed himself in under the desk, still eying the window.

[Erik Nolastname]

There were only three Houndours in the area but their barks seemed to fill the air as they reached the fire ladder on the warehouse's western wall. Daniel cringed, the noise of approaching danger grew louder and louder, reinforcing the fear inside of him. The darkness of the night, which chose that very moment to fully extinguish any daylight, only seemed to make the situation worse than it already is.

Stuck inside the room, Daniel racked his head for a way out. He hurried to the door which led deeper into the warehouse but as he heard footsteps approaching from the outside, he quickly bolted it shut with old furniture.

Okay, we need to calm down, Daniel tried to reassure himself. What are our options? The guard Pokemon had the windows covered, while the Grunts are coming at the door. This is not good.

Finally, he heard someone bang the door from the other side. The desk and cabinet he propped up against it seemed to hold, for the time being.

"Whoever's inside there better come out now!" a harsh voice yelled from outside. "We know you're in there!"

Another bang!

The door was beginning to give way.

King and Queen floated between the door and their trainer, hoping to shield him from whatever was coming at him.

Another loud bang!

Daniel picked up the little Pichu and tried to calm it down.

Another loud bang!

The desk moved away, and the door opened a little bit. Daniel saw a hand grab the cabinet barricading the entrance and push it away. Two Grunts entered the old office and saw a homeless man with a Pichu, trying to fix a bed on the floor.

"You!" the Grunt yelled, "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find a place to spend the night, that's what. Now how do you expect someone to fall asleep if you're making all that racket outside, eh?" Daniel couldn't believe it. He mustered all his courage to try and sound like the Grunts were at fault.

"This is private property, you filthy piece of low-life! Get out of here before we set the Houndours on you."

"Then where am I supposed to sleep, eh? Did you think about that?"

"Not our problem. This is your last warning--"

"Yeah, yeah! I'm going. No need to be all fussy about it," Daniel said, picking up his makeshift bed and Pichu and started to walk outside. "You know, last time I checked this was an abandoned warehouse."

"Check again."

"Well, if anybody wants to join me, I'd probably head to the docks. The sailors there always make me feel welcome." Daniel hoped King and Queen would get the hint. He felt a cold breeze brush his arm as his two Ghost Pokemon drifted past him. "Yep, that's where I'm going to go, I think."

One of the Grunts gestured to his partner that Daniel was crazy and they both started chuckling.

"The docks are always nice, little cold, but at least the guards there are more kind than you two," the boy's head couldn't believe what he was saying. The two Grunts escorted Daniel and the Pichu to the warehouse's main door but as they stepped outside, Daniel froze at what he saw.

The three Houndours were waiting for them, one of them was snarling angrily at Daniel while the other two held King and Queen in their mouths.

The Pichu jumped from his arm and ran away towards some crates. The free Houndour went after it and they both disappeared in the shadows.

"Oh no," was all Daniel could say.

"Well, what do we have here?" one of the Grunts mouthed.

"Two new Pokemon to serve Team Magma," his partner replied. Daniel saw him pull out two red-colored Pokeballs and threw it at King and Queen.

"No!" Daniel yelled, but he was too late. The red Pokeballs had already captured his Pokemon. He could tell his Shuppet and Misdreavus were struggling inside of it, but it was no use. Whatever that Pokeball was, it didn't look like it would budge.

Daniel fell on the floor, his eyes welling up with tears, as he watched Team Magma walk away with his two best friends, their Houndours following closely behind.

[rt117]

Sparx scurried in a zigzag pattern as he tried to outrun the Houndour, but he soon found himself facing a wall. He stopped and turned to face the Houndour, standing on his hind legs as his attacker snarled and ran forwards. Sparks jumped from the Pichu's body, and as Houndour released a hail of Embers he swiftly dodged, jumping onto the Houndours back before leaping down behind him. The Houndour turned to bite viciously at the smaller Pokemon, but sparks zapped the Pokemon as Sparx made contact, paralyzing the foe. Sparx scampered back over to Daniel, leaving the Houndour paralyzed for the time being.

He slowly approached the saddened Daniel, tugging lightly on his clothing after seeing his sadness, and plopped down next to him, seeming rather unhappy himself now. His ears twitched and Sparx turned his head to hear another voice. It was Violets.

"Sparx?" Violet called, worried now that her Pokemon could've been badly injured by one of the Houndour. She got closer to the scene, seeing her Pichu sitting alongside Daniel, who was slumped over. Immediately she ran over to Daniel and knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked.

[Erik Nolastname]

They were gone.

King and Queen were gone.

His two best friends were gone.

Daniel's mind couldn't hold back the sudden surge of pain and rage he felt at that moment. It was as if everything that ever made him angry in his entire life has merged into a single entity and decided to assault his whole being all at once.

He let the tears roll down his face, believing he could release the pressure inside his head by crying it out like the tears were the cause of his pain.

There was a rather bright spark from beyond some crates that lent some fleeting illumination on the darkened warehouse. A Pichu scurried from that direction shortly, and made its way to Daniel's slumped figure on the ground. It somehow sensed his sadness as it tugged at his clothing, looking at Daniel with large empathetic eyes.

Daniel heard a voice from outside the warehouse compound. A few moments later, Violet emerged from the darkness, calling out to her Pichu.

"Sparx?"

The boy couldn't believe it. She was here. All along.

Violet placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder and asked, "Are you alright?"

Daniel failed to restrain himself and he snapped, "You're here?! All along?! And you didn't do anything to help?!" he screamed at Violet, who was startled at Daniel's reaction.

"Team Magma captured my Pokemon and where were you? Hiding? Why didn't you let out Storm? Or Tikal? Or Cinder? Your Pichu did more than you ever did! I thought you were my friend!"

With those words, Daniel stormed from the warehouse leaving Violet utterly stunned at his behavior. He had to get away from that place. He had to do something. He needs to find help...

[rt117]

Violet flinched visibly at his words and let him storm off. She didn't understand why he was so upset until he had stated 'Team Magma captured my Pokemon'. She hung her lead slightly, deciding that now would be a good time to leave the scene, seeing as she wasn't really wanted there.

Sparx saw Violet begin to turn and leave, and tugged on her pants, hard. She stopped to look at him as he ran in front of her, blocking her path. "He doesn't need me to make things worse." she told him, feeling rather heavy-hearted. Her Pichu simply shook his head as he tugged on her pants again in an attempt to drag her back over to Daniel. She stayed in place however, watching him trying to move her before she lifted him up.

"I don't think it would be a good idea." she explained, trying to make him understand. However Sparx gave her a rather saddened and unbearable look (Charm), causing her to sigh. "Fine, but if he rejects don't blame me."

Violet caught up to Daniel, having to run as not to lose him. "Daniel wait!" she called, slowing to a halt as she got close. "Maybe I wasn't able to help in time, but at least let me help you now. I know King and Queen meant a lot to you, and I couldn't imagine losing any of my Pokemon. Please..."

[Erik Nolastname]

This post is a collaboration of rt117 and Daniel chatting. All of Violet's part were from the RPer and not bunnied by Daniel.

"Put them inside the holding containers," one of the Grunts said as they reached the main guard house. "We'll keep them here until the transports arrive."

His partner placed the special red Pokeballs on a teleporter pad connected to a glass pen which looked like an oversized pitcher turned upside down. He pressed a button and the Pokeball opened up, releasing a Misdreavus in a flash of purple light into the container. He picked up another container and released the contents of the second Pokeball, a rather disgruntled Shuppet, into it.

King tried to attack his glass prison from the inside, but it was hopeless. The Magma grunt laughed at his attempts and walked away. He looked at Queen who was just as annoyed as he was at their capture.

----

"Daniel wait," Violet called him back. The boy hesitated, but he stopped anyway. "Maybe I wasn't able to help in time, but at least let me help you now. I know King and Queen meant a lot to you, and I couldn't imagine losing any of my Pokemon. Please..."

He turned around and faced her, the tears were already dried up in his eyes. He's never seen Violet up close before and he was a bit surprised as he noticed her blue and turquoise eyes under the light of a nearby street lamp.

He didn't know what to say to her. He just vented his anger for losing his Pokemon at her and he felt bad because he knew it wasn't her fault. With a deep breath, he finally managed to say, "I didn't mean to shout. It wasn't fair for you."

"Then why did you run?"

"I was going to look for Hele-" Daniel cut off. "-help. I was going to look for help."

Violet moved closer to him, her eyes glistening under the street light. "What about me? I want to help you?"

"You really want to help me?"

"Of course!" Violet said, sounding excited at the thought. "You're my friend and if Magma's involved, I say we do a little ass-kicking!"

Daniel's heart was beating so hard he could barely stop it from leaping out of his chest. "You're my friend..." Violet's voice repeated itself inside his head like a broken record.

"Thanks," the boy said, smiling for the first time since he lost King and Queen. "Do you know how many they are in there?"

"When I was by the crates, I could only see two," Violet answered.

[rt117]

At that point they heard footsteps, the two Magma Grunts from earlier spying the pair on the ground. "I thought we told you to leave!" one of the men shouted. Their Houndours were close by, growling low in their throats. The one that had been paralyzed earlier had recovered, seeming more aggressive and agitated than the other two. "Or did you not learn your lesson the first time?"

Violet rose to her feet, balling her hands into fists as she stormed forwards. "Go away, or I'll make you suffer!" she growled, Sparx's cheeks sparking as he glared at the Houndours. He jumped from his position by Daniel's side, moving past Violet and standing several feet from the Houndours as if issuing a challenge.

One of the Grunts simply laughed and waved a hand at the pair, as if mocking their threats. "Take care of these pests." he said to the Houndours, watching with a evil grin as the three fire Pokemon raced forwards towards an unfortunate Sparx. One blew a flurry of red-hot Embers at Sparks, but he nimbly dodged, releasing a jolt of electricity as he attempted a Thundershock. However with the inability to ground himself, he ended up hurting himself more than the trio who were barely fazed by the attack. Another spewed out a thick Smog, causing Sparx to cough uncontrollably. He realized he couldn't fight, he couldn't take on all three of them.

Sparx turned to run back to Violet, fear clear in his eyes. Violet spotted the paralysis victim ready a larger ball of flame from his mouth, and she rushed forwards to scoop up Sparx. As she held him, the Houndour released a spiraling flame, encasing the pair in a Fire Spin. Violet gritted her teeth in pain, but continued to clutch Sparx, whom was protected under her arms as the fire burned at them.

[Erik Nolastname]

Daniel Joseph Paxton Morgan III was not accustomed to pain or suffering. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he has never known pain and suffering. Of course, the pain I'm referring to is not the kind of pain you feel when you accidentally sip a hot cup of tea, or when you fall off your bike the first time you rode one. I'm talking about true pain - the kind which life often doles out when it wants to teach humans its many lessons, one of which is the value of friendship.

Memories of his Pokemon flooded his mind like a rush of water from a ruptured dam. King, his Shuppet, and Queen, his Misdreavus, were the two best friends of his life, and Team Magma has taken them away from him. And so now, watching Team Magma threaten to take away Violet and her Pichu away as well released something inside Daniel's mind he never knew he had.

The spiraling whirlwind of fire summoned by their enemy's Houndours surrounded Violet as she desperately tried to shield her Pichu from its sharp flames. The fire screamed as it lashed against her clothes and skin, a sound almost unbearable for someone like Daniel to hear.

"Make them stop!" he yelled to the Magma Grunt who was commanding the fire Pokemon, but all this accomplished was a slight pause in their evil grin as they looked at his direction.

"Or what?" retorted the other Grunt, much to the laughter of his partner.

The three Houndours circled around Violet and Pichu who were now barely visible through their black and red prison. The Pokemon grinned, revealing sharpened fangs poised to bite whoever might try to get in their way.

Daniel ran to one of the Grunts and pulled desperately at his arm.

"Hey let go kid!" the man yelped, and in one swing of his free arm, landed a hardened fist on Daniel's face causing the boy to fall to the ground.

Daniel Joseph Paxton Morgan III was not accustomed to pain or suffering. He did not know what pain was. He did not know what it was like to suffer. The punch did nothing to him as he got back on his feet and connected his own balled fist to one of the Grunts' face.

Just like that, Daniel did something he never thought he would do in his life - he was fighting against an opponent who, despite his older age was not that much big compared to the boy. Daniel believed he stood a chance. And he did, too.

He received punches to his gut and his face. He took kicks to his side and his shins. But Daniel Morgan does not know pain. So with every punch and kick he got, he returned each with a force fueled by the rage from seeing his friends suffer, sending his opponent reeling.

Daniel's knuckles bled as he exchanged volleys of punches with his opponent, who was surprised at the boy's sudden ferocity. His partner, busy keeping Violet and her Pichu at bay, tried to enter the fray but without much luck.

He ordered one of the Houndours to tackle Daniel while the other two maintained the Fire Spin. Daniel flew a few feet away at the Houndour's impact and crashed on some empty crates, shattering them and scattering wooden shards all over the ground. The Houndour made another run to attack him, but he picked up one of the wooden boards and hit the Pokemon square on the face, sending it away and out cold.

The boy continued his assault of the Magma Grunt who was now trying to run away from him.

"Oh you useless son of a-" his partner said, as he watched a full grown man scamper his way from a teenager. He threw him a gun-like device from his back pocket. "There, use that!"

Daniel did not have time to react as his foe picked up the device and fired it at him. The last thing he saw were wires getting caught in the fibers of his shirt before a wave of electricity took him to the verge of unconsciousness. He heard a distant voice call through a radio "Magma HQ, this is Red Agent 442B requesting support at location WH11X..." before his world dimmed then completely blacked out.

This post has been edited by Daniel Morgan: Feb 7 2010, 05:20 PM

[rt117]

Within the whirling firestorm, Violet clung desperately to Sparx, cringing from pain as the fires cruelly licked at her from all around and screeched violently in her ears. To believe that this was what a Pokemon would've gone through in a battle made her regret all the times she had battled, to think that she had put her friends through similar experiences.

She could faintly hear shouts outside the flaming barrier, outlines jostling one another as three clearer dog-like forms circled around, before one moved away, chasing after another figure.

Movement caught her attention and she realized Sparx was not being as well protected as she had hoped. She was afraid to grab one of her Pokeballs in fear of exposing him to the flames. However she realized that if she didn't recall him into his Pokeball then he could get hurt even worse.

She leaned over him closer, quickly digging into her pocket and pulling out his in a frenzied movement, returning him to the safety of his Pokeball before she pulled out another ball, the flames reacting violently to her movements. Violet ignored the pain desperately, knowing that it was a fight she was losing. Pointing the ball outwards, she released Storm, who shook himself slightly after being cooped up for so long.

It didn't take Storm long to realize what was going on, after seeing the familiar boy on the ground, the Grunts in the red suits, and the Houndours circling around a flaming sphere from which he was summoned. He lowered his head and gave a devastating charge to the two Houndour maintaining the fire sphere, knocking them both back with a vicious Horn Attack. They were sent flying, no longer fueling the fire which soon flickered and died.

Violet fell to the ground, badly hurt from the fire that had imprisoned her, but soon got to her feet rather shakily. She smiled as her vision cleared and spotted Storm chasing the Grunts around, and she quickly moved over to Daniel once she saw him.

"Daniel?" she whispered as she shook his shoulder, finding that he didn't respond. She quickly slipped her arms under his armpits and pulled him up before letting out a loud whistle. Storm came rushing towards her as he heard her whistle, and she quickly placed Daniel on his back before climbing up as well, the Pokemon breaking into a run shortly after the two climbed up.

They could hear the shouts of the Grunts as they made their frenzied escape towards the nearest Pokemon Center, and Violet soon found herself begin to fade away into the sea of unconsciousness. However her mind was strong, and she managed to stay awake until they got to the Pokemon Center. She stumbled off of Storm, nearly falling over in the process before she recalled him, literally dragging Daniel along inside before she finally collapsed.

[Erik Nolastname]

Confetti guns released a flurry of colored paper into the air as a crowd of socialites cheered at the figure on the small stage holding giant shears. Behind her, the towering figure of a newly constructed building stood out in the small resort town.

"Thank you, thank you," the woman said through smiles. "I would especially like to thank the mayor of Lavaridge town and the Lavaridge Gym Leader for making this, the new Lavaridge Paxton Hotel and Resort, a reality. It would never have been possible without you."

Flannery and a portly old man raised their champagne glasses to her, as the crowd burst out in applause. Josephine Paxton paused for a moment and silence followed.

"As you know, our family is in deep crisis right now. My son, Daniel, was kidnapped by that notorious gang of hoodlums, Team Magma. I therefore feel like a lavish celebration in opening the newest member of the Paxton Group of Hotels in the beautiful Hoenn region is inappropriate. However, our son would not have let his predicament," she paused, "cause a halt in his family's daily lives. He would not have wanted us to show those cowardly Magma criminals that they have weakened us.

"On that note, I bid you all welcome to the new Lavaridge Paxton! Please, enjoy yourselves."

She raised the great shears and in one smooth move, cut the red ribbon that was tied to the building's main entrance. The crowd applauded as the woman stepped off the stage and joined the celebration.

----

The room was so brightly lit, it hurt Daniel's eyes as he opened them for the first time. He's been on that bed before. What happened this time, he thought.

As if in answer to his question, a memory flashed inside his head, clear as daylight, but quick as lightning. He saw himself take a punch to the head from a man wearing a red uniform.

Daniel looked around him, hoping to see King and Queen. Another memory flashed before his very eyes: a red beam of light capturing his Shuppet and Misdreavus into odd Pokeballs.

He heard scuffling beside him and he turned his head towards the sound, a Rhyhorn was impatiently waiting on a bed. There was a body half covered in bandages lying down.

Violet.

He rushed to her side and saw that she was asleep. The Rhyhorn shifted uncomfortably as he tried to touch her hand.

"It's okay," he assured it. "I'm a friend. So, you're the Rhyhorn responsible for saving our lives back there? Thank you." He patted it on the head, and the Rhyhorn calmed down a bit.

"Let's not wake her up," he continued to the Pokemon. "She needs her rest. Promise me you'll watch over her, okay?"

Daniel walked, or, as he discovered a sharp pain in his left shin, limped outside of the ward, leaving the Rhyhorn by Violet's bedside. He met Nurse Joy outside who told him he should go back to his bed.

"I'm fine," he said. Daniel took a piece of cloth from his pocket, it was an Rustboro Academy logo he cut from his old uniform and gave it to Nurse Joy. "Please make sure the girl from that room gets this when she wakes up. Thank you."

----

Daniel was back at the rooftop where his secret practice battles take place. He raised a black flag on one of the poles and waited. It was already morning. They only had 4 days left before the package arrives. He just wasted yesterday being able to accomplish nothing except for losing his two Pokemon, getting a fat lip and a broken leg. He hoped Richie had done more than him.

An hour past and Helena's slim but intimidating figure walked on to the rooftop, taking down Daniel's flag and handing it back to him.

"You called?" she said, in that same silky voice that Daniel has grown accustomed to.

"Yes."

"Where is King and Queen?"

Daniel looked her in the eyes and struggled with the words, "They were captured by Team Magma. I need your help Helena."

The woman started to walk away, shaking her head.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Master Daniel, I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do for you."

"What are you talking about? You can just send your Pokemon to rescue mine, you know they're powerful enough!"

"Your Pokemon are your responsibility, Daniel, not mine."

"Helena, I order you to retrieve my Pokemon back for me!"

"I take orders only from your father," Helena answered. Daniel detected a tone of resentment in her voice. "I cannot do this for you."

Daniel fell to the ground, completely out of ideas. She saw this and turned around.

"I truly am sorry, Master Daniel." She took out Daniel's old PokeNav and placed it in his hands. "Josephine Paxton is in Hoenn. Perhaps she can help you with your problem. Why don't you give her a call?"

"My mother?"

[Protoman]

Footsteps could be heard from the basement of the center coming up. Once reaching the lobby of the Pokemon Center, Richie finally saw an empty room, hearing a Rhyhorn in the back. He stepped outside and saw Nurse Joy.

"Nurse Joy," Richie said in a slight panic, "where's the owner of the Rhyhorn?"

"Oh," Joy responded, slightly in a depressed state, "she's in the back. Why?"

"Wait..." Richie began breathing heavily after hearing this, "she?" In a rush to make sure it wasn't who he believed it to be, he saw Violet, lying down with half of her body wrapped in bandages. "Violet?" Storm shifted his horn towards Richie, making him put his hands into the air. "Easy, easy, Storm...It's me, remember? Richie?" In a quick motion, Richie pulled out his Poke Ball and released Spunky, who yipped eagerly.

"Hi Storm!" Spunky barked in a playful manner before seeing Violet. In a few seconds, Spunky began to whimper in sorrow of his injured friend. Richie pulled out a small walkie-talkie and pressed down onto it.

"Initiate Morgan," Richie called into his walkie-talkie, tears rolling down his cheeks, "come in. Over." Richie's crystal clear tears crashed into the floor, splashing into a small puddle after each tear came.