[X] My Assistant

[Living Arrow]

This roleplay is not taking any more players. The cast consists: Pandora Gibbs (2gamers), Douken Sota (same name), Darryn Kellor and Lyla Moore (Living Arrow). Any plot lines or minor bunnying has already been approved by all players.

Darryn’s stay at the Petropolis General Hospital was a short-lived one, something for which he was extremely grateful – he hated hospitals (especially the smell) and avoided them wherever possible. It turned out that his Empath abilities had overloaded somewhat at Starfall Field and tipped him into a short coma, allowing him to wake up in the stinky, scratchy sheets without having to witness any more of the crazy destruction at the site of PokeCon. That said, he also missed out on the miraculous events that came after where the Regi golems and the Golurk army had saved the day but Lyla had filled him in (in great, like, detail?) as soon as he had woken.

Since returning to Petropolis, Darryn had completed his course with the fashion teams led by Elliot Weathers and had a portfolio brimming with new ideas for beautification lotions and potions, a black book with a million phone numbers and so many new clothes that he didn’t know what to do with them all. That problem had been solved, however, by Elliot himself.

“And this is your walk-in wardrobe.” Mr. Weathers slid back the mirrored door to reveal not a wardrobe but a huge room with clothes rails and shoe racks a’plenty. Darryn felt sick and excited all at once while his mentor showed him around the new apartment that had been prepared for him in the House of Weathers skyscraper (all known as Weathering Heights by the Co-Ordinators of Furoh) after his mini graduation with the superstar. Elliot had declared Darryn one of the most talented designers and Co-Ordinators of the year and had also announced his sponsorship of the young trainer to the news cameras that had been arranged to meet them at the base of the building. Things were moving so fast that there was no time to even blink but it all felt so good that Darryn didn’t mind that there was no time to care.

“I’m sure you’ll find the place comfortable,” Elliot went on, “and there is room for guests, if you wish.” He added with a nod for Lyla.

“Weee!” Lyla giggled, diving into the walk-in wardrobe and spinning like a top in her flaring pink dress. “This is, like, totally awesome!”

Darryn grinned. Yes. It was very awesome, indeed!

With his apartment set up, Darryn took to inviting his new friends Pan and Douken to stay with him and Lyla rather than slum it in the dorms at the Pokemon Center during their stays in Petropolis. Pan would, no doubt, require some time to write up her reports for that Professor Stone of hers while Douken would be busy training for his upcoming Gym match. Darryn didn’t know Douken all that well yet but his Pokemon appeared to be healthy and well trained as they practised in battle against trainers in and around the city. Lyla seemed fond enough of the other guy, whisking herself ouot of the apartment at a moment’s notice to go and cheer Douken on with his training while taking furious battle notes in her little notebook.

It was a surprisingly short two weeks that followed before an event for Pan’s job and Douken’s Gym match was on top of them and Darryn still didn’t have an Appeal laid out for his next Ribbon.

“India and November…” He whispered to himself as he scribbled on a piece of paper the combinations of Pokemon that he could enter for Appeals and battles. “Victor could Appeal well… But he should be up front battling… Poliwag no way… Lady…”

He sighed. Lady had gone from being a little snooty to outright rude and belligerent in an instant and her latest demeanour had gone on for weeks now.

”This is, like, so exciting!” Lyla crooned as they made their way through Petropolis after leaving the Pokemon Centre and Darryn’s friends behind. Lady rolled her eyes. The impetuous girl was even more annoying than the small blonde human’s Riolu.

“Yeah, no doubt about it.” Darryn confirmed, holding the Mirrormist Ribbon between his thumb and forefinger, examining it carefully. “Ribbon number two means there’s only two more before I can enter the Furoh Grande Festival.”

“And you’re going to just, like, keep getting better and better!” Lyla laughed alongside him.

Lady rolled her eyes. How this human female could just show up and throw herself about Darryn like gaudy confetti without getting blown irritably away was a mystery. Family or not, the girl was a nuisance.

<It’s nice to see you still do not see the difference between family and outsiders.> A mocking voice pierced through Lady’s mind and in a flash she was no longer in the real world.

The Plane of Vul was a strange level of the psychic realm that the Seven Vulpix Sisters had constructed together to separate themselves from the other mentally talented Pokemon that could enter the dream-like domain. In it, just like the rest of the psychic realm, the Seven Vulpix sisters appeared as humans in various states of dress that made each one of them easily recognisable.

When Lady opened her eyes, only three of her sisters were in attendance.

“Camelia.” The oldest sister, Primrose, glittered with an unnatural light that mirrored her naturally golden fur. A high collar of soft fur wrapped around her neck loosely, trailing a majestic golden cloak behind her like a wave wrapped in a sunset. Her nose was lifted, her voice lofty and commanding. “So good of you to join us.”

Lady balked. She had gotten so used to her new name that ‘Camelia’ almost seemed like a different Vulpix entirely. She nervously rubbed her exposed upper arms, irritated that she had not summoned a cloak or shawl to herself as she had entered the plane. Instead, a tight-fitting scarlet cocktail dress accented her every curve. It was a bold statement of vanity that matched the dress of each one of them when they were out of the waking world… Well, except Moss who had worn rags *if* she had the energy to make it to the plane at all.

“Primrose, Campion… Belladonna.” Lady bowed her head to each of her elders respectfully.

“Let’s not beat around the proverbial bush, sisters.” Belladonna snorted. She rounded her infinitely dark eyes on Lady, her long black silk dress swarming around her like a gathering darkness. Lady shifted uneasily. “We have brought you here, little Camelia, to tell you that we have been watching your imprisonment with the human male for some time and are disgusted to see you bow and scrape to his every wish. You forget your place in our circle and you disgrace our names by acting like a literal dog for little treats. This simply will not do, Camelia.”

“But I’m not!” Lady protested quickly, fear setting in quickly. She had tried to jump from the plane twice since she had arrived and shut herself away from her sisters but there was a strong block preventing her escape. That would be Belladonna – the others wouldn’t be able to stop her so easily on their own. “I’m getting stronger and Darryn-“

“SILENCE!!!”

Lady squeezed her eyes shut. Primrose’s tone was not one of a disappointed sister. This was an enraged queen ready to pass judgement on a lowly servant to the crown.

“It has been decided that your disrespect of your sisters will not go unpunished.” Primrose finished a little quieter but her tone still carried a sharp edge.

“Punished?” Lady whimpered.

“Sever her.” Primrose intoned. A dark flash and Belladonna was upon Lady in an instant.

“Wha-?!”

***

Lady’s large eyes blinked once as she returned to her body, expelled from the Plane of Vul just as easily as she had been dragged there. She look about herself nervously, standing to turn around and peer into every shadow carefully. There was no sign of Belladonna or any of her sisters.

“Lady, are you alright?” Darryn and Lyla both had their attention on her, the Co-Ordinator’s face twisted with worry.

<I am quite alright, Prince Darryn.> Lady replied.

“Lady? Are you OK?” Darryn repeated.

<As I said, Prince Darryn, I->

“Fine.” Darryn sighed and recalled Bravo as he completed his training over the practice stage. “If you’re going to be like that then we’ll get started right away – let’s go with Bursting Flame and Extrasensory.”

<Prince Darryn? Can you hear me Prince Darryn?> Lady’s tails twitched fearfully over her back. <Listen to me, Prince Darryn!>

“Um, like, why is your Vulpix acting out so much, Darryn?” Lyla folded her arms over her chest and pouted a little. “You should, like, really learn to train her better rather than groom her all the time.”

[i]*What is going on!?* Lady, now completely filled with panic looked back and forth between the two humans. For some reason her telepathy wasn’t reaching her master and there was no way for her to speak to him. It was almost as if… *That’s what they meant by ‘sever’?!*

“Look, Lady,” Darryn sighed and got out her Heal Ball, “if you don’t feel like training today then you can go back in the ball to rest?”

*I don’t want to rest! I want you to hear me!!!*

<PRINCE DARRYN! PRINCE DARRYN!>

“Oh, like, just put her in.” Lyla yawned and flicked a hand irritably at the Vulpix. “If she’s going to be lazy then-“

<Quiet!> Lady’s voice exploded like a firework in Lyla’s head.

“HOLY CRAP!” Lyla’s eyes squeezed tightly shut as she clapped her hands over her ears.

*She can hear me?!*

“Lady! What are you doing?” Darryn demanded angrily.

Lady backed up a pace from him. It wasn’t her fault! She just wanted to speak and be heard! He had been the only one to listen to her for so long and now she could no longer get through to him! Speaking to another human, especially that one, made her feel almost sick and here he was berating his most faithful companion!? It was all too much to take on right there and then. Lady’s eyes rounded on Lyla.

<Back in the ball. Back in the ball. BACK IN THE BALL. BACKINTHEBALLBACKINTHEBALLBACKINTHEBALL.>

“Oh my God, Darryn!” Lyla wailed, clutching her head as though in pain. “Put her back in the ball!”

Since then, Lady had not spoken to Darryn once and it was getting old fast. Darryn scratched out her name on the list and continued to consider his options even as the door to the apartment opened…

[Douken Sota]

Douken could easily note Pokecon has the deadliest thing he has ever gone through (kind of hard to top being flattened by giant meteors). However, with the events past him, they were given a bit of time to recuperate. For Douken, this meant letting his team relax, getting a new pair of glasses from what happened in Lenolia, and getting bombarded with questions. After a call to his parents to see they made it home safely, to seemed that Lyla was listening on just enough to learn of his parents' work. He was flooded with questions from the eager girl and her notebook, ranging from how his family raises the left over Pokemon to how he battles.

She also had a tendency to follow him to his battles to act as support and taking notes.

"Cryx! Hold on tight and use Reflect!" Douken got himself into yet another battle today as he tried to get himself ready for his next gym battle. His opponent, a scientist who called himself Dr. Kath, was using a Cryogonal, yet another new Pokemon Douken has yet to see, but with the new numbers he had seen during the past weeks, he tried his best to not let it get to him.

"Koldo, Brick Break!" With the Poison Frog Pokemon's arm glowing white, a protective bubble went around the Crystallizing Pokemon, ready to absorb the blow of the physical attack, but instead shattered like glass before the impact, causing the ice type to fall over defeated. With Douken victorious, and Lyla's celebration, Douken went over to the doctor and shook his hand after Cryx was taken back to rest. "Good match," he complimented.

"Not bad yourself. Actually, I'm interested a bit more about the Croagunk of yours," Dr. Kath remarked. "You see, I'm a professor from the Unova region researching dreams. Now, unlike my colleagues, my research does not involve recreating from dreams, but changing by dreams. It is said that every Pokemon has a sleeping potential inside. Some never try to awaken it, as others want it to be let out."

"So, in other words, you want to see if you can get into Koldo's dreams and awaken this so called potential?"

"Exactly. If it works, your Pokemon would acquire a new strength. If not, he will remain the same, and all I gain is research information no matter what. I promise you will have nothing to lose."

Well, it sounded interesting, but to Douken, the choice was up to Koldo. It was going to be him who would deal with the change. With the frog puffing his cheeks in a slow croak, Douken smiled. "If you say so. Koldo seems interested, so let's do this."

"Very good. Now then, may I introduce to use my research partner, Luna." Pulling out another Pokeball, the doctor released a Munna, another new one for Douken. "My partner here shall put your Pokemon to sleep for easy access to his dreams. Now, Luna, Hypnosis please." With the Munna hovering over Koldo, a pink cloud slowly puffed from her back, dangling down onto Koldo, who soon went to sleep. "Dreams only take a fraction of a second in our time, so most of the time will be to find it, then awakening it."

Seemed like the moment turned into a bit of a waiting game there, so to pass the time, he talked with Lyla whatever she seemed interested at the time, whether it be a battle review on his thinking or what he had planned next. There only seemed to of been a fifteen minute wait before a very noticeable reaction. Which was Koldo glowing a bright white.

Running over to watch, he saw Koldo's body grow in size. A horn formed on the top of his head, the middle digit on his hands became bigger, and a sac under his chin seemed to of developed. With the glowing fading out, a new Pokemon stood before them, wide awake. "Toxicroak..." With Koldo's evolution, it seemed his skin lost its dry feeling, but a venomous feeling came from his fingers.

"I see!" The doctor exclaimed, quickly writing down notes. "I would of never expected the evolution, but it seemed what rested in him is an ability that was said to of been found in Unova: Poison Touch. This means that any move that can make contact also has a chance of poisoning their foe. This works great for my study. I thank you, Douken. May your battles work as well as today's was." On that note, the doctor left with Muuna hovering over his shoulder.

"So, you became a Toxicroak, eh?" Douken asked Koldo. "Still can't get the image out of my head when I hatched you, you know that, right?"

This post has been edited by Douken Sota: Oct 31 2011, 12:39 PM

[Toogee]

Judging from all the comments I received, I guess everyone heard about what happened at Starfall Field. Don’t worry, I made it out alright.

Right now, I’m crashing in my friend’s place in Petropolis while I take care of some work stuff at the museum. I have some reports to catch up on. I’d rather be exploring the wilderness than sitting at a desk, but I can’t deny that this apartment is pretty sweet. Douken and I managed to get our own rooms, with room for Darryn and his cousin to spare. I can take Turnip to the rooftop to sunbathe, and there’s a little pastry shop across the street that makes a good bagel.

I’m supposed to attend a party at the museum for the donors. It’s pretty important; the professor specifically invited me to join to represent the researchers. It’s just one evening to chatting up the adults, but I’d still rather be headed into another temple or forest. That, or staying in my nice comfy bed…

Though it was well into the morning, Pan remained in her room. She had finished up all of her work over the past two weeks and was sleeping in to celebrate. Her arm dangled down from the bed, her hand buried deep in a pile of notes describing mountainside temples, zorua hunting tactics, and absol foresight, among other things. Clothes and boots were thrown unceremoniously across the room, with the exception of the belt containing her pokemon team. The set of six pokeballs were set neatly upon Pan’s nightstand. However, not all the pokeballs contained pokemon.

Pan had allowed half of her team to roam freely around the apartment. Roam they did. Chi-Chi and Lima were getting into the habit of sneaking out of the apartment to raid the vending machine in the lobby. Had she known about the antics, Pan would have laughed at the pachirisu and cleffa sneaking around under a cardboard box (before reprimanding the two). They had made quite a team: Chi-Chi’s lithe body could easily fit through the output slot of the machine, while Lima’s girth could handle the weight of the single bag of snacks they got away with. With the help of the cardboard box, the electric squirrel was able to easily open the door.

That was when Lima burst into the room, leaving poor Chi-Chi hanging onto the door knob. Whether she knew Darryn was in the room or not, the cleffa waddled on and ripped the bag of chips with all her might. Cheese puffs scattered across the carpet; Lima scrambled to shove as many chips in her mouth before the maid showed up. That maid just so happened to be Pan’s latest capture: the golett she named Droid. In keeping with the duties it had back in the Gigas temple, Droid did a fairly decent job of keeping the apartment reasonably clean. Upon seeing the mess in the living area, the golett had dragged a broom out of the closet. Technique needed some improvement: Droid had once attempted to dust the contents of a bookcase with the same broom, tossing books all over the place (it did put them back though). In the case of the cheese puffs, the little golem did more harm than good: its feet crunched the puffs into fine powder as it attempted to sweep up the mess, leaving orange powder embedded into the carpet fibers.

In all the chaos, a tiny paper invitation was knocked down upon the floor:

Ms. Pandora Gibbs,

You are cordially invited to attend the annual Museum Ball, an annual event where donors can meet staff and dance amidst our spectacular exhibits. Please note that formal dress is required for admittance…

Though Pan had received and notified the museum of the guests she would be bringing, she did not pay attention to the finer details. Her definition of formal differed from most others. She planned on preparing for the event about an hour before she had to arrive, slipping on one of her simple dresses as if she were attending some house party. If anyone knew Pan as long as Darryn had, they likely would have suspected as such.

[Living Arrow]

Lyla scribbled furiously in her notebook as this Dr. Kath person used his mysterious Pokemon, a Munna, to put Douken’s Croagunk to sleep in an experiment to ‘awaken potential’. As a researcher herself, Lyla was fascinated by this unconventional tactic in training of a Pokemon and couldn’t believe that such a method would actually provide legitimate results. If this ‘awakening’ really worked then her trouble with isolating special Egg Moves in her own Pokemon would be so much easier in future and she could provide a faster service for the Breeding Center’s customers as well as save herself headaches when baby Pokemon didn’t even realise what attacks they could use.

*Munna, eh?*

Lyla took as many notes as she could on the strange floating creature as Dr. kath continued his work. It was clearly a Pokemon with very odd abilities to be able to enter the dream state of another Pokemon. As she could recall, she had heard of a similar ability with some psychic Pokemon in the past but had never heard of this type of research being conducted.

When Douken’s Croagunk began to evolve, however, Lyla’s pen stopped moving.

“This is, like, [totally awesome…” She whispered to herself with wide eyes. “Would this, like, work with my Skitty?” She asked the doctor.

“Skiity… That Pokemon normally evolves with the exposure to a Moon Stone… I don’t think this would work, no.” Dr. Kath rubbed his chin in thought. “A Moon Stone is an external trigger for evolution – this technique we are observing only awakens internal potential.”

“I see…” Lyla began to take more careful notes this time. She had three other Pokeballs at her belt that could potentially benefit from this type of ‘research’… But no. She was going to train her Pokemon her own way. And besides, baby Pokemon were so much cuter than older ones!

*****

“Aww, Lima!” Darryn rolled his eyes and shook his head as the little Cleffa spilled cheese puffs all over the floor. Despite the frantic speed with which she managed to pile so many of the scattered snack into her surprisingly large mouth, she was not fast enough to finish them all before Droid came to the ‘rescue’.

“Aww, Droid!” Darryn rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. The Golett was only making things worse with his good-willed actions and soon enough Darryn’s designer carpet was smeared with orange.

There was only one thing for it. Darryn selected the end Pokeball on his belt. This Pokemon, his most recent capture, was possibly the most ill-fitting with his team. Built for battling and with a penchant for rules and discipline, his Poliwag was not suited to the Contest track. In his time spent as an apprentice to Elliot Weathers, Darryn had tried time and time again to train Poliwag to execute his moves in a more beautiful fashion but try as he might, the militant Water-type ignored those orders. Efficiency ruled the creature’s brain and making attacks ‘flowery’ simply wasn’t on his agenda.

“C’mon, Poliwag.” Darryn summoned the un-nicknamed Pokemon without ceremony and, as always, the tadpole emerged standing to full attention with his tail swept in front and across his face in a saluting position.

“Please will you help these two clean up?” Darryn asked Poliwag with a nod towards Lima (complete with orange cheese around mouth) and Droid (complete with orange feet) who were looking pretty sheepish. Well, Lima was. Droid was oblivious to the mess he had caused and his Emotaglow did not show any trace of remorse. With a strong march and his tail swishing to and fro, Poliwag set to business in admonishing the other Pokemon and using his bubblebeam to foam the carpet. Droid was instructed to scrub the foam while Lima’s copycat allowed her to create more patches of bubbles on the carpet in the other areas where cheese had been ground into the fibres.

Leaving them to it, Darryn crossed the apartment to where Pan stood reading a piece of paper. Her Emotaglow had streaks of very pale yellow…

“What are you worried about?” Darryn asked with a frown and snipping the paper right out from between her fingers. Pan’s failed attempt to snatch it back was too late – Darryn had already read the key words. “Ball? Dance?! Formal Dress!?”

He grinned. Pan’s face did not mirror his in the slightest.

“You know what this means!?” Darryn’s grin became much, much wider. “We’re going shopping!!!”

[Douken Sota]

"Well, Koldo has been fighting many different powerful opponents during this wave of training, so evolution is not a surprise. However, Poison Touch is. Thank you," Douken explained, receiving a welcome in return before the doctor left to continue his study. "Ah, well. I think we should get back to the apartment anyways. I'm starting to get hungry. What about you, Lyla?"

It took a moment for the pair to get back into the apartment, and wouldn't it figure they would walk into a bit of chaos caused by the hungry tactics of Lima and the helpful tactics of Droid. Sure, it seemed like the Poliwag had things covered, but the site was still amusing, yet commonplace. With the evolved Koldo passing through the door to plop on the couch, Douken went to help the electric squirrel off of the door knob. "Chi-Chi, what were you doing?"

That was when Douken heard Darryn in a very excited tone. "Shopping? What? Are we out of food already?" It wasn't the case, and Douken could only guess what it was really about when he saw the invitation. Once again, he had to dress formally, and had nothing of the sort. Part of him was thinking he was going to be dragged along with them. "You sure you can find something in time?" he asked Darryn.

With Koldo taking a break, and Rufus being way too comfortable on he couch, Douken called out, "Reep, wanna come along with us?" The Duskull seemed to enjoy playing with all the fancy things Darryn had, from his contest clothes to his props, and even his notes. However, with the ability to gain some fresh air, the Requiem Pokemon went through the walls (And Darryn, telling him, "Excuse me.") before she "rested" herself on Douken's shoulder.

"So, where are we going?" Reep asked Douken.

"Pan and I still don't got formal clothes for the ball that's supposed to start in, what? A few hours?"

"Going to look so fancy like you did in Arasam."

"Yeah, well its part of their dress code they require, and I doubt Darryn would let me try on any of his things, whether they fit or not." Dressing fancy was still not Douken's cup of tea.

This post has been edited by Douken Sota: Nov 7 2011, 08:10 PM

[Toogee]

Pan was still asleep in my last post, so she was not currently reading the invitation. I meant that she read it at an earlier date. This post will reflect that.

Pan awoke to the sound of an excited Darryn reading aloud the invitation she had set aside in the living room. It was quite clear that he really wanted to go shopping, but Pan was perfectly content in sleeping in for the rest of the morning. With a heavy groan, she set to ease Darryn’s giddiness.

“Don’t get too excited,” Pan said as she stretched out her arms and legs. “That’s just there to make sure no one shows up in shorts and t-shirts. Besides, I already have a dress.” She pointed towards the closet door; hanging off of it was a purple sundress made of simple cotton fabric. It was one of those dresses her grandmother made for her a while back. Pan was pretty satisfied that that would meet the requirements of “formal”.

Once Douken and his duskull entered the room, the weary researcher sat up to address them as well.

“No, that’s a great idea! Darryn, let Douken wear some of your clothes for tonight. There, problem solved.”

Just then, a mass of bubbles burst into the room, giggling and singing as she ran away from the poliwag. Lima had gone a little overboard with the bubblebeam attack, covering herself with bubbly foam. In order to clean herself off, she pulled down the first piece of fabric she saw. Unfortunately, that happened to be Pan’s dress; the shoulder straps tore apart as it fell unceremoniously on top of the cleffa.

Pan fell back down upon the bed in defeat. She no longer had a choice in the matter.

“I’ll get dressed…”

[Living Arrow]

Shopping in Petropolis was never dull for Darryn – with so many young designers with fresh ideas and no limits, the city was always going to be a centre for new fashion and trends to be set. That, however, didn’t seem to impress his latest travelling group. True, Lyla was content with shopping for her own clothes (naturally, they would be pink) but the same couldn’t be said for the researchers and the trainer in the group.

“Purple is totally your colour, Pan.” Darryn nodded as he flung a silk scarf over the dressing room door. “And don’t forget to accessorise if you are going to insist on a dress with a simple cut. And, since you’re slim, we need to go with a couple of layers to give you some fullness and nothing can cling too tightly.”

He pursed his lips at the pairs of shoes that the clerk had brought to the waiting area outside the fitting room and shook his head.

“No chunky shoes – they’ll make your legs look like toothpicks – so we need a moderate heel and slim toes with a strapped buckle.” He pointed at the silvery shoes and the girl hurried them into Pan not before he could hope a similarly silver belt over her arm. “Try the dress with the shawl, too!” He called over the divide as he selected his own outfit from the mounds of garments had had dragged with him to browse through as he waited.

*****

“This is, like, so cute!” Lyla twirled around in front of Douken, her newest dress billowing around her in a tight circle. How anyone could really call it a dress was a wonder since it came nowhere near reaching her knees. For all intents and purposes it was a white tube with a frilly pink bottom and an oversized pink bow stuck to the middle of her back (with the ties trailing almost to the ground behind her) but for Lyla it was perfection.

White sandals and a pink flower barrette completed the look. It wasn’t exactly formal but it was probably the closest the breeder was ever going to get to it with anything that she wanted to wear!

“What do you think, Douken?” She giggled, twisting to get another look at herself in the mirror.

[Douken Sota]

Asking Douken for fashion advise: Not the best idea ever. I mean, sure fir her body well, it showed off her body nicely without being too revealing... and made Douken's cheeks a little red. "You sure having the ribbon dangling down like that is a good idea?" he wondered through, looking at how low they hung down. "I just don't think you want anyone stepping on it to have you fall... or get in the way of dancing..." The more Douken thought about the ball, the more he felt uncomfortable. These are NOT things Amazons train others to do. They are hunters, not stylists...

As she spun in the mirror, Douken was trying his best to adjust the tie that came with the suit he picked out. Since it seemed that Darryn's clothes did not fit, he had to grab a quick fit, which meant the black button down collar shirt, along with a grey vest, black coat, and an ivory tie. The cuffs were being held together by Pokeball-shaped pins. His pants were black slacks which fell down to the fancy dress shoes. "This does not feel like me..." he muttered, not enjoying the feel of a tuxedo. At least the inside of the vest let his hold the reduced sized Pokeballs so they didn't stand out on the belt.

"I don't get how people like Darryn handle these things," he thought out loud as he tried to get it straight. "If only they let me keep that outfit from Arasam, but nope, its theirs. Would make me feel a lot more comfortable... and let me breathe!" Not like anything was bought, so if someone more used to this kind of thing had objections, he would gladly accept it if it wasn't worse than this.

[Toogee]

With Darryn’s excitement leading the way, the group was whisked away via taxicab deeper into the city (Darryn wisely advised Pan to abstain from smelling like an arcanine). As they passed through the various streets, the researcher took in the sights of the bustling city. People were running up and down the sidewalks, heading to work as usual. Food stands were scattered up and down their paths, beckoning for their attention. All of those busy citizens headed into the giant buildings that pierced the sky. Just as the forests and temples had their own sense of beauty, the city of Petropolis had its own modern charm.

In the middle of this concrete jungle was the Grand Petropolis Mall, a rather low building compared to the skyscrapers. Upon entering, Pan quickly realized that the bulk of the shopping mecca lied underground. Judging from all the shops great and small, the mall could have been its own city. There was not time to explore; they had a ball to prepare for. She quickly followed Darryn into one of the larger stores (they were moving so fast, she didn’t even catch the name). They weaved through the sea of racks and mannequins, Darryn loading up on clothes and accessories. Before she knew it, Pan found herself within a dressing room while someone was throwing clothes over the door.

“Gee, how many people do you think are in this room?” Pan remarked at all the clothes piling up. She really didn’t think all of it was necessary and so picked through the assortment and chose what she thought would work. The girl left the room to admire her look within the mirror. Her purple cocktail dress reached down just above her knees, with sleeves covering half her upper arms. Pan wasn’t sure how to wear the white shawl, so she adorned it like a really long scarf (she wasn’t wearing the actual scarf). This was topped off with the silver belt and matching backless heels. Overall, Pan was pretty satisfied, with the exception of the scarf.

“I don’t know about this shawl-scarf thing,” Pan said as she fidgeted with the cloth. “What do you think, Chi-Chi?”

The pachirisu scurried next to her human’s ankles to confirm her approval with a tiny thumb up. Pan gave a wide grin until she realized something was amiss.

“Wait, where’s Lima?”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not too far away, a large pink bonnet was moving on its own accord…and singing.

“Cleffa, cleffa, cleffa…oompf!”

The cleffa within the bonnet was trying with all of her might to pass by the unseen obstacle. Little did she know that she was bumping into Darryn’s leg.

[Living Arrow]

Darryn was quite pleased with the overall selections that had been made for their little troupe’s upcoming evening event. After Pan’s arrangement had been sorted, he had opted for a similarly purple waistcoat and tie under a smart black dress suit with a crisp white shirt. True, he was more of a cool blue sort of person but he had also often been told that he could wear any colour if he wanted. Whoever had said that before was no liar.

“Unh. Huh?” Darryn peered down at the bonnet humping his shin and rolled his eyes. “Lima?”

He reached down to scoop up the baby Pokemon, complete with bonnet, and set her in the crook of his elbow. Her cute little face beamed up at him from under the frilled hat and she giggled merrily.

“Cute as a button as always.” Darryn sighed and prised the bonnet from Lima which produced a stubborn pout and snort of ‘fa-cle-FA!’. “But this would suit you much better.” Darryn replaced the bonnet with a blue flower barrette, pinned atop the starshape Pokemon’s head at a jaunty angle. It was one of the very few accessories that The House of Kellor had managed to finalise and add to the product range.

Yes, Darryn had begun his own design line. It wasn’t really a shock for most of his friends since it had been a passion of his for so long but to him it was a pretty big milestone in his career as a Pokemon Fashionista. Since Elliot Weathers had dropped into his life with his flashy team of designers and advisors, Darryn’s dreams had rapidly thrown themselves into the forefront of reality and the first items in his own company’s accessory line was sure to be a good sign that things were finally going his way.

“A House of Kellor exclusive, inspired by the Water Flowers of Cerulean City and the Celadon City Gym’s members, this makes your eyes pop and boost not only your Cuteness but also your Beauty when making an Appeal in a Contest.” Darryn informed Lima as he turned her to face a mirror. “Not as cute as you, of course, but hopefully a better fit than that bonnet! Now, let’s get the others together and prepare for tonight!”

[Douken Sota]

After a moment of adjsuting (and an assistant to help him to prevent the tie from choking him to death), Reep decided to enter the scene, watching the two get dressed up. With her resting her hovering body on his shoulder, she sneaked in a small comment, "Aww, hopw cute. You look so fancy, jsut like in Arasam. Does that mean we are going to be doing another one of tthose fancy looknig battles again?"

"No, Reep," he told her. "We need to look fancy for the thing we have been going with Pan for all of this time since Arasam."

"But I thought it was for the gym battle."

"Well, it is for that, too, but first is the ball." With a little sigh, he still contemplated on what the tribe would do in his shoes. However, as he thought about that, Reep decided to hover over to rest herself on Lyla's shoulder. Douken had no idea how she would react to Pokemon communicating with humans, or even a ghost touching her in general.

"Well don't you look pretty," Reep told Lyla as she looked in the mirror. "Are we trying to impress someone here?" With a silly giggle, it could of been clear that she was hinting the two of them together.

This post has been edited by Douken Sota: Nov 29 2011, 07:48 PM

[Toogee]

Lima was chirping with glee at the sight of the new barrette adorned on her head. Perhaps she was a bit too excited; she jumped up and down upon Darryn’s shoulder as she tried to reach the flower with her tiny stubby arms. As a result of her exuberant movements, the cleffa fell off her perch. Her fall would have ended her celebration had Pan not been behind Darryn in time to catch her.

“Watch it there,” Pan said to Lima before turning to the mirror. “You two look very nice today.” Lima giggled in Pan’s arms as the researcher rested her chin on Darryn’s shoulder.

“Now that we both met your high standards, can we go now? ”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several hours later (it was not easy pulling Darryn out of a shopper’s paradise), the group had arrived back at the apartment with bags upon bags of purchases. Though Pan wanted to relax a bit, her friend insisted that she get ready for the night immediately. And so, she began with a shower in the rather large guest bathroom. Afterwards, she was totally surprised to find Darryn waiting for her by the sink, along with a case of various beauty products.

“Darryn!” An irritated Pan adjusted the towel over her body, “Can this wait until I get dressed?!”

“Wait? How long, exactly, do you think it will take to get all this sorted?” He waved a hand in her direction, indicating her entire body. “And besides, I’m immune!” He added with a wink.

It turned out that Pan had far better bone structure than Darryn ever gave her credit for. True, human beautification was something of a side-step for him since Pokemon fashion had always been his forte but the matters of makeup and hair were the same no matter what species you were. Since hair was easier to alter, the makeup went on first with more complaint than Darryn had patience for but after a waggle of his blusher brush in Pan’s face and a promise to make her look like a clown unless she was careful soon put paid to any further protests.

Curling Pan’s short dark hair was interesting and, to Darryn, completely necessary. One thing he hated about formal occasions was being too formal when it was important to remember individuality and being comfortable in your own skin. Curling Pan’s hair not only made her look less severe than with straightened locks but it also complimented her face and gave her an air of elegance with a reminder of her youth. She looked amazing, really.

“Aaand, done!” Darryn flipped over a hand mirror between his palms for Pan to observe his handiwork. “You shall be the Belle of the ball!” He announced dramatically as she examined her face in the reflection.

Pan was quite impressed with her new look. She was afraid she would look like a totally different person, or worse, a pokemon. Her makeup didn’t hide her face but exemplified the features she already had. Pan was definitely warming up to her new hairstyle: her finger was twirling through a lone curl in what would surely be a new habit.

“You have no idea how glad I am that I don’t look like a jynx or something,” Pan joked. “Seriously, I do like it. Thanks.”

As Darryn began cleaning up, Pan remained in her seat. This was one of the few times on their stay that the two of them were alone in the same room (Lyla seemed to be attached to Darryn’s hip nowadays). There was much to discuss, perhaps too much given the time they had to work with. Still, she began her monologue, giving in to a somber mood unfitting of her new look.

“Dazz, I’ve been giving this a lot of thought. Ever since her first contest, Lima has always wanted to show off to everyone. But with all my assignments, we rarely have time for anything like that. On top of that, I can’t get control of her diet. She’s always sneaking off with eight donuts or whatever she can get her hands on. I guess what I’m trying to say is…” Pan sighed, “I think she would be happier with you. Does that make me a bad person or what?”

Darryn was more than a little taken aback by Pan's suggestion that Lima join his band of performing Pokemon not only because he had not seen any real talent in the little Cleffa but also because she was a baby Pokemon and that made Pan her... mother? If the relationship between trainer and Pokemon was anything like Meiko and Eggheart's, Darryn refused to believe Pan could be serious about handing her over but then again... Lima truly wasn't cut out for his friend's active adventure-seeking lifestyle. In the end, Pan's Emotaglow said it all.

"It doesn't make you a bad person at all." Darryn sighed as he folded over the barber's gown which had been shaken free of trimmings from Pan's new do and packed it away into his Accessory Case. "All it does is show how much you care for Lima's happiness."

He slid the Accessory Case back onto its shelf and leaned back against the sink.

"Sure, I can fix her diet - God knows I did for Bravo - and there would always be time for me to train Lima to be a star performer but are you really ready to let go of her that easily? I mean, it would be an honor to take her into the group and I'm totally flattered that you'd even consider it but you need to be really really sure." Darryn could see the effort it was taking for Pan to even approach him with the request and he didn't want her to regret a move as big as this one - letting go of any Pokemon would be near impossible for him now... Well, with one exception...

"Aaand, if you are sure... I'd rather we make a full trade." There, it was out. "Poliwag isn't cut out for Contests and his loyal nature would be perfect for someone in the field like you. So, if your mind is made up, I'd feel much better if Poliwag was with a more suitable trainer for him than me... What do you think?"

Several moments passed in silence as Pan thought about what she was about to do. She obviously didn’t want to let go of Lima so easily. In spite of all the trouble she causes, Pan loved her little cleffa. Still, her job didn’t allow much time for the contest circuit, something Lima dreamed about. Pan wouldn’t stifle the cleffa’s dreams just to make herself happy. There were also health concerns that needed to be addressed, not to mention the researcher’s own adventures tended to be quite hazardous. True, she could keep Lima in a pokeball all the time, but what kind of life would that be? Pan looked back at Darryn with a decision.

“Maybe it doesn’t have to be permanent,” she said. “What if I just loan you Lima for a while? She’ll be able to get contest training, maybe a little diet while she’s away. And I’ll make sure I put that poliwag to work. He won’t be idle inside a pokeball. After a while, we can always switch back…if that’s what Lima wants.”

"That sounds like a plan." Darryn confirmed, smiling falsely for good measure. Although he would be more than happy to trade Poliwag away, it was so clear to him that Pan and Lima had bonded that it was almost guaranteed he'd have to trade the Cleffa back at some point. But what if he got so attached to her that he didn't want to make the reverse trade? More than just a Pokeball was at stake here - Pan's friendship meant more to him than another Ribbon...

"But you say as soon as you want Lima back, alright?" He went on, "Don't feel like you can't get her back at any time... As long as it's want you and Lima want."

Poliwag's pokeball was in his hand already. letting go of the Lure Ball would be easy enough for him and the prospect of training a baby Pokemon - something completely new to the Co-ordinator - was beginning to take him over.

"I guess we just go to a Pokemon Center now, right?"

“Um, tomorrow,” Pan corrected Darryn. “Let me have the rest of the day with her.” Pan’s mood seemed to have improved after talking things over with Darryn. With a clearer plan for Lima’s future, she felt a little better about sending her off to Darryn. In fact, she was able to flash a smile as she continued.

“Besides, we have a ball to go to. I still have to get dressed, as do you. Now get!”

Pan playfully chased her friend out of the bathroom so she could finish dressing in private.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the living area of the apartment, the researcher was decked out in formal wear, ready for a night out. Pan was staring in a mirror, playing with her new curls as she waited for the rest of her party to emerge. Her outfit was worn just as it was when she first tried it on. There were a few additions that she made, however. She had a small purple purse that matched perfectly with the dress. The second addition was hidden under her skirt: a strap wrapped around her left thigh that held all her pokemon. One of those pokeballs was empty, but it wasn’t the usual one.

“Chi-Chi is quite jealous of you,” Pan said to Lima, who was playing with the blue flower barrette Darryn had bought her. “You get to go a big fancy ball. Are you excited?”

Pan smiled as the cleffa giggled as she waved her arms up and down. She picked Lima up and spun her around, eliciting more laughs from the two.

Pan would most certainly miss these moments.

[Douken Sota]

With the joint post and time length, I am sure posting out of order isn't a bad thing... if not, you guys are mods...

"Darryn, how do you do this," Douken muttered, staring at the mirror, tugging away with a comb in his hair. With no real use of hair maintenance, it was a huge slob, which in turn became a challenge for the comb to go through. After that was done, he had to brush off whatever hair strands and skin from the suit, make it look neat, shine his shoes... Okay, maybe not, but it was not like he knew any better and was over-thinking, being overcautious.

"Do you know what Amazons where during big occasions like this?" He asked, forcing the comb with so much force, he nearly hit the mirror. "What they normally where. Want to know what they normally wear?" Another tight pull, his hair fell over his eyes. "Pretty much fur-skin bikinis. No need for fancy suits and dresses. No need for fancy shoes. It is just us and the wilderness around us around a bonfire as we celebrate!"

Taking the comb to move the hair out of his eyes, his fine wandered a little bit, seeing himself back in Fidona. Back in the woods celebrating. In his mind, he was the center of attention then, holding the prize Maxy Z. offers, as if he just proved his strength to them and finally be accepted as one of them. Male Amazonians had it that tough, cause even that may not become true.

After fighting his hair, he went off to dust off his shoulders, cleaning himself up as he sat in the pure-black tux (If you exclude the ivory tie). Still, the outfit felt a bit normal to what he wore, just the vest, polo shirt, coat, tie... To him, formality didn't look good on him. When he finally got everything settled, he packed away the Pokeballs on the inside of his vest, one of each side before walking out in front of everyone.

"So... what do you think?"

[Living Arrow]

Darryn moaned to himself as he recalled Lady once more. The Crimson Vulpix was simply having none of it – whatever had upset her was still the case and showing her off at the ball wasn’t going to be an option. He sighed and minimized her Heal Ball, disheartened that his most prized Pokemon wouldn’t be at his side when he could do with positive advertising for his latest business venture with Mr Elliot Weathers.

“Why can’t I get a clear read on you…” Darryn whispered to the ball, unable to track any sort of Emotaglow from the sphere or the Pokemon within. Lady’s ability to mask her emotions had doubled in strength in a matter of a few days since he had won the Mirrormist Ribbon and she’d not spoken to him since. Something was certainly very wrong with her but if she didn’t speak up he’d have no way to help her…

“Ready!” Lyla announced as she twirled into the room, complete with bouncing baby Ume. Her Smoochum laughed insanely as she gripped the long ribbons swirling from Lyla’s waist and stopped only momentarily when her mother trainer caught her up in her arms, resulting in a bout of dizziness.

“Very nice, Douken.” Darryn nodded approvingly.

“Like, so Velvet Mafia.” Lyla agreed, smiling broadly. “But totally let me sort that hair, m’kay?”

*****

After deciding a token Pokemon was necessary for a function where cameras might be rolling, Darryn opted for Victor his Squirtle to join everyone outside of his Pokeball. Paired with a smart black tie and a lacquer spray of shiny black on the rear of his shell brought him up to the decorative standards of everyone else in no time at all and the Tiny Turtle appeared to love the new look. In fact, the ‘gun show’ made a very brief return in front of the bedroom mirror before leaving but Darryn put paid to that as soon as it started.

A limo came to collect the team from Darryn’s apartment, and, although some might have claimed the teens to be underage, champagne was on offer inside. As soon as bubbles were flowing and crystal flutes tinkling between the group, the limo took off for their destination.

[Toogee]

Pan turned around to see Douken in his black tuxedo. Though his clothes were different, his trademark hair refused to conform to the occasion. Luckily, Lyla offered to help, which was no doubt appreciated on Douken’s part. Soon they were off to the museum, courtesy of a limo decked out with all the amenities. Pan quickly looked towards Darryn; this seemed like something of his doing.

“Daz, you didn’t have to go to the trouble. We could have just taken a taxi or even walked.” Of course, as she felt the smooth material on the chairs, she couldn’t help but smile at getting first class treatment. “Nice work though.”

And so, the four rode in style as they made their way to the museum. Pan wasted no time playing with the TV attached to the ceiling. She flipped through the channels, not that she was watching something. It was just the novelty of watching of seeing cooking shows and gym battles while cruising through town. Though the champagne was being passed around, Pan abstained. She wanted to have a clear head when meeting and greeting various donors and patrons. Besides, she was a bit too busy with the limo’s other feature.

“A skylight!” Pan shouted. With a press of a button, the window disappeared, allowing the pen air to fill the cabin. Without much thought, Pan took off her shoes and stood up on the seat. She peeked out of the car roof: they were passing through a forest of glass and metal. The streets were just as full of life as a rainforest: with busy business men rushing home and flocks of pidove taking to the skies above. Within her arms was Lima, who was enjoying the sights and sounds as much as her human. The two laughed and giggled as they pointed out all the landmarks.

“Look! That building has neon lights. Look at all the colors running down it!”

“Cleffa fa fafa!”

“No, we’re not going to stop for the hotdog cart. Maybe another time.”

[Douken Sota]

Thanks to Lyla, the epic battle between trainer and hair went to an end before they left, and as pan explored the cabin of the limo (and the outside of it), Douken took a moment to throw on one more accesory: the Emberwing Gym badge at the right of his chest. Sure, he was clearly labeling himself as a trainer right then and there, but he didn't care. It was who he is. Then came another issue.

Pan had Cleffa. Darryn had Squirtle. Lyla had Smoochum. Douken didn't have anyone out. The question was who to begin with. Koldo would get bored and want to fight, Maya could get very affectionate, Rufus had trouble with his attention span, people could get easily scared with Reep, Rusty may shock people from fright, and Sabre loved to mooch. Sure, there was a seventh option, but neither of them knew about her as far as he knew, and wanted to keep it as a surprise. In the end, he felt like he had to choose.

Holding up a Pokeball, he released his Growlithe inside the cab of the limo, scratching his ear right after he materialized. "I am trusting you will behave yourself, okay, Rufus?" he asked the pup. Seemed like the scratch kept his focus enough to bark a responce, hopefully meaning "okay," before running into the cab and taking luxury on the comfortable fabric.

"I may not like living your lifestyle," he told Darryn, "but it does have its perks. Let's jsut hope the fame doesn't get to your head." Still, his eyes went back to the Squirtle. "But you know, I would of thought you would have someone else beside you. That Vulpix I saw you use on TV would look better, I think. But, then again, I don't go for looks."

[Living Arrow]

Darryn was somewhat taken aback by Douken’s comments. Number One – who wouldn’t love his lifestyle, and Number Two – how sheltered was this kid to expect fame to go to someone’s head just like that? All of the people Darryn had met had been just like him – treating fame and popularity like the job it was. Extremely few of his contemporaries on the Contest circuit were so over-inflated in themselves that they had done a personality-180 since the first camera bulb flashed their way.

Then there was the comment about Lady.

“Victor looks just as good as Lady,” Darryn automatically defended his Pokemon as the Tiny Turtle’s shoulders fell at Douken’s remark, “and she’s not feeling herself at the moment so she’s resting for a while.” That was a lie. Darryn knew that Lady was more than able to sit out of her ball but that aura of dead-space where her emotions once were screamed at him with its silence which made him refrain from keeping her outside for too long.

*Jerk.* Darryn thought to himself as he allowed Victor to clamber up to the sunroof to join Pan and Lima. *I hope he doesn’t speak like that to Pan or Lyla. Doesn’t matter, anyway – my training is almost complete for the next Ribbon and tomorrow we’re leaving Petropolis to get it.*

*****

Lyla inwardly frowned. Did Douken just take some sort of stab at Darryn? Whatever it was, she didn’t like it – Darryn’s Squirtle really was a cutie and Lady really was being a problem out of her ball since the Mirrormist Ribbon had been won. She sat back in relative quiet as Ume sat in her lap, sucking a paw contentedly. It bothered her that Douken seemed to think Darryn was only out for the outward beauty in Pokemon and almost felt like stepping in to defend Darryn’s actions as a trainer. The truth was, Darryn was probably the best battler among them and his Vulpix was one of the most powerful Lyla had ever seen.

What would he think of her and the row of baby Pokemon contained in the balls at her hip?

*Ugh, boys.* Lyla thought to herself as they drew up to their destination and prepared to disembark.

[Toogee]

Pan was completely oblivious to the potential argument brewing below her. Ironically, she was just thinking about how everyone was getting along during their stay in Petropolis. Throughout their stay, Darryn seemed to have been doing all right, though Pan really wanted to corner Lyla to see what was really going on (if anything). The researcher felt a little bad for talking about her own problems when she was alone with Darryn. There was little hope for much private talking during the ball, either.

The limo slowly came to a stop in front of a large set of stairs. Several breaks in between the stairs depicted planets and pokemon silhouettes in colored brick tiles. The pathway led up to a large building with Greek columns and the words “Petropolis Museum of Science” emblazoned at the top. It was quite a change in scenery: the area surrounding the museum was rather open and well landscaped in contrast to the metropolitan area and its bunched-up buildings.

“Here we are,” Pan said to her cleffa. “Pretty different from all those other buildings, right?” She climbed off the car seat and slipped her shoes back on. Soon after, the chauffer opened the passenger door, allowing the group to head up the stairs.

Pan and co. entered the main hall, home to a fantastic display of a pair of skeletal aerodactyl. Their claws were locked in combat, a battle that apparently did not end well for either party. Surrounding this exhibit were various other bones encased in glass cases. Pan took notice of a piece of old amber in one of the cases. A metal tag identified the rock as well as its location: Under Hill. She smiled; it was the same treasure she had found during her trip underground.

“See this amber? I found it in the Underground a while back. But that’s nothing compared to the fossilized egg over there. It has a tiny skeleton inside!” The young researcher was generally excited over the museum. She would have given her friends an entire tour if it weren’t for the fact that the other hallways were closed off. The little cleffa in her arms was particularly fascinated by the various spheres displayed. Pan whispered into Lima’s ear about having pretty jewelry like that. This caused the cleffa to coo in excitement.

As she showed the others various fossils and artifacts, Pan noticed that their footsteps were echoing all over the museum. Since the evening was beginning to turn into night, the museum was closed to the public as usual. The only exception to the deafening silence was a large room marked “Special Events”, where the sounds of lively discussion left through the opening door. Out of that door came an older gentleman, his hair and beard forming a gray mane around his face.

“Ms. Gibbs, you are looking lovely this evening.”

“Professor Stone,” Pan replied, touching her curls upon hearing the comment. “I was just showing everyone some of the exhibits. Oh! Guys, this is Professor Stone, my boss.”

“Nice to meet all of you,” the professor spoke to the other three, extending his hand for shaking. Prof. Marcus Stone wore a tan suit, which went quite well with the red vest he wore underneath. In lieu of a tie, He wore a necklace with a single (and rather dull) piece of everstone dangling below his collar.

“Ah, I can see why Ms. Gibbs started with the amber. We’ve got something special planned for this specimen tonight. It will most certainly improve our research capabilities to Daioh’s level. But you’ll find out about that soon enough. For now, the ball awaits us!”

And so, Prof. Stone led the group into the lively ballroom.

[Douken Sota]

"Whoa," Douken said, watching Darryn get completely defensive. "I didn't mean it like that. Just after watching how well you and her did with Bravo from the recording, I was expecting she was going to be who would be showing like a signature Pokemon. If she's not feeling well, I understand." He didn't mean to be rude, but it was just how he saw things.

When the chauffeur opened the door to the limo, Douken clapped his hands to call over Rufus to soon leave with the rest into the opening of the museum. It had a grand architect, similar to some of the buildings they saw in Lenolia, but was obviously taken care of and standing. The inside was no different as they were introduced to two battling fossils. "That must of been one of a battle," he remarked as he looked about to see what else was there. One of them seemed to of had blades like a Scyther for hands. Maybe a distant relative, he would of had a better of idea of Kabutops if he went with Team Rock instead of Steel.

Now, what to Douken was an odd stone was a key prize to Pan, shown by her excitement. Around was another item that Douken could recognize: a small doll with a Reaper's Cloth around its neck. "I remember finding this," he muttered before they were greeted by the professor Pan was working on. With his arm extended out, the trained introduced himself with, "Douken Sota. I was with Pan when that mountainside temple was found, as well a some of the information she most likely passed onto you."

With introductions spread, the group headed over into the ballroom, seeing everyone in suits and dresses enjoying talks and drinks. Yeah, Koldo would of been bored here, he thought to himself, even knowing he was his first Pokemon. Rufus, however, let offa bark and ran over to one of the displays. "Hey, where are you going?" he called out, chasing after it to see him sit in front of a odd stone. "What are you doing?"

"Seems like your Growlithe found an interest in that Odd Keystone," said a familiar voice behind them, Douken turned around to see Dr. Kath from earlier. "Honestly, I would of never expected a battle-hardened trainer to be in such a fancy event."

"Yeah, well I have had some experience with some of these items while being with Pan," Douken replied back.

"Ah, so you are with Ms. Gibbs. Interesting. Well, I guess I shuld tell you a small something about this. This keystone is said to have a connection to the Pokemon, Spiritomb. My colleagues have been trying to find out what."

Spiritomb? Why does that sound familiar? he wondered before replying, "That's interesting..."

[Living Arrow]

Darryn’s mood managed to lift a little by the time they reached the ball and had come to a conclusion that Douken was a pretty much run-of-the-mill trainer and didn’t actually mean any harm by what he had said. People like the Amazonian would never really understand anything other than their chosen route through life and no-one else in the whole world would understand what it was like to not only read but feel the emotions of humans and Pokemon all around them.

*And I thought it was bad in the beginning… But now I wouldn’t give it up for the world… Despite what happened.*

Inside the museum, Darryn got a pleasant surprise. Instead of the dingy, cobweb-strewn library that he had expected, Pan’s place of employment was a clean and bright affair with pretty darn interesting artefacts on show. The Old Amber that Pan had found in a place called Under Hill took a good deal of Darryn’s attention as he stared into its fiery core and got lost among the gold flecks floating within. Only Lyla’s touch on his arm brought him back to the room.

“Um, like, hurry up, Daz.” She chided him.

“Sorry…” Darryn looked back at the Amber and raised his camera phone. “Inspiration for an Appeal.”

Lyla nodded sagely and hurried to join Pan and Douken. Darryn noticed her notebook had not yet made an appearance and thought that a little strange for the Breeder as she was never normally seen without it but decided to make no comment – it was highly likely the Ume the Smoochum’s attention was more important to keep in public than the booklet.

Professor Stone was everything that Pan had described the man to be before their arrival – polite, gentlemanly and very welcoming to Pan’s little gaggle of followers and soon enough Darryn found himself entering the ballroom.

“Squirtle squiiir.” Victor’s cry of amazement followed him as the Tiny Turtle immediately charged across the room towards where an enormous wall of glass had back an ancient aquarium with turtle-like Pokemon swimming in circles all around each other.

<Be careful, Victor.> Darryn sent to his Pokemon as he attempted to make himself acquainted with the other aquatic types. <But have fun.> With that, Darryn pulsed a little of his own joy into the Squirtle as a note that he was happy that the little one was enjoying himself. <I’m over here with Pan, if you need me.>*****

“Look, Ume!” Lyla exclaimed as they entered the ballroom. It was an amazing sight – a lavishly fancy event that they would likely not be experiencing again any time soon. Even though Lyla didn’t understand half of what Pan was talking about when it came to archaeology, she did love to see all of the weird and wonderful things that came with it.

“Oh, wow, Pan! This is, like, totally awesome!” She exclaimed, linking her arm with the other girls. Ume and Lima giggled at each other and locked hands, leaping from their trainers to mimic them by their feet.

“You got that Amber thingy, but did you, like, get all of this stuff, too?!”