Pokemon: Keys of Anima! [IC/Accepting via OOC/Started]

[~Demyx~]

Kyle had indeed been walking, looking around. He had sent out Mizu earlier. So far, he had only seen a couple of Patrat, which Mizu had been able to beat. He could see that Mizu was already getting tired. Just then, he saw a crowd of people with their Pokemon. It appeared that three trainers were battling a wild Pokemon. Pulling out his Pokedex, but not getting too close, the pokedex scanned each Pokemon at the "battle".

[i]Wynaut, the Bright Pokemon. It grows stronger by pushing up against others en masse. It loves eating sweet fruit.[/i]

[i]Ninkask, the Ninja Pokemon. Because it moves so quickly, it sometimes becomes unseeable. It congregates around tree sap.[/i]

[i]Snover, the Frost Tree Pokemon. Seemingly curious about people, they gather around footsteps they find on snowy mountains.[/i]

[i]Eelektrik, the EleFish Pokemon. They coil around foes and shock them with electricity-generating organs that seem simply to be circular patterns.[/i]

Wow. He knew not to get to close, because he had heard about Wynaut's and Wobbuffet's having the Shadow Tag ability. Walking away, he ran off into some more grass at a higher slope. When he got in there, he saw a Purrloin. "[b]Purrloin...[/b]" she said, and as he already had his Pokedex out, he scanned the new Pokemon.

[i]Purrloin, the Devious Pokemon. They steal from people for fun, but their victims can't help but forgive them. Their deceptively cute act is perfect.[/i]

What? Kyle didn't believe that. Looking at the Purrloin, it made a cute face that made Kyle forget any misgivings to the Purrloin and ignored the warning the Pokedex had given. Petting it, it purred. "[b]How cute,[/b]" he said, petting it some more.

Mizu however, was not as gullible. Mizu didn't want Kyle to be Purrloin's dummy. Listening to the Pokedex, she then shot water right at Purrloin. Purrloin was shot into the air, and landed on her feet, angry.

"[b]What did you do that for, Mizu?[/b]" he asked. Then, he replayed the Pokedex entry, and seeing Purrloin, claw's at the ready and soaking wet, made him realize that Purrloin was being fake. "[b]Alright Mizu, Water Gun attack![/b]" he said Mizu opened her mouth and shot another blast of water a Purrloin, but Purrloin managed to dodge and scratched Mizu as hard as she could. Mizu toppled back, and got up, a giant scratch now on her shoulder. Suddenly, Mizu opened her mouth, and a ball of water came to it. Then, it shot at Purrloin, and it sent out water everywhere. He put the Pokedex back in his backpack so it didn't get wet. "[b]Was that Water Pulse? No, it was Water Sport! Mizu, you did it![/b]" said Kyle. However, Purrloin was clearly not done yet, and it jumped onto Kyle's back and stole his backpack. "[b]Hey![/b]" he said, trying to get it back, but Purrloin just dodged his feeble attempts to get his backpack. Then, Purrloin dived into his backpack. She didn't come back up. Worried, he pulled out everything in his backpack and checked. Purrlon wasnt in his backpack anymore. There was no hole or anything like that where Purrloin could escape. He had his food, money, Pokeballs, tent supplies, Pokedex - Wait, Pokeballs? With a feeling of dread, he picked up the Pokeballs and released them. Only one sent out a Pokemon, and it was Purrloin. It curled up to him, and he couldn't help but forgive it. After all, Mizu had just made it angry, right? But after a look at Mizu, Purrloin and Mizu stared at eachother with an odd look in their eyes. "[b]Alright. I'll nickname you Karen. Is that okay?[/b]" he asked. "Karen" nodded, still staring at Mizu. "[b]Alright, return, both of you,[/b]" he said, pressing each of there Pokeballs to send them back. Sighing, he dawned on him that he had "caught" a Pokemon! Wow! Happy, he ran off to the next city.

[Supreme Gamesmaster]

"We're here, Lieutenant."

That's what Felicia said, but she was thinking more along the lines of, [i]My God, Lieutenant! Next time you change the climate of an entire city, let us know first! Or at least tell us where you are![/i] Trying to navigate a sandstorm-ravaged city, speaking in code, coordinating a platoon's worth of Trainers, avoiding suspicion, and trying to find the dangerously impulsive Lieutenant Derome in some unknown part of Accumula was pretty much hell for a Water commander.

"So, Lieutenant. Where are we going to set up camp? My team will probably want to break for half an hour or so... with due respect, it hasn't been fun getting here, Lieutenant... But we'll be ready to move immediately after that."

[Hotaru987]

"We haven't been having any luck have we Mini." Yoko said, hands stuffed in her pockets, and face set in a tired expression as she skated down the path. The new team hadn't had too many run ins with the pokemon in the area, and when ever they did battle one they lost. It was because of Pichu's natural inability to control his electricity. It wouldn't be a problem if the lightening was hitting the opponent, but it was hitting her instead. Yoko couldn't exactly get mad at Pichu because it wasn't hit fault. Accumula Town, according to their map, should be coming up within the next half hour or so.

Yoko sighed, "At this rate I wont ever get my first badge."

"Pichu..." The small electric mouse said in sadness.

"Don't worry Mini, its not your fault. We just gotta keep tryign thats all." Yoko smiled as she reached up to her head to pat the pokemon's head.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

OOC: I usually reply more quickly than this, but just then my hands were kinda tied.

[color="#FF8C00"]"Took ya long enough!"[/color] Victor spat, [color="#FF8C00"]"And no, your team's not getting a break until we set up camp! They're late enough as it is! Now, let's see here..."[/color]

Victor studied Castelia City, looking for a new place to set up camp. He wanted somewhere nearby said destination so the Water Team could keep an eye on Victor's lackeys. Just then the Galvantula that was at his side had disappeared in a flash of red light. Looking to his left, Victor saw the helicopter pilot return it to its Pokeball.

[color="#FF8C00"]"You guys should be more like him."[/color] Victor told Felicia from a distance, [color="#FF8C00"]"In any case, I decided to have us set up at Nimbasa. The both us can make there by chopper just fine, but the rest of the team will have to go by foot."[/color]

Victor then walked over to the helicopter, which made a stationary U-turn to save time, before stopping right at the door.

[color="#FF8C00"]"Ladies first,"[/color] he said in a somewhat welcoming tone.

[Supreme Gamesmaster]

"Thank you, Lieutenant, but I'll stay with my team. Someone has to keep them organized."

So Felicia said, though she would have liked to say, [i]I am not getting in a helicopter with someone that insults my team, thank you kindly.[/i] And more to the point, it would be difficult to report to her own Lieutenant if she were in such close proximity to Lieutenant Derome.

"Just keep the climate steady," she added, "and we'll be there well before we start work on the base."

Lieutenant Caprera had given her a surprising amount of information: Derome was to be given complete control of the base, and she was to follow his orders with minimal fuss unless they clashed with Leona's own. Seeing as those were her orders thus far, she guessed that she would only be allowed to refuse orders in the case of ethical violations.

Which would be a pain.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color="#FF8C00"]"I'd like to hope so,"[/color] Victor told Felicia, [color="#FF8C00"]"Considering your punctuality today... or rather lack of it."[/color]

Victor hopped inside and slammed the door, before allowing the helicopter to take the skies.

[color="#9ACD32"]"Are you sure that this Caldwell woman would've fit between us anyway?"[/color] the pilot asked.

[color="#FF8C00"]"What, you think her butt's that big?"[/color] Victor chuckled.

[color="#9ACD32"]"Yeah, I really need a bigger heli,"[/color] the pilot admitted, [color="#9ACD32"]"In all seriousness, you could hardly fit a small-framed adult between two large-frame adults. Problem is, this is the only one I have."[/color]

[color="#FF8C00"]"Alright, I'll see if I can arrange a pay raise for you sometime,"[/color] Victor added.

[evilfusion]

Ampere glared at the Wynaut, regaining its composure from being batted aside so easily. As Midna prepared her next strategy, a bug Pokemon buzzed around the Wynaut, creating numerous images of itself, confusing the wild Pokemon to some degree. "Here's your chance, Ampere, use your Charge Beam...try not to hit the Ninjask, okay?"

Ampere complied, electricity running in sparks along her body and discharging from her mouth in a thin, charged beam, until it connected with the Wynaut. "Watch out for its counterattack," Midna warned, as a psychic aura surrounded the blue Pokemon, reflecting a mirrored image of the attack back towards Ampere. The Eelektrik almost didn't react in time, the reflected blast flying just over its head.

"That didn't seem to hurt it at all," Midna noted with a frown.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Emma gulped. Ampere obviously wasn't doing too well against the little Wynaut, and badly needed help. But at the same time, Emma could see the mammoth task ahead. Eventually, she did steel herself though.

[color="#800080"]"It's either now or never,"[/color] Emma whispered to herself, ordering XmasTree to use Grass Whistle via sign language, and HOPING that Wynaut's Safeguard were to wear off.

After XmasTree performed this technique the first time, Wynaut only seemed to enjoy it, applauding the Snover with an Encore. It wasn't until Grass Whistle was performed once more that Wynaut was finally affected by it... and fell asleep.

[color="#800080"]"Aww, it looks so cute when it's asleep,"[/color] Emma said in a tone that implied her heart was melting.

[evilfusion]

"That's...eerily true," Midna said, sounding a little more sarcastic than she probably intended. Ampere looked at the Wynaut, then at Midna, then back at the Wynaut, an inquisitive expression on her face. Midna couldn't decide whether to order an attack, or just throw the Pokeball. Attacking a sleeping Pokemon seemed just cruel, but the Shadow Tag wouldn't go down just because it was asleep; it seemed to be more of a subconscious thing than anything else.

"Well, here goes nothing," the girl said finally, hurling the Pokeball forward at the sleeping Wynaut. The ball hit the Pokemon and bounced off, pausing seemingly in midair and opening, unleashing a beam of red light onto the Pokemon and changing its mass to a similar red light, which was then sucked into the ball. The ball closed and hit the ground, bouncing once. A glowing red light pulsed from the Pokeball's center, and Midna watched it with silent fascination.

It shook.

It shook again.

It shook a third time.

And then the light faded with an audible clicking sound and Midna heaved a sigh of relief, walking over and retrieving the Pokeball. "Very nice, thanks," she told Emma, Ampere nudging the Pokeball with her head in a gesture that even Midna could tell was false bravado. "Yeah, yeah, you did good too," Midna said, patting the Eelektrik.

"But you still can't eat my map."

[Christian Exodia]

Zexion walked out with a little Seedot on his shoulder. He had recently done a trade; a little Dratini, which he had recently hatched, for a Seedot, which had the same thing. It had no name, so he named it. "Redwood. C'Mon Redwood, I need to train you!" Zexion did a long training session, for all the new hatchlings he hadn't traded yet. This was to help him Complete the Pokedex he was given long ago. Redwood, he was keeping. He pitted Redwood against Blaze, a Darumaka that knew no Fire moves yet. But then, a Yamask barreled him over. "Tutankhamen! Stop it!" He said. This was a common thing.

[Two-Hundred And One]

OOC: Yay, C.E. is back.

Zach called Ninjask back, as he would only get in front of the Pokeball. He watched it wobble, then click. The girl with the eel - which was apparently an 'Ampere' - walked over and picked it up. Zach took a moment to point his Pokedex at the two Pokemon the trainers had used.

[b][font="Courier New"]-Snover, the Frost Tree Pokemon. Seemingly curious around people, they gather around footsteps they find on snowy mountains.-

-Eelektrik, the EleFish Pokemon. These Pokemon have a big appetite. When they spot their prey, they attack it and paralyze it with electricity.-[/font][/b]

[i]Huh, 'Ampere' must be a nickname, then[/i], he thought to himself. "So, uh, yay. Wynaut get. Woo. I'm just... gonna keep going ahead, then..."

[Christian Exodia]

Zexion then flew off, to another area. But, his Exodia spun out of control. He landed about one feet from Zach. "Exodia is off today. Return." And with that, Redwood fell on his head, making him dizzy. "Whhyyy diiidddd yyyooouuu dooo thhhaaatttt,,,,,Reeeddddwoooodddd?" He shook his head as he regained his composure. "Redwood, i'm trying to train you to be with the wind. You could've hung onto me. But, you are a newborn pokemon. So, it doesn't matter. Redwood the Seedot, you're gonna go far kid." He threw him up, spinning, and it almost created a new attack.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Meanwhile, not that far from where the girls were, Victor thought he'd have the pilot stop at Nacrene City, the better to check how his lackeys were going. They were nowhere in sight, so he assumed they already left for Calestia. Surprising though, they managed to get all the way to the Sky Arrow Bridge, in that short space of time.

Now, if only Felicia and her Water Team could cover that much ground during that time...

[Supreme Gamesmaster]

The team had practically broken their backs trying to keep up with that madman Derome's demands. Navigating a sandstorm-ravaged city under and maintain a modicum of stealth was taxing at best, and being told they had no breaks afterwards had shattered their morale. But Felicia hadn't achieved her position for no reason. She'd promptly organized all five teams and given them an [i]objective[/i] -- one that they had set to with excellent effort. Hull had made expert use of that [i]objective[/i] and set the Wood team moving at an absurd pace -- thus forcing the other teams to keep up. As for Felicia's own team...

She smiled as she recalled their burning glares, their twisted mouths. She remembered the sudden flash -- it had taken her a moment to realise they'd produced various Pokémon. A plan forged in a heartbeat.

The team had practically broken its backs as it went -- and it had been taking an unhappy route, too, bypassing the road entirely. But indignation was a powerful motivator. Her team had pushed itself to the limit. And for this, it would all be worth it.

At the very least, the Accumula sandstorm had been good practice for Route 4.

"Hello, boys," Felicia said triumphantly, waving sardonically to Derome's henchmen as they walked the last stretch of the Sky Arrow Bridge. "What took you so long? My vanguard's halfway up Route 4 by now."

[scooterulez]

OoC: Since someone is near the city I'm in, I'll be posting now.

The school was like Aaron thought it would be. It had shelfs full of books, a giant chalkboard, and tons of kids reading, writing note, and even napping. But there were only two adults in the room talking to each other. One was a tall blonde haired woman and the other was a small man with green hair. *Obvious one of them has to be the leader.* Aaron walked up to the two, "Sorry to interrupt, but which one of you is the gym here for this town?" The man spoke, [b]"Oh, that would be me. Hello, my name is Cilan."[/b] Replied Cilan with his hand stretched out for a handshake. Aaron shook his hand. [b]"Ok then, lets get to the gym. I'll talk to you later."[/b] He said to the woman. The Woman nodded and went off to go help some kid with school stuff.

When they got to the entrance of the gym Cilan turned to Aaron and said, [b]"Uhh... Before we go in, what was your first Pokemon?"[/b] "Munchlax." Aaron said pointing to Munchlax, who waved at Cilan. [b]"Oh no no. This cannot do."[/b] Cilan took out, from his back pocket, three pictures of three different Pokemon. [b]"Ok, between a Snivy, Tepig, and an Oshawott, which one would you choose to have as your first Pokemon?"[/b] "Aaron looked at the pictures, then pointed at the snake looking Pokemon. "That one Cilan." [b]"So you choose Snivy, the Unova Grass Starter?"[/b] Aaron nodded. [b]"Ok. Before I can battle you, I need to get the gym set up for our battle. Why don't you go to the Dreamyard? It's right around the corner. It's a great place to go practice. See you then."[/b] Cilan opened the door, went in, and closed it leaving Aaron standing on the steps of the gym. "Well... lets go to the Dreamyard and practice." Aaron said motioning Puppy and Munchlax to follow him.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color="#808000"]"Moby don't like forest,"[/color] One of the larger disciples stated, [color="#808000"]"Too many tree and too many bug to smash."[/color]

[color="#00FF00"]"Shut up, Moby!"[/color] The leader of the pack shouted, before turning to Felicia, [color="#00FF00"]"Look lady, we don't care about your vanguard! We've got our own orders! So unless you're supposed to be some... 'guardian angel' or something..."[/color]

[color="#FF8C00"]"Which she is!"[/color] Victor interjected, his voice being heard through the leader's intercom, [color="#FF8C00"]"And why haven't you manned your posts yet? You had such a good progress going, and all of a sudden you stop!"[/color]

[color="#00FF00"]"This... blonde lady was stopping us, sir,"[/color] the leader responded.

[color="#FF8C00"]"'This... blonde lady was stopping us, sir',"[/color] Victor retorted, [color="#FF8C00"]"Biggest load of bullshit I ever heard! Moby could've barrelled through her if I told him to! Now get over there and man those damned posts!"[/color]

[color="#00FF00"]"Sir, yes sir!"[/color] the leader shouted in a military fashion, switching off the intercom and motioning the others to follow him. A lanky-looking young man with glasses moved around Felicia, followed by the man named Moby.

[Hotaru987]

"Alright Mini use tackle!" Yoko yelled at Mini, whom at the moment was right in front of a Lillipup.

"Pichu!" Mini exclamed as he threw his small body towards the pokemon. It was a direct hit! "Awesome job Mini! Not finish it with Spark!" Mini was tired, she could tell from the way he was breathing hard. Even so, he charged up the attack. Lillipup was still out of it from the tackle attack and it was the perfect oppertunity to catch it! "Do it Mini!"

"Pi-Chu!!!" Mini managed to get the attack off but unfortunatly the spark attack wasn't aimed properly. So the attack was sent both towards Lillipup and Yoko.

"Lillipup!!!"

"Not aga-Ahhhh!!!" Yoko yelled as her and Lillipup was elecrocuted. When the attack was over Mini smiled happily only seeing the knocked out Lillipup. However when he turned around to see his trainer on the ground and twitching with sparks of electricity going around her he panicked. "Pi! Pi! Chu! Pi!" Mini exclaimed runnign over to Yoko who was slowly getting off the ground. "I-it's ok Mini...At least you got the opponent this time." She said attempting a smile as she reached for a pokeball.

"Alright! Pokeball go!" She yelled and threw the ball which hit Lillipup and after a few tense seconds the pokemon was caught. "Yes! Good job Mini!" Mini yipped happily and jumped into Yoko's arms as she ran up and grabbed her new pokemon. They weren't far from Accumula town now. Once she got there she would take her two pokemon to the Pokemon Center to be healed. In about another 20 minutes Yoko was skating through Accumular town and hopped off her skateboard seconds before entering the Pokemon Center. She handed both Mini and Lillipup to Nurse Joy, and sat down to wait for them to be healed. While doing so she thought of a suitible nickname for her new pokemon.

[Supreme Gamesmaster]

It had been a grueling night march, but they had, as promised, beaten Derome's forces to Nimbasa. There would, of course, be little time for rest -- but there would be the little time Felicia needed to make contact the higher-ups.

Her comm had apparently been rigged to contact the Commissioner on a priority line; she'd be connected the moment she started the transmission. She punched the buttons...

"Ma'am."

"Greetings, Felicia."

wut

"A-ah! Lieutenant!"

Why in the world was Lieutenant Caprera on the line?! Yes, this was an important mission, but surely not that important...!

"Well, how's contact been?"

"Ah... not excellent. I believe we may have gotten off on the wrong foot." Today was not a good day, Felicia decided -- all one-upmanship aside, she was not doing an excellent job attracting the Lieutenants.

"Hm. Well, as long as you can fix that, everything should be fine. Just make sure he stays on task and doesn't go chasing our enemies."

"Yes, Lieutenant. And, erm, Lieutenant, ma'am?"

"Yes?"

"What happens if he finishes early?"

"Oh, we'll come up with something else for you to do. Focus on the present for now."

"Yes, Lieutenant." Well, she couldn't expect to be privy to the thinking of the top dogs. To be perfectly honest, she was glad she had so much information already. Why the Lieutenant trusted her with this much information was itself beyond her.

Aha. There was Derome's troupe. It seemed their break was over.

<<>>

Excellent. Exactly as planned.

Silver-tongued Felicia could keep the inconvenient Lieutenants wrapped up in strings. And yet, compared to Leona's own, friendly administration, Derome was a prison warden, and one that distinctly favoured his own troops at that. Felicia's pride wouldn't ever let her defect. Assuming that Derome even figured out that Leona had an ulterior motive, or that Felicia might be persuaded to tell him what that motive was. No, Derome would just be suspicious enough to hold Felicia at arm's length -- which was, ironically, precisely what Leona wanted.

Now for the matter of Goldtooth.

They were preparing their blitz, her spies had told her -- on various Pokémon Gyms. That kind of horrible overconfidence could very well ruin Anima's plan -- the Gym Leaders in the higher level Gyms could curb stomp them.

However, using the genuine underworld still had its advantages. No doubt, other criminal groups would be stirred to chase these mysterious artifacts, especially after the utterly unsubtle Team Goldtooth made its highly publicized attack on veritable national landmarks. No, so long as Anima could arrive in time to help without taking over for the Gym Leaders, the publicity could help Anima a great deal indeed -- making them just the right amount of friends... and enemies... for them to be established as a powerful vigilante syndicate. And for them to make a legitimate claim to the artifacts' safekeeping.

So as long as the Gym Leaders weren't too good, and Anima played its cards right...

Well, she didn't have to just sit and wait for the attack. There were only seven people she knew that were capable of the correct timing to deal with Goldtooth's gym barrage. Four of them were occupied, one was her, and one was far too recognisable to be Anima's public face.

Paging Selene.

[Hydra of Ages]

Three trainers entered Striaton City, all looking tired and slightly irritated.
They were a typical group, two men and a woman, if it didn't happen that one of their member was a giant of over seven feet tall. He had a kind face with stubble for a beard and clear blue eyes, but his hands were rugged and obviously used to either combat or hard work. He wore long, loose clothing obviously intended not to impede his movements, and looked around guardedly.

"Stop trying attention to yourself, Tyche," the woman said waspishly, pushing a lock of bright red hair out of the way. She was green eyed and donned a casual green sweater atop a pair of blue jeans, but her tone was businesslike. "Donovan and I have been here for months. The children shouldn't even be here for half a day or so."

The last one, a man with regular proportions, if athletic muscles, cracked a worn grin. "So we can almost expect that plan to fail. Lovely. Remind me, Miss Jonnison, how are we going to explain our big friend here?"

The woman frowned a little. "Don't call me that, Donovan. You're not one of my students," she said flatly. The man shrugged and chuckled again in good nature, clasping her on the shoulder. She scowled.

"Actually..."The largest man, Tyche, started, "It'd be in our best interests if we weren't seen together. It could lead to awkward questions when we aren't prepared to receive awkward questions," He looked around. "I'll do something destructive on the outskirts of town. In-character. Come receive me when you're ready."

Donovan looked scandalized. "Without even stopping in town for a bite to eat? Even a shower, dear friend? I couldn't possibly be so cruel!"

Tyche shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I've done without before, and this is too sensitive to be compromized. Erisa agrees, at the very least."

The woman nodded. "I do. We'll see you later then, Tyche. Fair well."

"And you," Tyche said before slipping off in a different direction suddenly. He pulled a regular pokeball from one of his pockets and flicked it back and forth across a massive finger idly.

"I don't get that man, sometimes," Donovan said in wonder.

"Enough talk. We should get back to the schoolhouses before anyone thinks something's up... before we want them to, anyway. Ready, Mr. Reids?" she said with a smirk.

Donovan shivered. "Oooh, I see what you mean. It just feels... [i]wrong[/i] when someone who's not a student says it."

"Well said."

---


Lumia listened to her secretary speak for a while. The girl was earnest, but hardly fit to be an agent of Anima- she stuttered over her words, was far too honest and too meek to stand up against a stiff wind. Horrible, horrible stuff to make an agent of- but perfect if you needed a human computer to keep track of the plots you were trying to craft.

"The three are back in Striaton?" she asked. She could hear Imele, her secretariate, nodding over the phone line.
"Yes, Miss Lumia sir, they reported in only a few minutes ago. Agent Tyche decided it was prudent to stir up a ruckus around the perimeter, in the Dreamyard. Would you like me to pass a message to him?"

"Dreamyard... promising..." Lumia said with hesitation. "Have him gather up as many Munna as possible. We don't need them for any reason, but perception is reality; giving them a false lead into Juggernaut's motives is preferable to the alternative. Likewise, make sure he challenges any trainers he sees, so long as they aren't members of the Elite Four. If he notices any of the [i]children,[/i] his priority is to liberate their artifacts from them. Do you have that all down?" she asked. Once again, Imele's nodding was perceptible even without sight.

"Yes, Miss Lumia Sir. It will be relayed."

"Excellent." she hung up. Her own part would be coming up soon, after all.

She looked at the sign. Striaton City... it had been a while since she had visited here last, but the place seemed to be as stagnant as always. She expected as much anyway- Striaton never changed.

-

Neutral clinked in the background as Gere read a book.

Trainer's School was written on the sign, and Gere smiled. It reminded him a little of the university, though there were more loud people. But he could tune them out, after all.

He let his mind focus on Neutral's exactly timed clicks and the words of the book, letting everything fade into oblivion. The comforting warmth of an orange, jewel-adorned chain hung around his waist like a belt.

He was, for the moment, content.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

That Water Team managed to beat Victor's forces to Nimbasa City alright... only because they were meant to stay behind at Castelia City. Only Victor himself was meant to be based at Nimbasa... but instead, he decided to have the pilot drop by at Mistralton City, the better to look for a new helicopter he might like.

Meanwhile, at Stration City, Emma stopped at the centre, trying to decide whether she should actually move on to Nacrene City or stick around here before remembering that she could get her first badge here. The door to the Gym was, luckily, unlocked, so she headed inside... to find Cilan, Chili and Cress.

[color="#800080"]"Hey um, I'd like to battle for my Trio Badge,"[/color] Emma told the three young men.

[evilfusion]

Midna, on the other hand, decided that she'd spend a little time in the City before looking at the Gym. Well aware of her inexperience and the fact she had an entirely new Pokemon to attend to, she didn't feel it would be wise to go right over to a major battle without any real training. She had told Emma she'd be back in a bit, but she wasn't sure if the other girl had heard her.

The first thing she did, fearing she'd forget later, was stop by the Pokemon Center, which she knew contained a shop inside for her to purchase items, especially Pokeballs. She spoke first to the nurse to give her Pokemon a checkup, and while she waited, went over to the clerk of the shop. Here, she parted with some of the funds she had saved up since first acquiring Ampere, to buy two Pokeballs; one for a future capture, and one to repay Emma.

While she was picking up Ampere and her still unnamed Wynaut, she took to studying the strange watch on her wrist. It seemed all but clamped there, and rested fairly comfortably on her wrist. It held an unusual level of craftmanship and seemed to contain technology far exceeding the normal wristwatch. The fact it evidently kept time to the millisecond was not lost on her. How had she gotten it? Where had she gotten it? She remembered the Lab going dark, and suddenly she had this watch and several of the other trainers had possessed an unusual item as well. She hadn't had much time to figure things out before the attack on the lab, however.

"Curious," Midna murmured, retrieving her Pokeballs and walking out of the Center.

Now what? Where could she go to train? Or learn how to train? There was a Pokemon School in the City, she knew this much. Shrugging, she headed towards the building.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color="#FF0000"]"You're lucky we've just opened,"[/color] Chili stated, [color="#FF0000"]"But anyway, I'll be the one to battle you. Alright Cress, start reffing."[/color]

[color="#0000FF"]"Roger that, Chili,"[/color] Cress acknowledged.

[color="#FF0000"]"OK, go, Lillipup!"[/color] Chili threw his first Pokeball. Out came a puppy-like Pokemon that seemed eager to fight.

[color="#800080"]"I choose you, XmasTree,"[/color] Emma threw her own Pokeball, revealing her trusted Snover, which activated its Snow Warning.

[color="#0000FF"]"For our first round, we have XmasTree squaring off against Lillipup,"[/color] Cress declared, [color="#0000FF"]"And begin!"[/color]

[scooterulez]

The Dreamyard, might make people think that this is the place to express their dreams. But it's just just some little park next to some closed ruined building complex. There were a few people there, with their Pokemon, playing around and relaxing in the grass watching the clouds pass by. Aaron looked up at the sky and could tell it was about 5 o'clock. He needed to get some practice in before his match with Cilan. "Ok Munchlax and Puppy. We need to start training for out Gym battle, hopefully, today. So lets practice."

Aaron spent the last half hour training Munchlax, on using Defense Curl, and Puppy with Oder Sleuth. "Ok guys, lets take a break." Munchlax and Puppy immediately fell down to the ground and let out a huge sigh. [b]"Um...Excuse me."[/b] Aaron turned around to see a girl, between the ages of 12 to 14 years old talking to him. "Uh, yes?" [b]"Are you guys training for the Gym?"[/b] "Yes. What's it to ya?" [b]"Well, what Pokemon did you choose when you were with Cilan?"[/b] "I picked a Snivy and it sounds like you were stalking me." [b]"No no no. It's just that... I... uh... ok. I happen to know what Pokemon Cilan, and the others, use and wanted to help you. That's all."[/b] Aaron looked at her with an expression of suspicion. "What's the catch and who are 'the others'?" [b]"No catch and 'the others' are Cilan's brothers. They are also the Gym Leaders here."[/b] "Wait, now you're telling me that there are 3 Leaders here instead of 1?" [b]"Well yes, but that's besides the point. So you chose Snivy, right?[/b] Aaron nodded. [b]"Then here, take this. It will come in handy."[/b] The girl handed Aaron a Pokeball, with a watercress symbol on it. Aaron looked at it for several seconds, "What is it?" [b]"Why don't open it and find out."[/b] She patted Aaron's shoulder and skipped away. Aaron was a little confused. *Why would anyone give me a Pokemon for free?* Aaron thought. "Well no reason to keep on looking at this, lets open it up." Aaron pressed the little button on the Pokeball and a Pokemon, engulfed in white, came out. Then the white went away and stood a blue Monkey. "What the crap is this?" Aaron took out his Pokedex, and it said:

[i]Panpour, the Spray Pokemon. It does not thrive in dry environments. It keeps itself damp by shooting water stored in its head tuft from its tail.[/i]

"Huh. A Water-type Pokemon... Cool. I'm going to leave your name the way it is." Aaron said, petting Panpour's head, which seemed to like it. "Well Puppy and Munchlax, here is our newest family member."

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color="#FF0000"]"Lillipup, Take Down!"[/color] Chili commanded. Lillipup charged at XmasTree, hitting it with full force. XmasTree wasn't too badly hurt, seemingly less so than Lillipup itself. Emma had then ordered XmasTree to use Avalanche, which caused the poor Lillipup to faint instantly.

[color="#0000FF"]"Lillipup is unable to battle,"[/color] Cress declared, [color="#0000FF"]"XmasTree wins!"[/color]

[color="#FF0000"]"Wow, that sure is a powerful Snover you have there,"[/color] Chili complimented Emma.

[color="#800080"]"Thank you,"[/color] Emma replied.

[color="#FF0000"]"Ah, but let's see how it does against this Pokemon. Pansear, come on out,"[/color] A red panda like Pokemon appeared to oppose XmasTree, preparing for combat

[color="#F4A460"]"Pansear, pan,"[/color] the Pokemon called.

[color="#800080"]"Wonder what that is..."[/color] Emma whipped out her Pokedex, being unfamiliar with Pansear.

[~Demyx~]

"[b]Thank you, Nurse Joy,[/b]" said Kyle, as he took the two Pokeballs of Karen and Mizu. Thanking her once again, he walked out of the Pokemon Center. Now where would he go next? Looking around, he poked around the city until he finally found a big building. Cautiously, he walked in to see the same girl with the Snover battling a red monkey. "[b]What's that?[/b]" he asked, pulling out his Pokedex and scanning it.

[i]Pansear, the High Temp Pokemon. When it is angered, the temperature of its head tuft reaches 600º F. It uses its tuft to roast berries.[/i]

600? That thing must be hot! Assuming that this must be the gym, he walked towards the stands and sat down, waiting for his turn. He felt nervous to fight the Gym Leader, and he saw that they're wasn't one. Their were actually three! Sighing, he sent out his two Pokemon, Karen and Mizu. Both Pokemon appeared right next to him, and both tried to get attention. Karen looked at Mizu with an angry look, and so did Mizu, then they both looked at him. "[b]Uh, well, are you girls ready to fight the Gym Leader?[/b]" he asked. Karen smiled. Mizu looked horrified, but she looked at Karen, and tried to make a smile as well as Karen. He knew how both of his Pokemon felt about eachother. "[b]Alright, return,[/b]" he said, returning both to his Pokeballs. Then, he laid back on the stands and watched the girl with the Snover fight the guy with the Pansear.