Every Journey Begins with the First Step

[daxx0r]

[OOC- It seems as if we've traded places: Now I'm horribly sick (although not with the flu) ]

BIC-

As Grey hurried off towards the Pokémon center, Mike remained idle for a few second before remembering his own over stocked belt. Hmmm, there's Charmeleon, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pidgeotto, Caterpie and Ekans... counted Mike to himself, Well, I'm not over my limit, but I should free up some space on my belt. He tapped Brock on the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm actually gonna do the same as Grey." he said to the Gym leader, "You two can keep going though. We'll catch up to you!"
He then turned and rushed back to the Pokémon center, trying to catch up to Grey, as well as get done at the Pokémon center before Brock and Taylor had managed to get too far away. After all, Mike didn't really know his way around these parts and he was still missing the map he had lost in the Viridian forest.

As he hurried down the street with Charmeleon at his heels, the large building that was the Pokémon center soon arched up in front of Mike. He still hadn't spotted Grey though, and deducted that the younger trainer was already inside. Man, Grey is quick. I thought for sure I would have caught up to him by now Mike thought as he approached the sliding doors.

He was about 50 yards away when suddenly, Grey stepped out of the center, clearly carrying less Pokéballs with him than before. He wasn't heading back towards Mike though. Mike was just about to wave and call out to Grey in order to catch his attention, but something stopped him: There was a kid following Grey.

Mike quickly forgot about going to store some of his Pokémon and instead started tailing the strange kid. He looked to be about Mike's age and seemed pretty arrogant, at least from what Mike could see from his viewpoint behind the kid. He carried himself in a way that Mike really didn't like; It looked like he thought he was better than everyone else.

The tailing continued for a number of minutes until finally, Grey stopped and looked around, as if searching for something. Aevin froze in place and Mike casually took a few more steps, trying to close in on him. Suddenly, Reiu turned to face Aevin and spewed out a slight bit of fire as a warning. It also spotted Mike, much to Mike's surprise considering the distance between them, and nodded very discreetly. Mike returned the nod and kept approaching.

Aevin went into somewhat of a panic. Being spotted was the last thing he wanted, thus leading him into a frenzy to find a hiding spot. From any observer's viewpoint though, it looked like Aevin was being chased by Beedrill; his movements being sporadic and zigzagging. This of course drew more attention to him. Realizing this, Aevin simply stopped, turned around and walked away, hoping that Grey hadn't seen him. Instead, he found his eyes locked with Mike's. Mike smirked slightly at the panicked dance which Aevin had made and then quickly approached him not bothering to be discreet, seeing as he too now was spotted.

Dang, there's the other one! thought Aevin, trying to remain calm. He shoved his hand into his pockets and silently observed the approaching trainer, acutely aware of Reiu's growling from behind and approaching footsteps.

[OOC- Didn't remember if Mike and Grey are aware of who Aevin is, so if they do know him, please let me know and I'll fix it. And sorry for the shortish post, but I'm feelin kinda crummy (Not that that's an excuse considering the huge post you put out while being flu:d)]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - Yay, I have lotsa more RAM now! Hooray for faster computers that don't die when I bring up Photoshop! ;D]

BIC-

Grey wheeled around to catch sight of - Taylor?

No, this boy was taller, and wore black clothes. Plus his hair was styled in a shaggy, shoulder-length style. But, Taylor did have a brother, and this trainer hit the target. Too-skinny, slim-shouldered and with a narrow face. Plus, the two eyes that glanced unhappily at him before locking firmly at the figure's feet were tawny gold.

"Who - Oh, hey, Mike!" Grey said cheerily, noticing his friend quickly approaching the golden-eyed boy.

Bewildered, the silver-haired trainer approached as well, although Reiu hung back warily. This trainer was one to be reckoned with. Not evil, but powerful and determined to succeed. The adolescent fire-type wasn't sure is Grey could compete with this guy yet.

Damnit, no! Aevin thought his pale face flushing as Mike confronted him, bringing along a politely curious Grey. For all his brave acts, socializing was definitely not his strong point. If it was, he would've already challenged one of the two trainers (one younger and the other a bit older) to battle.

"Wh-what?" he growled in a less-than-calm voice, studying his boots fixedly even as he turned to the jacket-less trainer.

Instinctively his hands wrapped tightly around Nidorino's scarred Pokéball, as if drawing power from his singular companion. The faded-grey Nidorino, one a grey Nidoran, was his life, and he didn't care if the silver-haired boy had a similar Pokémon. The Charmeleon wasn't his, and Nidorino was, so he relied heavily on the poison-type to support him.

"Bug off..." Aevin said rather non-threateningly for all his impressive appearance, locks of jet black hair hiding his face as it was pointed down at the dusty road.

"What's wrong, Mike?" Grey inquired, head tilted slightly sideways curiously.

He shows it differently, but this trainer is a whole lot like Taylor, he noted, recalling the young boy's timidity at first. Bet he'd disagree... he thought right afterwards.

[OOC - Sorry, gotta get back to coloring the banner-thingie I'm trying to do for Oak/Alex~]

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- Congrats on the RAM! Btw, I'm kinda making a Mike & Grey poster (although it seems to be taking forever), so look forward to it!]

BIC-

Mike had come to the same conclusion as Grey; the kid had to be Taylor's brother. Mike hadn't gotten a chance to see the guy's face before, but now that he did, the similarity was unmistakable. Mike reluctantly lifted his eyes from the kid and looked at Grey.
"This guy had been following you," he called out to his friend. He then looked back at Aevin, "Is there any particular reason for that?"

Aevin was in trouble. He was feeling increasingly threatened by the two trainers approaching him. Even if he guessed Mike and Grey wouldn't actually be violent, he felt that there was going to be trouble of some kind.
"I'm not doing nothing." he snapped at Mike, gripping his old Pokéball ever more.
"We can see that you're following us, so there's no use denying it," continued Mike, "What I wonder is why?"

From the corner of his eye, Mike noticed how Charmeleon's tail-flame grew larger, a sign it was getting ready for a potential battle. Mike held up his palm in front of the Pokémon, telling it silently to stand down. It took a step backwards, but it's tail-flame didn't weaken.
Aevin had already noticed the flame and was looking at Charmeleon with a worried expression, quite unlike his overall tough-guy appearance.

Aevin quickly snapped out of it though, and looked away in an arbitrary direction.
"Whatever." he said in a much calmer voice, "Since when is it illegal to walk down the street? I can't help it if you happen to be on the same street I'm on. Later." Aevin started walking away from the two of them aimlessly, but Mike wouldn't let him.
"Hold it!" he yelled, exchanging a quick glance with Grey for assurance that he was handling this the right way, "Answer me this at least; are you Taylor's brother?"

Aevin momentarily stopped, obviously taken aback by the question.
"Yeah, what of it?" he sneered.
"It just seems a bit coincidental that you of all people would 'happen to be on the same street as us', don't you think? Have you been spying on us anywhere else?" asked Mike, growing more suspicious as he had gotten confirmation of the kid's identity, "And if you were just on the same street as us, how come you don't seem curious as to why a total stranger knows who your brother is?" Aevin now turned back to face Mike, and smiled in a dark fashion.

"Well, aren't you smart?" he said defensively, "Why don't you mind your own business and stay away from my brother?" Now it was Mike's turn to be taken aback. From what Taylor had told Mike about his brother, he never imagined him to be the kind to look out for his younger brother. Then again, if that was really on his agenda, why was Aevin telling them to back off? They hadn't done anything wrong to Taylor at all. I guess family ties can be really weird thought Mike and left it at that.

"What did we ever do to your brother?!" demanded Mike, now more angry than suspicious.
"Tell you what," said Aevin suddenly, "How about a battle?" Aevin wanted the both of them to go away, and the quickest way he knew of was by battling. He didn't want to have to answer to Mike and Grey, especially since they didn't seem to be giving in to his excuses.
"If I win, you leave me and my brother alone." continued Aevin. Mike didn't like this; he didn't much care about staying away from Taylor's brother, but he felt that only Taylor should decide if he wanted Mike and Grey around.
Mike looked over to Grey. He wasn't sure of what to do, so he looked for some sort of sign. If Grey thought it was a good idea, he'd agree to the battle.

[OOC- Man, this took a long time to write! Being sick sucks. *cough*]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC- Go for it! I considered it (just doing a picture with various Pokémon belonging to Grey & Mike along with them in the middle) as well, but I'm always managing to swamp myself with some project or another. Bleh. ]

BIC-

Grey looked uncertainly at the older of the golden-eyed siblings, frighteningly aware of the trainer's discomfort at conversations. Grey looked thoughtfully down at Reiu as if to ask the Charmeleon what it thought, but was disappointed by the fire-type's irrationally disdainful behavior. If anything, Grey felt a painful sort of similarity with Taylor's brother. The silver-haired trainer had a dim idea that he would've been like this if he hadn't been so acquainted with Pokémon and thought of them as friends. Nobody in Pallet was particularly affectionate of a boy who appeared out of nowhere with the ability to heal things. Not in such a small, close-knit community.

"I'd rather not..." Grey said in a soft voice, looking fixedly at Aevin, reading the raven-haired boy's surprised expression. "...Taylor and Brock are waiting, and now is inconvenient, right?"

What the hell? Aevin wondered, shocked that Grey had somehow known that Nidorino was only at around half-health from vigorous training all day. That and the golden-eyed boy really was thrown off. He needed to time to collect himself and regain his composure.

"S-suit yourself.....freak..." Aevin muttered, adding on the last shakily.

He turned on heel and whisked off towards Pewter's housing area, presumably towards his and Taylor's home, black jacket fluttering behind him like a peaceful Butterfree in the wind.

Grey's benevolent expression had evaporated with the last word spoken by Aevin. "Freak". The color slid out of the trainer's already pale face, and he felt a kind of misery flood him. How many slip-ups had Grey had that ended up with him being insulted? It wasn't like he read people's thoughts because he was nosy - it just happened. And he had been searching for a reasonable excuse for Taylor's older brother to flee for the moment without losing his dignity.

"I'm sorry Mike...were you going to do something?" he asked rather hollowly, his eyes murky with unhappiness despite his attempts to smile at his friend. "I was going to head to the PokéMart for supplies."

Reiu's cunning blue eyes sought to comfort its listless trainer, but Grey's eyes drifted instead towards the horizon as the trainer searched for somewhere to place his memories until he could have privacy and face them. The Charmeleon cast a hate-filled glare at Aevin's retreating back, and stepped closer to Grey protectively.

But it's such a wonderful gift!... Grey thought,sighing at how unfair some things were.

[OOC - *cuddles Grey* I don't care if you're all emo!~~ Sorry for stupid short posts! :-[]

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- I just love emotional posts! ;D Anyway Firefox, kinda got some bad news but I thought I'd give you a heads up... I will be leaving for a two week Christmas vacation on Thursday and I probably won't have any internet access. So we'll have to pause the RP for a while (alternatively if you feel like posting by yourself, you could auto Mike, but how fun is that?) Anyway, once I get back I think we should maybe pick up the pace a bit; it feels like we've been slowing down since a month or so back]

BIC-

It didn't take long for Mike to see that Grey was hurt by Aevin's comment. He slowly approached his friend and put a comforting arm around him.
"Hey, what's wrong? You don't honestly care what that guy thinks, do you?" he asked in a friendly way, "You're a great guy, Grey. You've got your heart in the right place, and you're a good friend. I know that; and you know that too, right?" Mike roughed up Grey's hair and then headed off towards the Pokémart dragging Grey along with him.

"Anyway, I was going to drop off a Pokémon or two in the Pokémon center but then I got sidetracked because of Taylor's brother..." continued Mike cheerfully, "But it's not important. Let's head to the market instead." He didn't really know where the Pokémart was, but he hoped Grey would steer him in the right direction if they went off course.

Reiu still seemed to be keeping close to Grey, but Charmeleon started wandering around, like it usually did while they were on the move. It took it's time studying the surroundings with a curious expression on it's face, but eventually ended up next to Reiu, and began chatting joyously with it's white friend. Mike looked down at the two of them and couldn't help but smile at the excited, friendly chatter that they were sharing.

Then, Mike thought of Aevin. He actually seemed sad in a way (in total contrast to what Charmeleon and Reiu displayed). He wondered what had shaped Taylor's brother into such a dark person. He didn't seem like he was particularly evil; it was more like he used his attitude as a defence mechanism. Against what, Mike didn't know. He seemed to be lacking in self confidence though, much like his brother; Mike imagined the attitude might be a way of coping with it.

Now Mike focused on Grey. When he first met Grey, he seemed to be rather shy and lacked in confidence too, but he had changed a lot. Mike now saw a determined trainer next to him. A strong, skilled trainer, and even if he hated to admit it, a contending rival. Mike knew there'd be a day when they would face each other in battle, most likely once they got to the championships at Indigo Plateau, and he didn't know what the outcome would be. He only hoped it wouldn't effect their friendship. Their desire to win burned quite brightly, and challenging a friend could prove very difficult.

Aevin too, was deep in thought. He was trying to figure out how Grey had managed to know about his training with Nidorino. He deducted that the only explanation was that Taylor had told the trainers about his daily regimen. That little pipsqueak! he thought angrily. His own brother had actually betrayed him. He could hardly believe it. Then again; he has been hanging out with those two other trainers. They probably talked him into it... he thought. Aevin grew very angry very quickly. Now he was going to end this once and for all!

[OOC- Kind of a short post... I thought I'd give Grey a chance to reply to Mike's comments ]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - Have fun on the X-Mas vacation! I see what you mean about the RP slowing down, though. ]

BIC -

Grey stumbled after Mike, offering the taller trainer an appreciative smile as he causally altered their course for the Pokémart; it wouldn't do to tell Mike that he had been walking them towards the Viridian Forest. After moment of wordless thought, he followed Mike's gaze down to Reiu and Charmeleon. The two fire-types were immersed in a fluent conversation, nodding and gesturing back and forth.

"It wasn't his fault what he said," Grey replied dismissively, having sorted out his emotions. "Not everyone can be as nice as you were about what I can do."

Grey ran his gloved fingers through his roguish, spiked hair, brushing a stray lock out of his eyes in the process. As the mart's cobalt-blue roof greeted the two trainer's eyes, Grey realized how much Mike helped him out. Without the outgoing, courageous teenager with him, he might not have been brave enough to go very far with his training. Now he was friends with a Gym Leader - one he had beaten - and had a young boy who looked up to him. The sheer change in circumstances was a drastic difference from what Grey had known for the better part of his life.

"At least I didn't go and call him 'Aevin', right?" he commented thoughtfully, tugging considerately on a loose thread from his jacket. "Though he might have thought that Taylor told us his name..."

The new sensation of having access (no matter how unintentionally) to others minds was awkward at best, and totally nerve-wracking at worst. How was he supposed to have a normal conversation with someone if he various bits of knowledge from said person was popping up in his own head?

Almost rudely, Grey shoved these problematic thoughts into some dark corner of his mind, adopting a sunny expression in their stead. He enclosed the market's doorhandle in his hand, turning the brass knob until the painted blue door clicked open with a jovial tinkling of bells. Grey proceeded Mike into the store, Reiu padding along behind him - its claws clicked minutely on the off-white linoleum. Casting his gaze around the store, Grey felt an innate curiosity about the metal blue shelves spaced evenly around them. Shelf upon shelf of convenient training items, grooming products, brand-name Pokémon foods, books, and other things.

"Wow...this is amazing!" Grey said in a hushed voice; the trainer had never, after all, been inside a Pokémart before.

"Chaaaar!" Reiu cheered, inching inevitably closer to a range of items proclaiming to heighten fire-type Pokémon's performances, most of which were various charcoal pieces or bottled ashes.

Now truly free of his depressed feelings, Grey wheeled around to Mike, and brandished his arms in the air.

"Why didn't you tell me about these?" he asked exuberantly. "They didn't have anything like this in Pallet Town! Mostly it was just grocery stores or household appliance shops..."

If there had been such Pokémon centered stores back in his hometown, Grey had a sneaking suspicion where he would've hung out on dull days. His eyes flitted over a large rack of Pokémon plushies, guaranteed to tame rowdy Pokémon. His eyes alighted on a fluffy Mankey doll, its eyes closed in a happy smile, and he doubled over in peals of laughter. In explanation to Mike, he pointed weakly at the gaudy display sign hanging in front of the dolls.

Reiu grinned toothily up at his trainer, eyes fiery with warmth and relief. Whatever had troubled Grey, the boy had gotten over it - the Charmeleon could feel the difference.

"So..." Grey wheezed, straightening up and glancing around the mediocre-sized building. "where are the Pokéballs and such?"

[OOC - Poor naive Grey! ;D Never seen a Pokémart before~]

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- Yay! We just passed 1000 views! Thank you fans, near and far!!! *opens champagne bottle*]

BIC-

Mike moved deeper into the store until he reached the area in front of the counter. It was more spacious back there, so he'd have an easier time of showing Grey the layout of the store.
"Basically..." started Mike once he had gotten oriented, "... the layout of Pokémarts are pretty much the same all over. It makes it easier for traveling trainers to quickly drop into the store, pick out what they need and get going again." Mike took a few steps to his left and pointed down an isle.

"Here's where they keep all of the Pokéblock and other Pokémon foods. The left side of the isle has cans, but if you prefer, there are bags you can fill from the canisters on the right too." He made a quick 180 and pointed down the opposite isle, "There you'll find all kinds of equipment. Everything from leashes to brushes and such."

Mike continued around the store pointing out isle after isle, indicating where the toys, training utilities and all kinds of other stuff like scarves and evolution stones were. Eventually, he headed to the back of the store, to a large isle with freezers.
"This is where they keep the meds and such..." he explained while opening one of the doors to the freezers and picking up a couple of super potions, "I actually need a few of these myself! Not all of us have a super potion built in, hehe." Realizing that Grey would probably help Mike in times of need as well, he added "Anyway, even if you have that healing power, there might be times when we need a potion or two anyway... Like if you're worn out or something."

Mike now slowly walked over to the counter, careful not to drop any of his potions on the way. The clerk carefully placed them in a plastic bag and smiled.
"Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?" he asked in a mild tone.
"Yeah, I'll take a few Pokéballs... say... three," replied Mike and then leaned in on Grey, "Anyways Grey, all the Pokéballs are bought over the counter. Oh, and really expensive and strong meds too. They wouldn't want them to be misused, after all..."

The cashier bent down and grabbed three small red and white orbs from a Styrofoam holder under the counter and plopped them into the bag as well. Then he hit a few buttons on the cash register. It made a beep and displayed a rather pricey sum on it's display. Mike fiddled around in his jacket pockets, and eventually removed a small card from one of them. He showed it to the clerk who then immediately down-sized the bill to a much more bearable value. Mike payed the clerk the money and bowed his head, before turning to Grey.

"Ok, basically," said Mike to Grey and displayed the card. It was a bit smaller than a credit card and was pale blue with a light red cross on it. It also had picture of Mike and some information about him. "this card is a trainer's card you display at the Pokémart. It gives you a lot of rebates. Pokéballs are almost free, and all regular potions are free. I only payed for the difference between them, which isn't so much. You should ask the clerk for one too, buddy. They're free for anyone who can prove they're a trainer."

[OOC- Man, this took time... Well, I guess it took time mostly since I was chatting with two people at the same time as I was writing Sorry if the quality sucks.]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - *rubs bleary eyes* Getting up early on Christmas break....*strangles brother*]

BIC-

After a moment of tentative thought, Grey headed back to the freezers lining the back wall. The frigid air sent a shiver down his spine as he opened one of the doors, tugging it to overpower the suction that kept the glass door from swinging open of its own accord. Pika ruffled its fur, probably trying to fluff itself up against the blast of cold air, while the trainer plucked out two more super potions, along with several smaller vials that cured status effects.

Balancing his load precariously, Grey returned to the front counter, setting the frosty glass bottles on the counter one by one. After that he fingered his near-empty belt.

"And could I get...um...five Pokéballs?" he asked nervously, fumbling in his shoulder pack's front pocket for his Pokédex.

"Does this thing work for proving your a trainer?" he asked mostly to Mike, avoiding the cashier's eyes - his visible lack of knowledge about stores was embarrassing him now that the store clerk could see it.

"It does, young man. Just let me take a look-" Grey handed over the rectangular device. "- and then..."

The man flipped open the cover and tapped a few buttons until he nodded, evidently finding what he was looking for. Grey distinctly recalled when Nurse Joy had used his Pokédex to get his I.D. before she healed his Pokémon, and wondered if this was a similar case. No matter, the cashier handed back the red device and rummaged around underneath the counter.

Along with five new Pokéballs, the clerk handed Grey a card identical to Mike's aside from the bar code imprinted on the back. As the Pokémart owner added up his total, Grey rummaged around in one of the pack's side pockets, intent on finding his money stash. He produced a small metal container and unscrewed the lid, taking out a small folded bill.

"Is this good enough?" he asked uncertainly, showing the man the unwrinkled bill.

"More than enough," the clerk said wearily, taking the note and handing back several different bills, along with his purchases in a uniform plastic bag. "Have a nice day!"

Accompanying Mike out of the shop as he deftly attached his newly bought Pokéballs to his belt, Grey came to a conclusion.

"Before next time, maybe you should show me how much each dollar is worth?" he suggested, frowning at the substantially large collection of bills he had received in exchange for the one.

How much was that one worth, anyways? he wondered curiously, cramming the change into the metal container. Reiu sniffed the new Pokéballs as a matter of necessity, then watched as Grey set the chilled potions in his bag for safe-keeping. Pikachu was distracted by a new flock of school girls, and wiggled its long ears at them.

"I think Pika's a lady's man..." Grey grumbled, lifting the electrical mouse off his head and tossing it lightly to the ground.

"If you're going to do that, don't let them associate you with me." he said in a mock-warning voice, rolling his eyes as Pika smirked at him and bounded on ahead.

The two headed towards the dirt road that Brock had taken, leading Taylor that much closer to his first Pokémon. The gym leader had called for a rest around a mile down the road, giving Mike and Grey a fair hike before the caught up to the duo - not that they hadn't already grown accustomed to walking.

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- FInal post of the year, eh.... well, here goes!]

BIC-

As Mike and Grey was walking down the street towards the city's edge, Mike removed a small bundle of cash from his pockets and removed a few bills.
"Alright Grey, here," he handed Grey a few diffrent bills, all in diffrent colors, "Ok, that green one is worth one, the red is worth five, the blue is worth 10 and the gray one is worth 20." He took out a few more bills, "This yellow one is worth 50, and then there's the purple one, which is worth 100. I think those are the ones you should know about for now at least."

It was good that Brock and Taylor had decided to wait, for as soon as Mike and Grey had left the street, and the city behind, Mike had no idea where he was.
"Awww, I should have bought a map while we were at the store!" he exclaimed, slapping himself in the forhead, "Oh well. I'll do it when we get back then." He was just about to ask Grey for the Pokénav when suddenly, he noticed two shillouettes resting on a rock further down the road. Mike squinted to get a better look and soon deducted that it was the remaining half of their party.

Brock waved them over as soon as he had seen the two trainers and stood up, ready to once again be on the move.
"Hey guys!" he called out, waving to attract more atention. Mike waved back and went into a light jog, quite relieved that they weren't as lost as he thought they might be. Mike tended to get lost quite often, and even if it wasn't really scary for him, it was rather irritating and time-consuming.

As they approached the gym-leader and their younger friend, Mike finally slowed and sat down on the rock, next to the others. Almost immediately, Taylor stood up and looked off towards the mountains in the distance. He was eager to get going again, seeing as he was so close to accomplishing a dream. However it seemed as if accomplishing that goal was going to take some time anyway. First, the mountains were still a good hike away, and secondly, another figure was rapidly approaching the four from the city

It didn't take long for Taylor to recognize that the approaching figure was his brother, Aevin.
"Oh no..." he said, falling into a slightly depressed state, "This can't be good." Wondering what had changed Taylor's mood so abruptly, Mike turned around and faced the approaching figure, and sure enough; it was Taylor's brother, the same guy who had followed Grey earlier.

"What the?" asked Mike to himself in a slightly annoyed way, "What is he up to?"
"Can we just go?" pleaded Taylor, obviously wanting to avoid what seemed to be a confrontation that was going to hapen, whether he liked it or not.
"In a second, buddy..." said Mike distantly, keeping his eyes fixed on the approaching trainer.

Pretty muc as soon as Aevin was within an suffciant proximity from the others, words were being thrown at each other.
"What do you think you're up to?" demanded Mike.
"None of your buisness! I'm here to get my brother!" replied Aevin. Before long they were both bickering in an indistinguishale mass of words. The others attempted to calm the situation down, but to no effect. Finally, Taylor couldn't stand it any more and simply started marching back to his house with a sulky expression on his face. As usual, Aevin was going to win.

[OOC- Well, that's pretty much it for me! I gotta get up early since my dad is one of those people who needs to start the family road trip at 6am driving 120 mph See you next year FireFox! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - Might as well post in case I forget to before New Year. That, and I have nothing else to do... so I'm kinda in an RP-ing mood, you could say! *talks to self*]

BIC-

Desperate, Grey grabbed onto Taylor's collar, tugging him backwards towards the group. Aevin started slightly at this, then, flushing, turned to glare at the silver-haired trainer.

"Hey! I said I came to -"

Grey cut in, stepping forward to directly challenge the awkward teenager. No matter his personal issues, Grey wasn't about to let the golden-eyed kid ruin Taylor's important day. Grey knew how disappointing such a thing would be.

"Look! You wanted to battle me or Mike back then, didn't you? You've been watching us for awhile, right? Then, if I can beat you in a match, let Taylor come with us. He's been looking forward to this, and I think it's only right that he get his Sandshrew today." He argued, laying a restrictive hand on Taylor, a comical act, since the boy was barely shorter than him.

Aevin's face worked a moment, as if he was deciding whether to just retreat and maintain his shady image, or accept and get the battle that he'd been worrying over. Finally his hand rammed into his black coat pocket, withdrawing a worn, scratched Pokéball. It's red surface had a washed-out color, although it was nonetheless impressive.

"Fine..." he said coldly, trying not to look at his sibling's apprehensive face. Just because Aevin didn't want him to, he wasn't going to lose this opportunity. "A one-on-one duel, my Pokémon against your Charmeleon."

Grey cast a shamefaced glance back at Mike, trying to apologize for delaying them, then turned his eyes to Reiu. Their eyes seemed welded to each other for a few timeless seconds, then the fire-type grinned.

"Reiu, no sweat! We can do this." he said in a confident voice, trying to swallow his apprehension. All of their Pokémon had treated Aevin as a powerful opponent, and Grey could sense it too.

"Charrr-ME-leon!" Reiu returned, hiding its doubt from its courageous trainer.

Aevin chose not to remark, instead casting a fond gaze at his lone Pokéball before throwing the sphere into the air. In a solemn burst of white energy, a form that Grey recognized materialized.

"Hey, that's a Nidorino...but..." he paused, then glanced down for confirmation from Reiu. The Charmeleon nodded its horned head. "It's like Reiu. It's differently colored, isn't it?"

The fog-grey poison-type angled its ears towards the opposing Pokémon, calculating violet eyes trying to size up the intimidating Charmeleon. Neither of them was going to back down, and cobalt clashed with purple as the two locked gazes. The horned Nidorino matched Reiu's serious smirk, and Grey could almost see sparks shooting from their eyes.

"Aevin, please?" Taylor persisted pointlessly, paling at the sight of his brother's recently-evolved Pokémon.

The occasion had almost been a turning-point, with Aevin bounding through the house in temporary excitement, holding the heavy evolution in his arms. But Taylor had, perhaps, reacted wrong, asking if Aevin could take him to get his own Pokémon then. Future trainer or not, Taylor was still just a kid. The boy's uncongratulating manner had crushed his sibling's enthusiasm, and distanced the two brothers.

Aevin refused to meet his younger sibling's eyes, choosing to glare challengingly at Grey, trainers and Pokémon accepting each others determination.

"Feel free to start." Grey said calmly, his battle-adrenaline taking over. It was like the warm, hazy fog of norm had been plucked away and replaced with crystalline clearness.

Aevin flushed but didn't decline the invitation, instead bracing himself as if he was the one battling.

"Noir, Fury Attack!" he cried out, hands balling into fists that mimicked Grey's.

With that, the battle began.

[OOC - Um, small break for Brock, Taylor, and Mike to react, I guess? *didn't want a huge post*]

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- ...aaaaaand we're back! ;D Happy New Year, my friend! Time to get rollin' again! Gawd I missed the internet ]

BIC -

Mike was rather surprised when Grey stepped forward. Although Grey had changed a lot since they first met, Mike wouldn't have imagined that he'd be the one to settle this. Grey was really taking command of the situation. Mike took a step back, leaving Grey some space for his battle. He remained silent and just threw a few looks around; a look of assurance to Grey, a look of coldness to Aevin, and a look comfort to Taylor.

Brock took a few steps away from Grey and positioned himself next to Mike, keeping Taylor close by holding him in place with a firm hand on the shoulder.
"You know this isn't really the way to go," said Brock to Mike, speaking in a low voice as to not disturb, and potentially discourage Grey.
"I know, but this guy is a real jerk." replied Mike, deliberately raising his voice at the end of the sentence, "There's no diplomacy with him"

Brock's eyes focused on Taylor's older brother. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. He had enough siblings to tell that brotherly love is something very special. It's always special; something which stands strong. Aevin had it with his brother too. Brock could sense that on some level Aevin really did care for his brother. Irregardless of whether Brock sensed correctly or not, one thing was for sure; Aevin wasn't about to give him any proof. Brock wondered why.

Taylor was thinking about the same topic, but from a more negative standpoint. He really didn't think Aevin liked him for anything but being his personal whipping boy. He felt sad that he didn't really have a brother who cared for him. He tried to leave the area again, not keen on watching the actual battle, but Brock's hand kept him in place.

Aevin himself, was a wreck on the inside. He certainly didn't show it on the outside, but there were a lot of difficult thoughts running through his head. His primary concern was winning the battle. He was really quite worried about the white Charmeleon and whether his old friend could keep up.

However, a growing issue was still his relationship with Taylor. It was messing him up. He was totally confused by the whole situation. In one way he was jealous of his brother, but in another way, he felt superior to him and completely indifferent to what the little brat was doing. At the same time, the feeling of affection; the feeling he wanted to hide the most, was bubbling up and down in his stomach making him strangely nervous. He felt terribly nervous over the battle as well and prayed he'd pull through.

As the first attack was carried out between Grey and Aevin, the rest of the group stared on, waiting for a magnificent battle.

[OOC- Would've wanted to write more, but I gotsta get some sleep. *collapses like decked Kazan* I'll make up for it tomorrow!]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - lol, if Kazan got decked, Shiden got more-decked. ;D Been waiting for this post for-evar! *throws confetti into the air, then begins typing*]

BIC-

The Horn Attack was only a means of getting warmed up, as Reiu dodged agilely to the left and right to evade the Nidorino's thrusting movements. Every few swipes of its opponent's horn, the Charmeleon would backstep once to keep safe distance.

"Reiu, Slash!" Grey shouted sharply in between the opposition's attacks.

Reiu parried one of the jabs and took a swipe at the Nidorino, dubbed Nior apparently. The lizard's large claws grooved the Nidoran evolution, but nothing more, as it leaped backwards with agility that matched Reiu's own. The two paced around each other slowly, searching diligently for gaps in defense, as the trainers struggled to develop battle strategies.

"Nior, go underground for a Dig attack!" Aevin finally shouted, leaving Grey to hatch a defense maneuver.

Charmeleon kept its eyes on the battle, trusting its trainer to guide it past the potentially dangerous attack; the Nidorino was underground in an instant, dirt flying into the air as the poison-type burrowed under the soil.

"Reiu, Double Team then Dig!" Grey ordered calmly, eyes locked intently on his Pokémon.

"Chaaar!"

Obligingly, the fire-type closed its eyes, relaxing as its figure flickered and separated into two copies along with the real one. One of them began digging, diving quickly beneath the deceptive emerald grass.

The remaining Charmeleon stood ready to dodge, although the preparation wasn't good enough to get out of the way when Nior erupted from the conceiling ground. The hit Charmeleon dissolved on contact, leaving the Nidorino looking slightly thrown off by the remaining figure.

"Nidorino, it's a copy, Protect!" demanded Aevin in a flash, watching the Nidorino emerge itself in a blue-tinted barrier.

Grey stayed silent, readying himself to command Reiu when the two Pokémon were at a standstill once more. Reiu launched itself out of the earth in a shower of dirt, only to be deflected away by the bubble surrounding Nidorino.

At the same time, the Charmeleon's copy and the Nidorino's protection disappeared, leaving them squaring off once again. Aevin took the time to glare over at Grey, wanting the boy to reveal his weakness or lose his rhythm. The silver-haired trainer ignored the look, trying to decide the best offensive strategy for the swift Nidorino.

"Reiu, use a Fire Blast!" he called out.

In his mind, Grey sent a brief picture of where to aim its flames, keeping his plan secret from Aevin and the reflexive Nidorino. The Charmeleon's head cocked to one side as it interpreted the image, then a toothy grin lit up the fire-lizard's face.

After a deep inhale that puffed Reiu's chest out, the horned Pokémon expelled a stream of powerful fire, faltering only slightly when the Nidorino skirted out of the fire's range with ease.

"Hah, can't you even...tell..." Grey's opponent trailed off, watching weakly as Nidorino was caught in the brunt of the fire-based attack, enclosed temporarily in flames.

"Get out of there, Nior!" the raven-haired teenager shouted in a strained voice, rocking forward slightly in an urge to run to his friend's side.

Roaring in rage and pain, the large-eared Pokémon leaped backwards, away from the weakening inferno. The tongues of flame flickered about feebly for a few more moments, then died, leaving only charred grass.

Brock's eyebrows's lifted in surprise.

"He got the Charmeleon to use its Fire Blast attack into the hole it dug, expecting the Nidorino to jump back into the fire's range...he knows how to train Pokémon, doesn't he?" the Gym leader commented thoughtfully, reminded of his old friend, Ash, as well as the older boy standing beside him; all three were particularly gifted at connecting with their Pokémon.

"Nior?" Aevin asked tentatively, soft concern in his voice, despite his efforts.

"Niiiido." The poison-type whimpered, shaking its great head and shooting icy glares at Reiu.

Grey stood his ground for a moment longer then his eyes widened in pain. The previously serious trainer nearly lost his footing, and one hand went up to his forehead. Reiu didn't hesitate, instead turning its back on its opponent and tromping uneasily over to the boy.

"Charr!" it demanded, trying to shove Grey away from the Nidorino and its contagious pain.

"It's burned, don't you have a berry or something on you?" Grey asked, waving away his concerned Pokémon and looking at Aevin.

How was he supposed to battle when he couldn't keep himself conscious past the first critical attack? Grey cursed himself for his weakness, both physically and in controlling his abilities. The ache in his head didn't subside, however, instead strengthening with the added stress.

"Sorry..." he grumbled in general, speaking mostly to Reiu and Taylor.

The younger of the two brothers looked uncertainly at Mike, about to ask him if the special powers Grey had affected him, but was quickly hushed by Brock.

[OOC - You can pilot Aevin, Taylor, and Brock just as well as I, so have a go at it~ *doesn' feel like gargantuan posts*]

 

[daxx0r]

Aevin looked at Grey, sizing him up. There was something very different about him. Grey suddenly looked pale. What's with him? Is he sick or something? asked Aevin to himself as he took a few precautionary steps backwards. And why does he care if my Pokémon has a burn? We're battling! The confused trainer looked down at his Nidorino. Fact of the matter was, it did actually need some medicine, and he didn't have anything on him, including berries.

Nior was struggling against it's own weight. It's whole body was in pain because of the burn and Aevin could see it clearly. He was getting genuinely worried about his old friend, but he couldn't show it. At least not to these people. He couldn't show any weaknesses. And he had to prove to his brother that he was in charge, once and for all. He silently prayed that Nior would forgive him for making it fight to such an extent, and stepped back into the battle.

Even if Aevin hadn't, Mike had seen Grey like this before. It seemed as if every time he was around a wounded Pokémon, he turned pale and lost his footing. It was clear that he could feel what the Pokémon were feeling, and that was anything but advantageous in battle. Mike knew he needed to help somehow. After a few seconds of thinking, he removed his backpack and started digging around in it until he found a box with berries in it. He opened the half transparent plastic lid and fiddled around until he found a pecha berry. Mike put it in his lap and resealed the box. He left the box on the grass next to the backpack, thinking it was more important to to help out than it was to pack.

Maybe if I get this to the Nidorino, Grey'll get better as well... he thought to himself. Mike then stood up, grasping the bright red berry in his left hand and slugging it over to Aevin, who caught it in total surprise. What the?! he thought as he looked down at the berry resting in his palms. He stepped back from the battle again, now really confused. He couldn't quite decide what to do with the pecha berry. It certainly was strange to receive help from his opponents, and Aevin wondered what Mike's intentions were. Perhaps the berry was poisoned or something. Aevin quickly dismissed that idea though, and being left with only a question mark in his mind he did the only thing he could do; he told Nior to eat it.

Brock and Taylor were also completely taken aback by Mike's sudden action. Taylor seemed completely dumbstruck by the event, but Brock soon got an idea of what was going on. After all, Brock had been present during the attack on the museum earlier in the day and he had witnessed the same "sickness" in Grey then too. Even if it was hard to grasp the concept that Grey could actually feel the pain the Pokémon were feeling, Brock realized that it had to be answer to both Grey's weakened state and Mike's actions.
It must be tough to live like that thought Brock gloomily as he looked at the struggling trainer.

The Nidorino looked at Aevin. It too was uncertain as to whether or not it should eat the berry, but after some time it decided to obey it's trainer anyway. Aevin probably knew what he was doing. After a few moments, Nior began feeling the pain dissapear from it's body. The burning sensation that had scorched it's body was gently flickering away, and soon the Nidorino returned to a normal, albeit exhausted state.

Mike looked at Grey, hoping for signs of improvement. The effects of the berry seemed slightly delayed but soon the color returned to Grey's face as well. Mike smiled to himself and turned back to the others, giving them a thumbs up and whispering "I think he'll be ok now!"
Aevin however, was in utter shock. What was up with this kid? Suddenly he was feeling better, just as Nior was feeling better? Aevin didn't really feel like battling anymore. He felt a wave of intrigue, fear and uncertainty wash over him, flooding him with emotions and questions of all kinds. Who was Grey, anyway?

[OOC- Thought you might want to steer it on from here. Didn't know where to go from here. Also, the post seemed kinda crummy, so I thought it best to cut it short :-\]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - Nevah~ Your posts are always filled with goodness~]

BIC-

Grey's hand slowly left his hairline, as a layer of fatigue replaced the aches that represented the Niodrino's pain. Cured, he cast a grateful, albeit miserable, look over to his best friend, then set his sights unwillingly on Aevin. The hawk-eyes boy had a bewildered frown on his face, accompanied by furrowed eyebrows. The trainer wasn't dumb, and eventually put the two ideas together.

"What the hell? It's like you...and Nior...felt the same thing. Is it some sort of pity act, or what?" Aevin snapped, eyes shifting amongst Grey's friends.

"N-no...I just...um...felt bad for Nior." Grey stuttered, turning a fierce shade of red.

The suspicion that had hit Aevin in full force previously was returning, and the older sibling recalled Grey's eerie knowledge of his training. Now the kid was reacting based on Nior's emotions...like some sort of telepath-empath mixture.

"Whatever. I don't have time to mess with weirdos like you anyways...later." Aevin said in a believably dismissive voice - inside, he cursed violently at the failed plan at retrieving Taylor.

The black-coated trainer wheeled around, but was stopped by Taylor's hand tugging on the coattail.

"Thanks...maybe you'll help me train sometime, if you want," the boy said appreciatively, his smile not flickering when Aevin pulled away and strode away, moving faster this time.

Why can't I do anything? Grey asked himself, remembering that before, he had been able to at least battle Pokémon. Why couldn't he now? Was he getting weaker, too overconfident?

"I'm sorry Taylor...I was hoping to get him to admit that he liked you. I thought it'd help..." Grey muttered, resting his hands gently on Reiu's scaly white skin.

The healing flames flickered reverently around the lizard-like Pokémon, taking the Charmeleon's pain and injuries with it as it disappeared into the air. Taylor watched with bated breath, an amazed grin stretched across his features.

"I know. But I think that maybe I wasn't helping by accepting his attitude. I bet if I show that I want to be around him, maybe he'll act like he did before!" Taylor said, earning him a thankful glance from the silver-haired teenager. "And, anyways, I think that your abilities are incredible! You help Pokémon all the time, and even though your powers make training difficult for you, you do it anyways!"

Grey flushed again, and distracted himself by kneeling beside Mike's backpack and resettling the older boy's berry-container inside the sack. Hefting it as he took to his feet, and handing the backpack over to its owner, Grey turned to Brock.

"So, are we going to catch ourselves a Sandshrew before the day is out?" he inquired, smiling evasively.

Weird... Brock thought even as he nodded. Had Grey known that the spiky-haired Gym leader had been about to ask Grey a few questions about the nature of his gift? After all, such powers could be a marvelous addition, or a dangerous burden. Maybe if Grey had training from telekinetics in Saffron...

He would hate that, he pointed out to himself, leading the trio into rugged mountainous grounds. After all, he wants to be a Pokémon trainer, and training for powers like the ones he's developing would take years.

Brock pushed the entire affair from his mind and turned about to face the three boys behind him. Taylor looked like he was about to explode from cheer and excitement, Mike looked all-too-knowing about the things Brock was thinking, and Grey looked merely despondant, watching his feet and sighing occasionally.

"Hey, c'mon Mike, Grey! You guys need to see this, too!"

With that, the brown-eyed trainer guided them quietly up to the crest of the current rock-pile they had been scaling.

"Oh, awesome!" Taylor breathed.

Stretched out below them, wispy grasslands waved peacefully in the breeze. Tall stalks of untamed grass bent until they were nearly touching the ground each time the winds picked up. And, littering the secluded prairie, small circular holes speckled the dirt. Wild Sandshrew scampered around, chatting amiably with each other, bobbing their pointed, plated heads at one another. Several young ones rolled around like balls, and others played a game recognizable as a Pokémon-version of tag. Only a few looked less than carefree, with sharp, pointed ears twitching to adjust to the breeze.

"How...tranquil.." whispered Grey, taken away by the colony's content existence.

"Doesn't mean they're not fiery when the need arises. You should have seen them when I caught one to replace one of my older Pokémon." Brock inserted, shaking his head. "They're strong, too. One would make a perfect Pokémon for a trainer."

:Hope you don't mind me catching one if the chance comes up." Grey commented, eyes watching several adolescent Sandshrew tackle each other in the waving grass.

Taylor was all grins. Grey doubted that the boy had heard anything since he'd started watching them. A true fanatic.

[OOC - Sorreh for short post. *dips head* Wanted you to get a reaction in for Mike. ]

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- Sorry for the lateness of the post... was away all day :-\]

BIC-

It sure is beautiful... thought Mike distantly as he gazed over the landscape. As the wind blew in over the grass before them it seemed almost like they were a vast, green ocean. As the wind passed through the grass, it bend in just the right way for the sunlight to reflect off of it and create a wave-effect across the plane.

Mike took a deep breath. His nostrils filled with the essence of summer. He loved the that smell; for some reason it just made him happy. He looked down at Charmeleon, who, upon observing Mike, also took a deep breath. It looked out over the grassy field as well, before retuning it's gaze to Mike, now smiling like it's trainer. Mike put the palm of his hand on Charmeleon's head and sighed contently.

As he looked out over the Sandshrew scurrying about, Mike seemed to forget about all about the problems they had had during the day; with Team Rocket and Aevin. The Sandshrew didn't seem to be letting anything keep their moods down, so why should he?

He crouched down to be a bit more hidden from the Sandshrew and then approached them a bit closer. He waved Taylor over.
"Hey, Tails," he said in a low voice as Taylor crept up to him, "Do you see any particular one that catches your eye?" Taylor remained quiet for a few moments, obviously trying to decide which Sandshrew he liked.

As he was thinking, the others crept closer as well, settling into the tall grass, crouching so that their heads just popped up over the surface of the emerald sea.

"Errr, how about... that one right there?" said Taylor after a while and pointed towards a closeby Sandshrew. It was a slight bit smaller than average but it also seemed a bit more active and curious than the others.
"Cool, that one digging in the dirt?" asked Mike just to have it confirmed. Taylor nodded and looked towards Grey and Brock.
"What do you think guys?" he asked cautiously.

Brock took a good look at the Sandshrew and then turned to Taylor.
"Well, I can't really see why not." he said cheerfully, "It seems quite healthy actually."
"Do you think so?" asked Taylor, almost bubbling over with excitement and suspense.
"Yes, it's got a good healthy color to it's skin and seems very active. Then again, the others don't look too bad either, but sure - go for it!" replied Brock. He took out a small pair of binoculars from his jacket pocket and took a closer look.
"It's a bit small though," he added, "but that might just give it some uniqueness." He chuckled and turned back to Taylor, lifting his eyes away from the binoculars.
"Oh and by the way, I'd be happy to give you some tips on raising it; you know - what food to give it and so forth..."

Mike suddenly turned away from the Sandshrew.. He sniffed the air slightly. Hmmm... he thought.
"Guys..." he said in a low voice. The others weren't really listening. For a minute he remained silent but then spoke again, "Guys."
This time, the others turned to face him.
"What's up?" asked Brock, who had started raving about his special blend of Sandshrew food, and was now slightly annoyed that he was being interrupted.
"Do you... do you smell something burning?" asked Mike.

Brock's, and every one else's expressions turned into pure surprise, but after sniffing the air themselves, they nodded to Mike.
"Yeah, there is something burning..." answered Brock. Mike suddenly twirled around and looked at Charmeleon. It's tail was in the tall grass and there was smoke coming from it.

"Charmeleon! Watch the tail!" blurted Mike, a little too loud. The Sandshrew had now all stopped and were looking straight at them. Also, Mike's warning startled Charmeleon so it spun around trying to dodge the grass, but ultimately set more of it on fire.

"Wah!" exclaimed Mike, who threw himself away from his hiding place and into a big group of Sandshrew , "Charmeleon, get away from the grass!" Once the initial shock of having caused a forest fire had subsided, Mike acted quickly and unclipped his Squirtle's pokéball.
"Squirtle, go!" he yelled, "Use watergun on the fire!" The Squirtle jumped into action, trying to put out the flames.

Mike now spun around again, this time to see the Sandshrew fleeing from the scene, some burrowing under ground and some dashing away. The one Taylor had picked was scurrying away like no tomorrow. Mike turned back to Taylor, Grey and Brock.
"You guys better go and catch that Sandshrew! I'll handle things with the fire!" he yelled, while waving them off towards the Sandshrew.
Well, this sure didn't turn out well... he thought with embarrassment as he turned back to Squirtle.

[OOC- I autoed Grey just a little, but I assume you don't mind me moving him around a bit ]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - All this RPing, and ja' think I'd mind ssuch slight auto-ing? Silly daxx0r~]

BIC-

"Pika!" Grey called instantly, and instinctively.

The small Pikachu leaped without hesitation from it's owner's shoulder, sinking its teeth and claws into Taylor's prospective Sandshrew. The plated Pokémon squalled, and launched itself out of the hole in an instant, ready to fight - but Pika wasn't there.

"San?"

"Reiu, make sure it doesn't get into one of those holes!" Grey said quickly, catching the Pikachu as it returned dutifully to him.

The fire-type watched its tail flame as it stood in front of the short Sandshrew, careful not to set more of the rippling grass on fire. Taylor stood anxiously behind the Charmeleon, shifting his gaze between Grey and the prospective Pokémon.

"Can it catch it if it runs?" he asked uncertainly, eyes round and nervous.

Grey almost didn't answer him, then recalled that this was Taylor's battle.

"It depends on how you can command - Reiu, listen to Taylor on this one!" Grey said, nodding at the raven-haired boy.

Taylor flushed and took a step back, not willing to take such an important position. But I hafta! If I don't, how can I train any Pokémon? he lectured himself, trembling as he accepted Grey's open Pokédex. A decent-length list of available commands stretched out on the screen before him, and Taylor nearly couldn't choose one.

"Um..."

"Remember - Pokémon are only as confident as you are!" Grey tried to say reassuringly, but at the same time getting Taylor to make a firm decision.

"Use Fire Spin, Reiu." Taylor said, not sounding positive, but at least sticking with the choice.

Nodding at the short boy, Reiu expelled a rope-like stream of flames, letting them coil around the young Sandshrew and immobilize it. Grey sighed in joint relief. One, Taylor had chosen a good move for weakening the ground-type; two, he wasn't keeling over in pain.

Brock trusted Grey to help out Taylor - he was busy taking note of Mike's Charmeleon and Squirtle.

"Mike? You don't happen to have a Bulbasaur, too, do you?" he asked thoughtfully, thinking of how lucky a trainer had to be to catch all three of the basic Kanto starters.

[OOC - As a retribution for this post, the next one I do will be nice and purtifully detailed! :-\]

 

[daxx0r]

"Squirtle, keep going!" said Mike and turned to Brock, "Well, Brock, as a matter of fact, I do." He unclipped another pokéball and tossed it into the grass next to him. It bounced off the ground, levitated in the air for a moment as it opened and released Mike's green friend, and then finally flew back to his hand.

As he was putting away the pokéball, Mike's Bulbasaur materialized and stretched a bit before turning towards it's trainer.
"Hey Bulb'. Say hi to Brock," said Mike in a friendly way, before turning back momentarily to check on Squirtle.
"Bulbasaur!" greeted the grass-type happily and smiled. Brock crouched down to Bulbasaur's level and petted it on the head.
"Hello Bulbasaur," said Brock before standing back up again, "You're very lucky, Mike."
"How so?" asked Mike as he once more turned away from the Squirtle to face Brock, "Oh and you can go have fun in the grass, Bulbasaur; just stay away from that fire, ok?"

The grass-type dashed away, leaving Brock and Mike alone.
"Well, it's not often you see a trainer with all three starters!" exclaimed Brock, "How did you ever get them?" Mike blushed slightly. He'd never thought of it as a particularly big deal, but as he thought more about it, it became quite apparent that it was. Those Pokémon weren't particularly common, after all.
"Heh, I guess you might say I was lucky." he said with a smile.
"Hmm? You must have been very lucky, my friend." replied Brock.

Even if he didn't say it straight out, it was quite clear that Brock was waiting to hear more about this.
"Well, not really lucky maybe..." continued Mike, "Charmeleon was my starter, so it's always been there... And I found Squirtle abandoned by it's trainer over by Cerulean City... As for Bulbasaur - well, there you might just say I was lucky. It jumped out in front of me; just before I met Grey, actually."

Brock sat quietly for a few moments and then replied.
"Heh, all you guys do is make me think of Ash... He had all three as well."
"Yeah, I've seen them on tv," replied Mike. Then they both fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

Though Mike was thinking brightly of his future and what he could achieve, just like his idol; Brock's thoughts were more gloomy. Fact of the matter was, Brock missed his days with Ash - being out on the road and seeing the world, sharing good times with his friends. Oh well, I guess those days are over... At least for right now. he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Taylor was struggling with his battle. Trying to keep up with the Sandshrew, make quick decisions, and keeping track of the attack list on the Pokédex was proving harder than it seemed.
"Errr.... how about a tackle-attack!" tried Taylor, attempting to sound as confident as he could. Reiu hesitated momentarily, but did as it was told. The Sandshrew was too slow; it didn't manage to get out of the way in time, since it was still coiled up. The white Charmeleon smashed into the hard body, projecting it into the air. It flew several feet before hitting the ground and sliding to a full stop.

Now however, it was quick to react and immediately launched into a sand attack. It kicked up dirt from the ground, making it impossible to see. As the clouds of sand eventually settled, Taylor was looking at absolutely nothing. The Sandshrew had just disappeared.
"Wha...?" managed Grey. Both Brock and Mike turned to see what was going on. Since they were on higher ground than Taylor, and thus had a better view of the area, they soon saw what had happened. There was a hole in the ground.

"Watch out, Taylor!" cautioned Brock, "That's one smart Sandshrew. It used sand to hide what it was really up to; 'dig'!"
"Taylor, it can come up anywhere around Reiu for an attack, so be prepared!" added Mike, while looking excitedly towards the ground, as if trying to see through it to spot the Sandshrew.

All eyes were focused on the ground under Reiu, when suddenly, dirt splattered up from behind Mike, where Squirtle had just finished putting out the fire. The Sandshrew had flanked them, and taken them all completely by surprise. It now went into a defense curl and started rolling down the slight incline separating Mike and Brock's standing place from the plane, where Reiu was.
"Watch out!" yelled Brock, "It's a makeshift roll-out attack!"

[OOC- Heh, I was halfway through the post when I completely forgot about Taylor's battle, so sorry for the abrupt end to Brock's inner thoughts]

 

[LaenVulpix]

"It's a wha?" Taylor asked in absolute confusion. The attack wasn't on Reiu's list of attacks, and he'd never heard of it, either - Brock's use of it in Grey's gym battle had fled the boy's mind.

"It gets more powerful the longer it continues, and Reiu's weak against it!" Grey said, flustered, he was concerned about the fire-type's well-being.

"W-well Reiu Toxic!" Taylor stuttered, throwing out the first command he saw.

Grey had a second to grimace before the Charmeleon spat a powerful stream of poison at its opponent. The poisonous liquid deflected off of the Sandshrew's tough, spinning hide, and caught the fire-type in the eye. Right after that, the dusty brown Pokémon hit the fire-type in its midsection, knocking it backwards.

"Grey, what do I do?!" Taylor cried out, watching Charmeleon blink in a perplexed way. Neither the toxin nor the powerful attack had hurt more than a bit - its eye itched and it felt like it had a stomach ache.

"Grey?"

Grey didn't respond; from the second after Sandshrew had bounced the toxic attack back at the fire-type, his eyes had seemed to catch on fire. It left him breathless, not a good thing when he felt as if he'd been sucker-punched in the stomach a few seconds later. He distinctly felt his legs buckle and hit the grass-blanketed ground with a delicate whoomph. His eye felt like someone was had poured potent lemon juice in it, then poked it for good measure, and his stomach almost paralyzed him in pain.

"Char!" Reiu cried out, catching sight of his keeled-over trainer, now on all fours and gasping for breath.

Taylor had went pale, forgetting the still-rolling Sandshrew to run over to his friend. The silver-haired boy was finding it exceedling more difficult to breath, like something was constricting his chest. Poison? He asked himself distantly, feeling Taylor try to help him up.

"Mike, Brock! Something happened!" Taylor said obviously, trying to tug an unresponsive Grey to his feet.

The Sandshrew wheeled around and came back for another attack, gathering speed and launching itself at Reiu's prone backside when -

"Geodude!"

A pair of powerful rock arms caught the airborne Sandshrew, and pitched it forcefully away from the distracted Charmeleon. The Sandshrew unfurled and caught itself to land, arms spread wide to take any assaults, but the Geodude remained stolid, only defending the collection of trainers and Pokémon.

"Good catch, Geodude." Brock said breathlessly, skidding down the steep earthen slope with practiced caution. He held a worn old Pokéball in one hand, and took matters into his own hands.

"Mike, you know Grey, help him - Taylor, give him some room. Geodude, Hidden Power!" he said in rapid succession, turning to his loyal Pokémon to give the order.

"'dude...Geooo!" the boulder-resembling Pokémon roared, and it's eyes glowed a luminous blue. It locked its hands together over its head, then slammed them into the ground.

The rumbling emanating from the Geodude's grey hands grew, and without warning, the ground underneath the clever Sandshrew split apart. As the lower-leveled Pokémon dived to one side frantically, a large boulder tore itself out of the ground and hurled itself at the ground-type, knocking the weakened Sandshrew several feet backwards. It hit the ground on its back, and struggled to its feet, swaying. Geodude's eyes faded back to their normal shade of black.

"Catch it." Brock said as he handed one of his own Pokéballs to Taylor, checking the Sandshrew's barely-visible health bar with his own Pokédex.

Taylor took the spherical ball in clumsy fingers, and walked tentatively up to the semi-conscious Pokémon. The foggy-brown Sandshrew attempted to swipe at him, only to fall over weakly in the rolling, lush grass. The golden-eyed boy didn't throw the Pokéball so much as drop it on the scaled ground-type's head.

The ball popped open with a whirring sound, and the weakened Sandshrew was surrounded by, then changed into, flowing red data. The bright red light receded back into its container, then landed dimly on the soft turf. The mechanical device shook hopefully two times in quick succession, then fell still, rolling onto its side. The sun's bright rays reflected off the shiny new surface, lighting up Taylor's near-unbelieving smile.

[OOC - I have ta go cook edibles!]

 

[daxx0r]

Mike scrambled over to Grey's side, slipping with every other step he took on the grass. He fell to his knees and shook Grey, panicked and completely clueless as to what he was supposed to do. After all, even if he did know Grey better than the others, he still didn't know too much about Grey's powers. One thing was for sure though; this kind of thing never happened before while battling. It was as if whatever was happening to him got worse with every battle he did.

"Grey! Grey, can you hear me?!" shouted Mike, still shaking his friend. Grey moaned almost inaudibly in reply, his hands gripping the dirt so hard his fingers were turning white. Then suddenly he let go and became completely unresponsive. Mike was afraid now; very afraid.
"GUYS!" he cried, making Brock and Taylor rush over.

Not having time to think or consult the others, Mike acted purely on instinct. He pushed back the two others whom he had just called over, and flipped Grey over on his back. He put his ear in front of Grey's mouth, trying to listen for breathing. He couldn't hear anything or feel the breath against his skin.

He looked momentarily over at Brock and Taylor.
"Nothing," he said before turning back, tears almost trickling down his cheeks. Brock lifted Grey's hand and checked for a pulse.
"He still has a pulse, Mike!" exclaimed Brock. Feeling a bit better, but still in complete dismay, Mike gave Grey a few rescue breaths, hoping it would help.

Mike listened again for Grey's breath, and this time, although very slight, he did feel it.
"He's breathing!" sighed Mike in relief.
"That's good, but he's still not ok... We need to take him to the hospital." said Brock. It was true of course; if Grey didn't get any better soon, he'd be in big trouble. It wasn't worth the risk to just wait and see if he woke up.

"Bulbasaur!" yelled Mike. The green Pokémon soon appeared, waiting for orders patiently. It's usual joyful nature was gone now, replaced with discipline, ready to help.
"Ok, buddy, where' going to have to carry Grey back, but we should keep him horizontal," explained Mike, trying to remember what he could from a first-aid class he had taken some years earlier, "I need you to keep his back straight as we carry him, ok?"

Mike grabbed Grey's shoulders, holding them slightly elevated and supporting Grey's head on his chest. He beckoned fro Brock to come and grab Grey's legs.
"Ok Bulbasaur, slide your vinewhip under Grey and hold him steady as we lift!" The Bulbasaur did as it was told, extending it's long vines and gently placing them under Grey. Together on the count of three, they all lifted.

Taylor was feeling really guilty, and was standing next to them, teary-eyed. He looked down at his Pokéball and sniffled a bit.
"I... it's my fault..." he said quietly to himself. Mike turned his head to the boy and looked at him sternly.
"Hey, you didn't do anything! How can you possibly think this was your fault?" he demanded. Taylor looked at him quickly, before returning his eyes to the ball.
"I'm a bad trainer. I'm not a trainer. I shouldn't have been battling with Reiu," sobbed Taylor, "That's why it got hurt... and that's why.... that's why Mr. Grey is like that."

Mike looked at him kindly, forcing a smile despite his worried for Grey.
"Taylor, everyone gets hit sooner or later... You didn't do anything wrong. In fact- you were doing really well!" said Mike, trying to comfort the boy. He wanted to give him a consoling hug, but because Mike was carrying Grey, Taylor had to deal with this by himself for a bit longer.

[OOC- Heh.. I guess I didn't really think things through here. I mean, with Grey being unconscious *has Deja Vu of Mystery Dungeon RP* Well, I guess you could either have Grey dream a bit or simply wake him up ]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - All my characters enjoy passing out. *pokes Shiden and prods Grey* *is electrocuted and brick'd* x.x]

BIC-

Grey watched wordlessly from his position, hidden amongst the flowering branches of a tree. Several children, engaged in an original game, passed beneath his perch several times, delighted expressions shining on their faces as they chased each other around the vibrant-green fields. The boy's unkempt silver hair hung loosely to his shoulders, and partially hid the child's smudgy face. Twin tear-trails traveled partially down his face before disappearing where he had wiped them away. Grey's pale fingers gripped the boughs that supported him, fingernails digging into the bark until his hand trembled.

He hated them, and at the same time he envied them with a deep vehemence. His deep blue eyes studied each of them in turn, pinning every one with something they had done to earn his distaste. That girl had shoved him in the dirt when he had tried to talk to her, and that boy had run away from him in mock-fear and disdain. The homeless, friendless boy, that was him. He had simply showed up without warning one day, sporting a fresh wound and an innocent look.

Plus, of course, that strange, eerie ability to heal things. The first time had been when a toddler Grey's age had found a broken-winged Pidgey at the base of an oak tree, and was carrying it around for all to see. The silent, submissive boy had nearly snatched the pained flying-type from his hands, and proceeded to mend the unnatural break. Grey remembered his satisfied smile. One that had turned into a confused frown when the congregation of kids had dispersed instantly, every boy and girl running to their individual homes. But Grey? He had no home to return to, and was thus left alone in the middle of a deserted road. With a Pokémon cupped in his palms.

It was nearly dusk when the playing kids had finally said their good-byes and wandered off about their personal businesses. Nobody saw the shaggy-haired boy climb slowly down from his roost, landing gently on the emerald canvas of grass. Nobody cared - except for the Pidgey he had once helped, swooping cheerily overhead, and offering him a bit of song to help him on his way. Or the Poliwag he had guided back to the local stream, splashing enthusiastically beside him as he traveled the riverbanks aimlessly. They were his only friends, and his only family.

And it wasn't good enough! The Pokémon world was unique and interesting...but why couldn't he be normal sometimes? Would it be too much to have a mother to reassure him, to wrap her arms around him and soothe him when he was feeling alone? Or a brother to go adventuring with, and with to share memories?
A Noctowl hooted overhead, and it seemed to echo in Grey's aching heart. Noo...Noooo...

[...]

Grey winced, unable to draw a free breath. His chest felt flooded, and he couldn't even cough to get whatever it was, out. Panicking and still lost in old, best-forgotten memories, the silver-haired boy lashed out, fist nearly colliding with Mike's temple.

"I...toxic!.." he wheezed, fighting for oxygen...struggling for it. His vision was fading to grey pools before his chest allowed a wrenching breath. Then it was back to fighting wistfully against the toxins oozing through his body.

He felt his limbs going numb, falling limp at his sides without his consent. It was then that he remembered who, where, and with whom he was. A Bulbasaur's thick vines were securing his horizontal postion, despite the fact that he was in mid-air.

"Mike! The attacks that Sandshrew hit Reiu with, I took them! That's why Reiu's fine - I absorbed the toxins and the Rollout!...I..."

He sent the powerful telepathic message to his best friend, but even the ability to think straight disappeared with lack of oxygen. He left everything up to Mike, and succumbed, however unwillingly, to the inky blackness once more.

 

[daxx0r]

Mike almost lost his grip on Grey's shoulders as the younger trainer struggled, before yet again fading away. Suddenly Mike knew what had happened to Grey. He didn't know how or why, bu he knew exactly what had happened. Grey had been poisoned. He stopped dead.

"What's wrong?" asked Brock worriedly.
"He's been poisoned. Badly I think." came the reply. Brock shook his head, slightly confused about the statement.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"I just know..." answered Mike distantly, "Look, I don't think he'll make it to the hospital at this speed... Let's put him down for a while"

Carefully, Brock, Mike and Bulbasaur put Grey back on the ground. Taylor stepped back a few feet to give them some space while they figured out what to do next.
"Ok, we need to move faster." said Mike, "But we can't carry him any faster than this. Taylor!" Hearing his name called out made Taylor immediately rush over to Mike's side.
"I need you to go back alone and get to the hospital. Tell them to bring an ambulance here! Meanwhile, me and Brock will try to get him closer to the road and treat him as best we can." Mike searched for the landscape for the road they had followed to the grassy plains. It was quite a bit away, but there was nothing to do about it.
Mike turned back to Taylor, who was scared after being given such an important task. There was no room for failure. He nodded reluctantly at the trainer.
"Go then!" commanded Mike, at which point Taylor turned and ran back to the city.

"Brock." said Mike after seeing Taylor disappear behind some trees. He pulled out an antidote from his backpack. "Brock, do you think this'll work on humans?" The gym leader shook his head.
"I really don't know" replied Brock, "It shouldn't have any negative effects at least, but it's not made for humans so I don't know if it'll help at all..." Brock took the bottle from Mike's hand and looked at the label slightly. Than he lifted up Grey's shirt and sprayed some of it on his chest.
"This antidote is applied to the skin. It's supposed to seep into the body and eliminate the venom as it's going," explained Brock.

In the background, watching the procedure, was Charmeleon, Reiu, Bulbasaur and Squirtle. The white Charmeleon's tail was hanging low and the tail flame was smaller than usual. Reiu felt horrible for it's trainer; blaming itself for what had happened. The other Pokémon were trying to comfort the white lizard, even if it seemed like a rather difficult task.

Meanwhile, Taylor was already closing in on the city. The sweat was soaking his shirt and he was completely out of breath, but he kept running all the same. Suddenly, before him, a motorcycle approached. As it got closer, Taylor could clearly see the word "police" printed on the front of the sidecar. Taylor waved his arms madly, trying to catch the driver's attention.

The motorcycle slowed to a stop next to the young boy and out climbed Officer Jenny.
"What's wrong?" she asked before suddenly frowning, "Hey, I saw you from back at the museum- you were with Brock, Grey and Mike! Where are they, I told them I needed to question them about a few things!" Taylor wheezed trying to get enough air to talk.
"We're... Jenny... Grey's been poisoned!" he eventually managed, "Need... an ambulance... hospital..."
"Oh no! I'll get an ambulance out here stat!" she cried before leaning over to her bike and hailing the hospital with the police radio.

Mike and Brock however, were not making as much progress. They had continued trying to carry Grey down to the road, but it was taking a lot of time. They had to stop frequently because Grey's breathing became so weak they regularly had to check if it was there at all. The antidote didn't seem to be working either.
"Brock, do you think he'll be alright?" asked Mike nervously. He was afraid of the answer he might get.
"He'll be fine... you'll see" replied Brock, though it was obvious that he was as worried as Mike was, "The antidote might be taking some time to kick in as well... Once it gets going, it'll do wonders."

[OOC- Since I'm posting here first, I might as well answer your autoing question from MD - Of course I don't mind silly! ;D]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - Another post of wandering in Grey's early memories...wee!]

BIC-

This time, Grey stood taller, and carried a more refined air about himself. Gone were the days of crying mournfully in treetops while kids played down below - he had pinched off that bit of wearisome sadness a few years back. His hair had been cut by one or another of the caring motherly-figures around Pallet, hanging barely to his ears now. The boy, almost in his preteens, gazed deeply into the river that held quite a few of his friends, submerged in his own thoughts. The clean, fresh water mirrored itself in his own shimmering faded-blue eyes, until a small ripple of water disrupted the surface. Several tiny bubbles gurgled to greet the world above, and Grey's eyes flicked immediately to the small disturbance - whatever his train of thought had been locked on, the links were broken now.

"Squee, that you?" he asked considerately, knowing the answer.

A small, pale-blue head popped cheerily out of the water, along with a pair of carefree jade eyes.

"Squir, squirtle! Squirt squirt!" the rare Pokémon said with reverence, paddling lazily in the gentle current as it greeted the boy.

Squee had been rescued only a month ago, when it had been found weak and drenched in oil. Grey had worked diligently to cleanse the slick liquid from the water-type's body, and release it into a nearby stream, where it would be safe from similar chemical spills. This wasn't the first time he'd seen it since then - almost all of his rescued Pokémon found it necessary to greet him daily.

Distant, but close enough to draw Grey's attention momentarily away from one of his wards, several children's voices cut through the natural peace that eddied around Grey as if he was part of it. Squee gave him one last thoughtful smile before disappearing into the river's protection, and Grey was left with nothing to prevent him from listening to the kids' conversation - one that had shifted gears upon seeing the silver-haired figure seated casually on the riverbank. Grey schooled himself - you had to have a legal guardian to attend the public school, after all - and thus the chasm between himself and normal youths grew wider.

"...but then he talks to the water and trees and stuff. I asked my sister to ignore him 'cause he's scary and a freak, but she just told me to shoosh. She thinks she's cool just 'cause she's sixteen now!" an auburn-haired girl commented, her voice straying perfectly far enough to let Grey know she wanted him to hear it.

One of the boys, this one with bowl-cut hair the shade of bark, shrugged in response. "My mum says I don't hafta go around him, but he's awful useful when it comes to shipping stuff to Viridian. He's been there lotsa times, 'cause he was raised by Pokémon. That's why he can...you know...heal them."

A brief hush fell over the gaggle of kids, then conversation resumed in the general manner.

Grey found his hands clenched impossibly tight, and forced them to relax. The insults and remarks hadn't changed much with time, but they never failed to throw off his tranquil sense of well-being. His far-away gaze watched his own reflection in the crystalline water, never faltering as the image rippled and wavered along with the lackadaisical current.

After a minute or two, his not-peers as disappeared along with their troublesome voices, and his line of sight trailed away from the fluid as it flowed by. Pallet Town water was commonplace in markets, and a popular brand - the country town was adamant about maintaining a clean, wholesome community and all...

Grey sighed and altered his gaze to study his hands. Farmer's gloves them up completely all the way to his wrists, where he had folded them down to fit, but he wasn't thinking about the physical quality of them anyhow. He turned them palm-up, and observed them that way with the same dreamy look before shaking his head and sighing loudly. Of course he didn't look or feel any different from anyone else, but it didn't matter, did it? He was still alone, and it would always be that way. Sometimes he wished that he was a Pokémon. They understood him so much more than anyone here - perhaps being brought up in a tight-knit community had made them reject anything new. The mere idea of leaving Pallet Town was seldom talked about, and even more rarely considered.

Watch me... Grey thought dismally, waiting for Squee, or perhaps a Magikarp, to float to the river's surface. I'm going to get out of here and become someone important someday...then they'll know they were wrong.

Grey put his head in his hands, fingers lacing through his untidy silver hair.

[OOC- No waking up this time! *dun-dun-duuuuun* :-X Liek ZOMG1!!1!!!1!!]

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- Oh that brave, brave Grey! You show them! You show them all and reach for your dreams! *gets inspired*]

BIC-

Taylor scanned the surroundings, looking for the soon expected ambulance. He was relieved not to have had to run all the way into town. It would have taken a lot longer, and he wasn't sure if he'd make it all the way, considering how tired he was from the distance that he had run. He suddenly caught the glimpse of something that was rapidly approaching. A truck was speeding towards them, whipping up a huge dust cloud on the horizon. It was the ambulance!

As it approached Jenny and Taylor, it slowed to a stop. One of the ambulances drivers, dressed in a mint green colored uniform, rolled down the window and stuck his head out.
"Hey, are you the one who placed the call?" he asked, shifting his eyes between the two of them.
"Yes," replied Jenny before turning to Taylor, "All right Taylor, get in the sidecar of my motorcycle and show us the way." Taylor nodded and nervously got in. Jenny flung herself onto the bike.
"All right! Follow us!" she hollered and revved up the bike, before flying away down the road, the Ambulance desperately accelerating, trying to keep up.

Meanwhile, Mike and Brock were finally down by the road after what had seemed like hours. It had proved to be much more straining than they had originally thought, so they were both panting, as was Bulbasaur.
"Do you think Taylor made it?" asked Mike nervously.
"He must have made it there by now." replied Brock, "I can't see any... wait." Brock was looking fixedly at the horizon. Mike turned to the same direction and immediately spotted a motorcycle passing over the crest of a small hill, not too far from them. As the motorcycle got closer, a large vehicle, a slight distance behind the bike also passed over the hill. Before long, both Mike and Brock recognized them as being a police motorcycle and an ambulance.

"Wow. That was fast," exclaimed Brock as the motorcycle pulled over next to them.
"Thank you for your help, Taylor" remarked the Jenny as she stepped off of her bike. Taylor carefully climbed out and then rushed over to Grey's side.
"How is he?" asked the boy, desperately hoping he had been fast enough. Neither Mike nor Brock had managed to open their mouths before the Ambulance roared by and screeched to a halt, momentarily silencing the two trainers.
"Er... he's not too good, but you did very good, Taylor." replied Mike while recalling his Squirtle and Bulbasaur. Taylor remained silent.

Two medics jumped out of the back of the ambulance with a stretcher and started moving Grey onto it.
"Is he going to be alright?" asked Mike wearily.
"We're doing what we can, but you have to let us work, so please step back, sir." said one of the medics in a rushed voice, as they both flipped out a set of wheels from underneath the stretcher and started moving Grey back to the ambulance. Mike bounced back, wanting to keep everything run as smoothly as possible for them.

As they lifted Grey in, Mike quickly jumped into the back with his friend. The two medics turned to him with slightly confused, stressed out expressions.
"Are you family?" asked one of them as the other started checking Grey's vitals.
"Huh?" replied Mike.
"Only family members are allowed in the back. I asked if you are a relative of his" repeated the man as he reached for a stethoscope.
"Err... yeah." replied Mike, "I'm his.. I'm his brother."
"Ok. You!" he pointed past Mike, at Taylor and Brock, "One of you can ride in the front, and the other can go with Officer Jenny, alright?" The medic quickly scrambled to the back of the ambulance and shut the doors. Through the rear window, Mike could see Taylor and Brock trying to figure out what to do with the two Charmeleon, who didn't have seats.

As the ambulance took off, back to the city, Mike sat down on a small tool chest next to Grey.
His brother... though Mike to himself I guess, in a way I am the closest thing he has to a brother... And he's the closest I have to a brother as well... Mike raised his eyes from the aluminum floor to look at his friend. Grey was pale, almost ghost like. He could feel Grey slipping away, and he hoped with all his might that it was just his imagination. Sitting down now, leaving the responsibility to the paramedics, Mike finally had a chance to take in everything that had happened and let his emotions out.

He had never seen anyone he cared about be so close to the end. If Grey had been alone, he might have... died. Fact was, Mike didn't know if Grey was going to survive as it was now, either. He thought back at the times they had shared together, even if it had only been for a few days. He thought of their first encounter on that bench in the rest stop by the Viridian forest. He thought of their run in with Agatha of the elite four, and how they traveled to the plains below the Indigo Plateau. And he thought about their muddy trip through the dark rainy woods, heading to Pewter City in the middle of a rainstorm.

The tears suddenly flowed down Mike's cheeks. I can't loose you, Grey. You're the best friend I ever had... Mike wiped away the tears, however they were soon replaced with others. I just can't loose you.

[OOC- Heh, while Grey's having fun revisiting his childhood; Mike's half a post away from having a breakdown
PS. the bold text in Mike's thoughts is an intonation, like we do with italics on regular text.]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - *nawds* Oh course~

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- And thus, my 300th post has seen the light of day ]

BIC-

Mike held his breath, frozen in place, as he watched the flames ripple across Grey's body; praying that he was being healed. The paramedic didn't know where to look. Half of him was staring at the blue fire in pure shock, whilst the other half looked at Mike, who suddenly was looking more suspenseful and hopeful than worried and panicked.

The flames trickled across Grey's body for a few more seconds and then stopped. Grey was completely still. Mike waited, for what seemed to be hours. He felt his whole body grow cold. What if that was just his powers escaping or something... thought Mike, What if that was just the last bit of life escaping from his body? Mike was about to burst into tears again, when suddenly, Grey gasped for air and raised his chest off the stretcher.

"What the?!" exclaimed the medic in pure confusion. Mike, ignoring him, threw himself off of the tool chest he was sitting on and leaned over Grey.
"Grey?" he asked carefully. The silver-haired boy slowly opened his eyes.
"Grey!!!" exclaimed Mike, throwing his arms around his friend. Tears yet again flowed from Mike's eyes, but this time, they were tears of joy and relief. Mike held onto Grey tightly. It was as if Mike was afraid that letting go would make Grey slip away again, perhaps permanently.

The medic had finally collected himself after the strange experience, and was now approaching the stretcher again.
"K-kid, you're going to have to step back." he said to Mike in a completely out-of-it voice, and put his hand on Mike's shoulder. Mike stayed still for a few moments more before he eventually let go of Grey.
"I thought I had lost you," he said in a low voice, half to himself, as he collapsed on the tool chest again. The medic turned to look at Mike. You don't know how close you were... he thought silently, not wanting to provoke any more sadness in the young trainer. Instead, he turned back to Grey, wondering whether he had imagined the blue flames.

The paramedic took out a flashlight and checked Grey's eyes for a reaction, whereupon he continued with other tests, still trying to convince himself that the boy actually was alive.
"Ok, good..." he said distantly, "Now, I'm going put you on a special anti-venom." The medic took out a plastic bag, filled with a yellow liquid. He hung it from a hook in the ceiling of the ambulance and connected a hose, which ended in a sharp syringe. The medic inserted it into Grey's forearm and let the anti-venom begin it's treatment.

Suddenly, the ambulance stopped. Tearing his eyes away from Grey, Mike looked out of the window and saw the entrance to the Pewter City hospital. The doors opened and several doctors started pulling Grey's stretcher out of the ambulance.
Mike followed shakily. As he got out of the ambulance, he spotted Taylor and Brock, as well as the two Charmeleons. As soon as they saw Mike's face they knew something very dramatic had taken place.
"What... happened?" asked Taylor.
"Is he ok?" added Brock nervously. Mike looked at the both of them, his lips suddenly trembling again. Then, he burst into tears once more as he threw himself into their arms.
"He... almost..." he sobbed.

[OOC- More emotions for Mike! Heh, I wonder if it's really a good idea to hug someone who just woke up from a coma/death? Anyway, sorry for the short post- Oh and I think we misplaced a medic somewhere back there; not that it really matters though.
Man, this post took a long time... My headphones broke half-way through, so I spent an hour or so fixing them... :-\]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC- Poor Mike, he's freaking out and Grey's barely thinking right now xD]

Grey stared blandly at the inserted syringe, thinking lazily about how he hated needles. The doctor seemed confused for some reason, and the boy that had clung fiercely to him was unusually pale in the face. Grey felt ever-so-tired, and staring dismally around the ambulance was unhelpful. At best, it made him nauseous when he wondered what the hell kind of antidote was a toxic-looking shade of yellow. The silver-haired trainer stared dismally at his Charmeleon as he was carted past on a stretcher, not noticing the other two people standing by. The white...and blue...it was familiar. Grey shut his eyes and sank back into his subconscious; the nurses wheeled him quickly into the Pewter City Hospital's ER, with Reiu following loyally behind.

[...]

The trainer opened his eyes weakly - they ached, as did seemingly every part of his body. A headache throbbed in the back of his head, steady but bearable. Several needles pierced his skin, namely where they could access the veins, and trailed off to a variety of plastic bags. Grey squinted his foggy blue eyes. trying to concentrate on the room. He felt disoriented and sick to his stomach. The latter also held the familiar ache of hunger, and the boy wondered how long he'd been in the hospital. He felt no drastic changes, and yet he sensed he was missing something. He lolled his head tiredly around his feather-soft pillow, observing the room's confines.

Plain, uniform white bricks formed solid walls, and they looked fairly new as well. The linoleum floors were a faded sea-green, and also held a newly-refurbished look. The tiles held no cracks or visible scuff marks, even. The window was raised several feet off of the floor, and extended to the ceiling. The large glass was perfectly transparent, suggesting not even the tiniest smudge or fingerprint. Somehow this all seemed to dehumanize the whole scene. Then it hit him, and he cocked his head in thought.

Every time he'd seen a bed-ridden person's room, the tabletops and windows were covered with cards, of course. None decorated or even accented his room - either he hadn't been here for very long, or nobody had sent cards. But...

Mike! Mike wasn't the type to go buy flowers and a piece of paper to show his feelings - maybe the trainer was nearby. Taylor and Brock too, of course! The boy felt himself growing more aware.

After two full days of recuperating (with occasional outbursts of benevolent blue flames), Grey fought to raise himself into a sitting position and looked around, swaying at the disorientation. His wispy hair dropped waywardly into his eyes, disregarding his attempts to brush it back, and he swung his bare feet out from under the scratchy hospital comforter, not-quite placing them on the chilly blue tiles. He gazed listlessly out of the Plexiglas window, and beyond. His eyes rested on the fluffy white clouds overhead, noticing dismissively that he could see the brilliant blue sky through them.

He waited, not caring to attempt to tug the varying needles out of his arms without knowing what they did. For all he knew, one might've been keeping him alive. The trainer felt a particularly overwhelming need to vomit, but it subsided when he forced back such dark thoughts. Feeling alone and bitterly cold in non-physical ways, Grey stared quietly out the lifeless window to the vibrant world beyond.

[OOC - Maybe once we're on the road again I'll post big ole' posts again! :-\]

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- *grunt* My internet connection was being evil today and so have missed out on a whole day of Pokécharming ]

BIC-

Mike gently pushed the door to Grey's room open and stepped inside.
"Hey Grey! Great, you're up!" said the trainer cheerfully as he strolled further into the room, "I guess that means you're getting better huh?". Mike plopped himself down on the bed next to the silver-haired boy and smiled. Grey still looked pretty worn out, but he was improving with quite an amazing rate.

"So anyway, Brock had some trainer to deal with, but he'll be over later. Taylor is here; he's out taking a walk with the Charmeleons, but he'll be back soon enough I think. He really looks up to you you know..." Mike stood up again, taking a few steps closer to the window. It was a beautiful day outside and he almost felt sorry he wasn't outside himself, enjoying it. Soon enough though, he and Grey would be back on the road again. He turned around, leaning with his back against the window and looking straight at Grey with a matter-of-fact like expression.

"You know, you really scared me back then." he said, "I really haven't told you straight out, but you did." Then, Mike started chuckling.
"Haha, and you sure scared the medic in the ambulance. You should have seen him! He jumped back so fast I thought he was going to smash into the wall, break it, and then fly out of the ambulance!"

Mike's chuckle died down, his expression reducing from a smile to a frown.
"But I do think you should probably refrain from battling any time soon." he said, knowing that it might be the last thing Grey wanted to hear, "You need to figure out what happened with you... I mean, you never reacted like that in a battle before, right?" There was a rather long pause.
"Don't worry, buddy. We'll figure this thing out!" added Mike, breaking the silence and hopefully raising Grey's spirits a bit.

A nurse came into the room and went over to the two of them.
"I'm glad to see you're up again, Grey." she said, while she checked a few of Grey's charts. Then she approached one of the plastic bags Grey was hooked up to and began removing it.
"I'm just going to replace this bag here with some new anti-venom... you still have some venom in your system." She removed the bag after she had disconnected it from a plastic hose, and started reattaching the hose to another bag, which was more filled. Then she elegantly tossed the used bag into a trash can at the edge of the room.
"All right, I'll leave you two boys alone! Lunch is due in an hour by the way," said the nurse and left the room again.

Mike nodded and then turned back to Grey.
"Yeah, you seem to have gotten quite a dose of that venom... I'm glad you're getting better," he said and winked.

[OOC- Sorry fo rthe short post, Firefox, but as you say, they might be a bit short now that Mike and Grey are stuck in a room. Anyway, you're probably eager to post anyway ]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - Omigosh post!]

Grey smiled halfheartedly at Mike as he came in, looking logically cheery at his awakening. The boy seemed to bring an air of life with him as he first settled down on the bed, then almost as quickly stood up. The brunette seemed uncomfortable on the inside, however, and Grey sensed it. The trainer cast his eyes downwards with a sigh, studying the uniform stitching of the blanket draped over his legs.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do..." he admitted, seeing no way that he could continue his quest if the same thing happened to him every battle.

Trainers couldn't afford to take their Pokémon's hits in battle, no matter the cause. The toxic was a perfect example - there were antidotes for such things, but not for people , who were completely different beings. Grey sighed with a heavy heart, and glanced up at the sickly yellow antidote dangling from its metal bar. To just sit there was getting nothing done, though, and looking at the medicine was making his stomach queasy once more.

"So...did you guys ever stop by Officer Jenny's? To fill out the inquiry or whatever?" he asked weakly, shifting the mood into the positive once more - which meant away from his defective abilities.

The two boys turned their heads simultaneously as the door latch clicked open quietly, admitting a young man. A clean white lab coat adorned his shoulders. Brow furrowed, the doctor looked severely perplexed as he read from several documents pinned to a clipboard. The young man had a shock of crimson-red hair, wild and unkempt; overall, the guy looked overworked to Grey.

Avoiding the urge to ask Mike who this newcomer was, Grey watched the redhead shamble further into the room, looking up with a weary look only once he had reached the end of Grey's bed. His expression was that of someone who had questions that needed to be answered, and Grey had a suspicion that they weren't going to be the average run-of-the-mill inquiries, either. Yet, the man held a sort of fatherly kindness to him as well, lean and taller than average.

"Glad to see you awake Grey, especially so soon. And Mike, I expect the nurse told you right away, huh?" the harried man said, revealing be-speckled hazel eyes as he locked eyes with the silver-haired teenager.

Grey attempted another smile, but his face faltered, and the smirk ended up looking as uncertain as he was. He let his eyes drift over to the window instead, catching a Pidgey in mid-dive, enjoying the bright day. The young man noticed right away, and glanced at the window himself.

"It's very sunny out today - the past two or so days have actually been very stormy. You're lucky not to wake up in the middle of a thunderstorm, Grey." he paused, then smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Leon Raven, feel free to call me Doctor Raven, or just Leon. Whatever suits you - I've been your doctor the past two or so days, and...well, you aren't the average trainer, are you?"

He stared at his clipboard again, seeming hesitant about continuing, then sighed tiredly. "I was hoping you'd be able to cue me in on some stuff, but let's start with the obvious basics."

He smiled wearily, and asked the most obvious question, directed more so at Mike, who wasn't drugged with moderate-level pain-reducers.

"How, exactly, did you come to have Pokémon toxins in your system, as well as two cracked ribs? Those both seem like Pokémon-inflicted attacks...did one attack you?"

Grey smiled at the doctor's genuine interest, but couldn't really remember what had happened - he was more intent with staring aimlessly out of the large window. Leon gave him an understanding nod and shifted his gaze inquiringly to Mike.

[OOC - HORRIBLE post, but I'm hungry, and lunch are being ready! :-\ Sorry, daxx!]

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- Horrible? I wouldn't go quite so far... ]'

BIC-

"Err... yeah, that's right." lied Mike through his teeth. He didn't like doing so, but he felt he had little choice. After all, if there was one person they probably shouldn't tell about Grey's gift, it was a person in a white lab coat; even if this one seemed to have a kind face.
The doctor frowned a bit, almost as if he realized Mike was lying.
"Really?" he asked as he flipped through some more of Grey's charts, "Well, Grey, you're quite unfortunate to have been attacked so fiercely. If threatened, most Pokémon simply give a warning or something... Except for Mankey encounters and such, mostly we don't get patients in such a bad condition as you were."

Mike laughed nervously and looked over to Grey.
"Heh, yeah... I guess he was pretty unlucky..." he said, trying to avoid eye-contact with dr. Raven. He dared a glance up at Leon, who was smiling back at him.
"Well, the main thing is that he's getting better now, eh?" said the doctor cheerfully, "Look, Grey. We're going to schedule you for a CAT-scan, alright? We need to make sure that your brain wasn't effected by the toxins."

Mike frowned. He had never thought about the fact that the venom could have long lasting effects like brain-damage, but now that dr. Raven mentioned it, he realized that this might be the case. Dr. Raven noticed Mike's frown almost immediately and chuckled slightly.
"Really, there's no need to be worried about your friend. I believe we caught it quickly enough; before it managed to reach the brain. But we need to do the scan just in case."

Mike was utterly confused by the statement. Caught it quickly enough? asked Mike to himself, Grey damn well nearly died from that poison. How much more time was it going to need before it did get to the brain?
"Err... if you don't mind my asking," started Mike, "That venom did quite a bit of damage. I'm no doctor, but he was as lifeless as you could get. How did it manage to avoid the brain until you got to it?" The doctor looked slightly surprised by the question. He probably wasn't used to being questioned on his medical knowledge. He smiled at Mike again.
"Well, you did give Grey some Pokémon antidote, right? I guess it must have slowed it down, even if it didn't fully fix the problem..."

The doctor suddenly reached into his pocket and took out a thin black pager, which was vibrating, indicating a message. Leon suddenly turned on a heel and headed out the door. He finally caught himself as he was closing the door and poked his head back in again.
"Right, err... I'll schedule that scan for a little later." he said hastily, "I gotta run, so you two... do what you were doing before I got here - that's an order!" He winked and then left the room, laughing at his own semi-joke as he rushed down the hallway.

"Must be stressful to be a doctor," said Mike once the laughter had stopped, "But at least this guy knows how to cope with it..." Then he sat himself back down on the bed and looked over at Grey,
"Anyway, I hope you're ok with me lying to him..." he started, "It's just... You've said yourself you didn't want to spread it too much, and a scientist such as him is probably not the first person you'd want to tell..." Mike sighed and looked straight ahead, out the window. He wasn't looking at anything really, just keeping his eyes there as he thought.
"Then again, maybe we should tell him. He might be able to give us some answers." he continued, "I mean, he is a doctor; he's there to help..."

Mike remained silent for yet a few minutes. He didn't know what to say really; it was as if the sterile hospital room was sucking away all of his usual talkativenesses. Suddenly Mike snapped his fingers.
"Right, you were asking about Jenny?" he exclaimed enthusiastically, happy to get the conversation going again, "It's all been taken care of, so you don't have to worry about a thing!"

Suddenly, the door flew open once again, this time with Taylor, Charmeleon and Reiu. Charmeleon rushed over to Mike's side, whilst both Reiu and Taylor approached Grey. Reiu lovingly hugged it's trainer's leg, which was dangling off of the bed, whilst Taylor was slightly more cautious and stayed his distance.
"Grey, It's great to see you up again!" exclaimed the boy happily, "How are you doing?"

[OOC- Wow. This post took forever to complete, and it feels pretty crummy; so if the quality is extra low and the length is kinda short- me show sowwy!]

 

[LaenVulpix]

Feeling woozy and annoyingly sleepy, Grey attempted to rouse his mind from its stationary slump, and let Mike deal with the good-natured young doctor's questions. He wasn't the only one to think that the doctor seemed politely skeptical - but skeptical nonetheless - about Mike's shady answer, but Leon left it alone, so Grey said nothing. As soon as the doctor vacated the premises, Grey looked thoughtfully at Mike, and nodded.

"That one especially...seems very...worn out..."

Any furthe comments Grey had been about to give were cut off, interrupted by Taylor's beaming appearance. Grey clung thankfully to his Charmeleon as it greeted him, relieved that it was doing well. Mike's own Charmeleon seemed a bit too nice as well, and Grey wondered if anyone was going to treat him exactly as before.

He shifted pointlessly underneath his itchy hospital sheets, wanting more than anything to get outside. Some fresh air sounded marvelous, but the world beyond his window, despite being so close - so tangible, was a far away as the moon to him. He sighed, then met Taylor's cautious gaze; if for nobody else, he needed to have a cheery tone with the young new trainer, who, above all else, held an ill-placed guilt.

"Hey Taylor! I'm doing pretty well, despite drifting off into random thoughts...I'm guessing I have some sort of pain-medication...Dr.Raven mentioned cracked ribs, didn't he?" Grey said in a ragged voice, getting back into the flow of normal speech.

At this causal comment, Reiu stopped its endless hugging, backing away as the devilish grin dropped from its snout. Unlike other time, however, Grey was having trouble sensing emotions and thoughts from anyone...he wondered immediately if he had been using his powers without being aware of it. Shoving away this unimportant information, the silver-haired trainer gestured longingly out the window.

"I'd give anything to be able to get out of here, but didn't the doctor say something about a scan...? That probably means I'm gonna be stuck in here forever." A gloomy air shifted over the group, brought on by the bed-ridden patient. He looked up tentatively at Mike.
"Could you open the window, though? If it's not a pain, that is."

Swiping an impatient hand across his forehead to clear his eyes for another moment, Grey tried to get back up to speed. He had lost his hat a while back, he was in the typical hospital-gown so his clothes were likely in the bathroom, and and the only thing that seemed amiss to him was the noticeable lack of -

"Where are all my Pokémon, by the way?" he asked suddenly, recalling the fact that he had brought along Nidorino with the intention of releasing it.
"I need to ask one of you guys to do me a favor."

As if he could locate the missing Pokébelt by look alone, grey scanned the room again, now noticing two rigid chairs offered to visitors, a stable-looking tray attached to the side of his bed by a swiveling black length of metal, and a curtain that could be drawn around his bed to offer privacy. Still not seeing it, Although he was surprised not to see it draped carefully over one of the flat-cushioned chairs, or perhaps at the end of his hospital bed, Grey decided to explain.

"You see, way back at that incident with the museum, remember when I told you I'd be right back?" he started, satisfied when Mike nodded.
"Well, I caught a Nidorino back there, but it was only temporary."

He locked eyes with Mike, trusting him to take care of the wild Nidorino's reinstatement into its forest.

"I was hoping to release it while we were catching Taylor's Sandshrew, but I never got a chance. Do you think you could do that for me, since it might be awhile before I get back outside again?" he finished, shrugging his narrow shoulders lamely at the conclusion.

Then his eyes brightened noticeably as he turned his head towards Taylor's pale face.
"Hey! Did you catch that Sandshrew you were going for? He was a real fighter, that's for sure."
The blue-eyed trainer smiled considerately, recalling the ground-type's wise choice of a move for the battle.

[OOC - Still short, but a bit better than before? :-\]

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- Think I'm gonna have to auto Grey for a line or so; hope you don't mind!! :-\]

At this, Taylor reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny, minimized version of a pokéball.
"I sure did!" exclaimed Taylor happily, as he gripped the ball in his hand and pressed the large white button on the front of it. The ball seamlessly expanded and became larger, almost magically. The amount of technology that goes into one of these balls is really astounding, thought Taylor as he tossed and turned the now much bigger pokéball. Then he gently tossed it onto the ground and let it pop open.

The Sandshrew materialized on the floor in front of the trio and shook it's head.
"Say hi to Zuru!" said Taylor happily and approached the Sandshrew. It looked up it's trainer and cocked it's head to one side.
"Shrew?" it said before looking at the others in the room, particularly at the silver-haired boy. It was the same boy who had battled it with Taylor a few days ago.

Zuru returned to look at Taylor, and then smiled at him before moving over to the young boy's side.
Hm, he sure is good with Pokémon... thought Mike as he looked at the ground-type, It's just been a few days and already it looks like it trusts him with it's life...
"So, how's your brother taking this?" asked Mike, suddenly remembering the troublesome run in they'd had with Aevin earlier.
"Well..." started Taylor awkwardly, "I haven't really told him yet, actually..."

Before Mike had a chance to respond, the door flew open again, revealing Dr. Raven. Mike winked at Taylor and patted him on the shoulder, temporarily closing the discussion topic, before turning to the doctor.
"Hey Dr. Raven," greeted Mike as he watched Leon Raven march in, constantly checking his watch and some journals.
"Hello boys;" responded Leon, without looking up from his journals, "Grey, we need to do that CAT-scan now."
Finally, the doctor looked up and nodded a second greeting to the trio.
"It's been booked for us in 20 minutes..." continued Dr. Raven, "Can you walk, or would you prefer if we take you by wheelchair?" Leon didn't wait for an answer, but pulled out a cell phone and placed a call.
"Never mind, actually. I'll call up a nurse with a chair. It's probably easie... Hello? Yeah, this is Leon; I need a chair up here... yeah, that silver haired kid." He hung up the phone and turned back to Grey, "The wheelchair'll be here in a second"

"Err, Mike?" asked Grey, still slightly drowsy from the drugs, "Could you do that thing I asked?" Mike gave Grey a thumbs up in response.
"Sure thing, buddy. I'll get to it when they take you in for that scan, alright?" Grey smiled in response, and then sighed heavily, probably happy to get that load off of his chest.
Suddenly, a nurse came in, rolling a wheelchair in front of her.
"Well, there we are!" said Leon happily, "Hop in Grey!"
"Grey," said Mike suddenly, interrupting Grey's attempt to move out of bed, "Good luck. I'll try to be back by the time you're finished, ok?"

After Grey, the nurse and Dr. Raven had left, Mike started heading towards the bathroom, were they had hung Grey's clothes when he was first admitted.
"What're you doing, Mike?" asked Taylor, following the trainer into the small sterile room.
"I'm going to take Grey's Nidorino and release it, like he asked me to" responded Mike cheerfully. He grabbed Grey's pants and dislodged one of the pokéballs from the belt before attaching it to his own belt and heading towards the door.

"You wanna come, by the way?" asked Mike. Surprisingly, Taylor shook his head.
"No, I think I'll stay here with Zuru..." came the response. Mike deducted that the boy wanted to spend as much time as possible, jsut hanging out with his new Pokémon. Mike had been like that in the beginning too, but it hadn't really been a problem, since Charmeleon was always out of it's Pokéball.
"Alright, then! Have fun you two; I'll be back in a while." said Mike before nodding at Charmeleon, who quickly scurried over to Mike.

As he exited the hospital, Mike couldn't help but feel slightly bad for being outside, when Grey was being put through weird scans... Oh well... I'm doing something for Grey, at least Mike told himself and headed off down the street.
"So. It's just you and me again, huh buddy?" said Mike to his partner before petting it lightly on it's horn, "I think we should head back out to the Sandshrew... that's where Grey was going to release his Nidorino in the first place."

[OOC- I got the name Zuru from 'Zurui', which is Japanese for 'sly' ]

 

[LaenVulpix]

-[[*sigh* Might as well redo the post, huh?]]-

Grey waved resignedly as the red-haired doctor took hold of his wheelchair handles and began to roll him out of the room; he would've loved to stay and become with acquainted with the small, plated Pokémon. Certainly much more than leave to go have some 'cat scan'.

He noticed the nurse following behind, and, shifting slightly to see what she was doing, was dismayed to see his antidote bag dangling from its metal pole. The nurse steered the pole so that Dr. Raven could keep his precarious hold on his documents while steering Grey. The boy wondered briefly why she couldn't just maneuver him, and let Leon take care of his sheaves of papers and documents; then his attention strayed wearily away.

The walls on either side of the silver-haired trainer seemed identical, neat-framed pictures either revealing photographs of founders, or random bits of hospital jargon. The hallways passed by almost endlessly, smooth tiles leading the way to various rooms every several feet. After a bit of aimless roaming, his eyes started to read the identical metal plates fixed in place besdie each oak door - the only way he could differentiate was by the letters carved into the cheap plaques. The grey-eyed boy rested his head on the palms of his hands, and watched the uniform halls pass by. Everything seemed so...so...sterile.

After several more minutes of wordless strolling - Leon was completely enveloped in his hordes of pagers, documents, and papers, and the nurse seemed like she'd rather be somewhere else, and Grey was uncertain about starting a conversation with either one - the wheelchair-confined patient was struck by an impulsive question.

"Um..." he said cautiously, relieved when the doctor jerked his head to look at him, and smiled politely, " Could you tell me what...exactly...um...is a 'cat scan'?"

The warm-eyed young man offered a reassuring smile.
"Certainly, Grey. A CAT-scan, actually called a CT scan by professionals, stands for 'computed tomography'. All it does is take a bunch of pictures of a specific body part, kinda like an x-ray. The only difference is that the machines used in CT-scans can get visuals from all different angles, which can be useful in diagnosing certain illnesses."

He paused to readjust his grip on the chair, thus skewing his uncertain hold on the sheaves of paper even further. Grey listened intently, feeling sorry for the doctor, who looked bitterly exhausted. As they turned a corner and came upon a short dead-end, the boy noticed that several elevator doors lined the walls, the flurescent lighting glinting off their surfaces.

"Anyways, the reason I got you in so soon is so that you might get to eat lunch - you're not supposed to eat or drink for at least an hour before a CT-scan, even if it's only your head that we're checking out." Leon added, inserting a broad grin and a wink to banish doubt from his ward.

Grey brainstormed to think of any other inquiries he might have before the scan, watching as the nurse tapped one of the creme-colored buttons positioned on the walls. He registered that the arrow painted on the button's surface was pointing upwards, then went back to his thoughts. As they waited he snapped his fingers.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, turning around halfway to face the tall man behind him once more. "How long does it take? And what...you know...do I do during it?" he asked cautiously, feeling rather against taking any more shots.

One of the sets of metallic doors slid open, offering them admittance, and the doctor rolled Grey forward onto the small lift's carpet before answering. As the nurse trailed behind, the wheeled pole clattering as it passed over the elevator's threshold, she pressed another labeled button, this one reading 'F7'. Grey caught sight of an 'F12' and tried to imagine being at the top floor of the building. His imaginings were quickly scattered by the redhead's delayed response.

Well," he said as, with a heaving of Grey's stomach they started up, " Full body scans can actually take up to an hour to complete-"
Grey sighed heavily.
"-But! Since we're only doing a head-scan on you, it should take around half that time, results willing." he inserted quickly, laughing haggardly at Grey's reaction.

Grey nodded, inviting Dr. Raven to continue. He did.

"As for what you do, it's quite simple, as a matter of fact. We'll just have you lay down on this table for us, - we being myself and the radiologist doing the scan - and the doctor will push a button. The table you're laying on will move up until your head's in the middle of the CT machine, which looks sorta like a doughnut-shaped ring. I'm certain she'll, the radiologist in this case is a girl, most likely remind you to stay as still as possible so that we can get quality pictures, but it's just standard to say that."

Grey mentally grimaced -this sounded very time-consuming and boring.

"Anyways, after that these little lasers -they don't hurt or anything, of course - will move all around your head until the scan is done. That's all there is to it." he smiled politely as Grey scratched the back of his head, disappointed with the lack of excitement.

I wonder if I'm allowed to fall asleep... he thought dully, watching as the elevator opened, admitting several people with visitor's passes before starting starting its ascent once more. He settled his eyes on the numbers at the top of the elevator, each one turning momentarily luminous as they moved past the corresponding floor.

Truthfully, everything would've been better if he had Mike with him , but he had no right to confine his best friend to a room for half an hour. Anyways, the trainer was taking care of the wild Nidorino for him, who deserved to be free.

In the very back of his mind, Grey wondered if he'd be releasing more Pokémon before to long, and his spirits plummeted.


-[[Wow...longer than I thought I'd be able to pull off! *is happy* W00t! *goes to draw another panel of comic* ;D]]-

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- Cool, you pulled off a nice post despite loosing the first one ;D]

BIC-

Mike wandered down the road, heading out to the fateful place were Grey had first been poisoned. Charmeleon was walking diligently next to him, happy to spend some time alone with it's trainer. Although Mike's thoughts frequently drifted back to Grey, he too was happy to get away from it all and just share the moment with his Pokémon.

His thoughts drifted to a topic that had been frequently in and out of his mind lately. He had seen Grey become a better trainer, a much better trainer, during the past few days since they met. Grey was going to get better and go back to training, and when he did; it was only a matter of time until he was better than Mike. Mike himself didn't feel like he had improved a bit. Frankly, he was worried that he might not be able to reach the top unless he started to get a whole lot better - and soon.

"Hey Char?" asked the trainer to his Charmeleon. It looked up at him with a quizzical expression.
"Meleon?" it responded.
"Do you... do you think we have any chance at the top?" continued Mike, hoping for his pokémon to console him.
"No chance!" came an unexpected response from a voice from behind Mike. He spun around and found Aevin, walking slyly behind them with his hands shoved into his pockets, most probably clutching his old pokéball again.

"What do you want?" demanded Mike in a grumpy tone. The golden-eyed trainer removed his hands from his pockets and folded his arms, frowning at Mike.
"Hello to you too..." he said in an equally grumpy tone, "Where's my brother?" Mike sighed heavily. He didn't really have time for this right now.
"What makes you think I know? And why would I tell you?" asked Mike.
"Oh come on." hissed Aevin, "You always hang out with Taylor; that's why I can never find him any more! What are you still doing in town anyway? Shouldn't you be off having adventures with your weird friend?"

Mike turned and left in a rage. How could Aevin dare insult Grey when he was hospitalized?!
"Hey?!" exclaimed Aevin in surprise, "What's wrong with you? What're you so worked up about, weirdo?" Mike stopped dead and turned around, pointing an agry finger at Aevin.
"I'll tell you what I'm worked up about," replied Mike angrily, "Grey is in the hospital, and you're out here, thinking you're so cool, insulting me and him and acting like a total jerk!"

Aevin actually looked a little guilty, though he tried to hide it.
"Oh. Is he alright?" he asked, trying to keep his pokerface and look cool.
"Yeah... I guess so." replied Mike in a slightly more relaxed tone. At this Aevin dropped any signs of concern, realizing they weren't needed anymore.
"Then what're you crying for? Geez." he said and turned to walk away.
Mike shook his head and continued towards the spot where he planned to release the Nidorino.
Maybe he does have a heart, after all... thought Mike as he looked back at Aevin, who seemed to be leaving in quite a hurry, That was an oddly compassionate response, at least...

[...]

After a long hike up from the road, Charmeleon and Mike had finally reached the grassy plateau they had set out for earlier. Mike stood silently for a while, thinking about the events from the other day, unable to enjoy the beauty of the area as he had done on his first visit.
"Oh well..." he said an unclipped Grey's pokéball from his belt. He tossed it high into the air, watching it as it spun around it's own axis, finally landing on the ground and popping open. The Nidorino materialized from the ball's erupting red glow and looked around, surprised not to see Grey anywhere.
"Nido?" it asked uneasily as it cocked it's head to the side.

Mike crouched down in front of it and petted it on the head.
"Hey Nidorino..." he said warmly, "Grey couldn't make it I'm afraid, but he told me he wanted this to be done..." The Nidorino looked utterly confused.
"Well, he said he was planning to set you free." continued Mike, "He said that catching you was only supposed to be temporary; I guess he was helping you out or something. He couldn't be here to do it himself, but he asked me to it for him, so... well... I guess you're free."
The Nidorino sat there for a moment, taking in the information, and then strapped on a grateful smile and scurried away.
"I hope it'll be alright out here by itself..." said Mike quietly to Charmeleon as the purple pokémon disappeared within the thick grass and left them

[OOC- Was gonna expand on that a bit, but then I decided maybe it was best for Nidorino to have a quick, short goodbye, seeing as Grey wouldn't really have had time to bond with it...]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[[ *forces self to post* Sorry for stalling, daxx0r! :-[]]

Winking reassuringly at the wheelchair-bound Grey once more as the distracted nurse tugged open a foreboding set of grey double-doors, Dr. Leon Raven rolled the patient forward, his mind secretly a blaze of interest and curiosity. Would the results of this CT-scan be as informative as he expected, explaining this silver-haired miracle's actions? The infamous blue fire had flared a grand total of four times while Grey was intensive care, much to the utter shock and wordless amazement of Leon's group of nurse's and lower-doctors. And every time - every time - it had been when all hope had been lost on the severely poisoned trainer.


Grey shivered, feeling uneasy about the dim-lighted room from the moment he entered it. The CT machine was centered intimidatingly amidst a collection of tables - each cluttered with computers, piles of ink-splattered papers, or beeping and flashing mechanisms. Seated ignorantly behind one of the various computers, its screen glowing eerily on her face, was a chestnut-haired woman. She had all the presence of the man wheeling Grey forwards, however. Plus a peculiar similarity...

"Good afternoon, Grey," she said without a single glance up, and a nonstop-whirlwind of clattering and tapping sprang from her fingertips. "Leon, if you'd run over the basics for me..."

Grey looked timidly at the doctor, as he tugged a crumpled sheet from the middle of his pile, sending several more fluttering eratically down to the bleached white linoleum. The weary-eyed doctor ignored this, however, so Grey kept his mouth shut. He wondered nervously if his abilities would somehow be portrayed on the laser-powered machine's scans.

With a clearing of his throat, Dr. Raven started off, "Righto...stupid mandatory stuff, okay, Grey?"
The innocent-eyed boy nodded wordlessly.

"'You are about to go through a CT Scan. If you have any jewelry on, you will be asked to remove it now."

Another pause, although Leon didn't even look up, but rather whistled cheerily.

"At this time, please inform your doctor - that's me - about any dentures, glasses, hearing aids, earrings, hairpins, and any other objects that may be in the path of the x-ray beam; they will need to be removed."

The doctor actually yawned, here, scratching idly behind one ear with his pinky-finger.

" For your comfort, the radiologist will now explain the basics of the CT Scan - Keislei?" he offered the document to the typing woman, who pointedly ignore the proffered paper.

In a large, sweeping breath, the brunette breezed over the words, clearly memorized.

"You will remain alone in the room after the procedure begins, but the radiologist and the radiologic technologist will watch you closely through an observation window and you can talk to them through a two-way intercom.

The table may move a short distance every few seconds to position you for each new scan. You will hear clicking or buzzing sounds as the mechanism in the scanner moves around your body, making images from many different angles. It is important that you lie very still during the procedure so that the scanner can get the best possible pictures.

The entire procedure may take about an hour for a body scan and a half-hour for a head scan."

As she closed up, the sharp-eyed radiologist took to her feet, straightening her lab coat almost carelessly. If anything, she rumpled it even worse.

"Would you like to check it out?" she asked in a would-be warm voice, faking a smile.

Grey saw right through it - she was just as tired as Leon, without his perseverance for a pleasent outlook. A gentle touch on his shoulder reminded him to speak, and he bobbed his head enthusiastically enough. His hazel-eyed doctor helped him to his feet (here he felt woozy and vaguely disoriented once again) and over to the table positioned directly in front of the machine.

"No worries, Grey. Just try not to fall asleep - well, completely asleep. It makes your brain function at a lower level, or something like that." Leon suggested, yawning out half the words as he settled the boy down on the plain plastic-coated table.

"R-right..." he said, staring anxiously at the machine's undoubtedly doughnut-shaped middle. "It...doesn't hurt much, does it?" he asked, feeling goofy.

Here he was, a trainer who was willing to risk his life for his Pokemon, asking if he'd perhaps feel some sort of discomfort while having a professional head scan. Leon laughed, answering the question well enough.

"No, the most anyone had felt is a bit of disorientation when the table moves. Or if there's a need for a contrast medium, which is a shot---which you, of course, don't need." the newly-dubbed Keislei replied, tapping away at a new computer, this one emitting whirring clicks every few seconds.

[[OOC - And feel VERY free to skip to after the CT Scan, when Grey's back in his room for lunch, w00t. :]]

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- No problem with the stalling... I'll be force-posting too, actually And yes, I'd be glad to skip a bit]

BIC-

The familiar whoosh of the hospital doors welcomed Mike and Charmeleon back again after the rather long hike. It had already passed noon, and Mike more or less rushed through the lobby, wanting to get back (as he had promised) before Grey was done, and rather certain that he wouldn't. He approached a row of elevators and pushed the up-button on the panel next to one of them. The plastic button lit up in a warm yellow and the display at the top of the door indicated that the elevator was descending.

The doors opened, letting Mike into the hot and stuffy compartment. He held the door for his Charmeleon and then selected Grey's floor from the list on the inside of the doors. As the Elevator started up, Mike finally took a bit of a breather and leaned back against the arm rest lining the walls. He looked at Charmeleon and smiled.
"So buddy, you as hungry as I am?" he asked the red lizard. It nodded diligently, "Well, we'll get some food when we get back to Grey's room, alright? Brock made some lunch for us yesterday when we were there."

As the doors opened again, they continued down the now familiar, sterile hallway, searching for Grey's door among the hundreds of others on the floor. It had taken Mike quite a few trips back and forth before he had finally learned how to navigate to the right room. He rounded a few corners, took a few turns and then finally, arrived at the right place. The door was slightly ajar, and as Mike carefully peeked in with his head, he saw that Grey was already back. Taylor however, had left the room and was nowhere in sight.

He now pushed the door the rest of the way open and trotted in with Charmeleon right behind him.
"Hey Grey! How did it go with the CAT-scan?" asked Mike as he took off his jacket and flung it over a chair. He picked up the chair and moved it in front of Mike, spun it around so it faced backwards and sat down, with his stomach leaned against the back of the chair. He rested his arms casually over the chair and smiled.
"I set Nidorino free," he added, once he had settled down.

Reiu, who had been sleeping on the floor in front of Grey slowly batted it's eyes open, only to be greeted by Charmeleon's grin. They left their trainer's to themselves and settled in the back of the room, where they started a sleepy conversation. Just like Mike and Grey, they too seemed to be growing rather tired of the hospital. As Mike looked at them, he could see a huge shift in Charmeleon's behavior after it entered the hospital. It was as if the building was draining their energy.

"So, how are you feeling Grey? Do you think you'll be ready to get out of here any time soon?" asked Mike, hoping for an answer that would get them back on the road fairly soon, "Not that I want you to rush, it's just that... well I don't think this hospital is really any place any you, me or our pokémon would like to stay in for much longer... you know?" Mike smiled awkwardly. He thought the sentance had come out sounding a bit wrong, but he imagined Grey would understand what he meant.

[OOC - Sorry for teh really short post We should high-tail it out of this hospital 'cause I'm starting to feel like Grey and Mike do ]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - Warning - bad post ahead! Better poor-quality than never, right. And, plus, I need a break from my determined linearting of the comic. (on the last panel, then I get to color n' shade) My self-proclaimed (by me, not him) just spammed out five pictures, to my dispair. *bares fangs* Watch meh!]

BIC-

"Not that I want you to rush, it's just that... well I don't think this hospital is really any place any you, me or our Pokémon would like to stay in for much longer... you know?"

Grey weary smile conflicted with Mike's awkward one, Grey's miserably apologetic face foreshadowing what he was to say. Without Leon's permission, he wasn't supposed to stray any further than the hospital cafeteria - just in case something came up in the CT Scan results.

"I'm sorry...Leon said it would be best to see what the CT scan shows on its results...you know, in case something really did happen to my head. He asked me not to go lower than the third floor - you know, the cafeteria? He said the results take several hours to analyze...and then he wants me to stay the night in order to purge the remains of the poison...." Grey's voice trailed off, just like his thoughts.

Truthfully, Grey wished that Mike would just go on towards Mt. Moon without him. How would his best - only - friend react if it turned out that Grey had lost all ability to fight, to train Pokémon? The silver-haired boy brushed his long bangs from in front of his face out of habit, a long sigh escaping from his chest. Reiu tilted its head, entirely aware of Grey's discomfort and anxiety - the Charmeleon could sense it, like an aurora surrounding the trainer. Pika had sensed it first, and had taken to sleeping on a great, branching oak tree right outside of the hospital rather than face seeing its trainer-figure in such a way.

As an uncertain silence dropped on the two boys, the room's heavy wooden door swung foward, admitting a new nurse in a bleached white dress; she had a cautious expression, as if she expected Grey to bowl her over.

"Erm... Mr. Grey? D..doctor Raven asked me to tell you that the most important results turned out positive, and that you could go outside and get some fresh air if it helps...he requested that you...um...just not go too far until the full report comes out." she explained in a hurry, hands wrapped nervously around the door's angular edge, and Grey had the idea that if he jumped up now, she'd have it slammed before he could say "Boo!".

"Oh...th...thanks!" he said in a false enthusiastic voice, smiling in a would-be warm way.

As he turned to confirm the news with Mike, the boy heard the door shut - the nurse had taken this opportunity to flee.

"Mike...did something happen to me while I was out of it?" he asked worriedly, remembering vaguely the moment when he had decided not to give in to his foreboding memories of his early Pallet Town days.

That doctor, for one, had seen his powers....but what about anyone else? Grey suddenly sat up stick-straight, and locked eyes with his friend.

"If I healed myself any other times, then I'd be willing to bet that everyone in this hospital knows by now! What if someone else, like a visiting person, heard it? I don't want anyone to know, much less everyone!" he exclaimed, fumbling for words. "We need to get out of here, before someone that shouldn't know, does."

The silver-haired trainer shot out of his bed and was in the spotless bathroom before the final words left his mouth, pulling the plain hospital gown over his head (causing his hair to reassert itself in front of his eyes) and tugging on his pants. Reiu was at attention in a lightning-instant, eyes filled with protective flames - nobody was going to be bothering Grey if it had anything to do with it. The white Charmeleon exchanged a frenzied conversation with Charmeleon, both nodding as they spoke.

 

[daxx0r]

[OOC- Heh, it wasn't worse than my last post!]

BIC-

Mike was taken aback by this sudden reaction from Grey, but as he thought about it; it did make sense to worry about the fearful expression that the nurse had bared. The nurse looked incredibly tense, just from being in the same room as Grey, so one had to deduct that something about him scared her. And if the nurse feared him, there were probably others who felt the same way.

What was even worse, was that this nervousness hadn't been apparent in the nurse before; it was brand new, so whatever fearful rumors were circulating, they were spreading. Mike got an overwhelming feeling that if they didn't get out now, they'd be surrounded by a lot of people bearing ill will against Grey.

Mike picked up his bag just as his friend emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed and ready to leave. Mike nodded to Grey and then to Charmeleon, indicating that it was time to move out. As he reached for the door knob on his way out, Mike suddenly retreated back into the room. He took a few bags of anti-venom that had not yet been used off of the metal hanger they were dangling from.
"You might actually need these" he said to a slightly puzzled Grey as he put the pockets of yellow liquid in his bag and swung it back over his shoulder.

Several floors down, in the basement, Dr. Leon Raven was leaning back against the back of his chair, waiting tensely for the results of Grey's CT-scan. He turned to the left, staring at the printer on his desk, waiting for it to give him the results he needed. He let out a deep sigh, before suddenly shooting his eyes open and pouncing on the printer as it started spitting out a document. He picked it up as soon as it was out of the machine and lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Haha! I knew it!" he exclaimed and rushed out of the office.

Ever so carefully, Mike opened the door heading to the hallway and peeked out. There was thankfully nobody in sight. Mike hadn't actually seen too many people on this floor, so they had a good chance of getting out of the hospital without being spotted. Trying to move quickly, but more importantly, discreetly, Mike led the way down the hallway. As they passed the rows of almost identical oak doors which Mike had passed many times lately, he couldn't help but feel the place was giving off a different aura.

As they approached the elevators, Mike sprang forth and pressed the call button next to the large aluminum doors. He looked around tensely, searching aimlessly for people who might be coming their way. As the doors in front of him opened, he turned and spotted a nurse (not the same one from before, though) rushing towards them. Mike dashed into the elevator, waving in Grey and the Pokémon as well, before pressing the button for the ground floor.

The nurse now quickened her pace into an all out run, shouting for them to stop, but the doors managed to close long before she reached them. As the elevator jolted into movement, Mike leaned back against the wall of the elevator-car and sighed in relief. He had been worried that this whole "escape plan" might have been in response to imaginary fears, but this had more or less confirmed them. He smiled at Grey and the Pokémon. Whether they really were being chased by the staff didn't really matter now: Soon they'd be out of there, back out on the road. Back where they belonged.

Leon entered Grey's room and found ...nothing? He was momentarily confused, but that confusion soon grew into suspicion, worry and eventually a slight panic. He had to find them - before they left the hospital. He bolted out of the room and headed towards the elevators. About half way there, he ran into the nurse that had just seen Grey and Mike.
"Nurse!" he shouted and grabbed her, "Have you seen the silver haired kid in room..." He was cut short as she replied.
"Yes, they just headed downstairs!" she exclaimed. The doctor waved a quick good bye and then continued his chase.

The doors opened yet again as Mike and Grey were presented with the lobby, and before them, about 20 yards ahead, was the exit.
"Alright, look natural," said Mike as they headed straight for the exit. So far, nobody seemed to be noticing them. They kept walking, but when they had come about half way, Mike heard the ominous "ding" of the elevator doors opening behind them. Mike didn't know why, but he was sure that whoever was on that elevator, was going to try to stop them from leaving.

Sure enough, it was Leon who stepped out of the elevator and immediately called out to the nurses working at the reception.
"Hey! Close the doors and lock them! Don't let them escape!" he yelled as he pointed towards Mike and Grey. At this, on of the nurses pushed a small red button under the front desk, which automatically started closing the front doors.
Mike and Grey bolted out and managed to pass the closing doors just in time. Through the glass, they could see Dr. Raven snapping his fingers in frustrated failure.

[OOC- Well, we're free again!! Omgz, took too long... I'm gonna skip reading through it, so if there's anything weird, lemme know and I'll fix it up]

 

[LaenVulpix]

[OOC - Yes, Leon is a bit god-modish. He's a genius-doctor man, so he's allowed to have supposedly-extinct Pokemon. ;D]

BIC-

Grey slowed a bit as he felt the automatic doors catch minutely on his jacket; the cloth tore haphazardly, but only enough to fray the edge of the navy-blue garment. Turning slightly, he saw a rather frustrated, haggard expression pasted onto Dr.Raven's face. One thing was for certain - whatever reason the doctor had wanted to stop him for, it was a bigger purpose than simple curiosity, and Grey didn't like it. As he backed away from the Plexiglas mechanical doors, a shaken look etched on his continence, Leon rummaged hurriedly inside his lab coat pocket, fingers obviously searching for something.

Without warning, something small impacted on the uneasy trainer's back, but despite his panicked mind, not so much as a slight tremor shook his body. Instead, the feeling of miniature yellow claws sinking securely into his loose jacket for support jolted him into action.

"I...where's Brock?" he asked instantly, wanting to at least see the Gym leader before making any further decisions.

Infinitely reassuring, Reiu nuzzled its trainer's hand with its elongated snout, snuffing its warm breath into Grey's sweaty, nervous palm. "Char..." it murmured in an approving manner, head inclined to look at its friend's too-pale face.

"Th-thanks Reiu...and," Grey turned to stare straight into Pika's lively, worried amber eyes, " Hi Pika."

(OOC - Can't go further without confirmation from Mike, xD)

The receptionist repeatedly jabbed at a small green button located under her desk, watching a frenzied Doctor Leon Raven digging frantically into his coat pocket for what she assumed to be a Pokéball. Meanwhile, her high-tech computer screen flared rhythmically in a bright red shade, pasting the words "REESTABLISHING ONLINE CONNECTIONS NOW." across a display map of the hospital. The locked systems flickered with a similar red, while reestablished mechanisms shone a softer green shade. The number of restored blocks was increasing at a stunning rate, but not fast enough.

Leon ground his teeth; the find of a century, and the kid was sitting bewilderedly five large paces away from him, blinking in a dazed way. And the doctor couldn't reach him. After several moments of unsuccessful groping, his fist enclosed on the small metallic orb kept in his pocket - at the same moment Grey and his friend took off to the left, out of sight.

Leon let out a forced sigh of patience, reminding himself that they couldn't go too far - and he'd find them. The ball still in his pocket, he tapped the tiny plastic white button; with a soft sound the Ultra Ball expanded, ready for use. As the Hospital's grid reestablished itself on the final floor, Leon tightened his hold on the Aerodactyl's Pokéball - he'd no doubt be using it soon. In his other hand, almost forgotten in a way, but memorized in another, was clenched a document, utterly crumpled by his hand's unintentional gripping. Without a doubt, Grey was a kid worth getting a hold of - as were any subjects he had majorly effected - for testing purposes if nothing else.

The scientist took a deeper, more relaxing breath, and shot out the door as soon as the mechanisms whirred into action.

[OOC - Yup, if you auto him, Leon's got an Aerodactyl~]

 

[daxx0r]

Mike alternated between looking at Leon and Grey.
"Er... I think Brock is at the gym still..." he said distractedly, "We should probably try to hide out there for a few minutes. They might come looking for us." Once again, Mike glanced back at Leon, who seemed almost desperate to get to them. He was grasping something in his pocket too. It looked like it might have been a pokéball, but Mike couldn't tell for sure. Besides, he couldn't imagine a doctor on call having a pokéball with him.

They started towards the Pewter gym, but before they had even gotten off the hospital's front lawn, Mike heard the doors behind them open with a whoosh. Mike broke into an all out run, trying to get away from the undoubtedly pursuing Leon, but the doctor wasn't about to give up that easily. He threw his pokéball towards the ground and let out a massive, grey Aerodactyl. It screeched at the two trainers and their pokémon, before turning to Dr. Raven for orders.

Mike had stopped dead from hearing the haunting screech. He slowly turned his head around and came face to face with the flying creature.
"Whaa..." exclaimed Mike as he stumbled a few steps and then fell to the ground from the shock. That's a... a...he tried to grip the endless stream of thoughts racing through his mind, But they're... extinct! Mike had lost his motor skills, still in shock over the ancient pokémon, but managed to grab his Pokédex out of his pocket.
"It.. can't be real..." he managed as he flipped open the pokédex and pointed the sensor towards the Aerodactyl.
"Aerodactyl - the fossil Pokémon." started the electronic narrator in the pokédex. Mike flipped it shut before it managed to say any more.
"...How?" he continued, unable to find words.

Leon was quite patient, enjoying the display of shock in the trainers before him. His patience didn't last forever though, and soon his eyes narrowed on Grey.
"Aerodactyl! Wing attack" he hollered, signaling the flying lizard to take to the air. It circled above Leon for a few seconds, and then swooped down, straight for Mike and Grey.

Mike dove for the ground, nearly missing the powerful blow that the Aerodactyl was hoping to deliver. He rolled over in the grass and sprang to his feet again.
"Charmeleon! Get ready!" he yelled before turning to Grey, "We're gonna have to make a run for it! Get Reiu and Pika to help!" Mike didn't start running though. He wanted to get one good blow in before they tried anything.

"Don't let them get away!" commanded Leon, displaying a dark and rather frightening side of himself that Mike had never seen before. The Aerodactyl made a second pass. This time however, Charmeleon was ready and managed to send off an ember attack at it. The Aerodactyl was bombarded by the array of flames, and though it was only slighlty injured, it had to abort it's attack. Now! Now we run! thought Mike.

[OOC- Meh. Kinda semi-crummy post. Kinda short too... ...meh. ]

 

[LaenVulpix]

(OOC - I dun't mind. Makin' Leon ebil though. )

BIC-

Shocked, Grey stood stolidly as Leon commanded the Aerodactyl to attack - his mind was still trying to attain the reason behind a doctor at the Pewter City Hospital having control over such a legendary creature. The silver-haired boy was thrown to the side as the leather-grey Pokémon slashed viciously at them with one bared wing, unable to get out of the way on time. Why? Why was good-natured, pleasant Leon Raven so set on halting the two boys' escape. The supposedly kind-hearted doctor bore down on them, commanding the violence-prone Aerodactyl with an authoritative tone.

With a screech, the prehistoric Pokémon dive-bombed them, only to be sent careening away into the sky when a fiery blast of scorching red embers exploded from Charmeleon's mouth, and in the moment of discontinuance, Mike lunged to his own feet, suggesting without words that Grey follow. The silver-haired kid did so only by forcedly ignoring his own burns, springing immediately onto his arms at the same time Dr. Raven's Aerodactyl deflected the fire-based embers away with its wings, and stumbling off after his retreating friend. This time, the fighting Aerodactyl had received its injuries, but so had Grey. With a vagrant curse as his arms seemed white-hot with pinpricks of pain, the trainer squinted at his Pikachu, located loyally and readily on his shoulder.

"Pi...Pika, use a Flash attack!" he managed through gritted teeth after scanning mentally through possible attacks that would buy them time without immobilizing him totally.

With a courageous nod, the small yellow Pikachu sprang from its trainer's shoulder, landing on the unduly-kept emerald lawn. Leon was in motion, sprinting agilely in an attempt to get a hold on Grey, but the scientist slid to an abrupt stop as the electrical rodent landed squarely in front of him, the fur on its spine bristled.

"Aerodactyl, Dragon Claw!" the hazel-eyes the incognito scientist declared, aiming his finger at the defending Pikachu.

With a cry that sliced through the running trainers' heads, the large-jawed flying-type plummeted towards its opponent, talons outstretched and glowing. Pika's ears flattened on its back, and at the last instant it could, discharged a blinding amount of piercing light. The small electric-type was like a compact sun, efficiently blinding both Leon and his Pokémon for the moment. By pure luck of the draw, Grey was able to avoid suffering from the same results, and increased his pace. The two pursuers would only be stopped for a minute, and it'd be pointless if Raven knew where they were hiding at.

Grey cut sharply around the brick outside of Brock's Gym, Pika bounding fullout beside him and Mike following directly after. The trainer was immensely relieved that he hadn't been forced to run blindly and the pain in his arms had, at least, settled into a dull aching sensation. The mechanical doors, boulders lodged creatively into the metal, slid open almost lazily, and the young trainers nearly fell into the safety of the Gym leader's headquarters.

"Wha - Grey, should you be out of the hospital yet?" the brunette asked instantly, staring blankly at them from his spot on the uneven rocky ground.

From what the silver-haired trainer could decide, the young adult had been working on fixating a small boulder into a hollow patch of earth - clearly he was attempting to rebuild the parts of his arena that had been destroyed or damaged in Grey's Gym battle. The tanned Pewter Gym leader was sitting cross-egged on the jagged ground, clad in a pair of baggy, scuffed carpenters jeans and a loose white T-shirt, covered partially by a frayed forest-green vest. Clearly a set of working clothes. Even the shoes he wore were old, the uppers peeling away from the soles of his trainers.

Grey left Mike weakly to the explaining, turning away and concentrating on letting calm blue fire lick serenely over his mysteriously-inflicted wounds.