Mistakes, mistakes

[Tatile]

Johto was new to her. True enough she had heard many things about it before, and just six months ago her brother had finished his tour of the region, but still, in seven years of travelling this was her first time in the country. The sun was hotter than she had expected and so her travel-worn black jacket found itself stuff into her bag, near the bottom, with the equally dishevelled blanket. The light was so bright that everything took on an almost misty golden quality; she mused if this was how the city had gotten its name. Scion sat next to her on the dockside, panting slightly in the heat. Setting her bag down, Dove took the time to tie her newly cut hair back. Having the short brown strands float away on the breeze every so often was annoying her.

The port was not an ugly place, unlike the ones of Sinnoh she had visited. It gleamed in the summer sun, it was so clean. Everywhere about her locals and tourists hustled and buslted; the city was busy, but not unfriendly. A few feet from her, on the edge where the wooden dock met the promenade, stood a giant map of Golden Rod. A large red dot marked the dock where she was standing. With little effort she swung her heavy backpack up on her left shoulder and strode to the map. The Jolteon followed obediently.

The map was highly detailed, but not fussed or confused. The Golden Rod Council must know their city well, she thought, as areas of interest for tourists, trainers and business men were marked in different colours. All the trainer's sites were marked in green on the map, and a Poke-ball near the city's park was shown to be the place she was looking for. It looked to be a good twenty minute walk from the port and there were a great deal of hotels and bed-and-breakfast's that were closer, but travelling so much made the pocket light. PokeCentres always had spare room for a trainer with no roof.

"Come along Scion, it's about time we grabbed some lunch." The pair started off down the main street, past beautifully grafted buildings with their pillars and arches shining in the summer sun. For a trainer, her life had been mostly uneventful for the past five years, just slipping soundly from one region to the next, honing her skills and those of her team. If anything, she knew that Johto would be as equally pleasant as the rest of her life. Walking down the street, she started to hum.

Busy as it was with the crowds of mis-matched people, Dove did not notice that she had caught someone eye. And their ire. Sitting at one of a small bistro's out-door tables, a woman watched the oblivious trainer closely. Sipping at her frappe-latte, she noted all the details of the other. As the younger woman passed by, the mysterious observer stayed put, following only with her eyes. In a few moments, Dove was out of sight, lost in the crowd. A few minutes more passed and the woman finished her drink.

The phone was slick black, with red details running down either side. It was not the latest model, but served her purposes just as well as any could. Scrolling through her contacts, she found the name she was looking for.

"Well, hello Truck," A muffled grunt came from the other end in response to the woman's dangerously smooth voice. "I do believe I've found her."

(OOC: Well, that seems a bit short, but I was never very good with RP posts. If you want to join, do feel free. Truck and the mysterious woman are NPC's, naturally, so if you want any details so you can have either in your posts (within reason, for the introductions I'd suppose) PM me.)

 

[Yoshimitsu]

OOC- Mr Cacti, that's... Nonsensical, and not even close to the quality we expect :/ Either fix it, or I'm deleting the post.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

((I hope this is a suitable introduction for my character. If not, please feel free to inform me of any errors.))

"... As you wish. I will find the girl."

The soft clicking noise of the cellphone shutting came next, a great heaving sigh escaping the woman's lips. she opened her eyes afterwards, green orbs of light staring out from underneath her dark locks of hair. She stood up from her sitting position, allowing her long black coat to flow out behind her as the wind blew past her face.

Her name was Ame Wyxm. She had always been somewhat of a troubled child since the beginning. She never seemed to make many friends, always doing things mostly for herself. The friends she did make, however, were long-lasting.

She stared over the trees as the horizon, looking a bit contemplative about the job to come, before shutting her eyes again. She nodded and stepped forward some more , spreading her arms wide. She fell forwards off of the cliff she was on. She was falling, falling...

WHOOSH!

A big, black figure came from underneath her, catching her on it's back and swooping back upwards once she had secured her arms around the creatures neck. The creature in question was reminiscent of the rarer breed of the Pokemon known as Charizard.

This woman had started her trip in Kanto a long time ago, realizing that the Charmander that Professor Oak had found this time around was of an... off coloration. She took it in and raised it to be her own. It was now a powerful, black Charizard, and possibly her greatest friend of her entire team.

Ame came to Johto after some adventuring in the Kanto region, to try to find more interesting and new adventures. She was still relatively new to the area when they found her. They had heard of her and her Charizard, and wished her to do some work for them. It may have been somewhat unfavorable work, but when she heard what the paycheck would be, she couldn't refuse.

As Ame and her Charizard flew off together, her mind was set. She would find the girl indeed, but what she did with the girl afterwards was up to her. No matter how good she was getting paid.

They turned in the air together, staring ahead at the famous Golden City as they approached.

 

[Tatile]

(OOC: You're playing a bad guy? Or at least someone with their own purpose. I was hoping that you would do something like that. Let's say that 'the mysterious woman' phoned you after Truck, unless you have any ideas?)

She found the PokeCentre was rather easy to spot. A great red-and-white dome rose into the skyline, dominating the entire left edge of park. In the harshly bright sunlight it shone like a beacon, one of hope of rest for weary travellers. Dove shielded her eyes from the glare so that she could better take in the magnificent structure; it was far grander than any of the 'centres she had seen in Kanto or Sinnoh. And this was but one of several in Golden Rod, it had turned out! If there was no room fo rher here, there was always another place, just around the corner.

Despite it being in the city and next to a park overflowing with young trainers and Pokemon, the 'centre was quiet. Only a few people were dotted about the sitting areas of the main hall, all engrossed in books or papers. Even Nurse Joy, sat behind her desk, was mouthing-out the words of the book she was reading. Dove approached softly and saw that the book was 'On the Eve of Drama', by Madame Grey. She had heard of Madame Grey before, but this was the first time she had seen the woman's work. Trying to read the blurb on the back of the book did distract the Nurse, however. Her cheeks went almost as pink as her hair when she saw that a new arrival had been examining her book. She tried to calm herself and, if being a little flustered, laid out the usual introduction. All the while, Dove wondered what could possibly be so embarrassing about something as innocent as a story.

"...you, ah, rest your Pokemon here... Is there anything else?" Nurse Joy stuttered here-and-there with her words. She only hoped that the new guest would not complain about her chosen reading material. That process had been awkward enough the last time. She was a little surprised when the young woman beamed at her a giant smile, and pulled out her trainer's ID.

"My name is Dove Fairmay," The brunette said in a rehearsed, but jovial, voice. "I come from Viridian City, Kanto, am eighteen and have been travelling for the past seven years. I have two pokemon with me, a Jolteon and an Alakazam. May we have a room?" Dove's blue-grey eyes sparkled with delight as the Nurse took her proffered card. With a few beeps and clicks all the relevant information was transferred to the PokeCentre's computer system. Dove now had a room on the third floor. Room 312, she was told. There was another series of beeps, this time not from the nurse's station, but from one of Dove's pockets. After searching for a little while, she found the source of the noise, hidden in one of the pouches attached to her boot. After quickly reading the automated message, she turned back to the Nurse. "Ah, excuse me, sorry. Where is the Poke-PC?"

Nurse Joy pointed to the right wall of the curved room, where there stood a line of seven Poke-PC's, none of them in use. Despite them being obviously placed so anyone could find them, Dove had missed them completely. Not even the tiniest bit embarrassed, she nodded her thanks to the Nurse and walked over. Scion followed politely behind. As she wondered what her brother could possiby want, the 'centre's phone rang. Out of mere curiosity, she looked over her shoulder to see if it would be an urgent trainer accident. No such luck. It seemed to be a low-tone business conversation, porbably about medicines, she guessed from Nurse Joy's unhappy tones.

An e-letter popped on to the PC's screen, written in her brother's favourite font, it looked almost like handwriting. He was sending her 'Hemlock', who had been given in Sinnoh, but who wasn't cut-out for the contest circuit. He hoped she would be able to get some use out of the Pokemon. Even though the letter was nearly a full screnn-page long, not once did he mention the Pokemon's species. She was a little surprised then, to see a tan and green coloured Eevee-lution appear from the UltraBall she had recieved. She was more so surprised to see that the Leafeon's green leaves were slowly turning orange. Perhaps it had been coming to autumn in Sinnoh. Quickly, she left Scion with Hemlock and trotted over to the nurse's station. Nurse Joy was still having her unhappy phone conversation and when she saw Dove, a look of dismay came over her.

Dove was cheerfully oblivious and mouthed that she now had three Pokemon.

(OOC: The floor system is based on the British floor system, so it's Ground, First, Second, Third. Making the third floor the fourth in the American system? Well, the room's high up.)

 

[Newprofile001]

The boat's horn blew, as Gaz was preparing to disembark. The quadbike was being taken out, as the ship was latched and anchored. Gaz walked out onto the large ship's deck and looked out at the lighthouse. Lucario was right beside Gaz, looking at the shoreline.

"Wow. This place has changed," Gaz said.
"Changed?"
Gaz pointed to the area where the edge of Ilex Forest used to be. There was a road there, leading to Goldenrod.

Gaz had been working with the Eterna Volunteer Police Department, and it was just last year Gaz had ran here to retreat from the haunting... Gaz stopped thinking about it. Bad memories had a nasty habit of coming back.

Attention, passengers, we have docked in Goldenrod. Continental breakfast will be served until 11:00. Please wait in the Grand Atrium after having breakfast, as disembarking will be taking place on the Veranda deck.

With that, Gaz went dowen to the Riviera deck for the continental breakfast. He had himself a bacon-toast sandwich.

About a half hour later, Gaz had inserted the key to his quadbike and turned it. Despite the quad being built in 2000, the thing turned over pretty quickly.

Work at the EVPD had been too much lately, so Gaz decided to let the Chief know that he was a bit overstressed. Naturally, the boss let him go on the vacation.

Gaz had been wishing to relax, so he rented a beach cabana, and had the key to it on the same ring as his office, quadbike, house, and cruiser keys.

Finally he arrived at the cabana. It was between the Park and Goldenrod, but it had an amazing view. The sand was soft, and when Gaz went inside the cabana, it was perfect. (And a great bargain.)

Gaz locked the door, and he went and laid down on the mattress. The Lucario seemed content to sleeping on a hammock outside, until Gaz noticed a pull-down bed. He whistled to Lucario after unlocking the door, and both of the officers slept off their jetlag.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

Once again, Newprofile001, you manage to sound Pretentious by insulting the Intelligence and Vocabulary of other members. Whether this is intentional or not, it is no concern of ours as either way it's making you look like an ass.

And makes my Sarcasm Drive exceed Warp 9.999 and evolve into a Salamander. A very unhappy salamander. The kind that Sets People on Fire.

My patience for you is starting to run thin. See that it doesn't expire or you'll be on the fast lane to be armbladed.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

(It has been awhile since I joined a PRP. I hope I can still write in third person )

A loud scream erupted from the clinic area of the Pokemon Center that could be heard as far as the lobby. Walking out of the wooden door that led to the lobby came an Infernape of an unusual gold color holding himself and shaking like he had just been violated.

"Axel, I'm sorry. I didn't know they were going to give you a needle." apologized Axel's trainer who was dressed completely in black.

"Jackass." the Flame Pokemon said dryly. It was, after all, partly Brian's fault he was here in the first place.

While enjoying a nice vacation in Johto, Brian had gotten the bright idea to go tree climbing in the park. Except the tree he climbed wasn't a tree but a Sudowoodo. The angered Imitation Pokemon threw the trainer off of it causing Brian to land on the Infernape resulting in the latter dislocating his elbow. Just as a precaution to not make the injury even worse, Brian took Axel to the nearest Pokemon Center which was conveniently located near the park. Once there, Axel had his arm fixed good as new, but after a quick glance at Axel's medical record, the assistant nurse in charge noted that he was lacking some important vaccinations. Needless to say, the Infernape was not at all pleased.

Brian put his forehead in his fingerless glove clad palm pushing back the bangs of his spiky black hair. He had tried to stop the assistant nurse, but the Chancy over powered him and the nurse was way too prepared. "It is a beautiful night. We don't have to sleep here if you rather not." Brian pointed out.

"I'd rather stick it to them by sleeping in their beds for free and eating their food for free for breakfast." responded Axel deviously. A wry smirk crossed the twenty-year-old's face.

The duo walked up to the front counter where the resident Nurse Joy was busy talking to someone on the phone. By the sound of her hushed voice, Brian could tell it wasn't exactly a pleasent conversation. Standing in line in front of them was a young lady with a Jolteon and a Leafeon. However, there was something off about the Leafeon. Its leaves were already changing to its Fall colors.

"Why is your Leafeon changing its coat so soon?" inquired Brian.

 

[Tatile]

(OOC: Thanks Stel, I found NewProfile's post somewhat annoying, but I didn't want to say anything to him in case it was considered mini-modding. Any-hoo, yay Psycho! You are win )

Dove turned, slightly confused. It was not often that people came up to her at random and commented on her Pokemon, but then perhaps that was the lot of cities. Outside of Viridian, she had not been in many, she often tried to avoid them where she could. She let out a small gasp of surprise; it was her first time seeing an Infernape so close, and what a colour! She was immediatly enamoured with the flame Pokemon, almost missing the trainer standing before her. After a few seconds of simply staring, she realised what she was doing.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Dove took a few moments to collect herself, and to remember what had been said. Somthing about... it came back to her in pieces. Glancing around, she saw the only thing that could have prompted a stranger to talk to her: Hemlock. More specifically, his coat. "Oh? You mean Hemlock? I'm not sure," She said, leaning down to the inquisative creature for a closer look. The young Pokemon stuck out his nose, touching hers with his. "I think it's autumn in Sinnoh? That's where he came from, my brother just sent him to me."

Hemlock moved away from Dove and Scion as she continued to talk, padding up with no fear or reservations, to the Infernape. The Eevee-lution was obviously not very aware, as he swiftly moved to poke his face right into the flaming mane that ran down the ape's back. Scion, being far more sensible that his species-cousin quickly intercepted before the grass-type was set on fire.

Dove watched the exchange with a mixture of mild astonishment and despair. It would take a while to turn the oblivious little fox into a fighter. Looking at the Leafeon, she remembered something else.

"Where are my manners?" She exclaimed hurriedly, and stuck out her hand. The man standing near her, who had asked on her Leafeon, was a little bit taller than her, and possibly only a couple of years older. He had a certain handsome charm, Dove thought idly, taking in the seemingly unruly black hair and confident air. Smiling, she continued. "My name is Dove Fairmay, it's a pleasure to meet you."

To her side, she heard Nurse Joy sigh heavily and put down the phone with a hollow click. The pink-haired woman composed herself quickly, and soon she was the picture-perfect Poke-Nurse, all happy smiles and caring words. It was as if the conversation over the phone had never happened. Dove did not notice the sideways look that briefly went her way from the attendant, nor the shakily scribbled note that got folded within the confines of the raunchy romance novel.

"It's my first time in Johto. It seems quite nice."

 

[Aura]

Aura flinched, glaring at the nurse that was putting some sticky yellow substance over the gashes in her arms. She really didn't know why she was making such a fuss; it was just a small scratch.

She'd been heading to Violet City by an odd desire to visit the place she'd almost destroyed in a rage. The young Riolu had to pass through Goldenrod to get there. But a bunch of local Pokemon had seen this as trespasing and had tried to make her leave. Which was a rather stupid thing to do because she'd managed to take them all down. Although there had been an awful lot of them so she'd gotten herself clawed. Which sucked because then this wierd nurse person had spotted her and freaked out.

Aura growled, her hackles standing up on end, glaring at the nurse who took a step back. She seemed to get the message - leave me alone. Now. The nurse quickly moved away, smiling at a trainer with a Swellow whose wing appeared to be broken.

Aura leapt off the chair, guessing that she didn't have to stay any longer. Out of some impulse, she kicked over the chair, an act which suprised her. She wasn't normally sulky or moody or anything along those lines. She quickly guessed that it was her other half. Something deep inside her let out a hiss of fury, demanding that she let herself go mad with rage and destroy this place.

Aura shook her head. "I'm staying 100% god damn me." She muttered under her breath, so quietly that no one heard.

The hybrid looked around the Pokemon Centre out of curiousity. There was about - she did a quick head count - seven humans each with their own amount of Pokemon. There was about three nurses visible, but there were some more out back.

"My Salamence can take down all of Cynthia's pokemon by itself." One man boasted to a human girl.

"He doesn't have a Salamence." The guy beside him told the girl and she giggled.

Aura smiled. Human's were soo weird. Part of her resented that, but she ignored it. Two females were sitting on some chairs, looking worried. Another two were talking to each other. They caught her attention. Well, not really the trainer's, but their Pokemon. There was a Leafeon with brilliant orange leaves and an Infernape with golden fur. Aura felt her jaw drop. She'd never seen Pokemon like this before... or maybe they were naturaly that colour. She'd never seen an Infernape or a Leafeon before... The Leafeon seemed as curious as Aura was, for it attempted to poke the monkey's face. A Jolteon which Aura hadn't seen leapt forwards to intersept.

Aura's curiousity intensifed as she watched all three of them. Eventually she walked over to them, catching their attention. Then she froze, silently cursing herself. She couldn't speak to the Pokemon, because the human's would also be able to understand her, even if she was speaking Riolu. But she couldn't just walk away now, the Pokemon had seen her. Maybe she could pretend to have a really small voice and that it would hopefully not reach the trainers ears.

"Err... hi..." Aura muttered as quietly as she could manage.

The phrase 'curiosity killed the cat' ran through her head. Human's should probably change that saying to 'curiosity killed Aura'. She always seemed to get herself into these situations...

(Hope you don't mind me using Aura. If you guys do, just say so. If you want any information on this crazy thing here's a link - http://www.pokecharms.com/forums/index.php?topic=903.msg76293#msg76293)

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

(Let's just say my character is more or less chaotic neutral. Her current affiliation... is a surprise.)

It wasn't very long before the dark duo touched down in Goldenrod City. Ame gracefully descended off of the Charizard, patting its side in thanks before walking towards the Pokémon Center.

As they were walking, a few people stopped to stare. Not only was it uncommon to see such a large creature outside of its PokéBall, the black coloration of the Charizard was quite rare indeed. The fact that this was Johto didn't matter at all. People were transferring Pokémon from other regions all the time.

The automatic door of the Pokémon Center opened for Ame and her Charizard, causing a lot of people to look their way. Big creatures didn't normally come through the front door unless inside PokéBalls. Ame and her Charizard liked to live outside the norm.

She gazed around the room with her green orbs, before spotting a strange looking Leafeon. It was already changing color as if it were autumn. Then she looked up at the girl who supposedly owned it.

That would be my target... she mused as she looked the girl over. No doubt the girl had already noticed her and her Charizard, so she started walking in their direction. She paid no mind to the other people around the girl. This was all about getting to know her, to decide whether or not handing her over would be worth it or not...

"Hello. My name is Ame Wyxm, and this is my companion Charles." She spoke in calm, rich tones, motioning to her Charizard as she introduced him. "I was intrigued by your Leafeon and decided to introduce myself."

She smiled then, and hoped that it was the nice, welcoming mask that she intended it to be. She cleared her throat a little bit just in case, so if the girl somehow managed to see that she wasn't entirely honest with her smile it would seem like an awkward thing. Ame was very skilled in the art of deception. She was even pulling the proverbial wool over the eyes of her boss.

"May I ask your name, and do you need any assistance getting around the Johto region? I've been here for a few years, you see. I could help you." This part was out of honesty. Ame was around the age of 19 now, having travelled from Kanto a few years ago to adventure in the Johto region. That being said, thanks to help from Charles and her boss, she knew her way around.

She just hoped the girl would go along with it.

 

[Tatile]

(OOC: Am I posting too much? I can't tell. I suppose I've been feeling RP-deprived. EDIT: LoN is the last member now, when he posts. No one else can join. If you do, I'll eat your flesh ^.^ Have a nice day!)

Dove whirled around this time. Johto was full of so many things! She got a fleeting glimpse of a young, and somewhat strange, looking Riolu greeting Hemlock, who in turn looked extremely pleased and curious. All this before the room became dominated by a great, black dragon. No, not a dragon, but a Charizard, not unlike the ones she had seen back home. In spite of her shock at seeing such a rare breed of the winged-flame Pokemon, she still caught a few words from the creature's trainer. Trying to cover her embarressment, and the fact that, once again, she had been staring, Dove laughed and quickly looked to the woman leading the dragon.

She may have caught the words, Dove realised, but actually remembering what had been said proved to be slightly harder. She glanced over the woman, part sizing her up, the rest trying to remember the introduction. The thing which stodd out the most, apart from her long black coat, were her green eyes. Then, it came back to her.

"Ah, hello Ame, I'm Dove. Dove Fairmay," She extended her hand in greeting, wondering if the other woman would take it. "I'm new to Johto, and yet everyone is so nice! Even," She turned to the man who had joined her not but two minutes ago. She did not know his name. "...uh... Yes, everyone is nice," Dove closed her eyes and laughed, trying to ward off any strange looks which she knew would come her way. Perhaps it would be better to steer away from introductions for the time being. "So, you say you can show me around Johto? That would be wonderful; I had been wondering if there was a guide facility here, but I never thought there would be guide-people."

It seemed that Hemlock took a while to learn, as this time he moved toward the black Charizard's tail, intent on sniffing that as well. Once more, Scion intercepted him with a sharp bite to his flank, making the young Leafeon cry out in pain. It may have been the lesser of two evils from the Jolteon's point of view, but Dove still did not like it.

"Scion," She hissed, bending down to meet her long-time battle partner in the eyes. "We do not bite friends!"

Forcibly laughing again, Dove stepped back from her now slightly bemused Pokemon and looked at the two new people. She may have only just met them, but immediatly she liked them and hoped they might join on her journeys through Johto.

 

[Aura]

(You're not the only one...)

Thud.
Aura's eyes widened in surprise. The other Pokemon seemed as shocked as she was.
Thud.
Aura spun around, looking for the sorce of the sound. A black Charizard met her eyes. It lowered it's head to her eye level and showed it's teeth. In response, the tiny Riolu barred her fangs. It blew a puff of smoke into her face, bringing on a coughing fit. The Black Dragon snorted with amusment, seeming to think that she'd be a pushover. Aura growled. She'd show this lizard what a pushover was...

Her aura flared into visibility to all others besides from her kind. It was a brilliant purple colour and it pulsed around her, unlike most others that were a solid thing emitnating from their flesh. Strangely it also had flashes of electricity running through it. The Riolu Hybrid hissed and felt herself start to tremble with the amount of power needed to change her shape. It moved like fire through her veins. She felt her eyes begin to change... The psycho in her mind screamed with truimph...

Aura caught herself and stopped trembleing. Psycho roared at her.

NOOO!!! BURN! KILL! KILL THESE PEOPLE AND POKEMON!!!
No. I won't.
BUT I MUST! I'M POWERFUL! I COULD DESTROY THEM AS EASILY AS RAISE A FINGER!!!
But I don't have fingers, so thereby it's impossible. So shut up.
Nothing's impossible...

Aura relaxed as she felt the Psycho thing retreat into the darker parts of her mind. She then noticed that the others were staring at her.

"Err..." She said patheticly. "That thing scares me..."

They didn't seem convinced. Aura didn't blame them. She sounded pretty pathetic.

 

[Newprofile001]

Unfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances-my computer crashing-I will be unable to continue for now. Plus, its hard to make his phone do what I want it to. I apologize for the inconvienience.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

(Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been at Otacon every waking moment for the last three days. It was fun by the way.)

The girl with the Leafeon had introduced herself as Dove and her Leafeon as Hemlock. Supposedly it was fall in Sinnoh which explained the Pokemon's color. It made perfect sense as Sinnoh was further north meaning it got colder quicker and longer. She also revealed that this was her first time in Johto.

"I'm Brian and this is Axel" Brian introduced excepting Dove's handshake. "My first time in Johto was a few years ago. I won't bore you with the details, but it was a pretty fun experience." Now that the topic had come up, Brian remembered that it was in this very town that Axel evolved into an Infernape while fighting Whitney's Miltank.

While Brian and Dove conversated, an unattended Riolu joined the group of Pokemon. "Err... hi..." the little Pokemon said meekly.

"Hi yourself." Axel greeted. "Do you have a name? I'm Axel."

"Er... Aura." said the Riolu timidly. She was obviously the shy quiet type. Brian looked down at the Riolu, the Infernape's question having alerted him to the Emanation Pokemon's presence. The trainer was about to send out his own Riolu to play with the trainerless new comer when another trainer, a female, with a black Charizard walked into to the center and almost immediately joined him and Dove.

"Now that is sexy." Brian unintentionally said outloud. He threw his hand over his mouth in embarrassment when he realized what he had done. "I- I mean your coat! It looks totally badass!" he corrected defensively. It was one of Brian's goals to get a trench coat or, as he called them, 'badass long coats'.

"Hello. My name is Ame Wyxm, and this is my companion Charles." said the young woman in a composed voice looking only at Dove. It was as if she were ignoring Brian completely. Was it because of his thoughtless comment or had she ignored that too? She even offered to give Dove a tour of Johto. A proposal that the latter willing excepted.

"Hello Ame. I hope we didn't get off on the wrong foot. I'm Brian." said the trainer extending his hand.

Meanwhile the flame on Axel's crown flared intensely as he glared at the Charizard. To the Infernape, all Charizard were rivals due to their strength, disposition, and the fact that they were part Flying-type which made them only slightly superior to the monkey's Fighting-type. The purple aura of the Riolu quickly turned his attention away from Charles.

"What was that?" he asked Aura. The Emanation Pokemon replied with a stutter that the Charizard scared her. Axel didn't quiet buy that, the look in her eyes was of one ready to fight not fear. The primate decided it would be best to keep an eye on this one.

(*sigh* So much catching up. I think I'm slightly crazier now.)

 

[Stark]

(OOC: Sticking myself in the Magnet Train station so I have a realistic chance of fitting my slight hiatus come Tuesday into this. This means you guys can either find me on this tour, or I can come out and find you when I'm ready. Either way, by the time one of the two events happen I should be available to continue this.)

The teenager collapsed onto the nearest bench after exiting the Magnet Train, people around him ignoring his seemingly unsociable actions and went about with their lives. The station was full of people, full enough so you couldn't even see the double glass doors at the other end of the building styled in a mellow cream colour. People were pushing past each other, bustling relentlessly. Apologies were the main subject of discussion, the teenager's companion figured.

"I am worn-out! And all we've done is sit on a train. A bloody fast one at that — dang, these Johto folks know their engineering," exclaimed the teenager sprawled across the bench. His jeans covered large, black skate style shoes, and a laptop bag was slung over his t-shirt-clad torso. White tribal designs spiraled around the shirt, covering a black background with interesting patterns.

A small, white rectangle of plastic fell out of the adolescent's jean pocket and onto the floor with a clatter that seemed to pierce the chaos within the station. A purple, almost transparent being floated around his head; eyes were rolled and a small smirk crawled from one side of her face to the other.

"Oh, Chloe, you had to give me that look, didn't you?" the teenager asked his Shuppet, as he reached down to the floor and attempted to pick up his pass for the Magnet Train. He moved his arm closer and closer to the pass until the clumsy adolescent fell off of his throne and onto the harsh, unforgiving floor.

Chloe's smirk grew bigger as she watched her trainer make a fool of himself, finally flailing around on the floor enough to reach the pass and get back on his feet. He put himself back on the bench and seemed more exhausted than before. A glance at his pass revealed all was intact — details were there, it still gave his name as Adam and his hometown as Mossdeep City in the Hoenn region, it still listed his age as seventeen and that the pass was valid for life.

"Shoosh, you. Stop laughing at me," Adam replied, giving a smirk of his own. He slipped the pass back inside his pocket and pulled his laptop out of the bag, logging in. He decided to himself that a rest was in order after such an excursion.

 

[Newprofile001]

(OOC - This is going to sound confusing, but it's supposed to be confusing. It's a time paradox, after all. I'm making this to have a way for Gaz to be out of the PRP.) Gaz woke up and looked around. This wasn't his cabana. The mattress was a metal spring mattress, unlike the one at the cabana, which was memory foam. He looked around and found himself in an extremely messy room. He walked out and down the hallway to find someone typing on a texter phone, mumbling to himself. " '...What are you doing..?' Gaz said as the person typing on the phone looked up." "...What are you doing..?" Gaz said as the person typing on the phone looked up. "I'm Woody. I created you. I use you as a character in the PRPs I reply in," the person said, still typing. He continued, "Come with me. I'll show you what I mean..." as he and Gaz walked off. The person pressed "SEND" on the phone.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

((That post... made no sense. Ah well, on with my storyline.))

"Pleased to meet you, Dove." She thinks me a guide-person? Ame mused to herself slightly, containing her smile. "Do not get me wrong. Guiding people is not my profession. I merely offer my knowledge of the region, as I have been here for several years." She offered the truth to the girl, her calm demeanor never-faltering.

That was until, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that what appeared to be a Riolu seemed to be getting ready to hurt Charles. Ame let out a low hiss, at which Charles snapped his head back and sat at attention. He respected his partner, and would not do anything unless she commanded it.

She finally turned her green gaze to the boy who had introduced himself. She sized him up, gazing at him quite curiously. She had heard his earlier comment about her - or rather, her coat - and decided that she would want to be as nice as possible in the presence of the girl.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Brian." She outstretched a hand to shake his in a manner that would normally exemplify pleasure in meeting someone. "If you admire my coat so much... I would not be opposed to giving you one of my extras." She smirked then, fire dancing in her eyes slightly.

She was intentionally giving him an invitation to come with her to acquire said coat, and perhaps other things. It had been far too long since she had enjoyed the company of another... However, her mind soon snapped back to the job at hand. There would be time for... other pleasantries later.

"It would be my pleasure to show you around the Johto region. I have not adventured in a long time, and I would like very much to have some new friends to come along with." It was true that Ame had indeed stopped adventuring. She had been busy doing other things, such as gathering information for her employers.

Whether these people would truly be her friends or not would remain to be seen.

 

[Newprofile001]

((Yay, compy's back up and running. Only prob is my brother's hogging it, and for the reference, I let Tatile auto Gaz.))

Gaz woke up, only to find he was strapped to the rear-facing and cargo-rack-mounted seat on the back of the quadbike, and he was in Goldenrod.. Unfortunately, that's when the needle on the gas cap tapped "E" and Gaz knew what that meant. Stuck in Goldenrod City while Gaz was filling up the 1.4-gallon (about 5.3 litre) tank and Lucario was in the department store getting a meal.

One meal and a tank of liquid petroleum later, the two reunited. Gaz was just about to say something when there was a shriek at the PokeCenter.

"Investigation?" Gaz asked Lucario, who promptly nodded as it hopped on the back seat, buckled the five-point harness, and gave Gaz the thumbs-up-a signal Gaz saw in the sideview mirror. Thirty-nine-decimal point-three-two seconds later, Gaz and Lucario were in front of the PokeCenter with guns drawn. Gaz looked through the window, and, much to his surprise, he saw a lady in a white lab coat chasing an Infernape, which had emitted a soft squeak.

Gaz turned to Lucario, shrugged, and holstered his weapon. He got onto the quad, pulled a cigarette out, lit it, and took a puff; and both officers napped after Gaz finished his stop-smoking-already-dammit cigarette. His conscience was guilty for smoking, but he hadn't had one in a week. He pulled the brim of his hat down, and both officers slept in peace.

 

[Tatile]

"So," Dove was excited, she was going on another adventure with such lovely, interesting people! Maybe they knew how to get interestingly coloured Pokemon better than she did; Jack had been moaning about getting one for a while, but she had been unable to help - not many people were up for trading alternately-coloured Pokery. Beside all that though, she was getting the opportunity to make new friends. "Where do we go first? I've already booked a room here; I was planning on visiting Golden Rod and the surrounding area, if only for a couple of days, and then see where the road takes me."

She clapped her hands and bounced on the balls of her feet. Two people who were familiar with Johto! Two people... and a random Riolu, seemingly with no trainer; what would she do with the little thing? Perhaps Brian or Ame knew something about it, or was the Riolu a her?

Then, something struck her. Hemlock had just been transferred from Sinnoh, he needed a check-up and local vaccines, just as Scion and Jetsam had needed! She spun on the spot, beaming a slightly awkward smile at Nurse Joy, completely missing the stunned expression on the pink-haired woman's face.

"Ah, Nurse Joy, is it possible for Hemlock here to have a check-up?" The Leafeon padded over to the desk, looking curiously at Dove and the Nurse. The brunette traveller looked down at her newest team acquisition with the countenance of a mother upon her young child, who, unbeknownst to them, was about to take a wonderful journey into adulthood: the trip of learning not to shriek or cry from necessary evils, good as they might be. Hemlock gazed back in wonder. He was naïve, but probably not for long. There was a small, almost inaudible, affirmation from Nurse Joy. Dove giggled politely and swooped the young, auburn coloured creature into her arms, swinging him about in circles. "After we get you checked over, we can explore the city! Can't we, Ame, Brian?" Endearingly she turned to each other as she called their names, holding the Leafeon in such a way that she appeared like a young girl with a teddy bear, rather than the woman she was. Dove had always been a strange mixture of childlike enthusiasm and strict strategy and morality. To call her unusual would be an injustice to her upbringing, but to say she was normal, and went with the status-quo, would be equally incorrect. Anarchism was far from her mind, but in doing what she did, and how she did it, she railed against the accepted — and expected - free-flowing life of those in her 'profession'. It was her plan to explore the city and then the out-lying areas for a few days, before leaving and going out into the wilder, vast reaches of Johto; whether this was the plan of her new-found guides was no matter to her, she would convince them to her plan, even if they did not like it.

In a moment, Hemlock found himself resting peacefully on the strangely rosy-orange front desk of the centre, the baffled nurse looking at him, wondering what to do. As Dove's back was turned, trying to outlay her plans for the trip to Ame and Brian, Nurse Joy picked up three syringes, one slightly larger than the others. Hemlock made no noise when he was pricked in the rump by two of the needles, but the one that went into the nape of his neck made him squeal.

"... and I'd love to find an Aipom — oh! Hemlock, did it hurt?" Dove scratched the Pokemon behind his leaf-ears to reassure him, completely ignoring the needles that the nurse was carefully packing away. "well, what do you guys say? To the train station first of all, I need a proper timetable!"

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

"Where you want to go depends entirely on what you want to do." Ame replied, mulling over the options. "Are you here for the League? If so I would suggest starting from the beginning, as Goldenrod Gym is considered the third stop. If not, then what are you here for?" Ame was truly curious, as she wasn't told much about her target beforehand.

The girl seemed very excitable, almost a little bit childish in her actions. Ame was forcing her smile a little bit now, as she watched Dove twirl the Leafeon in her arms. The girl turned back to Ame with that hopeful, excited smile of hers, and Ame couldn't help but to smile a bit genuinely back.

"Of course we can explore the town. There's a lot to see here in Goldenrod - the department store, the radio tower, the game corner, and so much more. Should be exciting for a newcomer like you."

Ame listened to Dove's speech, nodding her head and giving choice comments whenever she deemed it appropriate. She seemed like a free-spirited type... a lot like Ame herself. She mentally slapped herself for almost getting to attached to the girl right away when she was supposed to be wary. Twice now her mind had slipped from the original job by thoughts of merriment and other things. She briefly wondered about Brian again, and if he would be interested in her offer... Seeing as it has already become apparent that I get along with these people, perhaps the job will have to be forfeit...

"... Aipoms sometimes need to be jostled from their trees with a good Headbutt to the trunk." Ame flinched a little bit at the squeak that came from the Leafeon. She had always been somewhat sensitive to the emotions of others, but it had amplified once she had 'connected' with her Gardevoir. She turned her attention back to Dove, and smiled again.

"You're the leader, I'm just a follower. Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you, until you tell me to do otherwise." So that was the end of that. With those words, Ame had already forsaken her job in favour of being friends with these people. Frankly, she wondered if she even gave a damn about completing the job in the first place.

Somehow, she really doubted it, even with the amazing pay she would have received.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

(This may seem odd, but when is Brian ever not odd?)

Brian sqeed with delight as a big goofy smile consumed his face. She had more than one! Brian clasped Ame's hands in both of his as he descended to his knees.

"Ms. Ame, it would be an honor!" he said passionately as he gazed up at her. His blue eyes twinkled like a child who had just been told by his parents that they were going out for ice cream for no better reason other than they could.

"Do you plan on getting up anytime soon?" Axel inquired boredly.

Brian leaned his head back to view the upside-down image of the Flame Pokemon. "Do you mind? I was having a moment." he said in disappointment. Brian released Ame's hand as he rose back to his feet. "When ever you can have me over to your place to pick up the coat, I will be available." Brian told Ame gratefully.

The conversation then turned to what the newly formed group should do. The general concensus was that they would stay in Goldenrod for a couple of days and see all that the city had to offer. After that everything was up in the air. Dove was highly enthusiastic about her first trip to Johto. She beamed with excitement as she picked up Hemlock and began dancing around with the Grass-Pokemon.

"If I'm not mistaken, Goldenrod is the largest city in the world so, as Ame said, we should have no problem finding new places to visit. It should be fun." Brian added in response to Dove's question about exploring the city.

While Brian continued talking with Dove and Ame about what they would do in Johto, Axel squealed with fright at the sight of Nurse Joy pulling out three needles to stick into the unsuspecting Leafeon. The Infernape opted to hiding behind his trainer rather than help his fellow Pokemon as he didn't want to take the chance of getting another needle. Axel cringed at the horrible sound of Hemlock's yelp. "Forgive me for my cowardice." the monkey apologized silently.

"I too will follow you milady." Brian said chivalrously throwing his right arm over his torso and bowing. Besides, it wasn't like he and Axel had any other plans. Though they were on vacation, it was their golden rule to never plan anything, just see what the day would bring. And what a day it was!

 

[Tatile]

To say that Dove was confused would be putting her current state mildly. Had Brian just spoken to - and more importantly understood — his Infernape? Perhaps inviting entire strangers into her life was not a good idea as she had thought, no matter how cute they might be. Today was becoming ever so slightly odd. This Brian fellow, well, he seemed nice enough, though also prone to random outbursts of, well, oddity. Ame was wonderfully collected however, and would surely keep a level head about concerning their new male friend, at least, that was what Dove hoped.

To the train station first, of course. Casually, she recalled her latest team addition, secretly marvelling at how calm the Leafeon was, in spite of all the excitement of going to a new land and getting needles poked in him. Had there been something else in those vaccines? Surely not, Dove decided. All Nurse Joys were admirable, righteous individuals who cared for the sick and weak; to Dove's mind, they could do no wrong. Hemlock was likely merely drowsy from the adventures before he had arrived. It was still early afternoon and looked as glorious as it had when she had arrived, shielded and distorted as it was behind the glass panes of the PokeCentre's windows. Though she had very little idea of where the train station actually was, she trusted enough in Ame and Brian to lead her there.

Just as she was about to suggest lunch on the way over to the station, everything seemed to fall eerily silent. Beyond the door was a woman who outstripped the sun in radiance, but who also emanated more menace than ever would be possible for anyone living. Her black hair was tied tightly back, slicked onto her head, shining like a perverse halo. She had stopped and, in spite of the words plastered across the glass doors, it was clear that she was examining something with the utmost contempt. Her laughter was cruel, muffled as it was, and it was clear to see that she was colder than the north wind. This woman inspired dread and, though she did not cross the doors, with a simple flick of her eyes, she set Dove trembling. Quickly, she examined each of the group in turn and then she was gone. Only the foreboding impression of her chilling eyes was left.

Dove, unaware whether either Ame or Brian had seen the apparition outside, forced herself to calm. There was terrible sense of recognition in those azure eyes — she had seen such an expression before, long ago, where a hunter finds prey.

"Uh, how about we go for lunch, now?" She was uneasy, but hid the sensation as best she could. Scion, as observant as he always was, made no sign of having noticed her distress, but then he never did. The Jolteon sat straight-backed and proud, staring at the world around him, seeing and witnessing everything, but saying nothing. The more he sees the less he says and the less he says the more he sees - such is the saying about the wise old Noctowl and the same holds true for Scion.

With great hesitation in each step Dove walked to the door, Scion at her side.

***

Melinda was pleased. Her plan was to come to fruition soon; everything was as it should be. Her boss - her father, the future empire she will wield - would be pleased. The police officer, asleep outside the Centre would also get a nice surprise when he awoke. A simple note, as they always left with those of the Golden Rod departments which they had not reached, that said to join them or to join their enemies. A simple note, with a simple message and a simple choice, given that all their enemies now slept now beneath the trees, but the waves. Perhaps she had been too forward however, to say that the ledger would soon once more in their possession. No, if the girl found the note before the officer did, it would make this all the more fun. She might even call out her little thief friend from hiding.

((OOC: Throwing the mysterious Melinda in here to get things a little more dangerous. The Golden Rod mafia does not have a name - that's just how they like it.))

 

[Aura]

Axel didn't reply to that comment, which made Aura willing to bet her life on the fact that he'd seen through her. Dammit... Oh well, he seemed nice enough. Aura watched the eon's for a while, not paying any attention to the trainers at all. The Leafeon was extremely curious and was constantly trying to poke the Black Charizard's tail. The Jolteon, who appeared to be the smarter of the two, had to continuously stop Leafeon from being burned to a crisp. This, Aura found rather amusing. It was Axel that brought the hybrid to earth again.

Do you plan on getting up any time soon? He said dryly to his trainer.

"Do you mind?" The trainer dressed completely in black said. "I was having a moment."

Woah. Hold up a second! This. Guy. Can. Understand. His. Infernape?! Aura had never, ever in her short but event filled life come across a trainer who could understand their Pokemon. Well, except for Katie. But she was an exception. She was psychic. Unless this guy was as well... But no, he spoke aloud... Now Aura paided more attention to what the human's were saying.

They seemed to be planning a trip of some kind. The plan appeared to be to stay in Goldenrod for a few days, then going wherever the hell they wanted. Aura wished with all her heart that she could come. Being the only one like you in the world could be a very lonely existance. And without some form of company, even if it happened to be someone you hated, there really wasn't much point to life. No reason to do anything.

And more than anything, she really wanted to know why these Pokemon were such strange colours! So, looking bolder than she felt, Aura turned to Axel.

"Ummm..." She said, instantly laying on the shyness. "You're trainer can understand you right? Well... could you ask him... and the others... if I could come along? I'm really lonely..."

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Ame was amused slightly at Brian's reaction to her offer, a bit of excitement dancing in her eyes as well. He wants to come back home with me... Even if just for the coat. Her smile went down a few watts, but still remained there upon her lips. "If we can make time to go to Violet City after Dove here makes her tour of Goldenrod, then we can surely stop by my home."

When they were just about to leave the Pokemon Center, a haunting silence descended over them. A black-haired woman with radiance like the sun - but surely enough darkness to block it out - passed by the entrance, looking in with a chilling glare. Her hair shined in a way that made it look like she had a demonic halo, or that's what Ame would describe it as. Charles became uneasy by her side, but with another hiss from Ame he calmed back down.

When the woman's eyes met Ame's, there was no cold that could compare to what came between these two. Emerald met azure in a clash of wintry recognition, Ame watching as the cruel smile pulled over the woman's lips. Ame's lips remained still, perhaps giving the impression that she was not as much of a maniacal force as she was apathetic.

When the woman tore her eyes away to move on, Ame returned her warm mask to her face. Dove looked at her somewhat scared, and though Ame had pulled her expertly crafted smile back on, there was no denying the hatred that still burned for the woman who had just passed by them.

Ame simply took a deep breath, closed her eyes to erase the thoughts, and moved in to follow as Dove stepped out the door.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

"Violet City huh?" Brian mused. "I'm sure we'll find our way there eventually." The plan so far was to check out all Goldenrod had to offer. After that Brian was sure he could convince Dove to accompany himself and Ame to Violet City if only to see the Sprout Tower.

The light mood was interupted by an ominous sensation. Brian shifted his eyes to the Pokemon Center entrance where he saw a woman with night black hair resembling a dark halo staring maliciously at the group. She was like a black hole; sucking in all the light and warmth in the room leaving it in chilling darkness. Despite that, the woman glowed like a fire on a moonless night.

Her gaze then seemed to focus directly on Brian. His eyes narrowed in disgust at the woman's sadistic smile. Then as suddenly as she appeared, she left the scene.

"Uh, how about we go for lunch, now?" Dove said uneasily. She must have also seen that freaky woman.

"I'm in!" Brian said excitedly. He wasn't sure what time it was or what time he had breakfast, all he knew, rather all he cared to know, was that his stomach was empty and craving something good. "Come on Axel!"

Before the Infernape could leave with his trainer, he heard a small murmur from the trainerless Riolu. "You want to come with us?" questioned Axel making sure he heard her right. Aura nodded timidly. The monkey turned to his trainer. "Hey Brian, I'm kidnapping Aura. Is that okay with you?" Axel said assertively.

"Who?" Brian asked looking back at his Pokemon. He looked down to the Riolu, then back at Axel. "Her? Yea, alright. But only if she's trainerless and agrees to you taking her. Also, she will be your responsibility." Brian agreed.

"Aye aye Captain!" the Flame Pokemon said sarcastically with a mock salute. "Come along now Aura." Axel called following his Brian and the trainer's new companions.

 

[Tatile]

Strangely, strange even for the cities, just outside the PokeCentre there were a police-officer and a Lucario asleep on a quad-bike — the man still with a slowly smouldering cigarette hanging from his lip. The pair were odd, certainly out of place. Their uniforms looked familiar, but then, Dove decided, perhaps all police uniforms were the same... for uniformity's sake.

Hands planted firmly on her hips, the young brunette looked around the glorious city laid out before her. Each building shone in summer's strong sunlight, but the result has beautiful, not harsh. If Golden Rod was this brilliant, what would the rest of Johto be like? She could only guess at the adventures which awaited. A glance over her should confirmed that her new-found companions were making their ways outside as well; Brian's Infernape seemingly leading the young Riolu. As she took a rather crumpled and colourful pamphlet from her pocket, she realised there was still something greatly heavy on her back: her travelling pack. There was an easy solution to that though, Jetsam. With a flick of her wrist a dishevelled but proud beast stood before her, a small corona of red light slowly fading from around it. The whiskered creature held a spoon in each hand, tuning instruments for psychic abilities.

"Jetsam, could you take this up to our room please?" Dove kept all important things, such as filled Pokeballs and money on her person, so being separated from the large, cumbersome bag was a non-issue. Still on her back, the bag was surrounded by a faint blue glow, before disappearing completely with the Alakazam. A moment later Jetsam returned, the bag evidently having been put somewhere. It was then that she remembered a very important question: "Brian, can you understand your Infernape?"

The notion seemed utterly ludicrous, and yet somehow plausible. As Dove stood, stupidly pointing at the man dressed in black, Jetsam carefully pried the pamphlet from her grasp and showed the contents to Scion. If Dove wasn't going to decided where to eat, they would.

***

Melinda smirked. From her current vantage point of a little coffee shop not far from the park, she could see all of the main exit path from the PokeCentre, the most likely route for her quarry to take. A quick message sent to Truck gave him his orders; when to begin and what to do. Soon, she would have the answers they all needed.

((OOC: Short and lame I know, but let's get started.))

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Ame followed and listened, watching around her. She still sensed the cold presence nearby, and knew that she would be watching. She gritted her teeth slightly at the thought, lamenting how it had always been this way. Always with sending people to watch over her, because they knew that she was a strange woman who sometimes didn't follow orders.

She perked up when she heard Dove's question. "You mean, you don't know, yet? That is unfortunate... I will explain." She concentrated on talking to Dove about this phenomenon rather than the cold sensations running down her spine.

"Sometimes when a Pokemon and their trainer become close, not only does the emotional bond occur, but they are able to link minds. It is much easier to do with Psychic types, but other types have been known to form this bond. However sometimes some humans can just understand Pokemon... much like how they understand us."

Ame turned to look at Charles with a meaningful look. "Charles and I have one such bond. I also have one with my Gardevoir." She looked thoughtful for a moment, before smirking slightly. "In fact, why don't you meet her..."

Ame fished through her right pocket and brought out the candid red and white PokeBall. She opened it tentatively, a beam of light shooting out to reveal the green and white PokeMon. The Gardevoir floated above the ground slightly, twirling her dress-like folds and bowing in greeting.

"This is Garazi. She says she's pleased to meet you." Ame had a reason for releasing Garazi, which she put into effect right away. Keep an eye on Melinda for us, alright?

Of course. came the smooth, cooing reply, and Ame smiled proudly.

 

[Newprofile001]

Gaz could sense another presence... but he could not confirm until he heard voices. He took a drag on the cigarette, and it fell out of his mouth as the phone vibrated in his pocket. He fumbled to save the cigarette, but it landed on the dirt beside the quad and went out.
Well, so much for the ciggie, Gaz thought as he pulled out the phone and pressed "SEND".

"Talk to me," he answered.
"You available for duty?" the voice replied.
"No, I'm in Johto."
"Alright, drat. Nevermind," the person on the other end said, and hung up.

Gaz cranked the quadbike, and it turned over almost immediately, so Gaz killed the engine and looked into the fuel tank - it was red.

Well, he thought, it can't hurt the engine... much.

You get unleaded plus again?
Gaz looked at the Lucario. How it knew that Gaz hit the button for "Plus" by mistake instead of "Regular No-Lead" was beyond him. He didn't reply, just screwed the lid on. Why did they have to place the buttons on the gas pump so close together?

He shrugged, and cranked the engine again. It started right up again.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

Before Brian could reply to Dove's question, Ame responded with the answer. Brian couldn't help but admire Ame for how quick and sharp she was. In the short time he had known her she always seemed to be on top of things, even offering her services as a tour guide.

"It's not just emotional and mental link." Brian added. "Sometimes behavior plays a role too. For example, I have monkeyish tendancies, so Axel and I bond from that affinity as well, not just our shared friendship."

Looking around, the trainer noted that his female companions had each sent out another Pokemon each, spacifically a Psychic-type. Not to be left out, Brian decided to introduce his Psychic-type.

"Allow me to introduce one of my other Pokemon as well." he said pulling a red and white sphere from his waist, releasing the metalic blue disk shaped Pokemon with hollow red eyes and long arms ending in silver claws at the hand. "This is Metang." Brian introduced. Metang made a metalic cry in greeting.

Brian then pulled out another Pokeball, this time summoning a small blue dog like Pokemon with a black mask, his own Riolu. "Axel adopted himself another Riolu. Why don't you go introduce yourself?" instructed the trainer.

Riolu curiously approched the female wiggling the appendages on the sides of his head to get a feel for her aura. To the untrained eye, the two Emanation Pokemon were almost identical, but Brian and Axel both knew which one was theirs.

"Am I incharge of both of them now?" Axel asked as the two Riolu investigated eachother.

"No, just the one you kidnapped." Brian responded. "So Ms. Dove, have we decided on where we're having lunch yet?" he inquired turning his attention back to the ladies.

 

[Tatile]

It really was adorable how Brian and his Pokemon got on so well with strangers; the little Riolu might not have a home or a trainer, but still Brian was kind enough to look after it, and even let his own Riolu out to play. At least, that was how it seemed to Dove, she had not really been listening to the entire exchange between Brain and his Infernape. Brian really was a nice guy...

Lunch? Lunch! Dove had spaced out again, completely missing that Jetsam and Scion had taken the pamphlet from her. A sharp pain her in back made her turn, to see her Alakazam holding out his spoon, looking expectantly at her. In his left hand he awkwardly held the colourful paper of the pamphlet, crushing it against the other of his precious pair of spoons. The two stared at each other for a moment, the psychic fox still keeping his cutlery aloft between them. A faint humming noise emanated from the spoon and a pale blue glow slowly surrounded it and the crumpled pamphlet. Obviously to Dove, her psychic Pokemon was trying to tell her where they should go for lunch. For most well trained — and well adjusted — psychic Pokemon, floating a piece of paper would not have been that difficult, but Jetsam had always been a little bit 'over the top'. Without warning, the faint glow became blinding and the pamphlet was reduced to naught but confetti and scattered to the winds. Scion flopped to the ground, dejected. Dove was used to such disappointments, so she simply waited to see if Jetsam would do anything more. He merely shrugged.

"Well..." Dove waited a moment longer to see if either of her Pokemon would do anything, but Jetsam had already started banging his spoons together as percussion instruments. "I think remember there being a café near the train station; we need to go there anyway, so why not lunch there?" She looked to each of her companions in turn, wondering if they would agree with her idea of efficiency. It made sense to her, but perhaps the others would have better ideas. Jetsam was still happily making a clamour when she recalled him to his Pokeball, in part to keep him safe but also to prevent her from getting a headache. Even though she had seen many people about him, from Nurse Joys to Poke-psychologists, all having insisted that he was 'perfectly normal', she still felt that he was covering up his tragedy with mock stupidity. There was a reason for his name, but she never liked to speak on it.

Scion, upon seeing his fellow being returned, stood and ran a few sparks of electricity across his coat. He needn't have done so, as Dove was loathe to keep her closest friend in a Pokeball any more than was absolutely necessary. The train station, if she remembered correctly, was on the west side of the city, whereas they were currently in the centre. Walking there with Scion would not be much of a hassle, but the young Riolu might get lost.

"Brian, will your Riolu and the... lost one be all right walking to the station?" As Dove asked this silly seeming question, Scion trotted over to the two Riolu and the Infernape, only to sit down and stare at the two bipedal dog Pokemon. There was no menace about him, just a bland boredom, no doubt from the prospect of babysitting, which he had forced upon himself. Dove sighed at the yellow fox, he always did things like this, he must simply enjoy tedium.

***
Melinda smiled. So, Ame was being cautious now? Well, there were ways to deal with such events. She checked her handbag, looking as if to pull out her purse, but really, she was just making sure it was still in there. Yes, there it was, a simple, pure black sphere with no marks and seal — almost a solid ball, a strange thing to see in a woman's purse. Garazi would be easy to deal with, she mused.

((OOC: Melinda, so sure of herself! You needn't fear, Truck should be around soon, then the furniture will start to fly.))

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

"I am most impressed with your knowledge, Brian." stated Ame with a smile. He seemed like a nice enough fellow, what with deciding to take care of the other Riolu and all. Ame was still curious about the creature, but she decided to put it to rest for now.

"The cafe near the train station? Sure, why not. I'm a bit of a regular there." Ame did tend to go there once a week, always ordering a cup of Earl Grey tea, no matter what she decided to eat with it. The taste of it was heavenly, especially the way that they made it for her.

Her attention came back to the small Riolu that appeared to have no one to guide them. She would have offered to have one of her PokeMon carry it, but it seemed Brian was somewhat adamant on taking care of it. Perhaps his Infernape had exemplified concern for the creature beforehand...

The group walked together towards the train station. Ame thought about the bullet train and how long it had been since she had visited the Kanto region. How long it had been since she contacted Professor Oak. She had lost track of time, what with adventuring over the Kanto region sometimes just for the sake of finishing the job.

Now look where I am... she mused to herself. I'm traveling with the girl I was originally set to antagonize. Not only that, but I have made swift friends with her and Brian. I have denounced my job to travel the region with these people, reforming myself into a new person... Her thoughts were broken by a dark, familiar voice.

Why do you doubt yourself so much, my dear? called the voice. I believe in you more than anyone else. I believe that whatever choice you make is the right one. Feelings of concern and reassurance invaded her mind, and she smiled again, despite herself.

I know, Charles. But so much has happened so fast... I can't help but to doubt what my true motives are. She sighed mentally, and she felt a strong emotion flowing through her body. She looked to Charles then, emerald orbs meeting the crimson red of the creature. It was as if electricity passed between that gaze, a strange feeling to have between human and PokeMon. Even so, it was there, always lingering over Ame's mind like an afterthought.

Biased. she thought, a bemused smile forming on her face. Before turning back to focusing on the road, Charles slipped his teeth out in a similar manner, almost as if smiling back.

 

[Stark]

The teenager looked up from his laptop and stretched his arms as wide as they could go, making the kind of noise that people do when they wake up. He blinked a couple of times, and then glanced to his ghostly companion, who promptly raised a proverbial eyebrow and floated closer to her rather adolescent trainer. Adam rested his arms again on the wooden bench, flexing his neck from the craned position it had been in for the last hour or so. He glanced again at the Shuppet, smiling. Adam reached to his pocket, feeling the plastic card that still remained within.

"Wouldn't want to drop that again, not after the fiasco that happened last time," Adam explained, watching Chloe snigger to herself again. Apparently she liked the idea of her trainer making a fool of himself. Her cloth-like body was drifting around beneath her spherical body, blowing in a wind not known to Adam. She watched him fold down the portable computer and pack it into its bag, carefully sliding the carrying case over his shoulder as to not damage the equipment within.

Adam flexed his legs and pushed himself up from what was temporarily, for him at least, the most comfortable chair in the world. His feet slid carefully onto the floor and he arched his back to an upright position. Straightening his T-shirt, he then gestured to Chloe. "Coming? I think it's about lunchtime, though I think you'd have found enough vengeance in here to feed yourself for a week, people always hate trains… I know I'm hungry though."

The misplaced pair turned to their right and faced the exit. Or what they should have seen as the exit — all that was visible was people. Adam began to walk forward, thinking about the best way to navigate through the giant crowd. It didn't bother Chloe at all, however, as she just glided through everyone — much to Adam's annoyance. He battled through the crowd, gaining several new bruises in places he didn't think existed.

Stepping out of the doors, Adam realised the vastness of this town in comparison to Mossdeep City. This was just… titanic. In some districts, buildings towered up into the sky, whilst in others, the ground was completely swarming with single-story homes. Fairly large roads of two-lane traffic snaked around the city, giving easy access to most places. One of these roads was apparently adjacent to the Magnet Train station, cars and trucks raging past at speed. Once more, Chloe just glided across without a hitch, but it took several minutes for Adam to find a safe route.

"That was…" Adam panted, "Frogger. Gone wrong." The Shuppet simply giggled at her trainers dismay, but she also showed Adam a fairly average café, perched on the end of the street. To her, it was just another human establishment, but to Adam it was probably the place that he would find the world's second most comfortable seat. He ran down the street, dodging people with an apparent lack of finesse, until he reached the waist-height iron fence that spiralled around the outside seating area. It was shielded from the harsh Goldenrod sunlight by big umbrellas that were supported in each table in the front of the main interior.

Adam simply slumped in one, and promptly sighed with relief. A few customers looked at him before returning to their business. The trainer ordered a soda and waited in, as he decided, the third most comfortable seat in the world. The Magnet Train had the second spot in his books.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

"To the cafe then!" Brian declared excitedly throwing his arm into the air with his index finger up. He then slowly lowered his arm placing his finger under his lower lip as he looked left to right.

"Could one of you lead? I'm a bit directionally impaired." he admit with a shameless giggle. He could easily figure out right and left as he knew which hand he wrote with; his right. Finding places however, was a different story. Sure it made for some fun adventures in discovering new places when he had no freaking clue where he was going, but that didn't stop Brian from buying a GPS for assistance, especially if he had a specific place he wanted to be at a specific time. But why pull out an electronic divice when one of his new companions knew exactly where she was going and was most likely not directionally impaired?

"As for the Riolu, I'm sure mine can keep up. Speed is his specialty. As for the other one," Brian turned his head back to his golden Infernape. "Axel, do you think you can carry her if she falls behind?" he requested.

"I've got her. Besides, I'm the one who invited Aura so I should be the one making sure she's alright." the monkey replied. "Plus I also seem to have Scion helping out." Axel pointed out as the Jolteon had apparently also taken an interest in the two young Fighting-types.

"They're both in good hands." relayed Brian to the human females. "Axel has everything covered and Scion looks like he volunteered himself as well." he said hoping he was not jumping to any conclusions regarding the Jolteon.

As the group walked, Brian's mind was going wild with all the possible food choices he could possibly get. What did the cafe serve? he wondered. Brian quickly shook off his mental distraction so he wouldn't stray from the group or get his hopes up for something that may not even exist. There would be plenty of time to think about food when they got to their destination.

 

[Aura]

Aura tripped and fell to the floor. She could be rather clumsy sometimes. There wasn't any damage to anything other than to her pride. She quickly got up, her cheeks burning. But luckily, no one seemed to have noticed, because something that radiated yin settled upon the room of trainers.

From this, and the dark destructive aura that pulsed from the doorway, she guessed that someone with a love for chaos had either entered or walked nearby. Unfortunately, the human's legs and the Charizard's tail blocked her view. Curse the fact that she was short! But she didn't have long to ponder on the situation. The person's presence stripped her of thought and every emotion, except fear. Her blood ran cold. And as quickly as it had come, it left. Aura let out a sigh of relief.

The girl... who was called... Dove was it? Well, Dove asked the others if they wanted lunch. They agreed with enthusiasm. Right on time, Aura realized just how hungry she was. But her hunger was forgotten when Axel said those magic words…

"Hey Brian, I'm kidnapping Aura. Is that okay with you?" The golden monkey asked his trainer, who must be called Brian, unless Aura couldn't hear properly.

The hybrid raised one eyebrow, letting a skeptical look come onto her face. She was being kidnapped now was she? Oh well.

"Who? Her? Yea, alright. But only if she's trainerless and agrees to you taking her. Also, she will be your responsibility."

Aura's eyes lit up at this and she couldn't help the grin spread across her face. I have company! She sung to herself as she bounced outside after Axel, Brian, Dove and everyone else.

The sunlight hit Aura like a wall; it was very, very bright. She squinted at her surroundings, trying to make sense of what she could see. The bright light was not helping. When her eyes adjusted, the Riolu was capable of seeing everything clearly. The city of Goldenrod was filled with tall buildings, some made of reflective material which made them appear to have a gold sheen. Others were earthly colours, with the occasional wine red that was rather popular with some human's at the moment. The tall buildings cast shadows over parts of the ground, meaning you could go from hot to cold by taking a step.

Dove released her Alazkazam, whom Aura eyed warily. One tiny psychic attack and it would be a world of unbelievable pain. It took her backpack, then disappeared in a flash of light. A second of silence, then the loathsome thing was back. Dove seemed to be going to decide where to eat, then obviously remembered something important.

"Brian, can you understand your Infernape?" She asked.

Well, there wasn't just one way that a human could understand a Pokemon. Ame, the name suddenly presented itself to Aura, was on the ball, quickly explaining the more common way. The other not-so-common was to have been gifted by one who could give the power of speech, or rather translation to either the human or Pokemon. Then the other could speak in their language, but the other would hear in a language they understand. But because it was a translation, the one with the gift might say something, and the being on the receiving end would hear something different. Like how ‘out of sight, out of mind' might be translated as ‘invisible idiot'.

Then Ame released her Gardivoir, whom was introduced to be Garazi. Aura gave a small whine. Oh why must they torture her so!?! It's not fair! One psychic is enough! But two… And as if things couldn't get any worse, Brian introduced his Metang. Aura howled softly. Maybe it was this that made him reduce Aura's pain by releasing a Riolu.

The first thing Aura noted about the Riolu was his aura. His was a bluey green colour, and was solid; it didn't pulse like hers did. He met her gaze with the same amount of curiosity as she did. He was exactly the same height as she was, same build (almost), same… everything. It completely stripped Aura of her feeling of individuality.

A faint humming filled the air. Aura looked up, then let out a cry seeing that it came from the Alakazam. It was going to attack! The light increased, and Aura snarled, taking a defensive position, before realizing it was only trying to communicate with its trainer, and seemed to have failed. Tiny pieces of coloured paper floated around on the wind. The psychic Pokemon shrugged and the Jolteon flopped down sadly. The Alakazam then decided that spoons made a ‘lovely' sound when banged together. Aura flattened her ears in annoyance. Dove quickly withdrew her pokemon. Aura sighed with relief, and she felt kindly towards her. However, that was damaged by the next sentence out of her mouth:

Brian, will your Riolu and the... lost one be all right walking to the station?"

Oh thank you very much. Aura glared at the brown haired girl with her blood red eyes. I think I can keep up with a bunch of slow humans. Then her Jolteon came to sit by both Riolu. NOOO!!! NOT A JAILER!!! The human's didn't see her look of annoyance, but went in the direction of what Aura guessed was the café. She happily followed. God she was starving!

The walk to the café wasn't long, nor was it eventful. Aura kept up, proving to all of them that she was not pitiful whatsoever. The café which the trainers and their Pokemon were heading for soon presented itself to Aura, although the humans and taller Pokemon must have seen it before she had. It was small and rather shabby. Still, that didn't mean the food wouldn't be good.

The group quickly sat down at a large table, so they all had enough room. Aura leapt the seat that Riolu had made himself comfortable on and reached for the menu. But when her paw came close enough to grab the menu, the said item wasn't around. Someone must have taken it while she'd struggled to reach it. The hybrid slumped down in her seat. She'd have to trust the human's judgment of what was best to eat.

(Finally caught up…)

 

[Tatile]

((OOC: And hurried us along to the cafe XD Hopefully, we should meet up with LoN soon, and if Dwayna likes, she and Melinda can have a 'pok-ee-man' battle ))

In seemingly no time at all, Dove found herself and the others sitting at a large table in the 'al fresco' section of a slightly run-down, but proud, café. Scion, not having to do anything in terms of babysitting with the two young Riolu, was now lying beneath her chair, a bemused look on his face, but otherwise content. Deftly, she snapped up one of the few menus on the table, missing that in doing so, she had deprived one of the fighting-dogs from looking at the available options. The food was simple, mostly light lunchtime meals and salads at this time of day, so she decided on a basic green-garden risotto and a tall glass of lemonade to go with. Looking around, she noticed there were a few people in the café, obviously denoting it was good, despite appearances. Then again, fast-food chains awarded themselves large amounts of customers, in spite of their poor food. Most of the patrons present were normal city folk; suits sat nattering into their phones over transient, meaningless business propositions; yummy-mummies fed their over-pampered children low-everything organic mush, whilst still managing to fawn over each other's handbags; a few delivery cyclists were sitting together, complaining about the traffic. Only one person really stood out: a young teenager, accompanied by a sweet looking Shuppet, being given his ordered drink. Come to think of it, Dove had not seen that many Pokemon trainers so far in Golden Rod. Well, apart from her companions, that is.

"Scion..." She called down to her Jolteon, who seemed asleep beneath her chair, in an attempt to offer him some lunch. A canine snore was all the response she got. Scion was getting the meat chunks and dry food mixture then, with a simple bowl of water. He would not mind really, it was what he usually ate, whether during training or competitions. The café did not have her favourite brand, but few places did, it wasn't the most expensive or most popular type, but it did the job.

The day was pleasant still, with the umbrellas casting a decent amount of shade across the table to keep it and the diners cool. The prices were fairly inexpensive, and, with a quick look around, Dove saw that this was not a indication of quality — the presentation was impressive, in spite of the ingredients used, someone, a table over, had ordered the same as Dove and the risotto was topped with a curled slice of some sort of orange squash. It looked as though the chef was proud of their work, rather than just trying to churn out meals as fast as possible.

Now was probably the best time to actually plan her time in Golden Rod, as they could all sit down and have a nice chat. From what she knew of the city, it had a brilliant department store and many other shopping areas, but not much pertaining to Pokemon battles or for the co-ordination competitions, which her brother would be interested in.

"Oh, Golden Rod has a gym! Of course, how could I have forgotten? Could we go and see that after lunch, perhaps?"

***

Truck folded his arms and slammed himself down onto a bench. He was in the Magnet Train station, annoyed with the crowds of insignificant people and their pathetic titterings. He was a large man, built to match his namesake, with skin bronzed by years in the sun and as tough as hard leather. He was the epitome of the henchmen archetype, unquestioning and brutish, he obeyed Melinda's orders to the letter, without the reliance on the 'pok-ee-mans' that so many other people were attached to. In fact, no one in the empire but Melinda owned a 'pok-ee-man', and she rarely used that.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Ame walked into the cafe, Charles in tow. Several people looked up in awe at the beast, but the other regulars of the cafe merely smiled. Some of them asked Charles how he was, to which he just gave them his toothy smile. She sat down after acquiring a menu, and waited for the waiter to come around.

A familiar face came over to serve them. The girl smiled and greeted Ame, writing down the usual Earl Grey she would have. "... and your meal for the day, Miss Ame?"

"I'll have the chicken today, and Charles will have the same in PokeFood." she replied, smiling as she gave the menu back to the woman. She folded her hands together and Charles simply sat down and folded his wings by his side, curling his tail closer to his body. In this state anyone could come and touch him, and sometimes he let people do so with Ame's permission. They were quite popular in this little cafe.

Soon the food came and they both dug in with figure, Ame sipping her tea and enjoying her meal. Dove piped up about the gym, and Ame simply raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"You are aware that the Goldenrod Gym is third along the line? If you want to challenge the league, the best place to start would be Violet City. If not, then why do you wish to see the gym? Purely for tourist purposes?" Ame was getting curious and suspicious again. Just what was this girl up to?

Ame shook off the paranoia. They've brainwashed me with their methods too well... she mused. Charles shook his head a little bit and made a sort of a humphing sound, but more powerful considering it came from such a large creature. She simply rolled her eyes and smiled, sipping at her tea some more.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

Brian stared hungrily at the menu seeing if it contained any mention of the word shrimp. He made a few barely audible whimpers as he couldn't find his favorite seafood dish anywhere. After one more quick read through, Brian decided the grilled ham and cheese sandwich would be a suitable substitute.

"Your turn." said Brian passing the menu to Axel who was in the chair next to his. The golden monkey pretended to read the menu, but was morely looking at the pictures to get any idea of what he wanted.

"Fruit salad for me." chose the Infernape passing the menu to the two Riolu. Brian's Riolu went with the dried meat mixture which also seemed to be the same choice as Dove's Scion.

When the waitress came around, Brian relayed his and his Pokemon's orders adding a bluk berry muffin and a banana nut muffin to the mix. To drink, Brian decided to try the Earl Grey Tea that Ame seemed so fond of.

Lunch arrived sooner than expected much to Brian's delight. No sooner had the plates been laid on the table, Brian snatched up his muffins and stashed them in his backpack for later. When one lives the life of a trainer, there is no telling how long one will be on the road so it is always a good idea to have some tasty snacks horded. Brian then started eating his sandwich while his Pokemon ate their respective meals.

While they ate, Dove brought up the subject of wanting to visit Goldenrod Gym, to which Ame quickly replied as usual. Brian tilted his head back to make swallowing the food in his mouth easier and quicker. He then took a sip of the delicious Earl Grey to wash everything down. Brian made a mental note to buy more of this for the road.

"Even if the Gym is usually third in line, there's no reason we can't go to it anyway." Brian argued. "When I travelled to Hoenn, I arrived in Slateport so Watson of Mauvile was my first Gym Leader because it was closest." He turned to face Dove. "If you want to battle, you can or if you just want to visit, that is fine too."

Brian leaned back in his chair unknowingly almost bumping heads with a guy with a Shuppet sitting at the table behind him. He took another sip of tea before devouring what was left of his sandwich.