Private/Closed Once faltered, Twice the Journey!

[Zeff Alveron]

Oreburg City was an honest town, filled with honest people. A bit blunt at times, maybe... Zeff mused, as a passerby asked him why he's not at the beach. They weren't far off the mark; he'd just come from the Alola region, and the light tan he still held from the visit was telltale, giving him quite the touristy look as he lounged on a bench outside the Pokémon Center. A tug on his pant leg signaled a silent request, and without a word, he plucked his sunglasses off the front of his shirt, handing them off to Mawile next to him. She let outa small huff at the passerby, donning the shades to match Zeff's look. "Maw."

Zeff laughed brighty, crossing his arms as he leaned back into the bench. "Thanks for the backup, Maw. Though, you sure you want to be wearing those when the others arrive?"

Maw rested her tail-maw over the back of the bench nonchalantly. "Wile."

Zeff gave her a slight shrug. "Hey, that's up to you. We only get one first impression you know: I haven't met any of these trainers in person, yet." It was all part of a strategy he'd concocted, alongside his team: if they made their journey alongside other trainers, and sharpened their battling skills by sparring, their Pokémon would grow much faster and stronger than normal trainers' would. So, he'd posted a wanted Ad up, and spoken briefly with the potential prospects. His hopes were high, as always, though he couldn't shake his nerves as he sat in their planned meeting spot, wondering which of the passerby would be joining him and his team for the journey of a lifetime.

@Mango137 @EmoKitty21 @Red Gallade

 

[EmoKitty21]

Jessi has always been a bit more laid back in her travels, so when Lola her shiny buneary took off after their flight, Jessi had to take off after her. Not wanting to let her friend get too far, Espeon took off after Lola to make sure to keep an eye on the pink and brown bunny pokemon. Jessi was making sure she did not jar the egg at she had in her bag. Knowing that she did have it in an egg container was a big help.

Lola was excited being in a new place and loved the way the city was. Not taking the time for her trainer to follow, she took off right after their flight. She wanted to explore and get to know the city. Glad to be out and about in a new region, she did not stop until she ran into a large wall. As it turns out it was a guy.

Jessi had been chasing Lola, well until she ran into some guy. Running she slid to a stop. Hoping she did not offend the guy with how her pokemon acted. "I am so sorry, we just got here and Lola was excited to see everything."

@Red Gallade and @Mango137

 

[Zeff Alveron]

Zeff felt the soft impact of what felt like wool against his shin. It was a Buneary, and a small one at that. Its trainer followed closely after, panting and out of breath: a young blonde, with a very unique sense of style. He shook his head as she started to apologize, letting out a small laugh. "It's no trouble, I don't mind a little fluff. They must be a lot to handle?"

Maw, on the other hand, dismounted the bench, crossing her tiny arms at the encroaching Buneary. She'd been enjoying some time in the sun with Zeff, and the fluffball had rudely interrupted them. The daggers Maw was staring were, unfortunately, intercepted by Zeff's shades, which she hadn't taken off, the only indication of her annoyance a small grumbling from her tail-maw.

Noticing the small reaction, Zeff reached down and placed a hand on Maw to include her in the conversation, and hopefully distract her. Judging by Maw's aggression, and its name, Lola must have been girl: his companion had a tendency to be uppity around other females. "I'm Zeff, and this is Maw. I don't suppose I could get your name?" He flashed a bright smile, his usual tool for lightening the mood.

 

[EmoKitty21]

"Oh my name is Jessi Cromwell." At that moment a purple fox like pokemon came up behind the little buneary. His tail was shown that he was not very happy with the bunny pokemon running off like she did. "This is my other pokemon Espeon. He is not happy with Lola at the moment. Come here Lola." With that Jessi knelt down and held out her arm. Lola climbed up and nessled into the crook of her neck.

"I am very sorry for meeting like this. I am normally more composed, but with just getting off a flight from Kanto, I am a bit tired. I was on a job and had a lot of fun traveling around and seeing all the pokemon there." Espeon sat quietly beside Jessi.

 

[Zeff Alveron]

Zeff relaxed back onto the bench. "Jessi Cromwell... nice to meet you, Jessi. You, too, Lola and Espeon."

Maw squinted suspiciously at the young woman and her Pokémon, before leaning over and tapping on one the the three poke balls on Zeff's belt. Within a moment's time, the ball opened on its own, a bright red flash giving light to a very large Reuniclus, nearly the size of a young adult. He stretched, beforehand cocking his head at the Espeon. "Reu?" He could tell it was another psychic type from it's powerful psychic waves, and out of curiosity, he extended a finger to touch the gem on Espeon's forehead.

Zeff didn't seem fazed by the behavior, mostly because it was quite normal. To him, Pokeballs were simply placed for his companions to rest if the young needed to, and in fact, he normally preferred them out with him for company. "I hope you don't mind Reckless, he'a a bit of a scientist: Reuniclus can connect to each other's neural network and increase their psychic abilities by touching hands, and he likes to test whether it works for other species of psychic types. It's a quirk of his." Zeff paused for a moment, just in case Tox wanted to make an appearance, but it seemed he was still saving energy. "You said you were from Kanto, what brings you all the way to Sinnoh?"

 

[Mango137]

Acacia strolled into Oreburgh City and looked around a bit unimpressed. He had followed Alder to Sinnoh for some official Pokémon league meeting but quickly grew bored with the proceedings, so he decided to wander around on his own. During his travel he noticed a help wanted ad and Alder suggested it might be a good idea for him to try traveling with a group rather than continuing to depend on the powerful team he had created. Reluctantly, Acacia acknowledged the validity of the point so he decided to send all of his Pokémon except Blastoise to Blaine’s lab back in Kanto. He had traveled a fair distance to reach the mining city and had even caught a friendly little Chingling along his way that was now perched on his shoulder.

With Chingling on his shoulder and Blastoise walking close behind, Acacia made his way over to the Pokémon Center where he saw two other trainers talking. This must be it he thought as he made his way over to the table, hoping the others wouldn’t recognize him from some of his televised events. He wanted the opportunity to start over, Blastoise was just there for backup; though he knew it was likely he would be recognized for his Indigo Plateau victory if these trainers followed Pokémon tournaments at all. “Hey, I’m here for the ad. My name’s Acacia. These are my friends Chingling and Blastoise.” His voice was kind and humble as he extended a hand to the tall male.

 

[EmoKitty21]

"Well I am photographer. I love to take pictures of wild pokemon, and thought Sinnoh would be a good place to travel to. Besides I have been here a little before, when I was selling some the pictures I took of one of the gyms here in this region. Besides it is also where I met Lola." Jessi had a small smile as she talked about her work. She loved doing it and seen the smiles of some of the tourist that see her pictures in brochures for Kanto.

Espeon gave a sift greeting to the other physic pokemon as it appeared. When his gem was touched, Espeon did not recoil at all. Instead he linked his mind with the pokemon. "Greetings. I am Espeon and this is my trainer Jessi." His voice was very melodic and calm.

 

[Zeff Alveron]

Zeff nodded slowly while Jessi went on about her work. She was passionate, that was for certain, though I think didn't seem like she was one of the trainer's responding to the Ad. While she spoke, however, a newcomer joined the conversation, extending a polite greeting, along with a quick introduction. That's one! Zeff couldn't help but return the sentiment with a grin and a firm handshake. "The name's Zeff! Nice to meet you three: my Fairy friend here is Maw, and that's Reckless, talking to Jessi's Espeon." He glanced back at Jessi, upon mentioning her. "I've heard this region is very beatiful during the summer, you've come at the right time!"

Reckless's eyes light up in triumph, as Espeon's voice echoes through his head. He responds back through the psychic link with a light, bubbly voice. "I've done it! I'm a genius, a visionary, an exemplar of experimentation! Though, I don't seem to be able to transfer any Psychic power to or from you, I suppose I'll need to work on that. I'm Reckless, it's a pleasure to meet you, Espeon!"

 

[EmoKitty21]

"Wait what ad? I am missing something I can see. What is the ad about?" Jessi had a small frown on her face. She would have looked at the ads at the airport if she had time to do that, but with Lola running off she really could not check. Being someone who works on comission she really needed to check in on the bulletins posted around each town.

Espeon noded to the physic pokemon. "Well I am glad it worked! It is nice to meet you. So what is it like to be with your trainer. I have been with Jessi since I was still an egg."

 

[Zeff Alveron]

With a quick glance from Jessi to Acacia, Zeff realized that she hadn't any context for the reason he was actually here. "Ah, the Ad. You see, I'm gathering up a small team of trainers to journey with and challenge the Sinnoh League, to bounce training methods and battle strategies off of. Iron sharpens iron, not to mention strength in numbers: there's a rumor going around that a new criminal Team has recently taken root in Sinnoh, separate from Team Galactic, and I don't like taking chances with goons like that." He directed his attention to Acacia, resting an arm over the back of the bench. "So, a Blastoise, huh? That's sounds a powerful Pokémon for a beginner, do you have experience in competitive battling, Acacia?" A small pause. "You're welcome on board either way, I'd just like to have a grasp on everyone's experience from the get-go. Myself, I've only informally battled other trainers, never in a League, but I've made a habit of taking every chance I get."

Reckless crossed his massive gooey arms while he pondered the question. "That's not easy to answer... I met Zeff when I was just a single cell. I was having trouble dividing, even after gathering enough psychic power, and Zeff helped me out by explaining some scientific processes like mitosis and cell division. I've tagged along ever since, trying to expand my knowledge of psychic phenomena. Zeff is very considerate, and lets me do essentially anything I want, so long as I don't hurt anyone or anything in the process. Occasionally, he'll ask me if I want to battle, but I've noticed he keeps me as a reserve for stronger opponents."

 

[Mango137]

Acacia was unjustifiably caught off guard by the question, he was a horrible liar but he didn’t want his identity to be revealed yet. He decided to settle for a white lie, “Well... Nothing special. I’ve journeyed through a couple of regions and competed in leagues here and there. I guess I did alright.” Acacia gave a genuine smile, trying to compensate for the palpable awkwardness in his reply.

 

[EmoKitty21]

"I know I did not know about the ad until now, but after learning about this new team, I think it would be a good idea to travel in a group. If you will have me I would be glad to join you on your journey, seeing as we will be going the same way anyway." Jessi smiled as she learned about the ad being for a journing team of trainers. She may not be someone who focuses on battling, but she is not incompetent at it.

Espeon noded at Reckless. He was glad to know that the man was a kind trainer. Having met some who are not as nice, he was glad to see trainers who care for their pokemon. "Well I am glad to see that your trainer is kind and caring. It is very refreshing. I have seen some trainers who are not nice or very kind to their pokemon. It is like they use them as tools to win, instead of friends."

 

[Zeff Alveron]

Maw lifted Zeff's shades, and gave Acacia a strange look, somewhere in between scrutiny and understanding. Being the Deceiver Pokemon, Maw knew misdirection when she saw it, and Acacia's eyes were traveling in all sorts of directions. What she didn't know was what exactly he was hiding; after a glance at the Blastoise trailing behind him, Maw was picking up the same feeling Zeff had, that the trainer was more experienced than he let on. Something about the way Blastoise carried himself was telltale. Still, it wasn't Maw's business, so she'd keep it to herself.

Zeff, on the other hand, was an open book. "Well, you didn't have us to train with before, so you're sure to get it this time!" He balled his hand into a fist, flexing his arm in a motivational motion.

Maw let out a small sigh. Trusting as ever, Zeff.

He continued, turning to Jessi with a smile, as she asked to join their group. "If Acacia's okay with it, you're welcome to tag along with us: who knows, maybe you'll even fall in love with battling along the way?" A bright laugh echoed from Zeff, as he scanned the crowd. "I was expecting one more, I wonder where he got off to? Maybe, he was held up?"

Reckless shook his head. "I've never heard Zeff call us 'his' Pokemon. He calls us 'companions', and I like that term a lot better. Even his way of battling is very different from most trainers we face."

 

[Red Gallade]

Near one of the Pokemon centers in Oreburg City was what looked like a little playground for Pokemon and children to play in, but what made it stand out from other playgrounds were the amount of people that surrounded it followed by a few rumbles in the ground that got the people excited. The source of everyone's curiosity appeared to be Tony who stood on one end of the playground with a Zoroark in front of him and the other side had what looked like a street punk with a half beaten Salazzle, behind Tony stood what looked like a very young girl with a beaten Shinx in her arms.

"Give it up, punk; you're only gonna hurt your Pokemon more if you continue. She isn't looking too hot" Tony said in a nonchalant yet cold tone of voice. The punk gritted his teeth and growled. "How's this for hot?! Salazzle, Flamethrower!" He angrily commanded, Salazzle jumped upward and exhaled a blast of inferno directly toward Zoroark, but neither she nor Tony seemed too bothered by it. "Use Flamethrower as well." Tony said calmly, Zoroark nodded and began to exhale fire just as the Salazzle did, both attacks collided and created a large cloud of smoke that covered most of the playground.

"Dammit, where'd they go?" The punk asked as Salazzle looked around to try and find her opponent. "Swords Dance." Tony said as he began to show a small smile, within the smoke, Zoroark briefly glowed orange and spectral swords orbited her before she let out a snarl. "Gotcha! Use Venoshock!" The punk shouted as Salazzle threw purple liquid orbs at where she last saw Zoroark... only to land as if they hit nothing. "What?" The punk said with a confused and half worried look on his face, the smoke cleared to show Zoroark and Tony both with terrifying toothy grins on their faces.

"Shadow Claw." Tony commanded with a snap of his fingers, Zoroark dashed forward and opened her arms to let an ominous aura coat them, the Salazzle looked wide eyed and tried to dodge, but it was too late and Zoroark swiped violently at the Salazzle, the force caused the latter to fly back a few meters and fall to the ground at the punk's feet.

"Salazzle is unable to battle, Zoroark is the winner!" A man on one end of the playground shouted soon followed by the sound of the nearby people who clapped and cheered for the victor. Tony sighed and walked toward Zoroark to pet her head. "Great job Zoroark, well done." Tony commend calmly with a small smile which caused the black fox Pokemon to smile back and turn her head to the little girl from before.

"T-thank you..." The little girl said with a smile. "No problem, kiddo, that punk won't be hurting anyone again anytime soon." Tony replied as he knelt down to stroke the Shinx in her arms. "T-t-this isn't over, you'll regret this one day!" The punk said as he returned Salazzle to her Pokeball and stormed off in a gruff.

 

[Zeff Alveron]

Zeff's attention was stolen by the sounds of a battle nearby: cheers from a crowd, and the dull roar of flames caused him to stand suddenly. "Excuse me for a moment." Making his way across the sidewalk and to the playground, a familiar sight greeted him, as the clash of two Flamethrowers lit the area like a bonfire. Maw tagged right alongside him, climbing up onto his back to see over the other spectators. Zeff gave her a hand, hoisting her onto this shoulder with a small grunt, and a chuckle. "Maw, you're not little anymore, you know?"

Maw batted Zeff on the head with her paw, how dare he! With scoff, Maw turned her attention to the battle, quickly raising an eyebrow. That was one of those fire lizards they'd faced in Alola, but the Zoroark could match it's flames? Watching further, her eyes widened, as the Zoroark used a technique Maw knew all too well: Sword's Dance! She glanced down to Zeff, confusion evident on her face.

Something was off about this battle, Zeff knew immediately. There was a thinly veiled ferociousness in the way that the Zoroark and it's Trainer battled, as though they were fighting something other than the Salazzle. They were in sync, that much was clear, but it was also clear that they were far too focused on winning: from the moment he saw the Zoroark match a Flamethrower from Salazzle, a fire-type, it was abundantly clear that they had their opposition hopelessly outmatched. Zeff met Maw's gaze, and nodded. She'd been thinking the same thing as he had, only reaffirmed by the beastly smile the pair wore.

They were showboating.

Normally, Zeff wouldn't mind a bit of showing off, and he did notice the little girl tending to her injured Shinx. Piecing it together, he would have guessed that the punk with that Salazzle had just recently evolved it from a Salandit, and had flaunted it's newfound strength in a battle against the small girl's Shinx. The Zoroark's trainer must have seen this, and challenged him to a battle to teach him a lesson; admirable, though it was, Zeff couldn't shake the feeling that they'd enjoyed the experience of beating a much more inexperienced trainer a bit too much. In principle, he wasn't any different than the bully with the Salazzle, save the fact that he'd done it in retribution for the little girl. "Always a bigger fish, huh, Maw?"

"Wile..." Maw hopped down from Zeff's shoulder, making her way into the opening, taking a wide stance before pointing directly at Zoroark and it's trainer. "Maw-mawile maw!" (I challenge you to a battle!)

Zeff followed after, standing coolly behind his companion. "How would you like to battle someone more your speed? I couldn't help but notice, neither of you seemed to break a sweat."

 

[aurivee_]

(OOC: Please alert me if my post doesn't make sense in canon, I've based it on what I could figure out.)
In the town of Oreburgh, a blue-haired girl sat on a bench, a small quadripedal Pokemon resting on her shoulder. They appeared to be cloud-gazing, staring at the blue and white sky with childlike wonder.
"Look, Eve, that one kinda looks like a Charizard. See?" Allie said, pointing up at a cloud. Eve looked to where she was pointing, and squealed excitedly.
Suddenly, a white flash appeared at Allie's side. A small, white Pokemon with a blue dome on her head appeared next to the girl, in a burst of sparkles.
In broken telepathy, Moon spoke. "Allie? Weren't we supposed to be going to that ad thingy?"
Allie shot out of her seat. "Oh yeah!"
She looked around, running down a street, her partners following her. Finally, she found the planned meeting spot, noticing a few people already.
Panting, she looked at them apologetically. "Sorry I'm late! Is this the meeting spot for the wanted ad?"

 

[Mango137]

“No worries, I was a bit late too.” Acacia chimed to the young girl who had approached. Though many would recognize the girls celebrity status, Acacia was completely ignorant about who she was. He never bothered with pop culture, but instead could list every elite Pokémon trainer by name. “It looks like the guy who put this all together is about to battle.” He gestured over to the small battlefield and walked that way, eager to see the strength of his new traveling partner. “Anyways, I’m Acacia.” He spoke to the girl as he came to a halt by the field. “That’s Zeff, with the Mawile. He organized this whole thing.” Acacia raised a finger to point out the man. Blastoise behind him let out a soft roar, wanting to have a chance to battle. “I know buddy.” He whispered softly to his friend, “I wanna battle too but it’s too soon to show you off.”

 

[Red Gallade]

"Go get you Shinx healed up, kid. And stay safe." Tony said as the little girl nodded and walked off. Zoroark raised an eyebrow at the Mawile that approached them and couldn't help but smile at her choice of words, she tapped lightly on her trainer's attention. "A Mawile, huh? I like the look in her eyes, she's likely got a trainer with her." Tony said softly to himself before he looked up to see someone approach him, likely the Mawile's trainer.

"Speak of the devil..." Tony thought to himself before he heard the man's request. "Something tells me you two think we're just show offs like that punk we just did in. I'd tell you that isn't the case, but I'll comply with your request to convince you even better. What do you say we go one on one, Zoroark here likes the look in Mawile's eyes, I can tell just by looking at her that she's no snitch." Tony said nonchalantly as he put his hands in his coat pockets as he made his way back to the side of the playground where he stood before while Zoroark did the same. A few people from the crowd returned as they saw another battle was likely about to take place.

"By the way, the name's Tony, of course your Mawile's met my partner, Zoroark." Tony said as he put on his usual stoic expression while Zoroark clicked her knuckles, clearly eager to battle.

 

[aurivee_]

Allie smiled. "My name's Allie. This is Eve, and that's Moon. They're my partners."
Eve lifted her paw, attempting to wave. This was difficult, but it still came across as a wave.
Moon gave a shy smile, her eyes invisible beneath her blue helmet-like headpiece. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she stated telepathically. As she was still unevolved, her telepathic ability was still not fully developed and her speech was slightly broken, but still understandable.

 

[Mango137]

You too. Acacia was not at all thrown off by the telepathy. In fact, during his Hoenn travels he had raised a gardevoir. He was, however, impressed by its shiny coloring. Acacia was about to respond when he overheard the new trainer speak, and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Hahaha.... whew... I’m sorry, I forgot how cheesy the dialogue could get outside of organized tournaments. ‘That punk we just did in’ ‘Ain’t no snitch’ I mean what is that?” He chuckled and apologized for his sudden outburst to the young girl as he wiped a laughing tear from his eye. It was true, he hadn’t experienced a casual battle in quite some time, either battling his usual training partners or participating in official tournaments. “Well I guess we’ll see how tough they actually are.” Acacia chimed to the girl, finally regaining composure (although Blastoise and Chingling were still laughing). “Have you battled much?” He intently asked the young girl.

 

[aurivee_]

Allie shrugged. "I've gotten the first few badges in my home region, but not much else. My sister's a big battler though. Participated in a few leagues. She's kinda the whole reason why I started training, actually." She purposefully remained vague about her family ties.
"I would ask you the same... but something tells me that the answer will be yes," she joked, chuckling slightly.

 

[Zeff Alveron]

Zeff felt a grin leap to his face, unbidden. He certainly think highly of himself. Any questions he might had about Maw's actions disappeared in a heartbeat; it was obvious, that a gathering of trainers should start with a battle. He gave a quick wave to Reckless, who caught the signal, and levitated over the crowd to join them. A red flash of light shone from his belt, as a Mareanie emerged from it's pokeball, stretching its flaps, a big anticipatory grin on its face. Zeff chuckled, "So, you finally got done napping, Toxy?"

A small ruffle of his flaps gave Tox's answer, as he scuttled forward to occupy the center of the field. "Reanie!"

Zeff's chuckle became a laugh. "I guess, Toxy will be starting the battle for me. How does a three versus three sound? Single battle, tournament rules?" Maw and Reckless took positions on either side of Zeff, obviously prepping themselves.

 

[EmoKitty21]

Jessi had been with the group for a bit. She was waiting for an answer from the other guy. Though with him not answering she assumed that he would not mind her tagging along. Lola being one to always want to be someone who is on the move ran ahead with the others. She met up with the other two trainers sitting beside the shiny ralts.

Walking up, Jessi stood with the other two. Talking to the guy who was with them before, she asked. "I am guessing your lack of answer means that I can join you guys?" Espeon sat by his trainer's side. Jessi took out her camrea to take a few pictures of the battle. She loved to watch a good battle. Knowing that she is not one to battle much, though that did not mean that she was not accomplished in her own right.

Looking to her right, Jessi spoted the girl that ran up to them. "Oh by the way my name is Jessi Cromwell. The shiny buneary sitting beside your Ralts is Fluff. Espeon is sitting beside me as well."

 

[Zeff Alveron]

Over the alley, across the rooftops, two dark cloaked figures sped: one, taking great leaps, the other levitating quickly alongside. Sirens wailed below, as the Jenny's gained ground on their motorcycles. The afternoon sun glinted off of the flash drive clutched in the first figure's hand, while gruff voice echoed from under his hood, "The drop point is just outside the city; Gravity, now!" They were almost to the park, so close to the edge of town he could taste it! Psychic power flooded the area, as the two leaped from the edge of the Pokemon Center, soaring weightlessly over the park. One of the Jenny's, clad in a black special operations uniform, caught sight of the two, grabbing the rifle from her back and taking aim, before firing a precise shot at the cloaked figure's hand: the bullet's course was altered slightly, however, by the Gravity field, and it only grazed the man's finger, causing the flash drive to spiral out of his clutch and toward the populated scene below. The man gritted his teeth, as blood began to flow down his arm, and a furious glance from the second figure at the Officer caused the rifle to implode into a small black hole, as the two accelerated into the distance.

Down below, the sirens had caught the attention of most of the crowd, drawing away from Zeff and Tony's display. Two officers pushed their way through the crowd, as a flash drive fell from the sky, as two billowing black cloaks soared overhead, falling directly onto Toxy, and skittering over towards Zeff. He caught a quick look the side of the flash drive, where there was an emblazoned symbol of a hexagon filled with ones and zeros. Annoyed at the sudden interruption, Toxy made a motion of crush the device, but was quickly stopped as an Arcanine swept by with extreme speed, picking the drive up gingerly between his teeth, and dropping it into the hands of one of the Officers. She addressed the crowd firmly, before the crowd could begin to ask questions. "This is Official Police business, please vacate the area."

Zeff paused for a moment, before motioning to Toxy to follow him out, and he glanced at Tony and his Zoroark. "The name's Zeff; we'll finish this another time." With a wave, he retreated away from the scene alongside Maw and the others, making his way over toward Acacia and Jessi. "Let's not get wrapped up in all this, why don't we go get something to eat?" The crowd was quickly dispersing, and he noticed that there was a young woman standing with them he hadn't seen before. "Oh, is she with you two?"

 

[Mango137]

Acacia was torn, if he revealed his credentials he might be able to help the officers. He noticed Blastoise was thinking the same thing as it looked ready for battle. “Let’s not do anything yet, if things get messy we can step in.” He whispered to his Pokémon in a serious voice before switching to a more cheerful one to answer Zeff. “Yeah she’s here for the ad, her name is Allie.” He gestured to the small girl. Then, his stomach lightly grumbled. “Haha, sorry. You’re right though, food wouldn’t be a bad idea. Do you have any place in mind?”

 

[Zeff Alveron]

Zeff gave the young girl a wink and a wave. "Nice to meet you, Allie. We'll be able to talk better once we're out of this mess, and I'll go over why I put up the Ad," He started a casual stride away from the commotion, motioning for them to follow. "There's a nice Cafe over this way, I had some breakfast there earlier today. It should be perfect for making a game plan."

Toxy gained ground, and clicked his ball, intent on stewing about not being able to fight. Maw and Reckless seemed less broken up, both sneaking precautionary glances back at the Crime scene, and then to each other, before continuing on. A trained eye may have deduced worry and trepidation, almost as though they knew something.

 

[EmoKitty21]

Jessi had taken a few pictures of the crime scene before she was shoed off the battle ground. She had gotten a few good pictures of both figures as they flew over head. While she was zoomed in she took a few pictures of the flash drive. She wanted to be able to refer back to anything that might come up later on. Walking with the group, Jessi looked through the pics she took of everything. They were pretty good. Someone with a practiced eye could pick out the details in them very easily. "You know food sounds great. I have basically been on the go since my plane landed. It will be nice to take a breather for moment." Espeon was walking beside Jessi, while Lola was riding on Jessi's shoulder.

 

[aurivee_]

Allie looked at the crime scene in worry. Eve looked relatively apprehensive as well, as was Moon.
"Yeah, food sounds awesome. I don't really know the way around here, though." Her concerned expression faded as the topic shifted.

 

[Zeff Alveron]

The Cafe wasn't far, only a few blocks away from the Pokecenter. An open table out front beckoned, and Zeff took the liberty of sitting in the far seat, Maw hopping up onto his lap indignantly, while Reckless floated a chair over from another vacant table. Coincidentally, they were only a block away from the Oreburg Gym, a topic he was just about to discuss. He waited for everyone to find a seat before speaking. "It looks like we have everyone, plus one more," A slight nod to Jessi, "So, I wanna be clear about the purpose of this group: primarily, we're here to combine our skills and battle knowledge, to help each other become stronger trainers, but that isn't the only reason. Besides daily battle practice, we'll be able to stay out in the field much longer with more sets of hands, to set up camp and carry supplies. Reckless is going to help us out by carrying the heavier loads," Reckless gave the group a big smile, "But the more time we spend outside the cities, the more Pokemon we can encounter. Maw, Reckless, and Toxy are all the Pokemon that I'm befriended, and I'm assuming, from the looks of things, that no one else has a full team, either?"

 

[Red Gallade]

Tony was caught off guard just as everyone else was when they saw a strange figure fly overhead only to be nearly shot by Officer Jenny. Zoroark immediately assumed a defensive stance in front of Tony before she saw it was only one of the local authorities who demanded everyone vacate the area at once. Tony simply shrugged and went to collect his bag, he turned his head when the boy introduced himself as Zeff and simply nodded in response. "Come on Zoroark. Let's go and do some last minute training and then we'll go grab something to eat." He said as he began to walk off with Zoroark not far behind toward one of the exits of Oreburgh City.

 

[Mango137]

Acacia sat down across from Zeff. “Well... I have quite a few more Pokémon but for now I’m just gonna be traveling with Blastoise and Chingling.” He replied to Zeff’s assumption that he hadn’t captured more Pokémon. “Also, if anyone needs any help with battle strategies or someone to train against I’d be happy to help!” Acacia forgot that these people didn’t know who he was when he made his seemingly overconfident offer.

 

[EmoKitty21]

"Yeah same here. I am not someone who strives for battle, but I have been known to dabble in it." Sitting down Jessi, pulled out a container. Inside had an egg that had red and blue triangles going all around a white egg. Carefully she sit that container on the table and opened it. Pulling out the the egg, Jessi was checking on how close it was to hatching. Jessi could tell that the egg was not damaged which was a good thing. She was worried about that during the flight. Lola was calmly sitting on Jessi's shoulder.

She was still doing this when the waiter came to take their order. "I will have a coffee, do you have any flavoured creamers?" After she noded, Jessi said. "I will have the caramel macchiato. I also want a couple of crescent rolls the fresh one with cinnamon, I would also like a couple of muffins for both me and my pokemon. Can you put these in a to go box, I do not want to way my fluffy friends to be loaded down with food."

 

[Zeff Alveron]

Zeff shifted slightly in his chair to get comfortable, nodding as he listened. "Well, then, Acacia, I'll be sure to take you up on that; though, I have a feeling Reckless is the only one who could stand up to Blastoise." Maw huffed at this, her tail-maw nonchalantly clamping onto Zeff's shoulder, and his eyes widened. "Ah-ah-ah, Maw, come o-ah-n, he's a fully ah-volved Pokemon, he's strong!" Maw let go, but crossed her arms indignantly.

Taking the chance to change the subject, Zeff took his order. "I'd have a Club sandwich, with a medium rawstberry smoothie; actually, make that two smoothies, one for my cellular friend. If you could, as well, I'd like an order of four poffins: two bitter, two spicy." As he finished, he sighed, as Mawile gave him a dirty look which equated to, 'I won't forgive you just because you're getting me food'. Not that he expected any less. "Anyway, my plan, for now, is to challenge the Oreburg Gym: I've got a few favorable type matchups against Rock, so I think this will be a good place to start. Blastoise shouldn't have much trouble, either, though I'm not sure how Eve or Moon will fair: from what I've heard, Roark's team doesn't mess around, they hit hard."

 

[aurivee_]

Eve looked rather indignant at this. "Vee!"
The Evolution Pokemon leaped off Allie's shoulder. Suddenly, Eve began to glow with a blue light. Various bubbles appeared around her, firing directly out the door of the building. They crashed into a nearby tree, leaving a visible mark. The move had obviously not hit at full power, though.
Allie sweatdropped. "Uh. Yeah. About that. Eve's got some... quirks with her. She can use elemental abilities, but... she seems to be incapable of evolving, from what I can tell."
She pulled a Water Stone out of her bag. "Show them, Eve."
Eve looked relatively reluctant, but tapped her paw on the stone. A blue bolt of static electricity flew up the Pokemon's paw, before the stone shattered into a puff or blue sparkles.
Moon paced back and forth. "My matchup is not spectacular, I agree. The best thing I have is Magical Leaf, which does deal super-effective damage to Pokemon of the Rock-type, but my skill in it is limited."

 

[EmoKitty21]

"I can see what you mean. That is a lot of power for unevolved pokemon. You know if Eve has the potential for physic moves, Espeon would love to help her I am sure." Espeon noded his head at the girl. He was calmly sitting down beside Jessi.

Jessi slowly lowered the egg back into the container and made sure it was secure. She did not want anything to happen to it. With it secure, Jessi put the container back into her bag.

"So Allie, besides battling what do you like to do?" Jessi wanted to know about the people she was traveling with. She also sensed that the young girl would want to prove herself.

 

[aurivee_]

The girl smiled. She’d thought of this already.
“Well, I want to do some sightseeing - I hear the three lakes are spectacular - but I also want to try Pokémon Contests. We have Pokémon Performances back home, so I’m excited to see how they’re the same and how they’re different.”
Moon seemed visibly happy at this. “The art of contests interests me as well. I love incorporating style and beauty into my moves, so Contests sound like something I’d really enjoy.”

 

[EmoKitty21]

"I would love to do some sight seeing as well. I love the beauty of this region. I have only been to a few places here, but what I have seen was great." Jessi smiled as she thought about all of things she could photograph. She was glad to see that her journey would be filled with excitement.

"You want to be a performer? I used to dabble in it on my first journey through Kanto. It was a lot of fun. Maybe we can do some together. We can work on combos for our poke friends to use to show their true potential. The combos could also come in handy when battling as well. Some of the most effective moves are the one tailored to your pokemon. I have seen some amazing people do some spectacular moves and dazzle the judges." Jessi pulled out her camera and looked through the pictures she had taken of contests from Kanto. "If you want I can show you some of the pictures I have taken of contests in the past. They might give you ideas on how to move with your pokemon."

 

[aurivee_]

"Sure!" Allie replied. Moon promptly teleported onto Allie's head, trying to get a look at the camera, as she was too short to do so normally.
Eve also climbed up onto her usual spot on Allie's shoulder, looking down at the camera inquisitively.
"So, where are you from?" Allie asked. "I'm Kalosian myself, so this is a nice change for me."

 

[EmoKitty21]

Finding the one photo that Jessi wanted to show the aspiring performer, it was a photo of a man and his Glaceon. Thw glaceon had their head up and in a joyous pose, with fresh snow glittering arounf them and the trainer. The trainer was skating with his arms out to the side, and skates made of ice. It was a stunning picture that really showed of the fun and happiness of both the pokemon and the human.

"I am from Kanto. It has great moments where they have brought in contests. They are not really that important over there as battling which is kind of sad to be quite frank. Though the contest they do show are some of the best I have seen." Jessi started going through photos she had taken of the same performer and how the moves they used could be done in so many different ways.

"You said you are from Kalos. I have been there. I love all the sights, and the architecture of some of the major cities. I have seen some contests over there and frankly I love them. They really know how to put on a show. If I had my laptop here I would show you some of the other pictures I have taken of performers, but all I have right now is on the camera's memory. If you to you take a look through the photos I have taken."

 

[Mango137]

I didn’t even know Kanto had contests thought Acacia slightly embarrassed that he was so uninformed of the region that he had spent so much time in. “Yeah it’ll be fun.” He replied to Zeff. Acacia hadn’t planned on taking on the gym challenge, but he figured he might as well so he could compete in the Lily of the Valley Conference later. He ordered a BLT and sat there bored while the girl’s discussed contests.