The Edge of Glory

[Chadwyck]

Rein wasn't really listening to anything after the couple said their son's name. Sem. This whole time, Rein thought that the Valencia and Toby looked familiar, but he had also known that he'd never met them before. But he had met their son, and they did look pretty similar; after all they were his parents.

The boy wasn't sure what was going on. All this talk of Puzzle Masters and thievery did nothing but bring up bad memories. Memories he'd rather not have to live through again. His mind was telling him before all of this to run, to just turn the other way and continue living his life, continue searching for what was most important to him. Now his mind was screaming not to get involved; this wasn't his problem.

But Sem was involved, somehow, and it clouded his judgement. When his life was darkest, after everything that he had gone through, Sem was the one who taught him that he needed to keep on going, and to let the past stay where it belongs. That had been five years ago, and while Rein's life hadn't been easy in those years, he never forgot what Sem had told him. If the young man was involved, then Rein wouldn't turn his back on him.

Kate offered to let him travel with her and Ceilidh to Accumula; as if she had read his mind, then she turned and walked outside. Rein stood was still struggling with what to do; steeling himself for the decision that he had to make. "Alice," he whispered to himself, "just wait for me a little while longer, there's something I have to do."

Toby turned away from the professor and asked Rein to deliver a message to Sem, should he see him.

Rein smiled, a single tear building up in his eye; Rein wanted nothing more than to see his sister again, but he couldn't turn his back on the people he'd met; the friends that he had made. It was a tough choice, but Alice would want him to do the right thing. "I'll tell him." Rein replied as he turned and walked outside right behind the couple.

"That boy's got something going on inside," Juniper noted as Rein walked away, "I hope he finds what he's looking for. Don't you, Alice?" Juniper was speaking to no one at all, she just stared after Rein for a moment, then she returned to answering questions and doing whatever else the police required.

Rein quickly walked over to Kate, who appeared to be waiting for him. I wonder if she knew the choice I would make before I did. The boy thought absentmindedly as he waved and smiled. "If you've still got room for me, I'd like to come with you."

 

[Yoshimitsu]

The rest of the walk was quiet and uneventful. Aside from a few straggling pokemon, the general wildlife was quiet and calm, undoubtedly used to many trainers wandering through the route. Given the late time, a good number of the pokemon were asleep and hidden away. Kirabi kept running his fingers over the pokeball containing the injured Lillipup, despite knowing that there was nothing he could do right now aside from hurry to the nearest Pokemon Centre.

It was nearly an hour later when they finally saw Accumula Town, with few lights on in any of the windows. There were even fewer people out on the streets, just a few trainers flitting in and out of the Pokemon Centre. Kirabi nodded to it, and he and Sem hastened to the building. The foyer was calm and nearly empty, everyone in bed or resting in the lounge area. Kirabi wasted no time in approaching the desk and placing Lillipup's pokeball on it. The nurse wandered over, her pink rings of hair bouncing with each step.

"Nurse, I recently befriended Puppy-kun, maybe an hour ago," Kirabi said in his soft, kind voice. "He had gotten into a fight and has a wound on his leg."

"I see, would you release him so I may have a look?" The nurse asked. Kirabi pushed the button on the front of the ball, releasing the slumbering pokemon. She quickly bent down, examining the two puncture marks. "It looks like a Patrat bite, not too deep. He'll need a bandage, then he'll be fine to go. I shouldn't need to move him."

Kirabi watched as the nurse produced some bandages from under the desk and set to work wrapping them around the injured limb. Kirabi stood silently and watched the process, a subtle hint of concern on his face. The work was quick, and the Lillipup didn't react at all as his leg was bound. Sem adjusted behind him, but Kirabi's attention was entirely on the injured Pokemon.

Not even ten minutes later, the nurse announced that Lillipup's procedure was finished and Kirabi was free to take him again. The boy immediately scooped the pokemon into his arms and turned back to Sem.

"Thank you for escorting me, Sem-kun," Kirabi said gratefully.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: Hope this reply doesn't suck. Kinda rusty right now. I also know I've said this before, but I really apologize if I assumed too much with Rein this post. I'm trying to feel his character out and hoping I'm doing an okay job.

BiC:

Kate smiled back at Rein. It would be nice having more travel companions, even if only for a short while. "The more the merrier. Happy to have you join us, Rein and Lunara. I already sent a Pokemon on ahead to signal Ceilidh, so she should be waiting by the town entrance once we reach it. Shall we?"

Together they set off towards the town exit, and after a bit of light chatter Kate found herself and Rein discussing Ceilidh. It was quite obvious to Rein that the girls were good friends, but Kate filled in some of the blanks. She hadn’t intended to dominate the conversation, it just kinda happened.

Kate told Rein how mere days after starting her Pokemon journey she'd found herself in a dangerous situation. She'd been casually walking along the beach when she came upon a hungry pack of Poochyena, who were viciously attacking an injured Vaporeon and two tiny Eevee. Without thinking Kate had jumped into the action with her Starter Pokemon, a Bulbasaur named Elysian, but the odds had been against them and one Eevee didn't make it. Even now recalling that awful memory still turned her stomach. Battered and exhausted, they’d been preparing for more attackers to arrive when instead a red haired girl and her Charmeleon appeared. It'd been Ceilidh and Seraphina of course. With some encouragement from Ceilidh, Kate was able to get her thoughts straight and rush the Vaporeon and surviving Eevee to the nearest Pokemon Center. It was there that Ceilidh later found her again, and not long after they'd decided to travel the region together. Things had been that way ever since.

"That same injured Vaporeon became a permanent member of my team, and Ceilidh asked if she could raise his son in exchange for a Charmander egg. You've already met Kasai, my Charizard, and if you stick with us for a bit you might get to meet Eridanus, the Vaporeon, and his son Toby. Unlike his father, Toby ended up evolving into a Jolteon. Heh. That event was quite the story too..."

It wasn’t long after that they’d reached the exit to route 1, and just as planned Ceilidh was waiting for them by the town’s welcome sign. She scooped Kate’s backpack up off the ground and tossed it to her. “About time! I’ve been waiting here for a good 20 minutes already. Glad to see you again though, Rein. You too, Lunara.”

“Sorry about the wait. It’s probably my fault,” Kate replied sheepishly. “I walked slower because we were talking.”

“Oh? About what?” the red head asked.

Kate smirked. “About you actually.”

“Heh. Only good things I’d hope, like how I’ve kicked your ass each time we’ve Pokemon battled?”

“Mmm… Might’ve glossed over that bit,” Kate chuckled. “But I’ll beat you someday, just you wait.”

“Keep on dreamin’, girly. And speaking of dreams…” Ceilidh held her hand out towards Kate and waited. It took the young woman a moment to clue in.

“Oh, right! Whicker’s PokeBall,” she replied, digging it out of her pocket and returning it to Ceilidh. She scanned their surroundings a moment before asking, “Where is Whicker anyways? Hovering around and waiting to ambush me like usual?”

“Quite possibly, but you know Whicker. She’ll return when she feels like it,“ said Ceilidh. She jerked a thumb ahead and added, “In the meantime, let’s head out. The sun’s setting and I’d rather not be walking around a strange new region in the dark.” Kate and Rein agreed, and together the three trainers bid Nuvema Town farewell and took their leave onto route 1.

A beautiful sunset painted the sky as they walked along the grassy route, but for the most part their trek was uneventful and there was no sign of Sem or Kirabi. Lunara stuck close to Rein’s side for the most part, and Kate and Ceilidh chatted about the day’s events with the young man dropping the odd comment. It was evident throughout their walk that Rein was quite reserved, but neither girl could be sure if it was simply his nature or if he was purposely avoiding going into too much detail. Whichever it was, neither Kate or Ceilidh pried. They were just happy to have him along and hoped it showed.

By the time they finally reached Accumula Town the sun had set completely. Thankfully the town was fairly modern and street lights lit their way, so finding their destination was an easy matter. It’d been agreed upon by the three of them that their first stop would be the Pokemon Center. Their Pokemon were surely a bit tired from the day’s fire fighting, and the trainers themselves were also looking forward to getting off their feet and having a well deserved rest.

OOC: Suddenly going brain dead, so I‘ll end my post there. Since Rein knows Sem I’d rather you guys control that encounter, and with the Pokemon Center fairly empty right now I doubt it’ll be difficult for us to spot each other. x3

 

[Sem]

Sem waited patiently with Kirabi as the Lillipup was being taken care of by the nurse. The wound turned out to not be all that serious, so the work that needed done was minor and quick.

"Thank you for escorting me, Sem-kun," Kirabi said to Sem afterwards.

Sem flashed a grin. "It was no problem," he said, waving his hand dismissively. Sem glanced out of a window, but he already knew it was late. The day definitely hadn't gone as expected. Sem knew that he should probably give his parents a ring and to see what they were doing.

"I think we should grab some rooms and get some sleep," Sem said as he returned his attention to the younger boy. "Today wasn't the most relaxing day ever. It'll be nice to start nice and fresh tomorrow."

Sem led the way back to the front desk. He already had his Pokédex out, handing it to the nurse as he asked for a room like he had countless times before. In no time at all he had a key to a room in his hand. Stepping away from the desk he handed the key to Sableye and then pulled out his cell phone. He tapped the screen a few times, dialing his father's number.

It rang and rang but there wasn't an answer. It was typical. He dialed his mother's number. No answer. Also typical. "Why do they even have cell phones?" Sem sighed as his mother's voicemail picked up. Granted, he wasn't the best at picking up his phone either.

"This is Valencia. I apologize for not being able to pick up. Leave a name and your number and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"Hey, it's me," Sem said, shifting his weight to one leg and crossing his arms. "I'm in Accumula with a friend and we'll be staying at the Pokémon Center for the night. Talk to you soon."

The young man tapped the large, red 'end call' button on the screen and slipped the device back into his pocket. Sem reached his hand up and Sableye dropped the room key back into it. He turned on his heel and stepped back closer to Kirabi, waiting for him to get his room key as well.

"I don't think I've eaten since that in-flight meal on the plane," Sem pointed out. The center had a cafeteria, but Sem really didn't feel like eating 'Pokémon Center food'. "Want to grab something? My treat," he winked. Kirabi might not even be hungry after the events of the day, but Sem invited him anyway, though he wasn't sure what exactly Accumula had to offer in terms of restaurants. He'd find something, he was sure.

 

[Chadwyck]

The walk was difficult for Rein, not because he was uncomfortable; Kate and Ceilidh were both nice enough, and Rein found himself growing quite attached to the two older girls. The reason he felt the walk was difficult was for this reason exactly. Over the last five years, he had learned that it was better not to let people in; if you never opened your heart up to anyone, you were never hurt when they were lost to you. He knew all too well the pain of losing a friend. Amy was the first person he allowed himself to open up to, and that was only after they had traveled through Johto together for quite a while.

He avoided talking about himself in great detail, and struggled with himself in participating in the girls' conversation as little as possible, despite wanting to let his guard down. In the end, his reservation won out.

In spite of this, he found himself really enjoying the trek through Route 1 with Kate and Ceilidh. They never pried, trying to force their way through his barriers, but they kept him involved in their conversation and he participated as best he could while staying in his comfort zone. Lunara caught on to his discomfort, and walked closer by his side, trying to show him that she was always there when he needed her.

By some stroke of luck, they had managed to get to Accumula Town just as the sun had set. As the streetlights blinked on one by one, illuminating the darkened town, the trio decided that they would head to the Pokemon Center; they could all do with a good rest after the long day they had just gone through. The boy had practically passed out already, his body just hadn't caught on to the fact.

An ugly growl resounded from his stomach, and he realized he had had nothing to eat since breakfast on the ship at the beginning of the day. He resigned himself to eating that food from the Center's cafeteria; it wasn't the best food by any stretch of the imagination, but he was tired and didn't particularly care at this point.

Rein wondered where Sem and the other boy, Kirabi he remembered someone had said, had gone. He hoped that they could catch up to them before they moved on; otherwise they'd have a much harder time finding them once they move out of Accumula.

As they neared the Center, he noticed that there were two people talking in front of the Pokemon Center. He immediately recognized Sem, partially due to the Sableye accompanying the young man, and he was instantly back on the SS Anne, bound for Johto, five years ago. When he was lost in his own darkness, sinking further and further into despair, and Sem had saved him. He always hoped that they would meet again, and now here he was.

"Sem?" Rein asked, stepping up to the two boys talking, "is it really you?"

OoC: Meh post is meh. But, still, I posted!

 

[Yoshimitsu]

Yoshimitsu, Monster

~*~*~ Two hours ago ~*~*~

"I searched the area, Professor," Yoshimitsu said, rubbing the back of his head. "There's no trace. Not even a fingerprint. They must have been planning this for a while, or be the luckiest raiders we've ever encountered."

Juniper sighed. "I suppose it was too much to hope for. Why on Earth someone would want to steal those outdated models..."

"It reminds me of a few years ago, back when the Rockets were still active and vocal," Yoshimitsu commented thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "They had similar models too. You might not have caught that, it was mostly in Kanto. They used them to engineer their own creatures. I'd call them Pokemon but... by that point, they pretty much weren't."

Juniper nodded, thinking back to that time. "I remember. Professor Oak's grandson stopped by once to let us know, once all had been said and done. Have you met his grandson?"

"Yeah, he's the one who knocked me out of the tournament," Yoshimitsu said with a grin. "My Umbreon had his Charizard on the ropes, but he pulled a fast one and took her out. Poor Umbreon, she had burns for days afterwards."

"I seem to recall most of those experiments ended in failure, bless those Pokemon. I heard rumours that some survived..?"

"Kimera was the only one I heard of, Professor," Yoshimitsu confirmed, once again rubbing the back of his head. It was a delicate issue, and not one he enjoyed discussing. "No Pokemon, even one as powerful as Kimera, should be pieced together from bits of another. We're not meant to have that power, and the Pokemon don't deserve the torture."

"Yoi're right, of course," Juniper agreed, nodding.

The two began walking through the lab. The sun was setting now, and nearly all of the police officers had left. Without any clues to go on, there was little they could do. The orange sky, with barely any clouds, still had a faint smell of smoke to it. Many of the Pokemon in the lab's fields were returning to their shelters, or to their pokeballs, as the sky darkened. It wasn't Yoshimitsu's first time in a lab like this, nor even his twentieth, but it was one of the very few times he'd become directly involved in an incident.

"Did you happen to contact anyone who helped stop the fire?" Juniper asked.

"One of them came to the lab with me, I didn't catch his name," Yoshimitsu said, crouching down to stroke a Lillipup. The puppy playfully nipped at his hand, making him smile. "And Kirabi, who's parents owned the blimp. You'd think us foreigners would avoid self-sacrifice, but I guess it's better that we didn't. Maybe not respecting the law was the best thing we could do, since we pretty much ignored anything the police said. Maybe a bit too much like for Charizards though."

"Charizards?"

"Yeah, there were about four of them going in and out of the blimp to rescue people. Must've all been to Professor Oak at some point, since he hands them out like candy," Yoshimitsu said laughing, enticing a guilty chuckle from Juniper. "That Kirabi, though, he's interesting. I don't know if you met him, he has a Marill and a Meditite. Basic stage Pokemon that could keep up with mine, no sweat. Okay, maybe a bit of sweat."

"I don't think I met that one," Juniper admitted. "Sem was here, he's with his parents on a research holiday. They want to study Klink. I think he left with Kirabi to go to Accumula Town."

"I reckon I'll head there too, then," Yoshimitsu said, nodding.

"Before you go, I would ask for a favour, if you don't mind," Juniper said, striding back towards the lab. Yoshimitsu followed, intrigued but slightly confused.

She lead him to a room near the back of the lab, where it was disproportionately warm. Inside, there were shelves and shelves of small nests made of bits of cloth and straw, a warm red light above each nest. Most of these nests held a single, coloured egg, and few were like the next. Yoshimitsu recognised a few of them, though not many. Juniper approached one of the eggs, a black and red pattern, and lifted it from the shelf.

"The owner of this egg recently decided he didn't have the time to hatch and raise it," Juniper said, and there was a hint of sadness in her voice. "It was understandable, he was getting along a bit, but it's still a shame."

"I think I see where this is going," Yoshimitsu replied with a sly grin.

"I'm not entrusting this egg to you, Yoshimitsu," Juniper said with a slight frown. "Your high-risk life is no place for a newborn Pokemon. As I understand, several of the trainers who helped to fight the fire are heading for Accumula Town. I'd like you to pass this egg along to Celidh."

"Kaylee?" Yoshimitsu asked, in a passable pronunciation of the name.

"Yes, if you would be so kind," Juniper confirmed. Yoshimitsu lifted the egg and held it gently, but securely.

"Of course, Professor."

~*~*~

Yoshimitsu replayed the conversation in his head again, just to make sure he hadn't forgotten any important details. He had the names of two of the people who had fought the blimp fire, plus Kirabi, and an egg that was to go to one of the girls. Kaylee, he thought. He just had to figure out which one Kaylee was. Hopefully he'd just bump into her but if he didn't, he could just ask the nurses at the Pokemon Centre to transfer the egg from centre to centre until it ended up in her hands. Hopefully it would work out.

He slipped his hand into a pocket of his jacket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, just a little extra protection from the wind. He was riding his Charizard, soaring over the first route of the region, with the egg tucked securely under his arm. It was faster than walking, and he was on a time limit, kind of. At the very least, he wanted to catch this Kaylee girl and Kirabi before they crashed for the night. Given what Kirabi looked like when he had left, the boy's well-being was high on Yoshimitsu's priorities. He knew how it felt to be thrust into a incident like this without any preparation or knowledge of how to react. This was a big issue as well, and Yoshimitsu was worried it might be too much for the taller boy.

He felt a slight shift in how he was seated in realised Charizard was descending, and preparing to land. He had given Charizard instructions to locate and land at the Pokemon Centre, since it was the only place open at this time, with the promise of a long rest and some decent food. Luckily, the blue haired boy had planned ahead of time and sent his suitcase to Accumula Town before he even landed in Nuvema. Something in his head had told him he wouldn't be sticking around Nuvema for very long, so he'd gone with it. Turned out he was right.

As Charizard's feet finally touched down, Yoshimitsu slid from the fire type's back. He rubbed the dragon's neck, then recalled him into the pokeball. The teenager spun the ball on his finger for a moment, watching the orangle colour in the darkness, before reattaching it to his magnetic belt and stepping through the sliding doors of the Pokemon Centre. It was quiet inside, with very few people still awake. He saw two boys, one of which he recognised from the lab earlier, and two girls not too far away. Yoshimitsu frowned, casting his gaze around again until he saw Kirabi in the lounge area with a sleeping Lillipup.

First thing was first, though. He'd talk to Kirabi once he delivered the egg. With a friendly smile on his face, he approached the two girls.

"I don't suppose either of you are called Kaylee?" He asked.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: As of Chad's post we were outside the Pokemon Center, but El's placed us inside of it. For the sake of keeping with the flow, I'm gonna have us start outside and move inside.

BIC:

As the group approached the Pokemon Center they noticed two young men standing outside the front entrance. While Kate and Ceilidh paused to stare at the oddly familiar individuals, Rein broke away from them with Lunara following closely behind.

"Sem?" the two girls heard him say as he approached one of the males.

"Ahh. I knew they looked familiar. So these are the Sem and Kirabi you mentioned earlier?" Ceilidh said to Kate.

"I guess so," Kate replied. "I don't see a Marill, but it has to be the same guys. And I'm pretty sure I met the one with the Sableye at Nuvema Town's inn. Small world, eh?"

The young women felt somewhat uncomfortable eavesdropping on Rein's conversation, which appeared to be a very touching reunion with an old friend, but their close proximity made it unavoidable. Out of respect for their new friend they stood by patiently until Rein, Sem, and Kirabi stepped inside the Pokemon Center before making their own way through the doors.

"Let's leave them be for now," Ceilidh whispered to Kate as they passed Rein and walked deeper inside the facility.

Besides the five of them and the nurse standing behind the front desk, the lobby area was mostly empty. The friends took this opportunity to drop off their PokeBalls with the nurse, minus Whicker's for obvious reasons. As they turned away from the front desk, they were met with the sight of a blue haired male walking straight towards them. His hair alone was striking enough, but the oddly colored Pokemon egg clutched in his hands was equally intriguing. Kate had never seen one quite like it before. She'd assumed he too was here to see the nurse and was rather surprised when he stopped directly in front of them.

"I don't suppose either of you are called Kaylee?" He asked out of the blue.

Ceilidh eyed him quizzically but replied, "That would be me. Can I help you?"

"Hey, yeah, you met Juniper, right? She asked me to bring this to you," the young man replied and handed off the egg to Ceilidh.

The red haired female wasn't quite sure how to react and simply said, "Oh? Okay then. Thank you." For someone who'd just been handed a free Pokemon egg from a complete stranger, she was quite reserved. Kate on the other hand stared wide eyed and gave a quiet whimper out of jealously.

"Hope you treat it well," the boy said with a smile. "Anyway, gonna go grab Kirabi. If you haven't met him, you should." And with that he casually turned and walked away.

Ceilidh quietly looked down to the red and black Pokemon egg held tightly in her arms, then back up across the room to the blue haired boy. The silence was killing Kate.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Hush. I'm trying to remember where I know him from," Ceilidh replied, her eyes glued to the individual in question. "I'm quite sure he's the one I saw at the blimp scene today. Teenaged boys with blue hair aren't that commonplace. But it's more than that. I'm sure I've seen him somewhere else, too."

"Huh. He doesn't look familiar to me."

"You have the memory of a goldfish. Mine actually works." The words rolled off her tongue naturally but with that ever hint of ridicule. "And yet," she continued nonchalantly, more to herself than Kate, "I just can't recall... Something I saw on TV maybe? ... It's going to drive me insane until I remember..."

Kate sighed as Ceilidh mumbled away. The girl was lost to her. She personally was much more interested in the Pokemon egg, and it wasn't even hers! Just seeing it brought memories of home to mind. Crossbreeding Pokemon and raising various eggs was her family's specialty, and she couldn't help but be intrigued by one like this. Anything could be inside it.

"Let me know when you're finished wracking your brains," Kate grunted at the redhead and sat down in a nearby chair. With Rein busy chatting with Sem and Kirabi's attention now occupied by this stranger, the best thing she could think to do was wait for her Pokemon to be healed. It'd also give her some time to plan exactly what to say to Sem or Kirabi once she finally received the chance to speak with them.

 

[Sem]

"Sem? Is it really you?"

Sem turned his head towards the speaker of those words, coming face to face with young man. It had been years, but it took Sem only a moment to recognize the boy, and the Umbreon at his side also helped his memory. Rein. Sem wouldn't have been surprised if he had never seen the boy from the SS Anne ever again. But, then again, trainers always had a habit of running into each other again.

He was different from before. Less scared, more certain, though perhaps still a little uneasy. He was dressed pretty smartly in a dress shirt and slacks, though one had to wonder how you traveled dressed in such a manner.

"Rein..." Sem greeted the young man, turning away from Kirabi. Stepping forward, Sem embraced the young man, knowing no other appropriate way to greet him. "What are you going here?" Sem asked.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"No, thank you, Sem-kun," Kirabi declined politely, but he needn't have bothered. Sem's attention had been captured efficiently by a newcomer, giving Kirabi a way to leave without being noticed. He promptly did, walking the short distance to the lounge area with Lillipup still in his arms. The Pokemon was still fast asleep, the bandage still securely in place. The fact that Lillipup hadn't stirred once since they entered the Pokemon Centre comforted the teenager.

While the seats in the lounge were not the most comfortable, they also weren't the standard issue wooden or plastic varieties found in schools or libraries. He set Lillipup down on the white table and sat in the nearest chair, lightly flexing his fingers. It wouldn't hurt in the slightest, and Kirabi knew that because it never had hurt before. He place one finger very lightly on Lillipup's wounded leg. A sparkle jumped up his finger, shimmering the entire length of the digit. The bandages on Lillipup's leg fell away, and the sparkles flowed into the cut. Instantly, it started knitting itself back together, the skin mending neatly and the fur growing back rapidly. As the puppy stirred, his leg was as good as new.

"Keep it a secret, okay, Woofwoof-kun?" Kirabi whispered with a wink. Lillipup barked once, stretching the leg tentatively. Kirabi laughed as the puppy started chasing his own tail, clearly happy to have full use of all his limbs again. The teenager pulled his other two pokeballs from his belt, releasing Marill and Meditite. Marill stretched, then hopped up to Kirabi's shoulder, while Meditite assumed the lotus position and kept his eyes on Lillipup.

"Woofwoof-kun, this is Marill-chan and Meditite-kun," Kirabi introduced. "Marill-chan, Meditite-kun, this is Woofwoof-kun."

"I used to do the same thing with my Pokemon," a voice came from nearby. Kirabi turned his head to see the familiar blue figure of Yoshimitsu. He was leaning on the back of a chair, grinning.

"Hello Yoshimitsu-kun," Kirabi greeted with a smile.

"Nice to see you smiling finally," Yoshimitsu commented. He jumped over the back of the chair and landed neatly, lazing into the cushion. "Lillipup's a cutie."

"Woofwoof-kun was hurt, I couldn't leave him like that," Kirabi replied politely. He placed his hands on his knees, registering out of the corner of his eye that Meditite was now staring at Yoshimitsu.

"He's certainly made a fast recovery," Yoshimitsu said, nodding to the Lillipup. Kirabi froze for a moment, until Yoshimitsu continued. "Pokemon heal so much faster than us, I'm sort of jealous. Staryu can just sprout a new point if one gets damaged, it's pretty amazing to see. Not that I wish any harm on her."

"We try to avoid battling as far as possible, I hate to see my friends hurt," Kirabi replied.

"Yeah, you said earlier," Yoshimitsu started, before stopping suddenly.

There was a pause, in which Yoshimitsu's attention was suddenly diverted to the television in the room. The sound was low, so he grabbed the nearby controller and increased the volume. It was a news report. Kirabi frowned at the presenter.

"...and it has been confirmed that a group of trainers, unrelated to the police, fought the fire in Nuvema Town. Among the trainers spotted, Mister Yoshimitsu was among them. Mister Yoshimitsu is well known in many regions outside of Unova for being a top contender in the Internation Battling Tournament, and for being the only remaining trainer from that tournament still training Pokemon.

A series of clips followed, including several of an Umbreon battling a Charizard and a number of close-ups of Yoshimitsu's face.

"So that's why you're so famous?" Kirabi asked.

"It is. Anyway, I don't like seeing my friends get hurt either, but none of us are the type to sit back and relax when we know something's going on," Yoshimitsu said, relaxing into his chair. "It's why we get along so well. Ever since the start, we've tried to help people when we can. It's because of that we lost one of our friends."

"Lost? Did they get stolen?" Kirabi asked, confused.

"He died. My Pikachu, saving Fallabor Town," Yoshimitsu explained, his grin faltering for a fraction of a second. "An old enemy threatened the entire town with a device based on silver magic. It supercharged his Pokemon. Pikachu dove straight into the heart of the blast and absorbed the energy."

"I'm so sorry," Kirabi said, reaching across to place his hand on Yoshimitsu's. The blue haired boy didn't immediately throw the hand away.

"That's who we are though," he said. "We'll risk everything if we can save people. That's how we live, and why we don't mind injuried every now and then."

"I understand," Kirabi said, nodding.

"Hey, it's getting late. Did you get a room yet?" Kirabi shook his head. "I grabbed a room with an extra bed, just in case. C'mon, you look shattered."

 

[Chadwyck]

Rein awkwardly returned the embrace, unsure of the contact, but feeling that it was an appropriate way for the two to greet. It was Sem who had helped to heal the boy's scars, helped him move on after what happened in Kanto.

He led the way inside, following the rest of the trainers, not wanting to stand out in the dark. Lunara lingered momentarily, staring up at the moon, before following her trainer inside. Rein noticed she felt comfortable around Sem; she was obviously mirroring Rein's feelings toward the young man.

Sem had asked Rein what brought him there, and before he could answer the blue haired teenager turned up the volume on a news report; the focus of the report was the fire. They showed several shots of the trainers involved fighting the flames before focusing on the blue haired boy, Yoshimitsu, as the television said.

"That did." Rein said flatly, nodding toward the television. "I came to Unova to find my sister. To get more distance between me and Team Rocket. I didn't expect something like that to happen." The boy lost himself in the memory that was still so fresh from earlier that day. "Your parents told me you had set off for Accumula Town, and I came to find you. I figured that this time you might need my help."

Rein didn't tell the young man about how he had panicked earlier; how he had wanted nothing more than to turn tail and run. He didn't mention how uneasy he felt, getting involved with another crisis. Sem's presence comforted him, as it had those long years ago. "I feel like I owe you this much." He said lamely, knowing that Sem would say Rein owed him nothing.

 

[Linkachu]

It wasn't long before the centre's nurse hailed Kate and Ceilidh to come retrieve their PokeBalls. Since neither of their teams had been notably injured their treatments amounted to little more than a rest, but it was still a well deserved rest.

After Kate had finished reattaching her six PokeBalls to her belt, she scanned the room to find that the others were still busy chatting. She was starting to get a bit hungry and wondered if it would be better catching Sem and Kirabi in the morning. Turning to Ceilidh, Kate opened her mouth to speak but paused when a nearby TV suddenly jumped in volume. It appeared to be broadcasting a news story regarding the day's events in Nuvema Town, but there was more to the report than simply the blimp fire.

"Oh! That's where I knew him from," Ceilidh exclaimed as she too watched the television. Apparently her young, blue haired mystery man was actually quite a famous Pokemon trainer. "Mister Yoshimitsu" the newscaster called him.

Kate smirked at Ceilidh. "I take it you watched that international tournament on TV?"

"Like I would've missed something like that," Ceilidh replied smugly. "Yoshimitsu's opponent Gary Oak, the tournament's champion, was an excellent battler, and their match was intense right up til the end. It was a very close finish." She smiled as she recalled the battle. Ceilidh was a bit of a Pokemon battle fanatic and rarely missed the chance to watch any of the larger competitions. She often said that all experience, both direct and indirect, was vital to becoming a better trainer, and she did her best to absorb everything she could.

"You know what?" she added to Kate. "I think I'm going to go talk to him again. I didn't really thank him properly for giving me egg."

"Surrrre. Nice excuse. You just want to speak with him again," her companion teased. "And I thought I was the hopeless one?"

"Don't worry. You still are."

Kate laughed again. "Well, I'd go talk to him sooner than later. It looks like him and Kirabi are about to leave." She gestured towards the two young gentlemen, who appeared to have finished their conversation.

Ceilidh's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Hold this," she murmured and handed her Pokemon egg to Kate.

There was little hesitation in Ceilidh's step as she turned and headed across the room. To walk with such confidence was a trait the older girl admired of her friend, and in the end she decided to tag along and eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Pardon me, Mister Yoshimitsu?" Ceilidh asked politely upon joining the two teenaged boys. She smiled at Kirabi a moment but her attention quickly returned to the other male. "I wanted to thank you again for delivering the Pokemon egg to me and, if I may, shake your hand. I'm sorry for not recognizing you sooner. It's really quite an honor to meet you in person."

Kate giggled quietly and turned her own gaze to Kirabi. The young man, whom looked to be quite worn out, was surrounded by Pokemon. A cheerful puppy Pokemon was playing by his feet, and a very sturdy Meditite sat nearby. A Marill, which Kate assumed was the one she'd heard about before, was also currently perched comfortably upon his shoulder. It wasn't hard to see how close he and the Marill were. It reminded her of Rein and Lunara, which in turn made her think about her own Pokemon friends.

Kate held the Pokemon egg securely and crouched down to get a better look at the unknown canine. It was her first time ever seeing one; a species that was native to Unova she assumed. "Aren't you a cutey?" she smiled at it, eying the Meditite and saying, "And I can tell that you're very strong and healthy. You must have a lovely trainer."

She finally pushed off the ground with her free hand and held it out to Kirabi. "Hey there. Kirabi was it?" Kate softened her voice as she spoke, unsure if such were due to his expression or something much deeper. "Sem's parents told me your name. I saw you back at the blimp incident in Nuvema Town but didn't have the chance to introduce myself. My name's Kate, and it's nice to finally meet you."

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"I... ah," Yoshimitsu started, shaking the girl's hand with one hand and rubbing the back of his head with the other. "It's just Yoshimitsu, only the news calls me 'mister'. You're Kaylee, right? No problem about the egg, Juniper was pretty insistent that it got to you. Said my life's too dangerous for a newborn, and she's probably right."

Yoshimitsu laughed, then thrust his hands into his pockets, smiling at the girl. Truth be told, he was used to this kind of attention. The other two trainers from that tournament had retired from training, one vanishing completely and the other dedicating himself to research. Being the only remaining trainer in the only international tournament held recently gave him a sort of publicity that was pretty fun. He enjoyed dispensing advice on training Pokemon, and helping trainers improve how they battle.

"I wouldn't say it's an honour exactly, but I appreciate it," he said with a grin. "I didn't expect to meet many fans out here, I was told Unova didn't get as much covarage of that tournament. Apart from Juniper, I mean. Sinnoh was a bit of a relief when I went there, only the odd fan every here and there. Bit of peace and quiet, except for the bits that weren't."

Kirabi turned his head away from the conversation. It wasn't that he wasn't interested, it was just that it was a conversation he couldn't really participate in. He knelt down to scratch behind Lillipup's ears when the girl's friend spoke to him.

"Oh... Hello, Kate-chan," Kirabi greeted, smiling a sweet smile. "I was grateful for your help at my parent's blimp. It can't be salvaged, but I'm sure it would give my parents some comfort to know no one was hurt by it."

 

[Linkachu]

Kate-chan. That was a new one for her, but she wasn't opposed to the name either. It was actually quite cute. "I'm always happy to lend a hand whenever possible. It's what I do best," she replied with a smile. "It's a shame that the fire had to happen at all, but I'm also really glad that nobody was hurt. Hopefully the Unova police can catch the culprit before he causes anymore trouble."

She did her best to keep a straight face, but in reality Kate was doubtful that the region's police force would be able to locate this Puzzle Master person. If the two incidents today were any indication of his elusiveness, it was unlikely that he'd be spotted again until he wanted to be. Such was an unsettling thought, and she felt it best not to concern Kirabi with it. He'd surely been through enough today already.

Kate eyed Ceilidh a moment, who was still chatting with Yoshimitsu. She was mentioning how the international tournament had been publicized quite extensively throughout the Kanto region, and apparently Gary Oak was from the town nearest to Ceilidh's home city. Much of what was said sounded interesting but Kate personally had no knowledge of the event or the people who'd been involved. All she knew was that it was beginning to get quite late and she was still rather hungry.

"We should let you two get some rest," Kate finally cut in, giving Ceilidh a light nudge on the arm. It amused her that this time she were the one breaking up the conversation and not the other way around. "You both seemed like you were busy before, so don't let us keep you. If either of you are still be around tomorrow morning maybe we can meet again for breakfast?"

Ceilidh nodded in agreement, but she very well may have had ulterior motives. "Yes, it's been very nice meeting the both of you, and I'd been hoping to ask Kirabi a bit more about today's events. I guess I got a bit sidetracked with the tournament talk..." She chuckled sheepishly. "It would be a pleasure to have you both join us tomorrow. We'll most likely eat breakfast here at the Pokémon Center for the sake of convenience."

 

[Sem]

"You owe me nothing," Sem replied. "But it's good to see you, and I'd love some help with... well, whatever this is that's going on." Sem looked down at Lunara and smiled briefly, remembering the over-protective Dark-type just as much as he remembered Rein. It seems she hadn't changed. Unfortunately, the two would find that Sableye hadn't changed either, and Sem caught the mischievous glint in the gremlin's diamond eyes.

It was immediately apparent that they had quite a group formed now, consisting of the trainers that fought the blimp fire that afternoon.

"We'll have to catch up later, I think," Sem told Rein as he eyed the other trainers. He saw blue-haired young man, who he now knew as Yoshimitsu. He was apparently famous. Sem may have heard his name floating around before, and it was obvious now that he was quite skilled. The urge to battle the young man sparked to life within Sem, but he knew that now wasn't the time nor the place.

Sem wordlessly indicated that he and Rein should join the rest of the group and led the way over there. It seemed the two young women had already introduced themselves to Kirabi and Yoshimitsu, and they already knew Rein, so it was Sem's turn to say hello.

"Heya," Sem greeted the group as he approached, directing it at the girls and Yoshimitsu. "I met you before," Sem said to Yoshimitsu. "but I didn't catch your name and I didn't give you mine - and I have yet to introduce myself to both of you," Sem's glance shifted to Kate and Ceilidh. "I'm Sem, and this is Sableye," the young man said as he outstretched his hand for handshakes. Sableye shifted on Sem's shoulder and flashed one of his toothy grins, seeming as if he were ready to pounce on anyone who got too close.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

"Oh, hey! Nice to actually meet you," Yoshimitsu said, shaking the new boy's hand. "Thanks for the help in the lab. I'm Yoshimitsu."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kirabi shifting uncomfortably. It'd been a long day for the boy. Best get him to bed soon.

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you," Yoshimitsu said with a smile and a wave as the two girls wandered off. He sighed, a deep yet contented sigh, and shook his head lightly with a grin. Kirabi let out a nervous laugh, still unnaccustomed to socialising with strangers. There was very little of that back on Four Island though. Admittedly, the one time it had happened, it had lead to a friendship with a prominent member of the Elite Four. Even so, it was daunting.

"I believe... it should be time to sleep," he said, finally. "You said you didn't mind me sharing your room?"

"Yeah, no problem," Yoshimitsu replied, nodding. "It's this way, let's go."

Yoshimitsu lead them down a corridor and through a door, ending up in a room not that dissimilar from the hotel they had stayed at in Nuvema. Kirbai glanced around, noting the two single beds and the small wardrobe for overnight stay. Meditite and Lillipup both jumped on to the bed, the psychic type meditating and the puppy chasing his tail again, causing Yoshimitsu to laugh. Kirabi wondered vaguely whether Yoshimitsu ever shared a bed with his Pokemon, but quickly decided that he probably didn't. There was no denying that Yoshimitsu was close to his Pokemon, but they still had a more distant relationship that Kirabi did with his friends.

"So, you're from Four Island, right?" Yoshimitsu asked, striding over to a suitcase in the corner and checkin its contents. He busied himself for a moment, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and some fresh underwear.

"Yes, it's a very quiet place. We had an influx of exploring trainers a few years ago, but many of them left quickly when they realised Lorelei spent more time at the league than she did in her house," Kirabi explained, pulling off his shoes as Marill hoppeddown to the bed. Marill pranced to Meditite and sat in his lap, making herself comfortable.

"I was about to ask you about her, actually," Yoshimitsu admitted, moving to sit on his bed. He was facing Kirabi, his jacket and sunglasses removed. For once, he looked almost like a normal teenager. "I've battled her before, but I never got to know her as a person. I've heard loads of people say the reason she chose ice Pokemon was because she's cold herself. Is that true?"

"What? No, of course not," Kirabi replied, completed taken aback by the question. "She was nothing but helpful and sincere. Lorelei was kind and caring. She regularly travelled back to Four Island just to give her Lapras some space to swim and play. She told me that she went to many locations for her friends, even as far as Hoenn or Sinnoh. How anyone could call her cold..."

"I didn't believe it either, to be honest. I saw her in battle, and you can tell a lot about a person just by battling them, if you're looking hard enough," Yoshimitsu agreed. "She pushes her Pokemon to better themselves, that's true, but you can see that she cares for each of them as if they were family. There's no denying that, and it was great to see. I've seen trainers who've done nothing like that."

"I don't understand that," Kirabi replied, pulling off his socks and leaning back into his bed. "Why choose to take a path where you're going to resent your partners, or have them resent you?"

"It's not that simple sometimes, though. Sometimes you're thrust into a world that changes you. I told you about... About Pikachu," Yoshimitsu said, faltering only slightly. "But I never told you about Pichu."

"Pichu?"

"Pichu, another of my Pokemon," Yoshimitsu said. "In actual fact... Pichu was the Pokemon that killed Pikachu."

"Oh my God... I'm so sorry," Kirabi said, sympathetic. He moved himself to sit next to Yoshimitsu. He sat there, ready to hug or hold the boy next to him, just in case.

"The thing is, Pichu trusted his trainer. He never doubted his trainer, so when his trainer said it was the best thing to do, he believed it," Yoshimitsu explained. His posture had gone oddly stiff, and Kirabi wasn't sure whether to hug the shorter boy or not. The blue haired boy was carefully avoiding Kirabi's gaze. "And I know that. I do. It's why I can trust Pichu. His old trainer, he didn't care. All his old trainer wanted was power and proof of his superiority, even going so far as to try to destroy a town."

"But that doesn't make it right."

"No, it doesn't. But should Pichu be punished for trusting his trainer? I don't think he should," Yoshimitsu continued. "It's why, when his trainer abandoned him, I took him. People always asked me, why would I train a Pokemon that killed mine? I always tell them the same answer. It wasn't his fault."

"And... you believe that, Yoshimitsu-kun?" Kirabi asked.

"I do. I have no doubts. I trust each and every of my Pokemon, including Pichu. I trust my friends, and they trust me," Yoshimitsu said, looking Kirabi in the eye. "I learned that lesson the hard way. I'm glad you learned it a lot sooner, and in a much nicer way than me."

Kirabi said nothing, he just placed his hand over Yoshimitsu's again. It would be like a story from a nightmare for him, to see one of his friends... He couldn't even finish the thought. His friendship with his friends had been honest and true, right from the start. They took their risks, but they kept themselves safe because every one of them was important to each other. It was what he had told Lorelei, and what she had understood. That was why she had stopped trying to convince Kirabi to become a trainer. Kirabi looked at his friends, Marill and Lillipup both asleep in Meditite's lap. It was the perfect image to him.

"You and your Pokemon are close," Yoshimitsu commented. "Even Lillipup, who you've only just met. I can see it now."

"See what now?" Kirabi asked, bewildered. Yoshimitsu stood up and took off his shirt. He spent a moment fishing around his suitcase for a vest top.

"Why you're so strong," he replied, pulling the vest over his head. "You have the respect and the courage, and the love for each other. You could tear down cities if you needed, just to save each other."

Kirabi said nothing again. He imagined that if he was anyone else in the world, this conversation would be tainted by hero worship or being starstruck. Yoshimitsu must have never been given a chance to talk about his history, or stop long enough to speak to someone at length about himself. Anyone else might have said Kirabi was special, or priviledged. Kirabi just felt human. Yoshimitsu spoke his mind, and it was a refreshing change of pace, but it was clear his focus was on bigger things.

"I guess it's getting late, huh," Yoshimitsu commented. Kirabi checked his phone to see the hour, approaching two in the morning. "Alright, I'll let you get some sleep. We can grab breakfast with those girls in the morning."

"Okay, Yoshi-kun," Kirabi replied.

 

[Linkachu]

Kate smiled when she noticed Rein and the young man named Sem walking towards their little group. Sem, who appeared to be quite friendly and polite, introduced himself and held his hand out in greeting. Unlike its trainer however, Sem's Sableye grinned at Kate in a somewhat unnerving manner. Typical Ghost-type she thought. They all seemed to be out to get her.

"Hi Sem. Nice to finally meet you," Kate replied and shook his hand, then glanced at the Sableye, “and you, Sableye.” After a moment’s pause to study the creature, Kate pushed the Pokemon’s mischievous gaze from mind and looked back to Sem. “My name’s Kate, and this is Ceilidh."

Ceilidh responded by shaking Sem’s hand as well. “Hey Sem. I'm glad we had the opportunity to properly meet. I just finished asking these two if they‘d like to join us here tomorrow for breakfast,” she said and jerked her head towards Yoshimitsu and Kirabi. “You’re welcome to join Kate and I as well if you like.”

Kate nodded and turned to Rein. “You’re of course more than welcome, Rein, and feel free to bunk with us tonight if you don‘t already have somewhere else to sleep. We were just going to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to bed, but come find us if you need anything.” She had a feeling that Rein would opt to stick with Sem tonight but it wouldn’t have felt right not giving him the option.

“Shall we then?” Ceilidh asked, gesturing towards the cafeteria wing.

“Yeah, we should get going. But first…” Kate held out the black and red Pokemon Egg to Ceilidh. “Take it before I decide to keep it.”

“Hah. You wouldn’t dare!” Ceilidh retorted, snatching the egg out of Kate’s hands. “I know where you sleep,” she added, a sly smile upon her face. “And so does Whicker.”

Kate cringed at the words. “Don’t remind me.”

With a wave to the group of boys, the young women took their leave. Kate was hopeful for a hot meal but, judging by the time, she’d take whatever she could get.

 

[Chadwyck]

"Thanks for the offer, Kate, but if Sem doesn't mind I'll just bunk with him." Rein smiled, hoping that he wasn't offending Kate and Ceilidh or imposing on Sem; not that it mattered, he intended to go straight to bed now, anyway.

"Sem, I'll just head to the room now, it's been a long day and I'm pretty beat. Come on, Lunara," Rein patted the Umbreon on the head and walked off toward the rooms; where he would quickly change and fall asleep, after the day he'd had, that's all he wanted to do.

He sprawled out on one of the beds and Lunara curled up beside him, as she always did when it was time for bed. She hated to leave his side, and Rein preferred her to stay close as well; it was a habit that had formed when they were on the run from Team Rocket, and it had stuck ever since.

It was hard to believe that for five years he had been searching the world for his sister, and for five years he had yet to find her. He did nothing but chase rumors, and get himself caught up in other peoples' problems. All for the sake of finding Alice and being a family again.

Every time he could feel her getting closer, and he felt she was within his reach, she would drift away again, further into the darkness.

And now this, whatever it was. The Puzzle Master stealing from the Professor of this region, the fire at the blimp, it all seemed so pointless. What did this maniac hope to accomplish? Rein laughed at himself for asking such a stupid question: he'd dealt with maniacs before, all they care about is destruction.

If he was smart he would have walked away and focused on finding his sister, but for whatever reason he let himself get involved in this trouble. He liked Kate and Ceilidh, and he couldn't let Sem go alone. He had trouble making friends, and his new friends needed him. "That's why I let myself get sucked into this. I'll protect my friends, I'm not as weak as I was back then." He whispered to himself, and then, he drifted to sleep.

OoC: Wasn't entirely sure what to do with Rein, so I just sent him off to bed.

 

[Sem]

And just like that Sem was all alone in the lobby of the Pokémon Center.

Sableye cackled.

"Well, that was a nice reunion," Sem said, looking around. He wondered how Rein even knew which room was Sem's, or how he was even going to get inside of it. Oh well.

With a sigh Sem walked out of the center. He had hoping that someone would have joined him for some dinner. He could have gone with Ceilidh and Kate to the cafeteria, but Sem wasn't in the mood for Pokémon Center food.

Walking out of the center, Sem decided to go to the north part of town, walking for about ten minutes. The smell of coffee coming out of a cafe drew him in. He had had restaurant in mind but the cafe would do just fine - it was already late anyway. The cafe was also part of a fairly large and popular chain, and so Sem knew exactly what he would get.

It was fairly empty, with only a couple in a corner and a young man hunched over a laptop in another. Sem walked directly up to the barista.

"How can I help you?" they asked as pleasantly as they could while looking at the Sableye on Sem's shoulder. They very much look like they wanted to say something about him but decided against it.

"Could I get a cup of the black apricorn blend with a bit of Kelpsy powder? And I'll take this as well," Sem added, grabbing one of the sandwiches that the cafe had in the cooler.

"Is that all?" the person asked.

"Yes," Sem answered, pulling out a wallet and producing a translucent card that had a magnetic strip on it along with a picture of Sem. He handed the card to the barista, who swiped it and handed it back.

"I'll get that ready for you," they smiled.

"Thank you," Sem said as he stepped back, his mind wandering again amongst the events of that day as he held onto his sandwich. He would need to try to get a hold of his parents one more time tonight.

"Here you go," said the barista.

"Thank you," Sem said again as he took the cup of coffee. He took the table by the window and sat down, taking a sip of his coffee before getting into the sandwich. As he took a bite he pulled out his phone and set it onto the table and checked it. He noticed that he had received an email.

Sem opened it as he took another bite.

Hey, Sem - sorry we missed your call. We're still here in Nuvema but we'll be moving on tomorrow.

Anyway, we did some research this evening and got a hold of an old contact of ours. We asked him if he had anything on this "Puzzle Master" guy and we got this from him.

Apparently he's a genius, for starters. Team Rocket recruited him as a scientist when he was only fourteen. He was with the Rockets for about six years but he never had much of a successful career. He was too destructive and disregarded the lives of others, human and Pokémon. Team Rocket tried to focus his genius and potential but they weren't able to do so due to his destructive nature.

He quit about five years ago. We don't have a name, but he did go by Puzzle Master back then. Always wore a mask as well. Might not even be the same fellow we're dealing with today but he seems to fit the bill perfectly. Not many people go by the title of "Puzzle Master" and wear masks.

That's all we have for now. We'll keep in touch. Stay safe.

Huh. Sem took another bite of sandwich and closed the email. So they were dealing with on of Team Rocket's monsters. The organization had a habit of creating things like that...

Sem's mind flashed back to a couple years ago, to a facility in the icy north, to an artificial creature who wanted so much to be God. Dark Pokémon. Warped and twisted versions of the creatures they used to be. Dark Pokémon were only one such example of Team Rocket's villainy - who knows what Sem's parents would be like if they hadn't left when they did.

Sem finished his sandwich and reclined back into his chair, gazing out the window as he drank his coffee. Things were about to get much more difficult if they were dealing with a man with that kind of résumé.

Sem finished the rest of his coffee on the way back to the center, throwing away the empty cup into one of the bins as he entered.

Rein, who had indeed mysterious found his way into Sem's room, was in deep sleep already. Lunara's rings were all aglow as she lay curled against her trainer - her red eyes pierced through the darkness at Sem, but only for a moment. With an easy sigh she closed her eyes and the bright yellow bio-luminescence faded away.

Sem smirked for a moment, watching the two. Sem stayed awake for a bit longer still, unwinding and getting ready for bed before finally going to sleep himself.

 

[Linkachu]

Kate finished the final bite of her meal and sighed with satisfaction. “Ahh, that was great. It may have been a bit cold but it definitely hit the spot,” she said. The single chef on duty, who had since left for the night, had been in the process of cleaning up when the girls had arrived in the cafeteria. Since he’d been intending to throw away the leftover hot foods anyways he gave them both a heaping helping of spaghetti and garlic bread.

“Luck was on our side. A few minutes later and we may not have gotten anything,” said Ceilidh as she rummaged through her backpack. She tended to be a much quicker eater than her friend and was usually left with time to kill between meals. This time she was spending her wait by counting her Pokemon supplies, which she placed on the tabletop as she went. “5 Hyper Potions, 3 Revives, only two Super Repels… Ahh, I still have 3 Full Heals too. What else..?”

“If you need anything you won’t need to go far. I noticed on the way in that this Pokemon Centre has its own Poke Mart section. Pretty smart idea, eh?”

Ceilidh muttered something under her breath that Kate couldn’t make out but it was most likely related to her counting. After a moment she finally replied, “It’s a very smart idea. According to a woman I spoke with in Nuvema Town, all Poke Marts are part of the Pokemon Centre’s in Unova. Why the businesses back home hadn’t thought to do the same ages ago boggles my mind.”

“Aye. It’ll definitely save us some walking.”

“Mmm,” Ceilidh replied, her attention focused once again on the contents of her backpack.

Kate took this opportunity to remove her tray from the table and place it atop the nearest garbage disposal unit, but as she turned back towards the table she stopped dead and stared. The various items Ceilidh had taken out were now… dancing in the air. They spun round and round, loop de looped, and even formed shapes and images: a happy face, a sad face, and one that looked downright demented. Kate found herself at a loss for words. “Uhh…” was all she managed to get out.

A sharp “Ahem!” from Ceilidh stole Kate’s attention. The redhead appeared unimpressed by the randomly floating items, nosily tapping a single finger against the tabletop, and as if containing a consciousness of their own the items complied. They twirled and danced their way down through the air to land gently upon the table, precisely in the same positions they had previously sat. “Thank you,” was all Ceilidh said. Without another word she gathered the items together and began placing them back into her backpack.

“Um, Ceilidh… What am I missing?” Kate asked and laughed nervously. Suddenly something cool caressed the back of her neck and sent a chill down her spine. “Gah!” she cried.

“Geeheeheehee!” came a ghoulish laughter, and in the blink of an eye the devious Haunter appeared hovering in the air inches from Kate’s face.

“Augh!” Kate cried again, stumbling backwards so hastily that she lost her balance. The Haunter's bodiless hands quickly grabbed her wrists and held the girl in place, just long enough for Kate to regain her composure. “Thanks, Whicker, but dammit, Whicker! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“She likely is, you know,” Ceilidh piped up. “You’d be better company to her as a ghost.”

“Thanks, Ceilidh. Give the ghost more crazy ideas. I‘ll just never sleep again.”

Ceilidh smirked as she finally zipped her backpack shut and slipped off her chair. Shouldering the pack, she bent down to pick up her Pokemon egg. It had been resting peacefully on the chair beside hers. “Bedtime then?”

Kate eyed Whicker, who was silently floating in circles above her head. “You’re not going to return her yet, are you?” The Haunter giggled softly at the mention.

“Why bother? It’s more amusing this way.”

Kate shook her head and walked back towards their table. “Demons,” she muttered as she retrieved her own backpack. “I’m surrounded by demons.”


The Pokemon Centre nurse, who now looked deeply tired, was still sitting in a chair behind her counter when Kate and Ceilidh returned to the lobby. Kate held suspicions that the nurse had stayed awake purposely until the two of them had finished eating but chose not to ask as she collected a room key. It wasn’t long after that her and Ceilidh were comfortably settled into their room.

Ceilidh had taken one of the pillows off her bed and placed it on the couch to create a soft “nest” for her egg. On either side of the pillow sat the girls’ two backpacks for extra support. Once content with the arrangement, Ceilidh had headed into the bathroom to prepare for the night. Kate had simply changed out of her clothes into a different t-shirt and a pair of shorts before climbing into her bed, a single Poke Ball in hand. As for Whicker, the ghost had vanished again sometime between the cafeteria and the lobby but was most likely still close by. Unless there was a good reason for doing so the Haunter rarely ventured too far from Ceilidh when the young woman was sleeping.

Kate sat against her pillows with the covers pulled up over her legs and gazed lovingly at the Poke Ball in her hand. The day had been so busy that she hadn’t had anytime to spend with her best friend, but even if it was quite late there was no reason why she couldn’t rectify this now. She held the Poke Ball forward and tapped its center button. The sphere clicked opened with a burst of bright energy and within seconds the occupant had materialized atop the bed sheets.

A medium-sized saurian creature stood on four legs and stared back at the girl with ruby red eyes. Its body was a turquoise-ish color and speckled with darker green spots. Upon its back were four broad green leaves and a rather large, beautiful pinkish bulb. The bulb gave off a sweet smelling scent so soothing that Kate could have fallen asleep right then without a care in the world. She likely would have, too, if not for the bathroom door creaking open again and Ceilidh returning to the room.

Ceilidh, now dressed in silky purple pyjamas, smiled at the Ivysaur as she walked past with neatly folded laundry in her hands. “Hey, Elysian. Did your lazy trainer finally let you out or did you get tired of being ignored and break out yourself?”

Elysian “laughed” and extended a vine from beneath his bulb to wave at Ceilidh. While he couldn’t speak in human tongues the Ivysaur was quite familiar with human social gestures and enjoyed using his vines to emulate them. It was hard to believe sometimes that Elysian was only a year and 9 months old.

“Oh shush, Ceilidh,” said Kate. She was well aware that the girl was teasing but couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty. It would’ve been nice for Elysian to have met Lunara, Sem’s Sableye, and Kirabi’s three Pokemon, but the thought hadn't occurred to Kate at the time. “It’s not my fault the day took a turn for the crazy. All I’d wanted to do today was relax with Elysian and everyone else.”

“That’s all you ever want to do, Kate,” Ceilidh replied. She stopped by the couch and unzipped her backpack, placing her used clothing inside and removing a clean t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and large red apple before zipping it back up. “I bet you haven’t even fed Elysian yet, have you?” Without warning she flung the apple over her shoulder towards Kate‘s bed. Elysian wasted no time firing out his vine whip to catch the fruit in mid-flight.

“Nice one,” Kate laughed.

The Ivysaur growled triumphantly, retracting the vine and taking a bite out of the apple. He proceeded to extend a second whip and wrap it around the fruit for better grip, then continued munching happily away at the meal.

Ceilidh walked across the room and paused by the light switch. “It’s late, so we better sleep now or we’ll never wake up in time for breakfast.”

“I’d rather not be going to sleep after eating such a heavy meal, but you’re right on that one,” Kate replied, tucking Elysian’s PokeBall underneath the side of her pillow. “Ready when you are.”

Ceilidh hit the switch and the room went black save for the lights of the street lamps peaking through the window blinds. Kate tried very hard not to displace Elysian as she stretched out in the bed and lay her head against her pillow. Since evolving Elysian wasn’t quite as compact as he’d once been, but it wouldn’t have felt right making him sleep elsewhere.

“Good night, Kate. Good night, Elysian,” Ceilidh said through the darkness.

Elysian’s munching ceased just long enough for him to give a soft growl in return.

“Good night you guys,” Kate replied, gazing at the dark ceiling a moment. She narrowed her eyes and added reluctantly, “If you’re there, that includes you too, Whicker.” Kate was sure she heard Ceilidh giggle.

With the sound of Elysian’s quiet eating and the sweet scent of his flower bulb filling the room, the young women shut their eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

It was about four in the morning when Yoshimitsu pulled himself out of bed. Early starts and late nights were nothing new to him, and hadn't been for a very long time. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd slept for more than a couple of hours at night. Luckily, he only needed to be awake briefly this time, even though he'd probably stay awake anyway. He slipped his leather jacket on, black with white fur lining and cuffs, and picked his phone and cigarettes up from the bed side table. As quietly as he could, still barefoot, he slipped out of the room and wandered out of the Pokemon Centre. Once outside, he lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. A few minutes later, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Right on time. He took it from its pocket and answered it.

"Hey, any news?" He asked, stubbing out the remains of his cigarette and throwing it in a bin.

"Nothing new, not really," the male voice on the other end of the line replied. "It's pretty much the same as what you figured back in Sinnoh. I'm surprised he didn't recognise you."

"I was pretty careful not to ever let him see my face, Gardevoir kept on putting up illusions and stuff for me. I got a bit sloppy this time, I guess," Yoshimitsu explained. "So it's the same guy? The psycho from Team Rocket?"

"Looks that way. No one has any idea where he's been since he quit or what he's been up to, but if he managed to get that many people under him, we could be looking at another Rocket attack," the voice reasoned. "This is the first time anyone's seen him in years. I dunno why he chose today of all days to show himself."

"Best I can figure is that he's actually putting some vague evil scheme into motion," Yoshimitsu suggested. He leaned against the wall, shoving his spare hand into his pocket. "He didn't appear much in Sinnoh though. Once at the TV station, trying to nick Gardenia's Pokemon, and once at Snowpoint, wondering about the statue there. I'm starting to think those were just smokescreens. Those attacks were pretty messy, not thought out at all. This one was something else entirely. We had no chance of stopping him."

"He managed to distract you pretty well. I think he knows more about trainers than he's letting on. No one with strong Pokemon would've ignored the blimp, that's for certain," the guy agreed. Yoshimitsu could practically hear the nod in his voice. "I dunno, I'll carry on digging around and see what I can find. By the way..."

"I told you last time, if you want a rematch, go get some more badges," Yoshimitsu replied, rubbing his temples. "I don't do friendly matches very often any more, and especially not in the middle of a crisis. If you can get another six badges, I'll battle you again."

"Alright man, but don't expect me to lose this time."

"Whatever you say, Leon. Catch you later," Yoshimitsu said before ending the call.

So it was pretty much exactly what he had predicted. The Puzzle Master was back, and this time he was a damn sight more organised than he had been before. Yoshimitsu had an annoying feeling that he was right about the Sinnoh attacks. The assault on the TV station had been very Team Rocket, and the guy was a genius. There was no way he had expected to win. Had his motive been something else entirely? Was it to lull them into a false sense of security? The guy was dangerous, that was certain. If Yoshimitsu and everyone hadn't been near the blimp at the time, the casualty rate could have been extremely high. A man, a genius with no morals and no care for another's life... Yoshimitsu supressed a shiver. People like that worried him.

He lit another cigarette and looked up at the sky.

~*~*~

Kirabi woke as the sun broke through a gap in the curtains, hitting him full in the face. He groaned and pulled himself into a sitting position, stretching then rubbing his eyes. As he moved, his Pokemon stirred. Marill rolled over to her feet and yawned, Lillipup stretching his legs and hopping off the bed. Only Meditite seemed unfazed by waking up, but that was probably because he had been meditating all night instead. He glanced over to the other bed to find that Yoshimitsu had already gotten up. His suitcase was still there, though, so he couldn't have gotten far. As if on cue, the blue haired boy walked into the room holding two cups.

"Coffee?" He offered the cup to Kirabi, who took it gratefully.

"Thank you, Yoshimitsu-kun," he said, sipping the drink.

He placed the cup on his bedside table and carefully extracted himself from the bed, Marill hopping to his shoulder as he did so. There was an en-suite in the room thankfully, so he could check how he looked before going out in public. His hair seemed to have survived the night, and he looked otherwise similar to yesterday. He quickly brushed his teeth using the new toothbrush and toothpaste supplied, then returned to the bedroom to find Yoshimitsu rummaging through his suitcase again.

"I noticed you didn't bring any luggage, so I figured you might want a change of clothes," the blue haired boy commented, throwing a pair of jeans, boxers and t-shirt on to Kirabi's bed. Kirabi nodded gratefully, and looked at the clothes. Some skinny-fit jeans and a light blue t-shirt. He swapped into them, taking a moment to look at the overall aesthetic. Quite casual, good for every day wear. By the time he turned around again, Yoshimitsu had already changed into a black t-shirt and some cargo pants. "They look good on you," Yoshimitsu added, glancing at the taller boy. "Guess I'll just send this over to the next Pokemon Center. Gonna grab some breakfast too, wanna come?"

Kirabi nodded, smiling, and followed Yoshimitsu out of the room and down the hallway to the main desk of the Center. The blue haired boy lifted his suitcase on to the counter with ease and asked for the case to be transferred on. He turned around and lead the way to the cafeteria area, which was surprisingly quiet at this time. Yoshimitsu picked out bacon, sausages and toast for his meal, while Kirabi opted for some cereal and a glass of orange juice. After paying, they made their way to a table to the side of the cafeteria.

"Wonder if those girls from last night'll show up," Yoshimitsu commented. "That Kaylee seems like an interesting trainer. Wonder if she'll ever get to battle me."

"Get to?" Kirabi asked, slightly confused.

"Oh, I try not to battle people much any more," the blue haired boy explained. "I usually end up in these sort of criminal things whenever I set foot in a region, and stopping to battle every other trainer really slows down the process. As a rule of thumb, I don't battle anyone without any badges in the region I'm in. If Kaylee gets about five or six badges, I'll give her a battle."

"Does that not annoy people?" Kirabi asked, curious. He sipped his orange juice as Yoshimitsu laughed.

"Yeah, it drives people insane. I've got a friend, met him when I was back in Johto, he'd just gotten his seventh badge when he challenged me to a battle," Yoshimitsu replied with a grin. "He wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but he was still a pretty new trainer. He's been hounding me for a rematch ever since, but I haven't been back to Johto recently. Peppy though, that guy."

"I imagine you'd have to be to keep up with you, Yoshi-kun," Kirabi responded with another smile.

 

[Chadwyck]

Rein's eyes opened and he reluctantly allowed the waking world to welcome him. The room was still dark, he turned to the bedside table to see the unflattering digital clock glaring a red "7:30" back into his face. It hadn't been a particularly restful night's sleep, but that was nothing new; it'd been a long time since Rein had slept without a nightmare or two attacking his unconscious mind. They usually involved his sister.

He rolled back over on his back and noticed Lunara's yellow rings glowing faintly in the darkness, along with her red eyes watching him. To most people, it'd probably be a frightening sight, but Rein had never been unsettled by his companion's stare; she only ever protected him, and seeing her beside him brought him comfort.

"Didn't mean to wake you, Lunara," he whispered, mindful of Sem sleeping in the other bed. Without speaking again, afraid of waking Sem up, he got up and left the room, still in his pajamas. It wasn't necessary to change into his clothes for the day, he was just going down to the Center's cafeteria; skipping dinner last night had left him with a pretty large appetite. Especially considering he usually skipped breakfast.

Lunara followed along behind him silently, she still looked tired, but she was as used to interrupted sleep as Rein was; she would almost always wake up whenever Rein did, with the few exceptions being that she was injured or he was with someone she trusted to protect him.

As the duo approached the cafeteria, they could already smell the food. Rein's stomach growled, indicating that it was well past being ready for food and into the stages of demanding to be fed. It was also a good indicator of just how hungry Rein was feeling; his stomach seldom growled.

The young man walked into the cafeteria and immediately noticed two boys from the day before, which wasn't hard considering there was hardly a soul to be seen other than them. He'd been so caught up in meeting Kate and Ceilidh and seeing Sem again, he'd hardly said anything to the other two boys he'd seen.

He went through the line and grabbed his plate: bacon, sausage, some pancakes and a glass of orange juice.

"Hey, I didn't really get to introduce myself yesterday. My name is Rein Vanguarde," he said, still too tired to catch himself from giving away his last name. Hopefully neither of them had been in Kanto when his parents had been arrested and tried for illegal experiments on Pokemon and several other crimes that meant they'd be locked away for a long, long time. "Anyway, I was wondering if I could join you for breakfast..." He smiled hopefully as Lunara tilted her head, eying the young men carefully.

 

[Sem]

Sem opened his eyes as he felt his phone vibrate. He picked it up and shut off the alarm. It was eight in the morning and the room was fairly bright already.

Rein and Lunara were no longer there, probably having just left.

"Kill me..." he muttered to himself, sitting on the edge of the bed and trying to the muster enough energy to get up. After a moment he did so and went to shower. He got out after a while, polished for the day ahead and dressed in new clothes. Slim-straight jeans, black tennis shoes, and a purple t-shirt worn under a casual, hooded waistcoat.

He slung his messenger back over his shoulders and exited the room. Sableye crawled onto his trainer's shoulder as Sem closed the door. He passed by the front reception desk and continued to the cafeteria where he was sure everyone would be meeting. Sem really wanted to have some nice pancakes at a breakfast cafe somewhere but he figured he'd better stay in the center.

Sem noticed Yoshimitsu, Kirabi, and Rein as he entered. He quickly grabbed a tray of food and wandered over to the table the three were sitting at.

"Morning," Sem said, sitting down. He never said good morning. Mornings were never good.

-------

Toby and Valencia walked together as they boarded a fairy that would take them to Castelia. They were still planning to visit the grave of Valencia's friend - nothing was going to put that on hold.

They still wanted to get more information on the Puzzle Master character. Information they had gleaned had already been passed onto police, who were well aware of the situation already thanks to the events of the day before. No doubt the International Police had already become involved, or they have perhaps been involved for quite a while now, tailing the mysterious man.

Things were about to pan out, either way. The Aquaises just hoped that everyone would stay safe. They were tempted to tell Fida, but they knew she would come as soon as she could. Better not to worry her or anyone else.

 

[Linkachu]

"Kate? Kate, are you awake yet? ... Okay, I saw that smile. Get up. Everyone is already in the cafeteria eating, and I'm more than happy to leave you behind if necessary."

Kate's eyes opened to find a disgruntled looking Ceilidh staring down at her. Her smile shifted to a smirk. "How long have you been awake?" Kate asked, noting that her friend was already changed out of her pajamas.

"Long enough," said Ceilidh. "Whicker has been keeping me updated on the situation. Apparently even Sem, the last to wake, has now joined the others. I'll give you five minutes to get ready, then I'm leaving whether you're with me or not."

"Heh, I guess Whicker is good for something, eh, Elysian?" Kate nodded at the Ivysaur, who was still lying at the end of her bed. His expression did not seem amused. "Oh, c'mon now. You know I'm joking. Whicker is a very... lovely Haunter, one whom I hope is currently resting comfortably inside her PokeBall."

Ceilidh held up a single PokeBall. "I debated having Whicker herself wake you up, but I decided to give you a break. And yes, she's back inside her PokeBall," she said, her lips curling into a devilish grin, "for now."

Kate mock-shivered at the words as she climbed off the bed. "You're a monster, Ceilidh Wild. And you know all I need to get ready is two minutes."

The young woman wasn't exaggerating. In no less than two minutes she had pulled clean clothes out of her backpack (another pair of jeans and black t-shirt with a red and white PokeBall design in the center), changed, and given her teeth and hair a quick brushing. Kate shouldered her backpack with an obnoxious smile and motioned for Elysian to join her. "Ready when you are, Cei-lidh," she said, but with a special emphasis on the other girl's name.

Ceilidh rolled her eyes but didn't give Kate the pleasure of a response. With her Pokemon Egg now tucked comfortably under her left arm, she led the group out of the bedroom and down the stairs towards the cafeteria wing. It didn't take long to spot Rein and the others.

Kate giggled quietly at Ceilidh, who was staring straight at Yoshimitsu, and nudged the girl with her elbow. "Why don't you get your food first? You'll have plenty of time to ogle at Yoshimitsu after."

To her utter horror Ceilidh could feel her face flushing red, but before she could react Kate was already halfway across the room. There would be sweet revenge for this one, oh yes, but not while the others were watching. She hid her face and walked quickly to join Kate in the lineup for breakfast, giving the girl a hard jab in the back. Kate let out an "oomf!" but continued laughing.

Moments later the young women and Ivysaur joined the four young men at their table. Ceilidh greeted everyone, though consciously avoided Yoshimitsu's gaze, and slipped into a spare seat. Kate however chose to continue standing. "Good morning, guys! I wanted to introduce you all to Elysian, my first Pokemon and best buddy. Say hi, Elysian!"

"Ivy!" Elysian said with a bright smile, extending one of his vines to wave at the group. He was happy to see that other Pokemon were present as well and wasted no time engaging Lunara in conversation, whether she wanted to chat or not. That was just how Elysian was.

Kate smiled at two Pokemon and finally took a seat. She noticed that the others had already started eating and proceeded to cheerfully dig into her meal without another word.

Ceilidh sighed at Kate's tactless behaviour, looking to the various individuals seated around the table and taking the conversation into her own hands. "Thanks again for joining us, or should I say letting us join all of you." She paused a moment to take a drink of her orange juice. "So, where do you all plan to go from here?"

 

[Yoshimitsu]

Yoshimitsu lay down his knife and fork on his plate again before replying to Kaylee. He had been watching the others' pokemon as he ate, smiling slightly at how readily they all accepted each other and even shared each other's food experimentally, as if comparing their favourites and recommending them to each other. He also noted the careful way Kaylee had been avoiding looking at him, suppressing a grin with great difficulty. It wasn't the first time he'd had a fan who'd developed a crush on him, and he was pretty sure it wouldn't be the last either. Good job he was planning on disappearing quickly, otherwise there might be awkwardness all around.

"I'm probably gonna jet off soon, I've got a few people I need to meet up with to check some facts with. This Puzzle Master guy's got me interested, and alarmed," he explained casually. "There's a lot going on in the shadows right now, so I'm gonna do a bit of sleuthing and see if I can't dig something up. Pretty obvious, but I'm sure you guys can tell I'm not the kind to sit back and relax while I can stop something potentially dangerous."

"Will you be okay on your own, Yoshi-kun?" Kirabi asked lightly as he gathered up the dishes from his and Yoshimitsu's meals.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me, I can take care of myself," Yoshimitsu said, smiling a winning smile. "I wont really be alone anyway, I've got a few people I'm meeting up with along the way and I'll be bobbing back to you guys every now and then too."

He watched as Kirabi nodded in response, then took the dirty dishes over to the counter where they had paid. There was something in his stance today, something had shifted. It was stronger, more confident, less unsure. The taller boy smiled as he picked Marill up and put her on his shoulder again. He vaguely announced he'd be back in a moment to the rest of the group, then stood up and approached his new friend.

"Hey Kirabi, what do you reckon you're gonna do now?" He asked, leaning against the counter and nearly knocking over a stand of bread.

"I hadn't decided yet. I need some clothes, so I think that'll be my first priority. After that, I suppose I'll head to a pokemon gym," Kirabi responded, turning so that he could lean on the counter too. Yoshimitsu looked at the boy's posture a little more closely. There was still an element of guard there, he could tell by the way Kirabi's shoulders were pulled in very slightly and how tightly he held his elbows to his body. "I'd like to see if me and my pokemon can really get stronger."

"I know you can," Yoshimitsu said supportively, placing his hand on Kirabi's shoulder. "Just remember, your pokemon are your friends and they'll support you as long as you'll support them. Anyway, I just need to grab Kaylee before I jet off. I'll see you soon, alright? And remember you can ring me at any time."

"I know, thank you, Yoshi-kun," Kirabi replied with a smile. Yoshimitsu hugged the taller boy, then turned around again.

Everyone had finished eating at this point, and already were making their own plans. He saw Kaylee out of the corner of his eye, and strode confidently over to her. Suppressing another grin at how Kaylee visibly reacted to his approach, he extended his hand to her.

"It was nice meeting you, Kaylee," he said warmly. "I'm looking forward to battling you when things calm down around here a bit. I was hoping I could ask you a huge favour though. Kirabi's a bit out of his depth here. I don't really think he knows the first thing about being a trainer like you or me, so could you keep an eye on him for me please? Actually," he paused to pull a scrap of paper and a pen out of his pockets. He scribbled something down then handed it to Kaylee. "Here's my number, call me if anything comes up? Thanks."

 

[Sem]

"Before you go," Sem piped up, not wanting Yoshimitsu to leave before Sem shared what he knew. "My parents have been doing some sleuthing of their own on this Puzzle Master guy - here's what they've learned so far."

"The Puzzle Master is apparently a genius, and he was recruited as a scientist by Team Rocket when he was fourteen. He was apparently too amoral and destructive even for Team Rocket's tastes - they couldn't focus any of his talent. Back then he also went by Puzzle Master. He left around the time he turned twenty, and that was five years ago," Sem concluded. "It's not much, but any little bit counts."

That was all Sem really wanted to say. He wasn't sure what his plans were going to be now, but he imagined he would stick around with Rein and hopefully the girls and Kirabi as well. Sem also really wanted to capture a certain Pokemon to add to his team, and he knew where to find it.

 

[Chadwyck]

OoC: Sorry this took so long, guys, I've been sorta dead to the internet for a while now, but I should be making a full return within the next few weeks, in the meantime, I'll be quasi-active.

BiC:

Rein watched the different conversations unfold without really getting involved in any himself. As far as he was concerned, he'd end up sticking with Sem, so his addition to whatever Sem planned to do was pointless. He watched as Kirabi and Yoshimitsu carried their dishes back to the counter and exchanged a few words, then Yoshimitsu joined the group again momentarily to share some words with Ceilidh, and Rein found himself hoping that he wouldn't invite her along. In the short time he had known Ceilidh and Kate, he had come to really enjoy their company and, despite his reservations, trust them.

So, he was relieved to see Yoshimitsu was still planning on heading out alone, though Rein also couldn't help but want him to stay as well; he wanted to find out as much about this Puzzle Master as possible too, and he felt that having Yoshimitsu around would help in the search. It wasn't until Sem piped up that Rein was pulled from his own thoughts and back into the present.

The Puzzle Master had once been a member of Team Rocket, but he was too destructive for even those monsters? Rein's mind flashed with images, the Vermillion Pokemon Center's front wall exploding, people screaming, and a man watching it unfold with a smile on his face. If people like that weren't able to make use of the Puzzle Master, just how monstrous was he? Rein shuddered at the thought.

What Rein also found interesting was the fact that the Puzzle Master had left Team Rocket five years prior, which was the same time that he had made a mad dash for his life hoping to escape from the wicked organization. Richard had never mentioned any one like that, but then, Rein was never really in the know with Team Rocket.

With Sem's information relayed, Rein turned his attention instead to their next move. "So," he started, turning his attention to Sem, the girls and Kirabi, "well, with Yoshimitsu leaving to do some digging, what are the rest of us going to be doing? I wouldn't mind sticking together for a while longer, if you all don't mind."

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: Much apologies guys. I wasn't able to reply before the end of October as planned, but here is my reply, finally.

Also, I’m taking some creative liberties in this post. Many more apologies if it conflicts with any your guys’ canons, but I’ve been struggling to explain Aura within Pokemon’s context and (for the sake of not being horribly vague this entire PRP) finally just decided to touch on my own canon’s version of it. ;x

BIC:

Ceilidh appeared stunned as she took the piece of paper from Yoshimitsu. "Oh! Um. Thanks, yes, I will! I'm happy to assist Kirabi in any way necessary. Thank you for your number, Mister Yoshi-I mean, Yoshimitsu."

It was pure delight for Kate to watch her friend stumble over words, but her chuckling was stifled by Ceilidh's murderous glare and Sem cutting into the conversation. Everyone sat back down at the table to listen to him speak. (OOC: I figure this would’ve happened anyways, but slight autoing, sorry!)

Sem explained to the group what his parents had learned about the Puzzle Master. Apparently the Puzzle Master had been part of "Team Rocket", whatever that was. The name sounded strangely familiar, like something Kate may have heard on TV or seen mentioned in the newspaper, but that was the best she could recall. What really stood out to Kate was the young age of the Puzzle Master when he'd joined this Team Rocket as a scientist and his current age. According to Sem he was no more than 25 years old. That was barely older than her. What could've happened to make him so unhinged and dangerous?

Suddenly Kate felt a numbing sensation wash over her. She raised an eyebrow at the odd feeling but remained silent, visibly showing as little reaction as possible. There had been a sharp change in the equilibrium of energies surrounding the table, but why? Was it related to something Sem had said? His news certainly hadn’t been the most pleasant, especially after what happened yesterday, but surely ill news alone wouldn’t be enough to elicit such a powerful shift in another’s aura.

Aura. Just a year and a half ago Kate had known nothing of the word. Now thanks to her older sister's guidance she couldn't ignore the existence of it even if she tried. Sensing aura, a typically invisible and intangible energy emitted by every living thing (sometimes even described as the essence of all life), had become as natural to her as a sense of smell or sight. True masters of Aura could even see and physically manipulate this spiritual energy, but Kate could only sense it. Still, she was very satisfied in how far she’d come and at times like this it was quite easy to feel the changes in an aura’s flow. Like ripples in a once still pool of water, the young woman had learned that a connection existed between a creature's emotions and the flow of their aura. The stronger a person's emotions were, the more wild the energy became.

Yesterday Kate had felt an erratic shift in Rein’s aura and just now she’d briefly felt it again. As she stared curiously at the younger boy however, something seemed off. A very distinctive wave was still attacking her senses and it didn't appear to be coming from Rein, but with so many people within close proximity it was difficult to pinpoint exactly who the source was. Kate concentrated harder on the disturbance, gazing from each member of their group until her eyes came to a rest upon... Ceilidh?

To those sitting around the table Ceilidh's facial expression and body language likely appeared relaxed, certainly no different than her usual demeanor, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Now that Kate’s mind had locked onto the energy flow there was no questioning who this disturbing aura belonged to. Was this really Ceilidh? The same serious-face Ceilidh that she knew? In all the time she'd known the girl, even during their craziest experiences, Kate had never felt anything like this from her before. Was this feeling terror, or pure rage?

Kate debated whether to nudge Ceilidh but thought it best not to. If she made a direct connection with Ceilidh at a time like this Kate would be hit with the full force of Ceilidh's aura - not exactly an easy reaction to hide from a table of onlookers. Besides, Ceilidh would likely be furious at her for doing so. This feeling was too worrisome to ignore entirely though, so finally Kate asked, “Hey, Ceilidh…?”

Ceilidh jerked in her seat and sat up straighter, pressing her hand against her forehead momentarily and heaving a sigh. Much to Kate’s relief she could feel the girl's energies calming, but when Ceilidh finally turned to look at her she asked simply, “Yes?” Her tone was even but there was a distinct, almost hostile look in Ceilidh’s eyes: “Don’t pry”.

“Err, nothing. Forget I asked,” Kate replied, but she couldn’t wipe the concerned look off her face. Ceilidh turned away and began talking to Rein instead, which more or less confirmed Kate’s suspicions. Whatever had just happened, Ceilidh had no intention of discussing it.

“I have to replenish my supplies a bit before heading out but other than that I agree, it’d be nice traveling together for now,” Ceilidh said to Rein. She turned to the rest of the group to add, “I’d also like to keep in close contact with you all regarding your investigations of the Puzzle Master, if you don’t mind. What do you think, Kate?”

The causal words caught Kate off guard. “Um, yes, of course! I think it’d be fun to travel together. The more the merrier I always say!” She smiled. It was a forced smile but not a dishonest one. She truly did want to travel with the others for a bit longer, but that meant fewer chances to catch Ceilidh alone. Oh well. There was nothing to be done about it anyways.

“What about you, Kirabi?” Ceilidh asked next. “Did you have any specific plans, or would you like to join us as well? It would be nice getting to know you and your Pokemon better before parting ways.”

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: I don't usually do this, but what the hey~

I'm wondering if we should officially classify this topic as being incomplete/dead. I'm interested in working with my two characters in future fics and, for my uses, it'd be easier to do so if I knew whether there was the chance that this RP may continue or not. I really enjoyed RPing with you all and if we choose to end this here then hopefully someday we can all RP together again, maybe even in a continuation of this RP.

If you guys would like to discuss this in more detail then it might be worth creating a discussion topic for it, otherwise we can probably just reply here. Thanks guys!

 

[Yoshimitsu]

OOC - It's probably my fault actually - uni work and real life have been getting in the way of giving this RP the attention it deserves. I have half of a post written up but haven't found the time to sit down and finish writing it yet. I'm happy to allocate some time (probably this weekend) to finish writing to continue the RP but it's up to you guys really.

 

[Sem]

I'm down with keeping it open, even if it is only replied to a few times a year... We'd finish eventually! Even if Katie passes away, we'll carry the torch!

 

[Chadwyck]

I would like to keep this RP open as well, I'm really enjoying rping with you all and having Rein meet new and interesting people is a huge bonus, especially since I was planning on this being Canon XD I agree with Sem, even if we post in it infrequently, at least it would keep going.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: I guess that settles it then. XD Thanks for replying, guys. ^^
And if any of you see worth in us creating a dedicated PRP discussion thread for this, I'm for it too!

 

[Yoshimitsu]

Yoshimitsu nodded as Sem spoke, digesting the information. Truth be told, it wasn't anything he hadn't heard before. He'd known the Puzzle Master was a former-Rocket, just as he knew both Sem and Rein in front of him had similar ties. He wasn't stupid, after all. Before waking Kirabi, he had run a quick background check through semi-legal means. Sem's parents and Rein himself were all former Rockets. Maybe wanted for questioning in a few places, but otherwise clean nowadays. He licked the roof of his mouth before replying.

"Thanks for the info, Sem," Yoshimitsu replied with a smile.

He looked around the group briefly until something locked his gaze in place. The faces had been mostly neutral, either having nothing useful to contribute or just wanting the conversation over, but one pair of eyes locked with his for a moment. Kaylee's eyes had flashed, her entire expression had, just for a second. The girl had been looking at Sem as he spoke, then her eyes darted to his. It wasn't even a gaze that held for a second but Yoshimitsu had spent a lot of time watching people, learning the subtle changes in a face that indicated emotions. Kaylee's had changed. Just for a second, but that was all it took for him to have noticed. It was a mingled expression, despair, regret and pure anger, all rolled into one.

"I really need to head off, though," he continued, not faultering for even a split second. "Hoping to make it to the next town within the hour, then move on. I'll catch you guys later."

Yoshimitsu walked past the group, stopping only to briefly squeeze Kaylee's shoulder. He didn't pause long enough to see if anyone had noticed or if she had been surprised. Instead, he wandered over to the front desk. While waiting, he picked a leaflet out at random and pretended to read it over. Something about pokemon safety and locking doors, he wasn't taking a single word long enough to decipher any meaning. Between Kirabi's naivety, Kaylee's sudden emotional flux and the Puzzle Master's overall scheme (of which he was still clueless to), he was a little distracted to say the least. All the more reason to pick up one more thing before setting off.

"Can I help?" The nurse asked pleasently, filing away a few papers as she glanced in Yoshimitsu's direction.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you could pull up my suitcase before it gets sent to the next town?" Yoshimitsu asked, flashing his winning smile. The nurse nodded and stepped throw the still-open door behind the counter. Yoshimitsu counted the seconds in his head before she returned. He didn't doubt that she'd be able to pick his suitcase out. There weren't that many people with shockingly bright blue hair running around Unova at the moment.

A hundred and thirty five seconds later, she was wheeling his fairly small case out. It was pretty light, full of essentials and that was about it. A couple of changes of clothes, but he fully anticipated roughing it up for a while. Almost business-like, Yoshimitsu unzipped the case and pulled something, concealed by a thick cloth, from the rest of the badly-organised items. It was roughly cylindrical and about the same length as one of his arms. He laid it on the counter, then zipped his case back up. With another smile, the nurse took the case.

Yoshimitsu took the object from the counter again and departed.

~*~*~

Kirabi watched Yoshimitsu leave and made a conscious effort not to feel disappointed. Instead, he focused on the rest of the group as he digested the information Sem had just passed on. He'd heard of Team Rocket, but nothing substantial. Big criminal organizations didn't come to Four Island. Still, based on the fact that this Puzzle Master, whoever he was, had been kicked out for being too destructive... Kirabi felt uneasy. If Yoshimitsu was tailing him, did that put him in danger?

Were the rest of the group? Was Kirabi in danger too?

“What about you, Kirabi?” Ceilidh's voice snapped him out of his stupor. “Did you have any specific plans, or would you like to join us as well? It would be nice getting to know you and your Pokemon better before parting ways.”

"I... hadn't thought that far ahead," Kirabi said, slightly embarassed. "I didn't make any particular plans, so I would be happy to join you. When shall we depart?"

Marill hopped on to his shoulder again and tugged his ear affectionately. He stroked Marill's head and smiled, awaiting a response.

OOC- Ugh, sorry Kirabi's bit is so cack. I was gonna have him say stuff about needing to buy clothes then realised he's in fresh clothes and didn't need to just yet.