Donovan y Maria's Radical Expedition

[Linkachu]

After Maria had registered both of the boy's PokeGear numbers, the two went on their separate ways to explore the city. It was rather a surprise to the girl, really. Even though she had lectured Donnie on such, she hadn't actually expected him to go off on his own so willingly. Seemed that he wasn't as timid as he had originally let on, or maybe getting into the KCC had caused him to come out of his shell a bit? It was a nice inspiration boost alright.

"Well then. It's just me, myself, and I. Let's see what this city has to offer."

Instead of using the readily available city map on her PokeGear, the teen decided to find her own way around, taking note of the odd shop and restaurant along the way but following signs specifically that pointed towards the museum. It wasn't long before she was standing before the grand facility itself. It was more impressive than she'd originally seen in photos, though they were at least a couple of years old now. The renovations since seemed fairly extensive.

"Well… There it is…" the girl murmured, gazing longingly at the large, glass, entrance-way doors and then down to her PokeGear. The rather late hour made the girl frown. Judging from the size of the complex, there seriously wouldn't be enough spare time to explore it all the way she wanted to. "Guess I will come back another day… Huh?" She'd been ready to walk away when a bulletin on a sign by the entrance caught her attention. It read in large letters "Ancient Plants and Early Ancestors of Pokemon Exhibit Grand Opening - Free Admission".

"Free… Free? … Free!" Maria's eyes lit up. She was her father's daughter alright. "How can I pass up an offer like that? The best things in life are free! I'll just take a peak at the new exhibit now and come back to see the rest later!" The girl beamed with excitement. It was just the excuse she needed to go inside.

~*~​

The facility was absolutely beautiful inside, with the large, main hall doing well to accent its mass and the stretch of time displayed through the numerous exhibits. Maria easily could've burned a whole day exploring the various set-ups, if not two, but that wasn't her plan for today. Even if the admission was free today, there was no point to spoil everything. Aside from quickly glancing at a few choice exhibits - re-assembled fossils always caught her interest - the girl hurried through the displays to the one on show.

And what a display it was.

"Woah…" Maria murmured in awe as she found herself in a space that made the visitor feel like they'd stepped into an actual rain forest. The array of rare and ancient plants was impressive, all sectioned off in individual containment units to preserve their natural environments. Stopping at each and every display one by one, the teen absorbed the written knowledge each had to offer. She couldn't help but whisper a quiet "Awesome…" "Interesting…" "Cool!" "Amazing…" etc. for each and every one.

Soon she found herself staring at the large chart of an ancient creature said to be the ancestor of Bulbasaur. "Now, isn't that a nifty critter?" the girl smirked to herself as she examined the fact sheet. "Perseus has got to see this, but it‘d be wrong to release him and not his other-half…" The girl gave a quiet giggle at the remark. Slipping her hands down to grab two specific PokeBalls from her belt, she enlarged them in unison and tapped the center buttons a second time to cause them to click open in her palms, allowing the energy within to escape from its confines and dance on the floor. Almost immediately the pulsating energy solidified to take on the forms of a Bulbasaur and Pikachu.

The two Pokemon eyed one another softly, giving affectionate smiles and exchanging quiet greetings. Together they then both turned their eyes the human, who gazed back down at them with an excited grin. "Hey, guys! Got something to show you." Bending down to take the Bulbasaur into her arms, who appeared quiet taken aback by the action, the girl paused a moment to look to her enigmatic Pikachu. "Andromeda, hop up on my shoulder. It‘s worth the look."

"Pii?" the ocean blue-eyed Pikachu gazed at the girl and squeaked curiously before complying to the command. Positioning herself secure on Maria's right shoulder and clinging on to her jacket, the Electric-type gave a quick nod.

At that the teen stood back upright and turned to the picture, jerking her head at it and saying, "That's you, Perseus. Well, you hundreds of years ago. It's your ancestor. Can you see the family resemblance?"

"Bulb?" the Grass-type titled his head and examined the drawings, frowning at the image and giving a murmur of disbelief. Andromeda on the other hand leaned in closer from her perch to get a better look, a silly grin crossing her furry face. Her high pitched giggling made Perseus groan with embarrassment.

"Alright, alright… Let's take a look at something else then," Maria chuckled, knowing she'd damaged the poor Bulbasaur's ego enough for one day. She side-stepped with the Grass-type still clutched tightly in her arms and the Pikachu on her shoulder, the three of them awing at the next few displays until one particular plant caught the girl's attention. Her eyebrows perked at the sight of the large, fern-like plant, which almost seemed like something out of a dream. Pseudopterida Luminfolii…

"… Now that's what I call beautiful…" Maria whispered softly. The Pokemon appeared captivated by its beauty, too. The intricate, glowing blue patterns on the leaves and crystal-like pods growing from the frond-like structures seemed like something out of a fantasy movie or novel. Even the plant's shade of green seemed too vivid to be real…

It was only then that she realized she was standing beside another individual - a stranger no less - so close that it was boarder-line rude. "Whoops!" she chuckled sheepishly, jerking back find that it was a teenage boy, probably a few years older than herself. "Excuse me, please! I guess I kinda got lost in the moment… That plant," she paused for a moment and looked to it again, not even sure if the boy was listening as she said, "it's just… something else. I've never seen anything like it before…"

OOC: Oiii… Crappy post. Eh. Just keeping this moving ^^;

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

Gad turned his eyes to the speaker the moment she opened her mouth. It was a girl who seemed to be about 17 or so, with brown eyes and brown, slightly wavy hair. She was holding a Bulbasaur in her arms, and had a Pikachu on her shoulders. She had a look that indicated that she wasn't originally from the region, but he couldn't be certain.

Her comment about the plant made him smile a bit "Yeah, it is, isn't it? I've never seen anything quite like it myself, and I spent more than half my life living around exotic plants. But nevermind that." he chuckled softly. "Oh, and no worries. I was... lost in the moment myself, actually. Not every day you see something this beautiful."

 

[Linkachu]

"Certainly isn't," Maria smiled in reply. It was good to know that she wasn't the only goof ball losing their mind over pretty, mysterious things. The plant itself wasn't the only mysterious thing, though. The male himself was dressed in a mix of greens and black, with odd patterns on his headband and shirt. The green crystal amulet worn around his neck was also intriguing. Just who was this guy anyways?

"Pika?" a quizzical murmur came from Andromeda then, who'd noticed that the girl was staring at the boy a bit too intensely.

It was enough to snap the Maria out of her stupor (she really had to stop doing that!). "Err... I'm sorry, I seem to keep forgetting my manners these days," she muttered sheepishly. "My name's Maria Skyler. Sorry to interrupt you, but it's refreshing meeting something who gets as absorbed in the mysterious and beautiful as much as I do."

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

"Sylvanhart. Gad Sylvanhart." he replied, smiling "And, as I said, no worries."

He then regarded the girl for a few more moments, noticing, for the first time, the shirt she was wearing. He recognized the symbol instantly, and turned his eyes to her again.

"Oh, you're a Winters Academy graduate? Do you perchance know Professor Lia Navine? She's actually in constant correspondence with my parents' research facility..."

The realization dawned on him.

"Say... You wouldn't be here, perchance, for the KCC, now, would you?"

 

[Linkachu]

Maria almost choked at the mention of the professor's name. That was twice now... TWICE that people had made references to individuals at the Academy and Winters Research Facility. It was almost too much. Her father was never to learn this...

"Heheh... Actually, I know Professor Navine quite well. She's both a researcher on plants and a lecturer on botany and Grass Pokemon studies. Very passionate about her work, too..." Maria laughed weakly. Professor Navine was a slightly eccentric individual, though generally all deeply intelligent people in the world were. If anything, it made a lasting impression on all who met the woman, which Maria could respect her for.

The boy's second comment made her attention perk even further. "You know of the KCC?" Maria asked with a tone of surprise. She soon realized how obvious it had been, though, and cleared her throat before adding. "Yes, actually, you'd be right. In which case, I assume you are too? ... That makes us rivals then." She smirked at the male. Maybe it was the clothes, but he seemed to emit an aura of experience and intelligence. It'd be interesting to see just what sort of battler he was.

Then it hit her.

"HEY! Wait a second! Sylvanhart you said...? How could I not put the connections together sooner?! Of course I know that name! Professor Navine goes on about the Sylvanhart Research Facility all the time! Some of the breakthroughs they've made... It's amazing work. Simply amazing. And that means..." Maria slowly looked around the room, realizing that part of the exhibit belonged specifically to that facility. This male's parents. She felt embarrassed by not having caught on sooner. "I must say, seeing your family's work first-hand is an honor indeed. Lia would be proud."

First Jim's family. Now this. How many more people was she going to run into with famous parents? And both research related to boot; something Maria probably valued a bit more than your average Joe. Asking the right questions... Solving mysterious... There was nothing better in the world.

"Looks like I'll need to tell Professor Navine that I actually ran into you. It'd be sure to put a smile on her face. I'd shake your hand, but, yeah..." She winked down at Perseus, who hadn't said much of anything the entire time. He simply examined Gad curiously, and noted the eccentric behavior of his trainer - though, to be honest, he, Andromeda, and the rest of the team had seen it many times before. "Either way, it's great finally meeting one of the Sylvanhart's, and I hope I can catch some of your upcoming matches. Some day I'll need to meet up with your parents, too! ... But not in a stalker way," she added sheepishly.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

"Yes, I'm looking forward to face you in the field of battle." Gad chuckled, "... That was needlessly dramatic, even for me. But, It's getting late... and I think I want to see a bit more of that Museum before heading back to the center... So - I'll catch you later, then, Maria?"

 

[Linkachu]

Maria gave a laugh at that. "That'd be correct. I probably should finish up with this exhibit, too... which will take me another good hour to an hour and a half," she chuckled. The sad part was, she wasn't exaggerating.

Bidding Gad farewell, to which her two Pokemon gave cries of the same (Andromeda the most enthusiastic of the two), the trio took one last look at the magnificent fern-like plant and continued on with their 'ooo-ing' and 'awing' of the remaining displays. After only about five minutes, though, the girl's PokeGear began to beep loudly, a digital voice adding in the end "You Have Mail".

"Eh? So soon?" Maria said, lowering Perseus and Andromeda to the floor before pushing her jacket sleeve back to access the device. A picture of a letter was displayed on the screen, and, just as she'd predicted, it appeared to be about the KCC partnering. "Heh. Well then, let's see what lucky poor sap they paired up with me," she said as she tapped the 'ok' button to open the letter. Maria quickly skimmed through the message and broke out into laughter. Being paired with Donnie would've been the most ironic option possible, but this was close enough.

"Jim... My partner is... Jim! How coincidental is that? The fates are either being nice tonight or having a good laugh at my expense... Guess we'll see once the two of us battle together. Until then," she clicked the 'cancel' button a couple of times to return the PokeGear to its standard watch mode, finally looking back to her Pokemon, "let's enjoy the rest of our 'free' visit for all it's worth."

~*~​

"Whoo... Well, that was great. Free exhibit, met yet another son of renowned researchers, AND got partnered up for my first KCC matches with an acquaintance. Life is good," Maria yammered quietly to herself as she walked back to the Pokemon Center alone through the starlit night. For all the facilities and stores it had, Pewter was still one of the smaller, more spread out cities, making the light pollution not as bad as some areas. In other words, it allowed for decent stargazing, which was always a plus.

Navigating in the dark was a bit tougher than it had been in the daylight, but the girl still managed to find her way without much trouble. For one thing, the bright lights of the Pokemon Center cut through the blackness from a mile away.

Inside the Pokemon Center was still bustling with activity, and if Jim or Donnie had been in the lobby area Maria couldn't make them out through the crowd. Instead she decided to head straight for the front desk and request a room for the night, crossing her fingers all the while.

"Ah! I remember you. Did everything work out alright with registration for the competition?" The nurse asked cheerfully, as usual.

"It did, for all three of us actually," Maria replied. "And speaking of which, I read somewhere that some rooms were reserved specifically for KCC participants...? Because if there are still any free, I could really use one."

"You're in luck. It just so happens that there's one double room left," the woman replied, reaching under the desk to retrieve a key that had a tag reading "Ro. 13" attached to it.

Maria took it gratefully, staring at the number for a moment before replying, "Depending on the culture, that's either really good luck or really, really bad."

The woman gave a laugh, then went on to ask, "Do you need help finding it?"

"No thank you," Maria said with a grin. "Can't sleep until I get something to eat. Thanks anyways! First to message Donnie about the room, though..." She'd muttered the last bit more to herself, punching in a quick message for the young boy in case he hadn't managed to grab a room for himself. With that, she thanked the nurse once more and headed into the cafe wing. Hopefully they'd be serving something good.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

OOC: Wheee! Back to the plot! ^_^

Gad watched the girl and her two PokéMon return to their observations, and smiled lightly. Fancy that, the KCC bringing together people from entirely different regions and backgrounds - he wondered briefly what other challengers he would be facing.

"Well, whatever faces us, we'll be ready." Gad smiled softly to himself, and continued his exploration of the exhibit. There was still much to be seen.

~*~

The plant exhibit lead to archaeology and ancient civilizations. Ancient glyphs of PokéMon adorned the walls amidst multiple virtual simulations of ancient mechanisms. This was the early age where Man's symbiosis with PokéMon began - ancient reliefs indicating some of the PokéMon that were once stuff of legends - and some that still remained legends to this very day.

He was puzzled for a second by ancient glyphs written in what reminded him of braille - vague carvings of the images of what looked like elemental Golems underneath the braille - Large artificial-looking beings of Rock, Ice and Steel, and a few rock slabs painted in extremely vibrant colors of Mew. Another climate controlled cabinet containing small glyphs in the form of letters with eyes was dedicated to the mystery of the Unown ("Because no self-respecting exhibit on archaeology could be complete without the psychic, psychotic letters." Gad sighed, mind drifting to his experience at the Ruins of Alph), and various tools and clay pots uncovered in ancient digs suggested that some civilization even revered certain PokéMon as gods.

The exit was marked by a stylized idol of an Espeon facing an equally stylized idol of an Umbreon, signifying the exit from the early age into the dark, medieval ages.

The Medieval exhibit was rather large on its own right, and had the design elements of a large castle. Maps of the ancient PokéMon Realms hung by tapestries detailing the images of life at times of peace and war in the ancient times (One he found very striking featured armored knights riding Rapidashes in intense combat with another group of armored knights riding what appeared to be equally armored Dragonairs - the famous battle of Stormwind Citystate's Dragoons against the Fire Nation of Cyndorand). Ancient PokéBalls, wonderfully preserved - especially grown Apricorns, really, the first ones to ever feature what became the staple red and white color scheme, and bearing the seal of their makers upon their cap - adorned several shelves. Ancient, traditional outfits were also spotted, along with old scrolls preserved in more climate-controlled cabinets to prevent deterioration detailing old accounts of wars between regions, legends, historical treaties and much more.

And the ages went on, through scientific breakthroughs, great turmoils, wars and historical peace treaties. And PokéMon were there, side by side with humans, discoveries sorted by age, natural history marching alongside the history of human civilization.

The modern age (with the few speculations on the future) ended in a large corridor adorned with ancient tales of starlore and mythology from ancient times until today. It was a fascinating read - he always found starlore fascinating - and he took his time walking through the corridor until its abrupt end at an airlock-like door which opened with a faint hiss into what would be the next exhibit. He walked through it.

... And suddenly he found himself stepping on nothing at all.

His eyes widened as he got used to the disorienting perspective. He was surrounded by stars. all over.

The space exhibit was especially designed to look as if you actually stepped INTO outer space. It was a small scale planetarium of its own right. The only indication one had that there was a floor was the fact that where you went, you left a trail of softly glowing footprints that faded away after a second or so, and there was a faint ripple underneath your feet, as if you were walking on water. Within glass orbs seemingly floating in midair were the exhibits, ranging through astronomy, astrophysics and even offworld biology. He walked on, mesmerized by the exhibit, when the sound of engines humming in the distance caught his attention.

... And then, a large shuttle - an exact replica of a real space shuttle - flew into place from what appeared to be a distant nebula. It seemed to glide effortlessly through the stars until it finally landed upon a large asteroid just ahead. An airlock-like door opened on the side of the shuttle, and Gad (along with several other visitors of the exhibit) stepped aboard. The door closed behind them. and the engines hummed again, the shuttle taking off into the dark depths.

The interior of the shuttle was an exhibit of its own - anything related to space-age technology was detailed upon within - including tales of the first unmanned and manned expeditions into space, accurate models of unmanned (and manned) spacecraft - even a memorial to those who expired in the few catastrophes that the space project had. Outside the windows, the simulation of space kept flowing, still extremely realistic, gradually speeding up.

He finished reviewing the few exhibits that remained, and took position by a window - the simulation was changing - the shuttle was moving so fast now the stars were a blur and Multicolored lights flowed in vortexlike patterns around them - a simulation of lightspeed travel - before the shuttle slowed down again, slowly reaching a halt point.

The airlock door opened again, leading to the main hall of the museum. The space exhibit was the last one - and the shuttle provided a setting for the technological aspect as well as provided the return trip to the main hall. That was one experience that he would never forget, he thought, as he walked out of the museum with a smile on his face. Things definitely changed since he was there last.

~*~

"Well, it's been a long day." Gad grinned as he finally entered his PokéMon center room - the walk from the museum to the center wasn't terribly long for him, and the peaceful stars and light breeze made him feel even better. As he entered, he checked his PokéGear's clock - It was rather late, but not late enough for the diner wing to be closed. But first, he grabbed a towel from a cabinet (One thing was good about PokéMon centers all being relatively similar - you always knew where your towel was) and headed in for a nice shower. He had just enough time for that, after all.

~*~

He emerged several minutes later and after drying himself off, he picked up his clothes from the machine that automatically washed, dried and ironed them and settled into them (He was always thankful for these machines). Gathering the rest of his gear, he stretched and looked at the time again. Perfect.

~*~

As he emerged from his room and headed in the general direction of the diner wing, he regarded his PokéGear for a few minutes, reading through the message indicating his partner for the first KCC event. He brought the attached picture up on the holographic display of the PokéGear again, wondering if he might run into his prospective partner in the diner wing. The face was that of a girl with what appeared to be brown hair and the most striking eyes he has seen in a while - the left one was grey-violet, the right one green-brown. She had the look of a trainer who was both powerful but also uncertain of her own power in some strange awkward way - or at least, that's what he assumed from her slightly uncomfortable expression. He wondered about her battle style.

The thought of battle styles brought Maria, the girl he met in the museum, to mind again. She had a Bulbasaur and a Pikachu. The thought of Bulbasaurs brought Menthe to mind again - and some of the adventures they went through together when she was still a Bulbasaur, before her evolution. Menthe never evolved into Venusaur - he secretly suspected that she didn't particularily like the final form of her kind.

He pondered setting her out, but considering the time, she probably would have preferred to continue sleeping. However, he had a notion that Mari might like the air at this time. She had quite a bit of rest now, and would probably enjoy a breath of fresh air again. She was never particularily fond of PokéBalls.

"Eh, what the hell." he smiled lightly, Mari's PokéBall rolling into his gloved hand. He smiled at the sphere, and then pointed it down towards the floor, softly pronouncing two words.

"Mari, Arise."

The PokéBall glittered lightly as it snapped open and released the Electabuzz, who stood up and stretched lightly, purring at her trainer. Standing up, Mari was about 1.60m - about the height of a short-medium height human - and when in PokéMon Centers, Gyms or other manmade places, she had a tendency to prefer to stand and walk bipedally (although her walking stance preferences changed utterly at random). The trainer smiled affectionately at Mari. "I'm happy to see you too." he giggled "Let's get ourselves some dinner, eh?" The Electabuzz purred in response, a few sparks dancing between her antennae.

"Glad we have an agreement, m'dear." the trainer giggled and the pair continued their walk to the diner wing silently to top a nice long day.

OOC: THERE. That took ages.

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

Irugi shot out the door without looking, and slammed straight into a rather large someone in the hallway. She was thrown to the ground along with Kaido, who bounced once or twice.

"Oh, excuse me, Miss," The voice was a booming drawl, but smooth none-the-less. Irugi looked up to see a hiker standing over her. He reached down and casually lifted her up. "Are you alright?" Irugi nodded, reaching down to pick up poor little bruised Kaido, rubbing her wrist where the hiker had lifted her. His hands were smooth and humid. He reached down and scooped up Kaido, who, unaccustomed to being handled by anyone other then Irugi, let out a started "Tar!". Irugi caught a rare sight, a look of anything but placid acceptance on the little Larvitar's face. His gaze was pure consternation as the Hiker hefted him and examined him.

"This is a fine pokemon you've got here," he said, still tumbling Kaido about.

"Yes, well," said Irugi, dancing nervously, anxious about someone handling Kaido like a. . .well, a piece of meat. "If I could just. . . ?"

The hiker gave Kaido a final pat and returned him to Irugi looking extremely uncomfortable. He snuggled against her shoulder with a quiet "Lar. . . "

"A very fine pokemon indeed." Said the hiker with a strange half smile, his strange pale eyes taking in both trainer and pokemon, as Irugi patted the upset Larvitar in an attempt to quiet him. She had never seen Kaido this upset. He gave a small hiccough and turned within her arms, settling for giving the hiker his coldest glare. "Take good care of him now. Mind he doesn't get too scuffed up tomorrow." With that, he continued down the hallway.

"How strange," Irugi grumbled, as she took the opposite direction down the hall, still rubbing her wrist. She couldn't get the feel of the hiker off of her, like a hydra's swamp. She could understand Kaido's discontent. A hiker's hands should be rough and calloused, not smooth and. . .

The thought cut off as she entered the cafeteria, the roof of the room soaring up into a large dome. The light and atmosphere were friendly enough, and the floor was packed. Every table seemed to be filled, with every sort of trainer and pokemon imaginable about. Some sat atop tables, some stretched around them, soaring up to loom over their trainers. Mightyenas romped with Houndooms and Manectrics, and bird types fluttered between tables, colourful and racous in the air. The whole place felt very alive, and Irugi felt at home.

"Shall we?" She asked the Larvitar, not expecting an answer and not getting one. She trotted up to the line that seemed to be for food.

"Excuse me," she asked the person in front of her, "But is this the line for food?" She felt a tug at her pant leg then, as he turned to look at her. She couldn't help but notice he looked very familiar. . .

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

Irugi was a bit taken back. How would this trainer she had never met before know her name? She felt the tug again, looking down, and everything clicked. Irugi smiled.

"Yes, Irugi Whitehall," she said, still beaming. She hefted the Larvitar "Along with Kaido. And you would be Gad . . . Sylvanhart? We wouldn't happen to be battling together tomorrow, would we?" she laughed, shifting the Larvitar who wiggled a bit until he got his balance, then offered her hand. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

"And yours, Irugi." Gad replied with a bright smile, shaking Irugi's hand. He then turned his eyes to the Larvitar and smiled. "And also yours... Kaido, is it? Pleasure to meet you as well. It's a rare thing to see your kind in Kanto."

Before he had the chance to say anything else, though, the line progressed.

"Hm, Looks like it's my turn." he grinned apologetically at Irugi "Well, If you haven't got a table - and if you want - you're welcome to join Mari and me."

He regarded Irugi with another smile, nodded lightly and approached the serving area. That evening the center served a dish consisted of noodles and stirfried chicken and vegetables (which looked - and smelled - quite wonderful), and some kind of berry salad (which Gad picked up a bowl of, thinking that that's exactly the sort of thing that Mari would love). He then proceeded to a drink dispensing machine and ordered a glass of mint tea for himself and a glass of cold water for Mari. He smiled to himself as he shot one last glance toward Irugi, then returned to his table, Settling down by Mari's side.

"I believe that dinner is served." he grinned at the Electabuzz "We might have someone joining us in a few minutes... So you can drop the guardian force routine for now."

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

Irugi watched Gad while he got his food, trying to judge his character for herself.

"He seems nice enough, huh?" She asked, recieving no reply from Kaido. She was used to that by now, however.

"Gar. . ." came a reply from her side, and she looked down to see BlackMagic nod lightly before vanishing again. It was his duty to observe and inform Irugi of anything untoward, and to make character judgements. He was her first pokemon, so she trusted him.

She filed up after Gad had gone, getting her food. It seemed to be some sort of cross between noodles and chicken, and if it looked good, it smelled even better. The server turned, ready to serve he next person, when Irugi was reminded of the rest of her team.

"Excuse me? Could i also have some food to go?" She asked, awkward with dealing with people she wasn't familiar with. The server nodded.

"I'm going to need. . . " she thought for a moment. "5 apples, one of those berry salads, make that two, and nuts. Lots of nuts. Oh! And honey?"
The server looked at her askew before getting what she had asked, all boxed up. Irugi thanked her and went over to the pokemon food dispenser, situted right next to the drink machine. She dropped Kaido on the floor next to the food, setting the tray on top of the box of food acquired for pokemon comsumption. Three cranks at the machine and she had enough food for everyone, with some to spare. Then she turned to the drink machine, getting herself some black tea. It was hot and warm, if not exactly as dark as she liked it.

"Ok, Kaido. If you'll take the tea?" He nodded his consent, taking the cup that dwarfed him, as Irugi balanced and shifted about the bag of boxes and the tray with her chicken on it. Under the guise of picking up the food, she bent close to where Magic was (or where she assumed he was, by the smudgey shadows) And asked him to watch Gad. Then she stood, and she and Kaido made their way to his table. Taking the tea from Kaido, she placed him on the table next to the boxes, cracked open a serving of pokemon food for him, then got settled in herself, grinning at Gad and his Electabuzz from across the table. She couldn't help but notice how content and healthy the Electabuzz looked. It couldn't have been abused, or it would't have been practically glowing, never you mind it was an electric pokemon and had reason and excuse enough to glow without being content. So, He must be a decent trainer. Or at least a kind one. She wondered about his style. Kenji always battled like a dance, especially with Kozan, they moved seemlessly and gracefully. Every battled looked rehearsed, the few she had seen. Kozan was aptly named, his paws never seemed to touch the ground, he floated from move to move like his namesake, the butterfly. Kenji said she battled like an avalanch coming down, people saw the end coming, and did everything to delay or avoid it, but in the end, there was nothing anyone could do against her.

"Have you seen what time our battle is schedualed for tomorrow? 10 in the morning?" Irugi shook her head, half at the time and half at her pathetic excuse at small talk. But she figured the KCC was all that was on everyone's mind. She shoveled some chicken in her mouth, and was amazed at how good it was.

"Were you planning on using a specific pokemon?" Irugi asked her new battling partner. She knew what pokemon she'd be using, and hoped he would work well with whomever Gad had chosen.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

Mari's eyes narrowed lightly when she sensed, just vaguely, something tugging at the edge of her concsiousness - a disturbance on the psychic plane that indicated the nearby presence of something watchful. She only saw the girl and her Larvitar, but there was yet another presence - one that did /not/ belong there. She gave Gad a meaningful look that conveyed her sensation of being watched, and Gad nodded silently while eating in a way that only Mari would have been able to read. He couldn't feel it himself, but if Mari felt that they were being watched, she was probably right, better be alert.

When he heard Irugi's question about the battle, he turned his eyes back to her and nodded thoughtfully "Probably Mari. She's possibly my most diverse PokéMon... Also, she wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I didn't use her for this battle..." then he jumped for a split-second as if he was hit by a tiny electric jolt (which he actually was), shooting Mari a glare "THAT was uncalled for, m'dear." The Electabuzz blushed lightly, doing her best to look innocent but failing as she burst into a fit of giggles "Whatever am I going to do with you?" he sighed lightly, wrapping an arm around the Electabuzz, which she countered with her own embrace, purring lightly.

"So," Gad turned his eyes back to Irugi "What were you planning on using?"

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

"More like who,"  Irugi giggled. "He's a Steelix, Tsuchiwokatameru is his name. He should compliment Your Electabuzz nicely. . . Mari, did you say? A pleasure." Smiling and nodding to the Electabuzz, she finnished up her chicken and leaned back in her chair, looking under the table where a pair of glowing eyes looked worried. Magic was disturbed about something. She considered it for a moment, then nodded and sighed. She really was enjoying the company, for a change. It was nice to get away from Kenji now and then. The eyes slowly faded.

"Shall we meet tomorrow, before the battle? Discuss tactics, the like? Perhaps get some caffine in us before hand? Personally, I can't battle half asleep." Though she probably wouldn't sleep, she was a bit nervous about the upcomming battle. This was different from battles she been in before. But with Tsuchiwokatameru, she should be safe. He was a solid pokemon. She glanced up across the room and spotted the hiker from earlier, and her face paled. Motioning under the table, she sent Magic scurrying off to watch him. The shadow moved across the room. Something bothered her about the hiker, and he seemed more a threat then the grinning trainer laughing with his pokemon across the table.

"So, how about it?"

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

This post is so long, some people died. Not even kidding. They looked at this post and just imploded.

Irugi watched Gad as he left, still slowly sipping her tea as Kaido finnished up his meal. She couldn't see BlackMagic anywhere in the place, but she had no worries leaving him on his own. As Kaido finnished up, he turned his pale red eyes to her. They were curiously blank, but Irugi had grown used to that from him.

"Would you like to go back now?" Kaido gave a nod and rolled to his feet, looking at the empty trays. Irugi scooped him up in one arm and the bag and the trays in the other, walking over to dispose of them. After dropping the trays she did another quick scan of the room, but Magic was nowhere to be found. She headed back to the small room she shared with Kenji.

When she got back, the room was empty. She assumed that Kenji was out looking for his battle partner as well, that Takumi Chance. She looked at their matching outfits lying on the desk and grinned. Opening the small window let some fresh air in, and the soft "coo"'s of a pair of pidgeotto perched on the edge of the gutter above the window. Irugi smiled, leaning out of the window and looking up at the few stars. The cool breeze had persisted, and it made for a very pleasent night.

She turned around to find Kenji in the doorway. He grinned at her and raised a hand in greeting. She grinned back.

"Well, just don't stand outside! come in, come in." They both laughed. Irugi went back to the desk, kneeling in front of it to softly prod a sleeping Chiiru into wakefulness.

"Hey there, sleepy eyes," Irugi said softy, holding an apple and a handful of nuts to the Pokemon. The Pokemon accepted it, murmuring a "furrr" of thanks. Kaido had made his way up to the top bunk and was sound asleep, his face balanced on the edge. It had been a long day for them all, but Irugi believed in getting a square meal into all of her Pokemon.

Walking to the desk, she ran her hand over all of the pokeballs. She lightly lifted one, another experimental pokeball, the red darker then a typical pokeball, a small ribbon and the words "Deluxe Pokeball" engraved in gold script. She smiled and pressed the button on the front of it, quickly letting it slide from her hand. It hit the floor and popped open, releasing a tall and sleek Houndoom. He trotted up to Irugi, muscles obvious under his shining black fur, and nuzzled her briefly.

"Hound, doom" he said, and a flurry of wings exploded into the window. Not officially Irugi or Kenji's Pokemon, but not for lack of trying, Cocoa and Pudge had been adopted by Korashimeru. Or rather, Korash had been adopted by them. He had been the one to find the fallen nest and bring the eggs back, ever so carefully, expecting a decent breakfast and praise from his new trainer. Instead, he got stuck with a pair of adoring Pidgey that would not leave him alone. Irugi laughed as he trotted over to the window, pulling out his ration of Pokemon food as she went along and setting it in front of him. He dug in with a vigour as the Pidgeottos perched on the window sill, still quietly chirping contentedly at each other.

She moved onto the next pokeball, a normal pokeball. She smiled wryly but did not release the Pokemon inside, as she told her self, the Pokemon was much to big to fit into the room.

The final pokeball was a premiere ball. Pure white, it was a good match for it's occupant. Irugi quickly released the Pokemon, a regal Absol. Korash glanced up with adoring eyes at Rayn, as she sat haughtily in the center of the room, her pale violet eyes screaming a challenge at Irugi. Irugi opened the bag, pulling out the honey and offering it to Rayn with a flourish and a deep nod. They were not so much Pokemon and trainer but partners, and Irugi was always careful to treat Rayn as thus. Rayn situated herself by the now closed door, lowering her head now and then to partake of some of the honey. Irugi grinned at how festive the room felt with all of the Pokemon in it, and turned to Kenji who was standing beside Kozan, his face pale. Kozan himself had a troubled and quizzical expression on his face.

"I. . . I completely forgot. . . And now, The Cafeteria's closed. . ." Kenji looked deeply troubled, but Irugi smiled.

"No worries. I brought enough for all." Kenji relaxed, and Irugi tossed him a berry salad and an apple, which he handed off to Kozan. Kenji quickly pulled three of his pokeballs off of his belt, leaving three on. He tapped each one in succession, making a much quicker job of it then Irugi had.

Three Pokemon were let out, an Ivysaur that lightly lept onto the chair above Chiiru and looked around the room with her snow white eyes, an Altaria that remained on the floor in front of Kenji, and a tiny Shuppet that went to float above his shoulder. Irugi handed an apple to both the Ivysaur and the Shuppet, and a berry salad to the Altaria, which promptly tore the salad apart with ferocity. The room seemed homey with all of the Pokemon eating and speaking briefly to each other. Irugi sat down on the bed next to Kenji. Chiiru, who had finnished her apple, crawled up onto Irugi's lap.

"Did you find your partner?" She asked

"I did," said Kenji with a grin. "He's awesome. Every bit a Cool Trainer. I saw you talking with whom I'm guessing is your partner in the cafeteria." Irugi nodded.

"Look," said Kenji. "It's a beautiful night out. Care to go for a walk? Just you and me," he added, as Irugi looked down at the half asleep Chiiru in her lap, and over at Korash who had already curled up, Pidgeotto twins curled up with him.

"It'll probably help me get to sleep. Allright." She put Chiiru up next to Kaido on the top bunk, while Kenji told Kozan to hold down the fort while they were gone. Then they went out.

They sat on the front step of the pokecenter together, and looked up at the stars for a while, Irugi leaning against Kenji when she got cold. People hurried by now and then, a few going into the pokecenter. It was a lovely night, and they only went in when the moon began to rise. They walked back to the room, talking and laughing now and then, as old friends are want to do. Irugi opened the door to find BlackMagic in the middle of the room, and looking no happier then when she had last seen him. She bent down next to him, hearing what he had to say and seeing what he had seen. He was more ghost then anything, so as he told his story, he changed his form often to help explain things, often placing a hand on Irugi's face and showing her what he had seen.

Kenji looked on, worried. When Irugi stood, he looked at her for an explanation.

"He says that everything is fine as far as my partner goes, but he is sure that his Pokemon, an Electabuzz, could at the very least sense him. But. . . We ran into a hiker in the hallway, earlier. And he. . . he. . .I don't even know. He scares me, Kenji. Magic says. . . says he's got a glow. And that he's got two shadows. That he swallowed a man." She swallowed hard herself.

Kenji smiled. "It's alright. Don't worry about him. Worry about the battle tomorrow, alright?" He gave her a quick hug. "Now go to sleep. You've got to be up early. . . "

Irugi smiled shakily and nodded, climbing up to her bunk. When she had gotten settled in, Chiiru curled up around her neck, while Kaido remained snuggled in comfortably near the edge. Magic took a perch at the end of the bed, barely any weight at all. Irugi took Kenji's advice, playing the battle over in her head until she fell asleep.

The small Shuppet floated about the room all night, never sleeping. Kenji lay in bed with Harukaze sleeping softly beside his pillow, her gentle earthy smell calming and relaxing him. Kenji watched Ayatsurirei floating about the room until he fell asleep.

Next to the door, Rayn's cold eyes glittered in the moonlight coming in the window. Like the Shuppet, she did not sleep. Something bad was going to happen. She could feel in her bones, rushing through her veins, and she was drawn to it, drawn to the people it would fall upon, the very people in that room, in the entire Pokemon center. Misfortune would fall down upon them, and she almost lept for joy. She was a disaster Pokemon in the thick of it, She was a disaster Pokemon and disaster was all around her. Her cold eyes glittered.

 

[Sem]

Jim briskly walked through the sliding glass doors of the Pokemon Center; Unown was only a second behind Jim. It was already a bit late. Jim had been out exploring too much, but now he had a basic idea of where everything was in Pewter. He was glad to see the lobby nearly vacant of all life, except for the Chansey, a few people, and the good nurse herself of course. Jim walked up to Joy, who was typing in some stuff on her computer.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy... Have any single rooms left for KCC participants?" Jim asked.

"You're one of the late ones, but we do have some left so you're in luck." Joy smiled and handed Jim the key to Room 16.

"Thanks much, Nurse Joy." Jim then walked off to the cafeteria, he needed to get some Pokemon food and as well as a tiny treat for himself. Jim scanned what was left of the food. He spotted a bowl of berries and decided to take that. Jim walked over to the Pokemon food container and turned the handle a few times filling up a couple boxes. Jim was about to find a table when he spotted an ice cream machine. He stared from it to his berry bowl and then back at the machine. Ice cream with berries sounded much better than just plain berries. Jim turned on the machine and filled his bowl with vanilla ice cream; he then used his spoon to mix it all together.

Jim found a table, (which wasn't that hard of a task considering that there were almost no people.) and sat down to eat his treat of sweetness. Jim took a bite and rolled his eyes. "Pretty darn good." Jim said turning his head to look at Unown. Jim took a few more bites of his desert, before wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"What do you think of me using you in our battle tomorrow, Unown?" Jim asked his psychic friend. Unown turned to face Jim, closed its eye and began moving up and down.

"Unown!" it said in a happy tone as it spun around a few times. "I'm happy you chose me, Jim." Jim was happy to hear that and smiled. He took another bite of ice cream, and then his smile faded into a frown.

"Aren't you nervous?" Jim asked. "You and I both know we're not really that experienced."

"Unooown." It said in a lower tone.

"Yeah, I guess I shouldn't worry... but I can't help it. Maria's a great trainer, that I can see. I'd hate to hinder her chances at winning this competition because of our inexperience."

"You know you're a good battler, Jim. This is just another one of those times when you stress out over everything. You're an excellent trainer; you've just never come across many occasions to prove yourself so. Just watch, you'll be back to normal the second you step on that field tomorrow. We're gonna have ourselves a victory tomorrow, Jim."

"You're right… So that means you can stop worrying too." Jim said with a chuckle. Unown's eye went wide, it would've 'eeped' if it could.

"Unnnown." It said in a pout-like tone. "Fine, I guess I can't hide that from you!" Unown turned and faced away from Jim. Jim laughed as he got up and put his bowl on the tray with the other dirty dishes. Jim grabbed his pack, the pokemon food, and walked out into the lobby of the Pokemon Center. He continued straight across the lobby until he entered the hallway leading to the rooms. He soon found room 16 and went inside. The scent of freshness filled his nostrils as he closed the door.

Jim threw his backpack onto the bed and dropped the food on the ground. Into the shower Jim went. He wanted to be rid of the smell of Viridian forest that still lingered on him and his clothes. Jim walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later and dried himself off. He grabbed some sleeping clothes and brushed his teeth. Meanwhile Unown looked out of the window, viewing all the bustlings of the city, before eventually going over to the bed. Unown ceased it's floating and landed on one of the pillows, exhausted. Jim flew onto the bed and turned off the light. Tomorrow was a big day.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: Backtracking since Sem's post happened later in the evening.

BIC:

"Ahh... Stuffed and ready to settle in," Maria murmured happily to herself as she exited the cafeteria. The lobby area still had a number of people within it, but it too was beginning to settle. As she walked through something began to nag at the back of the girl's mind, and it wasn't until she'd placed a hand on the lodging stairway railing that it hit her. "Whoops! I almost forgot to contact dad back. I wonder what sort of stuff he's pulled up?"

Whirling around and heading back for the vid phones, she was happy to find that one was currently free. Picking up the phone set, she quickly dialed her home phone number on the keyboard unit and stared at the screen that simply had the blinking words "Dialing...".

With a "bing!" the screen came to life, her father's dull expression lighting up when he'd noticed who was calling. "Maria! Oh god, I'm so glad it's you."

"Eh? Why so?" Maria asked, noticing that a dim ray of sunlight was shining through the window behind her father. It made her crack a smile. She'd forgotten that Winters was actually "in the past" compared to Kanto.

"Oiii… Same old story. A potential "sighting" at Lake Tess has the whole area in an uproar. The phone has been ringing off the hook! Will it never end?" the middle aged man rolled his eyes, but Maria couldn't help but laughing. These random "sightings" were usually reported by crazed tourists, and somehow the media was always dragged into it. It drove the researching community mad, not just because the media turned it into a big, money making joke, but because Tess was actually a gentle, reserved creature who hated all the added attention.

"Like Tess would actually appear for some idiot gawkers. She's too smart for that," Maria grunted.

Her dad chuckled and shook his head. "Oh ssh, you. Miss ‘Tess let me ride on her back!'. You kids are so full-of-it sometimes… ANYways, I take it you were calling about the KCC info?"

"Indeed."

"Well… Actually…" He scratched his cheek innocently. Maria's face fell.

"You couldn't find ANYTHING at all?!" she groaned. "So much for your ‘mad researching skills'…"

"Now, now. Don't be cruel. It's hard to find information if it isn't out there. These people are serious about keeping their secrets. For all we know, the next event isn't even planned yet! … Speaking of which, everything did go okay with registration, right?"

"Yeah," Maria smiled. "I'm in, and so is Donnie… Thanks to you."

"Hah! See? See? What did I tell you?" the man grinned triumphantly.

Maria rolled her eyes. "How'd I know you'd react like that… Bah. Anyways, you didn't learn a single thing at all? Not a word?"

"Well, actually, I DID manage to pull up one tasty piece of information." Maria's expression focused in attention. "Yeah, I'm assuming you've heard about the emblems rewarded if you win each competition, eh? Well, as an added bonus, each winner is also rewarded a random prize. Some of them are pretty rare, too."

"Such as…?"

"An Ultra Ball, Full Restore, Evolution Stone, Kings Rock - you name it. About the only thing you can't get is a Master Ball. A few lucky contestants may even walk away with Moon Stones. But sadly, you only receive one prize with each emblem win…"

"Heh. And that's not good enough for you?" Maria smirked. "Dad, you're horrible."

"I don't deny it," he smirked in return. "Anyways, that's about all I can tell you for now, unless you want an extended explanation on the first round and the significance behind the emblems."

"No… No. I think that'll do me for one night, but thanks again, Dad. I was going to head up to bed, but me thinks I'll get in a bit more star gazing first. It'll give everyone the chance to have a snack and stretch their legs, too… Oh, and tell Lia that I met the son of the Sylvanhart's. Then you can deal with both the media and her craziness."

"Heh… Might leave that little bit of news for tomorrow then," her father smiled sheepishly, but his expression soon shifted and he stared back at his daughter with love. "Have a good night, Maria."

"You too." And with that, the connection was closed. Maria pushed off from her seat and looked around the room. Still no sign of Jim or Donnie. "Oh well. I'm sure I'll catch up with them in the morning..." Without another word, she headed for the exit and back out into the night.

OOC: Assume she's heading right to bed afterwards. On to the next day! ^^

 

[kimishiro]

(( don't really need to post but I will just the same I suppose. ))

Flames errupted around the battle-worn pichu, whom barely escaped in time. For hours Cuthbert and Tataku had been battling various creatures of the forest, training for the upcoming competition. The two seemed to be getting incredibly stronger in such a short amount of time, and to test their skills, they were pitt against one another.

"Pii-chu!", cried the electric mouse as he sent a thundershock towards his opponent. As the charmander was busy evading the attack, Cuthbert had already launched himself into the air. As the airborne rodent spun faster and faster, his body charged with electrity just before colliding into the unsuspecting foe, knocking Tataku painfully across the grassy field.

"Char!" The tired charmander wasn't quick enough to keep up with his friend, but still had the vitality and strength to match him. Hastily, he stood back up and began a sprint towards the pichu. As he closed in on his target, he swung his right arm out, attempting a mega punch, but was easily avoided. While his balance was off, the Pichu swept behind him, grabbed that same arm, twisted it behind his back and threw him over his shoulder, performing a text-book reversal.

Unfortunately for Cuthbert, Tataku managed to grab onto the mouse's tail at the last minute, and as a means to counter, he maneuvered the pichu underneath him to break his fall, harshly slamming him into the ground. Just incase that wasn't enough, the charmander grabbed the fallen pichu by both arms from behind, and leapt high into the air. Smirking, he let go of one arm, and began swinging his opponent in a rapid circle. At the peak of the jump and with the swining momentum at its fullest, the fire type let go of his opponent, forcing him to the ground in a seismic toss, resulting in Tataku's victory.

As the charmander lander, his trainer came over and picked up the now unconcious Cuthbert. "Good job you gu—ii-iies", Donnie praised while yawning. As he looked up at the faint light shining from the trees, he began to realize just how late it was getting. A sudden feeling of guilt plagued the young trainer, as he reflected upon how hard he had been training the two. Of course, not all the blame could be put on him. His two pokemon were natural battlers, and had been just as eager to improve their skills as he had, and in fact were the ones that wanted to spar for the finale of their training.

"We should have been asleep hours ago... I hope you guys won't be too tired for our first match in the morning. =/ "

Tataku looked up at his smiling, and nuzzled his head against Donnie's leg as the two continued off towards the pokecenter, where they would get healed up and rest until morning.

- - - -

(Next post is going to be KCC battle 1, so don't wait on me for anything. )

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

Ello! This post is just to set up our meeting in the morning, before the battle.

Incidently, Where exactly are the battles being held? I'm fond of the idea of a stadium right outside the city, thinking back on the first season of pokemon, the final 'league' battles, as far as layout of the stadium goes. I've been waiting for this post for a while, i've had the scene worked out in my head for AEONS. *laughs* ^^;


The noise woke Irugi suddenly, though in her half asleep state, she could not tell what it was. Two blazing red eyes floated directly in front of her face, and for a moment she thought she was still asleep. But then, the excitement woke her fully, and she laughed.

"Good morning to you too, Mag," she said, still laughing. She sat up and turned, surveying the room. All of the pokemon were up and about, dashing her hopes at being the first one up. The window was open and she wondered about that for a moment, before checking her Pokegear for the time. From the light, she guessed it was early, and she was right. It was just before 6 in the morning, and she groaned at the time, though she was wide awake. The chill air coming in the window saw to that, though she doubted the cold would last long. It was going to be another lovely day.

Yawning, she climbed down from the bunk. Kenji was sitting on the lip of his bed, absentmindedly stroking a content Kozan's head. The damp in the air had caused his fur to go all poofy, and she smiled, pulling the gel out of her bag and calling him over. He complied, and Kenji started, taking notice of her for the first time.

"Normally, you wouldn't be out of bed until ten minutes before the battle," he said lightly with a half hearted smile as she ran the gel between her hands.

"Well, I have a date this morning," Irugi replied, grabbing thick handfuls of Kozan's mane and working the gel into it. She slowly began to work it upwards, and Kozan grinned contentedly.

"A date? With who?" Kenji looked startled and disgruntled and upset all at once, and Irugi couldn't help but laugh.

"Gad and I are meeting to discuss the battle today." Kozan's mane was done, just like that, his signature mowhawk back in place. "I have to run and take a shower." Irugi looked down at her outfit, realizing she hadn't changed before going to bed, and wondering when Kenji had. Deciding, she called Magic over to her.

"Allright, Mag, I have a favour to ask. Take my clothes when i'm in the shower, and throw them in the machine?" Ignoring the way he slowly faded in and out as she spoke, she pointed the the machine in the corner that did everything to clothes one could hope for. Grabbing a few towels and her belt on the way, she walked to the bathroom, handling her pokegear at the same time, slowly typing a message.

Gad- Where did you want to meet?

Her pokegear had been updated with his number when they had been matched up as partners, and on her list of three contacts, he was not hard to find. She would have to remember to upload all of her contacts from her old phone into her Pokegear, and to call both Jon and her father when she got the free time. Unfortunently, it didn't look like she would be getting any free time before the battle. She sighed, undressing and getting into the hot shower. It was relaxing, and she hoped that her partner would have replied by the time she was done. She didn't know if he wanted to meet outside of the pokecenter, away from the hurry and the bustle, or in the cafeteria where they had met last night, where it was convienient for both of them.

By the time she was done showering, she returned to her pokegear, which had been beeping every minute or so. It appeared she had a new message.

How about the Ambermoon café? Not too far AND quiet enough. Also, awesome Biscotti.

Irugi grinned. She LOVED biscotti. She found her clothes, folded and still warm next to the shower, and she smilied. She owed Mag for that. Donning her regular outfit, saving her new outfit for the battle, she trotted out of the shower, picked up all of her pokeballs and reattached them slowly.

"Kenji! I'm going!" Kenji looked up from his Pokegear and nodded. "Give Jon a call if you get a chance? I do want to talk to him. . ."

Looking up 'Ambermoon Cafe' on her pokegear, she also checked the time. it was half past seven, and it looked like she'd have just enough time to get there. Letting Chiiru slide up her arm and across her shoulder, she trotted out, waving and smiling at Kenji as he waved at her. The sun had just about risen outside, and the sky was dazzling.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

His eyes gently fluttered open when the first rays of sunlight touched his eyelids. He groaned softly, attempting to close his eyes again, but failing to fall asleep. It was roughly 5 AM, maybe a bit later. Mari was still by his side, sleeping soundly, a gentle purr in her steady, slow breathing and a smile on her face. Whatever it was she was dreaming about, it was probably good. He smiled, admiring the subtle reflections of the gold of sunrise in the lithe Electabuzz's black-striped golden fur for a few moments, then he gently ran his fingers through her mane, causing her to shiver slightly and press closer to him, her brilliant emerald eyes slowly fluttering open.

"Good morning, my dear... I hate to wake you up like this, but I've got to be up bright and early today." Gad smiled apologetically, and the Electabuzz nodded tiredly, giving Gad a look that could have only meant "There's got to be a better way to start to day than waking up in the morning." He silently gave her a look of such complete agreement that she giggled, and then gently broke her embrace around her trainer, allowing him to slide out of bed and stretch in a feline manner, smiling at her - she was beginning to climb out of the bed when Gad touched her shoulder softly, drawing her attention.

"No need for you to wake up, dear. You can stay in bed for a while... You need the rest before today's battle. Anyhow, I need a shower before I head out." he smiled brightly, and Mari nodded tiredly with a smile and a purr of silent gratitude as she closed her eyes and softly curled up again. He smiled lightly to himself, covering the Electabuzz gently with the blanket that has slipped off of her. He left her to sleep as he grabbed his clothes from the nightstand and a fresh towel from a cabinet and headed in to take a shower. The feel of hot water against his skin was a sharp contrast to the chilliness of the early morning, further waking him up. After a while he emerged, drying himself off and getting dressed, followed by slipping his headband on (adjusting his still damp-hair slightly), then his glasses (after cleaning them with a small piece of fabric). He stepped out of the shower, and after some thought, he extracted a light black jacket with a vivid green leaf pattern running along its left side out of his digital storage device and donned it, his gloves, his crystal amulet and his shoes. He picked up his PokéBalls (save Mari's, he was going to let her sleep for a bit more), PokéGear (which he replaced safely tucked under the glove) and Digital Storage Device (which he clipped on his belt) and stretched again, looking out at the still-rising sun.

A while later, sometime around 7-something AM, he recieved a message. It was from Irugi, asking him where he actually wanted to meet. Gad smiled lightly - He knew exactly what to reply.

No visit to Pewter city, for him, could be complete without a stop at the Ambermoon Café - a little Café which had the most amazing biscotti he has ever had and a few special blends of coffee and tea that no other place could ever exactly replicate. The Ambermoon Café was situated a few streets away from the PokéMon center - not too far, but just far enough to keep it a rather small, quiet place, away from the hustle and the bustle of trainers going around everywhere - an excellent place to plan battle strategies over a cup of coffee or two in relative peace and quiet. To make a long story short, it was just the perfect meeting place.

So, he typed his message in return "How about the Ambermoon café? Not too far AND quiet enough. Also, awesome Biscotti."

Having not recieved a reply after a bit, he assumed that Irugi was unable to respond for the moment. He sighed slightly, taking a look at the minimized PokéBall in his hand. Mari's. The Electabuzz hasn't been particularily fond of PokéBalls herself, but seeing how she was still vaguely out of it when she woke up a few moments beforehand, she resigned herself to return to the PokéBall so she could rest further and awaken in prime condition when the time for battle came - and still be with Gad. The PokéBall was set to audio reception so Mari could hear the strategy planning herself. He sighed softly, placing the minimized PokéBall in an inner pocket of his jacket. Then, taking one last look at the room he was to stay in for the next three weeks (taking note of how extremely beautiful the sky looked), he walked out of the room and locked the door behind him.

~*~

He walked a bit in the PokéMon Center's corridor until he noticed the door to one of the side rooms open and Irugi walking out of it waving and smiling at someone inside. As Irugi closed the door behind her, Gad couldn't help but smile.

"'Morning, Irugi." he said softly "Have you slept well?"

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

"Morning Irugi," was all she heard, before slamming squarely into someone in the hallway. For a moment she thought that it was the hiker again, but then she noticed it was just Gad and she calmed down.
"Sorry! I guess I need to watch where I'm going. . ." She apologized. "You ready to go? Where's Mari?"

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

After recovering from an initial moment of confusion when the girl crashed into him, the trainer chuckled in amusement in regard to Irugi's question, lightly tapping his jacket, close to his heart.

"She's right there, forever in my heart." he giggled "Well, actually, in her PokéBall. It's in minimized form so it can fit into my jacket pocket. She decided that she needs a bit more rest before the battle, but she wanted to be there with us so she could pick up on any strategies we might come up with."

The trainer stretched, surveying Irugi for several seconds (his eyes locking for a moment on those mismatched eyes of hers), smiling brightly at her, and then gazed into the Ferret's eyes for a second, nodding in greeting "I don't believe that me and your Furret have been introduced, Irugi. She looks like quite an impressive PokéMon."

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

"My Furret?" asked Irugi, reaching up to ruffle Chiiru's fur. She started down the hall and Gad fell in next to her. "This is Chiiru, She was my second pokemon, so, we've been friends for a while." Chiiru nuzzled her, and she noticed for the first time she was slightly nervous. She tended to ramble when she was, though she couldn't say if it was the upcomming battle that unnerved her or the strange trainer at her side. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself, then smiled. Like always, she had already resolved to do her best, no matter what happened.

 

[Sem]

The morning sun flowed through the window, filling the room with that nice morning glow. The light also met with Jim's face, causing him to awaken. Jim blinked a bit as his eyes got used to the light. He sat up and stretched while giving a loud yawn. Jim looked to his left side to see Unown laying facedown on a pillow. Jim rubbed his eyes and stood up, stretching again as he walked over to the desk and grabbed his PokeGear.

7:46 am the clock on the device said. Jim strapped the PokeGear to his wrist and grabbed a dark grey t-shirt from his pack and put it on. He also stepped out of his shorts and into a pair of greenish-brown colored cargo shorts. Then into the bathroom he went and he brushed his teeth while looking into the mirror. His short hair never needed combing, but his face, however, looked un-washed. After putting his brush away, he grabbed a wash cloth and began wiping his face clean. He had to look presentable at his battle today. Jim walked from the bathroom and put on his black tennis shoes. He smiled as he noticed that Unown was still asleep.

Jim threw a pillow onto the bed. "Wake up, sleepy." Unown didn't budge. Jim sighed and walked over to the bed and poked the black symbol with his index finger. "Can't be lazy, Unown... Not today."

"Bah, I'll be lazy when I feel like it thank you very much." Unown responded. Jim sighed again and simply grabbed Unown and placed it under his arm.

"We're going down for breakfast, like it or not." Jim said as he walked out the door and into the hallway. "I'll find a pancake or something for you to sleep on." Jim chuckled as he walked to the elevator. The rooms he passed were filled with rustlings and noises as the trainers inside them got ready for the new day. A few of these trainers went with Jim into the elevator. The elevator hummed as it moved and dinged when it reached the first floor. Jim then walked to the cafeteria. He wasn't surprised to see a line of people leading up to the food. Jim waited his turn and finally got up to the front within four or five minutes.

After grabbing his food Jim found one of the last vacant tables and sat down. Jim let Unown float out of his hand and above the table. Jim began inhaling the food he had and was done rather quickly. His waffles were gone, along with the juice and the cereal. Unown had long fallen asleep on the table. Jim grabbed Unown along with his food tray and went to place it in the stack of dirty trays. Jim had a devilish idea as he passed a jug of ice-water. He grabbed a nearby towel and carefully dipped Unown into the icy liquid. Unown's eye immediately opened wide and let out a cry. Jim quickly pulled Unown out and looked around to see if anyone was looking at him. Jim then proceeded to the exit while he dried Unown off with the towel.

"I don't like you..." Unown said, its eye glaring at Jim.

"I know... I know..." Jim snickered. "But guess what?... You're awake now." Jim smiled and walked into the lobby of the Pokemon Center. He headed for one of the couches and sat down. He had received a message saying that his partner battle with Maria didn't start for about another hour. Jim assumed he should simply wait for the girl. He was alright with that though. He could wait an hour for his battle. Jim rested his head against the back of the couch and began thinking of battle strategies. Thinking of attacks wasn't that hard when using Unown, so battle strategies had to be above the norm to be effective against opponents due to Unown only being able to use one attack.

Sem continued thinking with his eyes closed as his mind wandered on about many things. Before he knew it, Jim was asleep himself, his body went slightly limp as he lounged on the couch.

"And he thinks I'm sleepy" Unown thought to itself as it floated about in the air around the sofa.
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OOC: Yeah, felt kinda rushed I know. but it's a wake up post so gimmie a break.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

OOC: Told ya i'll get around to replying this weekend, MSDL... >>

"A pleasure, Chiiru." he said, nodding with a smile towards the furret, then turning his eyes back to Irugi "Mari was my second PokéMon... My first 'real' capture, so to speak, though, as my first PokéMon and I have known each other for years before we've actually set out on an actual journey. You might say that Mari and Menthe are the ones I'm closest to... But, enough about me. I believe that Ambermoon Café calls."

There was little need for words as the two trainers walked out of the PokéMon center and into the streets of Pewter City.

~*~

They arrived soon enough - as expected, it was a quiet morning. From outside, the place seemed nice, small and quiet. A few patrons were inside already, chatting silently.

"Shall we?" Gad smiled, and Irugi nodded silently, as they entered.

~*~

The interior seemed larger than the exterior - something about the way the tables were arranged. the furniture was all wooden and had an extremely natural, smooth curving flow to it - as if it was grown rather than carved. None of the tables looked exactly the same - the curving patterns of the legs were different, like plant roots flowing into each other, for instance, and at the center of every table there was a small, round, amberish crystal nestled between the natural growths of the table - crystals that absorbed sunlight during the day and glowed silently through the night like candles.

The coloration of the entire place was dominated by soft, comfortable earthtones and faint golden shades, broken by various patterns of stone and plants at time in an artistic collage that seemed to flow seamlessly, avoiding clutter. More of the ambery, light-absorbing crystals could have been seen embedded into the design, some larger and deeper in color than the others. Crystalline-looking large windows dominated one of the walls - the one facing the streets outside - and let in sunlight in a way that lit the place up cheerily but filtered out excessive light. Soft piano music echoed silently through the air - which felt somewhat cleaner than the air outside, too.

Ambermoon Café wasn't a very large place - it had this soft, almost intimate atmosphere to it that radiated comfort - the sort of place that would probably be a refuge for those who sought to escape the world rushing around them, a place for quiet contemplation.

He always loved the place. He tended to drop by every time he was in Pewter.

A girl walked over to the two trainers as soon as they walked through the door - shortish, with short honey-blond hair and grey eyes, and dressed in a complex amber, black and silver outfit — "Welcome to the Ambermoon Café" she smiled at the two trainers. "Or should I say Welcome back, Gad? It's been a while."
"Yah, it has. Haven't been around Pewter much lately. I'd assume my favorite table's still available?" Gad smiled back.
"Yes, it is." The waitress replied "I'd assume you'll take it."
"You assume correctly, thank you very much." He nodded with a bright smile, and the waitress nodded, taking several notes, and nodding in confirmation "It's all yours." She replied, and motioned inwards.

Gad smiled, and led the way to a table which was located in the corner of the great window, intricate patterns of light and shadow being woven by the windows' surface upon it. The table itself seemed the most organic of the bunch, patterns of ivy and vines flowing up its legs and around its circumference. It was a table for two, and the view from the windows, as well as the construction of the wall in its area, was nothing short of inspiring. There was a reason why it was his favorite table.

"Shall we?" he asked, smiling at her and gesturing at the table.

 

[Linkachu]

OOC: Since you didn't say what time it was in your post after all was said and done, Semmy, I'm gonna take a guess XD

BIC:
"So… Our first battle is at 9:30 this morning, eh…? Eeep, I wish I hadn‘t slept through that message earlier…" Maria whimpered as she read the text message displayed on her PokeGear, waiting for Rigel and Bellatrix to step quietly past her before shutting the bedroom door gently. Donnie and his Pokemon had shown up late the night before dead-tired, so she figured they could use a bit more rest.

Looks like they were training pretty hard last night… Maria smiled softly as she gazed back at the closed door. "Donnie, even if you don't win today, you should feel proud of yourself…"

"Growl?" Rigel gave a quizzical yap at the girl, who appeared to be talking to a door.

Bellatrix simply groaned in response, while Maria's face went slightly red, "I was just… that was… Oh, c'mon, Rigel! You're ruining my dramatic moment here! … Bah. Whatever. Let‘s just hurry up and get something to eat. We‘re already running late." The trainer grumbled as she led the way down the hallway and began to descend the stairs.

"I bet Jim's already standing by the entrance ready to go wondering where the heck we are," the girl whimpered again, gazing now at the digital clock numbers of her PokeGear. It was already after 8:30! She could feel the sickening tense feeling hanging over her grow deeper still and she sighed weakly, "…He's probably furious by now, and we deserve it. Get ready to grovel…"

She gave a gulp as they touched down on the bottom step, pausing to gaze around the lobby area where Jim was no doubt waiting. And yet, there was no sign of the boy.
"Huh? You mean he's NOT here already?" Maria yelped with disbelief, but it was then that she caught sight of a very familiar Unown floating silently above a choice sofa. The girl stared hard at the figured slumped over on the couch and almost choked. There was Jim, leaning to the side like he was about to fall over, fast asleep.

"Well… then…" Maria's muttered, heaving a heavy sigh of relief. All of her tension had been washed away in an instant. If he was this relaxed about it, what the heck was she so wound up for?!

She quickly made her way past a few couches and yammering trainers with her Pokemon companions trailing behind, coming to a halt directly in front of the quietly snoring Jim. Looking up, she gave his Unown a happy smile, "Good morning, Unown! You guys did get some sleep last night, eh?"

Turning her eyes back to the boy, Maria spoke softy, "Heeey. Jiiim. Wakey, wakey!" But there was no response. "C'mon, Jim! Sleep time's over!" But still, nothing. "Oh hoh. Well then, if that's how it's gonna be…" Maybe it was because she was feeling a bit spiteful after worrying so much about being late, but a cruel idea crossed her mind. She looked over her shoulder to Bellatrix and gave a nod and a grin, who silently nodded back and stepped forward. With that, the Vaporeon opened her mouth wide and shot a quick burst of icy cold water right in the sleeping boy's face - just enough to spook him awake.

Maria didn't even know if it'd worked, but she broke down into laughter anyways.

OOC: Don't worry. After your response, we'll get this show on the road ^_~

 

[Sem]

"Heeey. Jiiim. Wakey, wakey!" Jim heard a distant voice in his mind. "C'mon, Jim! Sleep time's over!" The voice got louder and sounded closer, but Jim was so out. All the excitement probably got to him.

"Jim, Maria's he-" said Unown's voice. Unown's voice was clear and loud. Jim awoke as he heard Unown's words being cut off and he soon found out why. He opened his eyes only to be met by a blast of ice water followed by a breakdown of laughter. "Doesn't feel good does it?" Jim glared over at Unown who was glaring back in return.

"Shut up, Unown." Unown blinked happily and began to dance about in the air. Jim turned his attention to in front of him where there was a Vaporeon with a big smirk on her face, Maria who was laughing so hard she put her hands on her knees for support, and there was a Growlithe who seemed to be laughing almost as much as its trainer... almost. Jim stood up and glared at the three of them. "Thanks for that." Jim managed to smile as he started wiping his face off.

"Well, sorry about me snoozing off, guess all the excitement got to me... You don't seem to mind much though." Jim chuckled. "But I'm ready now, so we leave whenever you're ready, Maria."

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

Irugi looked around the great cafe for a moment, before following Gad to a table. She liked the place immensely, It had a feel to it that reminded her of the wood cabins she so adored, great and pleasent, set high up in the forests and mountains, long wood frames arching like trees in a breeze, expanses of glass windows that tied together outdoors and indoors seemlessly, soft amber lighting. . .

She was struck by a sudden fancy, she would win the KCC, and use her winnings to buy a place like that, a giant wood cabin high in the mountains, spend her days in the forest, meeting and occasionally fighting forest pokemon, mountain pokemon. She'd be a pokemon ranger, of sorts, perhaps she'd even do a bit of reaserch. . .

The fantasy dissolved into a jumble. It was nice, she thought to herself, but unrealistic. She loved the mountains and the forest, but she could never live a life like that.

Gad had stopped and was smiling at her. They were at a table next to the large windows. Did his smile falter for a second? She frowned, and wondered if her eyes were bothering him. It was the reason she dyed her hair- to keep eyes off of her eyes. She shook her head and sat at the table. They hadn't spoken much on the way over, but she had been absorbed with the sunrise, and with taking in the cool night air that still lingered about the city. She had been slowly waking up and welcoming the morning. She hoped she hadn't seemed to cold or distant, or discourteous.

The crystal in the table completely entranced her. She watched it flicker and glow in a rythm not unlike a heartbeat as she spoke.

"I must warn you before hand- I have a VERY unique battle style." She grined wolfishly at the crystal. "Are you nervous? Do they have black tea here?" Chiiru curled up in her lap, gazing at Gad intensely across the table. She had a feeling they presented a difficult front.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

He has been watching her silently, noticing the array of emotions that seemed to pass through her face. He wondered silently for a second why was she frowning for a bit. He was wondering if it was something he did briefly, before dismissing the notion. No good thinking too much of it. he thought Just stay at least remotely confident.

He then returned her gaze, smiling brightly "You can see for yourself. I think the menu's about to land here any second..."

As he spoke, the girl who welcomed them into the Café approached their table, carrying a pair of small booklets, intricate designs on their leather cover. She set one by Gad and one by Irugi, smiling at the two of them, and walking away to serve a few other tables. As there were only a few patrons at this hour, only she was required.

"And as for your battle style." Gad smiled "I'd personally love to see it."

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

Irugi ran her eyes down the menu, deciding to stick with a cup of black tea. the concentrated caffine would wake her up. She noticed they had chocolate chip biscotti, and planned on getting 2 orders.

setting the menu down, she glanced over at Gad, who had also already put his down.

"Something tells me you'll see it soon enough." She laughed quietly and ruffled Chiiru's fur as the Furrett chittered in a tone that suggested a laugh. She leaned back in her chair and looked out the huge window they were next to. The scene didn't fit the window. Where she expected soaring vistas of trees and great soaring skylines, vast expanses of sky and hulking mountains, she say instead the dusty streets of Pewter, normally deserted at this hour. A few people trickled past, heading in the direction of the Pokecenter. Irugi guessed they were heading to go watch the first battles.

"I don't envy the people with battles scheduled before ours," she said quietly.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

As Irugi was looking through her menu, Gad flipped idly through his for a few seconds. He knew what he wanted from the beginning, of course, but he could never help but appreciate their design - Ambermoon Café's menus looked like something out of a fantasy novel, onyx-black ink in fine lines upon vaguely parchment-like paper, intricate illustrations aside perfectly readable yet equally fantastic calligraphy. Like the tables, none of the menus was exactly the same as the other. He set the menu down a few moments later, and waited for Irugi to set her own down, watching her silently in the meantime.

"Tell me about it." he said in response to her comment "At least we have some time to prepare ourselves for the coming battle. I wonder who got the first battle slot of the day... 9:30, I think. Eesh."

The girl returned to their table, noticing they've set down their menus "Can I take an order, by any chance?" she grinned, and Gad nodded, smiling "Well, I'll go for the usual, I think. Tiger-eye/Amber blend, with a touch of cocoa. Extra biscotti." he grinned.

The girl took a note, smiling back. and turned to Irugi.

"And for you?" she asked.

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

Love, Don't tell me, tell Irugi! ^^ She's never been to AmberMoon before! *giggles* I loooove Chocolate chip biscotti, i could, and have, eaten entire BARRELS of the stuff. Like, the BIG tins. *pointless comment, but.*

Irugi looked up from studying the crystal and smiled uncertainly at the woman.

"Black tea- ah, black, and dark, please, and an order of Chocolate Chip biscotti?"

The woman smiled back and nodded, whisking away the menus. Irugi turned to Gad, carefully avoiding meeting his eyes, as she did with everyone.

"Were you planning on watching any of the later battles?" she asked. "My. . .er. . .Traveling companion has a battle later today, I was looking forward to watching him. It isn't often i get a chance to see him battle. . ."

Just then the waitress returned with the pair's orders. Irugi picked up her tea and inhaled deeply, savoring it. She never liked to rush tea. To her, it was calming. Chiiru, meanwhile, explored the plate of assorted Biscotti that had been left next to her plate of Chocolate Chip biscotti.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

"Actually, I was." Gad smiled, noting with interest that Irugi seemed to avoid meeting his eyes "I enjoy watching a good battle as much as participating in one. Sometimes, it can be quite an inspiration to me."

He nodded at the waitress when she arrived, smiling and picking up his own order, taking a second to breathe in the scent that wafted from the drink. Ambermoon grew its own tea, coffee and cocoa, as well as an assorted array of other plants, and were exceptionally good at keeping the distinction between various types of them in preparation for drinking. His personal favorite blend had a rich flavor and a rich aroma of coffee with a subtle touch of chocolate and a certain depth and clarity which he could never recognize the origin of.

He smiled at the girl and the Furret.

"So. Yesterday, you told me that you're going to be using a Steelix. Considering the fact I'm using Mari, I'd have to ask you to watch out with Earthquakes - they can hurt allies as well as enemies by mistake, and Mari's kinda... weak to ground moves." he blushed lightly "But I'm assuming that you already knew that..."

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

Taking a quick sip of tea, Irugi looked up at Gad then back at the tea. Was he blushing? Perhaps he thought her a fool and felt foolish informing her, perhaps he thought that she didn't know what she was doing. That was entirely plausable, he had only seen Kaido and Chiiru, out of her team of six, and he had never seen her battle. So it was possible he thought her some hapless newbie who got lucky with a pokeball- or two- and was lucky enough again to get into the competition. She felt a bit offended, She was good- Very Good! and she had worked hard to get there. It still shamed her that Kenji was better at battling than she was, the first time they met, he had kicked her twice around the clearing before she gave in, but . . . Kenji rarely battled. Which was good- it kept her from being embarassed in front of other people, but it also meant she rarely got to see Kenji's style.

Irugi loved the way Kenji battled. It was like watching a dance. He flowed seemlessly from move to move, as did his pokemon. Watching him and Kozan was especially beautiful, the trainer and the pokemon seemed to think with one mind, across the field they communicated, Kenji giving occasional commands and hand signals as her flowed and moved with Kozan, Kozan light on his feet as his namesake, the butterfly, flowing like a river of fire.

Or perhaps he was embarrassed at Mari's faults? she frowned at her tea. one should love the people they loved for their faults as well as virtues. . .

Or maybe she was thinking to much. She relaxed, and smiled.

"Don't be silly! I don't have any electric pokemon, but i've fought plenty. And. . .we'll be careful. We know how to look after our own." She met his eyes for a moment, but she couldn't match his intense gaze. Blushing herself, she looked down.

"Earthquake shouldn't be a problem. What we should be thinking about is weather our pokemon will work together or not. They'll have to watch each other's backs, and . . . Well, I know my Nejime will have no problem with it, but Mari seems a bit. . .well, prideful. She Won't have a problem working with him, will she?" Passing off a piece of biscotti to Chiiru, a dark chocolate kind she wasn't very fond of, She took one for herself, nibbling it casually. She hadn't touched her tea, but just knowing it was there was a comfort to her.

"We're going to have to trust each other, and our pokemon are going to have to trust each other." It sounded good, but Irugi knew it was going to be easier said than done, on her part.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

Gad couldn't help but giggle "You don't know Mari as well as I do, Irugi. She makes a great cooperative battler. I can't say I've ever had the pleasure of battling alongside a Steelix before, but I'm pretty sure that she'll do just fine."

He smiled, taking a small sip of his drink, feeling the refreshing warmth of it flowing through him.

"Mari's hardly prideful. She might seem a bit distant to other people, but I know what she's really like... You want prideful, you should meet Lycos." he giggled, then his face turned serious "Although maybe you shouldn't. He scares even me sometimes. Well, I think of him as a he, but he's... well, He's a Metagross. That should explain everything."

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

"A Metagross?" Irugi was interested, but she tried not to show it. She wondered what he knew of ledgendary pokemon. She desperately needed to talk to Jon now. . .she wondered if she'd have a chance before the battle. Kenji had probably already called him. . .

Shaking her head, she laughed. Gad sounded afraid of his own pokemon! But than again, she understood it, she still didn't know how she felt about Rayn. . .

Taking a swallow of her tea she sighed and sat back in her chair. "Well, if you think we'll be fine, we should be. Now, I know i've dropped hints about my battling style, I'll tell you, we hammer away without much flair or strategey, but we've got more than a few tricks up our sleve. My team and I are apparently known for having an incredably liquid battling style. I don't ever really go in with a plan, and i suppose that works for me, I win more battles than I lose. But, what about your style? Forgive me if i speak too bluntly."

She narrowed her eyes, hoping she hadn't sounded too arrogant. But she was a blunt sort of person.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

"Overall, my battle style is pretty much adaptive, depending on the situation." Gad grinned at Irugi "You see, More often than not, the enemy is its own worst enemy. We just bring it out to the surface. Diversity. Creativity. There's more than just one way to use an attack - and once you figure out which attacks work best with each other, it can be used to form some lethal combinations. Couple that with a PokéMon's personal battle style, and you pretty much have how I battle." Gad grinned at Irugi "Naturally, when battling alongside someone else, this changes slightly to incorporate the cooperative element..."

then he paused, blushing.

"I apologize for popping a whole damn speech at you." he said, chuckling a bit nervously "I'm just a bit overdramatic at times. Must be the contest spirit dancing in my mind, or something."

We're supposed to be battling alongside each other, not against each other. he thought as he dipped one of the biscotti in his drink and nibbled on it So why does it feel like we're challenging each other rather than planning a joined strategy? She's right. We're going to have to trust each other.

"And yes, a Metagross. If you ever got the chance to look into one's eyes, you'd understand. Ever had a PokéMon that had mutual respect toward and formed a partnership - an alliance of sorts - with, but you pretty much knew that you'll never be friends with? That's Lycos. He's the sort of PokéMon who knows he's smarter than anything else in a 10 mile radius and wouldn't hesitate to show it by being bloody ominous." Gad smiled a bit sadly, shaking his head slightly "But yeah. I'm rambling. Again."

He took another sip of his drink. I'm making a fool of myself. he thought Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

 

[MoonStruckDragonLass]

It was obvious, from the way he spoke, that he was a lot more confident with his battle style than Irugi was with hers.

"It's fine." She waved her hand and laughed. "I know exactly how you feel about- Lycos? I have a Pokemon like that myself. . ." She fell quiet. how to describe Rayn? She didn't know how Rayn herself felt about their relationship. She took a sip of tea to stall.

"Well, I think we shall do fine battling together. The best judge of how Pokemon will get along is how their trainers get along- or so i hear." She was thinking of Kenji and herself, Kenji's Pokemon were her Pokemon, and visa versa. But the point was, Kenji's Pokemon trusted her because Kenji trusted her. She didn't quite know how to put that in words.

She glanced at her pokegear, noting the time. They had about 15 minutes. Taking a swallow of her tea, she thought about the Metagross. they were supposedly the closest thing to legendary as a Pokemon could get with actually being there. Jon would be fascinated to hear about this Lycos. It was a lucky stroke, as far as she was concerned. Gad was acting a bit jumpy. She did hope it wasn't anything she had done. . . scarfing down a wonderfully delicious chunk of biscotti, she smiled warmly at him.

"So," she said, "Tell me about this. . Lycos of yours. I'd love to hear how you acquired such an impressive Pokemon. "