Jory

The title of the post is pretty self-explanatory. After the slow heat death of Pokemon: LD, I've decided that I want to continue hosting RPs. I thought that Pokemon: Luminous Dawn went so well that I'm already hoping to get another thing going. Essentially, the concept is to have each player create a Bounty Hunter character within the world of One Piece. In this world, assume that we are currently in the time skip between Marineford and Shabondy Archipelago. If you don't know One Piece, it basically means that the One Piece canon is on pause. The premise of this RP is to have Bounties act as chapters. Characters will have development and there will be recurring NPCs, but this structure will make it easier for people to drop in and out of chapters without disrupting the natural flow of the narrative. If you're interested in doing some action-oriented One Piece RP, let me know here. Otherwise, I'll see you in the OOC.

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Jason Mio's stick waved harmlessly through the air. Whatever had picked up the Amateurs, it was gone now. "It looks safe enough to me. Still, we should keep our guard up. No telling what we're going to find inside," Jason said. He walked forward cautiously, leading the way into the building. Once through the threshold, they entered a wide corridor lit by flickering lightbulbs and the infernal excretions of shorting wires. The first thing the pair of Trainers saw was a sign hanging diagonally from the ceiling that read, "ELECTRICAL." He continued, beckoning for Mio to follow him down the hall. On their left, they saw a long, straight hallway. It progressed for a long while before a collapse in the roof blocked access to what appeared to be a door behind it. In front of them, at the end of the hall, was another set of double doors. Well, they would have been had the door on the right not fallen flat on the ground in front of the doorway some years ago. Through the fallen door they could see that the hall opened up into a larger room. Past that was hard to identify. Jason opened his mouth to speak before stopping and pointing ahead. In the larger room, a pack of Magnemite floated by the open door. "I think we're in their territory," Jason whispered. "I know that sounds odd, but I'd be willing to wager that this is their home and they're willing to defend it." He looked pensive. "The way I see it, we have two options. We can either try to fight them, or we can leave them alone and try to sneak by. Up to you."

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Jason nodded, looking to the others for confirmation. Both Brendan and Jack stared blankly for some time, not responding. Jason shrugged assuming they meant that they were on Mio's side. "You may have a point." He took a step back and gestured for the others to walk through the door, pretending to be gentlemanly. "Alright, so the intrepid adventurers are heading into the abandoned building!" They approached the door, all the Trainers looking around. The air near the door smelled of ozone, and the hairs on the backs of their necks stood on end. Jack and Brendan led the way, pushing through the doors. After cautiously looking around, they took a few steps inside. Then, their vision twisted, their worlds distorted, and they disappeared into thin air before Jason and Mio's eyes. Brendan and Jack The pair came to on their backs, looking up at the remains of what probably used to be a ceiling. The plaster, metal, and concrete showed signs of explosive damage, leaving much of the room open to the night sky. Through the hole in the ceiling and all the floors above it they could see the ring of debris floating immediately around them. All around the room, dust and small objects were suspended in the air. A chair floated harmlessly above the two Amateur Trainers. It continued through the air, moving gently toward the open door in the corner of the room. Desks and shelves lined the room, but most everything lighter had begun its melancholy crawl toward the monolith in the sky above the lab. Through another open doorway to their left, they could see a ways down the hall. At the end of the corridor, a cave-in blocked off access to the rest of the building. Quest updated: "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" -(Optional) Regroup -Find the Energy Imperative Lab -Copy data logs from the Energy Imperative

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Jason "Thanks for the friendly advice," Jason mumbled as he took Mio's hand and stood up. He brushed the dirt and debris off of his pack and his pants before turning back toward the main building. "We should head inside," he commented. "I'm done leading for now, especially after that disaster. Let's go!" he said quickly. The group made their way uneventfully toward the main building, stopping in front of the first entrance they saw. Upon closer inspection, the building was mostly made out of concrete, glass, and some kind of reflective metal. The architecture had a very contemporary sense of being while also retaining some aspects of older buildings in the area, such as towering white columns in front of the doorway. The facility was five stories tall in some places and shorter in others. In its prime, it would have been quite impressive to look at. Now, it was a ghost town. "This place is huge," Jason commented. "How does Fennel expect us to find one computer in the whole thing? We're gonna be here all day," he began to complain before stopping himself. "Then again, this place seems ideal for training up before our Gym battles. Maybe it wasn't so unfortunate that we ended up here today." He looked at the door. "So, a couple of ideas. We could enter here and see where we end up, or we could try to get in somewhere else. Maybe another door or a window or something," he elaborated. "Anyone got any bright ideas?"

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Jason Jason chuckled at the mention of the terrifying Normal-type being afraid of something as non-threatening as a Fletchling. "You're serious? She's afraid of those tiny little things? I thought she'd take an Ursaring head-on, but I suppose even a scrapper like her has her fears. I'm sure with the right amount of training she'll be over to get over it," he commented as he continued to look around. Just as he was about to relax his guard, the rustling in the grass sounded again from the direction of the building. This time, a pair of sparkling blue eyes were visible in the shadowy underbrush. "Hey!" Jason called out, not wanting to surprise the Pokemon and have it attack. "We're just here looking around. You can come out, if you want." As quickly as the eyes appeared, they vanished. This time, Jason could see the Pokemon's wake in the grass. "Guys, come on!" he said quickly. "Don't you want to see what it is?" Rascal jumped down from his Trainer's shoulders to land at his side, ready to give chase with him. Jason sprang into action, running into the tall grass after the Pokemon and toward the building. The grass made running slightly awkward, but not impossible for the Amateur Trainer. He chased the rustling in the grass across the field and toward the building, stepping around the shallow pools of water as he made his way through the outlying brush. As he got closer he felt his foot snag on something. Oh, shit, was his only thought as he tumbled forward, landing hard on his back. He looked up at the sky for a moment before laying his head back down, groaning. "I can't believe he got away..." he mumbled to the amused chittering of his Minccino.

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" As Brendan held the Slowpoke out for his friends to see, a bead of sweat grew on his brow followed by another. His arms began to grow tired as the eighty pound, four foot long Pokemon hung suspended in the air by the sheer force of Brendan's excitement. However, he knew he was in big trouble when his back began hurting. That would be the last time Brendan tried deadlifting a new Pokemon. The Slowpoke simply said, "Sloooooow," as if mirroring Brendan's sentiment. Its mouth hung open after the utterance, as it had forgotten to close it. However, its facial expression remained blank. Jason The Amateur was taken aback by Brendan's forthright approach, and couldn't help but laugh as Brendan began to struggle with the heavy Pokemon. "You know, you could also put him in a Poke Ball," Jason suggested. "I've heard that if a Pokemon wants to join you, it won't even resist being encoded." Suddenly, there was a rustle from the grass surrounding the pool. Jason and Rascal were promptly on guard, searching the area using Rascal's keen hearing and the Trainer's sharp eyesight. Just as quickly as the rustling had started, it vanished into the distance. "I think we should keep going ASAP. We got lucky this time." Jason gave the grass around them another look before turning toward the Dreamyard's main facility. "I'm glad you caught a Pokemon though, Brendan. With a Gym right here in Striation, you needed something to shore up your weaknesses." Rascal began to climb down Jason's arm before taking a look at the water and, making a quick decision, turning around and climbing back up to the relative comfort of his Trainer's shoulder. "Next time, we may land near a Pokemon that's looking for a fight. So be on your guard as we walk," he cautioned.

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" The Slowpoke continued staring blankly ahead. Its eyes stayed totally unfocused as the pink Psychic-type continued lounging in the water.

Dreamyard, Exterior- "Let's Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Jason The Amateur Trainer followed after Brendan and Jack, hanging back to keep Mio compnay as they journeyed through the mysterious area. As Brendan led them closer to the abandoned research facility and the floating rubble above it, vegetation became more sparse. The trees were replaced with strange gray grass that grew up to their hips. The sounds of Pokemon in the forest became but a distant memory, fading with both time and distance as they made their march toward their destination. Before they'd gone more than a hundred yards the group's perception began to become warped. Everything around them began to coalesce into a small spiral, then went white. The landscape reappeared around them moments later; however, Jason could swear that the floating rubble had moved. Before, it was straight ahead in the distance. Now, it was slightly to the left and substantially closer. Taking another look around, he realized the gate back to Striation City was no longer in view. He began to take stock of the situation. The building in front of him was still the same one, for sure. "I think we're on the other side of the facility," Jason said to the rest of the group. "Fennel wasn't wrong about this place being weird, that's for sure." He looked toward the building once more. On the other side, the grass had retaken the area to the point of growing in some of the building's windows. Instead, a series of large yet shallow pools of water dotted the landscape on the way to the Dreamyard's research facility. "Either way, we should keep-" "Slooooooow." Jason looked around once again, looking for the source of the sound. "Did one of you say something?" he asked the group. "Poooooooke." Finally, Jason felt his sock beginning to grow wet. He looked down and, to his surprise, found himself standing in one of the shallow pools he'd seen in front of him. Even more surprising was that when he looked around at his friends' feet, he saw a big pink lump sticking out from under Brendan's. More specifically its tail. "Uh... Buddy?" he asked his friend, trying to get his attention. "Might want to mind your feet."

Striation City, Fennel's House... Lab... Thing...- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Fennel "Quite a useful question, and packed to the brim with information you will surely need. Excellent inquiry. I assume you are Mio, the one Bianca told me actually has two bits of a brain to rub together. No offense to the rest of you; Pokemon Trainers just aren't usually the brightest bulbs in the bunch. Anyhow, the wing of the Dreamyard where the explosion originated was a wing that specialized in doing research on Psychic-type Pokemon. One of the anomalies of the Dreamyard is that the Psychic energy left over from the blast can affect the area in a number of different ways. Floating objects, altered perception, and intra-site teleportation are a few of the more common ones. "Again, though, I'm sure you'll all be fine. Bianca tells me you are a precocious group, so I have full faith in your ability to get this done. Just remember one thing- Psychic energy can do a lot of things, but it cannot harm you directly. Floating objects dropping out of the sky are a different matter entirely." The scientist paused for a moment. "Since you are Trainers, you might be interested to know that Pokemon with Psychic predilections tend to congregate around the Dreamyard. The collapse of the building has created several localized biomes, so you should be able to find some outside. However, once you're inside be on the lookout for stray Electric-types. They are there to feed, not to sightsee. Be on your guard." She then opened a drawer in her desk, taking out a flash drive and handing it to Jason. "Just stick this in the mainframe once you're there. It'll sift through the files by keyword and find what I need. It should take about an hour to hack in and get what I wanted." Jason received Energy Imperative Access Codes (x1)! With that said, Fennel clapped her hands. "Now, kindly get the fuck out of my laboratory. And don't come back without those logs." On cue the door hissed open and the same irritated looking assistant was there to usher them out. On their way downstairs, Mio was able to scan the data of a small Flying-type Pokemon into his Dex: Pokedex Bianca The older Trainer led them to the Northern exit of Striation City. After leading them through the gate, which was virtually identical to all the others, Bianca turned to face the group. "Well, here you guys are! I hope you have fun doing a little dirty work for Fennel. I know she seems a bit weird, but she's a books-first kind of girl!" she said with a giggle. "Anyway, there are some neat-o Pokemon around here, especially if you're interested in Psychic- and Electric-types." She quickly checked her XTransceiver, then put it away. "I'm needed at the Pokemon Gym. Once you guys are done dropping off the data logs at Fennel's, how about you drop by? Hugh's heading over there soon. See you later~" she said loudly, skipping off into the gateway. Jason The group of Amateur Trainers turned around to face the Dreamyard. The gate let them out at the treeline of a large clearing that had obviously been cut in the forest to make room for the research facility. Once Bianca was gone and no longer distracting them, they could feel the Psychic energy that Fennel had described permeating the clearing. Try as they might to see an entrance to the lab from where they were standing, they were impeded by a distorted landscape. There was a ring of debris floating in a perfect circle above the main structure, slowly orbiting the perimeter of one of the wings. Jason pointed to it and Rascal ran out along his arm, standing on his forearm in order to join his Trainer in pointing at the anomaly. "If I were a betting man, I'd say that's the Psychic Energy wing. Even over here, you can feel how weird this place is. It's like the energy has settled into the earth itself." He paused for a moment. "Anyone care to take the lead on this? Psychic-types aren't really in my wheelhouse. I'm more of an earth-tones kinda guy."

Striation City, Main Street- 9:00 AM the Next Day Bianca led the Amateur Trainers back through the city streets, heading for Fennel's house. She'd woken them up an hour earlier, making sure there was time enough for her charges to feed themselves and their Pokemon before resuming their journey. She'd found each of them splayed out on a bed in their hostel-like room in the upstairs of the Pokemon Center. Jason appeared bleary-eyed and duller than usual, exhausted from the excitement of the day before. As usual Rascal reflected his Trainer's mood, his head sticking out of his Trainer's pack. Somehow, Bianca was as perky and energetic as usual. Years of journeying through Unova showed in her attitude, not letting tiredness impact her. Soon enough, the group found themselves at the foot of the stairs leading into one of the many brownstones lining Striation's Main Street. Bianca turned quickly on her heel, smiling broadly at the group of Trainers before her. "Well, here we are. I guess 'here' is kind of vague, but I'll explain! So we're at Dr. Fennel's house. She can be a tad touchy, but I promise she's suuuuper nice! Fennel studies all kinds of different energy that's created by Pokemon and can power all kinds of useful stuff! You know how Castelia City converted from Electrode power to hydroelectric turbine power last year? Well, she figured out that if you use the Electrodes as amplifiers rather than producers of Electric-type power, you can more than quadruple the amount of energy produced!" Bianca grinned. "I'm lucky to know someone as smart as her! I may be Professor Juniper's assistant, but everyone knows that it's the real eggheads like her that make the world go round. Juniper and I learned what we know about Pokemon from living and experimenting with them, but Fennel's really got the theoretical science down. Anything you need to know, she could probably answer twice as well as I could." She then shrugged. "Anyway, we should head inside. Fennel's a... punctual type. We don't want her any more uptight than she is, so let's get moving." Fennel's House Bianca knocked on the door three times. She waited for a few moments before the door was opened by a small man in a lab coat. "Ah, Bianca," he said quickly. He retrieved a metal device from his pocket. When he waved his hand over it, it expanded into a rectangle. The frame filled with light, becoming an interactive display. The man pressed a few buttons, his eyes scanning the holopad. "Dr. Fennel has been expecting you. You're late," he noted, indicating that the holopad read "9:02." Bianca sighed in response, shaking her head. The lab assistant led them through the door. The first sight that greeted Bianca and the Amateur Trainers was a living room converted into a full, working laboratory complete with some of the same high-tech machines that were in Juniper's lab. Mio in particular might have been interested to see several different types of Pokemon connected to electrodes while lab assistants scurried around, taking readings and ensuring the Pokemon remained docile. The diminutive lab assistant led them up the stairs in the back of the first floor and into a second-floor lab. This lab seemed different from the one on the first floor, mostly due to the twin beds scattered throughout it. Each was surrounded by a number of different monitors with different readouts, suggesting that each bed contained a different experiment. Continuing to follow the assistant, the small group ended up at a door marked simply, "Office." The assistant knocked three times, then nodded to Bianca and walked off to resume his usual, non-hosting duties. Shortly after, a pneumatic hiss could be heard as the seemingly ordinary door released a cloud of steam and slid open. A very distraught-looking woman came to the door and ushered them in before tapping a few commands into her holopad, causing the door behind her to close once again. When she finally stopped pacing and sat down, the Amateurs got their first good look at her. Fennel couldn't have been a few years older than Bianca, but the stress of her work had clearly gotten to her. Where once there were laughter lines, the Amateurs could see the beginnings of crows' feet. She had long, navy blue hair and wore glasses with small rectangular frames. They kept sliding down her steeply sloped nose, causing her to push them up with one finger every so often. Her lab coat draped heavily over her slender form, making her look somewhat childish despite her age. "Well? What do you want?" she asked, exasperated already. Bianca giggled and looked over the desk at her friend. "Fennel, that's no way to greet your new guests!" she admonished the scientist. "Right, sorry. I'm Fennel, this is my lab. I apologize for my brusque manner; your visit is causing me a great deal of inefficiency as it is. However, I have a task for you. Bianca said I could make use of you; something about it being good training to run errands." She removed her glasses, rubbing the bridge of her nose for a moment before continuing. She input more commands into her holopad, causing the wall behind her to turn white. A projector above the door displayed a large facility on the whiteboard. "This is the Dreamyard two years ago." She flipped to the next picture. "And this is it today." The large, intact domelike structure suddenly developed a crater in the middle of it, with the rest of the building in ruins and collapsed in various places. "I used to run a project at that lab. I was taking a 'sick day' for health reasons when it went up in a fireball. No one knows what really happened. Those who know are either dead or are halfway across the globe right now. My point," she concluded, "is that I need to know what went wrong. Your task should be simple enough for four Trainers to handle- go in, recover the last set of logs from the mainframe, and bring them back to me." She looked around nervously. "I can't go myself. I'm still a suspect just because I wasn't there, and I don't want any more prying eyes on my research than there need to be. After all, it's hard enough complying with government regulations without being actively investigated. No one's been able to access the mainframe before now because anyone with an Admin level password is, like I said, either dead or missing. Last week I was sent this code through an encrypted channel protected by more than one proxy server. I can't figure out whose it was, only that they worked in a project I'd never heard of: the Energy Imperative. I was hoping maybe I might be able to recover some of their notes to use in my own research. Any questions?" she asked the group. "Yeah, I get that you're a suspect and all, but why us? Why not get some of your assistants to go?" Jason asked. "It's been two years. I'm sure everything that's been recovered has been by now. I doubt anyone's watching the place. "You don't get to where I am without taking precautions. Honestly, I'm sending you because I'm not much of a Trainer and it's safer than going myself. Anyone else?" Quest added: "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" -Travel to the Dreamyard -Enter the ruins of the old research complex -Find the Energy Imperative Lab -Copy data logs from Energy Imperative

Striation City- "A Long Awaited Arrival!" Bianca The Emboar's Trainer giggled lightly at Mio's discomfort. "Sorry for snapping at you, but you were nerding out at, like, the worst possible time! It's okay though, Mio! I still love you~" she said jokingly, doing her best to turn her charge bright red. "Anyway, you're right about Twist's biology. If you compare the flame glands in his neck to the one on Typlosion's, you'd find that they have very similar configurations. The Unova Pokemon League actually uses a chart that Professor Juniper and I designed together in their Trainer School!" she said, beaming with pride. If there was one way to get on Bianca's good side, it was discussing Pokemon research. Bianca continued walking merrily along as Twist, Jason, and Brendan followed closely behind her. The group passed through the gate, a rather boring building with white tile floors and blue walls. A news ticker ran along the left wall, accompanied by a TV monitor. The monitor was currently displaying some kind of commercial for a yellow super towel. The group proceeded through the double doors at the other end of the gatehouse, emerging into Striation City proper. Unlike Accumula Town, Striation City was supremely flat. It was a rather small city, with the Trainers able to see the trees at the other end of the area simply by gazing down the main thoroughfare. Most of the buildings were a few stories tall and narrow, pushed up against one another like so many dominoes in a row. Many had small shops on the bottom floor, with the plants and Pokemon seen through windows making it obvious that there were apartments up above. Some of the buildings were built in the townhouse style, with the main entrance on the second floor and a small staircase leading to a basement unit. As they moved farther down the street, the buildings began to space out a little bit. Most, unlike the Pokemon Center they could see peeking its trademark red roof between the buildings, were painted either brown, gray, or left the same color as the red bricks they were built with. "Well, welcome to Striation City! To be frank it's more of a town than a city, but there are more than enough points of interest to warrant the name. I'm sure you're all beat, so the first order of business is to get you all rested up at the Pokemon Center. Tomorrow morning, I'll meet up with you again. A good friend of mine wants to meet all of you." That said, she began walking backward, sure to point out interesting things. "As you all can see, most of the buildings here are residential. The businesses tend to occupy bottom floors, while tenants are up top. Instead of growing outward and negatively impacting the surrounding forest, Striation's city council elected to build up. You can't see it from here, but there used to be a huge laboratory on the Eastern side of town. A few years back, there was a terrible accident. Most of the staff and their Pokemon got out alive, but a ton of research was lost in the flames. The company that owned the building is still trying to recover from the loss. Doctor Fennel, the friend I was talking about, used to work there." Bianca grew quiet for a moment before a huge grin appeared on her face. "It's just around this corner! Come on!" she said, beckoning to the group. They rounded the corner onto a narrower road, one that led straight to another gatehouse. This one was shorter than the main street as well. On their right a few blocks down, they could see the Pokemon Center. It was the same style as the other buildings; narrow, with four floors and a red roof. Bianca walked them to the Pokemon Center, gesturing for Twist to put down the Trainers. Once he did, she returned him to his Poke Ball. "Well, this is where we part ways. I'll be staying at Fennel's. It's just a couple of blocks back the way we came, but I'll be here tomorrow to show you all around." She sighed. "I remember the first day of my journey. Don't worry about it ending; you've all just begun!" Quest complete: "A Long Awaited Arrival!" -Brendan found Half-smoked, smushed cigarette butt on the ground! -The party has gone to sleep -All Pokemon have been fully healed End of Day 1! Stay tuned for the next update!

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" Leon Titan's Headbutt attack collided with the Tyrunt after the long wait, knocking him out cold. Leon sighed angrily and returned Rex to his Luxury Ball, shaking his head. "Beginner's luck..." he muttered, not wanting to look Brendan in the eye after all his talk. "Not like a noob like you could have beaten me without those hax, anyway," he said much more audibly. "Still, you won, so I owe you. And next time, you won't get so lucky." He crossed the field and took a bundle of PokeDollars out of his pocket, handing it to Brendan. Without another word, sigh, or condescending snort the arrogant Trainer retreated toward Benga. Jason The Amateur Trainer facepalmed, looking after Mio as he darted toward Bianca's Emboar in a fangasmic frenzy. He then addressed Benga, who had yet to leave. "You know, Benga, I see right through you," he said quietly. The red-haired Trainer glared at his opponent, daring him to continue speaking. Jason accepted this challenge and plowed recklessly ahead. "You may have that whole crew fooled with the tough-guy act, but the way you've bonded with Helios tells me you're not a bad guy. Do what you will with that," he said, shrugging before walking after Mio. That Emboar was pretty interesting, after all. Benga The punk Trainer remained silent, his face a stony mask of disapproval and condescension save for the corner of his mouth turning up in a slight grin. Leon reached him shortly after, and the two shared a meaningful look. The arrogant Trainer's face was contorted in anger and disappointment, still raw from his loss to the Amateur with the Roggenrola. Benga could understand where his friend was coming from; they had never expected to lose so thoroughly to this group. "I know how you feel," he said sincerely. "This is why we train Pokemon. To become stronger. Without a loss here and there, we'd never make progress." That said, he followed the other Trainers to the Emboar, glad for the opportunity to observe such a powerful Fire-type up close. Leon followed him, trying to make sense of how he had managed to lose to the underleveled Roggenrola. The idea that it had been holding an Eviolite never occurred to him. ??? The blonde girl's eyes were practically glittering with excitement. "My, my. What a powerful playmate~." Then, she giggled. "Want to beat up on Ms. Puff? Oh, but I don't think that would be very fair!" she said, beginning to pout. "But he's right. He doesn't owe me anything. We were just playing~" she said happily, her lips curled up in a smile. "But then he wanted to leave! And if he'd left, I wouldn't have had a playmate while my friends finished their playdates. But everyone's done now! And so unsatisfying, too," she continued, her face growing redder and redder. "If you try to leave me behind again, I'll scream!" she warned, her voice getting higher. Bianca The older Trainer pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, look. We're just gonna go. You can throw your damn hissy fit whenever, but these Trainers have been traveling all day and they deserve their beauty sleep." She then turned to face Mio, incredulous. "Not the time, Mio. Let's go," she finished, whirling on her heel and striding toward the Striation City Gate. Her Emboar gave Benga's crew one final intimidating glare before stomping off after its Trainer. The Fire-type picked up Jack and Mio by their backpacks and followed Bianca toward the Gate. Jason and Brendan, seeing their fellow Trainers heading for some well-deserved R&R, ran to catch up. Benga's crew was left standing outside the gate, waiting for a bit to separate themselves from the dangerous Amateurs before heading to the Pokemon Center themselves. Jason, Brendan, and Mio have completed their battles! Rank A! -Rascal and Gomez each gained 8 EXP! -Loam and Meena each gained 8 EXP! -Titan gained 8 EXP! Jack has completed his battle! Rank D! -Lara and Leonidas each gained 2 EXP! Quest complete! "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" -All Pokemon have gained 5 EXP! -Jason, Mio, and Brendan gained $500! -Mio picked up Hugh's Money (Key Item) Quest added! "A Long Awaited Arrival!" -Follow Bianca into Striation City -(Optional) Disembark from the Emboar

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" ??? As Jack once again engaged with the blonde girl, he failed to notice the two who hadn't been participating in battles circle around behind him. So, when he tried to walk away, he found his path blocked by the lanky, greasy Trainer and the well-dressed one. The greasy Trainer wore a blank expression save for his eyes, which practically glittered with excitement and joy. On the other hand, the well-dressed Trainer seemed kind of uncomfortable. He shifted from foot to foot and kept looking around, as though expecting someone to come charging in to save Jack at any moment. Meanwhile, the blonde girl giggled to herself for a moment before replying to Jack. "If I'm being completely honest, the appetizer was more fun than the entree. That cute little Trainer from earlier was much feistier than you were. Judging by how quick you were to mouth off, I thought you'd put up more of a fight. And don't forget that you had two advantages, Mr. Sore Losery Pants!" she said sweetly. "You had two Pokemon, and poor widdle me only had Ms. Puff! And even though she was healed after the last battle, she hasn't slept or been returned to her Poke Ball. Make all the excuses you want, but if you're just going to give up every time you're down on your luck then I'm done playing with you for good. It's no fun when people can't accept the blame for losing~" she chided him, stepping close enough to waggle her finger in his face. "Now that one," she said wistfully, licking her lips as she looked over to Brendan's battle. "He looks like he'll be fun to play with next time. I hope he's readyyyy~" she nearly sang, daydreaming about beating down Brendan in a Pokemon Battle. Leon Titan fired five shots one after the other, putting all of his strength into stopping the Tyrunt in its tracks. As the attacks sped along their collision course, time seemed to slow down for both Trainers. A line of five boulders soared through the air, opposed by a Dragon- and Rock-type bullet. The flying dinosaur broke through the first of Titan's attacks, wincing as it exploded into dust. The second rock impacted Rex directly on the nose, missing the focal point of the Tyrunt's attack and impacting cleanly. The second rock hit Rex in the face again, slowing his movement toward Titan. Then, the next three hit one after the other, sending the Tyrunt crashing to the ground directly in front of Titan. He streaked toward the rocks already on the ground, landing precisely in the runway titan had constructed. Hurt but still able to fight, Rex began to stand up, a mere foot and a half separating Leon's Pokemon and Brendan's. He made it to a crouching position, then began to strain upwards. He kept attempting to move, but found himself unable to. Upon closer inspection, the truly devastating result of Brendan's strategy was revealed. The Tyrunt's hips were stuck between the rocks, unable to rise above a certain point. His crash to the ground had occurred at an unnatural angle and at a relatively high speed and with the assistance of the force of gravity. That much had been enough to get him wedged. However, without assistance from those sources he found himself hard-pressed to stand up, let alone move in for an attack. Benga "Counter with Take Down!" Benga ordered. His Larvesta hovered and began thrusting itself harshly and recklessly toward Meena, aiming to at least bring down one of his opponents before the fight was finished. His Trainer was right; there was no point in quitting now, not after coming this far. Jason "Mega Drain! Stop him in his tracks!" came the order from Mio's side. Gomez's fist glowed green and he slammed it into the ground, once again trapping the Larvesta in a sizable rush of creepers while managing to circumvent the String Shot field effect. Despite the larval moth's powerful jet boosts, Helios found himself trapped in his enemy's web and waiting for the finishing blow to land. It didn't take long for Meena's claws to find their target after that, slicing through the creepers and hitting her opponent hard. Helios fainted almost instantly, having sustained more damage than any Larvesta should have been able to take. Benga The punk Trainer sighed and pulled his Ball off his belt, returning his Larvesta. "Thanks, Helios. You did your best," he muttered to the Ball before hooking it back onto his belt. He then took the cash Hugh had handed him from his pocket in a wad, waving it around. "You guys did this for your buddy, right? Here's his cash," he said, stepping forward into the Battlefield. "You two scrubs got lucky this time, you know." He shook his head, fuming. "I can't believe we just lost to you two." He then looked Mio in the eyes, unblinking. "You have balls, kid," he admitted, continuing toward Jason and Mio. "I can't deny that. Far as I know, no other Trainer with one Badge is on my level." He looked to Jason, and then over at Leon's less-than-ideal situation. "We picked the wrong fight today, but you can be damn sure you haven't seen the last of me. Now that you've beaten me, I have an obligation to myself to kick your asses," he said with his first genuine grin of the day. "And you both know how I like a challenge." He paused for a moment, seeming to think as he reached his opponents. "You two are more than strong enough to beat the Striation City Gym. So do me a fuckin' favor, will you? Earn that badge so I don't have to say I lost to a couple of rank Amateurs." The thug reached his hand out toward Mio, Hugh's money folded neatly in his palm. "A loss is a loss, even if it's to a couple of losers like you. Take this as the prize money." Bianca The Veteran Trainer strode toward Jack, brushing past the blonde girl as she went. Even though the creepy Trainer began ranting something or other about how she was a horrible tramp, Bianca wasn't fazed. The older Trainer stood casually next to her charge, staring down the blonde girl. "I toooootally get where you're coming from about the excuses," she led off, patting Jack on the head. "He needs to be more accountable. He also needs to give you your prize money, right Jack?" she asked with concern as she turned toward the Amateur Trainer. She then looked to the other two Trainers as if noticing them for the first time. "You know, usually I say the more the merrier, but this is a liiiiittle ridiculous. Can you please move? Jack needs a Pokemon Center, and you're in his way," she asked politely. The two Trainers seemed taken aback by her more relaxed approach. The blonde girl, however, wasn't having any of it. "Do Ms. Puff and I need to teach more lessons today?" she asked hopefully. "Do we get to play with you, too?" she continued with her trademark horrifying giggle. Bianca scratched her head, shifting her overly large hat as she did so. "Oh, no, I don't think you want to play with me," she said with a smile, closing her eyes. "Besides, you've already had so much fun today!" The Fairy Girl giggled once more, shaking her head. "But I want to play with you! If you're with him, I won't let him leave until you do!" Bianca sighed. "Why? Why is it always the hard way with people like you?" she asked aloud, mostly to herself. She shrugged. "Maybe I have something that can make you reconsider?" she asked sweetly. "Unless it's another playmate, I don't think so~" Bianca quickly reached down to her belt and pulled the regular Poke Ball from her fifth slot. "You could call him that," she said, her tone suddenly more serious. "Pumba, come on out." Bianca snapped her fingers and flung her ball skyward. A huge flash of light erupted from the ball, followed by a shadow that seemed to block out the sun. It dropped quickly to the ground, a huge crash causing the Gate Battlefield to rumble in response. The impact threw up a dust cloud around the new arrival. It began dissipating quickly, revealing the recently released Pokemon. A pair of jet-black ears on an orange head cleared the dust, followed by a collar of flames. The cloud cleared completely, a seven-foot tall Emboar standing in its place. He growled menacingly at the Fairy Girl and her goons, causing them all to take a step back in fear. "Jack, give the girl her prize," Bianca said without turning to the Amateur Trainer. "Since she doesn't care about money, two hundred dollars should do."

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" Benga The punk Trainer nodded his head, snorting. "Well, I guess you're not a complete waste of space after all, kid. You're half right about Overgrow, but you're an ignorant piece of trash if you think all it does is power up your moves. Since you're clearly such a no-lifer bookworm, I was sure you'd know that research has shown that in addition to powering up moves, it also makes your Pokemon stronger across the board. But, when it wears off, the boosts go with it." He grinned, cocking his head. "This sure ain't looking good for me, though. My partner getting her ass kicked like that is a real drag." He said, crossing his arms. "Still, we're giving it everything we've got 'til the end." Jason The Amateur nodded appreciatively at Mio. "Thanks," he said quickly, not noticing his partner's blush. He turned to Benga. "Guess you're regretting accepting that challenge, huh?" Without looking he spoke to Mio. "Gomez looks good to battle. So let's hit him hard with a double attack!" He turned back to the battlefield. "Gomez, Quick Attack!" The Treecko, newly re-energized, powered down, and very pissed off, dashed toward the Larvesta in a serpentine pattern. He zigzagged forward, leaving a white trail behind him as he began maneuvering in for an attack against his weakened foe. Leon The Tyrunt was caught by surprise, not having expected the Roggenrola to go full tilt on the attack. The Hardened body of the Roggenrola cracked the Tyrunt in the mouth and landed a critical hit as he attempted to attack, causing him to stumble backward after landing his Bite! "Grrr...." came a growl from Leon's Trainer Box. The pompous rich boy was steamed, annoyed that his ace in the hole hadn't secured him victory already. Still, he was confident in his ability to win the battle. "Rex, that's it! Just Dragon Dance again!" he ordered. The Tyrunt stumbled from leg to leg for a moment before nearly falling over to the side. He barely caught himself in time, shifting his weight to remain upright. "What kind of nonsense jig are you doing over there? I said Dragon Dance!" the Trainer cried out in frustration. As Leon dealt with his technical difficulties, the stoic Titan fired off two Rock Blast attacks for a total of seven boulders, making the path that his Trainer had suggested. He carefully positioned himself at the outlet, awaiting the Tyrunt's next move. "Screw it! Attack! Use Bite!" Leon commanded. " The Tyrunt shook his head, clearing his vision, and began to charge toward the Roggenrola once more. This time, he was sure to keep his mouth closed until just before he reached the Roggenrola. Rex leapt into the air, clearing the boulders and diving toward his opponent. ??? The two attacks collided essentially head-on as Jack had planned, completely negating any positive impact that using a serpentine movement pattern might have had on the battle. The Shinx was absolutely destroyed by the attack, having absolutely wasted his teammate's sacrifice by confronting the Jigglypuff's fourth consecutive Rollout with what at an Amateur level amounted to a full frontal assault against an opponent who was a higher level and full evolutionary stage ahead to begin with instead of simply attempting to move to the side. He flew backward out of the battlefield and into Jack's chest, once again pummeling him with his own partner. It was a clean one-hit KO, and Jack should have considered himself lucky that his Pokemon's injuries were not severe enough to warrant immediate emergency treatment. The girl burst out laughing, joined by her Jigglypuff and the rest of her team, including Perona. Even her loss seemed to pale in comparison to how thorough a thrashing Jack had gotten due to his lack of forethought and refusal to reuse a successful tactic. "Thanks for playing~" the girl said with an evil grin. "You're obviously an Amateur. I can't see you winning at the Striation Gym with moves as bad as those ones," she taunted. Benga "Like I said, we won't give up! String Shot around you, and make them attack from the air!" came the command from the flameheaded Trainer. His Larvesta began spewing goo all over the battlefield in front of him. Unable to stop in time, Gomez ran directly into it. He felt himself slow considerably as the gunk began to cling to his feet, making it somewhat difficult to move them at their normal breakneck pace. The Trainer looked at his opponents, his face hiding well the panic he was feeling deep inside. I can't lose to them. I'm the greatest there will ever be! he thought to himself, trying to rally his fighting spirit. "Great work, Helios! This is our moment! Ember!" Jason Noting that Gomez's Quick Attack had failed due to the String Shot, Jason thought on his feet. "Abandon the attack! Get out of the way!" he ordered. Gomez sprang backward toward Meena, narrowly avoiding another blast of sparks from the fiery little Bug-type. Despite its benign appearance, Benga's Larvesta definitely packed a punch. Getting hit by another one of those Embers was not exactly at the top of the Treecko's to-do list. "Nice!" he commended Gomez, earning a nod of acknowledgement from the Grass-type. "Mio, you started this! Finish it, and I'll back you up!" he said, pumping his fist back. Maybe Meena would have better luck landing a blow on the Larvesta. Bianca After chatting and catching up with Juniper for awhile, the Research Assistant had ducked into the woods to change out of her skirt and into green pants more suitable for an adventure than for lab work. To her dismay, the first sight she was greeted with was Jack being rocked in the sternum with a flying Leonidas. "Crap!" she exclaimed, running down toward the battlefields. It seemed to be about the time for her to intervene on Jack's behalf.

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" ??? Lara's attack connected, hitting the Jigglypuff hard from behind, dealing a bit of damage; however, as Ms. Puff was rolling, this only served to speed her up. "Again! Again!" the blonde girl cheered, clapping her hands rapidly as she jumped up and down. Her hair followed her, bouncing on top of her head and making her look quite doll-like. The Jigglypuff turned around once more and charged toward Lara. This time, the furrow grew deeper and the aura around Ms. Puff grew larger. She continued to speed up, barreling into the tiny Poochyena once again and sending her flying back. Lara was thrown into Jack's chest, knocking him over. Lara tried to get up again and failed, flopping on her Trainer's chest after a valiant effort to rise on shaky legs. Jack's opponent licked her lips, smiling devilishly. "Yay! I won that round! But I see two Poke Balls on that belt of yours~" she continued, gesturing for Jack to continue. "Come on, little Amateur. I thought you were going to play with me, but you could barely land a hit! You're gonna have to do better than that, or I'll need to find other ways to entertain myself," she said with a sinister giggle. "Who's my next playmate~?" Jason "Gomez!" Jason shouted in fear, restraining himself from running onto the field to check on his Pokemon. If he did that, it would be the same as saying Gomez was unable to battle, and he wasn't willing to forfeit just yet. "Gomez, please get up!" he shouted again, desperation creeping into his voice. He wasn't going to lose this early in his career, and especially not to an asshole like Benga. He looked out toward his Treecko, doing his best to see how his Pokemon was faring. "Gomez!" Benga Helios cringed as the Screech attack landed, the horrible yowling noise making him want to do nothing more than plug his ears and fly away. The only problem with that strategy was the lack of hands to cover his ears with. Instead he was left sitting in place, shaking his head back and forth as he attempted to clear the ringing in his ears. "Helios, get out of the way! It's an easy dodge!" Benga shouted. Unfortunately for him, his Pokemon was unable to hear his command. Meena's Scratch attack landed flush on the Larvesta's face, dealing significant damage to the crippled Bug and Fire-type. Due to the slashing nature of the attack Helios was able to hold his ground despite taking a lot of damage, and the pain from the Scratch worked perfectly to help him regain his focus. "Counter with Take Down!" Benga ordered. Before Meena had a chance to react, Helios fired his jets, traveled the roughly foot and a half between the two Pokemon, and slammed himself head-first into Meena's abdomen, knocking her back across the field and dealing a substantial amount of damage. Another point-blank hit like that and she'd be toast. Benga laughed at Mio, pointing his finger at the Amateur Trainer. "You're such a dunce! I can't believe you fell for that! Now your partner's Pokemon are down, and you're the only one left!" he taunted, ignoring the rest of the battle. Perona "What's the matter, Amateurs? Can't hang with us Rookies?" the girl said mockingly, making crying gestures with her hands. "I guess you'll just have to go home to Mommy and rest up after this one! Those of you that have one to go home to, anyway," she said cruelly, jabbing a finger toward Mio. "You little twerps think you're so tough? Just look at what happens when you step up to the Big Leagues. Go home, losers." Leon "Dodge, and use Bite!" Leon countered. "Those Rocks are too slow for us now!" His Tyrunt replied instantly, dispelling its aura. Rex ran to the side, dodging the first rock. He stopped quickly and jumped straight up, dodging the second. When he came down, he was hit directly by the third rock and was briefly dazed. He was able to shake off the attack and charged at Titan jaws first, gnashing his teeth at the annoying little pebble. "Crush this peasant into dust!" Leon shouted, closing his fist and smiling evilly at Brendan. Jason "Gomez, get up! Gomez!" came a voice from the void. The Treecko felt himself floating through space, watching his battle from a distance. He could see his burnt, limp form on the ground. Then, he looked to his Trainer. Although the two had met very recently, Gomez had taken a liking to Jason. He'd shown his Pokemon nothing but compassion and respect, a fact that Rascal had been able to corroborate earlier in the day. He recalled asking the Minccino if he would be okay, and having the Normal-type laugh at him. But now he understood. With Jason, as it seemed to be with his friends, there was no "if." These Trainers weren't just any Trainers; they had been selected from a huge field of applicants. And the one thing that they all had in common was simple- they didn't want Pokemon simply to accomplish their own goals, only to share their successes with their partners. Suddenly, Gomez's eyes snapped open. He pushed himself up off the ground slowly, using his arms and tail to support himself as he rose groggily. When he stood, he wobbled for a moment, weakened severely by Benga's attack. But this wasn't a battle he was willing to lose; not yet, at least. Gomez looked inward, searching for the last bit of strength he could offer his Trainer in this battle. He clenched his fists, frustrated by his weakness. Not only by his weakness, but by the taunts the other Trainers were levying at their team. The more they insulted Jason and Mio, the more he could feel his anger rising. Finally, Gomez couldn't take it anymore. "Tree... KOOOOOOO!" he screamed, an aura of bright green energy exploding outward from his body. The light covered poured out of him in waves, illuminating the Gate Battlefield in the dim light of dusk. Jason could feel his clothing billowing back from the sheer force of the energy released by his Pokemon, the Amateur Trainer's eyes widening in shock at this impressive display of latent power. The Grass elemental's eyes began glowing a fierce yellow and he once again took a fighting stance, looking back to Jason and nodding. Jason recovered from his state of shock and looked toward Mio, clearly seeking an explanation. Then, he remembered he was in a battle, and that this was probably the time to do something about the Misdreavus that had been giving them so much trouble. He nodded back to Gomez. "Right!" he said quickly, affirming their shared mindset. "Gomez, Mega Drain!" he shouted. The Grass-type was off like a shot toward Talzin, even faster than before. To Gomez, the world was composed of three things: him, his Trainer, and that Misdreavus, and he'd be damned if he was going to let that witch off the hook easily. Perona "What the shit!?" Perona cried out in surprise, never having expected something like this to happen. "Talzin, Astonish!" she ordered. The Misdreavus disappeared and reappeared in front of Gomez, attempting to finish him off before he could do any damage. Jason "Finish her!" Jason commanded, growing more confident by the second. Gomez sprang up and over the Misdreavus, avoiding her attack. His fist glowed a bright green, a supernova compared to the twinkling light from earlier. He threw his fist toward her, releasing a frenzy of creepers that quickly overtook and completely enveloped her. She was sent crashing to the ground, trapped under a net of vines that continuously drained her energy. It became clear after a few seconds that Talzin was unable to battle. Then, Gomez's aura began to fade. He looked at his hands, puzzled by the sudden loss of his overwhelming power. Jason looked equally puzzled and turned to Mio, hoping for an explanation. Perona "GAH!" the Ghost girl shouted in frustration, stamping her feet. "That's not what the cards said would happen! It's not fair!" she wailed, reaching to her belt and taking off Talzin's Poke Ball. She returned her Pokemon, red-faced and ashamed of her loss. "Still, that doesn't mean Benga can't win! You two Amateurs stand no chance! He's the Champion's-" Benga "Enough!" Benga shouted, turning toward Perona and glaring at her. "I told you never to mention that coward," he growled at her, taking a menacing step toward his battle partner. "Am I clear, Perona? Or have you not disgraced yourself enough already?" he asked, nearly spitting her name with disdain. "Get off my battlefield," he ordered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Before I make you." At that, the girl meekly withdrew from the battlefield, joining the rest of her group in spectating the Multi Battle. "Now, little Amateur, that was an impressive move. But I doubt you even know what happened," he laughed, quickly returning to bullying his opponents. "Beginner's luck, as they say. I guess that just means I'll have to find a stronger partner for next time. Care to explain what just happened to your little boyfriend before I continue the beatdown?" he asked Mio pointedly.