Pokémon Academy: Ch 3: Winter Cup [IC]

[TurboAura]

Robert

While Robert was trying his best to stay strong, his attempt at showing all his sadness turned into pure shock when he heard Shiro's later comment, tears welling up in his eyes. "Shiro... You actually think I would stop being your friend just for something you can't control? Really?" Tears were just streaming down his face, but no matter what, Shiro was the one that this affected most, he had to support him through all of this.

Putting a hand on Shiro's shoulder, he spoke clearly despite what was happening. "Listen, Shiro, I want to make this very clear; Your own reactions make it very obvious that you will have to go, but you don't have enough control over it to try and change that. No one in their right mind would begrudge you for that. And trust me, as long as there is some way, any way that I will be able to stay in touch with you, I WILL." While the tears were slowed, his eyes did their best to get Shiro to trust him, that he would do whatever he had to.

Parents

"Good to hear that, then." Just as he was getting the money out, he found that Akako was busy looking over what else the shop had to offer, following Mareek's suggestion, though she had her phone out aswell. "What are you doing, honey? It's not like the stuff we're buying aren't souvenirs enough." She simply sighed facepalming as if these were Vacation photo's.

"No, I'm just sending examples to the regulars at Dewford Hall. Trust me, whether they think of them as souveniors or not, I'm sure that a lot of them will want us to bring something back for them." With a laugh between the two, Will was just lucky that they skipped a luggage-problem by sailing them over himself.

Edited December 24, 2014 by TurboAura

[Aurorix]

Slade:

Slade felt kinda guilty for making everyone worry so much, thought he should at least answer Marc's question. He gave a summary of his time in Celadon before coming to the Academy. "So, I think they came here to take me back, or something to that extent." Slade said scratching the back of his head. Though what was with this gift that they gave him?

[DarkLight]

Mr. Chastain listened to Slade's side of the story in silence, nodding every once in a while to encourage Slade to continue. After he has finished his narrative, the elder man remained silent as she processed the information. When he saw Slade looking at the gift curiously, Marc chuckled and stroked Avis. "Before I give my opinion, why don't you open up what your mother has given you? Perhaps things aren't as bad as you make it out to be."

Avis crowed contently as Mr. Chastain pet her. She then eyed the gift curiously. Were there any shiny, pretty things in there?

[Bfroger6]

He was crying... But what he said was... it eased Shiro's shaken heart. Whatever happened, they would stay friends. He wouldn't have to be alone again. But that was only an extra reason why he had to stay here. Robert was counting on him, Robert was his friend! So he shouldn't leave him. A faint smile danced across his lips as tears poured like rain. It was safe to tell him, because, maybe together....

"You know..." Shiro began. "it's my birthday soon and I want to be here for it. N- nothing is... for certain yet." He gulped down and resumed. "S-she told me I could stay, but only if I won the cup... I-I never thought I could do that, since I'm weak... so I never brought it up... but now!"

'for you'

"I have to do it, so that I could stay here... So that we can celebrate my birthday together! So... we shouldn't cry yet, right? Not yet..." He wiped off a tear from his cheek, still with that smile on his face.

'If that'll stop Robert from crying, I'm gonna win the cup.'

[Jory]

Jacob followed Kristen to the Haunted House, grinning as they approached it. Funny how she brings me right to the place I would have gone. After all, if she gets scared I can hold her, he thought to himself as they stood in line waiting for their tickets. Eventually, they reached the front. The student giving out tickets was wearing a name tag, and on it was clearly the name "Nico." Jacob smiled broadly at the other Trainer, now able to put a face to the name. As it turned out, they'd had two classes together over the course of the term. "Hey, Nico!" he said jovially as he approached the student. "I guess we're going to be battling tomorrow!" He paused, then thought for a moment. "I'm Jacob, in case you didn't remember," he said quietly.

The other student groaned and put his head in his hands. "Why'd it have to be you?" he asked the young man. "I've seen you in class before, and when I saw the name I was really hoping I made a mistake." He looked at Jacob and then at Kristen, groaning even more loudly. "Dang it!" He then realized what he must be sounding like and grinned at Jacob, putting his hands up. "Look, I don't mean to insult you. The opposite, in fact. You're a really talented Trainer and," he lowered his voice, beckoning Jacob closer. Jacob moved in as far as still holding Kristen's hand would allow and listened. Nico continued, "-a lot of people think you have a pretty good chance of winning the Cup. That's why I freaked out." He then stood up straight and put his hand out. "Good luck, though! Just because you're good doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!"

Jacob nodded and grinned at the other Trainer, taking his hand and shaking it. "You too, Nico! I hope you bring your A-game! Wouldn't want to disappoint the viewers, now would we?" He then looked sideways at Kristen and smiled. "So, Nico, I'll take two tickets for the Haunted House. On me," he said to his opponent. The other boy chuckled and scanned Jacob's PokeDex, subtracting two tickets' worth of BP. "Let's go!" Jacob said excitedly, leading Kristen into the Haunted House.

[Aurorix]

Slade nodded before hesitantly unwrapping the box. There was a card hidden under the wrapping paper as well as a white box. Slade went for the letter first, seeing as he wanted to read what they had to say

Letter:

Dear Slade,

This is your mother writing, you know your father, he doesn't much. Anyways, this is not some letter to bring you to come back, who would want to come back? So, don't even think about it, I already convicned your dad to pay off the rest of your schooling. I feel really bad of what we put you through that night. Acctually, I was going to get the growlithe back for you in secret, don't tell your dad. But when I noticed you had left I went to the same growlihe and told him you left and to go to protect you in my stead. We couldn't have the public know about what had been happening. Hopefully he has found you so what is in the box doesn't go to waste. I know this doesn't mean much but I'm sorry, though your dad is still angry. We told everyone that you had went on a pokemon journey so don't worry about your Dad or anyone here they're fine. Just make sure you don't do anything stupid and be safe while you're there, I know how you get into situations a lot.

Love, Mom.

Slade was shocked at what he read, he always thought his mom was on his Dad's side. His dad was one of the head officials at Celadon's department store and with his social status he couldn't be seen with anything the public didn't like. Though they never really paided attention to Slade, he was just there in their eyes. Not really important, though once rumors began to float around about him all of his fellow class mates began to make fun of him for it, they never really went past from there. Now he was really curious about what had been in the box. He put the letter back in the envelope and proceeded to open the box. Inside was an orange stone that had a design of what looked like fire. It shines dimly as the light from the room reflected off of it giving it a faint orange glow. He knew what this was, it was a fire stone. He picked it up from the box and a slight heat resonated from it, "This must be for Flare, but why? This is becoming very confusing." Slade said to Marc, "Though, I know one thing, they aren't here to bring me back so I should head back to my stall." He said getting up from his chair. "Also, I need to tell Danielle to stop worrying about me. Thank you for bringing this to me, I really appreciate it." Slade said giving a smile to the man.

[TurboAura]

Robert let a smile out at Shiro's words while the tears started to dry, while his mind battled itself at what went with them. While some of him argued with that part that he said he 'was weak,' and another part of him shocked that Anna would give him such a radical chance... There was still a part of it, which his heart sided with, to hope against hope for such a dream. If miracles could happen, even just this once, that would be all he needed. He whipped his eyes and moved that hand up in a fist-pump fashion.

"Right, Shiro! No matter what, I will cheer you on to victory!" Kiai watched the current embrace, unsure himself as to what will happen. Sure, he knew the attachment that those two had, but the fierce competition would obviously make such a hope a vast miracle.

"So... I guess we'll just go back to work for now. And if you need a break for any reason what-so-ever, just go and I'll handle things here, okay?"

Edited December 24, 2014 by TurboAura

[Sutoratosu]

"What are you talking about?" Mareek asked danielle, raising an eyebrow "My mom is the only family I have left, and there's no way she would be able to get time off of work in order to co..." he trailed off immediately once he saw the one person he had least expected to see around here; non other than his mother, and she was heading right for the stand, a smile on her face. And right there behind her was old Mars; He'd recognize that shiny Bisharp anywhere... especially when the thing had that classic, 'prepared to strike at a moment's notice, Protective as hell' look on it's face that he'd seen so often as a kid.

Nemo glanced up from the hot chocolate as the boy stood there frozen in pure surprise, trying to process what was going on as Ms.Sisto and her oldest companion finally reached the stand. Nemo had to nudge his arm in order to bring him back from spacing out, going back to drinking his commandeered beverage as he tapped Mareek with his club idely, looking at the woman all the while.

"M-mom..." he began, coming back to focus after Nemo's interruption. "Y-you're here... but...how? I thought..."

"It's a long story, Mareek," Ms.Sisto said, seeing her son obviously struggling to comprehend how it was that she could possibly be here right now given the state their finances were in when he had left for the academy. "The short version of it though is that Someone was so kind as to give us a very generous early christmas gift, I have no idea who, but... Anyway, it's not important; what is is that I'm here now. And look at you, from what I hear you're among the top students in the whole first year class, both in battle and when it comes to hitting the books. Looks like things are going quite well, you've even gotten two new Partners, I see..."

Nemo looked back and forth between his trainer and his mother, actually seeing the rather obvious resemblance now and feeling a bit dumb for having not realize they were related before. He put down his second cup, having drained it to nothing, giving a wave of his club to Ms.Sisto and her...rather intimidating looking escort.

"Um yeah..." Mareek said, deciding to put off the matter of getting an explanation for later as Erce and Java both came from the Work Area, The Latter using Psybeam to place the finished commissioned piece on the counter before the man who had ordered it, both of them staring at the red haired woman, though Erce's gaze held quite a bit of pleasant recognition in it. "Mom, this Nemo," he gestured to the friendly Cubone as it waved in greeting. "I helped him out of a bind during a school trip a few weeks ago, he pretty much wanted to stay with me from there, and I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry, so I just took him with me..."

"Why hello there. little Nemo," his mother chided warmly, smiling at the orphan despite all the while thinking about how ironically fitting it was that her son had made friends with a Cubone, of all the species in the world. Still, the ground type looked quite happy on Mareek's team, so maybe it was better than it seemed, maybe she was just being overly pensive....

"And this is Java," Mareek continued, nodding to the Porygon floating beside him. "Got him on the second day I was here. He kinda... well he kinda just jumped out of his ball when I passed by, said he wanted to come along with me and Erce, kinda like Nemo." The Co Strategist simply stared at the woman blankly as if drifting off into space. "He helps me out with thinking up new tactics in battle, along with a few other things... he's not very expressive though."

She only nodded at that, seeing exactly what the boy meant. Just a few seconds of looking back into Java's eyes was enough to make her recall something from earlier though. "So, I guess this is why Dr.Saito wanted me to give you this then?" She said as Mars reached into the suit case and pulled out a Disc in a protective cover with the Silph Co. Label emblazoned upon it's front. Now, that was enough to wipe the look of Java's face, the Porygon now staring intently at the software with what seemed to be an instinctive gleam in his eyes, edging forward eagerly. Mareek had to take it before the thing tried something.

"Thank you," he said hesitantly, examining the thing and figuring out exactly what it was. "Dr.Saito though...?"

"I ran into him in town; his ferry back home from Silph Co. was preparing to depart for Kanto just as mine was unboarding. He said he was sorry that he wasn't able to come by in person and pay you a last visit before he left, apparently something urgent came up that the company needed him for, had to cut his survey work short and pack everything up." She couldn't help but laugh a little as Java cast a somewhat annoyed glare at the boy, PO'd that the kid would keep the Evo Item away from him like this when it was clearly meant to be used... "Looks like Java here really like the gift. And I actually have one for you that I got myself along the way; something very special..." She looked specifically at Erce as she said it, grinning in an almost mischievous manner that the Scyther herself commonly did. "But I think I'm going to hold onto it just a bit longer... I want to see how you and Erce fight and how well you pair now before I just go handing it over."

"Well then," Mareek said, smirking confidently as he stowed the Up Grade in his jacket. "I don't think you'll be disappointed in the least bit then. Me and Erce have only become an even stronger team and even closer friends since we've gotten here... not that I think that the second could honestly be possible given all we've already been through." The Mantis smirked sheepishly at that remark, only because honestly she felt it was true; They were a team, the two of them, no doubt about it.

"Confident as ever, I see, good," Ms.Sisto remarked turning to Lana and Danielle now. "Mareek, are these two lovely young ladies your friends? My, how far you've come out of your shell here..." He couldn't help but feel his face redden a little at that question...

"um...y-yeah, This is Lana, she's in the... Breeder Program," he said, sputtering a little as he gestured to the girl in the green Furisode, before doing the same in Danielle's direction "And over there is Danielle, she's a coordinator..."

"Well hello to the both of you then," Ms.Sisto Chimed, turning her attention to the girls before glancing back at Mareek. "I hope my son here is being a perfect gentleman..." Her voice trailed off with a bit of warning, though whether it was completely serious or somewhat teasing was a bit hard to tell...

[Bfroger6]

Shiro sniffed and smiled, unintentionally blushing a little. "Thanks, but I'll be okay." He then turned to his Kirlia at the base of his foot. "Shun, you can go back to Kia- No way, we missed so many orders! Robert!" The duo returned to their cooking, hoping for the best to come in the competition tomorrow, so that Shiro could stay here, where his heart and his soul were truly at home. Even if it was Henry, he knew now he had the confidence to face him, not only because he had to, but because he wanted and needed to.

[DarkLight]

Avis ran out from her human father's hand and began to peck at the shiny stone in her curiosity, which prompted Marc Chastain to grab the bird to avoid further trouble. "Excuse Avis, this bird has a habit of investigating anything she fancies. Now now Avis, that is a Fire Stone. It's not for you." He laughed, relieved to see that things aren't all as dim as it first appeared. As soon as Avis calmed down, Danielle's father also got up and put his chair back in its rightful place. "There is nothing for you to be confused about at all, Slade. Your mother obviously cares about you enough to put all that has happened behind her. I'm also sure that, despite what he said and how he reacted, your father feels the same way, deep down inside. He just couldn't accept it yet. Give him some time."

Avis flew ahead of the men and somehow managed to open the door. With a happy cry, she zoomed out of their vision. Marc Chastain sighed at the bird before turning to Slade. He managed to fall in line with Slade so that he could, hopefully, teach him a life lesson he had learned the hard way. "There is one thing that you should take from this though and that is the importance of communication." He paused to let it sink in. "Danielle did tell me about your tendency to run away from your worries. As you could probably see, it didn't do you much good. If your Pokemon had not given me the opportunity to deliver this to you, you would not have known how supportive your mother was and is after all of this time. By speaking out, you are giving them something to think about. You are now given the possibility of changing their opinions and beliefs for better or for worse. Running away will not even give you that chance, and I feel that it is a wasted opportunity, especially in your case."

He sighed as he looked ahead. "Believe or not, I wasn't too fond of that Murkrow when she first arrived at my house. Avis loves shiny loot and that includes my keys. When she first settled in, Avis would always hide my keys somewhere, which resulted in me having to buy a new set of keys, only to have them stolen again and again and again. I had asked for them back - and even looked for them - but she always laughed at my feeble attempts. I managed to put it off since it wasn't a big deal. One night, however, I finally had enough. Work was stressful after a breakdown at the Pokeball Factory, so I wasn't in the mood for her shenanigans. When I found out that my keys went missing again after a shower, I blew up and yelled at everyone, especially poor Avis. I secluded myself in my room the whole night and eventually drifted off to sleep. The next morning, however, I found myself staring at fifteen sets of keys and a guilty-looking Avis. It was only then I realized that she meant no harm; she thought we were playing a game. She has misunderstood me because I didn't speak up, and I paid dearly for it. And that is why I am imparting this knowledge onto you today." Marc Chastain smiled warmly at the younger boy. "And if you want to know what happened to those keys, I gave two sets to her: One for her to keep, and another for her to hide somewhere outside my home just in case one of us forgot to bring their keys with them before the left the house. I still couldn't find it to this very day. The other 13 sets are now in a drawer just in case we need them."

--------------

Back as the stall, Danielle smiled and gave a polite bow to Mrs. Sisto and the Bisharp. As if on cue, Zared also gave Danielle two cups of hot chocolate for her to hand over to their new arrivals. "Thank you, Zared~" she chirped before offering the cups to Mareek's family. "Fine hot chocolate on the house, Kalosian style~ Why don't you take a seat and catch up with Mareek? It must have been a long way to get here from your home."

[Aurorix]

Slade listened as Danille's father explain his story. Maybe they could talk it out but, he knew his dad better then anyone, it could be possible there may be nothing that can be done. "Thank you for you advice, I'll try to remember it in the future." As Slade finished his sentence he went out the door and took a deep breath of fresh air and let out a big sigh, "Man, I feel like a weight has released from my chest." Slade said cheerfully he then put the fire stone back in the box and turned back to Marc, "Well sir, sorry to leave so soon but my pokemon need me at the momment. You know, hopefully they manned the stall well. Bah, of course they did, what am I saying. Well anyways I must head off now see ya whenever!" Slade said tipping his hat off to the man and ran towards his stall to his pokemon.

[Snap Crackle Pop]

Louise was wandering around the grounds, checking out all of the stalls before trying to decide which one she should go to for food. The burger stand and raman stall seemed to be the most tempting ones currently, although the barbeque stall also seemed quite good as well. Terra, her Gabite, was following her around and Axion, her Haunter, disappeared, which she didn't worry about too much because she trusted him enough not to pull any shenanigans. Well. Trusted was a strong word, she had more or less bribed him with a triple serving of poke block if he didn't pull anything, especially now with a fresh group of people he could play around with, she wanted to put in some insurance just in case. Marina, meanwhile, was chilling out in her pokeball, considering the Milotic's size, Louise didn't want to cause any inconveniences amongst this crowd of students and parents. Speaking of parents, she wondered if her mother, father and brother were going to arrive today or tomorrow when the battles actually started.

Well anyway, it seemed she had transferred at a good time, seeing at how she had managed to squeeze into the Winter Cup and she had to admit, her team was shaping up pretty well. Especially now that both Axion and Terra evolved and learned more moves to put into combos. She might actually have a chance, despite how poorly she knew her competition. She even managed to squeeze in a bit of training yesterday between all of the things going on. Speaking of competition, she should probably start trying to talk to some of these people, buuut food first. She was getting rather hungry, having not eaten anything recently, and was growing impatient with all the tantalizing smells in the air. Louise turned on her heel and headed over to the nearest source of delicious smelling food, raman. Hopefully the noodles weren't too soggy.

Shiro and Robert's stall, for clarification

[DarkLight]

Marc Chastain chuckled as he waved Slade goodbye. Slade's haste had made him think of his old days as an ever so active youth. "Adieu then! Let me know if you ever need anything!" he called after him. Once Danielle's boyfriend was out of earshot, the man gave a sigh and began to walk after him at his own leisurely pace. "Even though we are going back to the same place... Well, Carole and Danielle will be glad to hear that this is taken care of... Isn't that right, Avis?" He then heard a flurry of wing beats as Avis landed onto his shoulder once more. "I knew you wouldn't leave me to get lost on these grounds... Now when did you learn how to turn doorknobs?" Mr. Chastain asked Avis as they made their way back to the fair.

[Chevaleresse]

Kage blushed a bit as well upon hearing the compliment. "Tsukihashi Kageharu, but just call me Kage. Thank you for embarrassing Ryan for me, I've been busy today so I haven't been able to do it myself." He bowed quickly but politely, nearly taking out a passerby as he forgot about the cane in his hand. He would have continued, but Kage heard someone else calling his name. His parents were weaving through the crowd as quickly as they could manage. "Oh, boy, here we go," Kage sighed with a resigned tone. He turned about and braced for impact as his mother appeared through a gap in the crowd and threw herself at him in a hug that nearly sent him tumbling to the ground for a second time. She was a fairly short woman with dark hair and eyes, contrasting Kage's, but her face very clearly resembled her son's. His father was a bit further behind and looked completely breathless, resting his hands on his knees as soon as he laid eyes on Kage. He was a taller man with hair and eyes closer to Kage's. "Hey, Mom."

"It's so good to see you, Kageharu! How has school been? You haven't sent us all that many emails, are you doing alright? Who's this charming young man? Oh, forgive me, where are my manners? I'm Tsukihashi Rin, and the exhausted looking man over there is my husband, Katsuo."

[Commander]

Citrine

"That's what I've been doing for the past six months. Oh well! I guess I'll just have to let it be. I just hope this tournament is a lot cleaner than the ones in Orre." Citrine returned to her regular optimitic self. Zuko simply rolled his eyes. That was one thing he didn't like about the girl. The world could be ending and she'd still be optimistic about it. Sometimes he even questioned her carefree personality. "I'll chance a face mask though since my guinea pig disappeared. He's probably run off to train as that seems to be some type of stress relief for him." Citrine pulled out a wad of cash she secretly stole from Henry. "I'll pay you extra if it looks prettier than your face, handsome." The girl figured the boy was gay, but it was kind of fun giving him a hard time.

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Henry

The boy left the fair a little ways away to a certain area away from the academy. Some people coined the area as "Henry's Spot" as he seemed to always go there whenever class was over. Most of the time, he was ordering his Pokemon around to practice some attacks. Once in a great while, he would stick around without any Pokemon out. No one could tell what he was going to do on these days. It always ended with him creating a new strategy to use against his opponents. With just about everyone else's Pokemon evolving but his, he had to come up with these tricks otherwise he would've fallen behind.

Today, Henry released all four of his Pokemon looking at them, but he didn't seem angry. "I'm sorry for what happened back there. I didn't mean to take it out on you guys. It's just that this tournament is an opportunity to redeem myself yet it's like everyone is against me." Henry then began to smile. "None of that matters though. I'm not holding back no matter what." He then turned to the Skitty who was bouncing up and down out of excitement. "Oh yes Rosie. There's one last little trick I want to try out before tomorrow. It's only going to take a few minutes."

Some time passed before Henry headed back into the fair. He decided he may as well see what others have done when he noticed Evan running the haunted house. He had nothing better to do so he may as well try something out with the still plentiful battle points he collected over time.

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Elecktrike

The wild Pokemon noticed a Zorua trying to mock him by transforming into the trainer who tried scaring him off. Truth be told, he wasn't afraid of Henry, but he knew he should get out of there before anything bad happened. This Pokemon pissed him off trying to exploit him. He only came here to have a little fun, not to be yelled at and made fun of. The electric type stuck its tongue out at the Zorua's trainer before quickly dashing off from the scene (Quick Attack). He didn't really care for the guy so he just left it at that.

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Henry's Dad

The man with a Sudowoodo began looking around at the stalls again, but nothing seemed to interest him that much. That wasn't until he noticed a wood carving stall. The legendary wood carvings brought back a memory of a legendary he once saw. He went up to the stall and noticed the owner was in a conversation with someone who he assumed was his mother. He simply waited in the background for their conversation to finish.

[Tacos]

"Nice to meet you Rin. And you as well, Katsuo" Ryan shook Rin's hand and shouted over to Katsuo. "Glad to see I'm not the only one being embarrassed in front of their boyfriend by their own parents." Ryan released a chuckle. "And yes, Kage is doing fantastic. He's basically the top breeder in his class!" Ryan swung his arm around Kage and smiled proudly. And yet I've still accomplished nothing. "Oh but where are my manners, these are my parents Wally and Jason, and my sister Lexis." Ryan presented them with his free hand, like a woman on a game show would do to present "A New Car!"

Jason looked at Ryan with excited eyes. "So you did put a ring on it! Oh my Ryan you've caught yourself quite the looker this time!" He gave a huge grin while Wally rolled his eyes again. Lexis was simply unamused and was busy conversing with someone on the phone. Wally stepped forward, unintentionally displaying the height difference between him and Jason. "And what have you accomplished Ryan? I'd assume you're the top trainer in your class, am I right?"

[Sutoratosu]

"Why, that sounds like an excellent idea," Alexandra agreed as she accepted the hot chocolate from Danielle, looking to mareek as Mars declined his beverage, instead giving it off to Nemo, who was more than happy to take care of it for the steel type. "But I think it would be better if we walked and talked rather than sit. There's alot to discuss and I'm rather curious to take a look around."

"We can walk, sure," Mareek said. "I'll just have Erce take care of the orders while we're-" He was interrupted but a sharply authoritative grunt from Mars, the shiny Bisharp shaking it's head as he pointed his arm at Erce, his steel mits flexing him as if to gesture that the Scyther must come as well. There was no way he was going to let her stay behind; The two of them had even more catching up to do than the boy or his mother. Erce didn't have to be told twice, obviously fully understanding what the dark type was demanding as she walked from behind the stand and joined at Mareek's side without delay. He would've said something, but it seemed like she genuinely did want to take along, what with her and Mars being all buddy-buddy... guess it couldn't be helped. Besides, Java and Nemo could run things just fine with Lana's help.

"You don't mind watching the stand for a while, do you?" He asked the girl, turning away from Erce and the Bisharp as they got busy chatting away, none of it understandable to human ears. "Java and Nemo can lend a hand and help out, all you'd have to do is talk to the customers and they'll take care of the rest. You already know the prices I set up and everything..."

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

While none of the three were paying attention, Raiza snuck off with her Pokemon, inwardly dejected but meh, nobody really had to know, not even Lana. It was just a hunch of hers, but her friend seemed attached to the guy... Unfortunately, she gone goof'd and already made a bad impression on him. Making up for it by playing along and even patronizing his wares hadn't really alleviated the situation, so, lest she embarrass herself and possibly her friend, the girl stalked off. Sipping her hot chocolate as she walked, she almost missed Lucifer whizzing off on his own again, until Toothless cried out to catch her attention. "Hey-- wait, where are you guys running off to--?" she cried, following the Litwick and the Deino to... a Haunted House? No wonder Lucifer wanted to visit. "So, you guys up for a scare, pon?" she asked, to be replies by a series of brave (and cool) cries from her Pokemon. "All right, but let's look for the booth, just to make sure if we've got to pay to enter first, pon."

[Chim]

Stratos (Mareek) and DarkLight

Lana was quiet, like usual, when she met Mareek’s mother. “It’s fine, we can handle it. You just go and catch up with your mom.” She bowed again to Ms Sisto and mumbled something that sounded like nice-to-meet-you.

In the meantime Jeremy Brand entered the stall. He was wearing a dark blue suit that even looked a little sportive and trendy, in between casual and strict business. He admired Mareek’s work for a while before he located Danielle.

“Aha, you must be Danielle Chastain! I’ve been looking for you! I’m Jeremy Brand, the head sponsor of the Winter Cup.” He extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Stratos (Galen)

“Yes, I am. Do I know you?” Evan asked uninterested.

Zephyr, Commander, Azery and Jory

Since Evan was occupied, the other boy, Nico, let Raiza and her Pokémon in after she paid. He then turned his attention to Henry. “You want to enter? One ticket is 5 BP or Pokédollars.”

The inside of the Haunted House contained Ghost Pokémon. Combined with the relics it was one of the better Houses out there. Darkness was overwhelming and made it easy to trip. The ground was uneven and had small hurdles to throw people off, creating perfect moments for a bunch of Sableye to scare whoever they found. The sound of wings and screeches created by a flock of Zubat and Sableye giggling completed the House.

Almost in the middle was one other Pokémon; Cofagrigus. He was hiding in between other coffins containing mummies. When James passed he started to follow the student. A cold breeze blew in James’s neck and every time he turned around, Cofagrigus was standing still against a wall, pretending to be a coffin.

Raiza on the other hand was surrounded by deep red eyes. The Sableye were attracted b Litwick’s fire and were studying their fellow ghost type.

Somewhere between Raiza and James were Kristen and Jacob. They came close to one of the many hurdles; little wheels in the ground, and it didn’t take long before the Redhead lost balance and fell against Jacob. “Oh, sorry!” she giggled while making no effort to regain her balance again.

[Azeria]

"What the heck's creating this cold wind....wait..that's a golden coffin.You don't see those all that often.i bet if a flame got near it...it would show me if its a real coffin.Luna come on out!"James muttered as he called out his own Litwick."Luna,can you help me..i have a feeling that coffin over there is not what it seems to be,but it's too dark in here...."He asked the Floating Candle who responded by floating over to the 'Coffin'.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

"Fascinating," Raiza said, breathlessly. "Evan did a great job on this house, pon. Hey, do you guys want to come out and play?" she said, inviting the Sableye out.

So he was being observed? Well, why_not give them a show? The Ghost-Fire type smirked and began giggling madly, remembering Slade's advice from the bus and echoing the eerie laughter when he battled that Dratini before. Flames grew brighter, making shadows dance on the walls... He'd show the Sableye his power and talent.

[DarkLight]

Danielle gave a bow to Mrs. Sisto before she went back to her stall. From there, she observed the interactions between Mareek, his mother, and Lana. 'Note to self, never step into another one of Mareek and Lana moments again. Don't want to be a third wheel~' She was jolted out of her thoughts when a man in a blue suit approached her with a handshake. "W-Why, yes indeed sir! It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Brand!" Danielle quickly received the handshake with her own. "To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you here?"

Just in the nick of time, a cup of coffee encased in a spider web came down in front of Jeremy Brand. A Larvesta then plopped herself down beside it and burned away the webs with a very low fire. She then blinked up at the man before she uttered a shy greeting.

While Corona took care of Mr. Brand, and since the customers are served, Zared took a look outside to see if Avis or Danielle's mother would be back soon. He then found Slade running back to his stall to help out his Pokemon. Zared breathed a sigh of relief; that means Avis and the father would be coming back very soon. He was never the type of entertain his guests, unlike his teammate.

[Jory]

Jacob caught Kristen as she fell, ending up with his arms around her. He blushed profusely as she apologized, but made no move to right her. He simply held her against him, turning progressively redder until he managed to stammer out, "I-it's okay, Kristen." He then grinned lightly. "If anyone were going to fall on me, I'd prefer it be you," he said softly as he looked into her eyes.

[Chim]

DarkLight

“Ooh thanks Larvesta!” Brand said cheerfully. He patted the Bug type and drank his coffee. “Kalosian isn’t it?” The CEO was a smart man with a lot of knowledge. He obviously knew his coffee well. “Anyway, before I get sidetracked; do you remember the trip to the Boulder Hills? Some unfortunate actions happened and the paperwork that came with it… And then there’s that woman who kept bothering the board but now I’m still getting sidetracked! This won’t do so I’ll just show you.”

He took something out of his pocket and showed it to Danielle. In his palm was a black and yellow ball. “You won the art challenge and this Ultra Ball is the prize. It isn’t available in the Academy shop and quite expensive so you’re one lucky girl. Congratulations!”

Zephyr

The Sableye’s watched in awe when the Litwick put on a show. “Saaaable!” one of them stepped forward and wanted to know exactly how the little candle did this shadow trick.

Jory

“Are you flirting with me?” Kristen asked. Lucky for her it was still dark so it was hard to see her cheeks turn red. She giggled a little when suddenly a Duskull appeared and stared them down.

Azery

Interesting. Another ghost, but Cofagrigus wasn’t planning to give up so easily. He kept standing perfectly still until the flame got too close. The coffin started to sweat and eventually started moving around.

((Shade is with Jacob. Cofagrigus knows where he is))

[Felicity]

"Right, well, if you come over with me, I'll have you looking more beautiful than even Wallaces Milotic" Claude paused, before dropping in the next sentence. "Not that you aren't already" He winked, deciding to play along with the minor flirting.