Pokémon Academy: Ch 3: Winter Cup [IC]

[DarkLight]

"EXCUSE YOU! Avis is a crow, not a--" Danielle was cut short when Evan tossed Skarmory's Pokeball at her. Both her and Avis' anger were quickly replaced with confusion as Evan's Skarmory gave them both a questionable look. Danielle pet the steel bird as Claude' reprimanded them in the waiting room. The female coordinator was torn: If she took the bird under her care, it could prevent Ryan's death but, like Claude said, Skarmory prefers Evan for a reason. With a loud sigh, Danielle handed the Pokeball over the the Skarmory to grab. "Go with whomever you want to be with." she told the bird before addressing Claude.

"As you could see, Evan isn't the type to listen. I tried being civil and apologized for my mistake with the Hydreigon back in Professor Cadmus' garden, only to be met with hostility. That is why Avis is holding a grudge on him to this very day." She gave a light tap on Avis' beak, only to be met with a huff from her Murkrow. Danielle then saw Avis lowering her glare, but she doubt that Avis was over it. "Claude, it's true that I played a role in this fiasco, but Avis is a living being like us, with her own thoughts and feelings. I am able to stop her from pecking someone's eyes out, but I can't suppress her judgment. The last time she bottled up her anger, that Dark Pulse consumed her mind." Danielle watched as her Murkrow flew over to Zared, loosened up her black feathers, and settled herself head into them. "I treat my Pokemon like they are my friends. I can only support them and give them advice, but I cannot control them like they are robots."

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

While the humans were trying to settle their differences, Zared's ruby red eyes had spotted the 4 Pokeballs that were clipped onto Evan's belt. He poked Avis tentatively on her wing to get her attention. Although she seems miffed, Avis turned her gaze towards him to hear what he had to say. Still blinded by her irritation, Avis was unable to comprehend what Zared was hinting at when he told her about the 4 Pokeballs on Evan's belt. It was only when Zared mentioned that Skarmory's was not among them that the Murkrow's expression lightened up ever so slightly. Zared watched as his senior teammate listed off Evan's known Pokemon monotonously... And drew a blank on the 5th and last team member. He smiled as Avis gave him a puzzled look. It seems like they have both drawn the same conclusion.

[Felicity]

Claude sighed. "I understand, being friends with pokemon is fantastic. At the same time you still have to be in charge. Take Colere. If I let her go on as she used to, She would quite literally consider me her territory. I'm fairly sure she still does but she knows not to act like it." Claude was struggling for the words now, taking his time to find the words "Maybe the way a relationship between pokemon and owner should be likened more to Soldiers and a Commander. The soldiers can look up to and adore that commander as much as they would their hero but at some point that commander has to take charge and control his subordinates and friendship can't be a factor in that, for better or for worse." Claude sighed again. "I don't know, i'm a coordinator who loves his pokemon too. Just please give the arguments a rest."

[Jory]

Jacob listened carefully to the conversation as Arete played idly with his hair from her seat on her Trainer's shoulder. I wonder why Evan's being so hostile. Nothing makes a person mean like having something to hide, that's for sure, he noted, though not thinking much of it. At least he has that Skarmory. That bird's a powerhouse, especially with so few Pokemon around here being fully evolved. Teo and Spitfyre were busy mock wrestling. Jacob wasn't surprised to see that despite his small stature, the Trapinch managed to come out on top the majority of the time. Finally, the two seemed to have had enough of their play fighting and approached their Trainer. He nodded to them and returned them to their Poke Balls. However, Spitfyre simply dodged the ray of light and looked at Jacob with chagrin. "Fine, you can stay out. Go play with Danielle's Pokemon," he said calmly, closing his eyes as he thought about the next day's battle. Nadia's a tough opponent...

Spitfyre approached Avis and Zared slowly, not wanting to provoke a negative reaction. He raised a claw in greeting and looked between the two, realizing he'd interrupted something. He cocked his head and blew a puff of smoke out his nostrils, expressing his curiosity.

[Commander]

"Not really proud of that one or anything. Just shows I'm a bit rusty with Rosie." Henry didn't even notice the Delcatty staring directly at Henry's belt. She was focusing on a red and white ball on it. She always wondered how these things worked. She only just slighty tapped thing when it suddenly flung open and released a tiny little Togepi.

"Pi?" The sleepy looking Paradox glanced over at Raiza and noticed her holding a little candle in her hand. She loved cuddling so she wondered why Henry wasn't doing the same. She pulled on her trainer's pant leg crying, "PI! PI! PI!"

"What is it?" Henry watched the little mon point over to Raiza. He already knew where this was going. "Not now. There are people around." The Togepi just looked at him not reacting. "I'm not doing it. Can't you at least wait five minute?" Suddenly, the Togepi started to get all teary-eyed once more. "Dammit! Alright, I'll do it. I swear to Arceus you're ruining my reputation." He picked up Paradox and watch her get cozy in his arm.

Henry then turned his attention back on Raiza. "Sorry. Paradox gets a little needy sometimes. Don't ever try catching a younger 'mon. They're more hassle than they're worth. Anyways, the reason I'm so bothered by it is that my training has fallen way behind especially thanks to this one. It's a miracle I even have tricks up my sleeve this time around."

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

That. That got Raiza to turn around and watch. "Awh, that's so cute! Henry, I didn't know you had such an affectionate Togepi. I knew you were pretty close to your Pokemon, but this is really heartwarming. Lucifer's always been like that with me, actually, ever since he hatched from his Egg," she said, watching the Coordinator cradle the little Normal-Fairy. "I can see how having to take care of her can affect your concentration though, with all that cuteness." The Trainer giggled a little bit and continued to say, "Would you like me to take care of her sometimes then, while you train? I'd be glad to get to know a little cutie like her."

[Chim]

DarkLight and Dobby

Ah he hit a nerve. Excellent. Danielle’s anger worked satisfying. “Skarmory wants to be with me?” Evan asked Claude. “I dare you to say you like the bird and want to be her trainer. Her reaction should be priceless. She’s lonely, found me and stalks me, that’s all it is.” He shrugged and put his hands in his pockets while the steel bird hopped over. He then turned his attention back to Danielle“At least I can control my Pokémon instead of coming with that lame ‘Iwannabeherfriend’ bullshit. Maybe you are the one who isn’t cut out to be a trainer… Anyway I lost interest in this so remember this Princess; one more glare from that black chicken and I will pluck her.”

Evan walked towards the exit when he remembered something. “Hey, Claude, where did my brother go?”

[DarkLight]

{Jory - Spitfyre}

The apprehensive duo greeted Jacob's Charmeleon as he addressed them. Avis, however, glanced over to Zared and then to Spitfyre before she took off to join Danielle once more. The Mawile sighed before turning to Spitfyre and relayed their suspicions about Evan and the Skarmory.

{Dobby}

Corona stirred a little in Claude's arms. She really, really, really didn't like this mean, bespectacled boy and really, really, really wanted to Incinerate his glasses off as a warning. Nevertheless, the baby firebug remained there, listening in on the conversation between Evan and Claude.

{Waiting Room + Jory}

"I guess you're right." she sighed to Claude. Maybe she should kept her mouth shut whenever Evan is in her personal space. The day has gone sour in a matter of seconds whenever he was around. As Evan gave his parting words, Danielle felt Avis landing on her shoulder once again, this time with a more urgent look in her eye. "Umm... That is why I'm not in the trainer program..." Danielle answered distractedly. "Oh forget it, it's not like he would listen anyway..."

Danielle petted Avis as she walked over to a secluded Jacob, which is perfect for Avis to relay her thoughts. "Now, what's up with you, Avis? What knowledge do you have to impart on us?" She then eyed her Murkrow's every movement as the bird jumped, or flew, around the room. After pecking at Danielle's current Pokeballs with no reaction from the girl, Avis eventually got out five capsules from Danielle's bag and plotted them on the empty chair nearby. Four of them were plain, red and white Pokeballs while the fifth one was the Ultra Ball. Avis then glanced over at Evan and tilted her head to express her confusion.

"Evan has five Pokemon but you don't know one of them?" Danielle asked quietly, pointing to the Ultra Ball. Avis crowed happily before she settled down with a more worried expression. Danielle scooped the Pokeballs back into their compartment as the Murkrow gathered her thoughts, but nothing came out of Avis' beak when Danielle sat back down once more. Danielle picked up the bird so that they are at eye level with one another and whispered "Skarmory?" Avis nodded vigorously before she turned to Zared and Spitfyre, who were still conversing. "So you, or Zared, found something about Skarmory and you two think it's related to the unknown Pokemon?" Some more vigorous nodding was the response. Danielle sighed as she put the bird on her lap. Was this Avis just being vengeful or was she really onto something? Danielle looked over at Jacob to see what he thinks. "Sorry for breaking your concentration, Jacob, but this was one of the only quiet places left without Evan butting in. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

[Felicity]

Claude was very relieved that the arguing seemed to have died down. He cradled Corona a little as he answered Evans question "Last I saw, before my battle he went to take your sister to get some ice cream. I guess he'd be there or in the crowd. Tell him I said hi, yeah?" Without waiting for a reply, Claude made his way back over to Danielle, lifting Corona up high over her head to drop the little bug pokemon onto Danielles head with a mischievous little grin "There's your Larvesta by the way, the little cutie was catching a lift with me." Then he realised Danielle was actually talking to Jacob. "Oh, sorry, guess I interrupted you there"

[Commander]

Henry couldn't help but turn red from embarrassment...again. It was bad enough with Citrine, but now Raiza. Even though he wanted to, he had to decline Raiza's offer. "I really wish I could, but every other person who holds her she starts crying. I've also just started training her so you might start seeing her in battles later on." Henry then realized a thought he tried hiding even from himself. "Are you serious about, Lucifer? I don't think I can do this for the rest of the year. People...no, forget about it."

[Azeria]

"Pokemon that Hatch from an egg or are very young are usually like that with the person who raises them,it's pretty much the exact same as the relation ship between a Parent and Child"James said in response to seeing the young togepi's attitude."And it's worth all the effort you put into it..."He ended his sentence while he drifted off thinking about how he obtained Shade."Shade here infact was given to me as an egg 5 years ago and i've never regretted raising him."James said while he cringed as he remembered just how he had obtained Shade's egg.

[Commander]

Henry was a bit annoyed with Jame's advice. "Before you spout out advice, maybe you should use your head for a minute. Do I look like a good father to you? I didn't even really want this little guy. The little thing just wouldn't stop following me. If either of you want her, you can have her. It's honestly not worth the effort." Henry now held the Togepi right in front of him. She was completely unfazed by his words and playfully kicked her legs with a cheerful expression on her face.

[TurboAura]

Once Claude's battle ended, Robert simply stood up, said a simple "Wish me luck" to Shiro, and walked toward the arena entrance. Once the introductions had ended, he walked onto his place with his team already in-hand, seeing Laura take her own side of the field. "Heh, let's see how much of a challenge you'll give me. I'd rather not have my first win be TOO easy."

"Trust me, I wouldn't have it any other way." As the starting bell, they both let out their teams, Jetstream and Voltage on Robert's side, and a Timburr and Meditite on the other.

"Now let's see what you can take. Hercules, use Rock Throw on the Noibat, Chi, use Hidden Power on it." Following commands immediately, the Timburr hit it's log onto the ground, bringing some rocks up and slamming them towards Jet, while Meditite launched the Hidden Power towards him.

"Jet, use Agility and fly away from the Rock Throw, then use Gust on the Meditite. Voltage, give Timburr a Shock Wave for leaving you out." Voltage windmilled his arms around as he let a Shock Wave, hitting the Timburr. Meanwhile Jetsteam shined with a white glow as he sped up, going closer to the incoming Hidden Power which didn't seem too harmful, and let the Gust loose.

"Heh, guess this isn't gonna be as boring as I thought it would. Chi, Detect! Hercules, Focus Energy and be ready for an incoming attack." Chi's eyes lit up as it easily dodged the Gust while Hercules tightened his own focus while having a yellow glow around him.

"Playing defensive then? Okay, Jet use Gust on the Timburr. Voltage, get in close with a Quick Attack." While Jet let another Gust out, Voltage dashed around the side of the attack and slammed into the waiting Timburr, who didn't even try to dodge.

"Heh, you really think getting close to a Timburr was a good idea? Hercules, show them a Power-Up Punch. Chi, hit that Noibat with another Hidden Power."

"Voltage, use Shock Wave. Jet, launch a Gust downward to fly up." Voltage braced up and took the Power-Up Punch, unleashing the Shock Wave quickly after. During which, Jetstream launched a Gust downwards and flew above the Hidden Power. As the Shock Wave settled, the Timburr was cringing by down on the floor, apparently affected by Voltage's Static... and yet, Laura had a big smirk on her face. "So I guess you're enjoying the challenge more than enough."

"You could say that. But you walked yourself into another trap." Just as she finished, Timburr stepped up with a red glow around him(Guts), having his own smirk. "That Static of yours just made it easier to take you down. Hercules, hit it with a Rock Throw. Meditite use Confusion on the Elekid."

"Voltage, Shock Wave, quick! Jetstream, fly in with a Wing Attack at Timburr." With both attacks closing in, Voltage launched a close range Shock Wave, only to be stopped during it by Confusion's glow around him and knocked out by the attacks. With his wings glowing, Jet flew straight at Hercules and easily hit thanks to the currently huge difference in speed. As such, Hercules finally reached his own limit and fell flat, leaving things at a 1 on 1.

"Hmm, guess you're strong enough to take one of them out. Chi, you're up on your own then." The Meditite nodded as Laura returned Hercules, Robert doing the same to Voltage, with his other hand tightening into a fist in determination.

"Voltage, you did well, take a good rest. Jet, use Wing Attack on the Meditite." With a determined glare, Jetsteam launched towards the Meditite with his wings glowing.

"Heh, again? Chi, give another Detect." The Meditite's eyes glowed again, ready to dodge just as easily, moved away as soon as Jet got close.

"Now, Gust!" As soon as Jet saw where the Meditite went to moved to dodge, he let Gust out, getting to the Meditite it could counter. Laura herself knew that if she let this go on how it is, she'd just loose.

"Chi, use Confusion. Slam it into the ground!" Once again, Meditite's eyes glowed blue and a purple glow surrounded Jet, who was then slammed into the ground. Once the ended, Jet flew back up with noticeable damage on him. 'If that Meditite doesn't go down soon, then... No, whatever happens next is how it goes.' "Meditite, finish things here and now, Hidden Power!"

"Jet, finish things off with a Gust." They both launched their attacks, but something seemed... different about Jet's attack. Instead of the usual Gust of wind, the final wing-flap let out a shining blue x-shape(Air Cutter). When the two attacks hit, Jet's attack won between them and hit the Meditite, knocking it back and onto the ground. Both sides were silent, still suprised with how things finished until Laura finally spoke up.

"Chi, return. You did well...so that's how things go, huh? Fine, you won. She walked out of her place on the field, turning back just before she left. "Just keep giving it all you got. Don't you dare make it look like I went easy on you."

Robert simply nodded to her, a smile on his face as he left the field with Jet landing on his shoulder.

Parents

As the battle ended, his parents and Nikki happily cheered Robert on for the win. "Haha, that boy sure has grown. Reminds me of myself at his age."

"Sure Will, YOU'RE the one he takes after in battling." With the sarcastic joke left unheard due to the cheering, Akako simply rubbed Nikki's head in content.

Edited February 18, 2015 by TurboAura

[Azeria]

"...you know,the one thing i absolutely despise is someone who abandons their pokemon..if you'd do something like that to a child...."James said as his eyes narrowed into a glare,similar to his owner's feelings at the moment Shade's single red eye glowed at Henry."I really try to not get angry unnecesarily but people who do stuff like that just frustrate me..."He muttered as in his head rumbled the faint words of Mr. Fuji's teachings

[Jory]

{Waiting Room- Spitfyre, Jacob, and Danielle}

Spitfyre nodded vigorously to Zared, his eyes narrowing as the Mawile relayed the information to the Charmeleon. He cocked his head in curiosity at the mention of the fifth Pokemon. Come to think of it, Spitfyre couldn't seem to figure out which Pokemon was the strange Trainer's fifth either. He nodded his thanks to Zared and walked back to his Trainer. He tapped a claw on the young man's knee to get his attention, then pointed to Evan. "Him? We found him in the woods during the trip. What's up, Spits? You're acting weird." The Charmeleon then grabbed the Trainer's hand and splayed his fingers out. He curled in one finger and did his best imitation of a Vaporeon. He then continued to imitate each of the other Trainer's known Pokemon until he reached Jacob's thumb, at which point he simply shrugged. Jacob nodded. "So you don't know his fifth Pokemon? Neither do I. I bet if anyone would know, it would be Mareek. He's always got his ear to the ground when it comes to research." Jacob paused momentarily. Then, Danielle approached him.

"Sorry for breaking your concentration, Jacob, but this was one of the only quiet places left without Evan butting in. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

Jacob nodded, gesturing to Spitfyre. "I already got filled in. I was just telling Spitfyre that we should ask Mareek about it. He probably knows everything there is to know about all the battlers here." He then smiled at the Coordinator. "By the way, that was an awesome win you pulled out earlier. Congrats on moving on."

[Commander]

"You act like it's always a bad thing. Releasing Pokemon, abandoning children, history is full of this kind of stuff. Some of it is still viewed as acceptable. Maybe Paradox is all happy and sweet right now, but younglings tend to follow in the footsteps of the father. It'd probably be better this way because no one wants to be around someone like me." Henry kept his expressionless face while speaking those words. Despite what he was saying, the Togepi remained happy and carefree. Rosie was a bit puzzled and began studying this Togepi. Even she'd be upset if this was her being discussed.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

"Oh, maybe it's because she's unfamiliar with other people. Human babies are like that too. It's a matter of trust, I guess. I mean, wouldn't you freak out too if somebody other than your parent or a familiar person held you?" Cradling the Ghost-Fire type in her arms, who seemed to have fallen asleep moments ago, she moved a bit closer to Henry to get a closer look at the Togepi in his arms. "Lucifer hated it when I'd go off to places without him, when he was younger. You could say that he was... Spoiled, and that he still is. Ghost types tend to be able to scream shrilly-- just like those stringy-haired ghost girls, like the one in The Ring, you know?-- and he did that a lot, if I left him with even Mom or Dad. I was the only person he wanted to be held and taken care of by. He only got used to Mom, Dad, and eventually Lana when he grew up a bit older. And later on, he developed most Ghost type's tendencies to float around... But as you can see, he'd always come right back home and back to me. I wouldn't be surprised if the little girl ends up just like that when she grows her wings," she said with a little smile. "Ah, maybe she'd warm up to me if I hung around more often. But I'll only stick around to try it out if you want me to."

But then when Henry got irritated with James, Raiza sighed. "James, I understand your sentiments, but your wording, again..." As for Henry, she said, calmly, "I'd be glad to help you with her, if you'd like. But the thing is, she'd have to get used to my presence. Definitely she'll cry at first if you pass her on to me, but eventually, she should calm down. That's how Lucifer was with again, Lana and my parents, when he was your Togepi's age."

[Azeria]

"The shrilly scream thing is worst when its used by a Misdreavus or Mismagius. The headaches those things give when they do it last for ages."James recalled from an experience he had with his Aunt's Mismagius."Anyhow,it's easier to take care of a younger pokemon when you have a pokemon either similar in age or one like Chansey or Audino who are really caring towards others."He said while he wondered why he even was a trainer..he seemed to fit better as a Breeder.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Dat Assery

[Chim]

Hosts (Tacos)

Marco was about to yell in his mic again when he noticed the thing was gone. “Hey,” he whispered, “what happened to my mic? I can’t host like this!”

“Ah I think one of the co-workers said it was broken and they had to fix it. They will give you another one as soon as possible,” Redwood lied. He knew what happened and out the corner of his eye, barely visible in the distance, he could see a broken mic. Devin Cadmus had reached his limit. Some things, like yelling into his ear, simply annoyed him.

Redwood continued. “Next up are Ryan and Max. Not sure if it’s coincidence or not, but they have very similar Pokémon. Ryan has a Spheal, Luxio, Bagon and Phanpy while Max has a Wailmer, Electrike, Axew and Swinub.”

((You can pick 2 out of the 4))

Stratos (Galen)

“Boooooriiing! When are we starting the mission? I can use some action,” Sarah yawned. Apparently she wasn’t the only one unimpressed by the ongoing battles. Matt seemed to be asleep with his chin resting on his chest and even Pierre was awfully quiet.

Somewhere in the stands

“Seriously? Noobs. This doesn’t even count as decent training. Ymora drew the short straw this year if that’s all they can do…”

“Behave yourself, will you? And what’s with the hoodie? Are you planning to rob this place?”

“That sounds like fun actually, gramps. And you know I don’t want to be recognized. It would be bad for my image if people saw me hang out with old people past their prime.”

The old man sighed. “Remind me to ask Devin to knock some sense into you next time the two of you have a battle. And just so you know; I can still take you on and battle circles around you.”

[DarkLight]

{Dobby, Jory + Everyone Else in the Waiting Room}

Corona chirped in surprise as she was suddenly dropped all the way down onto Danielle's head. She scrambled desperately to regain her composure, only to end up falling onto her backside in empty chair and messing up her master's hair in the process. The Larvesta cried for help as she struggled to get back onto her belly, swaying side to side like a little baby girl would.

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

"H-Hey!" Danielle stammered as she felt her Larvesta land on her head. "Don't worry, we are always happy to have Claude the Extraordinaire's presence." She quickly put Avis back onto her lap and pushed Corona lightly on her side so that she could roll back onto her six legs.

As Danielle listened to Jacob's suggestion, she also noticed Zared walking over and taking his place by her foot, glancing at the group silently before he turned his attention to the screen. She figured that her Mawile was satisfied with how the conversation was going, so she decided to address Jacob and Claude and leave her newest team member be. "Thanks, although it was nothing compared to your one turn knockout. That's what I expected from the top favorite to win!" Danielle replied to Jacob's praise. "And talking about a favorite, where is Mareek then? We might as well ask him now that we still have time to kill."

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

Avis flew to Zared and whispered something in his ear. With a nod, Zared suddenly snapped his fingers to get the humans' attention. They got the first suspicious activity down, but he was more worried about this one in particular. It was going to be hard to explain, but it had to be done; A death happening because he failed to deliver this information is something he would not like to have on his guilty conscience. First, he pointed to the Skarmory and then his ear to signify that she told him something. Zared then drew two letters, "T" and an "R", to signify Team Rocket, their previous suspicions of this trouble-making group. He pointed to Slade and drew the same two letters again to emphasize his point. Finally, he drew a huge "X" with his horn on the spot where he drew said letters.

"Okay, so Skarmory told you something that makes you think it's not "TR." Who's "TR" though?" Danielle asked. She watched Zared pointed to Slade again before he made a charging movement towards Avis repeatedly. Avis was dodging all of them by sidestepping them. "Slade, TR and something ramming its head at us?" The Mawile gave an affirmative cry. Danielle scratched her head, unaware of her hair's messy state, trying to figure out this scene. It seemed awfully familiar... "Claude, Jacob, anybody got this charade? It looks like he is emphasizing the Rhyhorn stampede, but I can't figure out the "TR" part..." Zared finally lifted up Avis' wing with one hand and lifted up a black feather daintily with his other, allowing each and everyone of them to look at the black coloring.

[K_H]

Kenny walked into the Waiting room just after Danielle finished speaking, and sat down on an empty chair, holding his head in his hands as if he was frustrated about something.

[Jory]

{Waiting Room- Jacob, Danielle, and Claude}

Jacob looked carefully at the Pokemon's charade and thought deeply for a moment. Not TR... Rhyhorn stampede... Black... Jacob looked puzzled for a moment before his eyes lit up. He stood abruptly and snapped his fingers, startling Spitfyre. "Guys, I've got it!" He looked to all of them and then to Zared. "The people who caused the Rhyhorn stampede weren't poachers or Team Rocket! They were dressed in black." He looked off into the distance for a second and looked back. "Maybe the Donphan stampede wasn't the end goal of that. When we found Evan he wasn't in any shape to walk, but we found him by following Skarmory's tracks away from where he fell from the road." He looked to Danielle and Claude again. "What if somebody moved him? Say, a couple of folks in black?"

Jacob sighed. "We can't know for sure. We should talk more about this with Mareek. Let's go find him."

[Azeria]

"Anyways,there's only one more match remaining before mine so...i'll go back to the waiting room"James said before he walked back to the waiting room. As he entered the room he felt like there was some tension and he heard Danniele say something about "TR"."Um,guys what happened in here and why are we suddenly talking about something TR?"James asked a bit confused though a rising suspicion grew in his mind."TR..those initials can only mean one thing...Team Rocket"

[Commander]

Henry was silent for a moment watching as James left before answering Raiza's request. "I wish I could, but I can't. I just can't. I couldn't explain it to you even if I wanted to. I just...can't watch things cry." Henry had to force those last for words out of his mouth. It felt like someone stabbed him with a knife after that. "I don't care if you look down upon me for that fact. I even had to turn away when you were breaking down there."

[Sutoratosu]

Galen

"Once you've seen the biggest overall threat to the operation there is around here," Galen responded simply, bridging his fingers- a habit lifted from his mother. "The bunch of rabble that have battled so far are more or less irrelevant to us aside from Evan and this kid I'm talking about... He's focused, he's intuitive about certain things, and He'll probably be the first one to see through everything and piece it all together into a completed puzzle if any of you fuck up around him or let something slip... I know, I talked to him not too long ago, and he hasn't changed much from how I knew him..." His face hardened a bit as he reviewed the impression of his brother he'd gotten earlier that day, confident that he was right in his warnings... "So there's your answer, kiddos, we're not leaving this stadium until all three of you lay eyes on the one student here you must avoid at all costs. Do not speak to him, and definitely don't do anything to draw his attention, cause if you do, you could damn well set into motion the failure of this whole operation. Lucky you though; his battle's not too far away now- your boredom will soon be over...one way or another."

Mareek

"Show me," Mareek demanded yet again of Erce. The Scyther nodded as she crouched down on the soft grass just outside the entrance of the Stadium, trainer and battle partner both staying not far away on the concrete, arms crossed. She gave a single glance to Mareek.

"Reserves." He said simply.

Within an instant the mantis vanished, kicking up bits of grass and dirt as she pushed herself off the ground, wings unfurling and beginning to buzz as she faded into a blur of motion, and then to thin air. He listened for the sound of her flight, as did Nemo by his side- not that they'd ever had a problem with Erce's noise giving away her position while using agility, but it didn't hurt to ensure the old girl wasn't getting sloppy or lazy with her battle standards. Nemo nodded up at the boy, confirming his ears could detect nothing either. A bit of cold wind blew as they both just stood there, waiting... just as an opponent would've been left waiting, vexed by what the hell Mareek would have ordered Erce to do. Hell, after enough time, they'd probably start thinking the scyther had actually disobeyed her trainer and fled the battle entirely, and that... was where they would get got.

He turned to Nemo, figuring he would go ahead and try killing some time. "You still alright with this plan? You'll have to handle two opponents at once for a while..." Nemo gave it a bit of thought, then tapped his club against his helm and gave a confident cry, whirling the thing around and striking at multiple places in the air as to demonstrate how useful the target training they'd done had been. "And you know you're probably going to go down pretty fast depending on what that Shellos can do, right?"- Granted, it likely wouldn't be as fast as his first battle against a water type, but still... Nemo knew the risk, and he was ready for them.

"Cube!" He nodded.

"Just remember, the Rhyhorn is going to be your main focus, it shouldn't be too hard to deal with given it can only run in straight lines. Take him head on, sidestep when you can, and meet strike for strike, like I taught you. If you can at least weaken him a good bit, then Erce should be able to come in clean it all up for us. If the Shellos tries to intervene, break off and go for defense- your Bonemerang attacks are probably going to be your best friend for interception."

Again, he simply nodded... and so with nothing more to discuss, the two merely stood there... waiting... "I told her I wasn't going to hold back, and I'm a man of my word...maybe she'll realize what's going on before it's too late, maybe she won't... either way..." "Kamikaze." He ordered, having decided he'd waited more than long enough. Within an Instant Erce reappeared in a blur of motion high in the air, tucking in her wings and letting gravity pull her down towards earth diagonally, adding to the force of the Return as her body began to become cloaked in hazy blue winds like the kind she utilized for her Vacuum Shield Stratagem. Then right before she hit the ground, she pulled up, wings buzzing once more, and she was beginning to blur as the teal winds faded.

"We'll fight her as she as if she were anyone else." He finished to himself as he watched the mantis disappear again.

[Tacos]

Perhaps the most unusual side effect of learning about your own method of death is loss of reality. It had only been seconds since Ryan had strutted over towards Claude and the others in a good mood. He had only been staring off into the distance for a short amount of time. He could only hold on for so long, though. Suddenly, the world began to blur together. A drug addict probably hadn't experienced something quite like this in their life. The colors morphed and mixed together and faces began to speak whispers that whistled like gusts of wind around Ryan's ears. A sensation of complete vertigo came over Ryan, not knowing where he was anymore. He couldn't even move. He stood motionless, glazed eyes staring towards the wall. One would think he'd be watching his own boyfriend's battle, but he'd be damned if he even knew where the stadium was anymore.

“Next up are Ryan and Max."

The mixed colors and faces shattered like fragments of a window that fell victim to a misguided swing of a baseball bat. His body jolted when he heard his own name, discerning it from the blur of words swimming through his mind. He suddenly lost his balance and began to fall face forward. What are you gonna do? The world froze around Ryan and he heard nagging words swarming around his head. His hands were held out to catch him near the ground, but he wasn't getting any closer. The ethereal moment was over in a split second and Ryan's hands felt the harsh impact of the cold floor. You've fallen before, play it off like you're doing a push up. And that's just what he did. His hands propelled him upwards and he fell into a few routine pushups before jumping up and emitting a victory shout.

Deciding he didn't want to stick around to be embarrassed, Ryan practically threw himself out of the waiting room and into the arena. The fresh air opened his mind and his vision was clear now. The few cheers in the crowd excited him. It was almost invigorating. He waved to his few fans, and to his family while he took position on one side of the field, opposing Max.

Max was your average everyday pompous asshole. He already was fully confident he would win the battle. "'Sup suicidical freak! How about I do you a favor and bring your death early!" Max released a hearty chuckle that Ryan couldn't help but snicker at. If only you knew. Ryan grasped his two most familiar pokeballs. Why bring out the big guns on this guy? His cocky attitude must be compensating for something much smaller.

Ryan silently released his pokemon simultaneously with Max, the flashing lights revealing laughably identical duos. Glacien bared his chilled fangs towards the Wailmer across it, attempting to intimidate the pokemon. Feroces leapt into the air, letting a few sparks fall off of his charged fur. Wailer laughed heartily as if it was all a joke, and Elektrike, having an attitude very similar to his trainer, decided he had enough of waiting. Max pointed his finger onto the battlefield. "Elektrike, how about we get rid of the little chubster. Not much of a threat, but a two against one is always more fun." Max grinned, and Ryan couldn't help but look disgusted.

The Elektrike propelled itself forwards, sparks flying from it's sharpened teeth. It ran a few feet before leaping towards Glacien, attempting to sink his charged fangs into Glacien. Ryan winked towards Feroces, who immediately understood what was being asked of him. Feroces took a few leaping bounds before launching himself in front of Glacien. Feroces bared his fangs and hissed at the approaching Elektrike, who seemed to lose some of his desire to attack. But, it's hard for a pokemon to defy momentum, and the Elektrike slammed into Feroces, digging his teeth into the Luxio instead. Feroces couldn't help but laugh, seeing as how his Intimidating approach weakened the blow. The Elektrike was obviously unsure of what to do next. Max wasn't issuing orders, as he was shocked after realizing how weak his partner was. Feroces nodded his head towards Glacien, and the two communicated as to what the next move was. Feroces did a magnificent semi-flip about four feet in the air, before slamming the still attached Elektrike into the ground. The impact made the Elektrike cry out, and in turn, release his grip on Feroces. Glacien, way ahead of the plan, sent a magnificently chilled technicolor beam towards the Elektrike, sending the poor pokemon back to the other side of the field.

Max clenched his hand in frustration. "You're so damn weak! How could you take so much damage so easily?" Max pointed his finger out towards Elektrike. The Elektrike cried out of sadness and pain and ran off of the field. Max screamed in frustration. "I forfeit! This is so damn stupid!" Max reached for his pokeballs and activated them. Wailmer looked confused and Elektrike looked regretful before being absorbed into the pokeballs. Max stormed off the field within seconds, leaving Ryan to wonder what just happened. He looked blankly at Redwood, wondering what he was to do.