[X] My Assistant

[Ganymede]

We already have two people in this (qpidity and I) but we'd love to have at least one more person join in later one .D

While Zelda does appear to be speaking at one point, this language in entirely non-understandable to humans - unless they have some sort of psychic power. Or speak Pokemon.

It wasn’t quite morning yet, but the day started early in the poorest district of Noverus. Clouds gathered high above the city, rain beginning to drizzle down upon the shadowy figures darting about the city. A light fog began to creep among the alleyways and back streets, spilling over stairs and hugging walls. At one point the fog brushed up against an old, cracked door, the CLOSED sign on the window cobwebbed in place. The fog lingered for just a moment more before moving on, the trailing edges swirling as the door opened.


Standing alone in the doorway, Jaden sighed, watching his breath float before him before vanishing. He cast a longing look over his shoulder, shrugging the rolled-up sleeves of his jacket down. The interior of the house-turned-clock-shop was eerily silent – Jaden had somberly wound down each and every one of the sixty-three clocks, pocket watches, and metronomes last night once he had made up his mind. It had been four long years since his father’s shop had been shut down. Four years since his father had turned him out into the world and vanished mysteriously, leaving nothing behind. Jaden had spent those four years in a haze, mechanically repairing anything put in front of him. It had only been a month ago when he’d heard the first rumour – someone, somewhere, was trying to take Magma down. It all seemed so simple – Magma had shut down his father’s shop shortly before his disappearance. It only made sense, then, that his father could be a captive – Jaden could no longer fool himself into thinking that he’d left only to reconcile with his wife. Not after four years.


So he decided – he’d find these rebels, and ask for help.


That had been his plan, in theory – but now, as he stood in the doorway of the only home he knew, he felt less than ready to take on his personal mission. He was jolted out of his reverie by a sudden burst of water on his nose. Looking up, Jaden was met with a cold raindrop straight to the eye. Rubbing his face vigorously, he ducked back into the shop and looked around, his gaze settling on the window nook. A Meowth lay there, looking out into the rain-splattered street with bored eyes. With a twitch of an ear, it turned toward Jaden, tail beginning to sway. "Nyaaa?" it inquired, head tilted.


"It’s really coming down, isn’t it, Zelda?" Jaden said, attempting to smile. Zelda rolled her eyes and lept off the nook, quickly crossing the room before clambering up Jaden’s leg and diving into his jacket. Jaden sighed and walked out into the rain-slicked street, the door behind him closing with a final-sounding click.


"Let’s go find Father, Zelda," Jaden murmured, taking one last longing look at the shop before turning and walking into the mist.


Two hours later, Jaden was hopelessly lost.


"Nyaa," Zelda muttered angrily from inside his jacket. "See, I told you to ask for directions, but nooo, you just had do figure it out yourse- ouch!" Jaden pressed his hand against his jacket, looking around nervously. They were in a small square, surrounded by cafés and small restaurants. None of them seemed heavily occupied, but Jaden still felt like he was being watched. After a moment, he pulled his hand away from his jacket, shaking his head. With an annoyed miaow, Zelda stuck her head out of the jacket, instantly getting soaked. "I thought I heard something," Jaden said, biting his lip and pulling open the door to one of the emptier cafés. "I guess it was just the rain."

[Headwind]

ALEXIS ROSSET
BUTTERFLY BREEDER

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

The bespectacled waitress, short for her age, was concerned with one of the café’s patron. She carefully placed a cup of piping hot coffee on his table, her eyes trying their hardest to catch his.

It didn’t work, though, and it wasn’t that surprising. The man in pink, known around this street as “The Pink Gauntlet”, was probably the most oblivious guy to walk this green Earth. It was either that or he wasn’t just interested with women.

“I’m okay, Charley.” He smiled at her, taking the cup for a quick sip. “It’s just been boring, the past few weeks.”

“Well, hang in there, love. Good things come to those who wait.” With a graceful pivot, Charley flitted back to the counter with her hazel curls.

The young man took another sip before taking two Poke Balls from his pocket and laying them out on his table. Both were custom-made. Instead of the usual red and white, his had pink tops and gray bottoms. On the center, it had a strange symbol that he’d always romanticize as a two-headed dragon caring for a Pokemon Egg. It was one of those things that were deeply rooted in his past.

He fiddled with the Poke Balls some more before resting his chin on his right palm. He started to lazily dream about his hometown, Mauville, and his mother and sister. It had been months since he left the city of thunder to live his life his own way. In the beginning, it was harder than he expected. He travelled a lot and finding a good place to sleep wasn’t always fun. You can’t always rely on people you’ve just met. It gradually went better as time passed. He became more adept at living on his own, foraging for meals and meeting new friends. He learned a couple of tricks along the way as well. Compared with how he was with money when he was still at home, he has improved greatly with them now.

He sighed at the sight of his own Poke Balls. “When will you two evolve?”

“Alexis! You’ve got a phone call from Professor Geos!” yelled the owner of the café, the old guy who’s always at the counter. Just like Charley, he also has glasses on. Both deny any blood relations though Alexis believe otherwise.

“Tell him I’ll call him back.” He replied as elegant as he could. A couple of girls on the next table giggled at his accent. There was always something attractive about foreign accents, especially to teenage girls.

Alexis smiled at the two girls and blew them a kiss, posing as handsomely as he could. The two turned crimson and continued to giggle at him. He had always loved the attention, the power that he felt he had with some people, but he would always fail to assess the extent of it. His charisma was something that could be treated as a weapon as a Skitty’s Cute Charm.

Strangely, Alexis had never been bound to any single girl. It was perhaps of his oblivious nature, which always made him appear eccentric not to just Charley but to the rest of his female acquaintances. Against his male peers, he was heavily underestimated in battle. It was mainly because of how he talked and walked. Alexis was always the non-confrontational type, unless the situation called for him to action.

“Dorian… Khalleen… May the Gods be merciful enough to let me witness your beauty!” he whispered to himself as someone new entered the café seeking refuge from the rain.

For some reason, Alexis found himself interested with the new guy. Being a patron of the Literati Café, he was well accustomed to all the customers who frequented the place. With the tension-filled rumors of political conflict, everyone was a potential source of trouble.

This post has been edited by qpidity: Jul 22 2009, 07:39 AM

[Ganymede]

Jaden looked around the café curiously. At first glance it had seemed mostly empty, but with a sinking heart he realised there were actually quite a few people lingering about. Brushing his dripping hair out of his face, he made a beeline for a table tucked into a corner, praying nobody would notice him. As he sat down Zelda popped out of his jacket and jumped onto the table, shaking her head and sending water droplets everywhere. Panicking slightly, Jaden quickly grabbed the Scratch Cat Pokemon and sat her down on the cushion next to him, swiping some napkins from a table near his to clean up the puddle.


Wiping furiously, Jaden didn't notice that a waitress had arrived until she cleared her throat. With a smile aimed at Zelda, she held out a small menu to Jaden, who leaned away from her, mind racing. Oh no, I forgot you had to talk to people here… Before the girl could ask, "Would you like anything to drink?", Jaden hastily pushed the menu back, stiffly (but politely) asking for "J-just a water, thank you."


With a bemused look on her face, the waitress simply shrugged and bounced back to the counter, tossing her long amber hair behind her shoulder as she did. Jaden followed her gaze, surprised to see it land on a very pink thing on the other side of the café. Thinking it was a group of Skitties somehow meshed together, Jaden quickly scooted to the chair on the other side of his table to get a better look.


As Zelda saw her chance and hopped back on the table, Jaden noted - with some disappointment - that it wasn't a bunch of Skitties, just a…person? Wearing lots of pink? Jaden tilted his head, frowning a little. Zelda immediately stopped licking her paw and mimicked Jaden's pose, tail swaying back and forth slowly. "Nyaaa," she said, blinking. She really couldn’t see how that guy was so interesting to her trainer - to her, everyone not Jaden was of little consequence. Her mind drifted off, back to the small house she and Jaden had left. She sighed, her tail flicking faster. She didn't understand why they had to leave it like that. But Jaden was Jaden, no matter how strange he might be. Zelda shrugged and refocused her staring efforts at the pink man.


Jaden, however, was thinking rapidly. Hmm. In the story books Father always read to me, the girls sometimes had pink hair. Well, it was usually gold or black, but sometimes it was pink. Maybe he's a girl? No, no. There was never a rule that only girls could have pink hair...was there?


Deep in thought, Jaden didn't notice the two girls glancing at him and whispering, or when the waitress returned and set the water down on his table. She opened her mouth, saw his intense stare, closed her mouth, and walked quickly back to the counter, frowning. "That one's a weirdo," she muttered.

This post has been edited by Mechanical Lullaby: Jul 22 2009, 01:14 PM

[Headwind]

Alexis followed the newcomer with his eyes, not moving his head for even an inch to be as discreet as possible. He still had his chin on his right palm, stirring his coffee in futility. He wasn’t that much of a fan of sugar and he liked his caffeine raw. It wouldn’t be coffee if you drowned the cup in condiments.

This guy… He seems awfully interesting.

Having been with this place for the longest time, he knew that Charley would always take two trips to a customer’s table. It was basics. The first trip would consist of taking the order and the second would be serving the order. Things like this would be easily dismissed as nothing more than tiny details but it is with those tiny details that Alexis is dangerous. The obvious is only obvious when someone actually takes notice of them.

The man in pink changed his seductive smile to that similar with a sinister cat’s, usually associated with a Meowth. Coincidentally, a purr from the Scratch Cat Pokemon was heard. Alexis knew it could only belong to the newcomer as most people here weren’t that close with their Pokemon. With the exception of Charley, who has her Jynx in the kitchen, most of the customers had theirs in their respective Poke Balls. It was tradition… or something like that.

Charley returned with a glass of water, smiling at Alexis as their eyes met. Well, technically, the young man had his set on the order while the young woman had hers set on his. There were only two people who ordered water in this place – the cheapskates or the nervously lost kids who felt they didn’t belong here. It was just a guess but he hoped he was close to it.

“That one’s a weirdo,” Charley whispered under her breath. “Looks like you’ve got another Thomas doubting….”

At the sound of Charley’s last footstep before she vanished into the kitchen, Alexis turned swiftly towards the new guy and smiled at him. He stared at the Meowth with eyes like dagger. He seemed to challenge the Pokemon but stopped when he realized he should be more focused with the new guy than with something so mundane. He wasn’t a fan. He’d much rather look at a Skitty all day.

“Hello,” he sang. “You’ve got a pretty Pokemon there.”

[Ganymede]

When the pink man turned and smiled right at him, Jaden jumped, spilling most of his water on the recently-dried table. With a look of utter hopelessness he stared at the puddle, feeling his heart sink further in this chest. This day is going just great, he thought, as Zelda irritably hissed at him. Feeling around the table for a clean napkin, Jaden froze when the man addressed him.


“Hello,” the man said in a sing-song voice. Jaden nearly dropped the last dry napkin into the puddle at the sound. “You’ve got a pretty Pokemon there.” Jaden looked up again, hoping the odd twinge of his mouth at least resembled a smile. "U-um, thank y-you," he stammered, frantically trying to remember the manners his father had taught him. "Er, you're, ah - your Pokeballs a-are rather n-nice -"


"Nyaa!" Zelda interrupted, whacking Jaden's face with her paw. Turning to the pink man, she seemed oblivious of Jaden's gaping face as she began to speak. "Nyaa nyaa, nyaaan. Nya nya?"


Gently pushing Zelda out of the way, Jaden gave the man another twisted smile. "I'm sorry about Zelda, she likes to talk for me - oh, I'm sorry! Um, I'm supposed to tell you my name right?" he said, all in one huge rush. Clearing his throat, he tried to calm himself down, failing miserably as he held out his hand. "I-I'm Jaden Krause," he said nervously, trying not to get his elbow in the ever-widening puddle. "And, um, this is Zelda. We're - we're looking for someone. Do you know anything about a rebellion?"


A gasp came from the table where the two girls sat. Turning, Jaden caught a frown on one of their faces before it smoothed into a neutral expression. The other girl saw his glance and smiled at him before leaning in close to her friend, muttering quietly.


Oh no, what did I do wrong now? Jaden thought desparingly.

[Headwind]

When the Meowth slapped the trainer’s face, Alexis couldn’t help but be shocked at the disrespect the Pokemon held for its human. As it turned to him, acting like it could be understood like humans would each other, he was left with a smile, realizing that it may have intended no harm for its master but only concern for what seemed to be his lack of social skills. He wouldn’t have guessed it if not for the soaked napkins on his table.

"I'm sorry about Zelda, she likes to talk for me - oh, I'm sorry! Um, I'm supposed to tell you my name right?" More proof supported Alexis’ observation.

He continued by telling him his name – Jaden Krause. Whether that was a pseudonym or not, there was no other way of knowing. Times like this give difficulty with discerning friends from foes and vice versa. He also introduced his Meowth as Zelda, a name that gave the man in pink a curious vibe. For some reason, he felt like he’d heard of that name before but he couldn’t quite put his foot on it.

“We're - we're looking for someone. Do you know anything about a rebellion?"

Tension obviously rose as those who were near them broke their silence with deafening gasps. After a short while, Alexis could hear some of them mutter in their seats, probably worrying about this newcomer’s status, about where he’d fit in this puzzling conflict. If there was one thing that interested Alexis though, it was, of course, conflict. The more people there were, barking at a single tree, the better. It amused him to no end to note that everyone’s happy when things go their way but soon panics when the script is changed.

“School girls can be so… weak,” He made sure they couldn’t hear him so he turned to them with a smile. They smiled back, signifying that they were too preoccupied with flair to notice the content of his misleading lips. “Do you mind sitting with me, on my table? I’ve no one else here and yours look like it could do with some cleaning.”

Alexis waved his right hand in the air, to which Charley took notice. He quickly pointed to Jaden’s table. Charley nodded, went to the back and returned with a couple of napkins.

“I know a lot of things. What’s on your mind?” He placed his Poke Balls close to him and opened one, freeing a Wurmple from its captivity. “This is Dorian, Zelda. Zelda, Dorian.”

Alexis took another sip of coffee, his eyes fixed intently on Jaden. "By the way, it's Alexis Rosset."

[Ganymede]

“School girls can be so… weak,” the pink man said, flashing a charming smile at the girls. The pair responded instantly, seeming to melt into their chairs. Jaden blinked, then shrugged. Outsiders are weird. “Do you mind sitting with me, on my table? I’ve no one else here and yours look like it could do with some cleaning.” Jaden started, looking up at the man nervously. For some reason, he felt like he was in deep trouble. As the man waved his hand at the waitress - who scurried to the table, napkins in hand - Jaden picked up Zelda, the Meowth making a disgruntled noise as she was lifted into the air.


Jaden sat on the edge of the seat across from the man, placing Zelda down on the table in front of him. Her tail began to flick slowly back and forth, like one of the metronomes his father had built. Transfixed, Jaden followed her tail with his eyes as the man pulled one of his strange-looking Pokeballs close and hit the release. Zelda's tail flicked to a stop and Jaden looked up, just as a small, pinkish Pokemon appeared on the table.


“This is Dorian, Zelda. Zelda, Dorian.” Both Jaden and Zelda leaned in close, staring at the Pokemon in awe. "What kind of Pokemon is it?" Jaden asked, mind racing. He'd seem something a little like Dorian long ago, in a picture book left behind by his mother. Except in the book, the caterpillar-thing was green and red and yellow, not pinkish and white. Zelda took a curious step forward, "Nyaa?"-ing quietly.


"By the way, it's Alexis Rosset." Deterred from the mystery of Dorian for a moment, Jaden looked up at Alexis. Finally, a name. "That's a...nice name," he said, hoping he sounded sincere.

[Headwind]

"What kind of Pokemon is it?"

Alexis found himself confused at the question. All his life he had lived with Bug Pokemon as they are as many in the wild as they are eager to mature. He had also been fortunate enough to be friends with Mauville's Gym Leader, consequently giving him enough leeway to study some Electric Pokemon. One of his friends was a fan of Cat Pokemon so he took most of what he knew from her.

Oh, Adelaide...

"Are you serious?" He chuckled with his reply. "Dorian's a Wurmple, a common Bug Pokemon if I may say so myself."

At the tone of his master, the Wurmple turned to him and gave the man in pink an angry look. Alexis received it with his charming smile and patted the Worm on it's head. Dorian snubbed him, turning to the window instead.

Jaden complimented him on his name, something he was caught off guard with. It had been a long time since someone addressed his name with such contemplation. He'd usually have people on his hair first but most of those people were actually female. It was uncanny for him but he loved the attention anyway. As long as it was useful.

"Thank you." He took another sip, taking his hand from Dorian's head to comb his hair. "So what do you want with the guys in green?"

[Ganymede]

"A Wurmple?" Jaden said, his expression blank. While the name didn't ring any bells, he knew it would be useful if he could find some sort of Pokemon library in the city. Wait, do they even have libraries for Pokemon?


Frowning, Jaden tapped his fingers against the table, watching as Zelda sat down in front of the Wurmple, looking as if she wanted to stat a conversation with it. Before Zelda could even open her mouth, Jaden tugged on her tail and pulled her back over to his side of the table.


Alexis took another sip from his cup of coffee. "So what do you want with the guys in green?" Jaden frowned, sitting up a little straighter. Men in green? What is he talking abo- oh. The rebells. Jaden cleared his throat and spoke quietly, not wanting to upset anyone again. "W-well, my father used to run a clockwork shop. In the poor district," Jaden absentmindedly scratched the spot between Zelda's ears, inviting a purr from the Meowth. "And about four years ago, some guys in weird red uniforms came and shut it down. We didn't have any money."


With a sigh, Jaden ran his hand through his hair, remembering that day. There had been a knock on the door - not that unusual - but after a quick glance out the window Jaden's father had hurriedly hidden the boy behind an ancient, dismantled grandfather clock. From where he was he couldn't hear most of the conversation, only his father's pleading and Zelda crying loudly. After the men had left, his father had sat him down and told him they couldn't run the shop anymore.


"So, he told me and Zelda to go in the outside and keep going south until we got to the rich district. Um, but we didn't make it there and turned back. And he was gone." Jaden shifted uncomfortably, remembering that he was still on the edge of his seat. He quickly sat further back and scooted his chair closer to the table. "At...at first I thought he was just looking for my mother - she left a long time ago - but when he didn't come back after four years..." Jaden shook his head.


"So, I think...I think he might have gone to Magma. Or they took him, I don't know. I just heard that someone -" Jaden dropped his voice to a whisper, "- the rebels - wanted to take down Magma. Or something."


Zelda had long since stopped paying attention, looking out the window in the gloom of the morning. People had begun to scurry about, and she watched with narrow eyes as a group of people in dark clothes, all huddled together, swept into the café and sat at Jaden's old table. Her ears twitched.


"I wanted to find the rebels and ask them if they could help," Jaden said, finishing his explanation. "Um...do you know where to find them?"

[Headwind]

Jaden started to tell his life’s story to the man in pink. Naturally, Alexis wouldn’t care but he had been bored the past few weeks. Conflict was always a welcome. If it doesn’t kill you, it will only make you stronger. Alexis was nuts for power and strength and fame and glory but he was flexible enough to conceal his thirst for the worldly things. Call it sneaky but in his world, it was his only weapon. What can Worm Pokemon do anyway?

He stirred his coffee absentmindedly, keen to Jaden’s words. He had never met anyone who worked with clocks before. Well, no one sane. There was that Sylar fellow but he turned out to be as clean as a toilet bowl. Jaden did seem sane so he assumed his father would be sane as well. Why else would those Magma grunts pick him up? If the old man was insane, it wouldn’t be that big of a problem with them. Losing your mind isn’t exactly a formidable strategy against the tyrants.

But what did Magma want with the clock man?

Dorian, on the other hand, was still bored. The Meowth didn’t seem to offer him anything, not a single hint of interest or what-not. So, instead of wasting his time, he slowly made his way towards the other Poke Ball Alexis had. He probably thought his master wouldn’t notice him if he crawled that slowly. Alexis smirked at that idea but took no direct notice, as to not offend his companion again. Dorian stabbed the center of the Poke Ball with his tail and it released another Worm Pokemon, this time green and orange.

“Piii?” She cried in confusion.

At the sight of Dorian, her face was lit up and the two Pokemon shared a dance that would only resemble vertigo to the human mind. The Wurmple and the Caterpie cried in unison, simultaneously, but at a volume that wasn’t that loud nor annoying. They began to snuggle with each other but with no malice because of their youth. Alexis was actually thinking of breeding the two when they finally reach their full potential.

“Oh, Khalleen…” Alexis gave them a sweet smile as a more customers entered the coffee shop. “You flirt.”

The Caterpie stared at her trainer for a few seconds before smiling at him as well, crying out in joy. Unlike Dorian, Khalleen was optimistic and not at all driven by ego. It was probably because of their gender. Males had always been more egotistical than the more compassionate females. But, as always, there were deviations. Adelaide would be one.

As Jaden mentioned the dreaded words once more, Alexis could only look him in the eye with wonder. He tried to gauge whether this guy was serious or just as stupid as they all were. Jaden didn’t seem to flinch. His plea seemed genuine. Alexis appeared to sigh in boredom but deep inside, he was actually excited for the new adventure.

“Well, technically, you can’t find them. They find you.” Alexis turned to the next table, where two guys were loudly bragging about how they helped Team Magma trap a “stupid” rebel. “Listen to those two morons…”

Alexis moved closer to Jaden. “All I know is that there’s a small warehouse near this place. A couple of neophyte Magma grunts have kept four – maybe five – unlucky people to exercise their power, their authority.”

“If we,” The Butterfly Breeder emphasized the last word. “…go all out on those mangy dogs, they can’t fight us back with full power. In the first place, they’re not abiding by their jurisdiction so they can’t enforce Magma’s wrath without getting compromised themselves.”

A sinister smile crossed Alexis face at how stupid the enemies have been to dig their own graves without coffins. He shook it off to maintain composure before letting Khalleen wrap herself around his right forearm.

“Still, we’ll need a bigger team than the two of us. Any friends?”

[knil1]

Jened grew bored at his uncles house and decided to walk around, in hopes that something interesting would happen.
His Growlithe ran circles around him as he casually walked in any way that seemed interesting. Caile, his Shellder, was in his arms, dozing in and out of sleep.

The growlithe found a magma agent sleeping on a bench and started to lick his hand. "Ardaine, get back here." By then the grunt woke up and glared at Jened. "I'm sorry sir, I don't mean any trouble." Jened glared at the grunt, and he glared back. The silence was broken when two other people walked by. The two said hello to the grunt and the grunt nodded as a response.

Ardaine growled, "Come on Ardaine. We need to get going." Jened walked off, still sensing the agents eyes following him.

Jened walked a little longer until it began to rain. Ardaine began barking into the sky. Her trainer picked her up and carried her into a nearby cafe.

The poeple in the shop looked content. One blonde guy and one very pink... girl? A table of girls swooning over one of the people at the first table, and the two people he saw earlier with the grunt. The two were talking about how they helped a magma agent take care of a "stupid" rebel.

Jened watched as the waitress took their drink orders and run back to the counter, presumably getting their drinks. She then went back to another table and left the drinks unattended, leaving enough time to slip a strong numbing powder in their water he found at a drug store. He smiled to Ardaine, "They'll be quite limp within the next hour." Ardaine responded with a yip, Caile just sighed.

He sat down at a table in the back and watched as the waitress came over. "What would you like?" She smiled warmly.
"Just some water please." He said, refusing to smile in return. She went back to the counter and remembered the drinks for the two who helped magma.

After further speculation, "Ardaine, I do believe the pink girl is actually a boy," and he sat for the next while watching the activity in the cafe.

[Ganymede]

Jaden watched with interest as Dorian slowly inched across the table, releasing another small, worm-like Pokemon onto the table. Jaden recognised it as the one he'd seen in that book long ago and mentally congratulated himself for actually knowing what it was this time. He watched the two Pokemon do what appeared to be some sort of strange dance before talking again.


"So, we can't count on any rebels helping us," Jaden murmured, pulling Zelda back from the window and scratching her head. The Meowth let out a deep purr, tail twitching as her eyes followed the two bug Pokemon. "...but I'm sure that we can do it without them - you seem strong," Jaden said, voice full of honesty. Alexis did have an air of being quite the trainer - even if his Pokemon did seem a little young. Well, it's not that much of a problem. I need all the help I can get.


Waiting for Alexis' reply, Jaden looked around the café again. The two men at his old table both appeared to be asleep, both snoring loudly, half-drunk glasses of water in their hands. Taking it in stride, he was about to turn back to Alexis when Zelda suddenly sat up straight, eyes gleaming.


Following her gaze, Jaden saw a man he hadn't noticed before sitting at a nearby table. The man seemed to be looking at Alexis - then again, so had everyone in the café at one point - and had a strange orangeish Pokemon at his feet. Next to a glass of water on his table, a strange purple thing let out a sigh.


...Is that a Pokemon? he thought, tilting his head slightly. There was a pinkish-red thing sticking out of it - was that a tongue? The outsiders...they have really weird Pokemon, don't they. He glanced down at Zelda, who simply closed her eyes and purred again,


Pulling Zelda into his lap, he looked up at Alexis again. "Um...I think he's looking at you," he said, Zelda adding an enthusiastic "Nyaaa!". "But, um, anyways - I d-don't really...have any friends," Jaden said, all in a rush. "I-I mean, well, Father never really let me outside as a kid. He thought it was dangerous. So I...didn't make any friends. Is that a bad thing?"

[Headwind]

“Well, technically, since this is pretty small scale, I doubt anyone from the Rebellion would be interested,” Alexis took a final sip of his cup as it finally became as empty as his two customized Poke Balls. “However, the greens aren’t really as focused on anything as a whole. There could still be a few people who’d be interested. After all, we all have our reasons why we do what we do.”

For a while, Alexis let his own thoughts wander freely. He began to ponder on his own reason for being there, for joining The Rebellion, for continuing to travel on his lonesome. He wasn’t that much different from Jaden. He too lost his father a few years back. While Jaden didn’t know what happened to his old man, Alexis did with his own but he knew far better than the public did.

Silvius Rosset didn’t just die in an accident, not even Stern believed that. It was all because of Aqua and their selfish determination to overcome the tyrants. While Alexis shared the same hatred for the latter, he couldn’t come to terms with the former. That’s why he abandoned an old friend who joined his father’s murderers. Up until now, Alexis still feels betrayed by whom he trusted for the longest time. It’s all just a matter of time before he can topple both mountains.

Sigh… If only these two would just evolve…

Jaden admonished Alexis’ strength. Though he felt pleased with the flattery, Alexis knew that he still had ways to go. He wasn’t in an admirable condition yet so either Jaden was desperate to get him on his team or the guy was just plain gullible. Either way, what better way to get rid of boredom than with murder?

Okay… so it probably won’t be murder… Just get in, free the idiots and get out… How hard could that be?

When his new found ally pointed out that he caught another stranger’s attention, Alexis just brushed it off as something ordinary. After all, his pink hair wasn’t that concealed and it was just human to be attracted to something peculiar. He knew he appeared peculiar. He loved the attention so he never really cared much about it. This was no exception.

“...didn't make any friends. Is that a bad thing?” Jaden’s words reverberated in the Butterfly Breeder’s thoughts.

To be honest, Alexis never really did have any friends. He just had that charm that attracted a variety of heads to him. He would have had long lasting friendships but unfortunately, he had a bad habit of using people as tools and discarding them easily when they no longer pose any use to him. He never really cared too. It was all a big game of survival for him.

Finally irritated by his sudden attack of realizations, he turned towards the new guy and found amusement at the sight of a Shellder and a Growlithe together. Contrasting types weren’t that rare but it had been a long time since he found someone who built a team without any favorable theme. Jaden has only to show him his Meowth but Alexis dismissed it as out of context.

Alexis flashed him a smile, “Hey there! Can I help you?”

By then, Charley was at the counter with the tray of half-finished glasses of water. Alexis just noticed the two men who appeared to nap comfortably. The waitress studied the glasses and, after a few seconds, grimaced at them. Charley never grimaced. Alexis just smirked.

[knil1]

Jened sat quietly, wondering what would happen next.

The two he drugged were passed out, but nothing else seemed to be happening.
He knew he needed to get noticed amongst the rebellion, and he wasn't sure what to do next. His first mission was a failure, but at least he was an initiate.

He watched the two trainers at the table, both sharing glances at him.

The blonde boy seemed a bit skittish and would probably jump if someone snuck up behind him. He muttered something to the pink boy, who seemed to have an egotistical edge about himself.
But, these were merely guesses and could be wrong entirely.

He read their lips and saw that the Rebellion had been mentioned a couple of times. Jened was going to ask them about it just as the effeminate one yelled across the cafe, "Hey there! Can I help you?”

At about that moment Ardaine took more interest in the two trainers and ran over to their table.
Jened picked up his sleeping Shellder and calmly walked to the two, not paying any attention to the waitress finding something in the cups. "I noticed you were talking about the Rebellion. Would you like a little help?"

Jened had no idea about what they were talking about in the first place.
For all he could've known, they could be Magma or Aqua grunts, just talking about a plan against the Rebellion. But the way the pink one looked at the two who helped magma, Jened doubted he was a member of them. And Magma probably wouldn't accept someone as jumpy as the blonde one.
But, if they were, being an undercover agent would prove good for the Rebellion and possibly his reputation.

Ardaine was walking around their table, sniffing everything and found two bug pokemon and a meowth. He jumped up on an empty seat and looked around the table.

[Ganymede]

Suddenly faced with a new person (and a very inquisitive Pokemon), Jaden quickly scooted to a different seat, dragging Zelda along with him. With an indignant yelp she jumped off his lap onto the table, giving Jaden a glare before settling down again. Nervous, Jaden occupied himself with looking out the window, trying to ignore the Pokemon currently sniffing in his direction.


What do I do what do I do... Jaden fidgeted, tapping his fingers against the table. One person's fine...but two? Zelda's tail flicked, and she began drumming her claws on the table, mimicking Jaden perfectly. Annoyed, Jaden tugged her tail slightly. Sticking out her tongue, Zelda stopped - and focused on the new guy.


"Nyaaa~" she purred. Jaden twitched. "Nyaa, nya nya nyaa-" There was a sudden thud and an indignant yowl - Jaden had thrown his jacket over Zelda and now held the squirming mass in his lap, blushing embarrassedly.


"U-um, hello there." he said, taking initiative. A little voice in his head was yelling at him to get out of the café and run home - which seemed like a pretty good idea, actually - but Jaden had promised himself to find his father. "Er, I-I'm looking for, um, some rebels - t-to help find my father." Swallowing, Jaden quickly finished what he was saying. "Alexis says he's going to help so I think we have it covered thanks!"


Zelda finally broke free from the jacket and watched impassively as Jaden hurriedly returned to staring out the window, chewing on his bottom lip.


"I swear," she murmured, poking Jaden's chest. "You'd die in two minutes if you didn't have me."

Sorry about the wait, I thought it was qpidity's turn. *fails*

[Headwind]

A little perplexed at Jaden’s reaction to the newcomer, Alexis sat staring at him while his two Bug Pokemon did the same with the others. He thought it was a little strange for someone who gravely needed help to outwardly deny any source of aid. It was like a hungry man declining to eat a free meal. He smiled yet again, amused at the fact that things were advancing interestingly.

“My name’s Alexis Rosset,” He calmly responded to the new guy, not minding Jaden’s outburst. “He’s Jack Bauer. Like he said, we’re looking for someone.”

As his eyes discreetly examined this fellow, he noticed the necklace that adorned his neck. It reminded him of parallelism, where contrast was a profound way of professing how beautiful a disorienting world was. Two keys, one blue and the other red, were united as a chain. At first, he thought he could be an insignia of some sort of order but realizing that this guy had initially mentioned the rebellion without much hesitation, he assumed that it was probably customized. Anyone with an affiliation would be interested in mystery and would not spare the mystique of a personal prop.

“What’s your name?” He continued to probe the character.

At the sight of the Growlithe trying to sniff the Caterpie, Dorian jumped up and put himself as a wall between the two Pokemon. He was obviously jealous of the attention but more so jealous of the possibility that Khalleen might not belong to him anymore if new players continued to enter the game. Alexis found it cute but hid it from his two new companions. He was still gauging whether either one of them would miss their cue.

No prob, Mech.
Sorry for the short post. Alexis intends to observe the two and just go with the flow. XD

[knil1]

Jened the activity of the cafe slow down, which was strange seeing as how activity was already slow. But people began to get quiet, though the girls kept talking and the waitress kept taking orders. Jened listened intently for a response and was surprised to hear the blonde boys response, "Alexis says he's going to help so I think we have it covered thanks!"

He stood there for a moment. Jened wasn' going to give up on joining another rebellion mission and he looked to his acquaintance, who seemed just as much, if not less, shocked as Jened was. Then the boy grinned a smile with a hint of curiosity. Jened could only think of how the mission would play out with the two of them.

He waited for a response that would pacify his hunger for recognition. And he got it when the pink one spoke, “My name’s Alexis Rosset. He’s Jack Bauer. Like he said, we’re looking for someone.”

Jened smiled just as much as to tell them that he was interested. Smiling wasn't his strong suit, and from all of the smiling he had done on his previous mission, he needed a break.

“What’s your name?” He continued to probe Jened.

"My name is Jened Tenkuu. The growlithe is Ardaine and the shellder is Caile." Jened never really understood why he always gave his name along with the name of his only two pokemon. They just seemed to complete his persona. Active, with an equal amount of calmness.

Ardaine continued to sniff around, but startled the person named Jack. Jened snapped his fingers and Ardaine jumped on the ground and sat next to Jeneds feet.
"I know you don't want me involved," he gave a glance toward Jack, "but I think I would be a good addition to your group." It wasn't until then Jened realized again that he knew nothing about the mission.

[Ganymede]

Pffft Jack Bauer XD Also, short post is short because it's late and I don't want to wake up the parents. P.

Jaden gave Alexis a strange look, tilting his head slightly. Huh? ...My name's not Jack...


Zelda snickered at the general confusion before ducking back into Jaden's jacket, rooting around quietly. Jaden had begun to stutter out a hello - and his actual name - when Zelda finally found what she was looking for. With a devious smirk, she hit the release on a Pokeball, a flash of light illuminating the table and drawing quite a bit of attention to the three people.


"Pi!" the Pidgey cried, flapping his wings frantically, stuck under the jacket. Zelda pulled it off with a flourish, something within one of the pockets clanking as it landed on the table. Free, the Pidgey hopped out of Jaden's lap, fluttering up to the table where he eyes the entire café warily, feathers puffed up. Jaden sank down in his chair guiltily, staring glumly at Ace and Zelda as the two began bantering back and forth, Ace edging towards Alexis' Pokemon with a glint in his eye. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at...Jened, his name was?...and spoke.


"I, um. I-I guess we can use your help." Jaden said a little hopelessly. "Alexis?"

[Headwind]

Alexis couldn’t hide being extremely impressed with Jened’s Pokemon. His Growlithe reminded him of nobility in power while the Shellder misleading with its appearance and array of skills. He was just guessing at this point because he has yet to see the two in action but somehow, he felt like they’d be worthy opponents. He was always a fan of poetry in motion.

Jened continued by introducing himself and his companions. The guy in pink was astonished to observe that the newcomer seemed pretty confident with his answer, almost in a way that reflected the honesty of it. While Alexis couldn’t read minds, he was somewhat of a firm believer of his own proficiency in psychology. Sure, there have been times when his guesses were wrong but if you believe you’re good then you believe you’re good.

"I know you don't want me involved but I think I would be a good addition to your group." Jened said, more as an assurance to Jaden than anything else. Alexis thought it was rather unneeded as Jaden would have figured out that the two of them wouldn’t be able to hold off Magma grunts.

Everything was going along fine for the three of them when Jaden’s Pidgey suddenly came out of its Poke Ball, alarming both Khalleen and Dorian. Though Ardaine the Growlithe was obedient to its master as not to disturb the two, Ace the Pidgey was a natural enemy. Dorian instinctively put his spiky tail forth; ready to defend himself and Khalleen if the situation will need it. Khalleen, on the other hand, cowered behind the Wurmple, almost to tears at the sight of the Flying Pokemon.

Alexis slowly stretched his arms and dragged both his Pokemon to his corner, placing a safe distance between them and the Pidgey. He also made sure to place his cup a few inches from them, just in case he needed to subdue the creature. He didn’t care to take his eyes off of the Pidgey.

“I’m good with anything, Jack,” He emphasized the pseudonym, trying to make Jaden choose whether he should keep the fake identity or go for trusting this new guy. Sometimes, he just loves playing with people. “Though… We need a plan.”

This post has been edited by qpidity: Aug 15 2009, 05:51 AM

[Anduril]

James was alive. The fact of the matter made him so happy. He had travelled across the world, but had come through all the better for it. His pokemon, Ael and Vlad, were safely nestled away in the pokeball he kept in each pocket. The rain drizzling down on Noverus was just perfect, the cool water washing away any sweat he may have had creeping up from under his skin. His light blue button down shirt was soaking, and clung to his body like a second skin, while the water drops would continue down to plaster his tan pants to the front of his legs. The back of the pants flew free, slightly billowing in the light breeze.

James could still not believe his luck, that he had reached his destination. Although eventful, the journey had been very smooth. Things just worked out for James. Always. He didn't know how he could possibly deserve such fortune, but he thanked the heavens that it was the case. There had been a guard at the entrance of the city who had asked James his purpose of entering the city. With a smile, James simply answered, "Tourism." The guard had shot him a surprised look, he rarely got that sort of answer from folks. Then again, with teenagers, who knows? Following protocol, the guard then asked James if he had any water pokemon. Nope, though I've got an Abra named Vlad and an Elekid named Ael...want to see?" Taken aback by the youth's forthrightness, he waved him through.

As James strolled through the city, he grimaced at the conditions of some of the buildings. It looked like a couple more strong rains like this one and the roofs of some of these decrepit houses would cave in. Things were in bad shape. James thought to himself,
Ok, so I'm here to help change this, and save some lives. Great. So I need to find this rebellion group. Wonder what's the best way to do that... He was jolted from his thoughts when he collided with a big, hefty fellow. He smiled and apologized, and kept walking. The man didn't, and stared at the retreating boy. He called out, "Hey, piece of trash, come here and fight!"

James just waved and kept walking, though he waved in response to the insult. He chuckled to himself by the man's choice of insult. Piece of trash! Haha! How ironic! He really smelt like he could use a shower! Hopefully the rain is doing some good for the bloke.

As he turned around the corner, James glanced back and saw the man was slowly beginning to follow him. Ok, this isn't too good at all! James sped up and barged into the nearest shop. Looking around, he realized it wasn't a shop, but some type of pub or tavern. He looked around, and it seemed as if there was a bit of a charged environment, like James had walked into a hotbed of tension. There were two older men sleeping at a table, and James walked over to subtlety wake them up and ask them about where in the city he was. As he walked over though, he noticed three guys close to his own age talking at a table, though some commotion seemed to be going on their, as a ...pink lad was leaving with two bug pokemon away from the table. The other two were still at the table, talking pretty lowly.

James approached the pair of them, ignoring the hostile looks, and said, "Hey, excuse me. I'm James, a tourist from Cianwood. Probably never heard of it. But you guys seem cool, mind if I hang out with you?"
James thought, Who would know better about the dynamic of the Rebellion and the other forces than these guys? No doubt they're affiliated with one group or another. Oh, and I wonder if I should warn them about that big thuggish man? I guess not. Though if he tries to get me, at least I'll have friends?