[X] My Assistant

[Pokefan209]

The soft waves gave the boat a slight rock. The sweet ocean air filled the passengers with joy and excitement about seeing land. A gentle breeze moved through the ship, creating a very lighthearted atmosphere for the friendly crew and passengers alike.

One girl in particular was leaning over the railing at the front of the ship. Her brown hair was waving in the breeze, and her equally brown eyes were bright with the prospect of a new journey in the great city of New Barley. All her Pokemon were out, and they were extremely excited as well. Tropius was dancing around on the deck, and Pidee was flapping around, catching all the curves of the changing wind. Just like the perfect Pokeringer..., Kenz thought. She couldn't wait to get some practice in with her flying types.

Metapod, meanwhile, was on the railing next to Kenz, nuzzling his hard cacooned body against Kenz's shoulder. He definitely needed to evolve soon. If Kenz was going to be a Wingmaster, she needed to have a full arsonal of flying-types.

"META!!!"

Metapod let out an ear-peircing scream that made all the people and Pokemon on ship cover their ears and cower back. Kenz looked ahead. A vague bit of land was viewable if she squinted. Port Barley was finally coming!

"WAHOO!"

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

In about twenty minutes, Kenz was off the boat, all her Pokemon in their respective Pokeballs, and had her suitcase behind her with all of her essentials packed inside. She made her way to the clearest place in the town square, which was a fountain that had several ornate steamboats spewing out water as a decoration.

She sat down on the edge of the fountain, watching the crowd shift around and waiting for it to thin out. She wanted to get some Pokeringer supplies so her Pokemon could practice grabbing the ring and excel in the next Pokeringer competion.

This post has been edited by Pokefan209: Jul 4 2011, 10:47 AM

[Pikalover10]

Jason yelped as the trash can he'd jumped on top of toppled over. Quickly he leaped off and grabbed hold of a nearby fence that was about ten feet high. He looked over his shoulder, to find Pyra hanging on to one of those poles by a person's window. Jason smiled when Pyra laughed, before letting go of the fence and walking over to Pyra, who swung off and landed on his shoulder.

"So, Pyra. What do you want to do today?" He asked. Pyra placed her head in to her hand, thinking.

Jason started forward, but as he passed the trash can that had toppled over, something began rumbling inside of it. Jason jumped back and stared at the trash can, but nothing happened until a gray and black dog snarled as it stalked out of the trashcan, glaring at Jason and Pyra.

"Woah... a Poochyena." Jason gulped, but Pyra smirked and leaped off of Jason's shoulder and on to the ground in front of him. Jason smirked, knowing Pyra wanted to battle the mutt, and decided to let her.

"Alright! Pyra use Scratch!" He shouted, Pyra ran forward at the Poochyena, who growled in reply and ran forward too.

Pyra, being the more nimble of the two Pokemon, rolled to the side at the last second, and then raked her claws down Poochyena's side. Poochyena howled in pain, before spinning around and slamming in to Pyra, knocking her to the ground.

Pyra snarled and slammed her foot in to the Poochyena's stomach, kicking it off of her. The Poochyena stumbled back as it tried to catch its breath. Once it had, it made another charge at Pyra. Pyra squealed and darted back, towards the gate. The Poochyena was catching on to her though, but she leaped up and grabbed a hold of the gate, reaching temporary safety.

However the Poochyena placed its front paws against the gate and snarled and bit at Pyra, trying to reach her. Jason shook his head and looked everywhere, trying to figure out a way for Pyra to get out of this mess. He then spotted the pole she'd been on earlier.

"Pyra!" He shouted and jabbed his thumb at the pole.

Pyra looked at him, then the pole, and smirked. She pushed off of the gate and landed on top of the fallen trash can, before pushing off and grabbing hold of the pole. She spun around it until she was balancing on top. The Poochyena growled menacingly at Pyra, before remembering that Jason was there.

It spun around and glared menacingly at Jason, who's spine seemed to freeze over. Then at the same time, the Poochyena ran forward at Jason, who turned and ran down the alley. Pyra screeched before leaping off the pole and running after them.

As Jason ran down the alley he threw trash cans and crates over behind him, anything to slow the Poochyena down, but sadly nothing seemed to work. Finally Jason ran out of the alley and in to the center of the town, Port Barley. The Poochyena was finally close enough, and he lunged forward. He bit in to Jason's calf, though it was only a superficial cut.

Jason yelled in pain, tripping and falling to the ground. He turned over on to his back, and held his arms out to try and block the Poochyena from getting at his face. Moments later, though, Pyra screeched and slammed in to Poochyena, knocking it on to the ground. She screeched in its face menacingly, before raking her claws down its stomach. The Poochyena howled in both fear and pain, before getting up and scampering away.

Jason groaned as he stood up, examining the minor cuts on his arm, but looked at the on on his calf and flinched from the slight pain. He stood up, and made his way over to a bench, though he limped on his left foot where the cut was. Pyra leaped on to his shoulder and looked at him worriedly, but he just smiled comfortingly, and hobbled over to the fountain that was at the center of the town. He sat on the edge of it, across from some girl that sat there.

He pulled a long piece of cloth from his bag, and rolled his pants up before calling out Trident.

"Toto!" Trident said, smiling at Jason. Jason smiled back, before taking his shoe and sock off, and holding his leg out.

"Trident, could ya? Ya know?" Jason asked, Trident blinked and looked at Jason's leg, before nodding. He opened his mouth and shot a small burst of water at Jason's leg, cleaning the blood off. Jason quickly wrapped the cut as blood began welling up again. He shook his leg out, before just sitting there and letting it dry off. Trident and Pyra began playing together, so Jason decided to call out Spark so he could have some fun too.

[SaphireShadows]

"No mom, we haven't even landed yet," Christine said over her phone. Her mother had called her three times during the boat ride from Castelia City to Port Barley. "Yes, we should be almost there. No, mom, you don't have to call to make sure I'll get off the ship. I'll be fine mom. I know. Love you too. Tell dad and Tiber that I love them too. 'Kay. Bye." She clicked the phone off with an exasperated sigh.

"Tik?" Archer said, emerging from Christine's bright red hair. She giggled and scratched under his chin, earning a couple of purr-like noises from the little Pokemon. The boat rocked back and forth, creating a motion that was putting Christine to sleep. This was only maybe her third time riding on a boat, but she never got motion sickness, not even when reading in the car. She closed her eyes as she leaned against the guard rail and listened to the sounds of the ship.

"WAHOO!" a voice yelled, causing Christine to jump in surprise. Her attention was drawn from the sound immediately by the sight in front of her. Port Barley could be seen just above the horizon, and it seemed to sparkle in the afternoon light.

"Look Hero!" she said to her Growlithe, who was laying at her feet, "We're almost there!" Hero wagged his fluffy tail once and closed his eyes.

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

Christine shouldered her black backpack and walked off the boat, her Joltik riding in her hair and her Growlithe trotting along at her heels. Port Barley was a big port city, much like Castellia. People were running to and fro, some carrying crates off of the cargo ships. It was interesting to watch, but a shove from someone behind urged Christine to move on.

"Well, I guess we should find a Pokemon Center to stay the night in, right you guys?" she asked her Pokemon, not really expecting an answer.

Christine wandered the streets of Port Barley for what seemed like hours (it was really only thirty minutes) and soon enough she was totally, helplessly lost. She walked over to a fountain where a few other people were sitting. One was a boy with his three Pokemon playing, the other was a brunette girl just sitting there watching the crowds. Christine walked over to the two people, hoping she could get directions from one of them.

"Hey," she said, not feeling the awkwardness of starting a conversation with a total stranger, "I've seemed to have gotten myself completely lost. Do either of you know where the Pokemon Center is?"

[Pikalover10]

Jason had registered the girl walking towards the fountain where he was sitting, but never in a million years would he have dreamed of her actually talking to him. He looked up from watching his three Pokemon play, and smiled shyly at the girl. A Joltik was riding in her red hair, and a Growlithe stood by her feet.

Spark, being the more social of the four, trotted over and stood near the Growlithe, before sniffing his side. Spark then purred and sat down, smiling at the Growlithe.

"Shinx!" He meowed, before standing up and motioning for Growlithe to come play with them, Jason chuckled at his Pokemon, before looking back up at the girl.

"Uhm, I think if you take the main road down there, kinda follow the crowd a bit until you dump in to a smaller square, kinda like this one. There should be like a grocery store, the Pokemon Center, a Pokemart, and some clothes stores or something." Jason said, pointing down to the road where people were trickling on to.

He then looked back down at his Pokemon playing, and laughed when Trident squawked or cawed or whatever you call it when Pyra leaped on top of his head. Spark still tried to get the girl's Growlithe to play, though he hadn't noticed the Joltik or he probably would have tried to get the Joltik to play too.

[SaphireShadows]

Christine nodded as she looked where the guy had indicated. She noticed that he seemed a bit shy, which was kind of adorable. She guessed he was around twelve or thirteen, even though he was a bit shorter than normal. Deciding that getting a room at the Pokemon Center could wait, she sat down between the girl and the boy. She stuck out her hands, the left arm going to her right side and her right arm going to her left in a kind of criss-crossed fashion. "My name's Christine, by the way. Hero is my Growlithe," she gestured towards Hero, who had sat down against the fountain, ignoring the Shinx, "and this here is Archer, my Joltik."

Archer popped his head out of Christine's hair long enough to say, "Jol! Joltik!" and then dove back under. Christine giggled at the bug Pokemon, feeling him nuzzle against her neck. Hero stared at the Shinx, who was still trying to get him to play. His tail twitched with suppressed excitement.

"Oh, go play Hero! You're way too clingy anyways," Christine said, nudging the puppy Pokemon with her Roman sandald foot. Hero didn't need telling twice, and was instantly running around the Shinx, trying his best to make it spin until it fell over. Archer, meanwhile, had popped his head back out and was staring over Christine's shoulder as the boy's Chimchar jumped onto a Totodile's head. Suddenly remembering that she hadn't asked for their names, Christine diverted her attention back to the two people beside her and said, "Anyways, what are your names?"

[Pokefan209]

Kenz looked up and waved a bit at the new guy. He looked around her age, maybe a bit older. He was pretty shy, which was understood if you were new in the big city. From being grown up in a small city and landing in Petropolis, Kenz knew that it was easy to get lost, inside and outside, with so many people around you. Your own life could become minimal when you were around a thousand other people who seemed more important.

Kenz shook her head. Now was not the time to make spiritual observations about life. She saw another girl walk in and ask where the Pokemon Center was, and just as Kenz was about to open her mouth, the other guy answered. She did get the opportunity to answer once the girl asked another question.

"I'm Kenz, it's a pleasure to meet you, Christine," Kenz replied with a smile, sticking out her hand to one of Christine's crossed hands. Metapod popped out of his Pokeball with suspicion on his face, but Kenz laughed at his overprotective nature.

"Oh, you big goof. Go and play with Hero and Shinx!" Kenz replied, lifting him off of her shoulder and placing him on the ground near the others. This started a large game of "Catch the thing that's small enough to fit in our mouths," and Metapod was absolutely terrified and ran away.

[Pikalover10]

Jason blinked in slight shock as the new girl, who introduced herself as Christine, sat down between him and the other girl. Her Growlithe, Hero, finally decided to go play. Spark ran around in circles as Hero ran around him, trying to keep up but became to dizzy and flopped over on to his back. Jason smirked, before Christine's hand was held out in front of him. He stared at it for a moment, before carefully shaking her hand and then looking back at the Pokemon.

Pyra laughed at Trident's reaction, and jumped off once a Metapod joined in on their game. She looked at it carefully, before Trident ran over in interest, before picking it up and trying to eat it. Pyra squealed in shock, before backhanding the back of Trident's neck. Trident quaked or whatever in surprise, before turning around and glaring at Pyra.

"Toto!"

"Chim!" Pyra replied, before the two leaped at each other and began fighting.

Jason sighed, but sat where he was. "I'm Jason. That's Spark," He pointed at Shinx, "And Pyra and Trident." He said pointing at the fighting Chimchar and Totodile in turn. "They all get along relatively well, but Pyra and Trident do see things... differently."

Pyra leaped out of the fight, landing on Jason's shoulder, and stuck her tongue out at Trident. Trident squawked in anger, before charging at Jason, but aiming for Pyra. Jason blinked before grabbing Pyra and quickly setting her on the side of the fountain. Trident changed his direction of running, before leaping. The two Pokemon collided, but flew back in to the fountain.

"Toto!" Trident laughed.

"Chiiiiiim!" Pyra moaned. She was, after all, a fire type. No wonder she hated water.

Both Pokemon climbed out of the fountain, both dripping wet. Jason sniggered at his Pokemon. Trident didn't care, but Pyra hated it.

[SaphireShadows]

Christine nodded as the two told her their names and shook her hands. Kenz had told her Metapod to go play, but Jason's Totodile, Trident, had tried to eat him, causing him to run away. "Aww, poor thing," Christine said before she was splashed with water. Trident had tackled Pyra into the fountain, which was no fun for a fire type. Christine knew; she had had to give Hero baths before. He hated the water, which made it almost impossible to keep him clean.

Hero barked happily as Spark fell over. He had been successful in making the Shinx dizzy, and now it was time to pounce. Hero jumped on the electric type, nipping playfully at his ears and feet. Once he got too roudy, Christine whistled twice and snapped her fingers. Hero immediately stopped and trotted back over and sat at her feet. She stroked his head, causing his tail to thump happily.

"So," Christine said, placing Archer down on the ground beside Hero, "What brings you all to Barley? For me, personally, I just got bored of Unova. There's not much to see there, really." It wasn't that she hated her home region, it just held no appeal to her. She wondered if Kenz or Jason had ever been to Unova. "Where are you guys from, anyways?" she asked, hoping they didn't think she was asking too many questions.

[Pikalover10]

Jason watched his Pokemon and rolled his eyes at them. Spark looked at Hero once he regained his balance. He then shrugged and ran over and broke up the fight between Pyra and Trident, and all three started playing again. Jason then gulped at Christine's questions.

"I, uh... I'm in Port Barley just traveling I guess." He muttered, looking at neither of them, but watching his Pokemon play. "I'm uh, I'm from The Under in Orre." He added after Christine's last question. "Lived there until I was ten, left to another city in Orre for two years... then stowed away on a ship to Furoh. I've been here for a few weeks, since I never really got the chance to leave. Been trying to stock up on supplies."

He stared at his Pokemon playing, though really he was remembering how horrible life was at The Under. Like a huge sewer. At least at the part he'd lived in. People stealing and getting killed everyday. You couldn't have or make any friends because you never knew if you'd have to kill them the next day. He remembered how his mom had beat him everyday until he'd left... and instantly felt uncomfortable being around these people. They didn't seem like they'd try to hurt him, but then again where he'd lived ten year old kids had to carry knives and guns around to protect themselves.

He gulped and snapped back to reality, not realizing that he had inched slightly away from Christine on the fountain wall.

[Pokefan209]

Metapod jumped when Trident began attempting to eat him. With the jaws closing in, he feared for the worst...

Until a helpful Chimchar back-handed the fiend, and the Totodile let him go. Metapod sighed in relief and jumped back up with Kenz, sitting in her lap while listening to the conversation. Kenz let him stay while she listened to Jason's response. Her heartstrings nearly broke with his sad story tugging on them so much. Kids living in Orre didn't have Pokemon to defend them. They had daggers and guns if they weren't born to a high-class family. Violence was power in the messed-up region of Orre.

Suddenly, the spotlight was on Kenz as she heard his story end and felt hers begin, shooting off of her lips faster than her mind could prosess the information.

"I was born in Violet City, in Johto. It really wasn't much of a city, at least, I don't think. The biggest attraction was the burned tower and the gym. That's all anyone cared about, except for me. I thought of Violet City as a homeland, a place for love and friendship to prosper. That's why I was such good friends with Falkner, the gym leader, despite our ages. I moved away from there to begin my Pokemon journey with a clean slate and to have some experience Pokeringing. I want to be the Wingmaster of Furoh!"

With that final statement, she stood up and pumped her fist in the air, not caring who laughed at her. It just felt like the right thing to do.

[SaphireShadows]

Christine listened as Jason answered her questions. She had heard of Orre a few times, but she hadn't really heard about any of the cities or what it was really like there. All she knew was that it was mostly desert, which didn't seem like much fun. "I can understand why you left," she said, wrinkling her nose. Who wanted to live in a desert?

Then Kenz started to tell her life story. Christine grinned; she was enthusiastic, albeit a bit cheesey. The red head giggled as the other girl jumped up and punched the air. She reminded Christine of herself when she had first started to journey around Unova. She had been so excited, and had at first wanted to battle all the gyms and beat the champion like so many others. But somehow she had never taken a gym challenge, and had just basically backpacked across the region. It had been fun, but after the first two years she had already been to all of the cities, so the third year had been a bore.

Christine brought herself back to reality when she realized Jason had scooted away from her. What, was she smelly? She didn't think so, but she checked inconspicuously anyways. She looked over at him curiously. "Hey, I don't bite," she said, feeling that her natural tendency to be sociable had frightened him. She didn't push him though, she shifted her gaze from Jason to the people in the square.

There were a lot of people milling about, but something at about knee-level caught Christine's attention. A Bulbasaur was wandering through the crowd, glancing around at the people. For a moment, the poor creature looked lost, but what happened next was not something a captured Pokemon would do.

The Bulbasaur quietly made its way over to a group of trainers who were talking to each other. The grass Pokemon unleashed its vines and quickly rummaged through each trainer's bag, picking out berries as it went. The Pokemon was an awful good pickpocket, which indicated that it had been wild for quite some time. The Bulbasaur ambled away, berries in tow, before any of the trainers knew what had happened.

"Did you see that?" Christine asked Kenz and Jason, keeping an eye on which way the Pokemon was going. It trundled into a side alley, no doubt to scarf the catch it had just made. "I'm going after it," she said, motioning for Hero to follow. Archer climbed back up her leg and into her hair as she trotted away towards the alley.

Christine could hear sloppy munching noises as she entered the alleyway. The Bulbasaur was sitting on an empty crate, shoving berries into its mouth. "Hey there," Christine said. Bulbasaur froze, an Oran berry halfway into its mouth. "Don't worry," she said in a calm voice, "I don't want your berries." Bulbasaur slowly put its food down on the crate, then jumped off and got into a battle position. Christine grinned, "All right then, go on Hero!" Hero bounded out into the alley, a low rumble coming from his throat. There was a stillness, like the scenes in cowboy movies where two gunslingers are about to have a shoot out, then the Bulbasaur charged forward with a Tackle attack.

"Hero, use Double Kick!" Christine said as Bulbasaur slammed into the Growlithe's side. Hero put his weight on his front paws, then kicked out his back legs at his opponent, landing two solid kicks to its face. Bulbasaur staggered backwards, then shot out seeds from its bulb. The seeds landed on Hero, and began sucking the life out of him. He growled as the Leech Seeds started to take effect.

"Don't give up Hero!" Christine said as Bulbasaur went for another Tackle attack, "Dodge it and use Ember!" Hero leapt to the right, putting the Bulbasaur off balance, and blasted it with hot fiery Embers. The grass type howled in pain, then spun and lashed out with a Vine Whip attack. The vines slapped Hero on the back, making him growl angrily.

"All right, Hero, another Ember attack should do it!" Christine called as the Bulbasaur Growled at him. Hero's ears lowered for a moment, then he was right back in, shooting Embers at his opponent's feet. Bulbasaur hopped around, trying to dodge the Embers. Hero chuckled at the sight, then aimed his Embers higher on Bulbasaur. The attack hit Bulbasaur on its bulb, and instantly the creature was down, unconscious on the concrete.

Christine pulled a Poke ball from her backpack and threw it, hitting the downed Pokemon right on the head. It was instantly sucked in, and the ball started shaking. One. Two. Three. Click! The ball stopped shaking, indicating the Pokemon had been caught. Christine walked over and picked up the ball, grinning from ear to ear. She ran over to her new friends and held up the Poke ball.

"I caught it! Did you see me and Hero? We were total beasts!" She kneeled down and ruffled her Growlithe's fur, earning a happy bark from him. She stood back up and turned back to Kenz and Jason, "I think I'd better go to the Pokemon Center now, you guys wanna come with?" She grinned and started toward the Pokemon Center, twirling her newest capture like a basketball on her index finger.

[Pikalover10]

Jason listened as Kenz told her life story, though he was only half-listening. He flinched when Christine told him that she didn't bite, and looked up when she did, spying the Bulbusaur. He smirked. It was just the kind of Pokemon that, if he wanted it, he would take. A Pokemon on the streets, living just like he does, and rummaging around for food. He watched as Christine got up and went after it with her Joltik and Growlithe, and smiled as Pyra climbed up on to his shoulder, watched as Spark sat at his feet, and looked at Trident, who looked at him expectantly. Jason sighed.

"Oh, all right." He muttered as he picked Trident up and sat him on the fountain next to him, then did the same with Spark so he wouldn't feel left out. He looked up as he heard growls and howls and smacks from the alley that Christine had disappeared down, until she returned, holding a Pokeball happily.

Jason put his sock and shoe back on as they were finally dry, and looked away as Christine asked if they wanted to go to the Pokemon Center with her, until she started walking away. He gulped. He didn't have enough money for a room, but he also didn't want to face the awkward questions that were sure to come from Kenz. Jason quickly got to his feet, and started after Christine, though a good few feet from her. Spark and Trident walked at his heels, while Pyra climbed her way up and was perched on top of his head.

[Pokefan209]

Kenz looked at Christine and followed her gaze to the Bulbasaur. Watching it, she somewhat considered catching it, but shook off the feeling when she saw Christine go for it. Anyway, it wasn't a flying type. Kenz didn't really need any pokemon that didn't have wings.

Kenz watched a ferocious battle, and a couple embers and scratches later, Christine had a new member on her party. Kenz wathced Christine compliment her Pokemon, then smiled as she turned back to the two teenagers that had watched the battle and said, "I think I'd better go to the Pokemon Center now, you guys wanna come with?"

Kenz watched Jason get up, and decided to follow the two. It wasn't like there was anyone else to help her along in the large port. She walked close behind them after withdrawing Metapod. The sun was setting, and something about the city seemed...eerie. Quiet. Too quiet. Theives and bandits lurked in the shadows of the alleys, ready to con a few unsuspecting souls. And, Kenz gulped, those young souls could be her, Christine, and Jason.

Her suspicions couldn't have been more accurate. In the shadows lurked a young woman with an eye for Kenz. Her mission was almost complete. Once the two guys in the Pokemon Center lured the young ones outside, Kenz would be hers for the taking...along with her "friends".

[Dragonwish2]

Liz groaned and glanced at the blue pokemon standing beside her. "You're sure?" He simply grunted and his eyes glowed slightly purple before he pointed. Liz followed his arm's length to see it lead to various alleyways, which she remembered from her first trip to Port Barley. She still could remember the puke and grimer... oh, good times. Her riolu looked up at her and nodded before running off. His trainer sighed. He was always fast, flexible... she would just have to keep up.

Just ten minutes ago she had been on a boat and spotted Kenz, though briefly and yelling. Liz followed for a while but lost her in the crowd, then quickly turned to her aura pokemon for assistance. It had led them to this; running in an alley. The sky was darkening almost ominously, and Liz shivered even in the warm remaining sun. Liz glanced around worriedly, finally seeing three shapes. She pulled out her flashlight and turned it on, squinting as her eyes adjusted. She grinned and rushed to greet her friend. "KENZ!" She hugged her tightly and let go. Ryan rolled his eyes and hit the button, sending him back into his pokeball.

Liz turned off her flashlight. "I saw you on the boat, but I couldn't find you in the crowd. You're here too?" She panted, suddenly realizing how tired she had become running the entire way. It helped, really. The noise of her loud breathing filled the silence surrounding the twilight. Liz glanced at the two other people, an eyebrow raised. "Hello. I'm Liz; may I ask your names?" She didn't think a straight and cold, 'Who are you?' acquired what she was asking in her innocent curiosity.

Then again, curiosity killed the cat.

[SaphireShadows]

Christine walked in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the city. It was odd: there was hardly any traffic noise or pedestrian noise that night, even though they were on a pretty well-traveled street. It was strange and somewhat disconcerting, but she pressed on, eager to get her and her two new friends to the Center.

It concerned Christine that Jason was walking so far away. He didn't seem quite like the social type, so why was he sticking around? He was obviously almost painfully shy. She shrugged it off and looked to Kenz, who was sticking to her like glue. Apparently she felt the same apprehension when it came to how quiet this supposedly-bustling city was. Christine shifted her gaze to watch her surroundings, as Hero was already doing.

The shadows that had formed in the absence of the sun were strange and made it hard to tell what was inside them. A few looked to be shadows of people, but they either disappeared too quickly, or turned out to be garbage pails or something of the like. She stopped suddenly at the intersection between the road and two alleyways. There was a shadow in the alley to their right that was out of place and odd. Hero growled at it softly, unsure of what it was. He could smell something was in there, the scent was just unfamilliar. A bright beam from a flashlight in the left-hand alley tore Christine's attention away from the shadow, which had now disappeared back into the corner of the alley.

"KENZ!" the girl behind the flashlight cried. She quickly turned off her flashlight. "I saw you on the boat, but I couldn't find you in the crowd. You're here too?" she was panting like she had been running for a while. "Hello. I'm Liz; may I ask your names?" Liz asked with eyebrows raised. Apparently she was surprised to see her friend in new company.

"I'm Christine," Christine said, jabbing her thumb at herself. She then pointed to Hero, "and this is Hero. And this," she giggled as Archer climbed up onto the top of her head, looking a bit bleary eyed from sleep, "is Archer. It's nice to meet you Liz." She glanced back at the opposite alley to find that the shadow had returned with the disappearance of the flashlight. Feeling a bit uneasy, she urged her friends onward. "We should really get to the Center now. I just caught a new Pokemon, and it needs to be healed."

The automatic doors made a whooshing noise as Christine entered, swiftly making her way to the front counter. A Nurse Joy was there, handing a few Pokeballs back to the man on the other side.

"Have a good evening," she said cheerfully as the man walked away, then turned to Christine and her friends. "Welcome to the Barley Pokemon Center, would you like me to heal your Pokemon?"

"Just these two," Christine said as she handed Joy Bulbasaur's Pokeball. She then snapped off a ball from one of her earrings, returned Hero and handed his Pokeball over as well. Joy gave them to a waiting Chansey then turned back to Christine.

"Your Pokemon should be back momentarily. Why don't you have a seat while you wait? We also have vending machines around the corner here," she pointed to a hallway to her right, "in case you're hungry." Christine thanked the nurse and took a seat on the bench right beside the counter. She wanted to be there instantly when her Pokemon returned.

"So, Liz," she said, feeling her natural instinct to converse kick in, "You and Kenz here are friends? What did-" She was cut off by the bell on the front desk ringing. Surprised that her Pokemon had come back so fast, she got up and watched as Nurse Joy placed her two Pokeballs on the table.

"They only needed some minor healing," she explained as Christine took them back. She thanked the woman and returned to her friends.

"This is my newest Pokemon," she said as she dropped both of the balls to the floor. Hero appeared and sat next to his trainer while a Bulbasaur took shape in front of them. It looked around confusedly for a second, then looked up at Christine curiously. "Hey," she said, holding out an Oran berry, "I saved your food for you."

"Bulba! Bulb!" Bulbasaur cried happily, eating the berry out of its new trainer's hand. Christine then quickly took out her beat up, purple Pokedex and scanned the little Pokemon.

Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back.
Individual Stats
Gender: Male
Ability: Chlorophyll
Nature: Hardy
Moves: Ingrain, Power Whip, Tackle, Growl, Leech Seed, Vine Whip

Christine raised her brow. Power Whip? That was a very powerful move. He probably didn't even know he could use the move, much less how to use it properly. She'd have to wait until he was much older to use that one. She then turned her attention back to him. "Hmm, a male huh? What should I name you?" she asked, earning a 'Bulba?' from him. "How about...Khan?" the name just popped into her head, but it seemed fitting. Khan liked it anyways, he had started to run in a circle happily, causing Christine to laugh. "Okay, Khan then! Welcome to the team Khan!"

[Pokefan209]

Kenz walked in through the wooshing Pokemon Center doors and sat down in a plush, confy chair near the door. She couldn't help wanting to be near the door in case she wanted to get out of here fast. Seeing Liz again had indeed brightened her day. She answered her friend's question rapid-fire.

"Well, I need a way to get to Gigarte for the big Pokeringer competition! I took the boat straight here, and on my way, I'll be training my Pokemon to be the best Pokeringers ever!" she exclaimed. "So what-"

She was promptly cut off by a man running straight at her with a slightly crazed look in his eyes. "Help! Please help! My Cubchoo is dying on the streets! Help!" On his last word, he was directly in Kenz's face, screaming in her ears, and invading her personal space far more than she would have liked.

"Oh-Okay," Kenz stuttered uncomfortably. "Why don't you ask Nurse Joy for help?"

The man's face undertook a new look, one of a rabid animal trapped in its cage with people on all sides. He thought quickly, and replied, "Nurse Joy is too busy! Come on!" He then grabbed her arm and pulled her outside. Kenz ran with him, hoping her friends were following behind.

They took several detours through the alleys until the man made it to where they were supposed to meet Lilith. He suddenly stopped, sending Kenz toppling into him and onto the concrete under her.

"Oww.... Wait, where's the Cubchoo?" She asked, suddenly wary of the man, who was grinning evily now. She reached for her Pokeballs, only to find that they were missing. Someone else had gone and pickpocketed her!

"I'm leaving," Kenz declared, getting up and turning around, only to be confronted with a much taller and buffer man with a backpack around his back and four duffel bags in his arms. Kenz stepped back, but tripped and was roughly turned around by the first guy to face a lady.

This lady looked like she shopped at designer shops. Her simple black dress went down just above her knees and flattered her curves and hid any imperfections, not that Kenz believed she had any. Her platinum blonde hair was curled and rippled down her back in soft waves that seemed completely natural. The only thing was her eyes. Deep red, like she was born to be evil. Kenz was too distracted looking at her dress and her entire body to notice her pulling out a Pokeball, clicking the button and an Oddish popping out.

"Good night, darling," Lilith said in a silky smooth voice. The Oddish pumped out a light green powder from its plant on the top of its head, and when it hit Kenz, there was no struggle.

The last thing Kenz remembered was the evil grin on Lilith's face.

[Dragonwish2]

Liz was still smiling as they entered the Pokemon Center. Kenz was eagerly explaining why she was in Port Barley. "Well, I need a way to get to Gigarte for the big Pokeringer competition! I took the boat straight here, and on my way, I'll be training my Pokemon to be the best Pokeringers ever!" She was bursting with joy as she spoke. "So what-"

A man cut her off, screaming like a lunatic.
"Help! Please help! My Cubchoo is dying on the streets! Help!" Liz blinked in surprise and glanced at Kenz, who was getting creepier treatment.

"Oh-Okay," Kenz stammered. "Why don't you ask Nurse Joy for help?"
The man seemed lost for a moment, but he picked himself up quickly.

"Nurse Joy is too busy! Come on!" He grabbed Kenz's arm and pulled her outside. Liz yelped and followed, all the time thinking. Why was she always running into creeps? Why was this place always a bag luck charm for her? Couldn't she have one peaceful day?!?

The man took them through the labryinth of alleys, and as each passed they gave Liz a greater sense of foreboding. Something was wrong, horribly wrong. The dark pathways were disturbing, and Liz jumped at each movement. She barreled into Kenz and watched her fall, the man now grinning like a mad man. Liz stepped back, trembling, and reached for her belt. Her pokeballs! She looked around, angry and scared. The man must have stolen them!

Liz watched a woman appear from the shadows. Her black dress gave her a body and boldened her curves, her legs appearing slender and long. Her bright blonde hair flowed down to her shoudlers in gentle waves. Her make up was gentle and completed the outfit. Her eyes, however, wer another story. They glowed a dark maroon, so burning she wondered how they didn't light up the alley.

Kenz rose to flee, but a second man appeared, causing Liz to panic further. He carried four duffel bags and a back pack, showing off his strength even after seeing his muscular arms. The crazed man turned Kenz around to face the woman. The woman let out an oddish, the entire time cool and collected.

"Good night, darling," said the woman, as the oddish let out a green spray. Liz plugged her nose and shut her mouth, but it still caused her to become drowsy. Kenz fell immediatly to the sleep powder, limp on the ground now. Liz gasped as the first man punched her in the gut, forcing her to inhale the toxic air. Liz silently screamed as she became unconscious.

[Pikalover10]

Jason followed the girls to the Pokemon Center. It was dark out, night now. Living on the streets his whole life had taught him a thing or two. You never were out alone at dark. Well, that was one of them. Anyways, Pyra yawned from where she sat on Jason's shoulder. Suddenly some girl ran up to Kenz and stared at her in shock.

"Uh, er... I'm Jason. That's Pyra, Shock, and Trident." He motioned to each Pokemon in turn. When they entered the Pokemon Center he returned said Pokemon to their Pokeballs, as he knew they must be tired. He stood near the group, though not in it, for a little bit.

Suddenly some guy started yelling and getting in to Kenz's face. Suddenly he ran off with Kenz in tow. Liz followed soon after, and Jason darted after them. Second rule, never run off with a stranger. BIG no no. He ran down the maze of alleys, following Liz.

When he arrived where they all were, he stopped when the man smiled evilly. Jason gasped in fright and felt like a deer in the sight of a lion. He gulped and turned to run, but another man stepped out. Jason gulped and stumbled back, bumping in to Liz lightly. He turned when a lady walked out until she called out an Oddish.

It suddenly shot a green powder in to the air. Jason quickly gasped a breath of untainted air, before one of the guy's punched Liz and then kneed him in the stomach. Jason coughed and fell to the ground, grabbing his stomach. He reached for a Pokeball but they were gone. That jerk must have taken them from him! Jason went slack as he was forced to finally take a breath of air, falling asleep almost instantly.

[SaphireShadows]

Christine smiled as Khan became aquainted with his new companions. Hero sniffed him curiously, then licked his face happily. The Bulbasaur made a disgusted face, but laughed afterward. Archer simply nodded a hello, which didn't seem like enough for Khan. He ran around the stoic Joltik, trying to get him to play. Archer stood where he was and followed the grass type with his eyes, but never indicated that he would be enticed to play. Khan finally got bored of him and went to play with Hero. Although the two were polar opposites type-wise, they instantly became fast friends, which satisfied Christine.

She blinked in surprise as a guy suddenly ran in through the automatic doors of the Pokemon Center. He looked distraught, and yelled at Kenz to help his dying Cubchoo. When asked why the Nurse Joy couldn't help him, he stated that she was too busy. Christine looked back to the pink haired nurse to find that she wasn't at all busy; she was playing a game of Solitaire with a set of headphones lodged into her ears. She was about to state this, but the others had already ran out the door. Feeling something was very wrong here, she returned both Archer and Khan to their balls and ran after her friends.

The group was lead through a labrynth of alleyways, which made Christine all the more apprehensive. She wanted to stop following the man all together, but she felt that her new friends would be in danger if she stopped.

"Hero, stay alert," she told the Growlithe who was running loyally by her side. He nodded, his purple eyes glinting in the street lights. Once they came to a halt, Christine's fears were confirmed: there was no dying Cubchoo. Instead there was another man who blocked their exit. Hero growled menacingly at him, causing the brute to hesitate, but only for a second. Christine instinctively shoved the second man's hands away when they reached for the Poke balls dangling from her earrings. They were specially made to clip Poke balls to (she should know, she made them herself). "Don't even think about it!" she growled as he made another attempt to swipe them. On the third try, Hero lunged forward and bit the man on his calf. He yelped in pain, then backhanded the poor puppy Pokemon into a wall, rendering him unconscious.

Throughout all of this, Christine had failed to notice a third person materializing from the shadows. A woman in a black dress stood before the group of four, her platinum locks spilling down over her shoulders. Even at night, they seemed to shimmer with each movement. Christine looked up from returning her unconscious Growlithe (all the while slapping the hands of the men who tried to take her Poke balls away), and found a pair of deep red eyes glaring disdainfully at her. The woman had to be vainer than twenty beauty queens; the way she carried herself screamed it. She let out a small plant Pokemon that Christine had never seen before, still glaring at the four younger people in front of her.

"Good night, darling," the woman purred, and the plant Pokemon released a cloud of green spores. Christine had time to find it odd that she had said "Darling" instead of "Darlings" before the spores reached her nose and mouth. They knocked the redhead out almost instantaneously. She never noticed one of the men kick her arm and take her Pokeballs, chucking evilly for good measure.

This post has been edited by SaphireShadows: Jul 11 2011, 02:32 AM

[Pokefan209]

Once everyone in the small group fell asleep, the two men made quick work of putting them in the duffel bags. Well, not quick enough work for Lilith.

"Hurry up, you stupid little buffoons!" she yelled, walking away with her platinum locks bouncing behind her. The boys sighed, and continued stuffing the unconcious girls and boy in the bags. They were used to her yelling; they had been working for cranky people in need of dirty work done for 10 years. They were just in it for the paycheck.

Once the duffel bags had been stuffed full, the two dudes walked to a big black jeep with the heavy bags on their backs. They dumped them in the back and sat next to them in case their was any struggle when the teens and young adults woke up. Lilith was in the front seat, looking for her keys. Once she found them, she cranked them into the ignition, took the car out of neutral, and stomped on the gas pedal. The jeep jerked forward and disappeared into a cloudy night.

The jeep rumbled over hills and into the harsh deserts of Aridana. The passengers, extremely sweaty and hungry, didn't wake up. It took several turns and eventually arrived in front of a small shed that was pretty close to the famous waterpark. The men got to work...

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

Kenz woke up strapped to a very uncomfortable wooden chair. Her mouth was gagged with a white cloth, and her hands were tied behind her back. She looked around and immediatly saw her mortal enemy, still short, still chubby, and standing hand in hand with Lilith.

"Portini!"