[X] My Assistant

[Living Arrow]

OK. This RP is currently set up for only myself and Pumpkin King. If any other members would like to join, please pm me to ask for permission etc and I'll see what I can do

The assembled Council of Nine left the building as one, their Officer rank markings prominent on their chests worn with pride and honor. Ivy couldn’t help but gawp at them as they descended the steps outside the makeshift courthouse and dispersed throughout the Maw to continue with their various tasks for the day. She watched the peculiar way in which they moved, backs straight and arms swaying methodically as though they had all been cut from the same cloth and born by the same woman. Very odd how humans decided to act the same as one another just to be impressive when everyone knew that individuality was the real mark of greatness... very odd indeed!

“They’re so Silly!” Ivy giggled to herself, kicking her playful legs back and forth underneath the railing that she was sitting on. A twinge of pain radiated from her lower back but she ignored it – an unwanted memory of her unsuccessful mission several days before. A white bandaid decorated her chin where she had been given four stitches and a bandage wrapped around her left hand to protect the healing of her sprained wrist and broken finger. At the time, she hadn’t thought so much damage had been done to her little body but the trauma and strife of her first mission had soon caught up to her by the medical team had taken her to the Infirmary.

Her eyes danced across the other Aqua members that were exiting the courthouse, trying to find a face in the crowd…

“Eliteman!” She yelled suddenly, leaping from the rail and sprinting across the square to where her Commanding Officer was making his way down the steps of the roughly carved construct and into the main street that descended into the maw. Lights in the cavern roof illuminated the darkness nearly as efficiently as any sun would have but Ivy still felt a little claustrophobic within the subterranean Aqua base.

“Oh, Kylarian… It’s you…” The Elite did not seem to be very pleased to see his subordinate (he rolled his eyes and looked around for a way to escape her incessant babbling) but the girl had a penchant for not picking up on such obvious displays of body language.

“’Course it’s me, Silly!” Ivy did pick up on the following stern frown and her mood suddenly fell. “Sorry, I mean ‘Sir’…”

“Yes, well, whaddaya want? Aren’t you supposed to be out of action for a couple more days?” The Elite demanded, looking over her injuries quickly. Ivy shook her head.

”Nuh-uh. I’m ready to leave the nurse said. She gave me a jello and said I can go on another mission right away!” Ivy lied. What the nurse actually did was hand her a jello and force her back into bed. Ivy had, however, gotten tired of staring at the hospital walls and had snuck out when the older lady had gone outside to smoke.

“Uh, fine. Well there is something you can take part in – even you can’t mess this one up” he snorted. “Go to the exit of the maw and look for Officer Crichton – you can’t miss him – and sign up for the Multi-Squad mission that he’s leading. I don’t know the details but all spare personnel have been ordered to attend if able.”

Ivy punched the air and ran uphill towards the Maw’s exit, waving an arm behind her as she went. “Alrighty! Time for mission number two! Catch ya later, Silly!”

This post has been edited by Living Arrow: Apr 17 2009, 12:24 PM

[Pumpkin King]

"I want Starbucks," Victor groaned quietly. His belly grumbled in response. Victor had been taken captive a few days ago and he refused to eat the garbage they served as food in Kyogre's Maw. Victor relived the events in his head as he desperately wished this was just a bad dream.

"Hey! I think I found something!"

Victor's heart pounded as he listened to what was going on in the outside world. He had been hiding in Trapinch's hole for almost an hour, paralyzed by fear. He was almost positive it was safe to emerge, but the outside voices proved otherwise. He felt the dirt above him shifting. Victor's eyes tightened as various sentences colored with curses raced through his mind. He felt his head exposed and opened his eyes. There was an Aqua grunt and a Poochyena towering over him.

Victor forced a smile and timidly said, "Hi... Could we just kinda sorta forget this ever happened?" The grunt gave him a stern look and called for more grunts. Victor let his face fall into the dirt and started to cry dramatically, but suffered through a fit of coughing as dust got into his throat.

"Mr. Lagos!"

Victor snapped back to reality. He was sitting in a makeshift courtroom with nine high-ranking Aqua officers before him.

"Mr. Lagos, you may have one of two options," the officer on the far right declared. "You can rot in a cell here in Kyogre's Maw, or you can join Team Aqua as a new recruit."

Victor had not given his own name, but rather his best friend's name: Vitalis Lagos. Victor sighed and replied, "I'll join Team Aqua."

An officer in the center said, "Your Pokemon and personal belongings will be returned to you and you will be given an Aqua uniform as well as quarters here in the Maw. Court adjourned."

"Fabulous," Victor muttered under his breath as the council headed out the door single file. "Wow. They're like robots."

"Lagos!"

Victor quickly stood erect, accidentally knocking over the chair he was sitting in.

"I will lead you to your quarters where you will change into your uniform," said yet another grunt. "From there, you will exit the Maw to speak with Officer Crichton for your first mission. Clear?"

Victor sighed once again and responded, "Clear." He followed the grunt and observed his new home. He hid his disgust as he saw a girl walking on all fours. While passing a framed portrait of Archie, Victor caught his reflection and yelped. "Oh my God! My hair!" His beautiful mane had suffered days without products of any kind and was a complete mess, in his opinion. His hair actually looked very nice without any cancerous chemicals keeping it in place.

In his quarters, Victor almost mournfully changed into his uniform. "At least this will cover that mess that I once called my hair," he said as he tied the Aqua bandana around his cranium. He sighed once again. "Maybe I can try to make this uniform look a little bit better," Victor said positively, picturing himself with his huge pants tailored. He strapped his belt so his pants would not fall and grabbed his three Premier Balls that contained Meowth, Trapinch and Spoink. Victor left his quarters and headed for the exit to meet with Officer Crichton as instructed.

This post has been edited by Pumpkin King: Apr 17 2009, 09:05 PM

[Living Arrow]

“Right, you ‘orrible lot! Get in line on the double!!!”

Ivy yelped as the infamous Officer Crichton hollered at the collated Aqua members on the docks outside the Maw. She had taken note that a wide range of the faction had turned out for the mission from lowly Recruits to smartly co-ordinated Officers but none were as captivating as their mission leader. Officer Crichton was a formidable man indeed but not for the reasons that one might think someone of such standing should have. The man was grey and nearly bald, the remnants of his hair trimmed short by a crew cut. His brow hung heavy over glaring blue eyes, a bristling moustache and a cigar that hung perpetually from his lips. His shoulders were wide and burly like those of a Machoke but his belly hung down like a Munchlax, making it seem as though a once powerful beast had been tamed and fattened up in an armchair. Anyone who thought that would have been very very wrong.

The assembled Aquas scurried into lines, organised by rank and profession. Like the other unspecialised Recruits, Ivy just jumped in line in between an awkwardly tall whip of a girl and a ridiculously pretty boy who kept tutting whenever the Officer shouted. She could smell rose oil wafting from him and it made her nose wrinkle with its outstanding sweetness.

“You’re here to receive your missions for our field operation that shall be commencing shortly.” Crichton peered up and down the rows, scanning his audience for something that Ivy couldn’t discern. After looking around for a good long while, he continued. “Momentarily you will all board our selected craft and head upriver to the northern reservoir at Montague Peak. There, your mission is to capture as many wild water Pokemon as possible that fit the specifications which are currently being passed around…”

Ivy darted a look down the line and saw that flyers were being passed back for each Aqua member to read and memorise. She had been warned before her first mission that memorising lists would become prevalent in missions so she had taken some practice by trying to memorise all of the boring elements on the boring periodic boring table. The scientists in the labs near her quarters had at first thought she was interested in specialising in their profession but found to their dismay that the girl was only using such material because “Boring stuff is the hardest to remember!”. A flyer made its way into Ivy’s hand and she immediately began reading down the paper even as she passed the pile back to the sweet-smelling boy behind her.

“As you read the list you shall see that the desired captures are Pokemon that have some use in surveillance for use in our network around the island so make sure that the targets fit exactly to the specifications on your data sheets… Now, in your transport vehicles there is a large supply of Pokeballs and several Pokedexes to spread around should you need them. Breathing apparatus is included for those of you entering the lake itself. We have arranged for you all to function in 3-man cells to maximise efficiency with the limited time we have before dark. No Recruit is to go unsupervised so every squad should have a member of rank Grunt or higher leading them and co-ordinating them. Pack up your things and board the nearest available craft – Mission Start!”

Ivy’s heart gave a leap of excitement as she ran, along with everyone else, to the nearest inflatable boat. A Grunt level II got there before her and took control of the vehicle’s controls while she slipped into the front seat. The boy with immaculate hair who had been behind her in the lineout slotted in behind her and with a roar of an engine, the inflatable pulled away from the shore and rocketed upriver with nine other boats all in tow, racing towards their quarry at Montague Peak.

[Pumpkin King]

"Oh great goddess of hair, why did you curse me so?" Victor said quietly as he gazed upon himself reflected in the still water. He tied his bandana again when the inflatable boat left the dock, sending ripples through Victor's face.

"Your hair looks great, actually," said a voice from Victor's left. He turned and faced the person who commented. It was the level II Grunt who was sitting in the front seat of the boat.

"Thanks, but-"

"My name is Fredward!" the Grunt interrupted. Victor saw Fredward's right eye twitch slightly underneath the blue-tinted strands of hair sticking out from the poorly tied Aqua bandana. Upon closer inspection the level II Grunt's irises were two different shades of green.

"That's very-"

"You speak when spoken to!" Fredward interrupted once again.

"I-"

"Shut up!" Fredward interrupted for the third time.

Victor grumbled quietly and tightly crossed his arms. Stupid Team Aqua, Victor angrily thought. With their stupid inbred grunts and their stupid bathrooms that are completely devoid of any decent hair products and their-

"Um-"

"Stop interrupting me!" Victor commanded, but he realized two things: (1) He hadn't been speaking aloud (2) The voice that had disturbed his thought process was not Fredward's. "I'm terribly sorry. What were you saying?" Victor said to the girl who spoke. She had a distinctive canine look to her and she was fidgeting in her seat. The boat slowed down as the group came closer to Montague Peak.

[Living Arrow]

"I'm terribly sorry. What were you saying?"

Ivy shook her head and giggled. "Don't worry 'bout it! I was just gonna ask your name so we can get to know each other a bit better before we get to the mission entry point." She smiled held out a grubby hand for her teammate to shake. He took it gingerly with a distasteful frown and shook weakly. "I'm Ivy, pleased to meet ya!"

"A talker, huh?" The Grunt II snorted, keeping his eyes fixed on their path upriver. Ivy thought the name of 'Fredward' was really Silly but took it upon herself not to let the man know her thoughts - he seemed crabbier than... well... a Krabby! "Keep your voices down and let me focus, got it?"

Ivy nodded vigorously and lowered her voice to a theatrical whisper.

"I think Silly-Boots got out on the wrong side of the basket, huh? Like I said, I'm Ivy and I'm a Recruit and I've brought with me my two Pokemon partners - a Poochyena and an Electrike - for this mission. They're really itchin' to have a run and start some rough-housin'!" Ivy fidgeted, the thought of tumbling and fighting making her more excited by the second. "What's your name and what Pokemon did you bring with you? I hope they're strong like my Alpha and Beta, yep!"

[Pumpkin King]

"What's your name and what Pokemon did you bring with you? I hope they're strong like my Alpha and Beta, yep!"

Resisting the urge to say that "yep" was not a good way to end a sentence, Victor said, "I'm Vic-talis. Sorry, my tongue slipped. My name is Vitalis. I have three Pokemon, but I'm afraid they don't have any snazzy nicknames like yours."

Was that a compliment??? A small doppelganger dressed in designer clothes appeared on Victor's shoulder. Why would you compliment that beastly girl and her brutish Pokemon??

Victor brushed his shoulder, mentally sweeping away his doppelganger and said, "I have a Meowth, a Trapinch and a Spoink. I don't know if they're quite fit for 'rough-housin'.' They're not very strong."

Victor didn't know why, but he was actually enjoying what should be the absolute worst time of his life. In his mind, Victor pictured his well-dressed doppelganger locked up in a very elaborate mansion, where he would stay as Victor's alter ego, Vitalis, lived his life to its fullest extent.

[Living Arrow]

"They're not strong?" Ivy frowned and scratched at her unruly hair. "Then why did you bring them? I bet they can fight when they want to, really... How about we look them up in these Pokedexes thingies and see what they can do? Look, I'll show ya!"

Ivy swiped one of the Pokedexes in the supply bag for their vehicle and clicked it open. She held up Alpha's Pokeball underneath the scanning unit on the side of the little device and clicked "Analyse" on the touchscreen with her thumb. The Pokedex whirred to life and rang out its data capture information:

[Poochyena - The Bite Pokemon. Very persistent by nature, this Pokemon will chase prey until they become exhausted. Ivy scrolled to the next section. [Attacks known... Tackle. Howl. Bite. Odor Sleuth.]

"See? It's easy! If you see what different attacks your Pokemon can use then you can see what combinations would be best even against opponents that are stronger than you are. My mother told me that strategy is just as important as strength, if not more so. That way you even have a chance of winning against all odds, yep!" Ivy delighted on imparting her very limited knowledge of Pokemon and battling but silently wished that this Vitalis fellow would not have any questions that she couldnt answer - she might be young and carefree but looking foolish in front of a senior officer wasn't high on her to-do list.

"Ha! Then check out mine!" Fredward had taken up his own Pokedex and was holding it over a Pokeball in his lap.

[Croconaw - The Big Jaw Pokemon. It's bite is so powerful that it won't let go until its teeth fall out. These are rapidly replaced by new teeth which are growing all the time.

"Oooh scary!" Ivy giggled.

"You better believe it!" Fredward scoffed. "My partners are all top-notch and know powerful attacks, too. Just check this out!"

[Attacks known... Crunch. Scary Face. Ice Fang. Aqua Tail.]

"With moves like that we'll have no problem catching our quota of Pokemon! Croconaw's not the only powerhouse I've got with me, neither!" Fredward gave a superior chuckle before turning his hard-eyed frown on Vitalis. "What can your Pokemon do?"

[Pumpkin King]

"What can your Pokemon do?"

"Um.. Well..." Victor took a PokeDex from the supply bag and opened it up. He then took out Meowth's Premier Ball. "Um?"

"Let me do it!" Ivy said in response to Victor's obvious confusion. She tapped the "Analyze" button and the PokeDex began spewing information about Meowth.

[Meowth - The Scratch Cat Pokemon. MEOWTH withdraw their sharp claws into their paws to silently sneak about. For some reason, this POKéMON loves shiny coins that glitter with light. It is nocturnal in nature. If it spots something shiny, its eyes and coin glitter brightly.]

"Well that's definitely Meowth for you," Victor commented and patter his cat's head. Ivy continued onto the next section.

[Attacks known... Flash. Bite. Fury Swipes. Growl.]

"Since when did you know Fury Swipes?" Victor asked his Premier Ball and fortunately for his sanity, it did not respond.

"See? Where would you be without me? You could've lost some major battles simply because you had no idea this little kitty had Fury Swipes!" Ivy said proudly. The pride was defintely prominent on her face.

"Thanks, I guess," Victor said with a smile.

"So how about it? My Alpha against your Meowth? Or maybe we can have a double battle!" Ivy said excitedly. She had already jumped out of her seat in her excitement.

[Living Arrow]

"Sit down, Recruit!" Fredward snapped, glaring at Ivy sternly. "We are not here to spar like beggars over that last trashcan - we have work to do. We'll be arriving at the insertion point shortly and we don't need any mishaps, are we clear?"

Ivy sat down solemnly and bowed her head. "Sessir... sowwy... hehe, 'insertion'..."

The inflatable boat continued up the river at a fast pace, kicking up spray that pattered down on the trio as they raced in quiet towards their destination. Grey cobbles and paving gave way to lush green as the convoy of Aqua vessels raced northwards to Montague Peak where their mission would truly commence.

"Estimated arrival, two minutes." Fredward broke the silence, his subordinates turning their heads to look at him. "Now, remember. Class I and II targets I'll leave for you. Class III are all mine and we retreat in presence of a Class IV, is that absolutely clear?"

Ivy bobbed her head. "Yessir! I've memorised the list of targets and their Classes. I have one question though... What happens if our Pokemon become to tired to continue? The briefing said nothing about medical support and we're meant to be battling for hours..."

Fredward's narrow-eyed gaze turned on her, gaining contempt as they went. "If your Pokemon are so weak that they can't keep up then you shouldn't have bothered coming."

"Hey! My Alpha and Beta are really strong!" Ivy protexsted, producing a snide laugh from her superior.

"We have medical kit with us, stupid." Fredward nodded towards a big green bag that had been sitting in the boat when they had embarked. "I'll be carrying it and rationing the supplies until we leave. Any other questions?"

Ivy tried to make herself look as small as possible, crunching up her legs into her chest as she pretended to examine something on her knees. Why did he have to make her look so Silly?

"You? Questions?" Fredward demanded of the boy named Vitalis. "Make it quick. One minute before we arrive..."

[Pumpkin King]

"If your Pokemon are so weak that they can't keep up then you shouldn't have bothered coming."

Victor sunk into his seat at Freward's statement. He pictured the empty badge case in his backpack and miserably he had failed against all eight Hoenn gym leaders. "Meowth is unable to battle! The challenger loses!" Victor had heard the referee announce this statement to many times for his ego to handle.

"You? Questions?" Fredward demanded of Victor. "Make it quick. One minute before we arrive..."

"Um..."

"Good. No questions." Fredward resumed his level II grunt-ly duties by sitting in the front of the boat.

"How do you..." Victor started hesitantly. He swallowed the knot in his throat and spoke up. "How do you catch a Pokemon? You just throw a PokeBall right?" He bit his lip and hoped his question wasn't too stupid. Victor had never actually caught a Pokemon. All three of his current companions were given to him as purely bred babies inside fabulous Premier Balls.

Fredward stopped the boat as they reached their destination and slowly turned his body around. "You don't know how to catch a Pokemon?!" he said condescendingly.

I guess it was too stupid, Victor thought, but rather than blush in embarrassment like he would have in any situation like this, he firmly said, "No. I've never caught a Pokemon before."

"It's easy!" Ivy chimed. "You can throw a PokeBall if you want, but it's best to weaken the target Pokemon first, so it's easier to catch. Then you throw a Pokeball."

"Thanks," Victor said with a smile.

[Living Arrow]

"OK, we've arrived." Fredward, guided the boat towards the edge of the river where Ivy sprang clear of the vessel with the mooring rope and latched it firmly to a stout sapling. Victor and Fredward guided the boat into a more secure position for it to be tied off properly and the team set about collecting their equipment for the mission. Other teams were doing much the same up and down the bank on both sides, some teams already moving north to surround the lake.

Montague Point was a beautiful place. Lush verdant green in all directions spilled down the surrounding mountains to probe at a body of immaculate slate blue that glistened as the sun's rays sheared off the tiniest ripples on the lake's surface. Flashes of movement could be seen between bushes, clumps of grass, rocky outcrops and tree stumps signalling that many Pokemon inhabited the area.

"Pokeballs ready?" Fredward demanded. Without waiting for a response, he took off at a light jog in pursuit of the other teams, one of his own Pokeballs already in his palm.

Ivy grabbed Victor's arm. "Come on, Vitornis! I'll show you the very best way of catching Pokemon! You watch me first then you try, yep?" With a yank, she darted after Fredward with her pack bouncing around awkwardly on her back.

*-*-*-*-*-*

By the time Ivy's team reached their designated spot for capturing water Pokemon, Victor was panting somewhat heavily and did not look too happy to had been forced to run a mere fifteen minutes up the valley. Ivy felt better than ever now that fresh air was in her lungs and she was itching to let her Pokemon partners lose on the local fauna. Fredward seemed much in the same state as Ivy, making the young girl think that this Vitimmyness was something of a 'Silly Bones' who didn't get out very much. Even so, she patted him supportively on the back and helped him set up his gear for the mission.

"Right, you pair," Fredward hefted his bag of empty Pokeballs, "four hundred metre radius from this spot - that includes within the lake itself. You know what the targets are and what can be ignored in the area. Pace yourselves and check back in with your captures every hour. You got that?"

Ivy saluted.

"Yes mister Silly, sir!" She barked, dashing towards the lake with great haste. "Let's go, Vitminlis!"

[Pumpkin King]

"Let's go, Vitminlis!"

"It's Vict- I mean Vitalis," Victor said, slightly irritated. This girl, he thought, she must have ADD or some-

"How am I supposed to get your name right if you don't even know your name?" Ivy said as she yanked Victor out of his spot.

"Do you mind? I only have two of those!" Victor said, pulling his arm out of Ivy's grip.

"Look! Bubbles! There are Pokemon in the lake!" the little canine girl exclaimed. As mentioned by Ivy, bubbles were rising to the water's surface in various spots. "Alright! This is how you catch a Pokemon, Vitamnas!" She pulled out two Pokeballs from her belt and threw them into the air. "Alpha! Beta! Playtime!" Both the Poocheyena and the Electrike barked playfully as they were released. "Beta, use Thunder Wave in the shallows."

"What will-"

"SHHHH!" Ivy loudly hushed Victor. "You'll scare the Pokemon away!" Victor passively accepted the shushing with a simple roll of the eyes. The Electrike quietly stepped into the lake's lukewarm water. He paused and then growled suddenly, sending electric currents into the lake. Victor even felt some static from his spot about three feet away.

"So?" Victor asked. Thirty seconds had passed and nothing significant had occured.

"There!" Three paralyzed Magikarp slowly floated to the surface. Ivy struck a pose and sent three Pokeballs flying towards the fish. The Magikarp were morphed into a red energy that the balls neatly sealed.Then the trio of Pokeballs bobbed in the lake. "Once! Twice! Three times! Yay! The Magikarp were caught!" Ivy said. Alpha the Poocheyena noisiily splashed into the water and retrieved the balls. "And that's how it's done!" Ivy said proudly.

"Oh..." Victor seriously doubted the ability of his Pokemon.

"Your turn!"

"Yeah, that's not happening," Victor said quietly to himself, but he hesitantly reached for his belt to get Meowth's Premier Ball.

[Living Arrow]

Ivy left Vit... Vit? What was it? Vitalis? No... that wasn't it... Vicmanis! Ivy left Vicmanis to try his own captures within the lake and retrieved the Pokeballs that Alpha was carrying back to her with a skip of pride in his step. She minimised them and slot them into the sack on her back, taking a couple more Pokeballs out and priming them for another capture.

"Magikarps are a Class I!" Ivy called to her teammate, going over the list in her head once more. "Class I includes the fish-form aquatic Pokemon of an unevolved state, yep? Well see if there are any of them Goldeens or Barboaches or Feebases... I'll watch out for any amphibibun Class II while you get started but you can shout for some help if you need it!" Ivy yelled, grinning wildly. She absolutely loved the thrill of ordering the final move before throwing the Pokeball and making a capture - there was nothing else like it!
She dropped to all fours and ran a little way down the lake - still in sight and hearing distance of Vitalis - and move away from the water's edge.

"OK, Alpha. You're up first this time. I want to to creep around to the far side of those bushes and flush out whatever you find, m'kay?"
Alpha nodded and half barked a reply before dashing away from the lake and into the underrowth where he was soon lost from sight.

"Right. Get ready, Beta. It's our job to catch anything that comes our way which is on the list for the boss." Ivy chewed on her lip impatiently. Beta seemed to catch her mood as he pranced on the spot, static charge cracking as each paw touched the grass anew.

Suddenly an ear-splitting howl rent the air and an explosion of movement erupted from the tree line. Beta barked with excitement and his dancing on the spot became less contained as Pokemon began to zoom their way. Pidgey. Pidgey. Nidoran. Pidgey. Caterpie. Bidoof. More came, hurrying to get away from the nightmarish wails that were coming from deeper in the trees. Rattata. Bidoof. A Stantler?! Hoothoot. Pidgey... TOTODILE!

"Go, Beta!" Ivy urged her partner to throw himself at the latest thing to emerge from the trees. The mini crocodile saw Beta coming and spat a powerful stream of water at the oncoming canine which Beta dodged with ease, sprining over the jet and hurtling right for his target. A sucessful Quick Attack slammed home, the Totodile soaring high into the air.
"Good! Now Thunder Fang!" Beta's jaws crackled with electricity as he closed in but the Totodile was ready and produced a horribly Scary Face, stopping Beta in his tracks. While offguard, Beta was open to the Totodile's Bite which clamped down on his back.
"TRIIIIIKE!" Beta fired out a large Thunder Wave, blasting the Totodile clear and paralysing it to the spot. It weakly tried to mave as Beta came for it once more, a Thunder Fang connecting with its arm. The Totodile wailed and fell, its energy draing by the effective attack.

"Brilliant work, Beta!" Ivy congratulated her Pokemon who was still on guard, watching the Totodile suspiciously. "Now, Pokeball GO!" She lobbed the ball towards her target, its blue form disintergrating into red energy and disappearing inside.

"Once! Twice! Three times! Yay! The Totodile was caught!" Ivy delighted snagged the ball and shoved it in her sack just as Alpha came flying towards them in pursuit of a screaming Psyduck. She grinned happily as her brother closed in and she ordered his first move......

[Pumpkin King]

Victor made small ripples in the water as he tapped the lake surface. He heaved a sigh and said, "Alright, here goes nothing!" Victor got onto his feet and grabbed the three gleaming Premier Balls on his belt. "Meowth! Spoink! Trapinch!" He clicked the balls to enlarge them and tossed them into the air. The three Pokemon materialized right in front of him. They looked at their trainer and waited for a command. "Umm..." Victor made a 360 degree turn, searching for a water type Pokemon to capture.

"Meow?" the scratch cat asked impatiently. Meowth's tail curled around his trainer's left leg.

"Would you wait? I'm trying to think!" Victor replied. "Let's see... Bidoof... Bidoof... Starly... Rattata... Pidgey... There's no water Pokemon here!" he growled. Victor sat at the water's edge with his legs crossed and hoped for some divine intervention. "I just had to attack that Magma and ruin my life forever." He continued to mumble to himself as he played with the lily pads on the water's surface when one suddenly sprung to life.

"Lotad!" it yelled. Underneath the leafy pad was a small blue Pokemon with short, stubby little legs. "Tad!"

Victor screamed femininely and flinched. All three of his Pokemon jumped in front of their astonished trainer and prepared for battle. The wild Lotad shifted around in the water, splashing water onto Victor's Pokemon trio. Disliking the water, Meowth and Trapinch decided to leave this battle up to Spoink. "What is that thing?!" Victor said, taking out his PokeDex.

[Lotad- The Water Weed Pokemon. LOTAD live in ponds and lakes, where they float on the surface. It grows weak if its broad leaf dies. On rare occasions, this POKéMON travels on land in search of clean water.]

"Gross. A weed." Noticing his Meowth and Trapinch were keeping their distance from the scene, Victor commanded Spoink, "Splash!"

"Oink oink!" the little pig cried as it bounced into the water next to the Lotad.

"It had no effect..." Victor said disappointed. "Um... Amnesia then." The Bounce Pokemon cleared its mind of all of its concerns and sharply raised the special defense stat. Of course, Victor had no idea if that was significant. The wild Lotad used Astonish on Spoink. "AH! It's super effective!" But after using Amnesia, Spoink took the hit with ease. "Psywave!"

"Spoink!" A strange energy wave emanated from the Spoink's large pearl and hit the wild Lotad.

"Good now follow it up with another Psywave!" commanded Victor, noticing that Psywave was the only move with obvious results. The water weed quickly jumped out of the way and used an Absorb attack, sucking Spoink's health. Victor himself felt as if some of his health was being sucked away. "Psywave!"

"SPOINK!" The little pig's energy level was much powerful than the previous time. Lotad fell onto its back and floated on the water. It twitched a bit and then settled.

"Oh! Now I use a Pokeball!" Victor threw a brand new Team Aqua Pokeball at the water weed. The Pokeball's top half was the same color as Victor's headband and the Aqua insignia was neatly printed above the button. It hit the Lotad and sucked the Pokemon in. "Once... twice... three times! Yes! The wild Lotad was caught!" Victor declared triumphantly. His self-esteem shot through the roof as he held that blue and white ball in his hands, proud that he caught a Pokemon for the very first time. Victor did his little happy dance and smothered his Spoink with affection. "I love you!"

[Living Arrow]

"Yay! The Poliwag was caught!" Ivy delightedly skipped to where Alpha was sniffing curiously at the Aqua Ball. She picked it up and flicked it into the air where she snagged it again and thrust it into the bulging bag on her back. So far she had caught a Totodile, two Psyduck, a rather sick looking Marill and a Poliwag without even breaking a sweat! Well, that was Ivy. Alpha and Beta looked about ready to pass out. Their sides heaved with the panting of their breath but at least they were still smiling!

Ivy rubbed her friends on their heads and clapped her hands to bring them into line as she set off back towards where Fredward had set up the medical tent.

"Yoohoo! Freddy?!" Ivy called, peering around for sign of her superior. With no response, Ivy shrugged her narrow shoulders and ducked into the tent where she grabbed some Potions and began administering them to her Pokemon with amateur squirts of the spray. Alpha growled with annoyance when some went in his eyes and Beta spluttered madly when Ivy accidentally sent some of the tincture into his mouth.

"Don't be so Silly!" She berated them as they complained, shooing them back out of the tent when the bottles were empty. "Now, let's get a move o-... Huh?"

Ivy's gaze lingered on the lake where an orange blur was rapidly making its way towards where her new friend... Violinz?... was waiting for a water Pokemon to appear. That blur churned the water into foam behind itself as it powered towards the shore, astonishing speed allowing it to cut through the lake like a hot knife through butter. Ivy gasped as it drew closer and, fearing the worst, she ran towards where the flop-haired boy stood at ease - completely oblivious to the imcoming object.

"Vissyness! Look out!" She yelled as she ran towards him, her Pokemon in hot pursuit.

[Pumpkin King]

Victor ecstatically held his Aqua Ball in both hands while he bounced around with his Spoink. "We are the champions!" he sang and his Pokemon giggled as they joined in. After another chorus, Victor retired to looking for more water Pokemon. "Ha! We can catch anything that comes our way! Right Spoink?"

"Oink!"

"Right!" Gleaming, Victor scanned the water from left to right like a diligent lifeguard.

Suddenly, he heard, "Vissyness! Look out!"

"Whuh?" Victor turned his head as far back as his neck would allow. Ivy and her two canine partners were sprinting to the very spot where he stood. Victor backed up too far and fell into the water. In the shallow water, his head and knees protruded through the surface. "What's the big deal?" He then screamed and jumped out of the water as a streamline jet of bubbles darted precariously close to his face. "Holy crap!"

"That one's mine!" Ivy claimed the bubble jet.

"You can have it," Victor said. "Whatever it is, I already hate it." In an attempt to get dry, Victor wrung his clothes and stood in the sunlight. "My poor hair," he said as he pulled a golden lock of damp hair in front of his eye. He pulled out his Pokedex and looked up the blur that was still racing in the water.

[ERROR: UNABLE TO IDENTIFY POKEMON]

[Living Arrow]

"Unable to identify?!" Ivy gasped, skidding to a halt at the edge of the lake. "The Pokedex can't keep up, no-sir-ee! That means we've got to slow it down, right?"

Alpha barked his approval and growled angrily at the swirling water ahead of them all. Vitalis quirked an eyebrow and ra a delicate hand through his wavy golden locks to wring out some of the moisture clinging to his head.

"Slow it down or whatever - just get rid of it!" Vitalis protested, stomping his foot for good measure. His Meowth folded its arms over its little chest and pouted - a perfect imitation of its trainer.

"Alrighty! Then it's up to you, Beta!" Ivy announced, her Electrike springing into action. "Thunder Wave!" Beta jumped high, springing lightly from Ivy's shoulders and out, over the lake. With an almighty yelp, he balsted lightning down, into the water in bolts of golden light. The sparks hit the glass surface of the lake like torrential rain, tearing down through its depths and throwing forth all manner of commotion. Several stunned fish Pokemon came floating to the surface, gasping for air as they reeled from the shock.

"Vitalis!" Ivy got the boy's name right, for once. "Don't just stand there! Catch them, Silly!" She turned away from him as he began fumbling with Aqua Balls to direct her attention upon the creature that was angrily leaping from the lake with crackling electricity dancing off its sleek fur.

"Bui bui!!!" It announced, gritting its teeth at Ivy and her partners. Alpha rushed towards the creature at top speed but the slippery orange monster was faster, jumping up and away from the Poochyena and swinging its tail in a neat arc. A bolt of white high-pressured light burst from its tail, slamming Alpha in the forehead and sending him sprawling to the ground.

"No! I think that was a Sonicboom!" Ivy cursed, grabbing at the Pokedex she had been given for the mission and pointing it at the orange blur.

[Buizel - The Sea Weasel Pokemon. This Pokemon spins its two tails like a screw for propulsion in water. These tails are so strong that they can cut through seaweed and may alos be used to execute many attacks.]

"Wow! Sounds strong!" Ivy deliberated, trying to remember the target's Class as described by the detailed mission briefing. "But this is a lake - not the sea! This one's a Lake Weasel!" She clapped her hands with delight as though she had uncovered the ultimate mystery of all Buizel ever and was only brought back to her senses as Beta's cry could be heard, his green and yellow body tumbling end over end as he soared through the air, thrown by a mighty Water Gun.

Alpha came running to his brother's defense, dashing in close to the Buizel and Howling with all the force he could. The wild Pokemon clapped his hands to his ears and staggered back, his concentration torn from him by the sonic attack. While it was still dazed, Alpha leapt in and clamped his jaws around the beast's finned arm. The Buizel cried out but was quick to respond by ducking low and swinging its tails over its head, directly into Alpha's face. The point-blank Sonicboom threw Alpha clear to fall weakly at Ivy's feet.

"It's so strong..." Ivy mused, worry beginning to set in. According to the briefing, Buizel were a Class II - something that she and her Pokemon should have been able to deal with - but Alpha and Beta were having so much trouble that their target seemed more like a Class III. "Now it's my turn!" She announced, dropping on all fours and bolted towards the Sea Weasel. It watched her carefully then also burst into action. A torrent of water surrounded it as it straightened out and flew towards her like a missile. She growled and roared as they crashed together, skulls meeting harshly. Both of them staggered around and held their hands to their heads, rubbing at would-be bruises while Beta made his next move.

"Triiike!" He snarled as his Quick Attack came flying from the Buizel's rear, nailing it clean in the back. The Sea Weasel tumbled to its knees and looked up to find the female human back on all fours with her two Pokemon crouching on her back.

"OK, Buizel!" Ivy growled, her two Pokemon snarling in unison with their Sister. "You've got us really mad now! In fact, we were going to save this move for our very strongest opponent but it looks like it's time for you! Ready, guys?"
Alpha and Beta bore their fangs as Ivy began to dash at their target. The Buizel fired off Water Gun after Water Gun but Ivy was too agile to be caught in the powerful streams of liquid.

"Now! Fang over fang!" She announced, her Pokemon springing from her back and high into the air. She swung her legs around and proceeded to slide on her flank, kicking at the Buizel and knocking it up into the air towards her brothers. Alpha came down on one of the Buizel's arms, his Bite attack ripping into its flesh, while Beta chomped onto the other with a Thunder Fang. Together, they tore into their foe and drove him sharply back towards the ground, slamming him hard to the dirt where Ivy was already waiting.

"That's it! Now, for the finish! Pokeball, GO!"

The fallen Buizel was caught up in the ball's red light and sucked inside before it could protest and after one wobble... two wobbles... three wobbles... ... ... DING! The Pokemon was caught! Ivy gleefully pranced to the Pokeball but before she could touch it, Fredward was there and the orb was snagged up in his own fist.

"What's this?" He sneered, holding it out of Ivy's reach.

"Uh, my new friend?" Ivy replied tartly, reaching for the ball but Fredward moved it out of her grasp once more.

"I don't think so." He snapped, his eye twitching. "This mission was to capture Pokemon for Aqua, not for the individual. I'll be confiscating this until I can have it transfered to an Aqua Ball and donated to the result of the mission." Ivy made to cmplain but Fredward's glare was paralysing. "Any complaints and I'll have you put in the brig for undermining a superior officer and compromising the mission's integrity."

Ivy physically drooped as the impact of Fredward's words hit home and her two partners came back to her side once more. They offered the man angry looks but made no move to vocalise their opinions. Ivy sighed heavily and held back a tear as she muttered an apology and dashed away from the lake to find somewhere to let off steam and get on with her task.

"Why does he have to be so... so... Silly?!" Ivy moaned to herself, not looking back to see if she was followed.

Yeah, yeah! I know I had a Naruto reference in there but I just couldn't help myself!

This post has been edited by Living Arrow: May 4 2009, 06:50 AM

[Pumpkin King]

"Don't just stand there! Catch them, Silly!"

"Oh! I-I'm on it!" Victor dropped his backpack onto the grassy earth and scavenged for several Aqua Balls. Initially, he did not find them, but instead grabbed onto his vibrating cell phone. "Ooh. Haven't checked this in ages!"

[87 UNREAD MESSAGES]

"Holy crap!" Victor said in shock. "I didn't think I was quite that popular!"

"Mow!" said Meowth, nudging his head against Victor's leg.

"Right! The Pokemon!" He opened the balls pocket of his bag and pulled out a handful of Aqua Balls. Victor hurled them towards the lake, hoping the weak fish Pokemon were easy enough to catch in one try, but only four of the balls returned to his palm successfully. Six fish were still gasping at the surface. "Just my luck! Meowth! You're up! Fury Swipes!"

"Meow..." the Scratch Cat mumbled. Victor smiled. He knew that Meowth hated the water.

"Today would be nice!" Meowth took a few steps back and reverted to quadrupedism. The feline then ran at full speed at the body of fresh water. He leapt off the edge with all four claws extended. Meowth furiously swiped at the nearest Pokemon, a Finneon, with his forepaws and then propelled himself at the next Pokemon by kicking off the poor Finneon. In this fashion, Meowth slashed the Finneon, two Goldeen and a Barboach. "It hit 4 time(s)!" narrated Victor. Slightly weaker than before, the fish Pokemon were all caught in Victor's Aqua Balls. "Now, let's take a look at those messages!" he said, whipping out his cell phone. He opened up the latest text message.

[FROM: Victoria
Victor! Where the hell are you?!?!]

"Victoria not using IM lingo in a text message?!" Victor gasped. "She must be serious! ..." He hesitated. Victor knew exactly why Victoria Brooks, his cousin of the same age, would send 87 text messages in proper English. "Well... I can trust Vicky... I think..." His finger trembled as he pressed down on the call button. "OK, I'll only let it ring twice and if she doesn't-"

"Victor?!" said a familiar voice. Victoria had picked up on the first ring.

"Hey Vic-"

"VICTOR!" his cousin shrieked into the phone. "Where are you?!?! Where have you been?!? Do you have any idea how worried we've been?!?!? Almost every Magma grunt in Noverus is out looking for you!!!"

Victor withstood her verbal rampage for a few more minutes until she had yelled herself hoarse. "... Am I in trouble?"

"You're in trouble with me for making me worry!! I swear, the moment I see your face-"

"Vicky!"

"Shut up! And you know I hate being called Vicky!"

Victor took a deep sigh and spoke. "Team Aqua has me as a.. hostage." His voice faltered on the word hostage. "I can't talk much. I have to go Victoria. I'm deeply sorry."

"Wait Victor! ... Please be careful... You're one of my only friends..."

Victor smiled. A tear rolled down his face. "I will. Thank you, Victoria. Give Froslass my regards... and your family too of course."

"Good bye, Victor."

"Good bye, Victoria..." Victor closed his phone and wiped the tears that had made their way down his cheek.

"Hey silly! Whatcha doin'?"

This post has been edited by Pumpkin King: May 5 2009, 05:54 PM

[Living Arrow]

"Hey silly! Whatcha doin'?" Ivy yelled at the fop-haired boy who was back by the lake. He looked up at her with surprise and started to come up with a reply but she was already ahead of him.

"Doing nothing? No? Then lets move south a bit and carry on!" She hid the sadness in her voice particulary well in her own opinion, but then the opinion of someone so naive as Ivy Kylarian was never worth very much. She clapped her hands for Alpha and Beta to fall into line behind her as she jogged along the lakeside and found a good spot to start their capture processes again.

A sauntering wind carried the sounds of battling along the shoreline - cried from Aqua members and Pokemon alike - that made Ivy shiver internally. So much fighting going on all around her made it feel as though the beautiful landscape of Monatgue Peak was a bloody battlefield where war was being waged between Order and Chaos. She envisaged the ranks of Aqua forming neat lines that cut through the thorngs of wild Pokemon at the lake, discarding the unwanted and beating down the targeted wheat amid the chaf.
The roughly turned-out girl may have had a penchant for battling and defending her terriotry alongside her little pack but such calculated execution of Aqua strategy didn't sit altogether well with her. Plans were made to set you into motion - not to dictate your life between guidelines set by someone else.

Ivy shook her head lightly. It had been a while since she had thought so seriously! The last time was on her previous mission with the Silly catlady. If that was how each mission would affect her then she'd have to get used to it! Magma had to pay!

A shimmer of gold nearby announced a school of Magikarp breaking the lake's surface as they danced foolishly close to the surface.

"Come, ON!" Ivy yelled at her teammate, pointing animatedly at the water. "Time's a'wastin'!!!!"

[Pumpkin King]

Why do I have to get so emotional! Victor said in his head. He was frantically wiping his face, hoping Ivy hadn't seen the tears. She had jogged ahead and hadn't shown her face very much when she addressed him. Victor started to mess with his golden mane while he walked, unsuccessfully attempting to get it back to his high standards, though it was perfectly acceptable by anyone else's standards.

"Time's a'wastin'!!!!"

Victor quickened his pace and reached Ivy. "What?" He gave up on his hair and looked where she was pointing.

"Those karpies are just waiting to be caught Vitalis!" she said.

He forgot about his new identity again. Victor thought for a moment. Victoria's words echoed through his mind: "Almost every Magma grunt in Noverus is out looking for you!!!" I don't really need to lie about my name, at least not with this one. I'm leaving soon anyway now that I know I'm not in trouble with Magma, but after this I might be in trouble with Aqua. "Hey, could you call me Victor? My parents call me Vitalis, but I like Victor better," he lied.

"I just learnededed your name! And now you want me to re-learnededed a new name??"

"Um... yes." Victor laughed as Ivy dramatically collapsed as if learning a new name was too much for her small body to handle. "Let's get down to business!"

"Yeah!" Ivy exclaimed enthusiastically.

Victor pulled an old rod from the supply bag he had been lugging around. "I wanna try and use this thing! Will you fish with me?"

Ivy's face scrunched together and her tongue stuck out in disgust. "That's the boring way! Plus, Beta was having fun zapping the fishies!"

"Come on! It won't be that bad!" Victor was looking for a chance to get a little closer to his team mate. He never had many friends, and if he was going to get anything positve from this Aqua experience, he wanted a friend.