ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

Sea

Tori: "Well, those are interesting sometimes. Did you catch any?"

Excess Express, yesterday

Goldlie: <In fact, maybe you could help convince my wife Sylvia that a house or a car is the best option for a present for Runald.>

Sylvia: <Honestly, dear. Bringing others into this?>

<...Of course, if you ARE getting involved in this, convince my husband that that is far too much and Runald would be better with something furthering his education.>

-The Snorunt in the corner lets out a slight sigh-

Mossdeep City

A short, scruffy, dark-haired young man is sitting on a rocky outcropping overlooking the ocean, staring at a thick hand-written letter without actually reading it. A Scizor comes up behind him.

Bishop: <I don't mean to disturb you, but you've been sat here for several hours now without saying a word. Is there something on your mind?>

The young man blinks and turns around, looking vaguely surprised.

Lucius: Huh? Oh, yeah... yeah, I guess you could say that. I've just been thinking about stuff.

Bishop: <If it's not insensitive of me, may I ask what kind of stuff?>

Lucius: Well, it's... kinda hard to explain. Have you ever wondered what you really are?

Bishop: <...I'm not sure what you mean.>

Lucius: Ever since that run-in with Eskay, it's a question that's been on my mind a lot. It sounds dumb, I know, but after that whole resurrection business I kinda took my new body for granted. I guess I was just glad to be back. Then Eskay found that damn sword, and... he had me dancing around like a puppet, Bishop. I mean, say what you like about my old body - it was weak, scrawny, and went through more crap than a spelunker in a septic tank - but I was always in control of it. I knew its limits. This new one... I'm not even sure what it's made of.

Bishop: <It was created using both types of Obscura, wasn't it?>

Lucius: Yeah, I know that, but what about the specifics? Am I just solid Obscuric energy? Or am I a bunch of organs and stuff being held together with Obscura? I'm not exactly in a hurry to cut myself open and find out. I've still been eating and sleeping and breathing and all that, but that's more out of habit than anything. What would happen if I stopped?

Bishop: <...I can't say I'm keen to see you try.>

Lucius: But it's for SCIENC-

Bishop: <No.>

Lucius: Aww.

He looks down at his hands.

Lucius: It makes sense that I'm not an Auric anymore, I suppose. That I can understand. Even if I could still somehow use Aura whilst being made of its polar opposite, I'm not familiar enough with this body. It took months of training before I could even make sparks last time around.

Bishop: <Perhaps you need a tutor.>

Lucius: Maybe, but... dying hasn't made me any better with people.

He sighs.

Lucius: ...I'm scared, Bishop. I thought I was getting better, but then Eskay... it seems like every time I let myself get close to someone, they make me regret it.

Maul: -plays the world's smallest violin-

Lucius: Oh, knock it off, you.

Maul: ~Shan't.~

Lucius gives an exhausted groan.

Lucius: Anyway, the point is that human beings make me nervous. I burnt a lot of bridges when I was alive, and I don't think I've become any less of a jerk now that I'm dead. A lot of people had very good reasons to hate me. I don't want to give anybody any more. I'm really not eager to find out if I can die twice.

He glances down at the letter he's holding.

Lucius: ...Heh. Y'know, reading Ren's birthday invite reminds me that I turned eighteen over a month ago. I'm technically an adult. Not that I feel like one.

Bishop: <That is a rather unnerving thought, now that you mention it...>

Lucius: Well, being a responsible adult, I think I'm going to go and belatedly celebrate my birthday the way a responsible adult should: by shutting myself in my room with some good movies and enough cake to give a Snorlax pause for thought.

Bishop: <Thank you for justifying my last statement.>

Lucius: Bah. You can't tell me what to do. You're not my real dad. Then again, my real dad can't tell me what to do either.

Bishop: <...Does he know you're back?>

Lucius: Maybe? I dunno. I'm not gonna be the one to tell him if he doesn't, I can say that much.

He recalls Bishop and starts heading back towards the Pokemon Center, glancing down at the invite as he does.

Lucius: I'm allowed to bring one guest, huh? I don't think there's anybody I know who wouldn't have already been invited. And doesn't hate me. Man, it's times like this that I wish Carol was here...

Once he wanders out of sight, a nearby SEP field drops, revealing a visor-wearing observer and her Malamar.

Janis: ...I couldn't read him.

Malamar: ~Neither could I.~

Janis: Yet what he said was of considerable interest.

Malamar: ~And we could stand to learn more.~

Janis: We should continue our observation.

Malamar: ~I'm glad we're in agreement.~

Janis nods, then pauses to think.

Janis: ...Whilst we're in town, we should also pick up some office supplies. The departmental printer is almost out of toner.

She and her Malamar disappear beneath the SEP field once more.

Gogie's Ball

gnashingCanid [GC] began hassling syntheticInsect [SI]

GC: Uh, Hey, Bishop.

Neo-Illusion HQ

-Mathilde may hear a knocking on her office door-

Bishop's Ball

SI: Oh, hello, Gogie.

SI: I must say, it's been a while.

SI: So long that I forgot I even had this program installed, in fact.

edited 5th Aug '15 4:37:20 PM by Herbert40k

Gogie's Ball

GC: Yeah, It Has.

GC: Uh, What've You Been Up To?

Mossdeep

Shana:Alright. Once more.

-Jason, slightly battered and generally scruffy looking from many falls fails and the like. Nowhere near Vierr levels of scruff, but scruffy nonetheless. Anyway, he rises to his feet.-

-Gathers Aura in his hands and feet-

-And let's out his breath-

-He stops one hand, sending out a single Vacuum Wave like attack. Then a second with his other hand.-

Now, your feet!

Jason:Right!

-He raises a leg to snap a kick...!-

-And promptly falls on his ass, sending the intended wave up into the air, past the windows of the center/hotel-

@_@

Shana:...

-face palm-

Well...almost...

-Yes, that wave or the training could be seen-

Excess Express, yesterday

Alouette:<Vell...material things are nice, yes...but furthering ones education seems more important.>

-Beat, seeing the sigh-

<'Ave you asked him what he vants?>

Bishop's Ball

SI: Very little, to be honest.

SI: I was hoping you would have some interesting stories to tell.

Mossdeep

-here to close-caption Jason's embarrassment-

Joseph: Teeheeheehee~

-he's like the Cheshire Cat. While, incidentally, holding a Meowstic-

Mossdeep

-...-

Jason:Myeeeh.

-Shana is still facepalming-

Uh...heya...Joseph...@_@

Sea of Kyogre, Floating Fortress, R&D

Lazarus is inspecting the labs, accompanied by Glendower.

<Glendower: We've found a weakness in the toxin, milord. Due to its origin in a Psychic type, it comes off poorly when met with Obscura.>

Lazarus: Well, we can't have that. What is your proposed solution?

<Glendower: I'm glad you asked, milord. We found that adding Malamar ink into the refinement process gave it a tinge of Dark Obscura, negating the weakness. So far, the blend is unstable, but testing shows increasingly positive results.>

Lazarus: Splendid! And progress on powder and liquid forms? I want working dart guns with this stuff, and blades coated in it. Gas is too easily circumvented. Remember, we must keep at least ten steps ahead.

<Glendower: We are working on that now. So far, liquid form is also unstable, but possible, with improvements every day. Powder form... still eludes us. But we're getting there, milord.>

Lazarus: Very good.

He stops to think for a moment.

Lazarus: And that DNA sample we stole from the University's Vault. What have we found so far.

<Glendower: Well, if we stole the right one, it might be a sample from the Victini the [US] deployed against [Japan]. If we're lucky, milord.>

Lazarus grins jauntily.

Lazarus: Here's hoping! But I'm not going to plan around it. And the advertisement campaign?

<Glendower: The initial waves of devices are in place. Give the command, and the gas will flow, milord.>

Lazarus: Wonderful. Sometimes, a little bit of innocent blood is just what the villain needs.

He pauses again.

Lazarus: Start researching, cross-referencing, and collating as many Darkrai-related legends that you can. There must be something, ah... thematically appropriate we can use there.

<Glendower: Aye, milord.>

Lazarus: Excellent. You've done some fine work here, Glendower. You should be proud.

<Glendower: I am honored beyond words at your praise, milord.>

Lazarus: Carry on the good work. Thank you, friend.

<Glendower: Yes, milord.>

Mossdeep, yesterday

-To Lifealope-

It's no different from a human martial arts tournament, really. Minus the energy beams being fired around.

Hitodama: <Daddy!>

Hoenn Skies

-Cue music as a Latios and a Mega Salamence fly-

Contrail, are we there yet?

Contrail: -Pointing his neck at an island to the northeast of Sootopolis' crater- <Right there. Let's hurry up, I think I can see a thunderstorm over the horizon.>

-Nods and prepares to have Draca land-

Mossdeep

Joseph: You're silly. :3

Mossdeep

Jason:-blinks-

-Sits up-

Am noooooot. How d'ya figure?

Mossdeep

Joseph: How do I figure what?~

Mathilde buzzes Kerberos in. "Enter."

Mossdeep

Jason:That I'm silly fer landing on my ass. :|

Gogie's Ball

GC: Ah.

GC: Well, I've Kind Of Got A Job Now.

Excess Express, yesterday

Goldlie: <Erm... We hadn't considered that.>

Sylvia: <What do you want, Runald?>

Runald: <The conductor's autograph!>

Neo-Illusion HQ

-Kerberos enters-

Kerberos: ~So, I've got a bit for both my assignments.~

edited 5th Aug '15 5:22:28 PM by CorvusAtrox

Mossdeep

Joseph: You're silly for lots of reasons! That's just one of them. :3

Bishop's Ball

SI: Oh? What kind of job?

SI: Given some of your trainer's previous occupations, I would hope it's something more sensible.

Gogie's Ball

GC: It... Is Yeah.

GC: I'm Going To Be Working At That Daycare On Route 117.

GC: And I Doubt They're A Front For Some Criminal Organization.

Bishop's Ball

SI: If it is, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

SI: ...Sorry, that was meant to be a joke.

SI: In any case, it's good to hear that you now have a platform from which to embark upon professional aspirations.

SI: Though I must say I've never visited a Day Care that hires Pokemon before.

Mossdeep

Jason:Eh? Do I have a "Silly Jason" list now?

-He chuckles-

Excess Express

Alouette:<See? And zere ve 'ave eeet!>

^_^

Cass:<Shouln't be hard ta get.>

edited 5th Aug '15 5:38:32 PM by Skyzerk

Mossdeep

Joseph: I can neither confirm nor deny that. :3

Anyway! Hi, Shana! Is that your adorable Riolu, but a human?

Mathilde smiles. "Oh? Do you want to tell me about how you were found out almost immediately? :3"