PW! - Training Interlude

On Aug 8, 3:14 pm, "Clayton" wrote:
> "Well, we need to digest, and you need to wait for Joy, so I guess we take
> an evening ferry then?"  Alex posed.
>
> "Sounds like a plan," Derek agreed.
>
> "Excellent.  Don't forget the Mossdeep Gym is there," Cass pointed out
> helpfully.
>
> "Oh yeah, the psychic twins.  I was hoping to forget about that," Bob said.
>
> #You wousn't.  I'd remind you!# Raffy oh so helpfully supplied.
>
> The glare trainer turned upon pokemon was a unspoken promise of
> unpleasantness.  "Gee, thanks Raffy.  Remind me to housebreak that mouth of
> yours."
>
> #Could have Xander's mouth#
>
> "Touche."

Alex had managed to restrain herself against both the toilet humor
and the back-and-forth, though it wasn’t as easy as she’d have liked.
Finally shaking her head, she acknowledged, “Well, we were going to
have a delay anyway. I’m just glad my team’s check-up was quick and
easy. Though speaking of relaying parcels, we need to decide if we’re
going to bring Smasher’s Pokémon with us or get him to come back for
them. I’m leaning towards the former, considering we’ve already got
two with us.” She looked to Amber and asked, “You do have Shuriken
with you, right?”

A nod. “Healed and whole. But yeah, we should probably bring them
along. No telling what we’ll run into there, and it wouldn’t hurt to
be prepared.”

“Well, if that’s the consensus, then I’d best pop back over and
pick them up.” Rising from her seat at the table, Cass tossed Alex’s
PokéNav back to her. “If I don’t catch up before the boat leaves, I’ll
catch up at Mossdeep.”

“Sounds like a plan.” The younger sister waved the older off as she
departed, and then turned her attention to Bob. “So you’ve already
fought at the Mossdeep Gym?”

“Yeah, sort of, but it wasn’t by choice. Long story, I’ll tell you
later.” Washing down what was left of his burger with his beverage,
the breeder leaned back. “So, since we’re on the subject, are you
going to challenge them?”

“Yeah, after we find Smasher. Priorities and all that. Haven’t
quite worked out who’s going to battle there, but I know right now it
won’t be Surtur or ShadowWarrior. Aside from them getting the
limelight back in the Doubles Tournament, it’s long since time the
rest of my team got a chance at it.” A confident grin clear on her
face, she asserted, “Still, we’re gonna win it.”

#Or alternatively, you’ll get buried in a Rock Slide, or caught in
an Explosion, or…#

“Or we could use you as a warm-up.”

Raffy wisely became silent at that warning.

“Anyway, it’s obvious that we’re going to be a little while yet.”
Turning to Alex, Kitsu tilted her head and noted, “So, you obviously
had yourself an interesting time abroad. The way Cass explained it
earlier, you came out of Orre better than you went in.”

Alex idly fingered her necklace. “Well, definitely more at peace
with myself. Suddenly interested in the full story, or do you just
want the juicy bits?”

TBC!

I haven't killed the thread, have I? Please tell me I haven't.

On Aug 22, 1:05 pm, "Clayton" wrote:
> "William Rendfeld" wrote in message
>
>
>
> >I haven't killed the thread, have I? Please tell me I haven't.
>
> You haven't.  I had thought Chet was going to plonk something down and was
> waiting for him in some respects.
>
> I really have nothing terribly constructive to add, but can always just post
> something anyways.  I just have found myself occupied between work and,
> surprisingly enough, having a bit of a life outside.  Strange really.  I'll
> see what I can throw down this week.

Well, mark me as relieved. I've been meaning to get something else
written up myself (different thread, mind), so no big. We'll see what
comes.

"William Rendfeld" wrote in message

>I haven't killed the thread, have I? Please tell me I haven't.

You haven't. I had thought Chet was going to plonk something down and was
waiting for him in some respects.

I really have nothing terribly constructive to add, but can always just post
something anyways. I just have found myself occupied between work and,
surprisingly enough, having a bit of a life outside. Strange really. I'll
see what I can throw down this week.

I've been experiencing writer's block again. Sorry. I think I might have
too much free time. Everything becomes so droll. I was hoping I you two
would just skip me if you were eager to get moving. I'll try to come up
with something.

-- Chet Weaver

"William Rendfeld" wrote in message


On Aug 22, 1:05 pm, "Clayton" wrote:
> "William Rendfeld" wrote in message
>
>
>
> >I haven't killed the thread, have I? Please tell me I haven't.
>
> You haven't. I had thought Chet was going to plonk something down and was
> waiting for him in some respects.
>
> I really have nothing terribly constructive to add, but can always just
> post
> something anyways. I just have found myself occupied between work and,
> surprisingly enough, having a bit of a life outside. Strange really.
> I'll
> see what I can throw down this week.

Well, mark me as relieved. I've been meaning to get something else
written up myself (different thread, mind), so no big. We'll see what
comes.

On Aug 24, 1:16 am, "Chet Weaver" wrote:
> I've been experiencing writer's block again.  Sorry.  I think I might have
> too much free time.  Everything becomes so droll.  I was hoping I you two
> would just skip me if you were eager to get moving.  I'll try to come up
> with something.

Well, I'm content to wait until someone else continues the thread
before I do. I don't want to feel like Cass just left only to pop
right back in a second later.

"That depends," Heidi said, leaning towards Alex with a Cheshire grin. "How
juicy are we talkin'?"

"I doubt they get *that* juicy," Kitsu remarked, crossing her arms. "Either
way, I'd prefer it with the context."

"As much as I'd enjoy a good tale of adventure and romance," Keaton said as
he stood up and put a hand on his new sword. "I've got a potentially-cursed
sword to get exorcised."

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

Finding a mystic in town wasn't especially difficult. Finding one that
wasn't a shyster attempting to con him out of an expensive-looking sword was
a little more challenging. Three times he had paid an "Old Gypsy Fortune
Teller" or "Voodoo Priestess" to either purify or seal the sword (both of
which requiring him to leave the sword with them for a length of time,
varying between overnight to indefinitely), only to find the sword on is hip
again by the time he got back to the Pokemon Center. Getting the money back
met with varying degrees of success and conflict. One even turned out to be
a front for human traffickers, which he summarily busted.

The most interesting things happen off-camera, don't they?

Needless to say, Keaton didn't exactly have high-hopes in finding a
legitimate exorcist. Back on Aenaria, he would've simply gotten the royal
mystic to take care of it for him. Unfortunately, real magic was difficult
to come by on Earth. However, his next target wasn't quite the same as the
rest. The ad in the phone book was pretty straightforward. No flowery,
mystical mumbo-jumbo or pictures of old women glowering over crystal balls.
In fact, it was described as a "Ghost-Busting Agency" and had a picture of
an attractive woman in a tight, sleeveless mini-dress. Well, if they
couldn't fix his sword problem, at least he'd get some eye-candy out of it.

The address led Keaton to a two-story cottage in a lot in the middle of
town. The door was answered by a young man, about high-school aged, in a
denim jacket and a headband.

"Is this the GB Megumi agency?" Keaton inquired.

The young man blanched and slammed the door in his face. Through the door,
he could hear him ranting about how large and physically imposing Keaton
was. After a moment, Keaton decided to knock again, but the door opened,
this time by a Froslass.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Samurai," the Froslass said, smiling sweetly
as the young man scowled behind her. "Ms. Megumi will see you now."

The young man continued to glower at him as the Froslass lead him to the
office. He knew the look. That "Don't touch her, she's *mine*!" look. He
got that look far too often back home.

Nothing about the home or the office suggested anything remotely mystic,
aside from a few knick-knacks. By all appearances, it belonged to a
business woman in her early-to-mid twenties. Ms. Megumi herself, in her
high-heels, long, red hair, bust-line that threatened to rival anyone's in
the Masters family (in impressiveness, if not sheer size), and violet dress
so tight Keaton got the distinct impression she was going commando beneath
it, did not initially give the impression of being in the fortune telling
business. Exactly what business wasn't for a gentleman to say, but he
assumed she got a lot of repeat customers.

"So, what can we do for you, Mister...?" Ms. Megumi began.

"Just call me Keaton," Keaton said. He took his sword, scabbard and all,
off his belt and held it out for her. "What can you tell me about this
sword?"

As she reached for the sword, Ms. Megumi's hair suddenly billowed. That and
her serious expression told Keaton he had found the right person. She took
and sword and looked at him. "Where did you come across this sword?"

"I found it on my belt after leaving the lair of a recently-vanquished foe,"
he explained. "I had never seen it before in my life."

"I take it you dealt the final blow?" Ms. Megumi mused.

Keaton shook his head. "My friends and I could barely scratch him. My
sister managed to find and exploit a weakness. The way he went, I doubt
even his soul survived."

"Regardless of the why, this sword seems quite attached to you," Ms. Megumi
noted. "Has anything else odd happened since you... 'acquired' this sword?"

Keaton had to think about that for a moment. "No, not especially. This was
all earlier today."

"I see," Ms. Megumi mused. "I'm afraid I can tell you nothing about the
nature of the sword's curse, but I assume you've come to me because you
don't want to take chances." She picked up a calculator and began crunching
numbers. "I can seal the sword and keep it from following you, but I don't
come cheap."

"I assure you, money won't be an issue," Keaton said as she passed him the
calculator. He looked at the display and his crest immediately fell. "I
don't have to pay all this up front, do I? I don't have this much on me."

"We can work out an installment plan," she said as she lead him out of the
office. "Please, follow me."

The Froslass and the young man had been listening at the door, and hopped
out of the way as Keaton and Ms. Megumi came through. She lead him to a
shed out back. Contained within were several artifacts, some more deserving
of the title than others. All had been sealed in various ways, from
talismans and magic ropes to magic circles and cages. The air shuddered
with evil energy as the door opened.

"You keep all this in a shed in your back yard?" Keaton inquired.

"The local self-storage facility won't let me rent from them anymore," Ms.
Megumi explained. "This isn't really my expertise. I just keep these here
until I can get a specialist in. That figure I have you was just an
estimate, by the way." She suspended the sword with a series of thick ropes
and turned to Keaton. "I'll need some of your essence to perform the
ritual."

Keaton shrugged and began undoing his belt. "Well, I don't normally give it
away just like that, but..."

Ms. Megumi held up a hand. "HAIR will work fine, thank you."

Keaton refastened his belt and instead undid his hair. He cut off a lock
with his normal sword and handed it to Megumi. "You need me for the rest of
this?"

"It's better if you stay here until the ceremony is completed," Ms. Megumi
replied. "Otherwise, the sword might try to follow you if you get too far
away."

"Will this take long, then?" Keaton asked. "'Cause I've got a ferry to
catch."

"This should only take a couple hours," Ms. Megumi said. "Just make
yourself comfortable and try not to touch anything."

Keaton sighed and sat cross-legged on the floor.

To be continued...?


-- Chet Weaver


"William Rendfeld" wrote in message


On Aug 8, 3:14 pm, "Clayton" wrote:
> "Well, we need to digest, and you need to wait for Joy, so I guess we take
> an evening ferry then?" Alex posed.
>
> "Sounds like a plan," Derek agreed.
>
> "Excellent. Don't forget the Mossdeep Gym is there," Cass pointed out
> helpfully.
>
> "Oh yeah, the psychic twins. I was hoping to forget about that," Bob
> said.
>
> #You wousn't. I'd remind you!# Raffy oh so helpfully supplied.
>
> The glare trainer turned upon pokemon was a unspoken promise of
> unpleasantness. "Gee, thanks Raffy. Remind me to housebreak that mouth
> of
> yours."
>
> #Could have Xander's mouth#
>
> "Touche."

Alex had managed to restrain herself against both the toilet humor
and the back-and-forth, though it wasn’t as easy as she’d have liked.
Finally shaking her head, she acknowledged, “Well, we were going to
have a delay anyway. I’m just glad my team’s check-up was quick and
easy. Though speaking of relaying parcels, we need to decide if we’re
going to bring Smasher’s Pokémon with us or get him to come back for
them. I’m leaning towards the former, considering we’ve already got
two with us.” She looked to Amber and asked, “You do have Shuriken
with you, right?”

A nod. “Healed and whole. But yeah, we should probably bring them
along. No telling what we’ll run into there, and it wouldn’t hurt to
be prepared.”

“Well, if that’s the consensus, then I’d best pop back over and
pick them up.” Rising from her seat at the table, Cass tossed Alex’s
PokéNav back to her. “If I don’t catch up before the boat leaves, I’ll
catch up at Mossdeep.”

“Sounds like a plan.” The younger sister waved the older off as she
departed, and then turned her attention to Bob. “So you’ve already
fought at the Mossdeep Gym?”

“Yeah, sort of, but it wasn’t by choice. Long story, I’ll tell you
later.” Washing down what was left of his burger with his beverage,
the breeder leaned back. “So, since we’re on the subject, are you
going to challenge them?”

“Yeah, after we find Smasher. Priorities and all that. Haven’t
quite worked out who’s going to battle there, but I know right now it
won’t be Surtur or ShadowWarrior. Aside from them getting the
limelight back in the Doubles Tournament, it’s long since time the
rest of my team got a chance at it.” A confident grin clear on her
face, she asserted, “Still, we’re gonna win it.”

#Or alternatively, you’ll get buried in a Rock Slide, or caught in
an Explosion, or…#

“Or we could use you as a warm-up.”

Raffy wisely became silent at that warning.

“Anyway, it’s obvious that we’re going to be a little while yet.”
Turning to Alex, Kitsu tilted her head and noted, “So, you obviously
had yourself an interesting time abroad. The way Cass explained it
earlier, you came out of Orre better than you went in.”

Alex idly fingered her necklace. “Well, definitely more at peace
with myself. Suddenly interested in the full story, or do you just
want the juicy bits?”

TBC!

On Sep 2, 7:55 pm, "Chet Weaver" wrote:
> "That depends," Heidi said, leaning towards Alex with a Cheshire grin.  "How
> juicy are we talkin'?"
>
> "I doubt they get *that* juicy," Kitsu remarked, crossing her arms.  "Either
> way, I'd prefer it with the context."
>
> "As much as I'd enjoy a good tale of adventure and romance," Keaton said as
> he stood up and put a hand on his new sword.  "I've got a potentially-cursed
> sword to get exorcised."
>

As Keaton departed, Alex shrugged. “We can fill him in later.
Anyway, fun and entertainment.” She turned to Amber and Heidi. “I’m
guessing you two heard about the Fortree Doubles Tournament?”

“We’ve been filled in on the details. Was what we heard about Rush
true?”

A solemn nod answered Amber’s question. “Either that tournament was
one big ill-planned collaboration between Team Magma, Cipher and
Ratcliffe’s bunch, or one group started it and the others simply opted
to take advantage. Regardless, I got lucky and won the thing, and
ended up with the prize; Rush turned into a Shadow Pokémon. After
debating with myself whether I’d be better off handing him back as is
after Smasher was found or going to Orre and purifying him myself, I
opted to go with the latter. So there I was in Gateon Port, trying to
get supplies, and within two hours, I found myself with not only some
unwanted attention from a huge jerk with an Alakazam, but some very
welcome attention from a wandering performer and Aura Guardian.”

“So that’s how you knew so much about Aura all of a sudden; you
found yourself an expert.”

A smile at Kitsu’s assumption. “And it was a good thing I did. It
turns out that the latest head for Cipher was a corrupt Aura Guardian,
Gregor Kosda. He’d managed to figure out how to do some pretty twisted
things with it, from warping a Pokémon’s psyche to draining it from
people. He’s also who I have to thank for my swords; he commissioned
them in the first place, but that’s another story.” She leaned back
in her seat and continued, “Anyway, the bad news was that Cipher had
not only started up operations again, but they had created more Shadow
Pokémon than just Rush. The good news, however, was that they weren’t
very far along. Either due to lack of Pokémon or the lack of resources
for converting them, they’d only gotten four Shadow Pokémon ready by
the time Nick and I got involved.” She reached into her vest and
produced a photograph, handing it off to Heidi. “And that’s where it
gets juicy.”

The blonde quickly snapped up the photo and examined the young man
pictured. “Hmm. Not bad. A little skinny though.”

“Trust me, what he lacks in bulk, he makes up for in flexibility.”
A grin formed on Heidi’s face, and Alex quickly amended, “Not remotely
what I meant. We’re a couple, but we aren’t biblical. Yet. The most
we’ve had is a chaste little kiss here and there and some mutual
rescuing.” A small gesture, and the photo was returned and tucked
away. “Anyway, it was just the two of us doing the dirty work for a
while. We stopped them from destroying a shrine to Celebi, took out an
installation they had in the desert, and so on. Unfortunately, after
fighting us personally , Kosda decided that it’d be smart to get rid
of us before we did too much damage and hired mercenaries, some of
whom I’ve crossed paths with before.”

“Canmore’s bunch is still in jail though, right?” Bob remembered
the trouble that was had with that initial batch, and wasn’t eager to
hear about them causing further trouble.

“Yeah, they are. This was the second bunch.” Alex turned to Kitsu
and explained, “The ones you and Keaton helped me with.”

“Ah. The psychotic pretty boys. I remember.” Heads turned, and the
were-Ninetales explained, “We’ll fill everyone in later. Anyway, go
on.”

“Well, fortunately, not everyone we ran across wanted to fight us.
A few ended up helping us after a while. Mostly supporting people,
folks in the local media, the region’s professor and so on, but our
little duo was occasionally a trio and finally a quartet when
everything was over. One of the mercenaries, Vincent, ended up working
with us after Kosda killed his partner after one too many failures,
and we had another boost with Schwester.” At the odd looks, she
elaborated, “Schwester Schatten. Mercenary, occasionally did work with
Team Aqua. She’s been keeping an eye on me for a while.”

“Schwester Schatten? Sounds like a fake name to me.” More odd
looks, and Heidi shrugged. “Well it does. What did she look like
anyway?”

“Not that it matters anymore, but you couldn’t miss her. Tall like
me, wore a long blue coat and helmet…”

“Like something out of a Super Sentai series?” Now it was Alex’s
turn to give Kitsu a strange look. “I think Keaton and I have run into
her. I’m glad to hear she’s on our side and all, but still, we could
stand to have less mercenaries chasing after us.”

“Yeah, well, don’t worry about her.” Getting back to the story, she
continued, “Anyway, once all the Shadow Pokémon were purified, Rush
included, me, Nick and Vincent stormed Cipher’s headquarters on
Citadark Isle and finally put a stop to the operation. Nick and I
fought him and beat him, and I claimed this from him.” Alex tipped her
head towards the sword on her back. “And that was the end of it.”

“Wait, so he’s still alive?” Derek looked at Alex in surprise. “No
offense, I get that you don’t like the idea of killing anyone, but…”

“The last I saw of him, Kosda was being spirited off by Mewtwo,
presumably to a fate worse than death. So to my knowledge, he is no
longer a concern. In any case, Cipher won’t be returning for a while,
and Rush is back to his old self.”

“And you’re acting a lot happier than you were before you left.
Being in a relationship explains some of it, but that’s not the full
story. You weren’t obvious about it, but you were down, in more ways
than one.”

Alex slowly shook her head. “There was a number of things going on
that made me question if all of this was worth it or not. That near-
victory with almost finding Smasher at the tournament almost broke the
camel’s back, but everything else was taking its toll. Going to Orre,
doing what I did there…” A smile crossed her lips. “Corny as it
sounds, it felt like I was making a difference again. And I don’t want
to stop doing that.” She turned to Heidi and Amber and added, “So if
the two of you can stand me being a saccharine mess, we should all be
fine. Any questions?”

“Well, I’ve got one.” Heads turned to Bob. “The way you talked
about that Schwester woman, it sounds like you don’t expect to see her
again.”

“And I don’t. Last time I saw her, she left me the necklace and
three of her Pokémon. The odds of any of us seeing her again are slim.
But then again…” She shrugged. “Maybe she had loose ends to tie up
that didn’t involve me. We’ll see, I… suppose… ooh.” Alarmed looks,
and Alex explained, “I’m sensing something, a presence I’ve not felt
since…”

“Alex!” Back far too quickly than anyone present thought possible,
Cass poked her head inside, Nori beside her. “We need to talk!”

“Be right with you!”

TBC!

"William Rendfeld" wrote in message

On Sep 2, 7:55 pm, "Chet Weaver" wrote:
> "That depends," Heidi said, leaning towards Alex with a Cheshire grin.
> "How
> juicy are we talkin'?"
>
> "I doubt they get *that* juicy," Kitsu remarked, crossing her arms.
> "Either
> way, I'd prefer it with the context."
>
> "As much as I'd enjoy a good tale of adventure and romance," Keaton said
> as
> he stood up and put a hand on his new sword. "I've got a
> potentially-cursed
> sword to get exorcised."
>

As Keaton departed, Alex shrugged. “We can fill him in later.
Anyway, fun and entertainment.” She turned to Amber and Heidi. “I’m
guessing you two heard about the Fortree Doubles Tournament?”

“We’ve been filled in on the details. Was what we heard about Rush
true?”

A solemn nod answered Amber’s question. “Either that tournament was
one big ill-planned collaboration between Team Magma, Cipher and
Ratcliffe’s bunch, or one group started it and the others simply opted
to take advantage. Regardless, I got lucky and won the thing, and
ended up with the prize; Rush turned into a Shadow Pokémon. After
debating with myself whether I’d be better off handing him back as is
after Smasher was found or going to Orre and purifying him myself, I
opted to go with the latter. So there I was in Gateon Port, trying to
get supplies, and within two hours, I found myself with not only some
unwanted attention from a huge jerk with an Alakazam, but some very
welcome attention from a wandering performer and Aura Guardian.”

“So that’s how you knew so much about Aura all of a sudden; you
found yourself an expert.”

A smile at Kitsu’s assumption. “And it was a good thing I did. It
turns out that the latest head for Cipher was a corrupt Aura Guardian,
Gregor Kosda. He’d managed to figure out how to do some pretty twisted
things with it, from warping a Pokémon’s psyche to draining it from
people. He’s also who I have to thank for my swords; he commissioned
them in the first place, but that’s another story.” She leaned back
in her seat and continued, “Anyway, the bad news was that Cipher had
not only started up operations again, but they had created more Shadow
Pokémon than just Rush. The good news, however, was that they weren’t
very far along. Either due to lack of Pokémon or the lack of resources
for converting them, they’d only gotten four Shadow Pokémon ready by
the time Nick and I got involved.” She reached into her vest and
produced a photograph, handing it off to Heidi. “And that’s where it
gets juicy.”

The blonde quickly snapped up the photo and examined the young man
pictured. “Hmm. Not bad. A little skinny though.”

“Trust me, what he lacks in bulk, he makes up for in flexibility.”
A grin formed on Heidi’s face, and Alex quickly amended, “Not remotely
what I meant. We’re a couple, but we aren’t biblical. Yet. The most
we’ve had is a chaste little kiss here and there and some mutual
rescuing.” A small gesture, and the photo was returned and tucked
away. “Anyway, it was just the two of us doing the dirty work for a
while. We stopped them from destroying a shrine to Celebi, took out an
installation they had in the desert, and so on. Unfortunately, after
fighting us personally , Kosda decided that it’d be smart to get rid
of us before we did too much damage and hired mercenaries, some of
whom I’ve crossed paths with before.”

“Canmore’s bunch is still in jail though, right?” Bob remembered
the trouble that was had with that initial batch, and wasn’t eager to
hear about them causing further trouble.

“Yeah, they are. This was the second bunch.” Alex turned to Kitsu
and explained, “The ones you and Keaton helped me with.”

“Ah. The psychotic pretty boys. I remember.” Heads turned, and the
were-Ninetales explained, “We’ll fill everyone in later. Anyway, go
on.”

“Well, fortunately, not everyone we ran across wanted to fight us.
A few ended up helping us after a while. Mostly supporting people,
folks in the local media, the region’s professor and so on, but our
little duo was occasionally a trio and finally a quartet when
everything was over. One of the mercenaries, Vincent, ended up working
with us after Kosda killed his partner after one too many failures,
and we had another boost with Schwester.” At the odd looks, she
elaborated, “Schwester Schatten. Mercenary, occasionally did work with
Team Aqua. She’s been keeping an eye on me for a while.”

“Schwester Schatten? Sounds like a fake name to me.” More odd
looks, and Heidi shrugged. “Well it does. What did she look like
anyway?”

“Not that it matters anymore, but you couldn’t miss her. Tall like
me, wore a long blue coat and helmet…”

“Like something out of a Super Sentai series?” Now it was Alex’s
turn to give Kitsu a strange look. “I think Keaton and I have run into
her. I’m glad to hear she’s on our side and all, but still, we could
stand to have less mercenaries chasing after us.”

“Yeah, well, don’t worry about her.” Getting back to the story, she
continued, “Anyway, once all the Shadow Pokémon were purified, Rush
included, me, Nick and Vincent stormed Cipher’s headquarters on
Citadark Isle and finally put a stop to the operation. Nick and I
fought him and beat him, and I claimed this from him.” Alex tipped her
head towards the sword on her back. “And that was the end of it.”

“Wait, so he’s still alive?” Derek looked at Alex in surprise. “No
offense, I get that you don’t like the idea of killing anyone, but…”

“The last I saw of him, Kosda was being spirited off by Mewtwo,
presumably to a fate worse than death. So to my knowledge, he is no
longer a concern. In any case, Cipher won’t be returning for a while,
and Rush is back to his old self.”

“And you’re acting a lot happier than you were before you left.
Being in a relationship explains some of it, but that’s not the full
story. You weren’t obvious about it, but you were down, in more ways
than one.”

Alex slowly shook her head. “There was a number of things going on
that made me question if all of this was worth it or not. That near-
victory with almost finding Smasher at the tournament almost broke the
camel’s back, but everything else was taking its toll. Going to Orre,
doing what I did there…” A smile crossed her lips. “Corny as it
sounds, it felt like I was making a difference again. And I don’t want
to stop doing that.” She turned to Heidi and Amber and added, “So if
the two of you can stand me being a saccharine mess, we should all be
fine. Any questions?”

“Well, I’ve got one.” Heads turned to Bob. “The way you talked
about that Schwester woman, it sounds like you don’t expect to see her
again.”

“And I don’t. Last time I saw her, she left me the necklace and
three of her Pokémon. The odds of any of us seeing her again are slim.
But then again…” She shrugged. “Maybe she had loose ends to tie up
that didn’t involve me. We’ll see, I… suppose… ooh.” Alarmed looks,
and Alex explained, “I’m sensing something, a presence I’ve not felt
since…”

“Alex!” Back far too quickly than anyone present thought possible,
Cass poked her head inside, Nori beside her. “We need to talk!”

“Be right with you!”

~~~~~~~

Bob turned to his more psychic partner.

#Don't look at me, I'm not here to give you spoilers#

"Well then you can go out back and help Jeff," Bob said almost flippantly.
Realistically, it was what he was going to suggest him to do anyways.

#But Grass Man, I want to,# Raffy started, but was unusually interrupted by
the breeder.

"Go Help Jeff," he finished slowly and deliberately. The tone was one not
often used by the breeder towards his pokemon, one that outright stated
rather than suggested obedience. There was, of course, the defiant glare
until pokemon keyed in on what the breeder was thinking.

Really one would think that a psychic type like a Girafarig would be faster
at this kind of thing. However he trotted outside muttering darkly at least
half the way.

"And do remind him that bug attacks work well too!" Bob said, providing a
parting shot. Well he wasn't going to outright tell him that the twin bugs
would be a good choice. Besides, as Mossdeep was a psychic gym, they have
probably forseen and made plans for that sort of thing.

Turning back, Bob just sighed. "As much as I hate tempting fate, what
exactly is today's disturbance in The Force?"

TBC:

NS: Fail post is fail. Damn tempermental Muse. I swear it's Dreamborn,
just milling my creativity away.

On Sep 26, 1:38 pm, "Clayton" wrote:
> Bob turned to his more psychic partner.
>
> #Don't look at me, I'm not here to give you spoilers#
>
> "Well then you can go out back and help Jeff," Bob said almost flippantly..
> Realistically, it was what he was going to suggest him to do anyways.
>
> #But Grass Man, I want to,# Raffy started, but was unusually interrupted by
> the breeder.
>
> "Go Help Jeff," he finished slowly and deliberately.  The tone was one not
> often used by the breeder towards his pokemon, one that outright stated
> rather than suggested obedience.  There was, of course, the defiant glare
> until pokemon keyed in on what the breeder was thinking.
>
> Really one would think that a psychic type like a Girafarig would be faster
> at this kind of thing.  However he trotted outside muttering darkly at least
> half the way.
>
> "And do remind him that bug attacks work well too!"  Bob said, providing a
> parting shot.  Well he wasn't going to outright tell him that the twin bugs
> would be a good choice.  Besides, as Mossdeep was a psychic gym, they have
> probably forseen and made plans for that sort of thing.
>
> Turning back, Bob just sighed.  "As much as I hate tempting fate, what
> exactly is today's disturbance in The Force?"

“That was Nori, actually.” Introductions and explanations were
quickly made and exchanged, and Alex quickly turned back to her
sister. “So, what do we need to talk about?”

“Well you could start with explaining exactly why some ninja woman
just suddenly showed up on your property.” Hardly pleased at what
she’d encountered earlier, Nori elaborated, “Seriously, I don’t mind
rescues, but I’d rather they not come from crazy women in long coats
with weird helmets.” Noticing the complete lack of surprise from
everyone present, she said, “Hey, I’m not about to lie about something
that insane.”

“We believe you, Nori, but Alex just finished expositing on your
ninja woman, so the shock isn’t quite as strong as it could’ve been.”
Kitsu turned and noted, “I guess she had loose ends after all.”

“I guess she did.” Noticing the suspicious look on her sister’s
face, Alex asked, “What?”

Cass promptly nudged her sibling along, glad that she’d slipped
into an alternative pair of shoes during her brief period at home.
“You, me, in private.” The two made their way to a restroom and locked
the door behind them. “Alright, spill. I want details and I want
them…”

Alex interrupted her by gently pressing her forefingers to her
forehead. A second later, she removed them. “There you go.”

Blinking, and then a shocked expression. “You mean she…?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Then that means…”

“Oh yeah.”

“But her…” A grin, and Cass realized, “Oh. You lucky little devil.
But why’d she give you that thing?”

“Don’t know yet, but I know where to go for answers. But first
things first.” Alex unlocked the bathroom door. “Come on, we’ve got
planning to do and you’ve got Pokémon to refresh.” The two exited the
restroom and reunited with their group. “Now, you’ve got Smasher’s
Pokémon, right? Nori’s obviously got Big Time.”

“Oh yeah, I got ‘em, no problem.” Cass reached into her bag and
retrieved a smaller one with four Poké Balls inside. “Star Scream,
Iron Horse, Pikat-Shoo and Ice, all here and ready to go.” She turned
to Amber and suggested, “Here. I’ve got a good feeling they’re as safe
with the two of you as they are with any of us.”

Alex smiled in relief at her sister not continuing the toiler humor
from earlier, then continued, “Well, we’ve got some time to kill, and
Goddish knows how long Keaton’s going to be. I suggest everyone get
their Pokémon checked out and ready to go. Also, Nori? A word?”

Nori looked at Alex with slight surprise before she shrugged and
handed Big Time over to Rubix. “You watch him.” She then followed
Alex.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Heidi asked, “So, what do you
think this is about?”

“Not sure, but hopefully it won’t be really crazy. Those two don’t
mix as well as Alex would like.”

-

As Alex closed the door behind her, Nori started. “Alright, I don’t
know what this is about, but…”

“Thank you.” A smile, and she said, “That’s all I wanted to say.
Thank you.”

Nori stared at her, dumbfounded. “What? You’re *thanking* me? Why
the hell are you *thanking* me?”

“Because if you hadn’t done what you did, *called me out* like you
did, I probably wouldn’t have faced what I’d done. So thank you.”

Nori shifted uncomfortably on her feet. It felt like an eternity
since she’d spoken with Alex, and while she wasn’t in a rush to speak
with her in the first place, it was clear from their last small
discussion that she didn’t really view her with any ill intent. “Yeah,
well, it’s not like I was worried or anything.”

“Of course.”

A faint smile, and she found the words tumbling out of her mouth,
“Thanks, by the way. For what you did. I mean, if you hadn’t, I
wouldn’t have found out about that breeding ground on your property,
and I wouldn’t have the chance to take some Tyranitar back with me
later. Because I’d be dead and everything.”

“Which would suck.”

“Yeah, obviously.” Wanting to move on from that awkward moment as
quickly as possible, she asked, “So, where are we going again,
Mossdeep City?”

“Yep, but we aren’t leaving yet. Keaton and Jeff are up to their
own things, and I expect everyone else has something to occupy
themselves. Still, we’ll get there eventually.”

TBC!

> NS:  Fail post is fail.  Damn tempermental Muse.  I swear it's Dreamborn,
> just milling my creativity away.

NS: Eh, we all have off days. Anyway, next?

On Sep 27, 5:42 pm, William Rendfeld wrote:
> On Sep 26, 1:38 pm, "Clayton" wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Bob turned to his more psychic partner.
>
> > #Don't look at me, I'm not here to give you spoilers#
>
> > "Well then you can go out back and help Jeff," Bob said almost flippantly.
> > Realistically, it was what he was going to suggest him to do anyways.
>
> > #But Grass Man, I want to,# Raffy started, but was unusually interrupted by
> > the breeder.
>
> > "Go Help Jeff," he finished slowly and deliberately.  The tone was one not
> > often used by the breeder towards his pokemon, one that outright stated
> > rather than suggested obedience.  There was, of course, the defiant glare
> > until pokemon keyed in on what the breeder was thinking.
>
> > Really one would think that a psychic type like a Girafarig would be faster
> > at this kind of thing.  However he trotted outside muttering darkly at least
> > half the way.
>
> > "And do remind him that bug attacks work well too!"  Bob said, providing a
> > parting shot.  Well he wasn't going to outright tell him that the twin bugs
> > would be a good choice.  Besides, as Mossdeep was a psychic gym, they have
> > probably forseen and made plans for that sort of thing.
>
> > Turning back, Bob just sighed.  "As much as I hate tempting fate, what
> > exactly is today's disturbance in The Force?"
>
>    “That was Nori, actually.” Introductions and explanations were
> quickly made and exchanged, and Alex quickly turned back to her
> sister. “So, what do we need to talk about?”
>
>    “Well you could start with explaining exactly why some ninja woman
> just suddenly showed up on your property.” Hardly pleased at what
> she’d encountered earlier, Nori elaborated, “Seriously, I don’t mind
> rescues, but I’d rather they not come from crazy women in long coats
> with weird helmets.” Noticing the complete lack of surprise from
> everyone present, she said, “Hey, I’m not about to lie about something
> that insane.”
>
>    “We believe you, Nori, but Alex just finished expositing on your
> ninja woman, so the shock isn’t quite as strong as it could’ve been.”
> Kitsu turned and noted, “I guess she had loose ends after all.”
>
>    “I guess she did.” Noticing the suspicious look on her sister’s
> face, Alex asked, “What?”
>
>    Cass promptly nudged her sibling along, glad that she’d slipped
> into an alternative pair of shoes during her brief period at home.
> “You, me, in private.” The two made their way to a restroom and locked
> the door behind them. “Alright, spill. I want details and I want
> them…”
>
>    Alex interrupted her by gently pressing her forefingers to her
> forehead. A second later, she removed them. “There you go.”
>
>    Blinking, and then a shocked expression. “You mean she…?”
>
>    “Uh-uh.”
>
>    “Then that means…”
>
>    “Oh yeah.”
>
>    “But her…” A grin, and Cass realized, “Oh. You lucky little devil.
> But why’d she give you that thing?”
>
>    “Don’t know yet, but I know where to go for answers. But first
> things first.” Alex unlocked the bathroom door. “Come on, we’ve got
> planning to do and you’ve got Pokémon to refresh.” The two exited the
> restroom and reunited with their group. “Now, you’ve got Smasher’s
> Pokémon, right? Nori’s obviously got Big Time.”
>
>    “Oh yeah, I got ‘em, no problem.” Cass reached into her bag and
> retrieved a smaller one with four Poké Balls inside. “Star Scream,
> Iron Horse, Pikat-Shoo and Ice, all here and ready to go.” She turned
> to Amber and suggested, “Here. I’ve got a good feeling they’re as safe
> with the two of you as they are with any of us.”
>
>    Alex smiled in relief at her sister not continuing the toiler humor
> from earlier, then continued, “Well, we’ve got some time to kill, and
> Goddish knows how long Keaton’s going to be. I suggest everyone get
> their Pokémon checked out and ready to go. Also, Nori? A word?”
>
>    Nori looked at Alex with slight surprise before she shrugged and
> handed Big Time over to Rubix. “You watch him.” She then followed
> Alex.
>
>    Curiosity getting the better of her, Heidi asked, “So, what do you
> think this is about?”
>
>    “Not sure, but hopefully it won’t be really crazy. Those two don’t
> mix as well as Alex would like.”

"I'm sure it won't be terribly bad. Perhaps not all sunshine and
daisies, but I doubt it'll be terrible," Bob commetned, observing.
"Though I suppose I should go get the crew checked out and see what I
can do about the next gym. Travel plans, preparing for trouble up to
and including forays into alternate realities, et cetera," Bob said,
seemingly in good humour about the whole thing. "I guess I'll meet up
with you all in a while, sooner if you finalize your travel plans
without me.

With that and a couple waves goodbye for now, Bob headed off to see
the local Joy about a checkup and maybe a trip to the computer system
was in order to dictate a team swichout or two. He did have a pair of
gyms to prepare for and perhaps training didn't necessarily have to
involve a battle. As he submitted the five pokeballs for their
checkup, Bob mulled things over.

> -
>
>    As Alex closed the door behind her, Nori started. “Alright, I don’t
> know what this is about, but…”
>
>    “Thank you.” A smile, and she said, “That’s all I wanted to say.
> Thank you.”
>
>    Nori stared at her, dumbfounded. “What? You’re *thanking* me? Why
> the hell are you *thanking* me?”
>
>    “Because if you hadn’t done what you did, *called me out* like you
> did, I probably wouldn’t have faced what I’d done. So thank you.”
>
>    Nori shifted uncomfortably on her feet. It felt like an eternity
> since she’d spoken with Alex, and while she wasn’t in a rush to speak
> with her in the first place, it was clear from their last small
> discussion that she didn’t really view her with any ill intent. “Yeah,
> well, it’s not like I was worried or anything.”
>
>    “Of course.”
>
>    A faint smile, and she found the words tumbling out of her mouth,
> “Thanks, by the way. For what you did. I mean, if you hadn’t, I
> wouldn’t have found out about that breeding ground on your property,
> and I wouldn’t have the chance to take some Tyranitar back with me
> later. Because I’d be dead and everything.”
>
>    “Which would suck.”
>
>    “Yeah, obviously.” Wanting to move on from that awkward moment as
> quickly as possible, she asked, “So, where are we going again,
> Mossdeep City?”
>
>    “Yep, but we aren’t leaving yet. Keaton and Jeff are up to their
> own things, and I expect everyone else has something to occupy
> themselves. Still, we’ll get there eventually.”


Meanwhile, back at the front of the Center, the omnipresent Nurse Joy
was giving the news.

"Well Derek, there seems to be nothing wrong with your Medicham," she
said, though even she looked a bit confused about those results.
"However, there is an observable occurance here and it is likely that
it is not physical in scope," she continued.

Derek, for his part, nodded politely noting that he understood what
she was saying so far. Though what he was being told wasn't exactly
new news, it was nice that it wasn't from Chan taking one too many
blows to the head.

"I would recommend that you take him to Mossdeep City for a more
specific examination. Given that the Mossdeep Gym specializes in the
psychic type, the Pokemon Center there will be more capable of
discerning the problem if it doesn't clear up in the meantime. Other
than that issue, all of them are healthy and fully recovered," she
said, handing five pokemalls and allowing one Medicam to walk under
his own power.

"Thank you Nurse," he said politely, accepting his pokeballs and
sparring partner. One thing taken care of, the now duo went off in
search of food.

~~~~~~~

Elsewhere, one grumbling Girafarig trotted outside to see one young
boy and an Azumarill trying to encourage an Absol to savage a
convenient log.

#Little breeder!# Raffy called out. #Grass Man sent me out to help
you.# And yes, there was a definite psychic impression of air quotes
around help.

"<Wanted to get rid of you?"> One surprisingly sharp-tongued Azumarill
quipped.

#Acttually I'm supposed to inform you that bug attacks have
particularly effective against psychic pokemon,# Raffy said, brushing
off the jibe relatively well.

"Oh yeah," Jeff said, realization dawning on him. "Ghost attacks
work, so I can use the twins too!" He said in giddy realization. "But
I can still train him right?"

Mary nodded for her part, grateful to not be on the receiving end of
her trainer's enthusiasm. For while good in small doses, there was
only so much child-like exuberace anyone could take directed their
way.

#So what is the problem?# Raffy asked calmly, figuring that if he was
sent to help, he should at least try.

"Night Slash," Jeff said proudly. "He already knows Slash, which is
the fundamental part of the technique, and he is a dark type, so it
should work well for him, but it's a matter of putting it all together
into the technique," Jeff exposited gleefully.

"Azumarill"

"Oh yeah, it's supposed to combine with his luck to hopefully be
really good!"

The Girafarg nodded for he did at least somewhat understand the
younger brother's exciting rangtings. #Suppose that would work. May
I demonstrate something?#

Both Jeff and the two pokemon looked on in a bit of confusion at least
initially. Mary was wondering what the perpetual smart-ass was up to
while Jeff's gears were turning fast trying to figure out what Raffy
was even going to do, especially as he backed up to the training log.
Absol was watching curiously, having correctly inferred that this was
a psychic pokemon and was wondering what it would have to demonstrate
to a dark-type like himself. It was a few seconds of concentrating
before the answer became apparent. Only Mary didn't get it right away
until the back head of the sarcastic psychic literally Crunched the
log leaving small tooth-like gouges in the log. Calmly, Raffy trotted
away from the log.

#Will that help?# Raffy asked, moving to lay down next to Mary to
observe general chaos. The aforementioned Azumarill just looked at
Raffy with a bit of a bemused expression.

"<You can be helpful,>" She said, continuing to watch the pair train.

#Don't let it get around,# came the reply.

~~~~~~~

"Well, you're physically healthy at least," Derek said calmly. The
only other movement int he room at the moment was the rythmic
breathing of human and pokemon as they meditated upon the day, or
soemthing zen like that.

A single nod of the head was the response, and only already knowing
the answer beforehand would have alerted to Derek that Chan had
actually responded.

"Nurse Joy inferred that it was a psychic problem," he continued,
allowing himself to relax a bit more into the meditation. Or at the
very least make himself more comfortable.

"Med"/#And?# the odd dual-voiced phenonomon continued.

"She has recommended that we go have you checked out psychically in
Mossdeep. Personally I think it's a good idea since I am far more
fighter than psychic. It may be that your mind has reached a higher
state of power and you just need pointers that I can't provide on my
own. It could be that you've taken one too many blows to the head and
something's only starting to happen now," Derek posed aloud and around
the rhythm of his breathing.

Silence greeted him from his partner, but there was that subtle
feeling that he should continue. PErhaps it was the psychic thing,
but likely it was just knowing each other for so long.

"The Mossdeep Gym is there. They train psychic pokemon. If we want
that badge, I'll probably need you," Derek stated simply. Silence
followed, but somehow the message was received. Chan was willing,
though how able would remain to be seen.

"Med"#Ohm#


> TBC!
>
> > NS:  Fail post is fail.  Damn tempermental Muse.  I swear it's Dreamborn,
> > just milling my creativity away.
>
> NS: Eh, we all have off days. Anyway, next?

[NS: Well this feels like less fail than before. May have taken a
while, but I blame reality again. It, like gravity, is a harsh
mistress.]

Keaton had taken to meditation as he waited for Megumi to finish sealing the
sword. If the sword was haunting him, then it was likely to have already
infected his soul in some way. Centering his mind, finding the infection,
and clearing it away might help with the sealing process. However, nothing
felt particularly out of sorts. Either it hadn't affected him in any
particularly sinister way yet, or the corruption was especially well hidden.

The light show from Megumi's spiritual powers ceased. She stepped back and
wavered a little. The minoTauros samurai immediately leapt to his feet to
catch her as she fell.

"Thanks," Megumi said, righting herself again. "That sword really didn't
want to stay put."

"No problem," Keaton said. He took out his wallet and handed over some
money. "This is all I can pay right now. You'll have to bill me for the
rest later."

"Of course," Megumi said. She took the money and flipped through it with
her thumb to count it. "I'll just send it care of the Pokemon Center. You
are a Pokémon Trainer, right?"

"Something like that," Keaton replied. He turned and opened the door to the
shack. "I'll should get going. My friends will be wondering what's keeping
me, and we've got to be getting to Mossdeep."

Megumi nodded and followed Keaton out. At the door, she glanced back at the
diving falcon sword. Hopefully, it was going to stay in there until she can
get a more specialized practitioner to take care of it.

....To be continued.

-- Chet Weaver

"Clayton" wrote in message


On Sep 27, 5:42 pm, William Rendfeld wrote:
> On Sep 26, 1:38 pm, "Clayton" wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Bob turned to his more psychic partner.
>
> > #Don't look at me, I'm not here to give you spoilers#
>
> > "Well then you can go out back and help Jeff," Bob said almost
> > flippantly.
> > Realistically, it was what he was going to suggest him to do anyways.
>
> > #But Grass Man, I want to,# Raffy started, but was unusually interrupted
> > by
> > the breeder.
>
> > "Go Help Jeff," he finished slowly and deliberately. The tone was one
> > not
> > often used by the breeder towards his pokemon, one that outright stated
> > rather than suggested obedience. There was, of course, the defiant
> > glare
> > until pokemon keyed in on what the breeder was thinking.
>
> > Really one would think that a psychic type like a Girafarig would be
> > faster
> > at this kind of thing. However he trotted outside muttering darkly at
> > least
> > half the way.
>
> > "And do remind him that bug attacks work well too!" Bob said, providing
> > a
> > parting shot. Well he wasn't going to outright tell him that the twin
> > bugs
> > would be a good choice. Besides, as Mossdeep was a psychic gym, they
> > have
> > probably forseen and made plans for that sort of thing.
>
> > Turning back, Bob just sighed. "As much as I hate tempting fate, what
> > exactly is today's disturbance in The Force?"
>
> “That was Nori, actually.” Introductions and explanations were
> quickly made and exchanged, and Alex quickly turned back to her
> sister. “So, what do we need to talk about?”
>
> “Well you could start with explaining exactly why some ninja woman
> just suddenly showed up on your property.” Hardly pleased at what
> she’d encountered earlier, Nori elaborated, “Seriously, I don’t mind
> rescues, but I’d rather they not come from crazy women in long coats
> with weird helmets.” Noticing the complete lack of surprise from
> everyone present, she said, “Hey, I’m not about to lie about something
> that insane.”
>
> “We believe you, Nori, but Alex just finished expositing on your
> ninja woman, so the shock isn’t quite as strong as it could’ve been.”
> Kitsu turned and noted, “I guess she had loose ends after all.”
>
> “I guess she did.” Noticing the suspicious look on her sister’s
> face, Alex asked, “What?”
>
> Cass promptly nudged her sibling along, glad that she’d slipped
> into an alternative pair of shoes during her brief period at home.
> “You, me, in private.” The two made their way to a restroom and locked
> the door behind them. “Alright, spill. I want details and I want
> them…”
>
> Alex interrupted her by gently pressing her forefingers to her
> forehead. A second later, she removed them. “There you go.”
>
> Blinking, and then a shocked expression. “You mean she…?”
>
> “Uh-uh.”
>
> “Then that means…”
>
> “Oh yeah.”
>
> “But her…” A grin, and Cass realized, “Oh. You lucky little devil.
> But why’d she give you that thing?”
>
> “Don’t know yet, but I know where to go for answers. But first
> things first.” Alex unlocked the bathroom door. “Come on, we’ve got
> planning to do and you’ve got Pokémon to refresh.” The two exited the
> restroom and reunited with their group. “Now, you’ve got Smasher’s
> Pokémon, right? Nori’s obviously got Big Time.”
>
> “Oh yeah, I got ‘em, no problem.” Cass reached into her bag and
> retrieved a smaller one with four Poké Balls inside. “Star Scream,
> Iron Horse, Pikat-Shoo and Ice, all here and ready to go.” She turned
> to Amber and suggested, “Here. I’ve got a good feeling they’re as safe
> with the two of you as they are with any of us.”
>
> Alex smiled in relief at her sister not continuing the toiler humor
> from earlier, then continued, “Well, we’ve got some time to kill, and
> Goddish knows how long Keaton’s going to be. I suggest everyone get
> their Pokémon checked out and ready to go. Also, Nori? A word?”
>
> Nori looked at Alex with slight surprise before she shrugged and
> handed Big Time over to Rubix. “You watch him.” She then followed
> Alex.
>
> Curiosity getting the better of her, Heidi asked, “So, what do you
> think this is about?”
>
> “Not sure, but hopefully it won’t be really crazy. Those two don’t
> mix as well as Alex would like.”

"I'm sure it won't be terribly bad. Perhaps not all sunshine and
daisies, but I doubt it'll be terrible," Bob commetned, observing.
"Though I suppose I should go get the crew checked out and see what I
can do about the next gym. Travel plans, preparing for trouble up to
and including forays into alternate realities, et cetera," Bob said,
seemingly in good humour about the whole thing. "I guess I'll meet up
with you all in a while, sooner if you finalize your travel plans
without me.

With that and a couple waves goodbye for now, Bob headed off to see
the local Joy about a checkup and maybe a trip to the computer system
was in order to dictate a team swichout or two. He did have a pair of
gyms to prepare for and perhaps training didn't necessarily have to
involve a battle. As he submitted the five pokeballs for their
checkup, Bob mulled things over.

> -
>
> As Alex closed the door behind her, Nori started. “Alright, I don’t
> know what this is about, but…”
>
> “Thank you.” A smile, and she said, “That’s all I wanted to say.
> Thank you.”
>
> Nori stared at her, dumbfounded. “What? You’re *thanking* me? Why
> the hell are you *thanking* me?”
>
> “Because if you hadn’t done what you did, *called me out* like you
> did, I probably wouldn’t have faced what I’d done. So thank you.”
>
> Nori shifted uncomfortably on her feet. It felt like an eternity
> since she’d spoken with Alex, and while she wasn’t in a rush to speak
> with her in the first place, it was clear from their last small
> discussion that she didn’t really view her with any ill intent. “Yeah,
> well, it’s not like I was worried or anything.”
>
> “Of course.”
>
> A faint smile, and she found the words tumbling out of her mouth,
> “Thanks, by the way. For what you did. I mean, if you hadn’t, I
> wouldn’t have found out about that breeding ground on your property,
> and I wouldn’t have the chance to take some Tyranitar back with me
> later. Because I’d be dead and everything.”
>
> “Which would suck.”
>
> “Yeah, obviously.” Wanting to move on from that awkward moment as
> quickly as possible, she asked, “So, where are we going again,
> Mossdeep City?”
>
> “Yep, but we aren’t leaving yet. Keaton and Jeff are up to their
> own things, and I expect everyone else has something to occupy
> themselves. Still, we’ll get there eventually.”


Meanwhile, back at the front of the Center, the omnipresent Nurse Joy
was giving the news.

"Well Derek, there seems to be nothing wrong with your Medicham," she
said, though even she looked a bit confused about those results.
"However, there is an observable occurance here and it is likely that
it is not physical in scope," she continued.

Derek, for his part, nodded politely noting that he understood what
she was saying so far. Though what he was being told wasn't exactly
new news, it was nice that it wasn't from Chan taking one too many
blows to the head.

"I would recommend that you take him to Mossdeep City for a more
specific examination. Given that the Mossdeep Gym specializes in the
psychic type, the Pokemon Center there will be more capable of
discerning the problem if it doesn't clear up in the meantime. Other
than that issue, all of them are healthy and fully recovered," she
said, handing five pokemalls and allowing one Medicam to walk under
his own power.

"Thank you Nurse," he said politely, accepting his pokeballs and
sparring partner. One thing taken care of, the now duo went off in
search of food.

~~~~~~~

Elsewhere, one grumbling Girafarig trotted outside to see one young
boy and an Azumarill trying to encourage an Absol to savage a
convenient log.

#Little breeder!# Raffy called out. #Grass Man sent me out to help
you.# And yes, there was a definite psychic impression of air quotes
around help.

"<Wanted to get rid of you?"> One surprisingly sharp-tongued Azumarill
quipped.

#Acttually I'm supposed to inform you that bug attacks have
particularly effective against psychic pokemon,# Raffy said, brushing
off the jibe relatively well.

"Oh yeah," Jeff said, realization dawning on him. "Ghost attacks
work, so I can use the twins too!" He said in giddy realization. "But
I can still train him right?"

Mary nodded for her part, grateful to not be on the receiving end of
her trainer's enthusiasm. For while good in small doses, there was
only so much child-like exuberace anyone could take directed their
way.

#So what is the problem?# Raffy asked calmly, figuring that if he was
sent to help, he should at least try.

"Night Slash," Jeff said proudly. "He already knows Slash, which is
the fundamental part of the technique, and he is a dark type, so it
should work well for him, but it's a matter of putting it all together
into the technique," Jeff exposited gleefully.

"Azumarill"

"Oh yeah, it's supposed to combine with his luck to hopefully be
really good!"

The Girafarg nodded for he did at least somewhat understand the
younger brother's exciting rangtings. #Suppose that would work. May
I demonstrate something?#

Both Jeff and the two pokemon looked on in a bit of confusion at least
initially. Mary was wondering what the perpetual smart-ass was up to
while Jeff's gears were turning fast trying to figure out what Raffy
was even going to do, especially as he backed up to the training log.
Absol was watching curiously, having correctly inferred that this was
a psychic pokemon and was wondering what it would have to demonstrate
to a dark-type like himself. It was a few seconds of concentrating
before the answer became apparent. Only Mary didn't get it right away
until the back head of the sarcastic psychic literally Crunched the
log leaving small tooth-like gouges in the log. Calmly, Raffy trotted
away from the log.

#Will that help?# Raffy asked, moving to lay down next to Mary to
observe general chaos. The aforementioned Azumarill just looked at
Raffy with a bit of a bemused expression.

"<You can be helpful,>" She said, continuing to watch the pair train.

#Don't let it get around,# came the reply.

~~~~~~~

"Well, you're physically healthy at least," Derek said calmly. The
only other movement int he room at the moment was the rythmic
breathing of human and pokemon as they meditated upon the day, or
soemthing zen like that.

A single nod of the head was the response, and only already knowing
the answer beforehand would have alerted to Derek that Chan had
actually responded.

"Nurse Joy inferred that it was a psychic problem," he continued,
allowing himself to relax a bit more into the meditation. Or at the
very least make himself more comfortable.

"Med"/#And?# the odd dual-voiced phenonomon continued.

"She has recommended that we go have you checked out psychically in
Mossdeep. Personally I think it's a good idea since I am far more
fighter than psychic. It may be that your mind has reached a higher
state of power and you just need pointers that I can't provide on my
own. It could be that you've taken one too many blows to the head and
something's only starting to happen now," Derek posed aloud and around
the rhythm of his breathing.

Silence greeted him from his partner, but there was that subtle
feeling that he should continue. PErhaps it was the psychic thing,
but likely it was just knowing each other for so long.

"The Mossdeep Gym is there. They train psychic pokemon. If we want
that badge, I'll probably need you," Derek stated simply. Silence
followed, but somehow the message was received. Chan was willing,
though how able would remain to be seen.

"Med"#Ohm#


> TBC!
>
> > NS: Fail post is fail. Damn tempermental Muse. I swear it's
> > Dreamborn,
> > just milling my creativity away.
>
> NS: Eh, we all have off days. Anyway, next?

[NS: Well this feels like less fail than before. May have taken a
while, but I blame reality again. It, like gravity, is a harsh
mistress.]

On Oct 17, 3:52 pm, "Chet Weaver" wrote:
> Keaton had taken to meditation as he waited for Megumi to finish sealing the
> sword.  If the sword was haunting him, then it was likely to have already
> infected his soul in some way.  Centering his mind, finding the infection,
> and clearing it away might help with the sealing process.  However, nothing
> felt particularly out of sorts.  Either it hadn't affected him in any
> particularly sinister way yet, or the corruption was especially well hidden.
>
> The light show from Megumi's spiritual powers ceased.  She stepped back and
> wavered a little.  The minoTauros samurai immediately leapt to his feet to
> catch her as she fell.
>
> "Thanks," Megumi said, righting herself again.  "That sword really didn't
> want to stay put."
>
> "No problem," Keaton said.  He took out his wallet and handed over some
> money.  "This is all I can pay right now.  You'll have to bill me for the
> rest later."
>
> "Of course," Megumi said.  She took the money and flipped through it with
> her thumb to count it.  "I'll just send it care of the Pokemon Center.  You
> are a Pokémon Trainer, right?"
>
> "Something like that," Keaton replied.  He turned and opened the door to the
> shack.  "I'll should get going.  My friends will be wondering what's keeping
> me, and we've got to be getting to Mossdeep."
>
> Megumi nodded and followed Keaton out.  At the door, she glanced back at the
> diving falcon sword.  Hopefully, it was going to stay in there until she can
> get a more specialized practitioner to take care of it.

“So, any suggestions?”

Cass eyed her sister with surprise. “You’re asking me for advice?
Alex, you didn’t need my advice with your last six gyms, why is this
one any different?”

A shrug. “Hey, I won’t turn it down, and you’ve been there.”

“This is true.” Cass leaned back in her seat and grew thoughtful.
“Okay, Gym Leaders are Liza and Tate. You might battle just one of
them, or both of them at once. If you battle both though, and you’re
the first one to battle, then you’ll be facing their main duo; Solrock
and Lunatone.”

“Dual types, Rock and Psychic, both with Levitate as their
ability.” Alex thoughtfully rubbed her chin. “That rules out Ground-
type moves.”

“Yeah, well, considering you’ve got multiple Pokémon that are
strong against either Rock-types or Psychic-types, I think that’s the
least of your problems. Especially considering the new additions to
your roster. Seriously, you battle with them, and you’ll be set.”

“Yeah, and that’s why I’m *not* battling with them.”

“Wait, hold on.” The two sisters turned to Nori, who asked, “New
additions?”

“Raijin, Katana and Eir; a Raichu, a Scizor, and a Blissey, all of
whom are far higher in level and strength than the rest of my team. I
want a victory, but I want to *earn* the victory, and not just throw a
single powerful guy at the problem and be done with it.” Getting back
to the subject at hand, Alex continued, “Anyway, aside from Daraxis
and maybe ShadowWarrior, I can’t think of any fixed picks for this
one. And I’m not in a rush to use ShadowWarrior this time around;
excepting the new trio, he and Surtur are the strongest guys on my
team, and I want to give the rest of the roster a chance to shine.”

“So use Strika as your number two. Ground attacks might be off the
table, but she’s got Dragon moves, right?”

“Yeah, Dragon Rage. It’ll be a little bit yet before she picks up
Dragon Claw, and I don’t think I have the time to track someone down
who can help me teach her Draco Meteor. Plus her other three attacks
won’t do her much good against Solrock or Lunatone.” A shrug. “Still,
she needs the experience, and it’s either her or Grospoliner. We’ll
see what happens, I guess.” Casting that aside, she asked, “So, you
think everyone else is ready to go?”

“We can ask, right?”

TBC!