Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Artemis Wolfe]

Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings


The Pokémon League has come to Kalos, and with it an influx of trainers, new and old.
Team Flare's stylish brand of crime is on the rise, and rumours of an unstoppable assassin grow more frequent by the day.
Times are turbulent. What begins as an ordinary pokémon journey will soon spiral into a frantic fight for survival.

Kalos is in more danger than it ever knew, and it's running out of time...

Eight years in the making, Pokémon Legends is a progression-based roleplay entering its third iteration.
With a story inspired by Pokémon X & Y, Legends has been developed by a team of experienced roleplayers using a
ruleset tailored towards a fresh, engaging and expressive play environment.

Join as a veteran trainer or complete rookie and go on an epic journey through Kalos.
Hone your skills, take on challengers and emerge victorious.
The fate of the world hangs in the balance.

–-

We're happy to admit anyone who's courteous and has decent English writing skills, provided they PM a profile to Spinne Biss, Jump Einatz, or Marsuru for evaluation. The profile thread can be found here.
If you join the adventure, please abide by the following rules. Should you have any suggestions or queries, make sure to let us know, either by PM or in the OOC thread.

GENERAL
-GMs are Marsuru and Spinne Biss
-No god-modding
-Gym Leaders and major villains will be played by GMs unless you make a request
-Maintain a good level of literacy

TRAINING
-Each pokémon has a level, which should be kept up to date in the character log. You may decide this level yourself as long as it is justified within the RP
-Newly learned pokémon attacks should be depicted or referenced prior to their use in battle
-A pokémon can learn any attack available to it with no limit to how many it can know at once
-Known attacks should match the pokémon's approximate experience level, i.e. beginner pokémon are unlikely to master high level attacks
-However, pokémon are able to have attacks they would learn at a higher level if they are trained to with sufficient explanation and time.
-Pokémon may have access to more than one Ability, but Hidden Abilities must be justified as they are not available by default
-A Pokémon can learn Advanced Techniques (moves and abilities created by YOU, the player) with the right training. If you are to make an Advanced Technique, make sure they are fair and not overpowered.

CAPTURE
-Capture pokémon only in locations where they are obtained in-game, or else invent a scenario to explain the event
-Captures may be successful by your discretion
-Legendary pokémon may not be used without permission

BATTLE
-The battle system is turn based and relies on battler discretion to determine a victor
-Battle posts should be detailed and describe the appearance and effect of each attack
-If a winner cannot be decided, or if a player continues long after earning a loss, a GM may end the battle
-Take into account the effects of injuries sustained from battle
-Base stats are used as a guideline for judging a pokémon's relative abilities, for example a high base defence stat can be used to explain why a pokémon withstood a powerful attack
-Protect and similar moves will only function on their first use and be ineffective for the remainder of the battle
-Teleport has a -1 Priority to prevent spam

STYLE REQUIREMENTS
-All posts must be written in black font
-We use third person as standard, so no first person or script formats
-If you are translating pokémon speech, use [] in place of quote marks
-There is no minimum word requirement per post, however detailed posts are encouraged
-Communicate OOC by writing in (()) at the top or bottom of a post. Pure OOC posts should go in the OOC thread.  

[Artemis Wolfe]

Reserved  

[Artemis Wolfe]

Reserved  

[Marsuru]

Route 4 - South of the Gate

"The summer's sun is sweltering here in Kalos, and trainers from all across the globe have arrived for what promises to be a stand-out competition."

Foamy bubbles shone like a river in the sunlight. The powerful jet shot past their target, splattering with a slight hiss on the dry dirt road. A circle of cheers and whoops met the manoeuvre, and an excited bead of sweat drained down the trainer's face while fire burned his stomach.

The television showed shots of trainers lined up outside gyms, waiting to take their challenges. First days of a league were always like this. Veterans came in with battle strategies and game plans: Porters aiming to get a head start on their challenge by teleporting from city to city, while Pros ignored all but each other. Rookies were so enthralled by the novelty of their journey that they would stand around every battle they came across and cheer.

"Yes indeed, this is quite a turnout," the newscaster said in a slight Kalosian accent while the camera panned across the crowded fountain square at Santalune City. Most of the trainers were Rookies, the ink on their trainer licenses barely dry. "We may even see some familiar faces."

Hazard hesitated when the Bubble attack missed, and saw that the enemy Corphish was just as startled. On command, she launched forward, her gaseous body trailing behind her core like the tail of a comet. Before Corphish could respond, she unleashed a Psybeam in its face. It flailed backwards, tiny legs clicking as they scuttled to maintain balance, its claws snapping wildly in a vain attempt to use Vice Grip. Each snap cut through Hazard's body, but did little to disturb the gas. She cracked an evil grin.

"Lumiose City will soon play host to a parade held to commemorate the official opening of the Pokémon League." Images of bustling streets, banners and streamers hanging overhead, flashed across the screen. "Lead by our very own royal family, the parade will circle through North and South Boulevard before converging on the Centrico Plaza. Spectators may even catch a glimpse of the Elite 4, who will be standing in attendance alongside alongside Her Majesty, the Queen!"

Psywave blew Corphish away, psychic power warping the surrounding light into rainbow colours before exploding outwards. The water type crashed into a nearby hedge and its owner dropped to his knees, hands clasped to his head, his face a picture of disbelief. Onlookers roared in applause, blocking out the sound of the television, which sat on a little perch just inside the open gatehouse.

As Hazard bathed in attention, Zack walked forward with a content smirk on his face.

"Ouch," he said to his opponent, and the Gardner jolted in surprise, hands hovering delicately over his unconscious Corphish. "Well, you definitely lost. Could've been worse: could have been to a pokémon born today instead of yesterday."

"You, sir," the Gardner sniffed indignantly, "are a weed." He recalled his pokémon and walked away with his head held high. Zack watched him go, then shrugged. The crowd was already starting to disappear, nothing more to see. Hazard hovered by her trainer's head, and he felt a chill.

"Better than being a pansy," Zack said quietly. Then he smiled at his own joke. "Alright, Hazard, back in the ball. I'm gonna look for Helena. Maybe she found a way to get rid of that stupid bear."  

[Zamaku]

Santalune Forest

"M-mister...Don't you think this's a little un-f-fair? Shouldent we run?" the youngsters small voice trembled. his position standing directly behind another, taller youth with oddly colored silver hair, the youngster clutching the hems of his long sleeved blue and grey t-shirt.

"Hm?" The silver haired youth turned, momentarily distracted, to face the frightened youngster. "Heh heh, nah, we got this-" he began, not cockily, but rather kind an reassuring, before turning back around to face the ongoing Pokemon battle in front of him. "Right Shuriken? X-Calibur?" His reply's coming back in the from of an unsheathing sound and a metallic cawing

In front of the silver haired youth, Takamaru, stood a Skarmory and, or rather floated, a Honedge. Their backs to their trainer as they faced down three separate enemy mon's. a Pansear, bunnelby, and a fletching.
behind them stood their three trainers. three entitled looking snooby brats who had just ganged up on the youngster that was currently hiding behind Takamaru, to beat him in a 3 on 3 Pokemon battle.

Three trainers meant three times the amount of winnings, and hey, if he could be the hero for some youngster, who's he to complain? That's what led up the current ongoing Pokemon battle.

"Tch, Show this hair dyed idiot his place, Bunnelby!" One of the no named trainers shouted, the opposing bunnelby launching into a mediocre display of a tackle.

"X-Calibur, counter! Furry cutter! Shuriken, overlay with Swift on the back row!" Takamaru's command came swift and calculated. despite being the newest addition to his team, the honedge was surprisingly quick on the uptake and prefformed with out fault. Countering the bunnelby's initial attack with ease, before the Skarmory, Shuriken's, swift attack hit each mark that was the pansear and fletching in the back row.

The three no named trainers were unskilled and lost their footing as Takamarus attack commands kept coming, countering anything they shouted. they eventually fell and fled, yelling insults that fell on deaf ears as the silver haired trainer turned and knelt down in front of the still visibly shaken youngster.

"See, told ya we'd be fine. Now, you should probably run on home and stay out of the forest for a while." He said, smiling kindly, and reassuringly. No hint at any pride that he just took out three, albeit novice trainers, on his own. Only a subtle indifference behind the smile.

The 5,000P that was added to his trainer account wasn't bad either.

waving after the youngster as he disappeared down the forest path, the sounds of the hustle and bustle of lumios city as the start of the kalos league started could be heard, faintly, in the distance.

Throwing his arms over his head with a long stretch, he turned back to his Pokemon partners. "Nice work you two, take a rest, we'll be to Santalune in no time." both Pokemon dematerialized into the poke balls being held out by Takamaru.

"Oi, you done sleeping over there Iron hide?" the silver haired trainer called towards the previously sleeping Lairon over by the tree line. As per recent events, after evolving, the Lairon, Iron hide, has become quite, non compliment. not necessarily disobedient. more along the lines of, 'i can do this better than you' and either way, has made him unfit for competitive battling.

Trudging over to stand next to his trainer, both Lairon and Takamaru turned towards the direction of Santalue and began walking at a decent pace, not in any real hurry, but not with any real reason to delay the semi populated city any longer.  

[Jump Einatz]

((Zamaku, I'm real glad you started with TK helping a Youngster so I could follow with this smile )

Lumiose City – South Boulevard

The city of light was alive with activity in preparation for the big parade. Youngster Jaques sprinted down the street, eager to get his starter pokemon from Professor Sycamore so they could start their adventure of self discovery and friendship right away!

His eagerness blinded him to an obstacle down the street: a wiry teenager wearing colorful majestic clothing from olden day nobility. This was the traditional attire for nobility from Kalos during formal events, and it signified that Antoine was indeed affiliated with the royal family.

SLAM! The two collided, and Jaques fell to the ground. He rubbed his sore bottom, wincing in pain. “Sorry sir, didn’t see where I was going. Are you okay?”

A shadow of disgust flashed over Antoine’s face. “You scuffed my shoes, commoner,” he said with a vile grin.

Jaques looked at the shoes. The scratch was barely noticeable. The Youngster gulped, understanding from Antoine’s outfit that he was from the elite society. Whatever Antoine wanted, he could get.

“Uh, sorry sir. My mistake. I’ll pay for it.” He had no money for that, but he knew he was trapped in the debt of the young noble. Jaques started to get up, but Antoine held out a hand to stop him.

“Stay down there.”

The Youngster did as he was told. Now, a few people had stopped to watch with macabre interest. Antoine flipped back a lock of his expensive haircut. “By the looks of you, you could barely afford to pay for a day’s meal, much less a scratch on my shoe. You’ll pay with your dignity. Kiss it.”

Antoine stuck out his shoe and Jaques froze up. He was terrified of the power Antoine literally lorded over him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do something so demeaning. Sensing this, Antoine lifted back his foot, ready to kick the Youngster in the face.

Or he would have, if he wasn’t interrupted by an obnoxious slurping sound coming from the gathered audience, followed by a gruff “Move it.”

All eyes fell on a juvenile delinquent of a girl, dressed in a rebellious urban fashion and sipping on a blue slushie. A subtle, thin scar ran just across the bridge of her nose and to the middle of her cheek. This girl was Salieri Soledad.

A vein bulged on the side of Antoine’s head. He lowered his foot. Jaques sighed in relief and scrambled to his feet while the young noble was distracted. “What did you say to me?”
“I said move it. You’re making a scene, it’s hard to get by. Are you dense?”
A few gasps ran through the audience. “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?”

Salieri took stepped forward slowly. Jaques opened his mouth to thank her, but she shoved him aside and kept walking to Antoine until she was right in his face. “An over privileged brat, with an ego as big as a house and as frail as his spaghetti arms?”

She took a long, loud sip on her slushie, taking enjoyment in watching Antoine’s fuse dwindle. It wouldn’t be long now. “How dare you speak to me that way! I am Antoine, a noble of the Court of Kings! Royalty runs through my veins! Challenge me, and you challenge all of Kalos! I-“

He didn’t get to finish that thought because his voice was annoying Sal, so she poured the rest of her slushie on his head.

The only sound in the area was the blue juice dripping from Antoine’s head. He was completely shocked, but his simmering rage boiled once more until he burst. The young noble roared and threw a haymaker to Salieri’s face.

POW! The punch connected, but Sal barely budged. His eyes widened as his fist pressed against her neck. Her eyes darted to the cameras the small crowd had whipped out to document the event. Perfect. Now she had witnesses for her self defense.

In this case, “self defense” was goading her target into attacking her first so she had an excuse. This was really why she wanted to agitate Antoine: she had been waiting ages to humiliate the Kalos nobility. He was amongst the smallest of the big fish, but everyone started somewhere.

Fire blazed in her eyes. Her eyes went back to Antoine. “You talk a lot about yourself. Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?”

Antoine retracted his fist and threw another hook. This time, Sal caught his wrist before the punch landed, and with a wild grin, crushed her head into his.

She let go so Antoine could stumble backwards, nose bleeding. Livid, he took out a pokeball and released a Bulbasaur. Now that the odds were once again on his side, he was cocky once more. “You’ll pay for this, commoner.”

Still grinning, Sal took out a pokeball of her own and released her own pokemon, Veillantif. The Horsea hopped up and down with her spring like tail, giddy like a toddler. Antoine cracked a smile. “You have the gall to call me dense? Water types are weak to Grass types! Vine Whip, Bulbasaur!”

With a battlecry, two slender vines shot forth from Bulbasaur’s bulb towards Sal and Veil. She ran towards them, crouching below the first one. “Veil, snipe him!”

Veil complied and jumped high into the air with Bounce. As Bulbasaur looked up, it didn’t notice Salieri grab onto its second vine. Antoine grit his teeth. “Bulba-GACK!”

A blob of ink landed in Antoine’s mouth, gagging his voice and subsequently his order. The inexperienced Bulbasaur looked back, and in that moment of distraction, was yanked by the vine towards Sal.

She threw an uppercut at Bulbasaur’s stomach, sending it flying upwards. Veil’s descending bounce collided with the Grass type, pounding it into the street for super effective damage.

Veil sprang from Bulbasaur into Sal’s hand, where she held him like a hand cannon at the floored Antoine. The noble narrowed his eyes in hatred and fear. With a fluid motion, Sal aimed Veil and shot a tiny Octazooka burst at Bulbasaur’s pokeball in Antoine’s hand.

Sal caught the ball, returned Bulbasaur over her shoulder, and took aim at Antoine once more. “ You win!” he gagged, spitting out ink. The black smears on his face contrasted the redness of his cheeks.

She sighed. The fight was just getting interesting. Beating on a Kalos noble was just as cathartic as she thought it would be. Nevertheless, she returned Veillantif and leaned over Antoine. The grin she sported before was gone, replaced by a determined and confident glare. Play time was over. Now was the business part.

“Water types may be weak to Grass types, but I have no weaknesses. My name is Salieri Soledad, and when I win the pokemon league you’ll be kissing my shoes. If you ever get over your humiliation, pass it on…b***h.”

Antoine nodded slowly. She turned away and he crumbled into a heap. Now the crowd began to disperse, shocked and slightly terrified by Salieri’s actions. Only Jaques remained.

“Amazing! That was incredible! Thanks so much lady, you really showed that guy!”

Salieri narrowed her eyes at Jaques with folded arms. “It takes a special kind of idiot to run into that kind of idiot. All you have to do is look up when you run, so next time take your head out of your a** and clean the s**t out of your ears. I hate kids that don't pay attention. Merde...”

She rolled her eyes and brushed past Jaques. Sycamore’s lab was close, and she had been waiting for this day for years. Today, she ended her long training ready to challenge the pokemon league. All she needed now was to register her pokedex and she would be on her way. The fact that she got to school a Kalos noble before that was her icing on the cake. A great start to the day.

Jaques watched her stride away in supreme confidence. “…what an a*****e.”  

[Marsuru]

Route 4 - Parterre Way

Zack stood in an ocean of yellow flowers. Midday sun bearing down, he took a cap out of his bag and put it on backwards, granting shade to his neck.

I'm not lost, he thought, I'm just exploring.

There were some Rookies here and there, running through the meadow with pokéballs tapping at their belts. He could challenge them, kill some time, but in the end he decided against it. After arriving in Kalos the previous day and finding Hazard's egg at the roadside, he had spent most of his time in battles, and when he wasn't battling, he was teaching the newborn whatever seemed relevant.

It felt good to shake the rust off, but he needed a change of pace. This seemed like as good a spot as any. Zack threw his bag down and dropped to the floor, using the bag as a headrest while he took a small book out of his jacket pocket. He sifted through the pages, finding a handwritten chapter on ghost types.

The notes served as a good reminder. Later, he would cross-reference them with the chapter on poison types and try to teach Hazard some new techniques. He'd written the book himself years ago, back during his previous journey. The handwriting varied in quality from paragraph to paragraph, some written with care and others scrawled in a hurry. He was careful not to rip the small bits of paper stapled onto the pages as he thumbed through, each one contained a new insight that he couldn't afford to lose.

Flower scent sailed on the breeze, and as Zack read he lost track of time. He looked up occasionally, half-expecting to see Helena in the distance, the Pangoro tailing her like a shadow. Just as Zack went to stifle a yawn, he heard a familiar but faint rustling sound behind him. He froze, then exploded into movement.

Kicking up to his feet, he called out Hazard. The Gastly hung in the air above the flowers, well used to this by now. She saw her target before Zack did, peeking out from behind the flowers.

"A Ralts," he muttered to himself. He hadn't seen one on this route yet. Maybe they were rare? It suddenly broke into a sprint, and Zack felt a chill run up his spine. That's when he heard the buzzing. Hexagonal bug types rose out of the mass of flowers, five in total, and completely surrounded the trainer and Gastly.

Zack noted that one Combee had a red marking on one of its faces, and seemed to be the leader. It hovered forward, then initiated the attack.

"Hazard!" Zack shouted. The Gastly began a psywave, light shimmering rainbow colours in front of her, but the Combee unleashed a mighty Gust attack all at once. The surge of air struck Hazard dead on, psywave discharging into one Combee and knocking it out of the sky, but Hazard was gone, scattered to the wind.

The Combee began to attack in succession, buffeting the trainer with Gusts. One struck his shoulder and he staggered, stomping flowers flat while fighting for balance. He grit his teeth, anticipated the next round, and struck off to the side as the first Gust volley launched at him.

Zack caught a Combee off guard, jumping up to meet it and punching it in the middle face. It span out of control, skimming the flower heads then heading skyward. Hearing a buzzing come from behind, Zack turned to strike again, but the female Combee had already learned. She darted away from his blow, her wings vibrating, and launched a Gust at his face.

Tumbling, Zack hit the ground hard and bounced off. He somehow got a hand underneath himself, and used his momentum to launch back onto his feet, skidding backward through the meadow, trails of dirt and dust kicking into the air. A little dazed, a gash by his hairline flowing with blood, he couldn't do much more than brace against the next wave of attacks. One Combee got bold and shot first. Its wings began to vibrate but stopped dead when it got hit by a thundering crack of purple energy.

"Not bad," Zack croaked as he caught his breath, the Combee spiraling to the floor. Ralts stood nearby, and nodded quietly in unspoken understanding. She prepared herself, and Zack stood behind her as the remaining two Combee propelled forward.

"Wait," he said as Ralts began to move. She paused, and the last male Combee's wings vibrated. "Now!" Just as the Gust launched, chopping through and decapitating a line of flowers, Ralts sidestepped and swung her arm in an arc towards her opponent. It shot off a curved bolt of Confusion, whipping through the meadow, scattering leaves and petals in its wake.

The blow hit home, striking hard against the bug type's exposed underside. Combee was silenced. Ralts didn't stop, turning to get a fix on where the female Combee had gone. She was the only one left, and she'd vanished.

"Easy," Zack said, keeping his voice calm while blood ran either side of his eye. Both he and Ralts moved as one, reacting to every rustle and brush of the flowers. A sickly aroma wafted in the breeze like an expensive perfume. He recognised the Sweet Scent as it turned his senses to mush, but reacted too slowly to warn Ralts.

The female Combee launched from her hiding spot in the flowers, already preparing her Gust. Ralts moved too late and took the blast straight to her chest. She flew backwards, landing in a heap. Not done yet, she started to right herself, wincing a little. Combee flew overhead, confident and buzzing. Ralts gathered psychic power and slung a bolt of Confusion just as Combee launched another Gust.

Both attacks hit simultaneously. Zack watched on, the next few seconds playing out in slow motion. Ralts' strength gave way, the arm she'd been using to hold herself up failing her. She hit the dirt and didn't move. Combee hovered unsteadily, but still hovered. Zack clenched a fist, then grinned.

Combee's faces grew pale, her wings buzzing a little more slowly. Purple mist floated around her. At first, it was thin, mostly transparent, but quickly became thicker, more viscous. Soon, Combee was struggling to keep aloft in the heart of a dark cloud.

"Gah-hah-hah-hah-hah!" Ghostly laughter echoed across the meadow, the wind reduced to a sharp chill. Combee shivered, eyes darting. She began to fly away but the cloud clung to her. Panicking, she span back on herself, and the cloud broke apart just as a pokéball smacked her between the faces.

"There," Zack growled as Combee was dragged inside the ball. It struggled weakly before going silent, "I got you, you b***h."

Hazard reappeared, having finally regathered her dispelled body. She flew beside her trainer as he knelt over Ralts. He hesitated for a second before tapping a pokéball against her, leading to a new capture. As he stood back up, he pressed a hand against the cut on his forehead and examined the blood. It was a shallow gash, but still needed tending.

Saying nothing, Zack recalled Hazard and retrieved Combee. A gust of wind blew over the meadow, long scars carved into the once-perfect sea of flowers shimmering under the sun. The trainer soldiered on.  

[Jump Einatz]

Lumiose City – Sycamore’s Pokemon Lab

Salieri sat atop a table, bored and looking on as Sycamore clacked away at a computer. Her pokedex, a standard Kalos model, was hooked up to the machine. A few more key clacks later, the computer DINGED!.

“Alright, you’re all set. You are now an official pokemon trainer, Ms. Soledad.” Sycamore unplugged the pokedex and handed it back to Salieri. She looked down at it with an unsatisfied expression.
“Thanks, but did you fix the other thing?”
“The other thing?”
“Yeah. The other thing.”
“Your pokedex seems fine. Actually, I thought this model was a limited edition. I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’ll show you what I mean,” she sighed. Sal opened a box on the table containing three pokeballs: starters native to Kalos. At random, she released a Chespin that stood proud with his chest puffed out. The little guy was happy to be a part of whatever this was.

Sycamore wished she’d asked first before she handled his pokemon, but he saw no harm in it. “You want to know about this pokemon? It’s a Chespin. Their quills are soft, but when flexed they can pierce stone. And their armor can withstand a direct hit from a truck. I’m sure your pokedex will tell you the same thing.”

She rolled her eyes and held up her pokedex to the Chespin. It crackled to life in a way Sycamore had never heard before. “Crrrssssh beep boop that’s a motherbeepin’ Chespin, son. Dude’s got mad spikes. I’d make a joke ‘bout how it can go hard but that’s too easy, know what I’m sayin’? Yeah, you know.”

Sycamore blinked a few times. He spun around, hoping to locate some sort of hidden camera of intern in hiding to make sure he was being pranked. “Um…what?”

Sal closed the dex and spun it in her fingertips. The Chespin didn’t mind his crude description, and instead focused Salieri. He could already sense something badass about her presence. It was fascinating. “Kiiiikiiii,” he cooed like a fanboy.

Indifferent, Sal turned away, much to the Chespin’s dismay. “A friend of mine, she’s a real tech nerd and she fixed up Ivan for me. Problem is it, uh…glitches.”

"You named your pokedex Ivan," he said flatly and she nodded. Sycamore folded his arms. Chespin tried to hug onto Salieri’s belt, but she swatted him away with mild annoyance. “If the dex wasn’t issued to you by Kalos then we can’t fix it. We could give you a new one though.”

That wasn’t going to work for Sal. This pokedex was a gift, and even if it wasn’t broken, it wouldn’t be right if she used another. “Nah, I’ll just use this one,” she said with a cocky smirk. “A handicap makes things more interesting anyway.”

Once again, Chespin tried to get close to Sal. This time, she finally addressed him. “I didn’t come here for a starter. Touch me again and I will end you.”
“Oh? But he likes you so much,” Sycamore noted, curious.
“Don’t care. I don’t like clinginess.”

Chespin’s jaw dropped. She was just going to leave him here? No, if he was going to grow up to be a badass, he needed to go with her before some pansy chose him instead.

A Vine Whip grew from his wrist and snatched the bandanna off of Sal’s head. Instantly, her face contorted to rage as he leapt away from her grasp. “HEY! Give that back, connard!”

He jumped away and Salieri pursued as he dashed through a clutter of tables and chairs. Their chase toppled over stacks of paper and books of research. “There’s no running in here!” Sycamore yelled, but his cry fell on deaf ears as Chespin bounced past him and onto the pokemon transporter, a mechanical column missing it’s center where traded pokemon appeared and disappeared.

Sal dashed for Chespin, who held up the bandanna proudly like a victory flag. “That’s not yours!” she growled. Sycamore tried to hold her back but she pushed him away. He bumped into a big red button on the transporter.

Chespin and the bandanna glowed blue, then dissolved. Now standing in the Chespin’s place on the transporter was a large, shiny green Dragonite. Stunned, Sal looked to Sycamore. “Where is he?” she squeaked.

Sycamore frowned and checked the computer monitor, which displayed the Dragonite’s stats and information. “He’s gone. I think you activated the Wonder Trade.”
“Wonder Trade?”
“A new trading system. You can put any pokemon for trade and get a random one in return. That Chespin could be anywhere in the world.”

The words hit her like bullets. The bandanna could be anywhere? Now that her initial shock was over, the rage began to build back up as Sycamore examined the monitor more closely. “The good news is, this Dragonite is Shiny, has perfect IVs in multiple stats-“

She pressed the big red button. Dragonite was traded away and replaced with a Bunnelby. “…or you could, uh, have a Bunnelby. I don’t think-“

She pressed it again. Now there was an Ariados. She pressed it again and again and again. Pokemon after pokemon were swapped around, and with each press of the button her teeth ground against each other more.

“You won’t find him like this,” he told her in a matter-of-fact way. “The odds are-“
Click. “I need that bandanna back.” Click.
“You can’t press that button forever.”
Click click click. “Don't care. Shut up."
“It’s impossible…and I can’t be here all day either.”

Click click click click clickclickclickclick THERE! Sycamore stared like a deer in headlights as the Chespin, bandanna and all, returned to the room. Not one to waste time, Salieri instantly floored the Grass type with a punch to the face.

Chespin slammed into a wall, his eyes dizzy with hearts. She’s so…tough… The bandanna fluttered in the air. Sal caught it and wrapped it back on her hair in huff.

Sycamore handed her Chespin’s pokeball. “You should take him along.”
“Seriously? You’d let me have him after all that? He's an idiot.”
“Well I don’t think I want him around here anymore…and I’d like you to leave, so…”

With a shrug, Sal snatched the pokeball from his hand and recalled the Chespin. She put his pokeball onto her belt and gave Sycamore a nod. “Thanks for the registration, Professor.”

She left the lab. Sycamore looked back at the lab, which was a mess. He released a Chillarmy that began to sweep up the loose papers and shook his head. It would be very interesting to see what kind of trainer Ms. Soledad turned out to be, but until then, he was glad she was gone.  

[Spinne Biss]

((Really want a shower, so this'll be unproofed - sorry friendos. I'll do another post when I return.))

Route 3 - Ouvert Way

"These friendly Pokemon send signals to one another with beautiful chirps and tail-feather like movements," Helena said. She clicked the pokedex over to the second page as she stood in front of a tree.

A nest of Fletchlings sat present, they chirped and danced while they waited for their mother.

"Can I count on you to help me out?" Helena asked as she turned to her stalker, the Pangoro that had followed her brother or her since their arrival. Pangoro said nothing and Helena sighed.

"Hey Loki," Helena said as she leaned over toward the Abra that sat beside her, "teleport up there and get one of those for me. Then I'll catch it while it's surprised."

Loki vanished in a blue light. The chirping Fletchlings became panicked as Loki appeared before them. He grabbed one and vanished again.

"Despite it's lilting voice," Helena read aloud as Loki returned with the Pokemon. She threw the ball and the tiny robin vanished inside of it. "It's merciless to intruders that enter its territory."

A beep signaled Fletchling's capture. Helena looked up at the nest to see its brothers and sisters as they chirped angrily at her. She knelt down slowly to grab the pokeball. "Teleport us out of here."

She looked toward Loki and saw the rock face of the far side of the route. Loki was gone.

"This is not a prank!" Helena shouted. "Pangoro?" she said as she turned toward the bear but he was gone too. A shadow laid over her from the tree, it darkened the spots where light got in between the shadow of leaves. Helena looked up to see a Fletchinder. The mother stared down at her and when it let out an angry cry Helena ran.

The Pokemon was much faster than her and when she jumped over the ledge, it was with the desperate thought to buy herself some time.

Helena landed in the tall grass at the bottom of the small cliff. Her knees bent until she was forced to use her hands to keep herself up. She hid inside of it and listened to the sound of the angry mother.

A flash announced Loki's return and Helena looked over at him. "This isn't funny, Loki. Come on, teleport me."

Loki looked from her to the angry mother. He squeaked and teleported at what he saw so Helena turned to look up.

Balls of fire hit the grass and set it alight. Helena darted from her hiding spot as she watched the mother dive for her from the cliff.

As the mother came down upon her another blue light announced Loki's existence. He caught the mother in the air and teleported her. A moment later the tree where her nest was located shook with a loud series of cries. Loki appeared next to Helena as she slowed to a stop.

"That's cruel, Loki," Helena said as the Abra grabbed her hand and teleported them to safety.  

[Marsuru]

Lumiose City - South Boulevard Pokémon Center

As the doors to the Center opened, Zack was stopped dead in his tracks by a chorus of horrified gasps. For a second, the whole place seemed to go silent, and then the whispering started.

"Oh my god, has he been in an accident?"
"Look at all that dirt! I think I'm going to faint."
"Uh oh! Fashion disaster incomiiiiiing!"

"What." said Zack.

Hushed voices continued chattering while Zack trudged up to the front desk. He dropped his pokéballs on the counter and waited for the nurse. She gave him a querying look, but said nothing as she added the balls to the healing machine.

While the pokémon were being healed, Zack decided to try experimenting. The cut on his forehead wasn't getting any better soon, so he went up to the Item Store counter and bought a Potion. It was meant for pokémon but, really, what harm could it do?

As he walked back to the main counter, he uncapped the bottle and took a swig. It tasted of blueberry, and sent a warm, tingling sensation through to his stomach. The cut began to itch as it rapidly knitted together, but afterwards he was met with the feeling of being light-headed. He checked the back of the bottle.

"Huh," he said to himself, "Not to be ingested by humans. Toxic and highly addictive. ********, is this better?" Zack grunted, holding his arms out and letting the long, Kalosian coat hang down. He felt like a clown, but by this point he was past caring. The coat was various mixes of green and blue, with swirl patterns met by zig-zagging triangles. But the gaggle of effeminate-looking men arranged on the seats at the Pokémon Center boutique seemed to love it. They erupted into high-pitch cheers and baby claps.

"Oh honey, you look... acceptable," said the most tanned. He had his hair up in a peaked mohawk, and wore copious amounts of eyeliner. He had a similar outfit to Zack's, but even an untrained eye would say it was nicer. It fit properly for a start.
"You won't be getting into Boutique Couture any time soon," said the most sparkly, who seemed to be using glitter as moisturiser, "but it's so much better than those rags you walked in with."
"Mmmhmmm," all the men agreed and Zack sighed.

"I don't even know how you talked me into--" he started, but the most tanned pulled out a tiny bottle of Hyper Potion and dangled it between his fingertips. Zack felt an uncomfortable little urge. "Right. That. I'm whoring myself out as a dress-up doll."

"You're wearing the very latest in Lumioise fashion," the most tanned said, "inspired by House Nostrad itself. A blind Mankey may even mistake you for a low class noble!"

The effeminate men started to giggle. Zack frowned, snatched his Hyper Potion and went back to the main counter.

"Ah, your pokémon are all healed, monsieur," the nurse said in a thick but dainty Kalosian accent. "Will that be all? Do you require your old clothes burning?"

Zack muttered as he put the pokéballs back on his belt. Coat swishing behind him as he turned, he walked out of the Center onto South Boulevard, took out his note book, and started reading as he walked. He had to get up to speed with Psychic and Bug types.  

[Jump Einatz]

Lumiose City - South Boulevard Pokémon Center

"Biz Marquis. That's your new name. Do you get it?"

Salieri strode down South Boulevard with her newly christened Chespin at her side. Biz scratched his head, searching for meaning. Of course he didn't get the joke. "Whatever. I don't care if you get it or not. If you wanna stick with me, you gotta play by my rules. Which I usually make up on the fly, but there are a few mainstays. Rule number one."

She spun on her heel to face Biz, who stood at full attention. "Never touch my bandanna again. Ever. If there is a next time, I'll be so mad I...I...well, I don't know yet, but you will regret it."

Biz nodded and rubbed his cheek, remembering painfully what happened last time. "Rule number two..."

In the distance she spotted Zack wearing a bizarre Kalosian coat. Some might call her a blind Mankey for it, but she believed Zack to be a Kalos nobleman at that moment.

Just like when she saw Antoine earlier, something welled up inside Sal that forced her to act. "Rule number two is that if you see a noble, take something from them. Watch and learn."

She returned Biz and started walking in Zack's direction. On her way she snatched a few brochures off an outdoor shop's shelf and folded them so they were of a similar size and thickness to Zack's book.

The closer she got to Zack, the faster her heart beat. A mix of excitement, anger and fear swirled in her brain, but it was hidden by her casual demeanor and her smile. Whenever she pickpocketed a male mark, she made sure to look as cute as possible so if they saw her, they might fall under the halo effect and assume she could do no wrong.

When she got close enough, she would bump into him, mutter "Sorry", and swap out the book in his hand with the brochures. If it worked, it wouldn't take long for him to figure out he'd been robbed, but by then Sal planned to be halfway down Vernal Avenue.  

[Zamaku]

Santalune City

- Ding ding -

And aromatic chime sounded as the glass sliding doors slid apart, granting Takamaru access to the Pokemon center, the best friend to a registered Pokemon trainer. "Welcome, monsieur" the nurse at the front counter smiled pleasantly.

"Would like to use one of the changing rooms to change out of your traveling close and into something more suitable for a city?" the nurse asked, still pleasantly ignorant that she was being rude.

"Wh-Whats wrong with what I'm wearing?" The silver haired teen asked, lifting up his arms and looking himself over, genuinely concerned.

"Why, you cant be seri-" the nurse at the counter began, but was cut off as a rather boulbus woman bumped shoulders with Takamaru. She had an over powdered nose to match her pale white powdery complexion, obnoxious purple lipstick over applied to her lips, and a butch cut sea green colored hair-do atop her brow.

"Watch where your going, mongrel!" she shrieked, whiping away from Takamaru. "I swear, you children these days, no manners at all! none at all!" she continued shrieking, making a scene when she was obviously the one to bump into Takamaru.

"Uh-Uhm, I'm sorry, what? Y-You bumped into me...? Tk said, more of a question than a statement, as he scratched the back of his head. completely confused as to the way this woman was acting.

"Why I never! Such insolence!" she cried as she pulled he hand back before swinging it towards the silver haired youth in an attempt at a slap. Still confused about what exactly was going on, Tk dropped into a squat, effectively dodging the slap before springing lithely backwards a few steps. out of range of the hideous woman.

"Ma'am, you should really try keep your hands to yourself." Tk stated, not threateningly, but more in a way that implied she lacked common sense.

"Are you threatening me, Mongrel?!" she yelled, Eying the Poke-ball Tk was clutching, having removed it from his trainer belt while dodging her slap. An automatic response of his. "You filthy low class trainers are an eye sore, no fashion sense what so ever, none at all! You'd be better of going to work in a factory, instead of ugy-ling the world any more that it already is!"

Theonly reply she got was a shrug from Takamaru, before he turned and began walking away from the encounter all together. deciding that she was someone who couldn't be reasoned with and there for too much trouble to deal with any longer.

"You dare ignore me!? you get back here right now and apologize this instant!" she yelled, her face bright red, a bead a saliva rolling down from the corner of her lip as she stomped on the ground, enraged at being ignored.

The onlookers started whispering to one another. Some making clicking sounds with there toungs and shaking there heads. those ones were looking at Takamaru as he walked away from the large woman, towards the nurses counter. others glared daggers at the sea green haired woman. they were split about 50/50.

In the back of Tk's mind he made a note of how the people of Kalos, native or not, seemed to be separated into two groups. The Better than You's, and the Normal ones. Only a few days into his tour in Kalos, and Tk already wasnt fond of this place.

Apparently the Nurse was a part of the Better than You's cause she had Tk fixed with a disgusted glare as she took his Pokemon, healed them then roughly shoved them on counter. "Have a nice day...monsieur" she said, seemingly forced.

'Mental note, buy own Pokemon healing supplies to avoid poke center Kalos nurses.'

He really wanted to use one of the video phones at the center, better reception that the Holo casters, but he couldn't find it in himself to want to remain there any longer than necessary. Entitled people rubbed him the wrong way.

Nope, Instead, he left the center, clicking his heels to release the blades of the skates in the soles of his shoes before gliding across the pavement towards Route 4 to start training up X-Calibur before taking on Viola, Santalune's bug type specialist.

Now, all he had to do was figure out which direction route 4 started...  

[Spinne Biss]

Santalune City

Adrenaline, excitement, fear and anger pumped through Helena as she appeared in the city square of Santalune. "What is wrong with you?!" she shouted at Loki. Her hands flew up as she spoke and she shook them as she let out a frustrated cry.

"I could have died, you know!" Loki remained quiet as Helena yelled. She took a deep breath as she watched the Pokemon but he said and did nothing.

"Are you even listening?" she asked as she leaned toward him.

He snored quietly on soft exhales and Helena felt her blood boil hotter. She turned to Pangoro as he arrived, almost as if out of no where, and she put her hands on her hips.

"And you're a great help too, by the way. Why don't you go stalk and not hlep out my brother? I'm sure he'd appreciate it a lot more." Pangoro said nothing but stepped around Helena and headed in the direction of Lumiose City.

With Pangoro gone and Loki asleep, Helena had nobody else to vent her frustrations on. This gave her a chance to look around and she saw that several people at and around the fountain had stopped to stare.

She blushed, recalled Loki, and quickly put some distance between herself and the crowd.

Helena's first stop was the gym. The receptionist had her take a number, scanned her trainer I.D. and told her she would get updates via xtransceiver when her position in line was ten and under.

The television in the room excitedly relayed the wins and losses at gyms, taking a special interest in the ones who managed to get their badges. First day winners were ahead of the crowd and were some of the most betted on trainers.

Helena recognized a few of the trainers from the television. She looked toward the viewing room for gym matches - crowded and full of people betting on winners and losers, discussing strategies and desperate people trying to pay others to let them cut in line.

A match had just ended and the boy who left the gym floor and returned to the upper floor was met with a frenzy from the waiting crowd. While not all of them did, there was a good number of people who threw out an insult or laughed - to them it was a winner's game.

Helena watched the boy go with a feeling of pity and a pang a guilt. She grabbed Fletchling's ball from her belt and looked at it. "We need to train and fast."

As she turned the ball to turn the red translucent, she felt tension ease away from her. Now that she had time and reason to calm down, the fact that she caught her first Pokemon dawned on her. A smile spread on her face and it was with skip in her step that she made her way for Route 4 - Parterre Way.  

[Marsuru]

((Man, Kalosians are freaky))

Lumiose City - South Boulevard

"Hey, what's your prob-" Zack span a bit as Salieri barged into him, turning back to his book and stopping in stunned surprise. He shouted something that made nearby children cry, and bolted in the direction the book thief had run. He spotted her long ponytail vanish around a corner and sped up.

Crowds parted whether they wanted to or not. Zack shoved through a group, tapping them with his hands just enough to move them, but some were sent flying. His foot made brief contact with the back of a bench and he launched through the air, hitting the pavement with a skid as he rounded the corner into Vernal Avenue.

"GET BACK HERE!" he roared, drawing more than a few startled looks. The Potion didn't seem to mix well with adrenaline. He could feel his blood boiling.

Ridiculous Kalosian coat flapping behind him, Zack bounded after Salieri.  

[Zamaku]

Santalune city

"Really, I'm fine, I promise" Takamaru said, smilingly petulantly at the holograph of his older sister via Holo Caster. her light blue particle-y hologram frowned at him. She still wasn't sold on the idea of him traveling alone in a foreign region. "The people here are weird but i think i can handle them." he stated thoughtfully, skating onward, not particular taking care as to what where he was going.

[Yea, well, still. come home, we'll figure something else out, there's plenty of work and openings as work study gym trainer. it pays well enough.] Adrianna's Hologram pleaded, a concerned frown forming on her lips. [And really, would you stop sending your winnings to us. spend some on yourself, if you plan on participating in the league, your going to need to eventually.]

"what do you mean, i already spent more than enough on this holocaster-" he began to argue, but stopped as Adrianna's hologram scowled at him. "F-fine, from now on ill only send 50% of my trainer winnings in..." Tk conceded, rolling his eyes with a good nature'd grin. "Oh and i forgot to tell you- ohhh w-watch out!!" he began, about to tell his elder sister back in Johto about the woman in the Pokemon center, the one with sea green hair. but just before he could get to that part, he noticed, through the hologram of his sister, a woman he was a about to run into.

He was too close to maneuver out of the way in time, so either they would collide, or she would some how move out of the way.