@LuckyBlackCat@Heckno12

"They're fine. They're a little bruised, but that's why we're here", replied Alexis, following Sophia.

Yuki hopped up into Alexis' arms. Alexis petted the little point at the top of the Snorunt's head, which caused Yuki to make a sort of satisfied humming sound.

"Honestly, though, They would probably be in worse shape if not for my Snorunt. She saw me get a little...angry at the gym leader, and stopped me from making a bad decision. She planned to play things smart. We lost, but at least we made him look like an idiot."

Alexis hugged snorunt a little tighter. She didn't know why, but she just didn't like the way that gym leader talked. He talked down to them in a way that made it seem that felt belittling. Telling people how to be...It just didn't feel right. There was teaching, and then there was controlling the way someone grows. How can someone grow on their own, if people keep telling them how to be, or what to do? At least, that was Alexis' view of him, anyway.

"...I hate people like him."



@Dusksong@LuckyBlackCat@Noxx

"Hm?"

The boy's attention was taken by two women that had asked him questions. They were both pretty, but his mother always told him not to talk with strangers unless he was absolutely sure that they were nice people. At the moment, he was still assessing that quality, so he only responded with a simple,

"Hello."

His voice was soft and high, almost girlish. He addressed the two who had asked him questions, an took a moment to stare at them. He judged if they were the kind of strangers that could be spoken to. The lighter blonde woman seemed nice enough, but the dark blonde one...She was a little eccentric. Still, they seemed alright to the boy. Besides, if they did anything, he was sure that his Maractus would literally chase after them and beat them with her maracas.

"I don't know. Edea likes to dance while she fights, though."

The boy tilted his head a bit. He had gotten himself into a conversation, and he doesn't even know who these people are.

"Who are you?"

@LuckyBlackCat

After seeing the chaos that ensued, Oscar thought best to stay away from Sophia to prevent any more emotional harm for today but he will ,one day, get Sophia to upkeep her end of the word. Oscar recalls Daisho, apologizing to having witness all the wild emotions. Gears in Oscar's head start to work. This Hammer fella is pestering innocents ,instead of doing honest footwook. From yesterday, Oscar remembers someone saying something about another criminal team back at their home region. If there are multiple cases, Oscar could find a common thread , if there is one at all and put a stop to Team Noble's plan. Oscar thinks that a Pokecentre would have at least one public PC. "Come on, RR. We have work to do." Roadrunner has a confused look on his face but goes after Oscar. At the Pokecentre, Oscar finds several public PCs in a corner. Oscar chooses one and lets Roadrunner on his lap to take a nap. Oscar goes to work.

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@OtomostheCrazy @Heckno12

"So there's one thing we agree on," Sophia replied. She knew Lan had been trying to help, but did he have to do so in such an irritating way? Throughout the entire battle, he'd spoken to her like she was a child. As if that was going to boost her morale any. Well, she'd show him next time. She had to. "What did you do?"

The Normal-type gym leader didn't get on her nerves as much as Ray did, though. Even so, she'd have to talk to him if she wanted to improve. Not just improve, she thought with a shudder, but survive.

---

Amber Pine

Mesalon Pokecentre

@OtomostheCrazy @Dusksong

As the young trainer looked at her and Aedre as if deciding whether or not to trust them, Amber knew she'd probably gotten a little overenthusiastic. "I research Pokemon," she explained after Aedre's introduction, her tone much calmer. "Specifically battle styles. That's why I was curious."

Her attention settled on the Maractus again. "Edea? Nice name. I heard they use songs and dances to drive away birds, so it makes sense they incorporate them into battles."

Looking back at the trainer, she asked, "And what's your name?"

---

Solanna Delacloude

Mesalon Pokecentre

@fer1323 @Heckno12 @OtomostheCrazy @Dusksong

"Really, I'm ok," Solanna insisted, stroking the fluffy little Pokemon. Although her breathing was more or less even, her words still came out slightly shaky and strained. "Are you?"

She kept her protective grip around Whimsicott. Apart from the missing memories, she and her Pokemon had been unharmed, but what had been the motive behind the kidnapping? The worst thing was not knowing.

She listened for more of Hammer's shouts, and when none came, peered around the corner. It seemed Ray had scared him off. Despite her relief, the thought that she'd once have been able to defeat someone like Hammer brought a twinge of guilt. Why hadn't she helped these people? That trainer she used to be... Where had she gone?

"Never a dull moment, huh?" she said as she re-entered the lobby. Oscar was at one of the PCs, and Sophia stood by the door, talking to a girl with similar injuries. Solanna wondered with a shiver just how many people had been involved in the attack. "Everyone alright?"

@LuckyBlackCat@Heckno12

"To tell the truth, it wasn't really my idea. It was Yuki's."

The little snorunt made a sound indicating her pride, before returning to her pokeball to be healed. Alexis returned the other two soon after.

"She came up with a plan to fake our loss and use the round to see what his pokemon were like. We only really faced one, and it wasn't actually that much stronger at all. It was the moves he had it learn. They're the kind of like those attacks that the stronger-looking pokemon use."

For a moment, Alexis looked up, and thought aloud.

"Actually, thinking on it, maybe I can go and see if the town has a TM I could buy for my pokemon...Ugh. What is wrong with me today? This is not how the girl that's destined for greatness should act."


@LuckyBlackCat@Dusksong@Noxx

"Deneb. I come from Unova."

Deneb answered plainly, but only took a few more moments to decide if these people were trustworthy. He settled for 'Yes' as his answer, but still had to worry about Maractus after she got healed. He looked to the two of them, and said,

"You two seem different as well. What brings you here?"

He had his own reasons, and suspected what theirs were, but if they were planning on keeping this conversation going, then he might as well contribute. The...eccentric-ish woman seemed to be a some sort of unique pokemon fangirl, while the other seemed to be a bit soft for normal pokemon battles. Still, her parents always told him that appearances could be deceiving, so he asked them in the hopes that they'd explain.

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@OtomostheCrazy @Heckno12

"Yuki?" Sophia said with a surprised look at the Snorunt. "You named her?" She remembered Alexis whispering something right after the attack the previous day, but hadn't heard what she was saying. Now she thought about it, Alexis seemed closer than ever to her Pokemon... Could nicknaming create stronger bonds?

At the mention of heading out into town, Sophia grimaced a little. "Ehh..." If Detective Hammer noticed someone else who had clearly been in the wreckage, he'd be sure to have questions. How could she warn Alexis about him without mentioning what had just happened? "Just so you know, that idiot of a detective is still out and about," she said, hoping Alexis wouldn't ask for any details. As she looked over at Solanna, who had just re-entered and asked if everyone was ok, her only response was a nod.

"And yeah..." Not how the girl destined for greatness should act? Sophia could relate all too well to that. "I know the feeling." If anyone was meant for greatness, it was a psychic like her - and yet she hadn't done anything to live up to the ideal she held herself to.

"Anyway," she said, her posture straightening, a hint of brusqueness in her tone, "There's someone I've got to talk to." With that, she walked over to the guy who'd offered to help. She wasn't about to open up to Alexis, and if she was going to talk to Ray, it would have to be now.

---

Amber Pine

Mesalon Pokecentre

@OtomostheCrazy @Dusksong

Amber relaxed a little as Deneb appeared to grow more comfortable. "I'm from Kanto," she replied, "and you could call this field study. Except it's more than that. The best way to learn about Pokemon seems to be to bond with them."

She let out Kyra, who approached the other trainer with a friendly yip. With a smile, Amber leaned down and petted the Rockruff on the head. "Well, I can see you're doing better now," she said to her newest Pokemon before turning back to Deneb. "This is Kyra. She likes meeting new people."

The researcher realised that, if this trainer was from Unova, he probably wouldn't have seen a Rockruff before. From what she'd read, this species was mostly found in Alola. Kosei seemed to be one of the few other places they could be seen in the wild. Amber wondered which other Pokemon were native to this region - she'd find out soon enough.

"So," she continued, "what brings you to Kosei?"

@LuckyBlackCat

---

"Huh, so you actually showed." Ray said, slightly surprised. At this point he was convinced that the kids would take issue with the way he had been speaking. He didn't like playing the jerk or anything, but as things were he would have to. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that his afternoon nap had been interrupted by them...Or the fact that he had to deal with Hammer again.

"So, Sophia I'll go ahead and start with a simple question since I'm a bit pressed for time. What do you think talent really is for psychics?" He asked directly. Of course, he could get her real answer from reading her mind, but that would defeat the point. Besides, he had to show some respect for privacy.

In his back pocket a case of TMs held the actual assistance he was going to give her. Of course, he still wanted her to ask a few questions.




Aside from his new capture, Rheese made certain to battle wild Pokemon until both he and his were exhausted. Minior was already proving to be one of the more versatile additions on his team. Every breath he took was a bit ragged at the moment. His wound was uncomfortable, but it wasn't at all threatening.

He wasn't ready for the gym just yet, but he was definitely feeling better. If he could keep up with training, he might actually be able to help out next time something bad happened.

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@Heckno12

Sophia stood facing the other psychic. It was a little surprising that Ray hadn't read her mind to figure out the answer to his question, but it meant he'd hopefully realised just how annoying it was when he did that.

She didn't speak her answer, not with all these people around. Instead, despite her tiredness, she projected it into his mind. "It's like your level of skill."

There was no point in lying. He probably already knew how jealous she was, and that bitter envy tightened its grip on her as she compared herself to him. It was like comparing a Solosis to one of the lake guardians. This guy had to be the strongest psychic she'd ever met.

@LuckyBlackCat@OtomostheCrazy@Heckno12

Oscar starts to compile his list with the two Hoenn-based teams first. As he works quietly in the corner, Oscar realizes the enormity of his task and thinks that he might need some help in finding more on other regions' teams. He glances over his shoulder and sees a lot of familiar faces in groups with one or two not so familiar thrown in. He wishes he could ask but he has better not do so as everyone is probably not to going to help in their emotional state. Oscar lets out a sigh and gets back to work.

@LuckyBlackCat

---

"Sure, I guess I was born with plenty of natural talent, but that's not what I'm talking about." Ray said. "You have quite a store of latent talent yourself, but you can't quite tap into it. Do you know why that may be?" He continued. While Sophia's use of telepathy may have made it look like he was talking to himself, he really didn't mind.

It was more important that Sophia understood what was holding her back, even if she didn't answer him at all. That kind of self reflection would probably set her on the right path. Her becoming a more powerful psychic was secondary to her growth as a trainer, even Ray (as lazy as he was) knew that.

As for why he took such an interest, Sophia reminded him of someone he had known a long time ago. Even that burning envy that emanated from her reminded him of when he learned that strong emotion was a dangerous thing to mix with Psychic power.

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@Heckno12

Ray's reassurance slightly eased Sophia's foul mood. "Well, of course I do," she said, putting on a smirk. Her parents had always told her she had a lot of potential, and hearing the same from Ray meant it wasn't just a case of her family wanting to believe the best about her.

Her confident mask only stayed in place for a moment before she gave her answer, reverting to using telepathy. "Let me guess, I'm not trying enough?" That was what her mother always said. She had tried, over the years, tried as hard as she could, but even her best efforts had failed to meet the high expectations she was held to. How much more could she try?

@LuckyBlackCat

After completing Team Aqua, Oscar decides to take a break before finishing Team Magma. Oscar takes Roadrunner in his arms and stands up without disturbing him. Oscar looks around and decides to talk to Solanna, who seems to be alone. Oscar walk up to her. "Hi. Do you mind if we just chat?" Oscar puts on a smile. Everyone has been though a lot lately and trying to deal with as best as they can is the thought that Oscar has as he glances around the room.

“Hoenn here,” Aedre said, turning to Amber. “Field study? Are you perhaps a Pokemon researcher?” she asked. “I’m actually studying to become a researcher. Kosei was an opportunity to study a rare Pokemon called Honedge, so I took up the assignment, and here I am.”

Seeing Amber release one of her Pokemon, Aedre figured she may as well release one of her own. The calmer, less moody one, that is.

“Hey there, Alitis,” she said, smiling as the Fletchling fluttered to a perch on her shoulder. “This is Kyra, a Rockruff, and Edea, a Maractus.”

The flying-type regarded the other two Pokemon carefully, silent as he took them in. The cactus-like Pokemon was most likely a grass-types, although this one seemed a little more watchful — meaning that Alitis would have to watch it closely as well. The puppy Pokemon, on the other hand, blended into the ground below, and the Fletchling couldn’t immediately deduce its typing. It was also seemed rather immature, which made sense with its size.

“He’s a little on the quiet side,” Aedre explained when the Fletchling remained silent still. At Amber’s question, she looked to the boy inquisitively. Indeed, what had brung the eccentrically-dressed boy to the rather unknown island of Kosei?

---

@LuckyBlackCat

---

"Hah! Oh wait, you're serious. If it were that simple I'm sure you'd be a lot further along. No, I'd probably argue that the effort you've put in has probably been detrimental." Ray said with a shrug. "A stressed psychic is a weak psychic."

"Whoever has been putting so much pressure on you has stifled your natural growth. Whoever it is clearly isn't here with you, so I'd say to let it go. Nobody else is holding you to any high standards." Ray continued, for a second his face showed a bit of panic as he detected a familiar presence in town. "But that's just my advice. Hopefully by the next time I see you, that unstable aura'll be gone. For now, I've gotta go. If my sister asks you about me, I was never here!" He finished and vanished. The only thing that was left where he had stood was a small pinkish disk, a TM.

Amber Pine

Mesalon Pokecentre

@OtomostheCrazy @Dusksong

"In training, yes," Amber replied. "A Honedge? That's got to be an interesting one to study. I hear its final evolution has two different forms."

As Aedre let out the Fletchling, Kyra jumped up with an excited yap. "Careful, Kyra! Don't scare him!" Amber said, gently pulling the little puppy away from the bird. Some Flying types seemed to be instinctively wary of Rock types, even though oddly enough, her Yanma wasn't, despite her dual weakness.

Would Kyra's type be immediately obvious? Apart from the small stones around her neck, partially hidden by fur, there were no indicators. Most Rock types either had bodies composed entirely of rock or were covered with thick stony armour, setting Kyra apart from them. The differences between Pokemon of the same type were something Amber would have to look into.

The Rockruff sat down, still looking up at Alitis.

---

Solanna Delacloude

Mesalon Pokecentre

@fer1323

"Ah, hi again!" Solanna said, her usual smile lighting up her face as Oscar approached. She kept her voice soft so as not to wake the Torchic, but her tone was as bright as ever. "I don't mind, what did you want to talk about? Were you working on something just now?"

Witnessing Hammer had brought out a different side to the boy. His easygoing, relaxed attitude had been replaced with a more serious and focused demeanour. Solanna had her suspicions about what he may have been looking into, and if she was right... She'd technically be capable of helping, probably more capable than anyone else in the room, but she didn't know how she'd respond.

---

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@Heckno12

"But..." Before Sophia could answer, Ray was gone. He of all people should have understood, but he didn't, and now it was too late to explain. She probably wouldn't even be able to contact him with telepathy - at her level, the only people she could talk to across a particularly long distance were family members.

She couldn't let them down, she just couldn't let her family down... As harsh as they seemed, they were trying to help her, not harm her. Once she learned to properly put everything her mother had taught her to use, she'd earn her affection.

Leaning down, she picked up the disk and read the label. TM33, Reflect. Her eyes widened. Back in Unova, she'd seen a few Pokemon use that technique - a force field that protected against physical attacks. Did Ray mean to help her not just as a psychic, but as a trainer?

@LuckyBlackCat

"Yeah, I am looking into past teams from other regions and going to try and predict Team Noble's plans. It is a long shot but it is worth a try. I am starting with the Hoenn-based ones first. I might need some help with other region teams or other notable incidents." This journey was going to be far different than he anticipated. Oscar was more interested in having a good time and making life-long relationships but that was smashed from the get-go. Although Oscar tried to salvage the best he could, something always cropped up. "Could you get me some leads? It would be a great help."

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@fer1323


The room spun as Sophia sank into a chair. She groaned and slouched, one hand pressed to her head, her elbow resting against her thigh. She shouldn't have tired herself out this quickly! Ok, yesterday had a lot to do with it, but still! She shouldn't have gone and lost control twice back then. She should be so much better than this...

"Ita?" Gothita squeaked, climbing up onto the chair. Staryu stood at Sophia's feet, and even Purrloin, still in her sulky mood, glanced over with a "Purr?" of concern.

"Ugh... It's nothing," Sophia reassured her Pokemon, with a twinge of shame about the way she kept worrying them. Looking over the TM, she frowned. How were TMs even used? "Gothita, how would you like to learn a new move?" The childlike Pokemon stared in fascination at the disk as Sophia took it from its case.

Gothita gently touched the side of the disk, her body glowing pink for a second as the information it contained spread over to her. Putting away the TM, Sophia checked her Pokedex. Sure enough, Gothita had learned Reflect. "I'm sure you'll get a chance to try that out later," she said, her hand against the Pokemon's back.

Purrloin, giving in to jealousy, slunk over and jumped onto Sophia's lap while Staryu spun up, landing on the chair. Glancing from one Pokemon to another, the trainer thought back to what she'd been considering earlier.

"Hey... Instead of just calling you Gothita, want me to give you a name?" she asked. Gothita squeaked her approval. "How about Lacey?" A cute name for a cute Pokemon, who appeared to like it.

Purrloin, though, turned her nose up at all Sophia's cute-sounding suggestions. "Uh... alright then," the trainer said, "Grimalkin. Does Grimalkin work for you?" Judging by the cat's contented purr, it did.

"And you," she said, turning to Staryu, "You can be Arcturus. How's that?" The Staryu's core lit up with a soft glow. Giving a gentle laugh, Sophia pulled all her Pokemon into a hug. Purrloin - or rather Grimalkin - tensed at first, but quickly resigned to the affection and started purring.

Overhearing Oscar's words, Sophia glanced over. Grimalkin and Arcturus jumped down as the brunette stood up, still holding Lacey. She thought of what she'd said yesterday. The guy got on her last nerve every time, but she was going to keep her word. "I can tell you what I know about Team Plasma, if you want," she offered. He'd helped her, so it was only fair she returned the favour.

---

Solanna Delacloude

Mesalon Pokecentre

@fer1323

Solanna's smile disappeared. She'd guessed Oscar may have been looking into something to do with Team Noble, but now he'd confirmed it, she could feel herself freezing up again. "Uh, well... I don't know much about criminal teams in other regions. I've lived my whole life in Kosei," she explained. "But Team Noble..." She'd become unusually solemn.

She took a deep breath. "Not much is known about them. All people really know about are..." She paused. "Disappearances."

At the sound of footsteps dragging against the tiles, she looked over to see Sophia approaching with a Gothita in her arms. As the brunette joined in the conversation, Solanna wondered how to elaborate on what she'd just said about Team Noble. She couldn't hide from the past forever, not when it kept repeating itself.

@LuckyBlackCat



Oscar looks at Sophia without a hint of malicious intent but more one of gratitude. "Thanks, that would help make the picture more complete. " Oscar looks back at Solanna with a curious worried look. "Any lead is better than no lead. If we can compile a list of the people who disappeared then we could find out why they are being targetted by Team Noble and prevent it next time." Oscar wonders if things are looking up for him and everyone else. Oscar hopes that he will be prepared enough for the next storm.

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@fer1323

Sophia thought back to the reports she'd heard of. "It started with people's Pokemon going missing," she said. "Turned out there was this group against the idea of Pokemon training, going round stealing them. Or at least, that was their excuse." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, remember I told you about the dragon? The leader of Team Plasma planned to use it to scare everyone into releasing their Pokemon. He even used his adopted son as a pawn to try and get to it. What do you know, turned out he didn't care about Pokemon's wellbeing at all. He just wanted to be the only trainer around so he could rule Unova."

She paused for a moment. "If people are disappearing, do you think their Pokemon could be getting stolen and altered in some way?" she asked. "And think this team could be planning to use strong Pokemon to take over, like Team Plasma and the dragon? But why would they do something like they did yesterday, that would get them noticed?"

---

Solanna Delacloude

Mesalon Pokecentre

@fer1323

Solanna winced inwardly at the thought of compiling a list - a list that would include herself. "Well, the only link seems to be they're all strong trainers," she explained. "There have been cases of people going missing and being returned a few days later, with no memory of what happened. And as far as I know, no Pokemon have been stolen."

Then again, there were probably incidents she hadn't heard of. Had any Pokemon gone missing? It was possible that when these criminals had kidnapped her, they'd searched through her team and decided none of her Pokemon were worth stealing. She shuddered at the thought that she may have nearly been separated from her closest friends. Or worse - maybe some had been stolen from her, along with all her memories of them. This group was probably all too capable of hacking into someone's PC boxes...

It didn't bear thinking about, but now Team Noble had shown just how dangerous they were, she'd have to.

@LuckyBlackCat

Oscar thinks about the dragon that Sophia mentions and the kidnappings of strong trainers. Team Plasma and The Hoenn-based team had the same idea to push their ideals or goals. Although Oscar has a clearer idea on what Team Noble might be up to, he knows that he will need more information to prove the hypothesis. "Sophia, was the dragon a legendary Pokemon or a rare but powerful Pokemon? Solanna, what is your definition of strong?" Oscar is coming up with a plan that not even he likes the basic concept. To get everyone on the same page will take some serious hard evidence, which may be as hard as taking down Team Noble single handed.