It was the same part of the dream. Over and over again. He knew there was something past the Chandelure and him blacking out, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Each time he blacked out, he would wake up with a jolt to find himself in the back of the same taxi, on the same uneven dirt road. It was eventually torturing him reliving the same painful moment on loop, with no way out of it, except to stay awake for the remainder of the 2 hour drive, which was unlikely. The words his abusive father kept replaying throughout his mind, like the resonating ripples of water when a pebble is dropped into it. The driver of the taxi looked over at Alex as he awoke for the 13th time during the ride.
"Ey. Kid you alright? That like the 20th time you've done that." The man seemed truly concerned, but Alex felt no obligation to tell the driver about his past. "I'm... Im fine." he said sternly, getting the point across to the man. Every couple minutes the gay would move his mouth to speak, but would stop himself with a cut off gasp, and continue driving. He wanted to do something to break the silence, but wasn't very good with small talk. "So... Ah. What's in Mesalon?" The driver asked awkwardly.
Alex wanted to avoid conversation as much as possible, but it looked like he couldn't get out that one. "Some friends of mine. I was supposed to meet up with them yesterday, but I got held behind." Alex felt his eyes start to try to shut themselves again.
"Oh. That sucks. So are you new around here?... Kid? Are you-?" He looked over to see Alex's eyes shut, his body shifting uncomfortably, clearly going through another nightmare.
Alex shot up from his seat again, panting heavily in cold sweat. This time not to him blacking out, but to the loud horn of a car. Specifically, the taxi he was currently in. "Ride's over, Kid," Alex began to fumble through his back for his card, which had his money stored in his account.", "Nah, don't sweat it kid. This one's on me." Alex nodded, "Thank you, sir." He said, stepping out of the taxi. He watched it drive off, before turning around to see a mass of people in front of the Mesalon hospital. He released Beldum out of its Pokéball, letting it float freely. The group of people only seemed to get bigger as he neared the hospital. He could hear much form the multiple people trying to tell over each other at the same time. Among the voices of the multiple news reporters, he was able to here a disconnected string of words, Recent attack... multiple children involved... Detective Hammer... Rheese Laudat to be interviewed..."
There it was. That was the kid who's Wooper Beldum smashed through the professor's door. He rushed through the crowd of people, somehow getting to the front doors without getting swallowed by the multiple clusters of Detective Hammer fan girls. He ran up to the front desk. There stood a woman with pale skin, and red hair, a chansey by her side. "I need to see Rheese Laudat!" The nurse raised a brow at him. That's what everyone wanted for the past 15 minutes. "Please! It's urgent, he's a good friend of mine." To her, this boy was unlike the others though. With a small sigh, she went to flip through some pages of a nearby binder. "He's in room 103, first floor." Alex ran towards the room, saying 'thank you' as he zoomed past. 101... 102... 103!. He came to a halt, slowly opening the door.
Sure enough, Rheese was lying on the bed, awake. He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god you're ok! What the hell happened?! I went to go take a piss and I come back to find an ambulance zooming down the street, and all of you gone. And speaking of which, is everyone else ok?"
Opening her eyes, Sophia groaned. The light streaming in through the window was giving her a headache. She sat up, wincing. Everything hurt... The reason why rushed back to her. The Aerodactyl with the tainted aura. The attack. The narrow escape.
She was lucky to still be here, as were the others. She'd been checked over at the hospital, and the worst she had was some bad bruising. Most of the others were relatively alright. Rheese, though... Oh dear Arceus, Rheese...
Staggering out of bed, Sophia got ready as quickly as her aching body would allow and headed out. She couldn't shake the feeling that the whole thing had been her fault. If that disaster of a battle between her and Alexis hadn't happened, the group would never have ended up in this situation. As it was... The paramedics, even though she'd been told they'd survive, had several fractures and burns. Rheese was also going to be ok, according to the doctors, but still, she had to see that for herself.
Mesalon Hospital
As she turned a corner, the hospital came into view, along with a crowd of people gathered outside. She scowled. Among the shouts, she could make out a name. Detective Hammer. Ugh, this was the last thing anyone involved needed.
"Out of the way!" she ordered, holding her head high, looking down her nose at the screaming fangirls as she pushed past. "Hmph! Move!" She fought her way through the crowd to the door, yelping as somebody elbowed a bruise on her side, and rushed to the desk.
"Where's Rheese Laudat? I've got to see him!" she panted. The nurse clearly remembered her from the previous day, as she told her, in a somewhat tired-sounding voice, which room her friend was in. Room 103, on the first floor. Sophia sprinted to the room, ignoring the pain that flared up in her limbs and sides, and burst in. There Rheese was, on the bed, concious. Beside him stood the boy with the Beldum.
"Rheese! Are you ok?" Sophia approached his bedside. The other trainer was babbling with relief. "Uh... yeah. Let's just say we ran into a little trouble along the way," she explained to him. "A little crazed Aerodactyl-related trouble."
Amber Pine
Mesalon Pokecentre
Right in the path of the Aerodactyl lay a teenaged girl, dark blonde hair caked with mud. Wrapping her arms around her Omanyte, she hunched into a little ball as a beam of light burst from the Aerodactyl's mouth.
"Coral, no!" Amber tried to rush forward, but it felt as if she were wading through water. She could only watch in horror as, with a shriek, the girl was engulfed in the blast. "Coral!"
Amber woke up drenched in sweat. Sitting up, she exhaled in relief, her heart thudding. It was only a dream. Her sister was alright, safe at home in Kanto, having yet to start her own adventure. Amber herself and the rest of the group, though, almost hadn't been.
Being a trainer would have its risks. She'd accepted that. Yet she'd underestimated them. Even though she knew that not all trainers were responsible, that there was criminal activity everywhere, and that being around Pokemon was in itself not always safe, she hadn't fully considered the implications. To think she'd been close to never seeing her mother, her father, her sister again... This was what her journey meant. This was what Coral's future journey would mean. Danger.
Even so, she wasn't going to give up her dream. Or expect Coral to give up hers, not with everything it meant to her.
After showering and dressing, she let out both her Pokemon, feeding them snacks. "Sorry you had to get involved in that," she said as they munched on their food. "Especially so early."
Once they'd finished their breakfast, she returned them and left the room, wandering along the hallway, looking for the other people who had been involved.
Oscar was up late, brooding over the encounter with Team Noble. Eventually, he fell asleep. Oscar wakes up the next day , feeling rather bad due to the lack of sleep that his body is used to. Roadrunner is sleeping at Oscar's feet and this always cheers Oscar up. Oscar jumps out of bed and heads into the bathroom. By the time Oscar is finished, Roadrunner has waken up and somehow realeased Skoll and Nomia. Despite Skoll and Nomia being still new additions, they are fairly well behaved. Oscar dresses himself as the three seem to socialize between themselves before saying "okay, you two. I know you want to stay out of you pokeballs all the time but it would become too crowded everywhere if everyone does that." Oscar recalls the Skoll and Nomia. Oscar gathers his things and goes into the hall. Oscar looks up and down the hall til he notices Amber. Oscar calls out to her Hey Amber. Wait up."
How long again, Aedre thought with a sigh, looking up from her laptop with a sigh. She’d spent almost six hours now on the boat that had once been docked just off the Mauville City Port. While the trip supposedly took just over six hours, Aedre saw no sign of land for miles. Just the ocean — vast, blue, and unending in its enormity as it stretched from distance to distance, horizon to horizon. Well, the girl thought, closing her laptop with a sigh, might as well get a quick nap in.
Walking over to the bunk in her room — one of the joys of being sponsored was that she didn’t have to pay — Aedre collapsed on the bed, taking one last glance out the window before closing her eyes. Honedge, Honedge, Honedge. I’m excited and scared, a nervous wreck and a gleeful child. Will you accept me as your trainer? she mused to herself as she drifted off, a small smile on her face.
“Miss? Miss. Miss!”
Aedre snapped up, eyes darting around her room on the ship and settling on a uniformed man. A sailor. “Miss,” he said again, eyes sympathetic and voice quiet, “we’ve arrived.”
“Oh?” Aedre asked, turning toward the window. Outside lay the image of a rather quaint port town where fishermen were tying ship to dock as children ran around, laughing and playing around. “Oh!” Aedre exclaimed, clambering out of bed. Flashing the sailor a sheepish smile, the young woman quickly packed up what few things she’d taken out of her backpack, slinging it on and heading out of the room with the sailor. “Sorry about that,” she said, smiling awkwardly. “Decided to take a nap, and — well — overslept.”
“No problem,” the man said with a friendly smile. “Hopefully you had a nice nap. You know where you’re headed after this?”
“Er,” Aedre said, withdrawing a ticket from her pocket, “Kraterdesh. I’m headed to Kraterdesh.”
“Kraterdesh?” the sailor asked, raising a brow. “Whatever for? I mean sure it fits the part of a tourist attraction, but,” he paused, shaking his head. “Nevermind. Forget I asked. You take care, all right? It’s an hour or so on bike, so you might want to stock up at the local store. I believe they sell Pokeballs — some do, some don’t. Your best bet would be a Pokemart, but I don’t think this town has one.”
“Thanks for the info,” Aedre told the sailor, stepping off the ship. “And I’m headed to Kraterdesh to meet with someone.”
The sailor raised a brow but didn’t ask, choosing instead to tip his cap to the girl as she waved goodbye and disappeared into town.
He wasn’t kidding when he said to “take care,” Aedre thought, leaning her bike against a nearby tree and sighing. The sun was nearing the end of its path, and Aedre could just barely make out Kraterdesh in the distance. That is, the outer rim of the crater in which Kraterdesh rested. Aedre had taken the liberty to do some homework on the town before arriving, as did she take some time to look up the person she was meeting. Eria. Kosei gym leader that specializes in Ghost Pokemon. Notable historian. Interested in the mystery of Kraterdesh’s crater after which the town takes its name, Aedre thought with a pensive frown. The silence that followed reminded her that she was alone, but she knew she wasn’t.
“C’mon out, Pasithea, Alitis,” she said, unhooking the Pokeballs from her belt and popping them open. Her two Pokemon appeared in a pair of brief red flashes, both taking a moment to look around at their surroundings before doing anything.
Pasithea, the Togepi, immediately ran over to her trainer, clinging onto a leg and prompting Aedre to pick the still-small Pokemon up. Her Fletchling, Alitis, flew over to his trainer and settled on her shoulder as he always did, quiet and broody as ever. After both of her Pokemon were situated, Aedre slid off her backpack and took out the containers of food she’d purchased earlier.
“Eat up,” she said, handing them each a small container of berries. She held the container for Alitis as she inhaled her own sandwich, ravenous after all the biking. Although she’d stopped every now and then to take a water break, Aedre had still been en route to Kraterdesh on her bike for almost an hour. “The sun is going to set before we arrive,” Aedre noted, frowning as she looked up at the sky. Pasithea voiced her agreement, causing Aedre to smile in amusement. “What do you think, Little?” she asked her Fletching. The bird Pokemon gave a curt chirp before pecking up another berry.
Honedge, Honedge, will you like me as much as Thea and Little do/? Aedre wondered as she polished off her sandwich.
Aedre stood in front of the mirror, face wet from the cold water she’d splashed on in an effort to psyche herself up for the morning. You can do this, Aedy, she told herself. No problem. Just babysitting a Pokemon, you got this.
Grabbing a towel from its place on the shelf, Aedre dried off her face and finished preparing for the morning. The morning she’d formally receive the Honedge.
Eria had recommended that Aedre retire for the night, assuring her that whatever needed to happen could wait until the girl got some rest. Tired from her journey, Aedre had agreed, and she hadn’t regretted it yet. After all, she was nervous about meeting her new Pokemon as well. Sure it was no biggie, getting a new Pokemon, but Aedre had only ever owned two: Pasithea and Alitis. As the last time Aedre had added a Pokemon to her not-quite-complete Pokemon team was when she was still in middle school, Aedre felt very nervous about the addition. Yes it was a wonderful opportunity and yes it was a fascinating Pokemon, but Aedre still felt her heart beat a little faster as she followed Eria to the back of the Gym.
But really, she shouldn’t have. The red-and-white classic ball felt small in her hands — too small to contain the wonders of the Pokemon inside. A Pokemon that is rumoured to be ancient swords possessed by a departed spirit, Aedre thought, glancing at Eria to get her okay before releasing the pokemon. A Pokemon that is said to drain life energy by wrapping its sash around its prey to survive.
The sword remained sheathed, floating in place rigidly as the gem on its hilt shimmered — a sapphire blue eye, Aedre thought. Slowly, the sword raised itself into the entire structure made a move towards Aedre sash first. Stretching out her hand, Aedre took hold of the patterned blue slash, a polite smile on her face.
“Nice to meet you, Honedge,” she said, her two eyes meeting the Pokemon’s one respectfully. “My name is Aedre Charbonnet.”
Aedre scrolled through the entry she’d written on her laptop, a thoughtful frown on her face as she scanned it for grammar. It’s fine, she thought, sighing and closing the laptop before turning to stare out the plane window.
Though Eria had offered her a spare room to stay in as she got used to her new Honedge, Aedre received a message from her lab back in Mauville that instructed her to pick up a package at a place near Mesalon. As the trip was, again, sponsored and would allow her to travel to yet another part of the world, Aedre took up the call and headed over. The plane trip was only a little over half a day, but Aedre was already beginning to grow weary of looking up to see mysterious lands blurring by her window. What she wanted wasn’t to enjoy the scenery from behind a pane; it was to experience it firsthand.
Dinner was served at precisely six pm by a nice middle-aged lady garbed in the flight attendant’s uniform clothing. “Chicken or beef, honey?”
“Chicken’s fine, thank you,” Aedre told her politely, smiling. The meal was warm out of the — what did they use anyway? Aedre mused, opening the package and digging in. As she forked pieces of chicken into her mouth, her eyes wandered the infinitesimally small landscape that seemed so mysterious in the darkening light as the sun sank below the ocean horizon.
— Mesalon City Pokemart —
“Thanks!” Aedre told the Pokemart employee, pocketing the five Pokeballs she’d purchased. Exiting the mart, Aedre sighed and checked her watch. Enough time to wander around a bit, Aedre thought, sighing and glancing up at the sky. The sun was bright, the day was young, and the package wouldn't arrive at the Pokemart until that afternoon.
A commotion caught Aedre’s attention, prompting her to turn towards a large building diagonally across from the mart. The hospital? the girl wondered with a frown as her eyes skimmed over the crowd outside. People crowded around the hospital doors, and Aedre even spotted a few camera crews set up around the doors. Some kind of terrible accident? she wondered, wandering over. While she knew it was rude to eavesdrop, she pulled out her phone and stared at the screen idly as she absorbed the words being tossed around the crowd. Whispers of an “attack” and an “interview” drifted around as well as the names “Detective Hammer” and “Rheese Laudat.”
Clearly none of my business, Aedre thought, turning to leave just as a brunette with fierce grey eyes pushed past her, shouting for people to get out of her way. What caught Aedre’s attention, however, was the name on her lips — Rheese Laudat. Who is he, some local celebrity? the girl wondered as she watched the girl weave through the crowd. Then — with a flash of inspiration or a sudden lapse in judgement, depending on how you looked at it — Aedre ducked through the crowd and followed the other girl into the hospital.
— Mesalon City Hospital —
The hospital was a bustling mess as reporters pestered every hospital staff member they could see mercilessly for more information on a certain “Rheese Laudat.” Aedre watched from a distance as the brunette disappeared deeper into the hospital with the nurse at the front desk, evidently in a position to be allowed into “Rheese’s” room. Deciding that she had some time to kill and that it was already too late to turn back anyway, Aedre took a seat in the waiting area.
“Can I help you?” a nurse asked, walking up to the girl and deliberately ignoring the reporter that was glaring after her.
“No. I’m just waiting for someone,” Aedre said with a polite smile. “But thanks for asking.”
“No problem honey. If you need anything, feel free to ask,” the nurse said kindly before leaving the waiting area, head held high and straight as she continued ignoring the reporters. Aedre frowned but pulled out her laptop and busied herself with it, typing up another entry in her daily record. This one featured a certain “Rheese Laudat” and a brown-haired girl that Aedre had pegged as Rheese’s sister.
Amber was still jittering from her nightmare, trying to put it out of her head. Yes, she'd need a while to recover from the shock of the attack, as would everyone else, but she reminded herself that it could have been much, much worse. Nobody had died. The group was going to be ok, including the boy who was still in the hospital.
Still, she couldn't help but worry about the others - and about what else Team Noble could be planning, if they were indeed behind this.
As Oscar called to her, she turned her head, managing a small smile. "Hey," she said. "You ok now? And have you seen any of the others? How are they doing?"
Despite the Amber's smile, Oscar could hear the underlying concern in her voice and her eyes betray the underlying feels. Oscar responds to her questions. "I will okay since I was not with them when the worst happen but you know that since I was with you. I think most of them were released shortly after being admitted since their injurines were not that bad to keep but do not quote me on that. I think only one was so bad to keep overnight but the last what I heard is that he will make it. They will be okay since they have injuries that are easy to treat but I am also worried about you. Something like that is hard for some so if you need someone to talk to, I and RR am here." Oscar gestures to Roadrunner and Roadrunner chirp to cheer Amber.
Nyxx more than likely slept the best out of anyone being that she woke up like she normally did, half dead to the world and walked around her room completely naked. She reached her feet into her bag and grabbed the clothes she would be wearing that day with her toes and dragged them out, making her way to the shower she began her morning ritual. A cold shower to wake herself up so she could at least be close to a functioning adult, leaned against the wall, letting the water wash over her, looking at the floor. The truth was she did have nightmares, but nothing was as bad as her vision just before she woke up, chasing her mother again, only to have the woman drift further away the closer she got. The look in Nyxx’s eye grew more distant as the walls around her faded away and the cascading darkness replaced them, gritting her teeth she eventually shook her head of it and took a step back.
The tapping on the door and hard knocks brought her fully back to reality, she had been in this shower so long that her Pokemon released themselves to get her out, probably fear that she’d fallen asleep inside. The young trainer turned to water off and stepped outside to finish getting ready, deciding to do nothing with her hair again and settled on keeping it as a massive ball on top of her head that most resembled a bird’s nest.
“You guys shook up by yesterday?” she asked, picking up Buneary letting Swablu land in that bundled up mess she called hair “It did get pretty crazy, ” she said feeding them both their breakfast before eating herself. After a bit of conversing over food with her Pokémo, she picked them up and headed out into the hallway figuring she should at least check on the other trainers being that two of them were in her group.
It didn’t take her long to find Amber and Oscar and took a seat next to them “So how is everyone holding up?” she asked with a big yawn “Hope you guys got more sleep than I did” she continued even though despite the nightmares she slept like a log.
Mistress Hollow
In another room, someone else had already gotten up, taken a hot shower, and was trying to figure out what exactly to wear eventually deciding on a pair of blue jeans and a three-layer white blouse that stretched down to her knees. The look in her eyes was anything but what you’d expect to see from the miss Hollow cold and piercing; she decided to stay here at the pokecenter while her Dragonite was being healed. That night she pulled a few strings to give her a legit reason to stay here in this region while she investigated this team noble that gave her so much of an issue getting here in the first place. Slipping her delicate feet into a pair of heels she walked towards the door, taking a deep breath to simmer down, people weren’t used to seeing miss Hollow in such a serious state and appearances had to be kept up, that poor nurse was legitimately scared yesterday.
Blowing the door open with a loud thud she walked through the hallway, heels clacking one hand on her hip and the other swinging at her side looking like she just stepped right off a runway. The idea of having a contest again excited her and melted that chilling look on her face to the point she was looking quite giddy.
“What a beautiful day!” she yelled out with a large smile from ear to ear as she looked out the window, then continued to walk to the main hall to get her dragon.
Leaning down, Amber patted the feathers on the Torchic's head. "Thanks, but really, it's ok," she explained to Oscar. There was no point in dwelling on it, and besides, Oscar looked as if he hadn't had much sleep. He really didn't need this, especially not first thing in the morning. He was right, other people had been through worse yesterday.
Looking over, she saw Nyxx flop down into a nearby chair in the lobby. "Ah, hi," Amber said. "Yeah... We'll both be ok. No need to worry." It was obvious, even before Nyxx spoke, that nobody in the group had gotten the most peaceful night's sleep. "You doing alright? Apart from the sleep situation, I mean."
Solanna Delacloude
Out and about in Mesalon
Solanna raised her head towards the sky, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun. In most ways, the quiet of Mesalon was less than ideal for her. Without distractions, her mind began to drift back to something she'd rather leave behind her. Secluded areas like the one she currently stood in, though, gave her a chance to focus on future events instead - namely, contests. That was one advantage.
Her bright blue eyes flicked towards the two nearby Pokemon. "Ok you two, ready to begin?" she asked, petting her Charizard on his scaly head, then tickling a Whimsicott behind her curled horns. "Remember what we've been practicing! Charizard, give Whimsicott a lift with Defog!" Charizard spread his wings wide, flapping up a gust of wind. As he did so, Whimsicott leapt up high, gliding down on the breeze.
"Now for those fairy lights of yours! Whimsicott, Cotton Guard, then Moonblast!" Whimsicott fluffed herself up with cotton, releasing puffs of it that spun around in the wind. She danced and twirled in midair, surrounding herself with swirls of pink energy that blasted out and lit up the wisps of cotton.
"Good job!" Solanna shouted with a grin as she watched the two Pokemon's combined display. Whimsicott landed in front of her, the lights winking out as they scattered all around. With an excited squeal, the cotton Pokemon jumped back up, Charizard whipping up another blast of air to carry her right up into the sky.
Too high. Solanna's expression turned to one of shock as Whimsicott, in her enthusiasm, lost control of her dance and went sailing off into the distance. "Ah! Whimsicott!" Solanna sprinted after her, Charizard flying ahead.
A crowd by a hospital came into sight, cameras flashing, people nearly falling over each other to get to the doors. The yells grew louder as several people turned, backing away from the Charizard. "It's ok! He won't hurt you!" Solanna called, returning Charizard to his Pokeball and picking up Whimsicott, who had landed just a few feet in front of the crowd. Thankfully, she was unhurt. But... what was going on here?
At two overheard words, she froze in place.
Team Noble.
One of the girls in the crowd turned around, head tilting and eyes narrowing as she studied Solanna. "Hey, it's you!" she spat, wrinkling her nose. "You're that Susanna girl from Hammer's show! You're that one who spoke back to him!"
Still too stunned to react, Solanna didn't even step back, or speak. Her usual vibrancy was gone.
"We've got a hater here!" The girl gestured towards two others, who turned and glared.
"Piss off, Selena!"
"Mudkip, Mud Slap her!"
In a flash of light, a Mudkip appeared, slamming its front legs into the ground. A burst of mud sprayed forward, splattering her and Whimsicott.
This time, Solanna drew back, but still couldn't bring herself to say anything. Not that these girls, who glowered and yelled obscenities at her, would listen anyway.
Team Noble... Team Noble had struck again. More people had been harmed. She knew she should try to help in some way, but the incident had reopened a wound that had never fully healed.
It wasn't so much what she remembered as what she didn't remember.
" 'A little', sure." Rheese replied to Sophia with a light chuckle, the pain in his ribs making him wince slightly. "But, uh...I'll live. The nurse told me I'd be able to leave before the day's done."
It was fairly surprising to see Alex again after everything that had happened. He had honestly forgotten that he wasn't around what with Alexis passing out and the whole fiasco with that big guy. Suddenly he remembered what the nurse had said before.
"Hopefully I'm wrong, but I think the nurse mentioned Detective Hammer before you guys got here." Rheese said, his expression darkening. He honestly didn't know why he was the one being interviewed, he was knocked unconscious before the whole ordeal was over after all. "If that's true...well I'm sure I don't need to mention that I can't stand that asshole on television, let alone-"
Rheese was interrupted by the door being flung open as a giant of a man entered dramatically with his cameraman in tow.
"I'm here to speak with Reeces Loudhat. I was just told that he regained consciousness." The man said as though it wasn't obvious that he was looking for the one still in the hospital bed. The glare he received didn't even seem to register. Rheese decided against correcting the moronic pronunciation of his name.
"That'd be me." Rheese said, his voice dripping with venom. While he'd have loved to just hide and let the others deal with this, it would have been kind of a dick move.
"Oh good, the last several hospital rooms I entered were determined to hide your whereabouts." Detective Hammer responded seriously. Rheese felt his eye involuntarily twitch as he realized that this man had bothered other patients instead of simply asking at the desk.
"I'm sure they were, I mean they probably had no idea where or who I was, but I bet they were just determined to keep you out of here." Rheese said sarcastically, his glare hardening even more.
"Just because they claimed to have never heard your name before doesn't make it true, kid. Now, to the meat of the issue. I'm sure you're very excited to meet me, but I need answers."
"I can almost promise you I don't have any." Rheese deadpanned, truthfully he only knew the guy had several grunts with him and an Aerodactyl that was able to wipe the floor with several trainers simultaneously.
Alex's hand clenched the steel bed-frame of Rheese's bed harder the longer he heard Detective Hammer talked. He knew now why Rheese despised him so much. He smirked at Rheese's sarcasm, but when the room went silent he started to act, knowing that Rheese didn't want to do this by himself.
"Oh yeah. We're all you, a paranoid old man, with an ego bigger than the camera that follows him around all day, and whose paranoia only grows as he worries and tries to figure out which of the fan girls trying to get close to him actually want to kill him. So, Detective Hammer," Alex emphasized the detective, putting air quotes around it as he spoke, "Please do enlighten us on how we feel about you." Hammer's plain face warped into one noticeably trying to prevent an outburst. "Was I talking to you, kid?" He said, his voice peppered with sourness.
Alex's hand released it's death grip on the bed. "No, but you should be, instead of the one who was as you said earlier, previously unconscious. So if you want answers you can talk to me, because visiting hours are from friends and family, and seeing as you are neither, I ask you to leave."
Sophia looked over with a cold glare as the big burly guy made his dramatic entrance. Given how Rheese had reacted to the TV show the previous day, he really, really didn't need this at the best of times, least of all now.
"You heard him!" she said, backing Alex up. "If you expect answers from someone who was out cold up until now, then you're even dumber than those fans of yours! Arceus only knows what they see in you!"
The group of fangirls who had gathered outside the door started shrieking even louder, yelling insults. Trying her best not to let the vile comments get to her, she folded her arms, scowling in contempt.
She winced as a cut on her hand twinged. Oh, great. With the way she looked right now, it was obvious she'd also been in the wrecked ambulance. Knowing Hammer, he'd probably just start questioning her now.
Rheese internally cringed when Alex and Sophia backed him up. He could deal with being a social pariah, it wouldn't be hard to shrug off. The others getting involved here might make things ugly.
Given Hammer's smug grin after both of them confronted him and the angered cries of the fangirls outside, Rheese realized it was already too late for damage control.
"I don't even know who you are." Hammer said looking down at the young man with a bit of a sneer. "From what I've seen though, I doubt you know anything at all. Am I supposed to believe you were the only one involved that wasn't injured?"
The way he talked gave off the impression that he could beat everyone in the room to a pulp if need be, and the six pokeballs on his belt were enough reason for Rheese to believe it as well. He tried to keep himself from exploding in anger as he had seen bits and pieces of the shitshow Hammer hosted. The last thing he needed was to see the signature interrogation technique in person.
"And you, little miss, I fully intend to get your side of the story. In fact, I was pretty lucky to get the two of you in the same room." Hammer said, ignoring her insults. He wouldn't need to respond, his fans were already doing that for him. With a simple wave the girls looking in the small window on the door quieted down.
All the while, Rheese was trying to figure out a way out of this. If the others weren't here he'd probably feign losing consciousness again, but at this point he couldn't bring himself to abandon them like that. Sitting up, he looked Hammer in the eyes.
"All I know is that there was a round guy with a ridiculously strong Aerodactyl. After most of us attempted to fight him, I got knocked out and I seriously doubt anybody here would know more than that, this interview is pointless and timewast-" Rheese said trying to get the whole thing over with. He was interrupted by a sharp pain in his rib forcing him to lay back down.
"No need to rush through this interview. I'm sure there's much more information to get here." Hammer said, jamming his thumb into Rheese's ribs. "And please, don't sit up on my account."
"Fuck You." Rheese managed to get out through the pain. Hammer backed off and took out a notepad and pen.
"Now, you mentioned an Aerodactyl. Was there anything strange about it?" He asked, his tone becoming almost professional. He began pacing and tapping his chin. "It's rare to see them acting in the open like that..."
Watching Hammer continue to pester Rheese, Sophia knew she had to say something. "Well..." she began, and then paused.
Should she tell him exactly what she'd seen? Out of the three people here, she was the one who knew the most, but... No, she couldn't. It was probably a terrible idea to let that on to someone like Hammer. Besides, she had no clue what that shadow aura was, and if she told Hammer she didn't know, there was no way he'd accept that as an answer.
For once, she'd have to hide her abilities.
She continued to scowl at the complete and utter idiot of a detective in front of her. She hoped neither Alex nor Rheese would mention that she was a psychic. Alex, she didn't know that well, but Rheese didn't seem like the kind of person who would put her in that situation.
"It was strong enough to crush an ambulance like a soda can. There's that," she went on. "Ok, if you want my side of the story, here's what I can tell you. One minute we were on our way to the hospital, the next this maniac set his enraged beast on us. Not only that, but we had to deal with this group of thugs trying to stop us getting out of there."
She could barely hear herself talk over the yells of the fans, screaming at her to let Hammer get on with the interview. Her frown deepened. Wasn't that exactly what she was doing? Even if she wasn't the one he'd originally intended to talk to?
The fans pushed the door open so hard it banged against the wall, their shouts growing louder. Now that she'd made her opinion of them clear, they were doing the same to her. Trying her best to ignore them, she turned her steely glare back towards Hammer. "Anyway..."
Something blue hurtled towards her.
Her reaction was a reflex. The object, deflected in midair, flew away from her. Splat. Sophia looked over, a plummeting sensation in her stomach.
A rotten Oran berry had splattered all over Hammer's shirt.
Nyxx still looked exceptionally tired regardless of how her night went, but that was completely normal for her anyway; feeling her Swablu get a little too cozy with her hair, she returned him to his Pokeball doing the same to Buneary not wanting to seem like she was showing favoritism. Looking down at the floor and sighing as her mind reminded her of all yesterday’s events, then leaning back a little rubbing her eyes she chuckled a bit.
“Danger is something every trainer has to go through there are certain Pokemon like Ariados and Cacturne that wouldn’t think twice about killing us” She explained “We just also have to worry about a group of humans as well” Nyxx said, standing up fastening her pokeballs to her hip and stretching out making it look like she wasn’t completely worried about the situation, in truth she was just saying what she thought her mother would.
“Is she all healed up?” A woman asked, standing in front of the nurse counted prompting Nyxx to turn her head.
“Yes, ma’am, your Dragonite is perfectly healthy now just resting, you’re looking much better today” The nurse replied with a bright smile.
“I do apologize about that I was very worried about her” Miss Hollow chuckled accepting the Pokeball from the nurse and reattaching it to a neckless.
“Mom?!” Nyxx shouted across the pokecenter getting the tall woman to turn her head at the sound of the screaming child
“Oh, my little spark plug!” Hollow yelled with a bright smile running over to bear hug her daughter, lifting the girl up and squeezing tight. “M-m-mom can’t…..can’t breathe,” Nyxx said tapping her mother’s shoulder for release gasping for a little bit of air.
She knew she’d run into her coming here eventually but she never imagined it would be this soon and with what happened to her on her way here this was something needed in the worst way. Nyxx, on the other hand, was completely baffled by this sudden surprise and after she caught her breath made a point to find out.
“Mom why are you here?” she asks strengthening herself out
“Well my manager called me not long after you left and gave me an opportunity to star in a series of contests around the Kosei region as a way of bringing contests into a more popular light here” she explained putting both hands on her hips and standing up tall smiling from ear to ear; she was lying one hundred and ten percent but being that her actual manager agreed to this idea of hers that base was already covered.
“Are these your friends, how’s your journey going?” she asked quickly changing the subject “And what Pokemon have you caught so Nellz isn’t so lonely”
She didn't really remember much about what happened on the way to the hospital. It wasn't eventful enough for her to remember. Perhaps that was a good thing. After everything that happened, ending it with something small and negligible seemed good. Still...With how everything turned out, Alexis' day could have started off better. She was forced to stay a night after the events of yesterday.
They had to give her all sorts of tests and check ups and whatever. Then they had her rest in one of they uncomfortable hospital beds after contacting her parents. That was also something she hadn't wanted to deal with. Calming down the parents that she had forced under the control of her cuteness long ago. Making them overly care about her was good when she just wanted them to do whatever she wanted, but now that she was on her way to get something else, their care was really embarrassing, and a hassle to deal with.
Not only that, the night before, she couldn't stop thinking on the enpvents from before. It carried on into her dreams, in which she awoke after she was reminded that her journey was starting off horribly. It had only been a few days, and she was already in a hospital...Yay.
It wasn't so bad, though. The doctors told her that she could leave the next morning. All she had to do was talk to the receptionist. Only problem was that she didn't start off the day feeling good. She couldn't bear to wear any of her dresses like this. She had to settle for wearing the boring plain clothes that she only brought along because her parents had packed them for her.
There wasn't much else to say, really. She didn't feel great, and just left the room to leave the hospital.
As she passed by Rheese's room, she overheard voices that she didn't recognize. Apparently Rheese had some visitors. She stood at the door, looking at them. One was large, another had a camera, the other one was also a stranger, but she found nothing noticeable in appearance. Sophia was there as well, but it seemed that she may have done something on accident.
She stood for a moment longer, before she tapped a pokeball, and sent out Yuki, who yawned before taking in the situation as best as she could.
"Yuki."
"Sno?"
"Powder."
"Runt."
The Pokemon took a deep breath, and exhaled powder snow into the room and onto everyone inside. Snorunt would've refused this type of action, but honestly, she couldn't resist doing it as a prank.
The two proceeded from there without another word. When they arrived at the receptionist desk, they found that Rheese had a whole lot more visitors waiting for him. It was actually kind of insulting, but now was not the time. Alexis just went to get things done with the receptionist.
As she finished up, Alexis overheard Rheese's name being spoken. Some other girl was waiting for him to be released. Considering how many reporters were there, it would probably take a while if the girl didn't do anything. Alexis considered ignoring her, but decided to be a little nice. Maybe it would put her in a better mood.
She walked up to the girl, and said,
"If you're looking for Rheese, he's being questioned by some stranger. Room 321. If you wait for him, it might take a while if these people keep showing up."
Alexis didn't care to wait for the girl to respond. She needed to get some fresh air. She walked around the reporters, out into the city of Mesalon...
Oscar took a seat next to Nyxx, listening to Nyxx and Amber exchange words. Roadrunner jumps onto his lap. When the woman, that Nyxx calls mom, comes over and gives a bone-crushing hug that makes Oscar whince in thought of the pain. Oscar looks at the woman, trying to place the face until the topic of contests came up. Oscar's eyes open wide with surprise. When the woman refers to him and Amber, Oscar speaks up "Hi, The name is Oscar and the little guy on my lap is called Roadrunner but I call him RR for short. If I am not mistaken, you are Misstress Hollow. I remember hearing about you back in Hoenn when I was watching contests with my parents. I would never expect to see you in person. Do not worry. I am not a crazed fan but I do have some respect and admiration for you."
Rheese looked on in horror as Hammer's face grew red with pure rage, his fury seemed to melt the snow from the earlier attack. He saw the giant of a man reach for a Pokeball on his belt, one with a Conkeldurr sticker, which while he'd love to insult Hammer's need to label his own Pokeballs, a Pokemon of that size and strength would probably demolish everyone present. Before he could grip the ball however, his camera man whispered something in his ear. Rheese struggled to hear what was said, but to no avail.
Detective Hammer's face seemed to cool down slightly and he looked down in embarassment at the blue stain on his shirt. With a glaring scan of everyone in the room, Hammer signaled for the live feed to be cut temporarily as he stepped back towards the door. "Now, I'm going to change shirts...I expect a much more cooperative environment when I get back or things might just get a little dangerous kids." He said, the inflection in his voice sent a chill up Rheese's spine.
Once the bastard and his entourage were out of the room, Rheese sprung into action. With a hand on his ribcage, he looked at the others.
"I don't know about you all, but I'm not going to be here when he gets back." He said cracking the door and peering into the hallway. The coast was clear, but as Hammer was only leaving to change his shirt that wouldn't last. "That being said, I wasn't exactly awake when I got here, so if either of you know how to get out...preferably without going through the crowd...I would definitely appreciate the help."
Slowly backing away from Hammer, cringing at the puff of snow which couldn't have helped the detective's mood any, she watched him reach for a Pokeball with a Conkeldurr sticker. She felt the blood drain from her face. He wouldn't. Surely he wouldn't. Not on TV...
Thankfully, the camera man was able to convince him otherwise. As the detective stormed from the room, followed by the camera crew, Sophia let out a breath that had caught in her throat.
"Y-Yeah..." she responded to Rheese as he took the opportunity to ease himself out of bed. "Sounds like an idea." With a quick glance behind her to check that Alex was following, she headed out into the hallway.
They'd managed to evade Hammer... hopefully. The difficult part would be getting past his fans.
Listening to Nyxx's words, Amber nodded. "I know," she said. "It's a risk all trainers take. But the important thing is, we got out of this." She sat down, wishing she felt as reassured as she sounded.
Rationally, she knew the answer was to become better able to face danger. She thought over her plans for the day - spend some time training, and maybe challenge one of the other beginner trainers to a battle.
An excited squeal from Nyxx snapped her from her thoughts. Amber looked up to see a woman she knew she'd seen somewhere before. She studied the face of Nyxx's mother for a few moments. Then it clicked. That was where she'd known the name Hollow from.
"Ohh! Mistress Hollow. I've seen some of your videos... You see, I'm studying Pokemon's battle styles, but contests seem like a good way to explore how their moves can be used. Especially combined." Her eyes gleamed at the thought. "I'm Amber, by the way."
Solanna Delacloude
Outside Mesalon Hospital
It was all coming back to her... No, not all of it. That was the worst thing. Scenes flashed through her mind like a nightmare. Waking up outside the Pokecentre. Learning days had passed. Cameras in her face. Endless questions she couldn't answer, because the incident itself was a total blank.
Her skin became clammy. Her breathing sped up. She had to force herself not to hyperventilate. She couldn't break down. This wasn't who she was. This wasn't who she should be. That image she projected of the carefree, fearless girl, on the back of a Rapidash, performing all sorts of leaps and tricks before a cheering crowd, enveloped in the fire horse's flames but never getting burned... Why couldn't she live up to that, for the sake of whoever had been involved in the most recent Team Noble incident?
Or why couldn't she be more like her idol, Mistress Hollow? What would she do in this situation? The eternally sunny Mistress Hollow wouldn't freeze up, that was for sure.
"Cott?" The Whimsicott in her arms gave a concerned squeak.
Solanna stared blankly at the door. Somebody had been hurt. She should be helping. Her experience should be a reason for her to help. She tried to step forward... and instead, turned and ran.
The idea people had of her was wrong.
Mesalon Pokecentre
Rushing into the lobby of the Pokecentre, Solanna stopped in her tracks again. That wasn't... That couldn't be...
"Mistress Hollow?" she blurted when she finally managed to speak. Glancing down at herself, she cringed. Since childhood, she'd wanted to meet Mistress Hollow, but not like this, not covered in mud and a hair's width away from breaking down.
"Uhh... Hi!" Solanna's smile was, in all likelihood, more of a grimace. "I-I can't say I expected to meet you here!" She looked away, unable to meet her all-time role model's gaze.
A group of girls ran into the hospital, filling the air with shrieks as they clamored for a “Detective Hammer.” Seeming more like a stampede of rabid animals than a group of fans, the fangirls quickly found themselves under the scrutiny of the hospital staff — not that they cared, though. “Where is he?” one of the louder ones was demanding, jutting her head forward to get into the nurse’s face. “We know he’s here somewhere!”
Aedre rose from her seat, sliding her laptop into her bag and walking over to the other counter. Clearly this “Detective Hammer” person was a notable figure, and “Rheese Laudat” most likely was too. “Excuse me,” Aedre said, getting the nurse’s attention, “I’m here to see a Rheese Laudat? I believe my friend is currently in the room with him and Detective Hammer.”
The nurse gave the blonde girl a skeptical look. “Really,” she asked, eyes flicking briefly to the group of fangirls at the next counter down. “You sure you aren’t just trying to get in to get the detective’s signature or something?”
Aedre pulled a face but put on a bright smile. “All right, you got me,” she said with a small laugh. “Have a good day,” she told the nurse. Turning away from the counter, Aedre was about to head towards the exit when a passing girl stopped her, telling her that Rheese was being questioned in room 321. “Thanks for the information!” she shouted after the stranger, turning and heading into the hospital with at a brisk pace that said she knew where she was headed — even if she really had no idea.
The hallway was a bustle of activity as nurses hurried patients from room to room and interns hurriedly checked in with their assignments, clipboards in hand as they popped a head into their rooms. The numbers on the wall designating the hallway numbers seemed to be increasing in increments of fifty per row, and Aedre passed a few interesting doors like the double-doors to the cafeteria or the single that allowed for emergency exits out the side of the hospital.
Here we are: the 300 wing, Aedre thought, turning into the hallway that smelled strongly of sanitation: ethanol, isopropanol, and various chemicals that Aedre was familiar with from working in labs. A crew of cameramen was headed by a gruff-looking man in a trenchcoat with a scowl on his face as if he’d just been forced to eat something bitter. What happened to him? Aedre wondered idly as she passed, but the group of fangirls drew her attention away from the camera crew. Detective Hammer? Aedre wondered, eyes staring at the two mismatched groups behind her. She was so caught up in what she’d just seen that Aedre almost crashed into a girl who was exiting a room.
“Oop, sorry!” Aedre said, sidestepping the girl at the last moment and barely dodging the collision. It took a second for it to register that the girl she’d almost crashed into was in fact the brunette she’d followed into the hospital earlier. Room 302, Aedre read, a small smile on her lips as she realized that she’d found the place. Now, to see the infamous “Rheese Laudat.”
Two boys exited the room from behind the girl, one whose midsection was wrapped in bandages and both looking rather irritated. The injured boy was asking about a way to get out of the hospital without coming into contact with the “crowd.” Considering their location, Aedre made a brief assumption and decided to roll with it. “Hi — Rheese Laudat, right?” Aedre asked, a big smile on her face as she spoke to the . “My name is Aedre Charbonnet, and I was wandering around town when I heard the commotion from all your fangirls waiting up front. There’s an emergency exit at the end of the hallway — towards the left.”
Something seemed a little off with what her mother said, for one she knew for a fact that the man she called manager wouldn’t be as smart as to come up with something like this. Just when she was about to interject with another question her friends began to introduce themselves muting her point as her mother gave her another bone crushing hug. Hollow shook her daughter with excitement with a loud, happy squeal all the extra momentum shook her poke balls from her waist causing them to fall to the ground releasing both Nellz and Lupin.
“I’m so proud of you actually making friends!” she said, looking over at the flying puffball that was hovering around her with a very confused look until Buneary seemed to explain the situation
“Lu..Lupin run……” Nyxx tried to say before she tapped out being instantly dropped back to the seat causing her mom to go for the little flying type rubbing her cheek against it, while Buneary hid in its own poke ball.
“And you caught another Pokémon~!” Hollow shouted in a whimsical voice soon letting the thieving bird go then taking a seat next to her daughter who was knocked out for the moment. “I’d introduce myself, but it seems I’m already quite known around here, ” she laughs slightly being completely sure no one in the region would have heard of her, on one hand the event will be at least popular one the other it would make it annoying for her to investigate this team noble.
“All the same it’s nice to see my daughter having the get up and go to make friends, ” she admitted as she leaned back, letting Nyxx fall on her lap like a lifeless rag doll “And hello to you too Roadrunner” she smiled sweetly to the Torchic nestled in its trainer’s lap. “And as for you when you combine moves, remember opposites attract and there’s a different personality for every element” She explained to Amber, it was more cryptic than it needed to be but the message would get across sooner or later.
All the commotion she caused attracted attention to the little group and it wasn’t long before she was signing autographs for trainers and coordinators alike. She handed out the little fliers she had to promote her contest event sighing with a smile she appreciated the attention, but she honestly wanted to be a nobody here to actually do some work. It was till around here that Hollow noticed another girl who had come into the center looking a complete mess as if she had her own trials and tribulations
"Oh dear girl you look like old scratch himself come here and lets get you cleaned up!" she said rushing over to Solanna, this random girl that shes never met before now.
