With there being little else to do and none of the others seeming particularly intent on pursuing any other conversation en route, Richard simply chose to follow after Camila with the others. The city's sights didn't pull his attention any which way, which was probably for the best; his funds were a bit tight and would continue to be as such until he got his first paycheck... Or until he could get into a good enough position to start battling with reasonable confidence. Whichever came first, really.
Once the group arrived, though, Richard silently took note of the other group of people who also seemed to be arriving at the same time. Given their general appearance, it seemed like that it would be reasonable to assume that they were here for much the same reason they were; the following explanation that he managed to overhear made that less of a guess and more of a statement. Either way, the number of people was rather notable—and the group of people who seemed to be waiting in reception for much of the same reason only served to add to their number. Twelve in all, himself included—in other words, it was inevitable that at least some of them would be journeying together in the near future.
Though some part of him wanted to move and plainly introduce himself, one person from the other group took the chance to make himself the center of attention (and rather flashily, too). Though the reception area was by no means cramped, seeing someone choose to sit on the table rather than at didn't quite sit right with him—not that he was particularly inclined to call them out for it, though. With his luggage still firmly in his grasp, Richard simply moved towards the other group and flagged down their attention—however briefly—with a wave instead.
"I suppose we're apt to be coworkers—er, co-assistants?—from here on out. Name's Richard Evans; it's a pleasure to meet you," he said, unable to really dodge a more formal introduction given the current atmosphere. The overbearingly casual nature of the one person who had chosen to accost the other three people who were waiting was a bit too much for his tastes, and making a first impression like this seemed less likely to backfire than...
With both his backpack and luggage double-checked to make sure nothing had somehow left his person (mild paranoia about petty thievery was a valid concern when this out of place, after all), Richard simply made his way over to the assistant whose sign was waving about in the air. The appearance of the ship's captain to follow after them to hand something off to said assistant was mildly unexpected, of course, but as the other apparent assistants-to-be congregated around the sign, Richard simply chose to take note of the others who would be his co-workers in the near future.
The girl who had initially approached him—Isla, if he had heard her correctly—seemed to remain mostly silent on the way over. In that regard, it was hard to get a gauge on her character beyond maybe being a little soft-spoken. More concerning, though, was the girl who had interjected earlier. Her name half-lingered inside his head; Jane or Jill or something of the sort. More notable that the Trainer herself was the Aipom she had with her; it seemed fairly lackadaisical in nature (as one might have expected), but the fact that she was okay with it hanging out outside of a Pokeball meant that she either had built a great rapport with the creature or that she might have been too carefree as a Trainer.
Hopefully it would be the former, else it would probably be prudent to take a different route from the ninja-apparent when everyone inevitably split up to take their own paths around the region.
And then there was the last guy, the one who had somehow slipped into the group without so much as a whisper. Something about him seemed oddly familiar, but to what end Richard himself couldn't quite put his finger on at the moment. Not that he particularly wished to interrupt someone lost in their own thoughts right now, else they respond unfavorably, but at least his presence would be acknowledged... Or something of the sort.
But rather than waffling about trying to start up some more small talk, the assistant—after being handed an odd package by the captain—swiftly made the executive decision to lead them away. Probably for the best, all things considered; Richard was more than ready to see what Professor Camphor had planned for the near future, even if it probably just boiled down to "give everyone who didn't already have a partner one and throw them off into the world, guidance be damned."
Lingering by the docks as a majority of the other passengers left made Richard stand out like a sore thumb, but at this point the best he could do to not look like a Magikarp out of water was to simply look relaxed as he slowly scanned over the people present. There didn't seem to be anything immediately eye-catching quite yet—any sort of sign that the Professor had indeed sent someone out to grab them who wasn't being held up for some reason or another—but it was more than likely that had to do with the still-moving wave of people leaving the area to begin with. In the meantime, though, he could spend what time he had now taking in the sights from the pier; it certainly had a different atmosphere from those back in Castelia, at least.
It was at this point, though, that the young man found himself approached by someone who seemed to be just a bit more apparently out-of-their-depth than he was. Context and assumptions, at least, made figuring out that she was probably not the assistant he was to look out for simple enough. Better that than looking like a fool asking if she was the one waiting for them, at least—that'd have been more than awkward. Before he could even think of replying, though, another young lady—this one dressed notably more eccentrically than the rest of the crowd—interjected, introducing herself before he even had a chance to speak his piece.
Rude.
"Sir's a bit formal, but yeah, I am," he replied to the first, giving the girl a half-wave after turning to face the two proper. "Name's Richard Evans. I presume you've two've also been pulled from overseas?"
As he spoke, though, the crowd seemed to have dissipated enough to allow for someone with a sign to make it through—that, at least, was eye-catching enough. The sign itself looked a bit hastily put together, even from a distance, but the words on it—and those that reached his ears from the one holding it—made it clear that she was the assistant they were to find upon arriving.
"We can continue talking as we walk. Let's not keep anyone waiting," he followed, gesturing briefly in the direction of the sign waving in the air before starting to move. "I'm getting a bit tired of smelling nothing but saltwater, anyhow."
As it began to soar away from the two enemies in it's sights, the avian Warped soon found itself having to contend with one more issue. As it turned out, the target it had assumed was grounded had some way to meet with it in the air. That alone would have been enough cause for it to have to recalculate the method by which it went about it's assault, but the speed at which she was approaching meant that there was little proper recourse to be had.
Though it had ascended three quarters of the way back up into the sky from where it had been brought low initially, having an unexpected variable close the distance between it and the ground—much less landing a proper hit to it—meant that there was little else the Warped could do but try and mitigate the damage. If the enemy was moving in a straight line, then all it could do was try and turn so that the blow would maybe clip it's wings at best.
All the while, of course, it attempted to swerve about to try and return fire with a laser blast of it's own. The beam that had been charging was not yet at full power, granted, but given the rapid approach of the other more aerially-inclined enemy, the only goal it had now was to deal as much damage as it could before what looked to be an inevitable death.
In spite of the losses they had incurred, the weasel-form Warped seemed to be less agitated than expected—apparent inherent responses to pain aside, at least. Their injuries were by no means insignificant; losing a chunk of face was one thing, but an entire arm was another. The one unfortunate enough to have lost the latter quickly let out an odd cry—something between a screech and a howl—before attempting to retreat. The other seemed to move in turn, acting to bar the path so that it's companion, injured as it was, could move away from the battlefield.
Given the general logic by which the Warped seemed to operate on, though, that would have been rather strange. Any attempts at pursuit, though, would be met with fierce resistance from the sole Warped in front of Rozaliya. Now that it had been given a chance to be made aware of what her abilities were, the monster seemed to be attempting to leverage the distance between it and her. If it could not properly meet her in a head-on clash, then it only made sense to slash and stab at a range beyond hers before retreating to safety. If she chose to break away in pursuit of it's partner, though, it would be a simple enough matter to cleave at an exposed back to force attention back on itself (if not something notably more lethal).
"Mmm... I suppose that logic would have me lean in favor of the Annihilape, but playing right into Dhelmise's strengths like that... Maybe he would've done better if he tried to leverage some more support moves and setup rather than focus wholly on attacks? No, wait, Giga Drain might throw a wrench in things here... But I think that Annihilape should be able to get angry enough for a good Rage Fist to work if it tries to weather the storm, right...?"
Compared to many of the other spectators on board the ship, the young brown-haired man seemed to be less caught up in the spectacle of the match and more focused on the actions that led to the challenger's defeat. Even if this wasn't exactly a proper Gym battle, a brief glimpse at what the Gym leader—the ship's captain—could do was information he would gladly shelve away for a future challenge.
With a sigh and shake of his head, Richard Evans simply shrugged his shoulders as the Rotom Phone he was taking notes on promptly flew back into his pocket. That was a problem he'd have to tackle in the future—one that was, all things considered, quite close at hand. Though he would have much preferred going through the Unova League on his own terms, the Trainer-to-be had since rationalized the whole "being shipped off to another region by his mother" issue as a way of dodging any sort of comparisons on his journey through a League.
That didn't exactly resolve the issues that he had already—namely, his own habit of reacting to battles as a knowledgable spectator rather than as a trainer proper—but hopefully that habit of armchair analysis would smooth over as time went on.
At least he was aware of it, if anything.
Once the announcement to prepare for landing had arrived, the young man nodded before promptly heading back towards his room. The few weeks he had spent riding on this ship had been pleasant, what with all the stops at major cities the world over, but at the end of the day he was still here to do a job... Even if it was only because of his mother's connections.
Living up to those expectations was why he was here, for better or worse.
After packing what remained around his room into his luggage (which was composed mostly of clothing and souvenirs to ship back home when the time came around), Richard spent the last of his time on board lying on his bed trying to figure out what route he would take to visit all of the Gyms in the region. Doubling back multiple times over did not seem like a great way to spend the next few weeks, and that'd probably make him look like a fool at the end of the day.
Once the SS Calliope had finally docked at port and the tourists began to shuffle off board, Richard quietly merged into the crowd with his goods in tow. All that remained to be done now was to meet up with the others the Professor had brought from overseas and be led to the lab; hopefully, that assistant in question was already waiting for them at the dock so that they (read: he) wouldn't be left stranded in the middle of the city with little more than the clothes on his back.
Appearance: Though he stands at a little over 6 feet (184cm) tall, Richard doesn't have the sort of natural gravitas to make him stand out. He is somewhat lean— but neither lanky nor athletic—and coupled with a rather unassuming visage and choice of clothing (preferring function over form) the young man is able to blend into the faceless crowds of the city without any issues.
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Personality: Despite his somewhat introverted tendencies, Richard is quite passionate about Pokémon battles and Pokémon in general—which, given the fact that he has never had one of his own up until this point, is quite ironic. There is a constant desire (if even subconsciously) to prove himself—that he is not just the son of his mother, but that he is a good Trainer in his own right. Though he harbors a great deal of respect for her, the burden that his mother's popularity carries has affected him throughout his adolescence.
Unburdened by expectations in a different region as he is now, though, Richard is at least a bit more outgoing and plenty more adventurous. Behind the inherent curiosity of exploring a new region and a desire to chase his dreams, though, lies a core desire to be more than what people expect of him—to surpass those notions that he is simply his mother's child, and that he is someone who won't simply end up being known as "what could have been".
Hometown: Castelia City, Unova
Background: Born as the child of a professional Johtonian Trainer and Unovan businessman, Richard grew up surrounded by Pokémon in a way that most others seldom did. While most children would watch grand tournaments on their televisions at home, he would be watching his mother on stage, battling challengers with Pokémon he knew very well. The tense atmosphere thrumming with excitement lit a fire in the young Richard's heart, and seeing both the highs and lows of what battles on that grand stage could bring (even if it wasn't someone he knew standing victorious at the end) only served to make that flame burn ever brighter.
Those desires brought with them troubles in equal measure, though. Being known as the child of someone so popular drew the jealousy of other children (as would be expected of children at that age), and though he had come to make friends over the course of his schooling, there was always a sense of shallowness to it all that even he could pick up on. That sense of being "somewhere between acquaintances and friends" only deepened as the years went by and those around him began to move on—and in response, Richard chose to double down on the unshakable pillar in his life that was battling.
But while his peers dove into their journeys headfirst, Richard remained a spectator to everything. He wanted to be "ready" to take on the challenge—to make himself as well-prepared as possible to make his first run the best that it could be. All the while, of course, his parents were left well-aware of the spiral he was falling into. Rather than let him spin his wheels in perpetuity, though, his mother made the executive decision to contact an old acquaintance and ship him off to the Eidda region to work as an assistant. He could take on the Gym challenge there instead of in Unova, with proper experience on his own two feet rather than following the path he had so painstakingly charted out in his head.
After all, what was a journey without any sort of excitement to it?
Kind of Pokémon you like: Richard's general priorities lean towards building a cohesive team more than they are towards any specific type of Pokémon. In his head, the ideal team should have it's members emphasize each others' strengths and cover for their weaknesses; that being said, there is always a small bias of cost-return effectiveness at play in his head. While he will invest time and energy into raising Pokémon regardless of their origins, new members of his team generally have to catch his eye or otherwise fill some still-empty role in order for him to go out of his way and actively pursue them. If their goals align, though, then all the better.
Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: More than anything else, Richard desires to become a professional Pokémon trainer—a goal spurred on by his constant exposure to the scene due to his mother's prominence in the Unova region. Years of being exposed to battles at the highest level coupled with impromptu lessons have led him to gain an eye for battle analysis, but a majority of that is theory with no practical experience behind it. In terms of less Pokémon-related talents, though, Richard is a fairly decent home cook (mainly due to his father working a 9-to-5 and mother constantly traveling). Eating out in Castelia City is expensive, after all.
Items: 1x Potion.
Pokédollars: 2500p.
Species: Snivy
Appearance: Nothing that sets it apart from others at the moment.
Level: 10
Gender: Female
Type: Grass
Ability: Contrary
Moves:
Tackle
Leer
Glare
Vine Whip
Wrap
Personality and Nature: Nature: Timid Luna's oddly shy for a Snivy, and seems to much prefer not taking the spotlight if she can help it. There is a distinct lack of confidence and self-assuredness that many other Snivy (and their evolutions) seem to have, which in turn seems to have ultimately stifled any ability to grow in the wild due to her tendency to flee from any problems before they actually become problems. Whether or not that will become a major issue in her future remains to be seen.
Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Nothing of note that isn't already mentioned in the prior section.
Held Item: Soothe Bell
Species: Nacli
Appearance: Nothing that sets it apart from others at the moment.
Level: 8
Gender: Female
Type: Rock
Ability: Purifying Salt
Moves:
Tackle
Harden
Rock Throw
Mud Shot
Personality and Nature: Nature: Careful Sara is "careful" in the same sense that some people are "careful" about how to pick their fights. If it was up to her, situations would be decided slowly and methodically—a mentality that is coincidentally well-aligned with Richard's own. In a sense, she is in many ways Luna's opposite, preferring to slowly and steadily close situations out rather than flee or blitz an opponent down. ...Not like she could really do either of the latter by dint of what she is, but that is neither here nor there.
Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Nothing of note that isn't already mentioned in the prior section.
Appearance: Though he stands at a little over 6 feet (184cm) tall, Richard doesn't have the sort of natural gravitas to make him stand out. He is somewhat lean— but neither lanky nor athletic—and coupled with a rather unassuming visage and choice of clothing (preferring function over form) the young man is able to blend into the faceless crowds of the city without any issues.
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Personality: Despite his somewhat introverted tendencies, Richard is quite passionate about Pokémon battles and Pokémon in general—which, given the fact that he has never had one of his own up until this point, is quite ironic. There is a constant desire (if even subconsciously) to prove himself—that he is not just the son of his mother, but that he is a good Trainer in his own right. Though he harbors a great deal of respect for her, the burden that his mother's popularity carries has affected him throughout his adolescence.
Unburdened by expectations in a different region as he is now, though, Richard is at least a bit more outgoing and plenty more adventurous. Behind the inherent curiosity of exploring a new region and a desire to chase his dreams, though, lies a core desire to be more than what people expect of him—to surpass those notions that he is simply his mother's child, and that he is someone who won't simply end up being known as "what could have been".
Hometown: Castelia City, Unova
Background: Born as the child of a professional Johtonian Trainer and Unovan businessman, Richard grew up surrounded by Pokémon in a way that most others seldom did. While most children would watch grand tournaments on their televisions at home, he would be watching his mother on stage, battling challengers with Pokémon he knew very well. The tense atmosphere thrumming with excitement lit a fire in the young Richard's heart, and seeing both the highs and lows of what battles on that grand stage could bring (even if it wasn't someone he knew standing victorious at the end) only served to make that flame burn ever brighter.
Those desires brought with them troubles in equal measure, though. Being known as the child of someone so popular drew the jealousy of other children (as would be expected of children at that age), and though he had come to make friends over the course of his schooling, there was always a sense of shallowness to it all that even he could pick up on. That sense of being "somewhere between acquaintances and friends" only deepened as the years went by and those around him began to move on—and in response, Richard chose to double down on the unshakable pillar in his life that was battling.
But while his peers dove into their journeys headfirst, Richard remained a spectator to everything. He wanted to be "ready" to take on the challenge—to make himself as well-prepared as possible to make his first run the best that it could be. All the while, of course, his parents were left well-aware of the spiral he was falling into. Rather than let him spin his wheels in perpetuity, though, his mother made the executive decision to contact an old acquaintance and ship him off to the Eidda region to work as an assistant. He could take on the Gym challenge there instead of in Unova, with proper experience on his own two feet rather than following the path he had so painstakingly charted out in his head.
After all, what was a journey without any sort of excitement to it?
Kind of Pokémon you like: Richard's general priorities lean towards building a cohesive team more than they are towards any specific type of Pokémon. In his head, the ideal team should have it's members emphasize each others' strengths and cover for their weaknesses; that being said, there is always a small bias of cost-return effectiveness at play in his head. While he will invest time and energy into raising Pokémon regardless of their origins, new members of his team generally have to catch his eye or otherwise fill some still-empty role in order for him to go out of his way and actively pursue them. If their goals align, though, then all the better.
Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: More than anything else, Richard desires to become a professional Pokémon trainer—a goal spurred on by his constant exposure to the scene due to his mother's prominence in the Unova region. Years of being exposed to battles at the highest level coupled with impromptu lessons have led him to gain an eye for battle analysis, but a majority of that is theory with no practical experience behind it. In terms of less Pokémon-related talents, though, Richard is a fairly decent home cook (mainly due to his father working a 9-to-5 and mother constantly traveling). Eating out in Castelia City is expensive, after all.
Items: 1x Potion.
Pokédollars: 1000p.
Species: Snivy
Appearance: Nothing that sets it apart from others at the moment.
Level: 5
Gender: Female
Type: Grass
Ability: Contrary
Moves:
Tackle
Leer
Glare
Personality and Nature: Nature: Timid Luna's oddly shy for a Snivy, and seems to much prefer not taking the spotlight if she can help it. There is a distinct lack of confidence and self-assuredness that many other Snivy (and their evolutions) seem to have, which in turn seems to have ultimately stifled any ability to grow in the wild due to her tendency to flee from any problems before they actually become problems. Whether or not that will become a major issue in her future remains to be seen.
Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: Nothing of note that isn't already mentioned in the prior section.
It was only by the slimmest of margins that Elise could pivot away from the projectiles aimed towards her body. Thankfully, the source of the hostile attack had seen fit to aim towards her rather than the soldiers who had kept their weapons trained straight ahead. It was a small solace, but that meant that her attention would have to be focused towards the most direct threat to her safety before resuming any efforts in supporting the JSDF personnel fighting for their lives below.
With that said, though, it quickly became apparent from Rune's message to her that the Frame Pilots were their priority. It was a battle of the specialists against the specialists, then—not something that the young woman had any particular qualms about, but troublesome all the same.
"One moment, please," she remarked, quickly checking to see if anything had clipped her or not, "Need to stabilize before I try anything."
Swiftly reorienting herself towards where the projectiles had originated from, Elise brought her rifle back up to eye-level and took aim. The presence of five of the creatures was not particularly pleasing to the eye, but at the very least their heads seemed obvious enough as targets to fire at. Once one of them was dead center of her scope, Elise pulled the trigger and fired.
Unfortunately, though, the normal bullet seemed to not pierce through the target as it had the larger oni-esque Warped earlier. There was damage, certainly, but nothing anywhere close to lethal quite yet.
"...Damn. Sorry in advance, but you'll probably need to keep them occupied for a while. I need to use high-power rounds for these things, and those heads are small enough targets as-is without having to keep aim," Elise followed, the barrel of her gun beginning to glow as she prepared to finish off the one she had already damaged.
@SaltSight Though it had missed it's initial target, the airborne Warped seemed to have no reason to stop in it's attack upon the Pilots below. There was no way to ascertain it's thoughts (assuming it was even capable of such things)—only that it began to turn around to fire another blast towards the ground below.
What it did not seem to expect, though, was one of the Pilots below disappearing while it was turning. Their position would be revealed soon enough, though, as a direct from above swiftly sent the Warped off balance and spiraling—if only for a moment—towards the ground. Now aware of the threat from above, the birdlike monster seemed to accelerate for a moment, diving towards the ground briefly before shooting back up towards the sky. Again, it's head seemed to reopen, and the unearthly thrum of another laser preparing to be fired towards the new greatest threat here.
There was only one enemy that could meet it in the sky, it seemed, and once that was resolved it could continue scorching the ground below without pause.
@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR Despite it's initial surprise attack failing, the Warped seemed to be rather unbothered by the whole affair—or, well, as unbothered as a monster that had no apparent emotions could be. Even seeing that it's prey had managed to land an attack back on it seemed to leave it unfazed as it began to stalk around it's target in silence, slowly circling it as their eyes remained locked onto one another.
So long as the Pilot's focus was wholly dedicated towards the Warped in front of it, though, the shadow of another in the shadows could easily be missed.
Eventually, though, the monster pounced to the side before catapulting off the broken wall of a nearby house to strike once more. This time, though, the howling of a gale piercing through the air behind Rozaliya made clear that this was not a creature that simply hunted alone.
"An angel? I wouldn't go that far," the young woman responded offhandedly towards her companion before readying her own weapon of choice—a sniper rifle that seemed just as futuristic as the rest of her Chi-Mechframe. As the other soldiers began firing into the oncoming waves of Warped, Elise steadily raised her firearm up to eye level and began to scan the battlefield. A few holographic visuals popped up in front of her face as she took a deep breath, and the Pilot soon focused her attention on a cluster of larger Warped approaching the nearest barricades.
There was a brief pause as the tip of the barrel glowed, but the flash of light that shot forth seemed more akin to a laser beam than a bullet. One look at the young woman's target would only confirm that such a thought was much closer to reality than not; though it's head had remained largely intact, the hole burned clean through it meant that it truly was no more than a standing corpse now. Even then, the Warped could only remain standing for so much onlyer without any sort of brain to continue functioning, and after a few seconds what remained of the creature toppled to the ground.
Despite the firepower that she held in her hands, though, there was one issue with Elise's ability to contribute to the fight at large—namely, the speed at which she could push through the oncoming horde. All she could do in the end was make sure that every shot mattered, and prioritizing where to aim to begin with—especially in an open battlefield like this—was far from easy.
Hopefully the other Pilots would call if they needed backup.
@SaltSight Despite the efficiency by which the Warped were being dispatched, the horde showed no signs of thinning. Given what they were, such an outcome should have been expected to some extent. This was more a marathon than a sprint, and expecting things to be so simple would have been more naivete than wishful thinking.
Even so, the corpses of Warped strewn about the ground made clear that the capabilities of Frame Pilots were well beyond those of ordinary soldiers, and that their presence here on the battlefield meant hundreds more soldiers could live to see another day.
But if all of the Warped that roamed these wastes were as strong (or as weak) as those here now, would humanity not have taken back what was once theirs sooner?
A ear-splitting screech erupted from the skies near Jennifer, and turning towards the source in the skies above would reveal the cause—a massive avian-esque Warped, sailing through the skies above. The 'head' of the monster had since parted, opening and twisting into a gaping maw from which an ominous red-black light could barely be made out.
Then, the ground was ablaze. The light as it had been quickly turned into a laser that swept across the ground, carving through asphalt and rock alike as it left the ground scarred. It mattered not that the Warped's "kin" tread where it struck. So long as there was "something" that tried to fight back, it only made sense to keep attempting to fire away until the threat was gone.
At the same time, something far swifter had drawn close to Rozaliya. It would be subtle at first—a blur in the distance here, the feeling of 'being watched' there—but as more of the nearby Warped were executed, those signs would begin to increase in frequency.
At some point, it was very clear that the Pilot was being hunted down by something. Once the Warped that had been tracking her realized that it's presence was known, though, the tactics it employed would swiftly change to match. Rather than lurk in the shadows, the quadrupedal, weasel-like Warped—whose size was comparable to that of a small truck—began to close the distance with alarming agility that seemed unlikely for something of it's size. Bounding about from wall to rooftop to wall, the beast eventually chose to close the distance and attempt to pounce upon the prey that was within it's sight. From it's forearms, a pair of blade-like appendages seemed to snap out and into place and aimed right for the Pilot's neck.
Member
Zapdos
Snowdrops
Izurich
Raineh Daze
The Otter
Danyel
DracoLunaris
Enzayne