LuckyBlackCat

Be my Sanctuary

Still here! Had a massive slump lately, real life and mental health stuff, but am getting through it and doing much better.

Be my Sanctuary

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Jess removed the gloves, rubbing each hand in turn. Despite the stinging in her reddened knuckles, she responded to Roxy's words with a chuckle. "Yeah. I mean, you really know how to teach it a lesson, so thanks for showing me." Aware of Roxy's self-doubt, she kept up the attempt to lighten the mood and bolster the anchor's confidence. In different ways, they were both learning, and supporting each other.

"Uh so..." She thought over the weekend's swimming session, how it had helped Roxy work off pent-up stress and anger. "I know it isn't much, but after work, want to look into sports or exercise groups?" A public swimming pool probably wouldn't be a good idea, as she doubted Roxy would be comfortable in swimwear around several people, but there had to be some activity that would help both of them relax. She'd be happy to look up local options later. "Anything in particular you want to try?"

Pokemon Spiral

Sophia Danvers and Rheese Laudat

Vareena Gym

Standing up, Sophia took a few deep breaths to calm her thoughts. She could only hope the Leppa berry had replenished her abilities enough to do this. "Ok, here goes..." She placed her fingertips on Rheese's forehead and closed her eyes, scanning with her power just as she had before Saki's arrival.

Sensing that bizarre energy once again, she flinched, but maintained her focus despite the ever-growing strain. She still had no idea what this was, which didn't help any, yet it was worth trying. Even as her hand started trembling, she imagined the fog clearing from Rheese's mind.

The effect stayed put.

She huffed and redoubled her efforts. Still no result, except a worsening headache, and...

Rheese felt an overwhelming dizziness as something in his head seemed to react to the intrusion. Words that seemed distant and yet familiar came back to him.

"Help....don't blame....sorry...can't stop...trying...please...help us...remember..." It was slightly clearer than when he had dreamed it...yet not quite clear enough to decypher anything important. That face from his dream returned as well, pleading with those unfathomable eyes. A few flashes of memories of a sterile room and a rather official looking woman, yet her face and the insignia on her coat were strangely obscured. Parts of Rheese's conversation with the woman appeared in his head, mentions of mew, shadow Pokemon, and the lake trio...but with no real context.

Sophia gasped as faint words echoed in her head. Some trace of a psychic message? A disjointed but desperate one, accompanied by flashes of images. A white room. A woman, features blurred, but the insignia on her coat clear. A face, grey and yellow, unreadable closed eyes, a red gem...

Before Sophia could make sense of the cry for help, the voice and images faded as the migraine spiked to unbearable levels. Her fingers slipped from Rheese's head, and her knees struck the floor. "Help... don't blame... sorry..." The words slid out as she panted. She opened her eyes, jolting back to the present as if waking from a dream, and clamped her hand to her mouth. What if Rheese had another episode from what she'd said? Or from anything traumatic she might have brought to the surface? "Crap, I'm sorry!" This time, the sentiment expressed was her own. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

A tiny form pressed against her side, hugging her with stubby arms. Sophia stopped babbling apologies and patted Lacey's head. "I-I'm ok, but..." She looked up at Rheese. "Are you?"

Rheese sat still for a few more moments, his eyes still fogged and entranced almost like he was still sleeping. He suddenly shook himself free to see Sophia apologizing...but he wasn't exactly sure why. Had she already tried to help him? He only remembered closing his eyes for a moment. "I think I'm fine...Did you find anything? Or, wait sorry...I guess if it isn't fixed I probably shouldn't ask, huh?" Rheese scratched his head, confused and a bit aggrivated by the situation. "Well, I don't think I'm any worse off. I'm sorry for asking you to push yourself like that, it was...it was a bit selfish."

The pokeball on his lap opened up and released a rather complacent bounsweet that just kind of hung out on his lap for a moment. Rheese flinched when he realized this was his new pokemon...and it wasn't attacking him? That was pretty backwards, but definitely welcome. "Anyways, I guess we'll just ask Ray the next time we run into him. Failing that I guess there's the tech solution. I could probably go on and head towards Qualeen on my own so you guys don't have to derail anything." Rheese said trying to sound upbeat for Sophia's sake.

Sophia gave a sigh of relief. Even if her attempt had failed - not that she'd had high hopes of success anyway - at least it hadn't triggered that reaction again. "Look, don't you be so harsh on yourself." Hugging Lacey, she gave Rheese a strained smile. "Heh, I'm the one who offered." She kept quiet about what she'd seen and heard. That face... She was sure it fit a description she knew, but where from? Before she had time to think about it, the inevitable fussing from a certain overbearing researcher began.

"Oh good, you're alright!" Amber rummaged through her bag again, her wide eyes on Rheese. "You are, aren't you? You zoned out for a moment there. Sophia, how about you? Here, both of you, help yourselves to these." She practically thrust several snack bars at Rheese and Sophia. "They say sugar's bad and all, but a little can be good for shock and stress. Everything in moderation, huh?"

This wasn't exactly moderation, Sophia thought as she accepted the copious amount of snacks, but the gesture was kind if overwhelming. The sort of kindness she'd done nothing to deserve. "Thanks, but geez I meant it earlier, I'm all good," she insisted.

Somebody else seemed willing to lift the mood - a cute little Bounsweet, popping out of her Pokeball and calmly sitting on Rheese's lap. And not attacking him. That was a first for any Pokemon on his team. Breathing in the soothing scent the grass type gave off, Sophia listened to Rheese's surprisingly upbeat words. "Ehh I've gotta say, Amber has a point about sticking together," she replied. "If it comes to that, we'll go with you."

Pokemon Spiral

Vareena Town

@Heckno12 @OtomostheCrazy @Zanavy @fer1323 @Crimson Flame

At Rheese's reaction, Sophia's relief soured to horror. "What...? Rheese, what's happening?" If he heard her, he didn't show it, one hand clamped to his head and the other to his mouth. It was only the fragrance billowing through the room that eased the effect.

Listening to Saki's explanation, Sophia clenched her hands into fists. When the gym leader had warned of amnesia, she hadn't expected anything like this. At the mention of a psychic having helped one of the afflicted, however, her eyes widened. "I have a good guess who that is." She grimaced, shifting her attention back to Rheese. "I know Ray's one of the last people you want to deal with, but however insufferable that guy is, we've gotta admit he's been some help."

Which still left the issue that, for all she knew, he could be at the other end of the region. And aside from her bond with a select few people, her telepathic range was frustratingly limited. If he was close by enough to contact, she'd probably have picked up on that considerable presence. She closed her eyes, trying to get through to him anyway, but to no avail. Even with the Leppa berry starting to ease the wooziness, she groaned and gripped the side of the sofa, prompting Lacey to squeak in alarm.

As chatter and coos over a Pokemon grew louder, Sophia turned and gasped. "Oscar! You're alright!" With her guard down, the words burst out before she could bite them back. She couldn't disguise her awestruck stare at Skoll's new evolved form either. Oscar had gone and evolved another Pokemon, outdoing her once again, but right now that didn't matter.

"Dammit, don't you worry us like that again!" Sure, Oscar had at least had the sense to travel with someone else, but still! There was a very, very good reason to travel in groups. "And about what happened... Don't ask. Seriously, don't ask Rheese anything, he won't respond well. Instead, he could probably use some Skoll therapy right now." She wasn't going to admit it outright, but the sight of the huge, irresistibly fluffy dog was pretty comforting - aside from the fact that said dog was a fire type in a room full of flowers, of course. At least the dancing Ludicolo could deal with any mishaps.

Aware that she'd stared in adoration at Skoll a little too long - enough for Oscar to notice - she turned back to Rheese. "If you want... I can try." While there was no way she could match Ray's level of skill, she'd help in any way possible.

Notes

Pokemon Party: Gothita "Lacey" lv15, Purrloin "Grimalkin" lv13, Staryu "Arcturus" lv14, Darumaka "Lumas" lv11, Shuppet "Fantoccino" lv12, Bronzor "Clarus" lv12
Pokemon in PC:
Inventory: Pokeball x1, TM33 (Reflect), Oran Berry x2

Vareena Town

@Heckno12 @OtomostheCrazy @Zanavy @fer1323 @Crimson Flame

This time, startled at Rheese's episode, Amber did spill tea on the floor. "Rheese! Listen, listen to our voices, and try to breathe." She kept her tone calm and even as she used the tissues to mop up the spillage. Looking up as Saki let on the details she'd missed out, Amber tightened her lips, but resisted frowning. Horrific as this was, Rheese needed positivity from his friends. She had to trust Saki that there were ways to fix this, but to what extent?

Masking any doubts, she nodded. "There has to be some way." She put on a shaky smile. "Hey, once you're up for it, how about we all take a look around this place, as a distraction? As long as we stick together, that is... Probably best that we all get each other's contact details."

She took out her Pokenav, noticing a new message. Her first thought being Coral or her parents with more questions, her heart lurched, but the text was from Rachel. A quick check revealed even more cause for concern - the ghost cave, as she'd suspected, wasn't something the public was meant to know about. Exciting as a major discovery was, it was equally worrying to think such knowledge could fall into the wrong hands. Especially with Team Noble's activity on the rise, as the group, Rheese in particular, was all too aware.

Well, most of the group anyway. Amber looked up from her Pokenav as a bewildered-looking newcomer stammered an apology, his Rockruff nuzzling Ty's leg. Meanwhile, Oscar had thankfully returned, with a new friend and a fully grown Skoll in tow. "Hey! Wow, Arcanines really are even more impressive in the flesh." The pictures she'd seen couldn't convey this Pokemon's majesty. Amber's smile widened as she sent out Kyra, who sniffed at Rocky and Skoll, and gave a few friendly yaps. "The more dogs, the better." She faced Oscar, her expression turning serious. "But yes, I'll admit we were a little worried. All things considered, it's best to keep together, or at least be able to contact each other. As for all this, I'll explain later... The main thing is, Rheese isn't hurt, at least not physically."

Until some sense had been made of the chaos, and everyone could be sure Rheese would be ok, replying to Rachel's message would have to wait. Even so, a thought occurred to Amber - Rachel was the intellectual type, and considering her travels, likely knew Qualeen pretty well. Did she know of any technology that could help? Or, did she know where Ray was?

Notes

Pokemon Party: Kabuto "Chalcedony" lv11, Yanma "Aeshna" lv10, Rockruff "Kyra" lv13, Rowlet "Tacita" lv12, Anorith "Larimar" lv13, Sableye "Almandine" lv12
Pokemon in PC:
Inventory: Pokeball x1, Potion x1, Dusk Ball x1

Pokemon Spiral

It's ok, it happens, I hope it's all manageable though and best of luck with future RPs!

Pokemon Spiral

Vareena Town

@Heckno12 @OtomostheCrazy @Zanavy

Reluctantly, Sophia accepted the berry. "Ehh, thanks I guess, but I swear I'm fine." She popped it into her mouth, shuddering. Not from the taste - the blend of flavours was undeniably delicious, like cinnamon-spiced apple. Rather, it was what she'd been taught, that relying on outside sources like Leppa berries was cheating her way through training. It showed lack of stamina, and wouldn't help her develop it. Still, she could possibly consider this situation an exception, if only to avoid being a burden on the team. They already had enough to deal with.

As soon as she stepped into the indoor garden that was the gym, Clarus, still supporting her, moved towards the nearest chair. "Ugh, all right," she grumbled, too drained to protest. The berry's effect would take time to kick in. She slumped into the chair, Clarus floating to her side as Lacey climbed onto her lap. Fantoccino, meanwhile, made a disgusted face at the decor and took refuge in the shade of a potted tree.

Sophia, resting her chin on her hands, frowned at Saki's words. They were meant to be reassuring, yet they raised even more questions. People unable to remember their own names? She shivered. Just what was this effect, and how much damage had it done? "So he's going to be ok?" she asked, her tone as fearful as it was hopeful. "As for what happened the first time, we were on our way to Mesalon, and..."

A sudden yell cut in as Rheese sat bolt upright. Sophia gave a breathless, relieved laugh. "Rheese! Geez you gave us a scare." She set Lacey down and stood up, too fast, but the resulting headache didn't deter her from rushing over. "Are you ok? I mean, you remember who you are, right? And who we are?" There were some people here Rheese had never met, but she gestured towards Alexis and Amber. "How much do you remember?"

Notes

Pokemon Party: Gothita "Lacey" lv15, Purrloin "Grimalkin" lv13, Staryu "Arcturus" lv14, Darumaka "Lumas" lv11, Shuppet "Fantoccino" lv12, Bronzor "Clarus" lv12
Pokemon in PC:
Inventory: Pokeball x1, TM33 (Reflect), Oran Berry x2

Vareena Town

@Heckno12 @OtomostheCrazy @Zanavy

As the gym trainers offloaded Rheese's unconscious form from her and Alexis, Amber rolled her aching shoulder. "As long as he's alright..." she said, casting a worried look his way before sitting down. She slowly breathed in the myriad of garden scents, trying to calm down and make sense of the situation. Tacita, in contrast, seemed pretty happy, in her element as she flitted around the greenery.

"Thanks," Amber said as a trainer laid out a tea set. "I think we all need this. Hey, is it ok if we feed our Pokemon here? To say it's been quite a journey would be an understatement." Of course, she'd have to feed a certain one of her Pokemon outside. She couldn't risk letting Almandine wreck the place, especially not after Saki had been so kind.

At Rheese's cry, Amber jumped up, nearly knocking her tea over. "Oh thank goodness." She headed to his side, shrugging off her backpack and taking out a packet of tissues. "Here, take these." His own tears seemed to surprise him, she noticed. "You ok now? How are you feeling? There's tea thanks to Saki and her friends here, that'll help." Bustling back through the room like a nurse, she fetched a cup of freshly poured tea for him. "I'm going to guess you have just as many questions as we have."

Notes

Pokemon Party: Kabuto "Chalcedony" lv11, Yanma "Aeshna" lv10, Rockruff "Kyra" lv13, Rowlet "Tacita" lv12, Anorith "Larimar" lv13, Sableye "Almandine" lv12
Pokemon in PC:
Inventory: Pokeball x1, Potion x1, Dusk Ball x1

Pokemon Spiral

@Vetis You can still have a Mega Gallade, you just can't have two Pokemon mega evolve in the same battle.

Pokemon Spiral

Apologies for the delay, things have been hectic.

@Vetis Yep, sounds good! One character already has a Rowlet and another has a Ralts, but there can be multiples of the same Pokemon as long as they're written differently. Just letting you know to make sure you're ok with that. And G-max isn't a thing per se in this, but we're treating it as a form of mega evolution, so your Toxtricity will still get that super mode.

@Crimson Flame Ok now I've had a good squee at your cinnamon rolls, I say they're both accepted. Honestly we need someone cheerful like Liam in our team, and it'll be interesting to see how he reacts when stuff really hits the fan. As for Tim, nice to see him again!

Once you get @Heckno12's approval, feel free to put them in the Characters section and start posting.

Be my Sanctuary

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Jess flexed her fingers, the pain subsiding. She'd feared Roxy would judge her on some level, but thankfully the anchor hadn't. Instead, she'd returned the smile - even if it was just a slight one, it showed a different side to her. And there was no scorn. Only... a twinge of envy? From what she knew of Reginald, Jess couldn't imagine Roxy had been able to train at her own pace like this.

"Yeah... I guess we've all gotta start somewhere." Making a fist with her other hand, she braced her legs. She knew Roxy wouldn't think poorly of her, but for some reason, that didn't stop the sensation of butterflies in her stomach. A sensation she was pretty sure was her own. As reassuring as Roxy's smile had been, it had only made that fluttering feeling stronger.

Trying to ignore it, she struck the bag again, this time with only a grunt and a wince at the flare of pain. "Nice try bag, but you're not gonna get the better of me," she said with a playful chuckle before shifting her stance and punching with her other fist. "Take this!" Trying to lift the mood was her go-to response to stressful situations, even if success wasn't guaranteed. At the very least, it could break down the tension a little more.

"How was that?" She looked Roxy's way for feedback on her technique. "Did I teach it a lesson?"

Pokemon Spiral

@Vetis Hey! We've just started a new arc in Vareena Town, so good time to join. Your character could be at the gym, annoyed that the leader isn't there.

You can have Pokemon from any gen, and while nobody will be catching legendaries, a temporary team-up with a legendary or mythical much, much later down the line is certainly possible. If that's what you'd like, just let me or Heckno know and we'll discuss it together :)