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Cyllage Gym - The Fall
Benedict let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. The gamble hadn't paid off, he saw. Francis was stricken by the thunder, and dropped easily. The bird fell with it for a time, and it was a moment before the beam of red light returned it properly. Francis was down, but safe. Not dead. With a sigh, Benedict felt himself sitting down on the cliff's edge. The plan was to wait there for the battle to be his.

For now, he simply stared out into space, as calm as could be. He'd lost. Again. It felt almost as if he only really fought people with pokemon stronger than his own.

Sycamore Research Lab

"Um," Helena piped up, "yeah. The scientist said that they had captured Diancie." She looked over at Zack, who had dismissed the entire possibility. "Sorry," she mouthed. She hadn't intended to make him look silly, but she resolved that he'd done that pretty much on his own.

"The prehistoric Pokemon did start rampaging after the stampede had already started," she added. She couldn't positively confirm this for herself, but she had been given one - Tyrantrum - and had only seen him after the stampede had begun. She left out this bit of information, however, hoping to aid Zack's credibility.

Lumiose City - North Boulevard

((There's a more distinc air quality, too, that you can feel. It's basically the literal difference between being able to feel air hit the back of your throat when you take in a deep breath and not.))

"Oh!" Bridgette shouted when Wayne called her over. He probably didn't notice it, because his eye was mostly on the ball, but Bridgette had turned to look at a passing cosplay - or it seemed like a cosplay of something given how ridiculous it looked to the girl from Sinnoh - and losing sight of Wayne for that moment had immediately gotten her lost.

When he called her over, she turned in the direction of his voice and managed to spot the Aipom. Only then did she recognize Wayne and realize that she didn't know, by heart, what he looked like. His features weren't distinct enough for her to tell him apart from any of the number of Unovan males that were out and about.

"I wouldn't want to live here, I'll say that much," Bridgette said as she arrived at the taxi. She looked at the taxi driver who looked like he was probably scowling and said "sorry."

Cyllage City Gym - The Arena

Shrapnel blasted back at Biz Marquis when it blew up on the Ancient Power, but it just bounced off him harmlessly. The shockwave didn’t faze him, his tough legs withstanding the force. Salieri took note of this development. Did the backlash damage him? I can’t know for certain without Ivan if his hit points drop, but maybe the training already paid off. Time to find out.

Dust and stone lingered in the air, and Salieri had a feeling Grant would take advantage of it for a counterattack. Before she even saw the rainbow glow of the Aurora Beam, Salieri called out for a “Bomb Jump!”

The tactic was one Sal had told Biz about during their morning training. The Quilladin curled into a tight ball, then bounced into the air. He arced forward straight over the beam just as it pierced through the cloud of rock dust. Before he could fall into it, he dropped a Seed Bomb below himself. This one was primed to blow much faster than the last: it blew up directly beneath him.

Recoil pushed him back up for another, smaller jump, and his newfound Bulletproof hide protected him from damage. Now he was above Amaura, the beam following him up. Though the Tundra Pokémon’s long neck gave its head great flexibility, it still wouldn’t be able to look directly behind itself, which was where Biz was about to land. Aurora Beam wouldn’t be able to reach him.

As he fell, Salieri rode the momentum with a “Vine Whip!”, and Biz produced a long lashing vine from inside his wrist to snap at Amaura’s neck. It looked to be the most vulnerable part of the dinosaur’s rough body. The Vine Whip was aimed to strike the neck and then lasso around it so Biz could hoist Amaura into the air for a whole new meaning of the word “chokeslam”.

Battle Chateau - The Courtyard

The laws of nature changed once more. Juliet became the mountain and Elizabeth morphed into the sea, sending wave after wave with each sword strike. Juliet parried and dodged, sometimes using the same motions Elizabeth had performed barely moments beforehand. Her defense was as solid and varied as her offense, yet she found herself being pushed back by Elizabeth’s relentless determination.

“Strange, isn’t it? That such a charity would be so private. And such an extreme grievance against the Leroux’s would be settled amongst the Nostrads.” Now it was Juliet’s turn to sweat. Nearly losing her balance, she counterswiped with her foil, clashing against Elizabeth’s. Foil pressed to foil, Juliet struggled to lean in and whisper, “I might believe you, if you spoke the whole truth.”

Before she fell off the beam, Juliet slid back her blade to readjust her step. The move saved her from falling, but allowed Elizabeth’s foil to strike her over her heart. The referee called it, giving a point to Elizabeth. Juliet’s hidden gaze lingered on her chest until she spun around to walk three paces back.

“Your swordplay doesn’t lie.” Juliet turned and crossed her sword over her chest, as was custom. When the next round began, she held her left hand out wide in front of her, and positioned the back edge of the foil between that hand’s thumb and index finger, almost like holding a pool cue. It was one of the few stances Juliet used frequently in tournaments.

She edged her feet closer to the center of the beam, still in her stance, waiting for Elizabeth to come closer. “I’m just curious if a charity will really give you the type of closure you seek.”

Sycamore Research Lab

Lysandre kept a straight face throughout the debriefing, even when Zack scoffed at Diancie’s existence only to be humorously proven wrong seconds later. His eyes shifted between the two siblings as he judged them. They were either still razzled from yesterday, purposely hiding information for reasons unclear, or simply forgetful. Perhaps a combination, but it didn’t matter to Lysandre. The orange haired CEO stood up tall. “I believe I have a few answers to these questions.”

He glided slowly towards the window, hands held behind his back. “It was a project that started back in the 1970’s, one of the first of it’s kind,” he explained wistfully with his back to everyone else. “Parliament began at the same time, but it couldn’t stand up as a revolution on its own. With its sister act, an entirely new era was created. An era…of funk.”

Eyes closed, he sighed. “To think Funkadelic would be involved in such a calamity such as the Route 9 incident pains my heart. True human talent is rare. To think it could play a part in ruin...” There was a pause as he contemplated the merits of the various lineup changes in his head, but that information was neither here nor there. Lysandre turned around.

“As for Diancie, the legends concerning it are scarce, though it appears those legends may be rooted in fact after all.” He gestured with a head nod to an atlas plastered on the lab wall. “Throughout the world, there are places -sanctuaries- barely touched by human kind. Normally, Pokémon live in harmony in these sanctuaries. And sometimes, the ecosystems in these sanctuaries are maintained by a particularly powerful Pokémon.”

Lysandre stepped back to the table and clutched its side, leaning forward towards the group. “My theory is that this Diancie was the guardian of the sanctuary known as Glittering Cave, and the stampede was caused by its disturbance-”

Thad's voice echoed through the halls of the building. Lysandre's eyes shifted towards the door. "Were you expecting other visitors, old friend?" he asked Sycamore.

((NYC air smells like pretzels, the subway, and metal, and for some reason I love it))

((Okay, 1 is fully paralyzed. I hope my manipulating-dice-rolls classes paid off! I mean... ninja

EDIT: They did!))

Cyllage City Gym - The Arena

As Biz spun in the air, he restrained himself from fist pumping. The close range Seed Bomb gave his backside a sting -a hint that his Bulletproof ability hadn't fully emerged yet- but the Bomb Jump was every bit as effective as Salieri hoped it would be. So cool!

Sal was also pleased, but not enough to let her guard down. Grant was just as serious a contender as Viola, and it appeared that his dinosaur was part Ice type, one of Biz's weaknesses. Should've guessed, it's so blue. Thunder Wave, a move Salieri was quite familiar with, crackled on Amaura's back. "Biz!"

It was too late to dodge: the Thunder Wave coursed through Biz Marquis' body, causing him to clench his teeth in surprise. It didn't hurt, but his muscles felt numb and stiff. He was now paralyzed. This didn't deter Sal, who ordered a "Bulk Up!" right before he landed.

Biz pumped up his sore muscles and maintained a solid stance, using his sturdy Quilladin legs to brace himself. Try as it may, Amaura wouldn't be able to overcome Biz's superior strength and pull him with the Take Down. The dinosaur's Refrigerate ability gave the Take Down an Icy aura, which began to freeze the Vine Whip. In a moment, the vine would become too brittle around Amaura's neck, and it would shatter.

Before it happened, while Biz still had a grip on Amaura, Sal shouted "Chance!" That was his cue to attack again. Within an instant, he formed another arm cannon on his free arm and shot another Seed Bomb at the dinosaur.

Sycamore Research Lab

"There is still much we don't know, but I'm sure the professor and I will work out a solution," Lysandre assured the teens, as if they wanted to know. He took another look at the Redgraves, this time more overtly.

"You two are not from Kalos, are you? It must be difficult trying to fully understand a foreign country without the proper tools." His eyes narrowed at their x-transceivers. Lysandre thought the inferior technology looked gawdy, but he didn't say it out loud. "I have something that may help."

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two wristwatch-esque devices, quite similar to the x-transceivers. "These are Holocasters, created by my company. They're much like your x-transceivers, but with more applications, including a connection to the Kalos newsfeed. You won't be in the dark about major news again. Additionally-"

With a tap at his wrist, Lysandre activated his own Holocaster, which displayed a small blue hologram detailing a map of Kalos. "It has holographic features. It may seem like overkill, but you can never do too much for beauty." The CEO held out the two spare Holocasters to the siblings.

"These are promotional, but they work just as well as the rest. Consider them a gift. Knowledge is power, after all. Put them to good use."

Sycamore Research Lab

Zack followed Lysandre's gaze to his Xtransceiver. Scuffed and tattered with a cracked screen, it had certainly seen better days. He'd be kidding himself if he said it didn't need a replacement. In contrast, the Holo Caster was all shiny and blue, not to mention free.

'Yeah, okay,' Zack said, taking the device. He wasn't above accepting charity, and free was free. In fact, charity had something to do with why he needed to speak with Sycamore. He held the Holo Caster up by its lace, letting the device dangle. Something nagged at him. It was a strange move to just give out free Holo Casters, but then few things had been normal lately. Chalking it up to Kalosian weirdness, Zack dropped the Holo Caster into his bag, which he zipped up and reshouldered.

'Thanks. I guess,' he muttered. Sycamore's aides buzzed around the lab, compiling their notes on Aerodactyl. They put paperwork into binders and shelved them on wall-mounted cases, sliding glass panels shut to seal them in. It took Zack a second to notice that Aerodactyl had vanished. Luckily, it hadn't strayed far. Sina held the ball out for him to take.

'Here you go,' she chirped. Zack picked the ball from her palm and turned it over. She kept smiling. Zack frowned.
'What do you want, a treat?'
'Oh you,' Sina shoved Zack's shoulder playfully. 'You're so funny! Did I mention how much I like that? I like it a lot.'

Zack paused, then sighed, turning his attention to the door.

---

'Hm? Oh, think nothing of it,' Sycamore waved his hand dismissively at the notion of Thad being rude. Even if he'd burst right into the meeting, it would've been par for the course in Kalos, as Lysandre had demonstrated.

Sycamore took the Sceptilite from Thad and held it up to the ceiling light, letting it shine translucent green. It was definitely a mega stone, though not one Sycamore had encountered often. Traditionally, the stones were rarely found outside of Kalos, leading many to believe that they were native to the region. But recently, Sycamore had heard reports of stones appearing in Hoenn, far, far away from the Kalos region. It was too early to say whether it meant anything significant though he suspected aliens.

He looked Thad over once again and smiled, passing the Sceptilite back to the trainer. 'Well, I can confirm that you've found yourself a Mega Stone. If my guess is correct, you can use that stone to trigger a Sceptile's mega evolution. If you don't have a Sceptile, well, my lab's always open for donations.' A thought occurred. 'Actually, if you wanted to learn more about the battling side of mega evolution, you could visit the Tower of Mastery in Shalour City. Look for a fellow named Gurkinn and tell him I sent you. Just don't stare at his eyebrows.'

((Seriously, holy crap. You should never let it reach a point where people could conceivably steer you around by your eyebrows. Also, more posts incoming... tomorrow, probably ninja ))

Sycamore Research Lab

New holocaster replacing her old x-transceiver, Helena made a mental note to copy the contacts over later.

"Hey, I'm sure he'll let you ravish him later," Helena cut in, trying to get Sina's attention, "but I need my Pokemon, please and thank you."

Helena then turned her gaze to Zack. "I'm going to visit the gym."

((Here I am ninja Sorry for the wait. Also thanks for the Sycamore thing, Jump 3nodding ))

Cyllage City Gym - The Arena

Grant welled up with fire. 'Ancient Power!' he called again, fighting a grin. For once, his opponent was a real contender; most trainers were quickly overwhelmed by the crushing power of his rock types, but Salieri had shown enough cunning to stave off defeat. At least for now. That alone was worth a badge in Grant's eyes, but rules were rules. The girl would have to scale a second mountain today.

As Biz fired his arm cannon, Amaura surged power into the arena floor, raising a pillar with the ice type on top. The Seed Bomb would detonate against the Ancient Power tower, shattering it as Amaura leapt skyward, evading damage, propelled by momentum of its own attack. The rock ruptured, its power crackling between shards and whirling out of control. Ancient Power exploded, spraying Biz with a hail of energised rocks that, unless he somehow backed off with his paralysis-impeded body, would slice and stab into his hide.

Amaura righted itself in the air, twisting its body so that it faced Biz and would hit the floor feet-first. As it fell, Grant called for 'Mist!', which hissed from gems embedded in Amaura's sides. Amaura touched down, mist gushing. The arena would soon be flooded, masking the combatants' movements in a frigid grey fog.

'I'll admit you've done well so far,' Grant said, his voice echoing, breath swirling in the mist. 'But the ride's over. Icy Wind!'

Amaura's fins quivered, their colours deepening into a radiant hue. The mists shifted, turning in a circle around the arena. Within seconds they swelled, speed kicking up, transforming Amaura's mist cloud into an icy tornado, the arena floor freezing blue and cracking. Already slowed by paralysis, Biz would find moving in the Icy Wind next to impossible as it bombarded him with shifting pressure. If it all went as planned, Biz would be unable to dodge the finale: 'Aurora Beam!'

Sycamore Research Lab

'Knock yourself out,' Zack said to Helena, ignoring Sina as she froze up all red in the face, mouth hanging open like she was going to say something. Nothing escaped her mouth but a squeaky croaking noise. Zack couldn't really blame her for wanting a piece; after all, it was only natural. But that didn't mean he had to pay her any attention.

'Allow me to help you with that!' Dexio announced, hurrying over and gently placing his hand on Helena's shoulder. 'Um. Not the knocking you out part. The uh, the other part. With the pokémon. Just follow me!'

And so, if Helena went with Dexio she would soon gather her pokémon and be on her merry way.

((And now nobody's main character is waiting on me emotion_omnomnom ))

Route 5 - Pangoro's Nest

Pancham's eyes were locked with the ground as he walked toward the lone tree that had become their dwelling. It was a place for outcasts, those that were no longer useful to the clan.

[My son.]

Pancham's eyes rose when he heard the old man's voice. The man who had birthed him, and the outcast to the entire clan, his father.

A powerful looking Pangoro to Pancham, but to everyone else he was just a pathetic mess. Scarred, matted and old fur. One of his eyes was missing from a fight long ago, as was his right arm - without which he was no longer capable of hunting.

[You are hurt. What has happened to you? Where is your leaf?]

Pancham felt the shame on his cheeks and cast his gaze away from his father. He'd been fighting the other children again. They had tried to banish him because of his relation to the clan's biggest shame. It was only because of his father's strength that he hadn't been left behind - because he wanted better for his son.

[It was those other kids. They attacked me and took it. Said an outcast like me didn't need one.] Pancham looked back up at his father, seeing the sorrow in his one eye.

[Why don't we just leave, father? We could go anywhere, start our own clan. We don't need these jerk.]

His father let out a deep breath that seemed to age him as his shoulders slumped and his eyelid fell to a half-lid. [The world is dangerous, my son. Your best chance at a good life is here. We just have to win them over and we can't do that if you're fighting all the time.]

Pancham crossed his arms. [I don't want to win them over. I want to leave.]

[My son, you must promise to never go beyond the territory of our clan. You are young, impressionable, and you do not know this world. You could be hunted, killed, captured or worse. I forbid it, even if you fight the other youth every day for the rest of your life, I still forbid you leaving here.]

[Yes, father,] Pancham said, aware that he couldn't hide the resentment in his voice. He would obey, though, because his father was all he had, and meant the world to him.

Sycamore Research Lab

Helena had her Pokemon once again. The young trainer went over the mental checklist of things that she needed to do for the day and resolved to sate her curiosity first. Standing before the Wondertrade machine, Helena took Caboose the Pikachu's pokeball. Zack had caught him and then immediately traded him to her. It was like a gift, but she didn't feel sentimental toward the Pikachu.

Zack would want her to grow stronger even if it meant giving up a weak Pokemon for a stronger one. Helena knew that she needed to, even if it meant sacrificing something. Neither of these reasons were why she chose to give up Caboose, however. Helena simply wanted to see the machine in action.

It was less than a minute before Helena got her new Pokemon. The great ball held a Mothim and with a shrug of her shoulders, the teen locked the ball onto her belt and was off to complete her first task.

Lumiose City - South BLVD Pokemon Center

Helena's first order of business was to fulfill her promise to Écarlate. The Scizor had joined her with the promise to help find Zack if she, in turn, found his trainer. Taking him to the Pokemon Center would be the fastest way that she was aware of.

The Pokemon Center wasn't as packed as it had been the day before. People had already begun moving on, and most of the people that were injured were staying at hospitals and not centers.

Quicker than anticipated, Helena was the next in line at the counter.

"Hello! How may I help you today?" The nurse asked. She wore a half smile, faded by the growing hours. Despite that, her voice was practiced. Even though Helena was sure that she'd been saying the same thing over and over again for hours, the nurse spoke as if it was the first time she'd ever said it. No robotic monotone tainted any aspect of it.

"I need help finding the trainer for this Pokemon," Helena said as she handed over Écarlate's ball.

The nurse took it, moved across the room to a machine which she used to scan the ball. As she read the information that flashed up, her faint smile faded into a frown. Whatever joy she had, or pretended to have, was slowly washed away by the news she was reading.

The nurse returned with the ball. "The trainer's name is Alice Olivier. She was injured during the attack on Ambrette town yesterday and is currently being treated at Haven International Hospital in Anistar City." The nurse's voice wavered when she uttered the next words, "she's in critical condition." Taking a moment to collected herself, she added, "I can put Écarlate, that's the Scizor's name, into her box if you'd like. "

Helena took a moment to take it all in. If Alice took a turn for the worst, then Écarlate would never see her again. That wouldn't be making good on their promise. Helena frowned as she took Écarlate's ball back. "Could you print me a copy of all the information you just got, please?"

The nurse nodded, "of course." She moved across the room as Helena looked down at the Scizor's ball and planned out her next move. It wouldn't be easy to get all the way to Anistar City. Still, Helena had to try. She could buy a ticket using the Pokemon center, but that required more money than she had. However, it was possible that beating the gym leader would cover the expenses. It the ticket costed a whole lot, Helena felt it was possible that she'd have to beat the gym leader in Anistar City as well, just to get back.

The nurse returned with the papers and Helena thanked her. Thanks to the short line, she had more time than originall anticipated. Helena decided to read the information that had just been printed over breakfast before moving on to her next task.

Alice Olivier, age seventeen. Pokemon trainer with one badge, from Grant. Several badges from other leagues around the world over the years. The documents also had details of each league she took on. How far she went, how many badges she got, as well as Pokemon registered to her. At the upper right corner of each page was a picture of Alice at the time.

Always smiling, the caucasian girl started with platinum blonde hair that faded to look brownish-gold by the most recent photo. Helena looked into the girl's green eyes for the last picture and let out a sigh.

It wasn't going to be an easy thing seeing Alice.

Route 5 - Versant Road

Helena had made just one detour before her arrival at Versant Road. She stepped out onto the route in her new boots, and let Loki out of his ball.

The Kadabra had experienced an inconsistent and confusing previous day, which each new time he was called out to be for battle or something terrifying. Helena couldn't blame him for being on edge the moment he was free.

"Loki, I'm sorry but this time won't be any better," Helena said. What she was about to do would be dangerous. "We need to find a place away from other people." She held out her hand and Loki slowly took it. With a flash of light, the two were teleported into the sky.

Helena felt the vertigo in her stomach and sucked in a deep breath. She searched over the route and finally found a location where there were no people that was far enough away to avoid attracing any. "There," she pointed and Loki followed her finger.

The two arrived at the spot a moment later. "When this is over," she said as the teen turned to face Loki, "I promise, we'll do something fun."

One by one, Helena let her Pokemon out. All except for Tyrant. She last one she released was Écarlate. He looked around and Helena was sure he was looking for Alice. "We're not there yet, but I know where she is. It's going to be a difficult journey to get there."

Écarlate's eyes fell on Helena, he remained quiet and motionless.

"I need to get stronger in order to do it." She didn't need to get stronger in the way she was about to force them all into, but she wouldn't admit that. She needed Écarlate, he was too strong to let go of. At least for this part of her journey. If she could forge her Pokemon to be as stronger, or even stronger, than him she would benefit greatly from it. "Will you still follow me?"

Écarlate remained motionless as his eyes searched her face. He was looking for honesty and betrayal. Helena wasn't sure how to show one and hide the other. Instead, she met his gaze and did her best to look determined. After a minute, he nodded.

"Good." Helena stepped away from him and then turned to face the rest of her team. "This is going to be the hardest fight of our lives, but I'm confident that we can win if we stick together." Helena sucked in a breath, feeling herself suddenly growing nervous. Her stomach twisted into so many knots that it bordered on painful as she grabbed Tyrantrum's ball from her belt.

Turning toward the clearing, away from her Pokemon, she released the Pokemon. He materialized and Helena froze.

Tyrantrum took in a breath, causing his body to grow bigger, and then smaller as he exhaled it. Tyantrum slowly turned to face Helena and her Pokemon, a low growl rumbling around in his throat. When he faced them, his eyes locked on to the group.

The giant maw opened and Tyrantrum let out a Roar and then he charged.

Helena gasped, felt her heart skip a beat, dropped Tyrantrum's ball and barely managed to force herself to throw her arms up and flinch at the oncoming threat.

The next thing she knew, Helena was in the sky. She looked over to see Loki, arms wrapped around her. She hadn't even felt him, but was immediately grateful for the save. "Thank you." The two teleported back down away from the conflict.

Helena tried to get an assessment on the match as she collected herself. Her actions would cost them, she knew that. "We have to get his ball!" Helena shouted as she realized it was lost. The trainer looked back to where she was standing, the space now occupied by Tyrantrum. One foot was on the ball, and with a bit of force as he pressed down on the foot to launch himself at Helena's Pokemon, the ball cracked, then shattered.

"Oh, s**t."