[color=orangered][center][h1]Solanna Delacloude[/h1]
[h3]Outside Mesalon Pokecentre -> Inside[/h3][/center][/color]
[@fer1323]

Solanna raised her head at crashing noises coming from the Pokecentre. It sounded like there was a battle going on in there... With a shudder of worry for Rheese and Sophia, she took another look at Oscar, then rushed into the building.

And froze.

Her blood suddenly felt like ice water running through her veins as she saw someone she'd hoped she'd never come face to face with again. Her attempt to avoid Detective Jack Hammer earlier had been for nothing.

Right now, he was distracted by a losing battle against Ray, but that did nothing to stop the flashback that hit her full-force. That rage on his face, it was just like when she'd explained to him that her name wasn't Savannah, and told him over and over again that she knew nothing of what had happened after the tournament...

She wanted to check on Rheese and Sophia, but all she could bring herself to do was run down the hallway. She didn't even make it halfway to her room before sinking to the floor, her breath speeding up to the point that her ribs hurt, her surroundings spinning.

Pull yourself together, she mentally scolded herself. The incident had been a year and a half ago. She should be over this by now... But every time she thought she finally was, it all came back seemingly out of nowhere, like a monster sneaking after her, waiting for a chance to strike.

Whimsicott's distressed squeaks sounded oddly distant.

[color=orangered]"I'm ok, I'm ok, I'm ok..."[/color] Solanna choked out, even though she was clearly anything but. Staggering to her feet as her breathing became easier, she picked up Whimsicott and hugged her. [color=orangered]"I'm ok..."[/color]

[hr]
[color=chocolate][center][h1]Amber Pine[/h1]
[h3]Mesalon Pokecentre[/h3][/center][/color]
[@Noxx] [@Heckno12]

Leaving her Pokeballs at the desk, Amber ran towards Rheese and Sophia, neither of whom looked too well. [color=chocolate]"Are you alright?"[/color] she asked. [color=chocolate]"What is this?"[/color]

She glanced over, eyes widening as a camera flew to the ground with a flick of the slouching man's hand. A psychic, just like Sophia... No, much higher level than Sophia, by the look of it. That explained his confidence in the face of the big guy. She watched the battle unfold, tensing at first as the Slowbro took the Dark-type move, but it quickly became clear the laidback guy was the better trainer. In another situation, she'd have loved to see how a psychic battled with their Pokemon, as well as study Mega Evolutions. Right now, though, her concern was making sure Rheese and Sophia were ok. Noticing the redhead from earlier do the sensible thing of running from the lobby, the researcher kept her distance from any possible stray attacks.

Once the angry guy stormed off, Amber furrowed her brow at the other man's blunt advice as she went to retrieve her Pokeballs. [color=chocolate]"Who were those two?"[/color] she asked, approaching Rheese. [color=chocolate]"And if you want, you can come along with me and Nyxx. We were going to do some more training."[/color]

[hider=Notes]
[b]Pokemon Party:[/b] Kabuto "Chalcedony" lv10, Yanma "Aeshna" lv9, Rockruff "Kyra" lv10
[b]Pokemon in PC:[/b]
[b]Inventory:[/b] Pokeball x3, Potion x3, Dusk Ball x2[/hider]
[hr]
[color=orchid][center][h1]Sophia Danvers[/h1]
[h3]Mesalon Pokecentre -> Outside[/h3][/center][/color]
[@Heckno12]

[hider=Shattered facade][youtube]https://youtu.be/ekEuuAejkCw[/youtube][/hider]
Sophia, taking the opportunity to get her Pokemon healed, found herself unable to answer Amber's question.

[color=orchid]"I... That's... O-oh geez..."[/color] she stammered, fixated on the battle. She should have been thankful that Ray had bothered to step in. Instead, envy bubbled and seethed through her. This guy was everything she should be, and everything she could never hope to be, both as a psychic and a trainer. The sting of her earlier loss intensified.

Reattaching the three Pokeballs to her belt as the fight ended, Sophia winced at Ray's words. As irritating as she found the lazy jerk, he was right. How would low-level trainers be able to get themelves out of these situations?

She should be so much more capable than this...

Following Rheese out of the building, she managed to say something coherent. [color=orchid]"I'm just going to check on my Pokemon,"[/color] she said, heading away, looking for a quiet space. Despite her aching legs, her pace sped to a run. Watching Ray had been the last straw.

She slumped onto a bench, the corners of her eyes stinging, her vision starting to blur. No! She wasn't going to cry. What was she, some snivelling baby? She could imagine her parents berating her for how weak she was being now, and how weak she'd been over the past few days.

Taking a deep breath to stave off the tears, she began softly singing to herself, just as she'd sung to the Pokemon she'd grown up around, who had soothed her with their own lullabies. Once she'd calmed down a little, she let out all her Pokemon.

Purrloin immediately faced away from her. "Purr..." she mumbled. Gothita and Staryu both approached the sulking cat, gently touching her shoulders, only to back away as Purrloin turned and hissed.

Her Pokemon's reaction brought that feeling of shame surging back, like a stab of pain from a wound she'd been trying to ignore. The words spilled out of the trainer.

[color=orchid]"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! All of you, I'm sorry!"[/color]

[hider=Notes]
[b]Pokemon Party:[/b] Gothita lv10, Purrloin lv9, Staryu lv8
[b]Pokemon in PC:[/b]
[b]Inventory:[/b] Pokeball x3[/hider]