[IC] Pokemon: The Shadow of Nemesis

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Abigail Blanchett~

At Tesla offered Nidoran the pokeblock, the pokemon scooped it up his mouth and swallowed the rest of it whole. Well, it seemed like he wasn't going to cause any more trouble for now at least. With that done, she scooped up the Nidoran in her arms again, allowing him to lay on her shoulder as he still looked down at the Mareep as he eyed that comfortable looking wool of Tesla's.

“I think that means Tesla forgives him, That’s really cute.”

Well, that was one word for it. Nidoran was certainly cute, but that fluffball? Eh, well she could think of a few adjectives for it. At least the timid girl apologized. It'd have been a bit more interesting if she hadn't, but oh well. The girl was a pushover then. She wouldn't last long at all in the gym challenges, if she even had the guts to take one.

"Um, Abigail, this is Avery and Peggy. Avery, Peggy— this is Abigail!”

Someone was getting awfully close. She took a inched away from Melody, folding her arms across her chest as Melody introduced her to the two of them. Hmph. She could introduced herself.

"H-hi, And again, I'm really, really s-sorry." She gave Peggy a not so friendly look, as if barely even acknowledging the other girls presence.

"Tch. I can introduce myself." She gruffly said in response. However, soon her face turned into that of a confident grin as she spoke. "Abigail Blanchett!" She proudly stated rather loudly. "Remember it you two. I'm gonna be the best trainer in the region!" Hell, she was aiming for the best trainer in all the regions, but if anything she's learned over the years, you've gotta start off small. "And you losers," She continued, giving Avery and Peggy both a smug look as her grin was replaced with a smirk. "Better not slow me down or I'll have my Nidoran here thoroughly thrash you."

At hearing its name called, the Nidoran shot a look over to the other two trainers, eyeing them a bit curiously. What was going through its head, was anybody's guess but its attention soon returned to Tesla and his wool. Without another word of warning, he jumped right off of her shoulder, and launched himself right on top of Tesla's wool.

"Nidoran!" She called out. Obviously this little guy was going to be more than a bit of a handful. She had half a mind to scold him, but he didn't seem to be doing anything in particular...in fact, he looked downright sleepy as he found a comfortable spot on the Mareeps wool, completely oblivious to the static on it.

"Ah, it's so nice to see everyone getting along." Professor Elm said with a quiet chuckle as he watched the trainers, eyeing Abigial's group in particular. "More or less." So lively and eager. It seemed that was something that couldn't be washed away just with age after all. However, now was the time to get them on the road. After all, they couldn't just sit here for the rest of the time. While the trainers continued to converse among themselves, he moved towards the other table, the one with a few maps and such on it.

"Okay, if I could just have everyone's attention!" Professor Elm said as loudly as he could above the trainers. He gave them a few minutes to quiet down and turn their attention back to him.

"I am glad to see all of you are getting along with your new partner, and with each other." He gave all of them a friendly smile. "On this table, I have a few supplies I'd like to give all of you. I have a few maps of the Johto region, repels, and even a few medical kits for you. I couldn't buy much, so you'll have to share with everyone else and use your supplies wisely." He continued, suddenly becoming serious. "On that note, I would like to remind everyone to stay together. As beginner trainers, all of you are quite inexperienced. Please, take care of each other and watch each others backs out there. If anything happened to any of you..." Professor Elm sighed, as though it wasn't the first time he had given this speech, and the not the first time something bad had happened.

"Ah, anyways - I'm going off on a tangent again! Please, take these supplies! Its not much, but I'll do what I can for all of you."

List of stuff on table

• Johto Region Map (x3)
• Repels (x5)
• First aid kit (x2)

[Noklu]

~Ryley Grisdoe~

Ryley glanced at Fern to see how she was doing. She was standing by his side, and seemed to be content with listening. He turned his attention back to the boy as he introduced himself.

“Hey, the name's Alexander Elric, but just call me Alex, it's much easier. And here, take these.”

As Alex finished introducing himself, he handed Blake’s Swinub and Fern a couple of pokeblocks. That was really nice of him. Ryley hadn’t intended to ask for one, but his introduction must have sounded like it. Well, can’t change the past. It’d be rude to look a gift-ponyta in the mouth, so he gladly accepted the gift. Fern did too, as she savored the flavor of the sweet treat.

“Thanks!”

Ryley was about to continue when he heard something a bit odd. Was… Was that someone singing? He turned his head and found the source to be a newcomer. So this must be the eighth trainer. He seemed to be a nice guy, though Ryley’s judgement may have been based on the melodious voice more than the person. Ryley noted his choice of starter, a totodile. Big biters, as he recalled.

Before he could continue his train of thought, he was interrupted once again, but this time by Professor Elm. Ryley watched as the professor set out a few supplies for their journey, and welcomed them to use them. One of the professor’s last lines caught Ryley’s attention. “If anything happened to any of you…” A reminder of the danger being a trainer entailed. A reminder of why he was becoming a trainer in the first place.

Ryley turned towards Alex and Blake, gave a short nod, and headed towards the table to grab one of the first aid kits. Fern’s abilities could help make the medicines inside a bit stronger, so it seemed like a smart choice to carry one of the kits. Once the kit had been obtained, he headed back to Alex and Blake.

[Nightmare Bunny]

~Melody Hemlock~

"H-hi, And again, I'm really, really s-sorry,” said Peggy. Was she always this nervous?

Abigail was inching away from her, Melody noticed. She thought about moving even closer, just to see what would happen, but…

Oooh. Abigail was talking again.

"Tch. I can introduce myself,” said Abigail. “Abigail Blanchett! Remember it you two. I'm gonna be the best trainer in the region! And you losers better not slow me down or I'll have my Nidoran here thoroughly thrash you.”

Best trainer in the region? Well, Melody could believe that. Of course Abigail would be amazing! She was just so cool! It was hard to believe that she’d fail at anything that she wanted to do.

Did that mean that she was going to be doing the gym battling thing? Right then and there, Melody resolved that she’d do them too. She had to prove herself worthy of being Abigail’s best friend, right?

And then she suddenly had an armful of Nidoran. Tesla squeaked out a protest, having been landed on, but soon seemed to give up, and snuggled deeper into Melody’s arms. Was he… dozing off?

Wait, was the Nidoran dozing off too?!

That… that was so cute!

“Nidoran!” said Abigail, sounding somewhat surprised.

“Aww, look at them!” Melody cooed. She dislodged one arm to carefully pat the Nidoran, trying to avoid dropping the two or touching its spikes. “They’re adorable!”

Okay, she’d better start using two hands again. She held the two carefully in her arms, trying not to fawn over them too much.

“Okay, if I could just have everyone's attention!" said Professor Elm. "I am glad to see all of you are getting along with your new partner, and with each other."

He started talking about supplies, and being careful, and… blah, blah, blah, Melody knew all this stuff already. They said it on every TV show, after all. Don’t go into the tall grass! Always travel in groups! Yeah, she got the picture already.

As for the supplies… well, she already had a first aid kit, and a map… she didn’t think she could read one well enough to be of much use. Maybe she’d take a Repel? Oh, but… she needed an arm to do that. Okay, never mind.

She hummed, rocking the two Pokemon in her arms gently. Oh, they were so cute!

[Ogo]

~Avery Grant~

Amidst the chaos, not even Avery would have expected Melody to just immediately drop all concerns and try to tame her wild mane. But lo and behold, that’s exactly what happened. And Avery was impressed. Keeping your cool under pressure was important. Avery knew that one well. Getting all worked up never helped. He would keep a calm mind, and together, he and Brain could overcome most obstacles.

The Nidoran’s owner strolled on over, picking up her pal. She and the Nidoran spoke to each other, using only the power of friendship to understand each other. Friendship was not a trifle thing. Avery respected the force, for friendship could overcome any obstacle, and it could do it better than just Brain and Avery, friends though they might be.

She then started speaking to Peggy, telling her to keep her Mutt on a leash? So it was called a Mutt. Fascinating. And the Eager-One expressed concern for Melody. Avery smiled. Friendship at its finest, ladies and gentlemen. She apologized to the latter and her little scamp dropped to the floor. She pursued. That little guy was so full of curious energy, Avery could practically see it floating off its skin. He was getting fired up as well. That wanting to know things, from that alone, Avery empathized with the Nidoran. It just wanted to explore the world. Nothing wrong with that.

Peggy apologized. But...why? Nobody got hurt. Everything was all groovy. Maybe Peggy just liked to apologize. There well...there was nothing wrong with that. Whatever made her happy, yeah? And besides, if she always apologized, nobody could be mad at her. Avery couldn’t, at least. It would be like being angry at a Pokemon. Just not happenin’.

And then some soothing sound met Avery, slapping him with happiness. He looked around and found the source. The newcomer was playing an instrument and singing.

That.

Was.

Awesome!

Avery loved music. It was just something that was. It’s why he carried the radio. Well, he certainly wasn’t keeping it to listen to the Anderson guy. Kind of a jerk, that one. And his music selection was terrible. Heck, the only way Avery could listen was if he was about to go over the weather or the news.

Wait.

What had just happened?

Peggy said something, nodded, and apologized.

"Tch. I can introduce myself."

Oh! Introductions!

"Abigail Blanchett! Remember it you two. I'm gonna be the best trainer in the region! "

…

…

…

…

…

Avery immediately liked the girl. She had SPIRIT! And PASSION! A flame ignited in Avery’s eyes. Granted, he had stopped listening altogether after her proclamation of greatness. The slight slid right on past the guy...but he most likely wouldn’t have minded anyway. Actions, not words, determine a person’s worth. Or something like that. In this girl’s case, Avery hoped to see both. Confidence and skill, a champion makes. And she’d have to be aiming for champion, right? After all, the champion was the best of the best.

Avery watched the Nidoran leap onto the Mareep and almost died from the sheer cuteness.

But then there was a voice, and Avery’s attention returned from his thoughts and focused on the man he respected above all others.

The Mighty Elm.

"I am glad to see all of you are getting along with your new partner, and with each other." "On this table, I have a few supplies I'd like to give all of you. I have a few maps of the Johto region, repels, and even a few medical kits for you. I couldn't buy much, so you'll have to share with everyone else and use your supplies wisely. On that note, I would like to remind everyone to stay together. As beginner trainers, all of you are quite inexperienced. Please, take care of each other and watch each others backs out there. If anything happened to any of you..."

Words of wisdom and a gift? Right on, Elm. Right on. The man always delivered, that’s all there was to it. Avery and Brain went over a few things, mainly reliving some of the past, before a rare moment of clarity hit Avery.

He turned to Abigail.

“I think you can do it. Be the best that is. Well, you’ve kind of got to now that you’ve said it.”

He paused for a moment, gather thoughts.

“I’m Avery, by the way. Glad to meetcha. I’m looking forward to seeing you win.”

There. Words of encouragement delivered. And with that, Avery’s job here was done.

He smiled as he scanned the group once more. A musician, the best trainer in the region, a hair-care specialist, the survivalist...and that’s not even counting the other guys that Avery hadn’t properly met yet. He was glad. These people were fun. As if the journey wasn’t guaranteed to be fun already...well, Avery would never be one to turn down good company.

[XxFellsingxX]

- Peggy Atkinson -

“Abigail Blanchett! Remember it you two. I'm gonna be the best trainer in the region! And you losers better not slow me down or I'll have my Nidoran here thoroughly thrash you," Abigail properly introduced herself.

Peggy frowned at this, a frown that was only slightly off from being a scowl. Well, that was rude. She could understand Abigail being annoyed with her before what with Houndour attacking Nidoran and all, but now she was just being mean for the sake of being mean it seemed. Peggy opened her mouth to make some kind of retort, had she been quick enough to think of one that didn't sound stupid or childish, when Professor Elm spoke up.

“Okay, if I could just have everyone's attention!" he called, and Peggy looked over in his direction, anger temporarily forgotten. "I am glad to see all of you are getting along with your new partner, and with each other." Peggy sighed loudly at that statement, as her new Pokemon didn't seem to like her at all, and with Abigail possibly travelling with them the trip was probably going to be... well, uncomfortable, at the very least.

Elm continued on. "On this table, I have a few supplies I'd like to give all of you. I have a few maps of the Johto region, repels, and even a few medical kits for you. I couldn't buy much, so you'll have to share with everyone else and use your supplies wisely." The Professor's previous cheerful expression became quite serious all of a sudden. "On that note, I would like to remind everyone to stay together. As beginner trainers, all of you are quite inexperienced. Please, take care of each other and watch each others backs out there. If anything happened to any of you..." Peggy frowned as she noted the Professor's demeanour became uncharacteristically grim, and she suddenly felt sorry for him, as well as incredibly nervous for the journey ahead. Well, more nervous than before.

"Ah, anyways - I'm going off on a tangent again! Please, take these supplies! Its not much, but I'll do what I can for all of you." The Professor motioned to the table and Peggy took this moment to go over and pick herself up a few things. She already had a map so she didn't take one, but she did take one repel and a first aid kit, especially happy for the latter before going back to stand beside Avery, just as he was speaking to Abigail.

“I think you can do it. Be the best that is. Well, you’ve kind of got to now that you’ve said it,” Avery said. Peggy stared at him, confused about how he could be so easygoing after she had practically insulted them...

... or had she insulted them?

Peggy paused. No one had reacted to the insult besides herself. Not Avery, not Melody... had no one noticed? Or... or had Peggy only imagined Abigail insulting them? Had she misread what she said or... had she hallucinated that whole conversation?

Crap. She hadn't even been away from home for a day and she already going crazy and imagining people saying things that they weren't saying.

Okay, Peggy, breathe. Just breathe slowly. Everything is going to be okay. It's likely the next stop would be Cherrygrove. She would just go home and tell her mum that she was going mad and imagining people being rude to her...

Trying to keep herself calm, Peggy started hyperventilating as if she were having some kind of panic attack.

[DaDrummer676]

Jackson Grey & Fang

Jackson put his ukulele away and patted Fang's head, and in turn Fang pushed his head into his partner's hand. During Jackson's song it was almost as if he and Fang were in a little world of their own. The boy was actually surprised that his music seemed to calm his pokemon, he expecting Fang to be quite hostile. Well, Fang wasn't one hundred percent innocent, seeing as he had the intent to chop Jackson's head off.

Jackson finally realized that he was missing out on meeting everyone! How dreadful would it be if he were to have no friends during his journey? No that wouldn't do, he reminded himself to talk to everyone once the ball got rolling.

Fang decided that Jackson was too tall, so the little guy jumped onto his trainer's back and climbed up to his head. "Aw man not the h- Eh, whatever... Hang tight!" Jackson joined the huddled group of teenagers as professor Elm began to speak.

It was going down.

This was happening.

Excitement, anxiety, happiness, and a little fear coursed through him. His life had been plain until this. Nothing really amazing happened to him until now. To be honest, Jackson was doing this to find what his true calling was. Sure, he knew how to play music, but he didn't think he was good enough to do anything with it.

"Okay, if I could just have everyone's attention!" Professor Elm said as loudly as he could above the trainers. He gave them a few minutes to quiet down and turn their attention back to him.

"I am glad to see all of you are getting along with your new partner, and with each other." He gave all of them a friendly smile. "On this table, I have a few supplies I'd like to give all of you. I have a few maps of the Johto region, repels, and even a few medical kits for you. I couldn't buy much, so you'll have to share with everyone else and use your supplies wisely." He continued, suddenly becoming serious. "On that note, I would like to remind everyone to stay together. As beginner trainers, all of you are quite inexperienced. Please, take care of each other and watch each others backs out there. If anything happened to any of you..."

"Ah, anyways - I'm going off on a tangent again! Please, take these supplies! Its not much, but I'll do what I can for all of you."

Jackson looked at the meager supplies displayed on the table and grabbed a map and a repel, those could come in handy. "So uh, what's next guys? We should figure out where we are going first, and where we are going to rest. And we should all introduce ourselves, unless you already did that... I was kinda late...

Jack would probably get a few odd looks seeing as he had Fang sitting on top of his head.

[Vec]

Blake Winterhawk

When Blake finished introducing himself to the shortie, the boy who had picked Chikorita jumped into their little conversation and introduced himself to the two.

“Smart thinking, bringing pokeblocks. I probably should have too. Yay hindsight… Oh! Probably should introduce myself. I’m Ryley, and this is my new partner, Fern. Nice to meet you!”

"Hey" Blake nodded, greeting Ryley. "I'm Blake and this little guy is Swinub" he added with a smile. He then turned his attention back to the shortie who was about to introduce himself as well.

Hey, the name's Alexander Elric, but just call me Alex, it's much easier. And here, take these.

He told them before digging into his pocket and pulling out a small pouch. He picked out some PokeBlocks for Swinub and Fern and shared them with Blake and Ryley, "Thanks man, you're a lifesaver!" Blake said and raised his hand above his head where Swinub was confortably sitting and gave him a PokeBlock to munch on. The little guy seemed thrilled with the small treat, "Wait until I gather some more ingredients. You'll be left wanting more food when I get the chance to cook some of my specialties!" he told the little fur-ball. Apparently, Swinub had already forgotten about Eevee barking at him to get his attention. "Gluttony at It's best...", the thought made Blake chuckle.

"I'M HERE I'M HERE! I didn't miss it did I? I'll never forgive myself if I did!"

Suddenly and out of nowhere, the last trainer, the one that had been late, came bursting through the door, asking if he had missed something. Well, apart from the pleasure to witness our little B in action, not much really... Blake thought, remembering the purple hair's earlier behavior. Speaking of which, Blake looked around the lab, trying to find her. Then he heard a distinctive sound of electrical currents and turned his head towards the source of the sound.

Apparently, her Nidoran had snapped or something and had decided to attack the pink hair's Mareep. What's more, timid girl's Houndour had decided to do the same thing. Long story short, the pink hair tried to protect her Mareep, resulting in her falling down on the floor, possibly hurting her back, while the Mareep, whilst trying to protect itself, unleashed a Thunder Wave at the two attacking pokemon, effectively immobilizing pink hair, Houndour and Nidoran. "Ouch.." Blake thought. What happened after that though, was something that made Blake's temper rise really fast.

Purple hair, instead of scolding Nidoran for attacking the Mareep, she went ahead and insulted timid girls Houndour, calling it a mutt and telling her off for not keeping an eye on it. What the... Sure she made a freaking mistake but since pink hair obviously isn't hurt, why must you go and call other people's Pokemon names? Blake wanted to say but managed to stay quiet. Then, unexpectedly, purple hair apologized! Yep, you heard right. She apologized to pink hair for the sudden attack. Well, at least you have some decency in you... Nidoran seemed to be trying to apologize as well, bringing a PokeBlock over to Mareep as a peace sign, which the Mareep happily accepted.

Aaaand then she went and ruined what little good image she had created with that apology by calling the two girl losers! Losers! Blake quickly put Swinub inside his Pokeball and started making his way towards the purple hair, who was apparently called Abigail and was plannig to be the best trainer in the region. "Hey hey, who the fu-" he was interrupted by Prof. Elm suddenly speaking.

"Okay, if I could just have everyone's attention! I am glad to see all of you are getting along with your new partner, and with each other."

Get along? Who would want to get along with that freaking Swalot-head.... Blake thought, obviously frustrated.

"On this table, I have a few supplies I'd like to give all of you. I have a few maps of the Johto region, repels, and even a few medical kits for you. I couldn't buy much, so you'll have to share with everyone else and use your supplies wisely. On that note, I would like to remind everyone to stay together. As beginner trainers, all of you are quite inexperienced. Please, take care of each other and watch each others backs out there. If anything happened to any of you..."

Blake looked over at the table where all the items were placed. A few medical kits, a couple of repels and three maps huh? Well, I have my PokeGear which already has a map installed into it but another back-up map incase it malfunctions will be useful and with that thought, he approached the table and picked up one of the maps and stuffed it inside his bag. As for the rest... we can either find them on the road or buy them from a poke mart. The less stuff we carry, the farther we can travel. Ryley walked to the table as well and picked up one of the med kits. Can't go wrong with those... Blake thought.

Then, he remembered what he originally intended to do and promptly turned his attention to Abigail. "As I was abo-" he was again interrupted, this time by Avery.

“I think you can do it. Be the best that is. Well, you’ve kind of got to now that you’ve said it. I’m Avery, by the way. Glad to meetcha. I’m looking forward to seeing you win.”

Blake could feel the Avery's passion behind those words. You can't follow something like that with insults now can you? "...Oh what the hell..." Blake murmured, turned his back towards the Swalot-head and her little group and made his way towards Alex and Ryley.

Well, planned to before timid girl suddenly started hyperventilating. Blake quickly hurried over to her, "Hey, relax okay? Listen to me. Are you listening? Clear your thoughts, empty your mind. Don't think about anything but to relax" he told her and grabbed her hand. "Look me in the eyes and say after me, 'I am fine'. Once again, 'I am fine'...

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Abigail Blanchett~

“Aww, look at them! They’re adorable!”

Well, she had to admit to herself. That was kind of adorable. Even the fluffball of a pokemon seemed to be oddly cute in this situation. Still, she made no attempt to acknowledge it. Instead, she focused on Professor Elm. Well, she had everything that she would need for the trip, at least until they got to a Pokemart so they could buy more supplies. Still, she could use a map, and it seemed there were only three left. Hrm...nah, she'd be fine without one. She'd just take one of the others if she had to. Chances were, she was one of the only people here that could read one competently.

As Elm continued to talk about them needing to stay together she gave an impatient huff as she reached down and carefully plucked her Nidoran off of the Mareep, making sure to not touch its fur. "Alright little guy. Nap times over." She said, getting a somewhat annoyed response from the pokemon. "Oh shut it." She huffed, cradling the pokemon in her arms again. "Now stay put or I'll put you back in the pokeball, alright?" He seemed to understand that at least, and gave a small huff of annoyance as he rolled his eyes.

Soon professor Elm had finished speaking. Well, now that the old man had finished, could they get going?

“I think you can do it. Be the best that is. Well, you’ve kind of got to now that you’ve said it. I’m Avery, by the way. Glad to meetcha. I’m looking forward to seeing you win.”

...what? She actually had to visibly process what he had just said. Did he...completely miss that insult? Was he just dense? Or did he really just not care?...well, either way, he was annoying her. She didn't need some loser encouraging her. She could do just fine at motivating herself without the help of some probably 3rd rate trainer. In response, she simply scoffed. "I'd say I was glad to meet ya too, but It'd be a lie." She replied. "All of you, are my competition. I don't intent to get friendly with any of you. But thanks for the encouragement. I'll make sure to think of you for more than a second when I do win."

With that, she walked away from the group, grabbing a few of the repels, and the last map, ignoring the new guy or the fact that Peggy had started to hyperventilate. Might as well get the last one, no one else seemed to keep on getting it and it would always be good to have another.

[Zoldyck]

-Alexander Elric-

Well, apparently the problem has solved itself... kinda. The Nidoran and the Mareep were getting along well but it still seemed that miss purple hadnt learned humility, blaming the poor owner of the Houndour for not controlling her Pokemon. And the worst part about it, it seemed like the girl accepted that it was her fault. Alex felt sorry for the girl, she seemed nice and didnt deserve to be treated like this. Maybe he could help her with her Houndour?

Meanwhile, another guy had ran in and he had taken the Totodile. The Totodile seemed to think that his new owner looked like a snack and gave a very loving greeting. Well, that's a way to show your affection I guess. The guy then started playing a tune on his music instrument and started singing, it seemed to calm his Totodile down. He, that's a handy option of calming your Pokemon. Alex looked at his Eevee who had decided that it was time to play with the Chikorita, trying to touch the Chikorita's leaf with it's tail.

Then Elm spoke up again. And he brought up that there were some supplies left. Alex decided that he would just stick close to someone who had a map and then he would be set. No need to carry aditional stuff anyway.

The timid girl started hyperventilating and Blake had run off to help her. Alex reminded himself of how to act around people who hyperventilate. In his experience, the smartest thing to do was to just sit down and foregt everything else. He grabbed a chair and dragged it over to the group with Eevee following him. Here girl, sit on this chair and just take it easy. Without saying anything else Alex took a few steps back, giving her some room. Too many people breathing down her neck would only stress her out more anyway.

[Nightmare Bunny]

~Melody Hemlock~

Abigail plucked her Nidoran off of Mareep’s fur, much to the Nidoran’s displeasure.

“Alright little guy. Nap times over,” said Abigail. "Oh shut it. Now stay put or I'll put you back in the pokeball, alright?"

“I think you can do it. Be the best that is. Well, you’ve kind of got to now that you’ve said it,” said Avery.

Melody nodded solemnly. Well, of course Abigail could be! In fact, Melody couldn’t even visualize a world where Abigail wasn’t the best trainer… not just in the region, either. In the whole universe! And Melody, of course, would be there with her every step of the way.

"I'd say I was glad to meet ya too, but it'd be a lie." Abigail replied. "All of you, are my competition. I don't intent to get friendly with any of you. But thanks for the encouragement. I'll make sure to think of you for more than a second when I do win."

Wow! Well, she certainly had spirit!

Of course, that whole thing about not getting friendly with any of them… well, Melody would see about that.

Abigail flounced off, and Melody watched her go for a second. Her hair bounced prettily as she stalked off…

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...yeah. Even her back was pretty. Melody turned to follow her, but—

Wait. Was Peggy was hyperventilating? Melody frowned, somewhat concerned by this.

After all… maybe Peggy wasn’t her bestest best friend, like Abigail was, but she had decided that she liked the girl, and therefore needed to take care of her.

A boy rushed over. "Hey, relax okay? Listen to me. Are you listening? Clear your thoughts, empty your mind. Don't think about anything but to relax," he said. "Look me in the eyes and say after me, 'I am fine'. Once again, 'I am fine'...”

And then… oh! Another boy! "Here, girl,” said the second boy, pulling up a chair for Peggy. “Sit on this chair and take it easy."

Oh. So they had it covered, then. She patted Peggy gently on the shoulder, and gave her a reassuring smile. “Things’ll be okay, Peggy!” she told her. “Abigail means well! We’ll give you some space, now!”

At least, she was pretty sure of that. How could Abigail not have meant well? Surely she’d never try to hurt Peggy on purpose… Peggy was so nice, after all!

She glanced over to the supplies on the table. Did she need anything? Maybe one of the repels… oh, and she’d get one for Peggy, too! Abigail seemed to have gotten everything she needed, and there were no maps left, so she didn’t worry about that.

What about Avery? He didn’t seem to have gotten anything… well, there were no other repels, but she’d get him a first aid kit or something?

She trotted over to the table, grabbed the remaining repels and a first aid kit, and trotted back. Carefully, she set a repel down by Peggy, and handed the first aid kit to Avery, pocketing the other repel.

“Here!” she said. “I got this for you guys. And I hope you feel better soon, Peggy.” She turned to the two boys who had rushed over to help Peggy. If they wanted to help Peggy, then they had to be nice, right?

“Nice to meet you,” she said politely. What? “My name’s Melody Hemlock. This—” and here she gestured to Avery, “is Avery, and that’s Peggy. And that just now, with the Nidoran, was Abigail!”

Melody cuddled her Mareep closer to herself. The boy whose Totodile seemed to have already acquired a taste for human flesh had asked them where they wanted to go, but… well, Melody didn’t really have an opinion.

If it came to a vote, she’d vote for wherever Melody wanted to go.

[XxFellsingxX]

- Peggy Atkinson -

As Peggy's breathing got more and more rapid, she became aware of someone at her side, some speaking to her.

"Hey, relax okay? Listen to me. Are you listening? Clear your thoughts, empty your mind. Don't think about anything but to relax," a boy's voice spoke and she felt someone take her hand. "Look me in the eyes and say after me, 'I am fine'. Once again, 'I am fine'..." Under normal circumstances, Peggy would have been squeamish about someone getting too close too close to her, but considering her current state, she instead looked at the boy and focussed on what he was saying.

Peggy tried to empty her mind. "I am fine..." Peggy muttered breathlessly. "I am fine, I am fine. I am fine." She continued repeating this phrase for a minute or so, not sure if it was helping or not.

A second boy walked over and pulled out a chair for her. "Here girl," he said. "Sit on this chair and just take it easy." Peggy nodded gratefully to him and sat herself down, putting her knees up on the chair and hugging them tight against her chest. After a moment, she started breathing more calmly, though she still looked pretty pale and her head was feeling light.

At one point, Melody patted her on the shoulder. “Things’ll be okay, Peggy!” she told her. “Abigail means well! We’ll give you some space, now!” Wait... so... Melody had heard Abigail's comment? Peggy hadn't imagined that?

...

Well, now she felt stupid. And a little annoyed. She just had a panic attack for seemingly no reason.

"Urgh..." Peggy buried her face in her knees. Now she's embarrassed herself. No one was going to want to travel with her after that little episode, would they? They'd think she was just a burden and would ditch her the first chance they got.

Great start, Peggy. Great start.

Peggy sat there for a minute, just wallowing in self-pity. She perked up a little when Melody came back from picking up some supplies from the table and said that she hoped Peggy would get better soon, but Peggy still felt terrible.

The day just seemed to slowly be getting worse and worse.

[Ogo]

~Avery Grant~

Avery was imagining all of the glorious victories the girl might have along her journey, getting even more excited with each one. Again, he missed her slight again, coming back to reality about the time she said she’d think of him. Avery smiled. Friends thought of each other often. They must be friends, then. Logic like that was rock-solid.

Then something happened.

Uhhhhhhhhh…

Brain, any idea what’s going on?

No?

Didn’t think so.

The little chick beside him, well, started breathing.

Normally a good thing, or so Lung would have Avery believe.

But she was breathing hard. And fast. Like he had when he went swimming and tried to touch the bottom of the lake, but ran out of air and struggled to the surface. He couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Did Peggy get lost in her imagination, and now thought she was drowning? Oh no. People could die from that, right? From overactive imaginations? Well, that wouldn’t do. Avery didn’t know how he’d survive in the wilderness without the Survivalist.

So he made up his mind. He would get her the air she needed. CPR. That helped, right?

Avery drew in a ton of air, and was about to attempt to administer, when the Cool-Hat dude rushed over and started trying to talk down Peggy. He made some good points. If you emptied your head, you’d empty your imagination. If you emptied your imagination, you wouldn’t be drowning anymore. Silly Peggy.

But maybe he should still try to-

Before he could attempt his life-saving maneuver, the wee-one came bearing a chair, telling Peggy to sit. That should do the trick. Silly Peggy, you can’t drown if you’re sitting down. It’s Science.

Then Melody shoved a first-aid kit in Avery’s hands. Did Peggy need some serious surgery? Well… Avery had never operated on a person before, but when life hands you scalpels, make itty-bitty cuts. He had seen it down plenty of times on TV. He’d just need to make a cut on her stomach large enough for his hand. Then he’d reach in and cut a few more...uh...things, and she’d be better. Being a doctor wasn’t that hard. Maybe Avery would do that for a living? OH! But the task at hand.

Avery began trying to open the kit, but Peggy seemed to come back down from her cloud. Well then. Welcome back to civilization, Pegs. Avery stopped fiddling with the kit, albeit slightly disappointed. Who knows, though? Maybe he’d have a chance to be Top Doc at a later point in time. He sure hoped so. Although he didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Somehow, the two wants did not collide in friction in Avery’s simple mind.

Melody called his name, and Avery, having zoned out once more, came back to reality with a hearty “Heya heya!”

Avery smiled, prior crisis almost completely gone from his consciousness.

Ignorance was bliss.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Professor Elm/Alfred Elm~

It was nice, seeing all the trainers getting along. More or less - it seemed one of them had a brief panic attack, but the others had managed to calm her down. They had just started, and they were already helping each other! He couldn't have asked for a better outcome of this. Well, most of the trainers were getting along anyways. One of the girls seemed to have a bit of a superiority complex. He had seen trainers like her before, and most of the time...well, it didn't end well. Hopefully, she learned her lesson before something bad happened.

Well, whatever happens, now was time for wishing all of them well, and getting them out of New Bark and out on the road.

"Alright everyone!" Professor Elm said again, to get their attention. "It's been a pleasure making all of your acquaintances! Now though, its time all of you got going."

"Um, professor? What about their licences?" Alfred quietly asked, holding a stack of the item in question. There seemed to be one for each of the trainers gathered here.

"Oh, right! Sorry, I almost forgot. Alfred, if you could pass them out please." With a nod, he got up from his seat and started handing the licenses to the trainers. This took a minute or so, to figure out who everyone was but soon enough it was done and each trainer had a shiny new Trainer Card to carry around and show that they were legally licensed trainers. It had their age, name, hometown and emergency contact info on it in case of well, emergencies. "Make sure you keep up with those. They are very important if the Police decide to make sure you are a legal trainer."

Now that that was taken care of, then they could get going.

"I apologize for the last second hold up! But now that everything is done, young trainers, the world of pokemon now awaits you! You'll face many challenges - especially if you decide to challenge the Gyms, but I'm certain that all of you will do great things. Now, enough of me rambling like the old man I am." he laughed. "Now, your first stop would be Route 29, just east of New Bark. Some of you came through there on your way in. It'll probably take you a day on foot to reach Cherry Grove, but I'm certain all of you will make it. Now, be careful out there and have a fun journey!"

~Abigail Blanchett~

After being handed her card, Abigail pocketed it without giving it so much as another glance. Well, if the old man was finished with them, then she saw no reason to stay here. She was slightly curious about the egg in the machine in the back, but didn't bother asking. Instead, she grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder and with her Nidoran still in her arms, she headed right for the Lab's door. She had no desire to stay here any longer.

With any luck, this time tomorrow they'd be in Cherry Grove, and she'd be on her way to becoming a strong trainer.

[Nightmare Bunny]

~Melody Hemlock~

Oh— so they were going to Cherrygrove, then? Or, at least… Professor Elm wanted them to go to Cherrygrove?

Melody hummed. Well, that seemed like a pretty logical first destination! She wondered if she’d be able to find a Pidgey on Route 29. Okay, so maybe they were kind of common, but… they were cute, okay?

She’d always liked cute Pokemon. And she already had a name picked out! If her Pidgey was a boy, she’d name him... uh… Bird Jesus? Private Brian? Stanley! Stanley-Joe!

And if it was a girl… well, Stanley-Joe was a pretty name for a girl, too! Right?

She’d chosen the name after… well, after nothing, actually. She’d just made it up. Call it divine inspiration? She had bumped into a few of those weird Helix cultists on the way to the lab.

So she’d just introduced herself to the two who’d come over to help out Peggy, but—wait. Was Abigail leaving?

Uh-oh. She was getting left behind! And Melody definitely couldn’t let her best friend wander off alone! For one thing, they were supposed to all stay together, right?

For another… well, Melody had just found her best friend! She didn’t want to get separated already!

She shot an apologetic smile at Peggy and the two boys. “Sorry, gotta go!” she blurted out in a rush. “Peggy, the repel on the floor is for you. I’m going to go catch up to Abigail. You guys hurry, okay? Bye!”

Melody hurried over to the professor’s assistant, took her card, and then jogged after Abigail. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t jogging… Melody’s parents had raised her to be a proper young lady (sort of), after all!

She walked briskly after Abigail, managing to catch her just before she exited the door. Mareep was starting to feel kind of heavy, but Melody had always been pretty strong: she could deal with it! And she rather liked having Mareep out.

“Abigail, wait up!” she said, smiling. “Aren’t you excited? Our Pokemon journeys are starting, and you’re on your way to being the best trainer in the region, huh? I’m going to challenge the gyms too. I mean, I probably won’t be as good as you, but I’ll do my best.”

After all, she had to, didn’t she? To prove to Abigail that she was worthy of her?

Mareep made a snuffling sound in his sleep, and Melody giggled. “Mareep’s gonna help me, too. We’re going to be an awesome team, just you wait!”

[Ogo]

~Avery Grant~

Theme Song

As Avery was waiting for the scene around him to unfold, his anchor once more belted out wise words of guidance. Once more, the young lad shed all outside distractions and focused on Elm. Despite being rather unfocused, the boy could focus.

Apparently he was attempting to send everyone on their way...but good reliable Alfie stopped him. They needed licenses. Why? Well...Avery didn’t know, but Alfie and Elm seemed to say so, and they knew more about this than he did. Haha, what would he do without them?

...Well, he would probably have to find out pretty soon...

"Make sure you keep up with those. They are very important if the Police decide to make sure you are a legal trainer."

Legal trainer?

What was an illegal trainer?

Well, it probably didn’t matter. He was getting a card that meant he wouldn’t have to care.

Abigail and Melody had both already claimed their licenses. Peggy and the others seemed a bit...preoccupied, so Avery went over to the Elms old and young. He smiled bright, teeth flashing white.

He stopped before Alfie who held out his card. The kid was still acting timid. No fun. Here Avery was, likely going away for who knows how long, and he couldn’t even look him in his eyes. Hell, Avery knew the boy for as long as he’d been in the town. Avery considered him a friend. A close friend.

...his only friend.

Avery scooped the kid up by the waist and spun, laughing again.

“Going away now, Alfie. But I’ll be back. With a bunch of friends. Friends like Blue. So, don’t forget about me, yeah?”

He sat the kid back down, swiping his card from the ones in his hand and turning away from the Elms. His head hung low, and his hair lower, obscuring his eyes.

Don’t.

Not yet.

Just...don’t.

He walked silently to the door, tracing the floor with his gaze. He walked with purpose, with speed. Not running but…

He caught up with the two girls, but took no notice.

He left the lab, hearing Elm begin to speak, but took no notice.

He entered the sunlight once more, and around him the small little town was moving about its day.

But he took no notice.

He simply walked.

Fleeing.

After some time, he made it to the edge of town. Beyond him would be Route 29. The first leg of his journey would begin here. A moment that should be incredibly happy. But there he stood, tears streaming down his face, tears he had managed to hold since the lab. Nobody should have seen him, but he didn’t know for sure. It was different from when he met Blue. He wasn’t bursting with joy. His tears weren’t warm.

They stung. It was...so bitter. He had been so excited about this, so happy to start but now…

It hurt...

It hurt.

It-hurt.

IT-HURT!

He wished he had never listened to those whispers, that nagging inner voice that urged him to pick up the mantle. If he hadn’t, he would have to leave, to say goodbye to the town he had lived his entire life in, the people he had come to know and love…

But there was no turning back. Not after the weeks he had spent hyped up about it. Not after the bold claims he had made to his parents, to Elm…

To Alfie.

He stood, facing the end of his life as he knew it.

He stood, facing the beginning of one brand new.

A few more tears shed from Avery’s eyes, but they ended. He rolled down his left sleeve then wiped his face, clearing the tears. His eyes were still red, but at least the crying had passed and his face was dry. He couldn’t let the others see him like this. Tears were one thing, pain was another.

So Avery stood, composing himself, trying to escape into one of his fantasies, but to no avail. His mind was flooded with memories. But somehow, he managed to keep it together. He didn’t turn, didn’t give one last look at the town. He knew he couldn’t. To look now was to lose every last bit of nerve he had left. He couldn’t leave yet, either. He had to wait on the others. So he did. Unmoving, unthinking, unfeeling. Comfortably numb. Painfully numb.

He waited, dead to the world. The sooner they left, the sooner he would be okie-dokie.

He activated his PokeGear, switching over to the radio, and some classical piece floated out of the machine. A soft, calming melody. Avery lost a chuckle to a thought. If that stupid interview had still been going on, he might have lost it.

The young man waited, cloaked in music.

But a sharp notion crept into his mind. An unnerving one. One that almost put him back into his sorry state.

Avery shuddered. Heart and Brain followed suit. The thought...it was so clear. So real. It was like…

Like...

A premonition.

And he knew it to be true, that fear. He didn’t know why, but he did.

It shook him to his very core.

This would be his first and last time leaving the town.

For he would never see New Bark Town again.

...

But he smiled.

[Noklu]

~Ryley Grisdoe~

Ryley had been expecting a bit more conversing between him, Blake, and Alex. Even Blake’s eevee was enjoying the company of others as it played the ‘I’m not touching you’ game with Fern’s leaf. However, something popped up. One of the trainers, the nervous one, started to breathe rapidly. That… hyperventilating wasn’t good. Blake and Alex must have thought likewise, as both walked over to help her. Blake seemed a bit overeager to try to help, while Alex was trying to give the poor girl some space. Ryley, for his part, stayed back at the edge of the group, not wanting to give the girl more anxiety. Too many people and all.

The pink haired girl tried to help out as well, siding with Alex’s idea of personal space. Ryley watched as she proceeded to grab some materials from the table and distribute them. Then she introduced herself and everyone else (besides the musician) to them. The airhead was Avery, the girl hyperventilating was Peggy, Prima Dona girl was Abigail, and she was Melody. That would save some time from lengthy introductions.

After Melody finished her introductions, Peggy seemed to calmed down to the point where breathing wasn’t panicked. Enough to become embarrassed at what had just happened. Now seemed a good time to chime in.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s just good to know you’re fine.”

In any case, what had made Peggy panic in the first place? Melody had mentioned something about Abigail meaning well. Could something have happened between the two? Maybe Abigail had pushed Peggy too hard, or maybe… No. Ryley stopped his train of thought. It wasn’t healthy to go off on tangents without any evidence.

It was then that Professor Elm spoke up. It seemed it was time for them to head out. Well, that and time for them to get their licenses. The assistant handed out cards to everyone, ensuring their legality in training. Their adventure was starting.

Abigail briskly walked off without a word, kinda abrasively in Ryley’s opinion. Melody proceeded to blurt out an apology for heading out before following Abigail. Peggy seemed excited to be traveling, which was completely normal, but still… The way she tailed Abigail was a bit unnerving. It was hard to explain why.

It seemed about time that Ryley followed suit. It was feeling a bit stuffy in here. He walked towards the door, but lo and behold, Avery caught his attention. Ryley watched as Avery picked the assitant up laughing, and spun around, saying farewell to the young boy. Elm had known Avery, so the two boys must have been friends. Avery let the boy down, and turned towards the door. It was sad seeing two friends parting, to say the least.

Once that was over, Ryley headed out himself. As he stepped outside, the sun glared into his eyes, causing them to squint. Fern did the same, but adjusted quickly. She seemed happy to be outside. The lab behind them seemed so dreary compared to the warm sunshine.

[XxFellsingxX]

- Peggy Atkinson -

“Sorry, gotta go! Peggy, the repel on the floor is for you. I’m going to go catch up to Abigail. You guys hurry, okay? Bye!”

Peggy lifted her head slightly as she watched Melody rush out the lab after Abigail. She frowned slightly. After Abigail had been so mean, how could Melody be so eager to hang around her? Then again, the way Melody talked about Abigail made it seem like the two knew each other. Maybe they were childhood friends and Melody was just used to Abigail being a jerk? That was the only excuse Peggy's depressed and embittered mind could come up with.

She glanced down at the repel Melody had dropped on the floor and, despite the fact her body felt incredibly heavy, she got off the chair and scooped up the repel and put it in her bag alongside the other one.

One of the other trainers, a boy with light brown hair, spoke up to her. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s just good to know you’re fine,” he said.

Peggy managed to smile at him. Well, maybe it wasn't all that bad, then. She had two repels, which was more than anyone else had, Melody seemed to care enough about her to give her a gift, and all these trainers she hardly knew cared enough to make sure she didn't keel over from panic. How did that song go? 'Always look on the bright side of life'?

Anyhow, she decided she should run after the rest of the group so as not to be left behind. She particularly wanted to keep up with Avery and Melody, Avery because he was the first person she had met and she wanted to make sure he hadn't gotten a bad impression of her from earlier, and Melody because Peggy had decided that, of all the group, she seemed to be one of the kindest and probably the most tolerant. After all, she seemed to be able to put up with Abigail's bullshit.

'No, no, I mustn't think like that,' Peggy thought to herself scoldingly. Sure, she herself didn't like Abigail, but Melody did, and Peggy liked Melody, so she should at least try to put up with Abigail for Melody's sake, right? Right then and there, Peggy made an internal vow to try and be nice to Abigail...

... no matter how much she didn't want to.

Steeling herself for a moment and taking in a deep breath, she made her way out of the lab, giving a shy wave behind her to the Professor and his assistant before following after the rest of the group. They were already a little ahead, so she had to run for a few minutes to catch up. One she did, she quietly started walking behind Avery, shyly pulling her hat down once again as she did so.

She thought about trying to start a conversation but quickly decided against it, knowing full well she'd probably end up sounding like an idiot. Instead, she decided to preoccupy herself with thinking about what Pokemon she would try and catch one they got onto the route. She'd definitely try to catch a Pokemon, and do her best to be gentle and friendly to it so it wouldn't take against her like Houndour had.

Oh yeah, she still needed to think of a name for Houndour. Peggy frowned. She wasn't all that good with naming things. She tried to think... what had her father name his Mightyena again? Jet, she think it was, after the gemstone. Okay, maybe a gemstone name. As they headed towards the route, she started running through the list of gemstones she knew, trying to figure out which would be the best.

[Zoldyck]

-Alexander Elric-

The pink haired girl, Melody, seemed to be a rather nice person. Atleast, she created that impression. She introduced some people to Blake and Alex. Peggy, the hyperventilating girl, Avery, not the brightest light in the room and last and probably least, Abigail. Peggy was starting to calm down. Alex felt sorry for the girl. It was obvious that Abigail had something to do with reacting this way. And not only did Abigail already torment this girl, but she also had a bad first greeting with her Houndour. The next time that Houndour would be out and it would be this aggressive to Peggy Alex would help her out. And Eevee too ofcourse!

Speaking about Eevee, he had been running circles around the group, happily barking to everyone and wagging his tail in excitment. Well, atleast someone was having the time of his life. Then Elm walked in and Eevee had to suddenly stop to avoid a collision with him. He did... But he slided over the floor right behind a file cabinet, luckily not bumping against anything, and it looked quite hilarious. Elm handed out the Pokemon licences and Alex took his before he walked over to Eevee who was now again playing with his tail. "Well Eevee, are you coming or what?" Alex said with a smile, Eevee just looked so adorable, Alex was fearing how he could ever punish Eevee if he did something wrong. Just look at those cute eyes and that tail!

Alex probably had to think of a name for his Eevee but at the moment that wasnt really a concern. Right now he was going to look ahead to all the fun he and Eevee were going to have and maybe he might even grow fond of some of his traveling companions...

Maybe.

Alex, closly followed by Eevee, caught up with the main group. Well, this probably was alright. It could be worse, there could be two Abigails...

[Vec]

Blake Winterhawk

Blake was completely oblivious to Abigail's comments. The girl in front of him had his complete attention. Thankfully, she had followed Blake's advice and started mumbling to herself the 'I am fine' mantra. Alex approached them, bringing with him a chair for her to sit. Blake watched as she nodded thanks to Alex and sat down on the chair. "Thanks man" Blake told Alex as he himself stood up, tidying up his coat. "Phew, you gotta be carefull with those panic attacks" he told the girl with a smile.

“Here! I got this for you guys. And I hope you feel better soon, Peggy."

Said the pink-haired girl and placed a repel down on the floor, next to the chair. "So timid girl's name is Peggy. Noted."

“Nice to meet you. My name’s Melody Hemlock. This is Avery, and that’s Peggy. And that just now, with the Nidoran, was Abigail!”

"...and her name is Melody. I already knew about Avery from Elm's little introduction earlier, Hey" he responded to Avery's greeting. "...but why are you excited to introduce her?" Blake wondered. In the small amount of time he had known Abigail, he had already grown to despise her guts. He resolved to completely ignore her, now and throughout their journey.

Then, Prof. Elm jumped in their little conversation,

"Alright everyone! It's been a pleasure making all of your acquaintances! Now though, its time all of you got going."

"Well, I guess he has a point. Everyone except her is getting along fine" Blake nodded in agreement. "....and what about our licences?" he was about to say but Elm's little assistant beat him to it, "Um, professor? What about their licences?" The professor seemed to space out for a moment, processing the question before giving an answer,

"Oh, right! Sorry, I almost forgot. Alfred, if you could pass them out please. Make sure you keep up with those. They are very important if the Police decide to make sure you are a legal trainer."

He told them as Alfred was handing out their licences. "With this, I'm officially a Pokemon Trainer!" Blake thought excited. He put the licence in one of the pockets of his bag while listening to Prof. Elm continuing his speech.

"I apologize for the last second hold up! But now that everything is done, young trainers, the world of pokemon now awaits you! You'll face many challenges - especially if you decide to challenge the Gyms, but I'm certain that all of you will do great things. Now, enough of me rambling like the old man I am. Now, your first stop would be Route 29, just east of New Bark. Some of you came through there on your way in. It'll probably take you a day on foot to reach Cherry Grove, but I'm certain all of you will make it. Now, be careful out there and have a fun journey!"

Well, Cherrygrove City seemed like a logical first destination to Blake as he looked at his Pokegear's map. Although, they could very much follow the path he took to get to New Bark. Go through the Dark Cave straight to Blackthorn. Of course, Blake had the help of experienced Hikers when he traveled through the Cave. This group was pretty much just a bunch of newbie trainers, making it very possible for someone to get hurt while travelling. Melody for one though, seemed unfazed by all that. Blake could swear she would follow Abigail to the end of the world, if it came down to that.

Blake watched as one after another, they started leaving the lab. First was Abigail, followed by Melody. After bidding farewell to Alfred, Avery followed behind the two. Then Ryley and Peggy and after them, Alex. "Well, what am I waiting for?" Blake told himself and with his usual, confident stride, exited Elm's Lab. He quickly looked around, found the group and joined them.

[Nightmare Bunny]

~Elsabeth Monroe: A Special Program, Brought To You By The GMs!~

Starring: Elsa Monroe, Glenn Anderson, Carmen Young, and David Mexatus!

(a collaboration by Rune, Ogo and Bunny!)

She was right. She was completely and totally right. That jerk barely let her have a word in edgewise, and when he did, it was just enough to make her look like an idiot. But at least it was over, right? She just had to hold it in for just a few more moments, then commercial would hit, and she could just go. She'd leave early today. Maybe go home and just cry. Or get some ice cream. Anything to forget this stupid day and that stupid fatass across the table with his stupid glasses and that stupid goatee and his stupid show.

It was just stupid. Never again. She didn't care what the Chief said. He could just shove it for all she cared. This wasn't happening again.

"Well, thanks for stopping by, Ms. Monroe. We're about to go to commercial break, but when we come back, I'll be sitting down with two of Johto's biggest names: Carmen Young and David Mexatus. Don't touch that dial, we'll be right back."

"And...we're good. Good job everybody. Let's go. You, get out of there."

The man pointing at her, some balding jerk named Saul, was sipping on coffee and barking orders to everyone around. But Elsabeth was more than happy to oblige. She hopped up out of the seat and left the little recording room, not giving Fat Bastard a single glance.

Just get home, Elsa, babe. Just get home and it'll all be alright.

And she had almost done it. But as she reached the door, it opened by itself. Elsabeth was momentarily stunned. What the door had opened upon...she could barely believe her eyes.

It was her.

"Um, hello," said Carmen Young, smiling uncertainly. She was balancing a tray of coffee somewhat precariously on one hand. "Would Mr. Anderson happen to be here right now?"

Th-That was...That was her. THAT was CARMEN YOUNG. There probably wasn't a person in Johto that didn't know who she was. She was just an actress some years back. Elsabeth had caught a few of her movies. Carmen did pretty well...though some of the movies were uh, less than stellar. But then BOOM! BAM! She just up and disappears. Nobody really knew what happened to her, but a bit later she lands on the political scene. College degree and everything.

And despite most thinking she'd be a joke, she kicked ass! She took the scene by storm, confidently taking the reigns of...

Oh Arceus. She hadn't said anything. Carmen Young was standing here in front of her, asked her a question, and all she had done was stare at her like a brainless fangirl.

Think, Elsa, think!

"Y-yeah! He's uh...He's back in the room. Right over uh..."

Stammering, starstruck Elsabeth turned, stepping out of Carmen's way and pointing towards the recording booth, where that disgusting slimy shark had just lit up ANOTHER cigar. Did he breathe off the crap? Jeez...

"Oh, wonderful!" said Carmen, smoothing out the bottom of her suit-jacket. "Thank you. Want a coffee? I brought rather a lot. They're all caffè lattes, though."

Elsabeth's eyes lit up. PLAY IT COOL, ELSA. She nodded, smiling. She took a latte and took a drink. It was glorious. As if the Gods above had deemed her fit and cast down a messenger, one who delivered upon her the sweet nectar reserved for Angels.

Was Carmen an Angel?

Carmen smiled and brushed past her to head into Glenn's studio, closing the door behind her. Elsa could see them talking through the glass window: Carmen looked oddly happy, and the fatass... was he laughing?! He'd taken a coffee from her, and was somehow managing to drink it without taking his cigar out of his mouth.

"Well, if it isn't miss Elsabeth!" said a redheaded man wearing a business suit. He wore a friendly smile on his face as he greeted Elsa. "You look lovely today! I have to say, you did fairly well in that show you just did! Really, Glenn needs to learn some manners."

Elsabeth nearly jumped when the new voice hit her. She had still been enjoying her amazing coffee, but now it rushed rapidly down her throat, touching the edges with soft, burning fingers. She turned. Wh...Who was this? Did she know him? He was...wow. Uh, no. Never seen him before. Was he-

Oh. What'd the fatass say? He mentioned that...well, that Carmen would be on the show. Who else? Da...

Carmen opened the door. "Hey, David!" she said. "Are you bothering that girl? Well, good timing, anyway-- Glenn and I were just about to get started on the interview."

David. David Mexatus. That's right. She knew the name, but she had never seen him before.

"Me? Bother a lovely young lady? Please." He chuckled.

Carmen sighed. "Come on, David, I have a meeting in an hour that I'd really like to be on time to. And the coffee's getting cold."

"Oh alright, I'm coming." he said to Carmen with one of his smiles before turning briefly to Elsa. "Well, sorry for cutting this short but little miss princess over there always ruins my fun."

Carmen rolled her eyes and turned away, heading back over to Glenn with a flick of her long, lavender hair.

Gosh. She was standing in the shadow of giants.

She took a nervous gulp of coffee.

"Before I do though-" He said, reaching into a pocket and taking out a business card. "Here. I do listen to your show, actually. You ever want me on it, for let's say...a personal interview I'd be more than happy to oblige." After handing her the card, he followed after Carmen, adjusting his tie to make sure it looked presentable.

"A-Alright then. T-Thanks. Go uh...knock 'em dead. Haha...ha."

And with that, she scurried past David, heading closer to the door...but she stopped. She stopped and turned around. She was curious. How the hell did a fatass like Glenn get guests like this? She had to see. As much as she detested the thought of being this close to the putrid slimeball for much longer, she just had to hear them.

She slinked back to the window, standing a bit back from the crew and peered in. The three had gathered around the table. It looked like the show was about to start. And as if confirming her thoughts, Saul hit a button and flashed Glenn a thumbs up. So that's how the asshat got her...

"Welcome back folks, Glenn Anderson here. You’re listening to the ‘Anderson Hour’. Thanks for tuning in. Today, we'll be once again talking about the plague that is the PokeProblem: What it is, and what we should do about it. Joining me in the studio today are Ms. Carmen Young and Mr. David Mexatus. Carmen, David, go ahead and say hello to folks listening at home?"

He pointed a disgusting stupid finger at Carmen first, then David.

"Hi everyone," said Carmen into the microphone. "I'm Carmen Young, chairwoman of the Democratic Johtonese People's Party. It's great to be here today! Isn't that right, David?"

"Indeed, Carmen!" David replied, speaking loudly and clearly as he reached for a drink. "It's a pleasure to be here with both you and Glenn today. Thank you for the invite."

"Super." Glenn started, pausing to take a drink. "Fine guests, both of these. To our listeners at home who might not know what the two of you do, mind telling us a little about it? Let's start with you, Carmen."

"Why, certainly! I'm a politician, which basically means that I've been trying to help make Johto a better place," said Carmen. She laughed, covering her mouth delicately with the hand not occupied with holding her coffee. "I've been campaigning to help push forwards laws that make Johto a safer nation to live in, focusing mainly on the regulation of Pokemon ownership in Johto."

"One of our greatest achievements since the outbreak of feral Pokemon has been passing the Minimum Age Law a few years ago, which bumped the minimum age for kids to start their Pokemon journeys up to sixteen." At this she smiled. She seemed a little proud of the DJPP's achievements. Quite rightly, too, Elsa thought. "Since then, we've seen a dramatic decrease in wild Pokemon related injuries and deaths among our trainer population!"

"You hear that folks? The lady behind your children sleeping safe and sound in their beds. If it wasn't for people like her, Little Sally Jo and Billy Jr. could be sleeping in the belly of a Mightyena instead. And I'm not just blowing smoke up her ass, excuse my French. We've got a report here back from the Johto National Police. Fifty-three percent decrease in Pokemon-related injuries in children ages fifteen and below."

He slammed his fist down on the desk, but nothing moved. Must have stopped before hand. Intimidating your guests, slimeball? "FIFTY-THREE FRIGGIN' PERCENT. That's over half people. Sheesh. Next up to bat, Da-"

"-I can introduce myself, Glenn." He interrupted the other man. "I am David Mexatus, CEO of the Mexatus Corporation. My company handles anything relating to the handling of pokemon and the safety of trainers. From Pokeballs, to potions, to medical kits and repels, to anything else a trainer would need to safely travel through the region. Really, if it wasn't for my company, those who have decided to take up being a trainer would be in much more danger." He paused, taking a drink before he continued.

"Our company has come under scrutiny a lot in recent years, due to the increase in Pokemon aggression, but as long as there are trainers out there who are brave, or some would say foolish, enough to take up the title of trainer, we will be needed. Recently, however, my company has been interested in the source of the pokemon aggression itself. If all goes well, we could very well return pokemon to what they were nine or so years ago." He confidently stated.

"Super. So, both of you would be fairly qualified to talk about the issue that the good people listening in have to deal with everyday. You've both spent the better part of your careers involved with it in some way. You're influential, powerful people." A pause.

"Now we could sit around, hold hands, and play friggin' patty-cake until the Miltank come home, but how's about we skip the damn lollipops and rainbow part of this and get into what people REALLY want to hear." He paused again, letting the words hang in the air. He took a drag and let out a smoke ring, making that hideous face he was so oft to do.

"We all know what's going on out there. You'd have to be a friggin' idiot not to. So tell me, tell all of us, what the hell you wanna do about it? Carmen, the ball's in your court."

"Well, Glenn, Pokemon have been an essential part of our lives for decades as our peers, coworkers, and even friends! But especially in light of recent events, it's impossible to deny the fact that Pokemon have claws and teeth, that they can breathe fire and cause explosions," said Carmen. She sighed, brushing her hair away from her face with one immaculately manicured hand. She bit her lip, but when she started talking again, her voice was clear and passionate. "The fact of the matter is that even without the sudden rise in Pokemon aggression, we should have had more rules in place regarding safety, not just for trainers but also for every other person who's ever worked with Pokemon.

"I think that it's critical for Johto, as a nation that cares about the futures of its citizens, to have sound and reasonable laws in place regarding the relationship between Pokemon and humans," she continued, and seemed to brighten up a little. She smiled. "And that's what the DJPP has been trying to accomplish with the laws that we've been pushing forwards: we want to make it so that no one in Johto ever has to fear for their or their children's safety, ever again.

"Mmm. And how about you, David? You mentioned trying to 'return' the little monsters to how they were before. Let's say you do manage to accomplish this. What about the laws suggested by Ms. Young? How do they line up with your plans?" He tapped some of the ashes from his cigar into a little dish. And took another drink of coffee. Jeez...slow down, greaseball. It'd be a shame if you lost it right in the middle of your precious little show. Elsabeth smiled an evil little smile at the thought, and drank her own coffee.

Being a hypocrite was fun.

"I would actually have to agree with the lovely Carmen." He said, flashing her a smile. "You have to remember, even before the recent increase in pokemon aggression, people were still being attacked and hurt by pokemon. That is one of the reasons my company exists; To ensure the safety of both the trainers and the pokemon. If we do find a way to solve this problem, I think that the law restricting the age to sixteen should remain in place. After all, trusting a child barely of the age of ten with an animal that could potentially destroy an entire town is just absurd." He paused, as if thinking for a brief second before continuing, adjusting his tie again.

"Perhaps though, to placate some people who are against such laws, it would be sensible to lower the age back to 13 or such. It would be a reasonable compromise, I think." He calmly and confidently stated. He knew what effect that would have on Glenn.

Carmen took a deep breath. It was clear that she knew what was coming: she set her coffee down on the floor, and edged a little further away from Glenn.

"Lower the age? LOWER THE AGE?" Elsabeth could see the rage ignite in Glenn's beady little eyes.

"Might as well get rid of the whole damn thing then. Obviously people like you just don't care about the children. Lower the...Hell, should we cover them in steak sauce and hang signs around their necks? 'FREE FOOD'? 'EAT ME'? If anything, we need to RAISE the damn age. Let adults make the stupid decisions, adults that know what the hell they're getting into. Don't punish OUR kids because YOU don't want your snot-nosed brat running around. Lower the... FUCK IT! SAUL! CUT TO COMMERCIAL! NOW!"

Elsabeth winced, as did most of the crew. This wasn't the same asswipe that had humiliated her just a bit earlier. This was someone altogether different. Glenn, he... he had a look in his eyes. She didn't like it, not one bit.

He looked outright mad.