GuyYouMetOnline

[color=darkslateblue]"Okay, I've got results from the data I took," Kiva said. "How're things on your end?"[/color] [color=#483d8b]"The sweep's done," Daego replied, "and I've just about got the results sorted out. So far, things seem to be pretty close to our list. There are a couple deviations, but nothing too major. Basically, our list checks out. What do your results look like?"[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Well, it's like I told you the other day. The Resistance is very good at hiding. Like your data, mine basically confirms our list. However, I've discovered that there are also three large Resistance facilities on the planet. One of them is where I got the data, of course, and there are two others. Thing is, there's absolutely nothing in here to indicate where these three facilities are located."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Nothing?"[/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "Nothing. All three facilities are mentioned in the data, but only by standard code names, so we can't get any clues there. And nowhere in the database is there any information on the facilities' locations."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"I'm assuming you tried tracing the data from the grade B sensor gear, too," Daego said. "I take it that didn't work, either."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"I didn't learn a thing from that. The signal's bounced around so many times that t's impossible to tell where it's going. The scrambler's damn good, too, which makes things even more difficult. I was able to get around that problem when I hacked in because I sent my signal directly into the sensor gear, which sent it down the path to the Alpha facility, as it's referred to in the data I got. But I can't do that with a signal trace, because the scrambler would disrupt it anyways. No, finding those facilities won't be easy."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Yeah, I guess not. I didn't find anything like that with the sensor sweep, so I can't help. Whoever's in charge down there definitely knows his stuff. Anyways, what's our next move?"[/color] [color=#483d8b]"We compose and send a brief messageto the [i]Crimson[/i] and the [i]Tempest[/i]," Kiva said. "We tell Commander Sandra and Commander Crystal about the three facilities, as well as the grade B sensor equipment. We ask them to contact us if they find even a hint about where one of the facilities might be located. Also, we tell them of our decision to take no action regarding the grade B sensor equipment, and advise them to do the same. You get on that, Daego. I'll start prioritizing our target list."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Got it," Daego said.[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Good. Let's get to work."[/color]

[color=darkslateblue]"Kive, you might want to take a look at this," Daego said.[/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva walked across the [i]Catalyst[/i]'s bridge to Daego's station. "What is it?"[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Take a look," Daego said, isolating part of the report currently displayed on his computer station's monitor.[/color] [color=#483d8b]The [i]Catalyst[/i] had arrived in sector 13 the previous day. With standard stealth systems online, the ship had slid into orbit around Earth. The active stealth systems wouldn't fool sufficiently advanced sensor systems, but Earth technolgy wasn't even close to being at that level, and the Resistance forces on the planet were unlikely to have that kind of equipment available, so the standard systems would suffice.[/color] [color=#483d8b]Once in Earth orbit, Kiva and Daego had initiated a complete sensor sweep of the planet. The objective, of course, was to verify the locations on the list they'd been provided with, as well as try to identify anything not on the list. This, of course, was not likely to happen just by scanning the planet. It would require some work to locate such facilities, and since that work would involve a good deal of hacking, it would be Kiva's job. But that was for after the data from the sensor sweep had come in and been analyzed, which was currently happening. Daego was actually reviewing sensor data when he called Kiva over.[/color] [color=#483d8b]"It looks like they have some stuff we didn't expect," Daego said as Kiva looked at the indicated section. "I don't know how the got it here undetected, but it looks like they've got grade B sensor equipment down there."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"You can't be serious." But Kiva saw that Daego was indeed serious. The sensor sweep had indeed found what could only be grade B sensor equipment. It was well hidden, so it wouldn't be easy to detect. The [i]Crimson[/i] had likely missed it, as had the [i]Tempest[/i], but the [i]Catalyst[/i]'s sensors were more advanced, as was almost everything on Elite Specialist ships. The [i]Catalyst[/i] had detected the equipment.[/color] [color=#483d8b]"If the Resistance has grade B sensors down there," Daego said, "then they'll know we're here. Our standard stealth level isn't enough to fool grade Bs."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Yeah. Okay, so they know we're here. At least now we know that they know. Daego, we're not going to take any special action at the moment. They already know that we're here, so doing anything now would just tell them that we found their grade B equipment, that we know they've seen us. They'll probably figure it out anyway, but doing anything about it would only make them certain. Besides, active B equipment is something I can use."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"You're going to redirect yourself througgh the equipemnt to whatever facility it sends data to, aren't you," Daego said.[/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "That's right. And by making my signal look like incoming sensor data, I'll be in the system without them even knowing I'm there. And once in, I'll certainly be able to find some info that'll make our search for additional Resistance facilities much easier. You keep going with the sensor data while I hack my way in."[/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva returned to her station and went to work. She pulled this particular trick before so she knew exctly what to do and how to do it. As a result, it wasn't long before she was into a Resistance computer network. She didn't know where this particular network was, but it didn't matter. She'd get any information she could from the network, then pull out without leaving any sign that she'd been there. Well, no sign but one.[/color] [color=#483d8b]As an undercover Resistance agent, Kiva favored... creative means of getting her reports to the Resistance. Her favorite method was leaving her reports in Resistance computers that she'd hacked her way into, and that's what she was doing now. This particular report contained all the standard information; general updates on the Empire, a personal status report, etc. Kiva also included, as usual, her current assignment as an Imperial operative, as well as everything she had that was relevant to said assignment, including a notification of just what she was looking for within the Resistance computers. As usual, she flagged it for attention from whoever was in charge of the facility.[/color] [color=#483d8b]Her report planted, Kivachecked on the status of her programs. She had ran them to search for any information she and Daego would find useful and copy it to the [i]Catalyst[/i]'s data banks. Checking on their status, she saw that they were finished, so she withdrew from the Resistance computer network. Aside from the Resistance agent Kiva's report, Kiva hadn't left any sign that she'd been there. And when Daego was finished with the sensor sweep, they'd combine the data and begin determining their order of attack.[/color] ------------------------------------------------------------- OOC: Aaryanna_Mom, I guess Kiva's report went to wherever your characters are.

[color=darkslateblue]"Well, that sounds simple enough," Kiva said to Daego after Jared closed the communications channel.[/color] [color=#483d8b]Daego nodded. "Indeed. I'm not sure why Sub-Commander Jared had to brief us. This isn't the type of thing that requires an on-location briefing, so why'd we get one?"[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Come on, Daego, you're smart enough to figure this out. Whatever the [i]Crimson[/i]'s mission in sector 13 is, it's somewhat complicated. It probably involves multiple simultanious tasks, and such operations are almost impossible to coordinate from afar. This operation's being run by Commander Sandra and Sub-Commander Jared, so it's just that much simpler to have everything go through them, and that includes the two of us. And it doesn't really matter anyways. We have our orders."[/color] [color=#483d8b]Daego nodded. "True, and I'm not sure why we're needed for them."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Well, probably because the Resistance is good at hiding. The [i]Crimson[/i] needs someone who can find them, and the Council chose me. You're here because you're with me, and perhaps my choosing you is part of why we were selected for this mission. I don't know of anyone better suited for the destruction end of this mission than you."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Yeahh, and I'm glad I'm the one to do it. A lot of others wouldn't give a damn about harming innocents. We're supposed to protect the inferior ones, not kill them. I mean, what's the point of a takeover for protection if we kill half the population in the process? We'd be doing more harm to the race than we'd be protecting them from. I just don't get how this concept escapes so many people."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Well, it doesn't escape you," Kiva replied, "and you're the one who's here. Now, we'll probably have to kill some innocents, but that can't be helped. And at least we're allowed to use modern explosives, so we can minimize the risk of collateral damage."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Indeed. We're lucky that our bombs don't appear too different from Earth bombs. Far more powerful and far more controlable, but the visual effect is indeed the same. Man, am I glad for that."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Yeah, you enjoy being able to use modern equipment. I'm stuck working with that crap they call computers on Earth. I've been practicing with the provided units, and I hate the things. I can use them, but don't expect me to ever like it."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"Yeah, they're pretty bad," Daego agreed. "I gave them a try myself, and they're as bad as you're saying. Well, at least you'll be working mainly from here."[/color] [color=#483d8b]"I'll still have to connect and work through Earth computers, though, and believe me, I don't look forward to it. At least their security software will have to be as bad as the rest of their computer technology. I may be stuck working with the worst computers I've ever seen, but at least I won't be up against anything that's any better."[/color] [color=#483d8b]In addition to learning how to use Earth's computers, Kiva and Daego had been familiarizing themselves with the planet's society in general, learning about what was acceptable behavior and what wasn't, learning things that people were expected to know, etc. They also spent time learning common phrases and slang terms. The translation modules would translate the Earth languages into Versilan, but this would convey only the literal meaning of the words. In order to properly undertand what people on Earth said, one would need to be familiar with common expressions and slang terms, with what the phrases actually meant. Otherwise, things could get pretty confusing.[/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva knew that she and Daego were not likely to need to go down to Earth's surface. Kiva would be able to remotely access computers on Earth from the [i]Catalyst[/i], and Daego would be able to use the ship's weapons to take out the targeted facilities. There was the possibility that they'd need to go down to pick up any of these nuclear weapons as instructed, but even this wasn't likely to require either of them to exit the Catalyst; they's just fly the ship down close to the facility (stealthily, of course, and most likely at night, and with all stealth features online to minimize the risk of detection) and pull the weapons into the cargo hold from the ship. Still, they both wanted to be prepared just in case. Besides, they were likely to interact with Earth natives, if only because Daego would insist on getting all innocents evacuated whenever possible.[/color] [color=#483d8b]It would still be a couple days before the [i]Catalyst[/i] arrived at her destination. Upon arrival, the ship would slide into Earth orbit with standard sensor-evasion systems active to avoid detection. Kiva would use the ship's scanning equipment to verify the list of targets, and if necessary she'd hack into computers on Earth to obtain any necessary information. After finalizing the list of targets, Kiva and Daego would determine their order of attack, weighing factors such as facility importance, which targets they could afford to have evacuated, the presence or absense of nuclear weapons, etc. After that, their only remaining task would be to hit the targets in the selected order, eliminating as much of the Resistance's presence on Earth as was possible.[/color] ------------------------------------------------------ OOC: Hope that translator part was OK (I wasn't sure how that's being handled in this RPG). If it's not, SunfallE, just tell me and I'll change it.

I might do that. But don't worry about waiting on me, indifference. The things I'd put in that post could easily be included in a post I write after you've posted, so please go ahead and post.

Okay, my post's up now. Hope it's good. Oh, and just for clarity's sake, I know that my posts have happened over a period of a few weeks, while everybody else's have happened over a much shorter time period. So just assume that the stuf in my first post happened before everyone else's posts, and that as of my most recent post, the events I post are in sync with everyone else's posts.

[color=#483d8b]As Kiva walked on board the [i]Catalyst[/i], she thought back on the events of the last few days. Things had happened quickly after she'd delivered the evidence against Hays to the High Council. After the High Council had reaqched a decision, they'd had Kiva brought to them. Kiva was expecting this to be a mere formality; a priority Omega report was required to be confirmed verbally by the person giving the report. But this meeting had turned out to be more than that. The usual formalities were present, of course, and Kiva was been informed of the Council's decision to excecute the traitors, a decision which didn't suprise Kiva, as this was standard policy. Treason was punishable by death. It was what she was told next that took her by surprise.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]"Kiva," one of the councilors had said, "you are aware, as you stated in your report, that we had been informed of Ryan's treason before assigning you to identify him. There were actually two reasons that we gave you the assignment anyways. You correctly identified one of them; we did indeed want independant confirmation of Ryan's treason. But that wasan't the only reason. We needed someone to replace Ryan onboard the [i]Crimson[/i], and we decided that you would be given the position if you successfully identified him."[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]"So it was a test of sorts," Kiva remarked.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]"Correct. Any needless to say, you passed. In fact, you discovered more than we expected, as we had no idea that Hays was also a traitor. Hays did a very good job covering his tracks, so your discovery of his treason is commendable. We've also reviewed your performance record, and it would seem that you are an individual of considerable ability. We have decided that assigning you to the [i]Crimson [/i][/color][color=darkslateblue]as Ryan's replacement would be a waste of your abilities, so we have found a more suitable popsition for you. [/color][color=#483d8b]We were planning to give Hays a position as an Elite Specialist, but since this is no longer possible, we have decided to give you the position instead."[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]After Kiva had been informed of her new Elite Specialist position, things had moved quickly, as the Council had wanted her ready for duty as soon as possible. After all, Elite Specialists were the best of the best, so the Council didn't want thed just sitting around waiting on things. Over the space of a few days, Kiva's new position was formally announced, and the necessary preperations for her duties were made.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]Elite Specialists were the Empire's best. Although they often worked with elements of the millitary, they operated independantly of the regular millitary. An Elite Specialist had his or her own ship of a class designed specifically for use by Elite Specialists. These vessels were fully automated, allowing one to be run by a single person. The vessels were very tough for their size. There were stronger ships, of course, but an Elite Specialist's ship could take any lighter millitary vessels, and anything it couldn't take, it could outrun. Elite Specialists' ships were the Empire's fastest vessels.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]All this could be crammed into an Elite Specialist's ship because of the lack of extensive crewspace. Such ships were designed for occupation by no more than three people. The Elite Specialist was one of these people, and he or she was allowed to choose up to two others to work with him or her. Elite Specialists usually chose people whose skkills complemented their own, and Kiva was no exception. She, however, only chose one person.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva's choice was a man named Daego Kelse. Daego was a skilled member of the imperial millitary who specialized in heavy weaponry, which nicely complimented Kiva's lighter weapon of choice, which wasn't very effective against armored targets. In addition, Daego was a very skilled pilot. a rarity in an age where this was usually automated. Kiva had known Daego for quite a while. She'd first met him during her first assignment to that instalation so long ago. Since then, the two'd found themselves in the same unit on several occasions. They both knew each other quite well, and did very good working together. So Daego was the perfect choice to serve with Kiva.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=darkslateblue]When all preperations were completed, Kiva was immediately given her first assignment as an Elite Specialist. She was now boarding her ship, the [i]Catalyst[/i], where Daego was onboard prepping it for departure, as he'd known that Kiva would have their assignment.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]"Kiva entered the ship's bridge, where Daego was waiting for her. She handed him a data chip, saying "This contains the precise coordinates of our destination, as well as the prober clearance codes for access to the restricted area that is sector 13. Our destination is a planet called Earth, an inhabited planet within the sector.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]"This chip," Kiva continued, showing a second data chip, "contains our breifing on Earth's civilization, and we are to familiarize ourselves with its contents during the journey to sector 13. Also, among the supplies that were loaded, there are apparently some common Earth devices, including those used for transportation, as well as their primitive computers and other common devices that we need to be familiar with using so we don't appear out of place when we're on the planet.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]"As for our actual assignment, well, your guess is as good as mine. We're to be briefed on arrival by Commander Sandra of the [i]Crimson[/i], so I don't know any more than you do. We're to depart for sector 13 immediately, and we'll leard what we're supposed to do when we get there. Is the ship ready to move out?"[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]Daego nodded. "Of course. We can leave at anytime."[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]"Good. Let's get moving."[/color]

Okay, I've decided to introduce a second character I'll be playing as. SunfallE told me to post a brief sign-up for that character in this thread, so here it is: [color=darkslateblue][/color] [color=darkslateblue][b]Name:[/b] Daego Kelse[/color] [color=darkslateblue] [b]Age:[/b] 75 [b]Gender: [/b]Male [b]Race: [/b]Versilan [b]Loyalty: [/b]Versilan Empire [b]Description: [/b]Daego is one tough individual, and he looks it. He looks like somebody you don't want to mess with. He's put a lot of time and effort into strength-building, and it's easy to see that this got him results. He has the look of someone who's seen a good deal of action, which he has. [b]Weapons:[/b] Daego carries a standard-issue firearm, but he specializes in heavy weapons. He doesn't have the training necessary to use the most advanced explosives, but he knows how to use almost every other single-user heavy weapon there is. Others deal with enemy personell; Daego takes out the armored targets. [/color][b] [color=darkslateblue]Special Skills:[/color][/b][color=#4169e1][color=darkslateblue] In addition to his heavy weapons knowledge, Daego is a skilled pilot. For the most part, ships are automated, but it's always possible for a person to take direct control, though this is done only if the ship's automated systems are no longer operable. Daego is one of the few Versilans skilled at manual piloting as well as working with the automatic piloting systems. [b]Personality: [/b]To Daego, the objective comes first. He'll do whatever he has to in order to complete his objectives. He won't necessarily like doing these things, but he'll do them. Daego takes his role as a soldier quite seriously. He does agree with the belief that the Versilans are a superior race, but he isn't cruel to those of other races or anything like that. He believes that as a superior race, it is the Versilans' duty to protect and regulate the other, 'inferior' races. [b]Short Bio: [/b]Daego was raised to believe that Versilans are superior to other races, and he still believes this. However, his belief about the Versilans' duty to protect and regulate said races came entirly from himself, and it is because of that belief that he joined the millitary. During his millitary carrer, he has always objected to those who treat members of other races cruelly, which has earned him both positive and negative reputations, depending on whether one agrees or disagrees with him.[/color][/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] Okay, so that's Daego for you. I'll be introducing him in my next post, which should be up sometime in the next couple days.

[color=darkslateblue]Kiva wasn't used to receiving orders from someone like Elite Commander Christopher Hays. Oh, she'd had orders that originated from people of his rank, but she never receieved them directly. Her current assignment marked the first time that an Elite Commander had contacted her directly, which indicated that this particular assignment was quite important. And Kiva had to agree that it was.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva's assignment was to discover the identity of a black-market salesman. This particular individual was selling military equipment, including weaponry, which meant that he or she was most likely a member of the military and thus a traitor. In addition, the traitor was operating in sector one. This was quite the problem, as new millitary technology appeared in sector one first. There was actually a chance, thanks to this traitor, that enemies of the Empire would have the imperial millitary's new equipment before parts of the inperial military did. So yes, Kiva's assignment was quite important.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]As an undercover Resistance agent, Kiva didn't like exposing traitors to the Empire, because they were likely on the same side. She knew that she had to, though, so she did it. The imperial operative Kiva, however, liked doing so very much. She always enjoyed such assignments, and she received quite a few of them, thanks to her exemplary record of success at such assignments.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]The fact that Kiva both liked and disliked exposing traitors to the Empire actually wasn't unusual for her. The reason that she was so skilled at the art of deceit was her talent for essentially acting in accordance with a seperate personality. Basically, at any one time Kiva would think and act like one of two different versions of herself. These two versions of herself were, of course, the imperial operative and the Resistance agent that was who she really was.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva had previously been stationed in sector one, which was probably one of the reasons she'd been chosen to track down the traitor who was operating within the sector. Because she was already in sector one, travel time wasn't an issue, so she could get to work right away, which she did.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]The first step in uncovering the traitor's identity was to bring up shipping records. She also brought up records of millitary shipments. That particular information was classified, but Kiva's clearance was high enough to access most of it. Some shipments were beyond her level of clearance, though, but she didn't let this stop her. It took some work, but eventually she hacked her way in and retrieved the information, then pulled out, leaving no trace that she'd ever been into those files in the first place.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva examined the millitary shipment data, marking the shipments that had missing items. These items would be the ones that the traitor was selling. By comparing the dates of the marked shipments with the shipping records, Kiva began narrowing down which ships were buying the missing items. When she was finished, only one ship stood out: the [i]Condor[/i], a vessel under the command of one Jennifer Beckly. The missing items weren't listed in [i]Condor[/i]'s cargo manifests, of course, but the dates marked Beckly's ship as the most likely recipient.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva'd identified the most likely recipient of the traitor's stolen equipment, but she wasn't done yet. She still needed to find out who the traitor was. Kiva's next step was to access millitary personnel records. She had clearance to access the information she was looking for, which was the service records. By examining them, Kiva was able to identify who'd been in sector one at the same time as Beckly. Next, Kiva examined those individuals' records more closely, identifying who was stationed where within the sector at what time. Kiva made special note of individuals whose precise whereabouts were not accounted for when the [i]Condor[/i] was in port. When she was done with this phase of her analysis, she'd managed to narrow down the field to just a few people. Of these people, only one had clearance to get to the equipment that had been taken and sold. His name was Ryan Stevens.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva knew that Hays would be pleased at how quickly she'd identified the traitor. She'd only been at it for about a week and a half. Although such a thing would have been done very quickly in fiction, in real life it took a lot longer. The reason for this was because such tasks usually required a lot of tedious, time-consuming work, such as Kiva's examinations of the various records she'd used. Kiva used a couple programs that she'd written herself to help speed up the process, but she still needed to do a lot of it herself, and that took time. But it was time well-spent, for Kiva'd been able to identify the likely culprit.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva accessed Ryan's personnel file again and began douple-checking her information in order to insure that she hadn't made a mistake. It wouldn't do to accuse him of being the traitor if, say, he'd been in a different sector when he was supposedly making a sale in sector one. So she accessed his file, and this time she wanted full access to it. She didn't have that access, though, which meant a little more hacking before she was able to view Ryan's entire file.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]By examining Ryan's file, Kiva was able to confirm her previous information. Ryan, it seemed, was indeed the traitor. And then Kiva saw something that took her completely by suprise. One of the classified portions of Ryan's file marked him as an identified traitor. And this particular entry had been added [i]before[/i] Kiva'd been assigned to identify him. The entry stated that Ryan had first been identified as a traitor by Sub-Commander Jared of the [i]Crimson[/i]. Kiva checked to see who'd made the entry, and found that it was none other than Elite Commander Christopher Hays.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]"Now this is unexpected," Kiva said to herself. Still, she did know of a potention reason for Hays assigning her to determine the traitor's identity. The most likely reason was that Hays had wanted confirmation of Ryan's treason from a source with no prior knowledge, thus avoiding any possible subjective influence from the confirmation. So Kiva thought that she had it figured out, but then one of her programs flagged her. This particular program was designed to detect any deletions that had been made, and it had found some. Kiva immidiatly went to work trying to reconstruct the deleted information. but she wasn't able to do much. However, she did succeed in identifying who'd made the deletions. Every alteration left a particular electronic signature that differed depending on who was making the changes. And the signature on the deleted information was the same as that on Hays' entry about Ryan's treason.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]Over the next couple days, Kiva obtained as much information about Hays as she could, both legitimately and through hacking. Eventually, Kiva had eliminated all reasonable doubt; Hays was a traitor, and was working with Ryan and Jennifer. He clearly intended to sacrifice Ryan, but this was apparently because he had no choice. After all, Jared had already identified Ryan as a traitor; if Hays hadnt't followed up on that, he would have fallen under suspicion, so he'd had no choice but to sacrifice Ryan. Unfortunately for him, however, it hadn't worked. Hays had covered his tracks quite well, but he hadn't quite done a good enough job to fool Kiva. He undoubtably thought that he had, or else he wouldn't have given her the assignment of identifying Ryan, but he hadn't.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]The day after she had conclusively determined Hays' treason, Kiva arrived in person at the Council Hall, where the High Council was currently in session. Kiva had with her a data chip containing a detailed report of her findings. She approached the front desk and handed it to the secretary, along with her identification. "I need this data chip delivered to the High Council immediately," she said. "Priority Omega. Deliver it now, and hand it to the Council personally. Also, carry to the Council my request for a personal meeting regarding the contents of this data chip."[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]The secretary looked suprised, which Kiva had expected. Omega was a rarely-used priority code. Odds were the secretary had never been given anything of Omega priority before. But she did know what to do in case of an Omega. After verifying Kiva's identity, she returned Kiva's identification and said, "Understood. I will do so immediately. Please wait here." And with that, the secretary hurried off towards the council chamber.[/color]

[color=darkslateblue][b]Name:[/b] Kiva Salqarian[/color] [color=darkslateblue] [b]Age:[/b] 74 [b]Gender: [/b]Female [b]Race: [/b]Versilan [b]Loyalty: [/b]Resistance [b]Description: [/b]Kiva is a rather tall woman, well over six feet in height. She's very good-looking, though not what one would call beautiful. She's in very good physical shape, which one can tell just by looking at her. She has the look of one who's been through quite a bit. In particular, she has a few scars at various places on her body. She preferrs to wear clothing that's loose-fitting, but not baggy. [b]Weapons:[/b] Kiva's firearm of choice is the HM-SS.7 model gun, the most recent model in the HM-SS series. The HM-SS series of weapons has long been Kiva's favorite. An HM-SS gun is designed for fast access and easy aiming, and the HM-SS.7 model features the addition of a fully automatic fire mode in addition to the series' standard semi-automatic fire mode. In addition, HM-SS power cells are quite long-lasting, as well as easy to replace. However, the HM-SS series' effectiveness is lessened against armored targets. The HM-SS.7 is an excellent anti-personel weapon, but is almost useless against heavily armored targets, such as millitary vehicles (though it works just fine of human millitary vehicles). The HM-SS series features one uinique characteristic. An HM-SS weapon is strapped onto the user's hand. To fire the weapon, one must first deactivate the safety lock that prevents it from being fired accidentally, which is a risk with the HM-SS series. Instead of a trigger, HM-SS series weapons detect a specific voluntary muscle action, which triggers the weapon to fire. The HM-SS.7 model uses a different muscle action for the autofire mode. [/color][b] [color=darkslateblue]Special Skills:[/color][/b][color=darkslateblue] In addition to being quite proficcient with the HM-SS series of firearms, Kalria is also skilled in hand-to-hand combat. She's also good at reading people, and at deceiving them as well. However, she's probably most skilled as a hacker. This skill set makes her very useful as a spy, so that's what she is. She's currently undercover within the Versilan Empire. [b]Personality: [/b]Kiva is a very resourceful person, and her determination is strong. She can also be pretty stubborn at times. Once she starts something, she will finish it, and she'll probably do so in a way that nobody will see it coming. She's quite inventive. She's also quite intelligent, and is a fast thinker, as well.[/color] [color=#483d8b][/color] [color=#483d8b]Kiva turly enjoys her work, both as an operative in the Versilan millitary and as a spy for the resistance. Sometimes it appears that she really doesn't understand how serious the situation is, but this isn't true. She just seems that way because of how much she enjoys what she does. She's well aware of what's at stake, and she seems to have a personal involvement as well, though she's never revealed what it is. The assumption is that it's related to her father, a neutral scientist who was killed by either the Versilan Empire or the resistance, depending on which side's version you believe (OOC: His death was actually an accident).[/color] [i][b][color=dimgray]Kiva Salqarian: Summary of Current Status[/color][/b][/i] [i][color=dimgray]Kiva continues to be one of our most useful covert operatives. She shows exceptional skill at the job, and there's currently no indication that anyone within the Empire knows of her true loyalty. This is partly because of her skill at the art of deception, and partly because of our own care in regards to the information she provides us with. We have only acted on a very small percentage of the information she's provided us with. This way, nobody within the Empire notices a pattern and becomes suspicious.[/color][/i] [i][color=#696969][/color][/i] [i][color=#696969]Another factor in Kiva's success is undoubtably her care when it comes to reporting information taken from our own computers. She often eliminates the most important information, but she does it in such a way that nothing ever appears to be missing. Also, she usually leaves important information that's expected to be present, and she rarely alters it. This is done with our full knowledge and approval, as doing any differently could cause suspition to fall on her. And Kiva is far too useful an operative for us to do anything that might increase her risk of exposure.[/color][/i] [i][color=#696969][/color][/i] [color=#696969][i]Upon enlistment into the Empire's millitary, Kiva was quickly assigned as an assistant computer technician at an Empire frontier base. She gained [/i][/color][color=dimgray][i]recognition for her hacking skills when she foiled an attempt by another of our agents to access encrypted doccuments. She did this in her role as a member of the imperial millitary, and didn't know she was up against another of our operatives until she'd as good as exposed him. The other agent did manage to escape with his life. Also, as a result of her success at exposing the spy,[/i] [i]Kiva was soon transferred to security, where she was put to work on modifying the base's security system. Form there, she continued to advance, and currently has a very good record as a hacker. She's one the Empire brings in when they're up against particularly high-end security.[/i][/color] [color=dimgray][/color] [color=dimgray][i]As a result of recent successes, it's likely that Kiva will recieve a promotion. In her current situation, that would meen a transfer to a more elite millitary unit. We certainly consider this to be a positive development. In such a position, Kiva would have easier access to classified information, so even if we choose not to act on what she tells us, we'll know more. And knowledge, as Kiva is well aware, can be extremely deadly when it is properly used.[/i][/color]

[color=purple]"Damn it," Aesera swore as Andramon's attack started fires in the forest. "We need to deal with those fires, or else this whole forest will burn down with us in it."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Don't worry about that. We're on it."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera looked to see that it was Adam who'd spoken. His partner, Impmon, was not with him, and Aesera assumed that Impmon had digivolved and joined the batle. "What are you going to do?" Aesera asked Adam.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=purple]"Actually, my partner's doing it," Adam replied. "He digivolved into IceDevimon, so I told him to go deal with the fires. I don't think he was happy about the task, but he's doing it."[/color] [color=purple][/color] [color=purple]"Good," Aesera said. "It doesn't matter if he doesn't like the job, as long as it gets done. If this forest burns down, odds are we won't live through it. So tell your partner that he kept us all alive. Maybe that'll make him feel better about it."[/color] [color=purple][/color] [color=purple]With the fire issue under control, Aesera returned her focus to the battle. She was startled to see Andramon aiming for Merlin, and not his partner. Then, Wizardmon attempted to throw off Andramon, but it didn't work so well, and Merlin was injured by Andramon's attack. Brent and Kyuubimon moved in to get Merlin out of harm's way, but Andramon had no intention of letting them get away. She took aim at them and attacked with Heaven's Flame, but Brent used Gazimon data to give Kyuubimon a speed boost, allowing Kyuubimon to avoid the attack.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Andramon turned her attention to Wizardmon, but before she could do anything, Airdramon came swooping in, weaving through the trees. "Wing Cutter!" he shouted as he flew past Andramon, slicing her with a suddenly hardened wing before flying higher again. Wizardmon took advantage of the opening Airdramon gave him and attacked Andramon with Electro Squall. Kyuubimon was next, runing back into the batle after droping off Brent and Merlin. She hit Andramon with Dragon Wheel, and then IceDevimon, done putting out fires, joined the batle, hitting Andramon from behind with Frozen Claw. Andramon avoided the folow-up attacks and moved so that all of her opponents were in front of her.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Not bad," Andramon said. "In fact, I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd be able to put up a fight. But this battle isn't done yet."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Andramon crossed her arms over her chest, and suddenly her entire body became covered in fire. She opened her arms and thrust them foward, shouting, "Fury of the Flames!" The fire shot forwards in a concentrated blast. Everyone avoided the blast, but that wasn't all there was to Andramon's attack. Instead of passing everyone by, the blast exploded into multiple smaller blasts. Many hit Andramon's unsuspecting targets, while the few that didn't ended up hitting nearby trees, lighting them on fire. IceDevimon promptly went to work putting the fires out. Airdramon, still high in the air, was the only one who managed to avoid Andramon's attack.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Not bad," Aesera said to Andramon. "But don't think you've seen everything we've got, either." Aesera knew that Airdramon was swooping in from behind Andramon, but Andramon was unaware of this fact. When she judged the time to be right, Aesera sent another Gazimon data packet to Airdramon, boosting his speed. This added force to his Tail Whip attack, which he hit Andramon with from behind before rising into the air again.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Okay, I think we're wearing that thing down," Aesera said to the others. "Let's take her out. Don't finish her off, though. We should question her once we take her down."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Jase replied. "I'd like to know just why she's attacking us. So yes, let's question her after the battle."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera nodded. "Yes. Okay, everyone, let's take that bitch down!"[/color]

[color=purple][color=#2f4f4f]"I thought that's what you were planning," Keralamon said. She had ben tracking the traitors for a while now, following mainly BlackAgumon, who it seemed was in charge of the logistics of their plan. By shadowing him, Keralamon had learned what the tratiors were planning, and she'd identified what seemed to be all of them. Others of Her forces were currently moving against the various traitors. Keralamon, meanwhile, had followed BlackAgumon to another of his meetings. This time, he'd met with two Tyrannomon and a SkullGreymon. He seemed to be confirming details in preperation to begin the operation, not knowing that the operation had already been compromised. The other traitors were being dealt with; this group was Keralamon's.[/color] [color=#2f4f4f][/color] [color=#2f4f4f]It hadn't been much of a battle. Keralamon had taken the enemy by surprise, and she'd already had an advantage over her oponents. An ultimate and two champions wasn't hard for her to take out, even if they knew she was coming, which this group hadn't. Both Tyrannomon had gone down before they could react, leaving only BlackAgumon and SkullGreymon. BlackAgumon, too weak to be of use in a figth, had tried to escape as SkullGreymon faced off against Keralamon. Unfortunately for him, SkullGreymon hadn't lasted long enough to allow him to get away, and Keralamon hadn't had much trouble catching up to him. She was currently holding him up against the side of a building, and she'd promised to let him live if he answered your questions.[/color] [color=#2f4f4f][/color] [color=#2f4f4f]"I thought you'd have figured it out," BlackAgumon told Keralamon. "If you've been folowing me, then you've certainly gotten enough information to do so."[/color] [color=#2f4f4f][/color] [color=#2f4f4f]"I actually didn't get as much as I'd have liked," Keralamon admitted. "You were a tough one to follow. Still, I learned enough to figure out that your plan was to try and kill our leader. The presence of rookies such as yourself told me that you weren't going to simply turn and fight against us. You clearly had some kind of plan. As I followed you and learned who all was part of your group, I saw that your force wasn't strong enough for any kind of [/color][color=darkslategray]direct attack, and I also saw how dedicated you all were to ending our efforts. With your low force level, killing our leader was the only thigk you could hope to pull off that might have the desired effect. But in the end, you didn't get away with it."[/color] [color=darkslategray][/color] [color=darkslategray]"No shit," BlackAgumon [/color][color=darkslategray]replied. "Any other questions?"[/color] [color=#2f4f4f][/color] [color=#2f4f4f]Keralamon shook her head. "No, I've gotten all I need out of you. All I didn't know was a couple of the individuals you identified as being involved in your plan. I'm done with you."[/color] [color=#2f4f4f][/color] [color=#2f4f4f]"So, what will you do with me? Kill me?"[/color] [color=#2f4f4f][/color] [color=#2f4f4f]"No, I'm not going to kill you. You told me what I wanted to know, so I'll let you live. I won't be letting you go, however. No, I'm taking you to my boss. We'll see what he decides to do with you."[/color] "Everyone," Jase shouted, "It's the Tags, the crests slide out of them and into the digivices!"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Thanks to Patamon, Aesera'd already known that the tags and crests were seperate items, that the crests could be removed from the tags. But the old digivices hadn't had slots for the crests. The old digidestined's crests had simply needed to be in the tags in order to work. However, the digivices of the first and second groups of digidestined had been different, so it wasn't surprising that the digivices Aesera and the others had were different from any of the old digivices. It simply meant that Aesera hadn't known that the crests needed to be inserted into the digivices.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera quickly removed her crest from the tag and inserted it into her digivice. The screen displayed the text, "Crest of Order: Detected," and the digivice popped open. A glove came out, but Aesera'd seen Merlin put his on, so she knew what would happen. And she wasn't ready to have Patamon digivolve quite yet.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Patamon," Aesera asked her partner, "any idea just what the hell that thing is?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"I've never seen or heard of anything like it before," Patamon replied. "It looks like some sort of combination of Birdramon and Angewomon, but not a DNA digivolution-type combination like the second group of digidestined used. I don't know what it is."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Well, let's call it 'Andramon', since it looks like a combination of Birdramon and Angewomon. You ready to enter the battle against that thing?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"I'm ready," Patamon replied.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"All right, then. Just be careful. I'm going to guess that our opponent is ultimate-level, based on the whole Birdramon-Angewomon thing. And even after digivolution, you'll only be at champion. I don't know how to get you to ultimate, so you'll be weaker than your opponent. So be careful out there." And with that, Aesera put her hand in the glove, triggering Patamon's Digivolution to Airdramon.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080][i]That's interesting,[/i] Aesera thought as Airdramon flew into battle. [i]I wasn't expecting Airdramon. I wonder what determines what a Digimon digivolves into? Well, no time to think about that now. Right now, we've got this Andramon thing to worry about.[/i][/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]As Airdramon entered the battle against Andramon, Aesera was examining her digivice. It was likely that the digivice could perform new functions in its opened-up state. Perhaps there was something that would be of use in the battle.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Because Aesera was focusing on her digivice, she didn't notice what was happening in the battle, and so was barely able to get out of the way in time when Airdramon came crashing into the ground. Andramon was in the air above him, and it was obvious that she'd knocked Airdramon to the ground. Now she was ready to finish Airdramon off. Aesera, however, wasn't going to just stand around and let that happen.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera had found something on her digivice. She clearly remembered the battle with the Gazimon that had happened right after meeting the others. In particular, she remembered what had hapened at the end of the battle, how the Gazimon had dissolved into data, which had entered everyone's digivices. And that data, it seemed, could be utalized for some purpose. Aesera's digivice was displaying the text, "Set: Gazimon. Number remaining: 4. Execute?", and below this were labels for yes and no.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Airdramon was attempting to take off again, but Andramon wasn't going to give him enough time to do so. She raised her arm into the air, and something that looked like some sort of hole appeared above her. Streams of fire came out of it and circled around Andramon's arm. The hole (or whatever it was) closed, and Andramon pointed her arm towards Airdramon, shouting "Heaven's Flame!" The fire shot towards Airdramon in a concentrated blast, and would hit before Airdramon could get away. There was only one thing that Aesera could do. She didn't know if it would work, but she didn't have any other ideas. She hit the button her digivice had marked as the 'yes' button.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Suddenly, Airdramonexperienced a brief speed boost, allowing him to get out of the way of Andramon's attack in time. Aesera's digivice was now displaying, "Gazimon data used. Remaining: 3. Use another?", with the same yes and no labels below it. Suddenly, Aesera realized what had happened. She remembered how agile the Gazimon were when she and the others fought them. And her digivice and collected the data that the Gazimon and turned into. What she'd done with her digivice was send a Gazimon data packed to Airdramon, giving Airdramon a temporary boost in accordance with the abilities of Gazimon, specifically their agility.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Airdramon was now in the air again, firing attacks at Andramon. Andramon dodged some of them, but others hit. The hits didn't seem to hurt Andramon too much, though.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Airdramon could use some help up there," Aesera said to the others. "You've seen how to get your Digimon partners t o digivolve, so hurry up and do it!"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Andramon faced Airdramon, and her wings began to glow red. "Wing Blaze!" Andramon shouted as streams of fire emerged from her wings and shot towards Airdramon. Airdramon managed to dodge most of them, but not all of them. A few of the streams him, but Airdramon was still all right. Clearly, Wing Blaze was a weaker attack, its advantage being that it was much harder to dodge.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Airdramon, Aesera knew, wouldn't last much longer on his own. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to. The others were not using their digivices, and their Digimon partners were digivolving to their champion-level forms. [i]It's on now, Andramon,[/i] Aesera thought. [i]Let's see just how tough you are[/i].[/color]

[color=purple]After watching everyone else's gym battles, Aesera spent what was left of the day in Pewter, mainly just walking through the city with Absol. The two of them did take a break for some strategy discussion, but aside from that Aesera didn't think about anything related to being a trainer.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera and Absol spent the night at Pewter's Pokemon Center. As Aesera left the Pokemon Center the next morning, she caught sight of a young woman she recognized as Miku, one of those who'd been at Oak's. She seemed to be heading towards the gym, so Aesera decided to follow her. She wanted to see how Miku battled.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Gyms were open on Sundays, but they weren't required to accept challenges. However, Brock had an assistant who seemed willing to battle Miku. Aesera watched the battle from the observation area, and she was impressed. Miku was clearly nervous, but she didn't let that stop her. She was clearly one who understood how important it was to be properly prepared, as her pre-made battle plan demonstrated. Additionally, she seemed able to adapt quickly to unexpected developments, and she also knew to trust the Pokemon, that they knew what they were doing. And Aesera could also tell how much Miku cared for the two Pokemon with her. Perhaps Miku would be a good traveling companion.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera exited the gym and walked around to the main entrance just in time to catch Miku as she exited. "Hello," Aesera said. "Miku, right? I remember you from Oak's."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Miku nodded. "That's right. And you're... Aesera, was it?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Yes," Aesera confirmed. "I saw your battle, there. That was pretty good."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"You think so?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Definitely," Aesera replied. "I could see how nervous you were, but you certainly didn't let that stop you. Any you clearly knew what you were doing. I could also tell that you entered battle well-prepared, which a lot of beginning trainers don't do. No, you did quite well."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Well, thank you," Miku said. "Are you here to battle for your badge?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"No, I got mine yesterday. That was quite a fun match, I have to say. I didn't actually fight Brock, but an assistant, Eso. He was quite good. That guy knew his stuff, but Absol and I still managed to kick his ass."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"What'd you do?" Miku asked.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Well, I knew coming in that Brock and his assistants would be used to beginning trainers, trainers who tend to be predictable. Eso thought he knew what I was up to, but of course that was only what he was supposed to think. Absol and I kept turning things around on him, and eventually he dropped his guard, giving Absol the opportunity she needed to knock Graveler out of the arena. It was quite an enjoyable match."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Yeah, sounds like you had fun. That's not really my thing, though. I didn't really want to do a gym battle. Sakura here is the one who wanted to fight. And it went pretty well. I'm not so sure I want to do more of that, but if my Pokemon want me to, I will. And even if I don't challenge another gym, I'll still be traveling. I've taken an interest in the various berries that Pokemon can use."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"That is an interesting topic," Aesera said. "I've often wondered what it is that gives those berries their various properties. Maybe you could tell me someday, once you figure it out. Anyways, are you heading for Cerulean next?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Miku nodded. "Yeah, that's my next destination. I'll probably end up taking the same path through Kanto that most trainers do."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Well," Aesera said, "I've mostly been traveling by myself so far-well, just me and Absol, anyways. What would you say to traveling together?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Sure," Miku replied. "Just let me stop by the Pokemon Center first, and then we'll go."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera nodded. "Fine by me. Let's not delay too long, though. I like to take my time when I can, but I want to reach Cerulean in time to see the other trainers battle at the gym. Don't worry about it too much, though. It'll probably take the others a while to pass through Mt. Moon, but my sister's familiar with the place, and she wrote down the shortest path through. Also, I've got the right equipment to make sure we don't lose our way. So don't worry about rushing. We'll go when you're ready."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] ---------------------------------------------------------------- OOC: Hope that's all okay, Ssatori. Tell me if I need to change anything.

[color=purple][i]That was... interesting,[/i] Aesera thought as she watched Turbine finish her battle against Brock's assistant, Maxi. [i]Turbine had no idea what was going on, and usually that's a bad thing. But that Murkrow knew what it was doint. It''d be an interesting opponent, that's for sure. Smart, clever, and not afraid to remove Turbine from the equation and fight entirely on its own. I'd like to fight it sometime. Perhaps I'll challenge Turbine to a battle the next time I see her.[/i][/color] [color=#800080]It was then that the door to the bathroom opened and a young man stepped out. He looked around the room, and walked over to Aesera as soon as he saw her. [i]I should have known he'd be here, [/i]Aesera thought as she saw him coming.[/color] [color=#800080]"Hey there, Aesera," the man said. "I was hoping you'd stick around after your battle. I'd' have waited in here, but I really had to take a crap. I managed to last untill the end of your battle, but I just couldn't hold it in any longer."[/color] [color=#800080]"You know, Ro, that's just a little bit more than I needed to know," Aesera said to her brother.[/color] [color=#800080]"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Rorohiko replied. "Anyways, like I said, I saw your battle. I have to say, you did very well. I could tell that your opponent didn't know what the hell was going on, and these gym people have seen a lot of different battle strategies."[/color] [color=#800080]"Yeah, I knew he'd have seen a lot. I used that to my advantage. He'd seen enough strategies that he'd gotten good at predicting them. I simply used that to my advantage, changing things around on him so many times. He thought he was thwarting my plan while he and Graveler were doing exactly what Absol and I wanted."[/color] [color=#800080]"So you did find the Absol, then," Rorohiko said. "I was hoping you would. I made sure that Oak had one available."[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera nodded. "I know. Katrina told me. And I would have looked for an Absol anyways, so I was glad for the confirmation that there was one there. You know Ive always liked Absol. Not as much as you, of course, but still."[/color] [color=#800080]Rorohiko chockled. "Yeah, I know."[/color] [color=#800080]"And let me guess," Aesera said. "You being here in Pewter has something to do with Absol, right?"[/color] [color=#800080]"Indeed," Rorohiko confirmed. "As you know, I've been tracking Absol sightings in Kanto, and there've been quite a few around Mt. Moon. I got here pretty late last night, so I stayed in the city, and since I knew when Oak was going to send you all out, I knew you and the others would likely arrive here today. So I decided to stick around and watch your battle."[/color] [color=#800080]"So you're off to Mt. Moon, then," Aesera said. "Well, that's where I'll be heading next, of course."[/color] [color=#800080]"I know. Want to go with me?"[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera shook her head. "No, I think I'll stay here for a while longer. I want to watch more of the others battle, and then I'll probably take my time on the way to Mt. Moon. I have no intention of rushing this journey, you know. But don't worry about it. We may very well run into each other in Mt. Moon."[/color] [color=#800080]"Well, I'll see you then," Rorohiko said as he exited the gym. "Bye, Aesera."[/color] [color=#800080]"Bye, Ro," Aesera replied, then returned her attention to the batles. Matt was fighting Brock now, and it looked like it was going to be an interesting match.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] ----------------------------------------------------- OOC: No, I don't have any real reason for having ROrohiko appear in my post. I just wanted him to show up. He may or may not show up again, but even if he does, it won't be for anything too important. So don't worry, Doublehex. He and Katrina are minor characters in this RPG, much like the relatives of the other characters that've made appearances.

Well, I plan to continue participating in this RPG. Hopefully we'l be able to keep enough people posting to keep the RPG going.

OOC: White and Tekkaman, you'll notice that I made only a general mention that Aesera's not going to be traveling with Jonas and Demetri. I left the reason open so that one of you can post what it is. On a different subject, Everyone seems to be intending to battle Brock specifically, but Doublehex stated in the underground thread that in this RPG, gym leaders have assistants that you can battle for the badge, so that's what Aesera's going to do (Brock needs a break sometime, right?). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [color=purple][/color] [color=purple][i]It's too bad those two decided to move on without me,[/i] Aesera thought as she walked towards the Pewter City Gym. [i]I was getting to like them. Oh, well. We'll probably run into each other again. Maybe they'll have changed their minds again by then. Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. Hmm... if there really are a lot of people from Oak's at the gym, then perhaps I'll find someone there to travel with. If not, then I suppose I'll be on my own again. Well, no point in complaining about it.[/i][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera's thoughts turned to her upcoming gym battle. The Pewter City Gym specialized in rock-type Pokemon. Rock-types tended to be slow, which meant that Absol would have the advantage of speed. Rock-types weren't exactly wanting in the power department, though. However, the greatest asset of rock-types was their durability. Rock-type Pokemon could take quite a beating. Water- and grass-types tended to have an easy time against rock-types, but without water- or grass-type abilities, the battle was sure to be a long one. At least, it would be if Aesera decided to go with a 'KO the opposing Pokemon' strategy, but there were other options.[/color] [color=#800080]Gym battles, Aesera new, took place within a designated boundry. If a Pokemon exited the designated arena area, that Pokemon was out of the match. Aesera and Absol could probably use that rule to their advantage, although their opponents could do the same thing. Still, a couple of Aesera's strategies were designed to get the opponent out of the arena bounds. They wouldn't be easy to pull off, of course, as the opponents would of course be aware of the out-of-bounds rule, and they'd be used to going against trainers who used such strategies. But Aesera had one that she thought would work anyways. It was complicated, but she and Absol'd practiced the moves on a couple wild Pokemon, which was the best they could do to practice. Absol seemed to have it down, so Aesera thought that they had a prety good chance of pulling it off.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]As Aesera entered the gym, she did indeed see several of the people from Oak's. Aesera didn't stop to listen, but she did hear a couple people mention the gym's leader, Brock. [i]Looks like this gym's going to be pretty busy today,[/i] she thought. [i]I wonder how many of them mean to challenge Brock specifically. Well, it doesn't matter to me who I get the badge from, so I'll fight whoever's ready.[/i][/color] [color=#800080]It wasn't long after entering the gym that Aesera found her bath blocked by a tough-looking young man. "Well, well, well," the man said. "And just who might you be?"[/color] [color=#800080]"My name is Aesera, and I'm here to battle for this gym's badge."[/color] [color=#800080]"Are you, now?" the man replied. "Well, you're not getting to Brock unless you can beat me."[/color] [color=#800080]"That's fine with me," Aesera said. "I don't care who I battle for the badge. It doesn't need to be Brock."[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera tried to walk past the man, but he just got in her way again. "Well, you're not going anywhere unless you can beat me, and that ain't happening."[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera sighed. [i]Gym trainers. First those ones I met when I went to watch Katrina at the last Laeuge Championship tournament, and now this guy Why are tgym trainers always such assholes? [/i]"I don't see any reason to waste my time on you," she said aloud. "Please step aside."[/color] [color=#800080]This angered the man. "A waste of time? You think that's all I am? I'll show you who's a waste of time!"[/color] [color=#800080]"I think not," Aesera replied. The man came at Aesera, but before he could do anything, Aesera had him on the ground with the wind knocked out of him. "I have no tolerance for assholes such as yourself," she said as she walked by the man. [i]I'm glad I let Ro talk me into taking those martial arts classes,[/i] she thought.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]It wasn't tough to locate one of Brock's assistants. "Hello," the assistant said when Aesera approached him. "Are you here for a badge?"[/color] [color=#800080]"Yes," Aesera replied. "That's why I'm here, despite the best efforts of your gym trainers to keep me out.[/color] [color=#800080]"I hope you didn't beat any of them too badly."[/color] [color=#800080]"I didn't battle anyone, if that's what you're talking about," Aesera said. "There is a guy back there who'll have some bruises and probably a damaged ego, though, but that's what he gets for attacking me."[/color] [color=#800080]Well, um, as long as nobody's injured" the assistant replied. "Anyways, what's your name?"[/color] [color=#800080]"My name is Aesera. I'm here to challenge this gym."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"I'm Eso, and I accept your gym challenge."[/color] [color=#800080]Eso led Aesera to the battle arena. The rock-strewn arena was obviously designed around the gym's rock-type focus, and its boundries were clearly marked. "This is where we'll battle," Eso said. "Now, you may already know this, but gym challenges usually limit the number of Pokemon that may be used. At this gym, the common policy is to allow use of two Pokemon each. Understood?"[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera nodded. "Yeah, I understand. I've only got one Pokemon with me so far, though, so that gives you something of an unfair advantage."[/color] [color=#800080]"Don't worry about that," Eso told her. "I don't want this to be an unfair fight, so we'll make this a one-on-one. Of course, my Pokemon'll be a bit tougher than either of the ones I'd use for a two-on-two, the reason being that since you've only got a single Pokemon, it'll be stronger that ones whose trainers have multiple Pokemon."[/color] [color=#800080]"Sounds good," Aesera replied. "Now, if you're ready, I'd like to get this battle going."[/color] [color=#800080]Eso and Aesera were in their positions at opposite sides of the arena. "This will be a one-on-one battle," Eso announced. Aesera laready knew this, but Eso still had to announce it for formality's sake. "My Pokemon," he continued, "will be... Graveler!' He released his Graveler from its Pokeball. Aesera released Absol, and the two Pokemon entered the arena and faced each other.[/color] [color=#800080]"Now," Eso announced, "begin!"[/color] [color=#800080]"Ok, Absol," Aesera said. "Let's run Centerpoint." Absol nodded in affirmation and launched into the strategy.[/color] [color=#800080]Centerpoint was a somewhat elaborate strategy designed to confuse the opponent. The opening of the plan was based around the fact that an opponent wouldbe likely to assume from the name 'Centerpoint' that the center of the arena was important. Absol began by advancing halfway to the center of the arean and cicling that central point to stay oppossite Graveler. Suddenly, Absol charged towards Graveler, which readied itself to counter Absol's attack. Absol, however, wasn't attacking. She leapt over Graveler, landing behind it. Graveler spun around to face Absol and moved backwards, towards the center of the arena, to open some distance between the two of them.[/color] [color=#800080]Eso reached exactly the conclusion that Aesera wanted him to. "Graveler, Absol's trying to force you into the center!" he called to Graveler. "Take the offensive, don't let it push you back!" He didn't know why Absol wanted Graveler in the center of the arena, but he knew that if his opponent wanted it to happen, he didn't. This idea was what Counterpoint relied on, that if one's opponent wanted it, one should to everything one could to prevent it.[/color] [color=#800080]Graveler advanced towards Absol, but Absol wasn't letting it get close, and she was faster than Graveler. So Graveler started throwing the rocks that were scattered throughout the arena. Absol avoided the rocks and closed in on Graveler. Absol charged in to attack, but Graveler was ready. It stopped throwing rocks, and when Absol closed in it punched her away.[/color] [color=#800080]Absol recovered from the hit and positioned herself between Graveler and the center of the arena. Absol launched into a series of rapid attacks, charging Graveler and then pulling back. She focused mainly on avoiding Graveler's counters, and as a result she only got a couple hits in. But damaging Graveler wasn't the objective. As a result of Absol's rapid attacks, Graveler found itself taking a step or two backwards every now and then, towards the edge of the arena.[/color] [color=#800080]Again, Eso drew the conclusion Aesera wanted him to. "They tricked us!" he called to Graveler. "Move towards the center, now!" Graveler charged forward, but it wasn't exactly fast, so Absol had ample time to get out of the way. Absol got in a hit as Graveler passed by, but she didn't pursue Graveler. Instead, she let it reach the center of the arena as she circled around it. dodgeing the rocks it started to throw again.[/color] [color=#800080]"All right, Absol, close and finish!" Aesera shouted. This, of course, was meant to create the inpression that she and Absol wanted Graveler in the center of the arena. Eso, however, wasn't buying it.[/color] [color=#800080]"I'm not falling for that trick again!" Eso said. "Graveler, stay near the center! Make Absol come to you!"[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera wasn't concerned about Graveler staying the center. By this point in the strategy, she'd known it was unlikely that her opponent would leave the center again, so she'd planned for an opponent that stayed in the center. Absolran in towards Graveler, but instead of heading right for Graveler, Absol leapt over it. Landing behind Graveler, Absol landed a hit, then backed off as Graveler turned around. Absol dodged to the side and leapt over Graveler again, getting in another hit before pulling back. Absol repeated this strategy, circling Graveler and leaping over it at unpredictable angles, then hitting it and pulling back befire Graveler could counterattack.[/color] [color=#800080]Eventually, Eso concluded that he'd been had again. "Graveler, get to the edge of the arena! That Absol can't do its jumping stuff when you're there, or it'll land out of bounds! And whatever happens, do not move backwards from there!"[/color] [color=#800080]Absol kept up her leaping attack while Graveler made its way to the edge of the battle area. As Graveler approached the edge of the arena, Absol ceased her leaping attack, because otherwise she'd land out of bounds, like Eso'd said. What Eso didn't know was that Aesera and Absol wanted Graveler at the edge of the arena.[/color] [color=#800080]"Absol, hit it now!" Aesera shouted.[/color] [color=#800080]Absol charged Graveler again, and leapt into the air like she'd been doing. This time, however, she didn't land behind Graveler, though it looked like that was going to happen. It wasn't until too late that Graveler realized Absol was going to land right on top of it.[/color] [color=#800080]Absol kicked down on Graveler's back, launching herself forwards while knocking Graveler off balance. She kicked Graveler in the face as she landed in front of it, and though Graveler got a punch in, it was too late, and Graveler fell over backwards. Absol moved in quickly and rammed Graveler. Due to its spherical shape, Graveler rolled backwards, and by the time it stopped itself, it was out of the arena.[/color] [color=#800080]"Congradulations," Eso said as he and Aesera returned Graveler and Absol to their Pokeballs. "I have to say, you got me good there. I had no idea what you were up to."[/color] [color=#800080]"That was the idea," Aesera told him. "Absol and I kept switching things around on you so that you'd be too confused to guess what Absol was going to do until it was too late. And I'd say it worked rather well."[/color] [color=#800080]"That it did," Eso agreed, reaching into his pocked. He removed a badge and handed it to Aesera. "Here," he said as Aesera took it. "You won, so take the badge."[/color] [color=#800080]"Thank you," Aesera replied. "It was a good battle," she said as she walked off.[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera did not exit the Gym. She wanted to see some of the other people from Oak's battle, so she made her way to the gym's observation area and took a seat.[/color] ----------------------------------------------------------------- OOC: Doublehex, please tell me if I need to change any of the gym stuff. And Satori, if our characters are going to travel together like we discussed, well, Aesera's still at the gym, so our characters can meet up there.

I really don't know what was so harsh about it. I was just saying that Doublehex doesn't want us to use moves as they're used in the games. What's so harsh about that? Anyways, I guess Aesera will seperate from Demetri and Jonas, then.

Okay, where the hell did all of that come from? I didn't say anything thst merits that kind of response. This is exactly what I put in that OOC comment: [quote name='Takuya']OOC: Yeah, it was good. Of course, we're not supposed to use the actual moves from the games in this RPG. Instead, Pokemon have abilities that correspond to the games' moves, and can also do things that don't have equivalents in the games. And for Daywalker, you specified moves that Absol used, which we're not supposed to do in this RPG. I think I can explain the strategy within the context of this RPG, though, so don't worry about it.[/quote]Okay, first of all, how is this bashing your post? I did not insult your post. I merely commented on the fact that in the post, you had Absol use specific moves from the games, and Doublehex has said that this RPG is not using moves like the games do. I can't see any reason for you to take that as an attack against your post. I did not insult your post, nor did I mean any insult to it. I liked it, and it was clear that you did put a lot of effort into it. I also think you did a very good job with Aesera and Absol. I really don't have any complaints about the post, as it was a very good post, and I'm not sure what you find so offensive about my OOC comment. Now, you're right about the fact that this type of thing has happened to me before, and though you don't seem to believe this, I really didn't have a clue that any of those things were rude in any way. The fact that this keeps happening tells me that I'm missing something, which I guess isn't really surprising (I'm autistic, so this sort of thing happens all the time, both online and offline). So if I hurt your feelings in any way, I didn't mean to, and I'm sorry that I did. Also, why wouldn't I care about what White has to say on this issue? His character's involved too, remember. He obviously gets a say in things that would involve his character. I'm certainly not going to disregard his oppinion on this, because he does deserve a say in it. Now, if you want Demetri and Jonas to go seperately from Aesera, that's your decision, yours and White's. However, I'm hoping that you'll reconsider. Like I said, I didn't mean to be rude in any way. I'm trying to work on this problem, and I do seem to be making progress (this hasn't happened once in a couple other RPGs I've done recently), but I still have a ways to go. So I've noted what you said, and I'm doing my best to correct the problem. So can I have a second chance?

OOC: Yeah, it was good. Of course, we're not supposed to use the actual moves from the games in this RPG. Instead, Pokemon have abilities that correspond to the games' moves, and can also do things that don't have equivalents in the games. And for Daywalker, you specified moves that Absol used, which we're not supposed to do in this RPG. I think I can explain the strategy within the context of this RPG, though, so don't worry about it. -------------------------------------------------------------- [color=purple]"That was quite the match," Jonas remarked as he sat down beside Demetri and Aesera. They were in the Pokemon Center again, waiting for Absol and Pidgey to be healed.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Indeed," Aesera said. "That was one tough Pidgey. Absol and I encountered quite a few of those between Pallet and Veridian, but none of them put up much of a fight. You've clearly done well with that Pidgey, Demetri."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Thanks," Demetri replied. "Absol's pretty tough, too. I thought I had you at the end there, but not quite. And you managed to keep me guessing throughout the match, too. You're pretty good at this."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Well," Aesera said, "to be honest, I do have something of an advantage. Everyone in my family's knowledgeable about Pokemon forvarious reasons, so I know a lot about them. And knowledge is quite valuable. Also, my sister taught me a few things about training Pokemon before I became a trainer."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Your sister?" Jonas asked.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera nodded. "Yeah. Her name's Katrina, and she's an excellent trainer. She's won the Pokemon Leauge Championship tournament twice, though she didn't manage to do it consecutively. Still, even winning once is impressive, and she's won twice."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Yeah, that is quite the accomplishment," Demetri remarked. "So she taught you a few things, then. No wonder you're good at this."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Yeah, her lessons have helped," Aesera replied. "Of course, I have to give some credit to my brother, Rorohiko. He's not a trainer, but a researcher. For a long time, he traveled with only one Pokemon, an Absol. And no, it's no coincidence that I've got an Absol with me, too. Ro and Oak are good friends, and Ro arranged for Oak to have an Absol avalable.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Anyways, Rorohiko's the one who discovered pretty much everything that's known about Absol. Thanks to him, I have a very good understanding of Absol's capabilities. I used that knowledge in forming many of my battle strategies, including Daywalker. Daywalker is actually one of the riskier strategies that Absol and I came up with."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"In what sense?" Demetri asked.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Well, in a couple ways," Aesera replied. "First, it's somewhat draining on Absol, so she can't keep it up for long. Second, it requires a moment to set up, and she's vulnerable while doing so. But the greatest risk with that strategy its reliance on an uncertain ability.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"See, all Absol can learn to use a variety of abilties. This is actually related to the ability of Absol to sense natural disasters. Absol are sensitized to certain energies, and through exposure to these energies they can learn how to use them. This only works if they're experienced as a part of nature, though. The abilities of Pokemon do not generate the same effect. For example, the Absol I have as a partner experienced a tornado at some point in her life. She wasn't close enough to be injured, but she was pretty close, and she got hit by some feirce winds. As a result, she became able to harness the wind, though only to a very limited extent. Because of this, she can do a few things that are normally reserved for flying Pokemon, such as the very brief wind burst she uses in Daywalker.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Okay, so here's the problem: it wasn't very long ago that Absol experienced the tornado, probably just a few days before she was brought to Oak's. I can tell this because Absol hasn't yet completely mastered her wind abilities. Doing that takes time, and she simply hasn't yet had enought time. She can use the abilities, but there's an element of uncertanity when she does so. Because she's inexperienced with the abilities, they don't always work.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Until Absol masters her wind abilities, Daywalker is an unreliable strategy. However, I felt that it would work against Pidgey, which it did. There was a good wind while we were battling, remember. That wind made things easier for Absol."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Interesting," Jonas said when Aesera was finished. "What about the other abilities used in Daywalker? You know, the ones Absol used to provoke Pidgey into forgetting defense and just atacking."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"I'm not quite sure about where those come from," Aesera admitted. 'It's not environmental, though. It has something to do with the ancestry of Absol. Ro explained it to me once, but I didn't understand a lot of what he said. I'll ask him if we run into him, which we might. He's in Kanto somewhere, tracking recent Absol sightings in hopes of finding wild Absol and learning more about them."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]It was then that Nurse Joy approached and handed Absol and Pidgey's Pokeballs back to Aesera and Demetri. "There you go," she said.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Thanks," Aesera told the nurse as she got to her feet. "Well, it's time for the gym," she said to Demetri and Jonas. "You two are coming, right? So let's go, then."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] ------------------------------------------------------------------- OOC: Okay, Doublehex, I hope all that Absol stuff is okay. I think it works as an explination of how Absol has the various abilities that correspond to its moves in the games. If I need to change anything, please tell me.

OOC: Works for me. I'm going to assume that this'll be a one-on-one between Pidgey and Absol. ----------------------------------------------------------------- [color=purple]Demetri got things started by telling Pidgey to perfor a quick attack. Fortunately, Aesera and Absol'd gotten experience against bird Pokemon on Route 1, so Absol knew just what to do. She had to act a bit more quickly than she was used to, as this Pidgey came at her sooner than any wild ones had, but she was able to do so. Absol leapt to meet the charging Pidgey, and the two of them collided in midair. Absol recovered more quickly than the unsuspecting Pidgey did, and was able to land a hit on the bird before it took off again.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]The Pidgey flew above Absol, no longer simply rushing in to attack. [i]This is a smart one,[/i] Aesera thought. [i]Smarter than all those wild Pidgey, at least. It's not going to make the mistake of simply charging in again. Even if it does land its hit, Absol'll be able to hit it back before it can get away, and it isn't as durable as Absol. It knows that it can't win by exchanging blows, so it's going to try something else. Of course, Absol and I have a few tricks of our own, so this should be an interesting match.[/i][/color] [i][color=#800080][/color][/i] [color=#800080]"Okay, Absol, we've fought flyers before," Aesera said. "Give the usual routine a go, but add in the move you used against that Butterfree in the forest." The strategy Aesera was referring to was a simple one. In previous battles against bird Pokemon, Absol had leapt onto any mearby objects, usually trees, to gain height before leaping at the opposing Pokemon. Absol usually missed, as the bird Pokemon would simply dive down and let Absol pass over it, though Absol would sometimes manage to kick the Pokemon, not doing much damage but knocking it lower, which it of course would have done anyways. Of course, driving the opposing Pokemon lower was the intent. Her jumps were aimed to land her on other objects, allowing her to jump right back and attack. If the opposing Pokemon dropped down again, Absol would simply repeat until she was able to hit it and tackle it to the ground, after which victory usually came easily.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Absol used the Pokemon Center's sign as a step up to the roof of the Center itself. She then leapt at Pidgey, who dropped below Absol. Absol did manage to get her kick in, though, which knocked Pidgey even lower. Absol landed on top of the building across from the Pokemon Center, then turned and leapt at Pidgey again. This time, Pidgey dropped down but also moved to the side a bit, out of the way of Absol's kick. Absol, however, didn't want to kick it this time, nor did she want to land on top of the Pokemon Center. Instead, she used the building like she'd used the trees in Veridian Forest, rebounding off of it and towards Pidgey.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Pidgey reacted quickly, but not quite quickly enough. It succeeded in preventing Absol from tackling it to the ground, but Absol was able to slash it on her way past. Absol landed on the ground in front of Aesera and quickly turned to face Pidgey, who'd recovered from Absol's attacks and returned to its previous altitude.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Pidgey!" Demetri shouted. "Kick up some dust! It can't hit you if it can't see you!"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Pidgey followed Demitri's shouted command, dropping clozer to the ground in front of the Pokemon Center and flapping its wings to stir up sand. All the dust made it hard to see, so Pidgey was able to get away before Absol could reach it. Absol was trying to locate Pidgey when the bird Pokemon came flying in from Absol's left, raked her with its talons, and dissapeared in the dust before Absol could retaliate.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Pidgey circled around and again came at Absol from the left. Absol managed to dodge that attack, though she was still unable to get in a hit of her own. Pidgey once again flew into the dust, though by now it was beginning to clear. Pidgey came at Absol from her left again, but this time Absol was ready, and she was able to see it coming in time to react. She leapt at Pidgey, which turned out to be just what Pidgey wanted. Pidgey angled upwards at the last second, and the dust hadn't cleared enough for Absol to see what was in her path until it was too late. She tried to react, and managed to bounce off of the Pokemon Center's wall instead of impacting it, but her landing was... well, not exactly stellar. Pidgey dove down and was able to hit Absol again before she recovered,and it flew off before she could retaliate. By that time, the dust had cleared, and everyone could see clearly again.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Prety good," Aesera said to Demetri. "Very good, actually. That's one tricky Pidgey."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"You're doing well yourself," Demetri replied. "Better than I expected, to be honest. But I'm still taking you down."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Don't think this is over yet," Aesera replied, "because Absol and I are nowhere close to done. Come on, show me what else the two of you've got."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- OOC: Hope that was good. Tekkaman when you post, remember that Aesera had various preplanned strategies, so she won't be giving as many specific instructions as Demetri. And the names for her strategies are related to the strategies, but vague enough that one who doesn't know the strategies is unlikely to be able to guess what a specific strategy involves from the name. Oh, and I'm assuming that the PM you're going to send me is about who's going to win this match, so please give me a little time to reply before you finish the battle (and my reply shouldn't take too long to come, as I'm going to try to get on at least a few times tomorow).

[color=purple]Aesera looked up as the Pokemon Center's door opened and two people walked in. Aesera recognized them as two of the people from Oak's, Demetri and Jonas. She stood and walked over to them as they handed their Pokeballs to Nurse Joy. "Helo," Aesera said.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Hello, there," Jonas replied. "You're... Aesera, right? I remember you from Oak's."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera nodded. "Yes. And I remember the two of you, Jonas and Demetri. The two of you are traveling together, I take it?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Yeah, we are," Demetri replied. "What about you? Are you traveling by yourself, or is your travel partner somewhere else at the moment?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"I'm traveling by myself right now," Aesera said. "A lot of the others are moving from city to city as fast as they can, but not me. I'm taking things a bit slower, enjoying the journey itself. I tried joining up with Matt, but he ran off as soon as we reached Veridian. The guy got himself into some kind of trouble shortly thereafter, though, so maybe it's for the best that he ran off."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"I think I saw him as we were leaving the Gym," Jonas told Aesera. "There were a lot of people from Oak's there. What about you? Have you been there yet?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera shook her head. "Nope. I just got to Pewter, actually. I'm going to go to the Gym as soon as Absol's healed up, though. You two got your badges, then?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Yes, we did," Demetri replied. "It was tough, but we won."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Well, we'll just see how the Gym's trainers react to me," Aesera said. "I don't think they'll be ready for what me and Absol do. I'll need to get there and see what I'm up against before I decide on a specific strategy, but I've got several battle plans ready to go, and virtually none of them are predictable. That's what's important, you know. It doesn't matter how tough the Pokemon is if the strategy sucks."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"We'll keep that in mind," Jonas told Aesera. "Thanks for the tip."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Hey," Aesera said, "would you guys mind if I tagged along with you? You'd have to wait for me to get my badge, of course, but I don't think that'll take too long."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]At that moment, Nurse Joy approached Aesera and handed her Absol's Pokeball. "Here you are," she said.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Thanks," Aesera replied. She turned back to Jonas and Demetri. "Well, I'm off to the Gym now. Anyways, dol you guys want to travel with me? I shouldn't be too long getting back from the Gym, and besides, you two have to stay here for a while anyways to wait for the Pokemon you gave Nurse Joy to be healed. I'll just go get my badge and come right back here, then we can leave together. What do you say?"[/color] [color=#800080][/color] --------------------------------------------------------------- OOC: White/Tekkaman, make your decision, please. Oh, and if you say yes but want to go ahead and leave Pewter anyways, then by all means do so. Just mention that Aesera left the Pokemon center to go to the Gym and that she returned a little while later with a badge, and I'll fit her battle into that time slot when I post next.

[color=purple]Aesera was enjoying the battle with Kaeo. More specifically, she was enjoying playing her game with the man. Kaeo, of course, didn't know what Aesera was up to. He'd heard her tell Absol to go with the strategy she'd named 'beatdown'. Because of the name, Kaeo had expected Absol to come hard and fast, forgetting defence and focusing on offense. But what was happening was just the opposite. Instead of going on the offensive, Absol was entirely on the defensive, evading Doduo's attacks but making none of her own. She would eventually, but not just yet. Not until Aesera made her move.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera was watching the battle and waiting for the right moment. Before long, she saw her chance and took it. She and Kaeo were directly opposite each other, and the two Pokemon were off to the side, so Aesera could be reasonably certain that she wouldn't run into either of them.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera dropped her pack off of her back, catching it as it fell. Packs like hers were designed with trainers in mind, and hers had a front pouch that could be opened in an instant, allowing for quick access to items during battle. Trainers put items that they were most likely to need during battle in the front pouches so that they could get at the items quickly. Of course, Aesera had a couple items in her front pouch that most trainers didn't put there, and it was one of those that she grabbed.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]The item Aesera went for was a smoke ball. When thrown, it exploded into a cloud of smoke. It was designed to aid in escaping from wild Pokemon, but Aesera had a quite different use in mind. Knowing that Kaeo wouldn't see her coming, Aesera walked forwards. As the smoke began to clear, she picked up the pace.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]As the smoke cleared, Kaeo saw Aesera running at him. He tried to react, but thanks to the smoke ball, he hadn't seen Aesera coming until it was too late. Aesera was on him before he could do anything, and the next thing he knew he was doubled over from a kick to the crotch. Aesera grabed him and threw him onto the ground.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]While Aesera was taking Kaeo down, Absol was doing the same thing with Doduo. The smoke ball had taken Doduo by surprise, but Absol and known that it was coming. As a result, she was better prepared, and as the smoke had faded, she'd located her opponent before Doduo had found her. Doduo did see her coming, but not soon enough to avoid her attack. Absot scored a hit and didn't stop attacking. This was the beatdown for which Aesera'd named the strategy. And before long, Doduo went down. With her opponent defeated, Absol joined Aesera by the downed Kaeo.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"I think Absol and I won," Aesera said.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Y- you- this was a Pokemon battle," Kaeos replied, still hurting from the beating Aesera'd given him.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera nodded. "Yes, it was, but I didn't think I'd win if I played by the rules, and I wasn't about to let a nutjob like you beat me. So I did something I knew you wouldn't expect. Yes, I went against the rules, but it's not like I'm going to do that in an official match. Besides, I'm supposed to help change how people think of Pokemon, and if I'm going to do that, then I kind of have to be willing to break the rules, now, don't I? Anyways, I'll be on my way now. Let's go, Absol." Aesera returned Absol to her Pokeball and resumed heading for Pewter City.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]It didn't take long for Aesera to reach the Pewter City Pokemon Center. Once there, she handed Absol's Pokeball over to Nurse Joy, then took a seat and waited.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] ------------------------------------------------------ OOC: Hopefully, this post established that Aesera's willing to break the rules if she has to. She won't do anything like what she did against Kaeo during an official battle (such as one against a Gym Leader), of course, but she is willing to break the rules if she must.

[color=purple]Aesera woke up early the next morning and opened her pack to get some food. She released Absol and gave it some food as well, and then the two of them headed for Pewter. While walking, Aesera explained to Absol some of the strategies she'd come up with. Occasionally, they would stop and Absol would act out a suggestion it had to improve one of Aesera's strategies, but other than that, there were no delays for a while.[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera and Absol were about halfway between Veridian Forest and Pewter City when they saw the man. He was battling another Trainer, but the battle seemed to have ended. The man's opponent returned his defeated Meowth to its Pokeball as the man's Doduo stood beside him. Aesera didn't see enough, but she saw enough to know that the Meowth had been beaten before Doduo had stopped attacking it. [i]A mean Pokemon, [/i]Aesera thought. [i]That's never an indicator of a nicer trainer. And this guy looks experienced, which is too bad. If he was closer to my level, I'd teach him a thing or two.[/i][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera didn't intend to confront the man, but unfortunately she wasn't able to get her way. The man saw Aesera and Absol approaching, and when he caught sight of Absol, he reacted forcefully. It wasn't a surprised reaction, but one that indicated dislike or possibly hatred. He and his Doduo approached Aesera and Absol.[/color] [color=#800080]"Hello," the man said to Aesera. "My name is Kaeo. May I ask yours?"[/color] [color=#800080]"I'm Aesera."[/color] [color=#800080]"I see you have an Absol," Kaeo remarked.[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera shook her head. "Not quite. Absol is not mine. What she is is my partner."[/color] [color=#800080]Kaeo turned his head to the side and spat. "Disgusting," he said to himself. "And here I was thinking about how nice she looked. I'm ashamed of myself."[/color] [color=#800080]"You know, I can hear you," Aesera told the man. "Just what is your problem?"[/color] [color=#800080]"I must apologize," Kaeo said. "My reaction was... excessive. I was too quick to judge you, and I did this not once, but twice. I cannot assume that you are aware."[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera didn't like where this was going. "Aware of what?" she asked.[/color] [color=#800080]"That the Pokemon species known as Absol is the spawn of demonic beasts," Kaeo replied matter-of-factly.[/color] [color=#800080][i]Just what I needed,[/i] Aesera thought. [i]A religious nutjob[/i]. "Absol are not the spawn of demons," she sad.[/color] [color=#800080]"Perhaps you do not know, then. Absol-"[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera cut the man off. "Trust me, I know. Everything that's known about Absol? My brother discovered all that."[/color] [color=#800080]Kaeo's reaction made it clear that he knew who'd made the discoveries about Absol. "He's your brother? Then that just makes this so much better. You're not going to get past me."[/color] [color=#800080]"We'll just see about that. Absol, you ready for this?"[/color] [color=#800080]"You won't win. Doduo!"[/color] [color=#800080]The two Pokemon faced each other. [i]This could be nasty,[/i] Aesera thought. [i]There's no telling how good this guy is, or how many Pokemon he has with him. Absol can probably take Doduo, since Kaeo used it in that last battle, but I don't think Absol's ready for much more than maybe one additional Pokemon. Which means that Absol and I'll just have to make an unexpected move.[/i][/color] [color=#800080]"Absol!," Aesera called. "Remember those strategies we discussed earlier? Let's go with 'beatdown'."[/color] [color=#800080]Absol nodded in agreement, and then made the first move. She charged as though he was going to attack Doduo, but changed course at the last second. Doduo attempted to attack, but Absol was entirely on the defensive. She was making no move to attack, and so could concentrate solely on evasion. She continually dodged Doduo's attacks while Aesera watched and waited for the right moment. [i]The first real test of one of my strategies, [/i]she thought. Will it work?[i] Well, I guess I'm going to find out.[/i][/color]

Okay, I've got another question about ,oves. I know that this RPG isn't using the actual moves like in the game, so are we limited to what the game has, or can we have Pokemon do things that don't happen in the games (example: in the games, Slash is a specific move, but in this RPG, it's simply the action f slashing at the opponent. So could a fire-type, for example, add fire to its slash, or an electric-type add electricity to a slash)? To me, it would make sense that we could have Pokemon do things that they can't in the games, but I'd like to be certain before I post anything.

[color=purple]"Man, this place is in bad shape," Aesera remarked as she and Absol stood in front of the Viridian City Gym, or at least what had been the Gym. The building was in rather poor shape, and wouldn't be suitable for much of anything in its current condition. There were signs that someone was living in the building, which wasn't surprising. It wasn't being used for anything, but it was more or less intact, and thus ideal for homeless people.[/color] [color=#800080]"I guess we'er not getting a badge here," Aesera said to Absol. "Not for a while, at least. Well, let's move on. We can get badges elsewhere. We'll start in Pewter City. Come on, let's go."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]With Absol back in its Pokeball, Aesera made her way out of Veridian City, heading for Pewter. It wasn't long before she reached Veridian Forest. [i]This could be nasty,[/i] she thought. [i]Lots of bug-types in here, and dark-types are weak against bug-types. We'll have to be careful.[/i][/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]As she made her way through the forest, Aesera did her best to avoid angering any wild Pokemon. She knew how unlikely it was that she'd make it through the forest without having to fight, but she wanted to get into as few battles as possible. And she managed to go for a while before one occured.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera's opponent was a Butterfree. She didn't know why it was mad at her until she spotted a couple small Caterpie nearby. [i]It thinks I'm a threat to its young,[/i] she realized. [i]I don't think it'll let me by without a fight. Well, I guess there's no choice. Time to do this.[/i][/color] [i][color=#800080][/color][/i] [color=#800080]Aesera released Absol. "All right, Absol," she said, "be careful. Oh, and don't hurt it too much. It does have its young to look after. Now, let's do this."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Absol leapt into the air and attempted to slash Butterfree, but Butterfree evaded the attack. Subsequent attempts on Absol's part didn't get better results. "It's too quick for the direct approach," Aesera said. "We'll need to think of something else."[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Butterfree began to charge towards Absol, but pulled up before Absol could attack it. Instead of finishing its charge, Butterfree flew over Absol and sprinkled its poisonous powder. Absol was to quick for it, though, and managed to avoid the powder. Butterfree tried again with different varieties of powder but didnt't get any better results.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080][i]This is getting old, and fast, [/i]Aesera thought. [i]We've got to think of something.[/i] And then she had it. She called Absol over to her. "Use the trees," she told it. "When it flies over you to sprinkle its powder, leap out of the way and rebound off a tree." Absol gave a nod, then charged back into battle.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera's plan worked quite well. Butterfree flew over Absol as predicted and began to sprinkle powder. Absol leapt out of the way and towards a thick tree. Instead of just impacting the tree, Absol spun in midair and pushed off the tree, heading straight for butterfree. Butterfree was taken by surprise, and didn't react in time to avoid Absol's attack. Absol tackled Butterfree to the ground, and Butterfree, realizing that it was beat, didn't even try to retaliate.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]"Good job, Absol," Aesera said, recalling the Pokemon to its Pokeball. "Can I pass now?" she asked the Butterfree rhetorically as she walked by. [i]Well, that went rather well,[/i] she thought. [i]Hopefully we'll do just as well throughout the rest of the forest.[/i][/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Aesera was still in the forest as the sun was going down, but she wasn't too far from the end of it, so she kept going. The journey hadn't been too hard. There had been a couple other encounters with wild Pokemon, but nothing too hard, though that one Yanma had simply refused to give up. It hadn't done well offensively, but it had taken quite a beating before finally giving up.[/color] [color=#800080][/color] [color=#800080]Before long, the forest began thinning out. Aesera could see Pewter in the distance, but it was far enough away that she didn't feel like going for it tonight. So she set up camp at the edge of the forest, had some food, and went to sleep.[/color]

[color=purple][i]Man,[/i] Aesera thought as Matt ran off, w[i]hat is his problem? Is he just anti-social or something? I mean, he can't be that much of a jackass. Oak's a good judge of character, and he wouldn't have selected Matt for this if that attitude is typical of him. So there has to be more to him then I've seen. Well, it doesn't really matter now, I guess. Maybe I'll run into him again, but until then, I guess I'm on my own. Well, maybe not on my own. Absol's still with me, after all.[/i][/color] [color=#800080]"You want out for a bit, Absol?" Aesera said as she grabbed Absol's Pokeball and let the Pokemon out. "Come on, let's take a look around. Apparently the Gym here is closed, so we can't go for a badge yet, but I would like to check out the Gym, take a look at it. So come on, let's go."[/color] [color=#800080]Ae she and Absol walked, Aesera was thinking. She was a trainer now, and sooner or later she'd have to battle other trainers. She and Absol had learned a few things about battling from their encounters with wild Pokemon,but Aesera knew that battling another trainer would be a different experience. She remembered how her sister described it.[/color] [color=#800080]"When you're battling a wild Pokemon," Katrina had said, "you're up against a single individual, a single mind, and wild Pokemon tend to be somewhat predictable. This is not true when you're battling a trainer. You must contend with the strategies of both trainer and Pokemon, and in addition, a trainer's Pokemon are not as predictable as wild Pokemon are. No matter how much you prepare, you will get some suprises during battles with other trainers."[/color] [color=#800080]Aesera had learned quite a bit from her sister, which gave her something of an advantage. Many beginning Trainers didn't know a lot about what it was like to be a trainer, but thanks to Katrina, Aesera had known what to expect. She knew that she didn't know everything, but she felt that she was as well-prepared as she could be.[/color] [color=#800080]Sudenly, Aesera and Absol had to leap back from the road as a car came screaming down it. Aesera got a look at the two people in the car, and recognized them both. One was Matt, and the other was that Turbine girl, another one who'd been at Oak's. Right behind them were other cars, filled with people who had the look of thugs. There were a couple Pokemon on Matt and Turbine's car, presumably the thugs'.[/color] [color=#800080]"Okay, I don't know what that was about," Aesera said to Absol, "but I want to find out. They're in cars, so they're faster than us, but they should be easy to follow. Look, they've made a pretty nice trail out of knocked-over garbage cans and mailboxes and that kind of thing. Still, if we want to know what's up, we'll need to go fast. Would you mind if I rode you? You're a lot faster than I am."[/color] [color=#800080]Absol seemed to have no objections, so Aesera got onto the Pokemon's back. Absol took off after Matt, Turbine, and the thugs, going slower while getting used to the weight added by Aesera. Once he was used to it, though, Absol speed up considerably, following the trail of broken and knocked-over objects in their effort to learn just what the hell was going on.[/color] [color=#800080]Eventually, Aesera and Absol reached the chase's ending point. One of the cars was wrecked, and the other was gone. There were still a few people looking at the scene. "What happened here?" Aesera asked one of them as she got off of Absol.[/color] [color=#800080]"Looked like a chase," the man replied. "The front car came on too fast and was going to hit the tree. The driver tried to avoid it and wound up rolling the car. He and the passenger seemed fine, but then these mean-looking people got out of the following cars, and they looked pissed. The two managed to fend them off, and then they left in that direction." The man pointed.[/color] [color=#800080]"That's the way to Pewter," Aesera remarked. "Well, whatever. It's probably no concern of ours, Absol. Now come on, let's go take a look at that Gym like we were planning to."[/color]