WELCOME TO THE SINNOH REGION, a massive island rich with exploration and Pokemon. Legends say that Sinnoh was the very first Pokemon region to come into being;
and so the nefarious Team Galactic has begun searching for the time and space Pokemon in an effort to destroy and recreate the entire Pokemon Universe. Will you step up, earn your badges,
and fight to defend the world? Or do you believe in Galactic ideals, wishing to follow their efforts in starting anew?
[ 08.15 ] Welcome to Sinnoh! Team Rocket have arrived in Sinnoh and have left a very daunting message here. With the introduction of a new class comes another promo!
Check out the rocket promotion here and stay tuned for many more exciting events!
major news alert!
witness reports from all over the region has been flooding in about strange happenings at the three lakes. what's more perplexing is that these occurrences seem to be happening spontaneously at the lakes. just moments ago, a burst of light erupted at the locations and residents in the vicinity have reported that the lake-side pokemon have turned aggressive and attack on sight.
However, there have been rumours and sightings of the legendary lake trio which has had trainers flocking in from all over the region.
she should have let it go. but she hasn't slept, she's barely eaten--all she's been doing is thinking. and feeling. first it had been disbelief. watching him walk away had been so surreal, a calmer version to the nightmares that wake her up at night. and then there'd been rejection. surrounded by the white walls of her room, she told herself that it was impossible. she imagined it. he was dead. he is dead.
and then she signed up for reconnaissance. they're short recruits now, stretched thin from taking on both galactic and their lovely newcomers. so it's not hard for her to get detail by herself. so she's out now, starlight hair hidden underneath a hat. there are less people on the streets now, especially since it's nearing dusk. perhaps on another day she may have been more observant, but she's distracted, she's tired, and what should be acute senses taking in her surroundings don't become her reality. she shambles along the sidewalk, shoulders hunched, just remembering it, feeling it.
"god fucking--" she raises a hand to her head, finds a seat on the curb. the sound of one of her pokeballs popping open doesn't faze her, though she looks up when alpha places a paw on her elbow. she breathes out a shaky sigh and drops her hand, bumps her shoulder against her charmander's.
"what if he's really out there?" she mumbles to him. and even if she does find him, what will she possibly say? she's been running around in circles in her head these past few days. conversations that she used to have with herself after the incident, would have been's she thought she'd never be able to say. but now that she can--no, no, it's not--
she swallows everything back and stands. "we'll keep going." they walk solemnly and after a few moments, alpha slips his paw through her open hand.
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 19, 2016 12:18:30 GMT
avery!
he remembers his shouts, his screams that felt like whimpers. he arrived too late, flames engulfed the building, black smoke restricting any sort of vision. despite this he still went in, his team providing cover where required. desperate cries. he remembers the feeling of slowly suffocating, the feeling of embers dancing across his skin. then, he heard a voice call out, and whether or not he was hallucinating it felt real, real enough to enter the flames. that was the last thing he could remember.
she's dead.
words haunted him for the longest time, restricting him from doing anything but mourn. it was a long process filled with countless nights where he'd wake up drenched in sweat, the burns on his back stinging. despite this rocket forced him back out to the field, and it might have been the endless amount of missions or just time but he'd finally move on, burying all hopes of her being alive.
now he was back, emotions he never thought he'd experience again returning. it felt like he was the same boy from a few years ago, the one that clung on to the tiniest possibility of her being alive. was it really her? could it have been? so many questions, no answers. it's been a thought, a small slither of hope that lingers in the back of his mind now.
no questions have been asked to rocket yet, fearing the consequences it may bring. if she was truly alive it would mean that they lied to him, and right now he wasn't quite sure if he could ever forgive them. confliction rises within him. he tells himself they wouldn't lie, father's telling the truth. his mind's a mess and the only thing that could distract him now is a mission.
he walks through the streets of jubilife with a one strap backpack that stored three stolen pokeballs. he's dressed to blend in; white shirt, black jacket. he's en route to the drop off when he notices a familiar spark on the end of a tail. he tenses, the sight of fire making him uneasy. is that-- the same charmander from that night. gaze shifts to the person walking next to it.
he freezes, heart races, breathing quickens. could it be? emotions tug away at him, his eyes watch her, every passing second makes it seem like she's walking away, like she's leaving him.
alpha hears him before willow does. the charmander stops in place and she blinks down at him. but her fingers tighten in his when she hears his voice. years ago, back when it had only been scant weeks, months after the incident, she'd heard him. she'd wake up in the middle of the night hearing her sister's laughter, his whispers and promises that eventually everything would be okay. it's not real is the first thing she thinks, out of habit more than anything, and she can't really register what she's seeing in front of her.
alpha is the one who urges her forward; she follows stiffly, warily, still not entirely sure her head isn't messing with her. but then he raises her hand for her. knuckles brush against lucas's and then she lurches forward, wraps her arms around his neck and buries her head in the side of his neck. she's been here before, countless times before. it's like slipping into a dream.
"i--you're...how?" she can manage nothing but a whisper. when she opens her eyes, they're watery with unshed tears. and maybe she could have been content staying like this, pretending they're the only two people in the world, but a civilian walks on the other side of the street. she locks eyes with him and she realizes they're still in the open.
and he's still in rocket.
"not here," she says and it kills her, but she steps away from him. fingers curl at her sides. she thinks of her place, but she can't risk someone seeing him going in with her. alpha gets put back in his ball because he's too recognizable. "do you have somewhere we can...talk?"
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 19, 2016 16:38:27 GMT
he stands there frozen, legs unwilling to move forward nor back. he stares silently, in disbelief, in bewilderment, watching helplessly. it feels like he's looking at her for the first time again, the one lonesome day when they were still recruits, still young. he doesn't move, not when the she approaches, not when their knuckles brush, not when he feels her arms around his neck, a feeling he's long dreamed of feeling again.
"avery..." emotions come flooding in, eyes tearing up as they shut. he leans into her, arms wrapping around her. his heart pumps faster, quicker, no longer systematic. wake up. this is a dream, it has to be, he half expects to wake up when he buries his head in the side of her neck, but this was real. he could feel her heartbeat against his chest, feel the warmth that resonated from her skin, from her breath. this feels like a dream, a dream he never wants to wake up from.
he lingers for a bit too long, only to be awoken from his dream when she pulls away, suddenly feeling cold, like a part of him's been taken away again. her earlier question flies over his head, he isn't sure when he regained control of his senses. he's snapped out of his bliss, back into cruel reality where he realizes the situation; she's a ranger, and he's her enemy. it's unfair, but it's the reality of it.
"y-yeah, zest--" he stops himself, realizing that codenames would make no sense to her, "--safe house." he understands the safety concerns so he'd reassure her with, "it's safe, i promise." he starts walking only when he's certain she'd follow. the blend into the night, making their way into a quieter part of jubilife.
zest is a safe house disguised with signs that said it was a salon. the building and whole block looks quiet, almost too quiet as he unlocks the door before pushing through. even though outside made it look like it was a salon the inside was completely different, filled with furniture that made living in it somewhat possible. a fridge, a bathroom, tables, chairs, a bed.
he makes sure to close the door behind her, locking it shut as he flicks the light on. with windows barred there's nothing that could disturb their privacy. he turns to avery, feeling the same sensation as he did earlier; confusion, shock, betrayal, but yet happy. "how--where..." he struggles to find words, form sentences.
that's not my name. she doesn't say it, can't say it, but she thinks it. all it does is make the distance between them grow longer. she stares at his back as he leads the way, stuck in her head. she's reliving it, reliving the fire, reliving waking up in the hospital bed and being told she's lost him, she's lost her sister, she's lost everything. it's not fair, really. it's not fair that she's moved on; she's started to pave her own path. then this. he comes crashing back into her life and now she's supposed to be his enemy.
when he takes her to the safe house, her mind immediately turns to the rangers. this could be useful information, very useful information, but there's this unspoken agreement between them. she won't tell. but she needs to know he won't either. "i..." it's too much at once. she'd gone out earlier today thinking that this was impossible, that her mind had been playing tricks on her, and now...she takes a seat on the edge of the bed. she tries to look away so she can think, but her gaze just ends up back on him. he's alive, he's alive, lucas is alive. for a fleeting moment she wants to believe that this same miracle could have been woven for her sister, but her death is irrefutable. she'd seen it with her own eyes. grey eyes tighten then at the thought and she closes them, pinches her nose.
"sit down," she mumbles. "i need--" you. she reaches out, for a handhold, for something. "i must have...they must have moved me to psych ward when they found you. i--i tried to..." she switches gears, sucks in a tight breath as she scratches the the scars on the underside of her wrists. "everything happened so fast. i--i saw her, lucas. i saw astrid--she--there was no way she could have...so i thought you...i couldn't take it."
she knows she's not making sense, but none of this makes sense. she swallows, steels herself. "i left when they made it clear i wasn't supposed to mourn. i wasn't supposed to feel." but then she looks up, brows furrowed. "they knew. they knew i ran. and they didn't...they didn't tell you?"
LUCAS BLACKBURN so rn this seems pretty bangin' in my head but i'm 8 shots in rip i'll edit if it's horrible LOL
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 20, 2016 12:02:01 GMT
silence lingers for what seems like an eternity, words and questions formulating in his head yet none escape. he moves forward, lets her take his hand, fingers reaching for hers. he lingers even after he sits down beside her. it still feels like a dream, the feeling of her skin against his feels unreal. it feels bad when she lets go, his hands now fiddling with the edge of the bed. her voice still sounds the same as it did all those years ago. he tried to forget, but he remembers. so he listens to her speak, her voice much like a melody he misses.
but his heart breaks, aches for her with every word. he looks at the scars on her wrists, an overwhelming sensation of guilt rushing into him. "avery..." he whispers, his voice carrying worry. he reaches for her hand and stops her from scratching. he wants to make everything okay, to make up for the pain she felt. "i'm sorry," he whispers. what he went through was bad but it was clear now that she had it much worse. it pains him that he wasn't there for her, but it pains him even more that she had to go through it alone.
he stands up and reaches for a nearby chair, placing it directly opposite her. he sits on it, taking her hand in his as he leans forward. "look at me," he says. he finally has a clear close view of her, eyes never parting once as his grip around her hand tightens, hands now cupping hers. "it's not your fault. there's nothing you could've done, not by yourself."nothing i could've done. "but i'm here now, you're here," he tries to smile for her, but he was hurting.
her question makes something inside of him click, anger rising now, not at her, but at the very people he trusted, the ones who told him that he had lost everything he loved. "they...they told me you died," his voice breaks near the end. the scars on his back start itching, he can feel, can imagine the fires burning against his skin. he tries to hide the scar on his left arm, angling it downwards. he shudders. "i was out for a couple of days but when i woke they...they told me they found your body," he stutters, clears his throat.
he remembers how he felt after hearing those few words that would haunt him for years. the memory of it makes him tear up, he quickly blinks and clears his throat again. he has to be strong now, strong for her, strong for both of them. "are you okay? has everything been okay?" he asks, desperate to hear just anything good.
she touches her fingertips to his knuckles. tension slinks out of her in small trickles, small bits and pieces of her that have never quite stopped bracing against the pain that's come with losing him. it's been a long time since she's allowed herself an attempt to cleanse her guilt and she knows it's wrong, but she's stuck in the moment, wants too badly to find the truth in what he's saying. and it works, for a moment anyway. she leans in, bows her head against his chest.
she can't find the will to be angry. tonight when she can't sleep, when she's tossing and turning in her own bed worrying if this had all been a dream, that's when she'll feel angry. but it doesn't surprise her, not really. they were some of rocket's best and why would they dare risk losing another should lucas have followed in her footsteps? she leans back, takes in the small details of his face she'd forgotten over the years--the slight crook to his nose from a bad punch, the small scar just under his chin from another accident during a mission.
she reaches for him and then stops, goes rigid when he asks if she's been okay. the mirage of everything's okay now shatters as reality smacks her back in the face. her eyes grow colder and she looks down away from his face, mouth falling into a flat line when she sees his arm. she tightens her fingers around his wrist and twists. guilt is a punch to the stomach; nausea almost overwhelms her.
"okay? okay? i killed them, lucas. i killed opal and champion. i'm reminded of that every time i look at alpha and echo. their parents are dead because of me. civilians are dead because of me. innocent people. and--god, no, i'm not okay." she runs a hand down the length of the burn. the skin is coarse and rugged. wrong. she yanks her hand away, stands because she needs to be anywhere else than there before him. because he's showing her forgiveness, forgiveness of all things.
"do you honestly think the world has let me forget what i did? the academy doesn't trust me, everyone i know hates me. they see rocket when they look at me. they see filth, a stain. they don't see me, lucas. god knows they don't see me."
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 20, 2016 14:05:41 GMT
his thoughts stay on rocket and how they lied to him, how they manipulated him to keep working for them. he understands why they did it, they were one of their best and losing both would have been a huge loss for them. but that was the rocket in him thinking. that doesn't justify their actions, their lies. he's done trying to justify their actions, understanding that it was unforgivable. he's angry, but in that moment with her he lets anger fade, even if only temporary.
he asks the wrong question, the change of expression on her face told him so. her grip around his wrist tightens. "no that's not what i--" he tries to interject, to make things okay but even he knows the reality of it. he thinks back to opal and champion, then of astrid, guilt fills him as she continues to speak. if he had just been there earlier, stopped her from going then maybe things would've been different.
"avery--" she stands up, moving away from him before speaking again. he wants to say something, anything that might help with the guilt. "no don't--" he stands up and reaches for her. "--don't say that. you're nothing like that, they're fucking idiots for thinking so." blood boils within him at the rangers, at everyone. he steps over, facing her as he raises a hand to her cheek. he moves closer, leans closer. "i see you." he caresses her cheek, eyes trying their best to convey his emotions.
"come here," he reaches around her, pulls her into him even if she doesn't allow him. he tucks his head against her neck, doing his best to embrace her as his breathing slows. "they don't deserve you, you're better than what they say or think you are. if nobody sees it just know that i do, and nothing's ever going to change that."
"and not everyone hates you," he speaks again, "i don't."
"you don't," she mumbles. how can he say that. how can he say he sees her after all these years? after all she's done? she surrenders to his touch, to his hold, noses through his hair with eyes closed. she wants this. she wants to forget all the bad and pretend like things can be okay again, but she can't. "what about val? and ven?" she has an inkling and at the core of it, she knows, but she's not asking for the reasons he might think. her jaw tightens. "they're gone because of me. you know that."
it's hard. being in this room where she can only hear his breaths, feel the faint thrum of his heartbeat against hers. "i don't care what they say about me now. i've changed, lucas. and you have, too. i'm--you know this can't work. we can't--i want to fix things." she hesitates. "i know it's not possible to fix it, but i can't keep doing wrong." she shivers then, but not from fear or sadness. anger courses through her and through clenched teeth, she says, "they have to pay." she's seen too many victims of rocket through unveiled eyes, had finally turned the other cheek and accepted that she'd been part of the monster.
hope glistens softly. "you can come back. to me. become a ranger. i can talk to them. it will be a huge blow to rocket, you know that." she holds her breath, reaches up to cup his cheeks with her palms. she tugs them apart only to draw him closer. her forehead presses to his and she wills him to see her desperation. "i just got you back. d-don't--don't let me lose you again."
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 20, 2016 17:10:27 GMT
"no, they're gone because of me," he replies. the braviary, a gift from father and quite possibly the only gift he's ever received from the man. he cherished it, loved it, raised it close to him, never parting even for a single mission. the nidoking, a capture not too long into being a recruit, started out as a nidoran. both, no, all of them died in the fire. he can hear their cries for help, cringing at the recollection of it. "they were following my orders. i forced them in," he adds.
he leans closer to her, feeling his heartbeat against his chest. he listens to what she has to say, not once attempting to cut her off. he has a point, this can't work. it was destined for trouble, for failure. but he doesn't see it like that, he sees it as an opportunity, as a chance, he clings onto the hope he has, not willing to give up. "we can try to--"
he cuts himself off. you can come back. his heart quickens at her plea. he's torn, conflicted, he desperately wants her back but not like this, not with betrayal. foreheads meet, he places both his hands over hers, feeling torn up inside. he's haunted, he hears voices of father, of superiors, all willing him to stay, to not betray his own kind.
you're one of us.
"i...i can't." he lowers her hands off of his cheeks, head moving slightly back to look her in the eyes for only a moment. he shifts his gaze away, at the bed, at the floor, at anything but her. "i don't want to lose you either--" he says. it pains him so much, his stomach turns at what he's about the say.
in a perfect world, this would be easy. he would say all the right things and they would step out from the shadows. in a perfect world, they wouldn't even be here right now. it's a bittersweet wistfulness that makes the seconds tick by slower. she reads every expression that flits over his face, can sink under the surface because she knows him. she knows what he's struggling with, but after all this time, after everything they've been through, she wonders if maybe, just maybe it might be enough. she might be enough. she's wrong.
and it hurts more than it should. how cruel, for her to think he may feel the same way she does. she had nothing left. no family, no home, nothing. she has purpose, yes, but that's been her only solace. she doesn't know how to say how much she needs him, how much she's needed him, when it's clear that's not how it is from his end. she nods stiffly.
"i won't tell them about this place." she gathers her things, picks up her scarf from where it had fluttered to the ground and haphazardly wraps it around her neck. "but let's not skirt around the bane." it's easier being cold to cover up the hurt, the aching burn in her chest. "i've made my choices. and now we're here. so the next time i see you, you know what i'll have to do."
she heads for the door, fingertips lingering on the handle. "i never saw rocket as home. they were safety, a wall, nothing more. but when i am--when i was with you..." she can't open the door, she can't open it. because she knows what it means. she knows how much it will hurt. this will be losing him a second time. and she's not so sure she's strong enough to survive it again.
"is this really what you want?" she stares at the door, feels her heartbeat in her ears as she waits for something, anything that could (impossibly) tell her that someway, somehow they can make it through this together.
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 20, 2016 17:59:18 GMT
he stands there frozen, unable to say anything to stop her as he watches her gather her things. he turns, a hand wants to reach out to grab her as she walks past him, but what good would it do. "avery--" she heads for the door. he can't believe this is really happening, that he was losing her again. he wants to move, wants to chase after her and convince her that everything's going to be okay, that they were fine.
but he's frozen, body unwilling to move. he watches her hand grasp around the handle, waiting, dreading the moment. but the turn never comes, instead, a question. he tenses. "no," he replies, voice lower than usual. this isn't what he wanted, but rather what they wanted from him. he's stuck in this never-ending loop with rocket and he's not sure how, or if, he can break away.
"you know what they did to me,"what father did to me. he stares at her back, willing himself to take a step towards her, to move forward. he does, one step, then another, but he still isn't close enough to matter. "i'm nothing more than their weapon--their creation. i don't belong anywhere else." the back of his hand met his eye, wiping away a loose tear. he grits his teeth, he wants to get rid of this confliction inside of him, maybe with her help he can.
this will be the last time i see you. it doesn't resonate well with her. it's not fair. it's not fair. for a scant second, she's swayed. they would take her back with open arms, she knows that. nothing would stand in the way between them. she could have him back in her life, fully, wholly, and it sends a shiver through her. want almost makes her crave, but then she's touched by fire, the ghost of the emptiness she'd been consumed by after the accident. there's no going back, not from something like that.
and besides, "avery's gone, lucas. avery died in that fire with her sister." she turns, prays that she's strong enough to look at him now only to leave him. he's closer and it makes her heart skip a beat, but she raises her hands all the same, tilts her head to the side to press a light kiss to the corner of his eye. she tastes the salt from his tears and she does her best to rub the rest away with her thumbs.
she stares at him, eyes softening. if she had the opportunity to take back this moment, to take back running into him, to take back knowing that he's alive, and live on in ignorance, she still wouldn't do it. part of her is always going to mourn for what they can't have because she knows he'll never leave. and if he needs to be here, if that's the only way he's able to survive, then she's okay with that. maybe later she won't be, but right now she can barely think. she's just trying to find the best way to break this, break them, without shattering both their hearts into a million bloody pieces.
she decides a clean cut is the best. her tongue is sharp, words unfaltering, even if every syllable chips away at what's left of her heart. "i want you to stay away from me, lucas. because i'm a ranger now and as long as you're in rocket, you're my enemy. and the next time i see you, none of this will matter." she drops her gaze, mumbles, "next time i see you, we'll be strangers." her palms fall from his face, rest tentatively on his neck. she leaves a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth and then she steps back, turns to go before she breaks apart and ruins all of this.
"goodbye, lucas. if you ever change your mind..." she shakes her head, reaches for the door handle again. and this time she finds the will to open the door.
Post by LUCAS BLACKBURN on Aug 21, 2016 4:19:31 GMT
he feels numb; her touch, her warmth no longer there, no longer soothing. words fall on deaf ears as eyes watch her turn, turn away from him, from everything they've been through, from a possible future. handle turns, door closes, and suddenly he's cold, lonely, pathetic. he stands frozen still, eyes lingering on the same spot she stood in. he hates this feeling, it's the same one he's felt during those lonely nights after the fire, where he wanted nothing more than to be with her, for her to be alive. and yet, here she was, alive.
don't give up.
he sucks in a deep breath, releases, then wills himself to move, to chase after her, to not give up. he reaches for the handle, turns it, then forces himself out. it's dark, something he's used to. he sees her back in the distance getting smaller, further away with every fleeting second. he chases after her, walks at a brisk place to not attract any unnecessary attention. he has time to think so he takes it, his head running wild with thoughts, most of them about how he can make this work.
be strong.
he catches up to her, hands in his pockets, head down looking at the pavement. "would you leave?" he speaks up. eyes side glances around him, always paranoid about the possibility. they turn a corner, streets still seem empty. "i'm not going to stay away from you and i think you already know that," he says, voice low, trembling. he looks at her now as they walk, not even bothering to hide. she's too important, she's worth it.
"you're not going to arrest me," he says, pushing the limits.
there are too many memories playing in her head right now. it's a broken record that screeches bloodied images tinged with flames. she hears her own voice rasped, calling out help, calling out for astrid to move, move, it's dangerous. the fire's coming. twisted faces, thunder in her ears, and her breathing gets shallower. she fists her fingers in the collar of her shirt, ducks her head down. just keep walking. just leave. just get away. he's a reminder of that night, a reminder of his absence. he'd lost his pokemon, yes, but he hadn't witnessed what she had.
her skin itches and she doesn't realize she's digging her fingernails into her crossed arms until lucas suddenly appears beside her. she jumps, gaze hazy as she tries to sort through present and past. but then the fog clears and she regains control, tucks a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. she narrows her eyes at him. always so stubborn.
"no," she says. "and if i did, it wouldn't be for rocket. they're bad people, lucas. i knew that. we knew that. but god, we were young and stupid and just trying to get by. that doesn't have to be you." but her prattling will surely fall on deaf ears so she quiets. a headache is forming behind her temples and her patience is wearing thin. but before she can tell him he has to go, that it isn't safe, that if he's caught with her, then that's it. she'll be done, he tests his limits and pushes her over the edge.
she wheels around. handcuffs clink together as she grabs for his arm, goes to twist it behind his back. she shoves him back up against a wall and says nothing. silence lapses. "what if arresting you meant keeping you safe? do you think i'd hesitate then?"
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