PW! - Getting the Band Back Together

"Chet Weaver - "RESPCK KNUCKLES!"" wrote:

> Keaton tentatively took Elsa's hand, kneeling cordially as he brought it
> up to his lips as one might expect of a prince of his stature. Of course,
> a prince of his stature would more than likely be wearing something more
> regal in such a situation, rather than the samurai robes pulled over his
> hulking, statuesque form. He brought his head down, his intense eyes
> meeting Elsa's gaze.
>
> "Elsa, is it?" Keaton inquired rhetorically. "Such a lovely name for such
> a lovely young lady. I am Keaton Nidon, and it is a pleasure to make your
> acquaintance."
>
> Kitsu glared at Keaton. The expression was a mix of "What the Hell?" and
> "You're such a dork," with pinch of "Not this again."

"Eh-heh-heh..." Elsa chuckles nervously while gently pulling her hand away
from Keaton's grasp, remembering how she lost consciousness the first (and
last) time a guy kissed her on the lips. "Nice to meet you too. Do you
always have horns sticking out of your head, or are you just happy to see
me?"

The Roselia standing next to Elsa sighs at her traveling companion's lack of
social skills, knowing that Keaton is going to consider Elsa's question
flirting.

Keaton grins as he responds, "As a matter of fact, both conditions are
true... But the second is even truer than the first."

Kitsu rolls her eyes at her brother's comment and points out, "You're
happier to see her than you always have horns sticking out of your head?
That doesn't make any sense..."

"All doesn't make sense in love and war," counterpoints Keaton.

"That's not how that quote goes," complains Kitsu. "It's 'all is fair in
love and war'."

"Yeah, all's fair AND all doesn't make sense in love and war."

"That's crazy."

"You're crazy!"

Having noticed the Ninetales ears peeking from Kitsu's hair while she was
arguing with her brother, Elsa asks Alex, "What's with all the half-human
half-Pokemon hybrids running around the greater Fortree area? Is there a
Hybri-Con taking place here or something?"

-Elsa

On Aug 23, 8:54 pm, "Rob" <robfro....TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Kitsu rolls her eyes at her brother's comment and points out, "You're
> happier to see her than you always have horns sticking out of your head?
> That doesn't make any sense..."
>
> "All doesn't make sense in love and war," counterpoints Keaton.
>
> "That's not how that quote goes," complains Kitsu.  "It's 'all is fair in
> love and war'."
>
> "Yeah, all's fair AND all doesn't make sense in love and war."
>
> "That's crazy."
>
> "You're crazy!"
>
> Having noticed the Ninetales ears peeking from Kitsu's hair while she was
> arguing with her brother, Elsa asks Alex, "What's with all the half-human
> half-Pokemon hybrids running around the greater Fortree area?  Is there a
> Hybri-Con taking place here or something?"
>

“No, it’s just these two and a couple others.” Alex gave a
reassuring smile. “Don’t worry – they like you.”

“Maybe a little too much,” the shorter girl muttered.

The smile turned to a smirk, and the taller girl turned her
attention back to the two siblings and whistled, effectively ending
their argument. “You guys caught sight of anyone else from the party?”

Keaton shrugged. “Bob and Jeff have popped in here and there, but
nothing from anyone else still in town. Think we should go look for
them?”

“Only if I can’t get a hold of them otherwise.” She turned to her
new companion. “Elsa, you should probably get your Pokémon checked in
with Nurse Joy.”

Green eyes went wide. “We aren’t leaving now, are we?”

“No, I just think it’s a good idea. Just because they haven’t
battled doesn’t mean they don’t need to rest up.” Gently kneeling down
and picking up the Gible at her side, the tall brunette added, “And I
think you should get looked at too. Surtur?”

“<That shouldn’t be difficult.>” Surtur carefully took hold of the
shark-like Pokémon. “<Just relax. Nurse Joy is a sweet and marvelous
woman. Wouldn’t hurt a fly…even if she is a clone.>”

“I still say cosmetics...”

The two birds continued to argue as they escorted a very confused
Gible to the reception desk, Elsa and Roselia following behind and
looking just as bewildered. Alex shook her head and gave a knowing
grin.

“So, how’d you find her?” Keaton asked at last in a sotto voice.

“Injured, with Sven and Peabody looking after her. Long story.”
Alex turned directly to the two and added to the minoTauros and his
sibling, #I’m going to try and get in touch with everyone – keep an
eye on her, but don’t go in-depth about your origins or mine, and
definitely don’t mention my psionic abilities.#

The two looked to one another, shrugged, then nodded, and Alex
departed, heading up a nearby set of stairs towards the center’s upper
level. After a few short seconds, she reached the top floor and
stepped out onto an open balcony. With a quick throw, her Metang was
released and serenely floated high into the air, acting as a relay
station for her psychic message.

#Aerie, Mimic, you guys out there?#

TBC?

[NS: Gonna try and get in touch with everyone connected to the Search
Party sometime in the next few days, see if they're still hanging
around. Here's hoping we can get moving along on this particular
storyline.]

"William Rendfeld" wrote:

> “Only if I can’t get a hold of them otherwise.” She turned to her
> new companion. “Elsa, you should probably get your Pokémon checked in
> with Nurse Joy.”
>
> Green eyes went wide. “We aren’t leaving now, are we?”
>
> “No, I just think it’s a good idea. Just because they haven’t
> battled doesn’t mean they don’t need to rest up.” Gently kneeling down
> and picking up the Gible at her side, the tall brunette added, “And I
> think you should get looked at too. Surtur?”
>
> “<That shouldn’t be difficult.>” Surtur carefully took hold of the
> shark-like Pokémon. “<Just relax. Nurse Joy is a sweet and marvelous
> woman. Wouldn’t hurt a fly…even if she is a clone.>”
>
> “I still say cosmetics...”
>
> The two birds continued to argue as they escorted a very confused
> Gible to the reception desk, Elsa and Roselia following behind and
> looking just as bewildered. Alex shook her head and gave a knowing
> grin.

After Surtur the Blaziken steps up to the Fotree City Pokemon Center's
counter and delivers the Gible he was entrusted with to the resident Nurse
Joy, the tall Fire Pokemon wanders over to the Center's Cafeteria to
continue his discussion with the Murkrow at his side over lunch, and it's
Elsa's turn to step up to the counter.

"Hello, nurse..." Elsa rummages through the brown fanny pack on her waist as
she comments, "I have four Pokemon I'd like you to heal... Just hold on for
a moment... I can't find one of my Pokeballs..." She lets out a sigh, snaps
off her fanny pack in frustration, and overturns it over the counter,
spilling its contents. Within seconds, the counter is covered with the
following objects: lipstick, hair clips, a notepad, eye shadow, a brown
wallet, a black brassiere with a red "M" on each cup, pens, lip gloss, white
headphones, a black compact, a white PokeNav with a video screen on it,
cotton swabs, a balled up red and black Team Magma hoodie, one standard red
and white Pokeball, and a black Luxury Ball. After scooting around all of
the belongings she dropped on the counter, Elsa growls, "Where is it?!"

Trying to be helpful, Nurse Joy picks up the black Luxury Ball and asks, "Is
this it?"

"Nooo!!!" Elsa yelps before hurriedly reaching over to snatch the Luxury
Ball from Nurse Joy's hand. In her panic, she accidentally pushes the
button on the ball as she retrieves it. When the Luxury Ball snaps open in
Elsa's hand, it releases a cloud of purple smoke, and a Shuppet materializes
over the Pokemon Center's counter.

The Shuppet stares at Nurse Joy's face with his large red eyes and asks in a
cool, raspy voice, "Shup, puppet?"

"Petro, get back in your ball!" Elsa calls out, pointing the Luxury Ball at
the hovering Shuppet. The Ghost Pokemon is hit with a red beam of light and
is promptly sucked back into his container. Elsa wipes some stress-induced
sweat from her forehead before saying, "Whew, THAT was a close one. You
could've been killed."

"Killed? By a Pokemon?" Nurse Joy asks incredulously, finding the concept
absurd. "I've been a nurse for many years, and not once has a Pokemon ever
attacked me."

"Well, my Shuppet's not like other Pokemon." Elsa reveals, "He attacked me
once... and it hurt... a lot... for a while. And he's not the only Pokemon
who's ever attacked a human being, either." Elsa picks up the white Pokenav
on the counter. As she fiddles with the device, she comments to herself,
"It's a good thing I downloaded a clip of the match into my new video iNav."

"Deja Vu!" Nurse Joy exclaims, freaked out for a moment before she remembers
that she's had a conversation about a violent Pokemon with the girl she's
speaking with now. "You've shown me that clip before, miss."

Elsa raises an eyebrow at the Pokemon Center nurse who looks like every
other Pokemon Center nurse she's ever met. "I have?"

Nurse Joy nods. "Yes, and I'm still not convinced your Shuppet or the
Seviper who attacked that scrawny Trainer during the Fortree Doubles
Tournament are inherently evil."

"Why is that?" inquires Elsa as she crosses her arms at Nurse Joy's
reluctance to accept that Pokemon can be just as evil as human beings.

"After you showed me that clip of the enraged Seviper, I did some research
and I learned about a Shadow Pokemon epidemic reported by nurses in the Orre
region."

Elsa tilts her head at the nurse's finding. "A Shadow Pokemon epidemic?"

"Yes." An uncharacteristically stern expression overtaking her countenance,
Nurse Joy explains, "Shadow Pokemon are defined as Pokemon afflicted with a
condition that makes them behave in an aggresive manner and causes them to
forget all of their learned skills in favor of violent Shadow attacks like
the one that the Seviper used in the Doubles Tournament. When they enter
enraged states known as Hyper Mode and Reverse Mode, Shadow Pokemon can be a
threat to themselves and others around them."

Intregued by Nurse Joy's revelations, Elsa asks, "What causes this horrible
condition?"

Nurse Joy frowns as she reveals, "A regular Pokemon becomes a shadow Pokemon
when the door to its heart is closed."

Elsa rolls her eyes. "I know I look young, but I'm not a little kid. You
can use the medical term."

"That is the medical term. It's called the door to its heart being closed."

"Seriously?"

"Yes." Nurse Joy admits, "It's a mystery of modern medical science, like how
no one knows where Pokemon Eggs come from."

"Yeahhh..." Though she has her theories, Elsa decides to sidestep an
argument on the origin of Pokemon Eggs. "So, what is the best treatment to
return Shadow Pokemon to a healthy state?"

"The best treatment is the opposite of what you're doing to your Shuppet."
Nurse Joy says, "If you want your Shuppet to get better, you should let him
travel with you outside of his Luxury Ball from time to time, lavish him
with colognes, and have him participate in battles. If you do all this,
slowly but surely he will remember the techniques he's forgotten and the
door to his heart will start to open up."

"That's good to know! Thanks for sharing your findings with me. I think I
should head back to Lilycove City with Alex to tell Petro's friends who
lives there what you just told me. Here, heal him up... but just by placing
his Luxury Ball on the Heal-O-Matic machine behind the counter. I know I
should be letting him out of his Luxury Ball, but I'll do that when I'm
outside the Pokemon Center, just in case he goes berserk. Now, to find my
other Pokeball..."

"Sel-aaa!" Now standing on the counter, Elsa's Roselia flourishes the
Pokeball she found hidden in the hood of Elsa's Team Magma uniform while
Elsa and Nurse Joy were having their conversation.

"Thanks, Roselia! You're so helpful!" Elsa grabs the Pokeball her Roselia
found and the other standard Pokeball on the counter with the same hand,
then passes those two Pokeballs as well as the Luxury Ball in her other hand
to Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy looks down at the small spherical devices in the palm of her hand,
then she looks up at Elsa and comments, "I thought you had four Pokemon you
wanted me to heal..."

"I do." Elsa taps her fingers in sequence while answering, "I want you to
heal Roselia, my Shuppet, and the two Pokemon in the Pokeballs I just gave
you - my Mudkip and my Chimchar."

"Where's your Roselia's Pokeball?"

Elsa shakes her head before replying, "Roselia doesn't have a Pokeball."

"Why not?"

"Well, for starters, I didn't have a Pokeball when I met her..." Elsa
pauses for a moment before timidly admiting, "...and I don't have enough
money to buy one now."

Roselia gazes up at Elsa quizzically, her tiny mouth curving into a slight
frown. "Rosel?"

"Besides," continues Elsa, "I think if I had tried to catch her with a
Pokeball right when I met her, she would have freaked out, poisoned me, and
fled from me. She's very independent and values her freedom tremendously.
I'm surprised she's followed me as far as she has, but I'm very thankful
that she has."

Her tiny mouth now open in a wide smile, Roselia gleefully exclaims, "Aaaa,
rose sel, Elsel!"

Nurse Joy says, "You're a very understanding Trainer. That's nice to see in
an age where Trainers catch and release multiple Pokemon of the same species
until they find the strongest one. Your Pokemon will be ready in less than
half an hour. The Heal-O-Matic will heal up the Pokeball-bound ones in mere
seconds, but your Roselia and the Gible that the Blaziken dropped off will
require more personal attention since they're not in Pokeballs. I'll call
you over when your Pokemon are fully healed. Feel free to help yourself to
some free lunch at the Cafeteria while you wait."

"Thank you so much!" Elsa wanders back to where Alex, Kitsu, and Keaton are
gathered and says, "I dropped off my Pokemon at the counter. Who's up for
lunch at the Pokemon Center's Cafeteria?"

-Elsa

"Rob" wrote:

> "Thank you so much!" Elsa wanders back to where Alex, Kitsu, and Keaton
> are gathered and says, "I dropped off my Pokemon at the counter. Who's up
> for lunch at the Pokemon Center's Cafeteria?"

Before Alex, Kitsu, or Keaton get a chance to answer Elsa's question, Nurse
Joy calls out from behind the counter onto which Elsa had strewn her various
belongings, "Um, miss, you forgot your stuff..."

A sweatdrop appears on Elsa's face before she squeaks, "Heehee, whoopsie..."
She runs back to gather the items that were left behind into her brown fanny
pack. Once she's tightly packed her miscellaneous belongings and snapped
her fanny pack back onto her waist, she runs back to Alex, Kitsu, and Keaton
and says with a smile, "My being a total scatterbrain aside, the question
still stands!"

-Elsa

On Sep 6, 1:46 am, "Rob" <robfro....TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote:
> "Rob" wrote:
> > "Thank you so much!"  Elsa wanders back to where Alex, Kitsu, and Keaton
> > are gathered and says, "I dropped off my Pokemon at the counter.  Who's up
> > for lunch at the Pokemon Center's Cafeteria?"
>
> Before Alex, Kitsu, or Keaton get a chance to answer Elsa's question, Nurse
> Joy calls out from behind the counter onto which Elsa had strewn her various
> belongings, "Um, miss, you forgot your stuff..."
>
> A sweatdrop appears on Elsa's face before she squeaks, "Heehee, whoopsie...."
> She runs back to gather the items that were left behind into her brown fanny
> pack.  Once she's tightly packed her miscellaneous belongings and snapped
> her fanny pack back onto her waist, she runs back to Alex, Kitsu, and Keaton
> and says with a smile, "My being a total scatterbrain aside, the question
> still stands!"
>

Despite herself, Alex chucked. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

-

After a few minutes of gathering food, finding Alex’s two free-
roaming Pokémon and getting a booth to themselves, the four sat down
to eat.

“So Alex, you were saying?” Kitsu reminded her.

“Well, I’ve got good news and bad news.” Using her fork to
emphasize her point, Alex moved the utensil to one side. “I think I
know where Smasher is. Elsa and I infiltrated a Magma base a little
bit ago, and I found some time to check over their computers – turns
out one of their agents went AWOL a little bit ago, guy by the name of
Mason Adams. He looks a lot like Smasher, and he looks exactly
identical to that ‘Angry Man’ guy I met back in Lilycove. They think
he’s...”

“Wait, hold on a second...” Elsa, being entirely new to all of
this, was understandably lost. “What are you talking about?”

Keaton held up a hand, and then swallowed. “Adam Samson, aka
Smasher, is a Pokémon trainer. He went missing following the Silver
Conference, and the three of us, plus about a dozen other people, have
been trying to find him. We’re pretty sure he’s here in Hoenn and
still alive, though.”

“And a little bit before I arrived here in Fortree for the Doubles
Tournament, I encountered a guy who looks a lot like him in Lilycove
City. We call him the ‘Angry Man’ mostly because we didn’t have any
other name for him until now.”

“Wait...I saw the Doubles Tournament on TV. There was a trainer
named Smasher, he competed...”

“Not the same Smasher, unfortunately.” A few memories of the
tournament and its dénouement flashed through Kitsu’s mind. “That
Smasher was actually a Ditto that thought he was Smasher. Believe me,
finding that out was anything but pleasant...and losing him afterwards
was even worse.”

Her mind slightly boggled, Elsa set down her spoon. “Okay, let me
see if I get all of this. You three, and some other people, are
looking for a guy named Smasher.”

“Yep,” Alex affirmed.

“And a Ditto posing as Smasher was at the Doubles Tournament, but
isn’t around anymore.”

“Uh-huh,” came the minoTauros’s confirmation.

“And this third person, Mason Adams, the ‘Angry Man’, could be the
real Smasher?” At Kitsu’s nod, the short girl asked, “And how come you
haven’t confirmed anything?”

“Because Adams ran from Alex back in Lilycove.” Keaton’s half-
filled glass swayed in his hand as he elaborated. “We figure Smasher
got amnesia when he crashed into the ash fields outside Fallarbor
Town, or the Ditto absorbed them or something. Either way, he didn’t
recognize her.”

“And we know that Magma’s chasing after him, which explains why he
was running in the first place. And the nearest place to go from
Lilycove City is, of course, Mossdeep City.”

“And thus, he’s probably there, if he hasn’t already moved on to
Sootopolis or skipped the continent entirely.” With heavy glances from
her sibling and friend, Kitsu responded, “What? It could’ve happened.”

“Let’s hope it didn’t.” Alex toyed with her food slightly, more
than a little anxious. “Goddish knows I’m eager to see him found.”

“Well, if he’s in Mossdeep, then we should get moving, right?”
Keaton was eager for his part, glad to have some reason to get moving
again. “We call up the others; get the band back together...”

“That’s the bad news.” Alex heaved, and then explained to Elsa,
“While you were getting your Pokémon checked in, I was upstairs trying
to get in touch with everyone from the old party. Unfortunately, I got
nothing.”

“Wait, nothing?” Keaton quickly thought over everyone from the
Search Party for Smasher in his head. “Let’s see...we haven’t heard
from John and Carol for ages, so they’re obviously out. Derek?”

“Went wandering after the Tournament, hasn’t shown up since,” Kitsu
explained.

“Bob and Jeff?”

“Went training, haven’t come back.”

“Aerie and Mimic?”

“Over in Lilycove last I checked, but they haven’t gotten in touch
with us...”

“Wait, hold it!” The three turned to Elsa, her brown eyes wide with
worry. “Seven people traveling with you guys have disappeared, and you
aren’t worried about it?”

“Of course we’re worried; we just can’t do anything about it.” A
glum expression settled on Alex’s face. “Try as we might...”

“Alex sort of became the leader-by-default for the search party,”
ShadowWarrior explained, he and Surtur having eaten their Poké-Kibble
and candy while the four trainers had talked. “She’s taken all the
disappearances kinda hard.”

“And besides, it’s not like everyone’s missing.” Keaton thought for
a second. “Nori! She’s still upstairs, right?”

“Yeah, I caught her on the way back down,” Alex affirmed. “She’s
caught up.”

“And Cass is in Lilycove too,” Kitsu noted.

“Just need to give her a call and let her know we’re coming,” added
the tall brunette.

“And Ben!” Keaton once more paused. “What happened to him?”

“We broke up,” Alex explained. “I needed some time to myself after
everything, so we parted ways.”

The two Nidon siblings nodded in understanding, while Elsa remained
slightly lost and a little concerned about suddenly popping out of
existence. Trying her best not to think about that, she asked, “So,
you guys’ll be going to Mossdeep then?”

“That’s what I was thinking anyway – we rest up for a bit here,
leave word for everyone else just in case, get ready, head to
Lilycove, spend a night at my place and stock up on supplies, then
find some way to get to Mossdeep.” She turned to the shorter girl,
slightly hopeful. “Why? Want to come along for the ride?”

TBC!

[NS: Yeesh...Alex doesn't exactly paint a happy picture with the
Search Party, now does she?

That said, I've tried to check in with the other participants -
Luneric's e-mail is no longer connected, Solano's not connected to AOL
anymore (and hasn't activated his AIM e-mail account), no word from
Clayton, Saint or Beth, and Tymes is disinterested in returning for
the time being. I've made some arrangements about the Shiny Unown and
Smasher's Pokémon, and Beth didn't mind me having Nori lurk in the
background before, so things should be set for now.

Nature of the beast that so few are around now, I suppose...oh well.
Next?]

"William Rendfeld" wrote:

> “That’s what I was thinking anyway – we rest up for a bit here,
> leave word for everyone else just in case, get ready, head to
> Lilycove, spend a night at my place and stock up on supplies, then
> find some way to get to Mossdeep.” She turned to the shorter girl,
> slightly hopeful. “Why? Want to come along for the ride?”

"I would like to tag along with your group until Lilycove City, at least..."
Elsa replies, taking a sip of broccoli and cheese soup before continuing,
"The nurse here just gave me some important information regarding the
illness afflicting Petro, the Shuppet in my party. I'd like to share what
I've learned with two residents of Lilycove who know him and are worried
about his condition."

Alex inquires, "Where will you go from there?"

"I... I'm not sure, actually," admits Elsa. "To be honest, I'm still trying
to figure out what I want to do with my life."

"You don't have any goals?" asks Kitsu, finding Elsa's revelation strange
since people normally have some driving force behind their actions, even if
it's just the desire to find lost old notebooks.

"Well, at one point I was considering doing the whole Road to the Hoenn
League thing," Elsa reveals, making swirls in her soup with her spoon, "But
then I realized there's a great deal of corruption in the Hoenn League, and
that turned me off from that potential goal. I imagine other Pokemon
Leagues in other regions aren't much better, considering how they all force
Pokemon to beat each other within an inch of their life for the amusement of
spectators."

"That's not true," argues Alex, "In normal Pokemon tournaments, battles end
when Pokemon are unable to continue without getting seriously injured.
Besides, I've heard that Gym Leaders in the Orange Islands south of Kanto
engage challengers in non-violent competitions, so it's not the case that
all Leagues require Trainers to send their Pokemon into battle."

Elsa takes another sip of her soup as she mulls over Alex's contentions.
"In any case, it still seems to me like a waste of time and energy to
vigorously raise Pokemon to high levels, sometimes evolving them before
they're ready, in order to win little shiny baubles. I mean, if I wanted to
adorn myself with pretty trinkets, I think a better approach would be to
save up some money, go to a jewelery store, and buy all the colorful pins I
want, saving me and my Pokemon unnecessary heartache."

Keaton observes, "Battling Gym Leaders for Badges is clearly not your thing,
then..." Coyly batting his eyelashes as he folds his hands and rests his
chin on them, the minoTauros suggests, "Perhaps you'd be more interested in
the persuit of... amoré?"

A dreamy look appears on Elsa's face as she remembers the beautiful features
of Sapphire, her first and only love interest. Realizing that merely
thinking about romantic encounter with Sapphire could cause another
personality to take control of her body, Elsa shakes her head and sternly
says, "I'm not ready for romance yet. I kind of... lose myself... when I'm
in a relationship. I really need more... stability... before I can consider
having a love life."

"So you're not interested in fame or romance," Kitsu taps off the two
popular aspirations on her fingers before tapping a third finger and asking,
"What about fortune? You could be a career woman! When you were little,
what did you want to be when you grew up?"

"I just wanted to be free..." Not wanting to reveal that she lived in an
asylum for many years of her youth, Elsa continues, "To travel... Free to
travel. I wanted to be able to go wherever I wanted to go, without anyone
holding me back or telling me what to do."

"In that case, maybe you should become a professional Pokemon Photographer,"
Alex recomends. "Pokemon photographers go wherever Pokemon are found, which
is just about everywhere in the world, and take pictures of them for
museums, magazines, fan club newsletters, and what have you... Have you
ever seen the work of Todd Snap?"

"N- Hmm, wait... Actually... let me think..." Elsa finishes the last of her
soup as she searches her memory banks before saying, "Isn't Todd Snap the
first person who photographed a living Aerodactyl, a Pokemon that was once
thought to be extinct? One time I saw a TV special called 'Prehistoric
Pokemon: Extinct or Extant?', and I think the Aerodactyl picture they showed
was attributed to a person named Todd Snap..."

"I'm sure that's the same Todd Snap I'm thinking of. I think you should go
to the Lilycove Museum when we get there and check out Pokemon Island
Gallery. There are some exceptional Todd Snap photographs on display
there!"

"Thanks for the tip - I'll check it out! I don't know anything about taking
pictures, but maybe the exhibits at the museum will inspire me into
realizing what I want to do with my life." Elsa smiles at Alex and
comments, "I'd love it if you went with me to the museum, but I'm guessing
you'll want to spend your time in Lilycove at home, so if you can't make it,
I'd understand..."

-Elsa

On Sep 16, 11:59 pm, "Rob" <robfro....TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote:
> "N- Hmm, wait... Actually... let me think..." Elsa finishes the last of her
> soup as she searches her memory banks before saying, "Isn't Todd Snap the
> first person who photographed a living Aerodactyl, a Pokemon that was once
> thought to be extinct?  One time I saw a TV special called 'Prehistoric
> Pokemon: Extinct or Extant?', and I think the Aerodactyl picture they showed
> was attributed to a person named Todd Snap..."
>
> "I'm sure that's the same Todd Snap I'm thinking of.  I think you should go
> to the Lilycove Museum when we get there and check out Pokemon Island
> Gallery.  There are some exceptional Todd Snap photographs on display
> there!"
>
> "Thanks for the tip - I'll check it out!  I don't know anything about taking
> pictures, but maybe the exhibits at the museum will inspire me into
> realizing what I want to do with my life."  Elsa smiles at Alex and
> comments, "I'd love it if you went with me to the museum, but I'm guessing
> you'll want to spend your time in Lilycove at home, so if you can't make it,
> I'd understand..."
>

A smile curled on Alex’s lips. “Elsa, I haven’t been to the
Lilycove Museum in years. If an hour or two there can help you to
decide your path in life, I can spare the time.”

The shorter girl beamed. “Thank you!”

A bemused glance went between the two Pokémon seated with them.
“<Well, this is anything but unpleasant.>”

“It’s not like a little extra company won’t hurt.” ShadowWarrior
leaned down and plucked a piece of PokéChow from the bowl before them
and started nibbling at it. “Cass is probably lonely all by herself.”

“Speaking of, who is Cass?” Elsa gave the tall brunette a curious
look. “Some close friend or something?”

“She’s my sister. Well, half-sister.” With some confusion from the
shorter girl, she elaborated, “Cass’s father died while Mom was
pregnant with her. Cass was born, our mother met and married my dad,
and I came along soon thereafter.”

“You’ll like her, she’s fun,” Keaton assured her. “Great sense of
humor.”

A roll of the eyes from the Blaziken. “<Please. You’re only saying
that because she’s attractive.>”

“Actually, I don’t think Keaton ever flirted with Cass.”

The minoTauros boggled slightly at Kitsu’s remark, leading Alex to
joke, “He’s never flirted with me either. Why is that, Keaton?”

Deciding to go with the joke, he put on his most charming face.
“You want me to flirt with you? I can flirt quite well if you want.”

Despite themselves, the four, even Elsa, smiled and laughed. She
quickly restrained herself, worried that she might lose control, and
asked, “So, does she look like you?”

“Kinda, yeah. Same height, same general dimensions...she’s a
redhead though, blue eyes. A little looser and a little less afraid of
showing off.” Punctuating her point with her spoon, she pressed, “Just
don’t use the word ‘promiscuous’ around her.”

A quirked eyebrow from the bushy-haired girl. “Why not?”

“Cass is more than a little eager to have a boyfriend.
Consequently, she dates as much as possible and one guy who heard
about that casually used that word and...well, it wasn’t pretty.”

“Did she hurt him?”

Alex shook her head. “All she did was scare him. And fortunately,
that’s the only way to really get under her skin, so you shouldn’t
have any problems.”

Contemplating her soup, Elsa grew slightly nervous. “I hope not.”


TBC!

[NS: Geez I hate it when I take this long. My forgiveness if the
'promiscuous' bit confuses...it just got inspired by something from an
old Creative Writing course.]