[System]
**Age:** 17

**Appearance:** While it would be expected of someone who has spent a lot of time lifting heavy rock to at least gain some muscle mass, this not the case for Kituo mostly due to his high metabolism and the amount of sweat he has leaked out from exposure to the intense desert sun. He is a slim young man standing at a modest height of five feet and eight inches and is likely still growing at a slow rate. His features are analogous to people of African descent, his skin being deep brown and his lips filled. He has thick and curly mid-length black hair which is a bit unkempt from his days of labor. His limbs are stringy while the shape of his face is triangular. His eyes are dark and small.

Growing up in a hot climate, Kituo prefers clothing that is loose fitting and of a thin material. He typically can be seen wearing a long burnt orange shirt that reaches below his waist in length. Running parallel down the shirt are two golden strips. The shirt itself is also sleeveless to further accommodate him against the heat. He wears dark pants which cut off just above his ankles. Around his right wrist he wears a gold bangle which was given to him as a birthday present when he was younger. On his feet are sandals.

**Occupation:** Apprentice Stonemason

**Personality:** Kituo has never really gotten as much as he wanted accomplished in life due to his apprehension. He always considers the consequences before making a decision, most times overthinking and convincing himself not to go through with something that he may have actually wanted. Because he has allowed his fear to restrict him, he has also become reliant on his family for support. He isn't argumentative nor confrontational and prefers to take a passive role in conflict. When faced with any kind of danger, he prefers flight over fight regardless of the circumstances.

Socially he is reserved and reluctant to interact. However, he'll talk to those he finds non-intimidating. As he doesn't take well to most people, it isn't abnormal for him to favor a particular person whom he feels he can connect with. Ironically, he takes better to people who aren't like him and would better be rather an exuberant person for he feels they usually emit a positive aura. As he lacks confidence, it can be inferred that his reasoning for preferring these kinds of people is that he hopes he'll gain some esteem himself.

Kituo has always been curious about the world beyond his village but was taught that It was dangerous. Therefore, despite his yearning to at least figure out what else was out there, he never took any initiative and thus remained in the dark. He has a wild imagination and likes to conjure up stories in his spare time with a ideal version of himself as the focal.

What burdens Kituo the most is the nagging regret he harbors. Having never realized nor lived up to his full potential, he is haunted by the memories of his failures and the knowledge that he won't be able to undo them. He has tendency to reflect on the past often - specifically on things he could have did better.

**History:** Kituo has spent the entirety of his life so far living safely within the sturdy walls of a desert city. As commoners had no particular reason to leave, Kituo never even so much as heard about what the outside world was like when he was a small child. His family was middle class being neither poor nor rich. He never had to struggle for food nor fight to survive. His parents coddled him and provided him and his siblings with everything they needed to live comfortably. His only true worry was school as his father pressured him heavily to perform. Unfortunately for his standards, Kituo wasn't the best student and his grades were mostly mediocre. At a young age his father, believing that educating him would be futile, withdrew him school due to the costs and forced Kituo to work alongside him as a stonemason. He found the work hard but eventually learned to tolerate it as he had no other options.

While he helped feed his family by working alongside his father, Kituo quickly found himself dissatisfied with his life. He watched as his younger brother excelled in his academics and took to a path for a brighter future. Kituo sensed that his father was disappointed in him and it upset him. They would frequently have brief spats about his failures with his father usually ending them with remarks about his laziness and lack of motivation. While he may not have expressed it at that moment, the words seeped into Kituo and took their toll on him. He always became silent when his father told him those things for he knew they were true. Not knowing what to do, he continued on with his work without giving any challenge.

Kituo was never really popular but did manage to make a few friends - most of them being fellow stonemasons who worked with to upkeep the city's buildings. There was one boy in particular who Kituo considered his best friend, mostly because his optimistic attitude helped keep his spirits up throughout the day's harsh heat. The boy insisted on speaking about his dream to leave the city and find a more amusing way of making a living. Kituo secretly shared this dream and silently listened to his friend's words as they cut and hauled stone together.

[User]
Kituo rubbed his head after his collision with the bell. His brain was ringing and his vision blurred for a few seconds before returning to normal. He heard a voice shush him and was surprised to see an elderly gentleman emerge from the undergrowth. Kituo's eyes spread at his mentioning of "monkeybats" - the only reasonable description he could conjure for the creatures that attacked him. He examined the man closely and took note that he was wearing armor. Although it certainly did not look like it would be formidable against a well crafted sword, he was definitely prepared to do battle.

"I know where some 'monkeybats' were," Kituo said, taking a pause to reconsider what he was planning to say. His conscious wanted him to tell the man about the peril he and his former companions had faced just moments ago. However, being realistic and true to himself, Kituo was in no way ready to relive the predicament. For the sake of remaining well, he elected to reveal no more knowledge. "Never mind. I'll be on my way."

He tried to tuck the lantern under his shirt to prevent the man from seeing it as he walked to move past him. What lay beyond the boy was unknown and he didn't doubt that there were worse dangers awaiting him. But, there was nothing that made him feel more invincible than the lantern. Anyone that tried to come between him and his beloved source of illumination was an enemy. Kituo had yet to become aware of it, but his possession of the lantern was making him have some unusual thoughts. He did have to admit that he felt like a slightly different person since the whole ordeal began. Getting a chuck of his ear ripped off - the most traumatic experience of his short life - played a huge role in his alteration. Now less trusting of others, it seemed as if he was developing some faith. Hopefully it wouldn't get effortlessly squashed again.

[Assistant]
Tyaelaem shifted from foot to foot, taut as a wire. The forest hushed around them, and the stream gurgled and sparkled as it flowed. The green light of the lantern had disappeared into the darkness. "Spirit weed grows in starlight, and eats the souls of the dead," the Kith spoke quickly, and he glanced around the forest. "A soothsayer is someone who has a strong connection with vagrant souls and is able to release spirits from the spirit weed -- among other things." He smiled warily, and he hopped and flitted away to stand close to Anise. He felt safe with the princess. Simon's presence made him uneasy.

"Please drink some of this, Your Highness," Tyaelaem offered, hopping backwards in front of Anise and holding out the canteen full of water from the grotto. "It will help your injuries, Your Highness, and you'll feel very refreshed." He shook the canteen in front of her and grinned hopefully. But soon his mouth turned down in worry, and he leaned closer to whisper, "I think these people might be pirates in disguise and we should be careful and leave them as soon as we can."

Soon after Anise, Simon and Tyaelaem had begun their pursuit of Kituo, a scuffle and a muffled cry sounded suddenly behind them: something heavy hit the ground, and a red-feathered arrow quivered in the bark of a tree. In the branches above, a cacophony of monkeybats screeched: eeeEEE! eeeEEE! eeeEEE! The white wolf-mask lay still in the grass. Talan was gone.

"PIRATES!" Tyaelaem cried over the screeching, and he grabbed Anise's hand -- and the moment he did, the world went dark for Anise. While Tyaelaem touched her, she could no longer see in the dark. The rabbit-boy yanked her along through the woods. Simon would be forced to run if he wished to follow them by the light of his torch, while the monkeybats sounded their alarm and shadows moved among the night-dark trees.

The path ahead was winding, and led them around great ancient trees and boulders coated in bright green moss; the path itself had long ago been carefully laid with flat stones. In the thick green foliage were old statues, obscured by moss and roots and blooming flowers. As they fled deeper, the screech of the monkeybats dimmed and disappeared behind them, leaving only a peaceful silence. Ahead, Kituo's lantern light glowed.

The old man squinted at Kituo, and seemed to foggily realize that the boy was holding a source of light in the vast darkness of the forest he was so accustomed to. He tipped his head at the green light that glowed through Kituo's bulging shirt. "Well hey now what've you got there? Well I might think that's a summoning lantern if I didn't know better. But how could you have that? It's impossible. Come, come, let me see." He stepped forward, his eyes on the light, and he stretched out a hand to touch it. As he came closer, Kituo might see a few more details regarding his person, such as the black tattoo on his palm that resembled an eye. The armor that he wore was etched with runes and sigils, and each piece of armor had a very different arrangement of them. A battered old sword hung at his waist, and an iron pendant hung around his neck.

[User]
Pirates! Pirates! Where in the sweet lord would pirates locate themselves in the woods, Simon has never really heard of pirates really occupying woods as opposed to vast oceans and the only real water that has been seen since his whole time here was the healing stream. However dispite the fact of not trusting the rabbit Simon thought that it might be a decent idea to follow him since at this point in time he wasn't attacked by rabbits as opposed to these "Pirates" that Tyaelaem claims are after them. If the Pirates did have Talan the rabbit and possibly other of his kind might have some intel that would help regain their ally but right now his main goal would be getting back Kituo since he was younger and wouldn't be able to defend himself nearly as well as Talan had.

 As Simon was following behind the feet of the eager moving rabbit he scooped up the wolf mask that had been left behind from when Talan had gone missing. It might be of a benefit in the future, so he slide it into his pants and continued after the rabbit. Another arrow had wizzed past his left ear, it was so close that he could actually hear it pass by him. Simon wondered if these "Pirates" were aiming for the party itself or of one member in particular. The reason that this thought had crossed his mind was because of the look of absolute terror that he struck that Tyaelaems' face when he realized that it might be "Pirates"

 Also besides trying to find some answers to some of the questions that he was wondering he thought that he also would try and keep an eye out for the Princess Anise since it seems like this rabbit has quite an interest in her.

[Assistant]
If Kituo could clench the lantern any tighter, he would've. He had abandoned his only allies in favor of securing his possession of his lifeline. He would be distraught if some random old man took it away from him. Kituo refused to allow the old man to encroach, picking up his pace in hopes of creating distance between them.

A summoning lantern? Kituo registered, catching wind of the old man's classification of the lantern.

Just what did he mean by that? He took a glimpse at the lantern, its glow ever so soothing to his nerves. It did have a strange feeling to it. It gave off a vibe that he couldn't necessarily describe.

Exactly what could be inside of this thing? Kituo wondered.

What if the lantern's purpose was to summon a monster to kill its owner? There it was again. Kituo's wild imagination which was responsible for his excessive panic attacks. There was no way the old man would want something that was going to kill him. Nobody wanted anything that would kill them. There was definitely more to this "summoning" aspect of the lantern. Kituo determined to find out.

"Ah!"

Kituo lost his balance, tipping over as the stray tree root caught his foot. He turned mid fall, now facing the man as he neared him. Frightened, Kituo shuddered as he took notice of his eerie features. The armor he wore was covered in markings that reminded the boy of those scribbled on the tree where he first spawned into the forest. What concerned Kituo the most was the tattoo on the palm of his hand. It was that of eye and it seemed to carefully inspect Kituo as the man reached towards the lantern.

"Get away from it!" Kituo snapped, kicking out and attempting to roll over.

Very seldom did his fear cause him to lash out. However, given his circumstances, flight was becoming less and less viable of a solution. To kick the man was a very impulsive and probably stupid decision on Kituo's part. He was certain that his armor wasn't normal and he failed to notice the sword he kept. Besides the lantern, which was confirmed to work on monsters such as the monkey-bats, Kituo bore no other methods of protection. If the man decided to draw his weapon then he would be completely vulnerable. He inferred that the lantern didn't work on humans. After all he had been able to hold on to it so far without any ill effects.

"Help!" Kituo screamed, kicking out again to prevent the old man from getting closer.

Maybe he was being too extreme. Oh well, that was a part of him being his self.


[System]
Age:
Seventeen

Gender:
Female

Race:
Human

Weapon:
Shotgun/Polearm
Sapphire is skilled in using two sawed off shotguns each about two and a half feet in length. From there the second form is as a sickle, it's like a scythe but more hand held. From the shot guns a bladed folds out on the side of the gun's muzzle. Part of the gun retracts so it can be easily wielded with one hand as melee weapon. In this form it is still capable of firing. For the third form the buts of the guns interlock and two pols extend from both of them creating a grip. The triggers from the shotguns realign themselves so both are easily accessible from the staff's grip. In this form Sapphire's weapon is about six feet long. The blades in this form have three positions, there standard position for cutting from unusual angles, straight out for stabbing and inverted so the blade is parallel to the shaft for side slashes. In all three forms the shotguns are still operable. However Sapphire prefers wielding her Anelaces, Morpheus and Phobetor.

Nightmare Blades
Sapphire's two daggers, Morpheus and Phobator, there names meaning Sleep and Nightmare respectively. Each disassembles itself into a two inch by two inch black metal boxes that clipped into leather bands that Sapphire is always wearing. The daggers are impact activated meaning they will transforming out of storage mode when any amount of serious impact force is applied to them. The assembled form will pop out with just enough force to get the handles into Sapphire's hands. Her favored method of drawing them is clapping her wrists together and having them shoot up into her hands.

Morpheus and Phobetor are specially designed. Apart from there special method of deployment both knives have a dust powered rocket mechanism in the pommel allowing Sapphire to increase the speed of her strikes or alter her momentum. There is also a dust cartridge slot right bellow the cross guard that will have a variety of effects based on the type of dust used. Fire cartridges will super heat the blades making it easier to pierce or sometime outright melt armor. Electricity rounds will electrify the blade making contact deadly. The blades on both knives retract, in this form Sapphire can clip the hilts onto her combat boots. In this manner she can use the rockets as a propulsion system.

Semblance:
Selective Sight
Sapphire has the ability to vanish into the background. It is not invisibility exactly; a better way to describe it would be that she is able to slip from the notice of others. Not invisible just unnoticed. It is most effective in darker settings and will not work if someone is expecting to see her. For instance if she is having a conversation with someone she can't simply disappear but if she is being chased and she gets out of eyesight of her pursuers she could slip from their perception leaving them rather confused. It is not always a conscious effort on her part and sometimes may simply happen when she is nervous or stressed out. The illusion only works as long as she stays inconspicuous. So if she starts to speak or does something that draws attention the illusion would be shattered. Because of this, it often gives people the impression that she appears from nowhere when she joins in a conversation. With concentration and effort Sapphire is able to use a burst of aura to apply this ability to others close by. When this ability is in use Sapphire's perception of the world becomes slightly unfocused as if she is viewing the world through a lens. It is not so bad that she can't run but important details may slip past her notice.

Personality:
Sapphire is the daughter of a famous hunter named Janus Rode who has trained her since she was very young. People often question her about her family but it is not something she likes to talk about much. She had an older brother who ran away from home some ten years previously. Her mother died in childbirth. She also has two sisters, one older, one younger but neither of them received the training necessary to enter Beacon. Sapphire is very closed off, she doesn't talk about herself and if asked will deflect the questions without giving any real answers. Sapphire often feels very isolated and alone but she is scared to relate to people, to make friends, to let someone into her heart. She is scared that if she does they may not like what they see. This fear she covers with snide remarks and sarcastic comments giving the impression that she doesn't care what people think about her. Despite her cold demeanor she does truly want to help people, she's loyal to those who are loyal to her and she is compassionate though she doesn't often let people see it.

Color:
Somber Midnight Blue

Emblem:

Appearance:
Has electric blue hair which is not quite apparent in the photo. She's average height at about 5'10". She is built light and agile and is very flexible which is a boon to her fighting style. She has a number of long white scars running over her hands which she uses white silk gloves to cover. She has similar though less noticeable scars on her back.

Theme:

[User]
Sangue Naga - BASL Dorm

The day went on as the time for excitement faded temporarily.

Sangue sat still on her bed, reading through a letter she received not too long ago. The Grimm Studies class eventually ended well enough for her to leave without injuries. Although she did help someone out, she came to a realization that she needed to think a bit more wisely before jumping straight into a risky situation. Perhaps listening to her comrades would get her on a very smooth road to improvement.

"..."

The red-haired woman carefully put the letter away as she lay on her bed, her eyes slightly shut. She ended up wearing a new sarashi because the one she had used earlier became very worn-out.

[Assistant]
Benjamin Lloyd (BASL Dorm)

Sangue read her letter, Lauren flipped her coin, and Amy was fighting her way through the daze of painkillers. The fourth bed in the room, unlike any of the others, was covered with a chaotic mass of blankets. The mass hadn't been there that morning. It had somehow grown up over the course of the day, coming into existence almost completely unnoticed when no one else had been in the room. A bottle of acetaminophen and a half-empty glass of water stood on the nightstand next to it, but otherwise, the region was completely still. BASL's captain had not been seen for an hour or two, either, but any connection that might have had to the aberrant blanket growth was unexplored.

Until, of course, after Lauren's most recent coin flip effort the mass shifted. The entire mound seemed to scoot across the mattress towards the nightstand, slowly and painstakingly. A single appendage slipped its way out of the mound, reached into the nightstand drawer, and rummaged around. As soon as it had laid hand on what it wanted, apparently a small energy drink, it retreated back into the mound. All was, once again, still.

Until a few minutes later when Benjamin Lloyd finally poked his head out from the cocoon and blinked slowly, surveying the room. Another blink, and the captain idly brushed a few stray groups of hair back into place. Another, and he set the empty can on his nightstand. He stared at each teammate in turn, then sat up, slowly casting off the remnants of his lair.

"S'been a long day." The team captain yawned and stretched. "Whatever we do, and wherever we go, we should make sure there's food. Skipped dinner. Pharmacy might not be bad. Think Amy and I used half the painkillers in the room."

"Anyone got any big ideas for the night?"

[User]
Luke Schwarz -- VGNB Dorms

"So am I free to go, or--" he cautiously began, before cutting off as the door opened behind him. This place was certainly getting crowded...

Tilting his head back to look at the stranger, both eyes now uncovered by hair, he examined the arrival. It was yet another girl walking into the room, with brown hair, piercing green eyes, glasses (altogether gave off a pretty cute bookish vibe), and...

Er, well...

He squinted, hoping it to just be the odd angle his head was at messing with his perception, or something similar. No additional effect. Half-turning in the seat and righting his head once more, he found that the transition from position-to-position was ultimately unhelpful in making sense of what exactly he saw.

Green.

She's wearing... something green.

All that aside, though, he still raised a hand in polite greeting, and favoring the woman with a small, friendly smile.

Interrogate me

"Uh, Hi there. I'm Luke, from JCML. Miss Mindaro's got me over to ask me a few questions. I take it you're the only member of Vignobility I haven't met yet?"

Or was she also the subject of study, this time in regards to fashion statements as opposed to hairstyle? Instead of saying this or even allowing it to show upon his features, though, he kept quiet and respectful for the time being. No matter how weird things may have been upon first glance, he didn't even have a fraction of the story behind it.

She could have lost a bet, or something, after all.

That experiment theory couldn't be right, anyways, based solely upon the new arrival's demeanor. She wouldn't be acting quite so casual if that were the case. Right? He wasn't the only one who would be perturbed by the thought of the arctic young woman of VGNB conducting experiments in regards to things such as clothes or hair.

He couldn't be.

[Assistant]
Gren Orchid

Another new arrival in the form of Ebon showed up at the gathering. Was he here for the party or other reasons? Gren wasn't certain. When asked for what was going on Gren gave him the short. "Shiro and some others are going to dive into the lake to find some daggers. Want to help?" Gren wasn't certain if Ebon was the type to care about such things. He seemed to be fairly aloof, almost like Sapphire. He just imagined a funny situation were the two were introduced, simply stating their name, glaring at one another, and then leaving. They'd later be found hanging out in aggressive silence.

His fantasies aside Gren was debating to himself if he should help as well. Without his rebreather Gren had to admit he wouldn't be able to swim for long, and there was also the matter of the fact that he swims with the grace and speed of a scuttled ship. The best he could do really was perhaps help Shiro back up the cliff if he found the daggers, but who knows how long that would take. Gren still needed to host this party. Turning to Ebon Gren clapped his hands together and bowed his head towards the other hunter. "I'd hate to have to ask you this, but could you please help my friends out? I'm afraid that I can't swim, but I want to make sure they're okay! I'll understand if you don't want to take the risk yourselves, but I'll accept your help in whatever form you can provide it." Though not quite begging yet, Gren felt like the only way he could compensate Shiro for not actively helping himself is sending as many people as he can.

[User] "You moron." Scornfully Ebon walked away with his scroll out. A few seconds later a rocket locker came crashing in and Ebon nonchalantly strapped the Kingdom to his arm. "You idiots and your stupid pride. I don't even need to read your minds to know that your egos are the only problems here." The Kingdom opened up and one Midnight Eye and one Claw R-Type flew out. Together they went over the cliff and down into the water. Ebon just stood on the edge focusing his concentration on his two little ships. If he was closer he could send out even more, but if he had to search the entire lake then two was all he could manage. The Midnight Eye would help him spot the daggers or other dangers while it was the Claw's job to actually get the daggers if he finds them. Ebon quickly noted the other swimmers but ignored them. He wasn't close enough to use his telepathy on them as he was having a hard enough time trying to maintain the link between his R-types. "Aren't you suppose to be at a party? Or is everyone a no show?"

[Assistant]
Sapphire Rode - Dorms ===> Airdocks
Sapphire gave a knowing smile to Abel. "Yeah... my power..." She rather liked the effect it had on other people. She normally didn't explain the intricacies of it's workings to anyone but the knowledge that she could be anywhere and they might not be able to notice her usually unnerved most people. It wasn't exactly the ability to shoot lighting out of the sky but for a girl like Sapphire who preferred keeping to the shadows it was the perfect disguise. It was also rather interesting to see the pretenses that people dropped within themselves when they thought they were alone. Sometimes that was the only time you got a glimpse of the real person.

Though what Abel said about Shiro struck a cord with Sapphire. There was one thing that Sapphire could think of that Shiro had lost over the edges of the Beacon cliffs that he could possibly be going through the effort to retrieve. However after her outburst on the airship and her generally rough treatment of him Sapphire didn't see how Shiro could care about her mother's prized work. Besides, the chances of retrieving them in a lake that size which was also no doubt infested with Grimm was ludicrously small.

Discounting the possibility that Shiro would be that foolish Sapphire decided that it was time to go. Gren had voiced intentions to throw some sort of night on the town for his friends and anyone else that wished to join. While he hadn't exactly specifically referred to her Sapphire thought she could assume that she was invited. Otherwise she'd simply return to Beacon. Besides a night out on the town might be fun. There was usually something to beat up in the dark nights of Vale.

Deciding to done something more casual Sapphire dressed in ripped black jeans with a studded belt, a black tank top that hugged her figure, and black converse hightops. She tied the scabbards of the school daggers onto her forearms and hitched the holsters for her disassembled polearm to her lower back as always not really caring that Abel was in the same room. She went into the bathroom and applied a bit of eyeliner. Just enough to give her that "don't mess with me look" before she left the dorms.

Sapphire didn't know exactly where Gren would be but since the party was to take place in Vale she could assume that he would appear at the airdocks sooner or later. She wasn't disappointed either. Gren was waiting a little off the airdocks along with someone who Sapphire thought was named Ebon. She'd never been formally introduced.

Sapphire strode up to Gren. "How many people did you expect to show up to this?" she asked wondering how long they might be waiting.


[System]
Age: 13
Hometown: Blackthorn City
Appearance (pic preferred):
Starter: Mudkip
Bio: Liam dreamed of being a pokemon trainer like his father was once upon a time. He has a fondness for dragons. He dreamed of what the Dragon's Den would look like and hopes to one day be able to visit it. Liam traveled tough Kanto with Shiaranui. The two faced off in the final round of the tournament. When Liam was a baby, he had a babysitter, a Chansey named Florence. (She has evolved since Liam left on his journey.) A slip on a wet floor in the Pewter City Museum revealed that his hair is only dyed black. It was revealed in Blackthorn City, that he is the son of a Nurse Joy. He was as a random trainer called him when he was 5, "The shiny Pokémon of humans." Liam also explained that he uses a special dye, that has Bluk Berries as a key ingredient.
 Liam participated in and won the first ever Dragon Cup in Blackthorn City, having teleported home for it with his shiny Alakazam, Sherlock. He has also mastered the Battle Chateau in Kalos.

Requested Legend(s): Rayquaza, Latios, Jirachi, Deoxys
and his rival:

Name: Trevor Walton
Age: 13
Hometown: Vermilion City
Appearance (pic preferred):
Starter: -
Bio: Trevor disliked Liam, he disliked Liam solely due to the fact that he felt inadequate, believing Liam is coincided by his looks and talent in training. During the trip though Kanto, Trevor more or less followed the path of Blue in the original games. Recently, Trevor has warmed up some to Liam and Shiranui. He still may not particularly like them, but he respects them as strong Pokemon Trainers.

[User] Shiranui was watching Liam's battle in the stands and when he heard concessions being sold he looked over with interest and saw none other than Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket selling the concessions. "Last time I saw those three, I had to rescue Liam and some stolen Pokémon before the Kalos League grand final," he mused, debating on whether to buy anything from them, "It has been one crazy year since we crossed paths and considering they're not that bright (except maybe Jessie), they may not recognise me."

[Assistant]
In fact, Team Rocket noticed Shiranui, and were hoping he didn't recognize them.

After the reprieve was finished, the field was replaced with a meadow based one. Ash sent out Goodra. Liam sent Sherlock back out.

Liam-vs-Ash
Deralgle-1-Snorlax
Alakazam-2-Charizard
Pikachu-3-Sceptile
Delphox-4-Goodra
?-5-?
?-6-?

"Goodra, use Dragon Pulse!" Ash called.
"Protect!" Liam ordered. The green shield absorbed the dragon move.
 "Ice Beam!" Ash ordered.
 'Confusion!" Liam commanded. The Ice attack stopped cold in its tracks and than did a 180 and barreled toward Goodra. It hit, but did not freeze Goodra. Ash called for Dragon Pulse again.
 "Mega Evolve and use Psychic!" Liam said activating the keystone. Sherlock Mega Evovled and made the move curve around him and hit the ground harmlessly.
 "Use Dragon Tail!" Ash ordered. The attack flung Sherlock out of the battle and dragged Scarlet back out.

Liam-vs-Ash
Deralgle-1-Snorlax
Alakazam (Mega)-2-Charizard
Pikachu-3-Sceptile
Delphox-4-Goodra
?-5-?
?-6-?

"Scarlet, Mystic Fire!"
"Goodra, Dragon Pulse!" The attacks soared across the sky and both hit their targets, resulting in another double knockout.
Ash sent Pikachu out and Liam called on Sherlock once more.
[br]

Liam-vs-Ash
Deralgle-1-Snorlax
Alakazam (Mega)-2-Charizard
Pikachu-3-Sceptile
Delphox-4-Goodra
?-5-Pikachu
?-6-?

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.
 "Calm Mind!" Liam called. Sherlock focused and Pikachu ran up and bashed into the Mega Alakazam.
"Now, Thunderbolt!" Ash called.
"Protect!" Liam called.
 Ash than ordered for Iron Tail to be used.
 "Catch it and use Ice Punch!" Liam called. As Pikachu ran up, Sherlock grabbed Pikachu by the tail and slammed a frigid fist into Pikachu's gut and than tossed him back toward Ash. Pikachu was frozen solid.
 "Now, Psycho Cut!" Liam called. The shockwave of power pierced through the Ice and hit Pikachu. Pikachu got back up.
 "Do you want to take a break?" Ash asked Pikachu. Pikachu implied 'No', so Ash said to use Electro Ball. Sherlock was hit by it.
 "Now, Flash!" Liam called. A blinding light briefly shot across the battlefield, forcing Pikachu to close his eyes. When he reopened them, He had lost sight of Sherlock.
 "Pikachu, Thunderbolt all over the battlefield." Ash said. Pikachu let the voltage go all over, zapping Sherlock in the process.
 "Energy Ball!" Liam called.
 "Grab onto its mustache and use Thunderbolt at full strength!" Ash said. Both moves worked, Sherlock was KO'd and replaced by Jiriya the Greninja.

Liam-vs-Ash
Deralgle-1-Snorlax
Alakazam (Mega)-2-Charizard
Pikachu-3-Sceptile
Delphox-4-Goodra
Greninja-5-Pikachu
?-6-?

Liam called for Night Slash and got a critical hit, finishing Pikachu off. Ash ran out onto the battleground and picked the electric mouse up.
 "Pi...ka...pi.." Pikachu said weakly.
 "It's alright buddy." Ash said. "You fought well, just leave the rest to Greninja." Ash returned to his box and sat his bag down for Pikachu to lean against.
 "Greninja! I choose you!" Ash called as his final Pokémon took the stage.

Liam-vs-Ash
Deralgle-1-Snorlax
Alakazam (Mega)-2-Charizard
Pikachu-3-Sceptile
Delphox-4-Goodra
Greninja-5-Pikachu
?-6-Greninja

"Jiriya, Power up Punch!" Liam called. Jiriya charged toward the other Greninja and smacked him across the face, upping his attack in the process.
 "Greninja! Let's do it!" Ash called.
 "Ninja!" His Greninja agreed giving a thumbs up. A tower of water rose up around Ash's Greninja and when it dispersed, Greninja had taken on a few physical characteristics of Ash's. The whole stadium was in a stunned silence over this, save for a red haired girl and purple haired boy who were taking snacks to people in the stands. Their Wobbafett and Meowth weren't phased by it either. Liam quickly regained his composure.
 "Cut!" Ash called.
 "Night Slash!" Liam ordered. The two ninjas began a sword battle, that looked like something from a shonin anime, acrobatic movements included. Many attacks were exchanged back and forth. Many times Water Shuriken rained down on the stadium, eventually turning the meadow into a swampland.
 "Cut!" Ash called.
"Shadow Sneak!" The priority move went first. The cut than phased through Jiriya, much to Ash's astonishment.
 The MC than announced that Jiriya has the ability Protean, which means whenever he uses a move, his type changes to match it before it is fired off.
 "Now, Night Slash!" Liam called.
 "Water Shurkin!" Ash commanded. Jiriya slashed the watery projectiles as they approached, making it to the transformed Greninja and hitting it. Ash felt a twinge of pain in his right arm, in the same spot his Greninja was hit.
 The acrobatic stalemate between the two ninja frog Pokémon went on for another five minutes with no winner in sight. It eventually came down to both fighting with a blade conjured with Cut again, with Jiriya eventually coming out on top, staying up just long enough to give Liam the win.

The MC stated that there would be a two day break for the finalists to get ready. The showed the two finalists' pictures on the jumbotron.

1 Shiranui Tsukiko 14 Liam Coleman

[User]
Shiranui went out of sight, called Zoro out and had the Zoroark buy two of each item from Team Rocket. Zoro assumed the guise of an average-looking member of the audience and went off to make the purchase. While he waited, he thought about who giggled in his mind earlier. "I've been looking all over for you, moon child," a feminine psychic voice spoke. The legendary Latias made herself visible right next to Shiranui.
"Latias?" Shiranui whispered.
"That's me," answered Latias, "I want to come with you on your journey so I'll be with my brother again."
"I'm fine with that," replied Shiranui, opening his bag and showing Latias his Poké Balls, "Take your pick." Latias looked through the bag and picked out a Great Ball.
"This one reminds me so much of my dear brother," she stated.
"That it does," Shiranui agreed. Latias tapped the capture button and was caught within seconds. "Welcome aboard, Kakureru."

[Assistant] Liam caught up to the disguised Zoura. He recognized Team Rocket instantly. He seriously thought about blowing their cover.

[User] Zoro bought the goods Shiranui asked for and Shiranui himself stepped out to meet up with his disguised Zoroark. "Thank you, Zoro," he said, "Liam, snack time!"

[Assistant] "Thanks." Liam said taking sone snacks for himself. He began to tell Shiranui that he saw Team Rocket selling concessions, and part of him wanted to expose them.

[User] "I'm glad you didn't at that point in time," replied Shiranui, returning Zoro, "Wait until they strike before we pursue them—if it ever happens. Right now, they're only selling snacks and making an honest Pokédollar for once."

[Assistant] "Yeah, we just need to watch them." Liam commented. "Well, we should head to the Pokémon Center and heal up."

[User] "Indeed," Shiranui agreed, "That Wally sure was a challenge."

[Assistant] While at the Center Liam was sitting at a table as he pondered what six to use against Shiranui. A man in blue and wearing shades approached him while he had Joy page Shiranui to the table.

[User] Shiranui sat at the table curious about the man in the Alolan shirt.

[Assistant] "Ah good, you're here Mr. Tsukiko." He said. "Now, I can begin. My name is Scott. I go around to regional tournaments and scout out powerful trainers, and I think the both of you fit the bill." He said. "That is why I am inviting the both of you to partake in The Battle Frontier. A group of seven facilities, dotted across Kanto."

[User] "Sounds like a fun challenge," Shiranui accepted.

[Assistant] "Great." Scott said. He told them that the first facility would be near Cerulean City.

[User] "Thanks for the info," replied Shiranui.

[Assistant] "No problem." Scott said as he stood up. He mentioned that he had to go take care of preparations for the duo to take on the Battle Frontier, and wished them both luck in the final.

[User] "See you around," replied Shiranui. He turned to Liam and said, "We should prepare for the grand final."

[Assistant] "Yeah, we should." Liam agreed. A Nurse Joy walked up and greeted them both. To be specific, this was Liam's mother, the Joy from Blackthorn City.

[User] "Hello, Nurse Joy," Shiranui greeted back, "Is Florence looking after the Pokémon Centre?"

[Assistant] She explained that one of her sisters is watching the Center. Liam got up and hugged her. She had heard from the local Joys that the finals were happening in a few days, as well as how well hey had done in the Grand Festival. She wanted to come watch the final, and bring them something that they may find helpful in future contests. She had four slightly blue tinted spheres, and an abundence of stickers. She explained the are used for contests, primarily in Sinnoh. "All you do is insert the pokéball into the sphere, and put one of the stickers on it" Joy explained as she did what she was saying. She placed a heart shaped sticker on the ball. "And than jus call them out." Joy tossed the ball into the air. Instead of exiting the ball like normal, the energy molded into a heart shape and Florence the Blissey emerged from it.

[User] "They'll certainly come in handy," Shiranui agreed, "Especially since we planned to go back to Kanto to take on the Battle Frontier. I heard there are some contests over there as well."

[Assistant] "Thanks mom." Liam said hugging her. After a bit more conversation and caching up, Liam went to decide his team of six to use in the finals.

[User] Shiranui thought over which six of his Pokémon he would use in the final. He knew two likely choices having witnessed their captures so he would need six of his best for the battle.

[Assistant] Liam was trying to take in consideration Pokémon that he felt Shiranui would be likely to use in building his team.


[System]
General Overview

---
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Hometown: Nacrene City, Unova
Life Goal: World renowned artist

---

Characterization

---

Appearance: Margo is average height for a girl, about 5'4", with a slender face and high cheekbones, freckles dappled around her nose and under her eyes. She boasts long, curly auburn hair that ends around the small of her back and is usually styled in a plethora of ways: ponytails, pigtails, braids, straight, etc. Margo has a nice sunkissed look to her skin most of the time from her outdoor activities, and rarely shows off her beautiful crooked smile. Bright green eyes are always alert and full of life, observing her surroundings more closely than most people, sometimes hidden under her thick eyebrows. She's usually seen wearing shorts or overalls with a breezy t-shirt when she's travelling, sometimes donning a large beach hat. Inside she's almost always wearing a grandmotherly-looking knit cardigan that's beginning to look ratty with age. Platform flip-flops are her best friend.

Biography: Margaret Mazarin was born to a family of Pokemon Breeders, famously known for their Pokemon Daycare, in Nacrene City. While their work place was on Route 3, Margaret's parents (Sabrina and Mackenzie) lived up the street in Nacrene City in one of the non-traditional warehouse homes. They made an honest living working at the daycare center and enjoyed their work more than most, taking pride in returning trainers their pokemon with a 'new and improved' speech. After Margaret was born, her mother and father would take turns watching her and running the daycare, until she was old enough to bring along with them and help her learn their work early on.

Margo had an uneventful life as she grew up and went to school. She was always a very smart student--especially with the library in her town a big resource for studying--and never made waves among her classes. Her favorite class had to be art, and as she began to realize her passion she started to drift slowly but surely from her parents. While never wishing to disrespect her parents, their constant comments about how much less time she was joining them at work was beginning to irk her. At 14, she finally had an outburst at dinner about how she didn't want to be a breeder like her parents and her grandparents and her great-grandparents. She wanted to become an artist that would influence people for years to come. Her mother cried at the sudden emotion her little girl expressed; the thought that her daughter didn't want to do what they did hadn't crossed her mind.

This outburst would introduce the next grudging year, the 15-year old becoming ever more rebellious towards her parents and their (gentle) pushing to help their daughter understand that being an artist wasn't easy and that becoming a pokemon breeder was just as respectable and influential. Margo would ignore their advances, closing her door and turning up her music while she worked instead. The inevitable happened eventually though--her parents sat her down and talked to her about what she planned to do with the rest of her life and how she was going to accomplish her dreams of becoming an artist. Surprisingly, they were supportive of their daughter and wished that she could see they wanted her to become a pokemon breeder to at least get her start in life when she was still practicing her art. Unsurprisingly, Margaret could not see her parent's points, clouded by teenage hormones and a rebellious feeling growing stronger by the minute in the pit of her stomach. Thus, she could only hear 'no,' 'no,' and 'no.'

So, she left. With a backpack of essentials and the money earned from her time at the daycare, Margaret fled Nacrene City with a letter left for her parents. Thankfully, Castelia City was a hop, skip, and a jump away and thus she was able to find a ship headed for Septoh and boarded it before her parents were able to piece together what their beloved only daughter had done. Her parents were left broken, while Margo felt renewed and alive as she sailed away to a brand new place with brand new people.

Personality: Margaret, to be blunt, is a typical teenage girl. She can be sweet and caring, annoying and smart-alecky, moody and irrational. The list only goes on and on. One of her most prominent traits would be how much of a pushover she can be, though. Her parents had ingrained in her from the very beginning that 'the customer is always right,' and that philosophy has become so burned into her brain that her actions revolve around the saying--except everyone is a customer in her brain. A classmate called her Meredith for an entire school year and she never bothered to correct them due to her polite restraint. While she's attempting to break this habit of never correcting someone, her progress is slow, but now that she's in a new place she's hoping it'll be easier.

Margo is also a very passionate soul, a fire burning underneath her skin at all times. She loves her art and finds inspiration in anything and everything, sometimes so overcome with emotions that she needs a moment to jot something down or make a mental note not to forget her muse for that day. This passion was probably the gasoline for the rebellion that had grown within her from her family never listening to her own wishes for her life--it was the enabler that finally told her to just do something about it. Margo would never admit it, but sometimes she's frightened of the things that she contemplates when the passion takes hold of her. This has also started to lead into other emotions, like her stubborn approach to most things nowadays and the way her patience grows very thin very quickly.

On top of everything else, like anyone, Margaret sometimes gets too caught up in her own endeavors. She takes on too many projects and hobbies that will eventually overwhelm her. While she'd repeatedly insist becoming an artist was her only ambition in life, it's just the most recent of her hobbies that she had centered her entire life on. The girl is like a lost soul, just trying to find her true calling like anyone else in the world.

Quirks: > > Margo spaces out in conversations, battles, almost anything really, more than she'd like to admit.
> > She is incredibly superstitious. She's also quite the believer in things like fate and luck.
> > She hates wearing socks, and thus loves sandals no matter the weather.

---

What's in my Bag?

---

Pokemon:
Wartortle -- 'Crowne' -- Male -- Lvl 26
> > Rash Nature < <

Wingull -- 'Oceana' -- Female -- Lvl 21
> > Sassy Nature < <

Alolan Rattata -- 'Julep' -- Male -- Lvl 19
> > Hasty Nature < <

Spewpa -- 'Poinsettia' -- Female -- Lvl 16
> > Timid Nature < <

Spearow -- 'Wulford' -- Male -- Lvl 21
> > Lonely Nature < <

Mankey -- '???' -- Male -- Lvl 25
> > Adamant Nature < <

Inventory: > An overdue library book from Nacrene City.
> Her parents phone number on a piece of paper that she had carefully written down but has yet to register to her Pokedex.
> A Pokedex that has already been dropped more times than it should have been.
> Pokeball x3
> ₽90

[User]
Margo's thoughts whirled in her head as she joined the boys to Nobu's house and shared in some soup. She wasn't the biggest fan of soup, but something about the scent around her and her own common courtesy, made Margo eat her bowl without complaint. Listening to Nobu's mythical story, she stayed quiet the entire time. She wondered what legendaries could possibly be coming to the Cloud Temple? Were they also worshipping Arceus?

The teen gave a parting wave to Nobu as he retreated back into his house, thanking him for the leftover baggies he prepared for them. But they had soup? What was in here? Margo didn't bother worrying about it, instead shoving it into her backpack and following along with Indy and Zvi, Dan opting to stay behind for... well, Margo wasn't sure.

Despite being a bit curious on what their companion might be doing, Margo skipped ahead to stay close to Zvi and Indy, the boys talking amongst themselves while she clasped her hands behind her back and took in the scenery. Her ears perked for a moment.

"Yea, has Nobu seen any legendaries around here? Is that why he said that?" Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Zvi expectantly.

[Assistant]
Zvi answered their question without turning toward them; his focus remained on trying to see through the fog. "I'm sure he has. I've seen two rare Pokemon here myself, a big fire bird Pokemon called Moltres and a white and red Pokemon. I still don't know what that second one was called, but it flew SO fast."

Broken pillars overgrown with vines covered the area. As the three of them walked, they could tell the architecture was leading them to a set of stairs. There were only ten steps in all, but they were large steps requiring tall strides to climb. The top of the stairs leveled out to something of a stone balcony, stretching twenty feet to either side and extending fifty feet ahead. At the end of the platform, two large pillars stood atop three more stone steps. A long block rested across the tops of them.

Zvi, being the smallest in the group, had to jump up each step along the way, but he made it look easy. As they approached the two imposing pillars, he spoke again. "That's where I saw them, up there." He then turned around to look back at the temple ruins below, what he could see through the fog at least. "You know, Spearow and Hoothoot aren't the only flying Pokemon to nest around here. I've also seen Natu and Fletchling. I wonder what's with this place and flying Pokemon? Maybe the Arceus stories are wrong. Maybe this place is just an old bird sanctuary."

[User]
"Sooooo,"  Indigo exhaled, looking up at the marble stairs. "You're saying, if we really want the whole experience, we should climb up there."

"I'd say so!" Zvi replied back, face broad with a grin.

".... Can we use Hermes and Pawpaw again?"

Zvi guffawed, slapping Indigo on the shoulder. It was with an unexpected amount of force, and Indigo winced. "Oh Indy, you can't just ride on pokemon all the time! Come on, that's barely a climb! You guys can handle it, the hard part's done anyways!"

"What's wrong with

that...
" Indigo muttered. Much to his dismay, Zvi began pushing him up the incline.

"Come on, Indigo! Where's that energy? Margo, Daniel, come on up!" Zvi was loud calling the others, as nor he nore Indigo knew whether they were following. But Zvi wanted to at the very least wanted to be inclusive.

Once the crew reached the top, Indigo remembered. Perhaps his pokemon would have liked to be part of this too. "Hey, I'm letting my pokemon out. I figure they probably want to see this place." In a flash, the creatures came out, impressed by where they were. They all seemed mesmerized by the ancient place and atmosphere. Hawka seemed unsually calm. Mimzy wasn't nearly as giggly or hyper as she usually was. Kovi and Neon flew to top of some pillars, gazing at the sky.

"Huh," Indigo muttered, surprised. "You guys gonna let your pokemon out?" He called out. "Dan? Margo?"

[Assistant]
Margo could feel her legs getting a work out by the time they reached the top of the stairs, leaning over and resting for a moment, her hands on her knees. Once she pulled herself back up and stretched her back, the teenager admired the view. It was strange what kind of feelings were being evoked at the top of this place. She felt free, like something had been lifted from her shoulders, and everything seemed to melt away.

Any sort of stress or grumpiness she had had that morning was gone, nothing left in her mind besides the clouds overhead that drifted lazily across the sky. Indy's voice was faint but he said something about their pokemon, making her blink as she remembered them. Surely they'd love to experience this place but... her newest addition would probably cause some problems. She felt guilty as her thoughts immediately went to the way her Mankey had first tried to attack her. Still, she thought with a small shake of her head, her other pokemon didn't need to miss this opportunity.

Margo followed Indy's lead and let out her pokemon. Crowne was happy to have some fresh air, looking up into the sky and letting the sun wash over him. Poinsettia, a freshly-evolved Spewpa, opted to stand with Margo as well, pushing on her shin until she relented and picked up the little bug-type to give her a better view. Oceana and Wulford took flight and played tag with one another in the air, taking turns nipping at the others tail feathers as they merrily filtered between pillars. Julep decided to run around the broad platform, stretching his legs and chittering to himself happily. That twinge of guilt plucked at Margo's heartstrings but she stayed steadfast with her decision, instead turning her attention to the lack of Daniel.

"Do you think he's going to be ok getting up the steps? I thought he would be up here by now..." She cast the question to either of the two boys, turning to look down the steps they had come up and biting the inside of her cheek. She could feel the calm atmosphere beginning to dissipate from her mind.


[System]
Age: 19

Gender: Female

Appearance: Onyx has black hair and green cat eyes. The skin of her entire body is covered in short, soft cheetah-patterned fur, except her wings and face. She is missing her left ear and has a scar on her left cheek from a fight she was in a while back. Her wings are like the wings of a brown hawk, and her wingspan is twice her arm span. She usually wears a shawl so that her wings are hidden unless she is flying.

Equipment: 3 or 4 small knives (and other tools), a pair of restored Twin Pistols, and a basic med-pack.

Physical Abilities: Flight, 6th sence(hunting/tracking), Speed & Agility, Stealth.

Background: Onyx's species, the Elissics, live in the mountains and old cities found there. They could be categorized as a frightening predator and enemy to all creatures, as they have barely any ability to distinguish one race of creature from another from the air, and there's barely any escape once they swoop down on their prey. They are not a particularly smart race, they can't understand old human language and can just barely manage to put back together the few relics they find from humans. They can only make crude weaponry, and are fairly simple with the other things they make as well. Their society is broken up into many nomadic tribes across the region, each having their own unique color of wings, and they have no unified head of power, so they will often fight with each other when the different tribes meet.

Onyx herself is a bit different from the others in her tribe… she likes to be alone, rather than hunting in a group, and will keep trying towards her goal until she figures out how to get there. Instead of trying to fly over the tallest mountain and tiring herself out, possibly even getting sick, she'll look for the shortest path around. She's better with strategy and quick moves than drawn-out fights and trying to compensate for a group. Because of this, she is sort of left out of everything, and she doesn't care because she doesn't want to have to feel like she can't say what's on her mind. She is often given solo missions that really don't make much difference around the tribe, and whenever she's not on a mission will fly in random patterns around the mountains, usually ending up at a large lake (or small sea) where she likes to fish using an old net she had found nearby the first time she had gone there. Onyx, just like the rest of the Elissics, doesn't worry much about the state of the world or how it got that way. They all live completely in the moment.

[User]
Onyx grabbed her med-kit on the way out of her den. Well, den may not be the right word for it. The place she had been living for the past few years was one of the massive ruins in her tribe's mountain camp. The cavernous inside was always lit with either sunshine or moonlight that filtered itself through the large, square holes in the walls, and the mostly-missing roof. All the relics that her tribe ever found seemed to always be gray, an unnatural gray that -Onyx believed- meant something IMPORTANT about why the race that created the relics died out.

As she left the camp, she went to get her day's 'missions' from her father, the self proclaimed leader of the tribe after the previous one died. The 'missions' she got were more like 'chores'. Things one would assign a child to do. She grumbled to herself as she completed the simple tasks before the sun had even reached past the second mountain-peak in the sky. Finally done with her 'chores', Onyx takes off for the lake/sea for some relaxation, thinking and fishing.

She was just getting to the lake when a strange difference in the sand near the waterline caught her eye. It could have been driftwood, had there been any type of tree in the area, and had she not clearly seen it fall to the ground after what seemed like a failed attempt to drink the dark water. Landed lightly on the sand not even a meter from the creature. It had scales the color of the sand, and was wearing a simple-looking cloak. she was about tot try and wake it up when she noticed the relic that had fallen to the creature's side when it had collapsed. It was one of the larger versions of the two she used, one that could fire really fast. Carefully, she searched around the creature ad took anything that it could have used to hurt her with away, hiding it all behind a nearby rock. She purposely put one of her sharp tools on the ground near the creature, so it could feel some form of safety and power when it woke. It would, probably, try to use it against her.

Then, she pulled out her small water-skin, and gently turned the creature onto its back, propping its head up on her knee, and poured a small amount of water into its mouth. Its eyes opened almost immediately, and she quickly backed away, being careful not to spill the water from the pouch. She watched as the creature sat up and stared at her, seeming to start panicking as it could not find its weapons, until its eyes locked on the small knife she had left in the sand. She slowly went over to where the knife was, and put the pouch of water down right beside it, sitting down on the sand behind the two objects. Could this thing even understand me if i spoke to it? Might as well try. Onyx thought to herself as the creature eyed her warily, and she noticed, desperately.

"Now, you choose. The weapon, or life."

[Assistant]
It took a few moments for Tarentek to come to his senses after he experienced the familiar taste of water flowing past his tongue. At first, he thought it was another trick of his mind, something to give him another shard of hope before fate stabbed it through his heart. However, as he opened his eyes and looked around, he started to realize that it was no trick.

Tarentek's gaze darted around himself, more out of confusion than anything. He looked at everything around him, not really taking in much of anything at first. There was a person who he believed to be female, if his knowledge of non-reptilian races was accurate. She was covered in short, spotted fur, and was staring him down. She said something, and though he understood the words, he was not paying close enough attention to register what she actually said. Instead, his attention was wholly on the pouch beside him. It looked like a waterskin, and after he quickly snatched it up, he found that was indeed the case.

Without hesitation, Tarentek drank down the contents of the waterskin's contents, giving him his much-needed hydration. Slowly, he felt a sense of normality come to back to him, after which he was able to think more rationally.

"You gave me water? Thank you. By Koisk, Jhala, and Vikrii, thank you. It's been days…maybe weeks. The attack…" Tarentek began, his expression quickly becoming more serious as he thought back to the reason he was in this situation to begin with. "I need to get to a city, or a town, or a village; it doesn't matter where. I just need to get somewhere."

[User]
Needless to say, Onyx was surprised when the creature spoke. The water seemed to have energized it, and it was now babbling about an attack and needing to get to a city. She slowly picked up her knife and returned it to its sheath, taking the now-empty water-skin back from the creature. She gathered up the creatures things from behind the rock and placed them next to it as it sat, watching her. It looked thankful, and scared, and some mixture of emotions that she couldn't decipher.

A city... the nearest city was her own, but she couldn't bring it there. Her people would kill it on sight, not to mention that he could probably do much worse to her tribe with that relic of his. The next closest nest was across the desert, and even with her wings on her own it would take three days to get there from here...

She decided to cut off her involvement with it right then. "Not my problem." She said, trying to emulate the power of her father's voice when he gives a command. "I saved you, i owe you nothing." As she said that she stepped up onto the rock, about to take flight, when she decided to wait and see how the creature would respond. She pretended to be watching for something on the horizon while she waited.

[Assistant]
Though Tarentek was still fatigued, the water had been reinvigorating enough that he was slowly able to drag himself back to his feet. He felt shaky, but at least he stood a chance of improving. He had not even noticed that the woman had taken his weapons until she returned them to him. There was a moment of surprise, but he could not say he blamed her. He would have done the same to a stranger, even one he intended to help.

Now that he was actually in good enough condition to listen to what the woman was saying, he found he could indeed understand her, though he had to focus on paying attention. Their language was the same, but there were definite differences in their dialects. Her accent and the way she pronounced some words was entirely different from the inhabitants of Amman, or even most of the traders passing through it. Nevertheless, his expression became much more serious once she started to act dismissive towards him. She was certainly a curious individual; at one moment, she was saving his life, and at the next, she was abandoning him entirely.

Tarentek did his best to make his voice sound strong, despite his weakness. "You misunderstand. It's not because you owe me, it is because I owe you. What I have seen...I guarantee it will become your problem when they raze your city or village to the ground. They are ruthless, uncompromising, and above all, powerful. I am from Amman, one of the largest and most well-defended cities known to us. We have learned the workings of many of the mechanisms left behind by the people who made the ruins that cover this world: the Humans. Our soldiers had working firearms, like my rifle, our city was fortified with the unnaturally strong metals they left behind, but it did not matter. We fought, but they were destined to conquer, and they will not stop with us. They are spreading west like a plague, and they will conquer all in their way. No one, not Amman, not you, not any city I know of, will stop them alone. That is the word I need to spread."

[User] The creature didn't take long to reply, its voice was hard to listen to though. It had a slight hissing quality to it, and Onyx couldn't understand some of the words the creature used. Although, what she did understand sounded a lot like a threat, causing Onyx to explode. She started crouching into a defensive stance as she spoke, her voice thick with anger. "I do not care for your histories or beliefs. You say that your nest has fallen, I'll have you know the Elissics will never fall. No creature can match our speed, or our strength. This group you speak of will not even be able to reach us."

[Assistant]
Tarentek started shaking his head lightly. He did not know if her stubbornness was usual for her race, or if she was something unique, but she was dead wrong. He just hoped he could get her to see. "You speak without knowledge; you have not seen what I have seen. This army is legion in number, by all accounts. I heard the rumors from the east before it happened, but I did not believe it either. Not until it was too late. Our walls were too strong, we were too well armed; those were the lies we told ourselves. I do not know where this force comes from, or who leads it, but their army has mastered the humans' machines in ways we never thought possible. Like us, they use the humans' weapons, but...they have more than that. They have armor like strange, thick clothing that can stop a bullet from our weapons, something the best metal armor we have cannot do. More frighteningly is the other machines they've mastered. You know the long stretches of roads in and between the Human cities? You know the old metal machines you can often find decaying on the roads? My people have tried to learn about them, but they are magnitudes more complicated than the weapons you and I carry. Somehow, they have learned to repair them. They can move around at speeds far faster than you can fly. They put metal on them for armor, and put large firearms on them that can shoot through anything and everything. That is just the beginning of what I saw them do, and who knows what they can do beyond that? Believe me when I say that to face them unprepared is suicide. Your flight will not save you, unless you are running away."

Tarentek did his best to reach into his memory to convey the gravity of the situation. This enemy was capable almost beyond belief and had mastered technology he thought would be forever lost. It was impressive and frightening in equal measure. He knew little of the woman's race, the Elissics. He had heard the name once or twice in passing, mostly from traders from the west, but all he had heard about them were that they were reclusive. From his impression of this woman, that description was accurate.

[User]
Part of Onyx heard and understood the warning the creature was giving, the creatures he was referring to were certainly very advanced compared to the types of Relics her tribe had been able to restore. It did remain possible, however, that the creature could be delusional from the long-term affects of dehydration and separation anxiety. The other part of Onyx, the part that still believed that she shouldn't have been talking to the creature in the first place, only heard a challenge in the creature's words.

"You believe that no one may stand up to them and survive? Obviously, you have never met an Elissic before!" She was about to charge at the creature, aiming to push it into the water, when she noticed and remembered the creature's powerful relic, which it was now holding by the barrel at its side. Implementing her new plan, she quickly flew up into the air and out of view. Maneuvering quickly, she managed to get behind the creature and snatch the relic from it before it had realized where she was.

"I hope you can swim, creature!" She said darkly as she pushed it into the dark water, causing a large splash of salt-water that Onyx dodged easily in the air.


[System]
Age: 14

Appearance:

Power:"In fearful day, in raging night,
With strong hearts full, our souls ignite,
When all seems lost in the War of Light,
Look to the stars-- For hope burns bright!"

Hope Materialization - Mikhail can sense and transform Hope, either his hope or that of others', into energy, which in turn can be made into constructs, force-fields, anti-gravity, and heal people. Basically, a Blue Lantern Ring* without the need for a Green Lantern one.

However, this power has a big drawback. Mikhail's powers are dependent on how much hope is in the area, and his own ability to be hopeful is failing. That means that he has to depend on other people to have hope, which does not always work. Thus, psychological warfare, as well as taking out any companions or bodyguards he has, is an effective tactic against him.

*greenlantern.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Lante..

Personality: Mikhail tries to be hopeful, he really does. But getting kindapped, deliberately traumatized until he had powers, then being sold to various private interests as a living weapon, and after that, escaping, sometimes it wears down on a person, and sometimes, it's just too much. And there is the fact that he is literally a freak, someone thrown out of the continuum that is Humanity. At the same time, the kid still has an iron-clad conviction that peace is still possible, that the bonds of sapience, aka the fact that both Human and Powered can feel love, hope, trust, and plan for the future, can still overcome even the glaring differences that now exist. Yes, it's insane, yes, it goes against cold logic. But he will still believe it, because he will not forsake a thinking being, regardless of whether they have powers or not.

"My beliefs are the last reminder I have of my parents. Everything else from them but memory has been taken away from me."

Bio: Mikhail was the son of second-generation Russian Immigrants, fans of JRR Tolkien, whose own parents had fled to America to evade debts from the Russian Mafiya (yes, that's the spelling). Thus, Mikhail was raised by both his parents and members of the local Tolkien Society, and had a childhood immersed in works of High Fantasy, as well as normal schooling, which he excelled in.

Then, one day, the Mafiya's enforcers found the little home the family were staying in, and killed Mikhail's family; just because they were a generation removed from the original debtors didn't mean that they were shielded from the wrath of Organized Crime, and Mikhail himself was taken as 'collateral' for the remaining debt, and sold to DemeterBioTech, a Corporation that was secretly experimenting on people to induce powers in them.

Knowing that trauma can induce powers, the Corporation in their secret laboratories slowly began torturing Mikhail, upping the ante every half-day. Mikhail felt miserable, hurt, but at the same time, hopeful that he would be rescued, that some hero or heroine would come to save him. And, just when the torturers were about to cap the torment by subjecting him to the 'ultimate defilement'...a group of police officers burst in and 'arrested' the torturers. This caused Mikhail to manifest his ability: Hope Materilization.

He was glad! He was safe! Wait, why were the 'police' drawing a cattle prod on him -

When he woke up, he was still in the laboratories, but in a more secure facility, one with reinforced concrete walls and kevlar padding, and he had a shock-explosive collar on his neck. And he knew this, that he hadn't actually escaped. After he was given time to weep, he was forcibly brought out, along with several other children who had manifested powers through trauma, and told that they were now property of DemeterBioTech, living weapons to be trained, bought, and sold to the highest bidder. And that was what happened, with the handlers using every psychological trick they had to keep the kids cowed and under control as they were trained to be, and used as, assassins.

Mikhail spent one year in that life, and he hated it. Not merely that, but he was only able to access his powers in the presence of other people who had hope, as he had none himself in that time. He can barely function, he can barely do anything, and he wanted to die so badly. But he didn't, because just before he decided to do that, the uprising started.

It turned out, several of the kids had managed to hack the shock collars, or just destroy them, then rebel against their captors. Mikhail, feeling hope for the first time since his rescue, joined the rebels, managing to carve a hole through the holding area they were in, and escape to the streets.

Many of them would be hunted down, or starve, or die in other ways, but Mikhail and a few of the remaining kids would find refuge in the estate of one Augusta E. Feather, a rich old woman who had the power of manipulating probability. In said estate, Mikhail and his companions would recover, and the boy would find hope again...especially as DemeterBioTech would find itself shut down by the Government.

Now, Mikhail, as the adopted son of Augusta Feather, would look at the recent news...and know that his days of fear would be returning again.

Only this time...he was ready.

Equipment: Backpack containing Pepper Spray, Food, Water, a copy of Lord of the Rings, an iPod with hopeful music, binoculars, and a swiss army knife.

[User]
Breaker glanced at the other two to make sure they all hearing exactly the same thing. His first instinct was to question the boss, but the look on his boss's face said loud and clear that he was serious. Breaker spoke anyways.

"Hang on, so we three where brought here in order to find a birthday present for the CEO? With all due respect sir, I think I can speak for all of us here that we don't even know what she looks like. What makes you think we are suited for doing something like this? Am I expected to infiltrate her house to dig up information about what she likes?"

Breaker leaned forward as he spoke, his annoyance clear in his tone. This felt like some strange prank. Surely there has to be some explanation for this nonsense.

[Assistant]
Mikhail rubbed the back of his head, before saying:

"Heh heh...yeah, I forgot there was a reception desk," he chuckled just as his bodyguards facepalmed. "Okay, then, can I see Mr. Ganze? And I have to apologize for various words I said, then." So much for being able to outsmart Alto.

Yeah, he should have noticed that most people in GanzeCorp were happy and content, providing little hope that he can use.

CIA Operations Room, Seattle

The CIA Officer from before facepalmed as well, as did Augusta E. Feather.

Back in Seattle

If Mikhail's request got accepted, he and his bodyguards would, again, expect to be escorted to where Alto was, where Mikhail can make his pitch. After saying his piece about how he was ready to offe new ideas for Alto, he would then continue with:

"Basically, the idea I have is this: A machine that taps into the 'emotional energy' of the world, which I think has been given physical form by the Meteor. I'm thinking a...ring that allows someone with the power of Emotion Materialization, aka me or someone else, to tap into the world's store of a certain emotion."

"To be upfront, I want a ring that allows me to tap into the hope of the world."

[User]
"Well, how should I say this..." Alto said.

Truth be told he knew exactly how he was going to say it. He just didn't want to be a dick.

"I'm pretty sure it'd be physically impossible." He said, "For anyone but you."

Mikhail was surprised, but knew that what Alto said was the truth.

"Why is that?" he questioned, "my area on expertise is history and politics, so I'm not exactly conversant on powers."

A minor lie, he did know some theories on how powers worked, but not the finer points of meta-physics.

"It'd be a different story if it were any other power," Alto said, swinging around in his office chair. "Almost everyone else in the world can run off actual physical resources, what you run off is a psychological construct, made to explain a series of biological reactions somehow, given form for you and you only."

He swiveled back around to face the party.

"I haven't even figured out how powers really work yet," He continued, "My first thesis was how to use them through other mediums. It took us hundreds of years to understand chemistry, I wouldn't be able to do something almost infinitely more complicated in five."

"Oh," Mikhail tried to hide his disappointment.

"Well, at least you understand." Alto said, "Some of the people I meet that ask me for inventions get mad when I say it's physically impossible. You're probably the first person that's come in here in a while that didn't try and destroy something."

"It's okay," the boy said, "as long as you're honest with me, it's okay. I acted like a smug jerk, anyway." Mikhail looked directly at Alto's eyes, tear-filled.

"So," he continued, "I have to ask, and this is the real reason we came here, what are your allegiances? I mean, I know that the most likely answer is 'to yourself', but what does that mean? What do you think serves your best interests?"

"Uhh... In all honesty..." He paused for a second and looked out of the window.

He hadn't really thought about why he was doing all of this. Mostly he'd just gone as he went, things came to him and he did something then moved on. Yeah... That would probably sum it up. There was one thing he'd always liked though, one aspect of himself he could even admire.

"I want to become a being outside of logic and sense. I want to be a being that transcends reality." He replied. "Basically, I think one day I want to become a god."

He paused for a second, and the he realized what he said.

"Maybe, just a little bit." He quickly added.

---

Alto watched the wonderboy leaving his skyscraper.

He felt big. Like, really big. He hadn't really realized just how far above a normal person he actually was, to be able to say he wanted to become a god...

"Damn," He said. "That was really pretentious."


[System]
"When you think about it, it's never really anyone's fault that they do bad things."

Age: 15

Year: First Year

Nationality: Oirish Dublin Irish

Appearance: Leagsaidh is pale and slim, with big blue eyes and and long ginger hair, typically adorned with a red bow. Facially, she is extremely pretty, looking soft but playful, almost childish, which gives her a kind of cute-pretty appearance as opposed to regular pretty. Her body is lissom and sylph-like, built through years of dancing and fencing. She is slightly smaller than average, both in stature and in bust. Vocally, her voice is gentle and youthful, but tinged heavily with an Irish accent.

Personality: Despite her prestigious background, Leagsaidh couldn't be further from the 'rich bitch' stereotype if she tried. Instead, she is humble, quiet and modest to a worrying degree. She addresses everyone with an honorary title, such as 'Sir' or 'Miss', regardless of their actual position.
Oddly for someone of her position, she has a vested interest in theological and religious matters. She is still very firmly a Christian, though lately she has been questioning whether Catholicism is the best way to go. Despite her formality, she can't get away from a few verbal tics, such as calling a girl a 'Lass' or the police the 'Gardai'.
Leagsaidh is also very idealistic and rather naive. She sees the best in everyone and is quick to forgive slights against her - perhaps too quick. She does not believe in violence, even in self defense. A friend of hers has once said that she would make the whole world out to be a victim if she could. This also means she is prone to taking the blame for things, even when she isn't at fault.
This doesn't stop her being playful, almost seductive at times. Usually, she is just playing around when she does this, but sometimes it is used as punishment - if she knows someone particularly promiscuous, she will attempt to seduce them in order to play with their head. However, she never actually does anything about it, playing an extended game of cat-and-mouse.
Overall, she is sweet and polite, but far too trusting for her own good. She constantly looks out for the worst of people to befriend, with the idea that with a little kindness and compassion, everyone is good at heart. A nice idea, perhaps, but not the brightest...

Bio: Irish by birth, Leagsaidh was raised in an upper-class, rich, Catholic household. Her parents were strict and cold, raising her to 'follow God's commands' and look to the Bible for guidance. She was taught perhaps rather contradictory lessons - being modest and prudent whilst living in a grandiose mansion, to be charitable while she received small fortunes as pocket money, to be merciful and kind whilst her parents sneered at the 'tramps and chavs' living in the nearby council estate.
Fortunately, with a family as wealthy as hers, they could afford hiring staff to look after the girl. These servants often came from all walks of life and, unorthodox though it was, Leagsaidh spent many hours talking to them, finding out their backgrounds and interests as well as their opinions on certain matters, as well as learning different languages. Currently, she is only fluent in English, Irish and Japanese. Being exposed to such diversity from a young age helped to make her into a tolerant and thoughtful young lady.
Her parents attempted to raise her in a traditional, conservative manner, teaching her little girls should be seen and not heard and that a woman had three places - kitchen, church and bedroom. They fully expected her to grow up, find some other rich toff to marry and bear children to. So, she was never taught business sense or how to do practical things - it was seen as unseemly for her to try and do 'man' things. This never really negatively affected her, considering she had servants to do all the work for her, but when no-one was looking, she would sneak out and learn a thing or two from the servants and maids she had. From right under her parents noses, she learned how to cook, how to build and how to clean - I never thought I'd write that sentence, but there you go. The weirdest part was, she liked to do practical work. There was something distinctly therapeutic about cleaning up the house, a vague sense of accomplishment from cooking a fine meal.
Speaking of business, that pretty much sums up the whole reason she moved from Ireland to Japan. Her father, a renowned businessman with his fingers in many pies, has been offered the chance to develop further into the East and conquer some foreign markets. Though unhappy with taking his daughter out of a good Catholic country, he would trust her more if she was nearby than at home. Thusly, she has been moved from the Emerald Isle to the Far East and signed into Nakkashiro Gakuen.

[User]
As Dana began her commentary of the whole event the Security chief heard the entire thing and gotten annoyed by it, another security guard bigger than Dana came in after the chief ordered her too, and grabbed the small second year under her arm and took her without explaining why she was taking the shark toothed girl away to the office to meet with the principle and the security chief.

When the shark toothed girl was taken to the office, her nose would have been hit with the smell of fresh cut roses, there was a long row of seats next to the window outside to the atrium and just out of reach there was the door to the outside, Dana she was among Seika and Alice, Seika being restrained to a chair in a straightJacket and the latter being only restrained by a set of handcuffs and a security guard that was holding her shoulders as she stood up, the security guard put Dana into one of the chairs in the office.

The security Chief looked at all of the girls she cracked one of her knuckles." First day and already causing problems, I'm surprised by all of you, but also I'm excited, because now I get to punish each and everyone one of you my way." She glared at each and everyone one of them with a sparkle in her eye that would spark intimidation among the three girls." And You blondie." The chief pointed at Dana." Don't think I'm not watching you, I noticed your little grope fest after the opening ceremony, if you keep up your antics I'll see to it that today will be the last day you'll enjoy groping."

Suddenly the principle arrived." Now now, is threatening the students on the first day really the thing to do ? " She asked in a calm tone as she undone the binds on Seika's straight jacket, but didn't free Alice from her cuffs. The security chief was surprised by the principle's actions." Run along Seika, here take a piece of candy." The principle handed Seika a piece of candy then just pushed the blue haired girl out of the office without giving her no punishment.

She then looked at Alice and Dana." Now what did these two do ?" The principle asked, The security Chief crossed her arms and looked at the two sighing." The small one is here for harrasment, the big one is here for assault against another student and harrasment." She explained. The principle put a hand on her chin and wondered wondering what to do." Let'em go." The security chief looked flummoxed." W-what ?!" She managed to get out before the principle took Alice out of her handcuffs and brushed Dana's clothes off." Go ahead you two, it's your first day stay out of trouble." She told the two.

" Sweet I'm out." Alice said before leaving feeling a bit surprised by what happened. The security Chief was still shocked by what happened." Uh what, ma'am you know you just let free two students that should be suspended for their actions, they should be punished for their actions, not giving them a slap on the wrist." The chief said sounding livid. The principle didn't get angry back she kept a lazy smile on her face and asked." Did you eat lunch ?"

The chief looked away from the old lady for a second." No." she answered. The principle took out a candy bar." Here eat a Snickers, your not you when your hungry." The chief reluctantly took the candy bar and took a bite out of it." Better ? " The principle asked. The chief was quiet for a moment and looked away." Shut up." The chief told her before leaving. The principle then looked to Dana." Go have some fun before you get all old and can't have any more." she told Dana giving her a thumbs up.

[Assistant]
Well, weren't things progressing quite smoothly? With no reason whatsoever, Dana found herself being literally plucked away from her seat and hoisted away like a flying magic carpet. She merely blinked, still chewing her lunch in her mouth as she waved a farewell to Kirika. Maybe she was getting punished for her totally awesome commentary of the lunch fight? Nah, that couldn't be it.

Her theory began to falter though as she was brought into a room that reeked of roses, only to see both Seika and Alice; one restrained in a straight jacket and the other in handcuffs. Her eyes widened in glee and she grinned impishly. This really was a BDSM school! She knew Alice got her spunk somewhere and now it was all coming clear to her! Though she had to wonder why the School President had a straightjacket. Wasn't that a little bit excessive?

As she was being placed in her chair, Dana couldn't help but sigh in dejected sadness. Where was her BDSM gear? How come she didn't get tied up like the other two? So potent was her disappointment that she flat out ignored what the Satsuki rip off was belting out to her, only perking up when the School Principle herself came in, being the sweet old lady that she always was.

In no time, Seika was let free along with both her and Alice. Well, what was the point of all that then? There were no whips or anything! Bouncing out of her chair, she gave the principle two thumbs up before walking out casually and following Alice back to the lunch room.

"See ya Sensei," she said happily to the principle before eventually reaching the cafeteria once again. No more than five minutes had passed and Dana found her seat back at Kirika and Mami's table. Sitting down as if nothing had happened, the sharp-toothed girl glanced at her henchmen.

"Hey Tuna-chan? Did I ever tell you that the security here is laughable?"

[User]
When Leagsaidh was invited to speak with Touka-chan alone, she was more than happy to accompany her. Maybe she would finally get some answers as to why she was acting weird?

It was nice out here. Quiet, calm, shaded. Exactly the kind of place one would share a secret that they didn't want anyone else to know. Leagsaidh sat under the tree and let Touka speak in her own time.

What if she actually is a lesbian or bisexual? What should I say?

"Lexy-chan, I don't know how to say this, but I think there's something you must know.

Do I ask questions? Hug her and say it's okay?

 I ran away earlier because I thought that blonde girl was... doing something with you, and when I looked at the blond who hit you, I simply... my body just moved on itself when I thought that you were hurt."

Wait. What? No, that wasn't right! She could see Touka wasn't looking her in the eyes - the general act of a shy girl telling an embarrassing secret or something more personal to Leagsaidh?

Oh, please Sweet Virgin Mary, don't say what I think you're going to say.

 "Lexy-chan, the thing is..."

Oh no.

"I think... I think that I..."

Oh God no.

"...love you."

Drat...

Touka must have thought that Leagsaidh would take it badly and she quickly darted off, tearfully apologising. Not being one to remain starstruck, Leagsaidh ran after her.

"Touka-chan, wait!"

No response. Leagsaidh tailed the distraught girl into the forest out the back of the school, into a clearing with some kind of pavilion on it. Touka sank, cuddling her knees with tears flowing like a waterfall.
A more logical person would have kept their distance. They would have said "She'll talk in her own time" and observed quietly from afar. Leagsaidh O'Donnell was not that kind of person. Instead, she ran on to the pavilion and more or less scooped Touka into her arms for a hug, ignoring the tears that were now soaking through her sun-skirt.

For a few seconds all was quiet. When Touka had calmed down a little bit, Leagsaidh decided to press the most important matter.
"I think we need to talk about this further, Touka-chan. You clearly have a lot of feelings that need to be discussed."

"The first thing I want you to know is - I think you were really brave for telling me. And I'm really flattered that you... erm, feel that way about me. And I don't think less of you for it, either. If anything, I only admire you more."

"But I also want to get the record straight. I... don't know if I like girls yet or not. I mean, I've never really been into guys, but I never really thought I'd end up with a girl either. And believe me, I'm just as scared and as... what's the word? Unsure? As you are. I just want to make sure I get this right."

"So I want you to do me a favour. I want you to really ask yourself 'Do I really , truly love Lexy-Chan?' And if the answer is no, then that's fine. We can put this behind us, or talk about it more or whatever you feel comfortable with. I won't be upset if you want to withdraw that statement. I want you to be as comfortable, and as honest with yourself, as possible"

"But if the answer is yes... Love is a complicated thing. If you mean love as in wanting someone to be happy, safe, comfortable and all round have the best possible life they can have, I guess I love everyone. But if you mean that I feel happy, safe and comfortable because of someone - a feeling of affection, I guess -" Now it was Leagsaidh's turn to blush "Then I guess I love you too, Touka-chan. I can't deny feeling some kind of... attraction to you. So if you really are asking me out, I guess I could... I mean, we could be... You know. The G word."