islandshore | 40 - video/action for Vermilion;

[It was kind of strange, really. After their match in the tournament, Riku hadn't seen hide nor hair of Xion. He thought he might've kept missing her and that she was somewhere in town; the city's huge, after all, and with so many trainers, it'd be easy to lose her in the crowds.

But when he tried contacting her over the Pokégears, he got no response. Then, when he checked his PC, he caught several familiar Pokémon inside what would've been an empty box (the others were safe at the TC, after all). Then there was that note... Really, it didn't take much to add two and two together.

So, when he addresses the network, it's with a somber expression. There's an Arcanine bounding around in the background, but Riku doesn't pay him much mind. Making it to the semis in two cups is worth celebrating, sure, but not when he's lost a close friend.

He hesitates before, finally, he speaks up.]

To those of you that knew her, Xion's gone. I've got Bahamut and a handful of her other Pokémon, but if anyone else wound up with some her roster, could you let me know?

She probably wouldn't want us to worry about her. If anything, she'd probably want us to keep smiling, but I know she made a lot of close friends here. It's only fair of me to give you guys a heads-up.

[There's a pause, followed by a sigh.]

And good luck to everyone else in the tournament.

[With his message complete, he shuts off the gear and wanders out to the docks with Flare by his side. It's still mind boggling to think about. After over a year, he hadn't expected her to just... vanish. And after he beat her in the tourny, too.

How ironic... depressingly so.]

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...What is with some of your hair, I mean the locals with hair like this I get but really!?

*Pause, oh, right, his friend is gone.*

I'm sorry... about your friend going. I mean-

*She'll just cut off her feed now.*

[Riku blinks, raising an eyebrow. His dorky Arcanine, Burst, stops his marching long enough to wander over and see what's up.

Oh, hello strange lady! Woof! Riku rolls his eyes at his fire pup and nudges him to the side.]

Believe it or not, the hair color's natural.

...I had hoped that note was nothing but a misunderstanding.

[Hoped, but not really believed.]

She could have at least been allowed to watch the whole tournament and cheer everyone on.

Seriously. Bad enough that we got put against each other the first round-- I wish she could've stayed and continued to fight.

[Sigh. If only, right?]

[ friends coming and going aren't easy. there's always a comforting thought though, for Sora anyway. he knows that even when the distance is great, there is still a connection. Riku probably knows this too, so Sora doesn't say anything about that.

what he does instead is hunt Riku down, with the best surprise that he can muster. doesn't take much to find him. if anything, Sora and Riku are very predictable people where the ocean is concerned - they'll always be at the docks or at the beach.

Sora doesn't say anything though. not yet, nope. he will just kind of reach up to drape on Riku from behind, shaking some - you guessed it - ice cream in front of his best friend's face. it's just starting to drip, so Riku might want to latch onto that real fast before it gets on his clothes or shoes. ]

Her Pokémon are more than strong enough to defeat quite a few of the competitors. Who knows how far she could have gone had the matchups been different, or in the next tournament?

[Talking battles feels much easier than talking feelings, at the moment.]

...Thanks for letting us know. I got her Excadrill with me.

[Atsuro's in the Pokémon Center, looking at his newest Pokemon in his care. Aubade is talking with Nalagiri, one ground type to another.]

[ Kairi, within reason, has tried to spend time with Riku since it became obvious that Xion had left. She's given him his space when she feels he needs it, but this one time, she feels the need to step in. So she peeks into the room, Pluto and Hane on either side of her. Pluto seems a little eager to play with Riku's Arcanine, and she gives a nod, though as she folds her hands behind her back, the Espeon stays near her - almost tripping her, really. But it's fine! She catches herself and steps closer to Riku. ]

How are you holding up?

Edited 2012-11-12 03:18 (UTC)

Man, if only I had Fault with me. He'd probably wanna see her.

[Because derpy Excadrill affairs, doncha know? But, hey, at least she's in good hands.]

I probably don't have to ask you to take care of her, right?

[Atsuro seems like a chill dude, after all.]

I didn't mean the color, the style is pretty out there too. Don't tell me that's natural too and you just brush it that way!

*It isn't fair, she has to spend forever doing stuff with her hair to make it cool!*

Yeah. But I don't think losing in the tournament makes you a bad trainer-- or even worse than your competition. My last match was a pretty close call, for example. Down to the last Pokémon on both sides, could've gone either way.

It was like that with Xion, too.

[A beat.]

Still feels bad, though.

[The draping action and the ice cream both catch Riku off guard. Briefly, he just sort of stares before he finally reaches out, takes the ice cream in his hand and looks over to Sora with a weak smile.]

...Dork.

[Aubade looks over at Atsuro. Did she just hear Fault's name?]

Yeah. Don't worry about her, I'll take care of her for Xion. [He notice her look.] And I think she'd like to see Fault again as well.

Wh-...

[A long pause.]

...nah, you're right. She really wouldn't have wanted everyone miserable, huh?

[Burst barks in greeting, butt wiggling and mouth hanging open. Playing is good! Playing is fun! He likes playing!

Yeah, he's pretty much a puppy still, despite his new, gigantic form. Flare snorts at the sight, leaning against a wall, while Deathclaw the Gliscor rolls her eyes and proceeds to trade punches with Axis the Metagross.

Riku, on the other hand, remains largely quiet, inching carefully towards Kairi.]

Could be worse, I guess.

Of course not. But seeing how far people can go and the strategies they use to do so is nice, is it not? Everyone's losses and wins are opportunities for us to learn more about this world and our own teams.

[He thinks about it for a few seconds.]

...All those potential lessons, and she's not even had the time to enjoy them. She should have had it.

Yeah. Xion's... she doesn't like others to take the blame. If anything, she'd probably feel bad if we took it too hard.

[A beat.]

You're Lancer, right?

[He remembers that drunken broadcast from a while back, but that's not exactly why she's asking.]

[Heh. Well, that's reassuring.]

Well, you guys can always drop by the Training Center in Celadon. Fault usually hangs there with the others.

[ Kairi manages a smile as she watches the two Pokemon start up, Pluto's tail flicking as he growls playfully. Though, when she looks back at Riku, she unfolds her hands and starts to reach out for him, then extends her other one to invite him in for a hug. They both sort of need it. Regrettably, Kairi hadn't been as close to Xion, but she's learned enough about her to like her a lot, not to mention Xion's little crush on Riku as well. So they could both use a hug, but Riku definitely needs it more. ]

It really could be. But I'm not here to help you dwell on the negative, now am I?

[That explains the note and lack of signal. "Take care of the others", huh? Dammit, Xion...]

Where should we send them if we find her team members? Celadon?

[he said something about Celadon before, didn't he? It sounds familiar to her.]

Edited 2012-11-12 03:40 (UTC)

Actually, it is.

[Really, he hasn't had people question his hair right down to the styling before. Talk about bizarre.]

That's why I hated going against her. It was tough, giving it my all while dealing with the fact that I'd be knocking her out of the game if I won.

But it is a learning experience. One she really should've been able to experience herself.

Guess all we can do now is hope she comes back someday.

[Though he hesitates, Riku does return the hug. Tightly. He's not about to push Kairi away. She's one of the few people who really understands.]

Nah. You always try to pull me out of those bad moods.

[Which is appreciated. Especially at a time like this.]

That's what most people call me. What of it?

She named her Gyarados after you, so... you must've meant a lot to her. That's all.

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40 - video/action for Vermilion;

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