The Philosopher's Stone

[Deathspector]

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h188/Deathspector/PhilStone.jpg




The Roleplay has now, officially begun. No more people shall be accepted, until I deem it necessary to introduce more people. I apologize for anyone who had a Sign-Up in process. The Discussion Thread can be found here (http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/forum/showthread.php?p=902168#post902168).




Excerpt from “Life with Alchemists” by William Meredith


As a rule, alchemists are greedy, and obsessed with money. Makes sense, as their life’s ambition is to gain immortality, and never-ending wealth. Yet even the greediest of alchemists couldn’t compare with one Daniel Watson. He wanted more than wealth or immortality. He wanted power. His reason was, “Why have all of these things, and not have power?” and he stuck with it to his death. Probably, because it was this reason that lead to his death. Like a section of alchemists, Daniel Watson believed in the theory of the Philosopher’s Stone: a legendary stone made of an unknown substance, which creates the Elixir of Life (a potion, that when ingested into a human’s body creates immortality, and when poured over an metal, converts into gold). It was only a theory, but like so many before him, he believed in it. And he searched for it.

And he found it.

He had been looking for years, wasting most of his youth. Finally, at forty-five, he found it. By that time, he had gathered around him a group of dedicated followers and helpers. They called themselves Stone Disciples, and were spread across all of Kanto and parts of Johto. At last, they struck gold. In the form of the Philosopher’s Stone. Underneath Lavender, a small town with nothing of noteworthy mention, apart from the Tower where dead Pokémon were put to rest, was a large ore of Philosopher’s Stone. It took close to a month to separate the Stone the other elements, mostly iron. Finally, they had a pile of red dust; the Philosopher’s Stone. It was guarded heavily, in a safe that only Mr Watson knew the code to. Finally, the team could sleep easily. Or could they? The next morning, the entire pile of Stone was gone.

Along with a certain Daniel Watson.

He went into hiding along with the Stone, for fear of what the Stone Disciples would do to him; evidently they would have found out what he had done by now. Of course, they had. But after nearly a year without knowing what happened to him, they gave up. Then, he returned. With more vigour than before. The entire year he had spent in hiding had been dedicated to the creation of a weapon that was made solely form the Stone. He was a very influential man, this Daniel Watson, and had managed to get a couple of technicians to work for him. After a failed attempt at making a gun from the Stone, the technicians reverted to the old fashioned sword. They made it, christening it the Alchemical Blade. But it was no ordinary sword; no, it was much, much more.

I had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of this blade myself when gathering research for this book, and I must describe it to you. The actual blade of the weapon was a crimson red colour. The outlines of the blade seemed to be blurred, as the very fabric that created the sword was alive. The colour swirled around on the blade in a hypnotic formation. The hilt was made from steel, as it would have been a waste of the Stone to make a hilt form the material. Yet even so, they inserted a small pebble-like stone at the tip of the pommel that was made from the Stone. I never got to hold the sword, but as it stood encased in the glass, I could sense an aura of sheer power emanating from it. It was awesome.

Evidently, Daniel Watson thought so as well. He was pleased with the outcome of the experiments, and like all owners of great pieces of craftsmanship, promptly killed the technicians who hade made the Alchemical Blade so that they would not let out the secret, and only he would know the true extent of the Blade’s power. When he came out of hiding, the Stone Disciples were angered beyond belief, and tried to capture him. He killed every single one of them. The Alchemical Blade was too strong for the Stone Disciples, their guns, or their Pokémon. After murdering his former apprentices, he decided to go big time, and try to get a powerful position in Kanto. After much blackmail and backstabbing, he finally had the position of Minister of Trade and Commerce in the Kanto Government. But he wasn’t going to stop there. He aspired to become the Prime Minister. But he was not to succeed.

The Alchemical Blade, I must say, had a mind of its own. The fabled Philosopher’s Stone was actually a living being. Not the living being that walked, talked and breathed, but a living being that thought for itself. It disliked being used as a tool in Daniel Watson’s plan for greatness. And so, it did the easiest thing it could. It killed Mr Watson, and then fled. Its powers were depleted, and it needed to regenerate them. To this day, the Alchemical Blade has not been found.


End Excerpt



Mission


William Meredith published his book nearly five years after the fateful escape of the Alchemical Blade. Until then, no one knew whether the Blade was actually true, or merely a figment of someone’s imagination. William Meredith confirmed their doubts, and brought back alchemy to the modern world. Until then, there were only a few who still remembered the art. But as soon as the book was given to the public, people went crazy, and soon alchemy was a bigger thing that even Pokémon Training. In fact, by that time, Pokémon Training was no longer what it once used to be. The return of alchemy only made it of less importance.

Instead of running after the Philosopher’s Stone, as they once had, alchemists now diverted their time to finding the Alchemical Blade. But now that it had the power to fight back, people who actually found the Alchemical Blade were blasted into smithereens. But fifty years after the death of Daniel Watson, the Alchemical Blade wanted to feel power again. It wanted to feel in charge once more. And so, it set off in search of someone who it could possess. It didn’t take long.

The Alchemical Blade could have easily possessed the many alchemists who chased after it, but it would not. Despite all their problems, alchemists have strong minds, and can push people out from their minds at will. The Alchemical Blade needed someone with a weak mind, so it would not use up too much of its regenerated power in the possession. And so, when the Blade came across a weak-minded explorer who was wandering the mountain ranges where the Blade lived he quickly overpowered the human.

Then, it returned.

William Meredith was the first to recognise the return of the Blade. Unexplained murders, and disappearances. Buildings seemingly vaporised. Pokémon turned against their Trainers. It was all the doing of the Blade, and he noticed it. But at eighty-three, William Meredith was hardly in any shape to run around the countryside, looking for the Blade, let alone face up to it in combat. But he knew something had to be done. So, he called up his friend, Professor Samuel Oak.

Professor Oak, in his younger times, had given out Pokémon to aspiring Trainers so that they could begin their journey. He was now ninety-nine, and was much too old to even talk properly. But when William Meredith called him, he knew that he had to help. He knew that when William said there was a problem, there usually was. And so, he called up five of his favourite, and most loyal Trainers. They weren’t, however, Trainers who spent their entire lives battling Gyms, but were people with other jobs, who trained Pokémon for a past time.

You are one of the five.

You are about to begin a journey, so filled with pain and terror that it will make Ash Ketchum’s seem like child’s play. Which in fact, it was…


Current Members
Username / Character Name


Deathspector / Nathaniel Redwood
Neo Pikachu / Jonathan Logan
Deoxys Trainer / Devon Kolzinski
Suicune's Child / Urit Janan
Sky Girl / Isabelle Stanley

[Deathspector]

OOC: And I begin.


Ethan Turner
Pewter City


Lightning flashed across the cloud-festered sky, as night claimed Pewter. Naught of the celestial beauty that was the moon and stars could be seen. It was complete and absolute. Then came the reverberating clash of thunder. Two clouds, high up in the sky, united after lightning tore them apart with wrath, and send rumbles through the thick air. The cycle was well known to those who dwelt in Pewter. After the thunder, would come the silence; a ringing silence that told of bad things to follow. And then, the rain. Gallon upon gallon would sluice down from the clouds: the floodgates of heaven thrown open to the world. Then, the rain would pound upon the roofs of Pewter the entire night, causing hundreds to sleep uneasily, and hundreds more not to sleep at all.

Ethan Turner wanted nothing more than to be sheltered form the relentless pounding of the rain. But he was not allowed comfort. He was not even allowed to feel unhappy towards the rain. For it was his Master who had brought the rain, and feeling dislike towards the rain would be equivocal to feeling dislike towards his Master. And his Master did not permit it. And so, Ethan was forced to brave the rainstorm that he would have rather not.

As he pulled the hood of his ragged, weatherworn, cloak over his face, another flash of lightning illuminated the city. His eyes were momentarily revealed to the world, and in that brief moment, a child happened to be looking out of the window. And what she saw made her scream. Ethan’s eyes were not eyes. They were cold, steel-grey ovals that had no life in them. They seemed to be the very symbol of death – of cold-heartedness.

The girl’s scream pierced through the cold night, and Ethan turned. He bared his teeth in a beast-like manner, growling as he did so. From within his cloak, he drew forth a blade. Before the girl could even see what he was doing, a beam of high, intense, light burst forth from the tip of the blade, and vaporised the girl, her room, and even the entire house. The girl’s last thought was:

Cold-blooded murder…


* * *


Nathaniel Redwood
Pallet Town


The velvety blanket of night caressed the town of Pallet as night came around once more. Dark purples ringed the horizon, followed by dark blue, and then a navy blue. Slowly, as if being placed there by some ethereal paintbrush, stars began to dot the night sky. The half-moon moon, which had been visible for quite some time now, shone brighter in all its glamour. The air smelt beautiful as the scent of the flowers in the meadow north of Pallet floated down in a southward wind. It was another friendly, safe night in Pallet, and there was nothing to suggest that anything to do with pain, or plot, was happening anywhere nearby. How wrong they all were.

I stood at the door of Professor Samuel Oak’s house, waiting for someone to open the door. Some time after I had rung the bell, I noticed sounds coming from inside; the shuffling of paper, the placing of a mug on a glass table and finally, the footsteps of someone walking closer. I stood back, and moments later, the door swung open. I was greeted by a warm, smiling William Meredith.

I had never actually met Mr. Meredith before, but had been told a lot about him by Professor Oak. He, too, had written a book, and unlike me, he had actually got down to publishing it. It was something that I wished to do in the future. Mr. Meredith had greying hair, and a flamboyant moustache. It was only then that I realised the age of Mr. Meredith. Professor Oak had always spoken about him as a young man (which if you thought about it from Professor Oak’s point of view, he was) and so I never really imagined him to be an old man, stoop and all.

“Ah, hello, there,” he said in a deep, very masculine voice that made me even more in awe of him. “Who might you be?”

“I’m Nathaniel Redwood,” I replied, suddenly realising how high my voice actually was (in reality it wasn’t that high, but I was speaking relatively). “Professor Oak called me, and told me to come and meet him. I don’t exactly know why he called, but here I am.”

A look of dawning comprehension flashed across Mr. Meredith’s face for a moment, before it returned to the smile that had quite a few teeth missing. “So you’re Nathaniel. Samuel tells me that you aspire to be a writer.” I nodded. “But look at me,” said Mr. Meredith berating himself, “here’s a guest, and I haven’t even let him in. Come in, come in, boy.”

He stepped aside, and I walked into the hallway, lit by warming, incandescent light bulbs. I rather preferred these yellow bulbs to the newer florescent lights, but the florescent versions gave out more light, ad used up less energy. But that didn’t stop me from liking the incandescent versions. This was Professor Oak’s house, not his laboratory, but even so, it was evident that this building belonged to a scientist. First of all, there were pictures of Professor Oak and various Pokémon that he had worked with. Then there were the awards and certificates that he had been given for his outstanding discoveries in Pokémonology. I smiled; it was a nice change to be in the house of an old, wise man than my own.

Mr. Meredith took me to the second room on the left, and we entered a sitting area. At first sight, it seemed to be straight from one of those medieval take-off movies. There was a fire ablaze in a grate straight in front of me; the room was bathed in an orange-yellow glow. Warm, squishy red armchair, placed in a circle, dotted the room. And in the armchair right in front of me was the fabled Professor Oak. And he was not looking well.

Once a man of great power and respect, he now looked derelict, and weak. His skin clung to his bones, giving him the impression of an anorexic man. His hair was now completely gone, and his bald plate was wrinkled. His face suffered much the same fate, the wrinkles running down his cheek, and very prominent around the eyes. But that was one thing that remained the same. Professor Oak’s eyes. No matter how old he grew, those golden-brown eyes would always be the symbol of great wisdom for anyone who looked at them.

I bowed in greeting; Professor Oak was nearing a century in age, and liked his formal manners. I then spoke, “Professor Oak, thank you for allowing me into your house.”

He nodded, a smile taunting his old cheeks. His teeth were in even worse condition than those of Mr. Meredith. “Ah, hello again Nathaniel.” His voice was wheezy, and that small phrase seemed to be a labour to his chest. He hacked and coughed before continuing. “We will wait for the others to come.”

The others? There were more?

[Neo Pikachu]

Jonathan Logan
En Route toward Pallet Town

His timing was inopportune. I hadn’t been called by Samuel Oak in years, ever since we stopped talking to each other after the event. He never did like the fact I never even tried to enter the league, but I couldn’t. It was all ill-timed, all starting with the death of my brother. I had a distinct feeling Samuel Oak kept forgetting that…

He mentioned William Meredith and that he was a good friend of his. At first, I thought Mr. Meredith was in need of medical attention, but I knew better than that. Samuel Oak was old, but he wasn’t senile. I’m sure he still knew how to dial 911.

I kept thinking about it, the entire drive down. I felt like my black Lincoln Towncar was the only vehicle on the road. Ugh, if there was anything I hated, it was the countryside. I could get stranded here for hours and still no one would know I was here unless I called for roadside assistance.

Pallet Town

It all looked different now, nothing of what I used to remember it by. Any less life to this place and it would be a desert. I knew Samuel Oak was a graying old man, but still, I knew his time was running out. And if he was spending that time calling me for assistance, chances are it would be wise to trust my judgment and follow through.

It was night by the time I arrived. Even though the town had changed since the time I was last here, I managed to figure out where Samuel Oak’s house was. I simply found a place to park the car, and then I shut off the engine, and turned off the headlights. And then again, the light that was once there flickered out, and all was bathed in darkness again.

I pulled the keys out of the ignition, grabbed my medical bag, and opened the door. Outside, all I could hear were the sounds like the wildlife, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. Still, I locked the door and shut it, heading closer toward Samuel’s house. For a strange moment in time, I couldn’t help but feel like this was something much deeper than what we were dealing with.

I made my way to the door, and lightly knocked on it. Right now, I was thinking about all the things I should have been doing instead of being here, but still, I wasn’t about to disrespect an old man’s wishes. Besides, knowing this, I figured this would likely be the last time I saw Samuel Oak alive. Dead men tell no tales, and all last words are secured in the coffin and aren’t heard of again.

The door had opened to reveal someone who I knew wasn’t Samuel Oak at all. I figured this must have been the man he was referring to.

“William Meredith.” I told him, figuring that’s who he must have been.

“You must be one of the five.” William told me, realizing I was probably the only one knocking on his door at this hour.

Five? I guess that was keeping it off of the personal level. I was seriously hoping this was not a reunion party, because I already had to leave Dr. James Conrad a really lousy excuse for leaving the clinic. To find out it was for that would have been the last straw.

“Exactly who are we talking about here, William?” I asked him, wondering what was going on, “And what is this about, really?”

“I assure you, Jonathan, this is nothing that you’ve dealt with before.” William told me, leading me inside, “We’re looking at a really grave matter here.”

I stepped inside, and William shut the door behind me. Shortly after, Samuel Oak had stepped into the foyer, and he looked terrible. Age was not treating him at all well, and I could tell he was looking at his final days.

“Jonathan.” He told me in a raspy voice, “I knew you would come.”

“Right, I got your call.” I told him, still having no idea why I was called all the way over to here, “What is this about though?”

“Sit down.” He told me, showing me into the living room on the left, “We… must wait for the others.”

Who were the others? Regardless, I decided there had to be a reason for this. As I walked in there, I saw there was already a fire in the fireplace, as well as a few chairs. I saw another man there, and for a moment, I looked at him and realized he was probably one of the five William and Samuel were talking about. I didn’t know him, but I figured I could as least be polite.

“Name’s Dr. Jonathan Logan.” I told him, holding out my hand.

Something was telling me we were stepping far into the unknown…

[Suicune's Child]

OOC: *takes a deep breath* Ok, I'm going to try to go through this role-play writing in first person. Don't be too hard on me; I haven't done this since my n00b years.

Urit Janan
Docking at Pallet Town's Port

Dark water sloshed around me as I stepped carefully from the small boat to the dock. The night was cool and a light wind whipped around me as I turned to give my thanks to Douglass, the captain of the small boat that had taken me safely from Cinnabar Island to Pallet.

"No trouble," the man growled, tying his boat securely to a wooden stake. "Be here bright and early tomorrow, if ya don't mind. I want to get back me wife and kids."

Trying to use guilt to get me to return early. Cute, but ineffective. It didn't matter though; I had planned to leave early anyway. Being summoned to this little town to meet with Professor Oak and his friend William Meredith was intriguing and, had I not been working, I would have been quite glad to go. Unfortunately, I was working.

"Bright and early," I assured him, pulling my coat tighter around me before setting off.

Pallet Town

Pallet had changed a lot since I had been there last. Not surprising, it had been nearly twenty years since I'd last visited the place. A fleeting image of the beautiful sea-side city, Olivine entered my mind. Undoubtedly that place had changed a lot too. I could only hope the changes weren't so noticeable, though that was only a fool hope.

I wasn't exactly sure where the esteemed professor's lab was. I had only been a child when I visited it, after all, and the difference in the town made things even more difficult. Not to mention the last time I was here I came from the road, not the dock. I considered calling out Tao and using her sharp eyes and sharper nose to find the place, but that wouldn't be fair to her. She was sound asleep by now.

Finding the place really wasn't too hard. It was a unique building, both in appearance and location, and I felt silly for worrying over locating it so much. Now that I was standing outside the door I felt my curiosity starting to build. Professor Oak was a highly intelligent man, after all, and he would know that I had a job that didn't involve traveling the continent with Pokemon. Why then, had he called me?

I raised a hesitant fist and rapped sharply on the door a few times then stepped back and waited. Slow footsteps were audible from inside and soon the door opened to reveal a stooped old man with an impressive mustache.

"Good evening," I said in a polite voice, "I take it you're William Meredith?"

"Indeed," Mr. Meredith agreed cheerfully, "and you must be one of the five."

I blinked. Five? I wondered inwardly. The mystery thickens. "I suppose," I agreed in the same polite voice, "I'm Urit Janan."

"Ah, the volcanologist. I must admit that's an interesting career you've chosen for yourself. But enough chatter. Come in," he stepped aside and I entered.

After making sure the door was securely latched behind us, William Meredith led me down the hall and into a comfortable sitting room. Placed in a circle around the room were cozy red armchairs, two of which were already occupied, and a merry fire crackling in the hearth. The fire had a calming effect on me and I instantly felt more relaxed and content.

"Ah, Urit," said a rasping voice somewhere to my left.

I turned and received an unpleasant jolt. Professor Oak smiled at me from under the many wrinkles that lined his face. Age was not being kind old Oak. Nearly one-hundred years had taken their toll on him and the thought that he must be reaching the end of his life hit me. It filled me with sorrow but I didn't let it show on my face.

"Professor, it's been a while, hasn't it?" I said brightly, offering my hand to the decrepit figure in the armchair.

"It has that," he replied, taking it. I could feel his thin bones beneath my fingers and tried not to squeeze too tightly. "I'm grateful to you for coming. Please, have a seat."

I smiled at him and turned to pick one of the squashy chairs to sit in. As I did so, my eyes fell upon two men, one sitting, one standing, who were apparently in the middle of introducing themselves. They must be numbers one and two of the five. Deciding that I might as well get to know them, as we were all obviously in for the same treat-or whatever it was Professor Oak had to tell us-I walked over and spoke with a smile. "Good evening, gentlemen, I'm Urit Janan, do either of you have any idea why we're here?"

[Sky Girl]

[ooc] I despise first person. But for simplicity's sake, I shall use it. Oh, and I haven't roleplayed in ages, so it might take me a few posts to get back in the swing of things.




[i]New Hwy between Celadon and Pallet

Soft moonlight shone through the light sprinkle of rain that was falling from the sky. Thin clouds blocked it, but it was full and continued to shine through them. The dull purr of the engine was hypnotizing. I was so tired. I had been driving since noon of the previous day, but it felt like I had been awake for three. The highway was long and straight. I could just lay my head down on the wheel... just for a minute.. but no. I had never been to Pallet town before and if I missed the exit, I was in trouble. Getting lost wasn't a good idea at 12:30 AM in the middle of nowhere. Why they had built a road through so much countryside was beyond me, but I had to admit it was much quicker than taking a boat or going north to Pewter.

I had no idea how much longer it'd be before I'd reach another town. The last time I stopped, it had been 11:00. There had been a small gas station three miles from the highway, but on the outskirts of a tiny town. I was amazed that they had coffee even though it tasted awful and was horribly overpriced. But I had gulped it down gratefully. The caffeine was greatly needed. But now the buzz was wearing off, and I really needed to use the restroom. The car passed in and out of streetlights. There was absolutely no one on the deserted highway. The last car I had seen was at the gas station. And it was the attendant's vehicle.

I noticed that the streetlights had become more frequent. Maybe I was nearing a town. I sat up straight in the seat, causing my back to pop sharply. Ow.. I watched the side of the road intently, looking for a large green sign. And there it was. My eyes hurt, and had glazed over from exhaustion, so I couldn't tell what it said. But that didn't matter. I had to pee. The exit ramp finally appeared, and I turned quickly onto it. The short ramp ended abruptly, and I found myself staring at an old, pothole-covered road. Beside me was another sign that pointed to the left. Pallet Town 3 miles. I reread the sign several times. I was finally there. Well, almost there. I turned and sped off towards my final destination, but soon slowed down before I blew a tire on those holes.

Pallet Town

When I reached the town, I hardly knew that I had arrived. There were a few houses and some odd buildings, but not much else to speak of. I guess I had expected more from the hometown of the famous Professor Oak. It reminded me so much of where I had grown up, that I almost cried at the memories that came flooding into my mind. The small houses, the fields of grain and pastures with many horses and cattle. The place even felt like home, and I’m sure it would have smelled like it had I not been confined by the small car. However, I quickly regained my composure and pulled out the green sticky note I had written the Professor's instructions on. Left on Oaktree. Fourth house on the right... That was easy. Aside from Maplewood, Oaktree was the only other street in town. I parked on the street since there were already several other cars in the driveway. What kind of strange midnight party is this? Before taking the key out, I looked at the clock. 2:30. I hoped Professor Oak had a few extra bedrooms.

I slowly opened the car door and stepped out onto the street. The air was strangely warm, which was comforting. It was still drizzling, so I hurried passed the other cars and up to the front door. I rapped on the door with my fist, and it quickly opened to reveal an older man with obvious signs of his age. At first I thought it was the Professor. I had never met the professor personally, but I had seen him on television and his picture in many other places such as pokemon centers. My vision was still blurry and took a moment to clear. When it did, I realized that this man was not Oak at all.

"Is this the home of Professor Oak?" I asked timidly.

"Yes, it is. You must be Isabelle. Come in, come in. Most of the others have already arrived." I still didn't know who "the others" were, but my mind had already moved on to another question. I stepped inside and looked around. I was in a short foyer with two doors on the left and one on the right.

"Where's the restroom?" I asked. The man looked startled by my sudden and random question.

He replied promptly none-the-less, "First door on the left. Oh and by the way, my name is William Meredith. I am sorry for not introducing myself earlier."

But I had already walked into the small half-bath. It was a tiny area, with red tile floors, red towels, and cream-colored sink and toilet. I won't go into too much detail though. After relieving myself, I walked back into the hall. The next door on the left was open, though I heard nothing from the room. I walked in anyways and felt the warmth coming from the fireplace, which immediately put me at ease. I didn't realize how tense I had been until I began to relax. I knew right away which man was the professor, even though there were five people (other than me) in the room. He was much older than I had expected, but I guess legends are old. The other men and women (well, woman) in the room were young, in the prime of their life. In fact, most seemed about the same age as me, though maybe a little younger. I couldn't be sure. I didn't have the energy to introduce myself so I gave a small wave and plopped my sleep-deprived body down in a chair. Then I was out.

[Deathspector]

OOC: Whoa! Serebii style. I post one day, and the next, we're on the second page. I'm glad that most of you decided to post. We're only waiting for Deoxys Trainer, and then we begin the real talks. I suppose one of us has to wake up poor Isabelle. Also, it's not compulsary to write in first person. I just find it easier. If you'd prefer third person, then go ahead.

Nathaniel Redwood
Pallet Town


Within moments of sitting down, the bell rang again. Mr. Meredith quickly stood up, and walked off to receive the next person. I felt somewhat guilty at allowing a person, who was evidently in his fifties, or even sixties, to run around the house and welcome people in. But I suppose he was livelier than I thought, because he bounced off to the door. I leaned back against the squashy armchair, pleased at its comfort. It was nice to sit like this after having to take two short bus trips, and then an even longer one, just to come to Pallet. For a minute or so (though it seemed considerably shorter to me at the time), I just sat there, staring into the depth of the fire. The Mr. Meredith returned.

Walking in tow behind the old writer came a man who looked around my age. He certainly dressed like someone around my age, wearing clothes much more casual than those of Professor Oak, or indeed Mr. Meredith. I smiled up at him, and, for politeness’ sake, he held out his hand in greeting, saying, “Name’s Dr. Jonathan Logan.”

I took his hand, shaking it firmly, but before I could reply, Mr. Meredith darted off and brought yet another one of “the others” into the room. She looked around smilingly, and said, “Good evening, gentlemen, I'm Urit Janan, do either of you have any idea why we're here?”

I shook my head, but before I could open my mouth, another of the quickly growing group entered, looking like she had just run a marathon. She waved lethargically, and dropped into a chair, falling asleep quicker than I could blink my eyes. Poor lady, she must have been awake for quite some time. I was lucky that I had taken the busses. At least I had gotten time to sleep. I felt horrible as I saw the weariness on the others’ faces. I thought Professor Oak’d better get this over and done with quickly.

“I’m Nathaniel Redwood. And no,” I said, looking at Urit, “I have no idea why we’re here. But I suppose its up to Professor Oak to tell us that.” With a quick glance at the sleeping lady, I turned to Professor Oak. “Is this al of us?”

The old, wizened man looked up at me with his special eyes, and shook his head ever so slowly. “No; we still await one more. I believe his name is Devon. Do any of you know him?”

I shook my head, and looked at the others. Maybe they knew who he was. We just wait for one more person, and then, the revelation of what this meeting was all about.


* * *


Ethan Turner
Pewter City


He was being punished, and he knew full well why.

His orders had been to pass through Pewter as discreetly as possible, but instead he had gone and vaporised a building, and a child. His Master had nothing against killing, but he did have something against going against a direct order. And you couldn’t have any orders more direct than those ordered by his Master. Ethan writhed on the ground in pain, as his Master sent spasms of anger and hatred through his body. Mud splashed across his face, but he was not allowed to wipe it away. He was no t allowed to do very much at all, actually.

Another wave of pain, more intense than the previous coursed through his body as he thought this thought. Of course, he had forgotten the rules of his relationship with his Master. He must never think anything bad of the Great One.

“Forgive me Master; I did not mean to cause you any displeasure.”

Is that so? The cold voice penetrated his very heart, and his clutched at his chest. I hope you do realise that I have every reason to kill you here and now. You are nothing more than a tool. Am I understood?

“Yes Master.”

The pain ended as abruptly as it had begun. Ethan got up, and wiped the mud from his face before pulling his ragged hood over his eyes. He then looked eastward at the towering mass of Mt. Moon. He would need to cross it in order to reach Cerulean City. And when he did the world would remember him as the man who wielded the Alchemical Blade.

The pain began again, ad he quickly reassembled his thoughts.

He would be remembered as the man who was possessed by the Alchemical Blade.

The pain stopped.

[Shen]

OOC: I am soooo sorry I haven't posted yet...this is the curse of not having a computer and going to the library, I guess. Oh well. Also, I guess I'll go with the norm for titles here...

Devon Kolzinski
Blackthorn City

"So move." Barry said staring down at the chessboard with a sly grin. he almost had this game wrapped up.

Devon shrugged. "Whatever." He took hold of his queen and moved it diagonally left, four squares; Barry's king was in check.

"Ugh...nice move." Barry moved his king one space down, out of Devon's queen's range.

Devon grinned. "Trapped." In a flash, he maneuvered his Rook up to the secfond row on Barry's side. "Check...mate."

"What?!" Barry reviewed the scene before his eyes; no doubt about it, he'd lost. he pulled his hand through his black hair and chuckled. "Once again, I was bluffed out. Nice game, Devon." He held out his hand to the blonde Senior.

Devon took his hand and shook it gently. "I gotta admit, you're getting better...just not good enough to beat me quite yet."

Releasing Devon's hand, Barry smiled mischieviously. "Next time will be different. See ya." And with that, Barry exited Devon's room.

"Man, you just keep on doin' it, huh?" said Heschal, Devon's roommate.

"Chess isn't anything to get too exctied about, you know." Devon sighed. "I don't know why he keeps trying to challenge me...I don't like this game that much, to tell you the truth..."

"The way you play, nobody would think that." Heschal assured him. "Alright, I'm gonna get a bite to eat...I hear that Deniger's has a special Spring Break menu. Later." Heschal exited the room.

"Yo, Spring break doesn't begin till tommorrow, remember?!" devon called after him. "Ditz..." Suddenly, Devon's cell phone began to ring. Pulling it from his pocket, he opened it and answered, "Hey."

"Devon, it's Professor Oak."

"Yeah, I know...Caller I.D."

"...Right...Anyway, I need you to get down to Pallet Town right away. Some urgent business has come up." Professor Oak's voice was tinged with a slight bit of panic.

"Is it the Tauros again?" Devon sighed; those things get out of hand way too much...

"No, no, I'd welcome something like that...but nonetheless, it's much more urgent, much more..."

"What could be that important, Professor?"

"I can't speak of it over a land line...too many people can listen in, with the right sources..."

"Professor, are you in trouble with the law or something?" Devon was anxious. Surely oak was an upstanding citizen.

"No! Please, just hurry down here, and I'll explain it to you here. I've booked a flight leaving in a half hour to Viridian City for you. Take it and get here quick. We're talking about the fate of the world here!" The other line hung up.

"What could Oak possibly need my help with that could affect everywhere?" Nonetheless, Devon pocketed the cell and walked out of the room, to ask the headmaster to go on leave...

Devon Kolzinski
Viridian City

That was three hours ago. I got permission to leave the campus, with a strict reminder that I have a Music Theory test and a concert after Spring Break. I figured two weeks would be enough time to get whatever the Professor wanted me to get done...well, done.

I walked through the sliding glass doors of the Viridian International Airport and followed the instructions to find my rental car. There are so many out here it was confusing, but finally, I found the red Mazda 323F afetr a short time, so I counted myself lucky...

It was raining as I began the long drive to Pallet Town. Hardly anyone was on the road tonight, so it wasn't difficult. Just...lonely. to take my mind off that, I turned the radio on to the classical music station and listened to a live performance of "Barber of Seville" one of my favorite...if not my only liked...operas.

I had even begun humming along with the music when it was interrupted. "Pardon the interruption, but we have an urgent report from Pewter City." a woman's voice said calmly. "There has been an accident of a large scale on Verde St., where a gas line seemed to explode, vaproising s house. The address number was 3451. All residents were killed, and there weren't any eye witnesses to the event. We assure you that the Pewter Utilities Facility is looking into this problem now. We now return you to your scheduled music programming."

I stayed silent, stewing in my own thoughts. I didn't even notice the music. the only thought running through my head was What the hell is going on? First the call from Oak, and now houses are blowing up? This is wierd.

A short time later, I was rolling up the main country road through Pallet. Night had fallen, and it wansn't raining here. The town was completely different from the last time I was here, only about four years ago.

The sky was completely clear above the quaint little town. I rolled up to the side of the road near Professor Oak's residence, noticing that there were a few other cars here. How big would this have to be for Oak to call others all well?

I turned the car off, removed the jeys, got out and inhaled the clean air of Pallet Town. Making sure my pack was on my back right, and my flute was securely in its case in the pack, I walked up the rising sidewalk steps to the door and knocked.

"Ah, finally." I heard a voice not to far away, followed by footsteps getting closer. The door opened, but the man before me was not Professor Oak, but a younger man...old, but still younger. "You must be Devon. Come in, come in. The other four are here."

"Four?" I asked. He didn't answer, but beckoned me inside. I obliged. "May I inquire as to your name, sir?"

"Oh, of course, where are my manners tonight?" He chuckled. "I am William Merideth." Wait a sec...the writer to the book on the Philosopher's Stone and the Alchemical Blade?! "I suppose you've heard of me?" he said with good humor.

"I haven't met a one who hasn't."

I followed him through the hallway to the second room on the left. It was like a room out of a medieval book I've read somewhere: A roaring fire, plushy chairs in a circle...three were occupied with people, three were empty, one of which I assumed was mine. A man was standing next to one of the occupied chairs, seemingly in the middle of an introduction. A girl was standing not far from where I was at the door. A girl looked to have collapsed in one of the chairs, obviously tired. And there, staring at me...

Nearly one hundred years have not been kind to Professor Oak. He was bald now, and looked weaker than the last time we met. i felt a pang of pity for the legendary pokemonologist. "Ah, Devon. Finally, we can begin. Please, have a seat. I shall explain to you why you have all gathered here." He held a hand out to one of the chairs.

I walked over and sat down, eager to know why we were here.

[Deathspector]

OOC: Yeah, it's kind of short, but it is all I can whip up right now. Also, Deoxys Trainer, I would prefer if no one had seen Ethan vaporise the building. It's a excellent idea to include the radio report, but remove the eye-witness thing. You'll see why later. Thanks


Nathaniel Redwood
Pallet Town


And the last member arrived.

Like all of us, he didn’t seem aware of the situation into which we were being called. It was odd, considering Professor Oak called all of us, and didn’t explain a single thing. But that was the way wise men worked: shrouded the mystery. Professor Oak motioned for the newest comer to sit down, and I picked up his name: Devon. It was a nice name, if a bit unusual. I looked up to him, with what I hoped to be a welcoming smile. Sure, I didn’t know him, but it’s always nice to be kind. But I then turned to Professor Oak, waiting with bated breath for the explanation to begin.

I suddenly realised that there was still one lady sleeping. I quickly prodded her in the ribs to wake her up, before settling back down in my chair.

The elderly man looked up with his ever-intelligent eyes, and began. “Before going into the reasons for calling you here, I would like to offer my congratulations to all of you for coming here. I knew for certain that if I called any of my more well off Pokémon-wise Trainers, they would not have come, making some excuse about doing Training. They’ve become awfully arrogant, and aren’t willing to help an old man even if he needs it desperately. You five, on the other hand, I knew would come.”

He paused, and in the time it took him to regain his breath after that labouring speech, my heart soared, and my ego grew a hundredfold. Professor Oak – the Professor Oak – had actually complimented me! It was a moment to be treasured forever.

“But I did not call you here to compliment you. No, I called you for a much more sinister reason. Now, I trust you’ve read Mr. Meredith’s Life with Alchemists?”

I nodded. I definitely had read the book, and judging from the one of voice that Professor Oak used, so had the others. It was one of the contemporary classics that is a must read for anyone literate enough to understand Mr. Meredith’s language.

“Good,” he replied. “Now, I’d like all of you to cast your mind back to the chapter where he described the power of the Alchemical Blade. Do you remember? Good. Now, recall that he said that the Blade had enough power to completely raze one city. You do realise that if the Blade ever came back, it would have devastating effects on the world, as we know it today? But to come back, it needs someone who will wield it –”

I raised my hand tentatively, and Professor oak looked at me enquiringly. “But wasn’t that the reason for the Blade to escape? It didn’t want anyone wielding it. It felt…used.”

Professor Oak smiled knowingly. “Yes, you are correct Nathaniel, but you’ve forgotten one major point. The Blade has a mind of its own. Now, the reason I called all of you here, is because I need your help in defeating the Blade. Oh, yes. It has returned…”

[Suicune's Child]

Urit Janan
Pallet Town

The most I could do was blink. The news was so unexpected and sudden that I didn't know how to react.

After the final of the five, a man called Devon, had arrived I had steered myself in a chair beside the only other female in the room. She was still asleep but the man who had introduced himself as Nathaniel Redwood gave a nice hard prod to wake her. Personally I didn't think that was a good idea, but, then again, I didn't know anything about the girl. I knew if someone did that to me when I was that tired it would go along well with old saying "Never poke a sleeping dragon in the eye."

Now, however, it really wouldn't matter it someone bashed me in the head with a club, assuming I survived the impact, I probably wouldn't do anything about it. The Alchemical Blade, I thought to myself, still staring at the aged man who had informed us of the news. But...how can he possibly think that we can defeat it? I don't know about them, I looked around at the other four assembled in the room, but I don't have any mystical super powers that will aid me in the banishment of evil.

I turned my eyes back to the aged professor. I wanted to ask him how he knew the Blade had returned. Something so powerful that had remained hidden for so long wasn’t likely to just come and reveal itself, was it?

Of course, dear Urit, said an annoying little voice in my head, the Blade might have wanted to be discovered. And it needs someone to wield it, does it not? Well, that might answer your question.

I heaved a sigh. “If it’s true,” I began, keeping my voice polite and calm, “then what can we do about it? You just said it yourself; the Blade has the power to vaporize an entire city.”

And of course, we'd have to find it first, I added to myself, though that probably wouldn't be too hard if it decided to start using its power against people...Great Mew I hope it doesn't. The devastation would be catastrophic.

[Neo Pikachu]

OOC: Ack, sorry for the delay.

Pallet Town

He was at least polite, even though I didn’t know them. It was hard being so adamant over the years, but it seemed there was more to him than what met the eye. I shook his hand, and shortly after, another one of the five had joined us that evening.

“Good evening, gentlemen, I'm Urit Janan, do either of you have any idea why we're here?”

I was silent. Truthfully, I didn’t know, but I was a little apprehensive about openly admitting it. It would seem weak…

“I’m Nathaniel Redwood.” The man who I had just shook hands with had said, “And no, I have no idea why we’re here. But I suppose its up to Professor Oak to tell us that.”

Still, exactly what that was in detail kept me wondering. Yes, indeed, what were we doing here? I had seen three others besides me, but never have I met these people before, and what I couldn’t grasp was the supposed connection between us. Still, I was depending on Samuel Oak to really give the hard details, because I doubted this was where we could pass this threshold.

It almost gave the feeling… that there was no going back after this…

With a quick glance at the sleeping lady, I turned to Professor Oak. “Is this all of us?”

“No, we still await one more.” Samuel Oak had replied to Nathaniel, “I believe his name is Devon. Do any of you know him?”

Nathaniel shook his head, and still, I didn’t know who he was either. Just… who were these people? However, I had a feeling that was only going to be one question among many tonight.

Devon had arrived shortly after that. So far, “the five” were here, whatever significance that had. For some reason, I just couldn’t stop thinking about my job, and the lack of excuse I would have for leaving the office on such short notice. Regardless, Samuel Oak was old, and at least I could respect his wishes.

Once we had gathered in the living room, he began speaking while I had gotten myself a glass of water.

“Before going into the reasons for calling you here,” Samuel Oak had begun, “I would like to offer my congratulations to all of you for coming here. I knew for certain that if I called any of my more well off Pokémon-wise Trainers, they would not have come, making some excuse about doing Training. They’ve become awfully arrogant, and aren’t willing to help an old man even if he needs it desperately. You five, on the other hand, I knew would come.”

Interesting speculation, but I figured this went deeper than that. Still, I kept quiet and listened in. While I treasured the few Pokémon I had, their time released in the outside had grown seldom over the years and over the commitment of my position.

“But I did not call you here to compliment you.” Samuel Oak confirmed, “No, I called you for a much more sinister reason. Now, I trust you’ve read Mr. Meredith’s Life with Alchemists?”

I had, which brought me to my next point. While reading it myself, I found it hard to be actually real. In fact, I was still questioning the basis for what it really all meant, or what this was all about. Perhaps, this wasn’t as much of a fairy tale as I thought it was. Maybe, I would need to see it to believe it, but I still wouldn’t let my guard down. I knew enough to know this whole meeting wasn’t fabricated…

“Good,” he replied. “Now, I’d like all of you to cast your mind back to the chapter where he described the power of the Alchemical Blade. Do you remember? Good. Now, recall that he said that the Blade had enough power to completely raze one city. You do realize that if the Blade ever came back, it would have devastating effects on the world, as we know it today? But to come back, it needs someone who will wield it –”

I tried to really think about what we were dealing with in its entirety. Truthfully, I honestly knew very little about this thing. I figured it was something the police or any FBI agency would just laugh at and never look into. Oak needed us where those undependable G Men would just ignore it. So it was something deep after all.

“But wasn’t that the reason for the Blade to escape?” Nathaniel asked, “It didn’t want anyone wielding it. It felt…used.”

Now that’s where I had trouble believing all this, and that this Blade had its own… personality, as I failed to find any other word to describe a consciousness like that.

“Yes, you are correct Nathaniel, but you’ve forgotten one major point.” Samuel Oak had told him, laying it all out, “The Blade has a mind of its own. Now, the reason I called all of you here, is because I need your help in defeating the Blade. Oh, yes. It has returned…”

So this thing was real. Still, I had this distinct feeling of defensiveness, likely underestimating the power of this thing considering how much of a lack there was of other elements of this nature. A Blade of power… was the only thing we needed to do was defeat its wielder and the weapon itself? But how hard was this really going to be? What exactly were we dealing with here?

I had a distinct feeling this was about to open up more than I thought it ever would…

[Deathspector]

OOC: Sorry for the OOC post, but I would like everyone to post before I continue, because Professor Oak is going to explain more, and I'd like to get everyone's view before I go on to that.

DS

[Shen]

OOC: Alright, DS. I removed the eyewitness...thingie.

Devon Kolzinski
Pallet Town, Professor Oak's House

“Before going into the reasons for calling you here, I would like to offer my congratulations to all of you for coming here." The aging old man began, "I knew for certain that if I called any of my more well off Pokémon-wise Trainers, they would not have come, making some excuse about doing Training. They’ve become awfully arrogant, and aren’t willing to help an old man even if he needs it desperately. You five, on the other hand, I knew would come.”

Well, there you go. That's why he had us come instead of trainers. I liked the compliment, but I kept silent.

“But I did not call you here to compliment you. No, I called you for a much more sinister reason. Now, I trust you’ve read Mr. Meredith’s Life with Alchemists?”

I nodded. That was an interesting read, and I've read it a few times now. I like fantasy books more than nonfictional ones, but this book bordered so closely between reality and fiction it didn't matter.

“Good,” he replied. “Now, I’d like all of you to cast your mind back to the chapter where he described the power of the Alchemical Blade. Do you remember? Good. Now, recall that he said that the Blade had enough power to completely raze one city. You do realize that if the Blade ever came back, it would have devastating effects on the world, as we know it today? But to come back, it needs someone who will wield it –”

The Professor stopped as the other man sitting in the chair beside Oak raised his hand. “But wasn’t that the reason for the Blade to escape?" he asked. "It didn’t want anyone wielding it. It felt…used.”

That was the part I felt odd about in William's book. Interesting that a Blade would have a mind of its own, don't you think? It was something right out of a book I had read as a child, which once led me to believe that the Book was fictional after all. However, after a litle research. and intensive reading (Which I do a lot nowadays...), I came to the conclusion that the Alchemical Blade was indeed a living entity. A little hard to believe, but these days, it wasnt the most astounding thing...

Professor Oak smiled. “Yes, you are correct Nathaniel, but you’ve forgotten one major point." So, his name is Nathaniel... "The Blade has a mind of its own. Now, the reason I called all of you here, is because I need your help in defeating the Blade. Oh, yes. It has returned…”

I stared into the fire, all thoughts on this last statement. It's returned? A blade beyond all known powers, human and pokemon alike, with the ability to possess a human and use it like a puppet? I shook my head slowly. How exactly did Professor Oak expect the five of us to beat something like that? And the fact remains that, if the blade really is its own entity and can act on its own power, we'd have to defeat the wielder AND the blade itself.

The girl sitting next to me spoke up. “If it’s true, then what can we do about it? You just said it yourself; the Blade has the power to vaporize an entire city.” Voicing my thoughts exactly.

I didn't know what to say myself, however...what could I, a College student aspiring to become a Music Teacher, offer in this battle against the God-like powers of the Alchemical Blade? I can't play it to death, can I? I inwardly laughed at my little joke, but I kept a more serious face as I stared at the Professor, looking for answers I was sure he'd give.

OOC: I'll just let DS decide what Oak should say.

[Deathspector]

OOC: Thanks. Also, I don't really want to postpone this too much, so Sky Girl'll just have to catch up. I know she may not reply too soon, because she is planning on leaving the forum. But I don't think she'll leave an RP half-way through. Also, I'd like all of you to post after this.


Nathaniel Redwood
Pallet Town


What?

I just stared, my mouth hanging open so loosely that I was afraid it would fall off. But I had other things to worry about. For starters, what the hell was I expected to do? If what Professor Oak said was true, then we were faced with a serious problem that I would hope the Special Forces of Kanto would deal with. Instead, Professor Oak calls us? Surely Professor Oak didn’t expect us to deal with the Blade, did he?

The girl next to me called Urit spoke exactly what I was thinking. “If it’s true,” she said in an unnaturally polite voice, “then what can we do about it? You just said it yourself; the Blade has the power to vaporize an entire city.”

It was like she could read my mind; and after all that I was being told tonight, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit. But as I stared around the room, searching for the right words to express my concern, I noticed that the others were expressing feelings of incredulity, and wonder; not to mention a large amount of fear. The air in the room seemed to comprise completely of fear. It hung heavy around our heads, like some stick honey, but much less tasty.

“Urit, do you honestly believe that I would ask you to defeat the Blade?” asked Professor Oak wonderingly. “And I thought you five were smart.”

I couldn’t help but notice the strained humour in Professor Oak’s voice. There was something he was not telling us. The situation was, if possible, more sinister than he was making out. But I knew that they last thing to do to Professor Oak would be t trouble him about explaining things. He would do so whenever he felt it was time to do so. Until then we just had to trust his judgment. Which I did without a doubt.

“But Professor. If you don’t want us to defeat the Blade, then what exactly do you want us to do?”

Professor Oak looked at me kindly. “Nathaniel. I do have my reasons for calling you, but first you must promise me one thing. You will stick with me and the rest of our little group until we complete our mission, or we die…is that a deal?”

I paused. True, I trusted him beyond doubt, but I was still wary about pledging my life to a cause that I was not so sure about. You see, while I do want to do something for the world, I want to live my life, and enjoy as much of it as I can. But something in those worried eyes or the Professor made me think again. The existence of Kanto required me supporting the cause. What else could I do?

“Yes, I will stick with you until the end.”

[Suicune's Child]

Urit Janan
Pallet Town

I felt a rush of relief as Professor Oak said, “Urit, do you honestly believe that I would ask you to defeat the Blade? And I thought you five were smart.” I couldn't help smiling slightly at the last part. Of course the professor wouldn't expect us to take on that monster of a weapon. Still, the strain in the old man's voice caused me worry. Things were obviously very bad, and we had been called for a reason. What was that reason? I still had no idea.

“But Professor," said the man called Nathaniel, "If you don’t want us to defeat the Blade, then what exactly do you want us to do?”

Exactly what I was wondering, I said to myself, allowing my eyes to flick to each person in the room for a moment before settling on Professor Oak again. They all must be as puzzled and scared as I was. They don't really look it, but I could feel it. It was like a mist swirling in the air, pressing against me and everyone else all at once.

My mind was snapped sharply back to reality as Oak answered Nathaniel. “Nathaniel. I do have my reasons for calling you, but first you must promise me one thing. You will stick with me and the rest of our little group until we complete our mission, or we die…is that a deal?”

Or until we die...What was I supposed to say to that? I respected the old professor as much as anyone, I admired him at an equally high level, and I would be glad to do whatever I could to help him, but...was I really willing to risk my life? Then again, did I really have a choice? With the Alchemical Blade on the prowl, I wasn't safe, no matter what I did. No one was.

There was also the fact that I would feel guilty, weak, traitorous, and completely horrible if I didn't agree to help. I'd never be able to live to with myself. This was a chance to help, and it was a choice. I knew which choice would be mine, and it was shared by Nathaniel who gave his reply with little hesitation.

I took a breath then answered in a much more serious tone than I had used so far, "I'm with you too."

[Sky Girl]

[occ] I don't usually post often, but I'll catch up. I've had a lot going on. And I haven’t proofread this very well, so I hope there aren’t many grammatical errors.




I awoke with a start, or more accurately, a sharp pain in the ribs. I sat up straight and turned to see the hand of the young man sitting next to me, retreating. [i]Why thank you so much for the delightful awakening. I wasn't really mad, as it appeared that everyone had arrived and the professor was preparing to say something. But I have to admit that I was a little peeved, most of my resentment stemming from the irritable mood I was in.

"Before going into the reasons for calling you here, I would like to offer my congratulations to all of you for coming here. I knew for certain that if I called any of my more well off Pokémon-wise Trainers, they would not have come, making some excuse about doing Training. They’ve become awfully arrogant, and aren’t willing to help an old man even if he needs it desperately. You five, on the other hand, I knew would come," began the famous researcher of pokemon, Professor Oak, seated a few chairs away from me.

As he had talked, I looked around the room and the other five people gathered there. There was, of course, the man who had welcomed me in, William Meredith. I stared at him for a long time. I knew that name, but couldn't for the life of me remember where I'd heard it, and certainly had no idea why he was here. The other men, and the woman seated next to me, looked all like normal everyday people you would encounter. I didn't recognize a single one and doubted that any of them knew a thing about me.

Oak's last comment had warmed me inside. I hardly knew him, and felt undeserving of the praise, but it was nice to hear none-the-less. Well, the feeling was nice while it lasted because after a moment he began again, "But I did not call you here to compliment you. No, I called you for a much more sinister reason. Now, I trust you’ve read Mr. Meredith’s Life with Alchemists?”

So that's where I'd seen his name! I sighed... "Life with Alchemists". A wonderful read that I had picked up while in college, which really caught my interest. Being a lover of fantasy and fantastical objects, I couldn't resist buying the classic book. I've read it close to twenty times over the years, as it never gets boring and always seems to hold new information every time I pick it up. Or maybe I'm just a forgetful person. It had been a while from when I'd last read it. Since becoming a mother, I'd had little time to read anything. I assumed everyone else in the room had read it too, for I doubted any of them would be here if they hadn't.

“Good,” he said suddenly. “Now, I’d like all of you to cast your mind back to the chapter where he described the power of the Alchemical Blade. Do you remember? Good. Now, recall that he said that the Blade had enough power to completely raze one city. You do realize that if the Blade ever came back, it would have devastating effects on the world, as we know it today? But to come back, it needs someone who will wield it –”

Yes, yes. Anyone who had read the book would know this. What was the man's point? I felt like I was being rude by just thinking these thoughts, but it wasn't like the blade had risen again. How could it? Judging by the next statement from the man who had woken me earlier, the others were having similar feelings.

“But wasn’t that the reason for the Blade to escape? It didn’t want anyone wielding it. It felt…used.”

At this point, the professor smiled. I hated that smile. “Yes, you are correct Nathaniel, but you’ve forgotten one major point. The Blade has a mind of its own. Now, the reason I called all of you here, is because I need your help in defeating the Blade. Oh, yes. It has returned…”

Oh. Finally the reason we were here. The blade had returned, and he decided we might like to know so we could just whip out our handy-dandy magic powers and wipe it from existence. What the heck did he expect me to do about it? This meeting was quickly becoming more and more strange. Wait, no, more and more insane. I stared at his ageing, wrinkled face like it was a television screen that I had been watching for hours. The only good thing about that moment was that I now knew the man sitting next to me was called Nathaniel.

The girl sitting on the other side of me finally voiced her question, “If it’s true, then what can we do about it? You just said it yourself; the Blade has the power to vaporize an entire city.”

“Urit, do you honestly believe that I would ask you to defeat the Blade?” Professor Oak replied. “And I thought you five were smart.”

Great, now he had gone from complimenting us to insulting us. A slight dislike for the old man was beginning to build within me, but just a slight one. At least he wasn't asking us to really do anything... yet. But we would not have been called here without reason, and the secrecy that seemed to surround the whole situation was beginning to irk me.

“But Professor. If you don’t want us to defeat the Blade, then what exactly do you want us to do?” asked Nathaniel. Why Professor Oak didn't just tell us the answer to this question in the first place was beyond me. I really wished he would though so we could move on.

“Nathaniel. I do have my reasons for calling you, but first you must promise me one thing. You will stick with me and the rest of our little group until we complete our mission, or we die…is that a deal?”

All of my wildest dreams and biggest fears seemed to come together with that one question. I had dreamed all of my life for adventure, and of mystical objects and powers locked away. Of life or death situations in which my moment of glory would occur and I would be the victorious heroine. But they were childhood fantasy. This was real life, real problems, and real people. And I had real children and a real husband who needed me. How can I possibly chance throwing all that I've accomplished away? Sending the lives of my family into turmoil?

Slowly Nathaniel answered the question, "Yes, I will stick with you until the end."

One person had pledged their support. I didn't understand how anyone could do that. I was incredibly torn. It was such a daunting task. Not a decision that one could make in a matter in minutes. However, the big picture began to form in my mind. That's always how it was for me. I was often stuck in my own self-pity, until I began to paint a scene in my mind. The blade had returned. I knew the power of the blade. I knew what it was capable of. He wasn't just asking us to save the world. He was asking us to save ourselves, our families, our friends... our husbands, sons, and daughters. My husband, my son, my daughters.

Then came the woman next to me, "I'm with you too."

The conviction in her voice was the breaking point for me. I gave in and despite my fear..pledged my support.

I began in a whisper. "I have a young..." I stopped to clear my throat and started again, slightly louder this time. "I have four month old son at home, two daughters, and a loving husband. Their... their lives are in danger. If I agree to come, I risk them having to live a life without me. But if I say no, I risk living a life without them; I risk my own life too. So, I guess... so..." I sighed. "I won't let you down." I looked into the professor's eyes as I said these last few words in a whisper, then bowed my head.

[Neo Pikachu]

Jonathan Logan
Pallet Town

I was silent for the most part. Typically, I kept my opinion to myself, especially if I had no idea what was going on. I’d rather appear to be resilient and tentative than ignorant, and asking why would be weak. Either the answers would come or I’d have to find them in time.

“If it’s true,” Urit spoke out loud, “then what can we do about it? You just said it yourself; the Blade has the power to vaporize an entire city.”

Going against this thing wasn’t my idea of suicide. If this was really a highly potent threat, then why the hell weren’t we getting the police involved? I’m a surgeon for pete’s sake, I’m not a warrior. Still, there had to be a reasoning for this, but my patience was being worn thin and there still weren’t answers with even just a little substance to them.

“Urit, do you honestly believe that I would ask you to defeat the Blade?” Professor Oak had asked her, “And I thought you five were smart.”

Pft, senile old bastard. Either the old schmuck was either hiding something or this was all a joke. If I wasn’t needed here, then why didn’t he just say so? Still, I didn’t know why but I couldn’t muster the courage to just get up and walk out of there. Something compelled me to stay, and why… I had no idea…

“But Professor. If you don’t want us to defeat the Blade, then what exactly do you want us to do?” Nathaniel asked him.

Ugh, by any chance, it was probably plan a funeral for him ahead of time. I kept wondering why he couldn’t be more straightforward with this, but still… nothing happening. It just didn’t make sense.

“Nathaniel. I do have my reasons for calling you, but first you must promise me one thing.” Oak told him, “You will stick with me and the rest of our little group until we complete our mission, or we die…is that a deal?”

A raw one at best. Exactly what was our end of the deal anyway? For all I knew, Oak could have really lost it over the years and was going crazy.

“Yes, I will stick with you until the end.” Nathaniel told him.

I just looked away for the moment. This wasn’t making any sense.

“I'm with you too. ” Urit told him, joining in with Nathaniel.

Normally I would be the one to take the initiative, but it just wasn’t coming across this time around. No answers, no real idea of what was going on. I knew what a waver looked like, and I couldn’t help but picture a very stupid one before me.

“I have a young...” A woman next to me had started to speak, “I have four month old son at home, two daughters, and a loving husband. Their... their lives are in danger. If I agree to come, I risk them having to live a life without me. But if I say no, I risk living a life without them; I risk my own life too. So, I guess... so... I won't let you down.”

Nothing was really making ends meet. Three people… pledging their loyalty to him when they really had no idea what was going on? This just wasn’t making sense, it was jumping into a pit when we had no idea what was on the bottom. At that moment, when everyone else was blindly agreeing, I couldn’t help but speak up.

“Oak, for christsake’s, what the hell are we dealing with here?” I asked him, not caring what anyone else was thinking at the moment, “Are you sending the five of us on a suicide mission or what? I want to know the details about all of this before I agree to anything, especially if what you’re saying is this dangerous. Nobody, but I mean nobody can expect to stick this out and succeed if we don’t even know your plan.”

I then shut my eyes for a moment in thought.

“Because if you’re having trouble coming forward… how can you expect any of us to?”

And there they had it, all my thoughts of the entire evening before anything. Maybe I wasn’t as kind to the old man as the others were, but I had my own prerogatives and obviously they were treading into dangerous territory before they even knew what it really was they were dealing with, or even with a plan to come and stop it.

And I wasn’t about to let myself be bound with an agreement like this until I knew what the whole plan was.

[Deathspector]

OOC: Glad that at least one of us thinks straight...:rolleyes:. Anyway, Deoxys Trainer willjust have to catch up. And Neo, any enmity between our characters is strictly for Role Play purposes only...XD

Nathaniel Redwood
Pallet Town


It was a bold statement, and one that I would probably regret saying in the time to come, but I trusted Professor Oak. I wouldn’t call him a mentor, or hero, as I never nurtured ambitions of becoming a Pokémon Professor like him, but I did respect his wisdom and knowledge. People called him eccentric, and in his old age this certainly was evident, but it didn’t matter. Eccentric people were usually those who achieved far more than those who were sane. I’m not sure why, but the very eccentricity of Professor Oak’s question sparked a reckless daring in my body that burned with fiery passion. My heart hurt as soon as the words had come out. But at least I wasn’t alone.

The lady next to me, the one called Urit, was showing signs of doubt and worry. But with a final sigh, she too agreed to join in our little group. I was glad that Professor Oak and his wise old ideals had moved at least one other person here. It was warming to know that I was not all that different from the rest. But she probably had very different reasons for agreeing.

"I have a young..." the lady who had been sleeping until Professor Oak began to talk stopped. She then cleared her throat softly, and continued with more vigour. "I have four month old son at home, two daughters, and a loving husband. Their... their lives are in danger. If I agree to come, I risk them having to live a life without me. But if I say no, I risk living a life without them; I risk my own life too. So, I guess... so...I won't let you down."

It made sense why she was reluctant. I didn’t blame her one bit, and admired that she was willing to give up her life in order to protect her children and husband. That was loyalty unlike anything I had seen before; something that made me feel all fuzzy inside. For me, it was a much simpler matter. I was younger than she was, that much was obvious from the way she spoke and the way her eyes portrayed her feelings. She had experienced more than I had, and was already married and had kids. For me, I had not really begun my life. Teaching was great, but it lacked that one thing that this new job had. Yes, I suppose I would call it a job: a non-profit job.

Unfortunately, not everyone had the same ideas that I had.

“Oak, for Christ sake’s, what the hell are we dealing with here?” the man who introduced himself as Doctor Logan snapped rather insolently. “Are you sending the five of us on a suicide mission or what? I want to know the details about all of this before I agree to anything, especially if what you’re saying is this dangerous. Nobody, but I mean nobody can expect to stick this out and succeed if we don’t even know your plan.”

He then closed his eyes, as if to contain all of the anger that was flowing within his pumping veins. He then opened them, and said more softly, “Because if you’re having trouble coming forward… how can you expect any of us to?”

Considering all that Professor Oak had done, many would say this was unreasonable, not to mention rude. Me included.

“Think of what Professor Oak has done, Logan!” I replied rather shortly. I was in no mood to argue with someone who was so shortsighted that he did not see that the world was in danger, and that he could actually do something to help. “Do you honestly believe he would give us something to do that would intentionally harm us? Give him the chance and he’ll explain, I can assure you!”

Professor Oak stood up from his chair, and almost collapsed again. Mr. Meredith rushed to his aid, and helped the fragile old man up. “That will do, Nathaniel,” he replied softly, but firmly. “Jonathan, please try to understand what is going on. If I were to tell you what I would like you to do, it would only postpone this moment, not to mention make you reluctant to answer. Forgive me for my idiocy. It is the fault of an old man, and I hope you will understand me in good time.”

He coughed, and clutched his chest painfully, motioning wildly with his arms. The speech seemed to have taken all of his will power to complete, and he could no longer speak. Mr. Meredith quickly grabbed an inhaler from the armrest of Professor Oak’s chair, and handed it to the old man. Professor Oak shook it, and then took one almighty puff. The coughing seized immediately. He waited for a few moments, in which I glared angrily across at Dr. Logan. Professor Oak then spoke again.

“At this point in time, I wish nothing more than information on the Philosopher’s Stone. William, here, has done a great deal of research on the topic, but in order to complete my experiments I need a sample of the Stone…”

“But Professor,” I cut in, my curiosity overpowering my urge to prove that he was correct, “what are your experiments? If you’re doing something like Daniel Smith did, then I don’t think –”

He looked at me sharply, and I stopped. “Do I look like someone who would do that?” I shook my head apologetically. “I hope so.” Here he coughed again before continuing, “The ore is, as we know, situated under Lavender. My request for you is to go there, and get me a sample of the ore, even if it is mixed with other elements.” There was one question bugging me, but he seemed to know what I was thinking. “Yes, this job may result in one of you getting injured; the Alchemical Blade doesn’t exactly like people fiddling around with the Stone. It could result in another weapon just as powerful, or even more powerful than the Blade.”

So now it all made sense. After dragging it out for a long time he had finally told us what he needed to. I looked at Dr. Logan with a “told-you-so” look on my face. Boy, I was going to enjoy this…

[Neo Pikachu]

OOC: Ha ha, you’re so cute when you’re angry.

Jonathan Logan
Pallet Town

Insolence, I saw it all over them. I began to feel like I was the only sane and sensible one here, now truly feeling like the long ride I had taken to get all the way over here was completely for naught. If these fools wanted to sacrifice themselves like slaughter, they could go ahead, but it wasn’t about to become my business.

“Think of what Professor Oak has done, Logan!” Nathaniel lashed back at me, “Do you honestly believe he would give us something to do that would intentionally harm us? Give him the chance and he’ll explain, I can assure you!”

“I don’t make promises I have no intention of keeping, Redwood.” I told him in a stern and adamant voice, “But, if you are as so much as a fool for blindly throwing your life away without considering what really lies before you, be my guest, but keep your ignorance as far away from me as possible.”

I could see why Professor Oak had summoned me in the first place. The rest of these people would probably need someone to help them after they got so brutally hurt from their own foolish recklessness.

“That will do, Nathaniel,” he replied with a soft voice, “Jonathan, please try to understand what is going on. If I were to tell you what I would like you to do, it would only postpone this moment, not to mention make you reluctant to answer. Forgive me for my idiocy. It is the fault of an old man, and I hope you will understand me in good time.”

“Professor, I just want the truth.” I told him, not really caring how demanding I was coming across, “You’re a reasonable man, right? Let’s hear the details, and let’s be prepared for the best approach. I’m not a reckless man.”

Still, he was having trouble speaking, bad enough to the point where Meredith needed to get him an inhaler. I looked at him, and I knew he should have been in a hospital, but I could only guess he already knew his days were coming to an end, and the only thing a hospital crew would do is just keep him strapped to a bed until it was all over. In the meantime, Nathaniel glared at me with a look of anger, but I let my nonchalant, raised middle finger do the talking on my end.

“At this point in time, I wish nothing more than information on the Philosopher’s Stone. William, here, has done a great deal of research on the topic, but in order to complete my experiments I need a sample of the Stone…”

“But Professor,” Nathaniel interrupted him, “what are your experiments? If you’re doing something like Daniel Smith did, then I don’t think –”

“Do I look like someone who would do that?” Samuel Oak had asked him.

After Nathanial shook his head, the professor continued. Inside, I was laughing, but I kept quiet.

“I hope so. The ore is, as we know, situated under Lavender. My request for you is to go there, and get me a sample of the ore, even if it is mixed with other elements. Yes, this job may result in one of you getting injured; the Alchemical Blade doesn’t exactly like people fiddling around with the Stone. It could result in another weapon just as powerful, or even more powerful than the Blade.”

Nathaniel looked back at me with a smirk, as if trying to prove a point. I made note of that, making sure that if he did get injured, not to use any antiseptic or anesthesia during first aid. You do not mess with the people who could be your best chance at survival…

…especially coming from naïve people like Nathaniel Redwood, people like him bound to get hurt.

“I’m guessing the experiment you plan on conducting has something to do with destroying the Alchemical Blade completely.” I told Professor Oak, able to figure out his plans, “In that case, you have my support. We’ll get the sample, find a way to destroy it completely, and then use it on the Blade. That way, nothing of it will remain, and we can get on with our lives.”

But I knew that was easier said than done. But we had our plan, that’s what I was looking for…

[Shen]

Devon Kolzinski
Pallet Town, Prof. Oak's House

Several things happened in quick succession that I found it easier to keep silence...

Oak asked for us to stay with the group, no matter what, until death seperates us. Nathaniel and the two girls, one of which I caught the name of: Urit, had pledged there allegiance. I still had no idea who the sleeping girl was, nor the man standing next to Nathaniel. I was about to, when the last man exploded.

“Oak, for christsake’s, what the hell are we dealing with here? Are you sending the five of us on a suicide mission or what? I want to know the details about all of this before I agree to anything, especially if what you’re saying is this dangerous. Nobody, but I mean nobody can expect to stick this out and succeed if we don’t even know your plan.” He shut his eyes before continuing. “Because if you’re having trouble coming forward… how can you expect any of us to?”

Nathaniel spoke up on the Professor's behalf, and then Oak stood up suddenly, causing him to nearly collapse. Mr. Merideth rushed to his aid, and Oak said some more...a lot more for a man his age, but still aloowing me to finally catch that man's name: Jonathan. He had a coughing fit, and William grabbed the inhaler and helped him to use it. Oak then said he only needed information on the actual Philosopher's Stone ore. At first I speculated that Oak might be conducting experiments like the maniac in William's book, but then I thought better; Oak's better than that.

Nthaniel voiced these concerns, but Professor Oak merely said, “Do I look like someone who would do that?” Nathaniel shook his head apologetically. “I hope so.” Here he coughed again before continuing, “The ore is, as we know, situated under Lavender. My request for you is to go there, and get me a sample of the ore, even if it is mixed with other elements.” Then, seeming to notice someone had a question they were dying to voice, he said. “Yes, this job may result in one of you getting injured; the Alchemical Blade doesn’t exactly like people fiddling around with the Stone. It could result in another weapon just as powerful, or even more powerful than the Blade.”

Nathaniel looked at Johnathan with a snide, smug look. Not exactly a smart thing to do, especially when everyone's on tenterhooks here.

“I’m guessing the experiment you plan on conducting has something to do with destroying the Alchemical Blade completely.” Jontathan said, “In that case, you have my support. We’ll get the sample, find a way to destroy it completely, and then use it on the Blade. That way, nothing of it will remain, and we can get on with our lives."

I wasn't sure of what to say. How I got involved in this, I'll never know. The other people here probably have special abilities or traits that will help this succeed, but I merely play music! Sure, I know a lot of stuff besides the art of music, but I know for a fact that I do not know as much as Professor Oak. Everyone else had given their support for the old man, and, once again, they were waiting for me. In my mind, I was raging with a torrent of queries I needed answers to, but I kept them to myself, my eyes on the Professor.

Without waiting much longer than a couple of seconds after Jonathan, I spoke up finally. "I understand the plan, and the danger. You have my gratitude for trusting me as one of those you'd like to have embark on this 'little excursion,' and my absolute support."

[Deathspector]

OOC:

OOC: Ha ha, you’re so cute when you’re angry.

I'll take that as a compliment, shall I? Also, I kind of forgot that you're the resident doctor. I feel so sorry for what I've got ready for poor Nathaniel. I'm a really mean master. And here I thought Dr Jonathan would be there to save his life...XD. Anyhow, now that the plan has all been layed out, feel free to control Oak and William Meredith. Just keep them with the personality I hope I've built up so far.


Nathaniel Redwood
Pallet Town


This Dr. Logan was really getting on my nerves. But I intended to keep my anger under control until it was okay to rage all day long. This would probably mean after our little job, and that could take some time. Lavender was far away, and although it took only about an hour by plane, I had a distinct feeling that we’d be walking the entire way, or part of it. Missions like this just don’t go well with modern day technology. We could fly there, get the ore, and fly back within a day, but I knew it wouldn’t happen. Professor Oak did mention how the Blade might get angered if it found out our plan. Lovely…

"I understand the plan, and the danger. You have my gratitude for trusting me as one of those you'd like to have embark on this 'little excursion,' and my absolute support."

I was surprised. I had almost forgotten the other man; my rising rivalry with Logan was getting in the way of my observation. I looked carefully at him, as if trying to see what he was thinking. He seemed to be feeling the same way I did, and seemed to understand the problems that we were facing. I was glad that there was only one delusional person in our newly founded group. The writer in me sprung up, and simply demanded a name. Call me clichéd, but can I blame myself if I’ve got a soft spot for dramatics?

Professor Oak smiled warmly first at Logan, and then at the other man. “I’m glad all of you have agreed to accompany me and William on this excursion.”

I stared. He was coming with us? And here was Logan saying that he was sending us on a suicide mission. If this was a suicide mission meant for anyone, it was Professor Oak. He was an old man, nearing his century now, and here he was talking about going on a journey that even men in the prime of their life were unwilling? Well women too, seeing as the sleeping lady was a bit worried. But truthfully so was I. I was putting up a great show of courage and bravery in front of Logan as the writer in me took out imaginary quill and began to write all of this down. But now, after boldly declaring my allegiance towards Professor Oak, my common sense arose.

I quelled it immediately. There were more important matters to deal with, and my writer-side would be better equipped to handle them.

“But Professor, your health? I doubt we could just fly over to Lavender and be back in a day, what with the Blade on the loose,” I said worriedly, looking at the others for support. I didn’t even mind teaming up with Logan as long as I could talk Professor Oak out o this.

But the old man merely smiled at me. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do. Well, not fly to Lavender, as such, but to Celadon. After that, I intend to take a bus through to Saffron, and from there we could walk to Lavender. I hope that’s okay with all of you?”

I nodded. It seemed viable. And after all, who would think they was anything fishy about two women and three men who’d never met each other before, going along with some eccentric Professor and a writer who wrote fiction claiming it was fact?

Well, don’t get me started…


Deathspector

[Shen]

Devon Kolzinski
Pallet Town, Professor Oak's House

I noticed Nathaniel looking at me carefully out of the corner of my eye, trying to see what I was thinking I presume. Nonetheless, I kept my eyes for the Professor.

Professor Oak smiled warmly first at Jonathan, and then at me. “I’m glad all of you have agreed to accompany me and William on this excursion.”

Wait...did he say "me and William?" I stared hard into his eyes, trying to detect any sense of jokes or, possibly, insanity...a hundred years can take a toll on the mind of a mere human, after all. However, I only saw determination within. I was now scared for Oak. He could hardly talk for long, much less travel to Lavender with us, trying to avoid the danger of the Alchemical Blade!

“But Professor, your health? I doubt we could just fly over to Lavender and be back in a day, what with the Blade on the loose.” Ah. Once again, my thoughts voiced by another in the room. This time, it was Nathaniel. He looked to the rest of us, urging us to support his statement.

Oak merely smiled at Nathaniel, showing that he was in fact loosing his teeth. Gaps where teeth should be were interspersed randomly in his mouth. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do. Well, not fly to Lavender, as such, but to Celadon. After that, I intend to take a bus through to Saffron, and from there we could walk to Lavender. I hope that’s okay with all of you?”

Nathaniel nodded.

"That's fine with me, but what would happen if the Blade decided to intercept us directly along our path?" I asked, concern evident in my voice. "How would we defend each other from power such as it holds?"

[Suicune's Child]

Urit Janan
Pallet Town

I remained silent as the others in the room gave their support, some less enthusiastic than others. I could tell their were some ill feelings between two of them, Nathanial and Logan. I couldn't blame them, I didn't feel much fondness towards the doctor myself. Still, I was used to staying quiet and focusing on the task at hand. There'd be time for annoying possible enemies later.

I was glad to learn that Professor Oak did not intend for us to go off and hunt down the Alchemical Blade and I felt foolish for thinking he would ever ask such a thing of anyone. Go to Lavender, collect a sample of stone, head back to Pallet. Sounds easy enough. Then again, things are always easier than they sound. Oak's warning fitted perfectly with my own conclusions about how the Blade would feel if I group of strangers started poking around Lavender looking for Stone samples.

My thoughts were cut off, however, as the old professor smiled at two of the men in the room then said, “I’m glad all of you have agreed to accompany me and William on this excursion.”

I just blinked. A moment of stillness, then I cocked my head to one side, sure I had misheard him. Come with us? But...is he crazy? I wouldn't want Mr. William to come with us and he's about a million years younger than Oak! Ok, that's an extreme exaggeration, but still...

“But Professor, your health?" began Nathanial, "I doubt we could just fly over to Lavender and be back in a day, what with the Blade on the loose."

Professor Oak merely smiled as he replied, “That’s exactly what we’re going to do. Well, not fly to Lavender, as such, but to Celadon. After that, I intend to take a bus through to Saffron, and from there we could walk to Lavender. I hope that’s okay with all of you?”

"That's fine with me," said the man who's name I didn't yet know in a concerned tone, "but what would happen if the Blade decided to intercept us directly along our path? How would we defend each other from power such as it holds?"

Good question. It wasn't the top one on mind, though. My main question was, how on Earth did Professor Oak plan to walk from Saffron to Lavender. It wasn't that long a journey, but the old man had barely been able to stay standing earlier. There was no way he could make it. Was there any chance of convincing him not to come? Would it be a mistake if he didn't? He and William Meredith were the ones who knew the most about the Blade and whatever they could tell us would be useful.

Resigned to his company I merely sighed and allowed a small shake of my head then voiced my own question, "What are the chances of the Blade not finding out what we're up to?" My voice was perfectly level, but my heart was beating rather faster than usual from nerves.

[Deathspector]

Nathaniel Redwood
Pallet Town


Evidently, I wasn’t the only one who was worried about the Professor’s health. But no one seemed to make much fuss about a ninety-nine-year-old man accompanying a group of people at the prime of their life, who could probably cover that distance three times faster than even Mr Meredith. A man – the only one who I didn’t know the name of – decided to voice his own doubts. It was a smart thing to do, but I honestly believed that people should have been more worried about the Professor’s health than their own troubles.

“That's fine with me, but what would happen if the Blade decided to intercept us directly along our path?” he asked, his voice heavy with worry and concern. “How would we defend each other from power such as it holds?”

I couldn’t help but seeing what he was talking about. But before the Professor could reply, the lady called Urit asked her own question. “What are the chances of the Blade not finding out what we're up to?”

Professor Oak smiled softly. “I’ll answer your questions one by one. Devon –” so that was the name of the other man, “–, the Blade will possess a human, and despite the Blade’s awesome power, the human who it possesses limits it. And so, it is likely that the human will not be very smart, or else the Blade would not have possessed him or her. So, I can safely say that we should be able to fight them off long enough to get a sufficient distance between us. Our Pokémon are with us on this journey as well, after all. And Urit, now your question: Nearly fifty-percent. I have information that suggests that the Blade is heading for Cerulean, and it will not really care about the rest of Kanto. But even so, we should have our eyes peeled for any thing out of the ordinary.” Professor Oak them rose from his chair, with the help of Mr Meredith, and then smiled. “We will be taking my private jet to Celadon, and that will be ready in a couple of hours. I need to sleep. Please feel free to make this house your own…”

With that, he got up, and left the room.

I walked over to a chair, and sat down, weariness suddenly taking over me. Within minutes I feel asleep, with the mantra “What have I got myself into?” repeating itself over and over in my head as I spiralled off to the Land of Nod.

OOC: Well, now you've got free run of Oak's house...XD

Deathspector

[Sky Girl]

[ooc]

I've already told DS about this, but I guess I should let the rest of you know. I'm grounded from the Internet for a while, but I manage to sneak on every now and then. So my posting may continue to be sporadic, but I will post as often as I can since I am on spring break.

There is a lot of catching up in this post, but it has my oh-so-important opinions (not). :) There is some action near the end, so I hope I didn't ruin anyone else's plans. And once again, this hasn't been proofread.

[ic]

Almost as soon as I had finished speaking, there was a loud outburst from the other side of the room which was quickly followed by an argument between two of the men. As they spoke, I felt the urge to send both of them into a timeout. I guess it's just the mother in me, though. I held my tongue and listened to what they had to say.

"Oak, for christsake's, what the hell are we dealing with here? Are you sending the five of us on a suicide mission or what? I want to know the details about all of this before I agree to anything, especially if what you're saying is this dangerous. Nobody, but I mean nobody can expect to stick this out and succeed if we don't even know your plan." A shorter man with dark brown eyes and a serious expression had opened his mouth for the first time that night. I remember thinking he had the look of a scholar or a doctor.

He had paused and shut his eyes for a moment, as if to let his words sink in. Then he made one last statement, "Because if you're having trouble coming forward… how can you expect any of us to?"

I felt that he hadn't exactly been very kind when choosing his words. It was practically a direct attack against Professor Oak. I wonder what caused him to have such contempt for the old man.. However, I understood what he was saying and desperately wanted the same information he did.

Before Oak could even gather enough strength to reply, Nathaniel shot an equally rude response towards the man who had just spoken, "Think of what Professor Oak has done, Logan! Do you honestly believe he would give us something to do that would intentionally harm us? Give him the chance and he'll explain, I can assure you!"

Finally Professor Oak cut in. I was surprised to see him stand up to do so. "That will do, Nathaniel. Jonathan, please try to understand what is going on. If I were to tell you what I would like you to do, it would only postpone this moment, not to mention make you reluctant to answer. Forgive me for my idiocy. It is the fault of an old man, and I hope you will understand me in good time."

Well, it seemed to me that Jonathan Logan was already reluctant to answer. The professor's words scared me a little. I hoped that I wouldn't regret my decision later.

Apparently Oak had several health problems aside from just old age, for after his little speech, he broke into a coughing fit that had him convulsing for several minutes. Mr. Meredith came to his aid with an inhaler that instantaneously ceased the coughing. Secretly I hoped Mr. Logan felt bad, though it was a childish immature hope.

"At this point in time, I wish nothing more than information on the Philosopher's Stone. William, here, has done a great deal of research on the topic, but in order to complete my experiments I need a sample of the Stone…" At this point, Nathaniel interrupted the professor.

"But Professor, what are your experiments? If you're doing something like Daniel Smith did, then I don't think-"

"Do I look like someone who would do that?" Nathaniel shook his head. "I hope so." The professor stopped due to more coughing.

For someone who had just criticize Mr. Logan for asking intrusive questions, I didn't think it was appropriate of Nathaniel to do turn around and do the same thing, even if it was in a more polite manner. I said nothing though because I was wondering the same things these two men were. I should have known that a professor would want to experiment on the stone, but not at Professor Oak's age! He is/was far too old, if I may say so. How is he even alive?

"The ore is, as we know, situated under Lavender. My request for you is to go there, and get me a sample of the ore, even if it is mixed with other elements. Yes, this job may result in one of you getting injured; the Alchemical Blade doesn't exactly like people fiddling around with the Stone. It could result in another weapon just as powerful, or even more powerful than the Blade."

That was it? I mean, it was incredibly dangerous. But what was the point? I thought what we were doing was supposed to help stop the Blade. I didn't think we were just going on some wild goose chase to help an aged professor finish some project of his. Thankfully, Mr. Logan helped the situation by guessing at Oak's true plan.

"I'm guessing the experiment you plan on conducting has something to do with destroying the Alchemical Blade completely. In that case, you have my support. We'll get the sample, find a way to destroy it completely, and then use it on the Blade. That way, nothing of it will remain, and we can get on with our lives."

This made so much more sense. Even though I still had a bad impression of Mr. Logan, I was thankful for his observation. We now knew what we were doing… sorta.

"I understand the plan, and the danger. You have my gratitude for trusting me as one of those you'd like to have embark on this 'little excursion,' and my absolute support," came the fifth statement of acceptance. It was from the only man whose name I did not know. He looked a good bit younger than me, maybe five years or so? I'm not good at guessing ages though. He seemed to be a quiet person like me.

I looked back to Professor Oak. He was smiling and looking around at the five gathered here. "I'm glad all of you have agreed to accompany me and William on this excursion."

I sat there starting to daydream about the journey ahead. It took me a moment to realize what had just been said. Hold up! Did you just say you were coming with us? I looked quickly around the room. Almost every face reflected the same look of disbelief.

With a worried look, Nathaniel voiced the common question, "But Professor, your health? I doubt we could just fly over to Lavender and be back in a day, what with the Blade on the loose."

"That's exactly, what we're going to do. Well, not fly to Lavender, as such, but to Celadon. After that, I intend to take a bus through to Saffron, and from there we could walk to Lavender. I hope that's okay with all of you?"

It was fine with me. But the first thought that came to my mind was, He'll be dead before we reach Lavender. Oak looked like he was due to kick the bucket any day now. And he would slow us down a great bit. The Blade would know we were coming long before we arrived, because it'd be difficult to move in quickly and silently. Now, it was a suicide mission.

I nodded slowly anyways.

Out of nowhere, the fifth man spoke up again, "That's fine with me, but what would happen if the Blade decided to intercept us directly along our path? How would we defend each other from power such as it holds?"

We'd have to find a way. I doubt anyone really knows… I thought. But I decided to keep quiet as I always do, and let the Professor give his reply. However, Urit jumped in with her question first. "What are the chances of the Blade not finding out what we're up to?”

“I’ll answer your questions one by one. Devon, the Blade will possess a human, and despite the Blade’s awesome power, the human who it possesses limits it. And so, it is likely that the human will not be very smart, or else the Blade would not have possessed him or her. So, I can safely say that we should be able to fight them off long enough to get a sufficient distance between us. Our Pokémon are with us on this journey as well, after all. And Urit, now your question: Nearly fifty-percent. I have information that suggests that the Blade is heading for Cerulean, and it will not really care about the rest of Kanto. But even so, we should have our eyes peeled for any thing out of the ordinary. We will be taking my private jet to Celadon, and that will be ready in a couple of hours. I need to sleep. Please feel free to make this house your own…”

Finally the nameless man had been identified. I had smiled when his name was finally said. By this point the Professor had stood, with Mr. Meredith's assistance of course. There was obviously going to be no more answers given by him tonight.

I was still very tired, but I didn't feel comfortable sleeping with so many people around, despite my passing out earlier. So I stood up and walked out the door into the hallway. I went left, hoping to come across the kitchen. Coffee was desperately needed at the moment. I had gotten addicted after years of screaming babies crying for attention in the middle of the night.

The house was still dark, lit faintly by a few incandescent light bulbs. I strained my eyes, looking into each of the rooms as I passed them. I knew my eyesight was deteriorating but I had refused to admit it for many years. Near the end of the hall, I finally looked into a room on the right and found it to have large gray tiles for the flooring and turquoise-colored walls. Pale moonlight streamed through a window directly across from the doorway. There was a sink to the left of the window, as well as a few cabinets and some dishes covered with bits of food that appeared to be left from dinner. I was tempted to walk over there and begin a cleaning expedition, but instead looked around for the coffee maker.

To the right of the window was a small refrigerator, and next to it a tiny stove that looked like it hadn't been used in a decade. In the corner to my right, was a door, which I figured must open to a pantry. After finally surveying the entire room from the doorway I stepped inside. I flipped the light switch beside me, hoping for some more light. Great, more incandescent bulbs. A small light bulb flickered to life in the dead center of the ceiling. But between the two light sources I managed to see a little better.

Moving towards the counters on the left side of the kitchen, I finally found the coffee maker. It was tucked away in a corner, underneath the cabinets that lined the wall above the sink. I placed my hands on the sides of the cold machine and dragged it out as far as the cord would reach (it was already plugged in). I grabbed a rag from the side of the sink and tried to dust off the off-white device.

I was starting to get irritable. I really needed that caffeine. I hurriedly opened the door to the pantry and started searching the shelves for the coffee grinds. When I had walked into the pantry, it only went a short distance forward and then turned sharply to the left. The entire place smelled of mildew, dust, and rat droppings, which was slightly repulsive. On the far wall was the breaker box for the house's electrical system. I finally located the coffee behind a box of sugar, which I took back into the kitchen as well.

I filled the pot with water and started the Isabelle Coffee-making Process. I loved my coffee, as did my husband Ryan. I'd never really gotten the opinion of anyone else though, aside from the occasional co-worker that I call into my office to discuss this plan or that project. All of this is beside the point though.

I leaned against the counter as my thoughts began to drift back to my husband and the two beautiful girls I left back at home, not to mention my newborn son. I should probably call them… It could wait till morning though. Soon the delicious aroma began to fill the room, but I didn't notice, still lost in thought…

[Neo Pikachu]

Jonathan Logan
Pallet Town


I had my doubts about it all, but it was better we get this done and over with.

“I’m glad all of you have agreed to accompany me and William on this excursion.” Professor Oak told the five of us, looking at me first and then at the others.

Was he kidding? I swore I wasn’t hearing this right or something. William, I expected to be our point man, but Oak was going to kill himself trying to move around in this kind of condition. He belonged in a hospital, not out and about, especially when the road ahead was likely very dangerous.

“But Professor, your health? I doubt we could just fly over to Lavender and be back in a day, what with the Blade on the loose.” Nathaniel told him, looking worried about Oak’s health conditions.

My concern was trying to avoid detection as well. The situation was too dangerous for him, and I knew he was going to kill himself doing it. There was no reason for it, he should have been staying here with protection. If we needed him, all we had to do was call him. That was it. It wasn’t worth it.

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do.” Oak told him, “Well, not fly to Lavender, as such, but to Celadon. After that, I intend to take a bus through to Saffron, and from there we could walk to Lavender. I hope that’s okay with all of you?”

Something about this didn’t sit well with me, but I had already gotten meaninglessly chewed out for speaking out. It really was his decision, but I wasn’t too comfortable with the idea of everyone suddenly turning toward me if Oak was injured or hurt. He was too old, I knew he shouldn’t have been walking around.

“That's fine with me,” Devon spoke up, “but what would happen if the Blade decided to intercept us directly along our path? How would we defend each other from power such as it holds?”

I was wondering that myself to tell the truth. Our resources were mediocre at best. We were running a high risk…

“What are the chances of the Blade not finding out what we're up to?” Urit had added on, wondering how dense this really was.

“I’ll answer your questions one by one. Devon –“ Professor Oak told him, “–, the Blade will possess a human, and despite the Blade’s awesome power, the human who it possesses limits it. And so, it is likely that the human will not be very smart, or else the Blade would not have possessed him or her. So, I can safely say that we should be able to fight them off long enough to get a sufficient distance between us. Our Pokémon are with us on this journey as well, after all. And Urit, now your question: Nearly fifty-percent. I have information that suggests that the Blade is heading for Cerulean, and it will not really care about the rest of Kanto. But even so, we should have our eyes peeled for any thing out of the ordinary.”

He then tried to stand up, but had difficultly doing so and needed Meredith to help him stand. I didn’t like the sight of it, there was no way Oak was going to be able to walk all the way from Saffron City to Lavender Town. It was just not happening…

“We will be taking my private jet to Celadon, and that will be ready in a couple of hours.” He told the rest of us, “I need to sleep. Please feel free to make this house your own…”

I figured we would be leaving soon in due time. When Oak left the room, I couldn’t help but think to myself how badly he needed to be in a hospital. He was too weak to even travel, never mind confront the Blade itself. Plus, it felt like a sick thing to say, but he was going to slow us down. If I said that, I would only get another cold reaction from everyone else and I really didn’t want to make things worse. But I knew we didn’t have time to waste.

I had gotten up, and looked toward Meredith. He was still young, and he had energy. I couldn’t help but approach him, knowing what would be safer and faster.

“Meredith, Oak can barely walk, there’s no way he’ll ever be able to travel from Saffron city to Lavender Town without collapsing.” I told him, knowing he knew more about Oak’s present condition over the past few days, “If he insists on doing this, he’s going to need a wheelchair. If would be faster and safer.”

I couldn’t help but think how close the Viridian City Memorial Hospital was and how badly he needed to be there instead.

I had the feeling barely anyone would trust me during this mission, especially Nathaniel. They had their reasons, but in truth, I could be responsible for any one of them. I already knew I wasn’t the friendliest of men in the world, but I was against taking risks unless they were dire. And here… there were far too many risks under limited circumstances.

I was only hoping they would see we would be better thinking tentatively…

[Shen]

Devon Kolzinski
Pallet Town, Prof. Oak's House

The lady called Urit asked her own question. “What are the chances of the Blade not finding out what we're up to?”

Professor Oak smiled softly. “I’ll answer your questions one by one. Devon, the Blade will possess a human, and despite the Blade’s awesome power, the human who it possesses limits it. And so, it is likely that the human will not be very smart, or else the Blade would not have possessed him or her. So, I can safely say that we should be able to fight them off long enough to get a sufficient distance between us. Our Pokémon are with us on this journey as well, after all. And Urit, now your question: Nearly fifty-percent. I have information that suggests that the Blade is heading for Cerulean, and it will not really care about the rest of Kanto. But even so, we should have our eyes peeled for any thing out of the ordinary.” Professor Oak them rose from his chair, with the help of Mr. Meredith, and then smiled. “We will be taking my private jet to Celadon, and that will be ready in a couple of hours. I need to sleep. Please feel free to make this house your own…”

With that, he got up, and left the room.

Afterwords, Nathaniel walked over to the chair he sat in before and plopped down in it, sleep visibly overtaking him. The girl that was asleep earlier got up and left the room. Maybe she had to use the restroom?

I thought over our schedule for the day before getting up myself and walking out the door into the hallway. I turned left, towards the door to the outside world. As I opened it, I heard Jonathan say, “Meredith, Oak can barely walk, there’s no way he’ll ever be able to travel from Saffron city to Lavender Town without collapsing. If he insists on doing this, he’s going to need a wheelchair. If would be faster and safer..."

As I closed the door, all sound from within the humble home was shut off to me.

I sighed as I looked to the clear Pallet sky. So many stars...I could count them forever. However, though I tried, I couldn't count past ten, they were so closely placed. I walked to the stairs leading up the hill to Oak's house and sat down on the top step. I silently pulled my pack off my back and opening it so I could get my flute. I pulled the long black case from it before closing my pack and setting it aside.

I opened my case and admired the flute I spent countless hours taking care of...oiling the connections, polishing it to a dazzling sheen, replacing the worn pads...I slowly put the flute's three pieces together and placed the embouchure to my mouth and blew a quiet note through it, testing how sharp or flat the instrument was. Perfect, as usual...

I remembered a tune from my senior year in high school that I adored, so I began to remember the notes and the fingerings of each one. Then, breathing deeply, I began playing the flute part to the concert piece, Prophesy.

The song began slow and quiet, slowly gaining in volume before peaking and holding it, then immediately jumping to twice the speed it was. Notes rolled easily from the long silver tube, providing a light, yet profound melody. then it began the common tune that permeated throughout the whole piece. It sounded like something from those medieval movies. Finally, it settled into a light flute melody, something like a celebratory bit of music, before becoming a bit louder. In my mind, I could now hear the other woodwinds and the loud brass sections, the latter playing the main theme very loudly, much like music at a revelation. Then, on one loud, staccatoed note, the music shifted at once to a slow, sad-sounding tune, with long, slow notes reverberating in my imaginary concert hall. The song began with a lone trumpet playing the tune of this part of the music. Then, he gave it off to the flute section, which pealed the notes softly and heavenly, making it sound even sadder. Then, the low brass came in and ecalated the song into a loud, sorrowful song, like when someone central to the story in a movie finally died. The tune began to get quieter before rising back to the original common tune, escalaing further to the end of the tune, which sounded like the end of a battle or war, again, in a movie.

The final note echoed throughout my mind as I lowered the flute from my lips. I wasn't tired. In fact, I was exhilerated. This song sounded like it was sorta made for the kind of adventure Oak had asked me and the others to go on. We were gonna save the world, just the seven of us: Me, the other four trainers, Oak, and William.

[Deathspector]

OOC: Neo, you can make William say whatever you want. Just know that Oak hasn't told William much more than we know either, 'kay?


Nathaniel Redwood
Pallet Town


And all too soon, I woke up.

At first, I just sat there, in the squishy armchair, wondering why I had suddenly awoken. As I looked around the room, I saw that two of our number had left the room. Isabelle, the lady who had a husband and children, and seemed to oldest of us all; and Devon, the man who seemed both willing to go with Professor Oak, but smart enough to ask questions. Standing up was Jonathan, the doctor who seemed to value his life above that of the rest of the world, in deep discussion with Mr Meredith, the man who wrote the book that triggered off this entire mission. Still seated on her chair, apparently deep in thought was Urit. I decided not to get into another row with Jonathan, nor to bother Urit.

I was just about to wander over to the library, and read a book, when a beautiful melody tickled my eardrums. I could barely hear it – it was as if the music was determined to draw me away, determined for me to want to hear it. I quietly slipped off my chair, and tiptoed into the corridor outside. My feet felt light on the red-carpeted floor, and as I was trying to discern where the music was coming from, I smelt the familiar smell of coffee coming out from a door to my left. The music was coming from my right. I grinned; I liked dilemmas.

But on this occasion, my heavy lidded eyes decided my course of action, and I turned left, following the smell of the sweet, wafting coffee. As I walked softly across the floor, my mind drifted away from the mundane. I wondered. The music was still playing at the edge of my hearing. Whoever was playing it was definitely a gifted musician. The music seemed to rise and fall prefect in rhythm with what I was thinking of. Our journey, our mission, was just like those of days of old. A group of dedicated – well, most of us – setting out on an adventure that had the existence of the entire world balanced on it. It reminded me a lot of my favourite book of all time: The Lord of the Rings. I wouldn’t dare compare myself to anyone of the many characters in the epic aloud, but personally, I felt I was like Legolas, the ever-smart elf.

Or maybe not. As I followed the smell of the coffee, I began to wonder. Maybe I wasn’t Legolas. For one, the elf relied much too much on his ideals to really do well. I was loyal, and to a certain extent, probably a bit dim-witted. Not in the way where I’m stupid, but rather much more of a follower than a leader. In this view, I decided that I was officially Samwise Gamgee the Hobbit, and nothing anyone said was going to change my mind. Call me stubborn, but I felt it was true.

I finally found the source of the beautifully enticing smell, and opened the door. I entered a rather old-fashioned kitchen, which explained a lot, seeing as Professor Oak was ninety-nine. In the middle, I saw the lady called Isabelle, sipping daintily on her coffee. The yellow light from the incandescent bulb in the middle of the room flooded the room, and fell on her brown hair, making it shimmer celestially. So she had come here, and evidently Devon had gone somewhere else. Maybe he was the one playing the flute outside. Or whatever instrument it was. I made a mental note to congratulate him when he returned, and turned to Isabelle. For a while we just looked at each other, and then I walked forward, grabbing a cup off the table, and pouring myself some coffee.

“Some night, eh?” I said, hoping to spark conversation. I stirred the coffee until the milk dissolved in the dark brown liquid, and then raised the cup, and took a sip, waiting patiently for Isabelle to reply…


Deathspector

[Sky Girl]

[ooc] Well, at least I don't have too much catching up to do. Thankyou for waiting for me.

[ic] Finally noticing the overwhelming fragrance, I cut off my thought process and turned around to see if the coffee was ready. It obviously was, so I quickly opened a few cabinets, took out a few mugs, and took the pot off the stand. I slowly tipped it up and watched the dark, brown liquid fill the cup. Putting the pot back, I turned around and slowly lifted the glass to my lips. A wave of heat washed over my face and the warm drink relaxed me. I had not realized how tense I had been.

I closed my eyes for a moment, savoring the bitter taste. When I opened them, a tall, young man with long black hair was standing before me a short distance away. He stood at the edge of the room, making it difficult to see him well considering the small light bulb didn't extend its circle of light very far. But I knew it was Nathaniel. I'd never really gotten a good look at him before, but he seemed like a respectable fellow.

In those few moments, I suddenly noticed a soft tune that seemed distant, yet close at the same time. It came from outside and I couldn't make out the melody very well, but it was the distinct sound of the beautiful flute. Nathaniel walked into the light, and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Some night, eh?" He took a sip, looking at me for a reply.

I sighed. "Yea.." I didn't really know what to say; the whole situation was just so weird. "I certainly wasn't expecting anything like this tonight. I want to get the mission over with, and there are so many questions that really should be answered before we go. But then again, I'm slightly dreading going. I just don't want to take that plunge and leave my life behind for the few weeks or months this may take..." I fell silent, wondering what kind of lives the others were leaving.