(Reboot) Pokemon: Beyond the Tall Grass

Decoda sighs, feeling like he shouldn't be sending messengers out to try and solve his problems.  He'd had trouble with her from the very beginning, always butting heads, catching each others' glares, and of course being verbally accosted by one another...

The entire team was sick of it, and he now understood how annoying their fighting could be.

Worried about how she would take his message, he told Marshtomp to stay put and wait for him to come back.  He then left the Center and went to look for Catia.

Catia could hear the disappointment in Espeon's voice as she sighed and spoke, shaking her head to decline the cuddles and pets. "And what about your words? Do you feel they have no impact or sting when said to us? Do you feel you should get a free pass while we take what you say to heart?" She stand in front of Catia, sounding almost desperate now. "Catia, please! Open your eyes to the emotions of those around you! I understand that you'll never be able to live a normal life, but honestly, none of us will be able to! No one is asking you to stay, and no one is asking you to leave. We all want to understand each other better; it's why we're all together in the first place! I hate seeing you hurt; all of you... This is not what I wanted when I left the mortal coil. I was killed because of the disagreement of humans but I got a second chance. After the fire, I said I would have accepted your help, were you genuine about it. Everything I see through Espeon's eyes..." The Mixed pokemon shudders, before turning Umbreon's burning gaze back up at Catia. "It mortifies me. You've spoken in the past about being your friend's sword and shield... but where is that now?" Espeon blinks a couple times before sighing. "...I'm sorry. I should have just stayed back with Wesley. I apologize for taking up so much of your time." The eeveeloution turned and began to trudge off, more and more doubts about the success of this mission filling her mind.

-----------------------------

How Rotom got Cerise's sizing right was beyond Cerise, and the only time the two had come into physical contact was when he did the DNA test. The garb fit rather well; the soft, burgundy cloak fell over the shoulder of the blue uniform that was trimmed with gold. it was decorated with fancy beads and gold thread... Just how did he even get this? Even the boots were a good fit; comfortable too. If cerise wanted to, he could wear these wherever, as they also matched his usual poncho look.

Outside the dressing room, Quilladin was messing around with his bowtie. He managed to get it tangled around his spikes before Honedge helped him straighten it out.

-------------------------

Wes placed a hand on Decoda's shoulder before he took off and nodded to him. "You'll be fine; trust me. You both need to really come clean to each other. Air your grievances, and clear the air. Otherwise, You two won't be able to even remain friends." Then something rare happened; Wes smiled. "You guys are pretty damn good friends for putting up with each other this long. Don't let something this good go to waste, buddy."

The fighter just stares at Espeon in disbelief when seeing Umbreon’s eyes and hearing his voice. How....How was that possible...? She had just seen him in the tower right? Then....How was the same cruel Pokémon that had fought her and Poochy before...?

She gets up from the bench walking after the psychic eeveelution. “Espeon I’m so-“

Then the most unexpected thing happens: she halts in place. Her apology....it meant little to her, even if she said it. And to the others too.... As she watched the confused Pokémon walk away, her mind started to thread and sew together things in her mind that honestly should have clicked a long time ago. Her pain and the way she felt....She shouldn’t be vocal about it. If she had been genuine about her words before, she wouldn’t have run away from Yuno’s decision. She should have been open to it. She’s her own person isn’t she? She might look like a doll, but she was still mostly human. And so was she. And no matter how much it hurt, she needed to do the hardest thing of all: wear a brave smile and stay with the others. Running didn’t solve anything. You can’t fight something if you run away.

She sighs, shaking her head. What an idiot she’d been. She had locked away her heart and how she felt for the longest time. Sure it was nice to be open and honest with others. But it needed to be during a time where those who were listening would be genuine about it. Not that the others weren’t genuine and receiving towards her! It was just....not the right time for this. Espeon and....Umbreon(?) were right. She couldn’t do anything like this. She needed to be the person she said she wanted to be.

She walks after Espeon, stopping when Poochy suddenly lets himself out of his ball and stands in front of her. He growls quietly at her, forcing her to stop. But slowly she smiles and nods, petting his head. “You’re right buddy. We need to just leave them alone. Everyone has their own problems. Just like I do. But I just....need to keep those problems to myself. The others come first. Right?”

Poochy stops growling and barks, confirming his trainer’s words. Finally, he was getting through to her!

Catia scratches him behind his ears and gestures for him to follow Espeon. “Mind escorting her to Wes? I’ll be right behind you. Promise.”

The Dark Pokémon barks and nods, turning around and scampering after the eeveelution. He had some questions of his own.... Upon catching up to her, he looks down at her and barks to her her attention. Can you understand me? That voice a moment ago....I know that wasn’t Espeon. But I also thought I saw something in that Tower. Something....Unnerving. If not, then that’s fine. I’m only walking with you to make sure you get to the center safely. My master will be right behind me. He speaks, hoping the suspicions he had of mixed up Pokémon’s psyche were true.

As Catia walks, she spots Decoda on her way back. Her footsteps halt. Crap....She wasn’t expecting someone to come after her. Did she look okay? She wasn’t crying was she? She rubs her eyes to make absolutely sure then takes a deep breath and walks over to him, putting on a smile. “Hey Decoda. Did I worry you? I just needed to go for a walk to clear my head. Sometimes a good stroll outside and some fresh air is good for the mind, you know?” She says. Though what she said wasn’t entirely the truth, her tone was even and she at least sounded genuine about it. In the back of her mind, she knew she wasn’t ready to be talking to the person who had made her uncomfortable moments ago. But that thought was quickly beat down by another thought; one she hoped was true. He hadn’t meant the unkind words before. At least not maliciously. She just took them the wrong way, right?

Gods I hope so.... She thinks to herself.

The young man examined himself in the changing room, taking in the various details of the outfit with as close of an inspection as he could. Honestly, it wasn't too bad-looking! Cerise ran a hand through his hair, ultimately deciding against putting his bandanna back on -- it was fine in his pocket, after all. With so much on his mind... part of him hoped he could find even a sliver of enjoyment in the proceedings to come; every shard of color could help paint the world of gray he was consumed by. As he leaned against the room's wall, he closed his eyes and imagined the first day that he, Decoda, and Catia had met Loka. It'd felt like an eternity ago, when the three had set off from Professor Oak's lab and ventured out to battle their first Pokemon. Running into Loka and her Pokemon, then slowly coming to bond with each other in the days to come.

He wished they could go back to that.

But life wasn't that simple -- he knew that now more than ever before. Cerise let out a light exhale as he composed himself before he left the dressing room. He watched Quilladin and Honedge interact for a moment with a faint sense of amusement. He was sure Pawniard and Goomy weren't too far off -- the dragon really seemed to have taken a liking to acting as a motherly figure for the newborn, and she excelled at keeping the baby's mischievous tendencies in check. Cerise nodded to his team of Pokemon that he was ready to depart, patting Quilladin on the head as he walked past.

"If you're looking as sharp as that, you'll be sure to get a Bellossom this time." He said with a smirk. Quilladin stared at him for a moment in confusion before a recollection of the past made its face turn red. The hedgehog began to squeak and protest in denial of its one-time crush on the Flower Pokemon, but its widening blush told the truth. Honedge's single eye gleamed with a sense of amusement at the embarrassed Quilladin, who was now pouting in annoyance.

Cerise could feel a smile creep up across his face, and he looked away from the two Pokemon with a slight chuckle. The hedgehog glanced up at its human, finally glad to see a smile on the boy's face. The grass-type waddled over to hug Cerise's leg, dropping its charade of being annoyed. Cerise had initially intended to let the others come find him when they were ready. Perhaps that time was nearly here?

Decoda finally found Catia, trying to remember everything.  With the entire adventure they'd had flashing in the back of his mind, he recalled he said he'd work on something.

His emotions; how to channel them, how to communicate his points effectively, how to not get angry, upset or too excited about something or another... he promised everyone, including himself, that he would continue to think before he acted or spoke.

It was only now he felt he hadn't been doing a very good job of that.  After apologizing to Catia, he made a mental note to find Cerise and apologize to him, too, even if they would have to do that at the ball or even after the rescue...

For now, he called out the girl, "Catia!  Hey!  I was worried you'd gotten too far, but I understand why you wanted some thinking space first.  Listen, if you don't mind... can we talk for a minute?"

Espeon refused to even look at the dark type, and was even more hesitant to answer him. He had been rude, pushy, and demanding since they had met. The migjtyena had spoken where he shouldnt have plenty a time before, and honestly, the psychic type felt rather uncomfortable around poochy.

"I know you dont want to be around me; you just comfirmed that..." the mixed eeveeloution then answered his question rathey stiffly. "Umbreon's true conscious is here with me. What you 'saw' in the tower and what hatched from the egg was a lie. Congratulations, you sold your soul to a devil."

--------------------------

Wes made his way to the center to change into his tailcoat, before quick checking on everyones location. Espeon was on her way back, accompanied by Poochy, Rotom was behind the center, Cerise was in the center (presumably changing into his own garb) and Decoda and Catia were a bit down the road. Yuno was in the lobby.

Good. 

Everyone was rather close, which made things easier when it was time to take action. The capture specialist made his way to Cerise's location, followed shortly by Rotom and Yuno.

"Looking good, kiddo." Wes complimented the young breeder. "You do fancy pretty damn well."

---------------------------

As Decoda and Catia conversed, the two of them got a single unknown ping on their minimap app of their pokegear ; someone was alerting them to their location.

It was slightly off center of the Music Hall. Theu could only assume that one of the girls managed to get a signal out!

The Mightyena merely smiles slightly at the stiff reaction. It was about what he had expected. He had much to answer for amongst the other Pokémon in the group. Having noticed the wheels turning in his master’s head moments ago, he knew things were going to be quite different now. And he had to change with it.

I am happy to know that you can understand me. But the reason I don’t want to be around you is not as you think. I had a feeling you knew what was going on with me. So I wanted to see if you could speak to me. I wanted to share this knowledge with someone because....I know I only have limited time in this world. And obviously I can’t tell my master what is going on. Not now. Not when she still has so much room to grow. But she also doesn’t understand what I did in that tower for her. He stares at the ground as the two walk, hoping the psychic type was at least listening. He wasn’t looking for sympathy; just an ear and a friend. All I want is for her to be happy. Her past haunts her Espeon. I do not know if you know what that is like so I won’t compare it or make excuses. I only see the results of them. She tosses and turns at night in a cold sweat. Shivers and flinching from things that attack her there in the realms of her dreams. It tears at my mind to know that I was powerless to help her. He lets out a breath through his nose and looks at Espeon. So yes, I threw away my life in an effort to see her smile. I want her to be happy. Even if it costs me my life. He smiles a little. Her smile is beautiful you know. When she is genuinely happy, that girl could light up a room with it. He shakes his head. Forgive me, I’m rambling on about things you likely don’t want to hear or scarcely believe. Let me get to my point. I have a request. When the time comes and I finally do leave this world behind, would you please tell her the truth? When she is ready to hear it. I know it is a lot to ask of you and I understand if you refuse. I have not been a kind Pokémon to any of you. But all I can do now is try my best to change.

The Dark Pokémon and the eeveelution reach the doors to the Pokémon center and he halts, turning and sitting in front of the doors. We are here. Thank you for at least listening to me. I appreciate it. He dips his head to her. I will wait here for my master to return.


The ping on Catia’s Pokegear halts the conversation that Decoda and Catia were having as they near the end of it, causing her to take it out and look at it. Her eyes widen as she shows it to Decoda. “Decoda, do you think this is them? Come on!” She takes his hand and gently tugs on it as she tries to increase their pace. “We can talk more later. But right now, we’ve got to save our friends!” She says with a smile.

When she arrives at the Pokémon center with Decoda, Poochy follows her inside as the fighter raises her Pokegear up and waves to Wes, Cerise and Yuno. “Hey you guys! You have to come check this out!” She would offer her Pokegear to anyone who wished to see it, now refreshed and eager to commence the operation!

Allowing Catia to take his hand, he nodded along and eagerly followed her back to the Pokemon Center.  After all this time, the two of them could finally put their differences aside and work together.  It felt good to officially call her a friend!

As they entered the Center, Decoda scanned the lobby for his other friends, finding only Yuno and a few Pokemon.  Marshtomp came waddling up to him with a smile.  Decoda responded with a grin of his own, picking her up in his arms and carrying her.  Putting her forehead to his, he exhaled and told her calmly, "Thank you for always being with me, even when we do fight.  I don't think I appreciate that enough about you guys."

She squeaked, replying with, "Mar-marsh!"  All was forgiven!

Except for one other...

Putting down his Pokemon, Decoda walked around the lobby to the changing room, by the restroom.  There, he found Wes talking to a very... interesting looking Cerise!  It was as if he was a complete stranger in this new outfit!  Now that he made up with Catia, he wanted to make up with him, too.

"Hey, poncho~  Nice digs," he commented, finger-gunning at him with a grin and a wink.  If these old charms worked, he'd be set... but would they?

Cerise simply nodded in response to the comments from Wes and Decoda, not quite in the mood to savor a compliment from anyone, no matter how well intended. He kept his posture tight as the others returned to the group, mentally reviewing the semantics and nuances he'd learned from his research. In the end, this was the only thing he was going to care about right now: infiltrate the ball, rescue Loka and Marley. Anything else could wait until the two were rescued, and he was sure that there were unresolved issues lingering within the group.

Cerise was more than willing to let them fester.

He turned his head slightly as Goomy and Pawniard approached, rounding a corner to rejoin their trainer. As per usual, Goomy had resorted to its usual tactic to keep the baby Pokemon distracted -- a small stream of bubbles. The iridescence of the spheres enraptured Pawniard's eyes, and a bout of glee shone from its face as it popped each one with its bladed hands.

"...We should get a move-on." Cerise redirected his attention to Rotom. "How much longer until the ball begins?"

Well, that didn't work out how he thought it would.  Decoda's surprised expression was clearly visible on his face after Cerise completely ignored his comment.  Granted, he was a total stranger to how Cerise would act after an argument.  He'd never seen him so upset, but it truly reminded him of how little he actually knew him as a person.  How little he knew all of them...

It took him until now to finally get on the same page as Catia.  Only Arceus knew how long it would take to reach Cerise.

Shaking off the rejection, Decoda looked over at Rotom and awaited an answer.  He was on Team Distraction with Wes.  He had to play this off well for everyone's sake!

Catia walks over to Wes and the others, smiling at them. “Looking good you guys!” She looks to Yuno, walking up to her. “Hey....I’m sorry about walking off like that. I needed some fresh air to clear my head. Let’s go get ready. I think I got a lead on where our friends were at while I was out too! So it was good for me to talk a walk when I did!” She takes Yuno’s hand and smiles, squeezing it. Then she looks at the other guys. “We’ll be back down soon okay? We’re just going to get ready and we’ll go!”

When the two of them reach their room, she shuts the door behind them and sets her stuff on the bed, starting to get her shirt off so Yuno could help her get into her Kimono. “Yuno? Listen I....I gave it some thought while I was out. And I don’t think you should just keep the ascended and avatars away from us. I mean, I’m an ascended too right? They’ll come naturally to us or even to me. But if you still want to leave for a while and go out on your own, I just wanted to say-“ She grunts as she pulls her shirt off, smiling at her warmly. “I support you. I may not like it and I might miss you, but I won’t stop you. Okay?”


Meanwhile Poochy walks inside after Catia, choosing to sit down in the lobby while he waits for her to return. He could see all of the other Pokémon milling about, his thoughts whirring with what he wanted to say to them. He had never really apologized before. How did someone do this? He lets out a sigh and lays his head onto his paws, deciding to simply close his eyes and relax for a moment or two. Maybe something would come to him if he did.

Now that everyone was in the same place, Rotom dragged everyone out of earshot of potential evesdroppers. Once at his ideal location, he cracked his knuckles and grinned.

"Excellent. Let us review the plan once more." With a flick of his wrist and a flourescent glow from his digital eyes, he produced a holographic layout of the music Hall. "While everyone was preparing, I was perfroming an in-depth sweep of the schematics of the building... As well as other things. It seems that there is a basement and a sub basement. Thanks to the signal that Miss Loka and Miss Marley had sent out, I was able to clearly map out the sub basement."

There was a pinging pink light in a hall with a bunch of cells, which Wes points to. The capture specalist turned his attention to Catia, Cerise, and Yuno, nodding to them. "You three," he started. "Are infiltration. You'll be taking Sparx with you; his X-ray Vision will be invaluable. Decoda and I will be on distraction with the Houndoom Avatar; we are part of tonight's entertainment. I have a very simple tune, and you can sing whatever comes to heart. You have a very special set of musical skills that could easily enthrall the masses. When that happens, you three will want to make your way to the back room. Theres a hidden flight of stairs that'll take you down to the lab. Rotom will upload a copy of the map to your poke'gear for reference. Swipe some uniforms and a couple of access keys. Decoda and I will meet up with you after the second act goes on. From there, we will make our way to the holding cells where the signal was last broadcasted."

Cerise quietly recalled his Pokemon, leaving only an excited Pawniard at his side. The young man raised an eyebrow as Catia pulled Yuno upstairs before the strategy session could begin, but ultimately shifted his focus back onto Wes as he spoke. The overall plan felt solid enough -- but Cerise couldn't help but feel concerned. Even ignoring the unsettling sensation that'd almost felt natural, there was still the question of what would lie on the other side. Once the group had infiltrated, what would they find? What would happen? Were they too late?

He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer to the last question. There wasn't any way for Cerise to know for sure, and the acceptance of that thought knotted his stomach. But he'd worry about that part if it came down to it -- his eyes hardened as Rotom recalled himself into Decoda's PokeGear. Cerise could feel his fists subconsciously clench in... anger? Resolve? Acceptance? Determination? He wasn't sure what the word for the way he felt was -- but he was ready for anything that'd come their way.

Decoda listened intently to Rotom and Wes, then looking over at the Houndoom Avatar beside them.  He'd almost forgotten it was here to help them.  What luck they had, having 2 Avatars by their side for this mission!  It was as if, he never actually appreciated these special Pokemon... let alone knew who or what they were here for.  Why did Pokemon need a special representation like this anyway?  Couldn't they just speak for themselves, like his Chimecho, Cerise's Honedge, or even Espeon?

He knew if he said this aloud, he would anger someone, so he kept it to himself.  He just had a hard time understanding everything; not necessarily because he was simple or close-minded, he just hadn't been influenced the same way as his companions were.

Decoda half-smirked as Rotom zipped back inside his gear.  "I'm gonna have to download an antivirus software into your system, aren't I?  If you get too crazy with this extra stuff you download and upload, you'll get Pokerus or something worse!" he told the electric/ghost type.  "I'm ready to go, whenever you are, Wes, Houndoom."

He shuffled his shoulders, forgetting he had to lend his guitar to Wes for the event.  He then looked back at Cerise as he headed for the doors.  "Good luck out there, okay?  Give the girls my well wishes, too."

It was strange.  When he opened the door and left the Center with Marshtomp beside him, he felt different.  Was something bad going to happen?  Was this a final goodbye of some kind?

Once changed into their kimono's, the girl's made their way downstairs and smiled at the others. Though her own kimono was a very simple one and complimented the bandages around her mid-section, it lended a sort of fire elegance to the fighter as she walked up to everyone. She had some makeup one near her eyes that gave her a very traditional japanese look as if she were about to perform in a play. Poochy padded up beside her, looking as fierce and determined as ever. The whole appearance was beautiful.

"So Wes, what did we miss? I didn't mean to cut your meeting short or anything. We just can't go into that place without looking the part, you know?" She looks back at Yuno, grinning. "And it's not like I didn't have help." She looks around at the others, giving them a smile. She definitely felt much better now that she had a clearer mind and level head. "Everyone looks so great in their outifts! I'm happy that we can all look the parts that we're supposed to play."

Wes sighed before giving Catia and Yuno a brief rundown of the plans. While they could have changed before the meeting, or even after, now was not the time for such a trivial matter. He slings the guitar over his shoulder and follows Decoda out of the center, the Fire type Avatar close behind. He looked down at Espeon, who gave him a solid nod. "If everyone plays their part correctly, this plan has about a-" she started, before Rotom chipped in. 

 "-a 91% chance of success." 

 "Well, those odds are surely better then what i was thinking before, but those numbers can change depending on what choices we make." Wes spoke in a somewhat hushed tone to his little group, before slipping Decoda a slip of paper. "This here is what i'll be playing. It's a very easy piece to play, but i don't have words for it. But... you're a musician. You can access a plethora of musical skills. So dig deep, and just... sing." (Decoda now has access to the pokemon move, Sing) 

~~~***~~~

 The inside of the Music Hall was rather busy, people from all over the region, and even the world coming to view the grand opening. Houndoom, swiftly broke away from the group to begin mingling, mostly with the women. He had a smug grin, keeping them well occupied. Wes led Decoda to check in, where the receptionist looked at their list and handed them a couple pins to wear. 

"Enjoy the party; we look forward to your performance!"


The capture specialist looked to Decoda, anxiety all over his usually stoic face. It was clear that Wes was nervous, even though from what everyone could gather while he was around was that he had gone through much worse.

"Decoda," He spoke, his voice firm. "If anything happens, and this mission happens to go south... make sure everyone gets out. You, Cerise, the girls, your pokemon." He sounded like he couldn't be persuaded from this. "I've done a lot of wrong, and.... truthfully, i didn't want to travel with you guys. but I realized that in the end, I was here for the same reasons Loka was. We both saw you all as a chance to atone for what we've done. I don't want you to take that the wrong way." he put up his hands and grinned awkwardly, his nervousness visibly showing.

"What he's trying to say," Espeon cut in, using psychic to adjust Wes's bow tie while calming him down. "Is that you and your friends changed him and Loka for the better. If anything were to happen, he wants you guys to survive, so you can change others as well. Perhaps even the world."


~~~***~~~

Yuno gave Cerise a tight hug and wished him the best of luck, all while subtly hinting that the outfit looked really good on him before turning her attention to Catia. The white-haired girl took the fighter's hand and gripped it tightly, pulling out a couple of notebooks and pens. "We're reporters, so we need to play the part. We'll pick a couple of people and interview them, and we can meet up with the others while we're at it for updates. Sound like a plan?"


~~~***~~

Upon entry, Pawniard's eye go wide with wonder. he wiggles excitedly in Cerise's grasp, pointing out various things such as chairs, the food table, and some of the other guest's pokemon. 

"Pawna! Pawn!!"

He gently slapped his bladed hand of Cerise's cheek in an attempt to get his trainer to smile. It was a party, and pawniard knew that! It was time to have fun!

There wasn’t an immediate verbal response to Decoda’s comment from Cerise, whose eyes flickered downward to avert his gaze. After a brief moment of quiet, only the most subtle of nods was presented by him before his posture reverted back to its prior rigidness. It… was a strange feeling. He was certain he didn’t harbor any ill will or negative emotions towards the older trainer – Decoda was probably the one he was closest to within the group. But save for his Pokemon team, he just felt less inclined to smile. It was as though… as though a cold pit had been placed where his heart had once been, and he could only feel the chill of… isolation? Maybe that was the word, as nothing else came to mind for Cerise that could fit his mental state any better.

A heavy sense of exhaustion began to grip his mind, and the trainer closed his eyes for a moment to try to center himself and his thoughts. He was only barely aware of his feet moving forward along with the others into the Music Hall, and the otherwise soft hues of light sprinkling the room felt more like searing daggers drilling directly into his head. And the swelling of noise and sound around him did little to ease the orchestra of swirling thoughts within his head. Sweet Arceus, did he feel overwhelmed. Yuno’s hug of comfort only half-returned by the weary boy, who then wandered his way through the room with Pawniard in tow. Despite the turmoil of unknown origin inside him, he could feel his mannerisms begin to slip into the memorized behavior of the Kingdom’s people he’d so earnestly studied.

His musings on his mood were all he could focus on. Maybe this was what Loka and Marley had been feeling, having been trapped against their will for so long. This… sense of quiet and despair? Cerise couldn’t bear to imagine what it would have been like for the two girls. It was a strange sensation, to be so resolved and determined to achieve his goal, but to also feel so numb to all emotion while doing it. Here they finally were, and Cerise had no idea how he felt about it. He knew he was determined to see things through, but it was as though his thoughts were clouded and murky with self-doubt in his own ability. Maybe that’s where his unease had come from – feeling inadequate for the task at hand? He’d trained with Yuno and Honedge’s guidance, but he knew he was no fighter.

Not truly.

A gently touch on the side of his face briefly brought him out of his musings, and Cerise looked down to the expectant gaze of Pawniard. The baby Pokemon was pointing excitedly to different attractions in the Hall, perhaps trying to help get the trainer to smile. The boy gave the Bladed Pokemon a faint smile, forced through the façade of his own concerns and worries, and tried to keep his mind on the task ahead.

As packed and loud as the party was getting to be, Decoda tuned out the white noise of the crowd and focused on what was in front of him.  He had one job to do, and he had to put all his attention to it.  The paper Wes had given him had never left his pocket's safety, and he had to trust in the others to do their jobs correctly.  Marshtomp kept her pace with his, emulating confidence amid all the other guests and their Pokemon.

When Wes stopped him to explain his reason for staying, involuntarily admitted by Espeon, it brought yet another perspective of influence to the table.  It wasn't just the Avatars and Pokemon that could change peoples lives... people can change other people, too.

Without looking at Wes, for fear of pulling out his emotional side, Decoda grabbed Wes' shoulder and said, "If you want me to lie to you, sure, I'll get everyone else out just fine.  But the thing is, you're not much older than me.  You, Loka, and everyone in this group can't just give up yourselves because you feel bad about stuff you did.  You gotta work hard to make it right.  Prove yourselves by helping us continue to make a difference."

He let go of Wes' shoulder, feeling the need to look him directly in the eyes to finish his thought.  "I'm just a teenager with a few friends that I care about.  There doesn't have to be anything more to it."

Catia nods quickly, obviously a nervous about playing her part. She wasn't the greatest at interacting with other people given her reputation with the group she was currently in. But she was definitely going to try her best!

"Y-Yeah! Sure. Um....What kinds of questions should I ask? And what place are we from again? I just want to have my facts straight. I'm not the best actress." She speaks honestly. True, she looked the part. But she really needed to act the part too. Poochy walks up beside her and snuffles her hand, making the fighter smile a little. "You think Poochy would be a bit too intimidating for this party? I could always take out Fox or Fang. What do you think?"