Elite Frontier: Fight to the Finish [Old]

(Original poster: Yours Truly)

[Current OST: Monkey's Love Song]

A thick man dressed in a blue shirt and brown slacks strolls into the middle of Town Square, accompanied by five Pokemon. Leading the group are a Pangoro and a Chesnaught, with their arms crossed and wary scowls plastered on their faces. Behind them are a Lopunny wearing a white scarf, a Froslass and a blue-haired Gardevoir wearing a black hat, a choker adorned with a white stone and a black feather boa.

They observe the various shops and the crowds of people walking around, with their attention focused primarily on the Roserade-shaped fountain in the middle of the area. It has a large smile on its face as it gushes out water from both its 'bouquet'-shaped hands into a circular pond. Lily pads of differing colors adorn the surface of the water along with reflections of sunlight.

"Wow, Marcus! This place is so pretty!" - The Lopunny says in awe as she holds a paw over her forehead.

"Isn't it something? When people say Aurum's a good vacation spot, they're not just blowing smoke." - The large man remarks.

"This sun is killer though. If I'm having trouble breathing, I can't imagine what kind of torture Reika must be going through." - The Gardevoir pants, with beads of sweat accumulating on her face.

"I'm not the one who decided that fashion is more important than comfort, Bella. I'm touched you're concerned but it's hardly necessary." - The Froslass remarks in a hushed tone.

"Pssh. I have a bottle of water waiting for you just in case." - Bellamine sneers.

"Heh, I see. Well... actually, I am kind of hungry."

"Now that you bring it up, I am too. Marcus, dear, do you mind if we get lunch?" - The Lopunny asks.

"Hey, it's no problem. There's restaurants all over the place, so what we get is really just up to preference." - Marcus states as he looks around.

"I'd be down for any sort of meat." - The Pangoro asks, with her voice harsh and deep.

As they make their way towards a restaurant, they notice Riven's group along with their Pokemon.

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

Hovering above Azurra and the rest at the docks is a Charizard-shaped shadow. The Charizard descends in an instant, with Abraham perched on its back. He jumps off and turns to face Felix, with a cool ocean breeze brushing past him.

"I'm here as I promised, Felix. But I see that you've come across some new friends. Mind if I ask who they are?" - Abraham asks.

(Original poster: Zora)

Artemis seemed surprised at this sudden arrival. "Huh. This guy a friend of yours? Fancy that. Little sis out there making friends." She ruffled her hair affectionately and laughed. "No, no. Not friend. Older sister. Name's Artemis. Glad to know you."

"Yeah. We just met, ourselves." Azurra admitted, taking the hand of her Gardevoir. "I happened to spot her along the beach here as I was walking along getting a lay of the land. Not really anyone out here, it was good for a walk. I was surprised to see anyone else." Admittedly, she was wary. Who was this? He seemed... important. Too important. But, in order to be a Rocket at all, let alone The Boss, one must have a hell of a poker face, and a poker face was what Azurra put on, giving a friendly smile that would make you think nothing was wrong.

But in the back of her mind, the curious monologue continued. Something was odd about these two, for sure... would she need to call in reinforcements? Maybe. She would have to think about it for a while. But the crew she had brought with her would be enough to monitor the island for a while. This 'Felix' in particular, and her older sister, resembled an agent in her care. Agent Dahlia. A shining star in the organization, to be sure.

Best to keep an eye out, anyway.

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

Meanwhile, at a cafe somewhere in the middle of the main town, Zora and Cherry sat at a table, Zora's Garchomp next to them, with platters of food, one for either of them, absolutely loaded up.

"...So then I said, that's no moon! It literally wasn't a moon. He had a tattoo of his mother on his ass. It was very uncomfortable."

"I.... I appreciate storytime and all but... why did he have a tattoo of his mother on his ass?"

"That's what I'm sayin'!"

The two of them were distracted by the amazonian rainbow who strode past them, Aegislash wrapped around her hip, with two coffees.

"Hey... hey it's that lady again." Zora's voice lowered to a whisper.

"You don't gotta tell me twice, hard to miss that."

"You get the feeling there's something really weird about her?"

"Ever since we saw her on the boat. How the fuck you even get hair like that?"

(Original poster: Nyx)

"Uh, yeah. I mean..." Jack was a bit flustered at the idea of him doing something out of the kindness of his heart. Not that he considered himself a cruel, cold hearted person, he just wasn't used to the praise. "Can't just leave them hanging there in the streets you know..."

"A Tauros? I guess we could try the beach, though I bet a lot of tourists will be there... Oh! But there's a cape nearby. That should be enough space for us." Macario took his sandwich and looked around. "I think it's this way..." He started walking through the town square when he noticed the strange rainbow haired woman from before. He stopped in his tracks and tried to get a better look without making it obvious that he was staring.

"What? Know her?" Jack asked.

"Uh no... I just... It's embarrassing, but she's got this really ornate looking Aegislash with her. I... I'm just a bit of a history nerd I guess."

"Wow. And not a comment about the hair. You really are a nerd, nerd."

"Um... yeah..." Macario drooped a bit. "I bet she's used to having people come up and ask her silly questions... Let's just head down to the cape for now."

(Original poster: Flareth)

"Ah, yes, hello Abraham. It is a pleasure to see you." Felix said casually, but then grunted as Artemis ruffled her hair.

Sighing and fixing her hair, she spoke to Artemis.

"Yeah, he's a good friend of mine. Met when I moved to Lumiose. He's a really cool dude."

Being in Team Corona made you a master of lies and half-truths.

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

"Thank you for the help." Riven said, following Macario.

When Macario stopped to look at the rainbow-haired women, he lingered behind as Jack and Macario had their conversation.

"That Aegislash is rather different-looking." Riven said, noticing Macario droop, "I can see why you are interested in such artifacts. We......we can talk to her, if you'd like. I don't mind having to wait to get to the cape."

(Original poster: Yours Truly)

"Ah, I see. It's nice to meet you too, Artemis." - Abraham says with a nod.

He turns to face Azurra and puts on the same kind of unassuming smile she has. A heavy feeling rises up in his stomach as the two of them lock eyes, with his Charizard sneering straight at her Gardevoir.

"Hmm... This woman is a bit different than most. She's playing it cool, but she commands a power I can't readily describe. I'd rather not get on her bad side."

He walks up to Azurra and clears his throat.

"Azurra was your name, correct? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Abraham Lazulio. I'm a musician hired for the festival in the next few days." - Abraham states as he holds out his right hand.

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

As Marcus's group approaches Riven and the others, they notice Astra stride by holding two cups of coffee. Marcus's Pokemon stop in their tracks and huddle together, in awe of her and her Aegislash.

"Whoa. Take a load of that! She's huge!" - Patty whispers in an astonished tone, holding her arms out toward Astra.

"Yes, her rainbow hair and... statuesque proportions make her stand out from the crowd, at the very least." - Bellamine states with an amused expression.

"I bet she has to duck down whenever she's inside. Oh, the agony of being tall!" - Reika chuckles as she does a mock fainting motion.

"I'm actually curious as to what that woman is like. She doesn't seem like that bad a lady from here." - Sayura remarks as she tosses her left ear with her paw.

"Should we go check? I mean, her size is rather intimidating, all joking aside." - Reika remarks.

"That seems like a very petty reason not to introduce ourselves. Marcus, sweetie? Can we go say hello to her?" - The Gardevoir questions, glancing over to him.

"Sure, I guess. I mean, you might not get this chance again, so go ahead." - He states with a nervous smile as he puts his hand behind his head.

"Alright, sweet. Let's go, Bella!" - The Lopunny says as she hops off in a blur.

"Hey, wait for everybody else!" - Bellamine yells as she floats behind her.

(Original poster: Zora)

"Oh, yes the festival." Azurra extended her left and shook his hand. "I'm here to participate in the tournament."

This guy's gotta be up to something. Something big. He's got power. Let's not get on his bad end for now though. Just play it cool, take it in stride. We'll take it as it comes.

The Gardevoir, Hera, pointedly ignored the Charizard, smiling innocently at the others gathered. Why give such a rude dragon the time of day? Ain't no one got time for that.

Artemis watched the exchange with a big grin. "You too? Awesome. I haven't seen any other competitors yet!"

"Oh, yes. Nice to meet you too. Suppose I'll be seeing you in the various facilities?"

"Guess so. Well, wish you luck! You'll need it, hah."

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

Astra didn't seem to take note of all the stares she was getting, however, the Aegislash seemed rather anxious.

"Milady, you're attracting... attention, of sorts. Should I-"

"No, no, let them look. It isn't as if we'll be mugged in broad daylight. No one would think of messing with you, anyway." She did seem to notice as someone seemed to be approaching her, and turned to face them.

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

Cherry and Zora continued to deliberate on the mechanics of that fantastic rainbow hair for a while, before Zora stared down at her food. "Man... you think they got any video games here?"

"I heard talk about one of the facilities being a legit arcade, dude. You might not be in the tournament but I bet you could rock it." Cherry replied. "C'mon, you and that Garchomp are gonna rattle the competition even if you're not participating in the tourney."

"I guess. Not too huge of a battler though."

"Come on man, try it. I'll go with ya. We'll tag team, it'll be great. And if you don't go for that, well, maybe they'll have an Immortal Kombat machine hangin' around."

"...Sounds like a plan. I will get my name hung on the bathroom door, I swear."

"That's the spirit. We're done with our food, let's hit it."

And the pair got up from their seats and started off toward the facilities.

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

On another arriving boat, on the front bow, there stood a ginger woman with a Froslass floating beside her, staring at the island. She still wore her doctor's coat, but it was more for stylistic purpose than any practical. No one, ideally, would need her brand of expertise this week.

"Oh, it's so nice to be away from the morgue, Nessa, you don't understand."

"Oh, but I do." The Froslass replied. "You've needed this vacation for so long now. I was starting to get worried."

"Worried about what?"

"Your mental state. Surely seeing all that death had to have taken some kind of toll?"

"You learn to go with it. It brings me enough peace being able to bring closure to people. But sometimes you don't want to do that, you want to enjoy some time on a paradise island with living people who probably won't die."

"You have your equipment just in case, right?"

"Everything I could carry with me."

(Original poster: Nyx)

"Do it dude. Do it," Jack chided. It looked like someone was already approaching her anyway.

"Ah... No, you're right. This is no time for courtesy, there's science to be had!" Macario jogged up to the rainbow haired woman and, trying his best to remain casual about it, slid next to her. He pulled a notepad from his pocket and started writing down his observations.

"Fascinating... But perhaps just a replica. Other than battle scrapes, this Aegislash is in way too good a condition to be 200 years old... Unless it's been taken care of throughout the years, serving as a guardian of the tall and rainbow-haired family for generations!" The statement gradually turned into a question posed for the Aegislash itself. What wonders has this sword seen? What ancient battles did it partake?

"Sorry for my nerd friend," Jack said as he approached, though he wasn't sure if he should address the woman or the sword. "He just gets a little eccentric when his nerd senses start tingling. Probably. His guardian should be watching more carefully but he doesn't seem to care."

Sure enough Sam hadn't moved an inch since Macario ran off. In fact he seemed bored.

-----------

Adanna sat by the cape with a sketchpad. She was doodling aimlessly when the first of her bird Pokemon returned. She greeted him with a scratch under the beak.

"How's it look Rand? Find anything out?"

"Your boss is off pouting and perusing the facilities. Typically. Jack seems to have already made some friends."

Adanna grew a bit jealous. Jack wasn't a particularly strong battler, so if their plan involved winning anything in the tournament, then that responsibility fell directly onto her. She had to study up on her opponents while he got to relax. Of course, establishing trust was an important part of gaining intelligence, so it's not like Jack was completely slacking off, but it was definitely the kind of work Adanna would have preferred.

Her second bird came back. This time it was Hawk, holding a knapsack in his talons. Adanna took it and unwrapped it to reveal a hot sandwich for lunch.

"Thanks Hawk. See any Pokemon on your way back?"

"There was a particularly strong looking Gardevoir and Charizard on the way back. Different trainers."

Eh, nothing too surprising. Still, potential megas. How annoying.

(Original poster: Flareth)

"Still psyched for battling as always, huh, Arty?" Felix laughed, leaning on her sister's shoulder. "You will need it. She's trained her Pokemon for fucking years."

Felix realized she just swore in front of her boss. Totally not a good thing to do in front of your boss, even if you are pretending to be casual friends.

And also Azurra but that's beside the point.

"Sorry if my coarse language offended anyone, by the by." Felix said. "I'm just so used to toying around with my big sis here."

-----

"Uh, yes, sorry about....all this attention, I guess." Riven said awkwardly to both the sword and it's trainer.

Riven then spoke directly to Astra.

"Our friend wanted to know about the history of this Aegislash." Riven continued. "You've probably guessed that already......hope we aren't annoying you by asking...."

(Original poster: Yours Truly)

The Charizard keeps his grin and crosses his arms.

"Ah, I see. I hope you have a good game. I'm not entering due to my job but I'll be around to spectate." - Abraham remarks, retracting his hand.

He glances over to Felix and points a thumb to the Charizard behind him.

"Anyway, Felix. Ready to go?" - He states with a nod.

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

Sayura and Bellamine approach Astra and try to catch her attention. The Lopunny waves up to her face while Bellamine stares at the Aegislash on the giant's back with a hand put on her chin.

"... A kite shield design. Very interesting." - The Gardevoir says in a hushed tone as she gets closer to them.

"Excuse me, miss! Me and the girls couldn't help but come over and say hello." - Sayura states with her paws clasped together.

(Original poster: Zora)

Artemis folded her arms. "I'm plenty strong. I'm gonna wipe the floor with these clods. But looks like you're busy, so I'm gonna go find where I'm staying. Have fun with your new friends!" She trudged off toward the main populated areas.

Azurra watched her go. "Huh.Well, if you'll pardon us, I should actually be going to settle in myself. Hera, if you would?" She glanced at her Gardevoir, who took her hand and teleported off with her.

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

"Five hundred." Astra corrected him. "And no, she is no replica."

"In fact, I am offended that you would say such a thing! A mere replica, do you recognize the sigil of the Knights of the-"

"Alexis. Calm down. No need to apologize. I come across these sorts of questions a lot. Usually they are... a lot more invasive."

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

As the Dynamic Dork Duo approached the Battle Arcade, Zora suddenly stopped in front of the front doors and began tapping at her phone. "Hold on a sec, need to cover this moment."

"Really dude. Really?" Cherry frowned loudly. "We're on the way to do some battlin' and you're stoppin' to take a selfie."

"Totally. The people need to know!" Click, the phone's camera booped, and she began tapping again. "I gotta record my trip for future posterity."

"Whatever you say, nerd."

"You're a bigger nerd."

"I don't take pictures in front of arcades."

"You are now." Zora grabbed Cherry and pulled her into the shot, then took a second picture. "This'll look great! Now just let me send this and let's head in."

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

"I still don't believe that this hasn't taken some kind of toll on you." The Froslass argued. "You never leave the morgue. Is it because-"

"It's because I wanted a vacation!" Zorana snapped, before returning to her calm demeanor. "Look, sometimes we all just... need a break after a loss like that. That's a procedure no one wants to perform..."

"...You didn't need to take the case on yourself, you know."

"She was my own daughter. I thought it would only be right. I still can't believe it..."

"It was nothing you could help, Zorana. Genetic hiccups happen. Can you imagine the life she would have led if she had survived? It would be miserable."

"Six months, Nessa. That's too young..."

(Original poster: Nyx)

"F-f-five hundred!?" Macario stepped back in awe. What a truly dedicated spirit. Its swordsmanship must be unmatched. What a gift it would be to see it in battle. "Um, if you don't mind me asking," Macario addressed Astra, "will you be participating in the tournament? My brother's in it, and we're..."

Macario looked back to see that Sam had disappeared. "W-what? Where'd he run off to?"

"He walked off to the cape," Denzia said. "I think he's less interested in this than you are."

"Oh, nevermind then," Macario sighed. "Um, anyway, thanks for letting me pester you. Maybe we'll see you later."

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

"Man, what a pain in the ass," a green haired boy said atop his Pidgeot. He held a name tag with the word "guest" written on it. "It's like they think we're here to burn the place down. Can't fly in without every Fearow-riding security guard getting their panties in a bundle."

"To be fair, you were a part of an... organization, just a short while ago," The Pidgeot said.

"Um, I like to call it the side of justice," Teruchi shrugged and folded the slip into his pocket. "Whatever, at least we're here now. See Zora yet?"

"This island is much bigger than anticipated," he said. "We could go days without finding her, assuming you still want to 'drop in.'"

"Uh, yeah," Teruchi said, leaning forward to rest his head on Sebastian's. "What fun is it if I just text 'yo guess who got here?' Like, that's not fun at all. Come on, you got Keen Eye. Shouldn't be too hard."

Sebastian started to grumble, but before Teruchi could continue, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He lazily checked the message to see Zora taking a dorky selfie in front of the Battle Arcade.

"Well that was perfect timing," he smiled. "She's right in front of the Battle Arcade! Quick! Swoop in all dramatic-like!"

The Pidgeot rolled his eyes, but did as he was told, taking off in the direction of the giant arcade looking building. A minute later, he swooped down in front of the entrance, with his rider doing his best to look cool the entire time.

(Original poster: Yours Truly)

Marcus walked up to the others surrounding Astra and looked straight up at her.

"Sorry, miss. I hope the girls aren't bothering you." - He remarks as he stares at her rainbow-colored hair.

"Five hundred years old... amazing. You're quite a marvel, miss... Alexis, was your name?" - The Froslass states as she floats beside Bellamine.

"Oh come on. Be more obvious with your flattery." - Bellamine snickers as she rolls her eyes.

"I'm being serious, Bella." - Reika says with an annoyed tone.

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

"Attagirl. You have no idea how much that plate is worth, so keep it safe until we actually get back." - Abraham states with a pleased tone.

The Charizard soars into the sky with both of them on his back. They fly north past the Battle Frontier, with the wind brushing past as the landscape below them gradually changes to grasslands.

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

Luna and Allen slammed their empty plates against the table, with Luna letting out a loud burp.

"Done!" - They both yelled out.

"... Damn, son. Calm down with the spaghetti." - Daniel remarks with a snicker.

"I'm glad you two liked it that much, though. It does me good to see you both enjoy my food." - Juno states with a smile.

"You're welcome. By the way, where's the other two? You know, Eliza and Victoria?" - Allen remarks.

"Oh, I dunno. I left them here, so --" - Luna says as she notices two Pokemon come in through the right door.

[Current OST: Amazonness Quartet]

A Gourgeist with red highlights holding up a chair enters the room. It has a Mawile reclined on it with an amused smile on her face. She has an orange bow tied to the stem of the second mouth growing out the back of her head.

"Hey, it's the queen of the house. How's it going, Eliza?" - Mereno asks.

"That's Madame Eliza to you, dear. Anyway... Luna, darling! You're home! And I see you've brought Allen too." - The Mawile remarks with a smile.

"Yeah! I assume you behaved yourselves?" - Luna states with a chuckle.

"Nice to see you too, miss." - Allen waves back.

The Gourgeist puts down the chair and floats over to Luna with her hair-hands outstretched.

"Hi, sweetie. I played with Eliza while you were gone. Made sure she didn't make a mess of the house. - She remarks with a sly grin.

"Thanks, Vic. You're a doll." - Luna states as she gives the Gourgeist a hug.

"So, what do we do now that the whole crew's here?" - Beatrice asks.

Luna walks over to the sink and puts her empty plate into it.

"How about we play some video games? Or have a practice battle or something?" - Luna says as she washes the plate off.

"... Huh. Let me decide, cause I'm kinda tired. I've been on a plane the entire day yesterday." - Allen states as he stretches his arms.

"Okay then, see you later. If you need anything, just call me or any of the guys."

The Togekiss, Roserade and Lucario follow Allen out of the room and head up the stairs.

(Original poster: Zora)

Astra shook her head. "No, we've no plans of participating. I've actually come by because I heard one of my daughters planned on competing."

The sword attached to her hip seemed to notice the Froslass speaking to her. "Hm? Oh, why yes. That is my name. They say I was one of the most masterful warriors of my day. I would like to think I still am."

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

Zora continued to snap shots with the annoyed-looking mechanic for a minute, before deciding she was satisfied and slipping her phone away. "Well, there's my social media for the day. Gotta let my adoring public know I'm having a good time."

"...You have like thirty followers most." Cherry remarked with a grimace.

"Thirty followers who value my happiness, Melonfucker."

"Didn't I ask you never to call me that in public?"

"Yeah sure thing Melonfucker. Now you said this thing was a legit arcade? Wonder if they have an Immortal Kombat machin-" She cut off upon feeling the sudden rush of wind, and whipped around to see none other than her bestest buddy swooping in dramatically before her. "What the... Teruchi! Oh man! I thought you said you had other stuff to do! Oh man this is like, the best thing ever."

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

The boat upon which the medical examiner rode eventually reached its stop at the docks of the island, leaving the doctor and her Froslass to disembark.

"...Truth be told, Nessa, being as impromptu a trip as this was... I have no idea where to start."

"Unfortunate. Well, we could start by locating your place of residence for the week."

"Indeed, but... oh, I think I may need a coffee, first. There's a divine-looking cafe right over there. Shall we?"

"If you insist, yes."

(Original poster: Nyx)

"Your daughter..." Jack thought for a moment. Tall... Rainbow hair... "Wait, do you mean-"

Denzia clamored up his back and pulled at his cheeks, keeping Jack from talking further. "Don't blow it dude."

"Uh, I mean, nevermind. I don't know anyone who looks like you."

---------

"Hey Zora! Melonfucker. Yeah, I got that other stuff all taken care of so I decided to drop in!" Teruchi grinned.

"He got into a fight with his girlfriend," the Pidgeot added.

"Seb, please. I'll put you in the ball." Teruchi sighed and turned back towards the girls. "So, hope I'm not interrupting anything. This seems like a cool place. Security's a bit uptight..."

(Original poster: Flareth)

"Yes, sir." Felix said, doing a little salute, keeping the Pixie Plate safe in her bag, "I've got it right here in my bag. I'll give it to you when we're back on solid ground."

As the wind ran through her hair, she grunted.

"God, I hate when the wind messes up my hair." she sighed, fixing her ponytail.

-----

"Ah, you have a daughter?" Riven asked. "You must be proud that she made it to the Battle Frontier. She must be pretty strong."

Riven shrugged.

"I was never the battling type, but whatever. I came here to relax a bit...."