Mewtwo's Last Stand II: The Quest for Rukario

[Surfman]

OOC: That's right. This is a sequel. The original, Mewtwo's Last Stand, was completed. No, not faded away. Completed.

IC: Jethro knew his 100th birthday would be a special occasion. But a few months ago, he would never have suspected there would be so many people attending - even though Jethro was guardian of Mewtwo, very few people knew. What would have surprised him even more was that Natalie, his own granddaughter, was not attending. Now, of course, that is no surprise, since Natalie is the leader of Team Rocket and just escaped yesterday. But before the whole mess involving Mewtwo, he would have never suspected!

In any case, everything was fine now - or almost fine. There was another reason why he had gathered everyone here. A more pressing reason. It was the two articles he had seen in the paper the day before. One discussed a new inscription referring to a rumored Pokemon known only as Rukario. The other noted Natalie's escape from jail.

As he looked across the many faces, he took note of them. Seated at his right was Pika, the nice young former Master he had met before - and appointed as the next guardian of Mewtwo. Next to him was Stella, whom he had befriended and was now travelling with, but next to her was a girl Jethro did not recognize - a blond-haired, blue-eyed girl wearing reddish-orange clothes. Next to her was Alex, the fairly rogue trainer who had been of much help to Jethro, and next was Roy, who had become a good friend of Alex's and was a rising Pokemon trainer. Next to Roy was a guy Jethro didn't know - a tall, slightly tanned guy with black, messy hair.

On Jethro's other side sat Lance, a good friend of Jethro's and current Champion of the Pokemon League. Next to him was another girl - apparently some sort of apprentice of his - with blue hair and blue eyes. Next to her was Archie, former leader of Team Aqua, and Maxie, former leader of Team Magma. The two of them, now co-leaders of the Mossdeep City Gym, were good acquaitances with Jethro but grew closer during the hunt for Mewtwo - Jethro came to them for advice on Kyogre and Groudon. Next to Maxie was a large, muscular man that Jethro didn't know. Last was DP. He hadn't lost his dark clothing, but he was different nonetheless.

Jethro stood up and tapped his glass with his fork. All twelve pairs of eyes turned to look at him as he spoke.

"Thank you all for coming to my hundredth birthday. At this time, I have an announcement I think I should make. My birthday was not the only reason you were invited here. You see...

"On second thought, I think I should get something else out of the way first. I notice that there are a few new faces among us, and perhaps those of us who I do know could know each other a little better. I suggest we all introduce ourselves - so that those who do not know us could get to know us better. It will be necessary for what I plan to do.

"I'll start. My name's Jethro Baker. In my earlier years, I was a Pokemon Trainer, and a good one, too. Now, my skills are a little rusty, but I hope to improve them as I go on. I also have one distinction that some of you may not know: the legendary Pokemon Mewtwo has chosen me to guard him from those who would capture him."

Those who didn't know this looked surprised - and for good reason. Jethro continued, "I also do own one Legendary Pokemon, but among our group this is hardly unique. In fact, unless I'm mistaken, five of you here actually own two Legendaries!"

Lance cleared his throat and began his introduction. "Although some of you may not know me personally, I'm sure just about all of us have heard of me. I'm Lance Grant, and I'm commonly known as the Pokemon Champion. Also known as the Dragon Master, although to some - especially Clair, the Blackthorn City Gym Leader - that might be disputable. This here beside me is Marona - I'll let her introduce herself when she's ready."

There was a pause. Then, Maxie spoke up. "In that case, let me introduce myself. I'm Maxie Dout, this is Archie Rizzer. We're the co-leaders of Mossdeep City Gym, but before that, we were bitter enemies."

"You can say that again," Archie added. "I was the leader of Team Aqua, and Maxie was the leader of Team Magma. But then we realized that if we let radical beliefs such as ours loose, we could wreak much more havoc than we should have. So we retired and became co-leaders."

"That's right," Maxie finished. "Also, this here is Theodore. He was... well, a good friend of mine when I was still leader of Team Magma, and now he's here with us."

OOC: OK, so I chose odd last names for Lance, Maxie, and Archie, but hey, they could be odder!

 

[Hakuryuu]

Marona waited for Maxie to finish and slowly arose from her chair. She ran a finger through her navy blue hair and with a stern look, spoke.

"Yes, well, hello to you all. I'm Marona Castile. I'm 15 years old and yada yada yada. I'm sure I would bore you to death if I told you more, so I won't," she sat back down and stared at the table.

She felt a slightly weird sensation. She was nervous sitting next to Lance, but she felt great he took her into consideration. She liked the feeling, and yet wished it was gone.

She lifted her eyes from the table and stared at some of the guest. Once they caught her eye, she looked down and sighed. Parties weren't exactly her thing. She tapped her foot nevously and waited for the next person to speak.

 

[Saffire Persian]

Theodore

Theodore Valhal stared at the old man in surprise, not because of Mewtwo precisely, but because of the fact that such an old man was in possession of the Psychic type pokemon of legend. He mused over the idea for a few moments, still finding it as surprising as it has been before.

Well . . . you can't judge a book by its cover, Theo reminded himself.

He absorbed the information, as well as the idea that he was in the company of those who did indeed possess legendaries. He was impressed that they possessed the capabilities to handle pokemon of such power, though no jealousy rose within him. He was completely satisfied as he was now. Theo heard his name mentioned, and turned to Maxie, giving a breif, but knowing glance with the once Magma leader. His attention was reverted back to the older man, of whom had now reached his hundreth year. He felt obligated to say something, which he did.

"It's a pleasure."

He paused again. All the attention was on him, now that the girl that was sitting gleefully - perhaps a little too gleefully - by the dragonmaster had finished speaking

"It's Theo, as Theodore's a bit too business like for me. I'm merely a friend of Maxie's, like he said, and let's leave it at that."

His spoke in a tone that allowed no questions to be made about him - where he'd been, what he'd done. Because really, it was none of their business, and Theodore felt no inclination to tell it.

 

[Seijiro Mafuné]

Albert was sitting down, thinking about what Jethro had said. He had heard that certain people controlled, in some way, the Legendaries, but he thought it was just a story of sorts. 'Then again, certain stories are real, right?' he thought to himself. Shifting on his seat, he stared at Jethro. "Um, I'm Albert Shisui. 16 year old, trainer... the usual," he stated nervously, a bit unsure if he should actually be there.

 

[Lemurian]

Alex smiled as Albert finished. New people, eh? Well, friends of Jethro was his friends. " I am Alex Fogshredder. " he said. " I am the trainer of Moltres and Regice, former Rocket-hacker, 23 years old. " A smile spread on his face. " To old acquntances, nice to see you again, to new, nice to meet you. "

 

[Controller of Flames]

OOC: Yeah their last names are odd but Roy’s is too.

_______________________
“I’m Roy Cameron, an orphan," he looked down, he hated admitting he was an ophan, as if it was some sort of punishment, "my family got killed by Team Rocket, I’m 13. I also brought Albert here while at Orre, he is quite powerful.”

Roy then stopped, and continued on, “I own Rayquaza and Celebi. My other pokemon are charizard Vapporeon, and Sneasal.”

 

[Sorina]

Stella stood up slowly. Although Pika had helped her become less introverted, she still was not very good with people she hadn't met.
"I-I'm Stella Ookimura, I don't like the term owner, so friend of Latios and Latias, once owner of Groudon. I'm training to maybe become a Master. And this-this is Pika, my companion, former Master, and friend/keeper of Articuno, and my very dear companion," she sat down and payed close attention to the next person to introduce themself, hoping her face wasn't red with embarrasment.

 

[Controller of Flames]

Roy was thinking as everyone was introducing themselves, he was listening but he was also very angry. He was mad at Natalie, who he found out, that Natalie abused her Meganuim; during the time he had her. Meganium went through it all, from the ever so nice Natalie, to Rocket Leader Natalie. He rememberd when he found this out

“Serebii, Ray do you why this Meganium acts to strange?” replied Roy, “I know that Meganium once was a Rocket Pokemon, but this is just weird.”

“It happens”, whispered Serebii, “Pokemon who have been abused close the door to their heart, normally this can only be done artificially. I know how to reverse it, you must use one of my precious time flutes, and it will summon me if I’m not already there. Then I will then teleport you to Agate village where a sacred relic is, and then the pokemon can be purified at the relic. Once the process is done the time flute will break.”

Roy found a time flute, and did it, Meganium was free, from Natalie, free from Rocket.

Roy looked directly at Natalie’s Meganium “Meganium, I want you to stay here, it will keep you safe, stay by the relic, don’t wander far. I’ll come back once Rocket is gone, once Natalie has learned her ways.”

 

[Surfman]

OOC: I've made it through one. I won't let the sequel die off!

IC: Jethro waited for others to introduce themselves. But he felt like he was waiting for too long. "A little shy, are we?" he asked when there was an awkward pause.

After a few more seconds, he said, "Well, you'll probably get to know each other better once we get started. Meanwhile, I'll explain why I wanted you all here. The answer is quite simple, really."

He pulled out a newspaper a couple of days old and tossed it on the table.

"Take a look at this newspaper. The main article discusses a Pokemon that is , as of right now, only a rumor: Rukario. But the rumor is gaining empirical support. This wouldn't normally get me to become active, but take a look at the next article down. It clearly states that Natalie Baker, leader of Team Rocket - and my granddaughter - has escaped from prison.

"Clearly there is no time to waste. If this Rukario exists, Natalie will stop at nothing to obtain it. No doubt Rukario is hiding where he thinks no one can find him. It is up to us to find Rukario before Natalie does. To do that, we need to find things - anything that will lead us to Rukario.

"I suggest that we split up into groups, and each group will have a specific duty. I will stay here and have a little talk with Mewtwo. One group will go to the location of the inscription in this article - in Orre - and investigate it. Other groups will go out and do various things. Does anyone have any ideas on what tasks might be needed done?"

 

[Lemurian]

Alex' smiled froze, but he regained his composure. " Well, if Nathalie is on the loose, we will need to find out where she is and what she's doing. " he said and shrugged. " My RocketNav might trace her up, as long as she still have got something belonging to Team Rocket still. Another thing that probably needs to be done is to search up more info on Rukario. Maybe there is a legend to Rukario too? "

 

[Controller of Flames]

“I’ll travel alone, unless someone wants to help me, I’ll find these tasks needed to be done, but for now I’ll travel to Orre, The group travelling to Orre can be teleported by my Celebi. Time is of the essence so anything that can help us get work done fast is helpful.”

Roy then stood up, and went to Jethro’s seat, he put a bag in front of Jethro. Roy then opened it and handed the gift to Jethro.

“This is a time flute“, Roy whispered, “The last one on earth, use it only during an emergency.”

Roy then walked back to his seat and sat down. Hoping it was the right choice.

 

[Saffire Persian]

Luna Altara

Luna Altara remained in her seat, saying nothing. She eyed Pika for a few moments, wondering if, perhaps, he would be the one to introduce her. It felt kind of rude to just introduce herself without the one who had brought her here mentioning her name. But Pika showed no sign of doing so, but Luna kept on smiling as the majority (most of which she did not know) introduced themselves.

In her pale white hands was a very long package, covered in a baggy sort of wrapping paper. After all, she didn't want to damage what lay inside. Luna couldn't help but smile, and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle along with her. She felt sure the old man would like the present . . . at least she hoped he did. Deciding that perhaps it was more rude not to say anything, Luna was about to speak up, when Jethro began to speak once more.

Luna immediatly quieted, with Vincent - her Smeargle - standing proudly by her side. Pity and empthy surged through her heart, as she listened to him tell once more of his Granddaughter, Natalie: the new leader of Team Rocket. Her eyes softened as they fell on the older man, hearing his plans. She knew immediatly she wanted to help.

Silence fell again, as people collected their thoughts. Luna shifted, a bit nervous. But finally, she stood up, her musical voice growing stronger with each syllable that she spoke.

"I'm Luna Altara . . ." She paused, waiting for her name to sink in, before speaking. She didn't want to go too faced. Her words were mainly meant for Jethro. "And I know I can't do much . . . but I'll be happy to help anyway that I can . . . and . . ." Her voice softened, and she met the old man's eyes. " . . . I'm sorry about your Granddaughter, sir. I'm sure, underneath, Natalie is a really kind person."

Luna blushed, her pale cheeks lighting up with a pale hint of red. She pushed the package into Vincent's hands at his insistance, and the proud, rainbow tailed Smeargle ran forward. His paws fumbled to keep a hold of the long package, but he managed to place it finally at Jethro's feet, giving the old man a look that said plainly to open it.

Seeing as there was need for explanation, Luna spoke again. "I know I shouldn't be changing the subjet . . . but Happy Birthday, sir."

Luna sat down, knowing the contents of the package. It was a painting - one she had drew herself. The painting had been mostly done by Vincent himself - he had insisted, since it was a portrait of himself. Luna had only done a little dabbing of it. It was one of Vincent's prized portraits of himself (he had many, being a rather vain Pokemon), and had insisted they should give this particular one to Jethro.

And Luna had agreed.

====

ooc: Just in case you wanted to know what the picture looks like... I did a little editing of a Smeargle Pokemon Card on Photoshop. So this is what the painting looks like: (notice the rainbow tail):

 

[Hakuryuu]

After Luna finished with her introduction, Marona quietly leaned back in her chair and yawned.

"Ok, so we have to find Lucario, big deal. It's nothing me and my dragons can't handle," she whispered to herself with a slight smirk.

"The only thing is though, who's gonna wanna be with me? I mean... Everyone here is... way um different," she continued on having a conversation with herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry about your granddaughter. I'll help with Lucario. Sounds like a fun and interesting challenge" Marona said, speaking up and the passion burning inside her.

"It doesn't matter who I get, as long as they know I don't stop and wait. I don't ask for directions, and my dragons don't really like other people to well," she told the guest and sat back down, feeling a bit nervous and worried if she scared people by her attitude.

 

[Lemurian]

Alex twicthed and turned to the one who called herself Marona. "For your information, Marona," he said, not evern bothering disguise some of the clear disgust in his voice, "this is not some simple game that you and your dragons can just sweep through. If Nathalie really gets her hands on Lukario, you'd wish your parents never met. Nathalie is possible to do anything and with Lukario, she can do it as well. So I suggest that you, miss Castile, sharpen up and takes this matter serious. "

 

[Seijiro Mafuné]

Al looked nervously at the others, surprised at the news. "Well, um," he said cautiously, "if you guys want me to do anything, just tell me what to do. I want to help."

 

[PokemonMasterPika]

OOC: Whew! Finally back from vacation! Well.. Kinda vacation...

DP eyed everyone. Somehow the "group" had expanded. He wasn't sure if he was more suprised that they were back together or that there were more of them. He knew one thing was for sure though.

"I'm looking for Natalie," DP said. DP had changed since his last encounter with Pika. The Pokemon Master scolded him in a way that he had never experienced before. He tried to grasp what Pika meant. His efforts eventually won Lugia over, more specifically the canned corn. But one thing hadn't changed. DP still had a major grudge against Natalie. He still had a score to settle. "I don't care who come with me. Just don't slow me down or get in my way."

Pika winced. He had hoped DP would be a bit more changed than that.

"OK." He said. He then picked up the article to examine it closer. "Orre? I've never heard of Team Rocket being in Orre. There has to be some reason for that..."

 

[Surfman]

Jethro nodded. "Yes, I was wondering about that myself. Lance?"

Jethro glanced over to Lance, who said, "Actually, I think I do have an answer. From the information we got from Natalie before she escaped, quite some time ago, Team Rocket was allied with Cipher, which is based in Orre. But for some reason which we haven't determined yet, Team Rocket turned against Cipher and killed many of its members, including two of their top administrators.

"Eventually, Team Rocket and Cipher agreed to stay off of each other's turf, so to speak. But there were a few members who disobeyed, and the two teams battled on and off for a while. Ever since Team Rocket and Cipher split, Cipher has enlisted the help of a relatively new group, Team Snagem, which has highly-developed Pokemon theft technology.

"Recently, however, there has been an especially long period of no fighting. I'm not sure, but Team Rocket may be trying to reconcile its differences with Cipher. That's my theory, anyway. Perhaps the two of them may even be re-allying. If that does happen, it would be very dangerous. Much more dangerous than now."

Jethro paused to take all of this in. A lot had happened in his lifetime - especially in the past year - and now a lot was about to happen again. He decided to conclude the meeting.

"I think I know what we'll do. Lance, Maxie, and Archie, you three have duties you need to carry out - Lance as champion, and Maxie and Archie as gym leaders. I suggest you return to your places, but do some more research on Rukario. Alex, and DP will search for Natalie. No doubt she's hiding somewhere and will be very hard to find. Albert, you and Roy go to Orre to the site of the inscription to do a little on-site investigating. Marona and Theodore will go with you, but their job is different: they will be out battling members of Cipher and Team Snagem that may try to mess things up nearby. And Pika, Stella, and Luna, you'll be coming with me. I have a feeling Mewtwo may know quite a bit about Rukario. Let's go."

As Alex, Archie, DP, Lance, and Maxie walked out the front door, and Albert, Marona, Roy, and Theodore teleported away, Jethro picked up the package from Luna and opened it. As he saw the painting, he smiled. "Thank you, Luna. This is very nice."

 

[Saffire Persian]

Theodore

Theo showed no hint of emotion as the old man delt out his orders. It didn't surprise him that he immediatly set everyone on missions, but what did surprise was the fact that the old man himself was actually going. If Jethro was telling the truth about being a hundred years old . . .

Geez. That's one spry old man.

Of course, Theo didn't voice this aloud. It wasn't smart to offend - especially an ally. He contented for looking a bit amused, while deciding that perhaps Jethro was not to be underestimated. His piercing gaze wandered over to the two he'd be investigating with: Roy, Albert and Marona.

So, it seems I'm stuck with a bunch of kids.

Theodore eyed Marona for a few moments - she was the one he'd mainly be with. She certainly had a fiery spirit, and from what he had heard, a dragon trainer. Hopefully, she was not so much of a fiery spirit that she'd act a little bit too rashly.

Even a Trainer of Dragons could be taken down.

Theo sighed. At least he wouldn't have to worry about having her, a teenage girl, hanging onto him at every oppurtunity. He seemed to attract many of those kind of girls already... wanting to go on dates, and all that crap. They bugged him to know end - more than almost anything else. But, he had insurance that she wouldn't be one of those.

No - she had her sights set on Lance.

And that was insurance enough for him.

He stood up, and felt the eerie sensation of being teleported. Even as he dissapeared, he nodded his head. "See ya, Old Man."

And Theo was gone, to whatever future awaited him.

 

[Lemurian]

Alex waited quietly as he was given his orders. To find Nathalie together with DP...could get interesting. He followed Archie, DP, Lance and Marchie out the front door.

The minute Alex was out the door, he flipped up his RocketNav. " Locate, Nathalie Baker. " Alex said to the black and red machine. " Unable to locate wanted person. Error code 3254. " the RocketNav simply replied. 3254. Hidden from all known tracers. " Well, it was worth a try... " Alex said and folded down the Nav, before turning to DP. Alex hestitated a while before asking. 'Wonder how much he has changed...' he thought before speaking out loud. " Well, DP, where do you suggest we start? "

 

[Controller of Flames]

Roy walked out to the house with the group he was in, as soon as they were out of the house he turned around and faced them. “Were going to get there the fastest way we can, come Serebii!

Roy threw out his poke ball, releasing Serebii. Serebii flew out of the poke ball, and flew up to eye level with Roy, “What is it master? Who are these people?”

“This is Serebii my Celebi, Serebii were going to travel together with these people, teleport us to the Pokemon Research lab in Orre.”

As soon as Roy said this, a mystical glowing circle covered them, lifting them up into the air. The sound of chimes in the air started to play.

“Why are we going to the research lab anyway“? yelled Theo

“I need to find out where it is.” Roy replied.

Serebii eyes turned purple, and everyone was at the research lab.