Sunny Side Cherry Beach (Joey)

[The REAL Joey]

Joey held his battered and crushed Elekid in his arms, almost on the verge of tears from seeing his partner so smashed from the full brunt of Tentacruel's fearsome slap. He held him tighter to his chest and looked over to Nadia and Gary who had successfully, albeit slowly, managed to land a debilitating Yawn attack on it, causing it to slumber almost totally. However the sheer wrath and anger pent up in the Pokemon was enough for it to writhe around even in its sleep. Joey listened to Nadia as she mentioned his Koffing. "O-Oh yeah... I think he got hit!!" Joe stood up with Elekid tucked away safely under his arms and began frantically looking for where Koffing had been struck to.

"C'mon, c'moooon... Where are you..." Joey frantically dashed along the beach looking for where Koffing had been slammed to. However, due to the ferocity of the Tentacruel's attacks, the beach was looking worse wear all over. "...!?" Paused Joey as he eventually saw a small patch of sand shifting about. He dropped to his knees and began digging to uncover what it was. As he removed a good deal of sand, his Pokemon Koffing launched itself upwards. "KOFFFFFFFFIIIIINNNNNG!" It roared triumphantly. Although Tentacruel may have been super strong, Koffing's naturally high defences had protected it. "Koffing... I'm so glad... We need to do something." Joey looked over to the Tentacruel and then to how badly hit his Koffing had been.

"Seems we need to retaliate in kind..." Joey licked his lips before whispering Koffing's command. "Pain Split" Muttered Joey. Koffing shot itself up in the air with a great amount of counter gravity and zoomed towards the now partially slumbering Tentacruel. It span around excessively on the spot before looking at it dead in the eyes. Koffing's usually cheery face soon subtly changed to that of an incredibly devious evil looking grin. It let out an incredibly shout and the two energies between Koffing and Tentacruel seemed to shift radically. Koffing's health was now being restored at an incredibly rate while all the damage it had received was now being inflicted over the Tentacruel. "Alright!!" Joey yelled ecstatically. "I'd been saving that as an ace up my sleeve for ages now. Good thing it finally came into play."

However, despite the huge turnabout in events, it still wasn't enough to finish off the kraken. "N-No...! This isn't real!" Stammered Joey who was now falling into a huge phase of denial. Koffing slowly faltered to the sandy floor as a Pain Split of that magnitude proved to be too much for a Pokemon of his level. "Kofff....ing..." It murmured as it slowly shut its eyes and hit the floor. "This isn't possible..." Joey looked up at the Tentacruel. "I can't use any of my other Pokemon. This Tentacruel would seriously rip my Fire Pokemon apart if given the chance and my Ditto..." He sighed and shook his head. "...Is a bit complacent when it comes to orders." He tuned to Nadia with defeat looming over his eyes. "Is there nothing we can do? We've come so far too..." He looked over to where the Riolu was. "If only he would help us out...!"

[Nada]

Nadia was ready to burst with the biggest nosebleed possible. It looked like Joey had found his Koffing and used the move Pain Split... well, no need to reveal that plan now. Koffing's health had been completely restored, but now it was absolutely fatigued. Don't worry. Just some rest and the Koffing would be as good as new. But who had ever heard of a Pokemon becoming worn out from a single move...? This Tentacruel... if only Ben where here. He'd know what to do. As far as what Nadia could do, she had run dry of useful tactics for her own Pokemon could use. The double flinch and inducing sleep to the Tentacruel. It had calmed down slightly, yes, but its anger still burst forth from its sleep. It was only a matter of time before it awakened and amped itself up even more. What COULD be done?

"Is there nothing we can do? We've come so far too... If only he would help us out...!" Joey had spoken out.

"Help us out..." Nadia said to herself, looking up over at the Riolu. He had his back to the group with his nose up to the sky and little arms crossed, looking as defiant as ever. If this Pokemon was a s strong as Joey had claimed, and the weakened status of the Tentacruel to leave it vulnerable, then this little guy is all they've got left. Their trump card. But this Riolu didn't even seem moved by the efforts of the two trainers and their Pokemon. It was still acting stuck-up. Oh man, what to do? Trying to open your heart to a Pokemon who didn't even seemed to have cared about the other Pokemon risking their lives to protect everyone would only be a waste of time! Words would mean nothing! This Riolu... it seemed like the only one it would help was itself...

"Help... itself...?"

Snapping her head up from her thinking position, a brilliant idea crossed Nadia's mind! It seemed a little cruel, this idea, but damn her if it might not work! But with this option, the choice of being able to make up later is always a possibility! But if an action wasn't taken, they may as well kiss the Earth goodbye right now. No time for words: Just action!

Turning around, turning her back to the beach and the Tentacruel, Nadia caught a glimps of a group of people who had come to see what was going on, plus a TV news crew. Oh, great; when the hell did they get here?! Don't people know how to run for their lives during a crisis?! Damn, the least they could do was try to lend a hand if they were going to be here by their own stupidity! But that isn't important now. They didn't make any change in her plan in trying to stop this thing and getting the Riolu to help them... wither he wanted to or not!

"CHEEKY!" Nadia shouted at the top of her lungs. "WE NEED A SPECIAL AIR LIFT DELIVERY, STAT! WE NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE!" Then putting two fingers in her mouth and blowing a whistle that pierced the ears, she hoped her dire plea to her little bird would reach him if he were still around.

It seemed to have gone quite. Too quite. And it seemed to have dragged on forever as well. This was going to be Nadia's trump card... no time for words and only little time for action. Did Cheeky abandon them for good...? At least there would be one survivor of this tale...

".............ailooooow!"

A small cry penetrated from the distance. It was small and high pitched, but it was by far the cry of a Taillow. And off upon the horizen, there wasn't one Taillow flying in this direction, but two! The second one was a little smaller than the first... but no way! It couldn't be! Was this the smaller Taillow that Cheeky had been trying to protect from when they first met?! But wasn't that over east of New Bark? How the hell did he travel so far and back in such a short amount of time?! Well, never mind that detail! It looked like Cheeky hadn't fled at all, but instead brought in some extra aid!

"TAAAIIIIIILLLLLOOOOOOOOOWWWW!!!" Cried the two little birds. They flew together in perfect formation of flirting around through the air. The Riolu had opened his eyes and was watching the two birds. He sill seemed stuck-up, but a small splash of confusion appeared on his face as well. What were they planning? Then the two Taillow dive bombed at the Riolu and each one grabbed him right on the shoulders to lift him into the air. As you might expect, the Riolu then started to flail and jerk around, growling at the birds in an attempt to get free.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this little Riolu, but you wouldn't help us!" Nadia cried. You could tell in her voice that she didn't exactly want to do this either, but desperate times call for desperate situations. "If only you had helped us from the start! But now... you must now protect yourself! Good luck, Riolu!"

Help yourself.

When the two Taillow, struggling with the weight of the Riolu, were directly overhead of the mighty Tentacruel, they let lose their cargo. Riolu's efforts to struggle free had come through. He was dropped. Next destination: Tentacruel.

[The REAL Joey]

Joey looked to the skies as one of Nadia's Pokemon returned with its friend. "You're messing with me right? It bought help?!" He smiled at the further turn of events to their favour. "...I just hope it'll help us somewhat." He looked on in surprise as Nadia commanded the bird Pokemon to swoop at Riolu and drop him into the fray against his will. "Yeesh! Despite your looks you're pretty harsh." He looked up to the sky while the Riolu struggled to break free from the grip of both Taillows. "...I think I would have done something similar to be honest." He grinned and shrugged. "His inability to anything was starting to get on my nerves."

As the Riolu was dropped off, speeding towards the Tentacruel at an incredible pace, all sorts of thoughts were racing through its mind. He focused on these thoughts and time itself around the little Pokemon seemed to almost freeze. "How dare that female use me in such a way...!" It reflected further on the desperate attempt at trying to get it to do something and felt almost pleased by her actions having had a moment to see through the initial disdain of being so roughly handled. "Perhaps she may help me." It opened its eyes and by doing so, enshrouded its entire body in an almost blinding light of Aura. Joey shut his eyes slightly at the sudden burst of Aura surrounding the Riolu's body. "No way... I think you got it to fight!" He raised a hand in the air and celebrated cheerfully. "Things are going OUR way now."

The Riolu looked down as it approached the Tentacruel and immediately knew what it had to do. Being placed in such a dangerous position made Riolu almost feel as if his body was becoming engulfed with the power of Aura to muster enough energy to vanquish such a titan. It's eyes glowed mysteriously and in a split second analysed the very being of the Tentacruel with Foresight. "No escaping me now." It commented as the Foresight worked. "It's two large gems store its power and lifeforce. I see." With that, the little dog Pokemon used the Aura surrounding it to speed its body to the point of super speed and gracefully used the Quick Attack to jam it's paws squarely in the first red encrusted gem the Tentacruel had. This tremendous blow sent a fatal pain through the Tentacruel, enough for it to wake up from it's nap. It shook the very beach in front of it with its mighty roar and aimed for the Riolu that was floating in mid air.

The smaller third jewel at the centre of the Tentacruel glowed brilliantly and sparked furiously as it focused its remaining energy into an attack. Without any further warning, an incredible amount of water jetted from the jewel and seemingly drowned the Riolu with its attack. "No way... Hydro Cannon?! That move is one of the most powerful Water moves going!!" Yelled Joey over the torrential sound of the attack. "It doesn't learn that naturally!!" He looked over as the destructive attack finished and Riolu was nowhere in sight. "This ain't good... He must be on the other side of Hoenn by now having been hit by such a strong attack!" Exclaimed Joey as his eyes darted all over the beach. Luckily, the Riolu had sensed the tremendous surge of energy before the Tentacruel attacked and had moved out of harms way. It appeared from behind it's back and launched another Quick Attack at the remaining gem. SMASH! The blow connected and forcibly shattered the remaining energy left. Tentacruel was looking on the verge of defeat now.

It leered at the Riolu with a particularly nasty look in its eye and swatted it onto the beach with a tentacle. Riolu smashed into the beach but due to his overwhelming Aura abilities managed to shrug off the blow. Outraged by such defiance the Tentacruel attempted its final move that would end this insignificant whelp's life. All at once, its Tentacles, all eighty of them, thrust into the air and came colliding down on the tiny Pokemon, covering it in highly poisonous feelers. So much so the Riolu could no longer be seen. Joey observed the attack and gasped. "Gunk Shot?! This Tentacruel is not of this world..." He looked to Nadia and gulped. "There is no way it could have survived that." However, Joe was soon to be proven wrong.

The Tentacruel eyed the spot it had just crushed with it's poisonous barbs and noticed that the sweet feeling of crushing its opponent into a bloody pulp was not felt. It moved away a number of tentacles and its eyes widened in disbelief. Sure enough, the Riolu was still standing. Joey whistled as he saw the Riolu was alive still. "Incredible... It must have used Endure and took on the full brunt of blow!" Riolu looked to the trainers and back to the Tentacruel. "I still have 1HP." With that, for the first time ever, Tentacruel knew the very definition of fear. Riolu knew the move Endure but it also knew the move Counter. With every fibre of it's being, Riolu channelled the power of Aura and began its annihilating Counter attack.

The Tentacruel felt itself being pulled forward unexpectedly and tried to resist. The very act was futile. Riolu began tearing off Tentacruel's limbs that remained on its body from the Gunk Shot attack and shrugged them off to one side. However, a single tentacle was left and it yanked it mightily and slammed it into the ground. Using it as a bridge, it began running up it at a furious speed. Upon reaching the Tentacruel's main body it began to unleash a flurry of punches, kicks and body slams that made visible dents in the Tentacruel's body. It back flipped away from the Pokemon and floated mid air. The Tentacruel reeled in from the blows and looked at the Riolu defeatedly. No more. Riolu, had other plans. It focused all of its Aura and energy into its paw. It clenched it and with a single hook of his arm, jabbed the Tentacruel right in the centre red crystal.

[Nada]

"TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN..."

That's what would come to mind when the Tentacruel went blasting off into the horizon. It was almost a complete motto of Team Rocket to say that when they made their get away. It was headlines often, after all. But wither this was a freak encounter of nature or not, that didn't matter now at the moment. The Tentacruel was gone and all that was left was evidently seventy-nine of its arms. The jellyfish itself hadn't even touched ground (or sea) before it was out of sight. The amazing power of the Counter was formidable indeed. This Riolu was still young... but powerful. Even with just a small sliver of its health left, it stood there with his arms crossed like it was nothing.

Nadia couldn't believe it. The plan worked better than what she could've hoped for. In reality, she thought she was only grasping for straws and she would be killed right there. But she took the long shot that surged through her just from the will of wanting to live. It has been proven that even when the odds were impossible, living creatures would fight for their lives to the bitter end. Luckily... the only end it was bitter for was the Tentacruel. It may live for another day as well and maybe its anger has been quailed. Hard to say... except for now, all is well.

Nadia fell to her knees and was holding herself up with her arms in the sand. She started to choke up and cry. She has been wanting to do this since the beginning with the Tentacruel appearing, but there simply wasn't the time. She refused to let out a single tear since there was always time for crying later. Later is now happening. Time for the emotions to spill out.

Leonardo was sitting in the sand next to Nadia, trying to talk to her and cheer her up. Cheeky had landed on her head and was trying to do the same. As a matter of fact, so were Katie and Gary as well. Cheeky's other friend was circling and flying around in the sky directly overhead, singing in victory. It now has fully repaid its debt to Nadia for helping it when it was poisoned. Things were evened out.

The crowd that has gathered behind them all began to cheer and celebrate. Through the entire fight, the crowed had done nothing more than "oooooo"d and "awwwwww"d for the most part. But in the fry, Nadia and Joey, they didn't exist. All that mattered now was that they were still alive and breathing... Joey's Pokemon had taken a bit of a beating, but some aid from the Pokemon Center would make them as good as new. It was a time to rejoice for life.

[The REAL Joey]

Joey looked around in the aftermath of the Tentacruel being punted far over the horizon. His mouth was slightly ajar from having viewed such a miraculous victory. It was a modern day tale of David vs. Goliath. The little guy finally getting his own back against the big one. Underdog wins. He pushed his bandanna up slightly so he could rub his forehead thoroughly and stared blankly off into the horizon. "...Wow." He remained speechless for a great deal longer but the noisy chatter of the crowds and TV crew quickly put an end to his silence.

He grumbled slightly and quickly began to withdraw all of his poor beaten Pokemon back to their Pokeballs. He looked to the Riolu and withdrew him last with a firm nod as a sign of approval for beating the monstrous Tentacruel. Being the centre of attention in a crowd this big was never Joey's most comfortable feeling. He looked over to Nadia and smiled. "Teamwork really does beat all, huh?" He moved his neck from side to side to stretch the muscles in his back and sighed. "Crowds aren't my thing..." He looked around as they began to approach a little closer, with the TV crew at the forefront, hoping for the biggest scoop and maybe even an interview with the heroic trainers. "Meet me behind the building in front of Cherrygrove's Pokemon Centre. I'll be waiting for you." He looked around and delved into his pocket. He withdrew a crystal ball which seemed to be containing a tumultuous wisp of smoke within it. "Might wanna hold your breath." He grinned wearily and smashed it on the floor, enveloping the wide radius around them in a heavy smoke.

"Now's my chance." He started running off in the opposite direction of the crowds with startling agility despite becoming so weary from their death defying experience with the colossal kraken. "If those damn TV reporters catch wind of me there the police will also be not too far off my trail..." He leapt over a railing separating Cherrygrove and it's beach and before long made it into the centre of the city. He used his expert knowledge of Cherrygrove's alleyways and smaller roads to hide himself and made it not long thereafter to behind the building he mentioned to Nadia before he fled. "Those goddamned TV people better not steal her away for too long. I have something I want to give her." He put a hand in his pocket and felt a familiar spherical object within his hand.

[Nada]

The media. Everybody always wanted to be on TV if they were in the background, making an ass of themselves. But once the camera is brought up to their face about something that directly involves them, it is a different experience. Nadia had barely stood back up when Joey had tossed down the smoke ball and made his escape. She didn't really catch what he had to say about holding her breath, but did hear where to meet up at later... or something like that. She was busy having a coughing fit. So were the rest of her Pokemon.

The smoke cleared up and when Nadia opened her eyes up, all around her were nothing but people and microphones being shoved in her face. Oh man, this was an embarrassment! Granted she was KIND OF a hero now and her face was being aired live probably, but she was also a complete mess. She was covered in dirt and sand, her hair was ruined, whatever make up she had on was running, and her eyes were still red from crying. Not only was she being interviewed on the spot, her face on the TV screen of everybody in the entire dual region area, but she looked like shit... in a bikini! Not even enough time to find her bags and throw on a shirt! The papers for the next number of weeks would be something she'd really, really want to skip out on... this was going to be a long process.


...


...


...



Hours have finally gone by since the incident. Nadia had been hit up for so many interviews and they wanted to take her to Goldenrod City for an exclusive, but she turned them down. It was bad enough to be taken down to the local television studio for an interview on what happened. They asked many questions about the boy she was with, too. They didn't look related. Was he her boyfriend? Did they have something going on? What was his favorite food? Boxers or briefs? The only thing she could answer accordingly was no, they weren't dating. She only said he was a stranger she just happened to meet a few minutes before the Tentacruel attack... and that was the truth.

When Nadia finally had gotten out of the studios, it was well past dark. When she got dragged there, she at least had the chance to get herself looking more appealing. Now at the end of the day, she needed a load off... there was only one place to go, and that was the Pokemon Center. She entered the building, dropped off her Pokemon, and then sat back in the lobby area, looking completely fatigued. She looked up at the TV that was there and it was the news... what a surprise. They kept on replaying the footage of the Tentacruel attack none stop and Nadia didn't want to think about it. But she caught a glimpse of a reminder in the TV... the kid she met earlier. Joey, was it? He mentioned something about meeting her later at the building across the street from the Pokemon Center!

"Damnit, I completely forgot!" Nadia said to herself as she grabbed her bag and went running out the door. Her Pokemon were still with the nurses, but it wasn't uncommon for trainers to leave the area for awhile as they waited. But heading out the door and across the street, and checking out the building. She pulled on the door, but it was locked. Maybe it wasn't inside...? She then walked around to an alley. Sure enough, it was dark and creepy looking. A Murkrow was perched on the fire escape over ahead, grooming its wings. It has been several hours... the guy shouldn't be here anymore. Yet, he might... what harm would there be in checking. She's seen scarier things than an old alley way in the city. So letting off a sigh, Nadia heads back into the alley to look behind the building.

[The REAL Joey]

The faint sound of a coin being flicked repeatedly over and over could be heard echoing from far away in the alley. Joey grabbed the coin with each successive flick and did so tirelessly. Joey's head looked up as he noticed movement coming from the other end of the alleyway. "If it's the damn cops again..." He muttered out loud as he reached for another Smoke Ball to escape his pursuers. He remained in his relaxed position sloped against the ball and acted casual in case it was just Nadia. The dim lighting of this area didn't help matters and as the figure drew closer he still couldn't make out who the mystery person was. He squinted off to discern who it could be and noticed that the person was fairly medium height and feminine in stature. "About time." He dropped the Smoke Ball back in his bag and resumed flicking his coin over and over until she approached him fully.

"Well, well! If it ain't the local celebrity! I saw you all over the news." His face turned to a friendly grin as he stopped slouching up against the wall and tucked his coin away in his jacket pocket. "Sorry I had to cut the victory party so short. Crowds usually bode ill for me due to the police." He cracked his knuckles and eyed around the area. "Seems i'm highly wanted." He laughed it off and shrugged. "I take it the local press were busy keeping you all to themselves, eh?" He rolled his eyes and continued speaking. "Sounds about right." He clapped his hands together and decided to talk about their combined efforts today. "You and me made a pretty good team. I'm surprised both our little kitty cat Pokemon both knew Fake Out too. That was a surprising sight." He chuckled over that and leaned against the wall with one arm supporting him up. "That Tentacruel though..." His eyes narrowed. "...That was something else."

His demeanour suddenly became deeply serious. "I take it you don't come across monsters of nature like that everyday, no? I'm just amazed we managed to both get out alive. My Pokemon are okay now too. I have a contact in Cherrygrove that allowed me to rest them up." His eyes flicked over her quickly almost as if he was judging her character. "I'd like to give you something too." His hand fell to his bag and remained there until he spoke again. "I've not seen someone this ferocious when battling. 'Specially against that Tenta." He stopped leaning against the alleyway wall and moved closer to her.

[Nada]

Flring. Flring. Flring. Flring. Flring.

The sound of the coin, often the symbol of fate. Heads or tails, only destiny can tell. And so far, it has made Nadia's adventure in being a Pokemon trainer an extremely... interesting one. At least it hasn't been dull, that's for sure. But this coin that could be heard in this dark alley was not fate's exactly, but it was indeed Joey's. He apparently had been waiting here this entire time. He either understood that the media would have Nadia captive for a long while or he had nothing better to do. Judging by the guy, it was probably a combination of both.

"Oh man... you haven't any idea," Nadia spoke to the thief, putting a hand on her heard and expressing just how exasperated she truly is. "They're really quite pushy on wanting every single detail about you. Makes me worried to call home to my parents and tell them this since I'm sure they've seen the news by now..." She then continued with putting a hand on her hip. "And I wish I knew beforehand that you carried smoke bombs on your. If I had known previously, I would've loved to skip out on the festivities. I don't have anything to hide, but now the publicity will have made me infamous in the region... don't want to get a lot of fans watching my journey. Too much pressure." She ranted. But one would surely think she would be given that much leeway to rant with all that she had been through just today alone.

"I agree with you on the Tentacruel..." Nadia said, after listening to Joey make comments about the beastly thing. "There were a few rumors in the media crew if it was Team Rocket. There isn't proof since it is baseless conjecture... but it is hard to believe if something like that was truly natural." She sighed again. Nadia was, of course, nearly physically and mentally tapped. Then Joey made an approach with his hand in his bag, reaching for something, commenting on how he'd like to give Nadia something.

"What kind of something?" She had to riddle. She made no comment on ferocious way that she had to battle earlier because, in honesty, it surprised her too. And having to force the Riolu to fight like that... she honestly wasn't too proud of it. It was just something that had to be done.

[The REAL Joey]

Joey rummaged around in his bag, almost on purpose as if to add to the suspense and finally presented a Pokeball. However, due to the murkiness of the lighting, or more accurately so lack thereof, the item Joe presented couldn't be seen. He muttered something under his breath and took out another Pokeball from his belt holster and sent out his Charmeleon. "Charmeleon! Luminate this alleyway for us a little. I gotta show Nadia what i'm handing to her." Charmeleon nodded and craned its tail around and forced his tail fire to burn brightly, enough to give them visibility.

Joey gave a thumbs up to his faithful companion and went back to what he originally intended to do. The original Pokeball was held out to Nadia. It wasn't just any Pokeball however, it was the exact mysteriously decorated Pokeball the Riolu had been carried in. "I want you to take care of him." He took Nadia's hand and placed the ball in it firmly. "Not why's or buts." His arms fell back to his sides and he gave her a partial explanation. "When I saw you battling I saw great promise in you. You've got the raw potential to harness this Riolu's powers and hone them perfectly. Me? I'm not cut out for it."

He looked at the mysterious ball and hesitated almost. "I don't think he likes me all that much either." He looked up to the small crack between the buildings and up to the starry night. "I'm a thief by choice but that doesn't mean I don't have a moral compass. In fact, I only steal Pokemon if I believe a trainer is abusing them." He pondered on what he just said and looked to Charmeleon. "...There are always a few exceptions to this rule." Charmeleon smiled at his trainer and Joey patted his head back. "Still, I think because you used such ingenious tactics the Riolu can look up to you."

His typically cheery face fell sullen at the mention of Team Rocket. "What did you say about Team Rocket?!" He moved out of his slacking position and his entire posture became fired up. "You think they were behind this all?!" He growled to himself and punched his fist. "Them punks. I'll have to look out for them in the area when I move to the next town over." He spat on the ground and looked at Nadia. "Me and the Rockets go way back..." He paused hesitantly. Would it be a wise idea to let this stranger know about his family's history? He toyed with the idea and decided it wasn't going to be a bad idea. After all, the two had fought together seamlessly against the Tentacruel and she did mention about her meeting all sorts of people back on the shores of Vermilion. "I have reason to believe my dad's a Rocket." His eyes leered and he shook his head. "I don't agree with their operations either."

Upon mentioning the word operation he paused. "...Hey... Did you hear about the Lake of Rage? Apparently all the Magikarp in the lake are acting weirdly... You don't think they unleashed a prototype version here in Cherrygrove on the Tentacool?" He paused, thinking intently on the issue. "Seems like something they'd do. Pah, good fer nothin's." He stopped himself mid sentence as he realised he was beginning to derail into a rather incessant rant. "Heh, I go overboard sometimes." He looked at Nadia and decided to ask her something. "So, what are your plans from here on? I'm here in Johto for the thrill of it all. Hunting down the Rockets, taking on the Gyms, encountering new experiences. You know. Somethin' soul searching."

[Nada]

Nadia had accepted the Pokeball... fully. She really couldn't say no at this point in time, since he was already adamant on giving the Riolu to her. It was... an odd treat, to tell the truth. She still remembers Sparkster, her brother's Riolu. She thought they were a great, loyal, and dedicated species. She just hopes she'll be able to tame this one properly. She smiled and nodded when she got the Pokeball. No time for being modest here. If someone wants to give a tip, you cannot stop them.

Joey's face turned bleak at mention of Team Rocket. According to what he said, he thinks his own father was a member of Team Rocket as well. "You have that sort of connection with Team Rocket?" She asked. "I feel bad for you. I also have a bit of a connection... not as strongly as yours, but still something that I would like to settle. Not sure if I'll be able to or not, but you remember when Rocket made a move to take over Silph Co. a few years back? I was there, at the time, in the building with my dad. That was a very scary time... and I had no Pokemon then, either." She looked off to the side, recalling that incident. Looks like she's been having adventures even before she got her trainer card.

Joey made a topic change, asking what her plans were from here on out. Nadia looked up and forced a smile in response. "Well, I guess I'll just be going for a normal trainer thing. Collecting the badges, seeing the sights, taking in the local atmosphere... I went to Trainer's School for six years before I finally was allowed by my mom and dad to get out there and see it all for myself. I hope I'll eventually run into my oldest brother, too. He's been all over the place. Last I heard, he was in... ohh... I forget the name of that particular region, but the one where that new professor has been studying? Yeah, that place. It's a little black and white, if you know what I mean."

[The REAL Joey]

Joey's eyes widened at the mention of the Silph Co. takeover. "Oh man... I know ALL about that. My old man was likely involved in that. He's fairly high up in the chain of command from some files I discovered in his study." He patted her on the shoulder and tried his best to cheer her up after remembering such an ordeal. "If it's any consolation, I apologise on behalf of my father." He fell silent but continued after a few moments. "I do that a lot." He let out a small laugh and nodded to her. "If you're on a warpath with 'em, no doubt we'll cross paths once more. I'm following every damned lead I get for the blighters. Tear 'em apart from the inside is what i'm planning." He positioned his bandanna a little straighter and sighed. "The things I do for a little father-son bonding."

He listened with interest about Nadia's life up until now and began bursting out with laughter upon her mentioning the trainer school. "That the one in Kanto? Oh man oh man!" He held his side from having laughed so hard and slowly regained some composure. "My ma tried keepin' me in there but I eventually became a drop out..." He reminisced to himself about his time there and shrugged. "Just weren't my thing I guess?" Upon Nadia mentioning a black and white region he nodded coyly. "I know the one. It's waaaay far off though. I barely had enough dubloons to afford the cruiser here to Johto. Quite a journey from Fuschia..." He looked to her and gave her a curt nod.

"I'm truly grateful for your help that you gave me today. We made quite the team. You take good care of that Riolu okay?" He moved passed her and looked over his shoulder and gave her a small wave of his hand. "I'll spare you a smoke bomb. Figured you inhaled enough back on the beach." He paused and decided on telling Nadia his next destination. "I'm gonna head down to the beaches again... I wanna make sure there were no Rocket equipment around. I need all the clues I can get." With that he walked forward, hands in his pockets, Charmeleon walking by his side. He came out of the alleyway and almost jumped five feet into the air. "Awww dammit... My luck is the..." He quickly turned in the opposite direction and began legging it as fast as he could. Not long behind him was a portly officer carrying a nightstick and torch who was attempting to try and catch up with him. As he passed the faint sound of a whistle could be heard blowing in the distance along with the cries of the officer for the young thief to slow down.