Pirates of the Oceania (ON HOLD)

[Morrigan]

Gwen merely blinked as Joe announced that he was merely joking. It was obvious for most people but she had almost believed him, not putting it past any man that they wouldnt do something so vile like pull their pants down for no reason. Looking away with raised eyebrows, the green haired girl grumbled back to him, "I dont like jokes. Especially ones from some guy like you." Shrugging her shoulders slowly, Joe seemed to almost be trying to teach her a lesson or something. What made him so wise and mighty, storming into her base and ranting about her likes and dislikes. Scrunching her nose up, she looked even further away from him, "Hmph, I'm not saying all apples are rotten. They just tend to all fall from the same tree and hit me on the head all what once... Why are you preaching me anyway? As if I would heed the words of some trespasser."

Already becoming more than upset with this mans presence, she fell into a deeper layer of hysterical as he now thought of her as suspicious looking! "T-Tarted up?! Just what are you trying to say I am? You look scruffy in all that leather yourself, these clothes just make me feel comfortable and well, girly." A little shy to admit such a thing, the girl rubbed her now rosey cheeks with her fingertips. "Besides, they fit with what I do, serving drinks and cleaning up after the other girls who stay in here with me. Just because I'm young doesnt mean I cant serve a good drink... I-I'll even prove it to you after this fight! A-And if I give you a drink, then you can leave!" Halting as he hurled more argumentative words about her dislike to males, what he said had no meaning to her.

Cocking her head to one side, she stroked the weakened Venonat which laid in her arms, "But, Pokemon males protect me... Human ones dont. If my male Pokemon get on my nerves or get out of hand, I can return them to their Pokeballs. Human men hang around like a bad smell and never disappear." Thinking over the fellow female rockets which resided in the sunken skips walls, she smiled at how nicely they always treated her. "Yes, women are too. But not the ones HERE. They are all out on missions today but we have a BIG group of Rocket girls who come here to escape HQ! It's so much more fun aaaaand" Lifting up her finger, she pointing to him numerous times, "We. Allow. No. Boys."

Grimacing as Joe suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, Venonat almost had a heart attack at how sudden and frantic it was. Returning the poor bug to his Pokeball to relax some, Gwen puffed out her cheeks and looked liked an angry Jigglypuff. "I am too a Rocket! And I'll prove it when everyone gets back!" Stomping her foot like some sort of child, she seemed very upset that Joe viewed her as some tarted up youngster, "I joined Rockets to search for my brother! I-I think I found him b-but then the Police appeared and I l-lost track of him... N-Now I have everyone here! Especially really strong friends like Jae, Lis, Deli and Sha--" Her words were suddenly cut off by the sight of Zidane charging out from behind her, almost colliding with Joe and then completely destroy the dancing machine Disturbia was entranced with. By now, Gwen was completely speechless, how much more did this guy and his beast want to destroy? Feeling that she was about to burst into tears once again, a comforting hand from Machoke made her feel so much more at ease. He could fix anything, so hopefully by the next more everything would be back to normal for the ship.

Getting herself back together, the girl was about to witness yet another shock. The already rare white Shuppet which belonged to the male actually spoke, spoke out in human tongue! Both Machoke and Gwen blinked blankly, looking to once another before back at Joe. "Joey, huh? Thats your name? It's a bit cute for someone so big and dressed in leather, is it not? BUUUT Disturbia has just impressed me that bit more! I wonder if there is anything I can do to persuade you.." Now falling into a deep ponder on how she could get herself this ghost, the Machoke rolled his eyes upon knowing he was on his own for a while. Gwen was easily distracted and always believed that Machoke could look after himself, this time wasn't anything unusual.

Bulging his muscles into a pose, Machoke readied himself for his choice of attack and with a number of steps, lunged his hands forward to grab the ghost and used Seismic Toss! Unfortunately for him, his arms went through completely, giving Shuppet the upper hand for the time being. Playfully twirling around, Disturbia began speaking out in some strange tongue, her large eyes wincing as if she was falling into a deeper pain with each word. Soon enough, an ominous purple gas surrounded Machoke, causing him to pull a sickly expression as his face turned an ill shade of green. He was cursed! And little by little, his health was about to be drained away. "O-OH! I almost forgot! Machoke, use Foresight, then your moves can hurt ghosts!" Almost falling to the ground due to his block headed-ness, the Machoke couldnt quite believe it's previous mistake. Atleast his trainer was somewhat on the ball, or actually paying attention. Staring at the ghost with narrowed glowing red eyes, the Shuppet began to glow a bit brighter than usual, Machoke ridding the power of Disturbia to now turn invisible.

---

Trainer Battle

Rocket Grunt Gwen

---

Machoke: | Level 26 |
Health: 75% (64/85 HP)
Status: Cursed
Used Seismic Toss!
Failed
Used Foresight!

VS

Disturbia: | Level 20 |
Health: 50% (26/53 HP)
Status: Normal
Disturbia used Curse!
Damage dealt to herself!

Foresight allowed Normal/Fighting moves to now hit.

[The REAL Joey]

Rolling his eyes yet again, Joey had confirmed at this point she was going to be a tough crowd. Considering it was within his personality to be bit of a joker, it just presented him with a challenge to overcome. "Yack, yack, yack. I'm sure if I told you the one about the Scyther or the Chikorita you'd be crying your eyes out with laughter." Leering his eyes in an inquisitive manner, he was sure either one of those Pokemon would pique her interest somewhat. All he needed to wait for was the right timing and then he'd whip out a perfect delivery and punchline! That was the key to jokes he found. The delivery itself. If you didn't pace it right, you took the floor from underneath you. Letting the listener revel in the suspense amplified the answer tenfold. Amazingly though, it would be Joe who would start to snicker as he forced himself to hold a laugh back. "They fall on you all at once? Ha... Haha..." Covering his mouth, the biker couldn't help but imagine the young girl clumsily tripping on a tree's root and causing the whole thing to come down on top of her. Eventually straightening himself out, Joey shrugged nonchalantly and pulled a rather laid back face. "Not really preachin'. More just telling it like how it is."

Getting yet another frustrated reaction, Joey took it in his stride. "I don't mean tarted up like a tart, I just mean prettied up." Raising his eyebrow incredulously, he needled her some more. "You must not be from around these parts are ya? Not much for slang?" Shaking his head, he let it go. "Never mind. And yes, I am scruffy. It's not on accident, I wear this simply because its who I am. Much like your frilly little number." Dropping his expression, Joey replaced it with one of more intrigued looks. "A drink you say?! Alright! You've sold me already. I'll happily take any booze you might have behind that counter... It is booze right? Because if it ain't, i'll know with one who swig! Don't think i'm some legless ***** that gets drunk off playing pretend." Having got quite carried away by the thought of free booze, Joey had pretty much disregarded what Gwen had said about this being a girl's only ship. No matter how much she may have possibly tried, that sparkling twinkle in Joey's eye was not going to go away now that he had such a notion in his head.

At least, that much would be true if it wasn't for the fact that there was one word that Joey would be reciprocal to no matter what. Drunk blind, sleeping, out in a coma... He'd respond no matter what to the word Rocket. It had become such a hated word that it was ingrained into his very being to respond due to how much he despised them. In this case, he wasn't really buying it still. "Ah goddammit, cut the Rocket crap... Wait. Are you one of those weird roleplayer type people? The ones who act out in real life rather than on some message board...? Huh." Thinking about it, he pretended to play along, although it wasn't so much as playing as he hated the police just as much. "Them police. Those fat pigs don't know the half of it. Always interfering and cutting into where they ain't wanted. Then you got the corrupt bobbies." Shaking his head, he kept one eye slightly trained on Gwen to see if that might make her warm up to him. "Its worth a shot... Although why the hell she'd want to be roleplaying in this crappy wreck is beyond me."

Sidetracked from his thoughts, Joey looked up at the look of shock on Gwen and the Machoke's face. "Oh...? Ah! I geddit. You've never seen a talkin' Pokemon before. Today's your lucky day then." Laughing to himself secretly, he was kind of glad he hadn't bought Hoodlum along for the ride. All he could imagine was the baggy trousered lizard swaggering over to Gwen and chatting her up in ghetto speak. Once again roped back into reality, Joe nodded proudly at that being his name. "Aye, aye. Joey it is. Joey Raymond Johnson, a name you had best know well by the end of this." He wasn't really one for introductions or mentioning his name but for some reason, this occasion felt perfect. Unfortunately, the introductions would be pushed to one side as a sudden jolt in the battling flared up. Having phased through the Machoke's incredible muscles and landed a curse on, the musclehead seemed to think over carefully about Disturbia, a fact Joe wasn't all too keen on.

"Goddammit you macho mong, that's a ghost. Its not like its some Poke with a bed sheet over its head. There's no way you'll be able to hit her." Shaking his head, he looked at how badly fatigued Disturbia had become after using such a strenuous curse. "Guess not relying on that haunted sentient mansion means you're a bit rusty? No worries, I got your favourite medicine." Taking a bright pink medicine out of his bag, Joey gently fed it to Disturbia who seemed to be over the moon with the delicious flavour. "Good old specially sweet healing medicine. I know you were less than fond of the other one... Eheh..." Disturbia beamed brightly and stuck her tongue out to blow a raspberry. "Sorry about throwing that all over your face again Joey!" Focusing back on the battle, he decided it'd be best to get in another attack. "Might as well break in with a rush. Disturbia! Blend in with the shadows and launch a Shadow Sneak! Hit 'im hard and fast!" Disturbia nodded and with that, retreated to the shadows. "I'd stop dallying over something impossible and worry about the very troubling problem in front of ya, missy."

Items used:

x1 Super Potion (Auto updated).

[Morrigan]

Gwen was a little intrigued about this joke that would apparently reduce her to tears of laughter. The girl had always been shy, clumsy and prepared to keep men at arms length but she couldn't really remember the last time she had laughed due to a mere joke. Unsure if she even wanted to know, the masculinity of Scyther caught her attention more, just because she hoped that the joke would be taking the mickey out of the Pokemon and thus she nodded upon picking her answer. "A Scyther? It cant be that funny. I dont think such a thing would be enough to make me laugh that much." Raising and eyebrow and curling her lip in a confused manner as Joe began to laugh himself, she was unsure as to what suddenly made him so giddy. Perhaps the answer of the joke had tickled him and if so, that'd make him look even more stupid. It was most likely the case of something she had said though and she pretty much knew that. Crossing her arms, she tapped the tip of her shoes against the floor, "You're not doing a good job and making guys look good. Infact, you're reminding me why I detest them so much."

Back on the conversation about clothing made Gwen straighten herself out. Brushing her hands along the surface of her frilly frock and making sure her puffy sleeves and apron were sitting right, she then noted Joe's own outfit. "When you walked through the door I didnt say, Oh my goodness! What an ugly scruff! so dont think that you can look down at me like that. Especially from the one who just mentioned not to judge people." Flicking her hair and tightening her bow, she continued, "Slang?" Obviously, oblivious to the outside world and slang terms were know to be added to her list of strangeness. Now narrowing her eyes at sudden excitement of Joe after mentioning the word alcohol, the perfect plan sprang to action. She would fill this trespasser up with as much drink, knock him out and ditch him in the Navigator Room and then let the ghostly spirit in there take care of him. Poking her cheek, she stared at Joe further, "Let me guess. A leather wearing... biker, maybe? Perhaps some sort of whiskey will be to your liking. If you have a flask, I could even fill you up for your journey." His twinkling eyes allowed Gwen to pull a false smile. She sure was a strange one though, one minute trying to kick him out and the next tempting him with alcohol. It was all part of the same plan to get him out either way, anything was necessary.

Brushing aside her cheeky, making-Joe-drunk plan, the green haired girl sighed heavily as he still didn't believe her being a Rocket. This happened to her alot when going out on missions herself but being told she wasnt a Rocket in her own secret base really irked her. What did he know? He didn't know anything about her or her past, he just came waltzing in with his high and mighty attitude. She wasn't going to explain it to him again. Once he was fast asleep, she could call the other girls to come back and by the time he awoke, he would be surrounded. "No. I do not Roleplay. So, because I am dressed in a maids outfit, hiding out in a sunken ship and claiming to be a Rocket, you come to a conclusion of a Roleplayer. How odd." Blinking at his agreement about the police being fat pigs, these words alone werent enough to convince Gwen that he agreed. Simply ignoring them, she turned her attention to Machoke.

"Machoke, you're looking a little under the weather." Machoke was looking a bit worse for wear, the once macho beast looking a bit more tame, dopey and a little confused as to where he was and where the pain was exactly coming from. Noticing Joe was now healing the little ghost, Gwen stepped in, "Machoke. Now that you can see Disturbia, give her a Karate Chop! We'll have to deal some damage before we can make her join us." With those words, Machoke grunted, stomping forward with his mighty feet and approaching the glowing Shuppet. Taking a moment to pause, it flared it's nostrils angrily and held a straightened arm high above it's head before striking the ghost down with a single blow. Wailing out in pain at the powerful hit from the muscled beast, the Machoke couldnt quite be too proud with itself as the power of the curse kicked in once again.

"Machoke, are you feeling alright?!" Obviously missing the time when Disturbia had landed the Curse attack, the Machoke slowly turned and lifted up his hand, pulling an OK symbol with his fingers. "OKAY! Machoke, use Focus Energy! I want the next move to end with a boom!" About to obey this, he was shocked to see Disturbia had, well, disappeared! Whilst looking back to his trainer, the little ghost had managed to sneak into the Machoke's shadow and in a quick motion, used the power of shadow to slam into his back! Staggering forward and landing on his knees, the Machoke knelt in a comfortable position, building up it's power for the next move. Unfortunately, after a while of building power it's face flinched, the curse kicking in. Again.

---

Trainer Battle

Rocket Grunt Gwen

---

Machoke: | Level 26 |
Health: 10% (9/85 HP)
Status: Cursed, +1 Crit
Machoke used Karate Chop!
Machoke used Focus Energy!

VS

Disturbia: | Level 20 |
Health: 31% (16/53 HP)
Status: Normal
Super Potion used!
Disturbia used Shadow Sneak!

[The REAL Joey]

Opening his eyes at the sign of some interest, Joey started to warm up promptly for the joke. "So Scyther one first right? Right? Okay... *ahem*" Coughing in a forced manner, he looked down at the floor dead still before thrusting his face directly forward and staring at her, his mouth slightly ajar and a deadpan look on his face. After an uncomfortable silence he began to retell the joke he had told so many times before. "What do Scyther's blades give it in a competition?" Falling silent again, his faced stared on, unblinking. With the silence so prominent that you could hear a pin drop from miles away he broke out the answer at just the right moment, when the look of irritation began to set in. "THE CUTTING EDGE!" Slapping his knee and putting on a hearty laugh he didn't wait to see her reaction. "Oh yeah, Chikorita one too as I promised... *ahem* What did the Chikorita say on Halloween?" Pausing again albeit with a bit quicker response, he laid bare the answer. "CHIK-OR-TREET-A!" Pondering if they'd make her even crack a smile, he left his reaction to the wind.

Nevertheless, there were more pressing matters at hand. Her rather astute evaluation of Joe had yielded incredible results! "Woah, you may be bit of a klutz but you nailed me good an' proper. I'm a whiskey man through and through. Nothin' quite warms my heart the way a nice drop of the good stuff does." Going into his jacket, he retrieved a worn silver flask and rattled it. "Good thing this is empty. I'd be more than happy to take a parting gift." Grinning from ear to ear with a radiant grin to put the sun to shame, he was practically floating on the spot at the thought of savouring some special label. In fact, the lust for the whiskey was so great he pretty much threw everything she had conversed with him about out the window and directed Disturbia to attack. "Dammit Disturbia! Get your act together and let's be on our way. We've caused this sweet, young lady so much trouble and the least we could do is get out of her hair. So let's Shadow Sneak and conclude our business." Rubbing his hands together, he had a good feeling about this next round. "Never under estimate one of her curses, let me tell ya. I did and I ended up with a few hundred extra legs..." Trailing off, he made it purposefully dubious to get a reaction out of Gwen.

OOC: sorry for shortness, time was late.

[Morrigan]

Staring blankly at Joe as he told his jokes, the emerald haired girl didn't quite get the funniness of it. Twitching her eyebrows with her crimson red eyes glazed over in confusion, she merely shook her head and proceeded on with the battle. Thanks to her nature of being so easily distracted with everything else around her, the young teen had completely mistook the pain Machoke was in. Originally thinking he actually had a cold, the fact that Disturbia had used a cursing attack on him made her feel terrible. No potions or booze she had in the nearby shelves could heal him now, the curse would drain away his health bit by bit, until he feel into a deep slumber to recover naturally.

Somewhat wanting to return Machoke now, the last thing Gwen wanted was to damage his own pride. He always rolled his eyes at the way she acted but he was a bit dumb without her knowledge of Pokemon, he always relied on brute strength but this ghost had caught him out good. Closing her eyes and forcing a faint smile, Gwen knew that this drink was about to happen very soon, "Spot on then? I'll be sure to set you up before you head off." Sighing wearily, she opened one eye to look at him, "You will be leaving, right?" Flinching as his radiant smile, Gwen took a dramatic step back and lowered her head shyly. "M-Machoke use Karate Chop..." Peering back up between her strands of hair, the girl managed to mutter a confused, "A few hundred legs?" before the last part of the battle kicked in.

Struggling greatly to stand up, his lack of energy gave Disturbia plenty of time to dash in first. With his hulking great figure, the Machoke gave off a huge shadow, allowing the spirit to slink in with lots of room for maneuvering. Just like before, the muscle headed beast looked from side to side as if trying to find the white sheet but it was to no avail. Using all the darkness as her power, Disturbia lifted the fighting type's very shadow from the ground, striking it in the back and with a shocked face, he fell to the floor with a heavy crunch. Gwen looking mighty upset with this and frantically returned him to his Pokeball.

---

Trainer Battle

Rocket Grunt Gwen

Machoke: | Level 26 |
Health: 0% (0/85 HP)
Status: Fainted
Machoke used, used, eerr...

VS

Disturbia: | Level 20 |
Health: 31% (16/53 HP)
Status: Normal
Disturbia used Shadow Sneak!

---

Congratulations!
Joe has successfully defeated Rocket Grunt Gwen and can now safely move down to the Lower Deck!


Disturbia gained a cracking 3 levels and grew to Level 23!
Disturbia is able to learn the move Will-o-wisp! Forget a move?
Shadow Sneak | Knock Off | Screech | Curse
+1 Happiness

Keroswine gained a single level thanks to Exp. Share and is now Level 20!
Keroswine would like the learn the move Smog(lolrly?)! Forget a move?
Tackle | Arm Thrust | Flame Charge | Odour Sleuth

Gwen gave you no money. She is a Rocket, after all. Press on if you'd like to earn yourself some dosh.

Standing in her usual nervous posture, Gwen bit her bottom lip as she examined Joe and Disturbia further. They had won fair and square and without the rest of the girls, she had no tricks up her sleeve. She knew that Edna was in the room below but that girl was always frantically spray painting and doing strange arty things with her Smeargle. Truth be told, she was a little scared of her, so much so that she picked the company of Joe rather than going to disturb the fellow Rocket. Not saying a word, Gwen wandered over to her place of safety, behind the bar. Running her hand over the smooth, dark wooden surface, her eyes scanned the bottles which stood in the glass cabinet that lined the wall. There was so much that it took her a while to find it. Kicking a tiny stool to one side, the clumsily Gwen used it to gain some height, reaching up for the highest bottle and retrieving it safely without the whole lot crashing down on her.

With her feet back on the ground, she blew off any access dust and looked up to see the location of Joe. Raising her eyebrows, she pointed to one of the many seats which lined the opposite side of the bar, "J-Just sit down!" Having a bit of difficulty unscrewing the lid, it was clear to see that no one had touched or even tried to stuff, most likely meaning that Joe was able to do whatever he liked with it. Popping it on the side whilst she search for a glass, Joe was more than able to take a quick sniff or even a swig if he was adventurous. Though with a clumsy drop, Gwen had managed to secure two glasses, both with a few ice cubes within it. Showing them carefully to Joe, she shot him a stare, "Just incase you think I'm going to try and poison you or something, I'll be having a bit too. Theres nothing lined in the glass, Rocket or not I wouldnt dream of such a thing."

Pouring a bit of drink into each glass, she held hers in one hand and awaited Joe to hold his. Wearing a slight blush, she tapped glasses together, "The battle was... good." Taking a small sip first to assure Joe that everything was safe, the girl immediately slammed the glass down as the taste of the fiery liquid ran down the back of her throat. She had never tasted anything so vile and strong in her entire life, as was apparent as she shivered violently. After a moment or two, it was clear to see that nothing was poisoned or tampered with but something else had hit Gwen.

The tiny sip was enough to tip the young girl overboard, her face already being bright red as she hid her curling lips innocently behind her clenched fist. "The--Cutting--ppff--Edge... Chick--or-tree-ta AAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAHHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Obviously the joke Joe had told previously had only just kicked in, that and just this tiny bit of alcohol had allowed her to lose all sense of guard. Either way, Joe's ears were going to be filled with her innocent giggles and waves of laughter for some time. If a sip could do that much in such a short amount of time, who knew what a glass could do! And she was moving in for seconds...

OOC: It's alright! <3 Sorry if mine are always too long, it was pretty much the end anyway, so no worries~

[The REAL Joey]

Stumbling back a little as his jokes fell completely on deaf ears, Joey had not prepared himself for this complete and utter level of failure. "Yeouch... Those were some of the better ones I had too." Trying to remember one he had heard Rocko use a few, he eventually gave up as no matter how he tried to recall it, it just didn't seem to have the same impact. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to make up some bull excuse about his jokes falling flat, the fact her Machoke was almost as stale as his humour had totally distracted this Gwen waitress in the long run. "Nothing is gonna work now. The moment Disturbia mentioned her devilish words, your Machoke was doomed. Only thing you can do now is just gracefully accept y'lost." If she could accept she had lost, it'd also mean that he could get away quicker with the glorious nectar of classy gentlemen. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll leave. I'll get out of your hair. As soon as my flash is filled i'll be on my way." Of course, whether her definition of leaving was the same as Joey's he planned to at the very least exit from the room and explore the rest of this sunken ship. Not like she was going to need it all to herself anyway, right?

Thankfully, Disturbia was quick to follow through with her given command. Never tiring of her blend in with the shadows and use them to her advantage, Joey clenched his fists tightly and grinned thoroughly as she lashed out at the Machoke. "Haha! Don't look so tough now do ya, Arnie?!" Turning his attention to Disturbia, he gave her a showering of praise. "You did absolutely grand, Disturbia. You took on a Pokemon pretty much out of your league and made it look like it was a joke." The girly spirit drifted over to Joey and frantically scurried about in the air as she accepted his kind words. "Yay! Yay! I made Joey happy! I bet you're thankful you went through all of that trouble to rescue me, hmmmmm?" Whisking out of the way and by his side, the two moved forward, not before returning Zidane who was only just about free of his self created prison. With the major cause of the damage now safely accounted for, he extended out his hip flash and smiled happily. "I hope this stuff is decent. Considering this place is some wreck I bet it was once a really fancy cruiser for the rich and famous."

Licking his lips in baited anticipation, he couldn't wait to sample the fiery spirit. However, he hadn't quite anticipated her saddened mood to plunge their duologue to an uncomfortable new low. Observing her as she started to search through the liquor, he couldn't help but feel like stepping forward to catch her as she got up onto the bar stool in order to add to her height and reach the pesky bottle beyond her grasp. Considering the ship was on a slant and the fact that he had experienced her clumsy behaviour enough to know the likely outcome of the lot mixed together. "So, er..." Unable to finish what he was going to say, the stern order for him to sit down was well heeded. "If ya say so. This seat 'ere looks dandy." Shovelling it across with his boot and then taking a seat, he tried to get used to being on such a subtle slant. Now able to smell the whiskey from a mile off, he couldn't wait. Grabbing the glass she had provided, he laughed and swirled around the ice cubes. "Whiskey on the rocks; nice." Pouring some in for himself and taking a good heart swig before she could speak, he savoured the burning taste.

Too wrapped up in enjoying the musky flavour of the whiskey, he eventually let out a gasp of satisfaction before raising an eyebrow and pointing his finger with the hand he was sampling the whiskey with at Gwen. His stern gaze soon turned into one of jovial smiling. "Y'know, you really need to shut the hell up 'bout being a Rocket. You're nothing like one at all. And 'sides, you can't just poison me. You're talking to a guy who used to drink motorbike petrol." Grinning to himself, he wasn't going to reveal he hadn't really but he could handle anything that passed his lips so it was near enough the same. "You'd need corrosive acid to off me. And as far as I know..." Lifting up his drink, he clanged it for a little ripple and shrugged. "This certainly ain't got it. So chin, chin!" Finishing off the rest of his drink and slamming it on the table, he pulled out his flask and helped himself to some more of the bottle for later on. While he was preoccupied, he began to notice a strange reaction with Gwen.

"Oh man, don't tell me. You're a natural born lightweight." Holding into his whiskey flask tightly, he couldn't quite get over how much of an effect the drink had put on her. Now bursting out with a tremendous roar, Joey almost fell off his seat in from being so overwhelmingly startled. "Ahhhhh I geddit! My jokes finally hit your funny bone! I knew that material wasn't that bad." Grinning himself at the fact she had finally lightened up, he grabbed the bottle just as she went for it. "No, no, no. You look like you've had way too much. Lemme pour a little here and..." Stealing her glass from underneath her hand, he poured a tiny amount to try and compensate for how hopelessly drunk she had become. "Don't want you gettin' sea sick. Hahaha, get it?" Starting on his next drink, his eye was caught off in the distance as he noticed a doorway. "Well, I had best do like you asked and split from this place. Maybe i'll see you some other time, eh? Us lads aren't so bad, are we?" Standing up and feeling a little tipsy and out of balance, he staggered forward and rested on the bar table. "I'll get outta yer hair now." Stumbling over, he snatched his whiskey flask and headed off for the door which had caught his attention. Unfortunately for Gwen it was a door that he had not entered from.

As he began trawling out and smashing open the door, a strange thought nestled in his drunken stupor. "Green hair... Haha... She must know Looker..."

- Heading to Navigation Bridge -

Crashing forward as the door creaked on its hinges, Joey stormed forward and soon realised he had been wrong to trust his gut instinct. Swigging from his whiskey flask, he took a good gander at the room around him. Although he was no expert on the inner sections of a ship there was no mistaking this was the helm of the ship. The grand navigational bridge and various related equipment adorned around the room were enough to let anyone suss out where they were. "Bet this place looked kinda lavish... Before it crashed, heheheh." True enough, the broken glass in front and generally messy layout of everything had spoiled what could have been a perfect quarters. Shrugging as he downed some more from his hip flask, he began fidgeting around and checking out all the items. "Hahahaha a telescope!" Pulling it up and extended it as he peered through, he was saddened to realise that it had actually lost its lens. "Gah. I give up." Spinning around in a stupor, the sudden sight of a bed nestled in the corner lured the biker with the possibility of slumbering. "I was JUST thinkin' about that... Ahhhh...!" Doing a Gwen, he somehow tripped up on something and went flying forwards and giving the ancient bed a good run for its money as the sheer force of his weight sprung on the mattress. Out like a light, he rested as if free falling from the sky.

SPOILER: Click to show

OOC: I hope its okay I went ahead to here as well as describing the room a little. Just seemed like a plausible idea for him to fall asleep to bring night around and speak to the old codger. Disturbia also replaces Knock Off with Will-o-wisp and Keroswine doesn't let anything.

[Morrigan]

Slumping over the serving counter with her bright red cheeks trying to cool down against the smooth surface, the green haired girl couldnt quite break free from her fit of hysterical laughter. It only continued the more Joe spoke, mentioning the last few ship related puns and removing her bottle of alcohol. This was one of the many reasons she served rather than participated, Gwen being far too young to drink with either Joe or the rest of the Rockets as well as being a natural born lightweight. Well, it didn't matter, even after Joey stood to his feet and walked off into the next room all she could really muster was a frail wave of her hand to indicate her farewell before shortly tumbling to the floor. Shrieking with laughter what could still be heard from the next room, the green haired maiden somehow managed to discover and unearth a hinged trap door, opening it and stumbling down the rickety stairs before falling into a random bunk bed from the several available. Of course, the girls sleeping quarters were no accessible by "guests" but knowing Gwen and her repetitive laughter, it wouldnt be a surprise if someone other than the girls managed to find their way in.

Several hours later where the heart warming sun had been replaced by the gentle glow of the moon, both Gwen and Joey had fallen asleep rather comfortably, yet drunk, it both of their separate locations. However, it wasn't just sleeping time for them. Slamming open the door to the main deck, several footsteps could be heard entering the main deck. Angry whispers and gasps leaking from the females lips. It seemed all the rest of the Rockets were home. Whether Joe was awake or in a deep slumber, their voices still echoed throughout his eardrum, even if most of what they were saying was in audible. "WHA---N-TH--!!! he-- wal-!! TH-- BO--ZE!! GWEN?! Whe-- s -he...?!" Stomping around furiously, obviously a few of the girls had noticed the damage done to the interior of the ship as well as the alcohol cabinet being flung wide open!

Some girls rushed down the stairs whilst another group closed in towards the Navigator's Quarters. Thankfully, they picked the second door but one of the girls words were atleast clear as day, her tone of voice being quite flat, "Tsk. Obviously someone barged in whilst we were out and took advantage of Gwen. Sharada is going to be so pissed when she finds out we left the girl on her own again, not that I see the connection to the clumsy young girl myself..." One went on ahead down the steps as another girl with a more bubbly, squeaky and more childish voice continued, "HUUH? But isnt Edna here? EDNAAAA! HEY EDNAAAAA! DID YO-- HE-R G--N..."

Another slam and all was quiet again. The ship was now full of these so called Rockets, that Joe couldnt really believed stayed here. Unfortunately it wasn't just the Rockets he had to be on edge about as yet another handful of hours later, something else was about to creep out of the wood work.

"SHIVER ME TIMERS!"

An ethereal voice boomed throughout the room, the very walls around Joe shaking so violently that he was forced out of his bed. The ship wasn't actually moving in reality but Joe was about to witness a reoccurring nightmare, of sorts, through the eyes of a sailor who too, was far too lazy to help out during the time of S.S. Oceania's crash. His surroundings were almost blurred and grey, crackling every now and again like static from a television. But before he had time to realise what was going on, he was face to face with the Navigator of the ship himself, Earl! Looking quite fancy in a fancy made up suit and top hat boasting a rather large feather.

It's a shame his face wasn't as appealing as his choice of clothing. The elderly man was wrinkled up in the face, due to both old age and absolute anger! In his hands he held a snapped off control stick. "JUST WHAT ARE YE DOING YE USELESS LAND RUBBER?! LOOK WHAT YE GONE AND MAKE ME DO! AND YOU REEK OF FOSTERS, YE DO! I SHOULD FEED YE TO THE DISHES AND MAKE YE SUFFER THE REST OF YE PATHETIC EXISTENCE IN WAVY BONES' CABINET, I SHULD!" Looking as if a face was ready to burst on his face, the male tossed the broken ship part to the wooden planks below, grabbing a Pokeball and sending forth his faithful Politoed. "You lazy Scallywaggle... This ol' Ready-salted dog will show you what you NEED to be like on a ship! Then ye'll be scrubbing POOPIE DECKERS!!"

Ghostly Navigator Earl is going to kick you into shape!
He has sent out Politoed (Level 27)!
Select a Pokemon if you wish to defend yourself.

[The REAL Joey]

Sleeping decently, the slumber was just what Joey needed to sober himself up somewhat. His breath may have still stunk something foul and his head a little groggy but the main thing was, he was at least mostly control of himself at this point. What wonders a small nap could do for those suffering from too much drink. What didn't help was the sudden explosion of noise that seemed to be coming from all directions, inherently amplified by the hull of the ship and how decrepit it was. Turning over a few times in the tatty old bed he had laid himself to rest on, Joey was beginning to stir from his rest. "For the love of... Nngh... Grrr... Shuddup..." Tossing so much that all it achieved was waking himself up, Joey eventually sat up and held onto his head. "That Gwen girl had best not be drinkin' still... That or some other hooligans got on board..." Shifting to the edge of the bed, he checked his Poketch and held down the light display to see. "Bloody 'eck, that's no time for a girl to be-" Before he could finish his scorning, a sudden boom from out of nowhere had him leap up into the air and come crashing back down on the bed, almost sounding like the impact had broken the decaying wooden supports.

"EEEEEEEEYEEEEEEAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGHHHH!" Yelled Joey as he was trying to recover from the sudden fright. The yell of his was so loud it almost rivalled that of the ethereal voice that had suddenly just sounded off. Looking around the room for the cause of such a mighty noise, Joey was partly banking on it being due to a Pokemon or less than hopefully so a raving lunatic that had also wandered onto the ship just as Joe had done so earlier in the day. Instead, the sight that greeted him was something that sent a chill down his spine. It was a ghost. There were no two ways about it. The slightly opaque appearance and mist like aura about them all but confirmed it. Having met one or two ghosts on his travels, he was at the very least somewhat comfortable around them. Or as comfortable as you could get with the spirit of a dead person. His throat dry and sparse, Joey was about to open his mouth when the finely dressed spirit gave him an absolute gobful; a huge slur of words that almost rivalled Joey's own motor mouth. Having his ear being torn off was an almost nostalgic feeling Joey hadn't experienced since the passing of his mentor.

Throughout the entire raving splurge by the old timer, Joe couldn't help but let his jaw drop further and further as the conversation marched on. Everything he was saying seemed so... Off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it as he was speaking but by the time he finished, he had time to better reflect. "Woah woah woah... Wait a goddamned second." Raising an incredulous eyebrow, Joey went over everything he had said while counting them off on his fingers. "Shiver me timers, useless land rubber, reek of fosters, feed me to the dishes, wavy bones' cabinet, ol' ready salted dog, scrubbing poopie deckers and my all time favourite; scallywaggles..." Trailing off and then looking back at the odd sounding ghost, Joey shrugged nonchalantly before trying to surmise who exactly he was. "Excuse me sir, but do you per chance happen to be a really crummy pirate impersonator?" Trying not to let his laughter escape his mouth lest the ghost had some sort of wrathful way of striking out at him, the sudden inclusion of an equally surreal and ghostly Politoed made matters a little bit more sobering.

Clearing his throat, Joey knew that a fight was inevitable at this point. "Aha... I see. Well, don't get too offended, eh? Maybe if you weren't asleep at the wheel this grand ol' boat wouldn't be such a wreck. I mean, jeez. Is the boat named Titantic II or something?" Standing up and taking a Pokeball of his own out for battle, Joey tossed it forward and summoned Lockjaw. As the sizeable crocodile appeared, Joey called out for its help. "Good to see ya ol' buddy. Seems like we're gonna have to fend off this ghost." Lockjaw immediately looked around and almost let his jaw hit the floor as he saw it. "Make no mistake, let's Bite this thing and try and make it back off some."

[Morrigan]

Flabbergasted by the sharp tongue in this boys mouth, the ghostly navigator was ready to pop a fuse. How dare he mock him in such a way?! Sure, perhaps he had said one or two things wrong due to the heat of the moment but really, they were about to crash, what did the young whippersnapper expect? "I AM NOT AN IMPERSONATOR, BOY! I am the Navigator of this ship! It has taken many a year to earn myself of this title and now because of all you young'uns running amok with little to no experience, it's not just my career what is going to be crashing!" Flicking the rim of his had upward slightly, the spirit glided to one side, looking down at his Politoed, "Kick this boy into gear! We'll be sending him to walk the plankton deck for sure!" In the back of his mind, he knew all to well that this cruise ship was hardly a pirates secret base but the child in this elderly man couldnt quite help himself.

Flinching at the flash of the bright light, Earl couldnt quite believe his dead eyes at the sight of Joe sending out a fearsome Croconaw. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, BOY?! GOT YOUR BANDANNA ON A BIT TOO LOOSE?! Cant you see everyone is evacuating?!... Grr... I didn't expect him to have such a beastie..." Looking back over his shoulder, his eyes saw differently to Joe. For the biker, it was the sight of the tilted ship next to the rock what it had crashed into but for Earl, they were slowly sinking still. "Fighting to the very end. Perhaps you have atleast one good bone in that scrawny body of yours." Cracking his knuckles, his Politoed has seemingly been ready to go this entire time despite Lockjaw brutish appearance. Smiling subtly under his thick mustache, the sudden click of his fingers was more than enough to let Politoed know that the battle was now underway, "Use Body Slam on this rascal!"

Just as ghostly as it's owner, the toad like Pokemon lunged forward. The room itself was fairly sized but with the odd control here and there, something was bound to break sooner or later. With interestingly light footsteps, Earl's partner seemed to have a one up in both speed and levels for this battle pairing, so the overall outcome would end up being interesting... considering they were also quite defensive. Jumping with it's springy legs, the Politoed took a dramatic leap into the air, spinning several times before bolting downward like a meteor with it's belly facing down and arms stretched outward. As if it were a really battle, the attack collided and soon enough, the sound of snapping floorboards and an uplift of debris and dust filled the room. Coughing manically, the elderly man waved his ghostly hands around, "OH-*COUGH*-BLER *SPLUTTER* CHEEKY RASCALS... MAKING MORE MESS THAN NEEDS BE!"

Interestingly, as the dust died down, there was an amazing sight sitting inbetween the snapped floorboards. Stood in the center was a standing Lockjaw, arms held upward as he managed to lift the ethereal Politoed off of him. Chucking the ghost to one side, Lockjaw couldnt quite believe that he was able to hold onto a ghost and looked at his little blue claws for a while before shaking his head from side to side. Stomping his way out of the dip in the ground, he kicked off bits of snapped off wood from his feet before approaching the Politoed. Parting his large jaw, the crocodile bit harshly into the toad who in return let out a slight croak of pain but really, he became used to the pain quickly and began trying to push Lockjaw away.

---

Trainer Battle

Ghostly Navigator Earl

Politoed: | Level 27 |
Health: 84% (78/93 HP)
Status: Normal
Politoed used Body Slam!

VS

Lockjaw: | Level 24 |
Health: 65% (47/72 HP)
Status: Normal
Lockjaw used Bite!


OOC: Sorry for shortness, I struggle at being cool. D:

[The REAL Joey]

The more and more this spirit went on, the clearer it became to Joey that not everything was as it seemed. At least, it wasn't for the ghost's perspective. Having encountered a ghost of a female trainer earlier on his trek, he appeared to be able to converse with her in real time as she was aware of her surroundings. This man on the other hand almost seemed like a record, as if relieving the fateful crash of the ship over and over, only altered slightly each time with the interactions presented to him. "I dunno what kinda rum you've been drinkin' but from the sounds o' things you might wanna hold back on it. Can't you see this place has moved on?! We're not crashing anymore. That happened so long ago this huge wreck's been all but forgotten nearly." Shaking his head in complete and utter disbelief at the man's adamant refusal, Joey confirmed his suspicions that the ghost was stuck in what was most likely the most significant point in his life.

"Guess you loved this beaut of a ship allll too much to just let go, huh? But how sad is that... Forced to live over this disastrous crash over and over like some sort of repeated rewind." Straightened his neck out with a few clicks as he started to sober up completely considering the context of the situation, Joey was ready to face up to this mournful spirit of the past with his patented determination. "My bandanna's on just fine, thank you. I think I ought ask if your flop of a hat is attached on safe enough." Just as the ghost looked away, Joey raised an eyebrow and quickly pieced together that the events of the crash were likely still unfolding around this Earl while Joey remained oblivious. Unaware of the ship currently sinking in Earl's spirit world, Joey merely shrugged and took what he said as a compliment. "Damn right I fight to the end. You ain't seen me running in fear of all this. I'd look the devil in the face and spit on 'im." Straightening up his bandanna as both of his hands went up at the back of his head, the battle was ready to flow. Seeing that he had ordered his Politoed forward, Joey laughed and braced himself for impact. It may not have been landing on him but he knew how devastating a move it was to deal with.

Observing the bouncy toad hopping forwards before putting all of its strength into one final leap, Joey looked up in preparation just as the plummeting attack connected with poor old Lockjaw. "Dammit, Lockjaw! Give it your AL...!" Unable to finish his sentence, Joey noticed a few rogue floorboards flying up in the air. Using his lithe athletic speeds, he dexterously moved out of the way with a flashy couple of dodges and looked back over before coughing himself having inhaled a lot of the dust. "*cough* This place... *wheeze* was already a... *cough* goddamned mess! Not like a few dishevelled floorboards will make a bloody difference." Now over the worst of the dust, Joey's eyes widened at the sight of his Pokemon standing his ground. Smirking, Joey rallied on Lockjaw. "Alright ya big softie! Looks like you've got it in ya really. Give 'im hell!" Sure enough, his Pokemon lashed out but it became apparent the spirit Politoed was stronger than it appeared. "Don't back down now, give this ghost of the past a damn Bite to exorcise it somethin' good. Keep on at him!" Letting out a small roar, Lockjaw was doing everything it could to get in touch with its beastly nature that was inherent within it. Although he may have been a big docile softie most of the time, Joe had faith in him.

[Morrigan]

The words spoke out by Joe were confusing to say the least. Being stuck in the same loop every single night, the male spirit always witnessed the same thing over and over, his love for his first navigator job being so dear to him that he couldn't bare to move on. So in return, every night would be the same repetitive feeling of losing the thing he loved so much, all his fond memories of the crew, seeing all the beautiful sights and working his way up the ranks with blood, sweat and tears until he got the position he wanted. All to end up like this. Gritting his teeth angrily, Earl had no time for this boy's chatter. "You stupid boy! What sort of sailor might you be?! We've hit a bit of turbulence and you are acting as if this place has been sunk for years! Disgrace, you're a disgrace to the entire crew!" Clenching a fist as Joe continued on, Earl looked as if he were about to burst. No, he would never leave the ship, he would never leave his pride and joy!

Readjusting the rim of his hat to hide his eyes somewhat, he was filled with even more rage as, who he thought was a fellow sailor, decided to go ahead and mock his hat. "You should really just jump off this ship and be eaten up by the Kraken beneath the waves... You dont deserve to float along the graceful sea." Trying to keep his cool through the collisions between Politoed and Lockjaw, he was starting to border along the line of surprise as Joe continued to insist that Earl and his Pokemon was a ghost. Shaking his head in utter disbelief, something happened in the world of Earl that didn't affect Joe in the slightest. Almost toppling forward, the elderly man turned to the window in horror as the nose of the ship began to grind against the boulder sticking out through the waves. Knowing that time was running out, he sharply turned to Politoed, the frog looking more nervous. "Politoed, use Swagger! Show these buffoons that now is not the time!"

Sporting a slight smirk, the ghostly frog nodded, bouncing to one side and then to the other to try and gain Lockjaw's attention. At first, the Politoed began to force poses, strutting his ghostly muscle whilst glaring at Lockjaw. Croaking under his breath about how Lockjaw couldnt touch this, the large crocodile look bemused to say the least. Feeling almost confused by the lack of muscle on the Politoed's arms in the first place, yet feeling a little angered by the comments the ethereal frog released, he moved in to attack. Snapping his jaws about, Lockjaw didn't seem to be all that bothered about taking proper aim. That and Politoed was now hopping all over the place, egging the croc on and suggesting that he was too slow and fat to catch up. Now having swirly eyes from how quick the frog was bouncing, Lockjaw began randomly pouncing about himself. Keeping his eyes shut due to the entire room looking a bit wobbly, it wasnt until he accidentally bumped into something and felt his teeth sink into their rear when he decided to reopen his eyes again. With some insane about of luck, the dizzy, guessing Croconaw had managed to land an attack in an awkward place, the Politoed looking as if he were about to burst into tears!

---

Trainer Battle

Ghostly Navigator Earl

Politoed: | Level 27 |
Health: 15% (14/93 HP)
Status: Normal
Politoed used Swagger!

VS

Lockjaw: | Level 24 |
Health: 65% (47/72 HP)
Status: Confused
Lockjaw used Bite!
CRITICAL HIT!

[The REAL Joey]

Flinching his eyes slightly at being called a sailor, Joey shook his head in disagreement. If there was one thing he didn't want, it was being wrongly labelled as something he truly wasn't. "Sailor?! You must need a pair of spirit glasses or somethin'. I'm a biker through and through. You don't see me prancin' around in striped tight tops, sheesh!" Watching the stern resolution of this man bought only one thing to Joey's mind. "You really are the captain goin' down with your ship." Shaking his head subtly, Joey realised he must have stuck with it till the end. "Hm, well, considering i'm speaking to a ghost right before me kinda makes sense that he didn't abandon it. Crazy ol' *****." About to tend to his Pokemon, Joey was caught astray as this spirit navigator let slip about something that piqued Joey's interest. "Y'know, considerin' you got all your pirate slang all mixed up, it's kinda unsettling you got the Kraken bit right." Looking out through the cracked windows of the navigation bridge, Joey couldn't resist the uneasy feeling growing in his stomach. The sea was a strange place to him. On the surface it was fine but what really disturbed him was the uncharted depths. It was the unknown.

"So, er, what's all this about a Kraken? That's just your crazy talk right?" Waiting for the Earl's answer, Joey focused back onto the battle at hand. At a time like this where the ghost was nothing short of affixed to his own repeated time period, it meant that one slip up could prove fatal. Moving into an offensive position much quicker than Lockjaw, Joey growled under his breath at just how fast the frog was. Unsuspectingly enough, as opposed to using this advantage to lay a crushing blow on Joey's Croconaw, Earl had opted for a debilitating status infliction. Unable to intervene as the Politoed began its agitating stride of confidence, even Joey could feel the rage balloon in his being. "Dammit i'm mad! Just who the hell do you think you are?! That kinda attitude would get you killed where i'm from." Equally as fuming as Joey was, the sudden shift in his typically docile Pokemon's behaviour snapped Joe back into reality. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for Lockjaw. "Oh for the love of all things good, snap out of it Lockjaw. It was all a ploy to piss us off and leave an opening the size of the one in this ship's hull!" Now teetering around in a confusedly agitated state, Joey held his fist in hoping that his crocodile would see enough sense where to direct its aggravation. Suddenly lashing out, Joey jumped backwards at how unbelievably painful that blow must've been. "Blimey... That was... Intense." Holding onto his own privates, he tried to think clearly despite the ferocity of what had just happened.

"Hey gramps, you think you might be clever in the way you fight but you just gave me the ticket to overcomin' this." Now grinning with a confidently cocky grin, Joey began to dig around in his pouch for something. "It's swell that you got us so angry we were tripping over our own shoelaces but what happens when that confusion wears off? You're left with one PISSED OFF croc." Finally presenting what he had been searching so frantically for, it appeared to be a now stale looking bit of cake. "I swiped this from that Christmas buffet. Let's put it to some good use. Come here Loc-WOAH!" Trying to get near him, Joey fell backwards as his Croconaw nearly took a big chunk out of him. "Dammit, still confused I see." Getting back up, Joey carefully stood his ground while aiming at his Pokemon. Waiting for it to let out a confused roar, Joey lobbed the cake forward into the Pokemon's mouth. "So long confusion." Now having turned this around, Joey ordered an attack while he had the chance. "LOCKJAW! BITE IT ONCE MORE!" Shaking his head around as if trying to gain clarity, Lockjaw nodded and vehemently stared down its foe.

Item used:

x1 Festive Cake (Auto-updating).

[Morrigan]

As Joe spoke out about not being a sailor, a look of great confusion spread over Earl's face. His eyebrow muscle's tensing and top lip being raised slightly. "You're.. not?" Looking over the bandanna wearing boy again, he did notice his filthy leather jacket, muddy boots and a stench of booze lingering on his breath. But the fact that he wasn't a sailor just made Earl even angrier. "So you're a trespasser?! Who the hell let you on the ship you ruffian?! I'll kill ya!... Aye, were you paid off by that rival company to distract us?! YOU WERE WERENT YOU?! THATS WHY WE'RE ABOUT TO CRASH!" Now with a new idea in his head, the elderly man was even more enraged than usual. Growling, he turned to see that Politoed has successfully shook the confused Lockjaw off of his rear end, "Politoed, use Defense Curl and bulk up those defenses some! We cant lose to this scum." Croaking in agreement, the toad curled itself into a tight ball for a while, leaving Earl to shiver at the mere name of the Kraken and perhaps explain it to this "biker".

"Well you just proved to me you're not a sailor by not knowing about the Kraken..." His voice trailed off, face still as angry as ever but telling the tales of the sea was something that he loved and if he could strike fear into this boy, the better. "The Kraken is a mighty beast lurking beneath these very waves, his eyes are most likely watching the ship this very second, waiting to make it a new home." Straightening himself up, the ghostly presence glared at Joe, "Landrubber, you dont belong on this place. You would never stand a chance against a Kraken. A, er, biker? Like you should keep your feet on the ground otherwise the beast might just drag you down, sensing your fear of what lurks in the depths of the sea." Falling silent as Politoed unrolled himself after buffing up and Lockjaw was freed from confusion by a little slice of cake, Earl was just as ready to attack once again.

"Now hurry, Body Slam!" Despite feeling a bit more hardened, the fact that Politoed had such little health left was making matters a little difficult. There was only so far it could push and right now, it was nearing it's limit. Moving on ahead, Lockjaw seemed alot more refreshed and after the previous attack of Swagger, it's power was still soaring. The two fierce water types charged toward one another, Politoed being the first to attack and it jumped into the air, aimed it's belly downward and crash landed on the Croconaw. Being slapped right in the back and toppled to the floor, Lockjaw grumpily shoved the frog off before dishing out one last bite, a painful croak echoing from it's mouth before dropping to the ground with a heavy thud. Gasping in anger, Earl was quick to return his deceased friend but this match was far from over. In a matter of moments he had picked his next ball and tossed it ahead, revealing a fierce Haunter. "Fufufufu... This is a trouble maker, Haunter. Send him to the other world."

---

Trainer Battle

Ghostly Navigator Earl

Politoed: | Level 27 |
Health: 0% (/93 HP)
Status: +1 Def
Politoed used Defense Curl!
Politoed used Body Slam!

VS

Lockjaw: | Level 24 |
Health: 54% (37/72 HP)
Status: Normal
Festive Cake used!
Lockjaw used Bite!

Nice!
Lockjaw defeated the ghostly Politoed and gained 4 levels (+1 due to Lucky Egg) so he is now Level 28!
+1 Happiness

Slash also gained 1350 exp from Experience Share, now making him Level 30!
Slash would like to learn the move Pay Day! Forget a move?
Fury Swipes | Fake Out | Thief™ | Taunt
+1 Happiness

Uh Oh!


Earl isnt finished yet and has sent out a Haunter (Level 27!)
Change Pokemon?

[The REAL Joey]

Nodding his head hopefully at the fact the ghost may have worked out what was really at hand, Joey's enthusiasm would soon turn sour as this navigator seemed to get so far only to go down the wrong path of assumption. Cringing and raking his face, Joey cried out. "NOOO!" His hands drooping to his sides, he seemed defeated by the ghost's insistence. "I may not be an expert on life after death, spirits an' ghosts but i'd sure like to think that if I died i'd be able to piece two and two together when coming in contact with someone from past my death coming into contact with my boring old routine, yikes." Unable to mull over his thoughts any longer, Joey edged up in tension as the spirit's voice seemed to take a dangerously violent tone. "Rival company? Sabotage? Dude, you've got it all wrong... I was... Er..." Trying to come up with a way to calm the vengeful ghost down, Joey was hitting blanks. "C'mon Joey, think fast!" Then suddenly a lightbulb appeared over his head. "I'm a passenger! Yeah...!" Hoping that would diffuse the situation for the time being, Joe went on to listen about this Kraken.

Feeling shivers go up his spine and hairs standing on the back of his neck, Joe couldn't help but picture a ghastly leviathan living beneath the ocean's waves. "Sounds like a right brute. Hasn't anyone tried finishin' it off? I mean... Surely it can't be invincible. Is it some sort of Pokemon?" Having opened up more questions than he had received in answers, Joey thought back to the time he came across that colossal Tentacruel in Cherrygrove. Ironically enough, it was just at the same time Earl looked down on his prowess. Shaking his head, Joe quickly defended his skill. Surely this 'Kraken' wasn't anywhere near as big as that freak of nature. "I may not be the world's best swimmer but you can be damn well sure i'd give that monster a good damn hidin' before I drowned. Wouldn't be just be me either, I got a whole gang backing me up. My Pokemon would make sure it'd regret crossing tentacles with ol' Joey here. Actually, you know what? After i'm done exorcising your sorry ass, i'm going to go huntin' for this monstrosity." Having piqued his curiosity and raised a challenge, Joey was all too happy to engage. If that wasn't thrill seeking at its finest, he didn't know what was. "I hope you're keepin' some harpoons around 'ere somewhere old man."

The last time he had confronted it he had a small trump card in the form of Razmig the Riolu but considering how much Joey had toughened up alongside his Pokemon on this adventure, it shouldn't be too difficult. Being torn back into the fray by the doddery old yell of his opponent, Joey wised up on the battle. Watching as Lockjaw was punished thoroughly with a deadly body slam, he couldn't help but feel inspired by his Pokemon's severe tenacity. "That's it Lockjaw! Show 'em your inner beast. You already look the part so let's do this!" As he finished, his crocodile let out his final attack and dealt a decisive blow to the troublesome toad. "Looks like your fancy spirit frog just croaked." Straightening out his bandanna, Joey knew he could do this. Lockjaw was still in the game, albeit beginning to suffer from fatigue and this navigator couldn't have had too many team mates on him. Listening out as Earl made clear his new entry, Joey winced slightly at the name. "A Haunter, eh? No surprise there I guess with how badly you're haunting this place..." Trailing off into a murmur, he was hopeful that wouldn't set Earl off into another rant.

"This isn't good. I own my own Haunter and I know how tough the bastards are... Hm. Guess ya can't criticise me for givin' it a try." It was a case of desperate times called for desperate measures. The ends really did justify the means. "Okay buddy, you can come back for now, you did good." Lockjaw let out an exasperated sigh as he returned to Joey's side, his demeanour now taking a total one eighty from the savage fighter he had displayed in battle. Drooping onto his backside, Lockjaw looked as Joey continued on with the proceedings. "Alright old man, you best dig in good because this next one is gonna mop the floor with'cha." Tossing the Pokeball forward, Joey seemed quick to move away just in case. Wasting no time in trying to control the murderous beast, he attempted to focus Zidane's attention on the enemy in front of him. "Zidane! Bulldoze! Haunter!" Skidding back a few steps, he was prepared for his own Pokemon to attack him. Instead, the psychopathic dinosaur eyed the ghost and with a lowering of his head, began to unleash its own definition of hell.

[Morrigan]

The ghostly spirit of Earl frowned as Joe persisted on batting away his accusations and ended up revealing his was infact a passenger. Well, rules said that crew members were supposed to treat any guests with the utmost care and be as polite as possible but even if that was the case, Earl had far overstepped that line and it was impossible for him to turn his attitude around now. They were going to crash anyway, so what did it matter? "A passenger you say?! Well what do you think you are doing in my quarters? Did you lose something, perhaps a Pokemon decided to play renegade and run away from you so you tried to follow it? Well no matter! Passengers, sailors, it doesnt matter anymore! You are all as useless as each other!" His anger was beginning to manifest as his once white aura seemed to glow into a crimson red, his Haunter partner chuckling evilly, ready to rip into Joe and his team.

Eying Zidane as he formed out of the light of the Pokeball, the man could sense the anger flowing from this Pokemon, especially as it began to scrap it's foot against the floor as if ready to charge. "Ooh, is the ship not damaged enough for you? You want to damage it more? Alright then, let us demolish it eh, let's make YOU happy! On your prized possession which YOU obviously worked so hard to get on!" Pointing a finger, he was going to let his ghost cause as much havoc as it wanted, "You are off your leash, Haunter! Use Shadow Ball!" Seconds after Earl's words, an eerie cackle exploded from wall to wall, evil bouts of laughter escaping from the purple ghost as it began to fly around in the air. Looking down at the Cranidos with crazy, murderous eyes, the Haunter held both hands a part, focusing until a large mass of dark energy grew within it's sharp fingers.

Shrieking as the ball was released, the Haunter started off with fairly shabby aiming, attacking the floor, walls and sparking up the last remaining energy of the control panel. Out of the trio, Haunter was the only one who knew that they were dead. He was aware that the world had continued without them since the crash and in return, he was ordered about in the same way every single night, the only time he could really enjoy itself would be when a trainer would come along and intervene. To be point short, the ghost was insane. Finally aiming for Zidane, the Haunter wasn't going gentle, at all. Ball after ball it form and tossed, leaving even the murderous dinosaur a little worse for wear. Incredibly damaged and shaken up, the ghost didn't seem tired in the slightest, leaving Zidane to force himself through the attacks if he wanted a chance. Roaring through the smoke in a fit of rage, the Cranidos began it's rampage, aiming it's head straight for the cackling Haunter.

Croaking as the cranium of Zidane struck the Haunter in the gut, it's strange laughter continue even as it was toppled through the air. Forcibly crashing the Haunter into the sparking control panel, the purple ghost was set alight with electricity from the damaged machinery, frying it to a cinder and finally putting the creature out of it's misery.

---

Trainer Battle

Ghostly Navigator Earl

Haunter: | Level 27 |
Health: 0% (0/69 HP)
Status: Normal
Haunter used Shadow Ball!

VS

Zidane: | Level 29 |
Health: 10% (8/86 HP)
Status: Normal
Zidane used Bulldoze!

Congratulations!

Zidane defeated the Haunter and gained 1350 experience and grew to Level 30!
+1 Happiness


Lockjaw also gained 1350 experience from Experience Share and grew to Level 30!
Lockjaw would like to learn the move Crunch! Forget a move?
Bite | Scary Face | Water Gun | Ice Fang
+1 Happiness

Hmm...?
Both Zidane and Lockjaw are wanting to evolve!



If Lockjaw is able to evolve, he can learn the move Agility!

As the smoke died down to reveal a completely destroyed Navigation Bridge and a fainted Haunter, Earl was left speechless. In his world, through his eyes, water had begun rising through the gaps in the floor and were sloshing around his ankles. Turning ever so slightly, the man's demeanor drastically changed. Tipping off his hat as his eyes stared through the broken window, the man knew his time was up as the tip of the ship was taking a dive into the water. "I cant die here... With my beloved ship... Oceania..." Taking one last look at his fainted Pokemon, he couldnt quite bring himself to look at Joe in the eye. Instead, he had one final look at the beautiful sea and the sinking ship he once held so dear. If he was going to die, he would want to go down with her. Reaching a hand into his breast pocket, the man pulled out a small pistol, showing little hesitation as he brought it up to his lips, "This world is cruel... Taking away what little I loved. I quit." Pulling the trigger swiftly, Joe was lucky to miss the entire deed as the apparition of Earl and the battle disappeared without a trace.

OOC: omg this is so forced, sorry D: