Psychic Elite

@caitvoyancy

Indie gameverse Caitlin

149 posts

Eyes roaming over the psychic’s form, the girl was a little worried. The blonde wasn’t moving. She’d have to get moving, and quickly, if she wanted any chance of capturing it. “Good luck.” The redhead murmured, trying not to disturb Caitlin or the Abra.

Ceri peered through the bushes at the display, watching curiously. Seeing something get captured was always a special moment, the beginning of a long friendship. Maybe someday.

She continued to wait, the seconds seeming to drag on for whole minutes. Come on, throw a ball at it, before it gets away…and just like that, the Pokemon was under assault. Hopefully, the poor thing could finish its meal after all was said and done.

The redhead and her own Pokemon continued to spectate silently, the rush of the Pokeball shaking invigorating for more than just its owner. Just a little bit longer, and they’d know if they had it…

Caitlin had caught her fair share of Pokemon. But none of her past experiences had been as nerve-wracking as this. It didn’t make any sense; she wasn’t catching a Mesprit! How could one simple Abra have this much hold on her emotions?

After what seemed like an eternity, the ball halted in its movement. But this sight did nothing to calm the Elite down. Tiptoeing, she made her way over to the ball and picked it up. As she turned it over in her hands, she had a strange look in eyes. She turned to face Ceri and her Lilligant. Could it be? Had the elusive Abra had actually been captured?

Caitlin pressed the button, releasing the creature. The yellow-bodied pokemon was released and stared at his new owner quietly. Said owner could only stare back as well. “Abra. Abra, Abra!” the pokemon chanted suddenly.

Joy overcame Caitlin’s features as she rushed over to hug the Abra. Startled at having suddenly being lifted off of the ground, the Abra tried to get away.

Caitlin looked over to Ceri, a small smile playing at her lips. “Thank you Ceri. I mean it.”

sanctusdomitor-blog

{✘}– “What is a ‘dab’?”

“One of the silliest moves I’ve ever had the misfortune of seeing.”

“I think I saw Marshall doing it a while ago...”

#sanctusdomitor #(( I couldn't resist! ))

@lighthouse-paladin

“Now really, Jasmine.” Caitlin fanned her face, desperate for relief from the sweltering heat. “Isn’t there someplace a little bit...cooler?”

#lighthouse-paladin #(( Hello! I couldn't resist the thought of these two interacting~ ))

of-depravity-archive

Sightseeing is For the Lower Class

of-depravity-archive

Hearing her repeat such innocent, need filled words make his heart swell with amusement. With a purr, he nods. “Of course, what kind of gentleman am I to deny a woman in need?” Spinning on his heel, he dramatically flares his scarf over his shoulder. “Well, follow me for an afternoon of fine food.” When she follows, he knows it’s not happily. While the antagonizing provides entertainment on his end, it likely does little to strengthen their bond.

Which, of course, is the whole reason Alder flew them out to Kalos in the first place…

Oh well. He’ll find ways to enjoy himself, regardless of the consequences. “So, Caitlin, we should use this as a chance to get to know each other, shouldn’t we?

A sigh of relief escaped Caitlin’s lips. At least that painful ordeal was now done and over with. As she followed him along, it was the thought of food that kept her from kicking him from behind. Or from yanking that yellow scarf of his.

But her hopes of having a quiet and peaceful walk to the cafe were dashed with his suggestion.

She crossed her arms as she formulated a response. “What do you need to know?” she asked coolly, hoping he wouldn’t turn around to see the scowl on her face. They had been coworkers for how many years now? And yet, he chose now as the time to get to know one another.

#of-depravity #(( Don't you just love these two? ))

N’s thoughts were too busy to devote much energy to a response. Yes, they should head out. But, yes, there was more he needed to find. But, yes, this was more dangerous than he’d thought, more frightening than he’d thought, more complicated than he’d thought.

And his father had definitely come here.

He only nodded to Caitlin’s first question, letting Mantyke follow Fireworks down the winding corridors. Not the most efficient path, he noted idly, but it wasn’t worth mentioning. He busied his hands trying to pry loose his grip on the ancient metal band. He’d only just managed to loosen it when Caitlin asked her second question–and then he felt it snatched away.

When she’d handed it back, he did his best to hold it gently. He should leave it here, or return it, or … something. But he also had the distinct urge to examine it more closely, to compare it more carefully with the modern equivalent that always circled his wrist. And that was something he’d rather do where there wasn’t the weight of the ocean pressing around them.

“ … Let’s go.” It wasn’t an answer to her question, but he hadn’t decided just what that should be. But he urged Mantyke on, out of the maze and up into the late afternoon light of the surface.

The Elite had absolutely no qualms leaving the underwater maze. Not one bit.

Meanwhile, N still had an uneasy look on his face. Whether it was from leaving unfinished business or from their dear-neath experience, Caitlin couldn’t tell, but she certainly wasn’t going to waste time asking him about it while they were (still!) inside the maze. She shuddered inwardly as she recalled the shaking sensations they had experienced just minutes ago.

Fireworks led the way, weaving in and out of the maze with surprising expertise. Before long, the mouth of the cave was within sight. Seeing light filter through the water filled Caitlin with joy, and she held on tight as they broke through the water. Home, at long last!

The air bubbles burst with a resounding pop!, allowing the four to breathe their first breath of fresh air in hours. The sun peeked over the horizon, a sure sign that the day was almost over. And with that, their adventure.

She turned to look at N, whose face and hair were illuminated by the sun’s orange glow. “I apologize for my initial behavior, N,” she said, stroking Fireworks’ head.

“I misjudged you—and your intentions—severely. But I hope you were able to glean some more information about your father.” Whether or not this trip was a success, whether or not the metal band would prove to be useful, whether or not they would become more than acquaintances, whether or not Fireworks would ever calm down, those were all N’s call, not hers.

Well, maybe not the Fireworks bit.

Ceri and Lilligant waited patiently, even bothering to sit a bit deeper in on a blanket she’d set out. This wasn’t their catch, there was no urgency here. And she wasn’t about to spend more time on her feet than needed.

The appearance of Caitlin’s intended Pokemon came as a surprise. Out of all the Pokemon in the forest, the one she was looking for had taken the bait? Surely, this must have been some kind of fated encounter.

“Umm…can you put it to sleep? I’ve never even caught a Pokemon before…Oh, or maybe a quick ball? I heard that they can even teleport while they’re unconscious…” Lilligant had been by her side since she’d woken up in a strange abandoned house-as an adorable Petilil back then. It had waited for Ceri to buy a ball for it, going inside so as to continue watching her carefully.

Said Nest Ball was hanging from a chain around her neck-her first and only Pokemon. There were a few others in the region she liked, but she still wasn’t confident about taking care of more than just one.

Caitlin could only stare at the Abra, in complete and utter disbelief that Ceri’s food idea had actually worked. Now, the golden-colored creature was only a few feet away from them. Resisting the temptation to resort to her usual, more brash tactics, Caitlin acquiesced to Ceri’s request.

“Hypnosis,” she urged Sigilyph. While the bird advanced on the Abra, Caitlin took this as an opportunity to find a quick ball. She pulled out her pink pocketbook and fumbled through it.

She ignored the plain red and white pokeballs—they would be too slow for this situation. Net balls wouldn’t work, and neither would dusk balls. Her hand hovered briefly over the luxury balls, before she caught sight of something yellow and blue. Eyes widening, she grabbed the quick ball.

Meanwhile, Sigilyph had positioned himself behind the unsuspecting Abra. He spread out his wings, allowing beams of a mysterious blue light to shoot out of his body.

“Abra?” the wild pokemon voiced, startled by the strange shadows that had suddenly appeared on the ground. Taking notice of the hypnosis attack, it dropped the Pecha berry in its hand and prepared to teleport, but it was too late.

Within seconds, the Abra swayed left and right, back and forth, before it slowly lowered its head to the ground. The Elite slowly emerged from behind a tree. Her hands tingling with anticipation. she threw the quick ball at the Abra.

@battlefactories

“Fancy seeing you here, Thorton.”

“What brings you to Unova? Tell me, did you miss me?”

#battlefactories #(( I can't believe these two didn't interact sooner. ))

of-depravity-archive

Sightseeing is For the Lower Class

of-depravity-archive

Nailed it. Just as predicted, she takes the bait. Of course, he never doubted she would; she’s always been rather prideful in regards to her elegance. He holds back the urge to snort at such nonsense. Caitlin? Elegant? The words should never be used in conjunction. Ahhh. Whatever. He has her where he wants her, there’ll be time to question specifics later.

“Oh? I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that…” His eyes glitter with mischief. Sure he wants her to follow, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be 100% tame about it. After all, he too wants to make the most of this trip, and taunting is something he greatly enjoys. “Perhaps you could repeat that? My ears have been awfully sensitive lately, and I’ve been having trouble picking up quiet sounds…”

“Or maybe you’re just that silent. Who knows.”

Caitlin could only watch in horror as she watched those lips of his curl up into a smirk. How anybody could be so cruel to her, she didn’t know. But what she did know was that It was just like Grimsley to ask her to do this.

The blonde scowled at him. “Fine,” she said, through clenched teeth. “I need you to accompany me to the cafe. Please.” She made sure to stress that last word loud enough for him to hear

She decided then and there that she wouldn’t grumble a single thing around him anymore. Not even a very witty insult. Because the last thing she needed was to repeat herself yet again...

N had been holding onto Mantyke, he might have kept hold on the pokémon, but he’d been wholly occupied with the ancient band. That he managed to maintain his grasp on, for all the good it did him.

He saw Caitlin tossed away from Fireworks an instant before he lost his own Diving companion. Instinctively, he tried to call out to her–but his air supply was gone. Nothing but seawater.

Panic surged like the water pouring through the maze. No air. No handholds. Can’t stop, can’t steer, can’t reach–

Maybe he’d been wrong. Safe to water pokémon, deadly to humans. Not a challenge, a test. Failed. Unworthy. Meant to drown them. Should have left when they’d had the chance. Shouldn’t have come at all. Failed. Failed not just him. Caitlyn, because of him--!

And then they were out, and the water had calmed, and the Mantyke were reestablishing their air bubbles. N dissolved into coughs, trying to expell all of the salt water he’d breathed or swallowed. ‘Stop that,’ Mantyke insisted, tone slightly too strained to be truly annoyed. 'Next-time, hold tight.’

N wasn’t sure that would have been enough to keep him and Caitlin from half-drowning. But Mantyke had a point; certainly he shouldn’t have bothered clinging onto that familiar metal band. Now, it was practically stuck in his grasp; his still-high panic wouldn’t let him let go of it. More coughing, more futile efforts to calm down properly. “Ev–everyone alright?” he finally managed.

'Be better if we went again,’ Fireworks suggested.

Caitlin’s throat burned, a painful reminder that her lungs were meant be filled with air and not seawater. “I-I’m alright,” she hoarsely made out. The choking sound that came out of her mouth made her cringe. But she was still alive, and that was something she was immensely grateful for.

Ignoring Fireworks’ suggestion, she coughed, “We should head back out, yes?” With some effort, she succeeded in turning her Mantyke around.

Caitlin led the way out of the corridor, eager to get out of that wretched maze. After a few turns, she suddenly stopped. She hadn’t even considered N!

Turning around, Caitlin looked at him meekly. “Is there anything else you need to find down here?” she asked, her eyes dropping down to the metal band in his hand. Her brow rose.

Her instinct told her to stay away from the band; after all, it could have very well been the one that triggered the earthquake. But with her interest piqued, she couldn’t resist. She took hold of the band from N’s hands and turned it around, examining it carefully. “You can have it back,” she decided. No use in having a piece of metal with an inscription she couldn’t read.

She’d meant to make a meal for them too…oh well. Lunch would come eventually.

“Wow! I didn’t know that.” If she ever got an Espeon or Gardevoir, she’d certainly have to keep that in mind. “Heheh. Those berries are cute. Maybe it’ll work? I’m not sure. Depends on how hungry it is, I guess.” She gently rubbed the flower on her pet’s head as they walked. Something told her this was going to be a long day.

Ceri watched Caitlin as she placed the berries on the ground. It seemed like an obvious trap to her…but to a young Pokemon? That just might not be the case. Oh dear. Hiding was always such a pain. Hopefully an Abra would come quickly. “S-sure.” The redhead and her companion shuffled to the tree line, hiding behind a particularly large one.

Caitlin waited with bated breath for an Abra to come by. The trap was silly and painfully obvious, but to an innocent pokemon, it would seem nothing more than a convenient little lunch. But with every minute that passed, Caitlin was spiraling deeper and deeper into despair - and impatience.

With a scoff, the psychic edged her way out of her hiding spot until something made her stop in her tracks. There, in the middle of the path, was an Abra. It approached the berries cautiously, poking at the pink masses before sniffing them. Caitlin held her breath at the sight. One wrong move, or rather, one loud move, and the Abra would disappear as quickly as it had come.

Ahh, the wonders of teleportation.

The blonde slowly turned her head to face Ceri. It was as though all the years Caitlin had spent capturing Psychic-types had vanished. “Now what?” Caitlin whispered.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude…I know it must be strange to not take a Pokemon head on, but unless you have something like Shadow Tag or Arena Trap, unconventional methods are all you can use…”

“Oh…hahaha…” Ceri laughed nervously, staring at the honeycomb. Combee was a very rare exception to her distaste of bug types, but she definitely didn’t want to mess with a Beedrill or Vespiquen. Lilligant certainly felt different about it-grass types knew better than any other how necessary bee Pokemon were for its kind, even if they were weak to them. If prompted, her elegant companion could certainly communicate to those in the hive.

“We don’t need to get honey, per se. We can just make lunch, and leave out some food that psychic types would like. I just…I’d just rather it be far, far away from this nest.”

Her eyes traveled down the path. “Do you know what they like to eat best? Lilligant really likes dry or earthy flavors…” Ceri always made more than enough Mint Pokepuffs for her precious pet to eat.

“Oh! Why didn’t you just say so?” Honestly, why use a bee analogy if they weren’t going to use honey?

“They like sweet berries. It helps stimulate brain activity,” she explained. She reached inside her clutch and pulled out a handful of Pecha berries. “This should be good. Although,” she muttered, “I do hope they aren’t too finicky....”

The duo walked along the path until the uncomfortable buzzing of the Combee was only a faint sound in the background. “This should be good,” Caitlin said, after appraising the area. It was a quiet area, similar to the one that they had just come from, but without any hives. The blonde wrapped the pink berries in leaves before placing the bait on the ground.

“We should hide,”Caitlin said, tilting her head towards the trees. Now all they had to do was wait and see....

“That’s a primary duty of a king, isn’t it? To protect his subjects?” At least, a king worthy of the position should do as much, both as a matter of principle and of policy. Discontent among the populace generally lead to uprising.

… Not that he truly understood such things. What had his kingship been? A sham and a facade and the impetus of even more discontent and civil unrest.

Stop. Better now to dwell in the far past than the recent past. “In any case,” he continued, “I don’t consider a maze especially protective. A maze is a pathway, after all. A better protection would be a solid wall. Yes, a maze deters guests, but it doesn’t stop them. And, if the Mantyke are correct, the additional precaution of the … impending mechanism doesn’t prevent visitors from returning.”

N could think of any number of traps or devices that would permanently remove intruders. Fireworks and Mantyke were proof that whatever was about to happen wasn’t fatal.

“A maze is a challenge. A puzzle. It’s a difficult and dangerous one, particularly in an underwater location, but it does not protect against the intelligent and tenacious. Rather, it invites them.” Test your skills. Solve the puzzle. Certainly this one must be particularly difficult, or the ruins would have been heavily documented and picked clean, but it was certainly a challenge.

“It’s true that we have little evidence to support that the king in question was adventurous. But if we assume that he commissioned this building, I believe he was inviting others who are adventurous.”

A glint of metal caught N’s eye from the other side of the pillar. He urged Mantyke around it to locate the source. The corridor was a dead end, eh saw, but tucked into a small alcove sat a circular band, just sized to fit on someone’s wrist. Despite the residue and corrosion on the metal, it looked eerily familiar. He picked it up with his left hand and held it by his right. “ … This … ”

RRRRMRMMMRRRRHNNNMM!

This time, the whole room seemed to shake. The sound was both mechanical and natural: the shuddering of a mechanism and the raging of a waterfall.

‘Now!’ Fireworks declared, delighted.

N glanced upwards, gaze catching on the purple relief just above the alcove. “'No king gets lost–’” he barely had time to translate.

Water slammed through the room.

“I see,” Caitlin murmured. She hadn’t expected such a profound explanation to come out of N. He had really given this maze quite some thought, hadn’t he? Caitlin let out a wry smile at the thought of being adventurers. She shook her head. It wasn’t just a thought—they were adventurers.

Unfortunately, these two adventurers were almost at the end of the journey. For when N touched the metal band, it triggered the impending mechanism that the maze had been outfitted with.

The water surged through, forcing Caitlin off of Fireworks. She grabbed wildly trying to make contact with the pokemon, but to no avail. Her blonde hair blinded her. Panic flooded her senses at the thought of being taken away from N and the rest of the group. How was she supposed to escape the maze without them? But even without her thrashing and squirming about, the water guided her out of the narrow corridor and into the open area of the maze.

‘It’s done, it’s done!’ Fireworks cried, before encompassing Caitlin back inside the air bubble. While the Elite struggled to regain her breathing, the Mantyke looked around excitedly. ‘Again, again!’ she exclaimed.

#n-plus-1 #(( Fireworks cracks me up ))

Pleasant as ever, Lilligant bowed to the Sigilyph. Ceri wasn’t the type to make many friends either, and it wasn’t unusual for the grass-type to force her to talk to travelers. She’d never meet anyone new otherwise.

The girl’s eyes traveled over the odd Pokemon. She liked to imagine what kind of accessories everything could wear, but it seemed like anything outside decorative garlands would only impede its movement, and goodness…it was already so much to look at.

“Oh, so formidable! I’m sure you use it a lot!” Having at least one Pokemon capable of flight in a set was pretty standard, after all. They were ideal for navigating out of difficult terrain or finding things.

Quieting down, the redhead watched the trainer’s Pokemon work. Abra always knew what people were thinking-it’s part of why they were such a pain to catch. The key, she felt, was to entice one without blatant intention of capture. After all, wouldn’t a person want a friendly, trusting pet to begin with? Her heart stopped when she saw the poor victim rush towards the ground-but resumed beating once the psychic-type disappeared.

“You tend to attract more Heracross with honey than with vinegar.” She didn’t mean to sound condescending, but the redhead wasn’t exactly fond of seeing such a strong Pokemon go after one so defenseless.

Ceri paused, thinking of what to do. “What if we walked a bit deeper into the forest and made a meal? I’m sure the smell will attract something. ” Lilligant would be able to find water for them to boil, if they needed it.

Caitlin flattened her lips at Ceri’s statement. The blonde didn’t like being scolded, but Ceri did have a point considering how well that first technique went...

“Hmmph. Well that’s fine by me.” Caitlin didn’t have much experience using a tactic other than overpowering a pokemon. Being bold and aggressive had always gotten her the results she wanted, so as far as she was concerned, there was no need to change her tactic. Until now.

The two made their way into the forest, looking for honey (or at least, that’s what Caitlin assumed. Ceri did use an analogy with honey). Where the Combee went, that’s where they would find the sweet nectar. And judging by the buzzing noise, they weren’t that far off.

Nearby was a large honeycomb structure wedged in between the branches of a tree. The Elite stared blankly at the Combee flying in and out of the honeycomb structure.Like her own pokemon, Caitlin was never too fond of bug-types.

“Does the Pokemon Center sell honey by chance?” she suggested. Unless Ceri had something up her sleeve.

#ceri-ethereal #(( Yeah...Caitlin's not much of a bug person. ))

of-depravity-archive

Sightseeing is For the Lower Class

of-depravity-archive

Ahh sweet bitterness… Caitlin’s certainly irritated at being left with him. Not that he entirely blames her. He’s not known for being good company amongst his few colleagues. But he does know Lumiose the best of any of them; if she’s to find the hidden gems and avoid the underlying chaos of a major city, she’ll certainly need a guide.

He purrs, “oh, don’t be so moody. It’s unbecoming of a lady~” Not that he’d ever consider Caitlin one… “As it just so happens, I know of a lovely cafe not too far from here… But if you’d rather not join me… I suppose I’ll have to dine alone…” He dramatically waves his arms feigning betrayal.

“It’s a shame… They have such amazing food…”

Caitlin’s eyes widened at his comment. Her? Not be a lady? The thought was preposterous, yes (she knew that), but that didn’t stop her pride from taking a hit. She opened her mouth to retort back -- and then promptly shut it as he went on.

The sight of him preparing to leave her side sent her over the edge. “Wait!” she cried out. She couldn’t handle this city alone!

“Perhaps I do need someone to accompany me. And I...” she wrung her hands uncomfortably. All this begging had reduced into a pathetic state. “I wouldn’t mind joining you at the cafe....as long as you’re alright with it.”

unovasgamblingelite-moved

At hearing Caitlin, he looked over. “…Eh…I’ll be alright. I’ve stayed up for days at a time before. One late night won’t kill me…” On top of him usually sleeping in as late as he could in his free time.

“…I apologize for waking you up. I will try to avoid it in the future…” In other words, he would go back to hiding it. Not uncommon; he hid a lot of stuff already.

“Don’t concern yourself with it,” Caitlin chirped. She rose from her seat and approached the door. Her hand grabbed the knob, but she hesitated in turning it. She faced Grimsley.

“If there’s anything you need,” she said, clearing her throat, “tell me. Or any of the other Elites. Keeping your emotions contained isn’t good for you -- I would know.”

#unovas-gambling-elite #(( Sorry this took so long! Wasn't quite sure how to proceed. ))

She couldn’t help but smile. Often, the redhead felt useless-seeing as trainers were so highly revered and needed. And she couldn’t bring herself to make Llligant battle. But helping a trainer…that was close enough, right?

“The trees really aren’t an issue around here.” Ceri thought to herself for a moment, but only grim thoughts came to her mind. “All the Pokemon here are babies, or really young…I think it’s why they’re so persistent. They’re…looking for someone to take care of them.”

Abra’s skittish nature was unlike most-she’d give anything to take home an Azurill or Ralts, but she didn’t really have the means to provide for them.

“F-?” The girl’s eyes widened. She’d never seen a Sigilyph in person. “Wow! It’s so…so…” The bird-if it could be called that-was a bit creepy, but very interesting to look at nonetheless. “Fascinating.” Was it capable of feeling? It didn’t seem able to even eat.

Sigilyph, having been roused from his sleep, slowly took in his new surroundings. His large eye made contact with its blonde owner, before he tilted his head quizzically at the newcomers. It was an unusual sight; Caitlin didn’t make much friends -- not that he’d ever tell her that.

A swell of pride blossomed inside Caitlin as she gazed at her pokemon. People had different reactions to seeing a creature as eccentric as Sigilyph. Some reacted with fear and others with fascination. Ceri fell into the latter category, which pleased the Elite.

“Sigilyph here is a dual Flying and Psychic-type. Perfect for meeting our,” she gestured to the trees, “needs.”

Caitlin directed Sigilyph to the tall tree canopy. “Look for an Abra,” she called out.

The bird did as he was told. He had enough encounters with Abras to know what they had looked like. They were odd yellow things....needless to say, he didn’t know what Caitlin saw in them.

Still, he swooped in and out of the trees until his eye caught sight of a yellow body. Flapping his winds, he forced the pokemon out of its spot in the tree and down towards the ground. A rough method, but it’s not like he was going to let the pokemon make hard contact with the ground.

And then as suddenly as it had appeared, the Abra disappeared. “No!” Caitlin cried out.

#ceri-ethereal #(( That poor pokemon! ))

“Things have been well… I’ve been short on challengers lately, though. I’m sure I’ll be getting more this summer.” After all, that’s when most young trainers went on their journeys in Hoenn. “Have you had anyone challenge the Elite Four over there recently?”

“Mmmh, a few. I can’t say I’ve had a particularly scintillating battle in a while though,” the blonde yawned.

“Although, that could all change with more challengers in the summer. Something for both of us to look forward too,” she smiled.

#skytamerwinona

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