memoryborn | [Video|Action for Goldenrod City]

[ The feed starts off shaky and wonky and upside down, but it pays witness to a Scizor smashing in the face of a familiar Miltank with one of his pincers. Whitney's scream of outrage and near bloody murder drowns out the poor Miltank's whimper as it sags to the ground, knocked out with a single hit. The camera rights itself and purposefully zooms in on Whitney's red face - it looks like she's been sobbing for quite a while now. She points an accusing finger at her challenger. ]

I can't believe you! You're evil! Evil fraternal twins bullying me with overpowered Pokemon!

I'm sorry. I know things have been busy with those fossils running around, but as it seems to be over and we've been holding off for a while--

Waaaaaaaaaaaahhh!

Will you stop it?

[The camera turns to the other person in the Gym. Ilya stamps her foot and looks quite firmly irritated. Outraged, in fact.]

What kind of conduct is this? You call yourself a lady? You're a disgrace!

Illya, we don't need to aggravate her any further--

Meanies! Evil, the both of you! Here! Take your stupid badge!

[ Despite the huge display of shaking and crying Whitney is showing, she manages to chuck the tiny badge over Xion's Scizor and smack the thing squarely against Xion's forehead. She continues to cry, but this act prompts a roar from the holder of the Gear (which sounds much like a Hydreigon's roar) and her Scizor's wings to furiously flutter. ]

Ow!

Xion! Are you hurt?

[Ilya reaches up to check on Xion's forehead, and after a couple moments of satisfying herself that she's not bleeding from one of the pointy ends, turns back to Whitney.]

How dare you! I have a mind to... to...

[She seems to fail at figuring out what exactly she intends to do to Whitney, just standing there with her fists clenched and her eyes narrowed. At her side, a looming Dusclops glares with its one red eye.]

It's fine, Illya! It's nothing. [ As she says this, she's pulling on her hood to hide the little mark while bending down to pick up her badge. ] Let's go... Wait. Tiamat? Wait!

[ The feed is suddenly flying towards and behind Whitney. There's a Hydreigon head seen before it opens a mouth and bites down on poor girl's butt.

The shriek is almost ear shattering. ]

Eeeeeek! Owowowowowow! [ She swats angrily at the Hydreigon, who flies high up and stares down with the Gear. Then she gasps, looking back up at Tiamat then at Xion. ] It's you! You again?! You're the trainer whose Deino bit me in the butt!

I apologized!

[Ilya is desperately trying to reign in her laughter, but it's not... really working all that well. Meanwhile, her Dusclops is opening its mouth...

Oops, there's a second ear piercing scream.]

Ow ow ow! Orpheus, that was not a challenge to a screaming competition!

Illya, let's just go! We might get arrested at this rate!

[ Tug, tug. Everyone's just screaming and crying and yelling... while Tiamat just laughs her dark Hydreigon laugh above. ]

But I still don't have my badge...

[She does, however, reluctantly allow herself to get pulled away.]

Orpheus! Hepheastus! Come!

[With a roar and a groan, the Aggron and the Dusclops obediently begin following their trainer away from the increasingly frantic gym leader.]

Tiamat! --And please stop recording!

[ Xion realizes belatedly. At the call, Tiamat swoops over while obeying orders and cutting the feed after that. ]

[ Audio that happens half an our later: ]

Whitney's still the same. [ No kidding. Beat. ] If anyone plans to challenge her sometime soon, um... please be careful.

[ And then another audio message filtered to Minato and the Ninja Team: ]

I hope you guys have been okay from the fossil Pokemon attack. I think I'm going to travel with Illya for a bit. She wanted to visit Ecruteak for some information. If you guys need help, though, we could both travel back to you guys whenever we can.

And... sorry I've been quiet. A lot of things have been happening. Stay safe.

[ ooc: Badges approved for both! Whitney and Illya. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The grin manages to stay, and she even nods. ]

Just got an idea, but I need some time with it.

[ Quickly and politely affirming that, no, Illya, you will not know what it is until she has it done. ]

To the Center, then?

[She raises an eyebrow, but she can tell a pointless endeavor when she sees one. She'll figure out what Xion's talking about later, she guesses.]

Yep. We'll evolve them there and call it a day. Unless you had something else you wanted to do?

[She presses the button for the elevator.]

I do. I'll come back to the Breeding Centre when I'm done.

[ Nods, and more polite evading. Then she gives Illya that grin of hers. ]

After all, we did win together. It's an icing on the cake after what we went through.

[She's getting really curious now, but that particular phrase catches her interest.]

Icing on the cake? I didn't know you liked parties, Xion.

"Parties"? Oh, I don't mind them, but that wasn't what I meant...

[ Oops. She's only familiar with the term since Roxas passed it along and meant it as something extra. ]

It's just an interesting metaphor. Where did you hear it?

[Because it's not hard to figure out what it means, but Ilya's never heard that particular statement as meaning "something extra" before.]

From my best friend, Roxas.

[ There's a heavy touch of fondness in her voice as she says this. ]

We had finished a mission together. And, well, I did a final blow to the monster were hunting, and he gave me a treat afterward.

Best friend...

[Her voice trails off and she looks off into the distance for a bit, deep in thought. Eventually she turns back to Xion.]

What's that like?

It... well. [ How did Axel describe it again? ]

It's like a step up from just being a friend? They're closer to you, more important to you, and you trust them more... sort of feeling?

[ Was that what she was asking for? ]

[She thinks that over a moment. Okay, well that sort of goes along with the "best" descriptor. Still, it seems more like...]

That sounds like family. So he was like a brother to you?

A... brother?

[ She knows what the term means, but thinking of Roxas like that... It's another way of looking at it, but in another aspect-- ]

I guess? He and Axel were important to me.

Hmmm... Well, the only people back home who were important to me were either family or Berserker. I guess I just don't have the experience with friends that you do.

... Which reminds me. You've never told me anything about your family.

I didn't have one.

[ The admission comes out easily and casually than Illya might expect. ]

[Well that leaves her taken aback. Her mouth works for a couple moments, but nothing comes out.]

You... didn't have anyone? No mother, father, anything?

[ She shakes her head and being... awfully tight lipped about it for a long moment. ]

I was fine with Axel and Roxas. I only wanted to be with them.

[They've reached the bottom floor by the time Xion answers, and it's not until they're outside that Ilya responds.]

I felt that way about my mother and father, once. Strange... You only had your friends, I only had my family.

It's our different circumstances, right? I mean, in here, you have friends.

[ There's that, and it almost sounds like Xion's trying to change the conversation or not dwell on it much longer. ]

I know, it's just... it's such a strange coincidence.

[Piled atop other tiny coincidences between the two that keep popping up, it's just one more thing to think about.]

You know, the more I find out about you, Xion, the more interesting of a person you become.

Huh?

[ Is her intelligent, and genuinely surprised response to that. ]

"Interesting"? I'm not that... interesting.

Well, I'm interested in you. That counts for something, right?

[She can't help but grin at Xion being flabbergasted. It's both funny and adorable.]

I guess it does. I'm just not used to being thought of as... interesting.

[ Because when people thought she was "interesting," bad things would happen. Or unless you were Roxas. ]

Well, I think you're going to have to get used to it. Because I have a feeling I'm going to be interested in you for a long time.

[ She makes a slight wry face at that. ]

Then I hope you don't mind me feeling the same way back.

Of course! It's only fair, after all.

[Video|Action for Goldenrod City]

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