A burden seemed to be lifted from her shoulders as the secret came out. Though it didn’t last for long as the fear of Megan’s reaction set it.

But then it happened. And it was, well it was more composed than she had assumed it would be. Still, she felt the roughness of Megan’s work. But it wasn’t what hit her the hardest. No. What clearly affected her was Megan’s words.

Death was final, Johanna understood that. But at the moment she didn’t much care for that, all she wanted was for Megan to be safe.

But clearly, Megan shared the same wish. Johanna became quiet as Megan gave her some nuggets of wisdom while continuing her work.

Johanna tried to compose herself, to quell the sniveling mess of emotions as she came to accept that no matter how much she disappointed Megan and tried to push her away, Megan would not have it. She pushed the thought away and took a deep breath to compose herself while Megan finished the bandage.

“B-B-B…” She stammered for a moment but sighed. “You are right.” She could not fight Megan not with words nor with Pokémon. And so she accepted the offer of Megan’s shoulder. “But I don’t think the League will approve, surely they will punish you for helping a member of Team Rocket.” It sure had seemed like the League members she fought had fought with the intent to kill.



MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC:

Maybe she was speaking deliriously, to be honest. Johanna didn’t know. Megan’s presence, the fear she felt for Megan’s safety and the pain in her shoulder were straining her. Overwhelming her to a point where she wasn’t sure how she would handle it.

The emotional annoyance in Megan’s voice was not lost on Johanna. But what could she do?

“I know you won’t leave me. But you have to. For your own safety.” Johanna pleaded, the sensation of pain as Megan worked made it difficult to form the words. But yet they had to come out.

Johanna looked to the ground, she didn’t want to meet Megan’s gaze as a snivel and tears ran down her face. It didn’t seem like Megan had caught on to what she implied or maybe Megan was willfully ignoring it, praying it was wrong.

Johanna could not have that. She would not risk Megan’s fate. But it seemed she had to spell it out with the truth. “Megan it’s not that easy. Some mistakes can’t be sorted like that.”

She took a deep breath. Forced her head up to meet Megan’s face. Johanna’s gaze was pained not only with physical but mental anguish. “Megan I am a member of Team Rocket… And I’ve just attacked one of the members of the council…” No explanation for why. Just the truth.

And for a moment she prayed that Megan would be disgusted by this admittance of guilt. For a moment she hoped Megan would run, and leave this poor Rocket sinner behind and find safety with a proper member of the League.



MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC:

Even through the haze of pain, Johanna could see how distraught Megan was. It pained her to see her like this, perhaps even more so than the wound itself.

Johanna went quiet as Megan called her an idiot. Johanna’s bluff hadn’t been appreciated. Understandably so.

“I know, I know.” Johanna finally replied. She grimaced as she accidentally moved the wounded shoulder. She knew a bit too well how serious it was. Johanna tried to be still as Megan worked her scissor magic to reveal the gun wound, luckily the bullet had gone all the way through so there was no foreign object that needed digging out. Johanna found stillness an incredibly difficult feat to perform. Every light touch felt like a needle prick.

But the wound was revealed as the bloodied cloth was removed. Megan kept talking. A brief moment of clarity allowed Johanna to appreciate Megan for what she was doing, her words, and the sound of her voice. Johanna merely nodded acknowledging the actions Megan explained before she performed them.

But then Johanna stiffened and not because of the wound. Distress found its way easily into her mind. Claydol noticing. Tensing. It looked towards Megan. Its gaze did not suggest any emotions at a glance, but looking at its stance would definitely reveal the tension.

Johanna’s lips began to quiver, eyes grew teary. She began to snivel as guilt mixed with pain. She couldn’t lie to Megan. She couldn’t lie to the one person she trusted and cared about more than anything else besides her mother.



“M-Me-Megan I am sorry. I have messed up really badly. You should leave me before they find you here. Please. I don’t want you to get hurt.” The words didn’t want to come out as fear gripped her chest tightly.

All she could hope was that Megan would heed her warning and go before another member of Team Rocket found her.



MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC:

Another shot just barely missed Johanna.

While the pain was fighting for supremacy something else within her was starting to push her forward. Forcing her way back up she set into a sprint away.

But the Klefki wanted one last attack. If the prior Flash Cannon was anything to go by Claydol couldn’t divert with anything less than a Hyper Beam. And he couldn’t manage one of those right now. And so there was one last thing he could do. Quickly touching Johanna, Claydol Teleported away with its trainer.

Again the distance was short, disrupted by something or someone. But that didn’t matter. They’d managed to avoid the Flash Cannon. They had managed to get away from Paxton… Now Johanna just had to manage to survive.




MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC: And the win goes to Paxton!

Ancientpower pushed Klefki away before a draining kiss could connect. But while doing so the unthinkable happened.

Claydol looked to its trainer Panic to be found in its otherwise so usually calm gaze.

It took a moment for Johanna to realize what had happened, a moment before brain was flooded with pain. But when it did, she yelped in pain as her face contorted into a grimace because of it.

Paxton spoke of another threat. Johanna barely listened as her hand tried to apply pressure.

Knowing well that this might sting Johanna as well. The Claydol whipped up another bout of ANCIENT POWER sent straight for Paxton and his partner hoping to divert them while he got Johanna away.




MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC:

Confidence.

Confidence seemed to be a pillar in Megan’s whole personality. Johanna admired her for it. Wished that she could have just an inkling of it. But she also knew that it might take years before she could even approach Megan’s level of confidence. A journey that Megan had seemingly already been through as she went on more about her past.

Johanna didn’t say much. Merely nodding along to acknowledge that she was listening as they made their way out and down to the smithy.

Her eyes grew wide with curiosity when she saw the building. They grew even more when they went inside. She took in the sights, the sounds, and even the smells of the place while listening to Megan introducing Tim. She had never been to a place like this. And so it took her a moment to realize that a Geodude was waiting for her before she handed over the bucket.

When that was done she returned her focus to Megan, watching as she unrolled the paper and showed it to her. Once more she was given a backstory, which she appreciated. But what made her eyes go wide was the gift.

“I am sure it will. But are you sure it is all right for us to have something like that?” Johanna paused. “Isn’t it kind of dangerous?” Of course, she could handle a knife, but still. A bladed weapon like that was dangerous to carry around.





LOCATION: Fiery Path

I need to get away, I need to get away, I need to get away. The thought kept running through on repeat as she moved as quickly as she could dragging along with her a trail of dripping blood. The wound in her right shoulder kept oozing red liquid. Her right sleeve was coated in it, no longer able to keep the liquid in the cloth had begun to let it drop on the ground.

Left hand pressed firmly against the wound in a feeble attempt at pressure. But she needed to put space between her and paxton concordas before she could tend to it.

Luckily the mist hid her from view. And she couldn’t hear the sounds of pursuing footsteps. Perhaps their assailant had moved on.

She leaned her back up against a rock formation as she tried to get air into her lungs. She was feeling dizzy. Had her Claydol not been supporting her, she would have tumbled to the side. But that didn’t stop her legs from buckling beneath her weight, and she allowed herself to slide down, to sit against the cold rock.

It wouldn’t hurt to close her eyes for a moment right? The wound could wait. She took off her mask. She couldn’t breathe properly with it on. Johanna’s eyes felt heavy. She closed them. Left-hand stepping down from its critical applying pressure duty.

Claydol noticed someone approaching. The faint shimmer of a Hyper Beam about to be fired appeared in front of it. But then it recognized the person. They had met before. It looked to Johanna for orders. But she hadn’t noticed the approaching person yet. Claydol decided not to attack, and by then Megan began to call out.

Johanna’s eyes shot wide when she heard Megan’s voice. A look of fear spread on her face as she realized not only would Megan see her like this, but she would surely figure out that she was a Rocket member.

As if it all just came tumbling back into the front of her mind, the pain began to shoot through her shoulder. She grimaced and yelped in pain as she tried to apply pressure but it wasn’t doing much good. “M-me-Megan!” She stammered. “I am all right. It’s merely a flesh wound. What are you doing here, it’s not safe?” Johanna tried to get up. But though her blood was trying to coagulate and close the wound, it still seeped out at a gentle pace, for now. But certainly less so than when she was running.




MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC:

Beam met beam in a battle of wills resulted in a pushback of both Pokemon and trainer alike. Though one clearly more experienced found cover before the other.

Johanna found herself pushed into a nearby rock formation sharp edges trying to tear her clothes apart, but it managed to stay whole somehow.

Tired from the beam, Claydol could not move before the foul play was used against him. Pain washed over him as he tried to retort by summoning rocks filled with ANCIENTPOWER as soon as he could.

Meanwhile Johanna forced herself back on her feet, head dizzy she needed to locate the other trainer before they got into another stand off.



MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC: Permission to shoot Johanna in the shoulder!

The combined efforts of Drapion and Meowstic were thwarted by a protective barrier erected by Mr. Rime.

Drapion and Meowstic took stock of the situation. When the Altaria was summoned Johanna figured she needed to regroup. And so she used her Pokéballs to retrieve Drapion and Meowstic, summoning instead a Claydol in the nick of time.

The Hurricane washed over them Claydol felt the warm embrace of its trainer, and with it, Claydol TELEPORTED away.

Alas for reasons unknown perhaps interferences from the battles going on or something else. Whatever the reason may be. Johanna and Claydol did not get far. But far enough to sneak away from the battle defeated.



MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC:

Something akin to a Magical circle locked them in place. Surprised she didn’t know what to do or say.

Luckily Claydol wasn’t burdened by emotions like that. The moment the circle became known it began to charge its energies into a powerful beam just waiting to be released.

Johanna was about to answer Paxton.

But Claydol locked onto the man as it decided the man was hostile. Before Johanna even uttered a word the Claydol fired a thin HYPER BEAM aimed at vaporizing any enemies found in its path, and perhaps even the pesky thing locking them in battle.



(Exaggerated but this is what Claydol want’s to do to Paxton and anything in his path. And yes I am just looking for an excuse to use that gif)



MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC:

Johanna ran and ran. She had lost sight of where she was going. The fog had helped with that. But at least it had helped her escape from PENELOPE LIVY whom she had been certain would defeat her in the long run.

She had figured that it was better not to take chances. Especially if she wanted the chance to get home from this alive and unchained. Thoughts of Megan crossed her mind for a moment as she moved past graves and rocky formations.

Drapion and Meowstic were getting a moment’s respite from the prior battle, instead by her side, a Claydol hovered. With a quick motion did the Claydol halt the young woman’s progress. It sensed something, yet it could not quite discern what it was.

Luckily if anyone had spotted her, then her identity would surely still be hidden by her brandless black clothes with gloves, and a simple white smiley-face mask adorning her face. The only thing that might reveal her would be the long blue hair, which she had done her best to tuck into her clothes though strands of blue might still be visible.



MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC:

Drapion felt the cold hit it. Pain washed over it, and its joints stiffened but didn’t completely freeze as the fires of its fangs fought the cold.

But two-on-one was not a winnable fight. It let go of the Metagross just as it tried to roll over it, quickly lunging out of the way foregoing the metallic beast for the more tantalizing target of Mr. Rime. CRUNCH was its weapon of choice against the ice mime.

With Reflect in full effect, Meowstic rejoined its aggressive teammate. This time letting its DISARMING VOICE barrage Mr. Rime.



MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC:

Were it not for her mask, then Penelope would know that Johanna felt no joy in doing this. In fact, doubt smeared upon her face. But she couldn’t stop, not now. She had come here as a member of Team Rocket, that in itself was a crime. She had attacked a Council member, that was another. No, her only hope was escaping, and perhaps, if luck was on her side then meeting up with Isaac Merlo, he would surely be handling this better than her.

But those were thoughts of the future. For now, there was a battle.

Retaliation came quickly. Punches of Expanding force rained down upon Drapion, but though it felt force there was naught a pinch of pain. Perhaps its Dark-typing protected it from the mental attacks. Whatever the cause may be. Drapion continued its fiery attempt at ripping the Metagross apart using FIRE FANG, from its close proximity.

The PSYCHIC of Meowstic met with that of Mr. Rime. Clashing in a battle of wills they both seemed unwilling to relent. But Meowstic did not share the same immunity to the PSYCHIC-type as her fellow team member. Powerful EXPANDING FORCE punches rained down upon it, disrupting the attack and letting Mr. Rime win the battle of wills adding its own PSYCHIC attack to the mix, sending the Meowstic skidding against the ground. Fur tattered and dirtied as it did. Halting just in front of Johanna.

As Meowstic rose once more pain grimaced its face. A clear barrier was erected as Meowstic used REFLECT.




MASK: Smiley Mask
LOCATION: MT. Pyre
OOC: