Her arms around her older brother felt genuine, a true visage of wishing him well despite the highly competitive nature that ran in the family. Vanilla wasn't much in terms of being a baker, but at least training was more of her forte, more so in part thanks to the efforts of Thomas Benoit and Michael Navidson . The both of them were amazing mentors, and she had only grown further thanks to their guidance alone. The younger Kingsley listened to Biscotti more with intent. The Incineroar by him was much like how Vanilla had thought they would be! Proxii took a quick scan as its information was entered inside of its Pokedex database.

One quick snort by his Incineroar later, Vanilla understood so suddenly. The gym challenge wasn't easy on her either, but she had made some progress. "It kind of is. I was surprised when I went up against Navy back when he was a gym leader. I don't know how Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki is, but she's just about as fierce as he is." Proxii hovered back around Vanilla's opposite side before she thought of what to say. Something that she might have needed to hear back when she was in his shoes. Her Rotonphone bobbed about like some sort of haunted bouncy ball. "It's never been better! Vanilla's grown so much in just a year. She doesn't even need me to act as a guardian anymore!" The girl puffed her chest out triumphantly, with pride shown off as if it was the blood running through her veins.

"Y'know, besides the three times you almost died."
Vanilla's display ended at the moment Proxii spoke. "I told you not to mention that!" She whined.
"I thought it might have been important to mention before you try and hide that."
"I don't hide stuff like that, and it only happened twice!"

Vanilla huffed while her companion snickered to himself. But Biscotti's previous words had been rotating in her mind a bit so that she could form an opinion. "To answer your question though…" Vanilla began, "I don't really know how I beat my two gym battles. When I walked into Navy's gym for my first badge, I was terrified. I had never done a gym battle before and I didn't know what to expect. Everything was going fine and I had my Pokémon against his, but then that twist came. I guess that's important part. Every gym challenge is supposed to test some part of being a trainer, it's not just locked to typing."

Vanilla looked over at the Incineroar for a moment, her eyes flickering around its many features. "It also depends a lot on your Pokémon. I only won Navy's because I trained with them enough to know them 100%. Even Cauli in Josh's challenge got pushed to her limits. I've never ridden her that fast, even when we were in Not Galar." She looked back at her sibling and then a devious grin. Her bag slung over her shoulder was taken off as a hand dug inside of it. "I think I can explain it better, and you can show me, in the best way a trainer can when they meet somebody else." Two Pokéballs were shown to Biscotti as she brought them together. "There's a battle ring right near the shore below. Are you going to let your little sister show you up like this?~"

Biscotti Kingsley

A small laugh jumped out of Vanilla's mouth as she hugged Thomas tightly, grinning ear to ear while the child had enjoyed meeting up again with her mentor and all around teacher of everything. They had been through a lot together in the short time they met one another, and she had owed her success as a trainer thus far to him and his help. SO to return the favor by letting him know everything was going to be fine was some small way of paying it back. "I have?" she asked at his comment about getting bigger. She hadn't stopped to measure herself, but she was certainly slowly getting used to being a teenager, even if she was still a kid to most adults. "I don't want to grow up so fast again. Is being an adult so...boring? I mean, I ran a bakery for a while, but even the business said was just wake up, work, eat, and then sleep. I even looked weird older too." Her sibling no doubt had his own mixed feelings about growing up to being an adult and then being thrust back into a teenager's body, much like her. But the two of them did have some rather eye opening experiences and revelations, in their own ways.

Vanilla sat back down after a while and listened to Thomas explain about the current situation. Proxii was nearby, formulating his own opinion about what was going on as Thomas did his best to remain calm given the circumstances. Vanilla looked rather surprised at something happening to most of the people that she had either known or heard of thanks to these people. "Wh-What?! They all just straight up disappeared?" She looked out to Cauli, who was enjoying the brief rest after rocketing out here before then furrowing her brows. "We have to do find them! I can call the rangers! I know some, and they can help!" Before she could protest more, Proxii chirped up and would flash his screen to both of the humans. "Hold up! According to some of the postings online, this isn't just some centralized thing!" Proxii flittered over to Thomas as his phone screen showed the Hoenn bulletin board for the public, then swapped to one for Rangers. Topic after topic were reported missing persons cases that had been as recent as a few hours ago.

"There's numerous reports of people just vanishing. Nobody knows why either." Vanilla peeked her head over to check out the screen as well, with the Rotomphone hovering lower to face both of them. "Something's definitely up. If there's been this many cases in such a short time, this can't be a coincidence. But at the same time, we have no clues or leads." His trainer appeared most upset by the news, more so than it was people she had known that vanished from her life again. Her expression soured while looking to her Rotom with a huff.

"We can't just sit here and hope that they turn up again soon! Somebody needs to do something!" Vanilla protested, crossing her arms.
Proxii hesitated to respond, but did so after a moment. "Where are we going to look? They could be anywhere in this world, or even someplace else."
Vanilla huffed, getting worked up as she hissed in frustration. "I don't know! But it's better than just expecting they're doing alright! What if they're in danger or something?!"

Thomas Benoit

Vanilla stood on the boardwalk with her back to Biscotti. She had flourished since they had last met up like this, the girl wearing a floral sundress, hat and even her bag had gotten a bit of a makeover. Her Rotom hovered besides her as they conversed amongst themselves, unaware at the family member behind them. Upon hearing the voice of somebody close, Vanilla spun around with a wide grin. The time in Hoenn had changed her, even those many years both had spent in a false reality.

Her glasses had gone missing, as blue eyes greeted the boy's gaze. Her naturally pink hair had fully been replaced by a black sheen, though some bits of magenta color peeked out from the tip of her head. No longer had she relied on her emotional support from Proxii to put together a sentence in front of people. No, Vanilla had flourished into a proper young lass who beamed at her older brother's appearance. "Scotti!" she raced to dive into a hug with her brother, her smaller arms wrapping around him and squeezing. They hadn't talked in person like this for a while now, and she had truly been feeling a bit homesick as of late. "It's so good to see you again! How've you been? Still trying for the Gym Challenge?" Proxii even would come over. The Rotom was inside of her cellphone, clad in a pink case with a Alcremie inspired design. "How ya been, Biscotti? Find any biscuits to hang out with? Kekekek~"

Her smile faded soon enough. She could see into those eyes of his and tell that something was eating away at him. Call it a hunch that one picked up when you had fourteen other siblings and knew exactly how some would react with one another. Vanilla's brows furrowed further as she took a step back. "You okay? You look like something's bothering you..."

Biscotti Kingsley

The door opened to reveal one of his Audinos, Bunni, who had opened the door for the visitor. Vanilla smiled at the familiar face of one of the many Audinos wandering around the ranch where Thomas resided. A wave was made to the smaller, pink Pokémon while she was led inside. "Bunni! It's nice to see you again!" she gave the girl a hug of her own before slowly walking down the hall leading to Thomas' kitchen. She had only really seen what was inside of the house here a handful of times. It reminded her of one of those cool countryside ranches where one might catch a glimpse of some racing Rapidash or a Mudsdale in training.

"Do you think he's doing alright?" Proxii whispered to Vanilla as they walked slowly in the hall.
"I don't know, but the messages made me think he could use us right now." Vanilla replied.
"I wonder what's going on. It must be pretty bad if he's the one panicking."
"We'll find out later, but right now, we need to show him our support."

Upon reaching the kitchen, Vanilla sat down on the table, with Proxii hovering to rest just above the surface of the counter top. Not a minute after being seated did she recognize a familiar pair of heavy footsteps, though rushing headfirst into the kitchen area. She turned her head just in time to catch sight of the silhouette of Thomas speed walking out of the hallway and smiling at the two of them. At meeting his gaze, the younger trainer sat up and quickly made herself known to the older man. "Thomas!" SHe was picked up and thrown into a hug, which she matched with just as much enthusiasm as ever. It felt nice, as she had really missed that sense of feeling another's arms around her, ensuring she could feel safe once more. Thomas could see that Vanilla had returned to her natural skin color, though her hair had its pink roots on display as her dyed hair was starting to grow out. Maybe she was even a little bit taller!

"I got your message and flew over as fast as I could." Cauli poked her head inside of the home, the Altaria ruffling its plumage free of any residue and such when out flying to his home. Vanilla looked up at him, her expression match his concerned glance. Proxii flew over to fly beside his trainer's head. "Are you alright? Your message sounded pretty bad. I've never seen Vanilla sprint so fast to get us up in the air." The young girl nodded, her bright eyes filled with a muted, frantic concern for Thomas. "We'll help you do whatever, but we need you to calm down. What's going on?"

Thomas Benoit

It had been a pretty normal day for Vanilla, with the young apprentice of Thomas spending the day out having enjoying the mid morning day while they spent it napping between two large trees near one of the Route roads when her phone began to vibrate. It let out the sound of swords clashing against one another, signaling that Thomas had sent her a text. She had remained mostly asleep though, letting out a soft noise as she moved her hand to readjust herself as she propped herself against the tree. All was quiet for just a few more seconds until some more messages were sent in a series of noises and changes. She groaned while Proxii popped out of her coat pocket.

"Hey, Vanilla?" The Rotom said while poking her cheek. "Wake up! Hey, wakey wake!"
"Wuh?" The trainer asked her companion, her eyes halfway opened while she let out a soft yawn to try and fully wake herself up. "Whazzup?"
"Thomas is, uh...You should read these."
"It's probably just a training reminder." Vanilla grabbed the Rotomphone's body and opened her messages to check the text chain. But her eyes opened at what lied within. "We have to go."

Cauli soared through the skies above Hoenn, the Altaria flapping her wings while Vanilla rode on the back of the larger avian. She had sent Thomas a text that was brief but very reassuring: "I'm coming over." Once the group had spotted the familiar ranch of Thomas, the Altaria began the slow descent all the way down until touching base just before the entrance. The teen jumped off and then began the hurried sprint over towards the front door.

"Thomas!" Vanilla yelled, rolling up to the front door and knocking on it. "Thomas, are you alright?"

Thomas Benoit

Proxii's Pokedex flickered over to Navy as he made his request to translate, the Rotom listening with great intent. He was thrilled that they would be able to find a way to put these fellow Rotoms in another kind of house besides this one. "Sure thing!" he said, popping out of the Pokedex again and chittering with the other Rotom. The group of them buzzed around at the deal given to them, looking as if they were conflicted. Vanilla silently showed her support alongside Navy before the mass would bounce around both humans.

"Are we being attacked? What's going on, Proxii?" Vanilla asked. The Rotom plopped back into his own RotomDex home and smirked at the two. "They're taking the deal, but they're just excited about it is all. All thanks to yours truly, kekekek~" He showed off in front of them, receiving an elbow by Vanilla for his troubles. The trainer pumped her fist to Navy, sharing his excitement for finding refuge for the group of Pokémon. Sure, she didn't know the exact reasoning for his offer, but as far as she knew, he was just being the helpful Sheriff that saved the day.

The swarm of Rotom quickly flew down the hallway while Proxii flew in the direction they sent. "Now come on, let's go kick some Haunter butt!"

Michael Navidson

Despite how nice and feely that Vanilla was, as Navy could attest, she had quite the mouth on her when upset enough. It was the side effect of being the youngest out of twelve or so siblings and having around some of the more "language oriented" ones that let her know exactly which words meant what across the age gap. Vanilla huffed at the reminder, still entangled in cords and wires. No wonder the bugs that cocooned themselves wanted out so bad, this was awful to be stuck like!

"Easy for you to say when you're not like this." The child pouted, dangling from the ceiling while the Sheriff took his massive Aegislash and aimed it at the cords. It a moment of panic, she wriggled a bit out of worry and ending up like sashimi at some sushi joint, but much to her relief, the cables holding her would give way and let out. Vanilla tumbled out into his awaiting arms, with the girl breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank you." she flashed a peppy smile and was helped down back onto her two feet.

The ghosts currently cornering them didn't seem entirely fond of this, covering both ways out while the younger of the two stuck close and was ready to start throwing everything she could manage at the ghost before their bacon was saved by the timely intervention of a light from above. It stunned the poor Haunter as it fled into the darkness. Navy pushed past the army of darkness, with Vanilla bouncing after him.

Their goal was clear as day, the breaker box was dead ahead, though guarded by several Rotom that had been flickering around it. AN idea hatched in her mind as she dug into her pockets and produced a familiar rectangular device. "Proxii! Wake up, I need your help!"

The Pokedex's screen flashed to the familiar face of a Rotom possessed piece of equipment, with Proxii chirping to life. He left out a soft yawn as his digital voice manifested out of the speakers. "Where are we? What's goin on? I thought we were going to Navy's..." He said before jumping out of Vanilla's hands and hovering beside her. She turned him to the gang of Rotom nearby.

"Can you talk to them and see if they know where the breaker box is?" Vanilla asked hopefully. Proxii would pop out of his Pokedex body and dart over to the group for a moment with an audible "KKKKKKZZZZZZZT!" The group and Rotom chatted with each other for a minute or so, before Proxii returned to the pokedex, looking at both Navy and Vanilla.

"They said they'll agree to help us find it, but only if we find them a new place to live. I don't think all of them would fit inside of this Pokedex." He reported, with the swarm of Rotoms crackling as they eyed Vanilla's device.

Michael Navidson

"Hot cocoa? Now we gotta get this done pretty quick! I want mine with extra marshmallows."

Nothing beat a way to get around the cold like a steaming hot cup of the best chocolate flavored drink there was! Even if Vanilla was named after a more bland flavor, she could come to appreciate the reign of hot chocolate as the king amongst heated cocoa delicacies. She walked behind Navy while Slow Dancer opened the door for the both of them. Her speed was a bit slower than the Sheriff's out of a fear of ghost Pokémon. Other than Proxii, he really hadn't really found many other ghost types willing to not play tricks or mock her for their amusement.

Something ahead of them giggled, catching her by surprise. Vanilla quickly caught up to Navy with her crutches moving in overtime as she dug into her bag to get some of her party ready to go if a fight did break out. "I don't like the sound of that." she commented, feeling on edge while they walked deeper into the building.

A swarm of Haunters filled the air in front of them. The sight had caused her to jump in surprise and duck to assure herself she wouldn't catch a stray Lick from one of them. Fortunately, Navy's King Shield protected him from such an event, followed by a sudden kick from Slow Dancer to fell one of them.

"No clue how Elise does it so well. Trying to train my Haunter is hard enough. I can't imagine training exclusive ghosts.” Vanilla observed while they walked by an open room leading towards a room clad in darkness. She hobbled along while some more chittered laughs and giggles came from around the pair. Just before Vanilla could open her mouth to speak, several wires dropped down from the ceiling and tangled Vanilla in their mess.

"Huh?!”

They yanked her up upside down while pulling her back down the hallway. Her body flailed around while trying to free herself from the prison of insulation and copper wiring. The dulled pain in her leg and being unable to really fight fully against this was already getting Vanilla riled up. So this was the final straw in her patience. "H-Hey! Lemme go! You…” She slung every bit of profanity in her vocabulary at the ghosts while being used as a carrot for Navy to take, dangling a damsel in distress towards who knows where.


Michael Navidson

• player/ooc name: Junko
• character tags: Vanilla Kingsley , soyeon kwan , yuki hanakata , Sylvia Cousteau
• dropped characters' tags (if applicable):
• ic posts for characters: Vanilla Post | Soyeon Post | Yuki Post | Sylvia Post
• are characters in directories?: Yes!
• any notes/comments:

"Heh, I can try. I'm not exactly promising that I'll keep out of trouble, but I'll stay safe this time."

Vanilla couldn't exactly blame him. Navy was just one of many who seemed pretty terrified of something happening to her, though she was just as resilient as any ranger was. Maybe that's why her dad had become one, for lack of sitting in a kitchen post retirement. She did, however, greatly appreciate a place to stay. She smiled a little to herself and thanked Arceus or whoever for having her and Navy meet up so soon. "Still, I appreciate the offer, Navy. I'll try and not make a mess or anything. EVen if you need something, I'll be around and can help out."

His second promise, though, had surprised her. Vanilla had wondered if anybody else could make any leadway about a missing father. The fact that he even told her about doing what was in his power to do so was jaw dropping. She squeezed him a bit tighter as they continued their run to the power station.

"Really?! You'd do that just for me?! Th-Thank you! I wish I could pay you back, I really do. But nothing ever seems comparable."

They approached their destination as the building's silhouette came into view. The fences around it were basked in total darkness, one that Vanilla had a feeling would be a haunting ground for all sorts of nasty pokemon, pun withstanding. Once they got to the front entrance, Vanilla maneuvered herself off of the rid and onto the ground. With her team ready to go, she turned to Navy and nodded.

"Junior Deputy Kingsley's ready to go. Let's go give the people some power!"

Michael Navidson

TEAS & DESSERTS:

Send a special someone a bespoke box of sweets delivered by Stufful, signed or anonymous!

[break][break]
ORDER DETAILS: A pink colored valentine's with chocolates galore in shapes and flavors of all kinds, with vanilla tea near the bottom.[break][break] TO: Thomas Benoit[break][break] CARD: "Ever since saving me a year ago, you've been so nice. Every day, I keep wondering how I can repay you, but I don't think I can, really. Like ever. I hope you're doing well, and I'll always have your back, from student-to-teacher. ~ Vanilla."[break][break]

BOUQUETS:

Send a special someone a bouquet delivered by Leavanny, signed or anonymous!

[break][break]
ORDER DETAILS: A bouquet of pink roses and ribbon, tied up in silver laced wrapping.[break][break] TO: DESIREE BLOOMS[break][break] CARD: "I know Thomas can be a lot sometimes, but he means well. You better treat him right or else! ~ Vanilla"

TEAS & DESSERTS:

Send a special someone a bespoke box of sweets delivered by Stufful, signed or anonymous!

[break][break]
ORDER DETAILS: A crimson colored valentine chock full of vanilla filled chocolates with an orange colored scarf draped over it for cool and style points.[break][break] TO: Michael Navidson[break][break] CARD: "I've always looked up to you, and this little promotion of yours only makes me proud I have. You're a good guy, Navy. Don't ever let anybody make you question that. ~ Jr. Deputy Kingsley"[break][break]

BOUQUETS:

Send a special someone a bouquet delivered by Leavanny, signed or anonymous!

[break][break]
ORDER DETAILS: A dozen red roses with a dainty card trimmed in lace. (Rewrite as desired!)[break][break] TO: Elise Calcifet[break][break] CARD: "We haven't talked in a bit, but I miss you! Hope you're doing well, and sorry for kind of getting hurt and vanishing. ~ Vanilla"

Navy spoke about Hoenn being at war. It wasn't unheard of for Vanilla, given what the girl had been through. She had seen what Rocket was capable of firsthand herself. She couldn't say anything about Deliah Goode's track record given that she knew things from an outsider's perspective. For all she knew, Goode was a proper leader, never cursed a day in her life and would give anything to save Hoenn. But she listened to Navy vent a little.

"I think I get it. I'm not too sure about what the Elite Four do and have their hands in, but if you're there, I know you'll be okay." Vanilla said, smiling a bit as she felt his hand hover over her arm. She squeezed him a little tighter while hiding her face for a bit to keep warm from the cold for a moment. "You're a good guy, Navy. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you aren't. I think more people will feel safer knowing that you're watching over them."

Houses passed by as the people inside watched the two hurry through the snow. Houses with decorations that should be alight were turned off as the faces inside sat in total darkness. Vanilla couldn't help but feel envious of them. How nice it must be for siblings that don't think you're a hassle. Her expression soured for a moment until a building's silhouette would come into focus over the snowy horizon.

"I'd be willing to help too, if you need anything. But I don't think there's a lot that I could really do. I don't think the Elite 4 are going to think much of some 13 year old's help. But I can at least try and help you for Hoenn's sake!"

Michael Navidson

It didn't really matter to Vanilla that the journey over was going to be a long and hard one. She had been through enough that it seemed like any other day in comparison. The second degree burns and cast were proof of that alone. So she smiled and followed Navy along as he took her outside once ready and displayed a new Pokémon of his.

Her eyes lit up just by the silhouette alone. Being a native Galarian, she could almost quickly identify that true equine looking animal anywhere!

"A Glastrier! Whoa, where did you find this?!" Vanilla asked the sheriff as eager as a child on Christmas. She squealed in excitement while slowly climbing up on the Legendary with Navy's help. Once she was nice and comfortable, she held her crutches by throwing a shoulder over them and wrapping her arms around Navy to hold on. Without any other distractions, they were off and into the snow.

The conversation changed to a topic that was more startling if anything else. She had been keeping up with the gym circuit ever since the injury and knew about what happened to Callan.

"I've heard, yeah. Nothing beyond what's available to the public. But they asked you to fill in for his spot?" She asked him, her head popping up over his shoulder inquisitively.

"Do you want to fill in for Callan? It's cool you got it and I'm happy for you, but do you actually want it?"

Michael Navidson