031 [Video/Action for Olivine]

[soggypastry]

I said get out of the way!

[Morning, Johto. Enjoy your very early morning wake up call. No, seriously, it's early. The sun's not even up-early. Lightning normally sleeps through this time of day, so why is she on the network? ...Well, she's not exactly on it by choice. Her Pokemon have the gear again, and it's showing that a nurse is trying to stop a very pale and rather shaky Lightning from leaving the Center, but considering she's dressed and with a pair of Lucario's at her side, she's not going to be stopped. At all.]

Miss Farron, if you'll just calm down--

Calm down? I just spent the past six hours puking my guts out while you ran around like headless chocobos trying to fix a problem that shouldn't have happened, and you expect me to calm down? [She scoffs at that, moving to shove past, but the nurse bars her passage yet again.]

Miss Farron, the poison is still affecting your body. If you'd sit down and let us help-

[Now Lightning snarls, and it's still rather intimidating despite looking like she's going to fall at any second.]

Help? Like when you somehow didn't notice someone go into my room in the middle of the night and let this happen? I don't need your help. I can handle this myself.

[The nurse aims to protest again, but Lightning doesn't listen and she goes around, hobbling out of the Center on crutches while not looking back even as the feed shorts out with a startled "Pika!". It never comes on again, but those who go out looking for her will find her on the porch of Minnie's house, sitting on one of the chairs with her head in her hands, that pair of Lucarios and a Pikachu nearby so she isn't alone. She really doesn't look well, either, so their concern is probably warranted.]

[ooc: due to plottings, Lightning spent the night badly poisoned and is now rather freaked out because, well, no idea who did it! :3 My thanks to both Cobra-mun and Kimblee-mun for this plot, it's been fun!]

Comments

[Perma-Action]

[chasingstorms]

Not safe at the....

[Understanding slowly dawns at that and she sits down, worry all over her face. Maybe Lightning hadn't wanted to tell her, but now she wants to know.]

What happened??

[Perma-Action]

[soggypastry]

[For a moment, Lightning doesn't speak. She doesn't want to worry Serah any further, but it's obvious her younger sister is already concerned. It's hard, really, to reconcile the image of this woman before her with the image of the little sister she left behind. Three years has obviously changed Serah, and she's a grown woman now, but...she'll always be protective. That will never change. Still, she can't just leave things like this. Serah has to be warned.]

Poison got into my IV somehow. The nurses couldn't tell me how, but I have ideas about it.

[chasingstorms]

[That Lightning's even noticing the difference, shows that Serah's struggling hasn't been for nothing. Maybe it won't be easy, but eventually she'll persuade her older sister that she's a more than capable adult....most of the time.]

Poison? [The word causes the younger Farron to gasp, eyes going huge.] Why would someone poison you? Lightning?

[She's worried certainly, but only for her sister. Her own well being? Not even a thought at this point. Here's to hoping the bad guys don't realize the most effective way to get to Light is through her sister and other family.]

[soggypastry]

[Again, Lightning holds her tongue. It could be because she doesn't want to have a repeat incident of earlier where she paid tribute to the porcelain gods, or it could be that she just doesn't know what to say. Yeah, it's probably that one, because Fal'Cie, she didn't want to have to say this...]

There's a group of people here that call themselves Team Rocket. They hurt people and steal Pokemon just because they can. [a pause, and she sips her water. She's going to have to mention the Corps, but...]

I ended up on a list of people they wanted taken out of the picture. It wouldn't surprise me if they were behind this.

[chasingstorms]

[Wide eyes turn to a frown. So Team Rocket had done this? She'd definitely remember that. Wait they hurt people and steal Pokemon? Then did that mean...]

The attacks on the cities, that was Team Rocket wasn't it.

[It's not a question, she already knows the answer to this. It's pretty obvious even to her.]

This list, how did you get put on it? What happened? [It's an unspoken, big sister what did you do?]

[She's not asking why, she can figure out the why. Lightning is Guardian Corps after all. Can take Lightning out of the corps, but you can't take the Corps out of Lightning. So if there's someone doing bad stuff like this, there's no question in her mind that her sis would try and stop them.]

[Oh wait... she forgot one important question.]

Are you going to be okay?

[soggypastry]

[It's not a question, and so Lightning doesn't give it an answer besides a slow nod. There's no proof, sure, but who else could it have been? It's not like anyone else would have gained from that.]

I don't know. Not for sure. The only thing that I and everyone else on that list have in common is that we've pissed a few members of Team Rocket off. [sigh] And if that's all it takes, half of Johto should be on that list.

[Or more than half. But Serah's right: Lightning Farron will always be a member of the Guardian Corps, no matter what world she finds herself on. It's only natural for Corps members to get into trouble trying to do the right thing.

And only natural for them to worry their families doing it, too. Which is why Lightning will finally look up, eyes meeting Serah's as she smiles faintly. She's tired, spooked, and more than a little sick, but....]

I'll be fine. This isn't the first time I've been poisoned.

[....that probably sounds worse than it actually is, doesn't it? Oh, Lightning. Choose your words more carefully!]

[chasingstorms]

[So they've poisoned her sister, attacked a bunch of cities, and who knows what else. Looks like Lighning's had a cause to champion against in this strange world after all.]

So you and the others, it's because you've tried to stop them, isn't it. [After all what would tick a bunch of bad guys off more than ruining their plans?]

[She's not going to push the issue much more than that right now, because of poison and all. However, odds of Serah coming back to this topic are very, very high. On the bright side that little zinger certainly leaves Serah distracted for now.]

Not the first time you've been poisoned? Since you've been here?!

[Because back on their world it's not quite such a big deal, what with the magic they would have had access to and all that.]

[soggypastry]

That seems to be it, yeah. The timing definitely leads to that conclusion.

[It's not a topic Lightning's fond of dealing with, sure, but they're in this world together. What Serah wants to know, Lightning will tell her.

...Even if it's things like this. Definitely needs to chose her words more carefully.]

Yeah. But the first time wasn't so deliberate.

[She doesn't say anything else, and instead shows Serah her right arm. There's a long scar there, faint and almost gone unless it's seen in the right light. It's one that Lightning knows Serah won't recognize, too.]

Last year, every city in the region was invaded with bugs just like we had to deal with the trash last month. They were pretty fond of using poison.

[What she's not mentioning is it wasn't as bad as this last attack. Something is definitely different, and Lightning knows it. What a mess.]

[chasingstorms]

I see.

[Solemn and serious faced, she understands what Lightning is saying, and also that she's being very, very careful about what she tells her. Baby sis has been around long enough to know that her older sister just wants to keep her safe.]

So it was a swarm, like the one we just saw. Do those happen often?

[She moves slightly, running one finger over the scar on her sister's arm. That's most definitely a new one.]

[soggypastry]

[Lightning watches her sister for a moment, tracking that hand and contemplating her words. Her own default setting is "Protect Serah", and it's hard to get out of it. Even in a world like this.]

Actual swarms happen every so often, but they're generally on the routes. It's rare they'll come into the cities, and they don't normally start attacking people like that.

[Frown. She has her theories about those two incidents, but nothing concrete. Not like with this most recent attack on her own person.]

Normally, they leave us alone. I think something made them attack us, but we never figured out what or who caused it.

[chasingstorms]

So a normal swarm is more like when I c- [She stops mid-sentence, clamping her mouth shut for a second before moving on to a new topic. Now is not the time to bring up Maqui the Deerling.

So someone's found a way to affect the pokemon and make them do things that they wouldn't normally do. That can't be good.

[She nods slightly, because she thinks she has a general idea of what her sister is talking about.]

You think Team Rocket was behind those swarms too?

[soggypastry]

[Lightning can immediately tell that Serah is hiding something. The click of her younger sister's teeth is an oddly familiar sound and it causes her to glance up, but she also knows this is not the time to be speaking of mundane things.

...even if when she finds out she'll give Serah a lecture on telling her things.]

I hope so. They're the only people I can think of who'd even have a reason to do something like that. If it's someone else, or another group of people...[she pauses, shaking her head. One group is bad enough, but two? Oh boy.] Then we'll be in even more trouble than we already are.

[chasingstorms]

[But if she tells her, Lightning's just going to lecture her again.]

I want to help. [Completely serious, because this isn't a joking matter.] That's why you got poisoned, right? Because of something you did? Whatever it is, I want to help.

[Lightning can try to say no, but baby sister will probably get into even worse trouble that way since she'd be doing it on her own.]

[soggypastry]

[It's an endless cycle, baby sis. Best to just work through it until big sis relents. Because she will. Eventually. You know. Once this mess is off the table.

She should have been expecting this. She really should have. As it is, she has to clamp a lid on her temper and not yell right away. Serah is a grown woman, and Lightning knows better than anyone that the younger Farron is just as capable as her older sister. But that knowledge doesn't make this any easier. It doesn't make her instincts settle down and tell her that Serah is ready for this.]

I'm not sure that's a good idea. You're in enough danger as it is, just by being related to me. If you join in with this, you'll just be painting a bigger target on your back.

[Serah, please don't press this. Please please pleaaaassee. Big sis has enough people to watch out for without worrying more about you too!]

[chasingstorms]

[Prolonging the cycle couldn't hurt, especially since she caught the deerling while Lightning was holed up at the Center.]

[Serah's jaw sets and for a moment it looks like she's going to launch right into a heated arguement, but after a moment she sighs and her shoulders droop a little.]

Alright fine, but only for now. And if anything happens I'm going to help, I'm not hiding in a house while everyone deals with the problem. Deal?

[That's the best compromise you're going to get out of her, big sis. Take it or leave it.]

[soggypastry]

[Yes, well, some endless cycles stay endless for a reason. This may be one of them.

Also, that sigh Lightning just gave? Totally not one of relief. Totally. ...okay maybe it was. She can deal with that! Mostly. It is admittedly a good compromise...even if it's still leaving a sour taste in Lightning's mouth that has nothing to do with the poison.]

Okay. But if things get too hectic and I tell you to get away, you listen to me and get the hell out of there. Am I clear?

[Your safety is always paramount, Serah. If she has to have one of her team carry you out, she'll do it. Don't think she won't.]

[chasingstorms]

[She's never going to make it as a trainer if Lightning keeps limiting her to what pokemon she already has though. Why would she do that to her?]

[She nods slightly, but the look on her face says that when it comes down to it, she's going to do whatever she thinks is right.]

Right.

[One of these days she's going to have pokemon high enough to challenge your Team Lightning. Just you wait.]

I know you said I can't do it, but you could at least tell me what's going on. Why are you such a target?

[What'd you do big sis, what did you do.]

[soggypastry]

[Lightning made it as a trainer with only three Pokemon for months. MONTHS, Serah. You can do it too!

Lightning knows this isn't over. Not by a long shot. Neither Farron would ever give up so easily, ever. So she at least knows better than to expect to end with this. Heck, it probably won't end even after Serah's team is strong enough to challenge hers and win. Not with their track record.

For now, however...she does owe Serah the explanation. Especially if they're going to be marching headlong into trouble like this.]

Last November, Team Rocket attacked the train that's in Goldenrod when it was on its first run. They hurt people and stole a lot of Pokemon, and the rest of us decided we'd had enough of them at that point. We formed a group so no one would fight them alone, but they know about it now. They're targeting people within the group and I have no idea how many of us have already been compromised.

[she sighs, looking like she just wants to sleep and hide for a while, but she knows she can't. She has to keep going.]

That's why I don't want you involved in this. If someone's sold us out, or if they actually have a full list of us, you'd be in more danger than you already are. I can't risk that.

[She was herself, bbsis. That's what she did.]

[chasingstorms]

[Yeah, well she's not you, big sis. Not to mention going three months with just Snow, Noel, and Mog would have been really unfair on poor Snow. Can you even imagine how much of a trainwreck that would have been?]

[It's going to take Serah's team a long time before they're able to even come close to Lightning's, especially consider just how unbalanced her roster is. Normal types might be versatile, but they're not typically known for being powerhouses.]

So that's why they poisoned you, because of the group you're in.

[It's a vile concept, but if big sis says it's true, then Serah believes her.]

Fine, i won't join this group, but that doesn't mean I won't do what I can to stop Team Rocket when I can, Lightning.

[Baby sis is too much of a Farron to let people get away with this sort of behavior.]

But I'll be careful, and if it looks dangerous I'll do what I can to stay out of trouble. Okay?

[soggypastry]

[A trainwreck of a very well trained Espeon, Furret, and Jumpluff. Mind over matter, baby sis.

And it's not like Lightning's team doesn't have their own weaknesses. You can do it, someday. ...Though that day is a very long ways away. Longer still than Lightning backing down on the matter of Serah joining the group someday.]

I know you wouldn't stay completely out of it. That's not like you. [Wistful little half smile. Serah certainly had the family trait of charging into trouble, that was for sure.]

Okay. I can accept that.

[chasingstorms]

[Mog doesn't believe in being well trained though, remember? She has absolutely no interest in training, battling, or anything of the sort. Snow and Noel, they'd be fine, but saddling her forever with Mog on her battle team is just mean.]

[That's a given, it's going to be a while before Serah really hits her stride as a trainer. Rinoa will probably have most of the badges by this point, breeder or not.]

Of course I wouldn't, I'm a Farron too remember? [At least they're being completely honest about what she would and wouldn't do.]

Good. I guess it's a deal then.