Hi guys! I'm sorry it's been a little quiet lately, but these construction works hit a power line near where I live which promptly killed all my electricity for the past few days! I just wanted to let you all know I'm writing out the first post of the RP thread as we speak, so we can definitely start today!
By the way, Ginger, your forms look great!
Cordelia took a long drink of her water, relishing in the icy coolness. Behind her, groups of people filed rapidly out of the presentation hall, chatting rather loudly. She took that as a sign that they had enjoyed the presentation, which made her smile. She screwed on the cap to her water bottles and then turned, disappearing into the depths of backstage. Cordelia walked a little way, then closed her eyes as she pushed open the door outside. The warm Alolan sun touched her face, and though she found it delightful, she had learned her first day at the conference that walking out of a dark room into the blinding sun was not a wise decision.
Cordelia headed around the front of the building to watch the hustle ad bustle. This was certainly not her first time at a Platinum Conference, but they never ceased to amaze her. Out front, along a pathway lined with palm trees and brightly blooming hibiscus plants, stalls were lined up with the shopkeepers shouting their wares to all the people walking up and down the path. And there were a lot of Conference goers this year. Cordelia wondered in part if that was not because the conference was in a destination vacation spot this year.
The tall, brown-haired woman began weaving her way through the crowd, somewhat distinguishable from the other people by account of the white lab coat she wore. She dodged barkers who tried to get her to come and view their often Pokémon related wares, striding purposefully forward. In the distance, she could see the skyscrapers towering over Heahea City. She had wanted to check the city out, being that the conference was just on the outskirts, but she hadn’t been able to go since she’d arrived there two days before the opening ceremony. She’d just been too busy with all of the presentations.
Cordelia’s stomach rumbled, and she placed a hand over it, wincing. She was absolutely starving after the morning presentation she’d given, and as such, she was searching out a food stall like a Munchlax for its lunch.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the festival grounds, Zayne Kerrigan was standing in the shadows of a palm tree, having retreated from the sun relatively quickly that morning. The heat of the islands had already been a challenge for him.
The red-head was alternating between examining a map he held loosely in his hands and watching a stall across the way. The map obviously depicted the Alola region, and his brown eyes were skimming it lightly despite the fact that, to the average on-looker, he did not seem like the sight-seeing type. Alternatively, the stall he was watching showcased a wide display of what the storekeeper claimed to be Lunar Wings. Zayne knew they were fake on sight (he was wearing an actual Lunar Wing under his shirt), but it appeared like most of the visitors of the conference had never been to Sinnoh or seen a real one before, and didn’t know any better. So, essentially, he was watching an old man scam people out of their money.
Zayne shifted his weight back and forth, taking care not to knock over the backpack he had propped against the tree beside him. He had been formally invited to the Platinum Conference to compete in their top-level battle bracket. There were lots of types of battle going on, from entry-level to invitation-only. Double, Singles, Triples…. The list went on and on. Zayne had been invited to participate in one of the higher-level brackets, no doubt from his time competing at the Lily of the Valley Conference. However, despite the honor, the invitation had left him somewhat bitter. He was in a top-bracket but had been denied entry to the highest: the champion’s bracket. It was extremely disappointing, but he knew why too; he’d never beaten a champion.
Sighing, Zayne reached down and picked up the fruity ice drink beside him, taking a sip of it. He would get his chance someday. But he knew for the present he would need to continue to hone his battle skills. And right now, that meant winning his current tournament. Zayne slushed the drink around thoughtfully. Battles had already been going on for the first four days, but his bracket was beginning tomorrow. He was, of course, excited to battle the opponents he’d been facing. Briefly, he entertained the idea of getting some more practice in. Lots of trainers had been battling informally around the conference site since it had started. He doubted it would be any trouble to find someone to challenge, but the trouble would be finding a worthy opponent.
Zayne sighed again, shaking his head. Although he didn’t have anything better to do, he was reluctant to leave the shady shelter of his palm tree. It was absolutely too hot, in his opinion.
Sign-Up Thread:
I did, sorry! I was in such a rush to get the RP thread up I forgot to answer it! You are more than welcome to have a Z-Power! Just make sure you you come up with a cool story of where you got your Z-Ring and Crystal! 
RP thread is up!
Zayne’s sharp brown orbs flicked to his left at the sound of a voice that cut through the rest of the crowd. He had noticed a while ago that some girl with blue hair had taken up residence in the shade over there as well, and that she had a whole gaggle of Pokémon along with her. Nothing impressive really; the only ones of note were a blue-colored Ninetails that he identified as one of those regional variants he had heard about, and an orange wolf-like Pokémon he didn’t know the name of. Past that were a handful of other Pokémon he could care less about, but the commotion that had drawn his attention seemed to be over the blue-haired girl’s Pikachu. There was another girl there now, talking to the blue-haired girl (he thought she was gushing about the Pikachu), as well as a boy. The blue-haired girl appeared to be uncomfortable, but that’s as much as Zayne gathered. He lost interest in the scene fairly quickly and went back to his map and ice-drink-thingy (he felt like the fruity ice was his favorite part of Alola so far).
Zayne’s interest was grabbed, however, by the sight of a Braviary and an Emolga sparring with each other several yards down the path from where he stood. Interested now, he lowered the map in front of his face slightly, to get a better view. As he did, he realized there were a lot of Pokémon along this particular path; two in particular caught his attention, a Delphox and a Greninja, both standing with female trainers. He focused on both the Delphox and the Greninja individually for a few moments, almost as if he was trying to measure the strength of each one. Whether or not he was noticeable in his analyzing, he didn’t know or care. Apparently, he didn’t find what he was looking for in either of the two Pokémon, because he lost interest in them as well and went back to watching the Braviary and the Emolga as he took another drink of his ice.
(OOC: You were just fine Senrova!)
Introduction
Republic City, seated at what is more or less the center of the world, has always been a symbol of lasting peace for the people of the four nations. It’s a place where anyone, rich or poor, benders and non-benders alike, can play, work, and live together in harmony. It’s a melting pot, and a celebration of the world’s different cultures all rolled into one. But something is stirring in the shadows.
Two weeks ago, Ogi, the famed and much beloved Earth Bender for the Eelhounds Pro-Bending team, mysteriously vanished without a trace. The event has left an eerie and ominous feeling within the normally lively community, and some of the city’s citizens have begun to question whether or not Qgi’s disappearance was voluntary.
Additionally, the city has begun to experience a resurgence in Bender gangs and turf wars, and it would seem even some aggression towards non-benders. Some citizens wonder if that events could be somehow connected?
On the other end of the spectrum, the newest Avatar has recently been identified and is being brought to a compound in Republic City to study the four elements, a decision that has raised some level of controversy among the city’s citizens, but one that is happening nonetheless.
Welcome to Republic City, where suddenly not everything is as it seems.
Rules
Roster
Form
My Forms
RP Thread
Chat Thread
Oh, that's wonderful! Just feel free to make whoever you'd like, I'm very excited for your pro-bender though!
Zayne started, confused for a second. He could've sworn that the Braviary had somehow visibly reacted to his watching, like it had become slightly unsure of itself. Zayne shook his head, not quite positive if that was the case. Though he snorted, turning away. What kind of Pokemon got stage fright? He made to turn slightly, as if to check on his surroundings, and as he did so a girl abrupt bumped into him. He started and flinched at the unexpected contact, his map fell to the ground, and his hand jerked back which caused his much beloved fruit-ice to splash all over the front of his torso.
There was a heartbeat or two of silence as Zayne stared somewhat mournfully at his now-wet-shirt. Whether he was more upset about having the freezing drink spilled on him, or the fact that said wonderful drink was now gone, it was hard to tell. The moment passed though, and Zayne's head snapped up. Immediately, he fixed a wicked glare on the perpetrator, barely registering her apology, or the words spoken by her male companion.
Fortunately, before he could stark speaking, a breeze picked up and snatched his fallen map, which he noticed almost immediately. In a single fluid motion, he pulled a Pokeball from his belt and threw it (aggressively) into the air. As he did so, he snarled, "Go get that!" and the Staraptor that appeared from the Pokeball promptly did so, chasing after the loose bit of paper with strong, constant beats of its wings.
Zayne snapped back around then, his gaze raking back to the girl and her companion. He had calmed down significantly in the last few seconds, and was now clear-headed enough to recognize that the two looked similar enough to be brother and sister. It took him a moment or two, but he recalled what the boy had said when the girl had first run into him. "Eat less sugar then?" he suggested in a barely controlled voice. "And actually look before you step?" he hissed, grinding his teeth. Visibly, however, it seemed that he was relaxing further and further by the second, evidenced by the tension draining out of his shoulders.
"Ugh," Cordelia grumbled. Her quest for food, thus far, had been distinctly unsuccessful. However, even as she thought that, her attention was grabbed by a most peculiar sight. If she was not mistaken, a Houndoom was being some kind of food-like item. As she watched, the Pokemon paid and everything, then reported back to who Cordelia could only guess was his trainer. Without hesitation, Cordelia followed the small party (consisting of a girl, a Houndoom, and a Greninja) to where they had taken shelter on the grassy area. She passed a boy who just had his drink dumped on him, but didn't pay him any mind. "Excuse me?" she said abruptly, stopping short in front of the girl with the Houndoom. "But what is that?" she asked, pointing at the food items her team were obviously munching on. "And you're Houndoom, that was absolutely remarkable!" the older woman gushed, looking admiring at the dog-like Pokemon.
She smiled at the girl, but the smile quickly turned into a grin as a funny thought struck her. She imagined what the Houndoom had just done, only she imagined trying to do the same with Drax. She doubted it would work out as well, and the thought left her giddy. However, another growl of her stomach caused her to zero back in on the treats the girl and her team had. Cordelia had never seen anything like them really, and wondered what they tasted like. Were they edible for people too? It would be quite the downer if now. Of course, she could get some for her own team, but the amount of money she'd have to pay to get enough just for Drax alone.... That thought caused her smile to lessen a bit.
plumes : Welcome! You're forms look all good to me, and you are accepted!
slacker : Hi, I'm glad you're interested! You may definitely use those Pokemon!
ATTENTION: I've come to a recent decision to lift the rule stating that only one Pokemon is allowed per user! The reason I generally implement this rule is because in the past people have used the same Pokemon over and over on their teams, which becomes stale quickly. However, you guys have been really awesome and diverse with your choices, and I've decided its not fair of me to limit anyone's creativity with their teams. If you are already a registered member of the thread and would like to change out any of your Pokemon for ones that someone else may have been using, you are welcome to! All members are also now allowed to make use of additional Pokemon that may be with a Professor, family member, etc. etc.
There are some limits to this rule though! Legendaries are still not permitted, and I will be utilizing the rule of only one type of Mega Pokemon being allowed. Additionally, only six Pokemon may be on your team at any time still, though you may switch them with a PC if the story is in an appropriate place to do so!
I hope everyone likes this decision (though if not, please feel free to share!) and that everyone will continue to enjoy this thread!
Darkened : Heehee, I love that Roka has a messenger hawk, and he seems like a very dynamic character! Accepted! One thing though, would you mind telling me what kind of bending you personally would like to have in the "Other" slot as well. It's the rule code word, so it just needs to be there to be fair for everyone. :)
Anyway, I'm making a Pro-Bender as well! He plays for the Eelhounds, which is the same team the aforementioned Earth Bender Ogi played for. He's a water bender, so the rivalry dynamic could be really interesting!
Yeah, that's part of the other reason, in case anyone wants to have evolutions!
I, also, will be sticking with all of my current teams though! :)
You people are so kind! It makes me happy to know so many people find the plot to be interesting, I just hope it lives up to the hype!
Yes, the water bit is going to be so interesting since the two of them a literally opposites! In fact, my character has a general dislike for fire benders as well!
Gracious, you guys are too kind! But not to worry, I'm going to do my very best to insure that it lasts for a very long time! :)
*goes back to typing post*
Zayne sighed; it was clear that he was no longer angry, though the occasional mournful glance he directed at his damp shirt suggested that perhaps he was indeed heartbroken over the loss of the drink. Crossing his arms, he scowled at both Hazel and Gray, though it alleviated slightly as his eyes fell on the Vaporeon with them. His expression took on an odd countenance, and his eyes glazed over, like perhaps the fish-tailed Pokemon had reminded him of something... or rather, someone. Zayne shook the thoughts away quickly though, and refocused on the humans in front of him. He shifted on his feet; now he wasn't sure what to say. The girl had bumped into him, they had participated in a verbal exchange, and now it was over. Yet, the pair hadn't moved on and Zayne couldn't help but feel that he was obligated to say something to them. They were conversing among themselves about sugar intake, but he still felt as if the words were being directed to him as well. He tried to think up a response. "Interesting," he muttered in a half reply. His crossed arms tightened further against his torso. It was a lame attempt at some conversation, but at least he had tried. What else could he say to a couple of complete strangers? He resisted the urge to glance around and find someone to beeline out of the social interaction; small talk wasn't really his strong suit.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Zayne, his Staraptor, Xerxes, was just about to retrieve said map he had been sent to fetch when, out of nowhere, a Braviary appeared and snatched it right out of the air instead. Xerxes reared back, his wings fluttering frantically in order to keep him aloft in his surprise. Once he'd registered what happened, Xerxes let out a furious cry and dove towards the other winged-perpetrator. The bird Pokemon glanced at the back of Zayne's red head, as if the Staraptor was trying to see if his trainer saw what was going on. When Xerxes realized this was not the case, he immediately began an outraged pursuit of the Braviary. At some point, a girl appeared and began speaking to the other bird, and Xerxes registered that she must be Braviary's trainer, so he began aggressively squawking at her too. Then he turned a withering glare on the Braviary and attempted to snatch the map out of the other flying type's beak, his wings flapping in frantic anger.
Cordelia froze, coming up short as she registered a myriad of expressions cross the girl's face. Mentally, Cordelia gently scolded herself for being much too enthusiastic, as she tended to be some times. She took a deep breath, then exhaled, smiling gently. "I just found it very cool that your Houndoom completed a whole business transaction for you," Cordelia said in a slow, deliberately kind voice. "I was just thinking that if my Tyrantrum tried to do the same, it would probably be a disaster!" She laughed lightly at her own words, then nodded a thank you. "A malasada?" Cordelia glanced over to where the girl had indicated they'd been purchased. "Oh, that's great!" she said in relief. "I'm absolutely starving!" She grinned again, though was careful to watch out of the corner of her eye to see if the girl would laugh as well. Cordelia hoped she wasn't making the situation awkward or anything, that hadn't been her intention at all.
"Are you enjoying the conference?' she asked gently.
Yeah, they don't get on very well. XD
By the way, would you mind if I made Roka's earth bending teammate?
shoedude : Accepted! I'm very interested to learn more about Fang, and what happened to Jhin's family!
Hooray! And welcome!
shoedude : I'm happy to help with anything you might need! I'll see if I can think of any potentially good plots!
Nama330 : Avani is so cute, and I love that she has a Shirishu! Definitely accepted!
Shirshu's are my favorite animals from the Avatar Universe because, like you said, they're cute, but also really awesome with their abilities! Also, Hiru is a very cute and very appropriate name and I love it already!
Bonus: I'm making the water bender for the Catgators, so full team in the house! His name is Keanu!
Oh my goodness that just became brilliant on multiple levels because OGI IS MISSING GUYS! I mean, no one thinks he's important right now because you don't know anything about him, but who's to say other people might not go missing too? 
